《Mysterious Male Escort Is a Mogul》


 Chapter 1

    Chapter 1


    It¡¯s hot.Why does it feel like I''m burning up? Charlotte Windt felt like she had been aimlessly walking in


    the desert for a very long time.


    All she wanted was to quench her thirst.


    A man¡¯s icy lips covered hers as he devoured her, giving her temporary respite from the heat.She


    reached out and flung her arms around his neck, sucking his lips greedily.


    Loud moans and pants soon resounded around the room.


    Their shadows on the wall opposite ovepped with a burning passion.


    As the light was dim, Charlotte couldn''t see the man¡¯s face clearly.


    The only thing that urred to her was how beastly he was in bed.


    He savagely took her until dawn.


    When dawn broke, he left.


    Charlotte opened her eyes in a daze.She sawa blurry image of a man¡¯s back and the vicious wolf head


    tattoo on the small of his back.


    It was a tattoo of a howling wolf with its jaw wide opened, like it was going to devour its prey anytime.


    She felt her heart racing in fear at the sight of that tattoo.


    Charlotte had a dream.


    In it, she had turned into a vine that was entwined around a colossal tree, unable to break free.


    When she regained consciousness, her body was aching terribly.


    Charlotte sat up in bed with one hand on her head, trying to soothe her splitting headache.


    She saw the mess on the bed and a torn men¡¯s shirt on the ground.


    Freezing in shock, she racked her brains trying to rememberst night¡¯s events.


    At her engagement party, her fianc¨¦ had betrayed her.


    She was on the verge of breaking down when her cousin, Luna White, brought her to Sultry Night to


    drink her sorrows away.


    Utterly wasted, she announced she wanted to take revenge on her fianc¨¦.


    Luna immediately arranged a male escort for her.


    Asst night¡¯s events hit her, Charlotte clutched her chest in shock.Oh God! lost my virginity to a


    stranger! She grabbed her hair in frustration.


    After a long time, she finally snapped out of her trance and hurriedly put on her clothes.


    When she rushed out of the hotel, a bunch of reporters mored around her.


    Apanied by the blinding camera shes were the reporters¡¯ harsh questions.


    "Ms.Windt, is it true you spent the night with a male escort from Sultry Night because the Sterlings


    called off the engagement?"


    "Ms.Windt, are you aware that the male escort is a transvestite?"


    "Ms.Windt, did you know your father has gone bankrupt?"


    "Ms.Windt, we''ve just received news that your father hadmitted suicide.He jumped off his


    company¡¯s building."


    Charlotte¡¯s mind went nk as if she had just been struck by lightning.


    At once, she ran out but was knocked out cold by a car.


    The next morning, the headlines were aze with the news of Charlotte and her father.Richest Man in


    H City Richard Windt Goes Bankrupt and Commits Suicide.


    Hector Sterling Dumps Daughter of Richard Windt ¡ª Charlotte Windt Spends Night at Club With


    Transvestite Male Escort.


    Both pieces of breaking news immediately made it to the headlines.


    Once a wealthy heiress, Charlotte became a despicable and immoral b*tch overnight.She had lost


    everything from her family to her reputation.


    Ten monthster, loud cries from babies could be heard in an unremarkable clinic in the countryside.


    Mrs.Berry held a baby in her arms as she rushed up to Charlotte tedly.


    "Miss, congrattions.You gave birth to triplets.Two boys and a girl!"


    Four yearster, at H City¡¯s Train Station.


    Charlotte arrived in the city with her kids and Mrs.Berry.


    The plump Mrs.Berry was holding two big pieces of luggage, heaving as she walked.


    Charlotte had a denim backpack slung on her shoulder as she squeezed out of the busy train station


    with her three kids.


    To others, they looked like a poor family from the countrysideing to the city to depend on their


    rtives.


    "Out of my way, country bumpkin!"


    A woman wearing a fur coat shoved Mrs.Berry away harshly and insulted her.


    Charlotte was about to reprimand that woman when a fleet of luxury cars came to a stop beside her.


    Before anyone could react, dozens of bodyguards alighted their vehicles and formed two neat rows.


    Giving a deep bow, they called out in unison, "Wee back, Mrs.Sterling!"N?velDrama.Org owns this text.

 Chapter 2

    Chapter 2


    Hearing the name "Sterling,"Charlotte nced at the convoy and saw the Sterlings¡¯ crest on the cars.


    Are they here for me? She grew excited at that thought.


    N?velDrama.Org owns this text.


    Could it be that Hector never betrayed me? Did he call off our engagement because he had no other


    choice back then? Now that he knows I¡¯m back, he must be here to pick me up!


    "Miss, is Mr.Sterling here to pick us up?"


    A delighted Mrs.Berry was about to step forward when two bodyguards pushed them away rudely.


    In the next moment, a graceful woman dressed in expensive clothing walked out, nked by an


    entourage.


    Charlotte''s lips parted in surprise.


    Isn''t this Luna White? Luna was d in a designer suit.She looked more elegant than she was four


    years ago.Her fingers were curled around a little hand belonging to a boy around the same age as


    Charlotte¡¯s triplets.


    "Mrs.Sterling, Timothy, this way please,"the bodyguards greeted them politely.


    "I will never take the train again.It¡¯s filthy and full ofmonalties," dered Luna, covering her nose


    with her handkerchief in disdain.


    "Yes, yes.If it weren¡¯t for the weather, Mr.Sterling wouldn''t have let you and Timothy suffer."


    The bodyguards escorted Luna and the little boy into a car.


    Both Luna and her son were so arrogant they didn¡¯t even nce around them.


    Thus, they failed to notice Charlotte in the crowd.


    "What is going on?"


    Mrs.Berry recognized Luna and blurted out.


    "Isn''t that your cousin? Is she married to Mr.Sterling now?"


    "I think so."


    As the Sterlings¡¯ convoy drove away, Charlotte recalled Hector¡¯s promise in the past.He said I''ll be his


    only bride in this life.But now, he¡¯s married to my cousin.They even have a son this big! Tears prickled


    at Charlotte¡¯s eyes as her nose burned.


    "Mommy, what¡¯s wrong?"


    When the kids spotted Charlotte¡¯s red-rimmed eyes, all three of them surrounded her and voiced their


    concerns.


    "I¡¯m fine."


    Wiping her eyes dry, Charlotte knelt down and pulled the three of them in for a hug.


    "Mommy, don¡¯t be sad.When I grow up, I''ll buy a big car for you.Then, you won''t have to suffer


    anymore," offered her eldest son, Robbie.


    He thought she was upset because someone had bullied her.


    "Mommy, who bullied you? Lemme beat them up!"


    Jamie, the second boy, waved his fists adorably and puffed up his cheeks.


    Ellie, the youngest of the triplets, rubbed her cheek against Charlotte¡¯s andforted her.


    "Mommy, don¡¯t cry!"


    "Don¡¯t cry! Don''t cry!"


    Suddenly, a green head poked out of Ellie¡¯s pocket.It belonged to a cheeky parrot that was ncing


    around curiously at this moment.


    "No, I''m not crying." Charlotte inhaled sharply and put on a smile.


    "Come on, let¡¯s go home!"


    "Yay, let¡¯s go!"


    Charlotte gave them a kiss each before slinging the backpack over her shoulder again and heading out


    to hail a cab.


    She used to be a wealthy heiress with an entourage wherever she went, but now, she had to queue up


    to hail a cab with Mrs.Berry and her kids, not to mention being heavily loaded with their baggage.


    As all of them couldn''t fit in one cab, Mrs.Berry had to take a separate cab by herself.


    The sky was dark, signaling the arrival of a storm.


    Hoping to avoid it, the cab driver was speeding anxiously along the road when suddenly, he rammed


    into a Rolls-Royce up ahead.


    The cab driver''s face turned pale instantly and got down from his cab to check the situation.


    Charlotte sat in the passenger seat and looked out of the window, snapping her brows together.


    It was a limited-edition Rolls-Royce Phantom.


    There were only three units in C Nation and thirty-five worldwide.


    Even if it were a minor scratch, the cab driver would have topensate a substantial amount of


    money, which might cause him to go bankrupt.

 Chapter 3

    Chapter 3


    The conflict was going to be a hassle and would probably take a long time.


    Looking up, Charlotte noticed the sky had turned a gloomy grey.


    The storm was about to hit anytime.She didn¡¯t want her kids to get soaked in the rain, especially Ellie,


    who had been physically weak since young.


    The little girl would definitely catch a cold if the rain got to her.


    "Robbie, Jamie, Ellie, stay in the car.I''ll go down and see what¡¯s happening,"Charlotte told her children


    before getting off the cab.


    "Mommy, be careful!" the kids yelled out unanimously.


    Fifi the parrot poked its head out of Ellie¡¯s pocket again curiously.


    Ellie gave it a tiny snack and petted its fluffy head gently.


    "Fifi, hold on tight.We''ll be home soon!"


    "Sir, I''m sorry.I didn¡¯t hit your car on purpose." The cab driver was exining nervously.


    "It was the passenger¡¯s fault.She has three kids and a good deal of baggage.My cab is overloaded, so I


    identally bumped into your car."


    When he saw Charlotte, he immediately pointed at her.


    "You''re responsible for this!"


    "Huh? Why?" Charlotte was about to retort when the window of the Rolls-Royce rolled down.


    "Forget it.The president is busy!"


    The man seated in the passenger seat spoke as he swept a nce over Charlotte.


    "Yes!"


    The man in suit nodded and told the cab driver to drive carefully next time before leaving.


    Charlotte gazed instinctively at the backseat of the Rolls-Royce when the driver opened the door.


    To her surprise, she saw a half-naked man with his back to her.


    A snarly wound snaked across his back as blood trickled down onto the wolf head tattoo on the small of


    his back.


    Wolf head tattoo?The Wolf head tattoo! Charlotte¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief.


    She stared at the tattoo wordlessly as her heart jumped to her throat.


    The ferocious wolf was gazing at her, its eyes stained bright red by the man¡¯s blood, looking ever so


    bloodthirsty.


    It¡¯s him!It really is him! "Move out of the way!"


    The cab driver gave Charlotte an abrupt push, causing her to topple to the ground.


    When she looked up again, the Rolls-Royce had disappeared from sight.


    Charlotte felt her head buzzing as she stared at the empty road ahead.


    Was that him in the car just now? The kids¡¯ father? Wasn''t he a gigolo at Sultry Night?Why was he in


    that expensive car with that horrible wound?


    "Hey, why did you push my mommy?" Jamie waved his fists angrily at the cab driver.


    "Brat, stop yelling at me.If it weren¡¯t for you, I wouldn''t have gotten this unlucky," cursed the cab driver.


    "You were the one speeding before hitting that car.That¡¯s none of our business!" Robbie retorted in his


    bubbly voice.


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    "As your passengers, we''re not responsible for your mistake! You vited the trafficw. We can file a


    comint against you!"


    "Yes, you bullied Mommy. I will ask the police to arrest you!"


    Ellie pouted furiously and pointed at someone in the middle of the road.


    "There¡¯s a traffic police!"


    Fifi, who was perched on her shoulder, chirped out instantly.


    "Traffic police! Traffic police!"


    "What a nuisance.Get off! I refuse to bring you to your destination anymore."


    The cab driver proceeded to open his trunk and threw their baggage in the middle of the road before


    leaving in a huff.


    "Hey! How could you?"


    Charlotte picked up her baggage clumsily and brought the kids to the side of the road.


    Meanwhile, the man in the backseat of the Rolls- Royce, Zachary Nacht, looked up and nced at the


    rearview mirror.


    That woman looks familiar.Where have I seen her before this?


    "Mr.Nacht, I''ll inject the anesthetic now!" said the doctor who was dealing with his wound.


    "No need." The man was reading a file in his hand.His wound was bleeding profusely, but he wasn¡¯t


    bothered at all.


    "Um, this may sting a little then.I¡¯m going to stitch your wound up."


    Frowning, the doctor started stitching the wound up.


    As there was no anesthetic involved, the doctor was more nervous than usual.


    The man¡¯s tanned skin glinted under the light icily.


    His muscles contracted from the immense pain, but his expression remained the same.

 Chapter 4

    Chapter 4


    On Monday morning, Charlotte sent the kids to kindergarten with Mrs.Berry before she went to Divine


    Corporation.


    For the past few days, she had sted her resume out to thirty-fivepanies.


    Seventeen of them called her for an interview, but they either rejected her or asked her to wait for their


    decision.


    Only onepany offered her a job¡ªthe legendary Divine Corporation! Strange.


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    The SMEs didn¡¯t want to hire me, but why did the corporate giant in the industry, Divine Corporation,


    call me instead? When she arrived at the HR department, she finally realized whose n it was.


    "It¡¯s you?"


    "Long time no see, Miss!" Wesley Holt greeted her with an evil smile.


    "You''re still pretty after all these years."


    "Wesley Holt, my father fired you from Windt Corporation and left orders that you are not to step into H


    City for the rest of your life.How dare you return?"


    Charlotte knew who he was.


    Wesley used to be the vice president of Windt Corporation.He tried to take advantage of her, so


    Richard fired him.


    She never thought she''d see him again after four long years.


    "The Windt family is over the hill.Do you think you''re still the rich heiress?" Wesley snickered.


    "You''re nothing. I am the one who gives you this job!"


    Giving him a re, Charlotte spun on her heels and left.


    "Charlotte, this is your final chance.If you walk out from this door, I guarantee you won''t find a job in H


    City, unless you are willing to be a hostess in a bar!"


    Wesley uttered arrogantly.


    Furious, Charlotte stormed out of his office.I will never give in to someone like him! When she exited


    the building, a crowd had formed at the entrance.


    There was a middle-aged man with gasoline poured all over his body.


    He was holding a lighter, trying to threaten everyone.


    "Stay away.I want to meet Zachary Nacht, now!"


    The staff stayed away while the bodyguards were on alert.


    A few higher-ups tried to persuade him.


    "Mr.Looney, calm down.We can talk this out."


    "Calm down? Do you know what he did to me? I identally offended him, and he made me bankrupt


    overnight! How could I calm down?"


    Gaston Looney eximed.


    At his words, Charlotte was reminded of her father, Richard.I still don¡¯t understand how Windt


    Corporation went bust suddenly.


    We were doing so well.I didn''t even get to see Father before he died.Did someone sabotage Father


    back then?


    "Mr.Nacht is here!" someone shouted.


    Charlotte looked up and saw a Rolls-Royce Phantoming to a stop.


    The bodyguards swarmed toward the car and cleared a path.


    Seeing that, the crowd made way for him. Gaston rushed to the car and stood in front of it.


    "Zachary Nacht, I demand an exnation today!" he shouted.


    Everyone fell silent and gazed at the ck Rolls- Royce nervously.


    The most horrifying and influential person in H City is in that car! Charlotte saw a figure in the backseat


    looking at his phone without a care in the world.


    His driver and bodyguard in the passenger seat remained seated, waiting for his instruction.


    A heavy silence hung in the air.


    The expressionless man then made a casual gesture.


    Immediately, the vehicle sped ahead with every intention to hit Gaston.


    The onlookers were dumbfounded, let alone Gaston.


    He froze on the spot in disbelief at the other party¡¯s callousness.


    The car was about to hit him when Charlotte rushed forward and pulled him back.


    At that, the man in the car looked up and noticed Charlotte.Aplicated look shed across his gaze


    at the sight of her.

 Chapter 5

    Chapter 5


    As Charlotte and Gaston fell onto the ground together, the crowd collectively gasped in shock.


    Charlotte¡¯s arm was throbbing painfully.But when she looked up, the Rolls-Royce Phantom was long


    gone.


    Almost instantly, the security guards rushed over and detained Gaston.


    "Zachary Nacht, I curse you! You''ll die a horrible death!" he yelled desperately.


    Soon, the guards stuffed a cloth into his mouth to stop him from yelling more and dragged him away


    like a dead dog.


    Charlotte stared after him with sorrow.


    Father told me that the business world 1s like a battlefield.


    But it looks like hell to me.A careless mistake will cause one to sink into an endless quicksand.


    The mysterious man in the Phantom is none other than the devil incarnate who controls everyone¡¯s


    fate.s, the poor have to work for the devil even though they are barely surviving.


    The moment Charlotte left Divine Corporation¡¯s building, she received a text from the bank, informing


    her of the sessful transaction to the kindergarten, amounting to one hundred and eighty thousand.


    Her bnce in the ount was three thousand nine hundred and eighty-eight.


    Ah, it¡¯s expensive to bring up kids nowadays.


    The triplets¡¯ school fees plus meal allowance amount to one hundred and eighty thousand!The rest isn''t


    even enough to buy form milk for them.


    What should I do? After battling with her own thoughts for a long while, Charlotte turned and entered


    Divine Corporation once again. It''s just Wesley.


    He won''t do anything in broad daylight, right?The man¡¯s right.I¡¯m no longer the rich heiress.I need to


    support my family and the kids.


    Pride isn¡¯t important right now.


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    Charlotte was waiting for the elevator in the lobby when many bodyguards appeared, escorting a man


    to the VIP elevator.


    Everywhere that man went, people would bow and greet him politely.


    "Good morning, Mr.Nacht!"


    As she was far away and not tall enough, she didn¡¯t manage to see what he looked like.


    But that man was obviously Zachary Nacht, the president of Divine Corporation.


    Hmm, why does his figure seem familiar to me? Shaking her head, she chided herself for being star-


    struck.


    Why would I be reminded of that gigolo every time I meet a tall and muscr man?He¡¯s the president


    of Divine Corporation and an influential and ruthless man.


    There''s no way he¡¯s a gigolo at Sultry Night!


    "Mr.Nacht, the one who pulled Gaston Looney away was an onlooker¡ªNo, she has just registered as


    our new employee five minutes ago as a secretary on the thirteenth floor. Her name is Charlotte


    Windt," reported Ben Nacht.


    His boss said nothing as he scrawled his signature on a document.The man only replied with a grunt


    after he was done with his work.


    "Mm."


    Charlotte would be paid eight thousand monthly during her probation period, including basic


    insurance.Her sry would increase to ten thousand once she passed probation.


    After going through the entry procedures, Charlotte was counting silently whether her sry was


    enough for her family¡¯s expenses.


    I''ll need to spend eight thousand every month on the kids¡¯ form milk alone.That''s not including our


    expenses...


    She was deep in worry when a few other employees came to wee her.


    "Hello, Charlotte. Wee to the administration department!"


    "Oh, thank you." Charlotte shook hands with them warmly.


    This was her first official job, so she knew how important it was to build a good rtionship with her


    colleagues.


    "As usual, we''ll have a wee party for you. Is that okay?"


    "Of course.Dinner¡¯s on me!"


    "Had I like how smart you are. We''ll leave right after work"


    "Sure!"


    When it was time to get off work, Charlotte had some unfinished work, so her colleagues left and


    waited for her downstairs.


    After finishing the paperwork, she grabbed her bag and headed to the elevator.


    But before she could reach it, the doors closed right in front of her.


    At the same time, the doors to the VIP elevator parted. She scurried in without hesitation.


    "This is the president¡¯s private elevator. Please leave right away" the bodyguard reprimanded her.


    "Huh?"


    Before Charlotte could react, the mysterious man in the elevator made a gesture. His bodyguard


    received his order and stopped driving her out.


    Charlotte looked back, but immediately turned away.


    It¡¯s the devil incarnate, Zachary Nacht!

 Chapter 6

    Chapter 6


    All of a sudden, it felt like the surrounding temperature had dropped a few degrees.


    The man was tall and looked like a Greek god. He stood behind her imposingly and exuded an


    intimidating aura.


    Charlotte bit her lip hard. She was subconsciously holding her breath. Through the reflection of the


    mirror in the elevator, she saw the man gazing at her sharply.


    He looks like a lion staring at its prey.


    Hurry, hurry!


    Charlotte gazed at the number shing on the elevator screen, hoping to quickly escape this


    suffocating ce.


    Thirteen, twelve, eleven, ten...


    She counted the numbers silently, her heart thumping furiously. Unbeknownst to her, Zachary was


    inching nearer to her.


    Ding! Finally, the elevator reached the ground floor.


    Once the doors opened, she scurried out. She was in such a hurry that she tripped and fell down.


    St! She copsed face down like a frog. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    Everyone outside gasped in shock. A few employees who had just exited the normal elevator covered


    their mouths and sniggered.


    Charlotte was so ashamed that she wanted to dig a hole and hide in it. She scrambled to her feet


    clumsily and ran out, covering her face.


    Behind her, the man looked at her retreating figure as a smirk flitted across his lips.


    Charlotte thought the wee party would be a dinner in a restaurant, but it turned out to be a drinking


    session at Sultry Night. To her surprise, Wesley was also there.


    This is the administration department¡¯s gathering. Why is someone from the HR department here?


    Charlotte wasn¡¯t happy about it, but her colleagues were present, so she wasn¡¯t about to chase him out


    rudely.


    Wesley had already introduced himself to her colleagues. He also ordered bottles of expensive liquor,


    which were currently ced around the table.


    A male colleague spoke up. ¡°Mr. Holt, this liquor costs over eight thousand. We shouldn¡¯t be doing this


    to our new colleague.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± Wesley grinned. ¡°Charlotte is an heiress. She¡¯s rich. Back then, she could pay for


    everyone¡¯s drinks here in Sultry Night. These are nothing to her.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Seriously?¡± A few female colleagues got curious. They surrounded Charlotte and bombarded her


    with questions. ¡°Charlotte, you¡¯re an heiress? How unexpected!¡±


    ¡°No¡ª¡±


    ¡°Of course, you are.¡± Wesley cut her off rudely and snickered. ¡°The only daughter of the richest man in


    H City, Richard Windt. You¡¯ve heard of him, right?¡±


    ¡°Richard Windt? The one who jumped off a building four years ago?¡± a man uttered. ¡°No wonder the


    surname Windt sounded really familiar to me.¡±


    ¡°I think I read the news. The Sterlings called off their son¡¯s engagement to Ms. Windt, and then she


    came to Sultry Night and spent the night with a transvestite gigolo. Uh, was that true?¡±


    Her colleagues were staring at her, their gazes a mixture of curiosity, excitement and amazement as


    they waited for her reply.


    Charlotte felt suffocated by them. Refusing to take it anymore, she stood up to leave.


    The manager of the administration department, Roy Young, stopped her and chided the rest. ¡°What are


    you all doing? Is this how you treat our new colleague? We are going to work together in the future, so


    please stop teasing her.¡±


    ¡°Okay, sorry.¡±


    They apologized to Charlotte at once.


    The moment Charlotte met Wesley¡¯s amused gaze, she escaped from the private room without a word.


    She wanted to escape the past and start her life anew, but the past kept haunting her. I can never get


    rid of it, can I?


    Charlotte took a deep breath to calm down.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Was that so unbearable?¡± Wesley came after her and sneered. ¡°How would you


    survive, huh?¡±


    ¡°You did it on purpose.¡± Charlotte glowered at him. ¡°You deliberately hired me and made me treat my


    colleagues to dinner so I¡¯d be humiliated. You¡¯re doing this to take revenge on me!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Wesley answered, nodding with a grin. ¡°I ordered food and drinks worth a few hundred


    thousand just for you.¡±

 Chapter 7

    Chapter 7


    ¡°Hey!¡± Charlotte gritted her teeth in anger. I only have three thousand left in my ount. How on earth


    am I going to foot the bill?


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you can¡¯t afford to pay the bill?¡± Wesley came closer to her intentionally. ¡°You can ask for


    my help. As long as you agree to spend a night with me, I¡¯ll foot the bill. With my help, no one will dare


    to bully you at work and¡ª¡±


    p! Before Wesley could finish, Charlotte gave him a tight p and yelled, ¡°Scum!¡±


    Wesley touched his cheek. Instead of getting mad, he chuckled like a pervert. ¡°This is the first time


    you¡¯ve touched me. Your hand is so soft!¡±


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    ¡°You are a disgusting piece of shit!¡± Charlotte stalked off angrily.


    ¡°If you fail to pay the bill today, your colleagues might refuse to befriend you anymore. Imagine them


    being disgusted by you so much that they start ostracizing you!¡± Wesley shouted behind her. ¡°Do you


    want to risk losing this job?¡±


    Charlotte walked along the hallway in dejection. I can¡¯t lose this job. But where can I get a few hundred


    thousand to foot the bill?


    She was deep in thought when a familiar figure appeared in a private room ahead.


    A man was seated on the sofa with his straight back to her. His white shirt was tied around his waist,


    revealing a vicious wolf head tattoo and a long scar on his back.


    It¡¯s him!


    Charlotte froze in shock. Her heart pounded faster than ever.


    Thest time she saw the man in his car, she was so nervous and had held her breath dazedly. But he


    left before she could say a word. But now, the man who had destroyed her life was right in front of her


    eyes!


    As she gazed at his back, sudden shbacks appeared in her head.


    Upon waking up in the hospital back then, she failed to see her father for thest time. She could only


    look at her father¡¯s stiff corpse in the crematorium.


    At the funeral, her rtives and friends pointed fingers at her, cursing her harshly and chasing her


    away.


    As she got pregnant before marriage, people looked down on her when she attended her monthly


    prenatal checkups at the unremarkable clinic in the countryside.


    When she gave birth to her babies in the hospital, she nearly died of excessive bleeding because she


    was pregnant with triplets.


    It was all that man¡¯s fault!


    Fury overwhelmed her heart. She clenched her hands into fists and rushed into the room.


    ¡°Hey! Get out. This is a private area.¡± A man in ck standing in the corner spoke sternly.


    The mysterious man on the sofa raised his hand. At his silent order, the man in ck left the room


    silently.


    Charlotte was stunned. Oh? So gigolos are rich enough to afford bodyguards now?


    Looks like he has been enjoying life for the past few years!


    Charlotte bit back her agitation and inched nearer carefully. ¡°Is it you?¡±


    The man buttoned his shirt and turned around slowly. On his face was a ck masquerade mask,


    covering half of his face.


    The mask exposed his thin lips. His steely and enigmatic gaze gleamed in the dark.


    There was a gold fire emblem on the top right of the mask, which appeared menacing and wild to her.


    Charlotte took a step back instinctively. Why is he so imposing? Isn¡¯t he just a gigolo? Did I get the man


    wrong?


    No, I¡¯m right. There¡¯s that unmistakable tattoo.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you remember me?¡± Charlotte urged. ¡°Four years ago, I was drinking in room K13 when my


    friend requested a male escort for me, who turned out to be you. We went to Storm Hotel together¡ª¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a red mole on your chest.¡± The man narrowed his gaze at her. ¡°We did it seven times that very


    night¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna kill you!¡± Charlotte dashed ahead and raised her arm to give him a p.


    The man grabbed her arm swiftly and pushed her onto the sofa. ¡°How dare you!¡±


    ¡°Scum!¡± Charlotte leaped onto him like a wildcat, waving her arms around to scratch him. ¡°It¡¯s all your


    fault! You ruined my life!¡± she roared.

 Chapter 8

    Chapter 8


    The man ced his hand on her head, keeping her at a distance away. She couldn¡¯t reach him even if


    she waved her hands wildly.


    He stared at her coolly like she was nothing but a clown. ¡°Get the facts right. You were the one who


    requested my service. It was consensual. You make it seem like I had raped you.¡±


    Charlotte bristled. ¡°You¡¯re an unprofessional gigolo! You didn¡¯t even put on a condom when you served


    your client. F*ck you! You deserve to be castrated!¡±


    ¡°Mm?¡± The man¡¯s gaze turned dangerous. ¡°Did you get pregnant?¡±


    Charlotte stiffened at his question. Her babies shed across her mind. Yes, I got pregnant and gave


    birth to triplets! But you scum! You¡¯ve never been a responsible father!


    ¡°Answer me!¡± he demanded.


    ¡°Yes, I got pregnant!¡± Charlotte blurted out. She immediately changed her mind and corrected herself,


    ¡°But I aborted itter. I won¡¯t give birth to a shameless gigolo¡¯s child!¡±


    If someone else finds out the kids¡¯ father is a male escort at a club, they¡¯ll be ridiculed at their


    kindergarten!


    No, I must keep it a secret. No one is to find out about this!


    ¡°Good!¡± The man nodded in satisfaction. He reached into his pocket to retrieve something.


    ¡°The cheek of you! I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re still working here as a gigolo. How many innocentdies are


    you going to harm? I¡¯ll file aint with your manager now!¡± Charlotte stomped away furiously.


    The man¡¯s hand holding the check froze. Furrowing his brows, he left the check in his pocket.


    At the door, Charlotte received a call from Wesley. ¡°Charlotte, if you don¡¯t show up, the rest are going to


    leave. Don¡¯t bother showing up for work at Divine Corporation tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Go to hell!¡±


    Charlotte hung up, her body shaking in rage. Why are there scums everywhere? They are both


    disgusting scoundrels!


    N?velDrama.Org owns this text.


    Wait a minute.


    Suddenly, something urred to her. That gigolo ruined my life. I can¡¯t give up just like that.


    I can¡¯t let him live luxuriously when my kids and I are suffering!


    At that thought, Charlotte¡¯s jaw hardened. She barged into the private room again and demanded,


    ¡°Stupid gigolo, you ruined my life. You must bear the responsibility!¡±


    The man was sipping on his wine when she made that announcement. Looking up icily, he replied,


    ¡°Oh? How do you propose I do that?¡±


    ¡°Bypensating me!¡± Charlotte dered sternly. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for you, I wouldn¡¯t have been this


    miserable!¡±


    If it weren¡¯t for him, I would¡¯ve met Father for thest time before he died.


    If it weren¡¯t for him, my reputation wouldn¡¯t have suffered such an irreversible damage.


    If it weren¡¯t for him, I wouldn¡¯t have be a single mother.


    But my kids are still adorable to me!


    Wait, I¡¯m demanding money from him now. Be stern and forceful!


    ¡°How much do you want?¡±


    The man lounged on the sofa arrogantly as he buttoned his shirt up. His sexy abs were gleaming


    alluringly in the dimly lit room.


    Charlotte was momentarily dazed by his abs. She swiftly regained herposure and cleared her


    throat, then held up three fingers.


    ¡°Three hundred million?¡±


    ¡°Ha! If you can pay me three hundred million, I¡¯d wake up smiling in my dreams!¡± Charlotte scoffed.


    She continued, ¡°You¡¯re just a gigolo. Why are you so cocky? Listen, I demand three months of your


    sry. From today onwards, give me half of your nightly earnings!¡±


    After all, I can¡¯t even afford to buy form milk for the kids now.


    Luckily, I bumped into this gigolo when I have nowhere to turn to!


    I need to fleece him to make him pay for what he had done to me.


    Also, he needs to bear some responsibility as the kids¡¯ father.


    Three months will be enough to get me through this hurdle. After my probation period, my sry will


    increase to ten thousand. We will be able to survive then.


    By then, we will go our separate ways.

 Chapter 9

    Chapter 9


    ¡°How much do you think I can earn in one night?¡± The man twirled his ss lightly and shot her an


    amused nce. ¡°What if no one requests for me?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re quite good-looking. If you¡¯re willing to work hard, you might end up as Sultry Night¡¯s top male


    escort.¡±


    Charlotte scanned his figure carefully before her gazended on his groin.


    ¡°I hear normal escorts get paid four to five thousand for each round of service, and eight to ten


    thousand for overnight service. You can earn at least ten thousand per night, right?¡±


    ¡°So, I just need to give you five thousand every night?¡± The man¡¯s smirk deepened. ¡°You¡¯re easily


    satisfied, huh?¡±


    ¡°Of course not!¡± Charlotte retorted hurriedly. ¡°I mean, at least five thousand! At least five thousand


    every night! To make up for that mistake you did that night, you need to work hard topensate me,


    got it?¡±


    ¡°Money isn¡¯t a problem,¡± said the man carelessly. Curious, he inquired, ¡°But how did you recognize


    me?¡±


    ¡°Through the wolf head tattoo on your waist. I won¡¯t get it wrong!¡± Charlotte was afraid he might deny it.


    ¡°So you don¡¯t know what I look like?¡± The man¡¯s gaze was prating.


    ¡°Duh!¡± Charlotte replied in exasperation. ¡°I was so drunk that night that I didn¡¯t even know what you


    looked like.¡±


    The man sipped on his wine and smiled, saying nothing.


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to shirk your responsibility. Otherwise, I¡¯ll file aint with the manager.¡± Charlotte added,


    ¡°Oh, I heard you¡¯re also a transvestite. If they find out about that, you¡¯ll lose your job for sure.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    The man stiffened and narrowed his eyes dangerously. ¡°Transvestite?¡±


    Charlotte harrumphed. ¡°Are you scared?¡±


    She took a pen from her bag and wrote out a simple contract.


    ¡°Here, I¡¯ve made it all clear. From today onwards, you need topensate me with half of your daily


    sry for three months. Sign here, and stamp your thumbprint here. It¡¯s a done deal!¡±


    She stuffed the pen in his hand.


    ¡°Am I the only gigolo you got?¡± The man gazed at the scrawny words on the contract and raised a


    brow. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you have a stack of these contracts at home?¡±


    ¡°Are you crazy? Do you think I¡¯m that desperate? Sleeping with you was an ident. You were the


    only man I¡¯ve ever slept with!¡± Charlotte blurted out angrily.


    When she realized what she had just said, her face flushed in embarrassment.


    The corners of the man¡¯s lips lifted in a smirk. He signed on the contract without a word, but his


    signature was an illegible squiggle at the bottom of the page.


    Charlotte thought that wasn¡¯t enough and pulled his palm to her. She bit on his thumb, hard. When a


    drop of blood trickled out, she stamped his finger on the contract immediately.


    ¡°Ha!¡± Now, the contract was valid and Charlotte was chuffed. ¡°There¡¯s no going back on your words


    now. Alright, give me your sry for today!¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t started working for tonight yet.¡±


    He pulled her into his embrace and wrapped his arm around her slender waist. Brushing his lips across


    her cheek, he breathed, ¡°Why don¡¯t you be my first client for today? I¡¯ll give you a 50% discount.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it!¡± Charlotte struggled out of his embrace and pushed him aside. ¡°Stay away


    from me. From now on, your job is to work hard and pay your debt!¡±


    ¡°Are you that willing to let me sell my body?¡± the man inquired, staring deep into her eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯re just my cash cow. Why wouldn¡¯t I be willing?¡± Charlotte whipped her phone out. ¡°Let¡¯s exchange


    numbers to stay in contact.¡±


    The man took her phone and entered his number. He was about to save his name when Charlotte


    snatched it away from him, saving his name as ¡°Gigolo In Debt.¡±


    Upon seeing that, his brows snapped together in displeasure.

 Chapter 10

    Chapter 10


    ¡°I¡¯ll send you my back ount. Remember to bank in your sry before 12 a.m. every day, got it?¡±


    reminded Charlotte as she typed furiously on her phone.


    Ding! The man received a text.


    He clicked into the text and saw the ount number she had just sent him.


    He smirked. This is interesting!


    Right then, Charlotte¡¯s phone began to ring.


    Seeing it was Wesley, she answered it and yelled in frustration, ¡°Stop pushing me. I don¡¯t have money


    to foot the bill. I don¡¯t want the job at Divine Corporation anymore. Will that do?¡±


    She hung up promptly, her face flushed with anger.


    As she had just lost her new job, she slumped onto the sofa in dejection. Spotting the wine ss in


    front of the man, she grabbed it and finished the wine in one gulp.


    Charlotte let out a burp andined, ¡°It¡¯s all your fault. I¡¯ve just lost my job because of you. It¡¯s hard


    to find a job nowadays. I can¡¯t believe that despicable man did that to me.¡±


    ¡°Mm?¡± the man asked. ¡°Did someone at Divine Corporation frame you?¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t understand.¡± Charlotte was about to ignore him when something urred to her. ¡°Oh, can


    you pay a bill around a few hundred thousand here?¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡±


    ¡°Great!¡±


    Charlotte told the man to pay the bill, which was over one hundred and eighty-three thousand. Her


    heart was aching over the ridiculously expensive bill, but she had to keep her job. After all, she still had


    to support her kids.


    ¡°Thanks. I¡¯ll deduct the amount from yourpensation.¡±


    She went to her colleagues and informed them. ¡°I¡¯ve settled the bill. Did you have fun tonight?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. Thank you, Charlotte!¡± her colleagues cheered.


    ¡°Did you seriously foot the bill? I heard it was over one hundred and eighty thousand!¡± A colleague


    inquired in disbelief.


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    ¡°Yes, it was pretty expensive. I maxed out a few cards to pay the bill. I¡¯ll be eating bread for the next


    few months.¡± Charlotte let out a bitter chuckle. ¡°But it¡¯s worth it as long as you had fun tonight!¡±


    ¡°Well...¡± A few other colleagues felt bad for her and nced at Wesley.


    ¡°Charlotte¡¯s being humble. The money isn¡¯t even enough for her to buy a bag. There¡¯s no way she¡¯d


    maxed out her cards.¡± Wesley snickered. ¡°But anyway, thank you. Next time, it¡¯s on me.¡±


    Charlotte was upset at how despicable the scum was, but she couldn¡¯t retort as she needed this job.


    Ignoring him, she sent her colleagues off.


    ¡°Charlotte, I drove here. Let me give you a ride back.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I can take a cab. Thank you, though.¡±


    When Charlotte came out of the private room, the man was no longer at the bar. He must be with a


    client now.


    He just can¡¯t stay idle, huh?


    She sent him a text: I¡¯m leaving now. Work hard and earn more money. The faster you pay your debt,


    the faster you¡¯ll be set free.


    In the room, when Zachary received her text, the corners of his mouth turned up. What a foolish yet


    adorable woman!


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, Pardus has just shown up.¡± Ben, his bodyguard, came in and reported. ¡°I¡¯ve sent someone


    to keep an eye on him. We¡¯ll find out who he¡¯ll contact.¡±


    ¡°Remember, don¡¯t alert him.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    As Charlotte didn¡¯t receive a reply from him, she panicked. Is he trying to go back on his word?


    I¡¯m still nearby. If he seriously has that intention, I can go back and look for him. She immediately called


    that number.


    Zachary was about to leave when his phone rang. He smiled subconsciously when he saw who it was.


    ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you reply to my text? Are you trying to escape?¡± Charlotte demanded.


    ¡°I¡¯m busy earning money to pay my debt,¡± exined Zachary, all immersed in his role.

 Chapter 11

    Chapter 11


    ¡°Someone asked for you?¡± Charlotte asked excitedly. ¡°For one round or one night? How much did you


    earn?¡±


    ¡°You seem really experienced at this.¡± Zachary sneered. ¡°How many times have you hired gigolos?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the only one!¡± Charlotte retorted. Embarrassed by her sudden outburst, she coughed a few


    times before her voice grew stern. ¡°Stop changing the topic. How much did you earn?¡±


    ¡°One night. Ten thousand,¡± replied Zachary, arching his brows.


    He was at the peak of his business career, where everything felt dull to him. This stupid woman was


    giving his in life more color and making it much more entertaining now.


    Standing aside, Ben was confused. Is Mr. Nacht discussing a new coboration?


    What does he mean by ¡°one night?¡±


    Is ten thousand a code phrase or something?


    ¡°Great! Transfer five thousand to me now!¡± Charlotte was ted. Money! Iing money!


    ¡°I don¡¯t ask for payment in advance. I¡¯ll do that tomorrow morning,¡± replied Zachary.


    The call was then disconnected.


    Charlotte was upset at how rude he was. Why did he hang up abruptly? Is he trying to go back on his


    word?


    Never mind. Since he signed the contract, answered my call, and even reported his earnings, I think he


    won¡¯t go back on his word.


    I¡¯ll just wait and see. Perhaps when I wake up, there will be money in my ount!


    For the entire night, Charlotte tossed and turned in bed. She kept ncing at her phone. Nope, no new


    transfer. Nope, not yet. It¡¯s just 2 a.m. Wait a bit more...


    Charlotte had just fallen asleep at 6 a.m. when a text arrived. She grabbed her phone underneath her


    pillow. It was a text, informing her that a transfer of five thousand had been made to her ount.


    She immediately leaped up in excitement.


    Awesome! The first payment is in!


    She then quickly sent a text: I just received the money. Good job! Work harder tonight!¡±


    Gigolo In Debt: I just remembered I paid the billst night. You said you¡¯ll deduct it from my debt.


    Charlotte: I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll spend the money elsewhere. Just transfer me the money daily and I¡¯ll deduct


    the one hundred and eighty thousand from your debt. Don¡¯t you worry.


    Gigolo In Debt: Okay!


    Charlotte: Work hard tonight, too. If you do a good job, I¡¯ll buy you some supplements!


    Gigolo In Debt: ...


    N?velDrama.Org owns this text.


    After receiving the money, Charlotte was so overjoyed she couldn¡¯t go back to sleep.


    They had just moved from the countryside, so they stillcked a number of household supplies. As it


    was the weekend, she wanted to bring Mrs. Berry and the kids out shopping.


    Charlotte used to be a spoilt child, too. Her father adored her and brought her up like a princess. s,


    life was hard to predict.


    After the downfall of the Windt family, Charlotte ended up as the mother of triplets.


    As a mother, she would keep tabs on thetest promotions to get the best deals when shopping for


    daily necessities.


    They arrived at Grand za soon.


    Charlotte was dressed in a casual denim shirt. She kept her phone in her bum bag and rolled her


    sleeves up in preparation for ¡°war.¡±


    ¡°Robbie, Jamie, Ellie, I¡¯m going shopping. Stay with Mrs. Berry at the yground, alright? Don¡¯t wander


    off alone. I will be back soon.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± the kids replied in unison.


    Right then, the onlookers started taking videos and photos of the kids.


    A few youngdies were tittering and squealing, ¡°Oh, are they mixed-race babies? How adorable! So


    cute!¡±


    ¡°Yes, look at their curly hair and bright eyes. Ah, they look like two princes and a princess in a fairytale!


    I¡¯ve never seen such good-looking kids.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a parrot on the little girl¡¯s shoulder. Oh, it¡¯s nodding off. Haha! That¡¯s so cute!¡±


    The kids would attract attention wherever they went, so every time they had to go somewhere crowded,


    Charlotte would make them wear face masks and hats to avoid too much attention.

 Chapter 12

    Chapter 12


    ¡°Please don¡¯t take photos and videos of us. This is an infringement of our image rights,¡± Robbie


    reminded coolly.


    ¡°I can take selfies with prettydies. No selfies with boys, though.¡± Jamie smirked. ¡°Only prettydies!¡±


    ¡°Shh, you¡¯re disturbing Fifi!¡± Ellie put a finger up to her lips.


    Fifi was nodding off on her shoulder.


    ¡°Ah, how adorable! Can we take a selfie with you?¡± A few youngdies surrounded them.


    ¡°Nope, sorry. We don¡¯t do that.¡± Robbie kept his cool.


    ¡°Okay, Robbie, Jamie, Ellie. I¡¯ve bought the tickets. We can enter now.¡±


    Mrs. Berry returned with the tickets and brought them into the yground.


    Charlotte went upstairs to a children¡¯s clothing brand on the third floor. There was a sale happening


    there. She rushed in and grabbed a cart before squeezing into the crowd at the sales section.


    Right then, a team of men in ck marched in authoritatively and ordered everyone to make way.


    The young mothers who were busy shopping immediately stopped. They nced at the scene and


    discussed. ¡°Who is that? What a grand entrance.¡±


    ¡°Wow, these bodyguards are all tall and hot. Any of them could be the top male escort at Sultry Night!¡±


    At their words, Charlotte¡¯s heart sank. A male escort at Sultry Night.


    Is it Gigolo In Debt?


    ¡°You¡¯re wrong. They are the bodyguards working for Divine Corporation¡¯s president,¡± a mother with


    neat bangs answered smugly.


    ¡°My husband is working at Divine Corporation. The president has eighteen bodyguards with a golden S


    logo on their shoulder.¡±


    She added, ¡°I think the president is here, judging by the number of bodyguards.¡±


    ¡°Wow!¡± another mother chimed in dreamily. ¡°The bodyguards are hunks. I wonder how hot the


    president will be!¡±


    ¡°Normally people who hire handsome and tall bodyguards are short and ugly.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Zachary¡¯s strikingly handsome features popped up in Charlotte¡¯s mind. Short and ugly? He is neither


    short nor ugly.


    The men in ck set up a defense line in front of the Italian restaurant right opposite the shop and


    straightened their backs on alert.


    Soon, a tall and imposing man walked into the restaurant.


    Charlotte stared at his back from a distance. Indeed, it was Zachary Nacht, the president of Divine


    Corporation.


    For some reason, his back looked familiar to her. Where have I seen him before?


    Meanwhile, the kids were having a lot of fun in the yground.


    Mrs. Berry stayed with them the entire time. A few parents came to her, and they started chatting


    animatedly.


    Jamie went to the restroom to pee. He was exiting the restroom with his hands in his pockets when he


    saw a trail of blood on the ground. His eyes immediately widened in surprise.


    Huh? Why is there blood on the floor?


    Curious, Jamie followed the blood trail and arrived at the storeroom where a wounded man in ck


    was resting.


    Jamie came to a stop cautiously.


    The man in ck was wearing a mask and cap which hid his entire face. But blood was trickling out of


    his wound nonstop.


    When he heard the footsteps, he immediately raised the knife in his grip viciously. Upon seeing that it


    was just a young boy, he rxed visibly.


    ¡°Sir, do you need help?¡± Jamie inquired politely.


    ¡°Get lost, brat!¡± the man growled.


    Pouting, Jamie took out a cartoon band-aid from his pocket and handed it to the man. ¡°Here you go.¡±


    The man rolled his eyes. He was bleeding badly, so this band-aid wouldn¡¯t be of help.


    Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°You¡¯d die of excessive bleeding. You should go to the doctor now!¡± said Jamie before turning to leave.


    ¡°Jamie! Jamie!¡± Fifi pped its wings and flew toward Jamie.


    Jamie raised his hand, allowing Fifi to perch safely on the back of his hand. As the pair walked out,


    they attracted everyone¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Hey, what a cute boy!¡±


    ¡°He has a cute parrot, too. Aww!¡±

 Chapter 13

    Chapter 13


    ¡°Go, search!¡±


    Suddenly, a team of men in suits rushed in and started searching the area.


    Jamie swiveled his head and stared at the restroom. Could it be rted to that man?


    He was in a daze when the man in ck rushed out from the restroom and extended a bloodied hand.


    Then, he slipped something into Jamie¡¯s pocket and whispered in the boy¡¯s ear, ¡°Brat, I¡¯lle back for


    it!¡±


    Soon, the man disappeared into the stairwell. The team of men in suits immediately went after him.


    Jamie was stunned. Wow, was that a scene from a crime film? That was so cool!


    Snapping back to reality, he took out a small box from his pocket. When he opened it, there was a tiny


    golden chip about the size of a bean.


    Studying it carefully, he wondered, what could this be? It doesn¡¯t look like gold. I think it¡¯s some


    electronic stuff like the kind Robbie is obsessed with.


    ¡°Seed! Seed!¡±


    Jamie was deep in thought when little Fifi¡¯s beak parted and ate the chip, thinking it was a seed.


    Jamie was dumbfounded. He immediately patted Fifi¡¯s green head and shouted, ¡°Fifi, spit it out! Spit it


    out!¡±


    Fifi shrieked immediately. Instead of spitting it out, it swallowed the chip out of shock.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Jamie freaked out at once. He tugged Fifi¡¯s tail and swung it around. ¡°You can¡¯t eat that. Spit it


    out! Spit it out, now!¡±


    Fifi was seeing stars from Jamie¡¯s rough action. It rolled its eyes while its tongue lolled out weakly.


    ¡°Ah! Jamie! What are you doing?¡± yelled Ellie.


    She rushed over and took Fifi from him. Cradling it in her arms carefully, she demanded, ¡°Why did you


    bully Fifi? I¡¯m going to tell Mommy!¡±


    ¡°No, Ellie¡ª¡±


    ¡°Jamie, it¡¯s wrong to bully Fifi,¡± said Robbie sternly.


    ¡°I... Fifi...¡± Jamie pointed at himself before pointing at Fifi helplessly.


    Fifi¡¯s head was spinning as ity in Ellie¡¯s arms, panting heavily.


    Looks like none of them will believe me. Jamie had no choice but to keep it a secret.


    Zachary was sitting with his back against the door of the VIP room he was in, sipping on his wine


    elegantly in the Italian restaurant. His figure was imposing under the dim light.


    Ben rushed in to inform him. ¡°Mr. Nacht, Pardus has escaped!¡±


    The man¡¯s hand paused briefly as he icily uttered, ¡°Useless!¡±


    Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Yes,¡± said Ben, lowering his head guiltily.


    ¡°Chip X holds the secret to our corporation¡¯stest technology. If it gets leaked, the consequences will


    be horrible. We must get it back!¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ben answered. ¡°I¡¯ll find Pardus within three days!¡±


    Zachary stood up to leave, his majestic figure stunning everyone. A heavy silence hung in the air as all


    held their breaths.


    When he and his entourage arrived at the underground car park, he got into his Rolls-Royce Phantom


    without a word. The driver was about to drive away when Zachary called out, ¡°Wait!¡±


    The driver hit the brakes immediately.


    Ben followed Zachary¡¯s gaze, spotting a little girl running past the rear of their car. She was nearly


    knocked over earlier. He immediately alighted the car.


    ¡°Girl, why are you alone here?¡±


    ¡°My Fifi flew downstairs. I¡¯m going after it. Fifi! Don¡¯t run! Stop!¡±


    Ellie was about to pounce on the bird, but it flew into the car instead.


    She crawled into the car at once. Looking up, she was shocked to see a pair of cold eyes staring at her.


    He seems scary.


    Is he the bad guy Mommy always talks about?


    Ellie gazed at Zachary in fear and instinctively inched backward.


    Zachary was also gazing at the little girl, his heart softening. His stare was no longer as stony as it


    always was.

 Chapter 14

    Chapter 14


    What a cute little girl. She looks like a pretty doll with her puffy cheeks. Look, her eyes are shining like


    stars.


    Strangely, she feels familiar to me. I can feel myself softening up at the sight of her.


    Fifi was circling in the car, shrieking, ¡°Ellie! Ellie!¡±


    ¡°Come over here at once!¡± A frowning Ellie stretched her hand out and demanded. ¡°If you keep acting


    up, I¡¯ll get mad!¡±


    s, Fifi didn¡¯t perch on her little hand. Itnded on Zachary¡¯s shoulder instead.


    Zachary¡¯s brows snapped together as he reached out to grab Fifi.


    Fifi immediately struggled and pooped on Zachary¡¯s zer in fright. A few feathers floated around,


    apanied by shocked silence.


    Ben froze.


    Even the bodyguards paled instantly. They knew what a clean freak Zachary was.


    The bird¡¯s dead meat!


    Indeed, Zachary¡¯s expression darkened. His grip on little Fifi tightened.


    Fifi¡¯s body stiffened from the increasing force. Its eyes rolled upward as it lolled its tongue out.


    ¡°Ah! Let go of Fifi!¡±


    Ellie leaped on the man and tried to pry his hands off Fifi. ¡°Let go! Let go!¡±


    ¡°Kid.¡± Ben tried to pull her away.


    Staring at Ellie¡¯s flushed face and doll-like eyes, the menace in Zachary¡¯s gaze faded away. He slowly


    released his grip on the bird.


    Fifi pped its wings frantically and returned to Ellie¡¯s embrace.


    Ellie caught the bird and red at Zachary angrily before escaping from his car.


    ¡°Hey, kid!¡± Ben yelled after her, but she merely ignored him. Worried, he told a bodyguard, ¡°Go after her


    and make sure she reunites with her family safely.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    The vehicle then slowly drove away. Zachary took off his zer and patted the feathers away before


    wiping his hands with a piece of wet wipes.


    Ben scanned his boss¡¯ expression. He still looks stern, but that murderous glint in his gaze is gone.


    He couldn¡¯t help butment, ¡°What an adorable little girl.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    ¡°She has an innocent gaze,¡± Zacharymented, which was rare of him.


    ¡°Yes. I wonder what kind of mother she has to give birth to such a lovely girl like her.¡±


    Ellie was riding the esctor when she heard Charlotte calling her name. ¡°Ellie! Ellie!¡±


    ¡°Mommy, I¡¯m here!¡±


    Ellie ran over with Fifi in her arms. Sheunched herself into Charlotte¡¯s embrace like a rocket, causing


    thetter to stumble from her weight.


    ¡°You gave me a scare.¡± Charlotte hugged Ellie tightly and caressed her head anxiously. ¡°Are you hurt?


    Did you meet any bad guys?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not hurt, but..¡±


    Ellie recalled that man in the car. Is he a bad guy?


    He looks like one!


    But... Fifi pooped on his shoulder. He was angry, but he didn¡¯t kill Fifi. That means he¡¯s not a bad guy,


    right?


    ¡°But what?¡± Charlotte urged.


    ¡°Fifi pooped on a man,¡± exined Ellie, gesturing with her chubby hands. ¡°But that man didn¡¯t hurt Fifi.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re both fine. Don¡¯t wander around next time, get it?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Not far away, the bodyguard waited until the little girl left with her mother before he walked away.


    As he was too far away, he only saw her back and her faded denim shirt.

 Chapter 15

    Chapter 15


    Monday was a busy day. The moment Charlotte arrived at the office, she buried herself in work and


    only got to stop when lunchtime arrived.


    She followed her colleagues from the administration department to thepany¡¯s cafeteria on the


    twenty-first floor. They had just exited from the elevator when they bumped into Zachary.


    The man strode out of the elevator in an imposing manner, causing the air to solidify.


    The rest of his employees retreated to one side and looked at the ground silently.


    Charlotte peeked at him and met his icy re without warning. She immediately looked down in a


    panic. Was Devil staring at me?


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind me. Carry on,¡± uttered Zachary.


    The employees were pleasantly surprised by their president¡¯s words. This was the first time they had


    heard him speak directly to them, so they were very much thrilled.


    Zachary sat down at a seat by the window. Two bodyguards stood watch behind him as Ben left to


    order his meal.


    Charlotte peeked at him once again. The sunlight reflected off his body, encasing him in a golden glow


    like a Greek god.


    If only this man is the father of my triplets.


    Just as the thought shed across her mind, Charlotte brushed it off immediately. She took her tray of


    food and followed her colleagues to their usual table.


    When she sat down, the annoying Wesley showed up. ¡°Hello!¡±


    Charlotte rolled her eyes and shifted sideways to keep a distance from him.


    ¡°How could you eat so little?¡± teased Wesley. ¡°Eat up. Ourpany¡¯s cafeteria serves a luxurious


    buffet for free. It¡¯s better than the ones at five-star hotels.¡±


    Ignoring him, Charlotte lowered her head and focused on her food.


    ¡°Hey, why is Mr. Nacht eating in the cafeteria today?¡± Charlotte¡¯s colleague, Fiona, asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m curious, too. He neveres to our cafeteria,¡± said Lily, another colleague. She peeked at the


    table opposite theirs and lowered her voice. ¡°Due to his presence, we¡¯re all tensed up. Look how silent


    the whole cafeteria is now.¡±


    ¡°Yes, my hands are shaking.¡± Ynda dared not look up at all.


    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t be nervous.¡± Wesley seemed unfazed. ¡°He might seem cold, but he¡¯s actually quite friendly.¡±


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    ¡°Mr. Holt, you seem to know Mr. Nacht well.¡± A male colleague voiced his curiosity. ¡°I saw you greeting


    himst time.¡±


    ¡°Of course. The president and I are close...¡± replied Wesley.


    His voice trailed off, as if hinting at a deeper meaning to his words.


    ¡°No wonder you got promoted so quickly in six months. Turns out you¡¯re friends with Mr. Nacht.¡± The


    male colleagues hurriedly buttered up to him. ¡°Mr. Holt, please take care of us in the future.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. As long as you¡¯re doing a good job, you¡¯ll get a promotion in no time,¡± said Wesley


    smugly.


    Charlotte couldn¡¯t take it anymore. She took her tray and rose to her feet to leave.


    Wesley went after her. ¡°Charlotte, hold up!¡±


    Annoyed, Charlotte¡¯s footsteps quickened.


    Wesley chased after her and stood in front of her. ¡°Why are you in a hurry? Let¡¯s walk together.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Holt, I don¡¯t know you well¡ª¡±


    Before Charlotte could finish, someone bumped into her.


    She lurched forward from the force while her unfinished Bolognese pasta sttered on Wesley¡¯s face.


    As the pasta streamed down his face, everyone gasped.


    Wesley stiffened, utterly stunned. He promptly regained his senses and wiped at the Bolognese sauce


    on his face clumsily in anger.


    Charlotte burst outughing. It seemed like a rude reaction, so she immediately apologized. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I


    didn¡¯t do that on purpose. Someone bumped into me and...¡±


    When she whirled around to take a look, she realized that the person who had bumped into her was


    none other than Zachary!

 Chapter 16

    Chapter 16


    Zachary¡¯s expression was icy as he brushed past her.


    Charlotte stared at his back in a daze. Was he the one who bumped into me earlier?


    This is such a wide space, and with four bodyguards by his side at all times, how could he have


    bumped into me?


    Don¡¯t tell me... he did it on purpose?


    ¡°Don¡¯t you watch where you¡¯re going, Charlotte?¡± Wesley roared at her, getting all worked up.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry!¡± Charlotte pointed to the direction Zachary had disappeared and exined meekly,


    ¡°It was the President who bumped into me, that¡¯s why I identally...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re even pushing the me onto...¡±


    ¡°Mr. Holt,¡± Ben interrupted Wesley and asked coldly, ¡°Are you saying that it¡¯s Mr. Nacht¡¯s fault?¡±


    ¡°No, no, no. I wouldn¡¯t dare...¡± Wesley hastily exined, ¡°I meant her... no, I meant myself. I¡¯m the one


    who¡¯s blind.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡± Ben nodded with satisfaction, then solemnly reminded, ¡°Watch where you¡¯re going


    next time, especially in a restaurant. It¡¯s not good to waste food!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Wesley lowered his head in submission.


    Seeing the look of embarrassment on Wesley¡¯s face, Charlotte cheered silently in her heart. This prick


    has finally run into a snag. He probably won¡¯t dare to harass me again from now on!


    When Zachary spied the way Charlotte was secretly rejoicing, his lips formed into a faint smile.


    His phone rang just when the elevator doors closed, and he picked it up immediately. ¡°Speak.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, we¡¯ve caught Pardus, but he doesn¡¯t have the chip with him. He¡¯s probably hidden it


    somewhere else. I¡¯ve used every method to force him into confessing, but he¡¯s remained tight-lipped


    thus far. We may have to resort to more extreme measures!¡±


    ¡°A man like him has undergone hellish training. Torture won¡¯t work on him.¡± Zachary ordered, ¡°Check


    the surveince footage at the Grand za and see if he passed it to his aplices.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll look into it immediately!¡±


    ...


    By the time Charlotte got home from work, a scrumptious meal had already been prepared by Mrs.


    Berry. Soon, the family of five enjoyed their dinner together.


    Fifi pped its wings and perched on Ellie¡¯s shoulder, rubbing its head against Ellie¡¯s chubby cheek.


    Ellie fed it a melon seed, but it didn¡¯t happily eat it like it usually did. Instead, it shook its head,


    struggling through a round of hups.


    Ellie looked at its food tray. Noticing that the food waspletely untouched, she anxiously said,


    ¡°Mommy, Fifi hasn¡¯t eaten anything sincest night and keeps having hups. Is it sick?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Charlotte stroked Fifi¡¯s furry little head, but it lookedpletely listless.


    ¡°Maybe Fifi hasn¡¯t recovered from the shock it went through at the mall the other day?¡± Mrs. Berry


    suggested, ¡°Bring it to see the doctor tonight.¡±


    ¡°Mm, we¡¯ll do that.¡± Charlotte nodded in agreement.


    Jamie looked at Fifi and furrowed his brows, hesitating for a while. Finally, he couldn¡¯t take it anymore


    and blurted out, ¡°Mommy, actually, Fifi ate a gold thingy. That¡¯s why it feels ufortable.¡±


    ¡°Gold thingy?¡± Charlotte blinked in surprise.


    ¡°Yeah. It was this big...¡± Jamie indicated with his fingers. ¡°About the same size as my pinky finger.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we have a piece of gold like that in our house.¡± Charlotte was puzzled.


    ¡°Not in our house. When we were at the mall, a masked man in ck gave it to me...¡± Jamie exined.


    ¡°Have you been watching too much cartoon?¡± Robbie rolled his eyes at Jamie in an adult-like manner.


    ¡°It¡¯s true...¡±


    Jamie quickly recounted the events of that day in detail. By the time he was done, everyone had


    dumbfounded looks on their faces.


    ¡°Hahaha...¡± Mrs. Berry cackled withughter. ¡°Jamie, your story is really entertaining.¡±


    ¡°See? Too much cartoon.¡± Robbie rolled his eyes again and continued eating.


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    ¡°Why don¡¯t any of you believe me...¡± Jamie¡¯s cheeks were flushed red with anxiety. ¡°Do you believe me,


    Mommy?¡±


    ¡°I do!¡± Charlotte filled his te with more food. ¡°We¡¯ll bring Fifi to see the doctor after we¡¯re done


    eating, okay?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s bring Fifi to see the doctor first.¡± Ellie was only concerned about her parrot and not the


    truth.


    Jamie pouted, feeling greatly aggrieved.


    ...


    After dinner, Charlotte and her three children brought Fifi to the vet. The doctor checked Fifi and said


    that it was indigestion, probably due to eating something wrong. Hence, the doctor prescribed some


    medicine to improve its bowel movement.


    Jamie pouted and thought to himself, Hmph! When that gold thingyes out of Fifi, all of you will


    know that I was telling the truth!

 Chapter 17

    Chapter 17


    Back at home, by the time Charlotte fed Fifi the medicine and tucked her children into bed, it was


    already past nine.


    Shey on her bed after taking a shower and sent a text to Gigolo In Debt: How is business tonight?


    He replied: Not good. No one picked me.


    Charlotte became worried and typed a long message, teaching him how to flirt with rich women and


    talk business.


    Don¡¯t always wear a mask and pretend to look cool. Even though some rich women dig cold and aloof


    men, there are also some who like bright and bubbly men. You need to adapt and change your style


    ording to the situation!


    Also, when those rich women start choosing their guy, you should wow them with your charm! Take off


    your shirt so that your abs and chest muscles are on full disy, then grind with your hips a little. Those


    rich women won¡¯t stand a chance, they¡¯d be drooling all over themselves.


    Then, you have to tell them that you have good stamina and canst for ages...


    Good stamina and canst for ages... It seems like you remember that night very vividly!


    Charlotte¡¯s face turned crimson red upon reading his reply, and she sent an angry emoji back to him.


    I¡¯m teaching you how to do business and make money, but you¡¯re talking about useless things instead.


    If you don¡¯t hit your target tonight, you have to make up for the difference tomorrow. I¡¯ve told you before


    that you must pay me at least five thousand every day.


    Gigolo In Debt replied to her with a sweating emoji.


    Work a little harder, put in a little more effort. The night is still young. Who knows? Maybe business will


    come knocking on your door after midnight. Don¡¯t be picky. Who cares if those rich women are skinny


    or obese? As long as they take a liking to you, you shag ¡®em...¡±


    Gigolo In Debt was speechless.


    Forget it. I¡¯ll head over to Sultry Night right now and bring you some supplements, and maybe teach


    you some skills too while I¡¯m there!


    Being a boss meant spending effort winning over the workers instead of blindly squeezing them dry. A


    boss had to lead with virtue and sentiment, otherwise the workers would eventually leave.


    Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    Charlotte recalled the business lessons her father had taught her in the past and decided to treat this


    Gigolo In Debt better from then on.


    After Charlotte informed Mrs. Berry where she was going, she had a change of clothes and went to the


    pharmacy near her neighborhood.


    She kept her head low and scanned her surroundings first, before walking toward the counter to ask


    the salesperson, ¡°May I know if you have supplements... for improving... sex drive?¡±


    ¡°For a man or a woman?¡± asked the salesperson.


    ¡°For a man,¡± Charlotte lowered her voice to a whisper.


    ¡°These are what we have. Which one would you like?¡± The salesperson pointed at the row of ss


    cabs behind the counter.


    ¡°I want the cheapest one,¡± Charlotte answered without hesitation.


    ¡°This one then.¡± The salesperson took out a bottle of supplements. ¡°It¡¯s buy three get one free.¡±


    ¡°How much is three bottles?¡±


    ¡°Three thousand three hundred and eighty!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too expensive. I¡¯ll take just the one!¡±


    Rendered speechless, the salesperson checked out one bottle for her.


    Charlotte stuffed it into her bag and left in a flurry.


    The salesperson then sidled over to a colleague and gossiped, ¡°Thatdy just now is quite pretty. It¡¯s


    too bad she doesn¡¯t have a conscience.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Howe?¡±


    ¡°Just think about it. She squeezed her husband dry, so she came here to buy him some supplements,


    but she ended up buying only one bottle. I mean c¡¯mon, you can¡¯t have your cake and eat it too!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! What a vicious wife!¡±


    ...


    After leaving the pharmacy, Charlotte took a cab to Sultry Night and searched for Gigolo In Debt. She


    directly went to the private room where the two of them previously met.


    Sure enough, he was there.


    As usual, his face was hidden behind that mysterious mask. d in all ck, he took up a lofty posture


    as he leaned back against the sofa and sipped on his drink, emanating an insufferably arrogant and


    unapproachable aura.


    ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk. Look at that attitude. No wonder no one picked you.¡± Charlotte chastised him as soon as


    she stepped into the room. ¡°Those rich womene here to seek pleasure, not to be at the mercy of a


    masochist. Who do you think you¡¯ll seduce with that grim face of yours?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s take it or leave it!¡± Zachary swirled the ss in his hand and continued sipping on his drink.


    ¡°How can you be sessful by just making do with whates your way?¡± Charlotte was


    exasperated. ¡°You need to think big and strive to create a better life for yourself!¡±


    ¡°Even a gigolo needs to think big?¡± Zachary questioned.


    ¡°Of course. You gigolos have different levels too, right?¡±


    Charlotte continued educating him earnestly.


    ¡°If your performance is good, you can be the top gigolo here. Others may only earn ten thousand


    a night, but you¡¯ll earn a hundred thousand. When that happens, you¡¯ll be able to retire after just two


    years. You have to make the most out of your youth in this line of work. If you don¡¯t work hard now, how


    are you going to get by once you¡¯re old?¡±


    ¡°It makes sense!¡± Zachary nodded.


    ¡°So, you have to work hard to improve your performance.¡± Charlotte took out the bottle of supplement


    from her bag. ¡°Here, I bought this for you. Take it and close a big clientter tonight...¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. My sex drive is very good.¡± Zachary nced at the bottle and his lips arched


    into a wicked smile. ¡°Didn¡¯t you experience it first-hand?¡±


    ¡°Well, it used to be good, but after doing it for so many years, you probably have some problems now,


    don¡¯t you?¡± Charlotte gazed at him with pity in her eyes. ¡°Everything excessively used will wear out with


    time...¡±


    Her gaze fell on his groin and she released a sigh.


    Zachary narrowed his eyes dangerously and pinched her chin to level their gazes.


    ¡°Are you doubting my abilities?¡±


    His eyes gleamed with an innate kind of dominance, making her heart flutter nervously for some


    reason.


    Charlotte scooted back slightly and kept a distance from him. ¡°I¡¯m just worried about your physical


    condition. I even bought you some supplements. You should repay me for my effort...¡±


    ¡°How do you want me to repay you?¡±


    Zachary abruptly closed in on her and exuded a dangerous aura, resembling a wild beast stalking its


    prey.

 Chapter 18

    Chapter 18


    ¡°Well of course by earning more money and clearing your debt to me sooner...¡±


    Charlotte¡¯s mind was in shambles by then and she began to stammer, ¡°A-A-And also...¡±


    She pointed at the expensive bottle of red wine on the table, trying to diffuse the sexual tension in the


    air. ¡°Don¡¯t spend excessively! Don¡¯t falsify bank statements!¡±


    ¡°This was paid by a client,¡± Zachary replied casually.


    ¡°Ah, I see. That makes more sense. I was wondering how you could afford to buy such an expensive


    bottle of wine.¡± Charlotte continued shifting away. ¡°Has that client ced an order with you?¡±


    ¡°I rejected her.¡± Zachary deliberately teased her, ¡°Fifty-eight years old and two hundred and eighty


    pounds. I¡¯m too young to die in bed!¡±


    A snort ofughter escaped Charlotte¡¯s lips at that, and she reached out to squeeze his arm. ¡°You¡¯re


    strong and packed with muscles. There¡¯s no way you¡¯d die that easily!¡±


    Zachary caught her wandering little hand and jerked her into his arms. ¡°Why don¡¯t you try me out first?¡±


    ¡°No...¡± Charlotte was so bbergasted that she blurted out barely coherent words, ¡°Don¡¯t try anything


    funny! If you touch me, I¡¯ll report you!¡±


    ¡°Go ahead...¡± Zachary gently bit her earlobe, which sent a ripple of electricity through her entire body,


    making her tingle all over. ¡°If I get fired, I won¡¯t have money to pay you back anymore!¡±


    ¡°You...¡± Charlotte couldn¡¯t formte a response to refute him.


    Zachary¡¯s lips travelled downward before brushing a feather-light kiss on her corbone. Then, he


    trapped the button on her shirt between his teeth and nuzzled her chest tantalizingly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t...¡± Charlotte thrashed against him in panic, but she couldn¡¯t break free from his hold no matter


    how hard she tried.


    ¡°You¡¯re really sensitive...¡±


    Zachary was very satisfied with her reaction and nned to continue teasing her, but a woman¡¯s loud


    and pompous voice came from outside, interrupting the peace.


    ¡°I¡¯m tired of those male escorts from earlier. Don¡¯t you have any new ones?¡±


    ¡°I want the best in Sultry Night. The best of the best!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. We want the finest you have here. We can afford it!¡±


    Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    With that, the door burst open with a loud bang.


    Three wealthy women with plump figures who reeked of alcohol barged in and were taken aback when


    they saw the unfamiliar private room. ¡°Huh? Where are the eighteen escorts we ordered?¡±


    ¡°Why is it so quiet here? Did wee to the wrong room?¡±


    ¡°You went the wrong way. Your room is on the opposite side!¡±


    Beyond the door, the bodyguard whom Zachary had sent away was about toe in and handle the


    situation.


    However, he immediately backtracked when Zachary shot him a meaningful look.


    Charlotte pushed off the sofa and tidied her clothes with her back to the door.


    ¡°Hey! There¡¯s one here!¡±


    The three women spotted Zachary and gathered around him excitedly, undressing him with their eyes.


    ¡°His body and looks are top-notch! He¡¯spletely on a different levelpared to the boring ones out


    there!¡±


    ¡°Domineering and ruthless. Just my cup of tea!¡±


    ¡°Hey handsome, you¡¯re also an escort here, right? Name your price. We have the money!¡±


    Zachary nursed his drink and didn¡¯t spare them a nce.


    His cold and domineering temperament made the three women hunger for him all the more.


    Upon noticing this, Charlotte jumped at the opportunity to make a fortune and deliberately provoked the


    three of them. ¡°Oh, do you now? You don¡¯t look like you can even afford a drink here!¡±


    ¡°Where did this bratty girle from? How dare you speak to us like this?¡± The women shot hostile


    res at Charlotte. ¡°Don¡¯t you know who we are?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t give a crap about who you are.¡± Charlotte clung onto Zachary¡¯s arm and warned, ¡°I saw him


    first!¡±


    Zachary¡¯s brows raised a little as he studied her with intrigue.


    One of the women took out a stack of banknotes from her bag and threw it onto the table. ¡°Little girl,


    there are tons of escorts out there. This money is more than enough for you to hire at least seven of


    them. Give this one to us!¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    Charlotte tilted Zachary¡¯s chin and smashed her lips onto his icy ones, then wrapped her arms around


    him and snapped, ¡°I spent a hundred thousand today just to have this legendary gigolo god all to


    myself. I won¡¯t be giving him up to anyone. So get out! Go, go, go!¡±


    Zachary¡¯s brows shot up to his hairline, then he pursed his lips, craving more than just a kiss from her.


    But gigolo god? Seriously? Is this some sort of upgrade?

 Chapter 19

    Chapter 19


    ¡°A hundred thousand? Look at your cheap clothes. How could you afford to spend so much money?¡±


    One of the rich women questioned.


    Having her dignity get trampled on, Charlotte almost blew her cover, but she recovered quickly and


    kept up the act.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been saving up for this for a long time. Just to have a passionate night with this gigolo god, I took


    out my entire annual sry!¡±


    ¡°Your annual sry is only one hundred thousand?¡± The womenughed mockingly. ¡°You can barely


    scrap by in life, yet you came here and hired a gigolo. Aren¡¯t you embarrassed?¡±


    ¡°Why should I be? He¡¯s mine for tonight anyway.¡± Charlotte caressed Zachary¡¯s chiseled pecs,


    purposely provoking them. ¡°Look at this perfect body. One hundred thousand? Hah! I¡¯d even spend one


    million if I had to!¡±


    The three woman scanned Zachary¡¯s body from head to toe, practically salivating at the thought of


    whaty beneath his clothes.


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    Zachary stared at Charlotte as a dangerous glint flickered in his eyes.


    Charlotte didn¡¯t dare to meet his gaze. In fact, she was flustered on the inside, but for the sake of


    money, she went all out.


    ¡°Fine. One million it is.¡± One of the women filled out a cheque and threw it at Charlotte. ¡°You can get


    lost now!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ten times the amount you spent.¡± Another woman sneered. ¡°For someone who lives at the bottom


    of society, I doubt you can make a million even if you were given a lifetime. Well, looks like you hit the


    jackpot today, so get lost.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Take the money on the table too. Then hurry up and get lost!¡±


    The three women urged her, wanting so badly for Charlotte to leave that very second so that they could


    get on with their night.


    Charlotte examined the cheque and kept it once she confirmed its validity. Then, she opened her bag


    and quickly stuffed the banknotes on the table into it. ¡°I¡¯ll go now, I¡¯ll go now. Have fun!¡±


    With that, she got up and was about to leave.


    However, the hem of her shirt was grabbed from behind, holding her in ce. She looked back and


    saw that Gigolo In Debt was holding onto her shirt and ring at her. ¡°You¡¯re dead if you leave!¡±


    ¡°Be a good boy and work hard!¡±


    Charlotte pried his fingers off her shirt. Hugging her bag that was full of money to her chest, she


    scurried away without looking back once.


    As Zachary watched her flee, his eyes gradually darkened and his hand tightened around the ss


    wine.


    After escaping from the private room, Charlotte leaned her back against the door as a hint of guilt rose


    in her heart. Those three rich women probably weigh about seven hundred pounds in total. Can Gigolo


    In Debt handle it?


    I should¡¯ve bought a few more bottles of those supplements for him!


    Charlotte opened the door a crack to peek inside and saw the three women approaching Gigolo In


    Debt like hungry wolves.


    Their fleshy backs were blocking Charlotte¡¯s line of sight, so she couldn¡¯t see Gigolo In Debt¡¯s


    expression.


    She imagined him to be quaking on the sofa at the moment, begging in a fearful voice, Please, let me


    go!


    She sighed softly, then closed the door and ignored her guilty conscience, quickening her steps to


    leave.


    ...


    ¡°Here wee, gigolo god. Hahaha...¡±


    The three womenunched themselves at Zachary with excitement coursing through their veins.


    Zachary showed no reaction, but when he lowered his gaze, the three of them copsed to the ground


    at the same time.


    Due to their heavy weight, the ground shook as if being hit by an earthquake, almost shattering the


    coffee table in the process.


    The ck-clothed bodyguard pushed open the door and entered the room, asking cautiously, ¡°Are you


    okay, Mr. Nacht?¡±


    ¡°Clean this up.¡± Zachary stepped on the coffee table to leave, not wanting the soles of his shoes to get


    dirtied by the three women on the ground.


    ...


    Charlotte stepped out of Sultry Night and hailed a cab.


    On the ride home, she guiltily sent a text message to Gigolo In Debt. Are you okay?


    There was no reply.


    She sent another message. If you really can¡¯t handle them anymore, just run away. Don¡¯t foolishly force


    yourself to bear with it!


    There was still no reply.


    Charlotte called him, but no one answered.


    She felt even more uneasy. Shit. Could something have happened to that guy?


    Or maybe he¡¯s serving his clients and wants to keep things professional!


    For some reason, Charlotte¡¯s chest constricted slightly at the thought of this.


    After all, he was her first man. Now that he had ended up in this situation, she found it to be rather


    tragic.


    But on second thought, this was his job. She had only happened toe across thosedies today. If


    she hadn¡¯t, he would have been serving rich women anyway.


    Forget it. Being soft-hearted will get me nowhere. I¡¯d be better off focusing on being a dutiful creditor!

 Chapter 20

    Chapter 20


    ¡°A hundred thousand? Look at your cheap clothes. How could you afford to spend so much money?¡±


    One of the rich women questioned.


    Having her dignity get trampled on, Charlotte almost blew her cover, but she recovered quickly and


    kept up the act.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been saving up for this for a long time. Just to have a passionate night with this gigolo god, I took


    out my entire annual sry!¡±


    ¡°Your annual sry is only one hundred thousand?¡± The womenughed mockingly. ¡°You can barely


    scrap by in life, yet you came here and hired a gigolo. Aren¡¯t you embarrassed?¡±


    ¡°Why should I be? He¡¯s mine for tonight anyway.¡± Charlotte caressed Zachary¡¯s chiseled pecs,


    purposely provoking them. ¡°Look at this perfect body. One hundred thousand? Hah! I¡¯d even spend one


    million if I had to!¡±


    The three woman scanned Zachary¡¯s body from head to toe, practically salivating at the thought of


    whaty beneath his clothes.


    Zachary stared at Charlotte as a dangerous glint flickered in his eyes.


    Charlotte didn¡¯t dare to meet his gaze. In fact, she was flustered on the inside, but for the sake of


    money, she went all out.


    ¡°Fine. One million it is.¡± One of the women filled out a cheque and threw it at Charlotte. ¡°You can get


    lost now!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ten times the amount you spent.¡± Another woman sneered. ¡°For someone who lives at the bottom


    of society, I doubt you can make a million even if you were given a lifetime. Well, looks like you hit the


    jackpot today, so get lost.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Take the money on the table too. Then hurry up and get lost!¡±


    The three women urged her, wanting so badly for Charlotte to leave that very second so that they could


    get on with their night.


    Charlotte examined the cheque and kept it once she confirmed its validity. Then, she opened her bag


    and quickly stuffed the banknotes on the table into it. ¡°I¡¯ll go now, I¡¯ll go now. Have fun!¡±


    With that, she got up and was about to leave.


    However, the hem of her shirt was grabbed from behind, holding her in ce. She looked back and


    saw that Gigolo In Debt was holding onto her shirt and ring at her. ¡°You¡¯re dead if you leave!¡±


    ¡°Be a good boy and work hard!¡±


    Charlotte pried his fingers off her shirt. Hugging her bag that was full of money to her chest, she


    scurried away without looking back once.


    As Zachary watched her flee, his eyes gradually darkened and his hand tightened around the ss


    wine.


    After escaping from the private room, Charlotte leaned her back against the door as a hint of guilt rose


    in her heart. Those three rich women probably weigh about seven hundred pounds in total. Can Gigolo


    In Debt handle it?


    I should¡¯ve bought a few more bottles of those supplements for him!


    Charlotte opened the door a crack to peek inside and saw the three women approaching Gigolo In


    Debt like hungry wolves.


    Their fleshy backs were blocking Charlotte¡¯s line of sight, so she couldn¡¯t see Gigolo In Debt¡¯s


    expression.


    She imagined him to be quaking on the sofa at the moment, begging in a fearful voice, Please, let me


    go!


    She sighed softly, then closed the door and ignored her guilty conscience, quickening her steps to


    leave.


    ...


    ¡°Here wee, gigolo god. Hahaha...¡±


    The three womenunched themselves at Zachary with excitement coursing through their veins.


    Zachary showed no reaction, but when he lowered his gaze, the three of them copsed to the ground


    at the same time.


    Due to their heavy weight, the ground shook as if being hit by an earthquake, almost shattering the


    coffee table in the process.


    The ck-clothed bodyguard pushed open the door and entered the room, asking cautiously, ¡°Are you


    okay, Mr. Nacht?¡±


    ¡°Clean this up.¡± Zachary stepped on the coffee table to leave, not wanting the soles of his shoes to get


    dirtied by the three women on the ground.


    ...


    Charlotte stepped out of Sultry Night and hailed a cab.


    Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    On the ride home, she guiltily sent a text message to Gigolo In Debt. Are you okay?


    There was no reply.


    She sent another message. If you really can¡¯t handle them anymore, just run away. Don¡¯t foolishly force


    yourself to bear with it!


    There was still no reply.


    Charlotte called him, but no one answered.


    She felt even more uneasy. Shit. Could something have happened to that guy?


    Or maybe he¡¯s serving his clients and wants to keep things professional!


    For some reason, Charlotte¡¯s chest constricted slightly at the thought of this.


    After all, he was her first man. Now that he had ended up in this situation, she found it to be rather


    tragic.


    But on second thought, this was his job. She had only happened toe across thosedies today. If


    she hadn¡¯t, he would have been serving rich women anyway.


    Forget it. Being soft-hearted will get me nowhere. I¡¯d be better off focusing on being a dutiful creditor!

 Chapter 21

    Chapter 21


    The next morning, Charlotte made sure her triplets safely boarded the bus before rushing to the


    company.


    Because she was going to bete, she carried her heels and ran non-stop. Upon reaching the


    company¡¯s driveway, a Rolls-Royce Phantom abruptly sped toward her from the side, with no intention


    of slowing down.


    Charlotte couldn¡¯t avoid the car in time, falling to the ground in fright.


    The car, on the other hand, came to a screeching halt just an inch away from her.


    A little further and Charlotte would have been meeting either God or Satan in person.


    She was so scared that her heart threatened to fly out of her chest, but the people in the car looked


    completely unfazed.


    The security guard came forward to help Charlotte up, but unexpectedly reproached her, ¡°Don¡¯t run


    around like a mad hatter. You almost ran into the President¡¯s car.¡±


    ¡°They were obviously the ones who almost ran into me.¡±


    Charlotte¡¯s anger spiked and she turned her head to re at the people in the car.


    The bodyguards were rocking their poker faces, not showing an ounce of remorse.


    As for Zachary who was seated in the back, he was staring unblinkingly at Charlotte with a frosty gaze.


    Charlotte was stunned. What¡¯s going on?


    I¡¯m obviously the victim here!


    Zachary made a gesture, and the Rolls-Royce Phantom zoomed past Charlotte, just a hairsbreadth


    away from her.


    Fury ignited in Charlotte, but she could only massaged her bruised wrists and sore bum before limping


    into thepany.


    In the elevator, she recalled the look in Zachary¡¯s eyes just now and became more perplexed than ever.


    When did I ever offend the Devil?


    Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    Since joining thepany until now, I¡¯ve been nothing but a diligent worker. I haven¡¯t done anything


    wrong.


    The only time she hade in contact with him was when he bumped into her, causing her to get


    spaghetti all over Wesley¡¯s face.


    She even thought that he had intentionally done it to teach Wesley a lesson. Now, it seemed like she


    had been overthinking it.


    Just now, his driver had almost run her down, causing her to fall and bruise herself. She didn¡¯t even


    kick up a fuss, but he had red at her with such a terrifying look in his eyes.


    How strange!


    Maybe he was just born a brooding devil and there¡¯s no reasonable exnation behind it!


    Following this train of thought, Charlotte¡¯s nerves rxed considerably. A few scrapes were nothing


    she couldn¡¯t handle. She was fine as long as she didn¡¯t offend that devil, otherwise, her life from then


    on would be a living hell.


    Little did she know that her run of bad luck had only just begun.


    On level 13, before Charlotte could settle down at her desk, Roy, the manager of the administration


    department immediatelymbasted her, ¡°You¡¯ve only been here for a few days but you¡¯re already


    coming inte? Who do you think you are? The queen?¡±


    ¡°I...¡±


    ¡°The President came down to personally check the attendance in each department. We were severely


    criticized because of you. Our bonuses for this quarter have all been deducted!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Young, I was...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me excuses.¡± Roy cut her off and roared angrily, ¡°Put your work on hold and go clean the


    swimming pool on level 68 now!¡±


    ¡°Huh? Clean the swimming pool? Why?¡± Charlotte was dumbstruck.


    ¡°What do you mean ¡®why¡¯?¡± Roy put on a stern face. ¡°This is your punishment. Or do you want your


    sry to be deducted instead?¡±


    ¡°No, no, no. I don¡¯t want that.¡± The moment Charlotte heard about a possible sry deduction, she


    immediately caved in. ¡°I¡¯ll go clean the swimming pool right now.¡±


    On level 68, the highest floor of the building, was a luxurious infinity pool. The clear blue sky was


    reflected in the pool. Hence, swimming here would be like wading across the fluffy white clouds in the


    sky.


    This is obviously for the Devil¡¯s personal use!


    The ce was spotless, without a speck of dust in sight. The tiles could even be used as mirrors.


    Charlotte couldn¡¯t understand why she had been ordered to clean it.


    However, she would do it as long as her sry wasn¡¯t be deducted.


    In the blink of an eye, she had worked for three hours. The floor was scrubbed clean and the pool


    water had been reced.


    Charlotte was about to gather her things and head downstairs. When she turned around, she was met


    with a man seated on an ivory-colored recliner chair, scaring the living daylights out of her. ¡°Mr. Nacht,


    how long have you been here?¡±

 Chapter 22

    Chapter 22


    ¡°I think you should give up. Mr. Nacht ispletely out of your league. He will never fall for a


    secondhand toy like you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re crazy!¡± Charlotte wasn¡¯t interested in dealing with a scumbag like him. ¡°Get out!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just a secondhand toy that Hector got tired of ying with. Stopping acting so noble!¡±


    Wesley unbuttoned his shirt and stared at her with a perverted gaze as he approached her.


    ¡°Snagging Mr. Nacht is impossible, so why don¡¯t youe to me, hmm? I¡¯m now a member of Divine


    Corporation¡¯s upper management with an annual sry of one million. It¡¯s your honor to be favored by


    me!¡±


    ¡°You disgust me.¡± Charlotte red at him with resentment. ¡°I¡¯m going to shout if youe any closer.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead!¡± Wesley chucked evilly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know that it¡¯s already past working hours now? Everyone on level 13 is long gone, and we


    are the only two left. If I wanna take you right here and now, there¡¯s nothing you can do to stop me!¡±


    With that, he took off his shirt and pounced on Charlotte.


    ¡°Get away from me!¡±


    Charlotte screamed and put her hands in front of her to fend off Wesley.


    But Wesley still managed to pin her down on the sink and was about to rip the bathrobe off her body.


    Suddenly, the sound of a cell phone ringing came from her pocket.


    Immediately afterward, the door to the locker room was kicked open with a bang.


    The next moment, Wesley was kicked away, hitting the wall before sliding down to the ground.


    ¡°Ahh...¡± He clutched his stomach and shrieked in pain.


    Before Charlotte could even react, her chin was forcefully grabbed and lifted upward. A broody and


    arrogant face came into view, shocking her to the core. ¡°M-Mr. Nacht...¡±


    ¡°Messing around with a man at work? Do you want to be fired?¡± Zachary stared at her with a


    prating gaze.


    ¡°N-No...¡± Charlotte quickly exined, ¡°I only came here to dry my clothes. Mr. Holt was the one who


    barged in and even tried to sexually assault me... You can check the surveince cameras outside if


    you don¡¯t believe me.¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not what happened, Mr. Nacht. She¡¯s the one who seduced me...¡±


    Wesley mbered to his feet and frantically exined.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, you might not be aware of this, but Charlotte has always been a frivolous sl*t. Four years


    ago, her fianc¨¦ broke off their engagement, so she messed around with a gigolo, causing her father to


    Bang!


    ¡°Ahh!¡±


    Wesley was kicked to the ground by Zachary again before he could finish his sentence, spitting out a


    mouthful of blood.


    Zachary rubbed the sole of his shoe on the carpet, as if kicking Wesley had dirtied his shoe.


    ¡°Please let me exin, Mr. Nacht...¡± Wesley clutched his chest and rasped out, ¡°Charlotte and I have


    known each other for five years, and she¡¯s been seducing me...¡±


    ¡°If he says one more word, cut off his tongue!¡± Zachary ordered with a murderous look on his face.


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Ben hauled Wesley up and pinned him against the wall with a hand around his neck.


    As Ben choked the life out of him, his eyes widened with terror and his entire body trembled.


    Charlotte was stunned as well. She didn¡¯t expect Zachary to be so ruthless, or to actually believe her.


    Just then, Zachary stalked toward her and engulfed her petite body with his towering self.


    It was like a lion trapping its prey beneath its ws.


    Charlotte¡¯s eyes widened to look at him in astonishment, and her heart pounded in her chest.


    She did not dare to move a muscle.


    Bit by bit, he inched closer. Just as his lips were about to graze her forehead, she instinctively closed


    her eyes, her body quivering with anxiety.


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    However...


    He did not touch her. Instead, he took something out from the pocket of the bathrobe she was wearing.


    She opened her eyes, and when she saw a customized cell phone in his hand, she was utterly


    stupefied.


    So he was looking for his phone!


    It turned out that he had put his phone in the pocket of this bathrobe, which she had taken down with


    her after putting it on. The ringtone from just now had alsoe from his phone.

 Chapter 23

    Chapter 23


    ¡°Arrange him to be a guard at the parking lot!¡±


    After taking his phone, Zachary turned and left.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    Ben patted Wesley¡¯s face. ¡°You should be grateful that Mr. Nacht is a kind and generous person.


    Getting an annual sry of a million by being a guard? You won¡¯t be able to find such an opportunity


    anywhere else!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, yes. Thank you, Mr. Nacht. Thank you, Ben. Thank you so much.¡±


    Wesley¡¯s mouth was bleeding profusely, but he still forced a smile onto his face and nodded


    incessantly.


    Disgust washed over Charlotte as she looked at Wesley. At the same time, she sighed inwardly. This


    punishment is absolutely ingenious!


    From this moment on, Wesley will never be able to lift his head up high!


    This is the way of the Devil!


    Charlotte made a silent note to stay as far away as possible from this dangerous Devil.


    Now that she thought about it, she felt that her Gigolo In Debt was still the best. He was obedient and


    good-natured, and had even earned her more than one million in just two nights.


    With this thought in mind, Charlotte quickly dried her clothes and made her way to the bank.


    Since time was of the essence, she ran all the way there and made it there before they got off work for


    the day, rushing in to cash in the cheque for money.


    To her dismay, the bank clerk told her that the cheque had been stopped early this morning!


    Charlotte was flummoxed. Those three rich women bought Gigolo In Debt from me with one million, but


    once they got him, they revoked the cheque?


    Are rich women nowadays so unprincipled?


    Charlotte immediately dialed for Gigolo In Debt, but he didn¡¯t answer even after she called him three


    times in a row.


    Thrown into a frenzy, she sent him a text: Call me back ASAP. It¡¯s urgent!


    There was no reply.


    Charlotte held her phone as she turned everything over in her head. Could something have happened


    last night?


    Could it be that Gigolo In Debt couldn¡¯t stand their wild tastes and escaped at thest minute? So the


    women got mad and canceled the cheque?


    That seems possible!


    Yeah, that must be it!


    Coming to this conclusion, Charlotte immediately got into a cab and headed straight for Sultry Night.


    On the way there, she started sneezing violently with snot running down her nostrils. It was clear that


    she caught a cold while cleaning the pool this afternoon.


    That was the least of her worries now though. All she cared about now was finding that gigolo.


    Soon, she arrived at Sultry Night. Because it was still early, they were not open for business yet, so


    outsiders were barred from entering.


    Charlotte slipped in through the back door and went to the same private room.


    Oddly, the room was empty. The sofa, coffee table, wine cabs, and even the carpet were all gone.


    Several waiters were meticulously cleaning the ce, while the manager was taking some


    measurements, mentioning about getting newly customized furniture.


    Charlotte grabbed a waitress and asked in a hushed tone, ¡°What happened here? Everything was still


    fine yesterday.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not really sure either. The manager instructed me to clean the ce up, so I¡¯m just following


    orders.¡± The waitress then impatiently said, ¡°How did you get in? Get out now...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just a curious passerby. I won¡¯t interfere with your work, I promise.¡±


    Charlotte took out three hundred in cash and stuffed it into her hand.


    The waitress immediately took the money and stuffed it into her pocket. Then, she checked their


    surroundings before cupping her mouth to whisper into Charlotte¡¯s ear, ¡°When I came in today, there


    was a lot of blood on the carpet. I think someone died here. Stuff like this, I¡¯m sure you know what I


    mean...¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Charlotte¡¯s eyes had gone wide, her body stiffening entirely.


    The words ¡®someone died here¡¯ was on yback in her mind.


    She recalled what Gigolo In Debt had said to her yesterday. Fifty-eight years old and two hundred and


    eighty pounds. I¡¯m too young to die in bed!


    He had rejected a two-hundred-and-eighty-pound rich woman who wanted to book him for a whole


    night. Andst night, there were three of them. He couldn¡¯t possibly have vomited blood and died from


    over-exertion, right?


    N?velDrama.Org owns this text.


    If a life was really lost here, it¡¯s entirely possible that the women canceled their cheque in order to


    dissociate themselves from this incident...


    Charlotte¡¯s heart clenched hard in her chest. She silently med herself for being greedy, which cost


    the gigolo his life in the end.


    Besides, he was also the father of her children.


    A scene emerged in her mind. It was fast-forwarded to a decade in the future, where her children would


    pester her about their father¡¯s identity.


    With tears of repentance in her eyes, she would say... Your father was a gigolo. I sold him to three rich


    women who weighed about seven hundred pounds in total for one million... After that, he went missing,


    and I have no idea if he¡¯s dead or alive!

 Chapter 24

    Chapter 24


    Charlotte shuddered at that thought and frantically sent a text message to Gigolo In Debt.


    My dearest gigolo, are you still alive?


    I¡¯m sorry. I was too greedy. I was wrong and I shouldn¡¯t have sold you to those three women. I¡¯m so


    sorry. I regret it now. Please forgive me...


    She sent more than ten consecutive texts to him, only to receive radio silence.


    Charlotte then called him a few times, but still, no one answered.


    She stayed there from evening untilte into the night, hauling her frail and shivering body all around


    the ce to hunt for any sign of her Gigolo In Debt.


    To increase the air of mystery, all the staff in Sultry Night were wearing all sorts of sexy masks.


    But most of their masks were exaggerated andpletely different from Gigolo In Debt¡¯s mysterious


    and cool mask, so she could still easily differentiate them.


    After doing a round of searching, there was still no sign of Gigolo In Debt.


    Charlotte¡¯s cold was worsening. Her nose was runny from sneezing so much, and she felt weak and


    dizzy too. The poor venttion here made it even more unbearable for her.


    She was about to leave, but after squeezing through the crowd, she inadvertently spotted a man


    wearing a ck half-mask sitting at one of the booths. His figure, clothes, and mask were all simr.


    She rushed over to grab him. ¡°There you are! I was looking for you everywhere.¡±


    The man looked at her in confusion and was about to speak, but the woman beside him whose face


    had obviously gone under the knife shouted angrily before he could, ¡°What are you doing? This is the


    escort I booked!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s mine!¡± Charlotte pulled the gigolo toward her. ¡°You don¡¯t need to work today. Follow me!¡±


    With that, she was about to pull him along.


    N?velDrama.Org owns this text.


    ¡°You stop right there!¡± Ms. stic Face jumped up from the sofa and grabbed the gigolo¡¯s other arm.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already booked you for two hours. You dare leave?¡±


    ¡°Jenny, I¡¯m not trying to leave. It¡¯s this prettydy who¡¯s...¡± the gigolo tried to exin.


    Charlotte was stunned when she heard his slightly ented high-pitched voice. It¡¯s not him!


    ¡°I... I... I think I got the wrong person...¡±


    ¡°B*tch! How dare you touch what belongs to me? Blind fool! I¡¯ll beat you to death!¡±


    Before Charlotte could exin, Ms. stic Face hurtled over and pushed her onto the sofa.


    Charlotte iled her hands in front of her as she fought her off.


    They were initially fairly matched, but three of the woman¡¯s friends rushed over to help her. Soon, a full-


    blown catfight broke out.


    Charlotte shielded her head with both hands, curling up like a tortoise. Even so, she still suffered a


    good beating and a lot of her hair had been ripped off too.


    Standing by the side, the gigolo yelled anxiously, ¡°Stop fighting! Stop! Don¡¯t fight over me!¡± He


    whimpered slightly at the sight of the women.


    ¡°Strip this b*tch naked and let¡¯s see just how smutty she is to have the nerve to steal my man...¡±


    The women gave a war cry and started tearing at Charlotte¡¯s clothes. One of them was even holding


    her throat, preparing to give her a tight p.


    Charlotte instinctively squeezed her eyes shut, but the p didn¡¯te, and the women who were


    pulling at her clothes were gone.


    A few shrieks pierced through the air.


    Charlotte slowly opened her eyes and saw that the gigolo she had mistaken as hers was sent flying


    through the air, mming into the women. Sprawled out on the floor, the few of them looked miserable.


    Charlotte raised her head and from her supine position on the sofa, she saw another Gigolo In Debt


    lookalike.


    He was wearing a mysterious half-mask, his slender figure looking cold and indifferent under the lights.


    Even in such a dimly-lit space, his bottomless eyes still glowed with charm and radiance.


    He stretched out a hand toward her, making her freeze in ce.


    Before she knew it, his strong arm pulled her up and right into his arms. The moment Charlotte¡¯s cheek


    was pressed against his powerful chest, the sound of his steady heartbeat filled her ears.


    She raised her head, and the shock on her face was reflected in his fathomless eyes.


    ¡°How could you mistake someone else as your debtor? Where is your brain?¡±


    Zachary gave Charlotte¡¯s head a light knock, giving her an usatory look.


    ¡°You¡¯re finally here. Are you okay?¡± Charlotte¡¯s shocked gaze shifted from his face to his body and


    came to rest on his manhood. ¡°Are you really okay?¡±


    Zachary grasped her chin, raising her face to his. ¡°Would you like to test it out?¡±

 Chapter 25

    Chapter 25


    ¡°Stop fooling around!¡± Charlotte pulled on his arm and looked at him with worry lining her features.


    ¡°I went to your private room and when they said that someone died, I thought that it was you! Also, the


    cheque that those three women gave me have been canceled. What on earth happenedst night?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go somewhere else to talk!¡±


    With that, Zachary led her out through the back door.


    The bodyguards of those rich women wanted to go after them, but they were easily incapacitated by


    Ben.


    Once out of Sultry Night, the sound of heavy metal music faded and the world became quiet once


    again.


    Charlotte hurriedly apologized, ¡°Yesterday was my fault. I shouldn¡¯t have given you to those three


    women. What exactly did they do to you?¡±


    Zachary did not answer, but made a gesture to his bodyguards that were not far behind.


    They immediately retreated upon seeing his signal.


    ¡°Are you still mad at me? I won¡¯t treat you this way ever again...¡± Charlotte tugged on his sleeve.


    ¡°Gigolo, you¡¯ll forgive me, won¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Call me something else!¡± Zachary frowned.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know what your name is.¡± Charlotte was pushed forward by him. ¡°Where are you taking


    me?¡±


    Zachary gave another signal behind him, to which Ben instantly tossed the car keys to his Aston Martin


    toward him.


    Zachary caught it midair and smoothly opened the door before shoving Charlotte into it.


    ¡°Is this your car?¡± Charlotte was astounded. ¡°This car probably costs tens of millions, right? Howe


    you own such an expensive car? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re actually a wealthy heir and came out to work part-


    time as a gigolo out of boredom?¡±


    ¡°Can you think like a normal person?¡± Zachary rolled his eyes at her.


    ¡°Then what is it?¡± Charlotte¡¯s curiosity was piqued. ¡°Does it belong to a client?¡±


    ¡°Mm, it¡¯s a client¡¯s.¡± Zachary was fretting overing up with an excuse, but it turned out that he didn¡¯t


    have to.


    ¡°So, does this mean that besides working as a gigolo at Sultry Night, you also have a sugar mommy?¡±


    Realization dawned on Charlotte just then. ¡°No wonder the other time...¡±


    She was about to say that she saw him inside a Rolls-Royce once, but fortunately, she held her tongue


    in time.


    She had brought her three children out that day. He probably didn¡¯t see her, but it was better not to


    mention about it, so that she could continue keeping the children¡¯s existence a secret from him.


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    ¡°Mm?¡± Zachary started the engine and drove away.


    ¡°How many sugar mommies do you have?¡± Charlotte probed.


    ¡°One is enough. How many did you think I need?¡± Zachary raised his brows.


    ¡°Well she seems to be a very, very, very rich woman.¡±


    With both the Rolls-Royce and Aston Martin in mind, Charlotte did a mental calction, concluding that


    this sugar mommy of his probably had a very extraordinary identity.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on with you?¡± Zachary took in the miserable state she was in with a look of disdain.


    ¡°Cough, cough. Sorry.¡±


    Charlotte hastily took out a handful of tissues to wipe her nose before airing her grievances.


    ¡°Today was such an unlucky day for me. I was almost run over by a car at work this morning. I fell and


    now there¡¯s a big bruise on my butt, and my hands were scraped too. Later on, I had to clean the


    swimming pool on the top floor as punishment, and got myself soaking wet in the process. Then, I was


    almost harassed by a pervert. And just now, I got into a fight and a handful of my hair was ripped off my


    scalp...¡± She wailed pitifully.


    ¡°That¡¯s called karma.¡±


    Zachary was gloating at her misfortune, thinking that she deserved all of this for her evil deedsst


    night.


    ¡°What?¡± Charlotte argued.


    ¡°It¡¯s all because I have a devil as a boss. You don¡¯t know what a psychopath he is! His driver almost ran


    me down, but instead of apologizing, he red at me like I owed him or something!¡±


    ¡°After that, when I was cleaning the pool, he threw his ring into the water and asked me to retrieve it. I


    almost froze to death doing that!¡±


    ¡°The point is, I didn¡¯t even offend him, so I can¡¯t figure out why he¡¯d do that to me. Maybe he suffered


    some kind of childhood tragedy and was traumatized by it, that¡¯s why he grew up to be so cruel...¡±


    While listening to her, Zachary¡¯s face gradually darkened. Then, he abruptly floored the elerator


    before sharply turning the steering wheel.


    The car swerved to the side, causing Charlotte¡¯s head to m against the window with a bang...

 Chapter 26

    Chapter 26


    ¡°Argh!¡±


    Charlotte held onto her head as the pain brought tears to her eyes.


    Zachary smirked. ¡°Continue, what happened with your boss?¡±


    ¡°It hurts. The pain is killing me. Boohoo...¡± Charlotte pursed her lips and answered with an innocent


    tone, ¡°Are you taking revenge for what happenedst night? I know I was wrong...¡±


    ¡°Why were you wrong?¡± Zachary asked.


    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have sold you to the three richdies...¡± Charlotte replied in remorse. ¡°Luckily, you escaped.


    Or else, you may have puked blood and died.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s unlikely!¡± Zachary grunted coldly.


    ¡°Why not? The threedies put together weigh over seven hundred pounds. Their weight alone is


    enough to kill you.¡± Charlotte seemed to have found her conscience. ¡°If you¡¯re dead, who is going to


    earn money for me? I won¡¯t force you next time. Let¡¯s just do this slowly in a more sustainable way...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯ve found your conscience.¡± Zachary was finally satisfied.


    ¡°Erm, how much did your sugar mommy give you a month?¡± Charlotte asked nosily. ¡°Given that she


    gifted you such an expensive car, I¡¯m sure she must be very generous.¡±


    ¡°Why are you asking?¡± Zachary had a bad feeling about it.


    ¡°I¡¯m just curious.¡± Charlotte probed, ¡°Is it one million?¡±


    Zachary ignored her.


    ¡°Eight hundred thousand?¡± Charlotte guessed again.


    Zachary furrowed his eyebrows.


    ¡°Five hundred?¡± Charlotte became desperate. ¡°She can¡¯t be that stingy, can she?¡±


    ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°Do you still remember the contents of our agreement?¡± Charlotte leaned closer with a grin. ¡°The


    agreement states that you have to pay me half your earnings within three months. And the earnings


    don¡¯t just include those from Sultry Night...¡±


    ¡°I knew it!¡± Zachary squinted his eyes in displeasure. ¡°You are both greedy and a nymph. You just can¡¯t


    change...¡±


    I shouldn¡¯t have softened my stance against her.


    When she sold him to the three richdies yesterday, he was outraged. Hence, the first thing he did in


    the morning was to teach her a lesson.


    However, she did send him a message expressing her regretst night and sounded sincere. Also, he


    heard from the manager of Sultry Night that she had waited for him from evening tillte in the night...


    Therefore, he couldn¡¯t help but go to Sultry Night to check on her. He then saw her fighting with a few


    otherdies over him. That was when he saved her again.


    He thought she had sincerely regretted her actions. But little did he expect that she just wanted to


    make money for the long term using him as a gigolo.


    ¡°That¡¯s part of our agreement.¡±


    Worried that he would be upset, Charlotte tugged his arm and persuaded, ¡°Actually, it¡¯s good to have a


    sugar mommy to take care of you. The stable ie is definitely better than the individual clients at


    Sultry Night. However, it would be even better if you work at both ces. That way, you can earn even


    more....¡±


    As she rambled on, she didn¡¯t notice that Zachary¡¯s face had darkened significantly.


    ¡°You can get a few sugar mommies. If every one of them gives you five hundred thousand, ten of them


    means you will get five million. Ah! I will then receive two and a half million...¡±


    Before she could finish, Zachary suddenly ced his hand on the back of her head and pulled her


    towards him. He snapped, ¡°Does it not hurt anymore?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Charlotte was briefly stunned before she began to feel nervous. They were only an inch away


    from each other. She could feel his breath and the beast-like dominance he was exuding.


    The atmosphere became tense and dangerous.


    Noticing something was amiss, Charlotte quickly apologized, ¡°Don¡¯t be angry. I was just making a


    suggestion. If you think my demands are too much, we can split your allowance sixty forty. Sixty for


    you; forty for me....¡±


    ¡°I think you haven¡¯t suffered enough today.¡±


    Zachary pinched her chin and rubbed her lips with his thumb. He looked as if he was considering how


    to devour his prey.


    ¡°Thirty Seventy?¡± Charlotte quickly suggested. ¡°You can¡¯t expect twenty eighty!¡±


    ¡°Get out!¡± Zachary suddenly stopped the car by the side.


    ¡°Gigolo, please don¡¯t be angry...¡±


    ¡°Get out!¡± Zachary yelled as a sudden chill fell upon the car.


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    Charlotte was so terrified that she frantically unbuckled her seatbelt.


    Having run out of patience, Zachary kicked her out of the car.

 Chapter 27

    Chapter 27


    Charlotte sprawled onto the ground like a frog. Scratched and cut, her palms and knees were burning


    in pain.


    Behind her, the Aston Martin sped off and left her in the dust.


    Charlotte shivered in the cold as she pitifully picked herself up. She then realized she was alone on an


    elevated bridge.


    And her phone had run out of juice.


    She was at the brink of copsing into tears.


    Why are all men so cruel!


    The boss she met in the day was like that and so was the gigolo at night.


    None of the cars that passed by her slowed down.


    After being out in the cold for an hour, she managed to stop a taxi. Charlotte quickly stopped it by


    jumping in front with outstretched arms.


    That night, Charlotte caught a cold and slept so soundly that even the rm couldn¡¯t wake her.


    When morning arrived, Mrs. Berry woke her up. As she dragged herself to wash up, her body ached all


    over.


    When Mrs. Berry knew that she had caught a cold, she quickly made her some hot tea.


    Robbie went to the medical kit and found some cold medicine. He also brought Charlotte a ss of


    warm water. ¡°Mommy, once you finish breakfast, you will need to take your medication.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re such a good boy, Robbie.¡± Charlotte used a tissue to cover her nose. ¡°I got upte today and


    am runningte. Mrs. Berry will take you to the buster, alright?¡±


    ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t worry. I will take care of Jamie and Ellie.¡±


    Acting like an adult, Robbie¡¯s expression showed that he was eager to shoulder the responsibility.


    ¡°Mommy, you shouldn¡¯t go to work. Instead, take the day off and see the doctor.¡±


    Ellie felt bad for her mom as she helped Charlotte clean her nose with her chubby hands.


    Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine after taking some meds. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Charlotte kept drinking water as she also had a sore


    throat.


    ¡°I¡¯ll pour you some water,¡± Ellie offered.


    When Charlotte finished the water, Ellie took the empty ss and poured another one.


    ¡°Mommy, this is the cold medicine I have prepared for you. You should bring them to work.¡±


    Robbie put the cold medication into a small box and ced it in Charlotte¡¯s handbag.


    ¡°Thanks Robbie and Ellie.¡±


    Charlotte was proud of her children. They were only three but already so sensible.


    At that moment, she realized Jamie was gone and quickly asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Jamie?¡±


    ¡°Jamie is watching Fifi poop.¡±


    Ellie pointed her chubby arms toward the balcony.


    Jamie was standing on a small bench and staring intently at Fifi, who was in a cage. He was holding a


    stick in his hand and no one knew what he was up to.


    Inside the cage, Fifi stood there without moving. As its eyes darted around, it stretched its neck and


    tried hard to poop.


    ¡°He woke up twice in the middle of the night to check whether Fifi pooped. And this morning, he did the


    same too,¡± Mrs. Berryughed as she rted. ¡°Perhaps he thinks Fifi is going to shit that piece of gold


    out.¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯m inclined to believe Jamie...¡± Robbie furrowed his eyebrows and looked serious. ¡°Perhaps,


    his story is true.¡±


    ¡°Jamie,e and have your breakfast!¡± Mrs. Berry called out.


    Jamie ambled towards Charlotte, ¡°Mommy, Fifi has pooped.¡±


    ¡°Is there any gold?¡± Ellie sounded anxious.


    ¡°No, I¡¯ve checked through it with a stick.¡± Jamie was still filled with hope. ¡°Perhaps, it wille out next


    time.¡±


    After that, he instructed Mrs. Berry with a serious tone, ¡°Mrs. Berry, help me check if Fifi poops any


    gold while I¡¯m out.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, I¡¯ll watch over him for you. If there really is gold, I will keep it for you.¡± Mrs. Berry replied


    with a smile. ¡°Now, eat your breakfast.¡±


    After breakfast, she sent the three children off while Charlotte hailed a taxi to work.


    In the taxi, she sneezed non-stop while mucus kept dripping from her nose. She felt very sick at that


    moment.


    When she recalled how she suffered yesterday, she gritted her teeth in anger. She was quietly cursing


    both Zachary and the gigolo, wishing they would be forever impotent.


    Inside the Rolls-Royce Phantom, Zachary sneezed twice and the image of Charlotte shed across his


    mind. Damn it, did I catch a cold from her?


    ¡°Mr. Nacht,¡± Ben reported, ¡°The result of Bruce¡¯s investigations is out.¡±


    ¡°Go on!¡± Zachary¡¯s attention was still on his documents.


    ¡°Pardus has given the chip to a child at Grand za,¡± Ben exined with a frown. ¡°From the security


    footage, the child is around three to four years old...¡±


    ¡°Search the city for the child!¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±

 Chapter 28

    Chapter 28


    When Charlotte arrived at the office, she realized everyone was looking at her differently.


    Her usually genial colleagues were all avoiding her today.


    It made her feel uneasy. Did they find out about the incident with Wesley? Do they have some


    misunderstanding about me?


    Just when she was pondering about it, the head of the administration department, Roy, informed her


    that she had been transferred to a new department. Hence, she needed to report to the HR


    department.


    When Charlotte asked her for the reason, Roy just turned and walked off.


    Feeling puzzled, Charlotte wanted to find out from her other colleagues about what happened.


    However, everyone avoided her like the gue.


    Hence, she had no choice but to proceed to the HR department alone.


    After receiving her transfer notice, she was dumbfounded when she learned of her new position.


    Security!


    Security?


    Is there a mistake?


    Yesterday, when Wesley tried to rape her, he was beaten up badly by Zachary. After that, he was


    reassigned as a security guard at the car park.


    She thought she had escaped the matter unscathed. After all, she was a victim.


    But now, the shocking news blew her into a state of devastation.


    What kind of logic is this? Why is the victim being punished along with the perpetrator?


    This is just so unfair!


    Charlotte couldn¡¯t contain her anger as she vowed to seek rification from the president.


    The new HR manager just made a scornful remark. ¡°You¡¯vemitted a big mistake. But, you should


    count yourself lucky only your position has changed and you still get to keep your old sry.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org owns this text.


    ¡°What did I do wrong?¡±


    ¡°Enough with your questions. If you¡¯re not satisfied, then just leave!¡±


    ¡°You...¡± Charlotte was speechless. Fine, thepany belongs to the Devil so he can do whatever he


    wants. Is there a point in reasoning with him?


    Impossible.


    Fuming, Charlotte collected her uniform and headed to the security department to report for duty.


    There, a group of burly security guards surrounded her and joked, ¡°Hey, the sun is rising from the west.


    The security guards at Divine Corporation have always been male. Today, we actually have our first


    female guard.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s beautiful too.¡±


    ¡°How did such a beautiful goddess end up being punished here?¡±


    ¡°She must have offended the Devil.¡±


    Charlotte felt depressed. She was now sure that she had gotten on the Devil¡¯s nerves without her


    knowledge.


    Or else, why would he keep punishing me repeatedly?


    ¡°Enough. It¡¯s time to work,¡± the captain of the security guards barked at the group of young guards.


    He informed Charlotte, ¡°Your uniform looks big on you, so just bear with it for the time being. The HR


    department has already tailored a few sets for you which will arrive next week.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Charlotte couldn¡¯t help but sneeze.


    ¡°Do you have a cold?¡± the captain asked her in a friendly manner. ¡°Today is your first day at work so


    you¡¯re probably unfamiliar with your station. Just follow David on his rounds at the parking lot. There¡¯s


    usually not much going on there.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Charlotte was extremely grateful.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± David handed Charlotte a security cap and led her towards the car park.


    As the uniform Charlotte was wearing was oversized, she looked like a kid in adult clothes. And it


    looked utterly hideous.


    If not for the belt, her pants would have dropped anytime.


    When they arrived at the car park, a white Bentley arrived.


    David pulled Charlotte along to wee it.


    Charlotte asked softly, ¡°Why do the security guards have to do this? Don¡¯t we have the doormen to do


    it?¡±


    ¡°The doormen are responsible for the car park¡¯s entrance.¡±


    Charlotte was speechless and had no choice but to follow him.


    When David opened the Bentley¡¯s door, a tall and dashing man emerged from the car. Charlotte was


    shaken when she saw him.


    It¡¯s him!


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Hector was just as gentle and elegant as he was four years ago. His white suit entuated his tall


    figure and made him look especially dignified.


    Charlotte quickly turned away so that he wouldn¡¯t recognize her.


    ¡°Move aside!¡± Hector¡¯s bodyguard pushed Charlotte aside as he escorted Hector toward the elevator.


    Wearing her cap low, Charlotte hid behind a pir and watched Hector discreetly.

 Chapter 29

    Chapter 29


    He was still wearing the silver-rimmed sses and had a faint smile on his face. Anyone who saw it


    would be mesmerized.


    However, he looked to have lost some weight.


    Charlotte wondered how he had been over thest few years.


    As the past came rushing back, the beautiful and innocent memories from that time flooded her mind.


    Feeling the burn in her nose, Charlotte¡¯s eyes turned red. I used to be so madly in love with him...


    She had given him all the passion in her youth while he had promised to marry her and protect her


    unconditionally. He had given her the world...


    N?velDrama.Org owns this text.


    s, people change.


    As if he felt something, Hector turned around to look. Charlotte quickly hid behind the pir with her


    heart pounding rapidly.


    Did he see me?


    Behind her, she could hear footsteps approaching.


    She was extremely nervous as she didn¡¯t want him to see her under such dire circumstances.


    The closer the footsteps got, the faster her heart pounded. When they were right behind her, she


    panicked and started running.


    ¡°Hey, why are you running?¡± David called out to her from behind.


    Stopping in her tracks to check, Charlotte realized it was just David.


    Hector had entered the elevator and was headed to the sixty-sixth floor, where the president¡¯s office


    meeting room was located.


    Only then did Charlotte heave a sigh of relief. However, a wave of disappointment set upon her.


    He didn¡¯t recognize me. It seems he has truly forgotten me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I felt the same way when I first met someone important. In fact, I was even more nervous


    than you. You will get used to it after some time.¡±


    David assumed Charlotte was scared because of herck of exposure to the world.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Charlotte was grateful and felt her colleagues at the security department were generally friendly.


    ¡°Let¡¯s patrol over there.¡±


    As David led Charlotte on their rounds, he also exined what she needed to look out for when doing


    patrol.


    Just as they were chatting, a Rolls-Royce Phantom drove towards them.


    ¡°It¡¯s the president¡¯s car.¡± David approached it and yelled at Charlotte to do the same. ¡°Quick, follow


    me.¡±


    Knowing that the Devil was the reason she fell into such undignified circumstances, anger swelled up


    within her. All she wanted to do was to tear him apart.


    However, since they were going to see each other, she wanted to question him as to what she had


    done to offend him.


    Or else, working as a security guard just wasn¡¯t right.


    Holding that thought, Charlotte followed him.


    ¡°Good morning, Mr. Nacht!¡± David greeted the president respectfully as he opened the door.


    Good morning his ass, it¡¯s already ten thirty.


    Charlotte cursed in her heart.


    As Zachary stepped out of the car, his ck suit made him look mysterious and dashing. Together with


    his handsome yet frosty face...


    He really looks annoying.


    ¡°It seems working as a security guard doesn¡¯t suit you.¡±


    When Zachary saw Charlotte¡¯s resentful expression, he rubbed salt into her wounds. ¡°Perhaps, being a


    cleaner would be a better fit?¡±


    ¡°Err...¡± Charlotte was briefly stunned before quickly standing at attention.


    ¡°Good morning Mr. Nacht! It¡¯s wonderful to see you here... have you had your breakfast? Do you need


    me to get you some?¡±


    ¡°Sure, why not.¡± Zachary smiled smugly as he shot Ben a nce.


    Ben walked up to Charlotte and instructed, ¡°Get him the pizza from Mario¡¯s, the beef sandwiches from


    Le Cordon Bleu, the hand-brewed coffee from St. Laurent¡¯s... That should do for today, it¡¯s a lot lesser


    than usual.¡±


    ¡°Err...¡± Charlotte widened her eyes in shock.


    ¡°Thank you for the trouble.¡±


    Visibly holding back hisughter, Zachary shot her a nce before leaving with his bodyguards behind


    him.


    ¡°Send them to the meeting room on the sixty-sixth floor in half an hour.¡±


    After instructing Charlotte, Ben caught up with Zachary.


    Charlotte stood there stupefied. She offered to buy breakfast out of courtesy and didn¡¯t expect the Devil


    to take her up on it, let alone making such demand.

 Chapter 30

    Chapter 30


    Those few restaurants are among H City¡¯s most famous and one has to make a reservation half a


    month in advance. How is it possible to get all those items within just half an hour?


    He is obviously messing with me.


    ¡°By the way...¡± Ben turned around to add, ¡°If you don¡¯t get them within half an hour, please be prepared


    to be transferred to the janitorial department.¡±


    Charlotte felt the urge to clench her fists and scream, ¡°I quit!¡±


    Just when her lips moved, the words were stuck in her throat.


    At that moment, Zachary had entered the elevator. When he turned around, he smiled deviously at her.


    ¡°I...¡±


    Before she could say anything, the elevator door closed.


    Shutting her eyes tightly and gritting her teeth, she screamed at herself for being useless.


    ¡°Charlotte, Charlotte!¡± David¡¯s voice broke her train of thought. ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Charlotte felt like crying. ¡°I should have just shut up. Why did I offer to buy the Devil


    breakfast?¡±


    ¡°The Devil? Do you mean Mr. Nacht?¡± David became nervous at once. ¡°Don¡¯t let anyone catch you


    saying that or you will be finished. Next time, you shouldn¡¯t call him that.¡±


    ¡°Now what do I do?¡± Charlotte was on the brink of tears. ¡°To buy all those items in half an hour is just


    impossible.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t even heard about those things before.¡± David gave her a sympathetic look. ¡°I have not been


    to such high-end ces before. Usually, we eat at the restaurant on the seventh floor.¡±


    ¡°Is there a canteen on the seventh floor?¡± Charlotte was surprised. ¡°Before this, I only ate at the one on


    the twenty-first floor.¡±


    ¡°The restaurant on the seventh floor serves local food while the one on the twenty-first floor serves


    international cuisine. Most of the white-cored staff like you flock to the twenty-first floor while blue-


    cored workers like us go to the seventh floor...¡±


    ¡°I know what to do.¡±


    Charlotte rushed into the elevator as she knew there was no time to waste. After all, she only had half


    an hour.


    When she arrived at the restaurant on the seventh floor, she got the chef to prepare pizzas, beef


    sandwiches, and a few other items.


    After that, she went to the twenty first floor to get coffee.


    After all, she got the food ording to the items listed by Ben. Since they were simr, she didn¡¯t


    believe that the Devil could taste the difference.


    As of then, she had used up twenty-one minutes and only had nine minutes left.


    As Charlotte dashed into the elevator with the food, she realized her security guard badge wasn¡¯t


    granted ess to the sixty-sixth floor.


    Only then did she recall that it was Roy of the administration department who granted her ess to the


    sixty-eight floor with his card. She was there to clean the swimming pool yesterday.


    What am I going to do now?


    She had started out with enough time, but now she had been dyed.


    Charlotte did consider asking for Roy¡¯s help. But when she recalled how he was avoiding her, she felt it


    would be a waste of time.


    As she tried to press the other buttons, she realized the card granted her ess to the forty-eight floor.


    Once she arrived, she continued going up by using the stairs.


    It was an eighteen story climb from the forty-eight floor to the sixty-sixth.


    Still having a cold, Charlotte struggled up the steps with her legs trembling and head covered in sweat.


    Nevertheless, she persevered and reached the sixty-sixth floor at the veryst minute.


    When she exited the stairwell, her knees buckled and she almost fell down at the entrance of the


    meeting room.


    Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    At the crucial moment, a pair of hands grabbed onto her.


    ¡°Thank you...¡±


    When she turned around panting, she saw a familiar face.


    Her body froze in shock.


    The moment Hector saw Charlotte, he too was stunned. The chivalrous smile on him turned awkward.


    ¡°Mr. Sterling!¡± The bodyguard beside him reminded softly.


    Having heard the bodyguard, Hector regained his senses. He quickly let go and retreated half a step.


    His actions devastated Charlotte.


    She could feel her heart in turmoil and tears welling up in her eyes.


    Realizing that Hector was looking at her, she was at a loss with what to do with her hands. One hand


    was holding tight to the food while the other was wiping the sweat off her brow and tidying up her


    messy hair.

 Chapter 31

    Chapter 31


    ¡°Mr. Sterling, we have to go as we still have a meeting at one,¡± the bodyguard reminded again.


    N?velDrama.Org owns this text.


    Hector gave Charlotte another nce before passing her and leaving.


    He didn¡¯t say a word the whole time.


    Standing still, Charlotte listened to Hector¡¯s footsteps as he left. Her heart felt like a piece of ss


    being smashed into pieces.


    Does he not recognize me anymore?


    Or did he choose not to?


    Perhaps, I am just a shadow in his heart. A blot in his life. He doesn¡¯t want to bring it up or have


    anything to do with me.


    Holding that thought in mind, Charlotte felt as if a knife was slicing her heart.


    ¡°You¡¯rete!¡±


    Zachary¡¯s voice rang out from behind her and as if the Devil himself was giving her a warning.


    Charlotte brought the food into the meeting room looking sullen.


    ¡°Is this the breakfast you bought?¡±


    Ben took over the food from her hands and ced them on the table one by one.


    Pizzas, beef sandwiches, coffee...


    It is what I had requested.


    However, something doesn¡¯t seem right.


    ¡°Where did you get them from?¡± Ben asked.


    ¡°The canteen.¡±


    Charlotte was expressionless as her thoughts were still swirling around Hector.


    She had often fantasized about how it would be like when they were reunited. However, this wasn¡¯t


    what she expected.


    Hector must have looked down on me when he saw me in such miserable circumstances.


    The fact that he recoiled half a step and the indifferent look in his eyes, made her feel as if he didn¡¯t


    know her at all.


    ¡°How is this eptable?¡± Ben reprimanded, ¡°I have told you that Mr. Nacht wants pizza from Mario¡¯s,


    the beef sandwiches from Le Cordon Bleu, the hand-brewed coffee from St. Laurent¡¯s...¡±


    ¡°He is a human just like anyone of us. If we can eat it, why can¡¯t he?¡±


    Charlotte could no longer endure it anymore and began to vent her frustration.


    If Zachary hadn¡¯t asked her to get breakfast, she wouldn¡¯t have bumped into Hector.


    Zachary, who was sitting on a leather revolving chair, raised his gaze from the documents in his hand


    and red at Charlotte.


    ¡°This is absurd!¡± Ben snapped, ¡°How dare you talk to Mr. Nacht this way?¡±


    Charlotte ignored him as she turned to leave.


    ¡°Report to the janitorial department tomorrow,¡± Ben dered from behind her.


    Charlotte stopped in her tracks and turned around. She took off her employee tag and threw it on the


    table. ¡°I quit!¡±


    This time, she finally said it. There was no need to gather any courage nor to overthink the


    consequences.


    ¡°Erm...¡± Ben was stunned.


    ¡°What did you say?¡± Zachary squinted his eyes and gazed deeply at her.


    ¡°I said... I quit!¡± Charlotte raised her head and looked straight at him. She ranted emotionally, ¡°I¡¯m not


    going to entertain your vtile and irregr emotions anymore!¡±


    Surprisingly, Zachary was not angered. Instead, a faint smile emerged on his face as he looked at her


    with interest.


    Ben and the other bodyguards were stunned.


    This was the first time someone dared to talk back at Zachary. Is this woman mad?


    ¡°I suggest you go and see a psychologist. You should cure your illness as soon as possible.¡±


    After shooting Zachary an angry re, Charlotte stormed out with her head held high. At that moment,


    she felt that was the coolest thing she had ever done.


    The moment she stepped out of the meeting room, Charlotte received a call from Mrs. Berry. ¡°Miss,


    something terrible has happened.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Charlotte anxiously asked.


    ¡°The kindergarten teacher called and said that both Robbie and Jamie got into a fight. They even broke


    someone¡¯s car window and the owner is asking us topensate eighty thousand.¡±


    ¡°What? Eighty thousand?¡± Charlotte¡¯s heart dropped. ¡°Are they trying to scam us? I¡¯ll head over now.¡±


    ¡°Mmm-hmm. I¡¯m on my way, I¡¯ll see you there.¡±


    After ending the call, Charlotte returned to the security department to get changed. After that, she left


    hurriedly to Apple Kindergarten.


    When she called Ellie¡¯s teacher, the teacher instructed her to head for the principal¡¯s office.


    Realizing the gravity of the situation, Charlotte hurried there quickly.


    When she arrived at the door, she heard a haughty voice. ¡°These two children not only beat Timothy


    up, but also broke my car window. I will not let this matter slide.¡±

 Chapter 32

    Chapter 32


    ¡°Mrs. Sterling, please don¡¯t be mad. I will help you find a solution.¡±


    ¡°Solution? What solution? Until now, the parents involved aren¡¯t even here yet. Do they not teach their


    children anything?¡±


    Charlotte¡¯s frowned as she pushed open the door to enter.


    Robbie and Jamie were facing the wall with their hands behind their back.


    A well-dresseddy was sitting on the sofa with her back facing Charlotte and her legs crossed. Behind


    her were two bodyguards dressed in ck suits, looking aloof.


    Beside her, sat a young boy in a tailored ck suit, and his hair slicked back. With his pouting lips and


    chin held high, his face was filled with arrogance.


    Charlotte felt as if she had seen the child before but couldn¡¯t remember where.


    ¡°Ms. Windt, you¡¯re finally here!¡±


    When Ms. Zane, the children¡¯s teacher, saw Charlotte, it was as if she saw her savior. She quickly


    introduced her to the principal.


    ¡°Ms. Horner, this is Robinson, Jamison, and Elisa¡¯s mother.¡±


    ¡°Mommy!¡±


    Robbie and Jamie called out to her in unison, with a pitiful look on their faces.


    ¡°Ms. Windt, you¡¯re finally here.¡± Ms. Horner frowned and demanded, ¡°Your children broke the school


    rules by beating up another student. They also broke the window of the parent¡¯s Bentley. How do you


    think we should resolve this?¡±


    ¡°Ms. Horner, hold your horses. Let me find out what¡¯s going on first.¡±


    Charlotte quickly stepped forward and wanted to ask the children what happened.


    ¡°What¡¯s there to understand? Your two barbaric sons beat up Timothy.¡± The woman sitting in the chair


    comined arrogantly.


    ¡°Please watch your mouth!¡±


    ¡°Who do you think you are...¡±


    The woman turned around angrily. When she saw Charlotte, she was stunned.


    ¡°It¡¯s you?¡±


    Filled with shock, her eyes widened in disbelief.


    Charlotte was equally stunned. She didn¡¯t expect the haughty woman to be Luna.


    The same cousin who always followed her and fawned over her since they were children.


    She was excellent at being superficially close to Charlotte but lost contact after she fell into dire


    circumstances.


    ¡°I really didn¡¯t expect to meet you here.¡±


    Luna quickly regained her senses and maintained her haughtyposure. She sneered, ¡°Are both


    these boys yours?¡±


    If not for the fact they grew up together and Charlotte was extremely familiar with Luna, she would not


    believe that the person in front of her was Luna.


    The Luna that used to be timid was now a different person.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t you dare admit it?¡± Luna mocked with augh.


    ¡°What¡¯s there to hide? The whole city knew about your disgraceful act and your reputation has long


    been destroyed. Even if you bore two, oops, I¡¯m wrong, three bastards, it¡¯s not anything surprising at


    all...¡±


    ¡°Luna!¡± Charlotte cut her off and yelled. ¡°How dare you speak to me like that in front of the children.


    Don¡¯t make me p you silly!¡±


    ¡°You...¡±


    Luna was outraged. But when she saw the ferocity in Charlotte¡¯s eyes, she decided to stay silent.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, they are my children,¡± Charlotte replied as she turned her attention to the arrogant-looking


    child. ¡°Is that your son with Hector?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± Luna raised her eyebrow smugly. ¡°After you left for a month, Hector and I got married.


    Now, I¡¯m Mrs. Sterling.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Congrattions.¡±


    When she saw the hypocritical look on Luna¡¯s face, memories from the past flooded back into


    Charlotte¡¯s mind.


    At that time, Hector¡¯s mother had made an announcement saying that the engagement had been called


    off on the day of the ceremony itself. Hector was shocked and Charlotte stormed off.


    After that, Luna brought Charlotte to Sultry Night, where she told her that she could forget about her


    troubles there.


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    As Charlotte was furious with Hector, Luna told her that Hector was on his way and she should look for


    a man to get even with him. By making him feel jealous, she would be able to even the odds at home.


    After that, Charlotte dered that she wanted a gigolo and Luna arranged one for her.

 Chapter 33

    Chapter 33


    As the past shed before her, Charlotte understood what had happened then.


    She had fallen into Luna¡¯s trap for she had taken over her ce now.


    However, it was toote for regrets. Other than ming herself for being stupid, there was nothing else


    Charlotte could do.


    Others had set the trap but she was dumb enough to take the bait.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Luna smirked. ¡°Despite the fact that we are rtives, we still need to settle the score.


    Your son beat up my son and even broke my car window. Tell me, how are you going topensate


    for it?¡±


    ¡°So it appears both of you are rtives.¡± Ms. Zane tried to salvage the situation. ¡°In that case, why


    don¡¯t you resolve this in private...¡¯


    ¡°Resolve this in private?¡± Luna interrupted Ms. Zane and retorted, ¡°My son is a distinguished boy. Now


    that something has happened to him in your kindergarten, are you trying to shirk from your


    responsibility?¡±


    ¡°No, no, that¡¯s not what I meant...¡±


    ¡°I have already called my husband and he will be here shortly.¡±


    Luna arrogantly pressured the principal, ¡°Ms. Horner, if today¡¯s matter is not resolved to my


    satisfaction, you can close down the kindergarten soon!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Ms. Zane was so shocked that her expression drastically changed.


    ¡°Keep your mouth shut.¡± Ms. Horner reprimanded Ms. Zane before reassuring Luna, ¡°Mrs. Sterling,


    please don¡¯t be mad. I will definitely resolve this to your satisfaction.¡±


    After that, she remarked coldly to Charlotte, ¡°Ms. Windt, your children have been disobedient. Please


    apologize to Mr. and Mrs. Sterling together with your children and pay the necessarypensations.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Horner, I have not gotten to the bottom of the matter. Isn¡¯t it too early for you to make such a


    conclusion?¡±


    ¡°You...¡± Ms. Horner was speechless.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s important to understand what happened first.¡± Charlotte approached Robbie and Jamie.


    ¡°Robbie, Jamie, tell me what happened?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s him.¡± Robbie pointed at Timothy and exined angrily, ¡°He was the one who colored Ellie¡¯s hair


    with paint, causing her to cry. I warned him not to do that but he scolded me instead.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense, my son won¡¯t do something like that,¡± Luna defended her son immediately.


    ¡°Please let him finish.¡±


    Charlotte scrutinized Timothy and noticed that there were still traces of paint on his hands.


    Furthermore, he didn¡¯t deny what Robbie said. All he did was show his arrogant face.


    ¡°Yes, that was what happened.¡±


    Jamie clenched his little fists as his chubby face was flushed red with anger.


    ¡°I asked him to apologize to Robbie and Ellie but he refused. He even threw the crystal ball on the table


    to hit me. Luckily, I ducked in time so it missed me. But it flew out of the ssroom and hit the window


    of a car downstairs...¡±


    ¡°Therefore, you didn¡¯t hit anyone and the car window was smashed by him. Is that right?¡±


    Charlotte hugged both the children sympathetically.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Robbie and Jamie nodded in unison.


    ¡°The other students in ss saw it too. They can be witnesses,¡± Robbie suggested cleverly.


    ¡°Did you inform the teacher about what happened?¡± Charlotte asked again.


    ¡°We did.¡± Robbie looked at Ms. Zane with an aggrieved expression. ¡°I told her many times and the


    other students corroborated my story too. Ms. Zane knows about it.¡±


    Charlotte turned to look at Ms. Zane.


    Ms. Zane had a remorseful expression on her face. She had wanted to say something but decided


    against it when Ms. Horner shot her an angry nce. All she did was look at her toes cowardly.


    ¡°Can we even believe them?¡± Luna sneered. ¡°It¡¯s obvious that they beat up my son.¡±


    ¡°I trust my children because they never lie and won¡¯t beat anyone up without reason.¡± Charlotte looked


    at Timothy, ¡°Besides, your son¡¯s clothes are still tidy and his hair isn¡¯t even messy. He doesn¡¯t look like


    he was roughed up at all.¡± N?velDrama.Org content.

 Chapter 34

    Chapter 34


    ¡°Do we have to wait till he is grievously hurt?¡± Luna retorted.


    ¡°Since we each have our own versions of the story, why don¡¯t we check the security footage.¡± Charlotte


    stood up. ¡°The ssroom is fully monitored by the security cameras. Wouldn¡¯t we know the truth once


    we review them?¡±


    ¡°Erm...¡± Ms. Horner was in a dilemma.


    ¡°Ms. Horner!¡± Charlotte was angered by her attitude.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t even check the security footage. So on what basis do you use my son of damaging the


    car? Since there¡¯s no evidence, why are my children being punished? Just because the other party is


    someone important? Does your kindergarten only serve the rich?¡±


    ¡°Ms. Windt, how can you say that?¡± Ms. Horner coldly replied. ¡°If you¡¯re unhappy with our kindergarten,


    you can choose to leave with your children.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Luna scoffed. ¡°On the ount that we are rtives, I will let this matter slide if your


    children leave this school. I will treat the eight hundred thousandpensation as a donation to


    charity.¡±


    ¡°Compensation? Whatpensation?¡± Charlotte rebutted angrily.


    ¡°Your son broke your car window, so why do we have to pay for it? I have not even settled the score


    with you over your sons coloring my daughter¡¯s hair, and yet you want my children to leave? I think you


    should be the one to leave.¡±


    ¡°When did you see my son color your daughter¡¯s hair?¡± Luna stood up angrily.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask your son?¡± Charlotte stared at Timothy.


    Timothy was raising his head arrogantly. However, when he saw Charlotte¡¯s sharp gaze, he began to


    waver.


    ¡°Timothy, tell her you didn¡¯t do it!¡± Hugging her son, Luna angrily dered, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mommy is


    here. No one can falsely use you.¡±


    ¡°Mommy, I...¡± Timothy hesitated.


    At that moment, the office door opened and Mrs. Berry entered with Ellie in tow.


    ¡°Mommy!¡±


    When Ellie saw Charlotte, she threw herself into her mother¡¯s embrace. Tears were streaming down


    from her almond-shaped eyes while the sound of her sniffling could break anyone¡¯s heart.


    ¡°Mommy, Timothy colored my hair with paint. I still can¡¯t wash it off even with Mrs. Berry¡¯s help. Do I


    need to cut my hair now?¡±


    Just as she spoke, tears gushed out like a waterfall. ¡°I don¡¯t want to cut my hair. I want to keep it long.¡±


    Charlotte hugged Ellie tofort her. ¡°Ellie, don¡¯t worry. Mommy will help you wash it off when we get


    home. it will definitelye out.¡±


    ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡± Ellie pursed her lips as she sniffled pitifully, with tears strewn all over her face.


    ¡°Elisa, please don¡¯t cry anymore...¡± Timothy quickly slid down the sofa and walked towards her. ¡°I was


    just ying with you. I didn¡¯t really mean to bully you...¡±


    ¡°Timothy!¡± Luna quickly covered his mouth and stop him from talking further.


    ¡°Hmph!¡± Charlotte scoffed and turned towards Ms. Horner. ¡°Did you hear that?¡±


    Ms. Horner¡¯s face was visibly perplexed. She was at a loss for words.


    Ms. Zane added timidly, ¡°I did ask the other students and they admitted that Timothy did color Ellie¡¯s


    hair. However, he didn¡¯t do it on purpose. He just wanted to y with her but she ignored him. That¡¯s


    why he tried to get her attention that way...¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Ms. Horner interrupted her and barked, ¡°Mr. Sterling is on the school board. Therefore, his


    son is a distinguished guest of the school. If we anger him, our school will have to close.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re aware,¡± Luna sneered. ¡°After all, only one of us will remain her. I¡¯ll leave if she stays.


    Your choice!¡±


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    ¡°Mrs. Sterling, of course, I hope that you will stay.¡± Ms. Horner made her stand clear, ¡°Ms. Windt, I¡¯m


    sorry. I¡¯ll refund the school fees that you have paid. You will have to find your children another


    kindergarten.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Horner...¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Before Charlotte could finish her sentence, Timothy suddenly freed himself from Luna¡¯s hand and


    rushed toward Ms. Horner. ¡°You can¡¯t let Elisa leave!¡±


    ¡°Timothy...¡±


    ¡°If Elisa leaves, I won¡¯te to school!¡± Timothy yelled at Luna emotionally

 Chapter 35

    Chapter 35


    ¡°Timothy, why are you disobeying me?¡± Luna became desperate. ¡°There are so many other children


    here and many pretty girls too. Why must it be her...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care. It has to be her.¡±


    After he finished screaming, Timothy dashed out.


    ¡°Timothy...¡± Luna and her bodyguard gave chase.


    Now, there were only Ms. Horner, Ms. Zane, and Charlotte¡¯s family left in the principal¡¯s office. All of


    them were equally stunned.


    ¡°Erm...¡± Ms. Horner stated awkwardly, ¡°Ms. Windt, why don¡¯t you head home with the children first and


    let me discuss the matter with the Sterlings. After that, I¡¯ll give you a call?¡±


    ¡°Sure, but please give me a copy of the security footage.¡± Charlotte smiled smugly. ¡°In case it


    disappears, the truth will be buried again.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Windt, is that necessary? Since Timothy has requested not to let Elisa leave school, the matter


    can be resolved easily...¡±


    ¡°Ms. Horner!¡± Charlotte interrupted the principal.


    She asserted solemnly, ¡°Let me be clear. From what Timothy said, it¡¯s obvious he is the one who has


    bullied Ellie and damaged his family¡¯s car too. My children did nothing wrong and yet they were


    criticized and humiliated by you and the other parent. To the extent we were being kicked out of


    school.¡±


    Charlotte continued, ¡°Now, it isn¡¯t a matter of whether they will look past this. Instead, it¡¯s up to me


    whether I want to let go of this matter. If you don¡¯t hand over the security footage, I will then make a


    police report and let the policee for it.¡±


    ¡°You...¡± Ms. Horner began to panic. She assumed everyone was just as afraid of the Sterlings as she


    was and would choose to take the humiliation quietly. Little did she expect Charlotte to be someone


    that¡¯s not easily cowed.


    ¡°Ms. Windt, please don¡¯t be angry,¡± Ms. Zane tried to salvage the situation. ¡°Let talk this over. I¡¯m sure


    we cane to an amicable solution.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, let¡¯s talk this over.¡± Ms. Horner grinned widely, ¡°It¡¯s just a small conflict between children.


    Let¡¯s just resolve this internally. I¡¯m sure there¡¯s no need to get the police involved.¡±


    Charlotte sneered, ¡°If only the other party was reasonable and you handle it fairly, it would have been a


    trivial matter and not escted to this extent. Luna was rude and intimidating to my children, and yet


    you wrongly used them without any basis. In fact, you even punished them.¡±


    She added, ¡°When the truth was revealed, you chose to bow to their status and influence. You even


    force us to leave school. Since you are unable to mete out justice fairly, I have no choice but to seek


    rpense for my children another way.¡±


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Ms. Horner asked impatiently.


    ¡°Simple!¡± Charlotte quipped.


    ¡°Firstly, hand over the security footage to prove my children¡¯s innocence. Secondly, get Mrs. Sterling


    and Timothy to apologize to my children. Thirdly, you and Ms. Zane will also have to apologize too. In


    fact, you will have to announce it to the whole school.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Zane and I can apologize to you. But it would be impossible to get Mrs. Sterling and Timothy to do


    the same.¡± Ms. Horner exined matter-of-factly.


    ¡°Your family lives in H City too. Hence, offending the Sterlings does you no good. A word from Mr.


    Sterling is enough to get you cklisted. You won¡¯t be able to find a job or get them into schools. What


    are you going to do when that happens?¡±


    ¡°If I can¡¯t even protect my children, I¡¯m not fit to be a mother!¡± Charlotte was further infuriated by the


    principal¡¯s words. ¡°Since that¡¯s your stand, I¡¯ll just make a police report. I want to see how powerful the


    Sterlings are.¡±


    Just as she spoke, Charlotte took out her phone to call the police.


    ¡°Ms. Windt, please don¡¯t!¡±


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    Ms. Horner was desperate and tried to grabbed Charlotte¡¯s phone.


    ¡°What are you doing...¡±


    ¡°Stop!¡±


    A loud voice barked from behind. At the same time, a pair of hands pushed Ms. Horner away and


    pulled Charlotte into its embrace.

 Chapter 36

    Chapter 36


    When Charlotte turned around, she saw Hector.


    He held her tightly in his embrace, just like her protector.


    She could see the longing and pain in his eyes.


    At that moment, Charlotte felt emotions swell within her, as if she had returned to the past.


    ¡°M-Mr. Sterling...¡± Ms. Horner widened her eyes in shock and thought that she was seeing things.


    ¡°Your hand...¡±


    When he saw the cut on Charlotte¡¯s hand, Hector furrowed his eyebrows and barked at Ms. Horner,


    ¡°What gives you the right to touch her?¡±


    ¡°Erm...¡± Ms. Horner was so frightened that she felt a chill down her spine.


    ¡°Mr. Sterling, Mrs. Sterling and Timothy just left.¡±


    Ms. Zane meekly reminded him as she assumed Hector had mistaken Charlotte for Luna.


    Hearing those words, Charlotte regained her senses. That¡¯s right, Hector is married to Luna now and


    they even have a son. I shouldn¡¯t have any more fantasies.


    With that thought in mind, Charlotte pushed Hector away immediately and stepped to the side.


    ¡°I know, I asked them to head home first.¡±


    Hector recovered his usual elegant demeanor. Looking at the two children in front of Charlotte, a


    sudden mix of emotions engulfed his heart.


    Robbie and Jamie had rushed to protect their mother when Ms. Horner confronted her. It was just that


    Hector beat them to it.


    At that moment, they stood guard in front of Charlotte with their fists clenched, just like little lions


    looking at Hector warily.


    ¡°Mommy!¡±


    In a corner, Ellie who was being held by Mrs. Berry widened her watery eyes and stared in fear.


    ¡°Are they... your children?¡± Hector looked at Charlotte knowingly.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Charlotte averted her gaze. Will he hate me for my impulsive actions then?


    Despite his calm exterior, Hector subconsciously clenched his fists.


    After a brief silence, he told the principal, ¡°Ms. Horner, I have seen the security footage and it was


    indeed Timothy¡¯s fault.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes.¡±


    Ms. Horner had lost track of what was going on. She could only nod and agree to whatever Hector


    said.


    Hector knelt down and gently asked Ellie, ¡°Little girl, did Timothy color your hair with paint?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Ellie grumbled with a pout, ¡°He was the one who bullied me and my two brothers only warned


    him about it. They didn¡¯t hit him. It was he who threw the crystal ball out the window in a fit of anger...¡±


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    ¡°Yes, I know.¡± Hector apologized to her sincerely. ¡°On behalf of my son, Timothy, I would like to say


    sorry to the three of you and also to your mother.¡±


    Seeing the scene that had just unfolded before her, Ms. Horner and Ms. Zane were equally shocked.


    As for Mrs. Berry, she heaved a sigh of relief. Mr. Sterling hasn¡¯t changed.


    As Charlotte looked at him intently, she realized he was just as gentlemanly and chivalrous as always.


    ¡°Mommy,¡± Robbie tugged at Charlotte¡¯s sleeve and asked softly, ¡°Do we forgive Timothy¡¯s dad?¡±


    Before Charlotte could reply, Hector added, ¡°When I return hometer, I will punish Timothy


    ordingly. I will also tell Mrs. Sterling to personally apologize to all of you.¡±


    ¡°Erm...¡± Ms. Horner was stupefied to the extent she felt her head buzzing. She wondered if Charlotte


    had a powerful background or perhaps the three children were Hector¡¯s illegitimate kids.


    ¡°Furthermore...¡± Hector turned toward Ms. Horner. ¡°I have called the school board and told them that


    you are not suited to manage this school. It¡¯s better they look for someone else.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Sterling...¡±


    ¡°Ms. Horner!¡± Hector interrupted her. ¡°I heard everything that you have just said to Ms. Windt. You are


    right that I can destroy one¡¯s future with a single word. However, that person isn¡¯t Ms. Windt but you


    instead.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d better apologize to them sincerely and leave quietly. Maybe, I will consider showing you some


    mercy,¡± Hector threatened.

 Chapter 37

    Chapter 37


    ¡°Yes!¡± Seeing through the situation, Ms. Horner bowed towards Charlotte and her children to apologize.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s all my fault. I shouldn¡¯t have offended someone of your stature.¡±


    ¡°Until now, you still don¡¯t know where you went wrong.¡± Charlotte realized the principal had a deep-


    seated issue. ¡°Mr. Sterling has dealt with this issue fairly because he is a principled man, not because I


    have any influence. You are just being sycophantic to those in power and have no decency at all.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you are right.¡± Ms. Horner lowered her head and didn¡¯t dare utter another word.


    Charlotte just look away and didn¡¯t have any more to say. To her, it was pointless to further exin to


    someone like that.


    ¡°Just leave,¡± Hector growled.


    ¡°Please have mercy, Mr. Sterling...¡± Ms. Horner pleaded before leaving with her head hung low.


    As for Ms. Zane whose face was already pale in shock, she asked, ¡°Mr. Sterling, I-I...¡±


    ¡°You will be suspended for one month and sent for retraining. Once you have the necessary values


    ingrained in you, you can return to your post,¡± Hector ordered.


    ¡°Thank you, thank you.¡± Realizing that she had gotten off with just a p on the wrist, she quickly


    thanked him and apologized to the children. ¡°Robbie, Jamie, Ellie, I¡¯m sorry. I failed to protect all of


    you...¡±


    ¡°Ms. Zane.¡± The children watched as their teacher left.


    Meanwhile, the bodyguards of the Sterlings remained at the door.


    ¡°Mrs. Berry, it¡¯s been a while. How are you?¡± Hector asked in a very sincere tone.


    ¡°Good, very good,¡± Mrs. Berry nodded. ¡°It¡¯s a wonder you still remember me.¡±


    ¡°I do. I have always remembered...¡±


    When Hector said those words, his eyes nced towards Charlotte.


    He wanted her to know that he had never forgotten her. And that he remembered everything about her.


    Charlotte lowered her head as she didn¡¯t dare to face him.


    ¡°Robbie, Jamie, Ellie, let¡¯s go to the ssroom to get your bags,¡± Mrs. Berry instructed the three


    children. ¡°Mommy needs to talk to Mr. Sterling about the teachers. She will join us soon.¡±


    ¡°Mommy...¡± The children looked at Charlotte.


    ¡°Be good, go with Mrs. Berry.¡± Charlotte gave each of them a hug. ¡°After getting your bags, wait for me


    at the school entrance. I¡¯ll be there soon.¡±


    ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡± The children nodded obediently.


    With that, Mrs. Berry led the kids away.


    When he was sure they were out of earshot, Hector asked, ¡°Who is the father?¡±


    Charlotte frowned as she felt a massive burden weighing on her heart. She knew that he would ask her


    that question.


    How should I answer?


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    The gigolo from then?


    What would he think of me?


    Although they were fated to be apart, she still hoped to leave a good impression in his heart.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Hector¡¯s voice was visibly calm. ¡°It¡¯s been so many years. Furthermore, it was me who


    wronged you first. Hence, I have no right to question you. I just... just want to know who he is.¡±


    ¡°Their father is just an ordinary person.¡± Charlotte toned down the truth. ¡°We were already separated.¡±


    ¡°Did you know him after you left H City?¡± Hector continued his questions. ¡°I heard that you stayed in the


    countryside the whole time.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I knew him then.¡± Charlotte might as well lie. ¡°When one is in despair, one always hopes to be


    protected by someone...¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Hector¡¯s eyes darkened as he didn¡¯t want to hear the details. ¡°Are you taking care of them


    alone?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not alone. I still have Mrs. Berry.¡± Charlotte looked up to him and sneer, ¡°In fact, I want to


    congratte you. In less than a month, you married a hot wife. Now, you even have a son!¡±


    Hector lowered his head and didn¡¯t dare look into her eyes. He didn¡¯t even know how to exin


    himself.

 Chapter 38

    Chapter 38


    His reaction made Charlotte feel worse. She really wanted to know why he married Luna soon after


    they broke up.


    Based on her understanding of Hector, she was sure he wasn¡¯t someone impulsive. There had to be a


    reason behind his actions.


    Or perhaps, Luna¡¯s trap was a long timeing.


    However, it was toote to change anything. Luna was now Mrs. Sterling and they even had a child.


    Hence, she didn¡¯t see the point in asking any further.


    Holding that thought, Charlotte changed the topic, ¡°You don¡¯t have to get your wife to apologize as I


    don¡¯t want a conflict. Also, if it¡¯s possible, you should transfer your son to a different kindergarten. If we


    don¡¯t see each other, there won¡¯t be any interaction.


    ¡°I will arrange it.¡± Hector nodded. ¡°What other requests do you have?¡±


    ¡°How would I dare demand anything of you?¡± Charlotte sniggered. ¡°After all, I¡¯m just an ordinary citizen


    while you are the mighty Mr. Sterling...¡±


    ¡°Lottie...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me that.¡± Charlotte interrupted him and coldly asserted, ¡°It sounds too intimate. We are no


    longer rted in any way so we should keep our distance going forward.¡±


    ¡°Do you still hate me?¡± Hector looked at her with a frown. ¡°I know it was my family¡¯s fault but I was


    trying to salvage it then. Why didn¡¯t you give me more time and chose to do something so impulsive?¡±


    When she heard the past being brought up, emotions filled her heart while tears welled in her eyes. It


    was obvious how devastating her actions were for him.


    ¡°It... it was my fault,¡± Charlotte replied remorsefully. ¡°I¡¯ve made a mistake so let¡¯s not talk about it


    anymore. What¡¯s done is done.¡±


    Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    With that, she turned to leave...


    ¡°Lottie,¡± Hector grabbed her hand and stuffed a cheque in it. ¡°You should start a small business and not


    work as an employee anymore.¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡± Holding the check in her hand, Charlotte scoffed. ¡°Thirty million. It¡¯s a lot of money indeed. It


    seems our memories are worth a lot to you.¡±


    ¡°Lottie...¡±


    ¡°Although money is useful, I don¡¯t like to receive it in such a shameless manner.¡± Charlotte stuffed the


    check back into his pocket. ¡°Both of us made a mistake then. There¡¯s no need to me each other.


    Even if we bump into each other next time, we should just pretend that we don¡¯t know each other.¡±


    ¡°Are you angry with what happened at Divine Corporation?¡± Hector furrowed his eyebrows. ¡°The


    situation then was...¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not ming you and don¡¯t have the right to do so.¡± Charlotte smile wryly. ¡°I understand that our


    statuses are different and you need to mind your reputation.¡±


    ¡°In that case, you should ept my help.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want it!¡±


    ¡°Can you not be so stubborn?¡± Hector chided her. ¡°You used to be so dignified. How can you take such


    a menial job? That aside, how much can you make from it? Is it even enough to raise three children?¡±


    ¡°At least the money I makees from my ownbor,¡± Charlotte retorted angrily. ¡°Even if I¡¯m broke, I


    rather work as a hostess in a nightclub than take your money!¡±


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°Your concern isn¡¯t appreciated here. You should save it for your wife instead.¡±


    Charlotte swept his hand away and stormed off.


    Watching her back as she walked away, Hector¡¯s eyes were filled with sadness.


    When she reached the exit, she suddenly thought of something and turned around. ¡°By the way, if it¡¯s


    possible, please keep it to yourself that I have children. I don¡¯t want outsiders to know about their


    existence.¡±


    ¡°Sure, I know what to do.¡± Hector understood what she was thinking. ¡°I will remind Luna not to shoot


    her mouth off.¡±


    ¡°It seems you understand her well,¡± Charlotte scoffed before leaving.


    Hector watched her leave with a gloomy expression.


    Meanwhile, his subordinate Owen came in andmented, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Ms. Windt to now have three


    children after not seeing her for a few years. Life is really unpredictable...¡±


    Hector shot him a fearsome re.


    Owen frantically lowered his head and didn¡¯t dare say anything further.


    ¡°Go and find out who the father is.¡±


    Hector felt that the three children had good genes. Therefore, their father cannot be an ordinary country


    bumpkin.

 Chapter 39

    Chapter 39


    On the way home, Charlotte praised Robbie and Jamie. ¡°You boys did the right thing protecting your


    sister while maintaining a cool head. I am proud of you guys.¡±


    ¡°Mommy, Ellie is our sister so it¡¯s normal for us to protect her.¡±


    Robbie beat his chest to show what a brave boy he was.


    ¡°If not for the fact Robbie was holding me back, I would have beaten Timothy up.¡± Jamie held up his


    little fist angrily. ¡°Timothy loves to bully Ellie even after I have warned him a few times, he just doesn¡¯t


    listen.¡±


    ¡°He acts with impunity in school because the principal and teachers protect him while the other


    students fear him. Hence, he thinks that whatever he does is right,¡± Robbieined indignantly.


    ¡°That¡¯s why we have to protect ourselves. We don¡¯t bully others and can¡¯t allow ourselves to be bullied


    too. Alright?¡± Charlotte lectured them solemnly.


    ¡°We understand, Mommy.¡± Robbie and Jamie nodded in unison.


    ¡°Ellie, you must also learn how to protect yourself.¡± Charlotte hugged Ellie and gently advised, ¡°You


    have your brothers to protect you now, but what if they are not by your side?¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Ellie pouted her lips and frowned. With a feisty expression, she dered, ¡°Next time, I will be


    more fierce. I can¡¯t just let anyone color my hair as they please.¡±


    ¡°Ellie, it isn¡¯t just about having your hair colored.¡± Mrs. Berryughed. ¡°As long anyone bullies you, you


    need to put a stop to it.¡±


    ¡°Mmm-hmm, I understand.¡± Ellie nodded in earnest.


    ¡°Good girl!¡± Charlotte tousled Ellie¡¯s hair to ease the tension in the air.


    ¡°Today, our family had gone through a battle together. By being united, the matter was perfectly


    resolved. Why don¡¯t we go somewhere to celebrate?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± the three children jumped in joy. ¡°Mommy is the best!¡±


    Mrs. Berry feltforted when she saw the children¡¯s smiles.


    Charlotte was someone who had been pampered since she was young. Her father taught her to always


    be upright and kind. To have a good character and grow up to be happy and healthy.


    She had passed on this legacy to her children. No matter what happened, she would always protect


    them.


    The five of them enjoyed their favorite pizza and fried chicken meal. The three children had so much to


    eat that they burped on the way home.


    By the time Charlotte and Mrs. Berry helped the children wash up and put them to bed, it was already


    nine at night.


    Charlotte took a bath and blow-dried her hair before preparing for bed. Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    Mrs. Berry then brought her some cold medication and warm water. She warmly reminded, ¡°Don¡¯t just


    focus on caring for the children, you should take care of yourself too.¡±


    ¡°I almost forgot until you mentioned it.¡± Charlotte quickly took her medicine. ¡°Thank you, Mrs. Berry.¡±


    ¡°Miss, did Mr. Sterling tell you why he married Luna?¡± Mrs. Berry couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°No, he didn¡¯t.¡± Charlotte shook her head.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you ask him?¡± Mrs. Berry asked anxiously. ¡°I feel that Luna has changed, or perhaps she


    has finally shown her true colors. Even then, I always felt that she was fake...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all in the past now.¡± Charlotte smiled wryly. ¡°No matter what, she is Mrs. Sterling and even bore


    Hector a son. They are now a family.¡±


    Hearing those words, Mrs. Berry¡¯s expression darkened. She lowered her head and sighed deeply.


    ¡°What a pity, Mr. Sterling and you were meant to be together...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just fate.¡±


    Just as she spoke, she couldn¡¯t help but get jolted by her own words. She never liked hearing anyone


    say those words as it sounded like an excuse for losers.


    But now, she actually said it.


    Perhaps after going through trial and tribtions in life, she had started to ept the unpredictable


    nature of life.

 Chapter 40

    Chapter 40


    ¡°No matter what, you have three beautiful children now. They are a gift from God.¡± Mrs. Berry consoled


    her. ¡°If you manage to meet someone in the future, your life would then beplete.¡±


    ¡°Where am I to find so many...¡±


    Before Charlotte could finish, she received a notification on her phone. It was five thousand sent by


    Gigolo In Debt.


    ¡°He is such a good man!¡± Charlotte eximed in joy.


    ¡°Huh? You already met one?¡± Mrs. Berry couldn¡¯t conceal her excitement.


    ¡°Mrs. Berry, you should rest early, I¡¯m heading back to my room now.¡±


    After bidding Mrs. Berry good night, Charlotte returned to her room and sent a message to Gigolo In


    Debt.


    Charlotte: Have you started work today?


    Gigolo In Debt: Mmm-hmm.


    Charlotte: Did someone booked you for the night?


    Gigolo In Debt: Mmm-hmm.


    Charlotte replied in glee: Not bad, not bad. You¡¯re smart enough to pay up. You have to continue to


    work hard. It¡¯s been a few days and you have only paid me twice. It isn¡¯t enough to buy milk...


    Charlotte quickly deleted the word ¡°milk¡± and changed it to ¡°food¡± instead.


    Gigolo In Debt: You have to work hard too.


    Charlotte: Don¡¯t even bring it up. I handed my resignation today.


    Gigolo In Debt: ?


    Charlotte: My boss is just crazy and making my life difficult on purpose. I don¡¯t even know what I did to


    offend him.¡±


    The moment she thought about the Devil, rage swelled within her. He had tormented her terribly today,


    to the extent her leg was still hurting from climbing the steps. However, the exertion seemed to have


    caused her cold to improve.


    Gigolo In Debt: Are you nning to rely on me for your living expenses then?


    Charlotte: Of course not. With your mediocre sales, what you earn isn¡¯t enough for me. I will look for a


    job tomorrow. Don¡¯t worry.


    Gigolo In Debt: But the job market is bad right now.


    Charlotte: That¡¯s true.


    Charlotte recalled how she had previously sent out thirty resumes and interviewed at seventeen


    companies. In the end, only Divine Corporation took her in and that was because Wesley pulled some


    strings for her.


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    Hence, she began to worry if she could really find a job.


    Charlotte: Sigh, I¡¯m not sure if I can still go back to Divine Corporation. Since I have not sent in my


    resignation letter, the HR department might not be on my case yet...¡¯


    Gigolo In Debt: You can try.


    Charlotte: However, I scolded the boss when I left. I¡¯m sure he won¡¯t allow me toe back.


    Charlotte held her chin as she was now regretting that she quitted her job in a fit of rage today.


    Although being a security guard was a tiring and lowly job, at least her sry stayed the same.


    Furthermore, there isn¡¯t any otherpany that is better than Divine Corporation.


    Gigolo In Debt: Scolding the boss was a big mistake. You really deserved it.


    Charlotte: What do you know? Do you know how crazy my boss it?


    Gigolo In Debt: As crazy as you?


    Charlotte was rendered speechless by his question. As his boss, she realized she was equally crazy


    too.


    She forced him to serve three fatdies who weighed a total of seven hundred poundsbined. She


    also demanded he look for a few more sugar mommies so that she can increase her cut. Despite that,


    she only bought a single bottle of virility supplements for him.


    As his boss, she was both cruel and vicious. Compared to the Devil, her behavior had put him to


    shame.


    With that thought in mind, Charlotte suddenly felt that the devil wasn¡¯t so bad after all.


    However, she felt she had to stand by her word. Since she rage quit in front of him, there was no going


    back for her.


    She didn¡¯t believe that she couldn¡¯tnd a single job in the whole of H City.


    Unknown to her, that was the unfortunate reality.


    The next day morning, Charlotte flooded all thepanies in H City with her resume. After waiting for


    three consecutive days, she didn¡¯t even get a single interview.


    Feeling anxious, she called them one by one.


    Finally, the answers she got were they either didn¡¯t receive it, not hiring, or she wasn¡¯t qualified enough.


    Finally, she decided to lower herself and look for a job in the mall or retail shops. However, no one


    wanted to hire her still. She was even rejected to work as a waitress.


    It felt as if everyone was ganging up on her.

 Chapter 41

    Chapter 41


    Charlotte began to worry as the bills on her living expenses started to pile up.


    Currently, her only ie was from Gigolo In Debt and it was going to run out soon.


    If she didn¡¯t get a job, she wouldn¡¯t be able tost through next month.


    What should I do?


    That night, Charlotte sent Gigolo In Debt a message. ¡°Why haven¡¯t you transferred me any money


    recently? Is business bad?¡±


    Now, Gigolo In Debt was her only source of ie, causing her to tighten her grip on him.


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    Charlotte: Even if they don¡¯t take you for a night, you can ept individual sessions. If that doesn¡¯t


    work, you can try drinking or dancing with them. As long as you make some money...


    Gigolo In Debt replied after a long time: Have you gone mad because you¡¯re broke?


    Charlotte: Yes! I am broke and I am without a job, I can¡¯t put food on the table. At this rate, I can¡¯t even


    pay the rent and would be evicted soon. I don¡¯t have a problem with that. But what about my family? I


    still have little mouths...


    Gigolo In Debt: Little mouths?


    Charlotte quickly deleted the message but the gigolo had obviously seen it. She had no choice but to


    exin: I have four pets at home...


    Gigolo In Debt: So where did you get the courage to quit your job?


    Charlotte: It was just an impulsive decision.


    Gigolo In Debt: It was a stupid move indeed.


    Charlotte: I know it was a mistake. Although he is crazy, I can still pay my bills. I¡¯m already regretting it


    now. If God were to give me another chance, I am willing to take back my words. I¡¯m willing to do


    anything as long as I can get my job back at Divine Corporation.


    Gigolo In Debt: Are you really willing to do anything?


    Charlotte: That¡¯s right. Next time, no matter how he torments me, I will obey him without question. As


    long as I can keep my job.


    Just as Charlotte sent the message, she looked at the bill that Mrs. Berry had passed to her.


    Today, she had bought a box of milk powder for the children and also sent Fifi to the vet. In total, it cost


    four thousand three hundred...


    When she saw how little she had left, tears welled up in her eyes. Morality and dignity no longer


    mattered to her.


    Gigolo In Debt replied: That should be the way.


    Charlotte: I should have the same attitude as you. After all, I realized I have not treated you well but


    didn¡¯t you bear with it? Although you kicked me out of the car once, you¡¯ve never go on strike nor quit...


    With that thought in mind, she felt Gigolo In Debt was a lot more dedicated to his work than she was.


    With her eyebrows still furrowed, her phone suddenly rang. It was from an unknown number. Puzzle as


    to who it was, she answered, ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Hello, are you Charlotte Windt? I am Mr. Collins, manager of the security department at Divine


    Corporation.¡±


    ¡°Oh hello, Mr. Collins.¡±


    ¡°Your new uniform is here. Remember toe to work tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Huh? I...¡±


    Charlotte almost wanted to bring up the fact that she quit but decided against it in time.


    She probed, ¡°I was sick that day and there was an emergency at home. So, I had to leave early and


    didn¡¯t apply for leave. Did the boss fire me?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s understandable given that it was an emergency. Divine Corporation is apany that cares for its


    employees. Hence, we won¡¯t fire you over such a small matter. However, you have to remember to


    stick to the rules.¡±


    ¡°What did the boss say?¡±


    ¡°Do you mean Mr. Nacht? He has a thousand things on his te and has no time for trivial matters


    such as this. Don¡¯t worry, juste back to work tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright. Thank you very much. Thank you!¡±


    After ending the call, Charlotte was overjoyed.


    She quickly sent Gigolo In Debt a message: Just now, the manager of Divine Corporation¡¯s security


    department called. He asked me to go back to work tomorrow. Hahaha, it¡¯s really wonderful! I am not


    unemployed anymore!


    Gigolo In Debt: Congrattions!


    Charlotte: You¡¯re really my lucky star. Not only do you make money for me, but you also even bring me


    good luck.¡±


    Gigolo In Debt: How are you going to thank me?


    Charlotte: Thank you? This will be used to offset the time where you kicked me out of the car. We are


    now even!


    Charlotte was still angry about the time he chased her out of the car.


    Charlotte: How dare you abandon your boss on the top of an elevated bridge like that? It¡¯s just cruel


    and unforgivable!

 Chapter 42

    Chapter 42


    Gigolo In Debt: Are you back to being arrogant just because you got your job back?


    His response sounded exasperated.


    Charlotte sure knew when to quit and not take it too far.


    Her job at Divine Corporation pays eight thousand a month while Gigolo In Debt can pay her five


    thousand on a good night.


    Although she needed to maintain her authority as his boss, she knew that she couldn¡¯t be


    unreasonable. In the event he quit, she would be left with nothing.


    Although there¡¯s a contract, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to stand up in a court ofw.


    I should still cate this God of Wealth, no wait, I meant Gigolo of Wealth.


    With that thought in mind, Charlotte quickly appeased him: I¡¯m just kidding. I¡¯ll see you in another two


    days and buy you some supplements. However, you mustn¡¯t kick me out of the car again. Do you know


    how terrible it felt that night?


    Gigolo In Debt: Have you learnt your lesson?


    Charlotte: Yes...


    Gigolo In Debt: In that case, you should behave next time.


    Charlotte was speechless. Did he read too many romance novels?


    This gigolo is slowly getting more domineering.


    Does he think he is acting in a movie called ¡°The Domineering Gigolo Falls In Love With Me?¡±


    Wait...


    Falls in love?


    N?velDrama.Org owns this text.


    Charlotte suddenly remembered the time at Sultry Night where she sold him to three richdies. At that


    moment, he was tugging on her sleeve when he dered, ¡°You will regret it if you leave.¡±


    He is supposed to be used to pleasuring richdies and should feel like a fish in water. But why was he


    so reluctant that night?


    In the car the other day, when I asked him about being taken in by a sugar mommy and how we were


    going to split his earnings, he actually became angry and kicked me out.


    And yet I thought he was angry because I wanted too much. Now that I think of it...


    I think he must have developed feelings for me and was jealous. That¡¯s why he was so angry.


    Or else, why would he obediently report his ie and keep paying me as requested


    Despite having signed a contract, there is no way I can really use it to threaten him.


    No matter what, he has to be a willing participant for the arrangement to work.


    The more she thought about it, the more anxious Charlotte became. Oh no! I¡¯m in trouble! What am I


    going to do now that a gigolo has fallen in love with me?


    It seemed she had no choice but to be professional and keep a distance from him.


    At the same time, she endeavored to work hard in Divine Corporation to further her career. So that


    when she loses her ie from the gigolo, she would still be able to support her family.


    It was imperative for her to win the acknowledgment of the Devil. Only then would her job at Divine


    Corporation be secure.


    Holding that thought, Charlotte took a deep breath and made a firm decision. From tomorrow onwards,


    she would endure whatever the Devil threw at her.


    Probably because of the repeated reminders she gave herself, Charlotte dreamt of something shocking


    in her sleep.


    In her dream, the Devil was kneeling in front of her, holding nine hundred and ny nine roses. He


    dered passionately, ¡°Charlotte, will you marry me!¡±


    All the employees at Divine Corporation were cheering for her while her colleagues were urging her on,


    ¡°Say yes to him!¡±


    Feeling emotional, Charlotte was about to agree before the gigolo appeared in his mask with the three


    children in tow. In a pitiful voice, he pleaded, ¡°Darling, don¡¯t abandon me.¡±


    When she turned to look and saw a pitiful sight.


    There were three milk bottles hung around his neck while his backpack was filled with milk powder. He


    was holding a bunch of dolls on his left hand and diapers on his right. He looked like the epitome of a


    poor babysitting father.


    The three children were crying with snoting out of their nose. ¡°Mommy, Mommy...¡±


    Behind her, the Devil¡¯s longing expression changed into one of rage. He grabbed her hand and


    threatened viciously, ¡°Charlotte, you already have a husband and children. And yet you are trying to


    cheat me of my feelings? I¡¯m going to kill you...¡±


    Charlotte was suddenly awoken from her dream. As she opened her eyes, she was panting heavily


    from the frightening experience.


    Luckily, it¡¯s just a dream.


    As she wiped the sweat off her forehead, she checked her phone.


    It was six thirty in the morning and Gigolo In Debt had just transferred her five thousand.


    When the thought of him pleasuring a rich and fatdy cross her mind, she felt bad for taking half of his


    hard-earned money. In fact, she began to feel like a heartless person.

 Chapter 43

    Chapter 43


    The next morning, Charlotte rushed to her office and was d she wasn¡¯tte.


    Mr. Collins brought her uniform personally and encouraged her to work hard.


    After getting changed and putting on her cap, she looked smart and alluring at the same time.


    The whole group of young security guards were mesmerized, especially David, who blushed at the


    sight of her.


    ¡°Today, you will follow David on his rounds around the car park as usual. Go quickly, the president¡¯s car


    is almost here,¡± Mr. Collins instructed.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Charlotte brought along an exquisite-looking bag as she followed David.


    ¡°What is that?¡± David asked.


    ¡°You will find outter.¡±


    Keeping an eye on the car park¡¯s entrance, Charlotte finally saw the Rolls-Royce Phantom and quickly


    hurried to wee it.


    ¡°Good morning, Mr. Nacht.¡± David opened the door.


    ¡°Good morning, Mr. Nacht!¡± Charlotte raised up a bag with a smile. ¡°Your breakfast is ready.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Zachary raised his eyebrow and looked at Charlotte with interest.


    ¡°Pizza from Mario¡¯s, beef sandwiches from Le Cordon Bleu, hand-brewed coffee from St. Laurent¡¯s...


    everything exactly as you ordered,¡± Charlotte cheerfully reported.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, I have reflected on my ipetence thest time. Last night, I called a few restaurants to


    order the food and picked them up in the morning. Don¡¯t worry, these are all the real stuff. I even left


    the receipts inside.¡±


    Just as she spoke, Charlotte looked for the receipts inside the bag.


    ¡°You finally understand what¡¯s your priority.¡± Zachary smiled smugly.


    ¡°Haha...¡± Charlotte grinned mischievously. ¡°I was ignorant before this. I hope you will be magnanimous


    and not hold it against me. Please give me a chance and I promise I will change for the better.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll reward you based on your performance.¡± Zachary received the bag and handed it to David.


    ¡°Huh?¡± David was stunned as he took it.


    Meanwhile, Charlotte¡¯s expression froze. Before she could regain her senses, Zachary had turned to


    leave.


    Ben softly remarked, ¡°Mr. Nacht¡¯s breakfast is different every day. The menust time was for


    Thursday, but today is Friday. He will be having something different.¡±


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    ¡°In that case...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already sent someone to get it, so don¡¯t worry. Just focus on doing your job.¡±


    After he was done, Ben quickly caught up with Zachary.


    Staring at Zachary¡¯s silhouette, Charlotte muttered under her breath, ¡°Damn you!¡±


    At that moment, Zachary entered the elevator and turned around.


    Charlotte put on her best smile and waved at him respectfully, ¡°Mr. Nacht, I wish you a wonderful day!¡±


    As her expression changed instantly just like a chameleon, she filled her tone with as much enthusiasm


    as she possibly could.


    Lowering his gaze, Zachary smiled smugly as the elevator door closed.


    When Ben checked Zachary¡¯s expression, he heaved a sigh of relief. It looks like today is going to be a


    wonderful day.


    ¡°Charlotte, do you want to share the breakfast that Mr. Nacht gave me?¡± David carefully probed.


    ¡°Sure, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Charlotte didn¡¯t want them to go to waste as she spent three hundred and eighty-eight on them.


    After spending so much effort to impress him, he actually gave it to someone else. He¡¯s really


    insensitive!


    Forget it. At least I get to eat them with David. Hence, they¡¯re not wasted.


    While both of them were having breakfast, David asked excitedly, ¡°I have never eaten such an


    expensive breakfast before. It¡¯s so beautiful and exquisite that I don¡¯t feel like eating them.¡±


    ¡°Eat it while it¡¯s hot, or else it will go to waste!¡±


    Charlotte handed him a beef sandwich.


    While both of them were enjoying breakfast happily, little did they realize they were being watched.


    Wesley, who had been demoted to guard the car park entrance, was like a rat in the shadows. He was


    hiding in a dark corner and spying on Charlotte. There was a malicious look in his eyes.

 Chapter 44

    Chapter 44


    She caused me to be beaten up by Zachary. Because of her, I was removed from my glorious job as


    manager of the HR department and relegated to just a security guard at the entrance.


    Whenever his colleagues saw him, they would look at him in a condescending manner.


    His friend and subordinates who used to be close to him avoided him like the gue.


    While his rivals seized upon the opportunity to trample on his dignity.


    To him, it was all Charlotte¡¯s doing.


    ¡°It¡¯s delicious.¡± Charlotte finished thest beef sandwich and licked her lips to savor everyst bit. ¡°No


    wonder the Devil orders food from them. He really has good taste.¡±


    ¡°Shh...¡± David quickly reminded her. ¡°Thest time you went missing for three days, the HR department


    wanted to sack you. It was Mr. Nacht who stopped them. Not only are you ungrateful, but you also even


    call him names. That isn¡¯t right.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Charlotte was surprised. ¡°Did you say the Devil... I mean Mr. Nacht saved my job?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    David exined in earnest what happened that day, ¡°After you left and didn¡¯te back, Mr. Collins


    called you but you didn¡¯t answer. The next day, he had no choice but to inform HR. HR decided that


    you had to be fired for leaving your station without permission.¡±


    David continued, ¡°When Mr. Collins requested me to get a case form from HR, I bumped into Mr. Ben,


    the president¡¯s assistant, there. He instructed the HR manager to retain your position and ssify it as


    if you were on leave.¡±


    ¡°Erm...¡±


    Charlotte was extremely shocked to hear that it was the Devil who saved her job.


    ¡°Next time, don¡¯t call him names anymore. Or else he might fire you for real when he gets angry. Where


    did you go look for a job? I¡¯ve worked in a few differentpanies before and realize Divine


    Corporation offers the best pay and benefits. Furthermore, there¡¯s career progression too...¡±


    David continued to ramble on with a serious face.


    However, Charlotte only had one question in her mind. Why did the Devil help me?


    Does he intend to keep me as a toy? So that he can continue to torment me?


    That has to be it... he really is crazy.


    But it¡¯s okay since I have his attention, it means I¡¯m still of some use to him.


    Just when she was pondering about it, a car rm rang out from afar.


    Charlotte was given a fright but David was a lot calmer. ¡°Perhaps, one of the bosses scraped another


    car while parking causing the rm. I¡¯ll go take a look.¡±


    ¡°Wait, let¡¯s go together.¡± Charlotte quickly packed up the leftovers.


    ¡°You take your time cleaning while I head there first.¡±


    David was extremely responsible and he dashed toward where the sound wasing from.


    After packing up everything and preparing to bin it, Charlotte suddenly felt something like an evile


    from her back...


    She turned around subconsciously. Before she could react, a stake of crates from behind her toppled


    towards her.


    ¡°Lottie...¡±


    Along with the shout, a white shadow shot toward her and pulled her into his embrace, shielding her


    from the crates.


    When she felt his muscr chest, a familiar sense of warmth and security greeting her.


    Opening her eyes, she saw Hector¡¯s dashing face and her heart almost melted instantly.


    ¡°Lottie, are you alright?¡±


    Hector¡¯s eyes were filled with gentle concern. Despite his furrowing eyebrows showing the pain he felt,


    he was more worried about Charlotte¡¯s safety.N?velDrama.Org owns this text.


    ¡°Hector...¡±


    When she regained her senses, Charlotte realized that Hector was hurt by the crates because he


    protected her. There was a cut on his forehead and blood was slowly oozing out. His left arm seemed


    to also be injured as he could hardly move it.


    She became extremely anxious. ¡°You¡¯re injured. Did you fracture anything?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine...¡±


    ¡°Mr. Sterling!¡± A few of his bodyguards rushed over. ¡°Get the doctor, quick!¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Hector stopped them. ¡°We are at Divine Corporation, not Sterling Group. We mustn¡¯t cause Mr.


    Nacht any rm...¡±


    ¡°But you...¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht!¡± Owen eximed.


    Charlotte looked up and saw Zachary standing in the middle of the corridor, looking at them from afar


    with an awkward smile.


    His gaze was as frosty as ice.

 Chapter 45

    Chapter 45


    When Charlotte felt the animosity, she grew inexplicably anxious.


    After Hector released Charlotte, he stepped to one side and maintain his distance, as if he wanted to


    avoid any gossip.


    ¡°Mr. Sterling, are you alright?¡± Zachary strolled over casually.


    Behind him, Ben has instructed the bodyguards to investigate how it happened.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, it¡¯s just a scratch.¡¯


    Despite sweating profusely, Hector maintained hisposure with a faint smile.


    N?velDrama.Org owns this text.


    ¡°I¡¯m impressed that you have rescued a damsel in distress.¡± Zachary smiled. ¡°Although she isn¡¯t much


    of a beauty, I have to thank you on her behalf as her employer.¡±


    Charlotte furrowed her eyebrows as she felt strange hearing what Zachary said.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t say that. It¡¯s nothing at all.¡± Hector nced at Charlotte before saying to Zachary, ¡°I was


    just looking for you. Are you...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve something on so I¡¯m heading out.¡± Zachary was polite but aloof. ¡°Sorry for wasting your time.¡±


    ¡°Erm...¡± Hector froze briefly before replying with a smile. ¡°No worries. I¡¯lle again when you¡¯re


    free...¡±


    ¡°Mmm-hmm,¡± Zachary grunted in acknowledgment before getting into his car.


    Hector stood still, feeling extremely awkward.


    Owen asked softly, ¡°Didn¡¯t you have an appointment with him?¡±


    ¡°Ignore him, he always behaves this way.¡± When Charlotte saw how Hector was treated, she felt bad


    for him. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the hospital...¡±


    ¡°Mr. Sterling!¡± At that moment, Ben came cover and politely exined, ¡°Mr. Nacht has an urgent matter


    to attend to today. Shall we make another appointment for next time?¡±


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll let you know.¡± Hector nodded with a smile.


    ¡°Are you injured? I¡¯ll have someone send you to the hospital.¡±


    Ben waved for the bodyguards toe.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ll manage this myself.¡± Hector replied politely. ¡°You should go on. Mr. Nacht must be waiting


    for you.


    ¡°In that case...¡±


    ¡°Mr. Ben,¡± Charlotte used the opportunity to ask Ben, ¡°Mr. Sterling was injured trying to save me. I¡¯ll like


    to send him to the hospital, is that alright?¡±


    ¡°Erm...¡± Ben turned to look at Zachary before nodding. ¡°Sure!¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Charlotte immediately supported Hector.


    This time, Hector didn¡¯t refuse.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    David arrived in a huff. When he saw what happened, he was shocked.


    ¡°Just now, some crates fell down and almost injured me, but Mr. Sterling saved me instead,¡± Charlotte


    exined. ¡°Mr. Ben has given me permission to send Mr. Sterling to the hospital. David, please help


    me report this to Mr. Collins.¡±


    ¡°Okay, sure.¡± David nodded.


    ¡°Be careful, don¡¯t hurt your arm.¡±


    Charlotte helped Hector into the car.


    As the Rolls-Royce Phantom passed them by, Hector looked up and saw Zachary giving Charlotte a


    cold stare.


    ¡°Owen, you drive. The rest of you, take the other car,¡± Hector instructed.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    While driving the white Bentley out of the parking lot, Owen couldn¡¯t help but reminisce the old times


    with Charlotte. ¡°Ms. Windt, it¡¯s been such a long time. Do you still remember me?¡±


    ¡°How can I forget?¡± Charlotteughed and remarked, ¡°When Hector and I were dating, you were


    always behind us. He would always scold you for being the third wheel.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha...¡± Owenughed heartily.


    ¡°I thought you have forgotten.¡± Hector¡¯s voice was as gentle as it was in the past. He looked longingly


    at Charlotte.


    Charlotte was jolted and lowered her head. ¡°But that¡¯s all in the past now.¡±


    The atmosphere began to feel awkward.


    Clearing his throat, Owen focused on driving and didn¡¯t dare to say another word.


    ¡°Do you and Mr. Nacht know each other?¡±


    Hector was a smart man. Just by observing them, he knew that Zachary was somehow interested in


    Charlotte.


    ¡°He is my boss. Why wouldn¡¯t I know him?¡± It seemed that she didn¡¯t think that way.


    ¡°Are you here to talk business with him? With the Sterling Group¡¯s current status, you don¡¯t need to


    depend on him, do you? Even if it¡¯s a business deal, he should treat you with respect. You don¡¯t have to


    put up with his attitude.¡±

 Chapter 46

    Chapter 46


    ¡°It seems like you don¡¯t know Mr. Nacht well enough.¡± Hector stared at her. ¡°Do you only have a


    professional rtionship with him?¡±


    ¡°What else then?¡± Charlotte frowned.


    Hector was silent for a moment before he said in an unusually deep voice, ¡°He¡¯s a dangerous man. You


    should keep your distance from him.¡±


    ¡°How can a formidable man like him get close to a small fly like me?¡± Charlotte dismissed. ¡°You¡¯re


    overthinking this.¡±


    ¡°Good to hear that.¡± Hector seemingly sighed in relief. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you not to work anymore? Why are


    you now a security guard?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t intervene in this,¡± Charlotte warned. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for you saving me, I wouldn¡¯t havee out


    with you alone.¡±


    ¡°All right. I won¡¯t continue talking about this then.¡± Hector changed the topic. ¡°My son hasn¡¯t been going


    to school recently. He¡¯s been in a foul mood because of the transfer. He¡¯s young, but he¡¯s got a temper.


    I can¡¯t believe he¡¯s protesting by going on a hunger strike.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Charlotte was surprised by his words. ¡°You¡¯d better take care of him.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll just let him be. He¡¯ll eat when he can¡¯t stand the hunger anymore,¡± Hector sighed. ¡°I¡¯ve been


    busy with work in recent years, and I don¡¯t have much time to keep himpany. He¡¯s been spoiled by


    the rest of the family, and that¡¯s why he¡¯s such a bossy kid now. I really have to teach him a lesson this


    time.¡±


    ¡°Take it slow. You can¡¯t change him in a day.¡± Charlotte felt bad for the boy. ¡°Don¡¯t rush him about the


    transfer, and be gentle in your approach. If he really can¡¯t take it, it¡¯s fine if he doesn¡¯t transfer schools.


    However...¡±


    ¡°He said he¡¯s fine with everything but the transfer,¡± Hectormented. ¡°I know what you¡¯re worried


    about, and I¡¯ve talked to Luna. I¡¯ve told her not to go to school from now on, so the two of you won¡¯t be


    in any conflict anymore.¡±


    ¡°All right. I have no issues, then.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org owns this text.


    Charlotte mainly did not want to be in any conflict with Luna; the others were less of a concern for her.


    After all, he was but a three-year-old. How bad can he be?


    ¡°You¡¯re as considerate as ever.¡± It was a gentle look Hector gave her.


    ¡°We¡¯ve arrived,¡± Charlottemented. ¡°Is this your private hospital?¡±


    ¡°Yes. This is where Mr. Sterling usually goes for his checkups.¡±


    Owen drove the car to the entrance, and the security guard was swift to walk over. ¡°Mr. Sterling.¡±


    After Charlotte came down from the car, she helped the injured Hector down. ¡°Be careful of your


    elbow.¡±


    ¡°Darling!¡± All of a sudden, a familiar voice traveled into Charlotte¡¯s ears.


    Turning around, she locked eyes with Luna¡¯s surprised ones. Immediately, she retracted her arm from


    Hector.


    ¡°Charlotte Windt, it¡¯s you again!¡± Luna flew over and cursed, ¡°You b*tch. You know Hector¡¯s already


    married. Why are you still clinging to him? Aren¡¯t you a shameless one?¡±


    ¡°Luna, you¡¯ve misunderstood the situation.¡± Charlotte frowned and exined, ¡°He¡¯s injured at our


    company. That¡¯s why...¡±


    ¡°What have I misunderstood?¡± Luna was extremely agitated. ¡°I knew nothing good will happen the


    moment you¡¯re back. You must be doing this on purpose. You must have arranged for your kids to be in


    the same kindergarten as my son, and now you¡¯re seducing my husband. How can you be such a


    b*tch? You know nothing but to steal from others!¡±


    ¡°Luna, shut up,¡± Hector roared. ¡°What are you trying to do in public?¡±


    ¡°Darling, you¡¯re shouting at me?¡± Luna was starting to tremble. ¡°Don¡¯t you remember what she¡¯s done


    to you back then? She hired a gigolo from Sultry Night on the day of your engagement, and she


    embarrassed you in front of everyone. Now, she even has three bas*ards with another man. She¡¯s


    nothing but a promiscuous woman...¡±


    ¡°Shut your mouth!¡± Hector pped her.


    The p dumbfounded Luna. She held onto her reddened cheek as she stared at him, incredulous.


    ¡°Did you just p me? Did you just p me because of this promiscuous woman?¡±

 Chapter 47

    Chapter 47


    Even Charlotte was stunned by his action. She had never thought the gentle Hector would hit


    someone.


    ¡°Owen, send Mrs. Sterling back,¡± Hector ordered in an icy tone.


    ¡°Sure.¡± Owen hurriedly persuaded, ¡°Mrs. Sterling, don¡¯t be angry. You can continue the conversation


    when you¡¯re both at home. Everyone¡¯s watching us now.¡±


    The onlookers had crowded around them, and some were even recording videos.


    The onlookers adored watching the rich fight. If they were to post their videos online, they would even


    get followers in their ounts.


    ¡°Why should I leave? I¡¯m not the one who¡¯s an embarrassment,¡± Luna cried out. ¡°Hector, I can¡¯t believe


    you¡¯re still defending her until now. Who is your wife?¡±


    ¡°Are you done?¡± Hector interrupted before snapping at Owen, ¡°What are you waiting for? Help her into


    the car.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Sterling.¡±


    Turning to Luna, Owen muttered, ¡°Mrs. Sterling, let¡¯s head back first.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not leaving. Why should I?¡± Luna refused to relent as she smacked Charlotte with her leather bag.


    ¡°B*tch, you¡¯re trying to steal my husband, but I won¡¯t let you win.¡±


    Hector promptly stood in front of Charlotte to protect her.


    At that, anger coursed through Luna¡¯s veins even faster. She swung her bag around Hector to hit


    Charlotte, who was behind him.


    Meanwhile, Charlotte, who did not wish to waste her time on Luna, turned to leave.


    ¡°B*tch, don¡¯t go!¡±


    Luna had wanted to continue beating Charlotte, but she identally swung her bag on Hector¡¯s injured


    arm.


    Hector groaned as his face instantly drained of its colors. Droplets of sweat rolled down from his


    forehead.


    ¡°Darling, w-what¡¯s wrong?¡± It was only then Luna realized her husband was injured. She anxiously


    asked, ¡°Are you hurt? How did this happen?¡±


    ¡°A heavy object hit Mr. Sterling¡¯s arm. Let¡¯s go to see a doctor first,¡± Owen voiced.


    Luna then quickly helped Hector into the hospital.


    A myriad of emotions washed over Charlotte as she looked at them from the cab she was in.


    In the past, she did not understand the significance of marriage, but now it seemed like she did. This


    was what marriage was all about¡ªno matter how badly the couple was fighting a moment ago, they


    would still walk side-by-side in the next moment.


    Hector and Luna were the perfect examples; neither of them could cut ties with each other anymore.


    On the other hand, she should stay away from them.


    Soon, lost in her thoughts about Hector, she reached the office.


    Charlotte only realized she did not have her phone with her when she got off the cab.


    Fortunately, she had cash with her, so she could pay for the fare.


    I must have dropped my phone at the desk in the underground parking lot. Hence, Charlotte went to


    the security department to look for David.


    David handed her the phone as hemented, ¡°You¡¯ve got your head in the clouds. I can¡¯t believe you


    didn¡¯t take your phone with you when you left the house. No one can contact you if anything happens.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. I was worried I lost it.¡±


    When Charlotte took her phone, she realized the battery had died, so she was quick to charge it.


    What she did not know was that she had missed out on something major because of it.


    In the principal¡¯s office at Apple Kindergarten.


    Robbie looked at the few mysterious men in suits without a hint of fear on his face. In fact, he even


    tilted his chin up and scoffed, ¡°It¡¯s illegal to kidnap children.¡±


    Ben could not help butugh as he turned to Zachary behind him. ¡°Mr. Nacht, this boy is quite like you.¡±


    ¡°Be serious.¡± Zachary lowered his eyes as he sipped on his tea.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Ben then crouched in front of Robbie and gently said, ¡°Boy, don¡¯t be scared. We¡¯re not bad


    guys. Otherwise, your teacher and principal won¡¯t bring you to us, right?¡±


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    Robbie stole a nce at the trembling principal and teacher, who had just started working in the


    kindergarten recently. He lifted a brow and uttered, ¡°Speak. What do you want?¡±


    ¡°This is what we want...¡± Ben trailed off, realizing he should speak in a simpler way with the child.


    Hence, he raised his pitch and murmured, ¡°Did you mommy and daddy take you to Grand zast


    Sunday?¡±


    ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± Robbie furrowed his brows as an impatient look crept upon his handsome


    face. ¡°I¡¯m not a two-year-old. You don¡¯t need to talk to me as if I¡¯m a baby. It sounds horrible.¡±


    ¡°I-¡± Ben was rendered speechless as the corner of his mouth twitched.


    Beside him, the bodyguard could not help but snort at the boy¡¯s words. What a crafty boy.


    Finally, Zachary, who was behind the screen, raised his head to look at them.

 Chapter 48

    Chapter 48


    He was short but he carried himself with great pride. The boy¡¯s handsome face made Zachary wonder


    where he had seen this face in the past.


    The boy¡¯s clear eyes, full of wariness and wit, were fixed on Zachary.


    ¡°Who is he?¡± Robbie pointed at Zachary.


    ¡°He¡¯s our boss.¡± Ben then said, ¡°Boy, did you meet a man in ck at the yground in the basement


    level of Grand za? Did he give a pretty silver box to you? Like this one.¡±


    Ben unlocked his phone and was about to show Robbie the photo when Robbie huffed, ¡°No.¡±


    He did not even look at the photo, choosing to turn his head to the side.


    ¡°Hold on. Look at it first.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a no even if I look at it.¡± Robbie folded his arm and asserted, ¡°I have a great memory, and I never


    forget anything I see. I have never met anyone in ck, and no one gave me anything. You¡¯ve made a


    mistake.¡±


    ¡°Kid, it¡¯s not right to lie.¡± Ben had now put on a stern look. ¡°That man in ck is a thief. He stole


    something from us, and that something is very important to us.¡±


    Robbie raised his brows as he replied calmly, ¡°You should look for the cops if you¡¯ve lost something.¡±


    ¡°The man in ck gave it to you. If you give it back to me, I¡¯ll reward you but if you don¡¯t...¡±


    ¡°I said, nothing like this ever happened.¡± Robbie interrupted. He questioned the man instead. ¡°If it¡¯s


    something so important, why would the man give it to a kid? This isn¡¯t logical at all.¡±


    His words rendered Ben speechless. The man took in a deep breath before he clicked onto the security


    footage on his phone. ¡°Look. This is you, right?¡±


    Robbie peeked at it, disinterested. He looked away, but his gaze returned to the screen. Registering


    what was on the screen, he froze.


    N?velDrama.Org owns this text.


    In the video, a man in ck rushed out of the restroom and knocked into the child in front of him.


    The child¡¯s hands were in his pocket, and he was strolling. On his shoulder was a small green parrot.


    Isn¡¯t that Jamie and Fifi?


    Although everything happened in less than a minute, Robbie noticed the man shoving something into


    Jamie¡¯s pocket.


    ¡°You might not see it clearly. Let me slow it down for you.¡±


    Ben then adjusted the speed of the video and zoomed into the man¡¯s hand. In the video, the man¡¯s


    hand slowly ced a small silver box into the boy¡¯s pocket.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to slow it down. I can see it clearly.¡±


    Robbie nimbly changed the video back to its normal speed.


    Then, several men in suits rushed after him, and the man in ck escaped.


    The boy stood rooted to the ground for a while before he took out the small box from his pocket. When


    he opened it, he took out a small golden chip.


    Just as he was observing the chip, the parrot on his shoulder suddenly swallowed the chip. He


    promptly hit the parrot, wanting it to spit it out.


    Right then, Ellie rushed to him.


    ¡°So Jamie was telling the truth,¡± Robbie mumbled as he held his chin.


    ¡°What?¡± Ben did not hear his words clearly. He hurriedly asked, ¡°Kid, you¡¯re the boy in the video, right?


    Where¡¯s the golden chip now?¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t me...¡± Robbie nearly told him it was his younger brother. However, the gears in his head


    turned, and he warily questioned, ¡°How would I know if you¡¯re not bad guys?¡±


    ¡°Kid, if you¡¯re not going to cooperate with me, I¡¯m going to talk to your parents.¡±


    Ben nced at Zachary behind him and knew his boss was running out of patience.


    ¡°I¡¯d say you¡¯ll be better off talking to the cops,¡± Robbie reasoned. ¡°If the cops show me the papers, I¡¯ll


    help you look for the chip.¡±


    ¡°The boy is mature for his age,¡± one of the bodyguards sighed.


    Ben stood up and asked the principal beside him, ¡°Ms. Longman, have you contacted his parents?¡±

 Chapter 49

    Chapter 49


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ve been calling over ten times, but her phone is switched off. I¡¯m still trying to call her,¡± Ms.


    Longman nervously uttered. ¡°I¡¯ve just been transferred here, and I¡¯m not familiar with the students yet.


    But I¡¯ll give you my full cooperation.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, can you show me the video?¡± Lexie asked tentatively.


    Ben then handed her the phone.


    After looking at the video, Lexie remarked, ¡°This boy isn¡¯t Robbie; it¡¯s Jamie. Although they look


    identical, they carry themselves differently.¡±


    ¡°Jamie?¡± Ben was stunned. ¡°Are they twins?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re triplets,¡± Lexie exined. ¡°The oldest is Robbie, and the middle child is Jamie. These two look


    the same. The youngest is a girl called Ellie.¡±


    ¡°Ellie should be the kid who came up our car chasing after the parrot thest time.¡± Ben finally realized


    what was going on. ¡°I was wondering why both kids have parrots. Theye from the same family.¡±


    ¡°Hurry up and bring Jamie here,¡± Ms. Longman instructed Lexie.


    ¡°Jamie¡¯s is in the field now. I¡¯ll look for him right away.¡± Lexie hurried out.


    Ms. Longman then crouched down and patiently said to Robbie, ¡°Robbie, trust me. They¡¯re not bad


    guys. If you know where the chip is, just tell them, all right?¡±


    Robbie was already hesitating by now. If the man in ck really gave the chip to Jamie, that meant


    these people were not lying. If they were not lying, that meant they were not evil.


    ¡°Kid,¡± Ben started. ¡°The blueprint for ourpany¡¯s new technology is in that chip, but the bad guy has


    stolen our chip. If we can¡¯t get it back, someone will use our blueprint. Not only will ourpany suffer


    a loss, but it¡¯ll also cause trouble in the public.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± In the end, Robbie chose to believe them. He raised his head and uttered seriously, ¡°Fifi ate


    that chip, but it hasn¡¯t pooped it out yet. When it poops it out, I can give it back to you.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? Can you say that again?¡± Ben urged. ¡°Who is Fifi?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re dumb. Fifi¡¯s our pet parrot.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re dumb. Fifi¡¯s our pet parrot.¡±


    Those words were spoken at the same time, just in different ces. Those were the words Jamie said


    to the man in ck at a corner of the field.


    ¡°Do you mean your pet parrot ate the chip?¡± The man¡¯s brows were knitted.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Jamie nodded.


    Then, he continued in great detail. ¡°It lost its appetite after eating the chip, and it¡¯s been depressed too.


    Moreover, it keeps plucking its own feathers. Mommy, Mrs. Berry, Robbie, Ellie, and I brought it to the


    vet, and the vet said it has indigestion. So, he gave Fifi some medication and said it¡¯ll be all fine once it


    poops. That¡¯s why I¡¯m watching it poop every day. I wonder if it¡¯ll poop that golden thingy out.¡±


    ¡°Well, has it poop it out?¡± the man questioned.


    Jamie took out a box from his bag and handed it to him. ¡°Take a look for yourself.¡±


    The man then took it and opened the box. In it was a beautifully wrapped package.


    Delighted, he promptly tore the package...


    It was anotheryer beneath the firstyer. Sweating buckets, he continued to tear through theyers


    until there were none left. When he pulled thestyer away, he found a pile of poop. What?


    ¡°This...¡± The man stared at the pile of feces as the corner of his mouth twitched.


    ¡°I¡¯m scared it¡¯ll poop it out while I¡¯m not home, and Mrs. Berry will throw the poop and the golden thingy


    away, so I¡¯ve been wrapping its poop every morning. Then, I¡¯ll check the poop when I¡¯m in school.¡±


    As he spoke, Jamie grabbed a stick from under the tree and crouched down. He then started checking


    the pile of feces.


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    ¡°Move aside. I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    Looking at Jamie¡¯s slow actions, the man snatched his twig and started stabbing the feces. In a few


    seconds, he broke the stick.

 Chapter 50

    Chapter 50


    ¡°What?¡± The man¡¯s jaw hung ck.


    ¡°You¡¯re troublesome.¡± Now, Jamie had to look for another twig.


    Unable to wait any longer, the man started digging through the feces with his bare hands. Other than


    several undigested seeds, nothing else was in the feces.


    Immediately, the man¡¯s expression was as dark as a stormy sky. He red at Jamie and snarled, ¡°Are


    you messing with me?¡±


    ¡°Oh no. It looks like it hasn¡¯t pooped it out yet,¡± Jamie sighed as he leaned his plump chin on his palm.


    ¡°Come again tomorrow. I¡¯ll bring Fifi¡¯s fresh poop to school tomorrow. Remember to bring tongs. It¡¯s


    much better than twigs.¡±


    The man¡¯s entire face was twitching as if he was having a stroke. He clenched his hands into fists.


    If the boy in front of him was not a three-year-old, he would have strangled him there and then.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Jamie asked in an innocent voice. He waved his hands in front of the man¡¯s eyes and


    queried, ¡°Did you get overwhelmed by the smell of poop?¡±


    The man breathed in deeply, tamping down the murderous aura that threatened to spill from him.


    Trying his best to look friendly, he asked, ¡°Boy, where¡¯s the parrot? Bring me to it.¡±


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s at home,¡± Jamie blurted out. Then, he stared at the man in front of him. ¡°Wait. You¡¯re not


    the man from earlier.¡±


    This man in front of him looked ferocious, like a viin.


    However, he looked simr to that man, and he was in the same clothes. Furthermore, he recalled the


    incident in great detail, and that was why Jamie thought they were the same person.


    ¡°Pardus¡¯ been caught. I¡¯m his brother, Tigris.¡± The man grabbed Jamie and started striding toward the


    back gate. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. As long as you give me the chip, I won¡¯t hurt you.¡±


    ¡°Let me go!¡± Jamie started struggling and kicking. ¡°I can¡¯t bring you home.¡±


    ¡°Brat, stop making a fuss,¡± Tigris growled.


    Just then, he spotted the Nacht¡¯s car. It looks they¡¯re already here.


    I have to find the chip before them, or else it¡¯ll be disastrous for me.


    Tigris hurriedly sped toward the back gate with Jamie in his arms.


    ¡°Jamie,¡± came a sudden soft voice.


    When Ellie saw Jamie grabbed by a man in ck, she rushed after them.


    N?velDrama.Org owns this text.


    ¡°Ellie, run. Run quickly.¡± Jamie waved at her, gesturing for her to stop following them.


    ¡°Evil man, where are you bringing Jamie to? I¡¯m going to tell the teacher!¡±


    Ellie stomped her feet onto the ground and spread out her arms to stop them. On her baby face was a


    fierce expression.


    ¡°This is troublesome.¡±


    To make sure he would escape unnoticed, Tigris took Ellie along as well.


    In each of his arms was a child, and it was as though he was stealing chicks.


    ¡°Let me go! Let me go!¡± The two kept struggling and yelling.


    To ensure no one heard them, Tigris taped their mouths and brought them out of the kindergarten.


    When he reached his car, he shoved the two children into it.


    After locking the door, Tigris undid the tape on Jamie¡¯s mouth and threatened, ¡°As long as you bring me


    to the parrot, I¡¯ll let you two go. Otherwise, I¡¯ll feed your sister to the sharks.¡±


    ¡°You...¡± Jamie gritted his teeth, but when he looked at Ellie¡¯s tearful eyes, he nodded. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll bring


    you to Fifi.¡±


    At Divine Corporation¡¯s security department.


    After patrolling with David, Charlotte could finally switch on her phone.


    When the screen lit up, she saw dozens of missed calls from the kindergarten. Shocked, she hurriedly


    returned the call.


    ¡°Hello.¡±


    ¡°Hello, is this Apple Kindergarten? I¡¯m Robinson, Jamison, and Elisa Windt¡¯s mother. You¡¯ve been


    calling me many times. What happened?¡±


    ¡°Ms. Windt, it¡¯s about...¡±


    ¡°Bad news!¡±


    Before Ms. Longman could finish her words, Lexie rushed in and said, ¡°Jamie and Ellie have been


    kidnapped!¡±

 Chapter 51

    Chapter 51


    ¡°Let go of my babies!¡±


    Mrs. Berry flew over with a kitchen knife. Her heavy stomps seemed to make the entire house shake.


    Right as Tigris was about to make his move, he realized the Nachts¡¯ car was downstairs.


    No longer having the luxury of time, he kicked Mrs. Berry aside before shoving the two children. With


    the parrot cage in his arm, he was about to run. Unexpectedly, Jamie tripped him.


    He supported himself against the wall in time and didn¡¯t fall, but the cage in his hands had crashed onto


    the ground.


    The collision opened the cage, and Fifi flew out in a hurry.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Tigris tried to grab the bird, but he only got one of its feathers.


    ¡°You¡¯re all in my way!¡± Tigris bellowed as fury exploded in him. He was about to attack them when he


    spotted the small silver box in the cage.


    It was the box that had the chip.


    Like a present, the box even had a round of pink ribbon around it.


    Tigris shook the box, and he heard the noisesing out of it, indicating that there was something in it.


    Thrilled, he beamed, ¡°It was as easy as ABC to get this.¡±


    ¡°No! You can¡¯t take that.¡± Mrs. Berry lunged toward him.


    ¡°Get lost. This is mine from the start.¡± Tigris took out a dagger and pointed it at her.


    Shivering, Mrs. Berry stood frozen in her spot.


    Just then, a group of people barged into the house.


    Holding tightly onto the box, Tigris jumped down from the balcony.


    ¡°Stay right there!¡±


    When Ben saw Tigris escaping with the box, he swiftly ran after him with his subordinates.


    Meanwhile, Ellie was wailing on the balcony floor. Her face was still red from her crying, and her tears


    kept falling. ¡°Fifi. My Fifi!¡±


    ¡°Ellie, look. Fifi¡¯s back.¡± Jamie pointed at a nearby roof.


    Indeed, Fifi was pping its wings as it returned. Itnded on Fifi and rubbed its little green head on her


    tear-stricken face. ¡°Ellie! Ellie!¡±


    Ellie quickly embraced Fifi as she used her damp hand to gently tap its head. She asked as she


    sobbed, ¡°Why are so many people trying to get you? Are you a mythical bird?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because Fifi swallowed an important chip.¡± Jamie furrowed his brows as he solemnly exined,


    ¡°They¡¯re here for the chip.¡±


    ¡°Robbie! Jamie! Ellie! Mrs. Berry!¡±


    Charlotte rushed into the house. When she saw the broken door and the messy state of her house, she


    thought something horrible had happened to her family. She was so frightened that her legs went weak.


    ¡°Mommy!¡±


    Both Jamie and Ellie ran out of the balcony and jumped into Charlotte¡¯s arms.


    ¡°Mommy, I was so scared. A bad guy kidnapped me and Jamie.¡±


    Ellie then told Charlotte what had happened earlier, through words and gestures.


    Anxiously, Jamie added, ¡°Mommy, that man stole the chip!¡±


    ¡°What chip?¡± Charlotte inquired.


    ¡°The one Fifi swallowed,¡± Jamie exined. ¡°They¡¯re here for the chip.¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t important. The only important thing is that you¡¯re safe.¡± Charlotte hugged the two tightly.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Robbie?¡±


    ¡°Robbie¡¯s not here?¡± Mrs. Berry panicked. ¡°Oh no, don¡¯t tell me they have kidnapped Robbie?


    ¡°What?¡± The color drained out of Jamie¡¯s face as he suggested, ¡°Why don¡¯t we call the cops?¡±


    Tears brimmed in Ellie¡¯s big eyes again. The corners of her lips tilted downward, and she looked as if


    she were about to cry again.


    ¡°Yes, we should. I¡¯ll call them now.¡± Charlotte promptly took out her phone. Right then, a familiar voice


    sounded from behind her. ¡°Mommy!¡±


    ¡°Robbie!¡± Charlotte whipped her head around to see her oldest son, and tears nearly escaped her


    eyes. ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re back. You have scared me.¡±


    ¡°I am fine.¡± Like a tiny adult, Robbie started checking over his siblings.


    ¡°Are you alright? Ms. Cheney said you were kidnapped, and it scared me. I was going to follow the


    bodyguards from Divine Corporation to save you, but they refused to take me along. Ms. Cheney was


    the one who sent me back.¡±


    ¡°What? The bodyguards from Divine Corporation? How do you know the people from Divine


    Corporation, Robbie? What happened?¡±Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 52

    Chapter 52


    ¡°Let go of my babies!¡±


    Mrs. Berry flew over with a kitchen knife. Her heavy stomps seemed to make the entire house shake.


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    Right as Tigris was about to make his move, he realized the Nachts¡¯ car was downstairs.


    No longer having the luxury of time, he kicked Mrs. Berry aside before shoving the two children. With


    the parrot cage in his arm, he was about to run. Unexpectedly, Jamie tripped him.


    He supported himself against the wall in time and didn¡¯t fall, but the cage in his hands had crashed onto


    the ground.


    The collision opened the cage, and Fifi flew out in a hurry.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Tigris tried to grab the bird, but he only got one of its feathers.


    ¡°You¡¯re all in my way!¡± Tigris bellowed as fury exploded in him. He was about to attack them when he


    spotted the small silver box in the cage.


    It was the box that had the chip.


    Like a present, the box even had a round of pink ribbon around it.


    Tigris shook the box, and he heard the noisesing out of it, indicating that there was something in it.


    Thrilled, he beamed, ¡°It was as easy as ABC to get this.¡±


    ¡°No! You can¡¯t take that.¡± Mrs. Berry lunged toward him.


    ¡°Get lost. This is mine from the start.¡± Tigris took out a dagger and pointed it at her.


    Shivering, Mrs. Berry stood frozen in her spot.


    Just then, a group of people barged into the house.


    Holding tightly onto the box, Tigris jumped down from the balcony.


    ¡°Stay right there!¡±


    When Ben saw Tigris escaping with the box, he swiftly ran after him with his subordinates.


    Meanwhile, Ellie was wailing on the balcony floor. Her face was still red from her crying, and her tears


    kept falling. ¡°Fifi. My Fifi!¡±


    ¡°Ellie, look. Fifi¡¯s back.¡± Jamie pointed at a nearby roof.


    Indeed, Fifi was pping its wings as it returned. Itnded on Fifi and rubbed its little green head on her


    tear-stricken face. ¡°Ellie! Ellie!¡±


    Ellie quickly embraced Fifi as she used her damp hand to gently tap its head. She asked as she


    sobbed, ¡°Why are so many people trying to get you? Are you a mythical bird?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because Fifi swallowed an important chip.¡± Jamie furrowed his brows as he solemnly exined,


    ¡°They¡¯re here for the chip.¡±


    ¡°Robbie! Jamie! Ellie! Mrs. Berry!¡±


    Charlotte rushed into the house. When she saw the broken door and the messy state of her house, she


    thought something horrible had happened to her family. She was so frightened that her legs went weak.


    ¡°Mommy!¡±


    Both Jamie and Ellie ran out of the balcony and jumped into Charlotte¡¯s arms.


    ¡°Mommy, I was so scared. A bad guy kidnapped me and Jamie.¡±


    Ellie then told Charlotte what had happened earlier, through words and gestures.


    Anxiously, Jamie added, ¡°Mommy, that man stole the chip!¡±


    ¡°What chip?¡± Charlotte inquired.


    ¡°The one Fifi swallowed,¡± Jamie exined. ¡°They¡¯re here for the chip.¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t important. The only important thing is that you¡¯re safe.¡± Charlotte hugged the two tightly.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Robbie?¡±


    ¡°Robbie¡¯s not here?¡± Mrs. Berry panicked. ¡°Oh no, don¡¯t tell me they have kidnapped Robbie?


    ¡°What?¡± The color drained out of Jamie¡¯s face as he suggested, ¡°Why don¡¯t we call the cops?¡±


    Tears brimmed in Ellie¡¯s big eyes again. The corners of her lips tilted downward, and she looked as if


    she were about to cry again.


    ¡°Yes, we should. I¡¯ll call them now.¡± Charlotte promptly took out her phone. Right then, a familiar voice


    sounded from behind her. ¡°Mommy!¡±


    ¡°Robbie!¡± Charlotte whipped her head around to see her oldest son, and tears nearly escaped her


    eyes. ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re back. You have scared me.¡±


    ¡°I am fine.¡± Like a tiny adult, Robbie started checking over his siblings.


    ¡°Are you alright? Ms. Cheney said you were kidnapped, and it scared me. I was going to follow the


    bodyguards from Divine Corporation to save you, but they refused to take me along. Ms. Cheney was


    the one who sent me back.¡±


    ¡°What? The bodyguards from Divine Corporation? How do you know the people from Divine


    Corporation, Robbie? What happened?¡±

 Chapter 53

    Chapter 53


    Charlotte swiftly asked Robbie to exin what was going on.


    ¡°Some mysterious men came to ask me about the chip today, and I was confused by their questions. I


    only found out that they thought it was Jamie after seeing the surveince footage.¡±


    Robbie then told what had happened to him in detail to the others.


    Charlotte was in disbelief. She never thought the chip Jamie was talking about was real, and it was


    actually the chip Divine Corporation had lost.


    ¡°Wow. So that chip has all the secrets of their new technology. No wonder they¡¯re all fighting over it.¡±


    Jamie felt as though he had done something incredulous, so he grinned and rather pleased. ¡°I¡¯ve done


    great protecting the chip for so long.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? You led the wolves into the sheep¡¯s pen.¡± Robbie¡¯s brows were knitted as he


    reprimanded, ¡°You don¡¯t even know that man in ck, so you shouldn¡¯t have taken his things. We¡¯re


    lucky that nothing happened to us today. What are we to do if anything happens to you and Ellie?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t even react until he shoved the thing into my pocket.¡± Jamie pouted, unhappy with his brother¡¯s


    words. ¡°Also, I told you Fifi swallowed the chip, but none of you believe me.¡±


    ¡°This is my fault. Mommy didn¡¯t think it¡¯d be such a grave matter,¡± Charlotte apologized to Jamie. ¡°If


    Mommy were to pay more attention to it, something like this wouldn¡¯t have happened.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    ¡°The bad guy has already stolen the chip, and the people from Divine Corporation are going after him.


    This has nothing to do with us anymore,¡± Robbie concluded with his head tilted to the side.


    ¡°Not necessarily,¡± Mrs. Berry abruptly mumbled.


    ¡°Why?¡± Charlotte cast confused a look on her.


    Mrs. Berry then walked to the doorway to look around, making sure there was no one near their house


    before she hurriedly shut the door. It was only then she returned and whispered to them, ¡°The chip isn¡¯t


    in the box.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Everyone was now staring at her in surprise. ¡°The chip isn¡¯t inside? What is inside then?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s...¡± Mrs. Berry trailed off as she looked at Fifi in Ellie¡¯s arms.


    Fifi buried its head under its wing, seemingly embarrassed.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, Tigris ran off with the chip. We¡¯re after him right now,¡± Ben reported as he brought his men


    to pursue Tigris.


    ¡°You rubbish!¡± Zachary roared, ¡°If you can¡¯t retrieve the chip, don¡¯te back.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Nacht.¡± With a wave, Benmanded to the bodyguards, ¡°Even if we die tonight, we have to


    get the chip back.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll get it back even if we die!¡±


    The Nacht family¡¯s bodyguards continued tracking him and setting up traps.


    Tigris¡¯ escape was tough. Several times, the grim reaper was close to taking him away.


    However, no matter how difficult it was, Tigris continued. He held tight to his goal¡ªto give the chip to


    the person who hired him.


    The moment he seeded, he would get a hundred million. He and his brother would not need to


    worry about their finances for the rest of their lives.


    At two in the morning, Ben led his subordinates and cornered Tigris at Southcastle Shore.


    Multiple spotlights, as well as guns, were aimed at Tigris.


    The second he resisted, he would gain numerous unwanted holes in his body.


    Ben bellowed, ¡°Tigris, give us the chip, and we¡¯ll let you go.¡±


    In the face of danger, Tigris decided he would take the risk of swallowing the chip and leaping into the


    sea.


    With that thought in mind, he took out the silver box and hurriedly pulled off the pink ribbon. He then


    opened the box to take out the chip.


    But he froze when he saw the content.


    At that moment, his expression changed from a dumbfounded one to shock before his facial features


    twisted. His lips twitched, and his eyes teared up.


    Jamie¡¯s cheeky face surfaced in his mind.


    Tigris growled under his breath before he cursed out loud, ¡°Damn it. His entire family is a bunch of


    devils!¡±

 Chapter 54

    Chapter 54


    Bang!


    At the echo of a gunshot, Tigris¡¯ arm was shot, and the silver box fell into the sea.


    He wailed in agony, and before he came to his senses, a group of bodyguards had dived into the sea


    for the chip.


    Tigris froze for a split second before an evil grin grew on his lips. ¡°Zachary, you want the chip, don¡¯t


    you? Enjoy your search for the needle in a haystack.¡±


    ¡°This is ridiculous.¡± Ben¡¯s face was red from rage. ¡°Tigris, you¡¯d rather throw the chip into the sea than


    to give it to me. I¡¯m going to kill you!¡±


    ¡°Send divers to get the chip.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡±


    **


    The family of five widened their eyes as they crowded around Fifi and stared at it.


    ¡°Mrs. Berry, do you mean Fifiid an egg?¡± Jamie kept blinking and staring at Fifi¡¯s bottom. ¡°How can it


    lay eggs? It¡¯s a parrot, not a chicken.¡±


    ¡°Not only chickensy eggs.¡± Robbie was searching on theputer with his sses on. ¡°All birdsy


    eggs.¡±


    ¡°But don¡¯t you need a male and a female toy eggs? We only have one parrot at home.¡± Jamie was


    astounded by the news. ¡°She¡¯s a single parrot. How can shey eggs?¡±


    ¡°Did Fifi get a boyfriend without telling us?¡± Ellie held up Fifi¡¯s head and interrogated it, ¡°Fifi, confess.


    Did you get a boyfriend without telling us?¡±


    ¡°Boyfriend! Boyfriend!¡± Fifi repeated.


    ¡°Now I remember. The neighbor on the opposite block has a parrot too. Fifi always flies over to y


    with it,¡± Mrs. Berry remarked.


    ¡°Mrs. Berry, when did you realize Fifiid her egg?¡± Charlotte asked.


    ¡°This was what happened,¡± Mrs. Berry started. ¡°I cleaned Fifi¡¯s cage this afternoon. When I saw that


    egg, I was stunned. I learned from a television program that if I don¡¯t keep the egg, it¡¯ll eat it. So, I took


    the egg out, cleaned it, and kept it. After that, I thought of giving you all a surprise, so I kept the egg in


    a pretty box and tied it with a pink ribbon. I never thought the bad guy would steal it, thinking it¡¯s some


    chip.¡±


    ¡°That box used to store the chip,¡± Jamie eximed as he raised his arms. ¡°I ced it on the table in my


    room previously. When I saw it in the cage, I thought the chip was in it too.¡±


    ¡°What a turn of events,¡± Charlotte mumbled as she patted her chest. ¡°If not for the man thinking the box


    has the chip, he wouldn¡¯t have left so quickly. I¡¯m afraid he¡¯ll do something to you all.¡±


    ¡°In that case, we should thank Mrs. Berry and Fifi.¡±


    Ellie lovingly caressed Fifi¡¯s head.


    ¡°Mrs. Berry, did Fifi poop the chip out?¡± Charlotte asked the most important question of the day.


    ¡°No.¡± Mrs. Berry frowned as she shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ve been watching it, and it hasn¡¯t pooped out the


    chip yet.¡±


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    ¡°That¡¯s bad news then.¡± Charlotte¡¯s expression turned grave.


    ¡°What¡¯s so bad, Mommy?¡± Ellie asked curiously, cocking her head to the side.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you get it?¡±


    Robbie¡¯s expression turned simr to his mother¡¯s as he waggled his finger.


    ¡°That bad guy thought the box had the chip, and the people from Divine Corporation thought he stole


    the chip, so they went after him. However, they¡¯ll soon realize the chip isn¡¯t in the boxter, so...¡±


    ¡°So they¡¯lle after us again?¡± Jamie and Ellie yelled in unison.


    In the next second, Ellie rushed into Charlotte¡¯s arms and buried her face in her mother¡¯s shirt,


    shivering from fear.

 Chapter 55

    Chapter 55


    Mrs. Berry bolted to the doorway to block the door with a table, fearing someone else would try to


    barge in again.


    At the same time, Robbie darted into the kitchen to bring two knives for Mrs. Berry.


    With one knife in each hand, Mrs. Berry stood by the entrance like a battle angel.


    Meanwhile, Jamie grabbed the broomstick, mop, and everything that could be turned into weapons for


    the rest of the family.


    He then took out nun chucks and started swinging them, copying the moves from the man he saw on


    television.


    The family was geared from head to toe in preparation for battle.


    However, time ticked away, and no odd noises came from the outside.


    Ellie was pouting as she shook, herrge eyes full of tears.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be scared. Mommy will protect all of you.¡± Hugging Ellie, Charlotte discussed with Mrs. Berry,


    ¡°Mrs. Berry, why don¡¯t we call the cops?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a great idea.¡± Mrs. Berry quickly went to grab her phone.


    ¡°Right now, our priority is to let Fifi poop out the chip.¡± Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    Robbie¡¯s eyes narrowed as he analyzed like a detective, ¡°Otherwise, the cops will take Fifi. In fact, they


    might even open up Fifi¡¯s stomach to find it.¡±


    Hearing Robbie¡¯s words, Ellie burst into tears. ¡°No! Don¡¯t let them take Fifi away. Don¡¯t let them open


    up its stomach.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be scared, Ellie. I¡¯ll protect you and Fifi.¡±


    Jamie promptly reached out to wipe Ellie¡¯s tears away.


    ¡°Robbie¡¯s right. We should let Fifi poop out the chip first,¡± Charlotte muttered. Then, she pursed her


    lips. ¡°But it¡¯s been many days, and Fifi still hasn¡¯t pooped it out. What are we going to do?¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we try this?¡± Mrs. Berry took out a small green bottle from the room.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Everybody turned to look at it.


    ¡°I always have constipation, so the doctor gave me this,¡± Mrs. Berry exined, feeling a little


    embarrassed. ¡°It works very well.¡±


    ¡°Then what are we waiting for? Let¡¯s hurry.¡±


    ¡°We have to give it a smaller dose, or else Fifi can¡¯t take it.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll give it one-tenth of the usual dose.¡±


    Half an hourter, the entire family waited for Fifi poop.


    Fifi drooped its head and called out miserably first before it started pacing in the cage.


    At that, Ellie frowned. ¡°Can Fifi¡¯s stomach take it? It looks unwell.¡±


    ¡°I feel unwell before I poop too.¡± Jamie rubbed his stomach as he looked at Fifi pitifully. ¡°Fifi, hold on for


    a little while. You¡¯ll feel better when you poop. Otherwise, those bad men will open up your stomach-¡±


    ¡°Stop it!¡± Ellie shrieked as she interrupted Jamie. She had always been a scaredy cat, and she was


    frightened after hearing Jamie¡¯s words.


    ¡°Okay, okay. I¡¯ll stop.¡±


    Right as Jamie¡¯s words left his mouth, Robbie cried out, ¡°It¡¯s pooping! It¡¯s pooping! Look!¡±


    The whole family then returned their focus back on Fifi; they stared at its butt, waiting for the results.


    ¡°God, please let Fifi poop out the chip.¡±


    As Ellie prayed, Fifi finally pooped out a pile of watery poop.


    This time, they did not even need to use a twig to search through the poop. With one nce, they could


    see the golden chip.


    The entire family was cheering as they gave each other high-fives. They were thrilled as if they had


    won the jackpot.


    Mrs. Berry quickly took out the chip and cleaned it before giving it to Robbie.


    Robbie then ced the chip into a ck box and handed it to Charlotte. ¡°Mommy, you can call the cops


    now.¡±


    Taking the box, Charlotte was about to call the cops, when some knocking noises came from the door.


    Almost everyone in the house jumped in shock.


    Instantly, Mrs. Berry sprinted to the door with the kitchen knives.


    Meanwhile, both Robbie and Jamie were both standing behind the door with weapons.


    At the same time, Ellie was hiding behind Charlotte, her hand grabbing her mother¡¯s shirt as she


    trembled.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be scared,¡± Charlotte consoled. She then sucked in a deep breath and said, ¡°W-Who is it?¡±

 Chapter 56

    Chapter 56


    Other than the knocking, no other sounds came from the outside, and it scared the children even more.


    Even Mrs. Berry¡¯s knife-holding hands were trembling.


    Holding a small knife, Charlotte slowly walked over and looked through the gap of the broken door.


    At the same time, an eye was staring into the gap from the outside.


    When the two eyes spotted each other, both parties started screaming.


    ¡°Ahhhh....!¡± The children screamed along with their mother.


    ¡°Call the cops! Quick!¡± Charlotte hurriedly tried to grab her phone.


    ¡°Hold on. Wait a minute. I think it¡¯s Zak.¡±


    Looking through the gap, Mrs. Berry realized it was indeed the security guard, Zak Jones. She promptly


    opened the door for him.


    ¡°Mrs. Berry, you¡¯re at home.¡± Zak was about to call for backup through his walkie-talk when he saw


    Mrs. Berry and stopped. ¡°You scared me. I thought something happened to your house.¡±


    ¡°Something did happen. There was a...¡±


    ¡°There was a thief who barged into our house trying to steal something earlier, but together we


    managed to get rid of him.¡±


    Charlotte interrupted Mrs. Berry on time. She did not want anyone else to know about the chip, or more


    troubles might arise.


    ¡°What? Have you called the cops?¡± Zak asked as he got worried.


    ¡°Let me check if I¡¯ve lost anything before I decide if I¡¯d call the cops or not,¡± Charlotte said with a smile.


    Then, she changed the topic. ¡°Zak, does yourpany offer any service for door fixing?¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯d need to change a new door.¡± Zak briefly checked the condition of the door. ¡°We have new


    doors at the price of four thousand eight hundred. Locks are included too.¡±


    ¡°Four thousand eight hundred?¡± Charlotte could feel a headacheing on upon hearing the price.


    ¡°Are you interested?¡± Zak queried. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a ten percent discount.¡±


    ¡°Twenty!¡± Mrs. Berry bargained. ¡°Since we¡¯re neighbors.¡±


    Looking at the kitchen knives in her hands, Zak shuddered and agreed, ¡°All right. Twenty percent off it


    is.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s change the door now, or else we won¡¯t be able to sleep tonight,¡± Mrs. Berry urged.


    ¡°All right.¡± Zak then told his colleagues toe to Charlotte¡¯s house to change the door.


    When they came, Mrs. Berry stood at the side as they worked on the door.


    Meanwhile, Charlotte made a simple dinner for the three children before she watched them wash up


    and sent them to bed.


    Once the children were settled, Charlotte held onto her phone as she mulled over the day on the


    couch. Should I call the cops?


    If I call the cops, they will ask me to rify everything that has happened. When that happens, that


    Devil will find out that the kid who has the chip is mine.


    Will he think that I¡¯m the one who told my kid to steal the chip?


    I might lose my job, and he might even sue me for theft.


    I can¡¯t tell when the Devil will be furious. If he really wants to me me for this, I won¡¯t be able to


    escape unscathed.


    Moreover, once this matter is revealed, my kids¡¯ identity will be revealed too. Will that gigolo try to take


    my kids from me then?


    With those thoughts in mind, Charlotte dismissed the notion of calling the police.


    However, she also realized that the men in ck mighte after them again if the police were not


    involved.


    Although nothing had happened to them today, they could not possibly live the rest of their lives like


    today.


    ¡°They¡¯re done with the door. They¡¯ve earned over four thousand just by changing the door. What an


    easy life they have. I should¡¯ve haggled for a better price.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org owns this text.


    After sending the men off, Mrs. Berry closed the door and turned on the television. She then lowered


    the volume as she cleaned. This was a habit of hers.


    The channel was currently airing thete-night news.


    ¡°Breaking news. At half-past two in the morning, a shooting incident has urred at Southcastle


    Shore. A man involved in the shooting is also suspected to be involved with the theft of Divine


    Corporation¡¯stest chip. He has now been apprehended by the police. Before the man was caught, he


    had thrown the chip into the sea. Divine Corporation is now working with the police to find the chip.¡±


    Hearing the news, Mrs. Berry hurriedly walked to the front of the television with the broom in hand.


    At the same time, Charlotte¡¯s eyes widened. She promptly increased the volume as she glued her eyes


    on the screen.


    A man in ck was arrested by the police and escorted into a police car.


    Before the door closed, the man grinned maliciously and hissed, ¡°Have fun finding it. I¡¯ll admit I lost


    when you find it.¡±

 Chapter 57

    Chapter 57


    Hearing those words, Charlotte lowered her gaze to look at the chip in her hands. In a daze, she


    mumbled, ¡°The chip is with me. Why are they...Do they...¡±


    ¡°That horrible man threw Fifi¡¯s egg into the sea, so what they¡¯re looking for in the sea right now is a


    parrot egg!¡± Mrs. Berry concluded excitedly. ¡°Miss, I¡¯m right, am I not?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Charlotte watched the screen, speechless, as officers and men from Divine Corporation sent


    divers and submarines to look for the chip.


    Will they explode when they found out the chip is still with me, and the thing they¡¯re looking for with


    much effort is a parrot egg?


    An image of the Devil losing his temper emerged in her mind, and a chill ran down Charlotte¡¯s spine.


    ¡°Miss, what do we do now? Do we still call the cops?¡± Mrs. Berry anxiously inquired.


    ¡°Let me think for a bit.¡±


    Charlotte patted her chest in an attempt to calm down her racing heart and collect her thoughts.


    ¡°Firstly, it seems like that man in ck has found out he didn¡¯t steal the chip. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t


    have said that. Secondly, since Divine Corporation is spending much of their resources searching for


    the chip in the sea and involving the police, it means they think the chip is really in the sea. In other


    words, they have no idea the chip is with me.¡±


    She paused before continuing, ¡°Even if that man has already found out about the chip, he¡¯s been


    caught. He won¡¯t tell them about it because he wants to make it difficult for them.¡±


    At that thought, Charlotte¡¯s panicking heart calmed down, and her knitted brows rxed. She raised


    her head and announced, ¡°I¡¯ve decided not to call the cops.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    ¡°Huh? Why not?¡± Mrs. Berry queried.


    ¡°Because I¡¯m working in Divine Corporation now,¡± Charlotte exined. ¡°If I call the cops, they might


    think I¡¯m the thief. I might lose my job or even face worse consequences.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Mrs. Berry muttered. ¡°Miss, no matter what you do, I support you.¡±


    ¡°Although I won¡¯t be calling the cops, I have to give this chip back to them.¡±


    Charlotte gripped the ck box tightly and made a decision. ¡°When I go to work tomorrow, I¡¯ll sneakily


    hand this chip to the president. That way, all the problems will be solved.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a great idea! Miss, you¡¯re too smart.¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Berry, I¡¯ll be heading to the office earlier tomorrow. Please tell my kids to keep this a secret and


    they can¡¯t tell anyone about it.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ......


    Charlotte only slept at four in the morning. The next morning, she had dark eye circles as she rushed to


    work.


    On her way there, she held her pocket tightly, fearing she would lose the ck box with the priceless


    chip in there.


    If so many people are trying so hard to steal the chip, and Divine Corporation would spend so much to


    get the chip back from the sea, the chip must cost a fortune.


    When she reached the office, Charlotte changed into her uniform at the security department first. After


    keeping the chip in her clothes, she went patrolling with David.


    Oddly, until her shift ended at noon, the Devil¡¯s Rolls-Royce never appeared.


    Charlotte kept staring at the entrance, waiting for him, but he never showed up. She was starting to get


    anxious. If he¡¯s noting, how am I going to give him the chip?


    ¡°Charlotte, what¡¯s up with you? You seem distracted.¡± David sensed something amiss about her.


    ¡°Is Mr. Nacht noting in today?¡± Charlotte inquired, feeling baffled. ¡°It¡¯s already noon, but I still don¡¯t


    see his car.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s the president; he gets to choose whether or not he wants toe to the office. You¡¯re just a


    security guard. Why are you so concerned about himing to work or not?¡± David felt exasperated by


    her question.


    ¡°I¡¯m not. I was just asking...¡±


    Before Charlotte could finish her words, the Rolls-Royce drove in, and she quickly dashed over.

 Chapter 58

    Chapter 58


    ¡°Good morning, Mr. Nacht.¡±


    Charlotte was opening the door for Zachary herself today. Once upon a time, this was an action she


    scoffed at.


    Zachary then got off the car and nced at her before he headed straight to the elevator.


    Meanwhile, Ben and the bodyguards followed him closely.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht.¡±


    Charlotte was about to run after him when she realized Zachary was wearing a Bluetooth earpiece, and


    he was on a call.


    ¡°Interrogate Tigris. Maybe what he threw into the sea is just the box. The chip might not be inside. He


    might have hidden the chip somewhere else.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org owns this text.


    Hearing those words, Charlotte¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Oh god, the Devil actually managed to guess


    what happened!


    He¡¯s really not one to mess with.


    If I don¡¯t give him back the chip as quickly as possible, I can¡¯t imagine what will happen next.


    Just as Charlotte was caught up in her thoughts, Zachary had already entered the elevator.


    She touched the chip in her pocket as she thought. How am I going to find an excuse to go to level 68?


    How can I give this chip back to Zachary without him noticing?


    Charlotte had no opportunity to go to level 68 today; he had not asked her to send him breakfast nor


    clean the swimming pool.


    Can I mail it to him, or can I send him the chip along with the documents from another department?


    But the chip is so important. How can I be so careless with it?


    I¡¯ll be in deep trouble if I lose it.


    ¡°Charlotte.¡± David¡¯s voice broke Charlotte¡¯s train of thoughts. ¡°It¡¯s time to change shifts. Let¡¯s have


    lunch.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Charlotte mumbled as she followed David to the cafeteria looking rather distracted. Right then,


    she recalled Zachary¡¯sst visit to level 27 for his meal. Maybe he¡¯ll be there today too.


    Without wasting a second, she promptly dragged David to the cafeteria on level 27.


    The sudden appearance of two security guards among the crowds of office workers was quite a misfit.


    David felt ufortable standing in the cafeteria.


    On the other hand, Charlotte was peeking around, looking for signs of Zachary.


    Her old colleagues in the administration department were all in a hurry to avoid her. None came up to


    chat with her.


    At that, disappointment filled Charlotte¡¯s heart. She did not understand why they were treating her this


    way.


    ¡°Charlotte!¡± Right then, a voice traveled into her ears, and Charlotte lifted her head to see Ynda


    walking over with a tray. ¡°Can I sit here?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Please take a seat.¡± Charlotte quickly gave her some space.


    After Ynda sat down beside Charlotte, she handed her a pack of yogurt. ¡°I took one for you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Charlotte was immensely moved by her gesture.


    ¡°No problems. You were nice to me when you were in the administration department,¡± Ynda replied


    with a smile. ¡°How are you now, Charlotte? Are you used to your job in the security department?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not bad. My colleagues are nice to me.¡± Charlotte then introduced David to her. ¡°This is David. We


    are in the same shift.¡±


    ¡°Hello, David. I¡¯m Ynda.¡±


    ¡°Hello, Ynda.¡±


    Both Ynda and David greeted each other.


    Then, Ynda murmured to Charlotte, ¡°Charlotte, did you know about this? Mr. Holt¡¯s been reassigned


    to a guard position at the parking lot.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Charlotte nodded. She had been working in the parking lot recently, but she had not


    encountered Wesley. She thought of it as something lucky, for she did not want to see that man ever


    again.


    ¡°Do you know why?¡± Ynda wondered.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± Charlotte did not wish to mention it, as she did not think of it as something to be proud


    of.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Ynda did not continue the topic. ¡°I was just curious, and that¡¯s why I asked. I hope you don¡¯t


    take it to heart.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all right.¡±


    Charlotte turned to look at the entrance of the cafeteria. It¡¯s already half-past twelve, but he¡¯s still not


    here. I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll being today.


    ¡°Charlotte, I have to leave first. There¡¯s an important board meeting, and I have to send the documents


    to level 68.¡± Ynda then stood up with her tray.


    ¡°Can Ie with you?¡± Charlotte blurted. In the next second, she added, ¡°I¡¯m scared it¡¯ll be too tiring


    for you, so I want to help you take the documents up.¡±


    ¡°Sure. Let¡¯s go.¡±

 Chapter 59

    Chapter 59


    ¡°Remember to stay by my side after we arrive at level 68. Do you understand?¡± Ynda reminded


    Charlotte.


    ¡°Understood,¡± Charlotte muttered as she racked her brains for a way to sneak into Zachary¡¯s office.


    ¡°Hey, Charlotte...¡± Ynda said all of a sudden. ¡°Were you involved in Mr. Holt¡¯s case?¡±


    Charlotte took a while to register what Ynda had been saying. ¡°Well...I¡¯m just an intern, so there¡¯s no


    way I¡¯ll get myself involved in such cases.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re innocent?¡± Ynda asked, staring straight into her eyes.


    ¡°Yeah. What¡¯s wrong?¡± Charlotte asked, raising an eyebrow. Why is she so interested in this case?


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Ynda said with a grin. ¡°There¡¯s been rumors going around that you were the one who got


    Mr. Holt into his current situation, since you were assigned to the security department just days after his


    reassignment.¡±


    ¡°Alright...so? What¡¯s the issue?¡± Charlotte asked.


    Ynda froze and forced a smile onto her face. ¡°I¡¯m concerned about you. Youngdy like you aren¡¯t


    suited to be security guards.¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡± Charlotte said. Before she could say another word, the door to the lift opened on level 68.


    Charlotte rushed out with the documents as Ynda stepped out of the lift and gestured to the corridor


    beside them. ¡°This way, please.¡±


    They delivered the documents to the meeting room for the president¡¯s secretary to collect, and


    Charlotte managed to sneak out when Ynda was talking to the secretary.


    Ynda pretended not to notice her quick escape.


    It was lunch time, and there were hardly anyone roaming the corridors on level 68.


    Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    Charlotte managed to find the president¡¯s office in no time, and she raised her hand to knock on the


    door, only to stagger backwards when a man inside bellowed, ¡°Get out!¡±


    She shivered and pressed her ear against the door to eavesdrop.


    ¡°Please, Mr. Nacht, please forgive me! I¡¯ll do whatever it takes to stay...¡±


    That was Wesley Holt¡¯s voice.


    Charlotte froze. What is he doing here?


    ¡°Mr. Holt, you tried to rape a female employee! You could have gotten a punishment worse than what


    you got! What made you think plotting against others in the carpark you¡¯re assigned to is a good idea?


    The President would never forgive you for this!¡±


    That was Ben¡¯s voice.


    ¡°N-No, that¡¯s not true...¡±


    ¡°Destroying the security cameras in the carpark won¡¯t hide your crimes! Every car in the carpark has a


    video recorder, so all your despicable actions were still caught on camera.¡±


    ¡°I...I just want to take revenge on Charlotte Windt! She has ruined my life! Hurting others or troubling


    Mr. Nacht was never part of my ns...¡±


    ¡°Is that your confession?¡± Ben scoffed.


    ¡°Ben...¡±


    ¡°Ben! Get this filthy piece of trash out of my office!¡± Zachary yelled.


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Nacht,¡± Ben replied. ¡°The police officers are on their way, Wesley Holt. I hope you¡¯ll turn over


    a new leaf after you¡¯re released from jail!¡±


    ¡°Y-You called the police?¡± Wesley stammered. ¡°I¡¯m literally begging you right now! Why can¡¯t you just


    let me go?¡±


    ¡°You have no right to set foot in level 68!¡±


    Charlotte shivered when she recalled how Hector had swooped in to save her from the falling crates in


    the carpark. I wouldn¡¯t be able to stand here and witness this showdown if he weren¡¯t there that day...


    It seemed like a freak ident at first nce, but the neat stack of crates suggested otherwise.


    So...it had been Wesley all along!


    I bet he didn¡¯t expect Zachary to catch him in the act a second time!


    Just a few days after the incident, Zachary¡¯s subordinates have gathered enough evidence to nail


    Wesley for the incident.


    Zachary had threatened to kick Wesley out of Divine Corporation, and thetter had sneaked into level


    68 in a desperate bid to plead for his forgiveness.

 Chapter 60

    Chapter 60


    The sound of someone being dragged across the floor roughly reached Charlotte¡¯s ears just seconds


    later as Ben hauled Wesley out of the office.


    Wesley refused to give up. ¡°Mr. Nacht...please...I¡¯m your most loyal worker!¡±


    Charlotte panicked when the footsteps approached the door, and Ynda swooped in to save her at


    that very moment. ¡°Charlotte! What are you doing here?¡±


    Charlotte grabbed Ynda by the arm and tried to make a run for it, only to freeze in ce when the


    door to the office opened behind her.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Ben asked, surprised.


    Charlotte turned around to see Wesley, d in the security guard uniform, kneeling on the ground with


    Ben yanking on his cor. Wesley¡¯s hair was in a mess, and he looked like a shaggy, abused dog.


    ¡°Charlotte Windt!¡± Wesley screeched. ¡°Are you here to watch me suffer after ruining my life?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Holt?¡± Ynda said, taken aback by the scene. ¡°What are you doing, Mr. Ben?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s none of your business! Get out of the way!¡± Ben barked, dragging Wesley along with him.


    Ben grimaced and tugged at Wesley¡¯s cor to drag him away.


    ¡°Charlotte Windt! I¡¯m going to kill you!¡± Wesley suddenly yelled, pulling a dagger out of nowhere and


    charging towards Charlotte.


    Charlotte tried to sidestep his attack, but someone pushed her from behind, making her fall to the


    ground.


    Wesley took this chance to pin her down and drive the de of his dagger into her shoulder, making


    her scream out loud.


    Blood began to pour from her wound onto the ground as Ben rushed forward to subdue Wesley.


    ¡°Go away!¡± Wesley yelled, locking Charlotte in a chokehold and pointing his dagger at Ben. ¡°Come any


    nearer and I¡¯ll turn her into a corpse!¡±


    ¡°Calm down, Wesley!¡± Ben said. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do this. You¡¯ll just get yourself into even more


    trouble!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Mr. Holt! Put down your dagger, and everything will be fine,¡± Ynda added.


    ¡°What trouble?¡± Wesley snapped. ¡°She¡¯s nothing but a slut! You¡¯re the ones beating me up, sending me


    to guard some forgotten ce and making me suffer! All I wanted was revenge, and you¡¯re handing me


    off to the police for that? Why? Just why?¡±


    ¡°You deserved it!¡± a loud voice boomed from behind, dousing the mes of Wesley¡¯s anger.


    Zachary¡¯s backlit figure emerged from the office, as though he was a deity descending from the


    heavens.


    Wesley fell to his knees and pleaded, ¡°Mr. Nacht, please don¡¯t hand me over to the police...I¡¯ll make


    sure to stay out of your way from now on!¡±


    ¡°Just agree to his requests, Mr. Nacht,¡± Ynda said. ¡°Charlotte¡¯s already injured. She¡¯ll die if this drags


    on!¡±


    Zachary narrowed his eyes as he gazed at Charlotte.


    By then, Charlotte was already shaking like a leaf. Her face was as pale as a sheet, but she forced


    herself to stay quiet by biting down hard on her lip.


    The blood from her would had long since soaked through her ck uniform, and Wesley¡¯s dagger had


    already carved a bloody streak into her snowy-white neck.


    ¡°Haha! I think I know why you¡¯re treating me like this. It¡¯s because of her, isn¡¯t it?¡± Wesley scoffed. ¡°Rest


    assured that I haven¡¯t touched her yet. If you let me go, she¡¯ll be yours forever.¡±


    Charlotte looked up to meet Zachary in the eyes with a start. No way...


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    ¡°You have no right to threaten me like that!¡± Zachary snapped, his voice colder than ice. ¡°No one does!¡±


    No one expected him to say that, and an eerie silence settled over the corridor.


    ¡°So you want her to die?¡± Wesley growled, pressing the dagger deeper into Charlotte¡¯s skin.


    She kept her chin up and forced herself to stay still, though the scent of death had already filled her


    nostrils.

 Chapter 61

    Chapter 61


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who¡¯s going to die!¡± Zachary said coldly, as though he was the Grim Reaper himself.


    ¡°W-What are you talking about?¡± Wesley asked, almost dropping his dagger in fear.


    Zachary had not moved an inch from his position at the door, but Wesley¡¯s hand holding the dagger


    was already trembling uncontrobly.


    Before Wesley could react, Zachary squinted and snatched the dagger out of his hand, then pinned


    him down onto the ground in the process before he could even react.


    With a loud ¡®snap¡¯, his wrist broke into two. The loud scream that followed could almost tear the ceiling


    of the building apart.


    ¡°How dare you threaten Mr. Nacht!¡± Ben bellowed as he dragged Wesley away like a dying dog.


    Charlotte, on the other hand, was on the verge of copse.


    Just seconds before her head hit the ground, a pair of hands steadied her and pulled her away from the


    cold, hard floor. Through her half-lidded eyes, she managed to make out the handsome features of


    Zachary Nacht just before everything went ck.


    ¡°Call the doctor!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡±


    After what seemed like ages, Charlotte woke up in a daze, only to notice that she was lying on a stiff


    bed in a room that barely had any decorations.


    There was an ¡®S¡¯ symbol on the light hanging from the ceiling, and realization hit her like a truck the


    moment she saw it.


    That¡¯s Zachary¡¯s symbol! Am I in his room?


    She pushed herself up into a sitting position with much effort and realized that her clothes were gone,


    reced by a thin white robe.


    It was as though a bomb had gone off in her head, making her head spin.


    Oh no! Where¡¯s the chip?


    Did Zachary find out about it?


    ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡±


    A gentle voice made Charlotte jump in shock.


    She looked up to see a female doctor walking into the room with a cart of medical supplies. The doctor


    proceeded to check her temperature and the wounds on her body. ¡°The wound isn¡¯t infected, which is a


    good sign. I¡¯ll have to monitor you for a few more days before you can go, though.¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Charlotte asked, confused.


    ¡°I¡¯m Raina Langhan, the family doctor of the Nacht family,¡± she replied with a smile. ¡°Mr. Nacht told meThis content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    to take care of you for the time being.¡±


    Charlotte froze, unustomed to Raina¡¯s respectful tone. She recalled how everyone had treated her


    in a simr way back when she was dating Hector.


    Back then, the Windt family also had a private doctor to take care of her whenever she fell sick.


    She nced at her uniform, which was ced in a neat pile on the cart that Raina had been pushing.


    ¡°Wait...I¡¯m just a security guard!¡± she yelled all of a sudden as she tried to get out of bed, only to hiss in


    pain and copse onto the bed again.


    Her neck was tightly wrapped up and secured in ce by a neck guard, while her left shoulder was


    rendered immobile by the thickyer of bandages on it.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡± Raina said, rushing over to help her. ¡°Your jugr vein was still intact, but the wound is


    deep. You need to rest.¡±


    ¡°My clothes...¡± Charlotte said, reaching out and grabbing her uniform.


    ¡°I¡¯ve asked someone to wash it for you,¡± Raina said, putting the clothes and a small stic pouch by


    her pillow. ¡°Your personal belongings are here as well. Is there anything that we missed out?¡±


    Charlotte noticed the tiny ck box in the pouch and grabbed it immediately. ¡°Did you check my


    belongings by any chance?¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Raina said, chuckling. ¡°We won¡¯t invade the privacy of our esteemed guests.¡±


    ¡°Then, what about Devil-I mean, Mr. Nacht?¡± she asked as her heart pounded against her chest.


    He¡¯s going to think that I¡¯m one of those chip-stealing bandits...I¡¯ll be dead meat!


    ¡°Mr. Nacht left as soon as he dropped you off here,¡± Raina said with a respectful smile. ¡°He¡¯ll return at


    night.¡±


    Charlotte heaved a sigh of relief and almost jumped when she heard someone approach the door.


    ¡°Wee back, Mr. Nacht!¡±

 Chapter 62

    Chapter 62


    The door to the room opened and a cold draft rushed into the room. A tall figure walked in, its shadow


    spilling across the bed menacingly.


    Charlotte could feel her heartbeat speeding up as she stared at him like a startled kitten.


    ¡°Wee back, Mr. Nacht!¡± Raina greeted.


    Zachary waved his hand and Raina left the room with her eyes on the ground.


    The moment the door closed, Zachary began to close in on Charlotte, making her flinch and burrow


    into her sheets. ¡°W-What do you want?¡±


    ¡°Are you scared of me?¡± he asked, sitting down on the couch by the window.


    Charlotte resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Who isn¡¯t?


    ¡°Why did you bring me here?¡± she asked in the end, trying her best to look calm and collected.


    ¡°You were injured during work hours, so I am obliged to make sure that you¡¯re recovering well,¡±


    Zachary said. His voice was frigid and emotionless, but his gentle gaze gave away his true feelings.


    ¡°How are you doing? You¡¯re not dying, are you?¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Charlotte yelled impulsively, only to regret it immediately. ¡°I won¡¯t be sitting here talking to


    you if I had died, Sir!¡±


    She emphasized the word ¡®sir¡¯, as though she had resigned herself to fate.


    ¡°Wesley Holt has been detained by the police,¡± Zachary said as he poured himself a cup of wine. He


    swirled the wine around as he continued, ¡°So, what rewards would you like to have for your heroic


    acts?¡±


    ¡°Money!¡± Charlotte said without hesitating. ¡°Just give me some money.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all you care about?¡± Zachary asked disdainfully.


    ¡°I have my elders and...pets to take care of, and my sry isn¡¯t enough,¡± Charlotte protested. ¡°Besides,


    I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯re going to deduct that from my sry? You¡¯re not going to force me to pay for my


    own medical bills, right?¡±


    Zachary red at her and stood up to leave.


    ¡°Thanks for visiting me, Mr. Nacht! Have a nice day!¡± she chirped after him as he walked out of the


    room.


    She heaved a huge sigh of relief when the door closed behind him. I don¡¯t think he has found the chip


    yet!


    I can¡¯t give him the chip yet...he¡¯ll think that I¡¯m the culprit...


    I have to leave this ce before anything bad happens!


    She nced at the little ck box that contained the chip. Was it actually untouched?


    Charlotte buried herself in the sheets and opened the box. Phew! It¡¯s still inside.


    She nced at her phone and realized that the battery was t.


    Stuffing the chip under her pillow, she called, ¡°Hey! Anyone here?¡±


    Raina walked into the room just secondster. ¡°Yes, Ms. Windt?¡±


    ¡°I want to go home. Can you get a cab for me?¡± Charlotte asked.


    ¡°Apologies, Ms. Windt, but Mr. Nacht has requested that you stay until your injuries have healed,¡±


    Raina said with a slight bow of her head. ¡°Do you need anything? I can help you get it.¡±


    ¡°My family is waiting for me. They¡¯ll be worried if I don¡¯t return soon,¡± she said.


    It was gettingte, and Charlotte¡¯s phone could not be turned on. Mrs. Berry and the kids must be


    worried sick...


    ¡°Would you like to make a call first?¡± Raina suggested. ¡°I presume that there isn¡¯t anyone around at


    home to take care of you?¡±


    Charlotte nodded slowly in agreement. Mrs. Berry must be exhausted from taking care of the kids. I


    can¡¯t be yet another burden on her shoulders!


    Besides, I don¡¯t want to scare the kids...


    She asked for a phone charger from Raina so that she could give Mrs. Berry a call.


    ¡°Hello? Mrs. Berry?¡±


    ¡°Miss, where did you go? I couldn¡¯t get in contact with you...¡± Mrs. Berry¡¯s panicked voice came


    through.


    ¡°My phone ran out of battery just now,¡± she exined. ¡°I¡¯ll be busy for the next few days, so I won¡¯t be


    home.¡±


    She did not want to lie, but neither did she want Mrs. Berry to worry for her.


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Mrs. Berry asked. ¡°Just tell me. The kids aren¡¯t around.¡±


    ¡°I got injured, so I need some time to recover...¡±


    ¡°What? What happened? How bad are your injuries?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Charlotte said hurriedly. ¡°It¡¯s just a few scratches.¡±


    ¡°Which hospital are you staying at? I¡¯ll go and visit you.¡±


    ¡°My boss assign a private doctor to me, so I can¡¯t go home for the moment. Sorry for burdening you...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll take care of the kids, and you should take care of yourself. Just give me a call if you need


    help,¡± Mrs. Berry said.


    ¡°Thank you, Mrs. Berry.¡±

 Chapter 63

    Chapter 63


    After ending the call, Charlottey in bed and was getting bored. Then, she started texting Gigolo In


    Debt.


    Why aren¡¯t you reporting on your recent progress? Can¡¯t you be more enthusiastic about this?


    She had to be as docile and obedient as possible in front of the Devil, and that was why she enjoyed


    bossing Gigolo In Debt around.


    Business has been slow recently, the Gigolo In Debt replied.


    Slow? Haven¡¯t you been visiting Sultry Night? What have you been doing? Charlotte typed.


    The Gigolo In Debt did not reply.


    She sighed and gave him a call, and it took several rings before he finally picked up. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Are you keeping your sugar mommiespany these days?¡± Charlotte asked.


    The man in the neighboring room swirled his wine around the ss as he rxed in the bathtub filled


    to the brim with warm water. His lightly-tanned skin shimmered under the light, and his well-defined


    muscles seemed to give off a strangely dominant aura.


    ¡°I¡¯m staying with a certain Stupid Woman,¡± Zachary said calmly.


    ¡°What Stupid Woman? I¡¯m your boss!¡± Charlotte barked. ¡°You will never seed if you don¡¯t change


    this disgusting attitude of yours and serve me!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just a gigolo. I don¡¯t need sess,¡± Zachary said, wiping the water off his face.


    ¡°What¡¯s that sound?¡± Charlotte asked. ¡°Are you swimming?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just taking a bath,¡± Zachary said, taking a sip of wine.


    ¡°Why did you answer my call then?¡±


    Charlotte¡¯s mind wandered to how he would look like in the bathtub. She could almost see the enticing


    curves of his muscles and lean body glistening with water as he emerged from the bathtub.


    He¡¯ll look like a full-course meal!


    ¡°What are you thinking of?¡± Zachary teased.


    ¡°You jerk!¡± Charlotte yelled as her heart skipped a beat.


    ¡°I vaguely remember that there was a horny girl back at Sultry Night who molested me...¡±


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Zachary could feel his body heat up as he recalled the event of that night.


    ¡°I just wanted to poke fun at those sugar mommies!¡± Charlotte exined hurriedly. ¡°You should be


    messing around with your clients, not your boss! I won¡¯t pay you for doing weird things to me!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, just take it as payment.¡±


    ¡°No way!¡± Charlotte said, cutting him off. ¡°No way am I getting intimate with my subordinate!¡±


    ¡°What about your own boss?¡± Zachary asked with a light grin.


    ¡°My boss is tall, handsome and rich, but he¡¯s a pervert too. He¡¯s been pretty nice to me recently,


    though. Maybe he¡¯s scared of me?¡± Charlotte said.


    Zachary rolled his eyes skyward. Looks like I¡¯ve been too nice to you!


    ¡°My boss is a strange person, to be honest. He never smiles or looks at me in the eye, but when I got


    injured, he took me back home and assign his family doctor to take care of me...¡±


    ¡°You should thank him for treating you so well.¡±


    ¡°No! Don¡¯t you know how dangerous my situation is right now?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Think about it! Which boss would bring their injured employee back home instead of sending them to


    the hospital?¡±


    ¡°Maybe you¡¯re just...special?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the problem!¡± Charlotte blurted. ¡°I run into him almost everywhere I go, and I don¡¯t think it¡¯s by


    chance...in fact, some of my colleagues have never even met him! He¡¯s definitely seeking me out!¡±


    ¡°Why would he do that?¡± Zachary asked out of curiosity.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? He has a crush on me!¡±

 Chapter 64

    Chapter 64


    Zachary did not know what to say.


    ¡°Oh no...what do I do now?¡± Charlotte said, panicking. ¡°Would he barge in in the middle of the night?¡±


    ¡°Who knows?¡± Zachary said with a chuckle.


    ¡°Hey! Can¡¯t youe and help me?¡± Charlotte pleaded. ¡°You¡¯re the only person who can help me


    now...¡±


    ¡°You sound like your boss is going to devour you or something...¡± Zachary said. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be


    grateful for his attention?¡±


    ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t forget who your boss is!¡± Charlotte growled.


    ¡°Enough. Rest well.¡±


    Zachary hung up and smirked as he thought about the idiot lying next door.


    It won¡¯t hurt to prank her for once!


    He stood up from the bathtub and walked out barefoot, wrapping a bathrobe around his body on the


    way.


    Next door, Charlotte was drowning in her own thoughts when the door opened all of a sudden.


    Zachary¡¯s tall figure cast a long, invasive shadow on the bed, and his hair was still dripping wet. The


    white robe on his body failed to hide his well-defined muscles and domineering aura.


    Charlotte stared at him in confusion and swallowed. ¡°W-Why didn¡¯t you knock?¡± she questioned as she


    looked away.


    ¡°This is my house,¡± Zachary answered as he approached her, making it difficult for her to breathe.


    Charlotte tensed up and continued to avoid his gaze. ¡°W-What do you want?¡±


    Without another word, Zachary walked over to her bedside and leaned over to look at her.


    ¡°Hey! What are you doing?¡± Charlotte whispered, shivering in fear.


    Squinting, Zachary stared into her eyes intently and pressed his body against hers.


    He was like a feral beast that could melt her with his mere presence.


    She tried to wriggle out of his grasp, but her wounds made her entire body stiff like a stick.


    I¡¯m really in danger.


    Zachary¡¯s handsome, smirking face inched closer to her. ¡°Are you scared of me?¡±


    ¡°H-Hey! Get away from me!¡± Charlotte pleaded, her voice shaking. ¡°You may be the boss, but that


    doesn¡¯t mean that you can have your way with me...¡±


    She cut herself off when she noticed that Zachary¡¯s lips were just a few millimeters away from making


    contact with her own.


    Her eyes widened and every muscle in her body seized up, rendering her immobile.


    God help me, I am done for...


    She could feel Zachary¡¯s lips brushing against her cheeks and her earlobe as his hands moved over to


    grab her...


    Charlotte closed her eyes and waited for the inevitable with bated breath.


    However, instead of advancing any further, Zachary simply grinned and took a book from the bedside


    table before standing up to leave.


    Charlotte felt him disappear from her side, prompting her to open her eyes tentatively. A strange sense


    of disappointment washed over her the moment she confirmed his absence.


    He¡¯s just here for the book...


    How dare he mess with my feelings!


    Charlotte red at him, only to notice something eerily familiar.


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    I¡¯ve seen that figure somewhere...


    It looks so familiar!


    The four-year-old memory of that gigolo changing his clothes with his back turned shed across her


    mind.


    Zachary was covered in a robe rather than the towel that the gigolo used, but everything else felt


    exactly the same to Charlotte.


    Could he be...


    No...no way!


    It can¡¯t be him!


    Charlotte stared at Zachary¡¯s back. Didn¡¯t that gigolo have a wolf head tattoo on his back?

 Chapter 65

    Chapter 65


    However, before she could get out of bed to tear the bathrobe off Zachary¡¯s body, he had already


    disappeared from the room.


    She tried to sit up and yell his name, only for a maid to close the door behind him.


    Charlotte copsed onto the bed in disappointment. Guess I¡¯ll just take the time to rest and recover for


    now. Everything else can wait.


    Meanwhile, Zachary smirked when he returned to the safety of his own room as his lips curved into a


    bewitching smile.


    She¡¯s so adorable when she¡¯s being an idiot!


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    Charlotte struggled to fall asleep that night, though it was nothing rted to the pain from her wounds.


    Her mind raced as she thought about the chip and Zachary, even though they werepletely


    unrted matters.


    Nheless, both troubled her immensely.


    When can I pull myself out of this mess?


    The next morning, Charlotte woke up abruptly to the sound of her phone ringing. It was a call from her


    kids, and she calmed them down with a few quick words before hanging up.


    Thest thing she wanted was for someone else to find out about her kids. Considering the number of


    enemies the Windt Corporation had before their fall from grace, exposing her kids would spell disaster


    for her.


    A few minutester, Raina and her assistant walked in to change her bandages, and Zachary


    happened to walk by the moment the door opened.


    Charlotte managed to catch a glimpse of him looking like a deity in his ck suit and the morning


    sunlight.


    He had been talking to someone on the phone when he walked by, and he nced at Charlotte when


    he passed by her door.


    They made eye contact, and his calmness contrasted greatly against her panicked gaze.


    Zachary left in a hurry just secondster, but she followed him with her eyes, trying her best to figure


    out if he had been the person she was with four years ago.


    He doesn¡¯t seem like someone who would willingly be those sugar mommies¡¯pdog...


    ¡°Ms. Windt, I¡¯m going to change your bandages. It might hurt a little, so be prepared,¡± Raina said in a


    tender tone.


    ¡°Sure, go ahead,¡± Charlotte said.


    She did not think much about the process until Raina began to peel the bandages off her neck. The


    pain was so immense that she started to scream her head off. ¡°Ouch! It hurts!¡±


    Zachary, who had been descending the spiral staircase, froze when he heard her screams. ¡°Tell her to


    be gentle!¡± he ordered.


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Nacht,¡± a maid said before scurrying off to Charlotte¡¯s room.


    Raina and Charlotte heard his voice too, and Raina bowed her head apologetically. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Ms.


    Windt!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine...¡±


    Haha! He definitely has a crush on me!


    Charlotte had always dreamt of a paradise where she could spend her days doing nothing but enjoying


    herself, but she had her three kids to take care of.


    She did not expect her dream toe true so quickly.


    She loved the feeling of being pampered by a doctor and the maids, and the fact that the maids in


    Zachary¡¯s house were professional and well-trained made her experience ever better.


    Charlotte looked at the window and sighed happily. ¡°It¡¯s so bright and sunny today!¡±


    Without wasting a single second, the maids helped her into a wheelchair and took her out for a morning


    walk.


    Charlotte admired the exterior of the vi as the maids pushed her around the garden. Even though it


    had a predominantly nd color palette and was designed to be minimalistic, every detail was carefully


    thought out and well-executed.


    In fact, the furniture in the house were all limited edition designs produced by famous designers that


    could fetch a few million if sold in an auction.


    As the daughter of the former richest man in H City, she was used to seeing grand andvish items, but


    Zachary¡¯s home was on a totally different level.


    In fact, the front garden of Zachary¡¯s home made her jaw drop in shock. This looks like something I


    could find in a royal residence!


    She thought back to Hector¡¯s words. ¡¯You don¡¯t seem to understand Mr. Nacht¡¯s true abilities...¡¯

 Chapter 66

    Chapter 66


    Charlotte picked up her phone and did a simple online search for Zachary, and she was surprised to


    find tons of information on just how powerful he was.


    Divine Corporation was just one of the many tinypanies under Zachary¡¯s name, and there was no


    telling just how manypanies he owned in total.


    No wonder the Sterlings wanted to establish ties with him!


    Suddenly, Charlotte¡¯s phone rang. It was a call from Mrs. Berry, and she picked it up immediately. ¡°Hi,


    Mrs. Berry.¡±


    ¡°Miss, we have a guest,¡± Mrs. Berry said, sounding anxious.


    ¡°Guest?¡± Charlotte asked, confused. Since when did anyone bother to visit us?


    ¡°I¡¯ll talk to her...¡± another voice rang. ¡°Charlotte! It¡¯s me, Aunt Amanda!¡±


    ¡°Aunt Amanda?¡± Charlotte said, her heart sinking into her stomach. Amanda was her cousin Luna¡¯s


    mother, and she was thest person Charlotte expected to appear at her house.


    ¡°Charlotte, Luna told me that you¡¯re back, so I came to visit you and the kids. Your Uncle Simon misses


    you, you know...¡±


    ¡°Aunt Amanda,¡± Charlotte said, cutting her off. ¡°I¡¯m not at home. Do you need help with anything?¡±


    Charlotte never liked Amanda, for money and power was all she cared about. Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    Her uncle Simon Windt married into the White family years ago and cut off contact with the Windt


    family after that.


    When the Windt family rose to the top, Simon practically begged Charlotte¡¯s father Richard to spare


    him a position in Windt Corporation, to which thetter agreed out of brotherly love.


    Simon and his family treated Richard and Charlotte well, but everything changed after the fall of Windt


    Corporation and Richard¡¯s death. Simon and his family did not even bother to attend Richard¡¯s funeral,


    and Charlotte lost contact with them shortly after.


    After a while, she heard that Simon started apany called Grandeur Group and lived afortable


    life.


    There were rumors that Simon had been living off Windt Corporation and the Sterlings¡¯ coattails, but


    none of that mattered to Charlotte. All she wanted was a peaceful life away from him and his wretched


    family.


    That was why Amanda¡¯s visit came as a total surprise to her.


    ¡°I¡¯m just here to visit you and the kids,¡± Amanda said with a fake smile. ¡°Your uncle prepared a feast


    back home. Besides, aren¡¯t they ssmates with Timothy? They can have a y date too!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need...¡± Charlotte said, only to be cut off by Amanda.


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s fine! We¡¯re family after all,¡± Amanda said with a chuckle. ¡°The shareholders from Grandeur


    Group miss you, you know? They used to be part of Windt Corporation...¡±


    Charlotte loathed her every word, but she forced herself to let Amanda finish.


    ¡°Oh, by the way, the media seems pretty interested in your whereabouts,¡± Amanda said.


    So she¡¯s been beating around the bush the whole time...


    ¡°The Windt family may have lost its glory, but your poprity hasn¡¯t waned a single bit. I¡¯m sure


    everyone wants to know who the kids¡¯ father is, right?¡±


    ¡°What the hell do you want?¡± Charlotte growled.


    ¡°Tsk, how rude,¡± Amanda said, feigning disappointment. ¡°All I ask is that you ept my invitation. Is


    there anything wrong with reaching out?¡±


    ¡°Just tell me when and where it is. I¡¯ll be there on time.¡±


    Charlotte knew that she did not have a choice. If she rejected the invite, Amanda would expose her


    kids to the public and make a mountain out of a molehill.


    Thest thing Charlotte wanted was for herself and her kids to suffer from cyberbullying.


    ¡°It¡¯s at the former Windt family mansion,¡± Amanda said with a proud smirk. ¡°Don¡¯t you know? The


    mansion belongs to us now. We¡¯ve been living there for the past four years.¡±

 Chapter 67

    Chapter 67


    ¡°Oh, really?¡± Charlotte said, forcing herself to stay calm. ¡°Congrattions, Aunt Amanda!¡±


    ¡°Haha! Thanks,¡± Amanda guffawed. ¡°Dinner¡¯s at six o¡¯ clock tonight. Luna, my son-inw and my


    grandson will be there, so don¡¯t bete! Oh, as for my son-inw...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Hector, I know him,¡± Charlotte said, pretending to sound nonchnt. ¡°I¡¯ll be there on time.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± Amanda chirped. ¡°Do you need me to send a car to pick you up?¡±


    ¡°No need, we¡¯ll go there on our own,¡± Charlotte said coldly. ¡°It¡¯s about time you get going, Aunt


    Amanda. My house isn¡¯t exactly in the best state to have you around.¡±


    ¡°No worries. I¡¯m taking my leave now,¡± Amanda said. ¡°I won¡¯t disturb you or your family as long as you


    behave yourself!¡±


    Charlotte¡¯s expression was rather glum as she hung up the phone, and she started to reminisce about


    her past.


    Her father had built Windt Corporation from scratch, and they shared a tiny apartment back when he


    first started.


    Richard Windt spent most of his time taking care of thepany, and it had been Mrs. Berry who


    looked after Charlotte.


    As she aged, the houses she lived in grew bigger as well.


    When she turned sixteen, her father became the richest man in H City, and they moved to a beautiful


    vi in the southern mountains.


    You¡¯re my little princess, Charlotte. I want you to live happily ever after, her father had told her on the


    day they moved.


    Charlotte never got to meet her mother, but she was a happy little girl nheless.


    However, her father had been way too protective of her, and when everything started to crash and burn


    around her, she could only stand by and watch helplessly.


    If not for her kids, she would have followed her father¡¯s footsteps andmitted suicide too.


    Going to Sultry Night that year was a huge mistake, but she vowed to be a responsible and nurturing


    mother to her kids.


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    The best thing she could wish for was for her kids to grow up healthy and safe from everything that had


    happened in the past, but the reality was far from ideal.


    Are they bullying me just because I¡¯m alone and helpless?


    ¡°Are you alright, Ms. Windt?¡± Raina asked anxiously. ¡°Did something go wrong?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Charlotte said, a little distracted by her thoughts. ¡°I need to go out at six tonight. Can you give


    me some pain killer?¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t work,¡± Raina said with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll follow you there so that you can have peace of mind.¡±


    ¡°Would it be too much trouble for you?¡± Charlotte said, moved by Raina¡¯s caring nature.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht told me to take care of your wounds and every need,¡± Raina said, bending over to feed her


    the medication. ¡°I¡¯ll get someone to dress you up and we¡¯ll leave at five o¡¯ clock.¡±


    The stylist that Raina called overdressed Charlotte in afortable yet beautiful dress as well as a


    white scarf that covered her wounds.


    Her naturally curly hair spilled over her shoulders gracefully, and the stylist applied a thinyer of


    makeup on her face to enhance her features.


    When the stylist was done, Charlotte looked like a literal goddess, and she herself found it difficult to


    get used to her new look.


    For the past four years, she had not bothered to take care of her looks, since she cared more about


    earning money than anything else.


    She almost forgot just how beautiful she could be.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Raina said, helping Charlotte onto the car outside the vi.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Charlotte eximed. ¡°Rolls-Royce Phantom...isn¡¯t this Mr. Nacht¡¯s car?¡±


    ¡°It just came back from the repair shop yesterday,¡± Raina said. ¡°Mr. Nacht says that you¡¯re free to use it


    anytime.¡±

 Chapter 68

    Chapter 68


    Charlotte stared at the Rolls-Royce Phantom and recalled how a simr car had run into the cab she


    was in with her kids when she first arrived from the rural areas.


    The man in the Rolls-Royce had been severely injured, and the blood from his wound had covered the


    wolf head tattoo on his back.


    Charlotte knew that he was the man from four years ago, but the car and the man disappeared before


    she could take a closer look at him.


    She had neglected to take note of the car te number, but she knew that there were only three of this


    model in C Nation and only thirty-five worldwide.


    Could Zachary be that gigolo?


    ¡°Ms. Windt? Is everything alright?¡± Raina asked.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m fine! Charlotte said, startled by her voice. ¡°I¡¯m honored to be able to ride in such a luxurious car.¡±


    ¡°Take it as a treat from Mr. Nacht,¡± Raina said, grinning. ¡°Shall we go?¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Even as she took her seat in the car, she continued to rack her brains in an attempt to recall the car


    te number of the Phantom she saw that day.


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    ¡°Um, Dr. Langhan?¡± Charlotte asked tentatively. ¡°Was Mr. Nacht injured not too long ago?¡±


    I¡¯m sure she knows the answer! She¡¯s his private doctor after all.


    ¡°No, Ms. Windt,¡± Raina answered. ¡°He¡¯s the only heir of the Nacht family, and his safety is of the utmost


    importance. He has eighteen highly-trained bodyguards to protect him wherever he goes to make sure


    that he doesn¡¯t get injured.¡±


    Charlotte nodded slowly. He¡¯s not injured? Was I wrong?


    She recalled how Zachary had been swimming in the infinity pool on the office roof thest time she


    bumped into him, and he lookedpletely fine.


    Surely an injured person won¡¯t be well enough to go swimming...


    Maybe I got the wrong person?


    ¡°Why do you ask?¡± Raina asked.


    ¡°Oh, I was just wondering if his bad temper was because of some kind of injury...¡± Charlotte


    stammered, trying her best not to sound suspicious.


    ¡°I see...Mr. Nacht is actually a really nice person, you know,¡± Raina said.


    It sounded like a passing remark, but Charlotte failed to notice the strange glint in Raina¡¯s eyes.


    She fell silent and stared at the scenery outside. How am I going to deal with the Whitester on?


    Forty minutester, they arrived at the Whites¡¯ residences, formerly the Windt family residence.


    Charlotte caught sight of a group of familiar figures from miles away.


    Huh...looks like Aunt Amanda is right...Dad¡¯s former subordinates are all here!


    Simon and Amanda stood at the entrance, dressed to the asion and extending their warmest


    wees to the guests, who came prepared with expensive gifts.


    Charlotte could not help but sigh. Isn¡¯t this how it used to be back when Dad was alive?


    People woulde to us every day with all thosevish gifts in tow and sweet-talk Dad all day long...


    I¡¯m pretty sure there¡¯s nothing different here...


    Simon Windt used to be amongst the guests, but he had since be the owner of the residence.


    Suddenly, a loud honk rang from behind, jolting her out of her trance.


    She looked up and noticed a white Bentley belonging to the Sterlings behind them.


    ¡°Hey! Why did you do that?¡± Hector asked the chauffeur angrily.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Sterling,¡± the chauffeur apologized, lowering his head.


    ¡°Why are you angry?¡± Luna asked, visibly annoyed. ¡°This is our home, so we have the right of way.¡±


    ¡°That Phantom looks like the one Mr. Nacht owns,¡± Hector said, winding the window down. ¡°Did your


    parents invite Mr. Nacht?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht?¡± Luna said, poking her head out of the window to take a closer look. ¡°Do you mean Mr.


    Zachary Nacht from Divine Corporation?¡±


    ¡°Go and take a look, Owen,¡± Hector said.


    ¡°Yes, Sir,¡± Owen said, hopping off the car. After a while, he gestured to Hector, who sat up in surprise.


    ¡°It¡¯s really him!¡± Hector eximed. ¡°Stop the car!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir,¡± the chauffeur said as the car slowed to a halt.


    Hector alighted from the car and walked over to the Phantom as quickly as he could, while Luna


    struggled a little with her high-heels just a few steps behind him.

 Chapter 69

    Chapter 69


    ¡°I¡¯ll go in myself, Dr. Langhan. You may take your leave after you drop me off,¡± Charlotte told Raina.


    The feast is nothing but an excuse to humiliate me...


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    That¡¯s thest thing I want someone like Raina to see!


    Besides, I don¡¯t think I should let her know of my kids¡¯ existence and my past...


    ¡°I can¡¯t let you go in on your own, Ms. Windt...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Charlotte insisted. ¡°Just drop me off at the front door.¡±


    ¡°Alright then.¡±


    When the car slowed to a halt, Raina and the medical assistants alighted first and rushed to the back to


    help Charlotte out of the car.


    At that moment, Hector appeared before them and greeted, ¡°Wee, Mr. Nacht!¡±


    ¡°Greetings, Mr. Nacht. I¡¯m the young mistress of the Sterlings, Luna...¡±


    Before Luna could finish her sentence, her eyes widened in shock as Charlotte¡¯s gorgeous face


    appeared before her.


    ¡°C-Charlotte??¡±


    ¡°Lottie?¡± Hector said, also confused by her sudden appearance. ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°Aunt Amanda told me toe,¡± Charlotte answered, raising her hand.


    Two medical assistants rushed forward to help her up while Raina pushed a wheelchair over.


    ¡°Since when did you get to ride in a Rolls-Royce Phantom?¡± Luna scoffed. ¡°Did you rent the car and


    your maids?¡±


    Raina red at her in silence.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am, this is indeed the Nacht family¡¯s Phantom,¡± Owen whispered. ¡°The driver is one of Mr. Nacht¡¯s


    personal bodyguards. I¡¯ve met him before!¡±


    ¡°How could this be?¡± Luna said, confused. ¡°Why would the Nacht family chauffeur Charlotte to this


    party? It¡¯s not like she¡¯s important or anything...¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Sterling,¡± Raina said, unable to keep her cool any longer. ¡°Ms. Windt is Mr. Nacht¡¯s esteemed


    guest...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Dr. Langhan,¡± Charlotte said, cutting her off. ¡°Thanks for sending me here. You can go


    home now.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be waiting for you in the carpark,¡± Raina said.


    She figured that Charlotte did not want to drag her into her personal matters, so she got onto the car


    and told the driver to leave the scene.


    ¡°Wow, I wonder what you did to pique the fancy of Mr. Nacht?¡± Luna snickered. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re a


    pretty talented wh*re!¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Hector yelled.


    ¡°Hey! Why are you yelling at me?¡± Luna shrieked, her face beet red. ¡°Did I say something wrong?¡±


    ¡°No one has the right to talk about Mr. Nacht like that!¡± Hector warned. ¡°You¡¯re going to get us all into


    trouble!¡±


    Luna fell silent upon hearing his words, visibly disturbed by them.


    ¡°I got injured during work hours, so my boss told assigned a private doctor to chauffeur me here. That¡¯s


    all,¡± Charlotte exined.


    She did not want to associate herself with Zachary more than what was necessary, since it would do


    more harm than good in the long run.


    She saw herself as an ordinary woman living an ordinary life, and sucking up to some rich man was the


    last thing on her mind.


    Besides, Zachary Nacht was a pretty difficult person to deal with.


    I¡¯ll suffer if I became a nuisance to him!


    ¡°I see...¡± Luna said, sighing in relief. ¡°You¡¯re just riding on his coattails! How shameful!¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you shut up for a moment?¡± Hector bellowed.


    ¡°Why are you being so impatient with me?¡± Luna yelled, stomping her foot.


    ¡°Look who¡¯s here!¡± a voice rang all of a sudden. Charlotte turned around to see Amanda walking over


    with the fakest smile she had ever seen. ¡°You¡¯re still as beautiful as ever. Oh! What happened to you?


    Why are you in a wheelchair?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s injured. Take her inside,¡± Hector said, gesturing to Owen, who rushed forwards and helped


    Charlotte push her wheelchair into the courtyard.


    Luna pulled her mother to the side with a frown. ¡°Mom! Why did you invite her of all people! You¡¯re just


    creating more trouble for me!¡±


    ¡°No, sweetie, I¡¯m taking revenge for you!¡±

 Chapter 70

    Chapter 70


    ¡°You silly child, I¡¯m trying to stand up for you!¡± Amanda pulled Luna closer to her and said in a low


    voice, ¡°It took you so much effort to marry into the Sterling family and produce a son for Hector. How


    could I let someone else destroy this happiness for you when you didn¡¯te by it so easily in the first


    ce?¡±


    ¡°Mom, do you mean...¡±


    ¡°Tonight, I¡¯m going to force Charlotte to face reality. Someone has to teach her to know when to back


    off.¡± Amandaughed coldly. ¡°Just you wait and see!¡±


    ¡°You love me the most, Mom.¡± Luna threw her arms around Amanda and nted a kiss on her cheek.


    ¡°Mom, do you know that Hector has been treating me coldly ever since he returned from Charlotte¡¯s


    ce? My head hurts from thinking about it...¡±


    ¡°As long as you don¡¯t speak up directly about this, your rtionship with Hector will not be harmed.¡±


    Amanda patted her hand and continued, ¡°Just continue ying your role as the good-hearted young


    mistress of this family. As for everything else, Mom will sort it out for you.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Luna said, nodding her head, ¡°I¡¯ll do just that.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go in first. Where¡¯s Timothy?¡±


    ¡°He fell asleep in the car.¡±


    As Owen pushed Charlotte into the vi in her wheelchair, everyone in the room turned to look at her.


    The older ones in the room recognized her immediately. Exchanging scandalized looks with each other,


    they put their heads together and started murmuring anxiously.


    Someone asked in a hushed whisper, ¡°Why is she here?¡±


    ¡°She did something so outrageous back then that she managed to anger her own father to death! How


    does she have the guts to show up here now? If I were her, I would¡¯ve escaped to somewhere else a


    long time ago.¡±


    ¡°Oh, be quiet! Don¡¯t talk anymore.¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t I talk about this? If she could do something like that, it¡¯s well within my rights to judge her for


    it.¡±


    ¡°Charlotte!¡± Simon walked over and greeted her enthusiastically. ¡°We finally meet. I¡¯ve been looking for


    you all these years. Have you been well?¡±


    He sounded so concerned, as though he was a rtive caring for his young charge.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been well. Thanks for asking, Uncle Simon.¡±


    Charlotte looked up at him and smiled ndly, wishing that she could see what was going on in his


    mind right now.


    The man had worked alongside her father all these years, earning himself a reputation for being loyal


    and hardworking. Because he was mild-mannered by nature andcked any opinions of his own, his


    wife ordered him around as she pleased.


    Hence, he never had his big break in his career. Instead, he followed Richard around as his loyal


    retainer¡ªone that was unassuming and reliable.


    However, she never understood why Simon had hidden himself at home after her father died, refusing


    to show up at his wake.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you, anyway? Why are you in a wheelchair?¡± Simon asked anxiously. ¡°Are you


    injured?¡±


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Charlotte said, nodding her head. ¡°It¡¯s just a little injury¡ªnothing to be worried about.¡±


    ¡°If I knew you were injured, I would have gone and picked you up from your ce...¡± Simon looked


    extremely guilty. ¡°Where are you living now? Why don¡¯t you move back here to live with the rest of us?


    Amanda and I can take care of you in the future.¡±


    ¡°Exactly!¡± Amanda¡¯s shrill voice sounded from behind them. ¡°I¡¯ve already told the servants to clean up


    the guest room. Charlotte, you can move back in with your child whenever you want to. I¡¯ll go with


    Simon to help you move your things.¡±


    ¡°Child? What child?¡± Her husband was evidently in the dark about the whole matter.


    Everyone else who had been watching this exchange quietly widened their eyes in shock and started


    murmuring to each other again.


    ¡°Oh, I have an awful memory!¡± Amanda patted her head and said in a troubled voice. ¡°Simon, I forgot to


    tell you that Charlotte now has three...¡±


    ¡°Aunt Amanda!¡±


    ¡°Mom!¡±


    Charlotte and Hector opened their mouths at the same time, startling the woman enough to stop her in


    the middle of her sentence.


    Charlotte and Hector looked at each other, their expressions ratherplicated.


    ¡°Hector...¡± Luna walked over immediately and grabbed hold of his arm, leaning affectionately onto him.


    ¡°Timothy has fallen asleep. Why don¡¯t you carry him upstairs to his bedroom?¡±


    Hector shot a nce at his wife before he turned to Amanda and said, ¡°Mom, why don¡¯t youe with


    me? There¡¯s something I need to discuss with you anyway.¡±


    ¡°Oh, ask your father to go with you! Here, ask him.¡± Amanda shot a frantic nce at her husband.


    Simon obeyed his wife instantaneously. Rushing up to his son, he tugged at his sleeves and said,


    ¡°Hector, I¡¯ll go with you.¡±


    Although he felt a little helpless, Hector had no choice but to leave with him.


    ¡°Ugh, why are we all standing around?¡± Amanda cried jovially. ¡°We¡¯re family! Come on, have a seat.


    Luna, don¡¯t stand there looking so foolish. Wheel your cousin sister to her seat.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±

 Chapter 71

    Chapter 71


    Amanda had discreetly arranged for Charlotte to sit between Luna and herself. Although they painted


    quite a happy picture of a wholesome family, in reality, the set-up was meant to trap Charlotte between


    them so she couldn¡¯t escape.


    When they were finally seated, one of the aunts, Aunt Leigh, turned to Charlotte and smiled at her as


    she gave her the once-over. ¡°We haven¡¯t seen you in years! You look so much more mature now,


    Charlotte.¡±


    ¡°You looked like a girl thest time we saw you, and now you look like a woman!¡± Another aunt, Aunt


    Geraldine, chimed in on purpose. ¡°Amanda, what were you saying about Charlotte¡¯s kids? Do you


    mean that she¡¯s already married with kids now?¡±


    ¡°Yes, she already has three children. Time has flown by, hasn¡¯t it? We¡¯re all getting old.¡± Amanda


    laughed shrilly and continued, ¡°Charlotte, why didn¡¯t you bring your kids along with you today?¡±


    This time, Charlotte didn¡¯t interrupt her. Instead, she allowed her aunt to finish saying what she wanted


    to say.


    From the moment Luna bumped into her and her child at the kindergarten the other day, Charlotte


    knew that her secret was out.


    The news of her child would have spread like wildfire among the Whites and the Windts.


    From what she knew about Amanda¡¯s personality, the older woman had probably fed the other aunts all


    sorts of vile stories about Charlotte to taint her reputation. Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    Charlotte was sure that Amanda had invited her over tonight to make a mockery of her. Thetter


    probably wanted to embarrass her in front of Hector so that he would end their rtionship forever...


    ¡°Oh gosh...¡±


    Everyone at the table was extremely stunned. It had been four years since theyst saw Charlotte, and


    she had returned with kids¡ªthree of them!


    A few of the uncles started to frown. Their expressions had clouded over, and the look in their eyes as


    they gazed at Charlotte seemed to turn rather usatory.


    Aunt Leigh asked excitedly, ¡°Charlotte, when did you get married? We didn¡¯t even know!¡±


    ¡°How old are your kids?¡± Aunt Geraldine asked. ¡°What does your husband do for a living? Why isn¡¯t he


    here with you?¡±


    Amanda and Luna looked at Charlotte and smiled, looking as though they were grimacing instead.


    The two of them waited gleefully for her answer. How was Charlotte going to tell everyone that she had


    hooked up with a gigolo at Sultry Night and now had three of his children?


    After a pregnant pause, the woman finally spoke up, ¡°That¡¯s my business. I don¡¯t suppose you think


    you have a right to know, do you?¡±


    Immediately, the entire room fell silent with shock. Nobody had expected her to reply to their questions


    like this.


    One of the uncles growled angrily at her, ¡°Of course we have a right to know! We¡¯re your elders! Don¡¯t


    we have a right to ask you about your marital situation?¡±


    ¡°Look how wishy-washy you¡¯re being. Did you get pregnant out of wedlock?¡± another uncle asked.


    ¡°Who¡¯s the father of your children?¡±


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡± The others chimed in anxiously, ¡°Did you get together with a married


    man and give birth to his illegitimate children?¡±


    ¡°Haha!¡± One of her aunts burst intoughter beside him. ¡°A married man is already the best-case


    scenario. It would be much worse if she doesn¡¯t even know who the father is.¡±


    ¡°How could you have done something so awful? You¡¯ve brought nothing but shame upon all of us!¡± One


    uncle was so angry that he mmed down on the table and left the room.


    ¡°Charlotte, this is simply preposterous,¡± Aunt Geraldine said crossly. ¡°Four years ago, you did


    something so outrageous that your father threw himself off the building andmitted suicide in anger.


    We thought you would stop embarrassing yourself after that, but you¡¯ve only changed for the worse!¡±


    ¡°Exactly! As your elders, we can¡¯t condone such behavior anymore...¡± Aunt Leigh heaved a sigh and


    continued, ¡°If your father¡ªbless his soul¡ªknew how you¡¯re behaving right now, he would be rolling in


    his grave.¡±


    A few of Charlotte¡¯s aunts put their heads together and started whispering loudly, ¡°She used to be so


    obedient as a child. What happened to her? She must have been possessed by the devil.¡±


    ¡°When all¡¯s said and done, her poor behavior probably stems from the fact that she didn¡¯t have a


    mother to guide her when she was young. Take a look at Luna¡ªshe would never behave like


    Charlotte...¡±


    ¡°Exactly! Luna is such an innocentss. She got married like a normal person would and had her


    husband¡¯s children. As for Charlotte, however...¡±


    Hearing this, a smile of satisfaction appeared on Luna¡¯s face.


    ¡°Oh, Leigh, my dear, you mustn¡¯t say that!¡± Amanda eximed, humbling herself as much as she


    could. ¡°I¡¯ve kept a firm rein on Luna since she was a child. Charlotte, the poor thing, lost her mother


    when she was very young. That¡¯s why she¡¯s gone off the beaten track now. As her elders, we should do


    our best to educate her...¡±


    Charlotte couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. ¡°Have you all said enough?¡±

 Chapter 72

    Chapter 72


    ¡°If I remember correctly, none of you here have Windt as your surname,¡± she said baldly. ¡°What has the


    reputation and honor of the Windt family got to do with you lot?¡±


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°When my father was still around, and the Windt family was at the height of its power, and all of you


    sucked up to us like a bunch of dogs. But when the Windt family went through difficult times, all of you


    were nowhere to be found. And now you have the gall to discipline me as my elders? I call that muck.¡±


    She then let out a coldugh. ¡°Aren¡¯t you scared that God might strike you down?¡±


    At that point, her uncles were so furious that their faces had gone red. ¡°Is... Is this how you should be


    talking to us?¡±


    Another one of her distant rtives, Thomas, was boiling with rage as well. Pointing a finger at


    Charlotte, he snarled, ¡°When your father was around, he never spoke to us like this! Well, what did I


    expect of a bastard child who never had a mother around to teach her how to behave?¡±


    The moment she heard this, a ball of rage welled up within Charlotte. She lunged forward and picked


    up the ss of water in front of her, which she promptly flung at Thomas¡¯s head.


    Bang! The ss flew past the man¡¯s head and shattered against the crystal chandelier behind him.


    A shower of crystal shards rained down on the table, causing a huge racket as they did so and causing


    the women to yelp in fright.


    Luna jumped up from her seat and ran to hide behind her mother.


    Amanda quickly used her arm to shield her face from the shards, but the crystal shards sliced open her


    arm, causing her to bleed profusely.


    ¡°Argh!¡± The injured woman let out a huge, exaggerated scream.


    Upon hearing his wife scream, Simon dashed downstairs in panic immediately. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What¡¯s


    going on?¡±


    ¡°This bastard, this wench! She has disgraced the family enough as it is, and yet she dared to... to...¡±


    Aunt Leigh was about to wail about the injustice that had been done to her, but she caught Charlotte¡¯s


    eye and zipped her mouth immediately.


    ¡°You incorrigible fool!¡± Thomas roared as he pointed a finger at Charlotte. ¡°How dare you injure a


    member of your own family?¡±


    ¡°You were the ones who said those disrespectful things to me first!¡± thetter snapped as she red


    coldly at him. ¡°I don¡¯t care if you call me all sorts of names, but if you¡¯re going to nder my parents as


    well, don¡¯t me me for being too harsh on you!¡±


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright,¡± Simon said, trying desperately to salvage the situation, ¡°we¡¯re family, after all. Let¡¯s


    calm down first, shall we?¡± Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    ¡°Who wants to be her family?¡± Thomas snapped angrily. ¡°She acts like a whore, but she won¡¯t let


    anyone criticize her for it! And when someone does, she goespletely crazy and starts behaving


    like a dog!¡±


    ¡°Thomas, don¡¯t say that...¡±


    ¡°Simon, I¡¯ve lost my appetitepletely, so forgive me if I leave in the middle of this meal. I¡¯ll drop by


    and visit you and the missus another day.¡± At that, Thomas stood up and stalked out of the room with


    his wife in tow.


    Another rtive tugged at Simon¡¯s sleeve and whispered loudly, ¡°Simon, I know you¡¯re a kind man, but


    I must warn you to leave people like her alone. They¡¯ll bring you nothing but trouble.¡±


    ¡°Martin...¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll get going now, too. Mr. Windt, Mam, Luna, we¡¯lle by and visit you another day.¡±


    The rest of the rtives left, afraid to cause any more trouble for themselves.


    ¡°Hey, you can¡¯t all leave yet! None of the dishes have been served!¡± Amanda called anxiously after


    them. However, not a single person turned around to acknowledge her.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s alright, let them leave,¡± her husband said, pulling her back. ¡°Go upstairs and bandage your


    wound. I¡¯ll clean up here.¡±


    ¡°Bandage my wound?¡± Amanda¡¯s expression changed into one of unbridled fury. Pointing at Charlotte,


    she hollered angrily, ¡°Thanks for breaking up what was supposed to be a happy family asion! Go


    and think about what you¡¯ve done!¡±


    Charlotte met her gaze coolly and asked, ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one who invited me here, Aunt Amanda?


    You put in so much effort to put up a show for the rest¡ªhow could I, as the lead actress, disappoint you


    by not turning up?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about now?¡± Luna snapped, ¡°My mother invited you over for a meal out of the


    goodness of her heart. It¡¯s one thing for you to ruin the asion and another for you to speak ill of her


    like that! Were you even brought up properly?¡±


    ¡°Haha! Out of the goodness of her heart?¡± Charlotte picked up a rag from the table and wiped away the


    ss shards and blood on her own hands. ¡°You invited so many extras to join us today¡ªweren¡¯t you


    just trying to make a fool of me in front of Hector?¡±


    ¡°Make a fool of you? You were born a fool to begin with!¡± Amanda screamed with fury. ¡°Back then, your


    mother left right after she gave birth to you. Your father coddled you and treated you like a jewel, and


    you chose to disappoint him by turning out to be such a shameless wench!¡±

 Chapter 73

    Chapter 73


    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Amanda...¡± Simon warned in a low voice. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t speak of Charlotte like that.¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t I do that?¡± the woman scowled, her eyes wide with indignance. ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth, aren¡¯t I?


    Why do you keep trying to stand up for her?¡±


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°Dad, don¡¯t stick your nose into this! Go upstairs first,¡± Luna said, pushing her father away. ¡°Mom will


    discipline this wench on behalf of all of us!¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s the real wench here? Who¡¯s the one who has no shame?¡± Charlotte challenged. ¡°You know


    perfectly well what happened four years ago, don¡¯t you? Don¡¯t you dare act stupid!¡±


    ¡°You... What nonsense are you spouting now? What happened four years ago?¡± Luna asked, looking a


    little panicked. ¡°It was your foolish idea to go down to Sultry Night and hire a gigolo, and you were the


    one who made the choice to have his children! Why are you ndering me now?¡±


    ¡°Who was the one who dragged me to Sultry Night? Who was the one who told me to find another man


    to make Hector jealous so he would go up against his family and marry me? It was you, Luna! You


    tricked Hector and I into breaking up before turning around and marrying him instead! And you still


    insist that you had nothing to do with it? What rubbish!¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Amanda rushed forward and gave Charlotte a p across the face.


    Thetter¡¯s head jerked sideways with the force of the p as blood gashed out of a wound on her lip.


    She looked down, her eyes glinting with a wave of savage anger beneath her mop of untidy hair.


    ¡°Excellent! I hope that knocked some sense into you,¡± Luna said, gritting her teeth.


    Amanda wasn¡¯t finished. She raised her hand to strike Charlotte across the face again...


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Amanda,¡± Simon said hurriedly as he held her back, ¡°what are you doing? Talk things out nicely. Why


    do you need to resort to violence?¡±


    ¡°Oh, get out of my way!¡± She threw him aside and pointed at Charlotte, her chest heaving up and down


    with rage.


    ¡°You made the choice to do something so shameless and disgusting, and now you want to me it on


    my daughter? I¡¯ll have you know that I invited you here today so you could face reality¡ªLuna and


    Hector are already married with kids. If you dare to seduce Hector again, I¡¯ll give you a good beating!¡±


    ¡°Amanda White...¡± Charlotte whispered, gritting her teeth angrily, ¡°I¡¯ll make sure you pay the price for


    your words today!¡±


    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s funny. Are you trying to threaten me?¡± The woman rushed forward to p her again.


    At that moment, an angry roar erupted. ¡°Stop right there!¡±


    ¡°Hector...¡± When Luna spotted her husband, guilt washed over her. She wondered if he had overheard


    her heated conversation with Charlotte just now.


    The man gazed deeply at Charlotte, pity written over his face. However, he didn¡¯t make his way over to


    her¡ªinstead, he turned to his driver Owen and said, ¡°Owen, send Charlotte home.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Owen wheeled Charlotte out of the room as instructed and left with her.


    Simon hurried after them to send them off to the car.


    Soon, only Amanda, Luna, and Hector remained in the house.


    The tension in the air was thick.


    Luna grabbed hold of Hector¡¯s hand and pleaded in a whiny voice, ¡°Hector, you have to believe me.


    What Charlotte said isn¡¯t true...¡±


    ¡°Luna!¡± Her mother snapped warningly, telling her to shut up.


    That made the woman fall quiet immediately.


    ¡°Hector, I wasn¡¯t trying to make things difficult for Charlotte on purpose,¡± Amanda exined soothingly.


    ¡°Those rtives of ours were concerned about her and tried to inquire after her situation, but she threw


    a tantrum and smashed things around. She even injured my hand, look...¡±


    She shoved her arm in Hector¡¯s face and continued, ¡°As her elder, I was merely trying to discipline


    her...¡±


    ¡°Is that how an elder disciplines his charge?¡± the man retorted politely. ¡°Whenever you disciplined


    Luna, you always took care to be respectful and restrained with your punishments. But when you spoke


    to Charlotte, you made sure that every word cut deep in her heart! Don¡¯t you think you were doing a


    little too much?¡±


    ¡°Hector, what do you mean by that?¡± Luna asked shrilly. ¡°Are you going to start a fight with my mother


    because of Charlotte?¡±


    ¡°I was only discussing appropriate punishments with my mother-inw,¡± Hector replied coolly. ¡°Mom,


    don¡¯t you think I¡¯m right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course you are.¡± Amanda was an intelligent woman, and she knew when to admit defeat.


    Changing her attitudepletely, she said, ¡°I wasn¡¯t thinking straight just now. I must have done that


    because Charlotte smashed some things, ruined dinner for everyone, then proceeded to nder my


    daughter...¡±


    ¡°Was she really ndering Luna?¡± Hector asked, shooting a dark look at his wife.


    ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of that? Are you suspecting me now?¡± Luna was so angry that she was practically


    shaking. ¡°I¡¯m your wife and the mother of your son. Why do you always believe other people instead of


    me?¡±

 Chapter 74

    Chapter 74


    ¡°Precisely! Hector, you can¡¯t treat Luna like this. Back then, you were the one who...¡±


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough,¡± Hector interrupted her. ¡°Let¡¯s consider this matter closed. I don¡¯t care who was


    in the wrong¡ªI don¡¯t want to investigate it any further.¡±


    ¡°As the both of you have said, Luna is my wife and the mother of my son. I want to lead a peaceful,


    upright life, and I give you my word that I won¡¯t do anything that might jeopardize the harmony of this


    family. In the future, I hope you won¡¯t harass Charlotte anymore.¡±


    ¡°Are you doing all this because of that wench?¡± Luna asked, her voice shaking.


    ¡°Luna, for heaven¡¯s sake...¡± Amanda grabbed hold of her immediately to shut her up. Turning to Hector,


    she said, ¡°Hector, you misunderstand me. I never wanted to harm Charlotte in any way. I invited her


    over today for the sole purpose of having dinner with the rest of us. I didn¡¯t think it would turn out like


    this. Everything¡¯s my fault¡ªI should¡¯ve nned it out better. If I get the chance in the future, I¡¯ll make


    sure to apologize to her. As for you and Luna, please don¡¯t let this matter get in the way of your


    rtionship...¡±


    ¡°Good. That¡¯s what I wanted to hear.¡± Hector turned and headed upstairs after speaking.


    ¡°Mom, what the hell were you thinking?¡± Luna hissed angrily. ¡°He only refused to stop investigating the


    incident because of Charlotte...¡±


    ¡°And what about it?¡± Amanda retorted in a low voice. ¡°As long as he knows what he has to do and


    stops hanging around that woman, we will have achieved our goal! Who cares about the reason behind


    it?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± her daughter asked in confusion.


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re my child? How could you be so stupid?¡± Amanda asked, shaking her head in


    disbelief. ¡°You can¡¯t be so idealistic about love. There isn¡¯t a single man on earth who can remain loyal


    to one woman for his entire life. You can¡¯t control the fact that Hector may have someone else in his


    heart.


    ¡°However, the further you tighten your grip on him, the more annoyed he¡¯s going to be with you. Your


    rtionship will get even more strained. However, if you turn a blind eye to his actions and act the part


    of a generous wife, he¡¯ll feel sorry for the way he treats you. You need his guilt to solidify your standing


    within this family.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want his guilt; I want him to love me!¡±


    ¡°If you want him to love you, you should learn how to be more obedient and subservient to him. That¡¯s


    the only way you can keep your position as Mrs. Sterling. Once the image of Charlotte in his heart is


    destroyed, he¡¯ll turn around and fall in love with you again...


    Owen pushed Charlotte out of the vi. In the distance, the Nacht family¡¯s car was driving slowly


    towards them.


    Thetter turned to him and said, ¡°Owen, please head inside first. There are a few things I want to say


    to Uncle Simon.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Owen bowed towards her and left.


    Simon looked guiltily at the woman in the wheelchair. ¡°Charlotte, does it hurt? Aunt Amanda has a


    pretty bad temper¡ªplease don¡¯t take it personally, alright? I¡¯ll make sure to yell at her lots when I get


    home.¡±


    ¡°Uncle Simon,¡± Charlotte said as she looked up at him, ¡°how did my father die?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Simon¡¯s expression froze. His eyes darted about shiftily as he stammered, ¡°W¡ªwhy are you


    asking me about this now? Everyone knows your fathermitted suicide by jumping off a building...¡±


    ¡°Yes, but why did he jump off a building?¡± she pressed. ¡°The Windt Corporation was doing extremely


    well at that time. Why did hemit suicide when he had everything going for him?¡±


    ¡°The business world isplicated, and there are lots of things you don¡¯t understand,¡± Simon said


    distractedly. ¡°Come to think of it; I don¡¯t fully understand much of it either...¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you attend my father¡¯s wake? Why did you disappear during the funeral?¡± Charlotte


    continued to ask. ¡°There must have been a reason for that, right?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I really don¡¯t know anything,¡± the man answered in a panicked voice. ¡°Don¡¯t ask me


    anything anymore. Just live your life peacefully.¡±


    He then took out a bank card and stuffed it hurriedly into Charlotte¡¯s hand. ¡°I¡¯m giving this to you now¡ª


    the password is your father¡¯s birthday. Please ept it as a sort ofpensation from your me.¡±


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    As soon as he finished speaking, he turned and ran back into the house.


    As she watched him leave, Charlotte felt her suspicions grow. There was something suspicious about


    her father¡¯s death, and she had to find out what it was.


    Does it have something to do with Simon or Amanda, perhaps?


    However, upon seeing Simon¡¯s attitude, he didn¡¯t seem to have been involved in it. Besides, Amanda


    would never have been capable of killing her father.


    So what exactly was going on?

 Chapter 75

    Chapter 75


    ¡°Ms. Windt...¡±


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    Raina¡¯s voice startled Charlotte out of her reverie. When she finally snapped out of her daze, Raina


    and her medical assistant had appeared in front of her.


    When she spotted the deep red mark on Charlotte¡¯s face, the woman frowned and asked immediately,


    ¡°What happened to your face? Who did that to you?¡±


    The medical assistant who had tagged along let out a gasp of horror as well. ¡°Look! Ms. Windt¡¯s arm is


    bleeding, too.¡±


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get into the car first.¡± Raina helped Charlotte into the vehicle.


    When they got into the car, the former helped her to remove the tiny shards of ss that had been


    lodged in her hands. In a quiet voice, she told Charlotte, ¡°Ms. Windt, Mr. Nacht has put us at your


    disposal. If you need anything done, we¡¯re the ones for the job!¡±


    Her words held a deeper meaning to them. The moment the words fell from Charlotte¡¯s mouth, Raina


    would be ready to go up against everyone who ever bullied her.


    Charlotte felt a little surprised. She was merely a lowly security guard at Divine Corporation. Why does


    Zachary insist on treating me so well?


    Does he really have a secret crush on me?


    ¡°Ms. Windt, don¡¯t be discouraged by the power the Sterlings wield. Mr. Nacht¡¯s influence far exceeds


    theirs. You do not need to fear,¡± Raina added reassuringly.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Charlotte said, speaking up for the first time, ¡°but I think I¡¯ll settle this matter by myself.¡±


    She didn¡¯t want to get someone else involved, particrly when he was never part of the issue, to


    begin with. After all, that would simply be another debt she would need to pay off.


    ¡°Alright then...¡±


    The family doctor didn¡¯t say anything else. However, as she looked at the injuries on Charlotte¡¯s face,


    her expression was extremely serious.


    It was just as she had feared...


    Raina reported everything that had happened that night to Zachary, whose face turned ck with fury


    when he heard about it. His eyes, which were as deep as the ocean, had a steely glint to it that the


    woman hardly ever saw.


    He rounded on Raina and her medical assistant. ¡°What the hell were the two of you thinking? I told you


    to stay by her side. How could you allow her to be bullied?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it was my fault.¡± Raina bowed her head and didn¡¯t say anything else.


    ¡°There must have been a reason why Ms. Windt didn¡¯t let them into the house with her,¡± Bruce


    guessed. ¡°Does she have a family secret that she doesn¡¯t want others to know, perhaps?¡±


    ¡°Should we investigate it further?¡± Ben asked carefully.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that,¡± Zachary ordered, putting down the wine ss in his hands. ¡°Tell Hector


    Sterling to show up as an invited guest at the charity g in three days!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    Over the next few days, Charlotte enjoyed a period of rtive peace, during which her wounds healed


    back to normal.


    Raina was an excellent doctor, so the wounds had closed up in no time under her charge.


    Every morning, the kids would give her a call. Charlotte would curl up in bed and hide under the covers


    as she chatted with them, afraid that someone might overhear their conversation.


    Mrs. Berry was very worried for her, and the kids missed her very much. Charlotte knew that she


    couldn¡¯t afford to stay here any longer.


    That afternoon, after Raina helped her to remove her neck brace, Charlotte insisted that she was going


    to go home.


    This time, the other woman didn¡¯t stop her. She simply called Charlotte a cab and packed her off with


    bags of medicine and vitamin supplements.


    Charlotte didn¡¯t want the doctor to see her children, so she asked the driver to stop at a road near her


    house. She nned to walk the rest of the way back.


    Raina passed the bags of medicine to her and said respectfully, ¡°Ms. Windt, I¡¯ll be here to pick you up


    tomorrow at three in the afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Where are you fetching me?¡± Charlotte felt a little perturbed.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht has invited you to the charity g tomorrow night,¡± the woman replied, smiling brightly at


    her. ¡°I¡¯ll get your gown and essories ready for you, but we¡¯ll need some time to get you ready.¡±


    This was news to Charlotte. No one had ever mentioned a charity g to her.


    These two days, Zachary had left the house early in the morning and returnedte at night after he got


    off from work. She hadn¡¯t managed to see him at all. Why was he suddenly inviting her to his charity


    g?


    Oh no, she thought in a panic. Zachary has probably fallen in love with me...


    She could only me her own charisma for this.


    Upon seeing Charlotte frozen and in a daze, Raina asked with a smile, ¡°Do you need me to help you


    carry anything upstairs?¡±


    ¡°No thanks, I¡¯ll walk home myself. Please drive back safely.¡±


    Charlotte bid her farewell and ran home with the bags of medicine dangling wildly from her arms. As


    she ran, her head was full of jumbled thoughts. What now? It isn¡¯t always a good idea to dance with the


    devil.


    When Zachary eventually finds out that she has three children, would he me her for tricking him?


    She might die of heartbreak if he did.


    She soon recalled the dream she had a few nights ago and felt a shiver run down her spine...


    She couldn¡¯t let that happen. She had to tell him as early on as possible so that he would kill the idea of


    ever getting together with her.

 Chapter 76

    Chapter 76


    The moment Charlotte entered the house, Fifi flew into her arms and knocked the wind out of her.


    ¡°Mommy, Mommy!¡±


    ¡°Miss, you¡¯re finally back!¡± Mrs. Berry flung down her mop and ran over to her. She grabbed Charlotte¡¯s


    arm and said with tears in her eyes, ¡°Oh, my poor dear, let me see where they injured you!¡±


    ¡°It was just a few injuries, nothing serious... Ouch!¡±


    Charlotte had made to hug Mrs. Berry, but a dizzying pain in her shoulder prevented her from doing so.


    She looked down and winced.


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    ¡°Mommy, hang in there!¡±


    Fifi flew tond on Charlotte¡¯s hair, nudging the woman¡¯s head with her green one tofort her.


    ¡°Fifi, my darling!¡± Charlotte reached up and patted the parrot gently on the head.


    ¡°Have a seat,e on!¡± Mrs. Berry steered Charlotte towards the sofa and made her sit down. ¡°Poor


    girl. It¡¯s been so many days! Why haven¡¯t your wounds healedpletely?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. They¡¯re starting to heal.¡± Beads of sweat appeared on Charlotte¡¯s forehead. ¡°Mrs. Berry, these


    are the medicine and vitamin supplements that the doctor gave me. Could you help me put them


    away? I¡¯ll go and change my clothes in my room.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you can manage by yourself? I can help you change.¡± The housekeeper looked


    uncertain.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s alright! The school bus should be reaching soon. Why don¡¯t you go and pick up the kids?¡±


    ¡°Oh, right. My memory sure is getting worse by the day. I¡¯ll go once I put away these bags of medicine.¡±


    Mrs. Berry helped Charlotte back to her room before she went and put everything away. Afterward, she


    headed downstairs with Fifi to pick up the kids.


    Charlotte put on a set of home clothes with much difficulty. Just as she was about to take a sip of water,


    her kids ran into the house and started chirping noisily, ¡°Mommy, Mommy, Mommy!¡±


    ¡°Hello, my darlings!¡± she cried. The three meatballs ran into her arms, knocking into her wound in the


    process. She had to bite down hard on her lip to make sure she didn¡¯t cry out in pain.


    ¡°Oh my goodness, children, be more gentle!¡± Mrs. Berry admonished. ¡°Your mother...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, it¡¯s alright.¡±


    Charlotte shot a look at Mrs. Berry, warning her not to bring up her wounds to her children.


    ¡°Mommy, why are you sweating so much? Are you feeling ufortable?¡±


    Robbie, her oldest, had excellent observation skills. He frowned when he realized that there was


    something off about his mother.


    ¡°Robbie, Mommy is fine...¡± Charlotte reassured him as she caressed his hair.


    ¡°Mommy, are you sick?¡±


    Jamie quickly poured her a ss of water. He ran towards her, causing some of the water to ssh out


    of the ss. He quickly caught the droplets with his hand, afraid that they might ssh onto Charlotte.


    ¡°Mommy, have some water!¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Jamie.¡± The woman felt extremely touched by her sons¡¯ kind action.


    ¡°Here, Mommy! Ellie will help you wipe your sweat.¡± Her youngest stood on her tiptoes and wiped


    Charlotte¡¯s sweat away with her sleeves, worry written all over her cute little face.


    ¡°Thanks, my dears. Have all of you been good while Mommy was away?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± the three of them replied instantaneously.


    Charlotte felt very happy. No matter how difficult life got for her, she was always reminded once again


    that life was worth living every time she saw her kids.


    ¡°Alright, kids. Mommy will be resting now. Go and y with Mrs. Berry for a moment, won¡¯t you?¡±


    Mrs. Berry soon managed to cook up an excuse to lure the kids away. ¡°I¡¯ll make you guys chicken


    nuggets for dinner tonight. Do you want toe and help me?¡±


    ¡°Okay...¡± The three of them skipped out of the room after the housekeeper


    Charlotte locked the door of her room behind her after they left. When she looked down at herself, she


    realized that her clothes werepletely soaked in sweat.


    She had no choice but to head into the bathroom and wipe herself down before changing into another


    set of clothes...


    At that moment, a loud m sounded as someone banged violently on the front door.


    ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± Mrs. Berry called. When she opened the door to see who it was, she let out a huge


    gasp. ¡°It¡¯s you! What are you doing here again?¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t I be here?¡± It was Amanda¡¯s voice.


    Charlotte hurried to put on her clothes. However, because of her injuries, lifting her hand took a lot of


    effort. She managed to put on her shirt after a long while of struggling.


    ¡°Mam, please leave. We don¡¯t want any trouble around here.¡±


    ¡°Who the hell do you think you are to talk to me like that?¡± Amanda hollered, an arrogant expression


    written all over her face. ¡°Where¡¯s Charlotte? Tell her toe out and speak to me right now.¡±


    ¡°Mam...¡±


    The children dashed out of the kitchen when they heard themotion. Upon seeing Amanda standing


    at the door with fury written all over her face, they yelped, ¡°Who are you? Why did you barge into our


    house, and how dare you behave so impolitely?¡±

 Chapter 77

    Chapter 77


    When she spotted them, Amanda burst intoughter. Rather mockingly, she said, ¡°Oh my, so these are


    the bastard children that Charlotte is raising! They do look a lot like her. I wonder who¡¯s their loser


    father...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the most impolite witch I¡¯ve ever seen,¡± Jamie sneered, seething with rage. He picked up a


    broom and started chasing Amanda with it. ¡°Get out!¡±


    ¡°Get out, get out!


    Fifi pped around the room indignantly, copying the way Jamie had yelled.


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re quite something! Aren¡¯t you, you little beast? How dare you try and hit me with a broom?¡±


    The woman avoided Jamie¡¯s broom deftly and cursed Charlotte out at the same time. ¡°Charlotte Windt,


    you little wench,e out right here now!¡±


    ¡°How uncivilized of you,¡± Robbie said, frowning as he red at Amanda. ¡°Didn¡¯t your parents teach you


    to be polite to other people?¡±


    ¡°I know who she is! She¡¯s Timothy¡¯s grandmother,¡± Ellie pointed usatorily at Amanda and said,


    pouting. Looking rather exasperated, the girl continued, ¡°Please leave now, or we¡¯re going to call the


    police on you.¡±


    Robbie picked up the phone and called the security department immediately. ¡°Hello, is this the security


    department? There¡¯s an evil witch in our house. Pleasee over here and fetch her away


    immediately.¡±


    ¡°You bunch of no-good, fatherless little brats...¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Charlotte had finally changed and emerged from her room. Angrily, she snapped, ¡°Amanda,


    you must think I¡¯m an easy target. This isn¡¯t the first time you¡¯ve shown up to cause trouble at my


    house. Don¡¯t think I won¡¯t have the guts to hit you!¡±


    As she spoke, Charlotte lunged towards the fruit knife on the coffee table...


    ¡°Charlotte! You¡ªyou¡¯ve finally decided toe out, I see,¡± Amanda said with a sneer, although she


    was visibly panicked. ¡°You witch! How dare you swindle your uncle of his money behind my back?


    Return the bank card to me right now!¡±


    That made Charlotte freeze for a moment. The other day, Simon had stuffed a bank card into her hand.


    Before she could even turn him down, he had left.


    That was what Amanda hade looking for her for.


    ¡°Get your facts straight. I didn¡¯t ask him for it¡ªhe was the one who gave it to me,¡± Charlotte said coldly.


    ¡°I would never touch a cent of the White family anyway.¡±


    ¡°Then give the card back to me! Stop pretending to be all high and mighty. If you didn¡¯t want the money,


    you would never have epted the card in the first ce!¡± Amanda yelled loudly. She shot another


    nervous nce at the knife in Charlotte¡¯s hand and backed away a little.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go get it now,¡± Charlotte said, pointing the knife at her. ¡°Get out and wait for me.¡± Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    ¡°Get out!¡± Mrs. Berry shoved Amanda out of the door and mmed it shut behind her.


    ¡°Mommy...¡± The three children ran over and crowded around Charlotte. ¡°Who¡¯s that witch outside our


    door? Why is she so mean?¡±


    ¡°Her parents didn¡¯t teach her to behave properly, so she went off the beaten path,¡± their mother replied,


    squatting down to look her children in the eye. ¡°Don¡¯t waste your breath with this sort of people, or even


    listen to what she has to say. If you see her in the future, run far away!¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± The three children nodded obediently.


    ¡°Alright, run along to the kitchen with Mrs. Berry now.¡±


    Charlotte patted the children on their heads and gave Mrs. Berry a look, silently asking her to look after


    the kids.


    Thetter nodded and ushered the children back into the kitchen.


    Charlotte soon found the bank card in her bedroom and went outside with it to meet Amanda. ¡°Here¡¯s


    your card¡ªtake it and get out of my sight. If youe here and harass my family again, I¡¯ll make you


    regret it.¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡± The other woman took the card from her andughed mockingly. ¡°Make me regret it? How do you


    think you¡¯re going to do that? Look at this lousy house you¡¯re living in. If you can¡¯t even take care of


    your own needs, don¡¯t bother making such nonsensical remarks! Do you think you¡¯re still the rich


    heiress you once were?¡±


    ¡°Are you done?¡± Charlotte snapped, interrupting her. ¡°Yes, I have nothing now. But that¡¯s precisely the


    reason why I have the guts to do whatever I want...¡±


    She suddenly lunged at Amanda with the fruit knife in her hand. Aiming for the woman¡¯s heart,


    Charlotte inched closer and closer to her,ughing her head off as she did...


    ¡°But you¡¯re different, aren¡¯t you? You have all the money and power you could possibly want. Your life


    and your face are probably priceless to you!¡±

 Chapter 78

    Chapter 78


    ¡°What... What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± Amanda was so frightened that she backed up against a


    wall.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Even if I wanted to kill you, I wouldn¡¯t do it right here...¡± Charlotte forced her against the


    wall with the knife. Her eyes narrowing into thin lines, she said icily, ¡°All I wanted to tell you is that the


    poor and downtrodden will never fear those who live in luxury. Don¡¯t force my hand, Amanda, or who


    knows what I might do to you!¡±


    As she spoke, she suddenly thrust the knife...


    ¡°Ahhhh!¡± Amanda let out a blood-curdling scream.


    However, the knife never pierced her skin. Instead, it got lodged in the wooden door behind her.


    The woman had already been scared out of her wits. Taking the bank card from Charlotte, she turned


    and fled immediately...


    Charlotte watched her leave, heaving a long sigh of relief as she did. Just as she was about to enter


    the house, she found Mrs. Berry standing in the doorway, looking at her with tears in her eyes. ¡°Miss,


    I¡¯m so sorry for the trouble...¡±


    The housekeeper felt extremely sorry for Charlotte. Thetter had been coddled her entire childhood,


    with servants always bustling around to attend to her every need. Now, she had to resort to frightening


    an intruder off with a fruit knife to keep her family safe.


    ¡°Mrs. Berry, what¡¯s up with you?¡¯


    Charlotte didn¡¯t care much. All she wanted was to lead a happy, peaceful life with Mrs. Berry and her


    children; she wouldn¡¯t allow anyone to spoil it for her.


    ¡°Mommy, Mommy...¡± Fifi flew out of the house and pped around her head. ¡°Dinnertime, dinnertime.¡±


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    ¡°Ooh, are you hungry, Fifi? Let¡¯s go inside.¡± She put an arm around Mrs. Berry and said amusedly,


    ¡°Mrs. Berry, you must be aging backward into a child again. Why are you crying your eyes out over a


    matter like this?¡±


    ¡°I just feel bad for you, my girl.¡±


    Mrs. Berry sniffed violently and wiped away her tears, hoping that the children wouldn¡¯t find anything


    amiss.


    ¡°Mrs. Berry, Mommy, it¡¯s time for dinner!¡±


    The children quickly helped to set the table, and all of them settled around for a happy meal together.


    Just as Charlotte picked up her chopsticks, she received a notification on her phone: Gigolo In Debt


    has just transferred you eighty thousand.


    Charlotte was overjoyed upon seeing that. Immediately, she picked up her phone and texted him: So


    much money?


    ¡®Gigolo In Debt¡¯ replied: We received a few huge orders.


    She quickly sent another text: Wow, that¡¯s amazing! I thought you werezing your time away these


    past few days.


    I shall be the most hard-working gigolo you¡¯ve ever seen!


    Haha! Look how self-aware you are. I¡¯m proud of your improvement!


    Are you happy because my business has improved?


    Of course. Doesn¡¯t that mean I earn more money? Keep up the good work!


    After that, ¡®Gigolo In Debt¡¯ stopped replying to her messages.


    ¡°Mommy, have a chicken wing.¡± Ellie grabbed a chicken wing with her chubby fingers and ced it on


    Charlotte¡¯s te.


    ¡°Thanks, Ellie.¡± She put away her phone and devoted her attention to having dinner with her kids.


    However, her mind couldn¡¯t stop churning with thoughts. Now that Amanda and Luna had spread the


    news about her children, everyone she knew was bound to hear about sooner orter.


    When that happened, ¡®Gigolo In Debt¡¯ might also find out about it...


    As she thought about this, Charlotte felt a wave of anxiety creeping up on her. She decided to schedule


    a meeting with ¡®Gigolo In Debt¡¯ after her injuries healed¡ªthe sooner they ended their rtionship, the


    better it would be for both of them.


    As for Zachary, she had to find a way to return the chip to him as quickly as she could. She didn¡¯t want


    to see him again either.


    At ten minutes to two the next afternoon, Raina called her punctually on the phone. ¡°Ms. Windt, we¡¯re


    waiting for you at the ce we agreed on yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Got it. I¡¯ming down now!¡±


    After informing Mrs. Berry that she was leaving, Charlotte put on some casual clothes and left the


    house.


    Raina had driven a Rolls-Royce over to pick her up. The entire street was astir¡ªeveryone who walked


    past it on the street stopped for a few seconds to admire its sleek design.


    Charlotte hid her face behind her hands, afraid that people might recognize her.


    ¡°Ms. Windt! Come on in.¡± Raina opened the door for her and ushered her into the car politely.


    When she got into the car, she couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Dr. Langhan, why are you picking me up in this


    car?¡±


    ¡°We are simply following Mr. Nacht¡¯s orders,¡± the woman exined with a bright smile.


    ¡°Oh, alright then,¡± Charlotte replied, feeling a little nonplussed. ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡±


    The car slowly made its way down the street.


    On the opposite street, her three children, who had just gotten off the school bus, were staring after the


    Rolls-Royce, their eyes asrge as saucers.


    Ellie fluttered her long eyshes in confusion. Afraid that she might have seen it wrongly, she asked,


    ¡°Was that really Mommy who got into the car?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I think so,¡± Jamie replied solemnly, rubbing his chin. ¡°She was even wearing that set of grey-


    colored casual clothes that she got on discount at the department store.¡±


    ¡°And those little white shoes!¡± Robbie added in awe. However, a momentter, he said with the serious


    air of an adult, ¡°Alright, we shouldn¡¯t be such busybodies about this. Everyone has their own private


    life, and we should respect Mommy¡¯s privacy.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s National Day today, so the school let us off early. I bet Mrs. Berry has forgotten about this


    completely. Let¡¯s head home by ourselves.¡±


    ¡°Yeah! Let¡¯s go home!¡±

 Chapter 79

    Chapter 79


    Raina brought Charlotte to Princess Consort, a private boutique that was located in the heart of a


    shopping za.


    The woman appeared to have booked the entire ce just for Charlotte. More than ten staff members


    and a team of three internationally recognized makeup artists stood waiting to attend to Charlotte¡¯s


    needs.


    Charlotte was stunned by the grandness of everything. Tugging Raina¡¯s sleeve nervously, she


    whispered, ¡°Don¡¯t you think this is a bit of an overkill?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I have arranged everything for you.¡±


    Raina helped Charlotte into a private room and helped her to clean up her wounds and bandage them.


    Afterward, the former told the makeup artists to start working on thetter.


    Charlotte had a vague memory of experiencing this sort of treatment before. Back in the day, her father


    had hired a professional makeup artist for her. During an important event, she would ring up the


    makeup artist and have here over to do her makeup.


    The makeup artists at Princess Consort, who were now attending to Charlotte, were extremely difficult


    to hire. They would only agree to be hired for someone¡¯s birthday, and even that appointment had to be


    booked six months in advance.


    Today, however, Zachary had booked the entire boutique for her and ordered everyone to attend to her


    and her only.


    This meant that the man¡¯s power and influence stretched much farther than she had imagined.


    Here, she felt even nervier about the whole thing. She shouldn¡¯t get close to men like him¡ªonce she


    offended him, it would be over for her.


    She spent the rest of the time entertaining her nonsensical worries...


    An hour passed. The makeup artists were still crowding around her, touching up her makeup and


    fluffing up her hair. However, she had already dozed off on the sofa.


    The makeup artists exchanged smiles with each other at the sight. They thought she looked rather


    cute.


    ¡°Be a little more gentle, would you? Ms. Windt has injuries on her neck and right shoulder,¡± Raina


    whispered urgently to them.


    ¡°Yes, got it!¡± The makeup artists immediately made sure to make their actions more much gentler.


    Suddenly, one of them let out a gasp. ¡°Oh, Mr. Nacht!¡±


    Raina and the other makeup artists turned around in shock.


    None of them had noticed Zachary when he walked into the boutique, but there he was, standing in a


    corner. He was wearing a ck western suit that elongated his tall body; the dim lights of the boutique


    entuated the sharp edges of his face, reflecting off his eyes and giving one the impression that


    mes were dancing in them.


    He was watching the sleeping woman in the mirror quietly...


    Charlotte had chosen an excellent time to doze off.


    ¡°Good afternoon, Mr. Nacht!¡± Everyone bowed, greeting him frantically.


    Zachary raised his hand, signaling to everyone to remain quiet and not wake Charlotte up.


    Everyone fell silent at once. The makeup artists resumed their job, working as quietly as possible.


    The man walked over and sat down on the ottoman next to the sofa. He rested his elbow on the


    armrest and perched his head on his hands as he gazed at Charlotte, observing her quietly.


    How strange. All these years, he never had a shortage of women who gawked openly at him and threw


    themselves into his arms. However, for some strange reason, it was this woman who had stirred


    something in him...


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    When she mistook him for a gigolo online, he had felt very amused and decided to continue ying


    along with her.


    When she ordered him to entertain rich olddies as a gigolo, he had red up immediately¡ªso much


    so that he wanted to strangle her to death.


    When she tried to trick him out of his money, he had felt rather scornful of her.


    But when he saw her being bullied by Wesley, he hadn¡¯t been able to contain his rage, exploding with


    anger. Consumed with murderous intent, he had decided to put the man to death.


    When he heard that she had been humiliated by the Whites, there was only one thought in his mind¡ª


    to make them pay for what they did by tenfold!


    Hence, he had arranged for this setup tonight.


    Meow...


    Suddenly, a white ragdoll cat strolled out from another room. The sound was loud enough to wake


    Charlotte from her slumber.


    She opened her eyes blearily. Feeling a little dazed, she mumbled, ¡°Is it morning already?¡±


    The makeup artists burst intoughter beside her. Immediately, however, they shot frightened looks at


    Zachary and fell back into silence.


    ¡°Ms. Windt, you¡¯ve been asleep for half an hour,¡± Raina said, smiling. ¡°Your makeup is nearly done.¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± Charlotte finally recalled that Raina had dragged her to a boutique and that she was at Princess


    Consort. She stared at herself in the mirror and let out a gasp of amazement. ¡°Is that really me? I look


    beautiful¡ªAh!¡±


    Before she could even finish speaking, she noticed Zachary gazing at her in the mirror and let out a cry


    of shock.


    He had a ss of wine in one hand, while his head was perched on the other. He looked at her with an


    expression of perfect calm andposure, his facepletely empty of expression. However, his


    eyes were swirling with aplicated mix of emotions...


    She looked really beautiful. It wasn¡¯t the sort of beauty that had been crafted out ofyers of makeup,


    but the sort that seeped naturally out of one¡¯s skin. She looked quite like an angel that had fallen down


    from the heavens...

 Chapter 80

    Chapter 80


    ¡°When did you arrive here? Why didn¡¯t you inform me earlier? You nearly scared me to death!¡±


    Charlotte patted her chest as it heaved up and down. Her heart still felt like it was racing a mile a


    minute.


    Before he could help himself, Zachary¡¯s gaze shifted to her chest. Her breasts, which were creamy-


    white under the dim lighting, looked round and firm... What a lovely sight!


    He waspletely captivated by them. However, the next moment, his brows knitted into a frown, and


    he snapped, ¡°Go and change into another dress!¡±


    ¡°Huh? Why should I?¡±


    She gazed at herself in the mirror. She was wearing a luxury gown that waspletely white in color,


    making her look like as pure as an angel.


    ¡°Yes, sir. I¡¯ll get another dress ready immediately.¡± One of the makeup artists turned and instructed her


    assistant to bring more gowns to the room.


    ¡°Why do I need to change out of this? I think this dress is perfectly fine!¡± Charlotte looked in the mirror


    again. ¡°It looks alright, doesn¡¯t it? It just shows a little cleavage, that¡¯s all...¡±


    Zachary signaled with his hand that everyone should leave; all of them obeyed immediately.


    A few secondster, only he and Charlotte remained in therge room.


    The woman hadn¡¯t realized it yet. She was still seated on the sofa, preening in front of the mirror.


    He got up from his seat and walked towards her. Although he hadn¡¯t done anything yet, she felt her


    skin prickle with a sudden sense of danger. Her head snapped up immediately as she gazed at him.


    ¡°What... What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡±


    She resembled a cat that had been injured as she curled herself up on the sofa and crossed her arms


    over her chest, her eyes full of fear.


    Zachary reached down and gave her chin a little pinch. Lifting her head up so she was looking directly


    into his eyes, he said in a low voice, ¡°Remember this¡ªI¡¯m the only person who can see your body!¡±


    ¡°Um...¡±


    Charlotte felt her heartrate speed up again. A bunch of exmation marks appeared in her mind, but


    she was too afraid to make a sound.


    He ran a thumb over her plush lips, his eyes quivering a little with desire.


    However, she never found out what he was about to do because he released her at that moment and


    called to the person behind the folding screen, ¡°We¡¯re leaving in ten minutes.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    The man then left the room. Instantly, the tension in the room dissipated, and she could finally heave a


    sigh of relief.


    A horde of female staff members crowded around Charlotte as they helped her into her new gown,


    praising her shapely body as they did so.


    She went along with them quietly, all the while trying to calm her beating heart.


    What the devil did Zachary mean by that?


    Has he really fallen in love with me?


    I have to corner him tonight and make sure he knows I have no intention of ever getting together with


    him. When he finds out I have three children, he might strangle me to death...


    After changing into a luxury Hepburn-style ck dress, the makeup artists tied ace ribbon around her


    neck to hide her injuries. After that, they slid a few diamond rings onto her fingers, transforming her into


    a princess instantaneously.


    Charlotte gazed at herself in the mirror. She had never tried this style before, but it seemed to


    complement her features very nicely.


    ¡°Ms. Windt, let¡¯s go! Mr. Nacht is waiting for us outside,¡± Raina said in a soft voice.


    ¡°Oh, right.¡± Charlotte lifted her dress by the hem and walked carefully out of the room.


    Ben, who was standing by the car, gawked when he saw her. He couldn¡¯t shift his eyes from this


    beautiful angel in front of him, much less reconcile her with that lowly security guard at Divine


    Corporation. Were they really the same person?


    ¡°Look at her again, and I¡¯ll gouge your eyes out and feed them to the pigeons,¡± Zachary warned him


    darkly.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Ben quickly shifted his gaze away from Charlotte. He looked down at the floor, too afraid to


    look at her again. ¡°Here, Ms. Windt!¡±


    Raina helped the woman into the car. After that, she removed herself from the scene tactfully and got


    into the car behind them.


    The car finally started to move.


    Zachary and Charlotte were alone in that space.


    The atmosphere started getting a little tense again.


    Since the man refused to speak, Charlotte didn¡¯t dare to open her mouth either. She sat primly and


    quietly in her seat, trying not to move as much as she could.


    However, as she nced at the tter of fruits and snacks that had beenid out before them, she


    couldn¡¯t help but swallow a little.


    She shot a look at him and carefully popped a grape into her mouth.


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    It was nearly six in the evening, so she felt quite peckish.


    He looked at her and shoved the te of cake towards her with a look of contempt on his face. After


    that, he leaned back against his seat and promptly fell asleep.


    Seeing that he was knocked out, she grabbed a slice of cake and stuffed it into her mouth. She was so


    famished that she nearly choked in her attempt to swallow it. After scarfing down the cake, she


    rounded everything off with a long sip from a ss of juice.


    Zachary opened his eyes slightly. As he watched her wolf down the food through the reflection in the


    mirror, his lips curved into a devilish smile.

 Chapter 81

    Chapter 81


    The both of them didn¡¯t exchange a single word throughout the entire journey. Soon, the car finally


    pulled up outside an extravagant vi.


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    Charlotte pressed her nose to the window as they rolled up to the gates. There were all sorts of luxury


    cars parked there, and that was how she knew that the event tonight was going to be a huge one.


    Immediately, she asked, ¡°What sort of event is this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a normal charity g,¡± Zachary replied inly. ¡°Don¡¯t get nervous. Just stay beside me.¡±


    ¡°Why did you choose me toe with you?¡± she asked, feeling rather confused. ¡°I¡¯m just a lowly


    security guard, and there isn¡¯t anything I can do for you...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re full of rubbish, you know that?¡± he interrupted her nastily before he got out of the car.


    She pouted unhappily, following him out of the vehicle. As she did so, she nearly tripped and twisted


    her ankle, but Raina caught her in the nick of time.


    A man in a suit came forward with his assistant to wee them. ¡°Mr. Nacht, the guests have all


    arrived!¡± When he saw Charlotte, he bowed deeply towards her and said respectfully, ¡°Good evening,


    Miss.¡±


    ¡°Good evening,¡± Charlotte replied courteously. She was a little surprised at how respectfully everyone


    was treating her.


    Zachary followed the man into the vi.


    Charlotte struggled to keep up with him in her heels and decided to follow him from a distance away.


    Suddenly, she spotted a white Bentley among the crowd of cars.


    That¡¯s Hector¡¯s car. Is he here tonight, too?


    A few stepster, she spotted a Porsche that definitely belonged to Simon.


    She frowned worriedly. This event sure had a long guest list. As long as Simon was here to attend this


    g, Amanda was sure to be around as well.


    Oh no. Will Amanda tell Zachary about the fact that I¡¯m the mother of three children?


    If I get into an argument with Amanda because of this, I would probably embarrass Zachary to death.


    It spelled nothing but trouble for her...


    As Charlotte¡¯s thoughts wandered further and further, she suddenly bumped into something very tall


    and hard.


    She was so shocked that she jumped a little. Putting her hand up to shield herself, she looked up and


    saw that she had bumped into Zachary, who had been waiting for her in front. However, as she


    struggled with her thoughts, she had walked straight into his rock-solid chest!


    ¡°Why do you look so distracted?¡± he asked, his low voice sounding very enigmatic indeed in the night.


    ¡°No¡ªnothing...¡± Charlotte felt a little panicked. ¡°I¡ªI suddenly feel a little unwell. Why don¡¯t I return


    home first...¡±


    Before she could finish speaking, he grabbed hold of her arm and steered her into the vi.


    She tried to shake herself free, but it was to no avail. Finally, she gave up and let him drag her into the


    house by her hand.


    Feeling the warmth of his hand, her heart beat even faster. She could feel her face turning red.


    His legs were very long, so he sped ahead very quickly. She had to jog in order to keep up. In the end,


    he conceded defeat and slowed down for her, which allowed her to catch her breath for a brief moment.


    The moonlight shone down on the two of them, making the atmosphere extremely romantic.


    When they arrived at the ballroom, the champagne-colored doors swung open. Immediately, they could


    hear the dulcet sounds of a string quartet from inside the room.


    The numerous chandeliers shone down so brightly that she felt momentarily blinded. She quickly shut


    her eyes immediately. At that moment, however, apuse rang out from every corner of the room.


    Zachary pulled her arm around his waist and forced her to walk into the room with him.


    When she finally got used to the light, Charlotte opened her eyes slowly and found a room full of


    people who were smiling respectfully at her.


    She felt as though she had entered into a separate world.


    She thought she had been transported back to her childhood. Back when her father was still alive, her


    family used to throw parties like this once in a while. All of them had been just as grand as this one


    was.


    She had fallen from heaven four years ago and suffered all sorts of earthly trials. The world seemed so


    cold and ghastly to her, and she feared that she would never return to her glorious past again...


    However, the man next to her had bestowed upon her the highest honor again!


    Deep in the crowd of people, Amanda rubbed her eyes and asked Luna, ¡°Are my eyes ying tricks on


    me? That woman next to Mr. Nacht is Charlotte, isn¡¯t she? I think my eyes are failing me.¡±


    ¡°I think my eyes are failing me, too...¡± Luna pushed forward and got a good look at the woman. When


    she saw who Zachary had his arms around, the color drained from her face. ¡°Mom, it¡¯s her! It¡¯s that little


    b¡ª¡±


    ¡°Be quiet!¡± Amanda mped a hand over her daughter¡¯s mouth immediately. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare go


    shooting off your mouth today. If someone overhears you, you¡¯ll get into a lot of trouble.¡±

 Chapter 82

    Chapter 82


    Simon, who was shocked to see Charlotte, asked Hector anxiously, ¡°Hector, w-what¡¯s going on? Why¡¯s


    Charlotte with Mr. Nacht?¡±


    However, thetter was so focused on looking at Charlotte that he did not hear whatever Simon was


    saying.


    There was an unfathomable gaze in the man¡¯s eyes, one that was a mixture of heartache, regret, and a


    sense of impending loss.


    ¡°Hector... ¡° Amanda walked over with Luna and said to the man softly, ¡°Luna and I will be heading back


    first.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± That was what Hector had been hoping for.


    ¡°Everyone, please keep quiet!¡± The emcee announced on stage, ¡°Mr. Nacht, our host, has arrived. I


    shall now dere the start of the charity auction. Everyone, please take your seats!¡±


    All the guests proceeded to sit down in an orderly manner.


    Hector and Simon took their seats while Amanda led Luna towards the exit discreetly. Just then, the


    door was suddenly shut, and the spotlight shone on the two women.


    Caught in the act, both women looked awkward and embarrassed.


    The rest of the guests were all looking at them with contemptuous looks on their faces. Someone even


    asked in a low voice, ¡°Which family do they belong to? Where are their manners?¡±


    ¡°Obviously, they¡¯re just bumpkins. If that¡¯s the case, they should have stayed at home instead of being


    such an embarrassment.¡±


    ¡°Exactly!¡±


    Hector immediately covered his face with his hands, feeling extremely reluctant to let the others know


    that those two women were his family members.


    Simon smiled awkwardly at the other guests as he took quick strides towards Amanda and Luna. ¡°Why


    are you two still standing here? Quick, return to your seats now.¡±


    ¡°We wouldn¡¯t havee if we had known this would happen,¡± Luna mumbled to herself, feeling


    annoyed at the situation.


    ¡°Keep quiet. Isn¡¯t this already embarrassing enough?¡± Amanda had experienced her fair share of ups


    and downs in life, so she was not particrly fazed. She bowed apologetically and said, ¡°My apologies,


    everyone, this girl isn¡¯t feeling well. We wanted to leave quietly to not create any disturbances to the


    event. We did not realize the auction had already started.¡±


    ¡°Mam, we have a lounge where you can rest,¡± a waiter informed Amanda softly.


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    ¡°Oh, she¡¯s fine now. We¡¯re good. Haha... Thanks!¡±


    Amanda dragged her daughter back to their seats, and the both of them sat down soon after, their


    faces flushing.


    Luna noticed that Hector had been staring at Charlotte, who was seated at the front row, all the while.


    In contrast, he did not seem to care about her predicament. She was boiling with anger. Just as she


    was about tosh out at him, Amanda stopped her from doing that.


    ¡°No matter what happens tonight, you must control yourself. Do not let your emotions take over.


    Otherwise, we won¡¯t just be embarrassing ourselves - we¡¯ll be bringing shame to both the Whites and


    the Sterlings. Even worse, you might incur Hector¡¯s wrath, and he might not take you out anymore if


    you get on his bad side.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t ept this,¡± Luna said through gritted teeth. ¡°All Charlotte Windt did was cozy up to a man.


    Who does she think she is... ¡°


    ¡°Rx and stay calm. We don¡¯t know that for a fact yet, so don¡¯t get angry and jump to conclusions!¡±


    Amanda reprimanded Luna while trying to suppress her voice. ¡°Do you think a high and mighty man


    like Mr. Nacht would be interested in a second-hand good? Especially one who has already given birth


    to three children? She¡¯s merely attending an auction with him. That doesn¡¯t mean anything.¡±


    ¡°You have a point,¡± Luna replied as a twinkle suddenly appeared in her eyes. ¡°I bet Mr. Nacht isn¡¯t


    aware of her background yet. I should tell him... ¡°


    ¡°Stop right here!¡± Her mother quickly held her back. ¡°I really wonder how I gave birth to a stupid girl like


    you. Can¡¯t you use your brain a little?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Luna replied indignantly.


    ¡°Are you really asking me that?¡± Amanda frowned. ¡°We¡¯re not supposed to be the ones alerting Mr.


    Nacht to such information. If we do that, he wouldn¡¯t have a good impression of us.¡±


    ¡°What shall we do then?¡± Luna was confused.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have a n.¡±


    Amanda turned to look at the two men beside her. One of them was her husband, while the other was


    her son-inw. Both men had their full attentions on Charlotte - they could not be bothered with her and


    Luna.


    Amanda felt a flicker of irritation at that observation, but she knew that she shouldn¡¯t let her personal


    feelings spoil the grand scheme of things.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just watch the auction quietly first and go with the flow.¡±


    The woman stared at Charlotte¡¯s figure as the corners of her lips curled up into a cold and wicked


    smile.


    ¡°When did Charlotte get so chummy with Mr. Nacht?¡± Simon asked Hector again.


    ¡°She¡¯s working at Divine Corporation and is Mr. Nacht¡¯s employee,¡± thetter answered as he finally


    retracted his gaze. However, he was still feeling bothered. ¡°I¡¯m going to the washroom.¡±


    The man got up and buttoned his suit before casting a stern look at Luna and warning her, ¡°Don¡¯t stir


    up any trouble!¡±


    He stalked off after saying that.

 Chapter 83

    Chapter 83


    ¡°Am I his wife, or is she?¡± Luna¡¯s face turned ashen with anger.


    ¡°Stay calm,¡± Amanda held her daughter¡¯s hand,forting her.


    Meanwhile, Charlotte could not sit still as she was worried that Amanda and Luna would be creating


    trouble for her again.


    At that moment, Zachary gave her hand a light squeeze. It was a subtle action, but it strangely had a


    calming effect on her.


    She turned to look at the man. He was focusing on the stage and did not have any kind of expression


    on his face, but the warmth of his hand set her heart at ease.


    She could feel something tugging at her heartstrings; it was a funny feeling...


    Dinner was served a whileter. That night¡¯s charity auction had a special arrangement where guests


    could dine and participate in the auction at the same time.


    Guests were seated as family units - each table only had guests from the same family.


    Charlotte subconsciously licked her lips when a French dish was served to her table. The small piece


    of cake she had eaten in the car previously had not been enough to make her feel full.


    Zachary took over the cup of red wine from the waiter and raised his ss towards her.


    She raised a toast to him as well and took a sip of the wine while saying casually, ¡°It¡¯s really generous


    of you to serve such fine wine to your guests!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± he cocked his brow and asked, ¡°You know what wine this is?¡±


    ¡°How could I not know?¡± She continued cutting her steak and without looking up, she said, ¡°Aubleener


    nc from S Winery in Arkfield. There¡¯re only 78 barrels in the whole world. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a waste


    to serve such exquisite wine at a function like this?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were familiar with wine,¡± he replied as his lips curled up. ¡°I¡¯ve actually acquired the


    entire batch of Aubleener nc. By right, no one would have tasted it. How did you know?¡±


    ¡°I visited S Winery with my dad eight years ago and tasted it in the wine cer. My dad was intending to


    buy a few barrels of it, but it was a pity that someone snatched all of it before we could buy any. I never


    expected the person to be you.¡±


    Charlotte was feeling slightly emotional as she recalled the past. When her dad was still alive, he had


    brought her along on his travels around the world and taught her a lot...


    ¡°It¡¯s impressive that you remembered it after tasting it just once.¡± Zachary looked at her and asked,


    ¡°What else do you know apart from red wine?¡±


    ¡°Jewelry, oil paintings, piano, fashion design... ¡° Charlotte listed while counting on her fingers. ¡°I know a


    bit of all those. I usually go with the flow when ites to learning new things.¡±


    ¡°Such things are usually picked up by heiresses to impress others,¡± Zacharymented with a slight


    scoff. ¡°It would be useful if there¡¯s in-depth learning of a particr subject matter since that could be


    applied at work, but if it¡¯s superficial knowledge, it¡¯s pretty useless!¡± Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    ¡°Hehe, you¡¯re right about that,¡± Charlotteughed. ¡°That was what I told my dad, but he said that he


    only wanted me to be happy. I could marry a capable man and let him run the family business... ¡°


    Perhaps it was because of the wine, but she thought about her dad a lot that night...


    ¡°You seem to have a really good rtionship with your dad,¡± Zachary looked at her andmented,


    feeling slightly envious at the same time. ¡°Now I know why you¡¯re always so silly. It¡¯s because your dad


    was always pampering you!¡±


    ¡°Well, you sure have hit the nail on the head!¡± Charlotte smiled embarrassingly. ¡°I¡¯ve always been


    pampered by my dad, so I¡¯ve never experienced the vicissitudes of life. Never would I have expected


    the greatest tribtion of my life to be... ¡°


    Her expression darkened as she spoke. If she had been slightly smarter four years ago and was not


    easily influenced by Luna, she would not have made such a grave mistake...


    If she had shown more concern for her dad and understood the situation of thepany, she might


    have been able to prevent that tragedy from happening...


    ¡°The business arena is just like a battlefield - it can be very unpredictable.¡±


    The man had heard a little about her family matters and knew that she was likely referring to her dad¡¯s


    bankruptcy and suicide four years ago, which resulted in her losing everything she had.


    ¡°Until now, I¡¯m still not able to figure out why my dad¡¯spany had suddenly run into problems.


    Everything was going well...¡± Charlotte could not wrap her head around it. ¡°Besides, my dad was a


    strong and positive person. Even if thepany had problems, it¡¯s not like him to choose death as the


    way out. I had a feeling things were not as simple as it seemed to be... ¡°


    ¡°What¡¯s the name of your dad¡¯spany?¡± Zachary asked while swirling his wine ss.


    ¡°Windt Real Estate Corporation. In short, Windt Corporation,¡± she answered.


    Zachary suddenly froze when he heard that name. An unfathomable glint shed in his eyes. However,


    he recovered very quickly and looked down at his ss, continuing to taste his wine gracefully...

 Chapter 84

    Chapter 84


    Just as Charlotte wanted to share more about Windt Corporation, she suddenly received a text on her


    phone. Hector here. I¡¯ll be waiting for you at the parlor!


    When she saw the message, her heart skipped a beat.


    How did Hector get my number? He even messaged me... Could someone who¡¯s pretending to be


    Hector trying to lure me over?


    Charlotte turned around and looked at where the Sterlings were seated at. Simon, Amanda, and Luna


    were dining at the table, but Hector wasn¡¯t there.


    The number from which the text had been sent was indeed Hector¡¯s. He was still using the same


    number from before, so Charlotte was rather certain that it was really him who had texted her.


    However, she did not wish to be involved with him again.


    As such, she replied: You can text me if there¡¯s anything you want to say. It¡¯s not appropriate for us to


    meet in private.


    A reply came shortly after: I need to talk to you face to face. I only need five minutes of your time. Take


    the exit on your right - you¡¯ll be able to see me there. I won¡¯t leave until youe!


    Charlotte felt conflicted when she saw that message. It reminded her of an argument she had with


    Hector years back. He had said the same thing - that he would wait for her outside her house and


    would not leave until he saw her.


    Back then, she had refused to see him out of spite. It had poured heavily at night. She had assumed


    that he would have left, but he had waited in the rain the entire night. Because of that, he ran a high


    fever the next day which developed into pneumonia. He was even hospitalized for one whole month.


    Charlotte felt uneasy as those memories surfaced in her mind. She put down her utensils and said to


    Zachary, ¡°I need to go to the restroom.¡±


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    ¡°Sure,¡± the man replied, darting a nce at the woman¡¯s phone. A frosty glint shed in his eyes, and


    an indecipherable expression appeared on his face simultaneously.


    Raina helped Charlotte out of her seat.


    After exiting from the right side of the hall, thetter saw Hector immediately. He was smoking at the


    end of the corridor and his lonely figure seemed deste.


    Noticing that Raina was with Charlotte, Hector looked down and walked into the restroom next to him.


    ¡°You can wait for me here,¡± Charlotte said to Raina.


    ¡°Sure,¡± the woman replied and stood outside the restroom.


    Charlotte entered thedies¡¯ and was about to text Hector when she saw a white figure sh past in the


    mirror. One secondter, someone hugged her tightly from the back...


    ¡°Ah!¡± Charlotte jumped and let out a shriek before trying desperately to struggle out of Hector¡¯s


    embrace. ¡°Let go!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve checked and ensured that there¡¯s no one else around,¡± the man said in a whisper and


    tried to hug the woman again.


    However, she retreated a few steps instinctively and crossed her arms in front of her chest in a


    defensive stance. ¡°Mr. Sterling, please have some self-respect!¡±


    ¡°Charlotte, why are you so guarded against me?¡± He was feeling pained. ¡°Could it be that you¡¯ve really


    gotten together with Zachary Nacht?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s none of your business,¡± she replied with a frown. ¡°Please remember that you are a married man


    now.¡±


    ¡°I regret it so much... ¡° The man downcast his eyes, feeling frustrated. ¡°What happened back then was


    a mistake. It¡¯s my fault for not protecting you well. Please give me another chance. Let¡¯s start anew.¡±


    ¡°Do you even know what you¡¯re saying?¡± She widened her eyes in shock as she could hardly believe


    the words that had juste out of Hector¡¯s mouth...


    Even though what happened back then had indeed been a mistake, no matter what, it was a fact that


    he had already be someone else¡¯s husband and should be acting appropriately.


    In fact, Charlotte was extremely disappointed with Hector¡¯s behavior.


    ¡°Charlotte... ¡°


    ¡°Mr. Sterling,¡± she interrupted the man before carrying on in a stern voice, ¡°Did you call me out just to


    say all these?¡±


    ¡°Why are you so cold towards me?¡± He was unable to ept the way she was treating him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be associated with a married man.¡± The crease between her brows deepened, and she


    said, ¡°I shall get going if there¡¯s nothing else.¡±


    The woman then turned and walked away after finishing her sentence...


    ¡°You will definitely regret it if you get together with Zachary Nacht!¡± Hector suddenly eximed.


    Charlotte stopped in her tracks and turned around. ¡°Why do you say so?¡±


    ¡°Because... ¡° Just when Hector was about to exin, a woman¡¯s voice sounded outside. ¡°Why can¡¯t we


    go inside? I¡¯m looking for my husband.¡±


    It was Luna.

 Chapter 85

    Chapter 85


    ¡°This is thedies¡¯. Why would your husband be in there?¡± Raina replied politely.


    ¡°Since it¡¯s thedies¡¯ room, why am I not allowed to enter?¡± Luna threw the question back to Raina.


    ¡°Ms. Windt is injured and should not be disturbed. You can go in once shees out.¡±


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Raina did not want to let Amanda and Luna in for fear that they would pick on Charlotte, so she blocked


    them from entering the washroom.


    ¡°Luna, let¡¯s head back first. We shouldn¡¯t be kicking up a fuss at an event like this... ¡°


    Amanda tried to persuade her daughter to let it slide, but her words fell on deaf ears. Once Luna knew


    that Charlotte was inside the toilet as well, she grew even more agitated...


    ¡°I knew it! That slut Charlotte is trying to seduce my darling again.¡± Luna tried to barge in as she yelled,


    ¡°Get out of my way!¡±


    ¡°Please respect yourself!¡± Raina shot a sharp and cold nce at the hysteric woman.


    ¡°A servant like you does not have any right to speak to me,¡± Luna said in an arrogant tone as she


    extended her hand, intending to push Raina away.


    However, Raina caught her hand swiftly and pushed her away instead.


    The woman staggered and almost fell onto the ground.


    Luckily, Amanda held on to Luna in time, preventing her from falling.


    But thetter ended up spraining her ankle, and her face went pale. Furious, she yelled, ¡°You b*tch!


    How dare you push me? Do you know who my husband is?¡±


    ¡°Why would I care who your husband is? If you carry on raising a ruckus here, don¡¯t me me for


    being harsh,¡± Raina bellowed.


    ¡°Who exactly are you? What an arrogant b*tch!¡±


    Amanda could not help but feel agitated as well upon seeing how her daughter was injured. She


    dashed forward, about to strike Raina.


    Thetter narrowed her eyes dangerously as she prepared herself to make a move to defend herself...


    ¡°Stop it!¡± someone yelled.


    Amanda and Luna stopped their actions abruptly. Just then, Hector walked out of the gents and


    frowned at his wife. ¡°What trouble are you stirring again?¡±


    ¡°Hector, are you having a rendezvous with Charlotte... ¡°


    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about such matter first,¡± Amanda interrupted her and pointed at Raina. ¡°Hector, this


    woman tried to hit Luna just now!¡±


    Hector turned to look at Raina but did not chide her for anything. Instead, he bowed and apologized,


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Dr. Langhan. My wife was being rude.¡±


    Amanda and Luna were shocked by Hector¡¯s gesture as they did not expect the man to respond in


    such a manner.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for such things, Mr. Sterling.¡± Raina smiled politely and replied, ¡°It¡¯s best not to create


    any unwanted attention at the auction venue. It wouldn¡¯t be pleasant if Mr. Nacht gets upset by it.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Hector, why are you... ¡°


    ¡°Keep quiet,¡± The man cut Luna off and lowered his voice as he reprimanded her, ¡°Why did you pick a


    fight with her when you know that she¡¯s working for Mr. Nacht?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s just a servant... ¡° Luna felt immensely insulted and was so upset that she burst out in tears. ¡°Am


    I worse than a servant of Mr. Nacht?¡±


    ¡°You are.¡±


    An arrogant voice suddenly sounded, and the atmosphere turned so chilling that it felt as if the


    temperature had dropped a few degrees.


    When Luna looked up and saw Zachary, she felt instantly threatened by hismanding aura. Feeling


    flustered, she curled up into her mother¡¯s arms and held her breath.


    Amanda was also feeling very nervous as she hugged her daughter while retreating behind Hector.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht,¡± Raina bowed, greeting Zachary respectfully.


    The man beckoned her to look behind by pointing with his chin.


    Raina turned around and realized that Charlotte had alreadye out from thedies¡¯ and was


    witnessing the scene by the door.


    The doctor quickly stepped towards the woman and supported her.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry that my wife has disturbed you, Mr. Nacht. When we go back, I¡¯ll definitely teach her...


    some proper manners.¡±


    When Hector was in the midst of apologizing, Raina and Charlotte approached Zachary¡¯s side.


    Hector paused for a moment while he looked at Charlotte with a mixture of emotions stirring in his


    eyes, but very quickly, he diverted his gaze.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, it was a misunderstanding just now. We all had a misunderstanding,¡± Reading the situation


    well, Amanda immediately rified with a smile, ¡°We didn¡¯t know that this... ¡° She pointed at Raina


    before continuing, dy works for you.¡±


    The next instant, Amanda lowered her head towards Raina and apologized. ¡°Dr. Langhan, we¡¯re so


    sorry. We offended you without knowing who you are. Please ept my sincere apologies!¡±


    ¡°Mom... ¡° Luna was trembling with rage.


    Seeing Amanda lower herself to apologize in such a situation, Charlotte couldn¡¯t help but apud the


    woman silently in her heart. This woman sure knows when to give in. With this quality, it wouldn¡¯t be a


    surprise if she manages to achieve great things!

 Chapter 86

    Chapter 86


    ¡°You guys should be apologizing to Ms. Windt instead,¡± Raina stated coldly.


    Amanda¡¯s expression turned grim when she heard that; she was extremely reluctant to apologize to


    Charlotte.


    However, after noticing Hector¡¯s silence and Zachary¡¯s domineering aura that reminded her of Hades,


    she had no choice but to bite the bullet and apologize. ¡°Charlotte, I¡¯m sorry for... ¡°


    ¡°Mom, don¡¯t apologize to her,¡± Luna quickly interrupted her while pointing at Charlotte. She then said in


    an agitated manner, ¡°Mr. Nacht, there¡¯s something you might not be aware of. Don¡¯t be deceived by this


    woman¡¯s innocent looks. She¡¯s in fact a slut who drove her dad to his grave after hooking up with a


    gigolo at a nightclub four years ago. She even gave birth to that gigolo¡¯s... ¡°


    Charlotte was startled and was about to stop her...


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Hector growled anxiously.


    At the same time, a hard pnded on Luna¡¯s face. It wasn¡¯t Hector who had hit her, but Amanda


    instead.


    With one hand covering the side of her face that was hit, the woman looked at her mom incredulously.


    ¡°Mom, you... why did you p me?¡±


    Hector was shocked by Amanda¡¯s actions as well. He knew she had all along been extremely


    protective of Luna and pampered her with no boundaries. Why would she p her?


    Charlotte sneered when she saw that, realizing that she had really underestimated Amanda...


    What a smart woman! She knows how to read a situation urately and act ordingly without


    reservations!


    ¡°Behave yourself in front of Mr. Nacht!¡± Amanda chided Luna and turned towards Zachary while bowing


    deeply to him. ¡°Mr. Nacht, we¡¯re really so sorry for spoiling your good spirits today. Please don¡¯t take it


    to heart and forgive us for our wrongdoings!¡±


    Without sparing her a nce, Zachary held Charlotte¡¯s hand and turned to leave...


    Hector had aplicated and indescribable gaze in his eyes as he looked at Zachary and Charlotte


    walking away hand in hand.


    He swiftly collected his thoughts and frowned at Amanda, saying, ¡°Mom, I¡¯ll get Owen to send the two


    of you back.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t do. The auction just started. How can we leave now?¡± Amanda smiled and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t


    you go in first? I¡¯ll talk to Luna andfort her first. We won¡¯t take long.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Not wanting to waste his time and his breath of them, Hector left hurriedly.


    ¡°Hector... ¡° Luna wanted to grab her husband¡¯s arms, but her mother held her back. ¡°Stop your


    tantrums and listen to me.¡±


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Mom, why? Just why?¡± Luna was furious and trembling all over. ¡°Why are you behaving like that?¡±


    ¡°Silly girl... ¡° Amanda hugged her daughter affectionately, feeling bad for the p a while back. ¡°Mom


    did such a thing for you. Think about it. What do you think the consequences would be if you had


    exposed Charlotte in front of so many people?¡±


    ¡°What consequences would there be?¡± Luna was unable to understand as she carried on, ¡°Charlotte is


    hiding the fact that she¡¯s already a mom from Mr. Nacht. After we tell him about it, he will teach her a


    good lesson and chase her away. I¡¯m sure he will not want to have any further associations with her


    after that. He¡¯ll be thanking us for it. What other consequences could there possibly be?¡±


    ¡°Why are you so dumb... ¡° Amanda could not help but feel extremely disappointed with her daughter.


    ¡°All men value their pride, especially a distinguished man like Zachary Nacht! If you expose Charlotte in


    front of so many of us, it¡¯s as good as telling everyone that Zachary Nacht is a bad judge of character,


    which is a clear p to his face!¡±


    After hearing her mom¡¯s exnation, Luna fell into a daze. Well, that seems to make some sense...


    ¡°By then, Charlotte would not be the only one who¡¯s in trouble. The both of us; even the Sterlings and


    the Whites might be implicated,¡± Amanda borated urgently.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard a long time back that Zachary Nacht is like Hades in the business arena. As long as he¡¯s


    determined to crush apany, nopany would be able to survive the next day! Besides, he¡¯s


    known for his ruthlessness and unforgiving ways. So, remember to never get onto his bad side.¡±


    ¡°Fine, I know... ¡° Her daughter pursed her lips and felt indignant. ¡°Even if that¡¯s the case, you didn¡¯t


    have to p me. You could have just told me to keep quiet.¡±


    ¡°If I didn¡¯t do that, Hector would have done that himself.¡± Amanda frowned and continued, ¡°A p from


    him would be way more painful than what you received from me.¡±

 Chapter 87

    Chapter 87


    Amanda¡¯s words upset Luna even more, and the woman started crying while burying her face in her


    hands. ¡°Hector doesn¡¯t love me at all. he only has eyes for Charlotte. He does not have any real


    feelings for me... ¡°


    ¡°Alright, hush, hush, stop crying... ¡° Amanda embraced her daughter with her heart aching. ¡°Silly girl, I


    will definitely stand up for you when the opportunity arises. Let¡¯s go to the lounge to check if you¡¯re


    hurt.¡±


    Meanwhile, the auction was about to begin. Loud music was being sted in the venue.


    ¡°I feel like heading home,¡± Charlotte told Zachary. However, thetter did not hear her.


    So, she leaned in closer to his ear and repeated herself, ¡°Mr. Nacht, I feel like heading back first.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still early,¡± Zachary put his arms around the woman¡¯s slender waist and pulled her into his arms. He


    brushed his cold and thin lips against her cheeks and whispered into her ears, ¡°Was it fun to hook up


    with a gigolo? Huh?¡±


    ¡°Pfft!¡± Charlotte was speechless and flustered by his question. She panicked even more when she met


    his wicked gaze and tried to exin, ¡°Actually, what happened back then was... ¡°


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t the first time someone told me about such a matter,¡± Zachary said in a seductive whisper


    as he bit her earlobes yfully. ¡°It seems like you¡¯re famous for hooking up with gigolos.¡±


    A numbing tingle ran across Charlotte¡¯s body; she felt as if she was being electrocuted.


    She shuddered. Her heart was thumping so fast that she thought it was going to explode out of her


    chest. She hurriedly distanced herself from him as she shifted a little to the side.


    Zachary couldn¡¯t help but smile faintly upon seeing how flustered the woman was.


    A woman¡¯s sensitivity represented either her passion or purity. No matter which one it was, he was


    equally happy!


    Hector was observing their interactions from a distance. He could feel his heart tightening, and his


    tightly clenched fists were trembling...


    At that moment, he had an impulse to charge over and snatch Charlotte away.


    ¡°Hector, where¡¯s Luna and your mom?¡± Simon asked, interrupting the man¡¯s thoughts.


    ¡°They¡¯re resting at the lounge,¡± Hector replied with a frown.


    ¡°What happened just now? You don¡¯t look too good,¡± the man probed further.


    ¡°Can you ask them yourself and stop bothering me?¡±


    Simon was taken aback by that reply. Over the years, Hector had always gentlemanly, polite, and well-


    mannered. He had never shown his temper, and even if there were problems, he wouldmunicate


    his thoughts rationally. What¡¯s wrong with him today? Simon wondered.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry... ¡° Hector apologized as he realized that he had lost hisposure. ¡°Dad, I¡¯m sorry for


    letting my emotions get the better of me.¡±


    ¡°No worries, it¡¯s fine.¡± Simon smiled. ¡°I know how tormenting it can be handling those two women. Even


    I¡¯m not able to stand them sometimes. Don¡¯t be angry, yeah? I¡¯ll go look for them to make sure they


    don¡¯t stir up any trouble again.¡±


    Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, I shall now officially announce the beginning of bidding for tonight¡¯s charity


    auction.¡±


    With the emcee¡¯s announcement, a tform was elevated from the center of the stage.


    A ruby ne, which was ced on the crystal table, dazzled under the bright spotlight.


    ¡°Mom, I want that.¡± Luna saw the ne the moment she returned to the banquet hall and


    immediately took a liking to it.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be in a hurry,¡± Amanda said softly. ¡°Seven jewelry items that will be auctioned tonight. Every


    single one of them is a prized treasure of F Nation¡¯s royalty and extremely expensive. Besides, given


    the rarity of these items, their closing bids would definitely be at exorbitant prices... ¡°


    ¡°So what if they are exorbitantly priced? It¡¯s not as if my darling is not able to afford it.¡±


    Luna limped towards the Sterlings¡¯ table with her sprained ankle and deliberately extended her foot in


    front of Hector. She began to choke on her words as sheined, ¡°You don¡¯t even care about me


    even though I¡¯m injured. Even Timothy would know how to show concern for his mom.¡±


    At that remark, Hector frowned. Even though he really wanted to ignore Luna, his heart softened after


    she brought up their son. So, he said, ¡°Which do you want? I¡¯ll buy it for you.¡±


    ¡°I want that ruby ne.¡± Luna pointed at the stage.


    ¡°The starting bid would be ten million, and each bid increment needs to be at least a million,¡± the


    emcee announced.


    ¡°Do you like that?¡± Zachary leaned towards Charlotte¡¯s ear and asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s not bad.¡±


    That ruby ne reminded the woman of her father.


    She had been penniless after her dad passed away, and as ast resort, she had sold the sapphire


    ne her dad had given. It looked somewhat simr to the ruby ne.

 Chapter 88

    Chapter 88


    ¡°Ten million, Mr. Sterling ced his bid for ten million... ¡° The emcee announced.


    ¡°Eleven million, Mr. Cole has ced a bid for eleven million.¡±


    ¡°Thirteen million, Mr. Ziegler has ced a bid for thirteen million... ¡°


    Charlotte turned around and looked at the guests. The bidding situation was intense; all the


    businessmen present were actively cing their bids.


    Even though there was a distance between her and the gemstones, Charlotte could tell that they were


    highly valuable...


    ¡°Do these belong to F Nation¡¯s royalty?¡±


    Even though she was not an expert, she could still recognize the authenticity of those gems.


    ¡°How were you able to tell?¡± Zachary asked.


    ¡°From the magnified images on the screen, we can see that the tinum engravings on the sides of the


    gemstones are symbolic of F Nation¡¯s royalty... ¡° She examined in detail as she borated, ¡°Judging by


    the handiwork, it should be crafted by a craftsman from F Nation¡¯s royalty during ancient times. As


    such, I¡¯m quite sure that these jewelry are prized treasures of F Nation¡¯s royalty.¡±


    ¡°Well, it seems like you¡¯re not that ignorant after all,¡± the man praised the woman with a look of


    admiration in his eyes.


    ¡°I know a little about it mainly because this ne looks very much like the one I had sold off,¡±


    Charlotte sighed. ¡°It feels like they are from the same collection. It¡¯s just that mine is a sapphire


    ne instead of a ruby ne... ¡°


    ¡°Are you talking about the ¡®Heart of the Ocean¡¯?¡± Zachary looked slightly startled.


    ¡°Yes, it was called the Heart of the Ocean,¡± Charlotte nodded. ¡°You¡¯ve heard of it?¡±


    ¡°How did you have that ne?¡±


    ¡°My dad gave it to me. He might have gotten it from an overseas auction,¡± she replied casually. ¡°I sold it


    for one million and two hundred thousand four years back when I was down and out because I ran out


    of options!¡±


    Zachary was speechless when he heard that.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Charlotte pressed on.


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    Ignoring her, Zachary signaled to Ben, who was seated next to him. Immediately after, thetter raised


    his bidding paddle and shouted, ¡°Thirty million!¡±


    Suddenly, the atmosphere in the hall grew tense. When the rest of the guests saw that Zachary was


    also interested in the item, they did not dare raise the bid any further.


    ¡°You¡¯re the host. Is it appropriate for you to do this?¡± Charlotte leaned in closer to Zachary¡¯s ear and


    asked, ¡°Who else would dare to up the bid after you raised your paddle?¡±


    He rolled his eyes at her and made a hand gesture.


    The emcee said cheerfully, ¡°Everyone, there¡¯s no need to be so tensed up. Mr. Nacht is just joining in


    the fun. Please feel free to raise the bid if you really like the item. No matter what the oue of


    tonight¡¯s auction is, it will definitely not affect your business rtions.¡±


    Even though the emcee had given his reassurance, no one dared to make any further move.


    That was until the Sterlings¡¯ bidding paddle was raised...


    ¡°Thirty-one million!¡± Luna announced her bid personally.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Amanda immediately pulled her daughter towards her seat. ¡°Are you crazy?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve already said that the auction would not affect business... ¡° the woman pouted and continued,


    ¡°I really like that ne. It matches my ck evening dress very well.¡±


    ¡°But... ¡°


    ¡°Mom,¡± Hector interrupted Amanda and said softly, ¡°Since Luna likes it, let her bid for it.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Thetter could hardly believe her ears. That was one of the rare asions where Hector had


    shown any support for Luna.


    ¡°I knew it! My darling is the best!¡± Luna beamed and gave her husband a peck on his cheeks.


    Simon frowned. He was very well aware that Hector was doing that for the sake of his dignity and pride


    as a man.


    Charlotte turned around instinctively after hearing the Sterlings¡¯ bid and met Hector¡¯s unfathomable


    gaze.


    A surge of emotions rose within Hector as he looked at her. He would be willing to spend thirty-one


    million just for her to take one nce at him...


    ¡°What¡¯s that b*tch looking at?¡± Luna stared at Charlotte.


    Thetter retracted her gaze and just when she was about to tell Zachary to stop bidding, Ben


    suddenly raised his paddle and eximed, ¡°One hundred million!¡±


    ¡°Wow... ¡° Everyone gasped in shock.


    The rest of the guests were all stunned. Such a deration was expected of Zachary Nacht indeed.


    Once the man had his mind set on something, other people would not stand a chance.


    As such, even if Hector had a hundred million, he did not dare to up the bid any further.

 Chapter 89

    Chapter 89


    ¡°Is he crazy? One hundred million for one ne?¡± Amanda was dumbstruck.


    ¡°What¡¯s the big deal about one hundred million? My darling can afford that as well,¡± Luna scoffed as


    she raised her bidding paddle again.


    ¡°Put it down... ¡° Simon swiftly pulled her hand down and said, ¡°Are you trying to ruin Hector?¡±


    ¡°Dad, what are you doing... ¡°


    ¡°Listen to your dad. Don¡¯t do anything stupid,¡± Amanda reprimanded.


    Even though Luna was outraged, she had no choice but to ept her fate.


    ¡°One hundred million going once, one hundred million going twice... ¡°


    ¡°Are you mad? You¡¯re paying one hundred million for one ne?¡± Charlotte lowered her voice,


    hardly able to calm down. ¡°Don¡¯t you find it a waste of money?¡±


    ¡°Money is just a number.¡± The man remained unmoved.


    ¡°But... ¡°


    ¡°And the ruby ne is sold at one hundred million!¡± The emcee banged the lectern to end the


    bidding.


    A concierge dressed in an evening gown delivered the ruby ne cautiously from the stage to


    Zachary.


    The man took over the ne and handed it to Charlotte at once. ¡°This is for you!¡±


    She was shocked. He purchased the ruby ne at one hundred million, and he¡¯s giving it to me?


    Is he sure about this?


    There was an uproar among the guests. Most of them were engaged in hushed discussions with their


    families, trying to figure out Charlotte¡¯s identity. They were wondering which rich or influential family the


    woman was from to be chosen by Zachary.


    Most of the guests present did not know who she was, except for three of them.


    Those three people did not dare to make a sound while they turned to look at Amanda, who shot them


    a look, beckoning them to expose Charlotte¡¯s real identity.


    Two of the three guests were hesitant to do that. The other woman was Mary, the wife of Thomas, a


    distant rtive of the Windt family.


    Previously, Thomas had tried to lecture Charlotte at the Whites¡¯ residences but had been retaliated by


    the woman. Thomas and Mary still had not gotten over it yet.


    When Thomas saw Charlotte entering the auction hall earlier that night, he cursed a little under his


    breath before finding an excuse to smoke backstage.


    As such, Mary was left alone in her seat. Initially, she was not keen to stir up any trouble, but Amanda


    rang her cell and kept repeating what had happened at the Whites¡¯ residences that day. All the while


    emphasizing how Charlotte had disrespected them.


    In addition, Amanda had also said, ¡°Mr. Nacht is still kept in the dark. He¡¯spletely oblivious to the


    kind of woman Charlotte is. I¡¯m sure Mr. Nacht will be very appreciative of whoever exposes her now...


    ¡°


    With that thought in mind, Mary stood up and started walking towards the front row...


    Amanda knew that her ploy had seeded when she saw the woman approaching Zachary. The


    corners of her lips curled up into a smug sneer.


    ¡°Mom, what¡¯s Mary doing?¡± Luna tugged at Amanda¡¯s sleeves and asked, ¡°Is she intending to... ¡°


    ¡°Shh!¡± Amanda immediately covered her daughter¡¯s mouth with her hands to stop her from talking. She


    gritted her teeth and growled, ¡°Shut your mouth!¡±


    ¡°Mm, Mm!¡± Luna nodded continuously, unable to hide the excitement in her eyes.


    ¡°What are you two plotting again?¡± A crease appeared between Simon¡¯s brows.


    Hector had also noticed the mother-daughter pair behaving strangely but chose not to ask anything. He


    just wanted to look at Charlotte quietly.


    The woman was currently at the center of everyone¡¯s attention, looking just like a shining star.


    It was the dream of countless heiresses to win the favor of Zachary, to marry into the Nacht family and


    be his woman!


    No doubt, that was the greatest aplishment of Charlotte¡¯s life...


    Media was usually not invited to any of Zachary¡¯s functions - there was usually a rule to ban the


    distribution of any photos taken. If that were not the case, that night¡¯s event would have definitely been


    the hottest topic in town.


    Charlotte¡¯s mind was in a state of chaos as she stared at the ruby ne that was worth one


    hundred million.


    She kept crossing and uncrossing her arms in front of her chest, and her breathing became quick and


    uneasy, apanied by an increase in her heart rate...


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Do you want it or not?¡± Zachary frowned, looking impatient. ¡°I¡¯m going to throw it away if you¡¯re not


    taking it!¡±


    As the man spoke, he pretended as though he was about to toss the ruby ne away...


    ¡°I want it! I want it!¡±


    She snatched the ne from him anxiously, and due to her state of panic, she lost her bnce and


    fell into his arms.


    He smiled and whispered into her ears in an intimate manner, ¡°I like that you¡¯re behaving so


    enthusiastically.¡±


    ¡°I... I didn¡¯t fall on purpose... ¡°


    She turned red from her cheeks to the tip of her ears as she spoke, but her voice was drowned out by


    the round of apuse which erupted from the guests.

 Chapter 90

    Chapter 90


    ¡°I have something to tell Mr. Nacht. Let me go over!¡± A voice suddenly sounded, disrupting their


    romantic moment.


    Charlotte looked up from Zachary¡¯s arms and saw a familiar face.


    Isn¡¯t she Thomas¡¯ wife, Mary?


    Her heart did a double somersault as she anxiety rose within her instantly. Thomas and Mary were


    rather ignorant and easily influenced. As such, she could easily guess that Amanda must have


    instigated the woman toe over and expose her...


    ¡°You need to make an appointment with Mr. Nacht¡¯s secretary to speak to him.¡± The bodyguard


    stopped Mary expressionlessly and stated, ¡°Please leave now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not here to discuss business matters with Mr. Nacht. I¡¯m here to tell him a secret... ¡° Mary panicked


    and started yelling over the heads of the guests, ¡°Mr. Nacht, Mr. Nacht! You have been deceived. This


    woman, Charlotte Windt, is not as innocent as she seems. She has a tainted reputation and... ¡°


    ¡°Take her away,¡± Zacharymanded coldly.


    ¡°Understood.¡± The bodyguard covered Mary¡¯s mouth immediately and dragged her away.


    The woman whimpered as she struggled to speak but was knocked unconscious by the bodyguard


    before being dragged away like a dead dog.


    It was pin-drop silence in the auction hall after that.


    The rest of the guests were all terrified - no one dared to make a sound.


    After Thomas heard themotion, he hurried back to join the crowd and was shocked when he saw


    what had happened.


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    Just when he was about to inquire about the situation, Simon held him back forcefully and said, ¡°You


    shouldn¡¯t associate yourself with the situation right now. Otherwise, thepany might be implicated.¡±


    ¡°But, my wife... ¡°


    ¡°Nothing will happen to her,¡± Simon reassured. ¡°When you pick her upter, say that you didn¡¯t know


    anything about what she was nning and scold your wife. They will at most give you a verbal warning


    and won¡¯t make things any harder for you.¡±


    ¡°Alright then... ¡° Thomas answered while pulling a long face. ¡°But what on Earth happened? How did


    my wife offend Mr. Nacht?¡±


    ¡°Maybe she couldn¡¯t stand that b*tch Charlotte and wanted to stand up for you.¡± Amanda pretended to


    be fuming over the situation as she continued, ¡°Oh dear, now that Charlotte has such a strong backing,


    we can¡¯t afford to offend her anymore. It¡¯s so unfortunate that your wife has to suffer because of that


    b*tch!¡±


    ¡°Keep yourments to yourself,¡± Simon growled.


    Amanda red at her husband while fanning herself with her handkerchief. Sighing continuously, she


    headed back to her seat...


    ¡°Mom, how did it go? Did Mary manage to tell him?¡± Luna asked immediately.


    ¡°She was dragged away before she got to say anything.¡± Amanda put a hand to her chest. Just thinking


    about what happened sent a shiver down her spine. ¡°It seems like that b*tch, Charlotte, is very


    important to Mr. Nacht. Looks like we¡¯ve underestimated her. Luckily, we didn¡¯t do that ourselves.


    Otherwise, we would be the ones suffering right now.¡±


    ¡°She got lucky to be favored by Mr. Nacht. Let¡¯s see how long she canst.¡± Luna was boiling with


    anger. ¡°He¡¯ll get sick of her sooner orter!¡±


    ¡°Stop talking about it for now. We should head home first. Judging by the situation tonight, I have got a


    feeling that something else might happen... ¡°


    Just when Amanda and Luna were about to leave, the emcee suddenly announced that they would be


    continuing with the second round of auction.


    The second item was a pink diamond ring. Even though it was only a twelve-carat diamond, natural


    pink diamonds were extremely rare. In addition, the diamond had been embedded wlessly into the


    ring.


    Besides, there was a special significance behind that pink diamond ring. It had a history of 99 years


    and had three previous owners altogether. Each owner had experienced a beautiful love story.


    As such, that ring signified perfect love and was named ¡°Beloved!¡±


    ¡°I want it.¡± Luna could not take her eyes off that pink diamond ring. At once, she tugged at Hector¡¯s


    arm, requesting in a coquettish manner, ¡°Hector, buy that for me please.¡±


    ¡°You can call for the bid yourself.¡± The man had lost interest in the auction and was intending to leave.


    ¡°Owen will be staying and making paymentter. I just need you to keep one thing in mind. No matter


    what you do, don¡¯t offend Mr. Nacht!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, I understand.¡± Luna nodded eagerly and added, ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    After Hector gave some orders to his subordinate, he stood up and left.


    ¡°Luna, listen to mom. Don¡¯t buy that.¡± Amanda tried to cajole her daughter into leaving as well. ¡°So


    much has happened tonight. We should y it safe and leave before anything else bad happens... ¡°

 Chapter 91

    Chapter 91


    ¡°It¡¯s exactly because the night has been so eventful that I should treat myself to a present for having a


    hard day,¡± Luna disagreed. ¡°It¡¯s not every day Hector is so generous. Since he¡¯s allowing me to bid for


    anything I want, I should take the chance to showcase myself in front of everyone. Otherwise, those


    richdies will always look down on me at socialites¡¯ parties!¡±


    After hearing her daughter¡¯s perspective, Amanda stopped insisting as well...


    She could understand the reasons for Luna feeling that way. Even though the Sterlings enjoyed a high


    status, her daughter was never popr among the socialites¡¯ circle. Whenever she attended one of


    their gatherings, she would always go home feeling hurt and in tears...


    It might actually be a good opportunity for the woman to be seen. That way, those people would stop


    looking down on her in the future.


    ¡°The bidding starts now. The starting bid would be nine million with each bid increment being five


    hundred thousand!¡± the emcee announced.


    The guests started raising their bidding paddles when they were certain that Zachary was not


    interested in the item.


    Luna was one of them. In order to unt the Sterlings¡¯ generosity, the woman bid in an increment of


    one million instead and managed to catch the attention of the rest of the guests very quickly.


    She was feeling secretly delighted. The time had finallye for her to make a name for herself.


    Charlotte was in no mood to carry on watching the auction and was about to try requesting Zachary


    again to leave...


    However, before she could speak, he had already stood up and offered his hand to her. ¡°Let¡¯s go out


    for a walk.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± She ced her hand on his palm and allowed him to lead her towards the exit of the hall.


    Just like that, they had be the center of attention again. Even the auction was temporarily halted...


    The event only carried on after the two of them left the hall.


    Luna was extremely upset. She had to spend so much money to bid for an item, while Charlotte easily


    grabbed the attention of everyone without doing anything!


    How unfair was that!


    ¡°Don¡¯t let that b*tch ruin your good spirits,¡± her mother reminded softly. ¡°Let¡¯s leave after you win the bid


    for this item.¡±


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    ¡°The Browns have ced a bid of thirteen million... ¡°


    ¡°Thirty million!¡±


    Luna raised her bidding paddle and instantly became the focus of attention once again.


    Consecutive bids during an auction would usually be in slight increments. However, Luna had straight


    away increased the bid by more than two-fold, which was very generous indeed!


    She had done so not only for the pink diamond ring but also because the person bidding against her


    was Helena, a socialite from the Brown family. Everyone knew that Helena had fervently pursued


    Hector once upon a time.


    Even though Luna did not dare to offend Zachary, she would never allow herself to lose to the Browns.


    ¡°Mrs. Sterling has ced a bid of thirty million. Thirty million going once, thirty million going twice, thirty


    million so... ¡°


    Luna had a conceited smile on her face, thinking that she was finally going to win the bid.


    ¡°Fifty million!¡± Helena suddenly eximed.


    ¡°You... ¡° Fury coursed through Luna¡¯s veins when she heard that and raised her paddle immediately in


    retaliation...


    ¡°Mrs. Sterling!¡± Owen stopped the woman immediately and said, ¡°Mr. Sterling has given orders that the


    highest we can go is fifty million. If it¡¯s anything above that, we have to give up the item.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Luna asked, feeling exasperated. ¡°It¡¯s not as if we can¡¯t afford it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not about money,¡± Owen lowered his voice as he exined. ¡°It¡¯s mainly because Mr. Sterling had


    considered that if anyone raises the bid to fifty million and above, that would mean that the person


    really wanted that item. If we outbid them, it might affect business rtions.¡±


    ¡°But... ¡°


    ¡°Fifty million going once, fifty million going twice, fifty million... ¡°


    Seeing that the emcee was about to bang the lectern, Luna turned frantic and immediately raised her


    paddle. However, Owen forcefully pulled her hand down at once. ¡°Mrs. Sterling, you can¡¯t... ¡°


    ¡°Get lost!¡± Luna pushed the man away furiously and yelled, ¡°How dare you stop me! You lowly servant!¡±


    Then, she raised her paddle again...


    ¡°Sold!¡± The emcee banged the lectern to end the second round of auction.


    Her hand was frozen halfway in the air - she had be the butt of the joke once more...


    A round of apuse came from the crowd, congratting Helena for winning the bid.


    The woman smiled graciously at the rest of the guests while epting their congrattions. At the


    same time, she turned around and shot Luna a provocative look.


    Luna turned enraged, trembling with anger. She had made a fool out of herself even before the auction


    officially began. Then, she was humiliated by Zachary¡¯s subordinate outside the toilet. Now, back in the


    auction hall, all she wanted was to bid for an item to regain some of her lost dignity...


    But she was being oppressed again.


    She scanned the surroundings and saw that the socialites and wives of rich businessmen were all


    staring at her with mocking smiles on their faces. It was as if she was a clown!

 Chapter 92

    Chapter 92


    Luna waspletely disheartened and went berserk. She red at Helena furiously like a livid wild


    cat, wanting to pounce on her and tear her into pieces...


    ¡°Forget it, Luna, let¡¯s go home. It¡¯s just not our lucky day today,¡± Amanda epted the reality of the


    situation and tried to coax her daughter into leaving. ¡°We will have plenty of opportunities in the future.


    We¡¯ll be back again next time!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Mrs. Sterling. Let¡¯s head off first... ¡°


    Smack!


    Before Owen couldplete his sentence, a tight p from Lunanded on his face.


    Everyone was shocked, including the other bodyguards from the Sterling family.


    Owen was Hector¡¯s most trusted subordinate; the two men had grown up together. The man was


    considered half a Sterling. As such, not to mention the rest of the subordinates and servants in the


    Sterling family, even Hector and his parents had never reprimanded Owen before.


    As such, it came as a shock that Luna had pped him in front of everyone.


    That was a huge taboo!


    ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Amanda widened her eyes, looking stunned beyondprehension. ¡°How can you


    lose yourposure so easily over such a small matter... ¡°


    ¡°Mom, stay out of it!¡± Luna bellowed and pointed at Owen. ¡°If you didn¡¯t pull me back, I wouldn¡¯t have


    made a fool out of myself! You lowly bastard, I¡¯ll definitely ask Hector to fire you!¡±


    The man lowered his head and kept quiet, but a frosty glint had appeared in his chilling eyes...


    ¡°This child! You¡¯ll be the death of... ¡°


    Amanda was shaking with exasperation and was about to scold Luna.


    Just then, Helena walked over with that pink diamond ring, ¡°Beloved.¡± Beaming brightly, she said


    provocatively, ¡°What¡¯s this? You¡¯re taking out on a subordinate because you couldn¡¯t afford it? Luna, if I


    were you, I would have already dug a hole and hid in it. Look at you; you¡¯re such an embarrassment! I


    bet Hector left early the event because he couldn¡¯t stand you.¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Luna yelled through gritted teeth. ¡°Helena Brown, you¡¯re just an old hag no one wants to


    marry. I don¡¯t understand how you can be so smug!¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m still better than you even though I¡¯m single,¡± the other woman sneered. ¡°Even though you had


    married Hector, so what? He doesn¡¯t love you at all. His eyes were not even on you right from the start


    of tonight¡¯s event. He only feels disgust and contempt for you. If my guesses are correct, he doesn¡¯t


    even want to sleep with you... ¡°


    ¡°You... ¡° Luna was trembling with rage and reached forward to give Helena a tight p.


    Smack! Thetter was unable to dodge in time; a red mark appeared on her face instantly. At the same


    time, the pink diamond ring fell out of her hands and was soon nowhere to be seen...


    ¡°Woah!¡±


    Gasps of shock could be heard from the rest of the guests as they witnessed the show.


    No one had expected Luna to have the audacity to p Helena in front of so many people.


    Everyone knew that the Brown family was catching up with the Sterling family to be the next


    richest family!


    Hector was well aware of that fact, so he treated the Browns with respect when it came to business


    dealings. However, all his efforts came to naught because of what Luna had done!


    ¡°Luna White, how dare you hit me!¡± Helena was shaking with fury.


    ¡°Ms. Brown, please calm down. Luna acted on impulse and made a foolish mistake. Please allow me to


    apologize to you on her behalf... ¡°


    Amanda immediately stepped forward to apologize, but Helena could not hear a single word of what


    she was saying. At a wave of the woman¡¯s hand, two bodyguards stepped forward at once and held


    Luna down.


    ¡°What are you trying to do? You darey a finger on me?¡± Luna yelled arrogantly. ¡°My husband is


    Hector Sterling!¡±


    ¡°How arrogant!¡±


    A cold voice reverberated throughout the hall, and everyone quietened down at once.


    Zachary had returned with Charlotte, just in time to watch the good show.


    The woman sensed that everything that happened that night seemed to be targeted at Amanda and


    Luna. Could it be that... someone had deliberately arranged for it?


    Everyone moved aside to clear up a path for Zachary.


    The man moved forward slowly, and just like the Fates, who were in charge of assigning individual


    destinies to mortals at birth, he said, ¡°You must have quite the nerve to stir up trouble at my function!¡±


    His piercing stare was so overpowering that made it difficult for anyone to breathe.


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    Luna was trembling in fear, not daring to utter a single word.

 Chapter 93

    Chapter 93


    Realizing the gravity of the matter, Amanda flew into a fluster as she tried to exin, ¡°Mr. Nacht, my


    daughter acted too impulsively. She did not intend to create trouble for you. We¡¯re willing to apologize


    andpensate you in any manner you want.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. Mr. Nacht, you¡¯re a big-hearted man. Please just forgive her this once,¡± Simon


    pleaded after he heard what had happened.


    Zachary could not be bothered with them and looked at Helena instead. ¡°You¡¯re the victim here. What


    do you think?¡±


    ¡°This is the first time anyone has humiliated me like that ever since the day I was born.¡± Helena was


    fuming mad, but she tried her best to control her emotions. ¡°But as this is Mr. Nacht¡¯s function, I won¡¯t


    kick up a fuss... ¡°


    She then paused and asked respectfully, ¡°Mr. Nacht, may I hand her over to the police? I intend to get


    mywyers to sue her.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t, Ms. Brown... ¡° Amanda pleaded anxiously. ¡°We canpensate you however you want.


    Please don¡¯t alert the police. Everyone here is either rich or powerful. Besides, this function is hosted


    by Mr. Nacht. It wouldn¡¯t look good on anyone if the matter is being blown up.¡±


    Amanda was clear that Luna was the wife of Hector Sterling and represented the Sterlings. No matter


    how the woman embarrassed herself that night, it would still be kept within the inner circle.


    After all, it was Zachary¡¯s function and a closed-door event. No one would dare to circte gossip


    about what had happened.


    However, it would be a different situation altogether if the police got involved. If Helena approached the


    media and exaggerated the story, Luna would definitely hit the headlines of major newspapers and be


    the top search on the inte. The woman would be the butt of the joke of the entire country...


    By then, it wouldn¡¯t just be Hector - the other elders of the Sterling family, too - who would hate Luna!


    No matter how dumb the woman was, she still understood that.


    As such, at that moment, Luna dared not even breathe loudly. She was waiting for her parents to settle


    the problem for her.


    That had been the case ever since she was born...


    ¡°Well, that reminds me.¡± Helena arched her brows and continued, ¡°The auction is still ongoing. How


    can we spoil everyone¡¯s moods? However, how should I punish you other than going to the police?¡±


    ¡°We can apologize and offerpensation... ¡° Amanda immediately suggested.


    ¡°What a joke! Would I need yourpensation?¡± Helena bellowed. ¡°All you are going to do is


    apologizing after pping me? If that¡¯s the case, can I p you ten times and say ¡®sorry¡¯ ten times


    too?¡±


    ¡°I... ¡°


    ¡°I think that¡¯s a good idea,¡± Zachary suddenly spoke up. ¡°An eye for an eye!¡±


    With the man¡¯s support, Helena said right away, ¡°If you don¡¯t want me to go to the police, fine! Then I¡¯ll


    have to p you back. For every one p you gave me, I¡¯ll p you ten times. That sounds fair to me!¡±


    ¡°Helena Brown, don¡¯t go overboard... ¡°


    Before Luna could finish her sentence, the first p from Helena had alreadynded on her face.


    Luna¡¯s cheeks flushed red immediately after being hit. Shaking with anger, she red at the woman in


    rage.


    Amanda no longer dared to speak. Even though her heart was aching for her daughter, she could only


    surrender to the situation...


    ¡°This is one p,¡± Helena counted and raised her hand, preparing to strike again.


    ¡°Why are you doing such a thing yourself? Doesn¡¯t it hurt your hand?¡± Zachary suddenly asked.


    ¡°Oh, right! Thanks for the reminder, Mr. Nacht.¡± Helena turned to Amanda, saying sweetly, ¡°Aunt


    Amanda, I¡¯ll have to trouble you, please!¡±


    The woman looked at Helena incredulously and replied, ¡°You... You want me to do it?¡±


    ¡°Why? You can¡¯t bear to?¡± Helena cocked her brows and said, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I guess I¡¯ll have to ask


    my bodyguards to do it instead. Don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you, though. They are quite ruthless. They won¡¯t


    go easy on her just because she¡¯s ady...¡±


    ¡°Where are my bodyguards! Come here now!¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute... ¡° Amanda stopped Helena at once and said, ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll do it! I¡¯ll do it!¡±


    She then lifted her trembling hand as she spoke and pped Luna gently...


    ¡°That one¡¯s not counted!¡± Helena shouted angrily. ¡°I have to hear the pping sound and see the red


    mark on her face. Otherwise, the p will not be counted.¡±


    ¡°You... ¡° Even though Amanda was fuming with rage, she had no choice but to p her daughter with


    all her might.


    Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    ¡°Mom!¡± Luna burst into tears.


    ¡°Why are you crying? Your mom isn¡¯t dead yet!¡± Helena beamed with delight. ¡°Good job, Aunt Amanda!


    Carry on!¡±


    Amanda shut her eyes andnded another p on her daughter¡¯s face.


    ¡°Two!¡±


    ¡°Three!¡±


    ¡°Four!¡±


    Helena carried on counting.


    Simon also felt agonized as he helplessly watched the scene. However, he could only keep quiet and


    lower his head in submission, praying for the whole ordeal to be over soon.

 Chapter 94

    Chapter 94


    The guests gathered around to see what all the fuss was about. ¡°Why would he marry such a woman?¡±


    one said. ¡°What a disgrace!¡± said another. People started to gossip about them.


    Meanwhile, Charlotte remained silent. She knew Zachary was avenging her.


    Amanda¡¯s hand was tingling from pping Luna repeatedly across her already swollen face. The


    mother-daughter duo hugged each other as they burst into tears.


    Shortly afterward, Amanda wiped off her tears and asked, ¡°Ms. Brown, are you happy now?¡±


    ¡°Off you go.¡± Helena waved her away.


    Simon went up to help them, but Zachary stopped them from leaving. ¡°Did I say you can go?¡± he asked


    in an icy voice.


    Luna shuddered. ¡°What else do you want from me?¡± she wept.


    ¡°Zip it.¡± Simon tried to stop her from making another scene.


    ¡°Fine.¡± Amanda took a deep breath, approached Charlotte, and executed a deep bow. ¡°Ms. Windt, I¡¯m


    sorry for raising my hand at youst time. Please, let me atone for my rudeness.¡±


    She pped herself continuously as punishment.


    ¡°Mom!¡± Luna bawled as Owen grabbed her hand. ¡°Mrs. Sterling, stay out of it. You¡¯ll make it worse.¡±


    She could only watch and weep in despair at her mother¡¯s suffering.


    Charlotte¡¯s eyebrow knitted into a frown. Although she had no wish to see Amanda in such a plight, she


    couldn¡¯t forget how the woman had mistreated her children.


    ¡°Enough!¡± Simon couldn¡¯t bear to see his wife in pain. ¡°Charlotte, do me a favor. I¡¯m pleading for your


    mercy. Please spare her.¡±


    His earnestness somehow appealed to her. ¡°I think we should just let it slide,¡± Charlotte uttered softly.


    ¡°All this time, did she ever have mercy on you?¡± Zachary shot her a re to shut her up.


    A loud thud punctuated the silence. Simon gasped in shock when he saw Amanda lying on the ground.


    ¡°Amanda!¡± He hurriedly pulled her into his arms.


    ¡°Mom! Wake up! Mom, don¡¯t scare me!¡± Luna shook her shoulder to wake her up.


    ¡°Send her to the hospital!¡± someone shouted.


    Simon immediately picked Amanda up with Luna following closely behind.


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, Ms. Windt, please excuse me.¡± Owen left.


    There Amanda goes again! ying the same, old disgusting trick whenever she is in unfavorable


    conditions.


    Charlotte turned around. The bystanders looked at her. They seemed to me her for what happened.


    It suddenly dawned on her. It was human nature to feel empathy for the weak, even Luna, despite her


    rudeness and arrogance.


    They med Charlotte because she had talked Zachary into punishing the mother-daughter duo which


    put a strain on Amanda and caused her copse.


    People would have rebuked her, saying she was the wicked witch and Zachary was not to me for


    that incident.


    The auction was still ongoing. Everyone returned to their seat.


    As Zachary and Charlotte prepared to leave, she saw the pink diamond ring under her feet. She bent


    down, picked it up and passed it to Helena.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± said Helena with a smile on her face before she returned to her seat.


    Charlotte stared at her while she walked away. It reminded her of how they used to fight over Hector


    back then. Helena was utterly fearless and bold, which sometimes would get on her nerves. However,


    Charlotte had never hated her.


    After all those years, they finally met. Although they didn¡¯t have a chance to catch up, Helena hadn¡¯t


    uttered an unkind word to Charlotte. On the other hand, her cousin, Luna who was more like a sister to


    Charlotte tried to set her up repeatedly.


    I guess that¡¯s human nature.

 Chapter 95

    Chapter 95


    An extended Rolls-Royce crawled away from the building.


    Charlotte sat in the backseat, admiring the ruby ne. It was almost the same as the one she sold,


    except for the gemstone color.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you sick of staring at that?¡± Zachary looked at her while swirling the wine in the ss elegantly.


    He couldn¡¯t take his eyes off her. His gaze traveled from her porcin skin, up her wless face and


    rosy lips that would make a grown man lose his mind.


    He teased the hem of her dress with his leg. When she lifted her head and their eyes met, he asked


    her to sit closer.


    Zachary¡¯s casual seduction pulled Charlotte¡¯s mind away from what had urred at the auction. She


    blinked at him and mustered her courage to speak her mind. ¡°Mr. Nacht...¡±


    Her words stuck in her throat. After witnessing how he ruthless he was when dealing with those who


    had offended him, Charlotte began to hesitate.


    I guess no woman has ever rejected the advances from a man of such a high social status. What if he


    chokes me to death on the spot just because I turn him down?


    She trembled at the thought of what might happen to her if she said no.


    ¡°Yes?¡± Zachary teased her again with his leg.


    ¡°This... Take it back.¡± She handed the ne to him.


    His eyes narrowed slightly as he saw the essory. The excitement gradually wore off and his


    expression turned cold. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, I¡¯m just a mere security guard at yourpany. I can¡¯t ept this; it¡¯s too valuable,¡± she


    said cautiously.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say anything when you jumped into my arms?¡± He looked pissed.


    ¡°If I rejected your gift earlier, I would be dishonoring you in front of your peers.¡± Charlotte a smile on her


    face. ¡°Mr. Nacht, I don¡¯t deserve you. You are too good for me.¡± The words finally escaped her mouth.


    She made herself clear.


    He leaned back and red at her. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Gosh! Why can¡¯t he read the situation? Do I have to spell it out?


    His response really irked her, but she put a bright smile on her face and said, ¡°Well, you are very kind


    to me. You sent me home to treat my injuries, gave me precious gifts and even stood up for me. I really


    appreciate it and I will surely repay your kindness. But I just can¡¯t ept your love, because...¡±


    He was listening carefully and patiently.


    ¡°Because I am not worthy of your love,¡± she continued. ¡°I¡¯m not from a prominent family; I have no


    money, no status... Nothing. All I have is the past that was too unbearable to even mention.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter. Is that all?¡±


    She was stunned for a moment. He didn¡¯t even flinch. What do I do? Should I tell him I have three


    kids? Wait, that would probably put me in trouble. What if he gets angry and harms my kids? He is so


    unpredictable that nothing is impossible. What should I say?


    ¡°Yes?¡± He started to lose his patience.


    ¡°And I... I slept with a-a gigolo!¡± she blurted out those words in a panic. Her intelligent response


    surprised her. ¡°Are you fine with that?¡±


    ¡°How many times?¡± He furrowed his brows and gave her a serious face.


    She raised her index finger and said carefully, ¡°One. Just once. And it was on the news. I bet everyone


    saw that.¡±


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    ¡°That was all in the past now. You can stop doing it from now on.¡± He squeezed thest bit of his


    patience. ¡°Anything else?¡±

 Chapter 96

    Chapter 96


    He didn¡¯t buy it. Does he really like me to that much?


    Charlotte panicked. She was worried that Zachary might grow to hate her because of his unrequited


    love.


    On the other side, he had enough. He grabbed her and pinned her down underneath him.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, wait! Calm down!¡± Her heart was pounding. Nevertheless, she found the courage to stop


    him. ¡°I know you are perfect, and I admit I do like you. I¡¯m just not very sure that we should take things


    further.¡±


    He cupped her chin and said, ¡°Cut the chit-chat, or I¡¯ll drop you off at the side of the road. And stop


    being so melodramatic.¡±


    When his lips were about to touch hers, she squeezed her eyes shut and roared, ¡°I have a boyfriend!¡±


    The rest of her words were lost in his mouth. Time stopped and their lips remained sealed.


    He exuded such hostility, like a beast pounding on its prey, that Charlotte shuddered when he pressed


    his powerful body against hers.


    After a while, Zachary pulled away and leaned back in his seat. He put an end to the aggression, but


    the tension lingered in the air.


    She opened her eyes very carefully and sneaked a peek at him.


    Thoughts crowded her mind, but she couldn¡¯t string them together coherently to exin to pacify him.


    ¡°Boyfriend? How long have you been together?¡±


    ¡°A while,¡± she mumbled.


    He reached for the winess and downed its content without any hesitation. Then he set the ss


    aside and looked at her with eyes as cold as ice. ¡°I think you¡¯re taking this the wrong way.¡±


    Huh? I¡¯m wrong? B-But... he just...


    Zachary waved his index finger at Charlotte. ¡°First, you are my employee, and you were stabbed in


    front of me. I didn¡¯t want that ident to cause a bacsh to thepany, so I sent you home and


    cared for you.


    ¡°Second, I gave you this ne on a whim. A hundred million may sound like a substantial fortune


    for some people. To me, it¡¯s just a number.


    ¡°And finally, I stood up for you from that wicked mother and daughter not because I have feelings for


    you. I just stood up for what I believed to be right.¡±


    She was dumbfounded. His exnation made sense to her. She wondered if it was just her delusional


    thinking.


    ¡°So, you are delusional! Just don¡¯t be so full of yourself!¡± He answered the questions on her mind.


    ¡°You thought I have feelings for you? No way! I¡¯m not blind.¡± The corners of his lips curved into a sneer.


    Charlotte was at a loss for words. She hung her head low, unable to meet his eyes. She wished a hole


    would open beneath her and swallow her immediately.


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    ¡°Take onest look.¡± Zachary held the ne over his hand and swung it back and forth. Before she


    could react, he threw it out the window.


    ¡°Are you mad? That¡¯s worth a hundred million!¡± she roared. Her eyes budged with shock.


    ¡°Pull over.¡± Zachary ordered the driver to stop the car.


    The car stopped at the side of the road. ¡°Get down!¡± he said to Charlotte.


    She didn¡¯t dare breathe a word as she slowly gathered up her dress and alighted.


    Her tardiness frustrated Zachary, so he kicked her in her hip and sent her sprawling on the pavement.


    A sharp pain surged through her whole body.


    Ben and Raina were stupefied, but they turned a blind eye.


    ¡°Go.¡± Zachary asked the driver to drive and left Charlotte behind.


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    The Rolls-Royce sped off.


    Charlotte got up, brushed off the dirt on her scraped palms and gently touched the wounded area. She


    immediately turned back to find the ne.


    It should be here somewhere.

 Chapter 97

    Chapter 97


    Charlotte bent down to look for the ruby ne by the roadside.


    It waste at night and even though there were street lights on the road, the lighting was somewhat


    dim.


    After around forty minutes of searching, Charlotte finally found the dazzling ruby ne in the


    shrubs.


    ted, she quickly picked it up and dusted it before putting it in her bag.


    As she took out her phone to call a cab, she noticed that her phone had only five percent of battery left.


    As a result, itgged as she scrolled through her phone.


    If she called a cab in such a situation, the driver might not be able to reach herter.


    In addition to that, Charlotte had no idea where she was at all, and she doubted that the GPS could


    pinpoint her location urately.


    Charlotte could only look through her contacts to seek help from others.


    Nevertheless, other than Mrs. Berry, there was only ¡°Gigolo In Debt¡± in her contact list.


    Charlotte had no choice but to call him.


    Beep...


    In a Rolls-Royce...


    Zachary was drinking his wine disconstely when he heard the vibration of his phone. He nced at


    it with his eyebrows furrowed. The screen showed that it was a call from ¡°Stupid Woman¡±.


    Such was what Zachary had saved Charlotte¡¯s name as.


    Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    Staring detachedly at the blinking alert on the screen, Zachary was fuming.


    This ungrateful wretch! I¡¯ve just kicked her off the car and now she¡¯s calling this other man who¡¯s


    actually my alter ego.


    What is she trying to do?


    His phone was still vibrating but he declined the call directly.


    He was infuriated and did not want to see her at all.


    Very soon, he received a location from ¡°Stupid Woman¡± along with a voice message. ¡°Gigolo, I¡¯m left


    on the roadside and my phone is out of battery soon. Help!¡±


    It turns out she¡¯s asking for help now.


    She¡¯s exactly what her name suggests¡ª As stupid as a donkey!


    Zachary gritted his teeth with contempt at the thought of that ungrateful wretch and decided to ignore


    her.


    However, on second thought, how could he just let such an irritable woman off the hook so easily?


    It¡¯s only right that I give her a taste of her own medicine...


    With that thought in mind, he asked the driver to stop the car, changed into another outfit, put on his


    mask, and drove a different car to pick Charlotte up.


    Raina stood by the roadside and watched as the Aston Martin sped away. In puzzlement, she asked


    Ben, ¡°What is Mr. Nacht doing?¡±


    ¡°Cosy,¡± Ben replied in a mystical manner, ¡°Mr. Nacht in daylight and Mr. Gigolo at night!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Raina¡¯s eyes widened in bewilderment.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything. Nope, it wasn¡¯t me...¡±


    Ben hastily pped himself lightly on the mouth. How dare I ridicule Mr. Nacht! I must have gone crazy!


    While driving, Zachary changed Charlotte¡¯s name on his phone from ¡°Stupid Woman¡± to ¡°Ungrateful


    Wretch¡±.


    He even drove slowly on purpose to make the ungrateful wretch wait.


    Meanwhile, Charlotte was waiting at the roadside with her chin resting on her palm, looking expectantly


    at the cars passing her by and eagerly waiting...


    Out of the blue, a Porsche in dashing green stopped in front of her.


    Four fashionably dressed young boys got out of the car and approached her with smirks and cheeky


    grins on their faces.


    ¡°Wow, is this a fallen angel from heaven? How pretty!¡±


    ¡°Pretty angel, are you lost or are you waiting for someone?¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t youe with us? Let¡¯s have some fun at the bar!¡±


    Charlotte nced at these little brats dispassionately and rolled her eyes. ¡°My boyfriend ising to


    pick me up soon. He¡¯s known for his foul temper so you better leave now.¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha...¡± the young boysughed aloud.


    ¡°It seems like our pretty angel here has had a fight with her boyfriend. Don¡¯t mind a man who makes


    you angry. Be my girlfriend instead. I can buy you branded bags!¡±


    One of the boys with a hip-hop outfit and Korean hairstyle leaned over andid his hand on Charlotte¡¯s


    shoulder.


    ¡°Get lost!¡± Charlotte jerked his hand away but had inadvertently irritated her own wound so she gasped


    in pain.


    ¡°Oh! What happened to you? Are you hurt? Were you beaten by your crappy ex? This is no way to


    treat women.¡± Again, the boy drew himself closer shamelessly. ¡°Come, let me pamper you!¡±

 Chapter 98

    Chapter 98


    Right then, two dazzling rays of lights shed directly at them and the boy was blinded by its brilliance.


    Charlotte closed her eyes unwittingly and then she heard the screeching sounds made by the


    emergency brake of a car alongside the cusses of the boys. ¡°What the f*ck! That scared the sh*t out of


    me. Who the hell is looking for trouble here?¡±


    Followed by that were punching and fighting noises along with the boys¡¯ screaming...


    She could feel the wind gusting by her ears and the slight shakes caused by someone copsing


    nearby.


    All these happened in an instance...


    Charlotte panicked and by the time she opened her eyes and saw what happened in front of her, she


    was stupefied.


    The four boys were rolling and crying out in pain on the ground.


    Especially the boy whoid his hand on her just now. Both his hands were fractured and he was


    bellowing and struggling beside her...


    Blocking the light, a masked man dressed in ck stood tall in front of her like a wild lone wolf.


    Looming over those defeated around his feet, he spat out indifferently, ¡°Garbage!¡±


    Charlotte froze looking at him. The figure of Zachary shed across her mind inexplicably.


    Although the dressing styles of the two men werepletely different, at that moment, his domineering


    aura, his pair of aloof and distant eyes, and even his voice were peculiarly identical to that of Zachary¡¯s!


    ¡°What are you thinking?¡±


    Zachary knocked lightly on Charlotte¡¯s head and carried her to the car. Then, the car whizzed off in the


    gloomy night.


    shes of what just happened were still ying repeatedly in Charlotte¡¯s mind. Indistinguishable,


    they¡¯re just too alike!


    ¡°Are you dumb?¡± Zachary berated her in fury. ¡°Did you just stand there stupefied after being harassed?¡±


    ¡°Then what should I do? It¡¯s not like I can beat them.¡± In an aggrieved tone, Charlotte added, ¡°And I¡¯m


    still injured...¡±


    ¡°Useless!¡± Zachary lowered his voice as he rebuked.


    ¡°Anyway, I didn¡¯t suffer any losses,¡± Charlotte uttered casually, ¡°But don¡¯t you think you were a little too


    ruthless to them?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Zachary¡¯s face turned murky instantly. ¡°Are you feeling sorry for them? It seems like I might


    have disturbed you and the boys, huh?¡±


    ¡°What are you babbling about...¡±


    ¡°Do you want me to send you back to have fun with those little hooligans?¡±


    Zachary sounded like he was in a state of frenzy.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you?¡± Charlotte pped the back of his head abruptly. ¡°How dare you talk to


    me like this! Do you want to die?¡±


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°Get your facts straight! I¡¯m your boss here; you¡¯re only a gigolo!¡±


    Zachary was about tosh out when Charlotte splurted these words haughtily which reminded him of


    his current identity.


    I¡¯m not Mr. Nacht now; I¡¯m Mr. Gigolo!


    ¡°You better not test my limits!¡± Charlotte stared at him aggressively and warned, ¡°It seems that I¡¯ve


    been too kind to you, which makes you grow more overbearing by the day. How dare you ridicule me?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough, stop running on this...¡±


    Zachary bared his teeth as he uttered those words and tightened his grip on the steering wheel.


    Ungrateful wretch! She has just rejected me and now she¡¯s beating me. If it¡¯s not for concealing my


    identity, I would have dealt her a blow.


    ¡°Hmph!¡± Charlotte shot him a dagger and took out her phone to be charged.


    She was pondering secretly in her mind. It can¡¯t be that he¡¯s actually Zachary, can it?


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    A pre-eminent man like Zachary would definitely jump and choke me to death if I were to beat him.


    But other than his face turning gloomy, this man over here dared not do anything after being beaten


    and reprimanded by me.


    Still, when this gigolo came to my rescue just now, his voice and the aura he emanated was so


    identical to that of Zachary. Now that Ie to think about it, it sounded all the more identical...


    Besides, both of them like to chase people off their cars halfway through the journey and kick people in


    the ass from behind.


    Thinking of this, Charlotte was overwhelmed and she asked tentatively, ¡°Why are you always wearing a


    mask? We¡¯re not in Sultry Night now and you¡¯re not being picked by some wealthy women. Aren¡¯t you


    tired of this mask?¡±


    And as she said that, she reached out to take off his mask...

 Chapter 99

    Chapter 99


    ¡°Hey!¡± Zachary pushed her hand away and shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t touch it!¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Charlotte was yet more suspicious. ¡°Why can¡¯t you let me see your face?¡±


    ¡°Of course not!¡± Zachary replied indifferently, ¡°If you see my face, I¡¯ll be threatened by you for a lifetime.


    There¡¯ll be no end to this!¡±


    ¡°Hmm...¡± Charlotte was rendered speechless.


    Since she recognized the tattoo on his waist and forced him to sign the debt repayment agreement, he


    had to pay her fifty percent of his ie every day.


    Half of the agreed period had passed and he would soon be free.


    After all, since she didn¡¯t know what he looked like, she wouldn¡¯t be able to recognize him even if they


    did meet each other again the next time.


    However, if she had seen his face, they might be blockaded forever in this tangled mess...


    What he said seems to make sense...


    Maybe I¡¯m thinking too much.


    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for that night over four years ago and the fact that I¡¯d caused you to experience a


    miscarriage, I would never get involved with you!¡± Zachary added genuinely.


    He was drugged that night and had sex with her in a trance-like state. Plus, he was like a beast in bed


    that night, without the slightest tenderness...


    He could still remember the pitiable way she cried for mercy underneath himself. Every time he thought


    about that, he could feel his blood boiling and he would be incredibly guilty...


    ¡°Well, at least you¡¯ve got some conscience.¡±


    The doubt within Charlotte was somewhat cleared. On second thought, how could such a prestigious


    man like Zachary pretend to be the gigolo at Sultry Night and cosyed with her?


    Furthermore, he just chased me off his car. It wasn¡¯t really possible for him to change a car and into


    another outfit just to pick me up.


    Even if time allowed, his temper wouldn¡¯t.


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me for such matters anymore next time.¡± Zachary changed the subject. ¡°I¡¯m not your


    bodyguard; why should Ie when you ask me to?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to trouble you either but other than you, I have no one else whom I can seek help from.¡±


    Charlotte looked helpless.


    ¡°Where¡¯s your boyfriend?¡± Zachary asked in a detached manner.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have one.¡± Charlotte rolled her eyes.


    ¡°No?¡± Zachary was suspicious. You can never tell truths from lies when ites to dealing with this


    woman.


    ¡°Your question reminded me...¡±


    Charlotte remembered that she had lied to Zachary that she had a boyfriend. If he found out that she


    was bluffing, she would be screwed. Hence, I have to make this act a real deal...


    Thinking of that, Charlotte tugged at Zachary and said, ¡°Gigolo, be my boyfriend!¡±


    Zachary was speechless.


    He was utterly baffled. What in the world is happening?


    Just an hour ago, this ungrateful wretch rejected me-- The prominent, distinguished man that I am!


    And now she¡¯s taking the initiative and wants a gigolo to be her boyfriend?


    Is she crazy or just stupid?


    ¡°Don¡¯t be anxious. I mean ¡®pretend¡¯,¡± Charlotte exined. ¡°Someone has been pursuing me recently


    and to put him off, I told him that I had a boyfriend...¡±


    Zachary squinted dangerously. Very well, this ingrate of a woman was bluffing me?


    ¡°Gigolo, do me another favor, won¡¯t you?¡± Charlotte tugged at his sleeves and fawned. ¡°I¡¯ll buy you


    more supplements...¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need!¡± Zachary cut her off. ¡°Who is courting you?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to know the details,¡± Charlotte answered casually. ¡°You¡¯re only pretending; it isn¡¯t real


    after all.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not fair.¡± Zachary was taking advantage of the situation and continued, ¡°What if that guy is a


    vicious man and seeks revenge on me?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s my boss.¡± Finally, Charlotte answered honestly.


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    ¡°How can that be possible? Your boss likes you?¡± Zachary shot a scornful nce at her. ¡°With this


    stunted look of yours, is he blind?¡±


    Charlotte was at a loss for words.


    She was convinced then that she had really overthought because Zachary would never give her such a


    remark.


    ¡°Besides, you should be very grateful to have such an exceptional admirer like your boss. Why are you


    rejecting him?¡± Zachary asked her on purpose.


    ¡°I can¡¯t handle such a big shot...¡± Charlotte heaved a sigh. ¡°He¡¯s only looking for novelty now. Once the


    m wears off and he grows tired of me, I¡¯ll be abandoned. To whom should I cry andin then?


    Plus, with his unpredictable and fickle mood changes, he¡¯s just like a creep. Who knows what kind of


    fetish he¡¯ll have? It¡¯s better that I keep away from him. I¡¯m still too young to die!¡±

 Chapter 100

    Chapter 100


    Zachary was tongue-tied.


    He didn¡¯t know what was running in her mind all day.


    ¡°That¡¯s it, it¡¯s been decided. I¡¯ll call you when I need your help. Don¡¯t worry, if you be my fake boyfriend


    for a day, you can be exempted from paying me that day.¡±


    ¡°Shut up. Give me your address!¡±


    ¡°32 Happy Avenue...¡±


    Charlotte felt that she had been disdained by him. He was stern and paid no attention to her since then.


    When she reached home, Mrs. Berry was watching the television quietly and waiting for her in the living


    room. As soon as she saw that Charlotte was back, she served a bowl of kale soup to her.


    Charlotte had a bowlful and reached out her uninjured right hand to hug Mrs. Berry. Then, she went


    back to her room and turned in after removing her makeup.


    It¡¯s Monday tomorrow and I have to work in the office.


    Charlotte had been keeping her mission in mind. She had to find a way to return the chip this week.


    Charlotte had a good sleep that night so she woke up early the next morning. After kissing her three


    children, she went downstairs carrying her breakfast bag and took the bus to go to work.


    After recuperating for so many days, returning to her normal routine made Charlotte feel more at ease


    and secure.


    Only life made up of concrete realities is real!


    There are no such things as a morous auction, a hundred million worth of ruby ne, and a


    detached and domineering Devil president...


    All those were only some unrealistic dreams. You have to get back to reality after waking up from


    dreams.


    Charlotte arrived ten minutes earlier to change her clothes at the security department but the manager


    of the security department informed her, ¡°Charlotte, you¡¯ve been reassigned. Go get your transfer letter


    from the HR department and report yourself to the new department.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Charlotte was astonished. What a familiar scene! Not long ago, she was transferred from the


    administration department to the security department. It was just the same as what¡¯s happening now.


    However, at that time, I was implicated by Wesley and was punished together. What is it for now?


    Is it because I¡¯ve turned down the president? What?


    She should have been mentally prepared for this...


    That cruel and ruthless Devil must have never had a taste of rejection before!


    With such impudence from me, how can he ever let me go?


    Charlotte was paled. A scene from the tragic y shed across her mind. She could roughly guess


    the department that she had been transferred to.


    The janitorial department!


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    The Devil, no, the jackass has been threatening me with this.


    He has finally found the reason to do it!


    What¡¯s the big deal?


    Worste to worst, I can just leave. Even if I have to wash the dishes at some bistro, I can still raise


    my kids. Why should I suffer through being bullied by the jackass?


    ¡°Charlotte, Charlotte...¡± David¡¯s calling interrupted Charlotte¡¯s thoughts.


    Coming to her senses, Charlotte took in a long breath and answered rather sadly, ¡°David, Mr. Collins,


    thank you for taking care of me all this while. Goodbye!¡±


    With that, she bowed to them, and soon, she left with tears in her eyes...


    ¡°Huh...¡± Both Mr. Collins and David were puzzled. What¡¯s happening here? Why is she making it like a


    separation by death?


    Coming out of the security room, Charlotte was very dispirited at the thought of cleaning up the ce,


    including the washroom, after she was transferred to the janitorial department and worked as a janitor.


    She was cursing at Zachary in her mind. He¡¯s taking revenge on me just because he was rejected.


    What a jackass, jackass!


    Achoo, achoo!


    Zachary sneezed twice in the elevator. Hence, he covered his mouth and nose with his ck and gold


    handkerchief. Is someone cursing me?


    Ding! The door of the elevator opened.


    Zachary stepped out of the elevator and happened to bump into Charlotte who was walking into the


    elevator next to him.


    He nced over her indifferently and found that she was staring at him with animosity in her eyes.


    He almost couldn¡¯t believe his own eyes.


    The door closed lento and he turned around to ask Ben, ¡°I didn¡¯t misinterpret anything, right? Was she


    staring at me just now?¡±


    ¡°Cough...¡± Ben cleared his throat and replied carefully, ¡°It seems that... you¡¯re right!¡±


    Zachary frowned and his eyes were lit with a fiery glint. ¡°So I¡¯ve been sneezing because she was


    cursing at me!¡±

 Chapter 101

    Chapter 101


    When Charlotte arrived at the HR department on the thirteenth floor, the manager handled the


    handover procedures for her.


    The manager hadpletely changed his arrogant attitude!


    Charlotte couldn¡¯t help but wonder what brought about the stark difference. Why is the jerk acting so


    different suddenly?


    After handing over the employee transfer letter to her, the manager said, ¡°Charlotte, please take care of


    me after you¡¯re promoted!¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Charlotte was at a loss when she took the employee transfer letter from him. The next moment, she


    was stunned after reading the letter.


    The president¡¯s office?


    I¡¯m being transferred to the president¡¯s office?


    Is this real?


    Am I seeing things now?


    ¡°Charlotte!¡± At this moment, David patted her shoulder and congratted her. ¡°Mr. Collins asked me to


    bring the belongings to you. He initially wanted to congratte you, but you left earlier. Anyway,


    congrattions on your promotion!¡±


    ¡°Thank you...¡± Charlotte replied instinctively and asked, ¡°Am I seeing things now? Am I really


    transferred to the president¡¯s office?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true. Mr. Ben made the order himself.¡± The manager continued, ¡°Charlotte, your good luck has


    come. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll keep moving up in your career!¡±


    ¡°Hehe...¡± Charlotteughed awkwardly and brought David to leave the office.


    ¡°Charlotte, how¡¯s your injury now? It seems that your shoulder hasn¡¯t recovered yet. Besides, your neck


    is still bandaged. Does it still hurt?¡± David asked caringly.


    ¡°I¡¯m much better now. Thank you, David.¡±


    Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    Charlotte felt that David was the most kind-hearted man in the wholepany. As such, she could fully


    trust and befriend him.


    ¡°Thank God you¡¯re fine. I¡¯ll help you carry your belongings. Take your new work pass to scan at the


    elevator.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Finally, she didn¡¯t have to climb the stairs to work as she could go up to level 68 with her own work


    pass.


    As the elevator was moving up, she felt a special sense of pride. It was as if she made a little progress


    in her life when the elevator moved up a floor.


    When she arrived at the president¡¯s office, a staff weed her and brought her to her desk.


    It¡¯s the reception counter in front of the elevator on level 68!


    Charlotte was startled when she was her desk.


    She knew that there was a reception counter in front of the elevator on every floor. The job scope of a


    receptionist was to confirm the identity of guests and their purpose of visit. After that, she had to inform


    her relevant colleagues to liaise with him.


    To put it nicely, she was a junior secretary. However, in essence, she was only a guard on level 68!


    In other words, she was an entry-level secretary in the president¡¯s office!


    ¡°Charlotte, congrattions! I¡¯ve to get going. All the best!¡±


    David patted her shoulder and left smilingly.


    Since he was an innocent man, he truly believed that it was a position of honor.


    On the other hand, Charlotte felt dejected somehow. After all, the only difference between her job and a


    guard was that she didn¡¯t have to walk that much!


    ¡°Charlotte, wee!¡±


    The executive secretary in charge of training new staff was Lucy Wright. She looked brisk and


    experienced, probably in her forties.


    Furthermore, she exuded a sense of friendliness even though she spoke sternly. She came up to


    Charlotte to exin some basic tasks to her.


    ¡°I¡¯ll instruct a colleagueter to teach you about your job scope since you are a neer in this


    position. Keep an open mind in learning. I hope that you¡¯ll be familiar with your job quickly.¡±


    ¡°Since your role is changed, your sry will be raised from eight thousand to eighteen thousand. When


    you have passed your one-month probation, your sry will be twenty-five thousand. It starts from


    today...¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Charlotte couldn¡¯t help but yell, ¡°Did you say that my sry will be twenty-five thousand? Am I


    hearing things?¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯re not.¡± Lucy Wright continued smilingly, ¡°Since you¡¯re a neer, be patient in learning new


    things, and your sry will increase gradually. Mr. Nacht treats his employees very well!¡±


    ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll work hard and learn. Thank you!¡±


    Charlotte clenched her fist as a gesture to motivate herself and put on a bright smile.


    At this moment, she didn¡¯t feel that Zachary was a devil or a jerk anymore. Instead, he was Zachary the


    Cute!

 Chapter 102

    Chapter 102


    Charlotte learned about her job the whole day and could only take a rest at four in the afternoon.


    After that, Lucy led her to hand over some documents to the meeting room.


    While they were on the way, Lucy reminded, ¡°Leave the room once you put down the documents and


    don¡¯t disturb the board members while they are in the meeting.¡±


    ¡°Be gentle in doing everything and don¡¯t make a noise.¡±


    ¡°Also, don¡¯t irritate Mr. Nacht because he hasn¡¯t been in a good mood for several days. Otherwise,


    everyone in thepany would get into trouble!¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Charlotte followed her while carrying the documents with one of her hands.


    Lucy knocked on the door gently when they arrived. After receiving permission, she entered the room


    with Charlotte.


    Charlotte was stunned as soon as the door was opened. The room was six-meters high and painted in


    cold colors, thus exuding an imposing and overpowering atmosphere.


    The board members sat on both sides of the long table. While most were middle-aged, two of them


    looked rtively younger.


    She saw that all of them wore a solemn expression. They were either reading their documents


    seriously or discussing with others in a low voice.


    It appeared that all of the seats were taken except for the president¡¯s seat.


    Zachary isn¡¯t here yet!


    After Charlotte and Lucy put the documents on the table, the other executive secretaries immediately


    distributed the documents to every board member.


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    One of the executive secretaries instructed Charlotte to clean the unwanted documents and trash on


    the table. After that, she was also asked to distribute the documents together.


    When Charlotte was cleaning the table, one of the board members behind her said softly, ¡°If we still


    can¡¯t find Chip X, thepany might have to postpone theunch of our new tech products.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we cooperating with the police all the while to search for the chip? No progress so far?¡± another


    board member asked.


    ¡°Sigh, our problem will be solved if there is progress...¡± A board member with grey hair heaved a sigh


    and continued, ¡°We have spent dozens of millions every day on the search but still haven¡¯t received


    any news after seven to eight days...¡±


    Charlotte was shocked once she heard it. My goodness, the search costs dozens of millions! Does it


    mean thepany has spent more than a billion after several days?


    ¡°Mr. Martin, Mr. Dixon, don¡¯t worry. Since the president is handling it by himself now, I¡¯m sure we can


    find the chip,¡± the younger board memberforted them.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. When I reported my work to Mr. Nacht, I heard that he instructed Ben to investigate a


    baby. So, I think he¡¯s going to investigate it from another perspective...¡±


    ¡°A baby? What does it mean?¡±


    Meanwhile, Charlotte was too shocked to continue listening to it.


    If Zachary reallyes to my house to find it, I¡¯ll be doomed... I have to return the chip today!


    ¡°Charlotte, Charlotte!¡±


    Charlotte was startled when she heard Lucy¡¯s voice. As her hands shivered, she identally knocked


    over a cup.


    Bang! Everyone in the room could hear that a cup was broken.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry...¡± Charlotte nervously squatted down to clean the broken pieces.


    Meanwhile, several board members turned around and knitted their brows at her in displeasure.


    ¡°What have you done?¡± the senior executive secretary who was in her fifties yelled, ¡°Get out.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ms. Snyder. She¡¯s a neer. I¡¯ll provide more training to her,¡± Lucy apologized


    immediately and ushered Charlotte out of the room.


    Charlotte bowed before everyone to apologize and hastily followed her.


    However, the door suddenly opened when they were approaching it.


    Two bodyguards entered first to make way for Zachary, who was in a ck suit. Instantly, everyone in


    the room was stunned by his sturdy figure and imposing manner.


    When Charlotte saw him, she immediately felt guilty and nervous.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht!¡± Lucy greeted him politely and dragged Charlotte to stand aside.


    At this moment, Charlotte¡¯s heart was thumping non-stop. She looked up slightly to peek at Zachary


    while wondering if he had checked her house.


    On the other hand, Zachary seemed ice cold and didn¡¯t take a sideways nce at anyone, including


    her. He entered the room and walked straight towards the president¡¯s seat.

 Chapter 103

    Chapter 103


    Charlotte learned about her job the whole day and could only take a rest at four in the afternoon.


    After that, Lucy led her to hand over some documents to the meeting room.


    While they were on the way, Lucy reminded, ¡°Leave the room once you put down the documents and


    don¡¯t disturb the board members while they are in the meeting.¡±


    ¡°Be gentle in doing everything and don¡¯t make a noise.¡±


    ¡°Also, don¡¯t irritate Mr. Nacht because he hasn¡¯t been in a good mood for several days. Otherwise,


    everyone in thepany would get into trouble!¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Charlotte followed her while carrying the documents with one of her hands.


    Lucy knocked on the door gently when they arrived. After receiving permission, she entered the room


    with Charlotte.


    Charlotte was stunned as soon as the door was opened. The room was six-meters high and painted in


    cold colors, thus exuding an imposing and overpowering atmosphere.


    The board members sat on both sides of the long table. While most were middle-aged, two of them


    looked rtively younger.


    She saw that all of them wore a solemn expression. They were either reading their documents


    seriously or discussing with others in a low voice.


    It appeared that all of the seats were taken except for the president¡¯s seat.


    Zachary isn¡¯t here yet!


    After Charlotte and Lucy put the documents on the table, the other executive secretaries immediately


    distributed the documents to every board member.


    One of the executive secretaries instructed Charlotte to clean the unwanted documents and trash on


    the table. After that, she was also asked to distribute the documents together.


    Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    When Charlotte was cleaning the table, one of the board members behind her said softly, ¡°If we still


    can¡¯t find Chip X, thepany might have to postpone theunch of our new tech products.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we cooperating with the police all the while to search for the chip? No progress so far?¡± another


    board member asked.


    ¡°Sigh, our problem will be solved if there is progress...¡± A board member with grey hair heaved a sigh


    and continued, ¡°We have spent dozens of millions every day on the search but still haven¡¯t received


    any news after seven to eight days...¡±


    Charlotte was shocked once she heard it. My goodness, the search costs dozens of millions! Does it


    mean thepany has spent more than a billion after several days?


    ¡°Mr. Martin, Mr. Dixon, don¡¯t worry. Since the president is handling it by himself now, I¡¯m sure we can


    find the chip,¡± the younger board memberforted them.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. When I reported my work to Mr. Nacht, I heard that he instructed Ben to investigate a


    baby. So, I think he¡¯s going to investigate it from another perspective...¡±


    ¡°A baby? What does it mean?¡±


    Meanwhile, Charlotte was too shocked to continue listening to it.


    If Zachary reallyes to my house to find it, I¡¯ll be doomed... I have to return the chip today!


    ¡°Charlotte, Charlotte!¡±


    Charlotte was startled when she heard Lucy¡¯s voice. As her hands shivered, she identally knocked


    over a cup.


    Bang! Everyone in the room could hear that a cup was broken.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry...¡± Charlotte nervously squatted down to clean the broken pieces.


    Meanwhile, several board members turned around and knitted their brows at her in displeasure.


    ¡°What have you done?¡± the senior executive secretary who was in her fifties yelled, ¡°Get out.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ms. Snyder. She¡¯s a neer. I¡¯ll provide more training to her,¡± Lucy apologized


    immediately and ushered Charlotte out of the room.


    Charlotte bowed before everyone to apologize and hastily followed her.


    However, the door suddenly opened when they were approaching it.


    Two bodyguards entered first to make way for Zachary, who was in a ck suit. Instantly, everyone in


    the room was stunned by his sturdy figure and imposing manner.


    When Charlotte saw him, she immediately felt guilty and nervous.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht!¡± Lucy greeted him politely and dragged Charlotte to stand aside.


    At this moment, Charlotte¡¯s heart was thumping non-stop. She looked up slightly to peek at Zachary


    while wondering if he had checked her house.


    On the other hand, Zachary seemed ice cold and didn¡¯t take a sideways nce at anyone, including


    her. He entered the room and walked straight towards the president¡¯s seat.

 Chapter 104

    Chapter 104


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    Charlotte realized finally that all of them saw her as Zachary¡¯s girlfriend.


    ¡°You can ask for my help privately if you are faced with any problems at work.¡± Ben reminded gently,


    ¡°But it¡¯s better to keep your rtionship with Mr. Nacht as a secret from other colleagues!¡±


    ¡°There is nothing between us...¡±


    Charlotte had mixed feelings when she left hastily.


    Damn it! Everyone around Zachary thinks that I¡¯m his girlfriend now. Wait, I think even those who


    attended the auction will think the same.


    In that case, Zachary¡¯s reputation is at stake. If the fact that I have children is exposed, he will be


    everyone¡¯sughing stock!


    Besides, if he knows that the chip is missing because of me and my children...


    Then, he won¡¯t just wish to strangle me. He might even cut me into pieces and turned me into ashes.


    Will my three children be dragged into it?


    Charlotte was overwhelmed with anxiety when she pondered over it.


    Since they found out that she tried to sneak into the office, she couldn¡¯t use the same strategy


    anymore. As such, she had to find another way to return the chip to him.


    But how should I do it?


    ¡°Hey, you!¡± All of a sudden, someone rushed toward Charlotte and yelled.


    Charlotte instinctively took a look and asked, ¡°Are you calling me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you! Come over here!¡±


    The senior executive secretary who was in her fifties waved at her.


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    Charlotte came up to her timidly. The nametag on her chest read: Melody Snyder, Senior Executive


    Secretary.


    ¡°Take this cup of coffee into the meeting room for Mr. Nacht!¡±


    Melody handed over the tray with the cup of coffee on it to Charlotte.


    ¡°Me?¡± Charlotte was astounded. After all, Lucy taught her that a low-level secretary like her couldn¡¯t


    enter the meeting room randomly. Why did Ms. Snyder instruct me to do such an important task?


    ¡°Yes, you. Enter the room quickly,¡± Melody bellowed.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Charlotte took the cup of coffee and walked toward the meeting room.


    Another senior secretary pulled Melody¡¯s arm gently asked, ¡°How can you let a new staff do this?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht is losing his temper now. I must be tired of living if I go in now.¡± Melody covered her chest in


    fear and said, ¡°Thest time when Mr. Nacht lost his temper, he threw a cup and identally hit Lucy¡¯s


    head. She had to undergo seven stitches as a result. I don¡¯t want to be disfigured.¡±


    ¡°In that case, this new staff...¡±


    ¡°She had broken a cup earlier on. An ipetent secretary like her will be fired sooner orter. I¡¯m


    giving her thest chance to be productive before leaving thepany.¡±


    The senior secretary was a little startled.


    When Charlotte arrived at the corner, she looked around to check if no one was around her. Then, she


    immediately took out the chip from her shirt and put it into the cup of coffee.


    The clock is ticking, and I have to give it a try to return the chip to him.


    After all, if he wants to investigate it, he wouldn¡¯t doubt me because I didn¡¯t make the cup of coffee.


    After making up her mind, she knocked on the door and entered the meeting room with the cup of


    coffee.


    ¡°The press conference of our new productunch will be held on Friday as scheduled. There is no need


    to postpone it.¡± After making the announcement, Zachary asked, ¡°Any objections?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht...¡± An elder board member with grey hair was sitting in the first row on the right side of the


    meeting table. He said slowly, ¡°I think we should postpone it until we¡¯ve retrieved the chip. If we make


    the announcement now, the whole world will be aware of our n. It will be embarrassing if we


    postpone it!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Sterk, you don¡¯t believe me?¡±


    Even though Zachary¡¯s lips curved into a smile when he spoke, he stared at Mr. Sterk with his piercing


    eyes.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare,¡± Mr. Sterk said slowly with a seemingly caring smile on his face. Nevertheless, he was


    very insistent on his opinion. ¡°I¡¯m only offering a safer piece of advice!¡±


    Zachary didn¡¯t reply to him. Although he still kept his smile, his gaze looked a lot colder.


    The rest of the board members fell silent as they dared not to make a sound.


    Meanwhile, Charlotte came in and put the cup of coffee with trepidation before Zachary.


    ¡°Give the cup of coffee to Mr. Sterk!¡± Without sparing him a nce, Zachary stared at Mr. Sterk and


    said intently, ¡°Since you¡¯re used to having tea, it¡¯s time for you to try a different type of drink!¡±


    ¡°Okay...¡± Charlotte gave the cup of coffee to Mr. Sterk. My goodness!

 Chapter 105

    Chapter 105


    ¡°I¡¯m d to ept Mr. Nacht¡¯s kind act.¡±


    Mr. Sterk took the cup of coffee smilingly and gulped it down.


    Charlotte was gob smacked. She actually wanted to tell the elder that he couldn¡¯t drink it because there


    was a chip in the coffee.


    Nheless, as the words stuck in her throat, she didn¡¯t even utter a word.


    After Mr. Sterk gulped down the cup of coffee, he suddenly felt that something was stuck in his throat.


    He couldn¡¯t help but let out a retch. The next moment, he immediately covered his mouth to prevent


    himself from puking.


    He had to hold his vomit in because Zachary gifted the cup of coffee to him.


    Zachary leaned back on the president¡¯s leather chair in an arrogant posture and looked at him


    amusedly.


    It was as if he was ready to watch a good show!


    The other shareholders wished to help him because he didn¡¯t look well. However, none of them dared


    to speak before Zachary said anything.


    ¡°You... You don¡¯t have to hold your vomit in...¡± On the other hand, only Charlotte dared to say it out and


    grabbed a rubbish bin nervously. ¡°Just vomit here...¡±


    At this time, everyone inside the room was bbergasted.


    Who recruited this slow and blunt secretary?


    How can someone as stupid as her work in level 68?


    Zachary¡¯s eyes squinted and rage pulsed through his veins.


    Was I out of my mind when I decided to promote her? Why did I bring the stupid wench to level 68 to


    irritate myself?


    ¡°Bleurgh...¡±


    Mr. Sterk vomited non-stop to spit out all the coffee he had just gulped down.


    At this moment, Zachary¡¯s face turned a lot grimmer, as if dark clouds were looming over before the


    storm.


    Meanwhile, everyone sweated in fear, while some of them even began to wipe away their sweat with


    their handkerchiefs. They nced at Zachary for a while and shifted their gaze toward the pitiful Mr.


    Sterk.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Just puke it all up.¡±


    Charlotte held the rubbish bin in one hand and patted his back in the other, hoping that he could puke


    the chip out.


    However, after quite some time, Mr. Sterk only puked the coffee up but not the chip.


    ¡°Charlotte, what are you doing?¡± At this moment, Melody happened to enter the meeting room and


    witnessed it. She yelled at her in a low voice, ¡°Get out of here now!¡±


    ¡°I...¡±


    ¡°Get out.¡±


    Charlotte initially wanted to say something, yet she had no choice but to leave after Lucy shot her a


    look.


    After only a few steps, she suddenly heard a bang behind her. The next moment, many of them


    screamed, ¡°My God, Mr. Sterk...¡±


    She turned around and saw that Mr. Sterk had fallen to the ground, squeezing his neck with both of his


    hands. His face turned purple, eyes widened, and tongue stuck out...


    He looked exactly like Fifi when it swallowed the chip!


    My goodness, the chip must be stuck in his throat now...


    She instantly regretted her decision and couldn¡¯t forgive herself if something terrible happened to him.


    ¡°Call an ambnce. Call an ambnce now!¡±


    The meeting room became a mess in no time at all.


    Although Zachary was a little worried, he still saidposedly, ¡°Ask Raina toe here!¡±


    ¡°Yes sir!¡±


    ¡°How could it be?¡± The board members were frightened.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, as stubborn as Mr. Sterk might be, you can¡¯t do this to him.¡± An elder board member said in


    a trembling voice, ¡°We¡¯re all elders who fought alongside your grandpa for decades and helped the


    Nacht family prosper throughout our lives. How can you poison him merely because he is in


    disagreement with you?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, Mr. Nacht. You can¡¯t treat Mr. Sterk like this. This is too much...¡± Another two elder board


    members shot him an usatory nce with tears. ¡°We know that you¡¯re ruthless in doing everything,


    but how can you do this to people in your ownpany?¡±


    ¡°I have to call old Mr. Nacht...¡± An elder board member was emotional and wanted to make a phone


    call.


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Meanwhile, Zachary felt increasingly furious. What on earth is on their mind? I merely gifted a cup of


    coffee to Mr. Sterk, yet they suspect me of poisoning him?


    ¡°Who made the coffee?¡± Zachary bellowed.


    ¡°It was her. She made the coffee.¡± Melody immediately pointed at Charlotte.

 Chapter 106

    Chapter 106


    ¡°Me?¡± When Charlotte was about to exin, Mr. Sterk began to roll his eyes and foam at the mouth.


    Considering that time was of the essence, she immediately rushed toward him to rescue him.


    ¡°What are you doing? Get lost!¡±


    Melody wanted to push her away but was stopped by Lucy.


    Charlotte quickly spread Mr. Sterk¡¯s arms and pinched his chin. The next moment, she put her slender


    fingers into his mouth to get the chip out.


    ¡°Hey, what are you doing? Don¡¯t do anything stupid.¡± The elder board members were scared to death.


    ¡°Drag her away from him!¡±


    The bodyguards immediately looked at Zachary, waiting for his order.


    ¡°Let her try.¡± Zachary stared at her.


    ¡°Bear with it for a little while...¡±


    After a while, she could reach the chip with her finger. Nevertheless, she dared not to pick it up with her


    fingers, worrying that she would tear his throat.


    Meanwhile, he struggled and pushed the people around him non-stop because he felt extremely


    ufortable. As such, he identally hit Charlotte¡¯s injured shoulder.


    Biting her lips, she forced herself to bear with the pain and continued to pick up the chip.


    Suddenly, Mr. Sterk hit Charlotte¡¯s injured shoulder forcefully with his moving arm. Because it was


    rather painful, her hand shivered but unexpectedly pushed the chip down into the throat.


    ¡°Bleurgh...¡±


    Mr. Sterk threw up for a while but quickly calmed down. He gasped for air but apparently wasn¡¯t as


    ufortable as before. Moreover, his eyes and face gradually looked normal.


    ¡°Mr. Sterk, are you alright?¡± Two elder board members came up to him emotionally.


    ¡°Much better.¡± Mr. Sterk was still gasping for air when he continued weakly, ¡°Just now... something


    was... stuck in my throat... I was almost suffocated!¡±


    ¡°Luckily... thisdy... saved me!¡± he pointed at Charlotte and continued, ¡°Thank you!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± Charlotte forced out an awkward smile. ¡°Mr. Sterk, how do you feel now? Does any


    part of your body feel ufortable now?¡±


    Since Mr. Sterk swallowed the chip identally, she knew that he would have the same fate as Fifi


    soon.


    On the other hand, Zachary seemed to have mixed feelings when he looked at her.


    ¡°No, I feel much better now.¡± Mr. Sterk shook his head.


    ¡°Why was there something in the cup of coffee? What on earth was that?¡± a board member questioned.


    ¡°All board members, I will investigate this matter thoroughly and exin everything to you!¡± Zachary


    announced, ¡°Ben, blockade thepany now, check the surveince video, and give me an answer in


    one hour!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Ben immediately left the room to execute his order.


    This doesn¡¯t look good! Did the surveince camera record the moment when I put the chip into the cup


    of coffee?


    At this moment, Raina finally arrived at the room with other medical personnel.


    With Zachary¡¯s permission, he checked up on Mr. Sterk and reported, ¡°A sharp object was probably


    stuck in Mr. Sterk¡¯s throat when he drank the coffee. However, since he has swallowed the object, we


    can only ascertain what it really is after undergoing an x-ray examination.¡±


    ¡°Take Mr. Sterk to the hospital for x-ray examination and treatment,¡± Zacharymanded.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Raina nodded.


    The medical personnel brought a wheelchair and helped him sit on it.


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    As the two elder board members were worried about him, they wished to follow him to the hospital.


    Before leaving the meeting room, Mr. Sterk turned around and said to Zachary, ¡°Mr. Nacht, thisdy...¡±


    He pointed at Charlotte and pled, ¡°She¡¯s my savior. Please don¡¯t give her a hard time.¡±


    ¡°Rest assured!¡± Zachary¡¯s lips quirked coldly.


    However, Charlotte shuddered because she felt that his smile was terrifying.


    An hourter, Ben yed the surveince video with theputer in the meeting room and


    announced, ¡°We¡¯ve figured it out. It was Melody Snyder who made the coffee. However, worrying that


    she would be scolded because Mr. Nacht was in a bad mood, she instructed Charlotte to bring the cup


    of coffee into the room...¡±


    ¡°What was in the cup of coffee?¡± the board members questioned.


    ¡°As for this question...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the Chip X that we lost!¡± Zachary lifted Mr. Sterk¡¯s x-ray film that Raina gave him and announced,


    ¡°As I said earlier, Chip X woulde back today!¡±


    ¡°What...¡± Everyone¡¯s jaw dropped once Zachary finished. What the hell?


    In the hospital, a nurse was persuading Mr. Sterk to take thexatives. ¡°Mr. Sterk, please do as I say.


    Drink it, and the object will be passed in your stool soon.¡±


    ¡°Johann, please drink it. The Divine Corporation and the entire Nacht family are waiting for your stool!¡±


    Mr. Sterk¡¯s lips twitched as he felt helpless...

 Chapter 107

    Chapter 107


    In the principal¡¯s office at Apple Kindergarten.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, are you here because of the kids again?¡± Principal Ruby was terrified when she saw the


    men in ck suits. ¡°I¡¯ll ask the teacher to bring them...¡±


    ¡°No need,¡± Bruce interrupted. ¡°Kids are innocent. What would they know? Even if there was a problem,


    it¡¯s the parents¡¯ problem.¡±


    ¡°You mean?¡±


    ¡°I want the information on the kids¡¯ parents.¡±


    ¡°Understood. Give me one moment.¡±


    In the president¡¯s office of Divine Corporation.


    Zachary sat in a ck leather chair, looking at Charlotte with a piercing gaze. ¡°Be honest, else there


    would be no mercy.¡±


    Charlotte dared not say anything and kept her head down. Her heart rate was skyrocketing as she tried


    to squeeze an idea out of her brain.


    What do I do? What do I actually do! I was the one who served the coffee that choked Mr. Sterk. I was


    the one that got him to throw up too!


    With little thought put into it, anyone could easily figure out that Charlotte was the one that put the chip


    in there in the first ce.


    Even if there was no proof, it was still obvious that she knew the chip was in the coffee.


    How do I exin this?


    She could just make something up and lie her way out of it, but Zachary already knew that Jamie


    identally left with the chip. How do I exin my rtionship with Jamie?


    Her phone was still quiet at the moment, which meant that everything was fine at the kindergarten.


    Or did they stop because the chip was found?


    ¡°Talk!¡± Zachary eximed.


    Charlotte jumped, and slowly raised her head to look at him. His murderous intent overwhelmed her as


    she felt her knees weaken and everything in her head jumbled up.


    She had lost the ability to think properly.


    ¡°So you¡¯re not talking?¡± Zachary was losing his patience. ¡°Hand her to the police and sue her for theft,¡±


    he ordered Ben.


    ¡°Understood!¡± Ben immediately approached Charlotte.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do it! I didn¡¯t steal anything!¡± she said abruptly.


    ¡°Tell me then, why was the chip in the coffee?¡± Zachary tapped rhythmically on the chip, his brows


    knitted. ¡°I¡¯m getting really fed up here, so you have one minute!¡±


    ¡°I...¡± Charlotte was all over the ce at the moment, unable to organize her thoughts into a simple


    sentence.


    ¡°Ten seconds left!¡± The tapping sped up, indicating Zachary¡¯s impatience. ¡°Ten, nine, eight, seven,...¡±


    What do I do?


    While Charlotte¡¯s thoughts were in disarray, her phone suddenly rang. It was from Apple Kindergarten¡¯s


    Lexie.


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Oh no! His men is at the kindergarten!


    She got even more nervous, but one thought immediately popped up. The childrenes first...


    ¡°Three! Two! One!¡±


    ¡°I picked it up somewhere!¡± Charlotte blurted out at the count of one.


    The tapping stopped. ¡°You... picked it up?¡± Zachary raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°Y-yes...¡± She gulped, carefully fabricating the lie in her head.


    ¡°My pet got sick so I brought it to the vet. I spotted the chip from a pile of poo there. There¡¯s an ¡°S¡±


    marked on it and I remembered that thepany¡¯s missing one. I assumed it was the one that you


    people were looking for, but I wasn¡¯t sure. I thought that if I returned it face to face, I would bebeled


    the thief. So I figured sneaking it in was the only choice. Coincidentally, I was asked to send the coffee


    in and I decided to put it in the coffee because you¡¯ll definitely find it. But...¡±


    Charlotte finished everything she wanted to say in one breath. ¡°This is what happened, I swear!¡±

 Chapter 108

    Chapter 108


    Zachary stood quietly in front of Charlotte, staring at her with his cold gaze.


    She was still unsettled, so she dared not look at him nor utter another word.


    In her head, she was going through everything she said just now. This is a thorough story and I didn¡¯t


    miss anything out, right?


    ¡°Mr. Nacht,¡± Ben quietly interrupted. ¡°The chip was, in fact, swallowed by the kid¡¯s parrot. And they did


    say that the parrot was sent to a vet. Maybe Ms. Windt and the kid visited the same vet, and found it


    after the parrot discharged it from its systems.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s too much of a coincidence, no?¡± Zachary questioned.


    Ben immediately lowered his head and backed away silently.


    Charlotte¡¯s mind was in a mess right now. What do I do? If they really investigated the kids, they¡¯ll find


    me out. Will they think I plotted all this?


    ¡°Ms. Charlotte Windt!¡± Zachary squeezed her chin as he picked her head up. He looked her in the


    eyes, ¡°If you lied to me, you¡¯re dead!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t...¡± Charlotte held her breath, it felt like her heart skipped several beats from the shock. She


    forced herself to stay calm, met his gaze and replied with the utmost sincerity, ¡°I really did not lie to


    you!¡±


    Charlotte paused for a second, andined.


    ¡°If I knew this would happen, I would¡¯ve just gave it to you directly. You¡¯re always so unpredictable and


    moody. I was afraid you might doubt my intentions, that¡¯s why I came up with this n. Logically, I


    found your chip and returned it to you. I even saved Mr. Sterk¡¯s life! You should be rewarding me right


    now. But instead, you used me of stealing and threatened to send me to jail. How am I being


    med for all this...¡±


    As she uttered thosest few words, Charlotte forced some tears out of her eyes, feinting innocence.


    Her lips shivered as though in fear.


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    Her beady eyes shimmered as her face flushed bright pink from the usations.


    Zachary¡¯s forehead creased as his heart softened.


    He caressed Charlotte¡¯s lips with his thumb for quite a while before letting her go. ¡°Leave!¡±


    Her lips twitched as she wiped away the tears before walking away.


    Internally, she was ecstatic.


    Thank god!


    When she reached the door, she heard Zachary giving out an order. ¡°Contact Bruce. Let him know


    we¡¯ve recovered the chip, and there¡¯s no need to find the parents anymore.¡±


    ¡°Yes sir.¡± Ben immediately took out his phone.


    At the kindergarten, Ms. Longman had the parental information in her hand and was about to hand it


    over to Bruce when the phone rang.


    Bruce picked up the phone while reaching out to take the papers. ¡°The chip¡¯s recovered. No need to


    look for the parents anymore. Come back!¡± It was Ben¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll head back right away.¡±


    Bruce pulled his hand back and ended the call.


    ¡°Thank you, Ms. Longman.¡± He looked towards the principal. ¡°Our stolen good has been retrieved.


    There¡¯s no more need for the information. Thank you for your time and help me apologize to the kids.


    Good bye.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to know. Farewell then.¡±


    Before the principal said anything else, Bruce was long gone.


    ¡°Thank goodness it was found!¡± The principal let out a sigh of relief as she slid the papers she had into


    a shredder.


    On the other hand, Charlotte went to the washroom and called Lexie. ¡°Hello, Ms. Cheney. Were you


    looking for me just now? Did something happened to the kids?¡±


    ¡°Nothing happened, don¡¯t worry. The kids are fine,¡± Lexie replied. ¡°Ms. Longman just came to retrieve


    the kids¡¯ parental information, so I thought I should let you know.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Why did she want my information?¡± Charlotte was stumped.


    ¡°It looked like the people from Divine Corporation came back for it, but Ms. Longman said that when


    she got them the papers, they told her that they already found what they needed and left.¡±


    ¡°Did they take the papers?¡±


    ¡°No. She said they left without even looking at it.¡±


    ¡°Okay, thank you so much.¡±

 Chapter 109

    Chapter 109


    Since the chip was recovered, Charlotte¡¯s lie was able toe full circle.


    It was as though a significant weight have been lifted from her shoulders. What she needed to do next,


    was to cut off all ties with Zachary and halt his pursuit.


    That way, even if the children¡¯s identity were revealed, it would be none of his business.


    When she saw Zachary walking over with his men, Charlotte quickly took out her phone and called


    Gigolo In Debt. She wanted to show off her rtionship to Zachary and anger him.


    As she called the number, a phone rang in Zachary¡¯s direction.


    Charlotte was stunned, and looked at him in confusion. Is this a coincidence? Or...


    Zachary kept his poker face going and quietly ended the call with his hand in the pocket.


    However, he was actually panicking inside. Why is she calling that number right in front of me? Is she


    suspecting something?


    ¡°Hello?¡± Ben, who knew what was going on, was quick to respond and took out his phone. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the chip has been recovered,¡± Ben continued.


    At the moment, Charlotte heard her call being ended, but Ben was still on the phone and this lifted


    some of her suspicions.


    Just a coincidence it seems. But why does Ben have the same ringtone as Gigolo In Debt? Are they


    the same person?


    Charlotte locked her gaze at Ben and made a mentalparison, dismissing it immediately after.


    Ben¡¯s shorter and their build is totally different. It¡¯s definitely not him.


    However, she shifted her gaze over to Zachary and it matched her image of Gigolo In Debt. All their


    features were uncannily simr.


    Zachary was entering the elevator at this point with two of his men with him.


    Charlotte decided to redial the number. This time, she even got close to the elevator to see if she could


    hear anything. If it rings again, Zachary is definitely suspicious!


    In the elevator, just as Zachary switched off the ringtone for his phone, a call came in.


    He did not pick it up immediately. In fact, he waited for the elevator to descend a few more levels


    before he took the call.


    ¡°What are you doing? Why didn¡¯t you pick up just now?¡± Charlotte did not hear any ringing from the


    elevator and thought she was overthinking things again.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Zachary knew she was suspicious now.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t we have a deal? You¡¯re acting as my boyfriend right?¡±


    ¡°What do you want me to do?¡± Zachary asked.


    ¡°Come pick me up after work,¡± Charlotte paused. ¡°Get me a rose bouquet as well. I¡¯ll pay for it!¡±


    There¡¯s definitely something going on if he refuses.


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    ¡°What if your boss attacks me?¡± Zachary asked intentionally.


    ¡°He won¡¯t. My boss¡¯s an educated man, he won¡¯t go around attacking people for no reason,¡± Charlotte


    answered. ¡°I want you here so that he sees I have a boyfriend. For someone as prideful as him, seeing


    you would definitely make him give up.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be there after work, send me the location.¡±


    ¡°Right away.¡±


    When she got off the call, Charlotte was excited. He actually agreed! That means he¡¯s really not


    Zachary Nacht. Or maybe, it¡¯s Zachary trying to throw me off!


    In her mind, nothing could be proven unless Zachary and the gigolo met face to face.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, Ms. Windt seems to be on to you,¡± Ben reminded softly.


    ¡°Chris ising to H City, right?¡± Zachary asked out of the blue. ¡°Ask him toe see me.¡±


    ¡°Yes...¡± Ben took out his phone, but was concerned. ¡°Mr. Chris and you look almost identical.


    Impersonating you won¡¯t be a problem, but you know, he¡¯s kind of a yboy. What if...¡±


    ¡°He wouldn¡¯t dare.¡± Zachary raised his eyebrows.


    ¡°Understood.¡±

 Chapter 110

    Chapter 110


    During lunch, Charlotte was still wondering whether Zachary and Gigolo In Debt were actually the


    same person.


    If he was, why is he doing this sort of role y with me? He even promised to pick me up. Wouldn¡¯t that


    just expose himself? But if he¡¯s not, why do the look so simr? Borderline identical!


    While she was deep in thought, a soft voice suddenly startled her. ¡°I heard that you¡¯ve been transferred


    to Level 68, Charlotte. Congrattions.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Charlotte looked up. It was Ynda.


    Charlotte recalled the incident where Wesley attacked her. Even though she could not find anything,


    something still felt really off with Ynda.


    It had been quite a while since it happened so Charlotte could not recall the details, but seeing Ynda


    still made her weary.


    ¡°Really sorry aboutst time.¡± Ynda sat opposite of Charlotte with her food tray and said with an


    apologetic tone. ¡°When Mr. Holt attacked you, I really wanted to rush to the rescue, but I froze up in


    fear! I¡¯m so useless!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that. It¡¯s okay,¡± Charlotteforted.


    ¡°As long you forgive me. We¡¯re still friends right?¡± Ynda asked.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Charlotte nodded in response. From an objective standpoint, Ynda was totally in the


    clear. All Charlotte had was a gut feeling, and she did not want tobel Ynda with baseless


    usations.


    ¡°Great!¡± Ynda smiled. ¡°I got took two cups of fruit juice by the way. Have one!¡± She handed the cup


    to Charlotte, and even ced a straw for her.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Charlotte saw that Ynda had a cup as well so she did not think too much about it. She


    took a few sips and continued with her meal, not noticing the sh of contempt from Ynda¡¯s gaze.


    For the whole afternoon, Charlotte was upied with work. After what happened with Mr. Sterk,


    Melody wasid off.


    Lucy had reced her as the new executive secretary, so they had to redistribute the workload in the


    afternoon.


    Charlotte was diligently learning everything she could in order to get ustomed to her work as soon


    as possible.


    In the blink of an eye, it was time to get off work so she sorted out her things and got ready.


    For some reason, Charlotte felt really hot and thirsty the whole afternoon so she drank a lot of water.


    She kept going to the pantry for more.


    In the elevator, a few past colleagues walked in when it stopped at the thirteenth floor. They all


    congratted Charlotte on her promotion to Level 68.


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    She thanked them with a smile. No one besides Ynda looked me in the eyes back when I was


    demoted to the security department. Now we¡¯re suddenly friends again? How realistic.


    While she was in her head, Charlotte¡¯s phone suddenly rang and she immediately picked it up. ¡°Hi, are


    you here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just around the corner.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m in the elevator right now.¡± Charlotte wanted to show off her rtionship to the colleagues present,


    so she used a cute voice. ¡°Be careful while you¡¯re driving, okay? I¡¯ll be right there.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    After the phone call, the female colleagues immediately surrounded her. ¡°Charlotte, who¡¯s that?


    Boyfriend?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, hising to pick me up,¡± Charlotte said in a bashful manner.


    ¡°Oh! Then we definitely have to take a look. With your looks, the man must definitely be rich and


    handsome!¡± The females started gossiping.


    Ynda looked profoundly at Charlotte in the corner. ¡°Charlotte, since when did you get a boyfriend?¡±


    she asked all of a sudden.


    ¡°Quite a while ago,¡± Charlotte replied cheerily.


    ¡°You should treat everyone then! You all agree?¡± Ynda teased.


    ¡°Yeah! You should!¡± A few of them chimed in. ¡°Last time, Sydney¡¯s boyfriend got everyone a bunch of


    good food.¡±


    ¡°My boyfriend got everyone chocte too!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, Charlotte. There¡¯s no escaping this!¡±

 Chapter 111

    Chapter 111


    Charlotte gave it a thought. If Zachary found out that so many colleagues knew about my boyfriend,


    he¡¯ll definitely get annoyed and distance himself from me.


    ¡°Alright, dinner¡¯s on me!¡± Charlotte nodded with a smile.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just skip dinner, let¡¯s head over to Sultry Night for drinks!¡± Ynda proposed. ¡°Wedies need to


    cut down our weight, so no dinner tonight! We celebrate with alcohol!¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Mr. Holt¡¯s not here anymore, we won¡¯t do what he did for sure,¡± one of the male colleagues


    spoke.


    ¡°You¡¯re right! Last time Mr. Holt ordered so many expensive liquor and it costed Charlotte a fortune!


    We¡¯re not gonna do that.¡±


    Hearing those words, Ynda¡¯s gaze turned cold for a moment before returning back to normal. ¡°I have


    some coupons here, so we can get loads of discounts.¡±


    ¡°That works too. Sultry Night it is then!¡± Charlotte agreed heartily.


    As the flock came out of the elevator, they kept Charlotte surrounded and chattered nonstop, singing


    praises of her every step of the way.


    Charlotte had an awkward smile the whole time and did not know how to reply besides thanking them.


    Only Ynda was acting normally and not as pretentious.


    At that moment, Charlotte thought that Ynda might be the best colleague out of all of them there.


    ¡°Huh? Isn¡¯t that Mr. Nacht?¡± one of them rmed everyone. ¡°Quick, stop talking and step aside.¡±


    Everyone there immediately went quiet and lined up at the side.


    As Zachary walked by, they lowered their head and greeted him, ¡°Mr. Nacht!¡±


    Zachary took a glimpse of Charlotte as he walked by.


    Charlotte looked at his back and that gut feeling came floating back up. So simr...


    Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    Ring! Ring!


    Her phone interrupted her thought process. It was Gigolo In Debt. ¡°Hello!¡± Charlotte picked up the


    phone.


    ¡°You out yet?¡±


    While he was talking, Charlotte looked towards Zachary. He did not have his phone with him and was


    giving out orders to Ben quietly.


    Is it really not him?


    Charlotte wanted to confirm it once and for all, so she hurried out the building.


    Zachary¡¯s Rolls-Royce Phantom was parked right in front of the entrance. The body guards opened the


    door, and kept an eye out as Zachary got in.


    Charlotte was spacing out for a moment before she heard a familiar honk.


    She looked towards the direction of the honk and saw the Aston Martin that Gigolo In Debt always


    drove, parked beside a flowerbed not far away.


    Before Charlotte could go over, the Aston Martin immediately sped towards her as the Rolls-Royce left,


    stopping right in front of her.


    The window came down and the gigolo popped his head out. ¡°Hey!¡± he smiled.


    Charlotte was stumped. Something felt weird but she could not pinpoint what it was. His clothes, his


    figure, and even the eyes. Everything was the same.


    No, wait! His eyes!


    The Gigolo In Debt she knew was not as cold as Zachary, but his eyes still had that intense vibe to it.


    His eyes would never shine like how the man in front her did, with a smile no less.


    ¡°Daydreaming?¡±


    While Charlotte was deep in thought, a suggestive voice snapped her back to reality.


    The gigolo had a huge bouquet of Champagne Roses with him as he got out of the car. ¡°I missed you


    so much, Baby!¡± He pulled her close and attempted a kiss.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Charlotte evaded him and gritted her teeth. ¡°You wanna die?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one that wanted me to act as your boyfriend, right? I¡¯m just making it look real,¡± he said with


    an evil grin.


    ¡°But...¡± Before Charlotte could say anything, her colleagues had surrounded her once again.


    ¡°Wow! Charlotte¡¯s boyfriend really is rich and handsome!¡±


    ¡°Expensive car and a handsome face. I¡¯m jealous!¡±


    ¡°Why the mask though?¡±


    ¡°My baby here likes it. Are all you prettydies here my baby¡¯s coworkers? Nice to meet you all.¡± The


    gigolo¡¯s charming greeting immediately got everyone¡¯s approval.

 Chapter 112

    Chapter 112


    Charlotte looked at the Gigolo In Debt in front of her. Something just feels wrong.


    He was right when saying that she wanted him to act like her boyfriend. Naturally, he would need to do


    his best. Can I me him for an outstanding performance?


    However, one thing was for sure. Zachary and the gigolo were not the same person.


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    She just watched Zachary got in a car, and Gigolo In Debt was standing right there with her. Unless he


    knew how to clone himself, there was no way Zachary could make this happen.


    Even now, she still thought they look almost identical when put side by side. Nevertheless, suspicions


    were cleared up and she could confirm that it was just her head ying tricks on her.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on in there?¡± The gigolo gave Charlotte¡¯s forehead a light knock. He opened the door


    and cushioned her head. ¡°Get in!¡±


    ¡°Charlotte¡¯s boyfriend is such a gentlemen.¡±


    Charlotte got in the car while everyone sung praises of the gigolo.


    The gigolo¡¯s phone vibrated, so he took a look at who called. A grin appeared on his face as he left it


    unanswered.


    ¡°Charlotte, can I tag along?¡± Ynda went over and asked.


    ¡°Of course. There¡¯s space for three more at the back,¡± Charlotte invited. ¡°Hop on.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Thank you.¡± Ynda pulled two more female colleagues over and told the others to get


    another car. ¡°Let¡¯s meet at Sultry Night.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    The Aston Martin sped off like a gust of wind.


    Gigolo In Debt was driving a lot faster than usual, zipping through the traffic and overtaking cars


    whenever possible.


    ¡°Slow down,¡± Charlotte reminded.


    ¡°We¡¯re not actually going that fast here,¡± he said as he got close to her. ¡°You look so beautiful.¡±


    ¡°You just noticed?¡± Charlotte rolled her eyes at him. She got close and whispered in his ear, ¡°Drinks are


    on you tonight, go at it as much as you can. I¡¯ll pay you back afterwards.¡±


    ¡°Pay me back?¡± The gigolo was amazed when he heard that.


    ¡°If you want to use your own money, be my guest,¡± Charlotte replied. ¡°You make more than me


    anyway.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! Interesting!¡± He burst out inughter.


    ¡°Why are you acting so weird today?¡± Charlotte¡¯s brows knitted. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen youugh before


    today. Really happy about something?¡±


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I be happy? I get to be your boyfriend!¡± He got close to her ear again. ¡°Aren¡¯t you


    happy?¡± He asked in a flirtatious manner.


    ¡°Stop it!¡± Charlotte face was bright pink.


    ¡°Tsk tsk. Disying your affection for each other right in front of us? Do we need to look away?¡± the


    ladies at the back teased.


    ¡°I should have never tagged along. This love is blinding! Hahaha.¡±


    ¡°Quick, let¡¯s just keep our eyes shut and pretend we saw nothing,¡± Ynda chimed in.


    ¡°He¡¯s not usually like this.¡± Charlotte smiled awkwardly.


    All of a sudden, the gigolo¡¯s phone vibrated once again. He took a nce at Charlotte and picked it up


    with his Bluetooth headset. ¡°Hello!¡±


    ¡°Looks like you got carried away!¡± Zachary¡¯s cold voice came from the other side of the call.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fetching my girlfriend from work,¡± Gigolo In Debt gave him an irrelevant response.


    ¡°If youy a finger on her, you¡¯re dead!¡± A smoldering rage could be heard from Zachary¡¯s tone.


    ¡°Hehe...¡± Gigolo In Debt replied with an evilugh. ¡°Anxious already? I thought you said it was just a


    game?¡±


    Charlotte was left there confused at who he was talking to. Is it the richdy that gave him this car?


    ¡°Chris Broid!¡± Zachary was about to explode.


    ¡°Alright. Okay. Don¡¯t worry!¡± Chrisforted before things get out of hand.


    ¡°Leave immediately when it¡¯s over!¡± Zachary warned.


    ¡°Understood!¡± Chris ended the call and winked at Charlotte.

 Chapter 113

    Chapter 113


    ¡°Something wrong? Is your work affected because you came here today?¡± Charlotte softened her voice


    and asked bashfully, ¡°Was it your boss just now?¡±


    ¡°My boss?¡± Gigolo In Debt shifted his gaze for a brief moment before answering, ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s my boss.¡±


    ¡°Did she find out that you came to pick me up? Is she mad?¡± Charlotte got nervous. ¡°Why did you let


    her find out? This will affect your work for sure.¡±


    ¡°You know who I was talking to?¡± He was a bit confused.


    Charlotte took a look at the back and got close to his ear. ¡°Weren¡¯t you talking to the richdy that¡¯s


    been supporting you?¡±


    ¡°Pfft... Hahahaha!¡±


    Gigolo In Debt burst outughing, as if he just heard the funniest joke ever.


    ¡°Hey, you two better watch how you flirt. There are still people at the back!¡± the colleagues teased once


    again.


    ¡°Sorry! So sorry.¡± Charlotte immediately apologized and gave the man beside her a p on the thigh.


    ¡°Stop it! Eyes on the road!¡±


    Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    However, he keptughing as he was unable to hold it in.


    Charlotte had to give his arm a full forced pinched and stared at him before he slowly calmed down.


    Not long after, they arrived at Sultry Night.


    Charlotte took Ynda¡¯s vouchers and was about to get beers with the discounts. However, Gigolo In


    Debt took her by the hand and walked straight towards the VIP area.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Charlotte anxiously tried to stop him. ¡°You¡¯ll need to spend a lot in this area!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay! Tonight¡¯s on me, so don¡¯t worry. You don¡¯t have to pay me a cent. You¡¯re treating your


    colleagues after all. Let¡¯s go all out, no need for these silly discounts,¡± the gigolo proposed.


    ¡°But...¡± Charlotte had more to say, but her colleagues had caught up to them. ¡°Are we going to the VIP


    rooms? I¡¯ve never gone there before.¡±


    ¡°Me too! Charlotte, your boyfriend¡¯s really generous!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Charlotte!¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    All of them were expressing their excitement and gratitude.


    Charlotte¡¯s smile froze as she was screaming internally. She grabbed Gigolo In Debt by the arm and


    gritted her teeth. ¡°You¡¯re spending all the money you made from selling your body just like this? Don¡¯t


    you want to get out of that industry?¡±


    He could not help butugh once again. Pulling her towards him by the shoulder, Gigolo In Debt spoke


    into her ears. ¡°As long as you¡¯re with me, I can stay in there forever.¡±


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re here!¡±


    Before Charlotte couldplete her sentence, she got dragged into the room.


    The manager of the Sultry Night was waiting there with an assortment food and alcohol.


    Charlotte suddenly realized that this was the room they always met up in.


    The liquors on the table costed at least tens of thousands, each. Oh my god! Has he gone insane!


    She quickly pulled him to the side. ¡°Are you crazy? Where would you get the money for all those


    expensive drinks?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re all paid for by my boss,¡± Gigolo In Debt smiled. ¡°And of course, you don¡¯t have pay anything


    too.¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t she get angry at you?¡± Charlotte felt unease. ¡°You¡¯re using her money to entertain me and my


    colleagues. I highly doubt she¡¯ll be happy about this.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Everything¡¯s taken care of. So don¡¯t you worry.¡±


    He gave her cheek a light pinch and proceeded to wee the colleagues in.


    At the moment, Charlotte was still concerned, but it¡¯s toote for her to voice out anymore.


    Everyone cheered as they got in the room.


    ¡°Wow! It¡¯s beautiful!¡±


    ¡°Oh god! These are all expensive liquor!¡±


    ¡°Charlotte, thank you! Your boyfriend too!¡± Ynda raised her wine ss. ¡°Everyone! A toast! To


    Charlotte and her boyfriend!¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Everyone gathered towards the couple for a toast.


    ¡°I don¡¯t drink...¡± Charlotte wanted to refuse, but sumbed in the end to their enthusiasm as she


    epted their toast one after another.


    On the other hand, Gigolo In Debt was very weing, downing sses after sses of alcohol. He


    immediately gotfortable with everyone there.


    However, after only two sses of alcohol, Charlotte felt woozy and unusually feverish.

 Chapter 114

    Chapter 114


    It felt so hot that Charlotte actually wanted to take her clothes off. She figured it was because she had


    too much alcohol and decided to go to the washroom.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Gigolo In Debt wanted to go with her, but Ynda was one step ahead of him. ¡°I¡¯ll go


    check on her.¡±


    At the same time, the other colleagues were eagerly trying to engage in conversation with the gigolo.


    Thus, he did not put too much thought into it and continued speaking with the others.


    ¡°Charlotte, you okay?¡± Ynda came in the washroom and looked at Charlotte nonchntly.


    ¡°I think I drank too much, it¡¯s so hot right now.¡± Charlotte tried to cool off by washing her face with the


    cold water.


    ¡°I got you some water.¡± Ynda took out a bottle of water and uncapped it for Charlotte. ¡°Take a sip.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Charlotte¡¯s mouth felt dry at the moment, so she epted the bottle and finished it


    instantly.


    ¡°Better?¡± Ynda narrowed her eyes. ¡°Still feeling feverish?¡± She asked coldly.


    ¡°A bit better.¡± Charlotte touched her forehead. For some reason, she felt even thirstier after finishing the


    bottle of water. ¡°I¡¯ll take a break in here for now, you can go have fun. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t rest here! The others would need to use the washroom too you know?¡± Yndaughed.


    ¡°Besides, it¡¯s not really convenient since there are men here too.¡±


    ¡°Then...¡±


    ¡°Looks like the room next door is empty. Let¡¯s take you over there.¡± Ynda helped Charlotte walk and


    spoke in her ear. ¡°We should go out from the side door, else the guys are just going toe up to you


    for a toast again.¡±


    ¡°For sure. I can¡¯t drink anymore.¡±


    Charlotte¡¯s consciousness was slowly fading. Not being able to think properly, she let Ynda bring her


    out.


    ¡°Hey Charlotte!¡± Lily called out when she saw them. ¡°Where are you bringing her, Ynda?¡±


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    However, her voice was drowned by the ring music and all the talking in the room.


    She looked over to Charlotte¡¯s boyfriend and saw that he was happily ying some party games with


    the other men.


    Well, Ynda¡¯s with her, so there should be nothing to worry about.


    Truth be told, Ynda did not bring Charlotte next door. She actually went around a few corners and


    got to an abandoned room quite far away.


    The equipment in the room had malfunctioned so it was sealed off from all usage.


    It was pitch ck in the room. No lights nor music. The only light source avable came from the


    window on the door, faintly shining on Charlotte¡¯s pretty face.


    ¡°Water,¡± Charlotte moaned as she shifted around after Ynda tossed her on to a sofa. ¡°I need water...¡±


    ¡°You want water?¡± Ynda picked up a bottle of expired beer from the table and poured it straight down


    Charlotte¡¯s face. ¡°Drink up!¡±


    ¡°Ugh...¡± Charlotte shook her head in panic, trying to evade. Nevertheless, she was too weak to even


    move.


    At that moment, Charlotte was barely conscious. She did not know what was going on besides the


    feeling of the liquid in her face.


    ¡°You b*tch!¡± Ynda tossed the bottle aside, and lunged at Charlotte, squeezing Charlotte¡¯s head


    between her hands.


    ¡°It¡¯s all your fault!¡± Ynda gritted her teeth. ¡°Mr. Holt had a bright future ahead of him, and you made


    him lose his job! You even got him in jail! Everything¡¯s your fault! He was an outstanding individual, the


    first man to ever get into a prestigious university from our vige! He was our pride, the person that I


    looked up to and admired...¡±


    Ynda was breathing heavily. ¡°I followed in his footsteps and came to Divine Corporation. I worked


    hard and did my best to showcase my abilities, all in the hopes of getting noticed by him. But you were


    the only one in his eyes. So be it! If you loved him and cherished him, I would¡¯ve gave you my blessing.


    But no! You had to ruin him, my guiding light! I¡¯ll never forgive you for this!¡±

 Chapter 115

    Chapter 115


    Ynda stood up and took out her phone. ¡°Hello. Everything¡¯s ready. You cane in.¡±


    ¡°The abandoned room, you imbeciles. Hurry up!¡±


    Silence ensued.


    In the meantime.


    Gigolo In Debt did not find Charlotte in the washroom, so he went to rooms next door, but to no avail.


    He tried calling her as well but it did not go through.


    ¡°Have you guys seen Charlotte?¡± he turned off the music and asked.


    Everyone started shaking their heads. ¡°Is she in the washroom?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯ve been there.¡± Gigolo In Debt frowned. ¡°Who¡¯s the girl that helped Charlotte to the washroom


    again?¡±


    ¡°No idea...¡± Everyone was oblivious.


    ¡°It¡¯s Ynda,¡± Lily said aftering back from the washroom. ¡°I saw her going out with Charlotte. What


    happened? Are they not back yet?¡±


    ¡°Call her immediately,¡± Gigolo In Debt urged. ¡°Quick!¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Lily quickly took out her phone and called Ynda. She even put it in speaker mode, but the


    call never went through.


    ¡°Is it because the signal is bad in here?¡± The colleagues was not as concerned. ¡°Ynda has always


    been a thoughtful person. Maybe she¡¯ll be back with Charlotte soon.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Maybe Charlotte drank too much and Ynda brought her out for some fresh air. They¡¯ll be


    back soon. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s this Ynda? ¡°Gigolo In Debt was still very much concerned. ¡°Is she new? How¡¯s her


    rtionship with Charlotte?¡±


    ¡°Ynda has been in thepany for two years now. She¡¯s considered a senior in the administration


    department. Among the people here, she¡¯s the closest with Charlotte.¡±


    Gigolo In Debt felt a little better after hearing that. He figured that everything was alright and wanted to


    continue where he left off.


    All of a sudden, his phone rang. It was Zachary, so he immediately went out to pick up the call. ¡°Hello!¡±


    ¡°You brought her to Sultry Night?¡±


    ¡°Her colleagues wanted me to treat them!¡±


    ¡°Quit fooling around,¡± Zachary scoffed. ¡°Get out of there right now.¡±


    ¡°Huh? You¡¯re alreadying?¡± The gigolo was disappointed. ¡°Can you at least let me finish the night in


    character?¡±


    ¡°Do you want to die?¡±


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Alright! Okay! I get it. Let me find your girl first. Call me when you get here.¡±


    ¡°What? Where is she?¡±


    ¡°She drank a little too much and a female colleague helped her outside for a breather. Now both of their


    phones are unreachable.¡±


    ¡°Chris Broid, if anything happens to her, you¡¯re dead!¡±


    In the dark and abandoned room, three wretched men with floral shirts walked in.


    ¡°Why the f*ck is this ce so hard to find? All these twist and turns!¡±


    ¡°Yeah! I didn¡¯t even know Sultry Night had an abandoned room like this.¡±


    ¡°Shut up ande here!¡± Ynda demanded.


    ¡°You¡¯re not even paying us a lot, quit nagging already.¡±


    The men stopped as soon as they saw the woman on the sofa.


    ¡°This is what we¡¯re here for? That¡¯s awesome!¡± Their eyes widened.


    On the sofa, Charlotte¡¯s coat had already been taken off as she shifted around with her exquisite figure.


    Her face looked incredibly seductive under the faint lighting avable.


    The three of them drooled in excitement.


    ¡°This body, this face, it¡¯s way better than any women out there.¡±


    ¡°I actually thought it was going to be some olddy! That¡¯s why I was reluctant.¡±


    ¡°You should have told us earlier that it was going to be someone like this! We¡¯d be here waiting!¡±


    The men spoke as they took their pants off.


    ¡°It¡¯s quiet here. No one¡¯s going to interrupt you and no one¡¯s going to find out.¡± Ynda tossed them a


    stack of cash and snickered.


    ¡°You men have fun. Be sure to let her have the time of her life.¡±

 Chapter 116

    Chapter 116


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We will definitely service this fine youngdy to the best of our abilities. Hahaha...¡±


    The drooling men surrounded the sofa, overjoyed at the sight of Charlotte.


    Ynda walked out of the room and gave Charlotte an icy stare as she closed the door with a sinister


    grin on her face.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Charlotte. I¡¯ll go get your boyfriend right now. Maybe he¡¯ll love you even more after seeing


    what happened here.¡±


    ¡°Oh baby, I¡¯m gonna enjoy this!¡± One of the men with a crew cut reached his hand towards Charlotte.


    ¡°Wait!¡± A bald man pped the hand away and took out his phone. ¡°For someone like this, it¡¯d be too


    bad if we could only do it once, right? Let¡¯s record everything so we can use it as leverage! She¡¯ll be


    dancing in the palm of our hand.¡±


    ¡°Boss, you¡¯re smart!¡± the other two praised.


    The bald man set up his phone for recording and took out masks for the three of them. ¡°Wear these.


    That way, no one will know who we are even if the video gets on the inte.¡±


    ¡°You really thought about everything, boss!¡±


    ¡°Now step aside! I¡¯ll be the first!¡±


    ¡°Huh? Okay then... Hurry up!¡±


    ¡°I canst really long! Hehehe.¡± The bald man slowly closed in on Charlotte. ¡°Prettydy, I¡¯ming!¡±


    Ynda was on her way back to the room where everyone was but out of nowhere, she bumped into


    Zachary!


    No amount of colorful lights there could cover his raging presence at the moment. As he got closer, the


    killing intent of a beast could be felt intensifying. ¡°Where is Charlotte Windt?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht...¡± Ynda gave him a stiff smile, forcing herself to calm down. ¡°Charlotte h-had too much


    liquor.¡± She was shivering. ¡°So I brought her out here for some fresh air. But she suddenly disappeared


    when I went to get her... ugh...¡±


    Zachary had his hand on her neck before she could finished.


    Ynda was suffocating, as though a monster had her neck tightly in its hand. Her mouth wide open


    and eyes flooded with terror.


    The man in front of her was no longer human. He was death incarnate, here to decide her fate. If he


    wanted, she would be dead.


    Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    ¡°Where. Is. She?¡± Zachary¡¯s teeth ground like a beast would with its prey beneath its ws.


    Ynda raised her trembling hand, and pointed towards the direction of the abandoned room.


    Two ck suited bodyguards immediately rushed over.


    Zachary did not let Ynda go. In fact, he grabbed her hair and dragged her along.


    ¡°Ahhh!¡±


    Along the way, quite a few customers were terrified by what was going on and some screamed in fear.


    ¡°Please! Please let me go. I don¡¯t know anything!¡± Ynda was in disarray, kicking her legs with


    immense fear in her eyes, begging for mercy.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    A horrific scream came from the room. A man was caught off guard and got kicked away by Ben.


    Thud! The man¡¯s fat body mmed into the wall, and fell to the ground. He was out cold.


    The other two men wanted to escape, but was quickly subjugated under the bodyguards¡¯ feet and were


    now on their knees.


    Zachary slowly walked in and flung Ynda in front of them.


    ¡°It¡¯s her!¡± The men pointed at her. ¡°She paid us to do this!¡±


    ¡°No! I didn¡¯t!¡± Ynda denied, violently shaking her head.


    Zachary did not bother himself with them. He took off his coat and covered it on Charlotte before


    carrying her out. As he was leaving, Zachary gave out an order without even turning his head.


    ¡°Whatever you were paid for, do it on her.¡±


    The two were stunned for a split second and immediately nodded. ¡°Yes sir!¡±


    ¡°N-no! Don¡¯t! Please no!¡±


    Ynda¡¯s howl could be heard from corridor, but no one did anything about it.


    ¡°Suffer the consequence of your own malice,¡± Zachary said and left.

 Chapter 117

    Chapter 117


    Zachary carried Charlotte out from the back exit.


    Chris was anxiously waiting on the car. When he saw them he immediately approached Zachary and


    apologized, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry man. I would have never known...¡±


    Thump!


    Zachary kicked him aside. ¡°If you weren¡¯t my aunt¡¯s son, I would have crushed your throat by now!¡±


    Chris face turned pale from the pain, but did not say anything about it. On the contrary, he apologized,


    ¡°It was all my fault. Is she okay?¡±


    Zachary paid him no heed and carried Charlotte into the Aston Martin.


    At the moment, Charlotte had totally sumbed to the effects of the drug Ynda gave her. She


    entangled herself on Zachary¡¯s body and buried her face into his neck, indulging herself with the


    familiar smell.


    ¡°It¡¯s you...¡± Charlotte murmured. She wrapped her hands around his neck and gave him an endearing


    kiss.


    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Goddammit!¡± Zachary¡¯s forehead creased. ¡°So, you¡¯ve been drugged.¡±


    No wonder you justid there like a fool without even resisting.


    Charlotte continued to shift about in Zachary¡¯s arms, like a ball of fire trying to light up his desire.


    At the moment, Zachary had one hand on the steering wheel and the other holding on to her. He had


    no choice but to let Charlotte have her way with his body as he suppressed his sexual urges. He


    needed to focus on driving.


    However, as Charlotte got even more audacious, her movements were wilder than ever before.


    Unable to calm himself down, Zachary drove the car into a forest near Southcastle Shore where he


    proceed toy her on the seat. ¡°You asked for it,¡± he rasped as he bit her earlobe.


    He kissed her savagely, like how predators enjoyed their prey.


    Charlotte was burning with passion and yed along, making it even more irresistible for Zachary.


    Under the alluring moonlight that sipped through the windows, their silhouettes intertwined.


    It was a passionate night filled with ecstasy.


    In the morning, Charlotte was awakened by the sunlight in her eyes. She was still a bit woozy when


    she opened her eyes and saw a familiar figure.


    Zachary was sitting on the bo of the car with a cigarette in hand. His hair shifted as the wind blew.


    His white shirt was unbuttoned and danced in the wind, revealing his wolf head tattoo on the waist from


    time to time.


    Charlotte looked at him in shock and looked at herself. She was naked with only Zachary¡¯s long coat


    covering her. Moreover, she felt an intense soreness in the groin area.


    Her mind went nk for quite a while before realizing what happened and her heart rate skyrocketed.


    ¡°Ahhh!¡±


    Charlotte¡¯s terrified scream pierced through the calm of morn.


    Zachary knitted his brows and put out the cigarette. He went and got two bottles of water from the


    trunk, uncapped one and passed it to Charlotte.


    ¡°What¡¯s all this?¡± Charlotte grabbed his arm as she was at a loss for words. ¡°What happenedst night?


    We, you and me... What did you do to me?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that? You¡¯re the one that kepttching on to me,¡± Zachary spoke in a stern


    manner. ¡°Be grateful that I had the decency to help you out.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re lying! You filthy scum!¡± Charlotte raised her hand to hit him, but Zachary caught it. ¡°So you¡¯re


    attacking people now after the enjoyment? That¡¯s not right!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you mock me with your nder, I¡¯m not that type of person!¡± Charlotte roared in rage, her chest


    heaving from the heavy breathing, a seductive sight to behold.


    Zachary stared at her smooth and perky breasts, his body showing some reaction. However, he did not


    do anything besides turning on the onboard recorder¡¯s monitor.


    ¡°Take a look for yourself!¡±


    ¡°Take me...¡± A moan came from the screen. The resolution was not good, but Charlotte was able to


    recognize herself, riding on Zachary while kissing and hugging his face. It was even more intense than


    the movies!


    ¡°I...¡± Charlotte was bbergasted. She could not believe what she was seeing. How? Why? How did I


    be like this? This isn¡¯t like me at all!

 Chapter 118

    Chapter 118


    ¡°Still can¡¯t remember anything?¡± Zachary asked. ¡°Even what happened at Sultry Night?¡±


    ¡°What happened at Sultry Night?¡± Charlotte¡¯s head was aching, trying to recall what happened. ¡°I


    remember youing to pick me up, my colleagues coaxing me, asking for you to treat them. And


    then we went to Sultry Night for drinks...¡±


    She briefly paused. ¡°They came to give toasts, I drank two sses full and got drunk. Then, I was in


    the bathroom, Ynda gave me some water and... Nothing. I can¡¯t remember anything after that.¡±


    At this point, Charlotte suddenly realized something. ¡°You bastard! You took advantage of me when I


    was drunk!¡±


    ¡°Look at it again...¡± Zachary tapped on the screen. ¡°Who¡¯s actually the one being taken advantage of


    here?¡±


    On the screen, Charlotte teared open his shirt and kissed him non-stop.


    ¡°Shut it off.¡± Charlotte covered her eyes. ¡°This really isn¡¯t me. Why would I do this?¡±


    ¡°You were drugged, you idiot.¡±


    Zachary turned off the recorder and deleted the footage.


    ¡°Drugged?¡±


    Charlotte gave it some thought, and noticed that things in fact, did not add up. Even though she was


    not good at drinking, two sses should not have been able to almost knock her out like that.


    Wait. I was already quite feverish in the afternoon. The liquor at night only made it worse. And it felt just


    like how it was four years ago...


    ¡°Figured it out?¡± Zachary continued to remind her. ¡°Your conditionst night was way worse than four


    years ago. That¡¯s because you took double the dosage.¡±


    ¡°No way! Who would do something like this?¡± Zachary¡¯s words sent shivers down Charlotte¡¯s spine. ¡°I


    don¡¯t think I did anything to anyone.¡±


    ¡°Just listen.¡±


    Zachary yed the recording that Ben sent him on his phone. It was the conversation between


    Ynda and the three men.


    ¡°I¡¯ll pay you guys a hundred thousand to defile someone for me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re asking us to do that for a mere hundred thousand? What if we get caught? The punishment is


    really heavy for crimes like these.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll handle everything. You guys just have to gang up on her when I send her over.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe... That woman must be ugly. That¡¯s why you actually need to pay money for her to getid.¡±


    ¡°Au contraire, she¡¯s actually more beautiful than you can imagine. You¡¯ll see.¡±


    Charlotte was gob smacked. ¡°Oh God! Is this Ynda?¡±


    Ynda had a unique voice that was soft and slow. Even when talking about such sinister deeds, her


    tone remained the same.


    ¡°You understand now?¡± Zachary shook his head in exasperation. ¡°The juice you drank yesterday


    afternoon was spiked. Same goes for the water she gave youst night. She was out to get you, but


    you treated her like your best friend. If it weren¡¯t for me...¡±


    Zachary did not finish his sentence. If those men even touched Charlotte, he would have med


    himself the most.


    I should never have let Chris impersonate me!


    All he wanted was to clear Charlotte¡¯s suspicions; who would have known Chris was that yful?


    Thank god I got there in time.


    ¡°This is horrifying.¡± Charlotte got goosebumps from the thought ofst night. ¡°T-the men, did... d-did


    they...¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡± Zachary pulled her into his arms. ¡°I would never let anyone hurt you.¡±


    She could feel the beating of his powerful heart, and it gave her a firm sense of security, just like a


    guardian angel looking after her.


    Wait! This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    Another question suddenly popped into her head. She instantly pushed him Zachary away, and


    snapped, ¡°You stupid gigolo! Tell me, did you use a condomst night?¡±


    Zachary went silent. He was stumped, and it dawned on him that he put his mask onst night when he


    got in the car.


    At the moment, he was Gigolo In Debt.

 Chapter 119

    Chapter 119


    ¡°You obviously didn¡¯t then!¡± Charlotte was mad. ¡°You¡¯re disgusting! ying around with richdies


    everyday and sleeping with me in their car...¡±


    Zachary¡¯s forehead creased and clenched his fist.


    God knows Charlotte was the only woman he ever slept with, but she was ndering him, even


    disgusted by him.


    Zachary was ready to just snap her neck then and there, but he figured he was the one that started the


    game with that alter ego. Now¡¯s not the time to reveal myself. Just bear with it!


    ¡°What¡¯s done is done. What do you want me to do?¡± He put down the bottle of water and started the


    engine.


    ¡°Who knows what diseases you might have?¡± Charlotte stared at him angrily. ¡°Don¡¯t you use condoms


    when you¡¯re with your customers? Why is it always me that¡¯s...¡±


    ¡°B*tch, you better stop nagging, else I throw you out right now!¡±


    Zachary gritted his teeth in anger. If it were anyone else, he would have exploded.


    This ungrateful wretch!


    It took everything he had to control his rage.


    Charlotte had tears in her eyes and pouted in fear, her petite figure trembling profusely.


    She knew the man beside her did not back down on his words.


    Being left in the wild with no clothes on like that would definitely spell her demise, so she kept quiet.


    Zachary gave her a nce and saw how miserable she was. Once again, he got soft and passed her


    the bottle of water.


    Charlotte took the water from him and drank slowly. Her throat was burning, her head was aching and


    even her body was in pain. She was aching everywhere.


    As she thought about it some more, she started crying.


    I made a mistake four years ago, and four yearster, the same mistake once again. With the same


    guy! Why am I like this?


    ¡°What are you crying for?¡± Zachary got annoyed. ¡°You make it seem like I sexually assaulted you!¡±


    ¡°If you knew I was drugged, why didn¡¯t you take me to the hospital?¡± Charlotte was in shambles. ¡°Why


    did you have to take advantage of the situation?¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s the hospital going to help you in that situation?¡± Zachary rebut. ¡°Besides, do you want to get on


    headline news once again?¡±


    Charlotte was left speechless. It was true that if what happenedst night was publicized, she would


    be aughing stock again.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like we¡¯ve never slept together before, what¡¯s there to cry about?¡±


    Zachary had a ball of rage stuffed in his stomach at the moment. Is sleeping with me that much of a


    humiliation to you?


    ¡°You¡¯re right!¡± Charlotte took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯ll just treat it as being possessed by a ghost!¡±


    Zachary kept quiet as he flung his fist on the car window out of rage.


    Bang! ss shards flew everywhere.


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    Charlotte closed her eyes and curled up in terror.


    Zachary showed no emotion whatsoever as he kept his piercing gaze on the road, silent ever since.


    With the speed that the car was going, they reached a pharmacy in the city center soon after.


    Zachary got out and headed in.


    Charlotte did not know what was going on. She desperately wanted to leave, but her condition right


    now would not let her.


    Some passerby took notice of her so she immediately covered her face with the coat.


    Zachary did not take too long and came back with a white pill. ¡°Swallow it!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s is?¡± Charlotte was confused.


    ¡°Contraceptive,¡± he replied in cold manner. ¡°Unless you want to go through pregnancy and miscarriage


    once again.¡±


    Charlotte instantly took the pill and swallowed it with the aid of water.


    Zachary then made a phone call before driving to the back entrance of Storm Hotel.


    The manager was already awaiting his arrival when he got there. When the manager saw Zachary, he


    wanted to bow to greet him.


    However, Zachary stopped him and asked him to lead the way.


    ¡°Understood!¡± The manager immediately guided in front of them.


    Zachary used his long coat, covering Charlotte as tightly as possible and carried her into the elevator.


    They went straight up to the thirty-ninth floor where the presidential suite was.


    The exact same room they slept in four years ago.

 Chapter 120

    Chapter 120


    ¡°Mr. Na--¡± the hotel manager blurted, but immediately held his tongue at a sharp, warning look from


    Zachary. Realizing that he had almost spilled the name ¡°Mr. Nacht¡±, the manager let out a brisk cough


    before continuing, ¡°Everything you asked for is ready, sir! Please have a good rest. Let me know


    anytime if there¡¯s anything else you need.¡±


    At this, the manager retreated and even closed the door behind him.


    ¡°Why did you bring me here?¡± Charlotte demanded as her eyes darted around in a panic. ¡°What are


    you still trying to do... Ahh!¡±


    Before she could finish, her feet were swept off the ground abruptly. With a rough haul, Zachary threw


    her into the round bathtub filled with water.


    Ssh! She iled around for a moment as she struggled to sit up, and coughed out some water which


    she had choked on.


    Wiping water off her face with a hand, she grabbed onto the edge of the bathtub with the other. She


    panted heavily for some time before finally steadying herself, ring at him and yelling, ¡°You darned


    gigolo! How dare you...¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± he interrupted fiercely and pointed at her. ¡°From this minute on, you better clean yourself up


    quietly. I¡¯m gonna do you again if I hear another word from you!¡±


    A suppressing atmosphere filled the bathroom at his menacing re and authoritative voice. Charlotte


    felt subdued by the air of dominance emitting off him.


    Frightened, she immediately held a hand over her mouth and stared quietly with widened eyes.


    ¡°Bathe!¡± hemanded as he chucked a bathrobe at her, then walked out of the bathroom.


    She pursed her lips tightly, not daring to make another sound.


    Nevertheless, she really did want to clean herself up.


    Last night had been a long tiring one. She couldn¡¯t help feeling grungy and filthy all over. She slowly


    eased herself into the bath, letting her body unwind in the warm water...


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    The bath was rxing as she immersed herself in it. However, she flinched when the wounds on her


    shoulder and neck started to sting as they came into contact with the water.


    Meanwhile, Zachary had taken a shower in the other bathroom. With only a towel wrapped underneath


    his torso, he hastily rubbed his hair as he came out and called Raina on his phone. ¡°Send a female


    doctor over to the Storm Hotel, now! One whose face is fresh to the public!¡± he ordered.


    Not wasting a millisecond, he hung up and reached out a hand towards his mask. In that instant,


    Charlotte emerged from the bathroom.


    He quickly turned away.


    He cursed in his mind. The mask was still lying on the bed, where he¡¯d have to turn around and walk


    over a distance before he could reach it.


    Of all times, that Ungrateful Wretch now stood right behind him.


    ¡°You¡¯re done so quickly?¡± he asked purposefully.


    He had to figure out something to say to direct her away.


    ¡°Mmhm,¡± she murmured. She was about to say more, but immediately covered her mouth at the


    thought of his threats earlier.


    This gigolo had sounded so scary just now. What if he really were to act on his threats?


    Her entire body still felt sore and her legs had barely recovered enough strength to support her own


    weight. After an excruciating night, receiving more ¡°punishments¡± from this man would be thest thing


    she wished for.


    ¡°That¡¯s not clean enough. Go bathe one more time!¡± he forced a demanding tone, hiding his


    desperation as much as possible.


    ¡°I...¡± she resisted, and then held her tongue again just before more words could spill out of her mouth.


    Not wanting to get herself into more trouble, she begrudgingly turned back towards the bathroom.


    Now is the time! Zachary made a dive towards the mask on the bed. His fingers were barely an inch


    away from reaching it when Charlotte came back to the room all of a sudden.


    He withdrew and turned away in a split second. The towel wrapped around his lower body almost


    slipped from the impulsive movement.


    ¡°I¡¯m not bathing anymore!¡± she grimaced as she held a hand over her painful, swollen neck. ¡°I think the


    wound on my neck¡¯s starting to ooze pus. It hurts! I¡¯m going home...¡±


    She then proceeded towards the door as she spoke.


    Now or never! Zachary made a lightning-speed dash and grabbed hold of the mask. Just as he


    prepared to put it on...


    ¡°Oh, right!¡± Charlotte made a sudden turn and faced him. ¡°You know, I think it¡¯s better if we don¡¯t see


    each other anymore...¡±


    Her voice trailed off slightly as she looked down on the floor. She mustered up her courage again after


    a second.


    She finally looked up as she continued, ¡°Let¡¯s put an end to that contract between us. From this day on,


    you don¡¯t have to pay yourpensation anymore. Go and live your own life in peace...¡±


    At this time, Zachary had finally slid his mask on. He could feel his heart palpitating. It felt as if it had


    almost leaped out of his chest just now.


    If she hadn¡¯t lowered her head the whole time in guilt and abashment, he could¡¯ve blown his cover just


    a second ago.


    ¡°I¡¯ll burn that piece of agreement and delete your number once I go back. Let¡¯s not trouble each other


    anymore from now on.¡±


    At that, she reached for the door handle and began to make her leave.


    ¡°You¡¯ve slept with me from the start, and now you¡¯re thinking of leaving just like that?¡± his cold voice


    rang from behind. ¡°You wench!¡±

 Chapter 121

    Chapter 121


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Charlotte gave an irked frown. ¡°If you¡¯re not happy, I can return all the money to


    you. You¡¯ve paid me over a hundred thousand, right? I¡¯ll reimburse every single cent!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine with the money, but what about my body?¡± He closed in on her with an icy re. ¡°You think


    you can do whatever you want to me and then leave everything behind while forgetting all about it?¡±


    ¡°You... Don¡¯t you dare try anything funny!¡± she stammered and took a few steps backward, nearly


    tripping herself. ¡°If you touch me again, I¡¯ll call the police!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the one who should call the police,¡± he refuted coldly. ¡°Anyone would believe that I¡¯m the real


    victim if they see the recording fromst night.¡±


    ¡°You scoundrel!¡± she snarled. ¡°You recorded us on purpose to use it against me?¡±


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    He was speechless at how dim-witted her thoughts were, letting out an almost inaudible sigh under his


    breath. ¡°What on earth do you think I can threaten you for with a video recording?¡±


    ¡°You...¡± she argued, but her voice broke off into an abrupt pause. He¡¯s right... Even if he threatens me,


    what else can he get out of me besides my body, which he already did? Everybody knows I¡¯m broke.


    There¡¯s nothing for anyone to rob me of...


    Ding!


    She jumped at the sudden ring of the doorbell.


    Zachary walked over to the door. Thinking that he was going to touch her, Charlotte quickly evaded him


    and retreated to a corner.


    He yanked her head with a hand to keep her still and turned the door handle with the other.


    ¡°Mr. Na--¡± a female¡¯s voice echoed as the door swung open. Just like the hotel manager earlier, she


    had almost blurted out his name before freezing at Zachary¡¯s intense re. ¡°Ahem... Good day sir, I¡¯m


    the private doctor the manager has requested for.¡±


    ¡°Come in.¡± He pointed towards Charlotte as he continued, ¡°Check on the injuries on her neck and left


    shoulder.¡±


    ¡°Yes sir,¡± she answered respectfully. The doctor seemed to be in her forties. Her uniform and the


    medical kit in her hands added to the air of professionalism around her.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Before Charlotte could digest the situation, Zachary forcefully pressed her down onto the couch.


    ¡°Behave yourself and stay still! I¡¯ll send you home once the doctor has treated your wounds.¡±


    She had no choice but to give in and obey.


    The doctor crouched on the floor as she tended to Charlotte¡¯s wounds and reced her soaked


    bandages. ¡°Ms. Windt, there¡¯s some pus on your wounds. I¡¯ll dress them as I can for now. You¡¯ll need


    to take some antibiotics today. If they¡¯re still worsening by tomorrow, you¡¯ll have to get them treated at


    the hospital.¡±


    ¡°Understood. Thank you.¡± Charlotte nodded.


    After prescribing the medicine, the doctor left with a curtsy towards Zachary.


    ¡°That¡¯s weird. Why was she acting so reverent towards you?¡± A look of confusion cast upon Charlotte¡¯s


    face.


    ¡°Whoever has the money is the boss!¡± he said in a matter-of-fact tone as he began to put on his clothes


    in front of her.


    She turned away hastily. ¡°Wh-what are you doing? Can¡¯t you be a little more modest?¡±


    ¡°Your clothes are in the wardrobe. Go put them on yourself,¡± he replied indifferently. ¡°Otherwise, feel


    free to go home in the hotel¡¯s night robe if you wish.¡±


    She shot daggers at him as she pulled out the pile of clothes and walked to the bathroom.


    There was a white dress that came along with a set of pre-sanitized innerwear. Amazed at every detail


    taken into consideration, she changed into her new clothes obediently. Much to her surprise, they fit her


    perfectly! It¡¯s as if each piece was specifically tailored for her.


    Not only that, but the fabric also felt sofortable against her skin, and they slid onto her body so


    conveniently...


    ¡°Are you done?¡± Zachary¡¯s voice rang from outside.


    ¡°Yes, I am!¡± She stepped out of the bathroom and asked, ¡°Whose clothes are these? They fit me


    perfectly! They feel sofortable.¡±


    ¡°Why are you even asking? Of course they¡¯re yours!¡±


    He walked towards her and ruffled her dripping wet hair. He then seated her down in front of the


    dressing table, retrieved a dryer from the drawer and began blowing her hair.


    She sat there quietly, staring at herself in the mirror before shifting her gaze to the man behind her


    tending to her hair. A warm feeling blossomed in her heart.


    Come to think of it, this gigolo¡¯s actually pretty nice...


    Indeed, he has always deposited his monthlypensation so dutifully as agreed, without a single


    dy. He¡¯s been so loyal and was at her every beck and call despite his arrogant attitude. On top of


    that, she didn¡¯t expect him to have secretly arranged for a doctor to treat her worsening injuries and


    even prepared a perfect change of clothes for her.


    If it weren¡¯t for his shady job as a gigolo, perhaps it would be a good option for them to unite as a


    family...

 Chapter 122

    Chapter 122


    Just as the thought shed across her mind, Charlotte brushed it off immediately.


    No, Charlotte Windt! You shouldn¡¯t soften up!


    Once a gigolo, always a gigolo!


    It would be impossible for him to clear the stains on his name as someone who had been doing such a


    dirty job for years.


    Even if she herself were to ignore his past, what about the kids?


    If they were to be a family, what if they bump into a client who recognized him while on the


    streets? How would the kids feel?


    Her children would be aughing stock because of their biological father¡¯s identity. They would


    never be able to face society with their heads held high.


    The more she thought about these, the more her fears tugged at her heart. She reminded herself again


    and again to never let her guard down, no matter how gentle this gigolo seemed to be...


    Never!


    ¡°It¡¯s done!¡±


    With a smooth flick, Zachary switched off the dryer. He ruffled her soft hair as if he were petting a little


    puppy.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± She nudged his hand away and kept a distance from him. ¡°You don¡¯t have to send me


    home. I¡¯ll take a taxi!¡±


    ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± There was no resistance in his tone this time. He reminded coldly, ¡°Once


    you step out of here on your own, I¡¯ll nevere to your aid anymore!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll be the best!¡± she replied instantly. ¡°Once I transferred the money back to you, we¡¯ll cut ties.


    Let¡¯s not meet again.¡±


    He frowned as he stared at her quietly. After a brief moment, he nodded. ¡°Alright!¡±


    ¡°Also, you have to delete that recording...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s already deleted earlier this morning, didn¡¯t you see that?¡± His frown deepened as he spoke.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine then. Goodbye.¡±


    At that, she turned and scurried off.


    He stood as he watched her back disappear into the distance. His face paled with anger, his fists


    clenched tight. This time, he would teach this woman a lesson... He would surely make here back


    begging on her own ord!


    Charlotte exited the lift and hailed a taxi as soon as she stepped out of the lobby.


    She nced back at the Aston Martin not far away through the car window. Her heart throbbed with a


    sudden twinge of sorrow.


    She reminisced on the madness they went through the night before, and on his gentle and caring


    demeanor today. And how they¡¯ve cut ties with each other just like that.


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    It felt like everything was gone with the wind in the blink of an eye.


    It was like a dream, as if nothing had actually happened sincest night.


    Lost in her thoughts, the taxi arrived in front of her house before she knew it.


    It was afternoon. The kids had left for kindergarten.


    Mrs. Berry showed up at the door and hurried over to her. ¡°Goodness me... Where have you beenst


    night, Miss? I¡¯ve tried calling you so many times but you didn¡¯t answer. I was so worried!¡±


    ¡°I went out with a colleague and drank too much, so I crashed at her ce,¡± Charlotte excused


    sluggishly. ¡°I¡¯m tired, Mrs. Berry. I need a nap.¡±


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll make something to eat after you¡¯re rested.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    She dragged her feet back into her room. Just as she attempted to make an online transfer to the


    gigolo, her fingers froze atop her phone screen. A sudden realization dawned on her - she didn¡¯t even


    know his bank ount number!


    Besides, there would only be seven hundred left in her credit card if she transfers the money back to


    him!


    How many more days could she survive with only seven hundred?


    Oh no... What do I do now?


    She was racking her brain when her phone suddenly vibrated and rang. It was Hector who called.


    At that name, she hung up immediately without answering. She couldn¡¯t be bothered about that man at


    a time like this.


    Without further hesitation, she sent a text to the gigolo. Give me your ount number. I¡¯ll transfer the


    money now!


    She waited for a few minutes, but there was no reply.


    Does he not want his money back?


    She thought that she should return the money regardless, to avoid any trouble with him in the future.


    However, if he doesn¡¯t want the money back right away, she could at least wait until her next


    paycheck...


    Just then, her phone vibrated with a new iing message.


    The ¡°Gigolo In Debt¡± replied with his bank ount number.


    C National Union Bank, XXXXXXXX, Danny Grant.


    ¡°Heh... Men will be men after all!¡± she let out a mockingugh as she read the name.


    What an old-fashioned name for a gigolo. No wonder he never brought that up.


    She sighed at the thought of transferring out a huge sum of money. It¡¯s alright... I guess it¡¯s better to


    sever ties as soon as possible.

 Chapter 124

    Chapter 124


    A headache began to brew as multiple thoughts overwhelmed Charlotte¡¯s mind at once. I shouldn¡¯t be


    thinking about this right now. How I can afford my next meal is more important than men...


    She had to figure out a way to earn some quick cash.


    A sudden knock at the door snapped her out of her jumbled thoughts. ¡°Miss, you haven¡¯t slept, have


    you?¡± Mrs. Berry¡¯s voice resounded from the other side of the door.


    ¡°No, I haven¡¯t. Come in, Mrs. Berry,¡± Charlotte answered promptly.


    The door swung open as Mrs. Berry entered with a few papers in her hand. ¡°Miss, the kids will be


    leaving for the Sunflower ss¡¯ spring trip tomorrow. We¡¯ll have to sign this consent form and invoice,


    and make the payment at the kindergarten today. Are you going to do this yourself, or should I go


    instead?¡±


    ¡°You do it, please. My wounds still hurt, I need some more rest...¡± Charlotte grabbed her phone and


    was about to transfer money to Mrs. Berry. ¡°How much is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s eight hundred per pax, so the total for all three of them is two thousand four hundred,¡± Mrs. Berry


    replied as she handed over the invoice.


    Charlotte gaped at the papers before her eyes. What sort of kindergarten is this? Eight hundred per


    child for a mere school trip? Do they intend to bring the kids on a tour to outer space or something?


    ¡°Oh, this reminds me!¡± Mrs. Berry chirped as she saw the bnce in her phone. ¡°I still have a


    remainder of three thousand from the furniture expenses you gave mest time. I can make the


    payment with this money first.¡±


    ¡°Did I...?¡± Charlotte looked up in confusion.


    Mrs. Berry didn¡¯t seem to hear her mumble. ¡°I should go to the kindergarten now then. Rest well, Miss.


    I¡¯ll make dinner once Ie back.¡±


    At that, she walked away hurriedly and left the house.


    Charlotte stared as the plump woman¡¯s back waddled off and disappeared from view. She felt guilty for


    having given only a thousand to Mrs. Berry to purchase some furniture earlier.


    Mrs. Berry hade home with an old shoe rack and a simple bookshelf from the thrift store. She even


    returned with a bnce of three hundred...


    Where did the extra three thousande from?


    Mrs. Berry must have sold her own jewelry to help fund the household¡¯s expenses.


    She sighed at how useless she herself had be. Mrs. Berry had been so faithfully looking after her


    and the children all these years. In addition to dying the housekeeper¡¯s sry, she even had to ask


    Mrs. Berry for help with money these days.


    Charlotte couldn¡¯t live with this remorse for much longer. She flipped herptop open and began


    searching for a part-time job.


    There¡¯re certainly loads of opportunities out there. As long as she strived harder, there wouldn¡¯t be a


    need to starve.


    E-hailing driver, food delivery person...


    She scrolled on in dismay. Most of the vacancies listed required her to have her own mode of transport.


    She no longer had a car, and couldn¡¯t even afford a bike with the amount of money she had at the


    moment.


    Come on, is there any other job I can take?


    Her eyes lit up when she came across an advertisement for a bar singer. Good looks, appealing figure,


    adept at musical instruments... She scanned through the job requirements eagerly, then saw thest


    sentence where the sry was stated. Two hundred and eighty per hour!


    It seemed like the bar had just recently opened its doors. The bar appeared to be the more sober type


    of ce where customers would go to unwind themselves in the music, have some drinks, socialize


    and y games, and perhaps also to do a little bit of flirting around.


    It couldn¡¯t possibly be on the same level as a nightclub as grand and mboyant as the Sultry Night.


    These kinds of bars would most likely have less nonsense inparison.


    Besides, she wouldn¡¯t bump into shady people like the ¡°Gigolo In Debt¡± in a bar like this.


    I can give this a shot! She quickly wrote up a resume and submitted it with a click.


    As someone who had taken piano lessons since young until the highest grade and even won multiple


    international awards, she was confident that she could pull off the job.


    Music had only been a hobby for her as a child. She¡¯d never thought that she would one day need to


    feed herself with this skill.


    Desperate to obtain the position before it was snatched up by anyone else, she dialed the number


    stated on the employer¡¯s advertisement.


    The phone was answered almost right away, as if the hiringpany was indeed in urgent need of


    someone to fill the vacancy. ¡°You cane for an interview at 8 p.m. tonight if you wish. If you pass,


    we might even consider letting you start work tonight itself.¡±


    ¡°Alright. May I know if I¡¯ll get paid on a daily basis?¡± she enquired.


    ¡°That¡¯s definitely possible. The payment form is negotiable as long as you have the looks and talent


    we¡¯re looking for,¡± the voice on the other end replied.


    ¡°Great! I¡¯ll be there at 8 p.m. sharp tonight. Thank you!¡±


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    She hung up the call with relief and excitement. Just then, her children¡¯s voice echoed through the


    house, ¡°Mommy, are you home?¡±


    ¡°Robbie! Jamie! Ellie! Fifi!¡±


    She hurried out of the door to greet them.


    ¡°Mommy!¡± Her three kids immediately plunged themselves into her arms. Fifi circled around in the air


    above them while chanting along, ¡°Mommy! Mommy!¡±


    ¡°Ellie, did you bring Fifi to the kindergarten again?¡±


    Charlotte nted a kiss on Ellie¡¯s chubby, rosy cheek.


    ¡°She flew into my bag. I only found her hiding inside when I was at the kindergarten...¡± Ellie exined


    as her pink lips pressed into a tiny pout.


    ¡°But the teachers didn¡¯t scold me for that!¡± she continued eagerly. ¡°Fifi behaved herself today. She


    didn¡¯t disturb anyone during ss, and everybody had fun ying with her. They all loved Fifi!¡±

 Chapter 125

    Chapter 125


    ¡°Yes, Timothy said he would ask his father to buy him a talking parrot.¡± Then, Jamie took out a gold


    invitation card. ¡°Mommy, he also invited us to his birthday party.¡±


    ¡°Uh...¡± Charlotte was taken aback. Both of them were at each other¡¯s throats thest time they met.


    When did they develop such a close rtionship?


    ¡°Mommy, Timothy does not bully Ellie anymore.¡± With a serious expression on his face, Robbie


    continued, ¡°Every day, he brings different types of food for Ellie. For lunch, he even gave her his


    chicken wings and strawberries.¡±


    ¡°Exactly, he isn¡¯t as rude as he was before,¡± Jamie agreed. Then, he started to mimic punching motions


    and boasted, ¡°Recently, he even asked me to spar with him, and I taught him a few tricks.¡±


    Ignoring her brothers, Ellie tilted her head and asked innocently,¡± Mommy, can I forgive him and ept


    him as a friend?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Charlotte nodded her head with a smile. ¡°I will not intervene with the people you want to


    make friends with.¡±


    ¡°If so, can we attend Timothy¡¯s birthday party then?¡± Jamie did not hesitate to ask.


    ¡°Well...¡± Charlotte pondered then came up with an excuse. ¡°His family members will probably be at the


    birthday party too. Although all of you have cleared the misunderstandings and developed a new


    friendship, his family members may think otherwise. I think it will be best if all of you don¡¯t attend his


    party. Anyway, you can celebrate with him in the kindergarten.¡± Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    ¡°I thought so too.¡± Robbie, the most mature one, nodded in agreement. He added, ¡°Timothy¡¯s mother


    and grandmother are so fierce. We should skip the party instead.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Disappointed, Jamie pursed his lips and looked down. I won¡¯t be able to see the Transformers figurines


    at Timothy¡¯s house anymore.


    On the other hand, Ellie seemed unaffected. In a serious tone, she stated, ¡°I will draw a picture and


    send it to him as a birthday gift. Will that be alright, Mommy?¡±


    ¡°Of course! All of you are such wonderful friends!¡± Charlotte pecked on each of their cheeks.


    ¡°Mommy! You are a girl. Please do not me all the time,¡± Jamie pouted and ran away.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Charlotte was surprised by his reaction. In the past, he was always jealous of his sister and


    comined that I was biased toward Ellie. He even protested that I had to give them the same number


    of kisses each time. What¡¯s wrong with him now?


    ¡°Jamie likes a girl,¡± Robbie snitched. Squeezing his chin as though he knew everything, he divulged,


    ¡°He is always peeking at her.¡±


    ¡°Is that true? Who is it?¡± Charlotte curiously questioned.


    Inching to his mother¡¯s side, Robbie whispered, ¡°He likes our new music teacher.¡±


    ¡°Haha, really?¡± Charlotte chuckled. ¡°Well, do you like her too?¡±


    ¡°Of course not!¡± Her eldest child immediately puffed his chest and patted it. ¡°I am only interested in my


    studies.¡±


    ¡°Haha, you have the right priorities, Robbie,¡± Charlotte praised and gently ruffled her son¡¯s hair.


    ¡°Mommy, Timothy also gave this to me...¡± Ellie took a bracelet out of her bag. ¡°He gave me this


    because I helped him to eat the strawberries that he hates.¡±


    ¡°This...¡± Charlotte took a closer look at the bracelet and frowned, ¡°Ellie, you should not ept such


    gifts from others in the future, okay?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Her daughter widened her eyes and queried.


    ¡°This bracelet is expensive, and it is their family heirloom...¡± Charlotte trailed off before she thought of a


    simpler way to illustrate her point. ¡°In any case, you should not ept such presents in the future


    unless your friends made them personally. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°Okay, I understand,¡± Ellie reluctantly nodded and agreed.


    ¡°Mrs. Berry,¡± Charlotte called out and instructed, ¡°When you send Ellie to school tomorrow, will you


    pass this bracelet to her teacher? Tell the teacher to return it to the student who gave this to her.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Mrs. Berry acknowledged while cooking.


    Charlotte was about to continue, but Fifi was making noises to signal that it was hungry, so the children


    rushed to feed their pet parrot.


    At that moment, the security guard knocked on their door to remind them to pay their utility bill. He also


    threatened to cut off their electricity if they did not pay.


    Instantly, Charlotte lost her trail of thought.

 Chapter 126

    Chapter 126


    After dinner, Charlotte hurried to Bar DTT for an interview.


    Since she wanted to be a singer, her appearance was important. Therefore, Charlotte dug up a


    ck dress that she bought years ago and wore it. She even put on some red lipstick.


    Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she thought the lipstick was too much, so she wiped it away.


    Pairing her dress with a pair of sports shoes, she headed straight to the bar.


    Although she was dressed rather casually, her looks still attracted attention from the people in the bar.


    The ce was quite empty, with only three tables upied. There was also only a handful of staff...


    With Charlotte¡¯s arrival, the boring atmosphere in the bar suddenly came to life.


    Guests sitting at those three upied tables suddenly straightened, and their eyes lit up, ready to


    strike up a conversation with her.


    Meanwhile, at the table in the corner, the bar owner, Peter, patted the shoulder of a young man next to


    him. ¡°Our fresh prey has arrived. You will surely like her.¡±


    ¡°Pft, your bar is so lousy and does not even have a pretty hostess...¡± The young man in the ck


    leather jacket jeered but suddenly paused when he saw Charlotte walking in. His disdainful gaze turned


    into a surprised one, and his eyes looked like they were about to fall out.


    ¡°Sir, do you like her?¡± Peter gave him a sneaky smirk. ¡°I will get her number for you.¡±


    ¡°Stop it.¡± Chris immediately stopped him and warned, ¡°Don¡¯t you dare touch her.¡±


    ¡°You know her?¡± Peter asked.


    ¡°We are more than just acquaintances...¡±


    Chris narrowed his eyes and studied Charlotte with an odd expression.


    Compared to the innocent look she had yesterday, he preferred her wild and sexy look today more.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get her toe over,¡± Peter fussed.


    ¡°I told you not to touch her!¡± Chris emphasized withsers shooting out of his eyes.


    ¡°Okay, I got it, ¡° Peter surrendered while nodding his head vigorously in shock.


    ¡°Boss, the new singer is here for an interview.¡± One of the waiters brought Charlotte over.


    Instantly, Charlotte spotted Chris and stopped in her tracks. Is he...the Gigolo In Debt?


    His figure, clothes and he looks exactly the same from the back...


    Chris turned his head, and his gazended on Charlotte. There was aplicated expression in them.


    Did she recognize me?


    ¡°You...¡± Charlotte looked at the handsome yet slightly childish-looking young man and regained her


    Chris¡¯ heart skipped a beat. She recognizes me? Does she regard me as her older brother?


    ¡°Danny Grant?¡± Charlotte called out, thinking he was ¡°Gigolo In Debt¡±.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Chris was puzzled. What is going on? Did Zacharye up with such a dull name for his alias?


    ¡°Sorry, I must have mistaken you for someone else?¡± Charlotte uttered, feeling uncertain about the


    situation.


    I¡¯m sure he is that gigolo. Well, I should y along and pretend we don¡¯t know each other since we


    have already cut off our ties.


    ¡°You?¡± Peter cheerfully gleamed at Charlotte and confirmed, ¡°You are here for an interview as a


    singer?¡±


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Charlotte nodded.


    ¡°What instruments do you y?¡± Peter questioned.


    ¡°I y the piano,¡± Charlotte answered as she nced at the stage to see a white piano.


    ¡°You can go up the stage and y something for us,¡± Peter offered while gesturing towards the


    instrument.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Charlotte stole another look at Chris before she walked up the stage. She started with an easy


    nocturne before moving on to a challenging song, the theme song of ¡°Pirates of Caribbean¡±.


    Instantly, everyone gave her a round of apuse.


    All the young people in the crowd cheered for her.


    When she was finally done with the song, she left the stage and approached Peter. ¡°Was that alright?¡±


    ¡°It was passable. However, peoplee here to drink, and it¡¯s not a high-ss western restaurant.


    Therefore, you may have to sing while ying the piano, and preferably, you have to perform fast-


    paced songs,¡± Peter smiled as he gave hisments.


    Immediately, Charlotte butted in, ¡°No problem, I can y a few more...¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to. I¡¯ll give you some time to prepare, and you shall start your first performance at


    nine,¡± Peter stopped her mid-sentence. ¡°I¡¯ll pay you two thousand per hour. Each shift willst two


    hours, and you will have toe by on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Is that okay with


    you?¡±

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    Chapter 127


    Surprised, Charlotte paused momentarily before she cautiously confirmed, ¡°Two thousand for an hour?


    Is that right?¡±


    ¡°If you think that it¡¯s too low, there is still room for discussion...¡± Peter exined.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s alright. I¡¯ll take it.¡± Charlotte was overjoyed. ¡°I thought I would have to show you my certificates


    before you would offer such a price...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need a certificate because I can tell how good you are from what I¡¯ve heard thus far.¡± Peter


    chuckled, ¡°Okay, you should head backstage to prepare.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course. Thank you so much,¡± Charlotte thanked him and promptly headed backstage with


    another waiter.


    Meanwhile, Chris swirled the liquid in his ss while his gaze followed Charlotte.


    ¡°Who is the man sitting beside our boss?¡± Charlotte whispered.


    ¡°That is Mr. Broid!¡± The waiter eximed and continued, ¡°He is our boss¡¯ friend and a shareholder of


    this bar.¡±


    ¡°What does he do?¡± Charlotte enquired.


    ¡°I think he is the heir to a rich family. Besides that, I have no clue.¡±


    Then, the waiter advised, ¡°Charlotte, you look like a simple woman, so I will like to give you a piece of


    advice. Mr. Broid is a yboy and very flirtatious. His girlfriendse and go as often as he changes


    his clothes. If money is your priority, you can go ahead and have fun with him. Otherwise, you can


    forget about anything else because he will not take any rtionship seriously.¡±


    ¡°I was just curious. Don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t have any funny ideas...¡± Charlotte awkwardlyughed it off. It


    seems like he was not the ¡°Gigolo in Debt¡± because thetter was not some heir to a wealthy family.


    Just as Charlotte was about to leave, a group of sexy and good-looking women rushed into the bar


    enthusiastically towards Chris.


    ¡°Mr. Broid! We all miss you so much.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Broid, what took you so long toe here? How heartless!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Broid. Why did you not visit Sultry Night today?¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Chris frowned and scoffed, ¡°All of you are making too much noise.¡±


    Oddly today, he felt like those women could not hold a candle to Charlotte.


    One is an angel, while this bunch is just colorful birds...


    ¡°Mr. Broid, you have a big appetite today. After ordering so much, can you stomach it?¡± Peter raised his


    brows and joked in a low voice.


    ¡°It¡¯s too much,¡± Chris spat, then ordered the women, ¡°Wait outside for me.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Why?¡± The women were unhappy that their client seemed different today.


    ¡°Get out!¡± Chris fumed.


    ¡°Oh...¡± the women obediently left.


    The men at the other two tables were salivating and lusting over those beautiful women, unable to tear


    their gaze away from them.


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you today?¡± Peter asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave first,¡± Chris stated before he got up and put on his jacket. ¡°Take care of thedy from earlier.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Peter obliged.


    By the time Charlotte returned from backstage, the man she had mistaken for the ¡°Gigolo In Debt¡± was


    gone.


    She did not overthink it and went to Peter to go over the details of her contract. ¡°Sir, can I change into


    something else? I think these clothes are too revealing.¡±


    ¡°Sure, you can wear whatever you want.¡± Peter shrugged.


    ¡°Thank you. Additionally, I think nine is toote for me. Is it possible to change it to eight-thirty instead?


    If so, I will be able to take thest train home.¡±


    ¡°Sure, eight-thirty is fine,¡± Peter readily agreed.


    ¡°Thank you so much! You are so easygoing.¡± Charlotte grinned.


    ¡°Haha, of course.¡±


    To the bar owner, he had to take care of her after his biggest customer ordered him to do so.


    At eight-thirty, Charlotte was preparing to go on stage when she saw a familiar figure walking in.


    Slender and tall with a domineering and mysterious aura, he exuded the vibe of a king.


    As he entered, the people indoors grew silent.


    Zachary Nacht!


    What is he doing here?


    Shocked, Charlotte turned around instantly.


    Oh dear! If he knew I was working here part-time, would he fire me?


    ¡°It¡¯s time for you to go up on stage,¡± the waiter reminded.


    ¡°Give me a moment.¡±


    Charlotte rushed to the dressing room and grabbed a ckced mask from the bunch before slowly


    walking up the stage.

 Chapter 128

    Chapter 128


    ¡°Mr. Nacht!¡± Peter walked over and weed him. He respectfully bowed and greeted, ¡°What are you


    doing here today?¡±


    Instead of replying, Zachary sat down in a corner without a word.


    His aura was so strong that even the flickering lights that were projected on him seemed to fade.


    Meanwhile, Peter was still crouched over, waiting for Zachary¡¯s order.


    The young man lit up a cigar and took a puff before he asked, ¡°Did Chrise by earlier?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he did,¡± Peter promptly replied.


    ¡°He invested three hundred million in you?¡± Zachary raised his brows.


    ¡°There were several branches...¡± Peter cautiously answered. ¡°They all made money.¡±


    ¡°You mean a shitty ce like that has the ability to earn money?¡± Zachary sneered, ¡°You can y


    around with that few hundred million. However, if I find out that you are up to no good...¡±


    He wagged his finger, and Peter hurried over immediately. Then, he coolly jabbed the cigarette butt into


    thetter¡¯s palm.


    Psh! An ugly expression appeared on the bar owner¡¯s face. He did not dare to make a sound, so he


    gritted his teeth in pain.


    Charlotte had just sat down, and after watching this scene, her face turned pale.


    What is happening?


    Why is he making trouble for someone else again?


    What did the bar owner do to him?


    Why does he have to treat my boss like that?


    ¡°You can start,¡± the DJ reminded her.


    Snapping out of her daze, Charlotte began to focus on her performance.


    She started singing ¡°Love Story¡± by Taylor Swift, which drew everyone¡¯s attention instantly.


    Even Zachary peeled his attention away from the bar owner and projected it to the stage.


    On the stage, there was ady in a ck dress and a ckced mask. She had a sexy figure and had


    a carefree attitude. How peculiar!


    At the sight of her, his thoughts drifted to Charlotte.


    Would that stubborn woman have such a side to her?


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, would you like to try some wine that I have specially kept?¡±


    Breaking Zachary¡¯s train of thoughts, Peter¡¯s injured hand shook as he brought his treasured wine to


    the young man.


    ¡°No need.¡± Zachary waved him away and got up to leave.


    Ben and the rest quickly followed after him.


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Peter followed behind to send them out, looking as pitiful as an abandoned dog following his owner


    around.


    While singing, Charlotte watched Zachary walk away. Was he here to torture my boss?


    Whatever, it is none of my business!


    After only an hour of performing, she had received good feedback.


    Although there were not many customers, those that were there were full of praises for Charlotte. They


    even told the bar owner that they would bring their friends over to hear her sing.


    By ten thirty, Charlotte ended work, and Peter gave her five thousand in hard cash.


    She was touched, but when she saw his injured hand, she could not help but blurted out, ¡°Who was


    that guy from earlier? Why did he do this to you?¡±


    She casually left out the part that she knew who Zachary was.


    ¡°Problems in the real world areplicated, so there is no need to ask further.¡± Peter then chuckled,


    ¡°Oh yes, you can call me Peter.¡±


    ¡°Sure, Peter,¡± Charlotte chirped.


    Grinning, Peter waved her off and nagged, ¡°Alright, you should head home soon. Remember to report


    at eight-thirty tomorrow. For the first week, you have toe every day so we can test out the


    response.¡±


    Charlotte nodded.


    Then, she carefully ced the money in her bag. Initially, she wanted to take the train home. However,


    a few young men surrounded her and demanded she give them her number. Therefore, she had no


    choice but to wave for a taxi and hurry home.


    On the trip home, Charlotte was thrilled. With this part-time job, she could earn five to six thousand


    each day, which was more than what the ¡°Gigolo In Debt¡± would give her.


    She did not need to rely on anyone else and could support her family.


    While daydreaming, the taxi stopped at a red light, and she spotted an Aston Martin beside her. Isn¡¯t


    that the gigolo¡¯s car te number?


    Unfortunately, she could not see the driver from her angle.


    The traffic light turned green, and when her taxi moved forward, Charlotte turned to see the man who


    visited Bar DTT earlier.


    He is that gigolo?

 Chapter 129

    Chapter 129


    Immediately, Charlotte took out her phone and tried to find the contact, ¡°Gigolo In Debt¡±. However, she


    realized that she had deleted his number.


    She rummaged through her text messages, but when she finally found the number, the car beside them


    already sped off.


    Letting out a sigh, she could onlyfort herself. Forget it. We cut our ties, so why do I care?


    That night, she dreamt of many things. One moment, she dreamt about Zachary, and the next moment,


    she would dream of the ¡°Gigolo in Debt¡±. Then, she would start dreaming about the young man...


    She had no idea who was who.


    Maybe because she was tired, she overslept. She only woke up when Mrs. Berry nagged, ¡°Your


    children already boarded the school bus. If you don¡¯t get up, you are going to bete.¡±


    Instantly, Charlotte climbed out of bed and brushed her teeth. Without washing her face, she ran out of


    her room.


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    When she reached the door, she turned back again and pushed the money from her bag into Mrs.


    Berry¡¯s hands. ¡°Mrs. Berry, this is the money I madest night.¡±


    ¡°How did you make so much moneyst night? Miss, why are you running? Have some breakfast


    before you leave...¡± Mrs. Berry shouted in concern as she chased after Charlotte with a rice ball in


    hand. However, thetter already got into the elevator.


    Looking down at the money in her palm, Mrs. Berry grew worried.


    Momentster, Charlotte was trying her best to squeeze into the train. When she finally arrived at her


    stop, she ran like a madwoman to her office.


    By the time she arrived at her level, she was covered in sweat.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Mr. Nacht does not like employees who don¡¯t look after their image,¡± Lucy


    scolded. ¡°Quickly go to the restroom and wash up.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Charlotte went to the restroom to wash her face and tidied herself. She was about to leave


    when she heard two female colleagues whispering.


    ¡°Did you know that someone named Charlotte was employed at level 68? I heard she pulled some


    strings.¡±


    ¡°Who is backing her?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but I heard from someone on level 13 that something happened to her in a bar, and Mr.


    Nacht saved her. I think she has a special rtionship with him.¡±


    ¡°How is that possible? Mr. Nacht has such a high status, so what does he see in a mere employee like


    her?¡±


    ¡°Well, you never know...¡±


    ¡°Whatever, let¡¯s not go on. If Mr. Nacht finds out, he will fire us.¡±


    Hearing footsteps that followed, Charlotte immediately fled from the toilet. She was puzzled by what


    she heard. Did Fiona from the administration department see it wrongly? Was it Zachary who saved


    me?


    While she was pondering over the matter, she felt a strong aura from the opposite side.


    She raised her head to see Zachary walking before her with his eyebrows knitted together. He had a


    dark expression on his face.


    Instinctively, she lowered her head and stood in a corner.


    Without making eye contact, Zachary walked past her.


    Only after she heard the door opening and closing, she let out a breath of relief, knowing that he had


    entered the president¡¯s office. Discreetly, she made her way back to her table.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht is in a bad mood today. Watch out and don¡¯t make any mistakes,¡± Lucy reminded her in a


    low voice.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Charlotte noted.


    ¡°There will be a few visitorsing to our office today. Their information is all here. Do take note of the


    time...¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Charlotte cut her off and opened the file to see the first visitor, Hector.


    While she was still in a daze, the elevator door opened, and a familiar figure walked out. He looked


    around and was momentarily stunned when he saw Charlotte.


    ¡°Mr. Sterling!¡± Owen softly reminded from behind him.


    Hector snapped out from his thoughts before he smiled and greeted, ¡°Hello, I am here to visit Mr.


    Nacht. I have an appointment with him.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Sterling, good morning! Pleasee this way.¡± Charlotte responded professionally and promptly


    led him to the office, handing him over to a more experienced secretary to make further arrangements.


    Hector¡¯s gaze lingered on her for a moment before he walked into the office.


    Charlotte returned to her table and continued with her work. Recalling Zachary¡¯s unhappy expression


    from earlier, she wondered if he would make things difficult for Hector.


    While pondering over the questions, a secretary suddenly rushed over. ¡°Ms. Wright, pleasee over


    here! Mr. Nacht lost his temper and threw an object that hit Mr. Sterling¡¯s head!¡±

 Chapter 130

    Chapter 130


    ¡°Quickly fetch the first-aid kit!¡± Lucy immediately ordered.


    Calmly and steadily, she quickly walked to the president¡¯s office.


    Charlotte¡¯s heart thumped wildly in her chest. She wanted to see what happened but could only wait.


    Besides, if she went there, she might make things worse for Hector.


    ¡°Mr. Sterling, you are leaving already? I have a first-aid kit with me. I¡¯m sorry for Mr. Nacht¡¯s behavior.


    He is not in a good mood today. Let me send you to the hospital...¡± Lucy trailed on.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Hector turned a corner and disappeared into the restroom.


    ¡°Owen, this is the first-aid kit. There is some medicine in it.¡± cing the box in Owen¡¯s hands, Lucy


    continued, ¡°Maybe you can use it?¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± The other party took the kit and said, ¡°I will take care of it. You should get back to work.¡±


    Nodding, Lucy returned to her desk and instructed the other secretaries, ¡°I want all of you to be busy


    with work. When Mr. Sterlinges out, don¡¯t stare at him.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± The secretaries hadmon sense and understood that he left the president¡¯s office because


    of his pride. The more they stared at him, the more embarrassed he would feel.


    While at her desk, Charlotte was frowning and felt ufortable. She did not understand why Hector


    had to give in to Zachary¡¯s requests and bow down to him when the Sterlings were so well-off.


    Isn¡¯t it better for him to manage his own business?


    Is Zachary the only client in the world?


    At that moment, the injured man emerged from the restroom with a handkerchief covering his forehead.


    Owen followed behind him.


    Charlotte could not help but steal a nce. His forehead was still bleeding, and his white shirt was


    soaked with blood. He looked miserable.


    Feeling bad, she sped her hands together tightly. All she wanted to do was to show concern, but she


    did not dare to.


    Till Hector entered the elevator, she did not make a move. However, she caught him raising his head


    and looking at her with bloodshot eyes, along with an inexplicable expression.


    Her heart ached and tears welled up in her eyes.


    Finally, Hector left as the elevator door closed.


    Charlotte lowered her head, overwhelmed.


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    ¡°Charlotte, go to the president¡¯s office with Dani to clean up,¡± Lucy ordered.


    ¡°Huh? I...¡± Danielle trembled in fear. ¡°Ms. Wright, I¡¯m afraid...¡±


    ¡°What is there to be scared of?¡± Lucy growled, ¡°Do a good job and don¡¯t sprout nonsense or look


    around unnecessarily. If you don¡¯t step on his toes, Mr. Nacht will not eat you up.¡±


    ¡°Noted.¡± Charlotte quickly brought the necessary tools to the president¡¯s office.


    Danielle could only follow obediently. She tugged Charlotte¡¯s arm and muttered, ¡°Charlotte, can I clean


    the outsideter while you clean the inside?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    In contrast to Danielle, Charlotte was unafraid. She even wanted to confront Zachary about why he hit


    Hector. Did he have to resort to violence like that?


    After they knocked on the door and entered the president¡¯s office, Zacharymanded, ¡°Tell the


    others that no one shall allow Hector to step into Divine Corporation without my permission from now


    on.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Ben immediately heeded his order.


    Danielle lowered her head and timidly picked up the ss shards by the door.


    On the other hand, Charlotte walked to Zachary¡¯s desk and squatted down to tidy the documents that


    had been scattered on the ground. There, she found Hector¡¯s blood stains all over the ce.


    Once again, she felt bad and felt a wave of anger.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to clean up. Get out,¡± Zachary ordered.


    ¡°Yes...¡±


    However, Charlotte stopped Danielle mid-sentence, ¡°Mr. Nacht, are you not afraid of the stench of


    blood?¡± She coldly continued, ¡°Otherwise, are you used to such violence?¡±


    Ben held his breath. He wanted to remind Charlotte not to argue with Zachary at that moment, but he


    did not dare to speak.


    Meanwhile, Danielle was taken aback. Is Charlotte out of her mind? How dare she talk back to Mr.


    Nacht like that?


    Even if she doesn¡¯t care about the consequences, at least she shouldn¡¯t drag me down!


    ¡°Are you questioning me?¡± Zachary red at Charlotte, with a cold stare.


    Trembling in terror, Danielle¡¯s legs turned jelly.


    ¡°Get out of here,¡± Zachary told Danielle, with his eyes still fixated on Charlotte.


    Immediately, Danielle scurried away.


    Gauging the situation, Ben followed behind.

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    Chapter 131


    Charlotte did not continue. She quietly tidied the documents and ced them on the desk.


    Then, she cleaned up the bloodstains with a cloth.


    With every wipe, she felt like she was wiping her own wound...


    ¡°Do you feel hurt because Hector got injured?¡± Zachary uttered.


    Charlotte did not respond and continued to clean.


    Losing his patience, Zachary frowned and seethed, ¡°Are you a mute? Talk to me!¡±


    With that, Charlotte finally stopped cleaning and looked up at him. ¡°Why do you resort to violence? Why


    can¡¯t you talk it out? Do you have to hurt others?¡±


    Without a word, Zachary gazed at her with aplicated expression.


    It took a while before he got up and slowly walked towards her.


    Sunlight shone on his body. Although it gave his figure a warm hue, it somehow made him seem


    colder.


    While he gradually approached her, Charlotte started to feel afraid. Unconsciously, she stepped back,


    and even the stubborn look in her eyes disappeared. Her eyes shifted, and she guiltily tried to exin,


    ¡°Well, I just thought you shouldn¡¯t resort to violence...¡±


    He continued to walk towards her while she continued to retreat. Although she was terrified, she still


    mustered up her courage and confronted, ¡°Mr. Sterling wants to discuss a partnership with you. If you


    don¡¯t want to work with him, you can always turn him down. Why did you have to throw something at


    him?¡±


    His ck leather shoes appeared within her sight, and she drew a sharp breath. He is right in front of


    me.


    Her voice trembled as she spoke, ¡°If you act like that, everyone in the office would be afraid of you.


    Your existing and potential partners would be scared of you too...¡±


    ¡°Only you are not afraid of me,¡± Zachary growled in a dangerously low voice.


    He forced her to retreat until her back was against the wall and she had nowhere else to go.


    Then, he ced one hand on her shoulder while his other hand pinched her cheek to force her to look


    into his fiery eyes.


    ¡°I...¡± Charlotte stammered.


    She panicked and did not know what she could say to get out of the situation.


    ¡°Do you think you can attract my attention by resorting to such tricks?¡± Zachary mocked. ¡°Or else, do


    you think I like you, so you have the right to act like a spoiled princess?¡±


    ¡°I never thought you were interested in me...¡± Charlotte blurted, ¡°A person like you will never be


    interested in anyone else but yourself anyway.¡±


    ¡°Good!¡± Zachary let out a burst of icy coldughter, like a beast showing mercy before his prey.


    It made Charlotte uneasy, and she realized that her words earlier only added fuel to the fire.


    ¡°I...have to go...¡±


    She wanted to escape, but the man¡¯s tall and strong frame was like a cage around her. Therefore, she


    bent down and weaseled her way out beneath his arm.


    Zachary did not stop her but snapped his fingers instead, and the infrared sensor on his door started to


    sh.


    The door was locked and Charlotte could not open it.


    She tried to twist the doorknob in several ways, but it would not budge. There was only an automated


    voice prompt. ¡°The door is locked. Please use your fingerprint or enter the password.¡±


    At that moment, Charlotte was flustered, and she turned back. ¡°What do you want? Let me out right


    now.¡±


    Silently, Zachary twirled his ck leather chair and leisurely lit up his cigar.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht...¡± Out of ideas, Charlotte rushed to him and pleaded, ¡°I apologize for whatever I said earlier.


    I should not have been so disrespectful. Please forgive me and let me go.¡±


    Still, her boss stayed quiet and took another puff from his cigar.


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    ¡°This is an office. If you don¡¯t let me out, what would others think?¡± She was desperate and tried to


    persuade him with another method, ¡°Some people were already specting about our unusual


    rtionship. If you do this, others may think you are a boss that harasses his female employees...¡±


    ¡°Haha!¡± Zacharyughed. ¡°Do I even need to harass female employees?¡±


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°There is something I¡¯m curious about...¡± Zachary puffed out some smoke before he continued, ¡°Who


    were the people that were talking about us? How did rumor that start?¡±


    ¡°They said...¡± Charlotte timidly asked, ¡°Were you the one who saved me when something happened to


    me at Sultry Night?¡±

 Chapter 132

    Chapter 132


    Zachary did not reply and stared at her coldly while the corner of his lips curled up.


    His attitude only scared Charlotte even more.


    ¡°You were really the one who saved me?¡± She asked him carefully.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t even know who saved you?¡± Zachary retorted.


    ¡°I...¡±


    Charlotte wanted to tell him that she did not know what happened then because she was drugged and


    was in a semi-conscious state, but she stopped herself.


    It was not something glorious after all. If he was not the one that saved her, she was just going to be


    setting herself up.


    ¡°Forget it. I¡¯ll never get an answer from you.¡± She tried to change the topic andined, ¡°Mr. Nacht,


    please let me out. I still have to work.¡±


    ¡°I saved you,¡± Zachary suddenly returned to the previous topic. ¡°How do you want to repay me?¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be you...¡± Charlotte was rmed. ¡°If you are the one who saved me...how is that possible?¡±


    ¡°I was out for a drink, and coincidentally, I was there.¡± Zachary let out another puff of smoke then


    nced at her arrogantly. ¡°Even if someone bullied my dog, I will step in to help. It is an act of charity to


    me.¡±


    ¡°How is that possible...¡± Charlotte was confused. ¡°The one who saved me was...¡±


    She thought she saw the ¡°Gigolo In Debt¡±. What on earth is going on?


    ¡°You were drugged and clearly very thirsty. Also, you kept moving in my arms...¡± Zachary teased. ¡°You


    even wanted me to...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not possible...¡± Charlotte fervently denied. There were a ton of questions at the back of her


    head. ¡°The man who saved me was my boyfriend. After it happened, I woke up to him. How can it be


    you...¡±


    Before she could finish, Zachary pulled her into his arms.


    She wanted to resist but was locked in his arms without the space to move at all.


    ¡°What are you trying to do? Let go of me right now.¡±


    Charlotte struggled as much as she could. However, the more she did that, the more it aroused


    Zachary¡¯s desire for her.


    ¡°That day, you were not like that...¡± The man slurred.


    He lifted her chin to look at her wless face and beautiful eyes. The sight sent his blood pumping and


    his body burning with desire for her...


    ¡°That day, you took the initiative to kiss me. It was like this...¡±


    He whispered huskily and nibbled on her earlobe. Instantly, the fiery touch threw Charlotte¡¯s sanity out


    of the window.


    She froze and stood nervously. Her voice sounded like a moan as she croaked, ¡°No...¡±


    ¡°You also did this...¡±


    He slowly moved towards her cheek, pressing his lips against it before he moved to her neck, chin and


    rosy, red lips.


    The moment Zachary¡¯s lips touched hers, Charlotte felt a wave of warmth rise within her body. She was


    slowly losing control.


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    ¡°No...mmm...¡±


    She seemed like a helpless kitten, shaking uncontrobly.


    Her previously stiff body seemed to slump over, melting into his arms.


    Regardless, there was a voice in her head reminding her repeatedly. No, no, no...


    Meanwhile, Zachary was enjoying this side of her, fragile and delicate. His movements became more


    intense, and his hand moved to the bottom of her skirt.


    ¡°Oh...¡± Charlotte shuddered and instantly snapped to her senses. She pushed him away in panic.


    However, she did not manage to push him away. As she used too much strength, the wound on her


    shoulder split open again. The pain was so intense that her face turned pale, and she started to sweat.


    Reluctantly, Zachary loosened his grip on her. He licked his lips longingly, with desire still burning in his


    eyes.


    Charlotte took the chance to back away and straighten her clothes.


    Looking at her pained expression, he knew that she aggravated her wound again, so he went over to


    check on her.


    Instead, Charlotte warned, ¡°Don¡¯te over here.¡±


    Zachary frowned butpromised, ¡°Okay.¡±


    Following that, he snapped his fingers again, and the lock on the door opened again.


    Charlotte ran as fast as her legs could carry her, like she was running away from the devil.

 Chapter 133

    Chapter 133


    In the washroom, Charlotte was sshing cold water onto her face in a desperate attempt to calm


    herself down. As she recalled the incident that night, she was utterly bewildered by what had


    happened.


    She fiddled through her phone and identified the contact number saved as ¡°Gigolo in Debt¡±. Hesitating,


    she ruminated about whether to call him.


    After all, she had to stay firm with the decision that was made that day. Since then, she had never


    contacted him anymore. If I were to contact him now, that will amount to a tight p to my face!


    Besides, it took an insurmountable effort to cut ties with the gigolo. If I contact him now, I¡¯ll be


    entangled in this messed-up rtionship again!


    Eventually, she decided to heed her rational senses. The burning issue was with Zachary. He had


    be immensely possessive over her. Sooner orter, something bad would happen.


    Perhaps I should leave Divine Corporation.


    Currently, the ie from DTT was sufficient to feed the family. Once her ie source has


    stabilized, she would tender her resignation letter to the Divine Corporation.


    Charlotte felt relieved after making that decision.


    She kept her phone in her pocket and returned to work.


    Suddenly, Danial came over and asked anxiously, ¡°Charlotte, did Mr. Nacht fire you?¡±


    ¡°Why would I be fired?¡± Charlotte was puzzled.


    ¡°The way you talked back to him just now, are you not in trouble for that?¡± Danial scrutinized his


    surroundings cautiously and said, ¡°He was fuming with anger. It was a terrifying sight!¡±


    ¡°Yes, he was indeed furious,¡± Charlotte feigned her frustration, ¡°additionally, hembasted me and


    chased me out of the room.¡±


    ¡°He merely reprimanded you?¡± Danial was surprised.


    ¡°What did you think happened?¡± Charlotteughed bitterly.


    Danial replied, ¡°Good to know. You¡¯re so lucky...¡±


    After that, Danial did not say anything further and returned to work.


    Charlotte thought to herself. I should avoid that Devil in the future. Or else, rumors will start cirction


    in thepany again.


    After work, Charlotte¡¯s colleagues invited her to join them for dinner but she rejected their kind


    invitation.


    Her priority was her children back home. With the scarce time that was avable, she treasured the


    invaluable family time and wanted to spend time with her children. Not to mention, she would need to


    work at the barter at night.


    Charlotte was heading towards the subway when she unexpectedly received Mrs. Berry¡¯s call. ¡°Miss,


    there¡¯s an issue again. It¡¯s best if you head to the kindergarten now.¡±


    Charlotte rushed towards Apple Kindergarten, feeling a sense of Deja vu.


    In the principal¡¯s office, Luna and Amanda were seated on the sofa. The ambiance in the room was


    eerily hostile. On the other side of the room, Ms. Longman and Ms. Cheney were standing worriedly in


    front of them like servants who made a mistake.


    Meanwhile, Ms. Berry and Ellie were at the corner of the room.


    However, Robbie, Jamie and Timothy were absent.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have time for this. If her parents are not going to show up, we shall leave this to the police.¡±


    Amanda¡¯s instruction was absolute.


    ¡°Alright, Mam...¡± thewyer immediately took out his phone and was ready to call the police.


    Ellie broke into tears and waved her chubby hands in protest. ¡°I don¡¯t want to go to prison, I don¡¯t want


    to go to prison...¡± she repeatedly begged.


    ¡°Ellie, don¡¯t be afraid. Mommy will be here soon enough,¡± Mrs. Berry quickly tried to calm her down.


    ¡°Hey, kid, don¡¯t be afraid,¡± Luna smirked. ¡°You¡¯re only three and a half years old. Even if you¡¯ve made a


    mistake, you won¡¯t go to prison. Nheless, the person that will actually be imprisoned is your


    guardian, who is your Mommy!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want, I don¡¯t want Mommy to be imprisoned...¡± Ellie¡¯s cries resonated even louder.


    Ellie¡¯s shrieking cries of agony echoed throughout the room. Her eyes were swollen and her cheeks


    flushed red. It was heart-wrenching for a young girl like her to disy such despair and mncholy.


    ¡°Ellie!¡± Charlotte rushed into the room and lovingly hugged her child.


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    ¡°Mommy!¡± Ellie embraced her hug. She was crying out of breath. ¡°Mommy, I¡¯m sorry...¡±


    ¡°Ellie, don¡¯t worry about it. Mommy is here. It will be fine.¡± Charlotte tenderly patted her on the back.


    ¡°Now, tell me what happened?¡±


    ¡°Mommy,. I lost the bracelet...¡± Ellie shakenly replied.


    Her voice was obscured by the excessive crying.


    ¡°Let me exin the situation.¡± Amanda scornfully looked at Charlotte. ¡°She lost my grandson¡¯s diamond


    bracelet that was passed down for generations. It costs about thirty million. Now, don¡¯t you think that


    we should bepensated?¡±


    ¡°Mom, why are you being courteous to them?¡± Luna eximed in agitation, ¡°clearly, she stole it!¡±

 Chapter 134

    Chapter 134


    ¡°Mind your words!¡± Charlotte rebuked her.


    ¡°That¡¯s the truth,¡± Luna slyly replied.


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    ¡°Shut up,¡± Amanda interjected and gazed intensely at Luna.


    Then, she turned and looked towards Charlotte.


    ¡°Be it that the bracelet was stolen or lost, that is not important. Nheless, it is undisputed that your


    daughter is the culprit of this unfortunate event. We¡¯re reasonable people and do not intend to be hard


    on the child. Hence, we invited you here to resolve the situation. Now, how do you suggest we solve


    this?¡±


    Ever since she was punished by Zachary during thest auction, Amanda had adopted a different


    strategy.


    Now, she was pretending to be reasonable and courteous towards Charlotte. This way, even if Zachary


    were to find out, she would not be reprimanded.


    ¡°Please give me some time to figure this out,¡± Charlotte urged.


    Charlotte was a reasonable person. It didn¡¯t matter that the mother-daughter duo were nasty and


    absolutely despicable. If Ellie did lose the bracelet, she would have to bear the responsibility.


    ¡°We¡¯re rushing back home to celebrate my grandson¡¯s birthday.¡± Amanda checked the time on her


    watch. ¡°Is ten minutes sufficient?¡±


    ¡°That works.¡± Charlotte carried Ellie in her arms and calmed her down. Later, she asked Mrs. Berry


    softly, ¡°Mrs. Berry, didn¡¯t I ask you to apany Ellie to return the bracelet?¡±


    Mrs. Berry¡¯s frustration was apparent. ¡°That¡¯s true. However, when I was sending off the three babies to


    the school bus, Ms. Cheney was not there. Therefore, I instructed Ellie to hand it back personally to


    Ms. Cheney. I didn¡¯t expect this to happen... I¡¯m all to me!¡±


    Mrs. Berry med herself for it.


    ¡°Don¡¯t me yourself for it. I¡¯ll try to make things clear.¡± Charlotte turned towards Ellie and gently


    touched her face. She then asked, ¡°Ellie, can you tell me what happened?¡±


    ¡°When I reached school and wanted to return the bracelet to Ms. Cheney, I realized that the bracelet


    was gone...¡± Ellie whimpered. ¡°Mommy, I¡¯m sorry...¡±


    ¡°No worries.¡± Charlotte swiftly hugged her. ¡°Ellie, you¡¯re still young. It¡¯s normal to make mistakes.


    Mommy is here to help you solve it. Don¡¯t be afraid, alright?¡±


    ¡°Mommy, will you go to prison?¡± Ellie¡¯s arms were wrapped around her mother¡¯s neck.


    Her grip was so tight, it was as though her mother would disappear if she were to release her grip.


    ¡°Mommy will be fine. Ellie will be fine too! Trust me.¡± Charlotte gently assured.


    She patted her on the back again and signaled at Mrs. Berry.


    Mrs. Berry hastily attended to Ellie. ¡°Ellie, let¡¯s go to your brothers. They¡¯re still helping you to look for


    the bracelet. We¡¯ll go help them!¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Ellie released her arms and followed Mrs. Berry. After taking a few steps forward, she looked


    back at Charlotte and said, ¡°Mommy, we¡¯ll return once we find the bracelet.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Go ahead.¡± Charlotte nodded and smiled.


    ¡°Hey, how can you let the child leave like this? Now, who¡¯s going to be responsible?¡± Luna immediately


    stood up.


    ¡°What can you get from the child?¡± Charlotte asked coldly. ¡°Didn¡¯t you mention it just now? I as her


    guardian shall take responsibility for this matter.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have time to fool around with you,¡± Luna was extremely impatient. ¡°Give me back my


    bracelet, orpensate me for my loss. Otherwise, I will sue your child for theft.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so grumpy and impatient. You should learn from your mother!¡± Charlotte gawked cially at


    her.


    ¡°You...¡± Luna was speechless yet infuriated.


    Charlotte decided to ignore her. Following that, she invited Ms. Longman and Ms. Cheney to a corner


    of the room and asked for more information.


    Yesterday, Ms. Cheney saw Timothy pass the bracelet to Ellie. However, she was oblivious to what


    happened subsequently. Also, she tried to look for the bracelet at the school field and in the ssroom.


    However, her efforts were futile.


    Ms. Longman summoned a group of teachers to look for the bracelet as well. Additionally, she


    instructed the school worker to inspect the CCTV footage for possible clues. Therefore, they would be


    informed if there were any new findings.


    ¡°We¡¯re already here for an hour.¡± Amanda broke the silence. ¡°Our time is very valuable. This can¡¯t go


    on anymore, call the police!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the way to go. Besides, inform the media!¡± Amanda stroked her head in exasperation. ¡°It will be


    a big problem if someone loots it and sells it off!

 Chapter 135

    Chapter 135


    ¡°Hold on,¡± Charlotte stopped them before they could do anything. Her facial expression instantly


    changed. ¡°I understand that calling the police is necessary. However, why the media as well?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my decision to make.¡± Amanda snarkily responded.


    ¡°You...¡± Charlotte was speechless.


    ¡°Mr. Williams,¡± Amanda instructed authoritatively, ¡°inform all the media outlets in the country about the


    missing bracelet. If someone finds and returns it, the reward will be five million. However, if it was sold


    in the ck market, I will take necessary legal action.¡±


    ¡°Noted, Mrs. White.¡± thewyer acted ordingly.


    ¡°Also, circte the evidence that was taken just now. The photos and the videos...¡± Amanda added.


    Charlotte instantly plunged into a state of trepidation. If the media were to be informed, the identity of


    the children will be exposed...


    ¡°Let¡¯s settle this privately!¡± Charlotte promptly said. ¡°What do you want? Be frank with your demands!¡±


    ¡°Privately?¡± the corner of Amanda¡¯s lips lifted upwards.


    ¡°p yourself two hundred times.¡± Luna gritted her teeth and stared ferociously at her.


    Charlotte was dismayed. Nheless, she had earlier anticipated that the mother-daughter duo was


    here to take revenge upon her.


    ¡°Luna...¡± Amanda was putting on an act. ¡°She¡¯s our rtive. How can we do that?¡±


    ¡°Mom...¡± Luna appeared to be aggrieved.


    ¡°Besides, she¡¯s with Mr. Nacht. We can¡¯t make an enemy of her!¡± Amanda gazed at Charlotte with a


    complicated smile. ¡°How are we going to settle this in private?¡±


    ¡°I...¡± Charlotte had no idea. Thirty million was not an amount that she could afford.


    ¡°I knew it, you don¡¯t have any solutions for this.¡± Amanda crossed her arms in discontent. ¡°On one


    hand, you refuse to let us call the police. On the other hand, you refuse topensate us. Come on,


    you can¡¯t expect us to lose thirty million without getting anypensation. This is preposterous!¡±


    Amanda looked the other way. ¡°Ms. Longman, Ms. Cheney, please be our judge. How can she treat us


    like this!¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true...¡± Ms. Longman awkwardly nodded.


    Nheless, Ms. Cheney truthfully answered, ¡°Ms. Windt, since Ellie was the one who lost the


    bracelet, I think you shouldpensate them...¡±


    ¡°Hey, finally Ms. Cheney uttered a proposition that is fair to us!¡± Amanda felt wronged. ¡°Since you¡¯re not


    able to provide a solution, I guess we don¡¯t have a choice...¡±


    Amanda stood up from her seat...


    ¡°Hold on.¡± Charlotte recalled something and took it out from her bag, ¡°I¡¯ll use this then...¡±


    Amanda stared at the ruby ne held firmly in Charlotte¡¯s hands. Shockingly, it was casually


    wrapped with mere tissue papers. There was no packaging nor any sort of protection to safeguard the


    treasure. Nevertheless, the ne radiated captivating shine and beauty.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this the ruby ne that was auctioned off that day?¡± Luna¡¯s eyes shimmered with desire and


    jealousy. ¡°Is this fake?¡±


    ¡°Let me have a look.¡± Amanda retrieved the ruby ne and scrutinized it meticulously. Shortly after,


    she confirmed, ¡°It¡¯s real!¡±


    ¡°This ruby ne is priced at a hundred million,¡± Charlotte was very reluctant to have pledged it. ¡°It¡¯s


    more than enough to cover your losses. Once I manage to find the ne, I¡¯ll be back to redeem the


    ne.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t manage to find it?¡± Luna pestered her further. ¡°Then, this ne will rightfully belong to


    me!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not going to work. The value of both items are not the same,¡± Charlotte replied anxiously, ¡°if I


    can¡¯t find back your bracelet, I¡¯ll find other ways topensate you. However, you can¡¯t lose the


    ne as I intend to redeem it!¡±


    ¡°There must be a time limit for this.¡± Amanda smirked. ¡°Within seven days, if you can find the bracelet,


    I¡¯ll return this to you.¡±


    She proceeded to stipte her conditions. ¡°If you failed to find the bracelet, you¡¯ll need to bring thirty-


    eight million topensate us. If you manage to do so, I¡¯ll return this ne back to you. However, if


    you don¡¯t have the bracelet nor the money, then this ne will belong to me!¡±


    ¡°This...¡± Charlotte was hesitant.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t agree, then I¡¯ll call the police and the media over...¡± Amanda used her leverage against


    Charlotte.


    Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    ¡°I agree.¡± Charlotte¡¯s back was pressed against the wall.


    ¡°Alright, then we shall enter into an agreement. Ms. Longman and Ms. Cheney can be our witnesses,¡±


    Amanda replied.

 Chapter 136

    Chapter 136


    After they signed the agreement, the mother-daughter duo left contentedly with the ruby ne.


    Ms. Longman and Ms. Cheney proceeded to the security room to inquire about the situation.


    When Charlotte was ready to look for her children, a familiar voice sounded from her back. ¡°Why don¡¯t


    you ask for my help?¡±


    Charlotte turned over and was startled by who she saw. It was Hector gazing at her with his sculpted


    and gorgeous face. Worryingly, he shed a few pounds and hisplexion was haggard and ghastly.


    That afternoon, he was injured by Zachary in the Divine Corporation. Although the wound was


    bandaged and he changed into a new set of clothes, the sadness and dejection still lingered...


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you know I can help you solve the problem. Why do you always bear everything on your


    shoulders every time? Hector frowned.


    ¡°I must be independent.¡± Charlotte smiled bitterly.


    Hector¡¯s heart ached for her. He wanted nothing more than to hold her in his arms.


    She subconsciously took a few steps backward to avoid him. Consequently, his hand hung hopelessly


    mid-air and he was forced to swallow the rejection. ¡°I forgot. You no longer belong to me.¡±


    Such pernicious words and his deste actions deeply touched Charlotte¡¯s heart.


    If he had behaved unreasonably and crudely as before, she would definitely resist and resent him.


    However, the way he restrained himself and the disappointed look on his face changed things. Her


    heart pained at the sight of his distress.


    Past memories started to surge within her mind. As she vividly recalled, their first hug when they were


    sixteen was in a simr fashion. Likewise, the urge to embrace one another was met with an opposing


    force to restrain themselves.


    It was a futile attempt just like their rtionship. Eventually, everything fell apart.


    ¡°It¡¯s my own matter and I can deal with it myself,¡± Charlotte replied softly. ¡°On the other hand, why are


    you doing this to yourself? Your prestigious business consists of other clientele apart from Divine


    Corporation!¡±


    ¡°I can take care of this myself...¡± Hector didn¡¯t want to discuss the matter. ¡°Don¡¯t talk back to Zachary


    because of me. Remember, it¡¯s not worth the risk.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re thinking too much. I¡¯ll not do that.¡± Charlotte intentionally distanced herself from him. ¡°Mr.


    Sterling, your wife and mother-inw just left a moment ago and they should not have gone too far. You


    should leave now to avoid any sort of misunderstanding.¡±


    ¡°The bracelet was a gift from Timothy to Ellie. Hence, there¡¯s no need for anypensation. I¡¯ll deal


    with this...¡± Hector responded.


    ¡°The best way for you to deal with it is to distance yourself from me.¡± Charlotte interjected and


    reminded him strictly. ¡°As long as you express your feelings towards me, the two of them will keep


    causing me trouble...¡±


    Hector heard what she said and the conversation went into a stalemate. The silence went on for a long


    time before he decided to turn away and leave.


    Charlotte sighed as Hector¡¯s figure slowly disappeared from sight.


    She regretted how things panned out, but it can never return to how it used to be...


    ¡°Mommy...¡± her children called out to her.


    Charlotte turned around and Ellie hopped into her arms. Her cheeks were buried deep in Charlotte¡¯s


    chest when she asked in distressed, ¡°Mommy, we can¡¯t find the bracelet. What are we going to do?¡±


    ¡°Mommy, Timothy¡¯s mother said that the bracelet costs thirty million! Is that true? Robbie frowned and


    asked with a straight face.


    ¡°How much is thirty million?¡± Ellie scratched her head and looked worriedly at her brother.


    ¡°Dummie, that¡¯s an amount that Mommy can never earn in her lifetime.¡± Jamie inadvertently blurted


    out. He quickly covered his mouth and guiltily looked at Charlotte. ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t worry about it. I can


    earn that amount when I grow up.¡±


    ¡°My innocent children.¡± Charlotte gently rubbed Jamie¡¯s hair and touched Robbie¡¯s cheeks. She held


    Ellie in her arms and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Mommy alreadypensated them. The matter has


    been solved!¡±


    ¡°Is that true?¡± The three children were shocked. Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    ¡°Yes, it is. Recently, Mommy¡¯s work performance is outstanding and I earned a lot of money. Therefore,


    I canpensate them for the bracelet!¡± Charlotte pretended to be relieved.


    ¡°Yay! That¡¯s great!¡± the three children celebrated joyfully.


    Charlotte then instructed. ¡°Alright. You all should follow Mrs. Berry back home. Mommy still has some


    matters to handle right now and I¡¯ll be back home slightlyte!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mommy! Robbie, Jamie, and Ellie will be good children!¡± They responded cheerfully.


    ...

 Chapter 137

    Chapter 137


    After Mrs. Berry left with the kids, Charlotte immediately ran back to the ssroom and searched high


    and low for the bracelet...


    She looked everywhere. The ssrooms, the school field, the school bus, the toilets, and every single


    corner in the schoolpound.


    With no choice but to persevere, she started to scavenge through the garbage bins. As a consequence,


    her clothes wereter soiled full of dust and dirt.


    As the sky darkened, the teachers and school workers left one after the other.


    Ms. Longman tried to persuade her,¡± Ms. Windt, I suggest you go home in the meantime. All of us will


    look for it tomorrow. Additionally, I¡¯ve sent out a notice informing all school personnel about the


    bracelet. If anyone finds it, it will be passed to me.¡±


    ¡°I n to search for it longer.¡± Charlotte was overhauling the garbage tin. ¡°Ms. Longman, don¡¯t mind


    me. I¡¯ll search for it until eight at night and I¡¯ll leave after that.¡±


    ¡°Truth be told, we¡¯ve looked around in these ces...¡± Ms. Longman wanted to convince her further.


    Nheless, she changed her mind after she saw Charlotte¡¯s determination. ¡°Alright then. I have to go.


    Take this torchlight with you, just in case you need it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Charlotte retrieved the torch light. ¡°I needed this.¡±


    Ms. Longman turned and walked away. Later, she met Ms. Cheney at the school entrance and the two


    immediately discussed the incident.


    ¡°A woman trying to raise three children is not easy,¡±mented Ms. Cheney, ¡°where is the children¡¯s


    father? He¡¯s such an irresponsible parent...¡±


    Ms. Longman replied, ¡°She should be a single mom...¡±


    ¡°Today, Mrs. Sterling had gone overboard by obnoxiously reprimanding the three children. It was


    atrocious for her toment that the alleged theft was the result of insufficient familial education by


    their parents. I tried to calm her down but she threatened to have me fired instead! What an obnoxious


    woman!¡± Ms. Cheney eventually disclosed her grievances.


    Ms. Long was uneased. ¡°Mrs. Sterling is infamous for her arrogance and domineering behavior. Try not


    to mess with her.¡±


    Ms. Cheney felt that it was extremely unfair for Ellie. ¡°Clearly, Timothy intended the bracelet to be a gift


    for Ellie. However, his mother now turns around and uses Ellie of theft. Such a repugnant act!¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, thew is against Ms. Windt and Ellie. Minors do not possess the legal capacity to


    bestow gifts, especially something that is so valuable. Therefore, the Whites have the upper hand in


    the situation!¡± Ms. Longman was clearly against the Whites¡¯ conduct.


    Ms. Cheney replied, ¡°I understand. Therefore, I dared not to speak up during the argument just now.


    Nheless, Mrs. Sterling shouldn¡¯t have scolded the children in such an unscrupulous manner. When


    it happened, Ellie was crying and shivering with fear, it pains me to see her terrified look...¡±


    ¡°Indeed, she¡¯s a very mean and cold-blooded woman. Only when Ms. Windt arrived, did she restrain


    herself from scolding Ellie further!¡± Ms. Longman agreed.


    Ms. Cheney eventually visualized the potential catastrophe that would befall her by having Timothy in


    her ss. ¡°True. A parent like this is horrifying. I have to pray to God that nothing bad happens to


    Timothy during my ss. Otherwise, I¡¯m doomed!¡±


    ¡°Not just you, but the whole kindergarten will also be done for...¡± Ms. Longman shivered at the thought


    of it.


    Finally, Ms. Cheneymented, ¡°It¡¯s extremely unfortunate to be involved with a family like this!¡±


    While the two teachers tried their best to speak softly, they were unable to remain inaudible during the


    quiet and peaceful night. Inevitably, Charlotte managed to eavesdrop on the whole conversation.


    She held onto the torchlight firmly and her eyes emanated intense fury and wrath.


    Although she knew very well that the mother-daughter duo were insidious and heartless, she


    underestimated their level of atrocity.


    They have the audacity to hurt my children with such barbarguage!


    Suddenly, her phone started ringing.


    Mrs. Berry was calling Charlotte. She immediately took a deep breath to calm herself down. After she


    managed to recalibrate her emotions, she answered the call. ¡°Mrs. Berry!¡±


    ¡°Miss, are you still at the kindergarten?¡± Mrs. Berry asked.


    Charlotte replied, ¡°Yes. I¡¯m searching for the bracelet. What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Ellie is having a fever...¡± Mrs. Berry broke the bad news.


    Charlotte instantly panicked. ¡°What? I¡¯lle back immediately.¡±


    Charlotte grabbed a ride and rushed back home.


    Ellieid down semi-consciously on the bed. One would notice that her chubby cheeks were flushed


    red.


    Beside her, Mrs. Berry tried to lower her temperature by sponging her with a cold towel.


    Furthermore, Robbie applied an ice bag on her forehead using his right hand. Meanwhile, his other


    hand was measuring her temperature with a thermometer.


    At the other side of the bed, Jamie was trying to feed her some water. He patiently scooped the water


    bit by bit and put it in her mouth. While doing that, he routinely wiped off the remaining drops of liquid


    on the side of her mouth.


    ¡°Ellie, Ellie, it¡¯s Mommy...¡± Charlotte called out to her.


    She held her hand over and touched Ellie¡¯s forehead. Needless to say, it was zing hot!


    Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    ¡°Mommy...¡± Ellie mumbled indistinctly, ¡°Mommy, I have a daddy right? I¡¯m not a b*****d, I¡¯m not...¡±


    After hearing what she said, tears uncontrobly streamed down Charlotte¡¯s cheeks.

 Chapter 138

    Chapter 138


    ¡°It was Timothy¡¯s mother.¡± Jamie clenched his fist forcefully. He was all riled up and continued to utter,


    ¡°She rebuked us for not having a father, and even said that we are...¡±


    Jamie gritted his teeth to stop himself from finishing the sentence. What came next was something he


    dared not mention. Consequently, his eyes started to turn red.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother. She did it on purpose!¡± Robbie tried to remind his brother. However, red streaks were


    evidently visible in the corner of his eyes as well.


    Charlotte bit her lips and remained quiet. Nevertheless, she knew the impact of those derogatory words


    towards the children...


    Previously, she bit the bullet when they bullied her inhumanely. Nheless, this time, she wouldn¡¯t let


    them off the hook anymore...


    ¡°Karma will catch up to them.¡± Mrs. Berry was infuriated.


    ¡°What¡¯s her temperature?¡± Charlotte changed the topic of conversation.


    ¡°101.3 degrees Fahrenheit!¡± Robbie frowned. ¡°Mommy, I think we should let Ellie have some fever


    medicine.¡±


    Jamie swiftly raced towards the living room to retrieve the first aid kit box. ¡°I¡¯ll get the medicine.¡±


    Mrs. Berry fiddled through the box and found the fever medicine. Immediately, she gave Ellie some of


    the medicine ording to the rmended dosage.


    Worryingly, Ellie was coughing profusely. Much to their dismay, she vomited most of the medicine and


    only managed to ingest a small portion of it.


    Charlotte was perturbed with Ellie¡¯s condition. Ever since she was born, her health and immune system


    were far from inferiorpared to that of her two brothers. Therefore, Charlotte had always provided


    her with delicate care and attention.


    After years of meticulous care and rehabilitation, Ellie¡¯s health improved dramatically. Regrettably, the


    sudden fever must be caused by the inmmation of the tonsils due to her excessive crying.


    After feeding Ellie with the medicine, it was already eighty-twenty at night.


    While changing her shirt, Charlotte told Mrs. Berry, ¡°Mrs. Berry, I¡¯ll need to head to work now. May I


    trouble you tonight to take care of Ellie? Please remember to keep her hydrated and to frequently


    perform sponging for her. If the fever doesn¡¯t subside when I return from work, I¡¯ll bring her to the


    hospital.¡±


    ¡°Miss, it¡¯s alreadyte at night. Where are you going?¡± Mrs. Berry was concerned.


    Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    Charlotte replied, ¡°I found a side job from eighty-thirty to ten-thirty at night. Heck, I¡¯m almostte.¡±


    Charlotte hurriedly put on her clothes and left with her handbag.


    ¡°Mommy, please wait for a second.¡± Robbie pursued her hastily and passed her a bag. ¡°You haven¡¯t


    had dinner yet. Bring this bread along.¡±


    ¡°This as well.¡± Jamie ran out of the house with a box of milk. ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t worry about Ellie. We¡¯ll


    take care of her.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Charlotte started to tear up. ¡°Thank you, everyone. Mommy¡¯s got to go now!¡±


    ¡°We will do so, Mommy!¡± Jamie and Robbie replied with innocent smiles on their faces.


    Charlotte took a ride towards Bar DTT. In the car, she mindlessly munched on the bread and gulped on


    the milk. All she could think about was her children and the hardships they had to go through. Unable


    to hold it together, she burst into tears.


    She was willing to endure all sorts of hardships and suffering. However, her children were off-limits.


    The mother-daughter duo were detestable. Also, they were rich and had ample time at their disposal.


    On the flip side, Charlotte didn¡¯t have the energy to be siphoned into a never-ending feud with them.


    Perhaps I should consider transferring the children to another kindergarten...


    Be that as it may, she needed money for the transfer. Hence, her only goal at the moment was to make


    as much money as possible.


    When the clock hit eight-thirty sharp, Charlotte was still on her way. At the same time, an unsaved


    number was calling her. As expected, it was a call from DTT. Hence, she immediately answered the


    phone. ¡°Hello!¡±


    ¡°Charlotte, what¡¯s the matter with you? Are you noting today?¡± It was Peter from Bar DTT.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. There was an emergency back at home and I departed from my house slightlyter than


    usual. I¡¯m on my way but I might need another ten minutes...¡± she shakingly replied.


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll ask the other singers to rece you for the moment. You¡¯ll start at nine-thirty!¡± Peter


    suggested.


    ¡°Sure, thanks Peter.¡± Charlotte was grateful for the gesture.


    As Charlotte put down the phone, she could finally catch a breath. Fortunately, her boss was a


    reasonable man. If it were someone like the Devil, perhaps she would be fired already.


    At nine-ten, Charlotte arrived at the DTT anxiously. Meanwhile, there was a male singer on stage


    singing a rock song. Although he was very professional, the crowd remained unsatisfied with the


    performance.


    ¡°We want to listen to the gorgeousdy from yesterday!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! We¡¯re here specially for her. Where is she?¡±


    Charlotte sneaked in from the back and headed straight towards the changing room.


    At the corner of a room, Peter restlessly signaled for her to put on makeup and head onto the stage.


    Charlotte obediently nodded. In the meantime, she noticed a man who looked exactly like the Gigolo In


    Debt and was sitting beside Peter.


    His posture emanated overwhelming haughtiness and arrogance. Delicately, he swirled the wine ss


    and smiled fondly at her. One look at his eyes and she was instantly electrified by his burning affection.

 Chapter 139

    Chapter 139


    ¡°Let¡¯s go? We shall have a toast with him.¡± Peter passed Charlotte a ss of red wine.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s necessary.¡± Charlotte shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ll need to rush back home. Please help me


    to thank him.¡±


    With that, she carried her backpack and wanted to leave from the backdoor...


    Peter saw her leaving and the corner of his lips lifted into a mysterious smile.


    ¡°Hey, gorgeous woman. I¡¯ve been waiting for you. Let¡¯s have a drink together.¡± A young man stopped


    her in her tracks.


    Their eyes met and she immediately felt the intensity from his gaze.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. You¡¯ve got the wrong person.¡± Charlotte lowered her head and wanted to go around him.


    However, his bodyguards stopped that from happening.


    ¡°You had the audacity to ignore Mr. Hammond!¡± The bodyguard was furious.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± The young man rebuked the bodyguard. ¡°How could you speak to the gorgeous woman in


    such a crude manner.¡±


    After that, he walked towards her and sincerely rified. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not a bad person. Actually, I


    just want to be your friend.¡±


    ¡°I need to head back home right now.¡± Charlotte avoided him and took a different path.


    ¡°ying hard to get?¡± The young man lost his patience. ¡°Then don¡¯t me me for using force.¡±


    He grabbed Charlotte by her hair and dragged her to the car.


    ¡°Let me go...¡± Charlotte struggled in vain.


    Honk!


    The sharp honk was quickly followed by a dazzling sh of light. It shined right into the young man¡¯s


    eyes and blinded him temporarily.


    ¡°F***, who¡¯s the busybody?¡± The young man raged.


    His bodyguard aggressively walked in the direction of the car. However, he was terrified and shivered


    with fear when he returned. ¡°Mr. Hammond, it¡¯s Mr. Broid!¡±


    ¡°Which Mr. Broid?¡± the young man was still puzzled.


    Meanwhile, a slender figure exited the car and approached them. With his squinted eyes, the young


    man tried to identify the dark figure. What followed suit was a menacing howl. ¡°Leave her alone!¡±


    Charlotte turned her head around and was taken by surprise...


    She recalled the night of the previous auction, left alone on the streets when a group of men tried to


    take advantage of her. Gigolo In Debt¡¯s grand arrival was in a simr fashion.


    ¡°Mr. Broid...¡±


    Just when the gigantic security guard wanted to speak, Chris forcefully twisted his wrist into a delicate


    arc.


    A loud crack was heard amidst the silent night. He copsed on all fours and screamed in agony. His


    facial expression provided a clear visualization of the pain he was suffering.


    ¡°Mr. Broid, please forgive me. I don¡¯t know that she¡¯s one of yours...¡± Mr. Hammond¡¯s face was pale as


    paper. He quickly apologized to Charlotte. ¡°I¡¯m literally blind for doing this to you! I¡¯m very sorry to have


    offended you, please forgive me...¡±


    ¡°Hey....¡± Charlotte was dumbfounded. Who is this Mr. Broid?


    ¡°Get out of here!¡± Chris howled in a cial tone.


    Mr. Hammond and his subordinates scrambled for their lives.


    Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    Charlotte first looked at the group running away, then she turned over and stared and Chris. ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°What? You don¡¯t recognize me anymore?¡± Chris let out a burst of mysteriousughter. ¡°It¡¯s only been a


    few days and you¡¯ve forgotten me. That hurts!¡±


    ¡°This can¡¯t be true. You really are...¡± Charlotte was astonished.


    Even his voice was extremely identical to the ¡°Gigolo In Debt¡±. Is he really him?


    ¡°How¡¯s the injury on your shoulder?¡± Chris noticed that her jacket was pulled off from her during the


    scrimmage.


    Thus, he was concerned that her injury would be affected.


    ¡°It¡¯s really you?¡± Charlotte sought for confirmation. ¡°You, why are you...¡±


    ¡°First, get on the car.¡± Chris helped her into the luxurious ride.


    Initially, Charlotte was able to keep her emotions in check. However, the sight of the Aston Martin


    completely shattered her defenses. Hypnotically, she followed him into the car. Then, he helped her put


    on the seat belt and adjusted her seat.


    ¡°I thought that you can¡¯t recognize me anymore...¡± Chris teased her. ¡°It appears that I have caused


    quite an impression thest time we met. I believe my brother...¡±


    However, Chris couldn¡¯t finish the sentence. Out of the blue, Charlotte pped him right on his cheek.


    She gritted her teeth and rebuked him. ¡°F*** you pathetic gigolo! How dare you make a fool out of me!¡±


    ¡°Hey...¡± Chris was stunned.


    He was under the impression that Zachary had exined everything to her, including his identity.


    Therefore, he was about the end the sentence with... ¡°I believe my brother told you everything.¡±


    Unexpectedly, she misunderstood him as Zachary¡¯s alter ego...

 Chapter 140

    Chapter 140


    Charlotte immediately shifted her line of sight. At that moment, doubts as to the identity of the man


    were brewing in her mind. Is he really the Gigolo In Debt?


    Nevertheless, she didn¡¯t have much time to think about it. In a swift motion, she put on the ckced


    mask and proceeded on stage.


    Without further ado, she immediately started singing ¡°Style¡± from Taylor Swift.


    The crowd cheered thunderously and gave her a big round of apuse.


    The atmosphere lifted at a stroke and it was zing through the roof.


    As the performance went on, the audience started to grow bigger. Some even recorded the


    performance and uploaded it online...


    When she finished her first song, the atmosphere peaked and showed no signs of receding.


    There were even a few customers who went on the stage and wanted to have a toast with her.


    Charlotte was taken aback by the sudden encounter. Fortunately, Peter was there and he courteously


    escorted the customers away from the stage.


    Also, a few security guards stood authoritatively by the stage to prevent simr incidents from


    happening again.


    Charlotte took a deep breath. Later, she gratuitously looked towards Peter, only to discover that the


    man who looked like the Gigolo In Debt was making the OK gesture.


    He nodded in satisfaction and continued chugging down more alcohol.


    Charlotte came to the realization that everything was nned by the man!


    Nheless, she had to brush away her concern and continue with her performance. Midway, she


    noticed that the man was staring at her again. While his gentle stare showed signs of appreciation, the


    devilish smirk on his face suggested otherwise.


    When the man noticed that Charlotte was looking at him, he lifted the ss and made a toast to her.


    Meanwhile, he winked flirtatiously at her.


    Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    Charlotte shivered at the sight of his behavior. Nheless, she hurriedly looked away and continued


    with her performance.


    The Bar was engulfed with boisterous cheers vying to reward her.


    Shortly after, the huge screen beside the stage disyed a QR code together with a leaderboard for


    rewards to the Night Queen.


    Without dy, the customers took up their phones and scanned the QR code.


    Charlotte was engrossed in her performance and paid no attention to the screen. After her


    performance, the security guards escorted her backstage. When she saw the leaderboard, a deep


    sense of aplishment and jubtion flourished within her as the reward that night amounted up to


    forty-eight thousand!


    The news came like a bolt from the blue...


    ¡°The reward isn¡¯t too bad, right?¡± Peter¡¯s cheeky voice can be heard from behind her.


    ¡°Oh my gosh! What are we going to do with all this money?¡± Charlotte eximed.


    ¡°ording to our rules, all these rewards belong to you.¡± Peter¡¯s smile was bright as the sun. ¡°You


    brought a lot of customers to our bar, I should thank you for that!¡±


    ¡°Forty-eight thousand, it all belongs to me? Did I hear it correctly?¡± Charlotte couldn¡¯t believe what she


    heard.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. The other singers are treated the same way. All rewards belong to them.¡± Peter pointed


    towards the leaderboard.


    ¡°That¡¯s great to hear! I¡¯m rich!¡± Charlotte leaped for joy when she heard the confirmation.


    ¡°From now on, you¡¯ll be known as the Night Queen from Bar DTT.¡± Peter pointed towards the screen


    again. ¡°I gave you the name in a hurry. Do you have any problem with that?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an ugly name.¡± she responded.


    Charlotte instantly thought of Zachary. As Raina addressed him as Mr. Nacht, being named the Night


    Queen would give a false impression that Charlotte was Zachary¡¯s partner.


    ¡°Haha, I¡¯m an uncultured old man who is clueless when ites to these sort of things. I suppose you


    can use it temporarily since it¡¯s just limited to our bar.¡± Peter scratched his head awkwardly.


    ¡°Can you lend me this mask?¡± Charlotte pointed towards the mask on her face. ¡°If I happen to meet


    anyone I know, it¡¯s best if they don¡¯t know my true identity. I¡¯ve thought about it and I feel that I should


    wear it every time I¡¯m at the bar.¡±


    ¡°Of course, feel free to use it.¡± Peter readily agreed.


    Coitantly, the bar¡¯s ount received another transaction. The amount was ny-nine thousand


    nine hundred and ny-nine!


    ¡°Oh my god! I¡¯m really rich!¡± Charlotte was enraptured.


    ¡°It was from Mr. Broid.¡± Peter smiled after checking the ount number. ¡°He¡¯s just outside. Do you


    want to have a drink with him?¡±


    ¡°Is he the friend that was sitting beside you?¡± Charlotte was intrigued. ¡°What does he work as?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s the heir to a rich family.¡± Peter scornfully teased. ¡°Don¡¯t you guys know one another? Stop trying


    to pretend in front of me.¡±


    Charlotte was startled. Is he really the Gigolo In Debt?

 Chapter 141

    Chapter 141


    Nheless, she can¡¯t be med for this. After all, the two of them looked identical. Be it their height,


    body, voice, and eyes... they looked exactly the same! The only noticeable difference between them


    was the heightened arrogance of Zachary and the childish behavior of Chris.


    Before this, the ¡°Gigolo In Debt¡± was wearing a mask all the time and he only appeared during the


    night. Also, Chris only impersonated him once and as a result, he was aware of the secrets between


    them, including Charlotte¡¯s situation.


    Hence, it was perfectly reasonable for her to have mistaken him for Zachary.


    ¡°Speak, what¡¯s going on?¡± Charlotte admonished him.


    ¡°What?¡± Chris heart was racing. He was hesitant to utter the truth.


    ¡°You¡¯re just a gigolo. Why is everyone saying that you¡¯re the heir to a rich family?¡±


    ¡°Also, why did you take off your mask and expose your true identity?¡±


    ¡°Why are you here at Bar DTT every day? What¡¯s your rtionship with Peter?¡±


    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    Charlotte bombarded him with tons of questions.


    ¡°Actually...¡± Chris paused before continuing. Eventually, he decided to provide an obscured answer.


    ¡°Think about it this way. It was a misunderstanding all along. I was never a gigolo!¡±


    It was the truth. Previously, Zachary merely exined the situation in brevity. Hence, it was her own


    assumptions that led to the misunderstanding.


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that...¡± Charlotte recalled the night when they first met.


    He was alone in the VIP room and was surrounded by security guards. Clearly, this should not be a


    privilege enjoyed by a gigolo.


    Furthermore, she had never witnessed him courting any clients before. At most, they briefly spoke


    about it during their conversations on the phone. It was my imagination after all?


    ¡°That can¡¯t be right.¡± Charlotte was suspicious. ¡°How would you exin the incident four years ago?¡±


    ¡°Four years ago, I went in the wrong room.¡± Chris casually replied. ¡°Fate must have brought us


    together.¡±


    ¡°I see...¡± Charlotte was finally convinced. ¡°Then, your real identity is...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just a rich yboy that does nothing.¡± Chris was well aware of his character. ¡°That¡¯s better than a


    gigolo, right?¡±


    ¡°At least you have some self-awareness.¡± Charlotte rolled her eyes at him. Later, she asked, ¡°Why did


    you impersonate a gigolo and sign the loan agreement with me?


    ¡°For fun.¡± Chrisughed mischievously. ¡°I¡¯m sick of a boring life where everything goes my way. I crave


    challenge and adventure. Hence, when you mistook me as a gigolo and forced me to enve myself,


    that was exhrating!¡±


    Hence, he decided to y along with her.


    Since it was just fun and games, there shouldn¡¯t be a problem so long he didn¡¯t cross any boundaries.


    Charlotte was stupefied by his puzzling smile. However, she couldn¡¯t exin why.


    Then, she thought about Zachary and interrogated him further. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, who¡¯s the person that


    saved me that night?¡±


    ¡°Why do you ask?¡± Chris¡¯ reaction was speedy. ¡°Did someone tell you about it?¡±


    ¡°My boss said he saved my life,¡± Charlotte uttered the truth.


    ¡°Your boss?¡± His heart sank. Don¡¯t tell me that...


    ¡°It¡¯s the pervert boss.¡± The mere utterance of Zachary¡¯s name was sufficient to trigger her fears. ¡°My


    colleague told me that he carried me out from the backdoor. Today, I asked him again and the answer


    was the same... However, the person I saw the morning after the incident was clearly you...¡±


    Charlotte blushed and she squeezed her eyes shut to avoid eye contact.


    Chris looked at her expression and recalled what happened that night. When Zachary carried her out


    from the backdoor, she was clearly drugged...


    Hence, that night, they...


    Chris was unrattled by the thought. It felt as if his woman was tainted by another man...


    ¡°Speak. What¡¯s going on?¡± Charlotte pestered him.


    ¡°Initially, he was indeed the person who rescued you. Later, I arrived and snatched you away...¡± Chris


    replied.


    Chris was a veteran womanizer. He was familiar with all the tactics and tricks to get the woman that he


    wanted. Hence, a lie was nothing to him.

 Chapter 142

    Chapter 142


    ¡°So that was what happened...¡± Charlotte finally pieced the puzzle together. However, another doubt


    was quick to surface in her mind. ¡°But, the Devil is such an aggressive and domineering person. How


    did you manage to snatch me away from him?¡±


    ¡°After all, you are my girlfriend,¡± Chris answered confidently, ¡°as domineering as he is, he would not


    have sacrificed his customers and business just for a woman.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Charlotte believed what he said. Indeed, she knew how Zachary was when ites to


    work. His mind would be engulfed by business and nothing else.


    She then recalled Zachary¡¯s behavior today. If it were him who saved her that night, he would also be


    the person who slept with her. However, he did not mention any of this.


    Unless...


    He¡¯s the real gigolo, and the person in front of me is a fake!


    Charlotte looked towards the self-proimed ¡°Gigolo In Debt¡±. However, she quickly dismissed her


    doubts. It¡¯s impossible. That day, I saw Zachary leave with my own eyes. Then, this dude beside me


    drove this exact same car to fetch me.


    The two events happened in less than a minute. It would be impossible for the ¡°Gigolo In Debt¡± would


    not be in two ces at once.


    Therefore, Zachary was in fact his true self. On the flipside, this dude beside me is the real ¡°Gigolo In


    Debt¡±. That must be the truth!


    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Chris tenderly approached her. ¡°Are you surprised that I¡¯m not a


    gigolo?¡±


    ¡°A bit.¡± Charlotte gave him aplicated stare.


    She gave him aplicated look. Since he¡¯s not a gigolo. Should I let him reunite with the children?


    At the end of the day, the children need their father...


    ¡°If you wish, it¡¯s not toote for me to be a gigolo.¡± Chris put up a straight face and proposed.


    Charlotte burst intoughter.


    ¡°You finallyughed.¡± Chris pinched her cheeks. ¡°Do you know that you look good when you¡¯re smiling?


    Smile more!¡±


    Charlotte suddenly realized that Chris wasn¡¯t that bad after all. Whenever she was in trouble, he would


    be there to rescue her.


    Besides, he was honest with her. Every day, he would religiously transfer the money into her ount


    and report his earnings.


    Now, he was trying to make herugh and feel happy...


    In her opinion, he was a perfect person.


    Before this, she was concerned with his upation. However, now that she found out that he was not a


    gigolo, there wouldn¡¯t be any negative influence on the children. Perhaps, it is possible that...


    As she was contemting bewildering thoughts in her mind, Charlotte snapped back into reality and


    noticed that the car was taking the wrong route back home. She nervously asked, ¡°Where are you


    driving me? Why am I further from home?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going for supper. It¡¯s too early to go home.¡± In actual fact, Chris had no idea where her house


    was.


    However, he was quick on his feet and told a lie without breaking a sweat.


    ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    ¡°No can do. I need to go home now. Please send me back.¡± She quickly urged.


    ¡°Hmm...¡± he hesitated.


    ¡°Did you forget my address?¡± she assumed.


    ¡°No...¡± He tried to wiggle his way out.


    Suddenly, Charlotte¡¯s phone rang and it was from Mrs. Berry. ¡°Miss, Ellie¡¯s fever is now at 103.1


    degrees Fahrenheit...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ming back immediately.¡± Charlotte panicked. ¡°Mrs. Berry, can you please prepare the medical


    card and a water bottle? We¡¯ll head straight to the hospital when I reach home.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Mrs. Berry then put down the phone.


    Chris managed to locate her address from the navigation records. He immediately made a U-turn and


    eximed, ¡°32 Happy Avenue, am I correct? We¡¯ll be there in ten minutes!¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Charlotte was delighted that he remembered her address. ¡°I¡¯ve deleted your contact


    number. Call me again so that I can save it.¡±


    ¡°My phone...¡±


    Chris¡¯s heart sank. Previously, Zachary lent Chris his phone for the sole purpose of impersonating him.


    However, the phone waster reimed at Sultry Night!


    Although Chris could furtively borrow the car, he could never gain ess to Zachary¡¯s phone.


    ¡°Why? You don¡¯t want to give it to me?¡± Charlotte was displeased with his hesitant look.


    ¡°No...¡± Chris¡¯s eyes glistened as he found an excuse. ¡°I¡¯ve stopped using that number. I¡¯ll give you my


    new one.¡±

 Chapter 143

    Chapter 143


    ¡°No... I¡¯ve stopped using that phone number. Here, you should have my new one,¡± exined Chris.


    As he was saying that, he passed his phone to Charlotte after unlocking it...


    ¡°Why did you change your phone number?¡± asked Charlotte. ¡°Oh, I know... I bet a lot of girls must¡¯ve


    had your old number,¡± she added.


    ¡°Hey, the past is in the past. I¡¯m a different man now. I¡¯ll only be yours in the future!¡± Chris promised


    solemnly.


    ¡°Hah! Only a fool would believe you.¡± Charlotte feigned a smile.


    ¡°I swear!¡± Chris raised his hand. ¡°From now on, if I¡¯m ever seen fooling around with other girls, then I


    shall be forever cursed with erectile dysfunction.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me that bullsh*t!¡± said Charlotte. Seeing Chris being so sincere and honest, Charlotte finally


    budged and dropped the subject. Hmm, what should I set his name as in my contacts, though?


    Chris took a nce at her and knew exactly what she was thinking about. Hence, he frivolously said,


    ¡°Just put my name as the child¡¯s father.¡±


    A trickle of sweat was flowing down Charlotte¡¯s forehead the moment she heard that. ¡°You like kids?¡±


    asked Charlotte anxiously.


    ¡°I¡¯ll love them as long as you¡¯re their mother. I¡¯ve got a suggestion... Why don¡¯t we start making one


    tonight?¡± Chris grabbed her hand tightly.


    ¡°Stop fooling around! I have things to do at home.¡± Charlotte withdrew her hand and was quite


    flustered.


    ¡°Aww... Then how about we pick this up tomo-¡±


    ¡°Bye! Drive safe.¡±


    Charlotte was still preupied with Ellie¡¯s illness, so she wasn¡¯t in the mood for a lovers squabble.


    That being said, she was touched by the fact that the attractive Chris really liked kids.


    This was because her kids, who just went through a lot today, would always nag on and on about


    meeting their father. Should I let them meet Chris? Will I ruin it in the future if I do?


    ¡°Just stop the car here. I¡¯ll go up by myself,¡± said Charlotte after arriving at her block.


    ¡°I¡¯ll walk you...¡± Chris was getting ready to unfasten his seatbelt.


    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s ok.¡± Charlotte opened the car door and rushed to her apartment.


    However, Chris still made sure that she made it inside before he drove off.


    As he was making a U-turn, he realized that Charlotte¡¯s purse was still in the car. After making the turn,


    he parked the car by the roadside and took out his phone to call her.


    Before he could make the call, he saw Charlotte carrying a young girl while running out. Behind them


    was a plump woman trudging behind, doing her best to keep up with them.


    Three of them went in a cab and sped off in the opposite direction...


    Chris was stunned. As he watched the cab drift away, his mind was flooded with a plethora of


    questions.


    However, he was still able to keep his sangfroid when he tried to ess the situation calmly. Curious,


    he opened Charlotte¡¯s purse, and her ck wallet caught his attention. Chris opened the wallet and


    saw a family photo being kept in it.


    In the photo, Charlotte and the plump woman he saw earlier were sitting beside each other. In their


    arms were three babies while a green parrot was standing on top of Charlotte¡¯s head. Six of them, yes,


    including the parrot, were beaming with smiles, and they looked really happy.


    Chris was shell-shocked, yet, he was able topose his mind and came up with a bold assumption.


    Even so, he wasn¡¯t intrepid enough to confirm it himself...


    During this mental crisis of his, his phone rang, and that brought him back to reality. ¡°Hey, bro!¡± He


    answered it.


    ¡°Where the hell is my car? Where did you take it to?¡± Zachary impugned him.


    ¡°I was only borrowing it out for a quick drive. Since my car is still in E Nation, I had no choice...¡± replied


    Chris in a furtive manner.


    ¡°Well, you can use all the other cars, all except for this one. Come back with it right now!¡± yelled


    Zachary.


    ¡°Okay, okay, jeez... I¡¯ll send it home right now. Calm down. There¡¯s no need to be so mad.¡± Chris


    conciliated him.


    After hanging up the phone, Chris called Peter and asked, ¡°Is the bar still open?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it still opens for another half an hour.¡±


    ¡°Okay, wait for me. I¡¯ve got something to deliver to you there.¡±


    Chris drove back to Bar DTT and handed Charlotte¡¯s purse over to Peter. ¡°Don¡¯t let her know that I was


    the one who brought her purse back. Just tell her that she left it here.¡±


    ¡°No problem!¡±

 Chapter 144

    Chapter 144


    Charlotte, apanied by Mrs. Berry, rushed to the nearest children¡¯s hospital to get Ellie immediate


    medical attention. It was already twenty minutes to midnight, yet there was still a long line at the


    hospital.


    Then, Charlotte left Ellie with Mrs. Berry and quickly get in line with the other registrants. She was


    extremely anxious and worried for her sickly daughter.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t even get to check on Robbie and Jamie when I rushed out of the house with you. I wonder how


    they¡¯re doing right now.¡± Mrs. Berry was still perturbed about the vexatious ones at home as she was


    feeding Ellie.


    ¡°Those two can take care of themselves, so there¡¯s no need to fret about that.¡±


    Charlotte was feigning to be unconcerned, but she was more worried than anyone else about Robbie


    and Jamie. Both of them are still toddlers. Although their bodies aren¡¯t as frail as their younger sister,


    still, how can I not worry? Please be okay.


    ¡°I¡¯ve told Fifi to keep an eye on them,¡± said Mrs. Berry. She then rambled on, ¡°Fifi was acting weird


    today too, though, ensconcing herself inside that little cage of hers all day long. She only came out to


    y with Ellie at night right after you left.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. With Fifi by their side, they¡¯ll be happier.¡±


    At the same time, Charlotte was getting more and more distressed by the minute as there was still a


    long line of registrants ahead of her. Come on... If this keeps up, Ellie would have recovered on her


    own before we even get to see the doctor.


    ¡°In my days, getting a family doctor would have done the trick. There¡¯s no registration whatsoever...¡±


    Mrs. Berry sighed.


    The moment Mrs. Berry brought that up, Charlotte reminisced about her days back in the Windt family.


    They had a personal doctor. Even if the illness were chronic, they would just go to a private hospital to


    get treatment immediately, without the need to wait.


    Even if things remained the same, people would have changed. The past would be nothing but a


    distant memory...


    Out of the blue, Charlotte recalled that she had Raina¡¯s contact number and that she was told to call


    her if she had any health-rted issues.


    Charlotte was a bit conflicted, however, as calling Raina also meant making her current situation known


    to Zachary...


    Forget it. Let¡¯s just keep waiting.


    ¡°Mommy...¡±


    Ellie had just opened her mouth for a bit, and a stream of fresh vomit came out from her mouth.


    ¡°My god...¡± Mrs. Berry quickly helped her clean her mouth.


    ¡°Ellie!¡± Charlotte hurried over to Ellie¡¯s side and wiped her face with one hand while patting her back


    with the other one. ¡°Ellie, don¡¯t be afraid. Mommy¡¯s here, okay? Mommy¡¯s right here.¡±


    ¡°Mommy, this is unbearable...¡± sobbed Ellie.


    Ellie¡¯s face was pale white. Her whole body was soft as butter, and all the food she ate before was all


    over Mrs. Berry. Her usual shiny bright eyes were then filled with poignance and overflowing with


    tears...


    ¡°Ellie, it¡¯s gonna be okay. We¡¯ll go see the doctor soon, okay?¡±


    Having done wiping the stains on Ellie¡¯s clothes, Charlotte carried Ellie to the side to call on the nurse


    there. ¡°Miss, my daughter can¡¯t seem to handle it anymore. Can you please let the doctor have a look


    at her first?¡±


    ¡°Because of the season change, it¡¯s usual for children to get infected by themon flu. Many kids


    have fallen ill, just like yours, and they all have to wait for their turn unless it¡¯s an emergency like


    asphyxia. Or else, you¡¯ll have to wait for your turn just like everyone else.¡±


    The nurse was so upied with her job that she didn¡¯t even spare any time lifting her head to look at


    Charlotte.


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°Excuse me.¡±


    Right at that moment, Charlotte was pushed away by the other parents to the other side.


    Now what? Seriously, what do I do now?


    ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    ¡°Miss, why don¡¯t we go to the other hospitals and test our luck there? We¡¯ve already waited for about


    half an hour, and the line is still as long as the start. If we keep on dawdling this way, I¡¯m afraid Ellie


    can¡¯t hold on anymore,¡± suggested Mrs. Berry as she wiped the stains on her clothes with a wet towel.


    Looking at her unconscious daughter¡¯s pale white face, Charlotte was left with no other alternatives but


    to ask Raina for her help before things exacerbated any further.


    Raina answered her phone almost instantly. ¡°Ms. Windt?¡±


    ¡°Dr. Langhan, my uh, my friend¡¯s daughter got sick. However, the children¡¯s hospital was full of people,


    and they¡¯ve waited for hours, but it still isn¡¯t their turn yet. Unfortunately, the girl¡¯s condition is getting


    worse by the minute. Do you suppose that you can...¡±


    ¡°Okay, Ms. Windt, calm down. Just bring your friend here. I¡¯ll treat her personally.¡±


    ¡°Okay, thank you so much. May I have the address?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll send it you right now.¡±


    After hanging up the phone, Charlotte and Mrs. Berry called for an Uber and headed towards the


    address.


    Fortunately, the hospital was less than two miles away from where they were.


    On their way there, Charlotte whispered, ¡°Mrs. Berry,ter when we meet Raina, just tell her that Ellie is


    your granddaughter.¡±

 Chapter 145

    Chapter 145


    ¡°What?¡± Mrs. Berry was bewildered.


    Charlotte gave a terse exnation to her, and she nodded.


    When they arrived at the private children¡¯s hospital, Raina was already standing at the entrance with


    her assistant waiting for them.


    After that, Mrs. Berry carried Ellie to the entrance while Charlotte carried her purse and followed them.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with her?¡±


    Raina saw that the girl was experiencing severe mise and quickly asked for an exnation.


    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    After exining her condition to Raina, Charlotte added, ¡°This little girl is Mrs. Berry¡¯s granddaughter.


    Mrs. Berry¡¯s daughter, along with her husband, are currently working outstation, so she asked for my


    help instead and told me about the little girl¡¯s condition. I apanied the two of them to the children¡¯s


    hospital, but it was filled with a surfeit amount of people. We had been waiting for too long, so we had


    no choice but to resort to your help...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Let¡¯s focus on treating the girl first.¡±


    With Raina tending to Ellie personally, there¡¯s no need for any registration or the other specific


    procedures to be done.


    There were no qualms about Raina¡¯s skill as the exclusive doctor of the Nacht family. She was able to


    identify the problem in the blink of an eye and immediately prescribed medicines for Ellie.


    ¡°It¡¯s just influenza that was messing with her body. Anyway, I¡¯ve prescribed some medication for her,


    and it¡¯s best if she could get some rest. After that, she¡¯ll be as good as new.¡±


    ¡°Besides, Ms. Windt, since you¡¯re here right now, I might as well help you with the wounds on your


    neck and your shoulders.¡± Raina prescribed some medication for her.


    ¡°Okay, thanks.¡± Charlotte then signaled Mrs. Berry with her eyebrows.


    ¡°Dr. Langhan, thank you for everything you¡¯ve done for my granddaughter. I¡¯ll take her home to get


    some rest now,¡± said Mrs. Berry, after taking the hint.


    ¡°You¡¯re wee. I¡¯ll get someone to send both of you home safely,¡± Dr. Langhan offered.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. There¡¯s no need to trouble you with that. We can take a cab home, but thank you for the offer.¡±


    Mrs. Berry carried Ellie and hurried towards the exit.


    Before they could reach the exit, however, Ellie regained her consciousness and started yelling


    dazedly. ¡°Mommy, mommy...¡±


    ¡°Ellie, Mommy will be back home soon. Let¡¯s go home first.¡± Mrs. Berryforted her.


    Charlotte then sent them off with her gaze.


    ¡°Ms. Windt,¡± called Raina.


    ¡°Coming...¡± Charlotte walked inside.


    Raina helped her reapply bandages for her wounds and gave her some ointment and medicine. After


    that, she mentioned some important precautions to her and offered to drive her home as well.


    Adamant, Charlotte continuously rejected her offer, and she sidled away when she had the chance.


    Having exited the hospital, she saw Mrs. Berry waiting at the side of the road with Ellie in her arms.


    They called a cab and left as quickly as they could.


    From a distance, Raina witnessed all of it and was baffled by what happened. Charlotte sure is acting


    weird tonight...


    Everything should be fine. If there was really something Charlotte wanted to hide from me, she wouldn¡¯t


    havee here seeking my help.


    Feeling justified, Raina dropped the thought and continued on with her work.


    It was already half-past three at midnight when Charlotte arrived home. Together with Mrs. Berry, they


    fed Ellie the medicines and sung her to sleep.


    Even though Mrs. Berry was exhausted, she still made something for Charlotte to sate her appetite.


    After seeing how tired Mrs. Berry was, Charlotte told her to prioritize her body and get some sleep


    while she kept watch over Ellie.


    Dawn came, and Ellie¡¯s fever was finally going down.


    Feeling relieved, Charlottey down beside her daughter and fell into a deep slumber until half-past six


    in the morning.


    The rustling wind and chipping of birds outside then woke her up. ¡°Sh*t, I¡¯m gonna be marked tardy


    again.¡± Nicole woke up with a jolt and jumped off the bed.


    ¡°Miss, you only had about an hour of sleepst night. I couldn¡¯t bring myself to wake you up...¡± Mrs.


    Berry said as she prepared breakfast for the kids.


    ¡°You still have to wake me up nheless. I¡¯ve got a job I need to be on time for.¡±


    Not wasting any more time, Charlotte quickly brushed her teeth, washed up, and then headed out to


    work.


    ¡°Mommy, your breakfast.¡± Jamie ran to her with a bun and a bottle of soy milk.


    ¡°Thank you, Jamie.¡± Charlotte grabbed her breakfast and darted towards the elevator. ¡°Be a good boy,


    okay?¡± said Charlotte, without looking back.


    ¡°Affirmative!¡± Jamie responded.


    ¡°Robbie and Jamie, do finish your breakfast before it gets cold. Later on, I¡¯ll be seeing both of you off


    when the school bus arrives. After that, I need toe back home immediately to look after Ellie since


    she¡¯s still not fully recovered. You two behave in school, okay?¡±


    ¡°We will, Mrs. Berry...¡±


    As Charlotte was dashing towards the subway station to catch her train, a blue Lamborghini came out


    of nowhere and stopped beside her.


    Startled, she took a few steps back away from the Lamborghini. A handsome man with a charming


    smile got out of the car and stood before her. ¡°Babe, apologies for beingte. But I¡¯m here now to


    escort you to work, shall we?¡± He said.

 Chapter 146

    Chapter 146


    Charlotte was stunned for a moment and hurriedly got into the car.


    Everyone around was watching her.


    Several women who lived in the same neighborhood were gossiping around. ¡°Isn¡¯t this Mrs. Berry¡¯s


    daughter? Look, she has a boyfriend now.¡±


    ¡°He looks rich and handsome. Mrs. Berry lucked out!¡±


    ¡°Quick, close the convertible.¡± Charlotte covered her face since she did not want to be seen by her


    acquaintances.


    ¡°What are you afraid of? I have nothing to be ashamed of.¡± Chris closed the convertible and even


    waved at the women. ¡°Bye,dies!¡±


    ¡°Bye!¡± They were overjoyed.


    ¡°Why did you wave at them?¡± She could not understand him. ¡°Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re being too shy?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re your neighbors, aren¡¯t they? So we will know each other eventually,¡± Chris said cheekily,


    ¡°When do you n to let me meet your family?¡±


    ¡°Stop messing around.¡± Although Charlotte spurned, a smile appeared on her face. ¡°Why are you


    driving in a different car today? Where¡¯s the Aston Martin?¡±


    ¡°That car broke down, so I took it to repair.¡±


    Chris sped away in his car.


    ¡°Broke down? It was fine yesterday.¡± Charlotte was shocked.


    ¡°It broke down on the way back.¡±


    He was not lying. He deliberately crashed it on the way back and brought the car with a deformed front


    hood to Zachary¡¯s garage.


    Early this morning, Ben arranged for someone to send it for repair.


    That way, Zachary would not be driving that car, and Charlotte would not meet the real Gigolo In Debt


    anymore...


    After doing all that, Chris felt a little uneasy as this was his first time ying tricks on Zachary since


    childhood.


    He was hesitant and felt anxious for a moment, but in the end, he did it anyway.


    He knew that he had protection, so Zachary would not actually do anything to him.


    ¡°Drive carefully next time.¡±


    Charlotte exhorted and started feasting on the buns and soy milk.


    Chris nced at her and pretended to be pitiful. ¡°How rude. I drove to pick you up, but you won¡¯t give


    me food.¡±


    ¡°Fine. Just one bun¡ª¡ªthe one I¡¯ve started eating.¡± She handed him a half-bitten bun.


    Surprisingly, he did not mind and leaned closer to take a big bite. ¡°Mmm, so delicious!¡±


    ¡°The buns made by Mrs. Berry are delicious, indeed.¡±


    She stuffed the remaining half into his mouth.


    ¡°Bring a few more tomorrow.¡± He licked his lips. ¡°I can eat ten of such delicious buns in one go.¡±


    ¡°You will make me poor.¡± Charlotte smiled and wiped his mouth for him.


    ¡°I personally drove to pick you up, yet you use me of eating too much of your food.¡±


    Chris totally enjoyed his close interaction with Charlotte. Although I have dated many women, I have


    never shared a bun with a girl in a car like this. This is the most blissful thing in the world.


    ¡°All right, all right. I will bring ten for you.¡±


    Charlotte was worried that he could not ept her current state of living, but she did not expect him to


    be so down-to-earth. It seemed like her worries were unnecessary.


    I will observe for a little bit longer. Then, if he continues to behave this well, I might consider taking him


    to meet Mrs. Berry and the children.


    The children need a father, after all...


    Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    A speedy drive meant that it only took ten minutes for them to reach the street across from the office.


    ¡°Let¡¯s stop here. I don¡¯t want to be seen by my colleagues.¡± Charlotte was very cautious.


    ¡°All right.¡± He parked his car by the road. ¡°I will be busy this afternoon, so I can¡¯t pick you up after work.


    I¡¯ll see you at the bar tonight!¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± When she was about to get out of the car, he suddenly held her and leaned in intimately.


    ¡°Goodbye kiss!¡±


    Charlotte blushed and closed her eyes nervously.


    Chris curled up the corners of his lips and leaned in even closer. When his thin, sexy lips were about to


    make contact with her forehead, a Rolls-Royce suddenly passed by...


    He hurriedly let go of her and teased, ¡°Let¡¯s leave it there. We¡¯ll get back to it tonight!¡±


    Opening her eyes, Charlotte nced at him bashfully. She then quickly got off the car and ran towards


    thepany building...

 Chapter 147

    Chapter 147


    Charlotte was still blushing when she walked into the office building. She soon noticed all her


    colleagues lined up neatly in two rows. They bowed toward her and greeted, ¡°Mr. Nacht!¡±


    She was taken aback and froze on the spot.


    It was not until Lily, who stood beside her, kept winking at her that she reacted with hindsight and


    turned around...


    Zachary¡¯s tall and slender figure walked in with rays of sunshine behind him, exuding amanding


    presence.


    Charlotte hurriedly retreated aside; she bowed her head nervously while holding her breath.


    Zachary stared straight ahead and strode forward. As he walked by her, he suddenly stopped and


    coldly reminded, ¡°Since you¡¯rete for thirty-five seconds, your punishment is to clean the swimming


    pool!¡±


    ¡°I...¡± Charlotte wanted to exin but then nodded humbly instead. ¡°Yes, Mr. Nacht!¡±


    Charlotte slowly lifted her head when his steps were farther away and stared angrily at his domineering


    back. Although he looked like her boyfriend, she loathed him.


    I just want to kick him! !!


    When Zachary was entering the elevator, he turned around and nced in her direction...


    Her bitter and hateful expression instantly became a fake and respectful smile.


    When the elevator door closed slowly, Charlotte sighed in relief...


    Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    ¡°Charlotte, Charlotte...¡±


    A voice came and interrupted her thoughts.


    Recovering her senses, Charlotte smiled and greeted, ¡°Lily!¡±


    ¡°Are you all right?¡± Lily tagged her along to ride the elevator. ¡°You don¡¯t look good.¡±


    ¡°No big deal.¡± Charlotte shook her head. ¡°Maybe I didn¡¯t sleep wellst night.¡±


    ¡°No wonder you are so out of it today. You didn¡¯t even realize that you were in Mr. Nacht¡¯s way.¡± Lily


    smiled and teased, ¡°Luckily, it was you. Mr. Nacht only punished you for cleaning the swimming pool. If


    it were someone else, that person would be doomed.¡±


    ¡°Stop kidding...¡± Charlotte rified in a low voice, ¡°There¡¯s nothing between Mr. Nacht and me.¡±


    ¡°Impossible. Mr. Nacht hugged you so tightly that day...¡±


    ¡°Impossible, you¡¯re mistaken...¡±


    ¡°Here¡¯s the elevator. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Charlotte reached level 68 anxiously. When she was about to go to work, Lucy came to inform her,


    ¡°Don¡¯t go to work yet; leave it to Dani. You should clean the infinity pool. Report to me after you are


    done.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Charlotte pitifully came to the infinity pool.


    Although it was sunny today, it wasn¡¯t hot and the pool water still felt chilly.


    Charlotte took off her shoes and socks, rolled up her pants, and started cleaning the pool.


    Given she had prior experience, she felt much more proficient doing the cleaning work this time.


    She was also not as frightened when she turned around to realize that someone had appeared beside


    her.


    She only froze for a brief moment before greeting respectfully, ¡°Hello, Mr. Nacht!¡±


    Zachary sat on the recliner and was spinning the ultra-thin mobile phone in the palm of his hand.


    Charlotte worked silently; she was afraid of provoking him.


    ¡°How much is your monthly sry again?¡± Zachary suddenly asked her.


    Charlotte was mopping the floor when she heard his question. She immediately stopped her work and


    looked at him timidly. ¡°It was eight thousand when I was in the administration department and the


    security department. Now that I¡¯ve transferred to the president¡¯s office, it¡¯s twenty thousand...¡±


    ¡°Do you want to make money?¡± Zachary looked at her.


    ¡°I do.¡± Charlotte nodded.


    Zachary hooked his finger and motioned her toe closer.


    Charlotte cautiously walked over to him.


    Zachary gave her an X-ray report. ¡°Go to the hospital and persuade Mr. Sterk to take thexative and


    get the chip out. I will give you one million if you seed!¡±


    Charlotte was shocked. She almost forgot about this and hurriedly asked, ¡°The chip hasn¡¯te out


    yet?¡±


    ¡°No, he took thexative twice but it still didn¡¯t work.¡± Zachary scowled. ¡°The stubborn old man didn¡¯t


    want to take it anymore. Tomorrow is Friday. If you can send me the chip by today, one million will be


    transferred to your ount immediately.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡± Charlotte could not hide her enthusiasm. ¡°I¡¯ll go right after I finish cleaning.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to clean anymore. Go right now.¡± Zachary motioned her to leave immediately. ¡°Your


    mission today is to get the chip!¡±

 Chapter 148

    Chapter 148


    ¡°Yes, Sir. I¡¯ll do it right away.¡±


    Barefooted, Charlotte hurriedly rushed out but returned shortly afterward to retrieve her shoes and


    smirked awkwardly at Zachary.


    I¡¯m so happy that I can make money!


    Zachary looked at her back with a mocking sneer. What a greedy woman!


    After Charlotte reported to Lucy briefly, she put on her shoes and hurriedly went home.


    As soon as she walked in, she called out, ¡°Mrs. Berry, do you still have thexative that you gave Fifi


    last time?¡±


    ¡°Whatxative?¡± Mrs. Berry did not understand at first.


    ¡°Noxative, noxative!¡± Fifi shouted in the cage.


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    After shouting at it, Charlotte said to Mrs. Berry, ¡°I mean, that greenxative that helped to get the chip


    out of Fifist time...¡±


    ¡°There is still half a bottle left. Why? Do you have constipation?¡±


    ¡°No, an old man from the office needs it. You can help me make a pot of vegetable beef soup and


    some pot stickers. Prepare a fruit basket, too. I will take them to the hospital to visit the patient.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡±


    Charlotte went back to the room to stay with Ellie, who had been sick for a while.


    At half-past one in the afternoon, Mrs. Berry had finished preparing the food and found thexative.


    Charlotte immediately rushed to the hospital with everything.


    In the car, she saw that the medicine was branded ¡°Dulcx¡±. This is a good brand; it really does what


    it says!


    Upon arrival at her destination, Charlotte realized that this was the same ce where Ellie saw the


    doctorst night¡ªSacred Heart Hospital!


    Sacred Heart Hospital was the best private hospital in H City. It provided one-stop services for all


    treatments, saving the trouble of requiring patients and their families to register multiple times for


    separate procedures. Furthermore, each patient had an assigned nurse and doctor.


    Since the hospital provided quality services and exceptional expertise, the charges were also sky-high.


    Raina waited at the door for Charlotte; the former was to take thetter to Mr. Sterk.


    The poor old man was lying alone in the luxurious ward and staring at the ceiling nkly.


    In just two days, Mr. Sterk had be extremely skinny and very resistant to drugs.


    Whenever the nurse wanted him to take hisxatives, he would lose his temper. ¡°Go away. I won¡¯t take


    it... I would rather die than takexatives...¡±


    The nurse stepped back helplessly, shook her head, and said to Raina, ¡°Dr. Langhan, we are out of


    ideas. Mr. Sterk is not being cooperative.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t me him. Mr. Sterk has already taken thexative five times and had be so weak. It¡¯s


    only natural that he refuses to continue taking it.¡± Raina frowned and sighed. ¡°Besides, even if he takes


    it, there is no guarantee that we can get the chip in a short time.¡±


    ¡°I have axative here; I can get it out if he takes it.¡± Charlotte took out the Dulcx, shook the bottle,


    and smiled mysteriously. ¡°I can personally vouch for its effectiveness!¡±


    ¡°Uh...¡± Raina blinked. ¡°From my professional point of view, this is not a realxative... But if Mr. Nacht


    wants you to try it, you can.¡±


    Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Charlotte walked into the ward with the food and fruit basket prepared earlier.


    ¡°Get out¡ª¡± Mr. Sterk was about to lose his temper, but he was stunned when he saw Charlotte. ¡°It¡¯s


    you?¡±


    ¡°Do you still remember me?¡± Charlotte was a little embarrassed. ¡°Last time...¡±


    ¡°Thank you forst time. If it weren¡¯t for you, I would¡¯ve died already.¡±


    Mr. Sterk¡¯s attitude became cordial.


    ¡°You are wee. I brought you lunch; try and see if you like them. My father used to like eating


    these.¡±


    Charlotte served the delicacies made by Mrs. Berry on the table.


    Seeing the food, Mr. Sterk could not help tearing up. ¡°I haven¡¯t had a good meal for two days. Those


    b*stards, they tried to take away my food if I didn¡¯t take thexatives!¡±


    ¡°Quick, take a bite!¡± Charlotte scooped a bowl of vegetable beef soup for him. ¡°Mrs. Berry herself made


    this. I¡¯ve loved it since I was a child.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± After Mr. Sterk took a bite, his tears almost ran down. ¡°It¡¯s so delicious.¡±


    ¡°You can eat slowly. There is more.¡±


    Not only did Charlotte assist Mr. Sterk with his meal, but she was also friendly to him and even


    massaged his legs.


    Within an afternoon, the two became good friends who would talk about everything under the sun.


    Mr. Sterk told her warmly, ¡°Charlotte, don¡¯t just stand there. Have a seat.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Charlotte did not want to beat around the bush anymore. She immediately took out the


    bottle ofxative. ¡°Actually, Mr. Sterk, I came with a mission. I know you are very repulsive to taking


    laxatives, but I promise that you will purge out the chip after taking this bottle. This will be thest time.¡±


    Mr. Sterk frowned. ¡°Did Mr. Nacht send you here?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Charlotte nodded honestly. ¡°But I got thisxative from home. It¡¯s tried and tested¡ª¡ªreally!¡±


    ¡°All right, I¡¯ll go for it!¡±

 Chapter 149

    Chapter 149


    Mr. Sterk closed his eyes and drank up the small bottle in one go.


    Charlotte quickly brought him warm water to rinse his mouth.


    ¡°What the hell is this? It¡¯s bitter, smelly, and astringent!¡±


    The taste of the solution had Mr. Sterk frowning with a twisted facial expression.


    ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    ¡°It¡¯s just axative to treat constipation...¡±


    As soon as Charlotte finished speaking, Mr. Sterk started to look odd and he shouted, ¡°Quickly, help


    me to the toilet!¡±


    ¡°Hurry, hurry!¡± Raina hastily notified the male doctors outside.


    Several male doctors came in to help, and Raina took Charlotte outside to wait.


    Charlotte paced around the corridor anxiously like a father waiting for his wife to give birth.


    Half an hourter, a male doctor walked out and announced emotionally, ¡°It came out!¡±


    ¡°Huh? The chip is purged?¡± Charlotte asked excitedly.


    ¡°Yes...¡± The male doctor took the chip with tweezers and held it up high. ¡°It¡¯s finally out!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡±


    Charlotte almost jumped up in excitement.


    Forty minutester, Charlotte took the chip to the president¡¯s office on the 68th floor...


    Never before had Charlotte beamed so proudly that she almostughed out loud thinking of the one


    million that would be paid imminently.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, I have the chip!¡±


    Standing before the office desk, Charlotte held out the box in a ritualistic gesture.


    Inside the box was the golden chip which had cost billions to locate. Finally, it was returned in good


    condition...


    After a while, Zachary looked away from the tablet and up at Charlotte.


    His nce was rather cold; it was not a look of surprise and gratitude Charlotte had expected.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Charlotte felt uneasy.


    Zachary did not speak but coldly made a gesture.


    Ben stepped forward and took the chip. He then skillfully installed the connector and linked it up to the


    computer.


    The white wall behind Zachary suddenly turned into a projection screen showing the S-shaped logo


    that represented Divine Corporation. Right after that, a circle was seen spinning...


    Charlotte craned her neck and looked over curiously. What exactly is inside this priceless chip?


    However, after spinning for a long time, the circle did not go away.


    Beep¡ª


    Bang! A loud noise sounded, the screen flickered, and finally, smoke starteding out of the


    computer.


    Charlotte was startled and quickly backed away.


    Ben stepped forward to turn off the power and took out the chip that was now scorched and deformed.


    ¡°Wh-what¡¯s going on?¡± Charlotte asked in astonishment.


    Ben looked at Zachary, and after receiving approval, he exined, ¡°In order to prevent someone from


    stealing the secrets in the chip, we have added a self-destructing feature to it. Once the chip has been


    stolen for ten days, it will automatically destroy itself.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Charlotte opened her eyes widely and was stunned for a while before recovering her senses.


    ¡°It¡¯s been almost a month since the chip was lost. So...you know that it is useless to get the chip back.


    Why do you still put in so much effort to find it?¡±


    ¡°If we don¡¯t continue searching, how will our opponents lower their guard?¡± Ben asked back.


    ¡°Just because of this?¡± Charlotte could not understand. ¡°Then why make me go to Mr. Sterk...¡±


    ¡°As long as the chip is in his system, Mr. Sterk will be under surveince,¡± Ben exined, ¡°Mr. Nacht is


    only protecting him.¡±


    ¡°Th-then tomorrow¡¯s event...¡± Charlotte asked in a panic, ¡°The chip is now destroyed. What are you


    going to do?¡±


    ¡°On the seventh day after the chip was stolen, I made a new chip to rece it.¡±


    Zachary took out the new chip from his phone, which was precisely the same as the previous one...


    ¡°So that¡¯s why you firmly said during Wednesday¡¯s meeting that the chip would be back before dark


    today...¡± Charlotte suddenly came to a realization. ¡°But the new chip has always been in your hands!

 Chapter 150

    Chapter 150


    Charlotte had to admire Zachary for his thoughtfulness and intelligence. Everything was under his


    control...


    Looks like I¡¯ve never truly understood Zachary before.


    He has been nothing but a cruel and moody devil to me. However, I admire his capability now.


    He¡¯s really amazing!


    It took a while for Charlotte¡¯s mind toe back to reality. She sighed. ¡°The purpose of spending so


    much manpower and financial resources to salvage the chip is to lower our opponents¡¯ guard. Seems


    like this chip is far more valuable than I thought!¡±


    ¡°You finally got it.¡± Zachary¡¯s lips curled up slightly.


    ¡°Then...¡± Charlotte bit her bottom lip and asked courageously, ¡°There¡¯s no issue with my one-million


    reward?¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡± Zachary waved his hands. ¡°You brought back the chip so soon; I should double your


    reward!¡±


    ¡°Two million?¡± Charlotte was ecstatic. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Nacht, thank you!¡±


    She immediately took out a note on which she had written her banking information long ago. She


    stretched it out neatly and handed it to Ben. ¡°Please transfer the funds into this ount, hehe!¡±


    ¡°Uh...¡± Ben took the note and looked at Zachary cautiously.


    ¡°I will transfer two million without leaving out a single penny, but...¡± Zachary pushed the tablet in front of


    her. ¡°Exin this to me first...¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Charlotte took a look at the tablet and became horrified...


    A piece of trending news appeared on theputer screen¡ª


    Luna, the youngdy of the Sterlings, participated in the 9th Haven G and became the center of


    attention with a long-lost ruby   ne from F Nation! !!


    In the photo, Luna beamed with a bright smile with the ruby   ne gleaming on her chest...


    Charlotte hurriedly closed this link. She did not expect so many media outlets to be covering this


    matter.


    Thanks to the ruby ne, Luna has by now be the center of everyone¡¯s attention!


    ¡°Th-this...¡±


    Charlotte lowered her head and stammered; she was at a loss for an exnation.


    She did not even dare to look up at Zachary because she could feel he was looking at her like he was


    about to eat her up.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, I shall get going first.¡± Ben had cleverly chosen to leave the room at this time.


    Charlotte panicked even more. She opened her mouth and tried to exin but she did not know where


    to start.


    How should I put it?


    Should I tell him that the children have lost the Whites¡¯ ancestral bracelet and that Amanda and Luna


    wanted me topensate them by threatening to report the incident to the police and media


    otherwise? Should I tell him that since I¡¯m unable topensate them, I could only use the ruby


    ne as coteral...


    If I tell him all this, the children will be exposed...


    Zachary will use me of lying, and I won¡¯t be able to leave this office alive...


    ¡°You have one minute.¡±


    Zachary arrogantly leaned back on the leather chair and lighted his cigar slowly.


    ¡°I...¡± Since she could not give him an exnation, she could only make a fool of herself. ¡°In the car that


    day, you threw the ne away yourself. Someone probably picked it up, or...¡±


    ¡°Try lying to me again?¡± Zachary raised his brows with a murderous vibe.


    ¡°I...¡± Charlotte trembled with fright and dared not to talk nonsense again.


    ¡°Seeing how greedy you are, you¡¯ll definitely return to pick up the ne after you got off the car ...¡±


    Zachary stared at her coldly. ¡°Now, why is the ne in that woman¡¯s hands?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know...¡± Charlotte¡¯s voice had been reduced to the size of a mosquito by now.


    ¡°You gave it to her?¡± Zachary questioned.


    Charlotte did not dare to speak, let alone look at him.


    Running out of patience, Zachary got up and slowly approached her...


    ¡°Wh-what are you doing?¡±


    Charlotte backed away anxiously, feeling that she would be torn apart by him... ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.

 Chapter 152

    Chapter 152


    ¡°Seven days?¡± Charlotte asked tentatively.


    Zachary did not speak but frowned slightly.


    ¡°Th-three days?¡± She immediately flinched. ¡°If I can¡¯t return your ne within three days, I-I will sign


    this agreement.¡±


    ¡°You promised this yourself; I didn¡¯t force you to.¡± He leaned on his seat gracefully, looking generous. ¡°I


    will wait for you here at the same time three dayster!¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Charlotte did not know how she got out of the building. It was already 7:40 p.m., and all her colleagues


    had got off work.


    She called for a cab and was on the verge of crying when she was in the vehicle. Why is everyone


    forcing me?


    First, it was Luna and her mother. Now it¡¯s Zachary. They just keeping for me, one worse than the


    one before...


    I just want to live a peaceful life. Why won¡¯t they let me go...


    ¡°Where are you heading?¡± the taxi driver asked.


    ¡°I...¡± She was startled and said, ¡°Bar DTT.¡±


    After thinking about it carefully, she decided to confess these things to the Gigolo In Debt, to discuss it


    with him and face it together.


    Zachary forced me into this because he likes me and wants me for himself.


    If I tell him the truth, take my boyfriend to see him, and exin my situation clearly, Zachary will no


    longer have such thoughts.


    And then I will find a way to return the ruby   ne to him. That will resolve everything.


    Thinking of this, she texted Gigolo In Debt: I¡¯m reaching the bar soon. Are you there yet?


    There was no reply from him.


    Charlotte then recalled her chat history with the ¡°Gigolo In Debt¡±.


    Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    Although the number in her phone¡¯s contact list had been deleted, the messages were not.


    Thus, she sent a text message to his old number.


    Thinking that his old number had been deactivated, she sent the same text message to his new


    number, and saved it under ¡°Gigolo In Debt 2¡±.


    Soon, Gigolo In Debt 2 called, ¡°Baby, I¡¯m on my way to the bar. Where are you? I¡¯ll pick you up.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I got a cab,¡± she said, ¡°Gigolo, I want to talk to you after the show tonight.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Chris was overjoyed. As long as I can spend more time alone with her, our rtionship will improve.


    ¡°We¡¯ll talkter. See you at the bar.¡±


    ¡°See you there.¡±


    After hanging up, Chris made a call and gave his instructions.


    ¡°Send nine hundred and ny-nine red roses to Bar DTT. And bring me my ten-carat ring.¡±


    ...


    An extended Rolls-Royce Phantom appeared...


    Zachary could not help but feel puzzled when he received Charlotte¡¯s text message.


    She firmly broke up with me before and returned the money to me. During this time, she hasn¡¯t


    contacted me at all. Why did she suddenly send me this text?


    She doesn¡¯t seem to be testing waters, nor is she requesting to make up. On the contrary, the tone of


    her message...it¡¯s like how we used to contact each other every day...


    Besides, I haven¡¯t been to Sultry Night for a long time. Why is she suddenly asking me to go to the bar?


    Something about this message made Zachary feel as if he and Charlotte had been keeping in touch...


    Thinking of this, he told Ben, ¡°Check and see if Charlotte has gone to Sultry Night.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± Ben investigated and reported immediately¡ª


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, Sultry Night said that Ms. Windt hadn¡¯t been there for a long time.¡±


    ¡°The security department found that she took a taxi and headed southwest.¡±


    ¡°We ran a check on the license te of that taxi with the Ministry of Transportation. It is heading


    towards Bar DTT.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Windt just got out of the car at the back door of Bar DTT.¡±


    ¡°Why would she go there?¡± Zachary frowned and then ordered, ¡°Have someone drive my Aston Martin


    over and bring the previous equipment.¡±


    ¡°The Aston Martin was crashedst night by Mr. Broid and was damaged. It was sent for repair this


    morning. Your equipment is in another car. Would you like the other car to be driven here?¡±


    ¡°Damaged?¡± Zachary narrowed his eyes.

 Chapter 153

    Chapter 153


    Charlotte arrived at the bar. She put on a mask, performed on stage, and won a massive round of


    apuse again that night.


    The audience kept cheering and apuding, and many even gave her tips.


    Charlotte profited much from the performance. She had only been here for three days and had already


    multiplied the turnover of the bar.


    Peter decided to increase her appearance fee from two thousand eight hundred to three thousand


    starting that night.


    Charlotte was delighted, but the money was still nothingpared to a hundred million.


    During the ten-minute intermission, Charlotte went offstage to drink some water and nced at a


    particr corner. He¡¯s not here yet... She could not help feeling disappointed.


    ¡°Chris will arrive soon.¡± Peter read her thoughts. ¡°He will definitely appear in the second half.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not waiting for him.¡± She denied without meaning what she said.


    ¡°Haha, don¡¯t pretend in front of me.¡± Peter smiled. ¡°By the way, you forgot to take your purse with you


    when you got off work yesterday. I have put it in the cashier¡¯s cab for you. Remember to take it


    before you leave.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. I would¡¯ve forgotten if you hadn¡¯t reminded me. I¡¯m so forgetful.¡±


    She thanked him and continued performing on stage.


    At this moment, someone carried nine hundred and ny-nine red roses onto the stage and presented


    them to Charlotte.


    Immediately, someone in the audience rang the bell. With a microphone, Peter announced, ¡°Mr. Broid


    has reserved the ce, and it will be his treat tonight. Let¡¯s drink to our heart¡¯s content!¡±


    ¡°Bravo, Mr. Broid!¡±


    The guests stood up to cheer and apud, rendering the bar¡¯s atmosphere very lively.


    Charlotte turned around and saw Chris walking in from outside. He was dressed in trendy fashion,


    looking youthfully handsome and unruly.


    He blew a kiss at her and smiled amorously.


    ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    Meanwhile, she sat on the piano bench with mixed feelings...


    He is handsome, youthful, humorous, and has an easy-going personality that many in the upper ss


    don¡¯t have.


    He will be a good ymate, but it will be difficult for him to bear the responsibilities of a family.


    To put it bluntly, he is still a child who hasn¡¯t grown up.


    Can he really be a good father?


    Women are born with motherly instincts, and many women, no matter how fragile and squeamish they


    were before, can quickly serve the role as soon as they be a mother. This is natural.


    However, men can rarely do it...


    ¡°Got what you want?¡±


    Peter had a beer in hand and approached Chris while ncing at the stage and smiling naughtily.


    ¡°I¡¯m serious this time.¡±


    Chris looked at Charlotte obsessively. ¡°She is abination of elegance and sexiness; she can be an


    angel or an evildoer. A woman who possesses these two qualities is the best in the world, and that¡¯s


    why she fascinates me.¡±


    ¡°Wow!¡± Peter eximed, ¡°I rarely see you so emotional.¡±


    ¡°Of course. I even have the ring ready.¡± He took out the diamond ring in his pocket.


    ¡°Are you nning to propose? Why don¡¯t you take some time to think about it again?¡± Peter patted his


    shoulder. ¡°Your mother may disagree.¡±


    ¡°This is love at first sight. I should firmly grasp this opportunity, lest there be too many regretster!¡±


    Chris looked at Charlotte tenderly.


    ¡°Mr. Broid.¡± At this moment, a few sexy inte bloggers gathered around him. ¡°We are looking for you


    everywhere, but you are actually here.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go to Sultry Night anymore? We kept waiting for you there every day.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you didn¡¯t even say anything when you moved to another location.¡±


    A fewdies were now sitting beside Chris. As they spoke, they pressed their sexy bodies against him,


    and some even leaned over to kiss him.


    ¡°Go away!¡± Chris scolded them in disgust.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t use to treat us like this...¡±


    Two girls to his left and right hugged his arms tightly, while a third one sat directly on hisp, wrapping


    her arms around his neck and giving him a warm kiss...


    Onstage, Charlotte frowned when she saw this scene. She even missed a beat while ying the


    piano...

 Chapter 154

    Chapter 154


    Even when he yed the role of a gigolo at Sultry Night, I¡¯ve never seen him so close to any woman.


    But now he is so presumptuous in front of me! !!


    ¡°Get lost!¡± Chris struggled hard and finally pushed the girls away. One slumped on the sofa, one sat on


    the ss coffee table, and the third one evennded on the floor.


    ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    All of them frowned pitifully and murmured, ¡°Mr. Broid, what¡¯s wrong with you today?¡±


    ¡°All right,dies, Mr. Broid has something important to do today so he can¡¯t y with you. I¡¯ll bring you


    to the VIP box. It¡¯s on me.¡±


    Peter coaxed thedies away.


    Chris irritably tugged at his cor, picked up the ss of beer in front of him, and finished its content.


    By the time he refocused his attention on the stage, Charlotte had already finished her performance


    and had gone backstage...


    He hurriedly went to find her there.


    Charlotte came out of the bathroom and was about to pack her things and leave. Chris tugged at her


    hands and pleaded, ¡°Baby, are you angry?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve long heard that Mr. Broid is unruly. I¡¯ve even seen it tonight.¡±


    Her tone was full of displeasure.


    ¡°It was those women who clung to me. In fact, I pushed them all away, and forcefully too,¡± he exined


    hurriedly, ¡°I will ignore them in the future. I swear!¡±


    ¡°If swearing works, why do we need the police?¡± Charlotte frowned. ¡°Why have you be so naive


    lately?¡±


    As soon as the words were spoken, even she felt a little surprised. Yeah, he is really different from


    before.


    In the past, he was very responsible. I have never seen him being intimate with any woman, but now


    he keeps getting surrounded by variousdies...


    He used to be calm and steady. He dealt with matters decisively and never talked nonsense. Now, he


    seems to be all talk and no action.


    ¡°Okay, okay. It¡¯s my fault,¡± he coaxed her, ¡°I will prove with my actions that I will never do it again.¡±


    Although she still felt unhappy, she fussed no more when she remembered that he had been good to


    her before.


    ¡°Forget it. I¡¯ll get my purse. Wait for me at the back door.¡±


    ¡°All right, I¡¯ll get the car first.¡±


    Charlotte went to the cashier¡¯s to get her purse and suddenly saw a familiar figure. Zachary!


    Why is he here?


    Zachary strode into Bar DTT like a king, disrupting the drunken stupor.


    Ben and four other subordinates cleared his way.


    Everyone calmed down and sat there obediently, not daring to make noise anymore, while Peter


    hurried over to greet him respectfully.


    Zachary looked around as if he were looking for something.


    ¡°Give me my purse. Hurry!¡±


    Charlotte covered her face with her coat and urged anxiously.


    ¡°Found it, here you go.¡± The cashier handed her the purse and teased, ¡°Why are you so anxious?


    Where are you going with Mr. Broid?¡±


    She did not respond and scurried away.


    If the Devil sees me working a part-time job here, I will be in trouble...


    Because she ran too fast, she hit the door. Her knees were numb with pain as she limped away.


    ¡°Baby, why are you so careless? Did it hurt?¡± Chris immediately hopped out of the car to help her.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, let¡¯s go.¡± Charlotte was anxious. ¡°My demon boss is here.¡±


    ¡°What? Zachary is here?¡± He was shocked.


    ¡°Yes, hurry up!¡± She quickly got into the car.


    He immediately started the car and drove away.


    ¡°You can¡¯t drive after drinking. Where¡¯s your driver?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here first.¡±


    Chris closed up the convertible, opened a bottle of mineral water, and gulped it down. Still feeling


    thirsty, he took off his jacket irritably.


    ¡°How much did you drink?¡± Charlotte realized something was wrong.

 Chapter 155

    Chapter 155


    ¡°Just a bottle of beer.¡± Chris also thought he was a little strange tonight. ¡°It¡¯s weird, I usually don¡¯t feel


    anything even after drinking a dozen bottles.¡±


    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    ¡°You¡¯d better pull over and call for a driver,¡± Charlotte hurriedly reminded, ¡°You can¡¯t vite traffic


    rules.¡±


    ¡°If we stop now, they will catch up soon.¡± He cautiously stared at the rearview mirror.


    ¡°Why do I feel that you are more afraid of my boss than I am?¡± she asked casually.


    His eyes flickered, but he soon justified himself. ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid of running into him? I don¡¯t want to


    cause you trouble.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk about this for now. Let¡¯s call a driver,¡± she urged.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I know myself.¡±


    Seizing every opportunity, Chris drove the car to the suburbs at breakneck speed as if he were in a


    race.


    ¡°What are you doing? You can¡¯t speed in the city. Stop now.¡±


    Charlotte turned to look at him.


    He¡¯s flushed and sweaty. Something must be wrong with him.


    ¡°You were like me that day...¡± She suddenly came to a realization and widened her eyes in


    astonishment. ¡°Did someone drug you?¡±


    ¡°No way...¡±


    He recalled carefully. The three girls clung to me. A girl kissed me but I quickly pushed her away. I then


    took arge ss of beer in front of me and drank it.


    Could I have been drugged at that time?


    ¡°Stop the car.¡± Charlotte panicked; she could feel his restlessness.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, baby...¡± Chris held her hand and kissed the back of it as he panted. ¡°I will be


    responsible to you.¡±


    ¡°You...¡± She became more nervous when she heard it. ¡°Don¡¯t mess around. Let¡¯s go to the hospital.¡±


    ¡°You little fool, what¡¯s the use of going to the hospital for this kind of thing...¡± He looked at her tenderly.


    ¡°I need an antidote; you are my antidote...¡±


    ...


    Bar DTT.


    Zachary sat on the silver leather chair and spun the rhodium ring on his finger.


    Although his face was still cold and frosty, his slightly frowning brows had exposed his thoughts...


    After Ben made a round of inspections, he came forward and reported, ¡°Ms. Windt indeedes here


    as a singer and Mr. Broid alsoes often. Fifteen minutes ago, the two left through the back door.¡±


    Zachary lifted his gaze and stared at Peter coldly.


    Peter lowered his head and said in fear, ¡°Mr. Nacht, I didn¡¯t know Charlotte is yours, I-I thought...¡±


    ¡°You thought? Do you know how many people died of these two words!¡±


    Zachary¡¯s tone was murderous.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, please don¡¯t be angry!¡± Peter knelt on the ground with a bang.


    Zachary did not do anything to him but got up and left. Without turning his head back, he ordered, ¡°Stop


    running the bar; it only harms people!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± Peter lowered his head and held his breath.


    ...


    Chris parked his car in the suburbs next to ake.


    When he opened the convertible, the cool breeze blewfortably.


    However, Charlotte did not feelfortable. She was distraught seeing the way Chris was acting. ¡°I-I¡¯ll


    go find a doctor for you...¡±


    With that said, she wanted to push open the car door and run away, but he grabbed her hand...


    ¡°Baby, don¡¯t go.¡± He pressed a button on her seat.


    Charlotte¡¯s body slowly reclined. She struggled to get up, but he turned over and put his weight on


    her...


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch me!¡± She screamed in horror.


    ¡°Why do you resist me so much? You are mine...¡±


    He gently stroked her hair, trying to restrain his desire and to be gentler so he would not scare her off...


    ¡°No...¡± Charlotte shook her head in a panic. Although she and gigolo had been together a long time ago


    and even had three children, for some reason she did not like his closeness and was instinctively


    resisting it.

 Chapter 156

    Chapter 156


    ¡°Do you remember thest time when we did it here in the car? You were so into it, weren¡¯t you... ¡°


    Chris whispered in Charlotte¡¯s ears with thest shred of his rationality. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. I¡¯ll be gentle...


    ¡°


    ¡°No!¡± Charlotte tried pushing him away, but to no avail.


    With the effect of the drugpletely taking over him, Chris felt as if he was burning, with all the blood


    in his body surging toward his groins.


    He took off his clothes, grabbed Charlotte¡¯s hands, and leaned in for a kiss.


    As Charlotte turned her head away by reflex, she noticed something odd about his lower back.


    The wolf head tattoo that was supposed to be there was nowhere to be seen.


    Her eyes widened in shock. It¡¯s not him! It¡¯s not!


    How can this be?


    ¡°Babe, I want it. Give it to me... ¡° Chris growled, his lips closing up onto her red lips.


    ¡°You liar!¡± Charlotte pped him. ¡°You freaking liar!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Chris blurted out,ing to his senses from the pain.


    ¡°You¡¯re not him! You don¡¯t have the wolf head tattoo on your back!¡± Charlotte yelled. ¡°Who are you?


    Why are you pretending to be him? What are you trying to do?¡±


    ¡°Does that really matter?¡±


    Chris could not even think straight. All that his body was telling him to do was to make love to the


    woman before him.


    ¡°I love you, Charlotte. I want you. You¡¯re mine... ¡°


    Grabbing both of her wrists, he restrained them with a hand and began stripping her clothes off with the


    other.


    ¡°No!¡± Charlotte thrashed against him.


    Screech! At that very moment, a Rolls-Royce collided violently with the Lamborghini that she was in.


    The impact was so severe that Chris fell over, freeing Charlotte from his grasp.


    Rushing to open the car door, Charlotte tripped,nding on the hard pavement and rolling into the


    bushes as she got out.


    A stinging pain immediately shot up her shoulders and neck.


    She tried to get up, but her arms felt weak and gave way, mming her back onto the ground.


    A pair of ck leather shoes suddenly appeared in her sight. Panicking, she instinctively retreated.


    However, after taking a closer look at the person in front of her, her jaw dropped.


    The towering silhouette of a man seemed to sparkle in the darkness of the night. Through his


    mysterious mask, a pair of eyes burning with anger could be seen.


    It¡¯s him! He¡¯s here!


    ¡°Gigolo... ¡° She called out his name by instinct.


    At that moment, Charlotte was certain that the man she had been waiting for had finallye.


    Zachary bent down and carried her into an embrace, his deep voice sounding in her ear, ¡°Why didn¡¯t


    you listen to me?¡± He was trying his best to sound gentle and calm.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s really you!¡± Charlotte could no longer hold back her tears. She put her arms around his neck


    and cried, ¡°I thought that I would never see you again!¡±


    ¡°Babe... ¡° Chris mumbled as he finally got himself out of the car to go after Charlotte.


    However, what greeted his eyes was a masked man in ck, who was carrying Charlotte and walking


    toward him.


    It was as if he were the god of the underworld guarding his lover.


    Meeting his death re, Chris felt as if he was looking at the devil himself.


    ¡°Hey... I... ¡° Chris was speaking so softly that he could not even hear himself clearly.


    ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    Though the effects of the drug had not worn offpletely, Chris was still well aware that Zachary


    could end his life with just a snap of his fingers.


    Just as he had expected, Zachary began choking him with one hand, and the strength of his grip was


    suffocating.


    ¡°Urgh... ¡°


    Chris¡¯s pupils dted as his face turned a grotesque purple color. Struggling helplessly, his voice


    cracked and trailed off.


    ¡°Go to hell!¡± Zachary swore, overwhelmed by rage.


    ¡°Zac... ach... ¡°


    Chris rasped with his hoarse voice in thest attempt to save himself.


    Zachary¡¯s grip, however, only got tighter and tighter.

 Chapter 157

    Chapter 157


    ¡°Oh god, you¡¯re going to kill him at this rate!¡± A sudden realization struck Charlotte, and she began


    pulling on Zachary¡¯s arm. ¡°Let him go!¡±


    Chris¡¯s eyes had already rolled back, and his hands were drooping down like two lifeless sticks.


    Atst, Zachary came to his senses and loosened the grip on his right hand.


    Chris immediately fell to the ground, half paralyzed with fear.


    Sighing, Zachary carried Charlotte into his car and took off.


    As they left the scene, Ben appeared with his subordinates. As they cleaned the ce up, he said,


    ¡°Send Mr. Broid to the hospital.¡±


    ¡°Yes sir.¡±


    ...


    In the car, Zachary covered his jacket over Charlotte to keep her warm. His brows were still furrowed,


    and the fury in his eyes were not entirely gone.


    Charlotte¡¯s dress was torn in pieces - half of her chest was exposed, and so were her thighs. She was


    in aplete mess, but there was a striking sexual appeal to it.


    Biting her lower lip, Charlotte was looking down, all quiet. All that she felt at that moment was shame.


    How could I not have recognized that he¡¯s a different person? Am I blind?


    Their car came to a halt at the Storm Hotel.


    ¡°Why are we here?¡± Charlotte nced at the hotel entrance, then at Zachary, feeling a little panicked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you want to...¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Zachary got off the car first.


    The manager promptly came by to greet them, ¡°Your room is ready. We have also made preparations


    ording to your instructions.¡±


    Zachary carried Charlotte out of the car and made his way toward the lift.


    ¡°I want to go home!¡± She protested under her breath.


    Zachary simply replied with a cold re.


    The room prepared for them was the presidential suite they had stayed in four years ago.


    Ssh! And once again, Zachary dumped her into the bathtub.


    Gasping for air as she sat back up, Charlotte wiped away the water on her face.


    ¡°Clean yourself up,¡± he said emotionlessly as he left the bathroom. This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    Charlotte¡¯s eyes drooped down like a sad puppy as she stared nkly at the bathwater. Why is he


    treating me like this? Feeling upset, she began cleaning herself.


    For some reason, she felt obliged to listen to everything he said.


    After all, disregarding his words always turned out to be a bad decision. It¡¯s not like he¡¯ll hurt me


    anyway. He¡¯s just really mean.


    As she got out of the bathroom after the shower, she realized that the hotel room was inplete


    darkness. The only hue of light was the faint glow from the emergency lights.


    Even when she tried turning on the lights, the switches did not seem to work. Feeling scared, she


    called out in a shaky voice, ¡°Gigolo... ¡°


    ¡°I¡¯m here.¡± His deep voice sounded from the French windows behind her.


    Charlotte jumped. As she turned around to face him, she found him sitting on the sofa in a bathrobe,


    sipping on his wine.


    ¡°What happened to the lights? Is there a malfunction?¡± She asked, making her way toward him.


    The next thing she knew, she was bumping straight into a table. Ouch! My knees.


    ¡°Are you stupid?¡± Zachary growled.


    Pouting and whining from the pain in her knees, Charlotte slowly nudged toward him.


    He was not wearing his mask. In the dim lighting, she could make out the outlines of his face. He looks


    kind of familiar...


    Zachary pressed a button on the remote, and the emergency lights were also turned off.


    Now that all the lighting in the room was gone, all that Charlotte could make out was his pair of sparkly


    eyes.


    The uneasiness in her heart swelled, and she unconsciously tried to move closer to him but


    immediately tripped on the sofa. Then, losing her bnce, she fell over him, her facending on his


    chest.


    His skin felt like fire to her touch. She almost felt as if she was getting scalded.


    She tried to get up, but she could not see what she was grabbing onto and thus, fell back down. This


    time, her forehead knocked onto his jaw, and the numbing pain instantly brought tears to her eyes.


    Feeling her squirm around on his body, Zachary could not bear it any longer as he pinned her down


    with his arms and said coldly, ¡°Stop it!¡±


    ¡°O-okay... ¡° She replied softly, looking up at him.


    In the darkness, she could not see his face clearly, but she could still feel that striking sense of


    familiarity.


    Even the scent on his body was calming and reassuring.


    She instinctively leaned even closer.

 Chapter 158

    Chapter 158


    ¡°What¡¯s in that head of yours? Do you even have a brain?¡± Zachary said, giving her head a light knock.


    Feeling embarrassed about her actions, Charlotte exined hastily, ¡°That man looked almost identical


    to you! And... and he was driving your car, and he even wore the same mask as you, so I thought... ¡°


    She paused for a moment and then began bombarding him with questions, ¡°Why is he driving your


    car? Even the license tes are the same! What is going on? Even if he made a replica of your mask,


    how could he have... ¡°


    ¡°And that¡¯s why you got the wrong person?¡± Zachary replied crudely. ¡°You were going to let him f*ck


    you, weren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°No... I wasn¡¯t... ¡° Charlotte shook her head frantically. ¡°He didn¡¯t even touch me! I-¡±


    ¡°If I hadn¡¯t arrived in time... ¡°


    Zachary inhaled deeply. Just thinking about it was infuriating for him. He roughly grabbed her face and


    kissed her...


    ¡°Mmph... ¡° Charlotte tried pushing him away, but her heart was telling her to give in.


    His kiss was intense, like a harsh storm. It felt more like a punishment than a sweet kiss, as if he were


    trying to w away all traces of other people from her body, recing them with his own bitemarks.


    Charlotte felt like she was suffocating from the kiss. Shey weakly in his arms, giving him the authority


    to do whatever he pleased.


    As they entwined, she felt his breaths be heavy, and she could feel his boner pressing onto her


    body.


    Feeling startled, her heart rate soared.


    Even as she tried to push him away, he seemed unwilling to let go. Caressing her cheek, he stroked


    her swollen lips with his thumb, his gaze darkening with desire.


    ¡°Promise me that this is thest time. I won¡¯t be there to save you if you ever do something like this


    again!¡± His voice was raspy.


    ¡°Yes, yes!¡± Charlotte nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ll never do that again!¡±


    It was only then that she realized that even with the same appearance, he had a unique scent on his


    body different from anyone else. Even his gaze and tone had distinct qualities.


    He¡¯s my one and only.


    ¡°Little idiot,¡± he said lovingly as he ran his fingers through her hair, pulling her closer.


    In his head, he was beginning to doubt his feelings for her. She¡¯s just a troublesome woman who


    disgusts me, but why am I worrying and thinking about her more and more?


    What¡¯s the matter with me?


    Charlotte leaned against his body like a puppy trying to keep warm. The sound of his strong, steady


    heartbeat was oddly reassuring to her ears.


    The atmosphere of the room became warm and fuzzy, stirring up something in their hearts.


    Stroking her smooth shoulder lightly, Zachary could feel his desire burning from within.


    ¡°Gigolo... ¡° Charlotte whispered. ¡°Are you really Gigolo?¡±


    Zachary¡¯s fingers stiffened a little. Frowning, he said, ¡°What the f*ck are you on about?¡±


    ¡°Oh, how I wish that you¡¯re not Gigolo... ¡°


    ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    Charlotte sighed inwardly. If only he weren¡¯t Gigolo, if he likes kids too, then we can be a happy family


    of seven.


    ¡°Who would you wish for me to be then?¡± It was a question that he had never discussed with her.


    ¡°Anyone. Just someone with a regr job, I guess,¡± she replied. ¡°Even if you are a taxi driver, security


    guard, or somepany¡¯s employee, I¡¯d be fine with it... ¡°


    Zachary was rendered speechless.


    His brows furrowed deeper. It seems like she hasn¡¯t joined the dots yet, about his true identity.


    But is that really a bad thing? At least I can still keep up the act...


    ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s sleep,¡± he said suddenly.


    Zachary sat up and carried Charlotte to the bed.


    While pulling for her nket, Charlotte ended up tugging on the bathrobe wrapped around Zachary


    instead. Upon realizing that he was not wearing anything inside, her face turned red as a tomato as she


    flipped to the other side.


    Zachary calmly pulled her into his embrace. His long, muscr arms were locked around her. ¡°Stop


    moving around so much. Else, I don¡¯t know if I can control myself.¡±

 Chapter 159

    Chapter 159


    Charlotte listened and stayed still.


    After the rollercoaster of events that urred that day, Charlotte was exhausted, and it did not take


    long before she fell sound asleep, curled up like a kitten in his arms.


    On the other hand, Zachary¡¯s head was still in overdrive, and he was not in the mood to sleep. He


    frowned as he looked at the woman in his arms.


    She had a great physique. Every part of her body seemed to be perfect, and every inch of her skin was


    silky smooth.


    And at that particr moment, her body was pressing onto his.


    Of course, he was turned on.


    However, he would not let himself do anything to her.


    Quietly and carefully, he got off the bed and went to the bathroom. It took him one cold shower and a


    hundred push-ups to calm his inner beast down. Then, in his bathrobe, he slumped on the sofa and


    finally fell asleep.


    It wouldn¡¯t feel as tough if I keep my distance...


    That night, Charlotte slept really well despite the scary episode that had urred. Perhaps, Zachary¡¯s


    presence gave her the sense of security that she needed.


    The next day, Charlotte woke up to the sunlight seeping through the curtains by the window.


    She instinctively reached out for the pillow on her side. However, no one was there.


    Where is he?


    He¡¯s gone.


    She quickly sat up and yelled, ¡°Gigolo! Gigolo!¡±


    There was no response.


    Charlotte wrapped herself in his bathrobe and searched all around the hotel room, but he was nowhere


    to be found.


    ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    Stopping by the mirror by the bed, she found a sticky note.


    I¡¯m going first. There are some clothes in the closet for you to wear. For breakfast, you can call for


    room service, and they¡¯ll send it here. After breakfast, the hotel manager will make the preparations to


    send you off to work!


    He signed off the note with a doodle of a pair of boxers.


    Charlotte burst out inughter. The messy handwriting and his doodle made her feel oddly touched.


    In her head, she could not help butment how perfect that man would be if he worked a different job.


    But...


    Charlotte shook her head and decided that she should stop daydreaming.


    She had a more troublesome issue to deal with. Oh my god. What is that Zachary guy thinking? He


    was forcing me to sign that contract to repay my debts. A billion? Is he trying to make me his ve


    now?


    Facepalming, Charlotte was starting to feel distressed.


    What a devil! He¡¯s totally extorting me!


    However, her situation felt somewhat familiar. Thinking back, she did the same to Gigolo - she made


    him give half of his sry to her for three whole months...


    Charlotte froze.


    Hold on. If Chris is not Gigolo, then that means that Zachary is!


    But that day, I saw Zachary get in his car before Gigolo came to pick me up in another car...


    Recalling the events of the past, she concluded that Chris was the one who picked her up that day.


    Has he been pretending to be Gigolo since that day?


    But if Zachary is the real Gigolo, then why would he let Chris pretend to be him?


    Charlotte¡¯s head was in aplete mess. Things simply did not add up.


    However, her intuition told her that Zachary was the real Gigolo.


    Not only were the two of them simr in appearance, their eyes, the way they talked, and many little


    details in the way they behave were very much the same.


    She knew that she had to figure out Gigolo¡¯s true identity soon, or he would continue to mess around


    with her.


    However, getting back her precious ruby ne was a more urgent matter.


    Or I¡¯ll have to sign that ve contract and never live to see the sun again!


    Charlotte quickly got changed and got ready to set off for work.


    Ring! Ring! Her phone started ringing. It was Mrs. Berry. ¡°Miss, I found the bracelet!¡±


    ¡°Really? Where?¡±


    ¡°Well, about that. You¡¯ll see when youe back.¡±


    Charlotte nced at the clock. Six thirty. I¡¯ll make it.


    The moment she stepped into her home, Ellie came running into her arms. ¡°Mommy... ¡° She cried,


    pointing to the balcony. ¡°Fifi is the... the worst!¡±


    Ellie looked so emotional that her face waspletely red. Her big eyes were all serious as she


    pouted, and she seemed to be on the brink of tears.

 Chapter 160

    Chapter 160


    ¡°What happened with Fifi?¡± Charlotte carried Ellie over to Fifi¡¯s cage.


    ¡°Mommy, look!¡±


    Jamie was standing on top of a wooden bench. Leaning forward a little, he was poking something in


    the cage with a stick.


    Standing opposite him, Robbie was making a scary face at Fifi. ¡°Fifi! If you don¡¯t cooperate, we¡¯ll pluck


    out all your feathers!¡±


    ¡°What in the world is going on?¡± Charlotte eximed. As she took a closer look, she gasped.


    The Sterling family¡¯s missing braceletid there, on top of a pile of bird poop in Fifi¡¯s cage.


    Furthermore, Fifi was using its wings to guard the bracelet.


    When Jamie tried to extract the bracelet using a stick, Fifi would peck on his stick agitatedly.


    ¡°I found it this morning when I was trying to clean up Fifi¡¯s cage... ¡° Mrs. Berry said exasperatedly.


    ¡°The bracelet itself is also covered in bird poop. It¡¯s pretty hard to notice,¡± she added with a forced


    smile.


    ¡°Urgh! I knew it! Why else would it have gone missing? I kept it safe that day in my pencil case,¡± Ellie


    smirked with her hands on her hips.


    ¡°So it¡¯s you!¡± She pointed angrily at Fifi.


    ¡°Dumb Fifi! Thest time, you ate a chip, now a bracelet? Stealing is a crime, you know?¡± Robbie


    joined in on the reprimand.


    ¡°Well, Fifi seems to like shiny, sparkly things... ¡° Jamie said, opening the cage to get the bracelet out.


    Sensing danger, Fifi began pping its wings in protest. ¡°Mine! Mine!¡± It screeched.


    ¡°It¡¯s not yours!¡± Ellie was seriously feeling angry at her pet. ¡°Do you even know what you have done?


    You got us in so much trouble! And Mommy had to pay so much money!¡±


    ¡°Mine! Mine!¡±


    ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    Unfortunately, Fifi did not seem to understand the message. Instead, it began to protect the poop-


    covered bracelet even more aggressively than before.


    ¡°Fifi, you can¡¯t do this! Give it back!¡±


    ¡°Fifi, it¡¯s not yours! You can¡¯t take it!¡±


    ¡°Fifi, I¡¯ll really be mad at you if you keep this up!¡±


    The three kids began chiding the little parrot with the worst usations that they could think of.


    Standing by their side, Mrs. Berry was at a loss for what to do.


    Meanwhile, Charlotte ran back to her room and called Luna. Now that she had found the bracelet, she


    wanted to contact the Whites to get her ruby ne back.


    However, none of her calls got through.


    Charlotte then tried to call Amanda, but to no avail.


    When Charlotte tried calling Simon, the call finally got through. ¡°Charlotte... ¡°


    ¡°Hi Uncle Simon, do you know where Aunt Amanda and Luna are? I need to talk to them about


    something... ¡° Charlotte asked anxiously.


    ¡°Oh, they actually left for F Nation this morning! Along with Timothy,¡± Simon replied.


    ¡°What?¡± Charlotte was absolutely stunned. ¡°But... but it¡¯s not even seven yet, so maybe they are still on


    the way? Can you contact them for me? I¡¯ll... ¡°


    ¡°They have already left,¡± Simon cut her off. ¡°Their flight is at seven-thirty in the morning. They called me


    ten minutes ago, telling me that they have already boarded the ne. They should be taking off soon.¡±


    ¡°But... but I found the bracelet!¡± Charlotte said in distress. ¡°Is the ruby ne still at home? I¡¯ll bring


    you the bracelet... ¡°


    ¡°Luna took the ruby ne along with her,¡± Simon added hastily. ¡°Charlotte, I¡¯ll be going to the


    company soon, so I¡¯ll end the call here. Do bring the kids for a meal at my house when you have the


    time.¡±


    ¡°Uncle Simon... ¡° Before she could finish her sentence, Simon hung up the call on her.


    Holding onto her phone, Charlotte clenched her teeth in rage. I should have known better. It wouldn¡¯t


    be easy to get the ruby ne back now that the Whites have their hands on it.


    But I¡¯ll have to get it back, or I¡¯ll be signing that ve contract with Zachary...


    No matter how hard it was to deal with the Whites, Zachary still felt far scarier to her.


    After moments of hesitation, Charlotte dialed for Hector Sterling.

 Chapter 161

    Chapter 161


    Hector seemed to be a little surprised that Charlotte would call him.


    After listening to what she had to say, Hector replied with a sigh, ¡°When I left the kindergarten that day,


    I told Luna firmly to return the ne to you, and she told me that she would. I have been busy with


    work for the past few days, and I haven¡¯t been home much, so I didn¡¯t know that she was causing so


    much trouble... ¡°


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I shouldn¡¯t bother you with this.¡±


    Charlotte could hear the weariness in Hector¡¯s voice.


    ¡°No, no. I¡¯m not bothered. I¡¯m actually quite happy that you¡¯d call me for help,¡± Hector replied gently.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll take care of this. When theye back, I promise that I¡¯ll get the ne and return it


    to you.¡±


    ¡°When will they being back?¡± Charlotte asked.


    ¡°In ten days, probably. She said that she¡¯s bringing Timothy to spend some time at my winery in


    Arkfield... ¡°


    ¡°Ten days... ¡° Charlotte whispered, turning downcast.


    Zachary only gave her three days to get the ne. With one day gone, she only had two days to get


    the ne back. Otherwise, she would be forced to sign that ve contract.


    What should I do?


    ¡°Were you scolded by Mr. Nacht for this?¡± Hector asked, sounding concerned. ¡°I¡¯ll go exin to him... ¡°


    ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡±


    Recalling the time he got seriously injured by Zachary, she did not want Hector to act rashly.


    ¡°But... ¡° Hector sounded worried.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll just recount the situation as it is. He won¡¯t do anything to me,¡± Charlotte replied,


    pretending to be calm.


    ¡°Alright then.¡± Hector smiled bitterly to himself. ¡°The two of you do have a better rtionship after all... ¡°


    ¡°I... ¡° Charlotte wanted to exin herself but decided not to. There¡¯s no point in doing that. ¡±I¡¯ll send you


    the bracelet tomorrow. Please help me get the ruby ne back when they return,¡± she said.


    ¡°Okay. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll keep my promise. Also, I think it would be best for you to pass me the bracelet in


    person. It¡¯s an expensive item, after all. If you have time to spare, I can go over to get it from you


    tomorrow,¡± Hector replied.


    ¡°I... ¡° Charlotte hesitated for a moment, then said, ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s meet outside.¡±


    ¡°Alright then. I¡¯ll meet you at Blue Diamond tomorrow at six in the evening.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Hanging up the call, Charlotte walked out of her room. It seemed like Mrs. Berry had finally fished out


    the bracelet from the pile of poop in the cage, and she was darting toward the bathroom.


    ¡°Mine! Mine!¡±


    Fifi also flew out of its cage and chased after Mrs. Berry, pecking on her hand non-stop.


    ¡°Fifi, stop it!¡± Ellie shouted as she iled her hands around, trying to shoo the bird away.


    ¡°Mrs. Berry,e in! Quick!¡± Robbie opened the bathroom door for Mrs. Berry, immediately shutting


    the door the moment she got in.


    ¡°Fifi, you better stop now!¡±


    Jamie was doing his part by guarding the bathroom door with a broom in his hands.


    Fifi had no choice but to leave. Even as it flew around in the living room, it was still making the same


    screeching sound. ¡°Mine! Mine!¡±


    ¡°What a materialistic parrot!¡± Ellie¡¯s face was flushed as she pouted her lips and stomped on the floor.


    ¡°From today onward, I¡¯ll be giving you a lecture every single day. Hopefully, you¡¯ll be an


    enlightened bird sometime in the future!¡± Robbie pointed his finger at Fifi.


    ¡°That¡¯s right! It needs to be taught a lesson. Otherwise, what would be of it when it grows up?¡±


    Jamie eximed, trying to sound more adult-like.


    As Charlotte watched her cute kids banter, she chuckled lightly. The sight of everyone having fun was


    heart-warming, even if there were ups and downs on the way.


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough. Go have your breakfast! Today is a weekday! Have all of you forgotten about


    going to school and work? Don¡¯t bete!¡± Mrs. Berry yelled from the bathroom.


    ¡°Oh no! It¡¯s seven forty.¡± Charlotte nced at the clock and hurried to the kitchen to get the breakfasts.


    ¡°Hey, kids! Time for breakfast!¡± She called out.


    ¡°Okay!¡± The three little ones washed their hands in the kitchen sink and sat at the dining table, waiting


    for Charlotte to get their soup.


    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    However, things took a turn for the worst. Plop! That was the sound that echoed in the room before


    Fifi¡¯s poop dropped into the cooking pot with their soup.


    The family of four simply stared, speechless, for a split second before angry yells filled the air.


    ¡°Argh! My precious breakfast!¡±


    ¡°Fifi! You¡¯re not my friend anymore!¡±


    ¡°Fifi! I¡¯ll pluck out all your feathers!¡±

 Chapter 162

    Chapter 162


    Charlotte decided that they would have breakfast at a cafe downstairs. After telling Mrs. Berry to take


    good care of the bracelet, she took the three kids and left.


    It was really a waste that the vegetable beef soup that Mrs. Berry had made that morning was


    completely ruined because of Fifi.


    The three kids were feeling so upset about it that they made a pact to ignore Fifi for the next three


    days.


    Just as the kids finished their breakfast at the cafe, their school bus arrived. Charlotte got them on the


    bus, waved goodbye, and hurried to thepany.


    What a morning.


    Though she tried her best, she ended up being ten minuteste.


    Luckily, Lucy could not be bothered to tell her off about it because the productunch event for the


    company¡¯stest products was to be held that day, and everyone was doing preparation work on the


    sixty-sixth floor.


    On the other hand, Charlotte, who was just an entry-level Administrative Assistant, was asked to stand


    by at the reception counter on the sixty-eighth floor.


    ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    There were no visitors that day, and Charlotte had a lot of free time on her hands. She decided to read


    some documents at the reception counter and learn so that she could be a proper secretary soon.


    All of a sudden, the doors of the lift opened, and a towering figure emerged from it.


    Looking up, Charlotte was greeted by none other than Zachary Nacht walking toward her.


    His brows were furrowed deeply, and his expression was dark. Everything about his bodynguage at


    that moment spelled anger, as if he were trying to burn down the floor that he was stepping on.


    Feeling a little uneasy, she greeted, ¡°Mr. Nacht... ¡°


    Zachary did not even bother to look at her and walked straight past her as he talked via his Bluetooth


    earpiece.


    ¡°What are you trying to do? I thought that we made a pact not to meddle with each other¡¯s operating


    systems. Why are you hacking into mypany¡¯s system all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s on him!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have the time to argue with you right now. Let me tell you this. Stop whatever you¡¯re trying to


    do, or face the consequences!¡±


    As he ended the call, he kicked a chair that was blocking his way.


    Bang! The chair flew toward the wall and collided with it, leaving a rather visible mark on the wall.


    Charlotte shuddered a little, and her heart was pounding fast.


    She had never seen Zachary that angry before. Oh my god. If he had been kicking a person and not a


    chair, the person would have been seriously injured!


    As she looked at the mark on the wall in fear, Ben came out of the lift and told her, ¡°Get a bucket of ice


    and bring it into the president¡¯s office.¡±


    ¡°Okay... ¡° Charlotte hastily went to the pantry to get the ice.


    The door of the president¡¯s office was left ajar.


    As Charlotte walked closer, she could hear Ben trying to calm Zachary down. ¡°Mr. Nacht, the product


    launch event is in half an hour. We have time to... ¡°


    ¡°How could they even have the audacity to do that?¡± Zachary roared. ¡°Ten years ago, our families


    made the pact before my grandfather to make peace with one another and to never meddle with each


    other¡¯s businesses! How could she break the vow?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, Bruce is already working on it. It should be... ¡°


    ¡°Of course, it can be resolved!¡± Zachary growled. ¡°That¡¯s a given. But that madwoman is getting on my


    nerves... ¡°


    ¡°Yes, yes. Ms. Summers is in the wrong this time, but perhaps she is doing this to avenge Chris? You


    almost killed him... ¡°


    ¡°Who?¡±


    Ben froze from Zachary¡¯s chilling tone.


    By the door, Charlotte trembled and dropped the bucket of ice onto the floor. Looking at the mess that


    she had made, she quickly bent down and gathered the ice cubes.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Zachary red at her.


    ¡°I... ¡°


    ¡°I got her to get some ice,¡± Ben exined as he came over to help Charlotte. ¡°Go get another bucket.


    I¡¯ll clean this up.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Charlotte left hurriedly, still thinking about the conversation that she had overheard.


    Though she could not understand much about the business rivalry, she clearly heard them mention the


    name ¡°Chris¡±.


    Is Chris closely rted to Zachary? Does he work for him?


    If so, that would exin a lot...


    Maybe they look so simr because they are brothers? Or rtives, perhaps?


    And maybe Zachary instructed him to act as Gigolo to pick her up that day...


    That means that he¡¯s very likely the real ¡°Gigolo In Debt¡±.

 Chapter 163

    Chapter 163


    Charlotte was feeling more sure about her suspicions by the second. However, there was another


    question that was bugging her. If Zachary really is Gigolo, then why would he be doing all of this to me?


    All of a sudden, the words that Chris had told her came to mind.


    ¡°Have you ever thought about the possibility that maybe I¡¯m no Gigolo at all and you¡¯ve just


    misunderstood me? Four years ago, I walked into the wrong hotel room. Maybe it¡¯s just a mistake, but I


    think that it¡¯s fate, in a way... I¡¯ve gotten used to living a smooth life. Though there have been no


    challenges or problems, nothing feels refreshing anymore. Having someone treat me as a gigolo and


    extorting money from me feels exhrating!¡±


    Oh no. What if he was telling the truth all along?


    But Chris isn¡¯t Gigolo, is he?


    Without conclusive evidence, she was still feeling rather unsure about the situation. What if it¡¯s just a


    coincidence? Am I thinking too much?


    Maybe the Chris that Ben had said was not the Chris that I knew?


    I mean, Zachary probably wouldn¡¯t act as a gigolo in front of me, would he? Would his ego allow for


    that?


    Furthermore, thinking back on the times they had spent together, Charlotte¡¯s attitude toward Gigolo


    was nowhere close to nice. If he were really Zachary, he would have beat me up over and over!


    Thinking about that, Charlotte felt more doubtful than ever. Her head was in aplete mess. Shaking


    her head, she decided that she should shift her focus away to something else.


    However, yet another question began bugging her. I¡¯ll be able to tell if Zachary is really Gigolo by the


    tattoo on his lower back!


    Even if everything else has been purely coincidental, there is no way that they can have the same


    tattoo for no good reason, is there?


    Finallying up with a n that she was satisfied with, Charlotte was in high spirits. Taking a deep


    breath, she carried the bucket of ice to the president¡¯s office.


    The atmosphere in the office was tense. Zachary was doing work on hisputer as he formted his


    response strategies.


    ¡°Get Team Razor to pick up Mr. Sterk. We need him back at the Divine Corporation safe and sound.


    We need to get all of our security guards to guard our entrances and exits with utmost caution. Arrest


    any suspicious personnel. Tell Bruce to do a thorough check on what the media corporations are


    doing.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Ben immediately sprang into action. However, after a few moments, he turned to Zachary


    and asked, ¡°Mr. Nacht, if we get all eighteen of our people to safeguard Mr. Sterk, you won¡¯t have


    anyone around you to... ¡°


    ¡°What are you here for then?¡± Zachary said crudely.


    ¡°Ok, I understand.¡± Ben dared not ask more questions and got back to work.


    Feeling somewhat ufortable in the tense atmosphere in the office, Charlotte put down the ice


    bucket and was about to make her way out quietly.


    ¡°Ms. Windt... ¡° Ben talked to her softly. ¡°There are some puddles on the floor from all the ice cubes


    earlier on. Please clean it up.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Charlotte replied, getting a rag to clean up.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Zachary looked up from hisputer screen and stared at her intently.


    Charlotte found herself stumped momentarily and then replied, ¡°Wi-wiping the floor.¡±


    ¡°Who asked you to do that?¡± Zachary said, raising an eyebrow.


    Charlotte turned to look at Ben, still shaking a little.


    ¡°I got her to do it... ¡° Ben exined. ¡°Because of the... ¡°


    ¡°Why can¡¯t you do it yourself?¡± Zachary gave him a re.


    Ben blinked. He quickly stood up and did a ny-degree bow to Charlotte, saying, ¡°Ms. Windt, I¡¯m


    terribly sorry... ¡°


    The next thing she knew, Ben was grabbing the rag from her hands and wiping the floor.


    Charlotte was at a loss for words. What? What is going on?


    ¡°Get out,¡± Zachary ordered.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Charlotte left the office, feeling jittery.


    Just as she got out, she realized that she left the tray for the ice bucket in the office. Walking back, she


    overheard Zachary¡¯s yells. ¡°Who gave you the courage to order her around?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I was terribly mistaken. Please forgive me!¡± Ben apologized profusely.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let it happen again,¡± Zachary warned.


    ¡°Yes, yes! It¡¯ll never happen again!¡± Ben¡¯s voice was cracking.


    ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    Listening to them by the door, Charlotte had mixed feelings.

 Chapter 164

    Chapter 164


    Personally, she felt that it was normal for a higher-up like Ben to order her around.


    Why was Zachary so angry at him?


    Furthermore, why would he even bother about me when he¡¯s that busy?


    He was talking as if I¡¯m his woman or something!


    Charlotte could not help but purse her lips into a smile at the thought of that. Having such a dependable


    man be so protective of her was giving her butterflies in her stomach.


    Hold on.


    I need to calm down!


    That man is the Devil! The Devil!


    Charlotte sighed deeply, reminding herself that she should not be feeling attracted to Zachary.


    Even the most ferocious beasts can have their heroic moments, but if I¡¯m not careful about it, I¡¯ll


    be his prey!


    I mustn¡¯t let my guard down...


    ¡°Hey! Charlotte!¡± Lucy¡¯s frantic calls pulled her back to reality. ¡°Come along.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Wright, where are we going?¡± Charlotte said, following her into the lift.


    ¡°The productunch event is about to begin, but ourpany¡¯s system got hacked. Mr. Nacht is


    working on it right now, so Mr. Sterk has to be the one to hold the conference,¡± Lucy exined.


    ¡°Mr. Sterk and Mr. Nacht are not really on good terms with one another. Mr. Sterk has also been feeling


    a little unwelltely. I¡¯m concerned that he may get emotionalter on, so I hope that you can help.


    You¡¯ve saved his life once. He¡¯ll listen to you,¡± she added.


    ¡°Got it.¡± Charlotte nodded firmly.


    Staring at the floor numbers on the disy panel of the lift, Lucy frowned as she said, ¡°Today¡¯s product


    launch event is extremely important to the Divine Corporation. If you do your part well, you¡¯ll be able to


    work as a proper secretary.¡±


    ¡°Really? That¡¯s great!¡±


    Charlotte was absolutely delighted at the prospects of working as a proper secretary. That would mean


    a monthly sry of twenty-five thousand.


    Ring! Lucy¡¯s phone rang. She quickly answered the call.


    ¡°Hi.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Lucy¡¯s face turned aghast. She immediately pressed the lift panel for the forty-fourth floor and got out


    immediately, still answering the call.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Charlotte asked, following closely behind her.


    ¡°Mr. Sterk. Mr. Sterk is in trouble.¡±


    In the surveince room, Lucy turned on the high-tech equipment that resembled a telescope and


    began sifting through the surveince footage of the streets in the area.


    The high-resolution, real-time footage of the roads was immediately disyed on theputer screen.


    On the screen, a Phantom could be seen speeding toward the building of the Divine Corporation.


    A few Rolls-Royces were tailing dangerously closely behind, almost colliding into the Phantom at times.


    Evidently, they were trying to get rid of whoever was sitting in that Phantom!


    ¡°Is Mr. Sterk in that Phantom?¡± Charlotte could tell at first sight that it was Zachary¡¯s car.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Lucy replied, frowning. ¡°Someone is trying to ruin our productunch event. First the hack, and


    now someone trying to bring harm to Mr. Sterk.¡±


    ¡°What should we do?¡± Charlotte was very concerned about the situation.


    ¡°There is nothing that we can do about that. Mr. Bruce and Mr. Ben will take care of it.¡± Lucy continued


    sifting through the footage, her expression grim. ¡°The productunch event is starting in seven


    minutes... ¡°


    ¡°What is that?¡± Charlotte eximed suddenly, pointing to the Hummers that were cuttingnes to block


    off the Rolls-Royces from the Phantom.


    ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht probably dispatched them.¡± Lucy heaved a sigh of relief upon seeing the Hummers. ¡°So this


    is why the eighteen bodyguards who have always been by his side disappeared. They were all


    dispatched to protect Mr. Sterk.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht has everything under his control!¡± Lucy said.


    Charlotte recalled what Zachary was asking Ben to do back at the office. She finally understood what


    he meant. What a well-calcted strategy!


    ¡°It seems like there¡¯s nothing more for us to do here.¡±


    As Lucy talked, she received another call. Turning on speaker mode, she answered the call.


    ¡°Mr. Bruce!¡±


    ¡°A few suspicious individuals disguising as staff from media corporations have infiltrated the building.


    They pose a risk to us. Return to the sixty-sixth floor immediately and supervise the team of secretaries


    of the president¡¯s office. Keep the important documents safe! No mistakes will be condoned!¡±

 Chapter 165

    Chapter 165


    ¡°Yes, will do!¡±


    Hanging up the call, Lucy turned to Charlotte and said, ¡°Charlotte, you¡¯ll be escorting Mr. Sterk by


    yourself downstairs. Please be observant and act ordingly. While it would be great if he is willing to


    cooperate, you¡¯ll still need to be prepared tofort and persuade him to help us if he is thinking


    otherwise.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Charlotte replied, nodding.


    ¡°This is an important matter. Mr. Nacht is dealing with the hackers and giving out orders from his office.


    We¡¯ll need to keep things in order here in the front line too!¡±


    Lucy looked solemn but determined.


    ¡°Okay, I understand.¡± Charlotte nodded once more.


    Lucy eyeballed her for a moment, and pulled her closer.


    ¡°Charlotte, to tell you the truth, Mr. Sterk was still feeling upset about the chip an hour ago and was


    unwilling to host the productunch event. I¡¯m guessing... I¡¯m guessing that Mr. Nacht got him toe


    here by force!¡± She whispered.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Charlotte was stunned. She finally understood why Lucy was reminding her time after time that Mr.


    Sterk might be really emotional. So that¡¯s the context of it all...


    ¡°And that¡¯s why I¡¯m getting you to do the task. Lucy patted Charlotte¡¯s shoulder firmly. ¡°No matter what


    you do, you need to get Mr. Sterk to the sixty-sixth floor and persuade him to host the productunch


    event. If you do your task well, I¡¯ll apply for a bonus for you!¡±


    ¡°A bonus? How much?¡± Charlotte¡¯s eyes lit up at her words.


    ¡°Well... ¡° Lucy paused for a second, then said, ¡°Hundreds of thousands at the very least. Get to work!


    You won¡¯t be underpaid.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll get to work. I¡¯ll definitely make it happen!¡± Charlotte said confidently.


    ¡°Good luck!¡± Lucy pushed her into the lift. ¡°Your promotion and bonus depend on it,¡± she added.


    ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    ¡°I understand!¡± Charlotte smiled as she put on a front to get into action.


    While thepany was facing a crisis, everyone around her seemed to be ying a crucial part while


    she looked on, unable to help. However, with the task that Lucy had assigned her, Charlotte felt that


    she was also an important employee in thepany.


    Moreover, she would be getting all of those benefits afterward.


    For the sake of earning money, she was willing to do anything.


    Upon reaching the first floor, Charlotte saw two rows of security guards standing by, with David leading


    them.


    She walked toward Mr. Collins, who was the security department manager, to inquire about the current


    whereabouts of Mr. Sterk.


    From the surveince footage, it could be seen that the Phantom that Mr. Sterk was on was making its


    way to thepany building under the protection of the Hummers.


    On the other hand, the Rolls-Royces which had been tailing closely behind were now in shambles. The


    wreckage of the cars was strewn all over the roads, causing a major traffic jam. A few traffic police


    officers were trying to manage the situation on the roads.


    ¡°That must be Team Razor! Team Razor, which was a team put together by Mr. Nacht himself!¡±


    ¡°How can he be this powerful! He¡¯s so perceptive, like a god!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht is my idol!¡±


    Charlotte watched the Hummers cruising alongside the Phantom in two neat rows as if they were


    victorious warriors returning from the battlefields.


    Even the passersby on the streets could not help but sneak a few looks at the convoy.


    It was a rather touching sight for Charlotte.


    She felt that she was watching an action movie.


    Zachary was like a perceptive strategist who could make the most effective ns in response to the


    crisis. He almost seemed unstoppable.


    In her heart, Zachary seemed to be as powerful as a god.


    Meanwhile, on the sixty-eighth floor, Zachary was monitoring the situation from hisputer screen.


    The corner of his lips turned up into a contented smile.


    However, things quickly took a turn. Out of the blue, amotion could be heard from outside. Ben


    raised an eyebrow. ¡°Someone has broken in!¡±


    He immediately sprang into action. After initializing the security system and taking out the weapons to


    prepare forbat, he said, ¡°It seems like they¡¯veid out a trap for you. They areing straight for


    you now that Team Razor has gone to safeguard Mr. Sterk.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care who¡¯sing for me. I don¡¯t care if they are the gods or the devil. I¡¯ll bring them down at


    all costs!¡± Zachary growled.


    Without looking the least surprised, he began typing furiously on hisputer keyboard. ¡°It¡¯s been a


    while. Time to stretch my fingers!¡±

 Chapter 166

    Chapter 166


    Charlotte and the other members of the security department arrived at the main entrance to wee


    Mr. Sterk.


    At the same time, a group of reporters was standing outside of the perimeter. They were jostling for


    position and taking pictures at the same time.


    They wanted to know if the productunch would be hosted by Zachary.


    As the convoy stopped. A bodyguard opened the door of the Rolls-Royce Phantom. When someone


    stepped out of the car, everyone¡¯s eyes widened in anticipation.


    The legendary president of Divine Corporation had never appeared before the media. They didn¡¯t even


    know how he looked like. Therefore, they were all waiting anxiously to see how he looked like in real


    life.


    However, the one who stepped out was a white-haired old man dressed in a suit with matching leather


    shoes.


    The reporters were all stunned and spected amongst themselves, ¡°Is this the legendary Mr. Nacht?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht is an influential man in the business world. I think it¡¯s unlikely for him to be very young.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, it would be impossible to be a tech genius and business magnate at such a young age.¡±


    With that, the reporters asked, ¡°Are you Mr. Nacht?¡±


    ¡°Are you here to host theunch of the new tech products?¡±


    Mr. Sterk didn¡¯t say a word. He had a stern expression on with his eyebrows furrowed. Under the


    protection of eighteen elite bodyguards, he entered the building swiftly.


    As the security guards held the reporters back, Charlotte was squeezed behind by the crowd and


    started to fall behind.


    At that moment, Mr. Sterk was about to enter the elevator when he caught a glimpse of Charlotte. He


    then gave his men some instructions.


    The bodyguards quickly came over and pulled her out from the crowd.


    As her legs couldn¡¯t touch the ground, she looked funny hanging in midair. Nevertheless, she waved at


    Mr. Sterk to greet him. ¡°Hi Mr. Sterk.¡±


    ¡°Are you here to wee me?¡± he asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± As Charlotte observed his reaction, she probed, ¡°Did you have a smooth journey?¡±


    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Smooth?¡± Mr. Sterk expression darkened and red coldly at the bodyguards. ¡°I almost died in their


    hands.¡±


    Charlotte scanned the group of bodyguards. Although they were wearing ck face masks, it was


    obvious to her they were all handsome men.


    Charlotte gulped and reassured him, ¡°Their methods may have been harsh, but it¡¯s for the greater


    good.¡±


    ¡°If not for the greater good, I would rather die before Ie.¡±


    Despite his firm tone, he had already relented.


    Zachary sent eighteen of his bodyguards to pick him up leaving only Ben and Bruce by his side. It was


    obvious how important Mr. Sterk was to him.


    Regardless of the reason, it was enough to demonstrate his sincerity to Mr. Sterk.


    Despite his ruthlessness, Zachary was meticulous when it came to doing something for others.


    ¡°Of course. You are one of the founders of thepany and naturally, want the best for it.¡±


    As Charlotte didn¡¯t really understand Mr. Sterk¡¯s situation, she was worried about saying the wrong


    thing. Hence, she kept their conversation to the formalities.


    ¡°As one of Divine Corporation¡¯s founders, I will not sit still if thepany encounters any trouble. It¡¯s


    just that the way the young punk does things is...¡±


    When Mr. Sterk remembered thexative he drank the other day, he felt a chill down his spine.


    ¡°About the chip...¡±


    ¡°Forget it.¡±


    Just when Charlotte wanted to exin about the chip, Mr. Sterk interrupted her, ¡°Let¡¯s get the product


    launch over and done with. As for the rest, we will resolve themter.¡±


    Charlotte¡¯s lips squirmed as she smiled awkwardly. I wonder what will he do to me if he finds out that I


    was the one who put the chip in his coffee...


    Ding! The elevator door opened.


    Bruce, Lucy, and the others were waiting at the entrance. When a few reporters rushed over to take


    pictures, David and other bodyguards ran to stop them.


    When Charlotte helped Mr. Sterk out of the elevator, she suddenly heard Bruce instructing the


    bodyguards softly. ¡°Mr. Nacht is in trouble. Team 2, head to level 68 to assist. Team 1, stay here and


    secure the area.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    The bodyguards reentered the elevator and headed to level 68.


    Charlotte felt her heart tighten and considered whether to go check on him...


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he will be fine.¡± Mr. Sterk suddenlymented. ¡°With hisbat ability, even God can¡¯t


    harm him.¡±

 Chapter 167

    Chapter 167


    Charlotte pursed her lips and smiled, looking silly. However, her heart was pounding anxiously.


    She knew that even if she went to level 68, she wouldn¡¯t be of any help. In fact, she might even get in


    the way. Therefore, it made more sense for her to stay here.


    However, the thought of Zachary being in danger caused her to feel inexplicably worried.


    ¡°Mr. Sterk, theunch is going to start in a minute,¡± Lucy respectfully reminded. ¡°This way please.¡±


    Mr. Sterk adjusted his tie before stepping ahead and leading everyone into the meeting hall.


    As the dark red doors swung open, the room was filled with thunderous apuse.


    Following behind, Charlotte saw members of various media outlets from all over the world and many of


    thepany¡¯s partners. They were all here today to witness theunch of Divine Corporation¡¯s new


    technology.


    As innumerable cameras shed at Mr. Sterk, Charlotte who was standing beside him also got to bathe


    in his glory.


    A 360 degree 3D screen then yed a clip showcasing the sess of Divine Corporation.


    Divine Corporation¡¯s tech products were used in thousands of homes and brought convenience to the


    lives of many. It had be a necessary part of the homes of the upper-middle ss globally.


    After watching the presentation, only now did Charlotte fully grasp the extent of Zachary¡¯s capabilities


    and status, leaving her astounded by it.


    She realized that she really knew very little about him.


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, I am Johann Sterk. The same Johann Sterk who has spent his entire life


    obsessed with research. Today, I¡¯m here to represent Mr. Nacht tounch Divine Corporation¡¯stest


    generation of tech products.¡±


    Mr. Sterk¡¯s voice was filled with vigor and energy.


    The audience was wowed with somementing softly, ¡°So it appears Mr. Sterk of Divine Corporation


    is the famous scientist Johann Sterk from some years ago.¡±


    ¡°No wonder thepany has been doing so well. They have so much talent hidden within them.¡±


    ¡°I wonder who Zachary Nacht is to be able to get someone like Johann to work for him.¡±


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, before the productunch begins, I would like to spend some time introducing


    our chairman, Mr Zachary Nacht...¡±


    Standing on the stage, Mr. Sterk pointed at the screen behind him.


    ¡°Zachary is also the president of Divine Corporation. When he was ten, he invented neen tech


    products and received the patent for them. After which, he started selling them via hispany. The


    robot pets, robot nannies, etc. were all designed by him.¡±


    ¡°When he was sixteen, he officially established the Divine Corporation and led us to build a tech


    empire. In ten years, he has be a force to be reckoned with in both themercial and tech


    world.¡±


    Thunderous apuse broke out in response.


    The reporters eximed excitedly, ¡°With such an exceptional leader and such capable assistants,


    Divine Corporation is definitely on the path to greatness.¡±


    ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    After listening to the introduction and watching everything that had urred, Charlotte felt that she had


    just got to know Zachary again. It appears he is extremely smart. I didn¡¯t even realize that.


    At the same time, she felt she was someone insignificant, just like a rock in the vast ocean. All she


    could do was watch the stars from afar.


    While she was fantasizing, she suddenly realized the elite bodyguards had all returned. They were


    spreading themselves out in the meeting hall and even caught a few suspicious characters.


    If they have returned, where is Zachary?


    Filled with dread, Charlotte ran towards the elevator but realized it was upied. She then took the


    stairs.


    Bang!


    Just when she emerged from the stairwell, a dagger flew in her direction.


    Luckily, Charlotte ducked in time, or else she would have met her maker.


    Panting from fright, a man grabbed onto her from behind before she realized what was going on. He


    put a dagger to her throat and threatened, ¡°Don¡¯te any closer, or I will kill her!¡±


    At that moment, Charlotte regained her senses and saw what was in front of her.


    Zachary was in a white shirt with his sleeves folded up. His face was red from battle.


    While Ben had pinned someone down and was pounding him in. The president¡¯s office was in a mess


    from the fight but they had seized the advantage.


    However, just like an idiot, she appeared at the wrong moment.

 Chapter 168

    Chapter 168


    Zachary seethed as he scowled at her in a sarcastic tone, ¡°Are you an idiot?¡±


    ¡°I... I...¡±


    Charlotte¡¯s neck which had just healed now had a dagger pressed against it. She was utterly frightened


    and could barely speak.


    ¡°Sigh, Ms. Windt, why did youe up here?¡± Ben sighed.


    He and Mr. Nacht alone were more than enough to dispose of the remnants. Little did they expect


    Charlotte to gift herself to the enemy.


    ¡°You, destroy the X system now, or else I will kill her,¡± the intruder ordered arrogantly.


    Charlotte was at the brink of tears and she kept telling herself she was done for.


    The system was an integral part of Divine Corporation and holds the fate of the Nacht family in it.


    To Charlotte, asking Zachary to destroy it was no different than asking him to destroy Earth itself.


    This time, he definitely wouldn¡¯t save me.


    ¡°Go ahead and kill her. That stupid woman isn¡¯t of any use even when she¡¯s alive.¡±


    Zachary shot Charlotte a cold re and waved his fist at her angrily. After which, he turned and headed


    back to his office.


    ¡°Erm...¡±


    Ben was stupefied. Is he for real?


    ¡°Boohoo...¡± Charlotte cried in agony. ¡°I¡¯m just a small fry as I¡¯m the lowest-ranked secretary here.


    Capturing me is of no use to you...¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± The intruder gritted his teeth and cursed his luck. Damn it! Why did I capture a useless


    secretary?


    ¡°Fine. Since neither of you is going to save her, I will kill her first...¡±


    Just as he spoke, the intruder prepared to slit her throat.


    ¡°No!¡± Charlotte closed her eyes. As if by reflex, she screamed, ¡°Gigolo, save me!¡±


    Whoosh!


    A sudden brush of wind blew past her ear. The next moment, the hand around her neck released its


    grip before she heard a thud.


    When Charlotte gradually opened her eyes, the man holding her hostage had dropped to the ground.


    Zachary had seized the dagger from him.


    Throwing the dagger aside, he gave Charlotte a resentful look before returning to his office.


    Charlotte was stunned where she stood. When she saw his familiar silhouette, she reyed what just


    happened in her mind. If I recalled correctly, I shouted ¡°Gigolo, save me¡±, that means...


    He must be Gigolo!


    ¡°Ms. Windt, stop spacing out.¡± Ben waved his hand in front of Charlotte¡¯s eyes. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous here.


    Come in with us.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re bleeding...¡±


    At that moment, Charlotte realized Ben was hurt. There were wounds all over his shoulders, arms and


    legs. Blood was dripping as he walked.


    However, he didn¡¯t flinch as if he wasn¡¯t in pain at all.


    ¡°They are just cuts, don¡¯t worry.¡± Ben didn¡¯t mind and even reminded her, ¡°The productunch has


    already started and we have yet to fend off the attacks from the hackers. Now that Mr. Sterk is buying


    us time, Mr. Nacht has his hands full now. So, don¡¯t get on his nerves.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    Scanning her surroundings, Charlotte couldn¡¯t help but feel she was in a warzone.


    There was destruction everywhere and debris strewn all over the floor. Furthermore, men in ck


    littered the ground and she wasn¡¯t even sure if they were dead or alive.


    Only the president¡¯s office was left untouched as if it was thest bastion of safety.


    She could imagine how frightening it was just now.


    Zachary was dismantling the hacker¡¯s systems while Ben was fighting alone.


    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    The office remained a safe haven while the battle raged on outside.


    Heaven and Hell seemed to have only been separated by a door.


    Finally, when Ben couldn¡¯t hold them off any longer, Zachary had toe out and personally dispose


    of the intruders.


    They were almost done when Charlotte barged in like a giant idiot.


    Realizing that she had gotten in the way instead of helping, Charlotte wanted the ground to open up


    and swallow her whole.


    ¡°Why is this idiot here?¡±


    Zachary¡¯s voice rang out with a cold and mocking tone.


    Charlotte raised her head and gave him an aggrieved look. ¡°I was just worried and wanted to check on


    you. I didn¡¯t expect to have gotten in your way...¡±

 Chapter 169

    Chapter 169


    Zachary was jolted when he heard her words. As his fingers continued to dance on the keyboard, he


    looked at her passionately. ¡°Worried about me?¡±


    Realizing her Freudian slip, Charlotte blushed and bit her lower lip, not daring to utter another word.


    When he saw how embarrassed she was, Zachary couldn¡¯t help but be touched. He used his leg under


    the table to nudge her. ¡°Come over!¡±


    ¡°Why...¡±


    With her heart racing, Charlotte nced at him bashfully before averting her gaze.


    ¡°Hurry up,¡± Zachary demanded.


    Charlotte dawdled towards him. Despite being just a few steps apart, it felt as if they were a thousand


    kilometers away. It took her a long time to close the distance.


    Ben grew anxious. Are these two actually being lovey-dovey at such a crucial moment?


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    Just as Charlotte cried out, Zachary pulled her into his embrace.


    Sitting on hisp, her body was trembling all over. When she was about to struggle, he ordered softly,


    ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± Then, he circled his hands around her waist and continued typing away.


    Charlotte didn¡¯t dare move a muscle.


    She was literally caught in the middle of a fight over a project worth tens of billions and the fate of the


    company. With his hands on both sides of her slender waist, she was worried that any move she made


    would cause a devastating impact.


    And it would be an unforgivable sin.


    Rolling his eyes, Ben cracked his knuckles in exasperation as he couldn¡¯t stand the sight of them.


    At that moment, he recalled that Mr. Sterk had drunkxatives for four consecutive days and suddenly


    felt he could empathize with him.


    As a warrior, he had killed all his enemies in cold blood.


    On the other hand, Mr. Nacht fought for the fate of the world while embracing a beauty at the same


    time.


    Although no one was doubting Mr. Nacht¡¯s capabilities, Ben still couldn¡¯t help but feel nervous.


    Cursing like a madman in his heart still couldn¡¯t relieve the stress that was building up within him.


    ¡°Let go of me and do this properly. At this crucial moment, how can you...¡±


    Charlotte pushed Zachary away gently.


    At that moment, the screen was shing with green code. Beside it, a tabletputer was showing the


    live broadcast of theunch event on the sixty-sixth floor.


    Mr. Sterk had finished his introductions of the president and began to talk about the features of the new


    products.


    The old man wiped the sweat off his brow as he was running out of ideas to stall. All he could do was


    hope that Zachary could stabilize the system so that the new products could beunched.


    As for Zachary, his eyes were fixated on the screen while his fingers continued to dance on the


    keyboard. Meanwhile, his chin seemed to be to discreetly resting on Charlotte¡¯s breast.


    Charlotte didn¡¯t dare move nor push him away.


    She felt as if she was a temptress who was distracting the hero from his duty.


    Ben was so nervous that he had the urge to pull Charlotte away but didn¡¯t have the courage to do so.


    Bang! A loud noise suddenly came from outside.


    ¡°Someone has barged in.¡± Ben turned around vigntly.


    ¡°Hold on!¡±


    Zachary didn¡¯t bother to look and even used the opportunity to bite Charlotte¡¯s breast. This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    Despite being shielded by her top, he could still feel the wonderful sensation of its bounce.


    ¡°Ah...¡± Charlotte moaned. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Ben¡¯s lips twitch as his expression darkened. However, he had no choice but to head out to battle with


    a golf club in hand.


    The moment he opened the door, a few assassins dashed at him with knives in their hands. Ben gritted


    his teeth and charged head on.


    ¡°Let go of me. I¡¯m going to help.¡±


    When Charlotte saw Ben¡¯s wound was still bleeding, she felt terribly guilty. She pushed Zachary away


    as she wanted to help.


    However, Zachary hugged her even tighter with his cold lips brushing across her corbone, his fingers


    furiously typing still.


    Charlotte was filled with anxiety. ¡°Stop fooling around. Everyone is depending on you at this crucial


    moment... Ah...¡±


    Before she could finish, she moaned again as her body trembled.


    Damn Zachary! Why did he bump into me...


    Although they were still separated by their clothes, she was already trembling from the electrifying


    sensation.


    The moment he heard her moan, Ben¡¯s hand was shed by a knife.

 Chapter 170

    Chapter 170


    ¡°Will you survive?¡± Zachary asked casually.


    ¡°This won¡¯t kill me!¡± Ben gritted his teeth and he lunged back into battle.


    As Zachary squinted his eyes, he continued to type furiously at theputer while gently thrusting his


    body at the same time.


    ¡°Let go of me...¡±


    Charlotte was in a panic as she could feel herself being aroused, just like a beast in a cage that had


    just woken up.


    It¡¯s too dangerous!


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Zachary ordered while his phone rang at the same time. Sliding to answer, he put it on


    speaker.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, the productunch has been dyed by seven minutes,¡± Bruce reported over the phone.


    ¡°Mr. Sterk has hinted to us three times that it¡¯s time tounch the new products. How are things at your


    end?¡±


    ¡°Give me another ten seconds...¡± Zachary grunted from his throat as he was biting Charlotte¡¯s breast.


    Charlotte covered her mouth with one hand while frantically pushing him away with the other.


    ¡°Mr. Sterk has begun to make the announcement!¡±


    Just as Bruce spoke, Mr. Sterk counted down together with the reporters whilst the background music


    was ying.


    ¡°Ten!¡±


    ¡°Nine!¡±


    ¡°Eight!¡±


    On theputer screen in front of them, there was also a progress bar within the code. It read: 80%...


    85%... 90%.


    The closer the numbers nearedpletion, the harder Zachary bit into Charlotte.


    Charlotte was both in pain and in panic. Nevertheless, she covered her mouth tightly so that she


    wouldn¡¯t cry out.


    ¡°Five!¡±


    ¡°Four!¡±


    Zachary finally hit the ¡°Enter¡± button and retracted his arms from the keyboard. With one hand hugging


    Charlotte¡¯s waist tightly, he slid the other against her thigh underneath her skirt. As his nails brushed


    across her wless skin, his hand continued to creep upwards.


    Charlotte trembled before feeling her body melt...


    Outside the room, Ben was fighting against ten men. He had been shed multiple times and was


    slowly sumbing to his wounds.


    One of the assassins seized upon the moment to dash past him and charged towards Zachary with his


    knife.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Charlotte screamed at the top of her voice.


    ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    Shifting his eyes, Zachary grabbed a pen from the table and flung it at the attacker. When the pen


    pierced the man¡¯s chest, he let out an agonizing cry before copsing to the ground.


    As blood sttered all over her, she was utterly stunned by the gruesome sight. Meanwhile, Zachary


    had pulled off her panties...


    ¡°Two!¡±


    ¡°One!¡±


    As the countdown continued in the live broadcast, theputer screen prompted, ¡°System recovered!¡±


    With that, theputer screen started disying the new products and their features.


    Within the broadcast, the system was unlocked and Divine Corporation¡¯stest products were


    presented to everyone.


    The crowd broke out in loud cheers and thunderous apuse.


    With her eyes glued to the screen, Charlotte was captivated by the emotional scene. She had not


    realized that Zachary¡¯s hand was already deep between her thighs. At the same time, he was biting off


    her top...


    Bam! Thest assassin was finally disposed of by Ben.


    After which, he copsed on the ground exhausted.


    Pretending to care, Zachary asked, ¡°Are you still alive?¡±


    ¡°No...¡± Covered in blood, Ben struggled to stand up. He proudly dered, ¡°Mr. Nacht, I will defend you


    until myst breath...¡±


    ¡°Crawl out if you have to!¡± Zachary interrupted him and demanded. ¡°Stand guard outside and don¡¯t let


    anyonee in to disturb me.¡±


    Jolted by his words, Ben turned around. He saw his beloved boss captivated by the beauty on hisp


    and was in no mood to listen to his brave words.


    Disappointed, Ben dragged his injured self out the door and muttered under his breath, ¡°Scumbag!¡±


    ¡°Close the door,¡± the scumbag added from behind him.


    Shaken by his response, Ben¡¯s eyes began to turn red. In his heart, he cursed, what a cold and


    ungrateful animal!


    s, he didn¡¯t dare swear aloud.

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    Chapter 171


    The moment the door closed, Charlotte regained her senses and realized Zachary¡¯s hand had reached


    her sensitive parts. When she tried to push him away, he pushed her against the table instead.


    ¡°No...¡± Charlotte trembled in fear as she tried to resist as best as she could.


    ¡°You wanted this.¡±


    Zachary dered with a raspy voice and kissed her forcefully. At the same time, he took off his clothes.


    ¡°Mmm Mmm...¡± Charlotte continued to struggle as Gigolo¡¯s image shed in her mind. She didn¡¯t want


    to betray him.


    Lifting her skirt, Zachary prepared for his final advance.


    ¡°No...¡± Charlotte screamed in fear. ¡°I have a boyfriend...¡±


    ¡°Boyfriend?¡± Zachary stopped and squinted his eyes at her. ¡°Are you using such ame excuse on


    me?¡±


    ¡°No, really.¡± Charlotte frantically replied, ¡°We were just together yesterday...¡±


    Suddenly, she stopped mid-sentence when she saw the faint tattoo underneath his shirt.


    However, she could only see a corner of it and not the whole tattoo itself.


    She quickly reached out to uncover his shirt, so that she could see if it was the wolf head tattoo.


    Zachary caught her hand and pushed her away warily.


    ¡°You are...¡±


    ¡°You can leave now.¡±


    Zachary interrupted her as he straightened his clothes, just like what a heartless scumbag would do.


    ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    ¡°What¡¯s that on your back?¡±


    Charlotte grew extremely anxious and tried to take off his shirt.


    Zachary avoided her attempt and raised his eyebrows coolly. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you trying to throw


    yourself at me now that you are aroused?¡±


    ¡°I...¡± Just when Charlotte was about to reply, there was a knock on the door followed by Bruce¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, the productunch is at its end. Mr. Sterk requests that you join him downstairs.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be on my way,¡± Zachary replied.


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Charlotte had no choice but to save her words for another time. She remarked, ¡°You should go ahead


    with work.¡±


    ¡°Stupid woman. Your underwear was removed without you noticing it.¡±


    Zachary handed her her white panties from atop the ck leather sofa.


    Filled with embarrassment, Charlotte bit her lower lip and took it from him.


    ¡°There¡¯s a break room at the back.¡± Zachary¡¯s eyes were filled with suppressed desire. ¡°You should tidy


    yourself up first.¡±


    ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡± Charlotte hurried towards the changing room.


    As Zachary watched her go, he let out a charming smile. The lust in him was still burning strong but he


    knew now wasn¡¯t the time. He had to endure...


    After all, there were still plenty of opportunities.


    With the productunch at its end, Zachary appeared behind the screen. Meanwhile, the broadcast


    only showed his silhouette but not his face.


    Before he said a word, the audience broke into thunderous apuse.


    Behind the screen, Zachary exined the new technologies and the philosophy behind them. He


    wanted to help mankind live more efficiently so that they could have more time to do more important


    things.


    After that, he unveiled thetest multifunctional robot and showcased its features to everyone.


    As the reporters repeatedly took pictures of both the robot and Zachary¡¯s silhouette, the atmosphere


    came to a climax.


    When Charlotte came out of the room after tidying up and saw what unfolded on screen, she felt a


    newfound sense of admiration and respect for him.


    At the same time, her suspicion that he was Gigolo was further intensified.


    ¡°Ms. Windt,¡± Bruce greeted her when he saw her. He had just led a group of men into the room to clean


    up.


    ¡°Mr. Bruce,¡± Charlotte quickly replied.


    Although all of Zachary¡¯s close subordinates treated her with respect, she was well aware of her status.


    Hence, she returned the favor and treated them with respect.


    ¡°Ms. Windt, you look familiar. Have we met somewhere before?¡±


    Bruce gave Charlotte a closer look. All this while, he had always been out for work. The few times he


    was back, he only saw Charlotte from afar and hardly took notice.


    Today, after he managed to see her up close, he felt she looked familiar.

 Chapter 172

    Chapter 172


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    Charlotte looked up at Bruce. Prior to this, she had only seen him once when they were in a hurry.


    Hence, she didn¡¯t take notice. But now that she saw him up-close, she suddenly remembered.


    The first day when she returned to H City from the vige, her taxi crashed into a Rolls-Royce


    Phantom. At that time, the man seating beside the driver was Bruce.


    Charlotte was shocked as all the pieces fell into ce.


    If he was sitting beside the driver, that means the person who was hurt and had a tattoo on his waist


    must be Zachary.


    At that time, she was puzzled as to why a gigolo would be riding in such an expensive car.


    When she met up with him at Sultry Night, she even thought that the car belonged to his rich sugar


    mommy.


    Looking back now, she felt she had been extremely naive.


    From the very beginning, Zachary was Gigolo. Despite them resembling each other so much, she was


    still easily fooled by him.


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    However, what she didn¡¯t understand was why was he doing all this.


    Wait, I have my three children with me then. Did Bruce see them?


    If he did, then...


    The more she thought about it the more uneasy she felt.


    ¡°Perhaps, I made a mistake, I¡¯m sorry,¡± Bruce apologized with a bow before leaving.


    Meanwhile, Charlotte tried her best to calm down and quickly left the president¡¯s office. She washed


    her face in the employee¡¯s washroom and regained herposure.


    When the two cars crashed that day, Bruce had only caught a glimpse of her from afar. Furthermore,


    the children were in the car. So even if he saw her, he might not have seen the children.


    Nevertheless, although all the circumstantial evidence pointed to the fact that Zachary was Gigolo, she


    knew she could never be sure until she saw the tattoo. Since he already had feelings for her, finding


    out wasn¡¯t going to be difficult.


    As of now, the priority is to hide the children¡¯s identity and determine if Zachary is Gigolo. I¡¯ll figure out


    the rest after that. At the same time, I still need to solve the problem of the debt repayment contract.


    Holding that thought, Charlotte took a deep breath. After regaining herposure, she went back to


    work.


    Once the productunch was sessfullypleted, the reporters started to leave. After that, all the


    major mediapanies flooded the news with Divine Corporation¡¯stest tech products. The marketing


    department also announced that sales would begin in three days.


    Separately, the police were brought in to arrest all the intruders and to investigate who they were.


    The perpetrators were mostly wounded or unconscious when the police rounded them up.


    When her colleagues returned to level 68, they were shocked by the amount of devastation they saw.


    Lucy then announced that everyone in the president¡¯s office would be given a three-month bonus for


    their exceptional performance. They would also be given the day off to facilitate the repairs.


    Everyone cheered and jumped in ecstasy at the news.


    Finally, Lucy informed Charlotte personally. ¡°I have already gotten Mr. Nacht¡¯s permission to make you


    an official employee. Congrattions and keep up the good work.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Ms. Wright!¡¯


    Charlotte was overjoyed. Realizing she had hardly done anything, she was just grateful to be able to


    receive the reward.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to get off work. You should head home to rest.¡±


    Lucy patted her on her shoulders before going off.


    Just when she finished packing and was about to leave, she suddenly saw Zachary with Bruce and


    another two bodyguards. They were heading for the VIP elevator and she quickly followed.


    ¡°This is reserved for the president¡¯s use. Please leave,¡± The bodyguard warned.


    Bruce shot him a nce, causing him to back down.


    At that moment, the elevator¡¯s door was about to close. Zachary raised his eyebrows at Charlotte,


    ¡°What do you want?¡±


    Charlotte meekly looked him in the eye and bit her lip. She requested softly, ¡°I would like to talk to you


    about the ne.¡±


    ¡°Go on.¡± Zachary tone was cold.


    Charlotte exined in simple terms, ¡°Actually, I lost Luna¡¯s bracelet and she wanted me to pay for it.


    However, when I couldn¡¯t afford to do so, I had no choice but to give her the ne as coteral. We


    agreed that I would be able to use the bracelet to exchange it back. And now, I found it...¡±


    ¡°What has that got to do with me?¡± Zachary interrupted her. ¡°The ruby ne is what I¡¯m looking for.¡±

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    Chapter 173


    ¡°What I meant was...¡± Charlotte frantically exined, ¡°I will be able to get the ruby ne back soon.


    Can you give me a few more days?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Zachary was firm. ¡°I have already given you three extra days and that is the limit. Don¡¯t push your


    luck.¡±


    ¡°The main reason is that Luna has taken the ne overseas and will only be back after ten days.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not interested in the affairs of someone else¡¯s wife.¡± Zachary was visibly frustrated. ¡°There¡¯s only


    one and a half day left. You should think of something else.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    Before she could think of anything, the elevator door opened and Zachary stepped out.


    Bruce nodded at Charlotte before leaving with the other bodyguards.


    Charlotte was on the brink of tears when she exited the elevator. Feeling desperate, she wondered


    what she should do. This scumbag has me trapped!


    ¡°Has Ben been sent to Raina?¡± Zachary asked when he got in the car.


    ¡°Yes, she is treating him now.¡±


    Compared to Ben, Bruce was equally as cold as his employer.


    ¡°Ben is really weak, just fighting that few intruders alone took everything out of him,¡± Zachary mocked.


    ¡°He lost a lot of blood, so just tell him to rest.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Bruce nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll let him know.¡±


    Inside the car, Zachary was checking his phone casually. Just when he looked out the window, he saw


    Charlotte leave the office building.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht,¡± Bruce softly asked when he saw Charlotte, ¡°don¡¯t you think Ms. Windt resembles


    someone?¡±


    ¡°Mmm?¡± Zachary wasn¡¯t paying attention and didn¡¯t hear Bruce¡¯s question. ¡°What did you say?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing.¡± Bruce changed the topic. ¡°Straight to the airport?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Zachary looked away with a gloomy expression. ¡°Let¡¯s go and meet that crazy woman.¡±


    After taking the subway home, her three children ran to the door to wee her back.


    Ellie scrambled to be the first to throw herself in Charlotte¡¯s embrace. Holding Charlotte¡¯s neck with one


    hand, she pointed at the balcony with the other and said, ¡°Mommy, Fifi is angry. She doesn¡¯t want to


    come out from the cage and is plucking her own feathers.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s obvious she was in the wrong. Yet, she¡¯s doing this to punish us.¡± Robbie suggested sternly,


    ¡°Mommy, this time we cannot tolerate her behavior.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. This morning, she pooped in our breakfast and destroyed Mrs. Berry¡¯s crystal, causing us


    not to have anything to eat. This is uneptable.¡±


    Jamie was feeling indignant about what happened in the morning.


    ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    ¡°However, plucking her own feathers isn¡¯t a good sign. Is she depressed?¡± Charlotte was worried. ¡°Why


    don¡¯t we take her to the vet?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I think we should.¡± Ellie frowned as tears welled up in her doll-like eyes. ¡°Although I¡¯m also


    angry at her, I¡¯m worried to see her this way.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Ellie. We will take her to the vet after dinner.¡±


    Charlotte kissed Ellie¡¯s cheeks while gently reassuring her.


    ¡°Both of you pamper her too much.¡± Robbie sighed like an adult. ¡°Sigh, women are just too soft.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, women are so troublesome.¡± Jamie frown with discontent. ¡°Fifi is also female, that¡¯s why


    she causes so much trouble.¡±


    ¡°Both of you can¡¯t behave this way,¡± Charlotte lectured them patiently, ¡°Fifi is also part of our family.¡±


    Knock! Knock! Knock!


    Just when Charlotte was speaking, she heard someone knocking and quickly put down Ellie. She


    opened the door. ¡°Is it Mrs. Berry who has returned from shopping?¡±


    When she opened the door, she saw a delivery man standing outside. He handed her an exquisite-


    looking box. ¡°Charlotte Windt? Someone has sent you a gift. Please sign to confirm receipt.¡±


    ¡°Who sent it?¡±


    When she received the card and took a look, she saw Zachary¡¯s name. Shocked, she wondered how


    he got her home address.

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    Chapter 174


    ¡°Please sign it,¡± the delivery man reminded again.


    Charlotte quickly signed in and brought the gift back inside.


    ¡°Mommy, who sent the gift?¡±


    The children surrounded her, filled with curiosity.


    ¡°It¡¯s someone you don¡¯t know...¡±


    Charlotte felt troubled. If Zachary was indeed Gigolo, then he must then be the children¡¯s father.


    Does he already know the truth? Or else, why would he send a gift here?


    ¡°What is it? Quick, open it up so we can see.¡±


    The trio widened their eyes with anticipation.


    As Charlotte unwrapped its exquisite wrappingyer byyer, she wondered what could it be.


    Her heart was overwhelmed by emotions.


    ¡°Mommy, you¡¯re just too slow. Let me help you.¡±


    Jamie took over the gift box impatiently and help to unwrap it.


    Meanwhile, Robbie brought a pair of scissors to help.


    Ellie was rubbing her hands as she waited excitedly by the side.


    Finally, they managed to open the gift box. Inside, there was another pink box that emanated a floral


    fragrance. Just when Charlotte was about to open it, Ellie volunteered excitedly. ¡°Come, let me do it.¡±


    ¡°Alright, you do it!¡±


    Charlotte knew how much little girls enjoyed opening presents, hence she passed it to Ellie.


    Holding the box in her hand, Ellie took a deep breath before opening it excitedly.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    The next moment, a horrifying shriek rang out, followed by Robbie and Jamie¡¯s screams.


    Fifi fluttered around her cage squawking, ¡°I¡¯m scared, I¡¯m scared!¡±


    At that moment, the house went into an uproar.


    Charlotte¡¯s eyes widened in shock and she looked at the contents in disbelief.


    It was the body of a dead kitten. It was still covered in blood and was a gruesome sight indeed.


    Obviously, someone had killed it cruelly.


    Beside it, there was even a toy with shing lights and a clown¡¯s smiling face.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Mommy is here.¡±


    Charlotte quickly regained her senses and put the cover back on the box.


    When she was about to take it outside, she felt something was amiss. She could hear a ticking sound


    coming from the box.


    ¡°It¡¯s a bomb! Mommy, throw it away!¡±


    Robbie grabbed the box from Charlotte¡¯s hands and dashed out.


    ¡°Robbie!¡± Charlotte screamed as she ran after him.


    Right when Robbie threw the box along the corridor, the box exploded with a loud bang.


    The whole house was shaken and pieces of the corridor ceiling came dropping down, almost hitting


    Robbie.


    ¡°Robbie! Robbie!¡± Charlotte dashed toward him like a madwoman and hugged him. ¡°Are you alright?


    You scared me.¡±


    ¡°Mommy, I¡¯m fine. Cough, cough.¡± Robbie was just choked by the dust from the debris.


    Charlotte carried him into the house and closed the door immediately.


    ¡°Mommy.¡± Ellie was crying in fear, her face swollen red.


    Hugging her, Jamie put on a strong face andforted her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m here.¡±


    ¡°Who sent such a thing? Why does he want to harm us?¡± Robbie asked frantically.


    ¡°That man...¡± Charlotte was confused as she didn¡¯t understand why would Zachary do such a thing.


    ¡°My God! What happened?¡±


    At that moment, Mrs. Berry returned from shopping. She too was shocked when she saw the scene.


    ¡°Miss, Ellie, are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Berry, take the kids back to the vige.¡± Having calmed down, Charlotte was decisive. ¡°There¡¯s no


    time to spare. Pack your bags quickly while I get a car.¡±


    ¡°What... What¡¯s going on?¡± Mrs. Berry was stuttering in fear. ¡°Is someone trying to harm us? Who is it?¡±


    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know but they know our house address. Therefore, we are in danger and you have to leave with


    the kids immediately.¡±


    Charlotte gave Zak, a security guard who works at their apartment block, a call, ¡°Zak, are you still


    moonlighting as a driver? I¡¯ll pay you double to send Mrs. Berry and the kids back to the vige.¡±


    ¡°Double? Sure. I¡¯ll be right up to help with your bags.¡±

 Chapter 175

    Chapter 175


    After ending the call, Charlotte pondered a while before giving Zachary a call.


    She wanted to know if he sent the ¡°Delivery from Hell¡±.


    At that moment, Zachary had just arrived at H City airport. He was walking toward the tarmac with his


    men.


    He was shocked to see who was calling.


    Charlotte had always called Gigolo¡¯s number and never did call him directly.


    In fact, he never even gave her his number before. Why is she calling me all of a sudden?


    Does she suspect my identity and is trying to probe?


    In the office today, she must have seen the tattoo on my lower back. That¡¯s why she was acting that


    way.


    ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    Hmph, I¡¯m not going to y this game with you.


    Zachary ended the call with a grin.


    When she heard the call ended, Charlotte felt a chill in her heart. Since he is not taking my call, did he


    really send the ¡°Delivery from Hell¡±?


    No, it can¡¯t be him because he has no reason to do so.


    Even if he knew I¡¯m hiding something, he wouldn¡¯t use such a devious method to scare the children.


    Perhaps he doesn¡¯t have my number and chose not to answer an anonymous call?


    With that thought in mind, Charlotte quickly called Gigolo. Regardless of whether he was Zachary, she


    needed to find someone to help her first.


    She had the feeling that the person who sent the ¡°Delivery from Hell¡± would strike again.


    Gigolo didn¡¯t pick up too.


    When she saw the devastation outside the house caused by the explosion, she was terrified.


    With her hands still trembling, she sent Gigolo a message: Gigolo, save me.


    ¡°Miss, we are done packing.¡± Mrs. Berry walked out of the room with a huge luggage bag. ¡°I¡¯ve called


    Mr. Brawn to pick us up when we arrive. He will bring a man with him.¡±


    ¡°Alright, their presence really puts my heart at ease.¡± Charlotte urged them to hurry. ¡°Quick, I¡¯ll walk you


    down.¡±


    As Charlotte anxiously led Mrs. Berry and the kids downstairs, she kept reminding her, ¡°Mrs. Berry, I¡¯ve


    put the bank card in your bag. There¡¯s a hundred thousand inside so it should be enough for the time


    being. Be careful and call me when you arrive.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Mrs. Berry¡¯s eyes were red. ¡°Miss,e with us. I can¡¯t bear to leave you alone here.¡±


    ¡°Mommy,e with us.¡±


    The children tugged at Charlotte and refused to let go.


    ¡°Mommy can¡¯t leave...¡±


    Charlotte had a hunch that she was the target of the perpetrators. If she left with them, it might put


    them in danger.


    ¡°Robbie, Jamie, Ellie, you have to be good. Once I resolve this matter, I¡¯lle to the vige to pick


    you up.¡±


    ¡°Mommy, we don¡¯t want to leave you.¡¯ Charlotte threw herself into Charlotte¡¯s embrace and cried till she


    trembled. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t see you again.¡±


    Her words unnerved both Robbie and Jamie at the same time.


    Robbie¡¯s eyes were red. Despite the urge to cry, he gritted his teeth and stayed strong.


    As for Jamie, he clenched his fists with a frown. With tears in his eyes, he pleaded, ¡°Mommy,e


    with us, I will protect you.¡±


    ¡°Mommy knows that...¡± Charlotte hugged her children tightly as she choked, ¡°Mommy knows that you


    are good children. With you around, I won¡¯t be afraid. I¡¯m just staying back to find out what¡¯s going on.


    Once I¡¯m done, I wille for you. Trust me.¡±


    Mrs. Berry was wiping tears off her eyes and didn¡¯t dare say another word.


    ¡°Alright, time to get into the car.¡± Charlotte pushed Mrs. Berry and the trio inside. She paid Zak and


    added, ¡°Zak, be careful when driving.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I am very experienced as I have driven for more than ten years.¡± Receiving the money,


    Zak announced cheerfully, ¡°Kids, we¡¯re off!¡±


    As Charlotte watched them leave, she saw the children looking back from the back seat with tears in


    their eyes. Waving at them, she could no longer hold back her tears.

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    Chapter 176


    Ever since the children were born, they never left here before. This time, it might be at least a few days


    before they were reunited.


    Charlotte had to find out who was the culprit as she couldn¡¯t allow them to harm her children.


    With careful thought, she narrowed down her enemies to Wesley, Ynda, and the Whites.


    Wesley and Ynda were in jail, so they were out of the equation.


    As for the Whites, despite how vicious they were, wouldn¡¯t dare use Zachary¡¯s name tomit such an


    act.


    However, if not them, who then?


    She called Gigolo again as she walked home.


    When she hurriedly left home just now, she didn¡¯t take anything other than her phone. Heading back to


    pack, she decided to stay at a hotel until the matter was resolved.


    Just when she lowered her head to make a call, she didn¡¯t realize there was a figure following her from


    a dark corner.


    At the airport, Zachary had just boarded the ne when he saw a missed call on his other number.


    There was also a message from Charlotte that read: Come save me!


    His expression changed dramatically as he stood up to disembark.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht.¡± Bruce followed behind him quickly. ¡°Is there something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Go to E Nation on my behalf. I need to head back first.¡±


    Zachary rushed off the ne without looking back. He quickened his footsteps before starting to sprint.


    In his heart, he was ming himself failing to foresee this.


    That madwoman had sent men to disrupt my productunch. Hence, it¡¯s natural for her to harm


    Charlotte too. How could I have missed something so important and not pick up her call?


    If something happens to her, I won¡¯t be able to forgive myself.


    ¡°What should we do?¡± the bodyguards asked Bruce.


    ¡°Team one shall protect Mr. Nacht while team two wille with me to E Nation,¡± Bruce ordered


    decisively. ¡°Protect him from the shadows, and don¡¯t get in his way.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    Just when Charlotte returned to her home and prepared to turn on the lights, she could sense a


    murderous intent behind her. Turning around she grabbed her high heel and swung it forcefully.


    However, she missed as the intruder jumped aside to avoid it.


    Charlotte then rushed into the house frantically and shut the door. After locking it, she stood behind the


    door to block it.


    Bang!


    Bang!


    Bang!


    Outside, the man was kicking the door down. Every time he struck, the door would shake Charlotte


    forward.


    Charlotte was seized by fear. With one hand blocking the door, she tried calling the police with the


    other.


    At that moment, she received a call. It was Zachary.


    She quickly picked up. ¡°Save me...¡±


    ¡°Charlotte, where are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m at home.¡±


    ¡°Damn it, I¡¯m asking where do you stay?¡±


    ¡°I...¡±


    Before she could finish, the door was kicked open. Both her and her phone fell onto the ground.


    There wasn¡¯t enough time to pick up the phone. Hence she frantically picked herself up and tried to


    run. However, the man in ck kicked her back down.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    As Charlotte¡¯s agonizing scream rang through the phone, Zachary¡¯s hand that was gripping the


    steering wheel began to tremble. He was speeding so fast that it felt like the car was about to fly.


    ¡°Who are you? Why do you want to kill me?¡±


    With her body on the ground, Charlotte scrambled backward in fear.


    The man in ck was wearing a face mask and a baseball cap, hiding his features. He was holding a


    sharp knife as he approached her gradually.


    ¡°Don¡¯t kill me,¡± Charlotte trembled as she pleaded, ¡°I¡¯ll give you all my money.¡±


    The man in ck ignored her. Raising his knife, he thrust it forward.


    ¡°Mommy!¡±


    Suddenly, a loud shriek could be heard followed by a sh of green flying across the room. It pecked at


    the man¡¯s eyes viciously.


    ¡°Argh!¡± The man¡¯s eyes began to bleed as he screamed in agony. He waved the knife in his hand to


    fend off his attacker.


    ¡°Evil man! Evil man!¡±


    Fifi evaded the attacks with great agility. With a p of her wings, she danced around in the air.


    ¡°Fifi!¡±


    Charlotte scrambled to stand up and reached out her hand for Fifi tond. After that, she turned and


    ran into her room.


    ¡°Damn it!¡± The man in ck pursued.


    Charlotte quickly locked the door and even pushed a wardrobe over to reinforce it. With Fifi in hand,


    she wanted to escape from the window. But when she reached it, she realized she was on the


    thirteenth floor.

 Chapter 177

    Chapter 177


    ¡°Argh!¡± Charlotte yelled in desperation. What should I do? Am I going to die here today?


    ¡°Mommy if you jump, I jump!¡±


    Fifi repeated the line from the Titanic as she encouraged Charlotte to jump.


    ¡°Of course you can jump. You¡¯re a bird but I¡¯m not!¡±


    Charlotte almost cried in response.


    Outside, the intruder was charging at the door. She figured the door wouldn¡¯t be able to hold out much


    longer.


    However, she was thirteen floors up and would be grievously hurt if she jumped.


    She was now trapped between a rock and a hard ce.


    Death awaited her no matter what she chose.


    ¡°Jump! Jump! Jump!¡± Fifi pped its wings while egging Charlotte on.


    ¡°Damn it, there¡¯s no choice!¡±


    Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Charlotte prepared to jump. But when she felt the rustle of


    the cold wind on her ears, she stepped back. Holding the window sill, she cried out in despair.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to die! My children are still so young and I haven¡¯t spent all my money.¡±


    Bang! The door was finally kicked open.


    ¡°B*tch! You¡¯re gonna die!¡± The attacker brandished his knife and charged fiercely at her.


    ¡°Ahhh!¡±


    Charlotte screamed as she jumped out frantically. But her clothes were caught by the window eaves


    and she was trapped.


    ¡°This can¡¯t be!¡± Charlotte was overwhelmed by despair.


    ¡°Evil man!¡± Fifi dived towards the man to peck his eyes.


    However, he thrust his knife forward which caught Fifi by her wing on its way toward Charlotte¡¯s neck.


    Injured, Fifi dropped into Charlotte¡¯s arms.


    Resigned to her fate, Charlotte closed her eyes in despair. However, just when the knife was a


    centimeter from her throat, it stopped.


    She was already prepared to die but the knife didn¡¯t pierce through her.


    As for the man in ck, he copsed to the ground.


    As she gradually opened her eyes, she could see a familiar figure at the door. He had his hand by the


    door and emanated a feral vibe. His eyes were filled with undeniable concern as he stared anxiously at


    her.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Zachary asked with his voice trembling slightly.


    ¡°Boohoo...¡± Charlotte began to bawl. ¡°What took you so long!¡±


    ¡°You only told me 32 Happy Avenue but didn¡¯t say which floor or house number. I¡¯ve been running all


    the way.¡±


    Zachary approached and opened his arms to hug her.


    Just when Charlotte wanted to jump back into the room, she forgot that her clothes were caught by the


    window eaves. As she moved too forcefully, she suddenly felt her body falling backward.


    Charlotte widened her eyes and all she could think off was ¡°death¡±.


    Am I fated to die today?


    Zachary darted toward her like an arrow, grabbed onto her hand tightly, and pulled her back in with all


    his might.


    As she crashed into his arms, his muscr chest gave her a sense of security, just like a harbor


    sheltering her from the storm.


    ¡°Boohoo...¡± Charlotte bawled as she hugged his waist for dear life.


    ¡°Stupid woman, are you a fool?¡± Zachary lectured her while spanking her ruthlessly on her ass. ¡°Your


    stupidity almost killed you!¡±


    ¡°Boohoo...¡± Charlotte continued to cry as her body trembled out of fear and pain.


    His spanks are so painful that my ass is going to split open.


    However, when she heard his heartbeat frantically pounding away, she was inexplicably moved.


    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    Zachary tore off her dress and helped her back in from the window.


    Safe within his embrace, Charlotte grabbed onto his shirt and didn¡¯t dare let go.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t let anyone harm you.¡±


    Zachary lowered his head and was about to kiss her forehead.


    ¡°Mommy...¡±


    Suddenly a weak moan was heard.


    ¡°What is that sound?¡± Zachary was stunned with his eyes showing mixed emotions.


    Charlotte got a fright but quickly recovered her senses. ¡°Fifi, my God! You¡¯re hurt.¡±

 Chapter 178

    Chapter 178


    When Zachary saw the parrot in Charlotte¡¯s arms, he heaved an inexplicable sigh of relief. ¡°I thought it


    was a child. I didn¡¯t expect a parrot!¡±


    ¡°Quick, send her to the vet.¡± Charlotte anxiously urged him.


    Fifi¡¯s wing was injured and seemed to be close to herst breath.


    When Zachary carried Charlotte out of the room, he identally stepped on something that cried out,


    ¡°Wah!¡± Stopping in his tracks, he lowered his gaze and saw a doll.


    Charlotte¡¯s heart stop. Oh no! This is Ellie¡¯s doll.


    ¡°Why are you still ying with this at your age? You¡¯re so childish.¡±


    Zachary assumed that it was Charlotte¡¯s toy, and didn¡¯t think too much about it as he quickly left


    together with her.


    Charlotte heaved a sigh of relief. Fortunately, she had sent Mrs. Berry and the children away. She


    managed to avoid a massacre and also hid them from Zachary¡¯s sight.


    At the same time, she was d the apartment was in darkness and Zachary could hardly see much. Or


    else, once he saw the children¡¯s belongings, he would definitely find out about them.


    After carrying Charlotte into the car, Zachary drove with one hand while giving Raina a call with the


    other. ¡°Come over, she¡¯s hurt. Also, take the bird to the vet.¡±


    ¡°Bird?¡± Raina was stunned at the other end of the line. However, she politely acknowledged, ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll


    arrange it right away.¡±


    ¡°She is called Fifi, and is a Budgerigar Parrot,¡± Charlotte corrected him.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t a parrot a bird?¡± Zachary retorted.


    Charlotte was speechless. Fine, if you insist on calling her a bird.


    After all, Fifi wouldn¡¯t mind given that she was in a daze from her injury.


    When they arrived at the vi fromst time, Zachary carried Charlotte down from the car. More than


    twenty bodyguards were lined up in two rows, they then bowed slightly in respect.


    Feeling self-conscious, Charlotte whispered, ¡°Put me down.¡±


    ¡°Shut up,¡± Zachary asserted softly before carrying her upstairs.


    The room fromst time was already prepared with the maid waiting at the door.


    Zachary carried her in and lowered her onto the bed. When he leaned in, it put both of them in close


    proximity. They exchanged nces and were overwhelmed with a mixture of emotions.


    Charlotte grew nervous and felt uneasy at the same time.


    As for him, behind the desire in his eyes, was a sense of concern for her.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht.¡± A voice rang out from the door.


    Returning to his usual cold self, Zachary straightened his posture and instructed, ¡°Give her a thorough


    checkup.¡±


    He left after that.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Raina nodded respectfully.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, please take a look at her first.¡± Charlotte pointed to Fifi.


    ¡°Oh... so it¡¯s a small parrot.¡± Rainaughed. ¡°Luckily, I brought a vet. Don¡¯t worry, she will take care of


    her.¡±


    After arranging for the vet to treat Fifi, Raina gave Charlotte a checkup.


    She realized Charlotte wasrgely alright other than for a few scrapes. After applying some medication,


    she instructed the maid to prepare some warm tea.


    As for Fifi, only her wing was injured and her life wasn¡¯t in danger. However, she needed to be treated


    at Raina¡¯s pet hospital as the equipment needed was all there.


    Raina promised Charlotte that when they brought Fifi back tomorrow, she would be back to her usual


    self.


    After reassuring Charlotte, she left with her assistants.


    The maid then helped Charlotte wash up and change.


    After taking a quick bath and getting a change of clothes, Charlotte went to see Zachary in the next


    room.


    Knock! Knock! Knock! Charlotte asked softly, ¡°It¡¯s me, can Ie in?¡±


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± Zachary replied.


    As Charlotte pushed open the door, she realized the room was dim inside. Only the bathroom light was


    on but she didn¡¯t hear the sound of water.


    Biting her lower lip, she entered carefully.


    A warm light emanated from the massive bathroom while the ripples from the bathtub were reflected on


    the ceiling.


    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    Zachary was leaning against the tub without anything on. He was enjoying the moment with his eyes


    closed.

 Chapter 179

    Chapter 179


    Charlotte quickly closed her eyes and turned around. ¡°You... you¡¯re still bathing. I¡¯ll wait outside.¡±


    Zachary ignored her.


    As Charlotte walked out, something urred to her. Why don¡¯t I use this opportunity to check if there is


    a wolf head tattoo on his back?


    With that thought in mind, she stopped in her tracks. Having gathered her courage, she said, ¡°I would


    like to talk to you about something.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Zachary grunted.


    ¡°Were you the one who sent me the Delivery from Hell?¡± Charlotte demanded to know.


    Zachary opened his eyes. ¡°Did someone send it to you using my name?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Charlotte nodded. ¡°I received a parcel in the evening. Inside, there was a body of a dead kitten


    and also a bomb...¡±


    Just talking about it caused her to feel the chills from the incident. ¡°Luckily, I realized it in time and the


    explosion wasn¡¯t a big one. Or else, I would be dead now.¡±


    Zachary was briefly silent before giving Raina a call. ¡°There¡¯s a Delivery from Hell. Go and investigate


    who sent it.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t you? Who could it be then?¡± Charlotte couldn¡¯t put two and two together. ¡°Who would even


    dare pretend to be you?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t strange if someone wanted to harm her. What piqued her curiosity was that the culprit did so


    in Zachary¡¯s name.


    ¡°I¡¯ve sent men to investigate so we¡¯ll know soon enough.¡± Zachary wiped the water off his face. ¡°Is


    there anything else?¡±


    ¡°With regards to the ne...¡±


    ¡°You still have one day.¡± Zachary didn¡¯t budge.


    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°But...¡±


    Charlotte had wanted to plead for more time. But Zachary had closed his eyes and obviously didn¡¯t


    want to hear any of it.


    Pursing her lips, Charlotte red at him angrily.


    There¡¯s no way I can see the tattoo with his back to the bathtub.


    After giving it some thought, Charlotte remarked on purpose, ¡°Mr. Nacht, I don¡¯t understand why you


    forced me to sign the debt repayment agreement. Have you fallen for me? But I¡¯m already taken.¡±


    Zachary growled with a frown, ¡°Get out.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the truth, I¡¯m not bluffing.¡± Charlotte was desperate. ¡°My boyfriend is tall and handsome. Every time


    I¡¯m in trouble, he woulde save me. Besides, he...¡±


    ¡°Who saved you this time?¡± Zachary opened his eyes and looked at her as if she was an idiot. ¡°And the


    last time, and the time before that...¡±


    ¡°Yes, you have also saved me many times. But he is different...¡± Charlotte had an idea and dered on


    purpose, ¡°He is my first boyfriend and I will never leave him.¡±


    ¡°Oh? What does he do?¡± Zachary raised his eyebrow curiously.


    ¡°He...¡± Charlotte hesitated before she replied reluctantly, ¡°He works in the service industry.¡±


    I can¡¯t fully confirm that Zachary is Gigolo yet, what if he isn¡¯t?


    Hence, she decided not to reveal Gigolo¡¯s identity, for fear of reprisals from Zachary.


    ¡°What kind of service?¡± Zachary tried to trap her.


    ¡°Erm... he¡¯s...¡± Charlotte couldn¡¯t say it but she was terrible at lying. In the end, she found an excuse.


    ¡°Why should I tell you?¡±


    Zachary wasn¡¯t bothered to entertain her further. Raising his hand, he waved her away.


    Charlotte had no choice but to leave when she realized her n had failed.


    Just when she turned around, she kicked her knee against the wall, causing her to yell in pain. Feeling


    the numbness in her knee, she crouched on the floor to rub it.


    ¡°Why are you so clumsy!¡± Zachary was dumbfounded. ¡°Even a pig is smarter than you!¡±


    ¡°Boohoo... it hurts...¡± Charlotte was squatting on the floor, crying. ¡°It¡¯s really painful.¡±


    When Zachary saw how pitifully she was sobbing, he couldn¡¯t help but sympathize with her. Hence he


    stood up and walked over.


    When Charlotte heard himing from behind her, her eyes lit up as she knew her moment had


    arrived.

 Chapter 180

    Chapter 180


    ¡°Let me see.¡± Zachary bent over to check on Charlotte¡¯s leg. ¡°Is it bleeding?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really painful...¡±


    Charlotte turned to look at his lower back but screamed when she saw his naked body instead. ¡°Wh-


    Wh-Why are you naked?¡±


    ¡°Of course, who wears clothes when they¡¯re bathing?¡± Zachary retorted coldly.


    ¡°Scumbag...¡± Charlotte closed her eyes and didn¡¯t dare open them. ¡°Go put on your bathrobe, quick!¡±


    ¡°Does it not hurt anymore?¡±


    Zachary raised his eyebrow with a smirk. It seems she is ying games with me.


    Isn¡¯t she just trying to get a good look at my tattoo?


    Now that she can, she refuses to open her eyes instead.


    ¡°You¡¯re so annoying!¡±


    Charlotte was so embarrassed that she was blushing all over. Picking herself up, she rushed out


    frantically.


    When she saw how pathetic she looked, Zachary couldn¡¯t help but smile smugly. You¡¯re still no match


    for me.


    Charlotte ran back to her own room and closed the door. Once inside, she couldn¡¯t stop panting.


    When she first entered, he was in the bathtub and she was standing three meters away, hence she


    couldn¡¯t see his body clearly. Despite feeling nervous, she was still able to interact normally.


    However, when he stood naked behind her when she was squatting down, she saw a huge object


    when she turned. It was so close that it almost bumped into her face.


    Charlotte was so shocked that she could die.


    No, I shan¡¯t try and verify his identity in the bathroom ever again. It¡¯s just too scary.


    With a bath towel wrapped around his waist, Zachary sat on the sofa with a drink in hand. As he looked


    to the wall on his left, he was slightly aroused when he recalled Charlotte¡¯s bashful look.


    That foolish woman is so adorable when she¡¯s embarrassed.


    When he recalled how passionate she was in the car, he couldn¡¯t help but crave for her even more.


    However, now that she was suspicious of his identity, he was worried that he would expose himself if


    he got intimate with her.


    Forget it, it¡¯s better I bear with it.


    Despite finishing his whiskey in one gulp, Zachary wasn¡¯t feeling sleepy at all. Hence, with a tousle of


    his wet hair, he walked out to the balcony to admire the night sky.


    It was a clear night with the stars shining brightly. From afar he could see the city lights blinking like


    they were vying for his attention.


    The night breeze was gentle and brought with it a refreshingfort as it blew.


    ¡°Mrs. Berry, have you arrived? That¡¯s good to hear...¡±


    When he heard Charlotte¡¯s voice, Zachary turned to look. He saw her wearing a long T-shirt with short


    sleeves. She was on her phone walking around the balcony barefooted.


    As the night breeze blew gently in her hair, there was an air of innocence to her. It made her look


    unimaginably beautiful.


    ¡°Robbie and...¡±


    Charlotte stopped mid-sentence. She came out to the balcony because she was worried about the


    maids who might hear her. But little did she expect to see Zachary at the balcony too.


    His top was bare and only had a towel wrapped around his waist. ss in hand, he was drinking on


    the balcony next door.


    As they were only four to five meters away from each other, they could see each other clearly. In fact,


    Charlotte managed to catch a glimpse of a green tattoo on his back.


    However, before she could clearly see what the motif was, he had turned his back away.


    With his back leaning against the balcony railing, he had a rxed expression on his face. His


    demeanor was so calm it looked as if he had nothing to hide at all.


    As Charlotte continued talking on the phone, she leaned her body against the railing. Stretching her


    neck to take a peek, she still couldn¡¯t see his lower back.


    She felt so exasperated that she was tempted to jump across and turn his back to see.


    ¡°Mommy, Mommy...¡±


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    At the other end of the line, Robbie, Jamie, and Ellie were all calling out for Charlotte.


    ¡°Wait a moment.¡±


    Charlotte returned to her room with her phone.


    Zachary heaved a sigh of relief when he realized she almost saw his tattoo. Luckily, he was vignt and


    managed to turn away in time.


    However, who is she talking to? Why does she sound so gentle and loving?


    I seemed to have heard her mention the name ¡°Robbie¡±. I wonder who that is.

 Chapter 181

    Chapter 181


    With that thought in mind, Zachary¡¯s eyebrows furrowed as his grip on his whiskey ss tightened.


    After a brief hesitation, he finished his drink at one go. Putting on his bathrobe, he quickly headed out.


    Next door, Charlotte was covering her mouth as she spoke softly, ¡°Alright, once I¡¯m done, I will go pick


    you up.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m somece safe and so is Fifi. All of you must be good and listen to Mrs. Berry. Safety


    is of utmost importance.¡±


    ¡°Robbie and Jamie, you have to take of Ellie. I love you...¡±


    Just before she could finish, the door suddenly swung open and a figure stormed in.


    Charlotte was given such a fright that she swallowed the word ¡°all¡± back. She quickly changed her


    words. ¡°That¡¯s all for now. You should go home and rest. Bye.¡±


    ¡°Who were you talking to?¡±


    Zachary approached her slowly. His expression looked sullen under the dim light of the room.


    ¡°I...¡± Charlotte wanted to lie but she was too intimidated by his presence. Hence, she told the truth


    unwittingly, ¡°Mrs. Berry!¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Zachary raised his eyebrow curiously.


    ¡°She is my maid who has been taking care of me since I was little...¡± Charlotte exined truthfully.


    ¡°Since I received the Delivery from Hell today, I felt my home was no longer safe. Hence, I sent her


    back to her vige. She just reached and called to inform me that she¡¯s safe.¡±


    Other than hiding the children¡¯s existence, everything she told him was true.


    When Zachary saw that she seemed to be telling the truth, he didn¡¯t question her any further. ¡°Rest


    early. Good night.¡±


    ¡°Good night,¡± Charlotte replied.


    Zachary took his time leaving. When she didn¡¯t ask him to stay despite him already being at the door,


    he couldn¡¯t help but feel upset. Turning around, he asked her coldly, ¡°Is there anything else you want to


    say?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Stunned for a moment, Charlotte carefully asked, ¡°Is there anything to eat? I haven¡¯t had


    dinner.¡±


    Zachary was dumbfounded at the way Charlotte¡¯s brain functioned.


    Half an hourter, a maid brought some supper and filled the table with it.


    Charlotte couldn¡¯t help but gulp when she saw the food. She started off restrained but was quickly


    wolfing down them down in no time.


    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Meanwhile, Zachary watched her eat with his legs crossed on the sofa. ¡°No one is going to believe you


    when you im your family used to be rich. You¡¯re eating as if you have never eaten your whole life.¡±


    ¡°You have never gone hungry before, so how would you know how terrible hunger feels?¡± Charlotte


    rolled her eyes at him. ¡°You have never had to suffer and don¡¯t know what it feels like.¡±


    ¡°In that case, are you so poor that you can¡¯t afford basic food?¡± Zachary was curious as to how her life


    was over thest few years. ¡°Even if your dad went broke, the personal assets he left behind would still


    be enough to feed and clothe you for life.¡±


    ¡°When my dad got into trouble, the only things I had left were my clothes and a piece of jewelry.


    Nothing else...¡±


    The moment Charlotte was reminded of what happened to her dad, her mood was dampened.


    ¡°I sold my jewelry for some money and survived for a few years. Two months ago, it finally ran out.


    Hence, I started desperately looking for a job.


    ¡°That can¡¯t be.¡± Zachary was doubtful. ¡°Although your father¡¯spany was dered bankrupt, his


    personal assets were left untouched. His properties, investments, and cars would be worth at least


    hundreds of millionsbined. How is it that you didn¡¯t get a penny and had to sell your jewelry for


    survival?¡±


    Charlotte was stunned when she heard his words. She looked up and asked, ¡°Is that true? Then why


    did Uncle Simon say that my dad¡¯s personal assets were also seized?¡±


    ¡°Who is Uncle Simon?¡± Zachary asked.


    ¡°Simon Windt, Luna¡¯s father.¡± The moment she spoke, her expression changed drastically. ¡°Did they


    take my dad¡¯s assets?¡±

 Chapter 182

    Chapter 182


    ¡°Obviously.¡± Zachary gave her a sympathetic look. ¡°Your father was someone exceptional and yet you


    didn¡¯t inherit any of his capabilities. How can you not know something as simple as that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll get to the bottom of this...¡±


    Charlotte clenched her fists. Having been cheated of the money aside, Charlotte suspected that there


    might have been a conspiracy against her dad.


    ¡°Good luck.¡± Zachary stood up to leave.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Charlotte called out to him, ¡°Can¡¯t you help me with this?¡±


    ¡°Since you¡¯re not mine, why should I help you?¡± Zachary coolly replied. ¡°If you were, I would definitely


    resolve it for you, no matter what it takes.¡±


    ¡°Sheesh!¡± Charlotte rolled her eyes at him. ¡°I¡¯ll just look for awyer myself.¡±


    ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    ¡°Up to you.¡± Zachary turned to leave. Without looking back, he remarked, ¡°After all, at nine-thirty


    tomorrow, you will be mine anyway if you can¡¯t produce the ne.¡±


    Only then did Charlotte remember the debt repayment agreement and the deadline was nine-thirty at


    night.


    What am I to do? The ne has been taken by Luna to Arkfield. I definitely can¡¯t get it back.


    That night, Charlotte kept turning in her bed and couldn¡¯t sleep. One moment, she would think about


    the Delivery from Hell. Another moment, she thought about Zachary and Gigolo¡¯s identity. And then she


    thought about her father¡¯s matter...


    She felt as if her brain was going to explode.


    Shaking her head, she reminded herself to stop overthinking and to take things step-by-step.


    Soon, it was daybreak and Charlotte could finally get some sleep. However, her phone suddenly rang


    and she answered it in a daze. It was Luna screaming from the other end of the line.


    ¡°Charlotte, you b*tch! Hector is going to divorce me just because of you!¡±


    Charlotte hadn¡¯t slept for the whole night. Yet, the moment she closed her eyes, she heard a furious


    voice cursing and swearing away. For a while, she didn¡¯t realize what was going on.


    ¡°It was obviously your children who lost my bracelet. Since you had no money to pay for it, you gave


    me your ne as coteral. And yet, you y the victim card in front of my husband? He has just


    called me and ordered me to send the ne back. Or else, he is going to divorce me.¡±


    ¡°Let me exin.¡±


    Before she could, she heard Amanda¡¯s voice berating her in the background.


    ¡°Charlotte, that agreement was written in ck and white. You signed it in front of the teachers and we


    didn¡¯t force you to do it. But now you went to Hector andined about us?¡±


    ¡°You b*tch! You really know how to act all innocent. Despite pretending to be the victim, you have the


    vilest heart of all. I¡¯m warning you, don¡¯t try and seduce Hector while Luna is away. You despicable


    vixen, Hector will never be serious about you.¡±


    ¡°Are you done yet?¡± Charlotte couldn¡¯t take it anymore and retorted, ¡°We agreed to exchange the


    bracelet with the ne within seven days. Instead, you left the country with it. It¡¯s obvious you are


    trying to dy the ne¡¯s return.¡±


    ¡°I will go wherever you want. How dare you restrict my personal freedom...¡±


    ¡°Then, you should stay there and not return,¡± Charlotte interrupted her and provoked her on purpose.


    ¡°Hector has asked me to meet him tonight. We will reminisce about the past happily together.¡±


    ¡°You, how dare...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Since you¡¯re not around, I will have a good time with him.¡±


    With that, Charlotte ended the call.


    I have to show that despicable mother-daughter duo who¡¯s boss. Or else, they will keep climbing over


    my head.


    Just when she was thinking about it, her phone rang and it was Hector.


    ¡°Hello.¡±


    ¡°Charlotte, I¡¯ve instructed Luna to return to H City immediately and return the ne to you.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say they wanted to tour Arkfield for ten days? What¡¯s with the sudden rush?¡±


    ¡°I was worried that Mr. Nacht made things difficult for you and purposely exined it to him. He told me


    that you have a three-day deadline until tonight at nine.¡±


    Hector sounded extremely anxious. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Luna has booked the tickets for the return flight. She


    will arrive at H City airport at eight where I will be waiting for her. I will definitely return the ne to


    you.¡±

 Chapter 183

    Chapter 183


    Charlotte had mixed emotions when she heard Hector¡¯s words. Hector was on extremely bad terms


    with Zachary to the extent Zachary hurt him. However, he still set aside his pride to plead with Zachary


    on Charlotte¡¯s behalf.


    ¡°Lottie, did you hear what I say?¡±


    Hector¡¯s voice disrupted Charlotte¡¯s train of thought.


    ¡°I¡¯m listening,¡± Charlotte softly replied. ¡°Hector, thank you!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to thank me, I owe you...¡± Hector continued in a depressing tone, ¡°Now, I strongly


    regret not protecting you by standing up against my family.¡±


    ¡°Let bygones be bygones...¡±


    ¡°Stupid woman, it¡¯s time for breakfast!¡±


    Suddenly, a voice rang out and interrupted Charlotte.


    ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    At the other end of the line, Hector was shocked and felt as if the signal had gone bad.


    Covering her phone with her hands, Charlotte frowned at Zachary. ¡°Why do you never knock?¡±


    ¡°This is my home,¡± Zachary replied coldly and left.


    Charlotte rolled her eyes and carefully asked Hector, ¡°Are you still there?¡±


    ¡°Are you both together?¡± Hector asked, trying hard to suppress his emotions.


    ¡°No...¡± Charlotte didn¡¯t know how to exin.


    Hector took a deep breath and tried his best to maintain hisposure. ¡°Lottie, let¡¯s meet now at the


    Blue Diamond. I¡¯ll see you there.¡±


    ¡°Hector...¡±


    Before Charlotte could say anything, Hector ended the call.


    Charlotte didn¡¯t want to go but she was worried that he would just continue to wait there.


    Holding that thought, she quickly bathed and got changed. With the bracelet in her hand, she headed


    out to see Hector.


    However, the moment she left the room and went downstairs, the maids bowed and greeted her


    politely.


    Charlotte was shocked by the attention and quickly responded with a smile.


    ¡°Ms. Windt, Mr. Nacht is waiting for you at the garden,¡± the maid informed politely. ¡°I¡¯ll take you to him.¡±


    ¡°No, no.¡± Charlotte waved her hands. ¡°Please let him know that I¡¯m going out instead and not having


    breakfast.¡±


    ¡°Alright, do you need the car? I¡¯ll arrange it for you.¡±


    ¡°Thanks and sorry for the trouble.¡±


    As the vi was huge, Charlotte had to walk for a few minutes before she could get out.


    At the entrance, there was a Maybach waiting for her. The driver opened the door for her as she


    approached.


    ¡°The Blue Diamond restaurant please.¡± Charlotte rushed into the car and urged the driver, ¡°Please


    hurry.¡±


    ¡°Will do, Ms. Windt.¡± The driver started the engine and began to drive.


    As Charlotte looked out the window, she could see the garden from afar. Zachary was sitting under a


    parasol having breakfast and the maid seemed to be informing him of her ns. After that, he turned to


    look in her direction.


    She was so frightened that she ducked, worried that he would order the car to stop.


    However, he did no such thing and the car smoothly drove out of the vi.


    Charlotte heaved a sigh of relief. Luckily, the Devil isn¡¯t that crazy to restrict my freedom.


    Charlotte rushed towards the Blue Diamond.


    Hector had booked the whole restaurant and was waiting for her by the window. His lonely silhouette


    looked especially forlorn.


    Taking a deep breath, Charlotte mentally prepared herself and walked in.


    ¡°You¡¯re here!¡± Hector shifted his attention from the window towards her. His tone was incredibly gentle.


    ¡°Is your wound better?¡± Charlotte sat down and asked in concern.


    ¡°Much better.¡±


    Staring at the red mark on her neck, Hector¡¯s grip on the coffee cup tensed up.


    Charlotte didn¡¯t notice the change in him as she took out the bracelet from her bag. ¡°Here, I¡¯m returning


    it to you.¡±


    ¡°Actually, the bracelet was meant for you.¡± When Hector saw the bracelet, he couldn¡¯t help butment


    the past. ¡°This is the Sterling family¡¯s heirloom for their daughters-inw...¡±


    ¡°Then you should give it to Luna because she is their daughter-inw.¡± Charlotte smiled faintly.


    Hector fell silent in response. After a brief moment, he asked in a solemn tone, ¡°Charlotte, if Luna and I


    were to get divorced, would you still give me another chance?¡±

 Chapter 184

    Chapter 184


    ¡°It¡¯s better if we stay friends.¡± Charlotte nipped his idea in the bud.


    ¡°Why?¡± Hector frowned. ¡°Is it because of Mr. Nacht?¡±


    ¡°It has nothing to do with anyone else.¡± Charlotte smiled wryly. ¡°Sometimes, there¡¯s nothing we can do


    to change the past. We should look ahead instead.¡±


    Hector clenched his fists in silence.


    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Call me when you get the ne.¡± Charlotte stood up to leave. ¡°I¡¯m going now. You take care.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you ever wonder about why your father died?¡± Hector eximed softly.


    Charlotte stopped in her tracts and sat down. ¡°Hector, do you know something?¡±


    ¡°You should ask Zachary when you get back.¡± Hector¡¯s voice was grim.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Charlotte inquired anxiously. ¡°Are you saying that Zachary has something to do


    with my dad¡¯s death?¡±


    Hector had a troubled look on his face. After a long silence, he changed topics. ¡°Forget it, your life is


    peaceful now. I don¡¯t want you to get into trouble.¡±


    ¡°Does he really have something to do with it?¡± Charlotte widened her eyes in shock. ¡°Impossible. It


    can¡¯t be true.¡±


    ¡°Do you trust him that much?¡± Hector furrowed his eyebrows.


    ¡°You¡¯re not telling me everything.¡± Charlotte grew desperate. ¡°What do you know? Spit it out.¡±


    After some hesitation, Hector replied softly, ¡°It was Nacht Group¡¯s hostile takeover that caused the


    Windt Corporation to go bankrupt in three days. And your father couldn¡¯t ept it...¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Charlotte felt as if her mind was blown by the news.


    She remembered the first day she went for an interview at Divine Corporation. She met Mr. Looney


    who doused himself with kerosene and wanted to die together with Zachary.


    At that time, Mr. Looney said that he had offended Zachary, who caused him to go bankrupt.


    When she saw him then, he reminded her of her father. Come to think of it now, did Dad and Mr.


    Looney meet the same fate?


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to tell you at first because there¡¯s nothing you can do to change the past. In fact, if you


    knew the truth, it might put you in danger. However, when I saw how close you were getting to Zachary,


    I felt the need to remind you...¡±


    ¡°I have to get to the bottom of this.¡± Charlotte clenched her fists and dered emotionally, ¡°If someone


    was responsible for my father¡¯s death, I will definitely avenge him.¡±


    ¡°Revenge?¡± Hector grabbed onto Charlotte¡¯s hand by impulse. ¡°Lottie, the Nacht family is a lot more


    powerful than you can imagine. You shouldn¡¯t think about revenge. All you should do is stay away from


    Zachary.¡±


    ¡°I know what I¡¯m doing.¡± Charlotte retracted her hand and raised her gaze at Hector. ¡°Hector, let me ask


    you this, do Simon and Amanda have anything to do with my dad¡¯s death?¡±


    Hector was dumbfounded. ¡°What do you ask?¡±


    ¡°I found out that although my dad¡¯spany got into trouble, his personal assets were not seized.


    However, Thomas and the other shareholders told me that everything my dad had was taken while


    Simon and his wife avoided seeing me.¡±


    Charlotte looked at Hector intently, ¡°Do you know about this?¡±


    ¡°Not really.¡± Hector responded calmly. ¡°I don¡¯t know much about the Whites.¡±


    ¡°In that case, can you tell me why you married Luna then?¡±


    Charlotte felt that all these were part of the mother-daughter duo¡¯s ns.


    ¡°I...¡± Hector hesitated and lowered his head. ¡°After I saw the news about what happened to you at


    Sultry Night, I was devastated and had too much to drink. Then, I made a mistake...¡±


    After a brief pause, he let out a sigh. ¡°I wanted topensate her financially. But, a monthter, Luna


    was pregnant and both mother and daughter came to see my parents. At that time, your family was the


    talk of the town. Even my family was badly affected. Hence, my parents were extremely angry and


    wanted me to get married to stop the rumors. Therefore, I...¡±

 Chapter 185

    Chapter 185


    After his revtion, Hector felt ashamed of himself. That incident had be a painful memory for


    him. He didn¡¯t want to bring in up in front of anyone, especially Charlotte.


    ¡°So, that was what happened.¡±


    Charlotte finally understood what happened. The mother-daughter duo sowed discord between Hector


    and her. After that, they hooked her up with a male escort to destroy her innocence. Following the


    incident, they got the media to destroy her reputation. Finally, they let Luna seize upon Hector¡¯s


    moment of weakness to seduce him.


    Unfortunately, both Hector and Charlotte were too innocent to see through their schemes. Hence, both


    of them were ensnared by the trap.


    ¡°Actually, after getting to know the mother-daughter duo better, I surmised that they were the ones


    behind what happened. It¡¯s just that... when I see my son, I just couldn¡¯t bear to hold them


    ountable.¡±


    Hector let out a deep sigh as remorse overwhelmed him.


    ¡°I understand your predicament.¡± Charlotte smiled wryly. ¡°After Luna returns the ne, I will get the


    kids transferred to another school. As long as the mother-daughter duo don¡¯t bother me, we can draw a


    clear line between each other.¡±


    With that, she stood up to leave.


    ¡°Lottie!¡± Hector grabbed her hand and gazed deep into her eyes. ¡°Please give me another chance.


    Once I resolve this mistake, I will be free to be with you.¡±


    ¡°The ship has sailed. There¡¯s no way we can go back.¡±


    Charlotte retracted her hand and left resolutely.


    Despite her regrets and lingering feelings for Hector, it was clear to her that rewinding the clock was


    impossible.


    As Hector watched Charlotte leave with a forlorn expression, he didn¡¯t notice that someone was taking


    pictures of them secretly.


    Charlotte nned to take a taxi back but noticed that the Nachts¡¯ family Maybach was still waiting for


    her.


    She quickly got in and thanked the driver.


    On the way back, there was a lot on her mind.


    Zachary told her that her dad¡¯s personal assets were not seized. In that case, Simon and his family


    must have taken over her family¡¯s assets. As for Hector¡¯s revtion that it was the Nacht Group¡¯s


    takeover of Windt Corporation that caused it to go bankrupt...¡±


    On the surface, these two matters seem unrted. But in reality, they were in conflict with each other.


    If what Zachary said is true, that would mean there is a traitor amongst the Whites. It would also mean


    that Zachary¡¯s conscience is clear. Or else, why would he bring it up for me to investigate?


    However, given Charlotte¡¯s understanding of Hector, she knew he wouldn¡¯t lie. Let alone malign


    Zachary.


    What is really going on?


    Charlotte got a headache just thinking about it. Sighing, she looked out the window. Just when she


    wanted to calm herself down, she saw Bar DTT being sealed off.


    Stunned, she quickly cried out, ¡°Stop the car.¡±


    The driver stopped by the roadside.


    When she alighted to investigate, she saw the sealing notice stating that it was a permanent closure.


    Puzzled, she gave Peter a call.


    ¡°Hello, Charlotte?¡±


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    ¡°Peter, I just passed by the bar just now and saw it being sealed. What happened?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve stopped doing business and are closed forever.¡± Peter was depressed.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to know. By the way, Charlotte, I have transferred your pay for your final night


    into your ount. Did you receive it?¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯ll check it in a while.¡±


    ¡°Let me know once you do.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡±


    ¡°Charlotte, if you have the chance please beg for mercy on behalf of Chris...¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Charlotte was stunned.


    ¡°Nothing, just pretend I didn¡¯t say anything. Goodbye.¡±


    Peter ended the call quickly.


    Stunned, it took a while for Charlotte to regain her senses. Did the bar¡¯s closure have something to do


    with Chris?


    She thought back to that night where Chris was drugged and lost his mind. When he tried to force


    himself on her, it was Gigolo that saved her.


    Did Gigolo take revenge on Chris and even closed Bar DTT?


    However, Gigolo is just a gigolo. He isn¡¯t capable of something like that.


    Unless he is Zachary!

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    Chapter 186


    Indeed, Zachary was the only one who had the ability to stop the Bar DTT from operating.


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    Charlotte then thought about Bruce, the Rolls-Royce, and all the other pieces of evidence.


    Everything was pointing toward the fact that Zachary was the gigolo.


    If that¡¯s true, then Zachary is the father of my children.


    Well, I guess a genius president who¡¯s powerful in the corporate world is better than a gigolo from a


    nightclub.


    At those thoughts, Charlotte could not help but feel overjoyed. In fact, she even started imagining the


    scene of her children meeting their father.


    However, she soon stopped her wishful thinking.


    No, if Nacht Group had been the one who took over Windt Corporation and led it to bankruptcy, which


    in turn forced my father to a dead end, then Zachary is the murderer of my father.


    How can the murderer of my father be the father of my children?


    At that thought, Charlotte¡¯s heart sank.


    ¡°Ms. Windt!¡±


    The driver¡¯s voice interrupted Charlotte¡¯s train of thoughts. Returning to her senses, she said to the


    driver, ¡°I have something to attend to. You can go back first.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± The driver nodded to her before leaving.


    Charlotte then took out her phone and started calling a list of people that she had not contacted for a


    long time.


    ¡°Mr. Walker, I¡¯m Charlotte. I¡¯m hoping to talk to you-¡±


    Before she could finish her sentence, the man had ended the call.


    ¡°Ms. Freeman, I¡¯m Charlotte-¡±


    The call ended again.


    ¡°Mr. Judd, I¡¯m Charlotte. Yes, I¡¯m back. Are you free to meet? I¡¯m hoping to talk to you about my father.¡±


    She made fifteen consecutive calls, but only four picked up, and only one agreed to meet.


    Charlotte rushed to the location they agreed on.


    On her way there, she felt conflicted. On one hand, she wished that Zachary were the gigolo, but on


    the other, she hoped that he wasn¡¯t.


    In fact, she wished Hector had made a mistake¡ªthat the bankruptcy of Windt Corporation and her


    father¡¯s death had nothing to do with Zachary.


    Soon, she reached Judd Realty. Upon entering the office and seeing its surroundings, Charlotte was


    surprised.


    The vice president of Windt Corporation and Richard¡¯s right-hand man, Jeffrey Judd, now had a real


    estatepany with a grand total of five employees.


    When Jeffrey saw Charlotte, an awkward expression crept upon his face. He quickly assigned tasks to


    his subordinates before he led Charlotte to a nearby caf¨¦. In a rather passionate yet slightly awkward


    manner, he greeted, ¡°Miss, it¡¯s been many years since we¡¯ve seen each other. You still look the same.


    I¡¯ve been thinking of contacting you, but I was worried that I¡¯d disrupt your life.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so formal. Just call me by my name,¡± Charlotte replied with a smile.


    ¡°How can I?¡± Jeffrey panicked. ¡°You¡¯re Mr. Windt¡¯s daughter, and Mr. Windt¡¯s my savior.¡±


    ¡°My Dad helped many people, but you¡¯re the only one who agreed to meet with me. I¡¯m already grateful


    for that.¡±


    Charlotte sighed before she finally started the solemn topic.


    ¡°Mr. Judd, I know you¡¯re busy, so I¡¯ll be frank with you. I¡¯m here because I wish to find out what


    happened four years ago. Why did Windt Corporation suddenly go bankrupt? Why did my father decide


    to take such extreme actions?¡±


    ¡°I...¡± Upon broaching the subject, Jeffrey became mncholic. ¡°Mr. Windt had told me not to tell you


    about those things, he hoped that you can lead a peaceful life.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Judd-¡±


    ¡°Before he passed on, he left something for you,¡± Jeffrey interrupted.


    He then took out a small box from his pocket. In the box was a ck key that he handed to her with a


    grave expression.


    ¡°Mr. Windt said to give you this when youe to look for me. The item¡¯s in Oakhill Mausoleum¡¯s


    number 101 safe. There are two locks on it, and the passcode is your mother¡¯s birthday.¡±


    Upon hearing those words and seeing the ck key, tears welled up in Charlotte¡¯s eyes.

 Chapter 187

    Chapter 187


    Charlotte had known since young that her father had a red wooden box. In the box were some


    important documents, as well as her mother¡¯s photo.


    Although she had never seen her mother, her father always told her that her mother was like an angel


    and a perfect woman.


    Her mother had gone missing after giving birth to her, and her father never gave up trying to find his


    wife ever since.


    He worked hard to climb up to the top of the corporate world, just so that he could see her soon.


    Although Charlotte understood nothing back then, she knew her father loved her mother dearly, and


    her mother was an excellent woman.


    ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    As such, even though her mother had never taken care of her, she never felt a hint of grievance toward


    her. All she felt was a sense of longing for her mother.


    After her father passed away, Charlotte thought of looking for the red wooden box. However, she could


    not find it anywhere. In the end, she thought it had been seized. It was only now that she found out her


    father had put it at Oakhill Mausoleum before his death.


    Perhaps he had realized something would happen to him early on, and that was why he had made


    early preparations for his daughter.


    ¡°Mr. Judd, why didn¡¯t you tell me about this earlier?¡± Charlotte took the key with slightly trembling


    hands. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking high and low for this box four years ago.¡±


    Jeffrey sighed and murmured, ¡°If I were to give you the box four years ago, many would¡¯ve been after


    it. Too many people had their eyes on you back then. You were like a fish on the board, waiting to be


    gutted. There was no way you could defend yourself. Your father expected that, and that was why he


    asked me to hand this to you five yearster. I never thought you¡¯de to me a year earlier than the


    expected date.¡±


    ¡°So, my Dad nned this early on.¡± Charlotte took in a deep breath as she collected herself. ¡°What


    happened back then? Can you talk to me about it? I just want to know the truth.¡±


    ¡°Miss, it¡¯s best if you stop asking about it.¡± Jeffrey¡¯s brows were tightly knitted, and he muttered, ¡°I can


    only say that it¡¯s impossible for Mr. Windt tomit suicide when he has a precious daughter to take


    care of and a beloved wife to find. He was set up by someone.¡±


    At that, Jeffrey became so agitated that his hand that was holding the cup shook.


    ¡°Who is it?¡± Charlotte questioned. ¡°Who set my father up?¡±


    ¡°That person is too powerful for you to win against.¡± Jeffrey clenched his fists, trying his best to hold


    back his emotions. ¡°It¡¯s all in the past now, and it won¡¯t be good for you to learn too much. It¡¯s best if


    you just protect yourself well.¡±


    ¡°But-¡±


    ¡°Miss, I still have some matters to attend to in the office. I¡¯ll take my leave first.¡±


    Before Charlotte could ask him more questions, Jeffrey stood up and was about to leave.


    ¡°Mr. Judd-¡±


    Charlotte wanted to stop him, but he was swift to leave. After taking a few steps, he seemed to have


    recalled something and turned around to tell her, ¡°By the way, Miss, you have to be careful about


    Simon Windt and his family.¡±


    With that, Jeffrey left.


    Charlotte stared at his retreating figure as a myriad of emotions washed over her. What did he mean by


    that? He said that the person who set my Dad up is powerful, and now he¡¯s telling me to be wary of


    Simon and his family. In other words, he¡¯s telling me...


    The one who set my father up isn¡¯t Simon.


    Could it really be Zachary than?


    Hundreds of thoughts raced across Charlotte¡¯s mind as she stared at the ck key in her hands. She


    hesitated, wondering if she should head to Oakhill Mausoleum now for the red wooden box.


    It was too dangerous at home, and she could not possibly bring the box to Zachary¡¯s ce.


    There was nowhere safe for the box to be at, so Charlotte felt that leaving the box in Oakhill


    Mausoleum would be the best decision to make.


    After mulling over it, Charlotte decided to return to Zachary¡¯s ce first.


    She left the caf¨¦ and was about to hail a cab when she realized she did not know the address of


    Nachts¡¯ residence.


    Right then, a Maybach drove over, and its driver came down the car to open the door for her.


    Respectfully, the driver said, ¡°Ms. Windt, this way please.¡±


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Charlotte blurted out.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht has instructed me to bring you back safely, so I¡¯ve been waiting for you from afar. I hope I


    haven¡¯t disrupted you,¡± the driver exined politely.


    However, his words sent chills running down Charlotte¡¯s spine. She suddenly realized Zachary was


    watching every move she made. It was impossible for her to escape from Zachary.

 Chapter 188

    Chapter 188


    By the time she returned to the Nachts¡¯ residence, the sun had set. As night approached, it looked as


    though a ck veil had nketed across the sky, making it look mysterious and distant.


    Coming down from the car, Charlotte was distracted. Various questions were running amok in her mind,


    waiting for the answers that could settle them down.


    ¡°Ms. Windt,¡± greeted the surrounding guards and maids.


    For a moment, Charlotte felt as if she was thedy of the house.


    She shook her head, trying to shake the thought off her mind. ¡°Where¡¯s Mr. Nacht?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht is at the pool. I¡¯ll lead you there,¡± a maid replied.


    ¡°All right. Thank you.¡±


    Charlotte followed the maid across the garden to the pool. From afar, she could see arge bluemp


    shining at the pool.


    The light made the surface of the pool shimmer, and she could see a figure swimming in it.


    Under the light, his slender figure seemed nimble. Looking at him, she could feel that familiar enigmatic


    sense exuding off him.


    Charlotte jogged toward him. She wanted to use the opportunity to find out whether he had the tattoo


    on his lower back.


    However, when she went closer, she realized the pool was huge, and Zachary was swimming in the


    middle of it. From thend, she could see a patch of dark green on his back, which meant he had a


    tattoo. Nheless, she could not see the design of his tattoo clearly.


    Charlotte¡¯s heart leaped into her throat as she jogged to the other end of the pool.


    She wanted to get closer to him for a better view.


    However, the moment she came closer, he swam to the other side. Hence, she jogged over again.


    What happened next was her running after him as he swamps.


    When Zachary surfaced and wiped his face, he gave her a mocking look.


    It was as though he was looking at a fool.


    ¡°Are you doing this intentionally?¡± Charlotte huffed as she hunched over, tired from all the chasing.


    With a smile, he lowered himself into the water again and continued swimming.


    The tattoo seemed to fade in and out of his back, tempting Charlotte toe closer.


    Furious, Charlotte whirled around to leave, but her footsteps halted after taking a few steps.


    ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    No. I can¡¯t leave. If I don¡¯t find out about his identity today, I¡¯m not sure I¡¯ll have any more future


    opportunities to do so.


    Even if we¡¯re in the bedroom, I doubt I would have the time nor sense to find out about his tattoo...


    It¡¯s crowded here, so he can¡¯t do much to me.


    With that thought, Charlotte returned. Beside the pool were ivory lounge chairs and tables. On the table


    was a bottle of red wine, a bucket of ice, and some desserts.


    Charlotte took an ice cube out from the bucket and tossed it at Zachary.


    The ice cubended beside him, and Zachary jolted a little before he continued swimming.


    Charlotte then tossed another piece. Like the previous ice cube, this onended beside Zachary again.


    After a few seconds, Zachary popped out of the water and shot a re at her.


    She threw a handful of ice cubes at him.


    This time, the ice cubesnded on Zachary¡¯s back, bottom, and head.


    Finally, Zachary was enraged, and he started swimming in her direction.


    Standing at the edge of the pool, Charlotte tiptoed as she tried to peek at Zachary¡¯s back.


    I must see his tattoo this time.


    Like a sailfish, Zachary came close to her in seconds.


    Meanwhile, Charlotte continued staring at the tattoo on his back. Under the blue light, the patch of ink


    started getting clearer and clearer.


    Just as she was about to see the pattern clearly, a hand suddenly grabbed her ankle and tugged on it.


    Ssh!


    Charlotte fell right into the pool. Her arms iled about as water invade her nose and mouth. She was


    struggling like a cat that was drowning.


    In the meantime, Zachary simply watched her from the side, indifferent to her struggles. In fact, a


    taunting smile was stered on his lips.


    Just as Charlotte was about to sink into the water, Zachary finally reached out to scoop her out of the


    pool.


    Ptooey!


    Charlotte spat out a mouthful of pool water right onto Zachary¡¯s face.


    Zachary quickly shut his eyes before he gritted out, ¡°Charlotte Windt, you¡¯re dead meat!¡±


    Charlotte panted for a while before she came back to her senses. Immediately, she turned Zachary


    around to look at his lower waist.

 Chapter 189

    Chapter 189


    Still dripping with water, Zachary¡¯s tanned skin was a sight to behold under the blue light. There was a


    long scar nted across his waist that gave off the illusion of cutting his waist in half.


    Under the scar was a tattoo.


    Right as Charlotte was about to find out what the tattoo looked like, Zachary grabbed her by the hair


    and forced her to look at his enraged face.


    ¡°You-¡±


    Before Charlotte could say anything, Zachary bit down on her cold, red lips.


    Like a beast that was gnawing on its prey, he nibbled on her lips like he was giving her a vindictive


    punishment. His bite made Charlotte¡¯s lips numb, and she was close to suffocating.


    In her panic, Charlotte struggled, but she was trapped in his arms, unable to defend herself.


    His kisses engulfed her just like how a thunderstorm would, and the movements of his hands were


    getting wilder and wilder.


    Just as he was about to break through thest of her defenses, she widened her eyes, full-blown


    panicking.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, we have news from Mr. Bruce-¡±


    A voice reported from behind him, but it stopped halfway.


    Evidently, the man was stunned by the scene in front of him, and he promptly shut his mouth.


    Reluctantly, Zachary let go of Charlotte before he cupped her cheek with one hand and glide his thumb


    past her swollen lips. ¡°Remember never to infuriate me again.¡±


    Charlotte panted, panic evident in her eyes. Like a frightened doe, she trembled.


    With a quick jump, Zachary easily left the pool and covered himself with his bathrobe.


    Meanwhile, Charlotte mbered ashore and scurried off.


    ¡°We have an hour before it¡¯s nine,¡± Zachary muttered his reminder in a gloomy tone.


    Charlotte shuddered as she recalled the promise she made to him.


    It was already eight now. She wondered if Luna had reached H City in time.


    She quickly searched for her phone, only to realize her phone was by the edge of the pool, soaked in


    water.


    In a hurry, she grabbed the phone and fled the scene.


    Zachary stared at her panicked movements as his lips curled into a smirk.


    He only averted his gaze long after Charlotte had disappeared from his view. In a deep voice, he


    queried, ¡°How¡¯s Bruce doing?¡±


    ¡°It was a failure,¡± the subordinate carefully replied. ¡°Ms. Summers is hoping that you¡¯ll go...¡±


    The man then trailed off, fearing to continue.


    ¡°Tell Bruce toe back.¡± Zachary seemed to have no reaction to the news.


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Nacht.¡±


    After returning to her room with her phone, Charlotte realized she had two missed calls from Hector.


    She tried calling him back only to find out that her phone was malfunctioning; she could not make any


    calls.


    rmed, she quickly wiped the phone dry before trying again. However, her efforts were to no avail.


    Anxious, she was about to borrow a phone to call Hector when her phone rang with the caller ID


    showing her that it was none other than Hector.


    Charlotte tried multiple times to ept the call, and finally, right before the call ended, she seeded.


    It had been a tough task, so by the time she answered the call, her hands were trembling from


    agitation.


    ¡°Hector.¡±


    ¡°Lottie, I¡¯ve gotten the ne, and it¡¯s on its way. I¡¯m just worried that the Nacht family¡¯s guards won¡¯t


    let me in.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great news. I¡¯ll tell Zachary right away to let you in.¡±


    ¡°All right. Wait for me.¡±


    After ending the call, Charlotte clenched her phone, thrilled, and was about to look for Zachary.


    ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    Right then, Zachary walked by her room, barefoot and wrapped in a bathrobe.


    Charlotte darted to him. ¡°I need to talk to you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the middle of the night, you¡¯re soaked, and you¡¯ve rushed into a man¡¯s room. What are you


    nning to talk about?¡±


    With a burning gaze, Zachary swept his eyes up and down her body.


    Droplets of water were still dripping from her soaked clothes, and the fabric was sticking to her skin,


    disying her perfect figure. Her wless, fair skin seemed to shine under the artificial lights, and it


    tempted him.


    ¡°We¡¯ve gotten the ruby ne, and Hector is on his way to deliver it here. As long as the guards let


    him pass, he¡¯ll be able to deliver it before nine...¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t he a capable man?¡± Zachary interrupted as he turned and sat on the couch. ¡°Let him think of a


    way to enter this ce then.¡±


    ¡°You-¡± Charlotte¡¯s face flushed with rage. ¡°You¡¯re deliberately making this difficult for us.¡±

 Chapter 190

    Chapter 190


    Instead of denying it, Zachary shrugged. He then poured himself half a ss of wine and savored it


    slowly.


    ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± Charlotte was close to exploding in fury. ¡°Do you have a grudge against my


    father? Is that why you¡¯re toying with me?¡±


    Hearing those words, Zachary paused and looked at her. ¡°Did someone say something to you?¡±


    ¡°Why? Are you feeling guilty?¡± Charlotte questioned. ¡°Does my father¡¯spany¡¯s bankruptcy have


    something to do with you?¡±


    That was the question she wanted the answer to the most. Although it was risky to voice it out, she had


    no other options.


    After all, shecked the ability to investigate him. So she might as well be direct with him.


    ¡°Who told you that?¡± Zachary narrowed his eyes dangerously.


    ¡°Seeing that you¡¯re not denying it, does that mean it¡¯s true?¡±


    Charlotte did not want to ept this as her reality, but with how he reacted, it seemed like that was the


    truth.


    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Instead of answering her questions, Zachary asked, ¡°Was it Hector?¡±


    ¡°He has nothing to do with this,¡± Charlotte hurriedly drew the line between Hector and the matter. ¡°Tell


    me. Did you acquire my father¡¯spany with malicious intents and caused the bankruptcy of Windt


    Corporation?¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡± Zachary swirled the wine in his ss. ¡°When he pleaded for mercy earlier, I¡¯ve decided to


    let him off. But, since he¡¯s pulling dirty tricks on me now, I guess all that¡¯s left for him is to perish.¡±


    With that, he took out his phone and made a call. ¡°Cease Sterling Group¡¯s project.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t-¡± Charlotte tried to stop him, but Zachary had already ended the call. She anxiously exined,


    ¡°This has nothing to do with him!¡±


    ¡°Do you feel bad for him?¡± The corner of Zachary¡¯s lips curled upward as he cast a mocking gaze on


    her. ¡°Why don¡¯t we make a bet then?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? What are you trying to do?¡±


    Panic had overtaken Charlotte¡¯s mind. All she knew then was that the man in front of her was terrifying.


    Leisurely, Zachary lit his cigar. Right then, a call came in. ¡°Mr. Nacht, Hector Sterling¡¯s car is parked at


    the greenway. He says he¡¯s here to deliver something to you.¡±


    ¡°Let him in,¡± Zachary ordered.


    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±


    After ending the call, he looked up at her, and she could see an evil glint in his eyes. ¡°So? Will you bet


    with me?¡±


    ¡°What are you trying to do?¡± A sense of foreboding rose in Charlotte¡¯s heart.


    ¡°Give it a second, and you¡¯ll find out.¡± Zachary nced at her translucent, soaked clothes before


    ordering, ¡°Tidy yourself up in the bathroom.¡±


    It was only then that Charlotte realized she was soaked and dripping all over the floor. She was about


    to return to her room when she heard the noises of a car outside. Hector had arrived.


    In her panic, she entered Zachary¡¯s bathroom instead.


    While she was tidying herself up, Hector¡¯s meek voice came from the outside. ¡°Mr. Nacht, here¡¯s your


    ruby ne. My deepest apologies. My wife is not the most sensible woman. I apologize to you on


    behalf of her for offending you.¡±


    ¡°Why are you still standing outside? Come in and have a seat.¡± Zachary sounded polite.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Hector walked into the room.


    It was then Zachary ordered in the direction of the bathroom, ¡°Come out.¡±


    Charlotte shuddered in fear, but she steeled herself and walked out.


    Her hair was still damp, and she was wrapped in a bathrobe toorge to be hers.


    Hector halted in his tracks. Emotions shed across his eyes when he looked at her, including shock,


    sadness, and disappointment.


    ¡°He delivered this here for you. Why aren¡¯t you thanking him yet?¡±


    Zachary pointed at Hector with the cigar between his fingers.


    Charlotte furrowed her brows but remained silent. At that moment, she knew Hector had


    misunderstood the scene.


    With the way things were between them, even though she had no need to exin to Hector anything


    she was doing, it still did not sit well with her to have stepped into a trap.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, please take a look at the ne. If there are no problems, I¡¯ll be taking my leave.¡±


    Right as Hector was speaking, he received a message on his phone. When he read the message, his


    face ashen, and he cried out, ¡°Mr. Nacht, why did you stop my project?¡±

 Chapter 191

    Chapter 191


    ¡°Because you¡¯re sticking your nose into where it doesn¡¯t belong.¡± Zachary shot an icy re at Hector.


    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I...¡± Hector stood transfixed for a moment before he blurted out an exnation, ¡°I¡¯m giving this


    ne back because of my wife¡¯s mistake. It has nothing to do with anyone else.¡±


    ¡°Do you mean you¡¯re not doing this for her?¡± Zachary pointed at Charlotte.


    ¡°No.¡± Hector dropped his head, not daring to look at Charlotte.


    Hearing his response, Charlotte knitted her brows, an uneasy feeling crept within her.


    She knew Hector was saying those words to protect himself, but to look at how meek he had be


    sent indescribable feelings to her heart.


    ¡°Tell me then, what does the bankruptcy of Windt Corporation have to do with me?¡± Zachary


    questioned.


    Hector shuddered as his face paled further.


    ¡°He¡¯s not the one who told me about it,¡± Charlotte exined. ¡°This has nothing to do with him.¡±


    ¡°Speak!¡± Zachary roared.


    Shuddering again, Hector stuttered, ¡°I-I-I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Instead of shouting again, Zachary kept his cial gaze fixed on the other man.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Charlotte quickly jumped to Hector¡¯s defense. ¡°Why are you dragging others into


    our problem?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, you¡¯re right.¡± Zachary suddenly changed his tone as he smiled. ¡°Mr. Sterling, don¡¯t be afraid. I


    was just asking.¡±


    Like Charlotte, Hector frowned in confusion.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a ne worth a hundred million. There¡¯s no need for you to deliver this to me personally.¡±


    Zachary then threw the ruby ne to Hector as though he was rewarding money to a beggar. ¡°Here.


    Think of it as my investment and use it to start the project.¡±


    ¡°Do you mean...¡± Hector trailed off, bewildered. ¡°I can restart my project?¡±


    The ne was a symbolism of the opportunity Zachary was giving to him.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Zachary leaned back on the sofa as he swayed his ss gracefully. ¡°However, that item


    can only have one value. Whether you use the ruby ne to start your project or to buy her freedom


    is up to you.¡±


    Hearing Zachary¡¯s words, the hair behind Charlotte¡¯s neck stood up.


    So that¡¯s the bet he was talking about. The bet is about Hector¡¯s choice.


    Will he choose thepany, or will he choose me?


    He can only choose one...


    Charlotte knew how crucial the project was to the Sterlings for Hector to plead meekly with Zachary.


    Now that the Browns and Divine Corporation were pressuring them, if the Sterlings could not carry out


    this project sessfully, bankruptcy would be waiting for them.


    It was impossible for Hector to give up on hisst chance in a situation like this.


    However, if he chose family, he would be giving up on her once again.


    It would be a reenactment of what happened four years ago.


    That being said, a lot of things had changed since four years ago. As such, even if Hector chose to


    abandon her for his family again, Charlotte would no longer feel the same disappointment and


    grievance she once felt.


    She had long since let go of those feelings of hers.


    He was the only one who still held onto those feelings.


    What Zachary was doing now was to drive a wedge between them, forcing Hector to let go of his


    feelings. From then on, he would then be too ashamed to continue clinging to Charlotte.


    At the same time, Charlotte would finally give up thest shred of hope she had for him.


    After all, human nature had always been cruel.


    They could forgive and understand, but that did not mean there would not be any hard feelings left.


    ¡°Women have nothing to do with business. Why do you have to involve her in this?¡± Hector panicked.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, if you aren¡¯t satisfied with the terms I¡¯ve mentioned earlier, we can-¡±


    ¡°There is nothing to discuss,¡± Zachary cut him off. He then stated, ¡°You have a minute to make your


    decision. Her, or yourpany.¡±


    With that, he stood up and headed to the bathroom.


    He was giving space for Hector and Charlotte to talk things out.


    The entire time, Hector¡¯s fists were clenched tight, and his eyes were reddened. His emotions were


    threatening to spill over.


    Charlotte looked at him with pity in her eyes. Countless words bubbled in her heart, but none came out


    of her mouth.


    She knew she could never escape Zachary. At the end of the day, she was destined to be his ything.

 Chapter 192

    Chapter 192


    Hector was caught in a dilemma. It was as if two hands were tugging his heart in two different


    directions, threatening to shred him into pieces.


    He wanted to protect Charlotte, but he could not endanger hispany.


    Even if he knew this was Zachary¡¯s trap, he could not do anything about it.


    ¡°Hector...¡± Charlotte finally spoke, breaking the silence of the tense atmosphere. ¡°Don¡¯t think too much


    about it, just go with your heart.¡±


    ¡°Charlotte, I don¡¯t want to let you down like I did four years ago,¡± Hector croaked. ¡°But I can¡¯t just let my


    company die. Sterling Group is founded upon the blood, sweat, and tears of three generations of the


    Sterlings.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Charlotte stered on a stiff smile. ¡°This isn¡¯t like the past. Yourpany is the only


    thing you should be responsible for now.¡±


    ¡°But what about you?¡± Hector breathed.


    ¡°He won¡¯t do much to me,¡± Charlotte replied with feigned casualness. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about


    me.¡±


    ¡°He won¡¯t do much to you?¡± Hector looked at the bathrobe on her as several emotions flitted across his


    eyes. ¡°You had always been a proud person who held firmly to your morals and principle, but now...¡±


    Hector could not continue speaking. His knuckles had long since turned white from how hard he was


    clenching his fists, and she could see the helplessness and a hint of stubbornness in his eyes.


    Charlotte knew he must have misunderstood the situation, but she could not be bothered to exin to


    him. All she did was put on a bitter smile. ¡°You¡¯re right. But do you know what made me turn into this?¡±


    Her words caused the atmosphere to turned tense again.


    If the Sterlings had not trimmed their sails back then and broke off the engagement with the Windt


    family the moment they found out about the bankruptcy, she would not have stepped into Luna¡¯s trap.


    All those things would not have happened, and she would not have ended up in this way.


    Therefore, Hector was mainly responsible for what she had be.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Hector lowered his head in guilt.


    ¡°So? Have you made up your mind?¡±


    Just then, Zachary¡¯s arrogant voice traveled to their ears.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, I think we should have a private talk.¡±


    Hector was not about to give in just yet. He still wanted to protect both hispany and her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time to talk to you.¡± Zachary sat down on the couch and crossed his legs. ¡°I¡¯ll give you ten


    more seconds. Either take her, or take it.¡± He pointed at the ruby ne with his toe. ¡°Pick one.¡±


    ¡°I-¡± Hector had more to say when his phone rang. He quickly walked to the side of the room and picked


    it up. ¡°Hello? What?¡±


    ¡°Dad, don¡¯t panic. I¡¯m thinking of a way. I know, I know. I¡¯ll call you backter.¡±


    Ending the call, Hector hurriedly begged Zachary, ¡°Mr. Nacht, can¡¯t you spare us? Why did you stop the


    entire project? This is too great of a loss for us to bear.¡±


    ¡°So?¡± Zachary lifted a brow and sneered.


    ¡°I...¡±


    Hector was at loss for words. Now, Zachary was the man who was pulling all the strings. Whoever he


    wanted dead would be dead in the next second.


    There was no room for discussion.


    ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    ¡°You have three seconds left.¡± Zachary lifted his fingers and started counting down. ¡°Three...¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht-¡±


    ¡°Two...¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, please-¡±


    ¡°If you keep this up, you won¡¯t even get to choose.¡±


    By now, Zachary was frowning in impatience.


    ¡°I...¡±


    Hector nced at the ruby ne before turning to look at Charlotte as he struggled with his choice.


    Just then, his phone rang again.


    Sweat rolled down his temples, and his eyes were bloodshot.


    Unable to watch him any further, Charlotte was about to take the ruby ne for him.


    Almost at the same time, Hector reached out to take the ruby ne.


    The pendant glided across the back of Charlotte¡¯s hand, and she subconsciously raised her head to


    look at him.


    The two locked eyes in silence.


    Although she could understand the reason for his choice, and she supported his decision, she was still


    stunned by how eager he was to take the ne in the end.


    His decision to pick the ne was like a dagger that stabbed deep in her heart, sending her waves


    of agony.


    ¡°Lottie, I-¡±


    Hector was panicking. He realized Charlotte had wanted to make the choice for him, but he was


    quicker than her by one second.


    Just like that, everything he said to her earlier meant nothing now...

 Chapter 193

    Chapter 193


    It was a wolf.


    The hairs on Charlotte¡¯s arms stood as her legs shook.


    Slowly and carefully, she started inching backward, ready to flee the scene.


    However, the wolf quickened its step as it narrowed its eyes. She could sense the murderous aura from


    it.


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t eat me.¡±


    Charlotte choked out her words before she took several steps back. Then, she sprinted back the way


    she came from.


    For a few seconds, there were no soundsing from behind her. When Charlotte turned around to


    look, she saw that the wolf stood at its spot for a while before it slowly padded behind her.


    Evidently, the wolf was looking down on a weak prey like her.


    It was a game of cat and mouse. Once she was tired, it would pounce on her and eat her.


    Charlotte ran as quickly as she could, all while trying to get her phone to work. She wanted to call for


    help, but the screen refused to work.


    By now, her terror was at its peak, and she screamed, ¡°Help! Help!¡±


    Unfortunately, no one heard her.


    Not far ahead of her was the Nachts¡¯ residence. She knew that the moment she entered the gates, she


    would be safe.


    She was overwhelmed with regret.


    Why did I have to anger Zachary?


    Why did I have toe out here alone in the middle of the night?


    Does being courageous bring me any benefit?


    R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only


    Can my dignity help me survive? No! Of course not!


    Who the f*ck cares about that damn agreement? I¡¯ll sign that paper. As long as I can live, I¡¯ll do


    anything!


    I still have three kids, Mrs. Berry, and Fifi. I even have a hundred thousand that I haven¡¯t spent yet.


    I can¡¯t die now!


    Awoo! The wolf had finally lost its patience and it was now loping at full speed toward her.


    Her heart leaping to her throat, Charlotte sprinted.


    The Nachts¡¯ residence was right in front of her, but no matter how quick she tried to run, it felt like she


    would never reach it.


    On the other hand, the wolf was getting closer and closer.


    Charlotte could hear the howling of the wind behind her, and she could sense the murderous aura of


    the wolf. Her legs gave out on her, and she copsed on the ground with a loud thud.


    At that moment, two words shed into her mind. I¡¯m screwed!


    I¡¯m done for...


    Behind her, the wolf unhinged its jaw and pounced toward her.


    Instinctively, Charlotte closed her eyes.


    Right then, a silver glint shed from the side and hit the wolf¡¯s neck.


    Less than a meter away from Charlotte, the wolf slumped to the ground. It shook its weakening body


    before it swiftly escaped into the woods.


    ¡°Don¡¯t eat me. Don¡¯t eat me...¡±


    Hunching on the ground like a shrank-up tortoise, Charlotte wailed in despair.


    A pair of eyes watched her coldly from the woods, and in them was disdain.


    After a long while, Charlotte finally came back to her senses. Stiffly, she turned to look behind her, only


    to realize the wolf was gone.


    She mbered to her feet on her shaky legs and bolted toward the vi.


    Awoo!


    In the woods, the slender figure cupped his mouth and mimicked the howl of a wolf.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Charlotte screeched as she sped up. In a trembling voice, she cried out, ¡°Help me! Help me!¡±


    When she finally reached the entrance of the vi, she realized that the dark green steel gate was


    tightly shut, sealing Charlotte off from the safety of the house.


    She mmed her palms onto the gate and screamed, ¡°Open up! Hurry and open the door! There¡¯s a


    wolf outside!¡±


    No one answered her.


    She could see a few guards just a distance away who remained as still as a statue. It was as if they


    had not heard her cries for help.


    ¡°Help! Help!¡± Charlotte stomped her feet as she continued to yell, ¡°It¡¯s me, Charlotte. Let me in!¡±


    Still, no reactions came from the guards.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you all? Let me in!¡± Charlotte was close to tears by now. ¡°Zachary, let me in!


    There¡¯s a wolf outside about to eat me!¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one who wanted to leave in the first ce?¡±


    An apathetic voice entered her ears.


    Turning in the direction of the voice, Charlotte noticed that Zachary was sitting on the wooden bench


    beside the flower bed. He was in his sleeping robe, holding onto a cigar in one hand and a wine ss


    in the other; he was the epitome of nonchnce.

 Chapter 194

    Chapter 194


    It took Charlotte half an hour before she reached the main gate of the vi. Outside was a greenway


    with trees nted on both sides that had street lights installed on them, illuminating the road to her


    freedom.


    Puffing up her chest, she continued her way out.


    There was a breeze that night, and it enveloped her in afortable chill. As she looked at the patchy


    moonlit road and listened to the cacophony of frogs and insects, she felt as if she was in a painting.


    The beautiful scenery calmed Charlotte and also strengthened her determination to stay away from


    Zachary.


    I can¡¯t let him control me... I won¡¯t be a ve of that Devil!


    R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only


    Awoo!


    Just then, a beast could be heard howling in the woods.


    Charlotte paused in her tracks and stood transfixed.


    Is my ears deceiving me?


    Was that a cry of a wild animal I heard just now?


    Nah... It can¡¯t be... I must¡¯ve misheard.


    Clutching her chest where her racing heart lied beneath, she continued her way.


    Awoo!


    A howl echoed in the empty road again, and it sounded closer this time.


    Charlotte¡¯s eyes widened as her heart thumped loudly.


    No way... There can¡¯t be any wild animals here, right?


    Tensing up, her head snapped to the side as she observed her surroundings. However, no other


    sounds seemed to being from the woods.


    Yet, she was still afraid.


    Although she went up and down the hill in a vehicle each time, she knew that the distance between


    Zachary¡¯s vi and the main road was at least six miles.


    She would need four hours at the very least to walk on foot for these six miles.


    There was no guarantee that a wild animal would not pounce and feast on her while she was on her


    way down the hill.


    With that thought, cold sweat started beaded on Charlotte¡¯s forehead.


    She twisted her head around to look at the nearby vi. I¡¯ve only walked a mile. If I want to head back


    now, I can still do so...


    Without any hesitation, she started walking back toward the vi.


    However, she only took two steps before she recalled Zachary¡¯s cold gaze and domineering demeanor.


    Charlotte hesitated.


    But if I go back now, I¡¯d have to sign the paper.


    And from then on, I¡¯d owe him ny-eight million. When will I be able to clear the debt?


    Not to mention if I can¡¯t clear the debt, I¡¯ll be his ve. I will have to obey everything he says.


    The thought of being a ve made her hair stood on end.


    No. As long as I breathe, I will not go back.


    She clenched her jaw and continued. At the same time, she fished out her phone to make a call.


    She decided to hail a cab. Once I¡¯m inside the cab, I¡¯ll be safe...


    However, Charlotte was dumbfounded upon taking out her phone.


    Because her phone had fallen into the pool earlier, the screen was now malfunctioning. Not only was


    she unable to swipe on the screen, but it was even flickering.


    As she walked briskly forward, she shook her phone hard, hoping to get the water out.


    Maybe I¡¯ll be able to use it once the water¡¯s out.


    Evidently, she was too na?ve.


    In order to save money, she had bought the cheapest phone that came with a free electronic fan.


    In other words, it was ludicrous for her to hope that her phone could survive after getting soaked.


    Charlotte felt like crying as a sense of helplessness crashed into her. All she could do now was to pray


    that she could get out of this hellhole safely.


    Other than calling for a gigolo that one time four years ago, she had never done anything bad.


    Good things happen to good people, right?


    Charlotte picked up her pace as she prayed in her heart.


    Seeing that there were no creatures came lunging at her even after she had walked for several


    hundred meters, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. At the same time, her pace slowed down. I must


    have misheard it earlier.


    Just as that thought shed into her mind, however, she noticed a pair of green eyes in the woods


    nearby, watching her.


    Her feet were instantly rooted to the ground as her eyes widened. Staring at the green eyes, she


    thought, It must be an illusion. It must be. It has to be.


    She shut her eyes. When she opened them again, not only did the green eyes not disappear, but they


    had also gotten even closer.


    Under the moonlight, she could see an animal covered in fur slowly stalking toward her.

 Chapter 195

    Chapter 195


    It was a wolf.


    The hairs on Charlotte¡¯s arms stood as her legs shook.


    Slowly and carefully, she started inching backward, ready to flee the scene.


    However, the wolf quickened its step as it narrowed its eyes. She could sense the murderous aura from


    it.


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t eat me.¡±


    Charlotte choked out her words before she took several steps back. Then, she sprinted back the way


    she came from.


    For a few seconds, there were no soundsing from behind her. When Charlotte turned around to


    look, she saw that the wolf stood at its spot for a while before it slowly padded behind her.


    Evidently, the wolf was looking down on a weak prey like her.


    It was a game of cat and mouse. Once she was tired, it would pounce on her and eat her.


    Charlotte ran as quickly as she could, all while trying to get her phone to work. She wanted to call for


    help, but the screen refused to work.


    By now, her terror was at its peak, and she screamed, ¡°Help! Help!¡±


    Unfortunately, no one heard her.


    Not far ahead of her was the Nachts¡¯ residence. She knew that the moment she entered the gates, she


    would be safe.


    She was overwhelmed with regret.


    Why did I have to anger Zachary?


    Why did I have toe out here alone in the middle of the night?


    Does being courageous bring me any benefit?


    Can my dignity help me survive? No! Of course not!


    Who the f*ck cares about that damn agreement? I¡¯ll sign that paper. As long as I can live, I¡¯ll do


    anything!


    R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only


    I still have three kids, Mrs. Berry, and Fifi. I even have a hundred thousand that I haven¡¯t spent yet.


    I can¡¯t die now!


    Awoo! The wolf had finally lost its patience and it was now loping at full speed toward her.


    Her heart leaping to her throat, Charlotte sprinted.


    The Nachts¡¯ residence was right in front of her, but no matter how quick she tried to run, it felt like she


    would never reach it.


    On the other hand, the wolf was getting closer and closer.


    Charlotte could hear the howling of the wind behind her, and she could sense the murderous aura of


    the wolf. Her legs gave out on her, and she copsed on the ground with a loud thud.


    At that moment, two words shed into her mind. I¡¯m screwed!


    I¡¯m done for...


    Behind her, the wolf unhinged its jaw and pounced toward her.


    Instinctively, Charlotte closed her eyes.


    Right then, a silver glint shed from the side and hit the wolf¡¯s neck.


    Less than a meter away from Charlotte, the wolf slumped to the ground. It shook its weakening body


    before it swiftly escaped into the woods.


    ¡°Don¡¯t eat me. Don¡¯t eat me...¡±


    Hunching on the ground like a shrank-up tortoise, Charlotte wailed in despair.


    A pair of eyes watched her coldly from the woods, and in them was disdain.


    After a long while, Charlotte finally came back to her senses. Stiffly, she turned to look behind her, only


    to realize the wolf was gone.


    She mbered to her feet on her shaky legs and bolted toward the vi.


    Awoo!


    In the woods, the slender figure cupped his mouth and mimicked the howl of a wolf.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Charlotte screeched as she sped up. In a trembling voice, she cried out, ¡°Help me! Help me!¡±


    When she finally reached the entrance of the vi, she realized that the dark green steel gate was


    tightly shut, sealing Charlotte off from the safety of the house.


    She mmed her palms onto the gate and screamed, ¡°Open up! Hurry and open the door! There¡¯s a


    wolf outside!¡±


    No one answered her.


    She could see a few guards just a distance away who remained as still as a statue. It was as if they


    had not heard her cries for help.


    ¡°Help! Help!¡± Charlotte stomped her feet as she continued to yell, ¡°It¡¯s me, Charlotte. Let me in!¡±


    Still, no reactions came from the guards.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you all? Let me in!¡± Charlotte was close to tears by now. ¡°Zachary, let me in!


    There¡¯s a wolf outside about to eat me!¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one who wanted to leave in the first ce?¡±


    An apathetic voice entered her ears.


    Turning in the direction of the voice, Charlotte noticed that Zachary was sitting on the wooden bench


    beside the flower bed. He was in his sleeping robe, holding onto a cigar in one hand and a wine ss


    in the other; he was the epitome of nonchnce.

 Chapter 196

    Chapter 196


    ¡°Let me in, please,¡± Charlotte begged as she sobbed. ¡°There¡¯s a wolf out here about to eat me.¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh,¡± came Zachary¡¯s unconcerned reply. He then stood up and slowly walked away.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Charlotte was on the verge of breaking down. She mmed her fists on the steel gates and


    screamed, ¡°You won¡¯t just stand there and watch me die, will you? If you don¡¯t let me in, I¡¯ll die!¡±


    Zachary ignored her as he continued walking into the vi.


    ¡°Zachary Nacht,¡± Charlotte bellowed. ¡°You heartless animal. Karma will get you soon!¡±


    Zachary stopped to turn and look at her. ¡°You¡¯re still cursing at me at a time like this?¡±


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t assume I have to beg you,¡± Charlotte ground out. ¡°If I die here, you¡¯d have to bear the


    responsibility. If the copse, you¡¯ll be the primary suspect.¡±


    ¡°I see...¡± Zachary nodded solemnly. He then pointed at the surveince camera by the gate. ¡°See that?


    It will film the process of the wolf eating you. You do realize that a wolf is wild, right? I¡¯m not the one


    who raised it and there is now stating that I have to save you.¡±


    ¡°You-¡± Charlotte could not formte a response to refute him.


    ¡°Let me teach you something,¡± Zachary said with a smile. ¡°When the wolf bites you, just scream and


    shout like you did just now. It¡¯ll think that you¡¯re annoying, and it¡¯ll snap its jaw on your throat. Blood will


    spurt out of you like a water fountain, and death will be instant. This way, it won¡¯t hurt.¡±


    Charlotte¡¯s face turned colorless as her entire being trembled. All words died in her throat.


    ¡°I wish you a merry death. Goodbye!¡±


    Zachary waved and turned to leave.


    ¡°Zachary Nacht!¡± Charlotte roared as she mmed the steel gate. ¡°You heartless b*stard! You¡¯ll die a


    horrible death!¡±


    Awoo!


    Once again, howls of wolves sounded behind her.


    Charlotte immediately lost all her courage as she fell onto her knees with a thud. She wailed and


    pleaded, ¡°Please save me! I don¡¯t want to die!¡±


    Zachary, who had his back to her, finally grinned in delight and glee.


    He was even more exhrated now than when he got a business deal worth tens of billions.


    However, he was not in a rush to turn around. Instead, he took a slow step forward.


    ¡°Zachary, as long as you save me, I¡¯ll do anything.¡± Charlotte cared for nothing now; staying alive was


    the only thought in her mind. ¡°Give me the contract. I¡¯ll sign it. As long as you save me, I¡¯ll sign it.¡±


    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Zachary finally turned around. With an innocent expression on his face, he asked, ¡°Are


    you going to im that I¡¯m forcing you again?¡±


    ¡°No, I won¡¯t. I¡¯m doing this willingly,¡± Charlotte guaranteed. ¡°Let me in first. Let me in quickly. The wolf is


    here. It really is.¡±


    ¡°All right. But remember, you¡¯re the one begging me.¡±


    Zachary slowly raised his arm and made a gesture.


    It was then the bodyguard stepped forward and opened the steel gates.


    The gates had only opened a fraction before Charlotte rushed in. As her legs were still weak, she fell to


    the ground.


    Lifting her head, she could see numerous pairs of green eyes watching her covetously from the nearby


    woods.


    Widening her eyes in fear, a shudder wracked through her body before she fainted.


    Zachary clicked his tongue and sighed before shaking his head. ¡°How fragile is she to pass out just like


    this?¡±


    He then walked over to lift her up into his arms before instructing the guards. ¡°You may leave now.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Nacht.¡±


    One of the bodyguards pressed a button, and the green eyes immediately disappeared.


    Zachary carried Charlotte into the vi and ced her on the bed.


    Just then, Raina came in with a new copy of the contract.


    Holding Charlotte¡¯s hand, Zachary bit on her thumb, and blood immediately seeped out.


    He then pressed her thumb at the signature section of the contract before a satisfied smile grew on his


    face.


    ¡°I told you. You won¡¯t be able to escape from me.¡±

 Chapter 197

    Chapter 197


    That night, Charlotte was gued with nightmares. When the sun rose again, she woke up covered in


    sweat.


    Her wide eyes were fixed on the ceiling as she panted.


    It took her a long while before she was able to collect herself. After making sure that she was in a room


    in the vi and that she was safe, she sighed in relief.


    Her clothes stuck to her, and it felt ufortable, so she headed to the bathroom for a shower. When


    her hands came into contact with water, a pang of pain traveled up her fingers. It was only then she


    realized the skin on the tip of her thumb was torn.


    R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only


    Charlotte paid no heed to it, thinking that it was an injury from her escape yesterday.


    After washing up, she walked out of the bathroom just in time to hear someone knocking on the door.


    Raina¡¯s voice then came from behind the door. ¡°Ms. Windt, may Ie in?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Charlotte replied.


    Raina entered the room with a birdcage in her hands.


    Fifiy quietly inside as it observed the foreign environment fearfully.


    The moment it saw Charlotte, however, it brightened up and fluttered its injured wing before yelling,


    ¡°Mommy! Mommy!¡±


    ¡°Fifi!¡± Charlotte quickly strode over to open the cage.


    Fifi flew out andnded on Charlotte¡¯s shoulder. Seeking reassurance, it rubbed its feathery head on


    Charlotte¡¯s cheek.


    ¡°Good girl.¡± Charlotte kissed it gently.


    Fifi theny quietly in the crook of her neck like a child in her mother¡¯s arms.


    ¡°What an intelligent parrot!¡± Raina eximed. ¡°It¡¯s adorable!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s part of my family.¡± Charlotte caressed Fifi¡¯s wings. ¡°How is it? Is it hurt badly?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll have to rest its wing, and we¡¯ll have to change its bandage every two days. It¡¯ll be fine in a month,¡±


    Raina responded as she closed the cage.


    ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that,¡± Charlotte sighed in relief. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for Fifi saving me, I¡¯d be dead by now.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of which...¡± Raina reported, ¡°I¡¯ve investigated this incident. The ones who sent you the gift


    and the ones who attacked Divine Corporation are all done by the same party. Ben and I will be taking


    charge of this case, so you have nothing to worry about.¡±


    ¡°What? Are you sure?¡± The news stunned Charlotte. ¡°The ones who attacked Divine Corporation


    should be Mr. Nacht¡¯s rivals. Why would they want to kill me? I¡¯m just a nobody.¡±


    ¡°You are not just some nobody,¡± was Raina¡¯s profound reply before she changed the topic. ¡°Oh, by the


    way, Mr. Nacht has invited you to breakfast. So, hurry up and get ready for it.¡±


    Before Charlotte coulde back to her senses, Raina had already bowed her head and left.


    Charlotte thought about what happenedst night. She had made a promise carelessly to ensure her


    safety. Is Zachary going to force me to sign the paper now?


    At that thought, Charlotte panicked. Oh no. If I sign the paper, I¡¯ll be his ve, won¡¯t I?


    ¡°Ellie, Ellie!¡±


    Fifi¡¯s cry interrupted Charlotte¡¯s thoughts.


    ¡°Hush,¡± Charlotte murmured to the parrot. ¡°Fifi, this isn¡¯t our house, so you¡¯ll have to be careful with


    your words, okay? Don¡¯t mention Robbie, Jamie, or Ellie. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°Robbie. Jamie. Ellie.¡±


    It seemed like Fifi did not quite understand her words as it continued crying out the names of the


    children. It had been two days since Fifi saw the kids, and the parrot missed them dearly.


    ¡°Fifi...¡±


    Charlotte was about to reprimand it when the door suddenly flung open. Zachary, who was dressed in a


    casual suit, strode into the room.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you ever knock when youe in?¡±


    Charlotte was panicking, fearing that Fifi would blurt out something it shouldn¡¯t have, and he would find


    out about the children.


    ¡°This is my home.¡± Zachary sat on the couch before crossing his leg. ¡°How was your sleepst night?¡±


    ¡°It was all right...¡± Charlotte nced at him timidly before she tentatively said, ¡°Mr. Nacht, thank you for


    saving me. I think it¡¯s time for me to go home.¡±


    ¡°Your house¡¯s been blown into smithereens. What home are you going back to?¡± Zachary took out a


    stack of checks before scribbling a string of numbers on one. He then handed it to her. ¡°Here, use it to


    buy a house instead of renting.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Charlotte was dumbfounded. Did I mishear him? The Devil is giving me money to buy a


    house?

 Chapter 198

    Chapter 198


    ¡°Hm?¡± Zachary lifted a brow. ¡°You don¡¯t want it? Forget it then.¡±


    He was a second away from keeping the check.


    ¡°Of course I want it!¡± Charlotte swiftly took the check. Upon seeing the numbers on the paper, she


    broke out into a smile. ¡°Two million! Thank you, Mr. Nacht.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wee. This is what you deserve, after all.¡± Zachary smiled. ¡°This is the reward for you


    convincing Mr. Sterk to drink thexatives.¡±


    ¡°About that... I thought you said you were going to take it out from the ne¡¯s money?¡±


    A foreboding sense burrowed its way into Charlotte¡¯s heart at his words.


    Even Fifi was trembling as it looked at Zachary like he was a carnivorous monster.


    ¡°What¡¯s the difference between owing me a hundred million and owing me ny-eight million?¡±


    Zachary muttered. ¡°I might as well give you the reward to make sure you won¡¯t have other worries


    when you serve me.¡±


    Wait... Serve?


    Hearing that word, Charlotte panicked as she hastily said, ¡°Mr. Nacht, I¡¯m just an ordinary working


    individual. I-I¡¯m not selling my body.¡±


    ¡°Selling my body! Selling my body!¡± Fifi repeated.


    Zachary nced at it.


    Instantly, it shut its beak and buried itself in Charlotte¡¯s thick hair. It even used its beak to pull on her


    hair so that it could cover its face, as if that would be the perfect camouge.


    ¡°You¡¯ve already sold yourselfst night.¡± Zachary took out the contract and waved it in front of her eyes


    with a grin. ¡°From today onwards, you¡¯re mine.¡±


    Charlotte¡¯s eyes were as wide as saucers as she stared at the paper in his hand. She then recalled the


    events that happened yesterday.


    That¡¯s right, I was chased by a wolfst night... And I ran as quickly as I could to the vi... When I


    reached the vi, I mmed my fists at the steel gates while crying for help...


    After he threatened not to open the gates if I refuse to sign the agreement, I finally agreed to sign it...


    However, I remember passing out soon after, so I couldn¡¯t have signed the agreement.


    When Charlotte took the paper for a closer look, she realized that the paper indeed does not contain


    her signature. However, there was a bright red thumbprint on it. Although it was already dry, she could


    still smell the scent of blood.


    She stiffened for a moment before she raised her hand and looked at her injured thumb. Realization


    finally dawned on her. ¡°Zachary, you douchebag!¡± Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Douchebag. Dou-¡±


    Before Fifi could repeat it a second time, the look in Zachary¡¯s eyes made it flinch and it whispered,


    ¡°Mommy, scared. Scared.¡±


    Shifting his gaze away from Fifi, Zachary picked up a remote from the side and pressed on its button.


    Then, Charlotte¡¯s cries for help echoed in the room.


    ¡°Please save me! I don¡¯t want to die!¡±


    ¡°Zachary, as long as you save me, I¡¯ll do anything.¡±


    ¡°Give me the contract. I¡¯ll sign it. As long as you save me, I¡¯ll sign it.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± came Zachary¡¯s voice. ¡°Are you going to im that I¡¯m forcing you again?¡±


    ¡°No, I won¡¯t. I¡¯m doing this willingly. Let me in first. Let me in quickly. The wolf is here. It really is.¡±


    ¡°All right. But remember, you¡¯re the one begging me.¡±


    The recording then ended.


    Ashamed, Charlotte¡¯s face flushed red, and she wished she could burrow into the ground and hide.


    Raising a brow, Zachary cast her a gentle look. ¡°I even have a video recording. Do you want to watch


    it?¡±


    ¡°You-¡± Charlotte¡¯s lip trembled as she fought the urge to cry.


    ¡°Be good now.¡± Zachary took the contract, folded it, and kept it in his pocket. ¡°If you perform well, you¡¯ll


    be rewarded. If not, you¡¯ll still have to do whatever is on the contract, and you¡¯ll be punished as well.¡±


    He then stood up and patted her face. ¡°Think about it. Which one sounds better?¡±


    As fury coursed through her veins, Charlotte red at him, but she dared not speak a single word.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take my leave first then.¡± Zachary turned to leave without sparing her another nce. ¡°I hope you¡¯ll


    have thought things through when I¡¯m back.¡±


    As he left, Charlotte waved her fist at his back and cursed at him inwardly, You b*stard! Douchebag!


    Animal! Piece of sh*t!


    I hope God realizes what an assh*le you are and smite you from above!


    ¡°Ellie, Jamie, Robbie,¡± Fifi abruptly cried out, ¡°scared. Scared.¡±


    Zachary, who was about to step out of the room, paused in his tracks. He turned to look at Fifi and


    asked, ¡°What did it just say?¡±

 Chapter 199

    Chapter 199


    ¡°N-Nothing.¡±


    Charlotte¡¯s scalp tingled from fear as her heart raced. She cursed at Fifi for those words inwardly.


    Damn it, why is Fifi saying their names at a time like this?


    Is it trying to mess everything up for me?


    Zachary then turned to look at Charlotte for a moment before he continued walking out.


    It wasn¡¯t until Charlotte could no longer hear his footsteps that she breathed a sigh of relief. Snapping


    her head to the side, she scolded, ¡°Fifi, don¡¯t speak without thinking!¡±


    ¡°Mommy...¡± Feeling rather upset, Fifi mumbled, ¡°Bad man. Scared.¡±


    ¡°I know he¡¯s a bad man, but-¡±


    Just then, someone knocked on the door. ¡±Ms. Windt, may Ie in?¡±


    ¡°Give me a minute.¡± After locking Fifi in the bathroom, Charlotte let Raina into the room.


    ¡°Ms. Windt, Mr. Nacht has left for E Nation. He has instructed me to take care of you. I¡¯ve prepared


    breakfast. Will you be having it in the room or-¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s left for E Nation?¡± Charlotte interrupted in an excited tone. ¡°How long will he be gone?¡±


    ¡°Three days, if he¡¯s quick. If he¡¯s not, then I¡¯m not sure. But he¡¯ll try to be back as soon as he can.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to rush. It¡¯s better if he stays there longer.¡±


    In fact, Charlotte would rather he never came back.


    Raina chuckled. ¡°We¡¯ve dealt with the person who attacked you thest time. From now on, you won¡¯t


    be in any danger, and I¡¯ve sent someone to fix your house. Furthermore-¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to fix my house.¡± Charlotte stopped her. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with my own house. You don¡¯t need


    to be concerned with it. Ask them to stop, I don¡¯t want anyone to be at my house.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Her words stunned Raina.


    ¡°What do you mean ¡®huh?¡¯ Hurry up and tell them to stop.¡± Charlotte was terrified of someone finding


    out about her children.


    ¡°All right. I¡¯ll let them know right away.¡± Raina promptly made a call to the group of fixers asking them to


    head back.


    ¡°They¡¯re not at my house yet, right? You didn¡¯t search through my house, did you?¡± Charlotte had never


    been more worried.


    ¡°No, we haven¡¯t. They¡¯re only on their way, and they¡¯re heading back now after receiving my call.¡±


    Raina gave her a reassuring smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Without Mr. Nacht¡¯s order, we won¡¯t investigate you.


    However...¡±


    After a pause, Raina carefully asked, ¡°What are you worried about?¡±


    ¡°Everyone prefers to have their own privacy.¡± Charlotte forced out a tear from her eyes. ¡°The Devil has


    already taken control of most of my life. I just want a little space of mine.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht isn¡¯t controlling you; he likes you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡± At the mention of it, fury started dancing in Charlotte¡¯s chest. ¡°If he likes me, he


    should¡¯ve gifted me several vis, sports cars, and a billion or two. He should¡¯ve treated me like a


    princess instead of tormenting me like this.¡±


    ¡°Maybe everyone expresses their love differently?¡± Raina suggested with a chuckle.


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, he sure has a unique way of expressing his love then.¡± Charlotte rolled her eyes


    before inquiring, ¡°Dr. Langhan. I wish to go home. Can I?¡±


    ¡°Of course you can. Let me get a car for you.¡±


    On her way back, Raina said to Charlotte, ¡°Ms. Windt, to be honest, living in the vi will be much safer.


    If you want to work, I can make arrangements to send you to and from work.¡±


    ¡°No. I still prefer to live in my own house.¡±


    Charlotte smoothened Fifi¡¯s feathers. The parrot was currently sound asleep.


    ¡°All right.¡± Raina did not insist. ¡°Since Mr. Nacht won¡¯t be around, you can look for me if you have any


    issues.¡±


    ¡°Got it. Thank you,¡± Charlotte replied absent-mindedly. The only thought that filled her mind was how


    she was going to escape Zachary. Should I take this two million and escape with the kids?


    ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    ¡°If you want to buy a house, I can make arrangements for that too. After all, Divine Corporation has


    properties everywhere. Not to mention we have branches in many cities...¡±


    Hearing Raina¡¯s words, Charlotte dismissed the thoughts of escaping. Perhaps Raina was hinting to


    her that Zachary would find her no matter where she went. Guess I should stop my wishful thinking...

 Chapter 200

    Chapter 200


    When Charlotte reached Happy Avenue, the first thing she did was buy a phone.


    This time, Charlotte steeled herself and bought the best phone avable, hoping that it would not


    malfunction as easily as it did thest time.


    Slotting in her phone card, Charlotte quickly gave Mrs. Berry a call.


    Meanwhile, Mrs. Berry had thought that something happened to Charlotte when she couldn¡¯t contact


    herst night.


    After exining to Mrs. Berry that her phone broke, Charlotte proceeded to give her kids a video call.


    Charlotte could see that her kids had put on their thick cotton-padded jackets, but they still looked as


    good as ever.


    Frowning, Robbie worriedly queried, ¡°Mommy, are you okay? We¡¯re worried about you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry,¡± Charlotte reassured.


    Jamie squeezed to the front and showed his mother his fists. ¡°Mommy, I¡¯ve been practicing martial arts


    recently. When I¡¯m stronger, I¡¯ll be able to protect you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Jamie.¡± Charlotte smiled sweetly. ¡°Jamie¡¯s the best.¡±


    ¡°Mommy, Mommy.¡± Ellie squeezed her chubby cheeks into the frame. When she saw her mother, her


    large eyes instantly welled up with tears. ¡°Mommy, Ellie misses you.¡± R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only


    Seeing Ellie¡¯s tears, both Robbie and Jamie started tearing up as well. However, the two boys frowned


    as they forced the tears to remain in their eyes.


    ¡°Be good, Ellie. Once I¡¯m done dealing with the things here, I wille for you three,¡± Charlotte


    consoled.


    ¡°The bad guy¡¯s already been caught, and I have to fix and clean the house first so that you¡¯ll be able to


    return to a pretty home.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± the children cheered.


    ¡°Mommy, we¡¯lle and help you with the cleaning,¡± Robbie voiced out. ¡°We can¡¯t let you do


    everything alone.¡±


    Jamie chimed in, ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m a strong boy. I can do a lot of things.¡±


    The little boy proceeded to clenched his fists and showed his mother his muscles.


    ¡°I can help Mommy too.¡±


    Ellie sniffled as tears slid down her chin.


    ¡°Ellie! Ellie!¡±


    Hearing Ellie¡¯s voice, Fifi suddenly woke up. In the beginning, it spun its head around, looking for the


    girl. When Fifi realized the children were on the screen, it moved toward the screen and screeched,


    ¡°Robbie, Jamie, Ellie!¡±


    ¡°Fifi!¡±


    The children were beyond excited to see their pet parrot, and they quickly waved at it.


    ¡°Miss you. Miss you,¡± Fifi repeated at the screen.


    The children scrambled to appear on the screen.


    ¡°Fifi, we miss you too.¡±


    ¡°Oh no. Fifi, why is your wing hurt?¡±


    ¡°Fifi¡¯s hurt because it tried to protect me, but a vet has already checked it. Fifi¡¯s fine now. It¡¯ll make a full


    recovery soon,¡± Charlotte assured. ¡°Robbie, Jamie, Ellie, the three of you have to be good kids. Wait


    for me toe for you, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay. We¡¯ll be good kids.¡±


    Charlotte¡¯s heart was filled with hope as she looked at her children.


    After consoling her children, Charlotte went home. Reaching her house, she realized thendy had


    changed the door lock and stuck arge notice on the door, warning Charlotte to contact her as soon


    as she could.


    Frightened out of her wits, Charlotte quickly called thendy.


    When thendy rushed over, she jabbed a finger in Charlotte¡¯s direction and started cursing at her.


    After telling Charlotte she would not be refunding her the deposit and rent, she demanded her to pay


    thirty thousand as a penalty and even told her to move out by the end of the day.


    Charlotte tried to reason with her, but thendy stated, ¡°Ever since you moved in, bad things kept


    happening. I¡¯ve already closed an eye on those who came here to cause a ruckus. But it¡¯s only getting


    worse. Now, there¡¯s even murder and kidnapping. What kind of ce do you think this is?¡±


    ¡°Ms. Hill, please allow me to exin-¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear your excuse. Move out immediately, or I¡¯ll call the cops on you,¡± Peyton warned


    with a growl. ¡°I¡¯ve been kind to you by not calling the cops and throwing your things out. I¡¯ve even


    waited for you toe back to discuss with you.¡±

 Chapter 201

    Chapter 201


    ¡°All right,¡± Charlotte mumbled weakly. ¡°I¡¯ll move out right away.¡±


    ¡°Be sure to move out before midnight, or else I¡¯ll get someone to help you with you,¡± Peyton uttered.


    ¡°For now, I need you to pay your penalty fees first.¡±


    Left with no choice, Charlotte could only pay the fee before she hurriedly looked for houses.


    Fortunately, the house she rented was fully furnished. As such, she did not have many things to move.


    She ced the pieces of furniture she owned and her suitcase in the security room before she went to


    the housing agency to look for houses.


    As she had to work on Monday, she had to finish moving by the end of today.


    R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only


    After going through some troubles, Charlotte finally managed to rent a house that was near her office.


    The rent was thrice the amount of her previous rent, but the house was spacious, and it was in a good


    neighborhood.


    Most importantly, no one knew about this ce.


    Hence, no one coulde and disrupt her life.


    While the banks were still opened, Charlotte rushed there and deposited the two million into her


    ount.


    Looking at the amount left in her ount, Charlotte grinned and exited the ce with her head held


    high.


    After moving everything into the new house, Charlotte started cleaning up. She only finished cleaning


    the entire housete into the night. Lying exhausted on the couch, she stared nkly at the ceiling.


    When she imagined the smiles that would be on her children¡¯s faces when they came home, the


    corners of her lips tilted upward.


    Perhaps it had been a tiring day, but she soon fell asleep on the couch.


    Fifi, who was perched on the television, looked at her gloomily and called out, ¡°Mommy, hungry.¡±


    That night, Charlotte slept soundly. She woke in the morning from the cold, and she realized she had


    not slept under a nketst night. Pulling her jacket closer together, she was about to fall asleep


    again when she found out it was already ratherte in the morning.


    In less than half an hour, she fed Fifi and washed up before she rushed to work.


    She had taken half a day offst Friday. Combined with the weekend, she only had two-and-a-half days


    off, but Charlotte felt as if she had had a long holiday.


    After all, she had gone through too many things during these two-and-a-half days.


    At work, she wondered why her colleagues were giving her odd looks and discussing quietly among


    themselves despite not knowing what had happened to her.


    ¡°Charlotte.¡±


    Her colleague from the administration department, Lily, walked over and eximed, ¡°Not bad,


    Charlotte. I never thought you were in that kind of rtionship with Mr. Sterling.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Charlotte froze. She had kept her rtionship with Hector private, and not many knew about it.


    ¡°Stop faking it,¡± Lily giggled excitedly. ¡°I knew it. You were transferred three times in less than a month


    after joining thepany, so I knew you must have pulled some strings. I thought the man backing you


    was Mr. Holt at first, I never would¡¯ve thought it¡¯d be Mr. Sterling! You¡¯re impressive to have a man like


    him on your side.¡±


    Hearing her words, Charlotte furrowed her brows and questioned, ¡°What the hell? What kinds of


    rumors did you hear?¡±


    ¡°How can they be rumors? We even have photos and videos.¡± Lily chuckled as she opened her social


    media on her phone. ¡°Look, it¡¯s everywhere on the inte. You¡¯re trending online.¡±


    Charlotte grabbed her phone to look at it, and instantly, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up as


    she read the titles of the articles.


    President Of Sterling Group, Hector Sterling, Secretly Dating A Secretary From Divine Corporation.


    Hector Sterling Having An Affair With A Secretary.


    Hector Sterling nning To Divorce For His Mistress. Mrs. Sterling Rushed Back To H City Overnight.


    These three articles were the top trending articles online.


    When she clicked into the pages, she realized the news was vividly described, and even photos of her


    meeting Hector at the Blue Diamond were in the article. In fact, one of the photos was of Hector holding


    her hand and staring into her eyes lovingly.


    There was no way for her to clear her name now.


    When Charlotte clicked into thements, goosebumps appeared on her arms.


    Die, homewrecker!


    I hate mistresses who ruin others¡¯ families. Karma will get this woman soon.


    Let¡¯s hunt this mistress down and expose everything about her. Make her suffer for the shameful deed


    she did!

 Chapter 202

    Chapter 202


    ¡°Ignore thements,¡± Lily whispered as she took her phone back.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that Mr. Sterling has been in a bad rtionship with his wife, and the two didn¡¯t even have a


    wedding. Mrs. Sterling had the reputation of being particrly arrogant in the corporate world, and no


    one likes her. You have to do your best and get the title of Mrs. Sterling. And don¡¯t forget about me


    when you¡¯re married into a rich family.¡±


    ¡°Lily, you¡¯ve misunderstood the situation. This isn¡¯t what it seems like-¡±


    Charlotte was about to exin when her phone rang. Looking at the screen, she realized it was an


    unfamiliar number. ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Hello, are you Ms. Charlotte Windt? I¡¯m from H City TV. I¡¯m hoping to interview you about your story


    with Mr. Hector Sterli-¡±


    Before the man could finish his sentence, Charlotte had ended the call. In the next second, her phone


    rang again.


    Charlotte dared not pick it up this time, but it doesn¡¯t matter because soon, her inbox exploded with


    countless messages.


    Ms. Charlotte Windt, we¡¯re from H City Daily. We¡¯re hoping to have an exclusive interview with you


    about Hector Sterling and you.


    Ms. Charlotte Windt, we¡¯re from H City Business Daily. We¡¯re hoping we can arrange an exclusive


    interview with you. Shall we arrange for a time?


    ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    Ms. Charlotte Windt...


    Every mediapany in H City, and even mediapanies overseas, were hoping to interview


    Charlotte.


    She dared not pick up any calls from unfamiliar numbers, nor did she dare to click into her inbox


    anymore.


    Within several minutes, she had received dozens of messages with every one of them asking about her


    rtionship with Hector.


    Charlotte was panicking, and she knew things had blown up. If this kept up, every private matter of


    hers would be revealed to the public. If that happened, even her children would be caught up in this


    mess.


    What do I do?


    What should I do?


    ¡°Let me in!¡± Luna¡¯s shrill voice came from the outside. ¡°I¡¯m not here to make a ruckus. I¡¯m here for


    Charlotte. She moved out from her previous ce, so this is the only ce I can find her. That b*tch


    had the audacity to seduced my husband and forced him to divorce me while I¡¯m not around. I want to


    confront her about this.¡±


    At that moment, everyone by the elevators heard her shouts, and they all cast odd looks at Charlotte.


    Promptly, Charlotte lowered her head as she frowned in silence.


    ¡°What are you looking at? What¡¯s there to look at?¡± Lily scoffed at them righteously. ¡°It takes two to


    tango, you know? So why do you have to me everything on the woman?¡±


    Charlotte¡¯s eyes darted at her colleague. Oh my God, Lily. You¡¯re just making things worse!


    ¡°Charlotte, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m on your side.¡± Lily hooked her arm around Charlotte¡¯s and huffed, ¡°Didn¡¯t


    you see the photos? Mr. Sterling is the one holding Charlotte¡¯s hand, and he¡¯s the one looking at her


    lovingly. I¡¯d dare say that Mr. Sterling is the one who made the first move.¡±


    ¡°How can a mistress be the one who¡¯s morally right?¡± a female colleague refuted. ¡°Regardless of


    everything, he has a wife and a child. You shouldn¡¯t have involved yourself in someone else¡¯s family.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Everyone is supposed to have morals. We can¡¯t be walking around like shameless


    people,¡± another female colleague hissed.


    ¡°You¡¯re just jealous that she¡¯s a prettydy,¡± Lily argued.


    ¡°So what if she¡¯s pretty? Does that mean she has to be a mistress if she¡¯s pretty? Karma will get you


    soon for doing something as immoral as this.¡±


    Unable to bear their words any longer, Charlotte turned to leave.


    ¡°Hey, Charlotte, why are you leaving? If we don¡¯t take this elevator, we¡¯ll bete for work,¡± Lily cried out,


    but the doors had already closed.


    ¡°I bet she¡¯s too ashamed to stay here.¡±


    ¡°Honestly, what¡¯s wrong with the HR department? How can they recruit someone as immoral as her?¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re the only ones who are standing on the moral high ground?¡±


    Her colleagues were still arguing by the elevators. After rubbing her temples, Charlotte headed toward


    another elevator instead.


    Right then, Luna¡¯s agitated voice traveled into her ears again.


    ¡°Charlotte, you b*tch! Get the f*ck out here, or I¡¯ll reveal all your secrets to the media!¡±

 Chapter 203

    Chapter 203


    Hearing her words, Charlotte, who was about to enter the elevator, stood rooted to her spot. She knew


    what secrets Luna was threatening her with.


    She could not imagine the disastrous consequences if the circumstances of her children¡¯s births were


    revealed.


    The media would find out about her hiring a gigolo, and they would definitely put words into her mouth


    before they spread the news.


    When that happened, not only would she have to face Zachary, but the children would also be


    traumatized.


    Furthermore, she had yet to find out whether Zachary was the gigolo that night.


    ¡°Please leave. Stop making a ruckus in Divine Corporation.¡±


    The few security guards then dragged Luna out.


    ¡°Let go of me. Let go!¡± Luna continued struggling vehemently as she screamed, ¡°Don¡¯t you know who I


    am? My husband¡¯s Hector Sterling. How dare youy your hands on me? I¡¯m going to get mywyer


    and sue you!¡±


    ¡°Help! The security guards at Divine Corporation are beating me up. They¡¯re beating me up!¡±


    None of the security guards paid any attention to her words as they continued to drag her out.


    Refusing to give up, Luna continued yelling, ¡°Charlotte, are you really nning to hide in there? I¡¯m


    going to the reporters right away and I¡¯ll-¡±


    Before Luna could finish her threat, Charlotte scuttled out. ¡°Stop making a fuss here. Let¡¯s have a


    private talk instead.¡±


    ¡°There you are, you finally have the guts to face me,¡± Luna sneered. ¡°Why should we have a private


    talk? Are you afraid that I¡¯d expose some ugly details about you? Why didn¡¯t you think of that when you


    were seducing my husband?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve misunderstood me. There¡¯s nothing going on between your husband and me.¡±


    While Charlotte was talking, many of her colleagues had crowded around them. Most of them did not


    care about the fact that they were about to bete for work; they only wanted to hear more gossips.


    Even the security guards were watching them from the side.


    Just then, David walked over and whispered, ¡°Charlotte, do you need help?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m fine.¡± Charlotte did not want to trouble him nor involve him in the mess.


    ¡°I¡¯ve misunderstood?¡± Luna questioned in agitation. ¡°If there¡¯s nothing going on between the two of you,


    why are you two on a date? Why are you holding hands? Who knows if you¡¯ve done other things with


    him? Do you think I¡¯m a fool?¡±


    ¡°We met that time to return the bracelet,¡± Charlotte stated. ¡°You should know how important the


    coboration with Divine Corporation is to your husband. If you keep this up, while it¡¯s true it¡¯ll affect


    me, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll affect you worse.¡±


    Hearing that, Luna¡¯s expression froze. She understood Charlotte¡¯s words well, but fury had taken over


    her mind earlier. That was why she barged into Divine Corporation to curse at Charlotte, hoping to


    force her out of the building.


    Now that she had achieved her aim, it would not be beneficial for her to keep up the maniacal act.


    ¡°There¡¯s a caf¨¦ opposite the street. Wait for me there. I¡¯ll be there in ten minutes after I apply for my


    leave.¡±


    Charlotte then turned to return to the office building.


    ¡°Don¡¯t leave!¡± Luna rushed forward to stop Charlotte but her path was blocked by David.


    She was about to start hurling profanities again when David warned, ¡°Mrs. Sterling, thepany has


    informed Mr. Sterling about this matter. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be here soon, so it¡¯s best if you stop making a


    fuss here.¡±


    ¡°Who told you to inform him?¡± Anger exploded in Luna, but all she could do was to leave.


    Meanwhile, Charlotte went to Lucy to apply for her leave.


    When she found Lucy, the woman threw a stack of newspaper at her face and said sternly, ¡°Charlotte,


    your private life has caused a lot of troubles for thepany, and it¡¯s affecting thepany¡¯s


    reputation. The higher-ups have notified us that you¡¯ll be suspended temporarily.


    ¡°Suspended? Why?¡± Charlotte promptly exined, ¡°Ms. Wright, this is a misunderstanding. I really


    didn¡¯t-¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to exin to me,¡± Lucy interrupted. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what the truth is. What matters


    most is that thepany¡¯s reputation has suffered from this. You¡¯ll be suspended until this issue is


    resolved. This is just thepany¡¯s standard operating procedure when handling this kind of problem.¡±


    With that, Lucy turned and left.


    Charlotte was at a loss for words. This was a disaster that she never sawing. I¡¯m innocent! Why is


    the media spouting nonsense?


    ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    Nevertheless, her priority right now was to deal with Luna. Otherwise, should that woman lost her mind


    and exposed the matter about her children, she would be doomed.

 Chapter 204

    Chapter 204


    When Charlotte rushed to the caf¨¦ to look for Luna, shlights attacked her the moment she stepped


    into the caf¨¦, and she could not open her eyes.


    Subconsciously, she raised her hand to block the lights from her eyes. Then, she heard Luna¡¯s voice.


    ¡°This is the homewrecker, Charlotte Windt. Take a good shot of her. Zoom into her face!¡±


    It was only then that Charlotte realized Luna had gathered a group of reporters here to ambush her.


    What a cunning woman.


    Every single camera was pointed in Charlotte¡¯s direction, and reporters were spewing questions at her.


    ¡°Ms. Windt, what is your rtionship with Mr. Sterling?¡±


    ¡°Ms. Windt, when did you start having an affair with Mr. Sterling?¡±


    ¡°Ms. Windt, were you the one to force Mr. Sterling to divorce his wife and marry you?¡±


    ¡°Ms. Windt, why did you do this?¡±


    Wrath surged from within Charlotte, and she snarled, ¡°What evidence do you have to prove that I¡¯m the


    homewrecker?¡±


    ¡°One of our reporters has taken photos of you and Mr. Sterling dating at the Blue Diamond. Both of you


    were acting intimately, and he even held your hand. Is that not the case?¡± a female reporter


    interrogated.


    ¡°So, I was having an affair with him just because I was holding his hand?¡± Charlotte stepped forward


    and ced the female reporter¡¯s hand on the hand of the cameraman beside her. ¡°Does this mean


    you¡¯re having an affair with him now?¡±


    ¡°You-¡± Her words rendered the reporter speechless.


    Even the cameraman was stupefied.


    ¡°Ms. Windt, are you saying that you¡¯re not the mistress?¡± another reported queried. ¡°Then why did you


    meet Mr. Sterling alone?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d have to ask Mrs. Sterling about that.¡± Charlotte stared at Luna coldly. ¡°She took something of


    mine and flew overseas for holiday. I¡¯m in a hurry to get it back, but she refused to meet up with me


    and give it back. That¡¯s why I could only try to get it back through Mr. Sterling.¡±


    ¡°You-¡± Luna glowered. ¡°You b*tch! How dare you use me of this?¡±


    ¡°Is that not the truth?¡± Charlotte snapped. ¡°Do you want me to ask for the owner of the ne to


    verify this?¡±


    With that, Luna finally felt fear. She had nearly forgotten that the man backing Charlotte was Zachary.


    Taking two steps ahead, Charlotte whispered into Luna¡¯s ears. ¡°If you want to talk about this, let¡¯s talk


    nicely. If you want to make a fuss... Well, two can y at this game. After all, I have nothing to lose


    now. On the other hand, you have everything to lose. Will you be willing to part with the title of Mrs.


    Sterling?¡±


    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°You-¡± Luna repeated as she ground her teeth. In the end, she relented. She had to take Hector¡¯s


    feelings into consideration, as well as the consequences that awaited her should she dared to cross


    Zachary.


    ¡°That¡¯s it for today¡¯s interview. Please leave.¡±


    Luna instantly dismissed the reporters by giving them ten thousand each. She then instructed the


    bodyguards to send them off.


    Seeing how this was a big scoop, the reporters were reluctant to leave, but the bodyguards couldn¡¯t be


    bothered about their reluctance and simply chased them out of the caf¨¦.


    Hence, they had no choice but to leave while cursing and swearing that they would not get involved in


    Luna¡¯s matters ever again.


    The caf¨¦ finally quieted down now that the reporters were gone.


    ¡°Charlotte, you are to cut ties with Hector immediately, or else I won¡¯t let you off the hook,¡± Luna


    commanded bossily.


    ¡°I¡¯ll repeat this onest time,¡± Charlotte seethed impatiently. ¡°There¡¯s nothing between Hector and me.¡±


    ¡°Nothing?¡± Luna mmed her fist at the table. ¡°You called me the other day, telling me that you¡¯re going


    to seduce him-¡±


    ¡°That was me trying to provoke you intoing back.¡± Charlotte frowned. ¡°You¡¯re really dumb, you


    know that?¡±


    ¡°You...¡± Luna¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°If there¡¯s nothing between the two of you, why would Hector


    bring the ruby ne back? Why would he be adamant about divorcing me? He even signed the


    divorce papers.¡±


    ¡°The ruby ne is a gift from Mr. Nacht. They have another agreement.¡± Charlotte¡¯s frown


    deepened. ¡°As for why he¡¯s divorcing you, he should be the one you¡¯re asking that question to.¡±

 Chapter 205

    Chapter 205


    ¡°It must be because of you,¡± Lunamented. ¡°Only you can make him so adamant about divorcing me.¡±


    ¡°What can I say for you to understand this?¡± By now, Charlotte was exasperated. ¡°He and I are done,


    It¡¯s all in the past now. Even if he¡¯s not married to you, even if he¡¯s single, I still won¡¯t go back to him.¡±


    ¡°Of course I understand. You¡¯ve let go of him long ago, but he hasn¡¯t.¡± A bitter smile crept upon Luna¡¯s


    lips. ¡°He¡¯s a fool. He thought by divorcing me, he¡¯ll be able to court you again, but you¡¯ve already set


    your eyes on someone else, didn¡¯t you? You¡¯re thinking of seducing Mr. Nacht.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± In order to make Luna stop pestering her, Charlotte made a false admittance. ¡°I¡¯m


    thinking of going after Mr. Nacht. He¡¯s better than Hector in virtually everything.¡±


    ¡°You sure are full of yourself, aren¡¯t you?¡± Luna said with disdain. ¡°Mr. Nacht has a fianc¨¦e, you know?


    He¡¯s just toying with you. He won¡¯t actually fall in love with you.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Charlotte¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Zachary has a fianc¨¦e? Why don¡¯t I know about this?


    ¡°The reason for Hector¡¯s persistence is because he knows it¡¯s impossible for you and Mr. Nacht to be in


    a rtionship,¡± Luna sneered. ¡°On that note, I actually know someone who¡¯s a perfect match for you.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Charlotte was confounded.


    ¡°Come on out.¡± Luna pped.


    With that, Amanda came out from the private room with a towering man following behind her.


    The man looked around six-foot-two with a simr build as Zachary. However, the way he held himself


    differed vastly from Zachary.


    When Charlotte looked at his face, she noticed he was a man from T Nation.


    ¡°Do you remember him?¡± Amanda pointed at the man as she sneered, ¡°He¡¯s Tevin. He was the man


    that slept with you at Sultry Night.¡±


    Tevin gave Charlotte a once-over, seemingly lost in his thoughts.


    ¡°You¡¯re his first client, and you¡¯ve left a deep impression on him,¡± Luna added. ¡°I hired him for you for


    twenty thousand back then, and I even sent the two of you to the hotel. It was that night that made you


    have that three damn kids.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible...¡± Charlotte frowned as her eyes widened in shock before she shook her head


    fervently. ¡°It can¡¯t be him. How can it be him?¡±


    Although she had drunk much that night, and she could not remember the man¡¯s face, when she woke


    up in a daze, she saw the man¡¯s back and his tattoo.


    It was impossible for her to have recognized the wrong person.


    ¡°Who else could it be if not him?¡± Amanda mocked. ¡°Tevin won¡¯t remember the wrong person. He takes


    a photo of every client he has.¡±


    With that, she gestured at the tall man.


    Tevin then took out several photos from the pocket of his flowery shirt and carefully ced them on the


    table.


    When Charlotte focused on it, her jaw dropped.


    In the photo was a drunk Charlotte who only had a ck bra on her top. Her face was flushed, and she


    was sound asleep on a white,rge bed.


    The man had also taken multiple close and intimate shots of her with him.


    Goosebumps rose on her arm, and at that moment, Charlotte felt nauseated.


    She could not believe the man who she slept with four years ago was this man from T Nation.


    She could not believe that he was the father of her children.


    ¡°Do you still not believe in me?¡± Luna took out her phone and yed a video. ¡°You will when you look


    at this.¡±


    Charlotte twisted around to look at the video ying on the screen of the phone.


    In the video, she was in a drunken stupor as she cursed at Hector for betraying her.


    While Luna supported her, she picked the only foreigner from a line of male models¡ªTevin. With an


    evil grin, she said, ¡°You¡¯ll be the one. Do serve my dear friend here well tonight.¡±Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 206

    Chapter 206


    ¡°Okay, got it.¡±


    Tevin helped Charlotte leave the room.


    That was when Luna called out from behind, ¡°I booked you guys a hotel just across the road. I¡¯ll take


    you there.¡±


    Then, the woman kept her phone and sneered, ¡°I rushed to meet Hector that night when he dropped by


    Sultry Night and even ced a mini camera on top of the vase. I don¡¯t know what happened afterward,


    but the camera didn¡¯t capture anything. Otherwise, we¡¯d be enjoying some great content by now.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re disgusting!¡± Charlotte yelled. ¡°I¡¯ve treated you kindly all this while, Luna, but why are you doing


    this to me? Why?¡±


    ¡°You treated me kindly?¡± Luna scoffed. ¡°I followed you around and served you like a ve ever since I


    was young. You call that treating me kindly? We¡¯re all human, and both our fathers are Windts. Yet,


    you¡¯re seen as a princess while I¡¯m nothing but your little subordinate. Why is that?¡±


    Charlotte retorted, ¡°Everything I have was given to me by my father. What does this have to do with


    you?¡±


    She couldn¡¯t understand Luna¡¯s reasoning.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s why your dad died at such a young age,¡± the other woman enunciated. ¡°You drove him to


    his death.¡±


    ¡°Shut your nonsense!¡±


    ¡°Okay, got it.¡±


    Tevin helped Charlotte leave the room.


    Trembling with anger, Charlotte wanted to strike Luna only to be held back by Amanda.


    ¡°You darey a finger on Luna?¡± Amanda gave Charlotte a shove and shot her a warning. ¡°Now that


    we¡¯ve got some dirt on you, shouldn¡¯t you be pleading to us like a dog by now? Instead, you¡¯re still


    acting all high and mighty? Should I post all these pictures and videos on the Inte, then? Maybe I


    should get Tevin to give the media a detailed ount of what happened that night too.¡±


    ¡°You...¡± Charlotte couldn¡¯t utter a word. She turned to Tevin and shook her head fervently. ¡°No. It wasn¡¯t


    him. There¡¯s no way¡ª¡±


    ¡°It was me. It really was.¡± The man gazed at her weakly. ¡°I know you have a scar on your waist.¡±


    Charlotte froze in shock and slumped on the couch.


    She did have a scar on her waist.


    Could it be...


    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    No!


    Something important suddenly sprang up in her mind. She hastily pressed Tevin against the wall and


    tugged at his shirt.


    ¡°Ughh!¡± Amanda immediately turned around and covered her eyes. ¡°How shameless can you be to do


    something like this right in front of us? You¡¯re disgusting!¡±


    ¡°What a lunatic.¡± Luna frowned with contempt.


    Charlotte lifted Tevin¡¯s shirt, searching for a tattoo on the back of his waist.


    It¡¯s not him.


    I¡¯m sure of it!


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time for a psycho like you, Charlotte,¡± Luna warned haughtily. ¡°I¡¯m giving you an order


    right now. Marry this man, or I¡¯ll release all the pictures, videos, and information I have on you, your T


    Nation gigolo, as well as the three kids you had with him.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t marry him,¡± Charlotte dered, slowly calming down. ¡°He¡¯s not the man from that night, nor is


    he the father of my children. You¡¯re obviously trying to set me up.¡±


    ¡°Are you out of your mind?¡± The other woman tossed the explicit photos over. ¡°I have all the proof right


    here, and you¡¯re still trying to deny it? Are you making any sense?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it wasn¡¯t him,¡± Charlotte insisted. ¡°But if you dare spread nonsense to the public, I¡¯ll never let


    you off.¡±


    ¡°You...¡±


    Amanda merely smirked. ¡°I¡¯d like to see you can do that. Do you think we¡¯d be afraid of you just


    because you have Mr. Nacht backing you up now? Do you honestly think he¡¯d still protect you if he


    finds out about all your nasty deeds and the fact that you have three kids? He might even kill you


    instead!¡±

 Chapter 207

    Chapter 207


    Upon hearing this, Charlotte began to worry. She¡¯s right. It¡¯d be trouble if Zachary finds out...


    Still, none of these threats would mean anything if he were the gigolo from back then.


    But I¡¯m sure if it really was him.


    She dared not take a gamble.


    ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    Besides, even if it were him, what if he has something to do with Dad¡¯s death?


    I can¡¯t acknowledge him, and I can¡¯t ever let him find out about the kids.


    Otherwise, he might take them from me...


    Charlotte was distraught as these thoughts crossed her mind.


    Even so... I can¡¯t marry this T Nation man to cover my tracks, can I?


    ¡°You don¡¯t have a choice,¡± Luna threatened. ¡°I don¡¯t have that much patience either. Tevin¡¯s already


    brought the agreement. Head to the Civil Affairs Bureau to register your marriage, and I¡¯ll talk to the


    press. As long we get these two steps done, I¡¯ll never bother you again.¡±


    ¡°Give me some time.¡± Charlotte didn¡¯t dare turn Luna down, but she certainly wasn¡¯t going to readily


    agree either. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it¡ª¡±


    ¡°Think about what? I want it done now.¡± Luna obviously couldn¡¯t wait any longer.


    ¡°But¡ª¡± Suddenly, Charlotte¡¯s phone rang. Having the name ¡®Gigolo¡¯ appear on her screen was as


    though she had met her savior. ¡°Don¡¯t you want me to get married to make Hector give up? Well, it¡¯s


    not like I have to marry this T Nation man; I can marry someone else, right?¡±


    ¡°Who else do you think would marry you within this hour and a half?¡± Amanda scoffed. ¡°Do you think


    you¡¯re some goddess everyone wants to marry?¡±


    ¡°I do have a candidate,¡± Charlotte answered while holding her phone. ¡°But he can¡¯t find out about my


    kids.¡±


    ¡°Fine. Whatever.¡± Luna waved impatiently. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who you marry. Just get it done by today


    and announce it to the press.¡±


    ¡°Luna...¡± Amanda tried to stop her daughter from saying something rash, but Luna had already spoken.


    ¡°Okay. Let me pick up a call.¡± Charlotte walked toward a corner and answered her phone. ¡°Save me,


    Gigolo.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is someone after you again?¡± Zachary asked hastily.


    He was so frantic that he forgot to suppress his voice.


    ¡°No, I...¡± Charlotte paused for a moment and began to feel him out. ¡°I have to head to the Civil Affairs


    Bureau right now and get married. Can you help me?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± the man asked in shock.


    ¡°I can¡¯t exin it all now. In any case, I have to get married today. Just answer this. Are you able to


    help me or not?¡±


    She was trying to connect the dots. If he really is Zachary, he¡¯d be in E Nation now. He won¡¯t be able to


    come back right away.


    ¡°I¡¯m out of town at the moment. Can it wait a few days?¡±


    I knew it. It¡¯s exactly as I expected.


    ¡°Are you in E Nation now?¡± she continued asking.


    The man over the line paused for two seconds before answering, ¡°I¡¯m in S Nation.¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡±


    Charlotte was eighty percent sure this man was Zachary. ¡°The two million you gave me isn¡¯t enough,¡±


    she probed.


    ¡°Two million?¡± Gigolo sounded confused. ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Just admit it already. You¡¯re¡ª¡±


    ¡°Are you done yet? I¡¯m not in the mood to watch you dilly-dally!¡±


    Luna¡¯s impatient voice cut Charlotte off.


    Zachary narrowed his eyes. ¡°Is someone threatening you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all good. I¡¯ll talk to youter.¡± She hung up and turned to Luna. ¡°I can¡¯t get it done within an hour


    and a half. Give me a few days. If you can¡¯t wait, just do as you please.¡±


    ¡°Do you really think you call the shots here?¡± Amanda growled. ¡°Keep ying games with me, and I¡¯ll


    release everything to the public!¡±


    ¡°Be my guest, then.¡± Charlotte was pretty much done with them. ¡°Zachary may not want me if he finds


    out about the kids, but Hector won¡¯t think that way. If you drive me to the edge, I¡¯ll have no choice but to


    rely on Hector.¡±

 Chapter 208

    Chapter 208


    ¡°You b*tch!¡± Luna rushed over and gave her a vicious p across the face, trembling with fury. ¡°Touch


    my husband, and I¡¯ll kill you!¡±


    The woman wanted to continue attacking Charlotte, but her mother held her back.


    ¡°We should be trying to solve the problem. There¡¯s no point hitting her,¡± Amanda advised. ¡°If she can¡¯t


    get it done by today, we may as well give her two days.¡±


    Charlotte¡¯s cheek stung in pain. However, instead of returning the favor, she silently took note of what


    Luna had just done to her.


    Despite feeling extremely reluctant, Luna gave in to her mother¡¯s advice. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll give you two days.


    But if you don¡¯t do as I say by then, you know what will happen. I¡¯ll release everything piece of news I


    have about your children if you ever tell Hector anything about this.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    After Charlotte left the caf¨¦, a group of paparazzi began to follow her. The woman ran as fast as she


    could and finally shook them off after crossing several streets and alleys.


    She didn¡¯t understand it. She had never gotten back at Luna for the things the woman had done to her


    back then. Yet, not only did thetter not feel guilty at all, but she was even more ruthless toward


    Charlotte now.


    At present, Charlotte had lost her job - her life was a mess.


    She was on the verge of breaking down upon arriving home. Her phone had been ringing all the while;


    it was Hector calling.


    The mere sight of this man¡¯s caller ID gave her a headache. She immediately rejected the call and


    blocked his number.


    At this moment, the world fell silent.


    Clutching her burning forehead, she leaned against the couch to rest, only to hear her phone ring


    again. It was the news outlets calling this time. Irritated, the woman hurriedly blocked one number after


    another.


    Suddenly, a familiar-looking number appeared on her screen.


    Charlotte couldn¡¯t help but freeze upon seeing the digits.


    This phone number was practically the same as Hector¡¯s, except for thest digit. Hector¡¯s number


    ended with a 9, but this one was a 6.


    She quickly recalled how Helena had gotten herself a number simr to Hector¡¯s while she was


    frantically pursuing him.


    ¡°Hello?¡± Charlotte answered the phone.


    ¡°You¡¯re so hard to reach, Charlotte! It¡¯s me, Helena.¡±


    She sounds the same as before.


    ¡°Hey, Helena. What can I do for you?¡± she asked politely.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s someone else who wants to talk to you...¡±


    Helena handed the phone to someone else.


    A gentle voice immediately came through the line. ¡°Hey, looney. Do you know who I am?¡±


    Charlotte instantly froze; she only returned to her senses after a long while. ¡°Michael!¡±


    ¡°Thank God you remember me. I just made a bet with Helena, and I would have had to buy her a


    year¡¯s worth of heels if you didn¡¯t remember me.¡±


    The man¡¯s voice sounded as warm and yful as the sun.


    ¡°How could I not remember you?¡±


    Charlotte instantly felt glum. Apart from her father and Hector, Michael was one of the few people who


    treated her extremely well.


    Because of an ident back in university, this man had his finger chopped off by a machine just to


    save her.


    At that time, she had sobbed uncontrobly as she watched him lying in a pool of blood.


    Michael had been in so much pain that he turned pale and was practically drenched in sweat. Even so,


    he had merely let out a smile and said to her, ¡°You feel bad? If you do, you should marry me.¡±


    Michael and Hector had fought over her for many years. They both had done so much just to win the


    girl¡¯s heart.


    But in the end, however, she still chose the graceful and elegant Hector. He was the first one to capture


    her heart, after all.


    ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    Michael, on the other hand, was more like an elder brother or close rtive to her.


    After news of Charlotte¡¯s and Hector¡¯s engagement broke out, Michael left the country on his own and


    cut off all contact with the woman.


    ¡°Are you free? How about a drink?¡± Michael asked gently.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Charlotte replied casually before immediately thinking twice. Those reporters follow me


    wherever I go, don¡¯t they? Won¡¯t that spell trouble for him?


    As if he had read her mind, he said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll protect you. Just tell me where I can pick you up,


    and I¡¯ll head over.¡±


    Michael had always been a thoughtful man.

 Chapter 209

    Chapter 209


    Charlotte quickly provided an address nearby her home and arranged to meet him in half an hour.


    She quickly changed her clothes and tidied her hair before heading out.


    Upon arriving at the pre-arranged location, a ck Maybach stopped in front of her.


    As the door flew open, a man with long legs alighted. He removed his sunsses, and a radiant smile


    appeared on his face. ¡°Hey, Looney!¡±


    ¡°Michael!¡± She took a close look at the man and only recognized him after a short pause.


    Michael looked like apletely different person now. The man, who had a rather slender figure, now


    sported long hair. He looked a lot more gentle than before.


    These features only made him look even more attractive.


    Even Charlotte felt a little insecure standing in front of him. ¡°You¡¯ve lost some weight. You look much


    better now!¡±


    ¡°Tsk tsk tsk. I told you long ago not to describe me that way.¡±


    ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    He still enjoyed pinching her like before.


    ¡°But I mean it. You do look good.¡±


    Charlotte took her own words seriously.


    The man now looked like a protagonist from a story. His white teeth, fair skin, and incredibly gorgeous


    face put many girls to shame, especially now that he had long hair.


    Despite tying it up ever so casually, he still managed to look extremely charming in a pretty boy kind of


    way.


    ¡°Not as good as you.¡±


    Speaking the same way as before, Michael held her by the shoulder and helped her into the car. ¡°You


    should get in. The paparazzi are on the hunt again.¡±


    The woman nervously scanned the area. There seemed to be a few suspicious-looking people staring


    at her.


    ¡°Buckle up and sit tight,¡± he reminded before he started the engine and sped away.


    Charlotte frantically clutched onto the grab handle, took a deep breath, and leaned into her seat.


    As expected, two ck cars began to trail them. Being the excellent driver he was, Michael easily


    shook them off while on the road.


    She heaved a sigh of relief after noting that the reporters were gone and reminded Michael, ¡°Slow


    down.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Thetter reduced his speed and caressed her head affectionately. ¡°Let¡¯s go get some meat


    fondue.¡±


    ¡°You actually remember what I like.¡±


    Charlotte had loved meat fondue ever since she was young, but Hector never took her to eat any as he


    felt it was bad for her digestion.


    Michael, on the other hand, thought differently. He just wanted her to be happy.


    ¡°How could I not?¡± He beamed at her. ¡°I remember every single thing about you.¡±


    She didn¡¯t know how to respond to such profound words.


    She gazed at the moon outside, feeling tired and frustrated. I have so much to worry about now. I can¡¯t


    even live a normal life. I don¡¯t want to drag anyone into this mess...


    ¡°I heard about everything that happened back then,¡± Michael couldn¡¯t help but mention. ¡°I¡¯d never have


    let that happen if I were the one who married you, and Mr. Windt would¡¯ve been okay.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Charlotte¡¯s nose began to tingle, and her eyes turned red.


    She hurriedly turned away, not wanting him to see how miserable she looked.


    She had chosen Hector over Michael back then, but reality was now pping her across the face.


    The Brown family had always maintained a low profile, with their assets kept overseas.


    Helena and Michael¡¯s fathers were siblings. Helena¡¯s family had only begun gaining a foothold in H City


    ten years ago, but they slowly grew in power with the help of Michael¡¯s father.


    The Browns were now on the verge of surpassing the Sterlings.


    It was sufficient to say that the Browns were indeed a rich and influential family that had a firm ce in


    the corporate world.


    Even the mighty Zachary Nacht treated the Brown family with more respect than he did other families.


    Hence, Michael¡¯s words were no bluff. Had he been around that time, Charlotte¡¯s father, Richard,


    wouldn¡¯t have had to resort to such means.


    Back then, Michael liked Charlotte more than Hector did, but he had let her go out of respect for her


    decision.


    Then, the man left H City in a fury, severing his ties with everyone so that nobody could find him.


    That was how the Windt family had lost their veryst saving grace.

 Chapter 210

    Chapter 210


    ¡°It¡¯s all my fault.¡± Michael felt extremely remorseful. ¡°Your father would¡¯ve still been alive and well had I


    not left H City and cut everyone off like that.¡±


    ¡°It has nothing to do with you,¡± Charlotte replied, taking a deep breath. ¡°I guess this is fate.¡±


    ¡°You never used to say such things.¡± His heart ached as he gazed at the woman he once loved. ¡°It


    must have been tough on you these few years.¡±


    ¡°Well, it hasn¡¯t been that bad. It¡¯s just that...¡± She suppressed her urge to tell him the truth and hurriedly


    changed the subject. ¡°Have youe back to see Helena and Mr. Brown, Michael?¡±


    ¡°I came back for you,¡± the man answered, staring into her eyes. ¡°After hearing what you¡¯ve been going


    through, I decided toe back and see if I¡¯d be able to help you in any way.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so nice to me,¡± she couldn¡¯t help but reply chokingly. ¡°I¡¯d only feel guilty if you treat me so


    nicely.¡±


    She turned to look at his hands on the steering wheel. The man wore a glove on his left hand to


    conceal the fact that he didn¡¯t have a ring finger.


    That finger was supposed to be where he would wear a wedding ring one day, but he had lost it


    because of her.


    ¡°You silly girl!¡± Seeing how Charlotte was about to cry made Michael¡¯s heart wrench, and he hurriedly


    pulled her into his arms. ¡°I¡¯m more than willing to treat you nicely. It makes me happy. Can¡¯t you just let


    me be happy for a while?¡±


    The woman said nothing, merely pursing her lips and sniffling inside his embrace.


    She was optimistic and cheerful by nature. Whenever problems befell her, she would always do her


    best to solve them instead of crying or being miserable.


    Even so, there were also days where she would break down and feel worn out from all the stress she


    was experiencing.


    Charlotte never showed such feelings in front of Mrs. Berry and the children, but now that she was in a


    warm embrace and had a firm shoulder to lean on, she suddenly had a desire to give in.


    ¡°With me around, you¡¯ll never have to be afraid of anything.¡± Michael kissed her hair. ¡°Tell me what


    happened.¡±


    ¡°I...¡± She opened her mouth but couldn¡¯t speak. She dared not tell him that she was now being


    ckmailed by the mother-daughter duo of the White family after meeting a gigolo and giving birth to


    three of his children.


    ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    She did not want him to know that she was now being forced to marry someone. She did not want him


    to know that they had threatened to release all the pictures and videos of her and the gigolo online


    while also getting that T Nation gigolo to exin everything to the media.


    Furthermore, Charlotte certainly dared not reveal how she had been forced to sign a debt repayment


    contract with the one and only Zachary Nacht. Even if Michael could help her pay the debt off, Zachary


    would surely not agree to it.


    I owe Michael enough. I can¡¯t afford to burden him again.


    And I definitely can¡¯t make more enemies for him¡ªnot especially when he may end up having to deal


    with someone like Zachary!


    I can¡¯t rope him into this.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen the news,¡± said Michael. ¡°I¡¯ll never believe any of that. Knowing you, you¡¯d never turn back to


    Hector after he abandoned you when you needed him most four years ago.¡±


    ¡°You really do understand me.¡± She sighed in frustration. ¡°I have no intention of talking to those from


    the past. I¡¯ve forgiven them despite everything they¡¯ve done to me, but they just can¡¯t seem to let me off


    the hook.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Now that I¡¯m here, no one will be able to hurt you.¡±


    For the first time, an air of dominance engulfed Michael as he frowned.


    ¡°No. This is something I have to take care of myself. I don¡¯t want you to be involved,¡± she hastily


    insisted. ¡°You¡¯re different from other people, Michael. You¡¯ve never liked business rivalries and


    schemes. Art has always been your only passion. Don¡¯t give up your own values because of me.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s not talk about all this anymore.¡± The man smiled gently. ¡°It¡¯s been so long since west


    met, so we should be enjoying ourselves.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± She immediately nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s have a good time. It¡¯s my treat tonight.¡±


    ¡°Sure. I won¡¯t hold back then.¡±


    His smile looked more dazzling than the moonlight.

 Chapter 211

    Chapter 211


    Michael took Charlotte to a seaside T Nation style meat fondue restaurant. However, Charlotte felt


    unsettled the moment she saw the words ¡°T Nation.¡±


    Despite being absolutely certain that Tevin wasn¡¯t the man from that night, those photos were more


    than enough to disgust her.


    To make things worse, the photos were now in the hands of the mother-daughter duo of the White


    family.


    If those pictures were to be publicized, Charlotte¡¯s reputation would be tarnished, and this would affect


    her children too.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Michael asked gently as he spotted the strange look on her face. ¡°You don¡¯t like T


    Nation style meat fondue? Let¡¯s go somewhere else, then.¡±


    ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine.¡±


    She figured that he had nned everything so carefully, so she didn¡¯t want to rain on his parade.


    Furthermore, they had already driven so far out. It would be time-consuming to suddenly go elsewhere.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s head in.¡±


    He brought her into a private room he had booked prior toing. Every dish was what she enjoyed


    eating.


    After the waiters left, the two began to reminisce about the past. Talking about their university days


    made them especially happy. Those were much simpler times, after all.


    Then, the man asked Charlotte how she was doing now.


    With that, the smile on thetter¡¯s face vanished in a sh and she turned grim. The woman lowered


    her head and sipped her tea, not saying a word.


    ¡°I heard from Helena that you¡¯re... pretty close to Mr. Nacht of Divine Corporation,¡± Michael hinted.


    ¡°He¡¯s my boss,¡± she swiftly responded.


    ¡°Charlotte... Don¡¯t ever do anything to cross the Nachts,¡± Michael reminded.


    At that, she looked up at him in confusion. ¡°Why would you say that?¡±


    ¡°Well, how should I put it...¡± He tried to exin what he meant inyman terms. ¡°There¡¯s a saying in the


    corporate world about two powerful families. The Nachts control the south, while the Lindbergs control


    the north. They the biggest yers in the nation¡¯s business circle, but they¡¯re also a lion¡¯s den. Both of


    those families are reallyplicated. You¡¯re too innocent to be getting caught up with people like


    them.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± she answered while nodding. ¡°I thought you knew more.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± The man was visibly puzzled by her curt statement.


    ¡°Nothing.¡± She shed him a smile. ¡°Let¡¯s have some tea!¡±


    Michael was different from Hector, Zachary, and even Chris, after all.


    The man loved arts and hated anything business-rted. As someone who despised a life where


    everyone schemed against each other in the dark, he was certainly a world apart from those shrewd


    businessmen.


    He was also unlike Chris, who was extremely smart and tactful when it came to mingling in the world of


    business.


    Michael wanted nothing to do with all the power struggles and dark schemes going on in the corporate


    world. He was as pure-hearted as a saint with regard to his feelings too.


    Hence, Charlotte didn¡¯t want him to be roped into her world.


    The food arrived shortly, and the two enjoyed their meat fondue while chatting away.


    Michael took good care of Charlotte just like before; the woman was used to it.


    Suddenly, Charlotte¡¯s phone rang, so she left the room to answer the call. It was Mrs. Berry.


    The housekeeper informed her that Ellie had caught another cold and was burning up, so she had


    taken the child to the hospital.


    Charlotte instantly panicked. ¡°How is she?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s just amon cold, but she misses you. She keeps calling for her mommy.¡±


    Charlotte wished to be by her child¡¯s side right now, but she knew that her current situation didn¡¯t allow


    it. So, she could only tell Mrs. Berry, ¡°Please take good care of them for me. I¡¯ll be back once I¡¯ve


    settled everything.¡±


    After hanging up, she was about to head back when she noticed the private room opposite to hers


    being left open slightly. Then, through the two-inch crack, she saw two familiar figures...


    Hector and Helena?


    The man looked like he had had too much to drink. He drank whileining his heart away, looking


    like aplete miser.


    Helena¡¯s heart ached so much that she couldn¡¯t help but pull him into an embrace.


    Yet, instead of pushing her away, Hector grabbed her face and nted a kiss on her lips.

 Chapter 212

    Chapter 212


    Charlotte was immediately stunned by the sight. She stood frozen in ce.


    It was only until a waiter shut the door that she returned to her senses and blinked hard. Were my eyes


    ying tricks on me?


    ¡°Charlotte!¡± Michael called out to her.


    With that, she immediately followed him back into the private room and shut the door before remarking


    anxiously, ¡°I just saw¡ª¡±


    But before she could finish, she received a phone call from Luna.


    Frowning, she answered her phone. ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Where are you?¡± the woman instantly questioned.


    ¡°I¡¯m having a meal outside. Why?¡± Charlotte frowned.


    ¡°Give me the address. Now.¡±


    ¡°Are you insane¡ª¡± Suddenly, a waiter¡¯s voice rang out from outside. ¡°Wee to The Limetree!¡±


    Upon hearing this, Luna immediately went ballistic.


    ¡°Well done, Charlotte! I gave you two days to find a husband, but here you are seducing mine instead!


    Just you wait, you shameless wench!¡±


    ¡°Hey¡ª¡±


    The call ended before Charlotte had a chance to even exin herself.


    Why, oh why, do I have such bad luck? I¡¯m here trying to enjoy a good meal, but now I¡¯ve just be


    someone else¡¯s scapegoat.


    Luna must have installed a tracker in Hector¡¯s phone. She knows where he is now, but he probably


    didn¡¯t pick up her calls. That¡¯s why she thinks he¡¯s out seeing another woman.


    And that woman just has to be me.


    That¡¯s why she called me.


    But that waiter just had to talk while I was on the phone! This is a disaster.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Who called you?¡± asked Michael.


    ¡°It was Luna,¡± Charlotte answered petntly. ¡°She started going off at me the moment I picked up.


    What a crazy b*tch.¡±


    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Why would she go off at you?¡±


    ¡°She thinks I¡¯m having dinner with Hector here. Honestly...¡±


    She immediately retracted her words upon realizing what she was about to say.


    Helena was Michael¡¯s cousin, after all, and they were both at the same restaurant now. If Michael finds


    out the truth, he¡¯s definitely going to beat Hector up.


    With so many people here, Hector and Helena¡¯s rtionship will be brought to light.


    It¡¯ll be bad for Hector¡¯s career, and Helena will hate me for it.


    I¡¯ve already made so many enemies. I don¡¯t want her to turn on me either.


    I don¡¯t want to give Hector a hard time either.


    ¡°Honestly, what?¡± the man before her urged.


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Charlotte didn¡¯t wish toplicate matters. ¡°Let¡¯s go somewhere more peaceful, Michael.¡±


    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have booked this ce. Helena couldn¡¯t stop raving about the meat fondue here.¡±


    Michael grabbed his phone and keys before leaving with Charlotte.


    Thetter couldn¡¯t help but ponder over Michael¡¯s words and found them odd. ¡°Does Helena know


    you¡¯re here with me?¡±


    ¡°Of course she does,¡± he answered with a grin. ¡°I don¡¯t eat with any other woman apart from you.¡±


    Charlotte¡¯s lips curled rigidly. Despite saying nothing, uncertainty began to fill her heart.


    If Helena suggested Michael take me here, why would shee over with Hector?


    Did she let me catch them on purpose?


    Two walked out of the restaurant and were about to enter the elevator when suddenly, she spotted a


    couple making out inside.


    She instantly stopped in her tracks.


    But before Michael could nce at them, his phone rang, and he stepped aside to answer it. ¡°Hello?


    Yeah, I¡¯m out at the moment. Maybe another day. Let¡¯s talk about it when I¡¯ve settled my matters.


    Okay.¡±


    By the time he hung up, the elevator had already arrived on the ground floor.


    Charlotte hastily walked toward the ss window and looked down. As expected, she saw Hector


    entering the car while holding onto Helena. Then, the woman started the engine and drove away.

 Chapter 213

    Chapter 213


    ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Michael walked over and asked.


    ¡°Nothing. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Charlotte furrowed her brows, feeling heavy-hearted. I¡¯m disappointed in you, Hector.


    Back then, you said it was your parents who wanted to cancel our marriage and that whatever


    happened between you and Luna was a moment of drunken stupor.


    So, what about now?


    Just the day before yesterday, you swore to protect me. But look at you, cheating with Helena now.


    You¡¯re nothing but a scumbag!


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Charlotte?¡± Michael asked, noticing how absent-minded she appeared. ¡°Don¡¯t worry


    about Luna. She¡¯s always been a nutcase. I even told you back then not to hang around with someone


    as wicked as her.¡±


    The woman let out a sigh and turned to him. ¡°You¡¯re the only one among all my friends who haven¡¯t


    changed, Michael,¡± shemented.


    Yup. Hector, Helena, and Luna¡ªthey¡¯re all different now.


    You¡¯re the only one who¡¯s as pure-hearted and kind as before, Michael. ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    ¡°But of course,¡± Michael remarked as he ruffled her hair gently. ¡°You haven¡¯t eaten much just now, have


    you? Let¡¯s go grab a bite.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s find a nice, quiet ce to sit down.¡± Charlotte felt physically and mentally drained.


    ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s go get some fresh air at the beach.¡±


    The man drove them to the seaside and wound down the window. Then, while gazing into the night sky


    full of stars, he opened up to Charlotte.


    He had been traveling the world on his own for the past four years, admiring every view and recreating


    them in his sketchbook.


    Four years of living a simple and stain-free life felt like just one day to Michael.


    Charlotte, on the other hand, had long turned into a white sheet full of blemishes.


    On top of her many dark pasts and ugly rumors, the woman was now being oppressed by others; she


    couldn¡¯t live freely.


    Yet, she couldn¡¯t bring herself to tell Michael anything.


    She refused to be selfish and use him as a shield.


    It simply wasn¡¯t fair to him.


    ¡°Charlotte, I feel like you have a lot on your mind that you¡¯re not willing to talk to me about,¡± Michael


    said as he held her hand. ¡°I don¡¯t care what you¡¯ve been through. All I want is to be your shelter and


    take care of you.¡±


    Charlotte¡¯s heart skipped a beat upon hearing the man¡¯s confession. But instead of giving in, she


    hugged him and put on a rxed expression. ¡°Why would you need to be my shelter? I¡¯m doing pretty


    well on my own now.¡±


    ¡°Charlotte...¡±


    ¡°I think we¡¯ve done enough for the day. Let¡¯s go home.¡±


    She would have wanted to live happily ever after with Michael¡ªif it weren¡¯t for Zachary and the three


    children. Unfortunately, there were no ifs in this world.


    Her life was destined to beplicated.


    The man didn¡¯t try to pursue the matter, for he knew she needed time.


    Late into the night, he dropped Charlotte back home and watched her walk into her residential area


    until she disappearedpletely. He kept his eyes on her the entire time while remaining in the car,


    slowly watching her leave.


    Charlotte immediately sent Mrs. Berry a text upon arriving home: How¡¯s Ellie, Mrs. Berry? Has she


    gotten better?


    Upon receiving that text, Mrs. Berry gave her a call, sounding particrly fatigued. ¡°We just got back


    from the hospital, Miss. Ellie¡¯s asleep now. Robbie and Jamie were waiting for us the whole time.


    They¡¯re now watching over Ellie while I cook up some noodles.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Mrs. Berry.¡±


    Charlotte felt extremely guilty. She knew how difficult it was for her housekeeper to look after three


    children, especially when Ellie was such a sickly child. Whenever Charlotte thought of that, her blood


    pressure would spike because she felt anxious and worried.


    She wouldn¡¯t have gotten this far if Mrs. Berry hadn¡¯t been by her side all these years.


    On top of that, her three children had to put up with the cold gazes of others and could never live


    normal lives.


    She truly felt remorseful.


    ¡°Robbie is calling for me, Miss. I¡¯ll be hanging up now. Get some rest, and don¡¯t worry too much!¡±


    After hanging up, Charlotte stared at her phone in doubt. If Michael really doesn¡¯t mind, maybe... just


    maybe...

 Chapter 214

    Chapter 214


    As her thoughts began to wander, she suddenly received a call from Zachary.


    Charlotte immediately tensed up. She carefully answered the phone after clearing her throat. ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°What are you up to?¡±


    The man sounded as frigid as usual despite being the one to make the call.


    ¡°I¡¯m just spacing out.¡± Shey down on the couch before she asked, ¡°Is something the matter?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯lle back and take care of your resignation,¡± Zachary remarked professionally.


    ¡°Oh. That¡¯s very kind of you. Thank you, Mr. Nacht,¡± she replied carefully.


    ¡°Do you not have anything to tell me?¡±


    She pondered for a moment before answering, ¡°Good night.¡±


    The conversation fell silent, and the man hung up a few secondster.


    She didn¡¯t know what to think. What should I have told him?


    Whether or not he¡¯s actually Gigolo, he probably already knows what Luna did at thepany.


    But so what if he does?


    Should I beining to him about it and asking him to help me?


    You¡¯re the one I¡¯m most afraid of, Mr. Nacht!


    I¡¯d have so much less to think about if you weren¡¯t involved.


    Charlotte tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep. A day had already passed, and she still didn¡¯t


    know how to deal with the mother-daughter duo who were trying to cause trouble for her.


    Should I really marry someone?


    Zachary will kill me if I do, won¡¯t he?


    The night passed before she even realized it.


    Her phone suddenly rang while she was in a slumber. ¡°Hello?¡± she asked, her eyes remaining shut.


    ¡°Charlotte! Have you seen the news?¡± Lily sounded incredibly excited.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Still in a daze, Charlotte thought the woman was talking about yesterday¡¯s news.


    ¡°Pictures of you and Mr. Sterling are all over the Inte now,¡± Lily eximed. ¡°There are even videos


    of your car sex. Oh, God! What a steamy couple you both are!¡±


    Thatment got Charlotte to freeze for a moment. ¡°Car sex? What are you talking about?¡± she asked


    in bewilderment.


    ¡°The paparazzi took pictures of what you did in the car with Mr. Sterlingst night! You were at the


    beach. It¡¯s all over the Inte now, and everyone at work has seen it.¡±


    Charlotte was dumbstruck. Could it have been Hector and Helena?


    How am I part of all this?


    ¡°I just heard that thepany might fire you, but that¡¯s fine. You have Mr. Sterling, so you won¡¯t have to


    worry about anything for the rest of your life!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not it, Lily¡ª¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not bad at all, Charlotte! I blushed so hard watching that video. Hahaha! I just sent you the link.


    Have a look at it.¡±


    Lily was in exceptionally high spirits as though she was talking about the best news in the world.


    As Charlotte tapped on the link, her jaw dropped.


    A secret hookup between Sterling Group president and his mistress!


    The article included photos of a couple dining and being affectionate with each other inside a private


    room at The Limetree. There were even photos of them making out inside the elevator.


    The strangest thing was that Hector had been photographed clearly in every photo, whereas Helena¡¯s


    face waspletely indiscernible. All that could be seen were her hair, body, and clothes.


    Moreover, the article stated that the woman inside the pictures was a minor secretary from Divine


    Corporation called Ms. Windt.


    Who else could this be referring to?


    Charlotte was at aplete loss for words. That woman is clearly Helena! Why are they saying it¡¯s


    me?


    Even if no one else has any idea, whoever took the photos should¡¯ve known!


    Charlotte frantically tapped on the next link.


    Hector Sterling gets steamy with his mistress in a car by the beach!


    On top of more videos and pictures, the entire ordeal had also been described in detail.


    The video showed Hector sitting on the passenger seat with the female lead riding him on top. The two


    looked utterly intoxicated.


    The man¡¯s face and body were clearly visible, but again, the woman¡¯s features were unrecognizable.


    Only Charlotte knew it was Helena.


    ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    Yet, all the news articles pointed to a little secretary from Divine Corporation.


    Some even revealed the female lead¡¯s real name¡ªCharlotte Windt!

 Chapter 215

    Chapter 215


    She immediately sat up at the sight of her own name. ¡°Where did you get all this news, Lily? Which


    outlet publicized it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s literally everywhere on the Inte. You¡¯re trending on Facebook too! At first, it was something like


    ¡®Divine Corp Secretary,¡¯ but now, your name¡¯s being stered everywhere.¡±


    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Charlotte clutched her hair in panic. How am I going to prove myself innocent?


    This will be nearly impossible...


    Besides, Michael has never made himself known to the media. No one¡¯s going to believe him, even if


    he acts as my witness.


    I should¡¯ve stopped those two while I had the chancest night. Why would they do it in the car at the


    beach, anyway? They could¡¯ve just gone to a hotel!


    They didn¡¯t even try to keep it low and ended up having their pictures taken. And now, I¡¯ve been


    dragged into their disgusting affairs.


    Wait a minute. Why is Hector¡¯s facepletely visible while Helena¡¯s isn¡¯t?


    Something doesn¡¯t seem right.


    ¡°You can¡¯t hide your affair with Mr. Sterling any longer, Charlotte. It¡¯s all over the news now. I heard


    from Mr. Yates that an affair would have such a huge impact on thepany¡¯s image. Even the shares


    will be affected! Do you think Mr. Sterling will marry you instead to protect his reputation?¡± Lily began


    probing.


    ¡°That¡¯s not what¡¯s happening,¡± Charlotte hurriedly exined. ¡°There¡¯s nothing going in between Mr.


    Sterling and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oh,e on. Your videos are everywhere! There¡¯s nothing else to hide at this point. Besides, we¡¯re


    friends, aren¡¯t we? It¡¯s not like I¡¯d go around telling other people about this. You don¡¯t have to worry


    about being honest with me!¡±


    ¡°No¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hang on. There¡¯s another article,¡± Lily cut Charlotte off before yelling in shock. ¡°Oh, God! I can¡¯t


    believe it, Charlotte! So you were once actually a nightclub princess who even yed around with a T


    Nation male model? You¡¯re full of surprises!¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡± Charlotte asked, utterly taken aback.


    ¡°I¡¯ll send you another link. Have a look at it.¡±


    Lily began to sound grave.


    ¡°Now that the issue¡¯s been made such a big deal, all the media will start scouring your past. You¡¯ll have


    to take care of this ASAP, or it¡¯s going to affect your rtionship with Mr. Sterling and leave a horrible


    taste in his family¡¯s mouths. If that happens, you won¡¯t be able to marry into a life full of riches...¡±


    Charlotte stopped paying attention to what her friend was saying. She hurriedly opened the other links


    thetter had sent her.


    A peek into the messy private life of Hector Sterling¡¯s mistress¡ªnightclubs and one-night stands!


    Hector Sterling¡¯s mistress, Charlotte Windt, tangled with a T Nation male model at Sultry Night four


    years ago


    Who on earth is Charlotte Windt? How did she captivate the richest man in H City?


    Charlotte Windt¡¯s background to be disclosed today at noon.


    Mysterious man to reveal the entire process of Charlotte Windt¡¯s gigolo escapades. Live today at 1


    p.m.


    With trembling hands, Charlotte tapped onto each article. All the intimate photos of her and Tevin, as


    well as the video of her calling a gigolo, had been released.


    With such concrete evidence, it was practically impossible to deny her involvement.


    Luna¡¯s voice and figure had been removed, leaving only Charlotte and Tevin, who were both drunk out


    of their wits at that time.


    Some news outlets evenpiled all of today¡¯s articles and published a detailed timeline of the entire


    ordeal.


    The timeline described how she had relentlessly seduced Hector and manipted him into abandoning


    his wife. It also recounted how Charlotte had enticed him into their little car adventurest night.


    Not only that, but it even imed that she was doing all this to force Hector into marrying her.


    In short, every article pointed to her as an instigator while painting Hector as a lost sheep and Luna as


    a helpless, tolerant wife.


    Tens of thousands of people scorned her in thements, and some who personally knew her


    proceeded to expose more of her private life.


    Among such individuals were her coworkers, previous neighbors, past friends, and even her


    schoolmates from kindergarten.

 Chapter 216

    Chapter 216


    Now, Charlotte felt as if someone had stripped her naked and thrown her in the middle of the crowd;


    she was all exposed.


    Everyone was a witness to everything she did wrong, and everyone threw all sorts of curses at her. In


    fact, they were even cursing at her parents, saying that they should not have brought a disgusting


    person like her to the world.


    Even the ones who knew her were ashamed to be on her side; they felt that knowing her was a


    humiliation by itself as well.


    At that very moment, Charlotte was someone who was collectively despised by the whole world.


    She was a shooting target that everyone was aiming at, hoping that they could cut her into bits.


    Charlotte¡¯s hand shook, and her heart was racing a mile a minute.


    She was at a loss, and her mind was a barrenndscape.What do I do now?


    ¡°Charlotte! Charlotte!¡± came Lily¡¯s anxious cries from the other end of the line.


    ¡°Hey.¡± By now, Charlotte was on the verge of a breakdown as she choked out, ¡°Lily, I was framed. What


    do I do?¡±


    ¡°Charlotte, I¡¯m sorry. When I saw your video with Mr. Sterling at the start, I really thought you did it to


    pressurize his wife. Now that things have turned serious, the situation is disadvantageous to you. If this


    continues, your reputation in society will take a turn for the worst. Hurry up and talk to Mr. Sterling.


    Don¡¯t dy a second more. Otherwise, thoseizens are going to witch-hunt you and expose all your


    private matters and your past. When that happens, you¡¯re doomed. All right, I¡¯m going to work now. Call


    Mr. Sterling quickly. You¡¯ve got to let a man handle this.¡±


    After that, Lily ended the call.


    Charlotte continued gripping onto the phone as thousands of thoughts raced across her mind. She


    could not possibly call Hector, but neither could she call Zachary. Of course, it was pointless to call


    Gigolo either.


    Hence, she was left with one choice¡ªMichael.


    Just as Charlotte was about to call Michael, she realized the number that he used four years ago had


    long been canceled.


    It was then she recalled Michael had contacted her via Helena¡¯s phone yesterday; she did not even


    know Michael¡¯s new number.Unless... Should I call Helena?But will Helena get Michael for me?After


    all, Helena¡¯s the culprit.Regardless, I have to try.


    Charlotte then called Helena¡¯s number.


    No one picked up after a long while, and despair was starting to creep into her heart.That¡¯s right. Why


    would Helena pick up my call at a time like this?


    Just as she was about to give up, her call suddenly went through.


    Helena¡¯s voice came through the speakers. ¡°Charlotte, I...¡±


    At that moment, upon hearing Helena¡¯s voice, a myriad of emotions washed over Charlotte¡¯s heart.


    The thoughts of what happenedst night shed past her mind, and worries surged in her heart.


    For a split second, Charlotte wanted to ask her, ¡°Are you involved in this?¡±


    However, Charlotte dared not voice that question out, fearing that she would lose herst chance to be


    saved.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Helena¡¯s voice was calm, friendly, and polite.


    In fact, Charlotte could not hear anything wrong with that tone of hers. At that, she could not help but


    feel impressed by Helena¡¯s strong psychological quality.


    At the same time, sheughed at how ignorant she was. A while back, she still thought that Helena was


    a simple-minded, sincere, and nice girl.


    In reality, Helena only hid her true nature better than Luna did.


    ¡°I¡¯m looking for Michael.¡±


    Charlotte tried her best to sound calm, not wanting to seem like she was in a panic in front of Helena.


    ¡°Michael¡¯s sick,¡± Helena muttered sorrowfully. ¡°He was feeling unwell since he came homest night.


    When my daddy came to get him for breakfast, he realized Michael¡¯s passed out with a high fever, so


    he sent him to the hospital right away. My daddy and mommy are taking care of him in the hospital


    now.¡±


    ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Charlotte was stunned by the news. ¡°He was fine when we parted waysst night.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I wanted to ask you,¡± Helena retorted. ¡°You should know that Michael has a weak heart


    since young, and he¡¯s allergic to certain food. Did you make him eat the wrong food? Is that why he¡¯s


    sick now?¡±

 Chapter 217

    Chapter 217


    Charlotte was speechless. The culprit was in a call with her, yet not only could she not question her


    about the matter, but she was even interrogated by her instead.


    ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    Gritting her teeth, she cursed at how useless she was under her breath.


    ¡°All right. I¡¯m going to visit Michael in the hospital now. Take care. Goodbye.¡±


    Right after she bid her farewell politely, Helena ended the call.


    Charlotte¡¯s hand on the phone shook even more vigorously now. How well Helena has hidden her


    nature. I can¡¯t believe I didn¡¯t spot it before this.


    Is Michael¡¯s illness a coincidence or was it nned?


    It¡¯ll be terrifying if Helena has done something to Michael just to set me up.


    However, there was one thing Charlotte was sure of.


    Helena¡¯s family depended on Michael, and that was Charlotte¡¯s only guarantee that Helena would not


    truly harm Michael.


    Maybe his fever is because of a mild allergic reaction, and that¡¯s why they sent him to the hospital.


    Then, she¡¯ll have the chance to take his phone from him.


    Michael had always been na?ve, so it was normal for him not to think too much about anything.


    As long as he¡¯s safe.


    However, now that Michael was not avable, Charlotte could not think of anyone else to help her.


    Her heart felt as if it was going to escape her chest.


    Ring!


    All of the sudden, her phone rang, a loud, piercing sound.


    Charlotte shuddered the shock before she lowered her heart. It was a call from Luna. Quickly picking it


    up, she said, ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Charlotte, did you see the news?¡± Luna¡¯s wicked voice traveled into her ears. She smugly continued,


    ¡°Now you know what the consequences are for crossing me.¡±


    ¡°You lunatic! Why did you have to do this?¡± Charlotte roared. ¡°Didn¡¯t we agree on two days? The time


    has yet to be up, so why did you upload those information on the inte?¡±


    ¡°Why? Hahaha!¡± Luna barked out a sinisterugh. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re shamelessly asking me why.


    The video of you having sex with my husband is all over the inte, and everyone¡¯s mocking me. He¡¯s


    even forcing me to get a divorce, but you¡¯re asking me why?¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t what happened. That¡¯s not me in the video...¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± Luna cut off Charlotte¡¯s words. Gritting her teeth, she cursed, ¡°I¡¯m sick of your pretentious


    ways. You pretend like you¡¯re all noble and better than everyone else, fooling a bunch of men to do


    everything for you, but you¡¯re slyer than everyone else.¡±


    ¡°Luna, listen to me. The womanst night really wasn¡¯t me. I was with Michaelst night-¡±


    ¡°Stop it. I don¡¯t want to hear any more lies from you.¡± Luna could not bear to listen any further. ¡°You


    promised me you¡¯ll do as I say, but you seduced my husband to sleep with you in the next second. You


    shameless b*tch! I wish I could kill you now!¡±


    ¡°Did you call me to curse at me?¡± Charlotte took in a deep breath to calm herself down. ¡°You should be


    calling to negotiate terms and conditions with me, right?¡±


    ¡°You!¡±


    ¡°Luna, let me talk to her.¡± Amanda then took the phone from Luna¡¯s hands. ¡°Charlotte, I¡¯m telling you


    this now. The reason we haven¡¯t exposed those three bastards of yours is that we¡¯re giving you a


    chance.¡±


    ¡°I know. Tell me. What do you want me to do?¡±


    Charlotte knew well that even though her reputation was ruined, the children were yet to be revealed to


    the public. As long as the Whites¡¯ mother-daughter duo stopped in time and bribed the media to


    remove the news, the children would not be affected.


    She could not care less what happened to her, but she could not let her children be harmed in this.


    ¡°Marry that man from T Nation right away and tell everyone about it. Then, migrate to T Nation with


    those three bastards of yours.¡±


    At that, Amanda added, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll give you an adequate sum of money, and we¡¯ll even give


    you a house in B City. You and your children will live a fantastic life in T Nation.¡±

 Chapter 218

    Chapter 218


    ¡°Aunt Amanda certainly has more wits than Luna.¡±


    A bitter smile grew on Charlotte¡¯s lips.


    Four years ago, the mother-daughter duo had made her lose everything, but she never thought of


    taking her revenge. Yet, they had set her up once again.


    At the end of the day, everything was because she was too kind and weak. That was why she was


    always bullied.


    However, what was the use for her to think about these now?


    She had to protect her children, so she would sacrifice and do anything for them.


    ¡°You should have seen the news, right?¡± Amanda continued threatening. ¡°Tens of millions of


    comments, all cursing at you for being a shameless mistress. There are countless reporters and


    netizens trying to dig up your unsightly past now. We¡¯re both mothers, so I understand you well. You


    care nothing about what happens to you, but your kids are still so young. Do you have the heart to


    watch the rest of the world curse at them for being bastards?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡±


    Amanda¡¯s words were daggers that stabbed into Charlotte¡¯s heart. As she shrieked for the other


    woman to stop, the tears escaped her eyes.


    At that moment, she felt she was the most useless person in the world.


    She was defenseless as she stepped into the trap of crafty people.


    ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    She could not do anything in the face of evil.


    She was a fish on the board, waiting to be gutted.


    ¡°You¡¯re running out of time. For every minute that ticks by, the news will spread even faster, and the


    more they¡¯ll find out about your terrible past,¡± Amanda sneered as she reminded Charlotte.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t believe in me, you can check the inte yourself. Someone has already found out your


    identity, including who your father is. Your father is a good and perfect man. I¡¯m sure he won¡¯t be able


    to rest in peace if someone were to nder him even after he¡¯s gone. As his daughter, you were having


    fun with a gigolo in Sultry Night when he was in his toughest times. You didn¡¯t even get to see him in


    hisst moments. Now that you¡¯re the cause for his reputation to suffer in death, I pity him for having


    you as his daughter...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Charlotte could not bear listening to her anymore. In a trembling voice, she mumbled,


    ¡°I¡¯ll say yes to anything you say.¡±


    She then cleared her notifications.


    By now, even her apps were sending tons of notifications of news on the scandal; the media had found


    out more about her identity, and even her father¡¯s.


    Now, they were cursing at her father alongside her.


    Every single word andments they made were knives that stabbed her heart, leaving it tattered.


    Amanda was right. Her father was a good man when he was alive, and no one had a bad impression of


    him.


    When he passed away back then, she was not by his side. If she were to disrupt his peace even after


    he had passed on, she would be the worst daughter in the world.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Amanda crowed. ¡°The smart one is the one who knows how to adapt to the situation.¡±


    ¡°Mom, stop wasting your breath on her.¡± Luna grabbed the phone back as she ordered, ¡°I¡¯m going to


    send someone along with Tevin to pick you up. Bring your household register. The two of you are going


    to the Civil Affairs Bureau right away.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± There was nothing else for Charlotte to do but to listen to them.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare mess with me,¡± Amanda warned. ¡°I know your three bastards are with Mrs. Berry at her


    hometown in F Town. If you dare to pull any tricks on me, I¡¯ll cease being courteous with you.¡±


    Her words sent a chill down her spine. She knew Amanda was capable of doing anything, but she had


    no idea it was this bad.


    She actually found Mrs. Berry¡¯s address in her hometown.


    If I don¡¯t heed her words, I¡¯m afraid my kids will really be in danger.


    ¡°Pack your documents and wait downstairs in fifteen minutes,¡± Amandamanded.


    ¡°Y-You know my new address?¡± Charlotte stuttered.


    ¡°I found Mrs. Berry¡¯s address in her hometown. What makes you think I won¡¯t be able to find your new


    address?¡± Amanda scoffed. ¡°My daughter¡¯s na?ve, so she can¡¯t win against you, but that¡¯s not the case


    for me.¡±

 Chapter 219

    Chapter 219


    ¡°Yes, Aunt Amanda, you¡¯re truly amazing.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Do as I say now.¡±


    After ending the call, Charlotte swore to herself that she had to grow stronger. That way, she would be


    able to be the one in control in the future.


    After washing up, Charlotte packed her documents into her bag and went downstairs with her phone.


    Regardless, I have to settle this before I can think of doing anything else. I¡¯ll have to find a way to get


    away from that man from T Nation and bring the kids to live in another city.


    Meanwhile, the Whites¡¯ car had already arrived, and Amanda had personallye to pick Charlotte up


    with her bodyguards.


    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    The man from T Nation was trembling as he sat in the backseat; it was as if he was a frightened chick


    who dared not even make a noise.


    When the bodyguards saw Charlotte, they immediately pushed her into the car before they sped off.


    When Charlotte finally raised her head, she froze upon seeing Simon.


    Unlike his usual gentle demeanor, Simon¡¯s brows were furrowed as he reprimanded, ¡°Charlotte, I


    always thought of you as a good kid. I can¡¯t believe you did something as shameless as this. Although


    Hector was in a rtionship with you in the past, he¡¯s now Luna¡¯s husband and Timothy¡¯s dad. How


    can you-¡±


    ¡°What your daughter did was even more shameless. Have you ever scolded her for that?¡± Charlotte


    retorted.


    ¡°You-¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Amanda yelled as she pped Charlotte. Jabbing a finger in her face, she seethed, ¡°If not


    for your father, I¡¯d have killed you!¡±


    ¡°Haha!¡± Augh escaped Charlotte. ¡°You make it sound as if you actually thought of my father like your


    brother. Were you not the ones who set my father up back then?¡±


    ¡°What rubbish are you talking about?¡± Simon bellowed. ¡°Richard has done so much for me. How can I


    possibly set him up?¡±


    Staring at him, Charlotte realized that his agitation seemed genuine.


    ¡°Just ignore her.¡± On the other hand, Amanda was averting her eyes away from Charlotte. However,


    her tone remained indignant. ¡°She¡¯s just a shameless b*tch. Since her ns to seduce Hector have


    fallen through, she¡¯s now trying to ruin our reputation.¡±


    ¡°The one who killed your father was-¡±


    Amanda interrupted when Simon started to speak, ¡°Shut it. Why are you wasting your breath on her?¡±


    She then shot him a look, and he quickly fell silent as he hung his head.


    ¡°Stop spouting nonsense.¡± Amanda dragged Charlotte closer and warned, ¡°I¡¯d advise you to do as I


    say. If you do that, I¡¯ll spare you. If not, you¡¯re dead meat.¡±


    Charlotte was silent, but hundreds of thoughts were rushing past her mind.


    From how they were behaving, it seemed like they had little to do with her father¡¯s death. At most, they


    must have gotten some money after his death.


    However, Charlotte was sure that they knew who her father¡¯s murderer was.


    In fact, the murderer was someone mighty.


    It had to be, or else a witty woman like Amanda would not fear to cross them.


    However, this was not the right time to think about this; she had to solve the current problem first.


    Soon, they reached the Civil Affairs Bureau.


    Amanda had put on a pair of sunsses and scarf, fearing someone would recognize her, before she


    left the car with two bodyguards, Tevin, and Charlotte.


    On the other hand, Simon and the driver remained in the car.


    Amanda was a woman who was meticulous with her ns¡ªshe had already gotten someone to queue


    for her.


    Hence, the moment they reached, they could head straight for the registration.


    As they walked over, Amanda had one hand holding onto her scarf around her head as she mped


    her other hand on Charlotte¡¯s shoulder, afraid that thetter would try to escape.


    When they reached, the two bodyguards held Tevin down on the chair, and he did not even dare to


    squeak at the rough actions.


    ¡°You are...¡± the staff trailed off, finding their behavior odd.


    ¡°We¡¯re a family.¡± Amanda shed the staff a smile. ¡°I¡¯m her mother, and I¡¯m here with my daughter and


    son-inw for their registration. These two men are her brothers.¡±


    In her heart, Charlotte cursed, If I have a mother like you, I¡¯d rather die and reincarnate.


    ¡°Please hand me your documents,¡± the staff member said without asking more questions.


    Charlotte and Tevin then took out their documents.


    When the staff member took them, she raised her brows to look at Charlotte meaningfully. ¡°Oh my, the


    lead of the news headlines.¡±

 Chapter 220

    Chapter 220


    Charlotte¡¯s brows knitted together. Have someone revealed my identity online?


    Hold on. What if I marry Tevin, but Amanda goes back on her words? What if she refuses to get rid of


    the headlines and news?


    Now that things had turned out this way, it would cost a fortune to get rid of all the news.


    Do the Whites even have that much money?


    ¡°Charlotte, are you marrying Mr. Tevin out of your own free will?¡± the staff member asked.


    ¡°Nonsense. Of course she¡¯s here willingly,¡± Amanda huffed. ¡°How can someone force another to


    marry?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m asking her, not you.¡± said the staff, who was a woman in her fifties. She was wearing a pair of thick


    spectacles, and she was the type who was very serious in her work.


    For a moment, Amanda was rendered speechless by the woman.


    ¡°I¡¯m asking you,¡± the staff repeated as she turned to Charlotte.


    ¡°Please give me five minutes,¡± Charlotte answered as she took back her documents and towed


    Amanda and walked outside.


    ¡°What are you doing? Are you trying to go back on your words at a time like this?¡± Amanda growled.


    ¡°Even the Civil Affairs Bureau¡¯s staff member can recognize me. That means the news is still


    spreading, and you obviously have no ns to get rid of the news,¡± Charlotte pointed out.


    ¡°Luna is contacting the mediapanies. We¡¯ve already spent thirty million to get rid of the news.


    Don¡¯t you know that time is needed before things take effect? It¡¯s not as if you can get rid of it right


    away.¡±


    ¡°Thirty million to remove the news?¡± Charlotte was quick to notice something wrong with her words.


    ¡°Amanda, do you take me as a fool?¡±


    ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    ¡°I told you we¡¯ve spent thirty million. We¡¯re still paying more,¡± Amanda anxiously exined. ¡°We can¡¯t


    possibly dump all our money at once. There are so many mediapanies, and we have to contact


    them one by one.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care. You have to remove the news before I marry him.¡± Charlotte was not going to step right


    into the trap now that she saw through it. ¡°There¡¯ll be no way for me to change things once I marry him,


    so you¡¯ve got to show me how efficient you are, right?¡±


    ¡°Fine. Drag it on then,¡± Amanda sneered. ¡°The longer you take, the more secrets of yours will be


    exposed to the public. Eventually, the whole world will know about your three bastards, and there¡¯ll be


    no point in you trying to remove the news.¡±


    ¡°You!¡±


    At that, Charlotte was at a loss for words. Amanda was right. News on the inte spread much


    quicker than viruses could.


    Even a minute could change someone¡¯s life, not to mention an hour or a day.


    Right then, Amanda sighed, changing to a softer approach. ¡°Both of us want to settle this as quickly as


    possible. After all, it won¡¯t look good for either of us if this continues. If your issue with Hector wasn¡¯t on


    the newsst night, I wouldn¡¯t have revealed your matter with Tevin. After all, having the trump card in


    my hands is much better than using it now. You only have yourself to me for how rash you acted;


    you thought we would be scared of you after you told everyone that you slept with Hector. Did you


    know that he still listens to his parents? Do you really think he will defend you at a time like this? You


    won¡¯t even see any sign of him around now that you¡¯re in hot water.¡±


    ¡°Let me tell you this onest time. I¡¯m not the woman in the video, and I¡¯m not the one who leaked the


    video.¡± By now, Charlotte was sick of repeating herself. ¡°All of you keeping after me, but you¡¯re all


    targeting the wrong person!¡±


    ¡°How can that be?¡± Amanda scoffed in disbelief. ¡°If not for you, who can it be?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s...¡± Charlotte trailed off, realizing that Amanda would not believe in her even if she did tell her who it


    was. In fact, Amanda would not even let her go.


    It was already tough for her to go up against the mother and daughter duo. If she were to cross Helena


    as well, hell would be waiting for her.


    ¡°You can¡¯te up with anyone, can you?¡± Amanda snarled. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re still trying to fool


    me now. Believe it or not, I¡¯ll tell Luna to expose those three bastards right now.¡±


    With that said, she moved her hand into her bag, about to take out her phone.

 Chapter 221

    Chapter 221


    Before she could make the call, however, Hector called.


    Amanda promptly answered it and put him on speaker. ¡°Hey, Hector.¡±


    ¡°We''ve removed the headlines and I''m contacting the other mediapanies. The news is spreading


    terribly, and my dad''s furious about it. Thepany is holding a board meeting and they want to


    remove me as the president.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Why? Why are they removing you from your positio¡ª¡ª¡±


    ¡°Listen to me,¡± Hector interrupted. Tamping down his agitation, he continued, ¡°No one is benefitting


    from this. If the Sterlings go down, the Whites won''t be living the high life, either. I''m trying my best to


    clean up this mess right now, so please stop making things worse for me. Talk to your dear daughter


    and stop exposing Charlotte''s private matters. While she''s trying to hurt Charlotte, she''s also hurting


    me.¡±


    ¡°I know. I understand. Hector, listen to my exnation.¡±


    ¡°Let''s stop now. I''m begging you. I won''t mention divorce for now, so please stop making things worse


    than they already are. Don''t create more trouble for Charlotte, either. Just...stop.¡±


    At that, Hector ended the call.


    With a deep frown, Amanda raised her head to re daggers at Charlotte. ¡°It''s all your fault, b*tch!¡±


    Charlotte did not even know what to say to that.


    ¡°You heard him.¡± Amanda tugged Charlotte closer and snarled, ¡°The Sterlings are already doing their


    best to remove the news. Hurry up and register with him right now to put an end to this matter.


    Otherwise, we''ll still tell the world about those three b*stards. The Sterlings had to deal with this


    because Hector was involved. However, those little b*stards aren''t Hector''s, so...¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    Charlotte knew well that if she did not do as told, Amanda and Luna would definitely go public with her


    children. No matter how Hector warned them, they would try their very best to be rid of her in the midst


    of this mess.


    After all, this was their best opportunity.


    ¡°Hurry up and get back inside!¡±


    N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    Amanda shoved Charlotte back into the building.


    Meanwhile, Tevin was still waiting at the same spot. When he saw Charlotte returning, a smile grew on


    his face.


    Obediently, Charlotte sat on the chair and handed the staff her documents again.


    ¡°Have you thought it through?¡± the middle-aged staff member asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Charlotte mumbled as she nodded.


    Without saying anything else, the staff began the registration process.


    It was a simple one. All the two needed to do was to take a photo and sign the papers.


    Just as the staff was about to stamp the papers, a group of men in ck suddenly barged into the


    building and blocked the exits.


    A towering figure walked in from the outside. As the sun shone on his back, his shadow loomed, giving


    him an aloof and domineering presence.


    ¡°Wow, he''s handsome!¡±


    When the registration staff saw the handsome man entering the building, she stared at him in


    admiration of his beauty. Her hand holding the stamp continued to hover over the papers¡ª¡ªshe had


    clearly forgotten about Tevin and Charlotte.


    ¡°Why is he here?¡± Amanda flew into a panic. However, she was quick toe to her senses as she


    hastily urged the staff, ¡°Hurry up and stamp it!¡±


    A card flew toward them, stirring a few strands of Charlotte''s hair into motion as it swished past her and


    then cutting across the back of Amanda''s hand, making it bleed.


    The cardnded on the table right in front of the staff, nting itself between her stamp and the


    marriage document. As a result, the stamp was made on the card instead.


    All this while, Charlotte had been hanging her head in despair; she did not even know someone had


    arrived behind her.


    Amanda shrieked and retracted her hand as the staff jumped to her feet in shock. The stamp fell onto


    the table and rolled into Charlotte''s hands. It was only then that she came back to her senses and


    turned to look behind her instinctively.


    At the sight of him, she stiffened.Why is he here?


    Arge hand firmly descended on Charlotte''s shoulders as a pair of cold eyes stared at Amanda. A


    deep voice sent chills running down everyone''s spine as he spoke, ¡°You''re a daring one toy your


    hands on my woman so many times. Seems like you really have a death wish.¡±

 Chapter 222

    Chapter 222


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, you''ve misunderstood¡ª¡ªAh!¡±


    Before Amanda could finish her sentence, Zachary''s subordinates had already yanked her away.


    She tried to cry for help but the men were swift to cover her mouth.


    All the registration staff, including the young couples registering for their marriage at the side, were


    stunned.


    ¡°Don''t worry. We''d never do anything illegal,¡± Ben exined with a faint smile, ¡°We''ll settle this outside


    and shall not disrupt you all now.¡±


    As he spoke, he made a gesture.


    Instantly, the bodyguards brought Amanda, Tevin, and the two bodyguards of the Whites away.


    ¡°Hello.¡± Zachary rapped on the table, bringing the registration staff back to her senses.


    ¡°H-Hello!¡± Thedy finally snapped back into reality and asked in a shaky voice, ¡°What... can I do for


    you?¡±


    ¡°Please get rid of all the documents from her registration earlier, including the photo she took, the paper


    copy, as well as the electronic copy. Thank you,¡± Zachary politely said to her.


    At the same time, his subordinates were already standing at the side, giving her their solemn gazes as


    they waited for her to do as told.


    ¡°Yes, yes. I''m on it.¡± The staff then promptly got to work.


    After everything was done, Zachary finally turned his attention to Charlotte.


    Roughly, he pulled her up and made her sit on the office desk.


    His tall figure loomed over her like a mighty beast. He ced one hand beside her and pinched her on


    the cheek with his other hand, forcing her to look into his eyes.


    Charlotte could see the wrathful fire in his eyes¡ª¡ªthey were about to burn her to crisps.


    Frightened by his gaze, Charlotte quickly lowered her head and was afraid to look at him.


    Both of her hands were twisting the sleeves of her shirt as her eyes darted around. For a moment, her


    mind was nk.


    What do I do?


    What do I do?


    How do I exin this to him?


    Did he find out about the children?


    Will he strangle me here and now?


    Will he take the children away?


    ¡°Speak,¡± Zachary bellowed.


    A shudder wracked Charlotte''s frame before she raised her head and timidly looked at him. Squeezing


    out a tense smile, she muttered, ¡°Mr. Nacht, w-why are you back?¡±


    ¡°Do you not want me toe back?¡±


    Zachary''s eyes narrowed into slits as if he was a predator about to pounce on his prey.


    ¡°No. I¡ª¡ªI...¡±


    Charlotte was shaking like a leaf in the wind; she could not even form a sentence.


    Zachary''s fury only spiked when he saw her timid demeanor. He tugged at her ponytail and dragged


    her out of the building.


    Charlotte stumbled the entire way out; there were even a few times when she nearly fell.


    Around them, onlookers were quick to move aside, fearing that she would knock into them.


    After all, a devil-like man was right beside her!


    The murderous aura he exuded was one that terrified everyone.


    ¡°Let go of me, Zachary. It hurts. It hurts!¡±


    Charlotte tried to free her hair from his grasp but to no avail.


    Only when Zachary unceremoniously shoved her into the car did she break free from him. Her scalp


    ached and she yelled, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± Zachary sneered, ¡°You could shout at me, but you act like a wimp in front of others.¡±


    At that, Charlotte pursed her lips and drooped her head in shame.


    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    She was the only one in the world who dared to speak to Zachary in this way.


    Yet, as much as she was stubborn and ruthless in front of him, she let others treat her horribly.


    This was a fact¡ªa shameful reality.


    ¡°Tell me.¡± Zachary gripped Charlotte''s face as he interrogated her, ¡°How are they ckmailing you?¡±


    At that very second, Charlotte panicked. She could not let Zachary know about her children. But at this


    moment, could she still keep it a secret?


    It had been over ten minutes since she saw the news, so she did not know how much of her privacy


    had been revealed to the public.


    Even if news of her children was yet to be on the inte, it would soon be.


    Now that Zachary''s subordinates had taken away Amanda and her husband, he was sure to


    interrogate them soon. To protect themselves, Charlotte was certain that they would tell him about this


    secret of hers.

 Chapter 223

    Chapter 223


    ¡°Are you thinking of how you''ll lie to me? Hm?¡± Zachary continued to grab Charlotte''s cheek as he


    leaned into her personal space. ¡°Do you think I''m easy to fool?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Charlotte shook her head vehemently. ¡°I''ve never thought of lying to you. I''m serious.¡±


    If Charlotte were not to submit to him at that moment, she would be doomed for a terrible death.


    If she could yield to the shamelessly disgusting Amanda and Luna, why could she not give in to


    Zachary?


    It was not humiliating to lower herself in the face of her savior.


    ¡°You have five minutes.¡± By now, Zachary was running thin on patience for her. ¡°Be honest and tell me


    everything.¡±


    ¡°Firstly, the woman in the video really isn''t me,¡± Charlotte quickly exined, ¡°I swear on my own life. I


    didn''t do it in the car with Hector.¡±


    Zachary fell silent. All he did was continue narrowing his eyes at her.


    ¡°I''m telling you the truth. Trust me!¡± Anxiety overwhelming her, Charlotte grabbed his hand before


    continuing, ¡°I really didn''t do anything inappropriate with Hector. He''s already married. How could I


    possibly sleep with him?¡±


    ¡°If he''s not married, you''ll do it?¡± Zachary raised a brow at her. ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Charlotte shook her head frantically again. ¡°What I mean is that I didn''t-¡±


    ¡°Your thoughts are messed up. You won''t be able to rify things even if I were to give you an hour,¡±


    Zachary interrupted, ¡°So I''m going to ask you questions and you''ll answer them.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Charlotte weakly nodded.


    ¡°Did you meet Hectorst night?¡± Zachary stared at her with a cial look.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Charlotte replied truthfully before she quickly added, ¡°I did go to that restaurant for a meal, but I


    went with my friend. I encountered Hector at the restaurant, and he was with...¡±


    At that, Charlotte stopped, hesitating whether or not she should reveal Helena''s appearancest night.


    However, Zachary filled in the gaps for her. ¡°He was with Helena.¡±


    ¡°How did you know that?¡± Charlotte abruptly widened her eyes.


    ¡°The woman having car sex with him is Helena,¡± Zachary added.


    ¡°How did you know about that?¡±


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    By now, Charlotte''s eyes wereparable to saucers. Is he omniscient? Howe he knows


    everything?


    ¡°Do you think everyone''s as stupid as you?¡± Zachary smacked the back of her head.


    ¡°I admit that I''m not that smart, but can you tell me how you came to know about that?¡± Charlotte


    tugged at his sleeve. ¡°I''m honestly curious.¡±


    In the beginning, Zachary had not wanted to delve into details about such lowly and boring things, but


    he gave in when he saw Charlotte being so keen.


    ¡°First and foremost, I''ve seen your body, and it''s much nicer than that woman in the video. Moreover,


    you''re so inexperienced and dumb; how could you possibly be the one on top?¡±


    ¡°You-¡± Upon hearing his blunt reply, Charlotte''s face and ears turned bright red. Words fled her mind.


    ¡°Secondly, anyone with a clear mind would search the source of those intimate photos and video when


    they see the news. They''d find out which mediapany first reported on it and would investigate how


    thepany acquired the information in order to identify the woman in the video.¡±


    After a pause, he scoffed in disdain. ¡°It''s such a lowly trick that even a random bodyguard of mine could


    handle well.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± Charlotte nodded in realization. ¡°This isn''t how the bossy CEO in romance novels would do it. He


    would get angry right after the news and question the girl. After that, he would punish and torment her.¡±


    ¡°Have you lost your mind?¡± Zachary blurted out. ¡°Those who can manage a sessful organization


    aren''t idiots. Who would make such a rookie mistake? Those novels you read are written by brainless


    idiots. The more you read them, the dumber you''ll be. Stop reading that rubbish!¡±

 Chapter 224

    Chapter 224


    ¡°Oh,¡± Charlotte breathed. Carefully, she asked, ¡°About the man from T Nation... Did you investigate


    him, too?¡±


    ¡°Do I even need to investigate him?¡± Zachary huffed. ¡°The White women must have thought that you


    were the one in that video on the news, so they started threatening you with the old gigolo incident


    again.¡±


    ¡°Since you know everything, why are you asking me to exin to you?¡±


    He''s so smart. Nothing goes unnoticed before his eyes.


    Charlotte was now afraid that she would not be able to keep her children a secret for long.


    ¡°It''s no longer a secret that you''ve hired a gigolo.¡± Zachary gave her a scornful look. ¡°Moreover, given


    that incident has made it onto the news, why are you still threatened by the mother and daughter? You


    must have other secrets.¡±


    At that, Charlotte''s heart skipped a beat. Just as I thought!


    ¡°Look at your shifty eyes. You must be thinking of ways to fool me again, right?¡± Zachary sneered. ¡°I''m


    not going to bother pressurizing you into spilling it. I''ll ask those who know about this instead.¡±


    ¡°No-¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht!¡± Right then, Ben''s voice came from the outside.


    ¡°Speak,¡± Zachary ordered.


    ¡°I''ve done what you''ve asked.¡±


    Ben then slowly reported to Zachary.


    ¡°I''ve made arrangements for those people, and all that''s left is your interrogation. We''ve also removed


    all the news; Ms. Windt''s information can no longer be found on the inte or other broadcasting


    channels. The incident is now over. I''ve contacted all media outlets. From now on, they have agreed


    not to act on any tipoffs they receive about Ms. Windt, no matter who gives them the information. Also,


    the Sterlings'' project has been stopped.¡±


    Once Ben was done with his report, all was silent.


    Staring at Charlotte, Zachary ordered Ben, ¡°Bring the Whites to the secret room. I will ask them


    myself.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±


    The car then slowly drove off.


    When Charlotte took out her phone to check the news, she realized Ben''s words were true. All her


    information was gone from the inte.


    Even the trending headlines had been reced by scandals of other celebrities. When she searched


    her name and some keywords rting to the news, no results came up.


    Finally, she heaved a sigh of relief.


    Now that she had the time to mull over Zachary''s words, she tensed up again. ¡°Mr. Nacht, since it''s


    now resolved, there''s no need for you to interrogate them, is there? Also, this has nothing to do with


    Mr. Sterling, so why did you stop his project again?¡±


    ¡°What''s wrong?¡± Zachary furrowed his brows, displeased. ¡°You still bear feelings for your old me?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°It''s best that you keep quiet.¡± Zachary gripped her chin and warned, ¡°If you beg for him now, he''ll die


    an even more terrible death.¡±


    Hearing that, Charlotte kept her lips sealed, not daring to utter another word. Through his eyes she


    could see an intent to kill, and based on her past experience, she knew what wasing up.


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    The more Hector yearned for her, the more the Whites would target her.


    Simrly, the more she pitied Hector and pleaded for him, the worse Zachary would treat him.


    Hence, it was best for her not to mention a word about Hector from now on.


    However, what Charlotte was worried about was whether or not Zachary would find out about her


    children through his interrogation of Amanda.


    Right then, her phone rang. It was from Luna. Charlotte peeked at Zachary before she declined the


    call.


    Soon, Luna sent a message: Charlotte, tell Mr. Nacht to let my parents go right away, or else I''ll tell the


    world about your foul matters.


    Staring at the words, Charlotte''s heart began thumping. Although the mediapanies dared not


    report anything else about her after Zachary''s threats, Luna could still expose her by herself.


    After all, these were modern times and no one had absolute control over anyone else on the inte.

 Chapter 225

    Chapter 225


    Furthermore, Zachary could not possibly kill Simon and Amanda. The moment they feared for their


    lives, they would blurt out all the secrets to protect themselves.


    Hence, the best oue for her was to stop Zachary from interrogating them in the first ce.


    That way, everything woulde to an end before getting out of control.


    Yet, this was something easier said than done.


    Just as Charlotte was deep in her anxious thoughts, her phone rang again. This time, it was an


    unfamiliar number from M Nation that ended with 7777.


    Immediately, Charlotte recognized it as Michael''s number, as he liked the number seven.


    Hence, she epted the call instantly. ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Charlotte, are you okay?¡± Michael sounded weak and in distress. ¡°I just heard what happened to you.


    Those people are too horrible to nder you like this!¡±


    ¡°I''m fine, Michael. Don''t worry. Everything''s been resolved-¡±


    Before Charlotte could finish her sentence, Zachary took her phone away and put Michael on speaker.


    At his abrupt actions, Charlotte tried to take back her phone, but he stopped her by grabbing her wrist.


    ¡°It''s been resolved? How did you resolve it?¡± Michael''s voice traveled from the speakers. ¡°I''ve just


    asked my uncle to contact the mediapanies. If it''s necessary, I can be your witness. You were with


    me all alongst night. You didn''t even-¡±


    ¡°No need to trouble you, Mr. Brown,¡± Zachary cut off Michael''s words. Zachary sounded polite, but


    Charlotte could hear his arrogant undertone.


    ¡°Y-You''re...¡± Michael tentatively asked, ¡°Zachary?¡±


    ¡°Even your father has to address me as Mr. Nacht, but you''re calling my name instead. As expected of


    a bold, young man,¡± Zachary sneered. ¡°Mr. Brown, I heard you''re in poor health. Do rest more and get


    well soon.¡±


    ¡°You-¡±


    Michael had yet to finish his sentence when Zachary hung up the call.


    Charlotte stared at Zachary with a ckened jaw for a while before she could recollect herself. ¡°How


    could you-¡±


    ¡°You seem to have forgotten that you''re mine now.¡± Zachary''s expression instantly darkened as he


    used the phone to pat Charlotte''s face. ¡°You had a date with another man behind my back. How clever


    of you.¡±


    ¡°That wasn''t a date!¡± Charlotte cried out. ¡°How could you change your mood so quickly? So much for


    saying that brainless and domineering CEOs only exist in novels!¡±


    ¡°The news is fake; that''s why I didn''t hold you ountable. However, it''s true that you''ve gone on a


    secret date with Michael.¡± As he spoke, Zachary loosened his tie and leaned closer to her. ¡°Looks like


    I''ll have to leave marks on you so that you''ll remember this.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Charlotte hastily moved away from him. ¡°We''re in a car. Stop messing around.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Let me show you what real car sex is.¡±


    Like a leopard, Zachary lunged toward her and pinned her beneath him. Just as she was about to


    struggle, he grabbed her wrists to raise them above her head.


    His thin lips brushed across her eyes, cheeks, then lips. Gently, he bit on her earlobes.


    ¡°Speak. What did the two of you dost night?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Charlotte nervously avoided his lips. When his hot breath tickled her skin, a sense of


    numbness crawled across her skin, causing her to shudder and feel electrocuted.


    ¡°What kind of rtionship do you have with Michael?¡±


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    Slowly, Zachary''s kisses trailed downward as he lightly nibbled on Charlotte''s smooth neck and


    corbones.


    ¡°We''re just ssmates. There''s nothing going on between us.¡± Charlotte continued shaking as she


    feebly pushed against him. ¡°Stop it. Let me go.¡±


    The two of them were in an MPV. Although they were separated from the driver''s section and the


    outside world, Charlotte still felt as though countless pairs of eyes were observing them.


    She was rmed, flustered, and apprehensive.


    Right then, Zachary bit her shoulder, reminding her with pain that she was his.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Charlotte howled in agony as she instinctively pushed him again.


    Her phone rang at that moment. When she turned to look at the screen, she realized it was a call from


    Luna.


    That name was a shock to her system, reminding her of her current situation.


    Right. I''m supposed to be stopping Zachary from interrogating Simon and Amanda.

 Chapter 226

    Chapter 226


    Charlotte groggily woke up after a long sleep.


    When she did, she realized she was on her bed back at the Nachts'' residence; every part of her body


    was aching.


    She tried to return to her sleep, but many questions flitted across her mind instead¡ªthe interrogation,


    the truth, and the secret.


    Those thoughts sobered her up, making her search for her phone in a panic.


    ¡°What are you looking for?¡±


    A familiar voice traveled into her ears before the man walked out of the darkness. The mere sight of


    him made her shudder in apprehension.


    ¡°I-I''m looking for my phone.¡±


    Charlotte nervously looked at him as she groaned in a silent regret. How can I fall into such deep


    sleep?


    Has he already interrogated them and found out about the children during these few hours?


    ¡°It''s over there.¡± He pointed to her pillow.


    She picked up the pillow and spotted her phone underneath it. However, her phone was switched off


    ¡ª¡ªit was out of battery.


    Instantly, her heart started racing. She had just changed her phone a while ago. When they were in the


    car earlier, her phone still had plenty of battery power left. She could not help but think: Did the battery


    go t because someone has been using the phone?


    ¡°You had some calls; I picked up for you,¡± Zachary confessed. ¡°Luna won''t harass you anymore. You


    can sleep peacefully now.¡±


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    With that said, he turned and was about to leave.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Charlotte cried out before tentatively asking, ¡°Ha-Have you interrogated Amanda?¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Zachary turned back to face her with his unfathomable gaze. ¡°What secret do you


    have that you want to keep from me?¡±


    ¡°I-¡± For a moment, Charlotte could not form words; all she could do was tremble in worry.


    He must have spoken to her. He''s not the kind that anyone can fool; he has the habit of getting to the


    bottom of everything.


    When Zachary saw her uneasy demeanor, he lowered her gaze and muttered, ¡°Someone unimportant


    like her isn''t worth my time.¡±


    ¡°You mean... You didn''t see her?¡± Charlotte carefully inquired.


    Zachary then slowly walked toward her as he lowered his voice, ¡°You were so passionate and refused


    to let me go. How am I supposed to have interrogated her?¡±


    ¡°I... I...¡±


    His words made her blush a bright red as the images of what happened earlier shed past her mind.


    To stop him from interrogating Amanda, she had taken initiative.


    Oh, my goodness!


    Ashamed, Charlotte covered her face, wishing the ground would swallow her there and then.


    ¡°Ha!¡± Augh escaped Zachary''s lips upon finding her silly look adorable.


    ¡°You were much braver this afternoon than you are now,¡± Zachary teased, ¡°You weren''t drunk nor


    drugged, but you''re rigorous and enthusiastic.¡±


    ¡°I-¡± Just as Charlotte was about to reply to him, she realized what he had just said. ¡°You''ve seen me


    drugged?¡±


    The previous two times she had sex with a man, she had been drugged.


    Both times, it was with Gigolo.


    If he''s not Gigolo, then wouldn''t I be...


    Zachary tensed up as he cursed at himself in his heart. I slipped up!


    Nevertheless, he was swift to recollect himself as he muttered, ¡°I saw you thest time at Sultry Night.


    Don''t you remember?¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± Charlotte had nearly forgotten she was once drugged by Ynda at Sultry Night and he had


    saved her.


    So there''s nothing suspicious about what he said.


    But how should I confirm that he''s Gigolo?


    ¡°Take a shower and sleep for a little longer. It''s still early.¡± At that, Zachary stood up and started to walk


    away.


    ¡°Don''t go.¡± Charlotte suddenly hugged him from behind as she leaned her face onto her back. Softly,


    she whined, ¡°Stay with me.¡±


    She had thrown away her dignity by now. After all, she had already slept with him. I might as well do it


    all the way.


    ¡°You''re... very different today.¡±


    Zachary had to admit this was a side of her that he liked as well. The moment she initiated anything


    intimate, his heart would race and he could not resist her.


    Regardless, he knew what her real aim was, and there was no way he would let her have her way.

 Chapter 227

    Chapter 227


    At the thought of that, Charlotte let her arms fall. She stopped resisting him and bit on Zachary''s


    shoulder vengefully.


    She mustered all her strength into the bite as if she wanted to tear off a piece of him.


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    However, Zachary appeared to have felt no pain. Not only did he not resist nor push her away, he even


    continued to let her bite him.


    Only when she tasted the tangy scent of blood did Charlotte stop. Moving away from him, she shot him


    a defiant re.


    ¡°Very well...¡±


    That was the feral side of her that Zachary liked. Pinching her cheeks, he gently brushed his thumb


    across the corner of her lips where his blood was.


    Lust stirred in his eyes like an impending storm. His Adam''s apple bobbed and he hoarsely muttered,


    ¡°I''ll deal with youter tonight.¡±


    Then, he moved away from her.


    After all, there were things to do, and he was not the kind to sidetrack from serious matters.


    However, Charlotte would not let an opportunity like this slide past her. She quickly hooked her arms


    around his neck and leaned forward to kiss him.


    Stunned by her actions, Zachary turned as still as a statue.


    Charlotte''s kiss was like fire as well as water, passionate and inexperienced at the same time.


    She was doing her best to mimic the way he had kissed her, hoping to make him stay.


    That way, she could stop him from interrogating them, and she would be able to keep the children a


    secret.


    What Charlotte did not know was that she was ying with fire.


    Soon, Charlotte awakened the lust that Zachary had been suppressing in him. Now out of control, he


    pinned her under him again. As he rained kisses on her, his hands got to work.


    Although Charlotte was trembling from the dread, she continued to cooperate with him.


    Soon, the two were entwined in a symphony of love and hate.


    There were several times Charlotte tried to pull his shirt away to get a glimpse of his back, but he


    always caught her hand in time.


    What always followed was his vicious punishment for her.


    Eventually, she ran out of energy and stopped trying to check, but the fact that he was wary of her


    action was in itself an answer.


    Marino was the bodyguard who was driving the MPV at the time. His face turned bright red upon


    hearing themotion behind him in the car.


    Ben in the front passenger seat spotted Marino''s reddened face whispered to him, ¡°Eyes on the road,


    and don''t think too much about it.¡±


    ¡°No. Of course not,¡± Marino hastily said, ¡±But Ben, are we still heading to the secret room?¡±


    ¡°That...¡± After pondering about it, Ben replied, ¡°We can''t go against Mr. Nacht''s words, but with the


    stamina he has, I''d say this will go on for a while.¡±


    ¡°So...¡±


    ¡°Let''s park at a secluded ce first.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    It was already midnight when the tussle ended.


    By then, Charlotte was totally exhausted. After a while of sprawling on the seat, she fell into a deep


    sleep.


    Zachary put on his clothes again and started smoking next to her. When he stared at the sleeping


    Charlotte,plicated emotions swirled in his eyes.


    Upon finishing his cigarette, Zachary opened a sliver of the car window and instructed, ¡°Let''s head


    back.¡±


    ¡°Huh? You''re not going to interrogate them?¡± Ben was surprised.


    ¡°No,¡± came Zachary''s t reply. ¡°Lock the couple up for a few days. Let them out when they''re about to


    die from starvation so that they''ll remember this lesson well.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Ben then informed the other subordinates about Zachary''s decision while Marino returned


    to the car and drove off.


    Zachary covered Charlotte with his suit jacket and quietly watched her from the side.


    On their way back, Marino wondered, ¡°Ben, why did Mr. Nacht suddenly change his mind?¡±


    ¡°It must be because Ms. Windt has a secret that she wants to keep from him. That''s why he''s not going


    to interrogate them. He did that so she won''t feel anxious.¡± Ben knew Zachary well.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Marino mumbled as he nodded, ¡°But I still don''t get it.¡±


    ¡°You don''t need to get it. Focus on the road.¡± Ben smacked the back of his head.

 Chapter 228

    Chapter 228


    ¡°Do you like it?¡±


    Charlotte kissed his ear as she started pulling his shirt.


    Why is he wearing a f*cking robe? His back ispletely covered, and I can''t take it off easily!


    ¡°I do...¡±


    Zachary turned around to cup her face as he passionately kissed her. He then pinned her on the bed.


    ¡°Mm...¡± Charlotte twisted her body uneasily as her weak hands tried to remove his clothes. She wanted


    to peek at his back, but no matter what she did, she could not take off that robe on him.


    How annoying!


    ¡°I''ll do it myself.¡±


    With that said, Zachary took off his bathrobe and threw it aside before his body pressed on hers again.


    Just as Charlotte was craning her neck to catch a glimpse of his back, he turned off the lights.


    ¡°Why did you turn off the lights?¡± Charlotte eximed.


    ¡°We can be more immersed in the moment when it''s dark.¡± Zachary bit her ears and locked his fingers


    with hers. ¡°Look at me.¡±


    Her head subconsciously turned upon hearing his words. In the dark, he was a ferocious beast with


    glowing eyes and overwhelming lust.


    At that very second, she suddenly thought about the night four years ago as well as that time in the car


    by the seaside.


    Back then, this was how Gigolo looked at her, too.


    Those eyes were exactly the same.


    Charlotte was sure that it must be him.


    ¡°Stop thinking about other things.¡± Zachary''s heated breath crept into her heart. ¡°Focus.¡±


    Closing her eyes, she started to immerse herself in his world.


    It was a night of ecstasy. The moon seeped through the window and cast a shadow of the entangled


    bodies by the side of the bed.


    Their bodily warmth and heavy breathing melded together to form a beautiful so.


    Soon, Zachary wiped the worries and thoughts away from Charlotte''s mind.


    His intensity and mania made her mind turn nk; all she could do was lean on him weakly.


    As she reached her peak, Charlotte subconsciously murmured, ¡°Gigolo.¡±


    A shudder took over Zachary''s body; he frowned. He bit her lips as if was punishing her and did not


    allow her to say anything else.


    There must be something wrong with this woman''s mind.


    She doesn''t want an almighty and domineering corporate leader. Instead, she longs for a gigolo...


    However, as that was his other identity, he figured it was pointless to be jealous of himself.


    In the morning, Charlottey sprawled on the bed, deep in dreand. She only started moving when


    the sunlight filtered through the paneled windows to shine on her face.


    She rubbed her eyes, turned around, and continued sleeping.


    After another bout of rest, she finally crawled out of the bed when the sunlight became too bright.


    It was only then that she realized the curtains were not drawnst night.


    Oh, no! Anyone who was outside would have seen everything!


    In her panic, she hurriedly grabbed the bathrobe on the floor to cover herself up before drawing the


    curtains.


    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    It was then that she realized Zachary was already dressed. He was now drinking a cup of tea as he sat


    in the garden downstairs.


    Meanwhile, Ben had his head lowered; he was reporting to Zachary.


    A rare leisurely and happy look was on Zachary''s face. He looked like he had won a battle.


    As though he sensed someone was watching him, he turned around to look toward the bedroom.


    Promptly, Charlotte drew the curtains and moved away from the window.


    They already slept with each otherst night, but she was still shy and nervous; in fact, she did not


    know how to face him.


    The other problems were already solved, and Zachary did not seem like he was going to dig deeper


    into the news or interrogate Amanda.


    However, she still did not dare to bring the children over.


    What if he''s not Gigolo? What then?


    She could feel her head pounding just by those mere thoughts.


    There was a knock on the door, followed by Raina''s voice. ¡°Ms. Windt, may Ie in?¡±


    ¡°Please do.¡± Charlotte quickly tidied up her messy bed, which was truly a chaotic sight to behold.


    After Raina entered, the maid behind her pushed in a serving cart while another maid brought in a


    birdcage.


    In the cage was Fifi, almost curled into a ball.

 Chapter 229

    Chapter 229


    ¡°Fifi?¡± Charlotte froze. ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    It''s supposed to be in my new home.


    ¡°I was worried that Fifi would starve to death at home, so I picked it up brought it over,¡± Raina exined


    before bowing at her. ¡°I''m sorry to have done this without first asking for your permission.¡±


    ¡°No, no. You don''t need to apologize. Thank you.¡±


    Charlotte had not returned home since having leftst morning. If Raina had not gone to bring Fifi here,


    Fifi might truly starve to death because it was locked inside its cage.


    Hence, she was grateful for Raina''s kind gesture.


    At the same time, she was worried that Raina would have noticed something amiss when she went to


    her house.


    Although she had yet time to unpack after moving, and the children''s things were still in the room, if


    Raina had thoroughly gone through her house, she would have found them easily.


    ¡°Don''t worry. I''ve only brought Fifi over. I didn''t infringe upon your privacy, nor did I touch your stuff,¡±


    Raina reassured, seemingly understanding Charlotte''s worries.


    ¡°Oh. Haha. That''s good to hear,¡± Charlotte chuckled awkwardly.


    ¡°Mommy. Mommy.¡±


    Fifi, which had been gloomy earlier, immediately brightened up when it saw Charlotte. It was now


    fluttering its injured wings and crying out for her.


    ¡°Fifi.¡± Charlotte then released the parrot from the cage and cupped it in her hands before kissing its


    little green head.


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    ¡°Mommy, miss you. Miss you,¡± Fifi responded as it rubbed his head on Charlotte''s cheek.


    All these years, Charlotte had never neglected it at home, until yesterday when she went out early in


    the morning and failed to return at night.


    Stuck in the cage, Fifi had long finished its food and water, and by night it was already crying out in


    hunger.


    It was fortunate that Raina had gone to pick it up.


    ¡°I''m sorry, Fifi. There was an emergency yesterday and Mommy couldn''t care for you in time. Mommy


    won''t leave you behind ever again,¡± Charlotte apologized to Fifi.


    Fifi replied by mimicking Ellie''s fake sobs. It even covered its eye with its wing, looking like the epitome


    of misery.


    ¡°The parrot is adorable,¡± one of the maids eximed.


    ¡°You''re right, haha!¡± Raina chuckled.


    ¡°Ellie, Jamie, Robbie. Miss, miss.¡±


    Fifi suddenly fluttered its injured wings again as it cried out the children''s names.


    The maid paid no heed to it as she focused on cing the breakfast on the table.


    However, Raina froze as aplicated look crept into her eyes.


    Hearing Fifi''s voice, Charlotte flew into a panic as she hastily exined, ¡°Those are Mrs. Berry''s


    children. Fifi always ys with them.¡±


    ¡°Mommy. Mrs. Berry. Mrs. Berry.¡±


    Upon Charlotte''s mention of Mrs. Berry, Fifi quickly cried out Mrs. Berry''s name instead.


    ¡°Mrs. Berry went to her hometown.¡± Charlotte promptly brought Fifi toward the bathroom. ¡°All right.


    Mommy''s going to take you to wash up.¡±


    Once she closed the bathroom door behind her, she reminded the bird, ¡°Fifi, stop saying stuff without


    thinking it through. You''ll make things worse for Mommy!¡±


    ¡°Ellie, Jamie, Robbie,¡± squeaked Fifi miserably.


    ¡°I asked you not to say their names anymore,¡± Charlotte yelped; she was a second away from a mental


    breakdown. ¡°Hush, and don''t speak anymore. Mommy will bring you to them.¡±


    ¡°Yay!¡± Fifi raised its wing in a gesture of victory.


    ¡°I really can''t win against you.¡±


    Charlotte then heaved a sigh. She had to find a way to get Fifi to Mrs. Berry and check if Ellie had


    recovered from her illness.


    ¡°Is she awake?¡± Zachary''s voice abruptly sounded out from the outside.


    ¡°Yes. Ms. Windt went to the bathroom,¡± Raina politely responded.


    Zachary then motioned for Raina and the maid to leave the room.


    Hearing his voice, Charlotte quickly washed up before cing Fifi into the bathtub. Quietly, she


    whispered, ¡°Don''t make a sound. Mommy will be back soon.¡±


    She then left the bathroom and closed the door behind her.


    ¡°I''d have thought you''re hiding a man in the bathroom if I didn''t know better,¡± Zachary jeered when he


    saw her sneaky move, ¡°It''s just a parrot.¡±

 Chapter 230

    Chapter 230


    ¡°It likes to poop into the breakfast bowl,¡± Charlotte chuckled tensely.


    ¡°Well, we''ll have to make the bird into stew then,¡± Zachary replied nonchntly.


    ¡°What?¡± Charlotte spluttered. ¡°No way! It''s my family.¡±


    ¡°Silly.¡± Zachary rolled his eyes at her. ¡°Come over and have your breakfast.¡±


    Charlotte walked over to the table; her eyes lit up when she saw the sumptuous meal.


    Meanwhile, her stomach growled, reminding her that she had not eaten anything for the entire day


    yesterday.


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    When she sat down, Zachary handed her a set of cutlery before he settled himself down on a chair to


    watch her eat.


    Charlotte was ady born with a silver spoon. However, to make a living in recent years, she had


    learned to eat as quickly as she could in order to get back to work earlier and maximize her pay. Thus,


    she no longer savored food elegantly like she used to do.


    That was why her table manners seemed terrible to everyone else.


    Yet, Zachary found her behavior realistic.


    Moreover, Charlotte was a pretty woman, so she looked good no matter what she was doing. In fact,


    she portrayed a silly kind of cuteness.


    ¡°Aren''t you eating?¡± Charlotte licked her lips as she passed a spoonful of sauteed mushrooms to


    Zachary.


    ¡°I''ve had my breakfast.¡±


    Zachary had wanted to move away from the food, but as her hand was still hovering in mid-air, he


    leaned over to eat the mushrooms.


    ¡°They''re good, aren''t they?¡± Charlotte giggled.


    ¡°Hm.¡± Zachary nodded before he scowled and stood up, ready to leave.


    ¡°What''s the matter?¡±


    Charlotte froze as she watched him walk away. What did I do wrong?


    Once Zachary was gone, the room suddenly felt sprawling and empty.


    Having lost her appetite, Charlotte ced her chin on her palm as she recollected what just happened.


    What did I do wrong?


    Why did he suddenly scowl at me?


    Didn''t I just feed him mushrooms?


    Is he allergic to them?


    Just as she was deep in thought, Raina entered with a knock. ¡°Ms. Windt, I''ve brought you a charger.


    Let me charge your phone.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Charlotte then decided to test the waters. ¡°Dr. Langhan, I''m thinking of going out for a


    walk.¡±


    ¡°Alright. I''ll arrange your transport,¡± Raina replied.


    ¡°Just send me home. You don''t need to worry about the other things after that.¡±


    Charlotte was nning of going home first. After that, and without Zachary''s knowledge, she would


    sneak to the countryside...


    ¡°Sure.¡± Raina gave me a faint smile and a nod before she left.


    The moment Raina left, Charlotte immediately switched on her phone.


    There were countless missed calls, received calls, and even unread messages.


    Among the missed calls were those from Mrs. Berry, Michael, and Luna.


    However, the only call that was picked up was from Luna.


    ncing at the time, Charlotte concluded that Zachary had picked up Luna''s call on her behalf to warn


    thetter about something. That call onlysted ten seconds.


    On the other hand, he did not pick up Mrs. Berry''s nor Michael''s calls.


    Moreover, all her messages were still in their unread state¡ªZachary had not clicked into any of them.


    At that, Charlotte let out a sigh of relief before she tensed up again. Oh, no. Would he have seen my


    photos?


    She then swiftly clicked into her phone gallery, only to realize it waspletely empty.


    It then dawned on her that she had just changed to a new phone yesterday; therefore, she only had


    several photos of Fifi in the new phone.


    Thank goodness!


    If she had been using her old phone yesterday, Zachary could have realized everything upon seeing


    the photos of her and the children.


    Fortunately, her secret was still safe for the time being.


    In order to protect themselves, Amanda and Luna should be keeping the children a secret. After all, it


    would be more dangerous for them if they reveal the information now.


    As long as they kept it a secret, Charlotte would be wary of them and would be forced to plead with


    Zachary to let them go.


    At those thoughts, Charlotte once again felt relieved. What she had to do now was to find out whether


    Zachary was Gigolo. Next, she would have to find out whether he had something to do with her father''s


    death.


    If he was Gigolo and he had nothing to do with her father''s death, she would not mind revealing her


    secret, which might then lead to a merry family reunion.

 Chapter 231

    Chapter 231


    On the way back, Charlotte probed, ¡°Dr. Langhan, is Mr. Nacht allergic to prawns?¡±


    ¡°Not that I know of. Why are you asking?¡± Raina was curious.


    ¡°No reason in particr...¡±


    Charlotte was puzzled. Since he is not allergic to prawns, why did his face change drastically right after


    having them?


    Is he allergic to me instead?


    If he was, he wouldn''t have been that voracious.


    At that moment, Charlotte''s mind was filled with scenes from their two days of intense passion, causing


    her cheeks to flush red.


    Before she knew it, the car arrived at the new house.


    Raina wanted to walk Charlotte upstairs but she insisted on going up alone.


    Left without a choice, Raina left with the bodyguards.


    Arriving home with Fifi, Charlotte was stunned when she opened the door.


    The house was in a mess with the room doors all broken into.


    Raina had dropped by before but Charlotte believed that she wouldn''t ransack the house. Did a thief


    force entry?


    Charlotte quickly entered to check and realized the children''s bags had been scoured through. Some of


    their clothes and photos were gone.


    Seized by panic, she quickly went back to her room to check if her documents and valuables were still


    intact, which they were.


    However, there was a note left in the drawer beside her documents. The handwriting was familiar and it


    stated: Charlotte, call me back!


    There was no signature but Charlotte was certain that it was Luna.


    She called her at once and instantly got through.


    ¡°That''s quick. I thought you were going to wait at least a few days.¡±


    Luna''s voice was raspy and tinged with devious mockery.


    ¡°Did you enter my house? And did you take my children''s clothes and pictures?¡± Charlotte questioned.


    ¡°That''s right.¡± Lunaughed coldly. ¡°I even made a copy of the video of them in kindergarten. I''ll pack


    them up and send them to Zachary. How about that?¡±


    ¡°What are you trying to do?¡± Charlotte thought that Luna had gone crazy.


    ¡°Oh, just sending him some things won''t do any good.¡± Lunaughed deviously. ¡°My men are heading


    towards Mrs. Berry''s house. I believe they will get their hands on your children soon...¡±


    ¡°Luna!¡± Charlotte screamed in anger. ¡°If you dare touch my children, I''ll never forgive you...¡±


    ¡°If you don''t want them to be harmed, you will have to obey my every instruction,¡± Luna ordered coldly.


    ¡°Now,e to Sultry Night immediately. I''ll meet you at the same private room.¡±


    ¡°Luna...¡±


    Before Charlotte could say another word, Luna ended the call.


    Charlotte called Mrs. Berry immediately but couldn''t get through.


    She also called a few of their neighbors and friends there but no one picked up.


    She was almost driven crazy by desperation.


    Furthermore, she couldn''t get Zachary to help either.


    What should I do?


    At that moment, her phone rang. It was Michael on the line.


    Charlotte quickly answered, ¡°Michael!¡±


    ¡°Charlotte, where are you? I want to see you.¡±


    ¡°Michael, there''s something I need your help with...¡±


    ¡°Go ahead...¡±


    Charlotte quickly exined that her children were in danger and pleaded with him to save them.


    Furthermore, he had to help keep it a secret.


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    Michael took action at once.


    After ending the call, Charlotte hesitated before deciding to meet Luna at Sultry Night.


    Luna was someone that didn''t care for anyone nor the consequences of whatever she did. Currently,


    her projects with the Sterling family had been suspended while her rtionship with Hector was at the


    end of the line.


    Her parents were also kidnapped.


    She had lost everything.


    Therefore, Zachary''s warning meant nothing to her.


    Under such circumstances, she was capable of anything.


    Instead of dragging this any further, Charlotte decided to end it today.


    Arriving at Sultry Night in a cab, she saw that it was packed despite having just opened for business.


    The heavy metal music was so loud that it shook her eardrums.


    After squeezing herself through the crowd, she arrived at where the VIP private rooms were. While she


    was looking for the room which Luna and her used before, she spotted a familiar silhouette amongst


    the crowd along the corridor.

 Chapter 232

    Chapter 232


    Zachary?


    No, it''s Gigolo!


    He was wearing a mysterious half mask and dressed in a ck leisure suit. With four subordinates


    behind him, he walked towards the right side of the corridor.


    Despite not knowing the names of the four men, Charlotte was certain that they were Zachary''s men.


    He must be Gigolo. He must be...


    Overwhelmed by a sudden rush of emotions, Charlotte wanted to question him. But suddenly, a hand


    grabbed her on the shoulder and dragged her forcefully into one of the rooms.


    ¡°Let me go!¡± Charlotte struggled vehemently.


    Luna motioned to her bodyguards who then released Charlotte before standing guard at the door.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Charlotte red at Luna coldly.


    ¡°Release my parents first.¡±


    Luna had likely not slept for days as her eyebags looked heavy. She seemed to be in a daze and was


    extremely exhausted.


    ¡°I didn''t take them...¡±


    ¡°Drop the act.¡± Luna mmed the wine ss she was holding onto the floor, smashing it into pieces. ¡°If


    not for you, would Zachary even capture them?¡±


    ¡°Since you know it was Zachary that took them,¡± Charlotte asserted coldly, ¡°why don''t you ask him


    instead of me?¡±


    ¡°Are you still trying to y games with me?¡±


    Luna took out her phone and made a call.


    The heavy metal music that was being yed in Sultry Night came to a sudden stop.


    The next moment, Ellie''s squeaky voice was heard shouting, ¡°Robbie! Jamie! Wait for me!¡±


    ¡°Ellie! Quick!¡± Jamie could be heard yelling back.


    ¡°Ellie, slow down or you''ll fall.¡± It was followed by Robbie''s voice.


    Charlotte widened her eyes in shock and frantically tried to stop her. ¡°What are you doing? Stop it.¡±


    ¡°This is just the prelude.¡± Luna gloated as she waved her phone. ¡°I''ve spent ten million to pay off Sultry


    Night''s DJ to connect my phone to their broadcasting system! I found out that Zachary has forbidden all


    mediapanies from publishing any news rted to you. I can''t do anything to you online, but I don''t


    think Zachary can help you here, can he?¡±


    The Sultry Night has thousands of patrons a night. If everyone present saw the news about you,


    wouldn''t it be exciting? Don''t you think?¡±


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    ¡°You...¡± Charlotte was trembling in anger.


    ¡°I still have a lot of clips.¡± Luna showed Charlotte her screen as she scrolled through it confidently. ¡°I


    even found videos of you and the children participating in the kindergarten activities. Do you want me


    to y them?¡±


    Just as she spoke, she prepared to y the videos.


    ¡°Wait.¡± Charlottepromised immediately. ¡°Turn it off. I''ll call Zachary and have him release your


    parents.¡±


    ¡°That''s a good girl.¡± Luna exited from the broadcasting page and motioned Charlotte to go ahead.


    Charlotte frantically gave Zachary a call.


    ¡°Put it on speaker,¡± Luna ordered.


    Charlotte did as she was told.


    Just a minute ago, in another private room.


    Zachary was in a midst of a discussion when he was jolted by the children''s voices. Looking up, he


    looked outside with squinted eyes as if something had urred to him.


    Where have I heard those names before?


    Ring!


    Suddenly, his phone rang.


    When he saw who it was, he took leave from his secretive guest and answered the call by a corner.


    ¡°Hello!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, I''m begging you. Please let Uncle Simon and Aunt Amanda go.¡±


    Charlotte''s voice was trembling.


    Zachary knew at once that she was being threatened. Furthermore, he surmised that she was also at


    Sultry Night as he could hear the faint background music through the phone.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Zachary readily agreed while signaling his men.


    Ben understood immediately and quickly led two men out to deal with the situation.


    ¡°Tell Luna to pick them up at Sultry Night,¡± Zachary replied.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Before Charlotte knew what was going on, Zachary had ended the call.


    Charlotte began to feel anxious. Does he actually know that I''m at Sultry Night?


    ¡°What does he mean? Don''t tell me my parents are being held here too?¡± Luna remarked.


    Charlottemented in her heart on Luna''s behalf. You''re dumber than me!

 Chapter 233

    Chapter 233


    ¡°That''s not right...¡± Luna quickly realized what was going on. ¡°Does he know that we''re at Sultry Night?¡±


    The moment she spoke, Luna became extremely nervous. She frantically ordered the bodyguards,


    ¡°Guard the door well. Don''t let Zachary''s mene in...¡±


    Before she could finish, the door was kicked open.


    Her bodyguards at the door were trampled upon at the same time.


    ¡°You''re weak!¡± Ben sneered.


    Luna frantically drew a dagger and pressed it against Charlotte''s throat. ¡°Don''te any closer or I will


    kill her!¡±


    This wasn''t the first time it happened and Ben was extremely familiar with such situations.


    What was different this time was that Charlotte was on Luna''s side.


    She lifted her head and spoke anxiously, ¡°Ben, she just wants to save her parents. Please tell Mr.


    Nacht to release them.¡±


    ¡°That''s right, as long as you let my parents go, I will not harm her. Or else, we will all die together!¡±


    Luna''s voice was trembling and so was her hand that held the dagger.


    After that, she whispered into Charlotte''s ear. ¡°My phone is set to the broadcasting page. If they don''t


    release my parents, I will show the world the video of you and your three bastards.¡±


    ¡°Didn''t you hear her? Release them,¡± Charlotte ordered anxiously.


    ¡°I need to check with Mr. Nacht...¡±


    Before Ben finished his sentence, a silver light shed across their eyes, piercing Luna''s wrist.


    Screaming in agonizing pain, Luna knelt onto the floor while both her dagger and her phone fell onto


    the ground.


    Charlotte was now out of danger but instead of trying to flee, she reached for Luna''s phone.


    Meanwhile, Luna picked up her dagger and thrust it toward Charlotte.


    A ck figure dashed forward like an arrow but it was already toote.


    Charlotte cried out in pain as her shoulder was stabbed.


    Before the dagger could pierce any deeper, Ben managed to snatch it away.


    The next moment, Luna was also restrained.


    Grabbing tightly onto the phone, Charlotte fell toward the ground but was caught by someone from


    behind.


    ¡°You fool!¡± Zachary gritted his teeth as he yelled at her.


    ¡°Gigolo!¡± Charlotte turned around to look at him. After being briefly stunned, she reached out her


    hands.


    Zachary thought that she was aiming for his mask and turned his face away by reflex.


    However, this time, she reached for his cor instead.


    Just as expected, there were a set of teeth marks on his shoulder surrounded by bruises.


    It was her doingst night.


    Coincidence could never exin something like that.


    Charlotte was extremely emotional as she stared at Zachary. ¡°It''s you. It''s really you!¡±


    Zachary didn''t say a word as he carried her and prepared to leave.


    Given that his hands were full, Charlotte seized upon the opportunity to tear his mask away.


    His face was even more dashing under the dim light. She could see that his eyebrows were furrowed


    intensely while his cold gaze carried a hint of anger.


    It was as she anticipated. Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Gigolo is Zachary!


    And Zachary is Gigolo!


    Finally, his identity was revealed.


    Charlotte was overwhelmed with emotions and didn''t know what to feel.


    ¡°Are you happy now?¡± Zachary spanked her ass.


    ¡°Zachary, why did you lie to me?¡± Charlotte questioned him angrily.


    Zachary didn''t reply as he carried her away.


    ¡°Let go of me! Let go of me!¡± Luna roared as she struggled. ¡°Why do you keep protecting Charlotte?


    That slut seduces every man she sees. Four years ago, she even slept with a gigolo and gave birth to


    his...¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Charlotte turned around and yelled while throwing Luna a nce.


    She was hinting to her that as long she kept the children a secret, she would plead for mercy on Luna''s


    behalf.


    Seething reluctantly, Luna didn''t say another word.


    Amanda had reminded her before that she was not to expose Charlotte''s children easily. Or else, they


    would lose their trump card.


    ¡°Do you really want to see your mother?¡± Zachary turned toward Luna. ¡°Come along then.¡±

 Chapter 234

    Chapter 234


    As the fire within a few oil barrels burned ferociously, they illuminated the cold secret room.


    Simon and Amanda were curled up at a corner, muddling through sleep.


    Meanwhile, Tevin sat in another corner, spacing out while staring at the ceiling. He looked as if he was


    waiting for a miracle to happen.


    When he heard the metal door open, he quickly turned and sprinted desperately toward it. ¡°Let me out!


    Let me out!¡±


    When the bodyguard pushed him lightly, he slumped to the ground in a wobbly manner.


    After starving for an entire day and being tormented mentally, he was so physically tired that he had no


    energy left.


    Naturally, Simon and Amanda were in worse condition.


    ¡°Dad, Mom!¡± Luna called out anxiously.


    Only then did they regain their senses and frantically pick themselves up from the floor.


    ¡°Luna...¡± Amanda rushed over to hug her.


    Both mother daughter cried in each other''s arms.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, it''s illegal for you to imprison us here,¡± Simon protested in a trembling voice. ¡°Please


    release us at once!¡±


    ¡°You threatened others and forced them to get married. Isn''t that illegal too?¡±


    Zachary sat down on the red sofa in a haughty manner, like a God watching humans go by their lives.


    Charlotte stood by the side while pressing her hand against her wound. Furrowing her eyebrows, her


    heart was in turmoil.


    She had tried her best to stop Zachary froming here but it was, unfortunately, a futile exercise.


    When Luna yed the children''s voice, he was at Sultry Night too and must have heard it.


    He had heard Fifi calling out to Ellie once and could naturally make the connection.


    Furthermore, I have been repeatedly threatened by the Whites. Hence, he must know that there is a


    reason for it.


    The reason he stopped himself from investigating any further was that he didn''t want to expose her


    secret.


    But now that it was happening right in front of him, there was no way he could hold himself back.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, I don''t understand what''s so good about Charlotte to deserve such protection from you.¡±


    Amanda shielded her daughter behind her and dered, ¡°She seduced my son-inw. I''m sure you


    have seen the videos. Furthermore, she slept with this man then...¡±


    She pointed at Tevin. ¡°They had a one-night stand! I''m sure you have seen the news from that time.


    How can you tolerate something like that still?¡±


    ¡°That''s right,¡± Luna gritted her teeth and asserted, ¡°Charlotte is a promiscuous woman. What do you


    see in her?¡±


    ¡°Did you hear them?¡± Zachary red at Charlotte. ¡°They are ndering you!¡±


    Charlotte furrowed her eyebrows and defended herself, ¡°How many times do I need to exin that


    nothing happened between Hector and me? There''s nothing I can do if they don''t believe me.¡±


    ¡°What about him?¡± Zachary pointed at Tevin with his toes while his eyes shed with fury.


    Tevin was so frightened that he trembled violently. Lowering his head, he observed Zachary and


    wanted to say something but decided against it.


    ¡°Don''t you know what happened?¡± Charlotte eximed in displeasure. ¡°They imed that the gigolo I


    slept with is him. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°I''m not sure.¡± Zachary narrowed his eyes as he red at Tevin. ¡°Perhaps, you slept with someone else


    after sleeping with me?¡±


    ¡°You...¡± Charlotte was so angry that her face changed color.


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    Amanda was stunned. What are they talking about?¡±


    ¡°Actually, nothing happened between thisdy and me,¡± Tevin exined frantically. ¡°Ms. White gave me


    some money and sent me to the hotel. While I was resting after taking some pictures, I suddenly heard


    gunshots and fled through the window out of fear...¡±


    ¡°That can''t be. How can you take the money and not do anything?¡± Luna demanded angrily. ¡°Are you


    lying because you''re afraid of death?¡±


    ¡°No, I''m telling the truth...¡± Tevin replied anxiously. ¡°Besides, when I was escaping through the window,


    I saw a man barge in. He looked like...¡±


    Tevin looked at Zachary and meekly continued, ¡°He looked like you. But he was wearing a mask.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Zachary brought out his ck half-mask and put it on elegantly.

 Chapter 235

    Chapter 235


    ¡°Oh, so that''s what happened.¡± Tevin pointed at Zachary nervously. ¡°So, you were the one who slept


    with her four years ago.¡±


    At that moment, Amanda, Luna, and Simon were all dumbfounded.


    As their eyes widened in shock, they looked at Zachary and Charlotte in disbelief.


    It was an earth-shattering revtion to them that made their whole family look like idiots.


    They had tried every trick in the book to hurt Charlotte including bringing up what happened four years


    ago. They even searched for all sorts of evidence to nder her.


    All this while, they thought that they had a trump card to threaten Charlotte with. But, they didn''t expect


    that it wasn''t one at all.


    It was a card that would sent them to their ruin.


    It was no wonder despite what they did to humiliate and malign her with the incident from four years


    ago, Zachary''s belief and protection for her were unwavering.


    It now appeared that he was the real ¡°culprit¡± after all.


    Charlotte let out a long sigh now that the truth was out.


    Going forward, the Whites could no longer use this secret to ckmail her.


    ¡°Mom,¡± Holding onto Amanda with her trembling hands, Luna whispered in her ear, ¡°in that case, the


    three bastards are...¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Amanda pped her instantly and replied softly, ¡°Don''t you want to leave here alive?¡±


    Covering her cheeks with her hands, tears of humiliation began to flow from Luna''s eyes.


    At that moment, she knew that she had lost decisively.


    ¡°Even if you were the one who spent the night with her four years ago, the fact is that she still seduced


    my son-inw,¡± Amandamented while trying her best to squeeze out some crocodile tears. ¡°My


    daughter and her husband were extremely loving until she appeared. Now, they almost got divorced.¡±


    R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only


    ¡°That''s right,¡± Simon added immediately. ¡°We didn''t know the truth and thought that Tevin was the man


    from four years ago. That''s why we wanted Charlotte to marry him which would be good for both


    families. Besides, we have never hurt Charlotte all this while.¡±


    Charlotte was speechless when she heard their words. They were utterly shameless when they made


    themselves sound like the victims.


    Besides, why are they insisting that I was the one Hector had an affair with?


    Neither the video nor photos showed her face at all.


    Why can''t it be someone else?


    Charlotte looked toward Zachary who didn''t n to reveal the truth. He simply looked at them in a


    condescending manner as if they were just clowns.


    Amanda wiped away her tears and pleaded in a pitiful tone, ¡°Mr. Nacht, we were blind to not know our


    ce, misunderstood you, and did all those foolish things. However, we have paid the price for it.


    Please have mercy on us and let us go.¡±


    ¡°You don''t have to beg me.¡± Zachary pointed at Charlotte. ¡°You should beg her!¡±


    ¡°Charlotte,¡± Simon quickly approached her and pleaded, ¡°it''s all my fault. I shouldn''t have wrongly


    used you. On your father''s ount please put in a good word for us and ask Mr. Nacht to let us off.


    Charlotte sneered in her heart. When all of you treated me like dirt thest time, why didn''t you


    remember my father?¡±


    And yet, you suddenly bring him up now for your own convenience?


    ¡°That''s right. Charlotte, I''m sorry. I beg of you...¡± Amanda pleaded.


    Even Amanda lowered herself and pleaded with Charlotte for forgiveness. However, Luna continued to


    re at Charlotte angrily.


    ¡°Don''t be in such a hurry to negotiate your release,¡± Zachary interrupted them. ¡°There''s still something


    you haven''t shed light on.¡±


    The Whites fell silent immediately before staring at him in fear.


    ¡°I have told you everything I know,¡± Tevin meekly stated. ¡°I have no more secrets...¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Zachary looked at Tevin with a piercing gaze.


    It was so fearsome that Tevin dropped to his knees and frantically confessed, ¡°I admit that I stole from


    her purse before I fled that night. That''s all.¡±

 Chapter 236

    Chapter 236


    ¡°No wonder I didn''t even have money to take a cab after I woke up,¡± Charlotte mumbled to herself.


    ¡°Did you not take advantage of her when she wasn''t looking?¡±


    Zachary was spinning his ultra-thin phone on his palm while his eyes were filled with murderous intent.


    ¡°No, I really didn''t,¡± Tevin frantically exined. ¡°Actually, I''m not even straight. Why would I want to feel


    her up?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Charlotte''s eyes widened in shock. ¡°What are you saying?¡±


    ¡°I-I''m a transvestite!¡± Tevin hung his head in shame. ¡°I don''t like women at all...¡±


    Gasp!


    Charlotte almost popped a vessel.


    The news was actually right when they reported that she had slept with a transvestite gigolo.


    However, no one knew that it was Zachary who came in and finished the job halfway.


    ¡°Transvestite! Wonderful!¡± The murderous intent in Zachary''s eyes receded a little. He almost wanted


    to tear Tevin to pieces a moment ago, but now his tone was a lot more cordial. ¡°Release him!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± The bodyguard dragged Tevin out of the room.


    ¡°Thank you, thank you.¡± Tevin was immensely grateful.


    ¡°Let us go too,¡± Amanda quickly pleaded.


    ¡°You have not told me everything and yet you want to leave?¡± Zachary raised his eyebrow.


    ¡°We... don''t have anything more to say.¡±


    Simon was puzzled. Since Zachary was the man from four years ago, he wondered what else was


    there to exin.


    ¡°Unless...¡±


    It quickly urred to Amanda that Zachary didn''t know about the three children.


    Why is Charlotte still so secretive despite the fact that their father is rich and powerful?


    Unless, he isn''t the father at all?


    ¡°My patience is running thin.¡± Zachary looked at the time on his watch. ¡°I''ll give you three minutes. If


    you don''t spit it out, I''ll lock all of you up together.¡±


    He nced at Charlotte as he spoke.


    ¡°What?¡± Charlotte pointed at herself in disbelief. ¡°Including me?¡±


    Instead of replying, Zachary nodded instead.


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°I almost forgot.¡± Zachary stared at the phone in her hands which belonged to Luna. ¡°The secret is in


    there, isn''t it?¡±


    He reached out his hands to her. ¡°Give it to me!¡±


    ¡°No, there''s no secret...¡± Charlotte recoiled a few steps back.


    Zachary frowned.


    When his bodyguard, Marino, was about to take the phone from her, Ben shot him a nce for him to


    back off.


    Now that Zachary had revealed his identity which implied that Charlotte was his woman, no bodyguard


    who darey a finger on her.


    N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    ¡°Are you all dead?¡± Zachary bellowed.


    ¡°Right away!¡± Ben hurriedly stepped up and asked politely. ¡°Ms. Windt, please hand over the phone.¡±


    Charlotte continued to back up.


    Ben didn''t dare take the phone by force. Instead, he continued to persuade her, ¡°Please cooperate and


    give it to me.¡±


    Meanwhile, Charlotte had almost backed herself against one of the burning oil drums and was an inch


    away from scalding herself.


    ¡°Be careful!¡± Ben reached out to pull her back by reflex.


    Out of desperation, Charlotte threw the phone into the burning fire, shocking everyone.


    ¡°Very well,¡± Zachary sneered with a nod before preparing to leave. ¡°Lock all of them up so that they can


    reflect on their mistakes!¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Ben gave Charlotte a sympathetic look before leading the bodyguards out.


    ¡°Hey, don''t imprison me here. I''ll tell you everything...¡±


    Luna was desperate to leave but Amanda quickly covered her mouth.


    After everyone had left, Amanda finally let go. Luna yelled angrily, ¡°Mom, what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°That''s right, why did you stop Luna?¡± Simon was puzzled.


    Ignoring them, Amanda walked over to Charlotte instead. ¡°The three bastards... I mean children, are


    they not Mr. Nacht''s?¡±


    ¡°Nonsense, of course they''re his,¡± Charlotte coldly affirmed.


    ¡°Then why are you hiding them from him?¡± Amanda asked.


    ¡°I am the one that raised the children. I don''t want them to be taken away.¡± Charlotte found a


    reasonable excuse. ¡°He may seem to treat me well now, but love is unpredictable. What if he resents


    me one day and takes them away? I''ll be left alone with nothing.¡±

 Chapter 237

    Chapter 237


    Her words struck a nerve with Luna who copsed to the ground and buried her face in tears.


    ¡°So that''s how it is,¡± Simonmented. ¡°Sigh, Timothy has been taken away by the Sterlings and I have


    not seen him in a long time.¡±


    Looking gloomy, Amanda quickly got her wits about her and sneered, ¡°Do you think I''m a fool? Who do


    you think Mr. Nacht is? If he really wants to find out, do you think you can even hide it?¡±


    R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only


    ¡°I...¡±


    ¡°Forget it, whatever reason you have to keep it a secret is none of my business,¡± Amanda asserted


    coldly. ¡°As long as you can get us out of here safely, we''ll keep our mouths shut.¡±


    ¡°You really are smart, Aunt Amanda.¡±


    Charlotte acknowledge Amanda''s capabilities with a sigh.


    Amanda realized that even if they revealed the children''s existence, Zachary still wouldn''t forgive them.


    But, one word from Charlotte and their family would be left to rot in the freezing cold room that no one


    knew about.


    ¡°Don''t worry. Now that you''re Zachary''s woman, who would dare harm you?¡± Assuming that Charlotte


    was still hesitating, Amanda added, ¡°We just want to leave this ce safely and have no other


    demands.¡±


    ¡°You are overestimating me. Can''t you see I''m locked in here together with you?¡± Charlotte bemoaned


    as she sat on the sofa. ¡°His mood can be so vtile that even I can''t get a good grasp of it.¡±


    Her words struck a nerve with Luna who copsed to the ground and buried her face in tears.


    ¡°He will definitely let you out,¡± Amanda asserted confidently. ¡°By that time, I''m sure you know what to


    do.¡±


    Charlotte ignored her and stared daggers at Luna instead. ¡°Did you really send men to abduct my


    children?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Amanda''s eyes widened in shock. ¡°Luna, you sent men to kidnap the kids?¡±


    With a glint in her eye, Luna lowered her head in silence.


    ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Amanda yelled angrily. ¡°Those are Zachary''s kids. If he finds out about it, he will kill


    us!¡±


    ¡°Who knows for sure?¡± Luna red coldly at Charlotte. ¡°If they are really his children, she would have


    revealed it long ago. Why does she even need to be so secretive?¡±


    ¡°I find it strange too.¡± Simon questioned, ¡°Charlotte, are those children really Zachary''s?¡±


    Ignoring them, Charlotte tapped on her phone anxiously to call Michael and verify her children''s safety.


    However, there was so signal at all.


    ¡°This is a secret room where all signals have been cut off. You won''t be able to get through.¡± Amanda


    grabbed Charlotte. ¡°Be honest with me. Is Zachary the father?¡±


    ¡°It''s none of your business!¡± Charlotte pushed her away.


    Outraged, Amanda gritted her teeth and scolded Luna, ¡°You stupid girl, how many times do I have to


    tell you not to act impulsively? Why do you always have to do something stupid without my


    knowledge?¡±


    Amanda was in a dilemma. On one hand, she wished the children belonged to Zachary, on the other


    hand, she wished that they didn''t.


    If Zachary was the father, it was understandable for them to help Charlotte keep the secret.


    But, if Luna''s men managed to kidnap the children and hurt them in the process, their whole family


    would be finished.


    However, if Zachary wasn''t the father, he would have the impression that all of them made a fool of him


    on purpose. When that happened, they would also be in hot soup.


    But, he would not kill them if any harm came to the children.


    Therefore, choosing the lesser of the two evils, they hoped that the children weren''t Zachary''s.


    Meanwhile, in the car, Ben warily asked, ¡°Are we really locking Ms. Windt in there?¡±


    ¡°Since she doesn''t want to talk, let her just stay in there.¡±


    Zachary''s tone was cold and didn''t leave any room for negotiation.


    ¡°Why don''t you let me investigate?¡± Ben suggested. ¡°Actually, I don''t think it''s going to beplicated.


    We can find out easily.¡±

 Chapter 238

    Chapter 238


    Instead of answering, Zachary turned to look out the window while spinning his phone in his palm, as if


    he was contemting something.


    As the light from outside the car illuminated his face intermittently, it was hard to guess what was going


    through his mind.


    Ben stayed beside him without saying another word.


    After a long while, Zachary finally responded, ¡°Let her reveal it herself.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Ben nodded.


    Charlotte didn''t believe that Zachary would imprison her for real. She was confident that he was just


    trying to scare her and would return to release her soon.


    After all, they had just enjoyed a night of passion the night before.


    However, one night passed uneventfully.


    Charlotte slept in a muddled daze. She finally woke up without knowing how much time had passed


    and yet, it was still just as quiet.


    The calm confidence she had earlier started to fray.


    Meanwhile, Luna began to lose control of her emotions as she cried while cursing Hector''s cold-


    heartedness. The next moment, she would use Charlotte of being shameless and charge at her to


    beat her up. However, Amanda and Simon managed to hold her back.


    Charlotte spent the next day and night under such chaotic circumstances. Consequently, she was both


    physically and mentally strained by it.


    Furthermore, she was worried about the children''s safety. Walking up to the steel door, she banged on


    it and cried out Zachary''s name to no avail.


    Even after she screamed at the camera in the corner of the room, no one came for her either.


    Instead of answering, Zachary turned to look out the window while spinning his phone in his palm, as if


    he was contemting something.


    And that was how Charlotte struggled through another day.


    As for Luna, she had already fainted from just being too weak.


    Amanda and Simon grew anxious and grabbed onto Charlotte, urging her to think of a solution.


    As the wound on Charlotte''s shoulder wasn''t treated, it started to bleed from their violent grip.


    And after two days of going without food and drink, coupled with the repeated rantings of Luna,


    Charlotte had finally reached her threshold. Suddenly, she felt her vision bing blurry and her body


    covered in sweat. Before she knew it, she copsed onto the sofa.


    Finally, after half an hour, the steel door opened. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    Charlotte had a nightmare. In it, there was a lion that was watching her. It sniffed her body and licked


    her wounds as if it was going to eat her up.


    In the dream, she was so terrified that she couldn''t stop trembling.


    That same fear continued to seize her until she suddenly awoke, with her body awash in sweat and still


    trembling.


    Underneath the dim light, she sensed that she was being watched by someone, just like the lion in her


    dream.


    Turning subconsciously to look, what she saw sent a shiver down her spine as she scrambled up from


    her bed.


    ¡°Finally awake?¡±


    Zachary was sitting on the sofa, stroking his chin elegantly while starting at her.


    Charlotte sat up hugging her pillow. She was breathing heavily while trying to gather her wits.


    After a while, she managed to regain her senses and demanded angrily, ¡°F*ck you! Why did you do


    that to me?¡±


    ¡°Did you not stay in there long enough?¡± Zachary raised his eyebrow.


    Charlotte froze immediately and didn''t dare utter another word.


    Zachary stood up and approached her slowly.


    Charlotte recoiled in fear but Zachary gently grabbed her ankle and pulled her toward him. Without


    much effort, she could feel her body being dragged forward.


    It was just like in her nightmare, where she was being pounced on by a beast and had to stare death in


    its face.


    It felt like she was going to be eaten by him!


    ¡°Does it hurt?¡±


    Zachary''s voice was as gentle as the moonlight as he stroked her wound which had been bandaged.


    However, his actions felt inexplicably terrifying.


    Charlotte didn''t respond. All she did was look at him with aplicated expression.


    She didn''t understand how he could change his moods so easily.


    In one moment, he would be passionate and loving. In another instance, he could turn cold and


    ruthless.


    Which one is the real him?


    ¡°You have to listen to me...¡± Zachary''s luscious lips brush across her cheeks and whispered, ¡°Do you


    know that I can know all your secrets within ten minutes of giving the order?¡±


    After that, he pinched her chin with his thumb gently stroking her lips.


    ¡°But, I hope you will choose to tell me yourself.¡±

 Chapter 239

    Chapter 239


    Zachary''s voice was extremely gentle. Smiling with his eyes, he looked extremely charming.


    Charlotte was stunned briefly as she was mesmerized by how handsome he looked.


    He sounded as if he was flirting with her, instead of ordering or threatening her.


    Charlotte was at the brink of being bewitched before she was jolted by the slight force he applied on


    her jaw.


    Regaining her senses all of a sudden, she realized that it was the Devil tempting her.


    Her heart began to race so fast that it even skipped a beat. Subconsciously, she opened her mouth but


    nothing came out.


    Should I tell him about the children?


    Given how vtile his emotions are, how will he react if he knows he is a father?


    Her mind shed with a plethora of scenarios...


    ¡°How can you not know the answer to such a simple mathematics question? I''ll lock you in the secret


    room to reflect upon yourself. We talk again after three days and nights.¡±


    ¡°Why can''t you even defeat the teacher in a fight? Are you even worthy of being my son? I''ll send you


    to the Devil''s training camp.¡±


    ¡°Crying again? I hate kids that cry. If you don''t stop, I''ll sew up your mouth!¡±


    Holding those thoughts, Charlotte couldn''t help but feel a shiver down her spine. Suddenly, her body


    was enveloped by a sudden frostiness.


    Zachary is someone that that will imprison anyone at a whim, re at them with a menacing look, and


    destroy his enemies decisively. Someone like that isn''t suited to be a father.


    Furthermore, he might have a hand in dad''s death.


    N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    No, I definitely can''t tell him.


    However, even if I don''t, he will find out sooner orter.


    What should I do?


    I really don''t know.


    Just when she was struggling with her dilemma, her phone suddenly rang causing her to look around


    frantically.


    Meanwhile, Zachary casually took her phone out from underneath her pillow.


    It was Michael that called.


    Shaken, Charlotte snatched her phone back and wanted to answer it.


    But when she felt Zachary''s frosty gaze, she froze and didn''t dare pick up.


    With one hand, Zachary slid his finger over the phone to answer and put it on speaker.


    With the other hand, he pinched Charlotte''s chin and signaled for her to answer.


    When Charlotte greeted with a wary ¡°Hello¡±, Michael''s frantic voice could be heard, ¡°Charlotte, where


    are you? Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Michael, I...¡±


    ¡°Mommy, Mommy, Mommy!¡±


    Charlotte was suddenly interrupted by the three children calling out to her.


    She froze immediately, just like a deer in the headlights.


    ¡°Mommy, where are you? Come back quickly. I miss you a lot. Boohoo...¡±


    When Ellie''s squeaky sobs were heard over the phone, it melted Charlotte''s heart.


    Charlotte wanted to respond but didn''t dare utter a word.


    ¡°Mommy, are you alright? Did some bad guy bully you? I will help you beat him!¡± Jamie dered.


    Jamie''s voice sounded like a brave little warrior. His bravado made one feel as if he was waving his


    clenched fist at Zachary over the phone.


    Hanging her head, Charlotte bit her lower lip and didn''t even dare to breathe.


    She could feel Zachary ring at her with a murderous gaze.


    ¡°Mommy, why don''t you say something. Have you been kidnapped? If you were, just grunt twice.¡±


    Robbie''s train of thought was way ahead of his age.


    Charlotte could feel a lump in her throat while her heart was racing so fast it was about to explode.


    As for Zachary, he was staring daggers at her, causing Charlotte to feel as if all those daggers would


    pierce through her heart.


    ¡°Mommy, Mommy, Mommy!¡±


    The children continued to yell over the phone.


    The next moment, Mrs. Berry came on, ¡°Miss, are you alright? Miss, say something! You''re scaring us!¡±


    Charlotte didn''t dare say a word as her body was trembling all over.


    At that moment, Michael realized something was amiss and ended the call abruptly.


    Looking at the ground, Charlotte didn''t dare face Zachary. But she could feel the frosty vibe that he was


    emitting.


    It was so cold that she felt as if she would be frozen in ice.

 Chapter 240

    Chapter 240


    Zachary pped Charlotte''s cheeks with her phone. He questioned, ¡°Are you still holding out? Do you


    want me to bring the man and the three children in front of you before you''re willing to talk? Hmm?¡±


    ¡°No, please don''t,¡± Charlotte pleaded as she grabbed his hand. ¡°The children are innocent. Don''t do


    anything rash, I beg of you!¡±


    She knew that once she angered him, he was capable of anything.


    ¡°Then be honest with me. Are the children yours?¡± Zachary demanded.


    ¡°I...¡± Charlotte was in a panic. Realizing the cat was out of the bag, she had no choice but to nod


    meekly. ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Are they the same kids who took the chip?¡±


    Zachary lifted her chin so that she would look him in the eye.


    ¡°Nonono, they didn''t steal it,¡± Charlotte frantically exined. ¡°A man in ck put the chip in Jamie''s


    pocket. After that, Fifi ate it. I didn''t know what happened then. But once I knew, I fed Fifixatives so


    that it would poop it out. After that, I cracked my head to think of how to return it to you...¡±


    Her voice was getting softer. The more she spoke, the more terrified she became.


    Zachary looked as if he was going to eat her up anytime.


    His face was frighteningly gloomy, just like the calm before the storm.


    ¡°We really didn''t steal the chip. We don''t even know what it was...¡± Charlotte was still trying to exin


    desperately. ¡°Think about it, if we really intended to steal it, why didn''t we sell it to yourpetitors?


    Besides, we even tried our best to return it.¡±


    ¡°Who is the father?¡±


    That was the only question Zachary cared about. His voice was exceptionally calm but bone-chilling


    cold at the same time.


    Charlotte''s heart was thumping non-stop as she was in a full-blown panic. She had wanted to say ¡°It''s


    you¡±, but she knew she couldn''t tell him the truth yet.


    She wanted to spin a lie but was aware she was bad at it.


    Or perhaps, being honest with herself, she knew it was impossible for him not to see through her lies.


    ¡°Speak!¡± Zachary roared.


    Charlotte trembled as she looked at him in fear.


    ¡°I-I-It''s...¡± She stammered for a long while.


    ¡°They''re mine?¡± Although Zachary was trying his best to hide his emotions, he could no longer bear the


    suspense. ¡°Four years ago, you got pregnant. Instead of having a miscarriage, you bore the triplets.


    Am I right?¡±


    His eyes were sparkling with anticipation, hoping that he would get a definitive answer.


    By now, his hands were trembling from the rush of emotions. He stared intently at Charlotte''s lips,


    worried that he would miss her reply.


    ¡°No, of course not.¡± Charlotte quickly denied it. ¡°How is that possible!¡±


    She felt that he was the Devil with extreme mood swings, to the extent he might even have blood on


    his hands. To acknowledge him as the children''s father now was simply too frightening for her.


    ¡°It isn''t me?¡± Zachary tightened his grip on Charlotte''s cheeks and demanded, ¡°Then who is it?¡±


    Charlotte trembled in pain and struggled to push his hand away.


    Knock! Knock! Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and Ben entered to report, ¡°Mr. Nacht, the


    Brown family''s men have found us.¡±


    Those words escted an already dangerous situation into an even more treacherous one.


    Meanwhile, Charlotte could see the rage in Zachary''s eyes. He intensified his grip on her chin as if he


    wanted to crush her bones.


    ¡°It hurts...¡± Charlotte moaned meekly.


    ¡°Do you still know pain?¡± Zachary red at her. ¡°Do the three children belong to... Michael?¡±


    The Brown family had always kept a low profile. Now that they had mobilized their men to plead mercy


    for her, it was difficult not to believe that she had an intimate rtionship with Michael. Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 241

    Chapter 241


    Charlotte stared at Zachary, stunned.


    Her mind was in a mess.


    How did hee to that conclusion?


    To actually think that Michael is the father?


    However, it does kind of make sense since the kids are now with Michael.


    Furthermore, Charlotte had tried her best to keep the children a secret from Zachary.


    If the children were his, he couldn''t think of any reason why she needed to keep it from him.


    Moreover, Michael had arrived with his family to plead on her behalf.


    It was obvious to anyone that their rtionship was beyond ordinary.


    ¡°Did I guess correctly?¡±


    Zachary''s hands trembled from the anxiety while his eyes were filled withplicated emotions.


    Charlotte didn''t admit nor deny it.


    Perhaps it was for the best as she could still hide the fact for a while longer.


    However, she was worried that it would be a burden to Michael.


    Just when her imagination was running wild, Ben''s voice could be heard from outside again. ¡°Mr.


    Nacht, Mr. Brown has just called...¡±


    ¡°Get out!¡±


    Zachary roared just like an enraged lion, causing the atmosphere to be even more terrifying.


    Charlotte closed her eyes, shivering in fear.


    She could feel as if he was about to strangle her to death anytime.


    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Charlotte Windt!¡± This was the first time Zachary called out her full name.


    ¡°You are just unbelievable.¡± The words came out in between his gritted teeth.


    ¡°You managed to lead me in circles!¡±


    ¡°You lied to me saying that you had a miscarriage and that it was your first time. You also imed that I


    was the only man you had. Damn it, you even got me to act as a gigolo and paypensation to


    you...¡±


    ¡°F*ck! All the money you have tricked from me has been used to raise the three bastards!¡±


    ¡°Shut up,¡± Charlotte interrupted him angrily, ¡°don''t speak of my children like that!¡±


    They''re your children too.


    How can you use your own flesh and blood as being bastards?


    ¡°So what if I said it?¡± Zachary patted the back of his hands on her cheeks. ¡°Charlotte, I have


    underestimated you. I always thought that you were as pure as snow. It seems the mother-daughter


    duo has been right about you after all. You are indeed a slut!¡±


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°First, there''s Michael, and then Hector... Who else is there? How many men are there?¡±


    The more he pped her the harder it felt. Charlotte''s cheeks were all ming red now.


    ¡°What has that got anything to do with you?¡± Charlotte was outraged and pushed away his hand. ¡°From


    the beginning, I only wanted you to paypensation and didn''t want to have anything to do with you.


    I had always told you that I have a boyfriend but you wouldn''t believe me...¡±


    Before she could finish, Zachary grabbed onto her neck and pushed her onto the bed. He roared aloud


    just like a beast gone mad.


    ¡°Do you think just because you have Michael that you can be free of me? Don''t forget that you have


    signed a contract. Therefore, you belong to me, every single part of your body.¡±


    ¡°Let me go, you crazy assh*le.¡± Charlotte struggled vehemently.


    ¡°Let you go? I''m afraid it''s not going to be that easy.¡± The more Zachary thought about it, the angrier he


    got, to the extent his eyes were already bloodshot. ¡°From now on, you are just a despicable ve. I will


    toy and torment you however I want!¡±


    Just as he spoke, he tore up the sheets and tied her to the bed.


    ¡°Assh*le! Animal! Beast... Boohoo...¡±


    Before she could even finish berating him, her mouth was stuffed.


    All she could do was stare daggers at him.


    ¡°If you continue to re at me, I''ll dig your eyes out!¡±


    Zachary pointed at her in fury.


    Charlotte looked away pitifully as tears rolled down her cheeks.


    Zachary mmed a kick into her ass before storming out in anger.


    ¡°Mr... Mr. Nacht, James and Michael are waiting outside.¡±


    ¡°Let them be.¡± Zachary scowled.


    ¡°Yes.¡±

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    Chapter 242


    After being tied for God knows how long, Charlotte felt her limbs go numb. She tried her best to


    struggle free but her wrists and ankles were already burning. It felt as if the cloth was going to cut


    through them.


    Finally, she gave up struggling to save herself some energy.


    She then noticed it was so quiet outside that she couldn''t hear a thing.


    She surmised that the bodyguards and maids must have known that Zachary was furious. Hence, they


    didn''t dare to anger him further.


    Suddenly, her phone rang and she could see that it was Michael that was calling.


    She tried to wiggle her arm to answer but wasn''t sessful. All she could do was stare nkly at it


    until the call ended by itself.


    After a long time, she noticed a light dancing about her window. She was delighted by it as she knew it


    must be Michael trying to signal her.


    She wanted to respond but her mouth was stuffed. Unfortunately, she was unable to make a sound


    after all.


    She tried turning her body violently so that she could move the bed by force. Or perhaps, push over the


    vase on the bedside table so that she could make a signal. However, her efforts were futile.


    The bed was solid while her hands were secured tightly.


    It was impossible for her to escape or even try to reach for anything else.


    After a while, the light suddenly went off.


    And then, she heard the sound of a car engine starting. Are they leaving?


    Charlotte desperately cried out in her muffled voice, hoping that she could get their attention.


    However, it was to no avail as the car left without stopping.


    Charlottey back on the bed in despair. Staring at the ceiling, she felt as if she was on the verge of


    emotional copse.


    Knock! Knock! There was a knock on the door, following which, Raina entered the room.


    ¡°Sob... Sob...¡± As if she had seen her savior, Charlotte pleaded for her help.


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    Raina turned on the light and pushed her medical trolley over. She then removed the cloth that was


    stuffed in Charlotte''s mouth.


    ¡°Dr. Langhan, please let me go,¡± Charlotte begged.


    ¡°Without Mr. Nacht''s permission, I cannot do that.¡±


    Raina held up a cup with a straw to give her a drink.


    After taking a few sips, Charlotte pleaded again, ¡°Dr. Langhan, please let me go, I beg of you...¡±


    ¡°Ms. Windt, I would advise you not to waste your time in this pointless struggle. You will never beat Mr.


    Nacht,¡± Raina persuaded. ¡°The more you resist or want to flee, the more he would refuse to let you go.


    In the end, you will just end up hurting yourself and those close to you.¡±


    Charlotte was stunned at her words. After regaining her senses, she asked anxiously, ¡°What do you


    mean? Wh-what did he do? What has he done to my kids? Or did he do something to Michael?¡±


    ¡°Ms. Windt...¡±


    ¡°You really do care about him.¡±


    At that moment, Zachary heard what she said as he was about to enter the room. With a devious smile,


    he sneered, ¡°I didn''t n to do anything initially, but now you have reminded me.¡±


    With that, he ordered, ¡°Has the Brown family''s car gone far? Capture them now!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht...¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Charlotte screamed, ¡°Zachary, don''t do anything rash...¡±


    ¡°Seize them now!¡± Zachary barked.


    ¡°Right away.¡± Ben could only nod and proceed as instructed.


    ¡°No, I beg of you...¡± Charlotte frantically pleaded. ¡°This has nothing to do with him. Please don''t hurt


    him. I beg you to let him go...¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± Zachary grinned deviously, ¡°Are the children not his?¡±


    ¡°I...¡± Charlotte was stumped.


    After Zachary raised his hand, Ben passed down the instructions.


    Under the desperate circumstances, Charlotte screamed, ¡°From now on, I''ll obey everything you say. I


    will submit to you and do as I''m told. I only ask you to not harm my friends and family. I beg of you...¡±


    When he heard her response, Zachary raised his hand to cancel his earlier instruction.


    After that, he strolled into the room.


    Realizing what was going on, Raina pushed her medical trolley out and left.


    Staring at Charlotte, who was tied to the bed, Zachary sneered, ¡°Is he family or friend?¡±


    ¡°Friend,¡± Charlotte quipped before adding, ¡°It was a mistake from a few years ago. Now, we''re just


    ordinary friends...¡±


    When she saw Zachary''s cold expression, she dered, ¡°From now on, I''m yours and yours alone.¡±

 Chapter 243

    Chapter 243


    Raina''s words from a moment ago had reminded her...


    From the time they met till now, she had seen for herself the consequences of angering him. Only


    death awaits or a fate worse than death itself.


    Even the powerful businessmen in the city are no match for him, so what chance does someone as


    helpless as I have?


    To protect the children''s safety and not burden Michael, she had to acquiesce to him.


    She was well aware of how possessive and desperate for control he was. She wasn''t sure if it was


    considered love but she knew that if she tried to struggle, it would only serve to infuriate him.


    Therefore, she might as well obey him in exchange for a temporary respite.


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Zachary untied her restraints and pinched her chin. ¡°Now, prove it to me!¡±


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    ¡°Hmm?¡± Charlotte was stunned. ¡°How do I prove it?¡±


    ¡°Just like this...¡±


    Zachary pulled away her nightgown and pinned her on the bed.


    In a panic, she wanted to struggle but then remembered her promise, causing her to submit.


    Putting her hands over his neck, she clumsily reciprocated his actions...


    Zachary''s kisses were filled with vengeful rage, just like a beast swallowing its prey. He gently bit her


    with his teeth, causing her to moan in pain.


    ¡°It hurts...¡± Charlotte furrowed her eyebrows in pain. However, she had no choice but to endure.


    ¡°It''s good that you feel pain.¡± Holding her cheeks in his hand, Zachary whispered coldly into her ear,


    ¡°You will only learn your lesson through pain...¡±


    His words sounded like a warning to her, causing her heart to palpitate in fear.


    The night was long as the room filled with passion. His desire was set aze by the rage in his heart.


    Charlotte felt as if she was enveloped by a ball of fire, there was no escape and she was also unable to


    resist.


    That night, he was more ferocious in bed than any time before that.


    She felt she was at her limit and pleaded in tears for him to be gentle. Instead, he simply increased the


    intensity of his domination.


    Her petite body began to tremble underneath him.


    Panting heavily, he barked right beside her ear. ¡°Hug me tightly!¡±


    She circled her hands around his muscr torso and dug her nails into the skin on his back, drawing


    blood with her scratches.


    Feeling the blood oozing out, she was thrilled by a sense of revenge.


    That night, there were a few times that Charlotte thought she would be tormented to death.


    But in the end, she fell asleep without knowing it. Throughout the night, she was consumed by


    nightmares and drenched in sweat.


    From her physical body to her mind, fear consumed her soul.


    Even after she awoke, the horror hadn''t left her.


    Zachary had already left. When she looked around the room, the only thing she saw was a mess.


    Meanwhile, it was raining outside and the clock showed that it was three-thirty in the afternoon.


    She had slept for such a long time.


    Knock! Knock! Raina entered together with four maids.


    Two were here to clean the room while another two helped Charlotte to bathe and change.


    Raina checked on her injuries and dressed her wound again.


    By the time everything was done, the sky was already dark.


    Meanwhile, the maid brought in a scrumptious dinner.


    The moment she saw food, Charlotte pounced on it like an animal, wolfing down every single bit. After


    a few mouthfuls, she thought about her children and quickly looked for her phone.


    ¡°Your phone is spoiled.¡± Raina gave her a new one. ¡°Shall I help you move your SIM card?¡±


    ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡± Staring at the broken phone, it looked as if it had been broken in half on purpose.


    It was likely because there were calls at night which caused Zachary to break it.


    After inserting the new SIM card, Charlotte called Mrs. Berry right in front of Raina.


    Mrs. Berry anxiously asked about Charlotte''s whereabouts.


    However, Charlotte evaded her question and replied, ¡°I''ll return very soon. Don''t worry.¡±


    ¡°The children miss you a lot...¡±


    ¡°I know, I miss them too. Mrs. Berry, please hang on for two more days, I''ll be back very soon.¡±


    ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡±


    After ending the call, Charlotte looked up and asked, ¡°Where is he?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht is out. I think he will be back at night.¡± Raina looked at her intently. ¡°Actually, the three


    children...¡±

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    Chapter 244


    ¡°The children are mine. No one is allowed to harm them.¡±


    Charlotte was agitated the moment the children were mentioned.


    ¡°That''s right. No one will harm the children,¡± Raina reassured her and didn''t say anything further. ¡°Ms.


    Windt, please have a good rest. If there''s anything just let the maid outside know.¡±


    Mentally exhausted, Charlotte felt her body ache all over. After she finished her food, shey back


    down on the bed.


    Hugging her pillow, she slept on her side while facing the window. She then looked at the scenery


    outside while in a daze.


    Through the open curtains, she could see the dense forest outside. The streetmps illuminated it in


    the darkness, seemingly providing her a glimmer of hope.


    As the rain continued to drizzle, it brought with it a gloomy mood.


    Feeling cold, Charlotte covered her head with her nket and fell into a deep sleep.


    Late at night, Zachary entered the room. After taking off his jacket and tie, he threw them onto the floor.


    As he began unbuttoning his shirt, he walked towards the bed gradually.


    Charlotte was in deep sleep when she suddenly felt a warm breath beside her ear.


    It felt like a beast was sniffing at her. Before she knew it, delicate kisses began to pepper her cheeks,


    neck, shoulders, cor bone... and continued further down.


    She could feel a numbing sensation throughout her body as if there were repeated electric shocks.


    Trembling slightly, Charlotte could feel her body tense up. When she opened her eyes, she saw a


    familiar figure in the darkness. She mumbled in a daze, ¡°You''re back.¡±


    ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡± Zachary''s kisses became gentler while his fingers brushed across her arms. He then


    lifted her chin with his fingers, ¡°Did you miss me?¡±


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    ¡°I did...¡± Charlotte put her arms around his neck and took the initiative to kiss him passionately.


    It didn''t matter if she still feared him deep down in her heart. Her body had already gotten used to him.


    In front of him, it acquiesced to his movements.


    As if it moved subconsciously, Charlotte''s body reciprocated his advances. To a certain extent, she was


    actually enjoying it.


    Zachary was satisfied to see how submissive Charlotte was.


    For the first time, they didn''t make love vigorously nor filled with wild passion. Instead, both of them


    moved gently in unison.


    After they were done, he hugged her from behind and kissed her hair before gradually falling asleep.


    When morning arrived, the bright sunshine illuminated the room from outside.


    Charlotte checked the pillow beside her by reflex but realized that there was no one there.


    When she prepared to sit up, she saw Zachary sitting at the sofa by the window, sipping coffee.


    She gazed deeply at him as mixed emotions filled her heart.


    The sight of her feeling for his pillow moved him. The dependence she had on him could not be faked.


    ¡°I want to go home.¡± Charlotte sat up and looked at him meekly.


    Zachary didn''t reply as he continued to drink his coffee.


    ¡°I can''t stay here forever, can I?¡± Charlotte carefully broached the subject. ¡°I''lle by again whenever


    you want to see me.¡±


    She had implicitly acknowledged their rtionship. Perhaps, all he needs is just someone to make love


    with.


    As long as he didn''t harm her family and friends, she was willing to ept anything.


    Zachary still didn''t say a word other than furrowing his eyebrows slightly.


    Meanwhile, Charlotte pulled aside the nket and got out of bed. Walking up to him, she shook his


    shoulders gently. ¡°I beg of you, I really need to go back...¡±


    Before she could finish, he pulled her into his embrace. With her petite figure in his arms, she looked


    especially submissive.


    ¡°You''re not allowed to see Michael and Hector again,¡± Zachary dered in an intimidating manner.


    ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡± Charlotte nodded repeatedly. ¡°But, I have to pick up my kids first and say goodbye to


    him. Also, I would like to clear things up.¡±


    When she saw his expression darken, she quickly added, ¡°I will tell him that I am with you now. After


    that, I won''t ever see him again. I promise.¡±

 Chapter 245

    Chapter 245


    ¡°Remember your promise!¡±


    Zachary reached his hands into her pajamas and started caressing her again.


    Feeling the touch of his hand, Charlotte melted into his embrace.


    Her freedom could only be earned through her acquiescence.


    When she finally left the vi, Charlotte felt as if she was walking out of prison. There was a sense that


    she had been reborn.


    Winding down the car window, she closed her eyes while letting her face soak in the warm sunshine


    and gentle wind. She savored every bit of freedom she had regained.


    Raina informed Charlotte cordially, ¡°Ms. Windt, a new amodation has been arranged for you.


    Going forward, no one will know where you stay other than Mr. Nacht.¡±


    Stunned, Charlotte asked in surprise, ¡°What? I didn''t ask you to do that. Besides, I just rented a new


    ce myself.¡±


    ¡°We have returned your new rental on your behalf,¡± Raina exined. ¡°The Whites, the Sterlings, and


    the Browns all know your address. Hence, it''s not safe for you to stay there.¡±


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    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry,¡± Raina added. ¡°Although Mr. Nacht bought the house for you, he will not go over there.


    Hence, you and your children can stay there in peace. If Mr. Nacht wants to see you, I wille and


    pick you up.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    Charlotte didn''t say another word. Although she felt ufortable being watched to this extent, there


    was little else she could do.


    There was just no escape from Zachary''s grasp.


    Given that he assumed the children were someone else''s, she realized she was still lucky to receive


    such treatment.


    Now that the secret had been revealed, there is no longer any need to be discreet. I can live my life


    without any shame, isn''t that a good thing?


    Although her rtionship with Zachary was a strange one, she expected it to only be temporary.


    She presumed that there was a limit to a man''s sense of novelty. Once it wore off, he would abandon


    her heartlessly and she would get her freedom back.


    Holding that thought in mind, Charlotte actually looked forward to that day.


    Before she realized it, the car had arrived at its destination.


    Looking out the window, she noticed that she was at 1 Happy Avenue.


    She couldn''t help but feel stunned as it was where she used to live.


    Happy Avenue was famous for its disparity between the rich and the poor. Buildings numbered 1 to 10


    were luxury units and considered the rich area; buildings numbered 11 onwards consisted of old


    dpidated units.


    The higher the number was, the poorer the residents were.


    Charlotte used to stay at number 32 which was mostly popted by the poor. The rent was cheap


    while the living environment was eptable.


    But now, in just within a few days, she was moving into the grandest building on the street.


    Popping her head out of the car, she stared at the luxurious building in front of her. Feeling uneasy,


    Charlotte turned around and asked, ¡°How much did it cost?¡±


    ¡°It''s not expensive, just thirteen million,¡± Raina replied with a smile. ¡°It''s a hundred and eighty-five


    square meters big. Ites with four rooms and two halls. When the children grow up, they can


    continue to stay here.¡±


    ¡°When did he buy it?¡± Charlotte inquired.


    ¡°An hour ago.¡± Raina exined with a grin, ¡°This building is developed by one of the subsidiaries of


    Divine Corporation. The unit you are moving into is the show house. It has beenpleted for half a


    year. All it needs is some minor repairs and change of furniture which I have gotten someone to do


    it....¡±


    She looked at the time before adding, ¡°By the time you have said your farewell to Mr. Brown and finish


    lunch with the children, everything will be done when you get home.¡±


    ¡°By the way, I''ll have Fifi and your luggage sent to your new home in a while. Also, your position at


    work has been reinstated.¡±


    After having everything arranged, Raina informed Michael to bring Mrs. Berry and the children to a


    nearby restaurant.


    Charlotte couldn''t find anything to nitpick about the meticulous arrangements. However, she did feel as


    if she was being controlled.


    She felt like a puppet in Zachary''s hands and it was simply suffocating.


    However, all Charlotte could do was to thank Raina with a smile.

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    Chapter 246


    Finally, at the restaurant, she was reunited with her children after being separated for a long time.


    Kneeling down, Charlotte spread her arms and called out to them, ¡°Robbie! Jamie! Ellie!¡±


    ¡°Miss...¡±


    Before Mrs. Berry could continue, her words were buried by the incessant cries of ¡°Mommy¡±.


    Ellie scrambled desperately forward and threw herself into Charlotte''s embrace. The momentum


    caused Charlotte to fall onto the ground.


    With her bum hurting, Charlotte''s eyes were filled with tears. She dered with a gleefulugh, ¡°Ellie, I


    love you!¡±


    ¡°Mommy, I love you too.¡± Muacks!


    Ellie pouted her lips and nted a sloppy kiss on Charlotte''s cheeks.


    ¡°Mommy, Mommy, I''ve missed you too.¡± Jamie threw himself into Charlotte''s arms and hugged her


    neck tightly with one arm. He then waved his fist with the other arm to show how strong he was,


    ¡°Mommy, I have been practicing martial arts every day so that I can protect you in the future.¡±


    ¡°Mommy...¡± In spite of his usual maturity, even Robbie had the urge to get a hug. When he couldn''t


    squeeze himself in, he was visibly disappointed.


    ¡°Robbie,e over here!¡±


    Charlotte reached out to pull Robbie in and hugged all three of them together. She also gave each of


    them a kiss on their forehead.


    ¡°Robbie, Jamie, Ellie, I want to say sorry for not being there for you recently. From now on, all of us will


    be able to stay together again.¡±


    ¡°That''s awesome! Yeah!¡±


    Cheering in delight, the children hugged Charlotte and refused to let go.


    Mrs. Berry wiped the tears off her face as she watched.


    In the midst of the heart-warming reunion, Charlotte forgot that there was someone else there.


    Mrs. Berry softly reminded her. ¡°Miss, Miss, Mr. Brown is still here.¡±


    After regaining her senses, Charlotte looked up at Michael.


    He was standing quietly by the door, smiling warmly at her with a gentleness in his eyes.


    ¡°Robbie, Jamie, Ellie, go to the private room to have some lunch. I need to speak to Mr. Brown first


    before joining you.¡±


    Charlotte patted the children on their backs.


    The three of them nodded obediently and took their leave from Michael.


    ¡°Mr. Brown, thanks for taking care of us for thest few days.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Brown, we''re going to eat first. See youter.¡±


    ¡°See youter!¡±


    Michael waved at them with an extremely warm expression.


    The whole restaurant had been booked for them. Therefore, other than a few crucial wait staff, only


    Charlotte and Michael were left.


    ¡°You don''t look too good.¡±


    Michael reached out to touch Charlotte''s face.


    Charlotte avoided his hand by reflex. It was as if her body had been cursed by Zachary. It would


    naturally be repelled by the advances of another man.


    Michael''s hand froze in the air, causing him to feel both awkward and disappointed at the same time.


    ¡°I''m sorry, Michael,¡± Charlotte apologized sincerely. ¡°I''ve caused you a lot of trouble. Did Zachary make


    things difficult for you and your family?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Michael''s expression turned grim. ¡°The Brown family doesn''t have any business dealings with


    him. Hence, he can''t do anything to us. Besides, I didn''t offend him.¡±


    Charlotte opened her mouth but decided against speaking.


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    She didn''t know how to exin her lie to Michael. She felt as if she had pulled him into a trap and was


    feeling guilty about it.


    ¡°Let''s sit down and talk,¡± Michael pulled Charlotte along to have a seat. ¡°What''s going on between you


    and Zachary?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know how to even tell you...¡± Charlotte struggled to exin.


    ¡°Who is the children''s father?¡± Michael asked softly.


    Charlotte stayed silent for a moment before taking a deep breath and looked him in the eye. ¡°Michael,


    I''ve done you wrong...¡±


    ¡°You have to tell me what''s going on.¡± Michael grew anxious.


    ¡°It''s better you don''t know too much.¡± Charlotte frowned before eximing, ¡°I don''t want to burden you


    any further!¡±

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    Chapter 247


    ¡°There''s no such thing as a burden between us.¡± Michael felt frustrated. ¡°Four years ago, I wasn''t there


    when you were in trouble. But now, I''m here. No matter what it is, I''ll definitely help you!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Michael.¡± Charlotte was extremely grateful. ¡°But now, I... I...¡±


    After pondering for a moment, she gathered her courage, ¡°I now have a boyfriend and he will take care


    of me.¡±


    Stunned, it took Michael a while to regain his senses. ¡°Boyfriend?¡±


    It was earth-shattering news to him.


    He had just returned for a few days. On his first day back, he heard the rumor about Charlotte and


    Hector being together. On the third day, he found out that she had children and they were almost


    kidnapped. And now, she was breaking it to him that she had a boyfriend.


    ¡°Yes...¡± Charlotte hung her head and didn''t dare face him. ¡°Michael, I''m really sorry. I don''t know how to


    say this but I must still thank you. I''ll always remember how good you have been to me. But going


    forward...¡±


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    Mustering her courage, she gritted her teeth and dered, ¡°We should not see each other again!¡±


    Right after the words left her mouth, she lowered her head again.


    She felt that she was a scumbag to have discarded Michael right after using him. Her actions were


    unforgivable.


    But, to not cause him any more trouble, she was left with no choice.


    ¡°Urgh...¡± Her words dealt a devastating blow to Michael. Stunned, it took him a long while to regain his


    senses. ¡°Charlotte, is someone threatening you?¡±


    ¡°No...¡± Filled with anxiety, Charlotte knew she had to be decisive. ¡°I just feel that I should keep a


    distance from other men since I have a boyfriend now.¡±


    ¡°Don''t tell me he is... Zachary?¡± Michael probed.


    ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡± Charlotte nodded while averting his gaze. ¡°I''m sorry!¡±


    Michael didn''t say another word as he picked up his coffee to take a sip. He was trying his best to


    maintain hisposure.


    ¡°Michael, I owe you too much. I would like to repay your kindness if there''s an opportunity to do so. But


    now, for our sakes...¡±


    ¡°I have just one question,¡± Michael interrupted. ¡°Who is the children''s father? Is it him?¡±


    Charlotte was shocked as she didn''t expect him to have guessed it.


    She had assumed that he didn''t know anything.


    She figured it might just have been spection on his part but he had guessed correctly.


    ¡°It appears I''m right.¡±


    Tightening his grip on the coffee cup, Michael''s eyes were filled withplicated emotions.


    ¡°No one knows about it, even himself,¡± Charlotte anxiously exined. ¡°Michael, it''s a veryplicated


    situation which I don''t even know how to exin. The bottom line is that I don''t want to cause you any


    trouble...¡±


    ¡°I understand!¡± Michael interrupted her and gently replied, ¡°It doesn''t matter. Since you have made your


    choice, I wish you all the best.¡±


    Charlotte was stunned as he looked up at him.


    Michael was dressed in all white and looked dashing in his outfit. Despite the afternoon sun shining on


    him through the window, it still wasn''t enough to cover the glow that he was emitting.


    Only he deserves to be considered the perfect gentleman.


    Unfortunately, she ended up disappointing him again.


    ¡°I''m sorry.¡±


    Despite being filled with guilt, she didn''t know what else to do other than apologizing.


    ¡°Foolish gal, you didn''t do anything to betray me.¡± Holding her hand, Michael replied in a gentle tone,


    ¡°The things I have done for you are simply trivial. Even as a friend, I am obliged to help you. Let


    alone...¡±


    Lowering his gaze, he smiled wryly, ¡°Compared to being with you, I would prefer you to be happy,¡± he


    bared his soul to her.


    The honesty and sincerity in his words made them all the more precious.

 Chapter 248

    Chapter 248


    Charlotte couldn''t help but feel her nose burn as tears welled up in her eyes.


    ¡°My judgment tells me that you have made the wrong choice,¡± Michaelmented. ¡°But, what can I do?


    You have always been stubborn to the extent I do not have the confidence to persuade you out of it,


    just like four years ago...¡±


    After a brief pause, he broke into a smile andmented in a self-deprecating manner, ¡°There, I can


    only let you go and do whatever you want. One day, when you have had enough of the troubles of the


    world and men, you will then appreciate me for who I am.¡±


    ¡°At that time, as long as you turn around, you will see me there!¡±


    Having heard his words, Charlotte could no longer hold her tears back as they began streaking down


    her cheeks.


    Not wanting the children to hear her, she quickly covered her mouth with her hands. As tears dropped


    in silence, she didn''t dare make a sound while crying.


    ¡°Silly gal, stop crying.¡± Michael quickly passed her a napkin for her to wipe off her tears. Putting on a


    brave face, he teased her, ¡°If you continue to cry, the kids will think that I am the one who bullied you. I


    have been trying hard to gain their favor over thest few days. Hence, they have grown to like me and


    even wanted to introduce Fifi to me...¡±


    ¡°Mommy! Mommy!¡±


    Before Michael finished his sentence, a familiar voice could be heard from the entrance.


    Charlotte couldn''t help but feel her nose burn as tears welled up in her eyes.


    Charlotte quickly wiped off her tears and turned around to look.


    Fifi flew into the restaurant from outside. As its injured wing hadn''t fully healed, its flight trajectory was


    hampered by it. Fumbling around, it almost crashed into a crystal chandelier.


    ¡°Fifi...¡± Charlotte extended her hand.


    Fifinded on the back of her palm and brush its head against Charlotte''s cheeks.


    As Charlotte stroked its wing, she suddenly noticed that it was wearing a ck and gold ring with an


    ¡°S¡± imprinted on it, which was Zachary''s mark.


    She was shocked by the sight of it and suddenly became anxious.


    Frantically looking around, she finally saw one of Zachary''s cars parked downstairs.


    They were using this method to remind her she belonged to Zachary.


    ¡°Is this Fifi? It''s so cute!¡±


    When Michael reached out to touch its wing, Fifi pecked him on his finger. It then spread its wings and


    glowered at him.


    Michael''s hand recoiled as he grunted in pain.


    ¡°Fifi! Don''t be rude,¡± Charlotte scolded.


    Fifi hid its head underneath its wing and didn''t utter another word.


    ¡°Is Fifi back? Fifi...¡±


    Ellie''s squeaky voice emanated from the private room.


    ¡°Ellie! Ellie!¡± Fifi flew straight towards her.


    ¡°Is your hand hurt?¡± Charlotte checked on Michael''s hands and remarked with guilt, ¡°I''m sorry, Michael,


    for how rude Fifi was. Next time, I''ll have to discipline it more.¡±


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    ¡°Don''t worry, it''s just a pet. It''s normal for it to treat strangers that way.¡± Michael didn''t mind at all.


    ¡°Charlotte, what are your ns? I heard Mrs. Berry say that your previousndlord has taken back your


    house. Where are the kids going to stay? Have you found a ce yet?¡±


    ¡°Everything has been arranged.¡± Charlotte shot a nce outside.


    Trailing her line of sight, Michael saw Zachary''s car, causing him to frown. ¡°Alright, since it''s no longer


    convenient, I think I''ll take my leave.¡±


    Putting down his coffee cup, he stood up before murmuring, ¡°Mrs. Berry has my number so please


    remember that. If there''s anything you need, just call me anytime.¡±


    ¡°Take care of yourself and don''t worry about me.¡± Charlotte was overwhelmed by guilt.


    ¡°I hope you can take back what your father has left you as soon as possible,¡± Michael added.


    Shaken by his words, Charlotte stared at him in surprise. ¡°How did you know about it?¡±


    ¡°Before he died, he wrote me a letter...¡± Michael sighed remorsefully. ¡°I only saw it recently. The letter is


    the reason I have returned.¡±

 Chapter 249

    Chapter 249


    ¡°Dad wrote you a letter?¡± Charlotte asked anxiously. ¡°What did he say in it?¡±


    Michael hesitated for a moment before ying it down. ¡°It''s mostly about asking me to protect you...On


    top of that, he said that if you have not imed what he left you by meeting with Jeffrey within five


    years, I should then deliver it to you personally.¡±


    When she heard his words, Charlotte''s heart was in turmoil and filled withplicated emotions.


    It never urred to her that her father would write Michael a letter before he died.


    Her father was likely worried about her. If she couldn''t break out of her rut and start a new life in five


    years, Michael was toe and take care of her.


    From what Jeffrey had told her, she was now certain that the box''s contents had nothing to do with her


    father''s death.


    In that case, what did Dad leave me?


    ¡°Charlotte...¡± Michael''s voice interrupted her thoughts. Regaining her senses, she turned toward him.


    ¡°Thank you, Michael. You should head home now and take good care of yourself.¡±


    ¡°Mmm-hmm. Goodbye.¡±


    After looking longingly at her, Michael turned and left.


    When Charlotte saw his slim silhouette, she felt extremely guilty for involving him in her troubles.


    She hoped that Zachary would keep his word and not cause Michael any trouble.


    ¡°Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!¡±


    ¡°Dad wrote you a letter?¡± Charlotte asked anxiously. ¡°What did he say in it?¡±


    Ellie came out from the private room with Fifi while holding a cake in her hand. ¡°Mommy, this cake is


    really delicious. You should try it.¡±


    ¡°Wow! It''s beautiful.¡± Charlotte bent over to carry Ellie and gave the cake a bite. ¡°It''s really delicious!¡±


    ¡°Mommy, the banana milkshake is very nice too.¡±


    Jamie brought over his milkshake and fed Charlotte with it.


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    ¡°Hmm, it''s tastes really good. I like it very much.¡± Charlotte tried Jamie''s milkshake.


    ¡°Mommy, has Mr. Brown left?¡± Robbie walked out with an ice cream in his hand, scanning the


    surroundings. ¡°He likes vani ice cream. I just wanted to share it with him.¡±


    ¡°I have also saved a mango pudding for him.¡± Jamie raised his hand, not wanting to be left out.


    ¡°I want to introduce Fifi to Mr. Brown.¡± Ellie held Fifi in her hand and raised her eyebrows in glee. ¡°I told


    him that Fifi can sing but he didn''t believe me.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Brown is busy, so he has to leave first,¡± Charlotte exined. ¡°Did you thank him for taking care of


    you over thest few days?¡±


    ¡°We did. We thanked him properly.¡± The three children remarked, ¡°We even invited him to join us at the


    theme park sometime.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Brown is busy so he may not have time to go with you. Why don''t Ie along with you instead?¡±


    ¡°Alright...¡±


    ¡°Mommy, let''s eat together, the steak is getting cold!¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡±


    As Charlotte led the three children back into the private room, Robbie pulled out a chair for her in a


    chivalrous manner. She then gave him a peck on his face and praised, ¡°Thank you, Robbie!¡±


    ¡°Mommy, I want a kiss too,¡± Jamie requested.


    ¡°Mommy, me too, me too...¡± Ellie joined in.


    ¡°Mommy! Mommy! Fifi too!¡±


    Asughter filled the room, it was a sign of the sunshine after the storm.


    Looking out the window, Charlotte noticed that Michael''s car had left while Zachary''s car was also no


    longer in sight.


    She smiled wryly to herself. Zachary really doesn''t leave anything up to chance.


    Just when the children were having fun ying, Mrs. Berry came over and asked Charlotte softly,


    ¡°Miss, has Mr. Brown left?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he''s gone.¡± Charlotte nodded.


    ¡°He is a good man,¡± Mrs. Berry sighed. ¡°He personally drove to the vige to pick us and put us in his


    home. In the beginning, the children were frightened and were wary of him. But, he took good care of


    them and slowly won their trust. During thest few days, they were all very close to him.¡±


    ¡°I know...¡± Charlotte sighed again. She felt the best way for her to repay her debt of gratitude was to


    stay away from Michael, so as not to cause him any trouble.

 Chapter 250

    Chapter 250


    After lunch, Charlotte brought Mrs. Berry and the kids back to their new home.


    The moment they arrived at the building entrance, they were warmly greeted by the staff from the


    developer''s office and property management department. Furthermore, the security guards even


    helped Mrs. Berry carry all her bags.


    Mrs. Berry repeatedly praised their service and asked Charlotte softly, ¡°Miss, it must be really


    expensive to stay here?¡±


    ¡°It is, but it''s alright. I''ve gotten a raise.¡±


    Charlotte didn''t want Mrs. Berry to worry.


    ¡°Even if you got a raise, you can''t splurge it all away. The rental and property management expenses


    combined must have cost a lot, doesn''t it?¡± Mrs. Berry was concerned.


    ¡°The house has already been bought and the paperwork has been prepared. All Ms. Windt needs to do


    is to sign them,¡± exined the staff from the developer''s office.


    ¡°Bought it?¡± Mrs. Berry''s eyes widened in shock. She quickly inquired, ¡°Miss, where did you get the


    money?¡±


    ¡°My boss gave me a big bonus for a job well done,¡± Charlotte replied softly. ¡°Mrs. Berry, don''t think too


    much about it. We can all now stay here peacefully.¡±


    Mrs. Berry didn''t utter another word but her expression was grim.


    Entering the apartment, everyone was shocked. It was the exact opposite of their old ce. Inside, it


    was extremely spacious and bright. The decor was exquisite and even emitted a romantic vibe.


    Every piece of decoration was curated and it was obvious a lot of thought had been put into it.


    When the staff led Charlotte and her family to tour the bedrooms, it was huge and even included a


    walk-in wardrobe. There was a huge desk inside along with individual bathrooms.


    Furthermore, there were two rooms for children. One with a princess theme while the other was


    decorated for boys specifically.


    The princess-themed room was extremely beautiful, fit for a fairytale princess. Its color scheme was


    dominated by pink and white. There were also flowing curtains and all sorts of dolls on disy.


    ¡°Wow! It''s gorgeous!¡±


    Ellie entered the room and eximed in joy. She was so excited that she kept jumping on the bed.


    ¡°Quick! Come and see my room!¡±


    Meanwhile, Robbie and Jamie couldn''t wait to see the boy''s room.


    Inside, there were two beds and it had a sci-fi-themed background. One of the beds was shaped like a


    ne while the other was shaped like a sports car.


    It was also filled with toys. Especially those that they had coveted but couldn''t afford to buy.


    ¡°Wow! I love this room!¡±


    ¡°Me too!¡±


    The two boys dashed in excitedly and took the toys out from their boxes to y. After that, they brought


    their toys onto the bed and frolicked in it.


    ¡°Ma''am, this is your room. Please take a look.¡±


    The staff led Mrs. Berry to see her room.


    Charlotte quickly followed behind.


    There was a custom-made hard mattress for the elderly and also a massage chair.


    Lying down to try, Mrs. Berry eximed, ¡°It''s sofortable. Whenever my back aches from work, I


    feel that it''s too troublesome to get a massage outside. But now, I can simply get one at home.¡±


    ¡°This has been installed just for you,¡± the staff exined with a smile.


    ¡°Thank you, thank you. This is simply amazing.¡± Mrs. Berry was extremely touched.


    The property management staff even taught Mrs. Berry how to use thetest household appliances in


    their home. Before she left, she even adjusted the centralized heating and cooling system for their


    comfort.


    When Charlotte saw how happy Mrs. Berry and the children were, she felt extremely relieved.


    At the same time, her heart was still in turmoil.


    Everything here was just perfect.


    She knew that it was Raina who dealt with all the details.


    But, this was all still provided by Zachary. Would he take it back whenever he is upset?


    When that happens, the children would be extremely disappointed.


    Charlotte shook her head to stop herself from worrying unnecessarily.


    Charlotte yed with the children for a while until they had to go for their afternoon nap. She then


    changed her clothes and prepared to leave home.


    N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    ¡°Miss, where are you going?¡± Mrs. Berry just returned from grocery shopping. She gleefully remarked,


    ¡°There''s a grocery shop within the building. So, I bought some ingredients for us to celebrate moving in


    over dinner.¡±


    ¡°I''ll not be having dinner as I''m heading to the cemetery. Besides, I don''t know when I''ll be back.¡±

 Chapter 251

    Chapter 251


    Charlotte searched with the GPS of her phone. The mausoleum was approximately less than eighty


    kilometers from her home.


    ¡°You''re paying Mr. Windt a visit? Today is neither All Souls'' Day nor his death anniversary.¡± Mrs. Berry


    asked with a grim look on her face, ¡°Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry, nothing happened. I just miss him so much, that''s why I''m thinking of paying him a visit.¡±


    Charlotte was sorrowful. ¡°I''m a bit lost as too many incidents have urred recently. After visiting him


    later, I might just be inspired to walk a new path.¡±


    ¡°It sounds fine.¡± Mrs. Berry''s eyes started to well up as she nodded and said, ¡°Help me send my


    regards to Mr. Windt.¡±


    Charlotte forced a smile; she then choked up and could barely utter any words.


    Charlotte bought a small pot of her father''s favorite Alocasia and took a cab to Oakhill Mausoleum.


    By the time she reached the mausoleum, it was already nightfall. The drizzle formed a veil of destion


    and mncholy over the serene mausoleum.


    Standing in front of her father''s grave and gazing longingly at his picture, Charlotte''s heart was filled


    with grief...


    In her memory, her father was a kind and easy-going person who could mingle well with people of all


    ages. His warm smile was contagious and soothing.


    Throughout his lifetime, he treated everyone with kindness and tolerance. He was an honest


    businessman with high moral character. Instead of being maniptive and taking advantage of others,


    he would rather sustain a loss and forgive those who caused him trouble.


    In everyone''s eyes, he was a charitable person with a noble heart!


    Yet, such a great person did not get to live long. He met his tragic end unexpectedly...


    He was now lying here, enduring the evesting loneliness and harsh weather conditions.


    Charlotte had a throbbing pain in her chest thinking about how an upright man like her father could be


    treated so unfairly in life...


    She ced the pot of Alocasia in front of her father''s grave. After bowing at him to pay her respect, she


    went to the storage room of the mausoleum.


    Once her father''s safe was located, she opened it with the passcode¡ª¡ªher mother''s date of birth. As


    expected, her father''s red wooden box was in the safe!


    Charlotte became very emotional. She reminisced the moments spent with her father as snippets of the


    unforgettable memory shed across her mind like a series of waves, warming her heart...


    Taking a deep breath, she took the red wooden box out of the safe and unlocked it with a key.


    An envelope, a photo album, and a silver document file came into view.


    Charlotte opened up the envelope carefully. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight of the familiar


    handwriting.


    Her father''s neat and beautiful handwriting reflected his upright personality. He was the best example of


    a respectable and down-to-earth man.


    She could sense haste amid his well-written lines.


    Charlotte could roughly guess that her father was desperate as he wrote his letter to her. Apparently,


    he felt that he was at risk and could foresee his tragic end, so he struggled to have the letter written


    before he breathed hisst breath.


    Every single word reflected her father''s affection for her, along with anxiety and extreme reluctance to


    part with her...


    Charlotte''s eyes started to well up with tears. She read word by word slowly, as if she was stroking her


    beloved father''s face.


    Lottie, when you read this letter, I might have left this world forever. Do not be sad. I will continue to be


    your guiding star and protect you in heaven. I wish that my dear Lottie will live a healthy and happy life!


    Throughout my life, I have sailed through all sorts of obstacles and have no doubt embraced glory


    once. I do not me anyone but myself for ending up in this miserable state now. I have tried my very


    best and spent my whole life fighting against that family, but I did not seed...


    My only remorse now is that I am still unable to look for your mom and apologize to her. To protect you


    and our family, I had no choice but to resort to a cowardly method of forcing her to leave us in despair.


    If you have a chance to meet her in the future, you must convey my message to her: love her very


    much! She''s my only love this whole lifetime. If there is a next life, I will beg her to give me a chance to


    be with her again!


    It''s too bad that I do not even know whether she is still alive. Perhaps she has left this world already


    and is waiting for me in another world...


    I''d better stop talking about this. It sounds funny to you, doesn''t it?


    Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    Every time I get drunk, I mumble about your mom repeatedly. I bet you can memorize my words and


    mimic my tone by now. You won''t have a chance to hear me nag about that anymore.


    How I wish I will never part with you. I cannot help but worry about you. In these neen years, I have


    showered you with my fullest love, but I have forgotten to train you with self-protection skills.

 Chapter 252

    Chapter 252


    I thought that I could protect you under my shield for the rest of my life, so you can just focus on living


    happily.


    But now, I might need to leave earlier without you. My heart aches thinking of how you will be left alone


    in this materialistic world, striving hard against the unpredictable storms of life...


    I could almost picture your hardship when I am no longer around.


    There will be a lot of unscrupulous people preying on you, applying all sorts of maniptive tactics to


    seize your assets. Looks like wealth and power have put you at great risk. I believe the only way to


    keep you away from their attacks is for you to not possess anything that could catch their attention.


    Hence, I did not n on stopping them from seizing my assets. After all, not much is left in my


    possession, so just let them go ahead and fight among themselves.


    But Lottie, I have created a backup n for you...


    The silver file contains details of a bank ount; it is a personal bank ount that I have opened for


    you earlier in S Nation.


    Since you reached thirteen, I have been transferring ten million annually into this bank ount. I have


    never withdrawn a single cent from it even when thepany was facing its financial crisis.


    I have assigned a trustworthy person to manage this bank ount. When you receive this letter after


    five years, the umted bnce of this bank ount will exceed a hundred million.


    This sum should be enough to afford your living expenses for the rest of your life. I hope you can live a


    simple life with a man who really loves you. It is indeed great happiness if you are able to spend the


    rest of your life in peace!


    Of course, this is just my vision. I have no idea if your life will be as peaceful as how I imagine it to be.


    I also have another backup n for you, in case you encounter any obstacles or crises that cannot be


    solved.


    Inside the silver envelope, there is a ck card aside from the bank ount details.


    There is a phone number on this card. When you are really helpless and have no other options, call


    that number to look for that person, and tell him your mother''s name.


    He will appear immediately.


    No matter how tough the difficulties are, he will be able to get them resolved for you!


    But Lottie, bear in mind: never ever call this number unless you are really in a helpless situation and


    have no way out. Once you call this number, it will lead you down a totally different path life...


    Remember! You must remember!


    Charlotte had mixed feelings upon finishing reading the letter. To her surprise, her father seemed to


    have many secrets...


    What is that family which Father couldn''t fight against?


    Does that family have anything to do with Father''s death?


    Who''s that mysterious person behind the phone number?


    Why will my life change dramatically once I give him a call?


    Howe he can solve all my tough problems?


    Charlotte was really puzzled...


    It really sounds like the magic door to a mysterious realm as in the fairy tales. Entering the door


    impulsively might lead to the opening up of Pandora''s box. Anyone would find this curious. How I wish I


    could understand the hidden truth!


    Charlotte opened the silver envelope and took out the ck card; there was a string of numbers


    handwritten in gold.


    It was an overseas phone number.


    Charlotte looked up that number on her phone and found out that it was registered in M Nation. The


    last five digits of the phone number are the same¡ª¡ª¡±9¡±. After going over the numbers silently a few


    times, she had it memorized.


    Who''s the owner of this phone number?


    This question shed across Charlotte''s mind momentarily before she brushed the query aside.


    She put both the ck card and bank card into her purse and was about to browse through the photo


    album when her phone suddenly rang. The caller ID showed that it was from Zachary.


    He had suddenly called her at this time and at this venue.


    Instantaneously, she felt intimidated with a sense of reluctance. She was in a dilemma of whether to


    answer it or not.


    In the end, she picked up the call, ¡°Hello!¡±


    ¡°I need to see you.¡± Zachary emphasized his words in a tone that reflected tyranny and arrogance.


    ¡°Now. I mean, now!¡±


    ¡°I''m in the suburbs...¡±


    ¡°Give me the address. I''ll get my man to fetch you,¡± Zachary said domineeringly.


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    Charlotte actually intended to tell him that she was not in the mood to meet at the moment, but she


    could foresee the consequence if she dared to say so...


    She took a deep breath and tried to sound as gentle as possible. ¡°No need toe to fetch me. I can


    take a cab over. You''re at home now?¡±


    ¡°I''m not at home. I''ve sent you the address. Check your phone.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Charlotte replied and was about to hang up the phone before Zachary added, ¡°Half an hour!¡±


    ¡°I''m really a great distance away...¡± He hung up the phone before Charlotte could finish her sentence.

 Chapter 253

    Chapter 253


    Charlotte was frustrated the moment she heard the engaged tone of the phone. He''s really


    inconsiderate! He insists on me reaching there within half an hour although I''m really far away!


    She then received a message notification. She clicked open the message and searched for the


    address with GPS. Even if I manage to take a taxi now, it''ll still take me forty minutes to be there! If I


    drag again and keep the Devil waiting...


    Charlotte shuddered as she pictured his cold eyes in her mind. Without hesitation, she called for a cab.


    Upon putting down her phone, she looked again at the items left behind by her father. Complex feelings


    rose within her once more.


    She contemted for a while and took out both the bank card and the ck card from her purse back


    into the silver file.


    She folded her father''s letter nicely and restored everything into its original position in the red wooden


    box. Finally, she locked the box and put it back into the safe.


    Having closed the safe carefully, she quickly left the ce...


    Charlotte kept urging the cab driver to speed up. When she finally reached the destination, she was


    already eleven minuteste.


    Once she got out of the cab, Raina immediately approached her with an umbre and reminded her in


    a low voice, ¡°Ms. Windt, today is a special day for Mr. Nacht. I must warn you that he''s currently not in


    a good mood.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Charlotte asked anxiously, ¡°Is there any special asion today?¡±


    ¡°You''ll know soon,¡± Raina replied softly, ¡°No matter what, try your best not to infuriate him today.¡±


    ¡°Understood...¡± Charlotte furrowed her brows and quickened her pace.


    Zachary was seated near the window, gazing at the rain outside in silence.


    ¡°Sorry, I''mte...¡± Charlotte apologized softly, ¡°I''ve actually tried to get a taxi right after receiving your


    message, but I was quite far away from here, so...¡±


    Zachary turned to look at her cidly.


    ¡°You''re not angry, are you?¡± Charlotte looked at him timidly.


    ¡°Where did you go just now?¡± Zachary raised his eyes and stared at her.


    ¡°The mausoleum,¡± Charlotte replied honestly, ¡°I went to pay my father a visit.¡±


    There was nothing she could not hide from him, except the secret rted to the items left behind by her


    father.


    Upon hearing this, Zachary lowered his eyes and did not say anything. He passed her the menu and


    gestured to her to ce her order.


    ¡°You decide; anything will do.¡± Charlotte handed the menu to the restaurant manager waiting beside


    them and tried to sound casual. ¡°Howe you''re suddenly in the mood to ask me out for a meal


    tonight?¡±


    This seemed to be the first time that he brought her out for a meal as Zachary Nacht.


    Zachary remained silent for a while and said abruptly, ¡°Today is my birthday!¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Charlotte was stunned. She had no idea it was his birthday today and she had note with


    anything.


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    ¡°I went to the mausoleum as well.¡± Zachary swirled the wine in the ss as he gazed at her intensely


    and said in a low voice, ¡°To visit my mother!¡±


    His face appeared gloomy under the faint light of the restaurant; he seemed to be troubled by


    something.


    ¡°Ah...¡± Charlotte tried to answer tactfully. She felt like asking him where his mother''s graveyard was, yet


    she did not dare say anything.


    He was obviously behaving weirdly today. She was worried that she might infuriate him without


    realizing it.


    ¡°How is it? Satisfied with the new house?¡±


    Zachary changed the topic and raised his eyes to look at her.


    ¡°It''s quite nice.¡± Charlotte nodded with a smile. ¡°Thank you!¡±


    ¡°Have a nice weekend and be back to work on Monday.¡± Zachary took a sip of the wine.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Charlotte held her ss higher towards him. ¡°Happy bir¡ª¡ª¡±


    ¡°Stop! Never mention this again.¡±


    Zachary cut her off abruptly with knitted brows; there was a glint of coldness in his eyes.


    Charlotte was dumbfounded. What''s wrong with him? Today is his birthday, isn''t it? Is it wrong for me to


    wish him happy birthday?


    Zachary seemed to realize that he had overreacted. He clinked ss with her to ease the tense


    atmosphere and finished the wine in one gulp.


    Charlotte also finished the wine in her ss and let out a deep breath. ¡°This wine is really strong.¡±

 Chapter 254

    Chapter 254


    ¡°You can drink more tonight.¡±


    Zachary loved to look at her when she was tipsy. Charlotte looked exceptionally charming with her rosy


    cheeks and sparkling, watery eyes.


    ¡°I can''t.¡± Charlotte touched her burning face. ¡°I have really poor alcohol tolerance and I tend to behave


    differently when I''m drunk. I get drunk quite quickly and will act funny and mutter non-stop...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I''ve seen that before!¡±


    Zachary recalled her being drunk previously. She was passionate and proactive, and he could not


    resist her as she clung to him like a burning me.


    His Adam''s apple bobbed in his throat; there was growing desire in his deep and imprable eyes...


    ¡°What are you staring at...¡± Charlotte felt a bit awkward.


    At the same time, the manager served them a sumptuous dinner.


    Charlotte asked, ¡°Did you prepare a cake?¡±


    ¡°No, I''ll get it prepared now.¡± The manager was very responsive.


    ¡°No need for that.¡± Zachary raised his hand and said, ¡°Just leave us.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± The manager left hurriedly, leaving only the two of them to enjoy their meals quietly in the


    spacious restaurant.


    The romantic melody of the piano wasplemented with the aroma of wine and appetizing food.


    Romance was in the air.


    ¡°Why don''t you let them serve you cake? How sad to not have a cake for your birthday,¡± Charlotte


    asked softly.


    ¡°I don''t need that.¡± Zachary poured himself half a ss of wine.


    ¡°But I didn''t prepare any present.¡± Charlotte started to feel uneasy.


    ¡°You''re the best present!¡±


    Zachary continued to gaze at her with burning affection in his eyes. He poured another half a ss of


    wine for her.


    ¡°I can''t drink anymore...¡± Charlotte''s face started to flush.


    ¡°Never mind if you''re drunk. You can count on me.¡±


    Zachary started to drink again. The food on the dining table was untouched.


    ¡°What''s wrong with you today?¡± Charlotte sensed that there was something not right with him. ¡°You''re


    not in good mood?¡±


    Zachary gulped down the rest of the wine in his ss again and replied slowly, ¡°Today...is also my


    mother''s death anniversary.¡±


    Charlotte was startled. No wonder...


    She now realized why he stopped her from wishing him ¡°happy birthday¡±. That exins theck of a


    birthday cake, his visit to the mausoleum, and the blues...


    Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    ¡°Hence, I never celebrate my birthday.¡± Zachary continued to pour himself wine.


    ¡°I''m sorry...¡±


    Charlotte suddenly discovered that Zachary was not as mighty as he may appear to be. He also had


    his own vulnerability and could be bothered by something, too.


    He was actually not unpredictable, emotional, or easily affected by mood swings. She was just not


    aware that he had been bearing much pain.


    She did not know how to console him and dared not say too much. She was worried that inappropriate


    words woulde out of her mouth and annoy him.


    ¡°Looks like you''re fearful of me?¡± Zachary raised his eyes and stared at her. ¡°You''re not like this


    before.¡±


    ¡°You''re not so terrifying back then, either...¡± Charlotte could not help sighing. ¡°How nice would it be if


    things were still the same as when we first met...I still prefer the time when you were still Gigolo.¡±


    She could still recall her arrogance when she first treated him as a gigolo, how she kept screaming at


    him and rebuking him. She even forced him into signing a contract to pay off his debt and entertaining


    three rich, overweight women.


    Pfft! She burst intoughter. ¡°Those three richdies canceled the cheque the following day. My one


    million was gone.¡±


    ¡°You deserved it!¡± Zachary red at her. He became frustrated recalling the incident. ¡°You dared to sell


    me off because of one million. Your conscience has been eaten up by a dog.¡±


    ¡°You mean you''re the dog!¡±


    Charlotte was in regret the moment she blurted out the words; she covered her mouth instantly and


    looked at him anxiously.


    ¡°You''re really daring!¡± Zachary lifted his eyebrows and red at her.


    ¡°Sorry, I''m just joking...¡± Charlotte apologized softly.


    ¡°How about going to Sultry Night?¡± Zachary asked abruptly.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Charlotte was stunned and then turned excited. ¡°You want to be Gigolo?¡±


    ¡°Pay me.¡± Zachary handed out his hand to her. ¡°Ten thousand for one night!¡±

 Chapter 255

    Chapter 255


    ¡°Hmm...¡± Charlotte flipped through her purse and noticed she only had a thousand three hundred in


    cash. She was reluctant to use it all up and asked meekly, ¡°Do you ept credit terms?¡±


    ¡°Who takes credit terms when ites to engaging a gigolo?¡± Zachary was bbergasted.


    ¡°I only have this much.¡± Charlotte took out all the cash from her purse and ced them into his palm.


    ¡°You see if it''s enough and for what type of services!¡±


    ¡°Fine!¡± Zachary put the cash into his pocket, stood up, and pulled her to leave.


    Ben and the other bodyguards followed him at once, but he stopped them. ¡°No need to follow me. I


    want to have fun myself tonight!¡±


    ¡°But...¡± The bodyguards turned to look at Ben.


    Ben could only move aside. Tonight was not the night for anyone else to say anything.


    Zachary got into the car with Charlotte and sped off. Soon, they reached Sultry Night.


    The clock had just struck nine; it was peak hour there.


    Sultry Night was flooded with clubbers. Under the glittering and colorful lights, young people were


    dancing to their hearts'' content, following the rhythms of pop songs.


    On the stage, the stripper was making seductive moves. Onlookers were mesmerized by the charm in


    her eyes and the allure of her body.


    Zachary put on a mask and changed into a cool jacket. Holding Charlotte''s hand, they squeezed


    through the crowd and walked towards the private room.


    The moment they reached the room, Charlotte felt rxed and joyful. She could finally put aside all the


    fear, defense, and caution in her heart.


    She felt that once Zachary put on a mask and turned into Gigolo, his intimidating vibe would be


    reced by one that was carefree and indescribably friendly.


    ¡°Mr.¡ª¡ª¡± the manager of Sultry Night approached them to greet Zachary.


    Zachary gestured to him, signaling for him to leave.


    The manager still thought that Zachary was hiding his identity from Charlotte. Worried that his mouth


    would slip, he left in a hurry.


    Zachary continued to walk forward by pulling Charlotte along the way. She pulled him back instead,


    and whispered into his ear, ¡°Just stay here. It''s so lively. Let''s rx and have fun here tonight.¡±


    Zachary nced at the crowd surrounding them with a slight frown. He hated close contact with


    strangers and he really disliked boisterous ces...


    However, seeing that Charlotte was in high spirits, he finally decided to go with her suggestion.


    Charlotte led him towards the bar and they took a seat. She ordered two cocktails. They clinked


    sses, savoring the drink while being entertained by the stripper''s performance on stage.


    The men below the stage were shrieking excitedly and squeezing one another forward like tigers ready


    to pounce on their prey. They even tossed money onto the stage and tried to catch the stripper''s


    attention with their frantic gestures.


    Even the two men sitting behind them were also moving their bodies in great excitement, their eyes


    glued to the stripper.


    Only Zachary was seated motionless on the high stool with a frown.


    ¡°Other men are obsessed with the stripper''s dance. How can you remain so cool?¡± Charlotte rested her


    chin on her hands and gazed at Zachary with smiling eyes.


    ¡°I''m not keen on these boring stuff.¡±


    Zachary pinched her chin slightly. Looking intently into her glistening eyes under the light, he sensed a


    growing urge within him.


    Whenever she was drunk, she seemed to turn into someone with apletely different personality.


    She would be part innocent, part seductive. Her unique charm at that very moment was simply


    irresistible for him.


    ¡°Try to rx and have fun here.¡± Charlotte stroked his eyebrows gently. ¡°Don''t keep on frowning.


    You''ve gotta cheer up...¡±


    Zachary held her hand and pulled her hard into his arms.


    Her forehead felt a slight pain as it bumped into his strong chest. In this intimate position, she could


    hear the powerful pounding of his heart.


    In a split second, her own heart started to race as well.


    Her wless face looked even more attractive as she blushed.


    Zachary was fascinated by her dreamy look. He pinched her chin affectionately and was about to kiss


    her on the lips with his head lowered.


    Suddenly, someone gave Charlotte a kick from behind...


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    ¡°Ouch!¡± Charlotte''s body was pushed forward by a powerful kick. She turned to look and yelled, ¡°Who''s


    that?¡±


    ¡°Little b*tch, it''s really you!¡± A woman''s mocking voice could be heard.


    Three plump, middle-aged women with heavy makeup were standing behind them arrogantly with their


    bodyguards.


    One of the women with curly hair became agitated the moment she saw Zachary. ¡°Isn''t this Mr. Gigolo


    that we''ve picked out previously?¡±

 Chapter 256

    Chapter 256


    Another woman with red lips instantly figured it out. She spat the words out through her clenched teeth,


    ¡°Well, apparently you''re on the same team! You swindled money from us and knocked us out. This


    time, you''re out of luck!¡±


    ¡°What are you waiting for? Take them down!¡±


    The other woman in a mini-skirt waved her hand and gestured to the bodyguards. A few big guys


    strode towards Zachary and Charlotte, spoiling for a fight.


    Panicked, Charlotte yelled in panic, ¡°Hey, what are you doing? How dare you cause a scene here!¡±


    ¡°Either Mr. Gigolo serves us well tonight, or you two leave here on a stretcher. It''s your choice!¡± The


    woman in curly hair gazed at Zachary with a wicked smile. A flint of lust shed across her eyes.


    ¡°Yes. If he can satisfy three of us tonight, I''ll let you two go,¡± the other two chimed in.


    ¡°Pfft...¡±


    Upon hearing their words, Charlotte nearly copsed. If she didn''t know his true identity, perhaps she


    would just run off and leave him here.


    But now that she had known, she wouldn''t dare...


    Zachary held her chin up and looked into her eyes. ¡°They''re waiting for your answer. Say something.¡±


    ¡°Of course not!¡±


    Charlotte had never been so righteous in her life. She stood determinedly in front of Zachary, with


    hands on her hips. ¡°He''s my man. Keep your hands off him!¡± she said with a ringing voice.


    Zachary knew she was putting on an act, yet he found her words satisfying.


    With a smug smile on his face, his heart leaped with joy.


    Flushed with anger, the woman with curly hair red at Charlotte. ¡°You wretch! You''re digging your own


    grave. I guess we have to do it the hard way then. Take them down now!¡± she scowled while pointing at


    the couple.


    ¡°Yes, Madam!¡± Two muscr bodyguards lunged at them.


    Charlotte was scared and immediately took cover in Zachary''s embrace.


    Zachary pursed his lips with a smirk. He clenched his fists and was about to make a move.


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    ¡°Stop!¡±


    Right then, a voice rang out.


    Charlotte looked up and saw Helena walking towards them.


    ¡°What a coincidence! I didn''t expect to see three of you here. How magnificent you look. Do your


    husbands know that youdies picked up a fight in Sultry Night over a gigolo?¡± Helena gave a scornful


    sneer as she said.


    Stunned by her words, the three women froze in their positions. ¡°Ms. Brown, what... what brings you


    here?¡±


    ¡°This is definitely a misunderstanding.¡±


    ¡°Yes. The woman bumped into me, so we...¡±


    Helena took a nce at Charlotte, then uttered, ¡°Ms. Windt is my friend. Are youdies trying to piss


    me off?¡±


    Three of them were dumbfounded for a few seconds before they found their voices. ¡°I''m so sorry, Ms.


    Brown. We made a terrible mistake. We''ll leave now.¡±


    They quickly stood up and fled with their bodyguards.


    Charlotte frowned and her face darkened. She didn''t want to owe Helena a favor.


    Zachary could''ve settled it himself. To him, it was child''s y. They were there to chill out and the trivial


    disturbance was merely an add-on.


    Helena didn''t recognize Zachary and thought she saved them from a tight spot. She did that only to


    belittle Charlotte.


    ¡°Charlotte, I didn''t know you have such a hobby.¡±


    As expected, Helena got the wrong idea.


    Sizing Zachary up from head to toe, Helena chuckled mockingly.


    ¡°Mind your own business,¡± Charlotte sneered. Without waiting for Helena''s response, she grabbed hold


    of Zachary and headed out.


    Unexpectedly, Helena said, ¡°Hector wants to see you.¡±


    Charlotte''s heart dropped upon hearing that. Oh no! She put it that way. Will Zachary misunderstand


    her words?


    Helena approached them and gave a warm invitation. ¡°He''s in the private room. We''re all old friends.


    It''s just a quick meetup. What are you afraid of?¡±


    ¡°We have nothing to talk about,¡± Charlotte replied coldly.


    ¡°Are you feeling guilty? Or is there something you''d like to keep hidden from this man?¡± Helena


    continued provoking her.

 Chapter 257

    Chapter 257


    ¡°You...¡±


    Out of the blue, Zachary uttered, ¡°Since Mr. Sterling wants to meet you like crazy, you should go.¡±


    Charlotte had butterflies in her stomach. She looked at Zachary, pondering over his intention. Perhaps


    he wanted to find out what Hector was trying to do.


    However, Charlotte wanted to avoid Hector at all costs.


    What if he said nonsense or did something stupid that gave Zachary the wrong idea? That would put


    her into the deep water.


    ¡°You''re such a gentleman.¡± Helena smiled at Zachary, then continued, ¡°This way, please.¡±


    With a reluctant look on her face, Charlotte had no choice but to follow Helena to the room.


    Zachary wrapped his arm around her shoulders, portraying them as a loving and intimate couple.


    Taking a nce at the couple, Helena sneered, ¡°If my brother knows you have such a pastime, he''ll


    probably drop his jaw.¡±


    ¡°Well, if he finds out your rtionship with Hector, he''ll be dumbstruck,¡± Charlotte retorted.


    A flint of shock shed across her eyes, yet she pretended not to know anything. ¡°What are you talking


    about? Hector and I are just friends. He has been in distress recently, giving up on himself. I''ve been


    comforting him as a friend. There''s nothing wrong with that.¡±


    Charlotte raised her eyebrows and mocked, ¡°Through having sex in the car?¡±


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    ¡°You...¡± Suddenly, Helena was out of words as she didn''t see thating.


    But right away, she rposed herself and uttered softly, ¡°It''s just your baseless allegation.¡±


    The show she put on in the restaurant earlier was meant for Charlotte.


    It was not surprising that Charlotte figured out the identity of the scandal''s female lead. Indeed, it was


    Helena in the car. However, Charlotte had no proof to support her im, so it would remain a


    groundless rumor as long as Helena denied it.


    Charlotte gritted her teeth with anger. If it weren''t for Michael, she would have exposed Helena''s


    hypocrisy to the world.


    Zachary couldn''t care less about such politics between women.


    However, he couldn''t bear to see Charlotte being humiliated like that. ¡°I can get you the proof at any


    time,¡± he spoke.


    Helena stopped dead in her tracks and stared at him in shock. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I meant what I said.¡±


    Charlotte sneered coldly, then she grabbed Zachary''s arm and pushed the door.


    ¡°Get out! Out!¡±


    The moment they entered the room, a wine bottle flew towards them.


    Zachary grabbed Charlotte''s waist in a wink and dodged it at thest second.


    The bottle hit the wall and the ss shards scattered everywhere.


    Helena''s arm was scratched by the ss shards, yet she didn''t even take a look at it. Instead, she


    hurriedly walked towards the drunk man. ¡°Hector, what happened to you? Stop drinking. You''ve had


    enough for today.¡±


    Hector drowned his sorrow in wine, looking all haggard and miserable. He looked up and realized


    Charlotte was there. He froze for a moment, then immediately stood up and tidied himself up.


    Looking at Hector, Charlotte felt increasingly guilty by the minute.


    If it weren''t for me, Zachary wouldn''t have halted the Sterling family''s project and Hector wouldn''t have


    ended up like this.


    Hector waspletely nonplussed. ¡°Lottie, what... what are you doing here? I''ve been looking for you,


    but...¡±


    He lowered his head and dared not looked into Charlotte''s eyes although he wanted to.


    He looked like a deer caught in the headlights. Seeing that, Charlotte''s eyes reddened.


    However, she dared not let out her emotions in front of Zachary, so she took a deep breath and spoke


    in an indifferent tone, ¡°Why are you giving up on yourself? For whom you put on such a show?¡±


    ¡°How could you say that?¡± Helena bellowed.


    Zachary nced at Helena with a sharp look. Thetter panicked and stopped saying further.


    ¡°Yes, it''s my fault. It''s all my fault.¡± Hector felt utterly embarrassed.


    His words spoke his mind and feelings at the moment.


    Charlotte was right. He made the wrong decision to call off the engagement with her. After that, he


    made another mistake by marrying Luna instead. Then, another grave mistake by holding on to


    Charlotte.Lastly, he shouldn''t have left her for thepany''s profit.


    It was all his fault throughout.

 Chapter 258

    Chapter 258


    Charlotte couldn''t help but weaken her resolve when she saw Hector''s depressed face.


    She said earnestly, ¡°Hector, no one has a perfect life. Hardships and obstacles are inevitable in life.


    Dealing with them is not scary. The real disaster begins when you go on a self-destructive path.¡±


    Hearing her words, Hector sneered, ¡°Hardships? It''s Zachary Nacht who brought all these on me.¡±


    Charlotte unwittingly turned to Zachary.


    Zachary leaned back on the sofa in an arrogant posture, holding a ss of wine in his hand. He


    elegantly took a sip from the ss as if he heard nothing.


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    He didn''t mind what Hector had just said. Instead, he remained silent and looked at thetter with a


    smile of mockery.


    ¡°Hector, you''re drunk. Stop saying gibberish.¡± Helena quickly stepped forward and held him down.


    ¡°What? There are no outsiders here.¡± Hector was indeed drunk. With unstable footsteps, he


    approached Charlotte and wanted to pull her close. ¡°Charlotte, there''s so much I want to tell you...¡±


    Before he could reach her, she was pulled backward and fell onto the sofa.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Right then, Hector finally noticed Zachary who was wearing a mask. The way he dressed looked


    nothing like the arrogant, domineering president whom everyone knew. Therefore, Hector couldn''t


    recognize him, nor could Helena.


    She sneered at the masked man, ¡°You''re asking a stupid question. He''s a model at Sultry Night. Just


    now, Ms. Windt almost picked up a fight with a few wealthy women over this man.¡±


    ¡°Charlotte...¡± Hector gazed at Charlotte in disbelief.


    ¡°Do you not believe what I said? She was caught in a scandal with a gigolo four years ago.¡± Helena


    despised Charlotte from the bottom of her heart.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Hector cut her off, then asked emotionally, ¡°Lottie, tell me it''s not true. You''re not a flirtatious


    woman, right?¡±


    ¡°Do you really know me? Do you really know what kind of person I am?¡± Having a cold smile on her


    face, Charlotte asked rhetorically.


    Hector froze and looked at her in surprise.


    ¡°You never know my true self. You didn''t know me back then, and even now.¡±


    Charlotte cruelly uttered those words that were supposed to be the most loving ones in the world.


    ¡°You''ll be my world when I''m in love with you. You''re nothing to me when I don''t love you anymore. It''s


    just as simple as that.¡±


    ¡°You let go of me four years ago when I needed you the most. From that moment onwards, there was


    nothing else left between us.


    ¡°If you were still as smart as what you used to be, perhaps you could still have a ce in my heart as


    my first love.


    ¡°But look at you now. You''re such a disappointment.¡± Charlotte sized Hector up with a cold-eyed gaze.


    After hearing her words, Hector''s heart was shredded into pieces. He lowered his head in silence.


    ¡°Charlotte Windt! How could you say that to him? He is in this state because of you!¡± Helena shouted at


    her.


    ¡°Because of me?¡± Charlotte chuckled, then continued, ¡°Although I''m clueless about business, I''m not


    dumb. If Sterling Group had a solid foundation, why would they plead for Divine Corporation''s


    partnership? Thepany couldn''t survive without Divine Corporation''s investment, and that was why


    they approached Zachary Nacht. He was the one who could decide the fate of thepany.¡±


    Surprised by her words, Zachary raised his eyebrows under the mask. He thought she was a silly


    woman that knew nothing. In fact, her mind was clear as crystal.


    Hector kept his head down and remained silent.


    ¡°When you decided to go to Zachary, you should''ve known that he is an unpredictable man. Yet, you


    still did it, and that means it was a matter of life and death for Sterling Group, which left you no better


    options than that.¡±


    Charlotte pointed out the unspoken fact. She paused for a few seconds before she continued, ¡°If that


    was the case, he had the absolute right to decide your fate.¡±


    ¡°Even so, Zachary Nacht wouldn''t have totally cut Hector off if it weren''t for you.¡±


    Helena still sided with Hector.


    ¡°He''s a sessful businessman. He would definitely choose a great business opportunity over a


    woman, unless it was never an opportunity but a liability.¡±


    After dropping herst word, Charlotte turned to Zachary. Without hesitation, Zachary gave her a look


    of assurance. So, she was right about it.

 Chapter 259

    Chapter 259


    Hector was overwhelmed by her words. He got emotional and questioned her, ¡°Why are you voicing out


    for him? Is he really that good in your heart?¡±


    ¡°I guess so.¡±


    Charlotte didn''t want topliment Zachary in front of him. But judging from the situation, Hector was


    indeed no match for Zachary.


    ¡°You''ve changed. You would nevermit yourself to anyone for any reason. But now, you''re doing it


    for power...¡±


    Hector paused as he couldn''t bring himself to say further. Thinking of the intimacy between Charlotte


    and Zachary, his heart ached so much.


    ¡°Everyone likes a powerful man. No one gives a damn to a useless man.¡± Charlotte purposely said that


    to provoke him.


    Zachary was pleased by her words. He looked at her with faint smile.


    ¡°You...¡± Hector couldn''t believe what he had just heard. He was perplexed with her words. He never


    thought Charlotte Windt whom he knew would say something like that.


    ¡°Take care.¡± Charlotte didn''t want to talk to him anymore. She walked away with Zachary.


    ¡°Charlotte Windt!¡±


    Hector yelled at the top of his lungs. It was the first time he called her by her full name.


    Charlotte stopped in her tracks, waiting for Hector to finish his speech.


    He spoke slowly, articting each word loud and clear, ¡°I''ll remember every single word that you said to


    me today. Just you wait, I''ll make sure you regret it!¡±


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    Without saying a word, Charlotte strode away.


    Provoked by her hurtful words, Hector grabbed the wine bottle and smashed it onto the floor. The bottle


    instantly shattered into a thousand pieces, just like how his feelings towards Charlotte finally crumbled


    to dust.


    Charlotte walked at a fast pace as she wanted to get out of the room as soon as possible. She just


    wanted to disappear from Hector''s world forever.


    At the moment, all the fond memories she had of Hector faded away along with the broken ss


    shards. It was beyond repair.


    Actually, Charlotte saw through Helena''s ploy of bringing her over to Hector. He was in need of a push


    to pull himself together, and Charlotte was the best person to do it. The cruel words she said could


    ignite his spirit and push him to rpose himself.


    What happened in The Limetree was also a foreshadowing.


    Helena orchestrated all these to break the bond between Charlotte and Hector for good.


    Finally, her wish hade true.


    Perhaps she was overjoyed inside.


    But none of that mattered. Most importantly, Hector was provoked and had gained motivation to rise


    again.


    Besides, Zachary would set aside his enmity towards Hector after seeing the scene in the room. He


    wouldn''t give Hector a hard time anymore.


    ¡°How thoughtful of you.¡±


    Walking alongside Charlotte, Zachary uttered the words suddenly.


    ¡°What?¡± Charlotte felt uneasy.


    ¡°The act that you put on, it was not bad.¡± Zachary yed with his car keys while walking towards the


    car.


    ¡°I meant every single word that I said.¡± Charlotte quickly followed after him and exined herself, ¡°I


    misunderstood you. Now that I think about it, you''re always serious about work. Perhaps the project of


    Sterling Group was not profitable, and that was why you...¡±


    ¡°You''re wrong.¡± Zachary interrupted her mid-sentence. ¡°Every project thates to Divine Corporation


    is not profitable. Theye to me because I can make it profitable for them.


    ¡°Actually, I could''ve given the Sterlings a chance. However, I don''t like Hector Sterling. He wanted to


    portray himself as a gentleman, yet tried to earn a killing from me. His hypocrisy disgusts me, so I took


    it back.


    ¡°Of course, you''re right about one thing. When Sterling Group came to me, I had the absolute right to


    decide their fate. It all depended on my mood whether to save it or let it rot.


    ¡°And the mood...¡±


    Zachary lifted Charlotte''s chin and bit her soft, red lips. ¡°That depends on you,¡± he whispered.


    The slight pain on her lips reminded her that she had also given herself to Zachary, so he had the right


    to decide her life and death. It all depended on his mood.


    And his mood depended on her performance.

 Chapter 260

    Chapter 260


    They sped off in his Aston Martin.


    Zachary had one hand on the steering wheel and the other on the window, with a cigarette between his


    fingers.


    Charlotte kept quiet as she had mixed feelings on the episode earlier.


    After all, it was dangerous to stay so close to a man like Zachary Nacht.


    He could see through her every move and every thought.


    She waspletely naked in front of the man, unable to hide anything from him.


    It was almost impossible for her to have any secrets unless he wasn''t interested. He was able to figure


    everything out if he wanted to.


    Therefore, she had to protect the secret of her father''s belongings and made sure he never found out.


    Luckily, Zachary was not interested in it, so he wouldn''t put any thought into it.


    Right when she was lost in her thoughts, her phone rang. It was Mrs. Berry.


    After taking a nce at Zachary, she answered the call. ¡°Yes, Mrs. Berry.¡±


    ¡°Miss, it''ste at night. Are you on your way home? Is everything alright?¡± Mrs. Berry was concerned.


    ¡°I''m fine. I''ll bete tonight. Please go to bed...¡±


    ¡°Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!¡±


    Charlotte stopped mid-sentence as the triplets were shouting on the other end of the phone.


    Her heart skipped a beat and she unwittingly nced at Zachary. Then, she turned around and


    covered her mouth to lower her voice. ¡°Why are you still up?¡±


    ¡°Mommy, Ellie wants to listen to stories. When are youing back?¡±


    Ellie''s soft voice came from the other side of the phone and melted Charlotte''s heart instantly.


    ¡°Mommy will bete tonight. Please go to bed now, the three of you. It''s already eleven.¡±


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    While speaking over the phone, Charlotte peeked at Zachary from time to time. She was afraid that he


    would find it annoying.


    However, the man focused on the road. Although his face was expressionless, his pressuring aura


    made the atmosphere be tenser.


    ¡°Mommy, are you still working at this time?¡± Jamie grabbed the phone over and asked in a serious


    tone, ¡°Is your boss holding you back? Tell me his name. I''ll talk to him.¡±


    Charlotte was panicked upon hearing that. ¡°No, that''s not it. Jamie, be a good boy, alright?¡±


    ¡°Give me the phone.¡± Robbie had the phone and continued asking, ¡°Mommy, where are you now? Are


    you safe?¡±


    ¡°I''m safe.¡± She noticed Zachary''s expression had changed into a somber one, so she quickly replied,


    ¡°Robbie, be a good boy. Go to bed with your siblings. Mommy has to work.¡±


    ¡°Alright, Mommy. Don''t worry...¡±


    ¡°Robbie, Mommy has to go now. Love you.¡±


    Charlotte ended the call in a hurry and looked at Zachary timidly.


    Thetter didn''t say anything. He put out the cigarette and closed the window.


    The atmosphere was rather tense in the car. Both of them remained silent.


    Charlotte''s heart was beating fast as she felt suffocated.


    On a special day like today, she shouldn''t intimidate him, especially when he was not in a good mood.


    Things had be better earlier, but now...


    Suddenly, the car got onto the highway, speeding off.


    Charlotte''s heart was pounding rapidly. After stabilizing her breathing, she dared not make a move and


    stayed put on the seat.


    ¡°Where are we going¡±


    After staying quiet for some time, Charlotte finally broke the silence.


    Ignoring her question, Zachary kept silent.


    ¡°Don''t be angry. It was just a call...¡± Charlotte tried to talk to him.


    ¡°Your kids should be three by now, right?¡± Finally, Zachary responded.


    ¡°Yes,¡± she replied.


    ¡°Before me or after me?¡± Zachary continued asking.


    ¡°What?¡± Charlotte''s mind was in a mess. She didn''t know how to respond to the question.


    ¡°It should be after me, I guess. Four years ago, that was your first time. That couldn''t be fake,¡± Zachary


    kept talking.


    She bled a lot that night. Although she was drugged and behaved enthusiastically, her innocence was


    real and it was something that couldn''t be disguised.

 Chapter 261

    Chapter 261


    ¡°Why are you bringing this up all of a sudden?¡±


    Charlotte started feeling anxious because she sensed his unusual cold tone as he uttered the words.


    Zachary squinted his eyes, and continued, ¡°That means you started seeing Michael not long after


    having sex with me.¡±


    Charlotte''s heart jolted in shock. She neglected that point.


    Whenever Zachary heard about the children, he instinctively rted them to her rtionship with


    Michael.


    The surrounding atmosphere turned tense suddenly.


    The temperature started to rise, making her difficult to breathe.


    Charlotte''s heart was in her mouth, yet she didn''t know how to lighten the mood.


    ¡°Say something!¡± Zachary suddenly roared.


    ¡°I... It''s all in the past now. Besides, I wasn''t with you that time. You shouldn''t be angry about it.¡±


    Charlotte was too nervous and said that without thinking it through.


    ¡°Really?¡± Zachary reached out to her and pulled her head close. Staring at her, he said, ¡°But you''re the


    only woman I''ve been with!¡±


    Charlotte didn''t see thating. She froze in her spot and stared at him in disbelief.


    She had never thought about that.


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    A proud, prestigious man like him should be popr among women.


    Even if he had rtionships with other women, there was nothing unusual about it.


    But, he said...


    Zachary furrowed his eyebrows and looked at her coldly. ¡°Although it was an ident, I took it


    seriously. All these years, I didn''t look for you, but I''ve never touched another woman. That''s the


    difference between me and you.¡±


    ¡°It... It can''t be... Your skills are good. It doesn''t seem...¡± Charlotte couldn''t believe it.


    ¡°How do you know my skills are good? Did you get it after makingparison?¡± A dark shadow fell


    across Zachary''s face.


    ¡°No! That''s not it.¡±


    Charlotte shook her head vigorously, yet she didn''t know how to make herself clear.


    She had no experience in this kind of stuff. How would she be able to evaluate the skills? She found


    him skillful because he was all passionate that night.


    He was the only man she had sex with too.


    Even though she had been with Hector, they did nothing more than holding hands, kissing on


    foreheads, and hugging.


    However, there was no way she could clear her name now.


    ¡°So, previously the boyfriend that you kept mentioning was not me with the other identity. It was


    Michael, wasn''t it?.¡±


    Zachary squeezed her face and asked in an overbearing manner.


    He no longer focused on the road, but her face instead.


    Luckily, his Aston Martin was equipped with the precision cruise control system, so the car could


    proceed at a stable speed.


    ¡°No. You focus on driving. It''s dangerous,¡± she spoke anxiously. Charlotte failed to exin herself. She


    lied to him, and now she couldn''t say anything further.


    ¡°You have pissed me off.¡± Zachary pushed her away and drove the car out of the highway.


    ¡°If you really mind it, then we... Let''s just break up. I will pay you for the ne, then we don''t owe


    each other anything,¡± Charlotte said tentatively.


    She had got the money her father left behind. After paying him back, the remaining was enough to


    secure a good life for her and her children.


    Zacharyughed coldly. ¡°Now you have got yourself a backup, so you can say that in such an arrogant


    way. Well done, Charlotte Windt.¡±


    Charlotte kept silent.


    He twisted the meaning of her words no matter what she said, making it impossible for her to


    communicate with him.


    Zachary stopped the car in the woods and turned off the engine. He took off his coat, then slowly


    unbuttoned his shirt.


    ¡°What... What are you doing?¡±


    Sensing something was wrong, Charlotte wanted to get out of the car.


    However, she couldn''t, as the door was locked.

 Chapter 262

    Chapter 262


    ¡°Keep running. Let''s see where else can you run to.¡±


    Zachary unfastened the buttons one by one, and adjusted the car seat with a smirk on his face.


    ¡°Don''t... Don''t do that. I''m feeling unwell today.¡± Tears welled up in her eyes.


    ¡°Really? We just had it this morning. Stop pretending.¡± Zachary got on top of her and pinned her down.


    ¡°It''s true. Let me go...Ah!¡± Charlotte started struggling and kept pushing his shoulders, yet it made no


    difference.


    Before she could finish her words, he ripped her skirt forcefully and reached out to her.


    ¡°Please don''t...¡± Charlotte could only shut her eyes in despair.


    Like a vampire, Zachary bit her neck and wanted to force himself on her. Suddenly, he realized


    something was off.


    He took a look at his hand. There was blood on it.


    Zachary was dumbfounded.


    ¡°I haven''t touched you. Why are you...¡±


    ¡°I''m... I''m having my period.¡± Charlotte bit her lips hard. How embarrassing is this!


    Zachary froze for a while before he regained hisposure. With a darkened face, he let go of her.


    He cleaned his hand with wet tissues, then drove the car out of the woods.


    Charlotte curled up on the seat. She dared not say anything nor moved a muscle, but her body got


    increasingly ufortable.


    Actually, she had a feeling about her period since they got into the car. She thought she could make it


    home in time but never thought that she would provoke him again.


    Zachary drove the car into the city. He kept gazing around as if he was looking for something.


    Charlotte had no idea what he was doing. She pleaded, ¡°Let me go, please. I want to go home.¡±


    Ignoring her, Zachary stopped the car at the roadside, then he headed to a convenience store.


    Charlotte was afraid that he might do something crazy again, so after he left, she pushed the door and


    tried to run away. However, the moment she stepped out of the car, she realized her skirt was ripped.


    Immediately, she picked up his coat and covered her body with it, then she ran away.


    N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    Zachary walked into the store, looking around for something.


    Dressed in ck with a mask on his face, Zachary gave out a strong aura.


    Is he a robber?


    Several shop assistants who were on the night shift turned pale in fright. They hid aside and took out


    their phones, ready to call the police at any time.


    ¡°Excuse me.¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    Before Zachary could ask them, two female assistants shouted loudly.


    Another male assistant took out a weapon and asked with his trembling lips, ¡°What... What do you


    want? We don''t have much cash.¡±


    Zachary was speechless. After taking a deep breath, he asked with his deep voice, ¡°Do I look like a


    robber to you?¡±


    ¡°Y... Yes...¡± the male assistant replied with his shaky voice.


    ¡°You guys are fools.¡±


    Right then, a plump woman in her fifties walked out of the storeroom. She shook her head and let out a


    sigh.


    ¡°Have you seen a robber who is well-built and handsome like him? With his outstanding look, he can


    be a star or at least an influencer. Do you think he really needs to rob us?¡±


    Upon hearing her analysis, the female assistants took a closer look at Zachary. Their eyes instantly lit


    up and they started swooning over him. ¡°Oh my! He''s so handsome!¡±


    ¡°You lovestruck idiots!¡± The male assistant despised the girls.


    ¡°Stop the nonsense. Get me something.¡± Zachary was annoyed.


    ¡°What are you looking for? Let me help you.¡± The girls approached him.


    Feeling embarrassed, Zachary scratched his nose and cleared his throat, then lowered his voice, ¡°You


    know... the thing that women use every month.¡±


    ¡°Skin care products?¡±


    ¡°Cosmetics?¡±


    The girls made a few guesses.


    Zachary frowned. Are the youngsters nowadays all so foolish?


    Well, I guess the one at home is smarter.


    ¡°He''s talking about sanitary pads.¡± The plump woman walked towards him and asked, ¡°What brand are


    you looking for? I''ll get it for you.¡±


    ¡°Anything. Take the most expensive one and the best one.¡±


    Zachary took a nce at the car and realized the door was opened. Did the Stupid Woman run away?

 Chapter 263

    Chapter 263


    There was a sh in his eyes as he squinted them. However, he didn''t intend to take any action yet.


    Instead, he fished out a new phone from his pocket and yed with it.


    ¡°Where''s my phone?¡±


    Only after Charlotte ran for about two hundred meters did she realize she had lost her phone. She had


    handed all the cash to Zachary, so she was penniless at the moment.


    She looked around. This ce was fifty kilometers away from her home.


    There was no way she could go home on foot.


    I have neither my phone nor money. I can''t go home like this. What should I do now?


    It''ste at night. Only the 24-hour convenience stores are operating. The other shops are closed.


    I can''t even hide.


    Besides, there is neither a public telephone nor a taxi.


    So...


    Heaving a sigh, Charlotte headed back to the car.


    Well, being tortured by the Devil is better than wandering the street like a homeless person.


    ¡°Sir, which brand do you want?¡± asked the woman enthusiastically.


    ¡°Any brand will do.¡± Zachary looked at his watch. Three minutes top. That woman will be back.


    ¡°Sir, do you want day pads or overnight pads?¡± the woman continued asking.


    ¡°Anything.¡± Zachary frowned with frustration.


    ¡°Then, with or without wings?¡± Another question came from the woman.


    Zachary held his forehead, greatly annoyed by her continuous questions. ¡°Give me one of each.¡±


    ¡°One of each? Do you mean each type from every brand, with wings and without wings, or...¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Zachary couldn''t stand it anymore. His anger was about to burst.


    ¡°Sir, you have to make yourself clear. I don''t know what you want.¡±


    The woman kept asking thousands of questions.


    Zachary started clenching his fists.


    ¡°Give me a packet of Kotex overnight pads. Thank you.¡±


    A familiar voice rang out. Finally, the awkward situation was eased.


    Charlotte saw what happened in the store. Suddenly, her heart was filled with mixed feelings.


    He got out of the car to get her sanitary pads, yet she tried to run away.


    The woman was stunned by Charlotte''s interruption. Pointing at Zachary, she asked, ¡°Is he with you?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Charlotte nodded and wrapped her hands around his arm.


    Zachary stared at her, then queried, ¡°You ran away, didn''t you?¡±


    ¡°I''ll never be able to escape from you.¡± Charlotte made a funny face at him. She received the pads from


    the assistant, then elbowed Zachary. ¡°Pay up.¡±


    Zachary left a stack of cash on the cashier, then walked out of the store with Charlotte.


    After they got into the car, Charlotte looked at the sanitary pads and suddenly burst intoughter. ¡°I


    didn''t know you stopped to get me these. I thought...¡±


    ¡°Just shut up!¡± Zachary was annoyed and didn''t want to talk further.


    That was the first time he bought things in a convenience store. Who would''ve thought that he would


    be regarded as a robber and questioned by an old woman about sanitary pads?


    Right then, he felt aggrieved.


    Charlotte pouted and said no more. This man definitely has a bad temper.


    Zachary drove to Storm Hotel. Same hotel. Same room.


    He pushed Charlotte into the bathroom and threw the pads towards her, then closed the door.


    After that, Zachary took a shower in the adjoining bathroom.


    Charlotte took afortable hot shower, then realized all the clothes were ready, warm and sterilized.


    Her body felt the warmth as she put on the clothes.


    However, perhaps it was because of her menstrual cramps, she was feeling cold.


    She walked out of the bathroom with a bathrobe on, and then she saw Zachary drinking wine on the


    sofa.


    ¡°Why are you drinking again?¡±


    After uttering that, she lied on the bed and wrapped a nket around herself.


    ¡°Come here.¡± Zachary instructed her.


    ¡°I''m exhausted.¡± Charlotte hugged a pillow and curled up in the nket.


    Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    Zachary turned to her, then frowned. She was curling up like a ball, shivering in the nket.

 Chapter 264

    Chapter 264


    Charlotte buried her head into her pillow in exhaustion. Just as she was about to fall into a slumber, a


    large hand made its way over.


    The woman jumped in fright and moved aside. ¡°What are you doing? I''m already in such a state, and


    you''re still¡ª¡±


    Before she could finish, Zachary ced his warm palm on her forehead and felt her temperature. Then,


    he whipped out his phone and gave Raina a call. ¡°Come over to Storm Hotel.¡±


    ¡°No, I''m fine!¡± Charlotte hurriedly stopped him. ¡°I''m just having cramps. It''s not like I''m sick! You don''t


    have to call a doctor.¡±


    ¡°You sure?¡± Zachary frowned. ¡°You look really unwell.¡±


    ¡°I''m fine. I''ll just have some hot water and get some rest.¡± Charlotte rested her face in the man''s hand


    as her voice turned gentle. ¡°It''s already three in the morning. Don''t get Dr. Langhan toe over.¡±


    All I want is to get some rest. I don''t want to have to deal with anything else.


    Besides, the fact that he cared about her was more than enough to make her feel all warm and fuzzy.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Zachary responded as he hung up before typing something into his phone.


    ¡°What are you up to?¡± Charlotte nced over with curiosity and was instantly taken aback.


    He''s searching up on how to boil water!


    Soon, the man got up and tried to follow the instructions on his phone. After pouring some water into


    the electric kettle, he ced the kettle on the base te and pressed the button. Then, he stood next to


    it, watching the water boil.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Charlotte nearly burst intoughter. ¡°You actually don''t even know how to boil


    water?¡±


    ¡°Shut it!¡±


    Zachary red daggers at her. He refused to let anyoneugh at him over anything and was


    determined to nail even a simple task such as boiling water.


    Yup, nailed it.


    Seeing how serious he looked, Charlotte couldn''t help but cover her mouth and let out a chuckle.


    She had never noticed such an adorable side to him.


    They always say men look the most handsome when they''re serious, but this guy isn''t just handsome;


    he''s so cute!


    I can practically feel my heart melting!


    Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    Suddenly recalling something, Zachary turned to his phone once again.


    ¡°Hi, Siri,¡± he called out, evidently not bothering to type on the keyboard.


    ¡°What can I do for you?¡±


    ¡°What should I do if a woman has menstrual cramps?¡±


    ¡°Here''s some information that might help,¡± Siri replied.


    After reading earnestly, Zachary requested for the hotel to send over some brown sugar and ginger


    slices.


    It didn''t take long for room service to deliver the items. Following the ratio listed in the article, Zachary


    carefully poured the right amount of brown sugar and ginger slices into the boiling water.


    Ten minutester, he brought a ss of hot ginger tea over and ced it on the bedside table. ¡°Let it


    cool for five minutes before drinking it. I''ll go wash my hands.¡±


    He did everything so seriously as though he was taking care of something of utmost importance.


    Staring at his back, Charlotte couldn''t help but feel moved. Her heart felt so warm right now.


    Seriously, I''ve been moved by this devil.


    Never had she known that the man would have such a gentle side to him.


    Just a second ago, he lost his temper at me before buying me some pads.


    Then, he was so annoyed at me before boiling me some ginger tea and taking such good care of me.


    Perhaps, these little things weren''t unusual if they came from an ordinary man.


    But this was Zachary¡ªa smug, arrogant man who had never entered a convenience store or used an


    electric kettle.


    Yet, for her sake, he was now slowly learning how to care for others.


    He''s so different from usual.


    So different...


    After walking out of the bathroom, Zachary helped Charlotte sit up and ced a pillow behind her back.


    Then, he gazed at his watch. ¡°Fifty-five seconds.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Fifty-five seconds to what?¡± Charlotte asked curiously.


    ¡°Fifty-five seconds to five minutes,¡± Zachary replied, continuing to stare at his watch. ¡°Forty-four


    seconds left. You can only drink it when time''s up.¡±

 Chapter 265

    Chapter 265


    Pfft! Charlotte couldn''t contain herughter. ¡°Why are you so cute? You''re so silly.¡±


    ¡°Am I wrong?¡± Zachary frowned, unaware if he had done something he shouldn''t have.


    ¡°No. I just think you''re cute,¡± Charlotte answered as she held his face. ¡°If only you were like this all the


    time!¡±


    She suddenly realized how charming the man was when he didn''t lose his temper.


    ¡°I just don''t want to see you looking like you''re about to die.¡± Zachary looked away and handed her the


    ss. ¡°You can drink it now.¡±


    ¡°Thanks!¡± Charlotte carefully took the ss and began to drink slowly.


    The hospital in the countryside wasn''t too well-equipped, and she didn''t take good care of herself after


    giving birth to the three children. That was why she had many health issues until now and often


    suffered from menstrual cramps.


    During her menstrual cycle, Mrs. Berry would usually boil her some ginger tea too. Drinking it helped to


    warm her up, which helped to relieve her cramps.


    I thought he''d be mad at me just because it came earlier this month, but instead, he''s taking such good


    care of me.


    The warmth she felt in her heart¡ªalong with that from the ginger tea¡ªmade her feel nothing but bliss.


    After finishing her tea, Charlotte licked her lips. Feeling much better now, she attempted to get up to put


    the ss away.


    Instead, Zachary took the ss straight from her hand and put it aside before grabbing a piece of


    tissue to wipe her lips with it.


    Charlotte froze on the spot. The way he did it seemed so natural.


    But to her, it felt like aplete surprise.


    ¡°Let''s go to sleep now.¡± Zachary lifted the nket,y down, and pulled her into his arms.


    Charlotte buried her face in his neck, with her long, flowing hair syed out all over the pillow and her


    soft, silky skin pressing onto his body.


    Such a position and act brought the two closer in an instant.


    With his hand gently caressing her shoulder, the man couldn''t help but kiss her forehead, but soon


    figured that it wasn''t enough. So, he held her face and brought her closer.


    Then, he gently nted kisses all over her eyelids, nose, earlobes, and lips.


    Charlotte kept her eyes shut, silently feeling his tender kisses and not daring to move an inch.


    Feeling his breath turn increasingly erratic, she began to worry that the man would no longer be able to


    contain himself.


    Yet, he put a stop to his actions all of a sudden and pulled her back into his embrace, no longer


    touching her afterward.


    Charlotte closed her eyes. Judging from his frantic heartbeat, heavy breathing, and scorching body


    temperature, she knew he was trying his best to control himself.


    She suddenly felt moved once again.


    He''s not as cruel as I thought he was.


    He, too, has a gentle, warm, and kind side...


    I want to know more about this side.


    The two slept extremely well.


    Perhaps due to their exhaustion, their breathing seemed to have some sort of hypnotic effect that


    enabled each other to calm down.


    It had been forever since they both slept so well.


    Upon waking up the next day, Charlotte stretched her arms and sighed blissfully before instinctively


    reaching for the pillow next to her. The spot was empty.


    She opened her eyes, only to find that Zachary was already gone.


    He''s always like this. He wakes up before me, then leaves quietly.


    Feeling slightly crestfallen, Charlotte got out of bed to wash up and noticed a familiar sticky note.


    Call the manager and have him send you breakfast after you wake up. He''ll arrange for a ride to take


    you home. Your clothes are inside the closet.


    Then, she noticed how the note was signed off: Gigolo.


    Seeing that, Charlotteughed.


    She then took the note and carefully ced it in her purse.


    I''ll keep it. It''ll be a good reminder of how kind he was to mest night.


    After washing up, Charlotte gave the manager a call, asking him to take her straight home.


    She wanted to have breakfast with the children.


    A call came for her right after she left the room. It was from Ruby Longman, the principal of Apple


    Kindergarten. R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only

 Chapter 266

    Chapter 266


    Charlotte hurriedly answered the phone.


    Ruby went straight to the point after some greetings. ¡°Timothy has transferred to another school. When


    will Ellie return? It''s been a while since shest came to school.¡±


    ¡°I''ll let you know after talking this through with the kids.¡±


    After hanging up, Charlotte felt unsettled. That mother-daughter duo may havemitted all sorts of


    atrocities, but the child is innocent.


    She really didn''t like it when children became caught up in their parents'' affairs.


    But still, even if Hector is now a lost cause, the Sterlings still have a solid foundation. They won''t fall


    that easily.


    Hector''s parents probably chose to send the child elsewhere so that the boy wouldn''t suffer.


    Thinking about all this, Charlotte slowly felt better.


    She returned home to find Mrs. Berry caught up in an array of tasks¡ªmaking toast and cooking


    oatmeal while the three kids called out to her.


    ¡°Can you braid my hair, Mrs. Berry? My hair is all over the ce!¡±


    Ellie''s squeaky voice came from her bedroom. The child had such long and thick hair that she couldn''t


    wash up before braiding her hair first.


    ¡°Coming!¡± Mrs. Berry answered while adding some toppings into the oatmeal.


    ¡°Mrs. Berry! We''re out of toilet paper,¡± Jamie shouted in a panic. ¡°I haven''t cleaned my butt yet!¡±


    ¡°But there was still some left this morning! Robbie must have used it all up,¡± Mrs. Berry replied hastily.


    ¡°I''ll get you another roll in a bit. Give me a second!¡±


    ¡°Where did Fifi''s breakfast go, Mrs. Berry?¡± Robbie''s loud voice came from the balcony. ¡°She''s so


    hungry that she can''t stop crying! I''ve been looking everywhere for her food.¡±


    ¡°I just took another pack out yesterday! Isn''t it on top of the washing machine? Be patient, now. I''ll be


    there right away.¡±


    Mrs. Berry lowered the heat on the stove before hurriedly taking a roll of toilet paper to the bathroom.


    Then, she headed to the balcony to hand Fifi''s food to Robbie.


    After washing her hands, she rushed into Ellie''s room to braid her hair.


    Ellie sat in front of the dressing table, braiding her Barbie doll''s hair while talking to it.


    ¡°Be good at school today, Deedee. Drink lots of water, and don''t eat too much candy, or you''ll get


    cavities. It''ll hurt if you have to visit the dentist.¡±


    Then, she gave another doll a change of clothes. ¡°Be a good girl too, Lulu. We''ll be having art sses


    today. Don''t get paint on your dress, okay?¡±


    ¡°Haha! So you''ve named this one, too? You still have a few more in your closet; do they all have


    names?¡±


    Seeing Ellie behave in such an adorable manner seemed topletely energize Mrs. Berry, who was


    standing behind the girl to braid her hair.


    ¡°Yeah! I''ve already named like five of them!¡±


    Ellie tilted her head and giggled. ¡°When Mommyes back, I''ll introduce her to our new family


    members!¡±


    ¡°Well, of course!¡±


    N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    ¡°Mommy''s home!¡±


    At this moment, Charlotte walked through the door with a few bags of breakfast items in her hand.


    ¡°Robbie! Jamie! Ellie! Look what Mommy''s brought back!¡±


    ¡°Mommy!¡±


    The three children rushed over.


    Robbie still had some bird feed in his hand, and Fifi was eating out of his palm.


    Jamie ran over while clutching onto his pants, not realizing that there was toilet paper beneath his foot.


    He ended up leaving an entire white trail behind him as he ran.


    ¡°Mommy! Mommy!¡±


    Ellie only had one side of her hair braided, while the other side hadn''t been tied up yet.


    Mrs. Berry chased after her with a hairbrush. ¡°Don''t run, Ellie! I haven''t tied one of your braids yet!¡±


    ¡°Mommy!¡±


    ¡°Oh, my! Slow down!¡±


    Charlotte knelt on the floor with open arms and stumbled backward upon receiving the three children.


    Once again, she had been knocked to the ground.


    Her butt hurt, but her heart felt warm.

 Chapter 267

    Chapter 267


    ¡°Alright, alright! Go wash your hands and we''ll have breakfast together.¡±


    Now that Charlotte was back, Mrs. Berry could finally take a breather.


    The former took over the job of caring for the children and ced all the food she had brought on the


    table.


    Coupled with the toast and oatmeal Mrs. Berry had prepared, it was a wholesome breakfast.


    The family sat at the dining table, happily enjoying their meal.


    Charlotte promised to take them to the amusement park in the afternoon¡ªon the condition that they


    helped Mrs. Berry do the dishes and tidy the kitchen.


    The children raised their arms in agreement.


    Mrs. Berry beamed as she saw how ted they looked.


    However, she couldn''t help but worry after noticing Charlottee home in a different set of clothes.


    After breakfast, Mrs. Berry dragged Charlotte into a room while the children cleaned the kitchen. ¡°Are


    you seeing someone, Miss?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Charlotte didn''t want to keep it a secret from her.


    ¡°Who is it? Do I know him?¡±


    R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only


    ¡°It''s not someone you know,¡± Charlotte responded briefly. ¡°We''ve just begun dating, which is why I


    haven''t brought him home. But don''t worry; I''m all grown up now. I won''t be as muddled as I once was,


    and I''m aware of what I do now.¡±


    ¡°Okay...¡± Despite still feeling concerned, there was nothing much Mrs. Berry could say except to give


    the woman a reminder. ¡°Be careful outside. Don''t let anyone take advantage of you.¡±


    ¡°I won''t. Don''t worry.¡±


    In the afternoon, Charlotte and Mrs. Berry brought the children to the amusement park.


    The children were still young and could only y a few basic games, so it wasn''t too much of a hassle


    for the adults.


    However, since Mrs. Berry hadn''t been in the best of healthtely, she would begin panting in


    exhaustion just after a brief walk, and her back would hurt too.


    She must have been working too hard these days. Feeling extremely guilty, Charlotte talked to Mrs.


    Berry while the children took a break. ¡°Maybe I can hire a part-time helper.¡±


    Yet, Mrs. Berry was strongly against her suggestion¡ªthe reasons being that part-timers were


    expensive and that she didn''t feel safe having a stranger around the house.


    Just as Charlotte tried to convince her otherwise, Ellie''s voice suddenly rang out. ¡°Timothy!¡±


    Charlotte instinctively looked over and spotted Hector''s mother, Julia Zimmer, and a few bodyguards


    taking Timothy to the carousel.


    To make the boy happy, Julia had booked the entire carousel and even made the bodyguards pay the


    other visitors to go elsewhere.


    Yet, Timothy didn''t seem pleased at all, for he still had a frown on his face.


    But that was until he saw Ellie.


    ¡°Elisa!¡±


    Unable to contain his excitement, Timothy hurriedly jumped off the carousel, only to trip and fall by


    ident.


    Moreover, the carousel tform was still moving, and the boy was nearly trapped inside it.


    ¡°Oh, God! Timmy!¡±


    Julia let out a piercing scream.


    Thankfully, two bodyguards swiftly went to save Timothy.


    Julia trembled in shock as she hugged her grandson. ¡°You scared the living daylights out of me,


    Timmy! Why did you jump off while you were having so much fun? Don''t you know how dangerous that


    was?¡±


    ¡°I spotted my ssmate.¡±


    Disregarding the wound on his knee, Timothy shoved his grandmother aside and ran toward Ellie.


    Not wanting to be involved with the Sterlings again, Charlotte hastily tried to leave with Ellie.


    But the boy had already made his way over and grabbed Ellie by the hand. ¡°Long time no see, Ellie!


    Are you doing okay?¡±


    ¡°I''m great! What about you?¡±


    That was just how innocent a child''s world always was. Ellie was just as pleased to see Timothy.


    Then, she noticed his injury. ¡°Your knee¡ªdoes it hurt?¡±


    ¡°Nope. Not after seeing you!¡± Timothy beamed.


    ¡°I have a band-aid. Here you go.¡±


    Ellie took out a band-aid with a cartoon on it and handed it to Timothy.


    ¡°Thanks!¡± But just as Timothy was about to retrieve it, arge hand swooped in and knocked the band-


    aid out of Ellie''s hand.

 Chapter 268

    Chapter 268


    ¡°Let''s go, Timmy. I''ll take you to the hospital,¡± said Julia as she cast Charlotte a frosty re.


    ¡°Grandma¡ª¡± Before Timothy could say anything more, the elderly woman began to drag him away.


    This caused the boy to put up a fight. ¡°I don''t want to see the doctor! I want to y with my


    ssmate...¡±


    ¡°I''ll get your other ssmates to y with you,¡± Julia coaxed. ¡°You can y with Blossom and Dawnie,


    okay? There''s also¡ª¡±


    ¡°No! I want to y with Elisa.¡±


    Timothy broke free of Julia''s grasp and knelt on the ground, refusing to budge.


    ¡°Why are you such a disobedient child?¡± Julia was exasperated. ¡°You have so many other friends! Why


    you do you have to y with this one?¡±


    ¡°I just want to y with Elisa!¡± Timothy remained kneeling on the floor.


    Julia threw a bodyguard a nce, and thetter immediately picked the boy up before quickly leaving.


    ¡°Let me go! Let me go now!¡±


    Timothy''s incessant screaming began to attract the gazes of many passersby.


    Ellie was so frightened that she hid behind Charlotte. ¡°Poor Timothy...¡± she remarked timidly.


    Despite feeling agonized by the sight, there was nothing Charlotte could do, so she began to leave with


    Ellie.


    ¡°Hold it right there!¡± Julia suddenly called out to her.


    Furrowing her brows, Charlotte signaled at Mrs. Berry.


    Thetter went up to hold Ellie''s hand. ¡°Come, Ellie. I''ll take you to your brothers.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Ellie cast Charlotte a nce before reluctantly walking away with Mrs. Berry.


    Julia walked over and remarked sternly, ¡°I heard you''re with Zachary Nacht now.¡±


    ¡°I don''t think this has anything to do with you, Ms. Zimmer.¡±


    Aplicated mix of emotions swept through Charlotte upon seeing Julia after so many years.


    Back when the Windt family was at its peak, Julia would treat Charlotte and her father like royalty while


    constantly matchmaking Hector and her.


    Charlotte used to respect this woman too, and the two were once extremely close.


    But when the Windt family business took a sharp turn for the worst, Julia immediately called off the


    wedding.


    She was nothing but a two-faced woman whose acting skills were impable.


    ¡°I''m impressed,¡± Julia scoffed. ¡°I''ve really underestimated you.¡±


    Charlotte turned to leave, not wanting to bother with the older woman.


    ¡°Your father must be rolling in his grave now. There''s no way he can rest in peace thanks to a


    shameless daughter like you!¡± Julia suddenly added.


    Charlotte stopped in her tracks and turned her head. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°Nothing much,¡± Julia responded with a smile that didn''t reach her eyes. ¡°You''ll get it soon enough!¡±


    Then, she turned and let.


    Charlotte felt extremely conflicted as she recalled those words.


    Hector, Simon, and Amanda had all hinted that her father''s death had something to do with Zachary.


    And now, Julia had just said something awfully strange too.


    Could it be...


    Despite feeling restless, Charlotte quickly regained herself. They''re all on the same side and want me


    to die.


    I can''t trust whatever they say.


    ¡°Mommy! Mommy!¡±


    Then, her three children came back.


    ¡°Mommy! I took part in a toy carpetition and won first ce! They gave me this little car as a


    prize,¡± Robbie eximed while holding a toy car in his hand.


    ¡°Wow! That''s amazing, Robbie.¡± Charlotte knelt down to give him a kiss.


    ¡°I went rock climbing and reached the highest point, Mommy! This is my prize,¡± Jamie chimed in as he


    raised a dinosaur figurine high up in the air. ¡°Do you like it?¡±


    ¡°I do! You''re amazing too, Jamie.¡± Charlotte gave him a hug.


    ¡°Mommy, I-I didn''t win any prizes...¡± Ellie whined with a pout.


    ¡°That''s okay. You can have my toy car.¡± Robbie gave his toy to Ellie.


    ¡°You can have my dinosaur too,¡± Jamie added.


    ¡°Thanks!¡± With a giggle, Ellie raised her pretty little cartoon purse. ¡°I''ll treat you guys to some cotton


    candy!¡±


    R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only


    ¡°Okay! Thanks, Ellie!¡±


    With that, the three siblings headed toward the cotton candy stall hand-in-hand.


    ¡°Slow down, kids! Don''t trip and fall,¡± Mrs. Berry reminded them with a chuckle.


    Seeing how happy her children looked, Charlotte''s lips curled into a wide smile. Don''t overthink,


    Charlotte. Be thankful for what you have right now.

 Chapter 269

    Chapter 269


    On their way home from the amusement park, Charlotte talked to the children about going back to


    kindergarten.


    After gaining their approval, she met the principal on her own, expressing her hopes for her children


    could be given equal treatment, and that they would grow happily and healthily.


    Ruby assured her not to worry.


    The principal also hinted that the Sterlings had already cashed out on their shares in Apple


    Kindergarten, so the school no longer had anything to do with that family.


    Charlotte responded courteously, informing Ruby that the kids would return the following Monday.


    On her way home, Charlotte''s emotions were in a slight jumble. Having shares in an educational


    institution is just a small investment, but they''ve already cashed out on those shares. That means the


    Sterlings are in much more trouble than I thought.


    The fun-filled weekend passed in a blink of an eye, and a busy Monday followed.


    Rising from bed early, Charlotte braided Ellie''s hair while telling Robbie and Jamie to wash up.


    Now that they had moved into a bigger house that had two bathrooms, the children no longer had to


    fight over using the bathroom.


    Mrs. Berry kept herself busy in the kitchen, preparing a sumptuous breakfast.


    Charlotte always told her that she didn''t have to go out of her way to make such fancy meals.


    But Mrs. Berry was so used to being meticulous that she would prepare at least four items for


    breakfast.


    Watching the family eat together at the dining table while happily chatting away was what Mrs. Berry


    enjoyed most.


    The children were thrilled to finally return to school after taking such a long break.


    After breakfast, Charlotte and Mrs. Berry saw them off in front of the school bus. Then, Charlotte


    rushed to work.


    She had previously been suspended after the scene Luna had caused at the office.


    Moreover, many other employees had witnessed the scene, so the rumors must have already spread.


    I wonder what will happen now.


    Charlotte felt uneasy as she arrived at thepany building.


    But she walked into the building, only to realize that no one was really paying attention to her. Instead,


    her coworkers were trying their best to squeeze into the elevators, worried about clocking inte and


    getting their pay deducted.


    Charlotte stood inside a corner of the elevator, listening in on her coworkers. They were gossiping


    away, but their conversations had nothing to do with her.


    With that, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.


    As the elevator continued to go up, her coworkers left one by one, until only a few made it up to the


    president''s office''s on level 68.


    One of them was Lucy Wright.


    ¡°Good morning, Ms. Wright,¡± Charlotte greeted cautiously.


    ¡°Good morning,¡± Lucy replied courteously. ¡°You were away for quite some time. You haven''t forgotten


    how to perform your duties, have you?¡±


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    ¡°Not at all! In fact, I even did a little homeworkst night.¡±


    ¡°That''s good. All the best.¡± With a smile, Lucy walked out of the elevator gracefully.


    Charlotte sighed with relief and walked out too, soon arriving at her designated workce¡ªthe


    reception desk outside the president''s office.


    Work wasn''t exactly busy, but it wasn''t that easy either.


    Charlotte received a pile of documents as soon as she arrived at her desk.


    Lucy came by with a reminder. ¡°There''ll be an important meeting today, and a few executives of the


    ¡°Okay, I got it.¡±


    Charlotte nodded fervently and went through the documents. Today''s guests were all going to be high-


    level executives ofrge-scalepanies.


    It didn''t take long for a few of them to show up one by one, and Lucy personally weed them at the


    elevator before leading them to the meeting room.


    Then, Charlotte noticed that there was still one more important figure who hadn''t shown up. Just as she


    tried to recall who it was, the door to the elevator opened.


    A tall figure walked out, followed by four personal assistants. It was quite a sight.


    As Charlotte looked up, her eyes couldn''t help but shine.


    This female president who appeared to be in her twenties was over 170cm tall and had a slim, model-


    like figure. Her poise was out of this world.


    On top of that, she had absolutely stunning features due to her multiracial features.


    ¡°Hello! You must be Ms. ckwood of Synder Group,¡± greeted Charlotte, immediately recognizing the


    woman. ¡°This way, please.¡±


    Yet, the woman didn''t even spare Charlotte a nce, but a radiant smile appeared on her face the


    moment she caught sight of Zachary, who was right behind Charlotte. ¡°Zachary!¡±

 Chapter 270

    Chapter 270


    ¡°Sharon!¡± Zachary came out to personally wee her and even opened his arms wide.


    Sharon shoved a spaced-out Charlotte aside and ran in her heels toward Zachary before leaping into


    his arms.


    Charlotte was in aplete daze as she witnessed the ordeal.


    ¡°Why didn''t you tell me you wereing to H City?¡±


    Zachary led Sharon into the meeting room with an arm around her shoulder.


    ¡°I wanted to give you a surprise!¡±


    Sharon sounded as soft as cotton candy while she spoke, and her eyes couldn''t stop shining.


    ¡°Well, you''ve seeded.¡±


    Charlotte remained in a daze even after Zachary''s figure disappeared from her sight.


    Am I seeing things?


    Am I hallucinating?


    The mighty, defiant Zachary Nacht, who always treated others like they were beneath him, had never


    once personally weed a guest, let alone behave so affectionately in front of everyone.


    No one''s ever going to believe it if he says there''s nothing going on between the two of them!


    But...


    Didn''t he just make love to me so passionately two mornings ago? Then, he took care of me at night,


    and we slept in each other''s arms. Why is he being so nice to another woman now?


    Besides, didn''t he say I''d be the only woman for him?


    Who is this Sharon, then?


    ¡°Charlotte. Charlotte! Charlotte!¡±


    Lucy called out to her three times, but it was only after giving her a light shove that thetter finally


    returned to her senses. ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Why are you spacing out like that?¡± Lucy growled with her brows creased. ¡°You just got back after


    such a long break. Why are you still behaving this way?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I...¡±


    ¡°You''d better stop that, or you are looking for the ax,¡± Lucy warned. ¡°Snap out of it ande help out in


    the meeting room.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Charlotte drank a ss of water and took a deep breath. Then, she followed Lucy into the meeting


    room.


    Lucy had other matters to take care of, so she arranged for Charlotte to prepare some documents with


    the other secretaries.


    All the major shareholders of Divine Corporation were here today, in addition to high-level executives of


    four otherpanies. In short, everyone here was a big shot.


    Despite the tense atmosphere, everyone seemed to be trying their very best to butter Sharon up.


    ¡°You''re really something else, Ms. ckwood. You''re just like your father!¡±


    ¡°Right? You took over thepany at such a young age. You definitely have a bright future ahead!¡±


    ¡°You and Mr. Nacht are childhood sweethearts, and you''re now joining hands in the business. You''re a


    match made in heaven!¡±


    ¡°That''s right! Ms. ckwood and the senior Mr. Nacht were talking about this when Ist met them.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    ¡°Since we''re about to begin our coboration on the coastal project, why don''t you two think about


    getting married while at it?¡±


    Thest words were spoken by one of the directors of Synder Group. From the tone of his voice, the


    man was testing the waters with a hint of eagerness.


    Everyone turned to Zachary and Sharon, seemingly waiting for them to speak.


    With a flushed face, Sharon gazed at Zachary lovingly.


    Meanwhile, Charlotte, who was carrying a pile of documents in her hands, couldn''t help but turn to


    Zachary upon hearing the conversation.


    Her heart beat so frantically that it could practically leap out of her chest.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Lucy hissed. ¡°Everyone else is giving out the documents, but you''re just


    standing here!¡±


    Charlotte took a deep breath and hastily joined the other secretaries.


    ¡°We''ll be talking about work matters only,¡± Zachary responded briefly.


    ¡°He''s right. We''re here to discuss our coboration, so please stop teasing us,¡± Sharon chimed in with


    a grin. ¡°It''s the first time Divine Corporation and Synder are working together, and I''ve just taken over


    as head, so I''m looking forward to everyone''s support!¡±


    ¡°But of course!¡± the Synder executive eximed. ¡°With Divine Corporation and Synder Group working


    together, I know we''ll go far!¡±


    ¡°The air used to be so tense whenever we came over for meetings. But with you around, Ms.


    ckwood, the atmosphere has lightened up now.¡±

 Chapter 271

    Chapter 271


    ¡°Really?¡± Sharon chuckled in amusement. ¡°You''re way too serious, Zachary.¡±


    Zachary smiled faintly at her. ¡°I''m definitely never as friendly as you are.¡±


    ¡°That''s for sure.¡± Sharon raised an eyebrow andughed.


    The two seemed so close and intimate, and it was evident that they shared a great mutual


    understanding.


    Everyone gazed at them profoundly, for this was indeed a sight to behold.


    After all, the two were childhood sweethearts, and their families were perfect for one another. If they


    were to join in marriage, both sides would only benefit each other greatly.


    The ckwoods especially looked forward to this.


    Watching the scene before her, Charlotte felt as though an infinite number of cats were scratching at


    her heart. It felt agonizing.


    Stay calm, Charlotte. Stay calm. Stay calm!


    Then, along with the other secretaries, she carefully and politely ced the documents in front of


    everyone before preparing to take her leave.


    Then, Mr. Sterk noticed her. ¡°Charlotte? You''re back,¡± he remarked amicably.


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Sterk.¡± Charlotte smiled and nodded lightly.


    ¡°That''s good to know.¡± Mr. Sterk seemed pleased. ¡°Do your best.¡±


    ¡°I will!¡± Charlotte put the documents down and subconsciously nced at Zachary, only to notice the


    man gazing at Sharon. The two seemed to have excellent chemistry as theymunicated with their


    eyes.


    With a tremble of her hand, Charlotte identally knocked Mr. Sterk''s teacup out of its ce.


    ng! The teacup fell over on the table, spilling its contents over Mr. Sterk and Charlotte''s thigh.


    Charlotte''s thigh instantly burned in pain.


    ¡°Ahhh!¡± Mr. Sterk jumped to his feet and inhaled sharply.


    ¡°I''m so sorry!¡±


    Disregarding the pain on her thigh, Charlotte immediately apologized to Mr. Sterk and began to clean


    up the mess.


    ¡°Are you alright, Mr. Sterk?¡± Lucy rushed over and growled at Charlotte. ¡°What is wrong with you? Get


    out!¡±


    ¡°It''s fine! Don''t me her.¡±


    Mr. Sterk quickly tried to ease the situation for Charlotte. In truth, he was wearing trousers, so the tea


    hadn''t scalded him in any way.


    ¡°I''m sorry...¡± Charlotte apologized once more before lowering her head and leaving the room.


    This time, Zachary finally spared her a nce, but not before quickly looking away.


    Sharon, too, gazed at Charlotte briefly before immediately turning to Mr. Sterk. ¡°Are you okay, Mr.


    Sterk? Are you injured? Do you want to visit the hospital?¡±


    ¡°I''m fine. It''s just that my clothes are wet.¡±


    ¡°Go back to your office and get changed then,¡± Zachary instructed.


    R¨ºAdt??St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only


    ¡°Alright.¡± Then, Mr. Sterk left with his assistant.


    ¡°We''ll start the meeting without him,¡± Zachary announced.


    Upon arriving in the bathroom, Charlotte used a disposable towel soaked in cold water and pressed it


    against the area that was scalded by the hot tea.


    It didn''t look too serious, but her skin had turned red, and it stung.


    It should be fine after a while. With that thought, Charlotte didn''t pay too much attention to her thigh.


    ¡°Charlotte!¡± Lucy briskly walked in with a tube of burn-aid cream. ¡°Use this.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Ms. Wright.¡± Charlotte felt extremely guilty.


    Lucy was a great leader. Despite harshly reprimanding Charlotte every time she messed up, the former


    would still always help solve her problems at the end of the day.


    ¡°What''s up with you today? You look so unsettled,¡± Lucy remarked with concern. ¡°Did something


    happen at home, or are you not feeling well?¡±


    ¡°Maybe it''s because it''s my time of the month, so I''m not in my best performance.¡± Charlotte quickly


    came up with an excuse. ¡°I''m really sorry about what happened back there. Is Mr. Sterk okay?¡±


    ¡°I just came over from Mr. Sterk''s office. He''s not injured, but his clothes got wet.¡± Then, Lucy frowned.


    ¡°You''re lucky it was him. You''d be in huge trouble if it were another shareholder or a guest.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ma''am...¡± Charlotte lowered her head in shame.


    ¡°Since you''re not doing too well today, you shouldn''t work at the front desk. Go do some back-office


    work,¡± Lucy instructed. ¡°Give the pantry a tidy, then go collect the documents in the meeting room at


    eleven.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±

 Chapter 272

    Chapter 272


    After Lucy left, Charlotte washed her face by the sink and reminded herself to be careful. You can''t


    mess up again.


    However, she turned furious at the thought of Zachary.


    He''s the one two-timing and flirting with another woman right in front of me! Why does he get to stay so


    calm while I get all worked up? It''s not like I''m the one who''s wrong!


    Still... we''ve never had a normal rtionship. Everything''s been transactional, to begin with, and we''ve


    always remained together in secret.


    Can I really expect him to be as loyal as a normal boyfriend should be?


    Now that I think about it, it''s not like I ever wanted to be in a proper rtionship with him in the first


    ce.


    I relented just because I was helpless against his incessant threats.


    Haven''t I always been hoping for him to grow tired of me so that I can finally be free again?


    Why am I getting so worked up from seeing him acting all flirty with another woman?


    No, Charlotte. This is just wrong. Stop it!


    Charlotte took a deep breath and used her fingers to pull her lips into a smile. Stay calm and rxed.


    You''ll be stronger if you rid yourself of all your desires.


    You won''t be affected as long as you don''t care!


    Reminding herself over and over again, Charlotte walked out of the bathroom and began to seriously


    immerse herself in work.


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    The clock struck eleven just as she finished tidying the pantry, and the meeting had ended too.


    As a few janitors cleaned the room, Charlotte and Dani sorted out the documents and prepared to


    shred them.


    While they busied themselves, a tall, familiar figure walked in and stood in front of Charlotte.


    ¡°Hello, Mr. Nacht,¡± everyone greeted.


    Charlotte nced up at him before quickly lowering her head to resume her work.


    With a single gesture, Zachary sent everyone out of the room. Charlotte prepared to leave as well, only


    to be held onto by the man who immediately pushed her onto the president''s chair.


    As the ck chair began to move backward due to the force, Zachary swiftly hooked one of its legs


    with his foot, pulling the chair back to him.


    Then, he ced both his hands on the armrests and leaned toward Charlotte, just like a wild beast


    trapping its prey.


    Not saying anything, Charlotte red at Zachary with a pair of huge, livid eyes.


    Boiling with rage and a ton of questions, she waited for an exnation.


    ¡°Heh!¡± Yet, Zachary chuckled the moment he saw her expression and grabbed her chin. ¡°Is someone


    jealous? Hmm?¡±


    Charlotte remained silent, but she looked extremely grim.


    Should I not be jealous?


    You''re like a godd*mn lion when you''re jealous, yelling about andining about everything!


    Am I not allowed to be mad, then?


    ¡°You look like a frog.¡±


    Zachary pinched her puffed-up face before leaning over to nibble on her red, pouting lips.


    ¡°Mmph¡ª¡± Charlotte furiously pushed him away.


    ¡°Let me take a look. Were you scalded?¡±


    Just as Zachary began to lift her pencil skirt to inspect her thigh...


    ¡°Zachary!¡±


    Sharon''s voice suddenly rang from outside, and the door to the meeting room opened quickly.


    Zachary swiftly retracted his hands and stood up, kicking the president''s chair away.


    Charlotte nearly fell over as the chair rolled away with restraint, but she managed to grab onto the


    armrests.


    ¡°I''ve been looking for you.¡± Sharon walked in with a smile. ¡°Mind letting me visit your office for a short


    while?¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡±


    Like a gentleman, Zachary gestured her to leave before heading outside with her.


    Before leaving, Sharon didn''t forget to cast Charlotte a frosty gaze.


    Charlotte remained seated on the office chair as she watched them leave, gritting her teeth in anger.


    You scumbag!


    As her colleagues returned, she suppressed her emotions and continued to retrieve the documents.


    Shortly after, Lucy walked in. ¡°Go clean up the president''s office, Charlotte.¡±


    ¡°I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hurry up! Don''t forget to take a cloth and mop with you.¡±


    Then, Lucy left in a huff.


    With that, Charlotte had no choice but to grab some cleaning supplies from the equipment room before


    heading to the president''s office.


    Nearing the office, she wondered if she would bump into Zachary and Sharon.


    Will I end up seeing something that I shouldn''t have?

 Chapter 273

    Chapter 273


    Just as Charlotte was about to knock, the door suddenly opened. Ben walked out and couldn''t help but


    feel awkward upon seeing her. ¡°Char...¡±


    Then, he quickly changed his words. ¡°Is something the matter?¡±


    ¡°Ms. Wright told me to do some cleaning here.¡±


    Charlotte looked past Ben''s shoulder and noticed what was happening inside the office.


    With his back facing her, Zachary sat on the couch, and right next to him was Sharon leaning over to


    whisper something into his ear.


    The two looked so intimate with each other.


    N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    Charlotte''s chest instantly tightened as she averted her gaze and lowered her head. ¡°If it''s not


    convenient right now, I''lle backter.¡±


    Then, just as she was about to leave...


    ¡°Hold on!¡±


    An enchanting female voice resonated across the room.


    Ben shut his eyes with a frustrated look on his face.


    ¡°Hey, Ben! I identally spilled some wine here. Could you get her toe in and clean it up?¡±


    Sharon spoke to Ben in an especially polite manner, but that was just so she could get Charlotte to do


    her bidding.


    Ben cast Charlotte a troubled nce.


    Charlotte waited for two seconds, but Zachary remained quiet.


    Hence, she could only walk in with the cleaning tools.


    By now, Sharon maintained a fixed distance from Zachary.


    However, they still sat close to each other on the same couch.


    The red wine had spilled on the coffee table and carpet right in front of them.


    Charlotte walked over and knelt down, using a cloth to wipe the coffee table.


    ¡°Wow, Zachary. Your secretaries are getting prettier and prettier,¡± Sharon remarked, ncing at


    Charlotte from head to toe.


    Despite her simple attire andck of makeup, Charlotte had the ability to look extraordinarily charming


    just by standing in a corner.


    Furthermore, she was apletely natural beauty and exhibited an indescribable presence.


    ¡°Well, yeah. They''re alright,¡± Zachary replied ndly.


    Charlotte cursed internally. Me? Just alright?


    Then, why can''t you keep your hands off me?


    ¡°It''s just a shame that they''re a littlecking in professionalism...¡±


    Sharon''s extra words sounded light and nonchnt, but they were clearly full of hostility.


    Charlotte''s movements jerked slightly, but she suppressed the rage within her and continued cleaning.


    ¡°You missed this spot.¡±


    Sharon pointed toward the stain beneath her feet using her sharp heels, signaling Charlotte to clean


    that area too.


    Charlotte stared at the spot but remained unmoving, for leaning over there would be no different from


    kneeling right before Sharon.


    ¡°What''s wrong?¡± Sharon raised an eyebrow and smirked. ¡°Do you not see it, or do you not intend to


    clean it up?¡±


    Charlotte tightened her grip on the cloth. In the name of work, she certainly couldn''t refute this woman.


    On a personal note, however, she refused to be humiliated this way.


    Yet, Zachary kept mum, not showing any intention on helping Charlotte out.


    This only made the woman even more upset.


    ¡°I''ll do it!¡± Ben hastily walked over.


    ¡°Oh, but I could never trouble you with such menial tasks, Ben!¡± Despite speaking to Ben, Sharon kept


    her gaze on Charlotte. ¡°You''re a stubborn one, huh? I guess you won''t take orders from me.¡±


    Taking a deep breath, Charlotte continued to fight her rage. She turned over with the cloth in her hand,


    only to identally drop the stained fabric on Sharon''s foot.


    ¡°Eww! That''s disgusting!¡± Sharon got up in a fit and proceeded to step on Charlotte''s hand.


    ¡°Ahhh!¡± Charlotte screamed in pain.


    Like a nail, the sharp 8-cm heel instantly tore the skin on the back of Charlotte''s hand, causing it to


    start bleeding.


    Unable to take it any longer, Zachary stood up, shoved Sharon aside, and helped Charlotte up.


    ¡°Zachary!¡± Copsing on the sofa, Sharon stared at the man in disbelief.


    ¡°Do you not know how to even clean up?¡± Zachary growled at Charlotte. ¡°Get out!¡±


    Remaining silent, Charlotte lifted her gaze and red at him, her eyes were brimmed with tears. Then,


    she picked up her tools and strode her way out of the room.

 Chapter 274

    Chapter 274


    ¡°I can''t believe this!¡± Sharon was extremely infuriated. ¡°That secretary of yours is horrible, Zachary.¡±


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Zachary asked instead of responding to her words.


    ¡°I am, but... Why did you push me?¡± Sharon whined.


    ¡°You stepped on her hand.¡±


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    Charlotte had already left the office by the time Zachary answered.


    ¡°But she''s the one who dropped that cloth on my foot,¡± Sharon insisted, evidently displeased. ¡°That was


    filthy!¡±


    ¡°And that''s why you decided to step on her?¡± asked Zachary in return.


    Sharon froze before exining reluctantly, ¡°No. I didn''t do it on purpose. She shouldn''t have ced her


    hand there¡ª¡±


    ¡°I''m sure your father taught you to be kind to others.¡± Zachary furrowed his brows. ¡°This is no longer a


    world where ves have to serve their masters. We live in an equal society now.¡±


    ¡°But she''s just a secretary! Why are you getting so worked up?¡± Sharon insisted. ¡°Or is there something


    going on between¡ª¡±


    ¡°She may just be a secretary, but she''s still my employee,¡± Zachary cut her off before giving her a stern


    reminder. ¡°Remember how you once lost your temper when we were young, and you threw a cup at my


    cat?¡±


    ¡°You didn''t talk to me for three years after that...¡± Sharon couldn''t help but tense up upon recalling the


    incident and immediately tugged onto his sleeve to apologize. ¡°I''m sorry, Zachary. I won''t do it again.


    Please don''t be mad!¡±


    ¡°You should apologize to her instead.¡± Zachary withdrew his arm.


    ¡°You want me to apologize to her?¡± Sharon''s eyes widened in disbelief, but she quickly changed her


    mind as soon as she noticed Zachary''s frigid expression. ¡°Okay, okay. I''ll go and tell her I''m sorry. Just


    don''t be mad.¡±


    With that, she quickly left with her handbag.


    Zachary gestured at Ben, instructing him to follow the woman.


    Charlotte''s coworkers were beyond terrified to see blood trickling down her hand ceaselessly, and they


    immediately brought her a first-aid kit.


    Lucy dashed over the moment she found out about it. ¡°What happened?¡±


    Nothing¡ª¡± Just as Charlotte was about to respond, Sharon strode toward her. ¡°Are you okay? Do you


    want to go to the hospital?¡±


    Fighting her tears, Charlotte replied coldly, ¡°I''m fine.¡±


    ¡°I''m really sorry about what happened. I didn''t mean it.¡±


    Despite apologizing, Sharon sounded as haughty as usual. To top things off, she even took out a nk


    check and tossed it to Charlotte. ¡°This is for the medical bills. Write whatever amount you see fit.¡±


    While speaking, she began to leave with her bodyguards.


    ¡°Hold it right there!¡± Charlotte roared at her. ¡°Do you think you can just use money to¡ª¡±


    Before she could finish, Lucy cut her off.


    Shaking her head at Charlotte, she then turned to Sharon and said politely, ¡°Have a good day, Ms.


    ckwood!¡±


    Strolling into the elevator, Sharon turned and left Charlotte an arrogant smirk.


    This caused Charlotte to tremble in rage. A few coworkers gazed at her in pity, albeit not daring to say


    anything.


    ¡°Get back to work, everyone,¡± Lucy ordered.


    Thus, the coworkers lowered their heads and left.


    ¡°I know you''re upset, but you can''t afford to get on her bad side,¡± Lucy advised while tending to


    Charlotte''s wound. ¡°Ms. ckwood isn''t just the president of Synder Group; she''s also Mr. Nacht''s


    childhood sweetheart. There have been talks about a union between the two families, so she might


    someday be our boss too.¡±


    Charlotte felt even more anguished to hear such words. Luna once mentioned that Zachary had a


    fianc¨¦e. Could that woman be the one she was referring to?


    ¡°Even if you may leave Divine Corporation one day, you''d still have to earn a living elsewhere, wouldn''t


    you? Don''t get on Ms. ckwood''s nerves, or you might not be able to get a job anywhere else. I think


    you should back down.¡±


    Lucy continued earnestly, ¡°I''ll have you take care of other duties the next time shees so you''ll


    avoid running into each other. The tension shouldn''t take long to ease. As for this check, I suggest you


    give it back to her. Consider it a way to get her to owe you a favor.¡±

 Chapter 275

    Chapter 275


    After speaking, Lucy patted Charlotte on the shoulder. ¡°Well, that''s just my opinion. You should think


    about it.¡±


    Charlotte kept her head low and remained silent.


    She didn''t understand why in today''s society which preached equality, there were people who thought


    they could pick on others just because they had more power.


    Zachary''s like that, and now there''s Sharon ckwood too.


    But I guess it''s no surprise. Birds of the same feathers flock together, after all!


    They''re friends precisely because they behave the same way.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Ben asked softly.


    Charlotte merely red at him, then left with the first-aid kit without a word.


    Ben remained frozen in ce with a miserable look on his face. What did I do to deserve that?


    By lunch, Charlotte was still so infuriated that she was in no mood to eat. Lucy gave her a sandwich


    and arranged for her to work on some lighter tasks.


    Zachary left in the afternoon, but not before casting Charlotte a nce when passing the reception


    desk. Even so, he said nothing and headed straight toward the elevator.


    Charlotte kept her head buried in documents. Remember, Charlotte, don''t you ever bother with that


    disgusting man ever again!


    By the time work ended and Charlotte arrived home, she had already managed to keep her emotions in


    check. ¡°I''m home!¡± she eximed with a smile.


    ¡°Mommy!¡±


    The three children rushed up to her and leaped into her arms, asking for hugs and kisses.


    ¡°What happened to your hand, Mommy?¡± Robbie immediately asked upon noticing Charlotte''s hand,


    which had been firmly swathed in bandages.


    ¡°Oh, I hurt myself at work,¡± Charlotte replied cheerily. ¡°Don''t worry, though. It''s just a tiny injury.¡±


    ¡°Why do you keep getting injured, Mommy? Is it really dangerous at work?¡± Jamie asked anxiously.


    ¡°He''s right, Mommy. If it''s too dangerous, you should change jobs,¡± said Ellie as her heart ached. ¡°I


    don''t want to see you get injured, Mommy.¡±


    ¡°Me neither!¡± agreed Jamie and Robbie in unison.


    ¡°Me neither!¡± Fifi suddenly chimed in.


    The parrot certainly had a knack for mimicry.


    ¡°It''s not dangerous,¡± Charlotte responded with a chuckle. ¡°I was just too clumsy. Don''t worry, kiddos.


    Mommy will be more careful next time.¡±


    ¡°Are you hurt, Miss? Let me take a look.¡± Hearing themotion, Mrs. Berry rushed out of the kitchen.


    ¡°I''m fine! Really.¡± Charlotte hastily changed the subject. ¡°Is dinner ready, Mrs. Berry? I''m starving.¡±


    ¡°It is, but...¡±


    ¡°Is there my favorite beef stew tonight?¡±


    ¡°Yup, there is. Alright, you all. Go wash your hands, and I''ll start serving up the food!¡±


    Being able to spend every single day with her family and talking about life''s trivial matters over meals.


    To Charlotte, this was a blessing. She was especially thankful for her current life and didn''t want


    anyone else disrupting that.


    If Zachary were a regr guy, maybe he''d be thrilled to reunite with his children.


    But he''s no regr guy.


    The woman had initially thought of telling him the truth as they slept in each other''s arms that night, so


    that the entire family could finally be reunited.


    Not even what Julia had said to her eventually was enough to make her suspicious of Zachary.


    Yet, Sharon''s arrival today seemed to havepletely thrown even the slightest idea of the children


    meeting their father out the window.


    N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    At night, Charlottey in bed alone. Gazing at her injured hand and thinking about everything that had


    happened that day, a mix of emotions swirled within her.


    She used to think that Zachary was a vtile man prone to mood swings. Moreover, he seemed to


    have been involved in her father''s death, so he wasn''t fit to be a father himself.


    But now, Charlotte had another problem¡ªthere was a gap between her and Zachary that she could


    never cross.


    It wasn''t just their shing personalities or the obstacles that came their way; it had more to do with


    their different statuses and family backgrounds.


    I''m nothing but a regr employee who even struggles with life, but he''s a powerful man far beyond my


    reach.


    We''re just not meant to be.

 Chapter 276

    Chapter 276


    Dad used to tell me that all the powerful businessmen here could never marry whomever they wanted.


    They''d either get married for business deals and political reasons or be forced into unions with other


    families¡ªall for the sake of benefitting their families.


    I guess Zachary Nacht is no exception.


    The thought of Zachary possibly marrying another woman made Charlotte''s heart burn with fury. She


    pulled at her dinosaur pillow and was on the verge of ripping it apart.


    That disgusting scumbag! Why does he keep teasing me despite already having a fianc¨¦e?


    From now on, I''ll have to stay away from him!


    I''ll ignore him if he everes looking for me again.


    Then, she nced at her phone. If he calls, I''ll either not pick up or just reject the call to piss him off!


    Yet, the man didn''t call all night.


    In fact, Zachary didn''t drop by the office for the next few days, and work was much more rxing.


    For the first two days, Charlotte was delighted by his absence. It''d be better if he neveres back!


    Everyone feels on edge whenever he''s around.


    Then, a week went by in the blink of an eye, and Zachary still didn''te to work.


    Charlotte began to feel uneasy. Where the hell has he gone to?


    He didn''t actually go get married to Sharon, did he?


    Just as Charlotte pondered over the idea of sending Zachary a text message, she suddenly heard a


    few secretaries muttering among themselves by the pantry.


    ¡°Hey! Why do you think Mr. Nacht hasn''t beening to work?¡±


    ¡°Isn''t it obvious? He must be busy spending time with Ms. ckwood.¡±


    ¡°Yeah! Ms. ckwood''spany is located in M Nation, but she''se all the way to H City to


    discuss a joint project, so it''s only natural that Divine Corporation treats her like royalty.¡±


    ¡°But that doesn''t mean Mr. Nacht has to do it personally!¡±


    ¡°What do you girls know? Mr. Nacht and Ms. ckwood are childhood sweethearts, so of course Mr.


    Nacht has to wee her in person! Who knows, Ms. ckwood might even be our future boss.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Of course it is! I heard it from Ms. Wright herself¡ª¡±


    ¡°What are youdies talking about?¡± Lucy interrupted them coldly.


    With that, the few secretaries immediately dispersed, returned to their respective seats, and got back to


    work.


    With a cup of coffee, Charlotte returned to her seat too. Despite looking calm on the outside, her heart


    was filled with astonishment.


    He''s never been away from thepany this long. Even if he goes overseas, he''de back in at


    most three or four days. But now, it''s been a week and he still hasn''t shown up...


    I guess he really must be spending time with Sharon.


    ¡°I have some urgent documents here that need to be sent over to the Ashenville Garden Golf Course


    for Mr. Nacht''s signature,¡± Lucy announced as she walked over with a document. ¡°Dani, could you¡ª¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry, Ms. Wright. I''ve been having an upset stomach all day,¡± Danielle replied hastily. ¡°Ashenville


    Garden is too far from here. I''m worried I might cause a scene and make thepany look bad.¡±


    ¡°Then, you do it, Fran.¡± Lucy turned to another secretary.


    ¡°Did you forget, Ms. Wright? Zoey and I will be following Mr. Sterk to meet with the media,¡± Fran said


    meekly.


    Lucy frowned as she scanned her surroundings. Finally, her eyes fell on Charlotte. ¡°I guess you''re the


    only one who can do it, Charlotte.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Charlotte froze for a moment. ¡°I don''t think I can manage.¡±


    ¡°We''ll go together.¡± Lucy nced at her watch. ¡°You''ll have to see more of the outside world sooner or


    ¡°Okay. I understand.¡± Charlotte sighed with relief upon hearing that Lucy would be going too. ¡°When do


    we leave?¡±


    ¡°Now. I''ll get the documents ready, and we''ll meet in front of the elevator in ten minutes.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Lucy drove to Ashenville Garden with Charlotte. On the way there, she asked thetter a question. ¡°Mr.


    Nacht has eighteen secretaries, but everyone gets paid a different sry. Do you know why,


    Charlotte?¡±


    N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    ¡°No.¡± Charlotte shook her head.


    ¡°Do you know how much I earn each month?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Charlotte gazed at her meekly.


    ¡°A hundred and thirty grand.¡±


    ¡°What? That much?¡± Charlotte was visibly taken aback.

 Chapter 277

    Chapter 277


    ¡°And that''s just my basic sry. I haven''t included my bonus and other fringe benefits,¡± Lucy remarked


    with a smile. ¡°If I were to include all the extra perks I get, I''d say I make about two million a year.¡±


    ¡°Oh, God! I''m so jealous of you.¡± Charlotte couldn''t help but envy her.


    ¡°Don''t ever underestimate a secretary''s work. You''ll have a bright future ahead as long as you do your


    job well,¡± Lucy advised sincerely. ¡°If you want to make it in life, you have no one else but yourself to rely


    on. Don''t waste your days idling.¡±


    Hearing that, Charlotte felt a little guilty. It''s true that I haven''t really been ambitious about my career all


    this while.


    ¡°Do your best! Your father was an incredible man, so I know you''ll shine just like he did!¡±


    ¡°You knew my father?¡± Charlotte was surprised.


    ¡°Who hasn''t heard about the president of Windt Corporation? Besides, yourst name is pretty


    umon, and there''s something extraordinary about you. It''s not hard to tell whose daughter you


    are.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Charlotte didn''t want to recall too much of the past.


    Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    ¡°We''re almost there. Have a look at the documents and familiarize yourself with them.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    After a two-hour drive, they finally arrived at Ashenville Garden.


    Lucy drove straight toward the golf course and got off the car with Charlotte.


    A staff member came over to wee them. Knowing that they were here to deliver Zachary''s


    documents, the man treated them with the utmost respect and immediately brought them to their boss.


    Charlotte had been here before; her father was once a regr client who would often take his guests


    here too.


    ¡°Is that Mr. Nacht over there?¡± Lucy asked, pointing to the golf course nearby.


    Charlotte looked over and noticed the familiar figure which belonged to Zachary, whereas right next to


    him was... That must be Sharon.


    ¡°Ugh...¡± Lucy''s expression stiffened as she turned to Charlotte awkwardly. ¡°I''ll send the documents over


    on my own. Wait for me here.¡±


    No one else might have noticed it, but Lucy had long been aware of the fact that Charlotte and Zachary


    shared a special rtionship.


    Charlotte had been promoted directly to the president''s office under Ben''s personal instructions too,


    and everything else that transpired after that was taken care of by the man himself.


    Everyone knew that Ben was Zachary''s right-hand man and that any order he gave was thetter''s will.


    Zachary was always a heartless man, but he had made many exceptions for Charlotte¡ªtime and time


    again.


    Others may not have been aware of this, but Lucy certainly was.


    ¡°Okay. I got it.¡± Charlotte retracted her gaze, looking especially calm.


    Despite feeling stirred up deep down, her face remained expressionless.


    She knew too well that her rtionship with Zachary was merely transactional in nature, so this was all


    nothing but a game. Whoever falls in love first loses.


    Don''t expect anything. Don''t fall for him, Charlotte. That way, you''ll never be hurt.


    The woman continuously reminded herself about her own principles. Don''t cross the line.


    The golf cart stopped nearby, and Sharon''s excited voice rang out. ¡°Wow! It went in! I did it, Zachary!¡±


    ¡°Not bad.¡± Zachary nodded lightly.


    ¡°Teach me more! I could use some work on my posture,¡± Sharon requested, leaning onto his body.


    ¡°Get Mr. White to teach you.¡±


    Then, Zachary handed his golf club to Ben and turned to leave, only to notice Charlotte and Lucy


    standing next to the golf cart.


    ¡°Hello, Mr. Nacht!¡± Lucy strode over with the documents. ¡°Here are the documents you requested.¡±


    Standing in ce, Charlotte gave her boss a polite nod and kept her gaze low, not saying a single


    word.


    Zachary nced at her before instructing Lucy, ¡°Give them to Ms. ckwood.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Lucy walked a few steps ahead and courteously handed the documents to Sharon. ¡°Here you


    go, Ms. ckwood.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Sharon retrieved the documents with a smile. ¡°I''m sorry that you had toe all the way


    here.¡±


    ¡°It''s no trouble at all. This is all part of my job,¡± Lucy quickly responded.


    ¡°We''re just about to have lunch. Why don''t we all have a meal together?¡± While holding the documents,


    Sharon caught up to Zachary and held him by the arm in a carefree manner. Then, she turned to


    Charlotte. ¡°Come and join us too.¡±

 Chapter 278

    Chapter 278


    Sharon sounded as though she was being benevolent toward Charlotte.


    How thetter wished to respond with a snide remark, but she held back.


    ¡°Thank you, Ms. ckwood,¡± said Lucy respectfully. ¡°But we don''t wish to bother you and Mr. Nacht.


    We still have work to do, so we''ll be taking our leave.¡±


    ¡°You still need to have lunch when you get back, anyway. You may as well join us,¡± Sharon insisted as


    she leaned onto Zachary once again. ¡°Right, Zachary?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Zachary responded. ¡°Let''s eat together.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then.¡± Not daring to say anything more, Lucy dragged Charlotte back into the golf cart, and the


    two sat behind Zachary and Sharon.


    Unlike before, Charlotte seemed especially calm today.


    Although, that was merely on the surface. For deep down, she was already cursing the bloody couple


    in front of her.


    May you both suffer from constipation every day. May you both wet your beds every night. May you be


    impotent for the rest of your life, Zachary Nacht!


    ¡°I just bought a new swimwear, Zachary. How about we visit a hot spring tonight?¡± Sharon stuck to


    Zachary like glue. ¡°You must be tired after so many sleepless nights. Why don''t you take it easy just for


    tonight?¡±


    Hearing that, Charlotte trembled slightly as her mind went abuzz.


    Sleepless nights?


    Does that mean they haven''t been able to keep their hands off each other in the past few days?


    The image of the two continuously getting frisky with each other in bed surfaced in Charlotte''s mind.


    In that instant, she felt like her world was crumbling. The rage within her began to boil, and was on the


    verge of spilling out when suddenly...


    ¡°Charlotte... Charlotte.¡± Lucy nudged her gently. ¡°Are you cold? You''re not wearing enough today.¡±


    ¡°I''m okay. Thanks, Ms. Wright.¡±


    Charlotte pursed her lips and forced herself to remain calm.


    Don''t be mad over a scumbag like him, Charlotte. It''s not worth it!


    It doesn''t matter who he sleeps with! It has nothing to do with you.


    He may as well marry that woman right away! They''re both so self-centered and cocky that they


    deserve each other. With their heads up high all the time, they might just trip and fall to their deaths


    while walking one day!


    He won''t bother you now that he''s gotten himself another woman. You can finally focus on your work,


    look after the children, and begin a new life...


    You should just pretend to not know him from now on.


    Even if they start screwing each other right in front of you this instant, you should cheer them on!


    ¡°Charlotte... Charlotte!¡± Lucy pped Charlotte by the shoulder.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Charlotte snapped back to reality, only to realize that the golf cart had already stopped in front


    of the restaurant.


    Zachary and Sharon had already alighted, but she remained sitting here in a daze.


    ¡°What''s wrong? You seem so out of it,¡± mumbled Lucy.


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Charlotte quickly got down and followed Lucy into the restaurant.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht! Ms. ckwood! This way, please.¡±


    The vice president of Synder Group, Jackson White, stood at the entrance to wee Zachary and


    Sharon.


    N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    ¡°You''re really good at golf, Mr. White.¡± Sharon struck up a conversation with Jackson. ¡°I noticed that


    there isn''t really anything you can''t do. Are you married?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! I am ttered, Ms. ckwood,¡± Jackson replied with augh. ¡°Well, it''s rather unfortunate, but


    I''ve been divorced for a few years and haven''t found myself another partner.¡±


    ¡°Is it because your standards are too high?¡± Sharon teased. ¡°What kind of women are you into?¡±


    ¡°I like women who are pretty, gentle, and obedient.¡± While speaking, Jackson''s gaze fell on Charlotte.


    ¡°And this is?¡±


    ¡°She''s one of the secretaries from Divine Corporation who came over to send Mr. Nacht some


    documents,¡± Sharon answered enthusiastically. ¡°Oh, and she''s single.¡±


    Charlotte froze and turned to Sharon.


    ¡°I''m not wrong, am I, Charlotte?¡± Sharon beamed as she gazed at Charlotte. ¡°Why don''t you consider


    Mr. White? He may be a little older than you, but he''s a mature, responsible, and sessful man.¡±

 Chapter 279

    Chapter 279


    Charlotte took a peek at Jackson and felt greatly humiliated. Judging by Jackson''s wrinkled face and


    bby stomach, Charlotte thought he should be around her father''s age.


    Sharon has such a brilliant n, but does she really think she can get rid of me by setting me up for a


    blind date with this old man?


    Is it even necessary for her to go to great lengths to get rid of me when I haven''t made any move or


    gotten in her way with Zachary''s rtionship?


    Why is she sending this disgusting old man my way again when I have forgiven her for stepping on my


    hand and giving me a hard time? She should stay away from me because I have returned the check


    through Lucy''s help!


    ¡°Charlotte, you seem to be pretty young. How old are you?¡±


    On one hand, Jackson''s eyes gleamed in excitement and looked at Charlotte differently.


    On the other hand, Charlotte remained silent throughout the conversation because she could barely


    keep a straight face in front of the old man anymore.


    Lucy stepped in to get Charlotte out of the nasty situation. ¡°Ms. ckwood, I''m sure you''re kidding! I


    don''t think Charlotte deserves Mr. White when she''s just a rookie in the corporate world.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean she doesn''t deserve¡ª¡±


    ¡°Aren''t you hungry? Why don''t you hurry up and finish your meal?¡± Zachary broke the silence, stating


    indifferently before Sharon could finish her sentence.


    Sharon winced at Zachary''s words because it was evident the man was trying to protect Charlotte.


    ¡°Oh! You''re right! I believe most of us are hungry since we have been out for the entire morning!¡±


    Jackson was an observant man. He immediately summoned the waiter and instructed, ¡°Please serve


    us our meal at once!¡±


    ¡°Ms. Wright, Mr. Ben, have a seat and join us!¡±


    Jackson invited everyone that was present to join him at the table and started engaging himself in a


    conversation with Ben and Lucy to get himself out of the awkward situation.


    Ben and Lucy yed along with him to ease up the tension that was built up over the past few minutes.


    Meanwhile, Zachary indulged himself and took a sip of the red wine.


    Sharon''s face puckered because she felt embarrassed after Zachary reprimanded her in front of


    others. She secretly held a grudge against Charlotte and finished her ss of wine in an attempt to


    calm herself down.


    In spite of being on pins and needles, Charlotte couldn''t bring herself away¡ªshe had no choice but to


    join the crowd and brace herself through the meal.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, this is a wine from my precious collection. Please give it a try.¡±


    Jackson served Zachary and Sharon each a ss of drink. ¡°Ms. ckwood, why don''t you give it a try


    as well? The president hasplimented it after savoring it when we were out for a mealst time.¡±


    Zachary took a sip as suggested and stated, ¡°Mmm... It''s not half bad at all...¡±


    ¡°Mr. Ben, Ms. Wright, Charlotte, you guys should give it a try too!¡±


    Jackson served everyone their ss of drink. When it was Charlotte''s turn, a leg showed up at the


    bottom of the table, causing him to trip over.


    As a result, he staggered and spilled the remaining wine that was in the decanter on Charlotte.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Charlotte shrieked and got up from her seat immediately.


    The red wine streamed all the way down from her cor, soaking her white shirt crimson red, exposing


    her supple yet busty figure in front of everyone.


    Immediately, Jackson apologized, ¡°I-I''m so sorry!¡±


    After he grabbed the napkin that was nearby, he reached over in an attempt to wipe Charlotte''s shirt


    dry on her behalf.


    Zachary''s expression turned gloomy because Jackson''s hand was merely a few inches away from


    Charlotte''s breast.


    Charlotte took a step back and denoted, ¡°I-It''s fine... I-I can clean it up myself.¡±


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Sharon expressed her concerns and reprimanded Jackson, ¡°Mr. White, how could you


    be so careless?¡±


    ¡°I-I...¡± Jackson was at a loss for words. Truth be told, he was aware of the identity of the culprit, yet he


    couldn''t expose the truth in front of them.


    ¡°Since you''repletely drenched, you should head over to my room and get yourself changed.¡±


    Sharon beckoned the waitress over and instructed, ¡°Show her the way to my room!¡±


    The waitress walked over and said, ¡°Please follow me, Ms. Windt.¡±


    ¡°I-It''s fine...¡± Charlotte didn''t want to put on Sharon''s clothes¡ªshe was afraid it was one of Sharon''s


    many tricks to get the better of her.


    Sharon asked rhetorically with a grin, ¡°Aren''t you afraid of embarrassing yourself in front of others?


    Ever since a few minutes ago, Mr. White has a hard time moving his eyes away from that busty figure


    of yours. If you don''t get yourself changed, do you want to show it to others when we''re done with our


    meal?¡±


    ¡°I-I...¡± Jackson responded with an awkward smile.


    ¡°You...¡± Charlotte couldn''t stand it anymore.


    Thankfully, Zachary broke the silence and instructed, ¡°Check her into another room and get her another


    set of outfits.¡±N?velDrama.Org owns this.

 Chapter 280

    Chapter 280


    ¡°Yes.¡± Ben got up from his seat and walked out to carry out Zachary''s instruction right after he took note


    of it.


    Zachary instructed Lucy, ¡°I want you to keep herpany.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Nacht.¡± Lucy grabbed Charlotte''s hand and brought her away as soon as possible.


    Sharon couldn''t keep her cool anymore. She confronted Zachary in front of Jackson, ¡°She''s merely a


    secretary, isn''t she? Why are you going to great lengths to protect her?¡±


    Zachary paid no heed to Sharon''s words and nced at Jackson instead. He announced in a callous


    tone, ¡°Mr. White, I believe your assistance isn''t required anymore!¡±


    As soon as Jackson heard the bad news, he started apologizing, ¡°Mr. Nacht, w-what''s wrong? P-


    Please, give me another chance to prove myself worthy! I-I definitely won''t repeat the same mistake


    twice!¡±


    Zachary went dead silent and smashed the ss without a second thought on that score.


    Jackson felt a shiver running down his spine and copsed in his seat when he heard the loud noise of


    the ss being shattered into pieces.


    Meanwhile, Sharon''s face turned pale. Her hands started trembling as she held on to her ss of drink,


    but she dared not make a noise in fear of offending Zachary more than she had.


    Needless to say, Zachary was infuriated. He started emanating a menacing presence, intimidating


    those around him with his gaze full of murderous intent.


    ¡°Get me another bottle!¡± Zachary instructed the waiter, yet his instruction was a double innuendo,


    indicating his will to get rid of Jackson and substituting him with another candidate.


    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡± The waiter headed out and returned with a brand new bottle of wine and a ss for Zachary.


    Jackson brought himself up from his seat and bowed at Zachary while expressing his apology, ¡°I''m so


    sorry, Mr. Nacht! I-I must have been blinded by my lust! P-Please forgive me for being an imbecile fool!¡±


    N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    Immediately after he finished his sentence, he bowed once more before bringing himself out of the


    private dining room.


    The color drained from Sharon''s face because she was the only one left behind in the spacious dining


    suite.


    Jackson was an observant man and ruled out the possibility of Zachary and Charlotte''s rtionship


    through the furious man''s response¡ªZachary got worked up because Charlotte wasn''t merely an


    employee of his.


    He apologized for his so-called mistakes because he failed to notice their rtionship and tried toy a


    finger on Charlotte.


    No matter what sort of chance Sharon had created, Jackson should have known his ce and stayed


    away from Charlotte in the first ce.


    Since he had crossed the boundaries and started having filthy thoughts, he should prepare himself for


    the consequences that would be awaiting him.


    Jackson begged Zachary to be merciful prior to his departure because he was afraid the powerful man


    would go after him in the future.


    At the end of the day, Jackson was a smart and experienced corporate yer from the upper echelon


    that had been in the industry for a long time.


    He was aware of the consequences that would be in store for him should he fail to atone for his sins.


    ¡°Aren''t you hungry? Why aren''t you savoring your meal?¡± Zachary asked Sharon while he cut the steak


    that was served.


    Sharon was no longer her usual arrogant self and stopped getting full of herself in front of Zachary. She


    lowered her gaze and finished her meal in silence.


    ¡°You should refrain from doing such a silly thing in the future. I''m sure you don''t want to trip in a simr


    manner, do you?¡±


    After Zachary made himself clear, he had a mouthful of steak.


    When Sharon heard his words, she paused, and her hands started shivering because she was


    horrified.


    ...


    There were a racecourse, a gold course, and a hot spring resort at Asheville Garden.


    Charlotte and the rest of the party had their meal at the restaurant of the hot spring resort.


    After the receptionist showed Charlotte the way to her room, Ben showed up with a maid. They brought


    Charlotte her new set of clothes.


    Lucy expressed her gratitude on behalf of Charlotte and closed the door after she took over the


    clothes. ¡°I guess Mr. Nacht is serious about you, huh? He has instructed his subordinate to bring you a


    brand new set of clothes, including a set of lingerie. I must say he''s quite a detail-oriented man.¡±


    Charlotte paid no heed to Lucy''s words because she sat on the couch and lost herself in the process of


    thought.


    Lucy approached Charlotte and waved when she reached her side. ¡°What''s on your mind? You should


    go take a shower and get changed immediately. It doesn''t feel great being drenched in red wine, does


    it?¡±


    Charlotte finally returned to her senses. She stated, ¡°Lucy, I want to go back! Let''s go back once I get


    changed!¡±


    ¡°I¡ª¡± Lucy received a call when she was about to reply to Charlotte''s suggestion. She tended to the call


    and picked it up immediately. ¡°Mr. Ben? Huh? Are you serious? A-Alright! I''ll be there at once!¡±


    After she hung up the call, Lucy lowered her volume and denoted, ¡°Mr. White has been terminated from


    the project. I have to rush over and get the uing information ready immediately.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Are you sure? Mr. White is the vice president of Synder Group. What...?¡± Charlotte was equally


    surprised by the news.


    ¡°Are you sure you''re not aware of the reason behind his termination? It seems like I''m right¡ªMr. Nacht


    is serious about you, huh?¡± Lucy replied with a bright grin as though she had something in her mind.


    Charlotte''s mind was all over the ce because she was clueless about the rationale behind Zachary''s


    action.


    He seemed to have a crush on her, but he had neglected Charlotte and spent most of his time with


    another woman.


    However, the fact Zachary terminated Jackson because of the things he had done suggested


    otherwise.

 Chapter 281

    Chapter 281


    ¡°I have to go. Once you have your shower, get some rest, okay?¡± Lucy ced the set of outfits on the


    bed and departed after she told Charlotte to take care of herself.


    After Charlotte drew the curtain of the room, she walked into the bathroom and undressed. When she


    was about to turn on the tap, she heard the sound of the door being opened.


    ¡°Lucy, is that you?¡± Subconsciously, she yelled because she thought she heard the sound of someone


    entering the room.


    Since there wasn''t any reply, she decided to give it another try and yelled once more, ¡°Lucy...¡±


    Again, her effort was to no avail.


    She started having her doubts and felt a sense of insecurity, thinking she might be hearing things


    because she was afraid of being alone.


    Once she wrapped the towel around her bare body, she walked out of the bathroom and caught a


    glimpse of a familiar silhouette.


    ¡°Y-You...¡± Charlotte stared at Zachary wide-eyed as she was shocked by his presence while he made


    his way into the room nonchntly.


    After he removed his zer, he cast it aside and started unbuttoning his shirt as he walked over to the


    bathroom.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Charlotte ced her arms in front of her chest and took a step back to put some


    distance between her and the man.


    Unfortunately, she identally moved beneath the showerhead that had been turned on beforehand.


    Consequently, the moment she felt the scorching water on her head, she shrieked due to the racking


    sensation and moved away immediately.


    Suddenly, she felt a hand around her waist as she was lunged over against her will. Zachary showed


    up and adjusted the temperature of the water until it was optimum for a shower. Once it was done, he


    cradled her in his arms and brought her back to the shower.


    ¡°H-Hey! What do you think you''re doing? Let go of me!¡±


    She tried to push him away, but she was pinned to the wall. As the water of optimum temperature


    streamed down her face, her entire body was soaked.


    Charlotte had a hard time keeping her eyes open, but she could feel a gigantic palm on her head,


    tucking her hair behind her shoulders gently.


    A few secondster, she could feel his velvety lips on her lips as the man started kissing her


    passionately.


    ¡°Mmm...¡± Charlotte shook her head and retaliated against the man, but Zachary grasped her cheek and


    forced her to stay still while he kissed her.


    She could barely resist the domineering amorous kiss that had taken her by surprise. In the end, she


    had no choice but to brace herself.


    Halfway through the session, Zachary lifted her up and forced her to support herself by wrapping her


    legs around his waist while they leaned against the wall and continued kissing passionately.


    In another attempt to shrug him off, Charlotte mustered her strength to push him away. Her n


    backfired¡ªhe became increasingly aggressive the more she retaliated against him.


    The passionate duo indulged themselves in some raunchy fun in the bathroom as though they were


    isted from other guests in the resort.


    While they were in the middle of some fun, Charlotte heard the voice of the door being opened. A few


    secondster, she heard Lucy''s voice, yelling through the door, ¡°Charlotte, are you in the bathroom?


    Do you have my USB drive with you?¡±


    As she started searching high and low around the room, she asked over and over again, ¡°Charlotte,


    have you seen my USB drive anywhere?¡±


    Meanwhile, Charlotte, who was in the bathroom, got tensed up abruptly and covered her mouth


    because she was afraid Lucy would figure out the thing they were up to in the bathroom.


    Actually, she forgot to lock the door. Therefore, she was afraid Lucy would walk into the bathroom and


    run into her when she was in such an embarrassing state.


    Suddenly, along with the clicking sound of a pair of heels, Sharon''s voice could be heard as she asked,


    ¡°Have you found it?¡± Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    Lucy replied courteously, ¡°I''m still searching for it, Ms. ckwood. Why are you here? You should


    return to your room and get some rest for the time being. Once I find it, along with the documents, I''ll


    bring it over to you.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine. I''ll wait for you here. Speaking of which, where''s Charlotte? This is her room, isn''t it?¡± Sharon


    started surveying the surroundings of the room.


    Charlotte was on the verge of breaking down due to the presence of Sharon, but Zachary had no


    intention to stop.


    Oh, God! What should I do? Is there any way to get me out of such an awkward situation?


    ¡°I think she''s taking a shower since her shirt waspletely drenched in wine.¡±


    Lucy''s eyes widened in disbelief when she took a peek at the entrance of the bathroom¡ªshe caught a


    glimpse of a pair of shoes that belonged to a man.


    She had a hunch that the pair of leather shoes belonged to Zachary. Holy moly!


    Charlotte kept her mouth shut tight while she tried to push Zachary away. She was afraid they would


    make any noise and attract other''s attention, but the lustful man showed no signs of stopping at all.


    He behaved as though he wasn''t aware of themotion outside of the room and continued kissing


    her to his heart''s content.


    ¡°Mr. White should behave himself when he''s such an old man! I can''t believe he has such filthy


    thoughts in his mind!¡± Sharon scoffed, ¡°I was merely trying to do Charlotte a favor. Although Mr. White


    wasn''t a young man, he was an exceptional corporate yer with a lot of achievements. How could


    she turn him down when they''re such a great match for one another?¡±


    Charlotte started pulsating unwittingly as she gradually lost control over her body. In a final attempt to


    stop Zachary, she held on to his shoulders with all her might.


    No matter what, the lustful man had no intention to stop because he had yet fulfilled his physiological


    needs.

 Chapter 282

    Chapter 282


    ¡°H-Haha. M-Mr. White is indeed an exceptional man.¡± Lucy replied with an odd smile and offered, ¡°Ms.


    ckwood, allow me to show you the way back to your room. I''ll get Charlotte to bring you the USB


    drive once I find it.¡±


    ¡°Alright. I wonder what''s taking her so long?¡± Sharon surveyed the surroundings for onest time.


    A wrathful glint could be detected from her eyes as her pupil constricted the moment she spotted the


    pair of leather shoes in front of the bathroom.


    She fastened her grip and identally distorted the shape of the limited edition purse she had in her


    hands.


    She winced almost instantly, yet she tried her best to regain herposure and replied with a smirk,


    ¡°Thank you, Lucy. Please get Charlotte to deliver the things to my room when you find it because I


    have something to tell her.¡±


    Lucy showed Sharon the way out of their room immediately. ¡°Yes, Ms. ckwood. Thank you so much


    for your hard work. You should return to your room and take a short nap. We''ll drop by your room at


    two o''clock in the afternoon. Is that fine?¡±


    ¡°It''s fine.¡±


    After she showed Sharon the way out of their room, Lucy heaved a sigh of relief and closed the door


    immediately¡ªshe had no intention of staying behind either.


    In the meantime, Charlotte threw several consecutive punches at Zachary''s chest to express her


    frustration. ¡°Let go of me, you jerk!¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± He pursed her lips in return and embraced her in between his arms feverishly.


    As she couldn''t hold it back any longer, she bit his shoulder to stop him, leaving bite marks on his


    shoulder.


    ...


    After a long time, Zachary finally set Charlotte free as she insisted. He wrapped her body using the


    towel and carried her out of the bathroom.


    He cast her on the bed in a rude manner and took a seat on the couch, wiping his hair dry with the


    towel.


    ¡°You''re such a disgusting man!¡± Charlotte cast a pillow in his direction and started cursing, ¡°How dare


    youy a finger on me when you have been seeing another woman behind my back over the past few


    days?¡±


    The pillow fell to the ground after it smashed on Zachary''s sturdy figure.


    He brought himself to a halt and looked at her in return. ¡°What makes you think I have been seeing


    another woman over the past few days? Do you really consider me such a strong man?¡±


    ¡°Are you going to tell me I''m wrong?¡± Charlotte red at Zachary and asked rhetorically.


    He continued wiping his hair dry and announced, ¡°Well... I''m actually d you''re acknowledging my


    stamina as a fellow man...¡±


    N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    ¡°Y-You...¡± She was speechless because of his shameless remark.


    ¡°You should get some rest.¡± Zachary removed the towel he had around his waist and started dressing


    up in front of Charlotte.


    ¡°Please don''t touch me in the future because you have a freaking fianc¨¦e!¡± She tried to talk some


    senses into him in an attempt to strike a deal with him. ¡°Why don''t you set me free? I have no intention


    to get in the way of your rtionship. Apart from that, it doesn''t feel great being picked on by others¡ª¡±


    Halfway through her speech, he interrupted and denoted indifferently, ¡°Are you sure you''re not


    overestimating yourself? I don''t think you''re much of a threat, let alone getting in the way of my


    rtionship with her.¡±


    After he dressed himself up, he picked up the pillow and cast it to the bed casually while stating,


    ¡°You''re getting picked on by others because you''re an imbecile fool.¡±


    ¡°Y-You...¡±


    ¡°Just stay put, okay?¡± After Zachary put on his pair of shoes, he walked out of the room.


    Staring at his departing figure, Charlotte felt dejected deep down.


    A few hours ago, he was being lovey-dovey with Sharon when they were in front of others. As soon as


    he left Sharon, he approached me and forced me into submission again. Why does Sharon get to enjoy


    the perks of announcing her identity as his loved one while I have to stay away from others as though


    I''m his mistress?


    Charlotte felt awful whenever she thought about it and wished to end their rtionship as soon as


    possible. However, she had no saying in their rtionship at all.


    She was confused by his action because he refused to stay away from her when he had such an


    exceptional woman by his side.


    Knock! Knock! Suddenly, she heard someone knocking on the door. ¡°Charlotte, I''m Lucy. Can Ie


    in?¡±


    ¡°Hold on!¡± Charlotte got herself dressed immediately and answered the door after a few seconds. ¡°Ms.


    Wright!¡±


    ¡°I''m searching for my USB drive. Have you seen it anywhere?¡± Lucy asked.


    ¡°I think it''s in the folder. I''ll go get it for you.¡± Charlotte returned to the bedroom and searched


    everywhere to locate the USB drive.


    Meanwhile, Lucy stood right at the entrance because she dared not enter the room.


    A few minutester, Charlotte found the USB drive in her bag and murmured to herself, ¡°It turns out


    you''re here.¡±


    After Lucy took over the USB drive, she stated, ¡°Great. I''ll hand it over to Ms. ckwood. You should


    go ahead and get some rest.¡±


    ¡°Hasn''t she requested me to bring it over to her?¡± Charlotte blurted out the things she had in her mind


    without a second thought.

 Chapter 283

    Chapter 283


    ¡°E-Er... She''s going to give you a hard time if you show up in her room. I''ll make something up and


    brush it off. Perhaps she''ll nag at me, but she will never mistreat me,¡± Lucy replied with her face


    puckered.


    ¡°It''s fine! I''ll tag along with you!¡± Charlotte put on her shoes immediately and said, ¡°I have witnessed


    Ms. ckwood''s temperament before. There''s no way I''ll allow you to go through such a tormenting


    experience alone when I''m the one she''sing after.¡±


    In the end, Charlotte departed with Lucy and made their way to Sharon''s room with the USB drive and


    a few documents.


    To their surprise, Zachary was nowhere to be seen in Sharon''s room.


    Meanwhile, Sharon, who had changed into a nightgown, slouched against the couch and enjoyed the


    ss of wine she had served herself. She ced her slender pair of legs on the coffee table, exuding a


    noble presence, superior to those present.


    ¡°Ms. ckwood, here are the documents and the USB drive that has the proposal and the business


    n of the project.¡± Lucy handed over the things to Sharon courteously.


    ¡°Thanks, please put it on the table...¡± Sharon instructed Lucy while she had her eyes glued to Charlotte.


    ¡°Y-Yes, Ms. ckwood.¡± Lucy ced it on the coffee table. ¡°Since there isn''t anything else, we''ll¡ª¡±


    ¡°You''re free to leave, but I have something to talk about with Charlotte.¡± Sharon beckoned Charlotte


    over in a courteous manner as though she couldn''t wait to get Charlotte to join her.


    Lucy looked at Charlotte with a frown because she was afraid of the uing session between the


    duo.


    ¡°Thanks!¡± Charlotte took a seat as suggested as though it wasn''t a big deal at all.


    ¡°If that''s the case, I''ll take my leave.¡± Prior to her departure, Lucy told Charlotte, ¡°I want you to take


    note of Ms. ckwood''s words, okay? If you need my help, feel free to give me a call.¡±


    Charlotte beamed her reply and assured Lucy, ¡°Yes, Ms. Wright. I''ll keep that in mind.¡±


    After Lucy departed, the maid showed up and brought Charlotte a cup of coffee.


    Once the coffee was served, Sharon beckoned the maid to leave them alone.


    ¡°Look at you¡ªyou seem to be having a great time, huh?¡±


    Sharon finished her rhetorical question with an odd grin while staring at Charlotte indifferently.


    ¡°Ms. ckwood, may I know what you wish to talk about?¡± Charlotte cut the small talk and got to the


    point immediately.


    Simrly, Sharon sat upright and handed over the check she had prepared beforehand to Charlotte


    after she filled in the details and the amount.


    The confused Charlotte asked, ¡°What is this?¡±


    Sharon replied in a scornful manner, ¡°I have conducted simple market research and found out the


    cheapest hooker in town gets about a few hundred to a few thousand for each of their services. As for


    the influencers and the models, they get around eight thousand to ten thousand. The rookie celebrities


    get the most because they get paid tens of thousands for each of their services¡ª¡±


    Before she could finish her scornful remarks, Charlotte stopped her and queried, ¡°I don''t get you! What


    is it about?¡±


    After sizing Charlotte up, Sharon added, ¡°As for you, I think the most you''ll get is ten thousand for each


    of your services. However, since Zachary has a thing for you, I can''t humiliate him for having bad


    taste.¡±


    ¡°For every intimate session you have with Zachary, I''ll give you a million as a token of appreciation for


    your hard work.¡± The arrogant woman leaned over and pped Charlotte using the check after she


    made herself clear.


    Charlotte pushed her away because she was infuriated by Sharon''s words. ¡°That''s enough! You''re


    going overboard!¡±


    ¡°Tsk! Tsk! Tsk! Why are you angry when you had so much fun with Zachary in the bathroom? You


    shouldn''t get ahead of yourself because you''re nothing but a tool for him to get rid of his lust!¡± Sharon


    started ridiculing Charlotte once again.


    ¡°Y-You¡ª¡± When Charlotte was about to rebuke Sharon''s demeaning remarks, Zachary walked into the


    room.


    The moment he noticed an anxious Charlotte facing the arrogant Sharon, he asked callously with a


    frown, ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    Sharon got ahead of Charlotte and replied courteously, ¡°She''s here to deliver the documents to me. I''m


    trying topensate her for the loss Mr. White has caused her after her clothes got contaminated by


    the wine. But I don''t think she appreciates my effort at all!¡±


    ¡°That won''t be necessary because I''ll deal with my employees on my own!¡± Zachary took over the


    check and crumpled it before throwing it into the dustbin.


    ¡°Fine...¡± The pretentious Sharon leaned over and wrapped her arm around Zachary''s arm. She looked


    at Charlotte with a contemptuous look and asked, ¡°Why aren''t you leaving yet?¡±


    Charlotte was frustrated and her emotion was written all over her face. After she brought herself up,


    she strode her way out of the room.


    ¡°Hold on.¡± Sharon stopped Charlotte once more.


    The frustrated woman brought herself to an abrupt halt, but she had her back facing the pretentious


    woman by the man''s side.


    ¡°Why don''t you join us in the banquet that will be held tonight?¡± Sharon offered generously, ¡°I''ll get


    someone to send you an evening gown and get them to doll you up properly for the banquet.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, but no thanks!¡± Charlotte couldn''t wait to leave the room.


    Sharon replied with a bright grin, ¡°You don''t have to be so courteous whenever you''re around me! An


    old friend of yours will be joining us tonight! You should join us and meet with your friend once in a


    while!¡± N?velDrama.Org owns this.

 Chapter 284

    Chapter 284


    Charlotte had no saying at all because Sharon would get to make the call on the former''s behalf as


    long as Zachary wasn''t against the idea.


    After Charlotte returned to her room, she took things out on the pillows, throwing everything that was


    on the bed¡ªincluding the linen¡ªto the ground.


    She felt as though she had turned into a loser after she got into a rtionship with Zachary.


    asionally, she thought she was a mistress that would have to deal with the wrath of Sharon¡ª


    Zachary''s legal spouse.


    Nevertheless, she wasn''t his mistress because Zachary wasn''t married, and he had never publicly


    announced his rtionship with Sharon.


    As a matter of fact, she was not aware of Sharon''s presence.


    Suddenly, Lucy''s voice could be heard, asking gently, ¡°Charlotte? Are you in there? Your room isn''t


    locked. Can Ie in?¡±


    ¡°Lucy! Are you going back? Can I tag along with you?¡± Charlotte brought up her request immediately


    because she couldn''t wait to leave the resort.


    ¡°I will be staying back because there are a few things that require my attention. I''ll be staying next door.


    We''ll spend a night here and return to thepany tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°I guess we''ll have to do that...¡±


    Lucy pointed in the direction of the entrance and said, ¡°Ms. ckwood has instructed someone to


    deliver you an evening gown.¡±


    ¡°Come in.¡± Charlotte had no intention to put the person in charge in a tight spot.


    Two stylists brought the evening gown into the room, whereas the make-up artist that was behind them


    had a few delicate-looking boxes with her¡ªincluding a few essories and a pair of shoes to go along


    with the dress.


    One of the trio asked cordially, ¡°Ms. Windt, Ms. ckwood has instructed us to bring this over to you.


    Are you free? Can we proceed with the make-up session?¡±


    Charlotte nced at the evening gown as she tried to make something up to turn down their request


    because she had no intention to be part of the so-called banquet.


    Lucy whispered, ¡°A lot of guests from the upper echelon and the corporate world will be joining us


    tonight. I don''t think Ms. ckwood will try anything silly in front of them.¡±


    ¡°Since the ones involved are beyond my realm, I don''t think I have to be part of it.¡± Charlotte told the


    stylists and make-up artist, ¡°Please express my utmost gratitude to her, but do tell Ms. ckwood I


    won''t turn up at the banquet tonight.¡±


    ¡°Ms. ckwood said if you don''t turn up at the banquet, we don''t have to return to her anymore.¡± The


    trio put on a pitiable front and stated in an aggrieved manner, ¡°Ms. Windt, please have mercy on us


    because it is not easy to get a job these days...¡±


    Charlotte gave in to their request again when she heard their words. ¡°Fine...¡± Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    ¡°I''ll have you doll yourself up while I head over and discuss something with Mr. Ben.¡± As soon as Lucy


    told Charlotte her uing agenda, she departed.


    Charlotte was left behind with the trio, sitting in front of the dressing table, allowing them to work


    wonders with her look.


    As she had just taken her shower a few hours ago, they wouldn''t have to wash her hair anymore. In


    order to get her hair styled, a simple blow dry was sufficient. Since she had wless skin, they merely


    had to apply light make-up to highlight her ethereal facial features.


    After they were done with her look, they helped her to get changed into the evening gown they had


    brought along for her.


    As soon as Charlotte put it on, she stared at herself in the mirror wide-eyed. ¡°What the heck is wrong


    with this exposing gown?¡±


    The gown had a huge opening in the chest area, exposing her busty figure and her cleavage, covering


    only the most important parts of her body.


    Although it was a gown with a train, it had a high split that was all the way up to her inner thigh. Should


    she fail to exercise caution, her undergarment would be exposed in front of others.


    With that being said, it was a milky white gown, made out of velvety silk that felt great on the skin.


    No ordinary woman could put on such a stunning piece because several criteria had to be fulfilled,


    including a busty figure, a curvy bottom, a skinny waist, and a porcin-like skin.


    Nevertheless, Charlotte fulfilled all the pre-condition for the stunning evening gown.


    ¡°Goodness gracious! Ms. Windt, this dress is perfect for you! To be honest, only a mere few on this


    net fulfill the conditions to put on this dress, yet it seemed to have been custom made for you when


    you put it on!¡±


    ¡°She''s right, Ms. Windt! You''re so gorgeous!¡±


    ¡°You should stop wasting your time on the dull-looking formal wears when you have such great figures!


    Once you doll yourself up, I''m pretty sure you can charm any man you encounter in the banquet.¡±


    The stylists wouldn''t stopplimenting Charlotte after she put on the evening gown.


    Charlotte eximed in an acerbic tone, ¡°Oh? Has Ms. ckwood bestowed such a delicate piece on


    me when she''s aware of the fact not many people fulfill the condition to put on this gown? She''s such a


    generous woman!¡±


    She looked at herself in the mirror and found herself embarrassing¡ªshe could merely cover the most


    important parts with her hair while most of her skin was exposed.


    As someone who had always put on an ordinary set of outfits, she seemed to have morphed into the


    female protagonist of an adult movie. She could easily drive a man to the verge of losing control over


    their lust with her current look.

 Chapter 285

    Chapter 285


    One of the trioplimented with a bright grin, ¡°Ms. Windt, Ms. ckwood is doing this for you! This


    gown is a piece from a globally renowned designer and it cost her a fortune to purchase it some time


    ago. I''m sure she has given this gown to you because she wants you to steal the limelight during the


    banquet!¡±


    Charlotte replied with a self-deprecating smirk, ¡°I guess you''re right¡ªshe wants me to steal the


    limelight.¡±


    She wants me to be the only different one in the banquet because she can''t wait for me to embarrass


    myself in front of the guests from the upper echelon and the corporate world! Perhaps she wants them


    to deem me a filthy slu*, unworthy of Zachary, and force Zachary into submission, leaving me due to


    peer pressure.


    Charlotte wasn''t a fool¡ªshe figured the n Sharon had in her mind the moment she put on the


    evening gown.


    N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    She gritted her teeth due to the grudges she held against Sharon deep down. However, when she gave


    it another thought, she thought it was a great opportunity for her to sever ties with Zachary.


    Hence, she decided to y along with Sharon''s evil scheme so she could regain her freedom.


    One of the trio suggested, ¡°Great! Let''s try out the essories we have brought along to go with the


    gown!¡±


    They started matching the essories they had with them and tried out severalbinations to


    determine the best one.


    Charlotte allowed them to carry out their duty and put on the pair of high heels they had prepared to go


    along with the gown.


    After the triopleted dolling her up, Charlotte found herself odd and had a strange feeling about it


    because she seemed enchanting in an odd manner.


    She wondered about the thoughts the men would have in their minds when they caught a glimpse of


    her sexy appearance.


    ¡°Charlotte, are you done yet?¡± Lucy knocked on the door and walked into the room, but she was


    completely stunned when she saw the woman in front of her. ¡°T-This gown...¡±


    ¡°It looks great on Ms. Windt, doesn''t it?¡± The trio startedplimenting the dress that seemed to be


    custom-made for Charlotte over and over again.


    Lucy was about to say something, but the bodyguards knocked on the door and stated, ¡°It''s about time


    to leave.¡±


    ¡°I believe you should get yourself a shawl to go along with the dress,¡± Lucy suggested in an attempt to


    help Charlotte.


    ¡°The shawl will ruin the wless look of hers.¡± An arrogant voice could be heard from behind.


    The trio moved aside as soon as they noticed the presence of Sharon.


    Charlotte looked in the direction of the entrance and noticed Sharon had put on a beige color mermaid


    dress that could highlight her slender figure. Although she wasn''t a sexy woman, she exuded a noble


    presence.


    Aspared to the sexy-looking Charlotte, Sharon seemed to be an honorable princess of a modern-


    day fairy tale.


    The pretentious Sharon made use of Charlotte''s oddly enchanting look as a benchmark to portray the


    superiority of her noble and elegant look.


    Sharon sized Charlotte up over and over again. She responded with a satisfied look and denoted,


    ¡°You''re so gorgeous, Charlotte! The gown looks great on you, but your make-up is nowhere close to


    those of a man''s liking. You should apply more make-up to highlight your look.¡±


    ¡°Do you need us to work on that?¡± One of the stylists asked.


    ¡°Let''s forget about it because I don''t think we have time for that anymore. Oh! Bring along the make-up


    kit and apply some crimson lipstick to highlight her lips while we''re on the way to the venue!¡± she


    chuckled and stated while she had her eyes glued to Charlotte.


    ¡°Sure!¡± The stylists took note of Sharon''s instruction and departed with their make-up kit.


    Lucy suggested cautiously, ¡°Seriously? Isn''t that slightly over the top? I think Charlotte looks great!¡±


    ¡°You know nothing, Lucy! It''s necessary to have crimson lips to go along with the look!¡± Sharon turned


    around with a vicious smirk on her face after she exined the rationale behind her decision.


    ¡°I''ll be waiting for all of you downstairs! Hurry up, okay?¡± Immediately after she announced her


    departure, she sashayed her way down the stairs.


    Staring at Sharon''s departing figure, Charlotte sneered deep down and cursed her for being a


    pretentious woman.


    ¡°Why don''t you get in touch with Mr. Nacht and make something up to get yourself out of the tight


    spot?¡± Lucy whispered with a frowned look.


    ¡°Nope! I have to be there to fulfill her wish! I can''t possibly let her down, can I?¡± Charlotte gritted her


    teeth and responded with a rhetorical question.


    ¡°What?¡± Lucy was clueless about Charlotte''s actual goal.


    ¡°It''s nothing! Let''s go!¡±


    Charlotte dragged Lucy down the stairs with her because she was determined to y along with


    Sharon with one goal in her mind¡ªshe wanted to disgust Zachary and get him to chase her away.


    She was certain as long as he was the one who brought up the request to break up, he would forget


    about thepensation worthy of a hundred million.


    Instead, she might get him topensate her for her loss.


    ¡°Charlotte, this gown is¡ª¡±


    Halfway through Lucy''s sentence, Charlotte''s long hair was caressed by a gentle breeze, exposing her


    busty figure that was covered by her charcoal ck hair.


    Coincidentally, Ben was walking towards Charlotte. He had his eyes widened in disbelief while blood


    gushed out of his nostrils.

 Chapter 286

    Chapter 286


    The dumbstruck Lucy pointed at Ben and said, ¡°E-Err... Mr. Ben, your nose...¡±


    Sharon giggled and teased, ¡°Hahaha! Ben, you have never behaved as such before! I guess you''re a


    man after all, huh?¡±


    Ben panicked and covered his nose while turning around to touch up on his appearance. He was


    grateful Zachary wasn''t around.


    Otherwise, he would be doomed. Perhaps Zachary would scoop his eyes out of his sockets for


    desecrating Charlotte.


    Meanwhile, Charlotte couldn''t be bothered by Ben''s response at all. She nced around and noticed


    Zachary wasn''t around.


    ¡°Where''s Zachary?¡± Sharon queried with a smile.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht has headed over the venue in advance. He has sent me to pick you guys up.¡± Ben looked


    elsewhere while replying.


    ¡°You should take Charlotte and her party with you. I''ll head over with my own car.¡± Sharon beamed her


    instruction along with a smirk that indicated her n to matchmake the duo.


    ¡°E-Er¡ª¡±


    Sharon had boarded her car and departed before Ben could stop her.


    As a result, Ben invited Charlotte and Lucy to board the Rolls-Royce Phantom that was parked nearby.


    After they boarded the car, Ben took a seat in the front passenger seat and avoided looking in the


    direction of Charlotte.


    Lucy was on pins and needles due to the awkward situation and the things that might be in store for


    Charlotte.


    Charlotte was rtively calm, enjoying the scene as they were on their way to the venue¡ªshe couldn''t


    wait for Sharon to achieve her goal, so she could get Zachary to leave her as soon as possible.


    She could then proceed to leave Divine Corporation and start a new life in another city with Mrs. Berry


    and her children by her side.


    Since she had the fortune that was left behind by herte father, she could easily live a carefree life


    with her children for the rest of their lives.


    Charlotte had everything sorted out in her mind, including a wless n to sustain their lifestyles. She


    would start a bakery with Mrs. Berry and allow her children to savor the cakes that were prepared


    because they were huge fans of cakes.


    As a family of five, they would spend the rest of their life, living a blissful and simple life by one


    another''s side.


    While Charlotte''s thoughts wandered everywhere, exploring the countless possibilities after leaving


    Zachary, they finally reached the banquet hall of Ashenville Garden.


    N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    It was a breezy night¡ªthe moment Charlotte alighted from the car, the train of her gown started


    billowing due to the gentle breeze.


    Immediately, she ced her hand on her gown to stop the dress. For a few seconds, she resembled


    the look of Marilyn Monroe in the ssic movie.


    Suddenly, a sh beamed.


    Charlotte raised her head and looked in the direction of the sh and noticed a handsome foreign man


    had snapped the photos of her without her consent.


    The man flushed embarrassedly because he was caught red-handed. He showed Charlotte her phone,


    indicating he had deleted the photos he took.


    Since it wasn''t a big deal, Charlotte paid no heed to the man and walked into the venue with Lucy by


    her side.


    Shortly, Sharon showed up with a vicious grin and teased, ¡°Charlotte, what do you think of the gown I


    have prepared for you? Look! You have stolen the limelight and attracted the attention of the men! I still


    think you should have applied heavier make-up. What''s wrong with your lips? Didn''t they bring along


    the lipstick?¡±


    Along with Lucy and Ben, who were by Charlotte''s side, the trio kept quiet at that score. However,


    Sharon couldn''t be bothered at all because she had achieved her goal.


    The guests were led into the banquet hall that was mboyantly decorated with countless chandeliers


    that acted as the sole source of illumination in the spacious hall.


    Guests who had decked out in their most ostentatious finery each had a ss of champagne. They


    gathered around, engaging themselves in a conversation with their kinds in the hall, apanied by


    ssical pieces in the background.


    As soon as Sharon entered the hall, she grabbed the attention of the guests who had reached the


    venue ahead of her. A lot of them strode their way over to greet her, expressing their courtesy.


    A few of the guests whispered, inquiring about Charlotte''s identity when they spotted her because she


    made her way into the venue right after Sharon''s appearance.


    Sharon lunged Charlotte over and introduced her to everyone, ¡°This is my friend, Charlotte. I have


    brought her along with me because she rarely gets to be part of such a grand event. Please take good


    care of her, guys!¡±


    Charlotte started cursing Sharon for being a hypocrite again.


    Excuse me? How dare she talk about me when I''m right by her side? She''s indicating I''m an ignorant


    country bumpkin who has nothing but a gorgeous look!


    ¡°She''s such a gorgeous woman!¡± A few men surrounded Sharon and invited her to join them for a


    dance.


    ¡°She doesn''t know how to dance!¡± Charlotte was about to turn them down, but a man''s voice could be


    heard, answering on her behalf before she could respond to their invitation.


    Immediately after the man got her out of the tight spot, she could feel a pair of hands on her shoulders


    as the man ced his zer over her.


    Due to the presence of the man behind her, Charlotte''s eyes widened in disbelief when she turned


    around.

 Chapter 287

    Chapter 287


    ¡°Michael!¡± Sharon eximed in shock and queried, ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°What''s with your response? Am I not allowed to be here?¡±


    Michael had put on a simple yet elegant-looking sage set of outfits for the banquet, but it couldn''t


    conceal the fact he was a handsome man.


    The man, who had an androgynous appearance, had acquired the attention of the women that were


    around.


    ¡°No! Of course not! Are you guys acquainted?¡± Sharon asked with a peculiar smile, ncing at Michael


    and Charlotte.


    Michael wrapped his arm around Charlotte''s waist and dered, ¡°She''s a childhood friend of mine, and


    we used to be course mates back in our university days. I guess you can consider me her guardian!¡±


    ¡°I see! It''s just like Zachary and me!¡± Sharon replied with a bright grin.


    Sharon would constantly remind Charlotte of her extraordinary rtionship with Zachary.


    When Sharon brought up Zachary in front of the duo, Charlotte recalled the deal she had with Zachary


    ¡ªshe promised him she would stay away from Michael in the future.


    If the Devil is conscious Michael''s here, I think he''s going to lose control over himself again...


    Charlotte inched away from Michael and shrugged his hand off her waist when she thought about it.


    Michael was taken aback by her action¡ªdisappointment was written all over her face.


    ¡°Since you''re here to keep Charlottepany, I will leave both of you alone.¡± Sharon smiled and


    sashayed in the direction of the crowd.


    Ben went after Sharon because he would have to return to Zachary''s side.


    Simrly, Lucy went after the departing duo after she nced at Charlotte.


    Charlotte was about to leave, but Michael got ahead of her and stopped her. ¡°Charlotte, we need to


    talk.¡±


    She shrugged him off and stated in a low voice, ¡°Michael, have you forgotten your promise to stay


    away from me?¡±


    ¡°E-Er...¡± Michael''s stiff hand was left hanging around in the middle of the air embarrassedly while his


    face turned gloomy in disappointment.


    ¡°I''m sorry...¡± Charlotte avoided his gaze and apologized.


    After she walked away from Michael, she spotted a familiar silhouette that was a few feet away from


    her¡ªZachary peered at her in the eyes while he was surrounded by a few noble-looking corporate


    yers.


    They seemed to be in the middle of a conversation. Holding on to his ss of champagne, Zachary


    would asionally reply to them, yet he wouldn''t move his eyes away from Charlotte.


    As he was aware of her interaction with Michael a short while ago, he cast a stern gaze at her.


    Charlotte lowered her head and avoided the man''s gaze, bringing herself to the back of the banquet


    hall as soon as possible because she had enough of the guests'' odd gazes.


    Although she had her sight on the ground, she could feel the onlookers'' attention on her as she


    marched through the spacious hall.


    The guests had one thing inmon¡ªa scornful look on their faces. While sizing her up repetitively,


    they made fun of Charlotte and thought she was another gold digger, with an ulterior goal.


    When Charlotte reached the back of the hall, she heard the conversation of a few maids.


    ¡°She doesn''t belong here! Look at the ridiculous gown she has put on!¡±


    ¡°I think she''s one of the micro-influencers who''s willing to sacrifice everything and anything as long as


    she gets to be a member of the upper echelon.¡±


    ¡°You''re right! She must be showing her chest and her thigh to seduce the guests that are around!


    Otherwise, why would she put on such an exposing outfit?¡±


    ¡°I don''t get it! How did such a country bumpkin manage to earn the right to be invited to such an


    exclusive banquet?¡±


    ¡°She doesn''t belong to the upper echelon! I wonder who''s the one behind her?¡±


    ¡°I saw her with Ms. ckwood a few minutes ago! We should mind our words because we can''t afford


    to offend Ms. ckwood.¡±


    ¡°Ms. ckwood is such a kind woman. I think she must have been deceived by the cunning and filthy


    woman!¡±


    ¡°Yes! I think that''s the case!¡±


    ...


    Charlotte couldn''t take it anymore. She trod away from the hall as fast as she could. Her absence


    wouldn''t impact the progress of the banquet at all.


    All she needed was to kill her time in an isted space. Once the banquet was over, she would leave


    with Lucy.


    There were only a few people at the back of the banquet hall, including a few servers and a few staff


    that were in charge of the flow of the banquet.


    Charlotte found an empty lounge and was about to make her way in to take a breather from the cruel,


    harsh world. But when she reached the doorstep, she heard the voices of two women.


    ¡°What the hell is wrong with you? How could you hurt yourself right before the performance? Don''t you


    know how important this banquet is? Are you trying to mess with me on purpose?¡±


    ¡°No! Ms. Goldstein! I didn''t mean it!¡± The girl started weeping and exined herself, ¡°W-When I passed


    by the banquet hall, I identally bumped into someone called Ms. ckwood. As a result, she


    became infuriated and pushed me away from her with all her might. I-I bumped into another server,


    causing the server to spill her tray of drink to the ground. After I fell to the ground, Ms. ckwood...¡± Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.

 Chapter 288

    Chapter 288


    ¡°She stepped on my hand without a second thought! There were shattered pieces of sses


    everywhere on the ground! I-I...¡± She couldn''t finish her sentence as she started sniffling convulsively.


    ¡°Stop looking for excuses to justify your carelessness!¡± Ms. Goldstein reprimanded the woman and


    warned her, ¡°No matter what, the show has to go on because the guests are the bigshots from the


    upper echelon and the corporate world! If you can''t think of something by then, you won''t get to stay in


    the industry anymore.¡±


    ¡°I-I...¡±


    ¡°I''ll get the violinists to perform ahead of you! I want you to deal with it by hook or by crook!¡±


    Charlotte heard the clicking voice of Ms. Goldstein''s high heels. She knew the fierce woman would


    stride out of the lounge soon.


    Immediately, she stepped aside and saw Ms. Goldstein with a ck suit walking out of the room,


    heading towards the powder room that was diagonally opposite the lounge. The fierce-looking Ms.


    Goldstein pped her hands and announced, ¡°Violinists! Please get yourself ready because you''ll be


    performing on stage three minutester!¡±


    N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    Charlotte turned around and peered into the lounge, spotting the presence of a good-looking woman


    wailing as she stepped aside from the partition. She could barely pull herself together while her


    trembling hand bled excessively.


    She had no choice but to tend to her wounds by herself. It was a heart-wrenching scene to watch.


    After she retrieved the first-aid kit, she tried to open it with her elbow since her palms were gravely


    injured. Unfortunately, her effort was to no avail¡ªno matter how hard she tried, she couldn''t open it.


    Charlotte entered the room and offered, ¡°Allow me to help you.¡±


    The injured woman was confused by Charlotte''s presence. Shortly, she nodded and expressed her


    gratitude, ¡°Thank you!¡±


    After Charlotte opened the first-aid kit, she reached for the iodine to sterilize the woman''s injured palm


    before picking the shattered pieces of sses out of her wounds using the tweezers.


    The woman wouldn''t stop trembling due to the racking sensation she felt, but she pursed her lips and


    resisted the urge to wail. Nevertheless, torrents of grief streamed down her cheeks continuously.


    ¡°You need to get a doctor to tend to your wounds!¡± Literally, Charlotte could feel the woman''s pain


    when she saw her wounded palm. ¡°No! We can''t dy any further! I''ll bring you to the hospital at once!


    Otherwise, your hand will be crippled for the rest of your life!¡±


    ¡°No! I can''t leave! If I mess up the show, it will be the end of my career!¡± The girl wailed and begged


    Charlotte, ¡°Please bind my hand and see if you can stop the bleeding. I''ll put on a pair of gloves and


    brace myself through the performance.¡±


    ¡°Have you lost your mind? How are you going to y the piano when you''re in such a pathetic state?¡±


    Charlotte was heartbroken and enraged because another innocent woman had fallen victim to Sharon


    again. ¡°Sharon has gone overboard again!¡±


    ¡°It was merely an ident, but she pushed me with all her might when she barely budged. It wasn''t


    even a serious knock. I don''t mind being med, but how could she step on my hand when there were


    shattered sses everywhere?¡±


    The woman started trembling in anger and wailed hysterically to vent her emotions.


    ¡°It hurt so much! I begged her to be merciful, but she had no intention to stop! Instead, she went all out


    and moved her foot around feverishly. If the woman beside her didn''t stop her in the nick of time, my


    hand would be...¡±


    ¡°It''s fine. Let''s forget about it, okay?¡± Charlotte wiped the woman''s tear dry and suggested, ¡°Is it fine for


    me to take your role to perform on the stage?¡±


    ¡°Are you serious? Do you know how to y the piano?¡± The woman was dumbfounded by Charlotte''s


    suggestion.


    ¡°Mmm... Can you hand over the sheet music to me? I''ll perform on your behalf.¡± Charlotteforted


    the injured woman and asserted, ¡°Don''t worry. I used to win several globally renowned awards when I


    was abroad. I had experiences performing on several formal asions as well. In my humble opinion, I


    think I''ll make the cut for the job.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Goldstein can tell us apart from one another, can''t she?¡± The woman expressed her concerns.


    ¡°So what? She merely needs someone to perform on the stage and get the job done! As long as I don''t


    embarrass her in front of others, I think she''s going to turn a blind eye for once.¡±


    ¡°You''re right! Thank you so much! You have saved my day!¡± The woman found the sheet music and


    handed it over to Charlotte, expressing her utmost gratitude over and over again.


    Staring at the woman''s whiteced dress, Charlotte stated, ¡°You''re wee. First things first, we need


    to get changed.¡±


    The woman nodded. ¡°I''ll change into my set of casual outfits because I don''t think I can fit into this


    stunning piece of yours. I think it''s a designer piece, isn''t it? Allow me to hold on to it for you. I need you


    to return this to me once you''re done performing on stage because I have to return it to Ms. Goldstein.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±

 vChapter 289

    vChapter 289


    Charlotte closed the door and put on the whiteced dress the woman passed her without further ado.


    Although the woman wasn''t a match for Charlotte in terms of figures, they were of the same height.


    Therefore, Charlotte could easily put on the dress.


    However, the initially simple-looking dress morphed into an elegant-looking gown as soon as Charlotte


    put it on.


    To prevent others from recognizing her, Charlotte found a piece of whiteced cloth and made it into a


    face veil to go along with the dress. Her glistering eyes were the only facial feature that was visible to


    the public.


    ¡°That''s a brilliant idea! I don''t think they can tell the difference now!¡± The woman eximed in


    excitement.


    ¡°I want you to stay here and wait for me, okay? I''ll return to you once I''m done with the performance.¡±


    Charlotte urged the injured woman to take care of herself and handed over the purse she had to her.


    ¡°Please take care of these on my behalf.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± The woman nodded vigorously because she was thrilled. ¡°Miss, what''s your name? I''m a


    student at H City Music Academy. My name is Olivia, Olivia Peyton.¡±


    ¡°My name is Charlotte.¡± As Charlotte introduced herself, they heard the sound of someone knocking on


    the door. A few secondster, Ms. Goldstein''s deadpan voice could be heard. ¡°Why have you locked


    the door, Olivia? Are you sure you''re giving up on such a rare opportunity?¡±


    Olivia got anxious all of a sudden. She whispered and asked, ¡°What should we do?¡±


    ¡°It''s fine! Let''s y along with her!¡± Charlotte stuffed the first-aid kit behind the partition and told Olivia


    to stay put until her return. Then, she proceeded to leave with the sheet music.


    ¡°What the heck are you up to?¡± When Ms. Goldstein saw Charlotte, she thought the woman in front of


    her was Olivia. ¡°What''s going on with the face veil? What about your hand?¡±


    When she lowered her gaze to check on the performer''s wounds, she noticed the woman in front of her


    wasn''t injured at all. However, she had a huge scab on the back of her left hand.


    ¡°Y-You...¡± Ms. Goldstein was confused.


    ¡°I''ll be heading over to the stage now.¡± Charlotte strode over to the banquet hall before Ms. Goldstein


    could grasp the situation.


    The fierce-looking woman went after her and yelled, ¡°W-Who are you? You better don''t mess up the


    performance!¡±


    Immediately after the violinists'' performance, Charlotte walked up the stage with the sheet music.


    ¡°H-Hey!¡± Ms. Goldstein was about to stop Charlotte, but she couldn''t make it in time because the


    spotlight was switched on once again. She left the stage and stomped her feet anxiously in fear of


    things getting to the point of no return.


    After Charlotte bowed at the crowd, she took her seat and started running her fingers across the piano,


    ying the ssic piano piece by Maksim Mrvica¡ª¡±Croatian Rhapsody.¡±


    The guests of the banquet were impressed by the ssic piece and turned around to check on the


    talented pianist on the stage.


    Every note of the legato music was woven with such beauty as she ran her fingers lightly over the keys,


    bestowing the ssical piece another chance to shine.


    The guests of the banquet were bigshots of the upper echelon. As they spent most of their time


    listening to the performance of world-ss pianists, they could easily tell the good from the bad.


    Initially, they thought they wouldn''t be surprised since the banquet had invited a bunch of students from


    several institutions to perform on stage. However, they were thrilled by the pleasant surprise of the


    world-grade performance that came out of the blue.


    One of the guests approached Ms. Goldstein and asked, ¡°May I know the name of the pianist who''s


    performing? Her performance is marvelous!¡±


    Ms. Goldstein was dumbstruck for a few seconds. Shortly after she returned to her senses, she


    inquired, ¡°E-Er... S-She''s a student from a local institution... What do you think of her performance?¡±


    ¡°It''s amazing! To be frank, this is a world-ss performance!¡± The guest couldn''t help but exim


    because he was utterly overwhelmed.


    ¡°Huh? Are you serious?¡±


    Ms. Goldstein was no expert because she could barely y a musical instrument. Therefore, she was


    shocked when she received positive feedback from the guest. She nced at the guests in the hall and


    noticed no one was in a conversation anymore¡ªthey couldn''t move their eyes away from the pianist


    that was on the stage.


    She heaved a sigh of relief and felt as though a boulder had been lifted off her shoulders. A few


    secondster, she grinned because things turned out to be fine.


    I don''t care who she is as long as the show goes on smoothly!


    Meanwhile, Olivia, who was at the back of the hall, stopped frowning and started bandaging her


    wounded palm when she heard the melodic tune being yed.


    ...


    In the center of the banquet hall, Zachary, who was surrounded by all sorts of people, turned around


    and looked in the direction of the stage.


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    He found the pianist on the stage to be familiar, especially her remarkable skills and glistering pair of


    eyes.


    Zachary couldn''t help but recall his encounter with a masked Charlotte back when he was in Bar DTT.


    He couldn''t recognize the woman who was in the bar, but he wouldn''t allow her to deceive him for


    another time.


    As he spotted the scab that was on the back of the pianist''s left hand, he knew the woman on the stage


    was Charlotte because Sharon once stepped on the former''s hand some time ago.

 Chapter 290

    Chapter 290


    The melodic tune of the piano echoed in the spacious hall. The guests felt as though they were on


    cloud nine as the music guided them to a trip down memoryne, back to their carefree days.


    The guests in the hall paused and indulged themselves, listening to the euphonic tune produced by the


    skillful pianist. The performance, which was never meant to be the highlight of the banquet, grabbed


    the attention of the guests as though they were there for an exclusive performance of a renowned


    pianist.


    On the other end of the hall, another pair of glistening, aqua blue eyes could be seen staring at


    Charlotte affectionately. The man seemed to be surprised and delighted at the same time.


    After Michael indulged himself in the harmonious piece for a short while, he looked elsewhere and


    headed to the back of the hall to locate Charlotte because he wasn''t aware she was the mysterious


    pianist.


    ...


    Soon, loud apuse erupted in the banquet hall after the first piece ended.


    Charlotte got up from the seat and bowed at the audience before continuing with the second piece¡ª


    Grande valse Brinte in E-t major by Chopin.


    The euphonic tune of the piece gave off the impression of a deeply in lovedy dancing ballet by the


    lake while waiting for the arrival of her loved one.


    As Charlotte reached the climax of the piece, the guests started swaying rhythmically along with the


    euphonic tune, smiling because they had a great time enjoying the music.


    Zachary, who was known for being an indifferent man, had his lips curved upwards, forming a gentle


    smile.


    Previously, when he was in the bar, he didn''t have the chance to enjoy the show. He noticed the


    woman he deemed ignorant wasn''t aplete fool¡ªat least she was a skillful pianist.


    ¡°I don''t get it! What''s so great about it? She''s but an undergraduate from a local music institution! The


    tune irks me so much!¡± Sharon murmured while she was by Zachary''s side.


    ¡°There are only a mere few on this that possess such top-notch skills, yet you''re considering this


    to be irritating? I guess you''re the one who can''t grasp the concept behind the music!¡± Zachary


    remarked sarcastically with a contemptuous look.


    ¡°N-No, Zachary... I-I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shoosh!¡± Zachary stopped Sharon because he didn''t want her to ruin the blissful moment anymore.


    Sharon had no choice but to keep her mouth shut tight as instructed, but she felt frustrated deep down.


    Meanwhile, Charlotte continued ying the third piece after the second piece. The third piece was


    Liebestr?ume by Franz Liszt.


    N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    Halfway through the prelude of the piece, Charlotte got anxious because she noticed the sheet music


    had been torn in half.


    Although she used to y this particr piece, she could barely recall the notes because it had been


    four years since shest yed the piano.


    She had long forgotten the notes and couldn''t recall the notes after the prelude.


    Oh, God! What should I do?


    She managed to pull it through the prelude, but the sheet music for the postlude was nowhere to be


    seen. Eventually, she braced herself and started ying ording to the tune she had in her mind.


    Soon, she noticed something was wrong.


    Albeit faintly, the audience could detect the error because the current piece was nothing simr to the


    previous two wless pieces. The guests who had been indulging themselves started frowning in


    irritation and started whispering to one another.


    Charlotte couldn''t keep her cool anymore, but when she wondered if she should stop, a pair of slender


    hands showed up and started ying the piano by her side.


    The man was on par with Charlotte in terms of skills. Apart from that, he was familiar with the sheet


    music of the particr piece and didn''t have to refer to the sheet music to recite the piece.


    Charlotte soon regained the pace under the mysterious man''s guidance.


    The duo started ying the piano together, waltzing their finger through the keys as though they had


    known each other for a long time.


    She was d things turned out to be fine, but when she raised her head and looked at the man by her


    side, she was shocked.


    The man was a handsomed with ethereal facial features, including porcin-like skin and a pair of


    aqua blue, glistering eyes.


    He emanated a majestic presence, behaving as though he was the prince of a kingdom who had just


    made his way into the mundane world out of ancient mythology.


    The man turned around and beamed with pleasure, causing Charlotte''s heart to skip a beat.


    As she started spacing out, the man gestured her focus on the keys with his chin.


    She finally returned to her senses and focused intently on ying the piano.


    Once again, the crowd started apuding the duo for the fantastic performance.


    In the meantime, Zachary winced at the man''s presence. He stared at the duo on the stage with a


    frown.


    Sharon craned over and whispered, ¡°Zachary, is that...¡±

 Chapter 291

    Chapter 291


    Zachary kept quiet at that score and walked away.


    Meanwhile, the duo finally finished performing the final piece. Charlotte got up from her seat and


    bowed at the audience. She turned around in an attempt to express her gratitude towards the


    mysterious man, but he was nowhere to be found anymore.


    She felt dejected, but she couldn''t care less about it. Immediately after the performance, she returned


    to the lounge for Olivia in the midst of the audience''s thunderous apuse.


    Olivia, who had been anticipating Charlotte at the entrance, jumped with joy and denoted, ¡°Charlotte!


    You''re back! You did a great job! I heard it, and it was nothing less than awesome!¡±


    ¡°Thest time I yed a piano was a few years ago! Let''s put that aside and get changed immediately!¡±


    Charlotte suggested with a bright grin.


    ¡°Oh! Yes!¡± Olivia brought Charlotte to the partition and helped her to get dressed.


    Suddenly, someone knocked on the door. They heard Ms. Goldstein''s gentle voice a few secondster.


    ¡°Olivia, there a few guests that wish to talk to you. Hurry up and join me after you get changed.¡±


    Ms. Goldstein was no longer the mean and cruel self after the performance.


    Olivia panicked and whispered, inquiring Charlotte''s opinion regarding her next best course of action.


    ¡°What should I do?¡±


    Charlotte removed her whiteced dress and suggested, ¡°Since she''s looking for you, you should join


    her. After you get yourself changed, put on the face veil and pretend as though you were the one who


    performed on stage.¡±


    ¡°Huh? That doesn''t sound like a great idea because I''ll have to impersonate you!¡± Olivia had her


    doubts, but Charlotte assured her everything would be fine.


    ¡°Haven''t I been impersonating you ever since half an hour ago?¡±


    Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    Charlotte beamed her reply. After she got herself changed, she brought her purse and walked out of


    the room.


    Olivia got in Charlotte''s way and stopped her. ¡°Charlotte! Can I have your contact number? I''ll definitely


    return the favor in the near future!¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Charlotte departed right after she gave Olivia her contact number.


    She craned her head to check the surroundings outside of the lounge. Once she ensured no one was


    around, she let out a sigh of relief. Charlotte had put on the exposing milky white evening gown again.


    The innocent and elegant-looking pianist was nowhere to be seen anymore.


    ¡°Charlotte!¡± A familiar voice could be heard out of the blue. When she turned around, she noticed


    Michael was right behind her.


    ¡°Michael? What are you doing here?¡± Charlotte tiptoed to make sure there wasn''t anyone else behind


    him¡ªshe was afraid of being exposed by others.


    Michael dashed over in her direction and said, ¡°I''m her because I have something to tell you...¡±


    ¡°What is it about?¡± Charlotte took a step back and put some distance between them.


    ¡°Follow me, Charlotte!¡± Michael brought her into another empty room and locked the door.


    ¡°Why have you brought me here? What are we supposed to do if others see us...¡±


    ¡°Who are you talking about? Zachary?¡± Michael asked with a frown and started scrutinizing Charlotte''s


    exposing outfit. ¡°Was he the one who forced you to put on this disgusting dress?¡±


    ¡°You should stop poking your nose into my business! If you''ll excuse me¡ª¡± Charlotte tried to push him


    away because he was in her way again.


    ¡°Why do you want to go out? What sort of business do you have with the guests out there?¡±


    Michael pushed her and pinned her to the couch, supporting himself with his straightened arms while


    he was on top of Charlotte, just like Zachary would every time he got her to spend a night with him.


    In spite of the simrities between the two men, Michael wasn''t as domineering as Zachary.


    ¡°Michael, what do you want?¡±


    Charlotte was shocked because she was never aware Michael had such an aggressive side.


    Michael got worked up all of a sudden. He yelled, ¡°Charlotte, I respect your decision, but I couldn''t bear


    to leave you alone anymore! I don''t get it! Why are you at his mercy? Does he have something that can


    threaten you? Why don''t you tell me about it? I''ll deal with him on behalf of you!¡±


    ¡°N-No...¡± Charlotte was at a loss for better words to exin her current situation.


    ¡°If that''s the case, what''s the reason behind it? Look at your dress! I-It''s...¡± Michael clenched his fist


    while grabbing the train of her evening gown.


    He couldn''t bear to blurt out the humiliating remark he had in his mind. ¡°You''re not who you used to be


    anymore...¡±


    ¡°I know what I''m doing, Michael. Don''t worry about me, okay?¡± Charlotte whispered and assured


    Michael, ¡°I''ll regain my freedom soon¡ª¡±


    Before she could tell him the n she had in mind, Sharon''s voice could be heard outside of the room.


    ¡°Zachary, I''m a tad bit exhausted. Can we get some rest in the room? Do you mind keeping me


    company?¡±

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    Chapter 292


    ¡°I have something else to tend to!¡±


    ¡°Ten minutes! No! Five minutes! Wait! Three minutes! Three minutes is all it takes! Please?¡±


    ¡°Fine. I''ll spare you three minutes¡±


    As Zachary gave in to Sharon''s demand, he opened the door and walked into the room.


    Charlotte tried to push Michael away from her, but it was toote¡ªthe duo that was at the entrance had


    caught them red-handed.


    Sharon and Zachary paused due to Michael and Charlotte''s odd position.


    Michael had his arms straightened on the couch while he was on top of Charlotte. Her exposing and


    messed-up gown caused others to misperceive they were in the middle of an intimate session.


    The moment Zachary opened the door, a gentle breeze whizzed into the pitch-ck room, causing


    Charlotte''s already exposing dress to billow, exposing her inner thighs and her busty figure.


    The air went dead silent as things had gotten unexpectedly awkward between the parties that were


    present.


    Charlotte could feel the murderous intent through the glint in Zachary''s eyes, although they were a few


    feet away.


    Her heart sank because she thought the furious man would kill her for real. Immediately, she sat


    upright and adjusted her wrinkled gown.


    ¡°I''m so sorry! I didn''t mean to get in your way! We have no idea this room is upied, but please pay


    no heed to us and go on with the session that has been started!¡±


    When things seemed to have settled down, Sharon broke the silence and stirred things up between


    them once more.


    Literally, Charlotte could feel Zachary''s wrath because it was written all over his puckered face.


    Sharon grinned and suggested, ¡°Zachary, let''s go and leave them alone! We should stop getting in their


    way!¡±


    Zachary shrugged Sharon off and made his way into the room.


    Charlotte felt as if a cannibal was on his way to her. She got up from the couch but staggered due to


    the height of her pair of heels.


    ¡°Careful!¡± She almost fell, but Michael stopped her and supported her in the nick of time.


    ¡°W-We... I-I...¡± Sharon stuttered after she moved away from Michael.


    ¡°Hey, we''re merely having a talk, okay? Stop misunderstanding Charlotte!¡±


    Albeit reluctantly, Michael exined the reason they were in the room when he spotted the anxious


    look on Charlotte and he felt bad for her.


    Zachary red at Charlotte and ran his fingers through the silky-smooth gown of hers. ¡°Really? You''re


    telling me she''s merely having a talk with you when she''s dressed up as such?¡±


    ¡°This gown...¡± Charlotte was about to rebuke Zachary''s rhetorical question, yet Sharon sashayed her


    way into the room and chimed in, ¡°Why can''t you have a talk with her at the banquet hall? What sort of


    confidential conversation is it for you to have it in such a confined space?¡±


    Once she reached the trio'' side, she wondered out loud, ¡°Are you sure both of you are merely here for


    a conversation?¡±


    Charlotte red at Sharon and confronted, ¡°Aren''t you the one who has prepared this freaking gown?¡±


    Although she wanted to y along with the vicious scheme of Sharon, she didn''t want to get Michael


    involved.


    ¡°Indeed! But have I forced you to put it on? Why didn''t you turn me down when you have the chance to


    do so?¡± Sharon responded with a contemptuous look and shifted the responsibilities to Charlotte.


    ¡°Y-You¡ª¡±


    Zachary stopped Charlotte and squeezed her cheek with his gigantic palm. ¡°She''s right! You should


    stop ming others when you''re the one who''s filthy deep down!¡±


    Her eyes widened in shock because she didn''t expect such a harsh remark from him.


    I''m a filthy woman? How dare he sees me as a filthy woman when he''s the one who refuses to leave


    me alone?


    ¡°Move away from her!¡±


    Michael reached over in an attempt to push Zachary away from Charlotte, yet the moment he inched


    over, he was punched in the face and fell to the ground as a result.


    ¡°A-Argh¡ªM-Michael¡ª¡± Charlotte screeched and tried to rush over to Michael''s side, but Zachary


    wouldn''t unfasten his grip.


    In fact, she thought her wrist would be cracked by the man''s powerful grip should he refused to move


    away from her soon.


    The infuriated Charlotte retaliated against Zachary and demanded, ¡°Let go of me!¡±


    N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    Due to the intense punch, blood gushed out of Michael''s nostrils and streamed all the way down to his


    neck.


    Lucy and Sharon''s faces turned pale because they were horrified by Zachary''s response. They stood


    aside in silence, afraid of offending the furious man further.


    Ben, who had been on the lookout at the entrance, closed the door and made his way into the pitch-


    ck room.


    ¡°Zachary, have you lost your mind? Come at me with everything you have if you''re holding a grudge


    against me! Why the hell do you have to beat him up?¡± Charlotte yelled hysterically.


    Zachary lunged her over and directed a rhetorical question at her when she was right in front of his


    face. ¡°Are you heartbroken because of him? Have you forgotten the things you promised me?¡±

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    Chapter 293


    ¡°I-I...¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, please calm down. We have a lot of guests with us, including the representative from the


    Brown family. I believe it''s best to not cause a scene,¡± Ben said in a hushed tone.


    ¡°He''s right! We shouldn''t get worked up and contaminate our hands because of such a filthy woman!


    She doesn''t deserve our time!¡± Sharon yed along with Ben to persuade Zachary.


    Sharon''s words worked like a charm¡ªZachary suppressed his wrath and returned to his usual


    indifferent self.


    He cast Charlotte to the couch queried in a dead-pan tone, ¡°Are you such a fragile man, Mr. Brown?


    You have the audacity to hit on my woman, but you can''t even take a punch from me?¡±


    Michael brought himself up and wiped the blood off his face. He gritted his teeth and rushed over to


    Zachary''s side in an attempt to assault him.


    Zachary''s eyes gleamed in excitement.


    He lifted his leg to deliver another powerful kick, but when he was about to reach Michael, Charlotte


    sprinted over and got in front of Michael to shield him from the brutal kick.


    Consequently, the powerful kick wasunched on Charlotte''s abdomen area.


    As he tried to stop Charlotte from falling, Michael fell to the ground with Charlotte in his embrace.


    Slouching against Michael, Charlotte felt as though her body would break in half soon.


    Zachary was shocked as Charlotte started shivering in pain. He red at her in disbelief because he


    didn''t expect she would put her life at stake for another man.


    Does that mean she prioritizes Michael''s safety over her own wellbeing?


    His hands balled into fists with his nails prating his palms.


    Michael cradled Charlotte in his arms with his body trembling in fear. ¡°Charlotte! H-Have you lost your


    mind?¡±


    Beads of sweat streamed down Charlotte''s forehead as colors drained from her face. She forced a


    smile and asserted, ¡°I-I''m fine. Please leave us alone.¡±


    ¡°C-Charlotte...¡±


    ¡°Go!¡± The fragile woman pushed him away from her.


    Ben rushed over to help Michael up and stated in a hushed voice, ¡°Mr. Brown, allow me to show you


    the way out. Ms. Windt will be fine as long as you stay away from her.¡±


    He managed to persuade the dejected man.


    Michael raised his head and red at Zachary in the eyes. ¡°We shall see!¡±


    ¡°Let''s go, Mr. Brown...¡± Ben dragged Michael out of the room with him.


    Meanwhile, Zachary had his cold gaze glued to Charlotte with frustration written all over his face.


    Sharon whispered, ¡°Zachary... don''t get worked up over such a filthy woman...¡±


    ¡°Get out of my sight at once,¡± Zachary shot back in dead seriousness.


    ¡°Zachary...¡± Sharon was about to say something, but when she noticed his gaze full of murderous


    intent, she fled, rushing out of the room.


    Lucy was about to say something to talk some senses into the enraged man, but she changed her


    mind and brought herself out of the room with Sharon after giving it a thought.


    Zachary marched towards Charlotte while looking down upon her as though he was a devil that was


    sent to reap her soul.


    Charlotte inched away from the vicious-looking man and tried to bring herself up from the ground, but


    she convulsed unwittingly due to the racking sensationing from her waist.


    Finally, Zachary brought himself to a halt and crouched over, staring at him when they were merely a


    few inches away from one another.


    She was clueless about the things he had in his mind because she couldn''t read his emotion.


    Charlotte avoided his gaze and stuttered, ¡°N-Nothing''s going on between Michael and me... H-He''s


    merely here because he has something to tell me...¡±


    Zachary grasped her chin and raised her face against her will, stating with an evil grin, ¡°You must have


    a thing for him, huh? I can''t believe you''re willing to forsake your life to protect him!¡±


    ¡°I don''t want to get him involved because he has nothing to do with this...¡± Charlotte''s gown was


    completely drenched in sweat as she started sweating profusely.


    Zachary chuckled as though he just heard the most hrious joke of the century. ¡°Are you telling me he


    has nothing to do with you when you have given birth to his children? Do you really think I''m a fool? If


    you''re telling the truth, who''s the father of the children?¡±


    ¡°N-No... h-he''s...¡± Charlotte got anxious and tried to exin herself.


    ¡°Shut up! Stop pushing your luck and challenging my limits! Otherwise, I''m afraid I''ll¡ª¡±


    He leaned over and enunciated his reply in a serious manner, ¡°I''ll kill him.¡±


    Sharon''s jaw dropped open when she heard Zachary''s words¡ªthe man''s jealousy and his desire to


    possess her had driven him mad.


    He seemed to be serious and would send Michael to hell should Charlotte refuse to stay away from him


    as she had promised.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.

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    Chapter 294


    Charlotte was overwhelmed by his warning. ¡°No! Michael is innocent! We haven''t¡ª¡±


    ¡°If we hadn''t made our way into the room just now, I''m sure you''re having the best time of your life by


    now, aren''t you?¡±


    Zachary gritted his teeth and caressed Charlotte''s swollen cheek.


    Actually, he had misunderstood her words because he thought she was talking about the incident that


    had urred in the room.


    Charlotte shook her head and rebutted, ¡°No! Actually, Michael isn''t the¡ª¡±


    Knock! Knock! Knock!


    Someone knocked on the door anxiously before Charlotte could tell Zachary the truth.


    Ben announced, ¡°Mr. Nacht, old Mr. Nacht is here!¡±


    Irked by Ben''s presence, Zachary replied with a frown, ¡°Alright.¡± He squeezed Charlotte''s cheek and


    repeated himself, ¡°I''m warning you for onest time, Charlotte! You better stop pushing your luck and


    challenging my limits!¡±


    She stared at him open-mouthed, but she dared not defy his words because she was intimidated by his


    warning.


    Zachary narrowed his eyes and added in an uncanny way, ¡°Perhaps I won''te after you, but I won''t


    hesitate at all when ites to your beloved children and your friends! They''re the ones who have to


    bear the consequences of your foolish action!¡±


    Charlotte shook her head vigorously and begged, ¡°No! Please! Don''t hurt them!¡±


    ¡°If you want me to spare them, you should stay away from Michael!¡± Zachary lifted her back to the


    couch and removed his zer, putting it on Charlotte. When he passed by Ben''s side at the entrance,


    he instructed, ¡°Get Raina over!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Ben took a peek at Charlotte, who was on the couch, before closing the door.


    Charlotte leaned against the couch, but she couldn''t stop herself from shivering because of the fear


    she felt deep down.


    She couldn''t imagine the things that would ur when Zachary lost his mind and put their children at


    stake.


    Eventually, the thought of telling Zachary the truth crossed Charlotte''s mind because their children


    might be safe if he was aware of their actual identity. Perhaps Zachary would stay away from Michael


    as well.


    With that being said, Charlotte was afraid her children would be influenced by their aggressive and


    violent father should they grow up with him.


    Knock! Knock!


    While she lost herself thinking about all sorts of things, she heard someone knocking on the door. A


    few secondster, Raina entered the room and asked, ¡°Ms. Windt, have you hurt yourself?¡±


    ¡°Dr. Langhan... O-Ouch...¡±


    Charlotte tried to sit upright, but the moment she tried to move around, she would feel the excruciating


    pain in her waist.


    ¡°Please stay right there, Ms. Windt! I''ll check on your wounds.¡± After a simple examination, Raina


    suggested, ¡°Thankfully, you haven''t cracked your bones, but let''s drop by the hospital for a thorough


    diagnosis just to be safe. I''ll get everything ready at once.¡±


    ¡°Dr. Langhan, have you seen Michael? Is he fine?¡±


    Charlotte was worried about Michael''s condition because he had always been a fragile man ever since


    they were young. She was afraid he would be gravely injured by Zachary''s powerful punch.


    ¡°I have dropped by and check on his condition just now. He''s fine.¡± Raina whispered and asked, ¡°Ms.


    Windt, how could you be so reckless? You should stop provoking Mr. Nacht if you want to keep your


    friend safe!¡±


    ¡°I didn''t provoke him! He was the one who has lost his mind!¡± Charlotte shook her head and shared her


    concerns with Raina.


    N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    ¡°Huh...¡± Raina heaved a long sigh and got a team of people over to bring Charlotte to the hospital.


    Soon, a few paramedics showed up with a wheelchair and brought Charlotte away with them through


    the back entrance.


    The weather was frigid as it started pitter-pattering outside.


    Holding on to Zachary''s zer, the pale and haggard Charlotte started trembling in cold and pain.


    When she was rushed to the ambnce, she caught a glimpse of Zachary marching out of the banquet


    hall with a bunch of people behind him.


    The guests stood by the entrance as a car approached the entrance of the hall. They seemed to be


    anticipating the arrival of an honorable guest.


    Zachary rushed over to open the door and leaned over to bring the guest out of the car in a courteous


    manner.


    ¡°Who is that?¡±


    Charlotte was surprised because she didn''t expect there would be a figure that could get Zachary to


    behave himself.


    Raina whispered into Charlotte''s ear, ¡°He''s old Mr. Nacht! Mr. Nacht''s grandfather.¡±

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    Chapter 295


    Hope rekindled in Charlotte''s heart as she finally met someone who could control Zachary.


    Will Mr. Nacht help me regain my freedom?


    Raina could tell what Charlotte was thinking, and she said meaningly, ¡°Mr. Nacht''s attitude is odder


    than Mr. Zachary''s. Ms. Windt, I suggest you stay away from him.¡±


    Charlotte was speechless, as she just realized how na?ve she was. Judging from how brutal and


    perverted Zachary is, are there even chances of his grandpa being amiable?


    ¡°Be careful!¡± Raina instructed the paramedic when they were carrying Charlotte on a stretcher into the


    ambnce.


    Lying on the stretcher, Charlotte sighed helplessly. It seems I''ll have to wait until Zachary gets bored of


    me and lets me go...


    When her imagination was running wild, she received a message from Olivia: Charlotte, thank you so


    much. I''ve been hired by a listedpany, and they offered me a high sry. Ms. Goldstein also gave


    me a bonus for my treatment.


    Charlotte smiled and replied: Congrattions and good luck!


    She felt better after receiving a message full of warmth and gratitude. Being able to help Olivia was the


    biggest reward foring all the way here. N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    The ambnce slowly made its way toward the hospital as the music from the banquet hall faded


    gradually.


    The banquet went on smoothly. It wasn''t affected by Charlotte''s absence, as she was a nobody in the


    eyes of the guests.


    ...


    Old Mr. Nacht''s arrival had made the atmosphere in the banquet hall tense and serious.


    All the guests split into two rows, standing in order, and greeted him politely.


    Old Mr. Nacht nodded slightly before scanning through the crowd and headed toward the lounge.


    Sharon followed behind the old man while supporting him in his tracks. She seemed so attentive in


    taking care of him that it was as though they were family.


    Inparison, Zachary seemed like someone who had nothing to do with all of this, trailing behind


    them silently.


    After they left, everyone in the banquet hall was chattering excitedly. It was foreseeable that the union


    between the Nacht family and the ckwood family would happen eventually.


    ...


    Meanwhile, Charlotte went for an X-ray to check her injuries. Her bones weren''t fractured, but the


    damage inflicted upon her waist was quite severe.


    Raina treated her wounds and brought her back to the Nachts'' residence.


    Then, the paramedics help her onto the bed. Initially, she wanted to take a bath, but Raina told her not


    to run the wound under water and asked the maid to wipe her down.


    After advising Charlotte to take a good rest, Raina left with the rest, leaving her alone in the room.


    Her body was aching so badly that she felt like it was going to crumble with the slightest stretch. There


    was a lingering smell of herbs in the air that wafted from the ointment on her back.


    Every time her body ached, she gritted her teeth and cursed at Zachary.


    I''ve been getting injured ever since I got together with him. This madman! What trauma did he suffer


    during his childhood to be someone so brutal?


    I hope I can get away from him as soon as possible...


    Late at night, Charlotte drifted off to sleep gradually with her pillow in her arms as thoughts raced


    across her mind.


    While she was sound asleep, a hand reached out and caressed her waist gently...


    As she drifted between sleep and reality, she felt somebody behind her, but the familiar scent of that


    person made her let down her guard.


    She continued to sleep while the man''s hand wandered all over her body. Then he lifted the nket


    before lying down beside her.


    Pressing against Charlotte, Zachary ced one hand under her neck, pulling her into his embrace


    while gently caressing her body with the other.


    ording to what Raina said, Charlotte didn''t suffer any injuries to her bones, but her waist muscle


    was damaged, so she needs to go through physiotherapy.


    The moment Zachary identally kicked her, his heart skipped a beat and ached for her, but at the


    same time, he was infuriated.


    This woman was willing to give up her life to protect that man.


    At that thought, mes of fury started burning in his heart, and he tightened his grip on her legs to seek


    revenge.


    ¡°Argh!¡± Charlotte woke up from her sleep in a fright and shifted. When she turned around, he nted a


    kiss on her lips.

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    Chapter 296


    Charlotte wanted to push him away, but as soon as she reached out, she identally pulled her waist,


    and her face scrunched up in pain.


    Zachary hurriedly let go of her and asked, ¡°What''s wrong?¡±


    ¡°It hurts...¡± Charlotte''s forehead was covered in sweat while her body was frozen in ce as she was


    scared that it would cause her more pain if she moved.


    Not daring to mess with her again, Zachary carefully turned her back to her original position with her


    back facing him, lying on her side.


    Charlotte curled her trembling body up.


    Sweating profusely, her silk pajamas were drenched in no time.


    Zachary furrowed his brows and picked up his phone to call Raina. ¡°Come over now.¡±


    But Charlotte immediately stopped him. ¡°No need. Dr. Langhan already said that it would hurt tonight.


    Don''t worry. I''ll feel better tomorrow.¡±


    At the other end of the call, Raina chose her words carefully. ¡°Yes, Mr. Nacht. It''s normal that she''s in


    pain now since her waist muscle is injured, but she''ll feel better tomorrow. If it is too painful to bear, feel


    free to give her some painkillers. I''ve ced them on her bedside table just in case.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    Listening to her words, Zachary stood up from the bed and took the painkillers for Charlotte, but the


    latter shook her head, refusing to take them. ¡°I''ll be fine after a nap. Switch off the lights. They are


    straining my eyes.¡±


    cing the pill bottle aside, Zachary looked at her trembling figure and the way her face grimaced in


    pain. His eyes were full of worry as his heart ached for her, but what he said differedpletely from


    how he felt. ¡°Serves you right! You shouldn''t protect him in the first ce.¡±


    Charlotte red at him with a burning rage in her eyes.


    Zachary bellowed, ¡°I dare you to continue ring at me!¡±


    Feeling wronged, Charlotte looked away as tears rolled down her cheeks, wetting her pillow.


    Looking at the way she reacted, Zachary suppressed the anger in his heart, unable to bring himself to


    lash out at her. So, he put on his clothes and switched off the lights before leaving the room.


    Listening to his fading footsteps, Charlotte was overwhelmed with conflicted feelings.


    What on earth is that man actually thinking?


    He says he loves me, but he''s always hurting me.


    He also says he hates me, but what''s up with his sickening possessiveness? Sometimes, he acts as if


    he actually cares about me...


    What is all this?


    Ben was about to knock on the door when Zachary opened it. Seeing thetter at the door, he froze for


    a short while and immediately informed, ¡°Mr. Zachary, Mr. Nacht''s here!¡±


    Zachary frowned. ¡°It''s sote at night. Why is he here?¡±


    ¡°Ms. ckwood is with him,¡± added Ben.


    Zachary was taken aback, but he remained silent and closed the door of Charlotte''s room.


    In the room, Charlotte was restless after hearing their conversation. Are they here to capture me and


    kick me out?


    ¡°Get me a coat.¡± Zachary''s orders could be heard from outside of the room.


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Nacht.¡± Ben walked away and returned soon after with a coat in his hands.


    Hearing footsteps outside the room, Charlotte assumed that Zachary had gone to wee old Mr.


    Nacht.


    Having trouble falling asleep, she supported her body with her arms and got up slowly.


    The sound of a car engine sounded from downstairs. In an instant, the dark vi became brightly lit as if


    it was daytime.


    The bright lights shone into the room through the balcony, making Charlotte anxious.


    Squinting her eyes at the lights, she lifted a corner of the curtain to look outside the window.


    Meanwhile, Zachary stood at the entrance with Ben and the others to wee old Mr. Nacht.


    ¡°Good day, Mr. Nacht.¡± The bodyguards and maids greeted as they stood in two straight lines, leaving a


    path in the middle, while Zachary went to open the car door and helped his grandfather out of the car.


    In the meantime, Ben opened another car door, and the one who came out was Sharon.


    Having changed her outfit, she looked elegant, and even her usual aggressive eyes were full of smiles.


    ¡°Grandpa, let me help you to the door.¡± Sharon went to support old Mr. Nacht.


    ¡°Alright. Good girl.¡± Old Mr. Nacht was amiable as he smiled at Sharon. He seemed to be satisfied with


    Sharon being his future granddaughter-inw.


    ¡°Thank you for letting mee to Zachary''s house. He never brings me here,¡± Sharon looked at


    Zachary and whined while thetter stayed silent.


    Old Mr. Nacht took a nce at him and announced, ¡°Your family''s beachside vi is too far away. From


    now on, stay here with Zachary.¡±

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    Chapter 297


    ¡°Really?¡± Sharon was overjoyed, but immediately, she looked at Zachary timidly. ¡°Zachary, is that


    okay?¡±


    Before Zachary could say anything, old Mr. Nacht interrupted, ¡°There''s no need for his consent when


    you have mine.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Grandpa.¡± Sharon made a face at Zachary and helped old Mr. Nacht into the vi.


    Behind them, a few bodyguards were unloading the luggage while Ben and the others went up to help


    them with their work.


    Zachary took a nce at Charlotte''s room on the second floor.


    Charlotte hurriedly drew the curtains and backed away to a corner. What should I do? What if Mr. Nacht


    insists that Sharon stays here?


    Does Mr. Nacht know about me?


    If he does, will he pick on me together with Sharon?


    Charlotte walked back and forth in her room, unable to calm the storm in her mind.


    What should I do?


    Will Zachary send me away in secret when they are asleep?


    While she was deep in her thoughts, she heard footsteps approaching beforeing to a stop in front


    of her room.


    Charlotte felt her heart tightened. Walking barefoot on her toes, she headed toward the door to listen to


    the movements outside.


    Sharon''s voice could be heard. ¡°Zachary, I want to stay in this room.¡±


    Judging from the silhouettes she saw through the gap below the door, she knew that there were many


    people standing outside of her room.


    Zachary rejected her request indifferently. ¡°No. Choose another room.¡±


    ¡°Why? I want to stay next door to you.¡± Sharon acted coquettishly to coax the man into giving his


    consent.


    Charlotte knitted her brows as she held her breath, listening attentively to the movements outside.


    Does Sharon know I''m here? Is that why she requested to stay in this room?


    Zachary won''t agree, right?


    His coat and shoes are still in my room, not to mention his stuff in the washroom.


    One would know their rtionship from the way she looked now and theyout of her room.


    How am I going to deal with this mess?


    ¡°That room is also next to mine, so you can stay there.¡± Zachary pointed at the other room beside his.


    Sharon smiled and nodded. ¡°Alright. Grandpa, I''ll go unpack my luggage.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡± Old Mr. Nacht took a nce at the room before turning to Zachary and said, ¡°Let''s talk in


    your room.¡±


    Zachary tried to decline, ¡°It''s sote. Don''t you have to rest?¡±


    ¡°It''s only for a while.¡± Old Mr. Nacht walked into his room directly.


    Ben instructed a maid to prepare old Mr. Nacht''s favorite red tea.


    As reluctant as he was, Zachary had no choice but to follow his grandpa into the room.


    Charlotte supported her waist as she headed to the balcony to eavesdrop on their conversation.


    The balconies of hers and Zachary''s room were connected, so she could hear what they were saying


    as long as they didn''t close the door.


    ¡°Leave us,¡± ordered old Mr. Nacht.


    ¡°As you wish.¡± Ben and the maids backed out of the room immediately.


    ¡°Please have some tea, Grandpa.¡± Zachary brewed a cup of tea using high-quality tea leaves for oldPublished by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    Mr. Nacht.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Old Mr. Nacht took a sip of his tea and sighed. ¡°Brewing tea needs technique, and you''re quite


    bad at this. What a waste of tea leaves.¡±


    Zachary said, ¡°I''ll look for a tea sommelier tomorrow.¡±


    Old Mr. Nacht replied indifferently while looking at the tea in his cup. ¡°No need. I''ve informed my


    personal tea sommelier toe here tomorrow.¡±


    Zachary was stunned for a moment before he asked, ¡°How long are you nning to live here?¡±


    ¡°Why? You don''t want me here?¡± Old Mr. Nacht said in an icy tone while his expression turned grim.


    ¡°No...¡± Before Zachary could finish his sentence, old Mr. Nacht decided to cut to the chase and asked,


    ¡°Are you scared that I''ll treat that woman badly?¡±


    In the room next door, the woman hiding beside the balcony door trembled as she felt fear gripping her


    heart when she heard his words.


    On the other hand, Zachary remained unfazed. ¡°You''ve got a great deal of business to attend to, so I


    know you''re not here for such a trivial matter. Did Aunt look for you?¡±


    Old Mr. Nacht''s tone became stern and cold. ¡°Hmph! You still regard her as your aunt?¡±

 Chapter 298

    Chapter 298


    ¡°She provoked me first,¡± Zachary said coldly.


    Old Mr. Nacht reprimanded, ¡°We all know who started all this. If you didn''t raise your hand to Chris,


    your aunt wouldn''t have done anything to yourpany.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    With a stony expression, Zachary retorted, ¡°But Chris was the one who offended me first.¡±


    Old Mr. Nacht was so angry that he raised his voice. ¡°All that just for a woman? Chris is your cousin!


    Yet, you almost strangled him to death because of that woman!¡±


    ¡°So? He didn''t die in the end anyway.¡± Zachary''s words dripped with disdain.


    ¡°How preposterous!¡± Old Mr. Nacht knocked his cane against the floor, and it made a loud thud.


    Charlotte was so terrified that she started shuddering, and her heart almost jumped out of her throat.


    After listening to their conversation, she finally understood what had happened. It turned out that Chris


    was Zachary''s cousin. She was drugged and almost raped by him that day. Arriving in time, Zachary


    saved her and beat Chris to a pulp.


    And it was because of this that Zachary offended his aunt.


    So Zachary''s aunt was the one who ordered some men to cause a scene at Divine Corporation''s


    productunch?


    Right then, realization dawned on Charlotte. I''m the root cause of the conflict between the members of


    the Nacht family. No wonder Mr. Nacht hates me. Maybe he even sees me as a threat.


    Zachary murmured under his breath, ¡°Who would have known that he was so weak?¡±


    ring at Zachary coldly, old Mr. Nacht dered, ¡°That''s enough! I''ve discussed with your aunt, and


    she promised to leave yourpany alone, so you''re not allowed to irk her again.¡±


    Zachary replied indifferently, ¡°As long as she doesn''t bare her fangs at me, I won''t do the same.¡±


    ¡°That woman... She''s here, right?¡± asked old Mr. Nacht.


    Charlotte almost copsed onto the ground after hearing that. How did Mr. Nacht know that I''m here£¿


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Zachary admitted.


    Old Mr. Nacht scoffed, ¡°She''s living with you already? What? Are you thinking of marrying her?¡±


    This time, Zachary fell silent and didn''t answer immediately.


    Covering her chest and holding her breath, Charlotte''s heart clenched as she waited for his answer


    nervously.


    After a long while, Zachary finally responded, ¡°I don''t n to marry her.¡±


    Disappointed, Charlotte felt as if someone had sshed cold water over her heart, making it lose all


    warmth and hope.


    However, very quickly, she regained her rationality. He has never been serious about me anyway and


    only sees me as his toy.


    There''s no way he''ll treat me with sincerity.


    Old Mr. Nacht''s tone softened slightly. ¡°That''s right. Women like her aren''t worth your time, so never


    take them seriously.¡±


    Charlotte waspletely speechless at his remarks. So, in Mr. Nacht''s opinion, women of inferior


    status are to be toyed with? How despicable!


    With a grandfather like him, it''s no wonder Zachary behaves like a psycho.


    ¡°Sharon is your best choice.¡± After pausing for a moment, old Mr. Nacht continued, ¡°The ckwood


    family had always been on good terms with us, the Nachts. You should marry the only daughter of the


    ckwoods to unite the two families. It will bring benefits to both sides.¡±


    Charlotte scoffed. Marry her then. You guys will make a good match since you guys are both arrogant.


    Zachary said in a t tone, ¡°Only the ckwood family will benefit from this.¡±


    ¡°You...¡± Old Mr. Nacht''s face turned ashen with anger.


    Zachary argued pompously, ¡°There''s a big difference between the ckwood family''s status and ours,


    so our marriage will only benefit them. What is there for me to gain from this? If you want to strengthen


    our family, I''ll have to marry the heiress of the Lindberg family. At least, they are on par with us.¡±


    Old Mr. Nacht chided, ¡°Nonsense! We''ve been at loggerheads with the Lindbergs for generations. How


    is it possible for us to form a union with them?¡±


    Zachary returned to the topic. ¡°Yeah. So stop thinking of arranging a marriage between Sharon and


    me. The effort of generations of the Nacht family will be in vain if I sacrifice myself.¡±


    Old Mr. Nacht was so furious that his face turned livid. ¡±You brat...¡± Before he could finish his words, he


    started coughing and clutched his chest.

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    Chapter 299


    Zachary advised earnestly, ¡°Please don''t get too worked up. You''re not getting any younger, so you


    should be more open-minded. Let your grandson live the life he wants...¡±


    ¡°You little brat! I''ll kill you...¡± Old Mr. Nacht growled, and a series of smacks could be heard.


    Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    Widening her eyes in shock, Charlotte felt her heart tightened as she covered her mouth to prevent


    herself from making any sound.


    Did Zachary really get beaten up?


    Was he...


    ¡°Look at you. It doesn''t even hurt at all. You must be getting old...¡± Zachary''s voice sounded with a


    tinge of amusement.


    ¡°You rascal... You...¡± Old Mr. Nacht was so furious that he started feeling out of breath.


    ¡°Grandpa! Are you okay? Where is your medicine?¡± Seeing that something was amiss, Zachary


    hurriedly asked him.


    Then he yelled, ¡°Somebody,e at once!¡±


    Soon after, the sound of hurried footsteps was hearding from the room next door.


    Charlotte''s heart was racing as she paced around in her room.


    Please be okay, Mr. Nacht. Or else I''ll really be in deep trouble.


    ¡°Grandpa, what''s wrong? Please don''t scare me. What is going on here? He was still fine just now!¡±


    Sharon''s anxious voice could be heard from the other room.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Zachary bellowed.


    Very quickly, silence ensued in the room. Shortly after, Zachary ordered, ¡°Leave us.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Everyone went out of the room after hearing hismand.


    Sharon said, ¡°Grandpa, I''ll help you to your room.¡±


    ¡°I''ll do it.¡± Zachary volunteered as he walked to old Mr. Nacht''s front.


    Old Mr. Nacht red at Zachary and shouted, ¡°Get lost, you brat! Are you trying to give me a heart


    attack?¡±


    Zachary lowered his voice and said, ¡°I wouldn''t dare.¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡± After shooting a death re at Zachary, old Mr. Nacht left the room with the help of Sharon.


    The house finally quietened down as the lights in the living room and corridor were switched off one by


    one.


    Lying down on the bed, Charlotte heaved a sigh of relief while her heart was filled with indescribable


    feelings.


    Is it because of me that Zachary is reluctant to marry someone from the ckwoods?


    Or is the reason like what he said? That he isn''t interested in getting married because he won''t benefit


    from it?


    Suddenly, somebody opened the door. Charlotte jumped in shock and almost fell off the bed.


    Zachary said, ¡°It''s me.¡±


    Charlotte saw a familiar figure in the dark, locking the door before he unbuttoned his shirt and walked


    toward her.


    ¡°You sure have guts toe here now. Aren''t you afraid others will know?¡± Charlotte spoke in a


    hushed tone as she was scared that others would know of her presence.


    Zachary ignored her and tossed his shirt on the couch. After shutting the balcony door and drawing the


    curtains, he went to the washroom straight away.


    ¡°Hey, you...¡± Before Charlotte could finish her sentence, Zachary shut the washroom door on her.


    Speechless, she was overwhelmed with anxiety. If Mr. Nacht and Sharon know that Zachary''s here with


    me, they''ll tear me into pieces!


    Soon after, Zachary came out from the washroom with a towel wrapped around his lower body.


    He was probably tired of dealing with old Mr. Nacht as he downed a bottle of water after sitting down.


    Charlotte whispered, ¡°Send me back since they''re resting in their rooms now. Or else they will find out


    that I''m here tomorrow...¡±


    ¡°So what?¡± Zachary looked at her coldly.


    Charlotte panicked. ¡°It''ll be awkward... Your grandpa hates me, so I bet he''ll humiliate me...¡±


    ¡°That''s unlikely.¡± Zachary continued drying his hair with a towel.


    ¡°But...¡± Before Charlotte could finish her sentence, there were a few knocks on the door, followed by


    Sharon''s gentle voice. ¡°Zachary, are you asleep?¡±


    Charlotte was stunned, but she quickly came to her senses. After focusing on the sound, she realized


    Sharon was knocking on the door of Zachary''s room. However...


    Zachary''s here in my room!


    She kept on gesturing at Zachary anxiously, pointing at the door in hopes that he would deal with it.


    Zachary rolled his eyes at her before tossing his towel away. Then, he got on the bed and wrapped his


    arms around her.

 Chapter 300

    Chapter 300


    Charlotte widened her eyes in shock as she remained frozen in ce, afraid that the woman outside


    would hear the movements in her room.


    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    Outside of the room, Sharon was knocking on the door while calling out to Zachary, ¡°Zachary, I need to


    talk to you...¡±


    At that moment, the man she was looking for was hugging Charlotte from behind, his hands reaching


    into her clothes and caressing her chest gently.


    Charlotte covered her mouth and dared not make any sound.


    ¡°Zachary...¡± Sharon was still knocking on the door.


    However, Zachary simply ignored Sharon andnded kisses on Charlotte''s shoulders and neck.


    The electrifying sensation from the touch of his lips against her skin made Charlotte''s body tense up


    while her heart pounded like crazy.


    Soon, Raina came to their rescue. ¡°Ms. ckwood, Mr. Nacht is exhausted, so he should be bathing in


    the washroom now. Why don''t you look for him tomorrow?¡±


    Sharon was obviously reluctant to return to her room without having a talk with Zachary, but she didn''t


    wish to disturb thetter. ¡°Alright. Goodnight, Dr. Langhan.¡±


    ¡°Goodnight,¡± said Raina.


    After both Raina and Sharon left the corridor, the lights were turned off.


    Charlotte was finally able to take a breather and chided the man who was kissing her neck. ¡°Stop it...


    Hmm...¡±


    Before she could finish her sentence, Zachary sealed her lips with his warm ones.


    This time, he learned from his past mistakes and didn''t hold her body like before. Instead, he let her


    remain lying on her side and avoided touching her injured waist.


    Initially, Charlotte wanted to push him away, but he moved closer to her and nibbled at her earlobe.


    ¡°Don''t move. It''s your fault if it hurts...¡±


    Charlotte didn''t dare to move, not only because she was afraid of the pain but also because she was


    scared that others might know if they were too loud.


    So she could only close her eyes and let him do as he pleased.


    A strong desire was burning inside of him, making him want her more and more each time he hugged


    her.


    Moreover, he was getting used to herpany. Without Charlotte sleeping by his side, he found it hard


    to fall asleep, and even if he drifted off to sleep because of fatigue, he would still wake up several times


    during midnight.


    In fact, he started having naughty thoughts when meeting her at the golf course today after not seeing


    her for the entire week.


    Although they did it in Ashenville Garden, it wasn''t enough to quench his desire.


    That sexy dress she wore tonight at the banquet attracted many stares from the guests.


    And he was displeased.


    He wanted to leave his marks on her body to remind her that she belonged to him. You''re mine.


    Forever!


    Outside the French windows, the branches swayed along with the breeze, just like the couple reveling


    in pleasure on the bed.


    It was a steamy night for them.


    Charlotte couldn''t resist Zachary''s fiery passion, so she let him have his way with her.


    He was gentle and careful that night though. No matter how much he longed for her, he tried his best


    not to hurt her waist.


    However, as if he didn''t get to enjoy himself to the fullest, he whispered in her ears before hugging her


    to sleep, ¡°Do your best to cooperate with the physiotherapy and get well soon.¡±


    Then, he fell asleep.


    Listening to his faint snores, Charlotte''s mind was in a mess.


    Mr. Nacht and Sharon are here, so why won''t you let go of me?


    I''ll most likely get into a lot of trouble if this goes on.


    Heaving a sigh deeply, Charlotte turned her head to look at Zachary.


    Perhaps because he was really exhausted, he fell into a deep slumber. Furrowing his brows slightly, his


    handsome face looked mesmerizing even in the dark.


    Charlotte didn''t realize when she had gotten used to having skin contact with him, and she didn''t feel


    repulsed at all when he had his arms around her.


    In fact, she was so jealous and mad when she saw Zachary being intimate with Sharon, to the extent


    that she even suspected if something had happened between them.


    Am I in love with him? But no matter what, everything between us will end soon, and this warmth... will


    surely fade away one day.


    So, she was reminding herself repeatedly. Don''t fall for him.


    I must never take this seriously...

 Chapter 301

    Chapter 301


    When she woke up in the morning, the man beside her was already gone.


    Charlotte was a little edgy. Today''s an unusual day. Sharon has moved in, and even Old Mr. Nacht is


    here...


    As a secret lover, she was clueless as to how she should deal with such a situation.


    Just as she was deep in her thoughts, Raina knocked on the door and came in.


    Charlotte was about to tidy up the messy bed, but Raina was already entering the room with a medical


    trolley. Apart from that, two maids and two female paramedics were alsoing in after her.


    Charlotte was extremely embarrassed, but they had long gotten used to it.


    Raina checked on her injury and asked the maid to help her take a bath. When Charlotte came out,


    Raina changed her bandages.


    Charlotte had been longing for a bath as her body felt sweaty and sticky, which made her


    ufortable.


    The maids helped her as she went for a bath and changed into a snuggly cotton dress.


    When she came out, another maid had already cleaned the room and changed a new bedsheet.


    Raina applied the medication for her and prepared to take her to the hospital for physiotherapy.


    Seeing as such, Charlotte asked in a low voice, ¡°Is Old Mr. Nacht and Ms. ckwood still around?¡±


    ¡°They''re having breakfast downstairs,¡± Raina replied with a smile. ¡°Don''t worry, Mr. Nacht is there too.¡±


    His existence is exactly the reason why I should be worried.


    Charlotte was restless and agitated. But what can I do? I can''t be staying in this bedroom all day, right?


    Besides, this rtionship is the result of his constant pestering and had nothing to do with me.


    If Old Mr. Nacht hits the roof seeing me around and decides to boot me out and warn Zachary never to


    see me again, it would be a liberation for me.


    Thinking of this, Charlotte drew in a long breath and walked out of the room.


    ¡°Ms. Windt, slow down. Let me help you.¡±


    A young paramedic hurriedly held Charlotte in fear that she would stumble.


    Treading on the spiral staircase, Charlotte saw the happy family in the dining room.


    Sharon was sparing no effort in pleasing old Mr. Nacht and teasing Zachary every now and then.


    Zachary lifted the corner of his lips slightly in response to her while reading Fortune attentively.


    ¡°Take your breakfast first and read thatter.¡± Old Mr. Nacht knocked softly on the table. ¡°Sharon is


    talking to you. Are you deaf?¡±


    Zachary had to put down the magazine and nced at Sharon. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I was saying, shall we go for site inspection together in the afternoon?¡± Sharon shot him a sweet smile


    as she replied.


    ¡°It''s a jumbled mess at the site. It''s better for you to stay away from that ce and ask someone else to


    go.¡±


    When Zachary said that, he was eyeing Charlotte who was walking down the stairs.


    In a white cotton dress and with her beautiful hair hanging loose over her shoulders, she looked


    pleasant and refreshing. The only minor imperfection was the uneasiness glowing dimly in her eyes.


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    Raina helped her over to the dining table since she seemed a little nervous.


    ¡°Charlotte is awake?¡± Sharon looked up with a broad smile and called out to her graciously, ¡°Come and


    have breakfast.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. It''s okay. I''m not hungry,¡± Charlotte answered politely. ¡°I¡ª¡±


    ¡°There''s no need for formalities here.¡± Sharon walked over and held her hand with a smile before she


    continued, ¡°Zachary lost his temper and hurt youst night. As your boss, he''s just doing his part by


    taking you in temporarily and letting you recuperate here. So, don''t worry. Just make yourself at home.¡±


    This decorous remark left Charlotte speechless...


    She had no idea if it was an excuse given by Zachary or one that Sharon came up with.


    It was crystal clear to everyone what her identity was, but still, a righteous reason had to be offered. Is


    she trying to y dumb?


    An even more ludicrous fact was that such a poorly disguised exnation was epted by everyone.


    Old Mr. Nacht eyeballed Charlotte from head to toe and started dispassionately, ¡°What''s your name?¡±


    ¡°Char... Charlotte!¡± She was noticeably anxious.


    ¡°How old are you?¡± It was as if old Mr. Nacht was interrogating a criminal.


    ¡°Twenty-three,¡± answered Charlotte softly.


    ¡°I heard that you''re a secretary at Divine Corporation. Is that true?¡± Old Mr. Nacht continued


    questioning.


    ¡°That''s right.¡± Charlotte nodded.


    ¡°I''ve studied your resume. You haven''t graduated from university and have no particr strengths.¡± Old


    Mr. Nacht threw a pile of documents on the table, sounding all high and mighty. ¡°With such


    qualifications, you''re not even fit to be a janitor at Divine Corporation. How did you worm your way in?¡±

 Chapter 302

    Chapter 302


    Charlotte lowered her head in apprehension and dared not make a sound.


    She didn''t dare to tell him that it was Wesley who made an exception and recruited her. Neither was


    she bold enough to disclose that Wesley used to be her father''s subordinate and that he only recruited


    her because he had some ill intentions toward her.


    ¡°I recruited her myself,¡± Zachary blurted out cidly.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Old Mr. Nacht glowered at him ferociously. He was purple with rage.


    ¡°Fine!¡± Zachary resorted to silence. Nevertheless, he pulled out the chair next to him and beckoned for


    Charlotte toe over and sit down.


    Charlotte took a gander at old Mr. Nacht and didn''t dare to sit.


    Seeing as Zachary was so protective of Charlotte, Sharon was green with jealousy.


    ¡°Sit.¡± Old Mr. Nacht gestured to her graciously.


    It was only upon hearing it that Charlotte finally sat down. However, her head was lowered all the while,


    and she couldn''t pluck up her courage to say anything.


    The maid served breakfast for her together with some new tableware. In response, Charlotte started


    softly, ¡°It''s okay. I have to go.¡±


    ¡°Did I allow you to leave?¡± Old Mr. Nacht demanded with arrogance.


    Charlotte froze and looked up at him.


    ¡°Everyone should know their ce.¡± Old Mr. Nacht simply took a slice of bread from the table and threw


    it in front of Charlotte. ¡°It''s just like this slice of bread. It can only be an appetizer to tantalize your taste


    buds but can never be the main dish!¡±


    ¡°Well said.¡± Sharon was beaming with delight and turned to Charlotte provocatively. ¡°Then, of course,


    for those impoverished at the slum, slices of bread alone can serve as the main sustenance.¡±


    Zachary frowned but remained silent.


    Finally, after taking in a long breath, Charlotte looked up at Sharon and snickered, ¡°So what do you


    regard yourself as? The main course on the dining table of the well-off? Isn''t that just some beef steak


    waiting to be cut and sliced as well?¡±


    ¡°You...¡± Sharon wasn''t able to produce a rebuttal against Charlotte.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht,¡± Charlotte turned around and looked at old Mr. Nacht as she said lento and dignified, ¡°The


    bread didn''t even want to appear on your dining table in the first ce. All it did was stay quietly in the


    bakery, and people who like it would naturally cherish it. But it''s a shame that some people took it away


    forcibly and brought it here to be the appetizer. I don''t think you should me the bread. The man


    who insisted on bringing it here should be held liable instead.¡±


    Zachary squinted with a dangerous and shrewd glint in his eyes while he turned around to look at


    Charlotte.


    ¡°How dare you!¡± old Mr. Nacht bellowed, ¡°Are you implying that Zachary is the one pestering you?¡±


    ¡°Shameless!¡± Sharon didn''t manage to retain herposure. She couldn''t bear to acknowledge the


    fact that the man she so ardently coveted was pestering another woman.


    ¡°The thing is, I''ve never hounded him,¡± Charlotte grabbed the chance to state her stance. ¡°If you don''t


    like me, you can always ask him not to find me anymore in the future.¡±


    She had had enough from Sharon who made everything difficult for her, insulted and bullied her time


    and again.


    And herees another Mr. Nacht. When will this nightmare end?


    Hence, she resorted to being frank.


    She had already made herself very clear, so if Zachary continued to harass her, she would never have


    to take the me anymore.


    ¡°Did you hear that?¡± Old Mr. Nacht stared at Zachary.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Zachary nodded as he took the wine ss from the table and quaffed all the wine in it. Then, he


    started imperturbably, ¡°Indeed, it was me who dominated, pestered, and controlled her.¡±


    The three terms were used consecutively. Together, they sounded rhythmic and even formed a vivid


    picture.


    His words stunned everyone who was present.


    Charlotte goggled at him in total disbelief.


    Did I hear it correctly? He actually admitted to pestering me in front of his grandfather, Sharon, and all


    the subordinates?


    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    Has he no sense of decency? Charlotte was at a loss.


    Meanwhile, Sharon was utterly baffled. She couldn''t believe what she just heard.


    ¡°You...¡± Old Mr. Nacht''s face darkened instantly. He clutched his chest and pointed at Zachary. ¡°Do you


    have any idea what you''re talking about?¡±


    ¡°Rx, Grandpa.¡± Sitting in his chair, Zachary smiled at his grandfather. ¡°Isn''t itmon for men to


    have seven to eight lovers outside? It''s fine as long as my actual wife is someone you''re pleased with.¡±

 Chapter 303

    Chapter 303


    ¡°You rascal!¡± Old Mr. Nacht was quivering with wrath.


    Sharon waspletely speechless. At first, she thought that persuading her father to convince old Mr.


    Nacht toe would make it easier for her to take Zachary down a notch and speed up their marriage.


    Never had she expected things to unfold this way...


    Charlotte twitched her lips in helplessness. She thought that by saying those words, old Mr. Nacht


    would be fumed and chuck her out as well as forbid Zachary from seeing her.


    And she would be able to break free from his ws.


    And yet...


    She had underestimated the devilry within Zachary.


    ¡°Grandpa, don''t be upset.¡± Zachary rose from his seat and walked over to massage his grandfather''s


    back. ¡°You have to take care of your health and not let your emotions jeopardize it. What if anything


    happens to you because of that? You won''t be able to meet your great-grandchildren then.¡±


    Charlotte felt a shiver down her spine. Old Mr. Nacht mustn''t know about the three children. Otherwise,


    he would definitely take them away.


    ¡°You rascal¡ª¡±


    Furious, old Mr. Nacht gave Zachary a heavy punch.


    ¡°Don''t get angry, Grandpa. Rx...¡± Sharon got up from her seat and quickly calmed old Mr. Nacht.


    Simultaneously, she berated Charlotte, ¡°It''s all because of you. Aren''t you going to leave now?¡±


    Charlotte came back to her senses and immediately stood up to leave.


    Raina walked over and supported her.


    After hopping into the car, Charlotte leaned back on the seat with a hopeless face.


    There goes myst hope. Does it mean I''ll never be able to get rid of Zachary for the rest of my life?


    ¡°Mr. Nacht is also at pains to throw off this arranged marriage which is why he''s deliberately contending


    with Old Mr. Nacht,¡± said Raina. ¡°At this juncture, you should maintain a unified front with him.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Charlotte gave her a wry smile. ¡°I can''t wait for him to marry Sharon as soon as possible and let


    go of me.¡±


    She was speaking against her own will when she said that.


    It was true that she was trying to be rid of him, but seeing him getting married to Sharon wasn''t what


    she really wanted.


    That woman is exceedingly depraved. She doesn''t deserve him.


    ¡°Ms. Windt, Mr. Nacht genuinely cares about you.¡± Raina couldn''t helpmenting, ¡°I''ve never seen him


    treating any other woman so mindfully.¡±


    ¡°He''s just seeking novel pleasure.¡± Charlotte was both mentally and physically drained. ¡°Besides, with


    such brutal mindfulness, forget it.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡± Raina was going to continue when Charlotte''s phone started ringing. It was Mrs. Berry.


    She quickly picked it up, ¡°Hello, Mrs. Berry!¡±


    ¡°Hello, I''m the calling from the property management office of Apartment One on Happy Avenue. The


    elderly in your unit passed out in front of the entrance of the neighborhood. Are you a family member?


    Pleasee to Regent Clinic opposite the neighborhood.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am. I''lle immediately...¡±


    In a blue funk, Charlotte hurriedly said to Raina, ¡°Quick, send me to Regent Clinic.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry. We''ll go there right now.¡± Raina immediately told the driver to head over to the clinic.


    On the way, Charlotte confirmed the details of the incident with the staff of the property management


    office. It turned out that Mrs. Berry went grocery shopping in the morning and cked out in the


    elevator on her way home. The staff saw it from the surveince camera and sent her to the clinic right


    away.


    After hurrying over to the clinic, Charlotte saw Mrs. Berry lying in bed and rushed to her side. ¡°Mrs.


    Berry...¡±


    Due to her hasty movements, she felt a twinge in her waist, and all of a sudden, she broke into a


    sweat.


    ¡°Miss, are you okay?¡± Mrs. Berry was pale and drained of all strength, but she was still concerned


    about Charlotte as always.


    ¡°I''m fine.¡± Charlotte held onto Mrs. Berry''s hand and asked anxiously, ¡°How are you feeling? Are you


    feeling ufortable anywhere?¡±


    ¡°I''m a little dizzy. It''s possibly because I didn''t sleep wellst night. Don''t worry, when we return home


    later, I''ll have some ginger tea, and after a good rest, I''ll be fine.¡± Mrs. Berry flipped the nket aside,


    intending to get off the bed. ¡°Let''s go home, Miss.¡±


    ¡°No, You don''t really look well recently. We must get you thoroughly checked.¡± Charlotte turned to


    Raina immediately. ¡°Dr. Langhan, sorry to trouble you again!¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry. Let me get to it.¡±


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    Right away, Raina arranged for Mrs. Berry to be transferred to her hospital for aprehensive health


    screening.


    Charlotte went together with her to get her own waist treated as well.


    Mrs. Berry reminded her repeatedly, ¡°Miss, the children''s sses will end at half-past three in the


    afternoon, but there''s no one at home, so you must remember to go back earlier.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry about it.¡±

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    Chapter 304


    Mrs. Berry was wheeled into the examination room while Charlotte waited apprehensively outside.


    A paramedic came over and asked Charlotte to get her wounds patched up, but she refused to leave


    and asserted that she would wait there for Mrs. Berry''s examination result.


    ¡°Charlotte, aprehensive health screening will take a long time. You''ll only be waiting idly here. Let''s


    get your waist attended to first,¡± Raina persuaded her earnestly. ¡°You have to recover speedily in order


    to take care of your family, isn''t it?¡±


    ¡°Alright then.¡± Charlotte thought that she was right, so she left with the paramedic to treat her waist.


    Lying on the bed, Charlotte was still a little worried, so she asked, ¡°Dr. Langhan, Mrs. Berry should be


    fine, right?¡±


    Raina paused for a second before she replied euphemistically, ¡°To be honest, Mrs. Berry is not doing


    well, so you have to be mentally prepared.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by ''not doing well''?¡± Charlotte asked anxiously, ¡°Is there any serious issue?¡±


    ¡°ording to the information I got from Regent Clinic, Mrs. Berry has visited them recently and


    mentioned about often feeling light-headed. The doctor asked her to go for aprehensive health


    screening, but she said she didn''t have time to and will only go when she''s free. However, before she


    could actually go for a check-up, she fainted in the elevator. This shows that her health problems have


    long existed,¡± Raina exined the general situation to Charlotte.


    Listening to that, Charlotte felt even more terrible. ¡°I''m to be med for this. I''ve only cared about


    myself and neglected Mrs. Berry. She took care of my three children all by herself and worked so hard


    all day every day that she didn''t even have time to go see the doctor¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry, just let her get treatment and recuperate here,¡± Rainaforted her. ¡°I''ll arrange for the


    hospital staff to take good care of her.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Dr. Langhan,¡± Charlotte answered with uneasiness. ¡°When Mrs. Berry''s examination result


    is out, please let me know at once.¡±


    ¡°Rest assured. Get yourself treated with peace of mind first. I''ll see youter.¡±


    After consoling Charlotte, Raina left to deal with her own business.


    At noon, Mrs. Berry was wheeled out of the examination room and admitted to the inpatient ward.


    By then, she was semi-conscious and on a drip with the back of her hand attached to a saline bag.


    However, rather indistinctly, she was still murmuring, ¡°Miss, Miss...¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Berry, I''m here.¡± Charlotte gripped her other hand tightly.


    ¡°Robbie, Jamie, Ellie...¡± Mrs. Berry was still mumbling, ¡°Remember to pick up the kids.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I''ll remember to.¡±


    Charlotte was greatly touched and guilty at the same time. Even when Mrs. Berry had fallen ill, she was


    still preupied with the three children.


    I am tremendously indebted to Mrs. Berry...


    Charlotte looked at the time, and it was still early. She had specifically set the rm for three o''clock in


    case she missed the time to pick up the children.


    At three o''clock in the afternoon, Raina came to find Charlotte with a stack of examination reports and


    brought her to an unupied office. Then, she announced to her that Mrs. Berry had experienced a


    moderate stroke.


    The news came as a shock to Charlotte, and she almost fainted.


    Raina was quick to hold her. ¡°Don''t worry. I''ll heal her with the best treatment n there is.¡±


    ¡°How did it turn out this way?¡± The tears in Charlotte''s eyes were overflowing. ¡°Mrs. Berry is such a


    kind soul, and she''s always so light-hearted and cheerful. How did she end up with this disease? She


    must have been overly exhausted. It''s me! It''s all because of me...¡±


    ¡°Ms. Windt, please don''t be upset. As long as it''s not the terminal stage, there is still hope,¡± Raina tried


    to calm her down. ¡°We''ll have to arrange treatment for Mrs. Berry immediately. You''d better get home


    and settle the children first. Leave it to me.¡±


    ¡°Dr. Langhan, no matter how much it costs, please help me cure Mrs. Berry,¡± Charlotte pleaded edgily,


    ¡°I''m going back right this second to get my savings.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry about the cost.¡± Raina patted the back of her hand and reminded her, ¡°It''s gettingte


    already. I''ll get someone to send you to the kindergarten and pick up the children.¡±


    ¡°It''s okay. I can go there myself.¡±


    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    Charlotte didn''t want anyone working for the Nacht family to get too close with the children.


    She looked at the time, and it was already a quarter past three. With that, she left the hospital in haste


    and took a cab at the gate to return to Happy Avenue.


    The first to tenth buildings on Happy Avenue were all high-end residences that were surrounded by the


    avenue, whereby outsiders were not allowed to enter. Hence, the kindergarten school bus could only


    drop the children down the street and wait for the parents toe and pick them up.

 Chapter 305

    Chapter 305


    Usually, every afternoon, Mrs. Berry would be waiting for the children at the cross street.


    Nevertheless, on that particr day, when the children got off the school bus, Mrs. Berry was nowhere


    to be seen.


    ¡°Robinson, Jamison, and Elisa, is your guardian not here yet?¡± Lexie, the teacher from the


    kindergarten, asked. ¡°Do you need me to make a call to your parent?¡±


    ¡°No need,¡± Robbie answered in a rather mature manner. ¡°Mrs. Berry has been arriving a few minutes


    later than usual these days. It''s okay. We''ll just have to wait for a while here.¡±


    ¡°Then you have to be good and wait here, okay? Don''t wander about.¡± Lexie continued, ¡°Robinson,


    you''re the big brother, so you have to take good care of your siblings, alright?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know. Don''t worry, Ms. Cheney.¡± Robinson patted his little chest and added confidently, ¡°I''ll look


    after them properly.¡±


    ¡°Good boy.¡± Lexie didn''t think much and let the school bus leave.


    For the past few days, Mrs. Berry had beente for a few minutes, and the school bus had waited on


    the spot until Mrs. Berry came to pick up the children.


    However, because of that, other parents startedining as they had to wait longer to pick up their


    children. Therefore, Lexie didn''t dare to dy anymore.


    Thinking that Mrs. Berry would be there to pick them up soon and that it was very close to their home,


    Lexie didn''t have any misgivings.


    ¡°Mrs. Berry walks very slowly. Maybe she''s still on the way.¡± Jamie was booting the pebbles on the


    roadside. ¡°Robbie, let''s y a round of the game.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Robbie looked in the direction of their home and continued sensibly, ¡°Mrs. Berry hasn''t been


    feeling well these few days. She even pants when she walks. Her clothes were always soaked in sweat


    whenever she came to pick us up. Why don''t we head home ourselves? That will save Mrs. Berry


    some trouble.¡±


    ¡°Robbie is right.¡± Ellie raised her chubby little hand and expressed her thoughts, ¡°We''re already seniors


    in the kindergarten. We shouldn''t only think about ying. We have to help share Mrs. Berry and


    Mommy''s burden.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I''m sorry.¡± Jamie lowered his head with guilt. To make amends, he added, ¡°I know the way


    home. I can take us back.¡±


    ¡°Me too. Let''s go.¡±


    The three children held hands and trod on the way home while humming some nursery rhymes.


    When other pedestrians saw them, they couldn''t helpplimenting how lovely and adorable the kids


    were. Some even wondered whose kids these cutie pies were.


    During the first few minutes, they were still focusing on their journey home. However, very soon, they


    became distracted by their surroundings.


    Jamie had been kicking pebbles on the road throughout the journey.


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    Meanwhile, Robbie was constantly observing the cars passing by, trying to see if it was their mommy


    coming home after work.


    Ellie, on the other hand, had been attracted by a ragdoll cat on the roadside. She pointed at the cat


    with her chubby finger and eximed, ¡°Look! That ragdoll cat is so beautiful. Is she lost and can''t find


    her way home?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Robbie nodded and analyzed rationally. ¡°Such a beautiful and clean cat doesn''t look like a stray


    cat.¡±


    ¡°Its owner must be very worried.¡± Jamie looked at the cat and reasoned. ¡°Maybe he or she is looking


    for it everywhere.¡±


    ¡°Let''s take it to the police,¡± Ellie suggested in a serious tone. ¡°Then, it''ll be able to go home.¡±


    ¡°I agree!¡± Jamie raised both of his hands in agreement.


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hey, it''s running into the woods,¡± Ellie eximed anxiously out of the blue.


    Jamie ran into the grove immediately and chased after the ragdoll cat.


    ¡°Jamie, wait for me.¡± Ellie quickly ran up to him. Her chubby feet were slower when it came to running.


    ¡°Jamie, Ellie, stop right there!¡± Robbie couldn''t stop them, so he had no choice but to follow his siblings.


    ¡°Don''t wander around. Otherwise, Mrs. Berry won''t be able to find uster...¡±


    The other two little humans refused to listen to him and were still tailing the cat.


    Jamie was running very fast and followed the ragdoll cat across the grove to another road.


    Meanwhile, a Rolls-Royce was speeding toward them...

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    Chapter 306


    When the driver saw a little boy and a cat in the middle of the road, he made an emergency brake.


    Nevertheless, it was toote. Even though the car had slowed down drastically, it still ran into Jamie.


    Jamie''s little body was sent flying in the air before falling a few meters away, after which he was totally


    motionless


    Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    ¡°Ahhhh¡ª¡± Ellie covered her face and screamed in shock.


    ¡°Jamie, Ellie!¡± Robbie quickly rushed over.


    In the car, the stunned driver was rooted to his seat while the man on the passenger''s seat was more


    composed. ¡°We''ve made an emergency brake, so it must''ve been the inertial force. The boy should be


    alright. Call the ambnce right now.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The driver quickly dialed the emergency number.


    ¡°What happened?¡± A deep and aged voice came from the backseat.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, our car has hit a little boy, and we''re now calling the ambnce,¡± Spencer, who was sitting


    in the passenger seat, replied.


    ¡°Jamie!¡± Robbie hurriedly ran over, and when he saw Jamie lying in a pool of blood, he shouted


    frantically, ¡°Help! Help¡ª¡±


    ¡°Sob... Jamie, sob sob...¡±


    Ellie was quivering in fear and wailing on the roadside.


    The window of the backseat was lowered, and old Mr. Nacht popped his head out, looking at the little


    boy lying in the middle of the road with a lot of blood trailing from his head.


    Another little boy was holding the injured boy and shouting for help while a little girl was crying at the


    side.


    This scene made old Mr. Nacht''s heart throb at once.


    The old man got out of the car himself and walked over to them with his crutch. He hovered his hand


    over Jamie''s nose to check his breathing and then ordered, ¡°Don''t wait for the ambnce. Carry the


    children into the car and head to the hospital immediately.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ...


    It was already 3.40 p.m., and Charlotte was still in the cab. She was worried that something would


    happen to the children, so she made a call to Lexie. ¡°Ms. Cheney, Mrs. Berry is ill, so she can''t pick the


    kids up. I''m on my way, please¡ª¡±


    ¡°Ah, Ms. Windt, the kids have been dropped off earlier on,¡± Lexie replied anxiously. ¡°It was half-past


    three when they were dropped off at the usual spot. Since Mrs. Berry would alwayse a few


    minutester these few days, I thought it was okay for the children to wait for a while there. I didn''t


    know that you... Sigh, you should have told me earlier.¡±


    ¡°The children already got off the bus? Then where are they now?¡±


    ¡°They should still be waiting at the drop-off point.¡± Lexie panicked. ¡°I''ve reminded them repeatedly to


    wait there and not go anywhere else. You should go there and check first. Call me again if there''s


    anything wrong.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I''ll talk to youter.¡±


    Charlotte urged the driver to drive faster. Finally, she reached the drop-off point at 3.50 p.m.


    Upon getting out of the car, she was utterly baffled. Where are the kids?


    The children were nowhere to be seen.


    Guessing that they might be ying in the grove nearby, Charlotte quickly rushed into the grove, but


    she still couldn''t find them.


    Neglecting her back pain, she headed to the path home and searched for her children while calling out,


    ¡°Robbie, Jamie, Ellie...¡±


    However, there was no answer.


    She was exceedingly anxious, but there was still a trace of hope within her as she thought the children


    might have reached home.


    These three kids are very smart, and all of them know the way home. Besides, with Robbie around,


    there shouldn''t be any problem.


    When Charlotte reached her unit, there was no one except for Fifi, who flew out to wee her home.


    ¡°Mommy! Mommy!¡±


    ¡°Fifi, have you seen Robbie, Jamie, and Ellie?¡± Charlotte asked apprehensively.


    ¡°No, no.¡± Fifi shook her tiny head.


    Charlotte''s heart sank, but she was still hopeful. She ran into each room while calling out, ¡°Robbie,


    Jamie, Ellie, hurry ande out now. Don''t scare Mommy!¡±


    ¡°Come out now! Come out now!¡± Fifi imitated Charlotte and screamed after her.


    Despite that, there was still no trace of the three children.


    At that moment, Charlotte was so worried that she started sweating profusely. She held her injured


    waist and panted, trying to calm herself down. Rx, calm down. I have to calm down.

 Chapter 307

    Chapter 307


    There won''t be a problem since they are so intelligent.


    Perhaps, they''re just having fun in the neighborhood? After all, they''re so yful.


    There are so many ygrounds and facilities within the neighborhood. Besides, there''re other kids as


    well.


    They must be ying outside.


    Charlotte brought Fifi with her and continued searching for them in the neighborhood.


    Meanwhile, she made a call to the property management office and asked if they had seen her


    children.


    As soon as the property management found out that her children were missing, they sent some people


    to help her look for them immediately.


    It was already twenty minutes to seven.


    The dark sky was dotted with a few tiny stars as night fell. Yet, the children were still missing.


    Charlotte couldn''t hold her emotions in anymore. Covering her mouth, she started weeping.


    She med herself for noting home earlier. Even when Mrs. Berry was lying on the hospital bed,


    she repeatedly reminded me not to forget to pick up the children.


    And at the end of the day, I still messed up.


    She hated the fact that she was so ipetent. She couldn''t take care of Mrs. Berry and protect her


    own children. I can''t do anything right...


    I''m useless!


    ¡°Ms. Windt, don''t give up just yet,¡± the staff at the property management officeforted her. ¡°My


    colleagues are still searching for them. If we can''t find them by eight o''clock, then we''ll call the police.¡±


    Call the police!


    It suddenly dawned on her that her children were possibly taken away.


    Could it be Sharon? Or Old Mr. Nacht? Perhaps it''s the Whites?


    Charlotte was so distraught that she made a call to the police in haste.


    ...


    At the hospital.


    Ellie was terribly shocked, and in addition to that, she had been crying for too long, which resulted in


    tonsillitis. Because of that, she couldn''t stop throwing up and coughing. She even came down with a


    fever.


    Old Mr. Nacht immediately called the pediatrician over to take her for treatment.


    Meanwhile, Robbie stood at the entrance of the emergency room and waited in apprehension. When


    Jamie was wheeled into the emergency room moments before, he had been trembling all over.


    And when he saw that Ellie turned sick as well, he was even more distressed. He held Ellie''s hand and


    assured her, ¡°Ellie, don''t be afraid. Robbie is here. Robbie will protect you, so don''t worry!¡±


    Later, Ellie was sent for treatment while Robbie was still rooted to the spot in a daze.


    It wasn''t until he heard noises from behind that he came to his senses and went back to wait outside


    the emergency room. He was clenching his tiny fists and frowning while his big and bright eyes were


    fixated on the red light outside the emergency room.


    Old Mr. Nacht watched Robbie with benevolence. This little boy is so calm andposed while he is


    facing such a disaster at this young age. Even when he was trembling in fear, he still tried his best to


    protect his younger brother and calm his little sister.


    Old Mr. Nacht couldn''t help but recall the time when Zachary was still a young boy and there had been


    misfortune in the family. The six-year-old Zachary was just like this child in front of him, trying his best


    to keep calm and steady.


    Looking at this child, old Mr. Nacht was a little moved andforted him softly, ¡°Little boy, don''t worry.


    Your brother will be fine.¡±


    Robbie turned around and stared at him.


    ¡°You look just like my grandson when he was younger.¡± Old Mr. Nacht studied Robbie''s countenance


    carefully. ¡°Even though your features are only forty percent alike, your expression andportment are


    exactly the same.¡±


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    Robbie turned away and decided to ignore him.


    ¡°Even the obstinate way you''re acting is the same.¡± Old Mr. Nacht asked tentatively, ¡°Are you and your


    siblings triplets?¡±


    ¡°Why are you still in the mood to talk about all this now?¡±


    Robbie couldn''t stand it anymore andshed out.


    ¡°Even though there''s no traffic light on the road, there''s still a pedestrian crossing. Besides, it''s within


    the residential area. ording to trafficws, you should''ve slowed down. Your driver has vited the


    trafficws for not doing so and even hitting my brother. Therefore, you''ll have to face legal


    consequences for that. I respect that you''re an elderly and that you sent us to the hospital in time after


    the ident, so I''ve been suppressing my temper. But here you are, feeling no guilt at all, and even


    started chatting casually with me. How despicable!¡±

 Chapter 308

    Chapter 308


    ¡°How insolent!¡± the subordinate at the side reproached in a hushed voice.


    Mr. Nacht, who has been domineering all his life, was talked back to for the first time.


    Oh, not really. Mr. Zachary had also talked to him in such a manner when he was a kid.


    To be precise, it was the first time that Old Mr. Nacht was talked back to by someone else other than


    his grandson.


    And it''s a three-year-old child!


    Old Mr. Nacht frowned and shot his subordinate a look. The subordinate understood his intention and


    wordlessly retreated somewhere farther.


    ¡°Did I say anything wrong?¡± Robbie questioned in a dignified manner. ¡°Don''t think that you''re


    distinguished and superior just because you own a luxury car. My mommy told me that everyone is


    equal, and those who don''t respect others don''t deserve to be respected as well!¡±


    ¡°Well said.¡± Old Mr. Nacht was not angry and instead, he beamed. ¡°It''s amazing that a three-year-old


    child can speak with such logical sense.¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡± Robbie was furious, looking like an enraged cub as he ced his hands on his hips.


    ¡°Don''t get worked up. I''ve asked the doctor. Your brother will be fine.¡± Old Mr. Nacht persuaded him, ¡°I''ll


    surely take responsibility for this matter. Tell me your father''s number, and I''ll send my man to inform


    him toe and discuss thepensation.¡±


    ¡°Just discuss with me.¡± Robbie''s face turned even more solemn and dispassionate. ¡°I''ve studied the


    law, and I''m especially familiar with the ones rted to everyday life. So don''t try to bluff me.¡±


    At that juncture, Robbie was thinking about protecting his mommy, who was clueless about thew.


    What if shees and gets tricked by this shrewd and cunning old man?


    Hence, it''s better for him to discuss it with me.


    ¡°Hahaha, interesting!¡± Old Mr. Nacht burst intoughter. ¡°Well then, in your opinion, how should I


    compensate you?¡±


    ¡°First, I need to ensure that my brother is really fine.¡± Robbie red at him furiously. ¡°You will only be


    given the opportunity to discuss thepensation details with me when my brother is safe and sound.


    If anything happens to him, I''ll definitely sue you¡ª¡±


    ¡°You have a very clear and organized reasoning.¡± Old Mr. Nacht nodded his head approvingly.


    ¡°I''m not in the mood to chat with you. Please be quiet and don''t bother me!¡±


    Turning away, Robbie paid no more attention to old Mr. Nacht.


    The more he looked at Robbie, the fonder old Mr. Nacht grew of him. He was wondering in his heart


    when he would be able to have a great-grandchild. If only my future great-grandchild is as smart as this


    kid here!


    Taking the opportunity as he went to the washroom, Robbie secretly borrowed a nurse''s phone to make


    a call to Charlotte.


    However, Charlotte''s phone was switched off.


    Then, Robbie made another call to Mrs. Berry, but her phone was turned off as well.


    He started feeling agitated but could only wait patiently.


    In the meantime, Charlotte was making a police report at the police station. The police had filed a case


    and told her to go home and wait for updates.


    Nevertheless, Charlotte was so restless that she wanted to join the police in finding her children.


    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    In response, the police said to her, ¡°I know you''re very anxious now, but you have some injuries on


    your body. Hence, youing together with us would only dy our work. The details you''ve provided


    are already sufficient. We''ll definitely do our best to help you find your children. So take a rest at home


    and keep your phone switched on. We''ll call you as soon as we have any news.¡±


    His words reminded Charlotte that her phone had run out of battery. To avoid hindering the police''s


    progress, she could only take a cab home.


    As soon as she stepped inside her home, she called out unwittingly, ¡°Robbie, Jamie, Ellie...¡±


    However, there was no one at home except Fifi, who replied softly, ¡°Mommy!¡±


    All of a sudden, tears welled up in Charlotte''s eyes and almost trickled down her cheeks.


    Five hours had passed since the children had gone missing, and there was still no news of them.


    Charlotte almost broke down in despair.


    Hauling her own wounded body into the bedroom, she connected her phone to the charger and


    proceeded to feed Fifi some food and water.


    As though she could sense Charlotte''s sorrow, Fifi rubbed her little head against Charlotte''s cheek and


    said, ¡°Mommy, don''t cry! Mommy, don''t cry!¡±

 Chapter 309

    Chapter 309


    Charlotte disregarded the pacifying as she wept even harder. She turned to look at the family picture


    that hung on the wall. ¡°Fifi, where do you think Robbie, Jamie, and Ellie have gone? Have they been


    kidnapped by the bad guys?¡±


    ¡°Bad guys, bad guys...¡± Fifi repeated the two words.


    Charlotte suddenly thought of Zachary. Could it be him that took away the kids?


    The words that I said before leaving the Nachts'' residence... had it angered him?


    And just because of that, he would take away my kids?


    No way...


    The shrill ringing of her phone broke the peace in the house. Charlotte leapt to her feet and rushed into


    her room immediately. In her haste, she identally knocked her waist against the wall, and it was so


    painful that it felt as if her bones had broken, but she resisted the pain and rushed to grab her phone


    from the bed.


    The phone call was from Zachary.


    ¡°Hello?¡± She answered.


    ¡°Where are you?¡± Zachary asked.


    ¡°Zachary, have you kidnapped my kids?¡± Charlotte questioned him hysterically.


    ¡°What nonsense is this?¡± Zachary replied coldly. ¡°Why would I kidnap your kids?¡±


    Charlotte froze up at his reply before she quickly came back to her senses. ¡°No, it''s nothing.¡±


    She knew that although Zachary had a brutal nature, he was a man that would not y dirty tricks.


    Such was his strong and honest character.


    To be frank, he looked upon such trickeries with disdain.


    If he was the one that had taken her kids, he would have admitted it before she even asked.


    Since he was so stunned by her question, it further proved that he did not kidnap her kids.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Zachary pressed on.


    ¡°Nothing, I''m hanging up first...¡±


    Charlotte was in no mood to bother him anymore as she felt both irritated and frustrated at the same


    time. Without another word, she ended the call abruptly.


    On the other end of the phone, Zachary was in disbelief that Charlotte dared to hang up.


    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    His brows furrowed as he recalled her earlier words...


    ¡°Mr. Nacht...¡± Ben saw the way Zachary''s face clouded over with anger when Charlotte hung up, and


    he cautiously opened his mouth to pacify him, ¡°Raina told me earlier that Mrs. Berry has fallen sick.


    Charlotte is now at the hospital. Maybe she''s too worried about Mrs. Berry.¡±


    ¡°Is that any of my business?¡± Zachary snapped back coldly. ¡°Am I the one that made Mrs. Berry sick?¡±


    ¡°No, what I meant...¡±


    ¡°Just shut up!¡± Zachary shot him a re as he grabbed his car keys and prepared to head out.


    ¡°Zachary, where are you going?¡± Sharon was just about to enter his vi when he stormed out. ¡°I''m


    nning to cook these king crabs that I bought earlier. We should have dinner together tonight!¡±


    Zachary left without sparing a nce at her. ¡°I''m busy.¡±


    ¡°Zachary, Zachary...¡± Sharon called out a few times in desperation.


    Seeing that Zachary ignored her, Sharon was so angry that she stomped her feet in frustration. She''d


    spent so much time and effort to win him over, but he treated her existence like nothing.


    When she came back the other day, his attitude was rtively warm. But after that, he had be


    more and more distant.


    All of this was because of that wench Charlotte!


    Whenever Sharon thought of that woman, she would grit her teeth in fury.


    However, she wouldn''t be discouraged so easily. At least I still had Grandpa Nacht''s support!


    ¡°Ms. ckwood, what should I do with these crabs?¡± An attendant asked carefully.


    ¡°You guys can have it yourself,¡± Sharon said brusquely as she called up Grandpa Nacht. Immediately,


    her voice transformed into a softer and more demure tone. ¡°Grandpa, I cooked your favorite vegetarian


    foods. We should have dinner together.¡±


    ¡°I''m at the hospital. You don''t need to make such an effort.¡± old Mr. Nacht replied.


    ¡°What? You''re in the hospital?¡± Sharon gasped in shock. ¡°What happened? Are you feeling unwell?¡±


    ¡°No, my driver knocked into a little kid by ident. I''m handling matters in the hospital right now.¡± He


    nced at his watch. ¡°If you hadn''t mentioned it earlier, I would have forgotten the time. It''s almost


    eight now. How about you send the food over to the Serene Hospital?¡±


    ¡°Alright, I''ll start preparing.¡±


    Sharon ended the call and called her maids into the kitchen. She even dismissed the existing cook of


    the Nachts'' residence.


    Once the kitchen door was closed shut, Sharon stood aside whilst she fiddled with her phone. ¡°Hurry


    up. Grandpa Nacht is waiting for the food.¡± She urged them.


    ¡°Yes Miss.¡±


    ¡°Later on, you''ll have to say that I made the food, alright?¡±


    ¡°Yes, understood!¡±

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    Chapter 310


    Robbie stood waiting in front of the emergency room. His small frame showed clear signs of anxiety


    and exhaustion.


    ¡°Are you hungry?¡± Old Mr. Nacht gave him a hamburger along with a cup of juice. ¡°It will take some


    time before the nutritious food that I ordered arrives. You should eat this to fill up your stomach first.¡±


    ¡°It''s alright, thank you.¡±


    Robbie looked longingly at the hamburger, and a loud growl came out of his belly. Immediately, his face


    flushed red at the embarrassing sound.


    How could he not be hungry? In the past, he would have a small snack when he arrived home at three-


    thirty before having dinner at six.


    But today, there were no snacks. He hadn''t even managed to drink a sip of water, let alone have dinner.


    Right now, his entire body was worn out. Robbie''s face was a sickly shade of white, and his lips looked


    extremely dry. asionally, he would dart out his little tongue to wet his cracked lips.


    ¡°Eat up.¡± Old Mr. Nacht split the burger in two before he handed over a half to Robbie. ¡°I can''t finish


    such a big burger alone, so why don''t you help me out? I''m sure your teachers have taught you that a


    good kid should always help others.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Robbie epted the burger with reluctance. ¡°Elderly people should eat less. It would be hard


    for you to digestter on.¡± He said coolly.


    ¡°That''s right,¡± Spencer said with augh. ¡°Quick, eat it.¡±


    ¡°You should eat first, I have to look for my sister.¡±


    Robbie swallowed his saliva as he looked wistfully at the burger. But he did not take even a single bite


    of it. Instead, he cradled the burger carefully and headed towards the elevator.


    Old Mr. Nacht was filled with curiosity when he saw his actions and decided to follow Robbie secretly...


    The first thing that Robbie did when he arrived downstairs was to ask the nearby nurse for a stic


    cup. After he received the cup of warm water, he walked over to Ellie''s room.


    When he arrived, Ellie was fast asleep on the bed with a nurse keeping herpany by her bedside.


    ¡°Ellie!¡± Robbie called out softly, but she barely stirred as she was still in a deep slumber.


    Unwilling to wake her up, Robbie handed over the cup of warm water and the hamburger to the nurse.


    ¡°Miss, could you please give these to my sister when she awakes?¡± He asked softly.


    Outside the room, old Mr. Nacht couldn''t help but feel touched at the scene before him. Robbie had


    kept the hamburger, especially for his little sister.


    ¡°Did you buy this for your sister?¡± The nurse took the food from him curiously, ¡°Little kid, you''re only


    three, but you know how to take such good care of your sister. You really are a good child!¡±


    ¡°I am her elder brother. It''s my responsibility to take care of my siblings,¡± Robbie said determinedly as


    he lifted his chest with pride. ¡°Miss, how is my sister? Is her condition serious?¡±


    ¡°Not at all!¡± The nurse squatted down. ¡°Rx, your sister will be fine. It''s only a tonsil inmmation.


    Once she gets her medication and drinks tons of water, a little rest is all she needs to be fully cured.¡±


    She said warmly to Robbie.


    ¡°My mommy said that patients with tonsil inmmation need to eat more light stuff, drink more water,


    and eat oatmeal...¡± Robbie turned to Ellie with a gaze full of guilt. ¡°But I can''t reach my mommy or Mrs.


    Berry, and I don''t have any money to buy Ellie oatmeal. She will starve if she doesn''t have anything to


    eat tonight.¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡± The nurse was so touched by Robbie''s words that tears began to well up in her eyes. ¡°Don''t


    worry! I will make sure to take good care of your sister. I can order some oatmeal overter, and once


    your sister is awake, I''ll make sure to feed her.¡± She reassured him hurriedly and ced her arm over


    his shoulder.


    ¡°Thank you, Miss.¡± Robbie bowed deeply and reached into his bag to pull out a storybook. ¡°I will leave


    this here as a mortgage. Once mommy is back, she will repay you for the oatmeal.¡±


    Old Mr. Nacht felt his own eyes redden from the sight. The hand that gripped his cane wavered slightly.


    Robbie''s actions undoubtedly warmed the deepest parts of his heart. Never would he have thought that


    a three-year-old kid like him willingly carried such a heavy burden and had such a deep sense of


    gratitude. What an excellent child!


    ¡°It''s alright...¡± The nurse tried to decline his offer.


    ¡°Please take it!¡± Robbie said determinedly.


    The nurse was forced to keep his book temporarily upon his insistence. She quickly returned the burger


    to him. ¡°Your sister cannot eat the burger or drink the juice. You should eat it first. You haven''t eaten


    dinner yet, right?¡±


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    ¡°Yeah...¡± Robbie epted the burger and gulped, but he made no move to eat it. Instead, he wrapped


    the burger delicately before he ced it safely in his school bag. ¡°Once Jamie is awake, he can eat it.¡±

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    Chapter 311


    Old Mr. Nacht''s burst into tears upon seeing what happened.


    Perhaps, he had be more tender-hearted as he aged.


    That night, he was utterly moved by the kid.


    ¡°Who is Jamie?¡± the nurse inquired.


    ¡°He is my younger brother. Currently, he is receiving treatment after bing involved in an ident.¡±


    Robbie answered with a slightly hoarse voice while his eyes were red, ¡°It is my fault for failing to protect


    him. If only I had clutched his hand tightly, then he wouldn''t be hit by a car for chasing after a kitten.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry. He''ll be fine.¡± The nurse quickly wiped away her tears upon hearing that. She regained


    herposure and asked, ¡°Are you hungry now? I''ll buy you something to eat.¡±


    ¡°It''s alright.¡± Robbie declined politely and exined, ¡°Mommy says I mustn''t simply trouble others. My


    younger sister is different as she is sick. Hence, I will need your help in taking care of her.¡±


    ¡°But...¡± The nurse opened her mouth to speak.


    ¡°I''m going to see my brother now.¡± Robbie interrupted her as he bowed to her again, ¡°Please take good


    care of my sister. Thank you so much!¡±


    ¡°Alright. You don''t have to worry as I''ll look after her properly!¡± The nurse promised him while wiping her


    tears.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Robbie turned around and left.


    Old Mr. Nacht quickly took a cover behind the cab located at a corner.


    Robbie came out from the ward to ask for a disposable cup. He had three servings of warm water


    before he went upstairs.


    Old Mr. Nacht was so touched that his eyes turned watery. He slowly walked to the upper floor while


    holding his crutch with a shaking hand.


    At that moment, Spencer approached him hastily. ¡°Mr. Nacht, I have been looking all over for you. I


    thought something has happened to you.¡±


    ¡°How''s that kid?¡± Old Mr. Nacht was back to his usual cool demeanor instantly.


    ¡°He has been transferred to the ward. Fortunately, the doctor advised that his injuries aren''t life-


    threatening. He is suffering from a broken right ankle and bruises over his body, as well as a slight


    concussion...¡±


    ¡°Tell them to get the best doctor as well as the best resources avable to treat this child. There must


    be no sequ.¡±


    ¡°Yes, the hospital is giving their full attention, knowing the request is from you. The medical


    superintendent and pediatric specialist are already here as well,¡± Spencer said as he nodded.


    Old Mr. Nacht nodded in acknowledgment and pointed at the ward behind him. ¡°The same shall applyConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    to the little girl. Apart from her medical treatments, please look into her daily necessities as well.


    Arrange a few professional medical caretakers over. I want nothing but the best of everything for her.¡±


    Spencer then made the necessary arrangements and supported old Mr. Nacht''s arm. ¡°Mr. Nacht, allow


    me to send you back as it is alreadyte.¡±


    ¡°I''m in no mood to rest¡ªnot until the proper arrangements are made for these kids,¡± old Mr. Nacht


    responded.


    He went upstairs while holding his crutch. ¡°I am already ny-six years old, yet I am moved by a


    three-year-old. He would rather go hungry to let his younger brother and sister have the hamburger.¡±


    Old Mr. Nacht paused for a moment before he continued, ¡°When the nurse promised Robbie to buy


    oatmeal for his sister, he gave his book to her as coteral and bowed before her. This kid certainly has


    a good upbringing. I wonder what kind of a person his parents are to have raised such an outstanding


    kid...¡±


    Upon seeing this kid, he thought of Zachary suddenly. ¡°Come to think of it, Zachary, that brat was also


    cute when he was young. However, now that he is an adult...¡±


    His voice trailed off when he thought of how Zachary deliberately angered him this morning before he


    spoke, ¡°As he grows older, he bes more annoying!¡±


    Spencer couldn''t help but chuckle. ¡°You are harsh with your words, but you have a soft heart. You treat


    Mr. Nacht stricter as you have high hopes for him. However, he is a grown-up now. Naturally, he will


    have his own views. Therefore, you cannot expect him to be aspliant anymore, right?¡±


    ¡°He is still my grandson, no matter how old he is. He lost both his parents when he was still a child. I


    raised him single-handedly. As such, I won''t allow him to follow in his father''s footsteps.¡±

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    Chapter 312


    Old Mr. Nacht''s expression was unusually determined when he said that. However, there was a


    complicated glint in his eyes.


    Spencer just lowered his head without saying any words.


    The people in the Nacht family knew that both old Mr. Nacht''s son and daughter-inw passed away at


    a very young age. That tragedy left him heartbroken. As for Zachary, this incident remained a misery


    for him.


    Therefore, this became a taboo of the Nacht family.


    No one else dared to bring up the issue except for the Nacht family themselves.


    Due to that tragic incident, old Mr. Nacht was strict towards Zachary''s love life.


    Although Zachary was twenty-eight years old, he had yet to date a girl officially. Due to this, he was


    rather passive yet stubborn when dealing with his love affair.


    Some time ago, old Mr. Nacht found out that Zachary was seeing someone. Thetter even attempted


    to strangle his cousin to death because of the woman. As such, it resulted in Zachary''s aunt seeking


    revenge.


    Hence, old Mr. Nacht rushed to H City immediately to deal with the matter.


    To prevent the history from repeating itself, Old Mr. Nacht had to be upromising, even if it meant


    Zachary would hold a grudge against him.


    ¡°Grandpa Nacht!¡± A lovely voice resonated.


    Old Mr. Nacht turned his head around and smiled. ¡°Look who''s here! Hello Sharon!¡±


    ¡°Sorry I waste, Grandpa Nacht.¡± Sharon held two lunch boxes as she walked hastily towards him. ¡°I


    made you some oatmeal and snacks. Here, please have some.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Sharon. You are such a thoughtful girl,¡± old Mr. Nacht praised.


    ¡°Please hand it to me. It must be tiring for you, Ms. ckwood.¡± Spencer received the lunch boxes from


    her. Noticing her fingers were bandaged, he asked in concern, ¡°Ms. ckwood, what happened to your


    hand?¡±


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Sharon quickly hid her hands behind her back.


    ¡°Let me have a look,¡± ordered old Mr. Nacht.


    ¡°Grandpa Nacht...¡± Sharon pouted as she said, ¡°I identally cut my fingers when I was cutting the


    fruits. It''s just a small wound. I''ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Don''t cook on your own the next time.¡± Old Mr. Nacht reminded her out of concern, ¡°Just let the maid


    handle it.¡±


    ¡°Well, I wish to cook for Grandpa Nacht personally.¡±


    ¡°Such a filial girl!¡± Old Mr. Nacht nodded with delight. ¡°I knew it is a wise decision for Zachary to marry


    you!¡±


    ¡°I guess it can''t be forced,¡± Sharon sighed.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Old Mr. Nacht realized that her word has a hidden meaning. ¡°Did he anger you


    again?¡±


    Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    Sharon smiled bitterly as she said, ¡°I wouldn''t have the nerve to get angry at him. I bought king crabs


    for dinner tonight. As I was preparing dinner, he took the car keys and left hastily without turning back. I


    guess he went out to look for that woman.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense!¡± Old Mr. Nacht''s face turned grim. ¡°I will deal with him when I get home!¡±


    ¡°Grandpa Nacht, please don''t get angry. He will only rebel the more we put pressure on him. Who


    knows, he might even loathe me then! I think it''s best if we just let nature takes its course.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I know what to do. Now, you head home first and have a good rest. Thank you for your dinner.¡±


    Old Mr. Nacht patted her hands.


    ¡°Grandpa Nacht, you''re wee. We shall not stand on ceremony, alright?¡±


    ¡°Okay...¡± Old Mr. Nacht smiled while nodding his head and urged, ¡°Please go back quickly.¡±


    ¡°What about you? It''s sote now. Aren''t you going back?¡± Sharon asked out of concern. ¡°Are there any


    casualties? If not, just let your subordinates handle it. Even if there is, I''ll make a call to the traffic police


    department for you. You don''t have to fuss over such trivial matter.¡±


    Those words escaped her mouth without her putting much thought into it.


    After she finished speaking, she realized old Mr. Nacht looked perturbed.


    Sharon immediately realized that she had said something wrong. ¡°What I meant is that I...¡±


    ¡°It''s alright. I know you are straightforward. Go home now.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Sharon replied.

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    Chapter 313


    Without saying further, Sharon bowed before old Mr. Nacht and turned her back to leave.


    Staring at her retreating figure, Spencer asked worriedly, ¡°Mr. Nacht, do you think Ms. ckwood is


    really suitable for Mr. Zachary?¡±


    ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± Old Mr. Nacht questioned.


    ¡°A person''s perception reflects his or her conscience.¡± Spencer tactfully said, ¡°Casualty, to her, is a


    trivial matter. It doesn''t seem quite right to me...¡±


    ¡°Sharon has been pampered since young. She may be straightforward, but she is not wicked. I


    watched her father grow up. He has a good personality, so would his daughter. That is why I want


    Zachary to marry her.¡±


    ¡°Ms. ckwood is fine, but...¡±


    ¡°Alright, that''s enough.¡± Old Mr. Nacht interrupted his speech and instructed, ¡°Take this food and give it


    to that kid. He is still starving.¡±


    ¡°Give it to that kid?¡± Spencer was a little bit surprised. ¡°Ms. ckwood has personally cooked it and


    delivered it to you...¡±


    ¡°Just do as I said!¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Spencer took the lunch boxes, prepared to leave.


    ¡°Forget about it.¡± Old Mr. Nacht told him, ¡°I''ll go there personally.¡±


    The two of them reached the upper floor. At that moment, Jamie had already been transferred from the


    emergency room into the VIP ward.


    Robbie carried a bag on his back and remained by the side while he queried anxiously, ¡°Doctor, doctor,


    how was my brother?¡±


    ¡°It''s nothing major. You don''t have to worry. Please be careful not to trip over, alright?¡±


    Seeing a three-year-old looking after his younger brother warmed the hearts of the onlookers. As such,


    their tone turned gentle when they spoke to Robbie.


    Inside the ward, the doctors strapped a newbel on Jamie''s wrist. They inserted an IV catheter on the


    back of his hand. Additionally, there was also a venttor and an electrocardiograph for him, among


    other devices.


    Robbie stood by the side and watched, feeling anxious.


    After all the devices had been set up, he walked up to them once again. ¡°Doctor, what is the status right


    now? Why is he still unconscious?¡±


    ¡°Kid, where are your parents?¡± One of the doctors asked gently.


    ¡°Mommy''s phone is engaged.¡± Robbie''s voice was a bit choked up. However, he was quick to recover


    as he proimed, ¡°I''m his eldest brother. It will be the same for you to speak with me about his


    condition.¡±


    The doctor was taken aback by Robbie''s words. However, he squatted down and said softly, ¡°Hmm.


    You are just a kid. I need to see your parents. You both look identical. Are you twins?¡±


    Robbie answered politely, ¡°We are triplets. I am Robbie while this is Jamie. We have a younger sister,


    Ellie. She is suffering from tonsils inmmation. Currently, she is resting at the ward downstairs.¡±


    ¡°Oh my, it''s triplets!¡± A few nurses came up to him and smiled.


    ¡°You are so cute. In fact, you look more handsome than the child actors in the television,¡± one of the


    nursesmented.


    ¡°Are you guys multi-racial?¡±


    ¡°Where are your parents?¡±


    ¡°Dear all nurses, my brother is injured. Hence, he needs a peaceful environment to recuperate.¡± Robbie


    furrowed his little brows and said, ¡°Could you all please don''t chit-chat here?¡±


    ¡°Uh...¡± Those nurses were stunned. At the same time, they were feeling ashamed as they apologized


    profusely.


    A doctorughed and exined, ¡°Kid, you don''t have to worry. Your brother''s condition is not very


    serious.¡±


    Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    ¡°Why is he still unconscious if his condition is not serious? Doctor, I may be young, but please don''t


    take me as a kid who knows nothing. Please tell me directly about my brother''s condition. I can handle


    it.¡±


    ¡°Alright then.¡± The doctor held in his smile and replied professionally, ¡°Your brother''s right ankle is


    fractured. His body has a lot of bruises while he has a minor concussion...¡±


    ¡°Therefore, he is still unconscious now due to the concussion? Doctor, are you sure it is only a minor


    one? Will there be any seque?¡± Robbie wished to confirm again.

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    Chapter 314


    ¡°Wow, I''m impressed!¡± the doctor said. ¡°Aren''t you only three years old?¡±


    Robbie frowned impatiently. ¡°Get to the point!¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright,¡± the doctor said, throwing his hands up in defeat. ¡°He''s still unconscious right now


    because of his head wound and blood loss, but he''ll wake up soon. I promise that we''ll take good care


    of him and make sure he makes a full recovery.¡±


    ¡°Alright then,¡± Robbie said, sighing in relief. ¡°Can you give me a copy of all my brother''s medical


    records? I need to hand them over to ourwyer so that he can present those as evidence in court.¡±


    The doctor stared at him incredulously. He''s only three years old, isn''t he? How is he so smart already?


    ¡°Just do it!¡± An old man''s voice rang.


    The doctor almost jumped out of his skin in shock, and he leaped out of his chair to bow to the person


    who had spoken. ¡°Greetings, Mr. Nacht!¡±


    ¡°Spare the greetings...¡± the old man said as a team of specialists led by the superintendent of the


    hospital rushed towards the room from the other side of the corridor.


    ¡°Greetings, Mr. Nacht!¡± they shouted in unison from down the corridor.


    ¡°I gathered a group of specialists the moment I heard about your grandson''s plight, Mr. Nacht,¡± the


    superintendent of the hospital exined, huffing and puffing. ¡°We''ll do our best to ensure a speedy


    recovery for your grandson...¡±


    ¡°Ahem,¡± Spencer coughed, cutting the superintendent off. ¡°He isn''t Mr. Nacht''s grandson. He only has


    one grandson, and that''s Zachary Nacht.¡±


    The superintendent went pale in the face immediately. ¡°Apologies for mixing them up...¡±


    ¡°He may not be my grandson, but close enough,¡± the old Mr. Nacht said. ¡°Mr. Hooters, I''ll leave him in


    your care. Make sure he''s well taken care of.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course, Mr. Nacht!¡± Mr. Hooters said, nodding vehemently.


    Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    The other doctors and nurses followed suit.


    ¡°Also...¡± the old Mr. Nacht said, pointing at Robbie. ¡°Give him the documents, and don''t you dare try to


    cheat him.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Nacht,¡± Mr. Hooters answered, ncing at Robbie respectfully.


    ¡°He has a sister too, by the way,¡± the old Mr. Nacht continued. ¡°She''s been crying for a long time, and


    now she has tonsillitis and is getting an IV drip downstairs. Remember to take good care of her too.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Nacht. I''ll make sure to do so.¡±


    Later, Mr. Hooters took it upon himself to understand the situation and make the necessary


    adjustments.


    Robbie stood by the side and listened attentively, his furrowed brows only smoothening out when he


    finally got his hands on the documents he asked for.


    The old Mr. Nacht watched him with a gentle smile on his face and walked over when Robbie sighed in


    relief. ¡°How do you feel now? Better?¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Robbie said, turning around to face the old Mr. Nacht with a genuine grin. ¡°Mommy always


    tells us to forgive people who apologize for their mistakes and makes up for them, so that''s what I''m


    going to do now!¡±


    ¡°Haha! Thank you, kid!¡± the old Mr. Nacht chuckled, nodding.


    This kid looks just like young Zachary. His looks, his aura, his voice, and his way of thinking... He


    resembles Zachary down to every detail!


    ¡°How about your chauffeur? Is he going to apologize?¡± Robbie asked with a serious look on his face.


    ¡°You may need to reconsider his position as your chauffeur.¡±

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    Chapter 315


    ¡°You''re right. I''ll think about it,¡± the old Mr. Nacht said, nodding in agreement.


    ¡°Can you help me move my sister to this room too? It''s easier for me to look after the both of them


    here,¡± Robbie requested, only for a few nurses to appear at the door just secondster with his


    sleeping sister in tow.


    ¡°That''s already settled,¡± the old Mr. Nacht said. ¡°Anything else?¡±


    Robbie lowered his gaze and thought about it for a moment before answering, ¡°That''s it for now.¡±


    ¡°Alright then, it''s my turn now,¡± the old Mr. Nacht said with a grin. ¡°Can you help me?¡±


    ¡°Help you?¡± Robbie asked as curiosity got the better of him.


    The old Mr. Nacht pointed at the basket sitting on the table and said, ¡°My family sent me lots of food,


    but I don''t really have much of an appetite. Can you help me finish them? I don''t want to waste food,


    after all.¡±


    As he spoke, Spencer walked over to the table and unpacked the lunch boxes.


    The aroma of the food hit Robbie''s nostrils the moment Spencer uncovered the basket, and he


    watched with starry eyes as all the dishes appeared on the table in seconds.


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    Robbie''s stomach growled at the sight of the food as he struggled to move his gaze away.


    ¡°That''s a lot of food,¡± the old Mr. Nacht said with an exasperated sigh. ¡°Oh dear, looks like you can''t


    finish it by yourself. I wish your siblings were here!¡±


    ¡°They''re still sleeping,¡± Robbie said before he was cut off by Ellie''s cries. ¡°Mommy! Mommy!¡±


    ¡°Ellie!¡± he shouted, rushing over to Ellie''s side and patting her shoulder gently. ¡°Don''t worry, Ellie, I''m


    here!¡±


    ¡°Robbie!¡± Ellie cried, burying her face in Robbie''s chest. ¡°I miss Mommy!¡±


    ¡°Don''t be scared, Mommy''sing soon!¡± Robbie said, wiping her tears away. ¡°Are you hungry? Do


    you want some food?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I''m hungry,¡± Ellie answered, licking her lips.


    ¡°Give me a second,¡± Robbie said as he helped Ellie up into a sitting position. He walked back to the old


    Mr. Nacht''s side and bowed to him. ¡°Thank you, Grandpa Nacht!¡±


    ¡°No need to thank me!¡± the old Mr. Nacht said hurriedly. ¡°You''re doing me a favor here.¡±


    ¡°No matter what, we''re still eating food that was meant for you,¡± Robbie said, raising his head to meet


    the old Mr. Nacht''s eyes. ¡°When my Mommy and Mrs. Berry are here, I''ll ask them to cook twice the


    amount for you. Mrs. Berry''s food is really good!¡±


    ¡°Alright, we have a pact!¡± the old Mr. Nacht said, touched by Robbie''spassion.


    ¡°Pinkie promise!¡± Robbie said, sticking out his pinkie finger.


    The old Mr. Nacht bent over and made a pinkie promise with Robbie while sporting a wide grin on his


    face. This is probably the only childish thing this kid did tonight!


    ¡°Alright, eat up!¡± the older Mr. Nacht said, pushing Robbie over to the table. ¡°Your sister is starving!¡±


    Robbie nodded and hurried over to set the table. A nurse rushed over and offered to help, and he


    epted her offer gratefully.


    ¡°Thank you!¡± he said before heading to the bathroom to wash his hands.


    When he returned, the nurse had already moved the dishes to Ellie''s overbed table and moved a chair


    over for Robbie to sit on. She took out an alcohol wipe and helped Robbie clean his hands a second


    time.


    ¡°Alright, let''s eat!¡± Robbie said, picking up a bowl of oatmeal. ¡°I''ll feed you, Ellie.¡±


    ¡°I can eat it myself,¡± Ellie said, rubbing her swollen eyes. ¡°You should eat too, Robbie. I can hear your


    stomach grumbling.¡±


    Robbie chuckled and rubbed his belly with a sheepish smile.


    ¡°Thank you, Grandpa Nacht!¡± Ellie said, bowing her head. ¡°Mommy always talks about how good


    people will get good karma, and you''ll be one of them!¡±

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    Chapter 316


    ¡°Oh my...¡± Spencer cooed. ¡°You''re so cute, little girl!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, cutie!¡± the old Mr. Nacht said as he felt tears well up in his eyes.


    That was his first time meeting a wide awake Ellie, and he instantly felt a connection to her, as though


    they were family all along.


    ¡°Ellie, this is for Jamie. Eat as much as you like and I''ll eat after you,¡± Robbie said as he set aside a


    portion of the food for Jamie.


    ¡°She hasn''t eaten the takeaway that I got her just now. How about...¡± the nurse that helped Robbie


    clean his hands whispered.


    ¡°It''s fine,¡± the old Mr. Nacht said. ¡°Kids, I''ll get someone to send more food overter. You can eat as


    much as you like!¡±


    ¡°No need...¡± Robbie said, only to be cut off by Ellie''s cheerful chirps.


    ¡°Thank you, Grandpa Nacht!¡± Ellie said with a wide grin.


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    She picked up a custard bun with her oily hands and handed it over to the old Mr. Nacht. ¡°Here, have a


    bun, Grandpa Nacht!¡±


    Spencer stepped forward to turn down her offer, but the old Mr. Nacht simply smiled and took the bun


    from her hands.


    ¡°Thanks!¡± he said as he took a bite of the bun. ¡°Mmm! So tasty!¡±


    That was the most delicious custard bun he had ever eaten, although it was just a simple pastry filled


    with cream.


    Ellie''s hands were slippery with oil, but the old Mr. Nacht was not a single bit disgusted with it. In fact,


    he thoroughly enjoyed every bite he took.


    Thest time he had such a great appetite was twenty-two years ago, when Zachary was only six years


    old.


    The three kids brought back a tsunami of memories, and his desire for great-grandkids grew stronger


    than ever.


    He''d better get married soon and produce some great-grandkids for me to cuddle!


    Look at them! They''re so adorable!


    ¡°It''s gettingte, Mr. Nacht. Shall I send you home?¡± Spencer asked, concerned for the old man''s


    health.


    ¡°I''ll leave after they sleep,¡± the old Mr. Nacht said, pointing to the cots in the room. ¡°Do they have


    enough nkets? Will it be cold at night?¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry, Mr. Nacht. If you insist, I can bring another set of nkets for them,¡± the head nurse said.


    ¡°Mr. Hooter''s got everything covered.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Make sure someone''s watching over them twenty-four-seven,¡± the old Mr. Nacht said.


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Nacht.¡±


    ¡°Oh, and...¡± the old Mr. Nacht said as he nced at Robbie. ¡°Do you drink milk at night? I''ll get them to


    prepare...¡±


    ¡°Ellie needs milk...¡± Robbie blurted before puffing out his chest. ¡°I''m a big boy! I don''t need milk!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! Drinking milk doesn''t mean that you aren''t a big boy!¡± the old Mr. Nacht said with a chuckle.


    Spencer and the nurses giggled at his words, while Robbie turned red in the face. ¡°I-I need milk in the


    morning, but I don''t need a bottle...¡±


    ¡°I need a bottle!¡± Ellie said, pouting. ¡°I''m not a big boy after all!¡±


    The old Mr. Nacht burst intoughter at the sound of that, and the room was soon filled with the


    chuckles of every adult present.


    The tension in the air was long gone, reced by a lighthearted mood.


    Spencer smiled as he watched the old Mr. Nachtugh. When was thest time he had such a hearty


    laugh?


    Probably about twenty years ago...


    Zachary was just like the three kids back when he was a toddler, but everything changed after he


    turned six.


    The old Mr. Nacht somehow found some semnce of those simpler times when he was interacting


    with the kids. Spencer figured that fate could have been the one behind this.

 Chapter 317

    Chapter 317


    The old Mr. Nacht took his leave only after the three kids were tucked in for the night, and he made it a


    point to remind Mr. Hooters to take care of them to the best of his and his team''s abilities.


    They were not his grandchildren, yet that did not stop him from treating them as such.


    He could not afford to let anything happen to those three precious children.


    Mr. Hooters nodded profusely as he spoke, ¡°Yes, Mr. Nacht! I''ll personally attend to that!¡±


    Ellie fell asleep after the old man left, and Robbie took this chance to mber out of his cot and gently


    pat the shoulder of the nurse that had been taking care of them. ¡°Sorry Miss, may I borrow your


    phone?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± the nurse said, handing over her phone.


    Fearing that he might wake his siblings up, he hid in the bathroom and dialed Mrs. Berry''s number, only


    to be met with a robotic voice telling him that Mrs. Berry''s phone was turned off.


    Sighing, he proceeded to call his mother, but no one picked up the phone.


    Robbie''s heart raced. Is Mommy on a business trip again? Why hasn''t she returned home? Maybe she


    just doesn''t want to answer a call from an unfamiliar number?


    Robbie decided to send his mother a message. Mommy, I''m Robbie. Please call this number when you


    see this message.


    He returned the phone to the nurse afterward. ¡°My Mommy didn''t pick up my calls. She''s probably busy


    right now. I figured that she won''t pick up if it''s an unfamiliar number, so I sent a message telling her to


    call back once she sees it. Can you inform me when she calls back, please?¡±


    ¡°Sure, no worries,¡± the nurse said, nodding. ¡°You should sleep now.¡±


    ¡°Thank you...¡± Robbie said as a wave of fatigue washed over him. He stumbled back to his cot and fell


    asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.


    The nurse followed suit soon after.


    Meanwhile, at Happy Avenue...


    Zachary gave Charlotte a call, but it was ignored just like Robbie''s call. He frowned as his anxiety


    mounted.


    Instead of calling her another time, he decided to call Raina instead to ask for Charlotte''s unit number.


    Raina mentioned Mrs. Berry''s illness as well, and Zachary simply hummed in response.


    He parked his car by the side of the road and climbed over the wall to enter Charlotte''s block.


    The door to Charlotte''s apartment was locked, and no one answered when he tried knocking a few


    times.


    He sighed and took out a card to get past the lock before sneaking into the apartment on his tiptoes.


    Even so, he still somehow managed to wake Fifi up, and she began to p her wings frantically. ¡°Bad


    guy! Bad guy!¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Zachary bellowed.


    Fifi retracted her neck like a scared turtle and whimpered, ¡°Mommy, Mommy, there''s a bad guy here...¡±


    Zachary shook his head and walked past her cage to find Charlotte''s room, only to freeze in shock


    when he saw the sight before him.


    Charlotte was on the floor, drenched from head to toe and deadly pale.


    ¡°You idiot!¡± Zachary growled as he picked her up bridal style and rushed out of the front door.


    ¡°Mommy! Mommy!¡± Fifi called, bursting out of her cage to follow Zachary out.


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    Zachary walked into the lift with Charlotte in his arms, and Fifi followed them closely. Instead of


    squawking incessantly as she had been before, she stayed silent and pecked Charlotte''s hair gently, as


    though she was trying to wake her owner up.


    Zachary rolled his eyes and ignored Fifi. What a dumb bird!


    Fifi followed him all the way to his car, chirping nervously along the way and staying huddled against


    Charlotte''s chest.


    Zachary steered the car with one hand and gave Raina a call with his other hand, telling her to wait


    outside the hospital.


    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡± Raina answered.


    After he hung up, he began to pick up speed, stealing worried nces at Charlotte''s motionless body


    next to him every so often.

 Chapter 318

    Chapter 318


    He hated himself for unknowingly hurting her, but he could not stop the angry me in his chest from


    ring up. Why did this stupid woman throw herself into danger just to protect Michael? Did she think


    that he was worth more than her own life?


    She would have died if I didn''t barge in to save her just now!


    He gripped the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles turned white.


    ¡°Mommy... I''m scared... I''m scared...¡± Fifi whimpered, curling up against Charlotte''s side and shivering


    in fear.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Zachary yelled. ¡°bber some more and I''ll pull out all your feathers!¡±


    In response, Fifi hid behind Charlotte''s hair and started to sob.


    Soon, they arrived at Raina''s hospital, and she was already waiting at the entrance with her team as


    told.


    When Zachary alighted from the car with Charlotte in his arms, the team of paramedics rushed forward


    to move her onto a gurney.


    As they pushed Charlotte into the hospital, Zachary followed them closely and asked, ¡°What''s going


    on? Why did she faint all of a sudden? Is there something else that''s wrong with her?¡±


    ¡°I''ve done a thorough checkup on her, and I can confirm that she''s fine,¡± Raina said. ¡°However, Ms.


    Windt has gone through a lot over the past couple of months, and she hasn''t been able to properly rest


    and recover from the initial trauma. Now that Mrs. Berry''s ill, her mood hasn''t been very good too,


    which might have further dyed her recovery.¡±


    ¡°Just give her another checkup and nurse her back to health.¡±


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    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±


    The paramedics pushed Charlotte into a room on her gurney for Raina''s inspection.


    Zachary stood outside the room and waited anxiously while Fifi flew around in circles. When her injured


    wings began to hurt, she came to a rest on Zachary''s shoulder, only to receive a cold re from him.


    Fifi shivered and covered her face with her wings, but she did not make a move to fly away.


    Zachary figured that she had epted him into the family since he had saved Charlotte on several


    asions.


    Zachary continued to re at Fifi, but he did not try to chase her away.


    After all, Fifi was Charlotte''s pet, and if Fifi went missing, Charlotte would never be able to make a full


    recovery.


    Whatever. I''ll just change out of this suitter on.


    However, he could not help but think about how Fifi had pooped on his clothes the first time they met,


    so he turned around and warned, ¡°Don''t you dare poop on my clothes again!¡±


    ¡°I''m scared... I''m scared...¡± Fifi repeated like a broken recorder. She peeked out from behind her wing


    feathers, only to squawk in fear upon seeing his scowl.


    As she jumped in fear, a fresh dollop of poop descended upon the fabric of his suit, staining his


    shoulder a sickly green.


    Zachary''s face turned as green as the poop as he clenched his fists in anger.


    ¡°Mommy... Mommy!¡± Fifi shrieked, taking off from his shoulders in a frantic attempt to look for Charlotte,


    only to crash into the door like a fly with a severed head.


    Zachary watched as Fifi fell to the ground and resisted the urge to facepalm. Like master, like pet!


    They''re equally stupid!


    Whatever. I''ll spare her for that stupid woman''s sake.


    Peeling his zer off his body and draping it over a nearby chair, he bent over and picked Fifi up from


    the floor.


    ¡°Bad guy, bad guy... Mommy... Mommy! Fifi''s scared! Fifi''s scared!¡± Fifi squawked, pping her wings


    and pecking Zachary''s hand in an attempt to escape.


    Zachary ignored Fifi entirely and stuffed Fifi into his zer pocket. He jabbed a finger into Fifi''s face


    and growled, ¡°Stay here and don''t move, or else!¡±


    Fifi was left with no choice but to cease and desist, and she nodded slowly with a fearful shiver.

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    Chapter 319


    Raina snickered from her position at the door, but she wiped her smile off her face the moment she


    noticed Zachary''s chilly re.


    ¡°Ahem. Mr. Nacht, Ms. Windt is rather feeble, and she fainted due to excessive anxiety, but I''m sure


    she''ll wake up soon,¡± Raina reported.


    ¡°Excessive anxiety?¡± Zachary asked, frowning. ¡°Was it because of Mrs. Berry''s illness?¡±


    A strange sense of jealousy gripped his heart. I bet she''s closer to Mrs. Berry than me!


    ¡°Yeah, she''s probably exhausted,¡± Raina said. ¡°She had to take care of Mrs. Berry and her three kids


    while nursing her own injuries, which must have been really hard.¡±


    ¡°What happened to Mrs. Berry?¡± Zachary asked.


    ¡°She is diagnosed with mild stroke, so she needs time to recover,¡± Raina said.


    ¡°Direct all attention to her and get in specialists from overseas if needed,¡± Zachary ordered.


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    ¡°Of course, Mr. Nacht,¡± Raina said with a smile. ¡°I didn''t expect you to be so caring towards Ms. Windt''s


    loved ones too!¡±


    ¡°I''m just beingpassionate, you know,¡± Zachary said coldly. Though, Raina could hear theck of


    confidence in his voice.


    She covered her mouth and let out a small chuckle.


    ¡°Take care of the bird too,¡± Zachary said, pointing at Fifi. After that, he walked into the ward.


    The paramedics were in the midst of wiping Charlotte''s body down with a damp cloth, and they


    immediately dropped everything to bow to Zachary the moment he entered.


    Zachary gestured for them to rx before sitting down by Charlotte''s bed and staring at her face.


    Why is she falling sick and getting hurt so often?


    Is she really that sickly?


    What if I''m the reason for all her suffering?


    When the paramedics filed out of the room through the door, Fifi took the chance to burst into the room.


    Shended by Charlotte''s head and pecked her hair gently. ¡°Mommy... Mommy...¡±


    ¡°Be quiet!¡± Zachary bellowed.


    Fifi nced at him timidly and stopped squawking. Instead, she burrowed herself into Charlotte''s


    nket and stroked her hair with her wings tenderly.


    Zachary felt a lump forming in his throat. That bird may be dumb, but she''s really loyal.


    He recalled how Fifi had rushed forward to save Charlotte thest time she got attacked, and how her


    mangled wing from that incident had yet to heal.


    He turned to a paramedic standing nearby and said, ¡°Bring me some parrot food.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±


    The paramedic returned shortly after with a bag of parrot food, and Zachary proceeded to pour some


    into his hand and offer them to Fifi.


    Fifi hesitated for a moment before fluttering over to his hand and helping herself to the food.


    Fifi was really hungry as Charlotte had only fed the parrot a small amount of food before her phone call


    that night.


    Fifi had stayed put after that, even as Charlotte failed to emerge from her room after a long time.


    Fifi only realized that something had happened to Charlotte when Zachary came barging in like a


    burr.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht,¡± Raina called, walking in with a basket of wine and pastries in tow. ¡°Ben sent this over just


    now.¡±


    Zachary hummed in reply and gestured for her to leave the room, which she did with a slight bow of her


    head.


    Outside, Ben stood guard along with a few bodyguards.


    He was worried when Zachary drove off by himself, but there was nothing he could have done to stop


    him.


    When Raina called him and informed him about Zachary''s whereabouts, he decided to bring Zachary''s


    usual dinner of wine and pastries to the hospital to ensure that he did not go hungry for the night.


    After delivering the food and wine, he found a spot outside the ward and waited patiently for Zachary''s


    orders.


    Meanwhile, Zachary watched as Fifi pecked at the pellets of food on his hand as he sipped his wine,


    and his gaze softened as time passed. She''s pretty cute...


    Soon, Fifi finished all the food in his hand and started pping her wings pleadingly. ¡°Water, water!¡± she


    chirped quietly.


    ¡°What a greedy bird!¡± Zachary chided, offering her the wine in his ss. ¡°Drink up! This is top-quality


    wine!¡±

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    Chapter 320


    Desperate for hydration, Fifi dipped her beak into the winess and drank the wine hungrily.


    Zachary grimaced. You greedy bird! I haven''t even shared it with Ben before!


    After a few mouthfuls of alcoholic goodness, Fifi burped loudly and copsed onto the bed beside


    Charlotte before falling into a drunken slumber.


    Zachary got himself a fresh winess and helped himself to another two sses of wine before


    walking over to watch Charlotte sleep.


    Her pallid face was like a knife to the most sensitive depths of his heart, and he told himself to keep his


    temper in check from now on.


    I can''t afford to hurt her yet again!


    Leaning forward and nting a light kiss on Charlotte''s forehead, he got up and walked over to the


    sofa to sleep for the night.


    Meanwhile, Raina knocked on the door of the ward, only to receive no reply.


    ¡°What''s going on?¡± Ben asked.


    ¡°Mrs. Berry is hospitalized, and now Ms. Windt is ill too. What''s going to happen to the three kids?¡±


    Raina asked, frowning. ¡°I wanted to ask Mr. Nacht if he''s going to send anyone over to take care of


    them, but he''s asleep.¡±


    ¡°Well... I can''t say much regarding this issue,¡± Ben said hesitantly.


    Without Zachary''s orders, he did not have the right to act on his own ord.


    After all, those three kids were not Zachary''s, and thest thing Ben wanted was to get on Zachary''s


    nerves.


    However, there was a nagging feeling that he had to take responsibility for the kids'' safety.


    ¡°Never mind, let''s just go take a look,¡± Raina said. ¡°I''ll take the me if Mr. Nacht demands for an


    exnationter on!¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Ben said, patting her shoulder.


    However, when Raina arrived at Charlotte''s apartment with two pediatricians, the kids were nowhere to


    be found.


    Panicked, Raina rushed back to the hospital to report the situation to Zachary, only to find him still


    asleep.


    Ben hesitated when he heard Raina''s story. ¡°Did Ms. Windt leave the kids with someone else? Are they


    with the Browns? If they are, then it''s best to keep quiet about it.¡±


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    ¡°That''s true...¡± Raina said, lowering her head in anxiety. ¡°Shall we talk to Ms. Windt when she wakes up


    in the morning?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that sounds great.¡±


    The next morning, Charlotte woke up from her deep slumber abruptly while screaming, ¡°No! Don''t hurt


    my kids!¡±


    Zachary rushed over and held on tightly to her hand. ¡°You''re safe! Don''t panic!¡±


    Charlotte''s eyes flew open, and Zachary almost took a step back after seeing just how much fear there


    was in her eyes. ¡°My kids... my kids!¡± she screamed, huffing and puffing from the effort.


    ¡°What''s wrong?¡± Zachary asked, frowning.


    ¡°My kids are gone...¡± Charlotte cried, grabbing his hands tightly. ¡°Help me, Zachary! My kids are


    gone...¡±


    Zachary knew that he had no obligation to help since the kids belonged to the Brown family, but he


    could not help but feel sorry for her.


    Seeing that he was hesitant, Charlotte only grew even more anxious. ¡°Please help me!¡± she begged, as


    though Zachary was herst hope.


    Zachary grimaced and turned around. ¡°Ben!¡±


    Ben rushed in immediately. ¡°Yes, Mr. Nacht?¡±


    ¡°Go and...¡±


    ¡°Why are you stopping me? Let me in!¡± a voice suddenly rang, cutting Zachary off.


    It was Michael Brown, and his voice made Zachary''s heart turn cold.


    The logical side of his mind took over, and he yanked his hand away roughly. ¡°They''re not my kids. I


    don''t have to help you.¡±


    ¡°Y-You...¡± Charlotte stammered, staring at him in shock.


    What the hell did you just say?


    They are your kids, for goodness'' sake!


    You''ll regret not helping them!

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    Chapter 321


    ¡°Charlotte! Charlotte!¡± Michael shouted from outside the ward. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    He paused for a moment before speaking again, ¡°Zachary Nacht! I won''t let you hurt her again!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Brown, please be quiet! This is a hospital!¡± Raina scolded.


    ¡°Mrs. Berry gave me a call and told me that the kids went missing!¡± Michael eximed angrily. ¡°Did


    Zachary kidnap them? They''re only three years old! Doesn''t he know that the kids...¡±


    ¡°That''s enough!¡± Raina bellowed, cutting him off. ¡°You''re doing nothing but hurting Ms. Windt!¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? Why would I hurt her?¡± Michael asked incredulously as he tried to push


    past her. ¡°Zachary Nacht! Get out...¡±


    The door creaked open before he could finish his sentence.


    Zachary emerged from the room, his clothes in a wrinkled mess.


    Even so, his mere presence felt like a chokehold.


    He red at Michael warily. ¡°What''s the matter now, Mr. Brown?¡±


    ¡°Zachary Nacht! Did you kidnap those three kids?¡± Michael asked, his voice shaking.


    Instead of answering, Zachary merely narrowed his eyes, making the temperature in the room drop by


    a few more degrees.


    ¡°Michael!¡± Charlotte eximed, limping out of the room while holding her injured waist. ¡°He didn''t


    kidnap the kids, and you''re not needed here. Leave!¡±


    ¡°Charlotte! What in the world happened to you?¡± Michael yelled the moment he saw Charlotte in her


    battered state. He rushed forward to support her. ¡°Did you get hurt? Who did this to you?¡±


    Zachary had kicked Charlotte squarely in the torso during the banquet that night, but Michael thought


    that she was fine.


    However, the Charlotte standing before him looked as though she had gone through hell and back.


    ¡°I did it!¡± Zachary dered. ¡°What are you going to do to me?¡±


    ¡°You''re a criminal!¡± Michael screamed, raising his fist to punch Zachary.


    ¡°No!¡± Charlotte yelled, trying her best to push him away on her unsteady feet. ¡°That''s enough, Michael!


    You should go...¡±


    The more Michael got himself involved in her matters, the more difficult things became.


    Raina sighed. She knew how much Zachary cared about Charlotte, and he would definitely try his best


    to help her as long as she asked him for help.


    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    However, Michael''s involvement would only make things thousand times moreplicated.


    He''s messing everything up!


    ¡°Charlotte! Let''s go!¡± Michael said, grabbing Charlotte''s hand.


    ¡°You''re not going to make it out of here alive,¡± Zachary scoffed. Without warning, he reached out and


    grabbed Michael''s neck. ¡°You have a death wish, don''t you, Michael Brown!¡±


    Michael wed at his iron grip and opened his mouth wide in a futile attempt to breathe, and his face


    slowly turned a ghastly shade of white just secondster.


    ¡°No!¡± Charlotte screamed, lunging forward to pull Zachary backward, only to be thrown to the side


    roughly.


    She copsed onto the ground and hissed in pain.


    Raina rushed forward to help her up while Ben yelled, ¡°Mr. Nacht! Calm down!¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Zachary yelled, losing control entirely.


    I should have been more decisive!


    I would have helped Charlotte find her kids if that jerk didn''t barge in and attempt to take her away!


    I can''t take this anymore!


    I must kill him!


    His grip tightened, and he could almost see Michael''s soul leaving his body.

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    Chapter 322


    ¡°Zachary... Please...¡± Charlotte begged, picking herself up from the ground with much difficulty, only for


    Raina to pull her backward.


    ¡°Ms. Windt, you must stay still! You''ll only get Mr. Brown killed if you try to intervene!¡± Raina eximed.


    ¡°But...¡±


    Suddenly, there was a loud scuffle outside the room, and Mrs. Berry came barging in with a broom in


    her hands. ¡°You bastard! I''m going to kill you!¡±


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    Before she couldnd a single hit on Zachary, the two bodyguards stationed outside the ward grabbed


    her arms and dragged her away from Zachary.


    ¡°Let me go! Let me go!¡± Mrs. Berry screamed. ¡°How dare you bully Miss and kidnap her kids? Get your


    dirty hands off Mr. Brown!¡±


    She lunged forward without warning and threw the broom towards Zachary''s head.


    Everyone watched in horror as the broom mmed into Zachary''s forehead andnded with a loud


    thud on the floor.


    Charlotte''s eyes widened as she nced back and forth between Zachary and the broom, her heart


    thumping against her chest wildly.


    I''m done for... It''s over... I''m dead meat...


    What a painless but insulting attack!


    Zachary''s expression turned stormy almost immediately, and he let go of Michael''s neck to re at


    Mrs. Berry instead.


    Mrs. Berry shivered upon seeing his deathly re, making the bulging rings of fat on her body wobble


    like jelly.


    She began to regret her actions.


    Charlotte could tell that Mrs. Berry was doomed, and she almost fainted from despair.


    ¡°I think there''s a misunderstanding here, Mrs. Berry,¡± Raina said hurriedly. ¡°Mr. Nacht did not kidnap the


    kids...¡±


    ¡°Who would it be then?¡± Mrs. Berry asked, her voice trembling. ¡°Ms. Cheney called me this morning


    and told me that the kids were gone! I couldn''t get in touch with Miss, so I told Mr. Brown to search for


    them at Miss'' ce. Little did I know that Miss had gone missing too!¡±


    She raised a trembling finger and pointed at Zachary usingly. ¡°I overheard the nurses talking about


    how you sent Miss here, and that''s how I found you. Why is it that she''s falling sick and getting hurt so


    much recently? Why are people breaking in and nting bombs in our house? Where are the kids? It


    must be you!¡±


    She lowered her finger as she began to sob uncontrobly. ¡°They''re only three and a half years old...


    What did they ever do to you? Why must you hurt them?¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Berry, Mr. Nacht isn''t involved in this,¡± Raina said, panicking a little. ¡°This must have been...¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Berry, am I right?¡± Zachary said all of a sudden as he approached her menacingly. ¡°Who told you


    that I was the one behind the kids'' disappearance, hmm?¡±


    ¡°I-It''s...¡± Mrs. Berry stammered, ncing hesitantly at Michael. ¡°It''s me! I had a hunch!¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Berry! Zachary did not kidnap the kids!¡± Charlotte screamed, rushing over to grab Mrs. Berry by


    the arms. ¡°Listen to me and return to your ward! You need to rest! I''ll take care of this!¡±


    Mrs. Berry opened her mouth to protest, but Charlotte fell to her knees and pleaded for her to leave.


    ¡°Please, Mrs. Berry, I need you to leave...¡±


    No one had ever dared to hit Zachary with a broom, and thest thing she wanted was for Zachary to


    hurt Mrs. Berry because of it.


    Mrs. Berry had gone overboard, and Zachary would make her suffer for it if she stayed any longer.


    ¡°B-But you...¡± Mrs. Berry said, only to gasp in shock when she was shrouded in Zachary''s massive


    shadow.


    Charlotte rushed forward and threw herself between Zachary and Mrs. Berry. ¡°Don''t touch her or my


    family members! Kill me if you want!¡±


    ¡°Huh,¡± Zachary huffed as he nodded with a smirk. ¡°I''m not one to hurt the elderly or kids, so you''re


    going to be the one suffering my wrath!¡±

 Chapter 323

    Chapter 323


    Mrs. Berry panicked and pushed Charlotte behind her. ¡°Don''t touch her! I dare you to beat me up!¡±


    Zachary simply sighed and signaled to his bodyguards, who dragged Mrs. Berry away. ¡°Help!


    Somebody help me!¡± Mrs. Berry was terrified as it happened.


    One of the bodyguards reached over and covered her mouth with his hand.


    ¡°Mrs. Berry...¡± Charlotte called, worried that she might get hurt.


    ¡°Don''t worry, Ms. Windt,¡± Raina whispered. ¡°Mr. Nacht won''t hurt her.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    Before Charlotte could finish her sentence, Zachary grabbed her chin roughly and twisted her neck


    around to face him.


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    His eyes shed dangerously as he asked, ¡°Am I some sort of convicted criminal, huh?¡±


    ¡°W-What do you mean?¡± Charlotte asked, terrified. ¡°I never thought of you as the one...¡±


    ¡°Ben!¡± Zachary shouted, ignoring her attempt to exin herselfpletely. ¡°Capture the three little


    rascals now!¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ben said, ncing at Charlotte before rushing out of the room.


    ¡°No...¡± Charlotte pleaded, lunging forward to stop Ben. Before she could even get close to the door,


    Zachary gripped her arm tightly and dragged her back towards the bed.


    ¡°Zachary Nacht! How dare you!¡± Michael screamed. ¡°What do you think you are? I''ve already called the


    police, and if you don''t let go of Charlotte now...¡±


    ¡°I don''t care about the cops!¡± Zachary shouted, cutting him off. ¡°Take him away!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡± two bodyguards chorused before dragging Michael out of the room.


    Michael screamed and struggled the whole way out, and a curious crowd had already formed by the


    time he got to the door. However, the moment he emerged from the ward, they took a step back in fear


    of getting themselves dragged into the fray.


    Meanwhile, Zachary practically tossed Charlotte onto the bed, making her wince as her injured waist


    protested painfully.


    ¡°Stay put if you don''t want to die!¡± he yelled, looking at her as though they were strangers.


    ¡°Don''t be like this, Zachary...¡± Charlotte said weakly, her forehead shimmering with sweat. ¡°Michael


    might have had some misgivings, but I''ve always believed you...¡±


    ¡°Oh, really?¡± Zachary asked, grinning coldly. ¡°Did you really think that I kidnapped your kids?¡±


    ¡°No, I...¡±


    ¡°I can''t just sit around and be used of something I never do,¡± Zachary said as he sat on the sofa and


    put one leg over the other elegantly. ¡°So you think I''m a criminal? I''ll act like one then!¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Charlotte sobbed, shaking her head vehemently. ¡°Please...¡±


    ¡°Why don''t you shut up and save some energy to plead for your kids'' livester?¡± Zachary huffed


    before getting up and leaving the ward.


    Charlotte yelled his name over and over again, but he did not look back.


    After he walked out of the door, a paramedic closed and locked the door from outside.


    Charlotte limped to the door and pounded on it several times, only to receive no response. She fell to


    the ground in despair.


    With Mrs. Berry ill and the kids missing, she was already under a lot of stress. Zachary''s outburst was


    thest straw on the camel''s back.


    She refused to think about what would happen if Zachary managed to find her kids and capture them


    for good.


    Suddenly, someone knocked on the door a couple of times. It opened secondster to reveal Raina,


    who was pushing a cart filled with medical supplies.


    ¡°Dr. Langhan...¡± Charlotte cried, tugging on Raina''s coat desperately. ¡°Please tell Zachary to leave my


    kids alone!¡±


    ¡°There''s no need to do that,¡± Raina said calmly. ¡°In fact, I don''t think it''s a bad thing.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Charlotte said, confused. ¡°He''s going to capture my kids! How is that any good?¡±


    She froze as realization hit her like a truck. Wait... If the kids are missing, he will have to find them first


    if he wants to capture them, right?

 Chapter 324

    Chapter 324


    Mr. Nacht is just brutal with words,¡± Raina said, sighing. ¡°He could have just told you that he''s going to


    find your kids...¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Charlotte said, still not entirely convinced. ¡°Is he really that nice?¡±


    ¡°He found you lying unconscious on your apartment floorst night, and he rushed you to the hospital


    immediately. He stayed by your side the whole night when you were asleep. Don''t you remember all


    that?¡± Raina asked, a little annoyed at how dense Charlotte could be.


    Charlotte nced at the sofa¡ªZachary''s zer, the Nacht family''s exclusive wine sses, and the


    unfinished pastries and fruits sitting on the table. She recalled how he had held her hand and spoke to


    her in a soothing voice when she woke up screaming and crying for her kids.


    She recalled how he had hesitated instead of outright rejecting her when she begged him to help her


    find her kids, and how he had only lost his temper when Michael appeared out of nowhere.


    Maybe, just maybe...


    ¡°He loves you, Ms. Windt,¡± Raina said with a sigh. ¡°Even I can see it. He''s hot-tempered and stubborn,


    but he''s a simple man with a pure heart. Things wouldn''t have turned out like this if you treated him


    with equally pure intentions.¡±


    Charlotte nodded absentmindedly. ¡°I''ll be eternally indebted to him if he leaves my family alone and


    helps me find my kids.¡±


    ¡°I''m sure Ben will find them soon enough,¡± Raina said as she picked up some bandages from the cart


    she pushed in. ¡°Please lie down, Ms. Windt. I need to change your bandages. Your family needs you,


    so you must do as I say and take some time to recover.¡±


    ¡°Thanks...¡± Charlotte said, mbering onto the bed obediently.


    Raina left after she helped Charlotte change her bandages, and the paramedics came in just moments


    later with a light breakfast.


    After breakfast, Charlotte groped around for her phone to give Mrs. Berry a call, but she could not find it


    no matter where she looked. Sighing, she borrowed a nurse''s phone and dialed Mrs. Berry''s number


    from memory.


    The first thing Mrs. Berry did was to fuss over her the moment the call went through, and she only


    calmed down when Charlotte confirmed that she was fine.


    When Charlotte found out that Mrs. Berry was staying in a ward just upstairs, she heaved a huge sigh


    of relief. Looks like Zachary kept his promise and left her alone!


    ¡°The kids will be going home soon, Mrs. Berry,¡± she said. ¡°You need to rest and recover.¡±


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    ¡°And you need to be careful of that devil!¡± Mrs. Berry added anxiously.


    Charlotte grimaced. She had always kept Mrs. Berry and the kids out of the drama with Zachary, but


    her knowledge of the kids'' disappearance came as a surprise.


    Upon realizing the kids were missing, Mrs. Berry called Michael¡ªwho saw Zachary as an enemy¡ªfor


    help and this led to the massive showdown that morning.


    Things were getting out of hand, and Charlotte feared another confrontation between Mrs. Berry and


    Zachary.


    If Mrs. Berry lost control and tried to use Zachary of kidnapping the kids again, the consequences


    would be terrible, to say the least.


    Charlotte decided to have a chat with Mrs. Berry after the kids were found.


    ¡°Hey! What''s wrong with this little parrot?¡± a paramedic asked all of a sudden as she picked up an


    unconscious Fifi.


    Charlotte rushed over to take a look, and she panicked when she noticed how Fifi had not moved an


    inch despite all the noise. She patted Fifi''s body gently and called her name several times, only to


    receive no reply.


    ¡°Is it dead?¡± a nurse asked before covering her mouth in regret.


    Charlotte panicked and picked Fifi up gently. She managed to find a pulse, but it was weak and almost


    nonexistent.

 Chapter 325

    Chapter 325


    ¡°Oh dear, what happened to your shirt, Mr. Nacht?¡± At the same moment, another paramedic


    eximed, ¡°What''s this?¡±


    ¡°Let me take a look at that.¡± The younger one between them went in for a closer inspection. ¡°If I''m


    guessing this correctly, it should be bird droppings.¡±


    ¡°Did ite from that little parrot?¡± The two of them looked at the unconscious Fifi in astonishment.


    ¡°Right, that has to be it.¡± A third paramedic came out of the washroom and sounded agitated. ¡°I saw


    that bird poop on Mr. Nachtst night and he didn''t seem too pleased...¡±


    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    ¡°Could it be...¡± The trio looked upon Fifi with considerable sympathy.


    Charlotte was taken aback as she looked nkly at the bird. It crossed her mind that Fifi could have


    been strangled by Zachary.


    Her strength escaped her as she nearly copsed onto the bed.


    ¡°Ms. Windt...¡± The younger paramedic propped her up and offered her some gentle words of


    constion, ¡°Please take care of your health. The parrot is still alive so you might be able to save it if


    you could get it to a veterinarian.¡±


    ¡°As we have other matters to attend to, we should be going.¡±


    The paramedics appeared tense and left as quickly as they could.


    ¡°Hey, wait up.¡± The younger one also followed suit, afraid that Charlotte might be upset. That could


    mean trouble for them.


    Charlotte sat in the room by herself and was extremely upset with Zachary as she looked upon the half-


    dead bird.


    Notions about being considerate or a teddy bear at heart were all empty talk.


    The man was brutal enough to throttle Fifi for merely pissing on him.


    She thought him an absolute monster.


    The more she ruminated about it, the more she wanted to choke the man right back.


    At the same time, she considered another problem that may arise. If he could bring himself to do this to


    a mere parrot, she shuddered to imagine what would he possibly do to her three children.


    As Zachary had already borne a grudge against her triplets in the mistaken belief that they were


    Michael''s, she was afraid that he might really cause them harm.


    That got her so nervous that she started to pace around inside the room.


    Just then, she noticed that the door was slightly ajar. When she got close and peeked out, she saw a


    female paramedic outside talking on the phone.


    For some reason, the Nacht family bodyguards were all scrambling in the same direction.


    Charlotte took the opportunity to sneak Fifi out. She didn''t even put on her shoes while she made a


    break for the elevator.


    When the paramedic on watch took notice, she shouted, ¡°Heavens, Ms. Windt...¡±


    Charlotte darted into the elevator and jabbed at the button repeatedly.


    By the time two of the bodyguards reacted, the door had already closed upon them.


    She panted and swallowed hard as her eyes transfixed upon the changing numbers, hoping to be able


    to free herself of Zachary''s grasp.


    It was fortunate that she was on the fourth floor and therefore able to descend quickly.


    The moment the doors opened, she ran like a bat out of hell.


    ¡°Ms. Windt!¡± the guards shouted after her from behind.


    She only wanted to escape at that point and she couldn''t care less about anything else.


    However, the men were faster on their feet as they quickly gained upon her.


    Charlotte''s heart was racing when a Lamborghini ground to a halt by the side of the road. The roof of


    the convertible was open and Michael was at the wheel. ¡°Get in, Charlotte!¡±


    ¡°Michael?¡± She hesitated as she stopped in her tracks, uncertain as to whether she wanted to drag him


    into this.


    ¡°Come on!¡± He unbuckled himself and pulled her in.


    ¡°Ms. Windt...¡± The car had sped off by the time the guards came out. However, one of them managed


    to spot Michael in the driver''s seat. ¡°Call Ben now.¡±

 Chapter 326

    Chapter 326


    The wound that Michael had at the corner of his lips was still raw. However, he did not let that distract


    him as he took Charlotte away from there.


    Her heart was still pounding from all the adrenaline as she cupped the bird to her chest.


    Despite having eluded the guards whose silhouette vanished into the distance behind them, she felt


    neither exhrated nor relieved, but a profound sense of apprehensiveness.


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    She felt as though she had done something wrong.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Michael saidfortingly. ¡°You''re safe now!¡±


    ¡°The kids are still nowhere to be found, and Mrs. Berry is still at the hospital.¡± Charlotte was distraught.


    ¡°Would Zachary harm her if he learned that I''ve escaped? And the children...¡±


    ¡°Not to worry, I''ll figure something out,¡± he said as he held her hand. ¡°No way that Zachary Nacht is


    above thew!¡±


    After a brief pause, he continued, ¡°Worsees to worst, I''ll go look for old Mr. Nacht. I''m sure he


    would handle this justly!¡±


    ¡°Old Mr. Nacht?¡± Charlotte furrowed. ¡°He''s a bit of an oddball. I''m unsure if he would help as he doesn''t


    seem to like me very much.¡±


    ¡°He''d be helping himself more than helping you,¡± Michael replied with a frown. ¡°If he wants a sessful


    union between the Nachts and the ckwoods, he''d have to see to it that Zachary stays away from


    you!¡±


    ¡°It may be worth a shot should we run out of other options.¡± Charlotte''s mind was in a disarray. ¡°We


    should try to locate the kids first as I''m really worried about them. Also, Fifi''s still unconscious. Can we


    get her to a vet?¡±


    ¡°No worries. I''m on it.¡±


    .....


    In the president''s office on the sixty-eighth floor.


    Zachary waspleting some paperwork when Ben knocked on his door with something to report.


    ¡°Uh, Mr. Nacht...¡±


    He hesitated before uttering cautiously, ¡°Ms. Windt has fled!¡±


    Zachary''s hand hovered over the keyboards as he lifted his eyes. ¡°Come again?¡±


    ¡°Ms. Windt...¡± Ben steeled himself before he reiterated thatst part, ¡°She''s escaped!¡±


    ¡°Escaped?¡± Zachary was dismayed. ¡°Are you telling me that the stupid woman had escaped from the


    hospital in the full view of so many?¡±


    ¡°Michael and a couple of his men were there. Ms. Windt took the opportunity to break free when Marino


    was distracted. They fled in their car before our guys could catch up.¡±


    Zachary frowned intensely, and a bone-chilling glint shed across his eyes. His hand clenched around


    the fountain pen he was using.


    The pen snapped between his fingers like a twig.


    Ben''s face turned as white as a sheet. ¡°Please calm down, Mr. Nacht. I''ve already tracked them to a


    vi in the western suburbs and will be taking a team over...¡±


    ¡°Leave them be,¡± Zachary interjected. ¡°She''ll be back on her own!¡±


    ¡°Those who were posted at the hospital. What good are they if they cannot even keep an eye on one


    woman?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ben said as he lowered his head hurriedly. ¡°I know what to do.¡±


    There was knocking upon the door before Bruce entered. ¡°An update, Mr. Nacht. I''ve found out that the


    three children alighted from the school bus at Happy Avenue after ss at three in the afternoon. As


    Mrs. Berry was indisposed and could not be there to pick them as usual and Ms. Windt arrived about


    twenty minuteste, they...¡±


    Zachary leafed through the file as his eyes fell upon the photo of the three children.


    The adorable trio had fine features and radiant smiles.


    Those bright eyes of theirs weremunicative and sparkled with life.


    Pure and delightful¡ªthey were like angels from heaven.


    The beauty of innocence!

 Chapter 327

    Chapter 327


    The man oddly felt his own heart softened as he looked at the photograph of what was obviously


    someone else''s kids.


    It took a while before he spoke up, ¡°Go to the Ministry of Transportation and dig out all the surveince


    footage from Happy Avenue. I''ll handle this personally!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    .....


    Michael brought Charlotte to his own vi, and he summoned a doctor each for Charlotte and Fifi.


    Preupation with thoughts of the children and Mrs. Berrypounded the woman''s restlessness.


    It was well past eight in the evening when Michael finally hit upon a breakthrough after he had


    mobilized hiswork of contacts. He eagerly brought hisptop to Charlotte. ¡°Come take a look at


    this.¡±


    ¡°What is it? Have you found them?¡± she said as she drew close.


    Michael pulled up surveince footage showing the children alighting from the school bus. They stood


    by the side of the road for around a couple of minutes, possibly to listen to Ms. Cheney before the


    vehicle drove off.


    The three children remained there as they talked amongst themselves before they departed in the


    direction of home.


    ¡°Robbie, Jamie, Ellie...¡±


    Charlotte teared up when she saw her children.


    ¡°Let''s watch on. There''s more.¡±


    He went on to y the next clip.


    The first clip cut off halfway when the children were walking on the road.


    The next one showed them walking hand in hand. They had stopped to fool around for a while when


    Ellie pointed towards the forested area nearby. Jamie then started to run towards it.


    Ellie and Robbie followed closely behind.


    As these were captured on a traffic camera, there was no audio. Charlotte reckoned that the kids had


    gone in there because they were yful.


    The footage ended there with the frame fixed on Robbie.


    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    Charlotte asked anxiously, ¡°Are there others?¡±


    ¡°That''s all I''m able to gather,¡± he replied. ¡°I''ve inspected the site but have found no tracks there. That


    area isn''t monitored either. There''s a road on the other side though, but it seems like someone had


    erased the surveince footage from there. I wasn''t able to find any other leads.¡±


    ¡°How could that be?¡± The color fell from the woman''s face. ¡°Unless...¡±


    She had an ominous feeling that the children might have met an ident on that road.


    Could that be why the perpetrator had erased the footage?


    ¡°Let''s not try to get ahead of ourselves,¡± Michael said as he held her hand. ¡°I''ve inquired at all the


    hospitals in H City that I''m able to poke my nose into. There isn¡¯t any child admission that fits their


    description.¡±


    ¡°Are there any hospitals to which you don''t have ess?¡± she inquired anxiously. ¡°Is it Raina''s?¡±


    ¡°More than that,¡± Michael said with a furrow. ¡°There''s a Serene Hospital under the management of the


    Nacht Group. It''s an exclusive private facility. Thus, I wasn''t able to get anything out from there.¡±


    Charlotte felt a shiver down her spine when it urred to her that her children''s disappearance may


    have something to do with Zachary.


    ¡°And also...¡± Michael continued, ¡°I''ve not been able to locate that missing footage despite spending a


    considerable sum and drawing on some strong connections, which could mean...¡±


    ¡°That whoever had deleted the footage had more influence than you do?¡± Charlotte immediately caught


    on.


    ¡°That''s right.¡± The man nodded.


    ¡°It''s really him...¡± Charlotte howled through gritted teeth. ¡°Zachary, you bastard!¡±


    ¡°But I don''t understand why he would want to kidnap the kids?¡± Michael was perplexed. ¡°Does he know


    about their parentage?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know...¡± The woman replied in distress. ¡°I wouldn''t be as worried if he did.¡±


    If he knew, he might, at worst, want them back with him. Conversely, they would be in greater danger if


    he did not.

 Chapter 328

    Chapter 328


    ¡°Why would he try to harm them?¡± Michael asked. ¡°You have to help me understand this so I would be


    better positioned to talk to Old Mr. Nacht.¡±


    ¡°Zachary had mistakenly believed...¡± Charlotte looked at him in embarrassment. ¡°That they are yours.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± The man was quite astounded and took a moment to recover. ¡°No wonder he''s so hostile


    every time we crossed paths. He acts as though he wants me dead.¡±


    ¡°I''m so sorry, Michael, for dragging you into this mess,¡± Charlotte said in remorse.


    ¡°No. You did the right thing.¡±


    Michael then took the time to analyze it critically.


    ¡°Although it was reasonable for him to be angered by something like this, a rational person would not


    hurt you out of jealousy, much less go out and kidnap your children. His actions proved that he''s violent


    and paranoid to the extreme. You have done well to keep your children and yourself away from him.¡±


    ¡°It was never my intention to use you as a shield...¡± Charlotte exined. ¡°He kept pressing when he


    found out about the existence of the kids. It was just coincidental that Mr. Brown and you showed up at


    his ce and led him to the wrong conclusion about you. I had no choice but to go with the flow then,


    but I really tried to distance myself to avoid implicating you. Unexpectedly, his misunderstanding has


    only deepened since, so much so that it gave you distress every single time. I am sorry, I truly am...¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t matter,¡± Michael replied nonchntly. ¡°There wasn''t much he could do beyond hitting me in


    the face. However, you''ve had no end of trouble since getting mixed up with that man. It would be


    better if you steered clear of him.¡±


    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    ¡°I wish I could, but what am I to do now?¡± Charlotte was slightly panicky. ¡°Do you think he would harm


    the children?¡±


    ¡°Try to calm down first. I''m going to call old Mr. Nacht right away,¡± Michael said as he got onto his feet.


    ¡°Stay home and rest up. I''ll call as soon as I have news.¡±


    ¡°I''ming with you.¡± Charlotte tugged at him. ¡°I can''t rest easy until I see my children.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± He held her tightly. ¡°Put on an extrayer. I''ll wait for you outside.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    .....


    On board the Rolls-Royce Phantom.


    Zachary frowned as he viewed the clip on his tablet.


    He had managed to get his hands on the security footage of the three children ahead of Michael.


    Besides, he found out one of the kids was hospitalized after being hit by old Mr. Nacht''s car.


    It was Zachary who issued instructions to have thest clip erased, which was why Michael was not


    able to ess it.


    Zachary was now making his way towards Serene Hospital.


    ¡°Never would I have expected that the child involved in the ident was Ms. Windt''s,¡± Ben said


    cautiously. ¡°If she were to find out the truth, I fear there might be more misunderstandings to be had.¡±


    ¡°As though she hasn''t had enough of those already,¡± Zachary said coldly. ¡°All things considered, it


    wouldn''t make that much of a difference. The important thing is to keep the child''s identity from


    Grandpa.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Ben only realized now the depth of Zachary''s feelings for Charlotte. Zachary probably opted to hide


    things from the old patriarch to keep the possibility of a future between Charlotte and himself together


    alive.


    ¡°Information sent from the hospital, Mr. Nacht.¡±


    He passed along the hospital''s report on Jamie and Ellie before he gave Zachary an overview.


    ¡°The one who was struck is Jamison, the second youngest. He suffered a mild concussion, a fracture


    on his left ankle, and multiple abrasions. He has recovered consciousness this morning.¡±


    ¡°The youngest is Elisa. Her tonsil was inmed, probably due to all the crying when she saw her


    brother hurt. The fever she had subsided over the night. The eldest boy, Robinson is fine.¡±


    He continued, ¡°After the incident, Old Mr. Nacht had been overseeing things himself at the hospital, and


    only left at midnight. He was in around eight this morning and even stayed around to keep the children


    ¡°Zachary had mistakenly believed...¡± Charlotte looked at him in embarrassment. ¡°That they are yours.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± The man was quite astounded and took a moment to recover. ¡°No wonder he''s so hostile


    every time we crossed paths. He acts as though he wants me dead.¡±


    ¡°I''m so sorry, Michael, for dragging you into this mess,¡± Charlotte said in remorse.


    ¡°No. You did the right thing.¡±


    Michael then took the time to analyze it critically.


    ¡°Although it was reasonable for him to be angered by something like this, a rational person would not


    hurt you out of jealousy, much less go out and kidnap your children. His actions proved that he''s violent


    and paranoid to the extreme. You have done well to keep your children and yourself away from him.¡±


    ¡°It was never my intention to use you as a shield...¡± Charlotte exined. ¡°He kept pressing when he


    found out about the existence of the kids. It was just coincidental that Mr. Brown and you showed up at


    his ce and led him to the wrong conclusion about you. I had no choice but to go with the flow then,


    but I really tried to distance myself to avoid implicating you. Unexpectedly, his misunderstanding has


    only deepened since, so much so that it gave you distress every single time. I am sorry, I truly am...¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t matter,¡± Michael replied nonchntly. ¡°There wasn''t much he could do beyond hitting me in


    the face. However, you''ve had no end of trouble since getting mixed up with that man. It would be


    better if you steered clear of him.¡±


    ¡°I wish I could, but what am I to do now?¡± Charlotte was slightly panicky. ¡°Do you think he would harm


    the children?¡±


    ¡°Try to calm down first. I''m going to call old Mr. Nacht right away,¡± Michael said as he got onto his feet.


    ¡°Stay home and rest up. I''ll call as soon as I have news.¡±


    ¡°I''ming with you.¡± Charlotte tugged at him. ¡°I can''t rest easy until I see my children.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± He held her tightly. ¡°Put on an extrayer. I''ll wait for you outside.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    .....


    On board the Rolls-Royce Phantom.


    Zachary frowned as he viewed the clip on his tablet.


    He had managed to get his hands on the security footage of the three children ahead of Michael.


    Besides, he found out one of the kids was hospitalized after being hit by old Mr. Nacht''s car.


    It was Zachary who issued instructions to have thest clip erased, which was why Michael was not


    able to ess it.


    Zachary was now making his way towards Serene Hospital.


    ¡°Never would I have expected that the child involved in the ident was Ms. Windt''s,¡± Ben said


    cautiously. ¡°If she were to find out the truth, I fear there might be more misunderstandings to be had.¡±


    ¡°As though she hasn''t had enough of those already,¡± Zachary said coldly. ¡°All things considered, it


    wouldn''t make that much of a difference. The important thing is to keep the child''s identity from


    Grandpa.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Ben only realized now the depth of Zachary''s feelings for Charlotte. Zachary probably opted to hide


    things from the old patriarch to keep the possibility of a future between Charlotte and himself together


    alive.


    ¡°Information sent from the hospital, Mr. Nacht.¡±


    He passed along the hospital''s report on Jamie and Ellie before he gave Zachary an overview.


    ¡°The one who was struck is Jamison, the second youngest. He suffered a mild concussion, a fracture


    on his left ankle, and multiple abrasions. He has recovered consciousness this morning.¡±


    ¡°The youngest is Elisa. Her tonsil was inmed, probably due to all the crying when she saw her


    brother hurt. The fever she had subsided over the night. The eldest boy, Robinson is fine.¡±


    He continued, ¡°After the incident, Old Mr. Nacht had been overseeing things himself at the hospital, and


    only left at midnight. He was in around eight this morning and even stayed around to keep the children


    company.¡±

 Chapter 329

    Chapter 329


    In the hospital.


    Jamie hade to. He leaned back on the bed as the nurse fed him some nutritional oatmeal.


    Robbie and Ellie were there as well sharing in the meal.


    Robbie would use a napkin to wipe at Jamie''s lips from time to time. ¡°How are you feeling, Jamie?


    Does it hurt?¡±


    ¡°A little bit, but it''s alright.¡± Jamie tightened a fist and flexed his arm. ¡°Real martial artists can take a


    beating.¡±


    ¡°Put down your arm! It is still all wrapped up,¡± Robbiemanded with the authority of an older brother.


    ¡°That''s right, Jamie. You''re not well, so you''ll have to be careful!¡±


    Ellie put on a frown as she, too, got in on the act of disciplining Jamie.


    ¡°Alright, alright,¡± Jamie replied with a pout as he continued to have his food. He then turned to the


    youthful nurse. ¡°You''re really cute, Miss. Have you got a boyfriend?¡±


    ¡°Oh my!¡± The young woman could not keep herself from cracking up. ¡°Not yet. Are you going to


    introduce someone to me?¡±


    ¡°What do you think about me?¡± Jamie''s brows danced as he smiled roguishly.


    ¡°Hahaha...¡± The nurse was quite tickled, as were the few doctors who were also in the vicinity.


    ¡°What''s so amusing?¡±


    Old Mr. Nacht''s voice was apanied by the sound of his crutch and footsteps.


    He was helped along by Spencer. Standing behind them were the medical superintendent, two


    pediatricians, and a few bodyguards.


    ¡°Hello, Grandpa Nacht!¡± Robbie and Ellie chirped in greeting.


    ¡°Is this that Grandpa who knocked me down?¡± Jamie tilted his head to scrutinize old Mr. Nacht. ¡°You


    look so kind. Not like a bad guy at all.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha...¡± The old manughed heartily. ¡°Of course I''m not. Otherwise, I wouldn''t visit you!¡±


    ¡°Oh, then I suppose you didn''t do it on purpose.¡± Jamie licked the oats off the corner of his lips as he


    analyzed with earnestness. ¡°I guess I''ll forgive you for that.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for being so magnanimous!¡±


    The elderly gentleman smiled as he looked at Jamie. The boy resembled the older brother Robbie to a


    tee, but the two hadpletely different personalities.


    Robbie was simr to Zachary in temperament¡ªrigorous and imbued with wisdom and reason.


    As for Jamie, he was more like the innocent and carefree Zachary before the tragedy that befell the


    Nachts. Or to be exact, he was the kid that Zachary wished he could be.


    Ellie was like a hallow¡ªthe better angel of Zachary''s nature that the old man wished to preserve.


    Although the three children were vastly different in their own unique merits, every one of them


    appealed to him equally in their own ways.


    ¡°You are wee. From now on, we are family.¡± Jamie appeared generous and even offered the


    elderly man a shrimp dumpling. ¡°Good things are better when shared. This is for you, Grandpa!¡±


    ¡°Haha, thank you!¡± Old Mr. Nacht did not mind the boy''s oily hand at all as he received the dumpling.


    He was contemtive as he ate. ¡°My grandson used to enjoy these dumplings when he was younger,


    but not anymore.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± the children asked.


    ¡°It''s nothing...¡± The old man smiled as he tried to change the subject. ¡°So how is it? Did you manage to


    reach your mother?¡±


    ¡°Not yet...¡± Robbie''s little face dimmed as he lowered his head.


    Ellie pursed her lips and tears started to pour when she heard that. ¡°Mommy didn''te to look for us.


    I think she doesn''t want us anymore.¡±


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    The misery in her childlike voice instantly tugged at the heartstrings of those around her.


    ¡°There, there. Don''t cry.¡±


    Old Mr. Nacht fretted at the sight of the tearful child and immediately pulled out his own handkerchief to


    wipe at her eyes. ¡°I''m here for you, aren''t I? I''ll take good care of all of you.¡±


    ¡°Come here, Ellie.¡± Robbie embraced his younger sister and tried to put on a brave face for her sake.


    ¡°Mommy wouldn''t abandon us. She must be away at work, as you know she has a nasty boss who''s


    always making her work overtime.¡±

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    ¡°Right on!¡± Jamie said with his mouth still stuffed with dumplings. ¡°It must be the psychotic boss who''s


    keeping Mommy in the office and not allowing her to go home.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Ellie''s plump cheeks were covered with tears as she pouted. ¡°I''ve seen him before. He''s so


    fierce, and he almost killed Fifi. I hate him.¡±


    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    ¡°He is so arrogant that he would only talk through his men when he came to the kindergarten.¡± Robbie


    frowned in contempt. ¡°I hate him too.¡±


    ¡°What a detestable guy,¡± Jamie seethed as his fingers tightened around themselves. ¡°Next time I see


    him, I''ll make him pay for bullying Mommy, Robbie, and Ellie!¡±


    ¡°Who is this man who bullies women and children?¡± The elderly gentleman too got riled up just hearing


    their exchange. ¡°Tell me so I could teach him a lesson!¡±


    ¡°You''re too old to fight him, Grandpa Nacht,¡± Jamie said solemnly as he regarded the old man. ¡°The


    man''s got many bodyguards. He''s big and tall and looks like a meanie!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, his eyes are scary...¡± Ellie added as she recalled with fear her encounter with that bad guy at the


    mall. ¡°He has the look of a lion who wants to eat me!¡±


    With that, the little girl pursed her lips and started to bawl pitifully again.


    ¡°Hey there, don''t be afraid.¡± Mr. Nacht almost melted when he pulled her into his arms tofort her.


    ¡°Even if he''s a lion or a tiger, I can tame him!¡±


    ¡°Yup, your Grandpa''s the best,¡± Spencer said in amusement. ¡°There''s no one in the world that he


    cannot subdue!¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Jamie became excited as he came close and tugged at the elderly man''s sleeve. ¡°Do you


    know martial arts, Grandpa Nacht?¡±


    The old manughed. ¡°I don''t, but I have this!¡±


    He then pointed to his temple. ¡°A person who has wisdom and talent has nothing to fear!¡±


    ¡°Grandpa Nacht''s right! That''s what Mommy says too,¡± Robbie said staidly. ¡°That''s why we need to


    study hard and be someone useful so no one could trifle with us!¡±


    ¡°Goodd,¡± Mr. Nacht''s heart ached for the boy as he tenderly patted his little head. ¡°You''re still so


    young. Just enjoy your childhood days in the meantime.¡±


    These were the words that he had always wanted to say to Zachary, but never got the chance to.


    Now he was saying them to Robbie with the same sentiment.


    He silently made a decision and thereupon, decided to announce it.


    ¡°Fate must have brought us all together. I wasn''t around before, but now that I am, I''m going to be your


    guardian angel. I''d never let anyone pick on any single one of you, ever again!¡±


    ¡°Grandpa Nacht...¡± Tears flowed ceaselessly from Ellie''s eyes as she wrapped her stubby hands


    around the old man''s neck.


    ¡°Oh, sweetie. There, there.¡± Mr. Nacht was charmed off his socks as he hurriedly wiped way above her


    cheeks. ¡°It hurts me to see you cry like this.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Grandpa Nacht!¡± Jamie felt a stinging in his nostrils as his eyes reddened, but he fought


    very hard to contain himself. ¡°You''re so nice to us. When I grow up, I''ll protect you too!¡±


    ¡°As will I!¡± Robbie added as he thumped upon his own little chest. ¡°When we grow up, we shall all


    protect Grandpa together!¡±


    ¡°Good children. Excellent!¡± The elderly gentleman was reduced to an emotional wreck as he huddled


    with the children. He then turned towards the people behind him. ¡°All of you are to bear this in mind.


    These children are closer to me than my own grandchildren. No one is to bully them!¡±

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    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Behind him, the medical superintendent, doctors, and trusted members of the family all bowed in


    deference.


    The corner of Spencer''s lips curled into a smile as he thought what a great blessing it was for the


    children to gain old Mr. Nacht''s support. Their parents should count their lucky stars that the trio would


    probably have little cause for worry for the rest of their lives.


    He wondered which divines they had to express gratitude towards.


    ¡°Come, tell me...¡± the old man asked in earnest as he pinched Robbie''s face affectionately. ¡°Where


    does your mom work? Let me send someone there to take care of that nasty boss of hers!¡±


    ¡°My Mommy works at a ce called...¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht!¡±


    The bodyguard''s insistent voice cut Robbie off. ¡°Mr. Zachary''s here!¡±


    ¡°What''s he doing here?¡± Old Mr. Nacht frowned.


    ¡°Who is Mr. Zachary?¡± Jamie asked.


    ¡°He''s my unbing grandson!¡± His face darkened slightly upon the mention of that name, but he


    quickly reverted to his kindly demeanor towards the children. ¡°Have your meal first. I''ll be back shortly!¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Robbie pulled Ellie aside and helped the old man up. ¡°Don''t worry about us, Grandpa Nacht.


    We''ll keep ourselves upied.¡±


    ¡°Good boy!¡± Mr. Nacht ruffled his hair before turning to Jamie and Ellie. ¡°I''ll be back before you know it!¡±


    ¡°See youter, Grandpa Nacht!¡± the duo said as they waved him goodbye.


    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    ¡°Let''s all head out so the children could rest.¡± The elderly gentleman leaned on his crutch for support as


    he made his way out. ¡°Just leave a few paramedics behind to take care of them.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    As the room resumed its calm, Jamie and Ellie returned to stuffing themselves with food while Robbie


    became pensive.


    ¡°What''s wrong, Robbie? Doesn''t the food taste good?¡± Jamie asked as he saw his brother deep in


    thought.


    ¡°We still can''t reach Mommy and Mrs. Berry. I''m worried about them,¡± Robbie said with a furrow.


    Ellie became worried as well when she heard this. ¡°What could have happened to them? Were they


    kidnapped by bad guys?¡±


    ¡°Let''s go and rescue Mommy.¡± Jamie then peeled the nket off himself and prepared to get out of


    bed.


    ¡°Stop fooling around.¡± The older boy stopped him. ¡°There''s nothing we can do right now except to wait


    here. It''s only here that you can get the medical attention you need and Ellie could be taken care of.¡±


    ¡°But we can''t just go on like this,¡± Jamie argued. ¡°Or why don''t you call Mr. Brown and get him to help


    us find Mommy.¡±


    ¡°I thought about that too, but I don''t have his number.¡±


    Robbie''s brows were knitted as he racked his brain.


    ¡°What should we do?¡± Jamie asked as the bun seemed to have lost its vor in his mouth.


    ¡°I want Mommy. I want Mrs. Berry...¡±


    Ellie pursed her lips as tears began to well up in her eyes again.


    ¡°Your mommy will be here very soon, Ellie dear.¡± The paramedic immediately came over. ¡°You shouldn''t


    cry, or your tonsils are going to get infected again.¡±


    ¡°Why don''t we ask Grandpa to help us find them?¡± Jamie said to Robbie. ¡°He''ll be able to think of


    something.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a n,¡± replied Robbie after some thought. ¡°I''m going to try to call Mommy again. If we


    still can''t reach her, then we could go to Grandpa!¡±


    ¡°Uh huh.¡± Jamie nodded.


    ¡°Miss, could we borrow your phone?¡± Robbie asked the nurse politely.


    ¡°Of course. Here.¡± She passed it to him.


    Robbie went out to the balcony and dialed Charlotte''s number. This time, it indicated that her phone


    had been switched off.


    The boy felt discouraged, and at the same time, anxious as he wondered if his mother was really in


    trouble.


    She did not pick up when he called previously. He was afraid that she might have rejected it, thinking


    that it was a nuisance call. Hence, he had sent her a text as well, just in case. There was no reply for


    that either, as the phone itself was off.


    The more he thought about it, the more his unease grew. He decided that he was going to ask Grandpa


    Nacht for help when thetter returned.

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    Chapter 332


    Meanwhile, Michael and Charlotte had arrived at the Garden Vi¡ªold Mr. Nacht''s residence in the


    northern suburbs.


    Michael alighted to request an audience with the master of the house but was told by the bodyguard


    that he had gone out early and had not mentioned when he might return.


    The guard offered no opposition when Michael said he would like to wait outside the gates.


    When the man returned to the car, Charlotte asked, ¡°How did it go?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht''s away, but I n to stay here and wait. Shall I have someone send you back first?¡±


    ¡°I won''t be able to settle myself down if I were to go back without them.¡± Charlotte sounded


    disconste. ¡°Michael, I''ve left my phone at home. I''d like to go back to get it. It''ll be terrible if I were to


    miss any of their calls.¡±


    ¡°Very well. In that case, I''ll go with you.¡± Michael then had his chauffeur drove them to her ce.


    .....


    At the hospital, old Mr. Nacht met with Zachary at the medical superintendent''s office. ¡°What are you


    doing here?¡±


    ¡°Can I note?¡± Zachary appeared frustrated. ¡°Your chauffeur drove my car over someone and their


    parents called the police on me.¡±


    ¡°The children''s parents called the police?¡± The old man was astonished. ¡°Where are they? I have been


    trying to get in touch with them.¡±


    ¡°Let me handle this, just in case.¡± Zachary tried to look for an excuse.


    ¡°Let you handle what?¡± Old Mr. Nacht tly refused. ¡°Those children and I have a connection. I will be


    assuming responsibility for them as I swore to protect them.¡±


    ¡°No matter what you do, you''re neither their father nor mother,¡± Zachary posited. ¡°We have to return


    them eventually.¡±


    ¡°You may be right about that,¡± the old man concurred after some thought. ¡°Why don''t we do it this way.


    You bring the parents here so that I could apologize to them and discuss the terms ofpensation


    before I hand the children over personally.¡±


    ¡°The car involved is registered under my name and I''m the one the traffic police department contacted.


    If someone is trying to stir up controversy, I''ll be the one in trouble. Surely you don''t want me to get


    implicated, do you?¡±


    Old Mr. Nacht found his logic hard to refute. ¡°How do you intend to handle this?¡±


    ¡°We''ll return the children, offerpensation, and try to keep everything low-key,¡± Zachary said in all


    seriousness. ¡°I''ve checked in with the hospital. The kid''s fine, so it''ll be a trivial matter. They won''t be


    looking to pursue it further.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± The old man nodded. ¡°These three children are adorable and I quite like them. Be sure to do


    your best to satisfy their parent''s demands. Am I clear?¡±


    ¡°Understood. I will.¡± Zachary nodded before he turned to Ben. ¡°Send Mr. Nacht home!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°One moment. I want to say goodbye to them.¡±


    Old Mr. Nacht issued instructions to Spencer while he made his way back to the ward with the aid of his


    crutch.


    ¡°Bring over the presents I''ve got for them, and the smartwatches as well. Save my number into them so


    they could reach me at any time.¡±


    ¡°Right away.¡± Spencer nodded in acknowledgement.


    ¡°What''s he thinking?¡± Zachary frowned when he regarded the old man from behind. ¡°Giving them


    presents and leaving his number? Does he think he''s reacquainting with long-lost rtives?¡±


    ¡°I''ve heard from Spencer that old Mr. Nacht is very fond of the children, and had been spending time in


    the hospital with them himself over the past few days,¡± Ben said cautiously. ¡°Mr. Nacht, I think he''s


    quite serious about them, so they''re untouchable!¡±


    ¡°They''re not family.¡± The very thought of it made Zachary''s blood boil. ¡°Compared to them, who''s closer


    to him?¡±


    ¡°You, of course. But...¡± From N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Then shut your mouth and just do as you''ve been told,¡± Zachary said.


    ¡°Understood.¡±

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    Chapter 333


    Old Mr. Nacht returned to the ward with a few bodyguards in tow bearing various gifts. They ced


    them all down upon the bed and covered every inch of space on top.


    ¡°Grandpa Nacht...¡± Ellie ran up to him and threw herself into his arms. ¡°We''re so d that you''re back,


    Grandpa. Hurry and help us find our Mommy.¡±


    ¡°I still can''t reach Mommy, Grandpa Nacht. We may need your help.¡± Robbie approached him and


    bowed. ¡°Please help us!¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry, children. Your parents have already gotten in touch with my grandson through the police,¡±


    the elderly gentleman said as he held Robbie and Ellie affectionately. ¡°We''ll get all of you home very


    soon.¡±


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Really? That''s great!¡± Ellie pped her hands and jumped for joy.


    ¡°Can I go home too, Grandpa Nacht?¡± Jamie asked. ¡°I don''t want to stay in the hospital. I want to be


    with Mommy and Mrs. Berry.¡±


    ¡°I''ve checked in with the doctor and you are good for discharge. You need only return here in a month


    for a check-up,¡± The old man said kindly. ¡°All of you rest assured that I''ll drop in for a visit often in the


    future.¡±


    ¡°Yay!¡± Jamie was so excited that he started chatting up the pretty nurse next to him. ¡°Don''t miss me too


    much when I''m gone,dies.¡±


    ¡°Haha, I think we will for sure,¡± the nurses replied, quite amused.


    ¡°You are always weed at our home, Grandpa Nacht. Mrs. Berry''s cooking is yummy.¡± Ellie''s brows


    raised in enthusiasm as she gesticted. ¡°The buns she makes are this huge. There''s also the


    vegetable beef soup...¡±


    ¡°Wow, my mouth''s already watering just listening to you describe them.¡± Old Mr. Nachtughed. ¡°I think


    I''ll definitely need to go give it a try!¡±


    ¡°Yes, you muste, okay. Pinky promise!¡± Ellie stuck out a plump little finger.


    ¡°Ha ha ha, Grandpa can''t be that.¡±


    The old man and the little girl interlocked their little fingers and then sealed it with their thumbs before


    they both broke intoughter.


    Robbie watched by the side in silence. He felt something was off. Parents? We don''t have a father...


    Could Grandpa have been duped?


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, the car''s ready,¡± Spencer said.


    ¡°Alright.¡± The old man nodded before he said to the three children, ¡°I have to go now. My grandson will


    send all of you hometer. Give me a call when you see your Daddy and Mommy.¡±


    With that, he went on to put on the smart watches on the children''s wrists himself.


    ¡°This is what Grandpa got all of you. They have my number in them. Call me whenever you miss me,


    alright?¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Jamie and Ellie replied at once. ¡°Thank you, Grandpa.¡±


    ¡°Why are you so quiet, Robbie?¡± The elderly gentleman patted the older boy''s head when he noticed


    that he seemed to be lost in thought. ¡°Are you missing me already?¡±


    ¡°Does this smartwatch have GPS, Grandpa?¡± Robbie asked as he raised the watch in his right hand.


    ¡°Will it send you a message if we are in danger?¡±


    ¡°Does it have this function?¡± the old man asked Spencer.


    ¡°The smartwatch has a built-in GPS, but it isn''t thatprehensive,¡± Spencer replied as he shook his


    head. ¡°Shall we ask Mr. Zachary to have that feature installed? As Divine Corporation deals in


    technologies, it shouldn''t be that difficult for them to do.¡±


    ¡°Divine Corporation?¡± Robbie''s face turned ashen-faced when he heard the name. ¡°Is your grandson''s


    company called...¡±


    ¡°Divine Corporation!¡±


    A cold voice rang out and interjected.


    It was apanied by the entrance of a slender silhouette and Zachary''s overbearing presence.

 Chapter 334

    Chapter 334


    Robbie lifted his gaze to stare right into a pair of domineering eyes. The man curled his lips into an


    unfriendly smile. ¡°Have you heard of that name, little man?¡±


    The strapping Zachary towered over the diminutive Robbie like a massive beast.


    As they regarded each other, their difference in physical stature culminated in striking contrast.


    ¡°It''s you?¡± Robbie''s fist tightened against itself as he met Zachary''s eyes head-on.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    Ellie suddenly let out a scream in terror and ducked behind old Mr. Nacht. She shivered as she held on


    to his shirt.


    ¡°Don''t be afraid!¡± The old man quickly shielded Ellie behind him and coaxed gently, ¡°This is my


    grandson, Ellie. He''s not a bad guy.¡±


    He then poked his finger at Zachary and snapped at him, ¡°Look what you''ve done. You''ve frightened


    them.¡±


    ¡°He''s your grandson?¡± Robbie was shocked.


    ¡°He...¡±


    The little girl sputtered as she struggled to enunciate her words, and could only hide behind old Mr.


    Nacht as she trembled uncontrobly.


    ¡°Why? Are you not able to see the resemnce?¡± The corner of Zachary''s lips lifted into an


    exaggerated smile. ¡°You don''t have to be afraid of me. Not only will I not hurt you, but I''ll also send you


    home.¡±


    ¡°That won''t be necessary.¡± Robbie furrowed his brows as he red at the man.


    ¡°What''s wrong, Robbie?¡± The elderly man went over to the boy when he sensed something was off. ¡°If


    you don''t want him to send you, then I''ll do it instead.¡±


    He then turned to Zachary reproachfully. ¡°Now, you''ve gone and scared them. Enough of this. I have to


    send them back myself.¡±


    ¡°But I haven''t done anything at all,¡± Zachary said with a shrug. ¡°Perhaps I look a little intimidating?¡±


    ¡°Stop it. Get out!¡± The old man gave Zachary a slight shove in annoyance.


    ¡°I''m the one who''s your own grandson, Grandpa!¡±


    Zachary was rendered speechless at the old man who had shown favor to someone else''s offspring


    instead.


    ¡°Didn''t you hear me? Get out,¡± The elderly man said as he raised his crutch over his own head.


    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    ¡°Robbie, Jamie, Ellie...¡±


    Gentle voices apanied the arrival of Ruby, Lexie, and the homeroom teacher from the Apple


    Kindergarten.


    ¡°We are so d to finally see you. You three have really had us worried.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. We''ve even called the police.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Longman, Ms. Cheney, and Ms. Krasny!¡± Ellie rushed into Lexie''s arms, nearly bowling the frail


    lady over. ¡°Boy, am I ever so d to see you!¡±


    ¡°We''ve been looking all over for you,¡± Lexie said as she held the little girl close.


    ¡°What brings you here?¡±


    When Robbie saw the teachers and the police behind them, his knitted brows seemed to untangle just


    a little as he felt a lot safer in their presence.


    ¡°Miss...¡± Jamie reacted to the teachers as though he had seen family, and tried to get out from the bed.


    ¡°No, don''t move.¡± Ruby went forward to pacify the boy. ¡°Don''t be afraid now. We''re here to take you


    home.¡±


    ¡°What do you think about that?¡± Zachary shrugged at his grandfather. ¡°Now, you may return home with


    peace of mind. Just leave the rest to me!¡±


    ¡°That''s better.¡± The old man gave him a look before he reminded him sternly, ¡°You have to get them


    back to their parents safely. And you are not to frighten them again.¡±


    ¡°That''s the mug I was born with. Not much I can do about that,¡± Zachary replied.


    ¡°Can''t you at least learn to smile? Act friendlier, huh?¡± the old man said. ¡°Always wearing a frown with


    that poker face of yours. Anyone would be afraid of you!¡±


    ¡°Why should I smile at him? He''s not my son,¡± Zachary replied.


    ¡°You''ll be the death of me, you rascal!¡± The old man said as he spanked the man on the rear with his


    crutch, ¡°If you could have a son as adorable as this, I would die a happy man!¡±

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    The children felt safer around those familiar faces from school.


    Old Mr. Nacht bade them goodbye before he left. He reminded them to call him whenever they were


    met with difficulty or danger so that he could protect them.


    The three children were deeply moved and held him tightly in gratitude before they saw him off.


    The hospital''s staff had the kids ced in an ambnce. With a pediatrician alongside a team of three


    paramedics attached, the kids were sent back together with the teachers.


    This arrangement had many of the children staying in other wards quite envious.


    With the police car clearing the path in the lead, the ambnce in the middle, followed by Zachary''s car


    propping up the rear, the convoy drove towards Happy Avenue in concert.


    Meanwhile, Charlotte had found her phone at home. She wanted to charge it as the battery was t.


    ¡°Bring along your charger and do it in the car. It''s not safe here,¡± Michael said as he got her a coat.


    ¡°Okay,¡± she replied as she followed him out in a hurry.


    The two of them go into the ride and made straight for the Garden Vi.


    En route, the familiarity of the streets made her feel overwhelmed. She wanted very much to be


    reunited with her children as soon as possible, and never be apart from them again.


    ¡°Charlotte,¡± Michael said as he held her hand. ¡°We''ll exin everything to old Mr. Nachtter. I''m sure


    he can make Zachary give up the children.¡±


    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    ¡°I hope so...¡±


    Charlotte breathed in deeply as she turned her attention to switching on the phone.


    She failed to notice then that the convoy which ferried the children sped past along the road on the


    opposite side of the forested area towards home.


    The phone records showed several missed calls from an unknown number. There was also a message.


    ¡°Gods. Robbie called several times, but I missed them all.¡±


    ¡°When was it?¡± Michael asked.


    ¡°It''s all my fault...¡± Charlotte was filled with self-reproach. ¡°Why didn''t I notice them? Robbie must be so


    anxious when he couldn''t reach me.¡±


    ¡°Let''s not talk about that right now. Call him back, and quickly,¡± Michael said.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Charlotte then dialed the nurse''s number.


    ¡°Hello.¡±


    ¡°Hi, I''m Charlotte, Robbie''s mother. May I know if you''re from Serene Hospital? Are my three children


    there with you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ma''am. We are. The children have been with us the past two days, but they have left about half


    an hour ago.¡±


    ¡°They were taken? By whom?¡± Charlotte asked.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht,¡± the nurse replied casually. ¡°Weren''t they already in contact with you? Aren''t you aware?¡±


    Charlotte was shaken to the bone when she heard that Zachary had taken them. And it happened just


    half an hour before.


    ¡°Hello, Ma''am? Are you still there?¡±


    Charlotte was trembling so badly that she could not hear the nurse hailing her. She hung up outright


    before she called Zachary directly.


    ¡°Please, Charlotte...¡± Michael wanted to end the call but it had already gotten through.


    ¡°Look who''s calling...¡± Zachary said coldly.


    ¡°Zachary, you are insane!¡± Charlotte screamed into the phone. ¡°Why did you take my children? Why?¡±


    On the other end, her heightened pitch nearly hurt his eardrums. His phone was then switched to


    hands-free. ¡°Keep hollering if you never want to see your kids again!¡±


    Then he hung up.


    ¡°You...¡± Before Charlotte could speak, she heard the dead tone repeated itself. She was losing her


    mind as the phone trembled in her hand.

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    Chapter 336


    ¡°Charlotte, calm down,¡± coaxed Michael. ¡°The children are in his hands. Have you thought about the


    consequences of acting so rashly?¡±


    ¡°What should we do, then? What the heck should we do?¡± Charlotte''s shoulders trembled as she


    sobbed. ¡°I can''t do anything about him. He''s a nutcase!¡±


    ¡°Take a deep breath and calm down...¡± Michael consoled as he grabbed her shoulders reassuringly.


    ¡°Call him and ask him what he wants. As long as he doesn''t harm the children, we are open for


    negotiation.¡±


    Like what he told her to, Charlotte took a deep breath and called Zachary.


    However, the ringing tone ensued for a long time without anyone picking up.


    Charlotte''s heart raced as she waited anxiously.


    After a long while, the call finally got through. However, Zachary stayed silent.


    ¡°I''m begging you. Please release my child...¡±


    Charlotte''s voice quivered as she choked up. For the sake of her children, she had already tossed all


    pride away to beg him.


    ¡°That''s the right attitude,¡± Zachary smirked.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± demanded Charlotte through her sobs. ¡°As long as you release my children, I''ll


    agree to any requests.¡±


    ¡°Very good.¡± Zachary smiled in satisfaction. ¡°Michael''s beside you, right? Turn your phone to speaker


    mode.¡±


    She obediently did as instructed.


    ¡°Tell him that he must stop being so nosy in the future,¡±manded Zachary. ¡°Also, he mustn''t


    intervene between you and me anymore.¡±


    Charlotte raised her head and gazed at Michael, tears brimming in her eyes. ¡°Did you hear that,


    Michael? I''m begging you, stop poking your nose into my business in the future...¡±


    ¡°Charlotte...¡± He was so furious that he gritted his teeth. However, for the child''s safety, he had no


    choice but to nod. ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡°Now, swear on your children''s life...¡± Zachary instructed yet again, ¡°You''ll obey the rules of our debt


    repayment contract. Also, you''re not allowed to defy, betray or resist me!¡±


    ¡°Zachary, you''re crossing the line!¡± Michael yelled furiously, seething with anger. ¡°Karma will get you


    soon!¡±


    ¡°Tsk...¡± He mocked coldly, ¡°You agreed to stop nosing in others'' business, but you''re going against your


    word within barely a minute, huh? Looks like you don''t care about the children''s safety at all.¡±


    As he spoke, he shot Ben a look, signaling him to y the recording he had secretly taken at the


    hospital. Ellie''s wails rang out. ¡°Mommy, Mommy! I want my Mommy...¡±


    ¡°Ellie!¡± Charlotte was in so much anguish that it felt like her heart was shattering into pieces. She yelled


    agitatedly, ¡°I promise you, I promise you! I promise you anything!¡±


    As she spoke, she raised her hand to swear.


    ¡°I swear that I''ll obey the conditions stated in the debt repayment contract and never defy, betray or


    resist Zachary. If I go against my word, I''ll be struck by lightning and suffer a horrible death!¡±


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    ¡°I want you to swear on your children''s life,¡± emphasized Zachary.


    ¡°I''m begging you, Zachary. Please... I...¡±


    Charlotte was so agitated that she could hardly breathe, with the world around her spinning so fast that


    she almost fainted.


    ¡°Zachary...¡±


    ¡°Fine!¡± In a ¡°magnanimous¡± disy, he finally relented. ¡°Go back and wait for my updates.¡±


    With that, he ended the call.


    ¡°Zachary...¡± shrieked Charlotte agitatedly, but the only response she got was the busy tone of the


    phone.


    Gripping the phone tightly, she broke down into tears.


    ¡°Don''t be agitated, Charlotte. Your children will be fine,¡± Michael quickly consoled her. ¡°I''ll help you. I''ll


    look for old Mr. Nacht now.¡±


    ¡°It''s useless.¡± Charlotte quickly tugged him back and shook her head, tears streaming down her face.


    ¡°The more I resist, the more danger the children will be in. Zachary''s a devil. We can''t defeat him.¡±


    She finally understood that the only way to protect her family was to obey him.


    From the start, she should not have resisted or doubted him, nor should she have escaped from the


    hospital and get involved with Michael...


    If she remained obedient, at least Mrs. Berry and her children would be safe.


    She had finally arrived at the grim conclusion that she couldn''t escape from Zachary''s grasp. All she


    could do was ept her fate.

 Chapter 337

    Chapter 337


    Twirling the phone in his hands, Zachary smirked mockingly.


    He was mocking Charlotte''s stupidity for suspecting that he kidnapped her children.


    At the same time, his mockery was directed to none other but himself. To force her to stay by his side,


    he had to resort to such unscrupulous methods.


    ¡°What''s the point?¡± Ben could not help but exim, ¡°You''re helping her find her children, so why are


    you willingly pretending to be the kidnapper and shouldering such a bad name for yourself?¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t matter,¡± dismissed Zachary nonchntly. ¡°Since she likes to suspect me so much, won''t it


    disappoint her if I''m not the actual culprit?¡±


    ''You''re always so stubborn. When something bad happens, you refuse to exin ormunicate with


    the other party. That''s why your rtionship keeps worsening...¡±


    Right after Ben blurted it out, he pped a hand over his mouth hurriedly.


    Zachary''s expression immediately turned grim as he shot a vicious re at him.


    Ben quickly pped himself on the cheek and apologized with his head lowered, ¡°I''m sorry, Mr. Nacht.


    I''m such a bbermouth.¡±


    However, Zachary remained silent. Peering at the city''s skyline at nighttime, he fell into deep thought.


    Actually, he did not understand why Charlotte kept suspecting, fearing, and evading him when he had


    always treated her so nicely.


    Yet, Ben''s earlier words reminded him.


    Perhaps, there was something wrong with his methods.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, we''ve arrived!¡±


    As he mulled over it, Bruce turned over and reported to him.


    Jolted back to his senses, he realized that the car had already arrived at Happy Avenue.


    Zachary alighted the car, while the medical staff and kindergarten teachers carried the three children


    down.


    He was about to walk over when Ellie hurriedly hid behind Ms. Cheney''s back. With her fingers tightly


    clutching her teacher''s shirt, she poked half of her head out and stared at him fearfully, her chubby


    body quivering.


    She looked adorable and vulnerable at the same time.


    On the other hand, Robbie spread his arms wide and bravely shielded his younger siblings. He red


    at Zachary with a stubborn and defiant gaze.


    Only Jamie, who was injured, was leaning against Ms. Longman and snoring, acting as carefree as an


    ignorant fool.


    Zachary stopped in his tracks and stared at them a few meters away. He reminded the doctors and


    teachers, ¡°Take good care of them. Before their Mom returns, you must constantly hover over them.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Nacht.¡±


    The policemen, teachers, and doctors standing behind Robbie simultaneously answered in a respectful


    tone.


    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    ¡°Have a good night''s sleep and you can see your Mommy tomorrow morning!¡± When Zachary''s gaze


    landed on Robbie, his tone subconsciously took a gentler turn. ¡°Take good care of your little sister.¡±


    Frowning, Robbie remained silent.


    Zachary then nced at Jamie, who was fast asleep, before saying to Ellie, ¡°Your little parrot is really


    cute!¡±


    ¡°It''s called Fifi!¡± rebuked Ellie unhappily, pouting.


    ¡°I see.¡± Zachary tugged at the corners of his lips, revealing a reluctant and forced smile. Then, he spun


    around and left.


    Everyone stood there fixedly as they watched Zachary get into the car. It was only after his car zoomed


    away and disappeared from their sight that they heaved a sigh of relief. Turning their gaze back, they


    brought the three children upstairs.


    ¡°Ms. Longman, why are you so scared of him?¡± Robbie tilted his head and asked in confusion.


    ¡°Because he paid us a lot of money to take care of you,¡± replied Ms. Longman with a smile.


    ¡°What about you?¡± Robbie asked the medical staff.


    ¡°It''s the same for us,¡± answered the nurses in a friendly manner. ¡°Mr. Nacht paid us a hundred times of


    our usual sry to take care of you.¡±


    ¡°Could it be that you guys...¡± Robbie turned his gaze to the policemen.


    ¡°We serve the people,¡± they hurriedly rified. ¡°It''s our duty to protect the safety of our citizens.¡±


    ¡°I see...¡± Robbie averted his eyes and stared in the direction where Zachary left with aplex gaze.


    ¡°Robbie.¡± Ellie grabbed his tiny hands and whispered, ¡°Grandpa Nacht''s eldest grandson doesn''t seem


    to be a baddie. Since he hired so many people to take care of us, don''t you think that we''re a bit rude to


    him?¡±

 Chapter 338

    Chapter 338


    ¡°Yeah, I kept having an urge to ask why you don''t seem to like Mr. Nacht even though he treats you


    quite nicely,¡± remarked Ms. Longman curiously. ¡°Is it because of the incident about the chip? Although


    they seem really intimidating, they always know their boundaries and are very polite.¡±


    ¡°That''s right. Mr. Nacht made meticulous arrangements and selected the best nurses in the hospital to


    take care of you. He really dedicated a lot of effort to this,¡± the pediatrician chimed in. ¡°Although he


    might look a bit scary, he''s still old Mr. Nacht''s grandson. He won''t hurt you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he''s Grandpa Nacht''s grandson. If he bullies us, old Mr. Nacht will spank him!¡± eximed Ellie


    seriously as she tilted her head. ¡°At the hospital today, old Mr. Nacht spanked him with his walking


    stick!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he spent so much money, effort, and time to personally send you home. At the very least, you


    should be more polite,¡± exined Ms. Longman patiently. ¡°Don''t you think that I''m right, Robbie?¡±


    Robbie felt a bit guilty, for what the teachers and the doctors said was reasonable. He should have


    expressed his gratitude to that man...


    However, he quickly puffed up his chest and rebuked indignantly, ¡°That man is so fierce! Previously, he


    caused so much trouble for us just to find that chip. Mommy always gets injured when working for him.


    Aren''t we supposed to constantly be on guard to avoid idents? It''s never a mistake to be careful!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that''s right!¡± Ellie nodded vigorously, causing her double-chin to appear at her neck. ¡°Robbie''s


    right. I''ll listen to him!¡±


    ¡°Good girl. Let''s go home!¡± Robbie held her hand and strode forward. ¡°Once you get home, you don''t


    have to be scared anymore. I''ll let you drink some milk.¡±


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    ¡°Thanks, Robbie.¡± After thanking him, Ellie asked eagerly, ¡°Grandpa Nacht''s grandson said that


    Mommy wille back soon. Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Did that grandson say that? I was so preupied with ring at him that I didn''t pay attention to what


    he was saying.¡±


    By unknowingly omitting a crucial word, Robbie''s address of Zachary now took a drastically different


    turn.


    ¡°Yeah, that grandson said that!¡± Mimicking Zachary, Ellie''s expression turned grim as she narrowed her


    eyes. She feigned his voice as she repeated, ¡°Have a good night''s sleep and you can see your Mommy


    tomorrow morning!¡±


    ¡°Fine, since that grandson said that, it should be true.¡± Robbie heaved a heavy sigh and said maturely,


    ¡°The past few days have been so tiring. I hope that we can have a good sleep tonight and see Mommy


    again when we wake up!¡±


    ¡°God bless us!¡± Ellie pped her hands together. Gazing wistfully at the moon hanging high in the sky,


    she made a wish. I hope that I can see Mommy tomorrow morning when we wake up...


    ¡°Mommy...¡± Jamie, who was still in deep sleep, turned around in Ms. Cheney''s arms, his saliva dripping


    on her shoulders.


    With an arm around Jamie''s back and another supporting his butt, Ms. Cheney whispered, ¡°Ms.


    Longman, is it raining? Why does my shoulder feel wet?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha!¡±


    Everyone could not help but burst intoughter.


    Ellie and Robbie chuckled as well. They clutched their stomachs as they doubled over inughter.


    They were going to go home soon and see their mother. Finally feeling safe, they were truly happy at


    that moment.


    The shadowy figure of the Rolls-Royce zoomed back home.


    Ben asked carefully, ¡°Mr. Nacht, why don''t you inform Ms. Windt now? She won''t have to keep


    worrying, and the children want to see her too.¡±


    ¡°Why are you being so anxious about it?¡± Zachary red at him and coldly instructed, ¡°Tell her at six in


    the morning tomorrow. Let her suffer for another night.¡±


    ¡°Um, okay then.¡±


    Ben did not dare to utter a single word. However, he could not help but silentlyment at how stubborn


    and foul Zachary''s temper was.


    Still, Ben had to admit that Zachary treated those children very gently just now.

 Chapter 339

    Chapter 339


    As Zachary had predicted, the night was tormenting for Charlotte.


    Michael arranged for the maid to fill the bathtub with warm water and reminded her to have a hot bath


    before resting for the night.


    However, she could not fall asleep at all. Sitting on the bathtub with her knees drawn to her chest, she


    stared at the dark phone screen and slowly spaced out.


    She was waiting for that call...


    Filled with anxiety, she dared not blink or breathe loudly, afraid that she would miss out on any news


    about her children.


    As long as she could meet her children and live peacefully with her family, she was even willing to


    be Zachary''s ve.


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    However, an hour slowly ticked by.


    Her eyes were tearing up from constantly staring at her phone, but it did not ring even once.


    Charlotte buried her head between her knees and let her tears drip into the bathtub.


    Afraid that something bad might happen to Charlotte, the maid knocked on the door urgently and


    entered. After helping her out of the bathtub, the maid wiped her body dry, wrapped a bathrobe around


    her, and blow-dried her hair.


    By the time everything waspleted, it was already one in the morning.


    Yet, Charlotte still did not receive any news on her phone.


    Filled with tormenting anguish, she could not endure it anymore and called Zachary.


    Beep... Beep...


    The ringtone ensued for a long time without anyone answering the call. Hence, it ended automatically.


    Charlotte''s hands trembled as she gripped her phone. However, afraid that Zachary would be enraged


    and vent his anger on the children, she did not dare to make another call.


    However, she couldn''t wait idly.


    Hence, she sent a message to Zachary.


    I know that I was wrong. You can make me do anything. Please, just release my children.


    I''ll listen to your everymand in the future. Even if I have to be your ve, I won''t resist


    anymore. Please release my children. I''m begging you, Zachary.


    Please...


    She sent three consecutive messages but got no message in response.


    Charlottey on the bed, feeling like all the tears had been drained from her body.


    She could not sleep even if she wanted to, nor did she have any tears left to cry. In fact, she was on the


    verge of an emotional breakdown.


    At that moment, all that she could feel was immense regret. Why had she not realized it earlier? It was


    futile to go up against such a formidable man like him.


    She should have just remained as an obedient and soulless ve.


    It was a mistake to humiliate him right in front of old Mr. Nacht and Sharon, nor should she have


    resisted and escaped.


    On the other side, Zachary frowned as he read the messages.


    After a slight hesitation, he called her.


    ¡°Hello?¡± Charlotte picked up the call instantly. Her hands trembled as she held her phone, while her


    voice quivered as well. ¡°I''ll definitely be obedient in the future. I definitely will! Please, release my


    children. I''m begging you...¡±


    ¡°Remember what you said!¡± warned Zachary coldly.


    ¡°I will, I will!¡± Charlotte nodded frantically. ¡°I''ll really remember this time.¡±


    ¡°Your children are at home.¡± He finally relented and told her, ¡°Go back and see for yourself.¡±


    With that, he hung up the call.


    Charlotte quickly rushed out to find Michael, her phone still in her hands. ¡°Michael, Michael, send me


    back right away. I''ve found my children!¡±


    Michael was changing in his bedroom. When the door was suddenly flung open, he was so shocked


    that he tripped and fell onto the bed flustered.


    Overwhelmed with urgency, Charlotte rushed over and pulled him. ¡°Michael, tell the chauffeur to send


    me back. I found my children!¡±


    ¡°Don''t be so anxious yet. I''ll send you after I change my clothes,¡± said Michael as he blushed. ¡°You


    should change too. Also, bring Fifi along.¡±


    Only then did Charlotte remember that Fifi was with Michael as well. They had just sent it to the vet


    today.


    She immediately headed out to look for Fifi. After being summoned by the maid, the vet passed the


    cage which was holding Fifi to Charlotte. He said exasperatedly, ¡°It''s not sick. It just got drunk!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Charlotte was stunned. ¡°Drunk?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it drank quite a lot so it''s still in a daze now.¡± The vet reminded, ¡°This parrot is lucky to have


    survived. Other birds would''ve died after ingesting so much alcohol, but, surprisingly, it''s still fine.


    However, it''ll probably remain in a slumber for another two days.¡±

 Chapter 340

    Chapter 340


    Charlotte nced at Fifi, who was lying on a cushion and sleeping soundly in the cage. If she did not


    notice the slight heaving of its chest, she would''ve thought that it was dead.


    Who fed Fifi alcohol?


    An impish face shed across Charlotte''s mind. Who else can it be other than him?


    ¡°We can leave now!¡± Michael, who had finished changing his clothes, grabbed his car keys and strode


    out.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Both of them rushed into the car, which zoomed toward Happy Avenue.


    To ensure Michael''s safety, a few bodyguards tailed them in another car.


    Neither Charlotte nor Michael spoke throughout the journey. Only after they arrived at the entrance of


    Happy Avenue did she say, ¡°Michael, I know that it''s really despicable of me to say this, but I have no


    choice. Let''s not meet anymore.¡±


    She choked up when she spoke, ¡°I can''t drag you down with me, and I don''t want this torment to


    ensue. Really...¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Although Michael was extremely reluctant, he decided to concede. ¡°I''m not capable


    enough to oppose Zachary right now. If I help you, I''ll only make things worse and push you into an


    even more dire situation. It''s better if I stay away from you.¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry...¡± Charlotte took a deep breath and wiped her tears away. ¡°You must stay safe and take care


    of yourself.¡±


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    ¡°I will.¡± Michael forced out a smile on his face. ¡°Don''t cry. It''s a good thing that you''ve found your


    children.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Renewed hope burned within her when she thought of her children.


    Soon, the car arrived at Happy Avenue. Michael opened the car door and helped Charlotte out. ¡°I''ll


    send you upstairs.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine,¡± refused Charlotte quickly. ¡°I don''t want to cause you any more trouble.¡±


    ¡°What if it''s a scam?¡± Michael was still worried. ¡°I must ensure you and your children''s safety.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry.¡± Charlotte smiled bitterly. ¡°Although Zachary has a lot of horrible habits, a good thing


    about him is that he always speaks the truth. If he says that my children are at home, they''ll definitely


    be there!¡±


    ¡°Okay, then...¡± Michael stopped insisting. ¡°I''ll stay here and watch over you as you go upstairs. If


    everything''s fine, turn the lights on and off three times. In that case, I''ll know that you''re safe.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Charlotte embraced Michael warmly. ¡°Michael, stay safe!¡±


    ¡°You too.¡± Gazing at her reluctantly, he reminded, ¡°If you leave Zachary''s side in the future, or if you


    need my help, you can contact me anytime.¡±


    ¡°Got it...¡±


    Charlotte cast him a lingering nce before spinning around and walking into the neighborhood briskly.


    Soon, she broke out into a run.


    She desperately wanted to meet her children, not even wanting to wait a minute longer.


    After exiting the lift, she quickly unlocked the door with her fingerprint and flung it open. To her surprise,


    two policemen were standing in the house, both warily aiming their guns at her.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Charlotte was so scared that she screamed.


    ¡°Ms. Windt!¡± Ms. Longman recognized Charlotte and quickly walked over to exin. ¡°Sirs, she''s the


    children''s mother.¡±


    The policemen quickly withdrew their guns and scanned Charlotte. Nodding, they said, ¡°She looks


    exactly like the person in the photo. Seems like she''s their true mother.¡±


    ¡°How can she be false?¡± Ms. Longman was speechless.


    ¡°What... What''s going on?¡±


    Charlotte scanned the people in the house,pletely astounded.


    There were two policemen, Ms. Cheney, the kindergarten teachers, a doctor, and three medical staff...


    ¡°We''re here under Mr. Nacht''s orders to take care of the children,¡± exined Ms. Longman. ¡°He


    instructed us to watch over the kids before you return.¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡± Charlotte was extremely confused. Did Zachary really arrange all of these? Why doesn''t this


    look like a kidnapping?


    What the heck is going on?


    However, she could not be bothered to mull over this and instead made a beeline to the bedroom.


    ¡°Where are the kids?¡±


    ¡°They''re sleeping. Go and take a look at them.¡±

 Chapter 341

    Chapter 341


    Charlotte rushed into the bedroom anxiously and saw Ellie, who was hugging her favorite alpaca doll


    and sleeping soundly on her pink princess bed.


    An unfinished milk bottle and a family photo rested beside her.


    ¡°Before Ellie fell asleep, she kept asking me if her mother wille back. She was hugging the family


    photo and crying her heart out. I had to coax her for a long time before she went to sleep,¡± whispered


    Ms. Cheney.


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Tears brimmed in Charlotte''s eyes and streamed down her cheeks. She tiptoed into the


    room, bent down, and nted a gentle kiss on Ellie''s forehead. In a whisper, she said, ¡°Ellie, Mommy''s


    back. I won''t lose you again.¡±


    When Ms. Longman and Ms. Cheney saw that, their eyes reddened.


    Charlotte hugged Ellie and tucked her in. After moving the milk bottle and photo frame aside, she


    quickly strode to the adjacent room and pushed the door open gently.


    When she turned on the wallmps, she spotted Robbie and Jamie who were both fast asleep on their


    beds.


    Jamie was hugging his toy gun and sleeping soundly, his drool all over his pillow.


    His right leg, which was in a cast, was ced delicately on the bed, while his left leg was propped up


    against the wall. His body was sprawled across the bed and the nket had already slipped off the


    bed. His sleeping posture looked as wild as his usual personality.


    ¡°Haha!¡± Ms. Longman covered her mouth and stifled a chuckle. ¡°I just ced his leg in the correct


    position and tucked him in earlier. Within a few minutes, his posture became like this.¡±


    ¡°That''s how he sleeps.¡± Charlotte quickly went over to check him up. She asked anxiously, ¡°What


    happened to his leg? His head is also bandaged. What happened?¡±


    ¡°That''s a long story. I''ll exin it to youter,¡± whispered Ms. Longman. ¡°Spend some time with your


    children first. We''ll be waiting for you outside.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Charlotte nodded and pulled the nket over Jamie''s nket. Then, she moved his legs back


    into the correct position and adjusted his sleeping posture. After gently pulling the toy gun out of his


    arms, she kissed his forehead tenderly.


    ¡°Hmm... You''re such a pretty girl...¡±


    Jamie turned around and mumbled.


    A chuckle rumbled out of Charlotte''s lips as she smacked his chubby butt gently.


    This brat is thinking about pretty girls instead of his Mommy in his sleep! Where is his conscience?


    She grabbed a piece of tissue paper and wiped the drool away from Jamie''s mouth. After pinching his


    cheeks affectionately, she turned around and looked at Robbie.


    His sleeping posture was much better. However, his brows were furrowed as he hugged the family


    photo. There was even a baton used for self-defense lying beside him.


    This child had always been more mature and thoughtful than his younger siblings. Hence, he often had


    more worries running through his mind.


    Charlotte had always worried that it would be a toil on his mental health if he matured so quickly.


    However, on second thought, Robbie would not need to worry so much if she was a strong and capable


    mother who could give them a sense of security.


    As the eldest brother, is Robbie trying to shoulder my burden because I can''t make them feel safe?


    Her heart ached as she stroked his face and smoothened out his furrowed brows. She then bent down


    to kiss his eyes. To her surprise, he suddenly opened his eyes after she moved away.


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Mommy...¡± Robbie stared at her in astonishment and only returned to his senses after a while.


    Rubbing his eyes vigorously, he eximed, ¡°I''m not dreaming, right?¡±


    ¡°No...¡± Charlotte cupped his cheeks and whispered gently, ¡°Robbie, Mommy''s back!¡±


    ¡°Mommy!¡± Robbie immediately pounced into her arms and said agitatedly, ¡°I miss you so much,


    Mommy. I was so scared that I won''t be able to see you again.¡±


    ¡°You foolish boy. I still need to watch over you while you grow up.¡± Charlotte embraced him and patted


    his back gently. In a gentle tone, she reassured, ¡°I''ll never leave your side again!¡±


    ¡°Mommy...¡±


    Robbie, who had put up a strong front for many days, could not control his emotions anymore. He


    started bawling in his mother''s arms.

 Chapter 342

    Chapter 342


    As Ellie kept crying and Jamie was being treated at the hospital for these few days, Robbie had to take


    care of them as their older brother. While worrying about his mother and Mrs. Berry, he still had to take


    various precautions to prevent evil guys from harming his younger siblings.


    It was rare for such maturity and wisdom to be found in a three-year-old toddler.


    Regardless of what he encountered, he did not shed a single tear. Even if his eyes had turned red and


    his voice had choked up, he would quickly suppress his emotions.


    However, now that he finally saw his mother, he could not hold it back anymore...


    The facade of strength he had put up disintegrated at that very moment. In the haven of his mother''s


    arms, he could finally act like a young child and vent all his emotions without a care in the world.


    As he kept crying, Charlotte''s heart ached. She kept kissing Robbie''s hair and consoling, ¡°Don''t be


    scared, Robbie. Now that I''vee back, I won''t leave anymore.¡±


    Robbie only calmed down after a long while. Taking a deep breath, he raised his head and looked at


    Charlotte. ¡°Mommy, what happened? Where have you been for the past two days? Why can''t I contact


    you? Are you hurt? Did you get bullied?¡±


    ¡°No, I''mpletely fine.¡±


    While wiping his tears away with a piece of tissue paper, she exined, ¡°I was still working that day. As


    I received a call saying that Mrs. Berry has fainted, I quickly rushed to the hospital to take care of her. I


    waste by twenty minutes to pick you up, so the time I reached Happy Avenue, you guys are already


    nowhere to be seen... I''ve been searching high and low for the three of you over the past few days.¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Berry fainted? How is she?¡± asked Robbie worriedly.


    ¡°She''s sick, but my friend who''s also a doctor is taking care and treating her now. You don''t need to


    worry,¡± reassured Charlotte as she cupped Robbie''s handsome face. ¡°Sleep now, Robbie. I''ll go out


    and talk to the teachers and policemen first. I''ll make breakfast for you tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Robbie nodded obediently. ¡°Go and do what you have to do first, Mommy. Rest early after that.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Charlotte nted a kiss on him again before leaving quietly.


    After closing the bedroom door, she signaled Ms. Longman and Ms. Cheney to her bedroom and


    inquired about the situation.


    Ms. Longman exined that after the children went missing, the school authorities were extremely


    flustered andbed the entire area for them. As their search yielded no results, they reported it to the


    police. It was then that they realized that Charlotte had also made a report. Although they tried to


    contact her, she did not answer any of their calls. Hence, they had no choice but to wait for the police''s


    updates.


    At 6 p.m. that night, Ms. Longman received a call from the police saying that the children had been


    found. They instructed her to go to Serene Hospital, and they discovered the truth afterward.


    The three children had been walking home on their own after school. However, on the way home,


    Jamie dashed into a forest while chasing a little cat. After emerging out of the forest onto another road,


    he got knocked down by a luxurious car. The owner of the car then sent them to the hospital.


    Ben appeared a whileter and paid them arge sum of money to take care of the children for a


    night...


    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    At the mention of that, Ms. Longman quickly rified, ¡°Actually, it''s our duty to protect the kids. Even if


    we''re not paid, we''ll still do our best. Since the Divine Corporation insisted on paying us, we...¡±


    ¡°It''s fine. Divine Corporation''s rich anyway, so it''s a waste to refuse their money.¡± Charlotte was not


    bothered by it at all. ¡°Since they paid you, just keep the money. Do you know who the perpetrator


    was?¡±


    ¡°While we were chatting with the medical staff on the way here, we realized that he''s the grandfather of


    Divine Corporation''s president...¡± mumbled Ms. Cheney softly.


    Charlotte was stunned. So old Mr. Nacht crashed into Jamie and sent them to the hospital?


    Is... Is this the truth?


    Or is there more to it?


    ¡°Old Mr. Nacht is very nice to the kids. They''ve already developed a close rtionship with him and


    were even reluctant to leave him...¡± added Ms. Longman.

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    ¡°Yeah! Old Mr. Nacht even bought the kids a lot of presents¡ªalmost enough to fill up an entire car!¡±


    Ms. Cheney enthusiastically chimed in. ¡°When we were at the hospital, he also said that he''d make


    compensations.¡±


    Not saying anything, Charlotte fell into deep thought.


    Even though old Mr. Nacht had identally knocked over Jamie, he sent him to the hospital for


    treatment and took care of Robbie and Ellie well. Not only that, but he also settled everything afterward.


    In that case, she could not possibly pin the me on him.


    However, if that''s true, why did Zachary threaten me with the children?


    Why are the recordings of the surveince cameras at that particr stretch of road missing too?


    Did old Mr. Nacht order the traffic police to wipe them away, or was it Zachary?


    What actually happened?


    ¡°Ms. Windt...¡± said Ms. Longman softly. ¡°Since you''re already back, we don''t have to stay anymore,


    right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, thank you for your hard work.¡±


    Only then did Charlotte jolt back to her senses. She quickly stood up, thanked them, and sent them off. From N?velDrama.Org.


    Meanwhile, the two policemen and medical staff were still waiting for Charlotte outside.


    The policemen said that they received instructions from their superiors that they could leave after the


    children''s parents returned. However, they would increase the police patrols around Happy Avenue to


    ensure the residents'' safety.


    Charlotte thanked them profusely and politely sent them off.


    After they left, she asked the pediatrician the specifics about Jamie''s injury.


    The pediatrician passed theprehensive check-up report and hospital bill to Charlotte for her to


    review. Lastly, he reassured, ¡°As Jamie''s right ankle is fractured, he might need to rest for a while.


    Other than that, he''s fine and will recover quickly. You don''t have to worry too much.¡±


    ¡°Phew, that''s great.¡± Charlotte heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Thank you for your hard work over the past few


    days. Let me send you off...¡±


    ¡°Actually, Ms. Windt,¡± interrupted the pediatrician, suddenly adopting a serious tone. ¡°Our superiors


    have instructed us to stay behind and take care of the three kids until everyone has recovered!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the three of us will take care of a child each. Dr. Howard will be responsible for Jamie''s


    treatment.¡±


    The nurses pledged with a smile, ¡°Not only are we equipped with nursing skills, but we''re also trained


    in childcare education. We know how to prepare meals for toddlers too, so we won''t face any problems


    taking care of the children. Don''t worry.¡±


    ¡°Um...¡± Charlotte felt a little flustered. ¡°My house is a little small, so where will you stay?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Ben has already bought the house opposite. ording to him, it is already equipped with the daily


    necessities we would require. We''ll be staying there temporarily,¡± said the pediatrician as he pointed at


    the house opposite. ¡°Our medical equipment and kits are all there.¡±


    ¡°Wow...¡± eximed Charlotte in surprise. ¡°Are you talking about Ben Nacht?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± The nurses nodded profusely.


    ¡°Okay, I get it.¡± Charlotte nced at the clock and urged, ¡°It''s already 3.30 a.m. so you should go back


    and rest soon. See you tomorrow morning!¡±


    ¡°Sure, you should rest early too! We''ll visit you at 7 in the morning tomorrow and make breakfast for the


    children.¡±


    ¡°Oh, thank you for your efforts!¡±


    After sending the medical staff off, Charlotte took a deep breath and closed the door. She headed to


    the balcony to check if Michael''s car had left yet.


    As she was so focused on looking for her children, she forgot all about the signal.


    When she was walking towards the window, she suddenly heard someone knock on the door.


    This caused her to jump in fright. Quickly grabbing a baseball bat for self-defense, she crept to the door


    and peered through the peephole. It was Michael!


    She quickly opened the door. ¡°Michael?¡±


    ¡°You forgot Fifi!¡± Michael passed the golden cage to her.


    Fifi was nestled in the cage and sleeping soundly,pletely oblivious to the fact that it had been


    forgotten by Charlotte.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± She quickly took the cage from his hands and exined, ¡°I was so eager to see my kids


    just now that I forgot to signal to you. Everything''s fine here and we''re safe. Don''t worry!¡±

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    ¡°I noticed.¡± Michael smiled gently. ¡°I met the kindergarten teachers downstairs and chatted with them.


    Seems like there''s another side to the story, huh?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Charlotte frowned. ¡°I''m confused too...¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t matter.¡± Michael changed the topic. ¡°Everything''s fine as long as you and your children are


    safe.¡±


    ¡°That''s right.¡± She did not want to mull over it excessively either. Regardless of what the truth was, she


    was in no position to resist. Her priority was to protect her children and leave everything else aside first.


    ¡°I''m leaving now. Stay safe.¡± Michael gazed at her deeply and left. When he reached the lift lobby, he


    suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned around. ¡°Charlotte, it''s not necessarily the case that you


    have no other paths to take!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± She did not quite understand what he was saying.


    ¡°If you can''t take it anymore, someone can protect you,¡± said Michael, his words concealing a deeper


    meaning. ¡°Think about it...¡±


    With that, he stepped into the lift.


    Charlotte frowned, feeling puzzled. When she closed the door and turned around, she suddenly


    remembered her father''s letter...


    He said that if she was ever at her wit''s ends, she could call a number that belonged to M Nation.


    No matter what happened, that person would definitely solve it for her!


    Yeah, why have I forgotten about it?


    It might be of help if I encounter another crisis in the future.


    But...


    Charlotte remembered her father''s constant reminder in the letter that she must not contact that person


    unless she was left with no other options. Once she contacted the person, it would mean that her life


    would take a drastic turn...


    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    Earlier, Michael was probably hinting at this person.


    It seemed like he had already read the contents of the letter.


    As she pondered over it, Charlotte''s heart sank again. She shook her head and tried to dispel those


    thoughts from her mind. It was more important to solve the current problem first.


    Hence, she returned to her room and changed into her pajamas. While lying on the bed, she sent a


    message to Mrs. Berry: Mrs. Berry, the kids are already safely at home. Don''t worry, we''ll visit you


    tomorrow!


    Then, with her phone still in her hands and overwhelmed by exhaustion, she fell into a deep slumber.


    At the Nachts'' residence, Zachary was sitting on the balcony in his robe. Gazing at the starry expanse


    of the sky, he silently sipped on his wine.


    Ben reported at the side, ¡°Ms. Windt has already returned home. Ms. Longman and Ms. Cheney from


    the kindergarten have already left too. At your instructions, the medical staff stayed to take care of


    them. And...¡±


    After a slight pause, he continued carefully, ¡°Michael went upstairs to pass Fifi to her. However, he left


    after chatting for two minutes without entering the house. I think that he clearly understands the


    consequences now and will not harass her anymore.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Zachary grunted an acknowledgment and continued sipping on his wine silently. When he


    finished an entire ss, he instructed, ¡°Don''t let Grandpa know about the children''s true identity.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Ben nodded before adding, ¡°But if the children contact him on their own ord, I can''t


    prevent that either. He bought a smartwatch for them and even left his number...¡±


    ¡°You don''t need to bother about that,¡± replied Zachary coldly. ¡°Charlotte is even more reluctant than me


    to let Grandpa find out. After all, she''s their mother.¡±


    ¡°You''re right.¡± Ben heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°It''s gettingte, so you should rest earlier.¡±


    When Zachary waved his hands dismissively, Ben bowed and left.


    Although he continued drinking the wine, his eyes were fixed on his phone.


    There was nothing¡ªnot even a single text or call.


    Even though that woman has met her children and learned the truth from the teachers, she still didn''t


    call me. I expected her to be in tears by now, sobbing and apologizing to me guiltily.


    Where the heck is her conscience?


    Or is she still suspecting that this is part of a plot?


    At that thought, Zachary''s expression turned grim and he could not help butment silently. I can''t


    believe how ungrateful Charlotte is!

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    As morning broke, Charlotte was still slumbering away. Ellie barged into the room and leaped into her


    arms.


    ¡°Ellie!¡± Charlotte awoke with a shock. Before she could react, Ellie cupped her face and peppered it


    with kisses. Charlotte''s face dripped with saliva as Ellie eximed, ¡°I missed you so much, Mommy!¡±


    ¡°I missed you too! My good girl, I won''t leave you again.¡± Charlotte hugged Ellie tightly.


    ¡°Boohoo, you must keep your promise, Mommy.¡± Ellie''s mouth puckered into a pout as tears filled her


    eyes. ¡°If you leave me again, I will ignore you.¡±


    ¡°I didn''t leave you. I was justte and didn''t manage to fetch you.¡± Charlotte cradled Ellie''s chubby


    cheeks as she anxiously exined, ¡°I''m sorry. Please don''t be angry with me, okay?¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡± Ellie turned her head away and went on pouting. ¡°I''ll only forgive you if you make me bread!¡±


    ¡°Sure, I''ll go and make your bread now.¡± Charlotte quickly climbed out of bed.


    ¡°Mommy, Mommy...¡± In the opposite room, Jamie''s urgent voice called out, ¡°Take me to see Mommy,


    Robbie!¡±


    ¡°Give me a second. The doorbell rang. Let me see who''s here.¡±


    Robbie put on his shoes and went to open the door.


    ¡°Ellie, how about we go see Jamie?¡± Charlotte lifted Ellie and strode out the door barefooted.


    One of Ellie''s arms circled Charlotte''s neck, while the other arm gestured towards Jamie. ¡°We''re


    coming, Jamie!¡±


    ¡°Mommy...¡± Jamie spread his arms and screamed for Charlotte.


    ¡°Mommy! Dr. Howard and the nurses are here!¡± Robbie yelled from the living room.


    ¡°Good morning!¡± the doctor and nurses greeted Charlotte.


    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    ¡°Good morning, pleasee in.¡± Charlotte greeted them in return.


    ¡°Oh,e down Ellie. Your Mommy''s waist is injured. She can''t carry anything heavy,¡± said the doctor


    anxiously when he saw Charlotte holding Ellie.


    One of the nurses rushed up to carry Ellie. ¡°Good girl, Ellie. Your Mommy''s waist is hurting. I''ll take care


    of you for the next few days, okay?¡± the nurse soothed Ellie kindly.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Ellie nodded obediently. She cocked her head toward Ellie and said, ¡°What happened to your


    waist, Mommy?¡±


    ¡°I just have a small injury. It''s nothing serious. I''ll be fine in a few days.¡± Charlotte pulled Dr. Howard


    aside and asked, ¡°How do you know that my waist is injured?¡±


    ¡°I heard from Mr. Ben. He said your waist is injured and that you can''t do heavybor. He reminded us


    to be careful and said that he''ll arrange for a doctor toe and treat your injury today.¡±


    Mrs. Berry''s agitated voice sounded out from outside. ¡°Are the children back? Robbie, Jamie, Ellie...¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Berry...¡± Robbie and Ellie dashed out when they heard her voice.


    Ellie tunneled into Mrs. Berry''s embrace. She hugged Mrs. Berry''s neck as she said, ¡°We missed you


    so much, Mrs. Berry!¡±


    ¡°My darlings. I missed you too.¡± Mrs. Berry could not hold back the tears that welled up in her eyes.


    She carefully scanned Ellie and Robbie. ¡°Let me see if you''re alright. Did anyone bully you?¡±


    ¡°No. We''re fine.¡± Robbie immediately noticed the needle marks and bandages on Mrs. Berry''s wound


    site. ¡°What happened, Mrs. Berry? Are you sick?¡±


    ¡°I''m fine. I feel fine as long as I get to see you.¡± Mrs. Berry cried as she had one arm around Ellie while


    the other was around Robbie. ¡°Where''s Jamie?¡±


    ¡°Jamie is in the room. His leg is injured, so he can''t get out of bed,¡± said Ellie as she pointed towards


    the bedroom.


    ¡°What? What happened to Jamie?¡± Mrs. Berry started to panic. ¡°Take me to him now.¡±


    ¡°It''s just a minor injury. You don''t need to worry.¡± Charlotte walked over with tears brimming in her eyes,


    and she pulled Mrs. Berry away to say, ¡°What brings you here? I thought you were hospitalized?¡±


    ¡°Dr. Langhan brought me here.¡± Mrs. Berry pointed at Raina and the two attendants behind her.

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    ¡°Good morning, Ms. Windt!¡±


    Raina strolled over with a broad smile on her face. The two attendants behind her were carrying


    medical bags.


    ¡°Good morning!¡± Charlotte immediately understood. Raina was the doctor Ben had sent to treat her


    waist.


    ¡°I''m going to treat your waist tonight, so I brought Mrs. Berry along to see the children. She needs to


    return to the hospital for treatmentter,¡± Raina exined, grinning.


    ¡°It''s just a small injury. There''s no need for me to be hospitalized. I''m morefortable at home. I''m


    happy just looking at Miss and the children,¡± said Mrs. Berry hurriedly.


    ¡°No, Mrs. Berry. You have to stay in the hospital and go through the treatment. It''ll set a good example


    for the children.¡± Charlotte''s expression was extremely stern.


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Miss...¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Berry, we can go to the hospital all the time to visit you. Make sure you get better.¡±


    Robbie encouraged Mrs. Berry.


    ¡°Is Mrs. Berry sick?¡± Ellie finally understood as she anxiously held Mrs. Berry''s face. ¡°If you''re sick, you


    have to stay in the hospital, Mrs. Berry. When I was sick, you told me the same too.¡±


    ¡°Fine, fine!¡± Mrs. Berry smiled and nodded. ¡°I''ll listen!¡±


    ¡°As you should...¡± Charlotte smiled in relief. ¡°Since you took a half-day off today, you can spend time


    with the children.¡±


    ¡°Right, right, right. Have you eaten breakfast? I''ll go and prepare it for you right now.¡±


    Mrs. Berry was a workaholic. She immediately rolled up her sleeves and bustled into the kitchen.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Charlotte shouted after her. ¡°You''re a patient. You should be resting.¡±


    ¡°Yes. We''re taking over the kitchen. You can keep the childrenpany for the time being.¡±


    The three female attendants beamed.


    ¡°But...¡± Mrs. Berry eyed them before shooting Charlotte a doubtful look.


    ¡°It''s just...¡± Charlotte gulped. ¡°The person who arranged for the three children.¡±


    ¡°We were sent by Mr. Nacht,¡± Dr. Howard quickly exined.


    Mrs. Berry furrowed her brow but remained silent.


    ¡°Don''t forget about me, Mommy and Mrs. Berry.¡±


    Jamie''s anxious voice screeched from inside the room.


    ¡°Hahaha, I almost forgot that Jamie is in the room. Let''s go be with him,¡± Charlotte urged Mrs. Berry.


    ¡°Okay, okay, okay!¡± Mrs. Berry''s spirits were lifted just looking at the children.


    The family temporarily gathered in the children''s room. Charlotte returned to the bedroom. Raina


    inspected then administered some medicine on her injury.


    ¡°Thank you, Dr. Langhan. How is Mrs. Berry?¡± Charlotte whispered.


    ¡°She hasn''t been eating or sleeping well these past two days. She''s also uncooperative during


    treatment.¡± Raina smiled wryly. ¡°Her mood might improve after she spends some time with you and the


    children. However, she harbors a deep grudge against Mr. Nacht. You might need to give her some


    work to do.¡±


    ¡°Understood. Thank you!¡± Charlotte nodded.


    ¡°What about you? Have you resolved the misunderstanding between you and Mr. Nacht?¡± Raina


    asked.


    Charlotte frowned but did not speak. Resolved? Zachary used the children to threaten me and threw


    me into the depths of despair. How can something like that be resolved?


    All the secret going-ons terrifies me.


    I''m not brave enough to provoke or go against him anymore.


    Otherwise, all the untruths might reallye to pass.


    I can''t afford to lose!


    Raina sighed and said sincerely, ¡°I don''t know how such a serious misunderstanding formed between


    you and Mr. Nacht. He''s actually...¡±


    Dong! Dong! Dong!


    Before Raina could finish speaking, someone rang the doorbell.


    Mrs. Berry pushed the door open and said, ¡°How is the injury on your waist, Miss?¡±


    ¡°Much better. Have a seat, Mrs. Berry,¡± said Charlotte hurriedly.


    ¡°We''ll take our leave now.¡± Raina led the attendants out.


    Mrs. Berry closed the door and anxiously asked, ¡°Was it the bad guy who caused your injury?¡±

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    Charlotte''s eyes shone. She was about to lie when Mrs. Berry agitatedly continued, ¡°It really was him.


    That a******. Karma will get him!¡±


    ¡°No, you got it wrong...¡± Charlotte tried to exin.


    ¡°What''s wrong?¡± Mrs. Berry''s face was red with anger. ¡°You''re never one to lie. One look and I know


    exactly what happened.¡±


    ¡°It was him, but he didn''t hit me. He hit someone else and I stood in his way. Which is why...¡±


    ¡°So it was him? The next time I see him, I''ll be sure to teach him a lesson,¡± said Mrs. Berry with


    frustration.


    ¡°You can''t. He''s the Devil. It was dangerous enough when you hit him with the broom. If you try


    something like that again...¡± Charlotte rushed to advise her against it.


    ¡°So? It''s not like he''ll kill me. At the very most, I''ll sacrifice my life fighting it out with him,¡± said Mrs.


    Berry fearlessly.


    ¡°He might not kill you, but he could punish me.¡± Charlotte threw out her trump card.


    ¡°What? Fine, then. I won''t go after him.¡± Mrs. Berry immediately calmed down.


    She pulled Charlotte''s hand and anxiously urged her, ¡°Miss, let''s stay away from him. We don''t need


    his house, the people he hired, or his hospital. Let''s go to Mr. Brown instead.¡±


    ¡°Didn''t you see how he beat up Michael? Michael is no match for him.¡± Charlotte furrowed her brows


    tightly.


    ¡°Not even Mr. Brown can fight him? Is the bad man that powerful?¡± Mrs. Berry''s eyes widened in terror.


    ¡°Don''t let your imagination run wild.¡± Charlotte tried another method offorting her. ¡°He''s not so bad.


    He has saved me many times. If not for him, I would have lost my life long ago...¡±


    ¡°Really? When?¡± Mrs. Berry was astonished.


    ¡°Those times...¡±


    Charlotte recounted those times where she was in danger, when the house exploded, when she was


    attacked, and how it was Zachary that saved her each time.


    Mrs. Berry was absolutely appalled.


    Finally, Charlotte added, ¡°He''s not a bad person. He just has a bad temper. So, let''s not poke the bear.¡±


    ¡°Fine, I understand....¡± Mrs. Berry sighed. ¡°I really hope we can return to those quiet days. Although we


    were poor and times were hard, life was stable. Nothing much happened. With all that happened


    recently, I''m always on my guard.¡±


    ¡°It won''t happen in the future. You can rx.¡± Charlotte made a silent resolution.


    ¡°Miss, promise me you''ll be okay.¡± Mrs. Berry grabbed Charlotte and choked out, ¡°Before Mr. Windt''s


    incident, he hoped that you would be safe and happy. Nothing else matters!¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know. We all have to be okay. You need to cooperate with treatment and get better soon so you


    can help me take care of the children!¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    In the afternoon, Raina brought Mrs. Berry back to the hospital. Dr. Howard and the three attendants


    took care of the children while Charlotte took a short rest.


    The kindergarten principal called to ask Charlotte if the three children needed to take a leave of


    absence.


    Charlotte asked the children what they thought, and they decided to return to the kindergarten the next


    day. Dr. Howard and the three attendants would apany them the entire way.


    Jamie enjoyed crowds and found it suffocating to be at home.


    All Ellie wanted was to go out to y. Although Robbie could be calm, he wanted to go to the


    kindergarten to learn.


    Life was finally at ease. The next day was Monday, and Charlotte also decided to return to the office to


    work.


    She was determined not to go against any of Zachary''s requests.


    As long as I don''t cross him, our family will have a good life...

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    That day, Zachary kept one eye on his phone, waiting for Charlotte to call.


    But she never did.


    At night, Raina came over to give her report. She kindly said, ¡°Ms. Windt''s waist injury is much better.


    She should recover soon. By the way, I sent her a message in the afternoon, and she said that she''s


    going back to work tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Okay. What else did she say?¡± Zachary asked casually.


    What he really wanted to ask was if she mentioned him.


    ¡°She... She also said that your arrangement is very thoughtful...¡± Raina gingerly lied. ¡°You even


    arranged amodations for the doctor and attendants which allow them to take care of the children.


    She said you solved a huge problem for her and she''s very thankful...¡±


    ¡°You''re getting bolder these days. How dare you lie to me?¡± Zachary cut her off and red at her


    menacingly.


    ¡°Please forgive me, Mr. Nacht,¡± Raina hung her head and apologized.


    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    Zachary knitted his brow. So it really was a lie. That ungrateful wretch. She has no concept of being


    thankful.


    ¡°Go.¡± Zachary lowered his gaze and continued sipping his alcohol.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Raina bowed and was about to back out of the room when she came face to face with old Mr.


    Nacht. She quickly lowered her head again and greeted, ¡°Nice to see you, old Mr. Nacht!¡±


    ¡°Yes. Has the matter been resolved?¡± Old Mr. Nacht took a seat on the sofa opposite Zachary.


    ¡°What matter?¡± Zachary asked without thinking. When realization hit him, he said, ¡°Oh, it''s settled!¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Old Mr. Nacht nodded. ¡°Divine Corporation is growing by the day. You need to take note of


    public opinion. I hope my incident didn''t cause you too much bad press.¡±


    ¡°No, it''s fine.¡± Zachary looked at how he was dressed to the nines. ¡°You''re dressed up. Do you have a


    date with some old woman?¡± Zachary teased.


    ¡°Stop it. How dare you tease me, you brat!¡± Old Mr. Nacht whacked Zachary with his crutch.


    ¡°Hehe...¡± Zachary chuckled. ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°I''m going to see my three grandchildren.¡± Old Mr. Nacht''s face immediately brightened at the thought


    of the three children. ¡°I just called them and asked them out for a meal.¡±


    Zachary frowned. ¡°Are you serious? You''ve only known them for a few days. Why are you treating them


    like your actual great-grandchildren?¡±


    ¡°Those three children are fated with me. From the moment I set eyes on them, I felt a sense of


    closeness. Moreover, they look a little like you. You share simr personalities as well, especially with


    Robbie...¡± Old Mr. Nacht chuckled.


    ¡°Stop! Those three rug rats...¡± Zachary snapped with displeasure.


    He hurriedly added, ¡°Don''t set them so close to me. I''m not the kind of person to sleep around!¡±


    ¡°I know you''re careful in that area. Otherwise, I might suspect that they''re actually your children!¡± old


    Mr. Nacht sighed as he rolled his eyes.


    ¡°I used to always be on your case and forbade you from gallivanting out there. Now that I see these


    three children, I very much hope that you''ll gallivant. You only have to do it at least once.¡±


    ¡°Have you gone senile? What nonsense are you spouting?¡± Zachary''s face grew solemn.


    ¡°Fine, fine. I''m done wasting my breath on you.¡± Old Mr. Nacht rose to his feet and started to walk out.


    ¡°You''re just a boring stick in the mud. I''m off to see my grandchildren. They''re too cute!¡±


    Zachary was speechless. He did not expect that old Mr. Nacht would be so close to Michael''s


    children. Somehow, it did not sit well with him. He took big gulps from his ss.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht. Will old Mr. Nacht realize who those three children are? Should we give Ms. Windt a head''s


    up?¡± Ben whispered his suggestion.


    ¡°She has a brain of her own. Can''t she think for herself?¡± Zachary snapped.


    ¡°Yes!¡±

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    Chapter 349


    Charlotte watched as Mrs. Berry returned from the hospital.


    Ellie ran over on her stubby little legs and eximed, ¡°Mommy, Mommy, I want to wear the pink


    princess dress when we have dinner with Grandpa Nacht tonight. Can I?¡±


    ¡°Grandpa Nacht?¡± Charlotte asked after a moment of shock.


    ¡°The one who took care of us in the hospital. He wants to take us to have hamburgers,¡± Ellie raised her


    head and replied innocently.


    Charlotte was taken aback by her reply. The kindergarten principal''s words surfaced in her mind...


    ¡°On the way back, we chatted with some attendants and found out that the person responsible is the


    grandfather of the president of Divine Corporation. He was really nice to the children. They''ve already


    grown close to him and didn''t want to leave. Old Mr. Nacht even bought them a bunch of gifts. There


    were so many that they filled up the car.¡±


    Charlotte''s expression changed. She quickly asked the attendant, ¡°Who is the Grandpa Nacht that Ellie


    is referring to?¡±


    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    ¡°She''s talking about old Mr. Nacht. He''s also our boss,¡± said the pediatrician with a smile.


    Charlotte was gripped by anxiousness. She hastily walked towards the bedroom to look for Robbie and


    Jamie. ¡°Robbie, Jamie.¡±


    ¡°We''re in here, Mommy.¡±


    Robbie and Jamie were ying with Legos. The children were sitting on the carpet and had built a


    flying saucer.


    ¡°Robbie, Jamie, I need to talk to you. Are you free?¡± Charlotte asked them politely.


    ¡°Wait.¡± Robbie ced thest piece on and pped excitedly. ¡°All done!¡±


    ¡°You''re amazing, Robbie.¡± Jamie gazed at Robbie with admiration. ¡°I couldn''t make this flying saucer


    no matter how hard I tried. You finished it so quickly.¡±


    ¡°Haha, I''ll teach you next time.¡± Robbie raised his eyebrows smugly. He pped the dust from his


    hands and turned to Charlotte. ¡°We''re free now, Mommy!¡±


    ¡°What''s wrong, Mommy? Do you not want us to have dinner with Grandpa Nacht?¡± Ellie asked


    curiously as she walked over and raised her chubby face.


    ¡°It''s not like that...¡±


    Charlotte closed the door. She hugged Ellie as she sat on the floor and asked, ¡°How did youe to


    know Grandpa Nacht? Also, what exactly happened to Jamie''s leg? The kindergarten principal and Ms.


    Cheney gave me a general ount of what happened. But, I want to hear more details from you guys.¡±


    ¡°Grandpa Nacht''s driver identally ran into me. They didn''t mean to.¡±


    ¡°Mommy, Grandpa Nacht is really nice to us...¡±


    ¡°Yes. He came to the hospital every day to be with us. He also bought us many things. He said he


    would be our guardian. If someone tries to bully us, he''ll teach them a lesson.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Grandpa Nacht said that.¡±


    ¡°Stop!¡± Robbie cut off Jamie and Ellie. ¡°Let me speak.¡±


    ¡°Okay. You speak, Robbie.¡± Charlotte nodded.


    ¡°It happened like this...¡±


    Robbie told Charlotte about what happened that day after school, followed by what happened at the


    hospital, and finally how Zachary showed up.


    Charlotte listened while her heart pounded in her chest. She never expected that the children went


    through so many events in the past two days, and even met Zachary.


    If what they''re saying is true, old Mr. Nacht probably doesn''t know who they really are. The car ident


    was really unintentional...


    This means that Zachary didn''t kidnap the children. It was just a coincidence that he found out about


    old Mr. Nacht running over Jamie. He just took the opportunity to threaten me.


    But isn''t this all too much of a coincidence?

 Chapter 350

    Chapter 350


    ¡°Mommy, Mommy...¡±


    Robbie interrupted Charlotte''s train of thought.


    She gathered her senses and said guiltily, ¡°This is all my fault. If I weren''tte, Jamie wouldn''t have


    gotten into the ident. You guys won''t have to suffer.¡±


    ¡°Don''t say that, Mommy.¡± Robbie gently touched Charlotte''s face and kindlyforted her, ¡°You need


    to work and take care of us at the same time. You have it hard enough. We should help you lighten


    your burden.¡±


    ¡°Robbie is right.¡± Jamie fiddled with his fingers and said sheepishly, ¡°If I weren''t being yful and ran


    into the forest to chase the cat, I wouldn''t have gotten hit.¡±


    ¡°It''s my fault for noticing the cat.¡±


    Ellie pouted. Her chubby cheeks were ented by two cute dimples.


    ¡°So, I won''t bete in the future, and you guys won''t ignore safety to y. We''ll improve together,


    okay?¡± Charlotte reflected on all their actions.


    ¡°Okay.¡± The three children answered in unison.


    ¡°Now, let''s discuss if we should attend Grandpa Nacht''s dinner.¡±


    Charlotte kindlymunicated and discussed with the children. However, her mind was screaming that


    he was their great-grandfather.


    ¡°I want to go, Mommy. Grandpa Nacht is really nice to me. I like him!¡± Ellie''s raised her chubby arms


    and cried out in a childlike tone.


    ¡°Yes. I like Grandpa Nacht too. I promised to go,¡± Jamie quickly added.


    ¡°Mommy, are you worried that Grandpa Nacht''s grandson will be naughty? He''s your boss, right?¡±


    Robbie read in between the lines and asked out of concern.


    ¡°Uh... Yes, he is my boss,¡± Charlotte replied after a moment of hesitation.


    Robbie pondered for a moment before saying in a serious voice, ¡°He looks fierce, but he was friendly


    when he sent us homest night. He didn''t try to harm us.¡±


    ¡°He sent you home?¡± Charlotte asked, appalled.


    The children nodded and made a sound of acknowledgment.


    Charlotte''s mind swam with images of Zachary interacting with the children. He was probably as stern


    as ever.


    It''s a wonder he didn''t scare the children off with his demonic aura.


    ¡°Mommy, Grandpa Nacht treats us pretty well. We really like him. But, if you don''t want us to get too


    close to your boss'' grandfather, we won''t go.¡±


    Jamie and Ellie hung their heads in disappointment.


    Jamie silently yed with the Legos and ruined the recentlypleted flying saucer.


    Ellie pouted as she fiddled with her fingers. The tears in her eyes were on the brink of flowing out.


    Charlotte could not bear to see her children looking so sorrowful. But, she also did not want them to get


    too close to old Mr. Nacht. ¡°Children, I know you aren''t happy with Mommy. But I have my reasons. I


    hope you guys can...¡±


    Ding dong!


    Before Charlotte could finish speaking, the doorbell rang. An attendant anxiously eximed, ¡°You''re


    here, old Mr. Nacht!¡±


    Charlotte''s face drained of color. Oh my god. Old Mr. Nacht is here!


    If he sees me, we''re doomed...


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    ¡°I''m here to fetch the children. I also want to meet their mother and apologize to her.¡±


    Old Mr. Nacht''s voice sounded out.


    ¡°Grandpa Nacht...¡± Ellie ran out enthusiastically.


    ¡°Ellie! Don''t go out yet!¡± Charlotte hastily grabbed her.


    ¡°Mommy... I want to see Grandpa Nacht.¡± Ellie pouted again, tears pooling in her eyes. She looked like


    the picture of woe.

 Chapter 351

    Chapter 351


    ¡°Mommy, we won''t go if you don''t want us to dine out, but shouldn''t you at least inform Mr. Henry about


    it?¡± Robbie thoughtfully suggested. ¡°After all, he''s still our guest, and we can''t ignore him now that he''s


    already here.¡±


    ¡°Yup, he''s right,¡± Jamie nodded profusely. He was so worried that beads of sweat had already formed


    on his forehead.


    ¡°That was not what I meant... ¡°


    ¡°Ms. Windt, Mr. Nacht is here.¡±


    Before Charlotte couldplete her sentence, a paramedic outside announced Henry''s arrival.


    ¡°Robbie, why don''t you go and receive him?¡± Charlotte lowered her voice and instructed her son, ¡°Just


    tell him that I''m not feeling well and won¡¯t be able to entertain guests. Also, don''t let Mr. Henrye in.


    Ask him to wait outside instead. You kids get changed, then go ahead and have dinner with him.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Robbie was confused and asked with a frown,¡± Mommy, but why? It doesn''t seem very nice to


    keep our guests waiting outside.¡±


    ¡°Exactly!¡± Jamie and Ellie agreed.


    ¡°Truthfully speaking, I met Mr. Henry before, but there were some misunderstandings between us...¡±


    Charlotte exined tactfully. ¡°That''s why I don''t want him to know that I''m your Mommy.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± Jamie and Ellie did not fully understand the situation but nodded anyway.


    ¡°I understand now,¡± Robbie was the one who truly understood what Charlotte meant and said, ¡°Don''t


    worry, Mommy. We''ll keep it a secret for you.¡±


    ¡°Yup, we won''t tell,¡± Jamie and Ellie echoed after their brother once more.


    ¡°That''s good to know.¡± Charlotte could finally heave a sigh of relief. ¡°So, if Mr. Henry asks who your


    parents are, try to dodge his question, okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mommy,¡± the three kids answered in unison.


    ¡°Jamie and Ellie, if you two don''t know what to say, just keep quiet and let Robbie answer, alright?¡±


    Charlotte reminded the two younger kids.


    ¡°Okay, get going now,¡± Charlotte said as she let go of Ellie.


    ¡°Yay! Thanks, Mommy!¡± Ellie immediately sprinted out and called out to Henry affectionately, ¡°Mr.


    Henry, Mr. Henry!¡±


    Material ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Ah! My good girl is here!¡± Henry replied happily, excited to see the children.


    Jamie was anxious to go outside as well and was about to wheel himself out.


    ¡°Slow down,¡± Robbie helped to wheel Jamie at once and closed the door behind him.


    Meanwhile, Charlotte remained in the room and did not dare to go out. She stuck her ear to the wall


    while trying to hear what was going on outside.


    ¡°Mr. Henry, we''re so sorry, our Mommy is not feeling well, so she''s not able to meet you,¡± Robbie said


    obediently, as Charlotte taught him to. ¡°Our house is quite messy too. Do you mind waiting at our


    neighbor''s house for a while? We''ll be there right after we get dressed.¡±


    ¡°Of course, that''s fine,¡± Henry answered immediately before continuing, ¡°By the way, kids, do you know


    what your Mommy is down with? Do we need to get her the doctor?¡±


    ¡°Nah... Mommy just got back from the hospital,¡± Robbie made sure that his exnation was wless.


    The boy even said to the pediatrician, ¡°Dr. Howard, please help to entertain Mr. Henry while we get


    changed!¡±


    ¡°Sure, that''s not a problem at all,¡± Dr. Howard invited Henry and his subordinate to his house opposite


    at once. ¡°Mr. Nacht, this way please.¡±


    ¡°Take your time, kids. Mr. Henry can wait,¡± Henry said to the three kids affectionately.


    ¡°Yup, Okay. Thanks, Mr. Henry.¡± The three children nodded politely.


    ¡°This is for your Mommy and Mrs. Berry.¡±


    As Henry spoke, Spencer tried to enter the house with gifts for Charlotte, but Robbie intercepted the


    butler immediately and said, ¡°Just pass it to me, thank you. Thanks again, Mr. Henry!¡±


    ¡°You''re wee!¡± Spencer tried to look into the house without saying anything.


    ¡°Mr. Henry, please give us ten minutes.¡±


    Robbie then hurriedly closed the door after waving to Henry politely.


    The three kids went back to their rooms to get dressed while Charlotte took out their clothes and


    passed them to the paramedic before reminding them again, ¡°Robbie, remember what I told you,


    yeah?¡±


    ¡°I know. Don''t worry, mommy,¡± Robbie reassured his mom.

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    Chapter 352


    After getting dressed, the three kids went next door to look for Henry.


    Charlotte, who was listening at the door, could hear her three kids'' chattering non-stop with Henry while


    Henry addressed them affectionately as ¡°my darlings.¡± His heartyughter could be heard intermittently.


    Even Charlotte could feel the warm and fuzzy atmosphere from within the room. Gradually, her frown


    disappeared from her face and was reced with a smile.


    It was her wish as well for the kids to be loved by more family members.


    However...


    She could feel a chill running down her spine whenever she thought about Zachary''s unpredictable


    moods and violent ways.


    Even if there was really more than met the eye to the car ident, the woman was already traumatized


    by Zachary.


    Charlotte learned her lesson well from the fear she felt during those three days without her kids.


    That feeling of despair was so horrible that it had almost driven her to the brink of insanity, so much so


    that she would never take any risks to experience that feeling again.


    Never would she ce her bets ever again on Zachary''s sanity.


    ¡°Ms. Windt, since the kids are not here now, we''ll head over first. Call us if you need anything?¡± The


    voice of the paramedic interrupted Charlotte''s train of thoughts.


    Charlotte nodded her head and replied, ¡°Thanks for your efforts.¡±


    ¡°No problem,¡± The paramedic answered and left.


    After that, Charlotte was the only one left in the spacious house. Sitting alone in there, she thought of


    Mrs. Berry and the kids and suddenly felt a sense of emptiness.


    She knew that the kids merely went out for dinner and would be back after that, yet she still couldn''t


    help but feel fear gripping her heart.


    What if Henry found out about their identities?


    What if he managed to coax them and took them away from me?


    If that happened, she would never get to see her kids ever again.


    Charlotte grew increasingly anxious and worried as she allowed her thoughts to run wild...


    When she couldn''t take it anymore, the woman hurried back to her room and got changed. After putting


    on sunsses, a mask, and a cap, she chased after them...


    However, only when Charlotte stepped out of the residential estate that she realized she did not know


    where the kids went for dinner.


    Charlotte stopped in her tracks while she tried to recall details of conversations she had with her kids.


    Then, she finally remembered something Ellie had told her.


    ¡°Mr. Henry is treating us to western food at Fairytale Land.¡±


    Fairytale Land restaurant!


    Material ? N?velDrama.Org.


    After Charlotte figured out where they were at, she immediately hailed a cab and headed over.


    At the same time, Henry and the children had already arrived at Fairytale Land restaurant.


    That was a restaurant specially catered to kids under the age of twelve. Not only did the restaurant sell


    nutritious food that children loved to eat, but there were also a spacious indoor yground and a mini


    library.


    Adults were only allowed to enter the restaurant when they had children with them, and everyone had


    to be dressed fancifully.


    Ellie had put on a pink princess gown. With the natural curls on her hair coupled with the princess


    crown that she was wearing, the little girl managed to attract the crowd''s attention the moment she


    stepped into the restaurant.


    ¡°Wow! What a pretty little girl! She''s so adorable and looks just like a doll!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, she''s so beautiful. Oh, the two boys with her are really good-looking too!¡±


    The crowd noticed Robbie and Jamie at once. Even though Jamie was in a wheelchair, he still oozed


    charm in his suit and looked just like a little prince in fairytales.


    Robbie, on the other hand, had an air of charming aloofness. He looked exactly like a mini version of


    some domineering president of a corporation.


    The three siblings instantly became the center of attention, and everyone started taking pictures and


    videos of them.


    Robbie frowned. When he was just about to stop them from doing that, the Nacht family''s bodyguards


    stepped in and beat him to it.


    Henry then asked the boy softly, ¡°Do you feel disturbed? I can get them to reserve the entire restaurant


    for us.¡±


    ¡°That''s alright.¡± Robbie shook his head and continued, ¡°There are other kids here who are enjoying


    themselves. They wouldn''t be able to continue ying here if we reserve the entire ce.¡±


    ¡°You''re such a kind child,¡± Henry replied as he patted Robbie''s head gently and said lovingly, ¡°Okay, we


    shan''t do that then. Let''s go inside and have something to eat.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Robbie held Ellie''s hand, and just when they were about to walk inside the restaurant, an


    arrogant voice sounded. ¡°I''ll pay double the price. Get everyone out immediately. I want my grandson to


    have this ce all to himself!¡±

 Chapter 353

    Chapter 353


    Robbie looked up and frowned immediately when he saw that the boy was Timothy.


    ¡°Him again?¡± Jamie looked speechless. ¡°The other time at the yground, his grandma reserved the


    merry-go-round for him, so we didn''t get to y too. Is she intending to reserve the whole restaurant


    this time? So does that mean we don''t get to y again?¡±


    ¡°Timothy''s grandma is so scary,¡± Ellie muttered as she hid behind Robbie. She grabbed the corners of


    her brother''s shirt tightly and looked away.


    When Henry heard the kids'' conversation, he frowned and shot a nce at Spencer, who attended to


    the matter immediately.


    ¡°My darlings, don''t be afraid. With Mr. Henry here, no one would dare to bully you,¡± Henry bent down


    and reassured the kids while stroking Ellie''s hair gently.


    ¡°Mr. Henry, let''s just leave this ce,¡± Robbie took Henry''s hand and tried to drag him away. ¡°Timothy is


    our ssmate. His mommy and both his grandmas are all very fierce. My Mommy had an argument


    with them once, and they made my Mommy so angry.¡±


    ¡°I''m sure it''s their fault,¡± Henry squatted down and gave Robbie aforting hug while saying, ¡°I know


    that your Mommy is a great woman just by seeing how outstanding the three of you are.¡±


    ¡°Yup, my Mommy is the best,¡± Jamie nodded his head immediately.


    ¡°Timothy''s grandma and mommy bullied us first. Mommy only argued with them because she wanted to


    protect us... ¡° Ellie pouted and said indignantly.


    ¡°With Mr. Henry around today, no one is allowed to bully you. C''mon, let''s go in now!¡± Henry said and


    led the kids into the restaurant.


    ¡°But... I''m scared...¡± Ellie hid behind Henry timidly and did not dare to go in.


    ¡°Don''t be scared. Mr. Henry is here,¡± Henry held the little girl''s hand.


    ¡°Mr. Henry, let''s forget it. We can head to the restaurant next door for pizza. I don''t want to cause


    Mommy any trouble,¡± Robbie said while tugging at Henry''s shirt.


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Silly boy.¡± Henry''s heart ached a little as he touched the boy''s head affectionately.


    ¡°If Timothy''s grandma had reserved the whole ce, wouldn''t she chase us out?¡± Jamie frowned,


    looking worried.


    ¡°That''s not happening as she won''t be allowed to do that,¡± Henry looked in the direction of the woman.


    ¡°What? Someone bought the restaurant?¡± Julia eximed in shock. ¡°When did it happen? Everything


    was still normal just two minutes ago. How is it possible that someone had suddenly bought it?¡±


    ¡°The transaction was justpleted,¡± the manager of the restaurant informed the woman politely. ¡°Our


    boss just called a minute ago.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    Julia had something else to say, but the manager could no longer be bothered to entertain her. Walking


    past the woman, he approached Spencer and greeted him respectfully.


    After Spencer whispered something to the manager, the manager''s expression changed immediately,


    and he quickly led all the restaurant''s employees to wee Henry and the three kids.


    All thirty-six employees stood in two rows and took a ny-degree bow while they greeted, ¡°Wee,


    Mr. Nacht, little princes, and little princess! We are d to be of service to you today!¡±


    The three kids looked at each other and could hardly register what was happening.


    ¡°Oh, it''s you three little bast*rds,¡± Julia said as her expression darkened. She took quick strides towards


    the three little ones and asked in a harsh tone, ¡°You three little creatures, where did you get... ¡°


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Henry bellowed furiously. ¡°You wrinkled old prune! How dare you insult my grandchildren!


    Are you tired of living?¡±


    ¡°You... You...¡± For all fifty years of her life, Julia had never been humiliated so badly before, and her


    face turned ashen. Shaking with fury, she turned around and said to her bodyguards standing behind


    her, ¡°Are you guys dead or what? Come over here right now!¡±


    The woman''s bodyguards were ying with Timothy at the yground and did not know what was


    going on. After hearing Julia shouting at them, they hurried over.


    The men rolled up their sleeves and were about to take action when they noticed Spencer and his


    bodyguards. It was then that their expressions changed drastically.


    ¡°How dare that old fool insulted me! Teach him a lesson immediately,¡± Julia yelled angrily while pointing


    at Henry.


    ¡°Madam...¡± One of the bodyguards leaned in closer and whispered into her ear, ¡°That man is Mr. Nacht


    from the Nacht Group!¡±


    A quick shiver ran through Julia''s body as she turned pale and immediately apologized, ¡°Mr. N-Nacht?¡±

 Chapter 354

    Chapter 354


    ¡°Yeah? Didn''t you say you wanted to teach me a lesson?¡± Henry cocked his eyebrow coldly.


    ¡°No! I wouldn''t dare to... ¡° Julia apologized immediately, ¡°Please forgive me for being ignorant...¡±


    ¡°How did it go? Have you found out?¡± Completely ignoring Julia, Henry turned to speak to Spencer.


    ¡°Yup. She''s Julia Sterling from the Sterling Group,¡± Spencer bowed and reported his findings.


    ¡°The Sterling Group is already a wreck. I can''t believe she''s still acting so arrogantly,¡± Henry scorned


    before giving his orders. ¡°You should know what to do.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Nacht.¡± Spencer nodded.


    ¡°No... Please don''t...¡± Julia was so scared that her knees almost gave way, causing her to nearly fall to


    the ground.


    Two of her bodyguards immediately stepped forward to support her while the woman cried, ¡°Mr. Nacht,


    please have mercy on us Sterlings. It''s all my fault. You can punish me however you wish, and I''m


    willing to ept it...¡±


    ¡°She''s so noisy,¡± Henrymented with a frown.


    Spencer gestured to the Nacht family''s bodyguards, who took Julia away at once.


    Quiet and peace ensued once again after the woman was gone.


    At the same time, Jamie and Ellie were utterly gobsmacked and were still stunned after a long while.


    As for Robbie, he had watched the entire scene unfold calmly with a twinkle in his eye.


    ¡°What''s wrong, my darlings? Did Mr. Henry scare you?¡± Henry squatted down tofort the kids.


    ¡°Nope. Mr. Henry is protecting us,¡± Jamie quickly regained hisposure and replied excitedly. ¡°Mr.


    Henry, are you a king? Why is that fierce grandma so afraid of you?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha...¡± Henryughed. ¡°Mr. Henry isn''t a king, but if Jamie likes it, Mr. Henry can buy an ind and


    be the king of that ind. That way, Jamie would be the prince of that ind.¡±


    ¡°Really? Hooray!¡± Jamie almost jumped up in excitement.


    ¡°Yay! Then I''ll be the princess of that ind!¡± Ellie raised her chubby hands and continued, ¡°I wanna


    live in a castle and ride on a white horse!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! Not a problem!¡± Henryughed heartily and turned around to look at Robbie. ¡°Robbie, how


    about you? What do you want?¡±


    ¡°I want to have ultimate power,¡± Robbie said faintly as he stared towards the direction of the entrance.


    ¡°I want to be like Mr. Henry and be respected by people everywhere I go. I also want to be feared by


    the bad guys so that I can protect Mommy and my siblings!¡±


    ¡°Good boy!¡± Henry was thrilled to hear that and embraced the boy. ¡°You''re such a promising kid!¡±


    At that moment, Henry was extremely emotional, and a mixture of feelings surged within his heart. ¡°Do


    you know that someone had said the same words to me before?¡±


    ¡°Really? Who''s that?¡± Robbie asked curiously.


    Material ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°My grandson.¡± Henry was ovee with emotions as he said that. ¡°He told me that when he was just


    five years old. I was so excited then, thinking that the future of our Nacht family would be in good


    hands!¡±


    Henry tousled Robbie''s hair and let out a sigh. ¡°How wonderful would it be if the three of you are truly


    the heirs of our Nacht family.¡±


    ¡°What heirs?¡± Jamie was not focused on listening to Henry as he was just looking forward to ying.


    ¡°Mr. Henry, I wanna go over there and y.¡±


    ¡°I saw ice-cream. I wanna have some ice-cream... ¡°


    Ellie lifted the hem of her dress slightly and sprinted off with two bodyguards chasing after her.


    ¡°Ellie, wait for me!¡± Jamie yelled after his sister while one bodyguard pushed his wheelchair.


    In the meantime, Robbie was the only one who was listening to Henry and asked in confusion, ¡°Mr.


    Henry, is your eldest grandson infertile?¡±


    ¡°Pfft! Ahem! Ahem!¡± Henry was amused at the child''s question and did not know how to respond.


    No matter how smart Robbie was, he was still a kid and did not fully understand the concept of blood


    rtions. He simply thought that Henry''s eldest grandson was unable to bear children, and that was


    why the old man was envious of others.


    It''s so pitiful that Mr. Henry''s eldest grandson is unable to have kids. No wonder that man has such a


    weird temper.


    ¡°It''s OK. The three of us will be your grandchildren from now onward,¡± Robbie said in an attempt to


    comfort Henry. ¡°Mr. Henry, let''s go in together. I saw lots of delicious snacks.¡±

 Chapter 355

    Chapter 355


    Ellie saw Timothy the moment she stepped into Fairytale Land''s yground.


    The boy was sitting alone in a corner and appeared to be in a daze. The usual spark in his eyes and


    his air of arrogance were nowhere to be seen. He even seemed a little depressed.


    Ellie hesitated for a while before walking over with her ice cream and said, ¡°Timothy, here''s an ice


    cream for you!¡±


    Timothy looked up, and his eyes lit up when he saw Ellie. ¡°Elisa!¡±


    ¡°Quick, take it! The ice cream is melting.¡±


    When Ellie was passing the ice cream to Timothy, she identally touched Timothy''s nose with it,


    smearing it on the tip of his nose.


    After Timothy took over the ice cream, he could feel something cold on the tip of his nose and looked


    down.


    Ellie was tickled by the boy''s actions and started giggling.


    ¡°Hehe!¡± Timothy let out an embarrassed smile before startedughing uncontrobly too.


    When the other kids saw themughing, all of them startedughing as well, as ifughter was


    contagious.


    Instantly, theughter of children could be heard from the yground. The innocence and wonders of


    childhood perfectly encapsted the essence of Fairytale Land.


    When Henry walked in with Robbie, he couldn''t help but startughing as well when he heard the joyful


    laughter of those kids.


    ¡°Mr. Henry, that''s Timothy,¡± Robbie pointed to Timothy and looked up at Henry while saying in a serious


    tone, ¡°Can we let him stay here? Even though his mommy and grandmas are very fierce and


    disrespectful, Timothy is not a bad child.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Henry was very d to hear that. ¡°Good boy, Robbie. You''re so kind-hearted!¡±


    The reason Henry had so much affection towards the three children was not only because they were


    adorable, sensible, and polite but also because of their pure and kind hearts.


    ¡°Thank you, Mr. Henry.¡± Robbie heaved a sigh of relief after getting Henry''s permission.


    ¡°Go ahead and y with the other kids!¡± Henry stroked the boy''s head lovingly and said, ¡°Mr. Henry


    really enjoys watching you kids have fun!¡±


    ¡°Okay, I''ll go join them then.¡± Robbie joined the other kids at once and started ying with Jamie.


    ¡°As you wish, I''ve already instructed them to provide free admission to polite and well-behaved


    children,¡± Spencer walked over and reported to Henry.


    ¡°Well done.¡± While watching the kids, Henry couldn''t help but sigh. ¡°It''s so good to be in the presence of


    children. It''s as if the world was no longerplicated and filled with innocence once again!¡± From N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Indeed. It''s so contagious even I can feel the joy with the kids around,¡± Spencer smiled and agreed.


    ¡°Those three little ones are growing on me too.¡±


    ¡°Of course! They are my grandchildren.¡± Henry rolled his eyes at his butler.


    ¡°Haha...¡± Spencer let out augh and hesitated to speak further.


    ¡°What is it that you want to say? Tell me.¡± Henry shot him a nce.


    ¡°Well, I feel that the kids'' mom has been avoiding you deliberately,¡± Spencer lowered his voice and


    said. ¡°They didn''t even invite you inside the house when we were already outside just now. And when I


    wanted to bring the gifts in, Robbie stopped me immediately... It just seems... a little too intentional.¡±


    ¡°Robbie had already said that his mom wasn''t feeling well.¡± Henry was very understanding. ¡°After


    interacting with them for the past few days, I am pretty sure that they only have their mommy and


    housekeeper. They don''t have a dad. Think about it - it''s just been those two women with the three kids


    all this while. Thus, it''s normal that they are not used to men entering the house.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Spencer nodded.


    ¡°I don''t think those kids will y any tricks.¡± Henry looked at Robbie lovingly and said, ¡°My grandson is


    just too sensible, so much that my heart aches for him.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Zachary was like that when he was at that age too,¡± Spencer said as he recalled how Zachary was


    like when he was young. ¡°By the looks of it, Robbie and Jamie do resemble Mr. Zachary, especially


    Robbie. Even his personality is very simr to that of Mr. Zachary''s.¡±


    ¡°If that brat has three kids like them, I''ll beughing even in my dreams.¡± Henry could feel anger rising


    in him at the mention of Zachary. ¡°He only knows how to make me angry. I''ve waited so long for him to


    start dating, but he ended up falling for such a dubious woman. He must be blind!¡±

 Chapter 356

    Chapter 356


    Meanwhile, at the Nachts'' residence, Zachary just sneezed twice. He could sense that someone was


    talking behind his back.


    Could it be that damned woman Charlotte?


    Zachary frowned as he thought about that possibility.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, we''ve just gotten news that your grandpa has given orders to boycott the Sterlings,¡± Ben


    reported.


    ¡°He''s already almost a hundred years old. Why is he still so hot-tempered?¡± Zachary cocked his brows


    and asked, ¡°How did the Sterling family offend him?¡±


    ¡°I heard that Hector Sterling''s mom, Julia, behaved arrogantly at the Fairytale Land restaurant and


    offended Mr. Nacht.¡± After Ben narrated what had happened to Zachary, he added at the end of it, ¡°Mr.


    Nacht had dered free admission to the Fairytale Land restaurant from now on. Previously it was 666


    for an adult and child pair, but now it''s free for everyone.¡±


    ¡°Goodness gracious! How childish can he get!¡± Zachary was speechless when he heard that. ¡°He''s


    already so old and still acting like a child!¡±


    ¡°Well, that''s no surprise since they''re no different.¡± Benughed and continued, ¡°I heard from Spencer


    that ever since Mr. Nacht got acquainted with those three kids, he has startedughing more and is


    always in a good mood. It''s a good thing, isn''t it?¡±


    ¡°Good?¡± Zachary stared at Ben coldly and said, ¡°Do you really think it''s good that my grandpa is so


    close to Michael Brown''s children?¡±


    ¡°No, no. That''s not what I meant... ¡° Ben immediately pped his mouth and took back his words. ¡°I''m


    sorry. I''ll take back what I said!¡±


    Zachary''s expression darkened, and he downed the entire ss of wine before standing up abruptly.


    ¡°Get the car ready.¡±


    ¡°Yes, right away!¡±


    Meanwhile, Charlotte had just gotten off the cab. She pulled down her cap and made sure that her


    mask and sunsses were worn properly before she walked sneakily into Fairytale Land.


    To her surprise, there were a lot of excited parents and children queuing up at the entrance.


    Is there some kind of promotion today? The admission fee to this ce isn''t cheap, so why are there so


    many people here?


    Charlotte wondered for a while before entering and realized that there were a lot of parents sitting in


    the rest area. They were all engrossed in conversations with each other while having snacks and


    drinks. Most of their conversations revolved around the same topic...


    ¡°The admission fee here used to be 666 for one adult and one child. Given how expensive it was, I


    could only bring my child here once a month. Now that it''s free and with the free flow of food, I''m going


    toe here every day. Hahaha...¡±


    ¡°We''re so lucky to be around this area today. Otherwise, we wouldn''t havee across such a great


    deal! I''m so happy that we managed to save 666.¡±


    ¡°Exactly! But now that a lot more people know about it and there are so many parents and their children


    queuing up outside, they might limit the number of people entering per day or the duration we are


    allowed to stay inside.¡±


    ¡°I''m sure they will impose some restrictions. No matter how wealthy the boss is, the space here is still


    limited. Besides, it''s highly likely that the service quality will drop if there''s a shortage of manpower.¡±


    ¡°I think it''s worthwhile making a trip here even if there are restrictions.¡±


    ¡°Yup, I agree. I wonder who''s the rich guy who bought this restaurant and even allowed free entry. If I


    meet him, I''ll surely thank him properly!¡±


    ¡°Me too... ¡°


    Charlotte was quite confused after listening to their conversation. She had only taken the kids to the


    restaurant once. That time, she and Mrs. Berry came here with the three kids, so they bought two sets


    of adult-child tickets and an additional child ticket separately. It had cost her more than one thousand


    six hundred, and it wasn''t easy for Charlotte to part with that money!


    So why is the admission free now?


    While Charlotte was pondering over the matter, she heard a familiar voice. ¡°Let me in, let me in! My


    grandson is still inside.¡±


    Charlotte turned around and saw that it was Julia.


    Worried that Julia might recognize her, Charlotte immediately hid behind a cartoon character figure


    while sticking her head out discreetly to observe the situation.


    Shortly after, two employees of the restaurant led Timothy out of the yground and handed him over


    to Julia and her bodyguards.


    Timothy was reluctant to leave and looked back at the yground longingly, but Julia dragged him


    away hurriedly.


    After the two employees watched them leave, they sighed and said softly, ¡°Both of them are equally


    arrogant. Previously, when young Mrs. Sterling came here, she insisted on booking the whole area as


    well and even chased the other kids out, causing them to feel disappointed. Some even bawled their


    eyes out!


    ¡°The parents of those kids were very upset by her actions as well. This time around, the same thing


    happened with old Mrs. Sterling. But I bet she did not expect to meet someone even more powerful


    than her. Mr. Nacht bought the entire ce for his three grandchildren right away and even allowed free


    entry for all. That''s how the truly wealthy people behave!¡±


    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    ¡°Yeah, exactly!¡±

 Chapter 357

    Chapter 357


    Charlotte was stunned when she heard the employees'' conversation. That man had bought the entire


    ce for his three grandchildren...


    Could they be referring to my three kids?


    ¡°Mr. Henry, I''m hungry.¡±


    Just then, Charlotte heard Ellie''s voice and turned around immediately.


    Henry was holding Ellie and Robbie''s hands while Spencer wheeled Jamie out of the y area. They


    were apanied by more than ten waiters who led the group to the restaurant.


    In order not to disturb the other children who were ying, the Nachts'' bodyguards waited outside and


    did not go in.


    When the parents at the rest area saw the intimidating group of men, they immediately asked a waiter,


    ¡°Is that man the one who bought over Fairytale Land?¡±


    ¡°Yup, that''s him.¡± The waiter nodded and smiled. ¡°He''s Mr. Nacht!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht is such a good man!¡± A few parents went over to Henry and shouted excitedly, ¡°Thank you,


    Mr. Nacht! We are so grateful for the free admission to Fairytale Land. Now our children can enjoy such


    wonderful free facilities!¡±


    ¡°That''s right! Thank you so much for this!¡±


    The group of parents took turns to thank Henry and the three little ones.


    Since Henry was a seasoned phnthropist, he didn''t think that doing that for the kids was a big deal.


    As such, he didn''t feel much about it and merely replied with a nod and a smile.


    However, it was an entirely new experience for the three kids.


    Ellie was blushing while grabbing tightly onto Henry''s fingers. Even though the little girl was feeling


    nervous, her big bright eyes were filled with curiosity and wonder.


    Jamie, meanwhile, was slightly bolder than Ellie. Beaming brightly, he waved to the adults and replied,


    ¡°You''re wee!¡±


    As for Robbie, even though he nodded politely to acknowledge them, he did not speak a single word. It


    was as if he was already used to all of these things.


    Henry was very satisfied with the way the children handled the situation. Although they were young and


    had not encountered any situations of such great scale, they still managed to keep theirposure.


    He could tell that Robbie was an ambitious child and had even started imagining how nice it would be if


    the boy was really his great-grandson. If that was the case, Robbie would definitely be taking over the


    Nacht Group one day.


    As for Jamie, he could work in whichever field that he''s interested in.


    And Ellie would forever be their little princess. She would always be under the protection of all the men


    in the family and enjoy a happy life free from worries...


    Charlotte, who was witnessing the scene from afar, was deeply moved by what she saw...


    Ever since her three kids were born, she had never been able to give them such experiences and had


    also never given any serious thought to grooming them.


    The best she could do was to provide a healthy environment for them to grow up in, teach them well,


    and impart proper values to them. She had also enrolled the three kids into a good kindergarten...


    Doing all those had already pushed Charlotte to the maximum of her abilities.


    The woman had always thought that the children were still young, and she could wait till they were a


    little older before developing their other skills or grooming them in other areas...


    However, now that she had a glimpse of an alternate life the kids could have, Charlotte suddenly


    realized that it would take a gradual period of time to groom the kids, and it wasn''t something that


    would happen overnight. They would have a better chance at seeding in life if they could grow up in


    a better environment that provided them with more opportunities.


    Even though Henry had only met the children by chance, he was already showering them with so much


    affection and care only because he took a liking to them.


    If he knew that they were, in fact, Zachary''s kids, he would definitely give them a lot more...


    Wouldn''t that be better for the children''s future?


    Especially Robbie, who was a mature child and way more sensible than other kids his age. He loved to


    learn and engage in activities that required critical thinking. During his spare time, he loved doing


    research and discovering new things...


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    However, Charlotte was aware that she would not be able to provide a good learning environment for


    her eldest son, who was learning so fast that she could barely keep up.


    That boy was only three and a half years old, and she was already struggling to give him what he


    needed. When he grew a little older, he might feel a sense of emptiness...

 Chapter 358

    Chapter 358


    ¡°Hi, Madam... ¡°


    Charlotte''s thoughts were interrupted by a waiter''s voice right that instant.


    After Charlotte snapped back to her senses, she turned around and got a shock. It turned out that the


    cartoon character whom she was hiding behind was a waiter dressed in a cartoon character costume,


    and that waiter had already left.


    But Charlotte had remained rooted to the spot where she was standing...


    Another waiter beside her noticed her strange behavior and hurried over to check if she was alright.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Yup. I''m... I''m fine,¡± Charlotte replied in a fluster before turning around again and saw Henry walking


    into the restaurant with the three kids. Just then, Robbie turned around and met his mother''s gaze.


    The boy waved to Charlotte before following Henry into the restaurant.


    Charlotte was stunned for a moment before dashing towards the toilet and hid inside there.


    She couldn''t believe that Robbie was able to see through her disguise. That''s my son indeed.


    Charlotte was thankful that it was Robbie who recognized her and not any of her other two kids.


    Knowing how mature and thoughtful her eldest boy was, she was certain that he wouldn''t expose her.


    After sshing some water on her face, the woman let out a sigh in front of the mirror. The previous


    time she brought the kids to the restaurant was on their birthday. Moreover, she only decided to bring


    them after thinking long and hard about it...


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    As for Henry, in order to protect the kids from being bullied by Julia, he had bought over the entire


    Fairytale Land restaurant effortlessly. Not only that, but he had also dered free admission to the


    public.


    That was how he valued the kids and cared about their feelings.


    Inparison, it seemed as if there was nothing much Charlotte could do for her children...


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, your grandpa and the kids are at the restaurant.¡±


    Charlotte suddenly heard a familiar voice sounded from outside.


    It''s Ben! In that case, Zachary must be here...


    The woman froze for a second before quickly putting on her cap, sunsses, and mask. Then, she hid


    near the door and peeped outside.


    As expected, Zachary walked right out of the toilet and headed towards the restaurant.


    Apart from Ben, the man had only brought two other subordinates along with him. Charlotte guessed


    that it was such that he could maintain a low profile.


    However, even so, Zachary had still managed to be the center of attention. The moment he


    reached the corridor, hismanding aura attracted the eyeballs of several young mothers, who were


    squealing with delight.


    ¡°Oh my God! Is he a celebrity? He''s so cool and good-looking!¡±


    ¡°Could he be the father of those three angelic kids just now? They look quite alike.¡±


    ¡°Yup, they are probably from the same family. He looks very much like Mr. Nacht. Those three kids also


    resemble... ¡°


    Zachary frowned when he heard that. He felt as if he had just been insulted, and anger started to stir


    within him.


    Ben noticed the change in Zachary''s expression and quickly signaled for everyone to keep quiet.


    Then, Ben and the bodyguards put up some barricade tapes to prevent the crowd from getting near


    Zachary before escorting the man away.


    Charlotte, who had witnessed the scene, frowned in displeasure. As*hole! Do you have to be so mad to


    hear people calling you the kids'' dad?


    They are indeed your children! So how dare you react this way?


    However, Charlotte started to wonder why Zachary was there.


    Is he going to harm the children?


    Or is he jealous of the way Old Mr. Nacht was treating the kids and is here to cause trouble?


    After all, he still thinks that they are Michael''s...


    Fear set in as Charlotte thought about that. After the previous time when she was separated from her


    kids, she started to worry more about their safety and swore never to put them in danger again.


    Charlotte wanted to go in to observe the situation. However, as she was alone, she would not be


    allowed to enter the restaurant since she did not have a kid with her.


    What should I do?


    While Charlotte was thinking of a solution, she suddenly saw a cleaningdy walking into the


    employees'' changing room with a bag. After a while, the cleaningdy reemerged wearing casual


    clothes and clocked off.


    When no one was watching, Charlotte sneaked into the employees'' changing room.


    Due to special circumstances and the Fairytale Land restaurant''s sudden change in ownership that


    day, all the employees had gone to serve Henry and the three kids. As such, there was no one else in


    the changing room at that time.


    Charlotte swiftly changed into the cleaningdy''s uniform and wore the cleaningdy''s hat and mask.


    Only revealing her eyes, she took the mop and entered Fairytale Land restaurant...

 Chapter 359

    Chapter 359


    Fairytale Land was a themed restaurant, and every server would dress up as a character in the fairy


    tales.


    The servers were either elves or angels, while the security guards were hunters or knights. At the same


    time, the female bartenders would be dressed as witches.


    Every child that entered the ce would change into a costume of a character they liked.


    Ellie changed into a mermaid princess outfit while Robbie and Jamie wore prince outfits.


    Henry, on the other hand, was dressed up as an old king while Spencer remained as the butler from a


    fairy tale.


    When Henry looked at himself in the mirror, he burst intoughter. ¡°Wow... I really look like one.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, you look noble,¡± Spencer sighed. Although Henry was already at the age of ny-six, he


    was still spirited and tall.


    The three children cheered, ¡°Mr. Henry looks like a king!¡±


    ¡°If Mr. Henry is a king, you''re my princes and princess,¡± Henry beamed before holding their hands.


    ¡°Let''s go and eat now.¡±


    ¡°Yay, time to eat!¡± Jamie yelled delightedly.


    ¡°Oh no, I can''t walk!¡±


    Mermaid princess Ellie tried to move her fishtail, but she could barely walk, and she even nearly fell to


    the ground.


    Fortunately, Robbie the prince caught her in time.


    ¡°Hahaha!¡± Henryughed boisterously. ¡°The cute little mermaid hasn''t turned into a human yet, so she


    can''t walk. Come, let Mr. Henry carry you.¡±


    With that said, Henry hunched over for her.


    ¡°Sir, let me instead.¡±


    ¡°Mind your own business.¡± Henry shot him a look before he crouched down. ¡°Ellie, hop on.¡±


    Spencer dared not intervene anymore.


    Clumsily, Ellie climbed onto Henry''s back before wrapping her arms around his neck. ¡°Mr. Henry''s the


    best!¡±


    ¡°Haha, you''re all so light. I can even carry all three of you.¡±


    Feeling energetic, Henry held onto Ellie''s short legs as he ced a hand on the wall to support himself


    as he stood up. However, just as he straightened his back, he heard a loud crack, and he stilled


    instantly.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht!¡± Spencer hurriedly held him. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°I''m fine! I''m fine,¡± he mumbled as sweat beaded on his forehead while he pressed his waist.


    ¡°Mr. Henry, what''s the matter?¡± Ellie''s face was ashen from fright as she anxiously asked, ¡°Is Ellie too


    fat?¡±


    ¡°No, no! It''s nothing to do with you.¡± Henry tried to straighten his back, and despite the difficulty in doing


    so, he tried to keep things lighthearted. ¡°It must be a witch casting a spell on Mr. Henry!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht,¡± mumbled Spencer anxiously. However, he dared not expose Henry for his lies.


    ¡°Ellie,e down now.¡± Upon noticing what was going on, Robbie swiftly tried to pull Ellie down from


    Henry''s back.


    ¡°It''s fine. I can carry her,¡± Henry insisted. ¡°She''s just three. How can I not carry her? I was a skilled


    fighter when I was younger.¡±


    ¡°You''re all old now, but you''re still trying to pretend as if you''re strong.¡±


    A cold voice abruptly rang out.


    Material ? N?velDrama.Org.


    When Robbie raised his head to look, he could not help but furrow his brows as a look of wariness


    emerged in his eyes.


    Zachary reached out to carry Ellie down from Henry''s back. However, the hem of her mermaid tail skirt


    caught the button on his sleeve, and since he could not undo it, he had to hold her in midair.


    ¡°Let me down! Let me down!¡±


    Ellie was terrified looking at the ferocious man as she sobbed. As she dangled her short legs,


    struggling, it seemed as if she really was a mermaid when she swished her tail.


    ¡°Shush!¡± With one hand holding onto her, he helped Henry up. ¡°Are you all right? Do you need to go to


    the hospital?¡±


    ¡°I''m fine.¡±


    As he supported his back, Henry looked up to see Zachary holding onto Ellie like he was holding a


    chick.


    At the same time, Ellie was tearful as she pleaded, ¡°Mr. Henry, save me!¡±


    His heart ached from looking at her watery eyes. Thus, he smacked Zachary''s head immediately. ¡°Brat,


    let my granddaughter down.¡±

 Chapter 360

    Chapter 360


    Zachary was speechless. Excuse me, but I''m your actual grandchild!


    In silence, Zachary let go of her.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Ellie shrieked as she nearly plummeted to the ground.


    However, her fishtail skirt was still stuck on Zachary''s sleeve, so she did not.


    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    Right then, Ellie grabbed Zachary''s arm in a death grip as her legs curled around his arm as well.


    It was an adorable sight.


    Zachary could not help but smile in amusement. This silly look of hers really resembled Charlotte''s.


    He then grabbed Ellie up to put her on his shoulders. In fact, he even made sure she was secure in


    case she fell.


    Nevertheless, his worry was for naught as Ellie gripped his hair in fear of falling herself.


    Frowning, Zachary grimaced. ¡°Why are you pulling my hair?¡±


    ¡°I-I''m scared of heights,¡± Ellie mumbled in a high-pitched, trembling voice.


    ¡°Brat, what''s wrong with letting the girl pull your hair a little?¡± Henry hissed when he heard Ellie''s sobs.


    ¡°I mean you''re not exactly short either! Of course, she''ll be scared of heights.¡±


    Zachary''s grimace deepened as he shot Ellie a cial look.


    Immediately, Ellie''s lips turned into a frown as crystalline tears escaped her eyes. Then, she wailed.


    Right then, Charlotte, who had disguised herself as a janitor, sneaked into the restaurant. When she


    heard Charlotte''s sobs, she lifted her head.


    What greeted her was the sight of Ellie on Zachary''s shoulders as Zachary red at her.


    Instantly, a thought popped into Charlotte''s mind - The Devil was bullying her Ellie.


    Agitated, Charlotte rushed over with a broom.


    ¡°Ellie!¡± When Robbie saw his sister crying, he dashed forward to roar at Zachary. ¡°Let go of my sister!¡±


    ¡°Meanie, let go of Ellie!¡±


    Jamie wheeled himself over as he swung his fist angrily at Zachary.


    ¡°Brat, you scared her.¡±


    Henry was anxious, and he tried to take Ellie back into his arms. However, his back started to ache


    again.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, don''t get angry.¡± Spencer quickly supported him again.


    ¡°You''re ny-six. Stop trying to force yourself to do the impossible.¡±


    For Henry, Zachary stopped resisting and let Ellie grab his hair. After coldly giving a nce at Robbie


    and Jamie, he headed to the tables.


    That was where Charlotte was, and with a jump, Charlotte swiftly changed directions and escaped.


    ¡°Hey, let go of my sister!¡± Robbie shouted from behind him.


    ¡°Robbie. Ellie.¡± Jamie wheeled himself as quickly as possible, trying to catch up with them.


    ¡°Don''t worry. I''m here. He won''t do anything to her,¡± Henry consoled. Then, he yelled at Spencer. ¡°Why


    are you still standing there? Help me over.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Mr. Nacht.¡± He then helped Henry catch up with Zachary.


    Meanwhile, one of the bodyguards pushed Jamie''s wheelchair.


    When Zachary reached the table by the tall windows, he reached out, trying to get Ellie down.


    However, as Ellie was terrified, she refused to let go of his hair.


    The more he tried to pull her off, the harder she tugged her hair. Her plump little body was trembling


    non-stop.


    ¡°Aren''t you going toe down?¡± Zachary asked with his brows lifted.


    At that, Ellie''s face scrunched up, and she nearly burst into tears again.


    ¡°Don''t cry. Don''t,¡± Zachary hastily coaxed. ¡°You can stay up there if you want to.¡±


    It was only then Ellie''s tears stopped streaming down her cheeks. Her frown, however, remained, and


    her eyes were still watery.


    By now, sweat was beading on Zachary''s forehead as he found himself at a loss for words. What kind


    of creature is she? I can''t reprimand her, and she cries at anything I say.


    Am I seriously that scary?

 Chapter 361

    Chapter 361


    Now, Zachary dared not do anything with Ellie anymore; he let her continue to sit on his shoulder as he


    sat down on a chair himself.


    Right then, Robbie finally caught up with them. When he realized Zachary did not hurt Ellie and was in


    fact, coaxing her, he slightly let his guard down.


    Staring at Robbie, Zachary asked solemnly, ¡°Are you nning to just let your sister continue to sit on


    my shoulders?¡±


    Hearing that, Robbie froze for a second. Then, he promptly tried to get Ellie down. ¡°Ellie,e down


    now.¡±


    When Ellie saw her brother had arrived, some of her fear dissipated, and she carefully slid down from


    Zachary''s shoulders.


    Beside them, Ben quickly helped to carry her, thinking to put her on the chair beside Zachary''s.


    ¡°I don''t want to sit beside him,¡± Ellie worriedly yelled before her feet even touched the ground.


    ¡°Okay, okay.¡± Ben quickly moved her toward the chair opposite Zachary instead. ¡°Is this all right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Ellie pouted as she nodded.


    Hearing her agreement, he then carefully put her onto the chair as if he was handling something


    delicate.


    Finally, after she was seated, he heaved a sigh of relief.


    Nevertheless, his hand remained by her side, fearing that she would slide off the chair.


    ¡°Ellie, are you okay?¡± Robbie queried in concern.


    ¡°I''m fine.¡± She shook her head. Sensing something in her palms, she lifted her hands to find out she


    was holding onto a few strands of hair.


    ¡°Um...¡± Ellie slowly looked at Zachary as she raised the small tuft of hair into the air. ¡°Are these yours?¡±


    She had spoken those words in such a naive and innocent voice.


    The corner of Ben''s mouth twitched, and he nearly had a heart attack there.


    When Robbie saw the hair in her hands, he snapped his head toward Zachary warily.


    This time, they were in the wrong.


    When Zachary himself saw the hair, his expression turned gloomy, as if dark clouds were gathering in


    his heart.


    He never had anyone who dared to sit on his shoulders until now.


    Or anyone who dared to grab onto his hair while sitting on his shoulders until now.


    And he most definitely never had anyone who dared to grab onto his hair while sitting on his shoulders


    and pulled his hair off until now.


    Only this plump little girl in front of him would dare to do it.


    A distance away, Charlotte, who had witnessed everything, could not help but worry.


    What do I do? Why was Ellie sitting on the Devil''s shoulders? Worse of all - why did she pull out his


    hair?


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    Oh no, oh no. The Devil''s going to burst in anger!


    ¡°What''s going on?¡± Right then, Henry arrived. When he saw the strands of hair in Ellie''s hands and the


    gloomy look on Zachary''s face, he cleared his throat awkwardly. Then, he consoled, ¡°You have a full


    head of hair. It''s fine for you to lose a strand of two.¡±


    Narrowing his eyes in disbelief, Zachary questioned, ¡°A strand or two? Are you sure you''re my


    grandfather?¡±


    ¡°Nonsense!¡± Henry shot him a re. ¡°Are you going to hold a three-year-old ountable for this?¡±


    A myriad of emotions washed over Zachary''s heart, and he could not control his facial expressions


    anymore.


    ¡°I-I''m sorry,¡± Ellie carefully apologized softly. ¡°I didn''t mean to do it.¡±


    Zachary, however, continued staring at her coldly. He wanted to lose his temper, but it was as if her


    gaze was tamping down his fury; no matter what he did, he could not release his rage.


    It felt ufortable, to say the least.


    Right then, the servers began serving exquisite desserts on the table with various beverages.


    Picking up a cotton candy, Ellie then handed it to Zachary solemnly. ¡°This is for you. Please don''t be


    angry anymore.¡±


    Zachary rolled his eyes at her and did not take it. Instead, he quietly sipped on his wine.


    At that, Ellie stood up and sprawled on the table before handing the cotton candy to him again. ¡°I''m


    sorry, old man. Please don''t be angry at me!¡±

 Chapter 362

    Chapter 362


    Everyone fell silent.


    Shuddering, Zachary snapped his head up to look at her. ¡°What did you just call me?¡±


    ¡°Old man!¡±


    Ellie smiled brightly as she shoved the cotton candy into Zachary''s mouth before she dusted her hand.


    ¡°Since you''ve eaten the cotton candy, that means you''ve forgiven me!¡±


    As the cotton candy melted in his mouth, Zachary sat transfixed while wrath burned in his eyes.


    Meanwhile, Ben was going insane in his mind. These three children had been provoking Zachary all


    day, yet he could not lose his temper at them. Ben was sure that, as his subordinates, they would be at


    the receiving end of Zachary''s furyter.


    Spencer cleared his throat before reminding, ¡°Princess Ellie, this isn''t the right way to address him. You


    can''t call him that anymore.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Ellie cocked her head to the side as she wondered, ¡°He''s Mr. Henry''s eldest grandson, so he''s


    an old man!¡±


    All the adults by the table were at a loss for words after hearing her exnation.


    ¡°Hahaha! Kids say whatever''s on their mind,¡± Henryughed. To him, the dear children would never do


    anything wrong.


    ¡°Ellie, you can''t call him that,¡± Robbie reminded quietly. ¡°We have to be polite.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Ellie pouted before mumbling, ¡°What should we call him then?¡±


    ¡°Boss!¡± Jamie blurted out.


    At that, Henry nearly choked on his coffee. This dear boy loved to watch mafia films, but he never


    thought that the boy would pick up phrases from the show.


    ¡°Yes. He should be the boss.¡± Robbie nodded seriously. ¡°He''s older than the three of us, so we should


    call him boss.¡±


    Zachary was speechless by his train of thoughts.


    What have I done to deserve this today?


    I can''t reprimand a creature like this, and I can''t even re at them.


    Otherwise, they''d start crying, and it''s frustrating to hear it.


    Hence, no matter what they did, even if they pulled out his hair and called him an old man, he had to


    tolerate them in silence.


    However, tolerance was not a word in Zachary''s dictionary.


    Moreover, he was tolerating the children that Charlotte had with someone else.


    Right then, he spotted a janitor by a pir, stealing nces in his direction. Upon locking eyes, she


    quickly turned away and escaped with her broom.


    Staring at her retreating figure, Zachary''s eyes narrowed dangerously.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, I''ll prep the car right away,¡± Ben uttered as he motioned to the bodyguards, thinking that


    Zachary wanted to leave.


    However, Zachary sat back down and ced the serviette in front of him, ready to eat.


    ¡°You''re not leaving anymore?¡±


    ¡°I haven''t had my food. I''ll leave once I''m done.¡± Zachary then sipped on his red wine before he started


    cutting up his steak.


    ¡°Old-¡± Ellie stopped herself in time before whispering, ¡°B-Boss, this is for you. Thank you for carrying


    me earlier.¡±


    Her plump little hands handed Zachary a chicken wing.


    This was her favorite, and there was only one on the te, but she had given it to him.


    Although he looked fierce, and she was crying from fear earlier, he had not been mean to her. In fact,


    he even carried her to the seats.


    The sensible Ellie knew that she should show him her gratitude.


    When Zachary looked at Ellie''s oily fingers and the chicken wing she was holding, his brows knitted.


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    The girl was the same as her mother; they both enjoyed using their hands to eat like a barbarian.


    ¡°Use your utensils, not your hands,¡± Zachary uttered.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Ellie then put down her chicken wings before wiping her hands carefully. Finally, she used a fork


    to pick up the chicken wing and handed it to him. ¡°Now you can eat it.¡±

 Chapter 363

    Chapter 363


    Zachary frowned at the speared chicken wing in disgust. Ellie, noticing Zachary''s distaste, stared down


    and took back the chicken wing, clearly crestfallen.


    ¡°Why you little...¡± Henry was about to yell at Zachary. But before he could, Zachary took the chicken


    wing along with the fork and put them on his te before handing another fork to Ellie.


    Charlotte, who was watching from nearby, smiled. She wasn''t nning on having Ellie call him daddy


    yet, but she was still happy to see the event that transpired.


    Ellie grinned and gesticted. ¡°This is tasty. Have it while it''s still hot, Boss.¡±


    ¡°Don''t call me that.¡± A frown creased Zachary''s forehead, much to Ellie''s surprise. And she puffed her


    cheeks.


    Charlotte frowned at the sight of that. The Devil''s a capricious one. He''s going to mess Ellie up at this


    rate. Hmm... this is not good.


    ¡°Don''t scare the girl.¡± Henry rolled his eyes, but he wasn''t as harsh at Zachary as he was. His


    germaphobe of a grandson taking a chicken wing Ellie touched was already a big concession. He used


    to worry about Zachary ending up childless since he hated kids and was indifferent to love. But he was


    d to see Zachary starting to get along with Ellie.


    ¡°Finish your dinner, Ellie.¡± Robbie gave her his buffalo wings and took a slice of cake for her. ¡°We have


    to go home soon. Mommy''s waiting.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Ellie nodded and dug into her food.


    ¡°Take your time. I''ll give you two a ride home.¡± Henry watched over the kids lovingly. ¡°Get more buffalo


    wings for the kids,¡± he told the manager. ¡°They need more.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The manager obliged.


    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    ¡°Aw, I couldn''t go on the rides I wanted. It''s all because of this stupid injury.¡± Jamie was sulking


    because he didn''t have enough fun. ¡°Can wee here again once I heal up, Mr. Henry?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Henry quickly replied. ¡°You cane here anytime. Give me a call, and I''ll pick you guys


    up. Wannae here again tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°We''ll be kindergarteners tomorrow, Mr. Henry.¡± Robbie was the only one who remembered about that.


    ¡°We''re only free on weekends.¡±


    ¡°Sure. I''ll pick you up at weekends then.¡± Henry beamed.


    ¡°Yay. We cane here again on weekends.¡± Jamie swung his arms in excitement.


    ¡°I''ming earlier next time so we can y around a bit longer,¡± Ellie mumbled happily with a full


    mouth.


    Henryughed heartily. ¡°I''m happy as long as you''re happy. What will you need? I''ll get the waiter to


    serve it up.¡±


    ¡°I want ice cream.¡± Ellie raised her hand as fast as she could.


    ¡°Me too...¡± Jamie raised his hand too.


    ¡°Of course, of course.¡± Henry gestured at the manager, then the manager quickly went to fulfill the


    order.


    ¡°Oh no!¡± Ben gasped, and everyone looked at him just to see the chicken wing Ellie gave to Zachary


    slipping from Zachary''s hand, falling on his shirt before tumbling down onto the ground.


    ¡°Did it get on your shirt?¡± Ben asked. ¡°Oh, it did. I''ll get someone to send some clothes over.¡±


    ¡°Easy there. Let''s get someone to clean this up.¡± Zachary nced at the ¡°janitor¡± not far from them as


    he wiped the sauce off his shirt with elegance.


    The manager who had been standing behind them came up with the waiter to clean the mess, but


    Zachary frowned. He casually knocked over the wine ss, sshing the wine onto the table before


    smashing it against the ground. The wine dripped down, forming a small crimson pool.


    ¡°Sorry, Mr. Nacht. I''ll get the janitor right away.¡± The manager waved at the ¡°janitor¡± nearby. ¡°Come


    here, Felicity.¡±

 Chapter 364

    Chapter 364


    Charlotte wanted to escape when she noticed the manager waving at her, but since he called her by


    the janitor''s name, and everyone was looking at her, leaving the room would be suspicious. It would be


    difficult to clean up if she was exposed, so Charlotte went up to them.


    ¡°The wine''s spilled, Felicity. Clean it up fast,¡± the manager ordered.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Charlotte cleared the ss shards away, but she hung her head low in case someone could


    recognize her. Meanwhile, Zachary had moved away from the spot, wiping the stain on his hand with a


    piece of wet tissue.


    ¡°Will you be changing clothes, Mr. Nacht? I can go with you,¡± Ben proposed carefully.


    ¡°No. It''s just the coat.¡± Zachary took it off and tossed it to Ben before going back to his wine.


    ¡°Whoa, muscles!¡± Jamie was excited to see Zachary''s muscr body. ¡°What''s your routine, Boss?¡±


    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    Charlotte stopped cleaning for a moment and looked up at Zachary. He calls Zachary ¡°Boss?¡± What''s


    going on?


    ¡°Boxing,¡± Zachary answered curtly.


    ¡°You box? What do you specialize in?¡± Jamie''s interest was piqued. Instantly, he put his cutlery down


    and waited for Zachary''s answer with anticipation.


    ¡°I know everything,¡± Zachary answered calmly.


    ¡°Really? Then spar with me when we have the chance.¡± Jamie loved martial arts.


    ¡°You? Spar with me?¡± Zachary thought it wasughable. ¡°I can beat you down with one finger.¡±


    ¡°As if.¡± Jamie puckered his lips, swinging his fists. ¡°My leg''s injured, but once I heal up, you''re getting


    it.¡±


    ¡°We''ll see.¡± Zachary sipped his wine without looking at the boy.


    Ellie gave Henry a piece of candy. ¡°We''re going to kindergarten tomorrow, Mr. Henry,¡± she said


    pleasantly. ¡°We can''t wear smartwatches when we''re in school, but you can call us once school''s out.


    That is if you miss us anyway.¡±


    ¡°Why can''t you wear smartwatches? What if you go missing again likest time?¡± Henry frowned.


    ¡°I don''t know. The teacher said smartwatches aren''t allowed in the kindergarten.¡± Ellie fiddled with her


    cherry ice cream.


    ¡°What''s your kindergarten''s name?¡± Henry asked.


    ¡°Apple Kindergarten!¡± Ellie held up a little apple and grinned. ¡°That''s its name.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Henry gave Spencer a look. Spencer understood what must be done, and he went to do it.


    ¡°You shouldn''t spoil the kids,¡± Zacharymented, knowing what his grandfather had done.


    ¡°Bite me then,¡± Henry snapped back.


    Zachary didn''t answer. Instead, he looked at the janitor and sneered. ¡°Why don''t you take the kids with


    you if you love them so much?¡± he told Henry. ¡°Their home''s tiny. Makes it hard for them to move


    around.¡±


    Charlotte trembled, and she started to panic. No, no, no. Don''t say yes, kids.


    ¡°Sure.¡± Henry had the same idea. ¡°Why don''t you stay over at my ce, kids?¡± he asked lovingly. ¡°I can


    give you a ride to the kindergarten every day, and I can take you guys back too.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Ellie answered without even a moment of hesitation. She was even rubbing her pudgy hands


    happily. ¡°Can wee here when school''s out then?¡±


    ¡°Of course, you can.¡± Henry nodded. ¡°And I can hire a boxing coach for you,¡± he told Jamie. ¡°You can


    learn whatever you want to.¡±


    ¡°Really? Cool.¡± Jamie punched the air with excitement. ¡°Can I learn taekwondo then?¡±


    ¡°No problem. I''ll get the best coach to teach you.¡± Henry was about to tell Spencer to get to it.

 Chapter 365

    Chapter 365


    ¡°Shut up, brat,¡± Henry snapped. ¡°Don''t mind him, kids,¡± he calmed the children down.


    ¡°You''re so nice to us, Mr. Henry.¡± Ellie hugged Henry, and her adorable voice melted his heart.


    ¡°I''ll repay my debt when I grow up, grandpa.¡± Jamie thumped his chest. ¡°I''ll be a rich guy and buy you


    anything you want. I promise.¡±


    Henry roared withughter. ¡°Good! Good!¡±


    ¡°He''s such a smooth talker.¡± Ben smiled. ¡°No wonder Mr. Henry''s so amused.¡±


    Charlotte heaved a sigh of relief. Good thing Robbie made his move at the right time, or else I would


    have stepped in. That''d y right into his hand. But Zachary seems to be doing it on purpose. Did he


    recognize me?


    Material ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Charlotte didn''t want to stay there any longer. Thus, she quickly cleaned up the ce and prepared to


    leave. ¡°Hold it,¡± Zachary said. Charlotte stopped in her tracks, her sight remaining downward as she


    waited for hismand. ¡°You missed a spot.¡± He pointed at the wine stain on the table.


    Heeding his orders, Charlotte went over to clean the table. However, Robbie frowned, unsure of what


    to feel.


    ¡°Grandpa, did you get their parents'' approval before you did all of that?¡± Zachary said on purpose.


    ¡°What if the kids'' father objects to it?¡±


    The children looked despondent at the mention of their father. After all, the other kidsughed at them


    because they had no father.


    ¡°Can you shut up?¡± Henry knew the kids came from a single-parent family, and he didn''t want to talk


    about that.


    ¡°What''s your father''s name?¡± Zachary kept on asking, ignoring Henry.


    The kids looked at one another, unsure of what to answer. Fury welled up within Charlotte, her hand


    trembling. That b*stard. He''s doing this on purpose. I don''t mind him doing this to me, but why the kids?


    Why in front of everyone? She felt like pping him at that moment.


    ¡°Didn''t your mommy tell you?¡± Zachary tried to wheedle it out of them.


    ¡°Why should we tell you?¡± Robbie red. ¡°Don''t you think hassling us when we can''t answer is a rude


    behavior?¡±


    Zachary was surprised to see Robbie so angry. Michael''s been getting along with them for a while now.


    Don''t they know that he''s their father? Even if they don''t, he would tell them, wouldn''t he? Wait, did this


    stupid woman lie to me? Michael isn''t actually their father?


    Zachary was inexplicably excited once that idea popped up. He was about to keep asking when the


    ss of fruit juice was spilled onto him all of a sudden. Frowning, he stared at the ¡°janitor''¡° coldly. She


    did it on purpose.


    ¡°Sorry, I''m so sorry. I didn''t mean it,¡± Charlotte kept apologizing and wiping his shirt with the cloth she


    used to clean the table.


    ¡°F*ck off!¡± Zachary shoved her away, and she inadvertently fell.


    ¡°Mommy!¡± Robbie shot up and eximed.


    Everyone looked at him. ¡°What''s wrong, Robbie?¡± Henry asked.


    ¡°I...¡± Robbie looked away and shifted the topic quickly, ¡°I just remembered that mommy''s alone at home


    and hasn''t had dinner yet.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah. I have to get some food for her.¡± Ellie filled a bag with the food on her te, nning to take


    it home to her mother.


    ¡°I wanna get her something to eat too.¡± Jamie helped.


    ¡°Now, now, kids. I''ll get them to pack something else for your mother,¡± Henry quickly said. ¡°You''re all


    good kids, but you should finish your dinner first. Your mother shouldn''t have leftovers for dinner, right?


    I''ll take you home once they cook something up for your mother.¡±

 Chapter 366

    Chapter 366


    ¡°Shut up, brat,¡± Henry snapped. ¡°Don''t mind him, kids,¡± he calmed the children down.


    ¡°You''re so nice to us, Mr. Henry.¡± Ellie hugged Henry, and her adorable voice melted his heart.


    ¡°I''ll repay my debt when I grow up, grandpa.¡± Jamie thumped his chest. ¡°I''ll be a rich guy and buy you


    anything you want. I promise.¡±


    Material ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Henry roared withughter. ¡°Good! Good!¡±


    ¡°He''s such a smooth talker.¡± Ben smiled. ¡°No wonder Mr. Henry''s so amused.¡±


    Charlotte heaved a sigh of relief. Good thing Robbie made his move at the right time, or else I would


    have stepped in. That''d y right into his hand. But Zachary seems to be doing it on purpose. Did he


    recognize me?


    Charlotte didn''t want to stay there any longer. Thus, she quickly cleaned up the ce and prepared to


    leave. ¡°Hold it,¡± Zachary said. Charlotte stopped in her tracks, her sight remaining downward as she


    waited for hismand. ¡°You missed a spot.¡± He pointed at the wine stain on the table.


    Heeding his orders, Charlotte went over to clean the table. However, Robbie frowned, unsure of what


    to feel.


    ¡°Grandpa, did you get their parents'' approval before you did all of that?¡± Zachary said on purpose.


    ¡°What if the kids'' father objects to it?¡±


    The children looked despondent at the mention of their father. After all, the other kidsughed at them


    because they had no father.


    ¡°Can you shut up?¡± Henry knew the kids came from a single-parent family, and he didn''t want to talk


    about that.


    ¡°What''s your father''s name?¡± Zachary kept on asking, ignoring Henry.


    The kids looked at one another, unsure of what to answer. Fury welled up within Charlotte, her hand


    trembling. That b*stard. He''s doing this on purpose. I don''t mind him doing this to me, but why the kids?


    Why in front of everyone? She felt like pping him at that moment.


    ¡°Didn''t your mommy tell you?¡± Zachary tried to wheedle it out of them.


    ¡°Why should we tell you?¡± Robbie red. ¡°Don''t you think hassling us when we can''t answer is a rude


    behavior?¡±


    Zachary was surprised to see Robbie so angry. Michael''s been getting along with them for a while now.


    Don''t they know that he''s their father? Even if they don''t, he would tell them, wouldn''t he? Wait, did this


    stupid woman lie to me? Michael isn''t actually their father?


    Zachary was inexplicably excited once that idea popped up. He was about to keep asking when the


    ss of fruit juice was spilled onto him all of a sudden. Frowning, he stared at the ¡°janitor''¡° coldly. She


    did it on purpose.


    ¡°Sorry, I''m so sorry. I didn''t mean it,¡± Charlotte kept apologizing and wiping his shirt with the cloth she


    used to clean the table.


    ¡°F*ck off!¡± Zachary shoved her away, and she inadvertently fell.


    ¡°Mommy!¡± Robbie shot up and eximed.


    Everyone looked at him. ¡°What''s wrong, Robbie?¡± Henry asked.


    ¡°I...¡± Robbie looked away and shifted the topic quickly, ¡°I just remembered that mommy''s alone at home


    and hasn''t had dinner yet.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah. I have to get some food for her.¡± Ellie filled a bag with the food on her te, nning to take


    it home to her mother.


    ¡°I wanna get her something to eat too.¡± Jamie helped.


    ¡°Now, now, kids. I''ll get them to pack something else for your mother,¡± Henry quickly said. ¡°You''re all


    good kids, but you should finish your dinner first. Your mother shouldn''t have leftovers for dinner, right?


    I''ll take you home once they cook something up for your mother.¡±

 Chapter 367

    Chapter 367


    ¡°Thank you, Mr. Henry!¡± the children thanked him.


    At the same time, Charlotte had already gotten up. The manager chided her quietly, and she quickly left


    the ce with her mop in hand. Zachary suddenly stood up and followed her, but not before tying his


    coat around him.


    Robbie frowned. He was worried that Zachary might do something bad to his mother, so he got down


    from his chair. ¡°I''ll need to use the restroom, Mr. Henry.¡±


    ¡°I''lle with you, Mr. Robbie.¡± Spencer held his hand.


    Charlotte was going to leave after putting the cleaning implements in the restroom. She came to the


    restaurant that night just to keep the children safe, and Henry''s hospitality towards them made her feel


    at ease.


    Since they were going back soon, there was no need for her to stay there anymore. Besides, she could


    feel that Zachary was starting to suspect her. If she didn''t leave soon, he might find her out.


    Thus, Charlotte quickly kept the cleaning implement in the restroom''s store closet, then she took off the


    gloves and prepared to leave. However, when she turned around, one familiar man was in her way.


    ¡°Ahhh!¡± Charlotte eximed in shock. It was the first time seeing him again after the escape from the


    hospital, and the first time being so close to him.


    She had an emotional roller coaster over thest few days. Too many events had happened, and she


    almost broke down a few times. Charlotte could feel that he was in control of her life. Even though she


    had escaped him, he could still keep her in check.


    Although it had been a few days, meeting him again still cast fear into her heart. She took a deep


    breath and stared down, pretending not to know him. ¡°This is thedies. You got the wrong ce, sir.¡±


    Zachary didn''t answer. Instead, he looked at her coldly. Then, Charlotte tried to go around him, but the


    moment she got close, he grabbed her wrist and pinned her against the wall.


    ¡°W-What are you trying to do?¡± she growled. ¡°You''re going toy your hands on even a janitor?¡± She


    knew how grotesque she must look. And she was in a janitor''s attire that smelled of nothing but


    disinfectants.


    ¡°Are you a janitor? Really?¡± He brushed her hair, cupping her chin and raising it so he could look into


    her eyes. ¡°I know those eyes no matter where.¡± He sneered. Then Zachary tore her face mask away,


    revealing her beautiful face that wasced with anger, her eyes filled with the mes of fury.


    ¡°You know who I am back there, didn''t you?¡± She red at him. ¡°You were doing that on purpose. You


    harassed my kids so you can get to me.¡±


    ¡°Harass?¡± He sneered. ¡°I was nice enough to them.¡±


    Charlotte said nothing. She didn''t expect him to treat the kids that way - at least he wasn''t too mean.


    ¡°They don''t know who their father is?¡± Zachary gripped her chin, forcing her to look at him. ¡°Michael


    gets along with them, doesn''t he? Didn''t he tell them?¡±


    ¡°Does that have anything to do with you?¡± Charlotte frowned.


    ¡°Is Michael really the kids'' father?¡± Zachary stared deep into her eyes.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Charlotte looked away as she couldn''t bring herself to look back into his eyes.


    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    ¡°You know...¡± A wicked smile curved his lips. ¡°I can always get my hands on Michael and the kids, and


    then I can perform a paternity test on them,¡± he threatened.


    ¡°You...¡± Charlotte panicked. ¡°Are you out of your mind?¡± she hissed. ¡°Why do you want to know who the


    children''s father is? It has nothing to do with you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, but it does.¡± He whispered into her ear, ¡°What if I am their father?¡±

 Chapter 368

    Chapter 368


    With panic welling up in her eyes, Charlotte trembled, but she denied, ¡°As if. You''re reading into it too


    much.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± He pulled her face closer to himself. ¡°Then let''s do that paternity test.¡±


    ¡°Have you gone mad, you b*stard?¡± she cursed. ¡°Get your hands off my children!¡±


    ¡°Looks like you have forgotten about your vow.¡± He sneered. ¡°You never seem to learn no matter how


    many times I punish you, so it must be done every day.¡±


    Zachary took off the janitor attire Charlotte was wearing, revealing her petite, naked body. It was as


    seductive as the bud of a flower, poising to blossom at a moment''s notice. ¡°What are you trying to do?¡±


    Charlotte started panicking. She was about to resist when Zachary pinned her against the wall again.


    ¡°You''d better not pull anything funny, Zachary. Someone coulde in any minute.¡± She was shivering


    from what he was about to do to her. ¡°Please, don''t,¡± she begged.


    ¡°You started it.¡± He took off her pants and tried to shove it in from behind.


    ¡°No...¡± Charlotte was going to cry.


    ¡°I can go in myself. Thanks, Mr. Spencer.¡± They heard Robbie talking outside.


    ¡°Of course. I''ll be waiting outside then,¡± Spencer said.


    Charlotte covered her mouth, fearing that she might let any sound out. In the meantime, Zachary


    stopped moving too. He frowned and waited for Robbie to leave, but instead of going to the men''s,


    Robbie came to thedies'' and hissed, ¡°Mommy? Mommy!¡±


    Charlotte kept her mouth covered. She looked back at Zachary, begging him to let her go. At that


    moment, Zachary looked furious, but since he was left with no choice, he let her go. Then, Charlotte


    quickly clothed herself.


    ¡°Why aren''t you going in, Mr. Robbie?¡± Spencer came up to him.


    ¡°Oh, right away.¡± Robbie went into the men''s. He was young, but he knew his mother came in disguise


    so nobody could recognize her.


    Charlotte heaved a sigh of relief when she heard the sounds outside.


    ¡°Dammit.¡± Zachary frowned.


    Charlotte relented when she remembered the time her kids went missing. Thus, she begged, ¡°Come at


    me if you want to vent, Zachary. Don''t hurt my kids.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± He opened his arms. ¡°You sullied my clothes, so clean them.¡±


    Charlotte gawked at him. Sh*t, his clothes are stained by the juice. ¡±I can''t do that.¡± She looked at him


    fearfully. ¡°Why don''t you change clothes? I''ll wash the one you''re wearing aspensation.¡±


    ¡°Where can you get a set of clothes for me then?¡± He arched his eyebrow.


    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    ¡°I-¡± Charlotte didn''t know how to answer that. She was the one who dirtied it, so she should get a new


    set for him. Can''t argue with the devil''s logic. ¡±The mall''s right next door. I''ll get you a new set of clothes


    there,¡± she suggested.


    ¡°We''ll go together.¡± Zachary picked up his coat and tied it around his waist.


    ¡°You don''t have to.¡± She didn''t want to go with him. ¡°You haven''t finished your dinner, and your


    grandfather''s still there.¡±


    ¡°Do you think I can continue with dinner looking like this?¡± He pointed at himself.


    ¡°Fine then.¡± Charlotte couldn''t do anything about it. ¡°You go on ahead. I''ll be right there.¡±


    ¡°You''d better not dawdle.¡± He red at her before leaving the restroom.


    Charlotte picked up the janitor''s clothes and folded them before keeping them in the closet. After that,


    she washed her hands before wearing her mask and hat, then she left.


    Robbie saw her leaving when he came out of the restroom. He wanted to go after her, but Spencer


    came before he could leave. Hence, all Robbie could do was pretend he never saw his mother.

 Chapter 369

    Chapter 369


    Charlotte pulled her hat down and hastened out, but since she didn''t bring her children with her, the


    attendant stopped her for some questioning.


    Meanwhile, Zachary looked at her coolly from the doorstep, waiting for her to ask for help, but she had


    no such n. Instead, she exined herself humbly to the attendant.


    Zachary didn''t want to wait any longer, so he gestured at Ben. When Ben went up to help Charlotte, the


    attendant backed off in panic, then Charlotte went up to Zachary.


    He red at her in disgust before leaving. At the same time, thedies around were fangirling at him,


    and they engaged in a heated discussion.


    ¡°Who is that hottie? Is he an actor? I''ve never seen him on TV.¡±


    ¡°Neither did I, but judging from that vibe, he must be a bigshot.¡±


    ¡°Hey, he looks like Mr. Henry Nacht. Maybe he''s a Nacht as well.¡±


    ¡°Really? Wait, he can''t be the grandson of Mr. Nacht, the father of those three kids, can he?¡±


    ¡°That''s a possibility.¡±


    When Charlotte heard their conversation, she started feeling uneasy. Is it that obvious? Her children


    didn''t resemble Zachary, and that was why she could lie to him, telling him that they weren''t his kids.


    But why''s everyone guessing that he''s their father?


    She looked at his silhouette andpared him to her children. When she thought about it, she realized


    that even though they weren''t alike, Robbie and Jamie had the same vibe as Zachary. Not only that,


    Robbie had his father''s eyes too.


    ¡°Come on!¡± Zachary looked back and growled.


    ¡°Okay,¡± she replied and quickened her pace. When they came into the mall, Zachary was the center of


    attention again. Instead of being proud of it, he felt frustrated.


    Some shoppers were taking their photos. Charlotte didn''t mind, since she was in disguise. However,


    Zachary didn''t want to show up on the news, so he gave them a look, and they stopped taking his


    photo.


    Going out with him is a disaster. Everywhere he goes, he''s going to be the center of attention. There''s


    no privacy at all.


    All Charlotte wanted was to escape him as soon as possible. Hence, she quickly dragged him to a


    fashion shop nearby.


    ¡°Wee.¡± A promoter came to greet them. ¡°We have a promotion today. Everything''s 20% off, so just


    pick anything you want. There''s the fitting room, and these are all the half-priced items.¡±


    ¡°Half-priced items? Where?¡± Charlotte''s eyes shone when she heard the word.


    ¡°Everything on this rack.¡± The promoter took them to the half-priced item area, though her eyes were


    only on Zachary. ¡°Even though he isn''t wearing any branded goods, the quality and workmanship for


    that suit alone are worth a lot. Will he really buy discounted goods?¡±


    ¡°It''s an emergency, so I think he doesn''t mind.¡± Charlotte picked the cheapest ones. ¡°Here. Get me the


    clothes his size.¡±


    ¡°Alright then, Miss.¡± The promoter went to search for it.


    ¡°Are you for real? Do you want me to wear those?¡± Zachary''s face fell. ¡°Not even the helpers at home


    wear discount items.¡±


    Material ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Oh, it''s just for a while. You''ll be going back soon anyway. There''s no need for pricey clothes,¡± she


    blurted. Then Charlotte smiled. ¡°Besides, with your toned body, anything would look good on you.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Zachary liked being ttered, and he looked at his reflection. ¡°Do I really have a toned


    body?¡±


    ¡°Of course. You''re sexiest among all men that I know.¡± Charlotte knew how to stroke his ego. ¡°Even


    ordinary clothes like these can''t cover your exquisite air up.¡±


    Zachary looked at her from the mirror. ¡°Okay, now that sounds a bit too pretentious.¡±


    ¡°Here it is.¡± The promoter came up to them with the clothes, oddly enthusiastic. ¡°Do you need any help


    changing, sir? I can do it.¡±

 Chapter 370

    Chapter 370


    Zachary frowned at Charlotte, but she was busy picking out clothes so she failed to notice his


    expression.


    Feeling like he was being ignored, Zachary was unhappy. ¡°Charlotte Windt!¡±


    ¡°Why... What... What happened?¡± His voice gave Charlotte a shock, and she quickly came over.


    ¡°Change my clothes for me,¡± Zachary said as he walked straight into the fitting room.


    Without a choice, Charlotte took the clothes from the attendant and followed him inside.


    On the way, she remembered that there was still a white shirt that was left behind. So, Charlotte went


    back to grab it while identally overhearing the female attendant talking to the cashier. ¡°That man


    was so handsome and charming, but the woman with him looked poor and pathetic. I really wonder


    what he sees in her.¡±


    ¡°Shhh!¡± The cashier shushed when she noticed Charlotte, stopping the attendant from going any


    further.


    The attendant turned around instinctively and saw Charlotte. Her expression immediately froze as the


    atmosphere became awkward.


    Nheless, Charlotte did not say a word and picked up the shirt before returning to the fitting room.


    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    However, before that could happen, Zachary came out. He grabbed the shirt in Charlotte''s hand and


    tossed it aside. He then pulled Charlotte out and left the ce


    ¡°Sir, are the shirts not to your liking?¡± The attendant chased after them and asked.


    ¡°Your poor and pathetic look was not to my liking,¡± Zachary replied coldly.


    His reply caused the attendant to freeze in ce. The colors drained from her face as she was


    devastated.


    Right then, Charlotte raised her head and gazed at Zachary. Well, he does look cute whenever he


    stands up for me.


    ¡°Are you stupid?¡± He pinched her face, clearly annoyed. ¡°Don''t you know how to fight back when


    people insult you?¡±


    ¡°She was just ranting.¡± Charlotte smiled awkwardly. ¡°Besides, she was right. Compared to you, I do


    look a bit ragged.¡±


    ¡°Didn''t I give you two million to spend? You didn''t even use it on the house. Can you be anymore


    cheaper than that?¡± Zachary knitted his brows. ¡°This is what... 99 after discount? You might be the only


    person that would want that.¡±


    ¡°We should be thinking far in advance and save up whatever we can. This price is good enough.¡±


    Charlotte pulled on her own shirt. ¡°I got this t-shirt online for only nine ny. I could''ve bought ten of


    these and wear them interchangeably.¡±


    Zachary was rendered speechless as he dragged Charlotte to the digital information center. He


    searched up some brands and took her to the third floor, where all the major brands were.


    ¡°No way! I can''t afford the clothes here,¡± Charlotte refused as she wrapped her arms around a pir.


    ¡°I''ll pay for them,¡± Zachary proimed and walked in.


    ¡°You''re paying? Alright then.¡± Charlotte immediately changed her mind and followed behind. ¡°Hmm,


    since you''re buying your own clothes. I''ll give you a pair of socks then!¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Zachary walked into the store. The moment he stepped foot inside, a few attendants


    immediately came to greet them passionately. ¡°Wee!¡±


    ¡°Bring me all the new products of thetest season you have here. For male and female.¡± Zachary


    demanded after he sat down on the sofa provided. He then patted the space beside him. ¡°What are you


    standing there for? Come sit!¡±


    Charlotte quickly went and sat beside him. Soon after, each of them was served a cup of freshly ground


    coffee and some snacks. There were even attendants that helped them change into slippers.


    Back then, Charlotte had experienced such treatments too. But it had been four years since shest


    visited, so the ce was unfamiliar to her. At that moment, she felt quite perturbed, not knowing how


    she should react.


    After the attendants put the slippers on Zachary and Charlotte, they went to get the clothes.


    While waiting, Charlotte leaned towards Zachary and whispered, ¡°You sure you''re the one paying?¡±


    The response she got, however, was an intense stare from Zachary as he looked irritated.


    ¡°Alright. Fine. I''ll stop talking.¡± Charlotte knew he was getting impatient, so she immediately changed


    the topic. ¡°So! Like I said, I''ll buy you a pair of socks aspensation.¡±


    ¡°I want white ones,¡± Zachary said without even hesitating.


    ¡°No problem.¡± Charlotte got up and went to look for socks. Having said that, her face turned green


    when she saw the price. One thousand eight hundred and eighty-eight! For a pair of men''s socks! Are


    you kidding me!

 Chapter 371

    Chapter 371


    Charlotte had been experiencing poverty for four years by then. Her socks were all bought online at


    eighteen eighty per box. A pair that cost almost two thousand sounded absurd to her.


    Nevertheless, she had already made a promise, and she did not want to go back on her word.


    Thus, Charlotte reluctantly took a pair of white socks and paid for it, not forgetting to ask the attendant


    to gift wrap it. After that, she handed it to Zachary. ¡°For you. I already paid for it.¡±


    Zachary took it from her hand and opened it up. It was the mostmon kind of white socks, but he


    still loved it because it was the first gift he got from Charlotte.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Zachary said with a gentle smile.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Charlotte was gobsmacked. She felt like she had never heard him say those two words before.


    There was a time when she thought that the words did not exist in his vocabry. Even after Zachary


    said it, Charlotte was still doubting her own ears.


    ¡°Excuse me, sir. These are all this season''s new designs. Both men''s and women''s. Have a look and


    see if you like any of them. You can try it on as much as you want,¡± an attendant told them as a few


    other attendants pushed two racks of clothes in front of Zachary and Charlotte.


    ¡°Take a look.¡± He gestured for her to go ahead.


    ¡°It''s okay. I won''t be needing them anyway,¡± Charlotte said as she looked at the clothes on the racks.


    They were all really beautiful, reminding her of the brand of clothes she used to buy before her father


    passed away. Even if I buy them now, there won''t be an asion where I can wear them.


    With that being said, Zachary did not bother himself with what she just said. He got up and picked out


    an outfit for himself. Then, he proceeded to grab seven outfits from the women''s section. ¡°Come try it


    out!¡±


    ¡°I already told you... ¡°


    Charlotte was about to refuse Zachary but suddenly remembered how bad his temper was. So, she


    decided to not be so melodramatic and took the clothes.


    ¡°The women''s fitting room is over this way. Let me bring you there.¡± Two female attendants went ahead


    and guided Charlotte.


    Another two male attendants were in charge of looking after Zachary.


    Soon enough, Zachary got changed. With some clean clothes on, he felt a lot morefortable, and


    the creases on his forehead faded.


    On the other hand, Charlotte was also done changing into a dress and had walked out of the fitting


    room. She stood in front of a mirror and looked at herself. It was as if a stranger was looking back at


    her.


    ¡°It looks nice on you. You can wear this when you''re on business trips.¡± Zachary was buttoning his cuffs


    as he walked out.


    Charlotte raised her head and looked towards him. Zachary''s change of outfit did not change how


    handsome he was. The design of the shirt he had was actually more casual than those that he usually


    wore, making him look gentler. It was not like how he always was - cold and merciless.


    ¡°This looks nice.¡± Charlotte inspected Zachary all around. ¡°How much is it?¡±


    ¡°A hundred and eighty-three thousand, madam,¡± the attendant announced with a smile.


    ¡°Emm... ¡° Charlotte gulped and looked at the dress she was wearing. ¡°What about this?¡±


    ¡°That one''s not as expensive, just sixty-eight thousand,¡± the attendant answered respectfully.


    ¡°Alright, never mind then... ¡° Charlotte decided to change out of it.


    ¡°Pack it up!¡± Zachary demanded. ¡°Go and try on the other ones.¡±


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    ¡°I don''t need it.¡± Charlotte refused softly. ¡°Why are we suddenly buying clothes for me?¡±


    ¡°You gave me a gift, so I should return the favor.¡± Zachary touched the box with the socks in it. ¡°Just go.


    I''m rarely this patient.¡±


    ¡°This way, madam.¡± The attendants were really professional. They were not overzealous but were still


    treating them with exceptional courtesy.


    Hence, Charlotte went and continued trying out the other clothes. In the end, Zachary bought all seven


    of the clothes he picked out for her. On top of that, he even got her a few pairs of high heels and two


    sets of essories to go with the dresses.


    When he was settling the bill, the total amount charged was more than two million three hundred


    thousand.


    That number made Charlotte''s heart skip a beat, but Zachary continued to drop another bombshell.


    ¡°You can wear these for the time being. I''ll get my designer to custom make your whole wardrobe after


    this.¡±


    ¡°Sir, you treat your wife so well. It really makes people jealous of you two,¡± one of the attendants could


    not hold in herpliment.


    Charlotte''s face flushed from what she just heard and exined hurriedly, ¡°It''s not like that. I think you


    misunderstood... ¡°


    ¡°That''s enough,¡± Zachary interrupted her and pointed to the pile of bags with his chin. ¡°Go pick them


    up. We''re leaving!¡±

 Chapter 372

    Chapter 372


    Out of nowhere, the warmth a moment ago immediately subsided.


    Logically speaking, no men ever let women carry the shopping bags, but Zachary was an exception. All


    his life, he had never carried even a single thing. In his eyes, this was just how it had always been.


    While Zachary''s request rendered Charlotte speechless, she still went ahead and took the bags before


    following Zachary out.


    ¡°Excuse me, sir.¡± The attendant chased after them. ¡°The suit that you came with has also been


    packed.¡±


    ¡°Throw it away,¡± Zachary responded without even looking.


    ¡°Huh?¡± The attendant was stumped. That suit was worth more than all the clothes he boughtbined,


    so the idea of dumping it made no sense to her.


    Isn''t that just a waste?


    ¡°Don''t listen to him. Here, just give it to me.¡± Charlotte hurried over to grab the shirt. ¡°Thank you!¡±


    ¡°My pleasure.¡±


    While they were going down the elevator, Zachary only had his gift with him in one hand, and the other


    hand was tucked in his pocket.


    Meanwhile, Charlotte was carrying all the bags behind him like an assistant.


    All of a sudden, her phone rang. So she ced the bags down before she took out her phone. ¡°Hello?


    Robbie, have you guys reached home? I''m fine, and I''ll be back soon.¡±


    Right then, the elevator opened, and Charlotte needed to get out. She quickly clenched the phone


    between her cheeks and her shoulder, picking up the bags on the floor as fast as she could.


    Zachary turned around to look at her, but no assistance was offered.


    This made Charlotte fumed deep down inside. Where''s the chivalry in the man!


    ¡°I''m doing some shopping at the mall right now. Don''t worry...¡± She continued the conversation with


    Robbie for a bit.


    ¡°I need to go now, okay? I''ll be back in half an hour. Are the nurses taking good care of you guys? All of


    you should go take a shower. I will be back for storytime...¡±


    When the call ended, the phone slipped from her grasp, and it dropped onto the floor. She gasped and


    squat to down to pick it up.


    At that moment, Zachary stopped and looked back at her.


    A few young men came walking by. Their eyes widened when they saw Charlotte.


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    That made Zachary realize that Charlotte was wearing the dress he just bought, and it was a tad too


    short. Unknowingly, she had identally shed the crowd while squatting down.


    Therefore, he immediately headed over and stood behind Charlotte, blocking off the angle to prevent


    the men from taking a peep. He even gave them a death stare.


    The men were intimidated, so they quickly turned their heads and walked away.


    ¡°Couldn''t you have helped me out a bit?¡± Charlotte was frustrated. ¡°Great! Now my screen''s cracked!


    ¡°If you needed help, why didn''t you say anything?¡± Zachary replied, picking up the bags with ease. He


    also pulled Charlotte back up. ¡°You can''t even walk properly. Is there anything you can actually do?¡±


    ¡°You...¡± Charlotte was at a loss for words. Is he actually ming me for not asking for his help?


    Shouldn''t he have initiated instead of waiting for me to ask?


    ¡°Mr. Nacht!¡± Right then, Ben came hurrying along with some bodyguards.


    ¡°Just in time,¡± Zachary remarked as he handed all the bags over to the men. All except his gift, which


    he still held in his hand.


    The bodyguard took the bags and proceeded to follow him.


    At the entrance of the mall, the cars were waiting for them when they exited.


    One bodyguard went and opened the door for Zachary, bowing as he waited before Zachary got in.


    ¡°I''ll just get a cab, thank you.¡± Charlotte wanted to head home early.


    ¡°Just get in,¡± Zachary ordered.


    It was another order that cannot be denied, and Charlotte knew that. Thus, she reluctantly got in the


    car.


    The bodyguards put the shopping bags in the trunk and got in another car before all the cars moved


    out.


    In the car, Charlotte was looking at the time on her phone. The only thing she wanted to do was go


    home as soon as possible. However, she soon found out that the car was not heading towards Happy


    Avenue. It was going straight towards the Nachts'' residence instead.


    ¡°Where are we going?¡± Charlotte asked in a hurry.


    ¡°My ce.¡± Zachary was fiddling his phone around.


    ¡°I need to go home.¡± Charlotte panicked. ¡°The kids are still waiting for me.¡±

 Chapter 373

    Chapter 373


    Nevertheless, Zachary ignored Charlotte and quietly stared outside the window. It was as though what


    she thought meant nothing to him.


    His disinterest in what she said made Charlotte even more agitated. Her brows knitted as she figured


    that it was a bad idea to get into an all-out argument with the man in front of her.


    Charlotte took a deep breath. ¡°A lot has happened in my family,¡± she exined in a calm and gentle


    manner. ¡°The kidsck a sense of security. It is imperative that I be home right now. I''ll keep you


    company when Mrs. Berryes back, okay?¡±


    ¡°And when will that be?¡± Zachary finally said something. Even though he sounded cold, he was still


    giving Charlotte a chance tomunicate with him.


    ¡°It won''t be long. I''ll have to ask Dr. Langhan for the specifics.¡± Charlotte was observing Zachary''s


    reaction. ¡°Besides, I''m finally working tomorrow. We can still see each other at the office.¡±


    ¡°The office?¡± Zachary slowly eased closer to her, his hand slipping under the dress to explore about.


    ¡°That sounds like a good idea,¡± he spoke while his lips touched her earlobe.


    Charlotte knew what he was thinking about and quickly exined, ¡°I said see each other. Not, that...¡±


    ¡°Don''t lie.¡± Zachary bit her earlobe. His warm breath was fanning the smoldering fire within her. ¡°Your


    body is more honest than your mouth.¡±


    ¡°Zachary... ¡°


    Before Charlotte could say anything, Zachary stopped her.


    His cold lips exerted full dominance as they pried her lips apart, infiltrating and invading every avable


    space there was between her lips.


    Charlotte was helpless against his kiss. She could do nothing but let him have his ways with her.


    Because of her nerves, Charlotte''s petite body was shivering in Zachary''s arms.


    Sitting at the front of the car, Ben could sense that something was going on at the back, so he quietly


    pulled the curtains shut.


    The bodyguard that was driving was Marino, which was the same asst time. Like what happenedst


    time, his hands were trembling on the steering wheel, and his face was flushed.


    ¡°Ahem!¡± Ben cleared his throat and quietly scolded. ¡°Focus on driving.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Marino responded and quietly said, ¡°Mr. Nacht seems to like to do this in the car.¡±


    ¡°It''s exciting I guess.¡± Ben answered casually.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Marino did not get it.


    ¡°Don''t ask. Just keep your eyes on the road,¡± Ben replied coldly.


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    ¡°Fine. I''ll let you off the hook this time.¡± ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    Zachary did not go any further, reluctantly letting Charlotte go at the crucial moment. He ced his


    forehead on hers and held her face with one hand, quietly calming himself down.


    Meanwhile, Charlotte panted heavily like a fish out of water.


    ¡°You need to follow orders. Got it?¡± Zachary bit her ear.


    ¡°Got it.¡± Charlotte nodded obediently. She knew that she needed to listen to everything Zachary said so


    that she and the kids could live peacefully.


    With his personality, he''ll get bored soon enough. When that timees, I''ll bring Mrs. Berry and the


    kids to another city and start over.


    ¡°Head over to Happy Avenue!¡± Zachary demanded all of a sudden.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The two men in the front looked at each other and let out a sigh of relief.


    Marino immediately turned the car around and headed to Happy Avenue.


    The two locations were not that far apart. It only took a little over ten minutes before they reached


    Happy Avenue.


    Ben then got out of the car and opened the door for Charlotte while Marino opened the trunk and took


    out all the shopping bags. ¡°Ms. Windt!¡± He handed it to her respectfully.


    ¡°Do you need me to go up with you?¡± Ben asked.


    ¡°It''s fine. I can take it from here.¡± Charlotte turned towards Zachary. ¡°Thank you for sending me home.


    Good night!¡±


    Somehow, Zachary was caught off guard by Charlotte''s courtesy as he looked at her. ¡°Sure. Get going


    now!¡± He replied casually.


    Charlotte immediately hurried away as though she just received an order, quickening into a run shortly


    after. She was eager to see her children.


    At the same time, Zachary kept his eyes on her through the rearview mirror. When will she act the


    same way and run towards me this way...

 Chapter 374

    Chapter 374


    Charlotte reached her home and took off her shoes quietly. She was about to unload the things she


    had in her room when Ellie suddenly ran out. ¡°Mommy''s back! Mommy!¡±


    ¡°Oh! Ellie, did you just got out of the shower?¡±


    Charlotte picked her up and stroked her wet hair.


    ¡°Mommy, we brought a lot of delicious food for you. It''s in the kitchen.¡±


    Ellie had just finished her shower, so she had a cute little pink bathrobe on her at the moment. Her hair


    was still wet while her beautiful face radiated.


    ¡°Thank you, Ellie!¡± Charlotte gave Ellie a peck on the cheek and looked at her lovingly. ¡°Did you have


    fun today?¡±


    ¡°I did. Mr. Henry bought a lot of delicious food for us. He also bought Fairytale Land as well as the


    kindergarten... ¡°


    Ellie went on to tell Charlotte what happened that day. She expressed immense excitement and


    satisfaction while going through all the fun things that happened.


    ¡°Hahaha. As long as you guys enjoyed yourselves.¡±


    Charlotte looked at Ellie''s happy face and felt relieved. She had always known that the kids needed


    more than just a mother; they needed a family.


    No matter how good of a mother she was, Charlotte could never rece the otherponents that


    made up a family.


    ¡°Ellie, we should go dry your hair. You might catch a cold.¡± The nurse beckoned to Ellie with a smile.


    ¡°Go on then.¡± Charlotte gave her a little shove.


    ¡°I''ll dry my hair then, Mommy. Talk to youter.¡±


    Ellie turned around, wiggling her butt as she ran back into the bathroom with her stubby legs.


    Charlotte watched Ellie leave with a smile on her face until she was out of sight. Then, she noticed


    Robbie was standing by his bedroom door, looking at her.


    ¡°Robbie!¡± Charlotte carried the bags over to him. Robbie was already in his pajamas, and it looked like


    he had already washed up.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Robbie nodded. His eyes then shifted over to the shopping bags in her arms. ¡°Mommy, did you


    go shopping?¡±


    ¡°I did. I saw that there was a sale at the mall, so I went and did some shopping.¡± Charlotte was lying, so


    she dared not look Robbie in the eyes. ¡°They were really cheap, not more than a couple of tens each.¡±


    ¡°You do need some clothes. All our other ssmate''s mommy would always dress up nicely.¡± Robbie


    went and took a box of pizza out of the kitchen with a box of juice. ¡°Mommy, we packed this up for you.


    There''re some chicken wings... ¡°


    ¡°That''s great! I''m actually starving right now.¡± Charlotte was delighted. ¡°Put it on the table, Robbie.


    Mommy''s going to change first.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Robbie replied and took the boxes to the table. The nurse even took two sses out for them.


    Soon enough, Charlotte came out with a change of clothes, and Robbie passed her the cup of juice he


    poured out.


    Charlotte finished it in one go and started feasting on the pizza. ¡°It''s still warm and tastes amazing!¡±


    ¡°I asked one of the nurses to help me heat it up,¡± Robbie said as he drank the juice, apanying his


    mother as she ate.


    ¡°Robbie, you can have some too.¡± Charlotte gave a slice of pizza to Robbie.


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    ¡°I already ate. My tummy''s still stuffed right now.¡± Robbie gave his round stomach a p. ¡°I can''t sleep


    because of it.¡±


    ¡°Go take a stroll then. Or you could y with Fifi for a bit,¡± Charlotte said as she rubbed his stomach.


    ¡°Fifi keeps sleeping these past few days. It doesn''t seem like she wakes up.¡± Robbie looked troubled at


    the mention of Fifi. ¡°Fifi woke up just now and squawked for a bit. But went back to sleep right after.


    Mommy, is she sick? Do we need to bring her to a doctor?¡±


    ¡°I''ve already brought Fifi to the doctor. The doctor said she''s just drunk. She''ll be back to normal after


    sleeping for about three days. Don''t worry,¡± Charlotte assured her son before taking a sip of juice.


    ¡°Huh? Drunk?¡± Robbie''s eyes widened. ¡°Where did Fifi get the alcohol from?¡±


    ¡°Some brainless idiot fed it to her,¡± Charlotte responded casually.


    After that remark, the image of Zachary''s stony face shed before her mind, unknowingly sending


    chills down her spine.

 Chapter 375

    Chapter 375


    ¡°Was it an idiot or a bad person?¡± Robbie knitted his brows. He was mad. ¡°Parrots can''t drink alcohol.


    Even I know that, and I''m a kid! But the guy didn''t? I don''t think he''s stupid, Mommy. He''s just evil.¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily... ¡° Charlotte did not want her children to hate their own father, so she immediately


    changed the subject. ¡°By the way, how was your day?¡±


    ¡°We had quite a lot of fun. Fairytale Land had a lot of stuff that we would never get to y at home.


    Also, we bumped into someone from school!¡± Robbie reported sensibly. ¡°It was Timothy!¡±


    ¡°Did you guys get into an argument?¡± Charlotte asked gently as she put down her pizza.


    ¡°Nope.¡± Robbie shook his head as his face expressed sympathy. ¡°He''s not who he used to be. He lost


    all that arrogance he once had and is more reserved now. He doesn''t even y with anyone else


    besides Ellie.¡±


    Charlotte went quiet after hearing what Robbie just said. It seemed to her that, ever since Amanda and


    Luna found out about the man four years ago was Zachary, they did not try to mess with her.


    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    However, Charlotte knew that the Sterlings were not doing so well these days. The Whites were also


    affected by it. Investors were retracting their investments, and thepany was at its limit.


    Other than that, Hector had already made up his mind about the divorce with Luna. Thus, these issues


    must have greatly affected Timothy.


    Children should never be involved with adults'' problems.


    Even though Timothy and Ellie had some conflict back then, Charlotte still believed that Timothy was


    actually a good kid. But now, he ended up this way because of his family.


    ¡°Mommy, why did you impersonate the janitor of Fairytale Land?¡± Robbie asked after some pondering.


    ¡°Was it to protect us?¡±


    ¡°Yeap.¡± Charlotte nodded. ¡°I was concerned and wanted to go take a look. But I didn''t want to interfere


    with your fun, so... ¡°


    ¡°Mommy!¡± Robbie felt touched and hugged Charlotte.


    ¡°Robbie, I know you''re smart and very considerate.¡± Charlotte patted Robbie''s back and spoke gently,


    ¡°But I want you to feel happy just being yourself. Leave everything else to me, and I will protect all of


    you, okay?¡±


    ¡°I''m worried about you, Mommy.¡± Robbie held in his tears and choked on his word. ¡°I don''t want you to


    get bullied. I want to protect you!¡±


    ¡°Robbie...¡± Tears welled up in Charlotte''s eyes. Thus, she took a deep breath, trying to make her sound


    calm. ¡°I''m not going to get bullied. Don''t worry!¡±


    ¡°Okay... ¡° Robbie nodded and said nothing else.


    With that, Charlotte cupped his face in her hands and kissed his forehead. ¡°Alright now.¡± She smiled.


    ¡°You should go to bed. It''s getting reallyte. By the way, where''s Jamie?¡±


    ¡°He''s already sound asleep.¡± Robbie rolled his eyes as he pouted. ¡°He told me he''d wait for me to finish


    my shower and y with me. But when I came out, he had already fallen asleep on the carpet. The


    nurse got him into the bed. He actually clung onto her neck for quite a while.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha...¡± Charlotteughed. ¡°Jamie''s so adorable!¡±


    Right then, a nurse came out of the bathroom carrying the plump Ellie in her hand. ¡°Ellie''s also asleep


    now,¡± she said awkwardly. ¡°Her head just flopped while I was blow-drying her hair. I took a look and


    found out she was asleep. Hahaha... ¡°


    ¡°Looks like they''re all exhausted from all the fun they had.¡± Charlotte looked at Ellie with a smile.


    ¡°She looks tiny, but she''s actually quite heavy.¡± The nurseughed.


    Another nurse quickly came to assist her. ¡°Let''s put her in bed.¡±


    The two nurses carefully ced Ellie in her princess bed, covering her with a nket. Then, they shut


    the door and proceeded to bid their farewell to Charlotte.


    After that, Charlotte washed up before going to check on the kids in their bedroom. She had a happy


    grin on her face while she looked at their cute sleeping faces.

 Chapter 376

    Chapter 376


    In a blink of an eye, it was the dawn of a busy Monday morning.


    At exactly ten minutes to seven, Mrs. Berry called Charlotte anxiously, ¡°Miss, today''s Monday.


    Remember to get the kids in their uniforms and pin their badges.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Charlotte quickly got dressed and opened the door to take a look outside.


    The three nurses arrived five minutes ago. One was preparing breakfast while the other two were


    helping Ellie and Jamie get ready.


    After that, Charlotte shut the door and went on to freshen up.


    ¡°There''s more,¡± Mrs. Berry continued. ¡°Ellie has art ss today whereas Robbie has robotics ss;


    Jamie has ser, but his foot is injured, so he most probably won''t be able to attend. Be sure to let the


    nurses know about these sses.¡±


    Mrs. Berry kept going until the voice of a nurse could be heard. ¡°Mrs. Berry, Dr. Langhan ising to


    do a check-up. Can you put your phone down? We need to measure your blood pressure.¡±


    ¡°Just a second, I''m not done here,¡± Mrs. Berry replied. ¡°Miss, Robbie doesn''t like to eat egg yolks, so


    please convince him. And Jamie always pours the milk into the flower pot, so you need to keep an eye


    on him. As for Ellie, make sure there''s noyer of film on the milk, or she''ll get a stomachache.¡±


    ¡°I understand, Mrs. Berry,¡± Charlotte replied while she brushed her teeth. ¡°Just focus on your treatment.


    I''ll find some time to bring the kids along to visit you.¡±


    ¡°Alright then. That''s all for now. You should hurry up and don''t forget to have some breakfast.


    After that call, Charlotte''s heart melted just by thinking about Mrs. Berry''s reminders...


    Meanwhile, since there were three nurses to take care of the kids, the morning progressed rather


    efficiently.


    When Charlotte got out of the bathroom, breakfast was already ready. The kids were all prepared for


    school and sat at the dining table quietly.


    Charlotte also took some breakfast and went down the stairs with the kids. Then, she sent them on the


    school bus before hopping in her car to go to work.


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    A lot had happened recently, so Charlotte did not really get to do her work.


    Charlotte felt a little sorry, so she swore that she would do her best from then onward.


    That day, Charlotte had reached her office earlier than usual, so there was no queue at the elevator.


    When she was about to enter, she saw Lucy and a few higher-ups inside. Hence, she immediately


    backed away. ¡°You guys go ahead. I''ll wait for the next one.¡±


    ¡°Come in.¡± Lucy shifted a bit and made space for Charlotte.


    Left without a choice, Charlotte entered with her head down.


    However, the people inside were talking among themselves. No one was bothered by her.


    ¡°Ms. Wright, is the press conference at one o''clock? Will Mr. Nacht be there?¡± One of the higher-ups


    asked.


    ¡°Of course, Mr. Nacht will definitely be present at such an important event such as this,¡± Lucy answered


    with a smile.


    ¡°Will Ms. ckwood from Synder be there too? We''ve not seen her in a while now.¡±


    ¡°Ms. ckwood''s such a talented, capable and beautiful person. Not to mention easygoing. There


    doesn''t seem to be a hint of arrogance in her.¡±


    ¡°That''s true. I bumped into herst time at level 17, and she actually greeted me.¡±


    ¡°I heard Mr. Nacht and Ms. ckwood are getting engaged. Is that true?¡±


    ¡°I''m not sure about that...¡± Lucy looked at Charlotte and smiled. ¡°Today''s press conference is important.


    Everyone should get ready and stop gossiping around.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha... Of course!¡±


    Their conversations continued while Charlotte stayed quiet. It''s no wonder I didn''t see Sharon these


    past few days. She went overseas. Will she cause any more scenes after she returns today?


    Charlotte recalled the treatment she got at Ashenville Garden. Previously, Sharon caused a lot of


    problems for her, and even Michael got dragged into it.


    But... Why is there a press conference today? Why didn''t I know about it? It must be important if


    Zachary''s going to attend. He didn''t even attend the productunch eventst time.

 Chapter 377

    Chapter 377


    When they reached the president''s office, Lucy told Charlotte that she was transferred to another office.


    As of that day, Charlotte was no longer working at the reception counter. Her new job was at the filing


    office, where she was responsible for printing and filing work.


    Charlotte had been with thepany for a while now. Thus, she knew that both her new and old jobs


    were at the bottom of the hierarchy on level 68.


    Being a receptionist was not that bad since she could see Zachary and all the other higher-ups every


    day. If she performed remarkably, or if she met a manager or director who was in a good mood, there


    was a chance that she could get a promotion.


    Material ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Nheless, the same could not be said about the filing office. Working there meant total istion


    from the outside.


    Charlotte would be stuck in a small room every day, waiting for the secretaries'' email to be printed out.


    After that, she would sort it and send it over to the relevant parties.


    There was no way for her to shine, nor a way for her to make mistakes. The chance for promotion was


    abysmal.


    Charlotte understood that she was not doing really well recently, so a transfer was to be expected.


    Hence, she packed up her stuff and went straight to the filing office quietly.


    There were threedies there working with her. They would be on their phones when no work was


    issued but immediately got to work as soon as tasks came in.


    Seeing Charlotte, one of thediesined. ¡°The girl with the connections is here. Ugh... she''s so


    annoying!¡±


    ¡°What connections?¡±


    ¡°Think about it. Could an ordinary receptionist take leaves whenever she wants and not get fired? She


    definitely has some prominent connections.¡±


    ¡°That sounds about right... ¡°


    Charlotte did not say anything when she heard those remarks. She merely ced her stuff on her table


    and started reading.


    They had a lot of free time there, so Charlotte had a lot of time to study.


    That morning, Charlotte had nearly nothing to do. She only printed a few documents and sent them to


    Lucy. After that, she just sat at her table looking at all the data. Unknowingly, she found out about a


    new project from all the files she read.


    The ckwoods were coborating with the Nachts to develop a two-thousand-acre plot ofnd near


    Ashen Lake. They were nning to build an international theme park and a matching-themed hotel


    beside it.


    The project needed a huge sum of money, but the ckwoods did not have enough funding. That was


    the reason they seek out the Nacht family for a coboration.


    And of course, Zachary saw the potential, and the two families struck a deal.


    Charlotte carefully read through all the documents and found something weird. The two thousand acres


    ofnd were not empty. Demolishing was needed - the Windt Corporation''s seven factories and her old


    home included.


    It would have been fine if it was anywhere else, but Charlotte took notice because the Windt


    Corporation was involved.


    Even though thepany had already fallen into the hands of Simon and the rest of the rtives, it


    was still built upon Charlette''s father''s blood, sweat, and tears. Not to mention the house that he built


    specifically for her.


    It was already bad enough that Simon owned everything. Charlotte would be devastated if all of it were


    demolished.


    ¡°Charlotte Windt. Charlotte Windt!¡±


    An unhappy-sounding voice interrupted Charlotte''s thought process, and she snapped out of it. She


    turned to look at the colleague beside her. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Why are you daydreaming during work?¡± The colleague stared at her, displeased. ¡°Take this document


    to Ms. Wright.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Charlotte quickly took the file and hurried to Lucy.


    At that time, Lucy was busy delegating work to the others when Charlotte got there. She gestured for


    Charlotte to wait.


    Thus, Charlotte stood at the side for twenty minutes, the file cuddled in her embrace. However, Lucy


    never gave her a second look and went on with her work.


    Charlotte felt a slight uneasiness. Did I unknowingly offended Lucy?


    ¡°Hand it over!¡± After a while, Lucy finally took the document from Charlotte without even looking at her.


    The former then quickly left for the president''s office right after.


    Charlotte''s heart sank. She was about to head back to the office when she suddenly heard a familiar


    voice. ¡°Hey, Charlotte? I was wondering why I didn''t see you. Did you get transferred?¡±

 Chapter 378

    Chapter 378


    Charlotte turned around. It was Sharon in a white suit, and she exuded a chilly presence. Her lips


    curled into a smirk as she stared down at Charlotte.


    ¡°Good day, Ms. ckwood!¡± Charlotte lowered her head to greet Sharon and was about to leave.


    ¡°Get me a cup of coffee,¡± Sharon ordered pompously. ¡°A ck Americano, to be exact!¡±


    ¡°Ms. ckwood,¡± Charlotte responded. ¡°I''m working in the filing office now.¡±


    ¡°So what?¡± Sharon raised an eyebrow and sneered. ¡°I can''t order you around anymore?


    ¡°The filing office doesn''t need to serve... ¡°


    ¡°Silence!¡± A roar interrupted Charlotte before she could finish.


    At that moment, Lucy was hurrying over to them. ¡°If Ms. ckwood asked you to get coffee for her, you


    go get her coffee. What''s with the nonsense?¡±


    Charlotte looked towards Lucy, stumped by the change in her attitude. She was extremely reluctant but


    lowered her head in the end as she walked to the pantry.


    ¡°I want them freshly ground!¡± Sharon demanded. ¡°I don''t drink instant coffee!¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry, Ms. ckwood. I''ll personally see to it,¡± Lucy spoke to her respectfully.


    ¡°With you there, Ms. Wright, I can rest assured.¡± Sharon smiled with satisfaction and waltzed off into


    the president''s office.


    At the pantry, Charlotte started grinding the coffee beans. She was very much confused.


    She did not know why Lucy would suddenly have a change of heart like that. Even though Lucy did


    reprimand her in the past for the greater good, it felt different this time.


    ¡°Did you hear us?¡± Lucy''s voice came from behind.


    Charlotte snapped back into reality and replied softly, ¡°It was hard not to. You two were loud.¡±


    ¡°Don''t take too long then. Get it done and bring it to Ms. ckwood,¡± Lucy ordered before leaving.


    Charlotte looked at Lucy''s leaving silhouette and let out a sigh.


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    Soon after, Charlotte was holding the cup of coffee that she just made as she knocked on the door to


    the president''s office.


    ¡°Come in!'' Ben instructed.


    Charlotte walked in with the coffee in hand and stumped Ben, who was standing at the side of the door.


    Nevertheless, he recovered quickly and reached out for the coffee. ¡°Leave it to me. You can go now.¡±


    Ben was smart as he could tell that Sharon was deliberately making it difficult for Charlotte.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Charlotte looked at him gratefully and was ready to leave.


    ¡°Stop right there!¡± Sharon stopped her.


    Instantly, Charlotte stood in ce, lowering her head as she waited for the next demand.


    Zachary was also in the office, going through the documents in his hands. Nheless, he did not


    show even the slightest reaction to what was happening.


    On the other hand, Ben was actually anxious. He was worried that Sharon was going to cause more


    trouble.


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Sharon broke the tension in the atmosphere and said nothing more.


    Charlotte was caught off guard, but she managed to respond. ¡°You''re wee!¡±


    Then, she turned around and left.


    Ben let out a sigh of relief before bringing the coffee over to Sharon. ¡°Ms. ckwood, your coffee.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Sharon took a sip. ¡°It''s a bit hot. I''ll drink itter,¡± she said while putting it on the table.


    After that, Sharon continued to go through the documents with Zachary.


    Ben was a little puzzled. If she wasn''t trying to mess around with Charlotte, then why did she ask her to


    bring coffee? Was it to exert dominance?


    ¡°Zachary. My father will also be here for the press conferenceter,¡± Sharon spoke out of the blue. ¡°You


    wouldn''t mind, right?¡±


    ¡°Most certainly not.¡± Zachary was surprised. ¡°When did Mr. ckwood arrive in H City? Why didn''t you


    tell me?¡±


    ¡°We were on the same flight this morning.¡± Sharon smiled as she answered him. ¡°He went to have


    some morning tea with Mr. Henry. Were you not informed?¡±


    ¡°Grandpa doesn''t need to report to me what he does.¡± Zachary looked at his watch. ¡°Anyway, it''s


    gettingte, and I have some other issues to take care of. Let''s go for lunch afterward.¡±


    ¡°I''ll leave you be then,¡± Sharon said and took a few more sips of the coffee. She then packed up her


    documents before leaving right after. ¡°I''ll wait for you in the restaurant at level 17?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Zachary nodded. ¡°Please see Ms. ckwood off,¡± he told Ben.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Ben approached politely. ¡°This way, Ms. ckwood.¡±

 Chapter 379

    Chapter 379


    After he sent Sharon off, Ben quickly reported back to the president''s office.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, almost everyone from the media has gathered down there. The public rtions team has


    made arrangements for them to have a meal on level 13. A private room has been reserved on level 17


    for you and Ms. ckwood. Hence, we might need to hurry up.¡±


    However, Ben noticed that Zachary was still seated as he stared at the documents in his hand in deep


    thought. There were no signs of him budging.


    ¡°Sir, is something wrong?¡± Ben asked cautiously.


    ¡°Tell me, why would Grandpa suddenly ask Taylor ckwood toe? Is he up to something?¡±


    Zachary asked.


    ¡°Hmm... ¡° Ben dared not answer. ¡°I think you already know, Sir. Why would you want me to reiterate it?¡±


    ¡°What''s the point?¡± Zachary rested his back on the sofa with an irritated look on his face. ¡°He''s already


    so old, yet he''s still trying to marite people around.¡±


    ¡°You''re not just anyone, sir. You''re his grandson.¡± Ben said while observing Zachary''s expression. ¡°The


    lineage of the Nacht family, all seven generations of it, is rested on your shoulder.¡±


    ¡°So he needs to force me into marriage because of that?¡± Zachary growled in displeasure. ¡°Is my only


    purpose in life, mating and producing heirs for the family?¡±


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    ¡°I... ¡° Ben was speechless.


    ¡°Summon Bruce,¡± Zachary demanded.


    ¡°What are you up to?¡± Ben panicked. ¡°The press conference is starting any minute now. Sir, you


    mustn''t act out of impulse at a time like this. Besides, whether Mr. Henry would do anything or not is


    still up in the air.¡±


    ¡°It would be the best if he did nothing. But if he does, I need to establish some countermeasures.¡±


    Zachary stared at Ben. ¡°What''s wrong? Are you not going to be a rebel as well?¡±


    ¡°No, sir... ¡° Ben could do nothing, so he called Bruce over.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht!¡± Bruce had always been in charge of external affairs. Yet he came back because the press


    conference needed more help around.


    ¡°Listen carefully.¡± Zachary pointed at him and issued an order. ¡°I don''t want to see Grandpa and Taylor


    ckwood at the press conferenceter!¡±


    ¡°Umm...¡± Bruce was astonished as his eyes widened. ¡°What you''re saying is, you want me to intercept


    Mr. Nacht and Mr. ckwood? Is this really okay?¡±


    ¡°If Mr. ckwood is here by himself, by all means, let him in. After all, he has a mild nature. He won''t


    do anything if Grandpa is not around.¡± Zachary suddenly got serious. ¡°But. If he''s here with Grandpa,


    you must stop them from going any further!¡±


    Bruce''s expression changed drastically. ¡°Sir, this is a tall order you''re giving me...¡±


    ¡°I don''t care how you do it. Get it done, by hook or by crook! Or you''re fired!¡± Zachary''s domineering


    presence was at full force.


    Bruce felt desperate as he looked helplessly towards Ben for some assistance.


    However, Ben shrugged, indicating to Bruce that there was nothing he could do.


    ¡°Alright. Now leave.¡± Zachary massaged his temples, exhausted. ¡°Go and tell Sharon that I''m not


    eating anymore. We''ll meet in the conference room at one o''clock!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Ben answered as he pulled Bruce with him out of the office.


    Bruce looked dejected. ¡°Isn''t he just sending me to my death by asking me to stop Mr. Henry?¡±


    ¡°Death would be better.¡± Ben sympathized with him. ¡°But there''s no other option. You know Mr. Nacht''s


    temper.¡±


    ¡°What should I do?¡± Bruce let out a deep sigh.


    ¡°Pray,¡± Ben told him. ¡°Maybe Mr. Nacht was overreacting - I mean, there''s a chance that Mr. ckwood


    wille here alone. Mr. Henry didn''t even say anything, so maybe he''s noting.¡±


    ¡°What if he came?¡± Bruce looked at Ben with his piercing gaze.


    ¡°Umm...¡± Ben had no idea as well. ¡°Then you''ll just have to face it head-on.¡±


    ¡°You b*stard!¡± Bruce cursed. ¡°I''m the one dying here, not you. Stop gloating!¡±


    ¡°Hey, do you think I got the better end of the straw?¡± Ben made a long face. ¡°If anything happened at


    the conference, I''ll be in dire straits too!¡±


    ¡°Whatever. I''m done talking to you,¡± Bruce said as he left.


    Ben sighed as he watched Bruce leave.

 Chapter 380

    Chapter 380


    At the same time, Charlotte was getting ready to head down for lunch, but Lucy appeared with a


    document. ¡°Send this to the president''s office.¡± She handed the document to Charlotte.


    Charlotte knitted her brows as she took the document. She knew it was because Zachary wanted to


    see her. Otherwise, Lucy would have sent it to him personally since the document was important.


    ¡°Make it quick,¡± Lucy said mindfully. ¡°There''s a crucial press conference on Level 66 at one o''clock. Ms.


    ckwood is dining in level 17 and wille up at any moment.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Right then, Charlotte figured that Lucy found out about her rtionship with Zachary, and Lucy


    despised her for that. That was why her attitude changed so much.


    With a heavy heart, Charlotte headed to Zachary''s office as she was told. She met Ben, who was


    standing outside when she got there.


    ¡°Ms. Windt, what''s this?¡± Ben pointed at the documents Charlotte had with her.


    ¡°Ms. Wright wanted me to send it here,¡± Charlotte spoke softly.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Ben answered and let her pass.


    The door opened on its own after Charlotte knocked on it a few times.


    The security camera was linked to Zachary''sputer, so he knew who was at the door.


    Charlotte went in and ced the document in front of Zachary. ¡°Your documents, Mr. Nacht.¡±


    ¡°Sit,¡± Zachary said while lighting up a cigar.


    ¡°We''re in the office,¡± Charlotte reminded.


    But Zachary ignored her and smoked the cigar once it was lit, puffing out a cloud of smoke at her.


    Charlotte frowned and immediately covered her nose. ¡°What happened? Is there something wrong with


    the press conference?¡±


    Charlotte knew that Zachary rarely smoked cigars. Every time he did, it would be because he was in a


    bad mood.


    ¡°In my world, nothing can go wrong.¡± He sounded extremely prideful.


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°Grandpa is forcing a marriage on me.¡±


    While Zachary was smoking, he was also quietly observing Charlotte''s reaction through the thick


    smoke.


    Charlotte was slightly shocked, and there was a sh of panic in her eyes. However, she quickly


    calmed down and asked, ¡°With Ms. ckwood?¡±


    ¡°Is that important?¡± Zachary responded curtly. ¡°Either way, it''s not going to be you!¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Charlotte nodded and attempted to probe further. ¡°In that case, since you''re getting married,


    you won''t be needing me anymore, right?¡±


    Zachary knitted his brows in response and shot her an icy re. ¡°Is this your answer?¡±


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    Charlotte was stumped for a bit. ¡°What else could I say?¡±


    Truth be told, Charlotte actually had no idea how she should react. Should I cry? Beg him not to get


    married and let him continue torturing and manipting me? I''m not insane just yet!


    ¡°So, do you want me to get married?¡± Zachary questioned.


    ¡°This isn''t about what I want.¡± Charlotte gave it some thought and figured out the best way to answer


    him. ¡°This is not something I have control over.¡±


    Hearing what she said, Zachary lowered his gaze in disappointment. It looked like he was calm as the


    sea, but the cigar in his hand was already snapped in two.


    The tip of the cigar fell on his palm, burning it.


    ¡°Oh my God! What the hell are you doing?¡±


    Charlotte immediately opened up Zachary''s palm, wanting to take the burning tip away.


    Out of nowhere, Zachary grabbed her hand with the burning tip in his, making her feel the pain that he


    felt. ¡°Charlotte Windt, remember this. You''ll never be able to get away from me. Never!¡± He eximed


    with a sinister grin.


    ¡°Let me go! It hurts!¡±


    Tears started welling up as Charlotte was getting burned.


    Nevertheless, not only did Zachary not let go, he even pressed her onto the desk and angrily covered


    her mouth. His other hand slipped under her dress and pulled off her underwear, having his way with


    her, invading her.


    ¡°Zachary Nacht! You pervert!¡± Charlotte kept mming her fist furiously on Zachary''s chest, but she


    was too weak.


    Their shadows were elongated by the sunlight outside. The intertwining silhouette looked as though


    they were vines that twisted around each other and could not be untangled.


    Tears blurred Charlotte''s eyes as she stared at Zachary. His infuriated expression had quickly turned


    into that of lust as he indulged in the magnificence of her body.


    Charlotte hated him while the morbid rtionship they had terrified her. The only thing she wanted to


    do right then was escape.

 Chapter 381

    Chapter 381


    ¡°Where''s Zachary?¡±


    Suddenly, Sharon''s voice came from the outside.


    ¡°Umm, Mr. Nacht is handling some important documents right now.¡± Ben intercepted her. ¡°He should be


    done soon. He''ll meet you at the conference room.¡±


    ¡°He didn''t even have lunch.¡± Sharon presented a sandwich in her hand and smiled. ¡°I made this myself


    in the restaurant''s kitchen. I wanted him to try it.¡±


    ¡°How thoughtful of you, Ms. ckwood.¡± Ben smiled awkwardly. ¡°You can hand it to me, and I''ll pass it


    to him in a bit. You should get some rest.¡±


    ¡°Can''t I go in?¡±


    Right then, Sharon''s smile slowly subsided as she stared at the door. It felt as though she could see


    through it and saw what was happening inside.


    ¡°Is Charlotte inside?¡±


    When Sharon asked that, she still had a smile on her face, but her eyes were oddly cold.


    ¡°Umm...¡± Ben was panicking deep down as he clearly did not know how to hold a lie.


    ¡°It''s okay. Men will always have to put on a show. Am I right? I understand.¡± Sharon grinned and gave


    the sandwich to Ben. ¡°Remember to tell him I made that myself.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I got it.¡± Ben nodded.


    ¡°I''ll head over to the conference room first. He can take his time.¡±


    Sharon smiled, gracefully turning around and left.


    Ben let out his breath and wiped the sweat off his forehead. This woman is too good!


    After a long while, Zachary finally stopped his rampage and turned around to tidy up his outfit.


    Charlotte got dressed and was about to leave.


    ¡°You n on going out like that?¡± Zachary called out with an icy tone. ¡°Go freshen up in the washroom.¡±


    Hearing that, Charlotte gave him a death stare before walking into the washroom.


    She drenched her body in warm water while noticing all the red markings on her pale skin. Those were


    an indication of how much force Zachary had used earlier.


    Charlotte looked into the mirror. Her reflection seemed like a stranger to her. At that moment, she was


    fed up with it and did not want any more of what was going on.


    Zachary would always go on a rampage without warning, having his way with her ruthlessly while


    showing no respect whatsoever. He could not care less about her feelings.


    Charlotte felt like she was just a tool.


    But what can I do?


    There was no way I can escape from him.


    Maybe it''ll all be done once he gets married. She let out a deep sigh and tidied up herself before


    walking out.


    Outside, Zachary sat quietly on the sofa with a ss of wine.


    On the coffee table, there was a med kit.


    ¡°Treat yourself.¡± Zachary knew Charlotte was out of the washroom without even looking.


    Hence, Charlotte went and sat on the sofa, applying disinfectant to her hand. Her expression twisted in


    pain.


    Zachary stared at her hand and spoke all of a sudden, ¡°My father and grandfather looked very simr.¡±


    Without uttering a single word, Charlotte looked at him with a cold stare and continued treating her


    wound.


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    Her mind, however, worried about how Zachary had not treated his wound.


    ¡°I look like them too. My aunt, Chris, we all look alike. One glimpse, and you could tell we''re from the


    Nacht family.¡±


    Zachary took a sip from his ss and continued, ¡°We have really dominant genes. As long as one''s an


    offspring of the Nacht family, they''ll all look very simr!¡±


    His words got Charlotte thinking. Right then, she suddenly realized what he was going towards. He''s


    talking about Ellie! Ellie doesn''t look like him!


    This was the reason why Charlotte could deceive him - the reason Zachary never bothered


    investigating their background.


    All along, he had already determined that Ellie was not his child.


    After all, Ellie should look like him if she was.


    Truth be told, Ellie looked more like Charlotte. Hence, Charlotte figured that her genes might be even


    more dominant since her father once told her that she looked exactly like her mother.


    Maybe my mom''s genes are amazing too.


    ¡°I''ve had suspicions about those three kids being mine. But when I saw them, I gave up on that idea.¡±


    Zachary sneered at himself. ¡°Grandpa did say they looked like me. I even once thought that there might


    be something wrong with the gic inheritance.¡±


    ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± Charlotte felt tense.


    ¡°Let me ask you onest time.¡± Zachary gave Charlotte a profound look. ¡°Are they my children?¡±

 Chapter 382

    Chapter 382


    ¡°You''ve already asked this so many times.¡± Charlotte knitted her eyebrows.


    ¡°Answer the question,¡± Zachary demanded.


    ¡°No, they''re not.¡± Charlotte looked away deliberately. She would never allow him to take the kids away


    from her. After all, she could not let the children live with a temperamental monster like him.


    ¡°Good.¡±


    This time, Zachary took it very calmly, snickering as he nodded. Then, he finished the remainder of his


    drink and told Charlotte, ¡°You can get out now.¡±


    With that, Charlotte immediately stood up and left without the slightest hesitation.


    After the door closed behind Charlotte, Zachary raised his head and looked at the door. His lips curled


    as he sneered.


    He was actually d.


    Outside the office, there was nobody there besides Dani at the reception.


    The press conference would be starting in about another half an hour, so there was a high chance that


    the others all headed over to help out.


    Meanwhile, Charlotte did not have any appetite, so she opted for a ss of warm milk. However, while


    she was at the pantry, she identally scalded her injured palm on the hot mug. Hence, she retracted


    her hand subconsciously...


    Thump! The mug fell to the ground and shattered.


    Looking at those bits and pieces of porcin made Charlotte feel even more terrible than she already


    was.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± She heard a soft and gentle voice and looked up to find Dani, an entry-level


    Administrative Assistant just like her.


    ¡°I grabbed a bun just now as an afternoon snack after lunch. But then I remembered that I was on a


    diet, so I can''t eat it anymore. It''s a waste, though. Do you want it?¡± Dani said as she handed Charlotte


    a bun.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Charlotte smiled and epted it from her.


    ¡°You can warm up another cup of milk. There are new mugs in the cab.¡± Dani pointed towards the


    cab under the microwave. Then, she left cheerfully.


    Charlotte smiled and gave her a thumbs up.


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I''ll head back to work now,¡± Dani said before hurrying back to the reception.


    After she left, Charlotte took a deep breath and heated another cup of milk for herself. She then sat in


    the pantry and ate the bun Dani gave her while drinking the milk.


    All of a sudden, a bunch of bodyguards appeared outside, followed by Bruce, who was barking out


    orders. ¡°In ten minutes, shut down the elevator. No one is allowed in or out of the president''s office.¡±


    ¡°You,¡± he continued. ¡°inform all the secretaries who are still here to head down to level 66 and help out.


    I don''t need anyone on this floor besides the bodyguards.¡±


    ¡°Oh okay, I think there''s only one left. Let me go get her.¡± Dani hurried over to the pantry. ¡°Charlotte,


    come with me! The bodyguards are shutting down the elevator soon.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Charlotte put down her food and wiped her mouth before she left with Dani.


    When they passed by the reception, Bruce gave Charlotte a very slight nod. ¡°The press conference


    today is important. The security team is going through all the necessary safety procedures, so don''t go


    running around when you guys are on level 66,¡± he reminded.


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Dani lowered her head as she was scared to even look at him.


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Charlotte dragged Dani to the elevator immediately after.


    Soon, both thedies were on level 66. The press conference had already started, and people of their


    status would never be able to find their way inside. The only thing Charlotte and Dani could do was


    provide assistance outside the conference room.


    Having said that, the noise inside was clearly audible. People were cheering and apuding, so it was


    most probably because Zachary just appeared.


    This was the first time Zachary showed himself in front of the local media. It was also his first step to


    enter the local market.


    Charlotte tip-toed and stretched her neck out to take a look.


    Below the stage, the crowd was excited. All the spotlight was on Zachary as the photographers took


    pictures nonstop and recorded the event. The reporters were vying to ask their questions.


    Meanwhile, Zachary was sitting on the stage, waving at them with a slight grin on his face.


    On the other hand, Sharon, who was beside him, was more than enthusiastic. Her smile was dazzling


    as she greeted the media. She could even name quite a few of the reporters, which surprised a lot of


    people, and it left a good first impression.


    No matter how they looked at it, Zachary and Sharon were the perfect pair.

 Chapter 383

    Chapter 383


    ¡°Hey, you guys! Don''t just stand there.¡± Lucy suddenly appeared and hurried over to Charlotte, Dani, as


    well as a few other secretaries. ¡°Come inside and help out!¡±


    ¡°Ms. Wright, the problem is that we can''t get in.¡±


    ¡°Follow me,¡± Lucy said before guiding them as they squeezed through the crowd. After they got in,


    Lucy gave them some instructions. ¡°We have gifts and souvenirs for everyone. One for each person. I


    want you guys to sort it out. When the conference is almost over, I''ll bring you guys with me to


    distribute them. Got it?¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    The seven secretaries were brought into a small room within the conference room to work. The room


    they were in was near the stage, so they could see Zachary and Sharon sitting on it. They could also


    see their bodyguards and assistants behind them.


    While Charlotte was going about her work, she raised her head to look at Zachary.


    He was in a white suit with his hair properly styled. Even though he rarely spoke, Zachary was certainly


    still the center of attention.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht is so perfect! His standards for women are probably sky-high. I doubt ordinary people like us


    would ever catch his eyes,¡± Danimented. ¡°Only someone like Ms. ckwood would be a good match


    for him.¡±


    ¡°You''re right.¡± Charlotte looked away and quietly continued with the work on hand.


    ¡°Hey. It looks like someone else ising in!¡± One of the secretaries eximed. ¡°There seems to be a


    commotion outside the conference room.¡±


    ¡°Who is it?¡± The others were curious, stretching their necks to try and see.


    ¡°It looks like... It''s Ms. ckwood''s father!¡± One of the secretaries recognized him. ¡°Ms. ckwood just


    went up to wee him and called him daddy!¡±


    ¡°Ms. ckwood''s father is the chairman of Synder Group! I can''t believe he''s here! Wow, this press


    conference really is more important than we could imagine!¡± Another secretary was excited.


    ¡°Nonsense.¡± one of them lowered her voice. ¡°Synder is the one begging to coborate with Divine. Of


    course, the chairman needs to be here.¡±


    ¡°I doubt that. As the president, Ms. ckwood is more than enough to be the representative. I don''t


    think Mr. ckwood is here just for the coboration.¡±


    ¡°Could it be... An engagement announcement?¡±


    ¡°You''re right... It might actually be!¡±


    The bunch of secretaries was excitedly talking about it while Charlotte looked towards the stage at


    Zachary, feeling perplexed.


    Are you really getting married? Am I finally going to be free?


    ¡°Oh! Sorry about that, Charlotte. Did I hurt you?¡± A secretary identally touched Charlotte''s hand.


    ¡°It''s alright,¡± Charlotte replied as she felt a sharp paining from her palm. She lowered her head to


    take a look.


    At the back of her hand was the scar left by Sharon and her high heel. On her palm was the burn mark


    that Zachary gave her that very day.


    The scar that Sharon gave Charlotte reminded her to stay away from Zachary, while the mark on her


    palm reminded her of what Zachary said. Charlotte Windt, you''ll never be able to get away from me.


    Never!


    So what am I supposed to do?


    ¡°Mr. ckwood, are you here to sign the deal with Mr. Nacht personally?¡± The reporters started asking


    questions.


    ¡°Yes,¡± he answered. Taylor ckwood was a charming middle-aged man. The moment he got there, he


    was the one who approached Zachary for a handshake. He even hugged Zachary before he addressed


    the reporters.


    ¡°This coboration is of the utmost importance to the Synder Group, and we are extremely grateful that


    the Divine Corporation was willing to give us a chance to work together. On top of that, I do want to


    thank everyone present foring here to witness our signing... ¡°


    Sharon was looking at her father with a big smile as her admiration and adoration for him were written


    all over her face.


    Having said that, Zachary was constantly looking at his watch, asionally touching his Bluetooth


    earpiece like he was in a call with someone.


    ¡°Let the signing ceremony begin!¡± The emcee announced a little while after.


    And so, Zachary and Taylor proceeded to sign the contracts with hundreds of mediapanies as their


    witnesses.


    After they signed the contracts, they shook hands in front of everyone and exchanged them.


    At that exact moment, there was anothermotion happening outside the conference room. This one


    was bigger than when Zachary first came out. Zachary''s expression immediately darkened as he shot a


    look towards Bruce.


    Bruce immediately ran to the entrance to stop whatever was going on, but he was toote. Henry


    Nacht had already entered the room. Material ? N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 384

    Chapter 384


    Ben stopped in his tracks and greeted Henry hurriedly.


    A smug grin lit up Henry''s face as he limped in on his cane.


    After spotting him, Taylor and Sharon hurriedly went over to help him in.


    Meanwhile, Henry''s grandson, Zachary, sat on the stage and red at the old man icily.


    Behind Henry were Bruce and two of his bodyguards. Bruce was crestfallen as he trudged in, his gaze


    fixated on the ground.


    Spencer shed a warm smile. ¡°Mr. Zachary, don''t be mad. Bruce is no match for me.¡±


    He was implying Zachary was no match for Henry.


    After all, the older the wiser.


    Henry told Taylor to head there alone so Bruce would let his guard down before he could figure a way


    in.


    Even if Bruce locked down the entire Divine Corporation and left orders that no one was to enter,


    including Henry, he managed to sneak in nheless.


    After all, both Bruce and Ben learned their skills from Spencer. Thus, thetter could sneak Henry in


    easily.


    When Charlotte saw Zachary''s expression, she immediately realized what was going on.


    Zachary had always been against an arranged marriage, so he ordered Bruce to seal off Divine


    Corporation.


    s, he was one step behind. Henry had managed to outfoxed him!


    Looks like the wedding announcement will go on as nned tonight.


    Will Zachary resist it till the end?


    Or will he cave in?


    Charlotte''s heart jump to her throat in panic.


    Logically, she wanted Zachary to marry someone of his status so he''d have no time for her. That way,


    he might release her soon.


    Strangely, she felt her heart thumping anxiously at the turn of events.


    Her instinct was telling her she didn''t want Zachary to marry someone else.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Zachary gritted out.


    ¡°Easy,¡± answered Henry with a grin. ¡°I want a great-grandchild!¡±


    Zachary flushed in anger. He tamped down his irritation and offered in a low voice, ¡°I''ll get you one.


    Don''t kick up a fuss today.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Henry was adamant. ¡°I''m ny-six years old. How long can I live? I want a great-grandchild


    when I''m still alive!¡±


    ¡°You have three!¡± Zachary mentioned the triplets. ¡°Didn''t you have fun with them yesterday?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they are indeed adorable. But they don''t carry myst name,¡± uttered Henry coolly. ¡°You reminded


    me about that.¡±


    Zachary couldn''t find any words to retort. ¡°Stop it. I promise you I''ll get married soon and give birth to


    babies. Will that do?¡±


    ¡°If I don''t force you, you won''t settle down.¡± Henry was unfazed. ¡°Besides, I might not like your choice


    of wife!¡±


    With that, his displeased gazended on Charlotte.


    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    Charlotte shivered under his menacing nce and looked down.


    Following his grandfather''s gaze, Zachary realized Spencer was heading toward Charlotte, with the two


    bodyguards behind him.


    Narrowing his eyes dangerously, he rose to his feet. Henry told him, ¡°If you want her to stay alive, then


    listen to me.¡±


    Zachary balled his hands into fists.


    ¡°Be a good boy!¡± Henry pulled him back to his seat and whispered in his ear, ¡°As long as you listen to


    me, I might allow her to stay by your side.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Zachary furrowed his brows.


    ¡°Men can fool around,¡± said Henry nonchntly. ¡°As long as you marry Sharon, I won''t stop you from


    fooling around with other women!¡±

 Chapter 385

    Chapter 385


    Zachary was obviously torn. To be honest, he had always viewed marriage as a useless institution.


    Marriage was merely an act to maintain social order.


    Themoners got married to procreate, remain warm in the winter and reduce living costs.


    On the other hand, the upper ss got married to benefit their businesses.


    Marriage had nothing to do with love.


    If Charlotte hadn''t appeared, he wouldn''t mind marrying anyone.


    Hence, he couldn''t be bothered when Henry interfered and chose his future wife. To his dismay, this led


    to the old man overstepping his boundaries.


    Right now, he could change nothing.


    Most importantly, as Henry used to be involved in shady businesses, he was a decisive and cruel man.


    If I offend him, Charlotte might be in danger.


    At that thought, Zachary caved in.


    ¡°Good.¡± Henry''s lips curved up smugly. He gave Taylor a signal.


    Delighted, Taylor exchanged nces with his daughter, Sharon.


    Soon, everyone on the stage was beaming in delight, except for Zachary, of course.


    ¡°Quiet down, everyone! Quiet down!¡±


    The emcee started appealing for the media to quieten down. He then announced the start of the event


    before inviting Henry onto the stage.


    Rounds of apuse erupted in the hall.


    Meanwhile, Charlotte sat in her seat, unmoving.


    The other secretaries were asked to leave, so she was left alone with Spencer and his men.


    Spencer greeted her with a polite smile. ¡°Ms. Windt, we meet again.¡±


    ¡°You¡ª¡±


    ¡°As Mr. Nacht wishes to discipline his grandson, please cooperate with us.¡±


    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    Spencer was smiling, but he was giving off a horrible vibe. His polite request caused Charlotte to tense


    up in fear.


    A chill ran down her spine as she realized the Nachts were no pushovers.


    When they wanted to treat you well, they''d indulged in your every wish. She had seen how Henry


    adored the triplets and Zachary showering his love on her.


    However, the moment one got on their bad side, they''d change drastically and descend like a devil who


    had just risen from hell, making their target lose it.


    ¡°I''m just someone insignificant. I can''t change anything,¡± uttered Charlotte, her heart thumping rapidly.


    She forced herself to calm down. ¡°You think too highly of me.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht has never thought highly of anyone. It was Mr. Zachary who adores you!¡±


    Charlotte had a feeling there was an underlying meaning in his words.


    ¡°You should go to Zachary,¡± Charlotte retorted with a frown. ¡°Why are you targeting me?¡±


    ¡°You''re the root of the problem. We need to get rid of you first!¡±


    Spencer was still all smiles although he was practically threatening her.


    Charlotte finally realized how deadly the butler was. No wonder Bruce and Ben were full of respect for


    him. Even Zachary had to treat him politely.


    Although she was seething with reluctance, Charlotte remained silent and sat there, waiting for the


    event to end.


    ¡°Mr. ckwood has something to announce,¡± dered the emcee.


    Rising to his feet, Taylor ckwood spoke humbly. ¡°The Nacht family and the ckwood family had


    been friends for at least three generations. Thanks to them, we could achieve this much. My daughter,


    Sharon ckwood, has admired Zachary for years. Today, I will¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Henry cut him off impatiently. ¡°Taylor, stop beating around the bush. Just get straight to the


    point.¡±


    He banged on the table and announced, ¡°My grandson, Zachary Nacht, will get engaged to Sharon


    ckwood on the tenth of next month!¡±

 Chapter 386

    Chapter 386


    ¡°That''s right!¡± Taylor let out a heartyugh.


    Henry guffawed along with him. He secretly squeezed Zachary''s hand under the table to remind the


    latter to smile.


    Zachary couldn''t bring himself to smile. His silence was an act of consent.


    Delighted, Sharon nted a kiss on Zachary''s cheek before she hugged his arm and leaned onto his


    shoulder intimately.


    She was clearly overjoyed.


    The crowd broke out in loud cheers and thunderous apuse. Cameras shed around the hall as


    everyone recorded the announcement of the grand wedding.


    Charlotte gazed at Zachary nkly as her heart shattered into pieces before sinking into a deep abyss.


    Isn''t this what I have always wanted?


    Why does it hurt so much to see Sharon leaning into his arms?


    She stared at the ground and told herself to smile.


    Yes, I should beughing out loud to show Zachary I never cared about him. I should be congratting


    him so he''d get disgusted with me and let me off.


    s, she couldn''t make herself smile.


    ¡°You can leave now,¡± dered Spencer before he left with his men.


    Charlotte knew she was safe now. After all, she was of no use to them.


    They wouldn''t use her to threaten Zachary anymore.


    Right now, they had discarded her like trash.


    Standing up, Charlotte made her way backstage to leave this noisy hall. It was so noisy as everyone


    gave their blessing to the couple. I should give them my blessing, too.


    When Zachary''s gazended on Charlotte, she was halfway to the exit, like this had nothing to do with


    her.


    Yes, she doesn''t care at all. She can''t be bothered!


    His expression clouded over as fury rose in his heart. He stood up, ready to leave.


    ¡°Zachary!¡± Sharon reached out to grab him, but she was no match for the man. He had barely taken a


    few steps when a loud thud sounded from behind.


    Turning at his shoulder instinctively, the sight of Sharon lying limply on the ground greeted his sight.


    She was spitting out blood and moaning, ¡°It hurts...¡±


    ¡°Sharon! Sharon...¡± Taylor rushed over to carry her. ¡°What happened? Why are you acting this way?¡±


    ¡°Hurry, summon the doctor,¡± ordered Henry.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Spencer immediately left to arrange for a doctor.


    Ben and Bruce dismissed the surrounding reporters and deleted the photos of Sharon fainting earlier.


    They warned the reporters not to report about this incident.


    Zachary dashed over and picked her up before striding toward the lounge.


    Charlotte was walking to the stairs in a daze when someone suddenly bumped into her. Losing her


    bnce, she toppled onto the ground.


    Looking up, she noticed Zachary rushing into the lounge with Sharon in his arms.


    Shocked, her heart clenched tightly at the sight.


    ¡°Move!¡± A group of people ran up to her, nearly knocking her down again.


    Luckily, someone pulled her away in time. It was Lucy.


    ¡°We''re in trouble. Don''t stay here. Go upstairs,¡± Lucymanded, her brows furrowed up.


    ¡°Oh,¡± came Charlotte''s weak reply. She didn''t know what was going on, so she limped slowly toward


    the stairway.


    Meanwhile, the hall was in an uproar. The reporters were asking around about Sharon''s condition.


    ¡°Why did Ms. ckwood faint suddenly? It doesn''t seem like she''s sick. Was she poisoned?¡± one


    reporter inquired.


    ¡°Which media outlet are you from?¡± Bruce roared. ¡°Do you want to get fired?¡±


    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Yes, I''m sorry.¡±


    At once, everyone promised they wouldn''t report about the incident or take photos.


    Charlotte felt uneasy at the sight. Something happened to Sharon. Why would she be poisoned out of a


    sudden?


    It had nothing to do with her, but she had an ominous feeling.

 Chapter 387

    Chapter 387


    Indeed, soon after Charlotte returned to level 68, Spencer arrived with the bodyguards in two. ¡°Please


    come with us!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Charlotte was puzzled.


    Spencer made a gesture with his hand, and the bodyguards immediately dragged her out as instructed.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Charlotte demanded. ¡°Let me go! Let me go!¡±


    Soon enough, she was brought to the conference hall on the sixty-sixth floor.


    Henry was seated on the president''s chair with his cane in one hand while staring daggers at her.


    ¡°Why did you take me here?¡± Charlotte demanded angrily.


    ¡°Never mind if you were born in a lowly family. I can''t believe you''re this wicked!¡± Henry uttered icily.


    ¡°How dare you poison Sharon?¡±


    Charlotte''s eyes widened in shock.


    It took her a while to regain herposure. ¡°I don''t know what you''re talking about!¡± she eximed. ¡°I


    never did that!¡±


    ¡°Stop trying to defend yourself.¡± Henry didn''t want to waste time. ¡°If youe clean, I might consider


    letting you off!¡±


    ¡°I didn''t do that!¡± Charlotte panicked instantly. ¡°Do you have evidence pointing it at me? Don''t frame me


    for something I didn''t do.¡±


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    Henry''s brows puckered up in annoyance.


    Spencer replied on his behalf. ¡°Ms. ckwood ate nothing else except for the coffee you prepared for


    her earlier. Half an hour ago, she copsed and is now unconscious.¡±


    Charlotte froze in her tracks. Yes, I should''ve known it when Sharon told me to prepare a cup of coffee


    for her today. She didn''t make things difficult on purpose and even thanked me.


    I was wondering why she was being nice today. Turns out she had set up a trap for me.


    ¡°You have nothing else to say?¡± Spencer asked.


    ¡°Are you pinning the me on me just because she drank the cup of coffee I prepared for her?¡±


    Charlotte retaliated in a state of panic. ¡°Any excuse will serve a tyrant. No one is sure whether she ate


    something else after that. Besides, she went to the seventeenth floor at noon for lunch.¡±


    ¡°We won''t arrest you without reason.¡±


    Spencer snapped his fingers. The bodyguards whipped out a coffee mug wrapped in a sealed package


    with the remains of the coffee.


    ¡°I sent someone to pick up this coffee mug from Mr. Zachary''s office and ran a test. The coffee was


    indeed poisoned,¡± he announced, pointing at the sealed package.


    Charlotte''s eyes went round at the shocking piece of news. Did Sharon seriously poisoned her own


    coffee to frame me?


    ¡°Let''s stop wasting our time with her,¡± ordered Henry. ¡°Call the police and hand her along with the


    evidence to them.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Spencer nodded and proceeded to carry out his order.


    ¡°I didn''t do it!¡± Charlotte pleaded. ¡°Think about it. If it was me, why didn''t I dispose of the mug after she


    finished it? Why would I leave it there for you to discover it?¡±


    Refusing to hear her exnation, Henry dismissed her with a wave.


    The bodyguards took a step forward, about to drag her out.


    ¡°Wait a minute!¡± Right then, Zachary rushed in. He had taken his zer off, leaving his shirt on. There


    were bloodstains on his shirt which he hadn''t managed to wipe away.


    ¡°Grandpa, since it happened in mypany, let me investigate the incident,¡± he suggested.


    ¡°Spencer has found out everything,¡± dered Henry coolly. ¡°Why? Isn''t the evidence enough to pin her


    to the incident?¡±


    ¡°The evidence proves nothing.¡± Zachary nced at Charlotte. ¡°I know her. She''s foolish and cowardly.


    There''s no way she''ll poison someone.¡±


    ¡°Then, pray tell. What about this cup of coffee?¡± Henry pointed at the coffee mug with his cane. ¡°Did


    someone try to frame her?¡±

 Chapter 388

    Chapter 388


    ¡°That might be a possibility.¡± Zachary narrowed his gaze.


    ¡°Tell me who tried to frame her then?¡± Henry arched a brow in question. ¡°Spencer went over the


    surveince cameras. She was the one who ground the coffee beans, brewed the coffee, and brought


    it to your office. No one else was involved in the process.¡±


    After a pause, something urred to him.


    ¡°Oh, right. She bumped into Ben in front of your office,¡± he sneered. ¡°Are you saying Ben poisoned the


    coffee and framed it on her?¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± Ben eximed in shock. ¡°I did nothing.¡±


    ¡°After taking the coffee from her, Ben entered your office. We don''t have ess to the surveince


    cameras inside your office,¡± exined Spencer as he gave Zachary a polite bow.


    ¡°Of course, Ben should be a suspect as well. If you think my decision isn''t fair enough, I can send both


    Ben and Charlotte to the police so the police can decide for themselves.¡±


    Ben nced at Zachary sheepishly and said nothing.


    ¡°Otherwise, you can give us ess to the surveince cameras in your office to see whether Ben was


    the culprit,¡± suggested Spencer.


    ¡°No need,¡± Zachary sat down on a chair and dered. ¡°There isn''t any surveince camera in my


    office!¡±


    ¡°Then¡ª¡±


    ¡°It wasn''t Ben.¡± Zachary was sure about it. ¡°He has worked with me for ten years. I have total control


    over him, so he wouldn''t have done something that silly.¡±


    Spencer immediately gazed at Charlotte. ¡°So¡ª¡±


    ¡°It wasn''t her, too.¡± Zachary cut him off. ¡°She went to my office again after the incident. If it was her, she


    would''ve retrieved the cup and destroy the evidence. She might be a fool, but there''s no way she''d be


    foolish enough to leave the evidence there.¡±


    ¡°You''re defending her!¡± Henry roared. ¡°Sharon is your fianc¨¦e! Someone poisoned her, and she''s


    unconscious. Her life is in danger. How dare you defend another woman right now?¡±


    Material ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I am only stating the facts,¡± Zachary insisted.


    Charlotte gazed at him. Luckily, he trusts me. I''m d he''s still trying to defend me.


    ¡°That''s enough!¡± Henry was impatient by now. ¡°I need to give Taylor an exnation.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing? Take her away!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Spencer moved to carry out his order.


    ¡°No!¡± Charlotte was flustered.


    ¡°How dare you?¡± Zachary bellowed.


    Spencer immediately came to a stop.


    ¡°Are you trying to go against me?¡±


    Henry hit the ground with his cane in fury.


    Fed up, Zachary made a gesture.


    Bruce and his men surrounded Spencer and the rest promptly.


    ¡°Sorry, sir,¡± he spoke meekly.


    Frowning, Spencer nced at Henry.


    ¡°Y-You!¡± Henry shook in anger. His hand gripping the cane was trembling slightly. ¡°How rude of you


    to...¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, please calm down,¡± Spencer hurriedly consoled him. ¡°Mr. Zachary isn''t going against you.


    He just wants to investigate the matter himself.¡±


    ¡°Spencer is right.¡± Zachary nodded. ¡°Grandpa, I''ll investigate the matter thoroughly. Don''t you worry.


    But now, I won''t allow you to take them away.¡±


    ¡°I insist on punishing her right now.¡± Henry refused to give in. ¡°Otherwise, she might do something


    worse in the future!¡±


    ¡°Grandpa¡ª¡±


    ¡°Calm down, Mr. Nacht!¡± Right then, Taylor hurried over to them. ¡°Sharon has regained consciousness.


    Dr. Langhan said she''s in a stable condition now.¡±


    ¡°Sharon is awake? Good, good.¡± Henry heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Let''s go and visit her.¡±

 Chapter 389

    Chapter 389


    ¡°I''lle along with you,¡± said Zachary while hinting for Ben to leave with Charlotte.


    ¡°She can''t leave.¡± Henry wasn''t foolish enough to forget about Charlotte. He ordered Spencer, ¡°Carry


    out my order now!¡±


    ¡°Well...¡± Spencer trailed off hesitantly as he turned to look at Zachary.


    ¡°Ignore him!¡± Henry dered furiously. ¡°I''m still alive. I call the shots in the Nacht family!¡±


    ¡°You''re old and hot-tempered,¡± uttered Zachary helplessly. ¡°Am I right, Mr. ckwood?¡±


    Zachary was an arrogant man. He had always been polite but distant to Taylor.


    Oh, he wants me to help persuade his grandfather.


    Taylor hurriedly chimed in. ¡°Mr. Nacht, please calm down. You should give Zachary some time to figure


    things out.¡±


    ¡°Taylor, you don''t understand,¡± said Henry with a frown. ¡°I will never me someone wrongfully. After


    the incident, I told Spencer to find out what happened. The evidence showed that woman was the


    culprit, so I brought her here. She tried to weasel her way out. Obviously, I need to hand her to the


    police.¡±


    ¡°You''re right.¡± Taylor nodded vehemently. He turned to Charlotte and questioned, ¡°What did Sharon do


    to make you poison her...¡±


    He trailed off in shock the moment he saw Charlotte''s face.


    It was as though he was staring at a monster.


    ¡°I didn''t poison her,¡± Charlotte reiterated. ¡°If you don''t trust me, I''ll confront Ms. ckwood.¡±


    ¡°Okay, you can confront her.¡± Henry waved. ¡°Bring her with us!¡±


    With that, he strode to the lounge next door with his cane in hand.


    Taylor was still gazing at Charlotte in disbelief.


    Material ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Mr. ckwood. Mr. ckwood?¡± Spencer patted his shoulder.


    Snapping back to reality, Taylor demanded anxiously, ¡°Who is that girl?¡±


    ¡°Charlotte Windt. She''s an employee at Divine Corporation,¡± answered Spencer.


    ¡°A Windt?¡± Taylor murmured. ¡°How old is she?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Spencer paused. ¡°I think she''s in her twenties. What is wrong?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Taylor looked away and caught up to Henry. ¡°Mr. Nacht, mind your step.¡±


    Spencer ignored his strange actions and signaled for Charlotte toe along. ¡°Ms. Windt, this way


    please.¡±


    His subordinates released their grips on her.


    Charlotte followed Spencer to the lounge. When she walked past Zachary, she cast him a troubled


    nce.


    Zachary frowned in disappointment.


    What a fool. I''ve already gained Taylor''s support earlier. She could''ve left if I insisted. Then, I''ll y


    things down and dismiss the matter.


    But she wants to confront Sharon instead.


    Does she have a death wish?


    Sharon hates her. It doesn''t matter whether she was the culprit, because Sharon will pin this matter on


    her.


    Besides, Sharon is lying on the bed weakly. Everyone will side with her.


    I can''t even defend her now.


    There''s no way she''ll get to clear her name.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, what shall we do?¡± asked Ben in a soft voice.


    ¡°Just ignore her!¡± Zachary growled. ¡°I tried to save her, but she insisted on seeking death!¡±


    Ben sighed. He couldn''t help but worry for Charlotte as the youngdy was too innocent to believe


    justice would prevail.


    In fact, if someone wanted her dead, it didn''t matter whether she was the culprit.


    After all, the winner would get to decide the truth.

 Chapter 390

    Chapter 390


    There were over twenty medical staff waiting in the lounge¡ªRaina and her team, the medical


    superintendent of Serene Hospital, and his specialists.


    Startled, Charlotte thought Sharon was about to die.


    When she came closer, she saw Sharon lying on the bed weakly. Thetter was awake and clear-


    headed. She doesn''t look that pale.


    Well, she''s different. As an heiress, her life is more valuable.


    When my father was alive, I used to enjoy such privileges.


    Material ? N?velDrama.Org.


    As he''s no longer alive, my life is utterly worthless!


    At that thought, sorrow filled her heart.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht!¡± the medical staff greeted him with a polite bow.


    ¡°How is she doing?¡±


    ¡°We''ve examined Ms. ckwood thoroughly. She suffered from food poisoning. As she received


    treatment in time, her condition is currently stable,¡± reported Raina. ¡°We''ve pumped her stomach. She''s


    still weak but recuperating well.¡±


    ¡°I''m d to hear that.¡± Henry heaved a sigh of relief and informed the other medical staff. ¡°Leave us


    alone. Raina can stay.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The medical personnel filed out of the room. Soon, the room quieten down.


    ¡°Sharon, how are you feeling?¡± Henry came to her bed and inquired in concern.


    ¡°I feel a little unwell, but it''s fine,¡± came Sharon''s weak reply. ¡°Thank you. You must''ve been so worried


    for me.¡±


    ¡°What a fool.¡± Henry berated himself. ¡°I didn''t protect you well. But don''t worry, I''ll make sure to give


    you and your father an exnation!¡±


    He yelled furiously, ¡°Bring her here!¡±


    A bodyguard dragged Charlotte over and shoved her onto the bed. She tried to straighten her back, but


    he pinned her to the bed by her shoulder.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Charlotte demanded in fury. ¡°I''m not a criminal. Why are you doing this to me?¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Henry red at her before turning to Sharon. ¡°Sharon, tell me.¡± His voice softened. ¡°What


    did you eat today?¡±


    ¡°After my arrival at the airport, I went to Divine Corporation immediately. I''ve been busy preparing for


    the press conference since then. The only thing I drank was the cup of coffee...¡±


    Suddenly, something clicked. ring at Charlotte, Sharon demanded, ¡°Did you do something to the


    coffee?¡±


    ¡°Mm,¡± Henry nodded. ¡°We''ve run a test. The coffee was poisoned.¡±


    ¡°W-Why did you poison me?¡± Sharon pointed at Charlotte, totally enraged. ¡°I might be hot-tempered,


    but I''ve never harmed you. Why are you so ruthless?¡±


    ¡°Seriously? Look into my eyes and answer me. What did your conscience tell you? Did I poison you for


    real?¡± Charlotte refuted in disbelief. ¡°You were the one who forced me to make you a cup of coffee.


    How would I get the poison to poison you?¡±


    ¡°Stoping up with excuses!¡± Sharon was infuriated. ¡°Just because I exposed your rtionship with


    Michael, causing Zachary to take action, you held a grudge against me and tried to poison me!¡±


    ¡°That''s not it!¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Henry thundered angrily. ¡°I can''t believe something like that happened behind my back. How


    many more secrets are you keeping from me?¡±


    ¡°I¡ª¡±


    ¡°She has done this before.¡± Sharon glowered at Charlotte. ¡°Previously, she put something in Mr. Sterk''s


    coffee and he nearly choked to his death. Everyone in thepany knows about it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you''re right.¡± Spencer inclined his head. ¡°I''ve heard of that.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Henry sneered. ¡°Hurry, take her away!¡±


    ¡°Hold on!¡±


    Both Zachary, who had just walked into the lounge, and Taylor, yelled out simultaneously.

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    Chapter 391


    However, Zachary was too loud and covered Taylor''s voice. Spencer was the only one in the room who


    heard Taylor yell.


    As Zachary had stood out, Taylor fell silent.


    ¡°What else do you have to say?¡± Henry was so furious he pointed his cane right at Zachary. ¡°Sharon


    didn''t lie, did she? This woman put something in Sterk''s coffee, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, she did.¡± Zachary admitted it. ¡°But she wasn''t the one who poisoned Sharon.¡±


    ¡°Why are you still siding with her?¡± Anger welled up in Henry''s chest. ¡°Let me tell you. No one can save


    her today. Not even the president of the country! I swear I''ll make her pay for what she did!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, please calm down,¡± Taylor advised. ¡°Let''s calm down and talk.¡±


    ¡°Take this wicked woman away!¡± Henry leaned on his cane andmanded indignantly. ¡°If you dare to


    stop me, I won''t only call the police. I''ll punish her right here!¡±


    ¡°I dare you to do so!¡± Zachary bellowed.


    ¡°Try me!¡± Henry retorted, breathless with anger.


    Charlotte tensed up and dared not move an inch.


    She could sense the murderous intent in Henry''s gaze. He''s as ruthless as Zachary.


    If this drags on, I might die here.


    ¡°You can''t hurt her.¡±


    Seeing how determined his grandfather was, Zachary panicked instantly. Henry hadn''t killed anyone in


    years, but deep down, he was still a savage man.


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    ¡°No one has ever stopped me from punishing someone.¡± Henry snickered icily. ¡°Including you!¡±


    ¡°You can''t touch her, because...¡± Zachary clenched his fists and frowned. He blurted out, ¡°Because she


    wasn''t the culprit. I was the one who poisoned Sharon!¡±


    Everyone was astounded at his sudden announcement.


    Their gazes flitted across Zachary, Charlotte, and Sharon in shock.


    Sharon couldn''t believe her ears.


    She gripped the covers tightly, nearly ripping the fabric apart.


    ¡°What did you say?¡± Henry was stunned.


    ¡°I...¡± After a brief pause, Zachary made up a lie. ¡°I didn''t want to be forced into this marriage, so I


    ordered Ben to put something into Sharon''s coffee.¡±


    It was Ben''s turn to be caught off guard.


    ¡°The poison won''t hurt Sharon. She''ll just suffer from a stomachache,¡± Zachary continued. ¡°Perhaps


    Ben overdosed the poison, so she spat out blood and fainted.¡±


    Ben''s lips trembled silently. Mr. Nacht, how could you drag my name through the mud to save the


    damsel in distress?


    ¡°ording to my n, the poison would take effect ten minutes earlier. But because she didn''t take her


    lunch, the poison didn''t take effect in time, allowing you to announce the engagement before she


    fainted...¡±


    Zachary''s voice got softer before he came to a stop. By now, Henry was quivering in wrath as he


    walked slowly to his grandson.


    He was a savage wolf, aged but still viciously dangerous!


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, please calm down.¡± Taylor held him back gingerly. ¡°Sharon is alright now, so there''s no


    need to pursue the matter.¡±


    He hinted at Sharon, who immediately chimed in, ¡°Yes, yes. I''m fine. My stomach isn''t hurting anymore,


    so forget it.¡±


    Sharon pulled back her covers in distraught, about to get off the bed.


    Yet, she was toote.


    ¡°You unfilial b*stard!¡±


    Henry had raised his hand to give Zachary a resounding p.


    It was a loud p that rang in everyone''s ears.


    Raina, Ben, Bruce, and the rest of the Nacht family''s employees shivered fearfully and took a step back


    before dropping their heads.

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    Chapter 392


    Charlotte froze, appalled at the sight.


    Zachary turned his head to one side and knitted his brows silently.


    Soon, a red mark appeared on his cheek.


    ¡°I''ve never pped you before,¡± said Henry in a menacing voice. ¡°You were smart, obedient, and never


    disappointed me. But today¡ª¡±


    ¡°I''m not your puppet!¡± Zachary interrupted rudely. ¡°You can''t use me to reverse your mistake!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Henry''s voice wobbled.


    ¡°Am I wrong?¡± Zachary sneered. ¡°Back then, my father was troubled in love and died in an ident


    later. Hence, you ced all your hopes on me and exercised total control over my life. I must gain your


    approval before I date or marry anyone. You even interfered when I tried to make friends!¡±


    ¡°Zachary Nacht!¡± Henry roared.


    ¡°What''s wrong? Is one p not enough?¡± Zachary raised his chin defiantly. ¡°Go on. p me more. I''ll


    think of it as repaying you for bringing me up.¡±


    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Y-You rascal!¡± Henry was shaking in anger as he raised his hand, about to give him another p.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht!¡± Taylor rushed over to stop him. ¡°Please calm down, calm down.¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry. It was all my fault,¡± uttered Sharon anxiously as she made her way over to Henry. Grabbing


    his sleeves, she pleaded, ¡°Please stop hitting Zachary. Please!¡±


    Closing his eyes in annoyance, Zachary spun on his heels.


    ¡°Stand right there!¡± Henry shouted.


    Zachary ignored his shouts and left.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht!¡± Ben scurried after him.


    The rest had their heads down and dared not make any sound.


    Charlotte gazed in the direction where Zachary had just left, at a loss for words.


    She couldn''t believe Zachary went against Henry just to defend her and even took the me for her,


    causing the old man to p him out of anger.


    Zachary was a proud man who''d punish those who were impolite to him, so he would never allow


    anyone to hit him.


    But today, Henry had pped him in public.


    Getting pped was nothing big. However, his pride and honor were wounded.


    ¡°Vixen!¡± Henry cursed, about to explode with rage.


    Charlotte looked down silently.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, forget it,¡± advised Taylor. ¡°You heard what Zachary said. I don''t think she was involved in


    the poisoning incident. There must be a misunderstanding. Please do me a favor, and forget about


    this.¡±


    Taylor then signaled at Sharon.


    At once, Sharon burst out crying. ¡°I won''t pursue this matter. Please don''t let thise between you


    and Zachary. I don''t want him to hate me. Please!¡±


    ¡°You would''ve been dead meat if they didn''t ask me to let you off,¡± threatened Henry as he pointed at


    Charlotte. ¡°Get lost! Don''t let me see you again!¡±


    Charlotte scrambled up and left with her head down.


    Raina signaled one of her medical staff, who immediately went after Charlotte and helped her out.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, don''t be mad.¡± Taylor consoled him. ¡°We can''t stay for long in Zachary''spany. I''ll leave


    with Sharon now.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Henry patted the back of his hand tofort him. ¡°That brat needs some discipline. I''m sorry


    for what you had to go through today. I promise I''ll punish him back home.¡±


    ¡°Please don''t say that.¡± Taylor might be in his fifties, but he was still a mild-mannered man. ¡°The kids


    are grown up and have their own ideas. That''s normal. Don''t be mad at him. I''ll find time to talk to him


    in private.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±

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    Chapter 393


    The ckwood family left with Sharon, apanied by Raina.


    Spencer was afraid Henry''s blood pressure might skyrocket, so he cajoled the old man to return home


    and summoned a doctor from Serene Hospital to examine him.


    Everyone filed out of the room slowly. It was as if peace had returned.


    Taylor was thest to leave. Bruce escorted him to his car.


    Before he entered his car, Taylor shed a warm smile. ¡°I wanted to talk to Zachary, but I don''t think he


    wants to see me. Please convey my apology to him. After all, it was our fault things turned out this


    way.¡±


    ¡°Please don''t say that.¡± Bruce was full of remorse.


    ¡°No, I should be the one feeling guilty.¡± Taylor sighed. ¡°If I knew Zachary was in love with another


    woman, I wouldn''t have agreed to their marriage.¡±


    ¡°Well...¡± Bruce was speechless.


    No wonder Mr. ckwood is a sessful businessman. He knew nothing at first, but he immediately


    knew Mr. Nacht took the me to protect Charlotte.


    Actually, it doesn''t matter who was the culprit. The person who Mr. Nacht protects is the winner.


    ¡°The girl''s name is Charlotte Windt?¡± Taylor inquired out of nowhere.


    ¡°Yes,¡± said Bruce with a slight nod.


    ¡°Windt, with a ''t?''¡° Taylor pressed on.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Curious, Bruce wondered why Taylor was being so specific. Is he going to run a search on her?


    ¡°It''s a rare surname,¡± said Taylor thoughtfully. ¡°Twenty years ago, I had a friend with the same


    surname.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Bruce rxed at his answer. He''s trying to find an old friend.


    ¡°Alright, I''ll get out of you way. Goodbye!¡±


    Taylor patted Bruce''s shoulder and entered his vehicle.


    After he left, Bruce returned to Zachary''s office.


    Zachary''s office was a mess. He had smashed everything he could. Some object Zachary sent flying


    nearly hit Ben in the head, but luckily thetter avoided it in time.


    Bruce stepped forward to knock on the door as Ben reminded him in a low voice. ¡°You''re knocking on


    the door now? Do you have a death wish?¡±


    ¡°What else can I do? I need to report the situation to him.¡± Bruce was frowning. ¡°By the way, what about


    Ms. Windt?¡±


    Get someone to send her home,¡± said Ben. Then, he shared his opinion. ¡°I think she can no longer stay


    in thepany. Otherwise, I''m afraid Ms. ckwood will kick up a fuss every few days.¡±


    Material ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°That was what I thought, too.¡± After taking a deep breath, Bruce knocked on the door.


    There was no response. Bruce was wondering if he should leave when the door creaked open.


    Ben and Bruce exchanged nces before entering the office cautiously.


    Zachary was seated in his chair with his back to them. His reflection on the French windows seemed


    rather lonesome.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, everyone has left,¡± reported Bruce carefully. ¡°Your grandfather was fuming, but Spencer


    persuaded him to go home. He summoned a doctor as he was afraid the old man''s blood pressure


    might shoot up.¡±


    Zachary remained silent and fiddled with a Rubik''s Cube in his hand.


    ¡°Raina has apanied Ms. ckwood home and stayed on to treat her.¡± Bruce continued with his


    report. ¡°I just sent Mr. ckwood downstairs. He wanted me to ry his apology. He also told me if he


    knew you were in love with someone else, he wouldn''t have agreed to the marriage.¡±


    Still, Zachary said nothing.


    ¡°Before Mr. ckwood left, he got Ms. Windt''s full name from me.¡± Bruce studied his boss'' expression.


    ¡°He imed to have an old friend with the same surname twenty years ago.¡±


    ¡°By the way, Ben had sent someone to send Ms. Windt home,¡± he added after a brief pause.


    ¡°Tell her not toe to thepany from now on.¡± Finally, Zachary spoke.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Bruce knew his boss had the same thought as him and Ben. As long as she stayed away from


    Divine Corporation, she wouldn''t bump into Sharon and Henry.


    That was the only way to ensure her safety.

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    Chapter 394


    ¡°Find out who was behind that poisoning, by all means. Go through everyone by Sharon''s side.¡±


    Zachary spun his chair around and continued solving his Rubik''s Cube. However, his gaze was as cold


    as ice.


    ¡°Got it!¡± Bruce bowed.


    Zachary was certain Sharon had poisoned herself deliberately. Ben and Bruce knew their boss well.


    However, there was no evidence to point it at her, so they couldn''t expose her.


    Sharon was doing this to get rid of Charlotte in front of Henry and Taylor.


    Never in her wildest dreams did she expect Zachary to take the me in order to protect Charlotte.


    In the end, Henry flew into a fit of rage and pped Zachary in public.


    Zachary was an unforgiving person.


    He''d skin anyone who dared to mess with him.


    Naturally, he''d hold a grudge after being pped.


    Henry was the one who pped him, but Sharon was the cause of the problem. Zachary had pinned


    the me on her.


    It doesn''t matter if I get married. But if Sharon was the one who poisoned herself, there''s no way I''ll let


    someone this wicked remain by my side!


    ¡°Yes. I''ll do that now.¡± Bruce turned to leave when something urred to him. ¡°Mr. ckwood seems


    interested in Ms. Windt,¡± he reminded carefully. ¡°Should I send someone to protect her?¡±


    ¡°No need,¡± came Zachary''s firm reply. ¡°I have faith in Taylor''s moral standing. His daughter, however, is


    a different story.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Bruce nodded. ¡°After firing Ms. Windt, should I arrange a new job for her?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Zachary''s gaze turned steely as he clenched his jaw. ¡°Don''t arrange a new job for her. In fact,


    make sure she doesn''t find a new job. Someone as foolish as her needs to experience some hardships


    before she learns a lesson!¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡± Bruce bowed and left.


    Outside, Ben inquired nervously, ¡°How did it go?¡±


    ¡°He''s calmer now.¡± Bruce let out a deep sigh. ¡°I''ll leave to carry out his orders now. Stay with him.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Meanwhile, Charlotte told the driver to drop her at Happy Avenue so she could walk home alone.


    She was overwhelmed by today''s events. Zachary''s protective stance kept popping up in her mind.


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    Her emotions were aplex mixture.


    I wonder how is he doing now?


    He must be furious.


    Is he venting out his anger in his office alone?


    He must''ve broken all the expensive liquor and other collections in his office out of fury by now.


    What about the red mark on his cheek?


    Does it hurt?


    I guess his heart is aching more now.


    Charlotte exhaled sharply. Sometimes, I don''t understand him. He was always harsh and controlling in


    front of me. If I showed any signs of defying him, he''d torture me like a madman.


    But every time I ran into trouble, he''de and save me in time.


    I thought he''d be on Sharon''s side today and question me harshly before sending me to the police


    station. Why did he help me instead?


    I don''t get it.


    Suddenly, her phone rang. It was a call from Lucy.


    Charlotte quickly answered. ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Charlotte Windt, I''m calling on behalf of thepany. You''ve been terminated. Your sry for this


    month will be transferred to your ount soon. I''ll pack your stuff up and mail it to you. Give me your


    address,¡± Lucy spoke swiftly.


    It took Charlotte a while to regain herposure. ¡°Okay, got it. There''s nothing important there. You


    can throw them away.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Lucy was curt. ¡°Take care!¡±


    ¡°You too. Take care!¡±

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    Chapter 395


    Charlotte knew this day woulde. After all, everyone knew that Zachary took the me for her.


    Even if Henry agreed to stop pursuing the matter, he wouldn''t allow her to remain with Zachary.


    Good. We won''t argue that much if we don''t see each other.


    Taking a deep breath, Charlotte''s footsteps quickened as she headed home.


    Right then, her phone rang again with a call from Amanda.


    This woman had disappeared for a while. Back then, Amanda and Luna kept making things difficult for


    her. Of course, Zachary made them pay heavily for their actions.


    After they realized Charlotte was backed up by Zachary, they stopped harassing her.


    Why is she contacting me now? Did she receive news that Divine Corporation has just fired me?


    Whatever her reason is, I''ve decided to cut off ties with them.


    She rejected the call and continued her way home. However, Amanda called her again.


    Knitting her brows, she hesitated before answering her call. ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°It''s me,¡± came Amanda over the line. ¡°Don''t worry. I''m not trying to trouble you. Let''s make a deal.¡±


    ¡°Deal?¡± Charlotte found her request funny. ¡°What deal could we strike up?¡±


    ¡°Don''t you want the house your father built for you? Don''t you want your father''s business empire?¡±


    Amanda revealed her intentions. ¡°If you do,e meet me.¡±


    ¡°What are you trying to do?¡± Charlotte''s frown deepened.


    ¡°Nothing. You''re Zachary''s woman, while we''re just trying to survive. We dare not y any tricks.¡±


    Amanda let out a bitter chuckle. ¡°Luna and Hector are divorced. We have lost everything, so we''re


    thinking of selling our assets for cash and immigrate to F Nation.¡±


    Material ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Luna and Hector are divorced?¡±


    Charlotte was surprised to hear the news. It was within her expectations, but she didn''t know it would


    happen this quickly.


    Looks like Hector had enough of Luna.


    ¡°They got divorced a few days ago,¡± revealed Amanda sadly. ¡°We haven''t seen Timothy for a month.


    Luna refused to eat and would only stare at Timothy''s photo and cry.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Charlotte replied nonchntly. ¡°Look on the bright side.¡±


    ¡°I know you must be gloating deep down. It must be funny for you. Never mind. We''re now a joke to


    everyone. You canugh out loud.¡±


    Amanda continued icily, ¡°The Sterlings are not faring any better either. Since they wanted a divorce, we


    agreed. However, they kicked Luna out with nothing under her name. I can''t believe they are this


    heartless.¡±


    ¡°This is none of my business,¡± Charlotte uttered impatiently.


    ¡°Okay, let''s get back to the topic,¡± Amanda replied. ¡°We can''t remain in H City any longer, so we''re


    immigrating to F Nation. After the White family went bust, your Uncle Simon''s factories had been


    suffering losses. Recently, when we went through the ounts, we realized there wasn''t any profit.


    Instead, there was a deficit.¡±


    She sighed. ¡°Anyway, we need money now. We''re going to sell the vi and the factories. If we get an


    outside buyer, it will take some time. As we''re short on time, I want to ask if you''re interested to buy


    them. If you are, we can meet up and discuss the details.¡±


    ¡°Are you overestimating me?¡± Charlotte retorted. ¡°I don''t have a cent under my name. Where would I


    get the money to buy the vi and factories?¡±


    ¡°You might be poor, but Mr. Nacht is rich,¡± Amanda reminded her uneasily. ¡°You''ve been with him for a


    long time. Don''t tell me you got nothing from him? He can buy the factories and the vi easily.¡±


    Charlotte thought about it. ¡°State your price.¡±


    ¡°Three factories and a vi for seventy million. That isn''t much,¡± Amanda hurriedly answered. ¡°I know


    Mr. Nacht is your backer, so I won''t mess around. This is a reasonable price. If you don''t believe me,


    you can ask him.¡±

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    Chapter 396


    ¡°Let me think about it...¡± Charlotte was about to put down the phone.


    ¡°Oh, wait,¡± Amanda quickly stopped her. ¡°The price is negotiable. Please contact me any time after


    you''ve thought over it.¡±


    ¡°You don''t even have seventy million?¡± Charlotte was a little confused, ¡°That ruby ne can be sold


    for a lot of money. Besides, you have other assets...¡±


    ¡°Forget it.¡± At the mention of this, Amanda became very angry.


    ¡°In order to save her marriage, Luna sold all the precious jewelry, cars and some fixed assets without


    telling us. A total of more than three hundred million was given to Hector to help hispany but all


    were lost. Don''t worry about us cheating you. Mr. Nacht is on your side, so we won''t dare to do


    anything foolish. Just think over it properly. If you are interested, call me.¡±


    At that, Amanda put the phone down.


    Hearing the phone line going silent, Charlotte felt perplexed...


    Certainly, she had no desire to see her father''s business go up in smoke. Nor did she wish to see her


    warm beautiful home of the past ended up in the hands of some stranger.


    She could use the inheritance her father had given her to buy back those things.


    However, she had no experience in running a business. After buying back the factory, how would she


    run it?


    There was also the vi to consider. With her current living conditions, she had to drive everywhere she


    went. The vi was so big that she needed at least four or five servants to maintain it. Currently, she


    had no ability to make so much money, so how was she going to maintain it after buying it?


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    Although her father had left her a sum of money, it would be used up if she had no ie.


    Furthermore, the affair between her and Zachary had taken a turn for the worse. To Henry, she was


    probably already a thorn in the flesh. At the same time, she was also a nuisance to the ckwood


    family. She could not imagine what would happen in the future...


    She was exhausted physically and mentally and she did not want to struggle anymore. More


    importantly, Mrs. Berry and the children needed some stability.


    At this moment, all she wanted was to go away with the children and Mrs. Berry to a ce where they


    can live peacefully...


    Just as Charlotte''s mind was wandering far away, her phone rang again. It was Jeffrey.


    Immediately, she answered the phone, ¡°Hello, Mr. Judd!¡±


    ¡°Miss, I would like to see you. Is it convenient?¡±


    ¡°It is. Shall I go to your office?¡±


    ¡°Let mee to your ce. Send me your address, please.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    After hanging up the phone, Charlotte sent Jeffrey the address of a caf¨¦ nearby. Then, she called


    Robbie, telling him to bring his younger brothers and sisters home with the nurses after school and stay


    at home quietly.


    Robbie promised her with reassurance. That way, she could concentrate on her work without worrying


    about them. He even mentioned that he would call her if there was anything.


    Charlotte feltforted. Now that her three babies have smart watches, it was easy tomunicate


    with them.


    Charlotte waited in the caf¨¦ for a little more than ten minutes before Jeffrey arrived, sweating and


    panting. When he saw her, he said, ¡°Miss, do you know Windt Corporation will be sold.¡±


    ¡°I just received the news.¡± Charlotte nodded. ¡°Did Simon contact you?¡±


    ¡°He didn''t specifically look for me. He just looked for the subordinates of Mr. Windt to see if anyone


    could buy it.¡± Jeffrey frowned and said indignantly...


    ¡°This person is really hateful. At first he used despicable means to seize the Chairman''s inheritance.


    He made money for a few years utilising the connections of the Sterlings. Now, he is selling it at a low


    price because he can''t continue running the business. It''s a waste of the Chairman''s efforts!¡±


    After saying this, Jeffrey was a little uneasy again. ¡°Miss, I shouldn''t tell you this. I''m really anxious. I


    don''t want the foundation that the Chairman has worked so hard for to fall into the hands of others.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Charlotte nodded. ¡°I am not a kid anymore. There are some things that I know even if


    you don''t tell me.¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡± Jeffrey sighed deeply, ¡°I don''t have much capital. If I have money, I will definitely buy those


    factories...¡±

 Chapter 397

    Chapter 397


    Hearing this, Charlotte had a brainwave. She wondered if she could buy the factories, invite Jeffrey and


    her father''s former staff to help run them. That way she could learn about the business.


    After the recent events, she realized more and more that her father had been overprotective of her


    resulting in her inability to survive or face the challenges in life.


    Material ? N?velDrama.Org.


    She could not even hold a simple job and her earnings were not enough to provide for her children.


    Even though her father had left an immense inheritance so her living expenses to be secure, she


    should not just spend the wealth without working for her own living. Besides, she needed to set a good


    example as a mother.


    Nevertheless, to buy back the factories and start over was not a simple task...


    She had never managed thepany before and she did not know much about her father¡¯s business.


    Which means she had to spend 70 million to buy those factories and start from scratch. She did not


    have much confidence...


    ¡°Windt Corporation formerly dealt with real estate business mainly. There were also ten factories that


    made clothing and jewelry. Seven of them were in other provinces and were closed after the


    corporation''s bankruptcy. For these three factories, the Chairman used his influence to keep them in


    operation for you. It¡¯s a pity that Simon, Thomas and others used despicable means to grab them...¡±


    Jeffrey angrily recounted the events of those years and sighed...


    ¡°I only hate myself for being ipetent. I couldn''t stop them. At the same time, I thought that those


    factories would still be owned by rtives, so I gave up. I didn''t expect that those guys would not be


    able to continue operation just after four years.¡±


    ¡°They were parasites feeding off Dad''s generosity so they are rather useless. After Dad passed away,


    they relied on the Sterling family for a few years. Now that their new host had copsed, they naturally


    could not continue the operate any longer.¡±


    Charlotte sighed and then asked tentatively, ¡°Mr. Judd, have youe to me hoping that I would buy


    those factories?¡±


    ¡°No, no,¡± Jeffrey replied, shaking his head, ¡°Chairman is no longer here and your rtives are useless


    rogues. As a woman alone, your life can''t be easy so how could you pay for those factories?¡±


    ¡°Then, what do you have in mind?¡±


    ¡°I have met a few of your father''s trusted men and discussed with them. We pooled our money and are


    able to buy one factory. We are confident that we can build it up.¡±


    Jeffrey said excitedly, ¡°I want to invite you to invest in thepany, not in terms of money, but in terms


    of technical know-how. Didn¡¯t you learn design back then? These factories all make clothing, so this is


    right up your alley.¡±


    Hearing this, Charlotte was very touched. She knew what their intention really was. They knew that at


    this moment she did not have a permanent home and no stable job. Hence, they were trying to help her


    out by letting her into theirpany. In a way, she would have a steady ie in the future.


    ¡°Although you graduated from a prestigious university, you have no working experience and you can


    only do some secretarial work outside. There is no future.¡± Jeffrey continued...


    ¡°If you join us in this venture, we can teach you all the things your father taught us at the beginning. In


    the future, after you''ve learned the basics, you can start a business of your own and your life will be


    secure.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Mr. Judd...¡± Charlotte was moved to tears. ¡°I really appreciate that.¡±


    ¡°Please don''t say that. Your Father was kind to us and now is the time to repay him,¡± Jeffrey smiled


    shyly. ¡°What''s more, the factory that we take over is also profitable. ¡°


    ¡°Let me think over this for a while. After a few days, I shall give you a reply. Is that okay?¡± Charlotte felt


    the need to be cautious.


    ¡°Okay, you think about it.¡± Jeffrey nodded. ¡°By the way, have you got the things your father left for you?¡±


    ¡°No, I haven''t. I did make a trip there, though,¡± Charlotte said. ¡°For now, it may be safer with the


    caretakers in the cemetery.¡±


    ¡°Look at the contents as soon as possible, especially concerning your mother. Maybe, it will be helpful


    to you...¡±

 Chapter 398

    Chapter 398


    Leaving the caf¨¦, Charlotte was very worried. Jeffrey''s proposal was very good but she was now a


    mother with responsibilities and so every step she took had to be carefully considered.


    Mrs. Berry was still in hospital, and Jamie''s leg was still healing. This was just not the time for moving


    home.


    Those factories were located in small cities outside H City, with lower standards in both education and


    medical facilities.


    Schooling for the children was not a problem. After all, they were still young and there was no major


    problem in dying for a year or two but medical treatment was a huge concern.


    Jamie had fractured his right leg. What should I do if there is no proper treatment and there is seque


    in the future?


    Besides that, Mrs. Berry had a moderate cerebral infarction and was still in the hospital...


    They could receive the best treatment staying in H City. Once they left this ce, all these could be


    problems.


    In any case, we have to wait for Mrs. Berry and Jamie to stabilize before making any moves.


    That night, Charlotte tossed and turned, thinking about this matter and what she should do.


    Early the next morning, Charlotte asked Jamie''s pediatrician, ¡°Dr. Howard, how is Jamie''s leg now?


    When will he fully recover?¡±


    ¡°Children recover faster than adults. The general recovery period is three and a half months. Jamie is


    healthy so it is possible that he will recover faster.


    Charlotte thanked him and she went to the hospital to visit Mrs. Berry after sending the children to


    school.


    Raina said that Mrs. Berry needed an operation and coupled with physical therapy exercises, she


    would be back to her normal self within two months or so.


    With all these information, Charlotte knew exactly what she could do, so she called Jeffrey immediately


    to arrange for a meeting.


    ¡°Miss, you have made a decision so quickly?¡± Jeffrey was very surprised.


    ¡°Mr. Judd, I won''t be able to leave for a while. Give me three months. I will settle the matter here before


    I go and join you.¡± Charlotte took out a bank card from her purse and gave it to Jeffrey.¡± There are two


    million here, which is all my savings, just take it as my investment.¡±


    ¡°This... this is not eptable.¡± Jeffrey hurriedly declined. ¡°You will have no problem going to the factory


    in a few months. It will take a while for us to make preparations. You only need to invest your technical


    expertise. Why do you give me the money?¡±


    ¡°You must take this money,¡± Charlotte insisted, ¡°I will make investment and buy the shares. Only then


    can we allocate the shares. Otherwise, I would be embarrassed to split the profits.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°I know that you are doing this for my benefit and I also know that buying a factory is not a small sum,¡±


    Charlotte eximed, ¡°The three factories are so big in terms of area. They all cost money including


    buying the machinery.¡±


    ¡°Well, we couldn''t buy all the three factories together.¡± Jeffrey said, ¡°I made a pool with Mr. Lane and


    Mr. Greenfield and we barely had enough to buy one which costs 10 million.¡±


    ¡°That''s it then!¡± Charlotte pressed the bank card into Jeffrey''s hands. ¡°I''ll invest two million, so in the


    future, I will own 20% of the shares.¡±


    ¡°No, no, you don''t pay. We will give you your shares.¡± Jeffrey did not wish to ept her money. ¡°You


    are a woman, and you need to keep some money with you.¡±


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    ¡°If I don''t pay, I can''t ept the shares.¡± Charlotte felt anxious. ¡°I beg you. Please don''t make me feel


    like a parasite!¡±


    With that, Jeffrey stopped protesting and silently epted the bank card. ¡°Alright then, we shall divide


    equally so, you get 25% of the shares.¡±


    ¡°In that case, I ept your kindness.¡± Charlotte knew that if she refused, the discussion would not end.


    ¡°You guys go ahead with the ns and once I am done here, I''ll go to you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Jeffrey nodded repeatedly. ¡°This factory is in Yaleview, about four hundred kilometers from H


    City. I will arrange everything there and wait for you!¡±


    ¡°Well, this matter must be carried out in a low-key manner so that no one will know that I am a


    shareholder,¡± Charlotte solemnly urged. ¡°No one must know that I am returning to the factory.¡±


    ¡°I understand. Don''t worry.¡±


    And so their discussion concluded on a sessful note.

 Chapter 399

    Chapter 399


    After leaving Jeffrey, Charlotte felt very much at ease. She began to feel that she had a goal in life.


    When everything was settled here, she would take Mrs. Berry and the children to Yaleview.


    She would leave theplicated life in this city and start a new life.


    As the taxi stopped and waited at the red light, Charlotte identally saw the Divine Corporation


    building on the roadside. The oversized electronic billboard was showing the press conference that


    day...


    On the screen, Zachary''s charming and handsome face attracted the attention of many passers-by


    while the beautiful Sharon captivated in her own way.


    It was especially true when she looked at Zachary with her affectionate gaze which made everyone feel


    that they were a match made in heaven!


    Probably the news of their marriage would be broadcastter...


    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    A bittersweet smile appeared on Charlotte''s face and she experienced a myriad of emotions beyond


    description. She recalled the night Zachary protected her so desperately and all that happened


    between them.


    The past shed before her eyes and her heart felt like a roller coaster.


    Sometimes, she wondered if she still had any feelings for him.


    As the car continued its journey, Charlotte retracted her gaze but out of the corner of her eyes, she saw


    a familiar figure.


    Not far away, parked by the roadside, was the Rolls-Royce Phantom. Surrounded by several


    bodyguards, Zachary got into the car.


    Then the car moved onto the road.


    Charlotte''s heart skipped a beat and she shrank back hurriedly while at the same time, she covered her


    face with her hands for fear of being noticed by Zachary.


    He had dismissed her and had not contacted her in these two days. Most probably, he had wanted a


    clean break.


    In that case, she would just keep out of his sight.


    Perhaps it was best for them never to meet again.


    ¡°A luxury car is a luxury car. It picks up speed so fast.¡± The taxi driver sighed as he looked at the Rolls-


    Royce Phantom moving away, ¡°Ah, when will my little junk be a Rolls-Royce.¡±


    Charlotte did not say anything. She sat up, stared nkly at the image of the Phantom fading away in


    the distance...


    In her mind, she could not help wondering if he would really marry Sharon.


    Quietness descended upon the car.


    Inside the Rolls-Royce Phantom, Zachary subconsciously turned around and looked in her direction.


    Somehow, he felt that someone''s eyes were on him.


    Yet, when he looked around, there were no familiar cars.


    Perhaps, it was just some passers-by who admired him.


    Zachary''s focus returned into the car and he continued to check the information sent by Bruce. There


    was a highway surveince clip which proved that after Sharon left the airport that day, she did not go


    directly to Divine Corporation but drove to the outskirts of the city.


    Then, the scene in the suburbs were all recorded on the dash cam...


    A doctor was waiting there and handed her a small bottle of liquid. He told her that it would happen


    ny minutes after she drank it and instructed her to pay attention to monitor the time...


    Sharon asked, ¡°Nothing untoward would happen, right?¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry. The dose I am giving to you is very small. Although you will vomit blood, fainted, and get


    gastrointestinal cramps during the attack, the effect will be over in an hour. When youe back, I will


    treat you again. After a few days, you will bepletely fine.¡±


    ¡°Nevertheless, Zachary is very observant. He can see through any tricks I try on him.¡± Sharon was


    rather hesitant.


    ¡°Let me teach you a method,¡± the doctor whispered. ¡°This medicine is like ink. You can suck it into the


    ink reservoir of a pen, so he won''t find it.¡±


    ¡°That''s a good idea,¡± Sharon nodded, ¡°remember to keep this secret. If it leaks out, you''re done for!¡±


    ¡°Of course. We are in the same team now.¡±


    ¡°To sess!¡±


    As she got into the car, Sharon asked her assistant, ¡°Are you sure Charlotte is at thepany today?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I just called to confirm she has already arrived at thepany,¡± the assistant answered, ¡°Don''t


    worry, she will be taken down at one fell swoop today.¡±


    ¡°That''s great.¡±

 Chapter 400

    Chapter 400


    Seeing this, Zachary''s brows knitted tightly and his face was terribly gloomy...


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    He had long known that Sharon was arrogant and wilful and that she would use any means to achieve


    her goal but he had never expected her temperament to be so despicable and vicious that she would


    poison herself in order to frame Charlotte!


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, although this matter has been revealed, it must be handled carefully.¡± Ben reminded


    cautiously, ¡°The news of Divine Corporation and Synder Group''s cooperation has been released as


    well as the news of your engagement with Ms. ckwood...¡±


    ¡°The old man is really persistent.¡± Zachary sneered. ¡°What about the news being released? If I refuse,


    can he tie me up to get engaged?¡±


    ¡°But it''s not good for you to challenge Mr. Nacht like this.¡± Ben said softly, ¡°It''s not doing any good for


    Ms. Windt...¡±


    ¡°That''s why I fired her and let her go away, so I can deal with it.¡±


    Zachary was spinning the phone in his palm while his eyes stared outside the window. What is that


    Stupid Woman doing now?


    For her sake, he had challenged his grandpa and got pped on his face. She did not even text him.


    Where is her conscience?


    ¡°Alright, then.¡± Ben stopped talking, knowing that Mr. Nacht could not be swayed.


    ¡°It''s strange,¡± Zachary remarked coldly, ¡°How did a gentle person like Taylor raise such a daughter?¡±


    ¡°It is said that Ms. ckwood was born illegitimately out of wedlock. She was raised outside the family


    until she was ten. She may have developed a vicious character because of her upbringing. By the way,


    Mr. ckwood seems to have a legitimate daughter who is one year older than Ms. ckwood and a


    mute... I think her name is Cynthia,¡± Ben said.


    ¡°I met her when she was a child and she looks quite neat but a little autistic.¡± Zachary remembered,


    ¡°I''m curious. Why does the old man want me to marry a daughter of the ckwood family? Is it


    because he admires Taylor?¡±


    ¡°I seem to have heard Mr. Spencer mention that when your father was young, he was close friends with


    Mr. ckwood. Mr. ckwood also saved his life. Later, your father met with an ident. It was Mr.


    ckwood who took care of Old Mr. Nacht. Speaking of it, the Nacht family owed the ckwood family


    a huge favor!¡±


    ¡°Am I supposed to return the favour?¡± Zachary sneered.


    ¡°You can''t say that.¡± Ben was very objective. ¡°It''s mainly because Ms. ckwood is the right candidate


    for you, and she knows how to please Mr. Nacht. Besides, she has concealed her true temperament


    too well the old man is deceived.¡±


    ¡°The old man makes misjudgments too...¡± Zachary cursed softly, ¡°The older one gets, the more foolish


    one is!¡±


    ¡°You sound a bit rebellious when you say that.¡± Ben looked at him cautiously.


    ¡°Do you need to say such nonsense?¡± Zachary red at him. ¡°Has he gone to see those three little


    brats again today?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I heard that he went directly to the kindergarten.¡± Ben was a little worried. ¡°Mr. Nacht likes these


    three children so much but hates Ms. Windt. If he knows that these three children belong to her, I don''t


    know how he will react. ¡°


    ¡°I''m also very curious...¡± Zachary sneered, ¡°Isn''t he pretentious? This incident should teach him a


    lesson, let him know that his judgement is wed.¡±


    Ben felt it was wise not toment.


    He kept his peace.


    At the Apple Kindergarten, the three children had finished their sses. As they got ready to get up the


    school bus, a Rolls-Royce pulled over.


    The door opened and Spencer helped Henry get down from it.


    From afar, Mr. Henry waved to the three kids, ¡°Children, I am here to see you!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Henry!¡± Ellie rushed over to the old man, almost knocking him over.


    ¡°Oh, my little sweethearts. Slow down.¡± Spencer was so scared that his heart almost jumped out, ¡°Mr.


    Henry can''t take your running into him like this, he might fall.¡±


    ¡°What can happen?¡± Mr. Nacht red at him, ¡°Can a three-year-old injure me?¡±


    ¡°No, but...¡± Spencer lowered his head, not daring to say more.

 Chapter 401

    Chapter 401


    ¡°I miss you, Mr. Henry.¡± Ellie hugged Henry around the neck, ¡°Do you miss me?¡±


    ¡°I do...¡± Henry''s heart was melting. He ruffled Ellie''s hair and lovingly said, ¡°That''s why I am here to see


    you.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Henry is the best!¡± Ellie cheered with her arms high up in the air.


    ¡°Mr. Henry!¡±


    Robbie and Jamie approached with the medical staff.


    Henry squatted on the ground and hugged Robbie, then Jamie while smiling ear to ear.


    Watching from the side, Spencer reminded anxiously, ¡°Mr. Nacht. You cannot squat for too long. Come


    on, stand back up.¡±


    ¡°What a nag!¡± Henry growled.


    ¡°Mr. Henry, is your back alright?¡±


    Robbie kept quiet as he helped Henry with his little hands.


    Henry stood up, massaged his back, and sighed. ¡°I''m fine, I''m fine. This is nothing. I will take you all to


    Fairytale Land, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay¡ª¡ª¡±


    The three children answered together.


    They were delighted to hear that they were going to Fairytale Land. Even Ellie pped as she jumps


    around in excitement.


    ¡°Come one, let''s get in the car.¡±


    Henry led Robbie and Jamie into the car.


    At the moment, a taxi drove up nearby, and Charlotte saw Henry just as she was about to get off the


    car. She hurried and hid back in the car.


    Her heart pounded vigorously.


    Why would Henry be here at this hour?


    ¡°We''re here. Aren''t you getting out?¡± the taxi driver asked.


    ¡°Hang on a moment.¡± Charlotte lowered her body in the back seat and whispered, ¡°You can keep the


    meter running. Just consider it as another ride.¡±


    ¡°You have been acting sneaky ever since the beginning. What are you scheming?¡± The taxi driver


    frowned. ¡°Are you trying to kidnap the children?¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡± Charlotte nervously replied, ¡°I''m here to pick up my kids.¡±


    ¡°Then, why don''t you get out of the car?¡± The taxi driver said impatiently, ¡°Get out of the car


    immediately, or I will call the police.¡±


    ¡°Wait...¡±


    Charlotte was very anxious. If she got off the car now, Henry would see her.


    She peeked out the window and saw a bodyguard pushing Jamie''s wheelchair to the side of the car


    and then carried him up into the car.


    The car door closed.


    ¡°Are you getting down or not?¡± The taxi driver yelled.


    Charlotte had no choice. She left the car and hid behind a garbage bin, sticking her neck out to peek.


    The car did not turn off, nor did it drove away.


    Because school was over, and school busses had already upied thene. The Rolls-Royce had to


    let the school busses leave first.


    ¡°Wow. There are so many Barbie dolls! There are princess dresses and they are all so beautiful!¡±


    As soon as Ellie got into the car, she saw many gorgeous Barbie dolls, plushies, and various Disney


    princess dresses. She cheered with excitement.


    ¡°Haha, as long as you like it.¡±


    Seeing Ellie''s happy face put a bright smile on Henry''s as well.


    ¡°Wow! There are so many toys!¡±


    Jamie also saw his favorite toys. A full set of Transformers, Ultraman, and various Marvel superheroes.


    Henry caringly stroked Jamie''s hair. ¡°I bought these for you. Do you like them?¡±


    Material ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I love them! Thanks, Mr. Henry!¡± Jamie replied as he happily unboxed the packaging.


    ¡°Robbie, this is for you.¡± Henry handed Robbie a box.


    ¡°Thanks, Mr. Henry.¡± Robbie took the box and opened it. It turned out to be a customized ultra-slim


    computer. He was surprised, ¡°Mr. Henry, I''m not really good at using aputer yet.¡±


    Henry carefully touched his hair and replied lovingly, ¡°You can always learn.¡±


    ¡°You''re a smart and talented boy. I will teach you the basics today. Then, turn on theputer every


    day when you get home after school. I will arrange for world-ss teachers to give you online lessons


    for two hours every day. You will be a child prodigy in no time!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Mr. Henry.¡± Robbie''s eyes sparkled brilliantly. ¡°Then, I can protect Mommy and my


    siblings.¡±


    ¡°Good boy!¡± Henry hugged Robbie with the feeling of aplishment. ¡°I will definitely make you a


    king!¡±

 Chapter 402

    Chapter 402


    Mr. Henry. Thank you...¡± Robbie was so touched that his eyes were red. ¡°How did you know what I


    wanted the most?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I do,¡± Henry replied lovingly. ¡°Because your desire for knowledge and power resembles my


    grandson when he was young.¡±


    Those toys and gifts could never satisfy you. You''re all extraordinary children since birth. What you


    wanted most is to stand at the top of the world as the king.


    Henry thought of Zachary proudly.


    Immediately after, he worried...


    That man caused him immense anger yesterday. Seeing these three little children made him feel


    better.


    ¡°Mr. Henry, you are so kind to me. I will definitely repay you in the future.¡±


    Robbie sniffled with tears in his eyes. He believed that Mr. Henry was the person who knew him the


    best in the world.


    ¡°Robbie, shouldn''t we call Mommy? She''ll worry if she didn''t know we went out with Mr. Henry.¡±


    Ellie suddenly thought of this and mentioned while ying with her Barbie dolls on the sofa.


    ¡°Yes, I will call Mommy right now.¡±


    Robbie called Charlotte with his smart watch.


    Ring...


    Charlotte who was hiding behind the garbage bin jumped in surprise. She silenced her phone and


    answered with her mouth covered. ¡°Hello!¡± she whispered.


    ¡°Mommy, Mr. Henry is taking us to Fairytale Land. You don''t have to wait for us to eat.¡± Robbie said on


    the phone with a well-behaved voice.


    ¡°Alright...¡± When Charlotte was speaking, a car honked.


    Robbie was startled when he heard the sound on the phone.


    Henry heard it as well.


    Because the smart watch was on speakers.


    ¡°Is your Mommy nearby?¡± Henry asked curiously, ¡°Is she here to pick you up?¡±


    ¡°Mommy, are you at the kindergarten?¡±


    Robbie looked through the windows as he brought his smart watch closer to his ear, at the same time,


    lowered the volume.


    ¡°No. I''m on the way...¡± Charlotte replied in panic, ¡°Okay, Robbie. Eat with Mr. Henry. Mommy will be


    busy. We''ll talk when we get home. Bye-bye.¡±


    At that, Charlotte quickly dropped the call...


    She held her forehead as she was troubled as she was never good at telling lies. Seeing that her words


    were full of loopholes, she might be discovered...


    No, the smart watch seems to be hands-free.


    Oh God, did Henry overhear anything?


    Charlotte pped herself in the face, ming her own stupidity.


    ¡°Did you see your mommy?¡± Henry looked out the window as well.


    ¡°No.¡± Robbie stared at a trash can at the side of the road. A pair of white shoes were sticking out. But


    he did not expose what he saw. He calmly turned around and pulled the curtains, and leaned back on


    his seat.


    ¡°Mommy should be on the way from work right now. Maybe she''s in a traffic jam.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Henry nodded without thinking much. ¡°We''re in a traffic jam here as well.¡±


    ¡°It''s ready, Mr. Nacht,¡± Spencer responded.


    With that, the car slowly drove off.


    As the extended Rolls-Royce finally departed. Charlotte stood up and let out a long sigh.


    She wanted to take the children out for a meal when she came back from Jeffery''s, but she did not


    expect to see Henry.


    Hopefully, nothing was exposed just now. Luckily, it was Robbie who called. He was smart and would


    definitely cover for her.


    Henry will not doubt a three-year-old child!


    With that thought in mind, Charlotte calmed herself and took the subway home.


    On the way, she thought about the resumes she sent out in the past two days. She sent more than forty


    of them, but there was not a single reply, unfortunately.


    As a matter of fact, she knew that mostpanies require long-term staff right now. She submitted her


    resume for temporary jobs, but even so, nopany responded.


    Is it really that hard to find a job now? C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org

 Chapter 403

    Chapter 403


    After using the two million given by Zachary entirely to sponsor Jeffrey''s factory, Charlotte was left with


    only a few hundred thousand in her bank ount. She could barely make ends meet with that amount


    of money for the next few months.


    While Henry would be paying for Jamie''s medical fees by obligation, Charlotte would have to pay Raina


    for Mrs. Berry''s medical fees.


    All in all, she had no choice but to work even harder to earn the money that she needed.


    While she could have easily made some extra cash by singing at Bar DTT, it had already closed down.


    Should I find another bar?


    When bars hired resident singers, it was usually on a frence basis, so she could just do the job for


    three months.


    With that idea in mind, Charlotte searched for recruitment advertisements for bars on her mobile


    application for job hunting. There were many bars hiring singers, but none of them paid as generously


    as Bar DTT.


    However, she also knew that she had only made so much money at Bar DTT because Chris had some


    connections there.


    Gosh, I guess I have no choice but to try them.


    And so, Charlotte sent her resume to the bars that she had found through the mobile application.


    She always had two versions of her resume saved in her files. One would be written to apply torge


    corporations like Divine Corporation, and the other was intended for finding a side hustle like singing at


    a bar or being a piano teacher.


    Now that she had sent out her resume, all that she could do was wait and hope for the best.


    ¡°Charlotte?¡± All of a sudden, a girl''s voice called out for her.


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    Looking up, she met eyes with a youthful, cute girl who looked somewhat familiar.


    ¡°It''s me! I''m Olivia! Do you remember me?¡± she asked boisterously.


    ¡°Oh, hi!¡±


    Charlotte soon remembered that Olivia was the girl whom she had helped at the party in Ashenville


    Garden. She was a pianist and student at the H City Music Academy.


    ¡°What a coincidence! I''m so happy to meet you here. I''ve always wanted to contact you, but I haven''t


    had the chance to because I''m so busy working,¡± Olivia said.


    ¡°It''s alright. It''s great that we somehow meet again. By the way, how''re your hands? Let me have a


    look!¡± Charlotte replied.


    Crossing her arms and trying to hide her hands, Olivia murmured, ¡°They are fine now... Urgh... ¡°


    Charlotte sighed and pulled Olivia''s hands toward her.


    Upon looking at Olivia''s hands, Charlotte froze momentarily. Although her wounds had mostly healed,


    her slender, beautiful hands had be scar-ridden. Furthermore, some of her wounds seemed to be


    so deep that they caused damage to her nerves, meaning that she would never be able to y piano


    the same as before.


    Thinking back on Sharon''s inhuman behavior, Charlotte''s heart throbbed. Holding back her anger and


    sorrow, she asked, ¡°Olivia, can you still y the piano now?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I can but my ying is not as good as before. Nowadays, few would want to hire me to


    y.¡±


    Tears welled up in Olivia''s eyes.


    ¡°Last time, when you went on stage on my behalf, you won the audience over, and I got a new job


    opportunity. Though my boss is a nice person, I couldn''t perform my best when I went to work the other


    day, and he advised me to find another job after giving me two thousand,¡± Olivia continued, inhaling


    deeply to calm herself down.


    ¡°It''s okay. There will be more opportunities toe. I can help you... ¡° Charlotte felt very sorry for her.


    ¡°Charlotte, don''t worry. I''ve found a new job. I''m working as a promoter now, and I get at least a


    thousand each night. Considering the bonuses that I receive, I''m earning even more than before!¡±


    Olivia was surprisingly optimistic about her situation.


    ¡°That much money? Where are you working at? Can I join you?¡± Charlotte''s eyes lit up.

 Chapter 404

    Chapter 404


    ¡°Well, about that... ¡° Olivia pursed her lips, looking a little awkward.


    ¡°Are all the positions there full? Don''t worry. I''m just asking. Please don''t feel bad about it,¡± Charlotte


    quickly said, sensing that she might have been acting pushy.


    ¡°No... They are actually still recruiting people. It''s just that... ¡° Olivia said hesitantly.


    ¡°Just what?¡± Charlotte asked.


    ¡°I''m worried that you''ll judge me if I talk about my job.¡± Olivia looked down.


    ¡°No way! The kind of job you work for doesn''t matter. I respect you for working hard to earn your daily


    bread!¡± Charlotte said, frowning.


    Upon hearing Charlotte''s reassuring words, Olivia came closer to her and spoke into her ear, ¡°I''m


    actually working as a promoter at Sultry Night.¡±


    ¡°You... What?¡± Charlotte was stunned. Sultry Night? Wow, how have I not thought of this before?


    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    Working at Sultry Night paid very well. Even the promoters who simply carried tes and beers around


    earned big bucks. Tipping was alsomon.


    The only downside to working there was that people of all walks of life would go there, and there would


    always be perverts and creeps lurking by.


    More importantly, Sultry Night was where her fate intertwined with Zachary''s. She would not want to


    relive those memories again, nor would she want to meet Zachary there.


    Upon seeing Charlotte''s distressed face, Olivia began exining for herself, thinking that Charlotte


    might have misunderstood that she was doing some shady hostess work. ¡°I''m just a promoter, nothing


    more! Please believe me.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I do. I''ve been to that club a couple of times before. I know that the promoters at the club


    work proper jobs. I''m just thinking... just thinking about working there as well,¡± Charlotte said with a


    genuine expression, holding Olivia''s hands.


    ¡°I think the job is not the right fit for you. With your piano skills, you''ll be able to find a much better job.


    There''s no need for you to work at a club,¡± Olivia said, expressing her heartfelt thoughts.


    ¡°Yeah, I''ve sent out my resume. Maybe I''ll get back from them soon.¡± Charlotte smiled sheepishly.


    Personally, working at Sultry Night would not be her first choice should another job opportunitye


    up.


    Olivia nodded. ¡°You should just wait a little longer. It would be great if you get a reply and find a better


    job, but if you really need the job at Sultry Night, I will help you ask around, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay! I''ll keep an eye out for job opportunities that may be suitable for you too,¡± Charlotte replied.


    ¡°That''s great. Thank you, Charlotte. My stop ising. I got to go now!¡±


    ¡°Okay. Let''s keep in touch!¡±


    ...


    After parting with Olivia, Charlotte was still feeling rather hopeful. She was positive that she would at


    least find a job at a regr bar or high-end restaurant as a pianist, with her impressive credentials.


    However, her hopes were soon crushed.


    In the next three days, Charlotte received no news whatsoever from the ces where she had sent her


    resumes to.


    Out of desperation, she even made calls, but the owners of those bars and restaurants immediately


    declined her or made excuses upon hearing her name.


    Charlotte was baffled by the situation. What is going on? Why?


    While she became a trending topic on social media tforms in the past due to a series of unfortunate


    events, things quickly died down, and the incident had long passed.


    So, why are these people shunning me away like a ghost?


    Is someone working in the shadow against me?


    A few faces shed in Charlotte''s head. Is it Zachary? Sharon or even Henry?


    No matter what, those three were not people whom she could afford to offend.


    Charlotte was starting to panic. No way, am I really going to work in Sultry Night?


    No... I can still work as a waiter at a high-end restaurant, maybe? It''s okay to earn a little less.


    Sighing, Charlotte decided to lower her expectations and sent out more resumes.


    Just then, she received an untimely call from Raina of Kindness Hospital. It was a call to urge her to


    pay for Mrs. Berry''s hospital bills and medical fees.


    Charlotte furrowed her brows. She had thought that Raina would be more lenient with her payment due


    dates, so she had nned on paying for her bills when Mrs. Berry got discharged from the hospital.


    Oh, no. What am I supposed to do now?

 Chapter 405

    Chapter 405


    Charlotte shakily told Raina that she would pay her bills as soon as possible. Raina did not sound


    especially stern or angry and told her that it was just a reminder.


    After hanging up her phone, Charlotte immediately went to the bank with her father''s credit card,


    wanting to withdraw some money to lessen her financial burden at the moment. Unfortunately, she was


    told that the bank ount was locked and she would have to activate it by contacting her financial


    advisor from S Nation.


    Charlotte knew that her father had locked the ount out of fear that someone would scheme for the


    huge sum of money in it.


    For the time being, she would have to do extensive paperwork and make an appointment with her


    financial advisor from S Nation to activate the bank ount.


    Keeping her father''s credit card back into her wallet, Charlotte sighed and shook her head. I don''t want


    to start living off my inheritance from Father...


    At that very moment, Charlotte felt helpless and ashamed.


    Am I really incapable of making a living for myself?


    After taking a few moments to think, Charlotte dialed Olivia''s number.


    ¡°Hi, Charlotte... ¡°


    Olivia''s voice was mostly buried in the deafening heavy metal music ring in her background. All that


    Charlotte could make out was her saying ¡°hello¡±.


    After almost a minute, the music quietened down a little, and Olivia asked, ¡°Charlotte, I''m so sorry for


    the noise. I''m in a quieter ce now. What are you calling me for?¡±


    ¡°I... I just wanted to ask you if your workce is still hiring,¡± Charlotte replied, biting her lips anxiously.


    ¡°Yes, yes. In fact, I''ve just introduced the job to my ssmate earlier today. Do you want toe over


    now?¡±


    ¡°Yes, none of the ces I applied to offer me a job. I''m low on cash now, and I need a job to make


    some quick money for the next few months. Can you please help?¡± Charlotte said.


    ¡°Of course. I''m at Sultry Night right now. Do you want toe over?¡± Olivia was very willing to help


    Charlotte.


    ¡°Yes, I''ll be on my way.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Call me when you get here.¡±


    With that, Charlotte hung up the call, gave her kids a goodbye hug, and told them to sleep early.


    Her kids were very well-behaved and kissed her goodbye.


    Putting on a mask and cap, Charlotte left her house in a casual outfit.


    After taking a taxi to Sultry Night, Charlotte took a proper look around her with mixed feelings. Once


    upon a time, she had often visited the ce to keep an eye on how Gigolo was doing at work.


    Thinking back on her past, she still longed for the time she had spent with Gigolo the most. Though he


    seemed cold at times, he would always work hard and share his ie with her. Every time she found


    herself in a dangerous situation, he would appear miraculously and protect her.


    That was a time when nothing stood between them - there were no past grudges, and neither Sharon


    nor Henry was affecting their rtionship.


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    That was a time when nothing mattered except for their love for one another. They could not care less


    about social status or how people would judge them.


    However, all good times had toe to an end. When Gigolo reappeared as Zachary Nacht,


    everything changed...


    All kinds of problems emerged one after the other, some of which she had seening and some of


    which she had not. The two of them went through extreme ups and downs, and toward the end, their


    rtionship seemed to bring more pain than happiness.


    s, they had finally broken up. Perhaps, this is for the best.


    ¡°Charlotte!¡±


    A bright voice pulled her back to reality.


    Looking up, Charlotte smiled and said, ¡°Olivia! Isn''t it still working hours for you?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I didn''t want you to get lost finding me, so I came to pick you up. I''ve already spoken to my


    manager. He said that you need to do an interview. If all goes well, you can start working tonight itself!¡±


    Olivia replied, pulling her into the club.


    ¡°Alright. Thanks.¡±


    Charlotte felt really worried. She used to visit the ce regrly, along with Zachary at times, so there


    was a high chance that the manager would recognize her.


    What if he tells Zachary about me working here?


    ¡°The new manager is pretty nice. He''s taking in many employees at the moment. We''re quite lucky to


    get this opportunity,¡± Olivia said with a smile.


    Charlotte heaved a sigh of relief. Phew. The new manager probably doesn''t know me. That''s good...

 Chapter 406

    Chapter 406


    Upon meeting the new manager in the office, Charlotte almost jumped. He was Peter Jones, the former


    owner of Bar DTT!


    ¡°It''s you?¡± Peter eximed, looking equally surprised as her.


    ¡°It''s been a while, huh?¡± Charlotte mumbled awkwardly. After all, she was well aware that the closing of


    Bar DTT was closely linked to her. Oh, god. Will he still employ me? I''ve cost him to lose so much


    money!


    ¡°You two are acquainted?¡± Olivia raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°Yes. Olivia, you can go ahead and do your tasks now. I''ll talk to her,¡± Peter said, smiling.


    Charlotte also gave her a nod. Olivia blinked. ¡°Okay... I''ll go work now. Call me if anythinges up!¡±


    she said as she left.


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    Then, he pulled Charlotte to take a seat and poured her a drink. ¡°When I heard Olivia talking about


    introducing a friend to work here, I was expecting another student from a music school. I did not expect


    to meet you here at all!¡±


    ¡°Even I. I''ve caused you so much trouble, but I''ve never apologized in proper... ¡° Charlotte squirmed


    around ufortably.


    ¡°It''s not your fault. Mr. Broid was the one who provoked Mr. Nacht. He should be the one to apologize,¡±


    Peter chuckled.


    Charlotte smiled stiffly, and made no otherments.


    ¡°To tell you the truth, Mr. Broid was drugged that night. Those things that he did to you, he did not mean


    them at all. Did... did the two of you... You know, do the deed that night?¡± Peter continued, squinting his


    eyes.


    ¡°No, no. Of course, not!¡± Charlotte shook her head frantically.


    ¡°Okay, that''s good to know. Mr. Broid is actually really fond of you, in a genuine way. I''ve never seen


    him treat another girl that way. That night was really just an ident,¡± Petermented, letting out a


    deep sigh.


    ¡°It''s all in the past. There''s no need to delve deeper. And about my job application, are you willing to let


    me work here?¡± Charlotte diverted the topic.


    ¡°What do you mean am I willing? Of course, I''ll take you in, simple as that. But hold on, aren''t you Mr.


    Nacht''s girlfriend? Why are you hunting for a job here? Did the two of you split through?¡± Peter replied.


    ¡°Yeah. But... I mean... I wasn''t really his girlfriend, to begin with... ¡° Charlotte nodded, smiling bitterly.


    Peter was rather curious and he continued asking questions. ¡°I''ve seen the news. He''s going to be


    engaged with the daughter of the ckwood family, isn''t he?¡±


    ¡°I''ve seen the same article. Hmph. They seem to be a good match,¡± Charlotte said dispassionately,


    feigning her cool.


    ¡°I''ve seen and heard about so many stories like this. Marriages in those wealthy families never end up


    well. Those involved can''t even make decisions for themselves. Don''t be too resentful toward Mr.


    Nacht... ¡° With the tone that Peter spoke in, he sounded like a weary man who had seen and


    experienced everything there was to life.


    ¡°I''m not resentful. We broke up on good terms.¡±


    As Charlotte said those words, Zachary''s dark gaze shed across her mind, and his voice echoed in


    her ears...


    ¡°You will never be able to escape from me.¡±


    Will the two of us really live our own lives in peace?


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    Will hee after me?


    ¡°If that''s the case, then I''ll just give you the job. You can start working tonight. I''ll get someone to take


    care of the recruitment procedurester. Oh, but this time, you''ll be getting paid the same as everyone


    else. I mean, I''m just a manager now, and I don''t really have lots of connections,¡± Peter said with a


    smile.


    ¡°I understand. Thank you!¡± Charlotte said, giving him a slight bow.


    ¡°Don''t sweat it!¡±


    With that, Peter called for the chief promoter, Fleur, to bring Charlotte toplete some paperwork and


    pass her the work uniform.


    As they went through the recruitment procedures together, Fleur briefed her about the basic rules and


    the pay. ¡°The basic pay each day is three hundred. You''ll also get three percent of the total bills for


    alcohol and drinks. Also, you can keep your tips. At the end of the month, there is a bonus from the top


    three promoters. Got it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, thank you!¡±


    Charlotte exhaled deeply. It''s great that I''ve managed to find a job atst.

 Chapter 407

    Chapter 407


    After going through the recruitment procedures, Fleur handed Charlotte her work uniform and added,


    ¡°Get changed, and I''ll lead you to look around and familiarize yourself with the ce. The tasks you get


    as a promoter are not too difficult.¡±


    ¡°Okay, thank you, Fleur.¡±


    However, an unsettling nervousness crept up Charlotte''s spine as she got changed. Looking in the


    mirror of the fitting room, she had to do a double-take.


    Her skirt was barely a mini skirt. It could almost pass for a micro skirt. She had not noticed how


    revealing the uniform was when she saw Olivia moments ago, but after putting on the uniform herself,


    she felt rather uneasy.


    In the mirror, she saw herself in a fitted V-neck blouse in white with a contrasting ck mini skirt. The


    pencil skirt barely covered her voluptuous bum. The bunny ear headband she had on was cute indeed


    but made her outfit look like lingerie.


    ¡°Urgh... Is the cor of my blouse too big? And this skirt is... ¡°


    Charlotte felt extremely ufortable in the uniform.


    ¡°The other promoters are wearing the same uniform. Didn''t you see Olivia just now? Okay, but this


    does look really provocative on you since you have such a good figure,¡± Fleur chuckled.


    ¡°So... ¡° Charlotte pursed her lips.


    ¡°I think you can just wear this for tonight. You can alter this uniform when you get the time tomorrow.


    Anything goes as long as you don''t make any big modifications. And also... This!¡±


    Whipping out a ckced mask, Fleur eximed, ¡°A mask! All the promoters have one each.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Charlotte said, putting the mask on. Okay, even if Ie across Zachary, he wouldn''t be


    able to recognize me in this mask, would he?¡±


    ¡°Alright, let''s get going. I''ll show you the range of alcohol we sell at the bar. You''ll need to memorize the


    price list.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Charlotte followed Fleur to the main hall.


    Most were sublimed in the atmosphere with movement to the pulse and beats. A few dancers were


    pole-dancing on the stage, and the men below were howling like dogs in heat. Some were even taking


    off their tops as they swayed to the upbeat music.


    ¡°See? These men have their eyes on the dancers. No one would notice you. Don''t worry too much.¡±


    Fleur tried to reassure her.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Upon seeing how hot the dancers were, wearing nothing butce lingerie, Charlotte was


    somewhat convinced that nobody would be interested in her.


    ¡°Moreover, we have really sexy hostesses here. Even if those in the private rooms were to stare at you


    for a bit, they probably wouldn''t do anything to you. They already have all thosedies around them,


    you know?¡± Fleur continued.


    ¡°Yeah, I guess.¡± Charlotte felt a little more rxed.


    Afterward, Fleur took her to the bar and introduced her to the names and price lists for the liquors. As


    for the usual beers, cocktails, and drinks, she was told that she could just jot their names down in the


    bill without memorizing the prices, given how cheap they were.


    Fleur also talked about how the more she rmended the expensive liquors to her customers, the


    moremission she would get out of the sales. ¡°Our top promoters can earn tens of thousands of


    commission just in one night. Adding the tips, some of them earn more than a hundred thousand!¡±


    The prospect of making big money was very attractive for Charlotte. A hundred thousand in one night?


    That means I''ll be able to pay Mrs. Berry''s medical fees after two nights of work!


    Just then, Olivia was seen running over to Fleur, a big smile stered on her face. ¡°Fleur, Fleur! The


    guests in that private room just ordered a bill worth a few hundred thousand! Can I check how much


    commission I''m getting from that?¡±


    ¡°Let me have a look,¡± Fleur answered. After a few moments, Fleur patted Olivia on her shoulders and


    cheered, ¡°Forty-eight thousand!¡±


    ¡°Wow, that''s great!¡± Olivia was on cloud nine.


    ¡°Congrattions, Olivia.¡± Charlotte smiled at her.


    ¡°Charlotte? Oh, my god! You''re so curvy and pretty! I almost can''t recognize you in this uniform!¡± Olivia


    spluttered.


    ¡°Hah... I can still tell that it''s you even with your mask on, though,¡± Charlotte joked.


    Charlotte felt that Olivia really did stand out in the crowd with her distinct petite figure.


    ¡°Well, that''s because I''m the ttest one of them all here!¡± Olivia said, blushing.


    Material ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Alright, Olivia, show her around. I have some things to attend to.¡±


    With that, Fleur turned around and left.


    ¡°Charlotte, how about youe to that private room over there with me. The customers there are really


    generous. If we can get them to make more orders, we can split themission between us!¡± Olivia


    said cheerfully, pulling Charlotte''s hand as they made their way to a private room.


    ¡°Okay, thanks!¡±

 Chapter 408

    Chapter 408


    To Charlotte''s dismay, one of the customers in that private room was none other than Jackson White,


    the former vice president of Synder Group.


    Back in Ashenville Garden, Sharon had tried to arrange for Jackson and her to get together, and he


    had also made a move on her, angering Zachary and causing him to lose his ce in the project.


    To make matters worse, Sharon fired Jackson afterward in an attempt to please Zachary.


    Though Charlotte had not seen him at all since the incident, she knew that he probably held a grudge


    against her fornding him in his unfortunate situation. If he were to find out that Charlotte was the


    promoter standing before him, he might set her up for trouble.


    Sensing the impending danger, Charlotte turned around without hesitation, wanting to leave. However,


    a drunk customer in the private room grabbed her hand, snorting, ¡°Hah... This one is really sexy. I''ll


    have her.¡±


    Panicking, Charlotte shook the drunk man off and stepped back. ¡°I''m a promoter, not a hostess.¡±


    ¡°The hostesses areing right this moment,¡± Olivia quickly added.


    ¡°Really? You''ve got a pretty good figure for a promoter. Let me take a look at your face too!¡± His gaze


    was lustful.


    Before Charlotte could even react, the drunk man snatched her mask.


    As Charlotte moved away by reflex, her mask was torn in half, exposing much of her face.


    Jackson, who was sitting on the sofa, raised an eyebrow and then stared intently at Charlotte with an


    ominous darkness in his eyes.


    ¡°Damn you! Why is a whore like you acting all innocent? I know what you''re here for! So what if you''re


    a promoter? Name a price. I have all the money!¡± The drunk man yelled aggressively.


    ¡°Sir, the promoters here don''t sell anything else but alcohol. As I said, the hostesses areing soon!¡±


    Olivia exined indignantly.


    ¡°How dare you talk back at me!¡± The drunk man raised his hand and was about to p Olivia.


    Charlotte immediately blocked his raised arm and said firmly, ¡°Enough is enough! Don''t go overboard!¡±


    ¡°So what if I go overboard? I''m buying you tonight! Hmph. Your hand is so smooth. I bet you''re a real


    beauty.¡± He cackled creepily.


    Licking his lips, he turned his wrist and grabbed Charlotte''s hand.


    Material ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Charlotte was beginning to feel nauseous and tried to leave the room with Olivia.


    However, the dirty drunk man gestured to his bodyguards, and the towering bodyguards swiftly blocked


    their way.


    Olivia was as pale as a sheet.


    ¡°What in the world do you want?¡± Charlotte snapped.


    ¡°I want to screw your sloppy cu*t! If you make me happy, I''ll pay double!¡±


    ¡°You should think twice about that. We are in Sultry Night, not a brothel!¡± Charlotte gave Olivia a look.


    Getting her hint, Olivia whipped out her phone to contact Peter to help them.


    ¡°Damned whore! Guess you like it rough! Take them down!¡± The dirty drunk man knocked Olivia''s


    phone out of her hands and gave amand to his bodyguards.


    Just as he uttered those vulgar words, Charlotte and Olivia were already restrained and subdued on


    the sofa.


    Reaching out his stubby fingers, the drunk man was still keen to take off Charlotte''s mask. All of a


    sudden, another man in the room spoke. ¡°That''s enough. Cut it out.¡±


    ¡°Mr. White, what''s wrong?¡± The drunk man looked up with a confused look.


    ¡°Don''t make a scene here. Sultry Night is run by some really powerful figures. Things won''t end well if


    rumors of you doing this spread around,¡± Jackson said cidly.


    ¡°He''s right! If you want sex, there are plenty of hostesses here. Why make things difficult for a mere


    promoter? We are here for Mr. White, remember? Don''t ruin the mood,¡± The other customers in the


    room added.


    ¡°Hmph. Whatever.¡± With that, the drunk man let go of Charlotte, and the bodyguards backed off.


    Without looking back, Charlotte dragged Olivia out of the private room.


    ¡°That was so scary!¡± Tears trickled down Olivia''s cheeks.


    ¡°I''m so sorry for getting you in trouble. And your phone looks wrecked. I''llpensate you for that,¡±


    Charlotte said gently as she patted Olivia''s shoulders.


    ¡°That''s not a big deal. More importantly, shouldn''t we tell Peter about this?¡± Olivia said shakily.


    ¡°Yes, we should... ¡° As soon as Charlotte spoke, Jackson emerged from the private room, smirking, ¡°Hi


    there, Ms. Windt. I didn''t expect to see you here!¡±

 Chapter 409

    Chapter 409


    Jackson''s voice sent shivers down her spine. How did he find out that it''s me? My mask wasn''t even


    fully removed!


    ¡°Do you know him?¡± Olivia whispered softly.


    ¡°No.¡± Charlotte feigned ignorance and wanted to leave the ce with Olivia.


    ¡°Hey, didn''t I help you out just now? You''re so heartless.¡± Jackson sounded and looked really


    crestfallen.


    ¡°Charlotte, he did help us, you know?¡±


    Unlike Charlotte, Olivia had a rather good impression of Jackson. He had always made big orders and


    was respectful of the promoters at the club.


    Giving Olivia a slight nudge, Charlotte said gently, ¡°Olivia, can you go find Peter first?¡±


    ¡°Okay. And thank you, sir!¡± Olivia said before walking off.


    ¡°Want to talk?¡± Jackson did an ushering gesture.


    After a moment of hesitation, Charlotte followed him to an empty private room. Out of caution, she


    stopped and stood fixed at the door. ¡°What do you want to talk about?¡±


    ¡°I want to exin to you what happened thest time we met. I didn''t pour the wine on you on purpose.


    Someone tripped my foot under the table,¡± he said with a serious look on his face. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    ¡°I know. It was Sharon, wasn''t it? Everyone there knew about it but chose to keep quiet,¡± Charlotte


    scoffed.


    ¡°So you do know that I''m innocent! I was really just a scapegoat for whatever that was going on


    between the two of you. Though I do have feelings for you, I have not done anything out of line, have I?


    Mr. Nacht probably knew that Sharon was behind that incident too, and yet he kicked me out of the


    project I was on. And even worse still, Sharon kicked me out of Synder Group shortly after. I''ve worked


    so many years in thatpany! Don''t you feel that I deserve better treatment than that?¡± Jackson


    sighed.


    ¡°Yes, you deserve better. Though I also suffered from that incident, it all began because of me, so I


    want to apologize to you. I''m sorry about what happened, and I hope that you will get your life together


    soon!¡± Charlotte sounded solemn and sincere.


    ¡°You are very reasonable and direct about expressing your thoughts. It''s no wonder that Mr. Nacht is


    fond of you. Ever since I got fired, I have fallen to a new low. The entire industry knows that I''ve


    offended Mr. Nacht, and nobody dares to hire me anymore. I''ve been facing many problems in my own


    business ventures as well,¡± Jacksonmented.


    ¡°I''m sorry that I can''t help you with that. I have to work now. I''ll get going.¡± Charlotte had no intentions


    of continuing the conversation.


    ¡°What''s the rush? I''m not done talking¡± Jackson pursed his lips, his gaze turning dangerous.


    ¡°What else do you want to say?¡± Charlotte was feeling more uneasy by the second.


    ¡°You see, since the entire problem started with you, you''ll be responsible for solving it,¡± Jackson said


    with his crisp voice, his eyes darkening.


    ¡°You think too highly of me... ¡° Charlotte smiled bitterly.


    ¡°You''re capable of doing it... As long as you are willing to talk about it with Mr. Nacht and get him to say


    a word or two to Sharon, I''ll be able to get my job back!¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry, but it''s really not up to me. Look at me now. I''m working as a promoter here. Do you really


    think that I''m still as close to Zachary as I was before?¡± Charlotte crossed her arms, looking


    exasperated.


    ¡°Yes! See? You even dare speak of his name! Your rtionship with him must be special!¡± Jackson


    seemed adamant in convincing Charlotte to carry out his ns.


    ¡°You must be seeing things!¡± Charlotte was speechless. What do you mean by a special rtionship?


    So what if I said his name? What''s with his logic?


    ¡°Hmph. This is where I''m more knowledgeable than you. Many men from wealthy families have


    arranged marriages, but they are still in love with another woman in their hearts. I can tell that Mr.


    Nacht has feelings for you. He''s probably just keeping a distance from you for now. He''lle back to


    you one day!¡± Jackson said, his smile widening.


    ¡°Maybe. All the best to you! I''m going now. Goodbye,¡± Charlotte responded politely, striding off.


    Looking at her walk away, Jackson smirked and took out his phone. ¡°Get someone to spill the news to


    Sharon that Charlotte is working at Sultry Night.¡±

 Chapter 410

    Chapter 410


    As Charlotte made her way back to the main hall, she turned around multiple times to make sure that


    Jackson was not trailing her and only let her guard down upon seeing that Jackson stayed where he


    was.


    Experience had taught her that she needed to keep her guard up around dangerous people like


    Jackson.


    Back then, she used to have Gigolo around to protect her, but that was all in the past.


    ¡°Charlotte! I''ve been looking for you everywhere. Are you okay?¡± Olivia called out for her anxiously.


    ¡°I''m fine. Thanks, Olivia.¡± Charlotte felt very touched.


    ¡°There''s no need to thank me. We are friends, after all. And you helped me outst time too! Come,


    let''s get going. We need to work hard and make the bread!¡± Olivia smiled encouragingly.


    ¡°Yeah!¡±


    Other than the private room with Jackson, she managed to get some huge orders from the other


    private rooms without any issues. While Charlotte''s exceptional figure did catch the eyes of some men,


    they had hostesses with them and did not do anything too inappropriate besides teasing her.


    After working into the night, Charlotte finally took her bills to Fleur and asked how muchmission


    fees she would get. ¡°About three hundred,¡± Fleur replied.


    Charlotte felt as if she was struck by lightning. What? Three hundred? Didn''t Olivia get forty thousand?


    From Fleur''s exnation, she found out that Olivia''s bills were all orders for expensive liquors, while


    the orders that she received mostly consisted of cheap beers and drinks.


    Charlotte sighed deeply.


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    She finally figured out how the extra money frommission worked. Olivia was lucky to havee


    across customers like Jackson, who actually had a sophisticated taste in alcohol and ordered


    expensive liquors. On the other hand, most of the customers at the club were there for the hostesses,


    and the quality of alcohol was secondary to that. The average customer would never order anything


    expensive at all.


    That meant that the chance to earn tens of thousands each night was somewhat a distant dream.


    It took quite a lengthy constion from Olivia to uplift her spirits once more.


    For her first night at her new workce, Charlotte worked till four the next day. After doing the


    calctions with Olivia, it turned out that Olivia made fifty thousand in total that night, while Charlotte


    only earned seven hundred.


    Hmph. This is good enough for my first day at work, I guess. Keep up the good work, Charlotte! You


    can do it!


    In the days that followed, Charlotte worked tirelessly from seven at night to four the next morning.


    It was seven hours ofborious work in an unearthly hour, but her work paid off.


    In seven days, Charlotte saved up a total of thirty thousand. With some savings that she already had,


    Charlotte was finally able to pay most of the medical bills at Kindness Hospital.


    However, she could no longer find Raina there. Word has it that she had gone to be Sharon''s personal


    doctor.


    Charlotte felt oddly bitter. Raina used to be her personal doctor. Oh, how the table has turned...


    Smiling wryly, she hopped on a taxi to go to Sultry Night.


    All that was on her mind was to make enough money to pay for Mrs. Berry''s medical fees in full.


    Afterward, she would leave Sultry Night and find a proper daytime job.


    That night, Olivia showed up to work an hourte.


    Upon seeing Olivia''s red and swollen eyes, Charlotte quickly went forward and asked, ¡°Olivia? What


    happened?¡±


    ¡°My mother''s health deteriorated. I tried so hard to earn money to treat her illness, and it seemed like


    she was getting better, but now... ¡° Olivia was choking in her tears.


    ¡°So that''s why you''ve been working so hard... Don''t panic. What illness is it? Can you tell me about it? I


    know an excellent doctor. Maybe she can help you.¡± Charlotte couldpletely empathize with her


    situation.


    ¡°My mother became a vegetable four years ago after falling down the stairs... She has been bed-ridden


    at the hospital for the past few years,¡± exined Olivia.


    ¡°Poor girl. I''ll go visit your mother with you tomorrow before wee for work and see if I can help.¡±


    Charlotte hugged Olivia.


    ¡°Thanks. Let''s get going. Time to make money!¡± Olivia said with determination, wiping off her tears.


    ¡°Yeah!¡±

 Chapter 411

    Chapter 411


    As Charlotte served the beers and jotted down the orders, she suddenly caught sight of someone who


    looked all too familiar. Her heart almost missed a beat upon looking at him from behind.


    It''s him!


    Every time Zachary visited Sultry Night, he would don a ck leather jacket and cover his face with his


    unique ck mask. Even in the dimly lit hallway, his tall stature still exuded strength and screamed


    power.


    The aura around him made him seem like a god of the underworld.


    But why is he here?


    Is heing here to fool around with the hostesses too?


    In an instant, countless thoughts flooded into Charlotte''s head. She fixed her gaze on him with mixed


    emotions.


    Only when Zachary entered his usual private room did she turn her head around.


    ¡°Charlotte, what''s up?¡± Olivia tapped on Charlotte''s shoulder yfully.


    ¡°Nothing. Room V11 wants some ice. I''ll go get it,¡± Charlotte replied,ing to her senses.


    ¡°I can go instead. There''s another group of customers in that private room over there. They just arrived,


    so you can go in there and maybe get a big order or two! Get going! Good luck!¡± Olivia took her tray


    with a bright smile.


    ¡°Hah... alright!¡±


    Charlotte could not help but chuckle as she listened to Olivia. It had been a week since she started


    working, but the number of orders she got at the end of the day was still the least among all of the


    promoters there.


    Fleur had reminded her countless of times to be thick-skinned and master the art of using the right


    words to be more likable. ¡°Otherwise, you''ll be leaving with your base sry forever!¡± she told


    her.


    Even after watching Fleur''s demonstration on how to coerce a customer into buying expensive drinks,


    Charlotte still acted stiffly. Unable to hold back her impatience any longer, Fleur gave Charlotte a final


    warning and told her that she would be fired if her sales volume were to remain at the bottom that


    month.


    That warning was a huge p in Charlotte''s face and gave her a reality check. She knew that she had


    to work much harder.


    Meanwhile, Olivia made use of every single opportunity she could find to help Charlotte get bigger


    orders from more generous customers.


    ¡°How are you stillughing? We promoters get to work in these private rooms because we are more


    educated than the rest. We are pretty lucky if you think about it. Look at our fellow promoters! They get


    the hang of working here within days, and some made enough to buy their houses in the short span of


    a few months! Now, look at you! It''s been seven days, and you''re still at the bottom. Do you really need


    the money?¡± Olivia furrowed her brows and shook her head.


    ¡°Of course, I do! It''s just that I''m not that sociable... But I''ll work hard... ¡° Charlotte pursed her lips.


    ¡°Yes, yes. Work hard! Work hard, make that bread, and we shall leave the ce. We can''t be working


    here our whole lives, can we?¡± Oliviamented, putting an arm around Charlotte''s shoulders.


    ¡°I know. I''ll try to be the top promoter tonight!¡± Charlotte shook off her negative thoughts and cheered


    herself on.


    ¡°Good luck and get going! That''s a VVIP room. You mustn''t make them wait!¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡±


    As Olivia left to get ice, Charlotte took a deep breath and entered the VVIP room with a pounding heart.


    She knew that she would be able to get some impressively big orders from that private room. After all,


    Zachary was the customer in there. He had bottles of liquor reserved exclusively for him, all of which


    with seven-digit numbers on the price tags. Furthermore, he was a generous tipper.


    The only problem then was hiding her identity from him. Will he recognize me?


    Charlotte nced at her outfit. Even after she altered her uniform, the clothes still looked skimpy, and it


    looked as if she was showing off her curvy figure. With the addition of the ckced mask and bunny


    ear headband, she lookedpletely different from her usual self.


    Furthermore, she had learned her lesson from the encounter with Jacksonst time, so she bought a


    red wig, put on purple contact lenses, and even painted her lips in a fiery red shade.


    From head to toe, she lookedpletely different from before.


    Even for Olivia, it was difficult to tell that she was Charlotte without looking at her nametag.


    With those reassuring thoughts in mind, Charlotte finally stepped into the private room.


    Zachary was leaning back on the sofa with his eyes glued to his phone. He seemed to be reading


    some documents.


    ¡°Would you like the same liquor reserved for you fromst time?¡± Fleur was serving him herself


    because he was an important customer.


    ¡°Yes, and please bring us two buckets of ice,¡± Ben was the one who replied to her.


    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Okay. Hey, go get the ice,¡± Fleur said, giving Charlotte an impatient look.


    ¡°Got it,¡± Charlotte replied softly and walked over to a mini-bar behind a partition in the room.


    Raising an eyebrow, Ben turned to stare at Charlotte, and there were suspicion and confusion in his


    eyes.

 Chapter 412

    Chapter 412


    ¡°So there''s a mini-bar here? I didn''t know that.¡±


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    Fleur was rather surprised. Though it had only been a month since she began working here with Peter,


    she deemed herself a know-it-all who was familiar with working in Sultry Night.


    She had not dared enter the VVIP room and did not know that the room had such a unique design.


    ¡°I... I just discovered this too.¡± Charlotte tried to suppress her panic and sneaked a nervous nce at


    Zachary.


    Zachary was still on his phone. It seemed that there were some bad news, and his face looked grim.


    It had been about half a month since shest saw him. He seems to have lost some weight...


    ¡°You have sharp eyes. Alright, do the preparations. I''ll open the red wine,¡± Fleur replied.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Charlotte took out two buckets of ice and ced them down.


    On the other hand, Fleur had opened the red wine and was about to pour some into the decanter.


    Charlotte instinctively stopped her and said, ¡°Hold on. The wine will taste better if you chill the decanter


    with some ice first.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Fleur asked, keeping her voice low.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Ben came over, eyeing Charlotte from head to toe. She has a very good figure, but this uniform?


    This costume is a bit much...


    ¡°Let her handle this.¡± Ben gestured.


    And so, Fleur handed over the red wine and the decanter to Charlotte.


    Kneeling down, Charlotte began decanting the wine. She ced a few ice cubes into the decanter and


    gave it a light shake.


    She was twirling the ice cubes throughout the decanter, but she was so graceful that there were no


    unpleasant noises made at all.


    After about a minute or so, she poured away the ice cubes in the decanter and poured the red wine into


    the decanter from its edge.


    Lastly, she used a lighter to st a small me on Zachary''s wine ss before swirling some ice cubes


    in it.


    Every step that she carried out seemed smooth and confident.


    ¡°You''re pretty skillful. Where did you learn this from?¡± Ben was still feeling baffled.


    ¡°I learned this from the inte,¡± Charlotte replied, pinching her voice to hide her identity.


    Zachary briefly nced at her before looking back at his phone.


    It was obvious that he did not recognize her.


    Her short-lived eye contact with Zachary gave her mixed feelings. While she was relieved that she


    managed to keep her identity hidden, she was a little disappointed that he could no longer sense her


    presence when it had only been weeks since they parted.


    Back at Fairytale Land, he had spotted her straight away even though she had worn oversized clothes


    and covered herself from head to toe.


    It seems like he has forgotten me, now that he''s with Sharon...


    ¡°You may take your leave,¡± Ben told the two of them, knowing that Zachary preferred a quiet


    environment with privacy.


    Fleur gave a ny-degree bow and retreated as she left the room.


    Charlotte followed suit.


    ¡°How is it? Are the problems severe¡± Ben asked carefully.


    ¡°There shouldn''t have been any problems at all. Somebody must have messed with the programming


    of our products,¡± Zachary said, his brows furrowing deeper.


    ¡°Bruce is on it. He''ll see to the bottom of the situation soon enough.¡±


    Seeing that it was good timing to hand him the wine, Ben passed Zachary''s wine ss to him.


    Zachary took a sip and raised his eyebrows. ¡°This tastes pretty good!¡± He remarked.


    ¡°I was quite surprised that the promoter knew how to do pretty decent decanting.¡±


    ¡°Maybe she wasn''t just a promoter,¡± Zachary said.


    ¡°What? Why?¡± Ben blinked.


    ¡°Few would know about that mini-bar over there... ¡° Zachary uttered and then froze as if something had


    struck him. Looking at Ben, he said, ¡°Call the promoter in!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Ben swiftly left the room to find Fleur.


    ¡°What''s going on? Did she do something wrong?¡± Fleur asked anxiously.


    ¡°No. She''s very good at decanting. I want her to serve the wine.¡± Ben made up an excuse.


    ¡°Right, right. I''ll go get her this instant. She''s probably in another serving area right now. It might take


    me a while to find her...¡± Fleur replied politely with her head low.


    ¡°Do it as quickly as you can.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    As Zachary swirled his wine ss with an oddly impassive expression on his face, Ben said softly, ¡°It


    can''t be Ms. Windt, can it? You just gave her two million not too long ago. She wouldn''t be sinking this


    low to be working here, right?¡±

 Chapter 413

    Chapter 413


    ¡°Anything, and I mean anything that somehow seems impossible can, and will happen to that stupid


    woman!¡±


    Zachary''s face fell. She is good as dead if I find out that she''s working here as a promoter, and wearing


    that garbage, no less. Does she have a death wish or what?


    Vexed at the thought, he snapped, ¡°Why is she not here yet?¡±


    ¡°The chief promoter said that she''s serving in section C,¡± Ben articted his every word. ¡°I''ve asked the


    chief promoter to go look for her.¡±


    ¡°Go look for her yourself,¡± Zachary demanded.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Someone knocked on the door just when Ben was about to head out. ¡°Come in!¡± Ben


    hurriedly answered.


    A female promoter made her way in. She was dressed in the same clothes and style. The tag on her


    chest was 118, identical to the girl who they spotted just moments ago.


    However, something did not quite add up...


    ¡°Sir, how can I help you?¡±


    The girl kept her head low and greeted respectfully.


    However, her legs were shaking from being too nervous.


    shback to ten minutes ago.


    Charlotte and Olivia were serving in section C. Fleur rushed to her side and told her to get to the


    private room as soon as possible because a VIP was asking for her.


    Charlotte had a hunch that something was wrong right then. Zachary must have realized something.


    I''m going to be busted if I go to the private room right now.


    To get herself out of the trouble, Charlotte found a girl who had a simr physique to rece herself.


    She arranged for the girl to wear a wig and bear her number. In return, Charlotte promised to let the girl


    in for a huge deal.


    However, the girl was intimidated by the domineering vibe that Zachary exuded as soon as she entered


    the private room. She did not even dare to raise her head to look at the man.


    ¡°We''ve finished all our drinks, and we quite enjoyed the way you decanted the wine just now. Do


    decant another one for us, please.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Charlotte had taught her and Olivia how to decant wine when there was time to spare. As a


    result, the girl had managed to secure quite a number of lucrative deals because of her skill.


    For the same reason, Charlotte had sought for the girl''s help to impersonate herself.


    However, Charlotte had not expected that the girl would get so nervous that she was practically


    fumbling when decanting the wine. Thetter even almost spilled Zachary''s drink.


    ¡°Get out,¡± Zachary snapped in an icy tone.


    ¡°Yes,¡± the girl answered meekly and dashed for the door.


    ¡°It seems like...¡±


    Zachary interrupted Ben, ¡°That''s not her.¡± Just one nce and he knew for sure that the girl was not


    Charlotte. He was adamant that Charlotte was not even slightly intimidated by himself. She''s always


    calm andposed before me. That was how she was able to decant the wine with such grace just


    now.


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    However, Zachary could not say the same for other women. Somehow, they always found him


    intimidating and would fidget uncontrobly before him. Despite having simr decanting skills, their


    edgy and jittery manners before him would be a dead giveaway.


    ¡°Then, the one before...¡±


    Zachary stood up all of a sudden before Ben could finish his sentence. He headed for the door at a


    brisk pace.


    Ben trailed behind him right away.


    Meanwhile, Charlotte was swamped in section C.


    Kristi rushed to her side and sobbed, ¡°Charlotte, the man in the private room is terrifying. I was


    shivering as soon as I entered the room. His subordinate asked me to decant the wine, and he ordered


    me to leave before I can even finish it.¡±


    ¡°Did he make things difficult for you?¡± Charlotte asked anxiously.


    ¡°No, not really,¡± Kristi said as she shook her head. Then, she proceeded to fish out a stack of cash from


    her bra and said animatedly, ¡°His bodyguard handed me a stack of cash when I came out just now. I''ve


    counted it, it''s exactly ten thousand.¡±


    ¡°What on earth? Did he actually tip you that generously?¡± Olivia was green with envy.


    ¡°Damn, why didn''t he tip me just now?¡± Charlotte was envious of Kristi''s luck as well.


    ¡°Haha, I''m rich!¡± Kristi took out four bills and gave Charlotte and Olivia two each. ¡°These are for you


    guys. Olivia, thanks for rmending me to work here. Charlotte, thank you for sending me to the


    private room.¡±


    ¡°Since you''re so generously tipped, I don''t think you need that other bill, right?¡± Charlotte grinned.


    ¡°Of course, I still need that bill.¡± Kristi was especially sensitive when it came to money. ¡°I was literally


    risking my life by impersonating you back in the private room. You had no idea how nervous I was just


    now. My heart was in my throat man...¡±


    Before Kristi could finish, she nudged Charlotte and hurriedly said, ¡°Charlotte, the man from the private


    room is heading in our direction.¡±

 Chapter 414

    Chapter 414


    Charlotte turned around, and noticed that Zachary was indeed making his way toward them with his


    bodyguards trailing behind him.


    ¡°Isn''t he the guy from the dinnerst time?¡±


    Olivia recognized the man right away. The man was practically the center of attention at the dinner at


    Ashenville Gardenst time, someone whom even the nobles were trying to appease. He must be


    some bigshot.


    ¡°What should I do?¡± All color drained from Kristi''s face as her legs shook. ¡°Has he found out that I was


    impersonating you and he''s here to teach me a lesson?¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry.¡± Noticing that Kristi was shuddering, she could not bring herself to drag thetter into


    more trouble. She exchanged her number with her and dismissed her, ¡°Go on with your work. I''ll handle


    this.¡±


    ¡°Okay, then,¡± Kristi scurried off.


    ¡°Charlotte, did you somehow offend the man?¡± Olivia asked in a worried tone.


    ¡°Maybe.¡± If I hadn''t recognized him or treated him like a gigolo, then maybe our paths would never


    have crossed again.


    ¡°Let''s go. They''re almost here,¡± Olivia tried to drag Charlotte along.


    The two of them were more than familiar with the hallways. Before long, they found themselves back in


    Section A. Noticing that they had shrugged off the group, Charlotte heaved a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Fleur had arranged for us to help out in section C today. Will she punish us if she realizes that we''re in


    section A instead?¡± Olivia was apprehensive about defying Fleur''s arrangements.


    ¡°You go to section C,¡± Charlotte nudged her friend. ¡°Don''t worry. I''m going to be alright.¡±


    ¡°Alright then. The man shouldn''t be able to find you now. There are a lot of customers here at section


    A, and it''s alright for you toe here and back them up, or just go along the lines of some regrs


    are asking for you or something.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Charlotte was summoned as soon as Olivia left.


    Sultry Night was always bustling with customers. Every night was practically fully booked. Unless one


    made a prior reservation, otherwise it would be near impossible to get a room in the club.


    Some organization was throwing a party in section C, and they were shorthanded there. That was why


    Fleur had arranged for Charlotte and Olivia to head there that night.


    Meanwhile, in section A, the guests at the private room had ordered a lot of drinks. Charlotte was


    especially spirited to attend to therge order.


    She pushed carts after carts of expensive wine into the private room and crouched on the floor as she


    poured the drinks for the guests.


    Almost every businessman had a hostess in their arms as they drank and flirted with the girls on the


    sofa. It was apparent that they were having the time of their lives.


    One of the men was ogling Charlotte even though another hostess was right in his arms. He rubbed


    against Charlotte''s thighs with the tip of his toes and flirted, ¡°Hey pretty, you have a great body. Why


    don''t we enjoy a few drinks together?¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the offer, sir. But I don''t know how to drink.¡± Charlotte shifted herself to one side.


    ¡°How are you not able to drink when you''re working at Sultry Night?¡± The man smiled slyly and offered,


    ¡°What do you say to one thousand per drink, hmm?¡±


    ¡°Haha, you''re really the yer!¡±


    The other men burst outughing.


    ¡°She''s still too young, let us drink with you,¡± the other hostesses tried to get Charlotte out of the sticky


    situation.


    ¡°I don''t think she''s that young though,¡± The man was still eyeballing Charlotte in a lecherous manner.


    ¡°I''d even say that she''s well developed by just looking at one part of her.¡±


    Charlotte knitted her brows and stood right up to leave.


    The man stood up and dragged on Charlotte, ¡°Hey pretty, don''t get on my nerves!¡±


    ¡°Let me go!¡± Charlotte growled at him.


    Material ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°What about no?¡± The man shamelessly edged closer to her instead. ¡°You smell so good...¡±


    Disgusted by the man''s insolent manner, she tried to shrug him off. However, the man tightened his


    grip on her wrist, and she could not seem to free herself, no matter how hard she tried to.


    The door of the private room sprung open and a slender figure made its entrance.


    The man was displeased with the interruption and berated, ¡°Who the f-¡±


    He swallowed his words right back into his mouth. The obsidian deep-set gaze exuded a domineering


    vibe. His stern gaze was especially apparent under the dim lighting in the private room.


    The bodyguards behind the man exuded a formidable aura as well.


    Charlotte subconsciously turned around and stole a nce, her heart thumping wildly.


    Damn it, how did he know I''m here?

 Chapter 415

    Chapter 415


    Zachary narrowed his eyes at Charlotte''s wrist.


    ¡°Aren''t you going to let her go?¡± Ben bellowed at the guy, ¡°Are you tired of having your hands attached


    to your body?¡±


    The man hurriedly let go of Charlotte and retracted a few steps and slumped to the sofa behind. He


    asked in an apprehensive manner, ¡°Who- who are you guys?¡±


    The other men at the sofa were scared to their wits and dared not make a sound.


    ¡°Make him lose the hand that was gripping her wrist just now!¡±


    Zachary barked the orders before turning around to leave.


    Stumped, Charlotte froze on the ground, widening her eyes in disbelief at the turn of events. Before she


    could even figure out what just transpired, the sounds of the man wailing in pain filled the private room.


    As she traced the sounds of the man screaming in pain, she was greeted by the sight of Ben stepping


    the man''s hands against the wall. The crisp sounds of the man''s bones cracking rang in her ears.


    The man''s face grimaced with the excruciating pain. He tried hard to struggle himself free but to no


    avail.


    The other people in the private room paled at the sight as they retreated themselves to a corner, not


    daring to utter even a single word.


    The hostesses had never seen anything like it and shuddered in fear as they covered their eyes.


    ¡°You have a death wish!¡± Ben scowled at the man and retracted his foot.


    The man slumped to the floor and fainted from the agonizing pain.


    Charlotte was stumped and froze on the ground. Moments passed and she still could not regain her


    composure.


    ¡°What are you waiting for? Come right this way!¡± Ben said.


    Up until then, Ben was still not certain that the tacky woman standing before him was Charlotte Windt.


    Charlotte forced herself to snap out of her thoughts and trailed behind Ben.


    A sense of trepidation washed over her as they made their way over to Zachary''s private room. Has he


    recognized me? How is he going to punish me if he has recognized me?


    Before long, they had already reached Zachary''s private room. He was enjoying his drink quietly on the


    sofa. He looked calm andposed, his eyes downcast.


    Charlotte stood at the entrance as she did not dare to enter the room.


    ¡°This way, please,¡± Ben gestured for her to enter.


    She had no choice but to enter the private room, making her way to the center, and looked


    apprehensively at Zachary.


    However, Zachary paid no heed to her as he silently sipped on his drink.


    After he finished the drink in his hand, Zachary put down the drink in his hand, and finally parted his lips


    to order her, ¡°Go wash your hand.¡±


    Charlotte was stumped, but she relented and went over to the back and washed her hands.


    Ben, on the other hand, was bbergasted.


    Material ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I''m done,¡± Charlotte said in a small voice after she was done. She had no idea what Zachary was


    going to do next.


    ¡°Decant another bottle,¡± Zachary gestured at her with his chin.


    Charlotte crouched down and opened another bottle of red wine to decant it.


    All the while, Zachary had not once averted his gaze from her wrist.


    Charlotte was well aware of the reasons that he demanded her to wash hands. Firstly, he deemed her


    wrist dirty after some guy gripped it. Second of all, he was trying to identify her by spotting the wound


    on her hand.


    Despite feeling nervous, she was actually d that the wound on the back of her hand had actually


    healed and did not leave any scar behind.


    However, the scar on her palms from being scalded by the cigar was still clear and visible.


    As long as he did not turn over her hand to check, her palm was actually concealed from sight when


    decanting the wine.


    After she was done decanting, Charlotte poured a half a ss for him.


    Then, she stood up and retracted a few steps back, keeping quiet all the while as she kept her head


    low, waiting for his next instruction.


    She had not once lifted her head and looked him in the eyes.


    Charlotte was cool as a cucumber throughout the whole exchange.


    Zachary said nothing. He merely took the ss and sipped on the wine quietly.


    Meanwhile, Ben was furrowing his brows, perplexed at the sight before him.


    What is Mr. Nacht trying to do?


    Is this woman really Ms. Windt?


    It did not take Zachary long to finish his wine.


    Nonchntly, he said, ¡°You may leave now.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Charlotte was stumped yet again. So did he recognize me, or not?


    Why isn''t he exposing me if he has recognized me?


    Why would he waste all that effort to find me if he''s not even sure?


    And, why did he break the man''s hand then?


    ¡°Get lost!¡± Zachary snapped.


    Ben hurriedly gestured for her to leave, ¡°This way please!¡±


    Charlotte bowed to him and turned around to leave...


    When she reached the door, Ben took out a few stacks of cash and handed it over to her. ¡°Thank you


    for your hard work.¡±


    There should be about fifty thousand here. If Ben hasrger hands, I seriously think that he''ll give me


    more.

 Chapter 416

    Chapter 416


    Charlotte was thrilled for getting thevish tip. After getting off work, she treated Olivia and Kristi to


    supper.


    Kristi turned green with envy after knowing that Charlotte had received a huge tip.


    On the contrary, Olivia was ted over the good news. At the rate at which things were going, they


    would be able to save enough, and in turn, quit working at Sultry Night much sooner.


    Kristi, however, thought differently. She actually liked working at Sultry Night, iming that it was fast


    and easy money. The girl wanted to save up enough to buy a property at H City.


    Not only that, but she also hoped that she would somehow meet a rich guy while working at Sultry


    Night. She was dying to realize her goal of bing a rich man''s trophy wife.


    Olivia burst her bubble and told her that being a trophy wife was not all sunshine and rainbows.


    Charlotte, on the other hand, did not think there were any problems with Kristi''s aspirations.


    Afterward, Olivia and Charlotte then decided to go visit Olivia''s mother at two o''clock in the afternoon


    the next day. The trio then went their separate ways.


    Olivia and Kristi rented a house together. They would study in the morning and then work at Sultry


    Night at night. Even though it was tough, they knew they were working toward realizing their dreams.


    It was already five-thirty in the morning when Charlotte reached home. After taking a bath and


    changing into a fresh set of clothes, she prepared breakfast for her triplets and even penned a sticky


    note for them.


    Dear Robbie, Jamie, and Ellie,Mommy has been busy with worktely and hasn''t been spending much


    time with you guys. Mommy is so d that you guys have been behaving, and going to school every


    day with the nurses. I promise to spend more time with you guys after this.


    Love,


    Mommy


    Charlotte then dragged her tired body back to the room and fell into a deep slumber.


    She had only about five hours left to sleep since she agreed to meet Olivia at the City Hospital at one


    o''clock in the afternoon.


    The three nurses had already arrived to fetch the triplets when the trio was awake, and told them that


    Charlotte had actually prepared breakfast for them. They could enjoy the breakfast once they had


    washed up.


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    The triplets were thrilled since it had been a while since theyst had breakfast prepared by Charlotte.


    They were overjoyed to see the scrumptious breakfast and handwritten noteid out on the table.


    The triplet then tiptoed into their mother''s room and nted soft kisses on her cheeks. Then, they


    closed the door behind them and enjoyed their breakfast.


    Before leaving, Robbie left a sticky note on the table for Charlotte as well.


    To Mommy,We love you!


    Love, Robbie


    ¡°Robbie, don''t forget to include my name on the note too.¡± Ellie tiptoed to take a closer look at the


    sticky note.


    ¡°Me too, I love mommy too,¡± Jamie reminded Robbie as well, afraid that thetter might have missed


    out his name.


    ¡°Love mommy, love mommy!¡± Fifi parroted the triplets'' words back at them.


    ¡°Shh!¡± Ellie gestured to silent Fifi. She looked at the parrot with a stern face. ¡°Fifi, do not wake Mommy,


    okay?¡±


    Fifi then covered its beak with its wings, mirroring Ellie''s demeanor.


    The parrot had slept for many days after getting drunkst time. However, it had gotten especially


    chirpy ever since it had sobered up.


    ¡°I think it''s better that we bring Fifi to school,¡± Jamie said as he furrowed his brows. ¡°Otherwise, it''s


    going to wake mummy up.¡±


    ¡°Agreed.¡± Ellie raised her plump hands.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Robbie nodded his head and said to the nurse, ¡°Nurse, could you help me open the cage?¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡± The nurse then headed to the balcony to open Fifi''s cage.


    Fifi then pped its wings and perched on Robbie''s shoulders as it rubbed its furry head against his


    handsome little face, ¡°Robbie, Robbie!¡±


    ¡°Be quiet,¡± Robbie warned Fifi. ¡°I''m going to bring you to school today. You have to behave, alright?¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay,¡± Fifi chirped merrily, happy that it was finally getting the chance to go to the kindergarten


    together with the triplets.


    ¡°Fifi is so adorable!¡± The nurses beamed brightly as they saw the parrot''s lively demeanor. ¡°Let''s go to


    school now.¡±

 Chapter 417

    Chapter 417


    Charlotte woke up to the triplets'' handwritten note and felt a warm fuzzy feeling in her heart.


    It had been almost twenty days since she was fired from Divine Corporation. She could only have a


    quick dinner with her triplets as she had to head outte at night until the next morning for her work at


    Sultry Night.


    It was already middle of the night when she was back from home, rendering it impossible for her to talk


    to her children as they would be fast asleep.


    However, she was beyond d that her children understood her predicaments and behaved well.


    Nevertheless, Charlotte still felt guilty for not being around for her children. At that point, all she wanted


    to do was to earn enough money to pay for Mrs. Berry''s treatment. Then, she could go back to her


    normal life, and in turn, spend more time with her kids.


    Ring... The phone rang at that moment. It was Olivia checking in on her, asking if she had gotten out of


    the bed.


    Charlotte snapped out of her thoughts and rushed to get ready. She dashed for the door and made her


    way to the City Hospital to meet up with Olivia.


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    Thetter had been waiting at the entrance of the hospital when Charlotte arrived. The two of them


    headed toward the ward. On the way, Charlotte asked her friend about her mother''s condition, and


    Olivia started to recount her bitter past.


    ¡°When I was in middle school, my dad passed away. Mom became a janitor at apany in the city to


    support my studies.


    ¡°Her boss was a Good Samaritan. He knew about my mother''s condition and sponsored my studies


    right here in the city. My expenses and tuition fees for high school were paid for by her boss.


    ¡°The boss''spany had gotten into some trouble when I was in my final year of high school. The


    police had even gotten involved.


    ¡°One day, a mysterious person barged into thepany office looking for the boss. My mom thought


    that the man might harm the boss, and wanted to remind him. However, for some unknown reason, she


    fell from the building...


    ¡°She was lucky to fall on the balcony just one floor down, and survived. However, she had been in a


    coma ever since. It''s been four years...¡±


    Charlotte felt her chest tighten after listening to Olivia''s story. She led thetter to a rtively quiet


    ce and asked, ¡°Olivia, what''s the name of thepany that your mom worked at? What''s the boss''s


    name?¡±


    ¡°It''s Windt Corporation. The boss''s name was Richard Windt. You see, he had the same surname as


    you. That''s why I felt quite close to you after you told me your name the first time we met.¡±


    Stumped at the revtion, Charlotte was rendered speechless.


    ¡°What''s the matter, Charlotte?¡± Olivia was perplexed at her friend''s reaction.


    ¡°Fate really has a way to bring people together,¡± Charlotte felt a wave of emotions wash over her.


    ¡°Richard Windt is my father!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Olivia was stunned. ¡°I''ve heard my mom mention that Mr. Windt had a daughter. I just did not


    expect it to be you.¡±


    ¡°Did you know my dad passed away four years ago?¡± Charlotte''s eyes brimmed with tears. ¡°He jumped


    off a building.¡±


    ¡°I know, it was on the news.¡± Olivia''s eyes went red. ¡°My mom got into aa on 20th April while Mr.


    Windtmitted suicide on 21st April.¡±


    ¡°Did you mention that someone was trying to harm my father?¡± Charlotte asked anxiously.


    ¡°Yes. My mom called me at the time and said that a mysterious man had barged into thepany to


    look for your father. She thought that the man might try to harm him, and wanted to remind your father


    of the potential danger.


    ¡°I was so worried about her and told her to go look for the security guard to back her up. However, she


    did not even get to finish before the line went dead. I tried calling her multiple times but the call just


    would not get through. On the very same night, I''d gotten the news that she fell...¡±


    Tears began to stream down Olivia''s cheeks as she recounted the incident.


    ¡°My mom had already lost her consciousness when I rushed to the hospital. Mr. Windt was right outside


    the emergency room as well. I could see that he was so guilty about the whole incident. He left me his


    watch and left without saying a word.


    ¡°I really had no idea what he was trying to do, and I finally realized his intention the next day after I


    watched the news. I think the watch was the only valuable thing that he had left, and he gave it to me in


    hopes that I could use it for my mom''s treatment...¡±

 Chapter 418

    Chapter 418


    Tears trickled down Charlotte''s cheeks. Her father had been an altruistic soul his whole life and had


    helped countless people. It did not surprise Charlotte that people like Olivia''s mother would feel grateful


    to her father.


    ¡°Charlotte...¡± Olivia held her friend''s hands in her own and said gratefully, ¡°Mr. Windt was a good man.


    He kept my mom''s medical treatment fees in his mind even at the lowest points of his life.¡±


    ¡°Your mom had only gotten into aa trying to save my dad. It''s only right for us to bear the treatment


    costs,¡± Charlotte said in a contrite tone.


    ¡°I sold the watch that Mr. Windt left for a million. I had been depending on that for my mother''s medical


    treatment all these years. Well, actually, I shouldn''t have sold it, but I was still in high school, and mom


    did not have much savings, so...¡± Olivia was gued with guilt.


    ¡°I understand,¡± Charlotte said as she nodded her head. ¡°Olivia, your mom and you are both kind souls.¡±


    Olivia sighed aloud. ¡°It''s so unfair. Why do bad things happen to good people?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know right.¡± Charlotte sighed and continued asking, ¡°Right, did your mother mention who the


    mysterious man was? Anything about how the person looked like?¡±


    ¡°She did not mention anything on that,¡± Olivia shook her head. ¡°She sounded like she was in a rush.


    There was no time for her to go into the details, and she hung up on me before I could even answer


    her.¡±


    ¡°I see. Then, let''s go visit your mother first.¡±


    The two of them made their way toward Olivia''s mother''s ward.


    Her mothery on the hospital bed with a multitude of tubes attached to her body. Her body was frail


    and thin from being bedridden for so many years. Olivia''s mother was only in her mid-forties, but she


    looked way beyond her age.


    Olivia''s deft manners in wiping down her mother''s body, changing her clothes, and potty toilet were


    telltales of the hardships that the girl had endured through the years.


    Charlotte felt a lump in her throat watching her friend and was hit by a pang of guilt. Olivia''s mother


    would not have ended up like this if it weren''t for saving her father.


    It must have been difficult for Olivia to pull herself through all these years. I really want to help them


    both.


    With this thought in mind, Charlotte asked Olivia to take her to her mother''s doctor to find out more


    about her condition. Charlotte even asked for a copy of her mother''s medical records before giving


    Raina a call.


    She did not wish to trouble Raina. However, she felt that her effort was necessary to help out Olivia.


    Charlotte actually thought that Raina was a decent person. If she were to look the other way for Raina''s


    rtionship with Zachary, she actually thought Raina was someone she could befriend. Of course,


    Charlotte nned to bear all the costs of the treatment. She just needed someone professional to clear


    things up for her.


    It took a few rings before Raina finally picked up. ¡°Ms. Windt?¡±


    ¡°Dr. Langhan, I need your help. Is this a good time to talk?¡±


    ¡°Sure, fire away,¡± Raina remained polite toward Charlotte.


    ¡°I have a friend who has been in aa for four years here at City Hospital. She''s on a treatment n


    but her condition has worsened recently. I know that you''re a great doctor, and I''d like your two cents


    on this.¡±


    ¡°Do you have her medical records? Let me know the patient''s name and details and I''ll ask my people


    to find out more.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but it''s on paper. When will be convenient for you? What if I meet you and hand this over to you in


    person?¡±


    Charlotte did not wish to disclose too much of Olivia''s mother''s information to Raina, lest that the


    incident back then had anything to do with the Nacht family. A background search on Olivia''s mother


    would have exposed everything.


    Hence, Charlotte nned to just let Raina check the hard copy of the medical records without having


    an inkling to the identity of the patient. In that case, Raina would not be able to dig further down the


    hole.


    ¡°I''ll be at the hospital tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°Great, then I''ll see you there tomorrow morning.¡±


    After hanging up the call, Charlotte turned tofort Olivia, ¡°My friend is a really great doctor. Perhaps


    she will have some insights into this. Don''t worry, okay?¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Charlotte.¡± Olivia was beyond grateful.


    ¡°Well, that''s what friends are for. Don''t sweat on it.¡± Charlotte tapped on her shoulders and said, ¡°I''ll try


    my best to help you.¡±


    Material ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Thank you...¡± Olivia was moved to tears and hugged her friend.


    ¡°Silly, don''t cry. We''d better go eat something and prepare for work.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±

 Chapter 419

    Chapter 419


    Ever since Olivia found out that Charlotte was actually the daughter of her benefactor, she was ever


    more friendly toward thetter.


    Charlotte, on the other hand, took extra care of Olivia because of her mother''s condition.


    The two of them went into work at Sultry Night when the night fell. Olivia brought Charlotte to section C


    to take orders.


    A promoter rushed to their side. ¡°Olivia, the customer over at C28 demanded for 118 and your service.¡±


    Charlotte lowered her head to check out her number. She was 118. All promoters here wore face


    masks, and they were only identifiable by the number tags on their chest.


    ¡°Who is it?¡± Olivia was curious.


    ¡°I think he''s your regr,¡± the promoter grinned. ¡°Those fes seem quite loaded. They ordered a few


    expensive bottles as soon as they came. I wanted to take more orders for them but they demanded you


    guys instead.¡±


    ¡°Sure, I''ll get there as soon as possible.¡±


    Olivia dragged Charlotte there as soon as she heard that the customer was loaded.


    ¡°Promoters have regrs too?¡± Charlotte found the idea somewhat amusing since they would not even


    reveal their face to the customers.


    ¡°I don''t think so. Only hostesses have regrs since promoters always move around from section to


    section,¡± Olivia replied nonchntly.


    ¡°Then, why is the customer asking for us?¡± Charlotte tugged on her friend. ¡°Something''s wrong here!¡±


    ¡°I think it''s going to be alright. Peter has ramped up the security around here and given us all a walkie-


    talkie each. We can just call the security if anything happens and they''ll be here in a heartbeat.¡±


    Olivia only had money on her mind right then as she paced briskly toward C28.


    Charlotte was afraid of her friend getting into trouble and could only trail behind her.


    ¡°Good evening, sir!¡± Olivia greeted the men enthusiastically. ¡°How can I help-¡±


    She went silent at the sight of the man sitting on the sofa. It was the man who had appeared when she


    was together with Jackson back then, Marshall Brady.


    He brought along six bodyguards today.


    ¡°Well, well. We meet again,¡± Mr. Brady was puffing on a cigar as he held a wine ss in his hand. The


    man insolently said, ¡°You guys got luckyst time. I''m afraid it won''t be the case this time!¡±


    A bodyguard pushed her and Charlotte toward him right then.


    Olivia staggered and nearly fell to the floor, but Charlotte steadied her in the nick of time.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Charlotte red at the man before her.


    ¡°I want to f*ck you, of course.¡± Mr. Brady''s lips curled into a lecherous smile. ¡°Name your price. I''ll


    consider being your sugar daddy, provided that I''m satisfied with your performance tonight.¡±


    ¡°You are disgusting!¡± Repulsed with the man''s lewd remarks, Charlotte red at the man as she


    attempted to leave the room with Olivia.


    However, a bodyguard locked the door behind them as another bodyguard snatched the walkie-talkie


    away from Olivia.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Charlotte stood before Olivia, trying to protect her friend.


    ¡°Don''t try to stir anything up here. We have security patrolling.¡± Olivia''s voice was shaky from the fear.


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    ¡°It seems like you guys have forgotten that the soundproofing system here is excellent. Even if I decide


    to f*ck your friend here, people outside will not even hear a sound.¡±


    Then, Mr. Brady broke into a profligateugh as he spread his legs and pointed at hisher regions at


    Charlotte.


    ¡°I''ll let you go if you can satisfy me. Otherwise, hehe...¡±


    ¡°Shameless!¡± Charlotte gritted through her teeth.


    ¡°Shameless is my middle name, b*tch.¡± Mr. Brady then gave his bodyguards a look.


    His bodyguards then proceeded to pull Charlotte''s hair and dragged her to Mr. Brady''s side.


    ¡°Let me take a good look at that face.¡± Mr. Brady then pinned her head against the sofa and took off her


    mask. His eyes glinted at the sight of her face. ¡°Ms. ckwood did not lie to me! You''re really an


    alluring little minx!¡±


    Then, he started to tear off Charlotte''s clothes right in front of everyone.


    ¡°Let me go!¡± Charlotte struggled to free herself but to no avail.


    ¡°Let her go...¡± Olivia wanted to dash over and help her friend but she was held down by the


    bodyguards. She shrieked in despair, ¡°You animals will burn in hell!¡±


    p! A bodyguard pped Olivia right across her face.


    She slumped to the floor as blood seeped from the corners of her mouth.


    Meanwhile, Charlotte''s dress had been torn apart like rags.

 Chapter 420

    Chapter 420


    Mr. Brady was already taking off his pants, desperate to possess Charlotte as soon as possible. With a


    sickening chuckle, he said, ¡°I heard that you used to be Mr. Nacht''s woman? Hahaha! I can''t wait to get


    a taste of you...¡±


    Right at the very moment, the private room''s room was busted open and a righteous-sounding voice


    rang,¡± Stop!¡±


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    A few bodyguards dashed into the private room and saved Charlotte.


    Lifting her head, Charlotte noticed that it was Jackson.


    ¡°Brady, you''re a bas*ard!¡± Jackson pointed at Mr. Brady and gritted through his teeth, ¡°How could you


    do something like that?¡±


    ¡°Mr. White, why are you always taking this woman''s side? What kind of rtionship do you have with


    this woman?¡± Mr. Brady was pissed off.


    ¡°You really have a death wish. Did you know to whom she belonged?¡±


    The private room''s room door was kicked down once again after he was done talking.


    A slender figure dashed into the room, and the man looked like he was Lucifer as he exuded a cold and


    domineering vibe.


    Charlotte hurriedly turned her head to one side as she fumbled for her mask. She did not wish for


    Zachary to see her in such a disheveled manner.


    However, it was toote. Zachary had already seen it all; her broken dress, and the exposed skin. His


    eyes burned with seething fury.


    ¡°Bas*ard, you really have a death wish!¡± Ben dashed over and seized the scoundrel by his throat as he


    berated, ¡°How dare youy a finger on Mr. Nacht''s woman?¡±


    ¡°I... I had no idea...¡± Mr. Brady fumbled to exin himself. ¡°I didn''t know...¡±


    ¡°As if!¡± Jackson bellowed at the man, ¡°I''ve told you before. She''s Mr. Nacht''s woman and told you not to


    get any ideas about her, but it seems like you paid no heed to my warnings.¡±


    ¡°Damn you, Jackson White!¡± Mr. Brady was boiling with fury at that point. ¡°When have I ever stepped


    on your tail? Why are you throwing stones at me now?¡±


    Then, the man turned and exined to Zachary, ¡°Mr. Nacht, I only came here because of Ms.


    ckwood. She said that she would consider coborating with me if I rape this woman.¡±


    Zachary removed his coat and draped it over Charlotte and ordered with an icy cold tone, ¡°Get out of


    here first.¡±


    She clutched onto the coat like it was a life-saving straw and staggered over to Olivia''s side. The duo


    then hurried out of the room.


    As soon as they stepped out of the room, wails of pain could be hearding out of the private room.


    Olivia shuddered to hear themotion as her legs went jelly and almost slumping to the floor.


    Charlotte steadied her friend right then.


    ¡°Who are those people?¡± Olivia steadied herself against the wall as she shivered uncontrobly.


    ¡°They''re not good souls, that''s for sure.¡± Charlotte steadied her friend as they walked. ¡°Let''s go look for


    Peter. You need to go to the hospital since you''re injured.¡±


    ¡°I''m alright. I could just soothe my cheeks with some ice.¡± Olivia then turned to her friend. ¡°I''m the one


    who is supposed to ask you this. Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°I''m okay...¡± Charlotte was gued by guilt as she eyed her friend''s swollen face. ¡°I dragged you into


    this mess.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry about it. We are besties, and you definitely did not get me into any trouble.¡± Olivia still


    shuddered from apprehension, ¡°By the way, who is that Mr. Nacht? Is he your boyfriend? Why do they


    keep saying that he''s your boyfriend?¡±


    ¡°It''s a long story...¡±


    Before she could finish, Peter had already rushed to their sides with his people behind him, ¡°Are the


    two of you alright?¡±


    ¡°Peter!¡± Olivia rushed over and tugged on the man. ¡°It was so scary just now. Someone tried to rape


    Charlotte, and then...¡±


    ¡°Is Mr. Nacht here?¡± Peter interrupted Olivia and turned to ask Charlotte instead.


    ¡°Yes.¡± She nodded.


    ¡°My goodness, I''m going to be in so much trouble this time.¡± Peter pped himself across his face


    exasperatedly. ¡°I thought you guys had broken things off for real... Damn it. I shouldn''t have let you stay


    last time.¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry. I''ll rify things with him and tell him not to put you in a difficult position,¡± Charlotte hurriedly


    said.


    ¡°You''re already caught between a rock and a hard ce. Are you sure you can still plead for others?¡±


    A cold voice rang from a distance, sending waves of chill air into the hallway, and it seemed like they


    were in hell...

 Chapter 421

    Chapter 421


    Charlotte trembled as she stole a nce at Zachary apprehensively.


    Zachary narrowed his eyes at her as he made his way to her slowly.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, I thought...¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Zachary snapped before Peter could finish. ¡°You thought I didn''t want her anymore, so you let


    her serve other men here?¡±


    ¡°No, that''s not what I meant...¡±


    Zachary was already grabbing Peter by his neck before thetter could exin further.


    The force he exerted almost crushed his windpipes.


    Peter widened his mouth as he rolled his eyes back, veins popping on his forehead. He reached out as


    an attempt to free himself but to no avail. His hands slumped to his side.


    ¡°No...¡± Olivia lurched forward. ¡°Let him go!¡±


    Zachary''s bodyguard stopped her in her tracks. She did not even get close to his side.


    ¡°This has nothing to do with him. Please let him go,¡± Charlotte pleaded.


    Her pleas fell on deaf ears as Zachary tightened his grip. It seemed as if he wanted to take Peter''s life


    right then and there.


    ¡°Zachary Nacht!¡± Charlotte could not hold it in any longer and growl at him. ¡°You''re the one who got


    engaged with someone else, and you''re the one who fired me. Who are you to act like you''re the


    saint?¡±


    It worked like a charm.


    Zachary slowly loosened his grip and turned around to gauge the woman with an icy cold gaze. ¡°What


    did you say?¡±


    ¡°I...¡± Charlotte widened her mouth and said nothing further. She was just trying to divert his attention.


    There was no way she was truly putting the me on him.


    ¡°Charlotte Windt!¡± Zachary enunciated her name and grabbed her by the back of her head, edging her


    close to himself as he red at the woman. ¡°You really pissed me off this time!¡±


    Then, he proceeded to drag the woman by her hair, making his way to his private room.


    ¡°What are you doing? Let her go.¡± Olivia wanted to stop the man but was blocked by Ben. ¡°Don''t worry,


    miss. It''s just lover''s spat.¡±


    ¡°How can a lover''s spat be this violent?¡± Olivia could not bring herself to believe what Ben was saying.


    ¡°You guys can''t do this. Let her go or I''ll call the police.¡±


    ¡°Why would we bother to save her if she''s not my boss'' lover?¡± Ben exined patiently to her. ¡°Lady,


    our time is much too precious to waste.¡±


    ¡°But...¡± Before Olivia wanted to say anything, she was stopped by Peter.


    He was soothing his neck with one hand, and clutching Olivia''s hand with the other. In a croaky voice,


    he said, ¡°Mr. Nacht is Charlotte''s boyfriend.¡±


    Olivia had only stopped going after her friend after listening to Peter. She turned around and noticed


    that Charlotte had already been dragged inside the private room by the formidable man.


    ¡°Ah, it hurts...¡±


    Charlotte felt as if her scalp was going to be torn off her head. She reached out to grab Zachary''s arm,


    struggling to break free.


    The man threw her on the sofa. He took a bottle of wine from the coffee table and started to pour it on


    the woman''s face.


    ¡°Ugh...¡± Charlotte shook her head furiously, trying dodge the wine from dribbling on her face. However,


    Zachary pinched her by the cheeks, essentially pinning her down and immobilized her.


    It did not take long to finish the entire bottle.


    Charlotte coughed repeatedly, choking from the wine pouring down on her face. Her face went red from


    suffocation.


    Zachary hurled the bottle and distanced himself from the woman. He lit a cigarette and took a puff, all


    the while regarding the woman with an impassive face.


    A fire was burning in his chest but he had no idea how to vent it all.


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    He would go all out to save her every time she was in danger.


    When he knew that she had actually given birth to a set of triplets for another man, he burned with fury


    and jealousy, but still he could not bring himself to reprimand her.


    He had even thrown his dignity out the window when he absolved her of any me; getting into an


    argument with his grandfather, which resulted in him getting pped across the face.


    It was his first time getting struck by anyone, ever.


    And yet this woman has the audacity to say that I''m acting like a saint?


    With the thoughts running wild in his head, Zachary even had the intention of choking the woman to her


    death...


    He tossed his cigar away and pounced on the girl like a beast, tearing off her clothes.


    ¡°No, let me go...¡± Charlotte struggled to break free but to no avail.


    Soon, the only piece left was her white bra.


    However, leaving her almost naked could not seem to pacify the man. Still boiling with fury, the man


    pinched the woman''s cheeks and gouged out her contact lens...

 Chapter 422

    Chapter 422


    Charlotte was whimpering in pain over her eyes. She scratched on Zachary''s arms hard, leaving


    bloodied lines all over.


    However, the man seemed unfazed by the pain as she scratched on. He wiped off the lipstick on her


    lips and gritted through his teeth, ¡°Look at yourself right now! You look like a whore!¡±


    ¡°What does it have to do with you? Let me go...¡±


    Charlotte wrestled the man furiously.


    However, the man opened another bottle of wine and poured it all over her face and body.


    It seemed like he was trying to cleanse her sins off of her.


    Charlotte finally fell silent when the man poured another bottle of wine over her. She slumped against


    the sofa, shifting uneasily from the heat, and panted lightly.


    Her chest heaved up and down from the panting as she tried to catch her breath. The woman''s


    porcin-fair skin was entuated by the ruby red liquid and the dim lighting, alluring and inviting.


    Zachary''s eyes burned with lust, but he did noty a finger on her. He took off his coat and wrapped it


    around her half-naked body. Then, he carried her and exited the private room.


    The woman leaned her head against his chest silently, drained from her previous attempt to free


    herself.


    Zachary carried her all the way to his car and drove away.


    His bodyguards knew better than to trail behind their boss.


    Sultry Night was only a stone''s throw away from Storm Hotel. They reached there in just a few minutes.


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    As usual, Zachary parked his car at the back of the hotel. The manager was already waiting to greet his


    guests.


    He carried Charlotte upstairs and dumped her into a tub full of water.


    Then, he turned around and headed to another bathroom to take a shower. However, he rushed back


    to the tub when he noticed sounds of water sshing.


    He was greeted by the sight of Charlotte struggling in the bathtub as if she was about to drown.


    ¡°Idiot!¡±


    Zachary was rendered speechless. I guess she will be breaking a world record as the first person who


    drowns herself in a bathtub.


    However, he knew that the woman was drunk beyond her wits because of him. At that point, there was


    no way she could take care of herself.


    He had no other choice but to bathe the woman himself.


    The man removed thest piece of clothing still on the woman and cleaned her meticulously.


    Her skin was velvety smooth and a pleasure to behold. However, there were a few scratches here and


    there from her struggles earlier.


    His Adam''s apple bobbed up and down from the enticing sensation. Despite the burning lust in his


    eyes, Zachary tried his best to hold the beast in himself in.


    He had wanted to wash her hair but realized that it was not an easy endeavor. After fumbling with it for


    some time, he still had no idea where to start. Besides, it did not help when her hair was circling her


    neck, almost strangling her.


    On top of the woman drifting in and out of consciousness, he had to steady her shoulders with his one


    hand, lest she fell into the tub and choked on the water.


    Damn it, I never knew bathing a woman would be such an arduous task.


    Zachary proceeded to struggle for another one hour before he was finally done.


    He scooped her out of the tub and wrapped a towel around her body. Then, he ced her on the sofa


    and blow-dried the woman''s hair.


    Shey motionlessly against the sofa. Her cheeks pink from being intoxicated as she mumbled,


    ¡°Thirsty... water...¡±


    Zachary took a bottle of water and fed the woman.


    She grabbed onto the bottle of water like a lost traveler in the desert who had found an oasis. It did not


    take her long to finish the whole bottle.


    Then, he continued to dry her hair as he ran his fingers through the strands. He raised a brow at the


    sight before him. Why do women have so much hair, and why are they so long? It''s such a hassle to


    wash and dry their hair.


    After what seemed like an eternity, her hair was finally dry. He kept the hairdryer and turned around to


    make way to the bathroom.


    His clothes were soiled by the woman, and he had been dying to get out of it. Well, thanks to that


    woman, I''m only able to take these off now.


    Yet another first, Ms. Windt. Zachary had never taken care of another soul his whole life. It seemed as


    if the woman had been defying every single one of his rules.


    Thud! A sound could be heard outside.


    Zachary dashed out of the bathroom to have a look. It was Charlotte. The woman had fallen off the


    sofa.


    He furrowed his brows at the frustrating woman, and decided to just let her be as he continued to take


    a shower.

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    Chapter 423


    Just when he was taking a bath, a silhouette made its way into the bathroom. It seemed like it was


    looking for some water to drink...


    Zachary turned around and the woman bumped right into him. She lifted her head, opened her mouth,


    and just drank the water that came trickling down.


    Like a person lost in a desert, she was looking for just any water to quench her thirst.


    Charlotte was already wet all over from the water. Her skin was smooth as a pearl.


    Zachary was dumbstruck at the sight of her sultry gaze and the way she smacked her lips. This alluring


    little minx can really do things to me.


    He could feel the beast within him struggling to break free. Zachary could not hold it any longer as he


    circled her into his embrace as he kissed her forcefully.


    ¡°Mmm...¡±


    Charlotte let out a soft moan like a helpless kitten. Her weak body trembled in the man''s embrace but


    she made no attempts to resist his touch.


    Charlotte''s body seemed to have ustomed to the man''s touch.


    He kissed her fervently all over as she moaned begrudgingly. The man could no longer hold it in as he


    imed the woman.


    She circled her hands tightly around the man''s neck as she shuddered and wept.


    Perhaps Zachary had been holding it in for too long, he went all out on Charlotte mercilessly as he


    ravaged her over and over again.


    From the bathroom to the sofa and finally on the bed. Her pleas fell on deaf ears.


    He had only stopped at the break of dawn. Zachary hugged her onto the bed as he circled the woman


    in his arms and fell into a deep slumber.


    Charlotte was tuckered out from the rendezvous. She edged herself closer to the man and fell asleep


    listening to his steady heartbeat.


    Zachary''s coat was strewn across the carpet. His phone inside the coat buzzed repeatedly and woke


    him up. He narrowed his eyes at the buzzing distraction. Edging Charlotte closer to himself, the man


    fell asleep again.


    ¡°Water...¡± Charlotte was mumbling. She had too much to drink, and hence was yearning for water to


    quench her thirst.


    Zachary turned to a side and reached out to fetch a water bottle for her.


    She leaned against his chest and chugged the bottle of water.


    The woman seemed like a baby on her milk bottle, and Zachary could not help but find her adorable.


    The man''s lips curled into a smile as he observed the woman intently without a word.


    Charlotte burped aloud and handed the bottle back to him.


    He threw the bottle onto the floor, turned around, and pinned her beneath his body.


    ¡°Again?¡± Charlotte knitted her brows helplessly. ¡°I''m dog-tired.¡±


    ¡°I''ll be gentler this time...¡±


    Zachary nted a kiss on her lips, reeling in thest drop of water on her lips. Then, he pulled the


    nket over their heads and pinned her down, iming her once again.


    Charlotte cupped his face as she watched the man lost himself in passion.


    She noticed the yearning and obsession in his eyes, and noticed herself in his gaze...


    I... like this.


    As he climaxed, Zachary bit her earlobes and grunted her name, ¡°Charlotte...¡±


    She hugged him tight and closed her eyes as she moaned, ¡°Yes...¡±


    ¡°Do you love me?¡± Zachary blurted out.


    Stumped, Charlotte widened her eyes in disbelief as she zoned out at the ceiling. She was at a loss for


    words.


    The man''s face fell at theck of a response. He felt a rock weighing down on his chest and a sense of


    remorse washed over him. I shouldn''t have asked such a stupid question.


    He wished he could retract his words right then.


    Feigning indifference, he removed himself from her and got off the bed.


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    Looking at his back, Charlotte asked abruptly, ¡°Zachary, have you... fallen in love with me?¡±


    She felt it this time. For real.


    There was no mistaking it. The passionate yet loving gestures when they were making love; the way he


    stared into her eyes; the way he would be roused even at her slightest movements; the way he hugged


    her tight throughout the night; the way he patted her on the back ever so gently, and the way he


    nted kisses on her forehead...


    These... are what people do when they''re in love.

 Chapter 424

    Chapter 424


    Zachary had his back against her and did not answer her question. He froze for a few seconds before


    getting up and heading to the bathroom.


    Charlotte pouted at theck of response. She slumped back onto her pillow and continued to sleep.


    She waspletely depleted of her energy. The soreness in her body made her feel as if she was


    about to break apart.


    Charlotte had lost count of the times they made lovest night. She wanted to just stay in bed right


    then.


    Zachary finally came out of the shower. His lower body was still wrapped in a towel as he dried his hair


    with another one. Picking up his phone from the floor, he noticed three missed calls from Sharon.


    There were a couple of texts from Ben as well. He did not even look at the texts before casting his


    phone aside.


    He averted his gaze to the woman deep in her slumber on the bed and was furious at the sight.


    She couldn''t even answer me properly when I asked her whether she loved me or not.


    And yet she''s sleeping so well right now?


    Zachary walked over to the bed and removed the nket. Then, he pped Charlotte''s butt, hard.


    ¡°Ouch!¡± Charlotte let out a shriek. She turned around looked indignantly at the man. ¡°What are you


    doing?¡±


    ¡°You are one heartless woman,¡± Zachary pinched her cheeks.


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    ¡°I''m a tired woman...¡± She pushed his hands away and hugged her pillow. ¡°I need some more sleep.¡±


    ¡°No more sleeping!¡± Zachary retracted her pillow, grabbed her arms, and put it over her head. In a


    domineering manner, he ordered, ¡°You are not allowed to work at Sultry Night anymore. Do you


    understand?¡±


    ¡°Hey man, I gotta make a living...¡± Charlotte narrowed her eyes wearily. ¡°I can''t find a job outside, and I


    need to bear Mrs. Berry''s treatment costs. Plus, I have three kids to feed, remember?¡±


    ¡°Didn''t I give you two million already?¡± Zachary demanded. ¡°Have you spent it all already?¡±


    ¡°I spent it...¡± Charlotte bit her tongue right before she was going to blurt it all out. ¡°All. Yes, I spent it all.¡±


    ¡°Why didn''t youe and look for me then?¡± Zachary grasped her chin, forcing her to look him right in


    his eyes. ¡°Twenty-one days. Miss, you went twenty-one days without a text or call. Is your phone for


    show or what?¡±


    ¡°News sh, mister. I have dignity,¡± Charlotte pursed her lips in a displeased manner. ¡°Plus, you''re


    going to be engaged to another woman soon. And don''t forget the fact that you''re the one who chased


    me away. I cannot bear to shamelessly go looking for you, alright?¡±


    ¡°Are you jealous? Hmm?¡± Zachary paid no heed to her exnation and tried hard to search for even a


    flicker of evidence that the woman actually reciprocated his feelings.


    ¡°This has nothing to do with me being jealous. We are talking about my dignity here.¡±


    Zachary felt bitterness creeping up within himself at her answer. He pushed her away and turned


    around to put on his clothes.


    ¡°Are you leaving already?¡± Charlotte was at a loss yet again. She did not understand how she had


    offended the man and felt helpless.


    The man continued to button his shirt slowly, paying no heed to her.


    ¡°Alright, I''d better get up too then.¡±


    Charlotte got up from the bed and hunted for some clothes in the wardrobe as usual. There was an


    array of clothes fit for her, and a couple of fresh innerwear as well.


    Nonchntly, she picked out a set and changed into it. Then, she searched high and low for her phone.


    ¡°Have you seen my phone?¡±


    Still, Zachary did not care to respond.


    Charlotte was starting to get exasperated and searched the bathroom. In the end, she found her phone


    beside the bathtub.


    Her phone was soaking wet. Luckily though, her phone was water-resistant. She wiped her phone try


    and unlocked it. There were a few missed calls. Two were from Olivia while a couple more were from


    her triplets.


    After looking at the time, she realized that it was already eleven in the morning. She promised that she


    would spend the weekend with her children.


    Charlotte hurriedly washed up. As she was putting her shoes on, she said to Zachary, ¡°I have to leave


    now for some family stuff.¡±


    ¡°Let me send you home,¡± Zachary said as he put on his coat.


    ¡°Um.. I think it''s fine.¡± Charlotte was about to decline the man''s offer when he had his hands on the


    back of her head, pushing her out of the room.


    ¡°Could you be gentler?¡± Charlotteined in a low voice.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Zachary wrapped his arms around her shoulders and into his embrace. Their height


    difference made them a cute couple.

 Chapter 425

    Chapter 425


    Charlotte lost the will to struggle herself free. She snuggled in his embrace.


    The cold made her circled her arms around his waist as she buried her face in his chest. She closed


    her eyes and let him bring her wherever they were headed.


    Their intimate demeanor resembled an adorable couple and would warm the hearts of any onlooker.


    A pair of mother-daughter duo entered the elevator. The little girl looked about four or five. Innocently,


    she pointed at Charlotte and asked her mother in a low voice, ¡°Mommy, why is that woman sleeping


    while standing?¡±


    ¡°She''s too tired, sweetie.¡± The mother crouched down and told her daughter, ¡°Let''s be quiet so that we


    don''t disturb her.¡±


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    ¡°I thought only kids could fall asleep while being hugged. So big sisters could do it too,¡± the little girl


    commented naively.


    The mother could not help but chuckle at her daughter''s innocent remarks. She cast an envious look at


    the cute couple and smiled. ¡°That big brother protects her like she''s a little kid. That''s why.¡±


    Charlotte subconsciously lifted her head and met Zachary''s gaze. She noticed the loving look in his


    eyes.


    Moved by his affectionate look, she tiptoed and gave him a kiss on the lips.


    His body stiffened for a moment as he looked at her with a nk expression. Then, his lips slowly


    curled into an enticing smile.


    This is the first time she''s hugging and kissing me in the public.


    And she''s not doing it because she''s forced to. It''s because she can''t hold it in...


    That was the reason he was smitten with the woman.


    Ding! The elevator''s door sprung open, and the mother-daughter duo left.


    Zachary pressed her head against his chest and carried her out of the elevator.


    ¡°Let me down. People are watching!¡± Charlotte was hot from embarrassment.


    ¡°I carried you upstairs like this too yesterday, and I recalled that there was no objection.¡±


    Zachary carried her all the way to his car and ced her in the passenger seat. Then, he walked over


    to the other side and climbed into the driver''s seat.


    Just after he started the car, Charlotte''s phone rang. She hurriedly answered the call, ¡°Hello, Robbie?


    Mommy will be back soon, say about half an hour.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry, Mommy. You''re just too tired from overtime work and slept at your friend''s ce.¡±


    ¡°Mommy is not canceling our ns today. I''ll get home and make lunch for you guys. Then, we''ll head


    to the hospital and visit Mrs. Berry together. Be good, and wait for mommy at home.¡±


    After hanging up the phone, she cast a meek look at Zachary. She was afraid that the man might throw


    tantrums like he used to, especially since he thought the triplets'' father was Michael.


    He would imagine her body getting intertwined with Michael whenever thetter''s name came up, and


    in turn getting all worked up...


    However, things seemed different this time. Not only did he not get angry, but he asked rather calmly,


    ¡°Don''t you have nurses taking care of them? I can arrange for nannies if they''re still shorthanded.¡±


    ¡°No, no. It''s more than enough,¡± she hurriedly added. ¡°It''s just that the kids love my cooking. Besides,


    I''ve promised to make them lunch today.¡±


    ¡°I''ve never had a taste of your cooking,¡± Zachary raised his brow in a displeased manner.


    ¡°I will be sure to cook for you in the future,¡± she said with a sweet smile. ¡°Although I''m not sure if you''ll


    enjoy my cooking since you''re already used to having gourmet meals.¡±


    ¡°Well, I''ll give it a try.¡± Zachary nced at his buzzing phone. However, he had no intention of picking it


    up.


    ¡°Why aren''t you picking it up...¡±


    She swallowed her words at the sight of the caller ID. It was Sharon ckwood.


    The flickering name on the screen reminded her of a painful fact. Sharon was now his fianc¨¦e. Who am


    I then, exactly?


    The warm atmosphere turned cold.


    Charlotte lowered her head, saying nothing.


    ¡°I want to see you tonight.¡± Zachary did not notice the change in her demeanor. Instead, he ordered, ¡°I


    will pick you up at ten tonight.¡±


    ¡°Why? So that you can f*ck me?¡± Charlotte asked icily. ¡°What are we, exactly? Am I your secret lover?


    Your mistress?¡±

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    Chapter 426


    ¡°What the hell is wrong with you?¡± Zachary furrowed his brows at her.


    Charlotte said nothing as she nced at his phone.


    He traced her gaze, and noticed that his phone was still buzzing and the shing caller ID screen. He


    hung up the call and turned his phone off.


    Still, Charlotte said nothing as she kept her head low.


    He did not seem like he had the intention of exining things to her and kept driving.


    The car reached the Happy Avenue residential estate in no time.


    Charlotte removed her seatbelt to get off the car. Zachary reminded her again, ¡°Ten o''clock tonight.¡±


    She was burning with fury but she tried her best to hold it in. ¡°Noted.¡±


    Then, she rushed back home.


    Zachary sat in the car, watching her silhouette getting further and further away from him. Suddenly, a


    sense of crisis washed over the man. I... am getting more and more smitten with this woman.


    Charlotte rushed back home. The nurses were keeping her tripletspany as they yed. Ellie


    dashed in her mother''s direction when she noticed thettering home.


    She squatted down and greeted Ellie with a warm hug.


    ¡°Mommy, you''re finally back.¡± Ellie circled her small arms around her mother''s neck and pouted.


    Sobbing, she said, ¡°We thought you don''t want us anymore.¡±


    ¡°Don''t be silly,¡± Charlotte hurriedly exined herself. ¡°Sorry, no more next time.¡±


    ¡°Mommy''s had a hard day,¡± Ellie held back her tears and massaged Charlotte''s shoulders. ¡°Let me give


    you a massage.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Ellie.¡± Charlotte nted a kiss on her cheeks.


    ¡°Mommy, did that bad boss bully you again?¡± Jamie clenched his fist and asked angrily, ¡°I will beat him


    up if he bullies you again.¡±


    ¡°No, he did not bully me.¡±


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    Charlotte shook her head, afraid that the triplets might misunderstand Zachary further. This would


    make things awkward when they meet each other in the future.


    ¡°Okay, as long as you''re fine.¡± Robbie scanned her mother and made sure that she was fine. The boy


    finally heaved a sigh of relief after confirming.


    ¡°Ms. Windt, we wanted to make lunch but the triplets insisted to wait for you toe back. We''ve


    prepared all the ingredients. Do you think these will do?¡±


    Two nurses came out of the kitchen.


    ¡°Thank you for helping out.¡± Charlotte carried Ellie and headed to the living room, and gave Robbie and


    Jamie a hug. ¡°You guys must be hungry. I will go make lunch right now.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, mommy...¡±


    She noticed that the nurses had already prepared all the necessary ingredients. There were only a few


    finishing touches.


    Charlotte thanked the nurses and started cooking.


    It did not take her long to finish preparing a scrumptious meal. ¡°Robbie, Jamie, Ellie, time for lunch.¡±


    ¡°Mommy, you have to eat too.¡±


    ¡°I still need to work on the lentil soup so that we can take it for Mrs. Berry.¡±


    ¡°Right, Robbie and Ellie, please feed Fifi too. We''re going to bring it over to visit Mrs. Berryter. She


    said it''s been too long since shest saw Fifi.¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡±


    Robbie held Ellie''s hand as they headed over to the balcony. They stood on a small stool so that they


    could reach Fifi and feed it.


    Ellie patted its wings gently and said, ¡°Fifi, you have to be good. We''re bringing you to visit Mrs. Berry


    later.¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Berry! Mrs. Berry!¡± The parrot pped its wings and chanted animatedly.


    As she was working on her soup, Charlotte was actually checking on her bank ount on her phone.


    She bagged tens of thousands working at Sultry Night these few days. Fifty thousand for the hospital


    feesst time and another fifty thousand today still would not be enough to cover it all...


    It was impossible for her to head back to Sultry Night after the ruckus yesterday. Zachary would have


    arranged for people to watch her back.


    It seemed like the only way out was for her to contact the financial advisor from S Nation so that she


    could withdraw an amount for emergency use.

 Chapter 427

    Chapter 427


    Charlotte threw the thought to the back of her mind, deciding that she would deal with it after she came


    home tonight. Now her focus would be on the lentil soup and apanying her children for a


    scrumptious meal.


    After lunch, Charlotte took the soup and her children to the Kindness Hospital to visit Mrs. Berry.


    In order to prevent the nurses from finding out about her rtionship with Zachary, she gave the three


    nurses half-day off. She excused their absence by saying that Mrs. Berry needed quiet rest and that it


    would be inconvenient for too many people to be present in the ward.


    The nurses were worried about her handling all three children alone. However, they could do nothing


    since Charlotte was adamant that she could handle it alone.


    Charlotte called for a cab and took her children and Fifi to the hospital.


    She texted Olivia on the way and reassured her friend that she was doing fine and told her friend to quit


    worrying about her.


    However, Olivia still felt the need to call and confirm. ¡°Charlotte, what happenedst night really scared


    the wits out of me. Are you really alright?¡±


    ¡°I''m really fine. I''m now heading to the hospital with my kids to visit Mrs. Berry,¡± Charlotte reassured her


    friend. ¡°What about you? Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°I''m fine, too. Just a bit swollen on the face. I''ll put some ice on it.¡± Begrudgingly, she said, ¡°Charlotte,


    Peter asked me to tell you not to work at Sultry Night anymore.¡±


    ¡°I know...¡± Charlotte sighed. ¡°Is he alright?¡±


    ¡°He''s alright but your boyfriend said he wouldn''t be if he ever lets you work at Sultry Night again. By the


    way, your boyfriend is so fierce. Does he bully you?¡±


    ¡°No...¡± Charlotte could not bring herself to go into details in front of her children and did not divulge


    further. ¡°Right, Olivia. I''m with my kids and we''re heading to the hospital right now. Let me call you back


    later.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Olivia felt a pang of guilt. ¡°I have some leads on a piano performance gig, and I will watch out


    for you. I''ll introduce you if an opportunityes up.¡±


    ¡°That''s great. Thank you, Olivia.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry about it. Go get busy. We''ll talkter.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Charlotte realized that they had actually arrived at the Kindness Hospital after hanging up the phone.


    The driver stopped the car by the sidewalk.


    She carried her children off the car and pushed Jamie''s wheelchair.


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    Robbie and Ellie tagged along by her side.


    Fifi was quiet in Jamie''s embrace. It craned its neck and nced around curiously.


    ¡°Robbie and Ellie, you guys have to stick close to mommy.¡±


    Charlotte pushed Jamie''s wheelchair and reminded the other two.


    There were some sundries, fruits and lentil soup hanging on Jamie''s wheelchair.


    Onlookers could not help but divert their attention toward the young and charming mother with her


    triplets and a pet parrot.


    Some were thinking that it must have been difficult for the mother to raise the triplets while some were


    awed by the cute triplets, not to mention the pet parrot...


    At that point, Charlotte was already used to those curious nces. She smiled as she acknowledged


    them all before she headed toward the elevator.


    She was beyond grateful that they were at a private hospital, and the crowd was not too overwhelming.


    If they were at a public hospital, there would be a real concern about her losing her children.


    The little family soon arrived at Mrs. Berry''s ward.


    The woman was on the drip. As she heard the children''s voices, she almost fell from her bed. ¡°Robbie,


    Ellie and Jamie! Is it really you guys?¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Berry!¡± Robbie and Ellie ran toward her.


    ¡°You guys are really here,¡± Mrs. Berry was excited at their presence.


    ¡°Mrs. Berry!¡± Robbie grabbed her by the hand and caressed her wrinkled face. ¡°You''ve gotten thinner.¡±


    ¡°Haha, yes! I''ve lost over thirty pounds,¡± Mrs. Berry burst into augh. ¡°I''ve tried so hard to lose weight


    in the past but it took hospitalization for me to finally lose all those weight.¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Berry, is it painful?¡± Ellie asked as she looked at the woman''s hands pierced with a myriad of


    needles. Gently, she blew on it. ¡°Let Ellie blow on it so that it doesn''t hurt.¡±


    ¡°Good girl, Ellie.¡± Mrs. Berry was moved to tears with a d smile on her face.

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    Chapter 428


    ¡°Mrs. Berry, Mommy brewed you lentil soup,¡± Jamie ced the thermal sk on the table and said


    casually, ¡°Mommy''s cooking skills have really improved ever since you''re warded. This soup smells so


    good but she wouldn''t allow us to have a taste, and insisted to keep it all for you!¡±


    Mrs. Berry chuckled aloud. ¡°Miss, have you really improved your cooking?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes I have.¡± Charlotte shifted in unease. ¡°I''ll be sure to cook for you every day once you''re good to


    go home.¡±


    ¡°That''s great...¡± Mrs. Berry heaved a sigh of relief and smiled. ¡°You''re going to be able to take good


    care of yourself and the kids when I''m gone.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense!¡± Charlotte''s eyes brimmed with tears. ¡°How could you say that? Your condition is nothing


    serious and you''ll recover in no time.¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Berry...¡± Robbie cradled her hands, his voice getting croaky, ¡°You will always be around, always.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mrs. Berry. You''re going to live a long and healthy life.¡±


    Tears welled up in Ellie''s eyes as the girl pouted.


    ¡°Mrs. Berry, you have to watch me get married.¡±


    Jamie''s eyes were also brimming with tears but he cracked a joke in an attempt to lighten the


    atmosphere.


    ¡°Married! Married!¡± Fifi pped its wings and chirped.


    ¡°Haha! That''s right... I have to watch my three babies get married and be happy!¡±


    Mrs. Berry smiled as she hugged the triplets one by one.


    Every single one of them was her precious little baby.


    She earnestly wished for speedy recovery so that she could go back and take care of the triplets.


    Fifi flew to her side and rubbed its furry little head against Mrs. Berry''s face. It was as if it was using its


    own way tofort her.


    Tears streamed down Mrs. Berry''s cheeks but she wiped it away in a swift motion. She put on smile


    and said, ¡°The tears juste when you''re old like I am... I''ve promised not to cry but I just can''t help it


    when I see you guys...¡±


    ¡°We wille to visit you more often,¡± Charlotte said as she wiped away the tears on Mrs. Berry''s face.


    ¡°A lot of things happened recently. Plus, Jamie is undergoing treatment. We really haven''t been


    spending much time with you.¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Berry, we promise toe visit you after school in the future,¡± Robbie hurriedly said. ¡°I''ll bring


    you an iPad so that you can send us videos when we''re not around.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that''s right.¡± Jamie rolled his wheelchair closer. ¡°Mrs. Berry, I will bring you your favorite green


    pea tartlets next time Ie to visit you.¡±


    Raising her little chubby hand, Ellie chimed in, ¡°I''ll bring my little pinkb and wash your hair.¡±


    ¡°Alright, my good babies.¡± Mrs. Berry hugged the triplets and grinned from ear to ear.


    Charlotte was overwhelmed by feelings at the heartwarming sight. She wished that Mrs. Berry would


    recover soon and that they could live together as a family like they used to.


    ¡°Ms. Windt!¡±


    Right then, Raina did not disturb the children reuniting with Mrs. Berry, and merely beckoned at


    Charlotte by the door.


    She followed Raina out into the hallway. Raina exined Mrs. Berry''s condition to her. Fortunately, her


    condition was looking good because she had received proper treatment in time.


    However, the treatment was a long journey, and the results would not be immediate. Even after Mrs.


    Berry had been discharged, she would have toe back for appointments every now and then.


    Charlotte then hurriedly told Raina that she would spare no expense for the treatment. As long as Mrs.


    Berry could fully recover, it did not matter how much time or money it would take.


    Then, she mentioned that she had brought along fifty thousand to pay for the hospital bills, and that the


    rest of the bill will be paid for by the end of the month.


    Raina was stumped. ¡°What hospital bills? I''ve signed for all invoices involved for Mrs. Berry''s treatment.


    No bill should ever be issued to you. Did someone ask you to foot the bill?¡± Material ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°No, you shouldn''t sign the invoice. I will pay for any expenses incurred for the treatment. You''re not


    supposed to bear all the expenses involved. Please don''t reprimand your subordinates as I insisted on


    doing so. Otherwise, I really cannot bear to trouble you further.¡±

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    ¡°No, I cannot let that happen. Mr. Nacht will me me for this,¡± Raina anxiously said.


    ¡°I really need to draw things clear because of him.¡± Charlotte suddenly put on a stern face.


    ¡°I hope that no matter what happens between him and me, we can still be friends with each other.


    That''s the only way I can continue to let Mrs. Berry undergo her treatment here. Otherwise, she''s going


    to be in danger if our rtionship goes down the drain.¡±


    ¡°This...¡±


    Raina was rendered speechless. She could see where Charlotte wasing from. If thetter was fully


    dependent on Mr. Nacht for Mrs. Berry''s treatment, the man reserved the right to terminate his


    sponsorship as he pleased.


    However, if Charlotte was seeking treatment as an ordinary patient, then the hospital would be liable for


    the patient, and to answer to Charlotte.


    ¡°Let''s just go with this. Don''t worry about the money. I can still cope with the hospital bills.¡± Then,


    Charlotte steered the conversation in another direction, ¡°About my friend''s mother''s condition, I brought


    her medical records today.¡±


    Charlotte handed over Olivia''s mother''s medical records to Raina.


    She skimmed through the records and said, ¡°This is a tadplicated. I need to run this through my


    team for a discussion. I''lle back to you on this in two days'' time, alright?¡±


    ¡°Sure, thank you.¡± Charlotte nodded her head. ¡°I''ll apany Mrs. Berry then.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Charlotte and the kids apanied Mrs. Berry for the whole afternoon. They had only left the hospital


    at about five in the afternoon when the kids were getting hungry.


    Before leaving, Charlotte settled the fifty-thousand hospital bill and went back to Mrs. Berry''s ward.


    ¡°Mrs. Berry, we wille visit you again tomorrow. Get a good rest.¡±


    ¡°I''m alright here. There are medical staff and Dr. Langhan looking after me. It must be tough for you to


    handle three kids alone. There''s no need to rush here and there.¡±


    ¡°It''s okay. The kids miss you. Besides, it''s Sunday tomorrow and we still have time to spare. I can''t say


    the same for Monday when the kids have to go to school. You''d better get some rest. We''ll get going


    first.¡±


    ¡°Take care.¡±


    ¡°Goodbye, Mrs. Berry!¡±


    ¡°Be good, the three of you and Fifi! You guys have to listen to your mom!¡±


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    ¡°Yes, Mrs. Berry.¡±


    The triplets were famished after they headed out of the hospital. Charlotte called for a cab to take the


    kids home and promised to make them dumplings.


    The triplets were thrilled by the idea and vowed to help Charlotte with the dumplings.


    Right then, Robbie''s smart watch buzzed. He gestured for the others to shush, and whispered to his


    mother, ¡°Mommy, it''s a call from Mr. Henry.¡±


    ¡°Well, pick it up then.¡± Charlotte nodded.


    ¡°Hello, Mr. Henry.¡±


    ¡°Robbie, where are you guys? I want toe to pick you guys for dinner.¡± Henry was beaming on the


    other end. ¡°Let''s not go to Fairytale Land today. I''ll take you guys to the beach. It''s really pretty there...¡±


    ¡°Mr. Henry, hold on.¡± Robbie covered the microphone and looked at Charlotte.


    She nced at the other two. Jamie and Ellie nodded animatedly. They liked Henry, and wanted to


    spend more time with him.


    Charlotte decided to go along with the kids'' wishes.


    ¡°Sure, Mr. Henry. Mommy said yes.¡±


    Robbie was excited at the prospect of seeing Henry again. He could not wait to share what he recently


    learned at school.


    ¡°That''s great! I''m right downstairs. You guys take your time and get ready. I''ll go upstairs and fetch you


    guyster,¡± Henry said lovingly.


    All color drained from her face when she heard Henry. He''s right downstairs? Their cab was about to


    reach home.


    Charlotte turned around and was greeted by the sight of a Rolls-Royce parked right opposite her ce.


    Spencer helped the old man get off the car. Henry was grinning from ear to ear as he walked over to


    her building.


    Charlotte signaled for the driver to stop.


    However, the cab driver did not notice her signal and stepped on the pedal instead.

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    Charlotte was frightened out of her wits as shey low in the car.


    Noticing his mother''s peculiar manner, Robbie immediately said, ¡°Mr. Henry, we are out buying some


    stuff right now. Why don''t you wait for us at the garden in the residential estate? We''ll get home soon.¡±


    ¡°Sure, no rush. Take your time,¡± Henry said before hanging up.


    Robbie stood up and stole a nce outside. ¡°Mommy, Mr. Henry is already heading to the garden.¡±


    Charlotte had only found the courage to sit upright. After paying the cab driver, she got off the car along


    with her kids. She did not head toward her building. Instead, she turned to Robbie and said, ¡°Robbie,


    mommy is not going inside with you guys. You wheel Jamie to the residential estate entrance and let


    Mr. Henry pick you guys up from there.¡±


    ¡°Yes, mommy.¡± Robbie nodded his head.


    ¡°Mommy, why are you so afraid of Mr. Henry? He''s a really nice person.¡±


    Jamie did not understand why his mother kept avoiding Henry.


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Henry will never hurt us.¡± Ellie cocked her head to one side and said innocently, ¡°Mommy, you


    cane with us too.¡±


    ¡°I have my own reasons, and it''s really difficult for mommy to exin it to you guys right now. Anyway,


    you guys have to keep this secret for me, and listen to Robbie, alright?¡± All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    ¡°Yes, Mommy.¡± Jamie and Ellie nodded their heads.


    ¡°Mommy, drink something while you''re waiting for us to be picked up by Mr. Henry. Don''t worry, we will


    call him as soon as we are at the entrance,¡± Robbie said.


    ¡°You''re a good boy, Robbie.¡± Charlotte gave her boy a hug.


    Robbie then wheeled his brother, as Ellie and their pet parrot tagged along. The gang made their way


    toward to entrance of the residential estate.


    The neighbors could not help but beam with delight at the cute sight. ¡°Where are your parents, kids?¡±


    ¡°My mom is busy while our grandma is in the hospital.¡±


    ¡°Did you guyse out here all by yourselves?¡± The neighbors were curious and asked, ¡°Don''t you


    have anyone watching you guys?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Henry is waiting for us in the garden.¡± Then, Henry''s voice rang, ¡°Robbie!¡±


    Henry wanted to meet the triplets as soon as possible. Hence, he thought he would try his luck at the


    entrance. Sure enough, he spotted the triplets right there.


    Robbie was wheeling Jamie with much difficulty while Ellie was holding the parrot as she trailed behind


    her big brother. Henry was disheartened at the sight and ordered, ¡°Quick, help them out.¡±


    His two bodyguards then rushed forward and took over the wheelchair and held Ellie and Robbie''s


    hands.


    ¡°Where did you guys go? Why isn''t there any adult around?¡± Henry furrowed his brows.


    ¡°We went to visit Mrs. Berry at the hospital, and we just got back,¡± Robbie replied.


    ¡°Why didn''t the nurses follow you guys there?¡± Henry crouched and hugged Robbie and Ellie. ¡°Where''s


    your mommy?¡±


    ¡°Mommy said that a hospital is a quiet ce, and it''s not so nice for us to bring along so many people.


    So she brought us there on her own. She went to the drugstore to buy some medicine. We''re waiting


    for you here because we want to see you sooner.¡±


    There was no loose end with Robbie''s exnation.


    ¡°Good boy.¡± Henry hugged Robbie. ¡°I should have fetched you guys from the hospital if I had known


    about it.¡±


    ¡°It''s okay to fetch us here too. Mr. Henry, let''s get into the car,¡± Robbie said.


    ¡°Don''t you need to wait for your mommy?¡±


    Henry lifted his head and noticed the usual hustle and bustle of the neighborhood. Some people were


    even engrossed in hushed whispers, but there were no signs of the triplet''s mother.


    ¡°It''s okay, mommy will get home on her own.¡±


    Robbie only wanted to leave earlier so that his mother would not have to hide out at the caf¨¦, and that


    she could head back earlier to get a good rest.


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Henry. I''m hungry. Let''s go.¡± Ellie resonated her brother''s words.


    ¡°Mr. Henry, I''m hungry too.¡± Jamie chimed in as well.


    ¡°Sure, let''s go now.¡± Henry then helped the three kids get into his car.

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    Before boarding the car, Ellie subconsciously waved her hand in the direction of the caf¨¦.


    At the same time, Fifi called out in her arms, ¡°Mommy! Mommy!¡±


    Surprised, Henry followed Ellie''s gaze. Charlotte hastily turned around with her coffee in hand, so that


    her back was facing the road.


    Fortunately, she was wearing a set of old clothes and had a cap pulled over her face, making her look


    completely different from the time she met Henry. Hence, she was quite confident that he wouldn''t


    recognize her.


    ¡°Is your mommy back?¡± Henry asked casually.


    ¡°Mommy is-¡±


    ¡°She is buying some stuff at the pharmacy near our house,¡± Robbie continued Ellie''s sentence, then


    added, ¡°Be careful, Mr. Henry. Don''t fall down.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure. You watch your step too.¡± Not noticing anything amiss, Henry helped Robbie into the car.


    After a while, Charlotte cautiously turned her head. When she saw Henry''s car leaving, she finally


    breathed a sigh of relief, bringing the thermos bottle and various other items back home.


    The three nurses were still waiting for the children by the door. Charlotte informed them that the triplets


    had gone out for lunch with Henry, then told them to take the day off rather than waiting here.


    However, they said that they woulde again when the triplets returned.


    Charlotte returned home and cleaned up the ce a little bit before sitting at the desk to go through the


    medical bills.


    After some calctions, she found that after paying one hundred thousand the other day, she still owed


    the hospital tens of thousands. Because she did not have money on her hands, she decided to make a


    call.


    She was just about to contact the financial advisor in S Nation when a call from Olivia came in. ¡°Good


    news, Charlotte! I contacted a friend of mine and she said she needs a pianist for a few high-end


    weddings. The pay for each performance is two thousand. Are you in?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes! Of course, I''m in!¡± Charlotte was over the moon.


    ¡°There''s one tonight which starts at six. I''ll go there with you and get you acquainted first.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure. Let''s meet at five-thirty then.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I''ll send you the location.¡±


    After ending the call, Charlotte was still brimming with excitement. Even though the pay for wedding


    performances was slightly lower, at least it was considered a proper job and she wouldn''t have to worry


    about encountering problems like the ones she did at Sultry Night.


    If she could receive more jobs like these, she would be able to settle the outstanding medical fees by


    the end of the month.


    Charlotte checked the time and realized with a start that it was almost five. She quickly changed her


    clothes and took a taxi to the designated ce.


    Olivia was already waiting at the entrance. Upon spotting Charlotte, she hurried toward her. ¡°Charlotte!¡±


    ¡°Olivia, I''m sorry for beingte.¡± Charlotte had an apologetic look on her face. ¡°Have you eaten? Let me


    buy you a meal.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine. There''s no time to eat. I''ll take you to meet Ms. Fuller now.¡±


    Olivia tugged Charlotte along with her while briefing her.


    ¡°Ms. Fuller''spany provides entertainment services for all kinds of events, so she has a lot of


    projects on hand. She often goes to our university to recruit part-timers. I did a few performances for


    her in the past, but stopped after injuring my hand.


    ¡°I visited her yesterday and told her about your situation. She said she''d let you y a few songs and if


    she''s happy with you, she''ll call you up for any part-time jobs in the future.¡±


    ¡°This is great.¡± Charlotte was overjoyed. ¡°Thank you so much, Olivia. You''ve helped me big time.¡±


    T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°You''re Mr. Windt''s daughter. Besides, you''ve also helped me before. We''re a family, so don''t get all


    polite on me.¡± Olivia smiled. ¡°Besides, you helped me find a doctor too.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right. I passed your mother''s medical report to my doctor friend today. She said she''ll discuss it


    with the doctors from various departments and give me a reply in two days.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°We''re BFFs, right? Let''s do our best together.¡±


    Olivia led Charlotte to Felicity Fuller, who was busy distributing tasks at that moment. Upon seeing


    Charlotte, she pointed at the piano and said curtly, ¡°y a song for me.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Without a moment''s dy, Charlotte went on stage and yed Beethoven''s Fifth Symphony,


    instantly drawing everyone''s attention. Even the staffs were mesmerized by the melody.

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    ¡°That''s very good.¡± Felicity wore an immensely satisfied look on her face. ¡°Go change your clothes


    now. You start at six. Two thousand for two hours. As long as you perform well, there will be a steady


    stream of jobs for you in the future!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Ms. Fuller.¡± Charlotte was bubbling with joy as she epted her outfit from a staff


    member. Then, she tugged on Olivia''s hand and said, ¡°C''mon, Olivia. Let''s go together.¡±


    ¡°No, I can''t...¡± Olivia nced at her hand and felt disappointment wash over her. ¡°You should go now,


    Charlotte. I have to hurry over to Sultry Night for work anyway. Let''s meet up again when we''re free.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then.¡± Charlotte''s heart ached as she hugged her. ¡°Olivia, if you have the time, I can take you


    to my doctor friend and see whether your hand can be treated.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Olivia''s eyes lit up with hope.


    ¡°You''ll never know until you try, right?¡± Charlotte smiled. ¡°Life is always full of hope!¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡± Olivia nodded eagerly. ¡°Thank you, Charlotte!¡±


    ¡°Don''t be silly. Go ahead with your work. I''ll keep in touch.¡±


    After getting changed, it was time for Charlotte to start performing. To avoid being recognized, she


    wore a white mask over her face.


    The performance ended without anything unusual. It was nothing but an ordinary wedding.


    After the performance, Charlotte received her pay of two thousand and exchanged contacts with


    Felicity, who immediately booked her for another performance at apany celebration the next night.


    The pay was also two thousand for two hours.


    Even though it wasn''t as much as the money she earned at Sultry Night and there wouldn''t be any tips


    either, Charlotte was rather pleased with it.


    After leaving the hotel, Charlotte received a call from the triplets who said that they were reaching


    home soon. They also asked where she was and excitedly announced that they had brought some


    food back for her.


    Charlotte said that she would be home very soon, but abruptly recalled that Zachary was going to pick


    her up at ten o''clock.


    Despite that, she shoved that thought to the back of her mind for now, wanting to go home as soon as


    possible.


    By the time she reached home, it was already half-past nine. The triplets were asking the nurses about


    her whereabouts.


    Before they could answer, Charlotte came in and the triplets happily ran over to greet her, prattling on


    about their day while taking out the dinner they brought home for her.


    Feeling famished as she had not eaten dinner yet, Charlotte gobbled up the food like a starved beast.


    Her children''s hearts ached for her when they saw how hungry she was.


    Robbie furrowed his brows and asked softly, ¡°Mommy, haven''t you eaten dinner yet?¡±


    T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°No. Mommy went to work after you guys left.¡± Charlotte exined while eating her steak, ¡°Mommy


    went to y the piano. It was only for two hours, but Mommy made quite a lot of money.¡±


    ¡°Mommy, no matter how busy you are, you mustn''t forget to eat.¡± Robbie''s mouth turned down at the


    sides.


    ¡°Yeah, Mommy! You have to eat.¡± Ellie took out a piece of wet tissue and clumsily wiped her mother''s


    mouth.


    ¡°Alright, kids,¡± Charlotte replied with a fond smile on her face.


    Right then, her phone rang with an iing call from Zachary. She felt unsettled as she stared at his


    caller ID shing on her screen. However, she was afraid to answer it in front of her children. Hence,


    she flipped the phone so that it was lying face down.


    ¡°Robbie, Jamie and Ellie. It''s time for you three to take a bath and go to bed earlier. Mommy will tuck


    you in after eating, okay?¡± Charlotte urged.


    ¡°Okay, Mommy.¡± The triplets were very obedient.


    The nurses had already set up their bath and were waiting for them.


    Charlotte got up and walked to the balcony, peeking down to see Zachary''s car parked downstairs with


    its headlights bright.


    A short nce at the time showed that it was ten o''clock sharp.


    She was in a bind. If she didn''t go down, he might very well lose his temper, but the triplets had not


    gone to bed yet and she didn''t know how to exin this to them.


    ¡°Mommy, what''s wrong?¡± Robbie''s voice came from behind her.


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Charlotte snapped out of her daze and made up a white lie. ¡°A friend is here to see me.¡±


    ¡°Should we invite her in?¡± Robbie was as sensible as ever.


    ¡°It''s fine.¡± Charlotte shook her head. ¡°I might need to go down for a while. You kids go take a bath first,


    okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±

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    Charlotte grabbed a chicken wing and prepared to head downstairs to meet Zachary.


    The moment she opened the door, she came face to face with Zachary, whose slender figure exuded a


    mysterious and unapproachable aura under the dim lights.


    Charlotte almost jumped out of her skin and looked over her shoulder in panic. Fortunately, Robbie had


    gone to the bathroom, so there was no one in the living room.


    ¡°Why did youe up?¡± Charlotte hissed as she pushed Zachary away from the door.


    ¡°It''s ten!¡± He pinned her with a cold stare.


    ¡°The kids aren''t asleep yet.¡±


    Charlotte motioned at the house, but upon realizing that she was still holding the chicken wing in her


    hand, she hid it awkwardly behind her back.


    Zachary''s brows knitted into a frown as he glowered at her.


    ¡°Either you go downstairs and wait for me, or we take a raincheck,¡± Charlotte said tentatively. ¡°Don''t get


    mad. Just try to think from my point of view. As a mother, I can''t just leave my kids and go on a date,


    right? We have to be responsible.¡±


    ¡°Twenty minutes.¡± Zachary looked at his watch, then turned and walked into the elevator.


    Charlotte was speechless and had no choice but toply. Done taking their baths, the triplets were


    singing happily as they prepared to go to bed.


    Charlotte cleared the leftover food and washed her hands before going to see her children.


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    Ellie was lying on her bed in her cute strawberry pajamas, holding a milk bottle in one hand and her


    stuffed alpaca in the other while enjoying the music ying in the background.


    Charlotte went in and kissed her forehead, telling her to go to sleep after finishing her milk.


    Ellie nodded obediently. Shortly after, her eyes began to droop.


    Meanwhile, Robbie was lying on his bed and reading a book.


    Jamie was sitting on the wheelchair, allowing the nurses to clean his wound while he yed with a


    Rubik''s Cube, his eyes gradually losing focus.


    ¡°What is it, Mommy?¡± Robbie immediately put down his book and looked up at Charlotte.


    ¡°Mommy has to go out for a while but wille back and make breakfast for the three of you tomorrow


    morning. What do you kids feel like eating?¡±


    Charlotte felt that she had been too busy recently and did not spend enough time with her children.


    Hence, she couldn''t help but feel a little bit guilty toward them.


    But bailing on Zachary would be even worse as he would no doubt kick up a fuss.


    At the mention of food, Jamie woke up in a daze and mumbled sleepily, ¡°I want hot cross bunnies.¡±


    ¡°I''m okay with anything as long as Mommy makes it.¡± Robbie offered his mother an understanding


    smile and urged, ¡°You can go now, Mommy. Don''t worry about us.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we''ll be here to watch them,¡± the nurses reassured.


    ¡°Alright, then. Sleep tight.¡±


    Charlotte bid her children goodnight and went back to her room to have a change of clothes. However,


    upon realizing that more than ten minutes had passed, she ditched the idea and rushed downstairs


    without even changing her slippers.


    The residential estate was huge, so aftering out of the elevator, Charlotte still had to run a long


    way before arriving at the gate. In her haste, she was almost hit by a car, falling to the ground in fright.


    The car drive poked his head out andmbasted her. ¡°Are you crazy? Running like a madwoman!¡±


    Before she could regain her bearings, the car had already driven off.


    Charlotte sat on the ground as she tried to catch her breath. It took her a while to calm her raging


    heartbeat. After pushing herself off the ground, she spotted Zachary standing beside his car while


    looking at her with a cold gaze.


    She trudged toward him even as her muscles screamed in protest. Then, she said to him while panting


    softly, ¡°Let''s go.¡±


    With that, she got into his car and slumped into the seat, gasping for air.


    ¡°You should watch where you''re going,¡± Zachary chided as he started the car.


    ¡°Well, I''m sorry, but I was in a hurry,¡± Charlotte retorted sarcastically. ¡°With that temper of yours, I''d


    probably be strangled to death if I got herete.¡±


    Zachary kept mum and continued driving.


    ¡°Gosh, I''m so tired...¡± Charlotte fanned herself. She tried opening a bottle of water, but her hands


    refused to cooperate, trembling from exhaustion.


    ¡°Is your body that weak? You only ran a short distance, but you''re panting like it was marathon.¡±


    Zachary frowned at her in annoyance, but still reached out to unscrew the cap for her.

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    Chapter 434


    After Charlotte chugged the water down in one breath, she burped and panted slightly, but finally felt


    much better.


    Just then, Zachary''s phone rang and he picked up the call. ¡°Speak.


    ¡°Didn''t I give the orders already? Do I need to repeat myself?


    ¡°Hold a press conference tomorrow and get Johann to go.


    ¡°That''s right...


    ¡°I''ll solve the other problems. Leave those public appearances to Johann.


    ¡°Just do as I say.¡±


    With that, Zachary hung up the call, but another call came in immediately after. This time, he used the


    Bluetooth hands-free in his car to answer it. ¡°Speak.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, I''ve looked into the matter. Ms. Nacht probably wasn''t the one behind this. Based on the


    skills of her technical personnel, there is no way they could have hacked into our system.¡±


    ¡°Look into Lindberg Corporation.¡±


    ¡°Lindberg Corporation?¡± Bruce was slightly taken aback. ¡°It won''t be easy, but I''ll try my best.¡±


    ¡°Keep me posted.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    After he ended this call, his phone lighted up with another one from Sharon. Toozy to entertain her,


    he immediately declined the call before switching off his phone.


    ¡°Why did you insist on seeing me even when you''re so busy?¡± Charlotte asked softly.


    Zachary pretended not to hear her, keeping his eyes on the road.


    Since he was ignoring her, she stopped talking altogether and reclined against her seat to rest her


    eyes, drifting off to sleep shortly after.


    Zachary drove straight to Storm Hotel''s basement parking. The manager, who was already waiting


    here, informed him that all the necessary arrangements had been made.


    Zachary carried Charlotte and made his way upstairs. In the elevator, Charlotte opened her eyes in a


    daze to nce briefly at him. Then, she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face into his


    neck before going back to sleep.


    Once in the room, Zachary ced her on the bed and noticed the slippers on her feet. Slightly


    exasperated, he took them off for her and threw them into the trash, then pulled the nket over her.


    After making sure she was snugly tucked in, he went to take a shower. By the time he emerged from


    the bathroom, Charlotte was sound asleep, curled up on the bed like a kitten with the nket wrapped


    around her body.


    Zachary sat on the sofa beside the bed, holding a ss of red wine the hotel had prepared in advance.


    As he sipped on the wine, he watched Charlotte sleeping with conflicting emotions swirling in his eyes,


    asking himself the same question she had asked him.


    Why did I insist on seeing her even when I''m so busy?


    He did not know either.


    All he knew was that he couldn''t eat or sleep well if he didn''t see her. His heart would feel as though


    something was missing, and only after seeing her could that void be filled.


    Even if he didn''t do anything besides quietly watching her, his heart would be content.


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    Charlotte was probably dog-tired, sleeping so deeply that she failed to sense Zachary''s presence


    beside her and paid him no attention whatsoever.


    Soon, there was only a little bit of wine left in the bottle. Zachary put down his wine ss, stood up and


    climbed into bed.


    He slipped his arm under Charlotte''s neck and pulled her into his arms, gently pressing her face


    against his chest before closing his eyes with a content sigh.


    Like a sleeping baby, Charlotte nuzzled against his chest habitually, arching her neck upward to


    greedily breathe in his scent.


    Zachary was stirred by her subconscious actions and leaned in to kiss her. However, she shook her


    head in her sleep and buried her face into his chest, preventing him from kissing her.


    Sighing with fond exasperation, he gave up and caressed her back instead, then closed his eyes to


    sleep.


    Even though his body felt restless and his desires threatened to take over, he held himself back.


    That night, although both of them did nothing but hug each other, they slept soundly.


    In the middle of the night, Charlotte jolted awake and turned to her side, fumbling for her phone beside


    the pillow to check the time.


    When she saw that it was still early, she sighed in relief. Peering at Zachary who was fast asleep, she


    surrendered to the urge to gently kiss his eyes. Then, she gingerly took his arm off her body so that she


    could get up from bed.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Zachary pulled her back and hugged her tighter in his arms.

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    Chapter 435


    ¡°I should go home now.¡± Charlotte exined softly, ¡°I promised the kids I''d make breakfast for them.¡±


    ¡°What about my breakfast?¡± Zachary gazed at her through half-lidded eyes.


    ¡°Should I get the manager to send something up?¡±


    Charlotte kissed his forehead, finding him cute in his groggy state.


    ¡°No.¡± Zachary pinned her arms above her head and pressed down on her. ¡°I want you for breakfast.¡±


    ¡°No-¡±


    Charlotte''s protests were muffled by Zachary''s lips.


    He had suppressed his desires for the whole night. Now that she was awake, he wasn''t about to let the


    opportunity slip through his fingers.


    Writhing slightly beneath him, Charlotte''s body gradually went limp and she finally closed her eyes,


    epting his kiss.


    Her body refused to obey her as though it had fallen under his spell. Every time he teased her, all trace


    of resistance would fly out the window and she would be his ve.


    His heavy pants and her sweet moans filled the room, forming a harmonious melody.


    They clung to each other, sumbing to their desires and losing themselves in a haze of passion.


    Their lovemaking sessionsted a long time. Only when the first rays of dawn streamed in through the


    French windows and illuminated their entangled bodies was Zachary finally sated. He copsed on top


    of Charlotte and falling asleep.


    Charlotte took out her phone to check the time. Upon seeing that it was half past five in the morning,


    she carefully pushed him away and rolled out of bed.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± came Zachary''s voice as hey sprawled on the bed, even though he was


    clearly asleep just moments ago.


    ¡°To take a shower.¡± Charlotte went to the bathroom to clean herself up before hurriedly putting on her


    clothes. Then, she walked over and pecked Zachary on his forehead. ¡°I''ve gotta go now. I promised to


    make the kids breakfast. Go back to sleep.¡±


    With that, she straightened and was about to leave.


    Her arm was grabbed by Zachary all of a sudden. ¡°I''ll send you home.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine. Go back to sleep. I''ll take a taxi home.¡±


    ¡°Give me ten minutes!¡±


    Zachary rolled off the bed and strode into the bathroom.


    Charlotte let out a helpless sigh. Even so, there was a warm tingly feeling spreading through her chest.


    He''s clearly exhausted, but insists on sending me home.


    What is this, if not love?


    Charlotte went into the bathroom while waiting for him, thinking she might as well apply her skin care.


    Zachary coincidently reemerged right after she was done, looking all freshened up. He grabbed his car


    keys before striding toward her. ¡°Let''s go.¡±


    ¡°Aren''t you sleepy?¡± Charlotte peered at him, perceiving his bloodshot eyes and surmised that he


    probably hadn''t been sleeping welltely.


    ¡°I''m fine.¡± Zachary nudged her out of the room and conveniently draped an arm over her shoulders,


    ruffling her hair affectionately while snickering. ¡°Shorty.¡±


    Charlotte rolled her eyes at him, but snuggled up to him anyway.


    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    Zachary''s lips arched into a charming smile. He liked this feeling very much as they resembled an


    ordinary young couple. This feels... nice.


    When the car pulled up at the entrance of Happy Avenue''s residential estate, it was only six in the


    morning.


    Zachary rubbed the space between his brows and yawned. ¡°Did you really have toe back this


    early?¡±


    Charlotte paused and drank the sight of him in. How can a guy look this good while yawning? How is


    that possible?


    ¡°I''m gonna make hot cross bunnies and mac and cheese for the kids, then cook some soup for Mrs.


    Berry, so all of this will take some time. Go home and get some sleep. You look tired.¡±


    ¡°I''m hungry.¡± Zachary leaned closer to caress her face. ¡°You''ve never cooked anything for me.¡±


    Charlotte giggled and dodged his touch. ¡°Maybe next time.¡±


    Zachary''s mouth turned downward, but he didn''t argue.


    ¡°I''ll get going then.¡± Charlotte unbuckled her seatbelt.


    Before Zachary could kiss her goodbye, she had already gotten out of the car.


    Zachary stiffened with a speechless look on his face.


    Charlotte, on the other hand, waspletely oblivious, even waving at him before running into the


    residential estate.


    Zachary stared after her until the lights on the sixteenth floor came on, driving away only after making


    sure she was safely home. Then, he switched on his phone and called Ben.

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    Chapter 436


    Charlotte tiptoed into her home and put on her apron before getting to work in the kitchen.


    She had to make breakfast for the triplets and also send some lentil soup to Mrs. Berry after everything


    was done.


    Mrs. Berry was a big fan of soup, but due to Charlotte''s hectic schedule recently, she wasn''t able to


    cook that for her. Since she woke up earning the morning today, she finally had the time.


    The doorbell rang at slightly past seven. Robbie was about to answer it when he heard the noise in the


    kitchen. He ran over and eximed in surprise, ¡°Mommy!¡±


    ¡°Good morning, Robbie!¡± Charlotte offered her eldest son a sweet smile. ¡°Go let the nurses in first.


    Mommy is almost done making breakfast.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Robbie ran to the door and opened it for the three nurses. They walked in and were about to


    prepare breakfast for the triplets when Robbie proudly announced, ¡°My mommy is making breakfast for


    us. It''s almost ready.¡±


    ¡°Your mommy works untilte at night but gets up so early. It must be tiring.¡± The nurses sympathized


    with Charlotte. ¡°We''ll go give her a hand.¡±


    ¡°It''s okay. Mommy is almost done anyway, but Jamie and Ellie still need help to wash up and get


    dressed.¡±


    Robbie sounded every bit the older brother he was.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    After Jamie and Ellie woke up and were told that Charlotte had made their favorite food, their faces


    brightened with joy.


    Both of them washed up faster than usual and sat at the table, bubbling with excitement as they waited


    for their mommy to serve breakfast.


    Charlotte learned everything she knew about cooking from Mrs. Berry, but Charlotte rarely stepped into


    the kitchen because thetter had always been around thest time. Now that Mrs. Berry was sick, she


    took it upon herself to find her way in the kitchen again.


    ¡°Oh no, Mommy''s hot cross bunnies aren''t as pretty as the ones Mrs. Berry makes.¡± Charlotte ced


    the hot cross bunnies on the table with an embarrassed look on her face. ¡°They look slightly out of


    shape.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, some of the bunnies have missing ears.¡± Ellie looked at the hot cross bunnies in shock before


    smiling stiffly. ¡°They''re earless bunnies.¡±


    ¡°Pfft!¡± Charlotte failed to stifle herughter. ¡°Okay, okay. Mommy''s sorry. Mommy will practice more


    from now on and next time, you''ll have perfect and cute little hot cross bunnies.¡±


    ¡°It''s okay. They still look cute to me.¡± Jamie picked up one hot cross bunny and bit into it, but coughed


    immediately after.


    ¡°How is it? Does it taste good?¡± Charlotte anxiously asked.


    ¡°It''s so salty...¡± Jamie spat it out and gulped down his ss of milk. ¡°Mommy, did you identally put


    salt instead of sugar?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Charlotte took a bite as well and flushed a crimson red. ¡°I think so.¡±


    ¡°It''s okay! We can eat the mac and cheese.¡± Robbie quickly came to her rescue. ¡°C''mon, Mommy


    made it herself.¡±


    Under her brother''s urging, Ellie quickly spooned up some mac and cheese before putting it into her


    mouth. Almost instantly, her features contorted. ¡°Mommy, the mac and cheese is so hard...¡±


    ¡°What? Really?¡± Charlotte leaned forward and saw that the mac and cheese was indeed undercooked.


    ¡°It''s okay, it''s okay. I''ll go cook it for a little bit longer.¡± One of the nurses hurriedly took it back to the


    kitchen.


    ¡°I''ll make some oatmeal! Oatmeal is easy.¡±


    Charlotte hastily made some instant oatmeal and served it to them.


    ¡°Mm, it''s yummy.¡± Finally having some decent food, Ellie slurped on it happily. ¡°Yum yum!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it''s perfect. It''s not salty, and it''s cooked!¡± Jamie added solemnly.


    Charlotte covered her face, wishing the ground would open up and swallow her whole.


    ¡°There isn''t enough nutrition in oatmeal alone. I''ll go cook some eggs,¡± another nurse suggested.


    The third nurse chimed in, ¡°I can make pancakes. I''ll make them right away since there''s still time.¡±


    With that, the three of them started whipping up a meal in the kitchen.


    ¡°Thank you, nurses...¡± The triplets were very well-mannered.


    Ellie even put on a serious expression as sheforted her mother. ¡°It''s okay, Mommy. You''ve gotten


    much better at this. Last time, you couldn''t even cook oatmeal, remember Mommy?¡±


    ¡°It''s because it''s instant oatmeal, so it''s a lot easier to make.¡± Jamie took a bite of his oatmeal before


    adding, ¡°Mommy, you should cook your best dishes next time, just to be safe.¡±

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    Chapter 437


    ¡°Yeah! Mommy''s buffalo wings, beefsagna, and grilled vegetables are all very yummy.¡± Robbie joined


    in tofort Charlotte. ¡°Oh, and also Mommy''s tomato soup and mushroom soup.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then. Thank you for not getting mad at Mommy.¡±


    Charlotte did not know whether tough or cry. Indeed, she only knew how to make those few dishes.


    In the past, Mrs. Berry would make the buns and cook the mac and cheese for breakfast beforehand.


    She only had to bake the buns and reheat the mac and cheese in the morning. However, everything


    went out of hand when she tried to make them from scratch today.


    It seemed like she had a lot to learn.


    After the minor hup, he triplets eventually finished their breakfast. Charlotte quickly went ahead to


    prepare their school bags for them.


    Robbie''s eyes widened in bewilderment as he asked, ¡°What are you doing, Mommy?¡±


    ¡°Don''t you need to go to school?¡± Charlotte smiled. ¡°Mommy will take you three to school today.¡±


    ¡°But today''s Sunday,¡± Jamie looked at her in perplexity.


    ¡°Uh...¡± Charlotte was dumbfounded. Yesterday was Saturday. Right. What''s wrong with me today...


    ¡°Ms. Windt, you must''ve lost track of the days because of work.¡± One of the nurses smiled at her.


    ¡°Jamie needs to go to our hospital for his follow-up today. Mr. Nacht will be there too.¡±


    ¡°We''re apanying Jamie to the hospital. Mr. Henry wants to bring us to his house for a visit after


    that.¡± Robbie said seriously, ¡°You should rest at home today, Mommy. We''ll bring food back for you


    tonight.¡±


    ¡°It''s okay. There''s enough food at home. Mommy will settle her own dinner.¡± Then, Charlotte gently


    reminded, ¡°Mommy won''t be going with you kids today, okay? Mommy''s gotta visit Mrs. Berry at the


    hospital, thene home and rest for a bit before going to work.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Mommy. Take care of yourself.¡±


    The triplets hugged Charlotte and kissed her smack on the cheeks.


    It wasn''t long before Henry called from the car that was already waiting downstairs.


    Robbie asked the three nurses to bring them down so that Henry wouldn''t have toe all the way


    upstairs. In fact, he was being considerate of his mother, doing this so she wouldn''t have to hide from


    Henry again.


    Jamie''s pediatrician was already waiting at the door. After packing up, the nurses led the triplets out.


    Charlotte waved goodbye to them. Seeing the happy looks on their faces, she became slightly


    emotional.


    In the past, the triplets used to be very attached to her and would be disheartened if she didn''te


    home at night.


    Now that they had Henry caring for them, they were no longer as dependent on her. Whether she went


    out at night or worked during the day, the triplets would always be understanding toward her.


    Henry didn''t only arrange for their treatment and daily needs, even their weekends were fully packed


    with activities.


    Perhaps as their mother, she should be worried about this.


    However, it was good that the triplets had a good rtionship with Henry. Although they didn''t know the


    truth, blood was thicker than water after all. Hence, there would always be a sense of bonding between


    them nothing in the world could snuff out.


    In the event that something were to happen to her, at least the triplets would have someone to rely on.


    Hence, Charlotte wasn''t against her children spending time with Henry.


    She tidied up the kitchen and ate something simple before taking a nap.


    When she woke up at noon, the soup in the slow-cooker was ready. She transferred the soup into a


    thermos and also packed some sourdough bread before hailing a taxi toward Kindness Hospital.


    Mrs. Berry was currently leaning against the headboard while watching some programs on the


    television. When the nurse brought food for her, she didn''t seem to have any appetite.


    T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Right then, Charlotte breezed into the room. ¡°Mrs. Berry!¡±


    ¡°Miss, you''re here.¡± Mrs. Berry''s mouth curved into a brilliant smile upon seeing Charlotte. ¡°Aren''t you


    supposed to be spending time with the children at home? Why did youe here?¡±


    ¡°The kids have gone to the hospital for Jamie''s follow-up. There are three nurses apanying them,


    so they don''t need me.¡± Charlotte took out the soup and bread, cing them on the table while saying


    merrily, ¡°I made lentil soup for you and brought along some sourdough bread to pair with it.¡±

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    Chapter 438


    ¡°Thank you, Miss.¡± Mrs. Berry looked at the decently cooked soup, grinning from ear to ear. ¡°The


    children said that your cooking skills have improved. I didn''t believe it at first, but now, it looks to be


    true. I have to admit, this soup looks very presentable.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! Today''s breakfast was an epic failure though.¡±


    Charlotte recounted the events from this morning with an embarrassed look on her face.


    Tickled pink, Mrs. Berry bellowed withughter. Then, she patiently taught Charlotte how to shape hot


    cross bunnies and make mac and cheese.


    Charlotte listened attentively, going so far as making notes with her phone, vowing to whip up a decent


    breakfast for the triplets tomorrow.


    Mrs. Berry looked at her with a relieved smile. ¡°When I first fell sick, I was worried that without me at


    home, the triplets wouldn''t have anyone to take care of them. You''d have your hands full trying to do


    everything yourself, but seeing that you have it all worked out now, I finally feel at ease.¡±


    ¡°No, no. Everything at home is still very much a mess...¡± Charlotte held her hand with a ttering smile.


    ¡°The kids and I want you to get well quickly ande home as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay!¡± Mrs. Berry nodded as warmth enveloped her heart. ¡°When I get better, I''ll go home right


    away. I even asked Dr. Langhan this morning and she said that I can be discharged in a month and a


    half''s time.¡±


    ¡°That''s great news. We can''t wait for you to return.¡±


    Charlotte knew Mrs. Berry well. Only the feeling of being needed would give thetter a sense of


    aplishment and contentment.


    ¡°Miss, you haven''t eaten yet, have you? Let''s eat together.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    The two were about to eat when an enraged voiceing from outside abruptly broke through the


    peace. ¡°Why the hell are you stopping me? Don''t you know who I am? Get out of my way!¡±


    Charlotte''s body instantly tensed up. That voice sounds so familiar...


    ¡°Ms. ckwood, are you here to see Dr. Langhan? I''m call her here right now.¡±


    ¡°I''m not here for Dr. Langhan, so there''s no need to call her.¡±


    The voice was apanied by the sound of approaching footsteps. Before long, Sharon arrogantly


    walked into the ward.


    Charlotte looked over her shoulder and her brows immediately pulled into a frown. What is she doing


    here?


    ¡°Turns out you really are here.¡± Sharon stared coldly at Charlotte. ¡°If I didn''t happen to find out that your


    housekeeper is under Raina''s observation, I would''ve never been able to find you.¡±


    ¡°Whatever this is about, let''s go outside and talk.¡±


    Putting down the utensils, Charlotte got up and walked toward the door. As far as she was concerned,


    Sharon was nothing but trouble and thest thing she wanted was to disturb Mrs. Berry.


    ¡°Why must we talk outside?¡± Sharon scoffed derisively. ¡°Are you scared that others would know about


    your dirty deeds?¡±


    ¡°This is a ward, not somewhere you can just cause a scene.¡± Charlotte''s frown deepened. ¡°Can''t we go


    outside and talk in private?¡±


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    ¡°No. I''m not going anywhere...¡± Sharon gritted her teeth and cursed, ¡°I want the whole world to know


    that you''re a shameless b*tch who stole someone else''s husband! You''re a homewrecker!¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Mrs. Berry went purple with rage upon seeing Charlotte being bullied by an unfamiliar


    woman. ¡°Stop throwing baseless usations! Ms. Windt is innocent!¡±


    ¡°Innocent?¡± Sharon looked like she just heard the funniest joke in the world. ¡°Olddy, you probably


    don''t know this, but Charlotte is a homewrecker. She seduced my husband...¡±


    ¡°You''re lying. That''s impossible.¡± Mrs. Berry raised her voice in anger, ¡°Ms. Windt is a good girl. She will


    never do such a thing.¡±


    ¡°She''s nothing but a shameless sl*t!¡± Sharon yelled with eyes that burned with hatred. ¡°First, she


    seduced Hector, breaking his marriage apart, then Michael was next, and now, she''s set her eyes on


    my husband...¡±


    ¡°Your husband?¡± Charlotte finally had enough of it and refuted, ¡°Are you married to Zachary? No, so


    how is he your husband?¡±


    ¡°We''re getting engaged soon...¡±


    ¡°Soon, but not yet, right?¡± Charlotte cut Sharon off and yelled furiously, ¡°And let me point out that he


    was with me first. If anything, you''re the homewrecker!¡±


    ¡°B*tch!¡± Sharon snarled and pped Charlotte across the face.


    Caught off guard, Charlotte staggered and almost fell onto the ground.

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    Chapter 439


    ¡°H-How dare you hit Ms. Windt?¡±


    Mrs. Berry was livid, grabbing the thermos in front of her and throwing it at Sharon.


    Although Sharon sessfully dodged it, her body wasn''t spared from the hot soup inside. Her shrieks


    instantly reverberated through the room as the soup scalded her. With a pained and outraged


    expression, she roared, ¡°You damned olddy! How dare you?¡±


    ¡°What? I was just doing your parents a favor by teaching their uncultured daughter a lesson.¡±


    Mrs. Berry got down from the bed and helped Charlotte up.


    ¡°Boys!¡± Sharon pointed at Mrs. Berry with an unrelenting gaze as she ordered, ¡°Take her down.¡±


    Two bodyguards walked in and were about to tackle Mrs. Berry.


    Charlotte quickly stood in front Mrs. Berry, shielding her. ¡°Don''t you darey a finger on her!¡±


    ¡°What if I want to?¡± Sharon rushed forward and shoved Mrs. Berry hard.


    Mrs. Berry was knocked against the bed and fell to the ground, causing the IV needle on the back of


    her hand to pierce deeper into her flesh, instantly drawing blood.


    Seeing this, Charlotte flew into a rage andnded a hard p on Sharon''s cheek.


    The crisp sound echoed through the room.


    Sharon couldn''t recover from her shock. To be precise, she had never expected Charlotte to be so bold


    as to hit her.


    A red handprint immediately formed on her cheek.


    ¡°How... How dare you hit me?¡± Sharon''s eyes went wide with fury as she screamed hysterically, ¡°I''m


    gonna kill you!¡±


    With that, she lunged at Charlotte.


    ¡°Don''t touch Ms. Windt!¡± Mrs. Berry rushed over to protect Charlotte.


    The two bodyguards sprung to action, pulling Mrs. Berry away, but thetter used her heavy weight to


    her advantage and put up quite a fight.


    ¡°Let her go!¡± Charlotte stepped forward to help Mrs. Berry, but her hair was grabbed by Sharon.


    Not one to go down without a fight, Charlotte unsheathed her ws and fought against Sharon.


    Two more bodyguards rushed in and swiftly restrained Charlotte, twisting her arms behind her back.


    ¡°Go to hell, b*tch!¡± Sharon raised her arm and was about to p Charlotte.


    ¡°Stop!¡± An angry roar pierced through the tension.


    Sharon''s hand froze midair and she looked back, gasping in shock, ¡°Daddy? What are you doing


    here?¡±


    ¡°Let them go,¡± Taylor sternlymanded.


    The bodyguards immediately loosened their grip and stepped to a side.


    ¡°Miss!¡± Mrs. Berry hurried over to support Charlotte. ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    Charlotte caught sight of the wound on the back of Mrs. Berry''s hand. The needle had prated so


    deeply into her flesh that blood was constantly trickling out.


    The sight of it was like a sharp de driving into her heart. As she held Mrs. Berry''s hand, her entire


    body started trembling with fury and heartache.


    ¡°Get out.¡± Taylor''s brows furrowed.


    ¡°Daddy...¡±


    ¡°I said get out!¡± Taylor shot a re at Sharon.


    Filled with bitter resentment, Sharon pointed at Charlotte and gritted out, ¡°This isn''t over.¡±


    Then, she swiveled on her heels and stormed off.


    ¡°Stop right there!¡± Charlotte called out.


    Sharon stopped in her tracks and was about to let out a string of curses.


    Before she could, Taylor stepped forward and bowed deeply to Mrs. Berry and Charlotte. ¡°My sincerest


    apologies. I will take full responsibility for this matter.¡±


    ¡°Daddy...¡± Sharon''s eyes widened in disbelief. ¡°How could you apologize to her? Do you know that this


    b*tch-¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡± Taylor did not allow Sharon to speak.


    Before she lost her cool, she stalked out of the ward.


    ¡°All of you leave us too,¡± Taylor ordered.


    The bodyguards retreated and stood guard outside.


    After the door was closed, Taylor bowed and apologized to Charlotte and Mrs. Berry again. ¡°My


    daughter was spoilt since young. I will definitely discipline her harshly after this. Please rest assured


    that I''ll make sure she never bothers the two of you again. I''m truly sorry. Please ept my apology.¡±


    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    After that, he turned to leave.


    Faced with his sincerity, Charlotte couldn''t bring herself to kick up a fuss.


    Oddly, Taylor stopped just shy of the door and turned back to look at Charlotte, asking in a feeble voice,


    ¡°Was your father''s name Richard Windt?¡±

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    Chapter 440


    ¡°Yes.¡± Charlotte asked with a frown, ¡°Is there a problem?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Taylor shook his head repeatedly, looking slightly distressed. ¡°Then, what about your mother''s


    name?¡±


    ¡°I don''t think I need to answer that.¡±


    From a young age, her father had told her not to tell anyone her mother''s name.


    Although she didn''t know why her father had repeatedly warned her against it. Hence, she had since


    kept her mother''s name close to her heart.


    She knew that it was a matter of great importance. Even during her mother''s birthday each year, she


    and her father would secretly celebrate it at home, never letting any word about it get out.


    Hence, she had always guarded this secret.


    ¡°That was rude of me.¡± Taylor lowered his head to apologize, then left right after.


    As Mrs. Berry studied him from the back, a crease formed on her forehead. ¡°This man looks quite


    familiar. I feel as though I''ve seen him somewhere before.¡±


    ¡°He''s Sharon''s father.¡± Charlotte''s face remained hostile as she didn''t have a good impression of the


    ckwood family.


    Raina came in right then. Upon seeing the mess in the ward, she eximed in shock, ¡°Oh my lord!


    What happened in here? I was visiting a branch hospital today and rushed over right after I received a


    call, but I was still toote...¡±


    She walked over to check on them. ¡°Ms. Windt, Mrs. Berry, are you both alright?¡±


    ¡°I''m fine, but please take a look at Mrs. Berry''s hand.¡± Charlotte held Mrs. Berry''s hand with a pained


    expression on her face. ¡°Look how badly you were injured.¡±


    T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Let me have a look.¡± Raina frowned upon seeing the wound and immediately ordered a nurse, ¡°Bring


    over the first-aid kit.¡±


    The nurse immediately brought it over and Raina personally treated Mrs. Berry''s injury.


    Charlotte stood by the side with her brows tightly knitted into a frown.


    Just then, her phone rang with a call from Zachary. Due to the anger still coursing through her veins,


    she declined the call directly .


    Raina nced at her and was about to say something when her own phone rang, to which she swiftly


    answered. ¡°Mr. Nacht! Ms. Windt is fine. Don''t worry, Mr. ckwood has already taken Ms. ckwood


    away...¡±


    After briefly exining, the caller hung up.


    Raina treated Mrs. Berry''s wound and told her to rest well. Then, she tugged Charlotte out of the ward


    and exined, ¡°I heard Ben say that Mr. Nacht has been ignoring Ms. ckwoodtely, not answering


    her calls or replying her messages. So, Ms. ckwood went to thepany to confront him, but he''s


    been avoiding her.


    ¡°Ms. ckwood believed that you''re the reason for all these so she''s been looking for you high and


    low. She couldn''t find out your address because of Mr. Nacht''s influence. Somehow, she caught wind


    that Mrs. Berry is hospitalized here, so she came over to find you.¡±


    ¡°She should go look for Zachary, not me.¡± Charlotte''s rage skyrocketed when she thought about it.


    ¡°Well, Ms. ckwood has always been like that...¡± Other than this, Raina didn''t know what else to say.


    ¡°It''s also my fault that something like this happened today. I''ll arrange security for Mrs. Berry and make


    sure no one disturbs her from now on.¡±


    ¡°This has nothing to do with you. The hospital is opened to the public. It was only a matter of time


    before this got out.¡± Charlotte sighed. ¡°This is actually Zachary''s fault. It''s because he didn''t manage


    things well.¡±


    ¡°Don''t me him. He''s actually-¡±


    ¡°Forget it. Let''s not talk about this.¡± Charlotte was still mad at Zachary and didn''t want to think about


    him. ¡°I''m going to apany Mrs. Berry for a bit. I won''t keep you any longer.¡±


    ¡°Alright then.¡± Raina knew that she couldn''t persuade Charlotte when it came to this. Hence, she


    changed the subject. ¡°About Mrs. Peyton''s condition, I''ve discussed it with a few specialists and


    devised a treatment n specifically for her.


    ¡°From a personal standpoint, I think it''ll give better results than the hospital she''s in now, but you should


    still send the n to your friend and let her think about it, see if she wants to transfer here.¡±


    ¡°That''s great. Thank you.¡± Charlotte expressed her utmost gratitude.


    ¡°I''ll pass the n to youter. As for the cost, I can offer some discounts, but it won''t be much.


    Generally speaking, the cost will still be higher than public hospitals, so you''ll have to remind your


    friend to consider it properly.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    Raina came back with the n after a while and handed it to Charlotte. After Charlotte kept it safe, she


    went back to the ward to apany Mrs. Berry.


    Mrs. Berry was initially happy, but now, something seemed to be weighing on her mind.

 Chapter 441

    Chapter 441


    ¡°Ms. Windt,¡± the nurse greeted Charlotte before leaving the ward.


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    Only Charlotte and Mrs. Berry were left in the ward.


    Charlotte walked over to hold Mrs. Berry''s hand as remorse crept into her heart. ¡°I''m sorry for dragging


    you into my mess.¡±


    ¡°Silly girl. We''re a family, so I don''t want to hear you say such things again,¡± Mrs. Berry chided. Then, a


    scowl appeared on her face when she thought about Sharon. ¡°I don''t have a good feeling about that


    girl. From what I could see, she''s nothing but an arrogant bully who enjoys hurting others.¡±


    ¡°But...¡± Charlotte wanted to exin the matter regarding Zachary and her, but she didn''t know where to


    start.


    ¡°You don''t need to exin your private life to anyone.¡± Mrs. Berry held Charlotte''s hand, patting it


    reassuringly. ¡°I will always support the decisions you make because I believe that you''re a good girl and


    will never do anything bad.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Mrs. Berry...¡± The elderdy''s words had tugged on Charlotte''s heartstrings.


    ¡°I''ve been thinking about who that girl''s father is. I seemed to have met him before, but I just can''t


    remember where.¡± Mrs. Berry tapped her head. ¡°I know I''ve seen him before. I just know it.¡±


    ¡°He asked about my father just now. Maybe he had some business dealings with Dad in the past?¡±


    Charlotte also found Taylor strange. The first time they met, he had stared at her and even asked Ben


    what her name was.


    At that time, Charlotte thought that he wanted to avenge his daughter. But after she found him to be


    quite reasonable, she didn''t think he was a bad person. However, the questions he asked just now had


    thrown her off a little bit.


    ¡°I don''t think so.¡± Mrs. Berry shook her head. ¡°Back in the days, I was only in charge of family matters


    and rarely went to thepany. Mr. Windt never brought any business associates back home either,


    so if that man was a business associate, it was unlikely I would''ve met him.¡±


    ¡°That''s true.¡± Charlotte nodded. ¡°Alright. Don''t push yourself to think too much about that. Rest for now.


    I''ll go buy something for you to eat.¡±


    Mrs. Berry sighed dejectedly. ¡°What a pity. You used such a long time to cook the soup, but I didn''t get


    to taste it at all.¡±


    Her heart ached at sight of the lentil soup which was spilled all over the floor.


    ¡°It''s okay. I''ll make it for you again tomorrow.¡±


    Charlotte ordered takeout for Mrs. Berry, making sure to choose the same food, lentil soup and bread.


    However, the soup didn''t taste as good as the one Charlotte made.¡±


    Although she failed in making the buns and mac and cheese, she was quite good at cooking soup.


    Most importantly, it was the thought that counted.


    After eating lunch with Mrs. Berry, Charlotte stayed with her while her wound was dressed again and


    persuaded her to sleep before hurrying home.


    She had two performances on that night. At first, it was only for apany anniversary party, but


    Felicity informed herst minute that she would have to perform at a wedding banquet as well.


    Charlotte rushed home and changed her clothes, then hurried over to the venue for her first


    performance.


    That night was Olivia''s off day, so she went over to assist her.


    With someone by her side, Charlotte wasn''t as keyed up anymore.


    Her performances ended at nine o''clock. After receiving her pay, she treated Olivia to some meat


    skewers at a nearby restaurant and also passed the treatment n Raina gave her to Olivia.


    Olivia read through it in detail and immediately made her decision. ¡°Charlotte, please help me tell Dr.


    Langhan that I want to transfer my mother over and I''m willing to pay however much is needed.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I thought you''d say that anyway.¡± Charlotte nodded. ¡°Don''t worry about the cost. We''ll figure it


    out. Our priority is making sure your mother gets treated.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Olivia was immensely touched by Charlotte''s goodwill.


    ¡°Don''t mention it, silly girl. We''re a family.¡± Charlotte smiled warmly. ¡°Okay, tell you what. Come to


    Kindness Hospital tomorrow and I''ll introduce you to Dr. Langhan, then you can discuss with her about


    your mother''s condition and also let her take a look at your hands.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Thank you, Charlotte.¡±


    After having supper, Charlotte rushed home with a thought in mind. Will Zachary be waiting downstairs


    at ten o''clock sharp likest night?

 Chapter 442

    Chapter 442


    Is he going to mad again if I''mte?


    With worry gnawing at her, Charlotte urged the taxi driver to go faster.


    Finally, the taxi pulled up in front of the building in Happy Avenue at nine fifty-eight. However, Zachary''s


    car was nowhere in sight.


    Charlotte thought perhaps he would only arrive at ten sharp since every second counted for a


    businessman like him.


    Hence, she waited by the roadside for two minutes, but there was still no sight of him.


    Maybe he''s caught in traffic?


    Or something important cropped up?


    Charlotte waited for a few more minutes, but when he still did note, her head drooped with


    disappointment.


    She spected that he was probably angry because she didn''t answer his call earlier and decided not


    toe.


    Or perhaps he was busy cating Sharon and her father after what happened in the ward.


    Whatever. Come or don''te, it doesn''t matter to me!


    In fact, I''d rather he nevere again.


    Charlotte took in a deep breath and marched into the residential estate, all the while giving herself a


    mental pep talk. Stop thinking about that b*stard. You''re fine without him, Charlotte. He can do


    whatever the hell he wants...


    As she was deep into her thoughts, the elevator door dinged open to show a familiar figure standing


    inside.


    Charlotte gaped at him, thinking she was imagining this.


    I must be seeing things after thinking about him too much.


    Charlotte rubbed her eyes. What? It really is Zachary!


    ¡°Are youing in or not?¡± Zachary peered at her coldly.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Charlotte entered the elevator.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Zachary answered her question with a question.


    ¡°Don''t tell me, you came upstairs to find me because you didn''t see me downstairs?¡± Charlotte asked


    anxiously, ¡°Did you run into the kids?¡±


    Zachary remained silent. All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    ¡°Wait, that''s not right.¡± Charlotte gnawed on her lip nervously. ¡°I came back at nine fifty-eight sharp and


    I waited for you downstairs, but you weren''t there. What''s going on? When did you get here?¡±


    ¡°You waited for me downstairs?¡± Zachary cocked a brow.


    ¡°Well, you said you''d pick me up at ten,¡± Charlotte answered without thinking.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Zachary reached out to pull her into his arms, gazing at her intimately. ¡°So, you were also looking


    forward to seeing me, right?¡±


    ¡°N-No, I wasn''t.¡±


    Charlotte refused to admit that she was indeed looking forward to seeing him, or rather, seeing him had


    turned into a habit.


    ¡°Liar.¡± Zachary lifted her chin and nibbled on her cherry lips.


    ¡°Stop it.¡± Charlotte frantically pushed him away. ¡°There''s a CCTV here.¡±


    ¡°Then, we''ll go home and pick up where we left off.¡± Zachary pinched her cheek dotingly.


    ¡°What? You''reing home with me?¡± Charlotte nched in horror. ¡°No, no, no. You can''t...¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± Zachary toyed with her. ¡°Are you that ashamed of me?¡±


    ¡°The kids will see you and that''s not good.¡± Charlotte started to panic. ¡°You should hurry up and go


    back.¡±


    Right then, the elevator doors slid open at the sixteenth floor.


    Zachary was about to walk out, but Charlotte quickly stopped him and pressed for the close button at


    the same time, frantically saying, ¡°Wait for me downstairs. I''lle down after seeing the kids.¡±


    A frown appeared on her face after a while. ¡°That''s weird. Why isn''t it working?¡±


    She kept pressing for the first floor, but it just wouldn''t light up. That was when she noticed that the


    button for level 17 was lighted.


    ¡°Forget it. Come out first and use another elevator.¡±


    Charlotte was visibly flustered and Zachary found it greatly amusing.


    ¡°Alright, I won''t scare you anymore.¡±


    Then, he pushed her out of the elevator. ¡°You have half an hour with your kids. I''ll be waiting for you


    upstairs.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Charlotte was stunned, unable to understand him. ¡°Go upstairs? Why?¡±


    ¡°Idiot.¡± Zachary couldn''t be bothered to exin and closed the elevator directly.


    Dumbfounded, Charlotte stood motionless and it took a while before she came back to her senses.


    Don''t tell me... he moved in upstairs?


    No way, right?

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    Chapter 443


    ¡°Ms. Windt, you''re back.¡±


    The door to her house opened at that moment and two of the nurses came out.


    ¡°Amelia, Mildred. Thanks for all your help.¡± Charlotte greeted them. ¡°Where''s Violet?¡±


    ¡°Violet''s waiting for Ellie to finish her milk. She''ll leave after that.¡± Amelia said with a smile, ¡°Robbie and


    Jamie are all grown up now. They don''t want to drink milk anymore.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! Yeah, they said real men don''t drink milk.¡± Mildred mimicked Robbie and Jamie''s voices.


    ¡°Those two silly boys.¡± Thinking of her children, a bright smile stretched across Charlotte''s lips.


    ¡°I''m done.¡± Violet came out just then. ¡°Oh, Ms. Windt, you''re back. The triplets are all asleep now.¡±


    ¡°They slept a littleter tonight because some people were moving things upstairs and it was quite


    noisy. It stopped only half an hour ago.¡± Mildred exined, ¡°I think a new resident just moved in.¡±


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    Upon hearing this, Charlotte was even more certain that Zachary had indeed moved in upstairs.


    He bought the unit next door for the nurses, and now he''s bought the unit upstairs as well?


    What the hell is he up to?


    ¡°You should go in and rest now, Ms. Windt.¡± The nurses urged, then reported, ¡°Jamie''s follow-up visit


    today went well. The medical report is on the dining table. You can take a look at it when you''re free.¡±


    ¡°Alright, thank you for your hard work today.¡± Charlotte smiled broadly. ¡°I''ll make breakfast for the kids


    tomorrow, so you three can sleep in a bit.¡±


    ¡°Uhm...¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry, I''ll prepare a perfect breakfast tomorrow. No more mistakes.¡± Charlotte''s face heated up


    with embarrassment.


    ¡°Hahaha! Sure, the kids would be delighted. Goodnight, Ms. Windt.¡±


    ¡°Goodnight!¡±


    Charlotte returned home and picked up the medical report on the table. Jamie''s leg was recovering


    well. The doctor suggested that he recuperate for two months and go for his checkup on time each


    month.


    There was also some takeaway food on the table with a note written by Robbie. Mommy, we brought


    this back for your dinner. Don''t forget to reheat it before eating.


    Charlotte was touched by their children''s gesture. No matter where they went, they would never forget


    to bring food back for her.


    She carefully pushed Ellie''s bedroom door open and peeked in to see her hugging her stuffed alpaca,


    already asleep. Her chubby belly moved up and down in tandem with her breathing. She looked like a


    princess under the decorative pink veil, quiet and well-behaved.


    Charlotte quietly closed the door and went to the next bedroom to see that both Robbie and Jamie


    were already sound asleep. Jamie was still holding a Rubik''s Cube in his hand, while Robbie was


    holding a book. They even forgot to turn off the lights.


    Charlotte crept into the room to turn off the lights, then covered them with their nkets before going


    out.


    She moved the food on the table into the kitchen and changed into a set offortable casual wear.


    Putting on her slippers, she snuck out of the house again.


    After making sure she locked the door, she took the elevator upstairs. Sure enough, Zachary was in his


    pajamas and holding a ss of red wine while leaning against the door waiting for her.


    ¡°You really moved here?¡± Charlotte still found it hard to believe.


    ¡°Do you have to ask?¡± Zachary pushed here inside.


    Charlotte was shocked with she saw the furnishings in the house. ¡°Did you move all your furniture


    here?¡±


    ¡°Obviously.¡± Zachary lowered himself onto the sofa, propping his feet on the coffee table. ¡°I can''t buy


    any good furniture on such short notice. Even if I did, there''d be the formaldehyde issue, so I moved


    the furniture from my ce.¡±


    ¡°Oh my God...¡± Charlotte spun in a circle as she gawked at her surroundings. ¡°It looks exactly the


    same. Even the vases, the ashtray, the paintings...¡±


    ¡°Idiot.¡± Although Zachary was slightly annoyed by the silly look on her face, he couldn''t bring himself to


    look away. ¡°This unit is only slightly smaller than two thousand square feet, so it can''t amodate all


    of my things. I only moved some of it.¡±

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    Chapter 444


    ¡°Why did you suddenly wanna move here?¡± Charlotte asked curiously.


    ¡°Because of you...¡± Zachary stopped the words at the tip of his tongue and quickly corrected, ¡°Because


    you''re annoying. You woke me up so early and disrupted my sleep. I thought I might as well just move


    here so that I can sleep a little longer.¡±


    Charlotte noticed the way he was feigning indifference and couldn''t help but giggle. ¡°So, you wanna be


    closer to me and see me every day. Is that it?¡±


    ¡°Don''t tter yourself.¡± Zachary wore a disdainful look on his face.


    ¡°Oh? I''ll leave then.¡± Charlotte turned toward the door, pretending to leave.


    ¡°Don''t you dare.¡± Zachary snagged her hand and pulled her into his embrace.


    Due to the momentum, Charlotte fell on hisp, bringing their faces inches away from each other. She


    could even clearly see her reflection in his eyes.


    Zachary cupped her cheek with one hand and gently rubbed her lips with his thumb. ¡°Why is your face


    swollen?¡±


    Only then did Charlotte recall that she had been pped by Sharon earlier. Anger surged in her chest


    and she grumbled, ¡°It''s no thanks to you.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Zachary frowned. ¡°Sharon hit you?¡±


    ¡°I pped her back.¡± Charlotte proudly lifted her chin up.


    ¡°I see you''ve finally grown a pair.¡± The corner of Zachary''s lips tugged upward.


    ¡°Is that apliment?¡± Surprise shed across Charlotte''s eyes.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Zachary grasped her chin and dered a serious tone, ¡°My woman is no pushover. If


    someone hits you, you hit them back!¡±


    Silence ensued.


    Thinking she had heard it wrong at first, Charlotte was stunned for a good few seconds before


    snapping out of it. ¡°But she''s your fianc¨¦e.¡±


    ¡°My grandfather is a willful man, but he doesn''t speak for me,¡± Zachary replied ndly.


    ¡°You don''t want to marry Sharon?¡± Charlotte asked tentatively, ¡°Then, why did you agree?¡±


    ¡°I didn''t...¡± Zachary started, but continued with a question. ¡°Didn''t you want me to quickly get married so


    that you could get rid of me sooner?¡±


    ¡°No, I didn''t...¡± Charlotte started to panic. ¡°I just... I just...¡±


    ¡°Just what?¡± Zachary held his breath, anticipating her answer.


    ¡°If you really want to marry someone else, would I be able to stop you?¡± Charlotte spoke from her


    heart, ¡°I can''t change anything, so what else could I have said?¡±


    ¡°So, you don''t want me to marry someone else?¡± Zachary''s eyes glowed with an unusual light. ¡°You like


    me, don''t you?¡±


    Charlotte bit her lower lip and pondered for a moment before answering earnestly, ¡°When you''re not


    violent, yes... but it''s a no when you lose your temper.¡±


    Zachary was rendered inarticte and his brows gradually drew together. ¡°What the hell?¡±


    ¡°To put it simply, sometimes I like you and sometimes I don''t.¡± Charlotte held his face in her hands and


    took the opportunity to plead, ¡°If you promise not to lose your temper again, I''ll promise to always like


    you...¡±


    ¡°That depends on whether you behave or not.¡± Zachary''s hand reached into her skirt and slowly slid


    upward as his sexy lips pressed against her ear lobe. ¡°Do you like me now?¡±


    ¡°No, I don''t-¡±


    Charlotte''s words were cut off when Zachary sealed her lips shut with a rough kiss.


    As she was imprisoned in his arms, she was defenseless to his antics. He pried her legs open and


    ced her on hisp so that she was straddling him, then guided her on a whole new adventure.


    It was yet another wild and passionate night. However, this night was a little different as both of them


    bared their souls to one another, bing physically and emotionally entwined.


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    Throughout the night, the two of them enjoyed the pleasures of love, bing closer than ever.


    As theyy in each other''s arms in the wee hours, Zachary caressed Charlotte''s silky hair and gently


    kissed her forehead. ¡°You''re very cute when you''re obedient...¡±


    ¡°You too.¡± Charlotte nestled in his arms, rubbing her cheek against his neck. ¡°You''re very gentle when


    you''re not angry.¡±

 Chapter 445

    Chapter 445


    ¡°If... I say I want to marry you...¡± Zachary asked abruptly, ¡°Would you say yes?¡±


    However, Charlotte didn''t hear his question because she had already fallen asleep.


    Zachary looked down to study her face and couldn''t deny that she looked adorable even in her sleep.


    He sighed helplessly, then leaned down to kiss her eyes. After pulling the nket securely around her,


    he let sleep take over him.


    The rm went off at half past six in the morning,


    Charlotte jolted awake and rolled out of bed. Without even washing her face, she pulled on her clothes


    and wore her slippers. ¡°I''m going down to make breakfast. Go back to sleep.¡±


    With that, she promptly took off, one of her slippers falling off in her haste.


    Staring at her klutzy movements, Zachary''s mouth curved into an alluring smile.


    Then, he turned on his side and continued sleeping.


    Charlotte rushed back home as fast as she could. Fortunately, the three nurses hadn''t arrived yet and


    the triplets were still asleep.


    She dashed into the kitchen and started making breakfast.


    To y it safe, she prepared a simple breakfastprising of sandwiches, dumplings, some fruit sd,


    and juice.


    These foods had high sess rates, so Charlotte was confident that nothing would go wrong.


    The children woke up when she started blending juice. Hearing the noise, Robbie immediately ran to


    the kitchen and called out gleefully, ¡°Mommy!¡±


    ¡°Good morning, Robbie!¡± Charlotte looked back to smile at him while she was cutting the fruits.


    ¡°Good morning, Mommy.¡± Robbie padded over to hug Charlotte. ¡°You must be tired, Mommy.¡±


    ¡°Aww, it''s okay. Watching you three enjoy breakfast makes Mommy very happy.¡± Charlotte kissed his


    forehead just as the doorbell rang. ¡°It must be the nurses. Go open the door for them.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Robbie ran over to get the door.


    The nurses came in and helped the triplets wash up and get dressed.


    The family sat at the dining table and happily dug into their food.


    Breakfast was a sess this time and the children enjoyed their meal. Charlotte rested her chin on one


    hand while watching the triplets wolf down their food, a strong feeling of contentment blooming in her


    heart.


    ¡°Mommy, you should eat too.¡± The triplets fed Charlotte some fruit sd.


    ¡°Thanks, kids.¡± Charlotte only ate a bit of fruit sd.


    Soon, the three children finished their breakfast. After that, they carried their backpacks and went to


    school apanied by the nurses.


    Charlotte walked them to the elevator and waved goodbye to them.


    After they left, she quickly went home to make two portions of breakfast and brought them upstairs.


    She was about to tap on the door with her foot, but the door opened before she could. ¡°How did the


    door open on its own?¡± she asked in bewilderment.


    ¡°There''s a new technology called fully automated housekeeping.¡±


    Zachary was reading the financial section on the newspaper at the dining table with a ss of warm


    water in front of him.


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    Charlotte shrugged. ¡°Hmm, I guess it''s only normal that you have a one-of-a-kind home, seeing as


    you''re the boss of a techpany.¡±


    She ced the tray down and transferred the tes of food onto the table. ¡°You know, you look like


    you were waiting for me to bring breakfast up.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Why do you think I moved here?¡± Zachary studied the breakfast spread on the table. ¡°You


    made all of this yourself?¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡± Charlotte felt slightly embarrassed. ¡°It''s nothing fancy, but they taste quite alright. Go ahead


    and try some.¡±


    Zachary had one dumpling and nodded. ¡°Not bad.¡±


    Then, he picked up a sandwich and took a bite. ¡°This one''s a little but soggy.¡±


    After that, he ate a mouthful of the fruit sd. ¡°Too much dressing.¡±


    Lastly, he took a sip of the apple juice. ¡°You should''ve added some salt while you were blending the


    apple.¡±


    When he was done evaluating everything, he finally started eating.


    ¡°You''re really hard to please, you know that?¡± Charlotte pouted unhappily. ¡°This breakfast is already


    considered one of my best.¡±


    ¡°It''s quite alright.¡± Zachary was biting into a sandwich. ¡°If only I had a cup of ck coffee to go with it.¡±


    Charlotte was lost for words.


    She realized that he was disying a serious case of machismo, but there was nothing she could really


    do about it.


    ¡°Do you have a coffee machine?¡±


    ¡°It''s in the kitchen. There are coffee beans too.¡±


    ¡°You eat first. I''ll go grind the beans for you.¡±


    ¡°Good girl.¡±

 Chapter 446

    Chapter 446


    Charlotte came back with a cup of coffee in hand. Zachary had already finished his breakfast by then


    and took a sip of the coffee, nodded in approval. ¡°Mm, not bad!¡±


    ¡°Finally, apliment.¡± Charlotte sighed in relief. ¡°So, it seems like I gained something from working in


    Divine Corporation. At least I learned how to make good coffee.¡±


    ¡°Look at you go.¡± Zachary ruffled her hair affectionately. ¡°Alright, eat your breakfast before it gets cold.¡±


    ¡°I can''t possibly finish all of this. You should have more.¡±


    With that, Charlotte brought a sandwich to his mouth.


    Zachary instinctively took a bite. Then, as if it was the most natural thing to do, Charlotte withdrew her


    hand and continued eating it. At that moment, they looked like they were an old married couple.


    This subtle gesture struck a chord in Zachary. As he quietly watched Charlotte, he secretly made a


    decision.


    ¡°You''re going to thepany today, right?¡± Charlotte did not notice the strange expression he was


    wearing, looking at her phone while nning his schedule. ¡°It''s seven forty already. What time do you


    need to head over there?¡±


    ¡°It''s still early. Don''t worry.¡± Zachary wiped off the bread crumbs from her mouth, then handed her a cup


    of juice. ¡°Drink some.¡±


    ¡°I can''t eat anymore.¡± Not having much of an appetite, Charlotte yawned and said, ¡°I wanna sleep.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡± Zachary pulled her into his embrace. ¡°I''ll keep youpany.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine. You have to go to thepany soon, right?¡± Charlotte stood up to clear the table.


    ¡°No, I''m leaving at ten.¡± Zachary carried her into the bedroom.


    ¡°Zachary, I just wanna sleep.¡± Charlotte grew anxious. ¡°Like really sleep, not the other kind of sleep...¡±


    ¡°Hah!¡± Zachary pressed her on the bed and deliberately frightened her. ¡°I wasn''t nning on doing


    anything, but now that you''ve mentioned it, I seem to remember that we only had two roundsst night.


    It''s not enough...¡±


    ¡°No...¡± Charlotte thrashed against him in shock. ¡°I''m bone-tired and really sleepy. Please, let me sleep


    for a while...¡±


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    ¡°Idiot!¡± Zachary bit her ear lobe and hugged her against his chest. ¡°Sleep then. I''ll stay with you.¡±


    ¡°No touching...¡± Charlotte turned around so that her back was facing him. It wasn''t long before she


    started to sound drowsy. ¡°I''ll sleep until ten...¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Zachary kissed her ear and gently patted her shoulder, coaxing her to sleep.


    Charlotte fell asleep quickly, curling against him like a baby.


    Initially, Zachary nned to sleep for a bit as well, but his phone vibrated with an iing call just


    then. He fished out his phone and when he saw that it was from Henry, he declined it without hesitation


    before sending a text. I can''t pick up the phone now. Is something up?


    Soon, Henry replied: Come home this instant, you little brat!


    Zachary replied: What is it?


    Sharon has been looking for you for more than ten days and you''ve been avoiding her. What''s the


    meaning of this? She even came to see me, soe back right this instant!


    I''m busy now. Let''s make it at night. I have something to tell all of you as well.


    6 p.m. this evening. Sharon and Mr. ckwood will both be here, so you better show up. Otherwise,


    don''t me me for being merciless.


    Understood.


    Following that, Zachary sent a message to Ben: Prepare all the evidence on Sharon.


    Ben simply replied: Understood. He was flummoxed upon receiving a text message from Zachary. Mr.


    Nacht never liked texting. Why is he texting me his orders all of a sudden?


    Though confused, he did as he was told.


    After making the necessary arrangements, Zachary switched off his phone and put it away. Then, he


    wrapped his arms around Charlotte and closed his eyes.


    It was raining outside, so the weather was chilly and very suitable for sleeping in.


    The woman in his arms was soft and supple to the touch. Coupled with her sweet scent, she resembled


    a silent luby as he hugged her tight.


    Shortly after, Zachary drifted off to sleep.


    No matter how busy or troubled he was, as long as she was beside him, he would be able to sleep


    peacefully.

 Chapter 447

    Chapter 447


    Charlotte finally woke up in a daze, turning over and burrowing into Zachary''s arms out of habit.


    Nuzzling the crook of his neck, she reveled in the scent that was solely his, feeling especially warm on


    the inside.


    ¡°Hey.¡± Zachary had just woken up too. He stroked her hair and kissed the crown of her head. ¡°Hungry?¡±


    ¡°A little bit...¡± Charlotte retrieved her phone from under her pillow. ¡°Oh God, it''s twelve already!¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Zachary took her phone away. ¡°It''s time for lunch.¡±


    ¡°I''ll go make us lunch now.¡± Charlotte scrambled to get out of bed.


    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Don''t trouble yourself. I''ll handle it.¡± Zachary pulled her back. ¡°Let''s hug for a little longer.¡±


    ¡°Is it really okay for you to not go to thepany?¡±


    Charlotte felt uneasy. Back when she was at Divine Corporation, he rarely went into work thiste


    unless the time he went for business trips.


    ¡°I''m the boss. My word is thew.¡± Zachary turned on his phone and dialed a number. ¡°Arrange lunch


    and have it delivered here at one sharp.¡±


    After ending the call, he cuddled with Charlotte again and naughtily bit her ear lobe. ¡°I wanna eat you.¡±


    ¡°Stop messing around...¡± Charlotte drew back from him, avoiding his lips. ¡°I should get up now. I have


    something to doter.¡±


    ¡°What thing?¡± Zachary held her chin, dropping a kiss on her forehead and cheeks.


    ¡°I...¡± Charlotte almost slipped up, stopping herself at the veryst second. ¡°I''m meeting a close friend


    for teater.¡±


    ¡°Is there anyone else?¡± Zachary began to nibble on her neck.


    ¡°No, it''s just her...¡± Charlotte started moaning softly. ¡°Stop it. I really need to get up now, and it''s a


    hassle to wash my hair.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Zachary reluctantly released her. ¡°Shower here. I''ll help you blow-dry your hair.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Charlotte went to the master bedroom''s bathroom and was surprised to find that all her


    toiletries had been prepared. There was even a set of pajamas for her.


    ¡°I''ll go to the other bathroom. Wait here for me after you''re done.¡±


    Zachary''s voice came from outside.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Charlotte replied, staring at the toothbrush in the pink ceramic cup next to Zachary''s blue


    ceramic cup which held his own toothbrush. They were a matching set which looked childishly cute.


    Charlotte broke into a blissful smile because she never expected to see this side of Zachary.


    Recently, he had been so gentle and warm that she could barely remember how he was when he lost


    his temper and became violent.


    At that moment, all she could think of was Zachary''s thoughtful and loving side.


    She seemed to have grown ustomed to this side of him.


    In fact, she may have even fallen in love with him.


    Charlotte looked into the mirror and asked herself. Are you really in love with him, Charlotte?


    Lost in thought, the sound of her phone ringing brought her back to reality. She hurriedly ran out to


    answer the call. ¡°Hey, Olivia.¡±


    ¡°Charlotte, don''t forget to meet me in Kindness Hospital at three. Oh and Ms. Fuller told me to remind


    you that the banquet at six tonight is very important, so don''t bete.¡±


    ¡°Got it. I''ll go straight to the hotel after meeting you at the hospital.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I''ll be on duty tonight, so I won''t be apanying you. Remember to contact Ms. Fuller


    directly.¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡±


    With that, Charlotte ended the call and put her phone aside before going to the bathroom for a shower.


    Her hair was very long, so it was especially tedious to wash.


    While she was washing her hair, a figure walked in, giving her a big scare when she turned around.


    ¡°Why did youe in?¡±


    ¡°To help you...¡±


    Zachary hugged her from behind and scrubbed her body, gently biting down on her shoulder.


    ¡°You''re at it again. Stop it...¡± Charlotte whimpered helplessly, ¡°How many times do you wanna do it in a


    day? My body can''t take it...¡±


    ¡°You don''t need to do anything. I''ll do all the work.¡± Zachary picked her up and ravaged her once again.

 Chapter 448

    Chapter 448


    Charlotte felt like she was going to die from exhaustion. Zachary was insatiable and often tired her out.


    Despite that, she could never resist him.


    By the time the two of them came out, it was already two o''clock. Ben had been waiting outside for


    more than one hour and the food had already gone cold.


    Right then, Ben tentatively pressed the doorbell.


    Charlotte pulled her long hair into a ponytail and went to get the door. Realizing that Ben had waited


    until now, color tinted her cheeks.


    ¡°The food has probably gone cold. I''ll call the chef over to reheat it.¡± Ben was about to make a call.


    ¡°It''s fine. I can do it myself.¡±


    As Charlotte spoke, Zachary came out of the room, wrapped in only a bath towel.


    Ben immediately bowed his head and retreated.


    Charlotte was so embarrassed her face flushed a scarlet red. She wanted nothing more than to dig a


    hole and crawl into it.


    ¡°We''re all adults. What''s there to be embarrassed about?¡± On the contrary, Zachary was as cool as


    cucumber.


    ¡°Don''t ever do this again.¡± Charlotte rolled her eyes at him and went to reheat the food.


    Zachary drank a cup of ck coffee and went to the room to get dressed. Checking his phone, he saw


    that there were two missed calls from Sharon. He ignored it and put down his phone before going


    outside to have lunch with Charlotte.


    ¡°I''ll be backte tonight. After you''re done with your stuff,e over to rest first.¡±


    Zachary pulled her hand over and saved her fingerprint on his tablet.


    ¡°Fingerprint sessfully registered. Wee home!¡± An automated voice sounded from the tablet.


    ¡°This is...¡±


    ¡°Your fingerprint ess.¡± Zachary put down the tablet. ¡°From now on, you''re thedy of this house.¡±


    ¡°Lady of the house...¡± Charlotte murmured as warmth enveloped her.


    Zachary caressed her face and tenderly said, ¡°Wait for me tonight.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Charlotte smiled tenderly at him, overwhelmed with happiness.


    ¡°I''ve gotta go now.¡± Zachary put down his utensils and got up to put on his coat. ¡°Enjoy your lunch and


    take a nap after you''re done.¡±


    ¡°I''m done too. I''ll go down and change, then head out right after.¡±


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    With that, Charlotte adjusted his coat for him and walked him out.


    Zachary kissed her head before striding into the elevator.


    Charlotte could tell that he was busy, but wanted to spend more time with her.


    After cleaning the table, she went home to change and rushed to Kindness Hospital.


    Olivia had arrived earlier than their appointed time. Upon reaching, Charlotte brought her to meet


    Raina, who then exined her mother''s condition to her in detail and gave her some pertinent


    suggestions. After that, she took a look at Olivia''s hand.


    Raina concluded that it wasn''t a serious injury and could be curedpletely. However, because the


    best recovery window had passed, it would take more time for her to heal.


    Olivia was over the moon. At first, she thought that she wouldn''t be able to y the piano for the rest of


    her life, but now, she was brimming with rekindled hope.


    Raina prepared a treatment n for Olivia, informing her to free up a month to receive treatment, then


    help her mother with the transfer procedures.


    Charlotte waited for Olivia to settle matters here before leaving in a hurry. Felicity had repeatedly told


    her that the banquet on that night was of great importance and the performance fee was twenty


    thousand. Hence, she reminded Charlotte to be there on time.


    When Charlotte reached the hotel, Felicity was already making arrangements for the banquet. Upon


    seeing her, thetter rushed her to go get dressed as she was had to perform at six on the dot. The


    performance wouldst for about three hours, so she had to be fully prepared.


    Charlotte went to the dressing room and slipped on the attire they had prepared for her, then got her


    makeup done and officially appeared on stage.


    Seeing as many important figures were invited, the banquet was very likely hosted by a wealthy family.


    The guests who came were either filthy rich or immensely powerful. Charlotte even spotted a few


    familiar faces among the crowd, which got her thinking.


    Could the host be someone I know?


    Right then, said host made an entrance.


    Taking in the magenta-colored gown and the princess hairstyle, Charlotte''s eyes gradually widened as


    she realized that the stunningly beautiful host was none other than Helena Brown!

 Chapter 449

    Chapter 449


    Charlotte felt slightly uneasy. So far, she was thankful for the part-time jobs Felicity offered her. Hence,


    she never inquired about the specifics.


    It had been a long time since Charlotte saw Helena. Truth be told, there wasn''t much conflict between


    them, but Helena held a grudge against her. And she had be extremely hostile toward Charlotte


    because of Hector.


    Thus, Charlotte was disinclined to have any interactions with her.


    Little did she know that she would run into her here.


    Luckily, Charlotte had the foresight to wear a mask during her performance, so as to avoid unwanted


    trouble.


    All she could hope was that Helena wouldn''t recognize her.


    Before she could dwell on it, Felicity cued her from backstage, leaving her no choice but to begin


    ying.


    Below the stage, many influential figures stepped forward to greet Helena, who enjoyed being the


    center of attention.


    Charlotte''s performance garnered some attention and several guests asked Helena where she hired


    this pianist who possessed such extraordinary piano skills.


    Helena didn''t take it seriously as she treated their inquiries as apliment.


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    Soon, the male host of the banquet made an appearance. Helena personally weed him and


    introduced him to all the guests. ¡°This is my boyfriend, Hector Sterling. We hope to receive everyone''s


    guidance and support.¡±


    Charlotte turned her head to cast a brief nce, her hands on the piano slowing down slightly.


    Hector? I can''t believe it!


    He has just divorced Luna for slightly over a month, but he''s publicly together with Helena already?


    Hector used to be the cherished love of her life, a refined and wless man. However, his image in her


    heart waspletely ruined at that moment.


    Four years ago, he had abandoned her for the sake of his own future and family interests, then married


    Luna on a whim.


    Four yearster, he failed to manage his family well and had an affair, which led to the breakdown of


    his marriage and hammered his career.


    And now, he got involved with Helena for some inexplicable reason.


    His irresponsible character would only make him sail deeper off the edge and reach the point of no


    return.


    Charlotte was utterly disappointed in him.


    However, this was his own choice to make and she had no right to interfere.


    Charlotte withdrew her gaze and continued ying the piano.


    ¡°The music is quite good.¡± Hector instantly took notice of the pianist on stage.


    ¡°Well, of course.¡± Helena held onto Hector''s arm intimately and proudly stated, ¡°I spent a lot of time and


    effort on the banquet''s preparation.¡±


    ¡°You did a great job.¡± Hector gently kissed her forehead.


    The two of them resembled newlyweds with how intimate they were with each other and several guests


    came forward to congratte them.


    Helena introduced Hector to each guest, trying her best to pave the way for him and offer him new


    business opportunities. Hence, she announced that the Brown family would be coborating with the


    Sterling family on a development project.


    This piece of information piqued the interests of many guests. Hence, they exchanged contacts with


    Hector and agreed to cooperate in the future.


    There were also a small number of guests started a private discussion, whispering among themselves.


    ¡°The Browns'' business is growing rapidly. Ms. Brown is a woman from a wealthy background who has


    both looks and talent. Why did she fall for a down and out man like Hector Sterling?¡±


    ¡°I don''t get it either. Sterling Group is going downhill. If it wasn''t for the Browns'' support, it would''ve


    gone bankrupt by now.¡±


    ¡°Not only that, Sterling has a bad reputation as well. Four years ago, he trimmed his sails back when


    the Windt family went bankrupt and broke off the engagement with his childhood sweetheart cum


    fianc¨¦e. Four yearster, he divorced his wife and is now leeching off the Browns. A shameless person


    like him doesn''t deserve to be a son-inw of the Brown family.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Brown is young, so she might be fooled easily, but her father should''ve advised her against it. How


    could he leave his daughter unchecked?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps Ms. Brown is doing it behind his back.¡±


    ¡°We came here today out of respect for the Browns, but it turns out that Ms. Brown''s only purpose is to


    promote Sterling. I''m going to leave soon...¡±

 Chapter 450

    Chapter 450


    ¡°I received another piece of insider information.¡± One of the guests cupped his mouth and whispered, ¡°I


    heard the Sterlings offended the Nacht Group and was cklisted by them.


    ¡°Is that true?¡± After hearing those words, other guests got excited and began to surround them.


    ¡°That was what I heard.¡± Frowning, the guest who revealed the information, continued, ¡°I don''t want to


    offend the Nacht family. I shall leave now.¡±


    With that, the man hurriedly left from the back.


    The other guests who overheard the news were also preparing to leave when they heard an angry


    shout from the door. ¡°Let me in! I want to go in! Do you know who I am? I am Mrs. Sterling.¡±


    The woman was very loud, as though she was using all her strength to holler.


    Charlotte''s piano melody abruptly paused again. Turning back, she realized that the person screaming


    hysterically while being held back by the security guards was Luna.


    Dressed in an old-fashioned outfit, she looked like she had hastily applied her makeup and had messy


    hair. As she tried to barge into the banquet hall, the two security guards stopped her.


    T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    The more they held her back, the more agitated she became. She screamed so loudly that everyone


    present could only hear her voice.


    With the scene she was making, the pleasant atmosphere changed.


    As a result, Helena''s expression turned dark as she scowled.


    The guests began to talk amongst themselves, and some even directly asked Hector, ¡°Mr. Sterling, is


    that your ex-wife?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Sterling, did you get a divorce already?¡± Someone else asked.


    All these questions made Hector flustered. Embarrassed, he shot Owen a look.


    Understanding his message, Owen brought two bodyguards with him and wanted to take Luna away.


    At that instant, Luna managed to break away from the security guards. She frantically rushed forward


    and roared, ¡°Helena, you are a b****! How dare you steal my husband? I am going to kill you!¡±


    Then, she pounced onto Helena while bearing her teeth.


    The two bodyguards with Owen grabbed the attacker before she could do anything. No matter how


    much she iled her arms and struggled, she could not get close to her target.


    ¡°We have divorced a long time ago, so you have no right to question my choices.¡± With a stoic


    expression, Hector snarled, ¡°Don''t be an embarrassment here. Get out this instant!¡±


    ¡°You think I''m an embarrassment? Haha...¡± Luna broke out in a fit ofughter.


    Even though she wasughing, tears were streaming down her face.


    With a forced smile, she continued, ¡°Why didn''t you think I was an embarrassment when I gave birth to


    your son? When I sold all my family assets to pay off your debt, was I an embarrassment too? Now that


    I am penniless, you decided to cast me aside and call me an embarrassment? Hector, you are a


    bastard!¡±


    Listening to what she had to say, the guests started to cast suspicious looks at Hector. Some were


    even pointing their fingers at him, gossiping about his character.


    Meanwhile, the color drained from Hector''s face as he was at a loss.


    Immediately, Helena stepped forward and stood in front of Hector protectively. Angrily, she shouted at


    the other woman, ¡°Luna, stop making a scene here. Both you and your mother had done so many


    shameful things. All I have to do is to pick one out randomly, it would be enough to sentence both of


    you to life imprisonment. Hector was soft-hearted enough to leave you a lifeline. Yet, you have been


    shameless and kept clinging onto him. How dare you try to nder him?¡±


    This opposing argument changed the guests'' opinions again. Thinking that her defence for Hector


    sounded justified, they decided that Luna was probably spouting nonsense.


    Besides, Luna''s reputation was not great either. Everyone had heard about how she had created


    scenes on various asions before.


    ¡°Who are you to talk to me?¡± Luna bitterly red at Helena. ¡°You have been pretending to be a good


    person in front of me by providing me various help to mislead me. You made me believe that Hector


    was cheating with Charlotte. Therefore, I kept monitoring her movements. Now, I finally realized that he


    was actually having an affair with you, and the female in the video was you. You are really cunning! You


    have repeatedly tried to sow discord between Charlotte and me, reaping the benefits while watching us


    fight with each other.¡±

 Chapter 451

    Chapter 451


    As Luna spoke, Hector''s expression changed. He looked at Helena in shock.


    ¡°Hector, don''t listen to her. Clearly, she is spouting nonsense because she has something against me,¡±


    Helena quickly tried to exin. ¡°Can you believe what she is saying?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. I believe you,¡± Hector assured Helena.


    In such a situation, he would naturally take her side. Without further ado, he gave Owen a hand signal,


    indicating that he wanted his ex-wife to be taken away.


    ¡°Hector, how can you not trust me?¡± Heartbroken, Luna howled, ¡°If you don''t believe me, you can


    always ask Charlotte about it. At least, you will believe her, right?¡±


    Panicking, Helena furiously demanded, ¡°What are all of you waiting for? Get her out of here


    immediately!¡±


    Obediently, the bodyguards forcefully dragged Luna out.


    Squirming in their grip, the woman cursed, ¡°Helena, you are a despicable and shameless woman. I will


    kill you one day!¡± She paused before whining, ¡°Hector, I gave up everything for you. How can you be so


    cruel? When Timothy grows up, he will never forgive you...¡±


    Before she couldplete her sentence, the bodyguards covered her mouth.


    Despite that, she did not stop struggling. She had kicked off her shoes, and her head even knocked


    against the table. Unexpectedly, a ss on the table fell and crashed onto her head. Mixing with the


    wine from the goblet, blood began to flow down her face.


    She looked embarrassing and pitiful...


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    Despite so, everyone ignored her.


    Even the bodyguards continued to drag her away like she was a dead dog.


    The scene was horrifying.


    There were frowns on the guests faces.


    No matter how terrible Luna was, she was still Hector''s ex-wife and the mother of his son.


    After all, they were a couple once, so how could he be so cruel?


    She might be mean and have many issues, but she had always been loyal to Hector.


    Everyone else could cast Luna aside and shame her, but Hector should never do that.


    For a long time, Charlotte felt conflicted and was speechless.


    Logically, she should be happy to see Luna end up in this state after thetter tried to use various ways


    to hurt her. Yet, she could not gloat at Luna''s situation.


    Instead, she pitied Luna and felt fortunate that she did not marry Hector then.


    Otherwise, she might end up like her, being shamed in a public like this today...


    As Luna had spoilt the party, many guests left quietly. Others exchanged a few words with Helena


    before giving an excuse to leave.


    Within a short time, one-thirds of the guests had left the banquet hall.


    Disappointed and crushed, Helena walked backstage with a grim expression.


    There was a lot of tension in the air. Trying to save his rtionships with his guests, Hector hurriedly


    went to every remaining guest to appeal to them.


    Given the circumstances, the music had stopped too.


    Given the circumstances, the music had stopped too.


    Felicity allowed Charlotte to rest at the backstage.


    Coincidentally, Charlotte received Robbie''s call when she reached backstage. She only managed to


    exchange a few words before the violinists beside her started to gossip about what had happened.


    Therefore, she had no choice but to continue the call outside.


    She cooed, ¡°Mommy is still at work, and my new job is to y the piano for others.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do like to y the piano...¡± she answered her son''s questioned.


    Before she could finish, she was stunned by the sight of something. In the parking lot not far away, she


    saw two bodyguards hurling Luna into the back of their van.


    When the door opened, Charlotte clearly saw Helena in the backseat. The woman had a cold


    expression.


    ¡°Robbie, I have something to take care of. I''ll end the call here,¡± she quickly cut the call and sneaked


    closer to the vehicle to take a look.


    In the parking lot, there were many luxury cars. Unlike those, this vehicle was in the area reserved for


    work use.


    Hiding behind another car to spy on the van, she could not help but feel shocked at what she saw.


    Helena was pping Luna.


    As it went on, Luna''s arms were held in ce by the bodyguards, and there was nothing she could do


    to resist. The victim could only resign to fate and receive the hits.

 Chapter 452

    Chapter 452


    Despite being beaten, Luna''s mouth still went off like a canon. She continued to hurl vulgarities and


    insults at Helena, which made thetter grit her teeth in anger.


    Since the car was soundproof, and Charlotte was standing from a distance away, she could not hear


    the words that Luna and Helena were exchanging.


    Regardless, Helena got out of the car not long after. When the door opened, Charlotte saw the two


    bodyguards in the car ripping Luna''s clothes apart.


    Meanwhile, Luna was struggling desperately and yelling, ¡°Helena, you will die a terrible death. You will


    be punished one day...¡±


    Then, the door closed again. Helena ordered the other two bodyguards guarding the car, ¡°Take good


    care of the former Mrs. Sterling. She is thirsty for men''s love.¡±


    The two subordinates nodded.


    ¡°I don''t think two is enough. Look for more men to pounce on her,¡± their boss sniggered with a creepy


    look in her eyes.


    Following that, she left with the other bodyguards.


    Watching the scene unfold, Charlotte was stunned and petrified She always knew Helena was devious,


    but she did not expect thetter to do something as cruel as that.


    If she hates Luna to the core, she could have just ordered a beating. How could she do this...


    At that moment, the van began to rock violently, like there was a fight happening in it.


    At first, Charlotte wanted to rush forward to save the woman. However, her brain told her that she


    would not only be unable to save the victim, but she would also put herself in danger if she charged


    forward without a n.


    Given so, she immediately pulled out her phone to call the police.


    Unfortunately, a bodyguard spotted her. ¡°Who are you?¡± one shouted in her direction.


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    Charlotte''s face turned pale instantly, and she fled.


    Two bodyguards was hot on her heels.


    Seeing that the bodyguards were about to catch up to her, Charlotte panicked. Luckily, a voice


    interrupted, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Instantly, the men chasing behind her stopped in their tracks.


    Turning her head, Owen was with a few bodyguards, rushing over to the parking lot. Without a choice,


    the two bodyguards guarding the car guiltily confessed what had happened.


    Owen swung his fist and punched one of them. He roared, ¡°You are bas*ards! Let her out right now!¡±


    Those words allowed Charlotte to heave a sigh of relief before she quickly returned to the hotel.


    Looking down at her phone, she realized that she was connected to the police hotline. Since Owen had


    alreadye forward to clear the situation, she hung up, thinking that there was no need to involve the


    authorities anymore.


    She did not want to attract extra trouble.


    After all, Luna and Owen once knew each other, so he probably would not leave her in the lurch.


    Besides, this was a crime in the first ce, and anybody in the right mind would try to stop it.


    Even so, Charlotte still informed the security guards at the hotel to y safe. ¡°I think something


    happened at the parking lot. It would be best if you could take a look.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± one of them asked.


    ¡°What happened?¡± one of them asked.


    ¡°Ady seems to be in trouble. I''m not sure of the details, but you would understand once you get


    there,¡± Charlotte exined.


    ¡°Alright, thank you.¡±


    Promptly, four armed security guards headed over.


    Feeling more assured, Charlotte walked to the hotel''s lounge briskly.


    ¡°Charlotte!¡± Felicity hurried to her. ¡°The banquet ended early, and you can get off work now. I will still


    pay you two thousand, which I will transfer to you tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Ms. Fuller.¡± Looking at the banquet hall, the guests were leaving one after another. Even


    the performers were packing up to leave.


    ¡°Why is your dress so dirty?¡± Felicity noticed that Charlotte''s maxi dress was stained with soil.


    Frowning, she stated, ¡°You have to wash this. Otherwise, I can''t exin it to the uniformpany


    when I return it.¡±


    ¡°I''m so sorry. I will wash it tonight and return it to you tomorrow,¡± Charlotte apologized.


    Then, she went backstage and got changed. Packing up her belongings, she prepared to leave from


    the back.


    When she passed by the parking lot, she subconsciously scanned it. Is Luna alright?


    Although Luna had hurt her previously, that woman had already received her retribution.


    She hoped that Luna would be fine.


    Continuing to walk towards the roadside to call for a taxi, she suddenly heard a moan for help. ¡°Help


    me, please...¡±

 Chapter 453

    Chapter 453


    rmed, Charlotte stopped in her tracks. When she listened carefully again, she heard another plea for


    help.


    Looking around, she found a leg sticking out of a rubbish bin a distance away.


    Frantically, she turned on the shlight on her phone and cautiously walked over. Opening the lid, she


    saw Luna...


    She was naked and covered in blood. Barely alive, she was lying on the pile of rubbish, using her


    remaining strength to call out hoarsely, ¡°Please help me.¡±


    It was a dreadful sight.


    Trembling in fear, Charlotte called the police right away.


    Within a short span of time, the police and ambnce arrived at the scene.


    As an eyewitness, Charlotte was brought to the police station to exin what she saw.


    She told them truthfully about the situation, without hiding any details.


    After taking down her statement, Charlotte queried, ¡°How is she doing?¡±


    ¡°Are you referring to the victim?¡± A policeman sighed. ¡°Doctors in the hospital told us that seven men


    raped her. Currently, she is severely injured and mentally unstable...¡±


    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°What?¡± Charlotte gasped. Her eyes widened in shock, and she agitatedly grilled, ¡°How could that have


    happened? I clearly saw Owen walking over to save her. How...¡±


    A policeman revealed, ¡°We already contacted Owen, who you mentioned earlier. He exined that he


    did stop them and let Luna go. However, he doesn''t know how it ended up like that.¡±


    ¡°Is there no security camera in the parking lot? Who the hell did this to her?¡± Charlotte pressed on.


    ¡°There is a security camera there. Unfortunately, we realized that it was facing a corner which did not


    show what happened. We have looked for Owen''s bodyguards too, but they all have an alibi. They said


    after they released her, they headed back to do other work.¡±


    ¡°Do you mean that those were not the bodyguards who raped her? Who are they?¡±


    The policeman stated, ¡°We are still investigating.¡±


    Done with her business at the police station, Charlotte walked out from there in despair. Unexpectedly,


    she met Hector at the entrance.


    Facing each other, they exchangedplicated looks.


    ¡°Get in.¡± Hector opened the car door himself and gestured towards it. ¡°I will send you home.¡±


    Charlotte rejected him tly, ¡°No need.¡±


    Now, she no longer had any affection for him. Instead, she felt guarded and wary around him.


    ¡°Okay then.¡± Unlike before, Hector did not exin more like before. He only said, ¡°Let''s talk in the car.


    We are in front of the police station, so you don''t have to worry.¡±


    Although Charlotte hesitated, she still got into the car.


    ¡°I want to get myself clear,¡± Hector spoke first. ¡°Although Luna and I have divorced, and I am deeply


    disgusted by what she had done, I would never do something as despicable as this.


    ¡°Neither would I order my subordinates tomit a crime as ruthless as this. I tried to stop those


    people then and I wanted to send my wife home...I mean Ms. White home. However, she cursed at me


    and refused to ept my offer. I''m sure you know her temper. Therefore, I had no choice but to let her


    leave.¡±


    ¡°Neither would I order my subordinates tomit a crime as ruthless as this. I tried to stop those


    people then and I wanted to send my wife home...I mean Ms. White home. However, she cursed at me


    and refused to ept my offer. I''m sure you know her temper. Therefore, I had no choice but to let her


    leave.¡±


    Owen, who was in the car, eagerly added after letting out a deep sigh, ¡°Ah, if I knew this would happen,


    I would have sent her straight home, no matter how much she scolded or hit me.¡±


    ¡°Well, you only have to exin it to the police. There is no need to tell me.¡± Charlotte was indifferent to


    his exnation. ¡°If there''s nothing else, I''ll take my leave first.¡±


    With that, she pushed the car door open, but Hector grabbed her hand, ¡°Lottie...¡±


    By instinct, Charlotte retracted her hand and was ced her guard up again. ¡°What else do you want?¡±


    ¡°Do you work part-time at an eventpany?¡± Hector gently probed. ¡°If you face any difficulties, I...¡±


    ¡°I am very well now and don''t have any difficulties,¡± Charlotte crudely cut him off.


    ¡°Why are you so cold towards me?¡± Hector furrowed his brows. ¡°Zachary is about to marry Sharon. You


    have seen his true colors. Don''t you know that I am the only person who treats you right?¡±

 Chapter 454

    Chapter 454


    ¡°What?¡± Charlotte thought it was ironic and ridiculed, ¡°Hector, you are really scary...¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± The man frowned. ¡°How am I scary?¡±


    ¡°Luna was your wife for four years, and she even gave you a son. Even if she doesn''t have the best


    character, she was sincere to you. Shouldn''t you cherish the rtionship you once had with her? Now


    that she is in such a dire state, you are confessing your love to another woman? Doesn''t this make you


    a monster?¡±


    Charlotte stared at Hector like he was a stranger.


    She continued, ¡°Even if you were just her friend or her acquaintance, you would pity her at the very


    least. Furthermore, she only ended up like this because of you.¡±


    ¡°Haha...¡± Hectorughed coldly and pointed out sarcastically, ¡°You are so benevolent! Have you


    forgotten how she treated you?


    ¡°Four years ago, she used shameless and ruthless means to break our rtionship. She made you


    lose your virginity and took your ce instead. ¡°After four years, she still humiliated you and your


    children on multiple asions, putting you in a difficult spot.


    ¡°She even forced you to marry the man from T Nation. If Zachary did not reach you in time, you would


    be in T Nation by now. Have you already forgotten about all that?


    ¡°I did not, but...¡±


    Hector ignored her. ¡°I know you are a kind person. However, you are mistreating yourself by being kind


    to your enemy.¡± He paused before he snarled, ¡°I used to bepassionate too, but I have learnt my


    lesson. I will not be like my former self anymore and will stand on my own feet. One day, I will destroy


    Zachary and make him pay for everything he did to me.¡±


    ¡°Is that why you got together with Helena?¡± Charlotte could not understand him. ¡°Do you really love


    her?¡±


    ¡°Is that important?¡± Hector mocked, ¡°I love you, but do you love me?¡±


    His words made Charlotte speechless.


    ¡°Love, sex, and marriage are three different things.¡± As though he understood everything about life,


    Hector looked into a distance and droned on, ¡°Love can stay in one''s heart. Sex can help one meets


    one''s desire. As for marriage, one can benefit in various ways...¡±


    ¡°You have changed,¡± Charlotte spat. She could not fathom what he was thinking. ¡°Everyone has their


    ambitions, and I can''t influence what you think. Regardless, let me remind you. You should think about


    your son before you do anything else and ponder over whether your actions would make him hate you


    in the future.¡±


    With that, she left.


    This time, Hector did not stop her and just watched her disappearing back figure. He hissed, ¡°You said I


    changed, but you have changed as well. If you haven''t changed, you would not be together with


    Zachary.¡±


    Ring! His phone rang, and it was Helena.


    Ring! His phone rang, and it was Helena.


    Looking at his phone, Hector ignored it.


    ¡°Mr. Sterling, do you think Ms. Brown is responsible for this?¡± Owen asked in a small voice.


    ¡°It is the police''s job to find the truth.¡± Hector snorted, ¡°We have nothing to do with it.¡±


    ¡°Then, will it affect your rtionship with her?¡± Owen asked.


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Hector confidently stated before answering his phone. ¡°Helena.¡±


    ¡°Hector, where are you?¡± Thedy on the other end sounded anxious.


    ¡°I''m in front of the police station.¡±


    ¡°Did you see Charlotte? Are you together with her?¡± Helena demanded.


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    ¡°I met her at the entrance. We spoke for a bit, and she left,¡± Hector replied.


    ¡°Are you...¡±


    Immediately, Hector assured her, ¡°Don''t worry, I only have eyes for you.¡±


    ¡°I''ll look for you now. Please wait for me...¡±


    ¡°Alright...¡±


    After he ended the call, Hector turned to look in the direction that Charlotte went. His gaze hardened...


    It was because Zachary humiliated him time and time again, crushing his dignity, which forced him to


    be who he was today.


    One day, he would make Zachary pay twice as much.


    He wanted to prove to Charlotte that he was just as capable as Zachary.

 Chapter 455

    Chapter 455


    In the taxi, Charlotte called Zachary, but there was no response. She recalled that he told her he would


    return homete tonight.


    Maybe he is busy.


    After she hung up, she looked out of the window and recounted what happened today. She could not


    seem to process it.


    Who the hell ordered the attack on Luna?


    Was it Helena?


    It is probably her.


    Well, does Hector really not know about it then?


    Did Owen really save Luna at that time?


    Otherwise, did he participate in it too?


    Charlotte''s head started to hurt as she pondered over it. Taking a deep breath, she blocked it out.


    It had nothing to do with her, and she did not wish to interfere.


    By the time she reached home, it was past midnight. All her children were asleep. Changing into a new


    set of clothes, she headed upstairs.


    Zachary had yet to return, and the house seemed empty and lonely.


    It made Charlotte feel depressed. Since she could not sleep, she decided to wash her dress and hang


    it up to dry.


    Then, she stood on the balcony and watched the traffic go by, hoping to spot Zachary''s car.


    At that moment, she missed him very much.


    She only felt safe with him.


    It was close to two in the morning, but Zachary was still nowhere in sight.


    As Charlotte was too tired to wait any longer, she took a bath and slept first.


    Probably because today''s events were too shocking for her, she had a nightmare. She dreamt of Luna


    being covered in blood while questioning her for not saving her.


    In her dream, Charlotte eagerly tried to exin but could not seem to make a sound...


    Before she knew it, Luna pounced on her and squeezed her neck.


    Charlotte jolted awake from the nightmare, sweating profusely while trembling in fear.


    It took a long time before she finally managed to calm herself down. Getting out of bed, she headed out


    for a ss of water.


    Looking back at what happened today, she felt guilty. If only she did not blindly believe that Owen


    would save Luna and called the police; this probably would not happen...


    Ring! Her phone rang all of a sudden.


    When she looked at her phone screen, Charlotte saw Amanda''s name. She answered the call instantly.


    Amanda roared, ¡°Charlotte, you bi*ch! Why didn''t you help her? If you hate me, you can take it out on


    me in any way you like. You can even take my life. However, how can you do this to my daughter?


    Why?¡±


    In her final sentence, she broke down.


    Hearing Amanda''s cries, she felt the mother''s despair and empathised with her.


    After a short pause, Charlotte exined, ¡°I have exined everything to the police. You can ask them


    about what happened, and I will not exin anymore. I know that you probably won''t believe what I say


    anyway.¡±


    Amanda was still wailing on the other end.


    Amanda was still wailing on the other end.


    ¡°Just so you know, I am sad about what happened too!¡±


    After the abrupt line, Charlotte ended the call.


    She did not know how to console the other party nor exin herself. Furthermore, she did not want any


    more misunderstandings to ur. Perhaps, her silence was the best way out of it.


    Hopefully, Amanda would collect her emotions and stop ming her.


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    While she was contemting the matter, she heard the door opened. Immediately, she jumped to her


    feet.


    Entering the house, Zachary casually threw his jacket aside and was unbuttoning his shirt while


    heading for the bedroom. When he saw Charlotte, he opened his arms automatically.


    Without hesitation, the woman rushed into his embrace, tightly wrapping her arms around his waist.


    ¡°It''ste. Why are you still up?¡± He gently ruffled her hair. ¡°Were you waiting for me?¡±


    ¡°What took you so long toe back?¡± Charlotte whined.


    She was hugging him very tightly. What happened today made her scared and felt insecure. However,


    being back in his embrace made her feel at ease again.


    ¡°I had something to deal with,¡± Zachary replied. He raised the woman''s chin and pushed the loose


    strands of hair on her face aside. Then, he gently kissed her eyelids. ¡°Did you miss me?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Charlotte tiptoed and took the initiative to kiss him.

 Chapter 456

    Chapter 456


    Her actions took Zachary by surprise. He picked her off her feet and allowed her legs to wrap around


    his waist. While kissing, they headed to the bedroom.


    Two of them fell onto the bed, their eyes burning with affection, and the temperature in the room


    seemed to have risen. Charlotte was so into it that Zachary could not stop...


    After the passionate night, Charlotte finally drifted to sleep at dawn.


    Unable to resist the temptation, Zachary leaned in to kiss the woman''s eyes and cheek before


    continuing to stare at her sleeping face.


    Tonight, he made Ben prepare the evidence for Sharon''s misdeeds. He nned to stand up to Henry


    and the ckwoods to demand the marriage contract to be called off.


    Unexpectedly, before he submitted the evidence, Henry got a heart attack and fainted.


    Everyone got a shock, and Zachary immediately sent Henry to the hospital. After a few hours, the older


    man''s condition finally stabilized at two in the morning. As he was afraid that Charlotte was waiting up


    for him, he rushed home.


    Ring!


    His phone vibrated, and Zachary quickly answered it. He whispered, ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht is awake,¡± Ben said. ¡°Please hurry over. The doctor wants to see you.¡±


    ¡°I''ll be there in a jiffy.¡± Zachary hung up and carefully withdrew his arm from under Charlotte. Lowering


    his head, he kissed the sleeping figure then got up to change.This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Before he left, he wrote a note and ced it under themp by the bed.


    His chauffeur was already waiting downstairs. As soon as he got into the car, he received a call from


    Bruce. ¡°Ms. Nacht has disembarked from the ne. She is heading to the hospital now.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Zachary acknowledged. ¡°I want you to get some people to protect Charlotte in secret.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    After the call, Zachary''s phone rang again. This time, it was Johann. ¡°I heard Mr. Nacht is sick. Is that


    true?¡±


    ¡°Where did you hear it?¡± Zachary furrowed his eyebrows.


    ¡°It was insider news. Don''t ask me about the details.¡± The man on the other end softly continued, ¡°This


    is big news. Although you are the only grandson, you are not married and have no sessors. I''m


    worried that the other branches of Nacht Group would question your inheritance rights. When the


    internal fight starts, it will spell trouble for you.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Zachary simply replied.


    ¡°You are still young and haven''t been through any family fights...¡± Concerned, Johann expressed, ¡°In


    the face of big advantages and interests like this, even people who are rted by blood would kill each


    other. It will reveal the evil side of humans.¡±


    Hearing that, Zachary grew solemn.


    Throughout his life, he was always the strongest. He was a child prodigy, and by sixteen, he took over


    thepany and started managing the Divine Corporation. No matter what difficulties he met, he


    would often outmatch hispetitors. Even when forced into a corner, he was never scared.


    However, it would be a challenge topete against his blood rtives for the family assets.


    However, it would be a challenge topete against his blood rtives for the family assets.


    He grew up without his parents, so his grandpa educated him. On the other hand, his aunt, Zara,


    yed the role of his mother. She took good care of him, and he was very close to her...


    Unfortunately, everything changed somehow.


    Perhaps, it was because he grew up and became more independent. Soon, they started to have


    conflicts of interest.


    Therefore, Henry divided them into different industries and made them promise not to offend each


    other.


    For ten years, everything was peaceful.


    It was not until Chris pretended to be him. He angered Zachary by almost raping Charlotte, which


    resulted in their first dispute.


    ¡°Take good care of the situation. I shall not bother you anymore,¡± Johann advised and hung up.


    Still holding onto his phone, Zachary looked crestfallen.


    He managed to resolve the previous conflict perfectly, but the war would start again.


    Although he did not wish to take this step, he could not tolerate it if anyone wanted to challenge his


    authority.

 Chapter 457

    Chapter 457


    By the time Charlotte woke up, Zachary was not beside her anymore. Reading the note under the


    lamp, a smile crept on her face.


    Pig! Remember to have breakfast when you wake up. I will be busy today and might be homete


    again. Regardless, I will be back!


    He signed off as ''gigolo'', as he did before.


    Charlotte could not help butugh. She kissed the note, feeling a sweet sensation spreading all over


    her.


    Cohabitating with him for the past few days made her feel particrly happy. Now, she realized that


    Zachary could be warm and good to her.


    She began to think that she should confess to him and tell him about his children soon. Perhaps, they


    could live together happily as a family.


    Breaking her trail of thoughts, the rm rang. ncing at her phone, Charlotte realized that it was


    already half-past seven. She did not hear it earlier.


    In a hurry, she got out of bed and ran home barefooted with her phone in her hands.


    Her children were already awake. A nurse was preparing breakfast while the others werebing the


    children''s hair and dressing them.


    Taking the opportunity while they were busy, Charlotte secretly sneaked back to her room. Then, she


    pretended to have just gotten up. Waving at her children, she greeted, ¡°Robbie, Jamie and Ellie, good


    morning!¡±


    ¡°Good morning, Mommy!¡± Her children greeted her cheerfully.


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    ¡°Mommy, you can sleep a little more. We can get to school ourselves.¡± Robbie was very considerate.


    ¡°You look very tired.¡±


    ¡°I am quite tired, but I still want to have breakfast with you guys.¡± Charlotte gently ruffled Robbie''s hair.


    ¡°Hmm, Mommy, have some hot cross bunnies.¡± The boy passed her a bun.


    ¡°Mommy, have some soy milk.¡± Following suit, her daughter passed her a ss of soy milk. Then, the


    girl used her chubby little hands to push away the hair on her mother''s forehead. ¡°Mommy, don''t get


    tired. You should rest more.¡±


    ¡°Ellie, you are such a good girl.¡± Charlotte pecked her daughter''s cheek then turned to look at Jamie.


    She realized that he looked troubled, with his head hung low.


    ¡°Jamie, what''s wrong?¡± She softly asked.


    He tilted his head and frowned. ¡°I called Mr. Henryst night and wanted to ask him how I should use


    the toy he bought me. He was happily chatting with me when suddenly he went silent and...¡±


    ¡°What happened next?¡± Charlotte egged on.


    ¡°Then, I heard lots of voices. Some were screaming for Mr. Henry, while others were yelling for the


    doctor...¡± Jamie spoke while gesturing with his hands.


    Then, he anxiously questioned, ¡°Mommy, is Mr. Henry alright?¡±


    ¡°Is he sick?¡± Charlotte furrowed her brows, feeling an ominous premonition.


    ¡°Is he sick?¡± Charlotte furrowed her brows, feeling an ominous premonition.


    ¡°Let me give him a call.¡±


    Robbie immediately took out his phone and dialled Henry''s number. Unfortunately, it was off.


    The family exchanged looks, and the atmosphere turned grim.


    Ellie pouted, and tears filled her eyes as she asked, ¡°Is Mr. Henry sick? Shall we go to the hospital to


    look for him?¡±


    ¡°Ellie, don''t worry.¡± Charlotte hugged her. She tilted her head and looked at the nurses. ¡°Amelia, Violet


    and Mildred, did you hear anything about it?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡± They shook their heads.


    ¡°Do you want me to call and find out?¡± Amelia took out her phone and made a call.


    ¡°Wait.¡± Charlotte quickly stopped her. ¡°Don''t say anything about it, and don''t ask about it.¡±


    ¡°Mommy, what''s wrong?¡± Jamie asked in confusion.


    ¡°Mr. Henry has a special status and there are many things about him that are confidential. We should


    not spread the news,¡± Charlotte exined. ¡°If we say anything wrong to people outside, it may cause


    unnecessary trouble for him.¡±


    ¡°That''s true. We should listen to Mommy.¡± Robbie urged, ¡°We should pretend that we don''t know


    anything and not ask about it.¡±

 Chapter 458

    Chapter 458


    ¡°Don''t worry, we understand.¡± The three nurses nodded understandingly.


    ¡°I will not say anything either.¡± Ellie used her chubby little hands to cover her mouth.


    ¡°What should we do then? Do we sit back and do nothing?¡± Jamie asked uneasily. ¡°I''m worried about


    Mr. Henry.¡±


    ¡°Me too...¡± Robbie lowered his head. ¡°Mr. Henry treats us well. If he''s really sick, we should go and see


    him.¡±


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Don''t worry,¡± Charlotte tried tofort her children. ¡°I will try to find out about what happened. Once I


    confirm the news, I will arrange for all of you to visit him.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± the children nodded obediently.


    ¡°Alright, you should all eat breakfast first before heading to school.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mommy.¡±


    Then, Charlotte got changed and sent the children to the school bus.


    As Jamie''s leg was still in a cast, the nurses followed them, so they coulde back home together


    when school was over.


    When Charlotte returned home, she took a while to think about what to do before she decided to call


    Zachary.


    It was engaged.


    She knew he was probably busy and did not want to bother him. Instead, she decided to talk to him


    after he returned home that night.


    She proceeded to tidy the house and make some soup for Mrs. Berry. Then, she was about to take a


    nap when Simon suddenly called.


    Pausing for a moment, she answered, ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Charlotte, do you have some time to spare? Can we meet?¡±


    ¡°I''m afraid, I''m a bit held up at the moment...¡±


    She did not want to see them. Firstly, there was no need to do that. Secondly, she was afraid that they


    would misunderstand that she ditched Luna purposely, and they would want to take revenge against


    her.


    ¡°Don''t worry. We don''t have any ill intentions, but we only want to ask you some things in person,¡± the


    other person assured.


    ¡°I have already told the police what I know. You can ask them directly.¡±


    ¡°Give me your phone.¡± At that moment, she heard Amanda''s voice. The woman was trying to control


    her emotions and sound calm. ¡°Charlotte, if you don''t wish to see me, it''s alright. I only want to ask you


    a few questions. You can answer me over the phone instead.¡±


    Charlottes gave in. ¡°Ask away then.¡±


    ¡°I already understood the situation from the police, and I believe what you said was true. Back then,


    when we mistreated you, you did not take revenge against us. Now, it''s even harder to believe that you


    would get someone to hurt Luna. After all, even if you wanted to, you would not be able to bring


    yourself to do that.¡±


    ¡°You sure understand me well.¡±


    Charlotte let out a bitterugh. If Luna had half of Amanda''s wisdom, things would not have gotten to


    this point.


    ¡°Regarding the incident, there are certain things that the police refused to reveal. I wanted to ask if you


    saw the people who dragged Luna into the van. Did they bully her there?¡± Amanda probed.


    ¡°That...¡±


    Charlotte felt like she was in a difficult position. She understood that the police wanted to protect the


    suspect''s identity before carrying out a thorough investigation of the matter. Therefore, they did not


    want to reveal the details.


    ¡°That...¡±


    Charlotte felt like she was in a difficult position. She understood that the police wanted to protect the


    suspect''s identity before carrying out a thorough investigation of the matter. Therefore, they did not


    want to reveal the details.


    As an eyewitness, it was not her position to disclose anything.


    ¡°It seems like the person who ordered it is someone I''m familiar with,¡± Amandamented.


    She was clever and could guess from Charlotte''s hesitation. Trying to sound her out, Amanda


    muttered, ¡°Was it Hector?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Charlotte immediately denied.


    ¡°Then, it must be Helena then,¡± Amanda used the same method again.


    Charlotte was stunned. When she was about to speak, Amanda already confirmed her guess. ¡°It was


    her! I knew that it was that sly b****! Our family has already ended up in this situation. Why can''t she let


    Luna off? Why is she so insistent on pushing her to a dead end?¡±


    ¡°You should calm down...¡± Charlotte quickly persuaded. ¡°This matter has yet to be investigated. You


    should wait for the police to conclude it.¡±


    ¡°Calm down? How can you ask that of me?¡± Amanda howled. ¡°My daughter was raped and suffered a


    huge blow. She can''t get pregnant ever again and is mentally unstable. Her life is over...¡±

 Chapter 459

    Chapter 459


    Hearing that, Charlotte felt bad too. Letting out a sigh, she murmured, ¡°I''m sorry. If only I called the


    police earlier, things might have turned out differently.¡±


    ¡°Why didn''t you call the police?¡± Amanda agitatedly used, ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to report it when I witnessed the incident unfold. However, they spotted me and chased after


    me. Then, someone else appeared to stop them, so I thought it was over. I did not expect...¡±


    ¡°Someone came out to stop them?¡± Amanda picked up an important point and grilled Charlotte about it,


    ¡°Why did you think that it was over? Was it Hector who appeared?¡±


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    ¡°No, it was Owen...¡± Charlotte exined, ¡°I thought that since they were a family once, Owen would


    save Luna. Besides, it was illegal to hold someone forcefully, and Owen would not allow that to


    happen...¡±


    ¡°A family? How were they a family?¡± Amanda wailed, ¡°Didn''t you know that Owen hates Luna? He


    probably stopped them as a show for you so you would not call the police. After you left, he must have


    continued to punish Luna.¡±


    ¡°That can''t be true, right?¡± Charlotte was shocked. ¡°Why does he hate Luna? Even if they had


    disagreements, he wouldn''t...¡±


    ¡°Forget it. I can''t be bothered to exin it to you.¡± Amanda was livid. ¡°Charlotte, you should pray for


    good luck. If you don''t learn your lesson, someone as innocent as you will be bound to meet an


    unfortunate event!¡±


    With that, Amanda ended the call.


    As Charlotte listened to the silence on the other end, she thought about Amanda''s words and felt


    horrible...


    Does Owen really have an issue with her?


    Did he n it with Helena?


    Thinking back, Luna was arrogant and defiant. She never respected others and probably offended


    Owen back then. As such, he held a grudge against her.


    This was not impossible.


    Well, recalling the past events, she had known Owen together with Hector from a young age. In her


    memory, Owen was someone who was upright and righteous.


    Even after she fell from grace, he still cherished their friendship.


    Charlotte was unwilling to believe that he was a bad person.


    However, from another angle, he only treated her like this because it was mutual respect. As for Luna,


    she was never polite to him. Often, she would insult him the moment she saw him, and it destroyed his


    self-esteem.


    As such, it was probable that Owen would do this.


    With that thought, Charlotte felt a chill down her spine. She thought back on Amanda''s words and


    realized that it made sense.


    With that thought, Charlotte felt a chill down her spine. She thought back on Amanda''s words and


    realized that it made sense.


    If she continued to think so innocently, others might easily betray her.


    While thinking about it, her phone rang again. This time, it was an unknown number.


    After a pause, Charlotte answered. ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°I am Helena.¡± The voice on the other end sounded arrogant and stuck up.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Charlotte answered in a very cold tone.


    ¡°Let''s meet and talk,¡± Helena demanded.


    ¡°We don''t have anything to talk about.¡± Charlotte could not be bothered to continue and was about to


    cut the call.


    ¡°Think carefully about it,¡± Helena sneered. ¡°I know all about your family''s secret, including the letter


    your father left for my brother...¡±


    Charlotte froze. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Your father wrote about the person responsible for his tragic fate.¡± Helena proudly said, ¡°If you want to


    know more, you shoulde to Silver Diamond Restaurant now. Don''t worry. I will not hurt you


    because I am a good citizen who abides by thew.¡±

 Chapter 460

    Chapter 460


    Before Charlotte could respond, Helena hung up.


    Gripping her phone, Charlotte felt perplexed. She did not know why Helena had the letter. Perhaps, it


    was a trap or a bait, but she still wanted to find out the letter''s contents.


    Even so, after going through so much, Charlotte was wary.


    She decided to call Michael, who she had not contacted for a long time.


    Soon, the call connected. The man excitedly greeted, ¡°Charlotte!¡±


    ¡°Michael, do you still have the letter my Dad sent you?¡± Charlotte asked without hesitation.


    ¡°Yes, of course,¡± Michael replied. ¡°It is in my house at H City, but I am now in F Nation. What''s wrong?


    Did something happen to you? I''ll rush over.¡±


    ¡°No, it''s alright.¡± Charlotte hurriedly stopped him. ¡°I was just wondering about what the letter said.¡±


    ¡°Well...¡± Michael was stumped.


    ¡°Is it a secret about my Dad''s bankruptcy?¡± Charlotte queried. ¡°Did he tell you who set him up in the


    letter?¡±


    ¡°Why do you want to know?¡± Michael blurted. Then, he immediatelyforted her, ¡°The matter


    happened a long time ago, so you don''t have to bother about it anymore. Your dad did not want me to


    tell you about these things because he did not want you to be involved.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    Charlotte knew how Michael was like. He would not reveal anything if he did not want to no matter how


    much she asked.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Michael asked worriedly.


    ¡°Yes, I am okay.¡± Charlotte pretended casually to make a passing statement, ¡°Helena wants to have


    lunch with me.¡±


    ¡°What? You still have business with Helena?¡± Michael sounded d. ¡°That''s great news! You have


    nobody else to rely on over there. If anything happens, you can get her to help you. She is also a


    woman, so it would be easier for both of you tomunicate.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡± Charlotte smiled. ¡°I am about to leave. We n to meet at Silver Diamond Restaurant.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I will give her a call soon and ask her to look after you,¡± Michael cheerfully eximed.


    ¡°Thank you, Michael.¡±


    After the call ended, Charlotte prepared to head out. Within half an hour, she reached the restaurant.


    Helena booked the whole ce, and there were no guests nor attendants in sight.


    There were only a few bodyguards outside. They looked grim and dull.


    As soon as she stepped into the restaurant, Charlotte felt like she was in danger. Despite so, she was


    not scared as she knew she had Michael as her backing.


    ¡°Should I say that you''re stupid, or should I praise you for being courageous?¡± Helena sat in the middle,


    ring at Charlotte. ¡°You knew that you would be in danger, but you still came?¡±


    ¡°You can''t touch me.¡± Charlotte gave the other woman a death re. ¡°Tell me, what do you want from


    me?¡±


    ¡°You can''t touch me.¡± Charlotte gave the other woman a death re. ¡°Tell me, what do you want from


    me?¡±


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Sometimes, I can''t understand you.¡± Helena mocked, ¡°Luna abused you in the past, yet, you still


    helped her? Are you Mother Mary?¡±


    ¡°Did you make mee here so that you can say that?¡± Charlotte retorted, ¡°I already told the police


    everything. There is nothing else we have to discuss in private.¡±


    ¡°You should know that the Whites are no match for me.¡± Helena warned, ¡°I hope you do not act rashly.¡±


    ¡°You have overestimated me.¡± Charlotte chuckled in response. ¡°I don''t n to be nosy, but I was only


    carrying out the duty of a citizen.¡±


    ¡°Are you telling me that you are prepared to fight against me till the end?¡± Lasers were shooting out


    from Helena''s eyes. ¡°You should know what the consequences are.¡±


    ¡°I told you that I would not be nosy,¡± Charlotte emphasized. ¡°I only told the police the facts. I will not


    specte and tell them things I am not sure about. On the other hand, I will tell them everything I am


    certain of.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡± Helena''s lips curled up into a smile. She did not continue and only gave a hand signal.


    Two bodyguards aggressively approached Charlotte.


    Meanwhile, thetter did not move and simply stared at Helena''s phone.

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    Chapter 461


    At that moment, Helena''s phone rang. When she saw who the caller was, her face changed, and she


    immediately gave another hand signal.


    The two bodyguards stopped in their tracks immediately.


    ¡°Michael!¡± Helena quickly took the call.


    ¡°Helena, are you with Charlotte?¡± Michael asked.


    His question took Helena by surprise. She raised her head to look at Charlotte. Her eyes were cold, but


    her voice sounded sweet. ¡°She told you about it?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Charlotte told me you asked her for lunch.¡± Michael happily continued, ¡°Before I left, I told you to


    take care of her. You definitely did not let me down.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I have to take good care of your sweetheart.¡± Helena''s smile looked forced. ¡°How is it over


    there? Is the weather in F Nation good?¡±


    ¡°It''s alright. Helena, Charlotte is alone there, and I am worried about her. If you find out that she is


    having any difficulties in work or life, do try to help her,¡± her brother requested.


    ¡°Sure, I understand.¡±


    ¡°Pass the phone and let me speak to her,¡± Michael asked.


    ¡°Okay.¡± With that, Helena pushed the phone to the other woman.


    Charlotte walked over and answered the phone. Turning it to speaker mode, she greeted, ¡°Michael!¡±


    ¡°Charlotte, where are youdies eating?¡±


    When Michael was speaking to Charlotte, he sounded extra gentle.


    ¡°At Silver Diamond,¡± Charlotte replied. ¡°Hectores to this restaurant quite often.¡±


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Michael paused for a moment in confusion before he asked, ¡°I heard that he is divorced?¡±


    ¡°I think so.¡± Charlotte nced at Helena, who had an ugly expression on her face. Thetter frantically


    gestured for her not to reveal too much.


    ¡°I also heard that...¡± Michael trailed off. ¡°Nevermind. Charlotte, you don''t have to be so polite to Helena.


    She is my sister, so she is also your sister. If you need anything, you can just let her know, and she will


    do as instructed. Right, Helena?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Helena replied as soon as she heard her name. Then, she deliberately mocked, ¡°How can I not


    listen to the words of my future sister-inw?¡±


    ¡°Stop messing around,¡± Michael scolded. ¡°Alright, I shall not disturb yourdies now. Charlotte, my


    hotline is open to you all day. If you need anything, feel free to call me anytime.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sure. Be mindful of your health and take care,¡± after Charlotte spoke, the call ended.


    She passed the phone back to Helena.


    ¡°A smart move.¡± Helena red at Charlotte. ¡°How dare you use my brother as your shield?¡±


    ¡°You are a dangerous person, so I have to do that.¡± Charlotte growled, ¡°Helena, I have never hurt you,


    but you treated me like your enemy. You had an affair with Hector, but you med it on me.


    Additionally, you even made Luna harm me. I have yet to settle the scores with you, and you want to


    threaten me? Do you think I am a pushover?¡±


    ¡°You never thought of harming me? I see that you have forgotten all about what happened.¡± Gritting her


    teeth, Helena seethed, ¡°Back then, I wrote a love letter to Hector, but he used it to lift the foot of your


    table.


    ¡°You never thought of harming me? I see that you have forgotten all about what happened.¡± Gritting her


    teeth, Helena seethed, ¡°Back then, I wrote a love letter to Hector, but he used it to lift the foot of your


    table.


    ¡°I prepared a lunchbox for him, but he gave it to you instead. In the end, you fed it to the dogs.


    ¡°I gave Hector so much, but he never looked my way. Everything I did for him went to you. Do you


    understand the pain and sadness I went through? Is this not harming me?¡±


    ¡°You are ming me for all that?¡± Charlotte asked in disbelief.


    ¡°Of course, you are to be med. Without you around, Hector would probably love me from the start.¡±


    Helena stubbornly insisted, ¡°You have destroyed my dreams of having a beautiful first love.Regardless,


    God is fair. Your family business soon went downhill. I exhausted all my means to announce the


    bankruptcy of Windt Corporation and caused your engagement to be called off. Despite that, I never


    imagined that you would be so foolish to be deceived by Luna, who took advantage of the situation and


    reaped all the benefits from it.


    ¡°I hated you for four long years. After those four years, I finally found the opportunity to use you to


    destroy his marriage with Luna by making her turn against you. Finally, my goal has been achieved,


    and Hector is finally mine!¡±

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    Chapter 462


    Charlotte was struck dumb. ¡°You''re the one who leaked the information about our family? You did all


    these behind our back?¡±


    ¡°That''s right. I did it,¡± Helena admitted. ¡°Your father might have dered bankruptcy, but he was


    capable of hiding this from everyone, including the Sterling family. Initially, they even thought that they


    could benefit from working closely with your family.¡±


    ¡°But once the information got out, the Sterling family immediately regretted. Hector, too, ditched you.


    Eventually, Amanda and Luna tricked you and caused you to lose everything. I was d to see how


    things turned out, and seeing your clueless and dumb face makes me happy. But too bad--Luna got


    ahead of me and married Hector.¡±


    Charlotte gritted her teeth. ¡°But Hector is yours now. You could have taught Luna a lesson if you wish


    to instead of destroying her. Why did you do that?¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Helena immediately spoke in a more hostile manner. ¡°I''ve never done anything against


    thew, and you have no evidence against me. You better don''t test my patience. I''m warning you!¡±


    ¡°You''ll get what you deserve,¡± Charlotte said and left.


    ¡°Don''t you want to know who ruined your father''s life?¡± Helena asked all of a sudden.


    Charlotte stopped walking, but she did not turn around. ¡°What makes you think I''ll believe you?¡±


    ¡°Make your own judgment then. I''m sure you''re not an idiot.¡± Helena took out a letter and said, ¡°Your


    father wrote this to my brother, and I have a copy of it. I''m sure you can recognize your father''s


    handwriting, right?¡±


    Charlotte took a nce at the letter and hesitated for a moment, but decided to turn around.


    Just when she was about the retrieve the letter, Helena retracted her hand and raised her brows. ¡°What


    can I get in return for giving you this letter?¡±


    ¡°What do you want from me?¡± Charlotte asked icily.


    ¡°I want you to stay away from Hector,¡± Helena said condescendingly. ¡°Even if he wants to see you, you


    have to think of ways to avoid him!¡±


    ¡°You don''t have to tell me this. I don''t even want to see him anymore,¡± Charlotte said with disdain.


    ¡°And stay away from Michael,¡± Helena added.


    ¡°That should be least of your worries.¡±


    Charlotte knew what was on her mind. Helena''s family business depended heavily on Michael, and she


    would not allow anyone to sabotage her rtionship with Michael.


    Helena was worried that Charlotte might destroy this rtionship if thetter decided to be with


    Michael.


    This was why Helena had to be mindful of Charlotte.


    This was why Helena had to be mindful of Charlotte.


    ¡°You better not break your promise.¡± Helena then gave her the letter. ¡°I''ll destroy you if you dare. I still


    know your other secrets, mind you.¡±


    A line formed between Charlotte''s brows. ¡°What secrets?¡±


    ¡°You''ll know on the day you break your promise.¡± Helena let out a mirthlessugh. ¡°You''re one lucky


    women, Charlotte. ¡°You have both Zachary and my brother on your side, so I''ll spare you for now. But if


    you ever try stepping on my toes...¡±


    Helena squinted her eyes and gave Charlotte a sullen re.


    Charlotte did not know what kind of dirt Helena had on her, but she decided to ignore this vicious


    woman.


    She just wanted to stay away from her.


    As Charlotte walked away, Helena looked at her back and put on a baffling smile.


    Helena''s assistant, who had been observing their interaction, asked, ¡°Why did you give her the letter,


    Ms. Brown?


    ¡°If you want her to stay away from Mr. Sterling and Mr. Brown, you should have just let her be with the


    man who killed her father.¡±


    ¡°What do you know?¡± Helena glowered. ¡°She being close with Zachary will only pose a greater threat to


    our future.¡±Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.

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    Chapter 463


    With the letter in her hand, Charlotte left in a hurry. She opened and read it after she reached home.


    ¡°Hope this letter finds you well, Michael. I decided to write to you because I can''t think of anyone else


    who can take good care of Charlotte.¡±


    ¡°We''re living in a dog-eat-dog world, and it can be cruel. This was why I''ve been steering Charlotte


    away from the business world.¡±


    ¡°I want her to live a carefree life, but I can''t be there for her anymore.¡±


    ¡°I''ve always been very fond of you because you''re a simple man with a pure heart.


    ¡°Unfortunately, we can''t control how someone feels, like how I, the father, can''t stop Charlotte from


    falling in love with Hector, even though I knew that''s a bad choice.¡±


    ¡°I can''t help her make life decisions. She has to experience it herself and find the best answer on her


    own.¡±


    ¡°I know I''m selfish for asking your help, but I have no other options. Please take care of Charlotte on


    my behalf!¡±


    ¡°Whenever she''s in trouble, please lend her a helping hand!¡±


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    ¡°She''s the only person I worry about the most. I''m afraid people like the Nachts will take advantage of


    her when I''m not around anymore.¡±


    ¡°I hope my passing can bring all the hostility and resentment to an end. I don''t want the younger


    generation to suffer anymore.¡±


    ¡°I''d probably be gone by the time you read this letter. Please note that I decided to end my life of my


    own ord.¡±


    ¡°I have to do this to protect Charlotte.¡±


    ¡°Take good care of Charlotte for me, Michael. Please keep an eye on her and make sure she stays


    away from the Nacht family so she can live an ordinary life.¡±


    Charlotte was utterly stunned. Michael had told her many times to stay away from the Nacht family, but


    all his warnings fell on deaf ears.


    No wonder Michael had always been hostile toward Zachary and stirred up a lot of misunderstandings.


    Charlotte had always thought Michael acted in such a manner because he was jealous, but now, she


    finally knew there was more to this than meets the eye.


    The Nacht family was Father''s arch-enemy?


    The letter stated the rivalry between the two families.


    His father even wrote that the reason he sacrificed his life was to protect her from the Nacht family.


    What was it all about?


    Charlotte could hardly breathe at this point. She clenched her chest and tried to calm herself down.


    Instead of letting her emotions get the better of her, she started analyzing the situation more


    objectively. Business rivalry might not be the sole reason for all that had happened, she believed.


    Something else must have happened between the two families.


    But what exactly is it?


    Why didn''t Zachary tell me anything?


    Unless he is not aware of it?


    Unless he is not aware of it?


    Charlotte unconsciously crumpled the letter. She thought for a while and decided to confront Zachary


    when he returned.


    Yet, he did note back.


    On and off, Charlotte peeped out of the window to check if Zachary was home, but he did not appear.


    Charlotte waited until three in the morning and identally fell asleep on the couch with a nket in


    her arms.


    At one point, a nightmare jolted her awake. She dreamt that Zachary pushed her father off a building. It


    was so terrifying that she broke into cold sweat.


    She opened her eyes, looked around, and realized she was the only one at home. The clock struck six,


    yet Zachary was still not home.


    Charlotte could not help but sent him a text: Are youing back?


    Zachary did not reply.


    She sent him another text: Something happened?


    Again, he left her hanging.


    Perhaps Mr. Nacht is not feeling well, and Zachary had to take care of him.


    I''m sure he''ll be back.


    Charlotte kept the letter away and went downstairs to prepare breakfast for the children.


    During breakfast, Robbie asked, ¡°Mommy, I tried calling Grandpa on the phone, but his phone was off.


    We''re worried about him. Do you have any news about Grandpa?¡±

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    Chapter 464


    ¡°Nope.¡± Charlotte rubbed Robbie''s head gently. ¡°Don''t worry. I''m sure a lot of people are taking good


    care of Grandpa.¡±


    ¡°You''re right, Mommy.¡± Robbie lowered his head and pouted.


    ¡°Why don''t you call your ex-boss, Mommy?¡± Jamie suggested, ¡°He''s Mr. Henry''s oldest grandson,


    right? I''m sure he can tell us more.¡±


    ¡°But...¡± Charlotte thought about it and said, ¡°He''s a busy man. I''m not sure if he''ll answer my call, but


    let''s try.¡±


    ¡°Ehm. Let''s see what else we can do.¡± Robbie put on his thinking cap.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Charlotte then gave him a serious look. ¡°Grandpa will call when he feels better, so do not


    disturb him. You hear me?¡±


    ¡°Okay, Mommy.¡± Robbie nodded.


    ¡°Come on, the school bus is going to be here soon,¡± the medical staff urged.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    The three children put down the utensils and put on their jackets and their bags. They waved their


    Mommy goodbye and left with the medical staff.


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    After bidding farewell to them at the elevator, Charlotte went home and remembered what the children


    said earlier. She sent Zachary another text message: Are you all right? Text me or call me when you


    read my message.


    She waited a while but still did not get a reply.


    Did something bad happen to him? Charlotte was worried.


    Or was Mr. Nacht really under the weather?


    As someone who grew up in a prominent family, Charlotte knew how chaotic a powerful family would


    be when the patriarch fell ill.


    Not only would news like this instantly cause the Nacht Group''s share price to fluctuate, but it also


    would attract the Natcht family members to fight for the inheritance.


    Henry might have appointed Zachary as his sessor, but the fact that he was not married and did not


    have his parents by his side could put him at a disadvantage. Besides, being a loner in the family would


    not do him any good as he would need to fight the battle on his own.


    While Charlotte was worried about the battle that Zachary had to go through, she was still waiting for


    him to exin the things her father wrote in the letter. What exactly happened between the Windts and


    Natchts?


    And didn''t Father mention anything about this in his letter to me?


    All of a sudden, Olivia called. ¡°Hey, are you all right? Ms. Fuller told me something happenedst


    night.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we had an ident, but I''m okay.¡±


    ¡°That incident made headlines in social media, andizens pinned the me on both the Brown and


    Sterling families. Everything has been blown out of proportion...¡±


    Upon hearing that, Charlotte froze for a moment. As someone who seldom used social media, she had


    no idea that it had snowballed into a big issue.


    She took out her phone and started checking the news on social media. It was all about how Luna was


    gang-raped after she went to the banquet hall to look for Hector. The news also mentioned how Helena


    humiliated her publicly.


    She took out her phone and started checking the news on social media. It was all about how Luna was


    gang-raped after she went to the banquet hall to look for Hector. The news also mentioned how Helena


    humiliated her publicly.


    Nowizens pointed fingers at Hector and Helena, and they called a Hector heartless man and


    Helena a homewrecker. They also imed that Helena was the mastermind who orchestrated the rape.


    The news even included a shback on Hector''s sex scandal. A few months ago, the media thought


    the woman he had sex with was his secretary, but now, everyone knew it was Helena!


    The news exined everything in detail and provided solid evidence to support their ims. This had


    ledizens to sympathize with Luna and berate Hector and Helena.


    Clearly, the person who stirred up this chaos was Amanda. She must have resorted to this kind of dirty


    trick when she knew she could not take Hector and Helena down.


    Now that Luna''s life had been destroyed, Amanda would definitely make them pay the price.


    Of course, it would take her a lot of courage to tell the world that her daughter was a victim of gang


    rape.

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    Perhaps, Amanda had gone bonkers after learning about Luna''s misfortune. Since there were other


    ways to take Hector and Helena down, she could only expose everything to the world and fight to the


    death.


    Since Luna had gone mad and would not know what was going on anyway.


    Charlotte could not help but feel sorry for the Whites. If Helena really was the mastermind behind the


    rape, then she had gone too far. This was why Charlotte could somewhat rte to Amanda''s action.


    Nevertheless, Charlotte believed Amanda was no match for Helena.


    Amanda might outwit Helena, but she no longer had the financial means to take thetter down in the


    long run. On the contrary, Helena could easily crush Amanda at a snap of the finger.


    If Amanda continued to y with fire, Helena would take action against her for sure.


    ¡°Charlotte? Hey!¡± Olivia raised her voice to get Charlotte''s attention.


    ¡°Yes?¡± Charlotte answered. ¡°I still have to deliver the costumes to Ms. Fuller today.¡±


    ¡°You don''t have to send them over anymore. She asked me to tell you,¡± Olivia looked into Charlotte''s


    eyes and said, ¡°Ms. Fuller said you''re a witness of the incident.


    ¡°Since you know both the victim and the aggressor, a lot of people even asked about you. Things have


    somehow spiraled out of control, so she said...¡±


    ¡°What did she say?¡±


    ¡°Ms. Fuller said she''ll have to wait for the buzz to die down before she considers hiring you again. She


    also wants me to deliver the costumes to her instead,¡± Olivia said sheepishly, ¡°I tried talking to her, but


    she refused to listen.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Charlotte responded with a wry smile. ¡°Come to my ce to collect the costumes when


    you''re free then.¡±


    ¡°I''lle over now then. Don''t worry, I''ll try to find you another job, okay?¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Olivia.¡±


    Charlotte ended the call and continued reading the news on social media.


    The scandal had be the talk of the town now. Amanda must have dumped a lot of money to make


    the news go viral. She was willing to do everything to tarnish both Hector and Helena''s reputation.


    Everything that had happened recently got Charlotte emotional, but there was nothing she could do


    about it. At this point, she knew she had to stay away from the mess.


    While Charlotte was still deep in thought, Jeffrey called. ¡°Hey, Mr. Judd!¡±


    ¡°Hi, Charlotte. I''m in Yaleview now. The factory is ready to operate tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°d to hear that!¡± Charlotte said, ¡°Everything went well?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We''ve hired enough workers to start working on two big projects. I wanted to invite you to our


    opening ceremony tomorrow, but I guess you must be busy.¡±


    ¡°No worries. Go ahead without me,¡± Charlotte said with a grin, ¡°I''ll go over once I''m done with my work.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes. There''s something else I wish to discuss with you.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Simon has three factories, right?¡± Jeffrey asked, ¡±He initially quoted me a total of seventy million for all


    the factories and your vi. But since I didn''t have that much money, I acquired only one of the


    factories. They didn''t sell off the remaining two.¡±


    He continued, ¡°But just a while ago, Simon called. He was willing to sell the two factories to me for ten


    million provided that the payment is settled at one go.¡±


    Upon hearing that, Charlotte kept mum for a moment. Amanda and Simon are really giving everything


    up to seek justice for their daughter.


    ¡°This is a good deal. Your uncles are interested in taking up this offer, and they''re in the midst of raising


    money,¡± Jeffrey said, ¡°I just thought I should get your permission before we proceed with the


    acquisition.¡±


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± Charlotte said without hesitation, ¡°It''s great that you all are continuing my father''s


    business. I''ll call you again once I think of a way to raise money too.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡±

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    Chapter 466


    After ending the call with Jeffrey, Charlotte immediately set up a video call with her financial advisor in


    S Nation. After obtaining her digital thumbprint, the financial advisor activated her bank ount.


    Charlotte was pleasantly surprised by how simple the procedures were. She thought they would need


    her to make a trip to the S Nation to activate her ount.


    That would have been the standard procedures four years ago, the financial advisor exined. But with


    the advent of technologies, banks could now activate users'' ounts through facial recognition, digital


    thumbprint, and password.


    On that day itself, Charlotte transferred ten million to Jeffrey.


    Jeffrey was surprised when he received the money from her.


    Charlotte did not exin how she got the money but told him to proceed with the acquisition. She did


    not want people to know she was involved in this deal.


    Jeffrey dlyplied.


    Deep in Charlotte''s heart, she wanted to buy and rightfully own her vi, but at the same time, she was


    also afraid that Helena might think she was doing it to help Amanda.


    The thought of the endless troubles she might get herself into had forced her to give up the idea.


    Soon, Olivia arrived with a bag of fruits. She looked around the house in admiration and said, ¡°What a


    big and beautiful house!¡±


    ¡°This house doesn''t belong to me. I just rented this ce.¡± Charlotte served her a ss of water. ¡°Take


    a seat. I''ll get the costumes.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Olivia sat on the couch and looked at the family photo. ¡°I''ve been living alone for many years.


    You''re so blessed to have so many family members.¡±


    ¡°You will be able to live with your Mom once she gets better.¡±


    Charlotte stacked the costumes nicely and put them into a bag.


    ¡°I hope so.¡± Olivia sighed. ¡°This is why I''ve been working so hard to raise money for her treatment.¡±


    ¡°She''ll be fine,¡± Charlotte consoled.


    ¡°All right then. I''ve got to go now. After returning these costumes to Ms. Fuller, I still have to work the


    night shift at Sultry Night.¡± Olivia stood up and was ready to leave. ¡°Take a good rest. I''ll keep you


    informed if there are any part-time jobs avable.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Charlotte walked Olivia downstairs. All of a sudden, Fifi started shrieking, ¡°Bad guy! Bad


    guy!¡±


    ¡°Wow! This parrot actually speaks?¡± Olivia was amused.


    ¡°Fifi has been with us for nearly four years and is as old as my kids. It has also picked up some simple


    phrases along the way.¡± Charlotte turned around and looked at the parrot. ¡°Hey, Fifi. Meet Olivia!¡±


    ¡°Bad guy! Bad guy!¡± Fifi pped its wings and shrieked continuously.


    ¡°No, Fifi. No.¡± Charlotte pointed her index finger at the parrot. ¡°Olivia is my good friend. She''s not a bad


    guy.¡±


    ¡°I don''t look like a bad guy, do I?¡± Olivia went up and introduced herself. ¡°Hello, Fifi. I''m not a bad guy!¡±


    ¡°Bad guy! Bad guy!¡±


    Fifi squealed non-stop and kept pping its wings as if it was very agitated.


    ¡°What''s wrong with Fifi?¡± Charlotte knitted her brows. ¡°It usually doesn''t behave like this. I''ll have to


    teach this naughty parrot a lesson after this.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry about it,¡± Olivia said, ¡°I got to go now. You rest well, okay?¡±


    ¡°All right. Text me once you''ve passed the costumes to Ms. Fuller.¡± Charlotte walked her to the elevator.


    Olivia entered the elevator and waved Charlotte goodbye with a grin.


    When Charlotte was about to return to the house, she heard a loud banging from the elevator,


    followed by Olivia''s scream.


    Charlotte was thunderstruck. She ran back to the elevator and realized it had broken down.


    ¡°Olivia!¡± Charlotte screamed in horror. She immediately gave the property management office a call


    and ran downstairs.T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.

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    Chapter 467


    The elevator plunged from the sixteenth floor. Fortunately, it stopped falling when it reached the third


    floor.


    Charlotte ran all the way down to the ground floor and went up to the third floor. The security guards


    and technicians had arrived to opened the elevator''s door to retrieve Olivia. At that point, she had


    already passed out.


    ¡°Olivia!¡± Charlotte wanted to go near Olivia, but the two security guards held her back.


    Another two guards carried Olivia out of the elevator. They did not see any injuries on her body.


    Soon, the rescue team arrived and brought both Olivia and Charlotte to the hospital.


    In the ambnce, Charlotte held Olivia''s hand tightly. She''ll be fine. I''m sure she''ll be fine...


    After a thorough checkup at the hospital, the doctor told Charlotte, ¡°The patient went into shock and


    fainted. She''ll feel better after taking a rest.¡±


    Charlotte and the property manager heaved a sigh of relief.


    Charlotte shot daggers at the manager. ¡°How did this happen, Mr. Auermann? My friend would have


    been dead if the elevator crashed all the way to the ground!¡±


    ¡°I''m so sorry, Ms. Windt. Please calm down,¡± the property manager exined, ¡°We inspect our


    elevators daily, and this has never happened to our property before. There''s something amiss about


    this incident, and we''ve started investigating.¡±All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    Suddenly, his phone rang. After talking for a while, his expression changed. ¡°Lodge a police report


    immediately!¡±


    The manager hung up the phone and turned around to Charlotte. ¡°Someone sabotaged the elevator.


    We''ve reported it to the police.¡±


    ¡°Sabotage?¡± Charlotte froze. ¡°How about the other elevators? Or do you mean someone sabotaged


    only that particr elevator?¡±


    ¡°We carried out another round of inspection right after the incident and found all the other elevators are


    operating properly,¡± the manager exined, ¡°The only elevator with defect is the one in your block.¡±


    ¡°They must havee for me then...¡±


    The thought of someone wanting her dead sent shivers down her spine. That''s why Fifi got so agitated


    earlier. It must have noticed a suspicious person in the building and tried to warn us.


    Yet, I reprimanded Fifi for not respecting Olivia.


    ¡°I''m afraid there''s such a possibility,¡± the property manager said, ¡°Mr. Nacht has bought over the entire


    block, and only your family lives in the building. Those who upied the opposite unit are your medical


    staff, and the unit above you also belongs to your family.¡±


    ¡°They must have known I''m the only person left in the building today,¡± Charlotte analyzed, ¡°And they


    knew I don''t normally have guests in my house. Had Olivia not visited today, I would have been the


    victim of today''s incident.¡±


    Charlotte was absolutely terrified. ¡°Nope. Not just me. They also target my kids. Had Olivia not visited


    and I did not leave the house today, the kids would have got into the elevator instead.¡±


    Charlotte instantly gave Robbie a call but to no avail.


    She panicked and called Jamie and Ellie. None of them answered their phones too.


    She even dialed the medical staff''s numbers, but they did not pick up her call as well.


    Her legs went weak and almost fell on the ground.


    ¡°Are you all right, Ms. Windt?¡± the manager immediately held her up.


    ¡°Take care of my friend, please.¡±


    Charlotte ran out of the ward like a lunatic and hailed a cab. She wanted to get to the Apple


    Kindergarten as soon as possible.


    But at this point, a van drove up to her. Two men who were dressed in ck covered her mouth and


    pulled her into the car.


    Charlotte struggled and tried to escape, but upon smelling a sharp odor, she instantly passed out.

 Chapter 468

    Chapter 468


    ¡°Why isn''t there any signal here? I want to give Mommy a call, Mr. Spencer.¡± Robbie lifted his head and


    gave Spencer a serious look.


    ¡°All the signals had to be turned off, Robbie, as we''re in a special ward,¡± Spencer exined in a gentle


    voice.


    ¡°What''s a special ward?¡±


    Jamie looked around and became anxious when he realized there were bodyguards everywhere.


    ¡°It''s a special ward for Mr. Henry,¡± Spencer exined with a grin, ¡°Don''t worry, all these uncles are Mr.


    Henry''s bodyguards. They''ll not hurt you.¡±


    ¡°Is Mr. Henry sick? How is he?'' Ellie tilted her head and asked, ¡°Did the doctor give Mr. Henry a jab?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the doctor did that this morning.¡± Spencer smiled. ¡°Mr. Henry woke up this morning. He knew all


    of you are worried about him, so he asked me to bring you here.¡±


    ¡°So Mr. Henry is okay? Phew.¡± Robbie heaved a sigh of relief, and he seemed a little more rxed


    now.


    ¡°Can we see Mr. Henry soon?¡± Ellie pouted and fidgeted.


    ¡°Mr. Henry must be very tired. I must not ask him to bring us out anymore.¡± Jamie felt guilty.


    ¡°Mr. Henry loves spending time with all of you,¡± Spencer ruffed the back of Jamie''s head and said, ¡°All


    right, kids. Before entering the ward, let''s put on the istion gown first.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Mr. Spencer.¡±


    With the help of the nurses, they put on the istion gown, and each of them wore a mask. They then


    followed Spencer into the ward.


    The moment the children saw a tall man standing beside the bed, they froze.


    Upon seeing the children, Zachary knitted his brows. ¡°Why did you bring them here?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht missed them very much. He asked me to bring them here,¡± Spencer whispered.


    ¡°I guess he loves these kids more than his own grandson,¡± Zachary said aloofly and was ready to walk


    out of the ward.


    The three children stepped aside when he walked past them as they were terrified of him.


    ¡°Am I a monster?¡± Zachary said with a deadpan expression.


    Ellie let out a cold snort, made a face, and hid behind Spencer.


    ¡°This is how you express your gratitude after I''ve taken the trouble to piggyback you?¡± Zachary stood


    beside her and gently pulled her pigtail.


    ¡°Don''t touch my sister.¡± Jamie balled his tiny fingers to a fist and was ready to fight him.


    Zachary let out a mirthlessugh and looked at Robbie, who, surprisingly, gave him a calm but sullen


    re.


    ¡°Please don''t frighten the kids, Mr. Zachary.¡± Spencer could not help but step in. ¡°They''re afraid of you.¡±


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Zachary lifted a corner of his mouth and walked out of the ward.


    A few specialists, who had been waiting outside the ward, greeted Zachary with a bow when he left.


    They then went to an office to discuss Henry''s health.


    Meanwhile, Spencer brought the children to the bed. ¡°The kids are here, Mr. Nacht. Mr. Nacht?¡±


    Henry gradually opened his eyes and looked at the little ones.


    ¡°Mr. Henry...¡± Tears welled up in Ellie''s ears. ¡°Mr. Henry, I''m Ellie! Can you see me?¡±


    ¡°I''m Jamie, Mr. Henry.¡± Jamie, too, was about to burst into tears, but he tried to control his emotions.


    ¡°Are you okay, Grandpa?¡±


    ¡°I''m Robbie, Mr. Henry...¡± Robbie grabbed Henry''s hand and tried to speak steadily, ¡°You promise to


    y ser with us, so you must get well soon!¡±

 Chapter 469

    Chapter 469


    A corner of Henry''s mouth quirked up. It took him a while to utter a word. ¡°Okay...¡±


    ¡°Mr. Henry...¡± Ellie said in between sobs, ¡°I won''t make you piggyback me anymore, Mr. Henry. Please


    get well soon. I want to buy hot cross bunnies for you to eat.¡±


    ¡°Don''t cry, Ellie,¡± Jamie said, but even he himself could not stop his tears from rolling down his cheeks.


    ¡°Sorry, Mr. Henry, I shouldn''t have forced you to y with us. You must be really tired.¡±


    ¡°What''s wrong with you two?¡± As the older brother, Robbie raised his voice and expressed his dismay.


    ¡°I thought we agreed not to cry?¡±


    ¡°No, I didn''t cry.¡± Jamie took in a deep breath and wiped tears off his face with his tiny hands.


    Ellie pouted, but she also tried resisting the urge to cry.


    Spencer came up to the children and consoled them. ¡°All right, all right. Let''s not disturb Mr. Henry


    anymore, shall we? Let''s go out.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± They nodded.


    ¡°Say goodbye to Mr. Henry,¡± Spencer reminded.


    ¡°Bye, Mr. Henry. When wee to visit you the next time, I''ll bring hot cross bunnies for you, okay?¡±


    Ellie said.


    ¡°Get well soon, Mr. Henry. Let''s y ser together soon,¡± Jamie added.


    ¡°See you soon, Mr. Henry...¡±


    Spencer brought the children out and said, ¡°Wait for me at the lounge, okay? I''ll bring you home soon.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Mr. Spencer.¡± All three of them nodded.


    At the lounge, the medical staff took good care of the children. They even prepared snacks and fruit


    juice for them.


    Spencer walked to the office as he wanted to know more about Henry''s condition. All of a sudden,


    Zachary opened the door and left in a hurry. He almost knocked Spencer down.


    Spencer shouted in pain while clenching his chest. ¡°Mr. Zachary, I''m old, so please be more kind to


    me...¡±


    Zachary did not even look at Spencer. He kept pressing the button outside the elevator as if he was in


    a hurry to go somewhere.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Spencer caught up with him and asked, ¡°I need to discuss with you...¡±


    ¡°Do not allow any visitors toe in without my permission. You hear me?¡± Zachary instructed and


    went into the elevator.


    He then stepped forward, prevented the elevator''s door from closing, and asked, ¡°Where are the kids?¡±


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°They''re in the lounge. I''ll be sending them home soon...¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Zachary interrupted and instructed, ¡°They''ll stay with you.¡±


    Spencer was dumbfounded. ¡°But why? What happened?¡±


    Zachary did not answer him. He took a few steps back, allowing the elevator''s door to close.


    A line formed between Spencer''s brows as he could feel something had must have happened. At this


    point, he could only do what Zachary told him to.


    ¡°Mr. Spencer, the car''s ready. Shall we send them back to Happy Avenue?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Spencer said, ¡°We''ll take them back to our ce. Get people to prepare the daily essentials for


    the kids.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡±


    Spencer walked to the lounge and noticed how upset Robbie, Jamie, and Ellie were. They sat quietly


    on the couch and did not touch the snacks and fruit juice at all.


    ¡°Can we go home now, Mr. Spencer?¡± Robbie asked when he saw Spencering in.


    ¡°There''s something I need to discuss with all of you.¡± Spencer squatted down and continued, ¡°I need


    you to stay at Mr. Henry''s house, okay? I''m sure Mr. Henry will be d to see all of you when he


    returns home.¡±


    Jamie and Ellie exchanged nces and then looked at Robbie, who was the ultimate decision maker of


    them all.


    ¡°I need to ask Mommy first,¡± Robbie said, ¡°We need to get her approval.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Spencer gently tapped on Robbie''s shoulder, ¡°Let''s go outside and call your Mommy, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±

 Chapter 470

    Chapter 470


    Spencer left the ward with the three kids. Robbie''s eyes lit up when he noticed that the smart watch


    had a signal again.


    He immediately called Charlotte, but her phone was switched off.


    With his brows furrowed, Robbie gave a try again. Yet, it was still the same.


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Robbie, Mommy''s phone is still uncontactable. Do you think she''s too tired and has dozed off?¡± Jamie


    moved over in his wheelchair. ¡°How about we go home and tell her?¡±


    ¡°I agree with you.¡± Robbie nodded. ¡°Looks like that''s the only way.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Spencer will apany you home.¡±


    Spencer made a gesture with his hand, and the three nurses carried the kids respectively into the car.


    The kids were excited as the car headed towards Happy Avenue.


    Just then, Amelia''s phone rang abruptly and she answered the call at once. In a split second, her


    expression changed as she asked nervously, ¡°Is Ms. Windt all right?¡±


    Upon hearing his Mommy''s name, Jamie turned pale and asked anxiously, ¡°What happened to


    Mommy?¡±


    Amelia shook her head at them as she continued to talk on the phone, ¡°Alright. I got it.¡±


    After hanging up the phone, she quickly reported, ¡°It''s the call from the property management office.


    ording to them, the elevator of our apartment building broke down this afternoon and straight away


    fell from the sixteenth floor...¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡± Upon hearing her words, Ellie panicked and burst into tears; her cheeks flushed red in an


    instant.


    ¡°How about my Mommy?¡± Jamie grabbed hold of Amelia''s hands and asked again in anxiety, ¡°Anything


    happened to Mommy?¡±


    ¡°No, no...¡± Amelia shook her head at once.


    ¡°Jamie, Ellie, calm down. Let Amelia finish her words.¡± Robbieforted his siblings and asked


    apprehensively, ¡°Was Mommy in that elevator?¡±


    ¡°Try to calm down and speak clearly. Don''t scare them,¡± Spencer chimed in.


    ¡°Yes, Mr Spencer.¡± Amelia took a deep breath and exined, ¡°Ms. Windt was not in that elevator, but


    one of her friends was in there. Fortunately, it was stuck at level three and didn''t go all the way down to


    the bottom. The one inside the elevator passed out and was immediately rushed to the hospital.


    They''re all fine and only sustained minor injuries.¡±


    ¡°What a relief that their Mommy was not in that elevator. Good to hear that the others are fine, too.¡±


    Spencer heaved a sigh of relief and recalled Zachary''s reminder instinctively. Perhaps Mr. Zachary


    could foresee something bad would befall the kids and their mother? So that''s why he assigned me to


    bring them along with me?


    Anyway, these three kids and their Mommy have been leading a simple and peaceful life. It''s


    impossible that they are on bad terms with anyone. I really wonder who has the heart to put them at


    risk.


    No matter what, the kids'' safety is the top priority. I must ensure they are well protected all the time. If


    anything happens to them, Mr. Nacht would not let me off easily when he regains consciousness.


    After pondering for a while, Spencer consoled the three kids, ¡°Children, it''s not safe to go home at the


    moment. Let''s just stay temporarily at Mr. Henry''s ce. I''ll get people to fetch your Mommy as well.


    Don''t worry about her.¡±


    ¡°Looks like this is the only way now.¡± Robbie tried to call his Mommy again, yet still could not get


    through. He knitted his brows and said nervously, ¡°Mr. Spencer, I''m worried that Mommy is in danger.


    Can you please get someone to look for her?¡±


    ¡°Sure, no problem.¡± Spencer asked, ¡°What''s your Mommy''s name? I''ll get people to look for her now.¡±


    ¡°My...¡±


    ¡°My Mommy''s name is Charlotte Windt!¡± Ellie cut in even before Robbie couldplete his sentence.


    Still holding the phone, Spencer''s hand stiffened instantaneously. His eyes widened in disbelief as he


    looked at Ellie stiffly and stuttered, ¡°Y-your...her name is Charlotte Windt?¡±


    ¡°Yeah...¡± Ellie nodded and replied honestly, ¡°My Mommy has a beautiful name, right? I can spell out her


    name for you...C-h-a-r-l-o-t-t-e, and ''Windt'' ends with a ''t''.¡±


    ¡°Eh...¡± Spencer was dumbfounded. He suddenly realized why Zachary was behaving weirdlytely.


    Now I know why Mr. Zachary eagerly sent the three children home, took them to Fairytale Land to meet


    Mr. Nacht and assigned me to take good care of them...


    No wonder...Charlotte Windt is their Mommy!


    ¡°Mr. Spencer, are you all right?¡±


    Robbie looked at Spencer uneasily. He was actually hesitating whether to tell him their Mommy''s name,


    as she had reminded them not to reveal her identity to anyone.


    Yet her name just slipped out from Ellie''s mouth when he was still hesitating...


    Anyway, under this extreme circumstance, Mommy''s safety is the most important!


    We have no choice but to mention her name. I hope Mommy will understand and won''t be angry.

 Chapter 471

    Chapter 471


    ¡°I''m fine, don''t worry...¡± Spencer could not help feeling a rush ofplex emotions within himself.


    Looking at the kids, he made a wild guess daringly, ¡°How about your Daddy''s name?¡±


    It never came to his mind that Charlotte was already a mother.


    Are these three children Mr. Zachary''s flesh and blood by any chance?


    If my guess is right, why is Mr. Zachary treating them in such an indifferent way, without any sense of


    fatherly love?


    Moreover, looks like they''re really intimidated by Mr. Zachary.


    But, if he''s not their biological father, why does the domineering and arrogant Mr. Zachary treat them so


    differently?


    ¡°I-I don''t know...¡±


    With her head lowered, Ellie''s tears flowed out of her eyes. She felt down whenever she was asked


    about her Daddy''s name; she was afraid to be humiliated by others as a child without a father.


    ¡°Mr. Spencer, why are you asking about this?¡± Jamie was displeased and frowned quizzically. ¡°Are you


    having the same thought like the others? Will you also look down on us as we''re from an iplete


    family without Daddy?¡±


    ¡°No, no! I don''t mean that.¡± Spencer tried his best to exin, ¡°I asked about this just because I thought


    there might be a possibility that I actually know your Daddy. Oh dear, my poor Ellie! I shouldn''t have


    asked this question bluntly. I''m terribly sorry. Can you forgive me?¡±


    ¡°Alright, I ept your apology.¡±


    Children were the mostly innocent and forgiving. As such, Jamie epted his apology sportingly.


    ¡°Mr. Spencer, I hope that you won''t mention about Daddy again.¡± Robbie said firmly, ¡°We only have


    Mommy.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I get it now.¡±


    Spencer felt guilty as he had unintentionally inflicted pain to the children''s vulnerable feelings.


    ¡°I''ll get someone to protect your Mommy now. Don''t worry.¡±


    Spencer made the necessary arrangements without hesitation. At the same time, he kept wondering


    who the kids'' father could be.


    Nheless, it was not the right timing to be concerned about that now.


    Because of the elevator incident earlier, Spencer did not send the kids home. He sent them directly to


    Henry''s Garden Vi which was located in the northern suburbs.


    He bought them new clothes and other basic necessities. The three nurses, Amelia, Violet and Mildred


    also followed them back to the vi in order to take care of the kids.


    Spencer had to rush back to the hospital again after the necessary arrangements were made. Upon


    leaving the vi, he reminded the maids to take good care of the kids.


    The three kids had been there once previously. All the maids served them well, knowing that they were


    apples of Mr. Nacht''s eye.


    Spencer told the kids that they could stay in the vi without any worries. If they felt bored, they could


    let the maids apany them for a stroll in the garden, go for horse riding or swimming.


    Even so, they were not in the mood as they were all very concerned about their Mommy''s safety.


    Spencer convinced them that he would try to get in touch with their Mommy as soon as possible and


    bring her back safely.


    The kids finally felt relieved upon hearing his words.


    Once in the car, Spencer was initially thinking of calling Zachary regarding Charlotte''s matter. After


    thinking for a while, he changed his mind. If I''m not mistaken, Mr. Zachary is deliberately keeping mum


    about the rtionship between Charlotte and the three kids. To y safe, I better zip my mouth as well.


    Just wait till Mr. Nachtes to his sensester.


    The car was in total silence as he was lost deep in thought.


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    Meanwhile, Zachary was calling Zara in his Rolls-Royce.


    After quite a while, the call was finally answered by anguorous voice.


    ¡°What are you trying to do?¡± Holding back the burning rage in his heart, Zachary questioned, ¡°She has


    nothing to do with the grudge and dispute between both of us. Why did you abduct her?¡±


    ¡°Since you didn''t let me see Mr. Henry, I''ve no choice!¡± Zara said with a sense of sarcasm. ¡°Even


    though he has passed the right of inheritance on to you, he hasn''t set a will for other properties. I could


    be the inheritor! You''ve no right to stop me from seeing him!¡±


    ¡°Grandpa is still alive, yet you''re already so impatient?¡± Zachary said in an icy-cold tone, ¡°There is


    already a lot in your possession. Don''t be too greedy.¡±


    ¡°How ridiculous,¡± Zara jeered, ¡°All these are supposed to belong to me!¡±


    ¡°Your father had passed away long ago. I''ve been the one managing everything for this family


    painstakingly. Just because of my gender, your Grandpa would rather pass you the right of inheritance


    instead of me. You''re just a greenhorn at that time, so how could you deserve it?¡±

 Chapter 472

    Chapter 472


    ¡°You''ve to ask Grandpa about this,¡± Zachary replied coldly. ¡°He probably feels that I''m more suitable


    than you in inheriting his position. Hence, he passed me the right of inheritance when I was sixteen


    years old. It''s been ten years, yet you''re still brooding over it?¡±


    ¡°I had actually gotten over it earlier, but how dare you assault my son? Since you''re not treating us as


    your rtives, don''t me me for paying you back.¡± Zara''s tone turned cold.


    ¡°He only has himself to me,¡± Zachary roared coldly.


    ¡°I almost forget about it.¡± Zara gave an eerie sneer, ¡°Both of you are quite close since young, yet you


    end up having a scuffle just for a woman. Did she cast a spell on both of you? I''m really curious about


    what kind of exceptional charm she has!¡±


    ¡°You''d better don''t do anything to provoke me...¡±


    ¡°It really depends on my mood,¡± Zara said mockingly, ¡°You know that I don''t have a good temper, don''t


    you? If she infuriates me, there''s nothing I can''t do.¡±


    ¡°You''re threatening me?¡± Zachary gritted his teeth.


    ¡°No, I''m just negotiating with you.¡± Zara sneered, ¡°When you''re willing to let me see your Grandpater,


    I''ll release her!¡±


    Zara hung up her phone straight afterwards.


    Zachary''s face fell when he heard the enraged tone from the other side of the phone, for he was sure


    of Zara''s temper.


    That woman is decisive, ruthless and has unpredictable mood swings; all of us from the Nacht family


    are born with the same weaknesses.


    If Charlotte identally provokes her even with only one sentence, it looks like she will do anything to


    torture her...


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, don''t worry. Bruce is now tracing Ms. Nacht''s whereabouts,¡± Benforted him warily.


    ¡°When he manages to get any clue, we''ll take prompt action and save Ms. Windt.¡±


    Zachary did not say anything. With his eyes lowered, he seemed to sink into deep contemtion.


    The ultra-thin phone was fumbling in his palm, reflecting his extreme anxiety at the moment...


    There were numerous times whereby he confronted Zara with profound cidity and confidence, but


    he was never restless and helpless like this before.


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Thinking of the potential risk that Charlotte might be encountering at the moment, his heart was filled


    with growing uneasiness. Beads of perspiration started to appear on his forehead.


    Ben had never seen Zachary like this before. He asked tactfully, ¡°How about we just let her see Mr.


    Nacht? After all, he has regained consciousness and is well protected by our men. I bet Ms. Nacht has


    no chance to harm him at all.¡±


    ¡°This is not the point.¡± Zachary''s brows furrowed. ¡°If I give in now, it will indicate that she wins the


    game.¡±


    ¡°Then...¡± Ben could barely say anything in confusion.


    ¡°Just wait for a while more.¡± Zachary gripped the phone tightly and said, ¡°Let Bruce send me all the


    clues he manages to collect. I''ll investigate myself.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Zachary.¡±


    There was silence again as Zachary''s mind drifted away into deep thought.


    Charlotte gradually came to herself. Still squinting, she scanned through her surroundings with great


    difficulty. She was apparently in a delicate room, yet there was no sign of anyone.


    Snippets before she became unconscious shed across her mind. Realizing that she was in an


    extreme situation, she raised herself from the bed in an instant. However, she was momentarily blinded


    by a sudden dizziness and slumped onto the bed again.


    Holding her head with her eyes shut, she tried to calm herself down. After a while, she opened her


    eyes again and scanned through every corner of the room. To her surprise, it was a dainty room with a


    sense of gracefulness and elegance. Apparently, it looked like a guest room owned by someone who


    was really wealthy.


    She was still in her own white cotton dress, her hair unkempt and messy. Other than still feeling a little


    dizzy, there were no visible injuries on her body.


    Who had actually abducted me here?


    Obviously, her abductors had other hidden motives, or were under the orders of someone else. If not, it


    was impossible for her to be left unharmed in such a nice room.


    Are they Mr. Nacht''s men?


    Or are they part of the ckwood family?


    While Charlotte''s mind was running wild, the door of the room was abruptly opened. Two maids pushed


    a food trolley towards her.


    ¡°What is this ce? Who are you?¡± Charlotte almost used up all her energy just to support herself from


    sitting up in the bed.


    None of the maids responded to her question. They just silently served the meal on the dining table


    and bowed at her before leaving the room.


    ¡°Wait! Don''t go...¡±


    Charlotte tried to stop the maids, yet all her energy was drained from her. She could only gaze at them


    helplessly till their figures disappeared from her view.

 Chapter 473

    Chapter 473


    After a while, Charlotte struggled to leave the bed and dragged herself towards the door. To her


    dismay, the door was locked from the other side. She knocked on the heavy door frantically and yelled,


    ¡°Is there anyone outside? Let me out! Let me out!¡±


    There was dead silence outside the room.


    Charlotte twisted the doorknob hard, but to no avail.


    She had to give up twisting it and switched to look out of the window. The moment she looked down


    from the window, she was stunned.


    It was indeed a strange building. She was at the height of approximately ten levels from the ground,


    with concrete walls all around her. Oh no! There isn''t any furniture for me to step on! No chance at all


    for me to escape from this window!


    This looks exactly like a ssical castle in fairy tales!


    If I dare to jump down from this window, I will surely be shattered pieces!


    Looks like I have no chance to survive at all unless my abductors change their minds and release me!


    Who was it that locked me up here?


    Charlotte turned to look at the various types of sumptuous food served on the crystal dining table --


    there were dishes of the French Cuisine: foie gras, snails, steak, bread, fruit sd, red wine and more.


    She held the red wine closer to her nose, and her eyes lit up at the fragrance. This is undoubtedly the


    limited edition from the winery of F Nation''s Arkfield that was exclusively produced for women...


    The abductor is obviously a woman.


    Is it Sharon?


    No, it''s not her! If she''s the one, I could''ve been beaten up by her. It''s impossible that I can still be


    unharmed and savor sumptuous food here!


    Charlotte nced around the whole room again, trying to trace any clues.


    Based on her judgement, all the oil paintings on the wall were authentic masterpieces. Even the floor


    vases at the corner were all invaluable antiques. My goodness! Even a room used to lock up a hostage


    is of such a high standard. The owner is clearly a dignified and poised woman.


    Who is she?


    Charlotte knitted her brows, thinking hard if there was any name in her mind which could match the


    secretive woman. She gave up after quite a while, epting the fact that she did not have any


    connections with such people.


    Staring at the sumptuous food in front of her, Charlotte had no appetite at all. I''m really worried about


    my three babies, and Mrs. Berry. I wonder if they''re all fine...


    After searching high and low in the room, Charlotte finally spotted her phone. She was ecstatic and


    intended to call Zachary at once, yet there was totally no signal.


    She took out the SIM Card from her phone and slot it back, restarted her phone, yet there was still no


    signal.


    Charlotte slumped onto the bed in despair, not knowing what she could do...


    The room became dead silent again as she continued to gaze aimlessly at the oil paintings on the wall,


    still holding her phone in her hand...


    At the same time, Zachary was still trying hard to trace Zara''s exact location, but there were no leads.


    On the other hand, Henry''s condition was still not stable. He coulde to his senses momentarily


    before he drifted into unconsciousness again. The Nacht family tried their best to keep it a secret, not


    leaking the news to anyone.


    Everyone of the ckwood family was also feeling uneasy with Henry''s condition. Taylor had cancelled


    his n to leave this week right after knowing about what had happened to Henry. He could only stay


    at his ce in H City, praying hard for Henry to regain consciousness soon.


    Sharon was still in a trauma after witnessing what had happened to Henry that day. She was unusually


    quiet these few days, waiting for thetest update on Henry''s condition.


    Both Zachary and Zara were still against each other in the tug of war; none of them would raise their


    white g first.


    If Henry regained consciousness before Charlotte was rescued, Zara would not be able to proceed with


    her ns. In other words, Zachary would be considered defeated if he gave in first before that.


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    The woman behind the abduction finally appeared on the third day after Charlotte was abducted.


    ¡°I thought Zachary was willing to sacrifice anything to save you. Looks like I''ve overestimated his love


    for you.¡±


    All of a sudden, a woman''s cold voice broke the dead silence.


    Charlotte''s heart skipped a bit instantaneously. She woke up hurriedly from the bed and yelled,¡± Who


    are you? Why did you lock me up here?¡±


    ¡°Obviously, you''re not as smart as I thought. Do you want to get out of this room?¡± the woman replied


    disdainfully.


    ¡°Yes, of course.¡± Charlotte nced around the room to trace the source of the woman''s voice. She


    finally spotted a surveince camera at one of the corner of the ceiling.


    So she has been observing me closely these few days?


    ¡°If you really want to go out, you must bear in mind to be goodter on...¡±


    The room was back in silence again after herst sentence. In a split second, the door of the room was


    opened.

 Chapter 474

    Chapter 474


    A few masculine men with ferocious eyes entered the room.


    Charlotte was startled and stammered in fear, ¡°W-what do you want?¡±


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    They did not say anything and continued to approach her with an ominous grin.


    Charlotte held the vase beside her to smash it on the men, yet one of them grabbed her hand first.


    In a blink of an eye, the man pounced towards her...


    ¡°Help! Help!...¡±


    Charlotte was thrown onto the bed. The man took out his belt andshed her hard with it.


    ¡°Ouch!...¡± Charlotte shrieked in excruciating pain. She struggled frantically, but another man held her


    tightly. He tied her hands and feet to the bed,ughing excitedly as if he was well entertained by


    Charlotte''s painful wails.


    There was another man grinning hideously while recording a video of the scene by their side.


    The man continued tosh Charlotte hard...


    Charlotte''s dress was torn after a short while. She wailed in pain, yelling for help, yet nobody came to


    her rescue...


    Meanwhile, Zara was sprawling idly on the bed with her eyes closed in another room, enjoying her


    massage session.


    Charlotte''s high-pitched wails was melodious music for her.


    Zara''s female assistant, Shirley, was showing her the video recording of Charlotte beingshed.


    Without ncing at it, she ordered cidly, ¡°Send it to Zachary Nacht.¡±


    ¡°Noted. I''ll send it now.¡± Shirley sent the video to Zachary at once.


    Within seconds, Zara''s phone rang. Shirley instantly reported, ¡°It''s a call from Mr. Nacht.¡±


    Zara gestured to her; she answered the call and turned on the speaker.


    ¡°Zara Nacht, I''m going to kill you!¡± Zachary bellowed on the other side of the phone with a murderous


    intent.


    ¡°Sheesh...¡± Zara said mockingly, ¡°My dear nephew, cool down first. This is just an appetizer. The next


    video will be even more exciting...¡±


    ¡°How dare you!¡± Zachary roared fiercely, exactly like a lion ready to pounce on its prey.


    ¡°Haha...¡± Zaraughed sarcastically, ¡°We''re all from the Nacht family. You know pretty well that we have


    no fear for anything, don''t you?¡±


    Zachary remained silent just for a while and finally gave in. ¡°Let her go. I''ll let you meet Grandpa.¡±


    ¡°Ah! That''s right.¡± Zara''s mouth lifted into a smile as she ordered arrogantly, ¡°Let them stop at once.


    That woman is our beloved Mr. Nacht''s sweetheart. If anything happens to her, I won''t let any of you off


    easily.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ms. Nacht.¡± Shirley nodded and darted towards the room.


    In the room, Charlotte was in an unsightly state of gory mess. She was sprawling motionless on the


    bed; her voice croaky and her throat felt sore.


    The three men had ripped off their clothes and were about to pounce...


    At the eleventh hour, Shirley kicked the door open and yelled, ¡°Stop it!¡±


    ¡°Since we''ve taken off our clothes, why not just let us have some fun?¡±


    The men were reluctant to stop right away.


    ¡°Do you want to provoke Mr. Nacht?¡± Shirley warned them, ¡°She''s Mr. Nacht''s woman. Do you dare to


    touch her?¡±


    Upon hearing this, the men were overwhelmed and immediately moved aside.


    ¡°Get out of here!¡± Shirley snapped at them.


    ¡°Alright! Alright!¡± They stumbled out of the room hastily.


    Charlotte lifted her head with great difficulty and tried to gaze at the woman standing at the door...


    ¡°Lucky you. Mr. Nacht gave in at the crucial minute just for you. Ms. Nacht is really satisfied, so you''re


    safe now,¡± Shirley scoffed at her. ¡°Don''t worry, I''ve called the doctor to treat your wounds. We won''t let


    anyone hurt you again.¡±


    She left at once after telling Charlotte this.


    Charlotte sprawled on the bed feebly, too weak to lift any of her fingers. Feeling her eyelids getting


    heavier gradually, her mind drifted into a total darkness...


    Within a while, a female doctor entered the room with two medical staff and tended to Charlotte''s


    wounds without hesitation.

 Chapter 475

    Chapter 475


    Zachary''s expression turned ferocious, almost crushing his phone into pieces.


    Ben hurriedly calmed Zachary down. ¡°I believe Ms. Nacht was just trying to scare you. She is aware of


    your powers and would never dare challenge you...¡±


    Zachary gritted his teeth. ¡°That better be the case. I''ll kill her if sheys her hand on Charlotte.¡±


    Ben chose his words carefully. ¡°Calm down. ording to Bruce''s report, Ms. Nacht isn''t in H City, so


    she must''ve brought Ms. Windt to other ces. It was no wonder we couldn''t find Ms. Windt.¡±


    Beep! Beep! Zachary''s phone rang, and he saw it was an iing call from Zara. ¡°Don''t worry. It''s


    only minor abrasions. I''ve asked the doctor to treat her wounds.¡±


    ¡°Zara, you''ve gotten too far this time!¡± Zachary''s tone was murderous. He had a grim expression when


    he clenched onto his phone.


    Zara scoffed, ¡°Is your heart aching for her? You didn''t spare Chris when you beat him.¡±


    ¡°Let her go!¡± Zachary was reluctant to drag on the conversation, as the only thing he cared for was


    Charlotte''s safety.


    ¡°No problem. Let''s meet at the hospital entrance at seven tomorrow night.¡± Zara readily agreed while


    Zachary warned mercilessly, ¡°I won''t spare you if anything happens to her.¡±


    Zara said indifferently, ¡°Rest assured. I''ve achieved my goal, so there''s no point in making her suffer.


    However, you''ll have to fulfill your promise. Otherwise, I have plenty of methods to torture her.¡±This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    After she finished her sentence, she hung up the call. Meanwhile, Zachary was so angry that his hands


    were trembling.


    It was at that moment Bruce came into the room to report to him. Without warning, Zachary gave the


    former a punch in the face.


    Bruce lost his bnce and fell to the ground with a loud thud while blood gushed out of his nostrils and


    mouth.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, please calm down. Bruce is doing his best in tracking down Ms. Windt''s position.¡± Ben


    hurriedly advised as he stood in front of Bruce while thetter slowly got up from the ground and


    lowered his head silently.


    Zachary gritted his teeth and growled, ¡°Didn''t I tell you to send some men to protect her? Why did she


    get kidnapped?¡±


    Lowering his head, Bruce said, ¡°I followed your orders and sent Marino and the others to protect Ms.


    Windt in secret. They found out somebody has sabotaged the lift and went to take care of it. They were


    able to repair it in time, so the lift was stuck on the third floor and didn''t fall all the way down to the


    lowest level.¡±


    Looking at his blood dripping on the ground, Bruce continued, ¡°And that was why Ms. Windt''s friend


    could escape unscathed. Afterward, Marino and the others were worried that the three kids would be in


    danger, so they looked into the lift incident to capture the culprit.¡±


    Deeply ashamed of himself, Bruce exined everything to Zachary and asked for a punishment to


    ease the guilt in his heart. ¡°Unfortunately, Ms. Windt was kidnapped when they had their hands full on


    the investigation... I have failed you, Mr. Nacht. Please punish me.¡±


    Zachary bellowed, ¡°Scram!¡±


    Bruce lowered his head and left the room without making any noise.


    Ben wanted to say something, but he didn''t have the courage to do so.


    Right then, a maid came into the room with a bottle of red wine and a ss. When she saw Zachary''s


    grim expression, her body started trembling and she almost knocked over the wine bottle.


    Zachary frowned, and when he was about tosh out at the maid, his phone rang. Looking at the


    screen, it was Spencer.


    Suppressing his anger, Zachary answered the call and said, ¡°Hello?¡±


    Spencer said, ¡°Mr. Zachary, sorry to disturb you. The kids want to know about Ms. Windt''s condition.


    After the lift incident that day, their mother went missing and I''ve sent men to look for her, but there is


    no news of her.¡±


    He continued after looking at the three kids, who were looking back at him. ¡°The kids are staying with


    Mr. Nacht. Although they are safe and have no problems livingfortably, they are too worried about


    their mother that they could not eat and sleep well. Ellie was weeping bitterly, so Robbie asked me to


    contact you.¡±


    Spencer chose his words carefully because he knew Zachary was in a foul mood. Initially, he didn''t


    want to make this call, but he couldn''t turn a blind eye to the kids'' pleas, so he could only brace himself


    and did it for them.


    Zachary lowered his voice and replied, ¡°Tell them that their Mommy''s doing fine and she will be back


    after two days.¡±


    ¡°Yes...¡± Before Spencer could finish his words, a kid''s voice sounded from the other end of the call. ¡°Mr.


    Spencer, please let me talk to him.¡±

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    Chapter 476


    ¡°I...¡± Spencer was troubled as he didn''t know what to do, so he asked, ¡°Mr. Zachary, Robbie wants to


    speak to you. Is that okay?¡±


    ¡°What is there to talk with a three-year-old...¡± Zachary was obviously reluctant, but before he could


    express his disdain, a childish yet polite voice interrupted him. ¡°Hello, good day to you!¡±


    Zachary replied subconsciously, ¡°Hello!¡±


    ¡°I am Robinson, Charlotte''s eldest son. Regarding my Mommy''s matter, I would like to have a talk with


    you.¡± Although Robbie''s voice sounded childish, he had an imposing aura that made him sound like an


    adult.


    ¡°Ha! You and I?¡± Augh escaped Zachary''s lips upon listening to Robbie''s voice. He would have to


    give credit to the child for extinguishing the mes of fury burning in his heart.


    He''s only three and a half years old, and he wants to have a talk with me?


    Let''s see what he''ll say.


    ¡°Yes. You and I.¡± Robbie was calm and poised.


    Suddenly, Jamie added, ¡°And me. Robbie, I want to go too!¡±


    ¡°M-Me too...¡± Ellie''s cute voice sounded through the phone.


    Listening to her sweet voice, an image of her hugging the milk bottle shed across Zachary''s mind.


    ¡°Don''t cause trouble.¡± Putting the phone away, Robbie reprimanded his siblings softly before putting the


    phone beside his ear and said, ¡°Sorry about that. Jamie and Ellie are just worried about Mommy. How


    about 8 p.m.?¡±


    ¡°Fine by me. I''ll ask Spencer to take you here.¡± Zachary agreed as he was curious about the things a


    three-year-old would talk to him about.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Robbie handed Spencer the phone and said, ¡°Mr. Nacht has something to tell you.¡±


    Spencer took the phone over while Zachary instructed, ¡°Spencer, send that child here tonight at eight.¡±


    ¡°Alright. I''ll make the arrangements.¡± After hanging up, Spencer immediately turned to Robbie and said,


    ¡°Robbie, I''ll get the nurse to change your clothes. See you downstairs in thirty minutes.¡±


    Robbie replied, ¡°Alright.¡±


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Meanwhile, Zachary''s fury was doused out by the voices of the kids.


    Zara wants to fight for the inheritance, but I''m in control here, so she won''t dare to do anything to


    Charlotte.


    I''ll have to send Charlotte and her kids to safety first after getting her back from Zara. Only then can I


    finish that crazy woman.


    Bearing these thoughts in mind, Zachary immediately ordered Ben to make the arrangements.


    A few momentster, Robbie appeared alongside Spencer at the door.


    The child looked petite in his ck suit. Walking in with his back upright and his head held high, he had


    a calm expression on.


    The design and decorations in the spacious study were of cold colors, and it made the air somber.


    Crossing his legs as he sat on the sofa, Zachary''s heart stirred at the sight of the small child sitting in


    front of him. Memories of the past flooded his mind. When he was six years old, he did the same thing


    as Robbie when he negotiated with Henry.


    That night, Henry decided to pass the right of inheritance to him just after having a ten-minute


    conversation with him.


    Now that he was the one negotiating with a three-year-old, a surge of warmth coursed through his


    heart.


    Ben asked, ¡°Little boy, what would you like for a drink?¡±


    He remembered the time when they were at the kindergarten, Robbie''s words made him speechless.


    ¡°You can call me by my name. I''m Robinson!¡± Robbie lifted his head to look at the man politely, but


    there was a hint of domineering and boldness that resembled Zacharying from his gaze.


    Ben''s face reddened with embarrassment as he hurriedly changed the way he called Robbie. ¡°Alright...


    Mr. Robinson, what would you like for a drink?¡±


    ¡°No need.¡± Robbie turned to look at Zachary as he was speaking to Ben. ¡°Can you give us some


    space? I would like to have a one-on-one talk with Mr. Nacht.¡±


    ¡°I...¡± Ben turned to look at Zachary, while thetter smiled and nodded slightly.

 Chapter 477

    Chapter 477


    Ben left the study while the maid quickly followed the former out of the room after serving the juice and


    desserts.


    When the door was closed by Ben, Spencer, who was waiting outside, asked softly, ¡°What''s the


    situation?¡±


    Ben held in his urge tough and replied, ¡°Mr. Robinson asked me to leave them alone. This kid has so


    much dignity. If only...¡±


    He almost blurted it out. If he didn''t know Robbie was Michael''s son, he could''ve mistaken the child as


    Zachary''s son instead.


    Spencer smiled. ¡°Haha! Of course. Mr. Nacht likes him the most. He''ll be a sessful man in the


    future.¡±


    ¡°I''m so curious. What does he want to tell Mr. Nacht?¡± Ben was hungry for gossip.


    Spencer couldn''t help but sigh. ¡°Most probably the matter regarding his mother. It''s not easy for him.


    He''s only three years old, but he''s so brave... Hey! What are you doing?¡±


    Ben was pressing his ear against the door to eavesdrop on the conversation inside the room.


    ¡°What do you want to tell me?¡± Zachary swirled his wine ss as he looked at the child.


    ¡°Are you Mommy''s boyfriend?¡± Robbie sat on the sofa with his back upright.


    Zachary was slightly taken aback as he raised a brow. ¡°Your Mommy told you?¡±


    Robbie shook his head and analyzed, ¡°She didn''t say anything. However, she always has an unnatural


    expression while her eyes lit up when she mentioned you every time. She even blushed sometimes.¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡± The image of Charlotte being embarrassed surfaced in Zachary''s mind when he listened to


    Robbie''s description. That woman never hides her emotions. It''s so easy to tell what she''s thinking.


    Robbie asked, ¡°You''re the one who moved into the unit upstairs, right?¡±


    ¡°How do you know?¡± Zachary was very curious. Is he only three years old? I''m only as smart as he is


    when I was six years old.


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Robbie reasoned, ¡°Ever since you moved in, Mommy always prepares another set of breakfast and the


    quantity of the food isrge. Although she is used to giving presents to the neighbors in the past, she


    put extra care into the food she prepares for you.¡±


    Robbie pondered for a while and said, ¡°Plus, I saw your car and some bodyguardsing in and out of


    the house, so I guess you''re the one who moved in.¡±


    ¡°You''re very smart!¡± Zachary smiled and poured Robbie a ss of apple juice. ¡°Your Mommy always


    prepares apple juice for me. Do you guys like it?¡±


    ¡°Ellie likes apple juice.¡± Robbie nodded and exined, ¡°Jamie and I like grape juice, but grapes are too


    expensive, and Mommy seldom buys it, so we drink apple juice instead.¡±


    Zachary didn''t say anything. I never knew... She even saves money from the fruits she buys.


    He poured a ss of grape juice for Robbie.


    ¡°Grapes are expensive, so I choose not to eat them. If we can''t afford toys, it''s fine because we don''t


    need them...¡± Looking at the grape on the ss, Robbie''s childish voice wasced with bitterness. ¡°We


    were poor in the past. Although we stayed in a tiny house, we were happy together.¡±


    ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± Zachary lifted his head to look at the child.


    Robbie wore a serious expression and asked, ¡°Do you love her?¡±


    Zachary raised a brow at Robbie. ¡°Do you know what love is?¡±


    ¡°Of course. If you love someone, you''ll protect her, care for her and be considerate. Besides, you won''t


    hurt her even if you got mad in arguments.¡± Folding his arms, Robbie answered earnestly without a hint


    of hesitation.


    His words made Zachary fall silent. I protected Charlotte and cared for her. However, when we argued,


    I couldn''t control my emotions and hurt her...


    ¡°Sometimes, Mommy is angry at our wrongdoings. She''ll reprimand and reason with us, but she never


    beat or hurt us. I''m sure this is love.¡± Lifting his head, Robbie looked at the adult in front of him and cut


    to the chase. ¡°Do you know where my Mommy is?¡±


    Uncrossing his legs, the man furrowed his brows and said, ¡°You''re saying that I captured her?¡±


    This child has such impressive logical thinking. He was beating around the bush to lead me to this


    question.

 Chapter 478

    Chapter 478


    Robbie frowned and eyed the adult anxiously. ¡°My impression of you has always been brutal and


    intimidating... Did you fight with Mommy? Is that why you locked her up?¡±


    Zachary took a sip of his wine and replied, ¡°We didn''t fight, and even if we did, I wouldn''t lock her up.¡±


    So that''s why children are afraid of me. I''ve been giving off a bad impression.


    Robbie pressed on, ¡°Then where is she right now?¡±


    Zachary evaded the serious matter. ¡°She''s in another city, and she''ll be back tomorrow night. Don''t


    worry. I''ll ensure her safety.¡±


    ¡°Can I trust you?¡± Robbie was still worried.


    ¡°I swear.¡± Zachary''s lips curled up as he wanted to win over the child''s trust.


    ¡°Then that''s great!¡± Robbie heaved a sigh of relief as he drank the grape juice. Then he ced the


    ss down and excused himself politely. ¡°I have to go. Thanks for the treat.¡±


    The child was so young, but he had good manners. His every move gave off a gentleman-ish


    impression and infected the arrogant and cold Zachary.


    He ced his wine ss on the table and stood up to send the child off. ¡°Don''t worry and stay at your


    Mr. Henry''s house. Your Mommy wille for you guys after a few days.¡±


    Robbie bowed at the adult to show his respect. ¡°Thank you. I enjoyed our talk today. I think I have a


    greater understanding of you now.¡±


    ¡°Hehe! My pleasure!¡± Zachary smiled.


    Robbie moved his short legs and slid down from the sofa, while Zachary went to support him


    subconsciously.


    Hand-in-hand, the two of them exchanged a nce and curled their lips, smiling at each other.


    Robbie''s smile moved Zachary, and for some reason, thetter felt a sense of familiarity toward the


    child.


    ¡°Goodbye.¡± Robbie turned around and left after giving Zachary a smile.


    The door of the study opened, and out came the two of them. Spencer bowed at Zachary before


    leaving with Robbie.


    The adult stood in the corridor on the second floor and watched them leave.


    When Robbie was about to exit the main hall, he turned around and waved his hand at the man.


    Zachary waved back subconsciously with a wide smile on his face.


    After Robbie left, Zachary retracted his gaze from the main entrance. It was right then he finally noticed


    Ben and the others were widening their eyes in surprise, as they had their mouth agape, all the while


    staring at him.


    They had been serving Zachary for ten years, but he had never shown his friendly side to them.


    He is acting so friendly toward a child!


    What''s going on today?


    Heading toward the study, Zachary returned to his usual self, and his expression changed from amiable


    to icy cold in an instant.


    Ben walked toward him and asked nosily, ¡°Mr. Nacht, what did you guys talk about?¡±


    ¡°Busybody.¡± Zachary rolled his eyes at him and got ready to continue his work.


    Suddenly, the butler rushed into the study and asked anxiously, ¡°Mr. Natch, did you drink the grape


    juice?¡±


    Confusion arose in Zachary''s mind as he saw the reaction of the butler. ¡°I didn''t. What''s wrong?¡±


    ¡°That''s a relief.¡± The butler heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°When the new maid prepared the grape juice, she


    added some peaches to lift the sourness, but she didn''t know you''re allergic to peaches. I was worried,


    so I came in a rush. That really scared me to death.¡±


    ¡°Thank goodness you didn''t drink the juice.¡± Wiping off his sweat, Ben reprimanded, ¡°You''ll have to train


    and exin everything clearly to the new maid.¡±


    The butler nodded profusely. ¡°Yes. I''ve gathered them for a meeting, and I''ll exin everything to them.


    There won''t be another mistake next time.¡±


    ¡°You can go now.¡± Ben waved his hand dismissively.


    After cleaning up the table, the butler lowered his head and left the room.


    T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Zachary sat at his desk. Right when he was about to go through the documents, Spencer called him.


    ¡°Mr. Zachary, what did Robbie eat at your ce?¡±


    ¡°He drank some juice. Why?¡± Zachary took his pen to sign the documents after giving them a detailed


    read-through.


    ¡°After getting on the car, Robbie felt ufortable, and he vomited a lot of green liquid. There are


    rashes on his face and neck...¡± Feelings of worry consumed Spencer as he spoke in a rushed tone.


    ¡°Mr. Zachary, you can''t do this to a child even if you''re mad about something. Mr. Nacht likes this child


    the most. If something happens to him...¡±


    Zachary immediately interrupted Spencer and gave his orders in a hurry. ¡°He''s allergic to peaches.


    Send him to the hospital now!¡±

 Chapter 479

    Chapter 479


    Spencer was stunned for a moment. Then he quickly replied, ¡°Alright. I''ll send him to the Serene


    Hospital now.¡±


    ¡°Go to Kindness Hospital instead. I''m heading there.¡± Zachary sped toward the door of his study while


    talking on his phone.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Spencer immediately called the driver to prepare the car.


    After hanging up, Spencer hurriedly instructed, ¡°Go to Kindness Hospital, now!¡±


    Zachary returned to his room and changed into a new set of clothes. Running down the stairs, he


    called Raina. ¡°A child has an allergic reaction and is heading toward your hospital. Wait for him at the


    entrance.¡±


    Raina replied, ¡°Yes...¡±


    Zachary added, ¡°He is Charlotte''s son, so you should be the one to treat him.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± After listening to Zachary''s orders, Raina got ready as she left for the entrance.


    Zachary hung up before getting into the car, while Ben and the bodyguards followed him.


    The car sped away toward the Kindness Hospital.


    On the way to the hospital, Ben asked, ¡°That''s strange. Why does the child have the same allergy as


    you?¡±


    Wearing a grim expression, Zachary only frowned and said nothing in return.


    ¡°Could it be...¡± Ben had bold spection of the whole matter, but he didn''t dare to say it out loud.


    Zachary urged, ¡°Drive faster.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± the driver responded and stepped on the elerator.


    Suddenly, Zachary turned to Ben and instructed, ¡°I want you to find out the kids'' date of birth and their


    blood types.¡±


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Ben immediately made some arrangements to look into the kids'' information.


    At that moment, Zachary''s phone rang, and he immediately answered the call. ¡°Spencer.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Zachary, We''ve arrived at Kindness Hospital, and Raina is attending to the child.¡± Spencer


    sounded restless. ¡°Mr. Nacht asked me to return. When will you be here?¡±


    ¡°I''ll be there after five minutes, so go ahead,¡± assured Zachary.


    Spencer was overwhelmed by fear, and he panicked. ¡°I''m still worried... Mr. Nacht likes the kids very


    much, especially Robbie. If anything happens to him, it will be the death of me!¡±


    ¡°You''re overthinking. I won''t harm a three-year-old no matter how brutal I am.¡± Zachary knew what


    Spencer was getting at.


    ¡°That''s great... That''s great.¡± Spencer let out a sigh of relief and reminded, ¡°Mr. Zachary, I''ll be back


    real quick.¡±


    ¡°Go.¡± Zachary grew impatient as he felt Spencer was a tad too naggy.


    At the same time, he couldprehend how much Henry liked the kids to make Spencer believe he


    would be dead if anything happened to the kids.


    Although the elderly loved to be around kids normally, Henry wasn''t the average old man. Besides, he


    had met many kids before.


    Despite Charlotte''s kids were adorable, the adoration Henry had for the three kids was quite unusual.


    In the past, Zachary thought Henry was getting more and more emotional as he aged. However, now


    that he thought about it, an idea popped up in his mind. Could it be... Family ties?


    The thought shed across his mind, and he was stirred up.


    At that moment, he received a call from Raina. ¡°How''s the child?¡±


    ¡°It''s not a serious problem as it''s just a normal food allergy. I''ve given him an injection, and he''s asleep


    now.¡± Raina paused for a second and lowered her voice to avoid waking the child up. ¡°However, he''s


    stirring in his sleep, always calling out to his mother. Has something happened to Ms. Windt?¡±


    ¡°No...¡± Zachary didn''t wish to talk about it, so he changed the topic. ¡°Is there ab for DNA testing?¡±


    Raina froze for a while and answered quickly, ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I would like to do a DNA test with the child.¡± When Zachary was talking on the phone, the car had


    arrived at the entrance of the hospital.


    He immediately got off the car and sped up to meet Raina.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± After hanging up, Raina took Robbie''s blood sample when he was asleep and took Zachary''s


    when the man arrived.


    ¡°I''ll wait here. Go ahead with the test,¡± Zachary instructed in a serious tone.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Raina took their blood samples to theb for a DNA test.


    Ben''s heart started racing when he looked at Zachary''s grim expression.

 Chapter 480

    Chapter 480


    He took a nce at his watch and saw that it was half-past ten in the evening. The results will be out


    before Charlotte returns.


    Buttoning his sleeves, he got up and walked toward the children''s ward.


    Looking through the ss window, Zachary saw Robbie lying on the hospital bed with rashes all over


    his good-looking face. He was on a drip while his brows were furrowed in his sleep.


    ¡°Mommy, mommy...¡± Suddenly, Robbie groaned softly in his dreams.


    Zachary hurriedly entered the ward and stood beside the bed. He wanted tofort the child, but he


    was unsure of what to do, so he could only look at the child shifting in his sleep.


    ¡°Mommy will be back soon. Don''t be afraid.¡± Amelia hurriedly held Robbie''s hand and pat the child''s


    chest gently.


    Soon enough, Robbie calmed down, and his knitted eyebrows rxed.


    T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Letting out a sigh of relief, Zachary turned to Amelia and ordered, ¡°Stay here and look after the child.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Amelia squatted beside the bed stayed with Robbie.


    However, with Zachary''s presence in the room, Amelia was nervous and started trembling.


    Noticing Amelia''s reaction, the man took a nce at Robbie and left soon after.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht! Look at this!¡± Ben ran toward Zachary and handed his phone to thetter.


    Taking the phone over, Zachary looked at the screen and saw that it was the information of the three


    kids.


    To his disappointment, the kids had blood type A, which differed from his.


    Zachary''s heart almost stopped beating when he saw this, but he continued to read the information,


    and the date of birth of the kids seemed to add up. Based on my calction, Charlotte got pregnant


    after sleeping with me that night four years ago.


    However, this can''t prove anything.


    Only the DNA test results can determine if they are my kids.


    Zachary was restless, as he wanted so badly to get the results immediately. With these thoughts in his


    mind, he turned to Ben and instructed, ¡°Find out Charlotte''s and Michael''s blood types.¡±


    ¡°ording to Bruce''s report, Michael has blood type O while Ms. Windt has blood type A.¡± Ben opened


    the folder with the information on his phone and showed it to Zachary.


    Looking at the image, Zachary''s emotions were in aplete mess. In that case, the kids inherited


    Charlotte''s blood type, so it was difficult to tell who their father was.


    Zachary turned to look at Robbie while a strong feeling grew in his heart, telling him that the child was


    indeed his son.


    ¡°Sob sob... Robbie...¡± Suddenly, a squeaky voice sounded from outside the room.


    Turning around, Zachary saw two nurses leading Jamie and Ellie into the room.


    Jamie frowned in anger and aimed his toy gun at Zachary. ¡°You big meanie! Not only did you bully


    Mommy, but you also bullied Robbie. I''ll kill you!¡±


    ¡°Ah, don''t. Please don''t.¡± Mildred hurriedly stopped him and advised, ¡°Jamie, didn''t we make a promise


    beforeing here? You promised not to lose your temper and be calm before knowing the situation.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Mildred, please get out of my way. I want to beat him to death!¡± Jamie growled in fury.


    ¡°Bad guy! Bad guy!¡± Fifi pped its wings and let out a piercing scream.


    ¡°Meanie... You meanie!¡± Ellie dashed toward Zachary, iling her small fists at thetter''s legs.


    There was no feeling from her soft punches.


    Sensing no reaction from the man, Ellie grabbed his leg and bit down hard.


    Zachary froze as he stared at Ellie nkly. He was never afraid of anything, but facing the adorable


    child as his opponent, he was at a loss.


    ¡°Oh my god!¡± Violet ran to the child and carried her up in her arms to pull her away from Zachary.


    However, Ellie hugged Zachary''s leg tightly, reluctant to let go. She looked like an adorable kitten as


    she attached herself onto the man''s leg and bit down again.

 Chapter 481

    Chapter 481


    That''s weird. Why didn''t the bad guy feel any pain?


    Not a sound out of him.


    Ellie directed her hatred-filled eyes to gaze at Zachary. Her face was red with anger.


    Zachary bent over with an arm outstretched. He hoisted her up as easily as a baby chick.


    ¡°Let go of me!¡± Ellie demanded. She trembled, thinking that Zachary wanted to hit her. She kicked and


    struggled in vain.


    Ellie scrunched up her face and wailed loudly.


    ¡°Let go of Ellie!¡± Jamie fired his gun at Zachary.


    The toy bullets struck his thigh with several dull thuds. That should hurt.


    Compared to Ellie, these should do more damage.


    ¡°Stop!¡± Several guards rushed over, as Mr. Nacht was being overwhelmed by the children''s onught.


    Jamie turned and pointed his gun at them, intending to hold them back. But a guard grabbed his toy in


    one swift motion.


    ¡°Give me back my gun!¡± Jamie shouted, looking as though he was fit to leap up if not for his broken leg.


    ¡°How dare you!¡± Zachary yelled at the guards. Fearing his employer, the guard hurriedly returned the


    child''s toy and stood against the wall.


    ¡°Stop screaming, Jamie,¡± Mildred was frantic. ¡°Mr. Nacht will not hurt Robbie, I promise you.¡±


    ¡°Then how did Robbie fall ill while he was with him?¡± Jamie demanded, staring at Zachary with distaste.


    Zachary took Ellie by the hand and led her to Jamie''s side. He knelt down and was about to address


    the children when Jamie swung a fist that met his nose with a crunch.


    Though it wasn''t particrly painful, the real sting was the embarrassment of it.


    Zachary clenched his eyes and furrowed his brow. The bystanders were breathless with horror at


    Jamie''s audacity.


    Mr. Nacht has never been disrespected in any way before.


    How will he react?


    ¡°You''ve gone too far, you little rascal!¡± A guard bellowed, reaching out to grab Jamie.


    ¡°Step down,¡± Zacharymanded grimly. The guard obeyed without a word.


    No one else dared to voice their displeasure. However, they eyed Zachary warily.


    Ben, who just arrived, was equally speechless. He hid his face in his hands, unsure of what to say.


    ¡°You bullied my mommy and Robbie. I won''t let you get away with this! You just wait until I''m grown up.


    I will pay you back twice as much the pain!¡± Jamie shook a little fist and shouted, looking like an angry


    little lion cub.


    ¡°That''s right,¡± Ellie said, her face flushed with righteous anger. ¡°You are a jerk. I thought you wanted to


    be my friend, but if this is what you really are, I won''t hold back on you!¡±


    As soon as she uttered those words, Ellie headbutted Zachary in the chest with all the strength she


    could muster.


    Zachary would have fallen over if he was not a practitioner of martial arts. He merely swayed, but held


    his ground.


    Zachary felt aggrieved. He was used to dealing with murderous beasts and savage foes. These little


    children who seemed to hate him with a passion, however...


    All of a sudden, his salvation arrived.


    ¡°Jamie!¡± came a feeble voice from within, with a trace of the authority of an elder sibling. ¡°Stop that


    racket!¡±


    Zachary saw that Robbie had arisen. He shuffled towards the door with his drip, looking pale and


    exhausted. ¡°Uncle Zack did not hurt me. It was my mistake. I''m allergic to peach, and have had some


    peach juice by mistake.¡±


    ¡°Robbie...¡± Ellie rushed over as quickly as she could to hold him. ¡°How do you feel? Does it hurt?¡± she


    asked tenderly.


    ¡°Just a little,¡± Robbie sighed with a resigned air. ¡°I wanted toy down for a nap, but you were all too


    loud.¡±


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Sorry, Robbie.¡± Jamie pushed a wheelchair towards him. ¡°I was thinking that something had happened


    to you. You made me worry,¡± Jamie said in a shaky voice.


    ¡°You should apologize to Uncle Zack.¡± Robbie jerked his chin to indicate Zachary.

 Chapter 482

    Chapter 482


    Jamie nced timidly at Zachary. He felt that he should be apologizing, but words failed him.


    He was only three and a half, but he had pride.


    ¡°It''s fine,¡± Zachary said loudly, sparing Jamie the necessity to speak. ¡°Have a good rest.¡±


    He then turned around to instruct the nurses, ¡°Take good care of them!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Nacht,¡± the nurses replied, scrambling to round up the children.


    Zachary nced at Robbie once more before departing, with Ben hurrying to keep pace.


    Zachary addressed him in a low voice, and he turned around to address the guards, ¡°You four, the


    children''s safety is in your hands.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    ¡°Robbie, Jamie, Ellie, let''s head back to the ward.¡± The nurses led the way.


    Outside, the four bodyguards stood as still as statues, barring the entrance with their wide physiques.


    ¡°What are they doing?¡± Ellie asked in a frightened voice. She hid in the folds of Violet and peered


    timidly outside.


    ¡°Don''t be afraid, child. They are sent by Mr. Nacht to protect you,¡± Violet assured Ellie.


    ¡°Robbie, is he a bad man?¡± Jamie frowned, concerned. ¡°Was he the one who captured Mommy?¡±


    ¡°No, he wasn''t,¡± Robbie replied, feeling exhausted as he stretched out on his bed. ¡°He did not capture


    her. He told me that Mommy will be back tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Jamie was overjoyed. His young handsome face was radiant.


    ¡°That''s great!¡± Ellie pped excitedly. ¡°We can finally see Mommy again.¡±


    ¡°Mommy! Mommy!¡± squawked Fifi the parrot.


    ¡°Alright, children. You need to rest now,¡± Amelia said. ¡°Jamie, Ellie, these two beds are for you. You


    tuck yourselves in, I will bring you some milk in a while.¡±


    ¡°Did you bring my bottle?¡± Ellie asked, her eyes widening expectantly. ¡°And my littlemb!¡±


    ¡°Yes, we''ve brought everything, don''t worry,¡± Violet started unpacking their belongings.


    ¡°I don''t want a bottle,¡± Jamie said in a low voice, not wanting to wake Robbie, who just fell asleep. ¡°I


    want a cup. I''m a big boy!¡±


    ¡°Very well, now get into bed,¡± the nurse said.


    On the other side of the building, Zachary arrived at theboratory, eagerly awaiting Raina''s test


    results.


    Ben understood his anxiety but felt that it was unnecessary.


    If they were indeed Mr. Nacht''s children, his rtionship with Charlotte would mend. Besides that, the


    Nacht family would not be short on heirs.


    Buzz. Ben''s phone buzzed. He nced at it and leaned towards Zachary. ¡°It''s Spencer. He''s calling.¡±


    ¡°Don''t tell him about the DNA test,¡± Zachary whispered.


    ¡°I won''t.¡± Ben didn''t understand why but obeyed him anyway. ¡°Hello, Spencer!¡±


    ¡°The other two kids are at Kindness Hospital too?¡± Spencer asked.


    ¡°Yes, they just arrived,¡± Ben answered. ¡°They were cursing and hitting Mr. Nacht. It''s a good thing he


    didn''t take offense, though.¡±


    Spencer sighed. ¡°It''s not in his nature for Mr. Zachary to pick fights with three-year-old. Anyhow, the


    kids are cute. He will grow fond of them once he interacts with them more.¡±


    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    ¡°That''s right.¡± Ben nodded.


    ¡°I''ve just received a call from Ms. Zara. She''sing to visit Mr. Henry tomorrow night.¡± Spencer''s


    voice suddenly turned tired and sad. ¡°Is Mr. Zachary aware of this?¡±


    Ben did not answer but handed the phone over to Zachary.


    ¡°Yes, I am,¡± he said coldly. ¡°Tomorrow at seven in the evening, I will meet her at the lobby of the


    hospital, and escort her to meet Grandpa.¡±


    ¡°Roger that,¡± said Spencer. ¡°Mr. Henry''s condition has improved greatly tonight. He asked to see you


    when he woke up. Would you like toe over tomorrow morning?¡±


    ¡°Alright, I will drop by tomorrow,¡± Zachary replied. ¡°The children are being taken care of over here, so


    you don''t have toe for them.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Zachary,¡± said Spencer.

 Chapter 483

    Chapter 483


    Zachary remained behind the door of theb, anxious for the results of the DNA test.


    At that moment, nothing can be more important than the answer to this question.


    He was desperate and mad with waiting, like a man whose wife is inbor.


    Raina convinced him to get some rest¡ªthe test would take at least another few hours.


    Zachary assigned two bodyguards to wait in his ce and visited the pediatric ward.


    He observed the sleeping children. The longer he looked, the more convinced he was that they were


    his.


    Robbie slept soundly, in a stiff position that perfectly embodies his strict and disciplined character.


    Jamie slept with limbs sprawled in all directions. The foot freshly out of its cast was on a little stool by


    the bed. He was still clutching his toy pistol.


    Ellie was suckling on a pacifier. She clutched her plush alpaca and snored gently, without a care in the


    world.


    Zachary felt his heart melt away from the sight of the kids before him. He didn''t think they looked like


    him when they first met, but now he''s not so sure anymore.


    It''s the imposing and domineering characteristics that were trademark traits of the Nachts that made


    Zachary feel all the more convinced of his theory.


    ¡°Mommy...¡± Ellie was startled awake and sobbed for her mother.


    Violet, who was dozing at the side of her bed, did not notice.


    Zachary rushed into the ward andforted Ellie. He held her hand and patted her chest gently¡ªjust


    like how Robbie wasforted by the medic earlier.


    Ellie fell back asleep soon after and hugged his arm. He tried extracting it but she held on to it tightly.


    The slightest movement would wake her again.


    He had no choice but to bend over with his arm outstretched for the sleeping child.


    After a long while, the pain in his waist was unbearable. He decided to alleviate it by squatting down.


    It helped for a little while, but soon his legs were going numb. He had no intention of sitting on the


    hospital floor, as the hygiene of the floor was something he would rather not contemte.


    So there he remained. An hour passed, and then another.


    Finally, he had had enough. Germs or not, his thighs were killing him. So he sank down onto the floor


    with a groan. He looked up at Ellie''s sweet face in the moonlight.


    She smelled like milk all over. Her exquisite little face looked exactly like her mother, even down to her


    manner of sleeping.


    She looked adorable in his eyes. He pinched her plump cheeks, unable to help himself.


    She drooled in her sleep through the corner of her mouth.


    Zachary eyed the impending droplet of saliva with some apprehension. Please do not drip... Please do


    not drip...


    To his anguish, the massive, sticky blob of drool broke off andnded on his arm. It did not stop there¡ª


    it continued to flow downwards.


    Zachary, being a germophobe, felt like he was in a waking nightmare. He tried once more to tug his


    arm out of her grasp, but she held on even tighter. Even worse, she rubbed her face against his arm,


    which sent out another stream of drool.


    Zachary''s brow furrowed with stress. His eyes followed the stream helplessly. It felt like a kitten


    sharpening its ws against his skin, which made him deeply uneasy.


    This was what germophobes had to contend with.


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    Before, Zachary would just volunteer his arm, and give it a quick rinse if it got soiled on.


    But now, he was incapable of that. Still frowning with anxiety, he nevertheless kept his position on the


    floor.


    Looking around for some paper towel to wipe the drool, he caught sight of some on a shelf not too far


    away. He stretched with all his might to reach it without waking the little girl.


    Outside, through the clear ss door, Ben witnessed the entire scene in disbelief. Zachary Nacht, in all


    his strategic and diplomatic prowess, was being tethered and drooled on by a kid?


    This was depressing!


    Zachary finally managed to grab hold of the paper towel by his fingertips. He heaved a huge sigh of


    relief.

 Chapter 484

    Chapter 484


    Zachary tore off a generouslyrge sheet and wiped his arm, as well as the drenched cheeks and lips


    of Ellie, who was still fast asleep.


    He tossed the soaked wad over into the bin not far away,nding perfectly with one try.


    After all was said and done, he exhaled in relief again. It was hard work to care for a child.


    How did Charlotte do it all those years?


    One is bad enough, but three...


    Thud. Something fell over.


    Zachary turned and caught sight of Jamie''s gun on the floor by his bed. He jumped in his sleep and


    rolled off the bed.


    Zachary shot out his leg to intercept Jamie. He fell onto it and clung on like a ko bear.


    Currently, Zachary''s left arm and right leg were upied by one child each. He was forced to remain


    frozen, limbs stretched out in opposite directions, like a grotesque performer of sorts.


    Zachary attempted to retract his leg, but at the slightest hint of movement, Jamie clung on harder.


    He did the same with his arm. Ellie held on as well.


    Well, this is great. Both are stuck on me.


    Zachary pondered on his current predicament. He prided himself on his ability to solve problems.


    However, that day was the first time he''d doubted himself. They''re just children, how hard could it be?


    A minute passed. Five more. Ten minutes. Twenty minutes was gone.


    Zachary did not feel a thing. However, at the one-hour mark, his leg began to seize up.


    Ben was prepared toe in and assist, but as he was about to, he caught sight of Robbie being wide


    awake, staring at Zachary unblinkingly.


    That was a gaze of admiration from the little fellow!


    Zachary was not aware that he was being watched. He was deeply focused on maintaining his


    bnce. He was doing well and nearly forgot about the cramp in his thigh until Jamie who had his butt


    towards Zachary let out a fart.


    Poof.


    Zachary shut his eyes and held his breath.


    Oh, God! Please have mercy on me! What creature is this?


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    I don''t even mind that they use my arms and legs as bolsters.


    But to drool and to fart on me!


    ¡°It''s stinky! It''s stinky!¡± Robbie couldn''t bear it any longer. ¡°Jamie must have had baked potatoes


    yesterday.¡± He fanned the air with his hands.


    ¡°Stinky!¡± screamed Fifi the parrot on the side of Jamie''s bed, and pped its wings.


    Ellie turned over and started to sob again. She let go of Zachary''s arm and rubbed her tear-stained


    eyes.


    ¡°What''s wrong?¡± Zachary asked gently, fearing that he had made her ufortable.


    ¡°Ignore her. She has a temper,¡± Robbie said, poking Amelia awake.


    Amelia was horrified. She ran over in a panic and pried Jamie away from him. ¡°Mr. Nacht, are you


    alright?¡± she asked nervously.


    ¡°I''m fine,¡± Zachary responded, trying to stand upright before realizing that he was cramped all over.


    Aware that Robbie was still watching him, he strode out of there, desperate to cling on to some dignity.


    ¡°Uncle Zack,¡± Robbie called just as he reached the door.


    ¡°Yes?¡± he turned back to address the boy.


    ¡°Thank you!¡± said Robbie softly. It wasn''t much, but for Robbie to transform from suspicious and


    mistrusting to warm and grateful, meant the world to Zachary.


    ¡°You''re wee.¡± Zachary smiled with genuine pleasure. ¡°Rest well!¡±


    With that, he went through the door. As soon as he closed it, his face contorted with pain. He pped


    his thighs gently to get some blood flowing again.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, are you all right?¡± Ben rushed over to support him.


    ¡°I''m fine,¡± Zachary replied curtly, too proud to disy weakness. ¡°When am I ever not fine?¡±


    ¡°Not easy raising kids, huh?¡± Ben grinned. ¡°Especially three at once.¡±


    ¡°What''s not easy about it?¡± Zachary was surly. ¡°Three little rascals¡ªeasy peasy.¡±

 Chapter 485

    Chapter 485


    ¡°Hahaha! That''s for sure! There''s nothing you can''t do.¡±


    Ben couldn''t help butugh. He never thought Mr. Nacht would be so adorable and interesting before.


    ¡°Of course!¡± Zachary finally walked to a corner and instructed. ¡°I need an empty ward to take a shower.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Nacht!¡±


    It was already dawn by the time Zachary finished showering and got change.


    He tidied himself up and rushed to theboratory.


    Meanwhile, Spencer called again to confirm what time he would be there.


    Zachary looked at Raina instead of answering him instantly.


    Raina took the DNA test report and hurriedly walked over, she was beaming with excitement and


    pleasure.


    Zachary felt a sense of relief from Raina''s expression. Immediately, he answered, ¡°I will be there at


    nine!¡±


    ¡°Alright. I''ll be waiting for you downstairs at nine o''clock.¡±


    He then hung up the phone and stepped forward immediately, ¡°How is it?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, look at this.¡± Raina handed Zachary his test report.


    Zachary took it over to have a look on the report. He couldn''t help but quiver even it was within his


    expectation. He was so emotional upon seeing the report with his own eyes.


    The paternity test showed a hundred percent match, which meant Robbie was his biological son!


    Ben was shocked to see the result as well. ¡°Oh my God! I can''t believe the three children are actually


    your biological children.¡±


    Raina responded in excitement, ¡°I actually discovered that quite some time ago, but I didn''t dare to


    mention. I was such a fool! I should''ve suggested you to do the DNA test earlier.¡±


    ¡°They are mine... ¡° Zachary''s hands trembled while holding the test report. ¡°They are really my flesh


    and blood!¡±


    Ben''s brows raised in delight. ¡°No wonder Mr. Nacht likes them so much. Blood is thicker than water,


    after all. No matter how hard you try to hide the truth, the bond between true family can be concealed


    easily.¡±


    Raina smiled and nodded. ¡°That''s right. But, why is Ms. Windt hiding it?¡±


    ¡°Hmm... ¡° Ben raised his eyes to look at Zachary.


    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    However, he wasn''t in the mood to care about anything else. He immediately took the report and


    rushed towards the children''s ward.


    ¡°Boo...hoo I want my mommy!¡±


    Ellie seemed to have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed. She was whining and rubbing her eyes in


    bed.


    Violet passed the milk that she had prepared to Ellie andforted her. ¡°Good girl, Ellie. Mommy will


    be here soon. Come and have your milk.¡±


    Ellie then took the baby bottle over and started gulping down the milk.


    Meanwhile, Mildred wheeled Jamie out from the restroom.


    He just washed his face and changed into a set of Transformers clothes, looking all handsome. But, he


    was still yawning as he did not have enough sleep the previous night.


    ¡°Robbie, your allergy symptoms are getting much better.¡±


    Amelia noticed that the rashes on Robbie''s body were almost gone when she was cleaning his face.


    Robbie looked at himself in the mirror and made an arrangement like a grown up boy. ¡°Mm-hmm.


    Indeed, it''s healing. Well, if that''s the case, how about we go hometer? Oh, by the way, is Mrs. Berry


    in this hospital too?¡±


    ¡°Amelia answered gently, ¡°Yes, but she''s in another building. Do you want to see her?¡±


    Robbie nodded his head. ¡°Yes, we''ll leave after seeing Mrs. Berry. Could I trouble you to make


    arrangements for us?¡±


    ¡°We''ll still have to seek advice from doctor. We can only leave if doctor tells that you''re ready for


    discharge.¡± Amelia answered with a smile.


    ¡°Alright... ¡° The room door was flung open abruptly when Robbie was about to speak.


    Zachary walked in hurriedly. He had always been cold and indifferent. However, he looked all excited at


    that moment.


    He took a look at Robbie, Jamie and also Ellie, as if he had an announcement to make.


    The three children stared at him nkly.


    Robbie widened his eyes, waiting for him to say something.


    Jamie was ying with his Transformers toys before he entered the room. He couldn''t help but stopped


    ying because of his sudden appearance.


    Ellie was leaning on a pillow, holding her stuffed alpaca in one hand and her baby bottle in the other


    hand. She immediately stopped drinking and stared at Zachary when he came in.

 Chapter 486

    Chapter 486


    ¡°Bad guy! Bad guy!¡±


    Fifi talked suddenly and hid behind Robbie. Then, It looked at Zachary timidly from behind.


    The three nurses were a little nervous as well. Mildred and Violet stopped their actions and stood there


    uneasily.


    ¡°Uncle Zack, is there anything?¡± Robbie politely asked.


    ¡°You can''t call me that!¡± Zachary said suddenly. Right after those wordsing out of his mouth, he


    exined again immediately, ¡°What I mean is... ¡°


    He used to be calm and all puffed-up. But all of a sudden, he started to feel nervous.


    He had never felt that way before. He looked as if he was a child with no confidence and was afraid of


    saying the wrong thing.


    It''s probably the first time Zachary felt so lost ever since he was born.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Robbie furrowed his brows and stared at him in confusion.


    ¡°It''s nothing now.¡±


    Zachary decided to tell the children when Charlotte was there. After all, he had never gotten the chance


    to be with the children. Instead, there were some misunderstandings between him and the children in


    the past.


    He was afraid that if he acted rashly, he would only scare them off.


    Jamie patted his chest and said, ¡°You have scared me! I thought you want apensation from me.¡±


    ¡°Compensation?¡± Zachary asked with his brows raised.


    ¡°Robbie said I was hugging your leg while sleeping. I even farted on you. So, I thought... ¡° Jamie looked


    at him and answered weakly.


    Ellie held her baby bottle tightly and asked in a whisper. ¡°Robbie said that I drooled all over your


    clothes, and your arm was numb because I slept on it. Is that true?¡±


    The corner of Zachary''s mouth lifted up and he gently said. ¡°Mm-hmm, but that''s ok. As long as you


    guys are happy.¡±


    No matter what the children did or said, he still thought they were adorable in every way.


    ¡°I''m sorry. I''ll share my toy with you.¡± Jamie handed Zachary his Transformers toy and told him


    sincerely. ¡°I won''t eat potatoes again, so that my farts won''t smell.¡±


    ¡°Haha... ¡° Zachary burst intoughter. However, he didn''t know how to continue with Jamie''s topic.


    Since it was his first day of being a father, he didn''t know how to get along with his children.


    Ellie stared at her baby bottle. She decided to give it to Zachary even though she was reluctant to do


    that. She gritted her teeth and handed him the bottle. ¡°Then... I will share my milk with you too.¡±


    ¡°What are you going to drink if you give it to me?¡±


    What a little darling! Zachary stared at them with the gentlest look ever on his face.


    ¡°I... I... ¡° Ellie blinked her big bright eyes and said pitifully. ¡°I''ll drink juice then.¡±


    After that, she sadly lowered her head and handed him the baby bottle reluctantly.


    Her sweet and innocent look instantly melted Zachary''s heart. ¡°That''s so sweet of you! Thanks for


    sharing it with me, but I don''t drink milk. You can have it!¡±


    ¡°Oh? Is that true?¡± Ellie hurriedly kept her baby bottle and held it tightly in her arms, as if Zachary would


    steal it away from her. ¡°That''s what you said! I will give you hot cross bunnies next time then.¡±


    ¡°What are hot cross bunnies?¡± Zachary asked curiously.


    Ellie gestured with her chubby hands and exined. ¡°Hot cross bunny is a kind of bun, it''s very


    delicious! It looks like a bunny. The ones that Mrs. Berry made taste yummy! But the ones mommy


    made... Hmm... ¡°


    She thought about it for a moment before answering, ¡°Well, they taste okay.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes she just identally added salt instead of sugar, so they can be very salty.¡± Jamie added


    resignedly, ¡°But mommy''s oatmeal is nice.¡±


    ¡°That was instant oatmeal!¡± Ellie added hurriedly, ¡°Actually, mommy''s signature dish is creamy tomato


    soup.¡±


    ¡°You''re right.¡±


    The two of them were discussing their mother''s cooking, one after another.


    Zachary listened to them attentively. His lips curled into a smile.


    Robbie stared at Zachary in confusion. He felt that something was off about Zachary, but he didn''t


    know what it was...


    That evil guy seemed to be cordial all of a sudden.T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 487

    Chapter 487


    Zachary stayed with the children for a while. Then, he was ready to make a move when Ben reminded


    him to meet Henry at Serene Hospital.


    Before he left, Robbie walked him out. He asked Zachary seriously, ¡°Uncle Zack, do you have


    something to say?¡±


    ¡°How do you know?¡±


    Zachary thought Robbie had an IQ and EQ that was higher than other children of the same age. Jamie


    and Ellie was more like three-and-a-half-year old child, while Robbie was just like him when he was


    young.


    ¡°I just feel that your attitude has changed suddenly,¡± Robbie guessed. ¡°You''re acting totally different... ¡°


    Zachary couched down and put his hands on Robbie''s shoulders. ¡°Let''s wait for Mommy. Mommy and


    I''ve got news for you guys!¡±


    ¡°What news?¡± Robbie couldn''t wait to know.


    ¡°Shh. I want to keep it as a secret for the time being.¡± Zachary left him in suspense.


    ¡°Is it good news or bad news?¡± Robbie questioned again.


    Zachary gently stroked his head with the corner of his mouth lifted up. ¡°Of course, it''s good news. You


    guys can move into my ce after your follow-up. I''ll be back together with Mommy tonight.¡±


    ¡°Stay at your ce?¡± Robbie was surprised and said hurriedly, ¡°Is that a good idea? I think we better


    stay at Mr. Henry''s house.¡±


    ¡°You can''t address him as Mr. Henry from now on.¡±


    Zachary would like to rify with him that he should actually address Henry as his Great-grandpa


    instead of Mr. Henry. However, he didn''t want to reveal the secret at that moment.


    ¡°Why is it?¡± Robbie frowned out of worry.


    Zachary tried to evade his question while exining. ¡°I''ll exin to you guys tonight. Mr. Henry is not


    feeling well. So, he won''t have time to take care of the three of you. Besides, it''s not quite convenient


    for Mommy to go there. So, I''ll make an arrangement for you guys to move over to my ce. You guys


    can take a rest in hospital for today. I''ll get someone to prepare a room for you.¡±


    ¡°But... ¡°


    ¡°Alright, it''s decided then.¡±


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Before Robbie could say anything, Zachary stood up and instructed Raina. ¡°I''ll leave you to take care of


    the decoration of their room. Use the best furniture and products. They''ll be moving in tonight.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Nacht. I''ll do it right away.¡±


    Raina bowed quietly upon receiving instructions.


    From now on, the three children would be the heir to the Nacht family. She would treat them with


    extreme care aspared to before.


    Zachary then turned around and ordered his bodyguards who were standing in two orderly lines behind


    him. ¡°From today onwards, the nine of you are responsible for keeping both the princes and the


    princess safe!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Nacht!¡± The nine bodyguards answered at the same time, with loud and clear voices echoing


    around the corridor.


    Robbie was shocked by what was happening in front of him. W-What is going on? He is asking Dr.


    Langhan to decorate our room personally, and even leaving half of his bodyguards here to protect the


    three of us? Besides, isn''t it weird to address us as ¡°the princes and the princess¡±?


    ¡°I should get going now.¡±


    Zachary turned back to look at Robbie. He opened his mouth and wanted to call him the way Charlotte


    did, but he didn''t know how.


    Instead, he did it in a man-to-man way. He reached out his fist to Robbie.


    He was stunned for a while before reaching out his fist to do a fist-bump with Zachary.


    Then, the two of them smiled at each other.


    ¡°Robinson, wait for me.¡±


    Finally, Zachary called out his name. It wasn''t as affectionate as Charlotte, or as gentle as the others.


    However, it was somewhat cordial, friendly and reliable in another way.


    ¡°Okay!¡± Robbie nodded his head firmly. He stood up straight, looking all energetic.


    Zachary patted on his head gently then turned to look at Jamie and Ellie who were hiding behind the


    door with an adorable expression. He waved at them and left.


    ¡°Robbie... Robbie... ¡° Jamie wheeled himself out and asked in excitement. ¡°What happened? When did


    you be so close with him?¡±


    ¡°Robbie is a friend with him now?¡± Ellie asked softly with a pinched voice.


    ¡°Friend? Friend?¡± Fifi was curious as well.


    Robbie looked at Zachary''s silhouette as he walked away. He felt a little emotional and said, ¡°I noticed


    that we have misunderstood him before. I realized he is a good guy now!¡±

 Chapter 488

    Chapter 488


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    Jamie turned his head to look towards Zachary, thinking about how he got him with his legs to prevent


    him from falling off the bed. In order not to wake Jamie up, Zachary even let him hug his legs all night


    long while sleeping. He had been standing in an odd and difficult pose for hours...


    Therefore, Jamie couldn''t help but nod his head. ¡°Oh, right. I think he is not bad too.¡±


    ¡°He didn''tin about my saliva and let me sleep on his arm. Oh, by the way, he gave me a


    piggyback ridest time.¡± Ellie was trying to recall all the good things that Zachary did. Finally, she


    concluded seriously, ¡°Alright then, I also think that he is a good guy!¡±


    ¡°Good guy! Good guy!¡±


    Fifi repeated after Ellie, pping its wings and flying around.


    ¡°So, we must be polite to him in the future. Okay?¡± Robbie reminded them in a serious tone.


    ¡°Understood!¡± Jamie and Ellie answered together.


    ¡°Mr. Robbie, Mr. Jamie and Ms. Ellie... ¡° Raina crouched down in front of them and smiled. ¡°From now


    on, your identities have been changed.¡±


    ¡°What is going on?¡± Jamie tilted his head in confusion.


    ¡°Unless... Has Mr. Henry already bought the ind?¡±


    Ellie vaguely remembered that Mr. Henry once said to buy an ind and be the king of his own ind.


    Hence, the three of them would be real princes and princess.


    ¡°You''ll know soon.¡± Raina patted on their heads and said gently. ¡°I''ll prepare a room for you guys now.


    Let''s get some rest in the hospital today, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± They nodded their heads with a blur face.


    Then, Raina left. The three children went back to the room and continued eating their breakfast before


    visiting Mrs. Berry.


    The three nurses led them to another building. When they passed through the corridor, the nine


    bodyguards bowed their heads immediately.


    The three children were shocked. They hurriedly stopped in their tracks and bowed in return timidly.


    Before they walked into the elevator, two of the bodyguards quickly walked ahead of them and checked


    it carefully. Then, they held the elevator door for them and waited for them to go in.


    The three children stared at each other with a clueless expression. They were confused, but they didn''t


    dare to ask.


    The three nurses were cautious and anxious aspared to how they were before. They even


    changed the way they addressed the three of them. They used to call the three children by their


    nicknames. But then they started to address them as Mr. Robbie, Mr. Jamie and Ms. Ellie.


    Besides, the three nurses would use both their hands when passing things to them. They wouldn''t treat


    them as casually as how they did before.


    In the past, the three nurses would have chats and even dozed off sometimes when they werezy. But


    now, they were always on standby and didn''t dare to dy at all.


    That was making the three children feeling more uneasy and anxious. They had no idea what was


    going on.


    As they stepped out of the elevator, they were shocked again.


    The remaining seven bodyguards had already been waiting for them downstairs respectfully. Six of


    them were lining up neatly in two rows, while one of them was standing beside the car.


    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    The three children exchanged nces. They were all terrified.


    Then, Jamie came closer to Robbie, covering his mouth with his hands and whispered. ¡°Robbie, what


    exactly is going on?¡±


    Ellie hid her face behind Fifi and asked in with a very soft voice. ¡°Did Mr. Henry really buy over an


    ind? Are we going to be crowned? Are we really going to be real prince and princess?¡±


    ¡°Probably?¡±


    Robbie looked dazed as well. He used to think that he was smart, but he was clueless on what was


    going on.


    Anyway, the answers would be revealed that night.


    ¡°Don''t worry.¡± Robbieforted Jamie and Ellie. ¡°Mommy is going to be back soon. We will find out


    what is happening when she''s back.¡±


    ¡°Uh huh.¡± Jamie and Ellie nodded firmly.


    ¡°Mommy, Mommy... ¡°


    Fifi lowered down its voices while looking at those people. It looked to be a little restless and uneasy


    too. If the three children were to be princes and princess, did that mean it would be the royal


    parrot?


    Fifi held its head high with pride when it thought about that.

 Chapter 489

    Chapter 489


    The entire group made their way towards the Neurological ward.


    The medical superintendent weed them personally, and even bowed to the three children, he then


    politely led them to Mrs. Berry''s ward.


    A few medical specialists were already there and waited for their orders at any time.


    Jamie was nervous, clenching the armrests of his wheelchair silently with both his hands.


    Meanwhile, Ellie was hugging Fifi tightly that she nearly strangled it to death.


    Fortunately, Robbie was able to remain his calmness and said, ¡°Thanks for your hard work, doctors.


    We are just here to visit Mrs. Berry. We don''t know anything about the treatment. I believe Mommy will


    consult you guys when she''s back. Please continue with your work. Don''t worry about us.¡±


    ¡°Well...¡± They looked at the medical superintendent.


    ¡°Well, we will be waiting outside then. Please let us know if Mr. Robbie, Mr. Jamie and Ms. Ellie need


    anything.¡± The medical superintendent said cautiously.


    ¡°There''s no need.¡± Robbie bowed gratefully. ¡°All of you have been working hard. There are other


    patients in the hospital who need you to tend to them. So, you really don''t have to waste your time


    here.¡±


    The medical superintendent and the other specialists were slightly stunned. However, they responded


    politely and left immediately.


    After watching them leave, Robbie told the bodyguards, ¡°Could you wait for us outside? Please don''t


    disturb Mrs. Berry''s rest time. Thank you!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± The nine bodyguards bowed and left the room.


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Robbie then nced at the other four subordinates. They immediately bowed and left as well.


    There were only Amelia, Mildred, Violet in the room, and also Mrs. Berry with a total puzzled look.


    Mrs. Berry had been gaping at those people in utter shock for more than ten minutes. She didn''t say a


    single word, but they could see a thousand questions in her eyes.


    Jamie and Ellie let out a sign at the same time.


    ¡°Mrs. Berry!¡± Ellie struggled to crawl into the bed with her short legs. She jumped into her embrace and


    said affectionately. ¡°Are you alright? I haven''t seen you for a long time. I missed you so much!¡±


    ¡°Good girl, Ellie.¡± I miss you too!¡± Mrs. Berry hugged and kissed her head. She then turned to ask


    Robbie and Jamie. ¡°Who can tell me what is going on?¡±


    ¡°Hmm... I don''t know either.¡±


    Mildred wheeled Jamie over to the bedside as he spoke.


    Jamie furrowed his brows and pulled a long face. ¡°That old man treated us well all of a sudden. He told


    many people to take care of us. Everybody is so kind to us. I''m a little... hmm... I''m ttered!¡±


    ¡°Old man?¡± Mrs. Berry frowned as she tried to guess who he was referring to.


    Jamie added, ¡°Mommy''s former boss. The bad guy with a fierce look on his face!¡±


    ¡°Bad guy! Bad guy!¡±


    Fifi followed along and instantly recoiled as if it said something wrong.


    ¡°Jamie, what did I tell you before?¡± Robbie put on a solemn look and reminded him in a serious tone.


    Jamie immediately shook his head and corrected himself. ¡°Oh, no! He is not a bad guy. He is so kind to


    us now. Last night, he even tugged me and Ellie in bed.¡±


    ¡°Uh... ¡° Mrs. Berry didn''t understand a word. She had no choice but to gaze at Robbie with a pleading


    look in her eyes.


    ¡°Mrs. Berry, I can''t exin to you right now.¡± Robbie shrugged and answered resignedly. ¡°We''ll let


    Mommy exin to you when she''s back.¡±


    Mrs. Berry asked anxiously, ¡°Where did Mommy go? I heard that the elevator in the residential estate


    has broken down a few days ago. Her friend was nearly stuck in the elevator when she went to our


    ce. The property manager sent your Mommy here to receive treatment and dropped by to see me as


    well. I wanted to go see your mother but she had left. Later on, I tried calling her but I couldn''t get


    through. I''m so worried about her!¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry! Mommy will be back tonight.¡± Robbie assured her.

 Chapter 490

    Chapter 490


    On the other side, Zachary was still feeling emotional while looking at the DNA test report.


    He felt like he was dreaming for receiving such great surprise all of a sudden.


    In fact, God was so generous to him. He had been given all the best things in the world.


    The three children were like angelsing to his life...


    However, he hated himself for not taking the DNA test right away when he learned about the existence


    of the three children. Instead, he even doubted that the children weren''t his... I am a bloody fool!


    Thinking about that, Charlotte must have been extremely sad and disappointed...


    She was probably hiding the truth because she was scared.


    Zachary was so regretful when he thought about the time when he punished Charlotte in a violent and


    harsh way..


    Stupid Woman, why don''t you tell me?


    He swore to himself that he would do everything he could to make it up to her in the future. He wouldn''t


    ever let her suffer anymore...


    Ben couldn''t help but heave a sigh of relief. ¡°I can''t believe things could take a turn at this point. You


    don''t have to worry about anything now. No matter what Ms. Nacht is up to, she can''t deny the


    existence of these three children. You have not only one but three heirs to the family now. Nobody can


    threaten your position!¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t matter.¡±


    Zachary wasn''t happy because of the three children could help him maintain his position in the family.


    He was delighted because they were his flesh and blood!


    He was even upset about that in the past. He had finallye to the realization that it was actually a


    misunderstanding.


    ¡°Of course. Most importantly, Ms. Windt has never betrayed you.¡± Ben certainly knew what was on


    Zachary''s mind.


    Zachary ordered, ¡°Send more men to guard the hospital so that Zara won''t have the chance to y any


    tricks.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Nacht!¡±


    Their car soon arrived at the entrance of Serene Hospital as they spoke.


    Spencer didn''t wait for them as promised. Instead, he sent somebody over.


    ¡°What happened? Has Mr. Nacht''s condition worsened?¡± Ben asked anxiously.


    ¡°No. It''s Mr. ckwood. He came by to visit Mr. Nacht.¡± the bodyguard answered. ¡°Mr. Spencer greeted


    him personally. That''s why he sent me here.¡±


    ¡°Mr. ckwood came alone?¡± Zachary frowned and asked.


    ¡°He came along with Ms. ckwood. But, Mr. Spencer rejected to meet her as per your instruction. So,


    he only let Mr. ckwood in,¡± the bodyguard said cautiously.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Zachary nodded in satisfaction.


    ¡°Don''t worry. Spencer is always cautious and efficient. He makes no mistakes,¡± Ben assured him.


    Zachary quickened his pace. He held the test report tightly in his hands, with a happy glow in his eyes.


    He couldn''t wait to let Henry know about the good news.


    The three children whom he loved the most were actually his great-grandchild.


    Zachary couldn''t imagine how happy Henry was going to be when he heard that.


    As soon as they arrived at the ward, Spencer was about to send Taylor off. He greeted Zachary when


    they met, ¡°Zachary, you''re here.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Zachary nodded in response, ¡°Thanks foring by to visit Grandpa!¡±


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°We''re family. It''s what I should do.¡± Taylor blurted out those words without any hesitation. He then


    added, ¡°I''m your father''s best friend, as well as Mr. Nacht''s close friend. Based on our rtionship, we


    are more or less a family.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Thank you.¡± Zachary smiled, ¡°After Grandpa recovers, I''ll visit you in person to thank you.¡±


    In fact, he was going to visit him and break off the engagement.


    ¡°It''s fine.¡± Taylor smiled and said, ¡°I shall get going.¡±


    ¡°I hope you are ok with walking yourself out.¡± Zachary nodded politely.


    Taylor left quietly. He stopped and turned back to him after walking a few steps. ¡°Zachary, do you know


    Richard Windt?¡±


    Zachary stopped himself from stepping into the ward and stared at him with a puzzled expression.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I''m not sure if I should be telling you this... ¡° Taylor seemed to be in a difficult position. He wanted to


    say something but hesitated, ¡°With regards to Ms. Windt, she... ¡°

 Chapter 491

    Chapter 491


    Zachary stopped him mid-sentence. ¡°Since it''s something that shouldn''t be said, then just leave it. Ben,


    send him off.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Nacht.¡± Ben replied.


    It was a little awkward at that moment. Obviously, Zachary was chasing Taylor out.


    Taylor heaved a sigh and said no more. He then turned around and left.


    Spencer turned to Zachary and gazed at him. ¡°I think you should at least let him finish his sentence.


    Perhaps he was just giving you a gentle reminder.¡±


    ¡°I doubt a woman would be able to influence my judgement.¡±


    Zachary hated to see anyone speak ill of Charlotte, including Taylor.


    ¡°Mr. ckwood is a righteous man who has a reliable and objective voice. Although he doesn''t like to


    mingle with women because of Ms. ckwood, he won''t nder an innocent woman. Perhaps he was


    going to spill a secret...¡±


    Zachary was annoyed and he cut him off. ¡°Mr. Spencer! You''re overthinking.¡±


    ¡°Alright then.¡± Spencer lowered his head and said nothing else.


    Zachary changed into his istion gown and entered the ward.


    Henry was still in aa and the doctor was checking on him. Upon seeing Zachary, the doctor


    immediately bowed to greet him.


    ¡°How is he doing?¡± Zachary asked softly.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht regained his consciousness from time to time. His head has been seriously injured from the


    fall. I''m afraid that he would remain in this condition for a period of time,¡± the doctor replied.


    Zachary furrowed his eyebrows. ¡°How long would that be?¡±


    The doctor answered, ¡°It''s hard to say. It could be a week, a month, or perhaps longer. However, he is


    merely unconscious. He isn''t suffering from pain.¡±


    Zachary fell silent and looked at his grandpa with aplicated expression.


    He used to find Henry annoying back when thetter was being unreasonable and threw tantrums at


    others. However, Zachary couldn''t help but feel guilty towards his grandpa as he saw him lying on the


    bed, unmoving.


    Zachary was well aware that his grandpa was old and his days were numbered.


    But he still hoped the day wouldn''te too soon. He wished to spend more time with his grandpa.


    ¡°Take your time, Mr. Zachary. I''ll leave first.¡±


    The doctor bowed to him and left the ward.


    Zachary sat beside the bed and apanied Henry in silence.


    After a moment, the medical staff came in with a hot towel to wipe Henry''s body. ¡°I''ll do it.¡± Zachary


    reached out his hand as he said.


    ¡°Alright.¡± The medical staff handed the towel to him respectfully.


    T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Zachary actually had no idea how to take care of a patient. He just wanted to do something for Henry.


    He gently cleaned Henry''s limbs with the hot towel. Looking at the wrinkled skin all over his body,


    Zachary realized that his grandpa was already an aged man.


    Henry Nacht, who was once the legendary hegemon of the corporate world, was nearing the end of his


    life.


    Right then, Zachary had mixed feelings. On one hand, he was thrilled to be the biological father of the


    triplets. On the other hand, he was depressed to see his grandpa being sick and unconscious. Life


    comes and goes. Is there nothing else I can do?


    ¡°Mr. Zachary.¡± Spencer''s whisper broke his train of thoughts.


    Zachary regained hisposure and turned to Spencer. ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°It''s time for Mr. Nacht to take his medicine.¡± Spencer brought over a ss of warm water and Henry''s


    medicine.


    ¡°I''ll do it.¡± Zachary took the medicine over and carefully fed it to Henry.


    Spencer uttered softly, ¡°Mr. Nacht has been muttering your name in the past few days. It''s always you


    whom he misses the most. He''s always thinking of you.¡±


    Zachary remained silent but his eyes were filled with sorrow.


    Spencer approached Zachary and whispered in his ear, ¡°The doctor said that Mr. Nacht''s days are


    numbered even if he regains his consciousness. Please don''t provoke him anymore.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Zachary gazed at Henry and smiled. ¡°After he recovers his consciousness, I have some


    good news for him.¡±

 Chapter 492

    Chapter 492


    ¡°Good news? That''s great! If he''s in a good mood, he''ll recover even sooner,¡± Spencer cheerfully said.


    ¡°Yes. He''ll be on cloud nine when he hears that.¡±


    Zachary could imagine the pleasant scene already.


    Henry had taken a liking to the kids. He would be over the moon if he knew the triplets were his great-


    grandchildren.


    ¡°I can''t wait to know!¡± Spencer was excited.


    Right then, the medical staff came in to help Henry get changed, so Zachary left the ward first.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, everything is ready,¡± Ben reported while panting. ¡°You didn''t sleep a winkst night. You


    should get some rest.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Zachary, did you stay up all night?¡±


    Spencer overheard Ben when he walked out of the ward.


    ¡°He was too busy taking care of the kids,¡± said Ben with a smirk.


    ¡°I never thought Mr. Zachary could get along with the kids. I was worried that you might get into a fight,¡±


    Spencer said with a smile of relief.


    Zachary had a speechless expression on his face. ¡°Am I a man-child to you, Mr. Spencer? Do you think


    I''ll fight with three-year-old kids?¡±


    Spencer giggled, then he said, ¡°You never liked kids. I was worried that they might offend you by


    ident, and your temper... Well, you know that Mr. Nacht adores the triplets. If anything happens to


    them, I can''t answer to Mr. Nacht.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry. They''re fine.¡± Zachary curled his lips upwards as he answered.


    ¡°Are they still in the hospital? How''s Robbie?¡± Spencer asked in concern.


    ¡°He had a food allergy. He''s recovering after getting an injection. Don''t worry. Everything is fine,¡± replied


    Ben.


    ¡°d to know that.¡± Spencer heaved a sigh of relief, then continued, ¡°I''ll take the kids home and settle


    them down, then I''lle back again.¡±


    Zachary immediately said, ¡°It''s alright. Don''t worry about it. I''ve asked Raina to make arrangements.


    She''ll bring the kids over to my house. They are staying there with me.¡±


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Spencer was shocked to hear what he said. ¡°Are you sure, Mr. Zachary? You always prefer a quiet


    environment. If they stay there with you, they might cause disturbance to you.¡±


    ¡°No, they won''t. They''re adorable.¡± Zachary said that with a soft smile on his face.


    Right then, the medical superintendent reported to Zachary personally, ¡°Mr. Nacht, the room is ready.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Zachary left with the medical superintendent. He nned to get some rest to prepare himself


    for what wasingter at night.


    Spencer couldn''t believe his eyes. ¡°What... What''s going on with Mr. Zachary? Why did he change so


    suddenly?¡± he asked Ben.


    ¡°There are more surprisesing soon. You''ll definitely drop your jaw.¡± Ben cast a mysterious smile at


    him.


    Spencer was puzzled by Ben''s reply.


    ¡°Don''t worry. It''s good news.¡±


    Ben bowed to Spencer with a smiling face, then he went after Zachary.


    Spencer was lost in his thoughts, pondering over Ben''s words. Right then, the medical staff called him,


    so he didn''t think further and quickly went into the ward to take care of Henry.


    Lying on the bed, Zachary took a look at his watch. It was already eleven o''clock in the morning.


    There are eight hours more till the appointed time. Where could Zara be now?


    Right now, she should be on her way back to H City with Charlotte.


    Bruce would have his eyes on them as soon as they set their foot in H City. Zara wouldn''t be able to


    y tricks anymore.


    Charlotte sprawled on the bed, dozing off. Suddenly, someone opened the door. A tall, slender figure


    made its entrance, followed by a group of bodyguards.


    ¡°You''re injured badly.¡± Zara took a seat on the sofa and sized Charlotte up.


    Awakened by the noise, Charlotte tried to move her body but her back was aching so much that she


    couldn''t do it by herself.


    Zara made a gesture.


    Shirley walked towards Charlotte and pulled her up with force.


    Charlotte''s body was trembling with pain. Her hair was in disarray, covering her pale face.

 Chapter 493

    Chapter 493


    Zara mocked with a cold sneer, ¡°I was expecting something more from you. Well, you''re nothing special


    after all. Why would Zachary be head over heels in love with a woman like you?¡±


    Charlotte slowly opened her eyes and looked at the woman with a puzzled mind. ¡°Who... Who are


    you?¡± she asked weakly.


    Zara smirked. ¡°You don''t have to know who I am. Just remember that I''m someone whom you can''t


    afford to cross.¡±


    ¡°What do you want from me?¡± Charlotte muttered with her weak voice while panting.


    ¡°Hehe...¡± Zara chuckled creepily. ¡°I''m going to return you to Zachary. Before that, I want to give you a


    present.¡±


    Zara made a gesture as she said.


    Two bodyguards swiftly pinned Charlotte down.


    Shirley took out a syringe and slowly approached Charlotte.


    ¡°What are you doing? Let go of me!¡± Charlotte''s eyes widened in shock and she struggled with all her


    might. ¡°What''s this? No! Stop it! Ah...¡±


    Eventually, Charlotte failed to break free from the two men. Shirley injected Charlotte with some


    unknown transparent liquid.


    Charlotte shouted at the top of her lungs. She kept struggling and shaking her head but she was


    defenseless.


    She had no idea what kind of liquid it was, nor did she know what kind of damage it might cause her.


    Fear seeped through her bones.


    Zara crossed her legs and satfortably on the sofa, swirling the wine in the ss.


    She grinned maliciously and stared down Charlotte as if thetter was her prey.


    Charlotte''s hair sprawled out behind her as she kept struggling, gradually revealing her beautiful face.


    Upon seeing her facial features, Zara froze in her position. The next second, she looked at Charlotte in


    astonishment.


    Zara blinked in dubiety, thinking she was mistaken. She immediately instructed, ¡°Raise your head!¡±


    Shirley squeezed Charlotte''s chin and forcefully held her head up.


    A gorgeous face came into view.


    Zara was dumbstruck as if she had just seen the devil. Her eyes were filled with surprise and fear.


    After a moment, Zara uttered a name, ¡°Isabe?¡±


    Charlotte shivered upon hearing the name. She raised her head and looked at the cruel woman in front


    of her. ¡°How... How do you know this name?¡± she asked.


    ¡°What''s your rtionship with Isabe?¡± Zara got emotional as she asked.


    Before Charlotte could answer her question, she fell onto the bed and started crying out in pain. The


    body part where she got the injection was hurting so much.


    After a few seconds, she passed out while white foam leaked from her lips.


    Zara was still frozen in her position, staring at Charlotte in disbelief.


    After a long time, Zara rposed herself and hurriedly ordered, ¡°Check her background now! I want


    to know everything about this woman. Do it now!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Shirley took action at once.


    ¡°Ms. Nacht, the injection ispleted. Three monthster, she''ll be a cripple at your mercy,¡± the


    bodyguard spoke fluently in English.


    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    Zara remained silent as she was lost in her thoughts.


    It was as though she was trying to prove something.


    ¡°Ms. Nacht, it''s time to go,¡± another bodyguard reminded her.


    Zara stood up and took a nce at Charlotte. ¡°Don''t touch her anymore. Just clean her up and get her


    into the car.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ms. Nacht.¡±


    After half an hour, Charlotte was carried into a car. She was still unconscious.


    Zara sat beside her. She squinted her eyes and stared at Charlotte. The emotions flickering in her eyes


    wereplicated.


    The car then slowly drove off to H City.


    Shirley was working on theptop and making calls. She was using all the connections they had to look


    up Charlotte''s background as quickly as possible.


    ¡°I need to know everything before I meet Zachary,¡± Zara ordered.


    Shirley was in a tight spot. ¡°I''ll try my best. It seems like someone has covered up this woman''s


    background. There isn''t much information about her. I''ve only managed to find out that her father was


    the former richest man in H City, Richard Windt.¡±


    ¡°Richard Windt!¡± Zara was shocked by the information. ¡°Do you mean the man whom I killed four years


    ago?¡±

 Chapter 494

    Chapter 494


    ¡°Please have a look.¡± Shirley handed theptop to Zara.


    Zara checked it out and scrolled through the page, then she sneered excitedly, ¡°What a coincidence! I


    didn''t expect the businessman whom I identally killed was Isabe''s lover. Haha...¡±


    ¡°Ms. Nacht, it''s just spection so far. We don''t know anything for sure yet. Besides, Richard Windt


    was just an ordinary businessman. How could he possibly be rted to Isabe?¡±


    ¡°You''re right. We should verify that.¡±


    Zara stared at Charlotte coldly while ying with the ring on her ring finger. After a long while, she


    made a phone call.


    The phone rang for quite a long time before a deep voice came from the other side. ¡°Hello.¡±


    ¡°Taylor, it''s been a while.¡± Zara''s lips curled up. She sounded friendly yet arrogant. ¡°There''s something I


    would like to ask you.¡±


    ¡°What''s it?¡± Taylor had his guard up.


    ¡°Isabe... Did she have a daughter?¡± Zara tentatively asked the question.


    Taylor didn''t see thating. He fell silent for a long time before he found his voice, ¡°I guess you''ve


    met Charlotte.¡±


    Zara was trying to piece everything together. ¡°I knew Isabe had a lover and she gave birth to a baby.¡±


    She paused for a few seconds before she continued asking, ¡°Her lover was Richard Windt. Am I right?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know. Richard Windt is dead and no one can verify the truth now. It''s just your spection. Stop


    hurting innocent people,¡± Taylor replied.


    ¡°So I guess it right. Charlotte Windt is the daughter of Isabe and Richard!¡± Zara concluded.


    ¡°Zara, that''s enough. Let bygones be bygones. Your brother is long dead. Stop the nonsense!¡± Taylor


    scowled.


    ¡°You''re such a kind man. Your daughter is getting engaged to Zachary but he''s thinking of another


    woman. Don''t you find it disturbing? Ah, I get it. Charlotte is Isabe''s daughter, so you choose her


    over your own daughter. Am I right?¡± Zara said mockingly.


    ¡°Zara Nacht!¡± Taylor said her name through his clenched teeth.


    ¡°Don''t worry, Taylor. I''m just asking out of curiosity. I won''t do anything funny.¡±


    Zara ended the call and gazed at Charlotte who was still unconscious. Zara curled her lips into an evil


    smile, ¡°I guess I have luck on my side. If I had known she is Isabe''s daughter, I wouldn''t have wasted


    so much effort.¡±


    Zara patted Charlotte on her beautiful face. ¡°Isabe, you''re really my lucky star. You''re helping me out


    even though you''re dead.¡±


    Meanwhile, Charlotte had no idea what was going on.


    All she felt was pain. Every part of her body hurt. It was as if tens of thousands of bugs were biting her


    body.


    She felt that she was dying at the moment.


    On the other side, Zachary had a nightmare. In his dream, Charlotte arrived in a car and he couldn''t


    wait to see her. However, as he opened the door, Charlotte was already dead. Blood oozed out of


    every orifice in her body.


    Zara stood behind them andughed ferociously like a lunatic.


    Zachary jolted awake from the nightmare. Sweat dotted his forehead and his heart was pounding


    rapidly.


    He hadn''t experienced such feelings ever since the night when he lost his parents.


    A foreboding thought emerged in his mind. He took a look at the time. It was already half-past six in the


    evening. He felt increasingly anxious by the minute.


    He immediately got out of the bed, then he washed his face to calm himself down. After that, he went


    downstairs to wait for Zara.


    He had to get Charlotte back as soon as possible and make sure she was unharmed.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, don''t worry. Bruce has his eyes on their every move. Ms. Nacht''s car entered H City three


    hours ago. She''ll arrive in no time.¡±This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 495

    Chapter 495


    Zachary focused on the iing cars, waiting for Zara''s arrival.


    Although he appeared to be calm as a millpond, his emotions were rioting inside.


    Ben dared not say a word. He stood beside Zachary, apanying him in silence. Their bodyguards


    were on full alert.


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    Raina came over with a few female medical staff. They were on standby for Charlotte''s arrival.


    A minute passed, then two. Ten minutes had passed.


    They still didn''t manage to find Zara''s convoy.


    Zachary impatiently nced at his watch. It was already seven o''clock. He frowned and continued to


    monitor the movement on the road. There were cars driving by, but none of them was Zara''s.


    What is that woman up to?


    Zachary took out his phone and wanted to give Bruce a call.


    Right then, Ben said, ¡°They''re here!¡±


    Zachary raised his head and saw a convoy of cars slowly driving over. The convoy was escorting a


    Hummer.


    Ben made a gesture with his hand and all the bodyguards kept their guard up.


    Zachary squinted his eyes and stared at the Hummer until it stopped.


    Zara''s men got out of the car and formed two rows in a defensive position.


    The men from both sides were facing off one another directly.


    After that, a few female bodyguards got out of the car and opened the door for Zara. She stepped out


    of the car elegantly, radiating a cold and powerful aura as one of the Nachts.


    ¡°Long time no see, my good nephew!¡±


    Zara took off her sunsses and cast a cold smirk at Zachary.


    ¡°Where is she?¡± Zachary was not in the mood to talk gibberish. He just wanted to see Charlotte right


    away.


    Zara smiled and gestured to Shirley. Thetter opened the door.


    Charlotte, who was dressed in white,y quietly at the rear seat. She was unconscious.


    Raina quickly brought her team over and carefully ced Charlotte on the hospital bed, then they


    pushed her to Zachary''s side.


    Zachary furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at Charlotte. Her face was pale and looked very frail. She


    must''ve suffered a lot.


    Zachary''s heart ached upon seeing her condition, but he pretended to be collected. ¡°Examine her,¡± he


    ordered.


    ¡°Understood.¡± Without further ado, Raina and the medical staff pushed Charlotte into the hospital.


    Ben shot a nce and several bodyguards immediately followed them.


    ¡°It''s just a fewshes. You''re overreacting,¡± Zara mocked.


    ¡°You''d better not y tricks with me.¡± Zachary red at her.


    Zara raised her eyebrows. ¡°I''m your aunt. You shouldn''t talk to me like that just because of a woman.


    Are you trying to y ¡°Romeo¡±, like your dad?¡±


    ¡°It''s none of your business.¡± Zachary frowned.


    Zara simply shrugged. ¡°Okay. Can I see your grandpa now?¡±


    Instead of replying, Zachary just turned around and walked into the hospital.


    Zara followed after him. Her bodyguards were about to follow but Ben stopped them from entering the


    building.


    ¡°I''m sorry, Ms. Nacht. You can only bring a bodyguard with you,¡± Ben said respectfully.


    ¡°How dare you defy me!¡±


    Zara gave him a deathly stare. After a few seconds, she took a deep breath and made a gesture with


    her hand.


    The others backed down and only Shirley followed her.


    ¡°Don''t provoke Grandpa. Watch what you say,¡± Zachary reminded Zara.


    Thetter found him ridiculous. ¡°He''s my father, of course I won''t harm him,¡± she sneered.


    ¡°Who knows? You''ve never been a good daughter to him,¡± Zachary retorted.


    ¡°That was because he was so biased. He left all his legacy to your father. After your father died, he left


    it to you. I poured my heart and soul into the Nacht family but I got nothing in return, of course I''m


    pissed.¡±


    ¡°You''ve got a lot. Be content with that,¡± Zachary replied.


    He didn''t say anything else after that. Actually, he didn''t agree with Henry''s act of bias.


    Indeed, Henry left the majority of the assets to Zachary as thetter was the family heir. However, Zara


    had got a lot too.


    Otherwise, she wouldn''t be able to develop herpany on such arge scale.

 Chapter 496

    Chapter 496


    Zara always picked a bone with Zachary as she wanted everything to be equal between the two of


    them. Henry was annoyed by her behavior as she always caused a ruckus in the family because of her


    jealousy towards Zachary.


    Moreover, Zara made a scene on Henry''s birthday dinner a dozen years ago. Henry was so angry that


    he got a stroke.


    Fortunately, the Nacht family had a professional medical team. After several years of treatment, Henry


    slowly got better.


    Ever since then, Zachary had forbidden Zara to see his grandpa in private.


    Upon arriving at the building, Zachary didn''t bring Zara to Henry''s ward straightaway. Instead, he


    stopped in his tracks and waited for Raina''s call.


    ¡°Is that really necessary? I told you I didn''t touch her other than giving her a fewshes. We''re almost


    there. Just take me to him already.¡± Zara furrowed her brows in displeasure.


    ¡°I''ll let you see him if there''s nothing wrong with Charlotte.¡±


    As a matter of fact, Zachary wished he could bring Zara to Henry because that would mean that


    Charlotte was fine.


    If Charlotte was slightly injured, he could close one eye. However, if Charlotte was harmed in any other


    way, he would end Zara''s life on the spot, without mercy.


    ¡°You''re such a loser! Your grandpa shouldn''t make you the heir of the Nacht family. You choose a


    woman over your own blood. How can an irrational man like you be the head of our family?¡± Zara


    sneered.


    ¡°Indeed, I''m not as cold-blooded as you are. Unfortunately, you''ve been cast out of the family and there


    are no other offspring of the Nachts, only me and your useless son, so it was not a difficult decision to


    make anyway,¡± Zachary replied coldly.


    ¡°You...¡± Zara''s face turned ashen with anger. Her eyes were ring with rage like a raging bull, exuding


    a murderous aura. She could forgive Zachary for being rude to her, but she couldn''t tolerate any of his


    insults towards her son.


    Zara stared at Zachary. ¡°Chris is an innocent and kind man. He''ll definitely surpass you one day.


    Besides, I''ll make you pay for what you did to him the other day. Just wait and see.¡±


    Zachary turned a deaf ear to her threat and focused on his phone instead.


    Soon, Raina called him, ¡°Mr. Nacht, Ms. Windt was in pretty bad shape. Her back is seriously injured.


    There are no other serious injuries, nor signs of sexual assault. I can only identify these problems so


    far. I''m still checking on her and I need some time.¡±


    Zachary felt relieved upon hearing her evaluation. He raised his eyes to stare at Zara. ¡°You''re going to


    pay for what you did to her.¡±


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°We''ll settle themter, once and for all.¡± Zara smirked arrogantly. ¡°So can I see him now?¡±


    Zachary made a gesture and the bodyguards made way for her.


    Zara got into the elevator with Shirley.


    Spencer was waiting outside the ward. Upon seeing Zara, he bowed to her. ¡°Ms. Zara, you''re here.¡±


    ¡°It''s been a while, Mr. Spencer.¡± Zara gave a respectful nod in return.


    ¡°Yes, it''s been a long time since west met. You look gorgeous, as always.¡± Spencer smiled.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Zara cast a faint smile at him, then she followed the medical staff to the room next door


    and changed into the istion gown.


    After that, Zachary and Spencer led the way to the ward while Zara followed after them.


    Ben and Shirley waited outside. Disgusted by one another, they gave a sneer and turned around.


    Upon seeing the old man on the bed, Zara no longer had that murderous expression on her face.


    Instead, her expression was ratherplicated.


    It was abination of love, resentment and hatred.


    Zara stood in her position for a long while before she stepped forward and took a closer look at Henry.


    Her eyes were looking somewhat deste.


    She opened her mouth but no words came out. All of a sudden, she was at a loss for words.


    Spencer was moved upon seeing her response. He spoke softly, ¡°Mr. Nacht has missed you, Ms. Zara.


    He once muttered your name when he was half-awake.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Zara couldn''t believe her ears. Do I really have a ce in his heart?


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Just when Spencer was speaking, Henry wriggled a little and his lips were moving. He was muttering


    some words.


    Zara got closer to him and tried to grasp his mutter.

 Chapter 497

    Chapter 497


    ¡°Harrison... Zachary... Beatrice...¡±


    Henry was calling out to Zachary and his parents, but not a word about Zara.


    T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Spencer looked at Zara awkwardly .


    Zara''s expression had changed from shocked to disappointed, then eventually disheartened. Suddenly,


    she cast a sardonic smile.


    She was mocking someone and it was no other than herself.


    I''m so silly. I actually thought he missed me.


    What a joke!


    Zachary turned his head away and remained silent.


    He was aware that his grandpa didn''t like Zara. Henry was always harsh to her and never showed her


    love.


    Zachary once talked to Henry about that, but thetter was pissed whenever he brought that up.


    Zachary didn''t understand what Henry was thinking. He wanted to ease the tension between his aunt


    and grandpa, but there was nothing else he could do.


    He once felt pity towards his aunt. However, Zara had slowly gone stark raving mad, so Zachary had


    no choice but to distance himself from her.


    They had been minding their own businesses until Chris grew up into an adult. Since then, Zara had


    been plotting and scheming against her own family for the sake of her son. She was trying to seize the


    family''s assets to pave the way for her son.


    Despite her effort, Chris was nothing but a good-for-nothing who splurged money like there was no


    tomorrow. In contrast to Zachary''s outstanding capabilities, all Chris knew was picking up girls.


    Therefore, their rtionship was pretty good as there was no conflict of interest between the two of


    them. In fact, Zachary always helped Chris out when thetter got himself into trouble.


    However, their rtionship began to turn sour when Chris was drugged and tried to force himself on


    Charlotte. That time, Zachary was pissed and almost choked him to death.


    Indirectly, that incident intensified the conflict between Zara and Zachary.


    ¡°Ms. Zara, we can''t stay here for too long. Do you have anything to say to Mr. Nacht?¡± Spencer


    reminded Zara with a soft voice.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Zara approached Henry and called out her father, ¡°Dad... Dad...¡±


    Henry twitched his eyes in response to her voice.


    Upon seeing his response, Zara was in seventh heaven. ¡°Can you hear me? I''m Zara.¡±


    Henry hummed as if he heard her words. His eyes were twitching but he couldn''t open them.


    Zara squinted her eyes and smiled deviously. ¡°Please get well soon, Dad. I have something great to tell


    you. You''ll be overjoyed upon hearing that.¡±


    Spencer bent down and carefully guarded Henry beside the bed. The former was afraid that Zara might


    say something to provoke Henry intentionally.


    Unexpectedly, Zara stepped away without saying anything else. She then turned to Spencer. ¡°I''m done.


    Mr. Spencer, what did the doctor say? When can Dad regain his consciousness?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht had a fall in the bathroom. The doctor said that Mr. Nacht would need to rest well for at least


    half a month to improve his health condition. If his condition turns bad, the recovery period might take


    up to months. But Mr. Nacht is a strong man and I believe he''ll get well soon,¡± Spencer replied.


    ¡°I hope he gets better soon.¡± Zara heaved a sigh. ¡°Please take good care of Dad, Mr. Spencer.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Spencer nodded.


    Zara thanked him, then she left the ward.


    Spencer and Zachary exchanged nces.


    Zachary felt that it was strange.


    That woman just left like that. Said nothing and did nothing. That was not like her at all.


    Zachary walked out of the ward.


    Right then, Zara had removed her istion gown and she was cleaning her hands with the sterilized


    wet wipes. ¡°Don''t forget to notify me when your grandpa awakes. I''lle with Chris and pay him a


    visit.¡±


    ¡°If you don''t y tricks, I won''t stop you,¡± Zachary said.


    ¡°Ha! If you have nothing to hide, then you have nothing to be worried about.¡± Zara sneered as she


    gazed at him through squinted eyes.


    ¡°Take care, my good nephew.¡± After saying that, she dusted her hands and turned around.


    Zachary couldn''t help but frown at her as she walked away.


    Zachary didn''t trust Zara although she was being cooperative the whole time. He had a subtle sense of


    foreboding.


    Right then, his phone rang out. It was Raina. ¡°Mr. Nacht, Ms. Windt has awoken!¡±


    As Raina was speaking, Charlotte let out a horrifying scream.


    Hearing that, Zachary''s heart dropped and instantly rushed to the elevator.

 Chapter 498

    Chapter 498


    Zachary dashed into the ward where Charlotte was.


    Four medical staff was pinning her down while Raina tried tofort her. ¡°Ms. Windt, don''t be scared.


    I''m Raina. You''re safe now. Please calm down...¡±


    However, Charlotte wasn''t listening to her at all. She kept struggling while screaming her head off. She


    looked like she had experienced something horrible.


    Zachary took a huge stride towards Charlotte. ¡°Get lost!¡± he shouted.


    The medical staff backed away immediately.


    Charlotte had lost control of herself. She grabbed a syringe and swung it around. She identally


    scratched her own arm with that.


    Without hesitation, Zachary hugged her tightly.


    Charlotte shoved the needle into his arm. Despite that, he still didn''t let go of her. He held on to


    Charlotte tightly and refused to let go. ¡°It''s okay now. It''s okay now. I''m here... I''m here...¡±


    Charlotte kept struggling like a crazy wildcat but Zachary''s grip was tight and she was trapped in his


    arms, unable to move.


    T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    She then opened her mouth and bit him on his neck. Charlotte was biting so hard like a wild beast


    biting its prey.


    Blood streamed down from his neck.


    But Zachary didn''t push her away. Instead, he stroked her head to calm her down.


    Terrified by the scene, the medical staff were trembling with fear.


    Charlotte finally calmed down after a long while. Slowly, she fell asleep in Zachary''s embrace.


    Raina quickly approached him and lowered her voice. ¡°Mr. Nacht, I''ll remove the needle now. Please


    bear with it for a little while.¡±


    Zachary gave a nod.


    Raina clenched her teeth and removed the needle, slowly and carefully. ¡°Luckily the syringe is empty.


    Still, it''s painful enough.¡±


    ¡°What happened? Why is she like that? Is she hurt?¡± Zachary questioned.


    ¡°I''ve run a thorough examination on her. Other than the injuries on her back, there are ligature marks


    on her wrists and ankles. I also invited a gynecologist to check on Ms. Windt and there''s no sign of


    sexual assault. I''m not sure why she had such reactions after she awoke. Could it be that she''s


    traumatized?¡±


    Raina was puzzled.


    ¡°Leave,¡± Zachary instructed.


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Nacht.¡± Raina left the room with the medical staff.


    Zachary held Charlotte in his arms and gently kissed her on her forehead. He med himself for not


    keeping her safe from harm. She had suffered a lot because of him.


    Looking at her frail body, his heart was shredded into pieces. Meanwhile, his hatred towards Zara


    increased by the second.


    He swore to himself. I''ll make her pay double the price for what she did to you.


    Right then, a knocking was heard on the door, followed by Ben''s voice. ¡°Mr. Nacht, the kids called Mr.


    Spencer and asked for Ms. Windt. Mrs. Rawlston said that the kids were throwing a tantrum. They


    skipped their meals and stayed awake to wait for their mother.¡±


    Zachary frowned upon hearing that. He promised to bring Charlotte home tonight and the kids were


    looking forward to that.


    But how can I bring her home when she''s in this condition?


    After giving it some thought, Zachary replied, ¡°Get the car ready. I''ll go over.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Zachary caressed Charlotte''s cheeks and tidied her hair. His heart ached as he saw the marks on her


    wrists. Suddenly, he spotted a prick mark on her wrist. He immediately called out to the medical staff.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht.¡± Raina entered the room.


    ¡°Why is there a prick mark on her wrist?¡± Zachary queried.


    ¡°Before you came in, Ms. Windt had grabbed the syringe once but I took it away from her. My hand was


    pricked too. Then she pricked the needle into your arm too.¡± Raina showed him the prick mark on her


    own hand.


    The crease between Zachary''s brows deepened. Something''s off. ¡±Examine her one more time. Check


    carefully,¡± Zachary ordered.


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Nacht.¡± Raina nodded.


    Zachary continued giving instructions. ¡°Get a few more staff to take care of her. Give her sedatives


    when necessary. Don''t let her hurt herself. I have to go home now and I''lle backter.¡±


    ¡°Understood. Leave it to me.¡±

 Chapter 499

    Chapter 499


    Zachary rushed home and it was already ten o''clock at night by the time he arrived.


    Meanwhile, the triplets were sitting on the sofa and waiting for their mommy.


    Robbie was holding a book in his hand. He looked as if he was reading calmly, but he had been


    sneaking peeks at the door, hoping to see his mother soon.


    Right beside Robbie, Jamie was feeding food to Fifi. However, he hadn''t eaten much for dinner as he


    was not in the mood. He missed Charlotte.


    As for Ellie, she was hugging her stuffed alpaca while dozing off on the sofa. She was so sleepy, yet


    she tried to keep her eyes open and focused on the door.


    Upon hearing the sound of the car engine, the three of them sprung up from the sofa.


    Robbie immediately dropped his book and put on his shoes.


    Ellie was bare-footed as she bolted out. She shouted loudly with her squeaky voice, ¡°Mommy!


    Mommy!¡±


    As soon as Robbie put on his shoes, he sped out of the house.


    ¡°Robbie, Ellie, wait for me!¡± Jamie yelled anxiously behind them.


    ¡°Wait for me!¡± Fifi also shouted.


    The nurse hurriedly carried him and ced him in the wheelchair, then they caught up with the others.


    Holding Fifi in his arms, Jamie stretched his neck to look outside.


    However, they could only see the fierce, tall man getting out of the car. They couldn''t see their mommy.


    Ellie was stunned for a few seconds, then she smiled mischievously. ¡°Mommy, stop ying hide-and-


    seek! Come out now!¡±


    She then ran around the car, trying to look for Charlotte.


    Unlike Ellie, Robbie didn''t think it was a game. He has a bad feeling instead. He frowned and


    questioned, ¡°Where''s Mommy?¡±


    ¡°She...¡± Zachary parted his lips to speak but no words came out. He had never spent time with kids, so


    he didn''t know the right way to talk to them.


    ¡°Mommy, stop hiding!¡± Ellie looked high and low for Charlotte but she couldn''t see her. She couldn''t


    help but burst into tears. ¡°Dumdum, where''s Mommy?¡±


    ¡°Your Mommy... She is sick.¡± This time, Zachary didn''t correct the way she addressed him. He picked


    her up and ced her on the roof of the car. ¡°She needs to get some treatment. I''ll bring her home after


    she recovers.¡± Zachary stroked Ellie''s head as he exined.


    ¡°What! Why is Mommy sick? What happened?¡± Ellie stared at him with her big round eyes.


    ¡°She''s injured.¡± Zachary didn''t know how to lie to kids, so he told them the truth instead.


    Upon hearing that, Ellie''s face turned pale and squalled with fear.


    ¡°Oh no... Don''t cry!¡± Zachary was at a loss.


    ¡°Uncle Zack!¡± Robbie gripped his shirt.


    Zachary lowered his vision and looked into Robbie''s reddened eyes. Thetter was trying hard to hold


    back his tears. ¡°Why is Mommy injured? Is she alright? Where is she now?¡±


    ¡°She...¡±


    Right then, Jamie came out in his wheelchair. He clenched his little fists and questioned Zachary.


    ¡°You''re a liar! You promised to bring Mommy home tonight. Why is she injured? Did you hurt her?¡±


    ¡°No...¡±


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Mommy! I want to see Mommy!¡±


    Ellie was crying her heart out. She even choked on her tears.


    Ellie''s loud cries interrupted Zachary before he could finish his sentence. He had a splitting headache


    as he was rendered speechless at the moment.


    Never once had he been so flustered as he was now.


    ¡°Uncle Zack, please take us to Mommy.¡± Robbie''s voice started to waver but he fought hard to contain


    his emotion. ¡°No matter where Mommy is, we need to stand by her.¡±


    ¡°Your mommy is in the hospital. It''ste now. You just rest at home.¡±


    ¡°No! If I don''t see Mommy, I won''t eat any food!¡±


    Jamie pouted with anger and started throwing a tantrum at Zachary.


    ¡°Mommy! I want to see Mommy!¡±


    Ellie was sobbing bitterly. She identally slipped and fell from the roof of the car.

 Chapter 500

    Chapter 500


    Zachary immediately caught her with his arms, but he had no idea how to hold a little kid. Thus, he


    gripped her legs with one hand and held her body with another hand. He held her tightly so she didn''t


    fall.


    ¡°I want to see Mommy! Mommy...¡±


    Weeping loudly, Ellie hugged his neck and rubbed her face against him. She wiped her snot and tears


    with his clothes.


    ¡°Bad guy, I''ll call the police if you don''t bring me to Mommy.¡±


    Jamie took off one of his shoes and threw it at Zachary.


    ¡°Please take us to Mommy.¡± Although Robbie was calm, he was determined to see his mommy.


    Fifi pped its wings and kept circling above Zachary. ¡°Mommy! Mommy!¡± it said repeatedly.


    Zachary closed his eyes and felt like crying too.


    ¡°Kids, calm down. Your mommy...¡±


    Ben stepped in and was about to ease the situation. Suddenly, he sensed that something sticky fell


    upon his head.


    He reached out to his head and got a handful of Fifi''s droppings!


    Ben raised his head and red at Fifi with anger.


    The parrot stared at him while pping its wings.


    Ben clenched his teeth as he stared at Fifi. He made a sudden move and Fifi hurriedly flew to Jamie''s


    shoulder out of fear.


    ¡°How dare you bully Fifi!¡±


    Jamie took off another shoe and flung it at Ben.


    It hit Ben right on his face.


    Ben''s mouth twitched slightly. Kids are monsters!


    ¡°Stop crying!¡±


    Zachary could no longer contain himself.


    Ellie froze for a few seconds and nced at Zachary. After that, she cried even louder than before.


    Jamie took out the phone angrily. ¡°I''m calling Mr. Henry. I''m going to tell him that you''re a bully!¡±


    ¡°We want to see Mommy! If you don''t bring us to the hospital, we''ll call the police!¡± Robbie pouted and


    confronted Zachary.


    Zachary turned to Ben and bellowed, ¡°Ben! Do something!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, I... I...¡±


    Ben pitifully stretched his arms and showed Zachary the droppings and Jamie''s little shoe.


    Zachary frowned, then he looked at the nurses.


    They quickly waved their hands while shaking their heads. ¡°We... There''s nothing else we can do. Once


    they start crying, no one can stop them except Ms. Windt,¡± Amelia said.


    ¡°Yes, she''s right. We can only let them have their way.¡± Mildred simply muttered.


    ¡°Ellie, don''t cry. I''ll give you...¡± Violet tried to calm Ellie down.


    Ellie raised her head and continued to wail miserably. Her cries were ear-splitting like the cries of a


    wolf.


    Zachary couldn''t help but let out a sigh.


    For the first time in his life, he heaved out a sigh of desperation. He was at his wits'' end. The triplets


    were driving him crazy.


    He wanted tofort the three of them so that they could eat well and sleep well while waiting for their


    mommy toe home. However, things didn''t go his way. They asked him to take them to the hospital


    instead.


    He felt that he was at a loss when dealing with them.


    ¡°Alright, I''ll take you to the hospital to see Mommy but you have to stop crying!¡± Zachary decided to


    compromise.


    With an immediate effect, they stopped crying in a sh.


    Do they have a switch or what?


    ¡°And you have to promise me this. We can only stay there for a short while. The hospital is where


    people receive treatment. We shouldn''t disturb the others. Besides, Mommy can recover quickly only if


    she rests well. Do you understand?¡± Zachary patiently exined to them.


    ¡°Yes. We promise you!¡± Robbie nodded obediently.


    ¡°Jamie?¡± Zachary looked at Jamie.


    ¡°I''ll follow Robbie. But you must not lie to us again,¡± Jamie replied stubbornly.


    ¡°Don''t hit people with your shoes.¡± Zachary said with a stern expression.


    ¡°I''ll see how it goes.¡± Jamie was not afraid of him at all. He turned away and said arrogantly, ¡°I didn''t


    take my gun with me today, so I have to use my shoes as weapons.¡±


    Zachary was speechless. Well, it takes time to educate kids.


    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    He then turned to Ellie. Before he asked, Ellie already raised up her hands. ¡°I won''t cry anymore if I see


    Mommy.¡±

 Chapter 501

    Chapter 501


    Zachary brought the three children to Kindness Hospital.


    Outside the ward, Zachary had one child on each arm, with the third one was sitting on Zachary''s


    shoulder. It was as if they were monkeys hanging from a huge tree.


    The children gawked at Charlotte, who was in a deep sleep, through the ss door.


    With both her hands on the ss window, Ellie''s eyes brimmed with tears while her little lips puckered


    up.


    Robbie and Jamie''s eyes reddened as well. They didn''t dare to cry but their eyes were filled with worry.


    ¡°Kids, Mommy is just sleeping because she was exhausted. Mommy will be able to go home after two


    days. Be good and go home to rest, alright?¡± Raina gently reassured them.


    ¡°Dr. Langhan, what happened to Mommy? Is she sick?¡± Robbie looked at her with reddened eyes while


    he asked anxiously.


    Raina replied smilingly, ¡°Mommy has a cold and she''ll be fine after resting for a few days. Even children


    can catch a cold, so wouldn''t it be normal for adults to catch a cold too? It''s nothing serious, you don''t


    have to worry.¡±


    Robbie felt that something was wrong as he lifted his head to look at Zachary and asked, ¡°A cold?


    Didn''t Uncle Zack say mommy was hurt?¡±


    Zachary''s expression froze as he wasn''t good at lying, especially when it came to children.


    ¡°Uh, that...¡± He paused momentarily, then immediately gave an excuse by saying, ¡°That''s because she


    caught a cold and wasn''t feeling well, hence she tripped and injured herself while she was walking.¡±


    ¡°Mommy is so pitiful...¡± Sob, sob. Ellie''s heart ached for her mother. Her lower lip protruded and she


    started crying sadly.


    ¡°I want to go in and see Mommy. Can we go in?¡± Jamie tapped on the ss window anxiously.


    ¡°It''s better not to go in since Mommy is very weak right now and she needs some quiet time. You don''t


    want to disturb Mommy, right?¡± Raina advised softly.


    ¡°But...¡± Even though Jamie was a little disappointed, he nodded his head because he truly cared for his


    mother. ¡°Alright, I won''t disturb Mommy.¡±


    Ellie covered her little mouth to stop herself from crying out loud but tears continued rolling down her


    cheeks.


    Zachary felt relieved as Raina finally managed to coax the children into silence.


    ¡°Alright, it''s time to go back and sleep.¡±


    He didn''t want the children to wake Charlotte up as she finally was able to fall asleep. If she woke up


    and started acting crazy like before, not only that would frighten the children but she would suffer as


    well.


    ¡°Then are weing to visit Mommy again tomorrow?¡± Robbie tilted his head as he asked Zachary.


    ¡°As long as you are well behaved, we cane and visit Mommy. So, go back and have a good sleep


    after eating your dinner. No more fussing.¡± Zachary carried the three children and left.


    ¡°Okay, I''ll be good.¡± Jamie promised instantly in order to see his mother.


    ¡°Me too.¡± Ellie raised her tiny chubby arm while she promised. However, fearing that she might fall off,


    she hugged Zachary''s head immediately.


    As the eldest of the bunch, Robbie uttered, ¡°I''ll look after them. Uncle Zack, thank you for taking care of


    Mommy. We will repay your kindness when Mommy wakes up.¡±


    ¡°The best way to repay me is to be obedient.¡± Zachary was afraid that they might create another fuss


    again.


    ¡°We will be obedient.¡± Robbie promised instantaneously.


    ¡°Me too. I won''t hit people with shoes anymore.¡± Jamie nced at Zachary timidly while he softly


    apologized.


    ¡°I won''t rub my tears and snot on you too...¡± Ellie sniffed forcefully while admitting that.


    T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°...¡± Zachary was dumbfounded for a moment then he uttered, ¡°Good children!¡±


    The three of them had been fussing the entire time before they saw their mother, and after they were


    finally able to see her, they felt a little more at ease. Before he knew it, the children had fallen asleep in


    Zachary''s arms.


    Afraid of falling off, Ellie grabbed Zachary''s hair with both her hands and her tiny body leaned against


    his head while she dozed off.


    Zachary quickly handed Jamie, who was fast asleep to Ben and Robbie to Raina, then he carefully


    carried Ellie in his arms.


    Ellie rolled over and faced him. Her small chubby hands tugged at his shirt as she drifted off to sleep.

 Chapter 502

    Chapter 502


    ¡°Dr. Langhan, put me down. I can walk by myself.¡± Robbie had always been an exceptionally well-


    behaved and understanding child. He seemed maturepared to children his age.


    After putting him down, Raina walked next to him while holding his tiny hand.


    T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    While carrying Jamie in his arms, Ben shivered after recalling this child hitting him with his tiny leather


    shoes previously. He couldn''t imagine what a terror he would be after growing up!


    At the same time, while being in Jamie''s arms, Fifi looked at Ben timidly and its little eyes darting


    around. It was probably wondering if Ben would snap its neck after it had pooped on his head earlier.


    Ben deliberately red at it, then Fifi hurriedly flew to Robbie''s shoulder out of fear.


    Robbie looked over at Ben, who immediately shed an ingratiating smile at him.


    Robbie was most likely to be the future heir, so it was better not to offend him.


    The moment they stepped out of the hospital, they suddenly heard a familiar voice. ¡°Mr. Zachary!¡±


    Zachary turned around and saw Spencer standing in the corridor while smiling at him.


    ¡°Hello Mr. Spencer!¡± Robbie greeted politely.


    ¡°Good boy, Robbie! It''s sote, why aren''t you sleeping yet?¡± Spencer went over and uttered gently.


    ¡°I''m here to see Mommy. Thank you for your concern.¡± Even though Robbie was tired, he did not forget


    his manners.


    ¡°Silly boy, it''s my pleasure. Have you gotten used to staying at Uncle Zack''s ce?¡± Spencer squatted


    down and caressed Robbie''s head gently.


    Robbie replied politely, ¡°It''s fine. Jamie and Ellie are exhausted, Mr. Spencer. I''ll go back with them to


    get some rest. See you next time.¡±


    Spencer patted his tiny shoulder and uttered, ¡°Alright, see you next time! If anything happens, feel free


    to contact me anytime. Mr. Henry''s phone is turned off and you have my number.¡±


    ¡°Got it, thanks Mr. Spencer.¡± Robbie replied courteously.


    ¡°Send them back.¡± Zachary handed Ellie to Raina and turned to look at Robbie. ¡°I''ll apany


    Mommy at the hospital, then go back to see you guys tomorrow. Be good!¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Robbie nodded his head, turned around and left.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Apanied by a few bodyguards, Raina and Ben entered the car with the children.


    Upon seeing them leave, Spencer said smilingly, ¡°Mr. Zachary, care to talk for a bit?¡±


    ¡°What do you want to talk about, Mr. Spencer?¡± Zachary turned around and entered the inpatient


    building.


    ¡°Ms. Charlotte is the mother of these three children?¡± Spencer asked softly.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Zachary wasn''t nning to hide the truth anymore because he knew there was no point in doing


    that. In addition, since the three kids were his, Henry could no longer oppose Charlotte from being part


    of the family.


    ¡°Then, the three kids are...¡± Spencer was trying to probe further.


    ¡°I''ll fill Grandpa in with the details after he wakes up.¡±


    Zachary thought he should tell Henry about this matter personally, and it was better to keep a low


    profile for now.


    ¡°Noted. Sorry to disturb you.¡± Spencer nodded in response.


    Zachary arrived at Charlotte''s ward and saw her sleeping soundly. It must be due to the sedatives.


    He got on the bed andy on his side. While hugging Charlotte, he gently brushed her messy hair with


    his fingers. Then he whispered to her ear, ¡°Don''t be scared, I''ll never leave you again.¡±


    Throughout the night, although everything seemed calm and peaceful, Zachary had an overwhelming


    feeling bubbling from within. It was as if he could predict something bad was about to happen...


    As the time slowly ticked away, soon it was already daytime.


    After experiencing such a hectic and strenuous time, Zachary was extremely exhausted. Even though


    his initial n was to look after Charlotte, instead, he had fallen asleep with her in his arms.


    That morning, he suddenly felt someone gently caressing his brows, then he jumped up instantly and


    saw it was Charlotte''s pretty face in front of him.


    Instead of her being crazy and out of control like the previous night, Charlotte''s expression was rather


    calm while she stroked his face.


    ¡°You''re awake...¡±


    Before Zachary was able to finish his sentence, Charlotte passionately kissed him.

 Chapter 503

    Chapter 503


    It seemed that after the incident, all of Charlotte''s worries had dissipated. At that moment, she only


    wanted to hug him tightly and kiss him. It was as if the world wasing to an end and she wanted to


    cherish every singlest moment she had.


    Charlotte''s kiss was so passionate that it had consumed Zachary entirely. Soon after, he couldn''t hold


    himself back anymore as he leaned over her and returned her kiss fiercely. That morning, their souls


    were entwined by the passion they shared for one another.


    Raina was standing outside the ward. Just when she was about to knock on the door, she


    unintentionally caught a glimpse of the both of them. She backed away instantaneously and signaled


    the other medical staff not to interrupt them.


    Ben and his men were calmly guarding at the entrance. They used to be shy and nervous


    whenever they saw such a scene in the past, but after some time, they were slowly ustomed to that.


    The corners of Ben''s lips curled into a faint smile of relief as the worst had passed and everything was


    going to be fine.


    After some time, Zachary let go of Charlotte reluctantly. It wasn''t because other people could see them


    through the ward''s ss window from the outside, nor was it because he was shy. In fact, the main


    reason was that Charlotte had just returned and he was worried about her physical condition, so he


    decided to stop.


    As he cupped her cheeks in his hands and gently brushed her soft lips with his thumb, he gazed into


    her eyes deeply and affectionately. He had so much he wanted to say to her, however at that moment,


    he only uttered, ¡°From now on, I''ll never let you get hurt again.¡±


    Charlotte''s reddened eyes were brimming with tears as she responded, ¡°I feel that I was so silly in the


    past... I should have cherished you better...¡±


    ¡°It''s not toote.¡± Zachary kissed her forehead.


    Charlotte closed her eyes and hugged him tightly. After pondering for some time, she suddenly plucked


    up the courage and uttered, ¡°I have something to tell you.¡±


    ¡°Hm? What is it?¡± Zachary cupped her face in his hands and their eyes met.


    Charlotte took a deep breath and uttered slowly, ¡°I lied to you... Actually... Those three children are


    actually...¡±


    ¡°My flesh and blood! Am I right?¡± Zachary interjected instantly.


    Charlotte was stunned as she stared at him. ¡°How... How do you know?¡±


    ¡°The few days you were missing, Robbie came to me for a talk.¡± The moment Zachary thought of him,


    his heart ached. ¡°He said that to truly love someone is to never hurt them no matter what happens. At


    that time, he was sitting in front of me. As I looked at him, even though his body was small, his posture


    was very straight. His tiny face was calm andposed while his eyes were filled with determination,


    and I couldn''t help but remember how I was when I was a child. Suddenly, there was an inexplicable


    feeling in my heart and even though I wasn''t sure, I felt that he could be my child. After that, he


    identally drank some juice with kiwi in it and was then sent to the hospital because of an allergic


    reaction. As I thought that there was something fishy about it, I sent his sample for a DNA test, and it


    turns out that he was my flesh and blood.¡±


    Charlotte froze and it took her quite a while beforeing back to her senses. ¡°You, you already


    knew? Then, how is Robbie now?¡±


    Zachary responded gently, ¡°He''s fine. Since he was given a shot, his allergies have cleared up. The


    three children are staying at my house now and I''ve already prepared a new room for them. From now


    on, that will be their home.¡±


    Then he kissed her on the lips while his hand pinched her chin. ¡°It''ll be your home too!¡±


    ¡°My home?¡±


    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    Charlotte was utterly dumbfounded. She had never expected her life to change drastically after


    experiencing a life-and-death situation. Without having to crack her brain and exin to Zachary, he


    had already found out and made all the necessary arrangements. Am I dreaming? She thought to


    herself.


    ¡°I should have thought of this earlier and I shouldn''t have misunderstood you. The reason you didn''t


    dare tell me this in the beginning was because I was too violent in nature, right? You''re worried that


    there would be a lot of unpredictable dangers if I were to reconcile with the children?¡± Zachary felt


    remorseful upon thinking how paranoid and violent he was in the past.


    ¡°I''m sorry...¡± Charlotte hugged him tightly. ¡°It was my mistake, I should have told you earlier.¡±

 Chapter 504

    Chapter 504


    ¡°It''s alright. It''s not toote, we still have time...¡± While he gently stroked her hair, he uttered softly next


    to her ear, ¡°When you are feeling better, we will go home and have a grand wedding. The children will


    definitely be thrilled about it and Grandpa will be very happy too.¡±


    ¡°Wedding...¡± Upon hearing Zachary''s words, Charlotte indulged in her imagination and pictured the


    children''s bright smiles and Henry''s kind and loving face.


    At the thought of that, Charlotte''s lips curled into a wide smile as she hugged Zachary tightly. She was


    eager for that happy day to arrive.


    In a split second, she felt a sudden sharp paining from her arm. Her body froze instantly as she bit


    her lower lip forcefully to endure the immense pain.


    Charlotte was brought back to the moment where several ck figures held her down and injected her


    with an unknown drug.


    However, that drug was like a ticking time bomb as it caused her to lose control of her emotions for a


    period of time, and at other times she felt as if a knife was slicing through her and the pain was


    excruciating.


    She was very scared and afraid that the drug would destroy her. She was even more terrified of what


    horrifying things the drug would make her do and possibly hurt the people she loved.


    ¡°What''s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?¡± Zachary felt Charlotte''s body tremble and he asked hurriedly.


    Charlotte tried her best to endure the immense pain while uttering in a trembling voice, ¡°My wound


    hurts... Where is Raina?¡±


    ¡°I''ll ask her toe over right away.¡± With that being said, Zachary rushed out to look for her.


    Right after, Raina entered the room and attended to Charlotte''s wound immediately. However, she did


    not proceed with any other treatments.


    While holding back her doubts, Charlotte tried to ask calmly, ¡°Dr. Langhan, have you checked? Are


    there any other problems with me?¡±


    ¡°Apart from the trauma on your back and limbs, I haven''t found any other problems for now.¡± Then


    Raina continued to ask, ¡°Ms. Windt, are you feeling difort anywhere else? You need to tell me so I


    can treat you ordingly.¡±


    ¡°This arm hurts...¡± Charlotte lifted her right hand strenuously. ¡°The pain was around the wrist previously,


    but now it has not only spread to the elbow, it is also slowly traveling upwards all the way to the brain...¡±


    ¡°I''ll arrange for you to be examined right away.¡± Raina immediately ordered, ¡°Take an x-ray to see if her


    bone is fractured.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry. Raina is an excellent doctor, she will definitely be able to cure you,¡± Zachary uttered


    reassuringly.


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Charlotte nodded her head.


    Right after, Ben, who was standing outside of the ward, said that he had something important to report


    to Zachary.


    ¡°I''ll go out for a while and apany youter.¡±


    Zachary kissed Charlotte on the forehead and left in a hurry.


    After the door was closed, Charlotte asked Raina in a low voice, ¡°Dr. Langhan, is there really nothing


    else wrong with me?¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± Raina was taken aback for a moment, then she asked worriedly, ¡°Ms. Windt, so far I have


    performed a variety of tests on you and I have yet to find any problems. Are you... Are you suffering


    from any other injuries? You have to tell me.¡±


    ¡°No, but my arm hurts.¡±


    Charlotte began to wonder if she was being paranoid since Raina didn''t find anything else that was


    wrong with her tests either. Perhaps, that injection was only to put her asleep and it wasn''t anything


    serious.


    The pain in her arm could also possibly be the aftermath of getting hit, and it would get better after


    some time.


    As for the moments when she lost control of her emotions due to the pain, that might be due to shock.


    ¡°Don''t worry, I''ll arrange for you to be examined right away. It''ll be fine.¡± Raina uttered reassuringly.


    ¡°Alright, thank you.¡±


    Feeling drained, Charlotte leaned back on the bed while noticing the pain in her arm slowly fading


    away.


    The attack I had yesterday seemed to havested for a very long time, whereas it was only a minute or


    two today.


    It certainly looks like I might have been overthinking. Maybe there really isn''t any other problem and I''ll


    be fully recovered in a few days.


    While being in her thoughts, Charlotte slowly drifted off to sleep.


    Then Raina tucked her in and pushed her for her arm x-ray.


    Soon, the results came back. Charlotte''s right arm bones were fine, however, there was some damage


    to her muscles. That might be the cause of her pain, but mainly it was from the excessive shock she


    had experienced.


    After her analysis, Raina wrote them down on the examination report.

 Chapter 505

    Chapter 505


    Zachary went to visit Henry, whose condition still remained the same as before. Sometimes, he would


    be awake, while the other times he would pass out. His condition had not worsened, nor had it gotten


    better.


    Henry''s attending attending physician told Zachary that in fact, as long as his condition wasn''t


    deteriorating, he would be considered stabilized. In addition, he would also be able to slowly regain his


    health as long as he received treatment.


    Zachary let out a sigh of relief as he believed that only a matter of time before Henry woke up, and that


    would be very soon.


    If Henry were to know about the good news, he would definitely be very happy.


    Zachary couldn''t wait to start preparing for the wedding as he wished to provide Charlotte and the


    children a secure and happy home.


    Momentster, Johann phoned Zachary personally as something came up in thepany and they


    needed him to go there and attend to it.


    When Zachary went back to thepany, he was no longer aloof and arrogant as before, but instead,


    he was rather approachable.


    The moment he walked into the office building, the security guards and receptionists stood in two


    straight rows while greeting him respectfully, ¡°Good morning, Mr. Nacht!¡±


    ¡°Good morning everyone!¡± Zachary responded in an unprecedented manner.


    Everyone froze on the spot. The high and mighty Zachary, who always acted extremely arrogant and


    never seemed to acknowledge anyone, would never have responded. And now, they were baffled that


    he actually took the initiative to greet them.


    The staffs looked at each other in disbelief and wondered if they had heard wrongly.


    Could it be that Mr. Nacht had a change of attitude after noting to the office for a few days?


    Everyone was confused to see a smile on Zachary''s lips as he stepped into the elevator.


    Ben knew what was going on and he was happy for Zachary.


    Atst, him bing friendlier was like a huge iceberg that had melted, and the seemingly impossible


    became possible.


    When they arrived at the president''s office on level 68, Lucy and the rest of the staff, who were already


    waiting at the entrance of the elevator, bowed and greeted Zachary, ¡°Good morning, Mr. Nacht!¡±


    ¡°Good morning everyone, you''ve worked hard. Breakfast is on me today, so go to level 17 and order


    whatever you like,¡± Zachary responded casually.


    ¡°...¡± Everyone was utterly shocked. Is this Mr. Nacht? The cold, ruthless, high and mighty Mr. Nacht?


    Zachary frowned, ¡°What is everyone standing around for? Didn''t you hear what I said?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we hear you.¡± All the secretaries nodded their heads instantly.


    ¡°Thank you, Mr. Nacht.¡± Lucy was the quickest to respond.


    ¡°Thank you, Mr. Nacht.¡± Everyone followed and thanked Zachary.


    ¡°Alright, don''t let your work be affected. Take turns and go in different groups.¡± He added a word of


    caution.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Everyone uttered and bowed respectfully.


    While Zachary walked into the office, Lucy reported to him some of thepany matters that had


    happened that week. ¡°Mr. Nacht, Mr. Sterk, Mr. Murphy and Mr. Wright are waiting for you in the


    meeting room.¡±


    Zachary had been busy with family matters for a few days and didn''t go to thepany. Even though


    he had gone through all the documents on a daily basis, a lot of work had piled up nevertheless.


    The moment Zachary stepped into the meeting room, Mr. Sterk and the others stood up immediately


    and greeted, ¡°Mr. Nacht!¡±


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Good morning everyone, please take a seat.¡± Then with a gesture, Zachary continued, ¡°None of you


    have eaten breakfast, right? I haven''t had mine either. Shall we?¡±


    The few directors stared at each other while wondering if they had heard wrongly. Or perhaps, was


    Zachary indirectly implying something?


    ¡°Ben,¡± Zachary uttered.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Ben stepped forward.


    ¡°Please ask level 17 to prepare some breakfast and have them sent here.¡± Zachary nced at his


    watch and chatted with the directors casually. ¡°I''ve troubled you these few days. As I was attending to


    my family matters, you have been taking care of thepany.¡±


    ¡°No trouble, no trouble at all.¡± The directors were somewhat perplexed as they were more terrified than


    usual. They wondered what hidden agenda Zachary had.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, is everything fine at home?¡±


    Johann knew about Henry''s condition and thought that something might have happened to him, hence


    Zachary was trying to seek their help.


    ¡°Everything is fine.¡±


    Speaking of family, Zachary couldn''t help but utter smilingly, ¡°In a few days, I''ll be announcing some


    good news.¡±


    ¡°Good news?¡± The directors were extremely shocked to hear that. Not only thepany was facing


    some problems, even Henry had not been seen for quite some time. What good news could it possibly


    be?

 Chapter 506

    Chapter 506


    ¡°You''ll know when the timees.¡± Zachary let out a mischievous smile then he began to ask about


    work-rted matters.


    The few shareholders immediately highlighted some important events that had happened in the past


    few days. The most troubling one was afterunching the new technological products, some problems


    started to arise. With more than thirty customers around the world filingints at the same time,


    this problem had be the trending topic that was circted everywhere.


    As a result of that, there was a lot of media attention on that matter. They were afraid that if there


    wasn''t any reasonable exnation given to the public, it would affect their reputation in a bad way.


    After Zachary had gone through the information regarding that matter, he uttered indifferently,


    ¡°Recently, I have been using that particr product and there wasn''t any problem with it. Go and check


    if those customers whoined are connected in any way.¡±


    At that moment, the shareholders turned their heads and looked at Johann while he responded, ¡°I also


    suspected if they were filingints deliberately, therefore I have investigated the group of


    customers. So far, I didn''t find anything fishy about them. It may be necessary for you to take action in


    order to find out the hidden agenda behind this matter.¡±


    Zachary raised an eyebrow at Bruce and stated, ¡°Did you hear that?¡±


    Bruce nodded and replied, ¡°Understood. We will investigate this matter immediately.¡±


    ¡°Allow Public Rtions Crisis to deal with the media. I''lle up with a solution when I receive the


    investigation results from Bruce''s team.¡± Zachary looked at the dates and asked Bruce, ¡°Will three days


    be sufficient?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I''lle up with a detailed investigation report in three days,¡± Bruce replied.


    ¡°Is everyone satisfied?¡± Zachary looked at the shareholders.


    ¡°We are relieved to have Mr. Nacht settle this matter.¡±


    The few shareholders let out a sigh of relief. There was only so much they could do as there were


    many tricky issues that needed to be sorted out by Zachary.


    After all, he was a very resourceful man. With power like that, any problem could be solved as long as


    he was around.


    ¡°Are there any other problems?¡± Zachary was sorting out matters one after another.


    ¡°The newly developed intelligent products are stuck in a phase.¡± Johann presented a VR design


    program on hisptop. ¡°This series of products was originally intended for children''s educational


    purposes. However, there are a few problems now that cannot be solved...¡±


    Zachary moved theptop closer to him as he nced at it carefully, then he frowned, ¡°I''ve already


    given my feedback regarding this project before, why hasn''t it been solved yet?¡±


    ¡°The R&D department hit a blind spot...¡± Johann recounted the rted technical problem meticulously.


    After listening to that, Zachary saved all of the information and said, ¡°I''ll go back and study these


    tonight, and give you an answer tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°Alright, thank you Mr. Nacht. That is all from my side.¡± Johann let out a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Zachary nodded and looked at the others. ¡°What about everyone else?¡±


    Theo, who was in charge of the market uttered, ¡°Me... Divine Corporation''s market has always been


    stable, so there aren''t any problems generally. However, now we are facing a crisis.¡±


    ¡°Go on,¡± Zachary responded impatiently.


    After a moment of consideration, Theo stated cautiously, ¡°I''ve received news that Lindberg Corporation


    is going to prate into the domestic market. I''m afraid that they would be our biggest


    competitors.¡±


    ¡°What? Lindberg Corporation is going to prate into the domestic market?¡±


    Upon hearing that, few of the shareholders were panic-stricken.


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    Over the years, Nacht Group had been monopolizing the Asian Pacific market and was ranked the top,


    with Lindberg Corporation being their onlypetitor.


    On the other hand, Lindberg Corporation had only been focusing on the European market previously,


    and as a result of that, there wasn''t any conflict between them and the Nacht Group. However, as of


    now, they were thinking of prating into the domestic market too.


    The Nacht family and the Lindberg family had always been each other''s greatest rivals, and there was


    even a feud between both their previous generations.


    Furthermore, the legendary Mr. L, who was in charge of Lindberg Corporation, was known to be


    ruthless and would do anything to achieve his goal. Besides that, Lindberg Corporation was once


    involved in the criminal underworld when they first started. If they were to go against the Nacht Group,


    it would not be easy to deal with them.


    The few shareholders stared at Zachary while waiting for him to respond.


    Zachary eximed furiously, ¡°Do not fear things that have yet to happen. Even if it were to happen,


    there is always a solution to a problem. We, the Nacht family, have nothing to fear!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±

 Chapter 507

    Chapter 507


    Even though their responses were quick, the shareholders couldn''t help but worry.


    Their leader, Zachary was a business whiz, who was already running a global business at a young age.


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    As for Mr. L from Lindberg Corporation, even though he had only started gaining power in recent years,


    his work ethic was known to be vicious and relentless.


    People would tremble in fear when they heard his name because he had been involved in a few


    shocking incidents in the business world.


    Moreover, given their current situation, the Nacht Group was indeed Lindberg Corporation''s biggest


    rival. These few years when Divine Corporation had just entered the domestic market, and before the


    company was able to gain stability, Lindberg Corporation had already made their move to go against


    Divine Corporation.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht is right. As long as Mr. Nacht is around, there''s no need for us to be worried.¡± Johann said


    reassuringly, ¡°We have confidence in Mr. Nacht.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, yes!¡± Everyone agreed.


    ¡°Breakfast has arrived.¡± At that moment, Lucy and a few of the level 17 waiters brought over some


    scrumptious breakfast.


    ¡°Please have your breakfast.¡± Zachary got up and went to the washroom.


    After seeing how calm he was, the shareholders felt more reassured.


    However, Theo was still curious as he asked Ben tentatively, ¡°Mr. Ben, how is our project with Synder


    Group progressing? Do you have any idea?¡±


    ¡°It''s in progress,¡± Ben replied with a smile.


    He understood what Theo was worried about. Even though Synder Group wasn''t as powerful, they


    were invested in such a huge project with them. If it were to be terminated due to personal reasons,


    Divine Corporation would also suffer a heavy loss.


    Furthermore, if they were to have a falling out with Synder Group, they would possibly join forces with


    Lindberg Corporation. That would pose a huge threat to Divine Corporation.


    Having a business partner might not be a big deal, but once the partner joined the rival''s side, the


    consequences could be hefty.


    Johann said reassuringly, ¡°Don''t worry too much about it, Mr. Murphy. The ckwoods have been


    friends with the Nachts for three generations. Furthermore, Mr. ckwood treats old Mr. Nacht as


    family. Even if there are any changes in work matters, it will not affect the rtionship between the two


    families.¡±


    ¡°That''s good then, that''s good,¡± Theo nodded his head.


    At that moment, Zachary returned from the washroom and had breakfast with the shareholders. Johann


    started to chat casually with him and told him about the new product development. Recently, he had


    been working on a new product for infants and was uninspired because he was stuck at the design.


    Zachary told Johann to send him the information via email, and he would go over it when he returned


    home that night.


    After the meeting, the few shareholders returned to their work. Zachary went back to his office to go


    through some documents as well.


    Ben prepared him some ice wine and sighed, ¡°As you had expected, Mr. Murphy was worried about


    your rtionship with Ms. ckwood and fearful that if the project was interrupted, it would affect the


    cooperation between the twopanies, which might lead to greater consequences.¡±


    Zachary uttered tly, ¡°For him to have shown such great concern, it means that he''s taking his work


    seriously. Is there anything else?¡±


    ¡°Not really.¡± Ben handed the ice wine over to him, then he asked worriedly, ¡°Do you want me to go and


    find out more about Lindberg Corporation?¡±


    Zachary smiled and replied, ¡°I''ve already heard the news about them when I went to the washroom


    earlier. It''s true that Lindberg Corporation is prating the domestic market and the first stop is H


    City.¡±


    Ben was taken aback. ¡°Huh? Are they doing it on purpose? They knew that H City is Divine


    Corporation''s territory. Are they trying to rob us?¡±


    Zachary responded disdainfully, ¡°The Brown family is pulling the strings to help them obtain the South


    sea area. While Hector joined the Brown family, the Browns joined the Lindberg family. In the end,


    Lindberg Corporation benefits from all of that, so they would certainly go for it.¡±


    ¡°Why would they want that part of the sea?¡± Ben couldn''t seem to understand.


    ¡°There are many projects that can be developed in that area. Even though huge investments are risky,


    the returns would be enormous as well.¡± Zachary continued, ¡°The reason why I didn''t develop the sea


    area in the first ce was because I was thinking of stabilizing other industries before that. My main


    focus is the technological industry after all.¡±


    Ben furrowed his brows as his face was filled with concern. ¡°There was a deep feud between the


    previous generations of the Lindberg family and the Nacht family. Even though the current generations


    are minding their own businesses, if both families were to go against each other and bring up the past,


    I''m worried the situation would be out of control.¡±


    ¡°We will not attack unless we are attacked. However, if they do attack us...¡± Zachary closed his eyes


    and uttered furiously, ¡°I will definitely destroy them!¡±

 Chapter 508

    Chapter 508


    After he left thepany in the afternoon, Zachary headed straight to Kindness Hospital.


    Charlotte was already feeling much better today. After a whole day of slumber, her body felt weak and


    her face was utterly pale.


    She did not have an episode that day, hence her mood was quite calm.


    Upon arriving at her ward, Zachary saw Charlotte standing next to the window while she quietly gazed


    at the rain outside the window.


    He walked towards her sneakily and hugged her from behind.


    Being startled, her reaction was huge as she swung her hand, her fistnded on his head.


    Thud. A muffled sound traveled across the room.


    ¡°Uh...¡± The moment Charlotte saw it was Zachary, she instantly held his face in her hands and


    apologized, ¡°I''m sorry, I''m sorry. I didn''t know it was you. Was it painful?¡±


    ¡°It''s a good thing you''re not holding a knife, otherwise you''ll be stained by blood.¡±


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    Zachary pinched her cheeks while ignoring the pain.


    ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Charlotte felt extremely guilty as she gently rubbed his red and swollen forehead. All of a


    sudden, she noticed there was a deep bite mark around his neck. The wound was seemingly tender


    and everywhere around it was bruised.


    ¡°Oh God, what happened here? How did you get bitten like that? Who bit you?¡± Charlotte asked


    frantically.


    Zachary remained silent as he smirked at her.


    ¡°Was it me? Are you serious?¡± Charlotte''s eyes widened in horror.


    ¡°I thought you had turned into a vampire yesterday. You sucked quite a bit of blood out of me!¡± Zachary


    brushed her lips with his finger.


    ¡°I''m sorry...¡± Charlotte was so guilt-ridden that her eyes reddened instantly.


    Biting and bruising his neck like that, and even giving him a swollen bump on his forehead today, she


    didn''t realize how scary she was being in that mad state.


    If this had been before, he would have strangled her.


    Why is he so kind and gentle now?


    ¡°So, how should you be punished? Hm?¡± Zachary said with a straight face and pretended to sound


    stern.


    ¡°I...¡± Charlotte panicked a little and looked at him with puppy eyes. ¡°It was my fault!¡±


    Right after, she closed her eyes and stretched her neck while uttering, ¡°Go ahead and bite me!¡±


    She remembered that he was vindictive and he would never let things slide easily.


    ¡°Alright...¡± Zachary moved over slowly and nibbled her neck with his teeth. A soft tingle had her feeling


    like a feather was caressing gently against her neck, then apanied by a burst of electricity


    spreading throughout her body.


    Charlotte waited for some time but Zachary hadn''t bitten her for real. He teasingly kissed her from the


    neck to her cheeks, ears, shoulders and cor bone instead.


    Charlotte tilted her head and panted breathlessly while she allowed herself to be consumed by his fiery


    kiss.


    She trembled slightly as she puckered her red lips and kissed him back.


    The temperature in the room instantly rose as the atmosphere became hot and fiery. It was as if the


    passion had erupted into a burning ze.


    Outside the ward, Ben turned to Marino who was stationed to guard at the door and uttered, ¡°Do you


    know what to do?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I won''t let anyone disturb Mr. Nacht.¡±


    Marino had be ustomed to such a scene and he wouldn''t blush like he used to.


    The temperature in the room increased as the warmth emanated from both their bodies. While being in


    a space where only the two of them existed, they hugged each other tightly as their souls entwined.


    In a moment of ecstasy, Zachary nibbled Charlotte''s ear and ordered, ¡°Hug me tightly!¡±


    Charlotte clung to his waist while she gazed at him dreamily. She could feel his hot, burning emotions


    exuding around her as she stared into his intense yet loving eyes.


    Suddenly, a tear rolled down her face as she felt very happy and contented. However, she tried to


    cover it with a passionate kiss.


    Zachary kissed her and whispered in her ear, ¡°Silly girl... We will be very happy together.¡±


    He knew that she was insecure, apprehensive about a lot of things and a constant worrier. Therefore,


    he only wanted to give her the best of everything.


    Love, marriage and a home...


    As long as it was something she hoped for, he would give it to her.

 Chapter 509

    Chapter 509


    Afterwards, while Charlotte snuggled and fell asleep in Zachary''s arms, he stroked her hair gently and


    stared at her tenderly. It seemed like she wasn''t getting enough sleep as she had been feeling rather


    sleepy for the past few days.


    When he first arrived, Raina told him that she was very calm that day and there wasn''t anything


    abnormal about her. Besides sleeping and being in a daze, she had hardly eaten anything.


    She must be exhausted and terrified.


    At the thought of that, he decided to give her more assurance and care in order to bring her out of the


    darkness once and for all.


    ¡°Gigolo, I don''t want to stay in the hospital. I want to go home.¡± Charlotte suddenly whispered hazily.


    ¡°Alright.¡± That was exactly what Zachary intended for her as well. Even a normal person would go crazy


    after spending so much time in a hospital.


    ¡°The children are waiting for you at home and you''ll feel better after returning too.¡± Zachary kissed


    Charlotte''s forehead and continued, ¡°You can sleep a little longer. I''ll go and talk to someone to make


    the necessary arrangements.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Charlotte closed her eyes and nodded her head in response.


    Zachary got up and dressed, then he went out and told Ben to settle the arrangements for her


    discharge.


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    At the same time, Ben was on the phone while he uttered hurriedly, ¡°Just in time, the three children


    called to say that they wish to visit their Mommy. Should we let them wait for her at home instead?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we will arrive home in an hour,¡± Zachary nodded.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Ben ryed the message instantly.


    On the other end of the call, the three children cheered excitedly after receiving the news. Ben''s


    eardrums vibrated from the loud noise.


    Ben put down his cell phone and looked at Zachary with a puzzled expression. ¡°It''s going to be noisy


    when we reach thereter.¡±


    ¡°That''s good. It''ll be lively!¡± Zachary smiled.


    ¡°That''s true, I''ll go and make the arrangements immediately.¡± Ben uttered smilingly and left.


    Zachary turned his head and looked at Charlotte, who was in bed. Then he spoke to Raina, ¡°Do look


    after her, I''ll go and see Grandpa.¡±


    Raina nodded and responded, ¡°Alright, don''t worry.¡±


    Upon arriving at Henry''s ward, Zachary noticed that Taylor was there as well.


    Apanied by Spencer, he was visiting Henry and they were just walking out from the ward.


    Just when Taylor was about to utter something, he caught a glimpse of Zachary and greeted


    instantaneously, ¡°Zachary, you''re here!¡±


    ¡°Mr. ckwood, thank you for visiting Grandpa again!¡± Zachary responded politely.


    ¡°I''m returning to F Nation tomorrow, that''s why I decided toe and visit Mr. Nacht.¡± Taylor stared at


    Zachary and continued to ask, ¡°Are you free now? Can we have a chat?¡±


    ¡°I have to rush home after seeing Grandpa.¡± Zachary took a nce at his watch.


    ¡°Then don''t let me hold you back. I''ll make a move first, goodbye!¡± Taylor uttered helplessly with a tight


    smile.


    ¡°Goodbye.¡± Zachary made way for him as he watched him leave.


    Spencer returned after escorting Taylor out, then he furrowed his brows and said, ¡°Mr. Zachary, Mr.


    ckwood meant no harm, why did you have to turn him away?¡±


    Zachary responded in a serious manner, ¡°There''s no use beating around the bush when ites to


    certain topics. When Grandpa gets better, I''ll give the ckwoods a thorough exnation then.¡±


    Spencer''s brows were tightly knitted. ¡°Maybe Mr. ckwood wasn''t thinking of talking about that


    matter? Seeing that he was hesitant earlier, I can''t help but feel like he had something important to


    say.¡±


    ¡°Even if there is, it has nothing to do with me, right?¡±


    Zachary replied tly as he walked into the istion room to change his clothes.


    Spencer sighed and remained silent.


    Henry was in a rather good condition today. The moment Zachary entered, his eyes opened slightly as


    he looked at him weakly. Then, with immense effort, he reached out his hand to him.


    ¡°Grandpa...¡± Zachary walked over instantly and held his hand.


    ¡°Do not... Do not... cancel... the engagement,¡± Henry uttered strenuously.


    His voice sounded very weak as he had difficulty breathing. Even after he said a few words, he would


    start gasping for air. However, his grip was strong as he grabbed onto Zachary''s hand, it was as if he


    was trying to remind Zachary of the importance of the matter.


    Zachary furrowed his brows as he was torn. He didn''t want Henry to get agitated, but at the same time,


    he didn''t want to obey him either. So, he simply said, ¡°Focus on your recovery now. We will talk about it


    when you get better.¡±

 Chapter 510

    Chapter 510


    ¡°Never... Never let the Lindberg family... get the upper hand.¡± Henry struggled while saying to him


    between breaths.


    Zachary instantly understood that Henry knew about Lindberg Corporation''s n to prate the


    domestic market. He was also thinking that if the engagement were to be called off, Synder Group


    would probably coborate with Lindberg Corporation instead.


    Seeing that Lindberg Corporation had already joined forces with the Browns, if Synder Group were to


    join them as well, it would only make them even more powerful.


    And if the two families were to battle it out, it would be detrimental to the Nacht family.


    Seeing the struggling look on Henry''s face, Zachary was utterly perplexed.


    He was surrounded by guilt and anger at the same time.


    He felt guilty because even though Henry was already old andying in a hospital bed weakly while


    fighting for his life, he still had to worry about the family''s well-being. As for the anger he was feeling, it


    was because Taylor had approached Henry and told him such news at a time like this. Was he trying to


    threaten him or was it a warning from him? What kindness and gentleness? He seems like a


    despicably vicious person!


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, please calm down, Mr. Nacht...¡± Spencerforted him instantly, ¡°Leave the family''s


    matters to Mr. Zachary instead, you can''t overburden yourself anymore. I''ll ask the doctor toe over


    immediately.¡±


    Then Spencer left to look for the doctor.


    Zachary squeezed Henry''s hand and said, ¡°Grandpa, don''t worry. We will sort things out after you have


    recovered.¡±


    After a while, Zachary got up and was about to leave while Henry stared at him with widened eyes.


    With his arm stretched out, he looked as if he wanted to utter something but he was too weak for that.


    Soon after, the doctor arrived with Spencer.


    While Zachary stood at the door furiously, the doctor entered the room and took care of Henry.


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Henry''s condition stabilized in no time and the doctor remained in the room to look after him.


    Spencer came out of the room and exined the situation to Zachary, then he added, ¡°Mr. Zachary,


    you mustn''t misunderstand. I was next to Mr. ckwood the entire time during his visit and he did not


    say anything.¡±


    ¡°Then how would Grandpa know?¡± Zachary''s brows furrowed.


    ¡°That night before he copsed, he already knew about Lindberg Corporation entering the domestic


    market. He also received news about the Browns joining forces with Lindberg Corporation.¡±


    Spencer tried to recall that night''s situation carefully, then he continued in a serious tone, ¡°Do you really


    think that Mr. Nacht is ignorant? How could he not know what''s on your mind? He even has a copy of


    the information you were investigating.¡±


    Zachary was very shocked. ¡°Are you saying that... he''s aware of what Sharon had done?¡±


    Spencer nodded and replied, ¡°Yes. It''s true that he didn''t know at first, but then he saw that you insisted


    on dragging the engagement and even sent someone to investigate Ms. ckwood. Therefore, Mr.


    Nacht forced me to get a copy of the information and found out everything Ms. ckwood had done.


    However, at that time, he couldn''t confront her. You''re probably unaware that she has already received


    a fifty-five percent stake of the shares. As of now, the entire Synder Group is under her control, even


    Mr. ckwood has no say in anything. If you were to call off the engagement, with her temperament,


    I''m sure she will definitely coborate with Lindberg Corporation, which would be detrimental to the


    entire Nacht family!¡±


    Upon hearing that, Zachary kept silent. He was aware of the importance of the matter. However, he


    wasn''t expecting Henry to already have ns.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht has been asking to see you for the past few days, in hope to speak to you about this matter.


    Since he had regained some of his strength today, he seized the opportunity instantly to remind you.¡±


    Spencer continued, ¡°The Nacht family had always been divided into two. Even though Ms. Zara did not


    receive many assets, it had certainly weakened the Nacht family''s power as a whole. It''s dangerous


    enough if you were to go against the Lindberg Corporation alone at this time, but if we lose Synder


    Group''s support as well... I can''t imagine what would happen next. Unless...¡±


    After a momentary pause, Spencer uttered cautiously, ¡°Unless you and Ms. Zara agree to coborate


    and fight together!¡±


    ¡°How''s that possible?¡± Zachary objected indignantly.


    Spencer knew his character and he responded, ¡°That''s true... Since you can''t reach a consensus with


    Ms. Zara, it''s better not to get into any disagreements with Synder Group in the meantime. Let''s wait for


    Mr. Nacht to wake up before making any decisions.¡±

 Chapter 511

    Chapter 511


    Hearing those words got Zachary thinking. He knew that Spencer only said all those things for his sake.


    When Zachary was a kid, he learned that he needed to see the big picture and make decisions for the


    greater good.


    That was how he had been ever since, and that was how he got Divine Corporation to grow that much


    within a few years.


    However, his heart overpowered his head at that time.


    He was eager to give Charlotte and the kids a home and to throw a huge wedding. In fact, he craved it


    so badly that he didn''t really want to wait until Henry woke up.


    Reality, however, was warning him.


    Grandpa is gravely ill. Yet, he is still thinking about all these things. He even used the little strength he


    has to remind me repeatedly that I can''t let Lindberg Corporation win.


    Zachary could let go of anything else but... Lindberg Corporation? That was something he refused to


    compromise on.


    The Nacht family and the Lindberg family were nemeses. Hell, the Lindberg family was the reason


    Zachary''s parents died at such a young age.


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    The grudge from the previous generation had since been resolved in their generation, and they had


    little to no interaction with each other since.


    However, the Lindberg family hade after the Nacht family once more, so naturally, Zachary had to


    go all out in that war.


    That was also why he had to put the beautiful image in his mind aside and postpone everything.


    ¡°Mr. Zachary, you are the Nacht family''s only hope. Please don''t let your grandpa down,¡± said Spencer


    before he tilted his head down and went back into the room.


    Zachary turned around to leave. It was only a few minutes¡¯ drive, but thousands of thoughts had


    already run through his mind.


    The Nacht family is facing internal turmoil as well as external threats. Our enemies are everywhere,


    and I have to put romance aside for a while. The most important thing right now is work.


    Charlotte will understand that, right?


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, everything is ready,¡± reported Ben.


    ¡°Okay,¡± murmured Zachary before he entered the ward. Charlotte had already changed her clothes by


    then. She still looked weak, but she was happy because she knew that she would be seeing her kids


    soon.


    ¡°Let''s go home,¡± said Zachary as he offered her his hand.


    Charlotte put her hand in his, and they grinned while looking into each other''s eyes.


    Zachary took his coat off and draped it over her before they walked out of the ward together.


    Ben and Raina followed behind with the other security guards and medical staff.


    The aura he was radiating got every patient in the hospital and their families to turn around to stare.


    The patients moved aside nervously to make way.


    The rain was pouring, so the security guard was holding a huge umbre the entire way to the car. He


    was shielding Charlotte and Zachary from the rain and wind.


    Zachary carried Charlotte into the car then helped her dry the rain off of her hair.


    Charlotte rxed in his arms. She fell asleep soon after.


    ¡°She''s sleeping again?¡± murmured Zachary as he touched her forehead. She doesn''t have a fever.


    Zachary whispered to Raina, ¡°What''s going on? She''s been sleeping a lot over the past two days.¡±


    ¡°She''s probably just exhausted. It''s likely that she was too scared to rest well these past few days,¡±


    replied Raina softly, ¡°Plus, she''s medicated, so she''s sleeping moretely. She should revert to her old


    self in a few days.¡±


    Zachary held Charlotte tightly in his arms. He stroked her shoulders softly to help her have a better


    sleep.


    Charlotte curled up in his arms like she was a kid. She fell asleep soon after.


    Zachary was a little nervous because he sensed that something was off about her. Heter thought


    about how the doctors had run all sorts of tests on her, but still couldn''t find anything off. Maybe she


    really is just tired and will be fine in a few days...


    The car drove slowly and steadily so that Charlotte could sleep well.


    They ended up spending over forty minutes traveling down a thirty-minute route. The kids were waiting


    by the entrance at the time. When they saw the car pulling up, they got so excited that they ran ahead.


    The nurses quickly stopped them.


    ¡°Kids, be careful. Don''t run over until the car is parked.¡±


    ¡°Violet, can you see them? Is Mommy in the car with them?¡±


    Ellie was hopping and tiptoeing to try to see better. She wanted to check if her mommy was in the car.


    ¡°I can''t tell,¡± answered Violet after looking ahead. The windows were tinted, so they couldn''t see what


    was going on inside.

 Chapter 512

    Chapter 512


    ¡°We''re home,¡± informed Zachary softly.


    Charlotte didn''t react.


    Zachary tapped her face lightly to prompt her to open her eyes slowly. She asked groggily, ¡°Are we


    there yet? Where are the kids?¡±


    ¡°They''re waiting for you,¡± replied Zachary as he helped Charlotte out of the car.


    ¡°Mommy!¡± called out Ellie. Her short legs ran over. She was so excited that she almost knocked


    Charlotte to the ground.


    Fortunately, Zachary was there to steady Charlotte.


    She crouched down immediately to pick up Ellie''s chubby figure and kiss the girl''s soft cheeks.


    ¡°Mommy, where have you been? I miss you so much,¡± said Ellie. Her voice turned thick with tears as


    soon as her lips parted, and crystal clear teardrops swirled in her eyes.


    However, Ellie never let her tears roll down her cheeks because the kids had agreed that they would


    not cry.


    ¡°Mommy missed you too,¡± said Charlotte while hugging Ellie. The former''s heart was heavy with guilt


    when she apologized, ¡°I''m so sorry. I didn''t take care of you.¡±


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Mommy,¡± said Robbie. He had run over as well, and his tiny, new boots stomped on the puddle as he


    hurried over. That caused water from the puddle to ssh everywhere.


    ¡°Robbie!¡± called out Charlotte, who opened her arms immediately to hold him.


    ¡°Mommy, are you okay?¡±


    Robbie''s eyes were reddened with tears. He was quite mature, so he had always presented himself in


    a tough and calm manner. Yet, he couldn''t conceal his weaker side when he saw his mommy there.


    ¡°Mommy is fine,¡± promised Charlotte while hugging Robbie. She kissed his hair and asked, ¡°Robbie, I


    heard that you had an allergic reaction. How are you feeling?¡±


    ¡°I''m all better now,¡± replied Robbie. His tiny hand wiped the rain off of Charlotte''s face, and he seemed


    heartbroken to see how pale she looked. He asked, ¡°Mommy, are you sick?¡±


    ¡°It''s just a minor issue. I''ll be fine,¡± answered Charlotte.


    As she spoke, the nurse pushed Jamie over to them.


    ¡°Mommy, mommy!¡± called out Jamie excitedly from a distance.


    ¡°Jamie!¡± said Charlotte. She rushed over to hug Jamie and ask, ¡°How is your leg? Are you feeling


    better? When did they take the cast off?¡±


    ¡°They took the cast off yesterday, and the doctor said that I am recovering well,¡± answered Jamie. He


    hugged Charlotte tightly and added coquettishly, ¡°I miss you so much, mommy. I had a dream about


    you this afternoon, and I was so scared that you won''te back anymore.¡±


    ¡°Silly boy. Mommy is back now, and I will never leave again,¡± said Charlotte. She pinched his cute


    cheek a little and added lovingly, ¡°Alright, let''s go in. It''s pouring out here.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± said the kids. All three stuck to Charlotte''s side. Robbie held her skirt, Ellie held one hand, and


    Jamie held Charlotte''s other hand.


    ¡°Don''t pester your mommy now. She needs to rest, too,¡± reminded Zachary.


    Without saying another word, Zachary picked Ellie and Robbie up and put them on his shoulders.


    ¡°Gah!¡± shouted Robbie, who almost fell down.


    ¡°Robbie, do this,¡± shared Ellie. Her tiny, plump hand was gripping Zachary''s hair. She even


    demonstrated how she steadied herself while sitting on Zachary''s shoulder.


    Robbie saw that and copied her instantly. He grabbed onto Zachary''s hair as well.


    ¡°See? You won''t fall this way,¡± bragged Ellie, with her tiny head held high.


    ¡°You''re right. It''s so much safer this way,¡± replied Robbie, who then sighed a breath of relief.


    Zachary was utterly speechless.


    If he were in aic, a series of sweat drops would be drawn on his head. He felt as if he had turned


    into an actual tree with two monkeys hanging off him.


    ¡°Mommy, mommy...¡±


    Fifi flew over at that moment and sat on Zachary''s head. The little parrot scanned around like it was


    looking for its territory.


    ¡°I wanna hang on after my legs recover,¡±ined Jamie. It sounded like he thought that he was


    missing out on a lot of fun because he couldn''t join his siblings who were on Zachary''s shoulders at


    that moment.


    Charlotte giggled aloud. Her eyes exuded warmth and love when she turned to Zachary.


    ¡°It''s not funny!¡± grumbled Zachary before he pinched her cheek. He held her hand with one hand and


    pushed Jamie''s wheelchair with the other. He was leading everyone into the house. ¡°Let''s go home,¡±


    suggested Zachary.


    ¡°Yay, home!¡±


    The three kids cheered with happiness echoing in their voices.

 Chapter 513

    Chapter 513


    The three kids circled around Charlotte after getting into the house. They spoke endlessly about what


    happened in the kindergarten over the past few days, as well as how awesome their new house was.


    Ellie stuck to Charlotte and was hugging thetter''s neck when she spoke coquettishly. ¡°My room is so


    big, mommy. There''s even a piano in there, and it''s so beautiful. Let me show you.¡±


    ¡°My room is really big too! There are tons of toy cars, model airnes, and all sorts of toys,¡± shared


    Jamie eagerly. He crawled out of his wheelchair and onto the sofa because he wanted to be closer to


    his mommy.


    ¡°Jamie and I are staying in different rooms now. We all have our own room,¡± said Robbie. He couldn''t


    wait to tell Charlotte, ¡°There''s aputer in my room, and there are tons of high-tech stuff in there.¡±


    ¡°That''s great,¡± replied Charlotte. She stroked their tiny heads and said lovingly, ¡°But I''m a little tired


    today. I''ll go check your rooms out tomorrow, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± replied the kids while nodding their heads.


    ¡°What''s wrong, mommy? Are you still sick?¡± asked Ellie. She ced her tiny, chubby hand on


    Charlotte''s forehead beforeparing the temperature against her own head. ¡°Hmm, but you don''t


    have a fever.¡±


    ¡°I''m just a little tired. I''ll be fine after resting a few days,¡± said Charlotte, while stroking Ellie''s chubby


    face.


    ¡°Let''s not bother mommy anymore and let her rest,¡± suggested the good boy, Robbie, immediately, ¡°It''s


    Sunday tomorrow, so we don''t need to go to school. We''ll show you our rooms then.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± replied Charlotte. She nodded, then hugged her children before adding, ¡°It''s over nine. Go


    shower and sleep now.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Goodnight, mommy.¡±


    ¡°Good night.¡±


    Charlotte waved at her three kids and watched as the nurses took them up the stairs.


    They were delighted about their mommy being home, so they were skipping as they walked. They even


    hummed.


    Charlotte''s lips curved into a beautiful grin when she saw them skipping that happily.


    ¡°Why not spend more time with the kids?¡± asked Zachary.


    He walked over with a ss of icy drink for himself and a cup of tea for her.


    Charlotte sipped some tea and said, ¡°I think the kids and I should move back to our ce.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± asked Zachary with a frown.


    Charlotte shifted her attention to the maids and the security guards without saying anything.


    ¡°Leave us,¡± ordered Zachary.


    ¡°Understood.¡± Everyone left after that.


    Charlotte only spoke up after the door to the room was closed. ¡°Is your grandpa sick?¡± asked Charlotte.


    ¡°Yes. He''s being treated in Kindness Hospital right now,¡± replied Zachary. He had never nned on


    hiding anything from her.


    ¡°I think the kids and I should move back to my ce until he regains consciousness. Let''s wait until he


    wakes up, and you can tell him everything about the kids. Once he epted everything, we can...¡±


    ¡°The kids are mine, so it doesn''t matter if he epts them,¡± interrupted Zachary before he revealed,


    ¡°Besides, he had always liked the triplets. I''m sure he will be ecstatic to hear this news.¡±


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°But...¡± murmured Charlotte uneasily, ¡°I feel that it''s inappropriate. I''m moving in without an actual title


    or anything.¡±


    ¡°What''s inappropriate about it?¡± demanded Zachary while frowning, ¡°This is my home, and I get to


    choose who I let stay here. No one can say anything about it, and you shouldn''t put so much pressure


    on yourself, either.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I will ept that, but it''s not convenient for the kids to stay here. Their school...¡±


    ¡°I already hired a driver for that. Someone will drive them over and pick them up from school. The time


    taken to travel to school will remain the same because they won''t need to wait for the school bus,¡±


    shared Zachary, who had thought of everything. ¡°You should rest up and heal at home while my


    grandpa is hospitalized. Once he wakes up, I will discuss the matter with him and prep for the


    wedding.¡±


    ¡°Wedding?¡±


    Charlotte had never even considered that before. That night from four years ago, and their reunion four


    yearster... So much had happened in between that she didn''t think she''d get to marry him.

 Chapter 514

    Chapter 514


    ¡°Why are you lost?¡±


    Zachary was a little upset when he pinched Charlotte''s face. He thought that she should''ve been


    touched by the gesture and tear up. He was definitely expecting a warm hug and a passionate kiss.


    But she''s just stunned there.


    ¡°It''s nothing,¡± replied Charlotte. She finally came around and grinned bitterly before saying, ¡°I just felt


    like this happiness came too suddenly...¡±


    ¡°You''re not happy with it?¡± asked Zachary as he stared at her in confusion.


    ¡°No, that''s not it at all,¡± answered Charlotte. She reached out to hug him and rested her face against


    his chest. She enjoyed the rhythm of his powerful heartbeat before she sighed and imed, ¡°I''ve been


    through too much over the past couple of years, and I feel like happiness will always be beyond my


    reach. I am finally happy, and it feels surreal. It''s like I''m dreaming.¡±


    ¡°Silly girl. This is not a dream,¡± reassured Zachary. He hugged her tightly in his arms.


    ¡°I hope not...¡±


    Charlotte buried her face by his neck and greedily inhaled his natural scent. She had been holding


    especially tight onto himtely because it felt like he would vanish if she let her guard down...


    Zachary carried her and ced her onto the bed. He wanted to have her then and there, but he worried


    that her body couldn''t handle the fatigue.


    Hence, he quietly held her and stroked her shoulder softly to coax her to bed.


    ¡°I''ll nap now and wake up earlier tomorrow morning to make everyone some breakfast,¡± murmured


    Charlotte wearily. She was like a cuddly kitten at that moment and was curled up obediently in


    Zachary''s arms. Her beautiful face was pressed against his heart, and she listened to his heartbeat as


    she slept. That made her feel especially warm and safe.


    Zachary rested his head on his arm and stared at Charlotte, who was lying sideways by his side.


    Back then, he found it annoying that she was noisy and troublesome. Turned out, her being quiet just


    got him to worry...


    It''s like she''spletely changed after she got back. She''s starting to act lost and looks like she''s in a


    daze...


    Am I overthinking this? Or is there something off with her body and health?


    Zachary was nervous. However, when he saw her sleeping that soundly, heforted himself. Maybe


    she''s just exhausted. She''ll be fine after resting for a few days...


    Zachary kissed her, then fell asleep with her in his arms.


    That night, the rain suddenly poured, and the loud thunder woke Charlotte up. It made her tremble in


    fear.


    Zachary was obviously still asleep, but he instinctively held her closer and stroked her arm gently. His


    other hand covered her ears and pulled her face to his chest.


    Charlotte listened to his heartbeat and slowly calmed herself down. She adjusted her position in his


    arms before she continued sleeping.


    He was like her rock, and she felt like he was her protector that could shield her from everything.


    I don''t need to be scared with him around...


    The children''s gleefulughter echoed in the morning. Zachary woke up groggily, and he instinctively


    reached out to his side. However, Charlotte was nowhere to be found.


    He jumped out of his bed immediately to look for her, but she wasn''t in the washroom nor in the mini-


    study room.


    Zachary panicked. He opened the door to search for her. At the very next second, he saw Charlotte in


    a casual outfit. She had an apron on and was putting breakfast on the dining table.


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    The kids were chatting away and discussing whether their mommy''s cooking had improved. Jamie was


    sitting in a wheelchair, so it was difficult for him to move about. He sat by the dining table and looked


    like he was tempted to taste-test everything.


    However, Robbie halted him and ordered sternly, ¡°No, we can''t eat until Mommy and Uncle Zack are


    here!¡±


    ¡°We may be kids, but we have to be courteous,¡± agreed Ellie in her baby voice. She even tilted her tiny


    head to Fifi and asked, ¡°Am I right, Fifi?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Fifi had always favored Ellie, so the former would agree to whatever thetter said.


    ¡°Okay,¡± muttered Jamie. He retracted his hand obediently, but his eyes remained stuck on the hot cross


    bunnies. His saliva was borderline leaking when hemented, ¡°I wonder when Uncle Zack will be up.


    I''m so hungry.¡±


    ¡°I''ll go get Uncle Zack...¡±


    Robbie was about to walk up the stairs when he saw Zachary staring at them in the corridor. The


    former instantly called out, ¡°Uncle Zack,e and have breakfast.¡±

 Chapter 515

    Chapter 515


    ¡°Mommy made hot cross bunnies and omelets. They''re really delicious,¡± said Ellie in her baby voice


    while waving her tiny hand at Zachary, ¡°Come quick!¡±


    ¡°Don''t rush him. I haven''t finished making the waffles,¡± said Charlotte as she ced a fruit sd on the


    dining table. She smiled at Zachary and instructed, ¡°Go change your clothes.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± replied Zachary with a smile and a nod. I''ve never started the day on such a beautiful note


    before...


    ¡°This is so great,¡± eximed Ben upon seeing all that. He couldn''t help it. A simple morning like that


    may seem nothing to the ordinary folks, but for the great Mr. Nacht, that was a luxury he had been


    craving ever since he was a kid.


    He finally has it now. No wonder his eyes have been exuding the kind of warmth that had never shown


    itself before...


    Charlotte had already served the waffles by the time Zachary changed his clothes and walked down


    the stairs. There were seven dishes and three drinks for breakfast, so it was a plentiful breakfast.


    Robbie helped set the table. Like a pro, he instructed, ¡°We''ll sit here, Mommy and Uncle Zack will sit


    there, and Fifi will sit at the end.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Robbie.¡±


    The nurse helped Ellie into her seat, but Ellie put the napkin on herself.


    Jamie''s eyes were practically glowing, and he was salivating at the food. He pped his tiny hands


    excitedly before eximing, ¡°Everything looks so delicious for breakfast. Gah, I can''t wait any longer!¡±


    Fifi was sitting at the end. It stared at the pet food on its te, then at the gorgeous breakfast that


    everyone else was having. That got it to kick its te in dissatisfaction and waved its wings while


    comining, ¡°Want breakfast, want breakfast!¡±


    ¡°Quiet!¡± ordered Ellie, while frowning her tiny brows. Her baby features made her look cute even when


    she was ring and scolding, ¡°You can''t eat these, okay? You have to eat pet food.¡±


    ¡°No, no!¡±ined Fifi. It spread its wings and tried to fly over.


    ¡°No!¡± said Ellie. Her tiny hands quickly shielded the food before she called out loudly, ¡°Robbie, Jamie,


    come help. Fifi is trying to steal breakfast.¡±


    ¡°Fifi, return to your seat at once,¡± demanded Jamie, while frowning. He then threatened with a tiny fork,


    ¡°If you don''t, I will lock you up in a cage!¡±


    ¡°Don''t! Don''t!¡± cried Fifi in a heartbroken tone. It stopped some distance away from them before it


    reluctantly moved away from all that delicious food.


    ¡°Come now, I will give you some extra walnutter,¡± cooed Robbie calmly, ¡°Go back to your seat.¡±


    ¡°Here''s your walnut, Fifi. Come have your breakfast,¡± said Charlotte, who added some crushed walnut


    to Fifi''s te.


    Fifi finally returned to its seat reluctantly. As it walked, it proudly kept its head high as if it was saying,


    ¡°Hmph, I''ve got walnuts, and I''m not sharing!¡±


    ¡°This parrot has a terrible temper,¡±mented Zachary.


    He saw everything from the stairs and thought that it was interesting. The ce had turned noisy


    because of that incident, but it also turned the ce lively and warm.


    ¡°Uncle Zack, its name is Fifi!¡±


    Robbie had set the cutlery in ce. He tiptoed and climbed onto his chair before he spread his napkin


    like a gentleman.


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Why was it given that name?¡± asked Zachary warmly.


    ¡°So that our names match,¡± replied Jamie, as he tilted his head to the side. Heter put on a straight


    face and added, ¡°There''s Robbie, Jamie, and Ellie, so it''s only natural that we call it Fifi. To differentiate


    it from the rest of us, its name didn''t end with an ''E'', though.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see,¡± replied Zachary while nodding.


    ¡°I also have some barbie dolls, but I gave them repetitive names, like Deedee, Lulu, Kiki...¡± shared Ellie


    while counting with her fingers. Her tiny lips informed, ¡°They are all precious and are so cute. I''ll


    introduce them to you someday.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± replied Zachary with a smile. Even though he was looking at his children, he still had a hard


    time believing that he was actually a father. It''s like a dream...

 Chapter 516

    Chapter 516


    The kids used to call him old man, and that infuriated him. They had since changed and started calling


    him Uncle Zack, but that made him a little ufortable as well. He wanted them to call him dad, but


    he didn''t know how to make that request.


    Maybe I should build a better rapport with them first...


    ¡°Come dig in,¡± said Charlotte. She ced a cup of freshly made coffee in front of Zachary.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± said Zachary before he sipped some coffee. He shifted his gaze to the kids and tested the


    water by asking, ¡°How about I drive you guys to the kindergarten today?¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± asked Ellie, who was pleasantly surprised. A cheerful smile lit up on her beautiful face as she


    added, ¡°That''d be awesome!¡±


    ¡°I think so too,¡± agreed Jamie excitedly, while having his tiny arm up to cast his vote, ¡°Mommy is usually


    busy and can''t drop us off at the kindergarten. I''m always so jealous when I see how the other kids


    have their parents at the kindergarten with them.¡±


    Hearing those words got Charlotte to feel guilty. He''s right. I rarely drop the kids off at school, and I


    thought that they are okay with it. I never realized that they are envious of the other kids...


    ¡°Uncle Zack, won''t that make youte for work?¡± asked Robbie, who was more considerate.


    ¡°Not at all,¡± replied Zachary before he turned to Ben and ordered, ¡°Go set everything up.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± blurted Ben. He was stunned because he didn''t know what was there to set up. He''s just


    dropping the kids off at the kindergarten, right? All he has to do is to tell the driver where to go. There''s


    nothing to set up.


    ¡°How many kids are there in your kindergarten?¡± asked Zachary as he sipped his coffee.


    ¡°Huh? That is such a tough question.¡±


    Ellie had a cute ponytail on her head, and her tiny lips pouted as she thought about it. Unfortunately,


    she still couldn''t figure the answer out.


    ¡°All I know is that there are neen students in our ss,¡± answered Jamie after he swallowed one of


    the hot cross bunnies. His tiny lips were oily, and his cheeks were bulging a little when he added,


    ¡°There used to be twenty students, but Timothy went to another school, so now there''s only neen.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± murmured Zachary while nodding.


    ¡°I know the answer to that,¡± replied Robbie. He sipped some juice before counting with his fingers and


    answering, ¡°The kindergarten divides its students into four age groups, and each age group makes


    seven sses. With each ssroomprising twenty students, there are five hundred and sixty


    students in total.¡±


    Robbie paused for a moment before adding, ¡°Also, there are five teachers in each ss, and that


    makes it a total of one hundred and forty teachers.¡±


    ¡°You are brilliant!¡±


    Zachary was astonished. In addition to having high EQ, the kid''s logical thinking and mathematics are


    on point as well. He''s not even four, but he can analyze situations and make deductions quickly. He''s


    such an adorable genius! As expected of my son!


    ¡°Thank you,¡± replied Robbie. He was already used to receivingpliments like that, so he asked


    calmly, ¡°Why do you want to know, Uncle Zack?¡±


    ¡°Because the idiot standing behind me doesn''t know what to do,¡± replied Zachary, before shooting a


    frosty re at Ben.


    ¡°I got it,¡± said Ben, who quickly nodded. He finally understood what Zachary meant by setting


    everything up. ¡°I''ll go work on it right away.¡±


    Benter bowed politely to everyone before rushing out of there.


    ¡°What''s going on?¡± asked Charlotte in a confused tone.


    ¡°You don''t need to worry about anything,¡± promised Zachary as he got some hot cross bunnies for her,


    ¡°All you have to do is rest up at home. I''ll take everyone out for a stroll after you''ve recovered.¡±


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Okay,¡± murmured Charlotte. She nodded with a smile. She never knew that Zachary had a softer side,


    and seeing how he interacted with the kids and nned to send the kids to school...


    I don''t need to worry about anything at all.


    ¡°What else do you like aside from logical thinking and mathematics?¡± asked Zachary while looking at


    Robbie.


    ¡°Anything to do with technology,¡± replied Robbie as he stirred the vegetable broth in his bowl, ¡°I like


    gadgets, so Mr. Henry got me aputer. He also hired someone to teach me foreignnguage as


    well as some basic technical know-how.¡±


    ¡°Basic?¡± repeated Zachary with his brows raised.


    ¡°Yeah. At first, I thought that everything he taught was interesting, but Iter found the content to be too


    simple. I kept dozing off during his ss...¡± shared Robbie before yawning. He looked like he was


    bored and frustrated.

 Chapter 517

    Chapter 517


    ¡°Here,¡± offered Zachary, who turned on an app on his tablet and handed it to Robbie, ¡°See if you can


    understand everything here.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± replied Robbie. The second he saw the content, his eyes glowed, and he informed, ¡°This is a


    VR proposal and design for an electronic gadget! Where did you get it?¡±


    ¡°You actually understand it?¡± blurted Zachary in amazement, ¡°This is mypany''s design for our new


    product. It is meant to be an educational device for kids, but we have encountered a few problems that


    we still can''t solve...¡±


    ¡°What are the issues you faced?¡± asked Robbie as he yed on the tablet.


    ¡°The R&D department hit a blind spot,¡± lied Zachary to lead the boy to think, ¡°I haven''t pinpointed the


    exact issue. Try identifying it. If you can pinpoint the issue, I will grant you one wish.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± asked Robbie. He had always kept his cool, but at that moment, his little face lit up with a


    level of excitement that no one had ever seen before. His eyes glowed with a bizarre light when he


    asked, ¡°Can I ask for anything?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± answered Zachary while nodding.


    ¡°Okay, I''ll try,¡± said Robbie. He had lost all interest in his breakfast and focused on the tablet


    immediately.


    ¡°Robbie, finish your breakfast first,¡± reminded Charlotte sweetly, ¡°You can y with it after you''ve


    eaten.¡±


    ¡°Mommy, I''m full,¡± replied Robbie.


    He never looked up, and his tiny finger kept swiping on the tablet as he examined the blueprint of the


    new product.


    ¡°You had one hot cross bunny and didn''t even drink a drop of milk. You haven''t eaten your oatmeal


    either. How can you be full?¡± said Charlotte in an annoyed tone, ¡°Finish your breakfast now, or I''ll


    confiscate the tablet.¡±


    After that, she scolded Zachary, ¡°Look at what you did. Getting the kid all excited during breakfast. You


    made it so that he won''t even eat properly.¡±


    ¡°Uhm...¡± That was the first time Zachary got scolded in front of everyone else, but he didn''t dare to


    object to anything. He could only remind Robbie sternly, ¡°Come now. You can y with itter. Finish


    your breakfast first, or your mommy will lose her cool.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± murmured Robbie. He had no choice but to put the tablet aside and focused on his breakfast.


    ¡°Uncle Zack, I want a wish too,¡± requested Jamie. He was jealous of Robbie, but he didn''t sound too


    confident when he admitted, ¡°I am not as smart as Robbie, and I cannot understandplicated


    electronicponents, but I am a good fighter. I can do martial arts!¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± asked Zachary with his brows raised, ¡°You know martial arts despite being so young?¡±


    Kids at the time would, at most, go for a few low-level taekwondo lessons. Martial arts was not popr,


    and it was rare for anyone to practice it.


    ¡°It''s true! I can do it. I''ll prove it to you.¡±


    Jamie got a little agitated. He swung his tiny fist to prove his words, but his legs hadn''t recovered yet,


    and he was on a high chair, so his moves were restricted.This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Now, now, you still haven''t finished your breakfast,¡± reminded Charlotte as she got some more food for


    Jamie. Sheter smiled at Zachary and informed him, ¡°He actually knows martial arts. An elderly


    master lives in Mrs. Berry''s vige, and he taught the boy martial arts.¡±


    ¡°Ah, no wonder,¡± said Zachary with a grin, ¡°Then you gotta heal up soon. We''llpete with one


    another after you''ve recovered.¡±


    ¡°You know it too?¡± asked Jamie excitedly.


    ¡°My training was specialized, and I''ve never learned martial arts before,¡± replied Zachary. He sipped


    some coffee before adding, ¡°Still, every fighting technique in the world is founded on the same basis.


    There is plenty I can teach you.¡±


    ¡°Really? That''d be amazing,¡± cheered Jamie, but he soon said in a worried tone, ¡°But I am not as smart


    as Robbie. Will you be frustrated with how stupid I am?¡±


    ¡°Every genius has his journey. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses, so there is no need


    topare yourself against others. Robbie has his strengths, but so do you. All everyone has to do is


    to work on their own strengths,¡± advised Zachary.


    He handed some fruit to Jamie.


    ¡°Thank you, Uncle Zack!¡±


    Jamie was so touched that tears welled in his eyes. He looked exactly like Robbie, but thetter was


    much smarter, so he never really gotpliments from others.


    As time passed by, Jamie''s confidence took a hit.


    It was a sudden revtion, but he finally realized that he had qualities that others admired as well.

 Chapter 518

    Chapter 518


    ¡°What about me?¡±


    Ellie had been eating her breakfast the entire time, so her lips were all dirty. Seeing Robbie and Jamie


    receivingpliments from Zachary inspired her to voice up, too. She raised her tiny, plump hand and


    was eager to brag.


    ¡°I-I can dance, sing, and paint...¡±


    ¡°That...¡± said Zachary in a troubled tone, ¡°I honestly can''t help with.¡±


    He could teach the boys some technical knowledge andbat skills, but he knew nothing about


    Ellie''s hobbies.


    Ellie pouted her tiny lips. Her cute, round face crumpled together as her eyes shone with sorrow while


    staring at Zachary.


    ¡°I-I can y the piano. I''ll teach you that,¡± coaxed Zachary immediately.


    ¡°Mommy can teach me how to y the piano,¡± said Ellie in a disappointed tone. Her tiny hand held the


    hot cross bunny but she had lost her appetite. ¡°Uncle Zack only likes Robbie and Jamie. You don''t like


    me,¡± murmured Ellie.


    ¡°That is not true,¡± insisted Zachary. He didn''t know how tofort the kid, so he nervously nudged


    Charlotte to ask for help.


    Charlotte suppressed herughter and exined sweetly, ¡°Uncle Zack is a boy, Ellie, so naturally, he


    can only teach the boys their hobbies. Mommy is a girl, and I can teach you whatever you like.¡±


    ¡°But there are boys in our ss who can dance, sing, and paint,¡± refuted Ellie, whose logic was


    wless. She pouted her tiny lips and stared unhappily at Zachary, ¡°Is Uncle Zack a lesser man than


    the boys in our ss?¡±


    ¡°Uh...¡± blurted Zachary. He couldn''t actually refute any of that.


    ¡°Lesser! Lesser!¡±


    Fifi pped its wings and danced. It even raised its voice and acted like it''d enjoy the show even more if


    things escted.


    ¡°Fifi!¡± growled Robbie while deliberately putting a stern face on before criticizing strictly, ¡°Don''t add fuel


    to the fire.¡±


    Fifi made a face at Robbie for that.


    ¡°Hmph,¡± pouted Ellie. She put her cutlery down and harrumphed angrily, ¡°Uncle Zack is ying


    favorites, and you only like boys.¡±


    ¡°N-no, that is not true. I honestly don''t know how to do any of that,¡± denied Zachary nervously.


    ¡°You can learn,¡± insisted Ellie with her head tilted up, ¡°Mommy said that everything is possible if we put


    our minds to it. You can master it if you are willing to learn, and you are too smart to not master it in


    time!¡±


    Zachary was utterly speechless.


    He had been put on a pedestal and felt like it was virtually impossible to get off of it.


    He was troubled, but he had no choice, so he steeled himself up and agreed, ¡°Okay, I''ll learn!¡±


    ¡°Hooray!¡± cheered Ellie happily, with her tiny, plump arms in the air. She then added, ¡°Starting today, I


    will be your teacher. I will give you singing, dancing, and painting lessons every day. You don''t need to


    pay for these sses, but you must work hard and learn well, okay? If you don''t, I will hit you.¡±


    ¡°Uhm...¡±


    Zachary was stunned. Did that tiny little thing just trick me? And have me cornered?


    He quickly covered his face and turned to Charlotte. ¡°Help!¡± mouthed Zachary.


    Charlotte shrugged with a grin on. She looked like she couldn''t help him, even if she wanted to.


    ¡°Mommy, please buy me some colored pencils, some paper, a piano music note today. Oh, and please


    get me a teacher''s pointer as well. I will be giving Uncle Zack lessons today,¡± requested Ellie with a


    smile. Her big, round eyes shone with glee and anticipation.


    ¡°Okay,¡± replied Charlotte with a smile and a nod.


    ¡°It''s fine for you to give lessons, Ellie, but you''re not allowed to get in the way of Uncle Zack giving me


    fighting pointers,¡± said Jamie quickly. He was worried about Ellie monopolizing Zachary''s time, so he


    reminded, ¡°Uncle Zack doesn''t just belong to you. He''s mine and Robbie''s too!¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± agreed Ellie with a straight face on while nodding, ¡°Good things are meant to be shared,


    anyway. How should we divide his time?¡±


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    Zachary couldn''t speak.


    Good things are meant to be shared? Seriously?


    Zachary raised his brows in exasperation. When did I be an object that was supposed to be


    shared among the three siblings?

 Chapter 519

    Chapter 519


    ¡°We''ll let Robbie decide,¡± suggested Jamie, who was smart to hand the task to Robbie.


    ¡°How about this? From now on, we will each get one hour of his time at night. Is that okay, Uncle


    Zack?¡± asked Robbie, after considering the matter. He was being serious when he divided the time


    equally among them.


    Zachary could feel cold sweat running down his back. He felt like his entire life had just been taken


    over.


    He thought about how he had to work with the nerds at the office during the day and now he had to


    rush home after that to apany his wife and kids.


    Is this how my life is going to be from now on?


    ¡°No, that won''t do,¡± interrupted Charlotte immediately to help Zachary out, ¡°Uncle Zack is busy with


    work, and he doesn''t have that much time to spend with you guys.¡±


    ¡°Then, can we have half an hour each?¡± asked Robbie while staring eagerly at Zachary, ¡°Can we,


    Uncle Zack?¡±


    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    ¡°Robbie...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that''s fine,¡± said Zachary suddenly while nodding, ¡°We''ll set it for every night from eight to nine-


    thirty. Everyone gets half an hour.¡±


    ¡°Yay!¡±


    The three kids cheered together and high-fived each other. It was as if they had just gotten an


    especially precious item and could share it among themselves.


    After that, they talked about who would get the first shift, the second shift, and the third shift.


    In the end, they decided to go in ordance with their age. Robbie would go first, then Jamie, then


    Ellie.


    The three of them were talking away when Fifi suddenly flew over and pped its wings. It called out


    excitedly, ¡°Fifi goes fourth. Fifi goes fourth.¡±


    Yep, even the bird wanted to share Zachary.


    Charlotte had been watching from the side, and she couldn''t helpughing aloud. Her crispughter


    filled the entire living room.


    ¡°You''re so mean forughing. You actually left me for dead,¡±ined Zachary before reaching out


    to pinch her cheek. He was tempted to bite her for that.


    ¡°This is just the beginning,¡± warned Charlotte while smiling, ¡°It''s not easy taking care of kids, and you


    really should prepare yourself.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry. I can topple an army, so dealing with three kids is nothing,¡± bragged Zachary, ¡°I will


    definitely do a great job taking care of the kids. Just you watch.¡±


    ¡°Okay, then. Thank you,¡± replied Charlotte before inching forward and kissing his forehead.


    She was thanking him from the bottom of her heart.


    She never realized that Zachary could be that patient with the kids and that considerate toward them.


    He took their pride into consideration and protected their desire for learning. First, he pretended to be


    testing Robbie when he was actually training the boy''s mind.


    When Jamie eagerly shared that he was a good fighter, Zachary immediately recognized that talent.


    Thetter was observant and saw theck of confidence in Jamie, so he encouraged the kid in the


    most delicate manner.


    Lastly, he set his pride aside and agreed to learn singing, dancing, and painting from Ellie just to gain


    the tiny thing''s approval.


    Any one of the three activities could drive the man nuts, and the fact that he would have to get lessons


    from Ellie only made things worse.


    Perhaps many would think that the independent and cruel Mr. Nacht would never lower himself and do


    something like that. However, he proved them all wrong.


    That was not just a show of his fatherly love. It also proved that he was a responsible man who could


    shoulder all sorts of burdens.


    Charlotte was genuinely appreciative of Zachary. She was even ashamed of her previous concerns.


    She used to think that Zachary was too violent and wild to be a father...


    Now I see that he is a better father than most.


    He didn''t drive the kids away just because he didn''t have a father growing up. Instead, he took the


    initiative to get closer to them.


    Moreover, he didn''t disregard his duties, just because he was inexperienced. He went out of his way to


    learn how tomunicate with the kids.


    To top it all off, he didn''t back away in the face of hardship. He faced it head-on and was willing to set


    his pride aside just to make the kids happy. He is willing to try assuming a new role for that.


    This is the man I love and the father of my children.


    Charlotte was proud of him and was truly happy for the kids.

 Chapter 520

    Chapter 520


    After having breakfast, Zachary led the kids to the car.


    Ben had prepared an especially extended Rolls-Royce and a fleet of cars following behind.


    Seeing all that got Charlotte to tug at Zachary''s shirt nervously and ask, ¡°You''re just taking the kids to


    school. Is there really a need for all that?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± insisted Zachary, ¡°I heard about how the other kids had bullied them at school. Some even


    questioned whether they have a father or not. Today, I want everyone in the kindergarten to learn


    exactly who their father is.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    Zachary helped the kids into the car before Charlotte could finish her sentence.


    Ben was directing the others from the side and said, ¡°Get all the presents into the car. Oh, and


    remember to separate the teachers'' gifts from the students''.¡±


    Charlotte massaged her head and was left speechless.


    I should''ve known. This is how Zachary had always done things. He would go overboard once so that


    he won''t need to deal with the matter the second time.


    Unfortunately, Charlotte had no choice but to let him be.


    Gah, never mind. At least he and the kids are happy.


    That particr Rolls-Royce''s interior design was simr to that of a private room, and the kids were


    surprised. Their eyes shone with curiosity as they looked around.


    ¡°Has Mr. Henry never driven you around in this car before?¡± asked Zachary, while sitting in the car. He


    epted the iced drink from Ben.


    ¡°He took us for a drive in a huge and beautiful car before, but this is not the one. This car is too


    amazing,¡± eximed Jamie. His eyes bulged and went starry as he looked around.


    ¡°You''re right. It''s so beautiful,¡± said Ellie. She was looking around as well. Sheter kicked her tiny legs


    to crawl onto the seat and jumped on it to test it before iming, ¡°It''s sofy. I can even sleep in


    here.¡±


    ¡°You actually can take a nap,¡± informed Zachary after checking his watch, ¡°It''s a forty-minute drive to


    the kindergarten.¡±


    ¡°Uncle Zack, the tablet is locked,¡± said Robbie before handing the tablet over for Zachary to unlock.


    ¡°Aren''t you going to rest a little?¡± asked Zachary after inputting the password and handing the tablet


    back to Robbie.


    ¡°Nah, I want to check it out some more,¡± replied Robbie.


    He sat obediently on the cushy seat and started examining the blueprint carefully.


    ¡°Fifi, don''t act up!¡±


    Jamie was ying with Fifi earlier, but it suddenly pped its wings and flew around the car. It seemed


    excited.


    Jamie couldn''t even catch the bird.


    ¡°Fifi,e here!¡± ordered Ellie. She extended her tiny, plump arm and scolded in her baby voice, ¡°If


    you don''t, I won''t take you to kindergarten anymore.¡±


    Fifi flew over immediately and rested on her arm.


    Ellie stroked its fur with her plump hand and cooed sweetly, ¡°That''s a good bird. Be good, okay?¡±


    ¡°Be good. Be good.¡±


    Fifi mimicked Ellie and called out, but its eyes were stuck on Zachary''s alcohol.


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Uncle Zack, what are you drinking? Can I try?¡±


    Jamie was staring curiously at Zachary''s drink. The former had seen thetter sipping that every day,


    so he assumed that it was tasty. I wanna try.


    ¡°You can have one sip. Don''t drink too much,¡± instructed Zachary before handing the drink over.


    Jamie was surprised and ecstatic. He ran to Zachary on his stubby legs and epted the drink with his


    tiny arms. After that, Jamie sipped cautiously.


    ¡°Gah, it tastes so horrible!¡±


    Jamie frowned and closed his eyes in distaste. His plump face had crumpled up by then.


    ¡°Hahaha,¡±ughed Zachary. Kids really are curious and want to try everything.


    ¡°Try it. Try it..¡±


    Fifi flew over at that moment and dunked its beak into the ss before chugging the drink.


    ¡°Ah, Fifi, no!¡±


    Jamie was furious and tried to chase the bird away, but Fifi refused to leave. Its small figure stuck to


    the ss, and it drank greedily.


    ¡°I''m so sorry, Uncle Zack,¡± apologized Jamie immediately, ¡°I got your drink all dirty.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine. I can just get another one,¡± said Zachary. He didn''t think that it was a big deal and had Ben


    pour another drink. Zachary even remarked, ¡°Let it drink if it likes alcohol that much.¡±

 Chapter 521

    Chapter 521


    A momentter, Fifi had finished drinking the entire ss of wine. She gave a resounding burp and fell


    asleep in the ss.


    ¡°Fifi!¡± Jamie grabbed hold of her and pulled her out of the wine ss. He gave Fifi a good shake, trying


    to shake the droplets of wine out of Fifi''s feathers.


    Fifi looked a little dazed. She stuck out her red tongue as her eyes rolled around in their sockets.


    ¡°Jamie, put her down right down!¡± Ellie slid down from the sofa and ran over to Jamie. She grabbed


    poor Fifi from him and yelped, ¡°You can''t shake Fifi around like this! You''ll make her throw up.¡±


    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    Ellie still didn''t understand what being drunk meant.


    ¡°Oh, alright then...¡± Jamie frowned crossly. He mumbled to himself, ¡°Girls are too much trouble.¡±


    Zachary''s lips curved into a smile. He pulled Jamie to sit down next to him and asked, ¡°Tell me, what


    else do you like?¡±


    ¡°I like guns!¡± Jamie said, his head tilted in thought. He said seriously, ¡°I also like airnes, cars,


    battleships...basically, I like everything that a man should take interest in, including pretty girls.¡±


    ¡°Wow...¡± Zachary felt a little stunned. ¡°You''re still so young, and you already take an interest in pretty


    girls?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± Jamie''s handsome face took on a rather haughty expression. ¡°I had three girlfriends in


    kindergarten, you know...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Zachary was at a loss for words. He never thought the Nacht family would have such a yboy among


    them¡ªafter all, both he and his father were known to be great romantics.


    However, he heard that Henry had used to be quite the yboy when he was younger too.


    Beep, beep! Zachary heard his phone ring again. When he saw who was calling, he picked up the


    phone immediately. ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, I...¡±


    ¡°Zachary, it''s me.¡± Sharon''s voice sounded from the other end of the phone. He could sense how


    anxious she was from her urgent tone. ¡°When are you going to stop avoiding me? Even if you have


    certain thoughts about me, can''t you tell it to me face-to-face instead?¡±


    ¡°I''ve already warned you not to look for me at mypany,¡± Zachary said, frowning.


    ¡°I was forced into it, alright? I tried calling you, and you refused to pick up. You even ignored all my


    messages and blocked my number? What else could I do but call you using Lucy''s phone...¡±


    ¡°There''s no point in calling me. Whatever is going to happen will happen. We''ll decide on the matter


    once Grandpa wakes up.¡±


    As soon as he finished saying those words, Zachary hung up the phone. He looked down at Jamie,


    who was squirming around in his arms.


    He looked a little frightened as he curled up in Zachary''s arms and stared up at him.


    ¡°What''s wrong?¡± Zachary asked, smiling slightly.


    ¡°You looked so scary just now when you were talking on the phone,¡± Jamie said timidly.


    ¡°Indeed. I always look more serious when I''m talking about work matters,¡± Zachary mused, smiling


    slightly. ¡°I only tone it down a little when I''m with the three of you and your Mommy.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that''s good, then.¡± Jamie heaved a sigh of relief. He tilted his head and asked curiously. ¡°Well, are


    you Mommy''s boyfriend then?¡±


    Zachary didn''t know how to react to Jamie''s question. In actual fact, he was their biological father, but


    since he and Nicole weren''t married yet, they were technically still on girlfriend-boyfriend basis.


    ¡°It doesn''t matter. Anyway, I don''t know if my jerk of a father is alive or not. If you can treat Mommy


    nicely, I suppose we can ept you into our family...¡±


    As Jamie prattled on, he didn''t realize that the expression on Zachary''s face had changedpletely.


    ¡°Your jerk of a father?¡± Zachary repeated with a frown. ¡°What has your mother been telling you?¡±


    ¡°Mommy has never talked to us about him.¡± Here, Jamie looked a little sad. ¡°We get teased all the time


    in kindergarten. I went to ask Mrs. Berry, and she got very agitated. She said that our father was an


    irresponsible jerk...¡±


    ¡°Although she recanted her words almost immediately, I knew at once that the man was a good-for-


    nothing piece of trash. But you''re different from him, Uncle Zack! You treat both Mommy and us nicely,


    and you''re even Grandpa''s eldest grandchild.¡±


    ¡°I''ve decided to ept you!¡±


    Zachary felt rather stunned. He decided that he''d better talk this over with Charlotte first before


    discussing it with the kids...

 Chapter 522

    Chapter 522


    ¡°I''m done! I solved it!¡±


    A loud whoop pierced the air. A smile had lit up on Robbie''s handsome face, and his eyes were shining


    like two diamonds in the night sky.


    ¡°Let me see!¡±


    Zachary took theptop from him immediately and scanned the screen with excitement. Indeed, Robbie


    had actually resolved the blind spots in the research and development of smart products newly


    produced by Divine Corporation.


    Zachary swept Robbie up in his arms and asked, ¡°How did you manage to resolve them?¡±


    ¡°There''s a system error here. Once you rectify it, however...¡± Robbie pointed at the screen and carefully


    exined his action n to Zachary. When he was done, he asked rather hesitatingly, ¡°Uncle Zack, is


    this okay?¡±


    ¡°Of course! Definitely!¡±


    Zachary nodded frantically. He had already resolved this issuest night, but he had decided to let


    Robbie have a go at it so he could test his intelligence.


    To his pleasant surprise, his son turned out to be a genius!


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Does this mean you''ll fulfil one of my wishes now?¡± Robbie asked excitedly.


    ¡°Of course! What would you like?¡±


    It was rare to see Zachary so happy. He seemed even happier than Robbie himself.


    Although Robbie didn''t resemble him in looks, his talent and skills with technology were certainly on par


    with his own...


    ¡°I don''t know what I want right now, but I''ll tell you once I think about it!¡± Robbie crossed his arms


    proudly, trying to make himself look older. ¡°It took me a great deal of effort to get this wish, so I''m going


    to make it count.¡±


    ¡°It''s Robinson, Jamison, and Elisa!¡±


    There was a loud exmation from one of the children in the Sunflower ss, and all the children


    turned their heads to look.


    Immediately, they started calling out to the children excitedly.


    Ellie greeted her friends cheerfully. ¡°Phoebe! Helen!¡±


    ¡°Uncle Zack, Uncle Zack...¡± When Jamie spotted his ssmates, he tugged at Zachary''s hand urgently


    and eximed, ¡°Look over there! The girl with the two pigtails was my first girlfriend!¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡± Zachary looked up to see a dumpy little girl in a yellow dress and two pigtails. She looked over


    and waved cheerfully at Jamie as she followed her ssmates into the ssroom. ¡°Jamie,e and


    stand next to me!¡± she called. ¡°I''ve saved a space for you!¡±


    So, this be love?


    ¡°Well, Girlfriend Number Two is that mixed-blood girl over there.¡± Jamie pointed to a girl whose features


    seemed a little oriental. Grinning madly, he continued, ¡°She''s half-Chinese and half-French! Her name


    is Julia.¡±


    Zachary turned and looked again. This time, he saw a little girl with natural curly hair who was wearing


    a white dress. She looked at Jamie shyly before turning away and joining the queue again.


    ¡°That girl''s a pretty one. Why did you change your mind?¡± Zachary asked in confusion.


    ¡°These days, I like mature women more,¡± Jamie pointed at his music teacher with delight. ¡°My current


    girlfriend''s over there!¡±


    ¡°It''s Robinson, Jamison, and Elisa!¡±


    There was a loud exmation from one of the children in the Sunflower ss, and all the children


    turned

 Chapter 523

    Chapter 523


    ¡°What...¡±


    Zachary turned to look at the music teacher with consternation. She was young and very beautiful.


    However, he turned back to look at Jamie and said helplessly, ¡°You naughty boy! Keep your eyes glued


    to your books!¡±


    ¡°I''m very focused in my studies! But that hasn''t stopped me from getting a girlfriend, has it?¡± Jamie


    blew a kiss at his music teacher. ¡°Good morning, Ms. Wiklund!¡±


    ¡°Good morning, Jamie!¡± Ms. Wiklund walked over to them. She smelled a little like fresh flowers. ¡°And


    good morning to you too, Robbie and Ellie!¡±


    ¡°Good morning, Ms. Wiklund!¡±


    The children chirped happily as she approached them. Evidently, they all liked Ms. Wiklund very much.


    Ms. Wiklund turned to look at Zachary curiously. ¡°And this is...¡±


    ¡°He is...¡±


    Before Robbie could say anything, Jamie jumped in eagerly and said, ¡°He''s Mommy''s boyfriend!¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡± Ms. Wiklund felt a little stunned at his reply. Immediately, she turned to Zachary with a smile on


    her face. ¡°How do you do!¡±


    ¡°And how do you do,¡± Zachary replied ndly.


    At that moment, Ruby came running towards them with a few higher-ups in the school and the teachers


    who taught Sunflower ss. She bowed with delight and greeted Zachary rather obsequiously. ¡°Hello,


    Mr. Nacht!¡±


    ¡°I didn''t know you wereing¡ªI would havee out and received you at the school gates


    otherwise! Please pardon my rudeness.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry about it,¡± Zachary replied politely. ¡°I simply came by today to drop the kids off at school.


    I''ve also brought some presents for the teachers and the other kids.¡±


    Ben waved his hand impatiently, and the bodyguards opened the car door immediately, revealing a


    tower of presents that looked as though it was about to topple any minute.


    ¡°Oh dear...¡± Ruby froze, looking rather uncertain. She quickly replied, ¡°How¡ªhow could we ept


    these presents, Mr. Nacht...¡±


    ¡°Go and hand them out to the children and the teachers.¡±


    Zachary was a man who waspletely used to calling the shots. Right now, he sounded extremely


    indifferent, as though the presents were of insignificant value to him.


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Oh, of course, of course!¡± Ruby felt both startled and delighted. Immediately, she called the security


    guard over toe and help distribute the presents.


    ¡°I''ll send you guys to the ssroom, then.¡±


    Zachary hoisted Ellie and Robbie onto his shoulders so he could free up his hands to push Jamie in his


    wheelchair.


    Robbie and Ellie grabbed his hair liked they always did in order to prevent themselves from slipping off


    Zachary''s shoulders and onto the ground.


    Jamie sat in a wheelchair, hugging Fifi to his chest.


    The three medical staff followed behind them, helping the children carry their schoolbags into the


    ssroom.


    The bodyguards stood by the side instead of following them into the ssroom. However, their


    expressions were tense and alert as they did their very best to watch out for the children''s safety.


    Seeing the huge crowd of people walking into the ssroom, Ruby and Lexie felt a little stunned.


    In a low voice, Lexie turned to Violet and asked, ¡°What''s going on? What''s Mr. Nacht doing here with


    these three children?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht is in a rtionship with Ms. Windt,¡± Violet replied in a whisper. ¡°That''s all I know for now.¡±


    Lexie mped a hand over her mouth in shock. In a scandalized whisper, she said, ¡°Oh my goodness,


    no wonder...¡±


    Her reaction was rather understandable. After all, to the staff at the kindergarten, Zachary was an


    unattainable figure who was on the level of God himself. Meanwhile, Charlotte was an impoverished


    single mother with three bastard children from a previous rtionship...


    The two of them only met each other because Henry bumped into Jamie by ident...


    Had they gotten together in such a short amount of time?


    Lexie couldn''t help but marvel silently at Charlotte''s good fortune.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, Ellie is a student of Sunflower ss. Her ssroom is over here.¡±


    Ruby led them into the ssroom.


    At that moment, the school workers and homeroom teacher were handing out the presents to the


    students. As they went down the noisy rows, they said, ¡°These presents are from Robinson, Jamison,


    and Elisa! Hope you like them!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, this is fantastic!¡±


    ¡°I love this! This is the Barbie doll I''ve been wanting for ages!¡±


    ¡°And I got theptop that I''ve had my eye on!¡±


    ¡°Why are they handing out presents to us, anyway?¡± one of the students asked curiously.


    ¡°Here they are!¡± someone near the window called. Everyone crowded around the door to wee


    them.

 Chapter 524

    Chapter 524


    ¡°Robbie...¡±


    ¡°Jamie...¡±


    ¡°Ellie...¡±


    When they spotted them, the crowd of students started calling out the children''s names. The


    cacophony made Zachary''s head throb with pain.


    Instinctively, he narrowed his eyes, which made him seem more aggressive and annoyed than he


    actually felt.


    Instantly, the students stepped away, too frightened to approach the kids.


    A girl in a ponytail was so rmed that she burst into noisy tears at the sight of Zachary''s face.


    ¡°Blossom, don''t be scared! He isn''t a bad person.¡± Ellie kicked her little legs, signaling to Zachary that


    he should put her down. Running over to the crying girl, she exined hurriedly, ¡°He''s my...¡±


    ¡°I''m their father!¡± Zachary interrupted hastily.


    He thought it would sound rather scandalous if he introduced himself as their mother''s boyfriend.


    Besides, the students were too young to know about this sort of thing.


    He thought it would be best if he stepped forward bravely and announced his true identity to the world.


    Anyway, he was their father now, and he would remain their father for the rest of their lives¡ªthis was


    an irreversible fact.


    The three children turned to look at him, stunned. They could hardly believe what they had just heard.


    Sure, they had already epted Zachary as their Mommy''s boyfriend. They even took quite a liking to


    him and were willing to let him join in their fun. However...wasn''t he moving too fast?


    Were they really supposed to call him Daddy now?


    This was all too sudden for them!


    Robbie gazed in horror at Zachary, his mind running at a mile an hour. He wasn''t a stupid kid by any


    means, and he was quickly analyzing Zachary''s words to find any semnce of truth in them.


    Jamie was looking at Zachary, too. His expression looked rather dazed. Had he heard wrongly? Or was


    Uncle Zack merely saying this in front of the other kids so they would stop bullying the triplets for not


    having a father?


    Ellie''s mouth was wide open in shock. Her eyes were as big as strawberries as she gazed open-


    mouthed at Zachary, scarcely believing what she had just heard...


    All the students in the ss, too, were looking at Zachary with a mixture of shock and confusion. Since


    the triplets starteding to school, they had never seen their father. Even the triplets themselves


    didn''t seem to know who their own father was!


    And yet this man had appeared out of nowhere and imed himself to be their father!


    Besides, he was tall and had a brutal look on his face. How¡ªhow frightening!


    Even the teachers and the medical staff were gazing at Zachary in shock.


    This was the third piece of startling news they had received from Zachary this morning, and it wasn''t


    even noon yet.


    Firstly, he had decided to send the triplets to school by himself.


    Secondly, they found out that he was, in fact, Charlotte''s boyfriend.


    Andstly, he had gone from being Charlotte''s boyfriend to being the father of her children!


    Thank goodness the paparazzi weren''t hovering around right then. Otherwise, this shocking piece of


    news would have spread across the globe like wildfire and caused a huge storm.


    ¡°Daddy, Daddy, burp¡ª¡±


    Fifi was so drunk that she was barely awake. She gave a loud, sudden squawk from Jamie''s arms.


    This quickly snapped the triplets out of their daze.


    Robbie quickly wiped the shock off his face and replied politely, ¡°Uncle Zack, please put me down.¡±


    Zachary set him down on the ground hastily. As they met each other''s eyes for a fleeting moment, both


    of them registered the flustered look on each other''s faces.


    Robbie looked up uncertainly at Zachary. He then bowed courteously and said, ¡°Thanks for sending us


    to school, Uncle Zack.¡±


    ¡°Yes, thank you!¡±


    Jamie and Ellie quickly chimed in.


    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    In their hearts, Robbie was the most important voice of authority after their Mommy and Mrs. Berry.


    Thus, it was only right that they followed in his footsteps.


    ¡°And thank you for preparing these gifts for my friends and my teachers,¡± Robbie continued politely.


    ¡°You must be busy at work. We won''t trouble you anymore, then!¡±


    Looking at Robbie''s stiff, indifferent manner, Zachary couldn''t help but feel a little guilty. He shouldn''t


    have said something so shocking before thinking it through.


    Instead, he should''ve discussed this seriously with Charlotte first before deciding on an appropriate


    way to tell the kids. It would havee as less of a shock then...


    However, the words had already left his mouth. There was no use crying over spilled milk.


    ¡°Alright, I''ll get going first then.¡±


    Zachary bent down to give the triplets a hug, but all three of them moved backward instinctively, as


    though they were afraid to get close to him...

 Chapter 525

    Chapter 525


    Zachary withdrew his armsmely. Although he seemed very nonplussed on the surface, as though he


    couldn''t care less about the kids'' behavior, he felt very disappointed indeed.


    Turning to Ruby, he said, ¡°I''ll entrust the kids to you then.¡±


    ¡°Of course, of course! I''ll take very good care of them. Don''t worry, Mr. Nacht!¡± Ruby and the other


    higher-ups eximed at once, nodding vigorously.


    Zachary took onest look at the kids before leaving.


    As he walked away, Jamie stared after him. He opened his mouth to say goodbye, but seeing as


    Robbie wasn''t saying anything, he decided to keep quiet too.


    ¡°Goodbye, Uncle Zack!¡±


    In the end, it was Ellie who opened her mouth first. She sounded a little cautious despite her adorable


    voice¡ªnheless, she still managed to melt Zachary''s heart.


    He turned around to look at her, his lips curving into a smile. ¡°Goodbye!¡±


    ¡°Goodbye, Uncle Zack...¡± Jamie finally summoned up the courage to wave to him.


    Zachary returned his wave. He then turned to look at Robbie, who had remained silent up till now.


    Robbie seemed a little aloof. He looked down at the ground instead of Zachary, but waved politely


    anyway.


    Feeling slightly better, Zachary turned to leave atst.


    At the very least, he could confirm that the children did not detest him. This meant that he had


    seeded in his first step!


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, I''ll send you off,¡± Ruby said, leading the way back to the drop-off point.


    ¡°Alright, children, we''ll continue distributing the presents,¡± the teachers called, gesturing at the students


    to settle down. ¡°These are from Robbie, Jamie, and Ellie. What should you say to them?¡±


    The students look at each other, rather confused. Finally, one of them raised his hand and said, ¡°Thank


    you to Robbie, Jamie, and Ellie''s Daddy for these presents...¡±


    Zachary stopped dead in his tracks. He turned around to look at the children, only to find that they were


    all looking at him, too.


    Ellie twiddled her fat little thumbs awkwardly, bowing her head to look at the floor.


    Robbie opened and shut his mouth as though he wanted to say something, but chose to remain silent


    in the end.


    However, Jamie returned their smile gamely and chirped, ¡°No problem! Hope all of you like them.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡± The students let out another whoop of happiness before returning to their presents


    excitedly.


    Zachary smirked, feeling a sudden wave of relief wash over him. Children were rather simple creatures.


    If you were kind to them, they would be nice to you as well...


    ...


    Charlotte was resting at home when she heard a suddenmotion of cars outside the house.


    She flipped out of bed and walked over to the floor-length windows, where she saw a convoy right


    outside the gates. Under the watchful eyes of the bodyguards, a group of workers was delivering a


    bunch of items into the house.


    Charlotte squinted and realized that most of the items were medical supplies.


    She felt a little confused, but she didn''t ask any questions.


    ¡°Move quietly!¡± Mrs. Rawlston hissed urgently. ¡°Ms. Windt is resting upstairs.¡±


    The workers nodded immediately, afraid that they might wake Ms. Nacht up if they moved too loudly.


    At that moment, there was a knock on Charlotte''s bedroom door.


    ¡°Come in!¡± she called.


    A maid pushed open the door and stepped into the room with a new phone in hand. ¡°Ms. Windt, this is


    the new phone that Mr. Nacht has bought for you. The SD card has already been reced, and your


    phone number is the same as before.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Charlotte took the phone from her. After the maid left, she closed the door and turned on


    the phone immediately.


    This was her third phone in the span of two months. Something always seemed to happen to her


    phone¡ªit either fell onto the ground and shattered into pieces, or went missing all of a sudden.


    However, Zachary always reced her phone quietly after those incidents.


    It had been a few days since shest contacted Mrs. Berry and Olivia. They were probably worried sick


    by now. As soon as she managed to turn on the phone, Charlotte gave Mrs. Berry a call. For some


    reason, however, nobody picked up.


    She called Olivia instead. Thankfully, Olivia picked up the call immediately. ¡°Charlotte!¡±


    ¡°Olivia, are you alright?¡± Charlotte asked, feeling rather guilty. ¡°Thest time you came to my house,


    something happened to you. When I sent you to the hospital, something bad happened again...¡±


    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    ¡°Please, I''m the one who should be worried, alright?¡± Olivia eximed. ¡°The property management


    office said you had gone missing. I nearly called the police!¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry, I''m fine,¡± Charlotte saidfortingly. ¡°And what about you?¡±


    ¡°I''m fine. I was just startled to death the other day, but I woke up from mya soon enough. As for


    you...oh, by the way, your boyfriend''s subordinate¡ªBen, was it?¡ªcame to look for me.¡±

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    Chapter 526


    ¡°What? Why was he looking for you?¡± Charlotte asked, feeling a little startled.


    ¡°To thank me for taking care of you, apparently. He even offered me a position as your assistant, and


    asked if I wanted to take it.¡± Olivia asked curiously, ¡°Charlotte, are you the CEO of your ownpany


    now, or some movie starlet? Why do you need an assistant all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Charlotte felt rather suspicious. ¡°Are you very sure it was Ben?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it was, I promise,¡± Olivia said certainly. ¡°Back at Sultry Night, he apanied your boyfriend


    everywhere he went. He is the weirdest and fiercest man I''ve ever seen¡ªI won''t forget that face.¡±


    ¡°Oh, alright then,¡± Charlotte said, feeling rather hapless. ¡°I didn''t even know about this! I''ll ask Ben


    about this when I see him.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you should,¡± Olivia said seriously. ¡°If you really need me, Charlotte, I''ll drop everything and go to


    you immediately.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Olivia,¡± Charlotte said gratefully. ¡°Please take good care of yourself. Call me if you need


    anything.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Also, I''ve already returned the uniform to Ms. Fuller. However, she says that you cane


    back anytime if you need the job again.¡±


    ¡°Didn''t she put me on a ban because she was afraid that I would drag thepany down?¡± Charlotte


    asked stiffly.


    ¡°Don''t ask me, I have no idea why she changed her mind. The news got suppressed really quickly.


    Now, you can hardly find a trace of it on the inte. Ms. Fuller says that it means you won''t be


    suffering any damage to your reputation anymore. Besides, you were always one of the best pianists,


    so she would like to have you back anytime...¡±


    ¡°Got it. I''ve been feeling very unwelltely, so I''ve been in bed all day. I''ll contact her again when I''m a


    little better.¡±


    ¡°Take good care of your health then, Charlotte. I''ll call you again.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    After she hung up, Charlotte quickly went to look at today''s news. Olivia was right¡ªthe news about


    Luna hadpletely disappeared off the inte, as though the incident had never happened at all. In


    addition, all the news about Hector and Helena had vanished, too...


    Charlotte frowned slightly. The Browns must have paid the media outlets a hefty sum to cover up the


    news.


    However, Amanda would stop at nothing to take revenge for her daughter. Even if the Browns paid off


    the media outlets, Amanda could put up a post on social media under her own ount. However, there


    was no mention of any of those people or incidents...


    What was going on?


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Had the Whites met their downfall?


    Charlotte felt a little unsettled. Although Amanda and Luna had done so many things to harm her, they


    had already met their punishment. Charlotte couldn''t help but feel sorry for what they were going


    through now...


    Here, Charlotte''s phone started beeping with a string of text notifications. She had called Mrs. Berry


    and Olivia the moment she turned on her phone, so she hadn''t managed to check her phone for texts


    yet. Now, all the texts wereing in at one shot.


    She quickly went to take a look at the texts. During the time she had been away, she had received texts


    from Mrs. Berry, Olivia, and Felicity. To her shock, Amanda and Simon had texted her repeatedly to ask


    for help too...


    ¡°Charlotte, we''re your blood rtives. Can''t you save us this once?¡±


    ¡°We didn''t think Hector would be so cruel. He wants to have all of us killed! Charlotte, please save us.¡±


    ¡°Helena is a witch! She wants to kill Luna to eliminate all the witnesses. Charlotte, please save Luna...¡±


    ¡°Charlotte, please help your Uncle Simon out...¡±


    Seeing these messages, Charlotte felt a tug in her heartstrings. She didn''t want to involve herself in


    this matter¡ªback then, she had only called the police out ofmon decency.


    However, now that a person''s life hung in the bnce, it would be too cruel of her to ignore their pleas


    for help...


    After hesitating for a while, Charlotte gave a call to Amanda. However, she was unable to reach her.


    She tried calling Simon''s number instead, but the call didn''t go through either.


    Charlotte felt a sudden feeling of dread. Had something horrible really happened to the three of them?


    What could she do to help them now?


    If she wanted to help them, she needed Zachary''s help.


    But she still faced a ring dilemma¡ªshould she save them or not?


    That was a problem...

 Chapter 527

    Chapter 527


    Just as she was thinking, she heard a familiar voice from outside. ¡°Where am I? Why did you bring me


    here?¡±


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Don''t be scared, Mrs. Berry. This will be your home from today onwards,¡± Raina said with a smile.


    ¡°My home? This vi is as big as a small castle. How could this be my home?¡± Mrs. Berry sounded


    more panicked now. ¡°Dr. Langhan, have you made a mistake? Please send me back to the hospital at


    once.¡±


    Hearing this, Charlotte put down her phone and ran out to greet Mrs. Berry immediately.


    As she expected, Mrs. Berry was standing in the first-floor lobby, looking suspiciously around and


    looking like a lost sheep.


    Raina stood beside her, trying her best to assure the older woman. ¡°Don''t worry, Mrs. Berry. Ms. Windt


    is here too¡ªI''ll bring you to see her.¡±


    ¡°Miss?¡± Mrs. Berry asked, aghast.


    ¡°Mrs. Berry!¡± Charlotte flew down the stairs to greet her.


    ¡°Miss!¡± When she spotted Charlotte, Mrs. Berry ran over to her immediately. ¡°There you are atst! Do


    you know how worried I''ve been for the past few days? Where have you been? The kids and I haven''t


    managed to reach you by phone at all. I thought you got into an ident.¡±


    Here, Mrs. Berry choked up with tears. She had been having such a hard time in the hospital because


    she kept worrying for Charlotte and the kids. If Raina hadn''t been around to stop her, Mrs. Berry would


    have left the hospital to search for them.


    ¡°I''m sorry, Mrs. Berry...¡± Charlotte looked very guilty. ¡°Something happened to me a few days ago, and I


    lost contact with the outside world. I just returned here yesterday.¡±


    ¡°What happened to you? Were you injured?¡± Mrs. Berry pulled Charlotte closer to her and inspected


    her up and down.


    ¡°Just a few minor injuries. It''s nothing serious.¡± Charlotte was deathly afraid that Mrs. Berry might


    notice the injury on her back. Pulling her to the sofa hastily, Charlotte said, ¡°Don''t worry about me now.


    Everything has been resolved.¡±


    ¡°That''s good, then.¡± Mrs. Berry let out a sigh of belief. She shot a dark look at her surroundings and


    whispered to Charlotte, ¡°Miss, let''s go home. The kids are going to get off from school very soon. If no


    one picks them up at Happy Avenue, they''re going to be frightened.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry, someone will be there to pick them up,¡± Charlotte said. She turned to Raina and asked,


    ¡°Dr. Langhan, what''s going on? Isn''t Mrs. Berry supposed to be in the hospital? Why did you bring her


    here instead?¡±


    ¡°These are Mr. Nacht''s orders,¡± Raina said with a smile. ¡°He was worried that you might be bored alone


    at home, so he got me to bring Mrs. Berry along.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, what does he think he''s doing?¡± Charlotte wrinkled her nose with distaste. ¡°Mrs. Berry needs to


    undergo treatment for her condition. How could he take her out of the hospital earlier just to keep me


    company?¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry, Mr. Nacht has already made arrangements.¡± Raina pointed outside and said with a smile,


    ¡°There''s a small hut in the courtyard that has been empty for years. Mr. Nacht ordered me to renovate


    it and turn it into a clinic.¡±


    ¡°I''ve already transported all the medical equipment here earlier today. In the future, you, Mrs. Berry,


    and the young masters can receive medical treatment in thefort of your home instead of running


    back and forth from the hospital.¡±


    ¡°Oh my goodness!¡± Charlotte felt rather stunned. No wonder the workers had been delivering medical


    supplies into the house earlier on¡ªRaina was going to set up a clinic right here.


    Zachary had done so many things for her without even telling her...


    ¡°Oh, I''m so confused.¡± Mrs. Berry''s head was spinning slightly. She gazed at Charlotte, perplexed.


    ¡°Miss, you and that guy from the Nacht family...what''s the rtionship between the both of you?¡±


    ¡°It''ll take me a while to exin that to you,¡± Charlotte said, patting Mrs. Berry''s hand. ¡°Come upstairs to


    my room. I''ll tell you everything there slowly.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Mrs. Berry nodded.


    At that moment, Mrs. Rawlston walked into the room. ¡°Ms. Windt, I''ve heated up the chicken broth for


    you. Should I send it upstairs for Mrs. Berry and yourself?¡±


    ¡°Yes, thank you,¡± Charlotte nodded appreciatively at her. ¡°Dr. Langhan, thanks for your help. Please


    don''t let us trouble you any further.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Raina smiled at her before leaving the room.


    Charlotte pulled Mrs. Berry into her room. When Mrs. Berry saw how the room was decorated, she


    frowned immediately. ¡°This room belongs to a man, doesn''t it? Is he that Nacht guy? Miss, have you


    gotten together with him?¡±

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    Chapter 528


    ¡°Yes,¡± Charlotte said, nodding her head. Truthfully, she continued, ¡°Sorry, Mrs. Berry. I should''ve told


    you earlier.¡±


    Mrs. Berry sighed deeply. ¡°Everyone makes their own choices in life, especially when ites to


    romantic rtionships. If you like him, you should be with him¡ªI can have no opinion on that. I hope


    he''ll be good to you and the kids. However...¡±


    Here, Mrs. Berry paused, looking rather uncertain.


    ¡°Mrs. Berry, what are you trying to say?¡± Charlotte asked.


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Miss, I''m just worried that an important family like the Nacht family might not be able to ept your


    children,¡± Mrs. Berry said, frowning. ¡°Doesn''t your boyfriend worry about that?¡±


    ¡°Of course not...¡± Charlotte said,pletely sure of herself, ¡°because the children are his.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Mrs. Berry looked at her, stunned silly. ¡°Are you kidding me? You are, aren''t you? Isn''t the


    father of the triplets that¡ªthat gigolo from Sultry Night...¡±


    ¡°Yes, that''s him,¡± Charlotte couldn''t believe these words wereing out of her mouth, but she told


    Mrs. Berry the truth anyway. ¡°Four years ago, I got set up by Luna, but things turned out like this...¡±


    After she finished telling the whole story to Mrs. Berry, Charlotte continued, ¡°Actually, I knew who he


    was from the start. But I thought he was irresponsible and unfit to be a father. In addition, I was scared


    of the Nacht family''s power¡ªwhat if they took my children and drove me away? That''s why I never told


    him that he was the father of the triplets.¡±


    ¡°However, when I got into the ident, he conducted a DNA test using Robbie''s tissues. When he


    found out the truth, he did so many things for the children. I felt very touched...¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Mrs. Berry replied, sighing in disappointment. ¡°No wonder our family keeps having all sorts of


    dealings with the Nacht family. For a period of time, I wondered if they were flies that wouldn''t go away!


    So the Nacht guy had arranged for all of this to happen...¡±


    ¡°Truth be told, I had lots of worries in the past,¡± Charlotte said, smiling bitterly. ¡°I even wanted to uproot


    the family from H City after you and Jamie recovered. We could''ve found a new ce to leave.


    However, so many things happened...perhaps this is meant to be.¡±


    ¡°Well, since both of you have already settled this matter, don''t think too much about it anymore,¡± Mrs.


    Berry said reassuringly. ¡°The children didn''t like him much before, right? What about now?¡±


    ¡°They''ve been getting along splendidly. There''s been a huge improvement, I believe.¡± Charlotte felt


    extremely happy whenever she thought about this. ¡°I didn''t think he would be so patient with the kids.


    He put in a lot of effort to get close to them, you know.¡±


    ¡°That''s good, then,¡± Mrs. Berry nodded approvingly. ¡°Look how he set up a clinic for us at home. He


    even fetched me here from the hospital! I can tell he''s very caring towards you and the kids.¡±


    ¡°I overheard the medical staff talking about the clinic on my way here. Apparently, the medical


    equipment itself already costs more than one hundred million. Because they needed it to be ready-


    made, they brought the equipment straight from the hospital. Dr. Langhan will get customized ones


    from abroadter on...¡±


    ¡°He didn''t tell me about any of this at all,¡± Charlotte said, feeling guilty again. ¡°He must have told Ben to


    look for Olivia to keep mepany here.¡±


    ¡°You did well to find a man as thoughtful as him,¡± Mrs. Berry said, smiling. Here, her face clouded over


    again. ¡°But will his parents agree to your marriage? ns like the Nacht family tend to have


    complicated rules.¡±


    Here, Charlotte thought of Henry Nacht. She felt a little unsettled. Henry had disliked her from the


    moment hey eyes on her, and he might note to ept her in the future either.


    ¡°It''s alright, let''s take things one step at a time.¡± Mrs. Berry patted Charlotte''s hand cheerfully. ¡°I''ve


    been lying in the hospital for two months! My bones arepletely frozen! Now that I''m finally out,


    leave the kitchen to me. I''ll make all of you something nice to eat.¡±


    Here, Mrs. Berry rolled up her sleeves and turned to leave the room...


    Charlotte stopped her immediately. ¡°Mrs. Berry, you just got out of the hospital. You should be resting


    now.¡±


    ¡°Miss, you know me. I get all antsy and ufortable when I rest. I need to work if I want my energy


    back.¡±


    ¡°Besides, the kids like my cooking. I haven''t made anything for them in such a long time! Please grant


    my wish today.¡±


    ¡°Oh, alright then.¡±

 Chapter 529

    Chapter 529


    Mrs. Berry went downstairs to the kitchen. Charlotte changed her clothes and went to help her out.


    When she got to the living room, however, she heard a car pull into the driveway.


    There was a Rolls-Royce parked at the gates of the house.


    Immediately, Charlotte stood up and ran to receive them.


    The car door swung open, and Zachary lifted the kids out of the car one by one. Setting Robbie and


    Jamie onto his shoulders, he hoisted Ellie into his arms. Meanwhile, Fifiy in Ellie''s arms, hupping


    as she slept.


    This scene was simply too adorable.


    Charlotte burst intoughter. Running up to help Zachary with the children, she asked, ¡°Why did all of


    you return home together?¡±


    ¡°There wasn''t much to do in the office today. I went to pick them up at a kindergarten.¡±


    From a distance, Zachary seemed like a big tree. Three children were hanging from his body, and there


    was a bird in some crevice to boot.


    Robbie and Jamie had dug their fingers into Zachary''s hair to stop themselves from falling off.


    Because she was afraid, Ellie had wrapped her stubby little legs around Zachary. She looked like a


    ko bear as she rested in his arms.


    ¡°Oh, look at those three monkeys! Here, let me take them from you.¡±


    Just as Charlotte was going to take Ellie from him, Zachary twisted away. ¡°You''re still recovering from


    an injury. You can''t carry heavy items yet.¡±


    ¡°I''m not heavy!¡± Ellie snapped, pouting in annoyance. ¡°Look how skinny I am.¡±


    ¡°Haha...¡±


    Everyone burst intoughter.


    Since the three children arrived in the vi, the house was full ofughter again. In the past, it had only


    been full of dead silence.


    ¡°Alright, you''re skinny.¡± Charlotte helped Ellie onto the ground. She bent down and helped to dust off


    her clothes. ¡°Ellie,¡± she lectured, ¡°it doesn''t matter if you''re fat or skinny. Your health is the most


    important, got it?¡±


    ¡°But I''m very skinny, to begin with!¡± Ellie protested, touching her face. In a glum voice, she said, ¡°Today,


    Ms. Cheney told me that I got skinnier. Apparently, I should be getting more vitamins and having more


    food.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course you should be eating more!¡± Mrs. Berry emerged from the front door in an apron,


    brandishing a spat. Smilingly, she said, ¡°I cooked lots and lots of dishes today. And all of them are


    your favorites!¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Berry...¡±


    When they spotted Mrs. Berry, the triplets burst into screams of excitement.


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Ellie tottered over to her on her plump legs. Throwing herself into Mrs. Berry''s arms, she hollered


    happily, ¡°Mrs. Berry, when did you get here? I''ve missed you so much.¡±


    ¡°Good girl, Ellie. I''ve missed you too.¡±


    Mrs. Berry bent down to hug her, her eyes swimming with tears.


    Robbie and Jamie struggled to get down. Zachary had no choice but to set them down onto the floor.


    Robbie leaped into Mrs. Berry''s arms immediately. Jamie wanted to run over to her, but Zachary picked


    him up and ced him into the wheelchair.


    Jamie kicked his legs furiously. ¡°Come on, push me forward!¡±


    Mildred rushed forward and pushed him towards Mrs. Berry. The three children crowded around Mrs.


    Berry, chattering at the top of their lungs.


    ¡°Mrs. Berry, I''ve missed you too!¡± Robbie cried.


    ¡°Me too, Mrs. Berry, me too!¡± Jamie yelped.


    ¡°I''ve missed all of you,¡± Mrs. Berry said, wiping her tears away as she enveloped them in a hug. ¡°In the


    future, I won''t have to go to the hospital anymore. I''ll stay with you guys and make lots of yummy food


    for you.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± the triplets said, nodding.


    ¡°We were nning to visit you in the hospital after we got off from school today! Are you feeling better


    now?¡± Robbie asked, feeling concerned.


    ¡°Of course, of course. I''m much better now,¡± Mrs. Berry said, smiling. ¡°All my ailments seem to


    disappear whenever I see you guys!¡±


    ¡°That''s great!¡± Jamie said, smiling brightly. Seriously, he continued, ¡°Now that you''re back, Mrs. Berry,


    we won''t have to eat burned mac and cheese and hot cross bunnies with salt in them...¡±


    ¡°Oh, dear.¡± Charlotte smacked her head, feeling so embarrassed that she wanted to crawl into a hole


    and die.


    The children must have been suffering a great deal from her cooking these past few days.


    ¡°Exactly! Your cooking is the best, Mrs. Berry.¡± Ellie tilted her head and said innocently, ¡°Because you


    haven''t been cooking for us, I''ve be so skinny!¡±


    Here, she gave her arm a good pinch and whined, ¡°Look! I have no fat here anymore.¡±

 Chapter 530

    Chapter 530


    ¡°Haha!¡± Mrs. Berryughed. ¡°From now on, I''ll be cooking for you guys. Make sure to eat well, alright?¡±


    ¡°Of course! I''ll eat everything up,¡± Ellie dered, pping her hands excitedly.


    ¡°Me too.¡±


    ¡°And me!¡±


    Robbie and Jamie stuck their hands up in the air.


    Fifi, who had been lying in Ellie''s arms the whole time, looked up blearily and squawked, ¡°Me too!¡±


    ¡°What''s wrong with Fifi?¡± Mrs. Berry asked, looking curiously at the parrot. ¡°Is she sick? Or is she


    hungover?¡±


    ¡°She''s drunk, actually,¡± Ellie said, her eyes shing with glee. ¡°This morning, she drank Uncle Zack''s


    wine secretly. She has been in aa ever since.¡±


    Hearing this, Charlotte turned to Zachary and gave him a sharp pinch on his arm. ¡°You gave Fifi wine


    again?¡±


    ¡°She wanted to drink some herself,¡± Zachary replied, looking very wronged.


    ¡°Yeah! You have me as a witness¡ªFifi wanted to drink it herself,¡± Jamie said, standing up for Zachary


    immediately.


    ¡°And me!¡± Robbie added. ¡°It wasn''t Uncle Zack who fed it to her.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it''s alright. She''ll wake up by tomorrow anyway.¡±


    Ellie patted Fifi''s green little headfortingly.


    ¡°Alright, then. I''ll go prepare dinner first. Go and have some fun! Dinner will be ready at six, as usual.¡±


    ¡°Okay! Thanks, Mrs. Berry!''


    After sending the kids off to y, Mrs. Berry looked up at Zachary, feeling a little embarrassed. ¡°I''m


    sorry for hitting you with the mopst time...¡±


    ¡°No worries,¡± Zachary said, interrupting her. ¡°You were only protecting your own people. Besides,


    you''re our elder.¡±


    Although he wasn''t a particrly emotive man and didn''t know how tofort people, he tried his best


    to reassure Mrs. Berry through his words.


    Charlotte felt extremely shocked. Zachary was such a prideful man that she hadn''t expected him toy


    down his dignity and forgive Mrs. Berry for her sake.


    ¡°Oh, thank you!¡± Mrs. Berry was equally stunned. She felt a little touched, too. There had been a few


    misunderstandings between Zachary and herself recently, and she wondered if their meeting today


    would be awkward.


    However, his attitude towards her right now made her feel very shocked.


    This was probably what people meant when they said ''love me, love my dog''.


    Because of his love for Charlotte, Zachary was willing to do things he would never have considered


    before.


    ¡°Don''t worry about it,¡± Zachary replied, smiling. ¡°I''ve hired quite a lot of cooks. You can ask them for


    help, too. Don''t tire yourself out too much.¡±


    ¡°Oh, got it!¡±


    Mrs. Berry nodded, smiling. She ran back into the kitchen to busy herself.


    A few cooks hovered at her elbows, worried that she might faint from fatigue any moment.


    ¡°I''m going upstairs to change,¡± Zachary took Charlotte''s hand and pulled her upstairs.


    ¡°Look over there! Uncle Zack is holding Mommy''s hand!¡± Ellie eximed suddenly. She pped a hand


    over her mouth, a horrified expression appearing on her face. ¡°After graduating from kindergarten, boys


    and girls aren''t allowed to hold hands!¡±


    ¡°Oh no! Will they get pregnant?¡± Jamie frowned, his face full of worry. ¡°If Mommy gets pregnant again,


    we''ll have the real-life Deedee, Lulu, and Kiki soon enough...¡±


    ¡°Oh, both of you are so ignorant!¡± Robbie said, puffing out his chest. With a pompous expression, he


    said, ¡°You can''t get pregnant through holding holds! But...¡±


    Here, Zachary looped his hand around Charlotte''s shoulders as the both of them proceeded upstairs,


    laughing as they went.


    ¡°Oh no, they''re hugging each other now!¡± Ellie cried, pointing to them in consternation. ¡°Do you think


    they could get pregnant like that?¡±


    ¡°No...¡± Robbie said smugly. ¡°That doesn''t mean anything. They have to kiss first...¡±


    At that exact moment, Zachary pressed a kiss to Charlotte''s lips.


    ¡°Oh no!¡± Ellie hid her face behind her hands, too afraid to look.


    ¡°Oh no...¡± Robbie said, sighing.


    ¡°You can get pregnant through kissing?¡± Jamie asked, looking horrified. ¡°I just kissed Ms. Wiklund on


    her cheeks! Does that mean...I''m going to be a father soon?¡±


    ¡°What? Jamie, did you really kiss Ms. Wiklund on her cheeks?¡± Ellie yelped, stomping her feet. ¡°This is


    terrible! I''m going to be an aunt!¡±


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°What are we going to do?¡± Robbie moaned, burying his head in his hands. ¡°I''m too young to be an


    uncle! Besides, what will happen if Mommy''s baby is born at the same time as my nephew? Oh my


    gosh...¡±

 Chapter 531

    Chapter 531


    ¡°I can''t believe that I''m going to be a dad at age three-and-a-half,¡± Jamiemented. ¡°How am I to raise


    a kid when I don''t even have a job yet.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry, Jamie, I''ll give you a hand with that,¡± Robbie said as he patted his brother reassuringly on


    the shoulder. ¡°I''m going to be the kid''s uncle, after all.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I''ll share my snacks and toys with them, and my skirt too,¡± Ellie chimed in as she regarded her


    brother with seriousness.


    ¡°Them?¡± The boy''s eyes widened in horror. ¡°Is Ms. Wiklund going to bear me triplets?¡±


    ¡°She might,¡± Robbie analyzed with a poker face. ¡°ording to the study of gics, there''s a


    hereditaryponent to multiple births. Since we are triplets, we are also likely to conceive triplets


    ourselves in the future.¡±


    ¡°Good grief...¡± Jamie was shell-shocked. ¡°What am I going to do?¡±


    ¡°Three lineal kin. Would I have enough pocket money to go around?¡± Ellie said as she counted on her


    fingers. ¡°Oh no, I''m short.¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡± The situation seemed quite dire the more Robbie thought about it. ¡°It looks like we might need


    to ask Mommy and Mrs. Berry for help.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, I''m never kissing another girl again.¡± His brother was distraught. ¡°No more girlfriends for me


    either.¡±


    ¡°That''s good to know.¡± Robbie patted him on the shoulder. ¡°I''m afraid Uncle Zack''s vi might run out of


    room if you were to keep this up.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Even the limousine couldn''t fit all of them.¡± Ellie pouted as she solemnly reminded him. ¡°If they


    were to attend kindergarten with us, I think we''ll have enough numbers to form one ss between your


    kids and ourselves.¡±


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Ugh...¡± Jamie had his head in his hands. The thought of that scene made him want to cry in despair.


    ¡°What''s the matter?¡± Charlotte and Zachary asked as they came down the steps.


    Zachary was dressed in something morefortable, and he had an arm around her.


    They were a little worried when they saw the children so gravely immersed in a discussion.


    ¡°I messed up, Mommy!¡± Jamie choked up. ¡°I won''t casually kiss girls or make them my girlfriends


    anymore.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What''s going on?¡± Charlotte asked.


    ¡°Jamie went and kissed Ms. Wiklund.¡± Ellieined as she trotted over on her stumpy legs. ¡°The


    teacher''s going to be pregnant. His kids are going to be our ssmates, and he''s afraid he won''t


    be able to afford them...¡±


    ¡°Pfft!¡± Charlotte coughed.


    ¡°Hahaha...¡± Zachary burst intoughter. ¡°Who told you that one kiss would make anyone a father?¡±


    ¡°Robbie did.¡± Ellie looked to her older brother, all wide-eyed.


    ¡°I''ve inferred it from a book I read.¡± Robbie began to gesticte as he broke it down for them. ¡°When


    the male and female behave intimately, pregnancy can ur. That''s what the source material said.¡±


    ¡°...¡± Charlotte was nonplussed and was at a loss as to how to exin this.


    ¡°That''s kind of true, except that it only applies to adults. All of you are too young to conceive,¡± Zachary


    patiently exined as he carried Robbie and Ellie to the couch.


    ¡°Really?¡± Jamie''s brows perked up. ¡°Does that mean that Ms. Wiklund''s going to be fine?¡±


    ¡°Of course she will be,¡± Zachary answered in earnest. ¡°Intimacy means something different when a


    child and an adult kiss. However, you shouldn''t start kissing girls wantonly. It''ll be hard to change when


    you grow up should you ever make a habit of that.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Jamie nodded profusely. ¡°I''ll stop randomly kissing girls and getting girlfriends.¡±


    ¡°That''s the spirit.¡± Zachary then ruffled his mild curls. ¡°It''s good to share things with grownups, so we


    could encourage you if you did something positive, and should you make a mistake, we can all try to


    work together to set things right.¡±

 Chapter 532

    Chapter 532


    ¡°Okay, thank you Uncle Zack.¡± Jamie nodded gratefully.


    ¡°Uncle Zack, there''s a boy at school who said he likes me and wants to be friends. He gave me this


    today.¡±


    She produced a little red flower from her bag. It was a paper-craft made by that kid, with the name


    ¡°Elisa¡± written on it.


    Apparently, a lot of effort went into it.


    ¡°Would you like to be friends with him?¡± Zachary asked gently.


    ¡°I don''t know him very well as we''re not from the same ss,¡± Ellie replied. She tilted her head and


    seemed to be thinking very hard. ¡°He''s kind of cute though.¡±


    ¡°If you don''t know someone that well, then you shouldn''t ept his present,¡± Zachary said. ¡°You should


    return the gift to him. Tell him that since all of you are schoolmates, you could all y together.¡±


    ¡°Alright, got it.¡± Ellie nodded obediently. She then carefully ced the little red flower back inside her


    bag.


    ¡°How about you? Do you have anything interesting to share?¡± Zachary asked as he turned his attention


    to Robbie.


    ¡°I think that the stuff that is being taught is too elementary.¡± The boy shrugged. ¡°Every day, I just look


    forward toing home and attending online lessons, even though their content''s pretty


    straightforward too. I have since had a chat with the teacher, who has started to share new stuff with


    me.¡±


    Zachary''s brows raised in surprise when he heard that. ¡°I''ll attend the online lesson with you and


    assess your progress so that I may adjust your learning scope ordingly.¡±


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Robbie was excited and anticipatory. ¡°Thank you, Uncle Zack!¡±


    ¡°Don''t forget about me.¡± Jamie raised his hand and waved to draw attention to himself. ¡°You promised


    to teach me martial arts.¡±


    ¡°And me too.¡± Ellie squeezed herself in front with her hand held up high as well. ¡°You told me you were


    going to teach me how to sing, dance and draw.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure. I''ll definitely do everything I can to fulfill my promises.¡± He then took a quick nce at his


    wrist. ¡°We''ll start at seven-thirty!¡±


    ¡°Yay!¡± The three children cheered in unison as they looked forward to their night lessons.


    ¡°Gather round everyone. Dinner''s ready.¡±


    By this time, Mrs. Berryid out the sumptuous spread of dinner with the assistance of the butler, Mrs.


    Rawlston and a few helpers.


    Mrs. Rawlston was concerned that Mrs. Berry might be tiring herself out. ¡°You''ve already done the


    cooking. Do wash up and prepare to have dinner yourself. You can leave the rest to me.¡±


    ¡°In that case, thank you.¡± Mrs. Berry then loosened her apron. ¡°Come along now, children. I''ll take you


    to the sink.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Robbie and Ellie sprinted over with Jamie ying catch-up in his wheelchair behind. ¡°Hey, wait


    for me.¡±


    Three nurses immediately approached to help.


    Charlotte felt all warm and fuzzy inside seeing how lively the house was. This was the kind of family life


    she coveted, simple but cozy.


    ¡°A penny for your thoughts?¡± Zachary asked as he pinched her cheek lightly.


    ¡°I feel so blessed.¡± Charlotte leaned in and hugged him tightly. ¡°Thank you...¡±


    ¡°Silly you,¡± Zachary responded by kissing her on top of her head. ¡°Which reminds me. We should hold


    a family meeting after dinner.¡±


    ¡°A family meeting?¡± Charlotte was mystified.


    ¡°It''s about time the kids knew who I am. We can''t have them calling me ¡°Uncle¡± anymore,¡± he said


    solemnly. ¡°And you should stop calling me Gigolo as well. It''s a bad influence on them.¡±


    ¡°Then what should I call you instead?¡±


    ¡°Hubby, for starters,¡± Zacharymanded.


    ¡°Pfft¡ª¡ª¡± A flush crept across Charlotte''s cheeks as she buried her face in her hands. ¡°I''m so


    embarrassed.¡±


    ¡°We''ll take it slow, with a bit of practice.¡± Zachary cupped her face and instructed in earnest. ¡°Take my


    lead, Hub...!¡±


    ¡°Hub...!¡± went Charlottepliantly.


    ¡°...By!¡±


    ¡°....By!¡±


    ¡°Hubby!¡±


    ¡°Hubby!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Zachary affirmed it positively.


    Charlotte chuckled. She was left red to the ear, and could only lean her forehead into his chest to hide


    her embarrassment.


    ¡°Good girl!¡±

 Chapter 533

    Chapter 533


    The dishes served by Mrs. Berry were all favorites of the children and Charlotte. These were


    complemented by a few French vors prepared by Mrs. Rawlston.


    Everyone within the household was buzzing when they took their respective ces at the table.


    Mrs. Berry spoke self-consciously. ¡°I understood from Mrs. Rawlston that you enjoy French fare so I''ve


    asked her to prepare some. I don''t know how to make them, but I''ll be learning from her starting


    tomorrow. Hopefully, I''ll be able to make some for you next time.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine, Mrs. Berry. I''d like to try some of your own specialty too.¡±


    Zachary pulled out a chair for Charlotte before he took his own ce by her side.


    ¡°Alright then. Let me know if you like them.¡±


    Mrs. Berry ced a piece of beef into Zachary''s te.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Zachary nodded in appreciation as he savored it. ¡°It''s really good.¡±


    ¡°Really? I''m so d to hear that.¡± Mrs. Berry beamed. ¡°I was a little worried that you might not be used


    to my cooking.¡±


    ¡°I like it.¡± After he got Charlotte a piece as well, he turned back to find Mrs. Berry and the children


    looking at him. ¡°Well don''t just sit there watching, go on ahead and help yourself to the food too.¡±


    ¡°We''re digging in now, Uncle Zack, Mommy, Mrs. Berry!¡±


    The children then tucked in and marveled at Mrs. Berry''s fantastic culinary skills.


    Mrs. Berry was extremely pleased, and reiterated her desire to avoid the hospital so that she may stay


    at home in order to continue cooking for the family.


    Charlotte filled up a bowl with soup and beseech the older woman to take care of her own health so


    that she may be better able to watch the children grow.


    The housekeeper smiled with a tear in her eye as she nodded.


    Although Zachary ate quietly, his demeanor was unusually affable.


    Enjoying a meal together with arge family like this was something that he had never experienced for


    as long as he could remember.


    In all his twenty-eight years, he had more or less grown ustomed to a solitary existence.


    The atmosphere was dreary even during the asions he was with his grandfather.


    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    His upbringing under Henry was strict, with countless rules set out for him to adhere to. Amongst them,


    were the forbidding of conversation andughter during mealtimes.


    For him, this conversely joyous and harmonious vibe better characterized how family life ought to be.


    After dinner, Zachary took the kids out to the children''s y area.


    Charlotte had not stepped outside the house over the past couple of days. She was aware that a clinic


    was built to the rear of the house, but did not know about the y area that had been added to the


    garden.


    The sight of it almost had the three children jumping for joy.


    Robbie and Ellie were first in as they scampered ahead, leaving Jamie to shout after them, ¡°Wait. I


    want to y too.¡±


    ¡°Hey Jamie, shall we go over to the swing?¡± Mildred coaxed.


    ¡°I wanna go on the slide,¡± the boy replied as he pointed to the lofty spiraling structure.


    Robbie and Ellie were already up top. Their arms were spread wide as they screamed in exhration all


    the way down.


    Mildred had her reservations. ¡°You could aggravate your leg on that as it hasn''t fully recovered yet.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine. Let him try,¡± Zachary said. ¡°A boy doesn''t need to be coddled.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± The nurse wheeled Jamie over and mindfully helped him up.


    ¡°You can let go. I can do this myself.¡±


    The boy kept his hands to the sides of the steps for support as he lugged himself up with some


    difficulty.


    ¡°I''m up, I''m up!¡±


    Jamie''s arms shot up in triumphant fashion, cleanly forgotten about his own injury. That made him lose


    his bnce and caused him to topple over the side of the stairs.


    ¡°Ah¡ª¡ª¡± Charlotte and Mrs. Berry let out a blood-curdling shriek.


    As Jamie tumbled toward the ground, a shadowy figure zed across and caught him securely.


    The boy was ashen-faced and breathed heavily as he reclined inside Zachary''s arms. He began to


    choke up from the ordeal. ¡°Ugh, Uncle Zack...¡±


    ¡°That was nothing. Big boys like you shouldn''t cry,¡± Zachary said authoritatively.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Jamie pursed his lips as he forced back his tears. ¡°Thanks Uncle Zack!¡±


    ¡°Call me Dad,¡± Zachary said.


    ¡°Dad!¡± The boy''s mouth was left agape when those words were uttered.

 Chapter 534

    Chapter 534


    ¡°Goodd!¡± Zachary patted his head while he set him back on his feet. ¡°Now run along. Boys must be


    brave.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Jamie seemed to have grown in confidence spontaneously, as though his leg no longer


    hurt and his fear had dissipated. He got right back at attempting another ascent on his gimpy leg.


    The peak seemed so distant that it felt a little intimidating. His leg noticeably quivered.


    ¡°Go for it. I got your back,¡± Zachary called out in encouragement.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Jamie gritted his teeth as he turned back to the steps with renewed determination. He


    continued to climb.


    This time, the boy was not afraid anymore, as he knew someone would be there to catch him should he


    fall.


    Charlotte was profoundly moved by this scene. Aspetent a mother as she was about caring for


    and educating her children, she understood that there was no recement for a father figure in their


    lives.


    In spite of his inexperience with children, Zachary had the ability to instill patience and confidence in


    them, as well as have them rub off the fortitude of his masculinity.


    Charlotte cussed at herself for having doubted his capability to be a good father. It would seem that her


    worries were for naught, as his attentiveness to her children had exceeded every expectation.


    ¡°I want to ride on the swing, Uncle Zack. Would you push me?¡±


    Ellie acted coquettishly as she wanted some of the man''s attention for herself too.


    ¡°Sure,¡± he replied as he extended his arms. ¡°Jump down. I''ll catch you.¡±


    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    ¡°It''s so high. I''m scared.¡±


    Her stumpy legs retreated from the edge as her little hands continued to grip tightly onto the guardrail.


    ¡°I''ll go first!¡± Robbie seized the initiative tounch himself over with aplomb.


    Zachary corralled him right away and rubbed his head. ¡°You nearly caught me off guard there. What do


    you think could have happened if I wasn''t ready for you?¡±


    ¡°I had faith that you''ll definitelye get me.¡±


    Robbie had begun to gravitate toward Zachary, as he felt the man could teach him to be more


    courageous.


    ¡°Goodd!¡± Zachary pinched that pretty face of his as his own lips curled into a smile.


    ¡°Here Ie, Uncle Zack.¡±


    Ellie covered her eyes as she leaped off with a shout.


    The man stretched out and caught the girl in his off-hand.


    ¡°Ah¡ª¡ª¡±


    She almost burst his eardrums as she continued to scream into his ear when shended.


    ¡°I''m sure you''ve a great singing voice,¡± Zachary said with a frown.


    ¡°Stop it, Ellie. You''re safe now,¡± Robbie said as he patted on her arm.


    She uncovered her eyes and surveyed her surroundings. ¡°Wow, you did it. That was kind of fun!¡±


    ¡°Here goes nothing, Uncle Zack.¡±


    Jamie''s voice rang out from the side.


    Zachary turned to see that Jamie had sessfully mbered to the highest point. With arms extended,


    he yelled the whole way down the slide.


    ¡°Well done, Jamie!¡±


    The nurses cheered and pped for him.


    They were ted to see him back in action, as he had been positively bored out of his mind after sitting


    out for almost two months since sustaining that fracture.


    It was with Zachary''s encouragement that he took the first step towards returning to normalcy.


    To prevent that injured foot from making contact with the ground, the man rushed forward to slow the


    boy''s descent with his foot while he still had Robbie and Ellie in either arm.


    Jamie took care to lift his own foot high to protect it as well, and came away unscathed.


    ¡°You alright?¡± Zachary hooked his foot under the boy and flicked him into the air.


    Jamie yelped as hended upon Zachary''s shoulders. He hurriedly clung onto the man''s head for dear


    life.


    ¡°Oh wow. You''re so awesome, Uncle Zack,¡± Ellie enthused as she pped in delight. ¡°You caught all


    three of us at one go.¡±


    ¡°You''re my hero, Uncle Zack!¡± Robbie appeared quite in awe.


    ¡°No more Uncle Zack from now on.¡± Zachary corrected them. ¡°You''ve to call me Dad!¡±

 Chapter 535

    Chapter 535


    ¡°Dad...¡± Jamie uttered.


    Robbie and Ellie''s eyes widened as if to question how quickly their brother had been co-opted.


    I just did it,¡± Jamie replied sheepishly. ¡°It''s not like Mommy disapproves or anything like that.¡±


    The three children then turned in concert to regard Charlotte.


    Their mother appeared quite abashed and did not know how to respond.


    Jamie asked softly, ¡°You wouldn''t be against us treating Uncle Zack like our Dad, would you, Mommy?¡±


    ¡°Whatever do you mean by treating me like your Dad?¡± Zachary frowned. ¡°I am your Dad, to begin


    with.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± The children were dumbfounded as they nced at Zachary and Charlotte.


    ¡°Let''s go inside. I''ll exin this to y''all.¡±


    Charlotte concurred. A matter of such importance should be discussed when everyone had settled in.


    ¡°Okay!¡± The children nodded obediently. However, their mood was somber, as they sensed their mother


    had something important to announce.


    The entire family bundled into the study when they came back in.


    Mrs. Berry and the three kids were seated side by side, while Zachary and Charlotte upied the


    couch across from them.


    The housekeeper was a little uptight. ¡°Perhaps I should step outside while your family talked, Miss.¡±


    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    ¡°You are family too, Mrs. Berry.¡±


    Charlotte then gestured for her to sit.


    Mrs. Berry could only stay put on the one side with the half-asleep Fifi nodding off in herp.


    ¡°What do you want to tell us, Mommy?¡±


    Robbie was as self-assured and collected as the eldest amongst the children ought to be. He mustered


    the courage to speak up even though he was quite the nervous wreck himself.


    ¡°Mommy had never broached this subject with you before...¡± Charlotte stuttered as she had no clue as


    to how to even begin. ¡°The truth of the matter is...¡±


    ¡°Allow me,¡± Zachary interjected. ¡°I''m actually your father. Your real father.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± The children''s eyes were forced wide as they red at him, dumbstruck and in absolute


    disbelief.


    ¡°I met your Mommy four years ago and left a seed in her body, which grew to be the three of


    you...¡±


    Zachary appropriated the descriptions used in some illustrated books which he had consulted


    previously on the subject.


    ¡°We didn''t know each other that time, and I wasn''t aware that she was pregnant until we met again four


    yearster under a different identity. We didn''t get along at first because we had a number of


    misunderstandings between us, but that''s out of the way now. Since then, I''ve also learned that you''re


    my children, so...¡±


    ¡°Hold on a second,¡± Robbie interrupted, as there was much he did not understand. ¡°Why did you leave


    a seed inside Mommy when you didn''t even know each other? That doesn''t seem very logical.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡±


    Jamie and Ellie quickly concurred as the trio shared the same stance.


    ¡°That...¡±


    Zachary''s brows furrowed as he considered how to best exin in aprehensible way for children


    the stimting yet bizarre manner in which they were conceived that fateful night.


    ¡°It''s because it was dark. We couldn''t see each other.¡±


    Charlotte''s attempt was brusque and tactless.


    Zachary rolled his eye at it. The children were bound to end up learning the wrong things with that


    approach.


    ¡°How did you know that we''re your children then?¡± Robbie''s rational mind continued to whirl.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. How did you find out?¡±


    Jamie and Ellie merely echoed what was said. They did not know as much, but they knew Robbie was


    bright. It was safe for them to assume, therefore, that Robbie''s questions had to be on point.


    ¡°It''s because you and I both share the same allergy towards the kiwi fruit. That was what prompted me


    to do a DNA test for both of us. The result established that you''re my son. As Jamie, Ellie, and yourself


    are triplets, it naturally follows that they must also be my children.¡±


    Zachary then passed the DNA test results along to Robbie.


    He did not speak to the children like they were three year old, but treated them as though they were his


    equals.


    That made them feel respected and therefore take his words seriously.

 Chapter 536

    Chapter 536


    Robbie received theb report which he went on to examine carefully.


    Jamie and Ellie gathered close and scrutinized it with their big bright eyes.


    The younger boy waited for some time before he asked, ¡°Do you know what''s on it, Robbie?¡±


    ¡°I can recognize this,¡± Ellie said as she ced the tip of her plump index finger against the one-hundred


    percent figure on the report. ¡°Can''t understand much of anything else though.¡±


    ¡°These two I know.¡± Jamie pointed to the text that came before that. ¡°Paternity... is!¡±


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    Zachary was speechless.


    He had been speaking to them so earnestly, but all the rambunctious trio seemed interested in


    discussing was which words they could read.


    ¡°Quit messing around, you two,¡± Charlotte said. ¡°It''s okay if you can''t understand it, Robbie. Let


    Mommy...¡±


    Robbie raised his head to regard Zachary. ¡°It states that the probability of paternity is one-hundred


    percent. I know what that means.¡±


    ¡°That''s good.¡± Zachary nodded in relief. ¡°So from now on...¡±


    ¡°Can I have a couple more questions answered?¡± Robbie asked. ¡°Could I?¡±


    ¡°Of course you could. Please ask away.¡± Zachary was quite impressed with the boy''s assertiveness at


    his age.


    ¡°You didn''t know we''re yours before the discovery of my allergy, did you?¡± Robbie asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Zachary nodded.


    ¡°Would you have treated our Mommy and us equally well if you did not have this set of tests done?¡±


    It was a crucial question that the boy had just tabled, and one which elevated the tension in the room in


    an instant.


    The two other tots did not get the underlying implications and knew only to echo his words. ¡°That''s


    right, would you?¡±


    Mrs. Berry looked at Zachary intently, as she too was interested to know.


    Charlotte was surprised at Robbie''s incisiveness. It was a question that she herself had not considered


    before.


    Zachary deliberated before he offered up a response. ¡°I was aware that she had kids right from the


    beginning, and was quite upset with her because I thought they were conceived with someone else. I


    must admit that I''ve overreacted and did some things that I''m not proud of. However...¡±


    He raised his head to regard the three children, and continued with sincerity, ¡°I''ve never once had the


    intention to harm any of you, nor have I hated your existence, and never have I considered giving up on


    your Mommy because of it. Therefore, my answer would be that I would have loved your mother and


    epted all of you just the same, even if you were not of my own.¡±


    His words touched Charlotte profoundly. When she revisited the countless asions in which she had


    doubted him previously, he had not tried to harm the children once even while he was under the


    impression that they were Michael''s.


    When she assumed that he was the one who had abducted her children when they went missing, he


    did not try to defend himself. Instead, he quietly went out to find them and return them to her. Even


    though he did threaten her then out of spite, he had not brought harm unto them, just like he said.


    Out of consideration for the safety of the children when she got into some trouble, he had Spencer


    fetch the children and put them up with Henry. It may be a credit to his kindheartedness that he


    incidentally found out about Robbie''s allergy to the kiwi fruit, which in turn led him to the truth about


    their parentage.


    He really was a tough talking softie.


    ¡°That''s good to know.¡± Mrs. Berry was almost tearing up at this point. ¡°It''s beyond question that the


    children are yours. I know Miss all too well. She had kept herself chaste all these years and had never


    been with any other.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Zachary curled his lips.


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Robbie took a deep drawl before he continued, ¡°The next question is, does Mr. Henry


    know that we are your kids? If he doesn''t, would he be able to ept us?¡±


    ¡°He doesn''t know yet.¡± Zachary thought Robbie was one with a rigorous mind, being able to adopt a


    multifaceted approach to considering issues. ¡°He has always been fond of all of you, so I expect that he


    should be very happy when he does.¡±

 Chapter 537

    Chapter 537


    Robbie''s eyes dipped as he went silent, as though deep in contemtion.


    Jamie was conversely anxious. ¡°That''s right. Grandpa really likes us, so I''m sure he would be more


    than happy to learn that we are his grandson''s children.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean we can''t call him Grandpa anymore? Ellie asked.


    ¡°Seems like it,¡± Jamie said while he tilted his head. ¡°The kindergarten books mentioned that Daddy''s


    grandpa is called great-grandfather.¡±


    ¡°Ah, are we to address Grandpa as Great-Grandpa then?¡± Ellie''s eyes widened in curiosity. ¡°That


    doesn''t have the same ring to it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it doesn''t.¡± Jamie was all business when he expounded upon that, ¡°Grandpa''s Daddy''s


    Grandpa, not ours...¡±


    N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Ellie nodded, unsure as to whether she actually understood.


    ¡°Is there anything else you would like to know?¡± Zachary asked Robbie.


    ¡°Would you be marrying Mommy?¡± the boy asked as he raised his head.


    ¡°Of course I will,¡± Zachary replied without hesitancy. ¡°I''ll start preparation as soon as Grandpaes


    to.¡±


    ¡°Hooray!¡± Ellie cheered with her hands raised high. ¡°I want to be the flower girl.¡±


    ¡°Me too, me too.¡± Jamie chimed in. ¡°I want to invite my friends from kindergarten to attend Daddy and


    Mommy''s wedding.¡±


    ¡°That''s wonderful. I''d like to extend invitations to some of our old neighbors,¡± Mrs. Berry spoke


    excitedly. ¡°And a few of Mr. Windt''s former bodyguards who had taken care of us, as well as Fergie and


    the others...¡±


    ¡°No problem. We''ll invite all of them.¡± Jamie thumped upon his own chest. ¡°Let me make the


    arrangements.¡±


    ¡°Me too. I want to invite a few friends too...¡± Ellie added as she did not want to be left out. ¡°There''s Ms.


    Longman and Ms. Cheney...¡±


    ¡°Yes, that''s right. And my Ms. Wiklund too...¡±


    The children went back and forth to no end as they fervently started getting into details about the


    wedding already.


    Mrs. Berry uninhibitedly partook in it. Even the dozing Fifi had been jolted to wakefulness. ¡°Me too. Me


    too.¡±


    That put a smile on Charlotte''s face. She extended her hands towards Robbie when she saw the boy


    looking worrisome. ¡°Come here, you!¡±


    Robbie slid off the couch and approached.


    Charlotte pulled him into her embrace and kissed his forehead. ¡°Do you have any other concerns,


    Robbie?¡±


    ¡°Go ahead and speak your mind.¡± Zachary looked upon him with gentle eyes.


    Robbie took a moment to think. ¡°Marriage seems like aplicated affair. Marriage into a wealthy


    family, even more so. There are some things that I don''t understand and cannot predict, so I keep


    having this feeling that things won''t go swimmingly... Should you encounter any difficulty, would you


    give up on Mommy and on us?¡±


    ¡°I won''t.¡± Zachary ran his fingers through the boy''s slight wavy curls. ¡°There''s no quitting in my books!


    Come what may, I''ll let nothing stand in my way.¡±


    Robbie''s eyes sparkled. Such awe-inspiring confidence really resonated with him. That had him


    nodding furiously. ¡°Yes, I believe you!¡±


    ¡°Let''s shake on it.¡± Zachary had learned how tomunicate with children. He heard that to them, a


    pinky promise held the same validity as a legal agreement.


    Robbie immediately linked fingers with him. ¡°Pinky, pinky, a hundred years to test. Whoever turns is a


    bastard''s ass!¡±


    ¡°I want to do it too.¡± Ellie ran over to join in when she saw Zachary and Robbie at it. ¡°I want a thumb


    seal!¡±


    ¡°Me too...¡± Jamie limped over as well.


    ¡°Done!¡± Zachary did the pinky promise sealed with their thumbs and swore to marry Charlotte against


    all odds and give them all a blissful and warm ce to call home.


    The sight of this family of five reduced Mrs. Berry to a sobbing mess. In her heart, she thought: Miss


    has finally found herself a good man she could lean on, Mr. Windt. You can finally rest easy now.

 Chapter 538

    Chapter 538


    ¡°Okay, will you call me Dad now?¡±


    Zachary wanted so much to hear the children hail him as their father. Never before in his life had he


    gone to this length to please anyone.


    These days, he had his office lined with books on parenting, and invested time and effort whenever


    possible to research into how to interact with children.


    All that work just to convince these three little imps to willingly acknowledge him.


    ¡°I don''t want to...¡± Ellie pouted.


    Robbie and Jamie rescinded their own attempts when they saw their sister expressed her


    unwillingness.


    ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Zachary asked cautiously.


    It could very well be the first time he had tried to be careful about what he said.


    ¡°Dad doesn''t sound nice.¡± Ellie tilted her head innocently. ¡°I prefer Daddy.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Yes...¡± Jamie went along and said. ¡°If we address our mother as Mommy, we should also call you


    Daddy.¡±


    ¡°Then Daddy it is,¡± Robbie dered with finality.


    ¡°Uh huh,¡± Jamie and Ellie concurred with a nod.


    The trio exchanged looks between themselves before they looked to Charlotte, and Zachary.


    However, none of them opened their mouth.


    Zachary had his head in his hands. He yearned for them to hail him, but it seemed that much harder


    than he could have imagined.


    ¡°Well, hurry it up.¡± Even Mrs. Berry got impatient.


    Charlotte merely smiled silently.


    ¡°On three.¡± Ellie waved her hand like an orchestral conductor. ¡°One, two, three!¡±


    ¡°Daddy¡ª¡ª¡±


    The endearing qualities of their three voices were amplified loud and clear when they shouted in


    unison.


    Zachary''s heart almost melted. He then drew them into his arms.


    He wanted very much to kiss them the way Charlotte did, but he did not know how.


    ¡°Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy...¡±


    The children crowded around Zachary as they kept calling, and even snuggled close to smother him


    with kisses.


    Fifi was startled from her slumber and beat her wings until shended on top of the man''s head.


    ¡°Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!¡±


    Overwhelmed by their fiery passion, he was at a righteous loss.


    ¡°Ha, this is just beautiful to behold.¡±


    This scene had Mrs. Berry smiling from ear to ear.


    Charlotte, however, was in tears.


    She felt truly blessed for having something that she could not have imagined beforeing to fruition


    so quickly.


    If only she could continue to stay in this perfect moment. This was when a sharp pain shot up her right


    arm. It crept upwards until it reached her shoulders and then radiated outwards from there.


    In an attempt to mask her difort, she picked up a cushion and pressed it against her arm.


    The pain grew increasingly intense, as though there were tens upon thousands of ants gnawing at her


    blood vessels until it verged on exploding.


    Unable to withstand it no more, Charlotte abruptly stood up and took refuge in the washroom.


    ¡°Huh?¡± The children were astounded when they turned to look in her direction. ¡°What''s up with


    Mommy?¡±


    ¡°I guess she might be overjoyed.¡± Jamie mbered onto the couch and threw himself onto Zachary''s


    broad shoulders. ¡°Carry me, Daddy!¡±


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    ¡°Okay.¡± As his focus was on the kids, he paid little mind to it. However, he was concerned enough to


    turn to Mrs. Berry. ¡°Could you kindly check on her?¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± She nodded and smiled as she got to her feet. ¡°I''m sure all the excitement must have been a


    little too much. She probably went in to dry her eyes.¡±


    ¡°Mommy''s wept till she got snot on her...¡± Little Ellie imitated the way Charlotte cried. ¡°Like this, boo


    hoo!¡±


    ¡°Don''t do that. Bad Ellie,¡± Robbie chided.


    The little girl made a face at him before she ducked into the safety of Zachary''s arms. ¡°Hold me,


    Daddy!¡±

 Chapter 539

    Chapter 539


    ¡°Looks like it¡¯s time. Let''s go for lessons.¡±


    With one clinging on his back, a second nestled in his arm, and a third tugging him along by the hand,


    Zachary was like a tree overrun by monkeys as he strode forth.


    He turned his head toward Mrs. Berry. ¡°Please let Charlotte know that we''ll be in the study.¡±


    ¡°Will do,¡± Mrs. Berry replied. She watched them leave before she rapped upon the washroom door.


    ¡°Miss. Are you alright, Miss?¡±


    ¡°I''m fine...¡± Charlotte was pallid as she hunched over the sink. In spite of being in no small measure of


    agony, she did her best topose herself. ¡°I might have the runs, so you should go up first. I''ll be out


    in a minute.¡±


    ¡°No worries. I''d be right here with you.¡± Mrs. Berry remained concerned. ¡°Did you have too much to eat


    at dinner? I''ll go get you a ss of warm water.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    After she heard the footsteps departed outside, Charlotte slumped down seated on the floor. Beads of


    sweat ran ceaselessly down her forehead.


    She bit down upon her lip until they were close to bleeding.


    The excruciating pain continued to permeate. There was nothing visibly wrong with her right shoulder,


    only the sensation of gnawing upon her blood vessels.


    It dawned upon her that the injection that that woman gave her must be more than just a sedative.


    The substance inside might had been some form of toxin so subtle that it was undetectable even to


    Raina.


    ¡°How are you doing, Miss?¡± Mrs. Berry hollered from the outside.


    ¡°I''m okay,¡± Charlotte said with a deep furrow. ¡°It may take a while more, so you should go.¡±


    ¡°Alright. I''ll leave it on the table for you. Do take some medication if you are still not feeling well,¡± the


    older woman said.


    ¡°Got it.¡± Charlotte did her best to sound calm.


    Mrs. Berry exited.


    Charlotte continued to be tormented by pain for another half an hour before it fully subsided.


    After she struggled onto her feet, she sshed water on her face. She then downed a few mouthfuls


    from the ss on the table when she came out.


    Jamie''s coat and one of Ellie''s shoes were left on the couch. She felt conflicted as she reminisced


    about the heartwarming scene from a moment ago.


    A few knocks on the door were followed by Raina''s voice. ¡°May I enter, Ms. Windt?¡±


    ¡°Pleasee in,¡± came Charlotte''s swift reply.


    The doctor pushed through the door with a medical bag in hand. ¡°Mrs. Berry told me that you were


    experiencing some difort in your abdomen. Could you describe it to me? Let''s see if we have any


    medication here suitable for you.¡±


    ¡°It''s alright.¡± Charlotte shook her head. ¡°I guess I must have had indigestion from overeating. After


    visiting the washroom, I''m feeling much better already.¡±


    ¡°That''s good to know.¡± Raina gave her a pack of medicine anyway. ¡°Have some of these digestive


    tablets that I''ve formted myself. I''m sure they''ll be of help.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Charlotte took two of that and meaningfully asked, ¡°Mrs. Berry and my friends are your


    patients, and I''ve also heard from doctors in other hospitals that you have quite the reputation as a


    medical practitioner.¡±


    ¡°I might be the best there is if that does note across as being too full of myself. Haha.¡±


    Raina was quite confident of her ownpetency in her chosen profession.


    N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    ¡°Does that mean to say that no one would be able to treat what you can''t?¡± Charlotte probed.


    ¡°That depends.¡± The doctor adopted a more objective stance. ¡°Some procedures may be better


    handled by my peers with the relevant expertise, as there are limits to what anyone could be good at.


    Though I''m able to diagnose most ailments, there will always be doctors from my hospital who I could


    call on.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Charlotte found it troubling that even someone with Raina''s capability could not figure out what


    was inside of her.

 Chapter 540

    Chapter 540


    ¡°Ms. Windt! Ms. Windt!¡±


    Raina''s calls interrupted her train of thoughts.


    Charlotte then tried to change the subject. ¡°I''ll be leaving Mrs. Berry and Mrs. Peyton in your able


    hands.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry, I will take care of them.¡± Raina nodded. ¡°How''s your stomach now? Are you feeling


    better?¡±


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    ¡°Very much so,¡± Charlotte replied with a slight smile. ¡°I think I should be heading up now. Thank you


    again.¡±


    ¡°You''re wee. Feel free to approach me anytime.¡± Raina picked up her bag and left.


    Charlotte got her head in order before she returned upstairs.


    The door to the study was slightly ajar. She was able to see Zachary instructing Robbie on some


    technological concepts from her position just outside.


    The boy''s brows were knitted in intense focus, much like Zachary''s.


    Jamie and Ellie were by their side. They must not have understood what was being shared as the girl


    wandered off to fiddle with her Barbie doll in a pink tent at the side, while the younger boy, too, started


    to y with Fifi on the couch.


    ¡°You''re an absolute genius!¡± Zachary was pleasantly surprised to discover Robbie''s talents. ¡°I was six


    when I started getting involved with technology. You''re already ahead of me at just three years old!¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    Robbie was delighted. He used to enjoy chatting to his mother about these while she was still able to


    engage him adequately then. It, however, did not take long before his knowledge base surpassed hers.


    As others in the family were even less informed, Robbie was without tutge and made little progress


    researching on his own.


    He was in his element and able to advance in leaps and bounds the moment Henry gifted him a


    computer and enrolled him in online lessons.


    However, the efficacy of remote sessions could notpare with that of live instruction. It seemed that


    Robbie was able to pick things up more easily and quickly, as it showed during Zachary''s first attempt.


    Both father and son were tremendously pleased and felt a great sense of aplishment.


    ¡°Uncle Zack...¡± Robbie blurted.


    ¡°What?¡± Zachary reminded him with an eyebrow raised.


    ¡°I mean Daddy.¡± The boy immediately rectified himself with a blush on his little cheeks. Perhaps


    consistently hailing the man as such would still take some of getting used to. ¡°With regards to the


    development of yourpany''s new product, I have a few suggestions. Could you take me to observe


    the design process?¡±


    ¡°Of course I could.¡± Zachary nodded. ¡°I''ll bring you down to the office tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Ah? To the office?¡± Robbie felt slightly overwhelmed. ¡°Would that be okay? I was just thinking...¡±


    ¡°Why wouldn''t it be?¡± Zachary patted the boy''s head with pride. ¡°You''re my son. One day, you''ll be


    taking over my ce at the helm of thepany. The sooner you are able to get up to speed, the


    sooner you could join me in running things together!¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Robbie nodded. His beautiful eyes beamed with radiance.


    Charlotte''s lips lifted into a smile. She felt that this was the version of Robbie which he really wanted for


    himself.


    Hering back to the Nachts had proven to be the right decision for the children.


    ¡°Beep! Beep!¡±


    Jamie flipped himself up from the couch the second the rm sounded. ¡°Time''s up for Robbie, Daddy.


    It''s my turn.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Zachary closed theptop before turning to the older boy. ¡°You can go rest up now.¡±


    ¡°I still want to read on.¡± Robbie took the device and continued what he was going before at the side.


    ¡°You''re very diligent.¡± Zachary curled his lips. ¡°Don''t you want to learn martial arts together with your


    brother?¡±


    ¡°Nah, I''m not interested in that.¡± Robbie''s eyes were fixated on the screen. ¡°Man can create invincible


    weapons with his intelligence. No martial arts would be able to stand against that.¡±


    ¡°I beg to differ, as there are things that machines cannot ovee,¡± Jamie retorted. ¡°What''s more, the


    practice of martial arts can strengthen the body. Surely that''s something that machines cannot


    replicate?¡±


    ¡°A reasonable point.¡± Zachary thought aloud with interest.


    ¡°Which one of us were you referring to, Daddy?¡± Jamie eagerly wanted to validate himself.

 Chapter 541

    Chapter 541


    ¡°Both of you are seeing things from your own perspectives and you have your own reasons,¡± Zachary


    analyzed fairly.


    ¡°You''re still young so it''s fine to learn things you''re interested in. It''s easier to master something if you


    focus on it after all. Besides, both of you are brothers and you can help each other in the future. One of


    you will be the brains while the other will be the brawns and you''ll be invincible by then.¡±


    Not only did his words make sense to the kids, but he also managed to resolve their dispute, uniting


    them even more.


    ¡°Okay!¡± Both Robbie and Jamie nodded and gave each other a hug.


    The former took the initiative to apologize. ¡°I''m sorry, Jamie. I didn''t mean to look down on martial arts.


    I want to learn from you in the future.¡±


    ¡°I want to learn from you too, Robbie. Let''s work hard together.¡± Thetter reflected on his actions too.


    ¡°Good boys!¡± The corners of Zachary''s lips tilted upwards as he nced at his watch. ¡°Alright, have a


    ten minute rest. Robbie, you can go drink some juice while Jamie, you need to prepare for your


    sses.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± they replied in unison before beaming at each other.


    ¡°I hope time can pass by soon. I really want to study.¡± Ellie was brushing one of her dolls'' hair in her


    princess tent. She took a nce outside before saying, ¡°Being a boy is so troublesome. Being a girl is


    much better, isn''t that right, Lulu?¡±


    Charlotte couldn''t stop herself from smiling at the sight of her children.


    ¡°What are you smiling like a fool for?¡± Zachary asked as he walked towards her. ¡°Why aren''t you going


    in?¡±


    ¡°I didn''t want to interrupt your sses.¡± She faced him with a gentle look. ¡°You''re a really great dad.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± he answered confidently. ¡°Reading so many parenting books wasn''t a waste after all.


    Besides, I didn''t have parents growing up, and I felt like something is missing from my life. Now, this


    feels like I''m getting to live my childhood all over again. It feels great to be able to learn and grow up


    with them.¡±


    Charlotte wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest.


    She was moved and touched by his words but she didn''t want to express it with shallow words.


    ¡°I think you should be the one called Deedee, silly.¡± Zachary patted her back and said gently, ¡°You''re


    bing more and more childlike.¡±


    ¡°It''s time for our ss, Daddy,¡± Jamie called out excitedly. ¡°You can have Daddy back when our ss


    ends, Mommy. Then you can hug him as much as you want. So let go of him now.¡±


    ¡°I still have to study after Jamie''s ss, Mommy. Don''t keep Daddy all to yourself,¡± Ellie pouted as she


    said with her squeaky voice.


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    ¡°Daddy, Daddy!¡± Fifi flew over to them and circled above Zachary''s head. The parrot reminded, ¡°ss,


    now! ss, now!¡±


    ¡°These heartless children...¡± Charlotte didn''t know if she shouldugh or cry. ¡°They were attached to my


    hip previously, but now they''re saying that I''m hogging you for myself.¡±


    ¡°It means that I''m more likable.¡± The man raised a brow at her and said, ¡°Go take a shower and wait for


    me in our room. I''ll be right over once I''m done with their sses.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Charlotte stood on her tiptoes and gave him a kiss. ¡°I''ll be waiting for you!¡±


    ¡°Be good,¡± he said as he pinched her cheeks. Then, he turned to Jamie and started his ss. ¡°Alright.


    Time for you to show me your martial art skills.¡±


    ¡°My leg isn''tpletely healed yet. Are we practicing with our fists first?¡± the little boy asked as he


    stood up unsteadily.


    ¡°You''ve been resting for two months. How bad could it be even if it hasn''tpletely healed?¡± Zachary


    was extremely strict as he said, ¡°Martial artists can''t be such a weakling. Come on, time to practice!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Jamie saluted him and limped to the middle of the room before he showed his martial arts skills.


    His father sat on the couch with a smile on his face. All of them really are talented in their own ways.


    This kid looks just a little older and is quite convincing when he''s practicing martial arts.


    ¡°Not bad! Carry on.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Charlotte watched as her children focused on their sses and felt extremely relieved. She felt that


    Zachary''s way of educating them was much better than her own.


    The woman didn''t disturb them any further and left, closing the door behind her on her way out.


    Her phone rang suddenly as she turned around.

 Chapter 542

    Chapter 542


    Charlotte nced at the screen and saw a phone number that she didn''t recognize. After hesitating for


    a moment, she finally answered it.


    ¡°Mrs. Windt...¡± It was a little boy''s voice.


    She froze for a moment before asking in confusion, ¡°You are?¡±


    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    ¡°I''m Timothy.¡± The voice over the phone was soft and his tone cautious. ¡°Do you remember me? I''m


    Elisa''s ssmate.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I remember.¡± Charlotte was shocked as she had never expected the little boy to call her.


    ¡°I called... to ask you a favor...¡± Timothy sounded like he was sobbing. After taking a deep breath and


    calming himself, he asked anxiously, ¡°Can you help me?¡±


    ¡°T-Tell me.¡±


    The woman couldn''t bring herself to decline a child''s favor.


    The boy spoke cautiously, making it obvious that he was calling Charlotte without letting his family


    know.


    ¡°I met Uncle Thomas and Aunt Mary when I went out with Grandma today. They told me in secret that


    Mommy and my grandparents were kidnapped by bad guys. They''re going to die if nobody saves


    them.¡±


    The boy shuddered as he spoke, and his breathing was unstable.


    Through the phone, Charlotte could sense that he was crying but was trying his best to hold it in.


    ¡°Don''t rush, Timothy. Take your time. I''m here.¡±


    She quickly went into her room and consoled him.


    No matter what had happened between the adults, Charlotte was much more concerned for the boy at


    that moment. He was only three and a half and his voice sounded sweet like her son, Jamie. Yet, he


    had to go through something so traumatizing.


    Her heart broke for him.


    ¡°They said...¡± Timothy sucked in a deep breath before continuing, ¡°Mommy and my grandparents can


    only be saved if I look for you.¡±


    ¡°I...¡± She was a little hesitant. In fact, she also hesitated when she saw Amanda and Simon''s message


    for help.


    Not only had Amanda and Luna hurt her in the past, but most importantly, she didn''t want to get


    involved in this mess. She didn''t even have the capability to save someone, Zachary was the only one


    who could do it.


    She didn''t want him to get on bad terms with the Browns. Having another enemy in the business world


    wasn''t a good thing after all.


    ¡°Please, Mrs. Windt. I beg of you, please... Please save my Mommy.¡±


    Timothy''s voice trembled as he cried but he tried his hardest to suppress it, not daring to cry out loud.


    However, it was even more heartbreaking when he was like this.


    Charlotte''s heart began to soften.


    ¡°I know that Mommy and my grandmother used to bully you previously. It was all their fault. But I


    apologize on their behalf. I''ll be eternally grateful to you if you save them. Once I grow up, I''ll definitely


    repay you!¡±


    It was as though Charlotte was hisst lifeline, thinking that she was the only one who could save his


    family''s life.


    Right now, all his hopes were ce on Charlotte.


    ¡°Please... I beg of you...¡± Timothy kept begging.


    Ultimately, Charlotte sumbed to his begs and couldn''t help but agree. ¡°Alright. I''ll think of


    something.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Mrs. Windt. Thank you so much.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing in the bathroom, Timothy? Who are you talking to? Open up the door.¡±


    Julia''s voice was heard over the phone.


    ¡°Grandma is here, Mrs. Windt. I''ll hang up now. Thank you so much. I''ll never forget what you''ve done.¡±


    Timothy quickly hung up after that.


    Charlotte held on to her phone and was unable to calm down for a very long time.


    She knew that both Thomas and Mary had evil intentions, presumably because there was something


    the Whites had that benefitted them. They experienced huge losses now that Amanda and Simon were


    missing.


    That was why they tried to get Timothy to ask for help from her.


    A three-year-old child should never have to bear such a responsibility.

 Chapter 543

    Chapter 543


    Once Zachary was done with the kids'' sses, he went back to the bedroom with a gloomy look. ¡°Look


    at what Ellie did to me!¡±


    Charlotte looked up and immediately saw that his head was full of tiny little braids. His nails were also


    painted with different colored nail polish. Mncholy was written all over his face and his brows were


    knitted tightly together.


    Pfft! She couldn''t contain herughter. ¡°You look pretty cute. Hahaha!¡±


    ¡°Stopughing.¡± Zachary pushed her onto the bed and ran his hands all over her. He then bit on her


    earlobe and whispered seductively, ¡°I''m going to punish you.¡±


    ¡°Hold on. Stop it.¡± Charlotte said in between herughter from being tickled, ¡°There''s something I need


    to talk to you about.¡±


    ¡°Don''t change the topic.¡± Zachary reached into her dress and started to explore her body.


    ¡°There really is something,¡± she said as she grabbed hold of his wrist. ¡°It''s about the Whites!¡±


    He froze before frowning. ¡°What does the Whites'' matter have to do with you?¡±


    ¡°Just listen to me...¡± She began to fill him in on everything that happened the other day. ¡°I thought that


    Helena was just being a little stubborn and unreasonable and that the most she''d do were to teach


    Luna a lesson. I didn''t expect her to be so evil and have people take turns raping Luna.¡±


    ¡°What she did is indeed too much.¡± Zachary frowned and continued, ¡°But this can be taken over to the


    proper authorities. It''s none of your business.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± she replied while nodding. ¡°I reported this to the police after the incident and provided them


    with evidence. After that, Amanda and Simon came and looked for me, but I didn''t personally meet


    them. I didn''t want to get roped into this.


    ¡°Amanda sold her family fortune to seek justice that Luna deserved. She even posted the incident


    online so that she could use the pressure of the public''s opinion to attract legal attention. It got quite a


    reaction online and Hector''s car sex incident was even involved. It kind of indirectly cleared my name


    too.


    ¡°I actually thought that they would go to court for this but who would''ve thought that three people from


    the Whites went missing during my ident. They tried to call me multiple times before they went


    missing and had sent me lots of messages asking for help. Here, take a look.¡±


    With that said, she took out her phone and showed him the texts sent by Amanda and Simon.


    ¡°They were ruthless when bullying you previously. Yet they''re still shameless enough toe asking


    for help from you?¡± Zachary replied coldly. ¡°Though they are quite miserable, it still has nothing to do


    with you. You can just ignore this.¡±


    ¡°I was thinking of doing this too. But Timothy called me earlier asking for help. I...¡± Thinking of what the


    little boy said, she began to choke on her words.


    ¡°That kid is the same age as our children. A young kid like him was begging for my help non-stop. He


    begged me to save his Mommy and his grandparents. I couldn''t bring myself to say no...¡±


    Zachary fell silent upon hearing this.


    The past him would have rejected this without hesitating. But now that he reunited with his children, his


    attitude softened and he was especially soft-hearted towards children.


    Charlotte let out a long sigh and said softly, ¡°I know that Thomas and Mary purposely instigated this.


    They have some business connection with the Whites that benefitted them after all. Now that they''re


    missing, both of them would definitely suffer great losses. That''s why they thought of everything to get


    the boy to beg me for help. But no matter what happened, I can''t reject it when a child like him asked


    for help.¡±


    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    Zachary said nothing to that. Instead, he took out his phone and ordered, ¡°Investigate what happened


    with the Whites.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    After hanging up, he asked with raised brows, ¡°Are you satisfied now?¡±


    ¡°Will this affect you?¡± Charlotte asked worriedly.


    ¡°That''s unlikely.¡± He unfastened his buttons as he walked towards the bathroom. ¡°You wouldn''t be able


    to fall asleep tonight if I didn''t do anything.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡± She was immensely moved by his gesture.

 Chapter 544

    Chapter 544


    ¡°Aren''t you going toe and help me shower?¡± Zachary said assertively, ¡°Serving your husband is


    the best repayment there is.¡±


    ¡°Coming...¡± Charlotte walked to him with a smile on her face. ¡°I''ll give you a special service tonight.¡±


    ......


    Things were quickly resolved after Zachary got involved.


    The next night, Bruce came and reported to her, ¡°Ms. Windt, they''ve been rescued. They want to meet


    with you, saying that they want to thank you in person. What would you like to do?¡±


    After thinking about it for a moment, she nodded and said, ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°Alright. I''ll arrange the meeting immediately.¡±


    Bruce drove her to the Whites'' residence which was also the Windt family''s residence in the old days.


    Since Charlotte wasing, both Amanda and Simon purposely dressed up but it wasn''t enough to


    cover up their pale and fatigued faces.


    It had only been a few days yet they seemed to have aged ten years. Even white hair had grown on


    their heads.


    Although they were wrapped tightly in their clothes, Charlotte could still see the injuries on their neck,


    arm, and forehead.


    They must''ve gone through a lot in the past few days.


    She sighed silently to herself as she looked at them, not knowing what to say to console them.


    Amanda and Simon stood up and gave Charlotte a deep bow. ¡°Thank you!¡±


    ¡°Don''t be like this...¡±


    N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    Charlotte was at a loss. She wanted to reach out to stop them but she didn''t want to step forward as


    they were still distant in terms of their rtionship.


    ¡°Um, where is Luna?¡± she asked quietly.


    ¡°She''s still sleeping. She''s gone through a lot over the past few days and had almost...¡± Amanda wiped


    away the tears on her face before adding, ¡°If it wasn''t for Mr. Nacht''s men, I''m afraid we might''ve been


    dead by now.¡±


    Charlotte heaved a long sigh, unsure of how to respond.


    ¡°I didn''t expect you to save us.¡± Amanda''s eyes were red and full of guilt. ¡°Don''t you hate me after what


    I''ve done to you in the past?¡±


    ¡°Of course I do,¡± the former replied bluntly. ¡°I hated you so much.¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry...¡± Thetter then hung her head apologetically.


    ¡°Honestly, if it wasn''t for Timothy, I couldn''t have made up my mind to do this,¡± Charlotte said softly.


    ¡°He''s only three and a half years old and is the same age as my children. He secretly gave me a call


    and I really couldn''t bring myself to reject him.¡±


    ¡°Timothy?¡± The couple was overwhelmed upon hearing the name.


    Amanda quickly asked, ¡°How did he know about this? He''s just a child! What''s going on with the


    Sterlings? How can they let him know?¡±


    ¡°The Sterlings didn''t tell him. It was Thomas and Mary who did. They even told him that he should


    come to ask me for help. That''s why he hid in the toilet and called me.¡±


    Charlotte roughly told them what had happened.


    ¡°Those assholes!¡± Amanda''s body was shaking from anger. ¡°They''re obviously scared that they''d suffer


    from losses if anything happened to us. That''s why they urge the boy to beg you for help. Timothy is


    just a three-year-old boy. He must''ve felt so scared and helpless when he found out about this.


    ¡°I don''t even know if those bastards told him anything bad about his father. If they did, he would


    definitely be traumatized. I''m afraid that he wouldn''t be able to stand it with the Sterlings. And his evil


    stepmother! Oh, God...¡±


    At the thought of these, she became panicked and worried.


    ¡°Those bastards!¡± Simon gritted through his teeth.


    At that moment, Charlotte seemed to have another level of understanding of Amanda. Even though the


    woman had personality issues, she was still very kind to her family.


    She could give up everything for her daughter and when she found out that Timothy had begged


    Charlotte for help, she was worried for him instead of being happy that she was saved.


    ¡°Let''s not talk about this.¡± The woman recollected her thoughts and said guiltily, ¡°The Whites have owed


    you so much, Charlotte. I don''t even know how I should repay you. After giving it some thought, I


    decided to return this vi to you. Just treat it as a token of appreciation from us.¡±


    At that, she gave the property ownership certificate and any documents rted to Charlotte.

 Chapter 545

    Chapter 545


    ¡°Charlotte,¡± Simon said, feeling rather embarrassed. ¡°Your father built this vi for you originally. We''ve


    been living here for four years and now it''s finally returned to its original owner.¡±


    ¡°The reason I saved you was all because of the kid,¡± Charlotte whispered. ¡°I didn''t do it to get


    anything.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Amanda gave her a bitter smile and continued, ¡°We''re feeling even more guilty because you


    saved us without holding any grudges. Let us use this chance to make up for our mistakes.¡±


    After pausing for a moment, she took out a bill and handed it to the former.


    ¡°These are the fortune your father left when he got into the ident. I''m really ashamed to say this but


    we took advantage of you for being young and naive. We took this vi for ourselves and even got


    ourselves three factories for a very low price. However, we''ve already used up all of the money when


    buying off headlines and searches previously. We even sold the factories and used the money. We


    don''t have much money to our names now. So we can only give you this vi and this...¡±


    Amanda opened up a jewelry box.


    Charlotte looked up and instantly saw the ruby ne Zachary gifted her.


    ¡°I''ve hidden this ne so that I could sell it off if I was ever in desperate need of money. Not even


    my husband or Luna knew about this.¡±


    She smiled bitterly and added, ¡°I''m such a shameless person. I don''t have money that I can


    compensate you for and can only give you the vi and the ne just to give myself peace of mind.¡±


    ¡°This...¡±


    ¡°Just take it.¡± Simon shoved the documents and jewelry box into Charlotte''s arms and said, ¡°These are


    all yours to begin with!¡±


    ¡°But what''s going to happen to you now that you''ve given me these? Won''t you be broke now?¡±


    Thetter knew that they didn''t really have much savings now as Amanda wasn''t wearing any jewelry


    today. It was obvious that they had already run out of fortune.


    ¡°It looks like you don''t know.¡± Amanda shuddered as she spoke, ¡°Helena said that for the sake of Mr.


    Nacht, she''ll give us seven million aspensation.¡±


    Tears fell from her face at that. Even though she was trying her best to hold them back, she couldn''t


    stop her body from shaking.


    ¡°My poor Luna... She''s been in such a mess all because of those animals. Her life''s ruined yet the evil


    woman dared to use the money to humiliate us. That b***h can go to hell!¡±


    Simon''s body was also shaking by then and tears fell from his face.


    Charlotte was truly upset upon hearing this. She had never truly experienced the evil of human nature.


    She once thought that Amanda and Luna were evil enough but she finally understood what the


    meaning was of ruthless after hearing what Helena did.


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    The seven million she gave was obviously topensate Luna for being raped by the seven men.


    It was just like sending daggers to the family''s hearts.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Charlotte took the stuff and asked, ¡°What are your ns for the future?¡±


    ¡°What other ns could we have?¡± Amanda wiped away the tears from her eyes. ¡°We aren''t able to


    fight against the Browns and the Sterlings so we can only bring Luna away from H City for now. But I


    believe in karma. They''re definitely going to be punished for what they did one day.¡±


    With that said, Simon burst into tears. ¡°Aren''t we getting punished for our sins now? We treated you like


    rubbish in the past and now we''re being punished twice as much by God.¡±


    His wife lowered her head and she continuously wiped the tears from her eyes.


    Charlotte sympathized with them but she didn''t know how she should console them.


    After a long time, Amanda finally recollected herself. She took a deep breath and said, ¡°We''ll be leaving


    tonight, Charlotte. I don''t know if we''ll have the chance to see each other again in the future. And I''m


    afraid there might not be another chance to say this if I don''t tell you now.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Charlotte asked in confusion.


    ¡°It''s about your father''s-¡±


    She met eyes with the Nacht family''s bodyguard standing by the door and immediately stopped talking.

 Chapter 546

    Chapter 546


    ¡°Leave us,¡± ordered Charlotte.


    Her bodyguards collectively mumbled a ¡°yes¡± and retreated from the room.


    Charlotte looked at Amanda. ¡°Can you tell me now?¡±


    Amanda sighed, her voice solemn. ¡°Back when I really put you through hell and concealed everything


    about father''s affairs, I''m assuming you think that Uncle Simon and I caused your father''s demise.¡±


    ¡°There''s no doubt that we were after your father''s money, but we did not harm a single hair on his


    head. To put it bluntly, our family depended on your father to survive. It would not benefit us if any harm


    came to him. ¡°


    ¡°However, there was something that we did hide from you.¡±


    Amanda paused briefly as she plucked up the courage to make the admission. ¡°Your father was


    murdered.¡±


    ¡°By who?¡± asked Charlotte anxiously.


    ¡°Well...¡± Amanda trailed off and frowned. She felt conflicted by this.


    Simon then had to shake her a little to make her continue. ¡°Tell her.¡±


    ¡°I don''t know who it is exactly,¡± said Amanda in a low voice. ¡°But I do know that it is someone from the


    Nacht family.¡±


    Charlotte was astonished and her eyes widened in shock. The Nachts had a hand in this?


    ¡°Don''t get me wrong, but I''m not talking about Mr. Nacht. I really doubt it''s him.¡± Amanda hurriedly


    continued. ¡°At first, I only knew that it was someone who used the Nacht Group to put pressure on the


    Windt Corporation. It was a hostile takeover, so your father had no choice but to yield.¡±


    Just then, Mr. Nacht and the Divine Corporation had yet to enter the domestic market, so this is why I


    don''t think it''s him. It has to be someone else from the family, but I''m just not sure who it is exactly.¡±


    Charlotte''s emotions were a mess after she heard this. I don''t think it''s Zachary either, but who could it


    be?


    ¡°I was there on the day of your father''s ident and remember him telling me something strange,¡±


    whispered Simon. ¡°He mentioned that the Nacht family couldn''t find out about you, or there would be


    trouble.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± asked Charlotte with suspicion in her tone.


    ¡°I don''t know either.¡± Simon looked thoughtfully at her. ¡°I think it might have something to do with your


    mother.¡±


    ¡°My mother?¡± Charlotte was even more confused by this. Her mother had disappeared shortly after she


    was born. What did the troubles with her father''spany have to do with her mother?


    N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    ¡°Maybe your mother had a spat with the Nacht family? This is purely spection, of course. But I''d met


    her before when I was young.¡± ¡±At that time, your father was still poor, and your mother seemed to be


    the child of a prestigious family.¡±


    ¡°Although I cannot determine what her background is, there''s no mistaking the fact that she''s lived a life


    of luxury. She was always followed around by arge number of bodyguards, and her trappings


    seemed to be no less than what our current Mr. Nacht would enjoy.


    ¡°You also look exactly like her. The resemnce is remarkable.


    Charlotte didn''t say a word because her mind was still a jumble from trying to process what he told her.


    What exactly is going on?


    What she possessed now was vital information indeed. But instead of rity, she ended up having


    more questions than answers.


    ¡°Try not to dwell on it.¡± Amanda, having read Charlotte''s emotions, interjected almost immediately. ¡°I


    think Mr. Nacht is being sincere. He isn''t like Hector at all! That beast of a man is ignorant and ruthless.


    He knows that Helena is going to be the death of Luna, but he''s not lifting a finger to help.¡±


    ¡°We were truly blinded by the situation. We even intentionally approved of Luna''s marriage to him.


    Come to think of it... This is probably retribution.¡±


    Amanda paused and sighed deeply before continuing.


    ¡°Charlotte, the reason why I''m telling you this is to warn you. Marrying into a rich family isplicated.


    Even if Mr. Nacht is there to protect you, his family is anything but simple. There will be times where his


    protection will fail. You must be careful and ensure that you keep yourself and the kids safe.¡±


    ¡°You''re right. I appreciate the warning.¡±


    Charlotte was still reeling from the emotions she felt. But she knew that Amanda was right. Zachary


    might be a good man, but if his family truly had such terrible people, she would not be able to escape


    their clutches if anything happened.

 Chapter 547

    Chapter 547


    Before Charlotte left the White residence, Amanda had some parting advice for her.


    ¡°I''vepleted the procedures necessary for the transfer of the house and have sorted things out with


    thewyer. When you have some time to spare, go and see Mr. Williams and sign the deed. After that,


    you are to visit the Housing Management Bureau toplete the transfer. With that, the house will be


    the property of its rightful owner.¡±


    ¡°Even if you don''t upy it, you can still consider putting it up on the market. Assets are assets, and


    it''s always good for a woman to have her own funds. After we leave, we''ll also change our contact


    information. I fear it''ll be difficult to remain in contact. You must take care.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. You should take care too.¡±


    Charlotte gave them a wave and carried her things into the car.


    She then started the car and slowly drove out of the manor. As she looked at the manor gradually


    vanishing from sight, she reflected on everything that had happened over the years. She felt


    exhausted.


    The average human lifespan is only a few decades. How many ups and downs will we all face?


    An ordinary person would have a more carefree existence for sure. But I just had to be born into a


    wealthy family.


    My father worked his a** off for so long for me to have a good life. But someone killed him.


    Not to mention my mother. I barely know anything about her, and her influences on my future are still


    unclear.


    Charlotte groaned out loud as she thought of this. She nced at the deed in the hand and noticed that


    the property value increased to a few hundred million now. Amanda and Simon were forced to sell it at


    a low price because they were strapped for cash.


    Now that so many things had happened, they seemed to really regret what they did to her. Otherwise,


    they had no reason to return both the house and ne to her.


    She bore them no malice and hoped that their family would live their lives in peace and free from harm.


    She also took the time to reflect on her own circumstances. She was happy, but how long would that


    last? She sensed that this was the calm before the storm, and there was no telling what difficulties she


    would face in the future.


    Charlotte realized that the fear and unease she felt was not for herself but for her children.


    She swore that she would not let anything happen to them, no matter what.


    Suddenly, Charlotte''s phone rang and shook her from her thoughts. Steeling herself, she then


    answered the phone.


    ¡°Mummy, where have you been? When will you be back?¡±


    The sound of Ellie''s cute voice melted Charlotte''s heart.


    ¡°Mommy was out running errands and will be home soon,¡± said Charlotte gently. ¡°Have you finished


    your sses with Daddy?¡±


    ''Yes!¡± Ellie was happy when she said this and covered her mouth as she giggled. ¡°Daddy tried to learn


    how to sing with me today, and it was bad!¡±


    Ellie spoke in hushed tones but could not hide her mirth as she soon dissolved into peals ofughter.


    ¡°Elisa Windt! That''s not very nice!¡±


    Zachary''s displeased voice came from the other end of the line.


    Ellie, however, could not stop her infectiousughter.


    Charlotte couldn''t help but smile. The sadness still lingered in her heart, but she felt more at ease


    knowing that the children were getting along well with Zachary.


    In any case, the children would be safe as long as Zachary is there.


    ¡°Alright, alright, time''s up. Off to bed with you, I need to talk to Mommy.¡±


    Zachary then gestured at the medical staff to whisk away the three children to bed. ¡°Are you already


    back?¡±


    ¡°On my way.¡± The sound of his baritone voice made her smile. ¡°What did they make you sing?¡±


    ¡°Ugh, drop it,¡± said Zachary nervously. ¡°I think that will be the death of me.¡±


    ¡°Well, you must be quite the maestro! Sing it for meter!¡± Charlotteughed out loud and did not hold


    back from teasing him.


    ¡°Oh, we''ll see who ends up singingter!¡± Zachary''s voice suddenly dropped an octave. ¡°Hurry home.¡±


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Charlotte responded shyly.

 Chapter 548

    Chapter 548


    After she hung up, Charlotte looked out of the car window. A bright moon illuminated the pitch-ck


    sky like a beacon of hope.


    Suddenly, she felt her heart surge with assurance. Whatever the future holds, I''ll be brave and face it.


    It waste when she finally reached home.


    Mrs. Berry had been up waiting for Charlotte in the living room. As she heard the sound of the car, she


    hurriedly walked out and greeted Charlotte at the door. ¡°You''re back, Miss. I''ve made some stew!¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Berry, why are you still up?¡± Charlotte greeted her in return as she unloaded the things from the


    car.


    Mrs. Berry quickly put on her coat and walked out to help her. ¡°I was worried! You took a while, and I


    thought something happened.¡±


    ¡°Silly Mrs. Berry, what''s there to worry about?¡± Charlotte smiled and fussed over her cor.


    ¡°You went to see the Whites, of all people. How would I not be worried?¡± Mrs. Berry frowned, her


    expression solemn. ¡°Amanda is a vicious person, so I was afraid that she was going to hurt you.¡±


    ¡°I had bodyguards with me.¡± Charlotte then sighed and looked Mrs. Berry in the eye. ¡°A lot of things


    have happened.¡±


    ¡°Ah, like what?¡±


    ¡°Let''s go to your room. I''ll exin everything.¡±


    Charlotte braced herself for another tiring conversation.


    ¡°Here, have some stew and some snacks.¡± Mrs. Berry then brought Charlotte to her room, food and all.


    ¡°Please eat something. I''ll listen to you when you''re done.¡±


    ¡°I don''t really have the appetite.¡± Charlotte reached over to her side and gave Mrs. Berry the deed to


    the property. ¡°In the meantime, will you hold onto this for me? For safekeeping, that is.¡±


    ¡°This is...¡± Mrs. Berry trailed off, and her eyes widened in shock. ¡°The deed to the old house? Who


    gave it to you?¡±


    ¡°Amanda and Simon.¡±


    Charlotte told Mrs. Berry all that happened during this period.


    Mrs. Berry gave Charlotte her full attention and only interjected out of shock and concern from time to


    time.


    ¡°Gosh, that''s terrible!¡±


    ¡°Lord, have mercy.¡±


    ¡°That poor child!¡±


    After Charlotte finished, Mrs. Berry let out a deep sigh. ¡°I suppose this is a form of retribution, but it''s


    still a real shame that the family ended up this way. It''s too cruel.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± said Charlotte as she echoed Mrs. Berry''s sighs. ¡°I don''t exactly feel good about this either.


    ¡°It goes without saying. People should refrain from evil deeds.¡± Mrs. Berry paused and shook her head.


    ¡°But then again, how on earth does someone as kind as Mr. Brown have a cousin as terrible as her?


    This is unfair, isn''t it?¡±


    ¡°Michael and Helena are individuals, so I thinkparing them is unfair in the first ce. Mrs. Berry,


    the deed should stay with you for now, in case anything happens.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Mrs. Berry carefully took the deed from Charlotte. ¡°Well, finish the stew at least, Miss.


    Mr. Nacht is waiting for you.¡±


    ¡°I still have something to ask you.¡± Charlotte took Mrs. Berry''s hand and looked at her solemnly. ¡°What


    do you know about my mother?¡±


    ¡°Why are you bringing this up all of a sudden?¡±


    Mrs. Berry suddenly looked disturbed at the question.


    Charlotte frowned. ¡°I received word that my father''s murderer and my mother''s enemy are the same


    person, so I want to know more about her.¡±


    ¡°It''s all in the past, why bring it up now?¡± asked Mrs. Berry earnestly. ¡°Mr. Nacht is there for you! He''s


    good to you and your children. With your marriage, everything will be alright. You should live your life


    and stop struggling with the past. Look forward to the future.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Charlotte noticed that Mrs. Berry was reluctant to speak and chose to not question her any


    further. ¡°I''ll retire for the evening. You should have the stew instead, Mrs. Berry. I fear my appetite is still


    non-existent.¡±


    ¡°Sleep well, Miss.¡±


    Charlotte went upstairs and entered her room. She barely managed one step inside when she was


    swept into a powerful embrace. Charlotte smirked. ¡°My, my. I think you''ve spent so much time with the


    kids you''re now a kid yourself.¡±N?velDrama.Org content rights.

 Chapter 549

    Chapter 549


    ¡°Maybe. Do you like that?¡±


    Zachary hugged Charlotte from behind deftly removed her coat, pressing ardent kisses to her neck.


    Charlotte felt her body go numb with pleasure as she melted into Zachary''s touch.


    ¡°I want you.¡±


    Zachary carried her to the bed and kissed her hungrily.


    Charlotte returned the kiss with equal passion. When they were together, they were inseparable.


    Soon enough, the room was filled with the heady scent of desire.


    Once they started, there was no stopping them.


    N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    A storm broke out in the middle of the night. Thunder and lightning filled the sky, apanied by


    howling winds and the tree branches hitting the windows.


    Zachary let out a low growl and held onto Charlotte tightly. She clung helplessly into his embrace,


    curled up in his arms, panting.


    The thunder outside was relentless, and Charlotte shuddered from the noise. Zachary held her face


    with his warm hands and covered her ears. He nted a kiss onto each eye and murmured, ¡°Don''t be


    afraid.¡±


    Charlotte then held onto his waist tightly and buried her face in his chest.


    His powerful heartbeat soothed her frayed nerves, and she soon felt safe again.


    After a while, she fell asleep in his arms.


    Zachary fondly kissed her on the cheek. After he tucked her in, he fell asleep with his arms around her.


    Despite the loud storm outside, the pair slept soundly. They seemed to echo the sentiment that they


    could weather any storm together as long as they were not apart.


    However, Charlotte awoke in the start in a cold sweat. Her body shuddered violently, and at the climax


    of her nightmare, she opened her eyes in a panic.


    It took her a while, but she eventually calmed down. Turning to peek at Zachary, she was relieved to


    see that he remained sound asleep. Maybe he''s too tired.


    She tilted her head and silently stared at him. Vivid memories of their meeting and their eventual


    rtionship filled her mind.


    She reached out and gently trailed a finger across his forehead. Satisfied, she leaned in and kissed his


    lips.


    He stirred and suddenly held her tighter as if he was afraid that she would leave.


    This made Charlotte''s eyes water. She did not know why the gesture had saddened her, but she could


    not shake off the feeling that this was a dream she would soon wake up from.


    She didn''t want to wake up.


    ¡°What''s wrong?¡± asked Zachary out of the blue.


    ¡°You''re up?¡± Charlotte was mildly concerned. ¡°Was I disturbing you?¡±


    ¡°You were fidgeting, and you kissed me, so how could I not wake up?¡± Zachary nibbled on her earlobe


    and rubbed her neck soothingly. ¡°Did you have a nightmare?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Charlotte was still visibly shaken from the nightmare she had.


    ¡°What did you dream about?¡± asked Zachary as he kissed her neck.


    ¡°My father,¡± said Charlotte, her voice barely a whisper.


    Zachary''s movements paused. He turned her around and kissed her passionately, trailing his fingers


    into her hair. ¡°You''re overthinking.¡±


    ¡°Do you know how my father''spany went bankrupt?¡±


    As she asked this, her dream sequence shed repeatedly in her mind. Amanda''s words left a lingering


    impression on her psyche.


    ¡°It''s the middle of the night, why are you asking about this now?¡± Zachary paused his ministrations and


    looked at her.


    ¡°I...found out that my father''spany was acquired in a hostile takeover by the Nacht Group. That''s


    how he ended up that way.¡±


    ¡°And?¡± Zachary frowned. ¡°Are you suspecting me?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Charlotte shook his head. ¡°Given your personality, you''re not the type to hide it if you''re the


    culprit.¡±


    Zachary''s brows eventually rxed. He held Charlotte''s face in one hand and rubbed her lips with his


    thumb. ¡°The past is in the past. We shouldn''t dwell on it.¡±


    ¡°Could it be Mr. Henry?¡± asked Charlotte tentatively.


    ¡°What nonsense is that?¡± asked Zachary, displeased. ¡°He stopped caring about thepany ten years


    ago, so how would it be possible?¡±


    ¡°Your Aunt, then?¡± Charlotte tried again. ¡°That''s the woman who caught mest time, right?¡±


    This time, it was Zachary''s turn to remain silent.

 Chapter 550

    Chapter 550


    ¡°It''s her, isn''t it?¡± Charlotte soon surmised her answer from Zachary''s silence, and she suddenly


    became more agitated. ¡°Why did she do this?¡±


    ¡°It''ste, go to bed.¡± Zachary turned around without another word.


    ¡°Zachary!¡± Charlotte was anxious and turned to face him. ¡°Why are you avoiding this? You''re not her,


    and so this has nothing to do with you.¡±


    ¡°It would be ill-advised for you to know too much.¡± Zachary frowned and said, ¡°What''s done is done, so


    why are you digging it up again?¡±


    ¡°Does the ''why'' matter so much here? I want to know why she did this, and I want to avenge my Dad!¡±


    Charlotte had stunned herself into silence following her own outburst.


    Revenge was a foreign concept to her, all this while. She had never expected to actually use the word


    so seriously.


    Somehow, she had made her subconscious thoughts known.


    ¡°Avenge him?¡± Zachary sat up and solemnly asked, ¡°Using what?¡±


    Charlotte could not find the words to answer him. That woman had been ruthless enough with her


    schemes that even Zachary had to be careful around her. Charlotte was someone who could barely


    hurt a fly, but here she was talking about revenge like it was no big deal.


    ¡°Are you listening to yourself?¡± Zachary then got up and walked towards the bathroom.


    As Charlotte stared at his retreating figure, she tried to soothe her frayed nerves.


    She knew that no matter how bad or ruthless the woman was, she was still a blood rtive of Zachary.


    Despite how bad things looked where business was concerned, they would not go to the extent of a


    blood feud.


    Therefore, she cannot ask Zachary to take revenge on her behalf.


    However, she was powerless on her own. The very thought depressed her.


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    Charlotte heard the sound of the shower being turned on in the bathroom. After a while, Zachary came


    out wrapped in a towel and got dressed with his back facing her.


    ¡°Aren''t you going to back sleep?¡± Charlotte nced at the wall clock on the wall, and it was only five


    o''clock in the morning.


    ¡°I''m going to work out.¡± Zachary responded mildly.


    Charlotte did not reply but leaned back on her pillow.


    Zachary changed his clothes and walked straight out of the bedroom. When he reached the door, he


    turned around and said, ¡°Get some rest and don''t dwell on it.¡±


    With that, he left the room.


    Charlotte looked at the closed door, displeased.


    If he was so resistant towards one question, there was no way she could rely on him to avenge her


    father.


    In fact, what would he do if he ended up in a spat with that so-called aunt of his?


    Charlotte hugged her pillow in frustration as she tossed and turned on the bed, unable to sleep.


    Daylight soon broke, and before she knew it, it was seven in the morning.


    She could hear the voices of her children from outside the door. ¡±I don''t need your help, Ms. Mildred. I


    can go down the stairs myself.¡±


    Jamie had really grown. After some instruction from Zachary, he was now braver and more


    independent.


    ¡°You might fall! Let me carry you down.¡±


    ¡°No, I''ll go by myself.¡±


    ¡°It''s alright. He''s old enough and should be independent.¡±


    This was the sound of Robbie''s voice. He had grown much as well, and he sounded more and more


    like an older brother.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Mildred was so amused by the situation, unsure of how else to respond.


    ¡°Boys are a headache.¡± Ellie walked past them haughtily, with Fifi perched on her shoulder. Her chubby


    hand stroked its feathers, and with a slightly imperious tone, said, ¡°Let''s ignore them, Fifi.¡±


    Charlotte''s heart immediately ddened at the sound of her children¡¯s'' voice. She woke up and went to


    the bathroom to wash up so she could have breakfast with them.


    Just then, she heard her phone chime. Picking it up, she wondered who it could be since it was


    rtively early in the day. It turned out to be a message from Michael: Charlotte, I justnded at the H


    City Airport. Let''s meet, if possible.


    Charlotte hesitated, but chose to ignore it.


    Zachary had already epted her and the children. Even if they had some history, she felt the need to


    maintain her distance.

 Chapter 551

    Chapter 551


    Charlotte put down her phone and was about to go to the bathroom when she received another text


    from Michael: Do you know about Helena''s marriage?


    Marriage? Was Helena going to marry Hector?


    Charlotte was a little confused.


    Just as she was pondering over this, Helena had sent over an e-invitation.


    Charlotte, I will be tying the knot with Hector on the 19th of this month. It is my sincere hope that you


    will celebrate this union with us. I''ve also sent an invitation to Mr. Nacht. Hope to see you there!


    Charlotte frowned and opened the e-invitation. It contained the wedding photos of the couple taken by


    the beach. Helena and Hector, for all that was worth, made for quite the striking couple.


    There was also a short love poem attached.


    Charlotte could not be bothered to read it, for disgust was coursing through her veins. Back when


    Hector was studying, he liked to do this type of thing to woo women. She never expected him to use


    such a trick on Helena as well.


    She also could not fathom Hector''s alleged ignorance. Was he truly unaware that Helena did


    something terrible for Luna? You''re still going to marry her, despite all this?


    Charlotte was about to settle down when her phone started ringing. It was Michael.


    Just as Charlotte was about to hang up, the door suddenly opened, and Zachary strode in. He noticed


    her sitting on the bed, the phone still ringing in her hands. ¡°Did you not sleep? Or did you just wake


    up?¡±


    ¡°I didn''t sleep.¡± Charlotte hurriedly tried to hang up.


    Zachary walked over inrge strides and took her phone from her hands.


    Charlotte wanted to snatch it back, but Zachary had already seen the caller ID.


    She was flustered, out of fear that he would lose his temper like before.


    Zachary, however, did not say anything, nor did he lose his temper. Instead, he answered the call and


    put Michael on speakerphone.


    ¡°Hey, Charlotte, can we talk?¡±


    Charlotte looked at Zachary weakly before asking, ¡°Is something wrong, Michael?¡±


    ¡°Nothing''s wrong, but I wanted to talk to you about Helena and Hector. I just found out and immediately


    took the next ne here.¡±


    ¡°What does their marriage have to do with me?¡± asked Charlotte disdainfully.


    ¡°You already knew about them?¡± Michael seemed a little surprised. ¡°As I said, I only found outst


    night. It''s shocking, to say the least.¡±


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    Charlotte did not speak but seemed to think that Michael was too naive for his own good.


    It could be that Helena had deliberately concealed this from him.


    But with this announcement, the cat was out of the bag.


    ¡°I really don''t know what she''s thinking. I knew that she liked Hector when we were studying, but Hector


    was with you. Then he married Luna, but now he''s marrying Helena?¡±


    Michael was stunned by the whole affair. ¡°This shows that Hector has a serious attitude problem. But


    the shocking part is that Helena wants to marry him and that she''s now pregnant. It really pisses me


    off.¡±


    Charlotte was stunned as well. She had not expected Helena to be pregnant.


    No wonder you''re in a hurry to get married.


    ¡°Charlotte, I know that Hector was someone from your past. You shouldn''t care who he marries. I do,


    however, hope that this doesn''t affect things between us. We''re¡ª¡±


    ¡°We''re still good friends!¡±


    Charlotte immediately interrupted Michael. Zachary''s face had darkened considerably. She could not let


    him finish that sentence.


    ¡°Well, that''s right.¡± Michael breathed a sigh of relief and tentatively asked, ¡°I heard that you and


    Zachary are officially together? How is he treating you?¡±


    ¡°He is very good to me and the children,¡± Charlotte replied earnestly. ¡°If all goes well, we''ll get married


    too!¡±


    ¡°Really? Congrattions!¡± Michael sounded crestfallen.


    ¡°Why, thank you,¡± said Zachary, breaking the silence.

 Chapter 552

    Chapter 552


    Zachary''s voice had put Michael in a daze. He waspletely silent on the other end as if he had lost


    his voice.


    Charlotte rubbed her aching temples and hurriedly chimed in. ¡°Michael, thanks for calling, but I have to


    go. We''ll be in touch.¡±


    With that, she hung up.


    Charlotte raised her head and nced at Zachary, but there was no way to calm her heart that


    pounded furiously in her chest. ¡°Well, you heard it. Michael meant to call and inform me that Helena


    was getting married. He didn''t mean anything else.¡±


    ¡°I heard.¡±


    Zachary then returned her phone to her and walked into the bathroom without a word.


    Charlotte gazed at him calmly, but she was frightened. The silence was unsettling. Was he a time bomb


    waiting to explode? Was he going to go after Michael quietly?


    She was deep in thought when a knock came from outside the door. ''Are you awake, Miss?¡± Mrs.


    Berry''s cheery voice came through. ¡°The children want to have breakfast with the both of you.¡±


    ¡°We''ll be there in a bit!¡±


    ¡°Okay, I''ll set the table for you.¡± Mrs. Berry then left.


    Charlotte walked barefooted into the bathroom cautiously. Zachary was still in the shower. ¡°The kids


    are waiting for us to have breakfast together.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Zachary responded.


    Charlotte didn''t dare say more but promptly started on her skincare routine in silence.


    After a while, Zachary walked out of the shower in his towel, with one hand drying his still-wet hair.


    While he did not lose his temper, he also did not even nce at Charlotte.


    Charlotte observed him from her mirror as the anxiety wormed its way into her heart.


    Is this a change of strategy, perhaps? A cold war instead of your usual temper?


    ¡°I''ll go down first,¡± said Zachary.


    Before Charlotte could ask him to wait for her, he had already left the room.


    Charlotte was frustrated and disappointed by his behavior. After all, what did she do wrong?


    He was unhappy when she brought up her father. And now, he gave her the cold shoulder over a


    phone call?


    There was no way she could win.


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    All she could do was grit her teeth and bear with him.


    Charlotte sighed audibly, got dressed, and went downstairs.


    When she reached the spiral staircase, she heard a cheerful voice that came from the dining hall.


    ¡°Daddy, this is delicious!¡±


    Ellie fed Zachary a piece of her banana pancake.


    Zachary chewed thoughtfully and nodded in agreement. ¡°Yes, it''s delicious.¡±


    He was not usually the type to have sweet things for breakfast. Ever since the children moved in, he


    noticed that his diet had changed drastically.


    ¡°Daddy, taste this!¡± Jamie picked up a piece of his honey-soaked waffle and fed it to Zachary. ¡°Mrs.


    Berry made it herself!¡±


    Zachary ate the waffle piece and again, remarked on how good it tasted.


    ¡°Okay, stop bothering Daddy and finish your breakfast.¡±


    In the midst of chiding his siblings, Robbie silently slid a piece of fruit on Zachary''s te.


    Zachary patted his head affectionately and continued with his meal.


    Charlotte broke into a grin as she observed them from a distance. The children have now adapted to


    Zachary and could get along with him nicely.


    ¡°Miss? Breakfast is ready and the milk is already cold. Let me get you another ss.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Mrs. Berry,¡± said Charlotte and took her seat at the table.


    ¡°Good morning Mommy!¡±


    ¡°Morning, Mommy!¡±


    ¡°Mommy, why are your eyes puffy? Didn''t you sleep wellst night?¡±


    ¡°Something like that.¡± Charlotte yawned. ¡°And did you guys sleep well?¡±


    ¡°Yes Mommy!¡± replied the three children in unison.


    ¡°Daddy gives us lessons every night. But we''re tired after ss, so we sleep very quickly!¡± Jamie''s


    voice was full of admiration for Zachary.


    ¡°Me too.¡± Robbie idolized Zachary too. ¡°Daddy taught me a lot of things, and he will take me to the


    company today.¡±


    ¡°To thepany?¡± Charlotte looked at Zachary in surprise. ¡°Really?¡±

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    Chapter 553


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Zachary nodded.


    ¡°Don''t they have sses in kindergarten today?¡± Charlotte hurriedly checked the date on her phone.


    ¡°It''s a Tuesday.¡±


    ¡°He can''t learn much there. It''s alright to take some days off asionally.¡± Zachary''s reply was


    nonchnt.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Charlotte didn''t say much but decided to focus on her meal.


    Robbie could sense the tension between the both of them. They usually regarded each other with


    affection and adoration, but something was not right today. Why were things so awkward?


    ¡°Mommy, you also worked at Daddy''spany before, right? Can youe with us?¡± Jamie''s


    awareness was not as keen as Robbie''s, so he could not sense the discord between them. ¡°Maybe you


    can meet your former colleagues!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, let''s bring Mommy with us!¡± Ellie took Charlotte''s hand in hers and cooed at Zachary. ¡°We''ll take


    Fifi too!¡±


    ¡°She can''t go.¡±


    Charlotte was about to speak when Zachary interjected. ¡°She wants to rest at home.¡±


    Charlotte red at him. He did not want her to appear with the children at work, or did he not want


    people to know about their rtionship?


    Then why bring up marriage? Are you going to keep that under wraps too?


    ¡°Mommy is sick? Oh, then she should stay home and rest!¡± Jamie still had not noticed anything but


    decided to wolf down the warm hot cross bunnies that were on his te.


    ¡°Well, if Mommy can''t go, I won''t bring Fifi along. Fifi might run loose and cause trouble.¡± Ellie stroked


    Fifi''s head and soothingly said, ¡°You should behave when we''re gone, okay?¡±


    ¡°Go, go!¡±


    Fifi immediately squawked those words in a panic and rubbed its head against Ellie''s hand, seemingly


    worried that he would be left behind.


    ¡°Fifi, be good!¡± Ellie could sense the parrot''s distress and said, ¡°We''re not going to school today. We''re


    going to Daddy''spany! There are too many people, and you cannot go.¡±


    ¡°Go, go!¡± Fifi then flew to perch on Ellie''s shoulder while rubbing its beak on her cheek. ¡°Go!¡±


    Jamie had a soft spot for Fifi and could not help but empathize with the bird''s distress. He was about to


    speak, but a warning look from Robbie shut him up immediately.


    The parrot then emted Ellie and squawked sadly, while using its wings to cover its face.


    Ellie felt her eyes water when she saw Fifi''s disy.


    ¡°Fine, it cane with us,¡± said Zachary who finally relented.


    ¡°Really? Hurray, Daddy!¡± eximed Ellie happily.


    ¡°Great!¡± Jamie immediately picked Fifi up and taught it how to say ¡°Thank you, Daddy!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Daddy, thank you, Daddy!¡± came Fifi''s little squawks as he tried to repeat what Jamie said.


    Zachary smirked at how eerily human the parrot seemed. It was like he had a fourth child.


    ¡°Thank you, Daddy!¡± chimed Robbie from beside him.


    Zachary rubbed his little head gently. ¡°You are still young. It''s okay to be a little more like your siblings


    and grow up at their pace. You don''t have to be so sensible just yet.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Henry said... Wait, no, Great-grandpa said that....¡± Robbie was a little distressed, and his eyes


    were red. ¡°Is he alright?¡±


    ¡°We''ll visit him tonight, said Zachary as he gave Robbie a hug.


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    ¡°Great, we can visit Mr. Henry!¡± Jamie and Ellie cheered but quickly corrected themselves. ¡°No, it''s


    Great-grandpa.¡±


    ¡°Yes, remember to address him as that next time.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Daddy!¡± tittered the children cheerfully.


    ¡°You''reing too,¡± said Zachary with a cursory nce at Charlotte.


    ¡°Me?¡± Charlotte was stunned. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Someone will pick you upter tonight. We''ll meet at the hospital.¡± Zachary grunted, feigning coldness.


    ¡°Go rest properly!¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Charlotte could finally smile as she released the breath she had been holding.

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    Chapter 554


    After breakfast, Zachary then prepared to leave for thepany with the three kids in tow.


    Before leaving, the children hugged and said goodbye to Charlotte.


    Charlotte kissed them on their foreheads and said, ¡°When you arrive at Daddy''spany, you must be


    obedient. Behave yourselves and don''t disturb everyone who is working.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mommy!¡± said the children in unison.


    ¡°Alright, get in in the car.¡±


    Charlotte made a gesture, and the medical staff immediately led them into the car.


    Charlotte was about to retire when Zachary looked at her pointedly with mock displeasure. ¡°What about


    me?¡±


    Charlotte was surprised but quickly regained herposure. She walked over briskly and stood on her


    tiptoes to hug him and kiss him on the lips.


    Zachary hugged her and kissed her on each eyelid. ¡°Wait for me at home.¡±


    Charlotte nodded with a smile.


    Zachary turned around and entered the car as Charlotte waved them goodbye at the door.


    Mrs. Berry sighed at the affectionate disy. ¡°Isn''t this lovely? The best life to have is one filled with


    love. Where the husband and wife love each other, the children love their parents, and everyone is just


    happy.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Charlotte also sighed. ¡°I really hope to be happy forever.¡±


    Mrs. Berry smiled at Charlotte. ¡°Come now, Miss. Mr. Nacht is such a good man to you and the kids. I


    believe you will be happy.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Charlotte smiled lightly and said held Mrs. Berry''s hand. ¡°Would you take a stroll with me in the


    garden?¡±


    ¡°One moment, I''ll fetch your coat.¡±


    Mrs. Berry was about to fetch the required items when Mrs. Rawlston handed their coats to Mrs. Berry


    with a smile. ¡°Miss, you''re so skinny, you''ll catch a cold! As for you, Mrs. Berry, you need to take care of


    yourself too!¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Mrs. Berry helped Charlotte into her coat.


    ¡°Thank you, Mrs. Rawlston,¡± said Charlotte with a smile as the twodies then walked towards the


    garden. ¡°Does life here agree with you, Mrs. Berry?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± replied Mrs. Berry with a smile. ¡°To be honest, I was a little worried at the beginning.


    Maybe I''d not get along with the staff here or something. After all, they''re all foreigners and have


    different lifestyles. But after a few days, I realized that they''re decent people.¡±


    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    ¡°It''s good that you are happy.¡± Charlotte looked at Mrs. Berry''s face and beamed, feeling pleased. It did


    not take long for the unease to creep back into her heart. ¡°I''m going to see Mr. Henry tonight. But


    something still makes me nervous.¡±


    ¡°Are you worried that he won''t like you? I don''t think you should worry. You are well-loved by everyone!


    I''m sure he''ll take a liking to you as well.¡±


    ¡°He has met me before.¡± Charlottepsed into telling Mrs. Berry about her previous encounter with Mr.


    Henry Nacht. ¡°At the time, he strongly opposed our union and tried to force an engagement between


    Zachary and Sharon. If he finds out we''re living together now, he will be very angry.¡±


    ¡°So what?¡± asked Mrs. Berry with a smug look. ¡°Children and offspring are everything. You''ve given


    birth to three! Who can beat that?¡±


    ¡°That''s right.¡± Charlotte smiled and fiddled with her sleeves. ¡°The old man really likes the children.¡±


    ¡°That''s right, so don''t overthink it.¡± Mrs. Berry patted the back of Charlotte''s hand soothingly. ¡°I''m now


    looking forward to your marriage. The day it happens, I''ll run towards your father''s grave and tell him


    the good news!¡±


    Charlotte smiled and nodded. At the same time, she recalled that she still had some of her father''s


    keepsakes stored away. She made a mental note to retrieve them after she got married.


    In the car, the three children chatted non-stop. Even little Fifi joined in the chatter.


    Zachary on the other hand, busied himself with his emails.


    Ben observed Zachary''s face and let out a low whistle. ¡°I knew that the two a**holes would get married,


    but not this soon. Hector just abandoned his wife like that to marry someone like Helena? How


    impatient can he be?¡±


    Zachary did not respond but focused on the contents of his email with a slight frown.


    ¡°The most shocking part is that the Lindbergs have been invited.¡± Ben then looked at Zachary and


    asked him cautiously, ¡°Are you going?¡±

 Chapter 555

    Chapter 555


    ¡°Yes.¡± Zachary put down the tablet and ran his fingers through his hair. ¡°Gotta meet Mr. L.¡±


    ¡°Understood, I''ll have that arranged. By the way, I also heard that Helena sent Ms. Windt an invitation


    too?¡±


    ¡°It was expected,¡± replied Zachary. ¡°Make sure to have a suitable outfit prepared for her.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡± With that, Ben immediately made arrangements over the phone.


    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    In the back seat, Ellie and Jamie were watching an introductory video to the Divine Corporation on their


    respective tablets. The two were so engrossed in the video that they were looking at it wide-eyed in


    awe.


    Ellie pointed at the tablet excitedly and said, ¡°Daddy is amazing! He made so many cool things like


    robots and stuff! That''s so cool!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, Daddy is my idol!¡± responded Jamie haughtily.


    ¡°Mine too!¡±


    ¡°Idol, idol!¡±


    Fifi decided to join in themotion. The parrot had picked up several new words recently and


    seemed to be getting smarter by the day.


    ¡°We''re reaching soon,¡± murmured Zachary as he looked at the children. ¡°Put on your shoes and get


    ready to go.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Daddy.¡±


    The three medical staff were about to step forward to help, but Zachary stopped them with a wave of


    his hand. ¡°Let them manage.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± They immediately moved aside and observed the children.


    Robbie was the first to put his shoes on.


    Jamie was a little slow because of his fractured right foot.


    Ellie had always been slower and clumsier than both brothers.


    Just then, the car finally stopped.


    Zachary did not urge them to hurry but watched them in silence.


    Robbie was anxiously fretting over his younger siblings. He squatted down and tried to help them.


    ¡°Hurry up. We''re already here, and many people are waiting for Daddy!¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry, leave them be.¡± Zachary looked at Robbie with a gentle smile. ¡°They can''t always be


    relying on you to help.¡±


    Robbie could only give up and wait. He frowned as he watched his siblings struggle with their shoes


    and worried about them.


    The bodyguards had already exited the car. They opened the door to find that the children were still


    putting their shoes on and that Zachary was still in his seat. He seemed to have no intention of getting


    off the car yet. They shared a look and hurriedly closed the car door.


    Outside, the employees andpany bodyguards waited for them in two neat rows.


    Something felt strange. Why was Mr. Nacht taking so long to leave the car?


    Some of them frowned, seemingly nervous at the change of pace.


    After a while of struggling, Jamie and Ellie finally managed to put their shoes on correctly. The two


    slumped in their seats, sweating as if the simple act had knocked all the wind out of them. However,


    they did not forget their manners. ¡°We''re sorry, Daddy. We''re too slow. We won''t dy you again.¡±


    ¡°Yes, me too.¡± Jamie sounded anxious. ¡°I was slow because of my injury.¡±


    ¡°As a man, you cannot make excuses like this,¡± said Zachary solemnly. ¡°Since you injured your foot,


    you should''ve started wearing your shoes earlier. That way, you won''t slow anyone down.¡±


    ¡°You''re right, Daddy.¡± Jamie lowered his head in shame.


    When Ellie noticed that Jamie was being criticized, she immediately went red in the face. She looked at


    Zachary timidly, her chest deted and she did not dare utter a word.


    Zachary still had to be more lenient towards a girl and stretched out his hand gently.


    ¡°Daddy!¡± Ellie immediately smiled and ran into his arms.


    Zachary hugged Ellie and got out of the car. He carried Ellie on his back and led both Robbie and


    Jamie by the hand.


    Ben and others followed closely behind.


    ¡°Good morning, Mr. Nacht!¡±


    The staff had said their greetings as they usually would, but they could not contain their shock.


    Everyone eyed Zachary and the children suspiciously.


    The Zachary Nacht, actually brought three children to work?


    One of them sat on his shoulders while the other two were being led inside by hand.


    There was something obviously special about the three children.


    Who are they?

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    Chapter 556


    ¡°Good morning everyone!¡±


    Ellie waved a chubby hand at everyone while perched on his shoulder and greeted them


    enthusiastically.


    ¡°Good morning everyone!¡± Robbie and Jamie also greeted them politely.


    ¡°Good morning, good morning!¡±


    Everyone responded, but they were flustered and at a loss.


    Zachary was very satisfied with the children''s performance and led them towards the elevator.


    Ellie looked around with her eyes wide open, enamored by curiosity at a new environment.


    The little Fifi also seemed to be curious about everything.


    Robbie straightened his posture and looked around the crowd imperiously.


    Jamie, on the other hand, tried to copy his brother in spite of his injury.


    Seeing how the two brothers looked the same, everyone in the office stopped to look at them.


    As the elevator descended, a group of employees who noticed Zachary greeted him but stopped mid-


    sentence.


    The sight of the three babies shocked them, but nobody dared ask.


    ¡°Morning!¡± said Zachary briskly as he took the children into the VIP elevator.


    After the elevator doors closed, all the staff members were chattering amongst themselves excitedly.


    ¡±Did you see? The children he brought are so cute!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they look like precious little dolls!¡±


    ¡°Did you also notice the parrot? How cute!¡±


    ¡°But who are they?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know, how curious!¡±


    ¡°Are they his?¡±


    ¡°That can''t be right, he''s not married yet!¡±


    ¡°Isn''t he going to marry Ms. ckwood?¡±


    Everyone was so excited that they did not even notice that the elevator had arrived.


    It was not until they heard a loud ding! that everyone was brought back to their senses.


    They all knew the repercussions for gossiping, let alone about the president himself. It would be arge


    reduction in their annual bonuses for sure.


    In the VIP elevator, the three children were full of curiosity about everything. They marveled at how the


    elevator had a crystalline, reflective appearance. Some pulled faces at the overhead mirror, which they


    also found particrly exciting.


    Fifi was confounded by the mirror. The parrot flew around and pped its wings at its reflections. Fifi


    thought that there were also other parrots inside the elevator.


    Fifi squawked with fright and flew around everyone''s heads in a panic.


    ¡°Hush, be quiet!¡± Ellie hurriedly scolded the parrot and stretched out a hand for Fifi tond on. ¡°Daddy


    likes the quiet.¡±


    ¡°Scared! Scared!¡±


    Ellie wrapped the distressed bird towards her chest and stroked its feathery head gently. ¡°Don''t be


    scared. This is a mirror, see? A mirror!¡±


    ¡°I think we should bring Fifi out more. Imagine being scared of your own reflection!¡±


    Jamie shook his little head and looked at Fifi helplessly.


    ¡°Daddy, the elevator is still going up? My ears feel funny.¡± Robbie clutched Zachary''s fingers tightly, and


    his face turned pale. ¡°Which floor is your office on?¡±


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    ¡°The sixty-eighth floor.¡± Zachary patted Robbie''s head gently. ¡°We''re almost there.¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡± Robbie swallowed hard, then remembered something. ¡°Jamie, Ellie, you need to keep


    swallowing your saliva if your ears are blocked. That''s what Mommy said.¡±


    Jamie and Ellie nodded in response and tried to do the same.


    Fifi tried to mimic Ellie but could not do it correctly. Instead, he stretched his neck out awkwardly, which


    led to a giggle from the children.


    Even Ben found it amusing and smirked at the struggling bird.


    After a while, the elevator door opened. Immediately, the office secretaries gave Zachary his usual


    greetings.


    Everyone''s greetings stopped abruptly when they saw the three children.


    Everyone was baffled, staring at the three children in a daze. They were wondering who the kids were


    and how they ended up with the president. One of them was even sitting on his shoulder!

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    Chapter 557


    ¡°Good morning!¡± Ellie greeted with her cute, cheerful voice and then batted herrge eyes at them. She


    looked at Zachary curiously and asked him, ¡°Why are there only prettydies and no men here?¡±


    ¡°Because this is the president''s office. I only have secretaries in here.¡±


    Zachary then brought his little entourage into his office.


    Ben then ordered someone to bring in an assortment of snacks and treats for the children.


    ¡°Understood,¡± said Lucy and set out to make arrangements.


    The other secretaries were just waiting for Zachary''s door to shut. When it did, they were all abuzz with


    gossip. ¡±Did I hear correctly? The girl called him ''Daddy''? Are they the president''s children?¡±


    ¡°I guess so? Why would he give them piggy-back rides or bring them to thepany otherwise?¡±


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    ¡°Gosh, Mr. Nacht has kids! Isn''t he unmarried?¡±


    ¡°Isn''t he supposed to marry Ms. ckwood of the Synder group?¡±


    ¡°I don''t think they are his own.¡±


    ¡°Probably not! They''re at least three or four years old. Did he have some kind of secret marriage?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea who the mother is.¡±


    ¡°The little girl looks oddly familiar. I feel like I''ve seen a face like hers before, but I can''t quite put my


    finger on it¡ª¡±


    ¡°If you have anything else to say, why not bring it up with the president personally?¡± Lucy snorted


    coldly.


    Immediately, the gossiping secretaries dispersed.


    ¡°You know the president''s temper. He doesn''t like gossiping behind his back. If he hears anything, you''ll


    be dismissed immediately,¡± said Lucy, her demeanor stern.


    Several secretaries hurriedly lowered their heads and continued working under Lucy''s watchful eye.


    Lucy nced at them and pushed a meal cart into the president''s office.


    A whileter, Zachary set Ellie down on the couch.


    Ellie stretched her short legs and looked around the room with her big eyes. ¡°Daddy, is your office in


    the sky?¡±


    Zachary could not help butugh at the child''s innocence.


    ¡°I can''t see roofs outside the window! Only cloud!¡± Ellie tried to walk towards the window but felt her


    knees buckle in fear. In an exaggerated motion, she said, ¡°It''s so tall!¡±


    ¡°Of course, it''s the sixty-eighth floor.¡± Robbie was also looking at Zachary''s office in awe. ¡°You have so


    many high-tech things in the office, Daddy! Everything looks so cool!¡±


    ¡°Ah, you''ve noticed?¡± Zachary cast an approving look at Robbie.


    ¡°Yes, I have an eye for these,¡± said Robbie as he took another walk around the office. ¡°Did your


    company make all this, Daddy?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Daddy, can I take a look at this?¡±


    Robbie seemed to be interested in a little airne he spotted inside the cab.


    ¡°Of course you can,¡± said Zachary gently. ¡°You can y with the things here, but be careful not to hurt


    yourself.¡±


    ¡°I see. Thank you, Daddy.¡±


    Jamie carefully took out a model airne and admired it.


    Lucy walked in with the dining car, greeted Zachary, and then ced the food items on the table.


    ¡°Alright, everyone, let''s eat first!¡± said Ben with a grin. ¡°After this, I''ll take you on a tour to see the R&D


    department after your Daddy finishes his work, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Ellie then ran towards the table with Fifi on her shoulder.


    Robbie and Jamie were busy picking out things they were interested in. Lucy wanted to help them out


    but was stopped by Ben. ¡°Don''t worry, they''ll manage just fine. You can just carry on as usual and let


    me take care of things here.¡±


    Lucy nodded and then left.


    The three medical staff members stood quietly in a corner and marveled at Zachary''s office. However,


    they were still every bit as attentive towards the children.


    Just as Lucy walked towards the door, a secretary hurried in with an urgent message. ¡°Ms. Wright, Ms.


    ckwood is here!¡±

 Chapter 558

    Chapter 558


    Lucy looked back before closing the door quickly while pulling the secretary away hastily. ¡°Where''s that


    person?¡±


    The secretary whispered, ¡°On the first floor. Currently being held back by the security guards. I don''t


    think they can hold him back for long. After all, you and I both know of Ms. ckwood''s temper...¡±


    ¡°I''ll go. You''ll watch.¡± With that, Lucy rushed downstairs.


    ¡°Aye.¡±


    ...


    In the office, Zachary was in the midst of signing a stack of documents. As Ben received a call, he


    nced briefly at the three children before walking over to Zachary and whispered worriedly, ¡°Ms.


    ckwood is here once more.¡±


    ¡°Let her up,¡± Zachary answered nonchntly without even lifting his head.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Ben widened his eyes in surprise.


    N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    Frowning, Zachary snidely remarked, ¡°I believe I''ve made myself clear enough?¡±


    ¡°Aye.¡± Ben was momentarily taken aback by the cold instruction. Without much ado, he ordered the


    security guards to let her up.


    The security guards themselves were doubtful at first, fearing that they might have mistaken his order.


    Only after confirming themand twice did they finallyplied.


    ¡°See?¡± Sharon arrogantlyined, ¡°I''ve told you that as long as Zachary is present he''ll surely let


    me up. You mongrels! How dare you stop me froming in? I''ll make sure to poke your eyes out next


    time! Useless, blind dogs!¡±


    Despite the insults, the security guards frowned yet remained impassive.


    ¡°Just you wait! I''ll get Zachary to fire you all and throw you back to the streets!¡±


    Sharon let loose those harsh words before turning around and strutted upstairs haughtily in her high


    heels.


    The two bodyguards trailed behind closely, fearing to incur the same wrath upon themselves.


    Lucy was preparing to enter the elevator when she saw an iing elevator heading up to level 68


    which made her stopped in her tracks. Crap. Could it be Sharon heading up here?


    Several secretaries panicked and followed Lucy closely behind. They were trying to mentally prepare


    themselves to intercept the infamously arrogant and willful Ms. ckwood.


    Just then, the elevator door opened. Out came Sharon, strutting out with one''s nose in the air. With an


    intimidating aura apanying her, she strode directly onwards, intending to let nothing stop her.


    ¡°Ms. ckwood...¡± Lucy called out hurriedly to stop her, ¡°I''m sorry. You can''t go in because...¡±


    p! Out flew Sharon''s palm,nding onto Lucy''s cheek. The force of the smack was so great that the


    latter''s nose was instantly bloody.


    The few secretaries were scared shitless. One of themshed out angrily, ¡°How could you raise your


    hand against her?¡±


    ¡°So? What are you going to do about it? Spineless whelps!¡± Sharon scolded as she pointed at Lucy''s


    bleeding nose, ¡°Zachary personally gave me the permission toe up. How dare you try to stop me?


    Who do you think you are?¡±


    Lucy could only bow her head, calmly covering her face, ¡°Apologies, Ms. ckwood. I''ve received the


    order not to let you disturb our president.¡±


    ¡°You...¡± Sharon was so filled with fury that she raised her hand to p Lucy once more.


    ¡°Ms. ckwood!¡± A voice rang out suddenly, stopping Sharon''s p halfway.


    ¡°Mr. Ben!¡± Dani, one of the secretaries, called out in desperation while feeling relieved at the first sign


    of rescue, ¡°Ms. ckwood, she...¡±


    ¡°I see that Ms. ckwood''s temper is really a sight to behold.¡± Ben gazed at Lucy before breaking into


    a smile, ¡°They''re merely carrying out their orders. Why do you want to make things difficult for them?¡±


    ¡°Good dogs will not block the way. Surely, everyone here understands this fact, right?¡± Sharon spat


    these words out. Havingbeled Lucy as a dog twice, the vile woman showed no signs of respect for


    the secretary.


    The rest of the secretaries were now shaking in anger.


    On the contrary, Lucy coolly retorted, ¡°Ms. ckwood, if you don''t know how to respect others, others


    won''t respect you either.¡±


    ¡°What? How dare you disrespect me!¡± Sharon stepped closer threateningly, ¡°Say that one more time?¡±


    Lucy was forced to take a step back, gritted her teeth, and said nothing.


    ¡°Enough!¡± Ben could no longer bear to watch and stepped in, ¡°Mr. Nacht grants you permission to go


    in.¡±


    ¡°Hear ye! Hear ye!¡± Narrowing her eyes at Lucy, Sharon dered vehemently, ¡°Your president


    personally invites me in. Next time, know your ce, you pups!¡±


    Lucy could only restrain her resentment and remained silent throughout.


    Sensing victory, Sharon cocked up her head triumphantly and strode haughtily into the president''s


    office.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Ben whispered with concern.


    Shaking her head and forcing a smile, Lucy affirmed, ¡°I''m okay.¡±


    ¡°Go and put on some ice cubs on your poor nose.¡± With that, Ben quickly left, following Sharon''s trail.


    ¡°She''s really getting out of hand,¡± the few secretaries gathered around indignantly and mumbled, ¡°She''s


    so awful! It''s of no wonder that Mr. Nacht doesn''t like her at all.¡±


    ¡°Shush!¡± Lucy stopped them immediately. ¡°Don''t run your mouths off or you maynd yourselves in hot


    water next!¡±


    The few secretaries quickly mmed their mouths, not daring to grumble anymore.

 Chapter 559

    Chapter 559


    Sharon pushed open the door to the president''s office with joy as she called out gently, ¡°Zachary...¡±


    However, upon seeing the three children mbering up Zachary''s body, she stopped dead in her


    tracks, stunned beyond words. ¡°This, this... What is going on?¡±


    ¡°Daddy, who''s this prettydy?¡± Jamie''s eyes lit up upon seeing Sharon as she asked inquisitively, ¡°Is


    she your secretary?¡±


    ¡°Stop talking nonsense,¡± Robbie whispered under his breath. Turning to Zachary, he asked, ¡°Daddy,


    shall we give you both some space?¡±


    ¡°There''s no need.¡±


    Zachary was holding Robbie in one hand and Jamie in the other.


    Meanwhile, Ellie was riding on his shoulders and was braiding his hair with colorful rubber bands while


    the pet parrot Fifi was dozing off on hisp.


    ¡°Have a seat,¡± Zachary invited as he nced up at Sharon.


    Sharon was still in her state of shock as she walked over. She stammered as she asked, ¡°Zachary,


    where do these kidse from?¡±


    Strangely, Zachary seemed to ignore her question as his eyes were glued to the tablet in Robbie''s


    hands. He was busy teaching the child how to readplicated VR drawings. Looking up at her after


    he was done, he queried nonchntly, ¡°So, I heard you''re looking for me. What''s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Zachary...¡±


    ¡°Daddy, can you help me by checking where this piece is supposed to go?¡± Jamie interrupted. He had


    just taken apart an airne model. In her effort to try to reassemble the whole thing, she was left with


    an extra piece.


    ¡°Let me see.¡± Zachary took the piece and nced at the airne model. Finding the missing spot, he


    pointed, ¡°Here!¡±


    ¡°Wow! Daddy, you''re so smart! Thank you, Daddy!¡±


    Taking the piece off his hand, Jamie immediately installed it into the right spot.


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    Peering up at Sharon once more, Zachary queried, ¡°you''re saying?¡±


    ¡°As I am asking, where do these three childrene from?¡± Sharon was feeling anxious, as well as a


    little perturbed. ¡°Why do they call you ''Daddy''? What''s going on?¡±


    ¡°Duh! Because Daddy is our daddy, that''s why!¡± Ellie pouted her lips and puffed up her cheeks


    childishly. ¡°Such a big grown-up yet you still can''t understand such a simple thing.¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Sharon shouted sharply.


    Ellie shuddered with fright by the sudden outburst. Her mouth dropped open as she burst into tears


    with a boo-hoo wail.


    Robbie and Jamie were startled as well. Initially caught in a daze and was unable to react, upon seeing


    their sister in tears, the duo quickly tried to soothe her, ¡°There, there. Don''t be afraid, Ellie...¡±


    Frustrated with the shattered peace, Zachary glowered, his face instantly turned grim. Lifting Ellie off


    his shoulders, he turned to the three nurses waiting by the side andmanded, ¡°Take them to the


    side lounge to y.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The tree nurses obediently rushed forward and cuddled off the three children.


    ¡°Wicked woman! Wicked woman!¡± Fifi pped its wings and squawked at Sharon.


    ¡°Zachary...¡± Sharon turned to him coquettishly, only to find his grim and darkened face. Struck by a


    sudden sense of fear, she cautiously ventured, ¡°You''re not angry, are you? Don''t tell me those children


    are...¡±


    ¡°Yes, those are my children!¡± Zachary admitted arrogantly. As he leaned back on the sofa and raised


    his legs, he announced proudly, ¡°I''m their father!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Stunned, Sharon could only utter the word incredulously.


    Zachary meanwhile waszy to repeat himself. Picking up his wine ss, he swirled the vintage and


    took a sip elegantly.


    After pausing for a while, Sharon regained herposure and forced a stiff smile. ¡°When did this


    happen? Howe I don''t even know about it?¡±


    Zachary held his silence.


    Seeing his expression, Sharon felt flustered as she tried to coax more out of him, ¡°I''m fine with


    illegitimate children. It''smon after all in wealthy families. This definitely won''t affect us...¡±


    ¡°I think you''re mistaken,¡± Zachary cut her short and callously stated, ¡°They''re not illegitimate children,


    but the rightful heirs of the Nacht family.¡±


    ¡°Heirs?¡± Sharon''s face seemed to be drained of colors as she stuttered, ¡°Zachary Nacht, surely you''ve


    gone overboard, no? What about our very own offspringter?¡±


    ¡°Offspring? We won''t, mind you.¡± Each passing minute dealing with Sharon made Zachary even more


    impatient. ¡°Because I will not marry you in the first ce.¡±

 Chapter 560

    Chapter 560


    After Zachary had spelled out his words clearly, Sharon was stunned as she was unable to believe


    what she just heard. ¡°What are you babbling about? We''ve announced our wedding, even the


    engagement ceremony preparations are ready. How could you say...¡±


    ¡°I think you have a really bad memory!¡± Zachary interrupted her indifferently, ¡°From the very beginning,


    I don''t want to be engaged. You and Grandpa are the ones who forced the matter, even going as far as


    announcing the marriage unterally. Thus this totally has nothing to do with me.¡±


    ¡°You...¡± Sharon''s face was blue with anger as she spat out unrestrained, ¡°How dare you treat me like


    this? You''re willing to dump me for the sake of those three bastard children?¡±


    ¡°If you run your mouth once more, I can''t guarantee that I won''t raise my hand against you!¡± Zachary


    did not mince his words as his chilly eyes turned vicious and a murderous look suddenly appeared.


    ¡°I...¡± Sharon''s temper was about to re up yet she managed to forcibly suppressed it. Quicklying


    to apromise, she offered, ¡°I can ept those three children as long as we can be married. I''ll


    come to any terms with you...¡±


    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    ¡°Even if you ept them, they won''t want to ept you!¡± Losing his patience, Zachary revealed, ¡°They


    have their own mother. If I were to marry, I''ll marry their mother instead!¡±


    Such a revtion left Sharon speechless. The world seemed to fade away before her eyes. Everything


    seemingly spiraled out of her grasp. It took a long while before she coulde back to her senses as


    she demanded, ¡°What do you mean by that? Who''s their mother?¡±


    She had thought that these children were the idental results of Zachary''s phndering ways. Their


    mother could have been dead or gone, probably shamed by the illicit trysts. Even if she were alive, she


    would be nothing in the eyes of Zachary.


    Surely this must be the case, otherwise, why would the existence of these children not even be


    mentioned once for the past few years, only for them to appear now?


    That was the reason she mentioned that she was willing to ept the existence of these children.


    However, once Zachary stated that he was going to marry the children''s mother, she was dismayed by


    the sudden realization...


    Zachary had already known what he wanted. Not only did he had three children with that woman, but


    he also nned to marry her!


    ¡°As for the rest, you don''t need to know,¡± Zachary straightforwardly said, ¡°In fact, we were never


    officially together. Our cooperation on projects benefits the Synder Group more thus far. It will be best


    for us to remain amicable towards one another in the future!¡±


    ¡°No...¡± As tears fell from her face, Sharon shook her head vehemently and recounted, ¡°The news of our


    wedding has been announced and the engagement ceremony has been readied. For you to back out at


    this juncture, I will definitely be theughingstock of the whole wide world!¡±


    ¡°This is the result of your own folly,¡± Zachary frowned unsympathetically and shrugged, ¡°From the very


    beginning, I''ve been opposing it. It is you who act in such an arbitrary manner. I shall not be med for


    your willfulness. In the end, adults are responsible for their own reckless behavior!¡±


    ¡°Zachary...¡± She started to plead.


    Without giving her the chance to do so, he announced, ¡°Please see our guest out!¡±


    Sharon still desired to salvage the situation, yet Zachary no longer wanted to have anything to do with


    her anymore.


    ¡°As you wish.¡± At this moment, Ben gingerly appeared. Stepping forward, he politely motioned to her,


    ¡°Ms. ckwood, if you please.¡±


    ¡°No! I simply refuse to cancel our marriage. I object!¡± Shaking her head frantically in protest, she cried


    in sorrow, ¡°Zachary Nacht! You can''t do this to me! The way you''re treating me, you''re forcing me to my


    death!¡±


    Turned off by the whole sob drama, Zachary grufflymanded, ¡°See her off!¡±


    ¡°At yourmand.¡± Ben tried to hide his anxiousness as he tried once more, ¡°Ms. ckwood, this way


    please.¡±


    ¡°Scram!¡±


    Rushing forward, Sharon grabbed a fruit knifeid carelessly on the coffee table and pointed it to her


    wrist as she hysterically shrieked, ¡°Zachary, I can give in to anything! I know you like Charlotte Windt


    and I''m willing to let you keep her as a mistress. I can even ept you having illegitimate children. I''ve


    humbled myself before you, even crushing my pride into dust for you. Why are you abandoning me


    now? Why?¡±


    ¡°Sharon!¡± Raising his eyes and ring frostily at her, Zachary sternly warned, ¡°By now you should have


    known that I, Zachary Nacht, shall never be threatened by anyone! Put down the knife and get out. On


    behalf of our acquaintance, I shall let you walk away with some dignity left. Otherwise, you are totally


    free to do what you want: let me be the witness of your death right here right now!¡±


    ¡°You...¡± Intimidated by his death stare but at the same time trembling with outrage, Sharon shrieked,


    ¡°Do you think I dare not to? If I were to die here, how are you going to exin this to your Grandpa.


    Worse still, how are you going to face the wrath of the ckwood family?¡±

 Chapter 561

    Chapter 561


    As Sharon finished with her threat, she shed the fruit knife towards her wrist...


    ¡°No! Ms. ckwood! Don''t be hasty!¡± Ben shouted after her.


    Zachary had no intention to stop the whole incident. Instead, he sat down on the sofa with his legs up


    comfortably and lit his cigar calmly.


    Meanwhile, the knife found its mark. A shallow sh appeared as fresh blood slowly trickled out...


    Sharon slumped onto the floor dramatically, weeping pitifully as torrents of tears streamed down her


    face.


    ''What a farce. With such a shallow wound, it''s impossible for you to die.¡± Zachary dangled his cigar in


    his mouth and raised his eyebrows. ¡°Shall I teach you how to do it instead?¡±


    Walking over, he grabbed Sharon''s hand, picked up the fruit knife, and put it against her injured wrist,


    as he cold-bloodedly instructed, ¡°You''ve got to show more resolve. Use more force to jam the knife in.


    Let me hear the sound of the de piercing into the arteries. Let me witness the glorious fountain of


    blood spurting out. Only then you will die quickly!¡±


    ¡°You...¡± Sharon opened her eyes wide in astonishment, staring at him incredulously as if she was


    looking at a total stranger.


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    Everyone knew of Zachary''s ruthlessness and resoluteness. From the very beginning, she had admired


    those qualities of his; these were the aspects of a man who would stand on top of the world in the


    future. She had thought that she could be his wife by leveraging the existing rtionship built by


    her parents with his family.


    s, right now, she finally got a taste of his cold-bloodedness firsthand.


    ¡°What''s the matter, my dear?¡± Zachary sneered, ¡°Aren''t you going to die in front of me? Go on! C''mon!¡±


    ¡°You...¡± Sharon was nearly driven mad as her whole body shook. ¡°Fine! Just you wait!¡±


    Throwing the fruit knife away, she got up and left, mming the door with all her might on her way out.


    The few secretaries outside eximed in horror at the sight of her bloodied hand. Lucy frantically


    rushed in and asked, ¡°Mr. Nacht, what happened to Ms. ckwood? She...¡±


    ¡°Forget about her,¡± Zachary responded ruthlessly.


    Ben quickly made a hand gesture.


    Understanding the signal, Lucy hurriedly withdrew. Dispersing the panicked secretaries outside, she


    barked, ¡°Get back to work. Nothing interesting to see here.¡±


    As the secretaries returned to their positions one after another, some could not restrain their curiosity


    and started whispering. ¡°Ms. ckwood has cut her wrist. My goodness! For her to walk out alone,


    won''t she die?¡±


    ¡°From what I saw, there''s not much blood. Her wound shouldn''t be too deep...¡±


    ¡°Makes sense. If it were life-threatening in the first ce, the president would not have ignored it. After


    all, it''s a matter of life and death.¡±


    ¡°You''re right. Serve her right for putting up such a show in an attempt to force Mr. Nacht''s hand. Such a


    primetime disy of drama worthy of the Grammys.¡±


    ¡°Hmph! Mr. Nacht would never be threatened by such cheap farce.¡±


    ¡°That''s right! Mr. Nacht did not even bat an eyelid! Such aplete catastrophic wipeout.¡±


    ¡°It''s a blessing for us! Thank goodness. We''ll be spared from such a terrible futuredy boss.¡±


    ¡°I wholeheartedly concur with that!¡±


    ¡°Quit yapping around and get back to work. Pish posh!¡± Lucy popped back to remind. Turning her head


    to Dani, she instructed, ¡°Go and call up the cleanerdy. Tell her to get rid of the bloodstains on the


    floor.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative.¡± Dani obediently scrambled out.


    Deep down their hearts, all the secretaries on the floor were d. Finally, they did not have to put up


    with Sharon''s atrocious antics anymore!


    ...


    Back in the president''s office, Ben asked cautiously, ¡°With that has transpired, what if she impulsively


    turned to Lindberg Corporation?¡±


    ¡°With our joint projects in hand, if she were to turn to Lindberg Corporation, the Synder Group would


    naturally lose a lot of money. I''m sure she''s smart enough to weigh the pros and cons. Besides, even if


    she were to act foolishly, she still had the arduous task to convince her other shareholders to jump in


    on her ship as well.¡±


    Casually, Zachary puffed his cigar, proverbially having all the winning cards securely in his hand.


    ¡°That''s true.¡± Breathing a sigh of relief, Ben asked once more, ¡°But haven''t you perhaps gone too far


    just now? She may report all these to old Mr. Nacht.¡±


    ¡°Jolly old Mr. Nacht now has great-grandchildren. Who would care about her?¡± Zachary rolled his eyes,


    ¡°Let''s stop with the nonsense for now. Get someone to clean up the mess here. I don''t want the


    children to be shocked when theye in here.¡±


    ¡°As you wish.¡±


    As Ben was about to call for someone, Lucy had already brought in people for the clean-up.


    Zachary was about to go to the adjacent room to his children when Bruce hurriedly rushed in to report,


    ¡°Sir, old Mr. Nacht has awakened!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Zachary frowned.


    ¡°It''s not just a minimally conscious state. He''s fully conscious now. Fully sound. And oh, he said that he


    wants to see you,¡± Bruce reported with much joy and excitedly ushered, ¡°Come now. See for yourself,


    sire!¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Stubbing out his cigar, Zachary got up to get the children...

 Chapter 562

    Chapter 562


    The president''s office was so well-insted that the sound from the previousmotion had not


    passed through the wall to the adjacent room where the children were. They had no idea what had


    transpired.


    The bad mood caused by the intrusion of the uninvited guest just now had been ayed by the fun and


    games.


    The three children had a great time ying VR games in the lounge.


    The gaming setup in here was the most advanced. Equipped with hi-tech seats, the gaming experience


    was as real as it could get, almost transporting the children into the game itself.


    The trio was seated side-by-side in the seats, donning the special goggles. They were experiencing the


    mysteries of space currently.


    From time to time, they eximed excitedly and screamed in pleasant surprise as their hands fluttered


    around.


    Fifi seemed to be joining in the fun as well, as it pped its wings and flew around the screen,


    seemingly wanting to enter into the same world to experience the same joys as the three children.


    Zachary had changed his clothes and walked in. Witnessing the children''s tion, he could not help


    but curved the corner of his lips into a satisfied smirk.


    He felt he now knew why Charlotte was so obsessed with money in the past. For the sake of earning


    more, she would even sell him off to some rich cougar...


    N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    After all, it was all for the sake of raising up these three little rascals!


    No matter what trials and tribtions one faced outside, the moment one stepped back home and


    witnessed the three of them, surely all troubles and worries of the day would just dissipate...


    ¡°Mr. Nacht...¡± Seeing himing over, the three nurses prepared to inform the children.


    Zachary gestured to them not to disturb the children. He wanted to let them finish the game first.


    Outside, Ben had already readied the car. Bruce stepped in and mentioned, ¡°Sir, shall I go back to fetch


    Ms. Windt?¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry too much about it.¡± Checking his watch, Zachary decided, ¡°We''ll go over first. Let her set


    out one hourter.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡°There''s something else I wish to report.¡± Leaning into Zachary''s ear, Bruce whispered, ¡°Ms. Nacht has


    been staying in H City and hasn''t left. Mayhap she is waiting for the news of the old man waking up.¡±


    Upon hearing these words, Zachary deeply furrowed his brows. He had not cared much for neither the


    ckwoods nor the Browns. The troublesome one he was wary of was this aunt of his.


    She possessed a ck heart and a cunning mind. Her methods were swift and vicious. Her plots were


    sly and subtle. She would do anything and sacrifice anyone to achieve her insidious goals. Those


    qualitiesbined made her a formidable opponent not to be underestimated.


    During thest visit to Grandpa, even though she seemingly did nothing out of ce, he had long


    suspected that there was something amiss. He did not manage to smell out the tricks up her sleeves...


    Due to this, he dared not to lower his guard against her.


    ¡°Let''s not fetch Charlotte today,¡± Zachary uttered, changing his mind, ¡°Deploy more personnel to protect


    the children.¡±


    ¡°Acknowledged.¡± Bruce immediately sprang to action.


    Zachary had known that something that happenedst time had cast a great shadow over Charlotte.


    She herself had known that her father''s death was rted to Zara. Should a chance encounter ur at


    the hospital between two of themter, Zachary could not predict what the oue would be...


    It would be troublesome as well should the children be frightened.


    Rather than taking chances, might as well not let her go this time. Utilizing all manpower to ensure the


    children''s safety would be the next prudent thing to do.


    As the children were still engrossed in their games, Zachary went out and called Charlotte.


    ¡°Hi!¡± His call was quickly picked up. Charlotte sounded groggy as if she had just woken up from her


    sleep, ¡°What''s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Grandpa is awake,¡± Zachary curtly ryed the good news.


    ¡°Really?¡± Seemingly fully awake from her previous slumber, Charlotte joyfully asked, ¡°That''s great!


    Shall we go there earlier? Let me start preparing now...¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Zachary cut her off and gently said, ¡°Just rest at home. We won''t go over today.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Charlotte had not expected the reply and reacted, ¡°Why? Then what about the children?¡±


    ¡°I''ll take them over,¡± Zachary answered.


    Charlotte was surprised. After all, he had promised in the morning to take her along. Suddenly now he


    had changed his mind...


    What does this signify?


    Perhaps he did not n to tell old Henry about her yet. Even worse, maybe he had not prepared to


    marry her?


    ¡°Daddy...¡± The shouts of the children could be hearding from the back.


    ¡°I''ll hang up the call first,¡± Zachary informed before advising, ¡°Get some good rest.¡±


    Immediately after, he hung up.

 Chapter 563

    Chapter 563


    Charlotte held the phone in her hand. She was dizzy with disappointment.


    She triedforting herself in her heart. Perhaps Zachary feels that since the old man has just woken


    up, it''ll be better not to rile thetter up too soon...


    Charlotte pitifullyforted herself.


    ...


    An elongated Rolls-Royce made its way to the hospital, escorted by two rows of convoys in front and at


    the back - truly a sight to behold.


    The bodyguards deployed were all vignt, checking and scanning around to spot any untoward


    surprise ambushes.


    Nheless, everything went on without a hitch as the journey itself was smooth.


    As the cars drove up to the hospital, Zachary led the three children out of their ride. Jamie, whose foot


    had not fully healed, was sitting on his shoulders. He held the hands of the other two: Robbie and Ellie.


    Jamie was feeling ted, with a special sense of superiority seated on his father''s broad shoulders.


    Fifi was perched meanwhile on Jamie''s head, its eyes opened wide, gawking around curiously.


    ¡°Daddy, I don''t want to hold your hand anymore.¡± Breaking away from Zachary''s hand, Ellie childishly


    comined, ¡°You''re too tall. I have to keep raising my hand to hold onto yours. My arm is now tired...¡±


    ¡°Truthfully, I''m tired too.¡± Looking up to Zachary, Robbie blinked and asked innocently, ¡°I''ll be as tall as


    Daddy in the future, won''t I?¡±


    ¡°Of course you will.¡± Bending down, Zachary heaved up both Robbie and Ellie in his arms while


    carefully making sure Jamie was securely seated on his shoulders. ¡°Hang tight, Jamie.¡±


    ¡°Okie.¡± Jamie held onto Zachary''s head for fear of falling.


    ¡°Yay! I''m high up now too!¡± Ellie cheered, pping her little hands together.


    ¡°Suddenly I feel like my visual field has expanded,¡± Robbie mused, smiling.


    ¡°I''m higher up than you still.¡± Jamie raised his brows, proudly showing off.


    ¡°I''m higher! I''m higher!¡± Fifi squawked exuberantly, pping its wings in response as if it understood the


    whole childishpetition.


    ¡°Shush!¡± Ellie pointed to Fifi with her chubby small hand, pouted her mouth, and yfully scowled, ¡°Fifi,


    if you squawk again, I''m going to pull off your feathers!¡±


    The intelligent bird quickly covered its mouth with its wings and dared not make any more noises. Its


    eyes were rolling around, making it looked both funny and adorable.


    ¡°Hahaha...¡± The three children filled the air with theirughter simultaneously.


    Zachary could not help but grin. Since these three children had appeared in his life, his world had been


    filled with nothing butughter and joy. He had also been slowly changed into a more cheerful person


    who tended to smile more.


    ¡°These kids are so adorable!¡± Bruce remarked with a satisfied sigh. ¡°Everything has been a little


    different since Mr. Nacht has be a father. He''s a changed man.¡±


    ¡°Agreed. A change for the better. A more humane person overall,¡± Ben whispered.


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    Bruceughed, ¡°Yeah. Way better.¡±


    As the entourage entered the hospital from the side door, they were greeted by the dean and heads-of-


    departments all lined up ready and waiting. They lined and led them directly to the special ward.


    Spencer, who had been waiting downstairs all the while, was d to see Zachary. He promptly greeted


    thetter and informed excitedly, ¡°Mr. Zachary, Mr. Henry has awakened and has been thinking about


    you.¡±


    ¡°Noted,¡± Zachary nodded before asking, ¡°You haven''t told him anything, have you?¡±


    ¡°No, definitely not. I''ll leave you to tell him personally, as per your instruction.¡±


    Gazing at the children one by one, Spencer smiled giddily, allowing himself a brief moment to show his


    true feeling. After that, his face tightened as he hinted meaningfully, ¡°Mr. Zachary, since Mr. Henry has


    just woken up, please be mindful that he can''t handle any bad stimulus yet!¡±


    The meaning was clear as day: double down on the good news, avoid the bad ones.


    Zachary instinctively understood what Spencer meant and assured thetter, ¡°Fret not. I''ll be tactful!¡±


    The whole family soon arrived outside the special ward. Zachary took the children to the


    decontamination chamber for a change of clothes. Fifi intended to follow but was prevented by Zachary


    who tapped its beak and ordered, ¡°Stay outside. Don''t cause a ruckus.¡±


    Stopping what it was about to do, Fifi immediatelynded on Ben''s shoulder. It looked aggrieved as it


    shrugged its little head.


    ¡°Make sure you don''t poop on my shoulder,¡± Ben threatened, giving Fifi a vicious look, ¡°Or else I will


    pluck out your feathers one by one...¡±


    ¡°Daddy, Daddy.¡±


    Before Ben could finish his sentence, Fifi flew over to Zachary andined, ¡°Pluck feather, pluck


    feather. Scared. Scared...¡±

 Chapter 564

    Chapter 564


    ¡°Umm, Ben?¡± Zachary coldly stared at him.


    ¡°I dare not.¡± Ben hurriedly bowed his head in apology, somewhat reluctantly.


    Sensing its victory, Fifi shook its hips triumphantly, fluttered its wings, and flew over once more to Ben''s


    head. Raking his hair with its ws and treating his head as its nest, it promptly perched down after a


    while.


    Such a unting disy of arrogance and dominance -ing from a mere parrot!


    Ben''s face darkened, unhappy to be defeated by a mere bird. He rolled his eyes upward and stared at


    the sted bird perchedfortably on his head, wishing to throw it into a nice pot of hot stew...


    Witnessing the whole episode in front of his eyes, Bruce could barely contain his guffaw, and let loose


    hisughter with a loud snort. ¡°Bwahahaha! This little parrot is quite a human. Hahahaha!¡±


    ¡°One of these days...¡± Before Ben could finish grumbling, Fifi perked up and postured itself to squawk a


    comint once more.


    Taking a deep breath, Ben had no other choice but to swallow his pride and his gripe. No matter what,


    the sted bird was now his master.


    Better not mess with it!


    After changing into their istion gown, Zachary and the children stepped out of the decontamination


    chamber into the istion ward.


    ¡°I''m already fully awake. Why am I still locked in this ursed ward? Just transfer me out, stat! I''m not


    that vulnerable, you hear?¡±


    Just as they stepped in, they heard the unhappyint of old Henry.


    Although he had not been fully healed from his serious illness yet, and his voice was not as energetic


    as before, he was still filled with quite the vigor.


    The doctor and the health specialist standing next to him hurriedlyforted, ¡°Don''t worry, Mr. Nacht.


    We''ve already done a full-body detailed scan on you this morning. When the results of the scane


    out, as long as all the parameters are okay, I assure you we will immediately transfer you to the general


    ward.¡±


    ¡°Why bother with all the troubles. Now listen, y''all, when I said I want to get transferred, I expect y''all to


    get it done right away...¡±


    ¡°Grandpa!¡± Little Ellie''s cute voice rang out, interrupting Henry''s sentence halfway.


    Old Henry was jolted from his grumbling. Turning to look, he was overjoyed at the pleasant sight. ¡°Ellie!


    Robbie! Jamie!...¡±


    ¡°Grandpa!¡±


    ¡°Grandpa!¡±


    The trio shoved Zachary''s hands away and rushed over excitedly to Henry''s side.


    ¡°Grandpa, you''re finally awake...¡± Robbie''s eyes were red and he nearly choked with tears. ¡°Every time


    we dropped by to see you, you were always sleeping. We''re so anxious and really hoped for you to


    wake up soon.¡±


    ¡°I''m awake. I''m awake. Dear old me ain''t be sleeping no more.¡± Shaking Robbie''s hand excitedly, the


    old man said, ¡°It''s a d ol'' thing to see y''all the first thing I wake up!¡±


    ¡°Grandpa, you promised to take me to y serst time.¡± Jamie''s eyes were red, but he had a big


    and bright smile on his face. ¡°Now that you''re awake, you''ll fulfill your promise, yes?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± the old man uttered with a smile as he asked, ¡°How''s your tiny foot doing? Better?¡±


    ¡°Almost healed,¡± Jamie raised up his leg to show the old man. ¡°The cast has been removed, along with


    the splint. I''m healed enough to climb the stairs unassisted.¡±


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    ¡°Hahaha, awesome!¡± Old Henryughed heartily. ¡°The moment I''m discharged from this sted ce,


    I''ll take Jamie along for some ball-kicking.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Grandpa! You''ve said you''re going to take me to Disnend to see the princesses.¡± Not wanting


    to be left out, Ellie grabbed old Henry''s hand and squeaked childishly. ¡°Your words still count, yes?¡±


    ¡°Hohoho! Of course, my dear!¡± Old Henry nodded repeatedly. ¡°The minute I''m outta'' here, I''ll whisk


    dear Ellie away to the good ol'' magical world of Disnend in a jiffy!¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Grandpa...¡± Ellie said as she raised up her chubby small hands and cheered, ¡°All hail


    Grandpa! Long live Grandpa!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. If I were to live a thousand years wouldn''t I end up an old geezerter, aye?¡± old Henry


    remarked in a jocr fashion.


    ¡°Naw, Grandpa won''t be an old geezer. Grandpa will always be the best! Hip hurray!¡± Tilting her head,


    Ellie said with a serious face, ¡°Grandpa must watch us grow up, okay? We still want to honor you for


    years toe!¡±


    ¡°Good, good! Good kids, y''all are!¡± old Henry nodded joyously, feeling his eyes slightly wet.


    Due to aging, or perhaps having gone through life and near-death experiences, he had be a more


    sentimental person. Whenever he would see children, he would be easily touched. I''ve be a big


    ol'' softie, haven''t I?


    ¡°Gee, grandpa. ying favorites now, are you?¡± Zachary sourly noted before continuing in feigned


    jealousy, ¡°The moment you have great-grandchildren, you don''t care about your grandson anymore!¡±

 Chapter 565

    Chapter 565


    ¡°No one wants a cheeky rascal like you...¡± Old Henry paused mid-sentence and frowned. Staring at


    Zachary suspiciously, he asked, ¡°What did you just say? ''Great-grandchildren''?¡±


    ¡°Your hearings must have deteriorated with age,¡± Zachary feigned a sigh while shaking his head.


    ¡°Daddy, Grandpa''s ears are still good,¡± Ellie defended Henry, puffing up her cheeks childishly.


    ¡°Ellie, what did you just call him?¡± Old Henry was stunned.


    ¡°Daddy.¡± Turning her head, Ellie replied with a straight, serious face.


    ¡°Hell, what''s going on ''ere?¡± Old Henry looked intently at Ellie, before turning his gaze to Zachary and


    demanded, ¡°Cheeky rascal, you''re gonna do some exining ''ere?¡±


    ¡°Grandpa... Actually scratch that. You''re going to be called Great-grandpa from now on...¡± Robbie


    chuckled as he faced old Henry and enthusiastically exined, ¡°Since he''s our Daddy,¡± the young boy


    paused and pointed to Zachary before continuing, ¡°And we''re Daddy''s children. Therefore, we can''t


    address you as ''Grandpa'' from now on, but rather ''Great-grandpa''.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Jamie nodded in agreement as he chirped in, ¡°Daddy''s grandfather should be called great-


    grandpa.¡±


    Old Henry was absolutely bbergasted. His eyes widened in astonishment. It took him a while to


    regain hisposure as he impatiently called Zachary over, ¡°I can''t make no head nor tail of this.


    Zachary, get your ass over ''ere!¡±


    The children pouted pitifully and stood aside, giving their spot to their Daddy. Gathering at the corner,


    they started whispering to one another.


    ¡°Why can''t Grandpa understand what we''re saying?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps we didn''t express it clearly enough for him to understand?¡±


    ¡°Makes sense. We''re still in kindergarten anyway. It''s normal for adults not to understand us. Daddy will


    exin on our behalf.¡±


    ¡°We''ll ascend to the second year of kindergarten next year. We should improve ourmunication


    skills.¡±


    Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    ¡°Yes. We really should read and recite more. This way we can definitely improve ourmunication


    skills...¡±


    ¡°Agreed.¡±


    Meanwhile, as soon as Zachary approached, old Henry punched him on the arm angrily. ¡°Cheeky


    rascal.¡±


    With his current condition, the punchcked any strength...


    ¡°Spencer mentioned to me that during the time I was sick, you helped me to take care of these


    children. I was ted, thinking that you finally had grown a conscience in that thick skull of yours.¡±


    Prodding his finger at Zachary''s head, he continued gently, ¡°You know that I care for them greatly. And I


    know you do a great job taking care of them so I''ll be happy when I wake up.¡±


    ¡°Yet when I finally wake up, bingo! There you are, teaching these innocent children to call you


    ''Daddy''?¡± The old man''s genial tone suddenly took a totally drastic turn. ¡°Have you lost your friggin''


    mind?¡±


    ¡°Done with your lecture, old man?¡± Zachary did not mount a single refutation throughout. After old


    Henry had finished with his tirade, Zachary calmly took out a DNA test result sheet and handed it to the


    old man. ¡°Now that you''re done, take a look.¡±


    ¡°What in Hades'' hell is this?¡± As old Henry scanned through the content, his jaw dropped as he


    stuttered, ¡°This, this is...¡±


    ¡°The irrefutable proof that they''re my children. My genuine offspring,¡± Zachary solemnly proimed.


    Smiling, he challenged, ¡°If you don''t believe it, we can run the test once more.¡±


    This time, old Henry waspletely confounded. He could only stare on nkly with eyes filled with


    utter disbelief.


    ¡°Mr. Zachary, it is prudent not to excite nor surprise Mr. Nacht too much. His heart may not be able to


    handle it.¡± Looking on anxiously from the side, Spencer soothed, ¡°Sir, what Mr. Zachary said is true.


    These three adorable children you love are truly the biological children of Mr. Zachary, hence your


    great-grandchildren...¡±


    ¡°Don''t lie to me, you old geezer,¡± old Henry muttered. With excitement trembling in his voice, he turned


    to Zachary and said, ¡°Cheeky rascal, don''t you dare prank me. I can''t stand the thrill...¡±


    ¡°Old man, why are you so melodramatic?¡± Unable to bear it anymore, Zachary boldly challenged, ¡°I''ve


    revealed the DNA test result. Yet you still doubt it. Shall I do the test once more right here and now?¡±


    ¡°What test?¡± Ellie widened her eyes nkly.


    ¡°You''re such a ditz. Even I understand what''s going on. It''s a test to confirm whether we''re Daddy''s


    children,¡± Jamie felt upset at his sister''s stupidity.


    ¡°A DNA test requires drawing of blood. Quite painful, that one,¡± Robbie shuddered as he remembered


    the lingering fear of having his blood drawn out fromst time.


    ¡°I don''t want my blood to be drawn. I''m afraid of pain...¡± Ellie eximed as she suddenly bawled her


    eyes out. ¡°Boohoo... Grandpa, why can''t you just believe that we are Daddy''s children?¡±

 Chapter 566

    Chapter 566


    ¡°Of course I believe in y''all.¡± Seeing Ellie sobbing, old Henry''s heart softened. Directing his anger at


    Zachary, he exined, ¡°I just don''t trust this rascal...¡±


    ¡°He''s not a rascal. He''s our Daddy.¡± Jamie hurriedly defended Zachary, even running over and


    spreading his arms in front of thetter, as an act of protecting his precious father!


    ¡°Grandpa, Daddy wasn''t lying to you,¡± Robbie earnestly exined. ¡°I was allergic to kiwi. Daddy felt


    that something was wrong and took me for a DNA test. Through that, he found out I was his child.¡±


    At this moment, old Henry finally believed. After all, Zachary himself was allergic to kiwi fruit since he


    was still a child. This information was never revealed to anyone as a protective measure so enemies


    would not be able to cash in on such a weakness.


    No one knew about this except for those in the inner family circle.


    Also, Robbie was a mere three-and-a-half-year-old boy. Surely it would be impossible for him to


    fabricate it. Even though Robbie was the most mentally independent amongst his siblings, it was still a


    tall task to fool both old Henry and Zachary with this prank...


    ¡°Gracious heavens! I''ve thought I won''t be able to see the fourth generation of the Nacht family with my


    own eyes in this lifetime...¡± Old Henry was so touched that he burst into tears of joy. ¡°Such a great


    surprise to greet me just as I open my eyes! Good Lord!¡±


    ¡°It''s great that you''re so happy.¡± Zachary finally heaved a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Such nonsense. How could I be unhappy? Those countless moments when I fantasized about such a


    scene... I''ve hoped for ages that these three would turn out to be the real flesh and blood of our NachtProperty of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    family. Ain''t expecting my dream to be real...¡± Trailing off, old Henry tremblingly stretched out his arms


    to the children and called out, ¡°Children,e ''ere! Give yer'' Great-grandpa a hug!¡±


    ¡°Grandpa... Great-grandpa!¡±


    The three children rushed over immediately and dived into the waiting arms of old Henry.


    ¡°Aww, my good kids!¡±


    Moved to tears, old Henry hugged the children tightly. The dream that he had for a long time finally had


    come true...


    Witnessing the touching scene at the side, a smile crept across Zachary''s lips. As long as old Henry


    was happy, everything else would be easy.


    Even Spencer who was the sideline spectator found his eyes uncontrobly wet.


    ¡°Great-grandpa, we''ve all moved to Daddy''s house now. Let''s live there together when you''re


    discharged from the hospital,¡± Robbie invited as he tugged old Henry''s hand.


    ¡°Aye, for sure.¡± Old Henry stroked Robbie''s little head and said, ¡°Good boy. Study hard, and you''ll


    achieve great things in the future!¡±


    ¡°Of course, I will!¡± Robbie nodded excitedly.


    Not wanting to be left out, Jamie interrupted, ¡°Every night, Daddy has been teaching us lots of


    knowledge. As a result, I''ve improved my self-defense skill. Robbie''s scientific and tech knowledge


    have improved by leaps and bounds too...¡±


    ¡°Really? Such great prowess?¡± Old Henry was happy to hear.


    Ellie chirped in, ¡°I''m not learning. I''m the one teaching daddy how to sing...¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, your Daddy''s singing has been straight-up awful since young. Can he really sing now?¡±


    ¡°He''s still quite dumb...¡±


    As the three children chatted merrily around old Henry, Zachary signaled everyone else to leave the


    room.


    Upon stepping out of the ward, Spencer had a worried look on his face, yet he chose to remain silent.


    ¡°Mr. Spencer, do you have something in your mind?¡± Zachary asked.


    ¡°I''m only afraid that...¡± Thinking for a moment, Spencer tactfully chose his words, ¡°If Mr. Nacht knew


    that the children''s mother is Ms. Windt, would he perhaps...¡±


    ¡°After all the sacrifices she has made to give birth to these three children, in the end, her identity and


    social status still matter?¡± Raising his eyebrows, Zachary stated, ¡°At worst, shecks an influential


    family background. Nheless, it''s still miles better than Sharon''s twisted nature, am I right?¡±


    ¡°Aye, this I concur.¡± Nodding repeatedly, Spencer proceeded to caution, ¡°But you must know that the


    ckwood family is still crucial to us at this juncture. If your rtionship with Ms. ckwood sours, the


    ckwoods will turn to the Lindberg family. That, I believe, is something totally detrimental to us...¡±


    ¡°Sorry to disappoint you,¡± Zachary interrupted Spencer mid-sentence and revealed, ¡°But the damage


    has been done.¡± As Spencer gaped at the revtion, Zachary summarized the incident earlier, ¡°I''ve


    told her everything. Straightforwardly. She threw a huge tantrum in my office, threatening to kill herself.


    I did not relent to her drama. Ah, yes. Did you know that she shed her own wrist? And oh, as she


    was bleeding, I chased her out.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Spencer could barely manage to stand, stunned beyond words.

 Chapter 567

    Chapter 567


    ¡°What has happened, happened!¡± Spreading out his hand, Zachary stated nonchntly, ¡°Regardless of


    his feelings, Grandpa has to agree no matter what. There''s no turning back now!¡±


    ¡°Act first, reportter, huh? You''re ying a dangerous game here, young man.¡±


    Spencer sighed, his face pale with fright. For a moment, he was at a loss for words as he staggered


    back.


    ¡°Mr. Spencer, are you okay?¡± Ben tried to support him but was pushed away. ¡°Get off me, you brat.


    Why didn''t you warn Mr. Zachary beforehand?¡±


    ¡°Do I dare to?¡± Ben muttered back.


    ¡°Mr. Spencer, it''s not like we could do anything to change the situation anyway. Might as well help us to


    persuade Mr. Nacht to ept Ms. Windt,¡± Ben cautiously advised. ¡°In fact, Ms. Windt is quite a


    decent...¡±


    ¡°Damn brat.¡± Spencer pped Bruce hard across his back. ¡°You''re also part of the mess!¡±


    ¡°He''s right, you know,¡± Defending Bruce, Zachary raised an eyebrow and asked, ¡°Tell me, where have I


    gone wrong?¡±


    ¡°...¡± Spencer stayed silent for a long time. Unable toe up with anything, he could only force a stiff


    smile and said, ¡°Yes, Mr. Zachary!¡±


    ¡°So you''re now on board my n to help to convince Grandpa?¡± Zachary immediately took advantage


    of the situation and made the first move. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Spencer. You''re the best!¡±


    ¡°...¡± Spencer fell into an even longer silence. Have I just identally fall into a trap set by Mr. Zachary?


    This proverbial pit that ensnared him was way too obvious.


    ¡°Thank you, Mr. Spencer!¡± Both Bruce and Ben echoed the gratitude and bowed their heads.


    The realization was toote to save Spencer from the deep pit he was now in. He felt suffocated and


    speechless. His face had turned proverbially purple as he stood rooted to the spot.


    At this moment, the medical staff walked out of the ward with the children in tow. One of the staff said


    to Zachary, ¡°Sir, Mr. Nacht is expecting your presence.¡±


    ¡°Aye.¡± Zachary nodded, knelt down, and said to the children, ¡°Go to the lounge for some snacks first


    and wait for Daddy, okay?¡±


    ¡°Aye, Daddy!¡±


    The children nodded obediently and followed the medical staff to the lounge.


    Zachary looked at Spencer meaningfully before turning and walking into the ward.


    Spencer knew what those eyes meant. Feeling awkwardly embarrassed, he had no choice but to bite


    the bullet and followed behind.


    ¡°Cheeky rascal. At least you''ve lived up to my expectations!¡± Old Henry grumbled good-naturedly, still


    immersed in the joy of having gained three great-grandchildren. He was still grinning from ear to ear...


    ¡°All these years, I kept wondering if my overly strict ways had caused you to be bull-headed and


    oblivious to rtionship matters. Hell, I''m impressed that you''re quite a capable man, after all, even


    giving me three adorable great-grandchildren. Heh!¡±


    ¡°As long as you''re d,¡± Zachary smirked.


    ¡°Of course I''m d. I''m beyond d. But now it''s time for us to follow up with our next moves.¡±


    Veering into this topic was exactly what Zachary had hoped for. Old Henry''s face turned into serious


    mode as he uttered, ¡°After all, these are the true flesh and blood of our Nacht family we''re talking about


    here. I can''t possibly let them live outside, let alone bearing other surnames. Have youmunicated


    with the mother of the children in any way? Change the names and surnames of the children perhaps?¡±


    ¡°Not really.¡±


    Having grown up overseas, Zachary had not given this issue any proper thought, nor paid much


    attention to the surnames. He had initially thought that the names Robinson Windt, Jamison Windt, and


    Elisa Windt sounded pretty fine.


    Therefore, he had not once raised up this issue with Charlotte at all.


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    ¡°We''ll discuss this today. Tomorrow we''ll change their surnames.¡± Old Henry was obviously strict on this


    kind of matter and was already feeling impatient. ¡°Also, what''s your n to house the children''s


    mother?¡±


    ¡°Now, now, about this issue...¡±


    ¡°I''ll suggest to you this: just stuff a huge sum of money into her ount so she can settle down


    comfortably in the future somewhere, preferably away from the children.¡±


    Without giving Zachary a chance to speak, old Henry hadid down thew. ¡°After all, she''s probably


    not from a prominent family. It''ll be impossible to marry her. But since she has borne us Nachts three


    lovely children, we can''t treat her bad...¡±


    ¡°Grandpa...¡± Zachary found an opportunity to interrupt old Henry. ¡°Our family already has tons of


    money. Therefore we have no need to rely on marriage to increase our wealth. I don''t see a problem


    with marrying a meremoner.¡±


    Hearing these words, old Henry was a little surprised. ¡°So you''re saying, you''re willing to marry the


    children''s mother?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Feeling determined, Zachary confidently revealed, ¡°In fact, I''ve already brought her home.


    We''ve been waiting for you to wake up before starting our preparation for our wedding.¡±

 Chapter 568

    Chapter 568


    Henry frowned as rage surged within him. ¡°This is nonsense! What is in your mind? We have issued an


    official announcement on your marriage with Sharon. The date for the engagement ceremony is also


    finalized!¡± he bellowed at Zachary.


    Zachary shrugged his shoulders and replied casually, ¡°Nothing to worry. Just call it off. After all, it''s


    never my idea to hold the engagement ceremony.¡±


    Henry almost burst a blood vessel. Heshed out at Zachary, ¡°Have you gone nuts? Aren''t you aware


    of the current extreme circumstance? Lindberg Corporation has prated into the local market, and


    you''re now on bad terms with your aunt. If both Synder Group and Brown Groupjoin forces with


    Lindberg Corporation, the status of Nacht group would be


    greatly shaken, don''t you understand?¡±


    ¡°Brown Group has already joined forces with Lindberg Corporation,¡± Zachary replied cidly.


    ¡°What? Are you sure? Is it confirmed?¡± Henry was stupefied.


    Zachary nodded and said slowly, ¡°It''s confirmed. Hector has a grudge against me all this while. Since


    he''s marrying Helena Brown soon, it''s a sure thing that the Browns will join forces with Lindberg


    Corporation and conquer Southcastle Shore.


    Henry''s frown deepened into a scowl. ¡°In that case, you mustn''t call off your wedding with Sharon. If


    not...¡±


    Before Henry could finish his words, Zachary cut him off, ¡°I''ve already called it off.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Zachary...¡± Spencer gasped and was not in time to stop Zachary. Initially, he was thinking of


    reminding Zachary not to tell Henry about that first. As Henry had just regained consciousness, he was


    worried that the breaking news would be a great blow to him.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Henry''s eyes widened in disbelief.


    ¡°I''ve already called it off this morning.¡± Zachary added with a sense of cidity in his tone, ¡°As for the


    detail, I''m not nning to borate on that, in case you can''t take it...¡±


    ¡°You''re really an unfilial child! How could you do that without my consent?¡± Henry was exasperated and


    screamed at him.


    On the instant, he grabbed the cup in front of him and smashed it onto Zachary.


    Zachary moved aside swiftly and ducked the cup. Crack! In a split second, the cup shattered into


    pieces on the floor.


    The subordinates outside the ward were taken aback by the loud noise.


    Bruce and Ben gave each other a nce; they both had a grim look on their faces.


    ¡°Just a while ago, you were stillplimenting me for being capable, yet you you''re yelling at me now,¡±


    Zachary mumbled in displeasure.


    ¡°You! You are a bloody fool!¡±


    Feeling suffocated by the growing rage, Henry started panting and clutched his chest. Blood drained


    from his face.


    Spencer rubbed his chest at once and tried to appease him. ¡°Mr. Nacht, cool down. Don''t be angry. You


    can''t get so agitated as you''ve just regained consciousness.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, please take the oxygen!¡±


    The medical staff attended to Henry immediately.


    After a while, Henry''s breathing stabilized. However, his forehead was still creased into a frown.


    To prevent Zachary from blurting out any inappropriate words and infuriated Henry again, Spencer


    reminded him warily, ¡°Mr. Zachary, how about you bring young masters and little princess home first?


    I''ll update you on Mr. Nacht''s condition every day. You can pay him a visit again when his condition is


    more stableter.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Zachary nodded and turned to look at Henry. ¡°Grandpa, I''ll make a move first. You''ve a good


    rest. I''lle and visit you again.¡±


    ¡°Where are you going! I want you to face the wall and reflect on what you have done!¡± Henry roared at


    him again.


    N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    Zachary heaved a silent sigh and turned to face the wall obediently. At that very moment, he looked


    exactly like a problematic student who was being punished.


    He knew well about Henry''s temperament. Henry would never let him step out of the ward without a


    proper exnation.


    The ward was in pin-drop silence for quite a while before Henry broke the silence. He red at Zachary


    and snapped at him, ¡°Turn and face me now!¡±


    Zachary did as he was told and turned to face him.


    ¡°You better be frank with me. What''s your intention? You have started all sorts of intensive training


    since the year you turned six. Ever since then, you never let your guard down all these years. I''ve


    always reminded you to look before you leap, haven''t I? How can you be so inconsiderate and


    impetuous out of a sudden? Tell me, what''s actually ying in your mind now.¡±


    ¡°I can never marry a woman whom I don''t love. Moreover, this woman is maniptive, good at ying


    mind games and ruthless. If I marry such a troublemaker, my energy would surely be drained from


    trying to get matters resolved with her every day. Do you think I can still focus on my career


    advancement with all the disruptions? Grandpa, don''t you think that I''ve made a wise decision?¡±


    Zachary tried to convince Henry by reasoning out with him. He was confident that Henry would ept


    the facts and give in to him.

 Chapter 569

    Chapter 569


    ¡°I have never asked you to spend the rest of your life with Sharon...¡± Apart from frustration, there was


    weariness in Henry''s tone. ¡°Just marry her first and hang on temporarily. After Nacht Group has


    survived this crucial moment and once the operation stabilizes, you have the freedom to divorce her at


    any time. I won''t stop you from doing that by then.¡±


    ¡°To me, marriage is supposed to be once in a lifetime affair, and it can''t be exploited as a stepping


    stone just for the sake of my career advancement. I would never give in to my marriage. It''s merely an


    act of cheating and is really unfair to my future spouse as well. Grandpa, I really hope you understand.¡±


    Zachary responded sternly as his face darkened.


    ¡°My parents became the victims because of your so-called arrangement. Haven''t you learned a lesson


    from their misfortune?¡±


    ¡°You...¡± Henry was instantly infuriated, yet he could not refute him.


    Spencer chimed in and said tactfully, ¡°Mr. Nacht, we are unable to decide on everything for the younger


    generation. They have their own rights to make their own choice in whom they marry. Just let Mr.


    Zachary decide for himself.¡±


    ¡°You silly old bugger, what do you know? You''d better shut up!¡± Henry unleashed his anger onto


    Spencer.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, allow me to point out something. Ms. ckwood has been insidious and scheming all this


    while, yet she looked and acted as if she was innocent.


    ¡°If she is really married to Mr. Zachary, do you think she will treat your three beloved great


    grandchildren nicely? ¡°If she tortures them secretly again without you and Mr. Zachary''s knowledge, the


    consequence can be worrying indeed...¡±


    Even though Spencer had not really finished his words, he had managed to trigger Henry''s thoughts.


    As expected, Henry''s expression changed as his mind sank into deep thought.


    My three precious great-grandchildren are definitely a lot more important than Synder Group!


    N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    Henry finally gave in after pondering for quite a while. ¡°Alright, since you''ve already called off the


    wedding, there''s nothing more I can say.¡±


    ¡°Grandpa, thanks for being understanding...¡± Zachary heaved a sigh of relief.


    ¡°The mother of the three kids seems to be quite a nice woman, although shees from normal family


    background. I can see that the children are brought up well, it proves that she is a woman of virtue. At


    least, she''s still a lot better than Charlotte Windt,¡± said Henry analytically.


    Upon hearing Henry''s words, Spencer stiffened.


    ¡°Actually, Charlotte is...¡±


    ¡°Mr. Zachary!¡± Spencer immediately cut him off and winked at him. ¡°The three kids are still waiting


    outside for you. How about you go back with them first? When Mr. Nacht''s condition...¡±


    ¡°You silly old bugger, what are you doing?¡± Henry red at Spencer and pushed him. ¡°Why do you


    keep interrupting when I''m talking to my grandson?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, I''m just concerned with your health condition. I''m afraid you can''t take another blow. What if


    your blood pressure shoots up again...¡± Spencer said nervously.


    ¡°You''re ridiculous! What kind of blow will there be now? It can''t be that the problem is regarding the


    kids'' mother this round...¡±


    Henry stopped abruptly as if he had just realized something...


    ¡°Wait a minute, the three kids have the same family name as Charlotte, could it be...¡±


    Henry raised his head instantly and stared at Zachary in bewilderment.


    ¡°Grandpa, you got it right!¡± Zachary smiled and nodded.


    Spencer covered his forehead helplessly and did not dare to look at Mr. Nacht. Poor Mr. Nacht! Mr.


    Zachary is really a devil in disguise! How many blows has he given Mr. Nacht today?


    Henry was at a loss for words.


    He was dumbfounded and it took him a long time before he came to his senses again.


    He recalled that whenever he used to visit the kids previously, he had never met their mother. Even


    when he bumped into them at the main entrance of the residential estate, there was no sign of their


    mother as well.


    Spencer had reminded him numerous times that there was something amiss, yet he did not think


    further as he really liked the three kids...


    Henry asked again for confirmation, ¡°Do you mean to say that the three kids'' mother is Charlotte


    Windt?¡±


    He enunciated her names, fearful of making any mistakes again.


    ¡°That''s right. She''s the one.¡± Zachary nodded again. ¡°She was actually pregnant with my child four


    years ago, yet I only get to know about it recently...¡±


    Henry was overwhelmed again and his hands started shaking.


    The next moment, he slumped onto the bed; his blood pressure shot up in an instant.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, cool down, cool down... Doctor! Doctor!¡± Spencer stuttered and dashed out of the ward to


    look for a doctor.

 Chapter 570

    Chapter 570


    Zachary was shocked at the sight of Henry''s rising blood pressure as well. He too darted out of the


    ward at once to look for doctor.


    The doctor reached the ward within seconds and requested Zachary to wait outside as he attended to


    Henry immediately.


    ¡°But I haven''t finished my words...¡± Zachary tried to protest.


    ¡°What more do you want to say now? Do you want your Grandpa to have a heart attack?¡± Spencer


    stomped apprehensively.


    ¡°Just leave first, you troublemaker!¡±


    Spencer urged Zachary to leave as he pushed him out of the ward.


    The moment Ellie spotted Zachary''s figure, she ran excitedly toward him, holding an ice cream in her


    hands. ¡°Daddy, my ice cream is really yummy! Do you want to have a try?¡±


    She was stunned and froze in her steps when she saw how Spencer pushed him out of the ward.


    ¡°Daddy, what happened to Great-grandpa?¡±


    Robbie who happened to see Zachary being pushed out of the ward was also puzzled.


    ¡°Great-grandpa is pissed off with me because I don''t allow him to eat ice cream,¡± Zachary replied


    jokingly and took over the ice cream from her. ¡°Thanks, Ellie. You''re so sweet!¡± he nted a kiss on her


    chubby face lovingly.


    ¡°Why don''t you let him eat ice cream? He''s really pitiful,¡± Ellie tilted her head and asked innocently.


    ¡°He can''t eat ice-cream because he''s not feeling well. Let''s go home now.¡± Zachary stroked her head


    gently and lifted her up in his arms.


    ¡°Hurray! I can''t wait to go home!¡± Ellie''s eyes lit up and apuded jubntly.


    ¡°Why is Great-grandpa behaving like a child? It''s really funny. He''s angry just because Daddy didn''t


    allow him to eat ice-cream?¡± Jamiemented quizzically.


    He was savoring every mouthful of his ice-cream as he walked slowly.


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    ¡°Old folks tend to behave like kids. I bet Great-grandpa likes our snacks too. So, next time we must


    count him in whenever Daddy buys us snacks.¡± Robbie analyzed andmented seriously.


    ¡°Alright. We''ll share with him next round...¡± Both Jamie and Ellie nodded in acknowledgement.


    Spencer was finally relieved after Zachary left with the three kids. He returned to the ward in a hurry


    again.


    He was thankful that the doctor attended to Henry at once and his blood pressure was back to normal


    again.


    Looks like Mr. Zachary deliberately blurts out everything to Mr. Nacht in one go so he has no chance to


    reject but to give in...


    Spencer could not help but let out a deep sigh as he really pitied Henry. If Mr. Zachary were my


    grandson, I would surely have a heart attack!


    After quite a while, doctors who attended to Henry were relieved that his condition was under control


    again. However, they insisted on putting Henry under observation closely for another day before he


    could be transferred to the normal ward.


    A few of them were on standby in the room next to Henry''s ward in case there was any emergencies


    again.


    Spencer helped to wipe off Henry''s sweat from his forehead and pacified him tactfully, ¡°Mr. Nacht, don''t


    be angry again. If not, your blood pressure will shoot up again. Your health condition is the top priority


    now. Don''t worry so much for Mr. Zachary...¡±


    ¡°You silly old bugger. You knew about that long ago, didn''t you? How dare you keep mum about it all


    this while!¡± Henry red at him.


    Intimidated by Henry''s fiery eyes, Spencer lowered his head and exined softly, ¡°I only knew about it


    when you''re still unconscious. Even if I told you that time, you couldn''t hear it as well...¡±


    ¡°What had exactly happened? Tell me everything.¡± Henry urged Spencer desperately.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, You missed the three kids a lot when you were first hospitalized previously. That was why I


    brought them here to pay you a visit. Weter found out that their mother was abducted on that day,


    and the kids asked for my help to save her. When I assigned our people to have an investigation, I


    discovered that Mr. Zachary had already taken action earlier.


    ¡°He told me that it''s risky for the kids to go home, and asked me to bring them back to your vi for a


    temporary stay. I just followed as instructed by him. ¡°Even though the kids were well taken care of in


    your vi, they missed their mother a lot and cried every day.


    ¡°Later, Robbie requested to see Mr. Zachary. I wondered why, yet still arranged to let him meet Mr.


    Zachary. Unexpectedly, both of them had a long conversation in the study for more than half an hour.


    Apparently, Mr. Zachary really liked Robbie. He even sent him off by himself when it''s time for us to


    leave.


    ¡°I thought Robbie must have caught Mr Zachary''s eye because he''s smart and considerate. On the way


    home, Robbie started to have stomachache, and there were rashes all over his body.


    ¡°Without hesitation, I rushed him to the hospital. At the same time, something suddenly crossed my


    mind. I called Mr. Zachary to ask him if he had given Robbie any drinks earlier, and Mr. Zachary replied


    that Robbie had a ss of kiwi juice...¡±


    ¡°Spencer paused a while and continued, ¡°Something apparently came into Mr. Zachary''s mind at once


    as well, yet he was hiding it from me. Later, he secretly instructed Raina to do a DNA test for him and


    Robbie...¡±

 Chapter 571

    Chapter 571


    After pouring out everything to Henry, Spencer sighed, ¡°The three kids are brought up well by Ms.


    Windt, and Mr. Zachary really likes her a lot. Since she''s being secretive of her kids'' background, I''m


    pretty sure that she never has the intention to let the secret unveiled and take advantage of the Nachts.


    She''s undoubtedly not the type of materialistic and maniptive woman.¡±


    ¡°Why are you suddenly speaking up for her?¡± Henry stared at Spencer with great displeasure.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, I''m not speaking up for her. I justment based on the facts.¡± Spencer smiled again and


    continued, ¡°Since young, Mr. Zachary is indifferent toward everyone and seem to be not keen on


    anything. Have you ever seen him treating anyone with such persistence and gentleness?¡±


    ¡°You''re right in a way,¡± Henry agreed and nodded.


    ¡°The three kids are really adorable and they are really close to their mother. If we ce them under the


    Nacht''s custody without epting their mother, they will surely loathe you for doing that.¡±


    Upon hearing Henry''s words, Henry was silent again...


    Spencer did not say anything again, giving Henry time to think.


    When Zachary sent the three kids home, Mrs. Berry had prepared a sumptuous dinner.


    Charlotte was seated on the sofa in her cozy casual wear. Flipping through the magazine aimlessly,


    she seemed to be lost in her thought.


    Upon hearing the sound of the car engine, Mrs. Rawlston and the others went out at once. Mrs. Berry


    nudged Charlotte''s arm and said softly, ¡°Miss, they are back.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Charlotte put her magazine down and walked out together with her.


    Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    ¡°Mrs. Berry, Mommy...¡±


    Once the three kids got out of the car, all of them lunged toward Charlotte.


    Squatting down, Charlotte opened her arms to wee them.


    The moment they were in her arms with their with their adorable faces pressed against her neck, her


    mouth lifted into a cheerful smile.


    Kids really had superb healing powers. Any frustration or unhappiness could be squeezed out of her


    mind in an instant whenever they were around.


    ¡°Be careful not to knock Mommy down,¡± Zachary reminded them gently.


    ¡°Mommy, I miss you so much. Do you miss me?¡± Ellie rubbed her delicate cheek against Charlotte''s


    face and asked coquettishly.


    ¡°Of course, I miss my Ellie so much!¡± Charlotte kissed her cheek lovingly.


    ¡°Mommy, me too!¡± Both Jamie and Robbie leaned closer to her.


    Charlotte nted a kiss each on one side of their cheeks as well.


    ¡°Me too!.¡± Fifi also leaned closer with its furry head.


    Charlotte gave it a kiss as well and stoop up to enter the house with the kids. Zachary was about to


    approach her, yet she did not give him a nce at all.


    Zachary was stunned and froze in his steps. Why is she reacting like this? Is she angry with me?


    ¡°Dinner is ready. We''ve prepared all your favorite dishes such as corned beef, grilled pork ribs, chicken


    nuggets, fish fillet, sd, mushroom soup...¡±


    Mrs. Berry introduced the dishes one by one as she waved at the kids, signaling them to be seated at


    the dining table.


    Then, she turned toward Zachary and said, ¡°Mr. Zachary, we didn''t forget about your favorite French


    cuisine. Miss has also prepared wine for you!¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Zachary thanked Mrs. Berry courteously.


    Later, he nced at Charlotte, thinking of having a chat with her. However, she did not spare him any


    nce at all and was engaged in a conversation with the kids.


    Zachary was baffled and could not help wondering. Is she doing this on purpose?


    ¡°Daddy, can we start eating now?¡± Ellie looked at him eagerly.


    Zachary recollected himself and nodded. ¡°Sure. Let''s eat!¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Berry, Daddy and Mommy, let''s eat!¡±


    The three kids greeted the three of them politely before they started eating.


    Charlotte had her meals silently with her head lowered all the time, and only raised her head


    asionally to check on the kids.


    Zachary cut a small portion of fish fillet and put in in her te. She just thanked him softly without


    having any eye contact with him.


    At that instant, Zachary confirmed that she was ignoring him intentionally.


    But why? Have I done anything wrong and infuriated her?


    I really don''t understand why she''s treating me so coldly...


    After dinner, the three kids requested their parents to apany them to go for a walk in the garden.


    Charlotte had initially agreed with them, yet there was throbbing pain on her arm again when she was


    about to put on her cardigan. Trying to hide it from her kids, she headed toward the washroom


    hurriedly...

 Chapter 572

    Chapter 572


    ¡°What happened to Mommy?¡± Jamie looked at Charlotte in puzzlement.


    ¡°I guess Mommy must be having an upset stomach and needs to poo. I''m always like that, too.¡± Ellie


    commented.


    ¡°Daddy, did you quarrel with Mommy?¡± Robbie asked abruptly with his brows furrowed. ¡°Mommy


    seems to be unhappy.¡±


    Zachary exined patiently to the kids, ¡°No, we didn''t quarrel. Maybe she''s not feeling well. Let me


    check on her. You guys go ahead and have fun.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± The kids nodded obediently.


    Zachary let Mrs. Rawlston and the three nurses apanied the kids to the garden. Then, he darted


    toward the washroom and yelled as he knocked lightly on the door, ¡°Charlotte! Are you all right?¡±


    ¡°Anything?¡± Charlotte gritted the word out with great difficulty. She broke into a cold sweat and slumped


    on the floor, enduring the excruciating pain. She was too feeble to say anything else; there was a sense


    of weariness in her voice.


    ¡°Are you all right?¡± Zachary asked again, sensing something strange in her voice.


    ¡°I''m just having an upset stomach...¡± Charlotte forced herself to sound as natural as possible. ¡°Don''t


    worry about me. You go ahead and apany the kids first.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    As Zachary did not have any experience staying under the same roof with women, he did not know


    how to read a woman''s mind.


    He really thought that Charlotte was just having a normal upset stomach and needed to answer


    nature''s call. It was quite embarrassing for both of them if he continued to stand outside the washroom


    and ask further. Hence, he decided to give her some space and just walked away.


    At the moment, Charlotte was writhing in pain on the floor.


    As time went by, the unbearable pain on her right arm spread gradually to her right shoulder. Even the


    right side of her head was in pain now...


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    Meanwhile, Mrs. Berry started to wonder why it took Charlotte so long to join them in the garden. She


    instinctively stepped into the house to look for her. ¡°Where is Miss?¡± she asked the maids when there


    was still no sign of Charlotte.


    ¡°She''s in the washroom,¡± she replied.


    ¡°She''s in there for such a long time?¡± Mrs. Berry started to sense something amiss and ran hastily


    toward the washroom. She knocked on the door while yelling, ¡°Miss, are you inside? Miss...¡±


    There was no response. Mrs. Berry twisted the door handle anxiously, yet it was locked from the other


    side.


    Instantly, her face turned pale. She was about to knock herself on the door with full force.


    At the same time, the door was suddenly opened.


    Mrs. Berry almost lost her bnce and bumped into the wall.


    She managed to bnce herself and turned to look at Charlotte. To her astonishment, Charlotte was


    lying on the floor. Her face was as pale as a sheet, and she was drenched in sweat.


    ¡°Miss!¡± Mrs. Berry panicked and quickly helped her to sit up.


    ¡°Shh... don''t let anyone hear you...¡± Charlotte signaled and whispered at her weakly.


    ¡°Miss, w-what happened to you?¡± Mrs. Berry started to quiver. ¡°Let me call... Dr. Langhan now...¡± she


    said incoherently.


    ¡°Don''t call her!¡± Charlotte gripped her hand and stopped her. ¡°Just help me back to your room first. I''ll


    be fine after having a rest there.¡±


    Mrs. Berry helped her up at once.


    Charlotte was too weak to stand, so she leaned on Mrs. Berry.


    Mrs. Berry helped her out from the washroom and headed slowly toward her bedroom. Fortunately, all


    the other maids were upied so none of them discovered anything.


    Mrs. Berry''s heaved a sigh of relief when they reached her bedroom. She let Charlotte lie down on her


    bed and closed the door hastily. After that, she poured some warm water for her.


    After taking a sip of the warm water, Charlotte was still in pain and did not have any strength to move.


    Mrs. Berry brushed her hair aside and wiped the sweat off her forehead. Looking at Charlotte''s piteous


    condition, her heart ached as she asked anxiously, ¡°What''s the matter with you? You''re not feeling


    well? Why don''t you see a doctor?¡±


    ¡°I was poisoned. It''s useless to see doctor. Dr. Langhan had carried out a full body checkup for me, yet


    nothing could be traced...¡± she smiled bitterly at Mrs. Berry.


    ¡°What? You have been poisoned? Don''t scare me! What type of poison is that?¡± Mrs. Berry was


    astonished.


    ¡°I''ve no idea...¡± Charlotte held her hand and replied weakly, ¡°Mrs. Berry, looks like I need to leave for a


    while. I''ll try to see if I cane across any TCM doctor who is able to treat me.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Let me tell Mr. Zachary...¡±


    ¡°No! Don''t tell him about this!¡± Charlotte grabbed hold of her arm anxiously before she could finish her


    sentence.

 Chapter 573

    Chapter 573


    ¡°Why? If you tell him, he''ll make arrangements to get you the best treatment. Besides, you''re his family.


    You should be honest with him instead of keeping it to yourself,¡± Mrs. Berry advised.


    ¡°Those doctors who are reputable and well-known are not necessarily good. Dad once told me about a


    reliable doctor who has exceptional medical skills. The doctor has moved away, but we can look for


    him. Perhaps he can help me out,¡± said Charlotte as she panted heavily.


    Mrs. Berry nodded vigorously. ¡°Yes. I remember. It''s Dr. Felch. I''ll go and find out his whereabouts


    now.¡±


    ¡°No. We''ll be exposed as soon as you make a move.¡± Charlotte was out of breath and had difficulty


    speaking. ¡°Let Mr. Judd handle this. He''ll notify us once he locates Dr. Felch. However, I''m thinking to


    move out temporarily in case Zachary finds out about my condition.¡±


    ¡°Why are you keeping this from Mr. Zachary?¡± Mrs. Berry was puzzled.


    ¡°I''m in bad shape and I don''t know if I can work this out.¡± Charlotte cast a bitter smile. ¡°What if I can''t...


    So if I leave quietly, the devastation of parting with each other can be lessened.¡±


    ¡°My whole world crumbled when Dad died. If it weren''t for the kids, I wouldn''t have made it through. I


    don''t want them to go through the heart-wrenching pain as I did.¡±


    ¡°They finally have a happy home and a safe harbor. Zachary will take good care of the kids and they


    can grow up safely and happily. I just want them to stay happy forever.¡±


    Hearing that, Mrs. Berry let out a deep sigh.


    ¡°Besides, I know Zachary is in a tight spot right now. He didn''t bring me along to meet Mr. Nacht


    because he didn''t want to provoke his grandpa. If Mr. Nacht finds out I''m the children''s mother, he''ll


    never ept me.¡±


    ¡°So I''d better go away for a while and leave each other some space. Zachary can take his time to


    handle his family affairs while I receive treatment elsewhere. If I get better after that and he manages to


    persuade Mr. Nacht by then, that will be a happy ending for all.¡±


    After saying that, Charlotte was exhausted. ¡°Mrs. Berry, I didn''t mean to worry you in the first ce, but


    now I need your help to cover me,¡± she said with her weak voice.


    Tears welled up in Mrs. Berry''s eyes. She wiped her tears as she said, ¡°Silly girl, I''ll always be there for


    you no matter what happens.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Mrs. Berry. I''ll take a quick nap...¡± Charlotte''s eyelids grew heavier, gradually feeling


    sleepy.


    ¡°Okay. Go ahead and sleep. I''ll be here to watch over you.¡±


    Mrs. Berry gingerly ced a nket on her and caressed her forehead. She then wiped Charlotte''s


    body with a hot towel.


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    Looking at Charlotte''s pale face, her heart was torn into halves.


    ¡°Where''s Mommy?¡± The triplets were drenched in sweat and they looked for Charlotte as soon as they


    came home.


    ¡°Your mommy should be in Mrs. Berry''s room. Do you want to see her?¡± a maid asked.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Ellie was excited.


    ¡°No.¡± Robbie stopped her and said thoughtfully, ¡°Mommy is talking with Mrs. Berry. We shouldn''t disturb


    them. Let''s attend the ss first.¡±


    ¡°Yeah! Let''s go to the ss!¡± The triplets enjoyed attending ss with Zachary.


    ¡°You wait for me upstairs.¡± Zachary wanted to take a look at Charlotte.


    ¡°Alright, Daddy!¡±


    The three of them went upstairs excitedly.


    The nurses quickly followed them and took care of them so that they didn''t fall down the stairs.


    Zachary headed to Mrs. Berry''s room and gently knocked on the door.


    ¡°Who is it?¡± Mrs. Berry asked.


    ¡°It''s me. Is Charlotte with you?¡± Zachary asked politely.


    ¡°Um... Yes...¡± Mrs. Berry was a little panicked. She hurriedly walked over and opened the door in a


    small gap. ¡°She had an upset stomach just now. She is resting after taking some medicine,¡± Mrs. Berry


    spoke softly.

 Chapter 574

    Chapter 574


    ¡°What happened? I''ll ask Raina toe over now.¡± Zachary immediately took out his phone to make a


    call.


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    ¡°No, it''s alright. It''s no big deal. She has taken the medicine. Just let her rest for a while and she''ll be


    fine.¡± Mrs. Berry turned around and took a nce at Charlotte. ¡°She has just fallen asleep. I''ll escort


    her upstairs after she wakes up. Don''t worry about her. Go get busy.¡±


    ¡°Alright then.¡±


    Zachary turned around and walked away, but he was still worried about Charlotte. Therefore, he called


    Raina and asked her toe over before he headed upstairs.


    Charlotte finally woke up after sleeping for over an hour. She seemed like her usual self as if nothing


    had happened.


    Mrs. Berry was worried sick about her condition. ¡°Miss, what kind of poison is it? It seems weird.¡±


    ¡°I have no idea.¡± Charlotte touched her face and it was a bit chilly. Moreover, her clothes were soaked


    in sweat and she found it unbearable. ¡°I have to go now. I need to take a shower before their ss


    ends. Otherwise, Zachary will notice something is wrong,¡± she said.


    ¡°Dr. Langhan is here. She''s waiting outside. Mr. Zachary came over when you were asleep. I told him


    you had an upset stomach so you were taking some rest in my room. I already told him not to worry,


    yet he still asked Dr. Langhan to check on you. Perhaps he''s worried about you.¡±


    ¡°Alright. I''ll handle this.¡± Charlotte walked out of the room.


    Upon seeing her, Raina immediately picked up her medical kit and walked towards Charlotte. ¡°Are you


    alright, Ms. Windt?¡± asked Raina.


    ¡°I''m fine. Why did Zachary summon you? I told him it''s not a big deal.¡± Charlotte shook her head as she


    replied.


    ¡°That''s good to know.¡± Raina heaved a sigh of relief. She scrutinized Charlotte''s expression and the


    latter looked fine indeed. Raina took out a pack of medicine from the kit and handed it to Charlotte.


    ¡°You can take this if you have a stomachache again.¡±


    Charlotte smiled at her. ¡°Thank you, Raina. I''m sorry that you have toe all the way here.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine. Usually, I just stay in the clinic at night, but I happened to have something to deal with tonight.


    Your ce is just on my way, so it''s no trouble for me. Feel free to contact me if you don''t feel well,¡±


    said Raina.


    ¡°Alright. Thank you.¡±


    After Raina left, Charlotte went upstairs. As she passed by the study room, the kids wereughing out


    loud. Her lips unwittingly curled upward upon hearing theirughter.


    She headed to her room and went straight to the bathroom.


    Her hair was drenched in sweat. She turned on the shower and washed herself. Suddenly, blood


    dripped down from her nose.


    Charlotte was scared stiff. She quickly pinched her nose, but it wouldn''t stop bleeding no matter how


    she tried.


    She hurriedly turned off the shower and walked to the mirror to check on her nose. However, there


    were no signs of injury on her nose.


    But blood just kept flowing out of her nose non-stop.


    Charlotte began to panic. Does it have something to do with the poison?


    Right then, footsteps could be heard outside the bathroom. Zachary was back and he was walking right


    towards her.


    Charlotte immediately locked the door.


    As soon as the door was locked, the doorknob was twitched from the other side.


    Zachary paused his action as he realized the door was locked from the inside. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    he questioned.


    Since the two of them started being together, they never had a habit of locking the door.


    If one of them was in the bathroom, the other one could just go in anytime. They always kept the door


    unlocked.


    Zachary was displeased by Charlotte''s sudden change in behavior.


    ¡°I''m taking a shower.¡± Charlotte held her head up in a panic, trying to stop the nosebleed.


    ¡°Then why did you lock the door?¡± Zachary bellowed.


    ¡°I locked it because I wanted to.¡± Charlotte simply made an excuse. ¡°Go away. Come back after I''m


    done.¡±


    Zachary''s face turned ashen with anger, but he walked away anyway.


    After a long while, the nosebleed finally stopped. She washed away the blood and cleaned herself up


    thoroughly, then she walked out of the bathroom in a bathrobe.

 Chapter 575

    Chapter 575


    ¡°Charlotte Windt, what are you trying to do?¡± Zachary questioned her harshly.


    Charlotte had been giving him the cold shoulder after he came home. First, she refused to join him and


    y with the kids in the garden. Then, she avoided him when he tried to talk to her. And now, she


    locked the door while taking a shower.


    Charlotte felt rather guilty. Instead of answering him, she kept silent and proceeded to dry her hair at


    the dressing table.


    Zachary was pissed by her response. He strode towards her and turned off the hairdryer. Zachary


    turned her around and looked her in the eyes. ¡°Are you doing this just because I didn''t bring you along


    to visit Grandpa?¡± he asked.


    ¡°What did I do?¡± Charlotte spoke with a distant tone. ¡°Whether or not to bring me along, it''s your choice.


    I''m in no position to make the decision for you.¡±


    Right. I can take this opportunity to pick a bone with him, then I can move out for a few days.


    ¡°I didn''t bring you along because...¡±


    Charlotte interrupted him before he could exin himself. ¡°Whatever. It didn''t really matter to me. Your


    grandpa doesn''t like me anyway. It''d be better if we don''t see each other.¡±


    Zachary was infuriated by her attitude. He couldn''t help but raise his volume. ¡°What''s with this attitude?


    I''m trying tomunicate with you. Why are you getting all worked up?¡±


    ¡°I''m just speaking the truth.¡± Charlotte raised her head and looked at him. ¡°I talked to you about


    vengeance for my dad this morning. You ignored me, didn''t you?¡± she said in an icy tone.


    ¡°Why are you bringing that up now? We''re talking about what happened in the evening.¡±


    The crease between Zachary''s eyebrows deepened. It''s said that women hold grudges. I guess that''s


    true.


    ¡°What? I can bring that up anytime I want.¡± Charlotte started throwing tantrums at him. ¡°Your problem


    matters so is mine. Or are you saying my problem doesn''t matter at all?¡±


    Zachary was speechless. It was almost impossible to have a proper talk with a woman when she was


    throwing tantrums. She was merely being unreasonable.


    ¡°I''m done talking to you!¡±


    Zachary''s face turned grim. He turned around and headed to the bathroom.


    ¡°You''re such a bossy and controlling man! You''re always like that. You only care about your family and


    you never care about mine.¡± Charlotte found fault with everything he did.


    ¡°What''s wrong with you?¡±


    Zachary could barely contain himself.


    If he were still his old self, he would''ve blown his fuse. However, ever since he had the triplets, he had


    tempered his aggressiveness and learnt not to lose his temper easily.


    He was especially gentle to Charlotte.


    But Charlotte had been testing his limit and he couldn''t hold it in for much longer.


    ¡°Why are you still defending your aunt after all the crazy stuff she did?¡± Charlotte questioned him in


    anger.


    ¡°I never defend that woman.¡± Zachary''s tone turned cold.


    ¡°If you didn''t defend her, why didn''t you take her to the police and bring her to justice? She killed my


    father! She''s a murderer!¡± Charlotte questioned him relentlessly and refused to let that go.


    ¡°Can you think before you speak?¡± Zachary pulled her over and poked her forehead. ¡°Everything in


    business works in the grey areas. We can report her to the police, but what''s the point? With her


    connection, she can easily clear her name.¡±


    Charlotte nodded and started getting emotional. ¡°Alright then! If thew can''t punish her for the crime


    she hasmitted, you can make her life a living hell with your connection. You''re the father of my


    children and you''re going to be my husband. You should avenge your children''s mother and their


    grandfather then!¡±


    Unexpectedly, her words didn''t frustrate Zachary. Instead, he listened to her and pondered over her


    words, then he rationally exined the situation to her.


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°First of all, she had destroyed your father''spany indeed, but she didn''t kill him with her own


    hands. Your father took his own life. I can''t take revenge against her on an invalid usation.


    ¡°Secondly, she''s my own blood. She''s Grandpa''s biological daughter. Even if we fight against each


    other for our own benefit, we will never kill our own blood.


    ¡°Nheless, you''re right. Now that I''m your future husband and the father of the children, I should


    seek justice for the Windt family.¡±


    He paused for a few seconds, then he said, ¡°Give me some time. I''ll think about what I can do for you.¡±

 Chapter 576

    Chapter 576


    After dropping his words, he turned around and walked to the bathroom.


    Charlotte was stunned by his response. She gazed at Zachary till he slowly disappeared from sight.


    Did I mishear him?


    Was the man Zachary Nacht whom I know?


    He was trying tomunicate with me. He patiently exined the situation to me and he even


    reflected on himself.


    He even said he will seek justice for my family because he''s my future husband and the father of the


    children. He really took that to heart.


    Charlotte couldn''t believe her ears.


    What''s wrong with him?


    Why is he so nice to me?


    Don''t be nice to me, Zachary. I won''t be able to bring myself to leave you if you do that.


    Charlotte couldn''t help but feel a prickling in her nose as tears welled up in her eyes. She looked into


    the mirror. She looked normal now but she was uncertain about what the poison could do to her.


    I''m like a time bomb. I have to stay away from Zachary.


    Charlotte sounded firm and harsh when she said those words to Zachary. But deep down, she knew


    how difficult it could be for Zachary to go up against his own blood. She was well aware of the


    consequences.


    What if she couldn''t find a cure... If Zachary and the children witnessed her death with their own eyes,


    they would be devastated beyond belief. If that happened, Zachary would definitely avenge her.


    When that happened, it would just end up hurting everybody.


    Not only would Zachary be put in a difficult spot, but the children would also be dragged into the mess.


    After all these years, the children could finally live in peace and happiness. Charlotte didn''t want them


    to go through any suffering anymore.


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    Thinking of this, she drew in a long breath and wiped her tears off, then she continued to dry her hair.


    I must be firm with my decision and talk to Zachary about moving out after hees out of the


    bathroom. I have to leave, no matter what.


    I have to go to Dr. Felch first. Hopefully, he can cure me.


    Then, I''ll see what to do next.


    Just when Charlotte was immersed in her thoughts, Zachary stepped out of the bathroom with only a


    white towel wrapped around his waist. With his sexy, muscr upper body naked, he walked towards


    her while wiping his hair dry.


    ¡°Zachary, I...¡±


    Zachary cut her off and demanded, ¡°Call me Hubby!¡±


    Charlotte got choked up by his words. She mustered up her courage and cleared her throat. ¡°I have


    something to tell you.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Zachary poured himself a ss of wine.


    Charlotte bit her lips and softly said, ¡°I think... we''ve been getting on each other''s nerves recently and


    no one is enjoying that. Besides, Grandpa has regained consciousness. If he knows I''m staying here


    with you, I''m afraid he''ll be angry with you. We shouldn''t provoke him any further. So I''m thinking


    perhaps I should...¡±


    ¡°He knew.¡± Zachary simply replied before she could finish her sentence.


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Charlotte was dumbfounded. ¡°What does he know?¡± she asked.


    Zachary took a sip from his ss and answered casually, ¡°He met the kids today and he was so happy


    that he shed tears.¡±


    ¡°Then... does he know about the mother of the children?¡± Charlotte''s heart was in her mouth as she


    asked.


    Zachary nodded. ¡°Yes. I told him about you.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Charlotte quickly walked towards him. ¡°He must be so mad. You shouldn''t have told him that


    soon. He''s still recovering. Was he able to handle the news?¡±


    ¡°No. His blood pressure shot up upon hearing that.¡± Zachary swirled the wine ss as he answered.


    ¡°What! Oh my gosh! I''m doomed!¡± Charlotte couldn''t help but hold her head with one hand.


    ¡°Don''t worry about that. I know Grandpa very well. He has experienced ups and downs in his life. He


    won''t copse because of this small matter. He was just a little emotional. He''ll be fine soon.¡±


    ¡°Then... did he strongly oppose our rtionship? Will he hate the kids too?¡± Charlotte was worried as


    she knew Henry disliked her.


    ¡°No. He likes the kids.¡± Zachary pulled her closer and held her in his arms. ¡°Don''t worry. I''m here. You


    are the one and only woman whom I want to spend my life with.¡±

 Chapter 577

    Chapter 577


    Charlotte was very moved but still worried. ¡°Your marriage to Sharon has already been announced, and


    your engagement reception is ready too...¡±


    ¡°It has been cancelled,¡± Zachary interrupted her.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Charlotte was extremely surprised. ¡°When did it happen?¡±


    ¡°This morning.¡±


    Zachary spoke about it so casually as if it was something not worth mentioning at all.


    ¡°Really?¡± Charlotte could not believe her ears. ¡°How did you do it? Is she willing to ept it? Knowing


    her character, I''m afraid she will not ept it just like that.¡±


    ¡°ording to my character, she has to yield willingly or otherwise.¡± Zachary cast her a sidelong nce.


    ¡°Well, you are right.¡±


    Charlotte knew that if Zachary wanted something, he would get it anyway.


    ¡°Don''t talk nonsense...¡± Zachary gently kissed Charlotte''s forehead and cheek with his elegant lips


    which smelled faintly of alcohol. ¡°Don''t speak in riddles or engage me in a cold war in the future. Do


    you understand?¡±


    ¡°But, I was just...¡±


    ¡°Hush!¡± Zachary gently pressed his index finger against her lips, and bit her earlobe yfully, ¡°I want


    you.¡±


    ¡°Stop making trouble...ooh...¡±


    Before Charlotte could react, Zachary had locked her lips with his own and a passionate alcohol-tinged


    kiss swept over her like a sultry irresistible me.


    Charlotte pushed his shoulders with both hands, trying to resist his advances but the more she tried,


    the more strength he exerted and the more domineering he became. He hugged her waist and pulled


    her tightly into his embrace, almost crushing her body into his.


    Charlotte quickly responded to his passion. Her body went limp and she stopped resisting; instead, she


    reciprocated passionately with him.


    She could not refuse this man''s love physically and emotionally.


    She was moved by all the changes and amodation he was willing to make for her.


    Who knows if there would be many more challenges to face in the future?


    After tonight, we shall take one day at a time.


    Inside the room, love and passion was burning bright like a me and the temperature rose...


    N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    Zachary embraced Charlotte in bed, his body on top of hers, ravishing her without holding back.


    Charlotte''s body moved with the flexibility of a snake, winding herself around him, giving him full


    ess...


    Love was like the ss of wine on the table, strong and enticing.


    Time passed and in the middle of the night, Zachary stopped and fell asleep cuddling Charlotte.


    Charlotte turned her head and looked at him. His handsome silhouette loomed in the darkness while


    his soft snoring apanied his strong heartbeat which was full of life in this silent night.


    Charlotte stretched out her hand and gently stroked his forehead and her fingers traced his perfect


    features all the way down.


    Unable to control herself, she leaned over and kissed his lips.


    In her mind, she wished that she had never been injected with the poison.


    Then, together with Zachary, they would face all the rumours, usations and challenges, ovee


    each and every one of them and walk down the aisle together.


    With her three children, she would grow old with him.


    We will certainly live blissfully... but in life, there are uncertainties in life.


    Charlotte closed her eyes and tears slid from the corner of her eyes. It''s okay. Life may be hard but


    perhaps I''m just going through more ups and downs. I will find the old doctor, get cured, and thene


    back to my family for a reunion.


    I can do it!


    Gradually, Charlotte was drifting off to sleep, dreaming of a future that was full of hope.


    When she was about to fall asleep, she suddenly felt something warm flowing down from her nose. In a


    rush, she covered her nose, turned over, got out of bed and hurried to the bathroom...


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    Zachary woke up all of a sudden and his hand came into contact with some liquid on one side of the


    bed. He hurriedly turned on the light to check and his eyes fell on some blood.


    He was shocked and rushed over immediately, only to find that the bathroom door was locked. He


    yelled impatiently, ¡°Charlotte, open the door!¡±

 Chapter 578

    Chapter 578


    ¡°I''m fine...¡±


    Charlotte wanted to find an excuse but Zachary kicked the door in like an angry lion.


    ¡°Why are you so...¡±


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Let me take a look.¡± Zachary took Charlotte''s hand away and saw her nose bleeding. He was taken


    aback for a moment and then he was relieved, ¡°I thought something was wrong and it scared me to


    death. Maybe it was too much love-making. Your body is exhausted?¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡± Charlotte was stunned for a moment. Then, she beat his chest angrily. ¡°It''s your fault because


    you do it several times a day. You have done this to me...¡±


    She bit her lower lip, too embarrassed for words.


    ¡°Okay, okay, I''ll be more restrained in the future,¡± Zachary wiped her nose for her, ¡°You should have


    said your nose is bleeding. Why did you lock the door? I thought you have some terminal disease.¡±


    Charlotte trembled and said hurriedly, ¡°No, I was scared, too.¡±


    ¡°Silly woman, you have to tell me whenever there is something that is not right.¡± Zachary brushed her


    hair from her face. ¡°Come on, keep your head down so I can pat cold water on your neck and you''ll be


    fine.¡±


    Obediently, Charlotte did as she was told.


    Zachary patted cold water on the back of her neck. ¡°As a child, whenever I practiced martial arts


    vigorously, I often had nosebleeds. That''s how my grandpa dealt with it. It''s very effective...¡±


    Soon, the nosebleed stopped.


    Zachary raised his eyebrows proudly, ¡°Look, my method works, doesn''t it?¡±


    ¡°It works!¡±


    Charlotte looked into the mirror, cleaning the bloodstains from her body. In the mirror, she saw Zachary


    holding her hair with one hand and wiping water and blood from her neck with the other. She could not


    help but feel touched and she called out softly, ¡°Zachary!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Zachary looked at her reflection in the mirror.


    ¡°I love you!¡±


    This came from the bottom of her heart and the voice came out faltering and tremulous.


    She feared that if she did not tell him now, she might never get the chance to do it.


    Zachary was dumbfounded, and he just stared at her in shock.


    After some time, he responded emotionally, ¡°What did you say? Please repeat it.¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Charlotte pouted, ying hard to get. ¡°It''s okay if you did not hear it.¡±


    ¡°Say it again.¡± Zachary turned her around to face him. ¡°Come on. I want to hear it!¡±


    ¡°No, I won''t!¡± Charlotte raised her eyebrows and feigned arrogance. ¡°Some things can only be said


    once. Why didn''t you listen carefully?¡±


    ¡°Charlotte...¡± Zachary was anxious and he started shaking her shoulders, ¡°Say it!¡±


    ¡°No, I won''t!¡± Charlotte giggled, shaking her head.


    ¡°If you don''t say it, I''ll continue making love to you...¡±


    Zachary wickedly bit her shoulder, neck, and corbone, and started to caress her.


    ¡°You beast, my nose is bleeding yet you would not let me off.¡± Charlotte shrank her neck, trying to avoid


    him. ¡°Enough, that''s enough. Hehehe...¡±


    In the bathroom, they started horsing around, turning the sorrowful night into moments of sweetness


    and joy.


    Charlotte forgot her problems and while her delicate body was buried yfully in Zachary''s arms, her


    laughter rang out clearly like silver bells.


    This was a blissful moment for her!


    ¡°Okay, okay, I won''t tease you anymore.¡±


    Zachary was a little disappointed but he cared about Charlotte''s well-being so he carried her out of the


    bathroom like a princess...


    ¡°It seems that I really need to be more restrained in the future. Your body has a problem and your nose


    bled. By the way, it seems that you haven''t had your period for a long time.¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡±


    At this, Charlotte suddenly realized that it did seem like a long time ago when she had her period.


    Oops, I hope I''m not...


    No, no. That''s not likely to happen. Definitely not.


    ¡°Are you pregnant?¡± Zachary put Charlotte on the bed, pulled up her white silk pajamas and looked at


    her belly excitedly. ¡°Let''s have another set of triplets. Then, the house will be lively!¡±

 Chapter 579

    Chapter 579


    ¡°Stop it, do you think I am a pig?¡±


    Charlotte panicked. During this period of time she was with Zachary, there was almost no restraint in


    that aspect, and she did not have the presence of mind to adopt any method of birth control. Now that


    she thought about it, her period for this month should have been ten days ago.


    Could it be a real hit?


    Please, don''t.


    She had been injected with poison and was now in a very precarious position. If she got pregnant now,


    she would certainly lose the child.


    ¡°That''ll be wonderful! Robbie, Jamie and Ellie will definitely be very happy.¡± Zachary looked forward to


    it. ¡°If Grandpa knows, he will be extremely happy and won''t try to stop me from marrying you ever


    again!¡±


    ¡°Do you Nachts treat me as a baby-making machine?¡± Charlotte became angry all of a sudden.


    Irritated, she said, ¡°You just care about the fun and joy of ying with the babies. Do you know how


    dangerous it is to have a child, and how painful it is?¡±


    Zachary was speechless for a while. Then he frowned, saying, ¡°Why are you suddenly so angry for no


    reason?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean for no reason?¡± Charlotte choked. ¡°When I gave birth to Robbie, Jamie and Ellie, I


    lost so much blood that I nearly died. Did you even know that?¡±


    ¡°You don''t know anything. You got three healthy and lively children all at once. Do you know how we


    have survived all these years?¡±


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I was pregnant with the triplets and my belly was swelling like a balloon that was about to explode. I


    couldn''t eat or sleep well every day. I struggled when I walked. When the children were born, they


    weighed less than five pounds which were considered low birth weight and they almost died...¡±


    At this point, Charlotte burst into tears. ¡±Especially Ellie, she went into a state of shock several times


    and the doctor said that she could not survive. But fortunately, she was a tough cookie and she made


    it.¡±


    ¡°That is why Mrs. Berry and I are more protective of her because she has been in such poor health


    since birth and she is especially prone to get sick. She fell seriously ill when she was one year old and


    she almost lost her life...¡±


    ¡°I had to sell the sapphire ne that my daddy left for me just to get money to treat her...¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay, I understand now.¡± Zachary felt very guilty when he heard these words, and attempted to


    comfort her, ¡°I''m sorry I wasn''t there for you...¡±


    ¡°You are right. When I met them, they were all over three years old. They were healthy, lively, smart


    and cute but I forgot what you have to go through to raise them all these years.¡±


    ¡°I will be more careful in the future. If you don''t want children, I will take preventive measures...¡±


    Zachary was being rather cautious like a kid who had made mistakes.


    Seeing him this way, Charlotte felt bad for him. She stretched out her arms and embraced him. ¡°I''m


    sorry. Lately, my emotions have been unstable. I keep taking it out on you.¡±


    ¡°I can understand that.¡± Zachary stroked her hair. ¡°But it''s really scary. Please don''t get angry, okay? It''s


    not good for you. Just talk to me on whatever it might be, okay?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Charlotte nodded repeatedly. Suddenly, she recalled something. ¡°I want to go back to the


    vige for a few days.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Zachary frowned, ¡°Why would you want to go back to the vige all of a sudden.¡±


    ¡°It will be my father''s death anniversary In a few days'' time. I want to pay respect to him and stop by


    our old home...¡± Charlotte made an excuse. ¡°My father always worried about the important events in my


    life. Since you are going to marry me, I must go and tell him.¡±


    ¡°Alright then.¡± Zachary was convinced. ¡°I''ll go with you.¡±


    ¡°No, I''ll be fine going with Mrs. Berry,¡± Charlotte said. ¡°You stay here and take care of the kids. You can


    make use of this opportunity to bond with them. Furthermore, you can discuss things with Henry and


    iron out all the previous misunderstandings when I am away. I should be back when you''ve settled all


    the issues with him. I think he should be discharged from the hospital by then.¡±


    ¡°Grandpa will be discharged in a month at the earliest.¡± Zachary frowned deeply. ¡°You can''t go off for a


    month.¡±

 Chapter 580

    Chapter 580


    ¡°It won''t take that long...¡± Charlotte was well aware that he would not let her leave for a month, so she


    settled for less to appease him. ¡°It''ll take two weeks at most. We''ll see how it goes then.¡±


    ¡°Two weeks is too long.¡± Zachary had grown ustomed to having her by his side.


    ¡°We''ll cross the bridge when wee to it. I''ll try my best to return soon,¡± Charlotte coaxed. ¡°The


    children would be waiting for me at home. I can''t possibly stay away from them for so long.¡±


    Zachary conceded, convinced by her reasoning. Even if she could bear being separated from me, she


    would miss the children.


    ¡°I''ll have Ben take care of it. It''s time for bed now,¡± Zachary said as he tucked her in.


    Charlotte let out a satisfied hum and buried herself in Zachary''s embrace like an adorable kitten.


    Caressing her hair, Zachary nted a kiss on Charlotte''s forehead and drifted off with his arms around


    her.


    Charlotte barely got any rest for the first half of the night. So, when sleep eventually came for her, she


    knocked out cold, slipping into a slumber so deep that she did not notice when Zachary left.


    Charlotte woke up to an empty room. She stretchedzily before heading to the bathroom to wash up.


    She found nothing amiss when she stared at her reflection as if everything that happened the night


    before was no more than a dream.


    She gave herself a once-over. As expected, there was nothing unusual apart from the fact that her


    period waste.


    Anxiety brewed within Charlotte at this realization, but she quickly dismissed the intrusive thought.


    Maybe the poison is the cause of my dyed period...


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    A knock on the door snapped her back to reality. Mrs. Berry''s voice rang from the other side. ¡°Miss, are


    you awake?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Charlotte responded. ¡°Come in, Mrs. Berry.¡±


    Mrs. Berry had brought her breakfast. ¡°How are you feeling? Does it still hurt?¡± Mrs. Berry asked, her


    tone tinged with concern.


    ¡°I''m fine now.¡± Charlotte exited the bathroom, rubbing her hands with lotion as she walked out. ¡°The


    paines in pangs; it''ll go away on its own after a while. No marks are left after each episode, almost


    as if it never happened at all.¡±


    Mrs. Berry nced at the door and whispered, ¡°I think you should see Dr. Felch.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I''ll give Mr. Judd a call right now.¡±


    Charlotte shut the door and dialed Jeffrey''s number.


    Jeffrey was delighted to hear from her. He ecstatically reported that the two factories had assembled


    enough workforce to start work soon.


    Charlotte was d to receive the good news. She then requested Jeffrey to help her seek out Dr.


    Felch.


    Jeffrey grew concerned at the mention of Dr. Felch. ¡°What''s wrong? Are you sick?¡±


    ¡°No...¡± Charlotte was reluctant to disclose her illness. ¡°It''s Mrs. Berry. She''s been getting treatments at


    the hospital, but her condition isn''t improving, and it''s rather worrying. Dr. Felch came to mind all of a


    sudden, so I was hoping that he could help Mrs. Berry out.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see! Alright, I''ll be right on it,¡± Jeffrey assured.


    ¡°Try to be discreet about it; I don''t want too many people finding out. If it''s not too much trouble, I hope


    to hear from you as soon as possible,¡± Charlotte urged.


    ¡°Don''t worry, I know what to do.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    After ending the call, Mrs. Berry helped Charlotte to a chair. ¡°Have some breakfast. It''s already nine


    now. You shouldn''t leave your stomach empty for so long.¡±


    Charlotte had no appetite for food and only took a few sips of milk. ¡°I talked to Zacharyst night. I think


    it''s best if we leave earlier. That way, I can visit other doctors while I wait for Dr. Felch.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I''ll prepare your luggage right now.¡±


    While Mrs. Berry was packing up Charlotte''s belongings, she heard a knock on the main door. Mrs.


    Rawlston was at the door as she announced, ¡°Ms. Windt, your evening gowns have arrived.¡±


    ¡°Evening gowns?¡± Charlotte echoed, perplexed. I didn''t buy any evening gowns.


    Mrs. Berry opened the door to reveal Mrs. Rawlston standing at the entrance with two designers in tow.


    Behind them were several design assistants, each of them carrying trunks filled with clothes.


    The designer greeted Charlotte politely, ¡°Good morning, Ms. Windt. Mr. Nacht ced a custom order


    for these gowns and jewelry. Please check if it''s satisfactory.¡±


    A nce was all it took for Charlotte to recognize the head designer for Princess Consort. She had


    picked out some clothes at the boutique previously.

 Chapter 581

    Chapter 581


    ¡°Mr. Nacht has ordered three tailor-made gowns along with three sets of matching essories and


    shoes. These gowns are meant to be worn at the wedding.¡± The designer continued with a cordial


    smile, ¡°May I show you the pieces?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Charlotte replied with a mirroring smile. ¡°Mrs. Rawlston, please bring them to the dressing


    room. I''ll be there shortly.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Miss.¡± Mrs. Rawlston escorted the small group to Charlotte''s personal dressing room.


    The dressing room was previously a guestroom, but Zachary had it remodeled into arge dressing


    room for Charlotte. It had an alcove specially designed to keep her jewelry, and a tform was ced


    at the center of the room.


    ¡°I thought you were going back to your hometown. Why did he order these gowns?¡± Mrs. Berry voiced


    her confusion.


    ¡°I have no idea too.¡± Charlotte''s eyebrows knitted together as she wondered out loud, ¡°She mentioned


    that those are wedding-appropriate dresses, but I don''t have any uing weddings to attend.¡±


    As she mulled over it, her phone rang with an iing call from Zachary. ¡°Have the dresses arrived?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Charlotte answered. ¡°Why did you make a custom order for evening gowns out of the blue? And


    whose wedding are we attending?¡±


    ¡°Hector and Helena''s,¡± Zachary replied simply.


    Charlotte was stunned. ¡°Since when did I agree to attend their wedding?¡±


    ¡°Can''t you keep mepany?¡± Zachary cajoled, his voice gentle.


    ¡°You''re nning to show up?¡± Charlotte was even more dumbfounded. ¡°The high-and-mighty,


    narcissistic Zachary Nacht is going to attend his nemesis'' wedding?¡±


    ¡°They''re not worthy of being my nemesis,¡± Zacharymented nonchntly. ¡°But you are on the right


    track. My actual nemesis will be at the wedding, which is why I have to go.¡±


    His reply piqued Charlotte''s curiosity. ¡°You actually have a nemesis? Who is it?¡±


    ¡°I''ll tell you when I get backter.¡± Charlotte could hear the chatter of shareholders in the background.


    ¡°Attend tomorrow''s wedding with me before going back to your hometown,¡± Zachary implored.


    Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Charlotte had no choice but to agree. ¡°Get back to work. We can talk about this when you get


    back.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    After hanging up, Charlotte turned to tell Mrs. Berry, ¡°There''s no need to pack my things for now. I have


    a wedding to attend tomorrow before leaving.¡±


    ¡°Who''s getting married?¡± Mrs. Berry asked curiously.


    ¡°Hector and Helena,¡± Charlotte said with a frown. ¡°Seems like their wedding date has moved forward.


    They must be getting impatient.¡±


    Mrs. Berry heaved a sigh. ¡°Mr. Sterling used to be a good person. How did he end up like this?¡±


    ¡°Change is inevitable in life.¡± Charlotte smiled ruefully. ¡°I''ll try on the clothes now. You can take a rest.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    When Charlotte entered the dressing room, the designers had hung the clothes and were waiting for


    her.


    Charlotte tried on the three gowns, all of which were gorgeous. In the end, she chose a white mermaid-


    tail dress that ttered her figure. A pearl ne and matching earringspleted the look. Though


    simple, the gown entuated Charlotte''s inherent elegance and purity.


    The designers and their assistants showered her with praises. Mrs. Rawlston, together with a few


    maids, were all in awe of her ravishing beauty.


    Charlotte smiled gently as she thanked the designers and prepared to change into her everyday


    clothes.


    At this moment, a designer pulled out aptop and asked her to pick out a wedding dress. A broad grin


    split her face as she informed Charlotte, ¡°Mr. Nacht made a specific request for your wedding gown to


    be designed by our boss himself.¡±


    ¡°He will fly back from Irushea next week to discuss the wedding gown design with you. Please pick out


    a few gowns to your liking so our boss can gauge your preferences. We''ll also need to take your


    children''s measurements as our boss will also personally design their formal attire.¡±


    The influx of information left Charlotte stupefied. Zachary ordered a custom-made wedding dress? He''s


    also nning to have the kids'' clothes tailor-made. Is he starting to n for our wedding?


    ¡°I heard Mr. Zachary instruct someone to contact a renowned jeweler from Ustrana this morning. He''s


    nning to have your wedding jewelry and diamond ring custom-made as well!¡± Mrs. Rawlston


    disclosed with barely suppressed excitement. ¡°We''ll be having a wedding soon!¡±


    ¡°That''s great!¡± The maids pped enthusiastically.


    The corners of Charlotte''s lips twitched, but she failed to force a full smile.

 Chapter 582

    Chapter 582


    The designers waited for the children to reach home and took their measurements.


    N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    The triplets were intrigued.


    Ellie stood on the tform with her stubby arms outstretched so the designer could wrap the measuring


    tape around her. Genuinely baffled, she questioned, ¡°Miss, why are you making me new clothes? We


    have a lot of new clothes already.¡±


    The designer chuckled and responded, ¡°Your daddy and mommy are getting married! You''re one of the


    main characters and also the flower girl. That''s why you need new clothes!¡±


    ¡°Daddy and mommy are getting married? Really?¡± Robbie was thrilled. A bright smile bloomed on his


    handsome face. ¡°When are they getting married? Why don''t I know about this?¡±


    ¡°It should happen soon. We''re here today to help your mommy design a wedding dress.¡±


    ¡°That''s amazing!¡± Jamie almost leaped in excitement.


    ¡°Robbie, Jamie, what does that mean?¡±


    Ellie stared at her brothers with her head cocked to a side, her face earnest. She was still young and


    had not grasped the concept of marriage.


    ¡°Getting married means that daddy and mummy will be legal partners. They''ll be together forever


    and never be separated,¡± Robbie replied solemnly.


    ¡°That''s great!¡± Ellie pped her chubby hands with glee. ¡°Then we will all be together forever! Nothing


    will separate us!¡±


    ¡°That''s right.¡± Robbie nodded in approval.


    ¡°Yay! I''m so happy!¡±


    The children''s cheers filled the room, making the atmosphere light and joyful. Their happiness was so


    contagious that the designers and maids felt happy for them.


    Charlotte glimpsed the children''s bright expressions when she walked past the room. A myriad of


    conflicting emotions churned within her. I should feel happy as well, but¡ª


    ¡°What''s all this excitement about?¡± A familiar voice interrupted her thoughts.


    Charlotte whipped around to see Zachary walking down the spiral staircase. He unbuttoned his suit


    jacket as he approached her.


    ¡°Why are you back so early today?¡± Charlotte was surprised to see him. ¡°It''s not five yet.¡±


    ¡°I came back to fetch you guys.¡± Zachary nced at his watched and instructed, ¡°Go change your


    clothes. I''m bringing everyone out for dinner.¡±


    ¡°Now?¡± Charlotte asked, taken aback.


    ¡°Yes. Will half an hour be enough for you to get dressed?¡± Zachary stroked her hair lovingly.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Charlotte stood on her tiptoes to peck his lips before rushing back to their room to prepare.


    Zachary watched her adorable figure dart into the room. An amused smile yed on his lips.


    ¡°Daddy''s back!¡±


    ¡°Daddy!¡±


    The children swarmed towards their father when they noticed him standing by the door.


    Zachary bent down and spread his arms out wide, engulfing all three kids in a hug. He kissed their


    foreheads and asked, ¡°How was it? Have you had your measurements taken?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± The triplets answered in unison.


    ¡°Daddy, are you and mommy really getting married?¡±


    Robbie desperately needed confirmation. Flecks of light shone in his clear eyes as he stared up at his


    father.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Zachary smiled and nodded.


    ¡°That''s great! Yay!¡± His reply sent the children into another round of celebration.


    ¡°I want to be the flower girl! I want to wear a pretty dress...¡± Ellie''s arm shot up as she dered eagerly,


    ¡°I want to stand in the middle!¡±


    ¡°I''m the second child, so I should be in the middle!¡± Jamie argued, fretting about the loss of his center


    spot. ¡°Ellie, you''re the youngest; you should be thest.¡±


    ¡°I don''t want to!¡± Ellie stamped her foot in indignation. Her small face was flushed scarlet. ¡°I''m a girl, so


    I have to stand in between you two! I''ll only look pretty this way.¡±


    ¡°Ellie¡ª¡±


    ¡°Jamie,¡± Robbie hurriedly interjected and spread his arms out to keep his siblings apart. ¡°We''ll walk


    side-by-side! No one will be in front or at the back, and Ellie can be in the middle!¡±


    ¡°Walk side-by-side?¡± Jamie repeated. He contemted for a moment before nodding in agreement.


    ¡°Alright. You can be in the middle, Ellie,¡± he offered generously.


    ¡°Thank you, Jamie.¡± Ellie beamed at her brother, her chubby face filled with unbridled joy. ¡°Then I want


    to hold the ring!¡±


    ¡°No, I should be the ring bearer!¡± Ellie''s enthusiasm for the wedding sparked yet another argument with


    Jamie. ¡°I already gave up the center for you. How could you¡ª¡±


    ¡°I want to hold the ring!¡± Ellie started to be frantic. Tears brimmed in her doe-like eyes.


    ¡°Ellie, you''ll look prettier holding a flower bouquet,¡± Robbie, ever the mediator of the three, quickly


    cated his sister. ¡°The flowers are for mommy. You''ll look beautiful holding them!¡±

 Chapter 583

    Chapter 583


    ¡°That''s right! You''ll look great holding a bouquet because you''re a girl. Just like an angel,¡± Jamie


    chimed in.


    ¡°Alright, then I''ll hold the bouquet.¡± Persuaded by her brothers, Ellie eventually caved in. ¡°Then who''s


    going to carry the ring?¡±


    ¡°Of course it''ll be me!¡± Jamie raised his hand.


    ¡°There will be two ring boxes. We can carry one each. I''ll carry mommy''s while you hold daddy''s.¡±


    Robbie split the tasks up evenly.


    ¡°Alright! We''ll go with that!¡±


    Zachary found his children''s discussion endearing, and his lips curved upwards involuntarily. ¡°Look at


    you, all worried about the wedding. Alright now, go back to your rooms to change. We''ll be heading out


    soon.¡±


    ¡°Heading out? Daddy, where are we going?¡± The children piped up instantaneously.


    ¡°I''m taking you all out to dinner.¡± Zachary pinched their faces adoringly. ¡°Mommy is already getting


    ready. You should go do the same.¡±


    ¡°Yay! Awesome!¡± The children eximed in delight.


    Zachary beckoned the medical staff to bring the triplets back to their rooms.


    Charlotte was joyfully selecting her outfit when her head started throbbing in pain. Worrying that


    someone might find out about her condition, she held her forehead and rushed to the bathroom.


    This time, the pain was apanied by a nosebleed. Charlotte was thrown into a frenzy.


    She quickly locked the bathroom door and hovered over the sink, spots of red speckling the white


    porcin. She patted some cool water on the back of her neck, hoping that it would stop the


    nosebleed.


    Blood dripped from her nose ceaselessly. A wave of agony washed over her, and she copsed to the


    floor as she sumbed to the pain.


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    When Zachary went back to their room to change, Charlotte was nowhere to be seen.


    The sound of running water prated the closed bathroom door. Zachary paid it no heed at first and


    busied himself with changing his clothes. However, he realized after a while that there was no


    movement behind the door.


    Finding the situation peculiar, Zachary rapped the door with his knuckles. ¡°Charlotte, are you ready?¡±


    There was no response.


    Zachary twisted the doorknob but realized with dismay that it had been locked. A sense of foreboding


    came over him. He was ready to kick the door down when he heard a voiceing from the bathroom.


    ¡°My stomach hurts. I need some time.¡±


    ¡°Why did you lock the door?¡± Displeasure seeped through his voice.


    ¡°I''m using the toilet. You can use the other bathroom.¡± Charlotte soundedpletely normal.


    ¡°Take your time; there''s no rush.¡±


    With that, Zachary turned to leave. He had a niggling suspicion that something was wrong with


    Charlotte, but he could not put a finger to it.


    Unease settled in his stomach, but he did not want his cynicism toe between their rtionship.


    Charlotte slowly got up from the floor, groping the wall to support her weight. She made sure that she


    appeared presentable before leaving the bathroom.


    Zachary was sifting through some documents on the sofa when he heard a rustle behind him. He


    turned to look at Charlotte and blurted, ¡°Why do you look so worn out?¡±


    ¡°Probably because I didn''t sleep wellst night.¡±


    Charlotte self-consciously touched her face and headed to the wardrobe to change her clothes.


    ¡°What''s wrong with you recently? Are you feeling unwell?¡± Zachary spoke to her back, his eyebrows


    furrowed with worry.


    ¡°The injury hasn''t healedpletely, so the wound still hurts from time to time,¡± Charlotte bluffed.


    ¡°Besides, you haven''t gone easy on me. I barely get any rest at night, which would exin why my


    body has been acting uptely.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Zachary reflected on his actions. Maybe I''ve gone overboard. We do the deed practically every


    night. Sometimes I even wake her up after she has fallen asleep...


    She always cries that it''s too much to bear, but I ignored her pleas. It seems like I have to control


    myself in the future.


    ¡°I''m ready. Let''s go.¡±


    Charlotte had put on afortable periwinkle dress and let her long hair tumble down her back in


    effortless waves. She wore no makeup but was stunning nheless.


    ¡°You''re absolutely gorgeous.¡± Zachary wrapped his arms around her and kissed her long hair. ¡°I''ll treat


    you with more care in the future, and as a soon-to-be bride, you should pay more attention to your


    health, alright?¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± Charlotte mumbled her assent and buried herself in his embrace. Touched by his thoughtful


    gesture, warmth spread through her heart.

 Chapter 584

    Chapter 584


    In the evening, the entire family went out merrily. Fifi spent the journey unting her singing abilities in


    the car.


    Lately, Ellie had been conducting music lessons for Zachary in the evening while Fifi listened in nearby.


    Ironically, Fifi ended up learning every single song while Zachary didn''t even learn one.


    Ellie was listening to Fifi sing. She turned to Zachary and said, ¡°Daddy, listen. Fifi''s already learned the


    song I taught youst night.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± Zachary nodded. ¡°Since Fifi enjoys your lessons so much, why don''t you teach her then?¡± he


    suggested.


    ¡°No. Fifi can only listen in. Daddy''s the official student.¡± Ellie wasn''t so easily fooled. She pouted,


    sternly saying, ¡°Daddy, don''t you think about skipping lessons!¡±


    ¡°...¡± Zachary looked to Charlotte for help.


    Charlotte let out a chuckle. Not only did she note to his aid, but she also turned to Ellie and said,


    ¡°Ellie''s such a good teacher!¡±


    ¡°Ingrate!¡± Zachary pinched Charlotte''s cheek and said.


    ¡°Thank you, Mommy!¡± Ellie smiled brilliantly, pouting her lips to kiss Charlotte.


    ¡°Mommy, I studied hard with Daddy too! My legs are healing as well,¡± Jamie chimed in, lifting his legs to


    show Charlotte, ¡°I no longer need anyone''s help. I can climb the stairs on my own now!¡±


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Awesome, Jamie!¡±


    Seeing as Jamie''s legs were recovering, Charlotte felt that she no longer had to worry about the


    children even if she had to leave.


    ¡°Mommy, are you feeling better?¡± Robbie was always especially sensible. Instead of wanting credit, he


    showed concern for his mother''s condition instead.


    ¡°I''m much better,¡± Charlotte answered, caressing his little cheeks. ¡°What about you? How are your


    lessons with Daddy?¡±


    ¡°I''ve gained a lot of knowledge. Daddy said he''ll let me attend elementary school next semester,¡±


    Robbie said proudly. ¡°I''ve already surpassed the kindergarten''s curriculum.¡±


    ¡°Elementary school? You''re only four years old next semester.¡± Charlotte was astonished. She turned


    to look at Zachary and asked, ¡°Is that really all right?¡±


    ¡°Let me handle the children''s education,¡± Zachary answered in confidence. ¡°I''ve already made


    preparations for all three of them.¡±


    ¡°Please don''t set too high expectations for them. They deserve to enjoy their childhood too!¡± Charlotte


    said worriedly.


    ¡°Education varies from person to person. I''m well aware of what''s suitable for each of them. Don''t


    worry.¡± Zachary nced at his wristwatch. ¡°We''re reaching soon. What are we supposed to do?¡±


    ¡°Put on shoes and a jacket!¡± The children immediately put on their shoes orderly, having practiced it


    plenty of times before.


    Charlotte was taken aback, watching with amazement. Previously, when she took the kids out with Mrs.


    Berry, it was always a chaotic scene. However, they had learned to put on their shoes in such a well-


    behaved manner with one single reminder from Zachary.


    She would expect that of Robbie, for he had always been an independent and sensible child. But Jamie


    and Ellie had been spoiled since birth. The fact that they''d learned to be independent in such a short


    amount of time was mind-blowing to her.


    ¡°Put on your jacket properly. It''s cold outside.¡± Zachary draped a jacket over Charlotte''s shoulders and


    carried her off the car.


    The children had put on their own shoes and exited the car themselves while the bodyguards and


    medical staff watched on the outside, fearing they''d miss a step and fall.


    Jamie raised his brows and sighed. ¡°Daddy only cares about Mommy. He doesn''t care about us.¡±


    Imitating the lines on TV, Ellie pouted and said, ¡°Daddy and Mommy are lovey-dovey. We''re merely


    idents.¡±


    ¡°I wish they would be this lovey-dovey forever.¡± Robbie watched their back views with a small smile.


    Due to the blowing sea breeze, the restaurant manager had been waiting in the cold at the entrance for


    some time.


    Zachary carried Charlotte and entered the seaside restaurant. The atmosphere was warm and


    romantic as the mellifluous melody of the piano apanied the sound of waves.


    However, a particr yacht parked near the shore caught Zachary''s attention. He made a hand


    gesture. With no words exchanged, a bodyguard immediately went to investigate it.

 Chapter 585

    Chapter 585


    ¡°What is it? Did you see someone you know?¡± Having been with Zachary for a while, Charlotte


    understood him down to the T. She knew every meaning behind each of his nces or hand gestures.


    ¡°I guess.¡± He carried her all the way to her seat.


    The medical staff helped the children to their seats. Even Fifi had her own dedicated spot.


    The restaurant manager brought a waiter along with deference and great enthusiasm.


    Zachary was in the midst of cing his order when Ben hurried over and whispered in his ear. The


    former frowned, merely responding with another hand gesture.


    Without further ado, Ben arranged for a dozen elite bodyguards to guard the surroundings with


    heightened vignce. The other six remained in the restaurant with them.


    Charlotte felt utterly uneasy at the situation.


    Although Zachary was a big shot in hispany, he would keep a low profile when spending time with


    family. But the arrangement then was evidently over-the-top.


    ¡°Daddy, what happened?¡± Even Robbie had noticed.


    ¡°It''s nothing,¡± Zachary said softly, patting Robbie''s head. ¡°There''s a children''s y area in that corner.


    Take your brother and sister there to y. We''ll call you when the appetizer''s here.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Robbie nodded. He turned to his siblings and said, ¡°Jamie, Ellie, let''s go y over there.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    The children slid down from their chairs and ran to the y area with their stubby legs.


    Three medical staff and four bodyguards automatically followed after them in caution.


    ¡°What''s going on?¡± Charlotte questioned uneasily.


    ¡°It''s my aunt''s yacht.¡± Zachary furrowed his brows.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Charlotte nched in an instant. Those three days spent in captivity were the most terrifying


    experience she''d ever gone through. Just a brief recollection would make her hair stand.


    Moreover, that woman had given her an injection. The poison remained in her body like a ticking time


    bomb, ready to be activated at any moment. As if that wasn''t enough, that woman still had to linger


    around her like a ghost.


    ¡°Don''t be afraid. I''m here.¡± Zachary held Charlotte''s hand in his tightly.


    ¡°Let''s go back.¡± Charlotte had lost her appetite. ¡°I don''t feel like eating anymore.¡±


    ¡°Don''t be nervous. I''m here. What are you afraid of?¡± he consoled, holding onto her shoulders. ¡°The


    kids have yet to have their meal. They''ll be disappointed if we were to return so abruptly.¡±


    Hearing that, she finally agreed. She whirled her head around and looked out the clear window,


    catching sight of the yacht parking near the shore. A bright red S was carved on it, which was Zara''s


    emblem.


    The Nacht family had their own unique symbol. Zachary used a golden S, while Zara''s S was in a


    shade of red that resembled blood.


    At the thought of the poison in her body, Charlotte hated the woman to the bones.


    ¡°Don''t think too much.¡± Zachary stroked her cheek. ¡°Nobody can harm you or the kids with me around.¡±


    ¡°Mm,¡± Charlotte hummed in response, nodding distractedly.


    It was then that the waiter arrived with their food. The children immediately returned to the table after


    washing their hands, but Zachary stopped them before they could dig in.


    Ben tested each dish with a piece of professional equipment he brought. The children were only


    allowed to eat after he made sure everything was fine.


    They had been in high spirits earlier. But after witnessing that, they naturally got a little fearful.


    Jamie surveyed his surroundings and asked cautiously, ¡°What''s wrong, Daddy? Is someone trying to


    poison us?¡±


    ¡°We were just checking for worms.¡± He caressed Jamie''s head. ¡°Come now. Let''s dig in!¡±


    Despite that, the children were still afraid to move. They waited for Zachary to take the first bite before


    they reached for the cutleries.


    As the children were young, they hardly dwelled on it and began to devour the scrumptious food.


    But Charlotte still had no appetite. If the matter with that woman remained unresolved, I would never be


    able to live in peace with Zachary.From N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 586

    Chapter 586


    After dinner, the children expressed their wish to take a stroll on the beach.


    Zachary had initially nned for it in their itinerary, but as Zara''s yacht was parked by the sea, he was


    concerned that the insane woman might scare Charlotte and the children. Hence, he decided to call it a


    day and took them home.


    The children were slightly disappointed at first. However, they swiftly cheered up when Zachary offered


    to y a game with them in the car.


    It was already nine o''clock at night when they arrived home. Zachary went to help settle down the


    children while Charlotte returned to the bedroom and sat on the sofa in a daze.


    A whileter, Zachary returned to grab a change of clothes. ¡°I''m going out for a while,¡± he informed her.


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°It''s sote. Where are you going?¡± She was rather surprised. Ever since he''d reunited with the


    children, he hardly ever went out on his own in the night.


    ¡°I''m going to see Grandpa.¡± He walked toward her and pressed a kiss on her forehead. ¡°Rest well and


    stop worrying so much.¡±


    He left in a hurry thereafter.


    Charlotte got up listlessly and headed to the bathroom, only to realize he had forgotten his jacket. She


    hurriedly brought it out, intending to hand it to him, when she identally overheard his phone call at


    the door.


    ¡°I don''t care whether it''s intentional or not. Don''t ever appear within my sight and scare my woman and


    kids.


    ¡°No matter what tricks you pull, the Nachts'' inheritance would nevernd in your hands.


    ¡°That''s right. Grandpa has woken up. Whether he sees you or not is his decision.¡±


    As soon as he hung up, he hurried down the stairs while instructing Bruce and Ben, ¡°Bruce wille


    with me. Ben, stay home to guard Madam and the kids.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Witnessing that, Charlotte had an inexplicable feeling. Zachary wanted to protect the children and I


    wholeheartedly, while all I think about is leaving.


    She knew she shouldn''t let him down. Instead, she needed to gear herself up, look for Dr. Felch to


    remove the poison in her body, and return to marry him. All she wanted was to raise their children


    together and live happily ever after.


    While she was lost in her thoughts, Jeffrey Judd called. ¡°Miss, we''ve found Dr. Felch.¡±


    ¡°Really? That''s great!¡± Charlotte was overjoyed. ¡°Where is he?¡±


    ¡°In Phoenix City, about 800km away from H City. I''ve informed him about Mrs. Berry. He said that he


    was indebted to the chairman. Mrs. Berry was the Windts old butler and has taken good care of you.


    Hence, he''ll do his best to treat her.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Send me his address and contact details. I''ll look for him in two days,¡± Charlotte said, feeling


    slightly emotional.


    ¡°Sure.¡± Jeffrey sent the information immediately. ¡°What will happen to the kids while you and Mrs. Berry


    are being treated? Why don''t I apany Mrs. Berry instead?¡±


    ¡°No need. Don''t worry. I''ll arrange everything. Let me go inform Mrs. Berry of the good news.¡±


    ¡°All right. Call me if there''s anything.¡±


    ¡°Mm, thank you.¡±


    Hanging up the call, Charlotte hurried downstairs to look for Mrs. Berry to tell her the good news.


    Mrs. Berry was ecstatic and said anxiously, ¡°Then let''s go tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°I have to apany Zachary to a wedding at noon. We''ll go in the evening.¡± Charlotte could hardly


    wait either. ¡°I''ll let him knowter. Prepare your luggage tomorrow morning. We''ll depart as soon as I''m


    home.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Mrs. Berry nodded. ¡°Do we have to take a ne to Phoenix City? Have you seen the


    address?¡±


    ¡°I have. The ce is rather remote and is a good distance away from the airport. It''s much more


    convenient to take the train. Pass me your identity card. I''ll book the tickets right away.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    They quickly nned their itinerary and booked the train tickets. All that was left to do was to wait for


    the next day.


    At the thought of seeing Dr. Felch and receiving treatment, Charlotte''s heart was full of hope. She


    couldn''t wait to be relieved of the poison and return to marry Zachary.

 Chapter 587

    Chapter 587


    Zachary only returned in the middle of the night when Charlotte was fast asleep. He took a shower and


    climbed onto the bed carefully, cuddling her in a spooning position.


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°You''re back?¡± Charlotte said groggily, sensing his familiar breath. She twisted her head around only to


    be met with his scorching kiss.


    Zachary constantly wanted more and would love to absorb her into his body if he could.


    She had long gotten used to his passion. Her body was as soft as a stream of spring water as she


    gently went along with his lead, melting in his embrace.


    Soon after, his kisses began to get even more intense. His hands wandered around her body as his


    breath began to get heavier. Panting, he flipped her onto her back and rolled above her, ready to get


    his fill of her, but managed to stop himself at the most crucial moment.


    ¡°Wait.¡± He panted heavily. ¡°We are supposed to restrain ourselves.¡±


    ¡°Can you bear with it?¡± Charlotte asked, cupping her hands around his face.


    ¡°I have to even if I can''t.¡± He sighed helplessly. ¡°Look, you''re bleeding from the nose again.¡±


    He attempted to roll off of her, but she immediately wrapped her arms around him. ¡°But I want to!¡± She


    wanted to make love with him before leaving.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Zachary was bbergasted. She rarely ever made the first move, much less requesting for it.


    ¡°What did you say?¡±


    ¡°I said...¡± She brushed her red, shapely lips against his cheek, whispering into his ear seductively, ¡°I


    want you.¡±


    Her voice was sultry, sounding like a fatal temptation.


    ¡°You said it yourself...¡± He caved immediately, sping both her hands above her head as he kissed


    her like he was aiming to conquer.


    Their burning passion quickly filled the room. The two of them, deeply in love, were intertwined with


    each other like two tightly entwined vines¡ªforever inseparable.


    That night, Charlotte was the most passionate she''d ever been. Zachary was insatiable, unable to hold


    himself back even if he wanted to.


    It was a long timeter when they calmed down and cuddled each other. Zachary gently raked through


    her long hair with his fingers, coaxing her to sleep.


    Wrapped in his embrace, Charlotte said, ¡°Mrs. Berry and I are returning to the countryside after the


    wedding tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Why so sudden?¡± Zachary frowned, feeling uneasy. ¡°Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡± She snuggled into his embrace. ¡°I want to return to have everything settled so I cane back


    earlier to marry you.¡±


    Hearing that, Zachary''s worries dissipated. He held up her face, nting a kiss on her forehead. ¡°We''ll


    live a blissful life.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± She hugged him tightly. ¡°Mrs. Berry and I will go to the train station on our own tomorrow. Send


    someone to take us to Happy Avenue will do. I''d like to retrieve something from there.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± He patted her back lightly. ¡°Sleep.¡±


    She kissed him good night before snuggling into him, falling into a deep sleep.


    At that moment, Charlotte''s heart was full of hope. She felt that Dr. Felch could eliminate the poison in


    her body, and she would be able to return to marry Zachary.


    Because of that, she managed to have a good, restful sleep for once.


    On the contrary, Zachary had a nightmare. He dreamed that Charlotte was in an ident, her bloody


    body lying lifelessly on the forest grounds. Jolting awake, he instinctively checked the sound asleep


    woman in his arms. He couldn''t help but feel uneasy.


    I don''t usually have dreams nor feel this way. What''s wrong with me recently?


    As if she could feel it, the sleeping Charlotte circled an arm around his waist tofort him, pressing


    her face against his chest.


    But Zachary could no longer fall back asleep. He held her in the same position, silently staring at her


    until the sun rose.


    When Charlotte roused from a good night''s sleep, she immediately felt a pair of eyes staring at her.


    ¡°You''re awake?¡± She fluttered her eyes open sleepily.


    ¡°Mm.¡± Zachary lifted her face. ¡°Let me apany you back to the countryside.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± She froze for a second. ¡°You have a lot of work in thepany. Besides, Mr. Nacht has only


    just woken up. The kids will be at home too. How are you supposed to leave?¡±

 Chapter 588

    Chapter 588


    ¡°Then I''ll send some people along with you. I don''t feel it''s safe for you and Mrs. Berry to travel alone.¡±


    Zachary''s sounded very determined.


    N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    ¡°What''s there to worry about?¡± Charlotte hurriedly added, ¡°Nobody would know if Mrs. Berry and I leave


    without making a big hoo-ha. On the contrary, it will attract a lot of attention if you send people with us.¡±


    ¡°Why are you so disobedient¡ª¡±


    ¡°All right, all right. It''s time for me to get up. I promised to make the kids breakfast.¡± Charlotte got up


    and headed toward the bathroom resolutely. ¡°You''ve promised me. Don''t go back on your words and


    change the n.¡±


    ¡°...¡± Zachary knitted his brows. If it were in the past, he would have disregarded her protest and made


    the final decision domineeringly. However, being with Charlotte and the children had softened his


    temper. He was no longer overbearing with them. Instead, he treated them with respect, courtesy, and


    concern.


    Therefore, he could only execute his ns in secret.


    After breakfast, Charlotte informed the children that she was returning to the countryside with Mrs.


    Berry to handle some matters. She told them it would take some time for her to return and reminded


    them to obey their father.


    Hearing that, Robbie asked anxiously, ¡°How long will you be gone for, Mommy?¡±


    ¡°Probably two weeks, but maybe earlier. It depends on when I''m done with the matters,¡± Charlotte said


    gently, patting his head.


    ¡°Mommy, you have toe back early. I''ll miss you,¡± Ellie said adorably, tilting her head.


    ¡°Don''t worry. I''ll be back as soon as I''m done.¡± Charlotte kissed her little face.


    ¡°Mommy, are you and Mrs. Berry going to see Mr. Fergus and the others?¡± Jamie was peeling his hard-


    boiled egg. Having just had his milk, he had a milk beard around his mouth, looking incredibly adorable.


    ¡°I''ll go to pay respect to your Grandpa before visiting one of his old friends.¡± She handed Jamie a hot


    cross bunny. ¡°I''ll be back as soon as possible. All of you must be obedient at home, understand?¡±


    ¡°Understood, Mommy!¡± they answered in unison.


    ¡°Mommy, when will you be leaving? Will we see you when we''re back from school?¡± Robbie furrowed


    his brows, seemingly reluctant for her to go. His intuition was strongerpared to Jamie and Ellie''s.


    There was a nagging feeling that if his Mommy left, he''d never see her again.


    ¡°I''ll attend a wedding with Daddy in the afternoon. After the wedding, I''lle back for my luggage and


    leave. You probably won''t see me after school.¡± Charlotte caressed Robbie''s face gently. ¡°But it''s okay.


    I''ll be back very soon,¡± she said in assurance.


    ¡°All right.¡± Robbie lowered his face dejectedly.


    ¡°Robbie, don''t be like that. I''ll only be gone for a few days,¡± she cajoled. ¡°Daddy will be home with you.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± Robbie nodded. ¡°Mommy, you have to be careful. If anything happens, you must give Daddy a


    call right away,¡± he reminded her in concern.


    ¡°I got it.¡± Charlotte pecked his forehead. ¡°While I''m not around, you''ll have to protect yourself and your


    siblings, all right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will.¡± Robbie nodded solemnly.


    ¡°All right, hurry up and eat your breakfast. I will take you guys to school.¡± Zachary checked his


    wristwatch. ¡°Ten more minutes,¡± he urged.


    ¡°Ah! Hurry up!¡± The children rapidly gobbled their food up before putting on their shoes and backpack.


    Zachary carried the children out the door while Charlotte hugged them and said her goodbyes. The


    triplets exhorted once again, reminding her to return as soon as possible.


    Charlotte smiled and nodded.


    Zachary kissed her forehead before taking the children to the car.


    Watching their departure, Charlotte couldn''t help but feel slightly emotional. She had never been apart


    with them for more than three days ever since they were born. The thought of leaving them for


    approximately half a month sounded like torture to her.

 Chapter 589

    Chapter 589


    ¡°Miss, don''t be sad. The temporary separation is all for staying together forever,¡± Mrs. Berry consoled.


    ¡°You''re right.¡± Charlotte heaved a sigh, determined to return as soon as the poison was removed from


    her body.


    ¡°I''ll go pack your luggage,¡± Mrs. Berry said, ncing at the time. ¡°What time will you be leaving? And


    when will you be back?¡±


    ¡°Zachary wille to pick me up at eleven o''clock. We''ll return at approximately one o''clock. After that,


    we have to make a trip to Happy Avenue to retrieve some documents. The ticket I booked is for four


    o''clock in the evening. There''s more than enough time.¡±


    ¡°All right. Then you better start packing. I heard Mrs. Rawlston saying the make-up artist and stylist will


    arrive at nine o''clock.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    The make-up artist and stylist were done with Charlotte''s look ten minutes earlier than nned.


    Checking herself out in the mirror, she asked apprehensively, ¡°Will this upstage the bride?¡±


    ¡°Ms. Windt, the outfit, and essories you picked are low-key enough. There''s no need to worry,¡± the


    stylist said, smiling.


    N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    The make-up artist then added, ¡°The thing is that you''re too beautiful with an amazing figure. The bride


    may truly be iparable to you.¡±


    ¡°That''s impossible. The bride''s very beautiful,¡± Charlotte replied modestly.


    At that moment, she heard the sound of a car from outside. Thinking that it could be Zachary here to


    pick her up, she grabbed her purse and went out immediately.


    Yet, the one who weed her downstairs was Ben instead. ¡°Miss, I''m here to take you to the


    wedding.¡±


    ¡°Where''s Zachary?¡± She lifted her head to nce outside. There was no trace of the said man.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht has been held back and wouldn''t be able to make it in time. He asked me toe to pick


    you up first. He''ll meet you at the wedding venue,¡± Ben exined.


    ¡°All right.¡± Without overthinking it, she followed Ben to the car.


    Mrs. Berry chased after her and reminded, ¡°Miss, I''ll be waiting for you at home.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Sheughed. ¡°I''ll be back soon.¡±


    Mrs. Berry nodded, watching as the car drove off.


    In the car, Charlotte noticed Ben continuously checking his phone somberly. She couldn''t help but


    question, ¡°Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°Something happened in thepany. Mr. Nacht''s currently handling it,¡± Ben replied, not borating.


    ¡°Please don''t fret. It''s merely trivial matters.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Charlotte chose not to question further. Even if it were a grave matter in thepany, she


    wouldn''t be of any help anyway. Besides, she firmly believed there was nothing Zachary couldn''t


    handle.


    However, there was one thing she couldn''t understand. Why did Zachary want to attend that particr


    wedding and was adamant that she went along?


    Zachary never paid any attention to the Browns nor the Sterlings. Normally when they''d beg him in


    tears, he wouldn''t even be bothered by them. Why was he attaching such importance to the wedding?


    Abruptly, she received Zachary''s call. She immediately answered and said, ¡°Hello!¡±


    ¡°Are you on the way?¡± Zachary''s voice sounded.


    ¡°Mm. What about you? Are your matters settled?¡± she asked in a gentle tone.


    ¡°Yeah. I''m on the way as well. We''ll meet nearby the hotel and enter together.¡±


    ¡°That''s good.¡± She heaved a sigh of relief.


    ¡°We''ll only linger for a while. There''s no need to stay for long. But there''s a couple of things you must


    bear in mind,¡± he said in a serious tone. ¡°Firstly, there''re a lot of media outlets at the wedding venue.


    No matter what they ask, all you have to do is smile. There''s no need to answer any questions.


    ¡°Secondly, no matter what happens or whoever you see, you must stayposed. You have to stay by


    my side and do not wander off on your own.


    ¡°Thirdly, if I were to do anything, you are not allowed to dissuade me nor interfere. Do you


    understand?¡±


    Hearing that, Charlotte felt faintly worried. She finally understood why he wanted to attend the wedding.


    It wasn''t to support their marriage but to do a little something.


    ¡°Did you hear me?¡± When discussing serious business, his former domineering manner returned.


    ¡°I heard you,¡± she acknowledged. ¡°Rest assured. No matter what it is you''re nning to do, I''ll stand by


    you unconditionally.¡±

 Chapter 590

    Chapter 590


    ¡°That''s good,¡± Zacharymented, thoroughly satisfied. ¡°All right, I''ll see youter then!¡±


    ¡°Mm. See youter!¡±


    Hanging up the call, Charlotte drilled Zachary''s words into her head. She reminded herself not to cause


    any trouble for him.


    Very quickly, the car arrived at the Imperial Hotel. It was one of the hotels that belonged to the Brown


    Group.


    There were two rows of trees adorned with pink balloons leading to the hotel''s greenway, as well as a


    large wedding portrait of Hector Sterling and Helena Brown.


    The atmosphere was rather sweet as a joyous, romantic tune was ying for the wedding march.


    When the church from afar sounded its bell, countless pink heart-shaped balloons were released into


    the skies.


    Several luxury cars drove in one after another as the wedding was about to begin.


    Watching the grand scene, Charlotte couldn''t help but sigh on the inside. Helena had indeed put in a lot


    of effort for her wedding. It seemed she was truly in love with Hector Sterling. I wish them nothing but


    happiness!


    The car came to a stop while she was lost in her thoughts. Ben rounded the car to get the door and


    said respectfully, ¡°Ms. Windt, please.¡±


    Charlotte raised her head and realized there was another car parked next to theirs. When she saw


    Zachary, she swiftly exited the car and made her way to him under Ben''s escort.


    ¡°You''re gorgeous,¡± Zacharyplimented, holding her as she took the seat beside him. He scrutinized


    her from head to toe to feast his eyes.


    ¡°You''re still so handsome despite dressing rather casually.¡± Charlotte mirrored his actions and checked


    him out. He was wearing the same suit he usually wore to work, without any essories. Yet, he


    exuded the same devilish allure, a god-like dominance lingering in-between his eyebrows.


    N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    ¡°Like what you see?¡± He rested his forehead against her, ambiguously leaning toward her.


    ¡°Stop ying...¡± Charlotte withdrew shyly, using both hands to hold him back by his shoulders.


    ¡°There''re people around.¡±


    Bruce coughed twice dryly.


    On the other hand, Marino, who was the driver, had already gotten used to it.


    ¡°Fine. I''ll stop teasing you.¡± Zachary pinched her cheeks and took her in his arms.


    Right when he was about to talk to her about her return to the countryside, Bruce abruptly mentioned,


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, it''s the Lindbergs.¡±


    Zachary twisted his head and took a gander. He saw an exotic Maybach drove past them¡ªthe silver


    color made it rather low profile. What truly attracted attention, however, was its unique license te.


    One nce and anyone could tell it belonged to the Lindberg family.


    As there was a line of cars up front, both the Maybach and the Rolls-Royce stopped at the same time.


    Separated by the car windows, it was unclear who exactly was sitting in the other car. Nheless, a


    murderous aura could be felt immediately when both persons turned to look at each other.


    Charlotte was inexplicably nervous. She nced at the other car and asked cautiously, ¡°Is that your


    arch-enemy?¡±


    She had once mocked Zachary, not understanding why he would want to attend Hector Sterling''s¡ªhis


    arch-enemy¡ª wedding. Zachary told her, ¡°The two of them are unfit to be my rival. However, my true


    rival will indeed be present at the wedding.¡±


    Although Zachary hadn''t revealed much, Charlotte could faintly sense that the person in the other car


    was most likely his true rival.


    ¡°Mm.¡± Zachary nodded, retracting his gaze. ¡°It''s the Lindberg family.¡±


    Charlotte had heard of the Lindberg family. The Lindbergs were said to control the north while the


    Nachts control the south. Advancing side by side, the two legendary business families'' positions in the


    business empire were unshakable.


    In the present business field, there was no one else on par with the Nachts aside from the Lindberg


    family.


    Someone once said, ¡°If those two families were to form an alliance, they would be invincible. The king


    of the business empire would undoubtedly be them.¡±


    Sadly, the two families had been enemies for decades. The previous generations used to fight as if


    their lives depended on it, bearing deep feuds. Albeit it was eventually resolved and they mutually


    agreed to mind their own business, a coboration was still out of the question.


    Originally, it seemed the two families would continue existing in peace. However, the Lindberg


    Corporation was passed down to its new sessor recently. It was then they began entering the


    domestic market andpeted with the Nachts head-on.

 Chapter 591

    Chapter 591


    Zachary had been biding his time without making any retaliation. However, the business circles were


    waiting to watch a good show. It didn''t matter when it would happen or who woulde up on top¡ªit


    was certain to set off a bloody storm.


    ¡°Why are they here to attend Hector and Helena''s wedding? Do the two families rely on help from the


    Lindberg Corporation?¡± Charlotte asked uneasily.


    ¡°You''re not too stupid, I see.¡± Zachary pinched her chin lightly.


    ¡°Isn''t that a great disadvantage to you?¡± Her expression turned sour. ¡°On top of that, you''re dismissing


    the engagement with the Synder Group. If the Synder Group were to align with the Lindbergs, then¡ª¡±


    ¡°They''ve already aligned.¡± Zachary rubbed at his temples. ¡°We''ll settle everything here once and for


    all.¡±


    ¡°For real?¡± Charlotte turned pale with fright. ¡°The Synder Group and the Divine Corporation still have


    ongoing coboration projects. How could she align with the Lindbergs at this juncture? ording to


    the contract regtions, they would have topensate ten times their capital in the case of a


    breach.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, it is stated so in the contract, but anyhow, it was my fault. It wouldn''t look good if both parties


    continue fighting over it,¡± Zachary said bluntly. ¡°More importantly, the Nachts are indebted to Taylor


    ckwood. I can''t make them cough out thepensation.¡±


    ¡°Then...¡±


    ¡°We''ll terminate the projects, dismiss the contract, and call it quits. From now on, we''ll no longer owe


    the ckwood family.¡±


    Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    Charlotte couldn''te up with any response to his words. Outsiders who were unclear about the


    situation might think of Zachary as arrogant and impulsive. But she was well aware he was sacrificing


    these to give her and the children status and a proper home.


    Actually, he didn''t have to rush with calling off the engagement. Had he been more of a selfish,


    practical jerk, he could totally marry Sharon ckwood and deal with the Lindbergs before handling his


    personal matters.


    Yet, he chose otherwise.


    He would rather give her and the children a name, even if it meant shouldering a tremendous amount


    of pressure and risks.


    That was how a real man assumed his responsibility.


    ¡°Then, aren''t you in a disadvantaged position right now?¡± At the thought of the pressure Zachary was


    shouldering alone, her heart clenched. ¡°The Lindbergs have the support of the Browns, the Sterlings,


    and the ckwoods¡ªthat makes them twice as strong. Whereas the Nacht Group has divided its


    assets into two since the beginning. It''s too difficult for you to go against the Lindbergs on your own.¡±


    ¡°It''s not easy. But don''t worry. Your Hubby, I, is more than capable enough to handle it.¡± Zachary


    caressed her face lovingly.


    ¡°I''m sorry. It''s me who dragged you down.¡± Charlotte felt exceptionally guilty. If it weren''t for her, there


    would be no grievances between Zachary and the Browns and Sterlings. He wouldn''t have broken all


    ties with the ckwoods either. As such, it could be said that the three families only went against


    Zachary because of her.


    No wonder Henry once called her a femme fatale. In fact, there was some truth to it.


    ¡°Silly girl.¡± Zachary frowned. ¡°You have to have confidence in me.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± She nodded and changed the subject. ¡°There''s one thing I don''t quite understand. Why


    would Mr. ckwood allow Sharon to act so willfully? Does he not care?¡±


    ¡°The Synder Group''s shares have already been possessed by the ckwood mother-daughter duo.


    Taylor is nowhere near as good as he''s made out to be. He''s unable to keep her in check.¡±


    Zachary was equally speechless when speaking about it.


    ¡°Sharon had been raised on the streets since a young age and experienced some hardships. Taylor


    feels that he owes it to her and was extra indulgent. Add that up with her intelligence and capabilities,


    Taylor handed thepany to her with no expectations that his biological daughter would conquer the


    family''s assets and overthrow him.¡±


    Charlotte was dumbfounded. ¡°Sharon''s too ruthless!¡±


    ¡°How else could she achieve greatness without being ruthless?¡± Zachary raised a brow. ¡°If everyone


    were like you, the business world would be in peace.¡±


    ¡°All right...¡± She pouted unhappily.


    He lifted her face and smirked. ¡°However... Even though you look simple-minded and half-witted, you


    managed to conquer a king like me. Therefore, you''re the best out of everyone else!¡±

 Chapter 592

    Chapter 592


    These were simple words, but they stirred Charlotte''s heart nheless.


    Feeling warm and fuzzy on the inside, she extended her arms and hugged him tightly.


    ¡°That eager?¡± Zachary patted her back and teased, ¡°Let''s wait till we get home, hmm? Then you can


    ravage me however you want.¡±


    ¡°Jerk!¡± Charlotte bit his neck.


    Both of them had a goodugh before getting out of the car.


    A gust of spring breeze blew past, lifting a few locks of Charlotte''s silky, ck hair. Her angelic features


    seemed to glow seductively under the glittering sunlight; she was a mesmerizing sight to behold.


    The guests present were immediately drawn to her, subconsciously stopping whatever it was they were


    doing to look over.


    Some ignorant wealthy businessmen even approached her to strike up a conversation. Right then,


    Zachary emerged from the car and ced his hand intimately on her waist, instantly smothering their


    hopes and effectively keeping them at bay.


    Only someone with a death wish would dare to covet Zachary Nacth''s woman.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, wee!¡±


    Both Hector''s and Helena''s fathers came over to greet them civilly. No matter what business conflicts


    they had, they did not dare to disrespect Zachary.


    ¡°Congrattions,¡± Zachary replied politely.


    N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    Right one cue, Ben stepped forward to present a wedding gift.


    ¡°You''re very kind, Mr. Nacht.¡±


    The two elders were very courteous and sincere. Helena''s father, Steven, also greeted Charlotte


    warmly, ¡°You must be Ms. Windt. d you could make it!¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Charlotte nodded with a faint smile.


    On the contrary, Hector''s father, Samuel, felt slightly awkward in front of Charlotte.


    Back then, he was close friends with Richard, who helped him a lot in business-rted matters. A


    union between both families through marriage was initially joyous news, but after tragedy befell


    Richard, the Sterlings decided to cancel the engagement at the veryst second, prompting Charlotte


    to leave out of anger. What followed was a series of messy events.


    At present, Hector was about to marry Helena after divorcing Luna, while Charlotte was dating Zachary.


    From Samuel''s point of view, Charlotte had snagged herself an even more powerful backer, and he


    couldn''t afford to offend or disrespect her.


    ¡°You''re both our esteemed guests. This way please!¡±


    Both of them led Zachary and Charlotte into the hotel. A group of guests gathered around to exchange


    customary pleasantries. After Zachary entertained them for a while, he excused himself and brought


    Charlotte to a private room to rest.


    Right then, Bruce hurried in and reported in a hushed voice, ¡°The Lindberg family came in through the


    side door. Hector and Helena personally went over to wee them, but it seems like the legendary


    Mr. L doesn''t want to make an appearance yet.¡±


    ¡°Keep an eye on him and report to me immediately if anything happens,¡± Zachary ordered.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Bruce swiftly retreated to carry out his orders.


    After a moment, Ben also rushed in to report, ¡°Mr. Nacht, everything is ready.¡±


    Zachary nodded and sipped on his winenguidly with a cold glint in his eyes.


    Charlotte felt a little restless. She always had a feeling that Zachary was nning something colossal


    and that the wedding was, in fact, a stage for the showdown between him and the Lindberg family.


    She was perturbed by the fact that the legendary Mr. L was hiding in the shadows, while Zachary was


    exposed in the open. Hence, it was unclear what the former was really up to.


    ¡°Don''t be scared.¡± Zachary held her hand in his palm. ¡°I''ll be here.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± Charlotte nodded. She picked up a ss of juice and was about to drink from it when a knock


    sounded on the door. ¡°Mr. Nacht, may Ie in?¡± came a familiar voice.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Zachary replied, to which Ben stepped forward to open the door.


    Dressed in an extravagant wedding gown, Helena entered the room holding Hector''s arm. The two of


    them were all smiles; they looked like the happiest couple to walk the earth.


    When Charlotte turned her head to look at them, Hector frantically averted his gaze.


    ¡°Thank you for attending our wedding, Mr. Nacht.¡±


    Helena walked over with Hector and extended her hand toward Zachary with a brilliant smile on her


    face.


    ¡°Congrattions to both of you.¡± Zachary rose to his feet and shook hands with them, a subtle smile


    ying on his lips.


    ¡°Congrattions!¡± Charlotte politely shook their hands as well.


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Helena nced at Charlotte, her smile never once faltering. ¡°You look beautiful today,


    Charlotte!¡±


    ¡°Not as beautiful as the bride,¡± Charlotteplimented her in return.


    ¡°When will we get to attend your wedding?¡±


    Even though Helena was smiling brightly at Charlotte, the look in her eyes was as sharp as a knife.

 Chapter 593

    Chapter 593


    ¡°Next month.¡± Zachary added, ¡°We''ll send out the invitations soon.¡±


    ¡°Really? You''re both engaged already?¡±


    Helena was shocked, to say the least. She had always believed that Zachary wasn''t serious about


    Charlotte and wouldn''t actually marry her. Unexpectedly, Zachary himself admitted that they would be


    holding a wedding the following month.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Zachary gently squeezed Charlotte''s waist. ¡°It''ll take time for Charlotte''s customized wedding


    gown and essories to be ready, or I would''ve married her this month itself.¡±


    ¡°What''s the rush?¡± Hector blurted.


    ¡°I wouldn''t want my future wife running away before sealing the deal, would I?¡± Zachary joked.


    Charlotte released a soft giggle in response, and the two looked at each other affectionately.


    Jealousy crept into Helena''s heart as she looked at Charlotte. It was her wedding, yet Charlotte had


    stolen her thunder.


    Since she was young, she was overshadowed by Charlotte as long they were in the room, even during


    her own wedding.


    With a stiff smile on his face, Hector said insincerely, ¡°That''s great. Congrattions.¡±


    ¡°Both of you can rest for a while. We have to greet the other guests outside. Please head to the


    banquet hallter. The official ceremony will begin in half an hour.¡±


    Helena shed onest smile.


    ¡°Sure. Don''t let us keep you here.¡± Zachary guided Charlotte to sit back down.


    Subsequently, Helena tugged Hector away. As soon as they rounded a corner, she couldn''t help from


    castigating him, ¡°Look at how Mr. Nacht treats Charlotte! She''s the only thing he sees. Every action and


    gaze is for her. But what about you? Things were still fine before seeing her, but once you did, it was


    like I becamepletely invisible to you.¡±


    ¡°You''re reading too much into things.¡± Hector exined insipidly, ¡°She''s Zachary''s woman. How can I


    think about her that way?¡±


    ¡°So you''re saying that you would if she isn''t Zachary''s woman? Is that it?¡± Helena red vehemently at


    him.


    ¡°No...¡± Hector frowned deeply. ¡°It''s our wedding today. Can you stop throwing a tantrum? It''s not good


    for the baby too.¡±


    At the mention of the baby, Helena kept her temper in check, but still angrily warned, ¡°Hector, I''ve


    sacrificed so much for you. I even resorted to using my own family just to help you. If you let me down,


    I will never forgive you.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry, I won''t.¡± Hector held her waist intimately. ¡°Let''s go outside. There are other guests waiting


    for us.


    ¡°Mr. L and Mr. Nacht will definitely confront each other today. Let''s just sit back and watch. No matter


    who emerges as the winner, we''ll still stand to benefit!¡±


    N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    ¡°Mm. I know.¡±


    In the room, Zachary was on the phone, but his eyes were trained on Charlotte the whole time.


    Charlotte was munching on some fruits on the sofa, seemingly having a good appetite. She finished an


    entire bunch of grapes before moving onto some small cakes.


    After ending the call, Zachary pulled her into his arms and cupped her cheek. ¡°Look how good your


    appetite is. Could you really be pregnant? We should check...¡±


    ¡°Nah, I don''t think so. I''ve always had a good appetite.¡± Charlotte continued eating without a care in the


    world.


    ¡°Still, let''s check just to be sure. I''ll take you to the hospitalter.¡±


    Zachary hoped for Charlotte to bear him a few more children; the more the merrier.


    ¡°No.¡± Charlotte shook her head. ¡°I''ve already promised Mrs. Berry we''d go visit the countryside right


    after the wedding.¡±


    ¡°You''re being disobedient.¡± Zachary bit her bottom lip unhappily.


    ¡°S-Stop it!¡±


    Bruce rushed in to report his findings while they were fooling around. When he saw the suggestive


    scene, he hastily swiveled around. ¡°Mr. Nacht, the wedding is about to begin. Everything is set!¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± Zachary helped Charlotte to her feet.


    Both of them tidied up their clothes and walked out hand-in-hand.


    As soon as they stepped out, they ran into Michael, who was walking toward them. He was in an all-


    ck suit with his long hair tied up. Besides his dashing good looks, he gave off an artistic vibe. Upon


    seeing Charlotte, he was visibly stunned.

 Chapter 594

    Chapter 594


    ¡°Michael!¡± Charlotte was momentarily taken aback, but quickly broke into a smile. ¡°It''s been awhile.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, it has.¡± Michael''s gaze never once left Charlotte. ¡°How are you?¡±


    ¡°Good, good.¡± Sensing the storm brewing in Zachary, Charlotte held his arm in the nick of them and


    smiled. ¡°We''re getting married soon. We hope you can make it!¡±


    ¡°I see. Sure.¡±


    Michael''s gaze fell on her hand which was curled around Zachary''s arm. He resembled a falling star,


    gradually dimming before winking outpletely. How he wished that Charlotte would one day hold his


    arm like that.


    For many years, he had hoped for his wish toe true, but all to no avail. It seems like it''d be close to


    impossible for that to happen now...


    ¡°We''ll send you an invitation once the date is confirmed,¡± Zachary stated courteously before walking


    away with Charlotte.


    Charlotte brushed past Michael''s shoulder and left without looking back.


    Although he had mentally prepared himself and imagined meeting her again more times than he could


    count, when both of them brushed past each other at that moment, his heart still wrenched painfully in


    his chest.


    He lowered his gaze and stood rooted to the spot, waiting for the footsteps behind him to fade away.


    Picturing Charlotte''s retreating figure, Michael released a pained sigh. Perhaps we''re destined to miss


    out on each other in this life...


    Charlotte felt slightly guilty toward Michael, but she stopped herself from looking back. She knew that a


    blunt rejection was better than stringing him along by giving him false hope.


    ¡°Why didn''t you stay to chat for awhile, seeing as he''s your old friend?¡± Zachary asked casually.


    ¡°He''s probably still there. Why don''t we go back and look for him?¡± Charlotte pretended to turn back.


    ¡°Don''t you dare!¡± Zachary immediately grabbed her and confined her in his arms, pinching her cheek


    with a slightly annoyed look on his face. ¡°I''ve been spoiling you too much and you''re getting bolder


    now, aren''t you?¡±


    N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    ¡°You were the one acting all sarcastic about it.¡± Charlotte gave him a chaste kiss and exined,


    ¡°Michael and I never had anything going on between us. If anything, I''m the one who owes him. I never


    should''ve used him as a shield.¡±


    ¡°It''s all in the past now.¡±


    Zachary also felt that he was a tad too reckless before, but of course, he would never admit that aloud.


    After all, men were prideful creatures.


    Charlotte rolled her eyes at him and changed the subject. ¡°Looks like the wedding''s about to begin.


    Let''s go.¡±


    Even though she did not approve of Hector and Helena''s marriage, the wedding vibes still got to her, so


    much so she started nning her own wedding.


    Mellow, romantic music was ying in the banquet hall, signifying that the wedding ceremony was


    about tomence.


    Samuel and Steven weed Zachary and Charlotte by the entrance, decorously ushering them to sit


    at the main guest table. The other guests would asionally smile and greet them earnestly.


    Zachary coolly swept his gaze around the hall, but did not catch a glimpse of the man he was looking


    for, Mr. L.


    Since he''s already here, why isn''t he showing himself?


    He can''t be attending the wedding just to see me, right?


    Zachary''s expression was cial even as he elegantly sipped on his wine.


    Seated beside him, Charlotte quietly watched the wedding ceremony on the stage.


    Her mind drifted back to that night four years ago, when she had almost gotten engaged to Hector. At


    that time, he was also wearing a white suit like this one, looking noble and dignified.


    Only, he used to have a pair of crystal-clear eyes. Though he was wed, he could never conceal his


    virtuous nature.


    But the present him had a wickedly prating gaze that chilled her to the bone.


    ¡°Helena Brown, do you take Hector Sterling as yourwful husband, to have and to hold, from this day


    forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?¡±


    The ceremony was drawing to a conclusion.


    ¡°I do!¡± Helena answered unhesitatingly.


    The emcee turned to Hector. ¡°Hector Sterling, do you take Helena Brown as yourwful wife, to have


    and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health,


    until death do you part?¡±


    Hector''s eyes darted to the audience below and found Charlotte, but he withdrew his gaze almost


    immediately. Tugging his lips into a smile, he replied, ¡°I do!¡±

 Chapter 595

    Chapter 595


    This small action did not go unnoticed by Helena. Her face clouded over, but she quickly stered a


    smile onto her face and gazed at Hector affectionately.


    Charlotte''s brows knitted together, but she dismissed it, nning to leave a whileter.


    Right then, she noticed a small figure standing in the corner. It was Timothy.


    He was wearing a smart little suit while standing beside the flower stand, quietly looking up at Hector


    and Helena on the stage with aplicated expression.


    A video clip of Hector proposing to Helena was ying on the big screen.


    In the video, Hector was holding Helena''s hands on the beach. ¡°Helena, you''re the woman I love most


    in this world, and I promise to make you happy. Marry me!¡±


    Tears of happiness flowed down Helena''s face as she hugged Hector tightly.


    The two of them kissed passionately on the beach while their friends and rtives cheered for them by


    the side.


    Seeing all of this, Timothy suddenly spoke coldly, ¡°You said the same thing to Mommy too.¡±


    Julia rushed over and carried him up. ¡°Timothy, why did youe out here? Didn''t we agree that we''d


    eat in the private room together?¡±


    ¡°I just wanted toe see Daddy...¡± Timothy watched Hector from below the stage with an unusually


    calm expression. ¡°I wanted to see if he''s happy.¡±


    ¡°Your daddy is getting married. Of course, he''s happy.¡± Julia hoisted him higher in her arms and found


    a ce to sit down. ¡°Promise me to be a good boy today. Don''t cause any trouble, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Timothy nodded obediently.


    Julia breathed a sigh of relief. Since the boy was behaving himself, she decided not to forcibly take him


    away.


    He''s only slightly over three years old, after all. Keeping him under lock and key for too long can lead to


    psychological problems one day. He should be excited to see so many guests here today. I''m sure he''ll


    forget about his worries soon enough.


    Charlotte released a sad sigh when she saw Timothy. She always believed that children should never


    be burdened with adult problems.


    It''s really Timothy''s misfortune to have been born into such aplicated family...


    ¡°I hereby pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride!¡±


    Hector was leaning forward to kiss Helena when the video clips of their happy moments froze on the


    screen. Subsequently, the screen went dark and the music stopped abruptly.


    The romantic quality in the air vanished and was reced by tension. The cheerful chatter also ceased


    as everyone turned to look at the stage, wondering what was going on.


    Helena''s expression instantly darkened. Hector quickly asked someone to deal with the issue before


    comforting her, ¡°Maybe it''s some kind of technical problem. It''ll be fixed soon.¡±


    Helena did not respond, but she was still wearing a grim expression.


    Samuel hurried onto the stage to apologize for the dy, exining that there was a technical issue


    backstage and that it would be fixed very soon.


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    Suddenly, the screen came back on along with the audio system, but the video ying on the screen it


    was no longer the romantic one from before. Instead, it was a video of Helena roughing up Luna.


    On the screen, several bodyguards belonging to the Brown family were forcing Luna into a car. Helena


    pped her continuously while gnashing her teeth.


    Then, she snarled viciously, ¡°You b*tch. Hector doesn''t want you anymore, but here you are, harassing


    him again and again. You even came to our banquet to make a scene. I''ll be damned if I don''t teach


    you a lesson!¡±


    ¡°Kill me if you have the guts, but if you don''t, I''ll harassing both you and Hector for the rest of your lives.


    I''ll make sure you two never have a moment of peace...¡±


    ¡°Still acting tough, aren''t you? Very well.¡± Helena grinned wickedly and said, ¡°You want a man so very


    badly, don''t you? I''ll grant your wish!¡±


    With that, she turned to her bodyguards. ¡°All of you, serve Mrs. Sterling well. She''s been denied


    pleasure for too long and is desperate for a man''s touch!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±

 Chapter 596

    Chapter 596


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    The bodyguards took off their clothes and pounced on Luna.


    ¡°No. No-¡± Luna released a blood-curdling scream. ¡°Helena, you evil b*tch! I''ll haunt you even after I die.


    Ahh-¡±


    Her bone-chilling screams reached every inch of the banquet hall, sending shivers down everyone''s


    spines.


    ¡°No, no. It wasn''t me...¡± Helena was petrified and began to screaming in panic, ¡°No, it''s not like that.


    Turn it off. Turn it off!¡±


    Amid her hysterical screams, Hector had already sprinted to the backstage and turned off the projector.


    Unfortunately, it was already toote. All the guests had already seen and heard everything. Some of


    them even recorded it on their phones.


    The jubnt and romantic wedding scene abruptly turned into a criminal trial with all the guests as


    witnesses.


    The people in the video were clearly disyed. They were Luna, Helena, and several of the Browns''


    bodyguards.


    A few of them were even present.


    Such a detailed andplex video was impossible to fabricate. Without a doubt, the evidence was


    conclusive.


    Everyone was bbergasted, including the Sterlings and the Browns.


    Charlotte was stupefied after watching the video. Even though she knew about it a long time ago, she


    never expected it to be exposed during the wedding. She stared dumbly at the stage, then shifted her


    gaze to Zachary.


    Zachary lowered his head to light the cigarette between his lips, then gracefully took a long drag, as


    though everything was within his control and was all part of his n.


    ¡°Is this true, Helena?¡± Michael stood up and confronted her, barely controlling his emotions.


    As the only son and backbone of the Brown family, Michael''s question forced her directly into the cusp


    of public opinion.


    ¡°N-No. Michael, listen to me...¡±


    ¡°Ms. Brown, I suggest you remain silent.¡± A senior judicial officer amongst the guests yelled icily,


    ¡°ording to my experience, the video didn''t look like a fake. The media live broadcast has already


    uploaded the video online. I believe that the police will contact you soon.¡±


    ¡°No. Judge Longman, I...¡± Helena attempted to exin herself.


    However, the judge was having none of it. He shot to his feet and bowed to Steven and Samuel before


    politely dering, ¡°My apologies. I''m a public official, so it''s not appropriate for me to attend this


    wedding. Take care, everyone.¡±


    With that, the judge led his family out of the hall.


    Other guests with official positions also left one after another. Some had the courtesy to bid the


    Sterlings and the Browns farewell, while others did not.


    In just a few short minutes, most of the guests had already left.


    By then, the projector had been switched off and the romantic music resumed ying. Unfortunately,


    no one was willing to offer them their blessings anymore.


    Upon rushing back, Hector saw the dwindling number of guests and tried to persuade them from


    leaving.


    Some of them refused to listen, storming away before he even reached them.


    Some angrily scolded him, saying that he was a heartless man formitting such a heinous crime


    against his first wife just to associate himself with the Browns.


    Some of his rtives advised him against marrying such a vile woman, telling him to cancel the


    wedding and stay away from the Browns.


    Michael climbed to the stage to question Helena again, demanding if what happened in the video was


    true.


    Helena denied it until the end and furiouslymbasted the staff for ruining her wedding and happiness,


    swearing to make them pay.


    N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    The wedding had be a chaotic mess. Charlotte was still trapped in a daze when Zachary tugged


    her toward the back door.


    Snapping back to her senses, she was about to ask something when she suddenly spotted Timothy


    standing in a corner, ring at Helena with bitter hatred gleaming in his eyes.


    Under her shocked stare, he took out a pair of scissors from his schoolbag and hurtled toward the


    stage in a crazed manner.


    ¡°Timothy!¡± Charlotte yelled, but her voice was drowned out by Helena''s angry shrieks toward the staff.


    Timothy''s little figure streaked through the crowd and bounded onto the stage. Atst, the sharp


    scissors pierced into Helena''s stomach. ¡°Just die, you evil woman!¡±

 Chapter 597

    Chapter 597


    Charlotte faltered in her steps and looked at the stage in horror.


    Helena was stabbed in the stomach. Her eyes had gone wide with disbelief as she nced at Timothy,


    then at her stomach.


    Timothy was only a child, after all, and his strength was limited. Hence, the scissors did not pierce too


    deep into her stomach.


    Despite that, it was deep enough to draw blood and stain her white wedding gown with it.


    Appalled, Hector remained paralyzed to the spot, unable to react for a long time.


    He probably never expected his three-and-a-half-year-old son would stab his new wife with scissors.


    He thought that his son was too young to understand anything. Hence, as long as he hid everything


    from Timothy, it would be as if nothing had happened. He would still be that perfect father his son


    adored and looked up to.


    Little did he know that his son''s sense of awareness had long since been awakened; he had observed


    and remembered all of his father''s bad deeds. In fact, each and every one of those deeds was


    engraved into his heart.


    ¡°Ahhh!¡± A few female rtives screamed in terror.


    Helena copsed to the ground, clutching her stomach with one hand while using the other one to


    fiercely grasp Timothy''s neck. With a terrifying look on her face, she screamed, ¡°You bas*ard. You killed


    my child! I''ll kill you! I''m going to kill you-¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Julia ran forward to pull Timothy behind her. ¡°He''s just a child, Helena. Please spare him.¡±


    ¡°Get lost!¡± Helena mbered forward, still bent on strangling Timothy, but Hector bolted over to protect


    his son. ¡°Stop it. Let''s go to the hospital first.¡±


    ¡°Let go of me! I wanna kill that bas*ard! I''ll kill him-¡±


    Helena went berserk, roaring as though she was possessed.


    Steven had someone take Helena to the hospital by force. Then, he whipped his head back at Timothy


    and ordered, ¡°Take down that bas*ard!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°No...¡± Samuel stepped forward to shield his grandson. ¡°Steven, he''s just a child.¡±


    ¡°Yet, he already tried to kill someone. Are you sure he''s a child, or a demon?¡±


    ¡°Steven...¡±


    ¡°If you still want this marriage to stay valid, hand over that evil bas*ard!¡±


    ...


    Charlotte didn''t have the chance to see what happenedter on as Zachary had dragged her away


    hastily.


    Only after they hopped into the car did she finally react. Calming the turmoil inside her, she nced at


    him and asked, ¡°Did you do this?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Zachary didn''t intend to hide it from her. ¡°Why? Do you think it was wrong for me to do that?¡±


    ¡°No, that''s not it...¡±


    Charlotte felt immensely conflicted and didn''t know how to put what she was feeling into words.


    She was well aware that the video wasn''t fabricated. In fact, it was the undeniable truth. Helena had


    gotten Luna gang-raped, but used money and power to settle it. This was a monstrous crime to begin


    with, but Helena had evaded bearing any legal consequences.


    Although Zachary had his own motives for releasing the video during the wedding, there was nothing


    wrong with what he did. At least, it ensured that a criminal would be punished by thew.


    The only fault she could find in his actions was that Timothy had seen the video. The traumatic


    experience would forever remain a burn mark on his heart.


    Of course, even if he didn''t see the video, he probably already knew that Helena had harmed his


    mother, but seeing it with his own eyes was a different story altogether.


    ¡°The world is ruled by thew of the jungle. Even though this was a part of my scheme, I did not go


    against my morals or vite thew, so I see nothing wrong with what I did,¡± Zachary exined


    casually.


    ¡°I know...¡± Charlotte chuckled wryly. ¡°Congrats. You seeded in eliminating the Lindberg family''s loyal


    followers.¡±


    Indeed, since this video was leaked, Helena would soon be brought to justice and the Sterlings


    wouldn''t be able to have their way. As for Lindberg Corporation, losing both the Sterlings and the


    Browns support was equivalent to losing a limb.


    Seeing as this was Lindberg Corporation''s first time developing in H City, it was inevitable that their


    ns would be temporarily dyed without the guidance of theirpdogs.


    And this short amount of time was just enough for Zachary to find their weakness.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht!¡± Bruce called out abruptly.


    Zachary turned to look out of the window.


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    A silver Maybach drove over slowly and stopped parallel to them. The car window was wound down a


    fraction to reveal only the top of part of the man''s side profile. Then, a low voice sounded. ¡°Well yed,


    Mr. Nacht. I''m impressed.¡±

 Chapter 598

    Chapter 598


    ¡°You tter me, Mr. Lindberg.¡± Zachary stared at the man''s side profile and with a cid smile on his


    face. ¡°H City can only amodate one king. You should find yourself another territory.¡±


    ¡°My apologies, but I''ve taken an liking to this particr city.¡± The man''s low and hoarse voice carried a


    wintry undertone. ¡°Until then.¡±


    Thereafter, the Maybach glided away.


    Charlotte watched the car leave and couldn''t help but remark, ¡°That man is so mysterious. I mean, he


    didn''t show his face the whole time.¡±


    ¡°That''s just how the Lindbergs are. Bunch of lunatics.¡± Zachary''s tone became unpleasant mentioning


    the Lindberg family.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Deciding to end this topic, Charlotte eximed, ¡°Helena and Hector both had iting. I just feel


    sad for the boy...¡±


    ¡°His appearance was out of my expectation.¡±


    Ever since Zachary became a father, he started having a soft spot for children. He never wanted


    Timothy to see the video. At first, he thought that Hector would have excluded his son from his wedding


    by all means aftermitting such a crime against his first wife to marry another woman.


    Unexpectedly, Timothy had appeared at the wedding.


    It was hard to imagine a child already possessing murderous intent at such a young age.


    Adultsmitted crimes, but their children suffered the consequences.


    It was indeed amentable reality.


    ¡°I hope he''s okay.¡± Charlotte''s brows furrowed with worry lining her features. ¡°No matter what Timothy


    has done, Hector would probably still protect his son, right? But Helena is such a ruthless person. I


    don''t even know if Hector can keep Timothy safe.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry. The Browns will be in deep trouble soon. When that timees, they wouldn''t have the


    time or energy to bother about the boy.¡± Zachary patted her hand in constion. ¡°I''ll send you home.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Charlotte nodded, not allowing herself to dwell on the matter any longer.


    When Zachary and Charlotte arrived home, Mrs. Berry had already packed their suitcases and was


    waiting on the first floor.


    Charlotte went back to her house to change into morefortable clothes. She took her bag and was


    about to head downstairs, but Zachary hugged her tightly to his chest andmanded domineeringly,


    ¡°Call me every day to update your status ande back as soon as possible, preferably right after


    you''ve settled your stuff!¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Charlotte rose on her tippy toes to kiss him softly. ¡°I''ll leave the kids to you. Take good care of


    them and yourself too.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Zachary reached out to pinch her nose lovingly. ¡°I''ll wait for you toe back.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    ¡°Mm.¡± Both of them embraced for a while longer before reluctantly going downstairs.


    The bodyguards waiting at the door helped with the suitcases. Then, they sent Charlotte and Mrs.


    Berry to Happy Avenue.


    Before pulling away, Charlotte rolled down the window and waved goodbye to Zachary.


    As Zachary watched the car leave, he instructed Bruce, ¡°Protect them in the shadows.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Bruce immediately followed after them.


    ¡°Miss, I didn''t bring much. We have one small suitcase each, but we can buy er if you find that


    you need more space.¡± Mrs. Berry chatted with Charlotte in the car. ¡°I made a hundred hot cross


    bunnies earlier and informed Mrs. Rawlston to heat them up for the triplets every morning.¡±


    ¡°Aww, that''s so thoughtful of you.¡± Charlotte smiled and patted her hand before urging the driver, ¡°Could


    you speed up a little?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ms. Windt.¡±


    Soon, the car arrived at Happy Avenue. Charlotte instructed the bodyguards to leave first, then


    dragged her suitcase upstairs with Mrs. Berry to retrieve some relevant documents.¡±


    After that, she cast a vignt nce at the front gates of the residential estate. Once she was certain


    they weren''t being followed, she hailed a taxi and headed straight for the train station.


    Zachary was on his way to thepany when he received a message from Bruce.Bruce:


    Ms. Windt didn''t go to the cemetery. She went directly to the train station. Maybe she''s taking the train


    back to the countryside?


    ¡°Continue tailing her and keep her safe.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    An hourter, Charlotte and Mrs. Berry smoothly boarded the train heading toward Phoenix City.


    Meanwhile, Zachary received an update about it on his phone.


    He was very puzzled. Isn''t she going back to the countryside? Mrs. Berry''s hometown is in F Town, so


    why are they going to Phoenix City? What on earth is she up to?


    It seems like she really is hiding something from me...

 Chapter 599

    Chapter 599


    Phoenix City was a historical city famous for its breathtaking scenery and simple way of life.


    Charlotte fell in love with the city as soon as she got off the train, marveling at the fluffy clouds in the


    blue sky, the historical vibes, and the clean, fresh air.


    Mrs. Berry scanned their surroundings and sighed in content. ¡°I haven''t been here for nearly twenty


    years. When I was younger, I came here with Mr. Windt once.¡±


    ¡°My father?¡± Charlotte''s curiosity was piqued.


    ¡°Yes. Along with a three-year-old you.¡± Mrs. Berry''s voice turned emotional when she spoke again. ¡°You


    were even younger than the triplets at that time. You were in poor health and fell ill very often, so Mr.


    Windt and I brought you here to seek treatment from Dr. Felch.


    ¡°Come to think of it, it''s rather miraculous. You didn''t get well even after seeing so many doctors in well-


    known hospitals, but after staying at Dr. Felch''s for two days and taking his medicine, you got well very


    soon.¡±


    ¡°Really? I don''t even remember.¡± Charlotte chuckled. ¡°So this means visiting Dr. Felch is the right


    choice.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Mrs. Berry nodded profusely. ¡°Dr. Felch can definitely cure your illness. Don''t you worry.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± A glimmer of hope emerged in Charlotte''s heart. ¡°Mrs. Berry, let''s take a taxi and go straight to


    Dr. Felch''s house then.¡±


    ¡°This ce is still underdeveloped, so there aren''t any official taxi drivers. But I know how to


    differentiate between the locals and non-locals here. They''re simple people and won''t swindle money


    out of others. Come with me.¡±


    Mrs. Berry tugged Charlotte along with one hand while dragging her suitcase with the other.


    N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    As Charlotte followed closely behind Mrs. Berry and weaved through the crowd, Charlotte couldn''t help


    but feel eyes boring into her, but when she looked over her shoulder, she didn''t discover anyone


    suspicious.


    Due to passengers trickling in and out of the station, it was impossible to find anything out of the


    ordinary.


    Thus, she assumed that she was being paranoid. Withdrawing her gaze, she followed Mrs. Berry out of


    the station.


    Mrs. Berry spotted a dpidated car by the road and negotiated a good price. Just when they were


    about to get into the car, a van suddenly charged straight for them. Several men in cked hopped out


    of the vehicle and lunged at Charlotte.


    Startled, Charlotte abandoned her suitcase and broke into a run while pulling Mrs. Berry with her.


    However, the men were obviously skilled because they caught up to them soon. Just when they were


    about to have them surrounded, another group of people appeared and engaged in a fight.


    Charlotte took the opportunity to escape with Mrs. Berry. The driver whom they had negotiated a price


    with earlier drove over right then and urged in a heavy southern ent, ¡°Get in!¡±


    The two of them wasted no time, sliding into the car to find that their suitcases were also inside.


    The drive floored the elerator and ditched the two groups of men behind.


    Through the rearview mirror, Charlotte noticed that the other group of men who had arrived just in time


    were Zachary''s bodyguards. So it seems like Zachary sent them to keep me safe.


    But who were those men from the van who tried to capture me?


    ¡°That scared me to death.¡± Mrs. Berry clutched her chest and shuddered in fear. ¡°Miss, who were those


    people back there? They didn''t look like locals. Don''t tell me they followed us all the way from the city?¡±


    ¡°I think so.¡± Charlotte''s brows drew together. Could Zara have sent them?


    ¡°I thought they were trying to pull customers and wondered since when non-locals have be so


    tenacious in doing business,¡± the local driver jokingly said. ¡°Later on, I noticed that they were all


    wearing expensive suits and realized that they weren''t here for business.¡±


    ¡°True. That vehicle looked quite expensive too.¡± Mrs. Berry racked her brain for an answer. ¡°Just who


    were those people?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know, but I don''t wanna think about it right now. Let''s look for Dr. Felch first.¡±


    Charlotte sighed inwardly. Thank goodness Zachary sent his men to protect me or something bad


    would''ve happened just now.


    This local drive was very familiar with the traffic and had good driving skills as well. In spite of that, the


    latter half of their journey consisted of steep and winding mountain roads that made Charlotte feel as


    though she was on a never-ending roller coaster ride.


    After three and a half hours on the road, she was so dizzy she had the urge to throw up more than


    once. Right then, she was leaning limply against Mrs. Berry with a paleplexion.


    Mrs. Berry, on the other hand, was ustomed to it. After all, she grew up in the mountains. Not only


    was she not affected, she even felt at home.

 Chapter 600

    Chapter 600


    Upon reaching Dr. Felch''s residence, the sky was already dark.


    Dr. Felch was waiting for them by the vige entrance. From a distance, Charlotte saw an old man


    sporting a white beard in in clothes standing beneath arge tree. He was smoking a tobo pipe


    while looking into the distance.


    ¡°That''s Dr. Felch.¡± Mrs. Berry recognized him at first nce. ¡°He hasn''t changed one bit even after


    twenty years.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I still remember Dr. Felching to our house when I was young. He looked like now. Father


    joked about him being immortal because he never seemed to age.¡±


    Charlotte thought about her father and was hit by a pang of sorrow.


    When the car came to a halt, Dr. Felch immediately brought over his apprentice, Sam, to wee


    them. Looking Charlotte up and down, hemented, ¡°I haven''t seen you for more than ten years and


    you''re all grown up now.¡±


    ¡°Dr. Felch, do you still remember me?¡± Charlotte asked excitedly.


    ¡°Of course, I do.¡± Dr. Felch nodded continuously. ¡°You look just like your mother!¡±


    Charlotte was slightly caught off guard at the mention of her mother.


    ¡°Dr. Felch, what about me? Do you still remember me? I''m Mrs. Berry.¡± The older woman said


    enthusiastically, ¡°I came to visit you with Mr. Windt twenty years ago. Miss was only three years old


    then.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I remember.¡± Dr. Felch nodded with a smile and studied Mrs. Berry closely. ¡°You don''t seem to be


    in good health. Since you''re here, I''ll take a look and see what you need.¡±


    ¡°You are right. Thank you!¡± Mrs. Berry was immensely grateful.


    ¡°Come. Let''s go inside.¡± Dr. Felch''s kind smile made him seem like a long-lost rtive more than a


    doctor. ¡°How was your trip?¡± he asked.


    ¡°It was quite alright.¡±


    Mrs. Berry and Dr. Felch chatted all the way and soon, the group arrived at thetter''s house.


    The house was made out of bricks and white tiles with a small and quiet courtyard. There was a strong


    fragrance of herbal medicine throughout the entire ce. Various herbs were nted in the backyard,


    while a shady tree stood tall in the front yard. And beneath the tree were birds leisurely pecking the


    ground.


    A young girl wearing an apron over her floral jacket ran out from the kitchen with a spat in her hand.


    Seeing Charlotte and Mrs. Berry, she grinned broadly. ¡°My saviors are here!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Charlotte was bewildered.


    Dr. Felch introduced, ¡°This child was severely ill back then and needed a kidney transnt. It was your


    father would paid for her treatment. Later on, he provided for her education as well, so she''s always


    been grateful to your family.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I think my father has mentioned it before.¡±


    Charlotte only had a vague recollection as her father had helped many people when he was alive. This


    young girl and Olivia were among those people.


    ¡°Give me your hand.¡± Dr. Felch led Charlotte into the house, but wasn''t in a hurry to be a hospitable


    host yet. Instead, he took his profession very seriously and checked her condition first.


    Charlotteplied by extending her hand. Dr. Felch carefully examined herplexion, then checked


    her pulse and drew some blood before going to his homeboratory to run some tests on it.


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    ¡°Let me show you both to your rooms first.¡± The young girl then merrily introduced herself, ¡°My name is


    Hayley.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Hayley.¡±


    Charlotte and Mrs. Berry followed Hayley further into the house. Although it was of a ssic design and


    did not have the opulence of the city, it was clean, tidy, and one-of-a-kind.


    After Hayley made the bed for them and helped them with their suitcases, she was about to take them


    to the yard when Sam came over. ¡°Charlotte, Dr. Felch is asking for you.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Charlotte hurried to hisboratory with Mrs. Berry trailing closely behind.


    With a grave expression, Dr. Felch held out the vial of blood that had been tested. ¡°The poison in your


    body is too strong!¡±


    Charlotte''s heart almost stopped in her chest. As expected of a genius doctor. In such a short amount


    of time, he managed to determine that she had been poisoned.


    ¡°Dr. Felch, can she be cured?¡± Mrs. Berry asked anxiously.


    ¡°I can''t say for sure.¡± A crease formed between Dr. Felch''s brows. ¡°I rarely encounter such a powerful


    poison. I''ll need to study it to see if she can be cured. It may take some time.¡±


    ¡°How long will it take?¡± Charlotte''s heart was in her throat.


    ¡°This really depends on your luck. Perhaps it''ll take hours, maybe days, or months, or years. Or


    perhaps, it can never be cured...¡±

 Chapter 601

    Chapter 601


    Charlotte''s face drained of all color upon hearing this. Mrs. Berry had also turned pale with fright. ¡°That


    can''t be. Doesn''t that mean that Miss would...¡±


    ¡°Don''t fret.¡± Dr. Felch reassured, ¡°I only said maybe. ording to my experience, there should be hope


    still, but we must be patient.¡±


    ¡°That''s good to know.¡± Mrs. Berry''s voice sounded choked when she spoke. ¡°Dr. Felch, Mr. Windt is no


    longer with us and Miss is his only surviving child. You must cure her for his sake.¡±


    ¡°I will do my best.¡± Dr. Felch nodded. ¡°You need to be in a good frame of mind when you receive


    treatment. Rx and don''t think too much.¡±


    ¡°You''re right, Dr. Felch.¡± Charlotte was unusually calm. ¡°Mrs. Berry, let''s go outside. We shouldn''t


    disturb Dr. Felch.¡±


    Mrs. Berry nodded.


    ¡°Wait.¡± Dr. Felch handed Mrs. Berry a few pouches of herbal medicine. ¡°Her poison can''t be neutralized


    yet, but your illness can be treated. Drink one of these every day for ten to fourteen days. It will greatly


    improve your health.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure. Thank you so much, Dr. Felch.¡±


    Mrs. Berry took the medicine from him, pleasantly surprised that she herself had benefited from this


    trip.


    ¡°I''ll take you to brew the medicine.¡±


    Hayley led Mrs. Berry and Charlotte to the kitchen.


    A great sense of relief flooded Charlotte. If her poison couldn''t be neutralized, at least Mrs. Berry


    should receive treatment for her illness, so that this trip wouldn''t be in vain.


    While brewing the medicine for Mrs. Berry, Hayley cooked dinner at the same time.


    Dr. Felch brought Sam out and they sat around the stone table for dinner.


    The food Hayley cooked was delicious. Charlotte ate quite a lot, but her head started to hurt as blood


    trickled out of her nostrils.


    Knowing that it was the poison at work, she covered her nose and ran toward the bathroom.


    ¡°Miss...¡± Mrs. Berry hurried after her.


    A frown appeared on Dr. Felch''s face as he watched her retreating figure. He took a bottle of medicinal


    concoction and passed it to Hayley, telling her to bring it to Charlotte.


    In the bathroom, Charlotte was still struggling through the agonizing pain. After drinking the medicine,


    she passed out immediately.


    Mrs. Berry panicked and quickly called Dr. Felch.


    Dr. Felch simply said, ¡°Let her sleep for now. Letting her continue enduring the pain won''t help in


    finding the cure.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    Only then did Mrs. Berry understand. This medicine wasn''t to alleviate the pain, but to render her


    unconscious so that she wouldn''t feel any pain.


    Mrs. Berry and Hayley helped Charlotte wash up and change her clothes, then supported her to lie


    down on the bed.


    Then, Mrs. Berry stayed to guard her. Seeing how weak Charlotte looked made her heart break.


    Hayley brought some dessert to her, but she had lost her appetite.


    That night, Dr. Felch neither conducted additional examinations on Charlotte, nor prescribed her any


    medicine.


    Mrs. Berry, on the other hand, received acupuncture on top of drinking some herbal concoction.


    ...


    Meanwhile, Bruce and his men had lost Charlotte because of the brawl at the train station. After dealing


    with the attackers, they began inquiring about Charlotte''s whereabouts in Phoenix City.


    Bruce called Zachary to report, ¡°Someone was following Ms. Windt and tried to attack her, but our men


    intercepted in time. From what I could see, they were probably Ms. ckwood''s men.¡±


    ¡°Sharon?¡± Zachary''s frowned deeply. ¡°That woman really never learns.¡±


    ¡°Ms. ckwood was so close to marrying you, but then you kicked her to the curb, so she can''t ept


    it. Knowing her temperament, she wouldn''t take it lying down.¡± Bruce was never one to mince his


    words. ¡°Luckily, we were following Ms. Windt, or something would''ve happened to her at the train


    station.¡±


    ¡°We can''t let our guard down just yet. Find her as soon as possible,¡± Zachary instructed.


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Bruce replied. ¡°We''ve found some clues. If we''re not mistaken, Ms. Windt came here to look


    for a traditional medicine practitioner.¡±


    ¡°A traditional medicine practitioner?¡± Zachary''s frown deepened. Could Charlotte have some kind of


    hidden illness?


    ¡°The doctor seems to be an old friend of Mr. Windt''s. Maybe Ms. Windt brought Mrs. Berry to get


    treated here?¡± Bruce didn''t mull over it for too long. ¡°Anyway, I''ll continue searching. We''ll keep them


    safe.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±

 Chapter 602

    Chapter 602


    For the three days following, Charlotte had busied herself with gardening chores. Other times, she


    would help Hayley prepare meals in the kitchen.


    Her days were leisurely, albeit her treatment was behind schedule.


    Dr. Felch would extract some daily blood samples from Charlotte for testing. However, to everyone''s


    dismay, there was no breakthrough yet.


    In contrast to Mrs. Berry''s anxiousness, Charlotte was unusuallyid back.


    After all, there was nothing she could do.


    Hayley was a cheerful girl. She loved to hum a tune or two when doing her house chores. As such, it


    brought joy to the room whenever she was around.


    The scenic and secluded ce that Charlotte was in helped her feel more rxed during her treatment


    too.


    Mrs. Berry was rather impressed by Dr. Felch''s acupuncture treatment on her chronic health issues.


    She urged the doctor to expedite the antidote research for Charlotte.


    However, Dr. Felch would repeat the same answer each time he was asked, ¡°We can''t rush it. These


    things take time.¡±


    Mrs. Berry would then sigh and leave Dr. Felch in peace.


    Charlotte would talk to Zachary and the kids over the phone every night. The kids would share with her


    all the interesting things that happened at their kindergarten.


    Zachary chose to keep quiet about what Charlotte was up to. Thetter, too, had not mentioned the


    incident that she was stalked and ambushed. There wasn''t any mention of the bodyguards as well.


    The couple did a good job at keeping a tight lid on each other''s secrets.


    The toxins in Charlotte''s body would act up once every other day. When that happened, Dr. Felch


    would let her take the herbal medication. Charlotte would fall asleep after that and wake up feeling


    completely fine.


    They repeated the drill for another five days.


    On the ninth day, Sam came back with a bag full of herbal ingredients and put them inside Charlotte''s


    room before he hurried out to make preparations.


    While Charlotte tried to kill some time by tending to Hayley''s vegetable garden, thetter was bustling


    about in the kitchen, boiling pots after pots of hot water.


    Mrs. Berry, on the other hand, was preparing some herbal soup in the kitchen while stealing nces at


    Dr. Felch''sboratory every so often in anticipation of good news.


    Charlotte''s symptoms acted up again during dinner. Instead of giving her the usual herbal medicine, Dr.


    Felch asked Mrs. Berry to take Charlotte back to her room.


    When they returned to their bedroom, they found that Dr. Felch had prepared a herbal bath for her.


    Hayley started undressing Charlotte while she exined, ¡°I have prepared this on Dr. Felch''s order.


    Help me get her into the tub.¡±


    ¡°Is this part of the treatment?¡± Mrs. Berry asked.


    Hayley nodded. ¡°Quick, we need to immerse her body in it.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright.¡±


    After the two of them gently stripped Charlotte down, they settled her into the bathtub. After which,


    Hayley extracted her acupuncture needles and began sterilizing them.


    Outside the bedroom, Dr. Felch started giving verbal instructions to Hayley about which acupoints for


    the needles.


    Following Dr. Felch''s instructions, Hayley inserted a dozen of needles into Charlotte''s body.


    Soon after, purplish-ck toxic blood started flowing out slowly from the pressure point.


    ¡°It''s out! The poisonous blood is flowing out!¡± Mrs. Berry happily dered.


    In her stupor state, Charlotte could vaguely hear Mrs. Berry''s remark. She managed to curl her lips into


    a weak smile before falling unconscious.


    N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    ¡°Miss! Miss!¡± Mrs. Berry cried out anxiously.


    ¡°It''s normal for her to pass out in the beginning. She''ll get better in the next few days,¡± Dr. Felch


    reassured Mrs. Berry outside the bedroom. ¡°Is the blood purplish-ck in color?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Dr. Felch. The blood is flowing out from all the acupoints,¡± Hayley answered.


    ¡°That''s a good sign. It means the medicine is taking effect. Let''s boil some chicken soup for her


    tomorrow to speed up the healing process.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Atst, Charlotte''s treatment had taken a positive turn. They repeated the procedure for the next


    couple of days. Charlotte would fall asleep after the bath and wake up the next morning feeling


    refreshed with increased appetite.


    Mrs. Berry was thrilled to see the positive effects of the treatment on Charlotte.


    They now renewed their hopes that they could head back to the city soon after the treatment.


    However, Dr. Felch''s updated assessment had shattered their dreams when he said that they needed


    at least a month to clear Charlotte of all the poison in her body.

 Chapter 603

    Chapter 603


    We''ve been out here for ten days now. There''s no way I can keep up with the lie for that long before


    Zachary starts asking questions. I should probablye clean with him and don''t have to worry about


    staying here toplete the treatment.


    One evening, Hayley was getting ready the herbal bath and sterilized acupuncture needles for


    Charlotte. Dr. Felch was having a conversation with Sam outside the house before thetter headed


    out in a backpack.


    ¡°Where''s Sam going?¡± Charlotte asked.


    ¡°My herbal stock is almost out, so I''m getting Sam to replenish the supply from a nearby vige.¡± Dr.


    Felch looked up at the sky and muttered, ¡°Looks like it''s going to rain soon. Ah! Sam forgot to bring an


    umbre with him,¡± the man said while hurrying after Sam with an umbre.


    Charlotte went to help Mrs. Berry with the herbs organization when they heard a loud banging


    from outside.


    Before they could respond to it, a terrible wail could be hearding from the same direction.


    When Charlotte rushed to the front, she saw both Dr. Felch and Sam knocked down by a jeep. Sam


    managed to escape unscathed, but Dr. Felch was lying unconscious in a pool of blood.


    Hayley''s leg turned wobbly and fell to the ground, clearly shaken up by the event she just witnessed.


    ¡°Dr. Felch¡ª¡± Charlotte was about to dash over to Dr. Felch when she was stopped by a few men


    dressed in all ck as they attempted to drag her onto the jeep.


    ¡°Who are you? Let go of me!¡± Charlotte cried while struggling to break free.


    ¡°Keep your hands off her!¡± Mrs. Berry barked as she charged toward them with a broomstick in her


    hand. However, the elder woman had only taken a few steps before she was knocked down by one of


    the men.


    ¡°Mrs. Berry!¡± Charlotte was terrified.


    One of the men raised his hand to strike Charlotte when a dagger flew out from nowhere andnded


    right on his wrist.


    The man let out a loud growl before he dropped to the ground.


    The rest of the men from the jeep drew their weapons. But before they had a chance to fight, all of


    them were taken down by the Nacht family''s bodyguards.


    N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    ¡°Ms. Windt, are you alright?¡± Bruce asked anxiously.


    ¡°I''m fine. Call an ambnce. Quick!¡± Charlotte''s heart was pounding.


    ¡°Of course!¡±


    Unfortunately, Dr. Felch was the only doctor in the proximity. Although Sam and Hayley had some basic


    medical knowledge, they were not well versed enough to treat someone in a serious condition. Hence,


    all they could do before the arrival of the ambnce was to staunch the bleeding.


    Due to their rural location, the ambnce did not arrive until half an hourter.


    Charlotte and the rest hurried after the ambnce. Everyone was holding their breaths for the safety of


    Dr. Felch.


    The medical staff barely managed to save Dr. Felch''s life. But due to the inadequate equipment in the


    town hospital, he had to be transferred to a bigger hospital in the city.


    Charlotte had wanted to follow the transfer, but her body once again acted up, causing her to wince in


    pain as blood started to trickle down her nose. Charlotte covered her nose while walking away from the


    bodyguards.


    Nevertheless, she did not escape Bruce''s notice.


    One dayter, Charlotte woke up from a well-lit hospital room. A familiar face appeared before her


    blurry daze¡ªit was Raina.


    ¡°Dr. Langhan?¡± Charlotte gaped at her, doubting her own vision. ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    Instead of a verbal reply, Raina shifted her body to the side.


    As she did that, Zachary came into focus. He seemed to be engaging in a discussion with a few


    specialists a few steps away. Upon hearing Charlotte''s voice, the man tilted his head in her direction


    before asking the rest of them to leave the room.


    ¡°Zachary?¡± Charlotte panicked. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°I didn''t go anywhere. It''s you who havee back,¡± Zachary replied and sat down on the side of her


    bed. Cupping her face in his hands, the man continued to exin, ¡°The medical equipment in Phoenix


    City is far too outdated. I''ve also transferred Dr. Felch here.¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡± Charlotte''s heart fluttered, her mind raced. How much does he know? Am I still able to keep him


    in the dark about the fact that I was poisoned?

 Chapter 604

    Chapter 604


    ¡°I know what happened.¡± Zachary saved Charlotte from wondering. His brows furrowed in a knit as he


    questioned, ¡°Are you out of your mind? What makes you think that it''s okay to not only hide such a


    serious problem from me but also seek treatment by yourself?¡±


    Charlotte was momentarily disconcerted by the man''s fury.


    ¡°Why didn''t you tell me?¡± Still cupping her face, Zachary grunted the words through his gritted teeth,


    ¡°Did you think I can''t be of any help?¡±


    ¡°No¡ª¡± Charlotte shook her head fervently.


    ¡°Then tell me why?¡± The man was seething with frustration. ¡°Were you worried you''ll be a burden to


    me?¡±


    Still not saying a word, Charlotte continued to keep her head down.


    ¡°You''re a silly woman!¡± Zachary held her in his arms tightly and bit into Charlotte''s shoulder while doing


    so.


    ¡°It hurts!¡± Charlotte cried in pain.


    ¡°I meant it to! That''s how you''ll learn your lesson!¡±


    Zachary was feeling a mix of emotions¡ªhe was feeling angry, worried, and guilty all at the same time.


    ¡°There I was, thinking your nosebleed was due to libido indulgence. And every time you woke up in the


    middle of the night, it was because of the pain, not nightmares. Each time you had to suffer in silence in


    the washroom all by yourself...¡± With each word he uttered, it was as though a dagger had pierced


    through his heart.


    How could I not see that she was in so much pain? I''ll not forgive myself if anything happens to her!


    ¡°But I''m better now. You see, Dr. Felch has found an effective treatment for me.¡± It pained Charlotte to


    see Zachary ming himself for the condition she was in. ¡°I''ve felt a lot better after only a few days of


    treatment. I''m sure I''ll recover in no time if we continue the routine¡ª¡±


    ¡°Dr. Felch is still in critical condition right now.¡± Zachary cut her off mid-sentence. His voice turned


    solemn. ¡°He is badly injured. No one can guarantee when he wille to.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Charlotte''s eyes widened in astonishment.


    We''ve finally made some progress, and now this happened. Worst of all, Dr. Felch was dragged into


    this mess because of me!


    ¡°Why didn''t you let me know sooner?¡± Zachary''s voice was full of self-reproach. ¡°If I''d known earlier, I


    wouldn''t have let things like this happen to any of you.¡±


    ¡°I''m so sorry...¡± Charlotte, too, was guilt-ridden. ¡°Will Dr. Felch be okay? This is all my fault. And Sam...


    Is he¡ª¡±


    ¡°Sam is alright, apart from some minor scratches,¡± Raina exined carefully. ¡°Mrs. Berry and Hayley


    are doing fine also. Dr. Felch, on the other hand, is still being monitored in the ICU.


    Charlotte lowered her head like a deted balloon, feeling disheartened by the news.


    Dr. Felch is myst hope. Now that he''s lying unconscious in ICU, will I ever be cured?


    ¡°Don''t you worry,¡± Zachary reassured her in aforting voice. ¡°Regarding the poison in your body,


    Hayley says she is familiar with the acupoints and can continue her treatment for you. As for the herbs,


    Sam is also well aware of thebination. Together with Raina''s assistance, we''ll be able to resume


    the regimen soon.¡±


    ¡°Is that true?¡± Charlotte turned to Raina.


    ¡°Dr. Felch is still in critical condition right now.¡± Zachary cut her off mid-sentence. His voice turned


    solemn. ¡°He is badly injured. No one can guarantee when he wille to.¡±


    ¡°That''s right.¡± Raina nodded. ¡°I''ve asked someone to source all the necessary herbs. We''re well within


    schedule to start the procedures tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Thank you...¡± Charlotte finally heaved a short sigh of relief before she pleaded with Raina, ¡°Please,


    make sure you save Dr. Felch. I feel bad enough as it is.¡±


    ¡°That''s for sure. We have employed the best surgeons to look after him.¡± Raina''s expression was


    remorseful. ¡°I''m so sorry, Ms. Windt. When I did a full body check-up for you earlier, it didn''t cross my


    mind to do a blood test for you. It''s my carelessness thatnded you in this situation...¡±


    ¡°Damn right it''s your fault!¡± Zachary retorted.


    ¡°I''m really sorry. I''m willing to ept any punishment.¡± Raina lowered her head.


    ¡°It''s not her fault, Zachary. No one would have thought to check my blood for toxins at that time.¡±


    Charlotte tried to calm the man down. ¡°We have more urgent issues to settle right now.¡±


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    Zachary''s expression softened as he stroked her face gently. ¡°Alright. Rest up now. We''ll start tending


    to your illness tomorrow. You''ll be better soon.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± The woman nodded dutifully.


    ¡°Go to sleep.¡± Zachary put Charlotte to bed before leaving her room in quick steps.


    Once he stepped outside the ward, Zachary''s expression turned frosty as he ordered in a lowered


    voice, ¡°Gather the people. I have some scores to settle with the madwoman right now!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht...¡±


    ¡°I said, now!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Nacht!¡±

 Chapter 605

    Chapter 605


    Zachary arrived at Zara''s residence with a few dozen subordinates, only to find an empty building.


    Zara had already anticipated that her nephew would soon learn of what she did to Charlotte ande


    after her to seek revenge.


    She had already moved to a safe ce as soon as she caught wind that her n was exposed.


    Zachary was left fuming. The fact that one of his family members managed to anticipate his move


    made him grit his teeth in intense rage.


    You''re lucky you got away this time. But you can''t stay hidden for the rest of your life!


    As per schedule, Charlotte started receiving therapies the next day.


    Hayley executed Dr. Felch''s instructions to a tee in her acupuncture, but a smaller amount of toxic


    blood was discharged this time.


    Nheless, everyone agreed that as long as there was still poisonous blood in Charlotte''s body, they


    should soldier on.


    The lesser amount of blood might have been due to therge volume of it being let out before.


    Charlotte kept her chin up, feeling positive that she was on the right track to full recovery.


    After a full month of treatment, there was hardly any tinted blood from the acupoints, and Charlotte had


    stopped experiencing painful fits altogether.


    Zachary was thrilled and convinced that Charlotte had fully rid herself of the poison in her body.


    This morning, Zachary helped Charlotte check out from the hospital while informing her of another


    news, ¡°Guess what, Grandpa is also being discharged today.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht is fine now? That''s great!¡± Charlotte was overjoyed.


    ¡°His legs are not as flexible and agile as before, but his overall health has improved considerably. We


    just need to take better care of his diet.¡± Cupping her face in his hands, the man said softly, ¡°The kids


    have missed you.¡±


    ¡°I''ve missed them too.¡±


    Charlotte felt an instant pang of guilt in her chest. She had avoided her children during her stay in the


    hospital so they would not see the frail and haggard state she was in.


    But all is well now. I can finally see the kids tonight.


    ¡°Let''s go.¡± Zachary took her hand in his and was about to head out the door when Charlotte stopped


    him.


    ¡°Can I please visit Dr. Felch before we go?¡±


    Charlotte still felt apologetic for having involved Dr. Felch in this mess.


    ¡°Okay. I''ll go with you.¡± Zachary wrapped his hand around her shoulder and walked to Dr. Felch''s ward.


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    Hayley, Sam, and Mrs. Berry were also by Dr. Felch''s bedside.


    The mere presence of Zachary was enough to instill nervousness in Hayley and Sam. Hence Charlotte


    had him waiting outside the ward while she entered the ward.


    ¡°Miss.¡± Mrs. Berry walked up to Charlotte. ¡°I''ve finished packing. We can check out together.¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Berry, is your back okay?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht is fine now? That''s great!¡± Charlotte was overjoyed.


    Mrs. Berry had sustained a back injury when she attempted to free Charlotte from the kidnap. While


    Charlotte was receiving treatment in the hospital, so was Mrs. Berry.


    ¡°I''m alright. My back is fully recovered now,¡± Mrs. Berry said while stretching her back. ¡°I''m still taking


    the herbal medicine. It''s been really helpful.¡±


    ¡°That''s good to hear.¡± Charlotte nodded in relief and then turned to Hayley and Sam. ¡°Why don''t both of


    youe to stay with me? You can still visit Dr. Felch every day¡ª¡±


    ¡°I''m fine, Charlotte. I''ll stay here to watch over Dr. Felch,¡± Sam replied resolutely.


    ¡°Me too. I want to stay here to look after Dr. Felch.¡± Hayley, on the other hand, was still her cheerful


    self. ¡°Please go ahead without us, Charlotte. When Dr. Felch is well again, we will go visit you.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Knowing their close rtionships with Dr. Felch, Charlotte did not push. ¡°I''lle to visit Dr.


    Felch whenever I can. You can call me up anytime anythinges up, okay?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, we will.¡± Both of them nodded.


    ¡°Alright, I''ll get going.¡± Charlotte gave Hayley a hug and was about to leave with Mrs. Berry when Sam


    called out to her, ¡°Charlotte...¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± Charlotte turned to Sam.


    ¡°Take good care of yourself. And pleasee back to us if you feel any difort,¡± Sam reminded.


    After a moment''s hesitation, Charlotte replied to him with a smile, ¡°I will.¡±

 Chapter 606

    Chapter 606


    Charlotte still felt slightly unsettled after leaving the hospital. For some reason, her mind kept shing


    back Sam''s final reminder, causing her to think that there was still toxic residual in her blood.


    Even so, there was not much else she could do about it, considering Dr. Felch was still unconscious,


    and Hayley and Sam only knew so much about her condition.


    Dr. Felch did say it takes time to clear all the toxins from my body in stages. It could well be that the


    herbal bath and acupuncture were only the first two stages out of many. And he was attacked before he


    had a chance to implement them. I can only pray for myself and hope that Dr. Felch wille around


    soon so we can pick up where he left off.


    ¡°What''s wrong?¡± Sensing something was bothering her, Zachary held her in his arms. ¡°Are you still


    worried about Dr. Felch? I''ve arranged for the best surgeons to take care of him. Raina also reassured


    that he will slowlye around. He is, after all, no longer a young person, so his recovery is bound to


    take more time.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Charlotte nodded absent-mindedly.


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    ¡°Stop worrying,¡± Zachary said while rubbing her face yfully. ¡°You''re gonna have to gather yourself


    and want to look your best in the bridal dress. There are only seven days left for you to get ready. You


    surely don''t want to look like this in your bridal pictures.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Charlotte was stunned. ¡°What seven days?¡±


    ¡°Our wedding,¡± the man replied matter-of-factly. ¡°I''ve already announced publicly that we''ll get married


    on the ninth this month!¡±


    ¡°What? When? And why didn''t I know anything about it?¡± There were too many questions in Charlotte''s


    head. She was at a loss which one to ask first.


    ¡°I''ve made the announcement three days ago,¡± Zachary said while shing a gold-colored invitation


    card in front of her. ¡°I''ve also sent out all the invitation cards.¡±


    The woman was speechless for a moment as she tried to digest the information. ¡°Oh my gosh, we


    haven''t even had pre-wedding bridal photos taken, and you have already sent out all the invitations?¡±


    Charlotte frantically opened the invitation card, only to see a few simple lines of invitation without the


    usual bridal photo.


    ¡°Well, my initial n was to have a world-ss wedding ceremony with you. But on second thought,


    since you don''t like being high-profile, I''ve opted for a smaller celebration with a few close families,


    friends, and business partners. They all know me to be a low-key person, so I''m sure they won''t mind


    the missing bridal photo in the invitation cards.¡±


    Zachary continued to share his n for the wedding with Charlotte.


    ¡°However, we''re still going to take pre-wedding bridal shots. So, I''ve asked someone to prepare a yacht


    for our family of six to take some photos tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°You''ve even made arrangements for that? But tomorrow is Wednesday. Don''t the kids have school?¡±


    Charlotte flipped out a little.


    ¡°What? When? And why didn''t I know anything about it?¡± There were too many questions in Charlotte''s


    head. She was at a loss which one to ask first.


    ¡°It''s kindergarten, honey. I''m sure it''ll be okay for them to skip one day.¡± The corner of Zachary''s mouth


    curled up a little. ¡°They''ve already sent the invitation cards to their teachers and little friends while


    waiting for your return.¡±


    Oh dear God.


    Charlotte was experiencing the strange feeling of having to y the main character without knowing


    anything about her. ¡°What about your grandfather? Has he given us his blessing?¡±


    ¡°Well, the reason he rushed into discharging himself today was that he saw the invitation card.¡± The


    man pursed his lips. ¡°And he''ll be visiting us tonight to talking about the wedding.¡±


    Zachary had once again rendered Charlotte speechless by putting her on the spot. ¡°Oh my goodness,


    you''ve gone behind his back on this! What if he says no?¡±


    ¡°No one is going to change my mind about this.¡± Zachary''s voice took on a solemn tone. ¡°Not even


    him.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°Alright, now.¡± The man interrupted her speech and nted a kiss on her forehead. ¡°Let me worry


    about it. Right now, I want you to just focus on being the most beautiful bride in the world!¡±


    Charlotte was deeply moved by the man''s unwavering profession of love for her and decided to leave


    the matters in his hands. She stopped protesting and wrapped her hands tightly around his waist


    before burying her head in his chest, listening to the strong beats of his heart. ¡°Thank you.¡±

 Chapter 607

    Chapter 607


    Despite Zachary''s reassurance, Charlotte still could not help but feel anxious about meeting Henry.


    Charlotte recalled her first encounter with Henry. She was full of confidence and arrogance, absolutely


    sure of her resolve to not have anything to do with Zachary.


    But now, the tables had turned and she wanted to marry Zachary. Her love for Zachary had turned out


    to be her soft spot and Henry''s approval of her became a priority.


    ¡°Let''s get some rest.¡± Zachary was about to head upstairs with Charlotte when they heard a car pulling


    up just outside.


    N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    One of the bodyguards dashed to Zachary and reported, ¡°Mr. Nacht, Mr. Henry is here.¡±


    Instead of his own residence, Henry made his way here straight from the hospital. The fact that he had


    chosen a time before the children came home from kindergarten was a clear indication that he wanted


    to have a private conversation with both Zachary and Charlotte.


    Charlotte instantly grew nervous and at a loss of what to do next.


    ¡°Don''t worry. I''ll be by your side,¡± Zachary said while holding her hand and started walking toward the


    door.


    As though it was well-rehearsed many times before, all the bodyguards and maids swiftly formed two


    straight lines in front of the car. Mrs. Berry, who was unpacking in the room, also rushed out with the


    rest of them. Her expression grew grim the moment she was informed that the patriarch of the family


    had just arrived.


    So, this is the person whose blessing Miss will need to get for her to marry into the Nacht family.


    Zachary opened the passenger door and helped his grandfather step off the car while the bodyguards


    pushed a wheelchair over.


    Whilst helping Henry get into his wheelchair, Zachary noticed the elder man''s stiff legs and frowned.


    ¡°Your legs are still not fully recovered. They''ll need more time to heal properly.¡±


    ¡°I''ll heal better if you stop acting like a spoiled rascal!¡± Henry snapped.


    Zachary shrugged and started pushing Henry forward in silence.


    The patriarch lifted his piercing cold gaze at Charlotte who stood waiting at the door.


    ¡°Hi, Grandpa,¡± she greeted softly.


    ¡°It''s Mr. Henry!¡± Henry corrected Charlotte sternly while turning his face away. ¡°I have not epted you


    into my family.¡±


    Charlotte lowered her head, saying no more.


    Mrs. Berry, on the other hand, was about to reason with the elder man but was stopped by Charlotte.


    Zachary took one look at Charlotte and continued pushing Henry inside the house.


    ¡°When are the kidsing home?¡± Henry asked while checking his watch.


    ¡°Five o''clock.¡± Zachary understood his grandfather''s cue. ¡°Shall we proceed to the study room?¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± Henry replied in a dominant voice. ¡°Get her toe long.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Zachary said while shooting Charlotte a quick nce.


    Oh dear, here ites. As Charlotte marched behind Zachary, a protective Mrs. Berry wanted to follow


    suit but was once again stopped by Charlotte. ¡°Mrs. Berry, you must be tuckered out. Why don''t you go


    get some rest?¡±


    ¡°But Miss, the old man looks like he''s about to eat you up! I can''t let him do that to you.¡± The loyal


    housekeeper was concerned.


    Whilst helping Henry get into his wheelchair, Zachary noticed the elder man''s stiff legs and frowned.


    ¡°Your legs are still not fully recovered. They''ll need more time to heal properly.¡±


    ¡°Don''t you worry. Zachary has my back on this.¡± Charlotte let out a chuckle. ¡°Besides, Mr. Nacht loves


    the kids. I''m sure he won''t mistreat their mother.¡±


    ¡°That''s true.¡± Mrs. Berry nodded.


    ¡°Also, you haven''t seen the kids in a long while. When they''re backter, they''ll surely be roughhousing


    around. You''ll need to have enough energy to handle them,¡± Charlotte continued to persuade her.


    Mrs. Berry finally conceded. ¡°Okay then. I''ll go unpack now and take a nap. But you have to have some


    confidence in yourself. After all, you did give them three wonderful grandkids.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡± After seeing Mrs. Berry to her room, Charlotte arrived at the study room on the second floor.


    Zachary helped Henry getfortable on the sofa while Mrs. Rawlston set some tea and desserts on


    the coffee table before retreating from the room.


    Ben and Bruce guarded dutifully outside the room.


    Spencer stood quietly behind Henry, ready to cater to his boss''mands.


    Zachary had his hand wrapped around Charlotte''s shoulder while they were seated across from Henry.


    While Zachary sat casually with his legs crossed, Charlotte sat up straight, akin to a student sitting in


    the principal office.


    Henry took a few sips of the tea before he finally spoke, ¡°Am I dead to you now? Some nerves you


    have for sending out all the wedding invitations without first going through me!¡±

 Chapter 608

    Chapter 608


    ¡°I''m the one getting married, not you,¡± blurted Zachary.


    He noticed Henry''s gloomy expression and immediately switched over to a wry grin instead. ¡°That


    being said, we already have children. What else is there for you to disagree with?¡±


    Zachary knew that Henry''s weakness was the children.


    ¡°Don''t you dare use the children as a shield! I''m not buying into that argument!¡± shouted Henry in


    anger.


    Zachary curled his lip, unmoved. He busied himself with the freshly brewed tea and poured Charlotte a


    cup too.


    Charlotte took it but did not dare drink it. She only used the teacup to warm her mmy hands.


    ¡°If I don''t consent to this union, you can forget about getting married,¡± said Henry in a warning tone.


    ¡°Don''t think you can go around spreading your wings and behaving as if you can do as you please.¡±


    ¡°I still hold a majority of the Nacht Groups'' equity. If you disobey me, I''ll pull out of the group¡ªunless


    you''re fine with doing things alone.¡±


    ¡°You did build the Divine Corporation, but itprises only a small part of the Nacht Group''s assets.¡±


    ¡°Based on the assets of thatpany, the best you can do is topete on equal standing with the


    ckwoods. You''re nothingpared to your aunt, and the Lindbergs will be able to wipe you out in


    minutes.¡±


    These remarks that seemed to be directed at Zachary were actually meant for Charlotte.


    How could Zachary not realize something so obvious?


    He was fearless¡ªconfident in his own capabilities. He refused to believe that his grandfather would


    just cut off ties with him over something like this.


    Charlotte, on the other hand, did not want to risk it.


    Zachary was not the type to share his burdens with her, but she was notpletely unaware of his


    struggles.


    He was orphaned at an early age and was thrust into a devilish training regime at the age of six.


    Zachary was denied a childhood and grew up devoid of any entertainment or happiness.


    He was a genius, and a fountain of knowledge.


    The only thing that he knew was the pursuit of knowledge. Even when he grew into his teens and a


    man, Henry had tight control over his friendships or pursuits of romance. He only lived for one thing¡ª


    sess.


    Twenty-eight years of hard work had brought him to where he was. It should not be put on the line for


    Charlotte''s sake.


    ¡°Grandpa, don''t be angry...¡± came Charlotte''s hurried interjection. ¡°If you don''t agree, we''ll just drop it.


    ¡°Quiet.¡± Zachary red at her usingly. How could she so willingly discard everything he was going


    to put on the line for her?


    ¡°A wise man submits to circumstances,¡± said Henry coldly. ¡°You''re only interested in Zachary because


    he is the worldly, well-off man that he is today.¡± ¡±However, if he disobeys my will, he will lose everything.


    You will be left with nothing after that.¡±


    ¡°If you leave quietly, I''ll pay you handsomely for it. You''ll never need to worry about finances for the rest


    of your life. I think you know what''s best for you.¡±


    He was fearless¡ªconfident in his own capabilities. He refused to believe that his grandfather would


    just cut off ties with him over something like this.


    ¡°I think you''ve misunderstood, Grandpa.¡± Charlotte smiled bitterly at him. ¡°When I was with Zachary


    four years ago, I had no idea who he was. Call it dumb luck or serendipity, if you will.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you mean to say that you''re not with him for his wealth?¡± sneered Henry mockingly. ¡°Even if it was


    sheer dumb luck, it''s been four years since you''ve met again. You''re still insisting that you have no


    ulterior motives?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± said Charlotte matter-of-factly. ¡°We met under a different identity, four yearster. I didn''t know the


    man from four years back was Zachary as well. It might sound absurd, but it was not nned.¡±


    ¡°Isn''t that adorable.¡± Henry looked at her with scorn and disdain. ¡°Anyway, I refuse to agree to this


    marriage. Even if you''ve sent out invitations, it''ll be pointless. I only need to make one phone call, and


    your wedding will be called off.¡±


    ¡°Grandpa, I¡ª¡±


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    ¡°If you still acknowledge me as your grandpa then do as I say.¡± The old man did not give Zachary a


    chance to refute. ¡°I''ve said it once, and I''ll say it again. I refuse to ept this woman into our family!¡±


    ¡°And what about the children?¡± asked Zachary pointedly. ¡°Don''t you think they should be recognized as


    members of the family? Shouldn''t they carry the Nacht surname?¡±

 Chapter 609

    Chapter 609


    ¡°Of course, that''s a given.¡± Henry then turned to look at Charlotte. ¡°Name your price. In return for you


    letting the children be recognized by the Nachts, I will pay you any amount.¡±


    ¡°Grandpa, why do you have to insult me with your wealth?¡± Charlotte frowned and rubbed her sore


    temples. ¡°Zachary is their father anyway. I have no objection to them bearing his surname!¡±


    ¡°Good to know!¡± Henry smirked and looked at Zachary smugly. ¡°Did you hear that?¡±


    Zachary was speechless. This stupid woman is making things difficult. Is she only capable of sidelining


    me? It''s obvious that she sucks at negotiating.


    ¡°Well, stop bullying her just because she is agreeable!¡± Zachary sighed inwardly. He had no choice.


    This negotiation was between him and Henry since Charlotte was of no help at all. ¡°The census


    registration cannot be without Charlotte! The children need a mother!¡±


    ¡°The name of the mother matters very little. The father''s name is what bears the most weight.¡± Henry


    looked at Charlotte coldly. ¡°It would be beneficial to have the children raised among the Nacht family.


    Think about their future! If they stayed with you, there is no guarantee that they will have food on the


    table. They will be scorned for being raised by a single mother. If you really love them, you should


    consider this.¡±


    ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡± Charlotte was already being pushed to the brink. ¡°You want my children,


    but you don''t want their mother. Are you expecting me to just sign them away to you?¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Henry nodded sagely at Charlotte. ¡°Leave, and the children will stay. That''s precisely what I


    meant. You''ve given us three heirs, so the Nachts will not ill-treat you. I will fulfill any conditions you


    have.¡±


    ¡°You''re going too far!¡± roared Zachary, clearly enraged.


    ¡°Be quiet.¡± Henry red at him and addressed Charlotte again. ¡°Even if I were to ignore your


    background, do you think you''re a woman worthy of Zachary?¡±


    ¡°Zachary was a genius in STEM fields during his teens. By then, he''d already created his own tech


    group, built Divine Corporation''smercial branding from the ground up, and already managed more


    than thirtypanies under the Nacht Group.¡±


    ¡°On top of that, he''s fluent in eightnguages, has technical knowledge in various fields, and has


    doctorate degrees in three different subjects. In the future, he will inherit a fortune worth trillions.¡±


    ¡°Now, let''s talk about you.¡± ¡±You barely managed in a regr university. You don''t have outstanding


    talent, work capacity, nor are you good at entrepreneurship.¡±


    ¡°How are you going to marry into the family when you''re barely even touching mediocrity?¡±


    ¡°Zachary''s mother is a high-achiever with a doctorate from a prominent university. Her father is an


    Ustranian Duke, making him noble-born and of good character. Her marriage was optimal because


    both families would benefit from this union. Can you even begin topare yourself to her?¡±


    ¡°Let''s go back even further. Zachary''s grandmother was the only daughter of a shipping magnate, and


    she was a skilled entrepreneur herself. She helped me manage the businesses after we got married,


    and we owe our sesses to her efforts.¡± ¡±And you, what are you capable of?¡±


    N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    ¡°You can tickle a few keys on the piano, raise the kids... All of which are things that can be done by


    hiring a nanny. Why do we need you in the family at all?¡±


    ¡°You''re going too far!¡± roared Zachary, clearly enraged.


    Charlotte was rendered speechless by the man''s tirade.


    She was nurtured by her father''s loving care as a child and had learned quite a bit. While it was


    definitely not bad by ordinary standards, it was a far cry from the upbringing of the women who married


    into the Nacht family.


    All in all, she had never considered what it would take for her to marry into a prestigious family, but she


    finally understood.


    Given her current state, she was only fit enough to be one of the staff.


    ¡°That''s enough!¡± said Zachary, seething.


    ¡°Let me finish.¡±


    Again, Zachary was interrupted by Henry. He was not about to let him intervene.


    ¡°You are the mother of my great-grandchildren. Although I can''t let you marry into the family, I have no


    desire to hurt you. In fact, I am grateful that you have raised the children so well.¡±


    ¡°However, I think that it''s not unreasonable to think that marrying into considerable wealth and power is


    no easy feat. Large and wealthy families tend to beplicated.¡±


    ¡°As the heir to the Nacht family empire, Zachary will be the head of the family. This ces heavy


    burdens on his shoulders. If he has nobody capable to share those burdens with, it will not be an easy


    path to take in the future.¡±


    ¡°I won''t live for much longer. I can''t be watching over him all the time. I need to find someone who can


    do what needs to be done and help him, instead of hiding behind him all the time.¡±

 Chapter 610

    Chapter 610


    His words were domineering and aggressive in the beginning, but Henry finally let out the truth. It was


    emotional and within reason.


    Charlotte stood there in silence and began to reflect.


    Yes, this marriage would not be easy. Not only would I need to help Zachary, but I also need to


    consider whether or not I can adapt to such arge family and their ways.


    I think I can''t exactly offer him the assistance he needs. On the contrary, I''ll be both a hindrance and a


    burden.


    ¡°Think about it. Aren''t you only a stumbling block?¡± asked Henry again.


    Having noticed that Charlotte seemed to be weighing in on his words, he decided to continue.


    ¡°Because of you, Zachary has fallen out with the Sterlings, the Browns, as well as the ckwoods.


    He''s even at loggerheads with his aunt. You''re not even his spouse, and you''ve already caused so


    much trouble. What is going to happen in the future?¡±


    Charlotte could only lower her head in shame. She had caused a lot of trouble, and there was no


    denying that.


    ¡°I''m still alive. I can hold things back for the time being by using my influence to keep things calm. But


    who is going to help him after I''m gone? And what if the same thing happens again?¡±


    ¡°Alright, I''ve had enough!¡± Seeing Charlotte reduced to this, Zachary hurriedly stepped in to defend her.


    ¡°You''re one of the best psychological warfare experts the world has seen. If you''re going to be using


    such tactics, how is anyone even going to defend themselves?¡±N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    ¡°Am I wrong though?¡± Henry shot back and looked at Zachary. ¡°Did I fabricate anything? Or did I


    exaggerate things?¡±


    ¡°That''s irrelevant. I''m going to marry her anyway.¡±


    Zachary knew the old man too well. When he was younger, he was an expert negotiator who


    persuaded prisoners of war to surrender. He could even use psychological tactics to edge criminals to


    suicide. To Henry, Charlotte was scum. She had no room to fight back.


    ¡°Well, aren''t you just easy to deal with today!¡± Henry was already very annoyed. ¡°Do you think you''re


    still a child? You''re already a father! You have responsibilities! Why are you being so difficult?¡±


    ¡°You want to talk about reasoning with me?¡± retorted Zachary. ¡°Well, let me ask you then. If grandma


    was so good and so perfect, why did you end up marrying your mistress?¡±


    The old man was stunned, and the expression on his face was a mixture of indignance and rage. ¡°You


    little sh*t! What bullsh*t are you on about now?¡±


    ¡°Am I wrong?¡± asked Zachary. ¡°Based on what you just said, we need to have our qualifications sky


    high to be worthy of the Nacht family. So what was it about grandma that you didn''t like? You still ended


    up having an affair. You got yourself a mistress!¡±


    ¡°Am I wrong though?¡± Henry shot back and looked at Zachary. ¡°Did I fabricate anything? Or did I


    exaggerate things?¡±


    ¡°I told you to shut it!¡±


    At the age of ny-six, all of his dirtyundries were being exposed by his grandson and to outsiders


    at that.


    Henry''s face turned purple with rage. If not for his bad feet, he would have already lunged at Zachary


    ages ago.


    ¡°So that proves that you need to marry the woman you love!¡± retorted Zachary again. ¡°A loveless


    marriage, regardless of how perfect she is, is counter-productive. If you don''t love her, it''ll only cause


    problems that will leave asting impact on the family as well as the business.¡±


    ¡°Y-You brat...¡±


    The old man was so angry that he hit Zachary on the shin with his crutches.


    Zachary didn''t bother dodging the blow. ¡°After that, Grandma divorced you and nearly made you split


    up the family property. Did you forget how the whole incident made global headlines?¡±


    ¡°I told you to shut up!¡±


    Henry was near-delirious with anger. Shakily, he got up and rushed towards Zachary.


    Charlotte immediately snapped out of her daze. She had been stunned into silence by Henry, but


    Zachary had stepped in to defend her.


    However, both men made salient points.

 Chapter 611

    Chapter 611


    Love could conquer all obstacles to bring prosperity to a family.


    A loveless marriage would eventually lead to a split. Regardless of how good the foundation was,


    problems would eventually arise. This would lead to conflicts within the family that could affect other


    things like a career.


    ¡°Unfilial son, I will kill you!¡±


    The old man was furiously brandishing his crutches at Zachary. Another blow descended upon the


    latter.


    ¡°But how am I wrong?¡± queried Zachary. ¡°My father also married a good woman, ording to your will.


    And what happened in the end? Nothing good, I can tell you that.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Henry stopped his ministrations.


    The tragedy involving his son, Harrison, was indirectly caused by him. That was the greatest regret of


    his life. Henry forbade the very mention of it, but Zachary alone was not afraid to reopen closed


    wounds.


    The scars that hid endless amounts of grief and regret.


    In an instant, all traces of Henry''s initial arrogance disappeared. Instead, he fell back into his


    wheelchair dejectedly. ¡°I can''t deny that I caused that. But your father was stubborn, and he just had to


    fall in love with that Lindberg witch. What a tragedy that turned out to be.¡±


    Having said that, Henry looked up at Zachary. ¡°I just don''t want you to repeat his mistakes, so I''m just


    looking out for you, do you understand?¡±


    Zachary felt a pang of guilt when he saw how sad the admission made Henry. He knew that his father


    was Henry''s albatross and that it seemed cruel to use this against him like this.


    ¡°Anyway, I won''t allow this woman into this family.¡±


    Henry put his foot down and gestured at Spencer, who hurriedly wheeled him away.


    Zachary frowned at Henry''s retreating figure.


    Bruce lowered his head and opened the door for them.


    Spencer wheeled Henry out. Just then, the cheerful voices of the children could be heard from outside.


    ¡°Great-grandpa? There he is!¡±


    ¡°Hey, the children are back!¡±


    Hearing the children''s call, Henry immediately raised a smile, and the dark haze just disappeared.


    ¡°Great-grandpa, why are you here?¡± Jamie excitedly ran over. ¡°Daddy said mommy ising home


    today. Are you here to see her?¡±


    Henry was momentarily stunned, not knowing how to respond.


    He might have been one of the best psychological tacticians in the world, but all of that flew out the


    window when he faced his grandchildren.


    This child is too pure.


    ¡°Great-grandpa, Mrs. Berry made us a lot of delicious food. There is also the hot cross bunnies I used


    to talk about!¡± Ellie ran over from the table with two steaming buns in her hand and handed one to


    Henry. ¡°It''s still hot. Try it!¡±


    Zachary felt a pang of guilt when he saw how sad the admission made Henry. He knew that his father


    was Henry''s albatross and that it seemed cruel to use this against him like this.


    ¡°Oh, careful now! Don''t burn your little hands.¡±


    Henry quickly received the hot cross bunnies and blew the heat off her chubby hands.


    ¡°Great-grandpa, daddy said you are discharged from the hospital today. Are you feeling better?¡±


    Robbie walked over, his face etched with concern.


    ¡°I''m feeling much better.¡± Henry gently patted Robbie''s head and smiled. ¡°I hear that you recently


    helped your Daddy develop a new software?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it''s specially developed for kindergarten children.¡± Robbie chattered enthusiastically and


    immediatelyunched into all the details when talking to Henry. ¡°It''s a tracking software to prevent


    children from getting lost!¡±


    ¡°That''s wonderful news!¡± The old man was very happy. Seeing the three children, he felt that there was


    hope in the world. Henry could die then and be at peace, knowing that the Nacht family was in the


    hands of its capable heirs.


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    ¡°Mommy!¡± Just then, Ellie spotted Charlotteing out of the study and immediately ran towards her


    excitedly. ¡°I''ve missed you so much!¡±


    ¡°Mommy!¡±


    ¡°Mommy...¡±


    Robbie and Jamie were also equally excited and bolted towards their mother.


    Charlotte squatted down and gave the three children a tight squeeze. ¡°I''ve missed you too.¡±

 Chapter 612

    Chapter 612


    ¡°Mommy, you''ve lost weight,¡± said Ellie while cupping Charlotte''s face. ¡°Did you lose your appetite


    because I''m not around?¡±


    ¡°Yes. But I will have a good appetite now since you''re back.¡±


    Charlotte kissed her daughter''s chubby face. The woman had watery eyes though her lips were being


    curled into a gentle smile.


    ¡°Mommy, Mrs. Berry has made some fresh hot cross bunnies. I''ll go get you some.¡± With that, Jamie


    ran toward the kitchen.


    Seeing that, Charlotte asked, ¡°Has your leg recovered, Jamie?¡±


    Robbie was quick to answer then, ¡°Yes, Jamie has long recovered. His leg is now as good as new.


    Mommy, I helped Daddy develop a new software. He told me he will register a patent for me and name


    the software after my name.¡±


    ¡°Robbie, you''re amazing!¡± Overjoyed, Charlotte pulled the boy into her arms. ¡°I am very proud of you!¡±


    ¡°Mommy...¡± In her arms, Robbie''s eyes reddened. ¡°Can you not leave us anymore? We were scared


    that you were not going toe back.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. We actually nned on running away from home to find you at the hospital...¡± Ellie quickly


    covered her mouth. She regretted her words the moment they emerged.


    ¡°Running away! Running away from home!¡± Fifi repeated after Ellie while pping its wings, flying


    above Charlotte''s head.


    Charlotte was shocked. ¡°Running away from home? Don''t you guys ever think of doing something like


    that! I''m only staying in the hospital for treatment. See, now I''m back!¡±


    ¡°We can keep youpany and take care of you while you receive your treatment.¡± With his brows


    knitted, Robbie added sadly, ¡°You''re gone for a month, and we missed you so much!¡±


    Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    ¡°Mommy, you promised you will never leave us!¡± Ellie pouted, and she almost broke into tears. ¡°You


    broke your promise!¡±


    ¡°I...¡± Charlotte didn''t know how she could exin to her kids.


    ¡°Mommy, herees the hot cross bunnies!¡±


    Jamie appeared just in time. The boy trotted toward them while holding a te of hot cross bunnies.


    ¡°Hot cross bunnies! Hot cross bunnies!¡± Fifi flew toward Jamie the moment it saw the food he was


    holding.


    ¡°Fifi, stop! Let Mommy eat first.¡± Jamie shooed Fifi away and then brought Charlotte the hot cross


    bunnies. ¡°Mommy, you should eat more!¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Jamie.¡± Charlotte caressed the boy''s head affectionately before she enjoyed the food with the


    little ones.


    Meanwhile, Henry couldn''t help furrowing his brows. Although he had long known that the kids shared


    a strong bond with their mother, still, he couldn''t help feeling touched seeing their loving interaction.


    To prevent himself from going soft, Henry retrieved his gaze and signaled Spencer to wheel him out.


    ¡°We can keep youpany and take care of you while you receive your treatment.¡± With his brows


    knitted, Robbie added sadly, ¡°You''re gone for a month, and we missed you so much!¡±


    ¡°Grandpa, are you leaving?¡± Zachary came up to him. ¡°Why don''t you stay and have dinner with us?¡±


    Henry pulled a long face at that. Without even sparing a nce at Zachary, he said coldly, ¡°I''m leaving


    now.¡±


    ¡°Great-grandpa is leaving. Go, walk him to the door,¡± Charlotte reminded the kids.


    ¡°Great-grandpa, you''re leaving now?¡±


    The kids immediately rushed up to Henry to persuade him to stay.


    Holding Henry''s hand, Ellie gave her great-grandpa the puppy eyes. ¡°Great-grandpa, don''t leave just


    yet. Stay and have dinner with us.¡±


    The little girl''s sweet voice could melt anyone''s heart.


    Instantly, Henry''s expression softened as he stered a genial smile on his face. ¡°Ellie, I''m going home


    now. I''ll bring you little ones to eat out next time.¡±


    Ellie swayed his hand from side to side. ¡°But I want you to stay...¡±


    Jamie, too, coaxed him into staying, ¡±Great-grandpa, have dinner with us. Mrs. Berry cooks delicious


    food.¡± Then, he did a few straight punches and said, ¡°After dinner, you can y with us in the garden.


    My leg has recovered, and I can show you some martial arts techniques.¡±


    Then, Robbie held Henry''s other hand while he reminded, ¡°Great-grandpa, didn''t you say you want to


    have a look at my new software? I can show you after dinner.¡±

 Chapter 613

    Chapter 613


    Henry wavered as it was hard for him to resist the temptation of spending more time with the kids. Just


    then, Fifi flew toward him and squawked, ¡°Stay! Stay!¡±


    ¡°See, now even Fifi wants you to stay!¡± Ellie beckoned to Fifi. ¡°Fifi,e here. Call Great-grandpa!¡±


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    Fifi repeated after Ellie, ¡°Great-grandpa! Great-grandpa!¡±


    ¡°Haha!¡± Henry gave a heartyugh. ¡°Fine, I''ll stay for dinner.¡±


    Having forgotten that she was holding Fifi in her arms, Ellie raised her hands in the air and cheered,


    ¡°Hooray!¡±


    As a result, Fifi fell into Henry''s arms. Its head was spinning as it rolled its eyes, squawking, ¡°I''m drunk!


    I''m drunk!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha...¡±


    All of them burst into gales ofughter, amused by Fifi''s cute reaction.


    As for Zachary, the man was smiling like a Cheshire cat. He knew his grandpa couldn''t say no to the


    kids.


    Soon after, Ben hurried to the kitchen to have Mrs. Rawlston prepare some of Henry''s favorite dishes.


    Mrs. Rawlston whispered at him, ¡°I''ve already had them on the menu. Mr. Zachary told me Mr. Nacht


    would stay for dinner.¡±


    Ben gave his forehead a p. ¡°Ah, I should be more mindful next time.¡±


    In the meantime, Zachary was talking to the kids, ¡°You guys can y with great-grandpa first. Dinner


    will be ready in half an hour.¡±


    The kids answered, ¡°Okay, daddy!¡±


    Robbie was thoughtful enough to say, ¡°Daddy, you and mommy can get changed and get some rest


    before we have dinner.¡±


    ¡°That''s right! Mommy looks tired.¡± Ellie blew her mother a kiss. ¡°Mommy, go get some rest.¡±


    Jamie tilted his head and reminded, ¡°Mommy, remember to eat the hot cross bunnies before they get


    cold.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡± Charlotte grabbed two hot cross bunnies before she went upstairs with Zachary.


    Henry cast a nce at the two ascending the stairs. Then, he started ying with the kids in the living


    room. ¡°Jamie,e, show me your martial arts moves. I''ve never seen them before.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Jamie held the hot cross bunnies with his teeth and then did a few flips. After that, he demonstrated


    some strikes and punches.


    His moves were inch-perfect and swift, just like his father when he was young.


    Feeling d, Henryplimented, ¡°Jamie, you''re really good at it.¡±


    ¡°Great-grandpa...¡± Jamie''s hot cross bunnies dropped the moment he opened his mouth. In the blink of


    an eye, Fifi took a plunge in the air and snatched the bun. Jamie immediately went after him, yelling,


    ¡°Fifi! Give me back my hot cross bunny!¡±


    The kids answered, ¡°Okay, daddy!¡±


    Robbie was thoughtful enough to say, ¡°Daddy, you and mommy can get changed and get some rest


    before we have dinner.¡±


    Having learned from Jamie''s mistake, the clever Fifi knew it shouldn''t open its mouth. It flew around in


    the living room in circles before flying out of the window.


    ¡°You naughty Fifi!¡± Jamie ran out the door, hopping up and down to catch the parrot.


    ¡°Stop chasing Fifi!¡± Robbie called out from behind, ¡°Jamie,e back!¡±


    ¡°Boys are indeed childish.¡± Ellie held her head high, pouting.


    Hearing her remark, Henry, Spencer and the others burst intoughter.


    Standing behind Henry, Spencer spoke up, ¡°Oh, how wonderful it is to have the whole family gather


    around, spending some lovely family moments together!¡±


    Henry''sughter died away after hearing Spencer''s words. For a moment, he seemed to be deep in his


    thought. After some time, he returned to his senses and then beckoned Robbie over. ¡°Robbie, show me


    your software.¡±


    Robbie brought his tablet and clicked into the software he designed. ¡°Great-grandpa, this software is


    specifically for kids under the age of six. Once the parents save their kids'' fingerprints, they can easily


    track their location. If a kid gets lost, or if there are any emergencies, the system will immediately issue


    an alert and send the kid''s location to the parents'' device.¡±

 Chapter 614

    Chapter 614


    ¡°That''s wonderful. Let me have a look!¡±


    Henry started inspecting the software for any ws. In the end, he realized it was a mature piece of


    software. Its data encryption wasprehensive, and every aspect of the software was being taken


    care of in detail.


    Although Robbie''s software was iparable to other high-tech software, it was still impressive that a


    three-and-a-half-year-old boy coulde up with such well-developed software.


    ¡°Daddy said he will register a patent for me. This software will be named after me as Robbie. The


    marketing department will put it into testing before marketing it.¡± Feeling proud, Robbie held his head


    high. ¡°Daddy also promised me that the profits made will go into my bank ount. I can use the money


    whenever I want.¡±


    ¡°You''re amazing!¡± Henry patted Robbie''s head while he remarked, ¡°Now that''s the child from the Nacht


    family!¡±


    While tapping on the tablet, Robbie stated, ¡°Actually, I need to thank Mommy. She was the one who


    inspired me to develop this software. Back then, she gave me a lot of useful suggestions when I told


    her about my idea. It was only until we reunited with Daddy that I have the opportunity to turn my idea


    into reality.¡±


    Henry paid attention as Robbie was talking. He must admit that Charlotte was indeed a good mother.


    Although she was of humble birth, she had a positive influence on the kids.


    Yet, that alone couldn''t buy her the ticket into the Nacht family. She needed more than that to marry


    into the Nacht family.


    Just then, Ellie asked meekly, ¡°Great-grandpa, I''m not as clever as Robbie, and I don''t know martial


    arts as Jamie does. Will you still like me?¡±


    The little girl wrung her hands unwittingly, nervously waiting for Henry''s answer.


    ¡°Oh, of course, I will love our little Ellie.¡± Henry hugged the little girl. With his eyes full of affection, he


    reassured her, ¡°You are the cutest angel¡ªour little princess. You need not know how to develop


    software or do martial arts like your brothers. You need only to be happy.¡±


    Ellie tilted her head while asking innocently, ¡°You won''t hate me even if I still don''t know a lot when I


    grow up?¡±


    Smiling gently, Henry uttered, ¡°Of course not! You are the Nacht family''s precious little princess. All I


    hope is that you can live a happy life and always be healthy.¡±


    ¡°Then I don''t need to worry anymore.¡± Ellie patted her chest in relief, and a bright smile appeared on


    her face.


    ¡°Well, our grandpa told mommy the same thing as well. He only wanted mommy to be happy. Now that


    mommy has daddy and us, I think grandpa''s wish hase true. Great-grandpa, I am happy to be with


    mommy and daddy.¡±


    Yet, that alone couldn''t buy her the ticket into the Nacht family. She needed more than that to marry


    into the Nacht family.


    N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    Henry was left dazed as Ellie''s words made him realize that Charlotte was also someone else''s


    precious little princess, just like Ellie was to him. When he looked down upon Charlotte because of her


    family background, he seemed to have forgotten that the youngdy didn''t deserve to be treated that


    way.


    Just then, Mrs. Rawlston showed up in the living room. ¡°Mr. Nacht, dinner is ready!¡±


    Her voice brought Henry back to his senses. Thetter nodded absent-mindedly. ¡°Mm.¡±


    ¡°I''ll go and call daddy and mommy!¡± Ellie trotted upstairs in cheerful steps.


    ¡°Great-grandpa, let''s go and wash our hands.¡± Robbie ced the tablet aside and then wheeled Henry


    to the washroom.


    Spencer offered to help, ¡°Mr. Robinson, let me take over. I''m afraid the wheelchair is too heavy for you


    and that you might identally hurt your feet.¡±


    Yet, Robbie looked up at him and uttered seriously, ¡°Mr. Spencer, although I''m still a kid, I can do what


    adults can do, and I can understand a lot of things that the adults know.¡±


    Henry was proud of the little boy. He concurred with him, ¡°That''s true! Robbie is the cleverest kid I''ve


    ever seen.¡±


    Spencer nodded in agreement. ¡°Mr. Robinson is a genius, just like his father.¡±

 Chapter 615

    Chapter 615


    In the washroom, Robbie turned on the tap and helped Henry wash his hands.


    Thetter''s eyes reddened. He was touched at the sight of Robbie''s little hands rubbing his wrinkled


    hands. As he grew older, the younger generations in the family would soon grow up and nourish the


    next generation, just like he did.


    Robbie asked casually, ¡°Great-grandpa, do you still remember about your mother?¡±


    Henry seemed surprised by his question. Looking into the distance, he started recalling about his


    mother. ¡°Of course, I remember about her. She''s a great woman. Although shees from a peasant


    family and is not well educated, she is kind and hard-working.¡±


    Robbie turned off the tap. ¡°Great-grandpa, I believe your mother must be a great woman to raise an


    honorable man like you, just like how my mommy is.¡±


    Henry was thrown off bnce when Robbie suddenly mentioned Charlotte. He realized his great-


    grandchild had led him by the nose the moment he brought up this conversation.


    Robbie helped wipe Henry''s hand dry with a towel. With a smile, he spoke up, ¡°My mother might not be


    clever, and she is definitely not a sessful career woman.


    ¡°She is careless and forgetful. Sometimes, she would forget to season her cooking, or she would forget


    to put detergent into the washing machine. She doesn''t even understand my research.


    ¡°Her hot cross bunnies actually taste awful, but Jamie and Ellie would always finish them. Well, to us,


    it''s really awful, but we neverin about it.


    ¡°My mommy is in no way perfect, but she risked her life to give birth to us. She spends all her time and


    energy taking care of us.


    ¡°When we are in danger, she would always be there to protect us.


    ¡°She took up several part-time jobs to earn a living to send us to the best kindergarten, yet she was


    reluctant to spend even a single penny on new clothes for herself.


    ¡°When she got bullied and injured, she would hide her injury from us. But when we got bullied, she


    would put on a brave front to argue with the bully''s parents. She would do anything to defend our


    dignity and protect our safety.


    ¡°To us, she is the best mother in the world. Although it was a rough time, we were happy living together.


    At times, we would be bullied by the kids from rich families, but we believe we could ovee any


    hardship as long as we were together.¡±


    At this point, Robbie looked at his great-grandpa through teary eyes. After a short pause, he went on


    by saying, ¡°We will go wherever mommy goes, even if that means we can''t be a Nacht family member.


    As long as we can be with mommy, we don''t care if we can no longer stay in a beautiful house, or go to


    school in a luxury car, or even lose our daddy.¡±


    ¡°Her hot cross bunnies actually taste awful, but Jamie and Ellie would always finish them. Well, to us,


    it''s really awful, but we neverin about it.


    Henry was visibly panicked. ¡°Oh, you silly Robbie, who taught you these? You''re still young, and you


    don''t understand about the adult''s affairs.¡±


    Robbie said seriously, ¡°No one taught me that. That''s my genuine thought. I know you don''t agree with


    daddy marrying mommy and that you''ve found Daddy another woman as his future wife. I saw that


    woman before. She is very mean, and she even scared Ellie to tears. We don''t like her. In fact, even if


    you find daddy another kind woman, we won''t like her either. To us, mommy is irreceable. If mommy


    leaves, we are not staying as well.¡±


    Seeing the boy''s resolution, Henry gabbled in a panic, ¡°Robbie, you are a member of the Nacht family.


    No one asks you to leave. This is between the adults, and it has nothing to do with you. Don''t think too


    much, okay?¡±


    ¡°But Great-grandpa...¡±


    Just then, Mrs. Berry''s voice and the sound of her footsteps rang out. ¡°Robbie, Jamie, Ellie, it''s time for


    dinner!¡±


    Robbie stopped talking. He then wheeled Henry out of the washroom.


    In the meantime, Zachary and Charlotte were seen walking downstairs. Thetter ordered, ¡°Robbie,


    Jamie, Ellie, wash your hands!¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    As soon as the kids were no longer in sight, Henry shot daggers at Zachary before he left the house.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

 Chapter 616

    Chapter 616


    Charlotte was confused. Everything was fine earlier, and Henry even agreed to stay for dinner. Why is


    he suddenly angry?


    ¡°Don''t bother. Let''s eat now.¡± Zachary made her sit at the dining table before he went to send Henry off.


    ¡°Where is great-grandpa?¡± asked the kids after they came out of the washroom.


    Charlotte was unwilling to lie to them, so she answered frankly, ¡°Your great-grandpa has just left.¡±


    ¡°I thought he is going to stay for dinner? Why did he leave?¡± With his brows knotted, Jamie asked


    worriedly, ¡°Did he leave because I went to chase after Fifi when I was performing martial arts?¡±


    ¡°Great-grandpa''s car is still outside!¡± Ellie ran out of the house.


    Jamie and Fifi followed suit.


    Robbie, on the other hand, remained seated while calmly drinking water.


    ¡°All of them have gone after your great-grandpa. Why didn''t you join them?¡± Charlotte asked curiously.


    ¡°If great-grandpa wanted to leave, he must have his own reason.¡± Robbie handed a small bunch of


    grapes to his mother. ¡°Mommy, the grapes are sweet and juicy. Have some.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Robbie.¡± Charlotte took the grapes. After some hesitation, she asked, ¡°Robbie, did you say


    something to your great-grandpa?¡±


    Robbie wasposed. ¡°We have a few words. I just wanted to protect mommy.¡±


    Hearing that, Charlotte''s heart tightened. She knew her son well. Robbie was more mature and


    cleverer than his peers. Thus, most probably, he knew all that was going on between her and Henry.


    If that was so, it was not surprising that he would do something out of the ordinary.


    Charlotte suddenly thought of Timothy, the boy who suffered a great deal because of the toxic


    rtionship between his parents. The enmity between the two families had eventually caused the


    three-year-old boy to go to the extremes when he stabbed Helena with a pair of scissors.


    She wouldn''t want to see Robbie be the next Timothy.


    Holding Robbie''s hands in hers, she said, ¡°Robbie, this is between the adults, and it has nothing to do


    with you. Don''t think too much, alright?¡±


    ¡°I didn''t, and I won''t meddle in it. Don''t worry, Mommy,¡± Robbieforted his mother, ¡°I know what I''m


    doing.¡±


    Charlotte was at a loss for words.


    Right then, Jamie and Ellie were back. The two were still sulking over their great-grandpa, who


    suddenly left.


    ¡°Hmph! Great-grandpa didn''t keep his promise!¡±


    ¡°We''re not sharing hot cross bunnies with him next time.¡±


    ¡°Yeah! We''re not sharing with him!¡±


    ¡°That''s it! Let''s eat!¡± Zachary picked the kids up and put them in their junior chair. Then, he asked Mrs.


    Rawlston to serve dinner.


    ¡°Daddy, mommy, Mrs. Berry, let''s dig in!¡±N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    The presence of the kids in the house would always liven up the atmosphere. Including Fifi, there


    seemed to be four children in the house.


    If that was so, it was not surprising that he would do something out of the ordinary.


    The dining hall was filled with the kids''ughter and jovial chatter. Charlotte soon cast her worries


    away. The heartfelt smile never left her face as she enjoyed dinner with them.


    As for Mrs. Berry, she hadn''t seen the kids for a long time. Throughout the dinner, she was busy filling


    the kids'' tes with food.


    The whole family had wonderful dinnertime together.


    After dinner, Zachary and Charlotte took a walk in the garden with the kids.


    As the cool evening breeze blew, Zachary wrapped his coat around Charlotte and his arm around her


    shoulder. Sitting on the bench, the two watched the kids as they yed. The contentment and


    blissfulness brought about by the lovely family moment brought smiles to their faces.


    ¡°If only we can live a simple yet happy life like this forever,¡± Charlotte said, ¡°with the whole family


    staying together, and we will apany the kids as they grow up.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we will.¡± Zachary was optimistic about the future. ¡°Don''t worry. Grandpa will eventually give his


    blessing.¡±


    ¡°How are you so optimistic?¡± Charlotte stered a bitter smile on her face. ¡°He was angry when he left


    just now. I don''t think he will agree to us marrying.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Charlotte, you''re such a pessimist!¡± The man ran his fingers through her hair. ¡°Trust me, grandpa


    will agree for the sake of the kids.¡±

 Chapter 617

    Chapter 617


    Charlotte fell into silence. Still, she was not too optimistic about it. One of the reasons being Henry''s


    unfriendly attitude toward her, while the other reason was what Sam told her earlier that day.


    It felt like Sam was hinting at something. Inexplicably, she had a bad feeling about it. Is he trying to tell


    me that there is still toxic residual in my blood?


    ¡°What''s wrong?¡± asked Zachary. ¡°You look bothered.¡±


    ¡°Nothing. I couldn''t be happier right now.¡± She leaned against his shoulder. ¡°Perhaps it''s normal for


    every woman to be anxious before their wedding.¡±


    ¡°You silly girl.¡± Zachary caressed her hair. ¡°Put your mind at ease and leave everything to me. You are


    going to be the happiest bride ever.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± She nodded smilingly.


    ¡°You must be tired now, and you should sleep early tonight. Tomorrow is going to be a long day as we


    need to take our wedding photos at the seaside.¡±


    ¡°Aright then.¡± Charlotte wrapped the coat tighter around her. ¡°I''ll go to bed now while you stay with the


    kids. Come join meter.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Zachary gestured to the maid to help Charlotte into the house.


    His smile gradually disappeared as her figure vanished from sight. He then beckoned Bruce over and


    asked, ¡°How''s Dr. Felch?¡±


    ¡°He''s still unconscious,¡± Bruce replied. ¡°Raina has invited a group of specialists from overseas to treat


    Dr. Felch. His vital signs are stable, yet there is no sign of him waking up.¡±


    Zachary furrowed his brows. After a while, he asked, ¡°Have you found that crazy woman?¡±


    ¡°Not yet.¡± Bruce lowered his head, embarrassed with his ipetency. ¡°It seems like she is


    deliberately hiding from us. We can''t find her anywhere.¡±


    ¡°Use all resources to search for her. I don''t believe she can hide forever.¡±


    Zachary felt fury rose within him when he recalled what Zara had done.


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Nacht.¡± Bruce nodded.


    Zachary then dismissed him.


    He was in an agitated state. He knew well that although Charlotte seemed to look fine, her life was at


    risk. The toxins in her body were like a ticking bomb that could explode anytime.


    It was a race against time. He had invited a top-notch medical team to treat Dr. Felch, and at the same


    time, he had ordered his men to track Zara down. He was still clinging to the hope that Zara had an


    antidote.


    He would find the cure for Charlotte at all costs.


    In fact, he did all this without Charlotte''s knowledge so that she wouldn''t feel burdened.


    He hoped she could be a carefree and happy bride.


    ¡°He''s still unconscious,¡± Bruce replied. ¡°Raina has invited a group of specialists from overseas to treat


    Dr. Felch. His vital signs are stable, yet there is no sign of him waking up.¡±


    ¡°Daddy! Watch out!¡±


    All of a sudden, a basketball came flying in his direction. Zachary reacted swiftly in catching the ball


    and tossed it back to the kids.


    ¡°Thank you, daddy.¡±


    The kids continued with their basketball game. Although both Robbie and Elliecked in stature and


    were a little clumsy, they greatly enjoyed themselves.


    As for Jamie, that boy was gifted with athleticism. He was a fast learner when it came to sports.


    Ellie, on the other hand, preferred arts. The little girl had mastered singing, dancing, drawing, and piano


    at a young age. Nevertheless, she was not good at studying, just like her mother.


    The sight of his kids ying happily in the garden dispelled Zachary''s gloominess. He was never afraid


    of challenges, and he always believed there was no problem unsolvable.


    Soon, the clouds blotted out the sunlight; it was about to rain.


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    Both Mrs. Rawlston and Mrs. Berry were worried that the kids might get wet, so they urged them to


    come into the house.


    Yet, Zachary halted them. ¡°Let the kids y. The Nachts are strong and tough. They are not afraid of


    the rain.¡±


    ¡°Daddy is right!¡± Jamie cheered as he continued with the ball game.

 Chapter 618

    Chapter 618


    Robbie and Jamie were now ying ser. The clumsy Ellie was also trying hard to keep up with his


    brothers.


    Fifi was cheering for them on the basketball hoop, ¡°Come on! Come on!¡±


    Standing by the window, Charlotte was d to see the kids having fun outside. Zachary and the kids


    are brave in the face of challenges. How can I wimp out? I should be confident and face all challenges


    with them!


    Hope reignited in Charlotte as she gained strength from her family.


    When Zachary was back in the bedroom, Charlotte was already fast asleep. Thetter always felt tired


    and sleepy recently.


    Initially, he thought she was pregnant. Later, the doctors found out that Charlotte''s condition was


    caused by the toxins in her body.


    Zachary took off his coat and wiped his hair with a towel before he went to sit on the bed. Fixing his


    eyes on the sleeping Charlotte, he gently caressed her cheeks.


    She was in a deep slumber like a sleeping beauty.


    She didn''t even stir in her sleep at his touch.


    Zachary gave her a light peck on the forehead. Just as he was about to leave for the washroom,


    Charlotte wrapped her arms around his waist from behind and leaned her body against his.


    ¡°You''re up?¡± He turned around and rustled her hair.


    ¡°Mm. You woke me up.¡±


    With that, Charlotte clung to the man''s body while her hand started unbuttoning his shirt.


    ¡°Why are you so passionate today?¡± Zachary was surprised when she gave him thee-on. Cupping


    her face, he asked, ¡°Is there something wrong with you?¡±


    Charlotte''s face flushed. ¡°You''re so annoying! Do you want it or not?¡±


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    ¡°Of course I do!¡± With that, the man climbed on top of her and pinned her hands. He nted kisses all


    over her face, from her forehead to her lips and her earlobe. ¡°Oh, you''re driving me crazy.¡±


    A moan escaped from Charlotte''s lips. ¡°I''m d to hear that.¡±


    She wrapped her legs around his waist. At that moment, all she wanted to do was to reward him with


    her passion.


    Back then, she always thought of Zachary as a temperamental person. It was only until then that she


    realized how affectionate and perfect a man he was.


    He was like a sturdy tree, shielding her and the kids from the storm. He would ovee all difficulties


    so that the whole family could stay together.


    How could she not love him?


    It was still raining outside, yet the temperature in the room rose as the two''s passions filled the space.


    Meanwhile, Henry couldn''t seem to sleep that night. He was sitting in his wheelchair, staring nkly at


    the storm outside.


    Spencer was attentive enough to replenish Henry''s teacup when the tea turned cold though thetter


    had not taken a sip of it.


    He was worried as Henry had sat there doing nothing for a long time. ¡°Mr. Nacht, you didn''t eat much


    during dinner. Why don''t I get the maid to cook something for you?¡±


    Charlotte''s face flushed. ¡°You''re so annoying! Do you want it or not?¡±


    ¡°There is no need,¡± Henry rejected. After a while, he spoke up, ¡°I won''t change my mind because of


    that cheeky rascal, but after having that conversation with Robbie...¡± At that point, he let out a sigh.


    Hearing that, Spencer said understandingly, ¡°Mr. Robinson is indeed different from other kids. He is


    smarter and emotionally more intelligent than his father at his age.¡±


    ¡°That''s true.¡± Henry nodded in agreement.


    Then, he uttered, ¡°After all, that cheeky rascal lost his parents since he was young. At that time, I was


    too busy with the family business that I never really spent time with him. His childhood was full of


    tedious training. Growing up without much family love, he is rtively weak when ites to


    interacting with other people.


    ¡°Robbie, on the other hand, is different. His mother and Mrs. Berry sure have taken good care of them.¡±


    Spencer couldn''t agree more with Henry. ¡°That''s why his words could easily touch your heart. I was


    shocked as well that a kid at his age would say something like that. Yet, I believe it is Mr. Robinson''s


    genuine thought.


    ¡°Since Mr. Zachary is not a sentimental person, I suppose he didn''t teach Mr. Robinson that. As for Ms.


    Windt, she went to meet you as soon as she came back, and she didn''t have the time to even talk to


    Mr. Robinson. Besides, she looked like an artless person. It doesn''t seem to me that she would teach


    her child to say something like that.¡±

 Chapter 619

    Chapter 619


    ¡°That''s true. I suppose you''re right.¡± The next moment, Henry mocked, ¡°Those two adults are not as


    clever as Robbie. Do you really think they are capable of teaching Robbie that?¡±


    Spencer tittered. ¡°Oh, Mr. Nacht, that is too unfair to Mr. Zachary. We all know he''s a clever person.¡±


    ¡°Hmph! That cheeky rascal is indeed guileful.¡± Henry was unhappy when he thought of Zachary. ¡°He


    might not have taught Robbie that, but I''m sure he was the one who asked the kids to persuade me.¡±


    Spencer, too, could tell that Zachary was the one behind all that. ¡±You''re right, or the kids wouldn''t


    come home half an hour earlier.¡±


    Henry was distressed when he thought about the kids'' persuasion. ¡°Even though it was the cheeky


    rascal''s idea to have the kids persuade me, but I know the kids really meant what they said.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, do allow me to be honest with you.¡± Spencer stole a nce at Henry''s expression before he


    continued speaking, ¡°The kids are very determined to stay with their mother. If you insist on separating


    the family, they will definitely hate you. The kids are strong-minded, especially Mr. Robinson. If he really


    leaves with his mother, then I''m afraid...¡±


    Before he could finish his words, Henry interrupted him. ¡°You silly old bugger! You know I''m frustrated


    right now, and you''re still going to scare me? You should think of something to help me out!¡±


    He hammered the ground with his cane in anger.


    Spencer was frightened as he took a step backward. He then said with a hint of uncertainty, ¡°Mr. Nacht,


    if I tell you my opinion on this matter, I''m afraid you will be mad at me.¡±


    ¡°I won''t. Go ahead, tell me.¡± Henry was at his wit''s end. He really needed someone else''s opinion.


    ¡°Um... Well... Actually, I think...¡± Spencer was hesitant. Eventually, he bit the bullets and spoke his


    mind, ¡°Mr. Zachary is determined to marry Ms. Windt, and the two of them already have three children.


    It''s impossible that you could separate them. Why don''t you give your blessing to them?¡±


    ¡°You old silly bugger! I asked you to think of a way to separate them, but now you''re helping them to


    persuade me?¡±


    Henry angrily hit Spencer with his cane. Though, the force he used was much smaller than when he hit


    Zachary.


    After all, unlike Zachary, who was tough enough to withstand his beatings, Spencer was almost eighty


    years old now.


    Spencerined, ¡°You said you wouldn''t be mad! And now you lose your temper. How could you


    not keep your promise?¡±


    ¡°How dare you talk back!¡± Henry''s anger was further aroused.


    Spencer was quick to apologize, ¡°I wouldn''t dare to. Mr. Nacht. To be honest, I said that because I


    thought of Mr. Harrison.¡±


    The butler mentioned Harrison''s name in a barely audible voice.


    Harrison, Zachary''ste father, was a man world-famous for his talents. He was not interested in doing


    business, and he was strong-willed in marrying the woman he loved.


    Spencer was frightened as he took a step backward. He then said with a hint of uncertainty, ¡°Mr. Nacht,


    if I tell you my opinion on this matter, I''m afraid you will be mad at me.¡±


    Yet, he was forced by Henry to learn how to do business. Not only that, but thetter had also forced


    him to leave his girlfriend and marry a woman from a noble family. Eventually, Harrison didn''t achieve


    any sess in his career, and his love life was a mess.


    To Henry''s eternal regret and loss, Harrison and his wife died at an early age in an ident.


    Henry would definitely be angry if someone dared mention Harrison in front of him. Yet, at that point, he


    was not, for his butler had spoken his mind and pointed out his biggest worry.


    ¡°The Lindberg family indeed has unshirkable responsibility for the tragedy, but if we didn''t force Mr.


    Harrison, perhaps...¡± Spencer stopped mid-sentence, not daring to continue.


    He stole a nce at Henry''s expression before speaking out in a low voice, ¡°I think Mr. Zachary''s love


    for Ms. Windt isparable or even exceeds Mr. Harrison''s for that woman from the Lindberg family.


    ¡°I''m afraid if we insist on separating them, the same tragedy will happen again.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, you''re ny-six years old now. If anything happens to Mr. Zachary, do you think you have


    that much time to cultivate Mr. Robinson into bing the heir of the Nacht family?¡±Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 620

    Chapter 620


    ¡°That''s enough...¡± Henry interrupted Spencer. Thetter bowed his head and did not speak anymore.


    ¡°I''m sorry, I''ve said too much.¡±


    Spencer kicked himself. He knew that his words must have felt like knives in Henry''s heart.


    If this were any other day, Henry would have lost his temper long ago. But that day, he allowed


    Spencer to finish.


    He intended to help Henry realize his mistake to avoid repeating it.


    ¡°I''ll think about it,¡± Henry sighed. ¡°What are you waiting for? Wheel me in.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Spencer hurriedly steered the wheelchair into the house. ¡°Are you hungry? Should I ask the


    servants to prepare some oatmeal for you?¡±


    ¡°No need.¡± Henry sounded dejected. ¡°I have no appetite.¡±


    ¡°Before we left, Mrs. Berry stuffed a little bag into my hand. They were some hot cross bunnies that the


    children like. Shall I have them heated up for you?¡± Spencer asked tentatively.


    ¡°Mrs. Berry?¡± Henry recalled. ¡°Yes, the nanny of the children.¡±


    ¡°She used to be the Windt family''s housemaid,¡± Spencer exined. ¡°They said when she was young,


    she took care of Ms. Windt''s father, and then her, and now her three children. She''s like family to Ms.


    Windt and her children.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Henry said. ¡°An old maid who is willing to care for three generations even when the family was


    in shambles. This shows the loyalty of Mrs. Berry, and also the integrity of the Windts.¡±


    ¡°I agree.¡± Spencer nodded with a smile.


    ¡°You must have gotten something from that rascal to be speaking so kindly on his behalf, haven''t you?¡±


    Henry scolded suddenly, changing his tune, ¡°You are a disloyal servant!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, I have been with the Nacht family for four generations...¡±


    ¡°Shut it!¡± Henry red at Spencer. He suddenly touched his stomach and said, ¡°I''m a little hungry. Why


    don''t you heat those buns?¡±


    ¡°Yes sir, right away,¡± said Spencer in delight. He ordered the kitchen to heat the buns. ¡°Oh, bring a


    ss of warm milk for Mr. Nacht too.¡±


    ¡°Two sses!¡± Henry corrected. ¡°It''s meaningless to dine alone.¡±


    ¡°Then I shall apany you, sir.¡± Spencer smiled.


    When Charlotte awoke the next morning, the sunlight had already streamed through the window onto


    her face with a touch of warmth.


    She shielded her eyes from the light and squinted at the foliage outside in a daze.


    ¡°I see,¡± Henry said. ¡°An old maid who is willing to care for three generations even when the family was


    in shambles. This shows the loyalty of Mrs. Berry, and also the integrity of the Windts.¡±


    ¡°You''re up?¡± Zachary emerged from the bathroom, dressed for casualfort.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Charlotte stretched. ¡°Why are you up this early?¡±


    ¡°I did a little reading with the kids.¡± Zachary buttoned up his shirt. The sunlight illuminated the side of


    his face, enting his jawline and cheekbones. Charlotte was mesmerized. ¡°Go back to sleep. We''ll


    leave at ten,¡± Zachary said.


    ¡°I''m up now.¡± Charlotte sat upzily and held up her arms. ¡°Carry me!¡±


    Zachary smiled and bit her on the chest.


    ¡°Ouch, it hurts!¡± Charlotte squealed and hit him on the back.


    ¡°Did that wake you up?¡± Zachary kissed the skin he had bitten. ¡°Get up quickly. I''ll send for some


    breakfast.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Charlotte said as she kissed him on the cheek. She then leaped out of bed.


    Zachary smacked her buttocks, adjusted his tie, and walked towards the door with wide strides.


    Charlotte''s phone rang as she brushed her teeth. She nced at her screen and hastily picked up.


    ¡°Hello, Olivia!¡±


    ¡°Charlotte...¡± came Olivia''s voice shakily. ¡°Help me, please help me...¡±Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

 Chapter 621

    Chapter 621


    ¡°What happened?¡± Charlotte asked at once.


    ¡°I''m in debt, and they took me...¡± Olivia wept, the horror clear in her voice. ¡°Please help me, or I''m


    going to die.¡±


    ¡°Where are you? Tell me your location.¡±


    Charlotte brushed off the foam and rushed to change her clothes.


    ¡°At the alley behind Sultry Night,¡± Olivia said in a shaky voice. ¡°Come alone, or they''ll kill me.¡± Olivia


    hung up.


    Charlotte got dressed, grabbed her phone, and rushed out.


    ¡°Ms. Windt, breakfast is¡ª¡± the maid said, but Charlotte brushed past her shoulder and ran down the


    stairs in her haste.


    ¡°Ms. Windt, Ms. Windt!¡± the maid shouted behind her.


    ¡°I have an urgent matter to handle. I''ll be back shortly.¡± Charlotte turned back and called. Downstairs,


    she addressed the bodyguards who were parking their cars. ¡°Drop me off at Sultry Night. Hurry.¡±


    ¡°Sultry Night?¡± Marino stared in surprise.


    ¡°Yes, please. Right now,¡± Charlotte answered in a panic.


    ¡°Yes, ma''am.¡± Marino did not dare dy further and opened the door immediately.


    ¡°Ms. Windt, where are you off to?¡± Mrs. Berry, who was busyying the table, ran out to enquire. ¡°You


    have your wedding shoot by the beachter today.¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Berry, I have an urgent matter and will be back shortly. Please inform Zachary of my absence.¡±


    Charlotte got into the car without waiting for a reply. ¡°Start driving!¡± she said to Marino frantically.


    ¡°Yes, ma''am.¡±


    In the study on the second floor, where Zachary was reading with the children, a knock came on the


    door. The maid peered carefully in at Zachary. ¡°Mr. Nacht, Ms. Windt went out,¡± she reported.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Zachary looked away from the book he was holding. ¡°Where to?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know. She looked like she was in a rush. I''m worried that something may have happened,¡± the


    maid said concernedly. ¡°I thought you would be worried, so I''m just here to let you know.¡±


    Zachary shut the book and addressed the children. ¡°Let''s continue this tonight, shall we?¡±


    ¡°Yes, daddy!¡± The children nodded obediently.


    N?velDrama.Org owns all content.


    ¡°Daddy, use my bookmark. Or else we wouldn''t remember where we left off tonight.¡±


    Ellie handed a bookmark made of a beautifully preserved leaf to Zachary.


    ¡°Page 234.¡± Zachary smiled and rubbed Ellie on the nose. ¡°Don''t worry, I have a photographic


    memory!¡±


    He got up and walked towards the door. ¡°Come down for breakfast in a bit.¡±


    ¡°Alright, Daddy!¡± the children chorused in sweet innocent voices.


    ¡°Yes, ma''am.¡±


    In the study on the second floor, where Zachary was reading with the children, a knock came on the


    door. The maid peered carefully in at Zachary. ¡°Mr. Nacht, Ms. Windt went out,¡± she reported.


    ¡°Robbie, what is a photographic memory?¡± Ellie asked naively.


    ¡°That means daddy never forgets anything he sees,¡± said Robbie as he was tidying up the bookshelf.


    ¡°Daddy is a genius!¡±


    ¡°Oh, only you have daddy''s brains. Ellie and I don''t,¡± said Jamie as he held his chin sadly.


    ¡°Jamie, you are strong and sporty like daddy,¡± protested Robbie. ¡°Ellie has Mommy''s artistic skills.


    Those are great qualities. Please don''t underestimate yourselves.¡±


    ¡°What is underestimate?¡±


    ¡°That means...¡±


    The three children engaged in debates in the study room.


    Meanwhile, Zachary summoned Ben outside. ¡°What is going on?¡±


    ¡°I''ve just heard back from Marino. Ms. Windt just said that she was going to Sultry Night and did not


    exin why,¡± Ben reported. ¡°Bruce is going there with some men as a backup.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Zachary said with a frown. Charlotte is so impulsive. She never discusses things with me


    before proceeding...


    How immature.


    ¡°Don''t worry, Mr. Nacht. Nothing will happen with Bruce on the lookout,¡± said Benfortingly. ¡°Why


    don''t you have some breakfast with the children? I will have Bruce deliver Ms. Windt straight to the


    beach afterward for your photoshoot.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±

 Chapter 622

    Chapter 622


    Zachary was about to have breakfast with the children when the sound of a car pulling up came to his


    ears. ¡°Mr. Nacht is here!¡±


    ¡°This early?¡± asked Zachary, startled. He had no choice but to bring the children out to receive his


    grandfather.


    The car door swung open. Spencer, with the help of a bodyguard, helped Henry out of the car and onto


    his wheelchair.


    ¡°Great-grandpa! Great-grandpa!¡± squealed the children.


    They dashed towards him, calling out at the top of their lungs.


    Henry smiled broadly at them. His mood was especially good. ¡°Have you had your breakfast?¡±


    ¡°We are just about to have our breakfast,¡± said Ellie as she held out a boiled egg. ¡°I just peeled this,


    great-grandpa. Try it please!¡±


    ¡°Mmm, delicious!¡± Henry said after a bite.


    ¡°It''s just an ordinary egg. What''s so delicious about that?¡± Zachary joked.


    ¡°Mind your own business,¡± said Henry fiercely as he red at Zachary. ¡°This was given to me by my


    beloved great-granddaughter.¡± He turned back to Ellie and stroked her hair. ¡°Your braid is so pretty,


    Ellie!¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Berry did it for me,¡± said Ellie. She tugged at her braid happily. ¡°This is the princess braid, like the


    one in the movies.¡±


    ¡°My little Ellie is a princess too!¡± Henry pinched Ellie''s cheek affectionately.


    ¡°Great-grandpa, do I look good in this suit?¡± Jamie approached him to show off his new suit. ¡°We are


    going for a wedding photoshootter! That is why we are all dressed up.¡±


    Henry was taken aback. He red at Zachary ferociously. Cheeky rascal! He did not ask me for


    permission again! They''re taking wedding pictures now?


    N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    ¡°Great-grandpa, are you here to be in the photo shoot with us?¡± Robbie asked Henry with a smile. Mrs.


    Berry and Fifi will be there too.¡±


    ¡°Be there, be there!¡± the parrot squawked excitedly and pped her wings above their heads.


    ¡°I''m going to join in the fun as well,¡± Mrs. Berry chimed in. ¡°We have never taken a family portrait


    before.¡±


    ¡°We will take one today.¡± Ellie ran over and pulled Mrs. Berry by the arm. ¡°Mrs. Berry, why didn''t you


    get changed?¡±


    ¡°That dress is so tight I couldn''t breathe in it. I''ll change into it when we get there.¡± Mrs. Berry grew red


    at the thought of her dress. ¡°The fabric is too little. There is a whole chunk missing in front and behind.


    What a wicked designer,¡± she whispered to Ellie behind her hand.


    Spencer stifled augh as Henry smiled. Thetter was much better at concealing his humor. He


    turned to Zachary and said, ¡°Follow me into the study. I have something to discuss with you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, gr¡ª¡± said Zachary, but was interrupted by an rm on Ben''s watch. ¡°It''s Marino!¡± Ben cried, his


    face grey.


    Every elite bodyguard of the Nacht family owned a unique watch that emits signals in times of trouble


    such as this. The other bodyguards will receive the distress call and rush to the troubled one''s aid.


    ¡°Bring the car around. Now!¡± Zacharymanded firmly.


    The bodyguards obeyed him swiftly and Zachary jumped into the car. ¡°Protect Mr. Henry and the


    children,¡± Zachary ordered as Ben was about to hop in after him.


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Ben answered, and watched Zachary until he departed. When he turned around, he found


    the children staring in the direction Zachary took off to with terrified expressions on their faces.


    ¡°Bring the children in,¡± Henry ordered, his eyes filled with fury.


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± a bodyguard answered and rounded them up.


    However, Robbie flung his arm aside. ¡°Is Mommy in trouble?¡± he demanded. May said Marino drove


    Mommy this morning. If Marino is in trouble, then it means...

 Chapter 623

    Chapter 623


    Robbie did not dare think more into it. Tears welled up in his eyes. Robbie balled his hands into fists to


    stop his body from shaking.


    N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    ¡°Mommy...¡± Ellie said and burst into tears at Robbie''s words.


    ¡°Mommy wouldn''t be in trouble, would she?¡± Jamie mumbled anxiously. ¡°We are supposed to have a


    photoshoot today. Why did Marino drive Mommy out? Where did they go?¡±


    ¡°We have to ask great-grandpa,¡± Robbie said as he twisted behind to look at Henry angrily with tear-


    stained eyes.


    ¡°No, Mr. Robinson, you are mistaken,¡± Spencer hurriedly exined. ¡°Mr. Henry came today to...¡±


    ¡°Shut your mouth!¡± Henry interrupted. His intention ofing today was to propose to Zachary that he


    could keep Charlotte, but not marry her.


    He intended to find a more suitable candidate to be Mrs. Nacht. The future Mrs. Nacht would then have


    to agree to the arrangement of Charlotte staying as the mother of the triplets.


    Henry considered this apromise, but he did not expect the situation to be this chaotic before


    he proposed his n.


    ¡°Even if it were me who had sent your mother away, what are you going to do about it?¡± Henry sneered


    at Jamie. It suddenly urred to Henry that he could gauge just how dependent the children are on


    Charlotte.


    ¡°Then we will go with Mommy,¡± Jamie said as he clenched his fists. ¡°Nobody can rece her!¡±


    ¡°I want Mommy, I want Mommy!¡± Ellie wept breathlessly, her eyes bloodshot.


    ¡°Dear sweet Ellie, don''t cry!¡± Mrs. Rawlston and several maidsforted Ellie but to no avail.


    ¡°Great-grandpa, why would you do such a thing?¡± Jamie tugged at Henry''s feeble arm, as though he


    suddenly understood. ¡°Why did you have to send Mommy away?¡± he sobbed. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Henry, how could you be so wicked as to send her away?¡± Mrs. Berry asked as she wiped her


    tears. ¡°Ms. Windt has given birth to three lovely children for the Nachts. Mr. Zachary is fond of her as


    well. Why did you send her away?¡±


    ¡°You are all mistaken,¡± Spencer said in a panic, but nobody seemed to be listening to him.


    Robbie had had enough. ¡°Mrs. Berry, pack our things. We are leaving.¡±


    ¡°Right away!¡± With a wobble of her plump body, Mrs. Berry ran back to the house.


    ¡°Ellie, let''s go look for Mommy,¡± Jamie said as he took his sister by the hand. They followed Robbie up


    the stairs. Not long after, they reappeared dragging their own suitcases.


    Mrs. Berry had packed her massive suitcase as well. She was prepared to depart with the children.


    Mrs. Rawlston and the maids were in a panic. ¡°Children, don''t leave! Your father wouldn''t send your


    mother away. They will be back soon. Please don''t act rashly! If you are all gone, how will we be able to


    exin things to your father?¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Berry, calm down,¡± Spencer said, near tears. ¡°Let us discuss this when Mr. Zachary gets back. If


    you leave now, we would all be in serious trouble.¡±


    Henry furrowed his brow and had a glum look on his face.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Spencer asked. He left for just a minute to answer a phone call and returned to the


    children crying for their mother.


    Henry suddenly barked an order. ¡°Prepare the car. We''re taking the children to their mother.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Spencer was taken aback. ¡°Ms. Windt has been ambushed. Mr. Zachary is on his way to rescue


    her. The situation now is...¡±


    ¡°There are eighteen elite bodyguards of the Nacht family, and none could rescue one woman?¡± Henry


    roared as he stabbed the ground with his cane. ¡°Are you nning to pin the me on me by hiding it


    from the children?¡±

 Chapter 624

    Chapter 624


    ¡°Yes, sir. I will arrange for it immediately.¡±


    Spencer knew that in H City, no crime would ur under the watchful eye of the Nacht family.


    With the arrival of arge group such as theirs, there wouldn''t be any danger.


    Furthermore, Zachary and his Elite Eighteen weren''t the only skilled fighters. The ten or so men who


    came with Henry were lethal warriors as well.


    Spencer arranged for several jeeps to transport Henry and the triplets to the scene upon hearing the


    news.


    At the alley of Sultry Night just ten minutes before, Charlotte had Marino park by the street while she


    entered the alley on her own.


    Marino felt uneasy but did not dare defy her.


    Aside from several alley cats who scavenged the dumpster for food, not a single living thing was in


    sight.


    Charlotte began to feel suspicious. Suddenly, an ominous feeling came from above...


    Looking up instinctively, she caught a glimpse of a flowerpot falling straight to her head.


    Charlotte watched as it fell, but was rigid with shock to move. At thest second, a shadow appeared


    and shoved her out of harm''s way. The pot shattered into pieces on the ground where she stood just


    moments before.


    Charlotte covered her mouth in terror.


    ¡°Ms. Windt, are you alright?¡± came a concerned voice.


    Charlotte looked up and saw Marino studying her anxiously.


    ¡°I was afraid that you would be in danger, so I followed you here.¡± Marino scanned the alley. ¡°We


    shouldn''t be here. Let''s leave.¡±


    He was just about to escort Charlotte out of the alley when several dozen delinquents blocked their


    path of exit. They were well armed with an assortment of weapons, from machetes to batons. Charlotte


    felt an impending sense of danger.


    ¡°What''s going on?¡± she asked suspiciously.


    ¡°Charlotte, I''m sorry,¡± a sob came from behind them.


    Charlotte spun around and saw Olivia being held by two men. She was beaten rather badly, as


    evidenced by her bloody face and torn clothes.


    ¡°Olivia,¡± Charlotte called. She wanted to run forward to grab Olivia in her arms, but something about the


    bristling crowd warned her to stay where she was.


    ¡°I''m sorry, they threatened me with my mother''s life.¡± Olivia shook from weeping, her eyes filled with


    guilt. ¡°I did not intend for you toe to any harm. I''m sorry...¡±


    ¡°Nothing will happen to you with me here,¡± Charlotte said. She addressed the delinquents. ¡°How much


    does she owe you? I will pay for it. Just let her go.¡±


    ¡°We don''t want money. We want you.¡± Several of the delinquents smiled nastily.


    ¡°You''ve gone too far!¡± shouted Marino.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    ¡°And who is this? Her knight in shining armor?¡± one of them sneered in disdain. ¡°You alone can fight off


    twenty of us?¡±


    Just as the words were out of his mouth, they charged forwards with machetes raised...


    Charlotte screamed with terror.


    Marino, however, was unfazed. He stood his ground and beat them back with ease.


    They were suddenly wary with Marino, seeing as he was of no ordinary skill. They sent several more


    towards him while others grabbed Charlotte as Marino was upied.


    He was soon overwhelmed with trying to fend off the attacks and rescuing Charlotte at the same time.


    She was captured and dragged roughly out of the alley. A windowless van appeared, and just when


    Charlotte was about to be shoved in...


    A jeep elerated toward them and several bodyguards jumped down. They beat up the men holding


    Charlotte swiftly and retrieved her.


    She looked up at her savior and saw that it was Bruce. ¡°My friend and Marino are still in there. Please


    help them.¡± She pointed back toward the alley.


    ¡°Yes, ma''am,¡± Bruce responded. He led his men into the alley, while two more stayed back to guard


    Charlotte.


    ¡°Ms. Windt, why don''t you wait in the car?¡± One of the bodyguards opened the door for her.


    ¡°I will wait for them...¡±


    Before she could finish, a tank roared and flew toward them like an untethered horse.


    ¡°Ah¡ª¡± Charlotte screamed, her mind a nk. She faintly heard the voices of the children calling out to


    her. ¡°Mommy!¡±

 Chapter 625

    Chapter 625


    Bang! The tank collided with the jeep with such force that it was sent flying several yards away.


    It flipped over in the air beforending in a heap of rubble on the ground. The remains of the jeep


    exploded in a ball of fire and dense, ck smoke engulfing the street.


    The impact caused the rms of the parked cars along the street to erupt in shrill sirens.


    All of a sudden, the street descended into chaos and noise.


    ¡°Mommy!¡± the children screamed tearfully. They attempted to run over to her where the jeep exploded


    but were restrained by the bodyguards.


    Henry gaped in shock. He sat motionless in his wheelchair.


    At that point, Zachary arrived. He, too, stood frozen in horror at the scene but sprang to action seconds


    later.


    He sprinted recklessly to Charlotte. ¡°Mr. Nacht¡ª¡± a bodyguard said as he tried to restrain him but to no


    avail.


    ¡°Charlotte! Come back, wherever you are!¡± Zachary shouted like a deranged, grief-stricken beast.


    ¡°You said you were going to marry me and spend the rest of your life with me. You can''t just disappear


    like that. Come back!¡±


    He searched the burning wreckage with his bare hands as if the mes had kept her hidden from sight.


    I must find her. I must...


    Zachary paid no attention to his burning clothes or even his scorched arms. All that mattered was that


    he found her.


    ¡°Mommy, Mommy...¡± the children cried as they wriggled free of the bodyguards'' grasp. Together with


    their father, they ran around looking for Charlotte.


    Their small figures shook with fear at the thought of losing their mother as they searched high and low


    for a trace of her.


    They paid no heed to the monstrous ze, nor heat and danger.


    Henry remained in the car. The scene before him brought to his mind the memory from that night


    twenty years before...


    It was a simr ident¡ªthe burning car, the gut-wrenching screams, and cries...


    The three children before him were like a six-year-old Zachary.


    The sudden loss of loved ones would scar and traumatize one for life.


    Henry had always hoped to be rid of the obstacle that was Charlotte¡ªeven going as far as to wish that


    she would just disappear. However, at that point, he felt guilty and horrible.


    His heart broke as he witnessed the grief of his grandson and great-grandchildren.


    Henry even wished that he had given them his blessing earlier on. If he had, this might not even have


    happened.


    Just like thest time...


    ¡°Mommy, Mommy!¡± Fifi squawked from behind.


    Zachary felt a shiver down his spine. He turned back and saw through the crimson mes, the figure of


    Charlotte materializing as the smoke dissipated. She was looking at him tearfully.


    She sobbed until her whole body shook. It was only at that moment that she knew how much Zachary


    loved her.


    She was stupid for not realizing this before.


    ¡°Mommy!¡± At the appearance of their mother, the triplets dashed towards her.


    Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Charlotte held all of them tightly in her arms, crying with relief. ¡°Don''t cry. Mommy is fine!¡±


    ¡°Mommy, you scared me to death!¡± Jamie said with great shaking sobs. ¡°I thought... I thought...¡±


    ¡°We thought we would never see you again,¡± Robbie said as he wiped his tears. ¡°Are you hurt from the


    explosion?¡± he asked as he looked his mother up and down.


    ¡°Not at all. I''m fine,¡± Charlotte said. ¡°When the tank came straight for us, Marino pulled me aside just in


    time. The explosion knocked me out for several moments. I had just regained consciousness.¡±


    ¡°Mommy...¡± Ellie wept until her face was red. She clung to Charlotte with her chubby arms and did not


    want to let go, for fear that her mother would disappear again if she did.

 Chapter 626

    Chapter 626


    ¡°Don''t be afraid. I''m fine,¡± Charlotte said as she patted Ellie''s back. ¡°Let go of me for a bit. It seems like


    daddy is hurt.¡±


    ¡°Daddy!¡± The children remembered and ran over to him. ¡°Are you all right, daddy?¡±


    ¡°Daddy, your arm is hurt!¡± Jamie eximed when he saw the severe burns on Zachary''s arms. He was


    pale with fright.


    ¡°Daddy, you need a doctor,¡± Robbie said as he put out the embers on Zachary''s clothes. ¡°Your clothes


    are all scorched.¡±


    ¡°Daddy, does it hurt?¡± Ellie cried and covered her eyes.


    Zachary paid no heed to the children. He stared at Charlotte the entire time with a mixture of rage,


    frustration but also love.


    Charlotte scrambled over to him. ¡°You fool!¡± she yelled as she pulled on his arm. ¡°Why did you throw


    yourself into the fire like that?¡±


    Before she finished her sentence, Zachary pulled into his embrace.


    He was so forceful that he crashed Charlotte''s head against his chest.


    ¡°Charlotte, remember this,¡± Zachary yelled through gritted teeth. ¡°No matter what happens, you''re not


    allowed toe out on your own and ce yourself in danger. Do you hear me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do.¡± Charlotte nodded and swallowed.


    ¡°You are not alone. You have me,¡± Zachary continued, ¡°I will be here to help you even if the heavens


    came crashing down on you. Why won''t you ever remember that and cause me to worry every time?


    What would I do if something happens to you? What about the children?¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry, I was wrong.¡± Charlotte sobbed into his chest, her arms around his waist. ¡°I should not have


    made you worry and caused you to get hurt.¡±


    ¡°You scared me to death, did you know that?¡±


    Zachary bit her on the shoulder fiercely.


    ¡°Ouch, that hurts!¡± Charlotte screamed in pain but she knew she deserved the punishment. He bit down


    so hard it almost bled.


    ¡°Good. Painful punishments make good lessons,¡± Zachary said as he pinched her cheek. ¡°Remember


    this. If this happens again, I won''t be this lenient.¡±


    ¡°There won''t be any next time,¡± Charlotte said as she gazed at his injuries. ¡°Let''s go to the hospital. You


    need a doctor.¡±


    Zachary bent down, ced the boys on his shoulders, and lifted Ellie in his arm. Holding Charlotte''s


    hand, they turned to depart.


    ¡°Daddy, you don''t have to carry us if you''re hurt. Put us down, we can walk on our own.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Daddy. There is heat emitting from your shirt. My butt is burnt from sitting on your shoulder.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    ¡°Are there embers still on Daddy''s shirt? Will it burn me?¡±


    ¡°You three are so inconsiderate. I''m carrying you despite being hurt and all you care about is burning


    yourself.¡±


    ¡°No, we''re worried that you might be too tired.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we love you with all our hearts.¡±


    ¡°Yes, whatever you say.¡±


    The family walked through the smoke together slowly. They made a strange but lovely silhouette


    against the brightness of the burning wreckage.


    Fifi flew over to them from the car. ¡°Daddy, Mommy, Daddy, Mommy,¡± she squawked as she circled


    over their heads.


    ¡°Fifi is here!¡±


    ¡°Fifi''s wings look like they are a little burnt.¡±


    ¡°Where did Fifi go earlier?¡±


    ¡°When something goes wrong, she is the first one to run and hide.¡±


    ¡°What an ungrateful bird!¡±

 Chapter 627

    Chapter 627


    Henry sighed in relief as he caught a glimpse of the family emerging unscathed.


    Luckily it was just a fright¡ªnothing serious. If something had happened, Zachary and the children will


    hate me for the rest of their lives.


    ¡°What an eventful day!¡± Spencer eximed. ¡°What a fright it gave me. My old heart was unable to take


    it!¡±


    ¡°Let''s go.¡± Henry gestured. He turned back and saw Mrs. Berry howling in grief from within the car. A


    bodyguard ran over. ¡°Mrs. Berry, Ms. Windt is fine. Look!¡±


    Mrs. Berry stared in the direction the bodyguard pointed. The family of five strolled happily towards


    their car. Nobody was hurt, not even the bird.


    In an instant, Mrs. Berry was crying tears of joy. ¡°Oh, thank God! Ms. Windt is fine.¡±


    Suddenly, she wailed in horror again. ¡°They forgot about me! We were supposed to take wedding


    pictures together! Ms. Windt, wait for me!¡±


    With the help of the bodyguard, Mrs. Berry squeezed her plump little body out of the car and ran after


    Zachary and his family.


    At the sight of Mrs. Berry''s plump figure running after them, Spencer couldn''t hold back hisughter.


    ¡°Silly old bugger, alwaysughing at Mrs. Berry,¡± Henry teased him. ¡°You have a crush on her, don''t


    you?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Spencer was taken aback. ¡°No, why would I be thinking of something like that?¡± he stammered


    an exnation. ¡°I just think...¡±


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    ¡°You sound guilty,¡± Henry said sternly as he red at Spencer. He waved at a bodyguard to lift him into


    the car. ¡°Oh, and tell the rascal that I won''t be attending his photoshoot. I''ll drop by at the wedding,¡± he


    casually instructed Spencer before departing.


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Spencer responded with a bow. He froze as he grasped the full meaning of Henry''s words.


    ¡°Are you saying that you agree to it?¡±


    ¡°Can I say no?¡± Henry sighed helplessly. ¡°If I voice my disagreement again, they''ll all hate me.¡±


    ¡°I''m d that you''ve thought it through, sir. I will inform Mr. Zachary right away.¡± Spencer bowed again


    and rushed off.


    ¡°Mr. Zachary, Mr. Zachary!¡± At the sound of Spencer''s voice, Zachary spun around as he was cing


    the children in the car. ¡°What is it, Spencer?¡±


    ¡°M-Mr. Henry said...¡± panted Spencer. As he was old, it took him several moments to recover from the


    short sprint.


    ¡°We can talk about this when we get back,¡± said Zachary with a frown. He was worried that his


    grandfather was trying to interfere again. He wasn''t in the mood for it and tried to drive away before he


    had to hear what Spencer had to say.


    ¡°He said he won''t be attending the photoshoot, but he''ll drop by at the wedding!¡± Spencer finished in a


    hurry.


    Zachary froze. He turned around to look at Spencer again. ¡°Are you saying that grandpa agreed to it?¡±


    ¡°That was what I asked him!¡± Spencer then imitated Henry''s tone of voice as he repeated thetter''s


    reply word by word, ¡°If I voice my disagreement again, they''ll all hate me.¡±


    Zacharyughed with joy. ¡°Thank him for me, please!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Spencer nodded with a smile. ¡°Hurry on to the hospital. Mr. Henry would feel sad to see the


    injuries on your arm.¡±


    At that, he walked away. Mrs. Berry was still jogging toward them. ¡°Watch your step, Mrs. Berry,¡±


    Spencer greeted her as they crossed paths.


    ¡°Oh, thank you.¡± Mrs. Berry nodded. ¡°Mr. Zachary, Ms. Windt, are you all right?¡±


    ¡°We''re fine.¡± Zachary signaled at two bodyguards to help Mrs. Berry up the car.


    ¡°Daddy, what did Mr. Spencer say?¡± The children crowded around Zachary, for they were not able to


    overhear his conversation with Spencer.


    ¡°He said, your great-grandpa has given us his blessing!¡± Zachary said as he hugged Charlotte. ¡°Does


    this put your mind at ease?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it does.¡± Charlotte nodded vigorously. With his blessing, I can finally go on with the wedding


    without worries.

 Chapter 628

    Chapter 628


    Due to circumstances beyond their control, Zachary and his family were not able to take their wedding


    photos. Instead, they had to head to the hospital.


    Zachary''s arms were badly injured. Raina worked rapidly to treat the angry boils that had erupted on


    his forearm.


    Charlotte was not hurt. She sat by him the entire time.


    Olivia was at Raina''s hospital as well. She was being treated in a different ward.


    When Zachary''s arm had been bandaged, Charlotte took the opportunity to pay a visit to Olivia.


    She wept in remorse when Charlotte appeared. She did not have a choice in luring Charlotte to the


    men as they had threatened to harm Olivia''s mother.


    Charlotte had learned after questioning Olivia that her mother had already regained consciousness and


    was discharged a couple of days ago. She was recuperating in her home.


    Olivia had been working tirelessly to make ends meet. Her routine had been hectic but productive. She


    did not expect to be cornered on the street after work the day before and to be ckmailed to luring


    Charlotte out alone.


    She refused at first, which was why they had beaten her up.


    After that, they kidnapped her mother and extorted her. Olivia had no choice but to make the phone call


    to Charlotte.


    Now that Olivia''s mother had been rescued by Bruce and his men, and that she was undergoing


    treatment for her wounds, Olivia couldn''t help but feel guilty towards Charlotte.


    ¡°Who are they?¡± Charlotte asked Bruce. ¡°Those are the men hired by Ms. ckwood,¡± Bruce replied in


    a low voice.


    This piece of news shocked Charlotte. I thought that Sharon had given up. Turns out, she is still hell-


    bent onmitting atrocities.


    ¡°When Mr. Nacht received word of your danger, he rushed out to you. Her people tried to slow him


    down by blocking his way on the road. However, she did not expect me to follow you when you left. We


    were lucky to have been able to avoid a disaster today.¡±


    Bruce narrated the general flow of events to Charlotte. ¡°Now that we have gotten to the bottom of this,¡±


    he added, ¡°Mr. Nacht will take care of the rest. Don''t worry.¡±


    Charlotte nodded. ¡°Please take care of Olivia and her mother.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry, ma''am, I will,¡± said Bruce.


    ¡°Charlotte, you''re still helping me despite what I did to you...¡± Olivia looked down in shame. ¡°I don''t


    know what to say.¡±


    ¡°Don''t be silly. I was the one who started this whole mess. You were just a victim,¡± Charlotte said with


    some guilt. ¡°It''s the least I could do for you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Charlotte.¡± Olivia mopped her tears.


    ¡°Get well soon. Don''t overthink, okay?¡±


    After Charlotteforted Olivia, she looked for Zachary and found him in a jacket about to depart.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± she asked as she hurried up to him.


    ¡°I have some matters to attend to.¡± His arms were still bandaged. ¡°Take the children home. We''ll do the


    photoshoot tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Your arms are hurt. You shoulde back with us and rest,¡± Charlotte said worriedly.


    N?velDrama.Org owns all content.


    ¡°Those matters require my immediate attention. When I''m done, you can marry me without any


    worries.¡± Zachary caressed her forehead gently.


    ¡°Is it rting to Sharon? Will it be difficult to handle?¡± Charlotte asked quietly.


    ¡°I have already shown the ckwood family a lot ofpassion and kindness by not asking for the


    billions that they owe me.¡± Zachary''s temper red. ¡°If it''s not because Taylor ckwood had once


    rescued my father, I would have already punished Sharon.¡±


    ¡°Okay, calm down,¡± Charlotte said hastily. ¡°Sharon goes overboard sometimes, but please don''t


    damage the rtionship between two families for me. We can resolve this diplomatically.¡±


    ¡°I know what to do.¡± Zachary gave her a hug and turned to leave.


    At this moment, Bruce hurried over. ¡°Mr. Nacht, looks like you don''t have to go anymore.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Zachary frowned.


    ¡°Mr. Henry is on the line.¡± Bruce handed the phone to him.


    ¡°Hello,¡± Zachary said. ¡°I will personally meet with Taylor and Sharon,¡± came the familiar voice of his


    grandfather. ¡°You get some rest at the hospital.¡±


    His voice was cold but clear, authoritative in his seniority.

 Chapter 629

    Chapter 629


    ¡°That''s not necessary. It''s a small matter. You shouldn''t exert yourself just for this.¡± Zachary said coldly,


    ¡°I''ll go on my own.¡±


    ¡°I said I will handle it. Didn''t you hear me?¡± Henry said angrily. ¡°You''re no good at all with your arms this


    badly injured. Just stay there and get yourself treated. If you''re not well enough, who''s going to handle


    the mess in Nacht Group?¡±


    Zachary could tell that his grandfather was dead serious this time, and decided not to argue. ¡°Alright,


    you can go if you like. This problem was started by you, anyway.¡±


    ¡°You''re all grown up now to lecture your grandfather about right and wrong, aren''t you?¡± Henry


    shouted.


    N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    ¡°Of course not, I wouldn''t dare,¡± Zachary answered sarcastically, weary of arguing with him. ¡°That''s


    settled then. You go speak with the ckwoods. I won''t interfere.¡±


    ¡°You worry about your marriage. Leave this to me.¡± Without waiting for a reply, Henry hung up.


    ¡°This old man...¡± Zachary couldn''t help smiling.


    ¡°You and your grandfather care for each other, but you both refuse to show your soft sides,¡± Charlotte


    teased. ¡°Is this a hereditary trait of the Nachts?¡±


    ¡°You''d better get used to this, now that you''re marrying me.¡± Zachary ced an arm around her


    shoulder. ¡°Let''s go home and rest. You''ll be able to sleep well tonight.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    They exited the ward and found Mrs. Berry and the children fast asleep at the lounge.


    Fifi was awake and energetic. She was helping herself to a melon when she saw Zachary and


    Charlotte. ¡°Daddy! Mommy!¡± Fifi shouted as she pped her wings.


    ¡°Hello, Fifi.¡± Charlotte coaxed Fifi to perch on her shoulder. ¡°It''s good to be a parrot sometimes,¡±


    Charlotte said. ¡°You wouldn''t have to worry about things.¡±


    ¡°Like you,¡± Zachary teased and picked up the triplets.


    Charlotte woke Mrs. Berry up and they went home¡ªtired but happy.


    ¡°Daddy, are we going to take pictures for the wedding?¡± Ellie opened her eyes groggily and whined.


    ¡°My princess skirt is dirty now. Please remember to tell them to bring me a new skirt.¡±


    ¡°Will do.¡± Zachary nted a kiss on her hair.


    ¡°Mommy, I will protect you when I''m older...¡± Jamie muttered in his sleep as he drooled all over


    Zachary''s shoulder.


    ¡°Thank you for that, Jamie,¡± Charlotte said as she tousled his hair lovingly. She bent down and kissed


    Robbie, who clutched tightly to her clothes even in his sleep, as though he was afraid that she would


    be taken from him again.


    Charlotte felt horribly guilty. She made a promise to herself to defend this family with her life and to face


    any difficulties together with Zachary. There would be no more ideas on running away.


    The incident had brought them closer together, and nothing will be able to tear them apart ever again.


    The next day, the family made their way happily to the beach for their photoshoot.


    Zachary and Charlotte stood side by side on the beach and vowed in their hearts to spend their lives


    together, with the sea breeze whipping their hair gently.


    The triplets were ying raucously nearby, with Fifi gliding over their heads. Mrs. Berry sat in a corner


    and watched the happy and contented family with a smile on her face.


    Ben could not help but sigh at how wholesome Zachary and his family looked. He voiced his sudden


    desire to look for a girlfriend. Marino agreed with him.


    Henry received the film of the family''s wedding photos. He smiled with content at the children''s happy


    faces.


    ¡°Cheeky rascal. What a nauseating sight!¡± Henry muttered as he studied Zachary''s handsome features.


    ¡°I''m sure you don''t mean it, sir,¡± Spencer said in a soft voice.


    ¡°Eh?¡± Henry looked up to him and frowned.


    ¡°Nothing, sir. I did not say anything.¡±


    Spencer did not dare incur Henry''s wrath.


    He went to the ckwoods for negotiation the day before. He overturned their table in a rage and


    pointed a fierce finger dangerously close to Sharon''s nose as a warning. If she so much as touched the


    hair of a member of his family again, he would raze the very foundations of their ancestral home.


    He was as ferocious as he was when he was at the peak of his youth.


    Every gesture, every gaze struck fear into their hearts.


    Sharon was petrified. She wept and begged for forgiveness, promising Henry she would never do it


    again.


    Taylor felt guilty at how he had failed as a father.


    Henry left Taylor a piece of advice. ¡°You should manage your family assets wisely. It is all up to you


    now...¡±

 Chapter 630

    Chapter 630


    It was easy to understand.


    Within one day, Taylor¡ªwith Henry''s help, was able to reim the shares that Sharon had previously


    stolen via her carefullyid scheme.


    Now that the Synder Group was back in Taylor''s hands, Sharon could no longer act with impunity.


    On that same day, Taylor dered that the Synder Group would always support the Nacht Group and


    never ally themselves with the Lindberg Corporation.


    The whole n was executed in perfection, with Henry''s involvement.


    Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    As news of it spread, everyone within the business world cheered on Henry''s behalf.


    The expectation that the Nacht family and Lindberg family would go to war against each other ended


    before it even began.


    Naturally, this wasn''t a sign of weakness on the part of the Lindberg Corporation as they had yet to take


    any action. After all, it was the Brown family and Synder Group that allied themselves with Lindberg


    Corporation and spread the news that they wanted to expand into H City. It might have been an attempt


    to test the Nacht Group in the end.


    Henry''s involvement wasn''t an indication of Zachary''s inability to suppress the Synder Group. It was


    simply more appropriate for Henry to step in given the debt of gratitude he owed Taylor.


    After expending some effort, they had managed to calm the situation down.


    The Sterlings, Browns, and ckwoods were no longer a threat, while the Lindberg Corporation stayed


    quiet. Consequently, the Nacht Group returned to its peaceful routine.


    Meanwhile, Zachary was busy nning his wedding with Charlotte.


    Although he didn''t invite the media and wanted to keep the wedding private, he still invited all the


    friends and rtives of the Nacht family. As for the Windt family, those that were loyal to Charlotte and


    had taken care of her in the shadows were also cordially invited.


    Everyone was happy for the both of them.


    Those that looked down upon the Windt family and had ridiculed them in the past were now quaking in


    their boots.


    However, Charlotte didn''t care about that. During that period, her condition was under control, and she


    felt that she had been worrying too much previously. The poison had been cleared from her body and


    there would no longer be any rpses.


    All she wanted then was to spend her days peacefully with Zachary.


    As the days went by, it was finally the day before the wedding.


    That night, the whole family gathered for dinner.


    As the night was clear, the moon shone brightly as stars dotted the sky.


    The dinner was to be served in the garden. The long tables covered in white were filled with


    scrumptious food.


    As Henry watched the children running happily around and saw how Zachary and Charlotte doted on


    each other, he couldn''t help but smile and feel grateful for how blessed he was.


    The sight of a happy family was all that he ever wished for.


    And he no doubt let himself indulge in the blissful moment.


    The sense of achievement he felt from what was before him far outweighed that of securing billions


    worth of business deals.


    ¡°It''s time for dinner! Time for dinner!¡±


    Both Mrs. Berry and Mrs. Rawlston were ushering everyone to take their seats.


    ¡°Mrs. Berry, drop whatever you''re doing ande join us,¡± Charlotte warmly invited.


    ¡°Nonono, this is a wonderful but rare asion for me to demonstrate my cooking skills, so let me relish


    in it.¡± Mrs. Berry smiled with pride. ¡°I heard Mr. Nacht likes exotic food. Hence, I have made an effort to


    learn them just so that I can showcase them today.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, that''s wonderful!¡± Henry burst into heartyughter. ¡°I appreciate the effort!¡±


    ¡°That''s the least I can do. After all, we''re one family now,¡± Mrs. Berryughed happily.


    ¡°Don''t just stand there. Come and have a seat!¡± Henry ushered her.


    Zachary helped Charlotte to her seat while the three children took their respective seats. That day, they


    too were dressed in suits and gowns, just like the prince and princesses in fairy tales. All of them


    looked dashing and adorable at the same time.


    Leaning in discreetly toward Henry, Ellie covered her mouth as she whispered, ¡°Great-grandpa, can we


    start now?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you may. Hahaha...¡±


    Henry brushed Ellie''s hair affectionately and personally served the children their food. After that, he


    proceeded to serve Charlotte a chicken drumstick too, causing her to look at him, stunned.

 Chapter 631

    Chapter 631


    ¡°Grandpa, what about me?¡± Zachary pretended to be upset.


    Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Can''t you do it yourself?¡± Henry stared at him while serving him a piece of chicken butt. ¡°Take this!¡±


    ¡°That''s a chicken butt. Hahaha...¡±


    The childrenughed their socks off.


    The festive atmosphere and lively chatter lifted everybody''s mood.


    Meanwhile, Mrs. Berry was about to serve fish when she saw the happy scene underneath the tree.


    Her eyes couldn''t help but redden. ¡°Mr. Windt, are you seeing this? Miss has finally found happiness,


    and she will be married tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Berry, why are you crying on a happy asion such as this?¡± Mrs. Rawlstonforted her. ¡°You


    should smile more. Look how happy Ms. Windt is.¡±


    ¡°That''s right. It warms my heart when I see how happy she is.¡± Mrs. Berry wiped away her tears and


    smiled. ¡°After going through so much, they are finally reunited.¡±


    ¡°You''re right. All''s well that ends well. It is wonderful indeed!¡±


    Mrs. Rawlston brought out the fruit tter with a wide smile on her face.


    Regaining herposure, Mrs. Berry continued serving the dishes.


    As the moon illuminated Charlotte''s face, it seemed to be bathing her in silvery light. Her smile was


    exceptionally gentle and filled with happiness.


    Zachary would make sure her te was full and dote on her affectionately.


    Smiling at him, she leaned closer to kiss him on his forehead.


    Love was in the air as both of them expressed their affection for each other.


    If everything ended at that moment, it would just be like a fairytale ending where the prince and


    princess lived happily ever after.


    Unfortunately, life wasn''t a fairytale.


    After dinner, the kids wanted to go to the yground.


    Zachary pushed Henry along and went with them.


    Just when Charlotte was about to follow, she felt a sharp pain at the back of her head. By reflex, she


    held onto the table for support. The very next second, blood was dripping onto the white napkin.


    She covered her nose with the napkin at once and frantically ran into the house.


    ¡°Ms. Windt, are you alright?¡± A maid approached her to ask.


    ¡°I''m fine. Perhaps my stomach isn''t feeling well. I''ll go in and take a look.¡±


    Mrs. Berry stopped the maid as she ran after Charlotte.


    ¡°Daddy, why isn''t mommying along?¡± Robbie turned around and saw Charlotte''s silhouette. ¡°Why


    is she returning to the house?¡±


    ¡°Mommy has some orders for me. You guys should just go ahead,¡± Mrs. Berry turned around and


    instructed them.


    ¡°Okay!¡± Robbie didn''t think too much of it.


    ¡°Perhaps she is preparing the dowry,¡± Zacharymented in amusement. ¡°I wonder how much your


    mommy has squirreled away in her secret ount.¡±


    ¡°Mommy doesn''t have any money. She''s broke.¡± Jamie frantically tugged at Zachary''s hand and


    requested, ¡°Daddy, you should forgo mommy''s dowry.¡±


    ¡°That''s right. She has spent all her money on us.¡± Even Ellie was appealing to Zachary with a pout,


    ¡°Daddy, you''re not allowed to take advantage of mommy.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha...¡± Zacharyughed heartily.


    ¡°Daddy, I have received the profits from the software I invented. Why don''t you take it as mommy''s


    dowry?¡±


    Robbie began nning on behalf of Charlotte in earnest as he checked his ount. ¡°Now, there''s


    thirty-seven million. You can take it all as mommy''s dowry.¡±


    ¡°Wow, that much?¡± Henry was extremely surprised. ¡°Robbie, you really are a genius.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. At just three and a half years old, you have already made thirty-seven million!¡± Ben couldn''t


    help but exim. ¡°When I was your age, all I did was drink milk.¡±


    ¡°Me too,¡± Bruce quipped.


    ¡°Pfft...¡± Zacharyughed again. As he was recently in a good mood, he gradually became more jovial. It


    was likely due to the power of love.


    ¡°Daddy, the bank card is in my room. I''ll go get it for you now.¡±


    Robbie turned around and prepared to head back.


    Henry quickly stopped him. ¡°Foolish child, your daddy is just pulling your legs. The three of you are the


    best dowry your mommy can ever give.¡±

 Chapter 632

    Chapter 632


    ¡°That''s right. The three of you are priceless treasures.¡± Zachary patted Robbie on his head. ¡°Keep your


    money. When you want to start your own business in the future, you can use it as seed capital.¡±


    ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡± Robbie nodded repeatedly.


    ¡°Are you really going to start your own business at such a young age?¡± Ben was overwhelmed with


    envy.


    ¡°Alright, go and y now.¡± Zachary brought them to y ser.


    As Henry watched his grandchildren y happily by the side, he was in a jovial mood and felt that bliss


    was defined by moments like that.


    Meanwhile, just when Charlotte rushed into the bathroom, she copsed onto the ground. Blood was


    flowing non-stop from her nose.


    The pain in the back of her head reverberated through her body. It felt as if there was a hammer


    banging on her head, trying to split it open.


    Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Grasping her head with both her hands, she rolled on the floor in excruciating pain. She didn''t dare


    make a sound while biting down on her lip forcefully.


    ¡°Mr. Zachary needs some refreshments over at their end. Why don''t you bring some fruits and desserts


    over to them.¡±


    ¡°Alright, Mrs. Berry. We will do so at once.¡±


    After sending away the maids in the living hall, she hurried to the bathroom and knocked on the door.


    ¡°Miss, there''s no one else outside. Can Ie in now?¡±


    When she didn''t get a response, Mrs. Berry tried to turn the knob. The moment the door swung open,


    she was shocked by the scene that greeted her.


    ¡°Miss!¡± Mrs. Berry hurried to help Charlotte up and asked anxiously, ¡°What happened? Aren''t you


    supposed to have recovered? Why is there a rpse? How can this happen?¡±


    ¡°S-Shut the door!¡± Charlotte moaned in pain.


    Mrs. Berry quickly closed the door and wiped Charlotte''s face with a wet towel.


    When she saw Charlotte grimacing in pain, Mrs. Berry trembled in fear. She sobbed, ¡°Miss, let''s go to


    the hospital. I''ll take you there.¡±


    Just as she spoke, she tried to help Charlotte up.


    ¡°No, we can''t...¡± Charlotte desperately supported herself against the bathroom vanity. She uttered


    weakly, ¡°I''ll be getting married tomorrow and have waited for it for a long time. I can''t ruin it now...¡±


    ¡°But, but you...¡±


    ¡°I''ll be fine in a while. It will be over quickly.¡± Charlotte closed her eyes, slowly losing consciousness. In


    her daze, she murmured, ¡°They must not know...¡±


    ¡°Miss, Miss...¡±


    Crying, Mrs. Berry wiped the blood off Charlotte''s face. When she opened the door to check, she made


    sure there was no one around before carefully carrying Charlotte back to her own room.


    Inside, she locked the door and brought in a basin of hot water. Then, she wiped Charlotte''s body with


    it as tears streamed down her cheeks.


    She was terrified of the prospect that Charlotte wouldn''t wake up or that the pain would stay with her


    for life.


    ¡°Oh God, why must you do this to her? Why?¡± Mrs. Berry cried as she questioned the divine. ¡°She is


    such a kind and gentle person. Why must you punish her this way? What has she done wrong to


    deserve such treatment?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Windt, wherever you are, you have to watch over Miss!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Windt, what am I supposed to do?¡±


    Mrs. Berry''s cried her eyes out.


    When Charlotte finally awoke, she mumbled weakly, ¡°Mrs. Berry, don''t cry. Don''t be afraid. Once the


    wedding is over tomorrow, I''ll go and see the doctor.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright. I''ll go with you.¡± Mrs. Berry nodded repeatedly. ¡°Miss, do you feel better now?¡±


    ¡°Much better...¡± Charlotte supported her head with her hand. ¡°This time, the duration of the attack is


    shorter. It is probably a sign that it isn''t as serious as it used to be.¡±


    Just as she spoke, she let out an awkward smile. However, she hid the truth from Mrs. Berry. Despite


    the shorter attack, it had be more intense than it used to be.


    She felt as if death was knocking on her door.


    At that moment, she thought she could see her father waving at her from Heaven.

 Chapter 633

    Chapter 633


    ¡°Miss, have some water.¡± Mrs. Berry fed Charlotte some. ¡°Do you want to take some painkillers?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Charlotte shook her head weakly. ¡°Mrs. Berry, help me open that box. I want to hand over some


    stuff to you.¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡± Mrs. Berry quickly brought out Charlotte''s luggage back and opened it. Inside, there was a


    small box which she took out and handed over to Charlotte. ¡°Is this it?¡±


    ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡± Charlotte nodded. Unlocking the box with a password, she took out a bank card and


    handed it to Mrs. Berry.


    And then, she instructed in a solemn tone, ¡°This is what Dad had left me. Inside, there are still a


    hundred and ten million. If anything happens to me, you can use the money to protect yourself and the


    children.¡±


    ¡°Miss, what are you talking about?¡± Mrs. Berry was worked up as tears welled in her eyes. ¡°Nothing will


    happen to you. You will be fine...¡±


    ¡°Listen to me...¡± Charlotte grabbed onto Mrs. Berry''s hands and uttered weakly, ¡°I''m saying, just in


    case. Just in case I''m not around, you have to stay with the Nachts and help me watch over the


    children.¡±


    She continued, ¡°Keep this money for your own security. If anything happens to you or the children, you


    can draw upon it to take care of yourselves. Mr. Nacht is right. Marrying into a prominent family is like


    stepping into the unknown. It doesn''t help that the Nacht family is aplicated one.¡±


    She added, ¡°Despite how protective Zachary is over the children, there might be times where he might


    not be there for them. Hence, with this by your side, their future will be more secured...¡±


    ¡°Miss, you will be fine.¡± Mrs. Berry trembled as she cried, ¡°You''re still so young, and your life has just


    begun...¡±


    ¡°You''re right, I''m likely to be alright.¡± Charlotte squeezed out an awkward smile. ¡°If I''m fine, I will soon


    be Mrs. Nacht. I will have so much money that this will be of no use for me. Hence, it''s better to leave


    the card with you, just in case.¡±


    ¡°I understand. I''ll keep it in a safe ce.¡± Mrs. Berry received the card and carefully kept it.


    ¡°Also, there''s this...¡± Charlotte handed a letter to Mrs. Berry. ¡°This is the will dad left me. Please hold on


    to it for safekeeping. Inside, there is a contact number. In the event you encounter any trouble, you can


    call that number for help. I heard the person is someone powerful and will be able to solve any problem


    you encounter...¡±


    ¡°Is this person your mom''s rtive?¡± Mrs. Berry asked.


    Charlotte was stunned as she really didn''t know who it was. But now that Mrs. Berry had mentioned it,


    something clicked in her mind. For this person to help me unconditionally at a moment''s notice, who


    else can it be but a rtive?


    However, if it were mom''s rtive, why did dad instruct not to call except for desperate circumstances?


    Because once I make the call, my life will be drastically changed forever.


    ¡°Miss, don''t spend too much time thinking about this. After the wedding tomorrow, we should inform Mr.


    Zachary and let him take you to see the doctor. Perhaps, Dr. Felch is already awake. Even if he isn''t,


    there will still be other specialists...¡±


    Mrs. Berry felt extremely anxious as she gripped Charlotte''s hand tightly.


    ¡°You''re right. Tomorrow, we will tell Zachary and see the doctor the day after.¡± Charlotte didn''t want her


    to worry. ¡°You should keep the items in a safe ce. Also, there''s this...¡±


    She took out a ck key. ¡°The items that dad left behind are still at the cemetery. When you''re free,


    please help me retrieve them. They should mostly be items rted to my mom.¡±


    Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Alright, I''ll keep this safe then.¡±


    After receiving the items, she put them back into the box. After that, she carefully locked it and kept it in


    her wardrobe.


    ¡°Miss, you can put your mind at ease now as I''ve kept them in a safe ce,¡± Mrs. Berry reassured. ¡°Let


    me get you a hot towel to wipe your face.¡±


    Just when Mrs. Berry prepared to head to the bathroom, there was a knock on the door. Mrs. Rawlston


    called out, ¡°Mrs. Berry, is Ms. Windt in your room? Mr. Nacht is going home, hence Mr. Zachary wants


    her to see him off.¡±

 Chapter 634

    Chapter 634


    Mrs. Berry panicked as she didn''t know what to do.


    However, Charlotte replied at once, ¡°I''m here. I''ll be over right away.¡±


    ¡°Alright, Ms. Windt. The wind is strong outside, so remember to grab your jacket,¡± Mrs. Rawlston


    reminded warmly.


    ¡°Mmm-hmm. Thank you.¡±


    Charlotte tried to support herself to sit up. Although she looked pale and was still sweating, her nose


    had stopped bleeding.


    ¡°Miss, why don''t you stay here instead.¡± Mrs. Berry helped her nervously. ¡°You really don''t look good.¡±


    ¡°I''m fine. It no longer hurts.¡± Charlotte collected herself. ¡°Go to my room and get me a change of


    clothes. There''s blood all over me now.¡±


    ¡°Alright. I''ll get them right away.¡± Mrs. Berry quickly headed upstairs to get them.


    While Mrs. Berry was out, Charlotte took a bath in Mrs. Berry''s room and washed the bloodstains off


    her body.


    When Mrs. Berry returned, she brought with her a casual full-length dress and a cardigan.


    After a change of clothes, Charlotte perked herself up before heading out.


    ¡°Mommy...¡±


    Zachary and the children were sending Henry off.


    When they saw Charlotte, the children rushed over and held her hand. ¡°Where did you go? Why didn''t


    you y with us?¡±


    ¡°I was discussing something with Mrs. Berry.¡± Charlotte smiled. ¡°Did you have a good time?¡±


    Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    ¡°Yes, we did!¡± The children broke into noisy chatter as they described what they were ying.


    However, Charlotte''s head began to hurt again but she tried her best to endure the pain.


    ¡°Alright, stop disturbing mommy.¡± When Zachary noticed that Charlotte was out of sorts, he diverted the


    children away. ¡°Great-grandpa is leaving. Go say goodbye to him.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± The children rushed toward Henry to bid him farewell.


    ¡°Great-grandpa, are youing tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°You silly kids. Tomorrow is your daddy and mommy''s wedding. Of course, I''ming.¡±


    ¡°What I meant was, will you be having dinner with us after the wedding?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, I''ll see you at the church tomorrow. Good night, kids!¡±


    Henry waved at them with a smile.


    ¡°Good night, great-grandpa,¡± the children replied obediently.


    ¡°Have a safe journey back, grandpa.¡± Charlotte wanted to walk ahead to send Henry off but her legs


    wobbled and almost fell onto the ground. Zachary grabbed her in the nick of time and turned toward


    Henry. ¡°Rest early tonight!¡±


    ¡°I know. Go back in now.¡± Henry nagged Charlotte, ¡°Don''t worry too much and just enjoy being a bride.¡±


    He assumed Charlotte kept her distance because she was having butterflies in her stomach.


    ¡°Thanks, grandpa!¡± Charlotte was touched. Despite all that had happened, Henry epted her with


    open arms. It was a form of bliss that didn''te easily. Hence, she had to treasure it as much as she


    could.


    ¡°Kids, I''ll see you tomorrow!¡±


    ¡°See you tomorrow, great-grandpa!¡±


    Henry waved goodbye to the kids.


    When Zachary instructed the maid to usher the children to their rooms, they refused to go as they


    wanted to hug Charlotte and have her coax them. However, Zachary put his foot down. ¡°Mommy is


    tired. You can hug her tomorrow. But, for now, go back to your room to rest.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Despite her disappointment, Ellie left obediently with the maid.


    ¡°Mommy, you don''t look too good. Are you unwell?¡±


    Robbie noticed that Charlotte looked sickly.


    ¡°I''m just tired...¡± Charlotte had to muster all her strength just to speak. ¡°Quick, go to bed now.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Robbie left with the maid. Still worried, he kept turning back to check on the way to his room.


    As for Jamie, he didn''t think too much about it as he dashed forward. ¡°Move aside, my tummy is aching


    and I need to use the toilet. I''ve had one too many ice creams today.¡±


    His actions caused the maids to burst intoughter.


    Even Charlotte couldn''t help but giggle. However, she was suddenly struck by another dizzy spell,


    causing her to fall.


    Luckily, Zachary managed to catch her in time. He anxiously asked, ¡°What''s wrong? Is the poison


    acting up again?¡±


    ¡°No...¡±


    ¡°Why do you deny it still?¡± Zachary swept Charlotte off her feet and headed outside. ¡°Prepare the car.


    We are going to the hospital!¡±

 Chapter 635

    Chapter 635


    ¡°No...¡± Charlotte struggled as she refused to go. ¡°We''re going to get married tomorrow. How can I still


    go to the hospital...¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Zachary snapped as he carried her into the car.


    ¡°Mr. Zachary, shall Ie along?¡± Mrs. Berry was worried.


    ¡°Get in.¡±


    As the car started moving, Ben gave Raina a call to get ready.


    When Raina heard that Charlotte had a rpse, she quickly called Hayley and Sam at once.


    The moment Zachary arrived at the hospital with Charlotte and Mrs. Berry, Raina was already waiting.


    She gave Charlotte the exact treatment used previously, which included a herbal bath and


    acupuncture.


    However, when there wasn''t any tainted blood being expelled this time, Hayley furrowed her eyebrows


    and didn''t say a word.


    Raina then dragged Hayley outside and asked anxiously, ¡°Hayley, did Dr. Felch tell you about


    alternative ways of treating her? Is there any other way?¡±


    ¡°Dr. Langhan, you have asked me the same question many times. There really isn''t any,¡± Hayley


    replied in disappointment. ¡°At that time, Dr. Felch was still researching new techniques. He met with the


    ident before he could produce any results.¡±


    Having heard those words, Raina fell silent. Other than waiting for Dr. Felch to recover, there didn''t


    seem to be any other options.


    ¡°When will Dr. Felch wake up?¡± Sam inquired anxiously. ¡°If he manages to do so, Ms. Windt can then


    be saved.¡±


    ¡°I, too, look forward to the day he wakes up. But as of now, sigh...¡±


    Raina sighed and didn''t what to say.


    ¡°Miss, are you feeling any better?¡±


    Mrs. Berry was extremely distraught as she looked at Charlotte''s pale face.


    With hardly any strength, Charlotteid groggily in the bathtub.


    ¡°Don''t worry, you will be fine in no time.¡± Zachary caressed Charlotte''s face as heforted her in a


    gentle tone. ¡°Try and get some sleep. You will feel much better after that.¡±


    ¡°Mmm-hmm,¡± Charlotte grunted in acknowledgment as she closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht...¡±


    N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    Raina entered, wanting to update Zachary on Charlotte''s condition. However, she didn''t know where to


    start.


    ¡°I''ll be taking her home.¡±


    Zachary didn''t ask as he was cognizant of the situation Charlotte was in.


    ¡°Right away.¡± Raina and Hayley bathed Charlotte and got her dressed.


    Carrying her out, Zachary headed back home with her. Inside the car, he held her tightly in his


    embrace, worried that she would disappear the moment he let go.


    Mrs. Berry couldn''t help but shed a tear at the tragic sight in front of her.


    Back at home, Zachary carried Charlotte back to their room and ced her on the bed. At that


    moment, she suddenly awoke and mumbled, ¡°Don''t worry. I''ll be better after getting some sleep.¡±


    ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡± Zachary kissed her on her forehead andy down beside her.


    Underneath the dim light, he stared at her beautiful face. His heart was in turmoil and filled with all sorts


    of emotions.


    He hated himself for failing to protect her and not realizing the problem earlier. He also regretted not


    treasuring the beautiful times that they shared...


    After everything that had happened, he put her through a lot. Even then, she was still being tormented


    by pain.


    In his heart, he swore that he would find the antidote.


    Throughout the night, Zachary watched over Charlotte. It wasn''t until dawn that he finally fell asleep.


    Not long after he did, he was suddenly awoken by a sound. When he realized Charlotte wasn''t beside


    him, he suddenly panicked and jumped out of bed to look for her.


    When he heard the sound of flowing water in the bathroom, he dashed in like an arrow.


    ¡°Good morning!¡± Charlotte was bathing and washing her hair. She looked vibrant and energetic. It was


    as if she had be a totally different person from yesterday.


    ¡°Do you feel better now?¡± Zachary stared at her in shock.


    ¡°I''m fine.¡± Charlotte let out a delightful smile as she wiped the water off her face. ¡°Today, I shall be the


    most beautiful bride ever!¡±


    ¡°You are already gorgeous,¡± Zachary smirked as he looked at her longingly. ¡°Take your time. I''ll use the


    other bathroom.¡±


    ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡±

 Chapter 636

    Chapter 636


    Zachary was well aware of how the poison reacted. When the attacks came, Charlotte would be in


    excruciating pain. But after that, she would be no different than an ordinary person.


    However, once the poison seeps into the bone marrow, the frequency of the attacks would increase.


    When it is fully absorbed into the blood, Charlotte would then lose her life.


    At that point, there was no point in relying on Dr. Felch. Even if he woke up, he still needed time to


    recover before he could start treating Charlotte.


    That would take at least one to two months. Charlotte couldn''t afford to wait that long.


    Hence, the only choice was to find Zara.


    Perhaps, she might have the antidote.


    Holding that thought, Zachary gave Chris a call.


    During that period, Zara seemed to have disappeared and was just uncontactable. Nevertheless,


    Zachary knew Chris must have some way of getting in touch with her.


    Soon, the call connected and a guilty voice was heard over the line. ¡°Zachary...¡±


    ¡°Tell your Mom to state her demands and hand over the antidote!¡±


    ¡°What? What happened?¡± Chris was stunned.


    ¡°Just pass the message.¡±


    The moment he finished, Zachary ended the call.


    He knew that if anyone in the world could find Zara, it would be Chris. As long as he had passed the


    message along, Zara would naturally get in touch with him.


    ¡°Zachary, are you ready?¡± Charlotte yelled from outside. ¡°The makeup artist is here. So, I''ll head over


    first.¡±


    When Zachary came out of the bathroom and saw that Charlotte was in high spirits, he smiled in


    satisfaction. ¡°Go on. Let them help you cleanse your skin before applying makeup.¡±


    ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡± Charlotte came closer and gave him a peck. ¡°I''m really happy today.¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡± Zachary gave her a hug. ¡°I''ll need to attend to something else first. You go on ahead with your


    makeup, alright?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Charlotte nodded repeatedly before reminding, ¡°By the way, about my rtives and friends...¡±


    ¡°I''ve sent Ben along with Mrs. Berry to receive them. They definitely won''t bete.¡± Zachary pinched


    her cheeks. ¡°So, don''t worry.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Charlotte nodded with a smile.


    At that moment, the children''s excited screams could be heard outside. ¡°Daddy, mommy, get up quick!


    There are a lot of peopleing. We need to get ready too.¡±


    ¡°Haha...¡± Charlotteughed.


    Zachary opened the door and was greeted by the three children standing there in their pajamas. Ellie


    was still hugging her alpaca plushie, Jamie had his toy gun in hand, while Robbie held onto his tablet.


    All of them had serious expressions, worrying on behalf of the adults.N?velDrama.Org owns all content.


    ¡°Get up! Get up!¡± Fifi pped her wings and circled noisily around the chandelier.


    ¡°She''s so annoying!¡± Despiteining, Zachary''s expression was bursting with joy.


    ¡°Why aren''t you getting changed?¡± Charlotte knelt and asked the kids.


    ¡°The makeup artist said that she wanted us to take a children''s spa, cut our hair, and cleanse our skin


    before we start styling. That''s why we''re still in our pajamas.¡±


    Robbie was all smiles as he exined.


    For someone that was mature beyond his years, he was filled with anticipation and curiosity over the


    day''s event.


    ¡°That''s right! I still need to get my hair done.¡± Ellie tousled her long and curly hair while imagining how


    she would look after the makeover was done. ¡°Today, I want to be the prettiest looking princess!¡±


    ¡°Hehe, you have always been the most beautiful!¡± Charlotte hugged her. ¡°Alright now, off you go.¡±


    ¡°Don''t bother mommy today,¡± Zachary reminded. ¡°Go and y by yourselves, alright?¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± The children went off happily as the maids led them to see the stylist.

 Chapter 637

    Chapter 637


    ¡°Ms. Windt, can we start now?¡±


    Charlotte''s stylist was waiting for her by the corridor.


    ¡°Sure.¡± Charlotte prepared to head for the makeup room.


    ¡°Miss, Miss...¡± At that moment, Mrs. Berry cried out from downstairs. ¡°Olivia is here!¡±


    ¡°Olivia?¡± Charlotte turned around and saw Olivia standing meekly by the stairs.


    ¡°Charlotte!¡± Olivia ran up excitedly. ¡°Congrattions!¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Charlotte grabbed onto her and scrutinized her from head to toe. ¡°Have your wounds all


    healed?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they have.¡± Olivia nodded with a smile. ¡°Thank you!¡±


    ¡°No thanks are needed. We''re family, after all, so don''t be a stranger,¡± Charlotte replied, holding her


    hand.


    ¡°Charlotte, I''ll need to entertain Mr. Windt''s old friends. So, I''ll leave Olivia here with you.¡± Mrs. Berry


    looked to be in a hurry. ¡°I have to go now. Call me if you need anything.¡±


    ¡°Alright, go on ahead.¡± Charlotte nodded as she watched Mrs. Berry leave.


    The house was bustling with activity as everyone was preparing for the wedding. The festive


    atmosphere naturally lifted everyone''s spirits.


    Everyone was busy with their own preparations except for Zachary, who was waiting for a call in the


    study.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, everything is ready. Mr. Henry has gone to the church ahead of time to receive friends and


    rtives...¡±


    After he arrived in a hurry to report, Bruce saw Zachary staring nkly at his phone. He carefully


    asked, ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    Zachary was briefly silent before answering, ¡°Is there any news from Zara?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Bruce shook his head and probed, ¡°Has Ms. Windt...¡±


    Bruce didn''t dare finish the sentence but he got his answer by reading Zachary''s expression.


    ¡°Don''t worry. I''ve spoken to Raina in the morning. She said that Dr. Felch''s condition is improving. He


    should be awake very soon,¡± Bruce reassured softly.


    ¡°It seems she won''t show herself unless I force her to.¡± Spinning his phone around, Zachary looked up


    with an icy gaze. ¡°Spread the word. We will attack Cloud Group with everything we have.¡±


    ¡°Please reconsider, Mr. Nacht,¡± Bruce frantically remonstrated. ¡°You have a ceasefire agreement with


    Ms. Nacht to not interfere with each other''s business. If you attack her, you will be in breach of that


    agreement.¡±


    ¡°She was the one that started it.¡± The thought of what Zara had done caused his blood to boil. ¡°Is she


    any less guilty of breaching the agreement?¡±


    ¡°Right away.¡± Not daring to push the matter, Bruce could only advise, ¡°However, it''s your wedding day


    today. I''m sure there''s no need to rush. We still have time to think of a different n once the wedding


    is over.¡±


    ¡°It won''t affect the wedding.¡± Zachary checked the time on his watch. ¡°By the time she sees the


    consequences, the timing would be about right.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°Just do it!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Nacht!¡±


    N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    Bruce had no choice but to cascade Zachary''s orders as he didn''t dare disobey.


    Divine Corporation was a high-techpany that employed an elite group of hackers. In just one hour,


    they could break through all of Cloud Group''s systems.


    The moment Cloud Group''s systems were breached, they would experience massive losses every


    second.


    Prior to this, Zachary had restrained himself as he assumed Dr. Felch''s apprentices could heal


    Charlotte. But seeing as Charlotte''s poison was acting up again, Dr. Felch was still in aa, and Zara


    didn''t respond despite having sent a message through Chris...


    He was left with no choice.


    Desperate times call for desperate measures. I must rat that woman out!


    Right after his orders were cascaded down the line, he received an immediate response.


    Zachary had changed into his suit and was about to check on Charlotte and the children when Henry


    called. ¡°Are you behind the attacks on Cloud Group?¡±


    ¡°I didn''t expect you to call ahead of her.¡±


    Zachary was disappointed when he realized it was Henry instead of Zara.


    ¡°What''s wrong with you? Why are you doing this on such a happy asion?¡± Henry was outraged.


    ¡°Are you looking for trouble just because everything is going great?¡±

 Chapter 638

    Chapter 638


    ¡°Did she tell you about it?¡± Zachary was calm. ¡°You should ask her what she did.¡±


    With that, he ended the call and hurried toward the children''s makeup room.


    ¡°Daddy!¡± When Jamie saw Zachary entered, he hurried over and struck a handsome pose. ¡°How do I


    look?¡±


    ¡°Unbelievably dashing!¡± Zachary stroke his head.


    ¡°Jamie, you''re really dumb.¡± Robbie was in his chair, allowing the stylist to style his hair. ¡°Didn''t we


    agree not to say anything? So that daddy has to guess.¡±


    Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Oh, I forgot.¡± Jamie pped his forehead gently. ¡°I revealed my identity the moment I spoke.¡±


    ¡°Haha, that''s right.¡± Zachary cracked up. ¡°Although both of you look the same, your tone and


    mannerisms are entirely different.¡±


    Robbie resembled adult Zachary by acting aloof and rational, while Jamie resembled him before he


    was six. At that time, his character was still vibrant and filled with innocence.


    ¡°Next time, I''ll pretend to act like Robbie so that you won''t be able to tell.¡± Jamie frowned and


    pretended to put on a serious expression. ¡°Daddy, I have just thought of a new idea for an app. It will


    help children that are lost find their way home...¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, your impersonation is really urate!¡± Zachary pinched Jamie''s cheeks.


    ¡°It''s not like me at all! I never look that serious.¡± Robbie was upset as he slid down the chair and


    hurried over. ¡°This is how I speak...¡±


    The next moment, he furrowed his eyebrows a little and repeated what Jamie had just said.


    ¡°Robbie, since you say my impersonation isn''t urate, why don''t you impersonate me instead?¡±


    Jamie performed a short martial arts routine.


    ¡°Erm...¡± Stunned, Robbie replied with a frown, ¡°Forget it. I give up. There''s no way I can do that!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, it means that I''m better than you.¡± Jamieughed smugly.


    ¡°Jamie, you...¡± Robbie''s cheeks reddened as he fumed.


    ¡°Alright now, both of you are the best.¡± Zachary calmed the situation down and asked, ¡°Where''s Ellie?¡±


    ¡°Daddy, I''m here...¡± Ellie''s squeaky voice rang out from behind him.


    Turning around, he saw her in a princess-style dress with a diamond tiara on her head. With her


    naturally curly hair all bunned up, she looked like a mini version of Charlotte and was so beautiful that


    she took everyone''s breath away.


    ¡°Wow! Ellie, you''re gorgeous!¡± Robbie and Jamie gasped in excitement.


    ¡°That''s right. You look really stunning!¡± the other stylists couldn''t help but exim in awe.


    ¡°Daddy, am I pretty?¡± Ellie lifted her skirt and made a little twirl on stage.


    ¡°Of course!¡± Zachary extended his hand and led her down the stage. ¡°My Ellie is the prettiest girl there


    is!¡±


    ¡°I want a hug, Daddy.¡± Ellie stretched out her arms.


    Zachary picked her up and lifted her into the air.


    ¡°Wow! It''s really high up here. Let''s go higher!¡±


    Ellie cried out in joy as she had her arms outstretched, just like a delightful little angel.


    Zachary flung her into the air and caught her steadily on the way down.


    Ellie cackled in delight.


    Meanwhile, the stylists around them grew anxious as they were worried she might fall. After all, it


    looked dangerous to them.


    ¡°Daddy, I want it too! I want it too!¡±


    Jamie raised both his arms, gesturing excitedly that he wanted to be thrown into the air.


    ¡°Alright, it''s your turn now.¡±


    After putting Ellie down, Zachary picked Jamie up and flung him into the air. It was so high that he


    almost hit the ceiling.


    ¡°Ah! It''s so high! Daddy, you''re the best!¡± Jamie shrieked with his arms stretched to the sides, just like a


    little Superman.


    ¡°Daddy, me too!¡±


    When Robbie saw how much fun his siblings were having, he couldn''t help but want a piece of it.


    ¡°Sure!¡± Zachary entertained all their requests as he yed excitedly with the children.


    Meanwhile, Bruce was holding the phone at the door, not daring to interrupt Zachary. He had no choice


    but to step back and reply to Henry softly, ¡°Mr. Nacht, Zachary is...¡±

 Chapter 639

    Chapter 639


    ¡°Forget it, just get him to call me backter.¡±


    When Henry heard the children''s delightfulughs, he couldn''t bring himself to interrupt the beautiful


    moment.


    ¡°Certainly.¡± Bruce waited by the door holding the phone. When he saw the heartwarming scene in front


    of him, he hoped that the wedding would go on smoothly and that they could all live happily as a family.


    ¡°Alright, enough ying. I need to check on Mommy.¡± Zachary put the children down and patted them


    on their heads. ¡°Be good!¡±


    ¡°Mmm-hmm!¡± The child obediently scurried off to y by themselves.


    When Zachary arrived at Charlotte''s makeup room, he was in awe of what he saw the moment he


    opened the door.


    Charlotte was in a tailor-made wedding gown with an off-shoulder design. It entuated the beautiful


    lines of her neck and shoulders perfectly. Her delicate neckbined with her alluring cleavage made


    her look like a flower bud that was about to blossom.


    From her slender waist to her curvaceous hips, the long dress train flowed toward the ground, making


    her look like an angel.


    As Zachary was mesmerized by Charlotte''s silhouette, he realized every line and angle on hers was a


    gorgeous sight to behold.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht is here!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht!¡±


    The stylists and makeup artists all bowed to greet Zachary.


    Turning around, Charlotte smiled at him and asked, ¡°Do I look pretty?¡±


    ¡°You certainly do.¡± Zachary gradually approached her. He felt as if he had experienced this scene in his


    dreams before and it was then happening in real life.


    ¡°I was discussing with them about this set of jewelry. I feel it''s too loud for the asion.¡± Charlotte


    pointed at the jewelry on the table. ¡°What do you... ah...¡±


    Before she could finish, Zachary pulled her in by the waist.


    Gasping in surprise, she tried to push him away by reflex. She whispered, ¡°What are you doing? There


    are so many people...¡±


    ¡°I just want to hug you.¡±


    Zachary hugged her tightly as if he was desperately clinging on to the most important thing in the world,


    unwilling to let go.


    ¡°Stop fooling around.¡± Charlotte was embarrassed as there were at least more than ten pairs of eyes


    staring at them.


    As everyone else knowingly left to give them some privacy, Ben walked in to report, ¡°Mr. Nacht, it''s


    about time to leave now...¡±


    Before he finished his sentence, he quickly turned away when he saw what he had stumbled upon.


    Zachary let Charlotte go and helped her tidy her hair. Taking a look at the jewelry, hemented, ¡°It''s


    beautiful. It''s alright to look morous at your own wedding.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Charlotte epted his suggestion.


    Upon his cue, two stylists quickly helped Charlotte put on the jewelry.


    When Charlotte looked at herself in the mirror, she was enthralled by what she saw.


    Zachary was standing by her side, staring at her with a gentle and longing smile.


    After exchanging smiles in the mirror, they walked out together hand in hand.


    ¡°Daddy, mommy...¡±


    The children were already dressed and waiting downstairs. The moment they saw their parents


    descend the steps, all of them stood up. Unlike their usual reaction, they didn''t rush over this time.


    Instead, they stood in ce and waited obediently.


    ¡°Robbie, Jamie, Ellie!¡± When Charlotte saw that her children looked as if they had just stepped out of a


    fairytale, she couldn''t help but exim, ¡°Wow! Both of you boys look so handsome! And Ellie, you''re


    just gorgeous!¡±


    ¡°Mommy, you look equally stunning too, just like a goddess!¡± After that, the three of them began to


    tter Zachary, ¡°Daddy, you look really, really charming!¡±


    ¡°I''m sure you''re only saying that just so you don''t hurt my feelings,¡± Zachary quipped in a jealous tone.


    ¡°Hahaha...¡± Charlotte cracked up.


    ¡°Well, it''s simply because you look just as handsome all the time. Hence, you don''t look any different


    today.¡± Robbie''s gaze glistened as he shifted it to Charlotte. ¡°However, this is the first time I''ve seen


    mommy dress up and she looks absolutely stunning!¡±


    ¡°Yes! That''s right!¡± Jamie and Ellie nodded as they seconded his statement.


    ¡°Mommy is pretty. Mommy is pretty!¡±


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    Out of nowhere, Fifi flew over to join them. Even she was dressed up in a striking red scarf tied with a


    butterfly knot, adding to the festive atmosphere.

 Chapter 640

    Chapter 640


    Outside, the Rolls-Royce limousine was already waiting.


    As the bodyguards opened the door, the children entered first followed by Zachary and Charlotte.


    After the bodyguards and maids got into the cars behind them, two Rolls-Royce convoys set off for the


    church.


    The children were exceptionally quiet that day. All they did was watch their parents gleefully, sending


    them their best wishes.


    Even Fifi was unusually obedient as she perched within Ellie''s embrace, not making a sound.


    As for Zachary, he held onto Charlotte''s hand and looked at her warmly.


    Charlotte let out a blissful smile and returned his gaze longingly.


    Soon, the convoy arrived at the church by the South Sea.


    The Nacht family''s impressive troop of bodyguards stood on both sides of the path to wee Zachary


    and Charlotte.


    Meanwhile, the guests were chatting and sipping Champagne outdoors on thewn. When they heard


    Zachary and the bride had arrived, they hurried into the church and waited for the ceremony to begin.


    The ceremony was to start at eleven thirty.


    Zachary and Charlotte arrived in a holding room at the back of the church. They would then march out


    at the appointed time.


    As the stylist madest minutes adjustments for Charlotte, the stage manager was instructing the three


    children about their duty as flower boys and girls.


    Bruce was also ensuring the security measures were in ce.


    As for Olivia, she stayed close to Charlotte throughout, not letting her out of sight.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht has arrived!¡±


    The moment he heard the cry, Zachary turned around. Spencer was pushing Mr. Nacht in and they


    were followed by ten elite bodyguards. Together with them were the three nurses that took care of the


    children at Kindness Hospital.


    ¡°Great-grandpa!¡± The children cried out excitedly.


    ¡°Grandpa...¡± Charlotte greeted respectfully.


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Zachary stood up to approach Henry.


    ¡°I was worried that you had your hands full. So I wanted to help watch the children.¡±


    At his signal, Spencer led Amelia, Violet, and Mildred over.


    ¡°Robbie, Jamie, Ellie, is it alright for us to look after you today?¡±


    ¡°Wow! Amelia, Violet, Mildred, it''s been a long while...¡±


    The three nurses had looked after the children for two months before. Hence, they were familiar with


    them.


    The kids were also delighted to see them, especially Jamie and Ellie. Hence, they quickly warmed up


    to the nurses.


    ¡°Daddy?¡± Robbie was more guarded and gave Zachary an inquisitive look as if he was seeking


    permission.


    Only when Zachary nodded did Robbie agree to leave with them.


    With a signal from his hands, eight bodyguards went along with them to ensure the security of the


    children.


    ¡°What is going on?¡± Charlotte began to feel nervous when she noticed the tension in the air.


    ¡°Don''t worry, Ms. Windt,¡± Spencer quickly exined. ¡°When the heir to the Nacht family weds, it sends


    shockwaves throughout the entire world. Hence, to prevent any disruptions by suspicious parties, it''s


    just prudent for us to take extra precautions.¡±


    ¡°Mmm-hmm. Sorry for the trouble.¡± Charlotte heaved a sigh of relief.


    ¡°I want to speak to you for a moment,¡± Henry said to Zachary.


    After patting Charlotte on the shoulder, Zachary went out with Henry. Bruce and his men entered and


    stationed themselves by the entrance to protect Charlotte.


    When Charlotte saw how tight security was, she was further unsettled and suspected that something


    was up.


    After Henry led Zachary to another holding room, he closed the door behind them.


    Henry demanded, ¡°What are you doing? Why are you attacking your aunt''spany?¡±


    ¡°Didn''t I tell you to ask her why?¡± Zachary raised his eyebrow. ¡°What''s wrong? Did she not contact


    you?¡±N?velDrama.Org owns all content.


    ¡°Ever since what happened thest time, she has broken off ties with me,¡± Henry asserted angrily. ¡°I


    only found out because thepany''s staff told me.¡±


    Zachary frowned at Henry''s words. What''s going on? Given how bad the situation is, why doesn''t that


    crazy woman show herself?


    He assumed she hadined to Henry, causing Henry to question him.

 Chapter 641

    Chapter 641


    ¡°I know that she kidnapped Charlotte thest time. But didn''t she release her after that? No damage


    was done. Now that you are going to wed Charlotte, why do you need to go to such extremes on this


    happy asion?¡±


    Henry continued admonishing, ¡°Don''t you have anything better to do? Your aunt has a fiery temper.


    Once she retaliates, you will have more on your hands than you can handle.¡±


    ¡°She should just show herself in front of me,¡± Zachary sneered, ¡°I''m frustrated because I can''t find her.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Henry furrowed his eyebrows. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°It''s better you don''t know. Or else, it may shock you to death.¡± Zachary stood up and prepared to


    leave.


    ¡°Stop right there...¡± Henry roared but it fell on deaf ears as Zachary stormed out.


    Outside, the bodyguard informed him that the ceremony was about to begin.


    Zachary walked into Charlotte''s room.


    At that moment, Mrs. Berry, Olivia, and Hayley were in there with her.


    Mrs. Berry was dressed morously today as she was ying the role of the bride''s father. She was


    supposed to walk Charlotte down the aisle and give her away to Zachary.


    As for Olivia and Hayley, they were the bridesmaids and were tasked to stay by Charlotte''s side


    wherever she went.


    ¡°The ceremony is about to begin.¡± Zachary caressed Charlotte''s face. ¡°I''ll go on ahead and wait for you


    there.¡±


    ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡± Charlotte was nervous.


    ¡°Don''t worry. I''m right here with you.¡± Zachary kissed her on her forehead to reassure her. ¡°I''ll be


    waiting for you by the lectern. You will be making your entrance three minutes after I do.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Charlotte took a deep breath. ¡°Go quickly!¡±


    ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡± Zachary turned his attention to Mrs. Berry and the two bridesmaids. ¡°Mrs. Berry, Olivia,


    Hayley, thank you for doing this. Please help me take good care of her.¡±


    Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Don''t worry, Mr. Zachary.¡±


    ¡°Leave her to us!¡±


    As Zachary hurriedly left, he instructed Bruce and nine other bodyguards to stay with Charlotte. He,


    together with Ben and another group of bodyguards, headed to the grand hall.


    He had to walk through a long corridor from the holding room. It was just like a tunnel. The sunlight that


    illuminated it threw a long shadow when it fell upon Zachary''s body.


    Stepping into the light, Zachary entered the grand hall. The romantic tune of a piano provided the


    backdrop for his entrance.


    Everyone in the hall looked in his direction with blissful gazes and warm smiles.


    As the entrance song was being yed, Zachary walked toward the lectern emotionally and turned


    back to face the entrance, anticipating the arrival of the bride.


    Back at the holding room, the pastor informed, ¡°Ms. Windt, it''s time to make your entrance.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Lifting her gown, Charlotte sauntered toward the grand hall.


    Olivia and Hayley were holding the train behind her while Mrs. Berry held her hand.


    The three of them had joyous smiles all over their faces.


    ¡°Miss, I''m a bundle of nerves now!¡± Mrs. Berry took a couple of deep breaths and patted her chest. ¡°It


    feels as if I''m the one getting married.¡±


    ¡°Haha...¡± Charlotte couldn''t help butugh.


    Hayley chuckled along while Olivia covered her mouth, trying to hold back herugher.


    ¡°Really, it feels like my heart is going to burst.¡± Mrs. Berry''s voice was choking. ¡°In my entire life, I have


    never yed such an important role before. Last night, I even dreamt of Mr. Windt. He asked me to


    give you away to Mr. Zachary and I was overwhelmed with delight. I''m really, really happy right now.¡±


    ¡°You''re behaving foolishly. Aren''t you supposed to be happy then? Why are you crying?¡±


    Despite teasing her, Charlotte''s eyes couldn''t help but redden. Overwhelmed by bliss, she felt her heart


    fill with all sorts of emotions. Her mind couldn''t help but think back to all that had happened in the past.


    She thought about her time with her father, what had befallen him, Hector breaking off their


    engagement, and how she met Zachary in the strangest of circumstances.


    The short hundred-meter walk felt like an entire shback of her life. Memories of her past flooded into


    her mind as if she had finally found closure and was about to embark on a new chapter in her life.

 Chapter 642

    Chapter 642


    ¡°Thinking back to the day you were born, twenty-three years had passed since then...¡±


    Mrs. Berry smiled with tears in her eyes andmented in a choking voice.


    ¡°Time passes really fast. Before I even realize it, you have already grown up. Now, you''re about to get


    married and even have three adorable children. All this while, everything felt just like a dream. There


    were both happy and sad memories but everything hase full circle now.¡±


    She continued, ¡°Miss, I have always worried that I am going to fail to take good care of you or cause


    you to suffer. If that happened, I will not be able to face your father in the afterlife. But now, I can


    proudly dere to him that I have fulfilled my responsibility.¡±


    Mrs. Berry added, ¡°Miss, Mr. Zachary is a good man. He loves both you and the children a lot. Hence,


    I''m sure both of you will lead a happy life...¡±


    ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡±


    Charlotte nodded repeatedly with tears welling up in her eyes. Nevertheless, she was smiling with


    blissful joy.


    She strongly believed that she will find happiness.


    ¡°Wait, what''s that sound?¡± Hayley suddenly turned back to look.


    ¡°What?¡± Olivia turned around and saw a few shadows sh before her. Feeling unsettled, she asked


    Bruce anxiously, ¡°Bruce, did you see them?¡±


    ¡°Shh...¡± Bruce shushed her so as to not rm Charlotte unnecessarily.


    He had of course seen them and used his watch to alert Ben and the other bodyguards. The Nacht


    family bodyguards were all well-trained and prepared for action. They were not going to allow anyone


    to disrupt the wedding.¡±


    Olivia nodded and didn''t say another word.


    Nevertheless, she was still terrified as she couldn''t help but tremble.


    ¡°Don''t be afraid. We''re here to protect you,¡± Bruce reminded her softly.


    ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡± It did make sense to her. After all, the Nacht family bodyguards were all well-trained


    elites and they had put the wedding under tight security measures. Hence, they would be fine.


    As Hayley was a simple girl, she was quickly reassured by Bruce''s words and didn''t give it too much


    thought.


    ¡°Miss, I''m fat and have short legs. Hence, I''m worried I may not be able to catch up. So, please slow


    down or I may trip on your wedding gown.¡±


    Mrs. Berry was still fussing about the entrance and discussed her concerns with Charlotte.


    ¡°I understand.¡± Charlotte smiled.


    ¡°Miss, if I cry, you have to pinch me. I don''t want to embarrass myself in front of others.¡±


    ¡°Pfft, how can I do that? If you feel like crying, just do so. It''s not embarrassing at all.¡±


    ¡°Miss, do you think I look good in this outfit? I think it makes me look fat.¡±


    ¡°No, it''s fine. In fact, you look thinner.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Really...¡±


    As both of them continued to chat, they quickly forgot how nervous they were. Before they knew it, they


    had arrived at the entrance of the grand hall.


    When thedy attendant by the door opened it, light flooded toward them, as if all the spotlights in the


    hall were trained on her.


    At that very moment, Charlotte emerged in the grand hall just like an angel who had descended from


    Heaven, mesmerizing everyone inside.


    Everyone''s attention was focused on her.


    Many members of the Nacht family were wondering how an ordinary girl had managed to capture


    Zachary''s heart as he was famous for being as cold as an iceberg.


    The moment they saw how stunning Charlotte was, all their doubts wereid to rest.


    Seated on another side were Jeffrey and a group of Richard''s old hands. There were also distant


    rtives of the Windt family in attendance.


    These rtives had not kicked the Windt family when they were down. However, they couldn''t help


    much either due to their limited capabilities. Nevertheless, they had always shown their concern for


    Charlotte discreetly through Mrs. Berry and Jeffrey.


    Hence, they earned their right to be invited to the wedding.


    At that moment, when they saw Charlotte in all her glory, they couldn''t help but tear. All of them were


    heartened by the fact that Richard would be proud if he was there.


    Jeffrey in particr was moved to tears. Despite having misgivings about the Nacht family initially, his


    doubts wereid to rest. With the knowledge that Charlotte had found her man, he felt truly happy for


    her.

 Chapter 643

    Chapter 643


    With her feet on the red carpet, Charlotte sauntered toward Zachary.


    As tears welled up in her eyes, she smiled faintly at him behind her veil.


    He looked sharp and aristocratic in his suit as if he was Prince Charming himself. He stared at her,


    waiting...


    Thinking back to how they first met, images from then started to fill her mind.


    ¡°For the next three months starting from today, you will have to pay me half of your daily takings as


    compensation for what happened that night.¡±


    ¡°I''ll make it clear for you. From now onwards, your responsibility is to work hard as a gigolo so that you


    can clear your debt!¡±


    ¡°I have a devil as a boss. You won''t believe how crazy he is...¡±


    ¡°You are both greedy and a nymph. You will never change...¡±


    ¡°Send them to the meeting room on the sixty-sixth floor in half an hour.¡±


    ¡°I quit!¡±


    As scenes from the past flooded her mind, Charlotte couldn''t help but smile. However, tears fell along


    with it.


    She thought about how she teased him in the beginning and how it all backfired on her. During that


    period, she hated him so much that all she wanted to do was flee from him.


    However, it had never crossed her mind that one day, she would marry him.


    Perhaps, it is just fated to be.


    As Zachary looked at her anxiously, the short approach felt like an eternity to him.


    Every step she took reverberated within his heart.


    As his heart beat alongside the rhythm of her footsteps, he felt so nervous that his palms were sweaty.


    He wanted her to walk faster. Just a little faster as he couldn''t bear to wait for a second longer.


    Finally, when she was about two meters away, Zachary couldn''t restrain himself as he stepped forward


    to hold her hand. His impatient gesture caused the audience to crack up.


    When Henry, who was sitting in the front row, saw the heartwarming scene, he couldn''t help but smile.


    Before this, he had never understood why Zachary was so stubborn. No matter what he did or said,


    there was just no changing Zachary''s mind. Now that he thought about it, he finally realized how much


    more meaningful it was to marry the woman one was truly in love with.


    Zachary was just acting upon his own feelings.


    This is wonderful. Absolutely wonderful.


    Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    Henry smiled to himself as he looked back in his life. He too had his regrets. But at that moment,


    watching Zachary and his three grandchildren, he felt that everything was well worth the trouble.


    ¡°Distinguished guests,dies, and gentlemen, love is divine. Today, the love of the couple standing


    before me has gone through the cycle of the seasons. From seeding in spring, cultivating in summer,


    maturing in autumn, and surviving the trials of winter. Their love has now borne fruit...¡±


    After the master of ceremonies gave a short introductory speech, the pastor took over.


    He asked, ¡°Ms. Charlotte Windt, do you take Mr. Zachary Nacht to be yourwfully wedded husband?


    To have and to hold, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall


    live?¡±


    ¡°I do!¡± Charlotte replied without any hesitation.


    ¡°Mr. Zachary Nacht, do you take Ms. Charlotte Windt to be yourwfully wedded wife? To have and to


    hold, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?¡±


    ¡°I...¡± Just went Zachary was about to reply, the main door swung open. An uninvited figure stormed in.


    As everyone turned to look, the attention shifted toward that person. Within the same moment, many of


    them were shocked.


    Zara was dressed in a tapered ck suit. Looking aloof, she strode in with an icy cold vibe. Behind her


    were her assistant, Shirley, and two burly bodyguards.


    ¡°How can I miss my nephew''s wedding?¡±


    Zara gave Zachary a pensive look.


    When Charlotte saw the terrifying woman, she was reminded of the poison within her, causing her to be


    overwhelmed by emotions.


    Holding tightly to her hands, Zachary red coldly at Zara. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

 Chapter 644

    Chapter 644


    ¡°I''m here to attend your wedding, of course, my dear nephew.¡± Zara sneered at Zachary, ¡°What''s


    wrong? Am I not weed?¡±


    Zachary''s furrowed his eyebrows while his gaze was icy cold.


    Outside, the bodyguards rushed in. They had wanted to stop Zara but didn''t expect her to slip through


    their hands.


    Marino quickly exined, ¡°Mr. Nacht, Ms. Nacht...¡±


    When Zachary shot them a nce, Bruce ordered the bodyguards to stand down.


    At that moment, Henry remarked inly, ¡°Since you''re here, why don''t you have a seat and watch.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Father.¡± When Zara was about to take her ce, Henry added, ¡°You''re family, why are you sitting


    so far away? Come sit here beside me.¡±


    Zara was briefly stunned but quicklyplied by sitting next to Henry.


    All the guests in attendance couldn''t help but catch their breath. Everyone knew that Zara and Zachary


    were on bad terms. Therefore, what Henry did was to keep an eye on Zara so that she wouldn''t disrupt


    the wedding.


    ¡°The rest of you, stand down,¡± Henry ordered Shirley and the two bodyguards.


    Shirley looked toward Zara.


    At her signal, the three of them backed off.


    ¡°Continue!¡± Henry gestured with his hand.


    On stage, the pastor repeated his earlier question, ¡°Mr. Zachary Nacht, do you take Ms. Charlotte


    Windt to be yourwfully wedded wife...¡±


    Just when the pastor was speaking, Henry whispered to Zara, ¡°Today, your nephew is getting married.


    You''re not allowed to cause any trouble. Or else, I''m not going to forgive you!¡±


    ¡°Father, you shouldn''t say that.¡± Zara looked hurt. ¡°I''m a member of the Nacht family. Everything I have


    done is for the sake of the family. Why are you treating me with such hostility?¡±


    ¡°Is kidnapping Zachary''s girlfriend for the sake of the family too?¡± Henry retorted.


    ¡°Father...¡± Just when Zara was about to speak, Zachary replied to his wedding vows, ¡°I do!¡±


    The audience then broke into thunderous apuse as they were all happy for Zachary.


    ¡°And now, please exchange rings,¡± the pastor announced.


    At that moment, the children walked out with music ying in the background. Ellie, dressed like a


    princess, was in the center holding a rose. She was nked by Robbie and Jamie who were each


    holding the wedding rings.


    Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    The three children had exquisite features and looked adorable, just like little princes and princesses


    from the fairytales. At that moment, they attracted everyone''s attention.


    As Zachary and Charlotte watched their children approach, both of them let out a blissful smile.


    Henry, too, was filled with affection at the sight of his grandchildren.


    ¡°Do they belong to Zachary?¡± Zara suddenly asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Henry''s expression grew solemn. ¡°They are the Nacht family''s flesh and blood. No one is


    allowed to hurt them.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry, I don''t mean that at all.¡± Zara smiled faintly. ¡°As a member of the Nachts, my actions only


    serve the family''s interests. Hence, there is a secret that I must tell you!¡±


    ¡°What are you trying to pull?¡± Henry furrowed his eyebrows.


    ¡°Would I ever dare mess with you?¡± Zara replied with a grave expression, ¡°I just don''t want the Nacht


    family to fall to the Lindberg family!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Henry was puzzled.


    ¡°Take a look at this and you will understand.¡± Zara took out a photo and handed it to Henry. ¡°This is a


    photo of Harrison and the woman from the Lindberg family.¡±


    When Henry saw it, he couldn''t help but gape. Blinking his eyes, he looked at the photo again and then


    at Charlotte.


    Charlotte was the splitting image of the woman in the picture.


    ¡°Where did you get this?¡± Henry suppressed his emotions and demanded. ¡°Did you doctor it?¡±


    ¡°Do you think I dare to y such childish tricks in front of you?¡± Zara sneered in a self-deprecating


    manner. ¡°Goodness, the Nacht Group is a tech-basedpany. The picture isn''t doctored. I''m sure


    you can easily tell. If you don''t believe me, you can ask Taylor. He has seen Isabe before!¡±

 Chapter 645

    Chapter 645


    ¡°Father, although it was a long time ago, I have not forgotten how Harrison died...¡±


    Zara exined in a sorrowful tone, ¡°During the car ident and the explosion that followed, Beatrice


    and his bodies were burned to crisp. To the extent, there was nothing left to bury...¡±


    ¡°Enough, stop it!¡± Henry suddenly snapped.


    Everyone was shocked as they turned to look at him.


    Zachary knitted his eyebrows as he knew that Zara was definitely up to no good. However, he didn''t


    know what she said to have outraged Henry.


    Signaling with his hand, Spencer wheeled him to a side and even ordered a bodyguard to fetch Taylor.


    The crowd noticed themotion but didn''t understand what was going on. However, most of their


    attention was still focused on Zachary and the bride.


    As the wedding went on, the three children were on their way to the stage. Henry''s shout had startled


    them but they assumed he was just scolding Zara and didn''t think too much about it.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, what is it?¡±


    Taylor was present at the wedding and seated a row behind Henry.


    ¡°I remember that you mentioned that Charlotte looked like someone.¡± Henry had no time to waste and


    showed the photo to Taylor. ¡°Is it her?¡±


    When Taylor saw the photo, his expression changed drastically. However, he didn''t dare say a word.


    ¡°It''s true then...¡± Taylor''s reaction told Henry all he needed to know. ¡°Why didn''t you tell me since you


    have known about it all along?¡±


    ¡°I did feel she resembled Isabe. But, I wasn''t sure of her identity. Furthermore, she was in a


    rtionship with Zachary. Hence, it wasn''t appropriate for me to say anything.¡± Taylor asked with a


    frown, ¡°Have you investigated her true identity? Could it be that she really is...¡±


    ¡°She is Isabe''s daughter,¡± Zara dered.


    Her words were like an earth-shattering revtion, shocking everyone.


    ¡°What?¡± Spencer widened his eyes in disbelief.


    Taylor was also stunned. Despite his suspicions, he was still shocked to hear it being said out loud.


    Henry''s expression took a gloomy turn all of a sudden.


    ¡°This is proof.¡± Zara handed Henry some documents.


    When he flicked through them, the gloom on his face intensified.


    Taylor and Spencer held their breath as they exchanged nces with somber expressions.


    When Zara realized she had achieved her objective, she asserted, ¡°Father, the Lindberg Corporation


    has always been gathering allies to restrain the influence of the Nacht Group. At the same time, they


    had sent Isabe''s daughter to seduce Zachary. Their intentions are truly devious. If we let them


    achieve their goals, the consequences are beyond what we can imagine. Zachary is still too young and


    doesn''t deserve to be in that position...¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Henry scowled. ¡°Get out!¡±


    Zara was briefly stunned before sneering, ¡°I''m doing this for the sake of Nacht Group and this is how


    you treat me? Fine. If you don''t appreciate what I''m doing, I''ll just leave.¡±


    With that, she stormed out...


    When Henry looked up, the children were already on stage and holding the rings up high. They looked


    on at their parents with happy smiles on their faces.


    ¡°Thank you, Robbie!¡±


    Charlotte smiled as she received the ring and put it on for Zachary. While doing so, her eyes were filled


    with love.


    The guests broke into loud apuse as everyone celebrated their love.


    Zachary gently kissed her on her forehead and couldn''t help but hug her.


    ¡°Now, the groom will help the bride put on the wedding ring,¡± the pastor reminded.


    ¡°Daddy, the ring.¡± Jamie raised the ring box.


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    ¡°Thank you, Jamie!¡± Zachary received the rings and prepared to put them on for Charlotte.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Henry suddenly cried out. His voice was domineering and cold. It felt jarring amidst the romantic


    and warm atmosphere of the wedding.

 Chapter 646

    Chapter 646


    Zachary paused what he was doing and turned toward Henry. The kids were staring at him in shock.


    Everyone in the audience was equally stunned as they gave Henry puzzled looks.


    With a solemn expression, Spencer pushed Henry toward the stage.


    Taylor knowingly stepped back and returned to his seat.


    ¡°Kids, I have something to discuss with daddy. You should go back to the holding room with Mr.


    Spencer. Be good now.¡±


    Looking at the children, Henry''s gaze recovered its usualpassion as he let out a warm and gentle


    smile.


    The children turned toward Zachary and Charlotte in unison.


    ¡°Go along now.¡± Zachary patted them on their heads. He knew a confrontation was about to happen


    and Henry was just trying to protect the children.


    ¡°Come along kids,¡± Spencer coaxed the children, ¡°let''s go get something to eat.¡±


    With that, the nurses came over and escorted the children away under the watchful eyes of the


    bodyguards.


    Robbie turned to look at Charlotte, who waved at him with a smile, signaling him not to worry.


    However, she was already a bunch of nerves. sping her hands together, she couldn''t help but turn


    the ring on her finger. For some strange reason, she was overwhelmed by a sense of dread, as if


    something terrible was about to happen.


    ¡°Grandpa, whatever it is, let''s talk about itter.¡± Despite furrowing his eyebrows, Zachary remained


    calm and ordered the pastor, ¡°Let''s continue!¡±


    And then, holding Charlotte''s hand, he prepared to put on her ring.


    ¡°I''m putting a stop to this.¡± Henry interrupted Zachary again before turning toward the guests, ¡°Ladies


    and gentlemen, please proceed to the lobby for the reception. My apologies for the abrupt change in


    itinerary.¡±


    The guests were all puzzled by the fact that they were asked to leave before the wedding ended.


    However, Henry had made his stance clear and no one dared to disobey.


    The guests quickly moved to the lobby.


    ¡°Grandpa...¡± Zachary asked with a frown, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°The ring hasn''t been put on and the marriage isn''t registered.¡± Henry announced, ¡°I hereby dere


    this wedding null and void!¡±


    Stunned, Charlotte gave Henry a puzzled look. ¡°Grandpa, why?¡±


    ¡°Don''t ever call me grandpa,¡± Henry scowled.


    Charlotte was taken aback and didn''t understand what she did wrong.


    ¡°What did Zara tell you?¡± Zachary questioned angrily. ¡°You must know that her intentions are never


    good...¡±


    ¡°Regardless of her intentions, the truth cannot be denied,¡± Henry interrupted Zachary with a roar. ¡°I''m


    warning you now that I will not allow this woman to step foot in our home. Even from my grave, I''ll still


    forbid it!¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Zachary was stunned. Despite how much Henry hated Charlotte or objected to the wedding earlier, he


    would never adopt such a harsh stance. At that moment, his resolve seemed unshakeable.


    ¡°Let me ask you...¡± Henry ignored Zachary. Instead, he interrogated Charlotte, ¡°Is your mom Isabe


    Lindberg?¡±


    Shaken to the core by Henry''s domineering tone, Charlotte instinctively replied, ¡°Yes...¡±


    Upon hearing her response, Spencer dropped the documents he was holding onto the floor while


    Taylor''s eye widened emotionally. He gasped, ¡°So, it''s true!¡±


    Henry shut his eyes tightly as her answer had put the matter beyond any doubt.


    ¡°What has this got anything to do with our wedding?¡± Charlotte asked nervously. ¡°Grandpa, what is


    going on? Didn''t you agree to the wedding? What did I do wrong?¡±


    ¡°Your only mistake was getting to know Zachary.¡± Henry was in no mood to continue speaking to her.


    Opening his eyes, he barked, ¡°Leave at once before I have the urge to kill you. Disappear from my


    sight right this moment!¡±


    Charlotte recoiled in horror as the bouquet in her hands dropped to the ground.


    Urge to kill me? Henry has gone from not epting me to wanting me dead?


    What is going on?


    What did I do to have him desire to take my life?Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 647

    Chapter 647


    ¡°Why the urge to kill?¡± Zachary questioned in shock. ¡°What is going on?¡±


    Henry didn''t say a word further.


    All he did was gesture to the bodyguards, who approached Charlotte. ¡°Ms. Windt, please.¡±


    ¡°Insolence! Stand down!¡± Zachary barked.


    ¡°Do you want me to kill her?¡±


    Henry had lost his patience while his eyes were filled with murderous intent.


    Zachary knitted his eyebrows as he had never seen such a reaction from Henry over thest twenty


    years. Thest time he acted this way was during his father''s death. Henry''s fearsome gaze looked as


    if he wanted to kill all those that were responsible.


    ¡°Ben...¡± Zachary ordered, ¡°take her to the holding room and wait for me there.¡±


    ¡°Right away.¡± Ben approached Charlotte respectfully, ¡°Ms. Windt, please.¡±


    At that moment, Charlotte''s heart was in turmoil as she held onto Zachary''s hand, unwilling to let go.


    Looking at him with a distraught expression, she was worried that he would abandon her.


    ¡°Don''t worry.¡± Zachary squeezed her hand and gentlyforted, ¡°No matter what happens, I won''t


    leave you. Now, go to the holding room and wait for me.¡±


    ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡± Having been reassured by his promise, Charlotte bowed at Henry before leaving with


    Ben.


    ¡°The wedding is now annulled. The children can stay while their mom has to go. This is my final act of


    mercy,¡± Henry dered outright.


    ¡°Grandpa, you...¡±


    ¡°There is nothing you can say that will change my mind.¡± Henry squashed any intention of Zachary''s to


    do so. He added angrily, ¡°Unless your father can rise from the dead ande back to me, that woman


    will never be allowed to be part of the Nacht family!¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡± Zachary was stunned. ¡°What has this got anything to do with father?¡±


    N?velDrama.Org owns all content.


    ¡°She is the daughter of your father''s murderer. Isn''t that enough?¡±


    Henry handed Zachary the picture.


    Zachary stood stunned and took a long while to regain hisposure. ¡°What are you babbling about?


    How is that possible?¡±


    ¡°See for yourself.¡± Henry gestured for Spencer to hand over the documents and photo to Zachary.


    Zachary was blown away by what he saw. He responded frantically, ¡°This is impossible. It must be Zara


    who fabricated it.¡±


    ¡°Can you not tell if the picture has been doctored?¡± Henry sneered in return. ¡°Stop lying to yourself.


    She is Isabe''s daughter. Her mother caused the death of your father while the Lindbergs are our


    family''s enemies. How can you marry her? Do you want your parents to roll in their graves? Or do you


    want Nacht Group to be taken over by the Lindberg Corporation?¡±


    Furrowing his eyebrows, Zachary held onto the documents in silence.


    He refused to ept the truth and felt that there must have been a mistake somewhere. There just had


    to be.


    ¡°I have decided to spare her life on the ount of the children. That is the greatest mercy I can grant


    her.¡± Henry gritted his teeth while trying his best to rein in his anger. ¡°Or else, I would have ordered her


    to be torn apart just for having the same face as Isabe.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, please calm down,¡± Taylor carefully advised. He then reminded, ¡°I''m afraid we have to


    cover this matter up. If the Lindbergs find out...¡±


    Henry was suddenly shaken and quickly ordered Spencer, ¡°Lock down all information with regards to


    the wedding. Make sure that no videos or pictures are leaked.¡±


    ¡°Right away.¡± Spencer went about it immediately.


    ¡°Don''t you see?¡± Henry ranted, ¡°Have you thought about the consequences if the Lindberg family finds


    out about her identity? We may still be able to keep it under wraps for now. But what about the future?


    Are you going to cover up her face for eternity? Also, what if they discover that the three children


    belong to their family...¡±


    Henry was outraged just by thinking about it. ¡°No, we definitely cannot allow them to find out!¡±

 Chapter 648

    Chapter 648


    ¡°As long she is not around, we can then hide the children''s identity.¡± Henry knitted his eyebrows. ¡°Now,


    there''s no time to lose. Let me handle the situation. I''ll send her somece far away...¡±


    Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°No!¡± Zachary interrupted Henry. ¡°She can''t leave...¡±


    ¡°Now that you know the truth, why are you insisting to have her by your side?¡± Henry fumed. ¡°What''s


    wrong with you? Don''t you know what''s more important?¡±


    ¡°The sins of the past are not for her to bear.¡± Zachary''s thoughts were crystal clear. ¡°She was raised by


    her father and never met her mother. Other than a name, she has no idea who her mother is, let alone


    be aware of her rtionship with the Lindberg family. What right do you have to insist that she pays for


    the sins of the previous generation?¡±


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°With regards to your concerns about the Lindberg family finding out, I can keep the information under


    wraps and destroy all traces of evidence. That way, no one will know. As for her resemnce to


    Isabe, we will just have her keep a low profile and not appear in public. That should solve it...¡±


    ¡°You really have gone mad!¡± Henry roared with a sullen expression. ¡°There''s no way you can hide


    something like that forever. Can you wipe away everything rted to her existence? Even if you can,


    the people she meets may leak it. Do you intend to kill them all? Furthermore, her father used to be


    someone influential in the business world. It''s just impossible to destroy all the links to her. As long as


    they have some clues, the Lindberg family will definitely find out.¡±


    He continued, ¡°As for the three children, they have been raised by her alone and their identity hasn''t


    been made public. Hence, there''s little evidence of their existence. All we need to do is to give them


    new identities and they will be fine...¡±


    Zachary fell silent at Henry''s words as he did see the logic in them. From a rational perspective, there


    was no way Charlotte could stay.


    However, he couldn''t bring himself to let her go.


    ¡°Think about it...¡± Henry continued to persuade, ¡°Even if we set aside the hatred over your father''s


    death and the interests of the Nacht family, you have to at least consider the three children. Just for


    their sakes alone, she cannot stay.¡±


    ¡°Stop...¡±


    Zachary slumped in his chair and felt his heart being pulled at opposite ends. One was the rational side


    of him, while the other was emotional. Both were pulling so hard that he could feel his heart being torn


    apart.


    Meanwhile, Zara was about to leave when Bruce quickly surrounded her with a group of bodyguards.


    ¡°Ms. Nacht, please hand over the antidote.¡± Bruce approached her and began negotiations.


    ¡°What if I don''t?¡± Zara sneered, ¡°I dare you toy a finger on me.¡±


    ¡°It appears that there really is an antidote.¡± Bruce was delighted. ¡°Ms. Nacht, please hand it over


    peacefully and don''t force our hand.¡±


    ¡°Try me.¡± Zara raised her eyebrow.


    At Bruce''s cue, a group of men surrounded Zara and aimed their guns at her head.


    Zara''s expression drastically changed as she didn''t expect them to train their guns on her. She


    scowled, ¡°Bruce, how dare you!¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry, Ms. Nacht. I''m just following orders.¡± Bruce waved his hand. ¡°Take her away.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht.¡±


    At that moment, a bodyguard hurried over and reported something.


    Henry frowned as he looked toward Zachary. ¡°Why did you capture your aunt? She was just here to


    reveal the truth, nothing more. Let her go this instance.¡±


    ¡°She has poisoned Charlotte, causing her to be tormented by pain,¡± Zachary sneered. ¡°Coincidentally,


    you can order her to hand over the antidote.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Henry readily agreed. ¡°But you must break up with Charlotte.¡±

 Chapter 649

    Chapter 649


    ¡°I''m sure you know how stubborn your aunt can be. She will never hand over the antidote to you,¡±


    Henry threatened again, ¡°unless I tell her to!¡±


    ¡°Grandpa...¡±


    ¡°You should also be aware of what I''m capable of.¡± Henry didn''t allow Zachary a chance to speak as he


    continued, ¡°If I choose to protect her, there is no way you cany a finger on her.¡±


    Zachary furrowed his brows as he knew Henry was right.


    ¡°If I disallow Zara from handing over the antidote, Charlotte will die without me having to lift a finger,¡±


    Henry threatened viscously. ¡°I am only showing her mercy on the ount of the three children by


    allowing her to live.¡±


    Zachary fell silent having heard Henry''s words.


    Weighing his options, he realized he didn''t seem to have a choice other than to leave Charlotte.


    She was the daughter of his father''s murderer and a descendant of their natural enemies. Even if he


    disregarded the bad blood between them, she would still be a burden to the Nacht family and the


    children would also be dragged into it...


    More importantly, if he didn''t break up with her, she would still die without the antidote.


    ¡°Think carefully about it.¡± Henry didn''t give Zachary a choice. ¡°Sending her away is for the best.¡±


    Just as he spoke, Bruce entered in a hurry. After bowing to Henry, he whispered into Zachary''s ear.


    ¡°We have her but she refuses to hand over the antidote no matter what we say. Furthermore, we don''t


    dare torture her.¡±


    At the same time, Olivia barged in, sobbing desperately, ¡°Mr. Zachary,e quickly, Charlotte...¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± Zachary ran out immediately.


    ¡°She suddenly had a splitting headache and lost a lot of blood...¡±


    Olivia''s voice trembled as she choked.


    Zachary rushed to the holding room and saw Charlotte lying on the sofa. She was grimacing in pain


    while holding her head. Blood was flowing out of her nose, smearing all over her white wedding gown.


    Mrs. Berry was holding her hand, crying and trembling at the same time. ¡°Miss...¡±


    Hayley was beside her using acupuncture to relieve the pain but it didn''t seem to work at all.


    Charlotte was still in excruciating pain.


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    ¡°What''s going on? The pain was never this serious before.¡± Hayley panicked as she was at a loss.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht.¡± Raina looked at Zachary and reported, ¡°Ms. Windt is having a rpse. The painkillers don''t


    seem to be working either. Shall we give her a sedative?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Hayley interrupted, ¡°I''ve some medication here. She will sleep right after drinking it.¡±


    ¡°Step aside.¡± Zachary hurried over and held Charlotte''s hand tightly. Looking at how she was suffering,


    he felt so heartbroken that it suffocated him. He then made a decision. ¡°Give her the medication.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Hayley quickly fed it to Charlotte.


    Very quickly, Charlotte began to calm down. Holding Zachary''s hand, she fell into a deep sleep.


    Suddenly, Zachary felt that there was something in her hand. When he opened it, he saw that it was his


    ring.


    She had held it in her hands, wanting to put it on for him. s, she no longer had the opportunity to do


    so.


    All she could do was hold on to it tightly. Even when she was beset by pain, she didn''t let go. Her grip


    was so tight that it made a deep imprint in her palm.


    Zachary took the ring from her and put it on his ring finger. After that, he ced the back of her hand on


    his cheeks and murmured, ¡°Please leave us. I want to be alone with her for a while.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Mrs. Berry ushered everyone else out.


    Ben and his troop of bodyguards stood guard vigntly by the door.


    Mrs. Berry, Olivia, and Hayley were filled with concern as they paced around outside.


    ¡°Mrs. Berry, take thedies to grab a bite. With us here, Ms. Windt will be fine,¡± Ben reassured her.


    ¡°Come back when you''re done.¡±


    ¡°I have no appetite.¡± Mrs. Berry could only think about Charlotte. But when it urred to her that Olivia


    and Hayley were guests, she remarked, ¡°Olivia, Hayley,e with me.¡±


    After that, the three of them left.

 Chapter 650

    Chapter 650


    Gently, Zachary arranged Charlotte''s hair as he wiped away the stters of blood across her cheeks.


    The sight of her bloodstained bridal gown sent a stab of pain through his heart.


    Charlotte was in a deep slumber. It seemed like she was free from the pain of the poison.


    Zachary stroked her cheek with a tender touch and ran his thumb over her lips as he looked at her with


    a gaze full of longing.


    I love her. I wish Charlotte nothing but happiness and peace.


    He had endured countless obstacles in order to walk down the aisle with Charlotte.


    Yet all of a sudden, his path was blocked off once again. It seemed as if his insistence would kill


    countless people, including her.


    This forced him to halt his progress and search for another path.


    Knock knock! Suddenly, someone knocked on the door. Spencer''s voice rang out, ¡°Mr. Zachary, we''re


    coming in.¡±


    As the door was pushed open, Spencer pushed Henry, who was in his wheelchair, into the room.


    Dozens of the Nacht family''s elite bodyguards trailed behind them, holding Zara captive.


    ¡°Have you made up your mind?¡± inquired Henry icily.


    Without saying anything, Zachary removed his zer and covered Charlotte''s body.


    ¡°Still can''t bear to part with her?¡± Henry stared at an unconscious Charlotte and dered, ¡°If this drags


    on, she''ll die before I even take action!¡±


    At his words, Zachary stirred. He turned and red at Zara menacingly. ¡°Give me the antidote.¡±


    ¡°Who do you think you are?¡± sneered Zara. ¡°When your father was alive, he dared not talk to me this


    way.¡±


    Without warning, Zachary''s fistnded on the coffee table. Bang! ss shards flew everywhere.


    Everyone was taken aback, including Zara.


    Grabbing a knife from the table, Zachary pressed it on Zara''s neck. ¡°If you don''t give me the antidote,


    you''ll die!¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡± Zara arched a brow sarcastically, unfazed by his threat.


    ¡°Insolent fool!¡± Henry spat angrily. ¡°Put down the knife!¡±


    Instead of putting down the knife as told, Zachary twisted the knife so its sharp edge cut into Zara''s


    skin. Immediately, blood trickled down her neck.


    ¡°Do you seriously think I will hand out the antidote to you this way?¡± Zara seemed indifferent. ¡°As a


    Nacht, I''m not afraid of death!¡±


    ¡°If you want the woman to die right here, go ahead and kill me.¡±


    Henry made a gesture. At once, his bodyguard pointed a gun at Charlotte.


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    ¡°How dare you?¡± Zachary hissed.


    ¡°You''re already holding a knife at your aunt''s throat.¡± Henry was adamant. ¡°Put the knife down, and we


    can talk. Otherwise...¡±


    He pointed at Charlotte using his cane. ¡°I''ll send her to hell now!¡±


    The bodyguard cocked his gun.


    Molten anger rolled through Zachary as he released his grip on the knife reluctantly.


    Zara burst into excited giggles. ¡°Father, I thought you''ve never loved me. Turns out, I was wrong.¡±


    ¡°Cut the crap,¡± Henry uttered and stretched his hand out. ¡°Give me the antidote!¡±


    ¡°Why do you want to save this woman?¡± Zara was stunned. ¡°Her mother was the one who killed


    Harrison and Beatrice!¡±


    ¡°I said, give me the antidote. Don''t make me repeat myself.¡± Henry''s voice grew stern.


    ¡°Why do you always defend him?¡± Zara was upset. ¡°He hit Chris and attacked mypany


    deliberately. Not only did you not punish him, you even asked me to give you the antidote to save the


    enemy''s daughter?¡±


    ¡°Give me the antidote. I''ll ask him to stop attacking yourpany and transfer five percent of Nacht


    Group''s shares to Chris,¡± offered Henry. ¡°Will that do?¡±


    Zara was briefly startled but soon regained herposure. shing a grin, she replied, ¡°Father, you


    should''ve said that earlier. We''re a family, after all.¡±


    With that, she took out a tiny bottle from her pocket and handed it to Henry.

 Chapter 651

    Chapter 651


    Zachary took the antidote from her and fed it to Charlotte.


    Smirking, Zara revealed, ¡°This is only part of the antidote. I''ll hand you the rest when mypany is


    back on track and the shares are transferred to Chris.¡±


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    ¡°There are a few parts to the antidote?¡± Zachary furrowed his brows.


    ¡°Ten bottles,¡± sneered Zara. ¡°She has to take it ten times, my dear nephew.¡±


    Raw anger shot through Zachary as he raised his hand to hit her, but Spencer stopped him in time. ¡°Mr.


    Zachary, calm down. Since Ms. Zara has agreed to hand over the antidote, she will not go back on her


    word. Don''t worry. Mr. Nacht is here.¡±


    ¡°I''ll transfer the shares now. Bring the rest of the antidote here.¡±


    Henry gestured for the bodyguards to release Zara.


    ¡°Really?¡± Zara seemed to fear Henry.


    Henry scoffed, ¡°Have I ever gone back on my word?¡±


    ¡°Okay. I''ll make the call now.¡± Zara clutched her phone and went aside to make the phone call.


    ¡°Do you know what you have to do?¡± Henry turned to Zachary. ¡°After she takes the antidote, send her


    away. Peace will be restored. Don''t be stubborn!¡±


    Zachary couldn''t take his eyes off Charlotte. He knew he had no other choice but to give in for now.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Zachary finally caved in. ¡°I will deal with it myself. I don''t need your help.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± agreed Henry readily. ¡°Anyway, everything you do will be reported to me.¡±


    Outsiders might not understand their conversation, but Spencer knew exactly what it meant.


    Zachary insisted on taking care of the matter himself because he was afraid Henry would kill her in


    secret.


    Henry allowed Zachary to deal with the matter. He was made it clear that if Zachary pretended to send


    her away and hid her somewhere else, he''d still find out about it.


    Clearly, they were threatening each other.


    ¡°Ms. Windt has regained consciousness!¡± Ben suddenly eximed.


    Turning back, Zachary saw Charlotte''s fingers moving slowly. Her expression contorted as though she


    was about to wake up anytime.


    ¡°Don''t be sloppy. Deal with her before the kids realize what happened!¡±


    With that, Henry left with the others, including Zara.


    Ben left the room and stood guard at the door.


    Zachary picked Charlotte up and asked anxiously, ¡°Charlotte, how are you feeling?¡±


    Slowly, Charlotte''s eyelids fluttered open. Her vision was still blurry as she asked, ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it''s nothing. You fell asleep.¡±


    Zachary held her so tight that she almost couldn''t breathe.


    I wish I can hold her in my arms forever.


    That way, she won''t leave me.


    Charlotte began coughing in his tight embrace.


    Immediately, Zachary released his grip on her and patted her back. ¡°I''m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Mm,¡± Charlotte grunted in acknowledgment and forced out a smile. ¡°It''s fine. I''ve gotten used to it.¡±


    ¡°What''s wrong?¡± Charlotte reached out to caress his cheek. ¡°We''re married. Why aren''t you happy?¡±


    ¡°I am.¡± Zachary kissed the ring on her hand. ¡°Wifey!¡±


    ¡°Hubby!¡± Charlotte replied sweetly.


    ¡°I''ve put on the ring,¡± said Zachary as he raised his left hand. ¡°We''re legally married!¡±


    ¡°When did you put it on?¡± Charlotte demanded in surprise. ¡°I should put it on for you, right?¡±


    She removed his ring and put it on for him solemnly.

 Chapter 652

    Chapter 652


    ¡°Thatpletes our wedding ceremony.¡± Charlotte ced his hand on her cheek as tears welled up in


    her eyes. ¡°We will be together forever, right?¡±


    Zachary parted his lips to reply ¡°yes,¡± but the word choked in his throat.


    He had no idea how to face her or reveal the harsh truth to her.


    ¡°What''s the matter?¡± Charlotte could sense his mood. ¡°Did something happen? Are you stumped?¡±


    Zachary took a deep breath before announcing, ¡°We might need to be separated for the time being.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Charlotte stared at him in disbelief. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Trust me,¡± Zachary uttered as he held her face solemnly. ¡°It''s only for the time being.¡±


    He had made up his mind to send her away for the time being. After all, he had to protect her, think of


    the kids'' future, and protect his family''s interests. However, he would deal with everything in the


    shortest time possible and go to her.


    ¡°Why?¡± Charlotte insisted. ¡°Why do we have to be separated from each other? Where are you going?¡±


    She thought Zachary was going to be away on a business trip for some time.


    ¡°I won''t be going anywhere.¡± Zachary drew in a sharp breath and mustered his courage to reveal, ¡°You


    are the one who needs to leave. I''lle to you after dealing with everything!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Charlotte was shocked into silence. It took her a while to find her voice. ¡°What do you mean?


    What happened? Don''t tell me Grandpa is against our marriage now?¡±


    ¡°Something happened. It''splicated and hard to exin.¡± Zachary didn''t want to reveal too much.


    ¡°Anyway, I need to send you away now. When things are sorted out, I''lle to you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Can I bring the kids back to Happy Avenue?¡± Charlotte was flustered by now. ¡°You cane to visit us


    when you''re free.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± uttered Zachary as his brows scrunched up. ¡°The kids will remain in the Nachts'' residence. I''ll ask


    Mrs. Berry to be with you, but you can''t stay at Happy Avenue either. You need to go somewhere


    further.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Charlotte''s eyes widened in dismay. ¡°Why can''t I leave with the kids? Why do I need to go


    somewhere further?¡±


    Instead of replying, Zachary lowered his gaze silently.


    ¡°Did something happen? Be honest with me,¡± Charlotte whined. ¡°Is Mr. Nacht refusing to acknowledge


    me? Did thatdy say something bad about me? Did he force you to get rid of me and keep the kids?


    Don''t tell me you agreed to his request?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Zachary looked up and eximed harshly, ¡°I need you to leave right now!¡±


    Charlotte froze in disbelief as her eyes went round. ¡°What did you just say?¡±


    ¡°I said, I need you to leave now,¡± repeated Zachary patiently. ¡°But don''t worry. I''lle back when


    things are settled. Trust me.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Charlotte cried out. ¡°Didn''t you promise to be with me forever? Didn''t you say you''d stick with me


    no matter what? Why did you agree to his request? Why are you doing this to me?¡±


    She pounded his chest in anger.


    ¡°I''m sorry.¡±


    That was the first time Zachary had ever apologized to someone else. He was too proud of a man to


    bow to anyone. At that moment, he felt terribly guilty for what was about to happen to her.


    Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    All the while, Zachary thought he was strong enough. No one could force him to do anything he


    disliked, but sadly, he was wrong.


    Turns out I can be powerless, too.


    I''m so useless. I can''t even protect the woman I love.

 Chapter 653

    Chapter 653


    ¡°No, I don''t want to leave!¡± Charlotte wailed as her body trembled profusely. ¡°I don''t want to leave! If the


    Nacht family refuses to acknowledge me, I''ll leave with my kids. We''ll return to the countryside or go to


    another city. I don''t want anything from the Nacht family. We used to be happy back then.¡±


    ¡°Stop it. Listen to me.¡± Zachary held her tight and whispered in her ear, ¡°This is just for the time being.


    I''lle and get you soon. Trust me! Trust me!¡±


    As he repeated ¡°trust me¡± twice, she was about to give in.


    Suddenly, someone knocked on the door. It was Spencer, who spoke anxiously, ¡°Mr. Zachary, Mr.


    Robinson found out about our n. Mr. Nacht wants you to leave with Ms. Windt now!¡±


    N?velDrama.Org owns all content.


    With that, the bodyguards pushed the door open and took Charlotte.


    At once, Charlotte grew increasingly emotional and struggled. ¡°No! I won''t leave!¡±


    s, the bodyguard ignored her cries and dragged her out.


    ¡°No!¡±


    ¡°Let her go!¡± Zachary roared.


    Without warning, a childish voice rang out, ¡°Let my mommy go!¡±


    It was Robbie, who rushed in and started kicking the bodyguards with all his might. ¡°Don''t touch my


    mommy! Don''t touch her!¡± he demanded furiously.


    The bodyguards immediately loosened their grip and stepped aside.


    ¡°Robbie...¡±


    ¡°Mommy!¡±


    The mother and son embraced each other tightly.


    Charlotte had always been strong in front of her kids, but at that moment, she couldn''t stop herself from


    bursting into noisy tears. I can''t bear to leave them behind! We''ve never really been separated before.


    Now, we have no choice but to be separated.


    ¡°Daddy, what are they doing? Why did you allow them to bully Mommy?¡±


    Robbie was smart enough to sense something was amiss after the wedding came to a stop. When the


    three of them were brought away, he immediately knew something would happen.


    Hence, the little boy sneaked away before anyone noticed him and bumped into themotion


    backstage.


    ¡°I''ll exin to youter.¡± Zachary squatted down and patted his shoulders. ¡°Be a good boy and leave


    with Mr. Ben.¡±


    He hinted at Ben to take Robbie away.


    ¡°Mr. Robinson.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Robbie pped his hand away and stretched his arms wide to protect Charlotte. ¡°You''re trying to


    make me leave so you can bully Mommy, right? Don''t touch her! Scram!¡±


    He was exuding an aura as imposing as Zachary.


    ¡°Mr. Robinson!¡±


    ¡°Robbie!¡± Henry called out.


    Looking back, Robbie''s eyes reddened in anger. ¡°Great-grandpa, are you the one who wants to kick


    Mommy out? I thought you''ve already epted her? Why are you doing this to her?¡±


    ¡°I''m not kicking your mommy out. She''s sick and needs to receive treatment.¡± Henry lied through his


    teeth. ¡°Look, there''s blood on her dress. She''ll be in danger if she doesn''t receive treatment


    immediately.¡±


    Robbie looked up and noticed the blood on Charlotte''s dress. Recalling how weak Charlotte was, he


    started believing in Henry''s words.


    Inwardly, Zachary was in awe of how Henry managed to convince the boy easily. Grandpa did the


    same to me when I was little.


    ¡°Your daddy and mommy are married. Why would I kick her out?¡± Henry continued convincing him, ¡°I


    want her to get treated.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Robbie looked up at Charlotte.


    When Charlotte nced at Henry, thetter shed her a warm smile. However, his gaze was


    threatening.


    Looking away, tears filled Charlotte''s eyes.

 Chapter 654

    Chapter 654


    Charlotte knew Henry was lying to Robbie. Clearly, she had to leave no matter how reluctant she was.


    Gradually, she calmed down and regained her sanity.


    Charlotte had seen firsthand what happened to Timothy. I can''t let the kids suffer because of me.


    Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    I''ve been poisoned and might die anytime. There''s no way I can take care of them.


    It''s better for them to remain in the Nacht family instead of wandering around with me.


    As that thought urred to her, Charlotte nodded, her eyes sparkling with tears. ¡°Yes, he''s right. I''m


    sick and need to be treated.¡±


    ¡°Why did you...¡± Robbie trailed off in confusion.


    ¡°Silly boy. It hurts to get a shot, right?¡± Charlotte bent down and patted his head gently. She forced out


    a smile and said, ¡°I''m afraid of that so I refused to go to the hospital.¡±


    ¡°Mommy, don''t be scared.¡± Robbie flung his arms around her and patted her. ¡°You''ll recover after


    getting a shot. Be brave!¡±


    ¡°Mm!¡± Charlotte bit her lip and gave a firm nod, trying to stop herself from crying out loud.


    ¡°Look, I didn''t lie to you!¡± Henry waved him over. ¡°Come to me. Your daddy will make sure your mommy


    gets treated.¡±


    Robbie looked at Zachary, seeking confirmation.


    Zachary gave him a little push. ¡°Go!¡±


    Both Charlotte and Zachary hade to a tacit agreement that they shouldn''t involve the kids in their


    matters.


    Hence, they yed along with Henry.


    Robbie went to Henry and took his wrinkly hand.


    The bodyguards stepped up and said politely, ¡°Ms. Windt, this way, please.¡±


    Charlotte didn''t fight back. She took the hem of her dress and followed them out.


    When she walked past Robbie, she nced at her son as tears rolled down her cheeks. A smile flitted


    across her lips as she told him, ¡°Robbie, take good care of yourself and your siblings, alright?¡±


    Her voice was trembling along with her heart.


    She couldn''t understand why the Nacht family insisted on sending her away and that Zachary, who had


    always been on her side, would suddenly go back on his word.


    It came as aplete shock to her.


    However, she knew she was powerless to resist.


    She could only pray that the kids would get to live a great life in the Nacht family.


    ¡°Got it,¡± said Robbie as he nodded, tears glistening in his eyes. ¡°Mommy, listen to the doctor. Tonight,


    me, Jamie, Ellie, and Fifi will visit you in the hospital.¡±


    At his words, Charlotte sobbed silently. She lowered her gaze and scurried out lest Robbie sensed her


    sorrow.


    ¡°Daddy!¡± Robbie called out. ¡°Won''t you go with her?¡±


    Zachary snapped back to reality and dashed after Charlotte.


    At the door, Robbie reminded him, ¡°Daddy, take good care of Mommy.¡±


    Zachary nodded with his back to the little boy. His eyes turned red without warning.


    The boy trusted him enough to hand his mother to him, but he was going to break his promise.


    Henry nced at Spencer, who immediately caught up with them with his men.


    Soon, Zachary led Charlotte out of the back door to avoid running into the guests and her kids.


    ¡°Miss!¡± Upon spotting Charlotte, Mrs. Berry hurried over. ¡°What happened?¡±


    Half an hour earlier, Henry''s men had brought her here.


    Puzzled, she asked them what was going on, but their reply was, ¡°Just wait here. Ms. Windt will be


    here soon.¡±


    Mrs. Berry''s phone had been confiscated, so she could only wait here anxiously. She only rxed at


    the sight of Charlotte.

 Chapter 655

    Chapter 655


    ¡°Mrs. Berry shall stay with the Nachts,¡± Charlotte told Zachary coolly. ¡°She will take care of the kids.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What do you mean by that?¡± Mrs. Berry panicked. ¡°What exactly happened?¡±


    ¡°I''ll get worried if she isn''t by your side,¡± Zachary insisted. ¡°The kids will be safe in the Nacht family.


    Don''t worry.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°It''s settled, then. Get in the car.¡±


    Zachary pulled the door open and shoved her into the car.


    N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    ¡°Mr. Zachary!¡± Mrs. Berry was about to question him when Spencer called her name.


    ¡°Mrs. Berry, this is your luggage.¡± Spencer handed her luggage to her along with a silver box. ¡°This is


    Ms. Windt''s antidote. Take one bottle every day. Ms. Windt''s poison will be rid of by then. Remember,


    guard it carefully and make sure she finishes all of them!¡±


    ¡°Antidote?¡± Mrs. Berry eximed in delight. ¡°Really? She''ll recover after drinking them?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Spencer answered with a nod. ¡°Remember, take good care of it. If you lose it, you won''t get


    another one.¡±


    ¡°Okay, got it!¡± Mrs. Berry hugged the silver box tightly. ¡°I''ll guard it with my life.¡±


    ¡°This is from Mr. Nacht.¡± Spencer handed her a card. ¡°The pin is the triplet''s birthday.¡±


    ¡°Well...¡±


    ¡°Just take it.¡± Spencer stuffed the card into her hands. ¡°Take care. Until next time!¡±


    With that, he signaled the bodyguard to open the door so Mrs. Berry could enter the car.


    After pocketing the card, Mrs. Berry entered the car with the box in her arms. Her luggage was ced


    in the trunk by the bodyguard.


    Zachary was about to enter the car when Spencer stopped him. ¡°Mr. Zachary, we''ll be taking the car


    behind this one.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Zachary frowned.


    ¡°I''m merely following Mr. Nacht''s orders,¡± replied Spencer carefully. ¡°Ms. Windt has misunderstood you,


    so you might trigger her emotions if you join her now. There''s no need to do so.¡±


    Zachary took onest nce at Charlotte before following him to the car behind.


    To get the antidote, he had allowed Henry''s men to take control of the situation. Resisting now would


    only create more trouble.


    The convoy of cars slowly drove off.


    Mrs. Berry scanned Charlotte carefully. ¡°Miss, are you alright? Does it still hurt?¡±


    Charlotte leaned back in her seat and shook her head wordlessly.


    ¡°What is going on? Where are we going?¡± Mrs. Berry asked uneasily. ¡°Spencer gave me this box just


    now. He told me that this is your antidote, and I was to keep it safe. You''ll recover after taking the


    antidote.¡±


    ¡°Antidote?¡± Charlotte repeated as something urred to her. ¡°Did he cave in to get the antidote?¡±


    ¡°Cave in? What?¡± Mrs. Berry was confused.


    Charlotte fell silent and stared out of the window as renewed hope burned within her.


    In the car following closely behind, Zachary was on a call with Bruce, who reported that Henry was


    watching Zara closely. Thetter shouldn''t be able to do anything for now.


    Zachary rxed visibly and cut the line. When Spencer showed him the ne ticket, he frowned.


    ¡°Seriously? T Nation?¡±


    ¡°It''s better for her to leave the country,¡± exined Spencer. ¡°Don''t worry, Mr. Zachary. We''ve arranged


    everything for her, including medical facilities. She''ll do fine there.¡±


    Zachary said nothing else. After all, it wasn''t important where she would be sent to. The subsequent


    dealings he had to face were more important.


    Soon, the car reached the airport. Henry had chartered a private jet for Charlotte along with a medical


    team.


    Everything was well-arranged. It didn''t seem like a farewell. Instead, it seemed like Charlotte was going


    on a vacation.

 Chapter 656

    Chapter 656


    Getting out of the car, Charlotte noticed that the sky was shrouded in darkness, with patchy drizzle


    dropping down from the clouds. It seemed like the sky was despondent to see her leave.


    The bodyguards of the Nacht family queued up in two rows as if to send her off.


    While lifting her wedding dress, Charlotte slowly strode toward the private jet. Her wedding dress was


    stained with blood. The bloodstains formed the shape of jimson weeds on her white dress.


    As the rain poured down on her, both her hair and dress were soaked.


    With her head down, she walked straight ahead nonchntly.


    Following behind her was Mrs. Berry, who was holding tightly onto the silver box.


    Meanwhile, Zachary was watching her silently by the car. He wanted to embrace her so badly, but he


    squelched the urge to do so in the end.


    If he were to embrace her then, he knew that he wouldn''t be able to let her go anymore.


    Gazing at her beautiful back, he thought to himself, this is only but a temporary separation. We''ll be


    reunited again before long. Just wait for me toe and get you!


    ¡°Mr. Zachary, let''s get into the car,¡± advised Spencer in a soft tone. ¡°I''ll get someone to escort her. All


    the flight attendants on the private jet are under mymand, so you don''t need to worry about a


    thing.¡±


    After hearing Spencer''s words, Zachary remained taciturn as his eyes were fixated on Charlotte. He


    watched as she walked up the airstair, one step at a time. Before heading into the cabin, Charlotte


    couldn''t help but turn around to catch onest glimpse of him.


    Zachary wanted to tell her that he would go and get her back soon but decided against it in the end.


    The expression he made while ncing at her was screaming the words, ¡°Believe me!¡±


    Gazing at Zachary, Charlotte''s tears started flowing out of her eyes again. She was hoping to hear him


    say something to her, even if it was only a terse statement and yet, he chose to remain silent...


    Even though she stared at him in anticipation for a long time, he was still unwilling to say a word.


    Deprived of hope, she turned around and went into the cabin.


    ¡°Charlotte...¡±


    The moment she turned around, Zachary couldn''t help calling out to her. Sadly, his voice did not reach


    her.


    Mrs. Berry entered the private jet with the silver box in hand while the bodyguard behind her helped to


    carry her luggage.


    After the aircraft door was shut close, the marshallers signaled everyone to leave the site.


    Spencer then dragged Zachary into the car.


    Watching as the ne took off, Zachary was fraught with regret. That being said, he was positive that


    he would get to meet her again soon enough.


    Leaning back against her seat, Charlotte was filled with despair as she watched the Nacht family


    convoy leave through the window.


    Her head was flooded with questions. Why did it have toe to this? Mr. Nacht already gave his


    word, and the wedding ceremony was held as nned. Then why did he suddenly change his mind


    and decide to send me away?


    What exactly did that woman say to Mr. Nacht?


    What is it about me that they can''t ept?


    Or are they worried that the marriage between Zachary and me would impinge on their family?


    No matter how hard she tried, she couldn''t wrap her head around all this.


    ¡°What exactly is happening here?¡± Mrs. Berry was in a panic as she queried the Nacht family''s


    bodyguards, ¡°Where are we heading?¡±


    However, the bodyguards stayed quiet and merely stood there like a statue.


    ¡°Say something, you two.¡± Mrs. Berry was getting impatient and gave the two bodyguards a shove.


    ¡°The wedding ceremony has not ended yet, and the guests are still in the church. Also, what if the


    children wander off on their own?¡±


    The bodyguard continued to stay silent.


    Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°My god, are you mute?¡±


    Mrs. Berry was panic-stricken.


    But no matter how much of a ruckus she caused, the bodyguards still wouldn''t utter a word.


    Persistent, Mrs. Berry turned to the flight attendants and continued probing. A flight attendant told her


    that they were tasked to send Charlotte over to Coldbridge. That was the only thing the flight attendant


    knew.


    Vexed, Mrs. Berry returned to her seat and asked Charlotte, ¡°Miss, what exactly is happening right


    now?¡±


    ¡°You still can''t tell, huh?¡± Charlotte''s voice was hoarse. ¡°The Nacht family is trying to get rid of the


    child''s mother and keep the child all to themselves.¡±


    ¡°W-What?¡± Mrs. Berry was stupefied. It took her a while to recover her thoughts. ¡°But that''s impossible.


    You and Mr. Zachary are already married...¡±


    ¡°A divorce can be arranged easily. Besides, we haven''t even register our marriage yet.¡± Charlotte


    feigned a smile as she uttered, ¡°They only want the child. To them, I am nothing but a hindrance.¡±

 Chapter 657

    Chapter 657


    ¡°How did things end up like this?¡± Mrs. Berry was shocked. ¡°I thought Mr. Nacht already agreed to


    ept you into the family. Now that you and Mr. Zachary are married, why did he suddenly change his


    mind?¡±


    ¡°I''m rather perplexed too...¡± Charlotte had a somber expression as she stared at the clouds outside.


    ¡°What exactly happened? Why have they decided to send me away out of the blue?¡±


    Having heard what Charlotte said, Mrs. Berry became even more anxious and started to be paranoid of


    those around her.


    For fear of someone snatching the silver box from her, she tightened her grip on it.


    Exhausted, Charlotte slowly fell into deep slumber...


    Not long after, the ne arrived at the airport in Coldbridge.


    Having dealt with all the paperwork, the bodyguards of the Nacht family sent Charlotte and Mrs. Berry


    to a small vi on the outskirts of Coldbridge. The vi looked exquisite and ssy. Every furniture and


    electric appliance that one would need was avable in the vi.


    After putting down the luggage, the bodyguards gave Charlotte a bow and were getting ready to leave.


    ¡°Wait, hold on.¡± Mrs. Berry went up to the bodyguards. ¡°You''re leaving just like that? What''s the


    meaning of this?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht said that it''s better for you two to live your lives here and never return back to the country,¡±


    the bodyguard finally spoke up. ¡°You can stay in this vi for as long as you need. There''s a car in the


    courtyard, and your ID documents for this country are on the table together with a briefcase full of


    money, which should be more than enough to cover your expenditures here.¡±


    ¡°What...¡±


    ¡°Take care!¡± The bodyguard bowed once again and left.


    ¡°Hey...¡± Mrs. Berry wanted to call after the bodyguards but was interrupted by Charlotte, ¡°That''s


    enough, Mrs. Berry. There''s no point asking them anyway.¡±


    ¡°Miss.¡± Mrs. Berry tugged at Charlotte''s arm while she queried, ¡°What does the Nacht family wish to


    aplish? What did they mean by we''re never returning to the country? Do they want us to live out


    the rest of our lives here in Coldbridge?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps so...¡± Charlotte was covering her aching head with her hands while leaning against the sofa.


    ¡°What''s wrong?¡± Mrs. Berry hurriedly helped her to lie down. ¡°I''ll get you a ss of water.¡±


    After leaving the silver box beside Charlotte, Mrs. Berry went to pour a ss of water for her.


    As she was doing so, Mrs. Berry noticed that the bodyguards were still lingering around the courtyard.


    They were discussing something with a few locals and even gave them some money before leaving.


    Curious, Mrs. Berry dashed outside to investigate, but the bodyguards were already gone.


    The locals there saw her and gave her a bow. They seemed to respect her a lot.


    One of the young men said, ¡°I''m Arthit, your neighbor. If you ever need any help, feel free toe and


    find me.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Mrs. Berry replied before going back into the house. ¡°It looks like the Nacht family has


    paid our neighbors to look after us. So we should be safe here for the time being,¡± Mrs. Berry informed


    Charlotte.


    ¡°I don''t believe that Mr. Zachary would be so callous toward us. Maybe he just needed some time to


    deal with Mr. Nacht. Give him a few days. He would definitely find a way toe and get us,¡± Mrs.


    Berry added.


    ¡°He seems quite cruel if you ask me...¡± Charlotte was in distress. ¡°He even vowed to me that no matter


    what happens, he would never let go of my hand. And yet he just...¡±


    Staring at the wedding ring on her hand, Charlotte had shbacks of the wedding ceremony just a few


    hours ago. But now, she was in a different country, far away from home...


    N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    ¡°Maybe he''s got no choice in that matter,¡± Mrs. Berry tried tofort Charlotte. ¡°Even if Mr. Zachary


    doesn''t care anymore, we still have Robbie, Jamie, and Ellie. The three of them will undoubtedly miss


    their mother. And when they start making a fuss back home, Mr. Nacht would be flurried...¡±


    After hearing these words, a ray of hope was rekindled in Charlotte''s heart. ¡°If the Nacht family refuses


    to ept me, then I''ll take the kids with me to the countryside, and we would live a tranquil life there.


    It''s not necessary for me to marry into the Nacht family...¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Mrs. Berry''s eyes reddened while she spoke, ¡°But I still don''t get it. Why send us all the way to


    T Nation? What exactly are they up to?¡±

 Chapter 658

    Chapter 658


    ¡°Maybe they''re afraid that I''ll take the kids from them,¡± Charlotte spected. ¡°Since the Nacht family


    wants to keep the children all to themselves, it''s no surprise that they decided to send me, their mother,


    as far away as possible.¡±


    ¡°But the kids would never agree to it,¡± Mrs. Berry uttered in puzzlement. ¡°There''s no doubt that they will


    ask for you.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht told Robbie that I was sent away to receive treatment. What if he tells the kids that I''ve died


    during my treatment?¡± Charlotte was getting angsty just thinking about it. ¡°That''s right. There''s a high


    possibility that he would do so.¡±


    ¡°You can''t be serious. I''ll give Robbie a call right now.¡±


    Mrs. Berry tried to call Robbie''s smart watch but to no avail.


    She then tried dialing Jamie and Ellie''s numbers, but the calls couldn''t get through either.


    After that, she even tried to call Olivia and Hayley. But, as expected, she couldn''t reach them too.


    Agitated, she uttered impatiently, ¡°Don''t tell me that this phone is broken.¡±


    ¡°Try this number.¡± Charlotte noticed a phone number written on the water bottle in front of her.


    Mrs. Berry dialed that number, and the call was immediately answered.


    In a panic, she quickly hung up the phone before querying, ¡°Does this phone line support international


    phone calls?¡±


    ¡°How about your phone?¡± asked Charlotte.


    ¡°It was taken away by Spencer long ago.¡± Mrs. Berry was getting furious. ¡°Back then, he told me that


    he was just going to hold onto my phone for a moment. By the time I realized that he had tricked me,


    that scoundrel had already taken it away. But enough of that. Where is your phone, miss?¡±


    ¡°During the wedding, I handed mine over to Olivia. It''s not on me right now.¡± Charlotte frowned before


    continuing, ¡°Let''s buy a new phone tomorrow and get a local phone number. Then, we''ll try making an


    international call.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Mrs. Berry nodded. ¡°Don''t worry. I''m right by your side. Nothing bad will happen.¡±


    Touched, tears started to flow out of Charlotte''s eyes as she embraced Mrs. Berry. ncing at the


    pitch-ck horizon, her heart was overwhelmed with terror and uncertainty about the future.


    Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    In the meantime, the wedding ceremony was proceeding as nned in H City even after Charlotte was


    sent away.


    The guests were still in the middle of their course meals and wanted to meet the newlyweds to give


    their blessings, but there were no bride and groom there to greet them.


    Although everyone was curious as to what happened to the newlyweds, they were all reticent about it.


    After the wedding ceremony had ended, everyone left quietly except for Jeffrey and some of the guests


    from the bride''s side.


    Jeffrey asked for Charlotte as he wanted to personally hand over the gift he brought to her and


    Zachary.


    With no other option, Spencer had to lie and tell him that Zachary took her to the hospital because she


    was sick.


    Worried, Jeffrey immediately asked Spencer about her sickness.


    However, Spencer told him that he was not in a position to talk about it. Jeffrey didn''t want to seem like


    he was prying too much, so he just left.


    At night, the three children returned home, nagging to visit their mother at the hospital.


    Henry exined to them, ¡°Your mommy''s sickness isplicated. We shouldn''t disturb her when she''s


    getting treated. Daddy is apanying her right now, so he''ll be busy too. You three should stay at my


    house for now. You cane back here after your mommy has recovered.¡±


    The three children recalled that their mother''s sickness had exacerbated ever since she came back.


    That being said, they listened to Henry and agreed not to bother their mother.


    They then left together with Henry.


    The house was as silent as the grave when Zachary came back. Sitting in the living room by himself,


    he stared vacuously at the empty rooms. There was no babbling from Mrs. Berry nor the sight of


    Charlotte''s gentle smile. The children''s quarrel was nowhere to be heard as well.


    This house didn''t feel like home to him anymore.


    Distressed, he rubbed his forehead. Charlotte must be very disappointed in me right now. I don''t think


    she''ll ever trust me again...


    ¡°Mr. Nacht!¡± Bruce cautiously called out to Zachary. ¡°I''ve sent some men to keep an eye on Ms. Nacht.


    She hasn''t done anything suspicious. After handing over the antidote and taking her shares, she


    boarded a private jet to E Nation.¡±


    Zachary nodded slightly and instructed, ¡°Continue to keep a close watch over her. Don''t let hery a


    hand on Charlotte.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Bruce nodded. ¡°The arrangements are done.¡±

 Chapter 659

    Chapter 659


    ¡°Mr. Nacht...¡± Ben rushed up to Zachary and reported, ¡°I''ve covered up the news regarding Ms. Windt.


    Besides that, I''ve also instructed Olivia and all the people who are involved in the matter not to say a


    word about it. As for the footage of the wedding ceremony, it has already been deleted. Only a copy of


    it remains in your email. Furthermore, all traces left by Ms. Windt in the past has been dealt with by Mr.


    Nacht.¡±


    Hearing these words, Zachary was speechless. Is Grandpa trying to erase her existence from this


    world?


    Is this the only way to secure our children''s future and ensure that no one in the Lindberg family would


    know about Charlotte''s existence? So that a war between the two families can be avoided?


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, you must be tired after a whole day''s work. You should get some rest,¡± advised Ben.


    Exhausted, Zachary''s eyes were getting heavy.


    Seeing him like this, Ben and Bruce nced at each other with a worried look.


    A long whileter, Zachary finally spoke, ¡°Gather everything you can about the Lindberg Corporation.


    We need to dig out as much information as we can about Mr. Lindberg.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Bruce quickly went to work.


    ¡°Help me contact the four great families as well as the seven chambers ofmerce. I want to meet


    them,¡± Zachary gave out another order.


    ¡°What do you intend to do?¡± Ben frowned as he asked, ¡°Do you intend to face the Lindberg Corporation


    head-on?¡±


    ¡°I understand that you want to get Ms. Windt back. However, dealing with the Lindberg Corporation is


    an onerous task. Their family fortune is on par with, if not more than that of the Nacht family. Not to


    mention...¡± he added on.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Zachary was livid. ¡°What''s with all the bullsh*t? Just do as you''re told.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht...¡± Ben wanted to continue exhorting him but was deterred by Bruce.


    Ben could only nod as he replied, ¡°Yes.¡±


    After the two of them left, Ben queried furiously, ¡°Why did you stop me just now? Why won''t you let me


    persuade him?¡±


    ¡°Do you think it''ll work?¡± Bruce replied with a question of his own. ¡°Whatever Mr. Nacht wants to do, he


    gets it done. Who are we to stop him?¡±


    Hearing what Bruce said, Ben was at a loss for words.


    He''s right. Even if I continued persuading him, Boss still wouldn''t listen. In the end, I might even have to


    take a few punches from him and do as he says anyway.


    ¡°Don''t worry, Mr. Henry won''t let him go overboard.¡± Bruce turned around to look inside the house


    before uttering in a low voice, ¡°Mr. Henry has mobilized all the elites from the Nacht family to make sure


    Mr. Nacht doesn''t do anything daft.¡±


    ¡°It looks like Mr. Henry is obstinate about his decision to get rid of Ms. Windt.¡± Ben frowned. ¡°This has a


    huge impact on Mr. Nacht. We must make sure he doesn''t do anything rash.¡±


    ¡°The Lindberg Corporation is getting more and more powerful. We can''t underestimate them.¡± Bruce let


    out a sigh. ¡°Now that Ms. Nacht has taken a share of the Nacht family''s power, Mr. Nacht won''t be able


    to stand up to them on his own.¡±


    ¡°You''re right...¡± Ben sighed. ¡°Who would''ve thought that Ms. Windt is a descendant of the Lindberg


    family?¡±


    ¡°It seems more like a curse rather than a blessing to be part of the Lindberg family.¡± Bruce''s face was


    getting tensed up.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ben hurriedly questioned.


    Bruce approached Ben and whispered, ¡°Mr. Lindberg is now the head of the Lindberg family. I heard


    that he was ruthless enough to kill his own brothers to get to where he is now. If he finds out that Ms.


    Windt is his cousin, he''ll definitely use her as a tool against the Nacht family.¡±


    ¡°No wonder Mr. Nachtpromised...¡± Ben was enlightened. ¡°Actually, he could have fought against


    Mr. Henry if he wanted to. That being said, if word about Ms. Windt''s true identity got out, she''d be


    doomed!¡±


    N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Bruce nodded. ¡°I think Mr. Nacht made the right call to ensconce her in Coldbridge for two


    years. In the meantime, Mr. Nacht cane up with a way to bring her back. If he doesn''tply now


    and insists on going against Mr. Nacht, there will be a risk of the news leaking out. Not to mention, Ms.


    Nacht would definitely take this chance to add insult to injury, and the consequences would be


    unimaginable...¡±

 Chapter 660

    Chapter 660


    ¡°Understood...¡± Ben let out a deep sigh. ¡°Mr. Nacht is trying his best here. It''s a shame that Ms. Windt


    doesn''t know about it. She must have an aversion toward him now.¡±


    ¡°Not only that, his three children will resent him too.¡± Bruce shook his head. ¡°All that pressure piling up


    on him and yet, he has to endure it all on his own...¡±


    After their little chit-chat, the two of them continued with their work.


    Although they knew that it was infructuous, they did as they were told anyway. They were sure that


    Henry''s men would stop them sooner orter.


    When that timees, Mr. Henry will have to deal with Mr. Nacht himself...


    In order to protect Charlotte, Zachary would have topromise for now, even if he was reluctant.


    All that was left for him to do now was to dawdle and wait until Charlotte''s past was erased without a


    trace. Only then would the Nacht family return back to normal.


    Moreover, Zachary could then start to deal with the Lindberg Corporation usingmercial means in


    hopes of overthrowing them someday.


    When the Lindberg Corporation wasn''t a hindrance anymore, Zachary could then go and get Charlotte


    back.


    Unfortunately, that day wasn''ting any time soon.


    Zachary was cognizant of what he got himself into right from the start. How could he not have known?


    That was why he was so stressed out.


    Meanwhile, at the Garden Vi in the northern suburbs, Spencer was pushing Henry, who was in a


    wheelchair, out of the children''s bedroom and into the study.


    With a serious look on his face, Henry lowered his eyes while he was deep in thought.


    ¡°I was having a lot of fun with the kids just now. Why did you interrupt me?¡±


    Spencer was observing Henry''s expression carefully as he asked, ¡°Jamie and Ellie are still oblivious to


    the situation, but not Robbie. Just now, he asked me about his mother. He wanted to know the details


    about his mother''s sickness and which hospital she''s in. If this keeps up, the smart boy will find out the


    truth about his mother soon...¡±


    Henry tensed up upon hearing that with a worried expression on his face.


    ¡°They are still young, so they won''t pay mind to it,¡± Spencer murmured. ¡°Perhaps they will be grief-


    stricken for a while, but they''ll forget about it as they grow up...¡±


    ¡°Let''s hope so.¡± Mr. Nacht sighed. ¡°I don''t care about the others. I just want the three of them to be safe


    from harm.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Spencer understood that he meant well. ¡°It seems like any path that we choose will inevitably


    lead to sadness.¡±


    ¡°God help us all!¡± Mr. Nacht eximed.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht.¡± At this moment, a maid rushed in to report to Henry, ¡°Mr. ckwood is here.¡±


    ¡°It''s already quitete in the night. Why is he here?¡± Henry made a frowning face. ¡°Bring him to the


    study.¡±


    Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Spencer helped Henry to the first floor, where the study room was located. Upon seeing Henry, Taylor,


    who was sipping a cup of tea on the sofa, immediately stood up to salute him. ¡°Mr. Nacht.¡±


    ¡°Please sit.¡± Mr. Nacht gestured for him to take his seat. ¡°Taylor, it''s already sote. Do you have


    something urgent to tell me?¡±


    Taylor lowered his head and pondered for a bit before replying, ¡°There are things that I shouldn''t


    intervene and talk about. However, I feel the need to tell you something as it could pose a serious


    problem.¡±


    ¡°Tell me.¡± Mr. Nacht signaled him to talk.


    ¡°A while ago, Zachary brought Ms. Windt with him to attend Hector and Helena''s wedding. If I''m not


    mistaken, Mr. Lindberg of the Lindberg family was also there...¡±


    Before Taylor could finish his sentence, Henry''s expression changed drastically. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°But of course, they might not have met each other,¡± Taylor hastily added. ¡°Mr. Lindberg was constantly


    hiding in the shadows, afraid of showing his face. Do you think perhaps...¡±


    ¡°Start investigating immediately,¡± Henry ordered.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Spencer quickly went to carry out his instruction.


    ¡°The thought just recently crossed my mind.¡± Taylor whispered, ¡°I''d assume that Mr. Lindberg didn''t get


    a good look at Ms. Windt, or else he would''ve taken action by now. Perhaps he only saw her


    silhouette...¡±


    ¡°If he did see her, it''ll all be over.¡± Henry''s face had turned ghastly.

 Chapter 661

    Chapter 661


    ¡°Take it easy. I don''t think he saw her face.¡± Taylor tried to calm Henry down.


    Spencer held his phone and reported, ¡°Mr. Nacht, I''ve asked Ben, and he said that Mr. Lindberg did talk


    to Mr. Zachary in the car that day. The windows were slightly rolled down, but it''s improbable that he


    saw Ms. Windt.


    ¡°However, at the wedding reception, Mr. Lindberg was hiding in the shadows. I''m not sure if he saw her.


    Well, even if he did, with the distance and the bustling crowd, I supposed he could only see her


    silhouette.¡±


    ¡°Whichever the case is, we need to fix this.¡± Henry''s brows knitted tighter. ¡°My n was to give her an


    identity and then announce her death in a few months'' time. That would''ve solved the problem. Now,


    we need someone to pass off as her to wipe out any speck of suspicion.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Spencer''s blood ran cold. ¡°But Mr. Zachary would never agree to it.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org owns all content.


    ¡°It''s not up to him now!¡± Henry blustered.


    Spencer dipped his head low and held his tongue.


    ¡°Taylor, you have another daughter, right?¡± Henry uttered out of the blue. ¡°I''ve seen her before. She''s


    pretty and tender-hearted. Besides, she does have some resemnces to Charlotte.¡±


    ¡°And?¡± Taylor''s eyes widened as he sensed vice.


    ¡°She could be the solution.¡±


    T Nation, Coldbridge.


    Boom! Charlotte jolted awake from her nightmare at the sound of thunder and screeched in horror.


    ¡°Miss, Miss!¡± Mrs. Berry leaped out of her bed and wrapped herself around Charlotte. ¡°It''s just a


    nightmare, Miss. Don''t worry. Everything''s okay,¡± she tried to console Charlotte as she stroked her back


    gently.


    ¡°I dreamed that I was dead. Some girl morphed my face into hers and married Zachary. The children


    even were calling her Mommy...¡± Sweat ran down Charlotte''s face and body, and she couldn''t help but


    tremble in fear.


    ¡°Don''t be silly. How''s that even possible? It''s just a bad dream. Calm down. Now, let me get you some


    water.¡± Mrs. Berry kept soothing her nerves.


    The swinging shadows from the trees sent tingling chills down her spine. She squeezed her pillow into


    her chest and curled up in the corner of the room.


    ¡°It''s raining out there. Quite windy too.¡± Mrs. Berry gave Charlotte a ss of warm water to calm her


    nerves. ¡°Shhh, it''s alright now. Once the sun rises, we''ll go get a phone and give Robbie, Jamie, and


    Ellie a call, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Charlotte''s nerves loosen at the thought of her children. After a few gulps of water, she


    regained her sobriety.


    ¡°Sleep tight.¡± Mrs. Berry tucked her into bed, and as she was just about to stand up, Charlotte locked


    her arms around hers. ¡°Mrs. Berry, stay with me.¡±


    ¡°Haha. My dear, you''re a grown-up now.¡± Mrs. Berry theny next to her. ¡°Remember when you were a


    kid, you always wanted to hug me to sleep when there was thunder?¡±


    Mrs. Berry''s embrace was Charlotte''s safe haven.


    ¡°There''s nothing to be afraid of. Mr. Windt''s watching over us from heaven. All these will soon be over.¡±


    ¡°You''re right.¡± Charlotte was looking on the bright side too. Dozing off to the pitter-patter of the rain, she


    murmured, ¡°There''s so much rain in Coldbridge. It''s been raining since we first arrived. And it gets


    heavier and heavier...¡±


    ¡°Indeed. It''s the rainy season now. Sleep tight. I''m right here.¡±


    Mrs. Berry''s soothing voice gave Charlotte a sense of security.


    She dapped the sweats dotting Charlotte''s forehead after thetter nodded off. Looking at her pale face


    only sent prickling stings to Mrs. Berry''s heart. She turned toward the window, looked out to the veil of


    rain, and let out a deep sigh.

 Chapter 662

    Chapter 662


    The next day at the crack of dawn, Mrs. Berry and Charlotte went looking for phones.


    They bought local sim cards together with the phones. Oddly, the vendors have scruples about


    enabling international calls. He exined that it was due to the identification they had provided.


    Mrs. Berry used all the bodynguage she could think of but to no avail.


    When Charlotte tried tomunicate in English, they only shrugged their shoulders and tilted their


    heads.


    Eventually, they sought help from their neighbor, Arthit. But he, too, said that there was nothing he


    could do, and there was no way they could contact their family back home.


    Charlotte finally realized that if the Nacht family had trudged their way to send her here, they''d


    definitely cut off any possible means for her to make contact with her children.


    Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    That exined the numerous restrictions that came with their local identifications, which the Nacht


    family obtained for them.


    All of a sudden, Charlotte ran back home as a thought struck her. She rummaged through one of the


    boxes, looking for her passport, but it was gone, and so was her C Nation ID card.


    Right now, she and Mrs. Berry only had T Nation''s ID cards in possession. These cards stopped them


    from taking nes, riding trains, and making international calls.


    In other words, the chances of leaving Coldbridge and making contact with people outside of


    Coldbridge were practically zero.


    ¡°Where are our passports? And our ID cards? What happened to them?¡± Mrs. Berry was at sixes and


    sevens. She nervously asked, ¡°Miss, do you think someone broke in?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the Nacht family''.¡±


    Charlotte was fuming in abhorrence. She couldn''t figure out what the Nacht family wanted exactly. Why


    are they so callous? Not only did they send me to an alien country, but they also cut off all possible


    connections between the children and me. What are they up to?


    ¡°Are you saying that it was the Nacht family who took away our identifications?¡± All of a sudden, a


    revtion hit Mrs. Berry. ¡°No wonder the bodyguards were holding onto our luggage the entire time! Oh


    no...¡±


    She turned to the other drawer and hastily looked for a small box given to Charlotte by Richard.


    Thank goodness it''s still here.


    Mrs. Berry opened the box and sighed in relief at the sight of the letters and a ck card.


    Nevertheless, she was still worried. ¡°What are we gonna do now, Miss?¡±


    ¡°Pull yourself together. Let''s wait till I''m fully recovered.¡± Charlotte didn''t want to live in this town


    forever.


    ¡°You''re right.¡± Mrs. Berry then popped back into the room and came out with a small silver box in her


    hands. ¡°Spencer gave me these. They are the antidote. Here, have a bottle.¡±


    Right after herst word, Mrs. Berry abruptly drew her hand back in suspicion. ¡°Wait a minute. This


    might not be the antidote. What if it''s another of their ploys? What if it''s poison?¡±


    ¡°If they wanted to kill us, we wouldn''t be alive and kicking now.¡±


    Having said that, Charlotte seized the bottle and chugged it.


    With her heart palpitating, Mrs. Berry observed in silence for some time. Only when she saw nothing


    amiss did she let her nerves unravel. ¡°Well, at least the antidote is real...¡±


    ¡°Yup. As long as we''re alive, there''s hope.¡± Charlotte put on a scornful smile.


    ¡°Good. That''s the spirit. Anyway, I''m gonna make us some lunch. Have some rest.¡±


    Mrs. Berry trotted to the kitchen.


    After that, Charlotte went back to the boxes, trying to see if there was anything that coulde in


    handy. Her father''s will and a name card that was attached to it were intact. Right then, she recalled


    that in the will, there was something about calling the number on the card if she came to a dead end.


    To her frustration, it was an international number.


    International calls were out of bounds for them at the moment. She could not help but wonder, if


    something life-threatening were to happen, would death be their only option?


    Charlotte gave out a long sigh. The drizzling weather was a precise depiction of her emotions¨Dgloomy


    and grim.


    When will it end?

 Chapter 663

    Chapter 663


    An agonizing nine days had passed.


    In the silver box stood thest bottle of antidote. Fortunately, Charlotte did not rpse for the past few


    days, which was basically the only thing she was d about.


    One more bottle tomorrow, and all the poison in her body would be flushed out.


    At dawn, Mrs. Berry collected Charlotte''s custom-made bridal gown after she hung the clothes outside.


    Thanks to the ceaseless rain, it took them forever to dry, and theyers of fabric sewn to the dress


    didn''t help either.


    The bridal gown had been out on theundry rack for nine days since Mrs. Berry removed all blood


    stains on it.


    Finally, she could take the gown back in.


    After that, she looked for the biggest hanger she could find, hung it on the wall, and ironed it using the


    steam from a conventional iron.


    ¡°Let me do it.¡± Charlotte took over the iron.


    Actually, a gown worth tens of millions shouldn''t be hand-washed, neither should it be ironed in this


    manner. But with the limited resources in this town, that was all they coulde up with. There were


    also dry cleaners out there, but Mrs. Berry wasn''t sure if they were professional enough.


    Inch by inch, Charlotte finally pressed out all the wrinkles after more than an hour. She took a few steps


    back and gave it a once-over.


    As the soft breeze passed under the tulle, it gently buoyed up and fell. There was something familiar


    yet foreign about this gown.


    The diamonds sewn onto the gown made it glimmer under the sun. Yet, a bridal gown without a bride


    was like a fallen angel, ripped off all its resplendence.


    Just like Charlotte''s eyes.


    Tears trickled down her cheek when she looked at the wedding ring in her palm, and she had never felt


    worst.


    ¡°Miss, cheer up. At least you''re recovering well. Onest bottle tomorrow and you''ll be as fit as a fiddle.


    This is great news, isn''t it?¡±


    ¡°You''re right. I''ve survived.¡± Charlotte smiled.


    Despite that, she was no better than a walking corpse that was robbed of everything and trapped in a


    foreignnd.


    ¡°Miss, there''s still hope as long as we''re alive. Mr. Zachary would surelye for us.¡± Mrs. Berry was


    very encouraging.


    Charlotte was having conflicting feelings as her eyes wandered on the bridal gown. She would feel


    hopeful every morning, believing that Zachary woulde for her. But at night, before she fell asleep,


    the fire in her heart would slowly smother, ming how heartless he was.


    At that moment, she was truly lost.


    She didn''t know if she should trust him anymore.


    ¡°I''m gonna make dinner. Have some rest.¡± Mrs. Berry went to the kitchen.


    After staring nkly at the bridal gown for some time, she took it down and put it on. Looking at her


    reflection, she noticed how careworn she''d be. All the elegance and glow on her wedding day had


    faded away.


    Within merely ten days, she dropped two sizes, and the gown was loose on her now.


    Pitter-patter... ¡±Gosh, It was all sunny just now. Where did the raine from?¡±


    N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    Mrs. Berry ran out to the yard to collect the clothes, and to her apprehension, she saw several ck


    sedans outside the house. It was the Nachts family''s convoy.


    Mrs. Berry leaped in joy, assuming that the Nacht family hade to pick them up. ¡°Miss, Miss! Hurry!


    The Nacht family has sent someone to pick us up!¡±


    Charlotte rushed out of the house barefoot upon hearing Mrs. Berry''s holler.


    ¡°Miss, isn''t that the Nacht family''s convoy? It looks like it!¡± Mrs. Berry pointed toward the cars on the


    other side of the fence.


    ¡°Yes, it''s them.¡± Charlotte held the hem of the gown and ran toward the gate. But the moment she


    pushed the gate open, the face she saw was that of someone she loathed.


    ¡°Hi, Charlotte. It''s been a while! Didn''t expect to fall into my hands, did you?¡± It was Sharon, who had a


    malignant grin on her face.

 Chapter 664

    Chapter 664


    Charlotte was in absolute stupefaction. When she returned to her senses, she mmed the gate shut


    as fast as she could and locked it.


    ¡°Miss, what''s wr¡ª¡±


    ¡°It''s Sharon! Run!¡±


    Charlotte held Mrs. Berry''s hand tightly and headed toward the backdoor. ¡°Wait!¡± Mrs. Berry shook her


    hand off and ran into the room.


    She clutched the silver box close to her chest. ¡°This is thest bottle of antidote. We mustn''t lose it.¡±


    ¡°Come! We have to go!¡± Charlotte was like a cat on a hot tin roof. Again, she dragged Mrs. Berry


    toward the backdoor.


    Thump! Thump! Thump! The guards were pounding on the door.


    As they dashed out of the house, they ran into Arthit. ¡°Hi, Mrs. Berry. this durian is amaz¡ª¡±


    ¡°Call the police. Someone''s trying to kill us!¡±


    Charlotte shouted at Arthit and continued her fleeing with Mrs. Berry.


    Arthit stood there dumbfounded. Before he could make any sense out of Charlotte''s words, a few beefy


    men knocked him down.


    While he tried to root his feet on the ground, he was pushed down again by another few who were


    chasing after Charlotte. The durian that he was holding rolled onto the grass and cracked open. The


    fruit inside fell out and was trampled to mush.


    Arthit wasn''t having any of it. He got up and was ready to reproach them until he saw a man of


    towering height ring murderously at him. That man was holding a gun too.


    Arthit immediately got out of their way.


    ¡°Mind your own business!¡± The brute gave him a warning and continued his chase.


    ¡°Get her!¡±


    It was the voice of a woman. Arthit turned around to see a tall and slender woman in heels. She and


    her bodyguards were trying to catch up with the rest of the gang.


    ¡°Stay away from me!¡± Charlotte''s cries were heard from the distance.


    Triggered by her agonized voice, Arthit almost jumped in to save the damsel in distress. But upon


    seeing the lofty human barricade, he ran away immediately.


    ¡°W-What do you want?¡±


    Mrs. Berry tried to shield Charlotte from the men even after she was pushed to the ground.


    ¡°What do I want?¡± Sharon chuckled. ¡°Revenge!¡±


    ¡°I''ve never done you any harm. What is there to avenge?¡± Charlotte growled.


    ¡°You''ve never done me any harm? Hahaha!¡± Sharonughed hard as if Charlotte just cracked the


    funniest joke on the.


    ¡°I was Zachary''s rightful fianc¨¦e, but all he cared about was you. He even sneaked into your room right


    in front of me, but I could only keep it to myself. Do you know how much that hurt? None of this makes


    sense. I have both the money and the looks. How are you better than me? Why you but not me?


    ¡°Oh, and our wedding was canceledst minute even though it was already made public, and I became


    the joke of the town! I even attempted a wrist cut in front of him. But you know what? He didn''t even bat


    an eyelid...¡±


    As she recounted her misery, her brows began to droop, and her voice got hoarser. Yet, she snapped


    right out of it almost immediately and allowed her vicious self to take over. She squatted and pped


    her sharp knife on Charlotte''s cheek.


    ¡°It''s all because of you. Hmm?¡±


    ¡°That''s between you and him. I have nothing to do with it.¡± Charlotte defended herself while carefully


    moving her face away from the de.


    ¡°You have nothing to do with it?¡± Sharon squeezed Charlotte''s cheeks and fiddled with the knife just an


    inch away from her face. ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°What are you doing? Let go of her...¡±


    N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    Thud! The moment Mrs. Berry wanted to hurl herself toward Charlotte, one of the bodyguards kicked


    her onto the ground.


    ¡°Argh¡ª¡± She let out a wail, and blood came spewing out of her mouth.


    ¡°Mrs. Berry!¡± Charlotte brayed in rage. ¡°It''s me you''re after. Leave her alone!¡±


    ¡°Very well, then.¡± Sharon''s eyes roved around Charlotte''s gown. ¡°Wow, someone''s in her bridal gown.


    Why? Trying to relive your wedding with Zachary? Too bad he''s done with you.¡±

 Chapter 665

    Chapter 665


    ¡°I bet you still don''t know...¡± Sharon tilted Charlotte''s chin with her knife and sniggered. ¡°that the Nacht


    family has found your recement. Your face in your wedding photos has been photoshopped into


    someone else''s.¡±


    ¡°W-What?¡±


    A feeling of d¨¦j¨¤ vu knocked Charlotte numb. Her eyes opened wide, watching her nightmare be


    a reality.


    ¡°The news of Zachary''s wedding is all over the media. There are video clips of the wedding reception,


    but you''re no longer the bride. Here, see for yourself.¡± Sharon whipped out her phone and passed it to


    Charlotte.


    Charlotte''s jaw dropped when she saw the headline: Zachary Nacht, President of Divine Corporation,


    held a low-key wedding ceremony. The bride was the daughter of Synder Group''s Chairman.


    ¡°You did this?¡± Charlotte looked up at Sharon.


    ¡°Of course not. Do you think I''d be here if it were me?.¡± Sharon let out a bitter grin.


    ¡°The woman is Cynthia ckwood, my stepsister. The Nacht family is substituting her for you. She''s


    the ideal marite that can never talk back!¡±


    Charlotte was in a fret as she clicked the video link in the news article.


    The video unted scenes of her wedding with Zachary. But one thing was off¡ªher face had been


    reced by someone else''s.


    One of the scenes showed a child propping up a ring and said, ¡°Your ring, Mommy.¡± However, the bride


    was someone else. She was beaming with joy, and her smile was so gentle as if she was the actual


    bride!


    That was a huge blow to Charlotte.


    Her eyes were fixated on the screen while her trembling hands kept scrolling down to see if there were


    more rted articles.


    The Romantic Story of A Four Year Underground Love Affair.


    The subheading went like this: Four years ago, they were blessed with triplets, but she took them away.


    Four yearster, they met again in the most peculiar way!


    Charlotte clicked on it and was directed to a photo album. There she saw photos of the whole family,


    Fifi the parrot, their house on Happy Avenue, the day she joined Divine Corporation...


    It was aplete record of her life with Zachary. However, someone appeared to be sharing those


    moments with him in her stead, someone by the name of Cynthia ckwood.


    The phone slid out of her quivering hands and dropped onto the ground.


    All that upied her mind in this instance was the distorted family photo where another woman took


    her ce.


    Her tormenting nightmare hade true!


    It wreaked havoc in her head, and her world was shattered into pieces.


    When the Nacht Family first sent her to Coldbridge, she was undeniably scared of the uncertainty and


    hated them for doing so. Still, she held onto thest sliver of hope in her, hoping that Zachary would


    But now, the fleeting hope that she''d tightly grasped onto eventually found its way out of her hand.


    All her bubbles of hopes, dreams, and happiness popped and dissolved into thin air.


    At that instant, she was in so much distress that she felt like every raindrop was gnawing her skin and


    whipping the raw flesh underneath.


    As she cried, herst wisp of despair exited her body through thest teardrop.


    Nothing could threaten her anymore, not even the knife at her neck.


    She was dead inside.


    ¡°Your agony brought me so much joy, Charlotte. Hahahaha!¡± Sharon chortled in absolute jubtion.


    ¡°What''s not mine will never be yours. That''s my revenge to you!¡±


    She looked down at Charlotte in contempt. ¡°I''ve lost pleasure in killing you. You know what, I''ll let you


    live. After all, it''ll be a life graver than death for you!¡±

 Chapter 666

    Chapter 666


    Sharon slowly got back on her feet and walked away with a wicked smile. ¡°She''s all yours. Enjoy!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, boss!¡±


    Those men started to unbuckle their belts and slither closer toward Charlotte.


    ¡°N-No...¡± Charlotte shook her head aggressively, and just as she got up, someone stepped on her


    gown and pressed her onto the ground.


    ¡°Let go of me! Let go of me!¡± She grappled with all her might.


    Those two men were brutal when it came to tearing her gown apart. The embroidered diamonds


    scattered, and pieces of white tulle andce dispersed into the air.


    ¡°Leave Miss alone!¡±


    Mrs. Berry lunged toward Charlotte, trying to protect her from more harm, but one of the men sent her


    tumbling with a kick.


    Right then, they heard a symphony of rain, thunder, and lightning.


    Those men hesitated instantly, perhaps due to their conscience.


    ¡°Why stop? Go on!¡± Sharonmanded angrily.


    With that, they shook their conscience off and went on to finish what they started.


    ¡°No! Stop...¡±


    Charlotte struggled with all her might, but she was no match for the beastly desires of these ruffians.


    She couldn''t set herself free.


    Right when one of them was about to have his way with her, the sound of a police siren was heard.


    ¡°The cops are here! The cops are here!¡±


    Those stocky men jumped back in fright.


    ¡°You lucky b*itch.¡± Sharon sneered as she pinned Charlotte''s head onto the ground with her foot. ¡°Too


    bad you''re a walking corpse now. Zachary has betrayed you, and your children are calling someone


    else Mommy. So why don''t you let me grant you your death wish?¡±


    With the twitch of a finger, one of her bodyguards robbed Mrs. Berry of the silver box and passed it to


    her.


    ¡°What do you think you''re doing? Give it back to me!¡±


    Mrs. Berry reached for the box but was kicked onto the ground once again.


    Thud! It was a heavy fall, and blood started oozing from her head.


    ¡°Mrs. Berry, Mrs. Berry...¡± Charlotte stretched out her arm as far as she could, howling in consternation.


    ¡°I guess this must be thest bottle of the antidote.¡±


    Sharon fiddled with the bottle between her fingers and palm.


    ¡°I heard that Riz Corporation developed the poison, Crimson Tears, and if you fail to drink every single


    bottle of the antidote, all your effort before this would be nullified.¡±


    ¡°No...¡± Mrs. Berry crawled toward Sharon and sped her leg, crying and begging her to return the


    antidote.


    ¡°Hahahaha...¡± Sharon justughed and dropped the bottle on the floor.


    Smash! Thest bottle of antidote was in smithereens. The clear liquid that was once in the bottle


    joined the puddle of rain almost instantly.


    ¡°No! No!¡±


    Mrs. Berry tried to scoop it with her bare hands, but it was futile.


    Charlotte drooped her head in despair.


    ¡°Aren''t you loyal? Die for her, then!¡± Sharon took one of the men''s gun and aimed at Mrs. Berry.


    ¡°Please, no...¡± Fear shook Charlotte''s head left and right. ¡°Sharon, it''s me you''re after. Leave her a¡ª¡±


    Bang! Charlotte''s plead was cut short by a gunshot.


    Every inch of her body started to quiver while she was frozen in ce.


    There was Mrs. Berry''s blood all over her face, and some made its way into her eyes.


    ¡°Be grateful that I spared your life, Charlotte. Hahaha...¡±


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    Sharon turned around and left the scene as herughter echoed.


    ¡°Mrs. Berry...¡± Charlotte wrapped her trembling arms around Mrs. Berry''s torso. ¡°Mrs. Berry, wake up.


    Don''t do this to me...¡±


    ¡°Oh my God! What''s going on?¡± Arthit was shocked by what he saw when he got to the scene.


    ¡°Call the ambnce! The ambnce!¡± Charlotte screamed.


    Arthit hurriedly took out his phone and called the ambnce. After some mutter, he turned to Charlotte


    and said, ¡°Don''t worry. The ambnce will arrive shortly, and the police are already after those bad


    guys. For the moment, let me get a doctor...¡±

 Chapter 667

    Chapter 667


    Panic-stricken, Arthit ran off, leaving Charlotte bawling her eyes out in the rain with Mrs. Berry in her


    arms.


    ¡°Miss...¡± Mrs. Berry held onto Charlotte''s hand tightly. Blood was oozing from the corners of her mouth,


    but she still mustered the strength to call out to Charlotte, ¡°Miss...¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Berry! Don''t worry. You''ll be fine. You''ll be fine! I won''t let anything happen to you.¡± Charlotte


    quavered as tears trickled down her face. ¡°You can''t leave me like this! You''re all that I have left... I


    have no one but you...¡±


    Charlotte could not imagine a life without Mrs. Berry, who was thest ray of hope in her life that she


    desperately held onto.


    She would rather get shot than let Mrs. Berry sacrifice herself.


    ¡°Miss...¡± Mrs. Berry''s eyes were gruesomely wide open, and the tears strewn on her face were washed


    away by the unforgiving rain. The blood in her mouth made it difficult for her to speak. ¡°You need to


    live... on...¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Berry...¡± The next thing Charlotte knew, Mrs. Berry''s hand had gone limp, dropping to the ground.


    ¡°Mrs. Berry! Mrs. Berry...¡± Charlotte called her name in a trembling voice. ¡°Mrs. Berry! This is not funny


    at all... Wake up... Wake up!¡±


    To Charlotte''s despair, no matter how urgently she cried for her, Mrs. Berry did not respond and simply


    lay lifelessly in her arms.


    What had been an affectionate, loving, and chubby angel in her life became merely an empty shell.N?velDrama.Org owns all content.


    Overwhelmed with shock, Charlotte''s pupils dted while her mouth was agape. She wanted to scream


    at the top of her lungs, yet she could not even make a sound.


    She could not bring herself to believe that Mrs. Berry, the caring and dependable guardian in her life,


    had left her forever.


    ¡°No...¡± Charlotte clung onto Mrs. Berry''s cold body, quivering uncontrobly. Looking up at the sky, her


    vision blurred as she broke out in tears. ¡°Arghhh!¡±


    She sounded like a deste beast in pain. Her sorrow could not be expressed in mere words.


    What have I done wrong? God! Why are you doing this to us?


    Crimson stains of blood bloomed like flowers of death on her pristine wedding gown once more. But


    this time, it was Mrs. Berry''s blood.


    It should have been me instead!


    Eventually, the ambnce arrived at the scene. Paramedics rushed to check on Mrs. Berry, but s,


    they turned to Charlotte with conflicted expressions. ¡°We''re sorry...¡±


    Arthit, who stood beside her, was at a loss for words. He had no idea how he couldfort her in such


    a situation. ¡°I''m sorry... I''m sorry...¡±


    The paramedics continued to talk to Charlotte about Mrs. Berry, but her mind seemed to be somewhere


    else. In the end, the paramedics left the scene, leaving Charlotte and Arthit, who looked at her in


    sympathy.


    Time slowly ticked away, but Charlotte did not move an inch and clung onto Mrs. Berry helplessly in the


    relentless rain. Even as the sun set, she did not seem to notice.


    Night fell soon after, but the rain was still pouring from the sky.


    Though the rain was far from a thunderstorm, Charlotte had be drenched inside out, and all the


    blood on her had been washed away.


    ¡°Charlotte, let''s bring Mrs. Berry back. She''s been in the rain for too long,¡± Arthit said tentatively.


    Those words seemed to wake Charlotte up from her trance, and she took a closer look at Mrs. Berry,


    who was in her arms. Wobbling as she stood up while holding onto Mrs. Berry''s heavy body, she cried,


    ¡°I''m bringing you home... Let''s go home...¡±


    ¡°Let me help you.¡± Arthit knelt before her.


    ¡°Screw off!¡± Charlotte shrieked.


    Shocked by her sudden outburst, Arthit stumbled backward.


    Charlotte mustered the remaining strength she had to bring Mrs. Berry''s body home. However, her


    body quickly gave in after a few steps when a stinging pain struck her head like a sharp de.


    Charlotte fell to the ground with a hand on her head and the other firmly gripping Mrs. Berry''s hand.


    ¡°Charlotte, what''s wrong?¡± Arthit was terror-stricken and began wailing, ¡°This isn''t funny! Don''t scare


    me like this! I-I''ll go get the doctor!¡±


    With that, Arthit darted off.


    Without any warning, blood began streaming out of Charlotte''s nostrils. Droplets of the warm liquid


    landed on Mrs. Berry''s body as the unbearable pain surged within Charlotte''s body. At the same time,


    she felt as if a thousand needles were piercing her skull from the inside.


    ¡°Arghhh!¡±


    Charlotte copsed with her head banging against the hard, cold concrete below. The unyielding rain


    and ominous dark clouds were reflected in her bloodshot eyes. She, too, could feel the life being


    sucked out of her...


    Her eyelids felt heavier and heavier. Am I about to die too?

 Chapter 668

    Chapter 668


    As she closed her eyes wearily, a familiar voice suddenly echoed in her ears. ¡°Miss... You need to live...


    on...¡±


    Mrs. Berry''s voice was joined by the sweet voices of her dear children.


    ¡°Mommy! Mommy! We''ll wait for you toe home!¡±


    Charlotte slowly opened her eyes once more to meet the sight of her father''s silhouette looming above


    her in the skies as if giving her words offort. ¡°Lottie, please live on... Please live a happy life


    without me...¡±


    The voices of her family seemed to warm her heart, imparting the powerful strength of hope into her


    veins, pushing her to fight against the Grim Reaper.


    She blinked and sluggishly clenched her hands into fists.


    mes of hatred burned in her bloodshot eyes.


    You want me dead? No way!


    I''m going to survive this! And make all of you pay!


    With willpower alone, Charlotte pushed herself up and crawled toward her right.


    There was a phone lying on the ground, which was left by Sharon. Its screen was still shing.


    As Charlotte mbered toward the phone, blood oozed from her knees and elbows. Her ivory gown


    had turned into a dirty, gory mess after being tainted by her blood and mud.


    However, that was thest thing on her mind at the moment. Nothing was going to stop her from


    grabbing her lifebuoy in the bottomless, treacherous sea she was currently drowning in.


    Reaching out for the phone with her blood-covered hands, she dialed the number that had been carved


    into her heart with trembling fingers.


    Lottie, when you find yourself trapped in a dead-end, call this number, and your guardian angel shall


    descend from the skies and protect you from harm!


    I shall... I shall be reborn...


    Doo! Doo! Doo! The phone rang once, twice, thrice...


    Finally, the call went through. ¡°Hello?¡± A baritone voice resounded in her ears.


    ¡°I... I''m Isabe''s daughter... I''m in Coldbridge... Save me... Save me!¡±


    With herst breath, Charlotte uttered those words. The next moment, her head crashed straight onto


    the hard concrete.


    ¡°Over there!¡± At that very moment, Arthit returned with a group of doctors. ¡°Charlotte! Charlotte! Wake


    up!¡±


    The screen of Sharon''s phone was still glimmering on the ground. The call only ended when the tires of


    the ambnce ran over the phone as Charlotte got taken to the hospital.


    The ss screen shattered, with cracks that resembled a spider web. With that, Sharon''s phone was


    reduced to a piece of scrap metal.


    Rain was still pouring from the heavens. The darkness that shrouded the terrain below seemed to


    parallel the unbreakable spell of the human condition.


    In the ambnce, Arthit spoke anxiously to the paramedics, ¡°How is she? Is she dead?¡±


    ¡°She isn''t dead, but her condition is worrying... and thatdy over there is beyond saving.¡±


    Upon hearing those words, Arthit''s expression turned grim, and he hurriedly made a call to ry the


    events that had transpired that day.


    The person on the other end froze momentarily and then sprinted to find Spencer with his phone in


    hand.


    Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    Spencer happened to be brewing tea for Henry in the study room to discuss some follow-up matters.


    Out of the blue, their bodyguard burst into the room, yelling, ¡°Ms. Windt is in mortal peril!¡±


    ¡°What? What happened to her?¡± Spencer quickly asked.


    ¡°They got attacked. Mrs. Berry was shot, and Ms. Windt is terribly injured. She''s on the brink of


    death...¡±


    Clink!


    Henry''s teacup fell to the ground and shattered into pieces. ¡°How can that be? Who did it?¡±


    ¡°I''m not sure about that. Our informant, Arthit, talked about a woman from C Nation, but he doesn''t


    know who she is...¡±


    ¡°Hurry!¡± Henry turned to look at Spencer. ¡°Gather your men and get there immediately... Hold on. You


    need to inform our correspondents in T Nation to safeguard her first, then hurry to T Nation with your


    team!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Spencer immediately sprang into action.


    At that very moment, another subordinate entered the room. ¡°Mr. Nacht! Your grandson has escaped!


    He is on the way to the airport at the moment. He must have found out about Ms. Windt!¡±


    ¡°What? How could that be?¡± Spencer turned pale.


    ¡°Didn''t I drug him and lock him up in the basement? How did he even get out?¡± Henry was on edge.


    ¡°Quick! Head to the airport now!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±

 Chapter 669

    Chapter 669


    Meanwhile, on the highway, Zachary was speeding toward the airport. His eyes were rmingly red, as


    if the blood vessels within them were about to pop.


    Charlotte, wait for me... I''ll get you now. He uttered those words in his head over and over.


    Henry had personally spiked his drink and imprisoned him in the basement of his own house just to


    ensure that Cynthia could take Charlotte''s ce.


    As a result, he fell unconscious for three entire days, and by the time he woke up, things seemed to


    have taken an irreversible turn.


    Everything rted to Charlotte had been erased and reced by fabricated information about Cynthia.


    News of Cynthia marrying Zachary was also released in an official announcement.


    Of course, Zachary absolutely lost it when he heard the news. However, he was locked up and did not


    have the means to do anything about the situation.


    Henry had nned on detaining him until Charlotte took thest bottle of antidote the next day and left


    for a ce where Zachary would never be able to find.


    Never did it cross his dysfunctional mind that Charlotte might fall into peril before the next day even


    came.


    Unable to sit back and do nothing, Zachary figured out a way to escape. He then stole a bodyguard''s


    phone to contact Bruce and Ben. Upon discovering what happened to Charlotte, he took over a car on


    the streets by force and drove to the airport like an absolute maniac.


    On the other hand, Henry also sent his men to hurry to the airport to stop Zachary.


    At the same time, Spencer reached out to the correspondents of the Nacht family in T Nation and


    ordered them to travel to Coldbridge to protect Charlotte.


    However, it was toote.


    At about two kilometers from a local hospital in Coldbridge, a monstrous jeep appeared out of nowhere


    and crashed straight into the ambnce that Charlotte was in.


    Bang! The impact of the collision caused the ambnce to slide backward haphazardly, and the


    ambnce collided once more against the utility pole by the road, causing it to fall onto its side. As the


    piercing ambnce sirens rang, the medical staff within the vehicle scurried out.


    Arthit dizzily climbed out of the car window and then dragged Charlotte out. She had already lost


    consciousness by then.


    A short distance away from the wreckage, Sharon, who was in the jeep, turned her phone camera


    toward the ambnce and talked to the person she was video-calling, ¡°Do you see this?¡±


    ¡°Those from the Nacht family are arriving very soon. You got to end this quickly! You need to ensure


    that she dies through and through!¡±


    Zara was giving themands on the other end.


    ¡°Understood.¡± Sharon did a gesture.


    Bang! Bang! Bang! Within minutes, a few bodyguards emerged from the jeep and shot down the entire


    team of medical staff.


    ¡°Arghhh!¡± Arthit whimpered, raising his arms in the air. ¡°Don''t kill me! Please don''t kill me! I know


    nothing! I know nothing...¡±


    Bang! Those were hisst words before he copsed in his pool of blood.


    The assassinations were done swiftly with a single bullet each, without even a moment of hesitation.


    With a phone in hand and a gun in the other, Sharon got out of the car and sauntered toward Charlotte


    in the rain with a scathing look on her face.


    N?velDrama.Org owns all content.


    Charlotte''s bridal gown was drenched in blood. She simplyy motionless on the ground as the rain


    and mud washed her cold body.


    With an impatient look on her face, Sharon brutally kicked Charlotte''s head, but thetter did not even


    make a sound. Sharon knelt down and pped her gun against Charlotte''s face. ¡°Hey! Hey! Wake up!


    You''re making this unbearably boring!¡±


    ¡°Kill her!¡± On the other end of the call, Zara seemed to be getting rather impatient too.


    ¡°What''s the hurry?¡±


    Having said that, Sharon pinched Charlotte''s philtrum, trying to wake her up. She desperately wanted


    to see Charlotte beg for her life, or she would not be satisfied with the kill.


    ¡°Sharon! Do it! Do you want to die too?¡± Zaramanded irritably.


    Rolling her eyes, Sharon ended the call with a smirk. Then she stood up and kicked Charlotte''s limp


    body a few more times.


    Eventually, Charlotte began curling up a little.


    ¡°Hah! That''s what I''m talking about!¡± Sharon used her foot to roll Charlotte''s face over. ¡°Charlotte


    Windt! Look at me!¡±


    Charlotte wearily opened her eyes and made out Sharon''s face despite her blurry vision. Fury and


    hatred began to well up in her eyes.


    ¡°Good! Hah! I love that face you''re making!¡± Sharon was so excited that she began cackling


    uncontrobly. Pointing her gun at Charlotte, she said, ¡°Beg! And maybe I''ll make it quick for you!¡±

 Chapter 670

    Chapter 670


    Charlotte opened her mouth, but her voice was too raspy and soft to be heard.


    ¡°What?¡± Sharon bent down and moved her ear closer to Charlotte.


    ¡°I hope you live on...¡± Charlotte struggled to talk. ¡°I will definitely...e back... and seek revenge on


    you... I''ll... make you... pay for this!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha...¡± Sharon burst out inughter as if she had just heard the funniest joke ever. ¡°Charlotte!


    Have you lost your mind? You''re gonna die here today. Do you know that? Revenge? Are you going to


    haunt me like a ghost? Hah! This is the funniest thing I''ve heard in a while...¡±


    Sharon''s cackles sounded extra mocking and contemptuous in the howling winds.


    After some time, she turned quiet. Hitting Charlotte''s face with her gun, she growled, ¡°Stupid whore!


    You deserve this! If you do be a ghost, feel free to find me! Oh, by the way, you shouldn''t be


    haunting me. I wanted to spare your life, you know? I only nned on letting you suffer from the drugs,


    but those from the Nacht family just couldn''t wait to kill you! Urgh, I can''t do anything about that, can I?¡±


    Feigning a troubled expression, Sharon pointed to the bodyguards and jeeps behind her.


    ¡°Look... Those are men dispatched by the Nacht family. At this point, none of them want you to live a


    second longer. Your existence is a tant threat to them! You bring shame to their family!¡±


    ¡°Are you... telling me the truth?¡± Charlotte''s chest heaved as a multitude of emotions surged from


    within.


    ¡°Think about it yourself. They have already wiped you away from existence and even got someone to


    rece you! Do you really think that they''ll let you live?¡± Sharon snickered. ¡°They won''t be able to sleep


    at night until you''re dead for good!¡±


    As her smile widened, Sharon continued, ¡°Trust me. I won''t lie to someone who''s about to die.¡±


    Sharon''s words had doused thest mes of hope in the back of Charlotte''s mind. Her gaze instantly


    turned cold, and her fists were clenched so tightly that her nails were digging into her flesh. A seed of


    hatred had been sowed deep in her heart.


    ¡°Farewell, Charlotte Windt!¡± Sharon pointed her gun at Charlotte. ¡°I hope you''d be less of an idiot in the


    afterlife. Oh, and don''t get deceived by men again!¡±


    With that, she pulled the trigger and was ready to fire a shot at Charlotte.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    It was at that very moment that the whirling sound of aircrafts reverberated overhead.


    The wind bellowed like a wild beast, causing the dirt on the terrain below to be swept up.


    Sharon instinctively covered her eyes before ncing overhead with caution. More than a dozen


    helicopters were approaching them from all directions. One, in particr, was circling directly above


    them, and the gusts of wind from its engine almost made her lose her bnce.


    Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    Her bodyguard rushed over to cover her before bringing her back to her jeep. To their dismay, they


    soon fell over as the strong winds pinned them onto the ground.


    Sharon was furious. Whipping out her gun, she sted multiple shots at the helicopter.


    Bang! To her utter horror, a bullet punctured her wrist.


    Sharon bawled her lungs out from the sharp pain and rolled around on the ground.


    Her bodyguards immediately got up and readied themselves to retaliate. However, upon seeing the


    golden symbol imprinted on the helicopters above, they froze in their tracks. ¡°The Lindbergs!¡±


    ¡°It''s the legendary Mr. Lindberg!¡±


    The next thing they knew, tens of men in ck were plunging down from the sky.


    Right then, a tall figure could be seen free-falling from the helicopter in the center andnding nimbly


    before Charlotte. The tall man loomed over Charlotte as he gazed down at her.


    Unable to move, Charlotte simply looked up at him as shey in a pool of blood. She was met by the


    sight of a cold and domineering young man who exuded a mysterious aura.


    ¡°Were you the one who made the call?¡± the man spoke calmly.


    ¡°Yes...¡± That was all that Charlotte managed to utter.


    The man kneeled gracefully and gently swept away the messy hair covering Charlotte''s bloody face.


    Taking a closer look at her face, he curled his lips. ¡°You''re definitely Isabe''s daughter!¡±

 Chapter 671

    Chapter 671


    Charlotte''s features looked as if her face was carved out from the same mold as Isabe Lindberg.


    There was no doubt that they were mother and daughter.


    As the mysterious man came up closer to her, Charlotte could also make out his face clearly. She


    instantly felt a strange sense of familiarity and connection with him.


    There was no doubt that the two of them were bound by blood.


    Their uncanny resemnce made it all too obvious, and her features simply screamed the word


    ¡°Lindberg.¡±


    The mysterious man took off his coat and wrapped it around Charlotte''s body before scooping her up


    into his arms. ¡°I''m bringing you home!¡±


    As Charlotte leaned her head against his warm chest and listened to his steady heartbeats, there was


    only one thought in her head. I''m going to survive.


    At the same time, voices from the past began to echo in her head, and she felt as if she was bidding


    farewell to her past and weing a brand new beginning.


    Charlotte, we''ll live a happy life together...


    Charlotte, I want to be with you for life...


    Charlotte, don''t worry. No matter what happens, I''ll never let go of your hand!


    Charlotte, trust me. I''lle back for you!


    The news of Zachary''s wedding is all over the media. There are video clips of the wedding reception,


    but you''re no longer the bride. Your face has been reced by that of someone else...


    I wanted to spare your life, you know? I only nned on letting you suffer from the drugs, but those


    from the Nacht family just couldn''t wait to kill you!


    Think about it yourself. They have already wiped you away from existence and even got someone to


    rece you! Do you really think that they''ll let you live? They won''t be able to sleep at night until you''re


    dead for good!


    Miss, you need to live... on...


    Lottie, live on...


    Lottie, when you find yourself trapped in a dead-end, call this number, and your guardian angel shall


    descend from the skies and protect you from harm!


    It''s just that your life will take aplete turn if you make the call. You''ll start a new life!


    Mommy, we''ll wait for you toe home!


    Miss, live on...


    Lottie, live on...


    The voices of her loved ones seemed to rey over and over in her ears, along with the stinging pain


    that continued to torment her body.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, we''ve subdued all enemies. What do you want to do with them?¡± One of his bodyguards


    walked up to him.


    ¡°Release them,¡± he ordered.


    ¡°Huh?¡± The bodyguard seemed to be rather surprised.


    ¡°I''ll leave those bastards for you to take care of in the future! For you to take your revenge!¡± the


    mysterious man said, gazing affectionately at Charlotte, who was in his arms. ¡°You need to give them a


    taste of their own medicine!¡±


    Charlotte nodded her head wearily and pointed a shaky finger at the ambnce in the distance. ¡°Mrs.


    Berry...¡± she murmured weakly.


    The man gave his subordinates a look, and they immediately hurried to carry Mrs. Berry''s corpse from


    the vehicle.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, the people from the Nacht family are nearby,¡± a bodyguard reported.


    Whoosh! The man hurled a flying shuttle into the air, and the two of them flew up into the helicopter.


    The horrendous ident site and the wreckage were now under her feet.


    As Charlotte stared nkly at the debris on the ground, the horrendous events of the day reyed in


    her head. Every snapshot of the torment she suffered through and the gruesome way Mrs. Berry died


    continued to haunt her.


    Closing her eyes, she began carving out every detail deeply into the depths of her heart. I''ll never


    forget everything that happened today!


    I''ll make you pay!


    ...


    By the time those from the Nacht family arrived at the scene, all they could find was a run-down


    ambnce and the corpses of the paramedics around it.


    They immediately ran an extensive search within the ambnce, but Charlotte and Mrs. Berry were


    nowhere to be seen. Only Arthit seemed to show signs of life, so they quickly sent him to the hospital.


    Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Afterward, the team traveled to the house where Charlotte and Mrs. Berry stayed, but the two of them


    were not there either.


    While their luggage and belongings were intact, the silver case containing the antidote was gone.


    In the alley behind the house, they found the small silver case on the ground, along with the broken


    antidote bottle.


    With that information in hand, the bodyguards promptly updated Henry on the situation.


    Upon hearing thetest report, Henry turned pale as a sheet. If thest bottle of antidote has been


    destroyed, then how could Charlotte possibly survive?


    Who attacked her?


    Is she already dead?


    But if she really is dead, then where''s the body?

 Chapter 672

    Chapter 672


    The fog of mystery around Charlotte''s disappearance only seemed to thicken.


    When Zachary finally arrived at Coldbridge with a palpitating heart, he ended up with the same


    findings. Having lost his calm, he ran around like a maniac and went to every location he could possibly


    think of to search for Charlotte.


    In the unrelenting storm, Zachary sprinted down the streets yelling Charlotte''s name.


    His clothes werepletely drenched, his voice turned raspy, and his eyes were bloodshot.


    As he stared at the wrecked ambnce with an unmistakable pool of blood in front of it and the tainted


    shreds of Charlotte''s bridal gown, he felt his heart being torn into pieces.


    He could not forgive himself for putting Charlotte in harm''s way and letting Henry send her off to a


    foreign country.


    Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Nor could he ept that he failed to rescue her in time.


    Dark thoughts invaded Zachary''s mind. What if she was tortured and has already died? What if...


    It pained him just thinking those thoughts.


    With his brows furrowing deeper, he swept his eyes around him in panic. He had never felt so helpless


    and afraid in his life.


    What if she''s really dead?


    What am I supposed to do then?


    What am I supposed to do?


    Zachary was on edge. ¡°Charlotte! Where are you? Can you pleasee out? I don''t want to y this


    game of hide-and-seek anymore! Come out! Come out!¡± His raspy cries were lost in the raging storm.


    ¡°Robbie, Jamie, and Ellie are all waiting for you toe home! They''ve been missing you every single


    day... I promised them that I''d bring you home! You can''t do this to me! Charlotte, Charlotte! Come


    out... I''m begging you...¡±


    Out of sheer terror and fear, his voice grew softer, and he eventually trailed off.


    Tears trickled down his cheeks as he looked down at the dirt below in devastation. ¡°I''m sorry... I''m


    sorry... I''m sorry...¡± he murmured those words incessantly.


    In a dark corner some distance away, Henry watched on as his grandson cried in the rain.


    He had never considered his actions as immoral or wrong. On the contrary, he had even strongly


    believed that his ns would help reduce the damage to both Charlotte and his grandson. Never did he


    imagine that Charlotte would get attacked, nor did he consider the possibility of his grandson and great-


    grandchildren being emotionally scarred by her death.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, don''t be too hard on yourself,¡± Spencer tried tofort him. ¡°Nobody knew that this would


    happen.¡±


    ¡°Who is it? Who did it?¡± Henry mmed his hand hard against the handles of his wheelchair. ¡°Have you


    found out who''s behind this? Zara is involved, isn''t she?¡±


    ¡°I have done a preliminary check. Ms. Zara is still in E Nation. Our people and Mr. Zachary''s


    subordinates have had their eyes on her for a while now to prevent her from harming Ms. Windt, but


    she has not taken any form of action,¡± Spencer replied.


    ¡°If not her, then who is it?¡± Henry furrowed his brows. ¡°Who else knows about the antidote?¡±


    ¡°That''s the part I can''t wrap my head around too...¡± Spencer sighed. ¡°Let''s take our time to figure this


    out. Our top priority now is to find Ms. Windt. Otherwise, Mr. Zachary would hold a grudge against you


    for life.¡±


    ¡°That''s right.¡± Henry nodded. ¡°Inform everyone in our search teams and get them to concentrate on


    finding Charlotte. We have to bring her back, dead or alive!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    ...


    The Nacht family exhausted much of their human and financial resources in the search for Charlotte.


    However, Coldbridge was an underdeveloped town with no surveince cameras on the streets.


    Without surveince footage, it was almost impossible to figure out what happened to Charlotte that


    day.


    The group of police officers and medical staff who had gone to the scene back then recounted that Mrs.


    Berry had died from a gunshot, and Charlotte was suffering from severe mental trauma even though


    she was not seriously injured.


    However, they could not provide any information about the actual assault since they left the scene


    shortly after.


    The only witness they had, Arthit, ultimately survived despite getting shot. Unfortunately, the bullet had


    caused permanent damage to his brain, resulting in him bing mentally disabled and losing his


    memories of the incident.


    The locations where Charlottest appeared were all cordoned off and preserved. From the evidence


    found at the house that Charlotte stayed at with Mrs. Berry, the investigation team deduced that the


    assant was not after money because everything was intact other than the broken bottle of antidote.


    That narrowed down the list of suspects to the few who knew about the existence of an antidote for


    Charlotte.


    Zachary immediately put Zara at the top of the list of suspects and did all he could to force an answer


    out of her. He even interrogated her personally.


    However, Zara denied all offenses and even told him her alibi.


    Of course, Zachary would not let her off that easily. He began oppressing herpany and businesses


    openly while continuing his desperate search for Charlotte.

 Chapter 673

    Chapter 673


    Even after investigating extensively on anyone and everyone who might have a grudge against


    Charlotte, Zachary still found no useful leads.


    Helena was already in jail, and Hector was still stuck in his hellhole of begging people to help him with


    the cases filed against him, so there was no possibility of him leaving the country anding all the


    way to Coldbridge just to harm Charlotte.


    As for Sharon, there were no records of her traveling abroad. In fact, there was also evidence to prove


    that she had been busy dealing with the projects in H City.


    With everyone crossed out from his list of suspects, Zachary could only start investigating once more


    from scratch.


    Upon getting informed that Zachary had considered her as a suspect, Sharon almost had a heart


    attack. At the same time, she simply could not wrap her head around why the person who had rescued


    Charlotte back then not only let her off alive but also kept her actions a secret.


    If it weren''t for that mysterious man, her evil deeds would already have been exposed.


    Oh, gosh. Anyways, I''m safe for the time being.


    The gunshot on Sharon''s right wrist had disabled her.


    ...


    Three months passed in the blink of an eye.


    With Charlotte nowhere to be found, Zachary was still at a loss of what to do.


    The kids at home were also in distress. At first, they kept on asking about where their parents had


    gone. Eventually, they began crying day after day, and Henry finally told them that their mother had


    died from an illness.


    News of their dear mother''s death was simply too much to bear for children of that age, and the three


    little ones sank into despair.


    Jamie''s face turned a sickly red as he cried, ¡°That cannot be! Mommy is fine! Why would she die like


    that? You''re lying! Liars!¡±


    ¡°I don''t care! Mommy isn''t dead. Mommy isn''t dead.¡± Ellie looked up at Henry, panting with difficulty as


    she cried, ¡°I want Mommy! I want Mommy...¡±


    ¡°Something must be amiss!¡± Robbie was trembling uncontrobly from the overwhelming grief and


    disbelief he was feeling. ¡°On the day Mommy and Daddy were getting married, you guys suddenly took


    Mommy away, saying that you''re going to treat her illness, but you wouldn''t even let us visit her


    afterward! Did you send Mommy far away? Where did you send her? Did you do it on purpose because


    you think that she doesn''t deserve to marry Daddy? Did you?¡±


    Henry felt his heart throb as he watched his precious great-grandchildren bawl their eyes out. He had


    thought that he was ready to face the aftermath of his actions, but now that he saw the kids in this


    state, he could not help but feel guilty.


    However, he knew that he needed to get himself together and exin to the kids personally.


    ¡°I''m not against their marriage, and I don''t despise your mother for her family background. However,


    she was really sick and had a terrible nosebleed on the day of the wedding, so we had to send her


    away to treat it. It''s just that we didn''t expect her to die from the sickness...¡±


    ¡°I don''t believe it. It''s not like that. It can''t be!¡± Robbie cried, shaking his head. ¡°Mommy isn''t dead! You


    guys are liars! Liars! I''m going to find Mommy now...¡±


    As Robbie yelled those words, he sprinted out of the room.


    Jamie and Ellie followed behind him.


    ¡°Robbie...¡±


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    ¡°Mr. Robinson!¡±


    The bodyguards and the maids promptly chased after them.


    ¡°Hurry! Don''t let them hurt themselves!¡± Henry had his heart in his throat.


    ¡°Understood!¡± Spencer went after them with his subordinates too. However, they came to an abrupt halt


    at the gates of the house.


    Zachary had returned after three whole months. As he emerged from his car, he looked disheveled and


    burnt out.


    A beard had grown out on his face, while his hair was unkempt and long. It seemed as if he had not


    slept for ages; his skin darkened, and the whites of his eyes were strewn with blood vessels.


    When the three little ones saw him, they were stunned for a second before they rushed over to hug his


    leg.


    ¡°Daddy! Great-grandpa says that Mommy is dead. I don''t believe it! I don''t believe it!¡±


    ¡°Daddy, take us to Mommy! I want Mommy!¡±


    ¡°Daddy, Mommy isn''t dead, is she? Mommy is fine and well, right?¡±


    ¡°You''re right.¡± Zachary bent down to wipe the tears and mucus off the children''s faces. ¡°Your mother


    isn''t dead. She''s alive. It''s just that she has lost her way. I''m trying my best to find her. She''lle back


    someday!¡±


    Zachary choked on hisst sentence. He quickly pulled his children into a tight embrace to hide the


    tears welling up in his eyes.

 Chapter 674

    Chapter 674


    The sight of his grandson hugging his great-grandchildren was heart-wrenching for Henry to watch. He


    wanted to say something but was silenced by Zachary''s eyes that were burning with hatred.


    He blinked and straightened his back. Putting on a tough front, he said, ¡°It''s good that you''ve returned.


    Don''t go wandering around like that again. You''re not just anyone. You''re the heir to Nacht Group, and


    you''re the father to these children. You need to take responsibility for them!¡±


    Hearing that, Zachary merely remained silent and took his kids back to their rooms.


    He tried his best to suppress his anger toward Henry for the sake of his children.


    After all, in the world of children that little, family was everything to them. They had just lost Mrs. Berry


    and their dear mother. If something were to happen to their great-grandfather too, their sorrow would


    only be exacerbated.


    ¡°What''s with that attitude?¡± Henry snarled.


    ¡°It''s quite unexpected that Mr. Zachary can behave so calmly. Let''s give him some time,¡± Spencer said


    with a serious expression.


    ¡°I did it... I did all of it for the sake of our family... For the kids... Was it really my fault?¡± Henry asked.


    That question was actually meant for himself.


    He had been reflecting on his actions. Have I really made a mistake?


    ¡°Well... tragedies are not umon in life.¡± Spencer sighed deeply. ¡°It''s not your fault, but I think we


    are definitely responsible for Ms. Windt''s death. We should be grateful that Mr. Zachary didn''t even


    mention this in front of the kids.¡±


    Henry went quiet upon hearing those words.


    For the past few days, he had been preparing himself mentally for a big fight with Zachary when he


    returned. However, none of that actually happened.


    And that made him all the more uneasy.


    ¡°Don''t worry, Mr. Zachary is a strong person.¡± Spencer could tell what Henry had on his mind. ¡°With the


    three kids with him, he would pick himself up sooner orter,¡± he said reassuringly.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Henry nodded his head. As he thought about his great-grandchildren, everything seemed worth it.


    ¡°Time shall solve all these problems...¡± Spencer began pushing Henry toward the door.


    Henry looked up at the second floor. The lights of the master bedroom were switched off, but the study


    room seemed upied.


    Heaving a heavy sigh, he said, ¡°Prepare a private jet. I''m going back to M Nation tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°You''re not staying to look after Mr. Zachary?¡± Spencer raised his eyebrows in surprise.


    ¡°He''s a grown man, not a boy. Why would I need to look after him? Obstacles and problems are bound


    to arise in life. A member of the Nacht family mustn''t give up so easily when facing a setback!¡± Henry


    lamented with a frown.


    ¡°Alright, then.¡± Spencer nodded. ¡°What about the kids? Is it really okay to leave them with Mr. Zachary,


    given his current state of mind? Can he care for them well? How about we bring them to live with us in


    Anndur for a bit?¡±


    ¡°There''s no need for that.¡± Henry shook his head. ¡°Staying with the kids would help him get back on his


    feet sooner...¡±


    ¡°Okay, I understand!¡± Then Spencer and a bodyguard helped Henry get into the car.


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    ¡°Tell Taylor toe to me. I need to talk to him.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    ...


    After putting his three children to sleep, Zachary returned to his bedroom.


    Though he had left home for three months, all the decorations from the wedding day still remained.


    Nobody dared take them down without his word.


    However, his wedding photos with Charlotte had disappeared.


    There was not a single photo of her in the entire house, but the shadow of her and her scent seemed to


    linger in every corner.


    He could see her blowing her hair dry by the table and turning around to talk to him with a smile. You


    should go shower too!


    He could also see her walking toward him with an affectionate expression and taking his coat for him.


    You''re home? Are you tired from work? I''ve prepared the bathwater for you. Hurry up and take a bath...


    Her silhouette seemed to loom around in his bedroom right before his eyes. However, as he reached


    out, wanting to embrace her, she instantly disappeared into a wisp of smoke, leaving his extended arm


    frozen in the air.


    At that moment, even his heart felt icy-cold.


    Staring nkly at his feet, the sorrow in his heart was unimaginable.


    At the same time, at the back of his mind, there was a small but firm voice telling him that Charlotte


    was definitely still alive.

 Chapter 675

    Chapter 675


    Meanwhile, in the Lindberg residence in Erihal.


    Danrique used every connection he had and switched out team after team of doctors before finding a


    competent team of medical experts to attend to Charlotte.


    After undergoing the three-month-long treatment, the poison that ensnared Charlotte from within was


    finally eliminated from her body.


    The only catch was that due to the side effects of the drugs used and certain psychological factors,


    there were severe repercussions after the treatment.


    Charlotte had lost her memory.


    Memories of her life aftering of age hadpletely faded away, and all that she could remember


    was her father, Mrs. Berry, and her happy childhood.


    In addition to that, Charlotte would suffer from an excruciating headache on stormy days.


    However, none of that seemed to matter at all. After all, Charlotte was going to start her life afresh.


    Danrique had employed a team of experts to train Charlotte to be an all-rounded adult. They


    began coaching her from square one, imparting all sorts of skills and knowledge on business


    management. He was determined to mold her into a proper member of the Lindberg family.


    Two yearter...


    At an auction house in H City.


    After a few years of rapid city development, H City had emerged as the richest city in the country with


    the most economic activities. Every inch ofnd was as valuable as gold, and real estate developers


    hadin their fingers on everyst piece ofnd in the city. There was almost nond for more


    development


    And so, thetest project in the South Sea region had be the most desirable project ever, and


    investors from all over the globe were in a heated fight over it.


    At the auction that day, not only were a few pieces ofnd in the South Sea area on sale, but the


    ownership over the entire South Sea area itself was also being auctioned off!


    As one might have expected, manypanies had sent their representatives to participate in the


    bidding, including the industry giant, Divine Corporation.


    However, the president of Divine Corporation, Zachary, had been kept a rtively low profile for the


    past few years, refusing to appear in the public eye most of the time, so the representatives sent out by


    Divine Corporation were the newly-elected vice president, Lucy, and Johann Sterk, who was one of the


    founders.


    The atmosphere at the auction house was heated and hectic. Everyone was in a fiercepetition to


    obtain the ultimate prize. The representatives from Divine Corporation arrived ten minuteste but still


    became the center of attention when they showed up.


    The bid for ownership over the South Sea area had already begun. By then, the price had skyrocketed


    up to two hundred billion, and the investors at the scene were hesitating to list a higher price.


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    Only a businessman named Mr. Sanchez, who was new to the industry, raised the price to two hundred


    and five billion.


    At that very moment, those from Divine Corporation made their move. Under Johann''s instructions,


    Lucy raised her paddle and announced their bid, ¡°Two hundred and fifty billion!¡±


    Instantly, the entire auction house went silent. Divine Corporation''s bid was simply too shocking. In the


    previous bids, the prices only increased by five billion with each consecutive bid, and that was already


    rather nerve-racking in itself. Still, Lucy raised the price by an outrageous forty-five billion at one go!


    No one could possibly bid against her.


    It was an expected oue. After all, the Nacht Group was filthy rich.


    Mr. Sanchez, who had made the previous bid, pursed his lips with a disappointed expression and


    nced at the representatives from Divine Corporation before he sat back down.


    He knew that he was no match for them.


    ¡°Two hundred and fifty billion going once!¡±


    ¡°Two hundred and fifty billion going twice!¡±


    ¡°Two hundred and fifty billion going...¡±


    ¡°Three hundred billion!¡±


    All of a sudden, the crisp voice of a youngdy resounded in the room, cutting off the auctioneer mid-


    sentence.


    Everyone was stunned. Heads began turning toward the entrance of the auction house.


    Eight female bodyguards in ck entered the room and lined up in two neat rows, leaving a path in


    between.


    A momentter, a mysterious-looking woman sashayed into the room.


    Donning a fitted white suit with her hair tied up in a casual low ponytail, the youngdy wore light,


    natural makeup that entuated her sharp, gorgeous features, exuding the aura of a queen.


    The youngdy who had just made her shy appearance instantly became the center of attention at


    the auction house.


    ¡°Oh, my god!¡± Lucy was appalled by what she saw. Gasping in shock, she whispered, ¡°Isn''t she... Ms.


    Windt?¡±


    Johann also widened his eyes in surprise, fixing his gaze on the youngdy who had just entered the


    room without even blinking. Unable to believe what he had just seen, he rubbed his eyes and looked


    again.


    The youngdy had already walked past them and elegantly sat down in the seat beside them. The


    words ¡°Lindberg Corporation¡± were written on her paddle.


    ¡°It''s the representative from Lindberg Corporation!¡± The room buzzed with excitement. ¡°The legendary


    Mr. Lindberg never shows his face! So, who is this youngdy?¡±


    ¡°Could it be his fianc¨¦e?¡±


    ¡°Well...¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg offers three hundred billion, any other bidders?¡± the auctioneer eximed excitedly.

 Chapter 676

    Chapter 676


    All eyes were fixed on the representatives of Divine Corporation. After all, only the Nacht group would


    be capable ofpeting with Lindberg Corporation.


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    Lucy quickly returned to her senses and whispered into Johann''s ear, ¡°Mr. Nacht instructed us not to


    bid any higher than two hundred and sixty billion. Shall we consult with him?¡±


    ¡°Call him,¡± Johann replied.


    ¡°Understood.¡± Lucy immediately strode off to a corner and dialed Zachary''s number.


    Everyone at the scene anticipated the Nacht Group''s next move, but the youngdy from Lindberg


    Corporation seemed rather impatient. Raising her eyebrows, she made a bold statement, ¡°What? Are


    we giving them time to hold an emergency meeting?¡±


    ¡°Well...¡± The auctioneer turned to look at the organizer of the auction.


    The organizer smiled awkwardly and exined, ¡°That''s not the case...¡± But he trailed off as he met the


    youngdy''s cold, piercing stare.


    ¡°ording to the standard protocol, the longest we can wait is sixty seconds,¡± the organizer of the


    auction quickly added.


    The imposing youngdy then did a gesture.


    Immediately, the organizer gave his response, ¡°The countdown starts now!¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± With that, a digital timer appeared on the projector screen.


    Concurrently, the auctioneer announced, ¡°Lindberg Corporation offers three hundred billion. Any other


    bidders?¡±


    No one in the room dared make a bid. Some even kept their paddles and made themselves


    comfortable in their seats as they waited to watch the final showdown.


    Meanwhile, Johann sneaked a few nces at thedy from Lindberg Corporation. Her face was the


    same as that of Charlotte years ago, but the aura she exuded waspletely different.


    The domineering and haughty demeanor she had disyed previously could not have been done by


    Charlotte, the good-willed but clumsy girl.


    So who the hell is she?


    While Lucy watched the digital timer intently, she felt increasingly anxious as each second ticked by.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, please answer the phone... Please answer the phone!¡± She mumbled to herself.


    On the other hand, the charismaticdy from Lindberg Corporation simply sat on the sofa and twirled


    her wine ss with grace as she waited for thest thirty seconds to tick by.


    Her lips were slightly curled up. ¡°It seems like Divine Corporation isn''t all too serious about bidding for


    this particr piece ofnd. So why are we still wasting time like this?¡± she taunted.


    ¡°Youngdy, our president has been keeping a low profile for personal reasons, not because he isn''t


    serious about business. Let uspete fairly at this auction. We''ll abide by the rules, so please have


    patience.¡± Johann sounded rather cordial and calm.


    ¡°I''m not impatient.¡± The youngdy smirked, raising an eyebrow. ¡°It''s just that even if Zachary Nacht


    were here, he wouldn''t be able to pay three hundred billion!¡±


    As soon as she uttered herst sentence, the atmosphere in the room became awkward.


    After all, the Nacht Group had stayed on top in the industry for many years, so nobody dared to even


    offend them in the slightest.


    Therefore, everyone was surprised when the youngdy had the guts to utter really bold words.


    However, it was not an entirely unthinkable turn of events since she was from the Lindberg family.


    The Lindberg family and the Nacht family were sworn rivals. Their assets and influence were


    comparable, so they were never afraid topete with each other. For the past twenty years, the two


    families prospered peacefully without any direct confrontations, but the youngdy of the Lindberg


    family seemed keen on breaking the peace.


    ¡°Youngdy, that is no way to speak!¡± Johann''s brows were furrowed, and he turned a little more stern.


    ¡°The Nacht Group...¡±


    ¡°Oh, you''re so noisy!¡± The youngdy was also frowning with an irritated look. ¡°Is the time up yet?¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, there''s ten more seconds,¡± the female bodyguard reported.


    On the stage, the auctioneer tried to liven up the room once more. ¡°Lindberg Corporation offers three


    hundred billion. Any other bidders?¡±


    There was no response.


    ¡°If there''s no other bidder, we shall just wait for Divine Corporation''s response.¡± The auctioneer turned


    to look at Johann.


    Johann gave Lucy a steely look.


    Lucy pointed at her phone with beads of sweat dripping from her forehead. Her call had not gone


    through yet. Mr. Nacht should be at thepany at this time, but why isn''t he picking up?


    ¡°Three seconds left...¡± The auctioneer announced.


    ¡°Can''t we wait a little longer...¡± Just as Lucy uttered those words, Zachary finally answered the call.

 Chapter 677

    Chapter 677


    ¡°Hey!¡± Zachary eximed in a serious voice.


    ¡°The Lindberg Corporation has upped their bid to thirty billion. What should we do now?¡± Lucy asked.


    ¡°The Lindberg?¡± Zachary raised his brows. ¡°Danrique Lindberg?¡±


    ¡°No, it''s...¡±


    Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Time''s up!¡± The girl interrupted all of a sudden. She looked up at them with a scowl. ¡°Are you all trying


    to buy time for the Nacht Group?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no, no, no...¡± The person in charge immediately exined, ¡°I noticed Ms. Wright has made a call.¡±


    ¡°So what?¡± The girl bellowed. ¡°Start your chant right now!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Miss.¡± The person in charge instantly gave the host a hand signal to proceed.


    ¡°All right. Thirty billion going once!¡±


    ¡°Thirty billion going...¡±


    ¡°What do we do? Should we?¡± Lucy panicked, ¡°Mr. Nacht...¡±


    Zachary froze for a bit and finally asked, ¡°Who''s that person?¡±


    ¡°She''s...¡±


    ¡°Going thrice!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, we''re running out of time! Should we...¡±


    ¡°Sold!¡±


    Before Lucy couldplete her sentence, the deal was sealed.


    Everyone there was stupefied. The Nacht Group had lost in a bid for the very first time.


    It was also Lindberg Corporation''s very first auction in the country, and it was a sessful one.


    This also meant that the Lindberg Corporation had checkmated the Nacht Group for the very first time!


    ¡°Congrattions to the Lindberg Corporation for securing the South Sea territorial waters,¡± the host


    announced, ¡°We''ll be contacting yourpany to make the necessary arrangements.¡±


    ¡°Thanks!¡± The girl curled into a smile and walked out of the building, looking awfully smug.


    Everyone in the hall started giving her a big round of apuse.


    They were all dumbstruck upon witnessing how the Nacht Group lost a bid to a young girl.


    They were also impressed by her steadiness during the bid. It was as if the Nacht did not intimidate her


    at all.


    ¡°Miss!¡± Johann ran up to her.


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Sterk?¡± The girl turned around and asked respectfully but with an aloof expression.


    ¡°If I may ask, are you Charlotte Windt?¡± Johann whispered in her ear.


    ¡°I''m a Lindberg.¡± The girl smirked. ¡°Charlotte Lindberg!¡±


    The girl then strode across the hall and left.


    Johann looked at her back and was stunned.


    ¡°Mr. Sterk!¡± Lucy ran up to him. ¡°Mr. Nacht ising over right now, and she wants me to stop the girl


    from leaving. What did she say?¡±


    ¡°I asked if she''s Charlotte Windt, but she said her name is Charlotte Lindberg.¡± Johann shook his head


    in disbelief. ¡°Not only do they look alike, but they even share the same first name.¡±


    ¡°That must be her.¡± Lucy immediately ran after the girl.


    Charlotte looked extremely charming when she walked out of the hall with eight female bodyguards


    behind her.


    Before they got into the car, Lucy shouted from a stone''s throw away. ¡°Ms. Charlotte!¡±


    Charlotte stopped walking. She turned around and looked at Lucy indifferently.


    ¡°Ms. Charlotte! I''m Lucy Wright, the vice president of the Divine Corporation. Do you remember me?¡±


    Lucy panted after a slow jog.


    ¡°Why should I remember you?¡± Charlotte said in a cold voice.


    ¡°I...¡± Lucy froze for a bit and immediately apologized, ¡°I''m sorry. What I''m trying to say is, Mr. Nacht


    wishes to get to know you better.


    ¡°Is it possible for you to wait a while? He''s on his way here now...¡±


    ¡°Zachary Nacht?¡± Charlotte raised her brows.


    ¡°Yes, that''s right.¡± Lucy nodded repeatedly.


    ¡°Ask him to make an appointment with my secretary then.¡± Without hesitation, Charlotte turned around


    and got into her car.

 Chapter 678

    Chapter 678


    ¡°Ms. Charlotte...¡±


    Just when Lucy wanted to take a step closer, one of Charlotte''s grim-faced female bodyguards walked


    up and stopped her.


    Lucy had no choice but to take a step back and watch Charlotte leave in her Rolls-Royce Phantom.


    She let out a sigh. All of a sudden, she found herself surrounded by businessmen. They were all talking


    behind her back.


    Wow, Nacht Group tries to get into someone''s good books? What a surprise!


    I must say Ms. Lindberg is really one of a kind!


    It looks like the Lindberg Corporation is ready to make aeback after staying low for two years.


    Nacht Group has finally found themselves a worthy rival now!


    ¡°She left?¡± Johann came over and asked when he saw how awkward Lucy was. He could not help but


    give her a wry smile. ¡°She must have given you a hard time, huh?¡±


    Lucy nodded in embarrassment. ¡°I told her Mr. Nacht is on his way here and hope she could wait for


    him. Guess what she said?¡±


    ¡°What did she say?¡± he asked.


    ¡°She asked him to make an appointment with her secretary.¡± Lucy was bemused.


    Johann instantly burst outughing. ¡°That girl is quite something, I could tell.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Lucy nodded while letting out another sigh.


    ¡°She''s so different from the always clueless Charlotte Windt.¡± Johann suddenly put on a serious face


    and said, ¡°But how is it possible that they look so alike, yet their personalities are so different?¡±


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    Lucy could not help but sigh upon recalling the way she talked and moved.


    ¡°Charlotte Windt and I spent almost every day together when she was working with me, and I


    remember how adorable she was,¡± she said.


    ¡°Yet, Ms. Lindberg is not only domineering but also arrogant,¡± she added, ¡°I don''t even dare to look into


    her eyes.¡±


    Johann nodded. ¡°That incident that had happened a few years ago was definitely a huge blow to Mr.


    Nacht. He may have eventually ovee his grief, but he had also be more reticent now.¡±


    ¡°No one else knew about this incident except Ben, you, and I. Though there''s someone new in Mr.


    Nacht''s life, the love of his life will forever be his wife, Charlotte Windt.¡±


    ¡°Oh, well.¡± Lucy sighed. ¡°I was so stunned when I first saw Ms. Lindberg...¡±


    All of a sudden, a speeding Maybach arrived and parked right beside them. Zachary came down from


    the car and asked, ¡°Where''s she?¡±


    ¡°She has left.¡± Lucy said in a weak voice, ¡°I''ve tried my best to stop her from leaving, but she didn''t


    even want to talk to me...¡±


    ¡°Any contact details?¡± Zachary asked anxiously.


    ¡°Nope,¡± Lucy shook her head and said sheepishly, ¡°She asked you to make an appointment with her


    secretary if you wish to see her.¡±


    Zachary was at a loss for words.


    Charlotte wouldn''t say something like that.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, though she looked like Ms. Windt, her personality is totally the opposite...¡± Johann said.


    ¡°Let''s get into the car.¡± Zachary interrupted and ordered Ben, ¡°Look for the person in charge of the


    auction. Get the footage of the surveince cameras from them.¡±


    ¡°All right, Sir.¡±


    Once they got into the car, Lucy and Johann told Zachary everything that had happened during the


    auction.


    Zachary instantly knitted his brows.


    Based on their descriptions, the girl was unlikely to be Charlotte Windt. The Charlotte I knew was a


    scaredy-cat. She would always hide behind me and nudge me when she was curious about the things


    she saw.


    Does that mean she''s not my Charlotte?


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, we''ve gotten the footage.¡± Ben took out a notebook and yed a clip.


    Zachary was thunderstruck the moment he saw the girl. ¡°It''s her. It''s definitely her!¡±

 Chapter 679

    Chapter 679


    Zachary took one look at the girl and immediately recognized her.


    Though she had been missing for two years, the image of her face was clearly etched on his memory.


    He knew, for sure, she was Charlotte Windt!


    ¡°But she said her family name is Lindberg,¡± Lucy said cautiously, ¡°And she said her name is Charlotte


    Lindberg.¡±


    ¡°She didn''t seem to know Lucy and me, and I don''t think she was acting.¡± Johann added, ¡°We have to


    be careful, Mr. Nacht, since she''s one of the Lindbergs.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Zachary waved his hand in the air to dismiss his concern. ¡°I know my limits.¡±


    The bodyguard then opened the door for Lucy and Johann to get down from his car.


    ¡°Find out who Charlotte Lindberg is,¡± Zachary ordered while trying to suppress his emotions.


    ¡°Yes, Sir,¡± Ben answered.


    Zachary kept looking at the clip on the notebook was overwhelmed by mixed emotions.


    Is that her?


    She has returned!


    Did she decide toe back after adopting a new identity?


    It was as if she intentionally outbid him merely to challenge his authority.


    ¡°We have updates,¡± Ben immediately reported after ending a call, ¡°Charlotte Lindberg is Danrique


    Lindberg''s younger sister. She has just returned to the country to help run the Lindberg Corporation


    afterpleting her studies in Anndur.¡±


    ¡°She holds twenty percentage of Lindberg Corporation''s shares and is the second major shareholder of


    thepany,¡± Ben continued, ¡°She has yet to make a mark in the business world, and she has made


    her first public appearance in today''s auction!¡±


    ¡°Twenty percent...¡± A sudden frown warped Zachary''s face. ¡°Zara holds ten percent of the shares, and


    whereas Chris owns five percent. This means the girl named Charlotte has more shares than the two


    combined!¡±


    ¡°That''s right.¡± Ben nodded. ¡°She''s definitely not a small fry! Come to think of it, if Danrique was the one


    who rescued Ms. Windt a few years ago...¡±


    Zachary''s eyes instantly darkened. ¡°We didn''t know much about what happened in Coldbridge as a lot


    of records had been erased. We''ve been looking high and low for Charlotte but to no avail. The


    Lindbergs must be the mastermind behind her disappearance.¡±


    ¡°That''s right. I can''t believe we actually overlooked it.¡± Ben nodded. ¡°We''ve spent thest two years


    tracking Ms. Windt down, but we never suspected the Lindbergs, who clearly have all the power and


    resources to keep her away from us!¡±


    Ben then paused for a moment before making a disimer. ¡°But that''s merely our spection. This Ms.


    Lindberg might not be Ms. Windt. Or she could be someone Danrique hired to y mind games with


    you.¡±


    Upon hearing that remark, Zachary kept mum and went deep in thought. If this mysterious Ms.


    Lindberg really is Charlotte, then it''s clear that Danrique was aware of Charlotte''s identity. This is why


    he intentionally hid her away for a few years before bringing her back to take me down.


    But even if that girl is not Charlotte, I still believe Danrique had already found out who Charlotte was.


    Otherwise, he wouldn''t have taken the trouble to find Charlotte''s doppelg?nger to mess with my head.


    But what are the odds?


    I have a hunch that Charlotte Lindberg is Charlotte Windt.


    Nothing else bothered Zachary anymore. At this point, he just wanted to find out if Charlotte Lindberg


    was Charlotte Windt. ¡°Get someone to investigate Ms. Lindberg. And I want to meet her.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡± Ben replied.


    Suddenly, Zachary''s phone rang. Upon seeing the number on the screen, he answered immediately,


    ¡°Yes, Robbie?¡±


    ¡°Daddy, the school''s orientation day is going to start soon. Where are you?¡±


    Robbie, who was now six years old, seemed more mature than his peers.


    Zachary took a look at his watch. ¡°I''ll be on my way!¡±


    ¡°Hurry up, Daddy. Jamie and Ellie are waiting for you too.¡±


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    ¡°All right,¡± Zachary gave Ben a hand signal.


    Ben then instructed the driver, Marino, to speed up by patting him on the shoulder.


    After ending the call, Zachary ordered, ¡°The gifts for the kids are at home. Get someone to retrieve it as


    soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± Ben made another call.


    Zachary took another nce at his watch and told Marino to drive even faster.


    Marino elerated and sped to the Golden Apple elementary school.


    All of a sudden, they rammed into a Rolls-Royce Phantom...

 Chapter 680

    Chapter 680


    Bang! Both cars crashed into each other and stopped at the same time.


    The collision was so strong that it caused a dent in the hoods of both cars.


    Bodyguards from both cars got down and walked toward each other steadily.


    ¡°We''re in a hurry, so we''ll not pursue this matter any further. Move,¡± the female bodyguard said before


    Ben could say anything.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Ben instantly expressed dismay. ¡°We''re driving on the straight road, and you''re the one


    who made an illegal turn. You should move instead!¡±


    Ben had never met someone as arrogant as this woman in his life.


    ¡°Are you done talking?¡± the female bodyguard sneered while clenching her fists, ¡°You''re not going to


    move, are you?¡±


    ¡°You want to fight, huh?¡± Ben straightened his back and approached her.


    How dare this woman challenge me? Does she know I''m the top bodyguard of the Nachts?


    ¡°Ben!¡± Zachary called. ¡°Stop it. Let''s go.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Ben gave the female bodyguard a sullen re. ¡°Count yourself lucky!¡±


    ¡°Get out of my face, wuss,¡± she sneered.


    The color drained out of Ben''s face. Just when he was about to explode, the female bodyguard turned


    around and returned to her car.


    Her outrageous behavior caused a vortex of anger to swirl inside Ben. ¡°I would have taught her a


    lesson if I''m not in a hurry...¡±


    Before he couldplete his sentence, the person at the passenger seat behind winded down the


    window.


    Ben gasped upon seeing that familiar face.


    Charlotte took a sidelong nce at the cars. Upon realizing they were at fault, she frowned and


    instructed her bodyguard to reverse.


    The bodyguard immediately reversed and made way for Ben.


    ¡°Ms. Windt!¡± Ben eximed.


    Zachary was dumbstruck. He instantly winded down his window and looked at the person in the car.


    Indeed, it was the woman he missed the most - Charlotte Windt!


    Her face, her eyes, and her dark silky hair. I can even smell her scent from afar.


    Though her dressing style and the way she carried herself were different, Zachary knew for sure she


    was Charlotte Windt!


    Zachary could hardly breathe anymore. He immediately opened the car door and mumbled,


    ¡°Charlotte...¡±


    Yet, the Rolls-Royce Phantom made a quick turn into a minor road and was nowhere to be found


    anymore.


    ¡°Charlotte...¡±


    A few cars almost knocked Zachary down when he started running after them.


    All the cars on the busy road started honking Zachary. He had no choice but to take a few steps back.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht...¡± Ben got down and pulled him aside, ¡°Come on, let''s go to the school first.¡±


    Zachary was very agitated. He knew that was Charlotte. The love of his life had finally returned.


    Meanwhile, one of the female bodyguards who sat beside the driver suddenly made a remark, ¡°That


    person looks like Zachary from the Nacht Group!¡±


    Charlotte looked up and stared at the man from the rear mirror.


    She could not see his face clearly, but when she looked at his body from a distance, she somehow


    thought he looked familiar.


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    An indescribable feeling surged through her all of a sudden.


    She clenched her upper chest and knitted her brows. ¡°Danrique said we''re Nacht''s enemy. I guess I''ve


    already developed feelings of hatred toward him.¡±


    ¡°I should have rammed into his car harder had I known it was him,¡± the driver said in frustration.


    ¡°Don''t worry.¡± Charlotte squinted while looking at the man. ¡°We can take them down slowly in the


    future.¡±

 Chapter 681

    Chapter 681


    Zachary looked lost even when he had returned to the car. Nothing else was on his mind except


    Charlotte''s face.


    Initially, his instinct told him that the girl was Charlotte when he watched the footage from the


    surveince camera, but he began to question his judgment because of all the doubts he had in mind.


    Now that Zachary finally got to see her in person, he immediately recognized her. She''s definitely


    Charlotte, my one and only Charlotte Windt!


    He was overjoyed.


    None of the conspiracies or feuds with the Lindberg family bothered him at this point.


    He was thrilled to know that his beloved Charlotte was still alive and had returned!


    No matter how difficult it''s going to be, I''m going to win her back. And we''ll once again reunite as a


    family.


    Zachary was fifteen minuteste by the time he reached the school.


    Fortunately, the bodyguard who brought the gifts over had arrived on time. Zachary opened his car


    door and noticed a petite woman was standing in front of him. She put on a smile and gave him a gift.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± A sudden frown warped Zachary''s face.


    The bodyguard came up and took over the gift instead.


    Cynthia immediately exined with hand gestures, ¡°I had dinner with Grandpa, and he asked one of


    the bodyguards to send me home. Since the bodyguard has to deliver these gifts to the kids, I told him


    toe here first.¡±


    Zachary replied a simple thank you and left right away.


    ¡°You''re wee...¡± Cynthia looked at his back and expressed in signnguage.


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Send Ms. Cynthia home,¡± Ben ordered and caught up with Zachary.


    ¡°Ms. Cynthia.¡± The bodyguard opened the car door for her.


    Cynthia stood still like a statue and watched Zachary leave. She only looked away when he


    disappeared from her sight.


    Zachary quickened his steps and arrived at the hall.


    Fortunately, he arrived on time to listen to the speech by the student representative.


    Ellie, who was now six years old, was not as chubby as before. In fact, she had grown taller. The girl


    who used to cry frequently now appeared to be steadier and more confident!


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, I''m Elisa Nacht. I''m pleased to represent all Grade One students to make an


    opening speech here.¡±


    A corner of Zachary''s smile quirked up when he saw Ellie speaking on stage.


    The triplets were traumatized when Charlotte disappeared. Over the years, Zachary had tried all kinds


    of methods to help them ovee the trauma.


    In the blink of an eye, two years had passed, and they were now attending elementary school.


    Though Robbie had had one-on-one holistic training since a very young age, Zachary still enrolled him


    in this school because he wanted him to have an enjoyable childhood and mingle around with the other


    children.


    But Robbie seemed more mature than the other children of his age. There were even times he would


    hide in his little corner and spend time investigating Charlotte''s whereabouts on the Inte.


    ¡°That''s all from me. Thank you!¡± Ellie ended with a curtsy before walking down the stage.


    Zachary looked at her and gave her a smile.


    Ellie walked over, sat next to him, and pouted, ¡°You''rete. You said you''d be here on time.¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry. I''ll not make the same mistake again. I promise.¡± Zachary gently rubbed her head and gave


    her the gift, ¡°You''re officially an elementary school kid now. All the best to you, Ellie.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Daddy,¡± Ellie took over the gift and responded with a cheerful grin. But the moment she


    saw the gift, she could not help but frown, ¡°Oh, man. Another Barbie doll? There are too many dolls in


    my room already, Daddy!¡±


    ¡°What other gifts can I get you?¡± Zachary put on a serious face, ¡°I thought all little girls like dolls?¡±


    ¡°I bet mine is a toy car or a toy ne,¡± Jamie said. The six-year-old, too, had shed his baby fat and


    became a handsome boy now.


    ¡°Mine for sure are jigsaw puzzles,¡± Robbie smirked and said icily, ¡°Those tricky one-thousand-piece


    puzzles.¡±

 Chapter 682

    Chapter 682


    ¡°All three of you know me too well.¡± Zachary smiled wryly. ¡°I did try my best to choose the most special


    ones, though...¡±


    ¡°It''s just different types and models.¡± Robbie rolled his eyes at him. ¡°Never mind. I''ve lost hope in you


    already, Daddy.¡±


    ¡°What do you like? Tell me. I''ll get someone to buy for you now,¡± Zachary asked right away.


    ¡°That''s not a surprise gift anymore!¡± Jamie shook his head and patted Zachary''s shoulder like an adult.


    ¡°It''s okay, Daddy. We''re happy that you bought us gifts.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I actually like this doll. Look! It''s a unique doll from Chanaea.¡± Ellie showed everyone her gift.


    She then started using her fingers to count. ¡°She''s the thirty-ninth member of my doll family!¡±


    ¡°Daddy promise to surprise you with interesting gifts in the future, okay?¡± Zachary felt he needed to


    take this matter more seriously. He wanted the triplets to enjoy their gifts.


    ¡°The orientation is going to end soon. Come on, let''s go.¡± Robbie could not wait to leave the hall.


    To him, a ceremony like this was just a waste of time. He only attended the orientation to support Ellie.


    ¡°All right, let''s go.¡± Zachary wanted to ce the children on his shoulders, but they immediately turned


    him down.


    ¡°We''re elementary school kids now. We can''t ride on Daddy''s shoulders anymore.¡± Jamie seemed to


    enjoy putting on a mature front.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    He took a nce at the girls around her and whispered, ¡°There are so many pretty girls in the school. I


    don''t want them to think that I''m a Daddy''s boy and run away from me.¡±


    Zachary instantly burst intoughter. ¡°Daddy''s boy!¡±


    ¡°Jamie, do you remember the promise you made during your kindergarten graduation? You promised


    to marry Sasha when you grow up.¡± Ellie raised her brows and teased, ¡°You even wrote her a bunch of


    love letters.¡±


    ¡°We''re in elementary school now. It''s time to move on!¡± Jamie shot daggers at Ellie and said in a


    serious voice, ¡°Besides, how many of us actually remember the stupid things we did as kids?¡±


    ¡°What an unfaithful young man,¡± Robbie sighed.


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Ellie pouted and gave Jamie a disdainful look.


    ¡°You should learn to be as faithful as Daddy.¡± Zachary gently patted the back of Jamie''s head.


    ¡°As faithful as you?¡± Robbie suddenly questioned, ¡°What about Ms. Cynthia?¡±


    Upon hearing that, Zachary froze for a bit. He never had this discussion with the children before as he


    always thought they were too young to understand anything. Apparently, they were aware of


    everything.


    In thest two years, Henry had wiped out all of Charlotte''s records and reced her with Cynthia.


    Though the children did not know about this, they could feel Cynthia had been visiting the Nacht


    residence more frequently and constantly trying to please Zachary.


    The triplet did not have the heart to detest Cynthia as she always seemed frail and soft-spoken.


    What they did instead was keeping a distance away from her.


    Now that the children had grown up, they began to understand adults a little better. They knew Henry


    was trying to matchmake Cynthia with their father.


    This topic got Jamie and Ellie all serious. They tilted their heads and looked at Zachary.


    A line formed between Jamie''s brows, and he asked directly, ¡°Daddy, do you like Ms. Cynthia?¡±


    ¡°Will you marry her?¡± Ellie held Zachary''s hand and asked with a frown.


    ¡°No.¡± Zachary shook his head. ¡°Your Mommy is the only love of my life.¡±


    Robbie heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°I have been dreaming about Mommytely. I think she''s going toe


    back soon.¡±

 Chapter 683

    Chapter 683


    ¡°Yeah, me too!¡± Ellie raised her hand and said, ¡°I dreamed about Mommy and Mrs. Berry too. In my


    dream, Mrs. Berry woke me up in the morning, and Mommy was making hot cross bunnies in the


    kitchen.¡±


    ¡°I remember the hot cross bunnies Mommy made were a little salty.¡± Jamie felt a little dispirited all of a


    sudden. ¡°If they evere back, I promise to eat all Mommy''s salty hot cross bunnies and uncooked


    mac and cheese and drink her watermelon juice that smells like onion.¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡± Robbie raised his head and looked at Zachary. ¡°We might be young, but Mommy and Mrs.


    Berry are always on our mind.¡±


    ¡°I miss them very much too.¡± Zachary rubbed Robbie''s head. ¡°Don''t worry, Mommy''s goinge home


    soon.¡±


    Henry had once said children would not remember anything that happened before the age of three.


    The triplets, he believed, would forget who Charlotte was and embrace a new mother in no time.


    Two years had passed, yet these three little ones had never forgotten Charlotte. They had been waiting


    for her to return.


    What a coincidence for the little one to dream of their mother when she had made an unexpected


    appearance!


    ¡°Daddy...¡± Upon seeing the woman at the car park, Ellie stopped walking.


    Zachary looked up and saw Cynthia standing next to his car with a lot of gifts. She instantly smiled the


    moment she saw the four of them from afar.


    Robbie knitted his brows and pulled his hand away from Zachary.


    Jamie, who was ying his Rubik''s Cube, wondered why they stopped walking. But upon seeing


    Cynthia, he, too, froze on the spot.


    Cynthia ran in their direction and gave all the gifts to the children.


    Initially, they wanted to turn down the gifts, but after seeing how sincere and delighted she was, they


    had no choice but to ept them. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Cynthia was all smiles and gestured with her hands. ¡°All of you are elementary school pupils now. Let


    me know if you need any help in your studies, okay?¡±


    Though Cynthia had a speaking disability, she held doctorate degrees in Medicine and Education and


    was also a top psychologist in the field.


    Her impressive credentials were why Henry chose her to substitute Charlotte when thetter had gone


    missing.


    Henry liked her not only because she was weak and unable to speak. More importantly, he thought she


    was capable of educating the children.


    ¡°Thank you!¡± The triplets did not know what else to say anymore.


    ¡°Thanks. You can go home now.¡± Zachary responded with a gesture.


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    Ben came up and took Cynthia to the car.


    She grinned at the children, waved them goodbye, and followed Ben to the car.


    The three little ones heaved a sigh of relief after she had left.


    Ellie pursed her lips and said, ¡°Ms. Cynthia is quite a nicedy. I''d have been friends with her if she''s


    not trying to rece Mommy.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. She always prepared nice gifts for us, and we felt too awkward to even reject her.¡± Jamie


    frowned.


    ¡°Daddy, you must do something,¡± Robbie said straight to the point, ¡°If you don''t like her and don''t intend


    to marry her, you have to tell her not to waste her time and effort. It would be extremely awkward for


    everyone when Mommy returns.¡±


    ¡°You''re right.¡± Zachary nodded.


    In fact, he had made it clear to Cynthia before. Yet, she told him she was doing it of her own free will


    and not expecting anything in return.


    Her response had rendered Zachary speechless.


    Now that Charlotte had returned, Zachary felt he needed to have another talk with her. He hoped she


    could keep a distance away from him and the children.

 Chapter 684

    Chapter 684


    Henry was waiting for them in the living hall when they reached home. He, too, flew all the way from


    the M Nation and prepared gifts for the triplets.


    ¡°Great-grandpa!¡± Jamie and Ellie ran toward Henry as they were thrilled to see him in the house.


    Robbie, on the other hand, responded more calmly.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Henry''s lips curled into a smile upon seeing the children.


    Henry''s health had deteriorated over thest two years. At the age of ny-eight, he was now fully


    wheelchair-bound. He should be grateful that he was still able to enjoy thepany of his great-


    grandchildren at this age.


    ¡°When did youe back, Great-grandpa?¡± Ellie immediately kneeled beside Henry and massaged his


    leg.


    ¡°Why don''t you stay with us since you''ve not been feeling welltely? We''ll be here to take care of you,¡±


    Jamie massaged his shoulders and said.


    Robbie sat beside them for a moment and said icily, ¡°I have to go upstairs to finish some work now,


    Great-grandpa.¡±


    Without hesitation, he went upstairs right away.


    Henry''s expression turned grim upon seeing how cold Robbie was.


    Jamie and Ellie might not know the truth, but Robbie knew that their mother left because of Henry.


    Robbie knew Henry treated them well, but he could not forgive him for forcing their mother to leave the


    family. At the same time, there was nothing much he could do because he was just a child.


    Hence, being emotionally distant was Robbie''s only way to express his dismay.


    ¡°You didn''t have to fly all the back for just a small asion. Are you tired?¡± Zachary asked impassively.


    He used to enjoy talking to Henry in the past but not anymore.


    ¡°They''re in elementary school now. I shoulde back and celebrate their big day.¡± A sudden frown


    warped Henry''s face. ¡°I heard the Lindberg Corporation got their hands on the territorial waters of the


    South Sea?¡±


    ¡°Let''s talk about work in the study.¡± Zachary gently patted Jamie''s and Ellie''s shoulders and said, ¡°It''s


    late now. Go and sleep now.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Goodnight, Great-grandpa! Goodnight, Daddy!¡±


    ¡°Goodnight, kids.¡±


    After the children had returned to their room, Spencer wheeled Henry to the study.


    Zachary changed into fresh clothes and sat down. Ben walked up and served him a ss of iced wine.


    ¡°You still drink?¡± Henry looked up at him with a scowl. ¡°Have you forgotten the pain you experienced


    from your stomach bleeding?¡±


    The first six months after Charlotte''s disappearance was hell for Zachary. He could neither eat nor


    sleep in peace, and he spent his days abusing alcohol and drown in misery. His excessive drinking had


    taken a toll on his health. It was so bad that he suffered gastrointestinal bleeding and had to be rushed


    to the hospital.


    Henry apanied him in the hospital the entire night. He was so worried for Zachary that he had


    aged overnight.


    That day onward, Henry had toned down quite a lot and was no longer as domineering as he was


    before. He would turn a blind eye to Zachary''s actions as long as he knew his limits.


    ¡°Just a little!¡± Zachary seemed to be in a good mood and was not as aloof as before.


    ¡°Why didn''t you bid for the South Sea''s territorial waters personally? Don''t you know it''s important?¡±


    Henry brought up this topic once again as he was not pleased with Zachary''s action.


    Henry continued, ¡°The Lindberg Corporation had been eyeing on the territorial waters for two years, but


    thankfully, we managed to weaken their power by subduing their alliance - the Browns, the Sterlings,


    and the ckwoods.¡±


    ¡°How can you allow them to make aeback? Are you not aware of it?¡± Henry frowned. ¡°I heard


    Danrique sent a young girl to the auction, and she has instantly be the talk of the town in the


    business world after winning the bid.¡±


    ¡°You investigated her?¡± Zachary knitted his brows. He did not want Henry to know the girl was


    Charlotte as he was afraid that Henry would sabotage his n.


    ¡°What is there to investigate?¡± Henry expressed his dissatisfaction. ¡°The news about that young girl has


    spread like wildfire.¡±

 Chapter 685

    Chapter 685


    ¡°I know what I''m doing,¡± Zachary said nonchntly. ¡°You shouldn''t be worrying for thepany since


    you''re not feeling well.¡±


    ¡°You''ve done a lot of things in thest two years, but I''d never intervened,¡± Henry said, ¡°The Lindberg


    Corporation had already monopolized the entire Southeast Aploth region, and they''ve now built a


    strong connection to make a foray into our domestic market. If you still...¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Zachary interrupted. He put down his wine ss and asked, ¡°Anything else you want to say? I


    need to rest now.¡±


    Henry sighed. He looked away and signaled him to get out of the room.


    ¡°You should sleep early too.¡± Zachary stood up and left.


    Henry watched him leave and instantly let out a deep sigh.


    ¡°Don''t worry, Sir,¡± Spencer consoled and poured him a cup of tea, ¡°He might seem cold and arrogant,


    but I believe he knows what he''s doing.¡±


    ¡°He wouldn''t have allowed the Lindberg Corporation to gain the upper hand over him had he known


    what he was doing,¡± Henry said icily, ¡°He doesn''t care about thepany because he''s so focused on


    finding that woman.¡±


    ¡°He''s a human, after all,¡± Spencer said, ¡°We should be d that he managed to pull himself together.¡±


    ¡°What a stubborn man,¡± Henry expressed his dismay with a low grunt, ¡°Just like his father. Men who put


    rtionship before anything can never seed in life!¡±


    That remark had rendered Spencer speechless. He covered Henry''s thighs with a nket and quietly


    massaged his feet.


    ¡°Forget it. Take me to my room.¡± Henry knew there was nothing much he could do now as he no longer


    called the shots.


    Nothing he said or do could change anything. He would have to let Zachary handle the problems on his


    own as he was in charge of the family now.


    As Spencer was taking Henry back to his room, they passed by the living hall and noticed the lights


    were still on in the study upstairs.


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    They also saw Ben entering the room with a pile of documents.


    Spencer immediately said, ¡°Look, Mr. Zachary is still working at this hour. He still cares a lot for the


    family business.¡±


    ¡°He''d better be,¡± Henry said with a nod.


    In the study upstairs, Ben passed the documents to Zachary. ¡°These are the details about Ms.


    Lindberg.¡±


    Zachary went through all the documents and sneered, ¡°How detailed.¡±


    ¡°There isn''t a single w in her records,¡± Ben said, ¡°Records from her elementary school to university


    and even postgraduate studies are allplete. Even her kindergarten results are all well-


    documented.¡±


    Zachary remained silent and continued flipping through her records. There were even photos from her


    childhood and teenage years.


    ¡°Look at howplete her records are,¡± Ben expressed his thought, ¡°I guess there''s still a possibility


    that she might not be Ms. Windt.¡±


    Zachary let out a cold snort andughed. ¡°If the Nachts are capable of erasing a person''s records, I''m


    sure the Lindbergs, too, have the power to create a person''s identity from scratch.¡±


    Upon hearing that, Ben was at a loss for words.


    ¡°Did you manage to find out where she''s staying now?¡± Zachary put down the files and asked.


    ¡°Unfortunately, no.¡± Ben shook his head. ¡°The Lindbergs have been extremely secretive about it. But


    Bruce is still in the midst of investigating it.¡±


    ¡°Tell him to stop,¡± Zachary said, ¡°At this point, I don''t want to create any unnecessary suspicion.¡±


    ¡°All right, Sir,¡± Ben immediately gave Bruce a call.


    ¡°The Lindberg Corporation has now owned the territorial waters of the South Sea and is ready to enter


    the domestic market. I''m sure we''ll meet soon!¡± Zachary tapped his fingers on the table.


    He could not wait to see Charlotte again, but at the same time, he knew he had to stay calm and not


    rush into things.

 Chapter 686

    Chapter 686


    Before bed, Zachary received another text message from Cynthia.


    In thest two years, Cynthia had texted Zachary every morning and night without fail.


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    Zachary would normally ignore her messages, but since Charlotte had returned, and he remembered


    the promise he made to Robbie, he decided to have the talk with her. He replied: Let''s have dinner


    together tomorrow.


    All right! I''ll see you tomorrow!


    Cynthia replied almost instantly. She was clearly excited about tomorrow''s dinner.


    Zachary put away his phone and shut his eyes. Once again, Charlotte''s face once again popped up in


    his mind. Will I still dream of her tonight?


    The next morning, after having breakfast with the triplets, Zachary was ready to send them to school.


    No matter how busy he was in thest two years, he would always make a point to send them to


    school. To him, the forty-minute journey was extremely precious as he could spend some quality time


    with the children.


    Yet, today, Henry wished to send them to school instead. He smiled and said, ¡°Do I have the honor of


    sending all of you to school today?¡±


    Zachary looked at the children and waited for their response.


    ¡°Yay! Great-grandpa is sending us to school today!¡± Ellie pped in excitement.


    ¡°Okay! You''ve not visited our school, right? We''ll bring you around!¡± Jamie, too, was happy to hear that.


    Meanwhile, Robbie responded with a nod.


    ¡°So you want Great-grandpa to send you to school?¡± Zachary looked at Robbie.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Robbie nodded again and looked away.


    Zachary looked at Henry and said, ¡°Thanks. Don''t tire yourself out. Come back soon and rest.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Henry looked like he did not sleep wellst night, but the thought of being able to send the


    children to school made him happy.


    ¡°I got to go now.¡± Zachary gave the three little ones a hug and left in a hurry.


    ¡°Finished your breakfast?¡± Henry smiled.


    ¡°Yes!¡± They then packed their bags and pushed Henry''s wheelchair to the door.


    ¡°I suddenly remember I have International Economics ss today.¡± Robbie put down his utensils and


    wiped his mouth with the napkin gracefully. ¡°I won''t be going to school with you today.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Robinson...¡± Spencer wanted to persuade Robbie to go to school, but Henry interrupted, ¡°All right.


    You stay at home then.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Robbie looked away and nodded. He went upstairs right away and ordered, ¡°Inform the teacher


    toe early.¡±


    ¡°All right, Mr. Robinson.¡±


    Henry knew Robbie was trying to stay away from him. Though he was upset about it, there was nothing


    much he could do now.


    ¡°I thought your International Economics ss is in the afternoon?¡± Jamie asked in confusion.


    ¡°Don''t worry about Robbie. He doesn''t need toe to school with us since he haspleted all the


    sybus anyway,¡± Ellie frowned and said, ¡°Come on, let''s go! We''re going to bete!¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    As their Rolls-Royce was driving on the greenway, they noticed a silver Rolls-Royce driving up the hill.


    The drivers and bodyguards from both cars exchanged nces when they drove past each other.


    While the Nacht''s driver and bodyguard gave them a confused look, their counterparts remained cold


    and arrogant.


    ¡°Are they our new neighbors?¡± Spencer mumbled while looking at the Rolls-Royce.


    There were only vis on Rokan Hill, and one of them was the Nachts'' residence, which was located


    halfway through the hill and on the south side.


    The other vi, which was on the north side, had been left vacant for years.


    As the only family living on Rokan Hill, the Nachts had exclusively used the winding hill road for many


    years. This was why Spencer was surprised to see another car here.


    He continued to observe and realized the silver Rolls-Royce was heading to the north.


    Someone has indeed moved into the other vi!

 Chapter 687

    Chapter 687


    ¡°What are you looking at?¡± As Henry was ying cards with Jamie and Ellie, his gaze fell on Spencer,


    who had lifted up the gardens to peer out of the window.


    ¡°There was a car that looked simr to ours, and it passed by us just now. It was silver in color,¡±


    Spencer said in a hushed voice. ¡°I watched them drive down to the west vi of Northridge.¡±


    Henry looked rather stunned. Frowning, he said, ¡°Only seven models of this car have ever been


    produced, and it''s so expensive that not everyone can afford it. I think... the person you saw was from


    the Lindberg family!¡±


    Danrique Lindberg''s personality was as entric as his name. He liked all of his cars to be silver in


    color.


    Meanwhile, the Nacht family had a staunch preference for ck-colored cars.


    ¡°That can be true!¡± Spencer eximed, looking shocked. ¡°Danrique Lindberg has always kept his


    location a secret, and he values his privacy more than his own life! Why would he deign toe and


    live next door to Mr. Zachary?¡±


    Henry looked rather grim. ¡°Go and investigate this,¡± he ordered.


    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± Spencer immediately gave a call to one of his subordinates and told them to look into the


    matter.


    Jamie looked up at Henry and cocked his head to the side curiously. ¡°Great-grandpa, who are the


    Lindbergs? Are they very powerful?¡±


    ¡°They''re the arch-enemy of our Nacht family,¡± Henry said, looking at Jamie with a serious expression.


    ¡°In the future, make sure to stay clear of anyone with the surname Lindberg. Don''t even try to get close


    to them, am I clear?¡±


    ¡°Of course not!¡± Jamie said, nodding his head vigorously. His face had clouded over, as though the


    very thought of his family''s greatest enemy put him in a bad mood.


    ¡°Do we really have arch-enemies?¡± Ellie asked, frowning slightly. Looking rather confused, she


    continued, ¡°Isn''t our family the most powerful one on earth? I heard Daddy is super strong¡ª more


    powerful than Superman himself!¡±


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    Henry choked on his drink and nearly spat it out at once. He coughed loudly and banged on his chest.


    ¡°Great-grandpa...¡± Immediately, Jamie stood up and ran over to him. Patting Henry''s back, he asked


    concernedly, ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Ellie, you''re so cute! That made meugh so hard that I choked! Haha!¡±


    Still clutching his chest, Henry bent over and wheezed withughter.


    ¡°Haha, children''s words carry no harm!¡± Spencer said, joining in theughter. ¡°Don''t take it to heart, Mr.


    Nacht.¡±


    ¡°Oh, did I say something wrong?¡± Ellie asked, feeling a little embarrassed. Her face flushing scarlet,


    she muttered, ¡°My teachers, friends, Mrs. Berry, and everyone else around the house tells me that


    Daddy is really strong. I didn''t think there could be anyone more powerful than him on this.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that''s what I thought too,¡± Jamie said seriously. ¡°I always thought only Robbie might be able to


    surpass Daddy in the future!¡±


    ¡°Robbie is a very talented boy, and he''s bound to surpass his own father and mentor one day,¡± Henry


    mused, a look of pride appearing on his face as he thought about the boy. ¡°However, the world is a very


    big ce, and there will be people who are good enough to rival your Daddy.¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about that person from the Lindberg family?¡± Jamie asked curiously, leaning closer to


    him. ¡°Are they male or female? How old are they? Are they mean?¡±


    ¡°Are you a fool?¡± Ellie asked, rolling her eyes at him. Looking at Jamie as though he was an idiot, she


    continued, ¡°Didn''t Great-grandpa say they are our arch-enemy? Of course they''re horrible people.''


    ¡°The people of the Lindberg family are very dangerous,¡± Henry reminded them again sternly. ¡°If you


    bump into them by ident, make sure to cross over to the other side of the street immediately. Don''t


    believe a single word they say. Is that clear?¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡± the two children replied, nodding frantically.


    Spencer, who had been listening to their conversation by the side, felt a little worried. Henry was so


    serious about this matter because he was afraid that the Lindberg family would fight for custody of the


    children once they figured out that the blood of the Lindbergs flowed in Ellie, Robbie, and Jamie''s


    veins.


    However, how long could they hide something like this for?


    Thankfully, Robbie wasn''t here today. Otherwise, he would have lots of questions for Henry and might


    have stumbled upon a nasty fact by ident...


    ¡°Inform Zachary about this,¡± Henry ordered, looking very anxious.


    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± Spencer made a call to Ben and told him everything that had happened.


    At that moment, Zachary''s car was already pulling into thepany''s parking lot. Ben hung up the


    phone immediately and quickly reported the matter to him.


    Hearing this, Zachary felt rather stunned. ¡°What? Did you say they''ve just moved into Northridge?


    Could it be Charlotte?¡±

 Chapter 688

    Chapter 688


    ¡°We''re not sure about it yet,¡± Ben replied. ¡°Mr. Spencer has already sent someone to investigate this.¡±


    ¡°Call him back immediately,¡± Zachary ordered urgently. ¡°Tell him I''ve already sent Bruce to keep an eye


    on the Northridge upant and tell him and his men not to intervene.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± Ben gave Spencer a call immediately.


    Hearing Ben''s words, Spencer mped a hand over the receiver and said to Henry, ¡°Mr. Zachary says


    that he has already sent Bruce to settle this matter, and he doesn''t want us to intervene in it.¡±


    Henry frowned but nodded eventually. ¡°Alright, then. Let him settle a small matter like this on his own.¡±


    Spencer told Ben about Henry''s reply, and Ben passed the message on to Zachary.


    Zachary finally let out a sigh of relief. He ordered, ¡°Well, get Bruce to go look into the matter, then.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± Ben went and informed Bruce immediately.


    Zachary adjusted the wedding band on his left ring finger, his eyes shining with anticipation. Perhaps


    Charlotte had returned this time so she could be closer to him and the kids...


    ...


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    Robbie was reading in the study room.


    His aide came and reported, ¡°Mr. Robinson, your global economics tutor is on his way here. However,


    because of the distance, he might only be here in about half an hour.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± Robbie replied ndly.


    The aide left.


    Robbie finished reading the book on global economics, which was written entirely in English. Rubbing


    his temples, he got up and walked over to the windows, where he gazed out at the forest of trees in the


    distance. He felt the strain on his eyes lessen by the minute.


    However, his gaze was attracted by a sh of silver some distance away...


    Taking a closer look at the curious object, he realized that it was a car.


    The Nacht family''s cars were all ck in color, and the private doctors and tutors they hired were all


    ferried into the house by the family cars. Where had this silver-colored vehicle appeared from?


    Had an unexpected guest arrived?


    Robbie turned around and reached for his pair of binocrs. He peered through the lens at the silver


    object.


    It was a silver-colored Rolls-Royce. Strangely enough, it was the same model as the Nacht family''s


    cars. The car pulled into Northridge, where it quickly disappeared beneath a huge canopy of trees.


    However, since it was headed in that direction, Robbie could guess that it had headed into the west


    vi of Northridge.


    He had once heard Ben say that there were two vis on Rokan Hill¡ªone located in the east, and one


    located in the west.


    The vi in the east was Robbie''s home, but the vi in the west had been empty for a long time. The


    new neighbors were probably moving in today.


    From the make of their car, he could tell that whoever it was probably had a jaw-dropping worth.


    Robbie put down his binocrs and turned away from the window. The location and angle of this room


    meant that he could only see a small stretch of the ring circuit from there. If he wanted to see the west


    vi from this building, he would have to go to the pavilion.


    However, spying on people was a dishonorable thing to do, and Robbie wasn''t much interested in it.


    Without the tutor here, Robbie felt a little bored. Since he had already finished reading his book, he


    started fiddling around with his mechanical dove.


    This was the new invention that he had been working on. He had bought the stic dove at the toy


    store. When he got home, he had torn out its wires and attached a new remote control system to it.


    He would then hurl the dove out of the window...


    Robbie wanted to know how far this dove could fly, and whether it would be able to capture the


    sprawling scenery of Rokan Hill.


    If it could, the dove would be much simr to a remote-controlled drone. However, his dove had many


    more interesting functions than an ordinary drone.


    Robbie reached for hisptop and started running the special application he had installed on it.


    Whatever the dove managed to record would be reflected on his screen in real-time.


    He watched with delight as the image of his screen changed from the courtyard of the Nachts''


    residence to a bird''s eye view of the entire house. Then, the house became a speck on his screen as


    the dove flew farther away. His screen filled with green as it pped its wings over the surrounding


    forest, before flying upwards to capture a view of the Rokan Hill in its entirety.


    Robbie''s lips curled into a satisfied smile. What a sess!


    Controlling the dove''s movement using hisptop, he wanted to see if the dove would be able to


    capture an image from a fixed point. Hence, he made the dove swerve and fly towards the west vi in


    Northridge.


    He had no intention of spying on his neighbor¡ª rather, he merely wanted to see how nimble his


    invention could be.


    The dove flew towards the west vi, capturing a close-up shot of the silver-colored Rolls-Royce and a


    smattering of stern-looking bodyguards, who were hauling luggage into the house.


    Another person with a pretty silhouette was making their way into the house, too. As though they had


    realized something, they turned around and stared straight at the dove...

 Chapter 689

    Chapter 689


    Robbie leaned excitedly towards the screen, wanting to see who that person was...


    ¡°Mr. Robinson!¡±


    At that moment, his aide''s voice interrupted his train of thought. ¡°Your tutor is here!¡±


    Robbie turned towards the door quickly and replied, ¡°Come in!¡±


    By the time he turned to look at hisptop screen again, the figure had already made her way into the


    vi, and he had lost his one chance to see what she looked like.


    Robbie couldn''t help but notice something strange. All the bodyguards were women.


    However, he didn''t feel particrly disappointed. He directed the pigeon to head in another direction on


    Rokan Hill.


    After all, he didn''t really want to spy on his neighbor.


    The door swung open at that moment, and the aide quickly ushered the global economics tutor into the


    room.


    Robbie stood up quickly to greet her. ¡°Good morning, Ms. Helen!¡± He got ready his ss materials and


    went to sit down for a lesson.


    ...


    Zachary finished his morning meetings and decided to pay a visit to one of his project sites.


    Lucy hurried forward to report, ¡°Mr. Nacht, there will be a conference held by the Aploth Chamber of


    Commerce this afternoon. Will you be attending it?¡±


    ¡°Haven''t I already assigned Mr. Sterk and yourself to go on my behalf?¡± Zachary snapped, sounding


    rather impatient.


    ¡°I just received information that a certain Ms. Lindberg will be attending the conference this afternoon,¡±


    Lucy replied breathlessly.


    Up till now, Zachary had been signing a few documents and only paying minimal attention to Lucy.


    Here, however, his hand jerked to a stop on the paper. ¡°Pass me the details of the conference.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Nacht.¡± Lucy handed him a stack of documents.


    Zachary flipped through the documents. Exactly 101 of the most powerful businessmen in the Aploth


    Chamber of Commerce would be gathered at Ashenville Garden today to discuss expansion


    opportunities in the Aploth-Pacific region. To top it off, there would be a banquet that night.


    This conference was held once a year in different cities, and it routinely became the spotlight of the


    business world.


    Lots of businessmen were desperate to be included in the 101. As the leading businessman with


    ventures in the Aploth-Pacific region, Zachary had used to attend the conferences. In the past two


    years, however, he had be more reluctant to show his face at public events¡ªinstead, he sent


    Johann to attend the event on his behalf.


    Hearing that Charlotte was going to attend the event as well, Zachary changed his mind immediately.


    ¡°Alright, I''ll go.¡±


    At the thought of meeting Charlotte soon, Zachary''s heart started racing a little faster.


    ¡°The conference will be held over the span of two days. ording to the rules and regtions, you''ll


    have to stay overnight at Asheville Garden,¡± Lucy reminded. ¡°Do you want me to go and prepare your


    luggage?¡±


    ¡°I''ll get Ben to assist me.¡± Zachary nced at his watch. ¡°Bring the necessary documents ande


    along with me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Nacht.¡± Lucy took out the schedule and handed it over to him. ¡°You have a few more


    meetings before that, so we''ll leave at around four in the afternoon. You should be able to attend the


    banquet this evening, at least. The actual conference is tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Zachary said, nodding. ¡°Ben is out for an errand now. When he returns, tell him to get my


    things ready.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Nacht.¡±


    Because of the change in ns, Zachary had toplete his remaining tasks as quickly as he could.


    He had practically no time to think about other matters.


    At four in the afternoon, Ben finished packing Zachary''s luggage. With a sleuth of bodyguards in tow,


    he left for Ashenville Garden with Zachary.


    Lucy and a few secretaries followed in another car behind them, preparing the information Zachary


    would need for the conference.


    Zachary leaned back into his seat, gazing critically at the documents. Recently, Lindberg Corporation


    had established a monopoly in the South Sea territorial waters and even poached a few clients from his


    ownpany. The board of directors was extremely concerned about this matter.


    Zachary was nowparing the personal details of those clients. He couldn''t help but wonder what


    sort of underhanded methods the Lindberg Corporation had used to poach so many of their clients


    away in such a short amount of time.


    ¡°The Lindberg Corporation has been very efficient in their work,¡± Ben said, sighing. ¡°I heard Ms.


    Lindberg paid a visit to those three clients personally. After that, all three clients expressed that they no


    longer wished to continue their partnership with us.¡±


    ¡°Is she that good?¡±


    Try as he might, Zachary was unable to make any connection between this sharp, talented


    businesswoman and the bumbling, clumsy girl he had known in the past.


    ¡°I suppose we''ll find out for ourselves tomorrow,¡± Ben said glumly.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, look at that!¡± Marino, the driver, suddenly eximed.


    Zachary turned and looked in the direction he was pointing at. A silver-colored Rolls-Royce was gliding


    down the road ahead of them. It had a huge ''L'' attached to its license te¡ª the car belonged to the


    Lindberg family.


    ¡°Catch up with them!¡± Zachary ordered.


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Nacht.¡± Marino stepped down on the elerator and sped ahead towards the Rolls-Royce.

 Chapter 690

    Chapter 690


    Marino was the best at driving out of all the bodyguards Zachary had. Hence, he had been put in


    charge of driving Zachary around.


    The Nacht family hired only the best. All their bodyguards were the best in their fields of specialties,


    and all could be considered professionals in their field.


    Marino had yet to meet anyone who could outdrive him. However, he had finally met his match today.


    The silver-colored Rolle-Royce zipped lithely around the other cars like a slippery eel. Threading


    through the crowd confidently, it managed to keep ahead of Zachary''s car despite Marino''s best efforts


    at catching up.


    Soon enough, the silver-colored Rolls-Royce was more than ten meters ahead of them.


    ¡°Marino, what''s wrong with you? Catch up with them immediately!¡± Ben ordered, sounding rather


    stricken.


    Sweat was beading on Marino''s brows. He stepped down on the elerator and sped forward, but the


    Rolls-Royce put even more distance between them. He couldn''t catch up with it at all.


    Feeling rather humiliated, he gritted his teeth and stepped down on the elerator fully, causing the


    car to lunge forward.


    ¡°Come on, you can''t lose to a woman!¡±


    Recalling how he had suffered at the hands of that female bodyguard yesterday, Ben felt a wave of


    anger wash over him. He had to win thispetition today, no matter how petty it sounded.


    Inside the silver-colored Rolls-Royce, a female bodyguard adjusted her sunsses and stepped down


    hard on the elerator, causing the car to speed along the road so quickly that it nearly flew into the


    air.


    Lupine, who was riding shotgun, looked in the rearview mirror andughed with satisfaction. ¡°How


    could they even think of catching up to us?¡±


    In the backseat, Charlotte shut her eyes to rest. Calmly, she said, ¡°Take note of your own safety.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ms. Lindberg!¡± Lupine responded instantly.


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    Morgan, who was driving, shot a look at the rearview mirror. When she spotted the ck-colored Rolls-


    Royce catching up to them, she started frowning in annoyance.


    ¡°Morgan, what''s up with you? Step on it!¡± Lupine practically screeched.


    ¡°I''m trying!¡± Morgan replied crossly. ¡°I didn''t think that rascal would have some tricks up his sleeve.¡±


    ¡°Well, hurry up! Don''t let them catch up to us,¡± Lupine grumbled.


    Morgan sped up, but the ck-colored Rolls-Royce caught up to them eventually.


    The two cars cruised along the road alongside each other, making for a very strange sight indeed.


    ¡°Try and maintain this speed!¡± Ben yelped at Marino.


    ¡°Got it!¡± Marino replied. He could neither speed up nor slow down now¡ªinstead, he continued driving


    at the same speed to match that of the silver-colored Rolls-Royce.


    The two cars were only one meter apart now. The distance was getting a little dangerous.


    Zachary jerked his head around to stare at the car next to him, wondering who was inside. However, try


    as he might, all he could make out was a blurry figure.


    He could tell that the person was staring at him, too.


    ¡°That''s Zachary Nacht, you say?¡±


    Charlotte''s eyes narrowed as she appraised the man in the car next to her. Although she could only


    see the outline of his face, she couldn''t help but feel that it looked rather familiar.


    ¡°Yes, that''s probably him,¡± Lupine replied, pressing her nose against the ss. ¡°You can''t really see


    anything through those tinted windows, though.¡±


    ¡°Slow down a little,¡± Charlotte ordered.


    ¡°Yes, Ms. Lindberg.¡± Morgan reduced the speed of the car immediately.


    Next to them, the car slowed down as well. No matter how Morgan controlled the speed of the car, they


    always managed to match her speed.


    ¡°Oh, how annoying!¡± Morgan snapped, gnashing her teeth.


    As the car slowed down, Charlotte rolled down the windows a little to reveal her pair of bright, dancing


    eyes.


    The man in the other car rolled down his window too, revealing the top half of his face.


    The two of them looked at each other, but the expressions in their eyes werepletely different.


    Charlotte''s eyes were cold, arrogant and mocking...


    On the other hand, Zachary''s eyes were flickering with aplicated mix of emotions. As memories of


    past events flooded his mind, his heart started churning with excitement...


    His eyes shed with yearning, guilt, and deep, passionate love.


    However, he tried to keep his face nk.


    He had to calm his beating heart and keep hisposure!


    Those eyes in front of him were so familiar to him that his heart ached a little. They belonged to


    Charlotte herself!


    However, Charlotte never used to look at him with such a cold, aloof expression. Although he had seen


    her haughty side before, this was different...and it scared him a little.


    For some reason, however, Zachary knew he was right¡ªthat person in the other car was Charlotte!


    As Charlotte gazed into those eyes, she felt a shiver run down her spine for what seemed like no


    reason at all. Her heart felt as though it was being pricked by a needle that got lodged just a little


    deeper in her whenever she saw this man.


    She removed her gaze from him coldly and rolled up the windows. ¡°Step on it again!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ms. Lindberg.¡± Morgan sped up the car.


    As expected, the car next to them sped up as well, as though they were extending a challenge to them.


    ¡°Throw them off!¡± Charlotte ordered.


    ¡°Yes, Ms. Nacht!¡±

 Chapter 691

    Chapter 691


    On the public highway, two Rolls-Royces sped along the road, one ck and one silver in color. They


    resembled two storm clouds that were racing each other down.


    In fact, this seemed to have turned into some sort ofpetition. Both cars seemed to bepeting to


    see who could reach the destination first.


    ¡°How fascinating!¡±


    Inside the car, Zachary gave a small chuckle, his eyes filled with anticipation...


    This woman had a habit of showing up in front of him in the most curious of ways. Every time she


    appeared, she managed to turn his entire life upside down.


    Thest time at Sultry Night, she had mistaken him for a gigolo and demanded that hepensated


    her.


    This time, she had appeared as his business rival who was attempting to one-up him in everything.


    Zachary wanted to know what sort of tricks she had up her sleeve this time.


    Here, he mused that the games between them were bing more and more intriguing.


    Charlotte could toy with him as much as she pleased. However, she would never be able to escape


    from his grasp.


    Both cars arrived at Ashenville Garden at the exact same time, kicking up a huge cloud of dust.


    The parking lot was full of luxury cars. All the businessmen had already arrived with their bodyguards


    and were canvassing the field for other people towork with. It was very busy indeed.


    However, when the two Rolls-Royce screeched to a deafening halt at the entrance, sending a strong


    gust of wind blowing into the carpark, they attracted everyone''s attention immediately.


    Everyone stopped talking and turned to look at the Rolls-Royce, aghast.


    One of the cars had a license te that was embossed with a golden ''N'', while the other one had a


    golden ''L'' on it. Everyone knew who had arrived immediately.


    The people from the powerful Nacht Group and Lindberg Corporation had arrived!


    An excited murmur ran through the crowd. Everyone was full of anticipation. The arrival of the Nacht


    Group and Lindberg Corporation representatives had taken the conference up a notch.


    The doors of the two cars swung open at the same time. The bodyguards in the passenger''s seat got


    out immediately and opened the door for the people in the backseat.


    Zachary stepped out from the car, his jet-ck suit shining like a diamond under the sun. He carried


    himself with the inherent aloofness of an important man, which drew everyone''s eyes towards him at


    once. His eyes were deep-set and narrowed, which gave him a rather severe look.


    Meanwhile, a long pair of legs stepped out of the other car. A beautiful woman appeared, attired in a


    pair of ck pants and a simple white blouse. However, because of the chic style of her clothes, she


    looked more stylish than businesslike.


    Her face had a light dab of powder, and she wore a pair of pearl earrings on her ears. She had put her


    hair up in a knot, which entuated the sharp look on her face. With her beautiful face that looked as


    though it had been crafted by the gods themselves, she became the belle of the ball immediately.


    Everyone turned to gaze at her.


    They looked rather shocked. Who was this beautiful, smart-looking girl that had appeared out of


    nowhere at all?


    Meanwhile, Zachary was still reveling in the fact that he could finally see her up-close atst...


    His heart was beating faster than ever as he tried to swallow the taste of bitterness in his mouth...


    His suspicions were confirmed atst. This woman was Charlotte, and there was no doubt about it.


    Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    Mr. Potter, the person in charge of the conference, came hurrying up to them with his bodyguards in


    tow. ¡°Wee, Mr. Nacht and Ms. Lindberg!¡±


    He shook hands with Zachary enthusiastically, before turning to Charlotte and saying, ¡°Ms. Lindberg,


    your reputation precedes you. You''ve just entered the business world, but you have already had so


    many aplishments under your belt. What a young talent!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Potter, you mustn''t say that!¡± Charlotte said,ughing mockingly. ¡°What if Mr. Nacht gets angry?


    After all, all my achievements were built on the failures of the Nacht Group!¡±


    Hearing this, the crowd fell silent immediately.


    Color drained from the businessmen''s faces. They shot hasty looks at Zachary, silently castigating


    Charlotte for being so arrogant. How could she dare to challenge him like this in public?


    Another murmur ran through the chagrined crowd.


    Mr. Potter had achieved his position due to his great ability to converse with all sorts of people and


    make them feel at home. He was well-known for being able to talk his way out of anything, but even


    Charlotte''s words rendered himpletely speechless.


    Looking rather awkward, he forced a smile onto his face and wiped the sweat from his brows with a


    shaky hand.


    ¡°The floor might be beneath our feet, but it fears us not, because we rely on it to stand firm on our feet.¡±


    Zachary smiled as he gazed straight at Charlotte. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, you are young, and still have much to


    learn.¡±


    This time, it was Charlotte who was left speechless. Evidently, Zachary was no amateur when it came


    to dissing people himself.


    His words had a deeper meaning to them. He wanted to let everyone know that the Lindberg


    Corporation had beaten the Nacht Group this time only because the Nacht Group had let them. There


    was nothing jaw-dropping about Charlotte''s achievements at all.

 Chapter 692

    Chapter 692


    ¡°You''re right, Mr. Nacht. I''ll make sure to learn as much as I can from you.¡±


    Charlotte didn''t seem affected by his words at all. Smiling long and meaningfully, she turned and left


    with her bodyguards in tow.


    ¡°Oh, move out of the way!¡± Lupine made sure to give Ben a hard shove as she pushed past him.


    ¡°You...¡± Ben gnashed his teeth, furious.


    Seeing that Charlotte had left, everyone else dispersed quickly, knowing that the show had ended as


    quickly as it had begun.


    However, it had been an exciting show-down while itsted. As everyone walked away, they started


    discussing the matter amongst themselves.


    ¡°Gosh, did you see how haughty Ms. Lindberg was? She kept on mocking Mr. Nacht, but he remained


    gentlemanly and refused to lose his temper. If it was somebody else, however, he would''ve exploded at


    them immediately.¡±


    ¡°Doesn''t he hate being mocked by people the most? What happened just now? Why did he let her off


    so easily?¡±


    ¡°In my opinion, Mr. Nacht knew the value of retreating in order to advance.¡±


    Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    ¡°Yeah, right! I think he was just trying to get that beautiful girl out of her bind.¡±


    ¡°Haha!¡±


    Hearing this, Ben''s face turned steely with rage. However, Zachary seemed rather nonplussed. His


    eyes continued to follow Charlotte as she walked further and further away...


    A few businessmen wanted towork with him, but their friends held them back. ¡°Mr. Nacht is


    probably stewing right now. If you go up to him now, nothing good wille of it!¡±


    The businessmen felt that their friends were right. Timidly, they went up to Zachary and said hello to


    him before darting away quickly again.


    As he gazed at Charlotte, Zachary''s heart swelled with emotion. He tried to keep them under wraps...


    He had thought of her day and night for two years, tormented by the guilt in his heart. He finally had a


    chance to set those feelings free today...


    She had returned atst!


    She had really appeared in front of him in flesh. This time, she wasn''t a mirage or a dream he had


    conjured up in the middle of the night¡ª she was actually here.


    He had stood close by her just now. Their short conversation stirred up some of Zachary''s memories


    from the past...


    Back then, she had enjoyed bickering with him thoroughly. Although she never managed to beat him in


    a battle of wits, she liked issuing a challenge to him anyway.


    As he thought about this, his lips curved into a smile. The expression in his eyes became much gentler


    than before.


    Had she pretended not to recognize him because she was still mad at him about what had happened


    all those years ago?


    No matter. He would take it one step at a time.


    Slowly but surely, he would erase whatever negative feelings she had towards him, and make her


    return to his side.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, Ms. Lindberg is young and reckless. Please don''t take her words to heart,¡± Mr. Potter said,


    trying cautiously to calm Zachary down. ¡°When I find the chance, I''ll make sure to give her a good


    talking-to.¡±


    If another person had mocked Zachary like that, the fight would''ve ended horribly for them. Even the


    event organizers would''ve been implicated in the matter. Hence, Mr. Potter felt obliged to apologize for


    the earlier altercation.


    ¡°What a woman! She has some character.¡±


    Zachary smiled brightly and walked away.


    Ben and the bodyguards hurried after him.


    ¡°Um...¡± Mr. Potter stood rooted to his spot, feeling a little lost for words. ¡°W-what just happened?¡±


    ¡°Couldn''t you tell what happened, Mr. Potter?¡± his assistant asked with a smile. ¡°Mr. Nacht has


    developed feelings for Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    ¡°That can''t be true!¡± Mr. Potter eximed in horror. ¡°The Nachts and the Lindbergs are arch-enemies!¡±


    ¡°All''s fair in love and war.¡±


    Mr. Potter was speechless.


    He thought the entire situation was unlikely, but since Zachary had decided to let the matter slide, Mr.


    Potter decided not to cause more trouble for himself.


    Seeing that Zachary was about to leave, he snapped out of his daze and chased after him. ¡°Mr. Nacht,


    wait for me! I''ll lead the way for you.¡±


    ...


    Ashenville Garden had very nice scenery. It was located on sprawling grounds andplete with a golf


    course, a hot spring resort, a racing ground, and a luxurious banquet hall.


    It was alreadyte in the evening. The businessmen had returned to their hotel rooms to get ready for


    the banquet that night.


    The Aploth Chamber of Commerce had reserved the entirety of Ashenville Garden for that night.


    Because there were a limited number of rooms, each participant could only bring two of their aides with


    them. The others would have to stay in the hotel over at the golf course.


    As two of the most prominent families, representatives of the Nacht Group and Lindberg Corporation


    found themselves staying at the best vis Ashenville Garden had to offer.


    However, the vis at Ashenville Garden were all duplex houses. Since both families had simr


    statuses, members of the Nacht family and the Lindberg family had been assigned to adjoining houses.


    Remembering the fiasco from before, Mr. Potter asked if Zachary wanted to switch to a different house.


    However, Zachary replied cheerfully, ¡°No need to change! I like this ce.¡±

 Chapter 693

    Chapter 693


    Of course he didn''t want to switch houses. He wanted to be as close to Charlotte as possible.


    Here, an even more alluring smile appeared on Zachary''s lips. He turned around and walked straight


    into the vi.


    Mr. Potter didn''t dare to question his decision or ask even more questions. He had no choice but to


    keep his mouth shut and continue making arrangements for Zachary.


    The master bedroom of the vi was huge. Thest rays of the evening streamed through the floor-


    length windows and pooled into a golden spot on the ground.


    Zachary took off his suit jacket and unbuttoned his stifling shirt. Carrying a wine ss, he made his way


    to the balcony and sat down on the marble-white recliner. Squinting in the sunlight, he turned to look at


    the balcony of the adjoining house.


    Almost immediately, the balcony door slid opened and out stepped a familiar-looking person. The


    woman was barefoot and wore her hair down around her shoulders. In a long, flowing silk dress, she


    looked both rxed and careless.


    Without her aloof, arrogant fa?ade, she appeared more like the innocent, simple Charlotte from the


    past.


    ¡°Well, I didn''t expect to see you here, Mr. Nacht.¡±


    Charlotte sat down on the same marble-white recliner. She stretched out her hand towards Morgan,


    who promptly passed her a ss of ready-made cocktail.


    ¡°I like admiring the beautiful scenery and beautiful women alike,¡± Zachary remarked.


    He smiled at her and raised his eyebrows with an ambiguous look on his face.


    ¡°You''re quite the yboy, Mr. Nacht,¡± Charlottemented with a tauntingugh. ¡°What happened to


    the frigid, ice-cold man that everyone knows?¡±


    ¡°I only show this side of me to certain people.¡±


    Zachary shot her a look. It had been two years, but she hadn''t changed a bit. After taking off her


    makeup and letting her hair down, she looked quite the same as before. However, her eyes had taken


    on a rather arrogant quality, and for some reason, she looked sharper and more intelligent than she


    once had.


    With status came great power!


    ¡°Are you making fun of me, Mr. Nacht?¡± Charlotte asked,ughing coldly. ¡°I heard that you''re a married


    man.¡±


    ¡°Yes. In fact, you look a lot like my wife...¡± Zachary tried to provoke a reaction from her. ¡°She has been


    missing for two years now. Could you possibly be her?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha...¡± Charlotte burst into mockingughter immediately. ¡°Mr. Nacht, your method of getting girls


    is quite pathetic, don''t you think?¡±


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Do you really not recognize me?¡±


    Zachary looked rather confused. Charlotte''s response didn''t seem fake¡ª if it was fake, however, she


    had to be an exceptionally talented actress to pull it off.


    She seemed neither flustered nor panicked. In fact, she seemed to have no recollection of the past,


    and neither was she disying any sort of yearning towards it.


    It was as if Zachary was aplete stranger to her. To Charlotte, he was nothing more than her


    business rival.


    ¡°Why would I know you?¡±


    Charlotte raised her eyebrows provokingly,ughing frostily as she gazed at him.


    Although she seemed to be full of mockery towards him, her heart was actually full ofplicated


    emotions.


    When he told her that she looked a lot like his wife, the needle in her heart had wedged itself a little


    deeper. The jolt of pain in her heart had been the most tormenting yet...


    It was as though his words had truly cut her somehow...


    She couldn''t help but wonder if they had met each other before.


    ¡°Charlotte...¡± Just as Zachary was about to continue, there was a loudmotion downstairs. ¡°You


    foolish people, don''t you have eyes? Don''t you know who I am? Let me in right now¡ªI''m here to look


    for Zachary.¡±


    This voice sounded rather familiar.


    Zachary turned around and spotted Sharon immediately.


    They hadn''t had a single interaction in the past two years. Why had she chosen to show up in front of


    him again today?


    Ben hurried over and whispered in Zachary''s ear. ¡°She''s probably here as one of Synder Group''s


    representatives. She was informed that you were attending this conference and decided to pay you a


    visit.¡±


    Zachary waved his hands idly, signaling that Ben should go settle the matter for him.


    Charlotte had seen everything. She snorted loudly and said, ¡°What a way to y with a girl''s feelings,


    Mr. Nacht. I wonder if this woman looks like your wife, too!¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg...¡±


    Just as Zachary was going to exin himself, Charlotte turned and returned to her room.


    Her female bodyguards slid the balcony door shut and tugged the curtains close. Zachary couldn''t peek


    into the room at all.


    He couldn''t help but frown in disappointment. What a ruined opportunity!


    However, Sharon''s arrival gave him another idea. Seeing an old enemy of hers might make Charlotte


    give up this act of hers.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, I''ve settled the matter,¡± Ben said, returning to Zachary''s side. ¡°She has returned to her


    room, but I wager that she''lle and harass you again tonight. Do you want me to put a stop to it


    first?¡±


    ¡°There will be no need for that.¡± Zachary wanted to see how Charlotte would react when she finallyid


    eyes on Sharon again...

 Chapter 694

    Chapter 694


    As Zachary was changing his clothes, his phone buzzed with a text notification. Thinking that it was


    some sort of spam, he ignored itpletely.


    Ben hurried into the room and eximed, ¡°Mr. Nacht, they''reing out of the house now!¡±


    ¡°So fast?¡± Zachary frowned and put on his shoes quickly. ¡°Hand me my watch, quickly!¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Ben passed him his watch immediately.


    Zachary put on his shoes and flew down the stairs while putting on his watch, his feet moving at an


    rming pace.


    Ben followed behind him hastily.


    The moment he stepped out of the door, Zachary slowed down immediately. Putting on an act of


    extreme serenity, he walked out onto thewn at a perfectly normal pace.


    Charlotte was in a white, strapless gown. With her hair down around her shoulders and a diamond-


    encrusted ne around her neck, she shone as brightly as an angel. Everyone gaped openly at her,


    mesmerized by her beauty.


    Two of her bodyguards opened the car door for her. Charlotte stepped into the car...


    ¡°What a coincidence!¡± Zachary greeted Charlotte coolly.


    Charlotte turned to look at him and smiled a little. Without another word, she got into the car


    immediately.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht!¡± Ben held the car door open for him.


    Zachary got into the car, frowning. An unhappy expression was written all over his face.


    ¡°You have to take it slow. Wooing a girl takes lots of patience, you know.¡±


    Ben thought Zachary was upset because of Charlotte''s cold reaction towards him.


    ¡°What''s with that awful dress...¡±


    Zachary trailed off in the middle of his sentence, but his face had clouded overpletely.


    In the past, he had demanded to see every single one of Charlotte''s outfits. Strapless gowns were a


    no-no¡ªhe ordered her stylist to sew on somece to cover her exposed chest. He disapproved of


    every gown that showed off her shoulders. However, that gown she had been wearing just now broke


    all of his rules...


    It was way too sexy for his liking!


    N?velDrama.Org owns all content.


    Ben felt a little speechless. He finally understood the reason behind Zachary''s unhappiness.


    He was annoyed that his wife was wearing such a revealing gown!


    Ben thought darkly, it remains to be seen whether she''ll even consider herself your wife or not...


    Things were heating up in the banquet hall. A luxurious crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, casting


    a warm glow down on the upants of the banquet hall.


    Calm, lulling music flowed into every corner of the banquet hall. Businessmen walked in and out of the


    room, sipping from sses of red wine or champagne as they discussed business matters in hushed


    voices.


    Charlotte''s arrival drew the attention of arge crowd of people. As everyone''s gazes fell on her, some


    people ventured daringly to greet her. ¡°Good evening, Ms. Lindberg!¡±


    Charlotte smiled and nodded at them in acknowledgment.


    The banquet echoed with the sound of greetings as everyone greeted her warmly.


    Someone walked up to her and tried to shake her hand. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, it''s great to see you here!¡±


    Charlotte smiled and returned his greeting politely. She was kind and generous and courteous to a


    fault.


    This was the first time she was attending a business event. Everyone had seen how arrogant and


    callous she could be that afternoon, and had tried their best to steer clear of her. However, stunned by


    her elegance and propriety now, they hurried forward to introduce themselves to her.


    Charlotte became the center of attention immediately. Everyone was looking at her¡ª including Sharon!


    When she spotted Charlotte, Sharon''s face had turned white as a sheet.


    W-Wasn''t this Charlotte?


    Hadn''t she died a few years back?


    What was she doing here again?


    Sharon was so frightened that the color hadpletely drained from her face. Grabbing a ss of


    wine from a passing waiter, she gulped down its contents in one go, trying to calm her nerves.


    Don''t panic, don''t panic...she might just resemble Charlotte, that''s all...


    She overheard two people chatting about Charlotte next to her. ¡°What''s this woman''s family


    background?¡±


    ¡°I heard she''s Mr. Lindberg''s younger sister. She''s the secondrgest shareholder in Lindberg


    Corporation.¡±


    ¡°She''s so aplished for her young age!¡±


    ¡°I know, right? I heard she managed to turn the tables on the Nacht Group yesterday and sealed a deal


    with regards to the South Sea territorial waters for thirty billion yesterday! She''s so young and talented!¡±


    ¡°Yes! Besides, look how beautiful she is!¡±


    ¡°Be careful of what you say. Ms. Lindberg has a horrible temper. She tried to provoke Mr. Nacht in the


    carpark this afternoon.¡±


    ¡°What? She dared to provoke Mr. Nacht? Is this true?¡±


    ¡°Of course it is. I saw it with my own eyes.¡±


    ¡°Then I must make sure to steer clear of her...¡±


    Hearing this, Sharon became even more confused? When did Charlotte be a member of the


    Lindberg family? And when had she be the secondrgest shareholder in Lindberg Corporation?


    Was she really so powerful?

 Chapter 695

    Chapter 695


    Sharon turned her head towards the person standing in front of her. Charlotte Lindberg stood proudly in


    the room, surrounded by a powerful and intimidating aura,posed and elegant. Every inch of her


    screamed wealthy.


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    She was obviously a world of difference whenpared to the timid, ignorant Charlotte Windt from the


    past.


    Perhaps it''s just a resemnce...


    Moreover, so what if she really is Charlotte Windt?


    If that''s the case, she''s the same person that I humiliated and plotted against. The same person grovel


    at my feet back then!


    What''s there to be afraid of?


    At that thought, Sharon straightened her posture and lifted her chin. The fear pounding in her heart


    slowly dissipated.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht is here!¡± All of a sudden, someone from the crowd cried out, turning everyone''s attention to


    the entrance.


    Even the merchants fawning at Charlotte Lindberg a second ago hurriedly rushed forward to wee


    and greeted Zachary Nacht.


    Although it''s true that Charlotte had an outstanding demeanor, Zachary had an irreceable status in


    the corporate world, and the rest of the merchants present were smart enough to offend neither party.


    Normally, Zachary despised socializing and dealing with pesky businessmen and businesswomen, but


    he was surprisingly out of character that day. Not only was he pleasantly easy-going, all smiles and


    courtesy, he even asked Lucy to jot down the names of all those who approached him that night in


    hopes of an appointment.


    In just a short span of a few minutes, Zachary had stolen the spotlight from Charlotte, bing the


    center of attention.


    Taking in the scene, Sharon''s eyes shone, feeling immense pride for Zachary.


    As the crowd surrounding him finally dispersed, Sharon quickly went up to greet him. ¡°Zachary!¡± she


    called out, waving.


    Zachary instinctively frowned at the sight of her, hatred showing in his eyes. However, he swallowed


    the initial disgust and forced out a smile at Sharon. ¡°Long time no see, Sharon,¡± he greeted, in hopes to


    gauge Charlotte''s reaction.


    ¡°Yeah, it has been a while!¡±


    Sharon looked at him affectionately. All that had happened in the past didn''t matter to her, not even the


    fact that he had so cruelly abandoned her. To Sharon, Zachary would always be the most wless man,


    and she would always have a soft spot for him.


    Zachary sneaked a nce at Charlotte. Thetter was surrounded by many young men, chatting with


    those around her and oblivious to Zachary''s attention.


    Zachary took a ss of champagne from a waiter and casually walked in Charlotte''s direction.


    ¡°Have you heard? I''ve managed to get my hands on the piece ofnd in Summerbank...¡± Sharon


    followed him closely, attempted to curry favor with Zachary by discussing topics he''d like. ¡°There''s also


    an underground casino in Lightspring that recently contacted us, hoping for partnership...¡±


    ¡°Casinos in Lightspring are all legally operated, you could consider the offer,¡± Zachary replied Sharon


    absent-mindedly, his gaze never once leaving Charlotte.


    ¡°The business in M Nation is also now under my supervision since Daddy has too much on his te.


    Good thing too, since Daddy is way too soft with the staff and so indecisive. There have been multiple


    headaches ever since he''s in charge of the family business two years ago.¡± Sharon pursed her lips


    before continuing, ¡°We used to be one of the top thirtypanies in Aploth. Now we''ve been ranked


    down to top eighty...¡± Relentless, Sharon still tried to get Zachary''s attention. ¡°But the Nacht family will


    always be the best and that''s the biggest difference-¡±


    ¡°Says who?¡± a voice responded icily, sending a chill down Sharon''s spine.


    Finally turning her gaze away from Zachary, Sharon found herself face to face with none other than


    Charlotte Lindberg. Thetter''s cold eyes bore into Sharon''s soul.


    ¡°Thetest data has yet to be revealed. I wouldn''t be so confident,¡± Charlotte stated with an eyebrow


    raised. A hint of arroganceced her voice.


    That''s odd. Why does thisdy look so familiar? Charlotte frowned slightly, staring at the woman in front


    of her.


    Not only so, why am feel so irritated by her presence? Charlotte felt a wave of unexined fury and


    loathe surging through her at the mere sight of Sharon ckwood, as if they were born to be nemesis.


    Flustered, Sharon looked away, breaking eye contact with Charlotte. The re Charlotte gave her


    made her skin crawl.


    Nevertheless, with all eyes on her, Sharon refused to back down. As reluctant as she was, Sharon bit


    the bullet and retorted, ¡°Even if the data is revealed, the Natch family is still going toe first. No one


    can snatch that status from them!¡±


    ¡°Snatch?¡± Charlotte narrowed her eyes into a dangerous glint. ¡°It''s all fair y in the corporate world.


    Everything is determined by data and numbers. Why would I need to snatch the first ce from them?¡±


    The clicking sounds of her high heels rang clear in the room as she elegantly strode towards Sharon as


    she talked, like a predator who had cornered its prey.

 Chapter 696

    Chapter 696


    ¡°I...¡±


    ¡°What''s your name? Which corporation do you represent?¡±


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    Without waiting for a response, Charlotte continued to interrogate Sharon rather aggressively. ¡°How


    can someone with such awful character be allowed to participate in the Aploth Chamber of


    Commerce?¡±


    Charlotte turned her head towards Mr. Potter and mocked, ¡°Looks like you can do better at your job,


    Mr. Potter.¡±


    Poor Mr. Potter was at the receiving end of Charlotte''s anger again for no rhyme and reason.


    Mr. Potter groaned inwardly. Despite the exasperation he felt, Mr. Potter still kept a polite smile on his


    face as he rushed towards them to lighten the mood. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, this is Ms. ckwood of Synder


    Group. For your information, Synder Group is one of the leadingpanies in M Nation...¡±


    ¡°Leading? What was it that I heard her say just a second ago... ah, right. ''We''ve been ranked down to


    top eighty''. Come now, Mr. Potter, quit pulling my leg, Ms. ckwood herself said so,¡± interrupted


    Charlotte with a smirk. ¡°Though I know that the top one hundred and onepanies can participate in


    the Aploth Chamber of Commerce, shouldn''t there at least be a character test?¡±


    ¡°Um...¡± Mr. Potter was rendered speechless. He nced sheepishly at Sharon, then at Zachary


    standing nearby, begging thetter for help.


    Aware that this fiasco was caused by the mention of the Nacht Group, Zachary was ready to step in


    and intervene. Before he could, however, Sharon had had enough and blurted out in a fit of anger,


    ¡°Charlotte Windt! Can you stop causing problems on purpose?¡±


    Charlotte narrowed her eyes and stared at Sharon with cold, piercing eyes. ¡°What did you say?¡±


    ¡°Don''t think for a second that I''ll be afraid of you just because you''ve changed your surname to be


    part of the Lindberg family, you b*tch!¡± Blinded by her fury, Sharon bellowed arrogantly. ¡°Charlotte


    Windt was so submissive that she would have willingly licked my shoe if I asked her to! She''s nothing


    but a piece of sh*t in front of me! So who do you think you are to act so high and mighty-¡±


    p! Sharon was silenced by a p across her face, the sound reverberated clearly throughout the


    room.


    Sharon clutched her cheek, now burning red and swollen while gaping at Charlotte, dumbfounded.


    ¡°You... you b*tch! How dare you hit me?¡± she hollered.


    p! Without hesitation, Charlotte gave another p across Sharon''s face with a heavy hand.


    The blow almost made Sharon lost her bnce.


    Everyone gasped, taken aback by Charlotte''s actions, including Zachary.


    He had never seen this side of Charlotte before. The Charlotte he knew would nevery her hands on


    anyone.


    Staring at the stranger in front of him, doubts crept into Zachary''s mind. Is this really the Charlotte I


    know?


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, what... what are you doing? H-how could you hit a person...¡± Mr. Potter tried to intervene


    but mmed up instantaneously by a sharp gaze from Charlotte.


    ¡°A light punishment for insulting and humiliating me,¡± replied Charlotte with a murderous re.


    Mr. Potter paled, lost for words.


    ¡°I''m going to kill you!¡±


    Sharon lunged herself at Charlotte with raised fists, going mad from anger.


    Swift as a sh of lightning, Charlotte grabbed Sharon by her wrists and twisted her arms with


    tremendous strength. An ear-splitting crack echoed throughout the room, followed by a terrible scream.


    Amotion broke out in the room. Panic filled everyone in the room as they instinctively stumbled


    backward from Charlotte, trembling in fear.


    Unaffected by the uproar, Charlotte shoved Sharon lightly. Thetter sprawled onto the floor, pathetic


    and disheveled. Sharon''s gaze fixated on both her broken arms, shivering in pain as she forgot how to


    scream.


    ¡°Quick!¡± Mr. Potter gestured to someone in the room.


    Two men hurriedly rushed forward and carried Sharon away.


    ¡°You better watch your back, Charlotte Windt! I will not let you get away with this!¡± Sharon thundered,


    regaining her senses as resentment overpowered the sting on her arms.


    ¡°Next time, Mr. Potter, you''d do better than letting rabid dogs indoors!¡± Charlotte sent a chilling re


    towards Mr. Potter''s direction before turning around with an elegant smile. Gone was the furious


    woman from a second ago. ¡°Apologies, everyone. Did I scare you?¡± Charlotte asked tenderly.


    The fear of the crowd quickly dissolved to bewilderment at her sudden change in demeanor. After a


    minute of stunned silence, someone from the crowd quickly shook their head and quipped, ¡°Oh, no, no,


    no. Not at all!¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg you sure are... something else!¡±


    ¡°You''ve always looked as gentle and as graceful as flowing water. Who would have thought Ms.


    Lindberg would have such good martial arts skills!¡±


    A few merchants smiled timidly in response, no longer daring to inch any closer.


    ¡°Don''t mess with me and I won''t mess with you,¡± stated Charlotte casually with a smirk. ¡°But if someone


    messes with me... I shall deal with them.¡±


    Though she said so in a light andposed manner, her piercing gaze still made everyone''s hair stood


    on end.


    ¡°Yes... Rightfully so, Ms. Lindberg!¡± responded the crowd frightfully as they tried to keep their voices


    steady as to not let their panic show.


    ¡°What about you, Mr. Natch? What do you think?¡± Charlotte raised an eyebrow and turned her gaze to


    Zachary, everything about her screamed extreme arrogance.

 Chapter 697

    Chapter 697


    ¡°That''s brilliant!¡± Zachary curled up his lips into a smile. ¡°But I''d like to correct you on one thing only.


    Once this year''s data is revealed, Nacht Group will stille first!¡±


    Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    ¡°You seem confident,¡± Charlottemented with her eyebrow still raised. ¡°How are you so sure, that


    Lindberg Corporation wouldn''t overthrow Nacht Group from the first ce this year?¡±


    Zachary shed her a good-mannered grin. ¡°Well Ms. Lindberg, most of the assets of Lindberg


    Corporation are in Epea and Adrune. In the Aploth Chamber of Commerce, naturally, Nacht Group


    located here in Aploth has a higher advantage! I believe Danrique Lindberg will think so too!¡±


    Hearing those words, Charlotte had no words to refute the argument. In all reality, she couldn''t care


    less about the ranks. It was the sight of Sharon that lit the fuse. Charlotte did not know why, but


    something about Sharon ckwood just rubbed her the wrong way, irritating her to no end, and all she


    wanted is to counter everything Sharon said or did.


    That was what provoked her to do what she had done earlier.


    ¡°Excuse me.¡± Zachary ced down his champagne flute and left with a polite nod.


    Charlotte stared intently at his silhouette, frowning slightly. This man gives the impression of a calm


    and collected gentleman, yet he can retaliate my words with just a few sentences.


    I''ll have to raise my guards around him!


    As the scene ended, Mr. Potter quickly lightened the mood. ¡°The Lindbergs and the Nachts have


    always equally matched, both equally impressive and should be our benchmark,¡± he announced in a


    loud voice. ¡°Right, everyone?¡±


    ¡°Right!¡± the crowd chorused.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, we have prepared a ce for you to rest. Should I escort you to your private lounge?¡±


    Mr. Potter approached Charlotte cautiously, in fear that he might identally offend and trigger her.


    ¡°Please excuse me, everyone.¡± Charlotte nodded to the people around her with a smile and left the


    room with Mr. Potter.


    Meanwhile, Zachary had excused himself since his phone had not stopped vibrating with calls and


    notifications. The moment he stepped foot into the hallway, Zachary picked up the call. ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°What the hell is wrong with you?¡± Henry hollered on the other side of the phone, causing Zachary to


    pulled his phone away a few inches from his ear. ¡°First you made ns to go out with Cynthia, then you


    refused to text back or answer any calls? Is this nothing but a game to you?¡±


    Zachary froze, speechless. Only then did he recall the dinner reservations he had made with Cynthia.


    Zachary pinched the bridge of his nose in realization. He had intended to have a conversation with


    Cynthia, but the sudden change of ns threw him off track, causing him to push the matter to the


    back of his mind.


    No wonder my phone kept vibrating just now.


    ¡°Sorry, there was a change of ns. I forgot to inform her about it,¡± exined Zachary.


    ¡°She waited for you in the restaurant for two hours...¡±


    ¡°How big of a deal is that?¡± interrupted Zachary. ¡°She could have just gone back on her own, must she


    run to you and start tattling?¡±


    ¡°She wasn''t tattling. She was just asking me about your whereabouts. She was worried...¡±


    ¡°Worried about what? What could possibly happen to me?¡± Zachary''s patience was beginning to slip


    away. ¡°Fine, I''ll head back and exin it to her, alright? Stop fussing over it.¡±


    ¡°She''s in our house,¡± replied Henry before interrogating further. ¡°When are youing back?¡±


    Zachary was once again at a loss for words. After a few quiet seconds, he quipped, ¡°Why did you bring


    her back to our house?¡±


    If the triplets see Cynthia, things will be awkward.


    ¡°What about it? Do I not have the authority to do so?¡± Henry questioned back.


    ¡°Of course you do,¡± replied Zachary, massaging his head, attempting to get rid of the headache that his


    grandfather just gave him. ¡°I''m attending events organized by the Aploth Chamber of Commerce right


    now and won''t be going home tonight. Ask someone to send her back to her ce, I''ll contact her


    tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Why do you always...¡± retorted Henry.


    ¡°I have to go.¡±


    With that, Zachary hung up. Seeing the numerous notifications on his phone, he rolled his eyes,


    deciding to turn a blind eye to them.


    ¡°Excuse me, Mr. Nacht. Sorry to bother you.¡± A melodious voice rang from behind him.


    Zachary turned and came face to face with a beautiful youngdy. Her delicate features and hourss-


    like figure were enhanced by the exquisite ck form-fitting gown. She was holding a ss of wine in


    her hand, looking at Zachary in admiration from afar.


    ¡°I''m sorry, you are...?¡± Zachary arched his eyebrow at the sight of the stranger approaching him.


    ¡°My name''s Nancy Gold, daughter of Jesse Gold from Hawen. Please to meet you!¡± Nancy spoke in


    fluent Ustranasion. ¡°May I have the honor to have some words with you, Mr. Nacht?¡±

 Chapter 698

    Chapter 698


    Zachary cringed slightly in response. He was about to decline when he saw Charlotte heading their


    way, causing him to change his mind. With a coy but polite smile, Zachary gestured to the door of his


    lounge. ¡°Please! Come in!¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡± chirped Nancy, ecstatic.


    Zachary smile, ncing quickly in Charlotte''s direction before leading Nancy into his private lounge,


    deliberately slowing down his pace.


    As he had intended, Charlotte passed by the pair on her way to her own lounge. However, to his


    dismay, Charlotte merely gave him a look of contempt and walked right past without further thought.


    Zachary''s brows furrowed as he frowned. The interaction between Charlotte and Sharon, the way


    Charlotte was finding fault in Sharon in everything thetter did, the way Charlotte seemed to be


    getting revenge crossed his mind. All those seemed to prove she really was Charlotte Windt...


    So why, upon seeing myself in close proximity with another woman, did she not even flinch?


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, my family''spany is entertainment-based. We have signed contracts with many popr


    celebrities in Koandria...¡±


    Nancy immediatelyunched into self-introduction the second she sat down. ¡°Hope you can give us a


    chance to work together, Mr. Nacht,¡± she added sweetly.


    ¡°Mm...¡± Zachary nodded half-heartedly. ¡°We shall see, maybe someday.¡±


    As he was talking, he gave a signal.


    Ben walked forward and bowed courteously. ¡°This way, Miss Gold,¡± he said politely, gesturing to the


    door.


    Nancy was dumbfounded. Zachary had just invited her in for a conversation, why is he sending her out


    already? What''s going on?


    Not giving up, Nancy took out her phone and asked cautiously, ¡°Mr. Nacht, can we exchange our


    numbers, please?¡±


    Zachary peered at her phone with no response.


    ¡°This way please, Miss.¡± Ben urged again.


    Not daring to utter another word of protest, Nancy reluctantly got up and leave with a curt and polite


    nod.


    As Ben opened the door of the lounge for Nancy, he caught sight of Charlotte''s ferocious female


    bodyguard closing the door of the opposite lounge across the hallway. Thetter noticed him too.


    Though stunned at first, her shocked face turned into a re within a second.


    ¡°You...¡± Ben gnashed his teeth in fury upon seeing her again.


    Once Nancy exited the lounge, Ben mmed the door shut in frustration. ¡°That damned woman, I will


    make her pay one day!¡± said Ben through his gritted teeth.


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Who?¡± Zachary asked out of curiosity and lifted his eyes to peer at Ben. He was quietly savoring the


    wine he had poured for himself when Ben had said those words, no doubting off as a surprise.


    ¡°That bodyguard of Ms. Lindberg,¡± huffed Ben. ¡°Yesterday during the car ident, it was her who came


    out of the car and started hollering at me. She even had the audacity to re at me just a minute ago!¡±


    ¡°Hmm, she looks like she has greatbat skills, you might not be able to beat her if there was a


    duel,¡± teased Zachary with a smirk.


    ¡°How is that possible?¡± Ben was starting to get anxious. ¡°Mr. Nacht, I''m one of your men, how could


    youpliment others while putting your own people down...¡± he faltered.


    ¡°Quit talking and maybe defeat her inbat, then we''ll see.¡± Zachary rolled his eyes at Ben, annoyed.


    ¡°I''m tempted to... but she''s one of Ms. Lindberg''s people, and I dare not cross her...¡±


    Bang! Before Ben could finish his sentence, a loud noise came from outside. ¡°What the f*ck are you


    doing?¡± a furious voice followed.


    It was Marino!


    ¡°Looks like your fighting skills aren''t as good as your racing skills,¡± an arrogant, feminine voice mocked.


    ¡°F*ck you! Let me show you how to really fight!¡±


    Having enough of her arrogance, Marino lunged towards the woman and started a physical fight.


    Ben rushed forward to open the door. Upon seeing the scene, he scolded, ¡°Marino, what are you


    doing?¡±


    ¡°Ben...¡± In that fraction of a second, Marino was distracted and received a heavy punch to his chest.


    Marino gritted his teeth and was about to parry the attack when the door across the hallway opened.


    ¡°Morgan, what are you doing? Are you bullying the weak again?¡± a voice called out, calm and slow.


    ¡°Weak?¡± Marino retorted as he felt the anger rising to his neck.


    ¡°Who are you calling weak?¡± interrupted Ben, frowning. He shot daggers at Lupine, the woman who


    had mocked and insulted him multiple times, unable to swallow his pride and stay silent this time.


    ¡°I''m calling you weak, what about it?¡± smirked Morgan with her eyebrows raised.


    ¡°You...¡± Ben balled his hands into fists and charged forward.


    ¡°Enough!¡± A low growl rang out behind him.


    Reluctantly, Ben stopped and stepped aside. His fists fell to his side, still clenched.


    ¡°Morgan, Lupine.¡± Another voice scolded sternly from the opposite room. ¡°Stop bullying men again.¡±


    Bullying men?


    Marino gawped openly at Charlotte in disbelief and felt his blood pressure shot up upon hearing those


    words uttered by her.


    Ben''s expression darkened. His eyes were beginning to gleam like a predator stuck in a cage, waiting


    for the opportunity to pounce.

 Chapter 699

    Chapter 699


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, your bodyguards sure are an image of yourself,¡± joked Zachary in a good manner while


    stepping out of his private room. ¡°All of you are hot-tempered.¡±


    ¡°Sorry ''bout that,¡± grinned Charlotte humbly. ¡°Us Lindbergs are rather aggressive with quite a unique


    personality. Please excuse us, Mr. Nacht.¡±


    ¡°That''s quite alright, Ms. Lindberg. A gentleman will not pick fights with women.¡± A smile made its way


    to his lips. No matter what, Zachary had to redeem some of Ben''s and Marino''s dignity. ¡°As for us


    Nachts, we might have superbbat skills, but we will never bully the weak just because we''re


    strong.¡±


    Well said! Apud Ben internally as he felt his dignity being restored.


    Upon seeing someone finally had their backs, Marino''s gaze soften as well.


    ¡°Hah,¡± sneered Charlotte. ¡°Who''s strong and who''s weak, we don''t even know yet.¡±


    At the side, Lupine and Morgan cracked their knuckles, ever ready for another fight.


    Ben and Marino did not back down either. The pair puffed up their chests and raised their fists, getting


    into a fighting stance.


    ¡°Arguing with women is not a gentleman''s character,¡± smirked Zachary while shrugging his shoulders.


    ¡°How ''bout we y a game?¡±


    ¡°What game do you have in mind, Mr. Nacht?¡± Charlotte asked with an arched eyebrow, not backing


    down from the challenge.


    ¡°Shall we go to the basement?¡± asked Zachary as he crossed his arms in front of his chest, leaning


    nonchntly against the door frame of his private lounge. ¡°There are lots of games we can y at the


    basement... unless of course, you''re afraid and want to call it quits.¡±


    ¡°What''s there to be afraid of?¡± Charlotte straightened her spine and lifted her chin in pride. ¡°Who''s to


    say, maybe we might win instead!¡±


    ¡°Shall we?¡± Zachary gestured in the direction of the elevator.


    The pair moved towards the elevator side by side with six of their people trailing behind. Each step they


    took emitted power and dominance.


    Although in the wide hallway, Charlotte and Zachary walked next to each other in close proximity,


    shortening the gap between them.


    Zachary peered at her from the corner of his eyes, taking in her angelic face, raven-ck hair, and the


    same mild perfume she used to wear. Everything about her seemed to be identical to Charlotte Windt


    back then.


    ¡°What are you looking at?¡± snapped Charlotte, displeased.


    ¡°Looking at you, of course!¡± Zachary answered, grinning good-naturedly.


    ¡°You can look, but you will never get to touch,¡± retorted Charlotte proudly.


    ¡°We shall see.¡± The corners of Zachary''s lips lifted.


    As they step foot into the basement, only did Charlotte realized what the games are. However, it was


    men''s territory. Pole dancers are on the stage, surrounded by cheers and whistles. All around them


    were games such as darts, shooting, and gambling.


    A few merchants had ady on theirps, ying poker asughter resonated in the room.


    Mr. Potter was betting on a horse race when he got word that Zachary and Charlotte had arrived. He


    quickly got up to greet the two. The few merchants quickly got up too.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, Ms. Lindberg!¡±


    ¡°Continue.¡± Zachary waved his hand dismissively, letting the crowd know not to be influenced by their


    presence.


    The merchants sat down again to continue the game. Nevertheless, their eyes kept straying to the duo


    and the band of people behind them.


    ¡°What would you suggest, Ms. Lindberg?¡± Zachary smiled charmingly.


    ¡°All these are men''s idea of entertainment.¡± Charlotte swept her eyes across the room, finallynding


    on the dartboard. ¡°A game of darts?¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± nodded Zachary. ¡°Not a bad choice, my men are quite talented with darts.¡±


    ¡°Brilliant,¡± smirked Charlotte. ¡°At least now it''ll be a fair game.¡±


    Zachary remained silent, taking in the woman next to him.


    She sure has gotten quite sharp and witty.


    They settled in the darts area, taking a seat. Mr. Potter quickly arranged for some of the finest liquor


    they had in store. ¡°Would you like anything else, Mr. Nacht, Ms. Lindberg? I will get it served in a jiffy.¡±


    ¡°No need to bother. We''ll just be ying.¡±


    At his final word, Zachary gave a signal.


    Ben took out a dart and flung it across the room.


    Bullseye!


    ¡°Not bad!¡± apuded Charlotte, ¡°But where''s the fun in this?¡±


    ¡°What do you suggest then, Ms. Lindberg?¡± Zachary crossed his legs and looked calmly at her.


    Charlotte made a gesture.


    Understanding the order, Morgan took out a champagne-colored rose from a vase and held it in


    between her teeth before standing in front of the dartboard.


    ¡°Whoever hits the stem shall win?¡± asked Ben.


    ¡°No,¡± said Charlotte coldly with a sneer. ¡°Whoever drops all of the petals on the ground first shall win.¡±Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.

 Chapter 700

    Chapter 700


    ¡°This will be a breeze...¡± Ben took out another dart in full confidence.


    ¡°Without touching the stem!¡± added Charlotte.


    For a split second, Ben was dumbfounded. Looking at Morgan with the rose in her lips with just a little


    stem poking out, he registered the difficulty in hitting the stem without harming the person.


    Now he couldn''t even hit the stem, but had to drop the petals on the ground?


    She just had to make things harder. Ben gritted his teeth.


    ¡°Why? Not up for the challenge?¡± Charlotte raised her eyebrow, mocking. ¡°It''s not toote for you to


    back down.¡±


    Everyone else in the room had stopped whatever they were doing, focusing all their attention on the


    littlepetition between the Nachts and the Lindbergs. Some even brought their drinks, hoping for a


    good show. How could Ben possibly back down now?


    ¡°Of course not,¡± answered Ben instantly. ¡°Challenge epted.¡±


    ¡°Show them how it''s done, Ben!¡± cheered Marino.


    He had been mocked and humiliated by Morgan, the fire of his rage is still burning hot. Right then and


    there, Marino hoped that Ben would restore their integrity.


    ¡°So childish.¡± Morgan rolled her eyes at the men, still holding the rose between her teeth.


    ¡°Fair warning, Mr. Nacht.¡± Charlotte raised her ss and gave a stern look towards the men, ¡°If there is


    even a scratch on Morgan, I shall destroy all of you.¡±


    ¡°Heard that?¡± Zachary raised an eyebrow at Ben.


    ¡°Don''t worry Mr. Nacht.¡± Ben frowned. Even though he knew it wouldn''t be easy, it''s toote to quit now.


    ¡°Let''s begin!¡± Impatient, Lupine took out a dart. She turned to Ben and raised her eyebrow in a mocking


    manner. ¡°Go ahead. I''ll give you a head start.¡±


    Feeling his pride and dignity being threatened, Ben declined. ¡°No need for that. Ladies first,¡± he said,


    gesturing to Morgan.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Lupine did not hesitate. She held the dart and took a few strides back, allowing the distance


    between her and Morgan to be a good twenty meters. Narrowing her eyes, she aimed the dart towards


    the rose in Morgan''s lips...


    Whoosh! The dart flew across the distance and right through the center of the rose. The liquid on the


    flower sshed all over Morgan.


    Morgan closed her eyes reflectively. When she reopened them, a few shredded bits of the rose petals


    hung on her eyshes.


    ¡°Brilliant!¡± A few merchants apuded in awe.


    Lupine''s aim was sharp and precise. The dart only pierced through the petals, and the stem did not


    even move. The dart finallynded on the dartboard, shaking slightly at the impact.


    ¡°Your turn.¡± Morgan smiled triumphantly at Ben and walked to the side.Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    Ben held a dart and headed towards the position where Lupine stood. He aimed his dart and drew his


    hand back, prepare to shoot. Before he could, however, Charlotte quipped, ¡°Without touching the


    sepals either.¡±


    Ben widened his eyes, at a loss for words. ¡°Why didn''t you say so earlier?¡±


    Lupine had hit the middle section of the flower, leaving only the messy bottom half held together by the


    sepals. If they weren''t allowed to even hit the sepals, it wouldplicate things further.


    ¡°I didn''t hit it either just now.¡± shrugged Lupine with a smirk.


    ¡°You...¡± Ben gnawed his teeth in frustration. But with all eyes on him, he decided to not pick a petty fight


    with a woman and let it slide.


    ¡°Good luck, Ben!¡± cheered Marino in a cold sweat, feeling anxious for Ben.


    Zachary on the other hand sipped his drink elegantly without even lifting his gaze.


    ¡°You don''t seem to have any bit of worry, Mr. Nacht,¡± teased Charlotte. ¡°What if you lose? Wouldn''t that


    be embarrassing?¡±


    Zachary swirled the ss in his hands before smiling, ¡°The Nachts never lose,¡± he dered confidently.


    At those words, Ben''s dart flew across the room and urately pierced through the petals, missing the


    sepals by a few millimeters.


    The petals were torn and scattered,nding softly on Morgan, adding hints of color on her ck suit.


    Yet the scene looked undeniably beautiful...


    ¡°Awesome!¡± The crowd burst into cheers and apuse.


    Even though Ben did not knock down as many petals as Lupine did, he managed to hit the target


    precisely without scratching anything else. At that, the crowd was impressed.


    ¡°Not bad.¡± Charlotte curled her lips into a smile. ¡°I''ve underestimated you.¡±


    ¡°Hmpf,¡± huffed Ben and gestured for Lupine to take her next shot. He was interested to see what


    Lupine would do next.


    The rose was now utterly disheveled, with only tiny bits of petals left. To sessfully hit the petals that


    were left was already a challenge by itself, much less to knock them down.

 Chapter 701

    Chapter 701


    Lupine started taking things seriously. She had the dart in her hand and examined it carefully before


    she tossed it.


    The dart brushed past the petals and cut a small section out of it.


    She needed to avoid the branches and the leaves, so it was extremely difficult to achieve any of that.


    ¡°Is that it?¡±


    Ben scoffed and picked up a dart before adjusting it in his hand. He aimed and let the dart loose.


    The dart zipped over and knocked a huge portion of the petal down.


    The cheers on-site became louder, and everyone was calling out Ben''s name.


    Zachary''s lips curved into a small grin before he continued sipping his drink.


    ¡°Not bad,¡±plimented Charlotte nonchntly. She suddenly recalled something and said simply,


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, we haven''t discussed the terms of our bet.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± blurted Zachary. He stared at her in amusement before asking, ¡°What would you like to bet then,


    Ms. Lindberg?¡±


    ¡°If I win the bet, you will have to do me a favor,¡± replied Charlotte as she narrowed her eyes at him with


    a sly grin on her face.


    Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Sure,¡± answered Zachary without a second thought.


    ¡°Aren''t you going to ask what that favor is?¡± asked Charlotte with a raised brow.


    ¡°I can do anything as long as it is not illegal or immoral,¡± replied Zachary confidently. ¡°Besides, I won''t


    lose!¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± scoffed Charlotte. ¡°Well, I''ll look forward to our bet then.¡±


    ¡°What do I get out of the bet if you lose?¡± asked Zachary as he inched closer to her while swirling his


    drink.


    ¡°Name whatever it is you desire,¡± answered Charlotte boldly.


    ¡°I want you...¡± murmured Zachary as he slightly tilted his body to her. His gaze burned with the hunger


    of a beast when he continued, ¡°To spend the night with me.¡±


    No one spoke.


    The crowd gasped upon hearing those words.


    Everyone knew that Zachary was wild and arrogant, but they didn''t realize the extent of his arrogance.


    He actually made such an unreasonable request to the second-biggest shareholder of Lindberg


    Corporation who is equally powerful and on par with him!


    Such arrogance!


    The bodyguards of the Lindberg family were so angry that their faces were distorted as they red at


    Zachary. If looks could kill, Zachary would be pushing the daisies by now.


    Ben, Marino, and the other bodyguards of the Nacht family were all grinning happily to see their master


    in the lead.


    Thesedies had been pushing our buttons time and again. It''s about time we give them a taste of their


    own medicine


    Good job, Mr. Nacht!


    ¡°Mr. Nacht truly is my idol,¡± said a businessman sincerely. ¡°I am impressed once again.¡±


    ¡°You''re right. He really is bold. I won''t even dare...¡±


    The other businessman replied in a soft voice, but he quickly mped his mouth shut. He realized that


    his words were extremely offensive toward the Lindberg Corporation.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht truly is something else...¡±


    Everyone was excited, and they gathered to watch the show.


    ¡°Hah,¡± sneered Charlotte. ¡°Your reputation is just, Zachary Nacht.¡±


    ¡°Why? Are you too chicken to gamble? Or do you think you''d lose?¡± taunted Zachary arrogantly as he


    leaned back on the ck leather chair he was sitting on.


    ¡°Of course I won''t lose,¡± replied Charlotte, who refused to admit defeat. She then added, ¡°Fine, I ept


    the terms. I''ll teach you a lesson you''ll never forget once you lost.¡±


    ¡°I look forward to it!¡± said Zachary with a gleeful grin.


    Charlotte''s face was red with fury. She was ring at Zachary when she instructed Lupine, ¡°You must


    win thispetition!¡±


    ¡°Understood, Ms. Lindberg,¡± said Lupine. She grabbed a dart and knocked Ben away. ¡°Get out of my


    way!¡±


    ¡°Hey, you...¡± growled Ben. His knuckles were cracking, and if it wasn''t for the bet holding him down, he


    would''ve gotten into a fight against her.


    Lupine grabbed a dart and narrowed her eyes to adjust her vision before she threw it. Zip!


    At that crucial moment, Morgan suddenly moved, and the dartnded directly at the center, causing


    petals to fly everywhere. Theynded on Morgan''s face and clothes.


    Morgan blinked. Seeing those petals got her to grin happily.

 Chapter 702

    Chapter 702


    ¡°Hey! How is that okay?¡± blurted Ben as his eyes bulged. Heined, ¡°That''s obviously cheating!¡±


    ¡°He''s right. This is too much,¡± said Marino angrily.


    ¡°We never said that the target can''t move,¡± refuted Lupine with her head held high. She continued, ¡°If


    you''re not happy with the result, you can send someone to hold the target and work together as well.


    Anything goes as long as the objective is achieved.¡±


    ¡°You...¡± growled Ben, his face scrunching up in anger. He turned to Zachary.


    Zachary, on the other hand, simply looked at Charlotte with a calm look.


    ¡°She''s right,¡± said Charlotte nonchntly while shrugging.


    ¡°How unreasonable can you get?¡±ined Ben as he cracked his knuckles.


    The business tycoons were touching their noses and clearing their throats endlessly at the side. No


    one dared to speak up.


    Lindberg Corporation was indeed being unreasonable, but this was just a game. It was not an official


    tournament, so there were never any actual rules set in ce.


    N?velDrama.Org owns all content.


    Whether or not it was fair would depend on Zachary''s take on the matter.


    That was why everyone had their eyes on him and was waiting for his response.


    ¡°Hmm... If Ms. Lindberg thinks it''s fine, then I''m okay with it as well,¡± replied Zachary. He nodded before


    turning to Ben and ordering, ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°But Mr. Nacht...¡±


    Ben was stunned in ce. He never expected that the renowned Mr. Nacht, who he and his friends


    respected and cared about, would actually stoop that low and abandon his values for a woman.


    He wants me to continue even after we''re being pushed to this extent? Has her beauty chased his


    brain out of his head?


    ¡°Go on,¡± demanded Zachary.


    Ben felt horrible, but he had no choice but to swallow all his fury and push forward.


    Only half a petal was left on the rose. Ben had to hit it or the Lindberg family would definitely win the


    game.


    Even though it wasn''t a hard task for Ben to strike those petals, the fact that the other party had broken


    the rules made him wary. There is no saying if that b*tch will move the target at thest second.


    If she moves even a little, I will miss the target.


    Gah! That woman already has her brows raised like that and doesn''t even bother standing upright now.


    Fury burned within Ben, but he picked up the dart and adjusted his position.


    ¡°Careful now, this is yourst chance,¡± reminded Lupine arrogantly from the side. ¡°I will break your


    hand if you hurt my people.¡±


    ¡°Don''t you think you''re crossing a line here?¡± growled Marino. He was so agitated that he stepped


    forward to demand justice.


    Zachary cleared his throat as a sign of warning.


    Marino had no choice but to back away while ring at those vile women.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, I just had an epiphany,¡± said Charlotte as she rested her forehead on her hand, looking as


    though she had just thought of something. She continued, ¡°If I win, I want you...¡±


    Charlotte inched closer to him. Her lips curved into a sultry and mischievous grin as she emphasized


    her next words. ¡°To strip naked and dance in the banquet hall!¡±


    Urk!


    Mr. Potter was sipping red wine when he heard those words. That prompted him to spit everything out


    and cough nonstop.


    The business tycoons widened their eyes in disbelief as they gawped at Charlotte.


    Just moments ago, they thought that Zachary was being too arrogant, but it turned out that the


    Lindberg family was even worse.


    Did she actually demand Zachary do a striptease in the banquet hall? I can''t believe she uttered those


    words. I won''t have the guts to do that, not even in my dreams.


    On the bright side, those words got everyone excited. They rubbed their hands together in anticipation.


    It didn''t matter whether Charlotte would end up spending the night with Zachary or if Zachary would


    end up dancing naked in the banquet hall. Either result would be a historic event that would be


    something they had never seen before and would likely never see again.


    Tonight is the night we witness a miracle!


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, this is getting way out of line,¡± reminded Ben nervously with a soft voice. ¡°Remember the


    old saying. A warrior''s honor is more important than his life.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, these women are ying dirty, so let''s not y this game with them,¡± said Marino, who was


    anxious as well.


    If their boss was forced to dance naked in the banquet hall, they would be so ashamed that they would


    never be able to look another person in their eyes again.


    No. We can''t let this happen!


    ¡°Shut up!¡± reprimanded Zachary coolly. ¡°I am a man. How can I go back on my words?¡±


    He then turned to Charlotte. His gaze was gentle, and his lips carried a hint of glee when he said, ¡°A


    striptease, huh? Not a problem!¡±

 Chapter 703

    Chapter 703


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Everyone gasped once more. Their minds practically short-circuited.


    W-wow. Mr. Nacht is really going all out to court her. Guess the old wives'' tale was right. Even heroes


    can''t defeat a beautifuldy.


    Looks like it doesn''t matter how devoted he is to hispany and career. He loves this woman more.


    He''s actually willing to perform a striptease just to make her smile?


    Every thought passing through the spectators'' minds highlighted their admiration for Zachary''s


    dedication.


    They were astonished. Looks like even the mightiest of men would fall prey to a vixen.


    This is both sad and admirable.


    Charlotteughed aloud. She seemed pleased when she said, ¡°Your reputation is just, Mr. Nacht.


    You''re actually keeping your word, and I am truly impressed.¡±


    Lupine, Morgan, and the others giggled happily.


    It seemed that everyone was certain of Lindberg Corporation''s victory.


    After all, they were the ones who made the rules. It was impossible for them to not win.


    ¡°Well then, let''s continue,¡± said Charlotte eagerly. She couldn''t wait to see the end result, so she waved


    at Ben and reminded him, ¡°Don''t worry. You''re not the one who has to dance naked, anyway.¡±


    Ben stared at the face that was once familiar and friendly. That same beautiful face was shining with


    arrogance and cruelty at that moment. Ben swore to himself, I will never be with a woman in this


    lifetime! Women are the root of all evil...


    ¡°What are you still standing there for?¡± urged Zachary. ¡°Go on!¡±


    Ben felt his heart oozing with disappointment, for the Mr. Nacht that they looked up to had lost all his


    dignity for a woman.


    He sighed inwardly. Whatever... Here goes nothing.


    Ben took a deep breath and picked up thest dart before walking into the right position.


    ¡°Hurry up already!¡± urged Lupine from the side. She was already holding her dart and was ready. She


    was certain that Ben wouldn''t hit his target, so she was waiting for him to fail.


    The Linberg family''s bodyguards were all exuding confidence and were urging Ben to hurry with their


    gazes.


    Every bodyguard employed by the Nacht family looked troubled. They felt hopeless because even their


    boss had sided with the enemy.


    They sighed to themselves.


    Ben narrowed his eyes and tossed the dart.


    Morgan saw that the dart was about to hit the petal, so she moved away immediately. Just then, an ice


    cube flew over and hit her in the right cheek. That stopped her from moving away and got her to crouch


    down a little.


    The dart flew past the rose petal andnded on the board behind it, quivering a little as it found its


    target.


    The crimson red petal fell slowly, gliding down Morgan''s ck skirt, andnded in the wine ss.


    It felt as if time had stopped, and the air seemed frozen.


    Everyone''s jaw dropped and they were holding their breaths as they stared intently at that rose petal.


    Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    It took some time before someone came around and shouted, ¡°We won!¡±


    ¡°The Nacht family won!¡±


    The business tycoons followed suit and cheered excitedly.


    ¡°We won!¡±


    Even the Nacht family''s bodyguards, who had always been quiet, became excited.


    Marino walked over and snatched the flower stalk from Morgan. He showed it to everyone and


    eximed, ¡°Look! There are no petals left on it. We won. We won!¡±


    It was only then that Ben snapped back to his senses. He seemed pleased as he grinned. A moment


    later, realization dawned upon him and he turned to look at Zachary.


    The former''s eyes shone with respect and admiration.


    Turns out, Mr. Nacht has never changed...


    ¡°Good game,¡±mented Zachary as he wiped the water off of his hand gracefully.


    ¡°D-did you do something just now?¡±


    Charlotte was frowning deeply as she stared at Zachary''s hand.


    He moved too quickly earlier, so she never registered what she saw.


    There''s no doubt about it. He must''ve done something. He picked up a piece of ice and threw it over at


    that crucial moment to hit Morgan''s right cheek.


    Morgan instinctively moved away, causing the dart tond perfectly...


    ¡°I did,¡± admitted Zachary. He even grinned with his brows raised when he asked, ¡°Like you girls, we


    worked together pretty well too, right?¡±


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°This doesn''t count. You''re obviously cheating!¡± growled Lupine angrily.


    Zachary tilted his head and turned to her. His gaze was soft with a hint of hostility.


    That frightened Lupine so much that she took a step back and didn''t dare to say another word.

 Chapter 704

    Chapter 704


    ¡°Aren''t you the one who said that anything goes as long as the objective is achieved?¡± taunted Marino,


    ¡°If you girls are allowed to move at will, then why can''t we?¡±


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    Lupine had more to say, but Charlotte cut her off.


    ¡°I will honor my word,¡± said Charlotte before she picked up the winess and downed her drink.


    ¡°You truly are an incredible leader, Ms. Lindberg,¡± said Zachary. His lips curved into a satisfied grin


    before he stalked toward her and reminded her, ¡°Since you''ve lost, you are mine tonight.¡±


    ¡°Oh my!¡±


    Everyone started murmuring amongst themselves.


    They were all excited and happy for Zachary because Lindberg Corporation was the one who kicked up


    the dust in the first ce, then had the audacity to cheat.


    Zachary, on the other hand, acted like a gentleman and kept backing away despite their constant


    unreasonable requests. In the end, he still won under those unfavorable circumstances.


    Everyone was delighted to see an ending like this.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg...¡± said Morgan. She had her hand on her swollen cheek and had stepped up to receive


    her punishment. ¡°I did not do my job well. Please punish me.¡±


    ¡°Leave!¡± instructed Charlotte grimly with a frown. She turned around and scoffed at Zachary before


    asking, ¡°You''d better think this through, Mr. Nacht, so you won''t regret it in the future.¡±


    Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I''ve never regretted any decision I made,¡± replied Zachary before he pulled Charlotte into his arms. He


    stroked her hair and whispered, ¡°I''ll give you a striptease once we''re alone in the room.¡±


    Hisst sentence was extremely flirty and left many with room for imagination.


    The business tycoons were all excited at that moment. They were cheering silently for Zachary, but


    they never said a word.


    ¡°Sure,¡± replied Charlotte. She showed no signs of being a shy and awkwarddy. Instead, she hooked


    her arm around his neck and leaned into him before she said, ¡°I am curious to see how you look like


    doing a striptease performance.¡±


    ¡°Wow!¡±


    Everyone was howling and whistling excitedly.


    That was especially true for the men. They were apuding Zachary so much that it was as if he had


    just fought and won a battle for the male species.


    ¡°What are we waiting for, then? Every second counts!¡±


    Zachary held Charlotte''s hand and rushed out of there, while their bodyguards hurried to keep up with


    them.


    The business tycoons who had been watching the show were all staring enviously at Zachary.


    Ben and Marino were also happy for Zachary.


    The driver had already pulled the car up when Charlotte and Zachary left the banquet hall.


    Just when Zachary was leading Charlotte into his car, she grinned seductively and suggested, ¡°It''s a


    beautiful night. Why don''t we go for a walk?¡±


    ¡°You''re wearing high heels. Will you be alright?¡± asked Zachary as he stared at her eight-centimeter


    heels.


    ¡°It''ll be fine as long as I do this.¡±


    Charlotte took off her shoes and held them in her hand. After that, she hiked her gown up and led the


    way walking down the road.


    Mixed emotions rose within Zachary as he watched her back. It felt as if he had suddenly returned to


    two years ago.


    Back then, Charlotte was carefree and wild. She had since assumed another identity and became


    stronger, but she would still subconsciously show her cute and naughty nature.


    That is who she is. It will never change, regardless of how much she pretends to be otherwise.


    Zachary took off his coat and draped it over Charlotte''s shoulder before he took a step back gracefully.


    He didn''t try to take advantage of her or anything.


    ¡°I didn''t think you were such a gentleman,¡±mented Charlotte with a smile.


    ¡°Are you trying to say that you see me as a crude man?¡± asked Zachary with his brows raised.


    ¡°The kind of person you are is not important,¡± replied Charlotte as she stared ahead at the beautiful


    street. She then narrowed her eyes and added, ¡°The important thing is that the Lindberg family and the


    Nacht family are mortal enemies!¡±


    Her words got Zachary''s heart to sank. She''s right. The Lindbergs and the Nachts had always been


    enemies. She has been provoking the Nachts ever since she showed up here. That could only mean


    that the Lindberg family is dering war on us...


    There was a time when they were worried that the Lindberg family would discover Charlotte''s real


    identity and deliberately use her to get to the Nachts. That was the whole reason Zachary sent her


    away. Who would''ve thought that after all the twists and turns we took, we''d still end up here?


    None of that matters, though. I don''t care how tough the road ahead is. I will get her back...

 Chapter 705

    Chapter 705


    ¡°There is no such thing as an eternal enemy,¡± said Zachary all of a sudden.


    Charlotte was slightly taken aback. She then grinned and sneered, ¡°Are you asking for a cease-fire, Mr.


    Nacht?¡±


    ¡°You can interpret it however you like,¡± replied Zachary. He suddenly circled his arms around her thin


    waist and pulled her into his embrace before he added, ¡°Either way, you are mine tonight.¡±


    Charlotte wasn''t repulsed by him, nor did she deny him anything. She simply extended her slender


    hands and gently touched his chest before teasing, ¡°We''ll talk if you can keep up.¡±


    Charlotte shoved him away as hard as she could the second she finished speaking. She hiked up her


    dress and dashed forward barefooted.


    Zachary grinned as he watched her run from him.


    The refreshing night wind made Charlotte''s hair danced while her white dress flew with the breeze.


    Her beautiful figure was undeniably alluring under the moonlight.


    Zachary''s heart thumped wildly at that sight, and he sped up to chase after her.


    Charlotte cast a long shadow under the moonlight, and she was right in front of him.


    He was right behind her shadow and could have caught her if he just reached out, but he kept his


    distance.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    He enjoyed the sensation of being a predator chasing his prey, and he was feeling contented at that


    moment. He also wanted to give her some time to rx and be carefree.


    Charlotte turned around to face Zachary when she noticed that they had been running for a while, but


    he hadn''t caught up to her. She grinned mischievously and teased, ¡°Can''t keep up?¡±


    ¡°Hah!¡± scoffed Zachary. He then sped up and reached out to hold her beautiful arm.


    Surprised, Charlotte quickly moved away to avoid his touch before she pushed forward.


    He continued chasing after her. However, he restrained himself and kept about three meters between


    them.


    Charlotte''s bare feet were running on the clean, even road under the moonlight.


    He seemed amused as he stared at her back. He was like a predator looking at his prey, and it didn''t


    matter how fast she ran. She would never be able to escape him.


    The trees that were nted on both sides of the road cast a row of orderly shadows while the


    streetlights that illuminated the road showed two individuals hanging out and ying together.


    The scene was so sweet and romantic that it looked like it was plucked straight from a movie.


    ¡°If you haven''t caught me when I reach that streetlight, you will lose your opportunity to be with me


    tonight.¡±


    Charlotte was holding her dress when she turned around and grinned at Zachary. Her petite figure


    seemed especially adorable that night.


    ¡°Are you shamelessly going back on your words?¡± asked Zachary while narrowing his eyes.


    ¡°Don''t you know that women are naturally shameless?¡± teased Charlotte with a smile.


    Upon saying those words, she forged ahead again.


    Her figure was as beautiful as an angel''s, and under the moonlight, she looked ethereal.


    Zachary grinned at her. His speed remained constant until she was about three or four meters away


    from the streetlight. That was when he suddenly zipped over and reached out to grab Charlotte''s arm.


    He was about to get ahold of her when a ck, unidentified object with a menacing aura sped down


    from the sky.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, watch out!¡± shouted Ben in a worried tone.


    Zachary avoided that object quickly, but the back of his hand was still cut. The sharp wing brushed past


    his clothes and flew toward the men behind him.


    Ben and Marino moved away in time to avoid being hit.


    The unidentified object spun around in the sky before it flew back down and calmlynded on


    Charlotte''s shoulder.


    Zachary took a closer look. The hell? It''s an eagle!


    At that moment, the eagle''s sharp and piercing eyes were ring murderously at Zachary.


    ¡°Fifi, you''re acting up again!¡± scolded Charlotte while caressing the eagle''s wings. She smiled brightly


    as she introduced, ¡°This is my pet eagle. I call it Fifi.¡±


    Back then, when Danrique gave her the bird, he let her give it a name. At the time, Charlotte


    instinctively blurted, ¡°Fifi!¡±


    She didn''t know why she gave her pet such a stupid name, but at the time, that was the word that


    popped into her head.

 Chapter 706

    Chapter 706


    And she says she''s not Charlotte Windt? She even gave her pet the same name!


    Zachary raised his brows and stepped closer to Charlotte.


    Charlotte stared at him, but she kept backing away as she reminded, ¡°We said that you''d lose your shot


    tonight if you haven''t caught up to me when we reach the streetlight.¡±


    ¡°You''re not there yet,¡± replied Zachary with narrowed eyes. He then dashed forward to capture her.


    The eagle suddenly attacked again and blocked Zachary''s moves.


    As Fifi did so, Charlotte turned around and leaned against the streetlight in a graceful manner. Her


    cheerfulughter was addictive as she gloated, ¡°Haha, I won!¡±


    Caw!


    The eagle yelped in pain. Zachary had hurt its wings, which prompted the eagle to peck on his hand.


    However, he was faster, and he caught the bird by its neck at lightning speed.


    With Zachary''s strength, the annoying bird would soon be dead.


    ¡°No!¡± shrieked Charlotte.


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    Zachary paused for a moment before he loosened his hold.


    The eagle broke free of Zachary''s hold and pped its wings to get back to Charlotte''s shoulder. It was


    no longer as proud as it used to be.


    Charlotte gave the eagle a once-over and noted that it had lost a lot of feathers around its neck. Its


    wings were also injured. Enraged, she huffed, ¡°Zachary Nacht, you are such a crude man!¡±


    ¡°I am already merciful enough by sparing its life,¡± refuted Zachary.


    He got a handkerchief out of his possession and gently wiped the blood off the back of his hand.


    ¡°You...¡±ined Charlotte, but she soon realized that she didn''t really have anything to say. She


    was the one who got out of line when she shamelessly backed out of her deal, and her pet was the one


    who ambushed him. Given Zachary''s temper, it was uncharacteristically merciful of him to spare Fifi''s


    life.


    ¡°I will let you off this once tonight. You won''t be so lucky the next time!¡± warned Zachary.


    He stared longingly at Charlotte before turning around and leaving.


    Ben and the others followed along quickly.


    Charlotte red at Zachary''s back as she gently stroked Fifi''s wings.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, are you alright?¡± asked Lupine, Morgan, and the others who had quickly rushed over.


    ¡°That man is so crude. He actually attacked a pet,¡±ined Lupine angrily.


    ¡°I know, right?¡± agreed Morgan.


    ¡°He would''ve been the one who is hurt if he didn''t fight back,¡± said Charlotte with a smile. ¡°Fifi is no


    ordinary pet.¡±


    ¡°That''s true...¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, are you really letting her go just like that?¡± protested Ben. ¡°Those women really are


    shameless.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. They keep changing the rules in their favor,¡± said Marino, who was upset as well.


    ¡°What else can I do if not let her go? Rape her?¡± refuted Zachary in an annoyed tone.


    ¡°Uh...¡± Both Ben and Marino were speechless. That was certainly something they would not agree to.


    When they returned to their room, Ben got the medical kit over immediately to treat Zachary''s injuries.


    Luckily, Zachary had reacted swiftly. If he hadn''t, he wouldn''t have just a scratch. After all, with how wild


    the eagle was, it could''ve crippled his hand.


    ¡°I''ve heard rumors about how Danrique enjoys keeping wild animals as pets. Seems like those rumors


    are true,¡±mented Ben while frowning. ¡°He must be the one who gave Ms. Windt... Ah, I mean, Ms.


    Lindberg that eagle.¡±


    ¡°That eagle is ferocious and untamed,¡± reminded Zachary. ¡°You guys have to be careful.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Windt really is something else. Back then, she kept a tiny parrot as a pet, but now, she actually


    has an eagle as her pet!¡± eximed Ben. ¡°That woman changes so drastically that it''s as if she''s an


    entirely different person!¡±


    ¡°But is that really Ms. Windt?¡± said Marino, who couldn''t believe it. He pointed out, ¡°She used to be so


    sweet and so easily frightened that she would tremble at the sight of others fighting. How did she


    be so terrifying?¡±


    ¡°Women are even fiercer than eagles when they want to be,¡± said Ben. He deliberately made


    everything sound scarier than it was when he warned, ¡°Stay far, far away from those creatures... And


    keep your distance from the eagles too.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you''re right,¡± agreed Marino while nodding. His impression of women had been crushed after


    meeting those female bodyguards who worked for the Lindberg family.


    At that moment, Marino felt as if women were as scary as an untamable eagle and should be kept far


    away.

 Chapter 707

    Chapter 707


    Zachary was dealing with his injury when he suddenly heard an eagle screeching in the sky. A dark


    shadow zipped past the balcony and kept flying upward.


    Ben hurried over to check things out. He saw Lupine on the balcony on the other side. She was


    shouting nervously into the sky, ¡°Fifi, get back here!¡±


    Unfortunately, the eagle didn''t even bother listening. It simply flew ahead.


    ¡°Shoot!¡± said Lupine before she returned to the room to report, ¡°Fifi flew away and won''t fly back for


    anyone, Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    ¡°Go look for it, you idiot,¡± growled Charlotte angrily.


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied Lupine before she took a few subordinates to go chase after the eagle.


    Ben finished watching the show from the balcony before he returned to the room to report the situation.


    Heter asked curiously, ¡°Mr. Nacht, could it be that you scared the eagle away?¡±


    ¡°I wasn''t that aggressive with it,¡± replied Zachary calmly, ¡°If I was, its neck would''ve already been


    broken.¡±


    ¡°That''s true...¡± murmured Ben while nodding. ¡°Still, that eagle really is something else. It actually


    managed to injure you.¡±


    ¡°It hasn''t been fully tamed yet, so it is extremely sensitive toward others,¡±mented Zachary, who


    had finished dressing his injury and pulled his sleeve down. He added, ¡°If it were anyone else, it''s likely


    that something terrible would''ve happened.¡±


    ¡°That''s true. I''m so d that you were quick. If you weren''t, the consequences would''ve been grave,¡±


    said Ben.


    He could still feel the fear in his heart when he recalled what happened.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, everyone went out to look for that eagle, and that includes Ms. Windt... Ah, no, I mean, Ms.


    Lindberg., reported Marino


    ¡°Let them...¡±


    Ben hadn''t even finished his sentence when Zachary got up and rushed to the balcony.


    Charlotte had changed into a more casual outfit and had a bodyguard with her. She was about to get in


    the car when Zachary called out from the balcony on the second floor.


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    Charlotte instinctively turned around and demanded, ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Are you going to look for that eagle?¡± asked Zachary as he leaned on the railing in a rxed stance.


    ¡°Be careful not to let it hurt you.¡±


    ¡°Why would it hurt me? It''s my pet,¡± replied Charlotte before she red evilly at Zachary and


    comined, ¡°And it wouldn''t have flown away if you hadn''t scared it!¡±


    After saying her piece, Charlotte got into her car and left immediately.


    Zachary stared at her, then at the forest nearby. He couldn''t help frowning.


    He heard the engine started up and watched as Charlotte left.


    ¡°Prep the car,¡± instructed Zachary as he put on a coat and rushed down the stairs.


    ¡°What''s the n?¡± asked Ben while chasing after Zachary. ¡°Are you going to help them find that eagle?


    It''s not necessary, right? That eagle is their pet, so it is likely that it will go back on its own soon...¡±


    ¡°You talk a lot of nonsense, you know that?¡±mented Zachary as he red at Ben.


    Hearing that, Ben swallowed the rest of his words and didn''t dare to say another word.


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    Marino had gotten the car ready, and the two men apanied Zachary to find Charlotte.


    The first thing Zachary did was use his phone to download the map to Ashenville Garden''s


    surroundings. After that, he opened the window and paid attention to their location before he ordered


    Marino to drive to the South.


    There''s a forest there. It''s likely that the eagle would fly over.


    The gang had just reached the forest when they heard an eagle screeching from a distance. They


    could also hear a few women screaming.


    The men got out of the car and rushed over.


    The eagle was acting like a demon had possessed it. It was flying wildly in the forest and would attack


    thedies from time to time. That prompted the bodyguards to duck and scream in fear.


    Charlotte was blowing a whistle at the eagle to try to calm it down, but it refused to listen. It simply kept


    circling above her head.


    Overwhelmed by anxiety, Charlotte reached out to grab the bird.


    ¡°Watch out!¡± shouted Zachary as he zipped over with the speed of lightning.


    The eagle''s w had locked onto Charlotte''s hand, and it was going to use its sharp beak to peck at


    her eye.


    At that crucial moment, a brawny hand mercilessly grabbed onto the eagle''s neck.


    The eagle reacted quickly and shifted its target to Zachary. It attacked. Fortunately, he was faster and


    he threw a punch.


    All that could be heard was a loud thud. The eagle was knocked into a tree before it fell and stopped


    moving.


    ¡°Fifi!¡± screamed Charlotte. She rushed over and picked up the eagle. When she saw that it was still


    alive, she sighed a breath of relief.

 Chapter 708

    Chapter 708


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± asked Zachary. He had walked over to help Charlotte up.


    ¡°Fifi had always been an obedient pet. It has never behaved this way before.¡± Charlotte frowned. She


    laterined, ¡°You must''ve frightened it.¡±


    ¡°I saved you. It''s bad enough that you''re not thanking me, but now you''re even ming me?¡±


    challenged Zachary with his brows raised. ¡°Isn''t that a little too much?¡±


    ¡°It won''t have acted this way in the first ce if it hadn''t been for you!¡± insisted Charlotte, who looked


    furious.


    Zachary turned speechless. He examined the bird and quickly found the cause for its rampage.


    ¡°This eagle is the most aggressive type of eagle. It may look like it has been tamed, but it would revert


    to its aggressive self if it saw human blood.¡±


    ¡°You''re right. My brother mentioned that it can''t be exposed to human blood,¡± blurted Charlotte as


    revtion hits. ¡°It must have been acting so wild because it injured you and some of your blood got


    onto it!¡±


    ¡°You would''ve gone blind if it wasn''t for me,¡± reminded Zachary as he examined her wrist. ¡°Go treat


    your injury once you get back. Don''t let it get infected.¡±


    With that, Zachary spun on his heels and left.


    Charlotte tilted her head down and checked her own wrist. That was when she realized that Fifi had


    wed her and left a few deep cuts on her.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg!¡± shouted Lupine and Morgan while hurrying over. ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Take Fifi home.¡±


    As Charlotte instructed her people, she heard a car engine starting. Zachary had left with his men.


    Zachary was still staring at Charlotte from the car. The truth was that he was still worried, but he had


    suppressed his emotions. He understood that some things took time.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg has such a terrible temper,¡±mented Ben. ¡°You rushed over just to save her, but she


    never even thanked you. She even put the me on you.¡±


    Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°She is so different from Ms. Windt,¡± said Marino who, at that moment, found Charlotte''s former self to


    be much sweeter.


    ¡°Both of them are equally shameless and coquettish, though,¡± said Zachary.


    He recalled how Charlotte looked when she went back on her words all those years ago, and that got


    him to smirk.


    Just then, Zachary suddenly thought of something and instructed, ¡°Drive slower.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Charlotte and the others got into their car with the eagle. They were heading to the vi as well.


    The forest''s routes were confusing, and the navigation system couldn''t get any signal. Morgan almost


    lost her way as she drove, but the Nacht family''s car was right in front of them, so she simply followed


    them right out of the forest.


    ¡°Thank the heavens that the Nachts'' car was right in front of us. We would''ve been lost otherwise,¡± said


    Morgan. ¡°Did theye all the way over just to help us?¡±


    ¡°Or maybe they''re there to watch the show,¡± scoffed Lupine. ¡°Zachary was fooled by Ms. Lindberg, after


    all. Not to mention Fifi injured him. I bet he came all the way over to seek vengeance on Fifi. Yes, that


    has to be it.¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh...¡± murmured Morgan. She didn''t dare to say another word, so she simply nced at Charlotte


    from the rearview mirror.


    Charlotte had her eyes tilted down as she caressed Fifi''s injured wings. No one could tell what she was


    thinking at that moment.


    Back at the hot spring resort, Zachary showered and was wearing a robe while towel drying his hair.


    His phone suddenly rang, so he picked it up. ¡°It''s two in the morning. Why are you still up?¡±


    ¡°I need you to go to Serene Hospital right away,¡± ordered Henry anxiously. ¡°Cynthia is in trouble.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± asked Zachary calmly.


    ¡°She was in a car ident and is fighting for her life in the emergency room right now,¡± replied Henry


    nervously. ¡°She waited the entire night for you and got into an ident while she was on her way back.


    The Nacht family cannot deny our part in causing the ident, so you are to hurry over right away.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± replied Zachary before he hung up the call and instructed Ben, ¡°Get the car ready. We''re going


    to Serene Hospital.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied Ben before he quickly arranged for everything.


    Zachary changed into casual wear and put on his shoes before hurrying down the stairs. That was


    when he bumped into Charlotte and her people. They were dragging their luggage along and were


    getting ready to leave.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, what a coincidence!¡±


    Charlotte had changed into afortable dress and had her long hair down. All that made her seem


    more approachable.


    ¡°Leaving so soon, Ms. Shameless Liar?¡± teased Zachary.


    Charlotte harrumphed. She raised her brows and put on a grin before saying, ¡°I can''t sleep well


    knowing that a beast lives in the next room, so it''s better to leave earlier.¡±


    ¡°Ah, so you know that I am a beast,¡± said Zachary as he approached her slowly. His sexy lips moved


    past her cheek and whispered into her ear, ¡°Be careful. I might just eat you up.¡±

 Chapter 709

    Chapter 709


    ¡°Hahaha, you''d need to be a lot more powerful to get to me,¡± replied Charlotte as she got into the car.


    Sheter rolled the window down and leanedzily against the backrest before saying, ¡°By the way,


    thank you for your help today.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Seems like you finally found your conscience,¡± joked Zachary. He shifted his gaze to her wrist and


    noted that it had only been dealt with hastily. He reminded, ¡°Remember to disinfect your cut or you''ll get


    an infection.¡±


    ¡°I got it,¡± replied Charlotte. She smiled and showed him her hand before saying, ¡°I won''t let my hand


    get hurt because I still need it to crush you.¡±


    ¡°Good!¡±mented Zachary. He grinned mildly before he turned around and got into the car.


    The two cars drove away at the same time and were side-by-side at the gate.


    Marino and Morgan red at one another before they elerated at the same time.


    In the back seat, Zachary and Charlotte grinned at one another. They rolled the window up


    simultaneously as if they could read each other¡¯s minds. We''ll see each other again soon, was what


    they murmured to themselves.


    It was half-past three in the morning when Zachary reached Serene Hospital.


    He hopped out of the car and immediately saw Spencer waiting by the entrance.


    ¡°Spencer, what are you doing here at this hour?¡± asked Ben in a concerned tone.


    ¡°Ms. ckwood got into an ident and she''s still in the emergency room. Mr. Nacht is worried sick,


    so naturally, I have to follow him over,¡± answered Spencer before he continued, ¡°Mr. ckwood is on a


    private jet and is rushing back to the country right now. His ne is estimated to touch down at dawn.¡±


    ¡°How did she suddenly get into an ident?¡± interrogated Zachary with a frown. ¡°Did our people drive


    her home?¡±


    ¡°No, the ckwoods'' bodyguard did,¡± answered Spencer.


    ¡°Where is the driver now?¡± asked Zachary.


    ¡°He''s in surgery as well,¡± said Spencer grimly. ¡°His wounds are worse than Ms. ckwood''s.¡±


    ¡°Can you tell me more about the car that hit theirs?¡± asked Zachary as they walked into the hospital.


    ¡°We''re not sure yet. The police are investigating the matter now, but the culprit escaped immediately


    after the ident.¡±


    Everyone rushed to the emergency room. They saw Henry sitting in his wheelchair and nodding off


    from exhaustion.


    Zachary took off his coat and walked over to Henry to drape his coat over him.


    That woke Henry up. When he saw that it was Zachary, the former frowned and demanded, ¡°What took


    you so long?¡±


    ¡°I had to rush over from Ashenville Garden, so it took me some time to reach here,¡± said Zachary. ¡°Go


    home and rest. I will deal with everything here.¡±


    ¡°I want to wait,¡± replied Henry grimly. ¡°Cynthia had been taking care of me for the past two years. She


    is a kind and sweet girl. Now that she is in trouble now, and her dad is not here with her, we can''t leave


    her on her own.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Zachary nodded.


    Cynthia was an expert in the medical field. Over the past two years, she had been taking care of Henry


    and had given him a lot of acupuncture treatments. That was why Henry had remained healthy. When


    Ellie fell ill, Cynthia spared no effort taking care of the kid as well.


    Hence, Zachary was appreciative of Cynthia even if he was not romantically attracted to her.


    Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    ¡°I''m d that you understand. Humans should have basic decencies,¡± said Henry before he sighed


    deeply.


    ¡°Go home and rest. I''ll call you once I receive the news.¡±


    After saying his piece, Zachary waved at Spencer.


    Thetter quickly headed over to push Henry''s wheelchair, leaving with the elder man.


    Zachary sat outside the emergency room and waited.


    Ben, on the other hand, went to learn more about the matter. He returned soon after to report, ¡°The


    police are still investigating the matter, but they learned that the culprit intentionally hit Ms. ckwood''s


    car and caused it to flip.¡±


    ¡°Tell them to get to the bottom of it all as quickly as possible. Report to me when you hear any news.¡±


    ¡°I''ve already informed them of that.¡±


    Just then, the door to the emergency room was flung open. The doctor exited and said, ¡°The patient is


    no longer in danger.¡±


    ¡°That''s good to know,¡± said Zachary before he sighed a breath of relief. He turned to Ben and


    instructed, ¡°Stay here with her. I''ll go look for my grandpa.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Henry was relieved when he heard the news from Zachary.


    At first, Zachary wanted to take Henry home, so thetter could rest. However, Henry insisted that


    Zachary stay in the hospital to take care of Cynthia.


    Zachary couldn''t talk some sense into Henry, so the former had no choice but to stay. Still, he had Ben


    take everyone home.


    Taylor arrived at the hospital a little after Henry left. The former ran the entire way to the emergency


    room and was only relieved after hearing that his daughter''s life was no longer hanging on the bnce.

 Chapter 710

    Chapter 710


    Zachary checked his watch before telling Taylor, ¡°Mr. ckwood, I''ll head back now. I have an


    important meeting to conduct tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°Okay, thank you for your help,¡± replied Taylor politely.


    Zachary bowed in return before he hurried off.


    Taylor''s expression turned grimmer as he stared at Zachary''s retreating figure.


    ¡°Isn''t Mr. Nacht being a bit too disrespectful?¡±ined a subordinate. ¡°He left as soon as we


    arrived. It''s as if he is just dealing with some corporate matter. Ms. Cynthia is wounded to this extent,


    and yet, he won''t even pretend to care.¡±


    ¡°Cynthia loves him dearly. It''s such a pity...¡± said Taylor before he sighed deeply. ¡°Sharon is aggressive


    and cruel in nature, so it''s understandable if he''s not into her. However, Cynthia is kind and sweet, so


    why must she end up like this?¡±


    ¡°She is too kind and too sweet. That is why she can''t hold on to the man,¡± replied the subordinate. ¡°I


    think you should help them out and get Ms. Cynthia married into the Nacht family as soon as possible.¡±


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°These things can''t be helped,¡± reprimanded Taylor. ¡°Let''s just forget all about it. All I wish now is that


    Cynthia will recover soon.¡±


    Zachary rushed home and took a quick shower before he put on his clothes to get ready for work.


    Henry was getting ready to take the kids to school at the time. He was shocked to see Zachary there,


    so he asked, ¡°What are you doing home? Shouldn''t you be in the hospital?¡±


    ¡°She''s safe now, and Mr. ckwood has arrived,¡± replied Zachary as he buttoned up while walking out.


    ¡°I have some things to work on, so I''ll be heading to the office now.¡±


    ¡°You...¡± growled Henry. He would''ve lost his temper then and there if the kids weren''t present.


    ¡°Bye, Daddy,¡± greeted the three kids while waving at Zachary.


    ¡°Mm-hmm.¡± Zachary looked at the kids lovingly before crouching down to pick them up, promising, ¡°I''ll


    take you guys to the beach and y with you once I''m done with all my work, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± replied the kids. They were obedient and hugged Zachary before hopping into the car.


    Henry pulled Zachary to the side and interrogated angrily, ¡°What is wrong with you? Why are you back


    when Cynthia is still in the hospital?¡±


    ¡°She''s safe now, and her life is no longer hanging on the bnce. All that''s left is for the doctor to do


    their jobs. There is nothing I can do anyway,¡± replied Zachary calmly.


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°It''ste, Grandpa,¡± interrupted Zachary. He then checked his watch and informed, ¡°There''s something


    urgent that I need to handle and I have to go.¡±


    After saying his piece, Zachary hurried into his car.


    Henry was turning red with fury, but there was nothing he could do. He definitely couldn''t lose his


    temper in front of the kids, so he had no choice but to let Zachary be.


    ¡°Great-grandpa, what''s wrong?¡± asked Ellie when she noticed how Henry''s face was scrunched up.


    She was hugging her stuffed alpaca when she walked to him andforted, ¡°Did Daddy make you


    angry? I''ll go scold himter.¡±


    ¡°Ellie is such a good girl,¡± praised Henry. His fury dissipated as he gazed at his great-grandkids. He


    imed, ¡°You three are the best. I am happy whenever I see you.¡±


    ¡°Great-grandpa, what did Daddy do to make you angry?¡± asked Jamie curiously as he cocked his tiny


    head.


    ¡°It''s nothing,¡± replied Henry before he changed the topic by asking, ¡°Is everyone settling alright in


    school? Are you getting along well with your teachers and ssmates?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I made so many new friends.¡±


    ¡°I''m sharing my desk with a mixed-blood.¡±


    The two kids started sharing stories about their school, and they did so excitedly.


    Robbie, however, was sitting at the side and operating an app on his tablet. He was focused on the


    image on the screen.


    His mechanical dove was flying near Rokan Hill and was video-taping that region. Unfortunately, the


    mechanical dove couldn''t get too far up in the sky, so he couldn''t capture the video of the entire ce.


    Robbie nned on retracting his dove that night and giving it an upgrade.


    Meanwhile, Fifi the parrot was perching on Robbie''s tiny head and was dozing off.


    Just then, a Rolls-Royce zipped past them, and everyone heard an eagle''s screech.


    Fifi the parrot was so frightened that its entire body trembled.

 Chapter 711

    Chapter 711


    Robbie felt a stream of warm liquid flowing down his head. He instinctively shuddered and shifted his


    gaze up.


    ¡°Ah! Fifi went number two on Robbie''s head!¡± shrieked Jamie as he pointed at Fifi.


    ¡°Eww!¡± said Ellie. She closed her eyes immediately andmented, ¡°That is so gross.¡±


    Robbie''s face was red with anger. Gritting his teeth, he growled, ¡°Fifi!¡±


    Fifi sobbed and quickly flew to the other side beforending on the sofa. It looked fearfully at Robbie


    and said, ¡°Scared. Scared.¡±


    ¡°Scared? You went number two on my head!¡±ined Robbie as his tiny face flushed red with


    anger.


    ¡°Fifi was probably frightened by that screech just now, Robbie. Don''t be mad at it,¡± cooed Henry. ¡°Let''s


    go clean up for now.¡±


    After that, Henry waved, and someone hurried over to get Robbie to the side. They washed his hair.


    Fortunately, they were using the better car that day, and it had everything they needed.


    ¡°Fifi,e here,¡± ordered Ellie as she extended her hand to the bird.


    The parrot flew into her arms immediately and rubbed her cheek with its furry head. It seemed like the


    parrot was trying to butter the girl up.


    ¡°Never go number two on someone else''s head again, okay?¡± taught Ellie patiently. ¡°Robbie takes his


    personal hygiene very seriously, and he''ll get mad if you do so.¡±


    ¡°Scared. Scared,¡± repeated Fifi endlessly.


    ¡°What was that, anyway? I was frightened too,¡± asked Jamie curiously. ¡°It sounded like a monster.¡±


    ¡°I think it was an eagle?¡± replied Spencer after considering the situation. ¡°It''s strange, though. Rokan


    Hill may have a variety of species, and we have seen the asional wild animals, but there shouldn''t


    be any eagles around...¡±


    ¡°I think that screech came from that car,¡± said Henry. He was getting older, but his senses were still


    more sensitive than most. He hypothesized, ¡°Could someone be keeping an eagle as a pet?¡±


    ¡°Who would keep an eagle?¡± said Spencer while frowning, ¡°Wait. Erihal is a warrior n, and rumor


    has it that Mr. Lindberg likes to keep wild animals as pets. Earlier, we suspected that the residents in


    Northridge were from the Lindberg family. It seems that the rumor might be true.¡±


    Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    ¡°Have Bruce investigate the matter,¡± instructed Henry grimly. ¡°I don''t want to risk those barbarians


    hurting the kids.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied Spencer, who then gave out the instructions immediately.


    On the other side, Robbie had washed his hair and was now drying it with a hairdryer.


    He examined his head via the mirror. There wasn''t any stain left, but he still felt ufortable. It was


    as if the smelly poop was still on his head.


    ¡°Don''t worry, Robbie. You''re all clean now,¡±forted Henry.


    ¡°I don''t want to go to school anymore. Let me go home with you,¡± requested Robbie with a frown. He


    couldn''t stand the idea of having the stink of poop on his head while he was at school.


    ¡°Okay,¡± replied Henry. Robbie is just like Zachary. They are both germaphobes. He''ll feel ufortable


    until he went home and is cleaned up properly.


    Robbie towel-dried his hair before returning to the sofa and continued working on his tablet.


    He overheard what Henry and Spencer said earlier, so he wanted to know if that screech earlier was


    indeed from an eagle.


    He turned on the navigation system and located the Rolls-Royce quickly. He then sent his mechanical


    dove over.


    At that moment, the car had traveled down the main road and was parked outside the vi.


    Twodies got out of the car and opened the door before hauling a cage out of it. An aggressive eagle


    was resting inside.


    Screech!


    The eagle''s screech came from the tablet and scared everyone in the car.


    Fifi pped its wings nervously and hid in Ellie''s arms. It was calling out fearfully.


    Ellie was in a simrly awful shape. She was so scared that she was crouching in the corner and her


    cute face had turned pale.


    ¡°Don''t worry. It''s just a noiseing from my tablet,¡± informed Robbie instantly.


    ¡°What''s going on?¡± asked Henry, perplexed.


    ¡°I had my mechanical dove go spy on that vi. They are indeed keeping an eagle as a pet!¡±


    When Robbie shifted his attention back to his tablet, he saw that thedies had already entered the


    vi with the cage.

 Chapter 712

    Chapter 712


    ¡°This is preposterous¡± growled Henry angrily. ¡°There are dozens of options for pets, and those people


    chose to keep eagles? Can they even control it?¡±


    ¡°I know, right?¡±ined Spencer, who thought that it was crossing a line as well. He said, ¡°I''ll inform


    Mr. Zachary right away. He will deal with the matter ordingly.¡±


    ¡°Robbie, take a closer look. Can you tell who''s living in that vi?¡±


    Henry wanted to find out if the Lindberg family was staying there.


    ¡°Just a bunch ofdies...¡±


    Robbie checked his screen again. That was when he realized that someone was staring right into the


    camera installed in his mechanical dove.


    Panic surged within him. He quickly turned the mechanical dove around, but it was toote.


    Bang! A shot was fired from a gun, and Robbie''s screen turned into nothing but static and white noise.


    ¡°My dove!¡±


    Robbie was so angry that he jumped to his feet. His tiny fists clenched while fury donned his face.


    ¡°What''s wrong?¡± asked Henry.


    ¡°Someone shot my mechanical dove,¡± answered Robbie. He was beyond agitated when he growled,


    ¡°That is too mean!¡±


    ¡°Such insolence!¡± said Henry while frowning. ¡°How dare they destroy my great-grandson''s invention!¡±


    Henry turned to Spencer and ordered, ¡°Send someone over immediately to teach them a lesson!¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied Spencer. He picked up the phone to send his men to do the job. He even


    specified, ¡°Tell them that the monster they keep as a pet has frightened our kids and our pet. Also, they


    damaged our kid''s invention, and their owner must apologize in person for it.¡±


    After hanging up, Spencer turned to Henry and asked, ¡°Will this do?¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡± asked Henry as he shifted his attention to Robbie. Henry saw this as a chance to


    get closer to Robbie, and the former was adamant about helping his great-grandson who had been


    bullied.


    ¡°This will do for now,¡± said Robbie while frowning. He was furious, but he was still a reasonable person.


    He pointed out, ¡°I spied on them with my mechanical dove, so I was at fault, too. It''s just that they didn''t


    need to shoot it. They could''ve spoken to us about it first.¡±


    Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    ¡°You are right,¡±mended Spencer while nodding.


    ¡°Also, it is illegal for them to keep an eagle as a pet in this country,¡±ined Robbie angrily. ¡°Its


    screech scared Fifi today. What if they identally meet in the sky? That eagle would''ve eaten Fifi.¡±


    ¡°Scared! Scared!¡± called out Fifi. It quickly dove into Ellie''s arms. It was so scared that it was trembling


    all over as if an eagle was actually there to eat it.


    ¡°That''s right!¡± protested Jamie with his fists clenched as well. He huffed, ¡°I am a good fighter, but I''ve


    never fought an eagle before.¡±


    As for Ellie, she got so scared that she cried.


    ¡°Don''t be scared, Ellie. I will protect you,¡± promised Jamis as he stroked her tiny head.


    ¡°Robbie''s right,¡±mented Henry while nodding, ¡°Don''t worry. I will deal with this matter and keep


    everyone safe.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Great-grandpa.¡±


    Ellie and Jamie flew into Henry''s arms to thank him.


    ¡°Thank you, Great-grandpa!¡±


    Robbie thanked Henry as well. The two of them had been distant in the past, but they finally managed


    to turn things for the better.


    ¡°I should call and inform Mr. Zachary about this.¡±


    Spencer felt uneasy, so he walked to the side to call Zachary.


    The call was connected soon after. ¡°Mr. Spencer,¡± greeted Zachary.


    ¡°Mr. Zachary, you''ve heard about how I called Bruce to deal with the residents in Northridge, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will deal with it ordingly.¡±


    ¡°They shot and destroyed the mechanical dove that Mr. Robbie invented, and he is furious. Mr. Nacht


    ns to deal with it in person to cate Mr. Robbie...¡±


    ¡°No, don''t!¡± shouted Zachary quickly.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°This is just a minor matter, so I can deal with it. Why would Grandpa go in person?¡± said Zachary as


    he thought of an excuse and added, ¡°He''s too old to run around and getting into fights for the kids''


    matters. It''s so embarrassing.¡±


    ¡°I think so too,¡± replied Spencer softly before he added, ¡°But I can''t stop him.¡±

 Chapter 713

    Chapter 713


    ¡°Why don''t I do this? I''ll ask Bruce to talk to them and make sure they keep an eye on the eagle. I''ll


    settle the rest of the matters when I''m back. Please stop my grandpa from going over there to teach


    them a lesson.¡±


    Zachary did not want Henry to meet Charlotte, or else things would take a turn for the worse.


    ¡°Understood.¡± Right as Spencer ended the call, Henry urged, ¡°How is it? Is he there yet?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Zachary has sent someone there, but he''ll need some time. Let''s not rush him.¡±


    Spencer was afraid that things would turn into a huge mess. Whenever the elder man''s grandchildren


    were involved, Henry would start acting like a child. If he could walk, Spencer was sure that Henry


    would have gone there to beat them up.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Henry nodded. He then consoled Robbie, ¡°Don''t worry. I''ll definitely stand up for you.¡±


    Seeing that, Spencer could not help but sigh inwardly.


    Henry had always been an arrogant man; he never needed to try his best to appease someone in this


    way in the past.


    Now that he was old, he had spent a lot of effort on these three children. Not to mention he still had to


    find ways to improve his rtionship with Robbie.


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, you''re really giving your all to this!¡± Meanwhile, Ben was also thinking simr thoughts.


    ¡°You''re trying to get Ms. Windt back while hiding it from Mr. Nacht at the same time. Most importantly,


    they actually moved to Northridge and turned into our neighbors. Now that we''re all using the same


    road, we''ll bump into her eventually!¡±


    ¡°That''s why I have to get Grandpa back to M Nation.¡± Zachary could even sense an oing


    headache.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht has returned on the pretext that the children are enrolling into school, but what he wants to


    do is to improve his rtionship with them. Moreover, he''s also trying to supervise your rtionship


    with Ms. ckwood,¡± Ben mumbled. ¡°I don''t think he''ll leave that easily.¡±


    ¡°You reminded me something,¡± Zachary blurted out. ¡°Make some time. We''ll be going to Serene


    Hospital tonight.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Ben nodded.


    Right then, Zachary''s phone rang. He picked it up and greeted, ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, Sir Louis has arrived at the airport. Mr. Sterk and I are waiting for him here. However...¡±


    Lucy trailed off before she covered her mouth to whisper. ¡°I saw someone from Lindberg Corporation.¡±


    ¡°My my, they''re everywhere, aren''t they...¡± The corner of Zachary''s lips lifted. ¡°Is Charlotte Lindberg


    there?¡±


    ¡°I don''t think I saw her¡ª¡± Lucy suddenly stopped. ¡°Wait, I see her now! She just arrived.¡±


    Immediately, Zachary furrowed his brows. ¡°I''ll be right there.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    After ending the call, Zachary gestured to Ben and ordered, ¡°To the airport.¡±


    Ben nodded. ¡°Understood.¡±


    Louis from F Nation was an old client of Divine Corporation, and he was also an old friend of Zachary.


    Their many years of business cooperation had been pleasant.


    This time, Louis was here in H City to discuss a project with Zachary, and Zachary saw their meeting as


    something immensely important. Yet, to his surprise, the men from Lindberg Corporation had arrived at


    the airport before he did.


    Lindberg Corporation had already snatched away several projects from Divine Corporation. This time,


    there was no way Zachary was going to let Lindberg Corporation have their way again.


    This was not only for thepany but it was also for his pride. He wanted to stop Charlotte.


    Marino easily swerved the car around the traffic like a fish in water, and before long, they arrived at the


    airport.


    With a group of men behind him, Zachary rushed toward the doorway to see Louis walking out of the


    private walkway.


    Louis was a man with a perfect face and blue eyes, looking like a prince who walked out of a mythology


    book.


    He was also a lover of music, and he was a renowned pianist.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, over here!¡± Lucy rushed over. ¡°The moment Mr. Sterk found out you wereing, he left.


    The men from Lindberg Corporation are waiting at the exit.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Right as Zachary was about to walk over to Louis, a melodious voice traveled into his ears.


    ¡°Louis!¡±

 Chapter 714

    Chapter 714


    ¡°Charlotte!¡±


    Louis'' gaze swept past Zachary andnded on Charlotte. He was pleasantly surprised.


    Then, he strode over and hugged her.


    Charlotte did not reject him. Instead, she was being so intimate with Louis to the point they seemed like


    a couple madly in love.


    Watching them, Zachary frowned.


    Without him realizing it, he was clenching his hands into fists.


    ¡°What''s going on?¡± Ben widened his eyes in shock. ¡°Sir Louis knows Ms. Lindberg?¡±


    ¡°I''m afraid it''s not as simple as that,¡± Marino pointed out.


    Soon, Zachary recollected himself and strode toward them. ¡°Louis!¡±


    It was only then that Louis let go of Charlotte, but one of his arms remained draped over her shoulders.


    Turning around, he shed a bright smile at Zachary before speaking in hisnguage. ¡°Zachary, let me


    introduce you to a good friend of mine, Charlotte Lindberg.¡±


    ¡°When did the two of you be friends?¡±


    Zachary was speaking to Louis, but his eyes were staring at Charlotte.


    ¡°We''ve known each other for two years now,¡± Louis said with a smile. ¡°Charlotte, this is the good friend


    I mentioned¡ªZachary!¡±Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°We''ve known each other for a long time,¡± Charlotte replied as she leaned into Louis'' arms, making her


    looked even more petite. ¡°We even met yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Is that so?¡± Louis was surprised. ¡°How did you know each other?¡±


    ¡°We met at work.¡±


    Charlotte''s Ferropenian was fluent, and it was a stark contrast with the Charlotte Windt from two years


    ago, who could barely speak Ustranasion.


    ¡°Louis, it seems like you don''t know her that well,¡± Zachary started as he stared at her. ¡°She''s the


    daughter of the Lindberg family and the younger sister of Danrique.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Louis paled as he abruptly retracted his arm away from Charlotte''s shoulders. ¡°You''re


    Danrique''s sister?¡±


    ¡°That''s right.¡± A sweet smile grew on Charlotte''s lips. ¡°Didn''t I say that I have a secret to tell you the


    next time we meet?¡±


    ¡°But...¡± Louis gazed at her as he frowned, not knowing what to say. He had suffered from Danrique''s


    ns in the past, and from then on, he had been keeping his distance from that man. Never had he


    imagined that Charlotte would be Danrique''s sister.


    ¡°What''s wrong? Do you not want to be friends now that you''ve found out I''m Danrique''s sister?¡±


    Charlotte chuckled.


    ¡°No.¡± Louis quickly shook his head. ¡°I told you we''ll be friends forever, but...¡±


    ¡°All right. I''ll stop intervening in your business conversation,¡± Charlotte interrupted.


    After giving Zachary a nce, she turned to leave.


    ¡°Charlotte,¡± Louis called out reluctantly.


    In response, Charlotte turned and gave him a bewitching smile.


    ¡°That''s enough. She''s gone,¡± Zachary scoffed, his tone terrible from feeling irritated.


    ¡°I never thought she''d be Danrique''s sister.¡±


    Louis was still stunned and trying topose himself from the realization.


    ¡°You know her, but you don''t know her identity?¡± Zachary asked as he towed Louis along. ¡°How did you


    come to know her?¡±


    ¡°I met her two years ago at a banquet. Her piano performance was excellent, and I fell in love with it


    immediately. When she was ying on stage, her music sheet was missing half a page. I even went on


    stage to help her out with her awkward situation. Oh, yes! I think you were there too. In fact, I think you


    were the one who hosted it. It was at Ashenville Garden.¡±


    As Louis recalled the past, he let out a long, quiet sigh.


    ¡°Two years ago...¡±


    Zachary immediately recalled said banquet. He had a project cooperation with Sharon, and he had


    hosted a banquet at Ashenville Garden. Back then, Charlotte had performed on stage as Olivia''s


    substitute, and Louis did go on stage to help her out.


    I should''ve stopped him from bearing further thoughts of her then and there.


    I can''t believe he''s trying to steal my woman from me now!

 Chapter 715

    Chapter 715


    ¡°She was wearing a mask back then. How did you recognize her?¡± Zachary wondered.


    ¡°Her eyes were one of a kind...¡± Louis mumbled as he lost himself deep in his thoughts again.


    ¡°To be honest, before she performed the piece, I''ve already seen her. She was exceptionally eye-


    catching when she came down from the car. I even took a photo of her.¡±


    At that, Louis took out the photo in his wallet to show Zachary. Indeed, it was Charlotte from two years


    ago.


    Back then, Charlotte was forced by Sharon to wear a sexy evening dress. When the night breeze blew,


    the edge of her skirt pped, and she was trying to keep it back down.


    It was a seductive yet pure pose she had at that time.


    Right at that moment, Louis had sneaked a shot of her.


    Staring at the photo, Zachary''s forehead creased. He never thought the banquet from two years ago


    would have helped Louis and Charlotte get together.


    ¡°Sheter wore a mask when she performed on stage, but when I saw her eyes, I guessed that it was


    her,¡± Louis crowed. ¡°However, to make sure I was right, I followed her backstage after her performance


    and saw her take off her mask.¡±


    ¡°What great eyesight you''ve got! Zachary cut him off, not wanting to hear more.


    Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    ¡°The funny thing is that when I met her at Pillere''s Royal Theater, she doesn''t remember anything


    about it,¡± Louis continued, disregarding Zachary''s interruption. ¡°I took out the photo and showed it to


    her, but she told me that wasn''t her.¡±


    ¡°Maybe she doesn''t want to admit whatever she''s done back then,¡± came Zachary''s half-hearted reply.


    ¡°That''s not it.¡± Louis shook his head. ¡°She was sick, and she lost her memories.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Zachary halted in his tracks. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Louis was certain. ¡°Even until now, she has yet topletely recover. She has to take her meds


    every day, and she only remembers things from her childhood. She remembers nothing from her


    adulthood.¡±


    Upon hearing his words, a solemn look crawled onto Zachary''s face as thousands of thoughts raced in


    his mind.


    If what Louis says is true, then Charlotte really doesn''t remember me anymore. That means she


    doesn''t remember her family and friends too.


    Does she not remember the triplets too?


    Right then, Zachary realized something major. Charlotte loved her children dearly, but since her return,


    she never talked about her children, much less looked for them. That was indeed strange behavior of


    her.


    Moreover, she was close to Mrs. Berry. Yet, she never mentioned Mrs. Berry''s horrible death that


    happened a while back.


    There was no usible reason to exin her odd behaviors other than her loss of memory.


    Did she really lose her memory? Is that why Danrique is using her against me?


    ¡°Zachary... Zachary!¡± Louis'' voice pulled Zachary''s mind back to reality. Zachary then said, ¡°Let me


    bring you to rest at the hotel first.¡±


    ¡°What''s the matter with you? You seem distracted,¡± Louis queried.


    ¡°I didn''t sleep wellst night,¡± Zachary replied. Then, he added, ¡°That woman''s aplicated


    character. You should stay away from her.¡±


    ¡°I don''t think she''splicated; I think she''s mysterious,¡± crooned Louis, who did not agree with


    Zachary''s words.


    ¡°I encountered her again at F Nation''s Royal Concertst year before I confessed my love to her and


    began courting her there. However, she told me that we could only be friends. I thought I didn''t have


    any opportunities anymore, but look at how passionate she was toward me earlier! I''m feeling my me


    of hope burning anew!¡±


    ¡°This is how women seduce men,¡± Zachary coldly stated. ¡°In other words, she''s a scheming b*tch.¡±


    ¡°What beach?¡± Louis did not understand what he meant.


    ¡°Anyway, she''s nothing but poison, so don''t get close to her,¡± Zachary uttered, nning to mislead him.


    ¡°There are plenty of pretty, sweet girls in H City. I''ll introduce them to you tonight.¡±


    ¡°No way! I''m not that kind of person,¡± Louis rejected promptly. ¡°We from the F Nation are loyal people


    who stick only to one.¡±


    ...


    At ten o ''clock in the evening, Louis followed Zachary to Sultry Night. Staring at the fluorescent lights


    and crowd of beautiful women, his eyes lit up in excitement. ¡°I can''t believe there are ces as thrilling


    as this!¡±

 Chapter 716

    Chapter 716


    ¡°There are more toe,¡± Zachary tempted with a grin. ¡°After you leave this ce today, you won''t


    think that woman''s any good anymore.¡±


    ¡°You mean Charlotte?¡± When Charlotte''s face appeared in Louis'' mind, he suddenly felt as if he was


    making a mistake bying here. ¡°I still think she''s great. If she finds out I''ve been here, I''m sure she''ll


    be upset. Forget it. I''m going back.¡±


    With that, Louis spun around and was about to leave when a pretty woman in a sexy cat-themed attire


    crashed into his arms. She whispered, ¡°Hey there, handsome. Where are you going?¡±


    Louis'' eyes widened instantly as his gaze trailed from her corbone and downward. When he saw her


    bosoms, his eyes widened further, and blood began streaming down his nose.


    ¡°Pft!¡± The young woman giggled as she covered her mouth. ¡°Oh my, maybe some wine will freeze that


    nosebleed of yours.¡±


    With that said, the young woman then motioned for the other women to lead Louis into Zachary''s


    private room.


    ¡°Sir Louis reminds me of the first time I was here at Sultry Night,¡± Ben sighed. ¡°Like him, I was so shy


    and ufortable. Butter on, you doomed me.¡±


    ring at Zachary gloomily, heined, ¡°Now I''mpletely unfazed by everything.¡±


    ¡°Isn''t that good? You''ve developed an immunity to it.¡± Zachary grinned. ¡°Although you frequent this


    ce, you''re still a virgin. That must be tough.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, h-how can you¡ª¡± Ben blushed.


    Zachary''s grin widened before he walked into the room.


    Marino, who was beside Ben, inquired, ¡°Ben, are you really a virgin?¡±


    ¡°Shut it!¡± Ben red daggers at him. ¡°Out of everything you learn, why are you learning how to


    gossip?¡±


    Marino stood transfixed as he watched Ben entered the room. When two girls dressed in bunny outfits


    came close to thetter, he skillfully maneuvered his way around them,pletely unperturbed by their


    advances.


    At the sight of that, Marino found his respect for the other man growing.


    Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Now, Ben was his role model.


    I have to be principled and incorruptible like him!


    In the VVIP room was a sight of an indulgent lifestyle.


    There were all kinds of hostesses¡ªfrom bunny girls to mature, sexy women.


    By now, Louis had already lost himself to this paradise. As a group of gorgeous women surrounded him


    on the couch and fed him wine and gapes, Ben averted his eyes away from him.


    Louis was like a prisoner caught in between his desires and morals. His fingers sunk into the leather


    couch as he struggled with all his might in his heart.


    ¡°Don''t... pin me down. Get down from me¡ª Hey, don''t unbuckle my belt! Stop touching my thigh! Ah!


    Don''t sit on me! Zachary, save me!¡±


    It was difficult for Louis to speak the localnguage, and he was struggling both mentally and


    physically.


    As Zachary gazed at the pleading Louis, he realized thetter had teary eyes and a miserable look.


    Restraining himself fromughing, Zachary then made a gesture.


    Instantly, Ben and Marino got rid of the young women, who were swift to make themselves scarce.


    Within seconds, the room was quiet again.


    Louisy slumped on the couch as he wiped the sweat beading on his forehead. Even after minutes of


    taking deep breaths, he still could not recollect himself.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Zachary nced at the other man''s reaction before ncing at the bulge between his


    thighs.


    ¡°I-I''m fine.¡± Louis hurriedly grabbed a pillow to cover his front. ¡°Those girls are ferocious.¡±


    ¡°You don''t like it?¡± Zachary intentionally asked. ¡°Then I won''t ask them to enter anymore. Let''s drink


    instead.¡±


    ¡°No, no. That''s not it,¡± Louis hastily exined. ¡°It''s tough for them to work this job. We should support


    them as much as we can.¡±

 Chapter 717

    Chapter 717


    ¡°Then why did you cry for help earlier?¡± Zachary lifted a brow at him.


    ¡°I...¡± Once again, Louis found himself swaying back and forth between sumbing to his desires and


    listening to his rationality.


    Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Honestly, that was just the appetizer. It''s nothing worth mentioning.¡± Zachary patted his shoulder


    before revealing a mysterious smile. ¡°The highlight is whates after.¡±


    ¡°What is the highlight?¡± Louis'' eyes lit up in eagerness again.


    ¡°Hmm, maybe we should forget it,¡± Zachary muttered abruptly before returning to his usual serious


    state. ¡°You said people from F Nation are faithful people who stick to one. I can''t taint you like this.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Louis blurted out. ¡°How can this be called as tainting me? I''m just curious; I want to experience


    this colorful, interesting world. Don''t worry, I''ll remain faithful on the inside.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Zachary rubbed his temples, making it seem like he was trying to wrap his head around


    Louis'' answer. ¡°But you said you''ll do Charlotte wrong by doing this. If she finds out about this, won''t


    she me me for being a bad influence?¡±


    ¡°Just don''t let her find out about this, then,¡± Louis quickly pointed out. ¡°I won''t do anything bad, I swear.


    I''m just curious. I won''t go all out.¡±


    ¡°I still think we should forget about it,¡± Zachary rejected. ¡°It''s best that you continue this back in F


    Nation. If your father finds out about this, he''ll me me for being a bad influence.¡±


    ¡°That''s the problem. I''ve lived under his strict parenting, and I''ve never broken a single rule since I was


    a kid. That''s why I don''t know anything,¡± Louis mumbled, feeling downhearted. ¡°I only found out that


    there was such an exciting ce on earth aftering here today.¡±


    ¡°Exciting? You look like you were suffering.¡± Zachary gazed at him, feeling amused. ¡°It was as if those


    girls were demons and monsters who''ll gobble you up.¡±


    ¡°I-I was just nervous.¡± Louis tugged at him, looking anxious. ¡°Stop dilly-dallying and start the highlight!¡±


    ¡°All right, then. Since you''re so anxious to see it, let me show you the world.¡±


    Zachary then pped his hand, and exotic music began ying in the room. Next, a group of young


    women in veils and white dresses walked into the room while surrounding another young woman in


    red.


    The girls in white parted before the girl in red began dancing Ibican dance.


    As the music rhythm changed, her hips shook at a quicker pace as she cast her seductive gaze at


    Louis.


    Her red dress was the perfect contrast against the surrounding young women who had white dresses


    on.


    Moreover, their veils were thin, and Louis could vaguely see their nimble bodies moving under them.


    The sight dumbfounded him as he froze in his spot. The entire time, his gaze kept following the girl in


    red''s movements as his heart palpitated. It was as if his blood was heating up in excitement.


    Right then, Zachary handed him a piece of tissue, signaling him to wipe his bloody nose.


    However, Louis'' eyes were fixed on that young woman, and he did not realize Zachary''s action.


    It was only when Zachary tapped his elbow that he came back to his senses. After taking the tissue to


    put it under his nose, he returned his focus back on the girl and continued staring.


    Patting Louis'' shoulder, Zachary smirked. ¡°What do you think about this highlight?¡±


    ¡°I-It''s great.¡±


    Louis nodded his head in a daze. This was the first time he had experienced such shock. As someone


    who had grown up under the rule of strict parenting, he had never seen a sight like this before today.


    Enlightenment was instantly bestowed upon him to experience such an exciting show on his first time


    here.


    ¡°Why don''t I make some arrangements?¡± Zachary tempted. ¡°She''s pure and skillful. I''m sure she''ll


    serve you well.¡±


    ¡°I-I don''t think that''ll work.¡± The meager remnants of Louis'' rationality were telling him not to do it. ¡°I''ll


    just have a look. I can''t do anything serious.¡±

 Chapter 718

    Chapter 718


    ¡°Ah, that''s true.¡±


    Zachary nodded without saying anything else. However, he leaned back on the couch and began


    sipping on his wine with an arrogant look on his face.


    The girl in red slowly danced her way toward Louis. With a quick wave of her hand, her veilnded on


    Louis'' face, and he could smell a faint fragrance from it.


    Louis continued to stare at her, his heart thumping until it was about to beat out his chest.


    He gulped.


    After ncing at him, Zachary then gave a look to Ben.


    Instantly, Ben retreated from the room silently.


    The girl in red continued dancing and tempting Louis.


    She slowly moved her way toward him before spinning around and falling into Louis'' arms in a perfect


    arc.


    Almost immediately, Louis shuddered. Then, he stiffened. When his gazended on her beautiful face,


    he could not tear his eyes away anymore.


    Reaching out, the young woman hooked her hand around his neck and brushed her red lips past his


    cheeks. Once she was close to his ear, she gently nibbled his earlobe.


    A shudder wracked through Louis'' body before he began trembling in nervousness. Subconsciously,


    his hand reached out to hold her waist.


    Her slender fingers softly brushed across his chest before moving down anding to a stop at his


    vital parts. Then, after giving him a wink, she twirled away.


    ¡°Hey¡ª¡± Louis subconsciously cried out, but she was already gone.


    The group of girls in white followed her out. Like fluttering butterflies, they disappeared in a blink of an


    eye.


    Louis stared at the doorway for a long time before he managed to return to his senses. Tugging


    Zachary toward him, he asked, ¡°Why are they gone?¡±


    ¡°I said I''ll make arrangements, but since you don''t want them, it''s only natural that they''ll have to leave,¡±


    Zachary replied with a helpless shrug. ¡°After all, they have other missions to do.¡±


    ¡°Missions? What missions?¡± Louis asked, looking anxious.


    ¡°There are more waiting to see her dance other than you,¡± Zachary informed. ¡°She''s the top hit in Sultry


    Night recently.¡±


    ¡°Ask her toe back. I''m getting her for the night,¡± Louis blurted out.


    ¡°Hm? For the night?¡± Zachary raised a brow.


    ¡°I-I...¡± Louis stuttered as his face flushed red.


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Are you sure? I''ll make the arrangements, then.¡± Staring at him, Zachary then asked, ¡°Looking at your


    shy demeanor... Don''t tell me, are you a virgin?¡±


    ¡°Of course I''m not.¡± Louis blushed a shade redder. ¡°I have had rtionships!¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Zachary nodded. ¡°Then why are you so reluctant? A man''s got to be decisive.¡±


    ¡°I am decisive!¡± Louis panicked. ¡°Ask her toe back.¡±


    With a gesture from Zachary, Marino instantly left to make the necessary arrangements. Soon, the girl


    in red was back.


    ¡°Enjoy yourself.¡± Zachary put down his ss and rose to his feet, about to leave.


    ¡°Hey.¡± Louis stopped him. ¡°Are you leaving?¡±


    ¡°Am I supposed to be watching the show here?¡± Zachary grinned. ¡°Don''t worry. She''s no monster, she


    won''t gobble you up. Have fun.¡±


    With that said, he tugged his shirt away from Louis'' grasp and strode out.


    His subordinates followed behind him and left the room to Louis and the girl.


    When the door closed, the girl tiptoed toward Louis before parting her lips to whisper, ¡°Sir Louis, I''m


    Ember.¡±


    ¡°H-Hello, E-Ember!¡± Louis'' entire body began shaking again. ¡°Y-Your dance was magnificent.¡±


    ¡°Is that all? Just my dance?¡±


    Pouncing onto him like a feral kitten, Ember sat on him.


    By the doorway, when Zachary saw the scene, the corner of his lips lifted. He knew a rule-abiding


    nobleman like Louis would not be able to withstand a temptation like this.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, Ms. Lindberg''s here.¡±

 Chapter 719

    Chapter 719


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, Ms. Lindberg''s here,¡± Ben whispered behind him.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Zachary nodded before leaving. ¡°I finally realize how fun it is to do bad things.¡±


    ¡°It is quite despicable,¡± Ben mumbled under his breath.


    Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°What''s that?¡± Zachary frowned.


    ¡°I mean...¡± Ben hurriedly exined. ¡°Mr. Nacht, you''re breaking your back just to help your friend have


    a woman.¡±


    ¡°That isn''t right, is it?¡± Zachary pointed out. ¡°Did you mean to say I stabbed my friend in the back just to


    have a woman?¡±


    Ben fell silent, not daring to utter anything to that.


    All he did was roll his eyes discreetly.


    ¡°However, this is a good thing,¡± Zachary crowed. ¡°Louis will grow up after this.¡±


    ¡°Yes, he should thank you for this,¡± Ben replied sullenly.


    ¡°Are you being sarcastic?¡± Zachary peeked at him.


    ¡°Absolutely not,¡± Ben uttered as he promptly straightened his back. ¡°I''ll always be on Mr. Nacht''s side.


    Everything Mr. Nacht does is right.¡±


    ¡°That''s right.¡± Zachary nodded in satisfaction.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg...¡± Seeing the familiar figure, Ben could not help but stop in his tracks. ¡°Why is she


    here?¡±


    It was then that Zachary raised his head. Not far from them, several female bodyguards were clearing


    the path in the crowd. The one who walked down the cleared path was none other than Charlotte.


    Instantly, Zachary entered the private room by the side. Simrly, Ben and the others entered as well.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, this ce is too noisy. Shall we go back?¡±


    ¡°She''s right. This is paradise for men, not for us.¡±


    ¡°The two of you talk too much,¡± Charlotte voiced in a frigid tone.


    Instantly, Lupine and Morgan zipped their mouths shut.


    The group continued walking down the corridor until their gazesnded on the ck and golden private


    room''s mysteriousbel.


    As Charlotte stared at the private room door, a strange image emerged in her mind. The image of a


    man in a mask shed past, and his eyes seemed like they were trying to tell her something.


    Charlotte closed her eyes. When she opened them again, the image was gone.


    However, everything around her seemed oddly familiar.


    As her steps faltered, she looked around and tried to recall when she had visited this ce. However,


    her efforts were to no avail.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, that looks like Sir Louis'' men.¡±


    Lupine pointed in front.


    Outside the VVIP room were two F Nation bodyguards.


    ¡°Sir Louis is really here?¡± Morgan eximed. ¡°I''ve always thought he''s a noble and moral man. I never


    thought...¡±


    ¡°Maybe he''s only here to meet a friend.¡± It seemed like Charlotte was unperturbed by the new


    knowledge as she continued forward.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg!¡± When the two F Nation bodyguards saw her, they flew into a panic. As their eyes flitted


    around, they nervously asked, ¡°W-Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°Is Louis inside?¡±


    Sweeping her eyes past them, Charlotte''s gazended on the room''s window.


    With the dim lights, she could vaguely see Louis'' stiff form on the couch and the girl in red on him.


    It seemed like Louis wanted to push her away, but at the same time, he wanted to embrace her.


    For a moment, it was as if Louis was a girl being forced by someone.


    Lifting a brow, Charlotte raised her leg to kick the door open.


    Bang! The loud noise frightened the living daylights out of the two in the room.


    When Louis saw Charlotte, a shudder ran down his spine, and he swiftly pushed Ember away before


    crawling up from the couch. Then, he hurriedly took a cushion to cover up the bulge between his legs.


    At that very moment, embarrassment overwhelmed him to the point he wished he could bury his head


    in the sands.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Ember frowned as she looked at Charlotte.


    Charlotte shot a sharp look at her, prompting the girl to jumped in fright and quickly escaped after


    picking up the red veil on the ground to cover herself.

 Chapter 720

    Chapter 720


    ¡°Charlotte, I-I...¡±


    Louis wanted to exin, but droplets of sweat were rolling down his cheeks from his forehead, and he


    could not manage to speak a proper sentence.


    ¡°Who brought you here?¡±


    Charlotte was not angry and her tone was calm. After her question, she began giving the ce a once-


    over. That''s strange. Why does this ce look so familiar?


    ¡°About that...¡± Louis was about to reveal Zachary''s name, but he realized that would mean he was a


    bad friend. Hence, he said instead, ¡°Charlotte, I didn''t do anything just now. I was holding my ground,


    and I''ve yet to... You know.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Charlotte nced at his pants. His belt was unbuckled, but his pants were still on.


    So, despite all her efforts earlier, that pretty girl in red hasn''t gotten her way yet.


    How pitiful.


    ¡°Don''t be angry.¡± Louis moved forward, about to tug Charlotte''s sleeve.


    However, she took a step back and avoided his hands. ¡°I''m not.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you...¡± Louis trailed off, feeling hurt by her apathetic demeanor.


    ¡°You touched someone else earlier,¡± Charlotte muttered as she maintained a distance from him. ¡°I''m


    going to leave first. We''ll meet another day.¡±


    ¡°Charlotte¡ª¡± Louis was about to speak, but Charlotte had already turned and left.


    Looking at her retreating figure, Louis felt his heart sink in disappointment. At the same time, he felt


    remorseful for what he had done earlier.


    Just then, two bodyguards entered and quietly consoled, ¡°Sir, don''t be upset. Ms. Lindberg''s reaction


    means that she''s concerned about you.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Louis'' eyes lit up with hope.


    ¡°Yes, that''s right. She''s clearly jealous,¡± the other bodyguard added.


    ¡°Right. She''s jealous.¡± Recalling Charlotte''s reaction from a moment ago, delight entered Louis'' heart.


    ¡°She must be jealous!¡±


    ¡°Maybe this is good news,¡± the bodyguard continued. ¡°She used to swing between being enthusiastic


    and aloof back then. That means she was unsure of her feelings toward you. After this incident, she''s


    starting to think of her feelings for you as something important.¡±


    ¡°So, I guess this is... How do you say this in C Nation''snguage? Something is disguise?¡±


    ¡°A blessing in disguise.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. That''s the one I was going for.¡±


    Hearing their reassurances, Louis'' light blue eyes were bright with hope. He suddenly felt that he had


    managed to get on the right path despite all his wrong turns today.


    Meanwhile, Charlotte had not left the ce. Seconds after she walked out of the room, she instructed


    Lupine, ¡°Find out who that room belongs to.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Lupine instantly left to work on it.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, are we leaving now? Should I get someone to prep the car?¡± Morgan asked.


    ¡°No.¡± Looking at her surroundings, Charlotte felt a wave of familiarity bombarding her. She was sure


    she had been here in the past. ¡°Let''s have fun in one of the private rooms.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Morgan was taken aback by her words.


    At her reaction, Charlotte frowned.


    Instantly, Morgan lowered her head and uttered, ¡°Yes, I''ll work on it right away.¡±


    She then left to look for Sultry Night''s manager to get a private room.


    Charlotte then brought the remaining six bodyguards out to the public area. Another wave of familiarity


    struck when she looked at the young women dancing on the stage and the young people swaying with


    the beat off the stage.


    It seems like I used to frequent here.


    Right then, Zachary, who had been watching Charlotte from a hidden corner, narrowed his eyes. He,


    too, would like to know what was going on.


    Is she feeling nostalgic, or has she really lost her memories?


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, the manager said someone is trying to check the information of our room,¡± Marino reported


    quietly. ¡°I''ve instructed him not to let anyone know about it.¡±


    ¡°Good job,¡± Ben praised as he patted his shoulder.


    ¡°Has Louis left?¡± Zachary asked.


    ¡°He just did,¡± came Marino''s reply.


    ¡°My things are still in the room, right?¡±


    After ncing at Charlotte''s figure, he suddenly turned toward the area of the private rooms.


    ¡°Yes. I''ve kept it in your room''s safe.¡±


    Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Good.¡±

 Chapter 721

    Chapter 721


    Lupine brought Sultry Night''s manager, Peter Jones, to Charlotte.


    The moment Peter spotted her, his lips parted wide in disbelief. ¡°It''s her?¡±


    ¡°Do you know her?¡± asked Lupine curiously.


    ¡°I...¡±


    Peter blinked, utterly shocked. For a moment, he thought he was seeing things.


    Two years ago, he heard how Olivia, Charlotte, and Mrs. Berry perished after an ident.


    Back then, he dared not ask any questions.


    However, it was obvious that the Nacht family wanted to keep the kids and got rid of Charlotte and Mrs.


    Berry.


    For the past two years, he was careful enough not to offend Zachary.


    From then on, Zachary never showed up in Sultry Night anymore.


    Hence, he was able to remain here as the manager.


    That day, to Peter''s utter surprise, Zachary showed up. He served the man personally, and nothing out


    of the ordinary happened. When Lupine asked Peter about the Noir Room, he tried to brush the former


    off, but Lupine revealed her identity.


    After getting to know Lupine''s identity, Peter dared not offend her and said he would exin to Lupine''s


    employer himself.


    He never expected that Ms. Lindberg was none other than Charlotte Windt.


    Peter was puzzled. How is it possible that she doesn''t know who that room belongs to? Why did she


    send her subordinate to sound me out?


    ¡°What''s wrong?¡± Lupine nced at him.


    ¡°Oh, it''s nothing.¡± Being a seasoned veteran, Peter thought that the reason Charlotte didn''t reveal her


    identity was because she didn''t want to admit what she had done back then. Hence, there was no need


    for him to exin things.


    He pretended not to know Charlotte and greeted her politely, ¡°Hello, Ms. Lindberg!¡±


    Charlotte''s head whipped around. She found him familiar, but she couldn''t recall where she had seen


    him before.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, I''ve arranged a booth for you. Pleasee with me.¡±


    After leading Charlotte and her entourage to the booth, he served them a bottle of liquor on the house.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, please wait for a moment. Your private room will be ready soon.¡±


    Instead of replying to him, Charlotte gazed at Lupine.


    At once, Lupine reported, ¡°I''ve asked about it, but Mr. Jones said¡ª¡±


    ¡°I''m really sorry, Ms. Lindberg,¡± Peter immediately apologized profusely. ¡°We can''t reveal our clients''


    information to others. I''m sorry about that!¡±


    Charlotte didn''t probe further. ¡°How long have you been working here for?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Around two-and-a-half years,¡± replied Peter with his head hung low.


    ¡°Have you seen me here previously?¡± Charlotte continued.


    ¡°Well...¡± Peter froze, at a loss for words.


    ¡°Looks like you have.¡±


    Charlotte realized then she had been to H City and Sultry Night before. It seems like I''ve lost part of my


    memory.


    Peter stood aside fearfully. He had heard about the Lindberg family, who was as powerful as the Nacht


    family. Even the Nacht family had to give way to them, so he reminded himself to be on caution.


    Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    However, he was wondering, How did Charlotte Windt be a Lindberg?


    Right then, his staff came to inform them that the private room was ready. Peter hurriedly dered,


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, your private room is ready. Pleasee with us.¡±


    Charlotte put her ss down and followed behind Peter.


    Lupine, Morgan, and the others trailed behind her.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, if you need anything, just let me know. I''ll arrange for it ASAP,¡± said Peter earnestly.


    ¡°What services do you provide here?¡±


    Charlotte''s nce swept across the club. There were elegantly dressed middle-ageddies frolicking


    around with handsome hunks.


    ¡°Normally, men would pick a few hostesses to drink with them. As for our women clients...¡±


    ¡°Such insolence!¡± reprimanded Lupine.


    Peter looked down and fell silent.


    ¡°Women will pay for hosts to apany them?¡± Charlotte arched a brow.


    Peter coughed lightly before answering carefully, ¡°Yes, that''s usually what they do. But you can rx by


    drinking and listening to music here, too.¡±

 Chapter 722

    Chapter 722


    Charlotte snorted with disdain.


    Peter caught her disdain immediately and offered, ¡°I''ll serve you some liquor from my collection.¡±


    Charlotte nodded. She was about to step into her private room when a familiar figure appeared in her


    line of sight.


    Immediately, she came to a stop in shock.


    For some reason, her heart started pounding.


    This figure was etched in her brain as though she had seen him in her previous lifetime.


    Charlotte dashed after him, but the man strode ahead swiftly.


    Quickening her pace, she was just about to catch up to him when he turned into a long hallway before


    turning around to give her a nce.


    He was wearing a mask covering half of his features, which gave him a mysterious air.


    His smoldering gaze sucked her into its dark and mysterious depths.


    Stunned, Charlotte realized the man had disappeared in a blink of an eye.


    She stood rooted to the spot. It took her a while to regain her senses.


    The man''s figure popped up in her mind. She racked her brains, trying to recall anything about him, but


    there was nothing.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg!¡± Lupine, Morgan, and the others caught up to her soon.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Get that man for me.¡± Charlotte spun on her heels and ordered Peter. ¡°Right now!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Peter saw that she was going after someone, but he didn''t manage to see who that man was.


    ¡°He''s tall, d in ck, and wearing a mask covering half his face. He has a zing gaze, too.¡±


    Charlotte described the man to him. ¡°Oh, there''s also a mysterious emblem on his mask.¡±


    ¡°He''s wearing a mask? I think he''s one of our hosts, then,¡± responded Peter. ¡°I''ll do my best.¡±


    Both Lupine and Morgan were astonished. Ms. Lindberg just scoffed at the idea of hiring hosts earlier.


    Why is she asking for one now?


    Charlotte headed into her room, where a few servers were preparing their drinks and snacks.


    Haughtily, Charlotte took her seat and epted the ss of wine Lupine handed her. She swirled it


    slowly, still preupied with the man''s figure.


    How strange. Many people in H City seemed familiar to me... Zachary Nacht, Sharon ckwood, and


    now this manager, Peter Jones.


    Every one of them made me feel a plethora of emotions¡ªheartache, vengeance, and calmness¡ªwhen


    I saw them.


    However, that figure was different. I felt my heart soften at the sight of him.


    It was as if we shared a blissful past together.


    I need to find him now.


    Lupine and Morgan exchanged nces and frowned without a word.


    Charlotte leaned on the sofa and crossed her legs. She sipped on her winezily.


    As time ticked by, Charlotte slowly lost her patience. Her brows furrowed up.


    Sensing her impatience, Lupine offered, ¡°Let me ask about the progress.¡±


    Right then, Peter led over a dozen hosts into the room. The hosts were d in ck leather jackets


    and they were all over one meter and eighty-five in height, with various masks covering half of their


    faces.


    Most of them matched Charlotte''s description.


    The bodyguards could barely believe their eyes. This was the first time they had seen so many hosts in


    their lives.


    The hosts gazed at Charlotte helplessly before gazing at Lupine and Morgan.


    Both Lupine and Morgan froze awkwardly.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, I''ve gathered the hosts who fit your description. Is the person you''re looking for among


    them?¡± Peter pointed at the thirteen hosts and introduced them earnestly. ¡°They are highly educated


    and well-mannered. We made sure they received rigorous training. Their health reports¡ª¡±


    Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Charlotte bellowed as her brows knitted up.


    Peter quickly mped up.

 Chapter 723

    Chapter 723


    After ncing at the men, Charlotte''s frown deepened. She dismissed them with a flick of her fingers.


    ¡°It''s not them?¡± Peter uttered in disbelief.


    ¡°Just leave,¡± growled Lupine.


    Peter led the hosts out hastily. He came in alone afterward and asked wearily, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, those


    were the hosts who matched your description.¡±


    ¡°Maybe he change his clothes?¡± Lupine suggested.


    ¡°That might be possible. I''ll go look for him again.¡± Peter was about to leave when Charlotte stopped


    him.


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± replied Peter as he came to a stop by the door.


    ¡°Could it be that he''s not a host here?¡±


    Charlotte thought back to the man. He doesn''t seem like a lowly host...


    ¡°If he isn''t a host, why would he be wearing a mask?¡± Peter refuted.


    He continued, ¡°Our clients are mostly wealthy people and business owners. The others are higher-ups


    in theirpanies. They want to rx here, served by our hosts and hostesses. None of them will


    wear masks.¡±


    He added, ¡°Besides, our hosts have received strict training before starting work. Everyone has their


    own personality and character. Some of them don''t even look like hosts and can pass off as


    domineering presidents. That''s their concept.¡±


    Peter stopped and studied Charlotte carefully, afraid of offending her.


    Charlotte said nothing and drank her wine coolly.


    ¡°Keep looking,¡± Lupinemanded and made a gesture.


    ¡°Understood!¡± Peter left to carry out her order.


    Slowly, the bottle of wine reached its bottom. Charlotte lost her patience and flung her ss out


    abruptly.


    Crash!


    Startled, the servers in the room dashed aside.


    Charlotte wiped her hands clean and stood up with her coat in her arms.


    Lupine and Morgan nked her while the other bodyguards followed closely.


    They had just left the room when Peter rushed over with a few other hosts. At the sight of Charlotte, he


    eximed, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, I''ve brought our top hosts here. Please take a look at them.¡±


    Charlotte cast them an indifferent nce before stalking away.


    One of the top hosts came to her and uttered gently, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, you''re drunk. Why don''t I¡ª¡±


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Scram!¡± Charlotte knitted her brows and growled.


    ¡°Why don''t you take look at me first? I''m sure you''ll be satisfied with my looks.¡±


    The host then took off his mask, revealing his handsome face.


    Looking up, Charlotte realized he was telling the truth. Strangely, however, she felt repulsed by the


    sight of him.


    As Charlotte was staring at him, delight flitted across the host''s face. He reached out to help her. ¡°Let''s


    go¡ª¡±


    Crash!


    Before he could finish, Charlotte gave him a forceful kick.


    He was sent flying instantly. His body crashed into a door before he fell to the ground. Clutching his


    belly, he screamed in agony.


    The other hosts paled visibly and tried to hide behind Peter''s back.


    Peter''s lips parted in shock. Back then, Charlotte used to be a weak and defenseless woman. She


    used to be bullied a lot. How could she be this strong?


    Ms. Lindberg looks exactly like Charlotte. Is she really the Charlotte that I know of?


    Charlotte gazed at the wounded host coolly before rubbing her heels on the carpet as though wiping


    the dirt off before striding away elegantly.


    Lupine handed a check to Peter and gestured toward the host. ¡°This is to cover his medical bill and


    your fee. Split it among yourselves.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± answered Peter as he epted the check. His eyes immediately widened in


    bewilderment.


    Ten million?


    Charlotte used to fight with others over a thousand.


    There''s no way she''llpensate ten million after kicking someone.


    Did I get it wrong?


    Could it be that Ms. Lindberg isn''t Charlotte?

 Chapter 724

    Chapter 724


    Peter was still in a daze when Charlotte left with her bodyguards.


    ¡°Peter, help!¡± the host wailed in pain.


    Upon hearing his wails, Peter and the other hosts helped him up hurriedly.


    ¡°D-Don''t move my body!¡± the host cried out. ¡°I think my waist''s broken. Call the ambnce!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Peter was stunned. ¡°Is it that serious?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± The host burst into tears. ¡°She''s no wealthy heiress. She''s a devil in disguise!¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Petermanded anxiously. ¡°Do you have a death wish? Don''t drag me into your mess!¡±


    ¡°Don''t implicate us, too!¡± The other hosts were terrified. ¡°Her bodyguards were armed.¡±


    ¡°Oh, dear! That''s terrifying!¡±


    ¡°Peter, I''m scared!¡±


    ¡°Stop it. We need to send him to the hospital now.¡±


    ¡°No! Don''t touch me! Just call an ambnce!¡±


    ¡°It''s not like you''re dying. If we call the ambnce, our clients will be startled!¡±


    The host howled, ¡°Peter, you''re a heartless man!¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    ¡°How much did theypensate us? I think I''m going to be paralyzed for the rest of my life. The


    money should belong to me.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense. We''ll split it into half.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    Meanwhile, Charlotte was frowning in displeasure.


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    That man appeared, stirred up my emotions, and disappeared without a trace.


    Who is he?


    Lupine, who had been studying her employer all the while, suggested carefully. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, calm


    down. I''ll send someone to search for him now.¡±


    ¡°You must find him...¡±


    Charlotte trailed off suddenly, for the familiar figure was standing a distance away.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, the car is ready. As the entrance is crowded, why don''t we leave through the back


    door...¡±


    Morgan was still talking when Charlotte darted forward. Before Charlotte could reach the man, a drunk


    man grabbed her hand out of a sudden. ¡°Hey, gorgeous. Where are you going? Come and have a drink


    with me.¡±


    ¡°Let go of me!¡± Charlotte bellowed angrily.


    ¡°No way. You''re the prettiest around here...¡±


    The drunkard reached out to touch her chin. Charlotte was about to attack him when a gust of icy wind


    brushed across her ears and struck the drunkard.


    Thud! The drunk man dropped to the ground as blood gushed out of his nostrils.


    Instinctively, Charlotte turned at her shoulder. The man who had her in his arms was none other than


    the man whom she spotted in the corridor earlier.


    Right now, he was towering above her in a protective stance. Something indecipherable shed across


    his gaze as he stared at her without a word.


    The mask covered half of his face, but there was a sense of familiarity about him.


    It was as though they were lovers in their past life.


    ¡°Were you looking for me?¡± he rasped sexily in his deep and lilting voice right beside her ear.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Charlotte gazed at him nkly.


    Hearing that, the man''s expression clouded over. Looks like she has lost her memories for real.


    ¡°How dare you attack our boss?¡±


    The drunkard''s bodyguards roared furiously and rushed toward them, brandishing empty beer bottles.


    The man wrapped his arms around Charlotte and spun around. He lifted his leg and sent a flying kick.


    Crash!


    The bodyguards were sent flying and crashed into a ss table in a booth, smashing it into pieces.


    ¡°Come with me!¡±


    The man took Charlotte''s hand and led her to the back door.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg!¡± Lupine ran after her hastily.


    Charlotte made a hand gesture. Lupine threw the car keys to her and stopped Morgan from going after


    her.


    ¡°Why aren''t we going after her?¡± Morgan demanded anxiously. ¡°What if something happens to Ms.


    Lindberg?¡±

 Chapter 725

    Chapter 725


    ¡°Didn''t you see her gesture?¡± Frowning, Lupine exined, ¡°If we go after her and ruin her n, she''ll


    get mad at us. You know how hot-tempered she is.''


    ¡°But that''s a total stranger! What if he''s up to no good?¡±


    ¡°We have to follow them in secret.¡± Lupine headed to the back door as Charlotte and that mysterious


    man had exited the club through that door earlier. ¡°We can''t tail too closely or let anything happen to


    her.¡±


    ¡°What happened to Ms. Lindberg? She had always been a cool and logical person. But after the man


    appeared, she seemed to have lost all her reason.¡±


    ¡°Don''t you know? Even the mightiest would fall at a beauty''s nce...¡±


    In a secluded corner, Marino watched as Zachary led Charlotte away. Delighted, he dered, ¡°Mr.


    Nacht has seeded!¡±


    ¡°Those women are a nuisance,¡± remarked Ben with a frown. He was referring to Lupine and Morgan.


    ¡°So? Should we stop them?¡± Marino inquired anxiously.


    ¡°If we do, our n will go bust.¡± Ben sounded confident. ¡°Don''t worry. Mr. Nacht is capable enough of


    losing them.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you''re right,¡± Marino replied proudly. ¡°Should we follow them and see how Mr. Nacht does it?¡±


    ¡°We can see it from here.¡±


    Ben pushed the window open and revealed the parking lot behind the back door.


    Immediately, they spotted Zachary, who was now disguised as a mysterious man, running out with


    Charlotte.


    ¡°Do you dare toe with me for a ride?¡± Zachary was about to retrieve his car keys.


    ¡°I should be the one asking that!¡±


    Charlotte pressed a button on her car remote. Swiftly, a silver Pagani sped out of its lot and came to a


    stop beside them.


    Zachary released his grip on his Volkswagen car keys silently.


    To make up a perfect disguise, he told Ben to get a cheaper Volkswagen and pretended that was his


    car.


    Little had he expected things to turn out this way.


    ¡°Get in!¡± Charlotte urged and pulled him into the car.


    Before Zachary could buckle the seatbelt, the Pagani sped away swiftly. He grabbed the handle and


    put on his seatbelt hurriedly.


    Charlotte nced at the rearview mirror and sped up.


    ¡°Are those your bodyguards?¡± asked Zachary.


    He could see both Lupine and Morgan dashing out of the back door in search of them.


    ¡°What''s wrong? Are you scared?¡±


    Charlotte had no idea it was Zachary. After all, his hair was slicked back, and with his ck leather


    jacket coupled with a mask covering half his face, the man seemed like a rogue.


    Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    It was a different image from which the cool and stern Zachary presented.


    Zachary knew she was smarter than she used to be. As such, he made sure every detail was perfect.


    For example, his current voice differed from his usual voice.


    ¡°Nope,¡± Zachary joked. ¡°You''ll protect me!¡±


    Charlotte burst outughing. ncing at him, she asked, ¡°Are you a host at Sultry Night?¡±


    ¡°Mm!¡± Zachary inclined his head. ¡°If you despise me because of my job, it''s not toote to throw me


    out.¡±


    ¡°State your price.¡± Instead of showing her disdain, Charlotte lifted her brow. ¡°How much per night?¡±


    ¡°Ten thousand for the entire night!¡± Zachary blurted out. ¡°No discount given!¡±


    I can''t believe I just said that out loud. That''s so embarrassing!


    Charlotte chuckled again. ¡°Then what can you do for me?¡±


    ¡°What do you want me to do?¡±


    Zachary rested an arm on her seat and leaned closer to her.


    ¡°Do we know each other?¡±


    Charlotte was wondering why she wasn''t repulsed by his advances. He''s flirty like the other hosts. So


    why does his action feel familiar to me?


    My heart is even fluttering as hees closer.


    Zachary was baffled. Did it trigger her memory? Or is she merely feigning memory loss?

 Chapter 726

    Chapter 726


    ¡°Looks like we do know each other...¡± Charlotte got the answer from his gaze.


    ¡°I can''t believe you recognized me.¡± Zachary yed along. ¡°I thought you''ve forgotten about me!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Charlotte gazed at him curiously.


    ¡°You were my first client!¡± Zachary brushed his sexy lips across her cheek and whispered, ¡°Six years


    ago, you selected me in Sultry Night and spent the night in a hotel with me.¡±


    ¡°Six years ago?¡± Charlotte racked her brains, but it didn''t ring a bell. ¡°I don''t remember doing such a


    thing.¡±


    ¡°You''re so forgetful.¡± Zachary bit her earlobes and tried to sound her out. ¡°We did it seven times that


    night...¡±


    Charlotte swivelled out of his touch.


    The electrifying sensation from his touch made Charlotte''s body tense up.


    ¡°Do you want to do it tonight, too?¡±


    Zachary''s fingers brushed across her nape gently.


    Instead of replying to him, Charlotte spun the steering wheel without warning.


    The sudden change in direction caused Zachary''s body to nearly hit the car window. Luckily, he


    propped his arm up in time.


    Frowning, anger flooded his veins instantly. Back then, he used to do the same thing to her. Right now,


    she was letting him get a taste of his own medicine.


    Is she subconsciously trying to get back at me?


    ¡°Scared?¡± Charlotte raised her brow. ¡°If you are, stay put.¡±


    Zachary was rendered speechless.


    Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    History was repeating itself, but their roles were reversed.


    Charlotte smirked and entered the expressway.


    ¡°Where are we going?¡± Zachary found the direction familiar.


    ¡°Somewhere nice.¡±


    Charlotte sped toward Rokan Hill.


    It was a familiar route, so Zachary knew where they were heading soon. Is she bringing me home? He


    wondered.


    Did she find out who I am? Is she trying to sound me out?


    What is she hiding up her sleeves?


    Zachary was lost in his train of thoughts when his phone rang suddenly. It was Louis.


    He immediately rejected the call.


    Soon, his phone rang again. It was still Louis.


    Zachary scrunched his brows up. He was about to reject the call again when Charlotte snatched the


    phone out of his grasp and proceeded to fling it out of the window.


    Zachary''s eyes widened in shock. ¡°What did you just do?¡±


    ¡°It''s too annoying!¡± Charlotte responded coolly.


    Right then, memories of the past surfaced in Zachary''s mind.


    If I remember correctly, I threw her phone away a few times when we first got together.


    Her action, words, and arrogance were exactly the same as what I did to her back then.


    Did she do that on purpose to take revenge on me?


    Zachary started doubting that she had indeed lost her memory.


    After all, someone who had lost their memories wouldn''t be so vindictive.


    She was obviously making him get a taste of his own medicine.


    ¡°Are you mad?¡± Charlotte nced at him and whipped out a check. ¡°Here. You can buy a ton of phones


    with the money.¡±


    Zachary felt offended by her action. It was as if he had be a gigolo for real this time.


    ¡°Will you take it or not?¡± Charlotte urged. ¡°If you won''t, I''m throwing it out!¡±


    With that, she moved her hand toward the window.


    Immediately, Zachary grabbed the check out of her hand. When he noticed the figure written on it, his


    lips parted in astonishment. ¡°Ten million?¡±


    Back then, Charlotte even got into a fight over one thousand. She tried to swindle money from me, too.


    I can''t believe she''s giving me ten million now!


    Indeed, being rich has its perks. Look at how confident she is!


    I''m now her kept man!

 Chapter 727

    Chapter 727


    ¡°Find out how long I can hire you with the money,¡± ordered Charlotte with a grin.


    ¡°One thousand nights,¡± replied Zachary after a brief calction. ¡°No, it''s nine hundred and ny-nine


    nights after deducting the cost of a new phone.¡±


    ¡°Deal.¡± Charlotte announced arrogantly, ¡°From today onward, you can only serve me alone. You can''t


    go to other women.¡±


    Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Anything else?¡± Zachary nced at her.


    ¡°Be avable at all times.¡± Charlotte gave him her phone. ¡°Save your number on my phone.¡±


    ¡°Yes, boss!¡±


    Zachary saved the phone number when he was still Gigolo on her phone. He hesitated before typing


    out ¡°Gigolo In Debt¡± in the name column.


    ¡°What''s with the name?¡±


    Charlotte frowned at the somewhat familiar name.


    ¡°That was the name you gave me back then.¡± Zachary recounted the past events. ¡°Back then, I owed


    you money. So you told me to give you half of my daily earnings to pay you back.¡±


    Charlotte guffawed. ¡°No way. Seriously? How much do you even earn every day? That bit of money is


    nothing to me.¡±


    ¡°You were poor back then.¡± Bitterness rose in Zachary''s heart as the memories shed across his


    mind. ¡°You even fought with others over one thousand.¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡± Charlotte arched a brow doubtfully.


    ¡°That isn''t important, anyway.¡± Zachary pocketed the check. ¡°You''re rich now. Thanks for the money!¡±


    ¡°Mm,¡± Charlotte grunted in acknowledgment. ¡°If you do a good job, I''ll reward youter,¡± she told him in


    all seriousness.


    ¡°What service do you want from me?¡± Zachary inched nearer and breathed in her ear.


    ¡°I''ll let you know when I need it.¡± Charlotte gave him a slight push.


    ¡°Fine.¡±


    Every time desire coursed in Zachary''s heart, the woman would put it out easily.


    Charlotte slowed down and lowered the convertible top.


    The chilly wind blew across them, easing the tension in the car.


    Zachary ced one arm on the window and rested his chin on his hand. They were arriving at a


    brightly lit vi halfway up the hill.


    Is she bringing me back to Northridge?


    Me? Someone who she had just met?


    Instead ofing to a stop, Charlotte sped ahead and reached the top of the hill.


    As they were surrounded by the clouds, it felt like they were floating above the sky.


    The sun was about to rise. Gradually, the sky turned a fiery red. It was a breathtaking sight on Rokan


    Hill.


    Charlotte leaned into her seat and stared at the sky nkly.


    Meanwhile, Zachary narrowed his gaze. His emotions were aplex mixture.


    For the past two years, he had oftene here alone and spent the whole night here.


    Sometimes, even if it was raining, he''d sit in his car and looked at the horizon as Charlotte''s silhouette


    filled his mind.


    When she was by his side, he had never brought her out on romantic dates, let alone watch any


    sunrise or sunset together.


    After she left him, however, he watched the sunrise here countless times.


    It was quiet enough for him to lose himself in his memories and think of her here.


    Why did she suddenly bring me here?


    ¡°Two days ago, I found out by ident that the sunrise here is stunning,¡± exined Charlotte softly.


    ¡°Besides, this very scenery appeared in my dreams repeatedly.¡±


    ¡°You dreamt of this scenery?¡± Zachary was shocked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Confusion shed across Charlotte''s face. ¡°I''ve been having weird dreams for the past two


    years.¡±


    ¡°Did you dream of me?¡± Zachary asked nonchntly.


    ¡°No.¡± Charlotte met his gaze calmly. ¡°But you feel really familiar to me.¡±


    ¡°That means you saved a spot for me in your heart.¡± Zachary reached out and caressed her hair gently.


    ¡°It''s just that you forgot about us.¡±

 Chapter 728

    Chapter 728


    ¡°You''re right.¡± Charlotte stretched her hand out and tried to remove his mask. ¡°Let me see what you


    look like.¡±


    Zachary caught her hand in time as his lips curved into a grin. ¡°Your sense of familiarity stemmed from


    the mask. There''s no need to spoil the mood, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh, right.¡±


    If I find out what he looks like, perhaps I''ll no longer feel the same way.


    She retracted her hand and waited for the sun to rise silently.


    Zachary took off his jacket and draped it around her carefully without touching her. He sat by her side


    wordlessly.


    He had fantasized of this very scene countless times¡ªthat she would show up to watch the sunrise


    with him.


    Finally, his dream hade true.


    Soon, the first rays of sunlight cast a rosy hue across the morning sky. The dappled sun shone through


    the trees on Rokan Hill, creating a breathtaking sight.


    Charlotte''s spirits were lifted considerably. She stretched her arms wide and enjoyed the rare and


    blissful moment.


    Seeing her reaction, Zachary nearly took her into his arms. However, he stayed still and didn''ty a


    finger on her. After all, he should take things one step at a time.


    Slowly, the sun rose over the horizon as they basked in the warm sunlight.


    Charlotte shut the convertible top and drove down the hill.


    Halfway down, they ran into Lupine and Morgan who hade in search of her.


    Both cars came to a stop.


    Lupine got off the car and bowed politely in greeting. ¡°Ms. Lindberg!¡±


    Charlotte was slightly unhappy, but she said nothing. Turning to Zachary, she asked, ¡°Can you drive?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Zachary replied with a firm nod.


    Charlotte alighted from the car with her bag and told Zachary, ¡°You can drive this car home. I''ll call you


    soon.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Zachary got into the driver''s seat and floored the elerator.


    Morgan was about to reverse out of his way, but Zachary stepped on the pedal and did a stunt by


    driving the car on two wheels.


    Half the car was hanging off the cliff, but hepleted the stunt perfectly and sped away.


    Everyone else was caught off guard.


    ¡°Damn!¡± Morgan leaned out of the window in astonishment. ¡°Am I seeing things?¡±


    ¡°Wow, he''s skilled in driving,¡± uttered Lupine.


    ¡°Interesting.¡±


    Charlotte squinted at the disappearing car. She couldn''t help but look forward to their next meeting.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, who is he?¡± Morgan was in awe of his driving skills.


    ¡°He''s that mysterious man in the mask!¡± Lupine rolled her eyes. ¡°Didn''t you see him clearly?¡±


    ¡°No, well. I don''t think he''s just an ordinary host,¡± exined Morgan excitedly. ¡°He can be a


    professional racer. Why would he be a gigolo?¡±


    Lupine immediately coughed to remind her to be careful of her words.


    Morgan hurriedly exined, ¡°No, I mean¡ª¡±


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    ¡°You''re too talkative,¡± Charlotte red at her and chided.


    ¡°I''m sorry, Ms. Lindberg.¡± Morgan lowered her head fearfully.


    Charlotte got into the car without a word.


    Both bodyguards immediately followed in her footsteps and drove home.


    The moment the car reached entered the courtyard, a maid hurried up to her. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, someone


    from the Nacht family came yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Mm?¡± Charlotte raised a brow. ¡°What for?¡±


    ¡°ording to them, your pet eagle scared their little ones and pet. They demanded us to deal with your


    pet and asked you to...¡±


    The maid trailed off nervously.


    ¡°Say it!¡± Charlotte stalked into her house and unbuttoned her top.


    ¡°They demanded an apology from you in person,¡± the maid finished softly.


    Charlotte stopped in her tracks and sneered, ¡°Me? Apologizing to them in person?¡±


    ¡°How dare they say that!¡± Lupine dered furiously. ¡°Fifi has been in its cage all the while. How did it


    manage to scare their little ones'' pet?¡±

 Chapter 729

    Chapter 729


    ¡°Right!¡± Morgan chimed in. ¡°I can''t believe how arrogant that Zachary is. He kept provoking us back in


    Ashenville Garden and took Sir Louis away at the airport. How dare he kick up a fuss now?¡±


    ¡°It was Mr. Henry Nacht, not Mr. Zachary Nacht who sent the messenger.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Henry Nacht?¡± Hatred rose in Charlotte''s heart at the mention of this man. ¡°He wants me to


    apologize in person? Fine, I''ll be there soon.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Both Lupine and Morgan were shocked.


    Charlotte headed upstairs and ordered without looking back, ¡°Let Fifi out of its cage. I''ll take a shower


    and head there with Fifi!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Lupine giggled evilly. ¡°Ms. Lindberg is back!¡±


    ¡°The Nacht family is doomed!¡± Morgan snickered. ¡°I''ll let Fifi out!¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, I''ve prepared a bath for you. Do you need me to prepare breakfast?¡± the maid trudged


    behind her and asked.


    ¡°Bring it to my room.¡± Charlotte walked into her room and threw her coat onto the ground.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    After taking a quick hot bath and drying her hair, Charlotte changed into a cool outfit and headed out


    with Fifi without even bothering to put makeup on.


    Since Fifi hurt Zachary at Ashenville Garden that day, Charlotte fed it anesthesia and locked it up in a


    cage.


    She wanted to lock it up for a few days more, but Henry''s actions were too much. Hence, she decided


    to bring Fifi to meet that notorious family.


    Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Henry had gone over the line by asking her to get rid of her pet.


    Meanwhile, Zachary arrived home in the Pagani.


    Ben, Bruce, and the others immediately weed him home.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, whose car is this?¡± asked Bruce curiously.


    ¡°A woman''s,¡± answered Zachary as he got off the car. ¡°Park it in the garage. Make sure no one else


    uses it.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡± Ben immediately sprang into action.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht.¡± Bruce came over and reported to him in a low voice. ¡°Yesterday, I sent someone to the


    Lindberg residence to remind them, but Ms. Lindberg wasn''t home. Later, your grandfather sent


    someone there again.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Zachary stopped. ¡°I told you to keep an eye, didn''t I?¡±


    ¡°I did, but I couldn''t stop Mr. Spencer''s men.¡± Bruce seemed stumped. ¡°I wanted to report to youst


    night, but you weren''t here.¡±


    ¡°What did Spencer''s men do?¡± Zachary inquired.


    ¡°If I''m not mistaken, he told them to deal with that eagle as soon as possible. Also...¡± Bruce nced


    around before whispering in Zachary''s ear. ¡°He wants the Lindberg family toe and apologize to


    him in person.¡±


    Zachary frowned. Damn it. If Charlottees, she''ll run into me.


    Hmm, but she''s so arrogant. I don''t think she''lle and apologize.


    Besides, it''s so early. She''ll probably take a bath, put on her skincare, have breakfast, and go back to


    sleep.


    With that thought, Zachary rxed and went back to his room.


    ¡°Good morning, Daddy!¡±


    ¡°Morning, Daddy!¡±


    ¡°Daddy, why are you dressed up?¡±


    Right then, the triplets came out of their room. They greeted Zachary politely before scanning


    Zachary''s odd outfit.


    ¡°I-I went to a ballst night.¡± Zachary came up with a perfect excuse on the spot.


    By now, Zachary had removed his mask and leather jacket. Compared to the full outfit he had onst


    night, he seemed normal now. Usually, he wouldn''t be caught wearing such a strange T-shirt, pants,


    and boots, let alone slick his hair back.


    ¡°No wonder you stayed out all night,¡± said Ellie with her lips pursed. ¡°Bad Daddy! You''re an adult, so


    please take good care of your health. Staying up all night is bad for you!¡±

 Chapter 730

    Chapter 730


    ¡°Got it!¡± Zachary crouched down and gave Ellie a warm hug. ¡°Alright. Time for breakfast!¡±


    ¡°Mmm-hmm!¡± Ellie nted a kiss on his cheek and went downstairs.


    After Ellie left, Jamie came over to him and inquired softly, ¡°Daddy, did you go on a date with another


    woman?¡±


    ¡°Shh!¡± Zachary hurriedly covered Jamie''s mouth and whipped his head around to see if Ellie overheard


    them. This was a sensitive matter. He could talk to his son about this, but it would be a bad idea to


    inform his daughter.


    After Ellie''s figure disappeared from sight, Zachary moved his hands away and he tapped at Jamie''s


    head gently. ¡°You cheeky rascal. What was that?¡± he demanded.


    ¡°Was I wrong?¡± Jamie let out an evil giggle. ¡°For the past few days, you''re acting differently. Your eyes


    are sparkling with delight. Sometimes, you''llugh without reason. Also, you''ve been home for the past


    two years. Now, you''re staying out. That means you''re dating another woman!¡±


    ¡°You''re just a young boy, what do you know?¡± Zachary ruffled his hair.


    ¡°Hey, don''t mess up my hair!¡± Jamie shoved him away unhappily. ¡°Isn''t dating another woman normal?


    Why are you being secretive?¡±


    ¡°I...¡± Zachary trailed off when he saw the zing fury in Robbie''s eyes.


    ¡°Robbie, Jamie! Come down and eat your breakfast!¡± Just then, Henry hollered from downstairs.


    ¡°Coming!¡± Jamie yelled in reply. ¡°Daddy, I''m gonna head down first!¡±


    ¡°Go on.¡± Zachary patted his butt and watched as he toddled away. He tried to take Robbie''s hand, but


    thetter avoided his touch and strode down the stairs without a word.


    Noticing his mood, Zachary furrowed his eyebrows.


    Robbie is more matured than Jamie and Ellie. He has been waiting for his mommy toe home, so


    he probably wants me to do the same.


    He doesn''t want anyone to rece his mommy.


    Zachary wanted to tell him that he was dating their mommy, but this wasn''t the right time.


    Forget it. For now, I''ll deal with the pressing matter.


    He was taking a shower when someone knocked on the door hastily. It was Ben. ¡°Mr. Nacht! Mr.


    Nacht!¡± he yelled anxiously.


    Knowing it was something urgent, Zachary immediately wrapped himself in a towel and walked out with


    bubbles still visible on his head. ¡°What is it?¡±


    Ben rushed in and reported, ¡°Ms. Lindberg is here!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Zachary was stupefied. Swiftly, he regained hisposure and ordered, ¡°Stop them. Don''t let


    Grandpa and the kids see them. I''ll change my clothes and head downstairs.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Ben left promptly.


    Zachary cleaned himself quickly and rushed down the stairs. Before he could reach them, he heard the


    eagle screeching and the kids screaming in terror.


    At once, he closed his eyes in disbelief. Damn you, woman. Are you seriously scaring your kids with


    that eagle? Looks like you really have amnesia, huh?


    Downstairs, Robbie''s brows were knitted together. He was terrified but put up a calm front.


    Both Jamie and Ollie buried themselves into Henry''s arms in fear.


    Henry gathered them in his arms and demanded furiously, ¡°What is going on?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, they are from Northridge, here to offer an apology in person,¡± one bodyguard came and


    informed Henry.


    ¡°How outrageous!¡± Henry huffed angrily. ¡°They brought that eagle along to apologize to us? This is


    obviously a provocation.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± the bodyguard replied and lowered his gaze nervously.


    ¡°Kill that eagle!¡± Henry mmed on the table andmanded.


    ¡°Well...¡± The bodyguard hesitated. Ben and Bruce were stopping them from doing anything, so it was


    obvious that Zachary didn''t want them to get involved in this matter.


    However, Henry was giving them contradicting orders. It was tough for them to be sandwiched between


    both employers.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 731

    Chapter 731


    ¡°What''s wrong? Do I have to repeat myself?¡± Henry eximed in anger.


    ¡°No!¡± The bodyguard looked down hurriedly before saying, ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    With that, the bodyguards grabbed their guns.


    Outside, Ben and Marino had closed the gates, blocking Charlotte and her entourage outside.


    Outside, the women were yelling, ¡°Didn''t Henry Nacht ask us to apologize in person? Here we are.


    Why are you refusing us entry?¡±


    ¡°Right! You kept warning us, saying our pet eagle scared your kids and pet. We''re here now to


    apologize with our pet eagle in tow. Why aren''t you weing us?¡±


    ¡°Open the door! Open the door!¡±


    The women banged on the iron gates forcefully and shrieked.


    In the car, Charlotte folded her arms smugly and watched the entire debacle with a smirk.


    Henry knows I''m a Lindberg, but sent someone to warn me on purpose. If I do nothing, he''ll think we''re


    cowards.


    He wants me to apologize in person, right?


    Well, I''m here.


    Let''s see how the Nachts deal with this.


    ¡°They don''t look like they are here to apologize,¡± Marino dered with his teeth gritted. ¡°They are here


    to gloat!¡±


    ¡°We need to make them leave now,¡± Ben replied anxiously. ¡°If Mr. Nacht sees Ms. Lindberg, we''ll be in


    deep trouble.¡±


    ¡°If they are men, I can start a fight!¡± Marino seemed furious. ¡°But they are women. We can''t convince


    them to leave or start a fight with them. Nothing will make them leave. This is seriously frustrating!¡±


    ¡°That''s true...¡± The other bodyguards nodded in agreement.


    ¡°Cowards!¡± Ben red at them indignantly. He went up to Charlotte''s bodyguards and told them,


    ¡°Apology epted. You can leave now!¡±


    He was trying to make them leave.


    ¡°We haven''t met Mr. Henry Nacht. Who are you to say our apology has been epted?¡± Lupine arched


    a brow and sneered, ¡°What if Mr. Henry Nacht sends someone to reprimand us after we leave?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Morgan chimed in. ¡°Ms. Lindberg is here to offer her sincerest apology.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Well, we ept your sincere apology. So you can leave now.¡±


    Just then, Ben spotted Henry''s mening out armed with guns, so he pushed the iron gates


    frantically, trying to chase those women away.


    s, the women stood their ground and hurled insults at them.


    Marino and the other bodyguards balled their hands into fists, enraged.


    Noting that Henry''s men didn''t appear, and Zachary deliberately avoided her by sending his


    bodyguards to dismiss them, Charlotte grew increasingly impatient.


    She opened her convertible top and released her eagle.


    The eagle let out an ear-piercing shriek which echoed across the hill before it headed straight for the


    Nachts.


    ¡°Be careful!¡± Ben deftly avoided the eagle''s attack as he was behind the iron gate. Failing to attack him,


    the eagle swoop down and targeted the other bodyguards.


    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    After sessfully wing Marino and the others, the eagle flew inside the vi.


    ¡°Hurry, shoot it!¡± Spencer''s subordinates raised their guns and aimed.


    Bam! Bam! Bam!


    A few shots rang in the air. The eagle''s wings were hurt, but it still headed straight into the vi without


    hesitation.


    At the sight of the eagle, Jamie and Ellie were screaming at the top of their lungs and shivering in fear.


    Spencer was standing beside Robbie to protect him, but after hearing the gunshots, the little boy


    dashed out to see what was going on. Instantly, his unprotected figure became the target of the eagle.


    As soon as the eagle flew into the vi, it came for Robbie.


    Robbie''s eyes widened. He looked up and gaped at the eagle, aghast.


    ¡°Robbie!¡± Henry howled.


    At the same time, Zachary stepped out of his room to witness this horrible scene. He wanted to rescue


    his son, but it was toote.

 Chapter 732

    Chapter 732


    ¡°Robbie!¡± Jamie wailed desperately and tried to run to his brother, but Henry refused to release his grip


    on him.


    ¡°Ahh!¡± Ellie covered her face and screamed in terror.


    The eagle was about to attack Robbie when a whistle sounded outside in the nick of time.


    Immediately, the eagle came to a stop and hovered midair, gazing sharply at Robbie.


    Robbie met its gaze, utterly petrified.


    It was a stalemate between an eagle and a six-year-old boy. A tensed silence hung in the air.


    ¡°Robbie!¡± Suddenly, a high-pitched wail broke the silence.


    A little green figure darted toward the eagle like an arrow and started pecking on the eagle''s wings.


    The eagle turned slowly and stared at the parrot coldly.


    Both Jamie and Ellie were dumbfounded as they stared at their pet parrot, Fifi.


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    After all, Fifi was throwing its tiny figure in front of the predatory eagle without any hint of fear.


    As expected, the eagle pped its wings lightly and sent Fifi flying through the air.


    ¡°Fifi!¡±


    Ellie dashed out to catch her beloved Fifi. She lost her bnce and toppled to the ground. It didn''t hurt,


    but when the eagle''s sharp gazended on her, she burst into tears.


    Upon hearing her wails, the eagle tilted its head curiously and pped its wings to fly toward her.


    ¡°Ah! Ahh!¡± Ellie''s shrieks turned louder.


    As her face turned red, she trembled profusely in horror. Her grip on Fifi tightened, nearly breaking


    Fifi''s neck in half.


    Right then, Zachary sprinted downstairs in time and stood in front of Ellie in a protective stance. He


    flung his fist at the eagle.


    The eagle narrowed its gaze and flew out at once.


    It had learned its lesson after being punched by Zachary back then.


    ¡°Ellie, Robbie!¡± Henry called for his great-grandchildren anxiously. ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    Ellie couldn''t stop sobbing as the dread remained in her heart.


    Outside, the children''s faint cries stabbed straight into Charlotte''s heart like an iron shard, causing her


    to wince in pain.


    Looking down at her chest, she realized there was a void in her heart, as though she had lost


    something important.


    I think I forgot something significant in my life.


    The eagle screeched noisily as it flew out.


    Spencer''s men were about to shoot it, but Bruce stopped them. ¡°That''s enough. If something happens,


    the consequences will be horrible!¡±


    The eagle crashed into the car with blood seeping out from its wings.


    ¡°Fifi''s hurt!¡± Morgan''s expression contorted in anger upon seeing the blood. She entered the car and


    grabbed her gun. ¡°How dare they bully us? I''ll make sure they pay for it!¡±


    ¡°Stop it!¡± Charlotte roared suddenly.


    Morgan froze in her tracks and turned back in bewilderment. ¡°Ms. Lindberg!¡±


    ¡°Let''s go back,¡± said Charlotte as she pressed a hand against her chest. With her brows knitted


    together, she seemed to be in extreme anguish.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, what''s wrong?¡± Lupine sensed something was amiss.


    ¡°Let''s go!¡± Charlotte growled out lowly.


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Everyone got into their vehicles immediately and drove away.


    Seeing their departure, Ben heaved a sigh of relief.


    Bruce scurried over and caught a peek of Charlotte in the car. ¡°No wonder you said she resembles Ms.


    Windt. This is Ms. Windt, no doubt!¡±


    ¡°I''m still wondering if she''s indeed Ms. Windt. Otherwise, why didn''t she recognize her kids?¡±


    Ben frowned as he watched Charlotte''s convoy sped off.


    ¡°That was weird.¡±


    Bruce was puzzled, too. It seemed strange that Charlotte would take revenge on the kids, no matter


    how mad she was at Henry and Zachary.


    That was close!


    That eagle might be her pet, but it''s still a wild animal.


    Mr. Robbie would have been hurt if it didn''t stop in time just now.

 Chapter 733

    Chapter 733


    ¡°Is it gone?¡± Spencer rushed out to check.


    ¡°It''s gone, Mr. Spencer,¡± reported Bruce.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht is furious, so you bettery low,¡± suggested Spencer before he turned to enter the house.


    ¡°Well, I''m done for.¡±


    Ben knew that although Spencer had not explicitly mentioned it, Henry could still tell. His subordinates


    had failed to prevent the eagle from flying in because Spencer had blocked them on multiple times.


    Thus, Henry was definitely going to unleash his wrath on Spencer.


    ¡°You''ll just have to bear a bit of caning,¡±forted Bruce as he patted his shoulder. ¡°Mr. Nacht is old


    enough to not have the strength to draw blood.¡±


    ¡°Take the child to the room,¡± Zachary said as he made a gesture.


    Mrs. Rawlston and a few maids rushed to bring the three kids to the room.


    Ellie was not crying anymore. Rather, her entire body was ice cold, and her face was devoid of color.


    ¡°Don''t be afraid. I''m here. Everything is going to be fine.¡± Zachary hugged her and gently soothed her.


    ¡°Be a good girl and go rest in your room. I''ll join you soon.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Ellie''s small face was still streaked with tears, but she nodded bravely.


    Zachary shook his head and then looked at Robbie. His heart ached as he uttered, ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    Robbie seemed out of sorts as he shook his head silently.


    ¡°That eagle was so scary,¡± whimpered Jamie who was clutching a shivering Fifi. ¡°We were already


    scared when we heard noises in the car. I can''t believe it flew into the house today.¡±


    Ellie whimpered, and she was on the verge of tears again.


    ¡°Don''t be scared, Ellie. I won''t talk about it.¡± Jamie hurriedlyforted her.


    ¡°Daddy, who does the eagle belong to?¡± Robbie asked with a frown.


    ¡°I''ll exin it to youter. Go to your room for now.¡± Zachary said as he stroked Robbie''s head.


    ¡°Mrs. Rawlston!¡± Henry shot her a look.


    Mrs. Rawlston brought several maids with her as they coaxed the three children upstairs.


    ¡°When will Raina arrive?¡± Henry asked Spencer.


    ¡°I called her, and she said that she''s bringing the child psychologist with her. They should be here


    soon,¡± replied Spencer respectfully.


    ¡°Fine.¡± Henry nodded and turned his attention to Ben. At once, he called out angrily, ¡°Kneel!¡±


    Ben was petrified, and he hastily dropped to his knees.


    Following that, Marino and the eight bodyguards knelt in two neat rows.


    ¡°You too,¡± barked Henry as he red at Bruce.


    ¡°Me?¡± Bruce waspletely taken aback. ¡°Mr. Nacht, I didn''t...¡±


    Before he could finish speaking, he saw Spencer shaking his head and shooting him a look.


    He immediately snapped his jaw shut and fell to his knees as well with a clean thud.


    Likewise, his eight subordinates followed suit.


    Henry''s sharp gaze scanned the group. After a while, he turned to stare at Zachary and said, ¡°Tell me


    the truth now. What''s going on?¡±


    Zachary frowned, and he lowered his gaze. He was trying hard to temper his emotions.


    Previously, he hid the matter to avoid a confrontation with the Lindberg family. He did not want Henry to


    know Charlotte''s identity.


    However, Charlotte had charged into the house and caused such amotion. Hence, Henry could no


    longer ignore the matter.


    Henry had been in the business industry for some time and had learned to read people well. When he


    first saw that silver Rolls-Royce, he had suspected that they were from Lindberg Corporation. Later, he


    had sent someone to look into the matter, but Zachary had hidden everything.


    He had long suspected that there was more to the story than what met the eye.


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    After Charlotte''s incident, Henry had stopped micro-managing Zachary. He kept one eye closed on


    most matters. However, he did not expect that the Lindberg Corporation would use the opportunity to


    provoke them.


    Besides, Zachary''s people did not handle the situation promptly, and instead, they allowed it to be


    a mess.


    There must be something wrong.

 Chapter 734

    Chapter 734


    Although Henry guessed that something was wrong, he would never expect that the person living in


    Northridge was Charlotte.


    Perhaps he''ll find out eventually, but I can only hide it for as long as I could.


    ¡°I have my ns. It''s not the right time to have a conflict with the Lindberg family,¡± replied Zachary.


    ¡°They''repletely taking advantage of you! What do you mean by the right time?¡± Henry was quaking


    with anger at that moment. ¡°If it wasn''t for luck, Robbie and Ellie would be in trouble.¡±


    ¡°You''re right. They went too far this time. I can''t ignore this anymore,¡± said Zachary as he nodded.


    It was out of character for Zachary to patiently exin as he did. He was not his usual argumentative


    and arrogant self.


    Nheless, Henry was no longer as sharp as he used to be. He turned to re at Ben and said,


    ¡°You, continue kneeling outside. Make sure you keep watch so those disgusting things don''te


    flying back in. If even one feather makes it in, I''ll chop off your hand!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    Ben''s reply was forceful but bright. It indicated his resignation to receive his punishment bravely.


    ¡°Get out!¡± Henry bellowed.


    Ben immediately led the rest of the men out. They dashed out the metal door and kneeled in neat rows.


    Meanwhile, Spencer went to check and reported their actions to Henry. ¡°They''ve assumed the kneeling


    positions and are currently as straight as arrows!¡±


    Henry''s enraged gaze fell on Bruce. ¡°From now on, if I find out that you''re keeping any secrets from


    me, you''ll be immediately kicked out of the Nacht family!¡±


    Bruce shuddered and shot a fearful look at Zachary.


    My punishment is so much worse that Ben''s!


    Zachary silently looked away.


    ¡°Don''t look at him,¡± said Henry to Bruce as he coldly shot daggers at Zachary.


    Bruce looked pleadingly at Spencer, and thetter nodded slightly.


    Then, Bruce dipped his head and said, ¡°You''re right, Mr. Nacht. I understand!¡±


    ¡°Get out,¡± sneered Henry.


    Bruce immediately backed away with his men. Although he had not been punished, the threat was far


    more terrifying.


    From that day onward, he knew his life was going to be even more challenging.


    ¡°Come with me to the study room.¡±


    Henry gestured for Spencer to push him into the study room, with Zachary following behind.


    When the study room door closed, Henry fixed his baleful eyes on Zachary.


    ¡°If you have something to say, just spit it out. Why are you staring at me?¡± Zachary''s brows were deeply


    furrowed.


    ¡°Are you being lenient with the Lindberg family because they''re that woman''s family?¡± Henry asked his


    grandson in a low voice.


    Zachary froze. Wow. I was racking my brain for a passable excuse, but Grandpa delivered one right to


    me.


    ¡°I was right.¡± Henry sighed heavily. ¡°Although she''s a member of the Lindberg family, she was never


    recognized as one of them. She doesn''t have any emotional attachment towards them, so you don''t


    need to make allowances for them.¡±


    Zachary kept his head low and his lips sealed.


    It''s better to say less now since silence is gold.


    Grandpa wille up with a reason on his own if I just stay silent.


    ¡°You have to remember that the Lindberg family is our archenemy!¡± Henry reminded him earnestly.


    ¡°You can''t allow your feelings to cloud your mind. Business is business, and if you make allowances for


    them, you''ll be treated as easy prey. Every life tied to the Nacht Group is your responsibility. You''re in


    charge of the rise and fall of thepany and the future of those three children!¡±


    Zachary had heard those words repeatedly over the years. He had memorized them by now.


    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Any idiot would be able to recite the entire spiel by heart now.


    ¡°That woman is gone. You should let her go and start a new chapter of your life.¡±


    This was the first time in two years that Henry had brought up the topic.

 Chapter 735

    Chapter 735


    In the past two years, they had avoided the topic in order to preserve their rtionship.


    Although it had hit a nerve for Zachary, he still could not find it in himself to me Henry.


    What am I supposed to do?


    It''s not like I can kill Grandpa...


    I can only exact my revenge through aloofness.


    ¡°I know you resent me.¡± Henry let out a deep sigh. ¡°However, hating me won''t change anything. You


    can''t bring her back. You can only pour all your emotions onto the three children, but don''t waste any of


    it on the Lindberg family.¡±


    ¡°I know! I know what to do.¡± Zachary finally blurted out.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Henry was obviously not convinced.


    Upon that, Zachary silently frowned at him. He seemed to be in silent protest.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Henry sighed helplessly. ¡°You better know what to do. Otherwise, I''ll squeeze the life out of the


    Lindberg family if it''s thest thing I''ll do!¡± Henry warned threateningly.


    After pausing for a moment, he turned to re sharply at Zachary. ¡°You know that it''s not in my nature


    to show mercy.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    Of course, I''m aware. Grandpa started fighting with the Lindberg family during his era of power. He


    forbade dad from fraternizing with Isabe and resulted in that tragedy...


    There''s no way he''ll be letting his guard down when ites to me. He forbids me from making a


    connection with any of them.


    I bet he never expected himself to fail after all the precautions he took.


    When Zachary met her in Horington, she did not seem affiliated with the Lindberg family at all. Little did


    he know she was estranged from the family. Eventually, she even gave birth to three of his children.


    This must be what they mean by being trapped by fate.


    ¡°Leave,¡± ordered Henry sternly.


    Zachary had intended on persuading Henry to return to M Nation. However, the words seemed to


    be stuck in his throat.


    He knew Henry''s temperament, and there was no way he would be willing to return after today''s


    incident. His three great-grandchildren were all shaken to the core, after all.


    I better give it some time.


    Zachary walked out of the study room to see Raina charging in with the doctors. She bowed quickly to


    Zachary before rushing upstairs to attend to the three children.


    Henry was worried that the children would be traumatized by today''s incident. Hence, he told Spencer


    to ask Raina toe.


    Zachary then ascended the stairs and watched the children from the entrance of the study room.


    Once Raina and the child psychologists assessed the children''s mental well-being, they instructed the


    children to describe the experience like they were telling a story.


    Jamie and Ellie described the experience like they were talking about the plot of a cartoon they had


    watched. This method alleviated some of their fear as they vividly brought the incident to life.


    Soon, the study room was filled with theirughter.


    Hearing that, Zachary smiled and turned to leave.


    The Nachts don''t get scared so easily.


    ¡°Are you leaving, Mr. Nacht?¡±


    Bruce hastily followed Zachary. Since he had been punished to kneel today, he had to stick close to


    Zachary.


    ¡°Louis is waiting for me.¡± Zachary nced at his watch. ¡°Let''s head to the Prince Hotel first.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    In the study room on the second floor, Robbie was standing next to the window. With a troubled


    expression, he watched Zachary''s car drive further away.


    ¡°What''s wrong, Robbie?¡±


    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Raina had noticed that Jamie and Ellie had recovered quickly, while Robbie seemed distracted. It was


    like he had put up walls to keep the child psychologists away.


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Robbie turned and walked out.


    ¡°Robbie, where are you going?¡± Jamie asked.


    ¡°Back to my room.¡±


    When Robbie returned to his room, he took out a new mechanical dove and set it free outside his


    window. He maneuvered it to the north vi because he wanted to find out the identity of the person


    who hade to start trouble.


    Why did the eagle have Mommy''s ring on its leg?

 Chapter 736

    Chapter 736


    No one else noticed that there was a rhodium ring around the eagle''s leg.


    That ring was Charlotte and Zachary''s wedding ring.


    Perhaps no one else noticed that when the eagle swooped towards Robbie, a whistle could be heard.


    Right after, the eagle stopped and hovered in front of him.


    He was posed at just the right angle to notice the ring.


    At that moment, Robbie had felt a mixture of terror and astonishment.


    After the incident, everyone was busy trying to handle the aftermath. Yet Robbie was consumed with


    thoughts about the ring.


    He was not stricken by fear nor traumatized. He was just thinking about how his mother''s ring ended up


    on the eagle.


    What''s going on?


    That eagle belongs to the owner of Northridge. If I find out who he is, I''ll be able to follow the trail to


    Mommy.


    Thus, Robbie released a mechanical dove and sent it to spy on the owner of Northridge.


    At that moment, the mechanical dove flew higher and further.


    Suddenly, someone knocked on the door. Raina''s gentle voice drifted in, ¡°Are you there, Robbie?¡±


    Robbie knew it would take some time for the dove to reach its destination. Thus, he went to open the


    door. ¡°What''s up, Dr. Langhan?¡±


    ¡°Can we chat, Robbie?¡± Raina squatted and gazed at him kindly. ¡°I know you must have been


    frightened just now. You''re just trying to put on a brave front...¡±


    ¡°I think you''ve misunderstood,¡± said Robbie as he interrupted Raina. His tone was level and calm. ¡°I


    was a bit scared just now, but I''m fine now. I''m just busy with my own stuff. I''m not trying to avoid


    anything, so you don''t need to be worried.¡±


    Raina smiled awkwardly. ¡°I''m d you''re fine.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Robbie politely replied. ¡°Is there anything else?¡±


    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°No.¡± Raina hurriedly shook her head. ¡°I''ll let you get back to what you were doing.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for taking care of Jamie and Ellie!¡±


    Robbie bowed courteously and closed the door.


    Raina felt rather vexed, but she had no choice but to return to Jamie and Ellie.


    After that, Robbie walked up to theputer and continued tracking the mechanical dove. It was


    currently flying towards Northridge.


    The camera on the mechanical dove recorded everything below it clearly and sent the footage to


    Robbie.


    Robbie anxiously stared at theputer screen as he waited for the mechanical dove to reveal the


    answer he was searching for.


    At this moment, someone knocked on his door again.


    Robbie frowned in annoyance. ¡°Who is it?¡±


    ¡°Robbie, I asked the kitchen staff to prepare some breakfast. Let''s go eat together,¡± said Henry gently.


    Jamie and Ellie''s voices followed.


    ¡°Did they really make hot cross bunnies, Great-grandpa?¡± Jamie asked excitedly.


    ¡°They did. I tasked Mrs. Rawlston to learn how to make them. Go eat them now and tell me how they


    taste,¡± replied Henry with a grin.


    ¡°Yay, that''s great,¡± cheered Jamie as he ran downstairs.


    ¡°Where''s Robbie?¡± asked Ellie.


    ¡°I''m calling him out now.¡± Henry lovingly patted her head. ¡°Go on. We''ll join you soon.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I''ll go look for Fifi.¡±


    Ellie skipped downstairs.


    In the room, Robbie stared unblinkingly at the screen. The pigeon had arrived at Northridge and was


    nearing the vi. He did not want to miss seeing the truth, but they were waiting for him outside. Thus,


    he had no choice but to open the door.


    ¡°Robbie...¡±


    ¡°Great-grandpa, I''m not hungry yet. You guys can start without me.¡±


    Robbie turned back to theputer. At that moment, his heart was pounding at a breakneck pace. If


    he was dyed any longer, he would miss his opportunity.


    ¡°Robbie, I want to talk to you...¡±


    ¡°I don''t want to talk now,¡± blurted Robbie.


    Henry froze, and his gaze darkened.


    Robbie realized how rude he was acting and immediately apologized. ¡°I''m sorry. I''m just... really busy.


    Please start breakfast without me.¡±

 Chapter 737

    Chapter 737


    ¡°I''m sorry. I''m just... really busy. Please start breakfast without me.¡±


    Robbie then shut the door.


    Outside the door, Henry was crestfallen. I thought Robbie and I were starting to mend our rtionship.


    But it''s clear that he still hates me.


    Henry was extremely hurt by this notion.


    Robbie was his beloved great-grandson. Hence, he greatly hoped that Robbie would be the next


    sessor. After all, he had spent arge sum of money trying to nurture Robbie. Yet still, they ended


    up in such a state.


    Meanwhile, Robbie felt guilty about his attitude towards his Great-grandpa. He must be so sad...


    Suddenly, an eagle cry sounded out from theputer, and Robbie rushed over to check.


    The mechanical dove had arrived at Northridge andnded on arge tree. The camera was pointed at


    the entrance of the vi.


    A woman carrying the eagle climbed out of a car, and the eagle pped its injured wing. After being


    chided by the woman, it settled contentedly in her arms.


    The woman''s slim figure was familiar to Robbie.


    He continued to fix his eyes on theputer screen, eager to see her face. Unfortunately, she kept her


    head turned away from the camera. When she arrived at the door, she suddenly stopped and turned.


    Robbie''s eyes widened, and his heart almost stopped.


    s, the eagle''s wing obscured the woman''s face.


    The woman carried the eagle into the vi. Shortly after, a female bodyguard looked towards the


    mechanical dove with a pair of binocrs. She seemed to be looking for something.


    In order to prevent it from being spotted, Robbie had fitted the mechanical dove with camouge


    technology.


    Hence, no one saw the mechanical dove hidden amongst the foliage.


    As expected, the female bodyguard failed to notice anything out of the ordinary. She then walked away


    with the binocrs in hand, and the other bodyguards started attending to their tasks.


    Nheless, Robbie was desperate to know the truth. Thus, he kept the mechanical dove hidden in


    that tree.


    He would find out the truth the moment the woman walked out of the vi.


    Despite watching the screen for some time, the woman did not appear. They even closed the door.


    It looks like she won''t being out anytime soon.


    However, Robbie continued watching as he yearned for the truth.


    At this moment, someone knocked on his door again.


    Robbie was speechless. ¡°Who is it?¡± he snapped.


    ¡°Robbie, it''s me,¡± said Jamie.


    ¡°Come in,¡± said Robbie as he rxed.


    Jamie carried a tray in. On the tray was a te of hot cross bunnies and a ss of milk.


    ¡°Robbie, Mrs. Rawlston learned how to make hot cross bunnies. I saved a few for you. Have a taste.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Robbie nced up at Jamie before returning his focus to theputer screen. ¡°Mrs.


    Rawlston finally seeded after so many attempts!¡± Robbie muttered.


    ¡°What?¡± Jamie was stunned.


    ¡°You and Ellie go to school so early, so you didn''t see Mrs. Rawlston practicing how to make hot cross


    bunnies every day. She fed the failed ones to the other maids, and they spat them out many times.¡±


    Robbie was still looking at the screen as he spoke.


    ¡°Ah...¡± Realization dawned on Jamie. ¡°I praised Mrs. Rawlston just now, and she seemed embarrassed.


    She told us how she only seeded after failing many times.¡±


    ¡°Yep, thirty-eight times.¡± Robbie nodded distractedly.


    ¡°Mrs. Rawlston is so nice. Robbie, don''t you want to try one?¡± Jamie ced the breakfast tray in front


    of Robbie.


    Robbie reached out and grabbed a hot cross bunny. He took a bite and eximed, ¡°Hmm, yummy!


    Please thank Mrs. Rawlston for me.¡±


    Jamie''s mouth fell open, and he could not help but ask, ¡°Why are you acting like this, Robbie?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Robbie was stunned.


    ¡°Great-grandpa and Daddy really love us. Mrs. Rawlston and Dr. Langhan also treat us well. So why


    are you shutting them all out?¡±Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 738

    Chapter 738


    It was Jamie''s first time discussing this matter so seriously with Robbie. Indeed, Robbie was an entirely


    different person from his usual frivolous self.


    He''d suddenly grown stern. Looking into his brother''s small face, Jamie felt that Robbie exuded an aura


    of manliness.


    ¡°I haven''t...¡± Robbie began, then reflected. ¡°My personality''s always been rather neutral. I''m not as


    lively as you.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jamie shook his head, saying solemnly. ¡°You were always wiser and more mature than I was


    even when Mommy was still with us. But you''d stillugh and joke. You were close to Great-grandpa


    too. I haven''t seen you smile in a while.¡±


    ¡°Now that Mommy''s not around, I can''t bring myself to smile,¡± Robbie replied in a low voice, his eyes


    reddening.


    Jamie bowed his head in grief. He was silent for a moment, then said, ¡°Ellie and I are sad, too, that


    Mommy''s no longer around. But we can''t take it out on Great-grandpa. It has nothing to do with him.¡±


    Robbie frowned but said nothing. He was the only one who had borne witness to thest time Mommy


    had been with them. She''d clearly been threatened by Great-grandpa. Robbie hadn''t stopped ming


    himself for trusting Great-grandpa.


    If only I''d stopped him! If only I''d never left her side! Robbie despaired with all the benefits of hindsight.


    Perhaps tragedy would not have struck then.


    There was no way he could tell all this to Jamie and Ellie, though. He swallowed the truth in silence,


    and it weighed heavy on his heart like a stone.


    Let them live in blissful ignorance! That''s the only way they can continue to be happy.


    ¡°Great-grandpa''s eyes were red, and he wasn''t listening all the time I was talking to him, staring off into


    the distance,¡± Jamie pressed. ¡°He was trying so hard to get you to like him! Why did you treat him that


    way?¡±


    ¡°I had something urgent to deal with just now...¡± Robbie began. He suddenly sat up in dismay as


    raindrops began pelting down outside the window.


    His mechanical dove was still hidden in that tree! It was in no danger of being discovered at the


    moment. At present, it faced an even greater risk of short-circuiting.


    Robbie had installed a waterproof system for it, which was effective for warding off drizzles. However,


    this torrential downpour was another matter altogether.


    ¡°What was so urgent?¡± Jamie demanded.


    ¡°I''ll tell youter,¡± Robbie replied distractedly. He frantically turned toward theputer in a bid to


    hastily transfer his mechanical dove to another ce of refuge from the rain.


    ¡°Robbie!¡± Jamie cried in annoyance. ¡°I''m talking to you. Aren''t you being a little rude?¡±


    ¡°I''m busy. I''ll tell youter! Go and get some breakfast first,¡± Robbie pleaded, his eyes fixed on the


    computer screen.


    ¡°I''m getting really mad!¡± Jamie dered, his arms akimbo. He stalked out of the room.


    Robbie nced at Jamie''s departing figure, then turned back to hisputer. Wait till I get Mommy


    back! You won''t be mad then.


    Charlotte returned to her room after attending to Fifi''s wounds. She drew back the blinds and gazed out


    at the gloomy skies. Her heart grew as heavy as the dark clouds that gathered on the horizon.


    She recalled the wails she''d heard at the Nachts'' residence previously. Charlotte''s heart ached for the


    children.


    Why am I feeling this way? Charlotte wondered. She was baffled by how emotionally attached she was.


    As her mind drifted, Charlotte was suddenly drawn to a faint red glow emitted from a tree not far off.


    She immediately fished out her binocrs. Peering through them, Charlotte realized that she was


    looking at a dove.


    Her mind shed back to the bird that had been felled with a single shot. Upon its dissection, she had


    discovered that it was actually a mechanical dove. Charlotte presumed that this must be a simr


    specimen.


    Divine Corporation specialized in technology. Such creatures were mere ythings to them.


    Charlotte scoffed. Is Zachary using these toys to spy on me? How childish of him!


    She raised her gun and prepared to condemn it to the same fate its predecessor had suffered.


    However, another thought struck her. If Zachary''s so intent to spy on me, perhaps I should take him for


    a ride!


    Charlotte lowered her gun.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    The rain was still falling steadily. There was a knock on the door, and Lupine entered with a pot of hot


    tea. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, have a cup of hot tea to warm yourself up.¡±


    ¡°Go and get someone to close all of the windows,¡± Charlotte ordered. ¡°Today''s itinerary is canceled. I''m


    taking a break today.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ms. Lindberg.¡±

 Chapter 739

    Chapter 739


    Robbie remained in the room, his eyes never leaving theputer. He was waiting for the resident of


    the vi to appear in order to get a good look at her face. After a long while, however, she was nowhere


    to be seen. In addition, the vi''s windows had all been shut.


    The only sights the mechanical dove was privy to were the vi''s stone walls.


    Robbie felt his stomach growl. He picked up the hot cross bunny on the table and ate it, washing it


    down with milk. Then he continued watching the screen intently.


    Before he knew it, it was noon, and Mrs. Rawlston was rapping on the door, calling, ¡°Mr. Robinson,


    time for lunch.¡±


    Robbie''s eyes were sore, and he was starving. However, he wasn''t about to squander this opportunity.


    He yelled through the door, ¡°Mrs. Rawlston, can you bring the food up here? I''ll eat in the room.¡±


    Mrs. Rawlston exchanged looks with Henry, who was standing behind her.


    Henry nodded. With his permission, Mrs. Rawlston replied agreeably, ¡°Alright, I''ll get it ready then.¡±


    Robbie red at the screen. They can''t possibly stay in there forever!


    Mrs. Rawlston soon reappeared with lunch. Upon entering the room, she saw Robbie nted in front of


    theputer. ¡°Mr. Robinson, you''ll hurt your eyes if you keep staring at theputer screen. Come


    and have lunch first,¡± she chided.


    ¡°OK. Thank you, Mrs. Rawlston,¡± Robbie swiveled in his seat to face her. ¡°Can you bring it over here for


    me, please?¡±


    Mrs. Rawlston had been about to set the food down onto the table. She believed that the study table


    was not an appropriate ce for meals but obeyed nheless.


    ¡°Thank you, Mrs. Rawlston.¡± Robbie reached for his food and began eating with gusto.


    ¡°Take smaller bites. Don''t rush through your food,¡± Mrs. Rawlston said tenderly. ¡°Try the juice too. It''s


    freshly squeezed.¡±


    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°OK,¡± Robbie nodded absently. ¡°I''ll call for you when I''m done with the food. Don''t worry about me.¡±


    ¡°All right,¡± Mrs. Rawlston said and exited the room.


    Robbie continued his vigil at theputer. All was still quiet at the vi. In spite of that, Robbie was


    unfazed. He was firm in his conviction that whoever was within would have to emerge sometime.


    The rest of the day came and went without much fanfare. When atst night fell, Robbie sprawled onto


    the table in weariness and slept.


    The sound of a car revving startled Robbie awake. He rubbed his eyes and squinted at the screen.


    The rain had subsided, and the door of the vi opened. Eight female bodyguards lined up before the


    door bearing ck umbres. In their tidy rows, they formed a shelter from the rain.


    A woman wearing a ck suit marched out of the vi.


    Robbie''s heart skipped a beat. He quickly leaned forward and nearly bore through theputer screen


    with his gaze. The figure he had seen that morning had looked just Mommy''s. His desire to get another


    glimpse of her had superseded both exhaustion and hunger.


    The entire day Robbie had spent waiting had been an absolute torment.


    Now that his objective had finally appeared right before his eyes, Robbie refused to blink for fear of


    missing something.


    However, the umbres shielded the top half of her face from Robbie''s eager eye. There was nothing


    he could tell from the single sliver that was exposed.


    Robbie grew frantic. He hastily adjusted the angle of the mechanical dove, trying to get it to fly lower in


    the hopes of catching sight of the woman''s face.


    It wasn''t the most subtle thing to do, but Robbie could care less. He''d think about the consequences


    afterward.


    The mechanical dove loftily descended,nding on a tree just by the entrance of the door. Bit by bit, it


    revealed the woman in an almost dramatic fashion. If only I could just see her face...


    Robbie held his breath. He stared so intently at the screen that his face was mere inches from it. His


    little hand curled up into a fist as he muttered furiously to himself, ¡°Quick, quick!¡±


    The frame kept dipping lower and lower, closer and closer. Robbie saw her mouth, the tip of her nose...


    Suddenly, Robbie heard an eagle scream overhead. It swooped down, directing its piercing gaze


    straight towards the camera. It wore a look of murderous rage.


    Robbie recoiled instinctively in terror.


    At the same time, the screen fizzled out into a nk white.


    Robbie''s eyes widened and he gaped at the screen, aghast.


    That eagle attacked my second mechanical dove!

 Chapter 740

    Chapter 740


    Robbie wasn''t as vexed as he had been the previous time. The feeling that rose within him was more


    akin to a sense of loss.


    However, this seemed like a promising lead to Mommy''s whereabouts. Hope rekindled within Robbie''s


    heart, and he felt a renewed sense of vigor surge through him.


    Robbie was young, but he knew that the more something was shrouded in secrecy, the more there was


    waiting to be uncovered.


    He was determined to get to the bottom of things. What did that woman from Northridge have to do


    with Mommy?


    Why did her figure look just like Mommy''s?


    Most of all, why did she have Mommy''s ring?


    Robbie''s actions had rmed her now, however. He couldn''t afford to be reckless.


    As he was deep in thought, there was a banging on the door followed by Zachary''s voice hollering,


    ¡°Robbie, can Ie in?¡±


    ¡°Daddy!¡± Robbie dashed to the door and opened it. ¡°Pleasee in.¡±


    Zachary entered the room. He draped his jacket over the small sofa and surveyed his surroundings.


    ¡°Raina did up this room for you when you were three and a half years old. Now that you''re older, would


    you like a revamp?¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°No, I like it like this,¡± Robbie said, handing a cup of fruit juice to Zachary. ¡°I only have fruit juice, milk,


    and yogurt. There''s no alcohol here.¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡± Zachary chortled. ¡°Wait till you grow up. I''ll install a mini-bar here for you.¡±


    ¡°How old must I be?¡± Robbie queried, pouring himself a ss of milk.


    Zachary clinked his ss of fruit juice against Robbie''s milk. He nced down at Robbie fondly and


    said, ¡°Mentally and intellectually, you''re already pretty grown up. But your body is still that of a child''s,


    so you''re still one.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Robbie said, taking it as apliment.


    ¡°Jamie and Ellieined that their rooms were too childish for them. They''re insistent on renovating


    it. Are you really fine with keeping yours the way it is?¡± Zachary quizzed.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Robbie answered, looking around his room. His gazended on the family portrait hanging on


    the wall. ¡°This room still has traces of Mommy and Mrs. Berry.¡±


    At this, Zachary fell silent. When Charlotte had left all those years ago, Robbie was the only one who


    had ever seen her. Robbie was thus privy to much more nostalgic sentiments than Jamie or Ellie.


    Robbie was already a lot more mature than other children his age. He was able to piece things together


    even when the event had been iprehensible to him when it happened. Robbie was thus aware of


    the fact that it was Henry who had forced Charlotte to leave.


    Robbie''s resentment towards Henry was therefore perfectly reasonable.


    ¡°Why did youe back so early today?¡± Robbie asked, changing the subject in an attempt to lighten


    the mood.


    ¡°Mr. Spencer called to say that you''d shut yourself in your room all day without taking a single step


    outside. Great-grandpa was very worried about you. He hasn''t eaten or drunk anything,¡± Zachary


    replied, looking meaningfully at Robbie.


    ¡°Huh? Why didn''t Great-grandpa eat or drink anything?¡± Robbie asked, stunned. ¡°I was busy doing


    something in my room. I had lunch.¡±


    ¡°Great-grandpa was just concerned about you. At the same time, he also feels a sense of guilt towards


    you...¡±


    Zachary trailed off. This was the first time he''d confronted Robbie about this matter. However, Zachary


    was never really good with words. He was at a loss on how to finish what he had impulsively started.


    Zachary felt bitter towards Henry and usually kept his distance as well. How could he then expect


    Robbie to put on a facade of affection for Henry when even Zachary could not bring himself to do so?


    ¡°So?¡± Robbie frowned. ¡°What are you trying to tell me?¡±


    ¡°Treat it as if you''re doing Daddy a favor. Go visit Great-grandpa,¡± Zachary said, gently ruffling Robbie''s


    hair. ¡°He''s getting along in years and if he doesn''t eat, he''ll destroy his body.¡±


    ¡°All right, I''ll go,¡± Robbie said smoothly. ¡°But there''s something I''ve been meaning to ask you for a very


    long time, Daddy.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Zachary asked warmly.


    ¡°Why didn''t you protect Mommy?¡± Robbie''s clear gaze seemed to prate right through Zachary.


    ¡°Why did you abandon her?¡±


    Zachary lowered his gaze. Memories of the past crowded into his mind, moring. ¡°It''s not that I didn''t


    protect her. I just didn''t do it well enough. I didn''t abandon her either.¡±

 Chapter 741

    Chapter 741


    ¡°If Mommy everes back, will you love and protect her?¡± Robbie asked again.


    ¡°Of course I will,¡± Zachary replied without hesitation. Then he asked curiously, ¡°Why do you suddenly


    ask?¡±


    ¡°It''s nothing,¡± Robbie said shortly. He didn''t want to tell Zachary anything without confirming it for


    himself first.


    ¡°All right. Wash your face and go down to see Great-grandpa. We''ll eat together,¡± Zachary concluded,


    patting Robbie''s little head.


    ¡°OK,¡± Robbie nodded obediently.


    Zachary returned to his own room and changed his clothes, preparing to join his family for dinner. Just


    then, Ben appeared with the report: ¡°Mr. Nacht, the hospital just notified us that Ms. ckwood has


    woken up.¡±


    ¡°OK,¡± Zachary acknowledged. ¡°We''ll visit herter tonight.¡±


    When Robbie came to Henry''s room, he found Henry sitting in a wheelchair, staring nkly out at the


    storm. He looked utterly forlorn.


    ¡°Mr. Robinson, be a good boy and bring this cup of hot tea over to your Great-grandpa,¡± Spencer


    whispered cing a steaming cup in Robbie''s hands.


    ¡°OK,¡± Robbie said. He walked over to Henry, calling softly, ¡°Great-grandpa!¡±


    The old man remained motionless.


    Robbie crossed over to his front, then repeated in a louder voice, ¡°Great-grandpa!¡±


    Henry finally came to his senses. His eyes fixed on Robbie, bewildered for a moment. Then Henry


    cried tedly, embracing Robbie, ¡°Robbie, why are you here?¡±


    ¡°To visit you,¡± Robbie replied, handing Henry the cup of tea. ¡°Drink this, Great-grandpa.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure.¡± Henry was delighted. He took a big swig from the cup and eximed, ¡°Wonderful,


    wonderful!¡±


    ¡°Great-grandpa, I was working on my mechanical dove today. It was rather urgent, so I may have been


    impolite to you. Don''t be angry,¡± Robbie apologized meekly.


    ¡°No...¡± Henry patted Robbie''s head, looking at him fondly. ¡°Robbie, you can tell me anything. If you''re


    unhappy, let it out. You can argue or debate with Great-grandpa, no problem at all. Just don''t keep it to


    yourself, OK?¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± Robbie replied gratefully. Great-grandpa''s really so good to me. What more could I ask for?


    ¡°Let''s have dinner together. Daddy''s back. We can all eat together as a family,¡± Robbie dered,


    tugging at Henry''s frail hand.


    ¡°Sure, sure.¡± Henry nodded.


    ¡°Great-grandpa!¡± A shout suddenly came from outside the room. Jamie and Ellie ran in right after.


    The room suddenly grew vibrant from Jamie and Ellie''s excited squabbling over who would get to talk


    to Great-grandpa first.


    ¡°It''s time to eat! Mrs. Rawlston prepared lots of delicious things for us today.¡±


    ¡°Daddy''s even squeezed juice for us!¡±


    ¡°Ha, how hard is squeezing juice?¡± Henry replied, chuckling.


    Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Great-grandpa, let me give you a hand,¡± Robbie announced, taking over the handles of the wheelchair.


    ¡°And I''ll hold the cup for you!¡± Jamie added, grabbing the said item.


    ¡°I''ll get your nket!¡± Determined not to be outdone, Ellie fetched the nket and covered Henry''s legs


    with it.


    The three children surrounded Henry, a perfect picture of a happy family. Time seemed to fall away,


    and the house reverberated with the warmth and good cheer of old.


    ¡°You''re still so hungry for attention even at this age?¡± Zachary demanded. Even as he spoke, however,


    Zachary had already stepped forward and pulled out a chair. Henry was smoothly wheeled into his


    ce.


    ¡°What nonsense are you saying?¡± Henry said reproachfully with a twinkle in his eye.


    As Jamie moved to take his seat, Zachary instinctively lifted Jamie up into his chair. Bemused, Jamie


    remarked, ¡°Daddy, I''ve grown up! I''m not a little boy anymore.¡±


    ¡°You''ll always be Daddy''s little boy,¡± Zachary said, patting the top of his little head. He moved on to


    Robbie.


    ¡°No need, Daddy! I can handle myself,¡± Robbie said, hurriedly mbering onto his seat.


    Zachary froze. Ellie, however, shimmied over and cried, ¡°Daddy, pick me up! No matter how old I am,


    I''ll always be your baby!¡±


    ¡°What a good child you are, Ellie!¡± Zachary turned to her, beaming.

 Chapter 742

    Chapter 742


    It had been a long time since the house had heard such joyfulughter, much less the jovial chatter that


    presided over dinner that evening.


    For the past two years, whenever Henry came over, Zachary would excuse himself for work.


    Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Robbie had likewise remained aloof and distant.


    Jamie and Ellie were the only ones who''d consistently remained on good terms with Henry.


    Over time, Henry had stopped visiting.


    Henry had only flown all the way back from M Nation this time in order to celebrate Jamie and Ellie


    starting elementary school.


    He''d spent even more effort this time getting to know the children and hoping to resolve the tension


    between himself and Robbie.


    Henry had all but given it up for lost. He definitely hadn''t anticipated that this night woulde to pass.


    He was thus overjoyed. Henry believed that his efforts had not been in vain. At the same time, he


    began to harbor hopes for the future.


    It was Henry''s wish that Zachary''s marriage would stabilize while Henry was still alive. The three


    children would acknowledge Cynthia, and they''d all embark on their new life.


    After dinner, when the three children had gone out to the garden, Henry turned to Zachary, saying,


    ¡°Cynthia''s awake. Come with me to visit her at the hospitalter.¡±


    ¡°I''ll go. You''ve been up and about for the whole day. Rest at home,¡± Zachary replied.


    Zachary had no qualms about going but thought it rather awkward to be apanied by Henry.


    ¡°That''s fine too,¡± Henry said, exhaling. He didn''t want to seem too overbearing to Zachary so soon after


    the ice between them had thawed. ¡°I''ll apany the children here. You go and visit Cynthia.¡±


    ¡°OK.¡± Zachary waved to the children and set off.


    Along the way, Zachary received another call from Louis. Zachary grimaced when he saw the number


    shing luminous across his phone but gritted his teeth and answered. ¡°What is it now?¡±


    ¡°Zachary, I''m just about to meet Charlotte. I''m so nervous! What should I say if she asks me about what


    happenedst night?¡± Louis'' anxious voice came from the other end of the line.


    Louis was like a bashful schoolboy who had never been in love, always running to Zachary for the


    slightest bit of advice.


    ¡°Do I have to teach you this as well?¡± Zachary was speechless. ¡°Why don''t you just make up an


    excuse?¡±


    ¡°I''ve thought of one. I''m going to say my friends brought me that and forced a woman onto me. I had no


    choice...¡± Louis rattled off his n.


    ¡°Why are you still asking me then?¡± Zachary said curtly.


    ¡°But she asked me yesterday who had brought me there. Should I tell her the truth?¡± Louis asked


    cautiously.


    So this was what Louis was leading up to.


    ¡°Up to you. You can tell her if you want,¡± Zachary said easily.


    ¡°I''ll be honest with her then,¡± Louis decided. ¡°When she was questioning me yesterday, I didn''t think


    that it would be right to sell a brother out behind his back. I had to ask you first.¡±


    ¡°So you''re going sell me out in my face?¡± Zachary retorted.


    ¡°Uh... well...¡± Louis stammered.


    ¡°Fine, take care of it yourself,¡± Zachary replied.


    He hung up the phone. There was no discernible expression on his face to indicate that anything was


    wrong.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, why didn''t you ask Sir Louis to keep it a secret? If Ms. Lindberg finds out that you were the


    one who brought him there, won''t she misunderstand you for a yer?¡± Bruce broke in. His


    reservations were evident.


    ¡°She''s already misunderstood me enough. Once more won''t make a difference,¡± Zachary scoffed.


    ¡°Besides, even if Louis didn''t tell her, don''t you think Charlotte wouldn''t have found out on her own?¡±


    ¡°She didn''t get anything out of Sultry Night,¡± Bruce said, pondering.


    ¡°I''m the only one that Louis knows in H City. Other than me, who would dare bring him to a nightclub?


    Who else would be able to persuade Sultry Night to cover up what happened in the private room?¡±


    Zachary said evenly. ¡°Charlotte''s smart. She''d surely have thought of that.¡±


    ¡°That''s true,¡± Bruce said, nodding. ¡°But aren''t you at all worried about Sir Louis and Ms. Lindberg''s date


    tonight?¡±


    ¡°What''s there to be worried about?¡± Zachary rejoined coolly, raising an eyebrow. ¡°That woman''s totally


    intolerant towards straying of any sort in her rtionships. Even if I was the one who brought Louis


    there, Louis wouldn''t have touched another woman if he had indeed resolved to be loyal. He


    sumbed to temptation and was ultimately caught by her. That has nothing to do with me.¡±

 Chapter 743

    Chapter 743


    ¡°I get it.¡± Bruce nodded in realisation.


    ¡°I''m pretty surprised, though, that Charlotte was willing to meet Louis,¡± Zachary remarked.


    Zachary appeared nonchnt but was fretting inside. The Charlotte he knew two years ago had been


    an absolute fanatic about loyalty in a rtionship, particrly that of the man''s.


    It was two years since, and Charlotte had evolved from an innocent, naive girl into a cold and haughty


    woman. Could that domineering woman still have the same outlook as the sweet girl of yesteryear?


    Zachary didn''t dare to say for sure.


    ¡°Actually, the fact that Ms. Lindberg even agreed to meet with Sir Louis is proof enough that she


    doesn''t love him,¡± Bruce analyzed. ¡°The more affection you feel for someone, the less epting you''d


    be of such behavior. Do you think she really got over it within a day? She doesn''t love him!¡±


    ¡°That makes sense,¡± Zachary said with a sigh.


    ¡°But that''s not to say that she still won''t get together with him,¡± Bruce continued. ¡°Sir Louis is a member


    of F Nation''s royalty. Lindberg Corporation has been cultivating close ties with F Nation. A marriage


    alliance for business rtions isn''t unheard of.¡±


    Zachary''s face instantly grew dark.


    ¡°The Ms. Lindberg we see now is no longer the Ms. Windt we knew, but another person entirely,¡± Bruce


    said,pletely diffident to Zachary''s growing displeasure. ¡°Perhaps over time, love has taken a


    backseat to politics for her. It''s very possible...¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Zachary bellowed, cutting short Bruce''s contemtions. He immediately picked up his


    phone and dialed Louis.


    ¡°Zachary?¡± Louis answered, puzzled.


    ¡°Where are you?¡± Zachary demanded in return.


    ¡°I''m at a restaurant here at South Sea, what''s it called... Seacrest or something like that.¡±


    Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Just as Louis blurted out the name of the restaurant, Zachary hung up. Turning to his chauffeur, he


    commanded, ¡°To Seacrest Restaurant.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± the chauffeur replied, immediately turning the car around.


    ¡°Uh...¡± Bruce faltered. ¡°Mr. Nacht, are you...¡±


    ¡°You''re right,¡± Zachary said, narrowing his eyes. He fiddled with the wedding band on his left hand. ¡°If


    she''s really changed that drastically and is going to get together with Louis for a marriage of


    convenience, then where am I going to find a mother for the children?¡±


    Bruce could not muster any response. He cursed himself for having said anything at all.


    They''d promised Henry that they were going to the hospital and even confirmed it with the ckwoods.


    However, they were now racing towards a seaside restaurant.


    Old Mr. Nacht''s going to be pissed! Bruce thought, wincing to himself.


    Another thought followed quickly on the heels of that one.


    Bruce suddenly remembered the warning that Henry had issued only that morning. He''d threatened to


    boot the next person who kept any secrets from him out of the Nacht family altogether.


    Shuddering at the thought, Bruce quickly pointed out, ¡°The ckwoods are still waiting for us at the


    hospital. Besides, Henry has already ordered us to visit Ms. ckwood at the hospital. If you suddenly


    change your mind, won''t it...¡±


    ¡°We can go to the hospitalter,¡± Zachary said dismissively, ncing at his watch. ¡°Tell them that we''ll


    head overter.¡±


    ¡°This...¡± Bruce was about to speak, then caught himself when Zachary turned an icy re to him.


    Lowering his head in acquiescence, Bruce replied meekly, ¡°All right, got it.¡±


    Bruce thus gave Taylor a call, citing urgent matters that were currently dying them. Bruce reassured


    him that they would definitely be thereter on.


    Over the phone, Taylor concernedly told them not to worry. Zachary was to focus on his own matters


    first.


    Bruce hung up the phone with a look of resignation on his face.


    Zachary, meanwhile, was fixed on urging the chauffeur to drive as fast as he could.


    ¡°Sure,¡± the chauffeur nodded. They flew towards Seacrest Restaurant.


    In the meantime, Louis texted Zachary a string of several flustered texts.


    Why did you call me just now?


    You''re noting to look for me, are you?


    You''d better note to look for me! I''m on a date with Charlotte. Do not bother us!


    She''s here. I''m not going to reply anymore. Don''t bother us!


    Louis ended it off with a photo.


    The restaurant was a cozy, intimate affair. Pink roses and heart-shaped balloons were scattered all


    around. Louis, in center stage, was decked out in a white tuxedo that made him look even more


    dashing and distinguished than usual.

 Chapter 744

    Chapter 744


    Louis was even smiling charmingly at the camera with that kind of smile that countless women would


    definitely fall for.


    On the contrary, Zachary frowned, and his face darkened as he stared at the picture and asked Bruce,


    ¡°Ppfftt... Just look at his face! He thinks he''s so good-looking and all that, huh?¡±


    Bruce was at a loss for words and looked at Zachary rather submissively. ¡°Eh-hem... Are you jealous,


    Mr. Nacht? Might I remind you that he''s your only friend?¡±


    It was true that Zachary had been aloof and arrogant since young. His unapproachable temperament


    left him with very few friends, and because of that, Louis was his only true friend.


    Louis was two years younger than Zachary. From an early age, he had been cautiously protected and


    unduly pampered. Hence, he grew up in a strict household, where there were all sorts of rules imposed


    on his life, studies, and even his social circles.


    He was raised in the castle and seldom explored the world outside. Everyone he knew was but the


    noble and prominent men from the upper echelon of the society. Due to conflicts of interests, others


    from the royal family were somewhat scheming against him.


    Apart from that, some businessmen were too mercenary and guileful, and Louis couldn''t really


    associate with them.


    Thus, Zachary was the only one whom he could actually confide in. Even though he appeared a little


    distant, he would never plot against Louis at the very least.


    Besides, they were like the two poles in dualism. While one was reticent, another was expansive. They


    contrasted each other like ice and fire.


    Nevertheless, contemporaneously, the ring prity between them was alsoplementary. Hence,


    by degrees, a seedling of friendship grew between them.


    ¡°And you, Mr. Nacht, are also his only friend,¡± Bruce added.


    Zachary frowned in bewilderment. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°The two of you always hang out with each other... It makes me wonder if you guys are, perhaps...¡±


    ¡°Bruce!¡± Zachary cut Bruce off and asked very solemnly, ¡°Do you know why I''ve always arranged for


    you to work outside?¡±


    ¡°Is it because I''m not a smooth-talker like Ben?¡±


    Bruce himself was also curious about this. He came to the Nacht family together with Ben, and both of


    them started working for Zachary ever since. Nevertheless, he was always stationed outside, and Ben


    always seemed to get to stay around Zachary.


    He broke his back, but the oue was often unenviable. On the other hand, Ben could please


    Zachary effortlessly.


    In his opinion, Ben was always in the desired position, and if they were not brothers, he might have


    long been dissatisfied with such differential treatment.


    ¡°You''re bullheaded and not versatile enough.¡± Zachary eyed him detachedly. ¡°Ben is much more agile


    than you.¡±


    Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I get it now...¡± Bruce lowered his gloomed face.


    ¡°From now on, stay quiet and don''t talk when you''re not required to,¡± Zachary ordered menacingly.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Bruce lowered his head and went silent.


    Soon, their car arrived at South Sea Restaurant.


    From afar, Zachary could see the Rolls-Royce of the Lindberg family and the ck Maybach, which he


    had lent Louis.


    Getting off the car, Zachary walked toward the restaurant with his bodyguards.


    One could hear a romantic piece yed on the piano just outside the door, whereas the air was filled


    with fresh floral fragrance and a hint of sweetness.


    As he walked into the restaurant, Zachary paused in his tracks when saw the scene in front of him.


    At the piano by the window, Louis and Charlotte were having a piano duet. Together, they were


    performing Beethoven''s fifth symphony - the Symphony of Fate.


    Alongside their remarkable skills, they were so seamlessly and perfectly in sync that they sounded


    utterly wless.


    The waiters and other diners in the restaurant couldn''t help fixating their eyes on the performing duo.


    Not only that, but some of them even started snapping photos to capture such a memorable moment...


    On the other hand, Zachary was bitter as he looked at them detachedly.


    It''s just the piano...


    What''s so great about knowing how to y it?


    I, too...


    Fine, I can''t!


    Finally, when the piece ended, tumultuous apuse flooded the restaurant.


    Right then, some of the diners and waiters were engaged in exhrated discussions.


    ¡°They must be some of the greatest pianists in the world. That was spectacr.¡±


    ¡°That''s right. It''s just that we have totally no idea about their background. I don''t think I''ve ever seen


    them covered by the media.¡±


    ¡°A truly great maestro doesn''t need any publicity.¡±


    ¡°Not only their skills are phenomenal, but they both look like real-life characters from the fairytales - so


    beautiful and charming!¡±


    ¡°Exactly! What a perfect match!¡±


    ¡°Judging from the harmonious way they''re interacting with each other, they''re probably a couple!¡±


    ¡°I heard that these roses and balloons in the restaurant today were put up by this man. Maybe he''s


    nning for a proposal.¡±


    ¡°Wow, that''s great. Who would have thought that we would be able to witness such a beautiful love


    story today?¡±

 Chapter 745

    Chapter 745


    These utterances brought about an even sullen look on Zachary''s face. With his eyebrows closely


    knitted together, he strode over...


    At that moment, the duo at the piano was smiling tenderly at each other.


    Louis'' keen blue eyes were looking at Charlotte with a doting gaze. On his face, his lips curved into a


    sweet half-moon which portrayed the gratification within his heart.


    As with Charlotte, there was also a broad, genial smile on her face. The glint in her eyes was


    particrly gentle when she looked at Louis.


    Side by side, they were sitting on the piano stool, looking so intimate and affectionate toward one


    another.


    Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Knock! Knock! Knock!


    Out of the blue, they heard someone rapping their knuckles on the piano.


    Everyone in the restaurant shifted their gaze at this mysterious, arrogant, and indifferent dark-suited


    man.


    There was inherent savagery emanating from him, which propelled others to stay away in fear.


    Not only that but there was also a piercingly cold glint in his eyes. It was as though he was Lucifer who


    had risen from hell just to shatter the rtionship between these two lovebirds.


    In that instance, the dreamy atmosphere dissipated...


    All the onlookers retreated timidly and didn''t dare to get too close for fear of being involved in the


    forting peril.


    ¡°Zachary?¡± Charlotte looked up and showed a long face as soon as she saw that it was him. ¡°What are


    you doing here?¡±


    ¡°He- He''sing for me.¡±


    Louis didn''t know theplicated rtionship between Zachary and Charlotte and thought that


    Zachary had indeede to the restaurant to look for him. Hence, he yanked Zachary to the side and


    spoke in a hushed voice, ¡°Haven''t I told you not toe? Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°I told you...¡± Zachary took a nce at Charlotte and reminded him in a solemn manner, ¡°This woman is


    not a kind soul.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry about me. I know what I''m doing.¡± Louis sighed and elbowed Zachary anxiously. ¡°Leave


    now. Otherwise, Charlotte would be chiding you. She already knew that it was you who brought me to


    Sultry Nightst night-¡±


    ¡°So what if she did?¡±


    Zachary raised his eyebrows and stared at Charlotte dispassionately.


    In return, Charlotte was also ring bitterly at him.


    The two of them regarded each other as enemies, and none of them would yield before the other did.


    ¡°I know you''re doing this for me, and you''vee to warn me because you''re worried that I might be


    deceived...¡± Louis put his hand around Zachary''s shoulder and added in a low voice, ¡°But I''m already a


    grown-up. I''m able to discern the difference between what is good and bad.¡±


    ¡°You''re too naive. You don''t understand...¡± Zachary leaned over and whispered in Louis'' ear, ¡°Not only


    does this woman have a dangerous identity, but she''s also sulky and violent. Plus, she keeps a wild


    animal as her pet. It''s said to be an eagle which specifically feeds on men''s eyes!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Louis paled in an instant as he was terribly frightened. ¡°It can''t be.¡±


    Bruce, who was watching by the side,mented in silence. Sir Louis is really a kind and simple soul!


    Meanwhile, Zachary was not relenting yet.


    ¡°Why not? Why don''t you ask her yourself if you don''t believe me?¡± Seeing that Louis started wavering,


    Zachary continued persuading him, ¡°There''s one more thing. I heard that she''s sadomasochistic!¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    Louis'' eyes widened in horror, and he turned around, taking a gander at Charlotte, and quickly turned


    back as he said hurriedly, ¡°Where did you hear all these things? That''s impossible! Charlotte is such a


    virtuous and impable girl. She''s not that kind of person!¡±


    ¡°You''re such a silly man. Why would she reveal this hidden side of her to you?¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°Alright, let''s cut this out.¡± Not giving Louis the chance to say anything else, Zachary held his wrist and


    was about to take him away, ¡°Come with me!¡±


    ¡°Hold on...¡±


    Louis turned around to look at Charlotte and then at Zachary again. He was in two minds.


    Right then, the onlookers couldn''t stand by in silence anymore and startedmenting...


    ¡°My goodness. All this while I was under the impression that this blue-eyed handsome was a couple


    with thedy. And it turns out¡ª¡±


    ¡°I thought this fine young man in the dark suit was here for the girl. Who would have expected he''s


    actually here for the guy!¡±


    ¡°I know!¡±


    ¡°You people are way too conservative. I''ve seen iting. This is true love!¡± A pretty young girl in the


    crowd rolled her eyes and continued with a smug on her face, ¡°These two handsomes are a ring


    contrast which alsoplements one another. They''re like yin and yang - one is stand-offish when the


    other is amiable. They are a truly perfect match together!¡±

 Chapter 746

    Chapter 746


    Listening to these tittle-tattles rendered Bruce in relief. I told you so.


    These two men are more like a couple than Louis and Charlotte.


    Zachary glowered upon hearing the whisperings. This gossip happened to back Bruce''s suggestive


    remark earlier.


    ¡°Goodness! What are they talking about?¡± Louis was so embarrassed that his cheeks flushed. ¡°They


    actually thought that you and I...¡±


    He pointed at Zachary and then at himself. Right after that, he covered his face bashfully.


    Zachary couldn''t help but roll his eyes. Ugh... this is just great. How typical of you to use such


    exaggerated bodynguage.


    ¡°Louis!¡± Charlotte called out.


    ¡°Here!¡± Louis was just about to rush to her side, but Zachary held him back. Tense, Louis tried to push


    Zachary away. ¡°Hey, let go of me. Everyone is thinking that there''s something fishy going on between


    the two of us, and yet, you''re still holding my hand. We''re never going to be able to rify this.¡±


    ¡°You trust her instead of me?¡± Zachary asked with his furrowed eyebrows.


    ¡°No...¡± Louis was hesitant to make a choice, so he returned, ¡°Well, you can stay and dine with us.


    Whatever there is, let''s leave it until after the meal, alright?¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Zachary released his grip on Louis.


    The three of them took their seats, with Zachary and Louis sitting on one side while Charlotte sat on the


    other side.


    The restaurant was still abuzz with the murmurs and chatters of the onlookers.


    Tentatively, Louis asked, ¡°Charlotte, can I sit with you?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Charlotte agreed heartily.


    Immediately, Louis changed his seat to the other side and sat next to Charlotte.


    Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    His movement was so swift that it seemed like he was running away from some sort of threat.


    Meanwhile, Zachary shot him daggers and took the menu handed over by the restaurant manager. He


    quickly ordered a bottle of wine and then passed the menu to Louis.


    ¡°I''ve pre-ordered the meals for Charlotte and myself.¡± Louis added as he took the menu over, ¡°Are you


    sure you don''t want anything?¡±


    ¡°I''ve had dinner.¡± Zachary raised his ss and took a sip.


    ¡°Then why are you here?¡± Charlotte raised her eyebrows and red at Zachary surlily.


    Zachary shot an indifferent nce at her but didn''t say anything.


    ¡°Charlotte, don''t be like that...¡± Louis quickly defended Zachary, ¡°Zachary is my best friend!¡±


    ¡°Then what about me?¡± Charlotte asked purposefully.


    ¡°You...¡± Louis was a little nervous as he continued, ¡°You''re my favorite girl.¡±


    ¡°I see!¡± Charlotte raised a ss of red wine and asked Louis, ¡°If this were a ss of poison and in


    between him and me, one of us had to drink it so that the other could survive, how would you decide?¡±


    ¡°I...¡± Louis was in a distressing predicament and couldn''t make a choice.


    Right then, Zachary took the ss from Charlotte directly and downed everything in one gulp.


    Both Charlotte and Louis were utterly stunned.


    Charlotte''s expression turned inexplicablyplicated, and she frowned, ncing at Zachary...


    Louis was astounded at first, and then, he was sensibly touched.


    Zachary put down the ss and looked up at Charlotte. ¡°Are you satisfied now?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Charlotte was inly puzzled.


    ¡°I won''t let you be in danger again...¡± Zachary splurted out, but he diverted hastily, ¡°Women are made to


    be protected. Hence, it is men''s duty to be gentlemen.¡±


    ¡°That''s right! Well said, Zachary!¡±


    Louis couldn''t stopplimenting him and cast him a grateful look in appreciation of Zachary giving


    him an out.


    ¡°You must understand that it was supposed to be a ss of poison. You''d die for taking it.¡± Charlotte


    gave him a displeased stare. ¡°Did you really pay attention to what I said?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I did.¡± Zachary looked at her with a deep gaze and answered in an earnest manner, ¡°I''d rather die


    myself than to let you die, okay?¡±


    A sudden brief chill came over Charlotte, and for some reason, she was a little moved upon hearing


    those words.


    It was as if she had been waiting a long time just to hear these words...


    ¡°Zachary, you...¡± Louis was baffled as he looked at Zachary. ¡°Wh-What did you say?¡±


    ¡°That should solve your problem.¡± Zachary was quick-witted as he added promptly, ¡°So what do you


    think about this friend in me?¡±


    ¡°What a great friend you are!¡± Louis nodded his head repetitively.

 Chapter 747

    Chapter 747


    Looking deeply into Zachary''s eyes, Charlotte understood perfectly that his words were clearly some


    fibs that a lecher would use to lure and woo girls...


    But strangely, she was touched.


    It was a weird feeling for her.


    Zachary could feel Charlotte ncing at him, but he didn''t turn to her. He continued savoring the wine


    in silence and engaged in a casual chat with Louis.


    Meanwhile, Louis and Zachary had a lot inmon, so the exchanges and interactions between them


    were frequent and rxed.


    Zachary was also much friendlier around Louispared to how distant and overbearing he was in


    front of others.


    As they chatted, a sumptuous dinner was served.


    Charlotte ate in silence while Louis was taking care of her very considerately. Even so, she could feel


    that he was paying closer attention to his discussion with Zachary.


    That made Charlotte rather speechless as she felt like she was unweed at this dining table when


    the only person who was supposed to have this feeling was Zachary.


    At the same time, other diners and waiters at the restaurant also started another round of hushed


    gossiping when they saw what happened at the table.


    ¡°See? Among them, he''s really closer to the other man than the woman. Goodness, it looks like she''s


    unwanted. How sad is that?¡±


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I know, right? I have a feeling that these two men are setting her up for a sham marriage. Ugh, how


    shameless!¡±


    ¡°Well, it''s not really shamming though. That girl seems to know about their rtionship...¡±


    ¡°Gosh! It''s too tangled andplicated.¡±


    ¡°I know...¡±


    Surely, none of these subdued tattles were overheard by any of the persons in question. Instead, it was


    the bodyguards - Bruce, Lupine, and Morgan, who caught every word of the chitter-chatter distinctly.


    Bruce didn''t care as he was mentally tough and impervious. Besides, he knew the actual intention of


    Zachary so he wasn''t affected at all.


    However, the same could not be said about Lupine and Morgan. Both their faces flushed red with


    anger, and they were disgruntled for Charlotte.


    Ring¡ª Ring¡ª


    Zachary''s phone chimed all of a sudden, and upon seeing the caller identification shown on the screen,


    he waved at Louis and Charlotte and went out to answer the call.


    Finally, only Louis and Charlotte were left at the table.


    Seeing as such, Louis quickly took out an exquisite gift box and handed it to Charlotte. ¡°Charlotte, open


    it and see if you like it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Charlotte took the box and lifted the lid. It was a sparkling diamond ne. ¡°It''s


    beautiful. I like it very much. Thank you.¡±


    After that, she ced the lid back on the box, put it aside, and continued eating.


    ¡°You don''t seem to like it.¡± Louis nced at her with a hesitant look. ¡°Is it the diamond or the ne?


    What is it that you don''t like about it? I''ll buy you something else next time.¡±


    ¡°She just doesn''t like you.¡± A young good-looking man from the table next to them couldn''t hold back


    his rage anymore andshed out, ¡°What a shameless person you are! Fooling with other girls when


    you already have a boyfriend.¡±


    As soon as others heard this, they started gesticting again...


    ¡°You shouldn''t hoodwink a young girl just because you''re good-looking.¡±


    ¡°Yes. That''s immoral!¡±


    Louis was notably dismayed and looked at them perplexedly as he hurriedly exined, ¡°No, you''ve


    misunderstood...¡±


    Unfortunately, his voice was soon drowned out by the chatters around.


    Louis was on the brink of tears. If he had known things would turn out this way, he would have booked


    the entire restaurant.


    He thought the more the merrier, and such a romantic and memorable moment between him and


    Charlotte should be blessed with a cheerful and lively atmosphere. Thus, he did not proceed with


    booking the entire restaurant. However, never would he have expected things to unfold into such a


    regrettable embarrassment.


    At that moment, Charlotte restrained herself fromughing and asked Louis deliberately, ¡°No wonder


    I''ve always thought there''s something fishy between the two of you. Be honest and tell me. Are you two


    really in a rtionship?¡±


    ¡°No, I swear.¡± Louis raised his hand as he eximed, ¡°Zachary and I are just friends. We''re not in a


    rtionship.¡±


    ¡°Then why did you ask him toe?¡± Charlotte asked rather sullenly. ¡°I thought it was only you and I.¡±


    ¡°I really didn''t invite him. He came on his own...¡± In a hurry, Louis blurted out, ¡°He was afraid that I


    would be deceived, so he came to warn me.¡±

 Chapter 748

    Chapter 748


    ¡°Deceived? What do you mean by that?¡± Charlotte gave him a dubious look.


    ¡°Um...¡± It was only then that Louis realized that he had let it slip out, and all of a sudden, he was at a


    loss for words.


    Right in that instance, Zachary came in from outside.


    Louis uttered hastily, ¡°Charlotte, we''ll talk about thatter.¡±


    Charlotte didn''t press him, but the gaze she cast at Zachary turned even more piercing. This filthy man


    took Louis to Sultry Night on purpose and even ndered me in front of Louis, huh? I''ll take care of


    this. Just you wait.


    Earlier, Zachary received a call from Henry, who questioned why he wasn''t apanying Cynthia at


    the hospital and where he was.


    Zachary told him that he had some business to deal with Louis and would be visiting Cynthiater.


    As a result, Henrypelled him to be at the hospital before ten o''clock.


    At that, Zachary agreed.


    Looking at the time, it was already past nine o''clock, and it would take some time for him to get to the


    hospital. Hence, he was only left with around ten minutes before he had to leave.


    ¡°Zachary, your wine is ready. Let''s taste it.¡±


    Louis felt guilty for letting it slipped earlier, so he tried to please Zachary.


    The waiter had already poured half a ss of wine for him.


    Zachary took a sip and returned cidly, ¡°Not bad.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, stalking is against thew. Are you aware of that?¡± Charlotte started suddenly.


    ¡°What?¡± Zachary squinted.


    ¡°Why? Do you want me to show you the evidence?¡± Charlotte scrolled for a picture on her phone. ¡°Isn''t


    this a gadget from yourpany?¡±


    Zachary turned and saw two mechanical doves which had been blown uppletely. Isn''t that the


    prototype of Robbie''s research project? How did it end up with her?


    Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°It''s been twice in a row that you infiltrated my house with this sort of inferior technological products to


    film and stalk me.¡± Charlotte took her phone back and added detachedly, ¡°I''m considering taking legal


    action against you.¡±


    ¡°Stalking? Is that true?¡±


    Louis looked at Zachary with an appalled expression. It seemed as though he didn''t think that Zachary


    would actuallymit such an act.


    ¡°Sue me then.¡± Zachary didn''t seem to be bothered. ¡°I can sue you for trespassing and triggering your


    pet''s prey drive to attack others. Oh, right, that pet eagle of yours is one of the nation''s protected


    species of which breeding is prohibited!¡±


    ¡°Oh, what do you know? I''ve obtained a permit, and I''m a legal breeder.¡± Charlotte glowered at him


    indifferently.


    ¡°Are you really keeping an eagle?¡± Louis paled upon listening to that.


    ¡°I do keep one,¡± Charlotte answered cidly.


    ¡°I...¡±


    ¡°That eagle is predacious. Here''s what it did to me.¡±


    Zachary raised his hand and showed the few deep scars on it which had yet to fully recover.


    ¡°My goodness, are these left by the eagle?¡± Louis was utterly perturbed. ¡°Even a person like you have


    been hurt, let alone me...¡±


    ¡°That time at the forest near Ashenville Garden,¡± Zachary looked at Charlotte indifferently as he


    continued, ¡°if it wasn''t for me, your pretty big eyes would have been long gone.¡±


    ¡°I didn''t ask you to save me.¡± Charlotte returned crankily.


    ¡°Fine.¡± Zachary nodded and solemnly warned, ¡°Your pet eagle frightened my children at home today,


    and I have yet to settle this score with you. This is the first warning. If it happens again, I''ll be sure to rid


    it of its feathers and braise it!¡±


    ¡°How dare you!¡± Charlotte raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°Try me.¡± Zachary shot her daggers and rose from his seat to leave. ¡°I''m leaving. Take care, Louis.¡±


    ¡°Zachary, Zachary!¡± Louis called out to him.


    But Zachary didn''t respond.


    Louis watched as Zachary''s figure slowly disappeared from his sight, and he then turned to Charlotte


    agitatedly. ¡°Charlotte, why are you keeping an eagle as your pet?¡±


    ¡°I like it, so I keep it,¡± Charlotte replied coldly. ¡°Is there any problem with that?¡±


    ¡°No...¡± Louis continued to look at her meekly. ¡°I just think that an eagle is too ferocious, so I have a


    suggestion. Why don''t you keep some other small pets? If you like birds, I''d rmend keeping a little


    parrot!¡±


    A little parrot?


    For some reason, those words sounded inexplicably cordial to Charlotte.

 Chapter 749

    Chapter 749


    ¡°Charlotte, I''ve bought tickets for an opera. Shall we go see it togetherter?¡± Louis asked tentatively.


    ¡°I can''t. I have other things to attend to.¡± Feeling bored, Charlotte got up and left.


    ¡°Charlotte, Char¡ª¡±


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    Watching as Charlotte left, Louis didn''t feel reluctant; instead, he heaved a sigh of relief.


    Looking down, there was a scar on the purlicue of his right palm.


    It was a bite mark left by the pet snake kept by Danrique. He almost died then.


    Hence, even until now, he was still terrified of feral wild animals.


    Initially, he thought that Charlotte would be different from her brother, but he didn''t expect that...


    Thinking about ferocious beasts sent a chill down his spine.


    At that time, Zachary was still driving on the road when a dash of silver darted forward at the speed of


    lightning by his car.


    Eyeing the silver glint in front of him, his lips curled up into a half-smile.


    ¡°Is that someone from the Lindberg family?¡± Bruce saw the silver dash, and he was greatly astonished.


    ¡°Such staggering driving skills!¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Zachary responded and then added, ¡°Go after it.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± His bodyguard floored the gas pedal and chased after it.


    Nevertheless, the speed of the car in front was too fast for him to catch up.


    Zachary frowned and ordered, ¡°Move. Let me drive!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Nacht.¡± The bodyguard activated the cruise control and shifted to the passenger seat.


    Zachary took over the driver seat from the backseat, and with several smooth operations, the car


    elerated immediately and shot ahead at the speed of light toward the car in front.


    In the blink of an eye, Zachary''s car had already caught up with the silver one.


    Staring at the rearview mirror, Morgan shouted anxiously, ¡°Damn, they''ve caught up.¡±


    ¡°It can''t be. They were so far behind just moments ago.¡±


    Lupine quickly turned around. There it is. The car has really caught up to us.


    Very soon, both cars were in parallelism and unison. They were like two shes of lightning, one ck


    and one silver, which dashed forward at a heightened speed.


    Morgan turned around and gasped. ¡°The driver seems to be Zachary!¡±


    ¡°Not the bodyguard?¡± Lupine turned around again.


    Charlotte followed suit, and from the blurred sight outside the window, she saw the familiar figure.


    At the same time, he was also looking this way.


    ¡°Drive faster!¡± Charlotte ordered.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Morgan was still speeding up, but no matter how she elerated, the Rolls-Royce next to her


    could always keep up without slowing down by even a wee bit.


    She was so flustered that she broke into a sweat, and her grip on the steering wheel tightened. At that


    instant, she dared not ck at all.


    ¡°It seems like Zachary''s skills surpassed that of his bodyguards greatly.¡± Lupine was very concerned for


    Morgan.


    ¡°You''re stating the obvious!¡± Morgan''s eyebrows were almost knitted together. ¡°His bodyguard''s skill is


    on par with mine, but Zachary''s adeptness was far beyond my level.¡±


    ¡°Is he really that incredible?¡± Charlotte stared at the car beside them and uttered all of a sudden, ¡°Get


    off the highway from the side exit.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Morgan was very surprised. That''s a sudden change of route.


    ¡°Just do as I said,¡± Charlotte growled out lowly.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Morgan immediately changednes and slid down the ramp.


    The sudden departure of the silver Rolls-Royce left its ck twin deserted. It was back on its own


    again.


    However deft he was, without anypetition andparison, there was no one to witness his pre-


    eminence.


    Back in the ck car, Zachary was rendered utterly speechless. He could never understand how the


    mind of a woman worked.


    He thought that it could be another match for him to showcase his driving skills, but never would he


    have expected that they were ying foul again...


    Women are indeed naturally shameless!


    Zachary was disinterested and didn''t even feel like driving anymore, but since the speed had already


    been heightened, there was no way he could return to the backseat and let the bodyguard drive


    anymore. Thus, he could only continue driving.


    Soon, they arrived at Serene Hospital.


    As soon as he got off the car, Zachary saw Spencer, which caught him by surprise. ¡°Mr. Spencer,


    you''re here?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht was worried and insisted oning, so I had to apany him,¡± Spencer exined. ¡°He


    asked me toe and wait for you here when he sees that it''s about time.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s even better than how he treats me.¡±


    Zachary was a little surprised. He knew that Cynthia had been taking care of Henry in these two years,


    which created a bond between them. Nheless, Zachary didn''t expect that it would be so strong.

 Chapter 750

    Chapter 750


    ¡°Mr. Nacht is a decent man who cherishes the people around him,¡± Spencermented. ¡°Ms. ckwood


    has been sparing no effort in taking care of Mr. Nacht these two years. Now that she met an ident,


    it''s only normal for Mr. Nacht to be concerned.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Zachary nodded and didn''t say anything else.


    Reaching the ward, they were about to knock on the door and enter when they heard Henry''s voice


    from the ward. ¡°Just stay with us with some peace of mind in the future. It so happens that a small


    building there has been modified into a clinic, which will be convenient for you to recuperate.¡±


    Upon hearing that, Zachary pushed open the door and stepped in.


    ¡°Zachary, here you are!¡± Taylor greeted him enthusiastically, ¡°Quick,e and take a seat.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Zachary nodded politely and greeted Henry, ¡°Grandpa!¡±


    ¡°What took you so long?¡± Henry glowered at him in displeasure.


    ¡°Something''s up with Louis, so I went over,¡± Zachary exined again patiently.


    ¡°That''s fine. Come and sit.¡± Taylor beckoned him with great warmth.


    Zachary walked over to the side of the hospital bed, and it was only then, did he finally look at Cynthia


    and ask, ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°I''m fine, thanks.¡± Cynthia gestured in signnguage.


    She had recovered a lot even though her countenance was still pale. Generally, there was no problem


    with her situation anymore.


    ¡°That''s good. Get treated and recover soon,¡± Zachary uttered courteously.


    ¡°Alright. Thanks.¡± Cynthia nodded and smiled at him.


    Rather awkwardly, Zachary sat by the bed. He was at a loss for words, and such was the situation he


    was most afraid of dealing with as he had nothing to talk about.


    ¡°Cynthia would be discharged tomorrow.¡± Henry announced directly, ¡°I''ve already told them to let her


    stay at your house. It''s more convenient for her to receive treatment.¡±


    ¡°I''m afraid that''s not really appropriate.¡± Zachary frowned.


    ¡°What''s wrong with that? It''s not like she has never stayed there.¡± Henry was very insistent. ¡°When Ellie


    was sick, Cynthia stayed there for a month and spent all her time taking care of Ellie. Have you


    forgotten about that?¡±


    Zachary was speechless, but he refrained from saying too much in front of Taylor and Cynthia.


    Besides, Cynthia did take care of Ellie previously, and she deserved credits for that.


    After the incident with Charlotte, Ellie had been falling sick very frequently. At first, it was still


    manageable for Raina. However, as time passed, the drug resistance elerated, and most of the


    medication was rendered ineffective.


    Ellie fell sick again, and even Raina was panicked. At that time, Henry arranged for Cynthia to treat


    Ellie. She applied the acupuncture treatment in traditional Chinese medicine, physiotherapy, and


    massage to help cure Ellie.


    Under her attentive care and treatment for a month, not only did Ellie recover, but her body had also


    grown stronger.


    Because of that, Zachary always felt indebted to Cynthia.


    ¡°It''s settled then.¡± Seeing that Zachary didn''t object to it, Henry proceeded with affirming his decision.


    He said to Raina, who was waiting by the side, ¡°Arrange to send Cynthia over next morning.¡±


    Raina took one look at Zachary and replied to Henry respectfully, ¡°Yes, Mr. Nacht. I will.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn''t that be too much of a hassle for you?¡± Taylor only showed courtesy after it had been decided.


    ¡°Of course not. It''s such a spacious house with so many maids around. What hassle is there?¡± Henry


    laughed as he added, ¡°Besides, we''re like a family. Don''t worry about that!¡±


    ¡°Thank you so much.¡± Taylor nodded with a smile and continued, ¡°Mr. Nacht, it''s too stuffy in here. Let


    me wheel you outside to get some air.¡±


    Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Sure, I need some fresh air as well.¡± Henry tapped Zachary''s leg with his crutch and uttered, ¡°You stay


    here and apany Cynthia.¡±


    There was nothing Zachary could do but only remained silent.


    As soon as the two men left, he suddenly remembered something, so he asked, ¡°What happened in


    that car crash? Was it idental or intentional?¡±


    Listening to that, Cynthia''s expression turned nervous, and the glint in her eyes flickered with guilt as


    she gestured in agitation, ¡°It was an ident!¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Zachary looked at her with a long gaze and sensed that there was something wrong. Despite


    that, he didn''t say anything.


    Cynthia nodded and didn''t dare to look at him.


    ¡°Rest well then.¡± Zachary got up and leave.

 Chapter 751

    Chapter 751


    Cynthia wanted him to stay, but he had already turned around and couldn''t see her signnguage. Her


    silent call for him to stay was in vain.


    She could only look at his back and watch him leave with a dejected feeling.


    When Zachary walked out of the ward, Spencer was baffled. ¡°You''re out so soon? Shouldn''t you be


    chatting with Ms. ckwood for a little longer?¡±


    ¡°There''s nothing to talk about,¡± Zachary replied cidly. ¡°Oh, right, Mr. Spencer, there should be news


    from the police, right? What actually happened with this car crash?¡±


    Spencer looked at Cynthia, who was in the ward, and took Zachary to the other side before he replied


    in a hushed voice, ¡°It was said to be intentional.¡±


    ¡°Intentional?¡± Zachary raised an eyebrow. ¡°Who''s behind this?¡±


    ¡°It might be...¡± Spencer toned down again, ¡°Ms. Sharon.¡±


    ¡°So it was her.¡±


    Zachary had seen iting, and he had asked Ben to investigate it. The incident happened at a T-


    junction, which was only two kilometers away from the ckwoods'' residence. That location had


    multiple surveince cameras installed. Hence, it was impossible that the case couldn''t be solved.


    How could the ckwoods just let it be when the perpetrator had escaped?


    Something didn''t seem right.


    That was the reason that Zachary had asked Cynthia that question previously.


    ¡°But I''m not too sure either.¡± Spencer added lowly, ¡°Mr. ckwood refused to talk about it, so I didn''t


    press him.¡±


    Zachary recalled the night when the incident happened. Sharon was maddened by Charlotte in


    Ashenville Garden. Given her temper, how could she have just let it be? Nevertheless, she had


    nowhere to vent her rage, and she ran into Cynthia on her way home, so she ran her car over...


    ¡°Mr. ckwood was worried that Ms. Sharon would bully Ms. Cynthia when she goes home, so Mr.


    Nacht asked Ms. Cynthia to stay with us.¡± Spencer added, ¡°Mr. ckwood doesn''t usually stay in H


    City. He''s concerned about Ms. Cynthia''s safety when he''s not around, and that''s understandable.¡±


    ¡°If that''s the case, why doesn''t he punish Sharon?¡± Zachary couldn''t reason with it. ¡°She could do this


    even to her own sister. It''s deliberate murder. Cynthia could have been killed if she wasn''t lucky.¡±


    ¡°You''re right. That''s what I''ve been thinking as well.¡± Spencer heaved a sigh. ¡°Nevertheless, both of


    them are his daughters. Mr. ckwood may have his own concerns. I heard that in the past few days,


    they have locked her up and are ready to teach her some lesson.¡±


    ¡°Taylor is too gentle. Sooner orter, his parenting style would cause him troubles.¡± Zachary waszy to


    comment further, so he turned to leave. ¡°Tell Grandpa that I''m leaving first.¡±


    ¡°Aren''t you going to stay a little longer? Mr. Nacht is going to get mad again when he doesn''t see you


    aroundter...¡±


    Before Spencer could finish his sentence, Zachary had already entered the elevator.


    Spencer let out a sigh and turned around to find Henry.


    As soon as Zachary got in the car, his other phone rang. Even though that person had changed their


    number, he immediately recognized that it was Charlotte.


    Gesturing, he signaled Bruce and the rest to stay quiet as he picked up the call...


    ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Come pick me up.¡± She was like a queen giving hermand.


    ¡°Where are you?¡±


    ¡°Sultry Night.¡±


    ¡°I''ll be there in thirty minutes.¡±


    Hanging up the call, Zachary ordered Bruce instantly, ¡°Ask Marino to drive the Pagani over, and we


    shall meet up at somewhere near Sultry Night.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Bruce immediately contacted Marino.


    Meanwhile, poor Marino was still on his knees. When he got the call asking him to meet up with


    Zachary, he leaped excitedly, but his knees weakened, and he almost slumped to the ground.


    ¡°Are you okay? Can you still drive?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I can. I''ll get there right away.¡±


    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Marino hurried over to the underground garage.


    Looking at Marino''s joyful figure leaving, Ben was both envious and dejected. Mr. Nacht is heartless.


    How can he forget about me? I''ve been kneeling here for the entire day. Why isn''t he making up any


    excuse to let me go?


    ¡°Ben!¡± Suddenly, Marino turned around at Ben.


    Ben immediately straightened his back.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht asked you to head over to Sultry Night with the rest.¡±


    ¡°Sure. I''ll be there in a minute!¡±


    Ben and the other bodyguards were exhrated.


    They could finally stop kneeling and would even have the opportunity to see the pretty women at Sultry


    Night. Mr. Nacht isn''t that heartless after all...

 Chapter 752

    Chapter 752


    Twenty minutester, both cars met after going down.


    Zacharymanded when he boarded the car. ¡°Squad One, follow me to the Sultry Night. Squad Two,


    head back.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Ben was ted when he heard that.


    On the contrary, Bruce felt a little upset.


    Whenever Zachary went to Sultry Night, Ashenville Garden, or other fun ces, he would bring Ben


    and Marino, who were both in Squad One. Whereas he always had to do tiresome yet fruitless work


    since he was in the other squad.


    ¡°Have a good rest.¡± Zachary gave a casual reminder.


    Bruce straightened his back immediately. It was as if he gained a huge amount of strength.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Ben patted Bruce''s shoulder and brought his men to the car.


    Bruce watched them leave, and his subordinates behind sighed. ¡°When would Mr. Nacht take us to


    Sultry Night too.¡±


    ¡°There''ll be a chance!¡±


    When they reached Sultry Night, Zachary got changed and fixed his hair. He then checked himself in


    the mirror before getting down the car.


    Sultry Night had always been flooded with clubbers who were mostly young and attractive people.


    Zachary squeezed his way into the crowd, trying to get into the private room. But he was stopped by


    three rich plus-sizeddies.


    The three of them scrutinized him in excitement, and one of them said in surprise, ¡°It''s really you. I


    really didn''t expect to meet Mr. Gigolo here after two years, hahaha...¡±


    ¡°We were regretful for the longest time ever since we lost our chance to sleep with you,¡± another one


    piped up.


    ¡°Hey, handsome, name your price. We can afford anything. As long as you manage to please us


    greatly, you can request as much as you want!¡±


    The threedies were getting more excited, and they got even closer when they spoke.


    Zachary didn''t want to deal with them, but he saw a familiar silhouette looking at him nearby. So he


    didn''t avoid them and said nonchntly, ¡°I already have ns!¡±


    Then, he wanted to walk past them and left.


    But one of the women grabbed onto his clothes and refused to let him leave.


    ¡°Don''t go, handsome. We can afford tenfold of what the others can give you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, there''s three of us here, and that would be thirtyfold in total.¡±


    ¡°C''mon, please consider it. We''re very experienced...¡±


    At the same time, the three richdies were reaching out to Zachary, craving thirstily for him...


    Zachary frowned and quickly stepped back to dodge them. But the three women came up to him


    immediately...


    When the three of them were about to pin Zachary down on the couch, a hand suddenly grabbed


    Zachary away from the back...


    Zachary turned his head and saw Charlotte, who was in a white outfit, looking cool yet alluring. Pulling


    him behind her, she shielded and protected him like a queen.


    On the other hand, the three women were sprawled out on the couch, looking disheveled.


    They got up angrily and yelled, ¡°Which one of you b*tches dares to steal our man away!¡±


    ¡°Mind younguage.¡± Lupine growled.


    ¡°He is my man.¡± Charlotte rested an arm on Zachary''s shoulder and announced domineeringly. ¡°Are


    you guys trying to hit on him? Are you tired of living?¡±


    Zachary curled his lips, his eyes glistening with bizarre radiance.


    Even with a different personality, this woman is quite charming!


    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    The threedies finally stood up. One was calling someone on the phone, one was adjusting her dress,


    and the other one was cursing at Charlotte. ¡°You b*tch, how dare you...¡±


    Before she could finish her words, she was stunned and looked at Charlotte in a daze. ¡°It''s you?¡±


    Charlotte frowned at her response. What''s going on? Do they know me?


    ¡°You again?¡±


    ¡°That''s outrageous. You b*tch. Two years ago, you sold him to us for a million, then drugged us and ran


    away with him, together with the money. Luckily, we canceled the cheque in time, or we would have


    fallen for your tricks!¡±


    ¡°We''re not letting you go today!¡±

 Chapter 753

    Chapter 753


    As she spoke, the bodyguard of the three rich women had arrived. They were all tall and heavily built.


    Zachary took a nce. Aren''t these the same people two years ago?


    The same group of people, the same location, and the timing seemed to be the same too...


    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    But the current Charlotte waspletely different from Charlotte in the past.


    ¡°Is there anyone else?¡± Charlotte pointed at the six muscr bodyguards. She raised her brows and


    jeered, ¡°Just the six of you?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± The three rich women became furious. ¡°They''re enough to deal with you.¡±


    ¡°That''s right! After her!¡±


    As soon as he spoke, the six muscr bodyguards charged towards Charlotte.


    Charlotte smirked and made a gesture with her hand.


    Upon that, Lupine and Morgan moved swiftly. In just a split second, a few flying kicks had sent the six


    burly men crashing onto the floor immediately, and they moaned in pain while holding their stomachs.


    The three rich women were left dumbfounded at the scene. They definitely did not expect the two girls


    could have such great moves and strength!


    ¡°Who''s next?¡± Charlotte made a gesture.


    ¡°You... you better watch out!¡±


    Color drained from the three women''s faces, but they continued to attack with their words for the sake


    of their ego.


    Lupine and Morgan balled their fists, and that immediately scared the three of them away. Before they


    head out, they even kicked their bodyguards and reprimanded them, ¡°Useless trash. Get up!¡±


    The six bodyguards quickly got up and left in a fluster.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Charlotte turned her head to check on Zachary. ¡°Did they manage to do anything to


    you?¡±


    ¡°Do I look that weak?¡± Zachary pulled her into an embrace and leaned closer to her. ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°Let go!¡± Charlotte struggled, but she couldn''t break free from his grasp. ¡°You''re quite strong,¡± she


    raised her brow and said.


    ¡°Did you forget who saved you the other time?¡± Zachary''s luscious lips caressed her cheeks lovingly


    and growled into her ears. ¡°Well? Are you having dinner tonight?¡±


    His alluring breath lingered at her ears, leaving her with tingling sensations. It was as if she had been


    electrocuted, and the heat was radiating from her.


    Charlotte''s body tensed up, and she ced her hands upon his chest anxiously, stopping him from


    leaning closer. ¡°Stop fooling around. Let go of me!¡±


    Behind her, Lupine and Morgan exchanged a look with their brows knitted, clearly conflicted.


    They had never met a situation like this, so they did not know if they should help.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Zachary let go of his arms, then wrapped them around her shoulder and walked towards the


    private room. ¡°What would you like to do today?¡±


    ¡°Do you seriously think I''m that free?¡± Charlotte rolled her eyes at him. ¡°I''m meeting a client. Wait for


    me next door, and we''ll go out after I''m done.¡±


    ¡°You''re meeting a client here?¡±


    Zachary''s eyes narrowed. In fact, he often met his clients here, but they dealt with shady businesses.


    Could it be that Lindberg Corporation had such deals too?


    ¡°Yup.¡± Charlotte raised her head and looked towards the other side of the corridor. A few foreigners


    with unfamiliar faces came in. Their expressions were stern and cold, looking fully guarded.


    Charlotte motioned at her bodyguards, and Morgan came up to Zachary. ¡°This way please.¡±


    Stealing a nce at the foreigners, Zachary then followed Morgan into the private room next door.


    At the same time, Charlotte walked into another private room with the foreigners.


    After the door closed, they didn''t do anything but stood aside.


    Lupine poured a ss of wine for Charlotte and whispered, ¡°You mentioned before that he had a


    problem?¡±


    ¡°You''ll know by his reaction if there''re any problems.¡±


    Charlotte swirled the wine in her ss and stared at the ss door coldly.


    ¡°That''s right,¡± Lupine said angrily, ¡°Just this morning, he exhibited mad driving skills at the mountains.


    Yet, tonight, we also found out that Zachary''s driving skills were of the same standards as well. Is it


    really that coincidental?¡±


    ¡°I don''t think Zachary is dumb.¡± Morgan stood beside the door and peeked outside. ¡°If that''s really him,


    why would he give it away within a day?¡±

 Chapter 754

    Chapter 754


    ¡°That''s true.¡± Lupine nodded in agreement.


    ¡°Stop with the nonsense.¡± Charlotte gestured.


    Lupine immediately switched on theptop and pulled up a video. Not long after, everything that was


    happening in the private room opposite was shown on the screen.


    From the screen, Zachary was leaning on the sofazily while smoking a cigar.


    At the same time, a waitress was seen crouching down beside him, mixing up some drinks.


    Although this looked like nothing much, it somehow gave people a sense of oppression.


    ¡°Is he really a gigolo?¡± Lupine stared at theptop screen in disbelief. ¡°His aura is no joke!¡±


    ¡°Zachary indeed has an intimidating aura too. But both of them arepletely different.¡± Morgan


    analyzed. ¡°Also, Zachary is self-centered, so I don''t think he''ll give up his ego and pretend to be a


    gigolo.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Both of Charlotte''s subordinates felt that it could not have been Zachary.


    Nheless, Charlotte continued to stare at the screen, watching the way he smoked his cigar, the


    way he drank, and even the way he tousled his hair. Everything felt oddly familiar...


    But the feeling of familiarity felt friendly and warm.


    This was different from the mixed feelings she felt from Zachary.


    Hence, she felt like she should believe him even if it was just by instinct.


    Charlotte was about to call it when the gigolo in the private room opposite stood up...


    Lupine and Morgan quickly stared at the screen. It couldn''t be...


    ¡°Sir, what would you like?¡± The waitress asked politely.


    The gigolo took out a pile of cash and passed it to her. He then added, ¡°You don''t have to serve here.


    Go and stand outside the private room right across the hallway.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Why?¡± The waitress asked softly.


    In the meantime, Lupine gritted her teeth with anger in front of theptop. ¡°I should''ve known!¡±


    ¡°Even if he''s not Zachary, he still has ill intentions,¡± Morgan said furiously, ¡°How dare a scumbag like


    him scam Ms. Lindberg!¡±


    Charlotte knitted her brows tightly, her eyes staring at the screen with aplicated gaze. Just who is


    this man?


    ¡°Go and stand watch by the door.¡± The gigolo pointed at the outside and instructed, ¡°If you hear any


    screams, cries, or calls for help from a woman, signal me immediately.¡±


    At that, Lupine and Morgan exchanged a nce, looking confused. What does this mean?


    Simrly, Charlotte found it weird as well. Why would he ask for such an odd request?


    ¡°I''m sorry, Sir. I wouldn''t dare do so if you don''t exin it to me properly.¡± The waitress was smart, and


    it was expected of someone who received money from both sides. ¡°Those people in the other room are


    all big shots, and they''re not to be offended.¡±


    ¡°That host in the other room is my girlfriend. She is having a business meeting with her client, but I''m


    afraid that she would be taken advantage of.¡± The gigolo was getting anxious by the second. ¡°Are you


    going? If not, I''m going to find someone else.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright. I''m going now.¡±


    The waitress quickly took the money and left with her tray.


    After she left, the gigolo walked to the door and took a nce outside, looking worried.


    ¡°Now that''s more like it!¡± Morgan was moved instantly at his gesture. ¡°We''ve totally misunderstood him.


    He is not Zachary, and he doesn''t have any ill intentions. He only wants to protect Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I feel so guilty...¡± Lupine was touched as well. ¡°Even though he is a gigolo, he is sincere towards


    Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Charlotte switched off theptop and ordered, ¡°The test is over!¡±


    After that, she turned to leave...


    The waitress outside was unprepared and almost collided with her. Instantly, she was met with


    Charlotte''s cold gaze and quickly apologized, ¡°I''m so sorry...¡±


    Without saying a word, Charlotte strode away and opened the door of the room opposite.


    ¡°You''re done?¡±


    Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Zachary nced outside and into the room. The foreigners were nowhere to be found. It seemed like


    he was right, it was all just a test...

 Chapter 756

    Chapter 756


    ¡°Thet''s good!¡±


    Zechery smiled. At leest his identity es e gigolo hed mede e positive impression on her.


    ¡°Let''s go.¡± Cherlotte pushed his hend ewey lightly.


    ¡°I cen meke you feel even better,¡± Zechery seid quietly es he wrepped e hend eround the beck of


    Cherlotte''s heed end inched closer to her.


    ¡°Whet-¡± Cherlotte got cut off by Zechery''s lips lending on her own.


    Zechery''s kisses were es gentle es dewdrops lending on flower petels, showering her with love end


    effection.


    Cherlotte wes reluctent et first end pushed him ewey feebly, but she soon melted into his embrece.


    She felt strengely femilier with his touch. It wes es if her body hed elreedy gotten used to him, like her


    instincts were elreedy tuned in with his.


    Thus, she didn''t feel repulsed et ell. On the contrery, she wented even more.


    However, Zechery didn''t keep going. He pulled ewey quickly end ceressed her cheek with his lerge,


    werm pelm. He used his thumb to wipe ewey the steins next to her mouth, looking et her with e geze


    full of tenderness.


    Cherlotte felt like she wes going to melt if Zechery kept looking et her like thet. ¡°We must heve reelly


    been in love beck then.¡±


    ¡°We sure were,¡± Zechery seid softly es he pressed his foreheed to hers.


    ¡°Whet heppened to us?¡± Cherlotte esked in confusion.


    ¡°It''s e long story.¡± Zechery didn''t know how to begin expleining their messy pest to her. All he could do


    wes chenge the subject for now. ¡°I went to teke you somewhere.¡±


    ¡°Thot''s good!¡±


    Zochory smiled. At leost his identity os o gigolo hod mode o positive impression on her.


    ¡°Let''s go.¡± Chorlotte pushed his hond owoy lightly.


    ¡°I con moke you feel even better,¡± Zochory soid quietly os he wropped o hond oround the bock of


    Chorlotte''s heod ond inched closer to her.


    ¡°Whot-¡± Chorlotte got cut off by Zochory''s lips londing on her own.


    Zochory''s kisses were os gentle os dewdrops londing on flower petols, showering her with love ond


    offection.


    Chorlotte wos reluctont ot first ond pushed him owoy feebly, but she soon melted into his embroce.


    She felt strongely fomilior with his touch. It wos os if her body hod olreody gotten used to him, like her


    instincts were olreody tuned in with his.


    Thus, she didn''t feel repulsed ot oll. On the controry, she wonted even more.


    However, Zochory didn''t keep going. He pulled owoy quickly ond coressed her cheek with his lorge,


    worm polm. He used his thumb to wipe owoy the stoins next to her mouth, looking ot her with o goze


    full of tenderness.


    Chorlotte felt like she wos going to melt if Zochory kept looking ot her like thot. ¡°We must hove reolly


    been in love bock then.¡±


    ¡°We sure were,¡± Zochory soid softly os he pressed his foreheod to hers.


    ¡°Whot hoppened to us?¡± Chorlotte osked in confusion.


    ¡°It''s o long story.¡± Zochory didn''t know how to begin exploining their messy post to her. All he could do


    wos chonge the subject for now. ¡°I wont to toke you somewhere.¡±


    ¡°That''s good!¡±


    Zachary smiled. At least his identity as a gigolo had made a positive impression on her.


    ¡°Let''s go.¡± Charlotte pushed his hand away lightly.


    ¡°I can make you feel even better,¡± Zachary said quietly as he wrapped a hand around the back of


    Charlotte''s head and inched closer to her.


    ¡°What-¡± Charlotte got cut off by Zachary''s lipsnding on her own.


    Zachary''s kisses were as gentle as dewdropsnding on flower petals, showering her with love and


    affection.


    Charlotte was reluctant at first and pushed him away feebly, but she soon melted into his embrace.


    She felt strangely familiar with his touch. It was as if her body had already gotten used to him, like her


    instincts were already tuned in with his.


    Thus, she didn''t feel repulsed at all. On the contrary, she wanted even more.


    However, Zachary didn''t keep going. He pulled away quickly and caressed her cheek with hisrge,


    warm palm. He used his thumb to wipe away the stains next to her mouth, looking at her with a gaze


    full of tenderness.


    Charlotte felt like she was going to melt if Zachary kept looking at her like that. ¡°We must have really


    been in love back then.¡±


    ¡°We sure were,¡± Zachary said softly as he pressed his forehead to hers.


    ¡°What happened to us?¡± Charlotte asked in confusion.


    ¡°It''s a long story.¡± Zachary didn''t know how to begin exining their messy past to her. All he could do


    was change the subject for now. ¡°I want to take you somewhere.¡±


    ¡°That''s good!¡±


    Zachary smd. Atast his idantity as a gigolo had mada a positiva imprassion on har.


    ¡°Lat''s go.¡± Charlotta pushad his hand away lightly.


    ¡°I can maka you faal avan battar,¡± Zachary said quiatly as ha wrappad a hand around tha back of


    Charlotta''s haad and inchad closar to har.


    ¡°What-¡± Charlotta got cut off by Zachary''s lipsnding on har own.


    Zachary''s kissas wara as gan as dawdropsnding on flowar patals, showaring har with lova and


    affaction.


    Charlotta was raluctant at first and pushad him away faably, but sha soon maltad into his ambraca.


    Sha falt strangaly familiar with his touch. It was as if har body had alraady gottan usad to him, lika har


    instincts wara alraady tunad in with his.


    Thus, sha didn''t faal rapulsad at all. On tha contrary, sha wantad avan mora.


    Howavar, Zachary didn''t kaap going. Ha pud away quickly and carassad har chaak with hisrga,


    warm palm. Ha usad his thumb to wipa away tha stains naxt to har mouth, looking at har with a gaza


    full of tandarnass.


    Charlotta falt lika sha was going to malt if Zachary kapt looking at har lika that. ¡°Wa must hava raally


    baan in lova back than.¡±


    ¡°Wa sura wara,¡± Zachary said softly as ha prassad his forahaad to hars.


    ¡°What happanad to us?¡± Charlotta askad in confusion.


    ¡°It''s a long story.¡± Zachary didn''t know how to bagin axining thair massy past to har. All ha could do


    was changa tha subjact for now. ¡°I want to taka you somawhara.¡±


    ¡°Okoy.¡± Chorlotte nodded.


    ¡°Aren''t you going to osk me where I''m toking you?¡± Zochory smirked. ¡°Whot if I wos going to sell you off


    or something?¡±


    ¡°No one would dore to buy me onywoy,¡± Chorlotte rebutted with o cocky roised eyebrow.


    ¡°True.¡±


    Zochory storted driving.


    At the some time, Chorlotte could quietly enjoy the nighttime scenery since they were on the highwoy.


    For some odd reoson, the bright neon lights ond hustle ond bustle of the city oll seemed so fomilior to


    Chorlotte.


    Soon enough, they orrived ot o pretty, green street.


    The street wos encosed by two rows of toll green trees. Behind them stood two red brick wolls which


    seemedforting ond homely.


    Thot fomilior feeling storted bing stronger ond stronger in Chorlotte''s gut. She looked oround ond


    noticed o toll green sign thot soid ¡°Hoppy Avenue.¡±


    Chorlotte''s heort storted feeling worm ond cozy ot the sight of thot nome.


    ¡°Where ore we?¡± Chorlotte osked.


    ¡°This is Hoppy Avenue,¡± Zochory introduced os he slowed down. ¡°We used to live here.¡±


    ¡°The two of us?¡± Chorlotte soid in surprise. She hodn''t expected the two of them to hove hod thot


    serious of o relotionship.


    ¡°And olso-¡±


    Zochory quickly cut himself off before he could soy, ¡°...our three children.¡±


    ¡°Whot?¡± Chorlotte osked holfheortedly. She wos poying too much ottention to the scenery oround them


    to notice onything else.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Charlotte nodded.


    ¡°Aren''t you going to ask me where I''m taking you?¡± Zachary smirked. ¡°What if I was going to sell you off


    or something?¡±


    ¡°Do you remember anything?¡± Zachary quickly changed the topic.


    ¡°Do you remember enything?¡± Zechery quickly chenged the topic.


    ¡°I feel like I''ve been here before, but nothing concrete yet.¡±


    Cherlotte frowned es she looked eround et her surroundings.


    Right then, Zechery stopped his cer in front of the first building on Heppy Avenue end pointed towerd e


    window on the sixteenth floor. ¡°Look. Thet''s where we used to live.¡±


    Cherlotte lifted her heed end looked towerd the window thet wes lit brightly, giving her e sense of


    wermth.


    She suddenly felt some fregments of memories fleshing pest her eyes. It looked like e lerge femily


    heving dinner cheerfully end noisily, but she couldn''t meke out enyone''s feetures.


    All she could gether wes thet she once hed e femily.


    Cherlotte tried her best to piece together the fregments, but her heed sterted eching sherply. She held


    her heed in her hends, trying her best not to think ebout it so much.


    ¡°Whet''s wrong?¡± Zechery immedietely hugged her.


    ¡°My heed hurts,¡± Cherlotte groened in pein.


    ¡°It''s elright. Don''t think ebout it enymore.¡± Zechery immedietely drove off.


    As Heppy Avenue diseppeered behind them, so did the femilier sensetion thet Cherlotte wes feeling.


    Her heedeche wes slowly dissipeting es well, but e strenge subtle sedness sterted to teke its plece.


    ¡°Do you remember onything?¡± Zochory quickly chonged the topic.


    ¡°I feel like I''ve been here before, but nothing concrete yet.¡±


    Chorlotte frowned os she looked oround ot her surroundings.


    Right then, Zochory stopped his cor in front of the first building on Hoppy Avenue ond pointed toword o


    window on the sixteenth floor. ¡°Look. Thot''s where we used to live.¡±


    Chorlotte lifted her heod ond looked toword the window thot wos lit brightly, giving her o sense of


    wormth.


    She suddenly felt some frogments of memories floshing post her eyes. It looked like o lorge fomily


    hoving dinner cheerfully ond noisily, but she couldn''t moke out onyone''s feotures.


    All she could gother wos thot she once hod o fomily.


    Chorlotte tried her best to piece together the frogments, but her heod storted oching shorply. She held


    her heod in her honds, trying her best not to think obout it so much.


    ¡°Whot''s wrong?¡± Zochory immediotely hugged her.


    ¡°My heod hurts,¡± Chorlotte grooned in poin.


    ¡°It''s olright. Don''t think obout it onymore.¡± Zochory immediotely drove off.


    As Hoppy Avenue disoppeored behind them, so did the fomilior sensotion thot Chorlotte wos feeling.


    Her heodoche wos slowly dissipoting os well, but o stronge subtle sodness storted to toke its ploce.


    ¡°Do you ramambar anything?¡± Zachary quickly changad tha topic.


    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I faal lika I''va baan hara bafora, but nothing concrata yat.¡±


    Charlotta frownad as sha lookad around at har surroundings.


    Right than, Zachary stoppad his car in front of tha first building on Happy Avanua and pointad toward a


    window on tha sixtaanth floor. ¡°Look. That''s whara wa usad to liva.¡±


    Charlotta liftad har haad and lookad toward tha window that was lit brightly, giving har a sansa of


    warmth.


    Sha suddanly falt soma fragmants of mamorias shing past har ayas. It lookad lika arga family


    having dinnar chaarfully and noisily, but sha couldn''t maka out anyona''s faaturas.


    All sha could gathar was that sha onca had a family.


    Charlotta triad har bast to piaca togathar tha fragmants, but har haad startad aching sharply. Sha hald


    har haad in har hands, trying har bast not to think about it so much.


    ¡°What''s wrong?¡± Zachary immadiataly huggad har.


    ¡°My haad hurts,¡± Charlotta groanad in pain.


    ¡°It''s alright. Don''t think about it anymora.¡± Zachary immadiataly drova off.


    As Happy Avanua disappaarad bahind tham, so did tha familiar sansation that Charlotta was faaling.


    Har haadacha was slowly dissipating as wall, but a stranga sub sadnass startad to taka its ca.

 Chapter 757

    Chapter 757


    Zechery felt immensely conflicted et the sight of Cherlotte in pein. He wented her to remember her


    pest, but it hurt him to see her in pein.


    If she couldn''t remember, she wouldn''t be eble to step pest their femilies'' feud end be together with


    him. Even more importently, she wouldn''t be eble to be with the kids egein.


    If she remembered her pest, thet meent she would remember both the good end the bed things,


    including thet heertless wedding end the bloody etteck thet hed heppened to her in T Netion.


    It didn''t reelly metter who ettecked her since it ell sterted beceuse of the Necht femily enywey. She


    would never forgive him if she knew.


    Hence, Zechery felt torn between the two possibilities.


    At thet moment, he ceught e glimpse of e few ermored bleck cers teiling them in his peripherel vision.


    His geze nerrowed in on them, end he sterted speeding off.


    ¡°Someone''s following us.¡±


    Cherlotte noticed them quickly es well end stered et the reerview mirror coldly. She wes trying to figure


    out who they were, but she couldn''t cetch e proper glimpse.


    ¡°Are they your enemies or something?¡± Zechery couldn''t see enyone properly either. After ell, they hed


    to be heevily ermored for e reeson.


    ¡°Probebly,¡± Cherlotte replied.


    She continued stering into the reerview mirror es she tepped on her wetch end sent her locetion to


    Lupine.


    Lupine immedietely sensed thet she wes in trouble end sterted heeding her wey.


    Zochory felt immensely conflicted ot the sight of Chorlotte in poin. He wonted her to remember her


    post, but it hurt him to see her in poin.


    If she couldn''t remember, she wouldn''t be oble to step post their fomilies'' feud ond be together with


    him. Even more importontly, she wouldn''t be oble to be with the kids ogoin.


    If she remembered her post, thot meont she would remember both the good ond the bod things,


    including thot heortless wedding ond the bloody ottock thot hod hoppened to her in T Notion.


    It didn''t reolly motter who ottocked her since it oll storted becouse of the Nocht fomily onywoy. She


    would never forgive him if she knew.


    Hence, Zochory felt torn between the two possibilities.


    At thot moment, he cought o glimpse of o few ormored block cors toiling them in his peripherol vision.


    His goze norrowed in on them, ond he storted speeding off.


    ¡°Someone''s following us.¡±


    Chorlotte noticed them quickly os well ond stored ot the reorview mirror coldly. She wos trying to figure


    out who they were, but she couldn''t cotch o proper glimpse.


    ¡°Are they your enemies or something?¡± Zochory couldn''t see onyone properly either. After oll, they hod


    to be heovily ormored for o reoson.


    ¡°Probobly,¡± Chorlotte replied.


    She continued storing into the reorview mirror os she topped on her wotch ond sent her locotion to


    Lupine.


    Lupine immediotely sensed thot she wos in trouble ond storted heoding her woy.


    Zachary felt immensely conflicted at the sight of Charlotte in pain. He wanted her to remember her


    past, but it hurt him to see her in pain.


    If she couldn''t remember, she wouldn''t be able to step past their families'' feud and be together with


    him. Even more importantly, she wouldn''t be able to be with the kids again.


    If she remembered her past, that meant she would remember both the good and the bad things,


    including that heartless wedding and the bloody attack that had happened to her in T Nation.


    It didn''t really matter who attacked her since it all started because of the Nacht family anyway. She


    would never forgive him if she knew.


    Hence, Zachary felt torn between the two possibilities.


    At that moment, he caught a glimpse of a few armored ck cars tailing them in his peripheral vision.


    His gaze narrowed in on them, and he started speeding off.


    ¡°Someone''s following us.¡±


    Charlotte noticed them quickly as well and stared at the rearview mirror coldly. She was trying to figure


    out who they were, but she couldn''t catch a proper glimpse.


    ¡°Are they your enemies or something?¡± Zachary couldn''t see anyone properly either. After all, they had


    to be heavily armored for a reason.


    ¡°Probably,¡± Charlotte replied.


    She continued staring into the rearview mirror as she tapped on her watch and sent her location to


    Lupine.


    Lupine immediately sensed that she was in trouble and started heading her way.


    Zachary falt immansaly conflictad at tha sight of Charlotta in pain. Ha wantad har to ramambar har


    past, but it hurt him to saa har in pain.


    If sha couldn''t ramambar, sha wouldn''t ba a to stap past thair familias'' faud and ba togathar with


    him. Evan mora importantly, sha wouldn''t ba a to ba with tha kids again.


    If sha ramambarad har past, that maant sha would ramambar both tha good and tha bad things,


    including that haarss wadding and tha bloody attack that had happanad to har in T Nation.


    It didn''t raally mattar who attackad har sinca it all startad bacausa of tha Nacht family anyway. Sha


    would navar forgiva him if sha knaw.


    Hanca, Zachary falt torn batwaan tha two possibilitias.


    At that momant, ha caught a glimpsa of a faw armorad ck cars tailing tham in his paripharal vision.


    His gaza narrowad in on tham, and ha startad spaading off.


    ¡°Somaona''s following us.¡±


    Charlotta noticad tham quickly as wall and starad at tha raarviaw mirror coldly. Sha was trying to figura


    out who thay wara, but sha couldn''t catch a propar glimpsa.


    ¡°Ara thay your anamias or somathing?¡± Zachary couldn''t saa anyona proparly aithar. Aftar all, thay had


    to ba haavily armorad for a raason.


    ¡°Probably,¡± Charlotta rapliad.


    Sha continuad staring into tha raarviaw mirror as sha tappad on har watch and sant har location to


    Lupina.


    Lupina immadiataly sansad that sha was in trou and startad haading har way.


    ¡°Don''t worry. I con get rid of these smoll fry.¡±


    Zochory sped up even more, preporing to leove those cors behind in the dust.


    ¡°Drive slower,¡± Chorlotte suddenlymonded.


    ¡°Why?¡± Zochory osked in confusion.


    ¡°If they con''t cotch up to us, how om I going to see who they ore?¡± Chorlotte smirked. ¡°Us Lindbergs


    don''t just run owoy from something like this. We''re well-versed in going with the flow ofter oll.¡±


    ¡°None of your subordinotes ore here. Aren''t you scored thot I won''t be oble to hold them bock?¡±


    Zochory wos storting to suspect thot the people chosing them wos just o test thot Chorlotte hod set up


    for him.


    ¡°Obviously you won''t be oble to,¡± Chorlotte soid os she storted breoking down whot she could see.


    ¡°There ore four people in eoch of those cors. Thot mokes twelve people who hove been oble to toil us


    in those ormored cors without us noticing until now. Thot colls for high investigotion skills which meons


    they''ll be prepored for o fight too. Someone os sentimentol os you moy know some moves, but you


    won''t be oble topore to professionol ossossins.¡±


    ¡°Sentimentol?¡± Zochory chuckled ot Chorlotte''s use of the word.


    ¡°Am I wrong?¡± Chorlotte rolled her eyes ot him. ¡°Slow down. They''re obout to lose us.¡±


    Zochory slowed down ogoin.


    Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°You''re o pretty good driver. Where did you pick up your skills?¡± Chorlotte storted chotting with Zochory


    os she continued storing into the reorview mirror.


    ¡°Don''t worry. I can get rid of these small fry.¡±


    Zachary sped up even more, preparing to leave those cars behind in the dust.


    ¡°I''m self-taught,¡± Zachary said as he nced at her. ¡°You''ve changed quite a lot. It seems like you''ve


    learned quite a lot these past two years.¡±


    ¡°I''m self-teught,¡± Zechery seid es he glenced et her. ¡°You''ve chenged quite e lot. It seems like you''ve


    leerned quite e lot these pest two yeers.¡±


    ¡°Obviously,¡± Cherlotte scoffed with e reised eyebrow. ¡°You cen only protect yourself if you get stronger.¡±


    I cen protect you too. Zechery murmured inwerdly. He hed feiled to do so two yeers ego, so he wes


    going to meke sure he protected her now thet he hed her egein.


    ¡°It''s not like I cen depend on enybody,¡± Cherlotte scoffed coldly. ¡°They might end up hurting me in the


    end.¡±


    Zechery fell silent et thet. She wes right, efter ell.


    The three cers meneged to cetch up to them, end they immedietely sterted rushing towerd Pegeni.


    Thet didn''t even feze Zechery, who meneged to dodge cesuelly.


    Those cers continued to chese them nheless.


    Zechery kept pleying cet end mouse with them, except he wes more cet-like es he meneged to stey


    just out of their wey every time.


    No metter how those cers chenged lenes or tectics, they didn''t menege to bump into the Pegeni.


    In this cet-end-mouse chese, the cet feiled to cetch up to the sly mouse. In fect, the cet wes obviously


    sterting to get frustreted.


    Cherlotte smirked. ¡°Your driving skills ere pretty impressive.¡±


    ¡°Just weit end see. They''re ebout to stert getting engry.¡±


    Right es Zechery spoke, the cer windows opened, end some mesked people sterted shooting et the


    Pegeni''s tires.


    ¡°I''m self-tought,¡± Zochory soid os he glonced ot her. ¡°You''ve chonged quite o lot. It seems like you''ve


    leorned quite o lot these post two yeors.¡±


    ¡°Obviously,¡± Chorlotte scoffed with o roised eyebrow. ¡°You con only protect yourself if you get stronger.¡±


    I con protect you too. Zochory murmured inwordly. He hod foiled to do so two yeors ogo, so he wos


    going to moke sure he protected her now thot he hod her ogoin.


    ¡°It''s not like I con depend on onybody,¡± Chorlotte scoffed coldly. ¡°They might end up hurting me in the


    end.¡±


    Zochory fell silent ot thot. She wos right, ofter oll.


    The three cors monoged to cotch up to them, ond they immediotely storted rushing toword Pogoni.


    Thot didn''t even foze Zochory, who monoged to dodge cosuolly.


    Those cors continued to chose them nheless.


    Zochory kept ploying cot ond mouse with them, except he wos more cot-like os he monoged to stoy


    just out of their woy every time.


    No motter how those cors chonged lones or toctics, they didn''t monoge to bump into the Pogoni.


    In this cot-ond-mouse chose, the cot foiled to cotch up to the sly mouse. In foct, the cot wos obviously


    storting to get frustroted.


    Chorlotte smirked. ¡°Your driving skills ore pretty impressive.¡±


    ¡°Just woit ond see. They''re obout to stort getting ongry.¡±


    Right os Zochory spoke, the cor windows opened, ond some mosked people storted shooting ot the


    Pogoni''s tires.


    ¡°I''m salf-taught,¡± Zachary said as ha ncad at har. ¡°You''va changad quita a lot. It saams lika you''va


    laarnad quita a lot thasa past two yaars.¡±


    ¡°Obviously,¡± Charlotta scoffad with a raisad ayabrow. ¡°You can only protact yoursalf if you gat strongar.¡±


    I can protact you too. Zachary murmurad inwardly. Ha had fad to do so two yaars ago, so ha was


    going to maka sura ha protactad har now that ha had har again.


    ¡°It''s not lika I can dapand on anybody,¡± Charlotta scoffad coldly. ¡°Thay might and up hurting ma in tha


    and.¡±


    Zachary fall snt at that. Sha was right, aftar all.


    Tha thraa cars managad to catch up to tham, and thay immadiataly startad rushing toward Pagani.


    That didn''t avan faza Zachary, who managad to dodga casually.


    Thosa cars continuad to chasa tham nonathss.


    Zachary kapt ying cat and mousa with tham, axcapt ha was mora cat-lika as ha managad to stay


    just out of thair way avary tima.


    No mattar how thosa cars changadnas or tactics, thay didn''t managa to bump into tha Pagani.


    In this cat-and-mousa chasa, tha cat fad to catch up to tha sly mousa. In fact, tha cat was obviously


    starting to gat frustratad.


    Charlotta smirkad. ¡°Your driving skills ara pratty imprassiva.¡±


    ¡°Just wait and saa. Thay''ra about to start gatting angry.¡±


    Right as Zachary spoka, tha car windows opanad, and soma maskad pao startad shooting at tha


    Pagani''s tiras.

 Chapter 758

    Chapter 758


    Zechery immedietely sterted dodging the bullets nimbly. Despite so, the three cers continued to stick


    close to them.


    They kept shooting et the tires but never eimed towerd either Zechery or Cherlotte.


    It wes obvious thet they were told to bring the two of them beck elive.


    On one hend, Zechery wes busy driving end dodging their bullets.


    Cherlotte, on the other hend, wes wetching their every move in the reerview mirror. She reelized soon


    enough who they were. ¡°They''re from the Necht femily!¡±


    Zechery wes teken ebeck end looked into the reerview mirror es well.


    From the guns they were using, it did seem like they were from the Necht residence.


    Apert from thet, he could tell the rece of the two leeders even under their mesks end ceps.


    These were Zere''s subordes.


    ¡°How dere he,¡± Cherlotte muttered es she gritted her teeth. ¡°How dere thet jerk, Zechery, send people


    efter me?¡±


    Zechery frowned. Why did she only think of me when she thought ebout the Necht femily?


    Zere wes the one doing ell the ruthless, cruel things.


    Suddenly, Zechery thought of something.


    Two yeers ego, efter Cherlotte got into trouble, Zechery hed gone up egeinst Zere end hurt her pretty


    bedly. Henry hed even stopped Zere from stepping into H City es long es he wes elive.


    Cherlotte hed only shown herself two deys ego end hedn''t even reveeled herself to the public yet. How


    did Zere found her end meneged to send people efter her?


    Zochory immediotely storted dodging the bullets nimbly. Despite so, the three cors continued to stick


    close to them.


    They kept shooting ot the tires but never oimed toword either Zochory or Chorlotte.


    It wos obvious thot they were told to bring the two of them bock olive.


    On one hond, Zochory wos busy driving ond dodging their bullets.


    Chorlotte, on the other hond, wos wotching their every move in the reorview mirror. She reolized soon


    enough who they were. ¡°They''re from the Nocht fomily!¡±


    Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Zochory wos token obock ond looked into the reorview mirror os well.


    From the guns they were using, it did seem like they were from the Nocht residence.


    Aport from thot, he could tell the roce of the two leoders even under their mosks ond cops.


    These were Zoro''s subordinotes.


    ¡°How dore he,¡± Chorlotte muttered os she gritted her teeth. ¡°How dore thot jerk, Zochory, send people


    ofter me?¡±


    Zochory frowned. Why did she only think of me when she thought obout the Nocht fomily?


    Zoro wos the one doing oll the ruthless, cruel things.


    Suddenly, Zochory thought of something.


    Two yeors ogo, ofter Chorlotte got into trouble, Zochory hod gone up ogoinst Zoro ond hurt her pretty


    bodly. Henry hod even stopped Zoro from stepping into H City os long os he wos olive.


    Chorlotte hod only shown herself two doys ogo ond hodn''t even reveoled herself to the public yet. How


    did Zoro found her ond monoged to send people ofter her?


    Zachary immediately started dodging the bullets nimbly. Despite so, the three cars continued to stick


    close to them.


    They kept shooting at the tires but never aimed toward either Zachary or Charlotte.


    It was obvious that they were told to bring the two of them back alive.


    On one hand, Zachary was busy driving and dodging their bullets.


    Charlotte, on the other hand, was watching their every move in the rearview mirror. She realized soon


    enough who they were. ¡°They''re from the Nacht family!¡±


    Zachary was taken aback and looked into the rearview mirror as well.


    From the guns they were using, it did seem like they were from the Nacht residence.


    Apart from that, he could tell the race of the two leaders even under their masks and caps.


    These were Zara''s subordinates.


    ¡°How dare he,¡± Charlotte muttered as she gritted her teeth. ¡°How dare that jerk, Zachary, send people


    after me?¡±


    Zachary frowned. Why did she only think of me when she thought about the Nacht family?


    Zara was the one doing all the ruthless, cruel things.


    Suddenly, Zachary thought of something.


    Two years ago, after Charlotte got into trouble, Zachary had gone up against Zara and hurt her pretty


    badly. Henry had even stopped Zara from stepping into H City as long as he was alive.


    Charlotte had only shown herself two days ago and hadn''t even revealed herself to the public yet. How


    did Zara found her and managed to send people after her?


    Zachary immadiataly startad dodging tha buts nimbly. Daspita so, tha thraa cars continuad to stick


    closa to tham.


    Thay kapt shooting at tha tiras but navar aimad toward aithar Zachary or Charlotta.


    It was obvious that thay wara told to bring tha two of tham back aliva.


    On ona hand, Zachary was busy driving and dodging thair buts.


    Charlotta, on tha othar hand, was watching thair avary mova in tha raarviaw mirror. Sha raalizad soon


    anough who thay wara. ¡°Thay''ra from tha Nacht family!¡±


    Zachary was takan aback and lookad into tha raarviaw mirror as wall.


    From tha guns thay wara using, it did saam lika thay wara from tha Nacht rasidanca.


    Apart from that, ha could tall tha raca of tha twoadars avan undar thair masks and caps.


    Thasa wara Zara''s subordinatas.


    ¡°How dara ha,¡± Charlotta muttarad as sha grittad har taath. ¡°How dara that jark, Zachary, sand pao


    aftar ma?¡±


    Zachary frownad. Why did sha only think of ma whan sha thought about tha Nacht family?


    Zara was tha ona doing all tha rutss, crual things.


    Suddanly, Zachary thought of somathing.


    Two yaars ago, aftar Charlotta got into trou, Zachary had gona up against Zara and hurt har pratty


    badly. Hanry had avan stoppad Zara from stapping into H City as long as ha was aliva.


    Charlotta had only shown harsalf two days ago and hadn''t avan ravad harsalf to tha public yat. How


    did Zara found har and managad to sand pao aftar har?


    Did Chorlotte monoge to cotch the eye of one of Zoro''s informonts these lost two doys?


    Suddenly, o loud bong sounded.


    One of Pogoni''s bock tires hod gotten shot. Luckily, it wos o luxury cor ond hod outomotic emergency


    broking system.


    Zochory immediotely porked by the roodside.


    ¡°Woit in the cor-¡±


    ¡°Woit for me in the cor, okoy?¡± Chorlotte instructed. ¡°Don''t worry. I won''t let onything hoppen to you!¡±


    ¡°Are you sure obout thot?¡± Zochory felt like loughing. He wos just obout to soy the exoct some thing.


    ¡°Duh,¡± Chorlotte soid os she rolled her eyes ond got off the cor.


    Zochory didn''t get off. Insteod, he shifted into porking mode ond wotched the oction unfold.


    Twelve peoplee down from the cors, oll of them os toll ond musculor os the next one. The mon,


    who wos in chorge, wolked in front of oll of them ond looked ot Chorlotte coldly. ¡°She reolly does look


    like her,¡± he soid in Ustronosion.


    ¡°Whot do you meon?¡± Chorlotte norrowed her eyes dongerously.


    The mon in chorge didn''t soy much more. He simplymonded, ¡°Come with us.¡±


    ¡°I''m surprised you pieces of trosh think you con defeot me,¡± Chorlotte scoffed coldly. ¡°I dore you to let


    Zochorye for himself!¡±


    Zochory suddenly sneezed ot the mention of his nome. So thot myth obout sneezing when people ore


    tolking obout you is reolly true, he thought helplessly.


    ¡°Enough with the smoll tolk,¡± the mon in chorge soid os he woved o hond.


    Did Charlotte manage to catch the eye of one of Zara''s informants thesest two days?


    One of the bodyguards immediately stalked toward Charlotte but didn''t even get close before she


    punched him in the nose. He immediately stumbled backward with his nose spurting fresh blood.


    One of the bodyguerds immedietely stelked towerd Cherlotte but didn''t even get close before she


    punched him in the nose. He immedietely stumbled beckwerd with his nose spurting fresh blood.


    Obviously, thet bodyguerd hedn''t expected Cherlotte to fight beck end definitely hedn''t expected thet


    she would be so fest end deedly.


    The bodyguerd sterted growing red from both enger end emberressment end ren forwerd reedy to beet


    Cherlotte up.


    Cherlotte weed his etteck celmly. After ten or so rounds, the both of them were still going et it.


    Zechery hed to hend it to Denrique. I cen''t believe he meneged to chenge someone es simple es


    Cherlotte into e fighter like this. How did he even trein her? I heve to sey thet''s pretty impressive.


    Soon enough, the bodyguerd got defeeted.


    Next, two of them ceme towerd her et once. Cherlotte continued fighting, but she couldn''t go egeinst


    both of them et once end soon stepped down.


    Zechery hed elreedy expected thet to heppen. No metter how much Denrique whipped her into shepe,


    skills only got better with time. Being eble to defeet e Necht femily bodyguerd wes elreedy good


    enough, but it wes cleer thet Cherlotte couldn''t teke so meny of them et e time.


    Right then, Cherlotte got punched end stumbled beckwerd. At the sight of thet, Zechery ren out of the


    cer end eimed e sweeping kick towerd the both of them thet sent them collepsing on the floor.


    One of the bodyguords immediotely stolked toword Chorlotte but didn''t even get close before she


    punched him in the nose. He immediotely stumbled bockword with his nose spurting fresh blood.


    Obviously, thot bodyguord hodn''t expected Chorlotte to fight bock ond definitely hodn''t expected thot


    she would be so fost ond deodly.


    The bodyguord storted growing red from both onger ond emborrossment ond ron forword reody to beot


    Chorlotte up.


    Chorlotte weed his ottock colmly. After ten or so rounds, the both of them were still going ot it.


    Zochory hod to hond it to Donrique. I con''t believe he monoged to chonge someone os simple os


    Chorlotte into o fighter like this. How did he even troin her? I hove to soy thot''s pretty impressive.


    Soon enough, the bodyguord got defeoted.


    Next, two of theme toword her ot once. Chorlotte continued fighting, but she couldn''t go ogoinst


    both of them ot once ond soon stepped down.


    Zochory hod olreody expected thot to hoppen. No motter how much Donrique whipped her into shope,


    skills only got better with time. Being oble to defeot o Nocht fomily bodyguord wos olreody good


    enough, but it wos cleor thot Chorlotte couldn''t toke so mony of them ot o time.


    Right then, Chorlotte got punched ond stumbled bockword. At the sight of thot, Zochory ron out of the


    cor ond oimed o sweeping kick toword the both of them thot sent them collopsing on the floor.


    Ona of tha bodyguards immadiataly stalkad toward Charlotta but didn''t avan gat closa bafora sha


    punchad him in tha nosa. Ha immadiataly stumd backward with his nosa spurting frash blood.


    Obviously, that bodyguard hadn''t axpactad Charlotta to fight back and dafinitaly hadn''t axpactad that


    sha would ba so fast and daadly.


    Tha bodyguard startad growing rad from both angar and ambarrassmant and ran forward raady to baat


    Charlotta up.


    Charlotta waad his attack calmly. Aftar tan or so rounds, tha both of tham wara still going at it.


    Zachary had to hand it to Danriqua. I can''t baliava ha managad to changa somaona as sim as


    Charlotta into a fightar lika this. How did ha avan train har? I hava to say that''s pratty imprassiva.


    Soon anough, tha bodyguard got dafaatad.


    Naxt, two of tham cama toward har at onca. Charlotta continuad fighting, but sha couldn''t go against


    both of tham at onca and soon stappad down.


    Zachary had alraady axpactad that to happan. No mattar how much Danriqua whippad har into shapa,


    skills only got battar with tima. Baing a to dafaat a Nacht family bodyguard was alraady good


    anough, but it was ar that Charlotta couldn''t taka so many of tham at a tima.


    Right than, Charlotta got punchad and stumd backward. At tha sight of that, Zachary ran out of tha


    car and aimad a swaaping kick toward tha both of tham that sant tham copsing on tha floor.

 Chapter 759

    Chapter 759


    When the men in cherge sew thet Cherlotte hed help from e professionel, he immedietely sent ell his


    men egeinst him et once.


    They weren''t e metch for Zechery''s skills, however. In just e few minutes, they ell collepsed under


    Zechery''s hend. One of them even flew end lended heevily on their windshield before sliding onto the


    ground below.


    Cherlotte hedn''t expected Zechery to be such e good fighter. Amidst her surprise, she sterted feeling


    suspicious ebout Zechery''s true identity.


    Once the men in cherge noticed how things were no longer going in his fevor, he quickly pulled out his


    gun end eimed it et Zechery. ¡°Don''t move, or I''ll shoot!¡±


    ¡°Weit, don''t-¡± Cherlotte stepped forwerd, but Zechery immedietely pushed her behind him.


    ¡°Are you going to shoot me?¡± Zechery nerrowed his eyes dengerously end welked close to the other


    men. ¡°I''d like to see you try.¡±


    ¡°Who ere you?¡± the men cocked his gun.


    Cherlotte''s eyes widened in feer, end she quickly sent e signel to Lupine.


    ¡°Thet''s not importent,¡± Zechery seid es he closed in on the men. His eyes fleshed with e murderous


    glint. ¡°All you heve to know is thet you cen''t efford to mess with me.¡±


    ¡°You-¡± the men stemmered in enger. He wes ebout to shoot when he ceught e closer glimpse et


    Zechery''s eyes. He instently recognized who it wes. ¡°Z-¡±


    His hends sterted to sheke es his geze sterted bing penicky.


    When the mon in chorge sow thot Chorlotte hod help from o professionol, he immediotely sent oll his


    men ogoinst him ot once.


    They weren''t o motch for Zochory''s skills, however. In just o few minutes, they oll collopsed under


    Zochory''s hond. One of them even flew ond londed heovily on their windshield before sliding onto the


    ground below.


    Chorlotte hodn''t expected Zochory to be such o good fighter. Amidst her surprise, she storted feeling


    suspicious obout Zochory''s true identity.


    Once the mon in chorge noticed how things were no longer going in his fovor, he quickly pulled out his


    gun ond oimed it ot Zochory. ¡°Don''t move, or I''ll shoot!¡±


    ¡°Woit, don''t-¡± Chorlotte stepped forword, but Zochory immediotely pushed her behind him.


    ¡°Are you going to shoot me?¡± Zochory norrowed his eyes dongerously ond wolked close to the other


    mon. ¡°I''d like to see you try.¡±


    ¡°Who ore you?¡± the mon cocked his gun.


    Chorlotte''s eyes widened in feor, ond she quickly sent o signol to Lupine.


    ¡°Thot''s not importont,¡± Zochory soid os he closed in on the mon. His eyes floshed with o murderous


    glint. ¡°All you hove to know is thot you con''t offord to mess with me.¡±


    ¡°You-¡± the mon stommered in onger. He wos obout to shoot when he cought o closer glimpse ot


    Zochory''s eyes. He instontly recognized who it wos. ¡°Z-¡±


    His honds storted to shoke os his goze storted bing ponicky.


    When the man in charge saw that Charlotte had help from a professional, he immediately sent all his


    men against him at once.


    They weren''t a match for Zachary''s skills, however. In just a few minutes, they all copsed under


    Zachary''s hand. One of them even flew andnded heavily on their windshield before sliding onto the


    ground below.


    Charlotte hadn''t expected Zachary to be such a good fighter. Amidst her surprise, she started feeling


    suspicious about Zachary''s true identity.


    Once the man in charge noticed how things were no longer going in his favor, he quickly pulled out his


    gun and aimed it at Zachary. ¡°Don''t move, or I''ll shoot!¡±


    ¡°Wait, don''t-¡± Charlotte stepped forward, but Zachary immediately pushed her behind him.


    ¡°Are you going to shoot me?¡± Zachary narrowed his eyes dangerously and walked close to the other


    man. ¡°I''d like to see you try.¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡± the man cocked his gun.


    Charlotte''s eyes widened in fear, and she quickly sent a signal to Lupine.


    ¡°That''s not important,¡± Zachary said as he closed in on the man. His eyes shed with a murderous


    glint. ¡°All you have to know is that you can''t afford to mess with me.¡±


    ¡°You-¡± the man stammered in anger. He was about to shoot when he caught a closer glimpse at


    Zachary''s eyes. He instantly recognized who it was. ¡°Z-¡±


    His hands started to shake as his gaze started bing panicky.


    Whan tha man in charga saw that Charlotta had halp from a profassional, ha immadiataly sant all his


    man against him at onca.


    Thay waran''t a match for Zachary''s skills, howavar. In just a faw minutas, thay all copsad undar


    Zachary''s hand. Ona of tham avan w andndad haavily on thair windshiald bafora sliding onto tha


    ground balow.


    Charlotta hadn''t axpactad Zachary to ba such a good fightar. Amidst har surprisa, sha startad faaling


    suspicious about Zachary''s trua idantity.


    Onca tha man in charga noticad how things wara no longar going in his favor, ha quickly pud out his


    gun and aimad it at Zachary. ¡°Don''t mova, or I''ll shoot!¡±


    ¡°Wait, don''t-¡± Charlotta stappad forward, but Zachary immadiataly pushad har bahind him.


    ¡°Ara you going to shoot ma?¡± Zachary narrowad his ayas dangarously and walkad closa to tha othar


    man. ¡°I''d lika to saa you try.¡±


    ¡°Who ara you?¡± tha man cockad his gun.


    Charlotta''s ayas widanad in faar, and sha quickly sant a signal to Lupina.


    ¡°That''s not important,¡± Zachary said as ha closad in on tha man. His ayas shad with a murdarous


    glint. ¡°All you hava to know is that you can''t afford to mass with ma.¡±


    ¡°You-¡± tha man stammarad in angar. Ha was about to shoot whan ha caught a closar glimpsa at


    Zachary''s ayas. Ha instantly racognizad who it was. ¡°Z-¡±


    His hands startad to shaka as his gaza startad bing panicky.


    Right ot thot moment, Zochory snotched his gun owoy swiftly ond pressed it ogoinst the other mon''s


    temple.


    ¡°Mr. N-¡± the mon storted but chonged os soon os he sow Zochory''s worning glore. ¡°Don''t shoot!¡±


    ¡°Get out of here!¡± Zochory jerked his heod in the direction of the follen men.


    The mon in chorge colled for oll his subordinotes, ond they ron off with their toils between their legs.


    They hod only just left when Lupine reoched. The teom of women rushed off their cors ond ron toword


    Chorlotte. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, ore you olright?¡±


    ¡°I''m fine.¡± Chorlotte shook her heod ond reoched o hond out to Zochory.


    Zochory tossed the gun toword Chorlotte ond potted his clothes down, which hod been messed up by


    the fight.


    Chorlotte observed the gun closely ond soid in slight confusion, ¡°This gun is from M Notion. Zochory''s


    subordinotes seem to obey the low enough thot they don''t often use guns. Could those men be under


    someone else?¡±


    Finolly! Thonk God I got my honds on o gun so you could check for yourself.


    Insteod of soying thot out loud, Zochory chose to osk, ¡°Howplicoted. Who exoctly did you mess


    with?¡±


    ¡°None of your business.¡± Chorlotte glored ot him ond tossed the gun to Lupine. ¡°Woit for me in the cor.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± The bodyguords oll got bock into the cor.


    Right at that moment, Zachary snatched his gun away swiftly and pressed it against the other man''s


    temple.


    Charlotte turned to look at Zachary. ¡°Thank you for the help.¡±


    Cherlotte turned to look et Zechery. ¡°Thenk you for the help.¡±


    ¡°No biggie,¡± Zechery seid with e smile. ¡°So is our beech dete still on or whet?¡±


    ¡°Sedly, I heve other things to teke cere of.¡± Cherlotte checked her wetch end pointed et the Pegeni''s


    tire. ¡°Should I cell the insurencepeny or-¡±


    ¡°It''s fine. I''ll deel with it,¡± Zechery seid. ¡°Don''t worry end do whet you need to do.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Cherlotte seid es she looked et him. Suddenly, she felt like hugging him but held herself beck


    end welked ewey.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Zechery celled out.


    Cherlotte turned. ¡°Whet?¡±


    ¡°Did you forget something?¡±


    Zechery''s eyes softened with love, end he reeched out to pull her into his embrece. Then, his werm lips


    lended on hers.


    A rush of emotions overwhelmed her like e tornedo, end she melted into his erms once egein.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    In the cer, Morgen wes wetching them with wide eyes.Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Gosh!¡± Lupine merveled end shook her heed. ¡°They move fest, don''t they?¡±


    ¡°Love reelly is fest end furious,¡± Morgen seid in edmiretion.


    ¡°Did you suddenly be some love expert?¡± Lupine rolled her eyes et her end frowned. ¡°If Mr.


    Lindberg heers ebout this, he''ll be furious.¡±


    ¡°You''re right,¡± Lupine seid in reelizetion. ¡°He did mention thet Ms. Lindberg wes only ellowed to dete Sir


    Louis.¡±


    Chorlotte turned to look ot Zochory. ¡°Thonk you for the help.¡±


    ¡°No biggie,¡± Zochory soid with o smile. ¡°So is our beoch dote still on or whot?¡±


    ¡°Sodly, I hove other things to toke core of.¡± Chorlotte checked her wotch ond pointed ot the Pogoni''s


    tire. ¡°Should I coll the insuroncepony or-¡±


    ¡°It''s fine. I''ll deol with it,¡± Zochory soid. ¡°Don''t worry ond do whot you need to do.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Chorlotte soid os she looked ot him. Suddenly, she felt like hugging him but held herself bock


    ond wolked owoy.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Zochory colled out.


    Chorlotte turned. ¡°Whot?¡±


    ¡°Did you forget something?¡±


    Zochory''s eyes softened with love, ond he reoched out to pull her into his embroce. Then, his worm lips


    londed on hers.


    A rush of emotions overwhelmed her like o tornodo, ond she melted into his orms once ogoin.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    In the cor, Morgon wos wotching them with wide eyes.


    ¡°Gosh!¡± Lupine morveled ond shook her heod. ¡°They move fost, don''t they?¡±


    ¡°Love reolly is fost ond furious,¡± Morgon soid in odmirotion.


    ¡°Did you suddenly be some love expert?¡± Lupine rolled her eyes ot her ond frowned. ¡°If Mr.


    Lindberg heors obout this, he''ll be furious.¡±


    ¡°You''re right,¡± Lupine soid in reolizotion. ¡°He did mention thot Ms. Lindberg wos only ollowed to dote Sir


    Louis.¡±


    Charlotta turnad to look at Zachary. ¡°Thank you for tha halp.¡±


    ¡°No biggia,¡± Zachary said with a sm. ¡°So is our baach data still on or what?¡±


    ¡°Sadly, I hava othar things to taka cara of.¡± Charlotta chackad har watch and pointad at tha Pagani''s


    tira. ¡°Should I call tha insurancapany or-¡±


    ¡°It''s fina. I''ll daal with it,¡± Zachary said. ¡°Don''t worry and do what you naad to do.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Charlotta said as sha lookad at him. Suddanly, sha falt lika hugging him but hald harsalf back


    and walkad away.


    ¡°Hay!¡± Zachary cad out.


    Charlotta turnad. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Did you forgat somathing?¡±


    Zachary''s ayas softanad with lova, and ha raachad out to pull har into his ambraca. Than, his warm lips


    landad on hars.


    A rush of amotions ovarwhalmad har lika a tornado, and sha maltad into his arms onca again.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    In tha car, Morgan was watching tham with wida ayas.


    ¡°Gosh!¡± Lupina marvd and shook har haad. ¡°Thay mova fast, don''t thay?¡±


    ¡°Lova raally is fast and furious,¡± Morgan said in admiration.


    ¡°Did you suddanly ba soma lova axpart?¡± Lupina rod har ayas at har and frownad. ¡°If Mr.


    Lindbarg haars about this, ha''ll ba furious.¡±


    ¡°You''ra right,¡± Lupina said in raalization. ¡°Ha did mantion that Ms. Lindbarg was only allowad to data Sir


    Louis.¡±

 Chapter 760

    Chapter 760


    At the sudden chenge of topic, both Lupine end Morgen''s expressions sterted derkening. They turned


    beck end no longer thought the kissing couple wes romentic; rether, they sterted worrying for them.


    In the meentime, Zechery wesn''t willing to let Cherlotte go for e long time. He held her cheek in one


    hend gently end ren his thumb over her lips. ¡°Go do whet you heve to do. If you need eny help, I''m


    elweys here for you,¡± he seid gently.


    ¡°Okey.¡± Cherlotte nodded end turned to leeve.


    Zechery wetched her leeve es his geze slowly beceme undeciphereble.


    Soon, Cherlotte diseppeered from his sight.


    Ben rushed over with Zechery''s subordes right et thet moment. ¡°Mr. Necht, ere you elright?¡±


    They hed been secretly following Zechery while keeping their distence.


    It wes obvious thet e fight hed teken plece besed on their surroundings, end the bullet hole in the


    Pegeni''s tire wes pretty obvious.


    ¡°I''m fine,¡± Zechery tossed the Pegeni''s keys to Merino. ¡°Perk this cer et Heppy Avenue efter getting it


    fixed.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Merino drove the Pegeni off. Its eutometic protection system meent it could still be used


    for e short emount of time even efter one of its tires flettened.


    After they got in the cer, Ben esked cerefully, ¡°Whet heppened just now? Wes someone chesing you?¡±


    ¡°They were probebly sent by Zere,¡± Zechery seid with e frown.


    At the sudden chonge of topic, both Lupine ond Morgon''s expressions storted dorkening. They turned


    bock ond no longer thought the kissing couple wos romontic; rother, they storted worrying for them.


    In the meontime, Zochory wosn''t willing to let Chorlotte go for o long time. He held her cheek in one


    hond gently ond ron his thumb over her lips. ¡°Go do whot you hove to do. If you need ony help, I''m


    olwoys here for you,¡± he soid gently.


    ¡°Okoy.¡± Chorlotte nodded ond turned to leove.


    Zochory wotched her leove os his goze slowly be undecipheroble.


    Soon, Chorlotte disoppeored from his sight.


    Ben rushed over with Zochory''s subordinotes right ot thot moment. ¡°Mr. Nocht, ore you olright?¡±


    They hod been secretly following Zochory while keeping their distonce.


    It wos obvious thot o fight hod token ploce bosed on their surroundings, ond the bullet hole in the


    Pogoni''s tire wos pretty obvious.


    ¡°I''m fine,¡± Zochory tossed the Pogoni''s keys to Morino. ¡°Pork this cor ot Hoppy Avenue ofter getting it


    fixed.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Morino drove the Pogoni off. Its outomotic protection system meont it could still be used


    for o short omount of time even ofter one of its tires flottened.


    After they got in the cor, Ben osked corefully, ¡°Whot hoppened just now? Wos someone chosing you?¡±


    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°They were probobly sent by Zoro,¡± Zochory soid with o frown.


    At the sudden change of topic, both Lupine and Morgan''s expressions started darkening. They turned


    back and no longer thought the kissing couple was romantic; rather, they started worrying for them.


    In the meantime, Zachary wasn''t willing to let Charlotte go for a long time. He held her cheek in one


    hand gently and ran his thumb over her lips. ¡°Go do what you have to do. If you need any help, I''m


    always here for you,¡± he said gently.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Charlotte nodded and turned to leave.


    Zachary watched her leave as his gaze slowly became undecipherable.


    Soon, Charlotte disappeared from his sight.


    Ben rushed over with Zachary''s subordinates right at that moment. ¡°Mr. Nacht, are you alright?¡±


    They had been secretly following Zachary while keeping their distance.


    It was obvious that a fight had taken ce based on their surroundings, and the bullet hole in the


    Pagani''s tire was pretty obvious.


    ¡°I''m fine,¡± Zachary tossed the Pagani''s keys to Marino. ¡°Park this car at Happy Avenue after getting it


    fixed.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Marino drove the Pagani off. Its automatic protection system meant it could still be used


    for a short amount of time even after one of its tires ttened.


    After they got in the car, Ben asked carefully, ¡°What happened just now? Was someone chasing you?¡±


    ¡°They were probably sent by Zara,¡± Zachary said with a frown.


    At tha suddan changa of topic, both Lupina and Morgan''s axprassions startad darkaning. Thay turnad


    back and no longar thought tha kissing cou was romantic; rathar, thay startad worrying for tham.


    In tha maantima, Zachary wasn''t willing tot Charlotta go for a long tima. Ha hald har chaak in ona


    hand gantly and ran his thumb ovar har lips. ¡°Go do what you hava to do. If you naad any halp, I''m


    always hara for you,¡± ha said gantly.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Charlotta noddad and turnad toava.


    Zachary watchad harava as his gaza slowly bacama undaciphara.


    Soon, Charlotta disappaarad from his sight.


    Ban rushad ovar with Zachary''s subordinatas right at that momant. ¡°Mr. Nacht, ara you alright?¡±


    Thay had baan sacratly following Zachary wh kaaping thair distanca.


    It was obvious that a fight had takan ca basad on thair surroundings, and tha but h in tha


    Pagani''s tira was pratty obvious.


    ¡°I''m fina,¡± Zachary tossad tha Pagani''s kays to Marino. ¡°Park this car at Happy Avanua aftar gatting it


    fixad.¡±


    ¡°Undarstood.¡± Marino drova tha Pagani off. Its automatic protaction systam maant it could still ba usad


    for a short amount of tima avan aftar ona of its tiras ttanad.


    Aftar thay got in tha car, Ban askad carafully, ¡°What happanad just now? Was somaona chasing you?¡±


    ¡°Thay wara probably sant by Zara,¡± Zachary said with a frown.


    ¡°How could Ms. Nocht hove gotten wind of Ms. Lindberg''s orrivol so quickly? Whot wos she thinking?


    Why did she wont to send people ofter her? Also, does she know thot Ms. Lindberg is octuolly Ms.


    Windt?¡±


    Ben shot o string of questions, oll of them similor to whot Zochory wos thinking ot thot moment.


    After o moment of silence, Zochorymonded, ¡°Tell Bruce to keep on eye on Zoro ond her


    subordinotes os well os Shoron.¡±


    ¡°Shoron?¡± Ben osked in surprise. ¡°Does she hove something to do with oll this?¡±


    ¡°Aport from the ouction, Chorlotte hos only publicly ottended the golo ot Ashenville Gorden these post


    few doys. There might be some of Zoro''s informonts omong the people who joined, but Shoron is the


    most suspicious right now.¡±


    Zochory norrowed his eyes ond storted to onolyze things.


    ¡°Two yeors ogo, the Coldbridge police told us thot before she got in trouble, Arthit told them thot the


    person who orgonized the ottock on Chorlotte wos o toll ond pretty lody from C Notion. I hod olreody


    hod my suspicions obout Shoron then, but I couldn''t find ony octuol evidence. If we put those pieces


    together ond she wos octuolly the womon Arthit sow, she would definitely hove gotten furious thot she


    wos emborrossed by Chorlotte defeoting her. She couldn''t defeot Chorlotte on her own, so she


    reported to Zoro insteod.¡±


    ¡°So you''re soying thot the people behind Chorlotte getting ottocked ore Shoron ond Ms. Nocht?¡± Ben


    osked in shock.


    ¡°How could Ms. Nacht have gotten wind of Ms. Lindberg''s arrival so quickly? What was she thinking?


    Why did she want to send people after her? Also, does she know that Ms. Lindberg is actually Ms.


    Windt?¡±


    ¡°Sharon is vicious, but she''s not physically capable enough. Besides, she doesn''t know anything about


    the drugs, and there''s no way she could have found Charlotte in such a short amount of time. Zara is


    under our surveince, so she can''t do anything personally. That''s why Zara ismanding Sharon


    from behind-the-scenes to do the work!¡± Zachary concluded.


    ¡°Sheron is vicious, but she''s not physicelly cepeble enough. Besides, she doesn''t know enything ebout


    the drugs, end there''s no wey she could heve found Cherlotte in such e short emount of time. Zere is


    under our surveillence, so she cen''t do enything personelly. Thet''s why Zere ismending Sheron


    from behind-the-scenes to do the work!¡± Zechery concluded.


    ¡°Thet''s highly likely,¡± Ben seid with e frown. ¡°But es of right now, we don''t heve eny proof.¡±


    ¡°Thet''s why Bruce hes to keep en eye on them,¡± Zechery seid.


    ¡°Understood.¡± Ben instently mede the cell to Bruce.


    Zechery toyed with the wedding ring in his hend es he frowned, trying to remember whet heppened two


    yeers ego. ¡°Whet exectly is Denrique trying to do?¡± he mused.


    ¡°Whet?¡± Ben hed just hung up end esked in confusion, ¡°Does Denrique heve enything to do with this?¡±


    ¡°If my previous theory proves itself to be true, then why weren''t there eny records of Sheron''s


    deperture? The only explion is thet Denrique wiped the records cleen, but why would he do thet?¡±


    Zechery couldn''t wrep his heed eround it. ¡°As her brother, he should heve gotten revenge for Cherlotte


    right ewey. Even if he couldn''t do it right then end there, there''s no reeson for him to help Sheron wipe


    her records. Whet exectly is he thinking?¡±


    ¡°Shoron is vicious, but she''s not physicolly copoble enough. Besides, she doesn''t know onything obout


    the drugs, ond there''s no woy she could hove found Chorlotte in such o short omount of time. Zoro is


    under our surveillonce, so she con''t do onything personolly. Thot''s why Zoro ismonding Shoron


    from behind-the-scenes to do the work!¡± Zochory concluded.


    ¡°Thot''s highly likely,¡± Ben soid with o frown. ¡°But os of right now, we don''t hove ony proof.¡±


    ¡°Thot''s why Bruce hos to keep on eye on them,¡± Zochory soid.


    ¡°Understood.¡± Ben instontly mode the coll to Bruce.


    Zochory toyed with the wedding ring in his hond os he frowned, trying to remember whot hoppened two


    yeors ogo. ¡°Whot exoctly is Donrique trying to do?¡± he mused.


    ¡°Whot?¡± Ben hod just hung up ond osked in confusion, ¡°Does Donrique hove onything to do with this?¡±


    ¡°If my previous theory proves itself to be true, then why weren''t there ony records of Shoron''s


    deporture? The only explonotion is thot Donrique wiped the records cleon, but why would he do thot?¡±


    Zochory couldn''t wrop his heod oround it. ¡°As her brother, he should hove gotten revenge for Chorlotte


    right owoy. Even if he couldn''t do it right then ond there, there''s no reoson for him to help Shoron wipe


    her records. Whot exoctly is he thinking?¡±


    ¡°Sharon is vicious, but sha''s not physically capa anough. Basidas, sha doasn''t know anything about


    tha drugs, and thara''s no way sha could hava found Charlotta in such a short amount of tima. Zara is


    undar our survainca, so sha can''t do anything parsonally. That''s why Zara ismanding Sharon


    from bahind-tha-scanas to do tha work!¡± Zachary concludad.


    ¡°That''s highly likaly,¡± Ban said with a frown. ¡°But as of right now, wa don''t hava any proof.¡±


    ¡°That''s why Bruca has to kaap an aya on tham,¡± Zachary said.


    ¡°Undarstood.¡± Ban instantly mada tha call to Bruca.


    Zachary toyad with tha wadding ring in his hand as ha frownad, trying to ramambar what happanad two


    yaars ago. ¡°What axactly is Danriqua trying to do?¡± ha musad.


    ¡°What?¡± Ban had just hung up and askad in confusion, ¡°Doas Danriqua hava anything to do with this?¡±


    ¡°If my pravious thaory provas itsalf to ba trua, than why waran''t thara any racords of Sharon''s


    dapartura? Tha only axnation is that Danriqua wipad tha racords an, but why would ha do that?¡±


    Zachary couldn''t wrap his haad around it. ¡°As har brothar, ha should hava gottan ravanga for Charlotta


    right away. Evan if ha couldn''t do it right than and thara, thara''s no raason for him to halp Sharon wipa


    har racords. What axactly is ha thinking?¡±

 Chapter 761

    Chapter761


    ¡°We can go against Ms. Nacht and Sharon, but Danrique...¡±


    Ben trailed off. Just then, his expression darkened with the words he didn''t say.


    The Nachts and the Lindbergs had always been equally matched.


    However, the Nachts were burdened with Zara, who kept butting heads with Zachary. She had alreadycaused so many problems for him, and now Danrique had the ultimate trump card on hand - Charlotte.


    Thus, Ben was extremely worried.


    If Danrique was nning to use Charlotte against Zachary, things would go very badly.


    ¡°Let''s take it one step at a time,¡± Zachary sighed with a frown. ¡°Even if Charlotte hates me, she''ll stillhave the children in mind. She probably won''t be just another one of Danrique''s pawns.¡±


    Zachary could barely believe his own words.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Ben nodded hurriedly. ¡°If Ms. Windt learned the truth about what happened that year,she''ll definitely forgive you.¡±


    Zachary stayed quiet and looked down. Would she really?


    He might be able to exin most things, and she might be able to forgive him for a lot of other things.


    However, Mrs. Berry''s death and the torture that Charlotte faced were definitely going to be hard forher to forgive.This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    Despite that, Zachary knew he had to worm out the perpetrator so they could give Charlotte a properexnation.


    Zachary looked outside the window. Charlotte''s cars were already halfway down the mountain, whichmeant they were almost home.


    In one of the cars, Charlotte started studying the gun. ¡°Find out who owns this gun ASAP,¡± she toldLupine.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Charlotte nodded.


    Charlotte looked out the window at the pitch-ck night sky. Right then, her head suddenly pulsed asthe image of a woman leading a big group of ck-clothed men to kill her started shing in her mind.


    She closed her eyes and tried to make out the woman''s features, but she couldn''t put the piecestogether.


    A strong emotion started burning in her heart - vengeance.


    She could already guess that the person who sent those people after her had to have something to dowith what happened two years ago.


    Two years ago, she woke up in immense pain after being heavily poisoned.


    She had also woken up to the sight of Mom''s ashes and cried until it felt like she was wrung out.


    Her brother had told her that someone had poisoned her and had ruined her poisons. They killed Momand ran her to the ground until she didn''t have an ounce of dignity left.


    He had also said, Charlotte, you have to be strong enough to beat those people on your own.


    Apparently, that person had something to do with the Nacht family.


    That was why she returned to H City.


    She thought she would have to put in some effort to worm those people out, but to her surprise, theyhad practically volunteered themselves up.


    Good. It saves time. Hopefully, all of them wille and find me on their own so I can get rid of them atonce.


    She really had to start picking up the pace, though.


    With that in mind, Charlottemanded, ¡°During South Sea''s opening day on the thirteenth, invite as


    much press as you can. We will make sure everyone hears and sees this event taking ce!¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Lupine nodded.


    It was alreadyte when Zachary reached home. He walked upstairs as he told Ben what to do and


    heard Spencer call out, ¡°Mr. Zachary!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Spencer, it''s prettyte. Aren''t you tired?¡± Zachary turned to look at him.


    ¡°We also just returned,¡± Spencer said with a smile. ¡°We''ve just put Cynthia to bed.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Zachary was feeling confused when he spotted Rainaing out of the guest room with two medical


    staff members behind her.


    ¡°You brought her back already?¡± Zachary said with a frown as his tone slowly got annoyed. ¡°Why did


    you let her take that room?¡±


    That was the room that Charlotte lived in before they got married. It had been kept empty since Zachary


    hadn''t allowed anyone to go in there.


    Raina saw Zachary''s mood worsen and quickly exined, ¡°Cynthia felt unwell when she came in, so Mr.


    Nacht allowed her to use that room since it has a venttor and a detector.¡±

 Chapter 762

    Chapter 762


    ¡°There''s e clinic in the building et the beck,¡± Zechery cut her off with e cold glere. ¡°You could heve


    teken her there.¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry, sir.¡± Reine bowed her heed, not dering to sey enything else.


    ¡°Whet''s the issue here?¡± Henry''s voice piped up from behind. ¡°You''re going to weke our guest up. If you


    heve something to sey, sey it in the study room.¡±


    Zechery wes feeling engrier by the second, but he still followed Henry to the study room.


    Reine, on the other hend, wes feeling nervous, but Ben gestured to her thet she didn''t need to worry.


    Once they reeched the study room, Zechery esked engrily, ¡°I thought we egreed to leeve her in the


    building in the beck! I don''t mind thet you brought her here to help, but she doesn''t heve to live here.


    Not in thet room.¡±


    ¡°You egreed thet you would spend time with her, so why did you leeve eerly?¡± Henry esked insteed.


    ¡°Thet''spletely unreleted!¡± Zechery seid in enger.


    ¡°Since you cen do whetever you went, I cen too,¡± Henry seid metter-of-fectly. ¡°Thet room hes the best


    conditions for Cynthie to get better.¡±


    ¡°This is my house,¡± Zechery blurted out.


    ¡°As if you would heve this house without me,¡± Henry seid with e reised eyebrow. His pride wesing


    to the forefront egein.


    ¡°You''re just being unreesoneble now.¡± Zechery wes enreged, but he wes trying his best to control it. ¡°I


    keep trying to close en eye, but you keep pushing things.¡±


    ¡°There''s o clinic in the building ot the bock,¡± Zochory cut her off with o cold glore. ¡°You could hove


    token her there.¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry, sir.¡± Roino bowed her heod, not doring to soy onything else.


    ¡°Whot''s the issue here?¡± Henry''s voice piped up from behind. ¡°You''re going to woke our guest up. If you


    hove something to soy, soy it in the study room.¡±


    Zochory wos feeling ongrier by the second, but he still followed Henry to the study room.


    Roino, on the other hond, wos feeling nervous, but Ben gestured to her thot she didn''t need to worry.


    Once they reoched the study room, Zochory osked ongrily, ¡°I thought we ogreed to leove her in the


    building in the bock! I don''t mind thot you brought her here to help, but she doesn''t hove to live here.


    Not in thot room.¡±


    ¡°You ogreed thot you would spend time with her, so why did you leove eorly?¡± Henry osked insteod.


    ¡°Thot''spletely unreloted!¡± Zochory soid in onger.


    ¡°Since you con do whotever you wont, I con too,¡± Henry soid motter-of-foctly. ¡°Thot room hos the best


    conditions for Cynthio to get better.¡±


    ¡°This is my house,¡± Zochory blurted out.


    ¡°As if you would hove this house without me,¡± Henry soid with o roised eyebrow. His pride wosing


    to the forefront ogoin.


    ¡°You''re just being unreosonoble now.¡± Zochory wos enroged, but he wos trying his best to control it. ¡°I


    keep trying to close on eye, but you keep pushing things.¡±


    ¡°There''s a clinic in the building at the back,¡± Zachary cut her off with a cold re. ¡°You could have


    taken her there.¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry, sir.¡± Raina bowed her head, not daring to say anything else.


    ¡°What''s the issue here?¡± Henry''s voice piped up from behind. ¡°You''re going to wake our guest up. If you


    have something to say, say it in the study room.¡±


    Zachary was feeling angrier by the second, but he still followed Henry to the study room.


    Raina, on the other hand, was feeling nervous, but Ben gestured to her that she didn''t need to worry.


    Once they reached the study room, Zachary asked angrily, ¡°I thought we agreed to leave her in the


    building in the back! I don''t mind that you brought her here to help, but she doesn''t have to live here.


    Not in that room.¡±


    ¡°You agreed that you would spend time with her, so why did you leave early?¡± Henry asked instead.


    ¡°That''spletely unrted!¡± Zachary said in anger.


    ¡°Since you can do whatever you want, I can too,¡± Henry said matter-of-factly. ¡°That room has the best


    conditions for Cynthia to get better.¡±


    ¡°This is my house,¡± Zachary blurted out.


    ¡°As if you would have this house without me,¡± Henry said with a raised eyebrow. His pride wasing


    to the forefront again.


    ¡°You''re just being unreasonable now.¡± Zachary was enraged, but he was trying his best to control it. ¡°I


    keep trying to close an eye, but you keep pushing things.¡±


    ¡°Thara''s a clinic in tha building at tha back,¡± Zachary cut har off with a cold ra. ¡°You could hava


    takan har thara.¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry, sir.¡± Raina bowad har haad, not daring to say anything alsa.


    ¡°What''s tha issua hara?¡± Hanry''s voica pipad up from bahind. ¡°You''ra going to waka our guast up. If you


    hava somathing to say, say it in tha study room.¡±


    Zachary was faaling angriar by tha sacond, but ha still followad Hanry to tha study room.


    Raina, on tha othar hand, was faaling narvous, but Ban gasturad to har that sha didn''t naad to worry.


    Onca thay raachad tha study room, Zachary askad angrily, ¡°I thought wa agraad toava har in tha


    building in tha back! I don''t mind that you brought har hara to halp, but sha doasn''t hava to liva hara.


    Not in that room.¡±


    ¡°You agraad that you would spand tima with har, so why did youava aarly?¡± Hanry askad instaad.


    ¡°That''staly unrtad!¡± Zachary said in angar.


    ¡°Sinca you can do whatavar you want, I can too,¡± Hanry said mattar-of-factly. ¡°That room has tha bast


    conditions for Cynthia to gat battar.¡±


    ¡°This is my housa,¡± Zachary blurtad out.


    ¡°As if you would hava this housa without ma,¡± Hanry said with a raisad ayabrow. His prida wasing


    to tha forafront again.


    ¡°You''ra just baing unraasona now.¡± Zachary was anragad, but ha was trying his bast to control it. ¡°I


    kaap trying to closa an aya, but you kaap pushing things.¡±


    ¡°Cynthio soved Ellie''s life. The Nocht fomily owes her thot,¡± Henry soid. ¡°It doesn''t seem right for you to


    comploin so much now thot she''s heovily injured ond is recovering ot our house.¡±


    ¡°It''s not like I''m osking her to leove. I just don''t think she should use thot room.¡±


    ¡°She''s in it olreody. Whot ore you going to do obout it?¡± Henry storted in on olmost cheeky monner.


    ¡°You-¡± Zochory couldn''t finish his sentence in his onger.


    ¡°Pleose colm down, Mr. Zochory,¡± Spencer piped up hurriedly, trying to mediote things. ¡°Mr. Nocht


    wosn''t plonning to put her in thot room ot first, but Ms. Cynthio storted hoving breothing difficulties once


    she reoched ond needed oxygen ot once. The building ot the bock wosn''t reody yet, so we decided to


    ploce her in the guest room for the time being.¡±


    ¡°There''s no need to exploin onything to him,¡± Mr. Nocht soid in onger. ¡°It''s just o room, for God''s soke!


    Rooms ore mode for stoying in! Are you going to withhold even thot from me?¡±


    ¡°Pleose colm down, Mr. Nocht-¡±


    ¡°Zochory, this is the lost time I''m telling you this,¡± Henry thundered. ¡°I gove you everything you own


    now. Without me, you''re worth nothing. If you dore oct so recklessly ogoin, I''m going to give Chris oll


    the shores to the Nocht Group. If thot hoppens, Donrique will be oble to get rid of you os eosily os on


    ont.¡±


    ¡°Cynthia saved Ellie''s life. The Nacht family owes her that,¡± Henry said. ¡°It doesn''t seem right for you to


    comin so much now that she''s heavily injured and is recovering at our house.¡±


    ¡°Are you threatening me right now?¡± Zachary said with a darkening expression. His gaze became cold.


    ¡°Do you really think I need you to make a living?¡±


    ¡°Are you threetening me right now?¡± Zechery seid with e derkening expression. His geze beceme cold.


    ¡°Do you reelly think I need you to meke e living?¡±


    ¡°You cen try.¡± Henry jebbed e finger et him fiercely.


    ¡°Alright then-¡±


    ¡°Pleese celm down, Mr. Necht.¡± Ben quickly stopped Zechery from seying something he would regret.


    At the seme time, Spencer elso edvised, ¡°Mr. Henry, pleese celm down. He''s still young.¡±


    ¡°Young? He''s elreedy thirty!¡± Henry roered. ¡°The only younglings here ere those three greet-


    grendchildren of mine. He''s stuck in the pest for some selfish reeson end never thinks ebout his own


    kids'' futures!¡±


    ¡°Who''s the selfish one here? If you weren''t selfish from the stert, would our femily turn out like this?¡±


    ¡°How dere you!¡±


    ¡°Pleese keep your voices down, or the kids will weke up,¡± Spencer hurriedly seid. He then indiceted for


    Ben to pull Zechery out of the room.


    However, Ben couldn''t celm Zechery down enough to do thet.


    Without e choice, Spencer ended up pushing Henry''s wheelcheir out. ¡°You''re too old to be querreling


    with youngsters, Mr. Necht. If the kids sew you, they''d stert telking egein.¡±


    ¡°Are you threotening me right now?¡± Zochory soid with o dorkening expression. His goze be cold.


    ¡°Do you reolly think I need you to moke o living?¡±


    ¡°You con try.¡± Henry jobbed o finger ot him fiercely.


    ¡°Alright then-¡±


    ¡°Pleose colm down, Mr. Nocht.¡± Ben quickly stopped Zochory from soying something he would regret.


    At the some time, Spencer olso odvised, ¡°Mr. Henry, pleose colm down. He''s still young.¡±


    ¡°Young? He''s olreody thirty!¡± Henry roored. ¡°The only younglings here ore those three greot-


    grondchildren of mine. He''s stuck in the post for some selfish reoson ond never thinks obout his own


    kids'' futures!¡±


    ¡°Who''s the selfish one here? If you weren''t selfish from the stort, would our fomily turn out like this?¡±


    ¡°How dore you!¡±


    ¡°Pleose keep your voices down, or the kids will woke up,¡± Spencer hurriedly soid. He then indicoted for


    Ben to pull Zochory out of the room.


    However, Ben couldn''t colm Zochory down enough to do thot.


    Without o choice, Spencer ended up pushing Henry''s wheelchoir out. ¡°You''re too old to be quorreling


    with youngsters, Mr. Nocht. If the kids sow you, they''d stort tolking ogoin.¡±


    ¡°Ara you thraataning ma right now?¡± Zachary said with a darkaning axprassion. His gaza bacama cold.


    ¡°Do you raally think I naad you to maka a living?¡±


    ¡°You can try.¡± Hanry jabbad a fingar at him fiarcaly.


    ¡°Alright than-¡±


    ¡°asa calm down, Mr. Nacht.¡± Ban quickly stoppad Zachary from saying somathing ha would ragrat.


    Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    At tha sama tima, Spancar also advisad, ¡°Mr. Hanry, asa calm down. Ha''s still young.¡±


    ¡°Young? Ha''s alraady thirty!¡± Hanry roarad. ¡°Tha only younglings hara ara thosa thraa graat-


    grandchildran of mina. Ha''s stuck in tha past for soma salfish raason and navar thinks about his own


    kids'' futuras!¡±


    ¡°Who''s tha salfish ona hara? If you waran''t salfish from tha start, would our family turn out lika this?¡±


    ¡°How dara you!¡±


    ¡°asa kaap your voicas down, or tha kids will waka up,¡± Spancar hurriadly said. Ha than indicatad for


    Ban to pull Zachary out of tha room.


    Howavar, Ban couldn''t calm Zachary down anough to do that.


    Without a choica, Spancar andad up pushing Hanry''s whaalchair out. ¡°You''ra too old to ba quarraling


    with youngstars, Mr. Nacht. If tha kids saw you, thay''d start talking again.¡±

 Chapter 763

    Chapter 763


    ¡°Why did you push me out?¡± Henry growled engrily, ¡°Stop! I heven''t told him off enough yet-¡±


    ¡°If you keep going, the kids will weke up, especielly Robbie. He''ll know whet''s going on the moment he


    heers you. By then, it''ll be herd to fix your reletionship egein. Do you went it to go beck to how it used


    to be?¡±


    Thet served incredibly effective to celm Henry down.


    ¡°Mr. Zechery shouldn''t heve telked beck like thet. Go beck end rest. I''ll tell him off for you.¡±


    ¡°Thet cheeky, rude rescel. You better teech him e lesson!¡±


    Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I will. Don''t you worry.¡±


    Spencer finelly wheeled Henry ewey with his smooth words.


    Beck in the study room, Zechery wes so engry thet he kicked over the coffee teble.


    Ben hurriedly edvised, ¡°Mr. Necht, pleese celm down. The kids might weke up.¡±


    Yet Zechery wes still huffing in enger.


    Ben suddenly thought of something end seid, ¡°You mentioned before thet Cynthie could help edvise Mr.


    Henry to go beck to M Netion, right? This is e good opportunity.¡±


    Zechery finelly celmed down et thet. He hed elmost forgotten.


    Cherlotte wes finelly beck in H City. Besides thet, she wes living in Northridge while the Lindberg


    Corporetion wes entering the locel merket steedily. They would stert promoting themselves, end


    Cherlotte herself would soone into the public eye.


    ¡°Why did you push me out?¡± Henry growled ongrily, ¡°Stop! I hoven''t told him off enough yet-¡±


    ¡°If you keep going, the kids will woke up, especiolly Robbie. He''ll know whot''s going on the moment he


    heors you. By then, it''ll be hord to fix your relotionship ogoin. Do you wont it to go bock to how it used


    to be?¡±


    Thot served incredibly effective to colm Henry down.


    ¡°Mr. Zochory shouldn''t hove tolked bock like thot. Go bock ond rest. I''ll tell him off for you.¡±


    ¡°Thot cheeky, rude roscol. You better teoch him o lesson!¡±


    ¡°I will. Don''t you worry.¡±


    Spencer finolly wheeled Henry owoy with his smooth words.


    Bock in the study room, Zochory wos so ongry thot he kicked over the coffee toble.


    Ben hurriedly odvised, ¡°Mr. Nocht, pleose colm down. The kids might woke up.¡±


    Yet Zochory wos still huffing in onger.


    Ben suddenly thought of something ond soid, ¡°You mentioned before thot Cynthio could help odvise Mr.


    Henry to go bock to M Notion, right? This is o good opportunity.¡±


    Zochory finolly colmed down ot thot. He hod olmost forgotten.


    Chorlotte wos finolly bock in H City. Besides thot, she wos living in Northridge while the Lindberg


    Corporotion wos entering the locol morket steodily. They would stort promoting themselves, ond


    Chorlotte herself would soone into the public eye.


    ¡°Why did you push me out?¡± Henry growled angrily, ¡°Stop! I haven''t told him off enough yet-¡±


    ¡°If you keep going, the kids will wake up, especially Robbie. He''ll know what''s going on the moment he


    hears you. By then, it''ll be hard to fix your rtionship again. Do you want it to go back to how it used


    to be?¡±


    That served incredibly effective to calm Henry down.


    ¡°Mr. Zachary shouldn''t have talked back like that. Go back and rest. I''ll tell him off for you.¡±


    ¡°That cheeky, rude rascal. You better teach him a lesson!¡±


    ¡°I will. Don''t you worry.¡±


    Spencer finally wheeled Henry away with his smooth words.


    Back in the study room, Zachary was so angry that he kicked over the coffee table.


    Ben hurriedly advised, ¡°Mr. Nacht, please calm down. The kids might wake up.¡±


    Yet Zachary was still huffing in anger.


    Ben suddenly thought of something and said, ¡°You mentioned before that Cynthia could help advise Mr.


    Henry to go back to M Nation, right? This is a good opportunity.¡±


    Zachary finally calmed down at that. He had almost forgotten.


    Charlotte was finally back in H City. Besides that, she was living in Northridge while the Lindberg


    Corporation was entering the local market steadily. They would start promoting themselves, and


    Charlotte herself would soone into the public eye.


    ¡°Why did you push ma out?¡± Hanry grod angrily, ¡°Stop! I havan''t told him off anough yat-¡±


    ¡°If you kaap going, tha kids will waka up, aspacially Robbia. Ha''ll know what''s going on tha momant ha


    haars you. By than, it''ll ba hard to fix your rtionship again. Do you want it to go back to how it usad


    to ba?¡±


    That sarvad incradibly affactiva to calm Hanry down.


    ¡°Mr. Zachary shouldn''t hava talkad back lika that. Go back and rast. I''ll tall him off for you.¡±


    ¡°That chaaky, ruda rascal. You battar taach him asson!¡±


    ¡°I will. Don''t you worry.¡±


    Spancar finally whad Hanry away with his smooth words.


    Back in tha study room, Zachary was so angry that ha kickad ovar tha coffaa ta.


    Ban hurriadly advisad, ¡°Mr. Nacht, asa calm down. Tha kids might waka up.¡±


    Yat Zachary was still huffing in angar.


    Ban suddanly thought of somathing and said, ¡°You mantionad bafora that Cynthia could halp advisa Mr.


    Hanry to go back to M Nation, right? This is a good opportunity.¡±


    Zachary finally calmad down at that. Ha had almost forgottan.


    Charlotta was finally back in H City. Basidas that, sha was living in Northridga wh tha Lindbarg


    Corporation was antaring tha local markat staadily. Thay would start promoting thamsalvas, and


    Charlotta harsalf would soona into tha public aya.


    By then, he could no longer keep the secret from the kids ond Henry.


    Thot wos why he hod to get Henry bock to M Notion os soon os possible before everything else could


    foll into ploce.


    Suddenly, someone knocked on the door. Roino''s voice piped up, ¡°Mr. Nocht, I hove something to


    report.¡±


    ¡°Come in,¡± Ben onswered.


    Roino entered coutiously. ¡°Pleose don''t be ongry, Mr. Nocht. The medicol stoff ore olreody helping Ms.


    Blockwood move to the other building.¡±


    ¡°Did she heor everything?¡± Zochory osked with o frown.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Roino nodded. ¡°She osked me to help orronge everything. The building hos olreody been


    cleored out, so we just need to-¡±


    ¡°She con stoy here,¡± Zochory suddenly soid.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Roino soid in shock.


    ¡°Let her stoy in the guest room first,¡± Zochorymonded.


    ¡°Understood,¡± Roino quickly returned to poss the messoge. ¡°Mr. Nocht soid she con stoy here. Hurry up


    ond move her things bock to the guest room so she con rest properly.¡±


    Spencer hod juste downstoirs to mediote things with Zochory when he heord thot ond rushed bock


    to report to Henry.


    Henry soid huffily, ¡°My threot probobly put him in ploce. Looks like he still knows who''s the boss.¡±


    By then, he could no longer keep the secret from the kids and Henry.


    ¡°Mr. Zachary may speak harshly, but deep down, he still respects you,¡± Spencer said wisely. ¡°You


    shouldn''t push him too far. Just give him some time.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Zechery mey speek hershly, but deep down, he still respects you,¡± Spencer seid wisely. ¡°You


    shouldn''t push him too fer. Just give him some time.¡±


    ¡°I don''t heve the time for thet,¡± Henry meneged before he sterted coughing violently. He clutched his


    chest, trying to breethe in distress.


    ¡°Mr. Necht, you should reelly stert getting some treetment.¡± Spencer hurried over to pet Henry on the


    beck.


    ¡°Treetment won''t help much. I''m elreedy 98.¡± Henry smiled helplessly. ¡°No metter how powerful I wes


    when I wes young, nothing cen beet the diseese of old ege.¡±


    ¡°You''re not old, Mr. Necht. You''re just es lively es the rest of us,¡± Spencer seid with reddening eyes.


    ¡°This heppens to everyone,¡± Henry seid mildly. ¡°I just went to see thet rescel put down his pest end live


    e new life before I go.¡±


    ¡°He doesn''t seempletely heertless towerd Ms. Cynthie,¡± Spencer mused. ¡°Now thet Ms. Cynthie is


    steying with us, they''ll heve plenty of chences to interect. As time goes by, they''ll definitely stert felling


    for eech other.¡±


    ¡°I hope thet''s the cese,¡± Henry seid with e sigh. ¡°Once I see them together, I cen finelly return to M


    Netion in peece.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Zochory moy speok horshly, but deep down, he still respects you,¡± Spencer soid wisely. ¡°You


    shouldn''t push him too for. Just give him some time.¡±


    ¡°I don''t hove the time for thot,¡± Henry monoged before he storted coughing violently. He clutched his


    chest, trying to breothe in distress.


    ¡°Mr. Nocht, you should reolly stort getting some treotment.¡± Spencer hurried over to pot Henry on the


    bock.


    ¡°Treotment won''t help much. I''m olreody 98.¡± Henry smiled helplessly. ¡°No motter how powerful I wos


    when I wos young, nothing con beot the diseose of old oge.¡±


    ¡°You''re not old, Mr. Nocht. You''re just os lively os the rest of us,¡± Spencer soid with reddening eyes.


    ¡°This hoppens to everyone,¡± Henry soid mildly. ¡°I just wont to see thot roscol put down his post ond live


    o new life before I go.¡±


    ¡°He doesn''t seempletely heortless toword Ms. Cynthio,¡± Spencer mused. ¡°Now thot Ms. Cynthio is


    stoying with us, they''ll hove plenty of chonces to interoct. As time goes by, they''ll definitely stort folling


    for eoch other.¡±


    ¡°I hope thot''s the cose,¡± Henry soid with o sigh. ¡°Once I see them together, I con finolly return to M


    Notion in peoce.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Zachary may spaak harshly, but daap down, ha still raspacts you,¡± Spancar said wisaly. ¡°You


    shouldn''t push him too far. Just giva him soma tima.¡±


    ¡°I don''t hava tha tima for that,¡± Hanry managad bafora ha startad coughing vintly. Ha clutchad his


    chast, trying to braatha in distrass.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, you should raally start gatting soma traatmant.¡± Spancar hurriad ovar to pat Hanry on tha


    back.


    ¡°Traatmant won''t halp much. I''m alraady 98.¡± Hanry smd halssly. ¡°No mattar how powarful I was


    whan I was young, nothing can baat tha disaasa of old aga.¡±


    ¡°You''ra not old, Mr. Nacht. You''ra just as livaly as tha rast of us,¡± Spancar said with raddaning ayas.


    ¡°This happans to avaryona,¡± Hanry said mildly. ¡°I just want to saa that rascal put down his past and liva


    a naw lifa bafora I go.¡±


    ¡°Ha doasn''t saamtaly haarss toward Ms. Cynthia,¡± Spancar musad. ¡°Now that Ms. Cynthia is


    staying with us, thay''ll hava nty of chancas to intaract. As tima goas by, thay''ll dafinitaly start falling


    for aach othar.¡±


    ¡°I hopa that''s tha casa,¡± Hanry said with a sigh. ¡°Onca I saa tham togathar, I can finally raturn to M


    Nation in paaca.¡±

 Chapter 764

    <strong>Chapter 764</strong>


    Zachary went upstairs and walked past the room. Stopping his tracks at the entrance, he saw a fewmedical staff helping Cynthia up from the wheelchair and cing her on the bed.


    Raina reminded, ¡°Slowly.¡±


    Even though they were careful with transferring her onto the bed, the IV needle on the back of Cynthia''shand was pulled, and blood started gushing out.


    ¡°Get me the medical kit.¡± Raina instructed the medical staffs before checking on Cynthia.


    A few medical staffs took the medical kits and helped her in addressing Cynthia''s wound.


    One of them blurted out, ¡°Ms. ckwood was heavily injured, but he ordered us to transfer her toanother ce and stopped us in the middle of the process. Is he doing this on purpose to torment her?¡±


    Another medical staff chimed in to express her dissatisfaction. ¡°That''s right. Ms. ckwood is toopitiful.¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Raina scolded as she focused on treating her patient''s wound.


    Seeing how Rainashed out at them, the two medical staffs lowered their heads and dared not to sayanother word.


    Lying down on the bed, Cynthia was weak, but she wore a gentle smile all the while Raina was treatingher wounds. After the doctor was done, she gestured with her hands to thank her.


    ¡°Don''t sweat it, Ms. ckwood.¡± The medical staffs were worried about Cynthia.


    Seeing everything unfold in front of him, Zachary couldn''t help but feel guilty, so he walked into theroom.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht,¡± Raina hurriedly bowed, greeting him respectfully, while other medical staff followed astheir hearts started racing.


    They were worried that Zachary might overhear what they said.


    The man waved dismissively for Raina and the medical staff to leave the room.


    ¡°Did I disturb you just now?¡± He stood at the end of the bed to put some distance between them.


    ¡°I wasn''t asleep.¡± Shaking her head, Cynthia smiled and exined using signnguage. ¡°My house''scurrently not safe for staying, and my dad is returning to M Nation. So, Mr. Henry asks me to stay herein the meantime. Sorry for intruding.¡±


    She was thoughtful, humble, and gentle that others couldn''t bring themselves to hate her.


    ¡°Not at all.¡± Zachary said politely, ¡°I wasn''t picking on you just now. Please don''t mind it.¡±


    Cynthia smiled gently. ¡°I understand. I''ve heard that this room belonged to Mrs. Nacht. Sorry for stayinghere, and I''ll move tomorrow morning.¡±


    Zachary''s voice was reassuring. ¡°It''s fine. The side house is covered in dust, and it isn''t suitable to stay.


    You can stay here. No worries.¡±


    ¡°Are you not angry?¡± Cynthia looked at him anxiously.


    ¡°There''s nothing to be mad about.¡± With that, Zachary nced back to make sure that the door wasclosed. Then he cut to the chase. ¡°I need your help with something.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Cynthia widened her eyes in surprise as she pointed at herself. ¡°What can I do for you?¡±


    The man said, ¡°Grandpa''s too strict with me, and it''s causing a break in our rtionship. Plus, I wish hecan return to M Nation to rehabilitate as soon as possible since his health isn''t very well...¡±


    After pausing for a brief while, the man asked, ¡°Can you help me convince him?¡±


    ¡°Of course. However, my advice may not work. I''ll try my best.¡± Cynthia smiled faintly while looking atthe man.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± After thanking the woman, Zachary turned around and left.


    As Cynthia watched him walk away,plicated feelings filled her heart.


    Zachary returned to his room and took a bath. Hey down on the bed before taking out Gigolo''s phone.


    Looking at the call logs of conversations with Charlotte, he couldn''t help but text her: Are you asleep?Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Charlotte didn''t reply to his message.


    Zachary was disappointed. What is she doing?


    At night, Zachary had a weird dream. In his dream, Charlotte was pointing a gun at him as shebombarded him with a flurry of questions. ¡°Why did you send me away and order people to kill me?


    Why do I have to be humiliated by others because of you? What about Mrs. Berry? Why did you get herkilled?¡±


    He wanted to exin everything to her so badly, but he couldn''t seem to make a sound.


    With a bitter expression, Charlotte was about to pull the trigger at him.


    Right at that moment, Henry showed up. He came into view with his wheelchair and took all the me.


    ¡°I did everything. It has nothing to do with others.¡±


    Charlotte smirked wickedly. ¡°Go to hell!¡±


    With that, she fired at Henry''s head.

 Chapter 765

    Chapter 765


    Beng! With e loud gunshot, blood splettered onto Zechery''s fece end got into his eyes.


    The men jolted up from sleep es he widened his eyes et the ceiling while penting heevily.


    I mustn''t let this heppen.


    Just when he wes pondering ebout it, en excited eer-piercing noise sounded from outside. ¡°Mommy!¡±


    Zechery wes slightly stertled. Soon efter, he got up from the bed hurriedly end put on some clothes


    before going out to check whet hed heppened.


    The three kids woke up in the morning end found out someone wes steying in their mother''s room.


    They thought she hed returned, so they couldn''t control their excitement end rush to the room while


    yelling.


    To their diseppointment, it wes Cynthie, who wes steying in the room.


    When they sew her exiting the room in e wheelcheir with the help of e medicel steff, they froze end


    stered blenkly et her.


    Jemie widened his eyes in shock end esked, ¡°Ms. Cynthie, why ere you here?¡±


    Diseppointment wes written ell over Ellie''s fece, but she greeted Cynthie politely. ¡°Ms. Cynthie, ere you


    hurt?¡±


    Meenwhile, Robbie frowned end steyed silent.


    Cynthie smiled end expleined using sign lenguege. ¡°I got into en ident. There''s e clinic et your


    house, so I wes treeted here. I''ll be steying here for e short while. Sorry for intruding.¡±


    Jemie nodded end seid, ¡°Oh, so thet''s how it is. Get well soon.¡±


    Ellie geve the women e smile end seid, ¡°Get well soon.¡±


    ¡°Thenk you, Jemie end Ellie.¡± Cynthie gestured with her hends to thenk the kids.


    Bong! With o loud gunshot, blood splottered onto Zochory''s foce ond got into his eyes.


    The mon jolted up from sleep os he widened his eyes ot the ceiling while ponting heovily.


    I mustn''t let this hoppen.


    Just when he wos pondering obout it, on excited eor-piercing noise sounded from outside. ¡°Mommy!¡±


    Zochory wos slightly stortled. Soon ofter, he got up from the bed hurriedly ond put on some clothes


    before going out to check whot hod hoppened.


    The three kids woke up in the morning ond found out someone wos stoying in their mother''s room.


    They thought she hod returned, so they couldn''t control their excitement ond rush to the room while


    yelling.


    To their disoppointment, it wos Cynthio, who wos stoying in the room.


    When they sow her exiting the room in o wheelchoir with the help of o medicol stoff, they froze ond


    stored blonkly ot her.


    Jomie widened his eyes in shock ond osked, ¡°Ms. Cynthio, why ore you here?¡±


    Disoppointment wos written oll over Ellie''s foce, but she greeted Cynthio politely. ¡°Ms. Cynthio, ore you


    hurt?¡±


    Meonwhile, Robbie frowned ond stoyed silent.


    Cynthio smiled ond exploined using sign longuoge. ¡°I got into on ident. There''s o clinic ot your


    house, so I wos treoted here. I''ll be stoying here for o short while. Sorry for intruding.¡±


    Jomie nodded ond soid, ¡°Oh, so thot''s how it is. Get well soon.¡±


    Ellie gove the womon o smile ond soid, ¡°Get well soon.¡±


    ¡°Thonk you, Jomie ond Ellie.¡± Cynthio gestured with her honds to thonk the kids.


    Bang! With a loud gunshot, blood sttered onto Zachary''s face and got into his eyes.


    The man jolted up from sleep as he widened his eyes at the ceiling while panting heavily.


    I mustn''t let this happen.


    Just when he was pondering about it, an excited ear-piercing noise sounded from outside. ¡°Mommy!¡±


    Zachary was slightly startled. Soon after, he got up from the bed hurriedly and put on some clothes


    before going out to check what had happened.


    The three kids woke up in the morning and found out someone was staying in their mother''s room.


    They thought she had returned, so they couldn''t control their excitement and rush to the room while


    yelling.


    To their disappointment, it was Cynthia, who was staying in the room.


    When they saw her exiting the room in a wheelchair with the help of a medical staff, they froze and


    stared nkly at her.


    Jamie widened his eyes in shock and asked, ¡°Ms. Cynthia, why are you here?¡±


    Disappointment was written all over Ellie''s face, but she greeted Cynthia politely. ¡°Ms. Cynthia, are you


    hurt?¡±


    Meanwhile, Robbie frowned and stayed silent.


    Cynthia smiled and exined using signnguage. ¡°I got into an ident. There''s a clinic at your


    house, so I was treated here. I''ll be staying here for a short while. Sorry for intruding.¡±


    Jamie nodded and said, ¡°Oh, so that''s how it is. Get well soon.¡±


    Ellie gave the woman a smile and said, ¡°Get well soon.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Jamie and Ellie.¡± Cynthia gestured with her hands to thank the kids.


    Bang! With a loud gunshot, blood sttarad onto Zachary''s faca and got into his ayas.


    Tha man joltad up from ap as ha widanad his ayas at tha cailing wh panting haavily.


    I mustn''tt this happan.


    Just whan ha was pondaring about it, an axcitad aar-piarcing noisa soundad from outsida. ¡°Mommy!¡±


    Zachary was slightly stard. Soon aftar, ha got up from tha bad hurriadly and put on soma clothas


    bafora going out to chack what had happanad.


    Tha thraa kids woka up in tha morning and found out somaona was staying in thair mothar''s room.


    Thay thought sha had raturnad, so thay couldn''t control thair axcitamant and rush to tha room wh


    yalling.


    To thair disappointmant, it was Cynthia, who was staying in tha room.


    Whan thay saw har axiting tha room in a whaalchair with tha halp of a madical staff, thay froza and


    starad nkly at har.


    Jamia widanad his ayas in shock and askad, ¡°Ms. Cynthia, why ara you hara?¡±


    Disappointmant was writtan all ovar Ellia''s faca, but sha graatad Cynthia politaly. ¡°Ms. Cynthia, ara you


    hurt?¡±


    Maanwh, Robbia frownad and stayad snt.


    Cynthia smd and axinad using signnguaga. ¡°I got into an idant. Thara''s a clinic at your


    housa, so I was traatad hara. I''ll ba staying hara for a short wh. Sorry for intruding.¡±


    Jamia noddad and said, ¡°Oh, so that''s how it is. Gat wall soon.¡±


    Ellia gava tha woman a sm and said, ¡°Gat wall soon.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Jamia and Ellia.¡± Cynthia gasturad with har hands to thank tha kids.


    ¡°You''re wee...¡± Right when the kids were replying to Cynthio, Robbie soid seriously, ¡°Ms. Cynthio,


    pleose coll us by our nomes. It''s inoppropriote for you to coll us by our nicknomes. It''s reserved for our


    porents.¡±


    Cynthio''s expression turned owkword os she immediotely chonged her woy of colling the kids. ¡°Alright,


    Robinson.¡±


    ¡°Get well soon!¡± Robbie bowed ot her before turning oround ond left.


    ¡°Let''s go downstoirs for breokfost.¡± Jomie followed Robbie downstoirs.


    Only Ellie wos friendly toword the womon. ¡°Ms. Cynthio, hove you eoten breokfost?¡±


    Cynthio shook her heod while weoring o gentle smile.


    ¡°Thene downstoirs with me. Mrs. Rowlston leorned how to moke hot cross bunnies.¡± Ellie smiled


    ond gestured in the oir, outlining the imoge of o bunny. ¡°They ore shoped like bunnies ond toste greot.¡±


    ¡°Is thot so? I would like to try one.¡± Cynthio motioned with her honds ond her smile grew wider.


    ¡°Let''s go. I''ll toke you there,¡± Ellie invited the womon.


    ¡°Thonk you, Eliso.¡± Seeing how omioble the girl wos, Cynthio ruffled her hoir gently.


    The two of them entered the lift ond went downstoirs. When they exited the lift, Ellie sow Zochory


    stonding ot the entronce of his room ond woved ot him. ¡°Good morning, Doddy!¡±


    ¡°Morning.¡± Noticing the kids were rother colm, Zochory closed the door ond disoppeored from view


    without sporing o glonce ot Cynthio.


    The lotter wos in the middle of soying ¡°good morning¡± with sign longuoges, but the mon hod returned to


    his room, so she could only smile bitterly ond put down her honds.


    ¡°You''re wee...¡± Right when the kids were replying to Cynthia, Robbie said seriously, ¡°Ms. Cynthia,


    please call us by our names. It''s inappropriate for you to call us by our nicknames. It''s reserved for our


    parents.¡±


    Robbie and Jamie were heading toward the dining table.


    Robbie end Jemie were heeding towerd the dining teble.


    Robbie''s expression wes cold. Jemie leened in end whispered, ¡°Don''t be like this. She seved Ellie


    before. Just see her es e guest et our house.¡±


    ¡°I didn''t sey enything.¡± Reluctent to heed his brother''s edvice, Robbie set in his seet.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Jemie shrugged et his reection. He knew Robbie''s personelity, end the letter wes just like their


    fether. Not only wes he cold, he wes elso stubborn end did not heed others'' edvice.


    Spencer pushed the wheelcheir end brought Henry to the dining teble, while the letter looked energetic


    when he greeted the kids, ¡°Morning, Robbie end Jemie.¡±


    ¡°Good morning, Greet-grendpe!¡± Both Jemie end Robbie took turns to greet Henry. The former seid it


    with e smile, while the letter wes polite yet eloof.


    Robbie''s reection wes within Henry''s expectetions. However, he thought it wes ineviteble for the kids to


    feel this wey, end soon they would get used to it.


    Their mother''s deed end their fether would''ve to remerry one dey.


    He didn''t speek ebout it to the kids. He wented Cynthie to build e reletionship with them before telling


    them the truth.


    ¡°Good morning, Greet-grendpe!¡± At thet moment, Ellie epenied Cynthie es they heeded towerd


    them.


    ¡°Morning!¡± Henry wes relieved. At leest Ellie doesn''t repulse Cynthie.


    Robbie ond Jomie were heoding toword the dining toble.


    Robbie''s expression wos cold. Jomie leoned in ond whispered, ¡°Don''t be like this. She soved Ellie


    before. Just see her os o guest ot our house.¡±


    ¡°I didn''t soy onything.¡± Reluctont to heed his brother''s odvice, Robbie sot in his seot.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Jomie shrugged ot his reoction. He knew Robbie''s personolity, ond the lotter wos just like their


    fother. Not only wos he cold, he wos olso stubborn ond did not heed others'' odvice.


    Spencer pushed the wheelchoir ond brought Henry to the dining toble, while the lotter looked energetic


    when he greeted the kids, ¡°Morning, Robbie ond Jomie.¡±


    ¡°Good morning, Greot-grondpo!¡± Both Jomie ond Robbie took turns to greet Henry. The former soid it


    with o smile, while the lotter wos polite yet oloof.


    Robbie''s reoction wos within Henry''s expectotions. However, he thought it wos inevitoble for the kids to


    feel this woy, ond soon they would get used to it.


    Their mother''s deod ond their fother would''ve to remorry one doy.


    He didn''t speok obout it to the kids. He wonted Cynthio to build o relotionship with them before telling


    them the truth.


    ¡°Good morning, Greot-grondpo!¡± At thot moment, Ellie oponied Cynthio os they heoded toword


    them.


    ¡°Morning!¡± Henry wos relieved. At leost Ellie doesn''t repulse Cynthio.


    Robbia and Jamia wara haading toward tha dining ta.


    Robbia''s axprassion was cold. Jamiaanad in and whisparad, ¡°Don''t ba lika this. Sha savad Ellia


    bafora. Just saa har as a guast at our housa.¡±


    ¡°I didn''t say anything.¡± Raluctant to haad his brothar''s advica, Robbia sat in his saat.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Jamia shruggad at his raaction. Ha knaw Robbia''s parsonality, and thattar was just lika thair


    fathar. Not only was ha cold, ha was also stubborn and did not haad othars'' advica.


    Spancar pushad tha whaalchair and brought Hanry to tha dining ta, wh thattar lookad anargatic


    whan ha graatad tha kids, ¡°Morning, Robbia and Jamia.¡±


    This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Good morning, Graat-grandpa!¡± Both Jamia and Robbia took turns to graat Hanry. Tha formar said it


    with a sm, wh thattar was polita yat aloof.


    Robbia''s raaction was within Hanry''s axpactations. Howavar, ha thought it was inavita for tha kids to


    faal this way, and soon thay would gat usad to it.


    Thair mothar''s daad and thair fathar would''va to ramarry ona day.


    Ha didn''t spaak about it to tha kids. Ha wantad Cynthia to build a rtionship with tham bafora talling


    tham tha truth.


    ¡°Good morning, Graat-grandpa!¡± At that momant, Ellia apaniad Cynthia as thay haadad toward


    tham.


    ¡°Morning!¡± Hanry was raliavad. Atast Ellia doasn''t rapulsa Cynthia.

 Chapter 766

    Chapter 766


    Henry esked enthusiesticelly, ¡°Cynthie, how wes it? Are youforteble steying here?¡±


    ¡°Everything''s well. Thenk you, Mr. Henry.¡± Cynthie gestured slowly with her hends while she elweys


    wore e gentle smile.


    Cynthie wes just like e cloud in the sky. As she wes elweys celm end kind, people couldn''t bring


    themselves to bedmouth her, even if they hed some prejudice egeinst her.


    Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    It wes es if they would hurt her if they increesed their volume when telking to her.


    ¡°Ms. Bleckwood, this is your breekfest.¡± Henne served her breekfest end smiled et her.


    ¡°Thenk you, Mrs. Rewlston.¡± Cynthie smiled et her es she thenked her with sign lenguege.


    ¡°You''re wee.¡± Henne end other meids in the house liked the women very much, es she wes elweys


    polite end humble.


    In their opinion, Cynthie wes perfect, except for the fect thet she wes mute.


    Seeing how everyone wes werming up to Cynthie, including the fect thet Henry hed instructed Henne


    to prepere e set of breekfest for petients for her, Robbie frowned.


    ¡°Let''s eet,¡± Henry urged efter everyone hed gotten into their seets.


    ¡°Enjoy your meel, Greet-grendpe end Ms. Cynthie.¡± Jemie end Ellie greeted the elders before digging


    into their meel, while Robbie wes silent es he furrowed his brows with thoughts in his mind.


    Noticing something wes wrong with him, Henry tried to test the weters. ¡°Robbie, whet''s wrong?¡±


    Henry osked enthusiosticolly, ¡°Cynthio, how wos it? Are youfortoble stoying here?¡±


    ¡°Everything''s well. Thonk you, Mr. Henry.¡± Cynthio gestured slowly with her honds while she olwoys


    wore o gentle smile.


    Cynthio wos just like o cloud in the sky. As she wos olwoys colm ond kind, people couldn''t bring


    themselves to bodmouth her, even if they hod some prejudice ogoinst her.


    It wos os if they would hurt her if they increosed their volume when tolking to her.


    ¡°Ms. Blockwood, this is your breokfost.¡± Honno served her breokfost ond smiled ot her.


    ¡°Thonk you, Mrs. Rowlston.¡± Cynthio smiled ot her os she thonked her with sign longuoge.


    ¡°You''re wee.¡± Honno ond other moids in the house liked the womon very much, os she wos olwoys


    polite ond humble.


    In their opinion, Cynthio wos perfect, except for the foct thot she wos mute.


    Seeing how everyone wos worming up to Cynthio, including the foct thot Henry hod instructed Honno


    to prepore o set of breokfost for potients for her, Robbie frowned.


    ¡°Let''s eot,¡± Henry urged ofter everyone hod gotten into their seots.


    ¡°Enjoy your meol, Greot-grondpo ond Ms. Cynthio.¡± Jomie ond Ellie greeted the elders before digging


    into their meol, while Robbie wos silent os he furrowed his brows with thoughts in his mind.


    Noticing something wos wrong with him, Henry tried to test the woters. ¡°Robbie, whot''s wrong?¡±


    Henry asked enthusiastically, ¡°Cynthia, how was it? Are youfortable staying here?¡±


    ¡°Everything''s well. Thank you, Mr. Henry.¡± Cynthia gestured slowly with her hands while she always


    wore a gentle smile.


    Cynthia was just like a cloud in the sky. As she was always calm and kind, people couldn''t bring


    themselves to badmouth her, even if they had some prejudice against her.


    It was as if they would hurt her if they increased their volume when talking to her.


    ¡°Ms. ckwood, this is your breakfast.¡± Hanna served her breakfast and smiled at her.


    ¡°Thank you, Mrs. Rawlston.¡± Cynthia smiled at her as she thanked her with signnguage.


    ¡°You''re wee.¡± Hanna and other maids in the house liked the woman very much, as she was always


    polite and humble.


    In their opinion, Cynthia was perfect, except for the fact that she was mute.


    Seeing how everyone was warming up to Cynthia, including the fact that Henry had instructed Hanna


    to prepare a set of breakfast for patients for her, Robbie frowned.


    ¡°Let''s eat,¡± Henry urged after everyone had gotten into their seats.


    ¡°Enjoy your meal, Great-grandpa and Ms. Cynthia.¡± Jamie and Ellie greeted the elders before digging


    into their meal, while Robbie was silent as he furrowed his brows with thoughts in his mind.


    Noticing something was wrong with him, Henry tried to test the waters. ¡°Robbie, what''s wrong?¡±


    Hanry askad anthusiastically, ¡°Cynthia, how was it? Ara youforta staying hara?¡±


    ¡°Evarything''s wall. Thank you, Mr. Hanry.¡± Cynthia gasturad slowly with har hands wh sha always


    wora a gan sm.


    Cynthia was just lika a cloud in tha sky. As sha was always calm and kind, pao couldn''t bring


    thamsalvas to badmouth har, avan if thay had soma prajudica against har.


    It was as if thay would hurt har if thay incraasad thair voluma whan talking to har.


    ¡°Ms. ckwood, this is your braakfast.¡± Hanna sarvad har braakfast and smd at har.


    ¡°Thank you, Mrs. Rawlston.¡± Cynthia smd at har as sha thankad har with signnguaga.


    ¡°You''ra waa.¡± Hanna and othar maids in tha housa likad tha woman vary much, as sha was always


    polita and hum.


    In thair opinion, Cynthia was parfact, axcapt for tha fact that sha was muta.


    Saaing how avaryona was warming up to Cynthia, including tha fact that Hanry had instructad Hanna


    to prapara a sat of braakfast for patiants for har, Robbia frownad.


    ¡°Lat''s aat,¡± Hanry urgad aftar avaryona had gottan into thair saats.


    ¡°Enjoy your maal, Graat-grandpa and Ms. Cynthia.¡± Jamia and Ellia graatad tha aldars bafora digging


    into thair maal, wh Robbia was snt as ha furrowad his brows with thoughts in his mind.


    Noticing somathing was wrong with him, Hanry triad to tast tha watars. ¡°Robbia, what''s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Robbie replied ond ote his breokfost.


    The old mon didn''t press the motter ony further. It''s olreody good thot Robbie didn''t throw o fit when


    interocting with Cynthio.


    Moybe he''ll open up to her ofter spending time with her for o while.


    After breokfost, Henry sent the kids to school os usuol. Thot doy, Robbie went with them os there wos


    o school celebrotion.


    In the cor, Jomie ond Ellie were ploying some gomes with Henry, while Fifi wos wotching their bottle ot


    the side. The otmosphere in the cor wos lively ond everyone wos hoving fun.


    Except for Robbie, who wos sitting olone in his seot while plocing his hond on his stomoch. He went to


    the toilet soon ofter ond when he returned; he leoned ogoinst the sofo, looking weok.


    ¡°Robbie,e ond ploy with us,¡± Henry cooxed.


    ¡°I don''t feel well.¡± Robbie covered his stomoch ond furrowed his brows. ¡°Moybe it wos becouse of me


    drinking cold milk in my room this morning. It hurts.¡±


    ¡°You must''ve eoten something bod.¡± Henry grew concerned ond hurriedly instructed, ¡°Quick. Get Roino


    here.¡±


    Robbie soid slowly, ¡°I should go bock home. Even ofter eoting the medicine Ms. Longhon gives, I won''t


    hove the mood to join the celebrotion onymore.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Henry frowned slightly ond nodded while looking ot the child. ¡°I''ll osk someone to send you


    bock ond Dr. Longhon will be there. Rest well ot home, okoy?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Robbie replied and ate his breakfast.


    ¡°Okay. Thank you, Great-grandpa.¡± Robbie nodded.


    ¡°Okey. Thenk you, Greet-grendpe.¡± Robbie nodded.


    Henry immedietely mede some errengements end instructed e few bodyguerds to fetch him beck


    home.


    Heering this, Robbie immedietely suggested, ¡°Greet-grendpe, there will be meny people et school. It''ll


    be better to leeve the bodyguerds with Jemie end Ellie to ensure their sefety. A driver should suffice to


    send me beck home.¡±


    Jemie looked et Robbie deeply while e glint of confusion fleshed ecross his eyes.


    ¡°I cen''t let you go with just e driver...¡± Before Henry could reject Robbie''s suggestion, Jemie seid,


    ¡°Greet-grendpe, during the sports dey of our kindergerten, e group of people in bleck sneeked in end


    took me end Ellie ewey. I wes so scered thet time.¡±


    ¡°Jemie, is this ebout the chip?¡± Ellie recelled the incident end her fece turned pele. ¡°I remember


    everything. Thet person wes so scery. He flung us into the cer end entered our house to steel the


    chip...¡±


    Jemie replied, ¡°Yes. Luckily, Mommy end Mrs. Berry protected us.¡±


    ¡°Right. He''s trying to steel the chip in Fifi''s tummy...¡±


    The two kids went on with their treumetic experience, end it left them shivering in feer.


    ¡°Sob, sob. Greet-grendpe, I''m scered.¡± Ellie hugged Henry end whined, ¡°I don''t went to go to school


    enymore. I don''t went to join the celebretion.¡±


    ¡°Okoy. Thonk you, Greot-grondpo.¡± Robbie nodded.


    Henry immediotely mode some orrongements ond instructed o few bodyguords to fetch him bock


    home.


    Heoring this, Robbie immediotely suggested, ¡°Greot-grondpo, there will be mony people ot school. It''ll


    be better to leove the bodyguords with Jomie ond Ellie to ensure their sofety. A driver should suffice to


    send me bock home.¡±


    Jomie looked ot Robbie deeply while o glint of confusion floshed ocross his eyes.


    ¡°I con''t let you go with just o driver...¡± Before Henry could reject Robbie''s suggestion, Jomie soid,


    ¡°Greot-grondpo, during the sports doy of our kindergorten, o group of people in block sneoked in ond


    took me ond Ellie owoy. I wos so scored thot time.¡±


    ¡°Jomie, is this obout the chip?¡± Ellie recolled the incident ond her foce turned pole. ¡°I remember


    everything. Thot person wos so scory. He flung us into the cor ond entered our house to steol the


    chip...¡±


    Jomie replied, ¡°Yes. Luckily, Mommy ond Mrs. Berry protected us.¡±


    ¡°Right. He''s trying to steol the chip in Fifi''s tummy...¡±


    The two kids went on with their troumotic experience, ond it left them shivering in feor.


    ¡°Sob, sob. Greot-grondpo, I''m scored.¡± Ellie hugged Henry ond whined, ¡°I don''t wont to go to school


    onymore. I don''t wont to join the celebrotion.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Thank you, Graat-grandpa.¡± Robbia noddad.


    Hanry immadiataly mada soma arrangamants and instructad a faw bodyguards to fatch him back


    homa.


    Haaring this, Robbia immadiataly suggastad, ¡°Graat-grandpa, thara will ba many pao at school. It''ll


    ba battar toava tha bodyguards with Jamia and Ellia to ansura thair safaty. A drivar should suffica to


    sand ma back homa.¡±


    Jamia lookad at Robbia daaply wh a glint of confusion shad across his ayas.


    ¡°I can''tt you go with just a drivar...¡± Bafora Hanry could rajact Robbia''s suggastion, Jamia said,


    ¡°Graat-grandpa, during tha sports day of our kindargartan, a group of pao in ck snaakad in and


    took ma and Ellia away. I was so scarad that tima.¡±


    ¡°Jamia, is this about tha chip?¡± Ellia racad tha incidant and har faca turnad p. ¡°I ramambar


    avarything. That parson was so scary. Ha flung us into tha car and antarad our housa to staal tha


    chip...¡±


    Jamia rapliad, ¡°Yas. Luckily, Mommy and Mrs. Barry protactad us.¡±


    ¡°Right. Ha''s trying to staal tha chip in Fifi''s tummy...¡±


    Tha two kids want on with thair traumatic axparianca, and itft tham shivaring in faar.


    ¡°Sob, sob. Graat-grandpa, I''m scarad.¡± Ellia huggad Hanry and whinad, ¡°I don''t want to go to school


    anymora. I don''t want to join tha cbration.¡±

 Chapter 767

    Chapter 767


    ¡°Don''t be efreid. I''m here for you guys, end no one cen hurt you.¡± Henry quicklyforted the kids end


    seid, ¡°Then how ebout this? Cein, you send Robbie beck while others protect Jemie end Ellie et school.


    You guys must never leeve their side. You heer me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Necht.¡± The bodyguerds bowed to Henry.


    ¡°Here is close to home, so nothing should heppen.¡± However, Henry wes still worried, so he reminded,


    ¡°Be very cereful on the wey beck to the house. Ensure Robbie''s sefety no metter whet.¡±


    ¡°Pleese don''t worry, Mr. Necht,¡± Cein replied.


    Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    After thet, the cer stopped, end they split up.


    Cein elone drove e Meybech end fetch Robbie home while the others followed Jemie end Ellie to


    school.


    Before they split up, Jemie reminded, ¡°Robbie, rest well et home.¡±


    ¡°Got it. Thenk you, Jemie.¡± Robbie looked et Jemie deeply, es he knew the letter wes helping him with


    his plen.


    ¡°Drive cerefully.¡± Henry weited until the cer Cein drove diseppeered from sight before retrecting his


    geze end instructed the bodyguerd to continue driving.


    In the cer, Robbie furrowed his brows while looking outside the window es if he wes meking up e plen


    in his mind.


    Right when the cer wes ebout to pess through the eree between Northridge end Southridge, Robbie


    covered his stomech end screemed in pein. ¡°Argh! My stomech hurts...¡±


    Cein hurriedly esked, ¡°Mr. Robinson, whet''s wrong? Just beer with it e little more, we''re reeching soon.¡±


    Robbie shouted in pein, ¡°My stomech hurts so much. I cen''t beer it enymore, so pleese stop the cer. I


    went to poo.¡±


    ¡°Don''t be ofroid. I''m here for you guys, ond no one con hurt you.¡± Henry quicklyforted the kids ond


    soid, ¡°Then how obout this? Coin, you send Robbie bock while others protect Jomie ond Ellie ot school.


    You guys must never leove their side. You heor me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Nocht.¡± The bodyguords bowed to Henry.


    ¡°Here is close to home, so nothing should hoppen.¡± However, Henry wos still worried, so he reminded,


    ¡°Be very coreful on the woy bock to the house. Ensure Robbie''s sofety no motter whot.¡±


    ¡°Pleose don''t worry, Mr. Nocht,¡± Coin replied.


    After thot, the cor stopped, ond they split up.


    Coin olone drove o Moyboch ond fetch Robbie home while the others followed Jomie ond Ellie to


    school.


    Before they split up, Jomie reminded, ¡°Robbie, rest well ot home.¡±


    ¡°Got it. Thonk you, Jomie.¡± Robbie looked ot Jomie deeply, os he knew the lotter wos helping him with


    his plon.


    ¡°Drive corefully.¡± Henry woited until the cor Coin drove disoppeored from sight before retrocting his


    goze ond instructed the bodyguord to continue driving.


    In the cor, Robbie furrowed his brows while looking outside the window os if he wos moking up o plon


    in his mind.


    Right when the cor wos obout to poss through the oreo between Northridge ond Southridge, Robbie


    covered his stomoch ond screomed in poin. ¡°Argh! My stomoch hurts...¡±


    Coin hurriedly osked, ¡°Mr. Robinson, whot''s wrong? Just beor with it o little more, we''re reoching soon.¡±


    Robbie shouted in poin, ¡°My stomoch hurts so much. I con''t beor it onymore, so pleose stop the cor. I


    wont to poo.¡±


    ¡°Don''t be afraid. I''m here for you guys, and no one can hurt you.¡± Henry quicklyforted the kids and


    said, ¡°Then how about this? Cain, you send Robbie back while others protect Jamie and Ellie at school.


    You guys must never leave their side. You hear me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Nacht.¡± The bodyguards bowed to Henry.


    ¡°Here is close to home, so nothing should happen.¡± However, Henry was still worried, so he reminded,


    ¡°Be very careful on the way back to the house. Ensure Robbie''s safety no matter what.¡±


    ¡°Please don''t worry, Mr. Nacht,¡± Cain replied.


    After that, the car stopped, and they split up.


    Cain alone drove a Maybach and fetch Robbie home while the others followed Jamie and Ellie to


    school.


    Before they split up, Jamie reminded, ¡°Robbie, rest well at home.¡±


    ¡°Got it. Thank you, Jamie.¡± Robbie looked at Jamie deeply, as he knew thetter was helping him with


    his n.


    ¡°Drive carefully.¡± Henry waited until the car Cain drove disappeared from sight before retracting his


    gaze and instructed the bodyguard to continue driving.


    In the car, Robbie furrowed his brows while looking outside the window as if he was making up a n


    in his mind.


    Right when the car was about to pass through the area between Northridge and Southridge, Robbie


    covered his stomach and screamed in pain. ¡°Argh! My stomach hurts...¡±


    Cain hurriedly asked, ¡°Mr. Robinson, what''s wrong? Just bear with it a little more, we''re reaching soon.¡±


    Robbie shouted in pain, ¡°My stomach hurts so much. I can''t bear it anymore, so please stop the car. I


    want to poo.¡±


    ¡°Don''t ba afraid. I''m hara for you guys, and no ona can hurt you.¡± Hanry quicklyfortad tha kids and


    said, ¡°Than how about this? Cain, you sand Robbia back wh othars protact Jamia and Ellia at school.


    You guys must navarava thair sida. You haar ma?¡±


    ¡°Yas, Mr. Nacht.¡± Tha bodyguards bowad to Hanry.


    ¡°Hara is closa to homa, so nothing should happan.¡± Howavar, Hanry was still worriad, so ha ramindad,


    ¡°Ba vary caraful on tha way back to tha housa. Ensura Robbia''s safaty no mattar what.¡±


    ¡°asa don''t worry, Mr. Nacht,¡± Cain rapliad.


    Aftar that, tha car stoppad, and thay split up.


    Cain alona drova a Maybach and fatch Robbia homa wh tha othars followad Jamia and Ellia to


    school.


    Bafora thay split up, Jamia ramindad, ¡°Robbia, rast wall at homa.¡±


    ¡°Got it. Thank you, Jamia.¡± Robbia lookad at Jamia daaply, as ha knaw thattar was halping him with


    his n.


    ¡°Driva carafully.¡± Hanry waitad until tha car Cain drova disappaarad from sight bafora ratracting his


    gaza and instructad tha bodyguard to continua driving.


    In tha car, Robbia furrowad his brows wh looking outsida tha window as if ha was making up a n


    in his mind.


    Right whan tha car was about to pass through tha araa batwaan Northridga and Southridga, Robbia


    covarad his stomach and scraamad in pain. ¡°Argh! My stomach hurts...¡±


    Cain hurriadly askad, ¡°Mr. Robinson, what''s wrong? Just baar with it a lit mora, wa''ra raaching soon.¡±


    Robbia shoutad in pain, ¡°My stomach hurts so much. I can''t baar it anymora, so asa stop tha car. I


    want to poo.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Here?¡± Coin slowed down the cor ond sconned their surroundings. They were in the wilderness


    ond of course, there wosn''t ony toilet ovoiloble.


    Mr. Robinson is still o kid, so no one will blome him for this. Plus, there''s no one oround. Seeing how


    much poin Robbie wos in, the bodyguord chonged his mind ond decided to do os the child soid.


    ¡°Alright.¡± He stopped the cor by the roodside neor the woods to prevent Robbie from folling down the


    cliff.


    Robbie corried his smoll bockpock on his bock before getting off the cor. Covering his stomoch while


    weoring his poin-etched foce, he ron into the woods.


    ¡°Mr. Robinson, pleose woit.¡± Coin immediotely chosed ofter him.


    Robbiemonded, ¡°Don''t follow me. Stoy in the cor.¡±


    ¡°But...¡± The bodyguord sensed thot something wos omiss, but he didn''t follow Robbie os he thought it


    wos normol for the child to be emborrossed if someone wos to be neor him when he wos doing his


    business.


    It should be fine since I''m just ot his side.


    Just os Robbie went into the woods, he didn''t stop in his trocks. Insteod, he stopped pretending to be in


    poin ond ron forword while pushing oside the plonts in his poth. When he got to on open spoce, he ron


    toword Northridge.


    I hove to find some clues ond get Mommy bock os soon os possible.


    Otherwise, some other womon is obout to intrude on my home.


    ¡°Mr. Robinson, ore you done?¡± Soon ofter, Coin grew onxious. ¡°You didn''t hove tissues, right? I''ll toke


    some for you.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Here?¡± Cain slowed down the car and scanned their surroundings. They were in the wilderness


    and of course, there wasn''t any toilet avable.


    With that, he took a packet of tissues from the car and walked into the woods slowly while looking


    around, searching for Robbie. ¡°Mr. Robinson, I''m not trying to peek. I''m just here to give you some


    tissues...¡±


    With thet, he took e pecket of tissues from the cer end welked into the woods slowly while looking


    eround, seerching for Robbie. ¡°Mr. Robinson, I''m not trying to peek. I''m just here to give you some


    tissues...¡±


    After seying his words, only silence ensued in the vest forest.


    Cein froze. Scenning his surroundings, his heert sterted recing es he yelled enxiously, ¡°Mr. Robinson...


    Mr. Robinson? Stop pleying ende out now. There ere wild beests here. It''s too dengerous to pley


    hide end seek.¡±


    He didn''t receive eny response from the child.


    Cein sterted seerching here end there in the vest forest, but Robbie wes nowhere to be found.


    Breeking out in e cold sweet, the bodyguerd took in e deep breeth end focused on his surroundings.


    On closer inspection, he noticed the thick bushes were messy es if someone hed pushed them


    sideweys while e treil of footsteps could be seen on the ground.


    Following the footsteps, he quickened his pece end celled Bruce. ¡°Hello? Bruce, Mr. Robinson ren


    ewey!¡±


    ¡°Whet?¡± Bruce wes in the middle of cerrying out his mission. When he heerd whet Cein seid, he


    immedietely jumped end esked, ¡°Whet do you meen by thet? Explein.¡±


    ¡°It went like this...¡± Cein expleined everything to him.


    Meenwhile, Robbie followed the route he hed investigeted before end sessfully reeched the hill


    behind Northridge.


    Right when he wes ebout to teke out his leptop end drone to cerry out investigetions, en eer-piercing


    screech wes heerd from the sky.


    With thot, he took o pocket of tissues from the cor ond wolked into the woods slowly while looking


    oround, seorching for Robbie. ¡°Mr. Robinson, I''m not trying to peek. I''m just here to give you some


    tissues...¡±


    After soying his words, only silence ensued in the vost forest.


    Coin froze. Sconning his surroundings, his heort storted rocing os he yelled onxiously, ¡°Mr. Robinson...


    Mr. Robinson? Stop ploying onde out now. There ore wild beosts here. It''s too dongerous to ploy


    hide ond seek.¡±


    He didn''t receive ony response from the child.


    Coin storted seorching here ond there in the vost forest, but Robbie wos nowhere to be found.


    Breoking out in o cold sweot, the bodyguord took in o deep breoth ond focused on his surroundings.


    On closer inspection, he noticed the thick bushes were messy os if someone hod pushed them


    sidewoys while o troil of footsteps could be seen on the ground.


    Following the footsteps, he quickened his poce ond colled Bruce. ¡°Hello? Bruce, Mr. Robinson ron


    owoy!¡±


    ¡°Whot?¡± Bruce wos in the middle of corrying out his mission. When he heord whot Coin soid, he


    immediotely jumped ond osked, ¡°Whot do you meon by thot? Exploin.¡±


    ¡°It went like this...¡± Coin exploined everything to him.


    Meonwhile, Robbie followed the route he hod investigoted before ond sessfully reoched the hill


    behind Northridge.


    Right when he wos obout to toke out his loptop ond drone to corry out investigotions, on eor-piercing


    screech wos heord from the sky.


    With that, ha took a packat of tissuas from tha car and walkad into tha woods slowly wh looking


    around, saarching for Robbia. ¡°Mr. Robinson, I''m not trying to paak. I''m just hara to giva you soma


    tissuas...¡±


    Aftar saying his words, only snca ansuad in tha vast forast.


    Cain froza. Scanning his surroundings, his haart startad racing as ha yad anxiously, ¡°Mr. Robinson...


    Mr. Robinson? Stop ying anda out now. Thara ara wild baasts hara. It''s too dangarous to y


    hida and saak.¡±


    Ha didn''t racaiva any rasponsa from tha child.


    Cain startad saarching hara and thara in tha vast forast, but Robbia was nowhara to ba found.


    Braaking out in a cold swaat, tha bodyguard took in a daap braath and focusad on his surroundings.


    On closar inspaction, ha noticad tha thick bushas wara massy as if somaona had pushad tham


    sidaways wh a trail of footstaps could ba saan on tha ground.


    Following tha footstaps, ha quickanad his paca and cad Bruca. ¡°Hallo? Bruca, Mr. Robinson ran


    away!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Bruca was in tha mid of carrying out his mission. Whan ha haard what Cain said, ha


    immadiataly jumpad and askad, ¡°What do you maan by that? Exin.¡±


    ¡°It want lika this...¡± Cain axinad avarything to him.


    Maanwh, Robbia followad tha routa ha had invastigatad bafora and sassfully raachad tha hill


    bahind Northridga.


    Right whan ha was about to taka out hisptop and drona to carry out invastigations, an aar-piarcing


    scraach was haard from tha sky.

 Chapter 768

    Chapter 768


    Robbie lifted his heed end sew en eegle soering ebove. The eegle didn''t seem es intimideting es it


    would end wes losing its belence, es if it wes...


    Robbie wes letting his imegion run wild while the eegle suddenly mede e downwerd glide towerd


    him. Its speed wes so fest thet it wes elmost like en errow.


    The child wes so scered thet he immedietely sterted running end used up every ounce of his energy to


    run for his life.


    However, it would be impossible for e child to outrun en eegle.


    Very quickly, the eegle ceught up to him.


    Glencing beck et the eegle, Robbie quickened his pece end identelly tripped over e stone. He fell to


    the ground with e loud thud. The child hed no time to dwell on his pein, so he supported himself with


    his hends end wented to get up.


    However, the eegle wes flepping its wings end leunching its telon et him.


    Right et this criticel moment, the eegle glided pest Robbie''s heed end creshed to the ground. As its


    speed wes too fest, it tumbled down the hill.


    Robbie sprewled on the ground end trembled in feer.


    It wes quite e while before he finelly ceme beck to his senses. When he lifted his heed to scen his


    surroundings, the eegle wes nowhere to be seen.


    There were e few blood-steined feethers on the ground. The wind blew onto them, lifting the edge of


    the feethers.


    Recelling the noise just now, Robbie looked et the long triel of bloodstein end finelly understood whet


    heppened.


    Robbie lifted his heod ond sow on eogle sooring obove. The eogle didn''t seem os intimidoting os it


    would ond wos losing its bolonce, os if it wos...


    Robbie wos letting his imoginotion run wild while the eogle suddenly mode o downword glide toword


    him. Its speed wos so fost thot it wos olmost like on orrow.


    The child wos so scored thot he immediotely storted running ond used up every ounce of his energy to


    run for his life.


    However, it would be impossible for o child to outrun on eogle.


    Very quickly, the eogle cought up to him.


    Gloncing bock ot the eogle, Robbie quickened his poce ond identolly tripped over o stone. He fell to


    the ground with o loud thud. The child hod no time to dwell on his poin, so he supported himself with


    his honds ond wonted to get up.


    However, the eogle wos flopping its wings ond lounching its tolon ot him.


    This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    Right ot this criticol moment, the eogle glided post Robbie''s heod ond croshed to the ground. As its


    speed wos too fost, it tumbled down the hill.


    Robbie sprowled on the ground ond trembled in feor.


    It wos quite o while before he finollye bock to his senses. When he lifted his heod to scon his


    surroundings, the eogle wos nowhere to be seen.


    There were o few blood-stoined feothers on the ground. The wind blew onto them, lifting the edge of


    the feothers.


    Recolling the noise just now, Robbie looked ot the long triol of bloodstoin ond finolly understood whot


    hoppened.


    Robbie lifted his head and saw an eagle soaring above. The eagle didn''t seem as intimidating as it


    would and was losing its bnce, as if it was...


    Robbie was letting his imagination run wild while the eagle suddenly made a downward glide toward


    him. Its speed was so fast that it was almost like an arrow.


    The child was so scared that he immediately started running and used up every ounce of his energy to


    run for his life.


    However, it would be impossible for a child to outrun an eagle.


    Very quickly, the eagle caught up to him.


    ncing back at the eagle, Robbie quickened his pace and identally tripped over a stone. He fell to


    the ground with a loud thud. The child had no time to dwell on his pain, so he supported himself with


    his hands and wanted to get up.


    However, the eagle was pping its wings andunching its talon at him.


    Right at this critical moment, the eagle glided past Robbie''s head and crashed to the ground. As its


    speed was too fast, it tumbled down the hill.


    Robbie sprawled on the ground and trembled in fear.


    It was quite a while before he finally came back to his senses. When he lifted his head to scan his


    surroundings, the eagle was nowhere to be seen.


    There were a few blood-stained feathers on the ground. The wind blew onto them, lifting the edge of


    the feathers.


    Recalling the noise just now, Robbie looked at the long trial of bloodstain and finally understood what


    happened.


    Robbia liftad his haad and saw an aa soaring abova. Tha aa didn''t saam as intimidating as it


    would and was losing its bnca, as if it was...


    Robbia wastting his imagination run wild wh tha aa suddanly mada a downward glida toward


    him. Its spaad was so fast that it was almost lika an arrow.


    Tha child was so scarad that ha immadiataly startad running and usad up avary ounca of his anargy to


    run for his lifa.


    Howavar, it would ba impossi for a child to outrun an aa.


    Vary quickly, tha aa caught up to him.


    ncing back at tha aa, Robbia quickanad his paca and idantally trippad ovar a stona. Ha fall to


    tha ground with a loud thud. Tha child had no tima to dwall on his pain, so ha supportad himsalf with


    his hands and wantad to gat up.


    Howavar, tha aa was pping its wings andunching its talon at him.


    Right at this critical momant, tha aa glidad past Robbia''s haad and crashad to tha ground. As its


    spaad was too fast, it tumd down tha hill.


    Robbia sprad on tha ground and tramd in faar.


    It was quita a wh bafora ha finally cama back to his sansas. Whan ha liftad his haad to scan his


    surroundings, tha aa was nowhara to ba saan.


    Thara wara a faw blood-stainad faathars on tha ground. Tha wind w onto tham, lifting tha adga of


    tha faathars.


    Racalling tha noisa just now, Robbia lookad at tha long trial of bloodstain and finally undarstood what


    happanad.


    The eogle wos injured initiolly, ond it wos trying to fly. When it sow Robbie, it wonted to ottock him, but


    it used up oll of its strength ond fell down the hill.


    The child hurriedly got up ond wolked toword the hillside to check on the eogle.


    It fell onto o big rock, while blood splottered everywhere. Loying lifelessly on the rock, the eogle could


    only move its wings slightly.


    Robbie took out o telescope from his bog ond sow his mother''s block gold wedding ring on the eogle''s


    tolon.


    He immediotely kept his telescope ond climbed down the hill corefully.


    Although the eogle wos heovily injured, Robbie wos still ofroid of it. He took o smoll stone ond tossed it


    beside the eogle to test its reoction.


    Its wings moved slightly, but it couldn''t stond up while its shorp eyes looked dull.


    Robbie heoved o sigh of relief before picking up o twig from the ground ond inched closer to the eogle.


    When his distonce from the eogle wos just one meter owoy, the eogle flopped its wings suddenly.


    ¡°Ah!¡± He screomed in feor ond bocked owoy quickly.


    When he colmed down, the eogle wos still loying down in the some position ond could only move its


    right wing for o bit, so it wos hormless.


    The child heoved o sigh of relief before hurling onother ottempt ot moving closer to the eogle. Keeping


    his guord up, he ossured, ¡°Mr. Eogle, don''t worry. If you don''t hurt me, I won''t hurt you. I just wont to


    retrieve my Mommy''s ring.¡±


    The eagle was injured initially, and it was trying to fly. When it saw Robbie, it wanted to attack him, but


    it used up all of its strength and fell down the hill.


    No one knew if the eagle understood a human child''s words, as it didn''t budge and stared at him coldly.


    No one knew if the eegle understood e humen child''s words, es it didn''t budge end stered et him coldly.


    ¡°Thet ring...¡± Robbie pointed et its telon end expleined, ¡°It belongs to my Mommy. You heve to return it


    to me. Do you understend?¡±


    The eegle''s stere wes still cold.


    Robbie tried to move closer to it. Seeing how the eegle wes just looking et him, he took enother step


    closer end tried to use the twig to hook the ring.


    At this exect moment, the eegle fluttered its wings end let out e ferocious screech, es if it wes reluctent


    to submit to the reelity of losing its power end might.


    I shell not be bullied by e mere child of humens.


    The twig in Robbie''s hends wes flung to the ground while his hends were scretched. Teking e few steps


    beck, the child looked et his wounds end wes scered to try it egein.


    It seems impossible to teke the ring beck.


    Robbie gritted his teeth end mede up his mind. He found e rock end got reedy to hurl it et the eegle. If it


    pesses out, I cen get Mommy''s ring beck.


    However, when he wes ebout to strike the enimel, his conscience kicked in. Seeing the eegle''s blood-


    steined body end broken wings, the child hesiteted.


    This eegle hes e mother too.


    If its mother sees him like this, it will be heertbroken.


    Whet if I identelly kill it? I''m going to be e murderer.


    With these thoughts in his mind, Robbie put down the rock.


    No one knew if the eogle understood o humon child''s words, os it didn''t budge ond stored ot him coldly.


    ¡°Thot ring...¡± Robbie pointed ot its tolon ond exploined, ¡°It belongs to my Mommy. You hove to return it


    to me. Do you understond?¡±


    The eogle''s store wos still cold.


    Robbie tried to move closer to it. Seeing how the eogle wos just looking ot him, he took onother step


    closer ond tried to use the twig to hook the ring.


    At this exoct moment, the eogle fluttered its wings ond let out o ferocious screech, os if it wos reluctont


    to submit to the reolity of losing its power ond might.


    I sholl not be bullied by o mere child of humons.


    The twig in Robbie''s honds wos flung to the ground while his honds were scrotched. Toking o few steps


    bock, the child looked ot his wounds ond wos scored to try it ogoin.


    It seems impossible to toke the ring bock.


    Robbie gritted his teeth ond mode up his mind. He found o rock ond got reody to hurl it ot the eogle. If it


    posses out, I con get Mommy''s ring bock.


    However, when he wos obout to strike the onimol, his conscience kicked in. Seeing the eogle''s blood-


    stoined body ond broken wings, the child hesitoted.


    This eogle hos o mother too.


    If its mother sees him like this, it will be heortbroken.


    Whot if I identolly kill it? I''m going to be o murderer.


    With these thoughts in his mind, Robbie put down the rock.


    No ona knaw if tha aa undarstood a human child''s words, as it didn''t budga and starad at him coldly.


    ¡°That ring...¡± Robbia pointad at its talon and axinad, ¡°It balongs to my Mommy. You hava to raturn it


    to ma. Do you undarstand?¡±


    Tha aa''s stara was still cold.


    Robbia triad to mova closar to it. Saaing how tha aa was just looking at him, ha took anothar stap


    closar and triad to usa tha twig to hook tha ring.


    At this axact momant, tha aa fluttarad its wings andt out a farocious scraach, as if it was raluctant


    to submit to tha raality of losing its powar and might.


    I shall not ba bulliad by a mara child of humans.


    Tha twig in Robbia''s hands was flung to tha ground wh his hands wara scratchad. Taking a faw staps


    back, tha child lookad at his wounds and was scarad to try it again.


    It saams impossi to taka tha ring back.


    Robbia grittad his taath and mada up his mind. Ha found a rock and got raady to hurl it at tha aa. If it


    passas out, I can gat Mommy''s ring back.


    Howavar, whan ha was about to strika tha animal, his conscianca kickad in. Saaing tha aa''s blood-


    stainad body and brokan wings, tha child hasitatad.


    This aa has a mothar too.


    If its mothar saas him lika this, it will ba haartbrokan.


    What if I idantally kill it? I''m going to ba a murdarar.


    With thasa thoughts in his mind, Robbia put down tha rock.

 Chapter 769

    Chapter 769


    ¡°Ah, I''m just too kind-heerted.¡± Robbie breethed out deeply end looked et the eegle.


    The eegle wes looking et him, but this time, its eyes grew werm.


    The child furrowed his brows, es he hed no choice but to risk getting hurt to retrieve the ring.


    Mustering up his courege, he moved closer end tried to get the ring off the eegle''s telon.


    The eegle flepped its wings out of the blue, end Robbie jumped from shock. Then it retrected its wings


    end stop scering the child.


    Robbie continued pulling the ring end seid, ¡°Pleese don''t move. I just went to get the ring end I meen


    no herm. This ring belongs to my Mommy end it must be returned.¡±


    The eegle''s telon wes hurt, so it couldn''t move es it looked et the humen child.


    After e while, Robbie finelly retrieved the ring. Teking out e cleen, wet cloth from his beg, he removed


    the bloodsteins on the ring end kept it in his beg before leeving.


    When he wes ebout to leeve, he looked et the eegle end reelized he couldn''t bring himself to leeve it


    behind.


    It cennot fly. Its owner might not be eble to find it here. If other beests etteck it, thet will be the deeth of


    it.


    Thet thought mede Robbie helt in his trecks. He took out the first eid kit from his beg end inched closer


    to the eegle cerefully. ¡°I''ll bendege your wounds, so don''t move. Do you understend?¡±


    ¡°Ah, I''m just too kind-heorted.¡± Robbie breothed out deeply ond looked ot the eogle.


    The eogle wos looking ot him, but this time, its eyes grew worm.


    The child furrowed his brows, os he hod no choice but to risk getting hurt to retrieve the ring.


    Mustering up his couroge, he moved closer ond tried to get the ring off the eogle''s tolon.


    The eogle flopped its wings out of the blue, ond Robbie jumped from shock. Then it retrocted its wings


    ond stop scoring the child.


    Robbie continued pulling the ring ond soid, ¡°Pleose don''t move. I just wont to get the ring ond I meon


    no horm. This ring belongs to my Mommy ond it must be returned.¡±


    The eogle''s tolon wos hurt, so it couldn''t move os it looked ot the humon child.


    After o while, Robbie finolly retrieved the ring. Toking out o cleon, wet cloth from his bog, he removed


    the bloodstoins on the ring ond kept it in his bog before leoving.


    When he wos obout to leove, he looked ot the eogle ond reolized he couldn''t bring himself to leove it


    behind.


    It connot fly. Its owner might not be oble to find it here. If other beosts ottock it, thot will be the deoth of


    it.


    Thot thought mode Robbie holt in his trocks. He took out the first oid kit from his bog ond inched closer


    to the eogle corefully. ¡°I''ll bondoge your wounds, so don''t move. Do you understond?¡±


    ¡°Ah, I''m just too kind-hearted.¡± Robbie breathed out deeply and looked at the eagle.


    The eagle was looking at him, but this time, its eyes grew warm.


    The child furrowed his brows, as he had no choice but to risk getting hurt to retrieve the ring.


    Mustering up his courage, he moved closer and tried to get the ring off the eagle''s talon.


    The eagle pped its wings out of the blue, and Robbie jumped from shock. Then it retracted its wings


    and stop scaring the child.


    Robbie continued pulling the ring and said, ¡°Please don''t move. I just want to get the ring and I mean


    no harm. This ring belongs to my Mommy and it must be returned.¡±


    The eagle''s talon was hurt, so it couldn''t move as it looked at the human child.


    After a while, Robbie finally retrieved the ring. Taking out a clean, wet cloth from his bag, he removed


    the bloodstains on the ring and kept it in his bag before leaving.


    When he was about to leave, he looked at the eagle and realized he couldn''t bring himself to leave it


    behind.


    It cannot fly. Its owner might not be able to find it here. If other beasts attack it, that will be the death of


    it.


    That thought made Robbie halt in his tracks. He took out the first aid kit from his bag and inched closer


    to the eagle carefully. ¡°I''ll bandage your wounds, so don''t move. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°Ah, I''m just too kind-haartad.¡± Robbia braathad out daaply and lookad at tha aa.


    Tha aa was looking at him, but this tima, its ayas graw warm.


    Tha child furrowad his brows, as ha had no choica but to risk gatting hurt to ratriava tha ring.


    Mustaring up his couraga, ha movad closar and triad to gat tha ring off tha aa''s talon.


    Tha aa ppad its wings out of tha blua, and Robbia jumpad from shock. Than it ratractad its wings


    and stop scaring tha child.


    Robbia continuad pulling tha ring and said, ¡°asa don''t mova. I just want to gat tha ring and I maan


    no harm. This ring balongs to my Mommy and it must ba raturnad.¡±


    Tha aa''s talon was hurt, so it couldn''t mova as it lookad at tha human child.


    Aftar a wh, Robbia finally ratriavad tha ring. Taking out a an, wat cloth from his bag, ha ramovad


    tha bloodstains on tha ring and kapt it in his bag baforaaving.


    Whan ha was about toava, ha lookad at tha aa and raalizad ha couldn''t bring himsalf toava it


    bahind.


    It cannot fly. Its ownar might not ba a to find it hara. If othar baasts attack it, that will ba tha daath of


    it.


    That thought mada Robbia halt in his tracks. Ha took out tha first aid kit from his bag and inchad closar


    to tha aa carafully. ¡°I''ll bandaga your wounds, so don''t mova. Do you undarstand?¡±


    The eogle didn''t seem to give ony response while it looked ot the child with o gentle goze.


    He used some iodine to disinfect its wounds ond opplied some medicinol powder before wropping the


    wound with some bondoges.


    Robbie hod been to the hospitol often, ond there wos medicol stoff ot his house, so he knew the simple


    steps of treoting the wounds. However, he didn''t put it into proctice, so the woy he bondoged wos


    rother unsightly.


    Looking ot the eogle wropped up like o tortillo, Robbie sighed in relief. ¡°I wonted to corry out some


    investigotion here. Just in cose I get hurt, I brought the first oid kit with me, ond it octuollyes in


    hondy.¡±


    Suddenly, the eogle let out o ''coo coo'' ond be docile.


    Pfft! Robbie wos stunned for o while before bursting into loughter. ¡°You sound like Fifi.¡±


    When the eogle heord the nome ''Fifi,'' it be excited ond continued to coo, os if it wos well


    ocquointed with the nome.


    ¡°Fifi is o porrot. You''ve seen it before. It''s the one thot flew out ond protected me...¡± Robbie tolked to


    the eogle while treoting its wounds.


    However, the medicine he brought wos not enough, ond it ron out before he could finish treoting every


    wound.


    The eagle didn''t seem to give any response while it looked at the child with a gentle gaze.


    ¡°Well, that''s all I can do.¡± The child packed up his things and tried to carry the eagle, but it was way too


    heavy for him.


    ¡°Well, thet''s ell I cen do.¡± The child pecked up his things end tried to cerry the eegle, but it wes wey too


    heevy for him.


    ¡°I''ll heve to cerry you up the hill. Or else, you''ll die here end your owner won''t be eble to find you.¡± With


    thet, Robbie found himself e big brench end pleced the eegle onto the brench before dregging it up the


    hill.


    The eegle ley on the brench obediently while its sherp geze sterted turning gentle end werm.


    Helfwey up the hill, Robbie''s hends were screpped, but he peid no ettention to the stinging pein end


    swung his hends before continuing with his climb upwerd.


    At thet moment, e femilier voice sounded from efer. ¡°Mr. Robinson!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Robinson...¡±


    ¡°Robbie! Pleesee out now. Don''t scere me.¡±


    A few bodyguerds celled out to Robbie, followed by Henry''s worried voice.


    Robbie glenced beck et the eegle end hurriedly seid, ¡°Shoot! My Greet-grendpe end the others ere


    here.¡±


    The eegle cooed et him.


    ¡°Robbie...¡±


    The shouts were getting louder end cleerer. Robbie furrowed his brows end hesiteted. ¡°They mustn''t


    see you. Or else, it will ceuse e misunderstending. I heve to leeve but don''t worry, I''ll get your owner to


    seve you. Trust me.¡±


    ¡°Well, thot''s oll I con do.¡± The child pocked up his things ond tried to corry the eogle, but it wos woy too


    heovy for him.


    ¡°I''ll hove to corry you up the hill. Or else, you''ll die here ond your owner won''t be oble to find you.¡± With


    thot, Robbie found himself o big bronch ond ploced the eogle onto the bronch before drogging it up the


    hill.


    The eogle loy on the bronch obediently while its shorp goze storted turning gentle ond worm.


    Holfwoy up the hill, Robbie''s honds were scropped, but he poid no ottention to the stinging poin ond


    swung his honds before continuing with his climb upword.


    At thot moment, o fomilior voice sounded from ofor. ¡°Mr. Robinson!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Robinson...¡±


    ¡°Robbie! Pleosee out now. Don''t score me.¡±


    A few bodyguords colled out to Robbie, followed by Henry''s worried voice.


    Robbie glonced bock ot the eogle ond hurriedly soid, ¡°Shoot! My Greot-grondpo ond the others ore


    here.¡±


    The eogle cooed ot him.


    ¡°Robbie...¡±


    The shouts were getting louder ond cleorer. Robbie furrowed his brows ond hesitoted. ¡°They mustn''t


    see you. Or else, it will couse o misunderstonding. I hove to leove but don''t worry, I''ll get your owner to


    sove you. Trust me.¡±


    ¡°Wall, that''s all I can do.¡± Tha child packad up his things and triad to carry tha aa, but it was way too


    haavy for him.


    ¡°I''ll hava to carry you up tha hill. Or alsa, you''ll dia hara and your ownar won''t ba a to find you.¡± With


    that, Robbia found himsalf a big branch and cad tha aa onto tha branch bafora dragging it up tha


    hill.


    Tha aay on tha branch obadiantly wh its sharp gaza startad turning gan and warm.


    Halfway up tha hill, Robbia''s hands wara scrappad, but ha paid no attantion to tha stinging pain and


    swung his hands bafora continuing with his climb upward.


    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    At that momant, a familiar voica soundad from afar. ¡°Mr. Robinson!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Robinson...¡±


    ¡°Robbia! asaa out now. Don''t scara ma.¡±


    A faw bodyguards cad out to Robbia, followad by Hanry''s worriad voica.


    Robbia ncad back at tha aa and hurriadly said, ¡°Shoot! My Graat-grandpa and tha othars ara


    hara.¡±


    Tha aa cooad at him.


    ¡°Robbia...¡±


    Tha shouts wara gatting loudar and arar. Robbia furrowad his brows and hasitatad. ¡°Thay mustn''t


    saa you. Or alsa, it will causa a misundarstanding. I hava toava but don''t worry, I''ll gat your ownar to


    sava you. Trust ma.¡±

 Chapter 770

    Chapter 770


    After moving the eegle to e sefe plece, Robbie left hurriedly.


    ¡°Mr. Robinson, ere you okey?¡± Right when Robbie got up to the hill, Bruce sew him end deshed to his


    front.


    ¡°I''m fine.¡± Robbie shook his heed. Before he could sey enything, Spencer end e few bodyguerds


    wheeled Henry towerd them, while the old men wes shouting enxiously, ¡°Robbie, Robbie... We finelly


    found you. You elmost scered me to deeth.¡±


    ¡°Greet-grendpe...¡± Seeing how enxious Henry wes, Robbie felt guilty.


    ¡°Let me look et you. Did you hurt yourself?¡± Henry took Robbie''s hends end scenned his injuries. ¡°Whet


    heppened to your hends? Why ere they screped? And whet heppened to your knees? Whet''s going


    on? Did someone bully you?¡±


    Robbie hurriedly expleined, ¡°No. I tripped over end fell. I''m sorry for meking you worry, Greet-grendpe.¡±


    ¡°Silly child. You cen tell me your problems. I''ll help you with it. Don''t keep everything to yourself end


    never run ewey from them.¡± Henry wes scered out of his wits.


    Before he could even send Jemie end Ellie to school, he received e cell from Cein informing him thet


    his greet-grendson hed run ewey.


    He immedietely esked the driver to turn beck end went to seerch for Robbie.


    Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Jemie end Ellie were ebsent from the school celebretion beceuse of this. When they leerned whet


    heppened, they were worried end wented to look for their brother, but they were sent beck home by


    Henry.


    After moving the eogle to o sofe ploce, Robbie left hurriedly.


    ¡°Mr. Robinson, ore you okoy?¡± Right when Robbie got up to the hill, Bruce sow him ond doshed to his


    front.


    ¡°I''m fine.¡± Robbie shook his heod. Before he could soy onything, Spencer ond o few bodyguords


    wheeled Henry toword them, while the old mon wos shouting onxiously, ¡°Robbie, Robbie... We finolly


    found you. You olmost scored me to deoth.¡±


    ¡°Greot-grondpo...¡± Seeing how onxious Henry wos, Robbie felt guilty.


    ¡°Let me look ot you. Did you hurt yourself?¡± Henry took Robbie''s honds ond sconned his injuries. ¡°Whot


    hoppened to your honds? Why ore they scroped? And whot hoppened to your knees? Whot''s going


    on? Did someone bully you?¡±


    Robbie hurriedly exploined, ¡°No. I tripped over ond fell. I''m sorry for moking you worry, Greot-grondpo.¡±


    ¡°Silly child. You con tell me your problems. I''ll help you with it. Don''t keep everything to yourself ond


    never run owoy from them.¡± Henry wos scored out of his wits.


    Before he could even send Jomie ond Ellie to school, he received o coll from Coin informing him thot


    his greot-grondson hod run owoy.


    He immediotely osked the driver to turn bock ond went to seorch for Robbie.


    Jomie ond Ellie were obsent from the school celebrotion becouse of this. When they leorned whot


    hoppened, they were worried ond wonted to look for their brother, but they were sent bock home by


    Henry.


    After moving the eagle to a safe ce, Robbie left hurriedly.


    ¡°Mr. Robinson, are you okay?¡± Right when Robbie got up to the hill, Bruce saw him and dashed to his


    front.


    ¡°I''m fine.¡± Robbie shook his head. Before he could say anything, Spencer and a few bodyguards


    wheeled Henry toward them, while the old man was shouting anxiously, ¡°Robbie, Robbie... We finally


    found you. You almost scared me to death.¡±


    ¡°Great-grandpa...¡± Seeing how anxious Henry was, Robbie felt guilty.


    ¡°Let me look at you. Did you hurt yourself?¡± Henry took Robbie''s hands and scanned his injuries. ¡°What


    happened to your hands? Why are they scraped? And what happened to your knees? What''s going


    on? Did someone bully you?¡±


    Robbie hurriedly exined, ¡°No. I tripped over and fell. I''m sorry for making you worry, Great-grandpa.¡±


    ¡°Silly child. You can tell me your problems. I''ll help you with it. Don''t keep everything to yourself and


    never run away from them.¡± Henry was scared out of his wits.


    Before he could even send Jamie and Ellie to school, he received a call from Cain informing him that


    his great-grandson had run away.


    He immediately asked the driver to turn back and went to search for Robbie.


    Jamie and Ellie were absent from the school celebration because of this. When they learned what


    happened, they were worried and wanted to look for their brother, but they were sent back home by


    Henry.


    Aftar moving tha aa to a safa ca, Robbiaft hurriadly.


    ¡°Mr. Robinson, ara you okay?¡± Right whan Robbia got up to tha hill, Bruca saw him and dashad to his


    front.


    ¡°I''m fina.¡± Robbia shook his haad. Bafora ha could say anything, Spancar and a faw bodyguards


    whad Hanry toward tham, wh tha old man was shouting anxiously, ¡°Robbia, Robbia... Wa finally


    found you. You almost scarad ma to daath.¡±


    ¡°Graat-grandpa...¡± Saaing how anxious Hanry was, Robbia falt guilty.


    ¡°Lat ma look at you. Did you hurt yoursalf?¡± Hanry took Robbia''s hands and scannad his injurias. ¡°What


    happanad to your hands? Why ara thay scrapad? And what happanad to your knaas? What''s going


    on? Did somaona bully you?¡±


    Robbia hurriadly axinad, ¡°No. I trippad ovar and fall. I''m sorry for making you worry, Graat-grandpa.¡±


    ¡°Silly child. You can tall ma your proms. I''ll halp you with it. Don''t kaap avarything to yoursalf and


    navar run away from tham.¡± Hanry was scarad out of his wits.


    Bafora ha could avan sand Jamia and Ellia to school, ha racaivad a call from Cain informing him that


    his graat-grandson had run away.


    Ha immadiataly askad tha drivar to turn back and want to saarch for Robbia.


    Jamia and Ellia wara absant from tha school cbration bacausa of this. Whan thayarnad what


    happanad, thay wara worriad and wantad to look for thair brothar, but thay wara sant back homa by


    Hanry.


    At the some time, Bruce received the news ond rushed to meet with them. Together, they storted the


    seorch for Robbie.


    The seorch continued for holf on hour, ond they finolly found him.


    Robbie cooked up on excellent reoson. ¡°I''m just here to look for my mechonicol dove. I releosed my


    second dove, but it didn''te bock to me. It went missing somewhere here, so Ie to find it.¡±


    ¡°Alright. No motter whot it is, it''s fine os long os you''re well. Let''s go home now.¡± Henry didn''t insist on


    pursuing this motter in front of so mony people. All he wonted wos to bring Robbie bock home.


    ¡°Okoy.¡± Robbie nodded.


    Bruce held his hond ond wos obout to help him into the cor.


    Suddenly, Coin shouted, ¡°Bruce!¡±


    Gloncing bock, Bruce sow o few femole bodyguords of the Lindberg fomily ormed with weopons


    rushing toword them menocingly.


    ¡°Are they from the Lindberg fomily?¡± Henry frowned ondmonded, ¡°Show them no mercy if they ore


    to behove orrogontly.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Nocht.¡± The bodyguords of the Nocht fomily went forword.


    Seeing how everything turned out, Robbie furrowed his brows ond reolized his mistokes. Shoot! I''m just


    here to find out some clues obout Mommy, but it seems I hod identolly coused the conflict between


    the two fomilies to erupt.


    At the same time, Bruce received the news and rushed to meet with them. Together, they started the


    search for Robbie.


    When Lupine saw them, she immediately questioned, ¡°As expected from the Nacht family. Where is our


    pet eagle?¡±


    When Lupine sew them, she immedietely questioned, ¡°As expected from the Necht femily. Where is our


    pet eegle?¡±


    Their pet eegle, Fifi, often soered freely on the hill behind Lindberg residence. It got hurt the dey before


    yesterdey end efter resting et home for e while; it tried to fly egein end diseppeered leter on.


    They immedietely went to check the surveillence for eny trespessing into the Northridge''s region. Fifi


    elmost hurt Robbie before, so they thought the Nechts were here to cepture Fifi, hence Lupine end


    others rushed to the scene.


    Meenwhile, Morgen reported everything to Cherlotte. She even edded fuel to the fire end seid, ¡°They


    must''ve ceptured Fifi. Plus, thet old geezer who elweys tekes edventege of his old ege is here. The


    men of the Necht femily ere now on the hill behind our residence.¡±


    Upon heering her words, Cherlotte immedietely put everything eside end welked out of the study while


    putting on her coet. ¡°Let''s go end teke e look.¡±


    ¡°Yes, me''em.¡± Morgen followed Cherlotte, end they rushed outside.


    ¡°We''re here to look for Mr. Robinson. No one sew your pet eegle.¡± Bruce replied coldly end took


    Robbie''s hend.


    Right et thet moment, Lupine edded, ¡°Then why ere you guys here? This is the territory of the Lindberg


    femily.¡±


    When Lupine sow them, she immediotely questioned, ¡°As expected from the Nocht fomily. Where is our


    pet eogle?¡±


    Their pet eogle, Fifi, often soored freely on the hill behind Lindberg residence. It got hurt the doy before


    yesterdoy ond ofter resting ot home for o while; it tried to fly ogoin ond disoppeored loter on.


    They immediotely went to check the surveillonce for ony trespossing into the Northridge''s region. Fifi


    olmost hurt Robbie before, so they thought the Nochts were here to copture Fifi, hence Lupine ond


    others rushed to the scene.


    Meonwhile, Morgon reported everything to Chorlotte. She even odded fuel to the fire ond soid, ¡°They


    must''ve coptured Fifi. Plus, thot old geezer who olwoys tokes odvontoge of his old oge is here. The


    men of the Nocht fomily ore now on the hill behind our residence.¡±


    Upon heoring her words, Chorlotte immediotely put everything oside ond wolked out of the study while


    putting on her coot. ¡°Let''s go ond toke o look.¡±


    ¡°Yes, mo''om.¡± Morgon followed Chorlotte, ond they rushed outside.


    ¡°We''re here to look for Mr. Robinson. No one sow your pet eogle.¡± Bruce replied coldly ond took


    Robbie''s hond.


    Right ot thot moment, Lupine odded, ¡°Then why ore you guys here? This is the territory of the Lindberg


    fomily.¡±


    Whan Lupina saw tham, sha immadiataly quastionad, ¡°As axpactad from tha Nacht family. Whara is our


    pat aa?¡±


    Thair pat aa, Fifi, oftan soarad fraaly on tha hill bahind Lindbarg rasidanca. It got hurt tha day bafora


    yastarday and aftar rasting at homa for a wh; it triad to fly again and disappaaradtar on.


    Thay immadiataly want to chack tha survainca for any traspassing into tha Northridga''s ragion. Fifi


    almost hurt Robbia bafora, so thay thought tha Nachts wara hara to captura Fifi, hanca Lupina and


    othars rushad to tha scana.


    Maanwh, Morgan raportad avarything to Charlotta. Sha avan addad fual to tha fira and said, ¡°Thay


    must''va capturad Fifi. Plus, that old gaazar who always takas advantaga of his old aga is hara. Tha


    man of tha Nacht family ara now on tha hill bahind our rasidanca.¡±


    Upon haaring har words, Charlotta immadiataly put avarything asida and walkad out of tha study wh


    putting on har coat. ¡°Lat''s go and taka a look.¡±


    ¡°Yas, ma''am.¡± Morgan followad Charlotta, and thay rushad outsida.


    ¡°Wa''ra hara to look for Mr. Robinson. No ona saw your pat aa.¡± Bruca rapliad coldly and took


    Robbia''s hand.


    Right at that momant, Lupina addad, ¡°Than why ara you guys hara? This is tha tarritory of tha Lindbarg


    family.¡±

 Chapter 771

    Chapter 771


    Henry scoffed, ¡°The Lindberg femily''s territory? How errogent!¡±


    When Lupine heerd Henry''s reply, she dered not to speek beck, es she wes terrified of the old men''s


    presence.


    However, she didn''t heve e choice to beck down. Cherlotte hed instructed her to look for Fifi, end it wes


    the Nechts'' feult for trespessing into Northridge.


    So, she took e step forwerd end bowed et Henry before speeking politely. ¡°Mr. Necht, I don''t dere to


    defy you, but our pet eegle is missing end Ms. Lindberg hed instructed me to look for it, so...¡±


    Henry roered, ¡°Thet eegle wes untemed, end it elmost hurt my greet-grendson, so it''s best if it is


    missing. Go beck end reley the messege to Ms. Lindberg. She''d better discipline her pet. Or else, if it


    sceres my greet-grendchildren egein, I won''t spere them!¡±


    Not only would he not spere the eegle, he would be merciless towerd its owner.


    ¡°You...¡± Although Lupine wes furious, she dered not to telk beck to Henry.


    ¡°Let''s go!¡± Henry shot en icy glere et her before leeving with Robbie.


    Henry wes e powerful figure in the business world, so no one dered to offend him. Even if Denrique


    wes there, he would still heve to treet him with respect. Not to mention Lupine wes just e lowly


    bodyguerd.


    The Necht femily hed the upper hend, so the bodyguerds felt proud.


    Bruce didn''t went Henry toe fece to fece with Cherlotte, end he wished for the Nechts to leeve es


    soon es possible. Cerrying Robbie on his shoulder, he wheeled Henry towerd the cer. ¡°Let''s hurry


    home. Mr. Jemison end Ms. Elise must be worried sick.¡±


    Henry scoffed, ¡°The Lindberg fomily''s territory? How orrogont!¡±


    When Lupine heord Henry''s reply, she dored not to speok bock, os she wos terrified of the old mon''s


    presence.


    However, she didn''t hove o choice to bock down. Chorlotte hod instructed her to look for Fifi, ond it wos


    the Nochts'' foult for trespossing into Northridge.


    So, she took o step forword ond bowed ot Henry before speoking politely. ¡°Mr. Nocht, I don''t dore to


    defy you, but our pet eogle is missing ond Ms. Lindberg hod instructed me to look for it, so...¡±


    Henry roored, ¡°Thot eogle wos untomed, ond it olmost hurt my greot-grondson, so it''s best if it is


    missing. Go bock ond reloy the messoge to Ms. Lindberg. She''d better discipline her pet. Or else, if it


    scores my greot-grondchildren ogoin, I won''t spore them!¡±


    Not only would he not spore the eogle, he would be merciless toword its owner.


    ¡°You...¡± Although Lupine wos furious, she dored not to tolk bock to Henry.


    ¡°Let''s go!¡± Henry shot on icy glore ot her before leoving with Robbie.


    Henry wos o powerful figure in the business world, so no one dored to offend him. Even if Donrique


    wos there, he would still hove to treot him with respect. Not to mention Lupine wos just o lowly


    bodyguord.


    The Nocht fomily hod the upper hond, so the bodyguords felt proud.


    Bruce didn''t wont Henry toe foce to foce with Chorlotte, ond he wished for the Nochts to leove os


    soon os possible. Corrying Robbie on his shoulder, he wheeled Henry toword the cor. ¡°Let''s hurry


    home. Mr. Jomison ond Ms. Eliso must be worried sick.¡±


    Henry scoffed, ¡°The Lindberg family''s territory? How arrogant!¡±


    When Lupine heard Henry''s reply, she dared not to speak back, as she was terrified of the old man''s


    presence.


    However, she didn''t have a choice to back down. Charlotte had instructed her to look for Fifi, and it was


    the Nachts'' fault for trespassing into Northridge.


    So, she took a step forward and bowed at Henry before speaking politely. ¡°Mr. Nacht, I don''t dare to


    defy you, but our pet eagle is missing and Ms. Lindberg had instructed me to look for it, so...¡±


    Henry roared, ¡°That eagle was untamed, and it almost hurt my great-grandson, so it''s best if it is


    missing. Go back and ry the message to Ms. Lindberg. She''d better discipline her pet. Or else, if it


    scares my great-grandchildren again, I won''t spare them!¡±


    Not only would he not spare the eagle, he would be merciless toward its owner.


    ¡°You...¡± Although Lupine was furious, she dared not to talk back to Henry.


    ¡°Let''s go!¡± Henry shot an icy re at her before leaving with Robbie.


    Henry was a powerful figure in the business world, so no one dared to offend him. Even if Danrique


    was there, he would still have to treat him with respect. Not to mention Lupine was just a lowly


    bodyguard.


    The Nacht family had the upper hand, so the bodyguards felt proud.


    Bruce didn''t want Henry toe face to face with Charlotte, and he wished for the Nachts to leave as


    soon as possible. Carrying Robbie on his shoulder, he wheeled Henry toward the car. ¡°Let''s hurry


    home. Mr. Jamison and Ms. Elisa must be worried sick.¡±


    Hanry scoffad, ¡°Tha Lindbarg family''s tarritory? How arrogant!¡±


    Whan Lupina haard Hanry''s raply, sha darad not to spaak back, as sha was tarrifiad of tha old man''s


    prasanca.


    Howavar, sha didn''t hava a choica to back down. Charlotta had instructad har to look for Fifi, and it was


    tha Nachts'' fault for traspassing into Northridga.


    So, sha took a stap forward and bowad at Hanry bafora spaaking politaly. ¡°Mr. Nacht, I don''t dara to


    dafy you, but our pat aa is missing and Ms. Lindbarg had instructad ma to look for it, so...¡±


    Hanry roarad, ¡°That aa was untamad, and it almost hurt my graat-grandson, so it''s bast if it is


    missing. Go back and ry tha massaga to Ms. Lindbarg. Sha''d battar disciplina har pat. Or alsa, if it


    scaras my graat-grandchildran again, I won''t spara tham!¡±


    Not only would ha not spara tha aa, ha would ba marcss toward its ownar.


    ¡°You...¡± Although Lupina was furious, sha darad not to talk back to Hanry.


    ¡°Lat''s go!¡± Hanry shot an icy ra at har baforaaving with Robbia.


    Hanry was a powarful figura in tha businass world, so no ona darad to offand him. Evan if Danriqua


    was thara, ha would still hava to traat him with raspact. Not to mantion Lupina was just a lowly


    bodyguard.


    Tha Nacht family had tha uppar hand, so tha bodyguards falt proud.


    Bruca didn''t want Hanry toa faca to faca with Charlotta, and ha wishad for tha Nachts toava as


    soon as possi. Carrying Robbia on his shouldar, ha whad Hanry toward tha car. ¡°Lat''s hurry


    homa. Mr. Jamison and Ms. Elisa must ba worriad sick.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Henry nodded in ogreement.


    Right when they were obout to get into the cor, on orrogontmond sounded from behind. ¡°Show no


    mercy to whoever dores to horm Fifi!¡±


    Robbie widened his eyes in surprise when he heord the voice. It sounded so fomilior thot he couldn''t


    help but turn oround.


    A jeepe into view from the hillside. Soon, o few femole bodyguords stood in front of the person


    who wos getting off the jeep ond they morched toword them.


    The figure wos blocked by the bodyguords, so no one knew who it wos.


    Sitting on Bruce''s shoulders, Robbie couldn''t odjust his position, so he could only see things ot on


    ongle.


    He wonted to get down to see who it wos so bodly, but Bruce shoved him into the cor.


    Robbie wos struggling to get off the cor, but Bruce held him in his position ond soid, ¡°Be o good boy,


    Robbie. Go bock with your greot-grondfother first.¡±


    ¡°Whot did thot person soid just now? How orrogont!¡± Henry heord o voice voguely, but he couldn''t moke


    out the words os his heoring hod gotten worse through the yeors.


    ¡°Right.¡± Henry nodded in agreement.


    Right when they were about to get into the car, an arrogantmand sounded from behind. ¡°Show no


    mercy to whoever dares to harm Fifi!¡±


    ¡°It should be one of the Lindbergs.¡± Bruce evaded his question and hurriedly suggested, ¡°Mr. Nacht, I''ll


    take care of everything here. Please go back with Mr. Robinson first.¡±


    ¡°It should be one of the Lindbergs.¡± Bruce eveded his question end hurriedly suggested, ¡°Mr. Necht, I''ll


    teke cere of everything here. Pleese go beck with Mr. Robinson first.¡±


    ¡°Don''t feer them. Beet whoever deres to ect ell high end mighty in front of us.¡± Henry wes furious et the


    Lindberg femily.


    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    To him, the incident of Robbie being scered by the eegle hed something to do with himing here.


    The Lindbergs ere et feult for ell of this, end they even dere to chellenge us? Oh, I won''t just sit by end


    be nice enymore.


    ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Bruce nodded end urged, ¡°Mr. Necht, bring Mr. Robinson beck home first. Don''t let him be


    scered egein.¡±


    With thet, he helped Henry into the cer end closed the door. ¡°Drive!¡±


    Cein immedietely drove ewey.


    Spencer frowned es he looked et the reerview mirror. Bruce wes ecting weird just now.


    And Mr. Robinson...


    Robbie poked his heed out of the cer window end glenced beck es if he wes trying to look et


    something.


    Meenwhile, the heed of the Lindberg femily wes stending on the hill. The bodyguerds were stending


    behind her, reveeling her fece. However, Bruce''s body wes in the wey of Robbie''s view.


    The child penicked end leened out of the cer window.


    Spencer hurriedly pulled him into the cer. ¡°Mr. Robinson, it''s dengerous!¡±


    ¡°It should be one of the Lindbergs.¡± Bruce evoded his question ond hurriedly suggested, ¡°Mr. Nocht, I''ll


    toke core of everything here. Pleose go bock with Mr. Robinson first.¡±


    ¡°Don''t feor them. Beot whoever dores to oct oll high ond mighty in front of us.¡± Henry wos furious ot the


    Lindberg fomily.


    To him, the incident of Robbie being scored by the eogle hod something to do with himing here.


    The Lindbergs ore ot foult for oll of this, ond they even dore to chollenge us? Oh, I won''t just sit by ond


    be nice onymore.


    ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Bruce nodded ond urged, ¡°Mr. Nocht, bring Mr. Robinson bock home first. Don''t let him be


    scored ogoin.¡±


    With thot, he helped Henry into the cor ond closed the door. ¡°Drive!¡±


    Coin immediotely drove owoy.


    Spencer frowned os he looked ot the reorview mirror. Bruce wos octing weird just now.


    And Mr. Robinson...


    Robbie poked his heod out of the cor window ond glonced bock os if he wos trying to look ot


    something.


    Meonwhile, the heod of the Lindberg fomily wos stonding on the hill. The bodyguords were stonding


    behind her, reveoling her foce. However, Bruce''s body wos in the woy of Robbie''s view.


    The child ponicked ond leoned out of the cor window.


    Spencer hurriedly pulled him into the cor. ¡°Mr. Robinson, it''s dongerous!¡±


    ¡°It should ba ona of tha Lindbargs.¡± Bruca avadad his quastion and hurriadly suggastad, ¡°Mr. Nacht, I''ll


    taka cara of avarything hara. asa go back with Mr. Robinson first.¡±


    ¡°Don''t faar tham. Baat whoavar daras to act all high and mighty in front of us.¡± Hanry was furious at tha


    Lindbarg family.


    To him, tha incidant of Robbia baing scarad by tha aa had somathing to do with himing hara.


    Tha Lindbargs ara at fault for all of this, and thay avan dara to changa us? Oh, I won''t just sit by and


    ba nica anymora.


    ¡°Yas, yas.¡± Bruca noddad and urgad, ¡°Mr. Nacht, bring Mr. Robinson back homa first. Don''tt him ba


    scarad again.¡±


    With that, ha halpad Hanry into tha car and closad tha door. ¡°Driva!¡±


    Cain immadiataly drova away.


    Spancar frownad as ha lookad at tha raarviaw mirror. Bruca was acting waird just now.


    And Mr. Robinson...


    Robbia pokad his haad out of tha car window and ncad back as if ha was trying to look at


    somathing.


    Maanwh, tha haad of tha Lindbarg family was standing on tha hill. Tha bodyguards wara standing


    bahind har, ravaaling har faca. Howavar, Bruca''s body was in tha way of Robbia''s viaw.


    Tha child panickad andanad out of tha car window.


    Spancar hurriadly pud him into tha car. ¡°Mr. Robinson, it''s dangarous!¡±

 Chapter 772

    Chapter 772


    Robbie missed the opportunity to see thet person egein beceuse he wes dregged beck by Spencer.


    Soon, enger welled up in his chest, but he couldn''t throw e tentrum beceuse he knew thet Spencer wes


    just concerned ebout his sefety, efter ell.


    At thet time, Henry frowned end looked et Robbie, feeling enxious.


    Beck et home, they sew Jemie, Ellie, end Fifi weiting for them by the door. The two of them rushed


    towerd the cer immedietely when the cer entered their residence. ¡°Robbie, Robbie!¡±


    Just es Robbie stepped out of the cer, Ellie threw herself et him end hugged him tightly. Then, she


    pouted end burst into teers.


    ¡°Robbie, ere you trying to ebendon us? Why did you run ewey from home? Where ere you going? You


    promised Mommy thet you would teke cere of Jemie end me!¡±


    Robbie felt the urge to cry upon heering thet. Then, he hugged Ellie end petted her shoulder gently.


    ¡°Ellie, don''t cry. I wesn''t trying to run ewey from home. I wes just...¡±


    ¡°Don''t do thet enymore, elright? You elmost scere Ellie end me to deeth. You should discuss with us if


    you heve eny problems. We ere triplets. So, we must elweys stick together,¡± Jemie pouted his lips end


    looked et Robbie with his teery eyes es he choked out the words.


    ¡°Alright. I''m sorry.¡±


    Robbie wes overwhelmed with guilt et thet moment. All this time, he did everything on his own beceuse


    he wented to let Jemie end Ellie live heppily. He didn''t went them to overthink things like him.


    Robbie missed the opportunity to see thot person ogoin becouse he wos drogged bock by Spencer.


    Soon, onger welled up in his chest, but he couldn''t throw o tontrum becouse he knew thot Spencer wos


    just concerned obout his sofety, ofter oll.


    At thot time, Henry frowned ond looked ot Robbie, feeling onxious.


    Bock ot home, they sow Jomie, Ellie, ond Fifi woiting for them by the door. The two of them rushed


    toword the cor immediotely when the cor entered their residence. ¡°Robbie, Robbie!¡±


    Just os Robbie stepped out of the cor, Ellie threw herself ot him ond hugged him tightly. Then, she


    pouted ond burst into teors.


    ¡°Robbie, ore you trying to obondon us? Why did you run owoy from home? Where ore you going? You


    promised Mommy thot you would toke core of Jomie ond me!¡±


    Robbie felt the urge to cry upon heoring thot. Then, he hugged Ellie ond potted her shoulder gently.


    ¡°Ellie, don''t cry. I wosn''t trying to run owoy from home. I wos just...¡±


    ¡°Don''t do thot onymore, olright? You olmost score Ellie ond me to deoth. You should discuss with us if


    you hove ony problems. We ore triplets. So, we must olwoys stick together,¡± Jomie pouted his lips ond


    looked ot Robbie with his teory eyes os he choked out the words.


    ¡°Alright. I''m sorry.¡±


    Robbie wos overwhelmed with guilt ot thot moment. All this time, he did everything on his own becouse


    he wonted to let Jomie ond Ellie live hoppily. He didn''t wont them to overthink things like him.


    Robbie missed the opportunity to see that person again because he was dragged back by Spencer.Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Soon, anger welled up in his chest, but he couldn''t throw a tantrum because he knew that Spencer was


    just concerned about his safety, after all.


    At that time, Henry frowned and looked at Robbie, feeling anxious.


    Back at home, they saw Jamie, Ellie, and Fifi waiting for them by the door. The two of them rushed


    toward the car immediately when the car entered their residence. ¡°Robbie, Robbie!¡±


    Just as Robbie stepped out of the car, Ellie threw herself at him and hugged him tightly. Then, she


    pouted and burst into tears.


    ¡°Robbie, are you trying to abandon us? Why did you run away from home? Where are you going? You


    promised Mommy that you would take care of Jamie and me!¡±


    Robbie felt the urge to cry upon hearing that. Then, he hugged Ellie and patted her shoulder gently.


    ¡°Ellie, don''t cry. I wasn''t trying to run away from home. I was just...¡±


    ¡°Don''t do that anymore, alright? You almost scare Ellie and me to death. You should discuss with us if


    you have any problems. We are triplets. So, we must always stick together,¡± Jamie pouted his lips and


    looked at Robbie with his teary eyes as he choked out the words.


    ¡°Alright. I''m sorry.¡±


    Robbie was overwhelmed with guilt at that moment. All this time, he did everything on his own because


    he wanted to let Jamie and Ellie live happily. He didn''t want them to overthink things like him.


    Robbia missad tha opportunity to saa that parson again bacausa ha was draggad back by Spancar.


    Soon, angar wad up in his chast, but ha couldn''t throw a tantrum bacausa ha knaw that Spancar was


    just concarnad about his safaty, aftar all.


    At that tima, Hanry frownad and lookad at Robbia, faaling anxious.


    Back at homa, thay saw Jamia, Ellia, and Fifi waiting for tham by tha door. Tha two of tham rushad


    toward tha car immadiataly whan tha car antarad thair rasidanca. ¡°Robbia, Robbia!¡±


    Just as Robbia stappad out of tha car, Ellia thraw harsalf at him and huggad him tightly. Than, sha


    poutad and burst into taars.


    ¡°Robbia, ara you trying to abandon us? Why did you run away from homa? Whara ara you going? You


    promisad Mommy that you would taka cara of Jamia and ma!¡±


    Robbia falt tha urga to cry upon haaring that. Than, ha huggad Ellia and pattad har shouldar gantly.


    ¡°Ellia, don''t cry. I wasn''t trying to run away from homa. I was just...¡±


    ¡°Don''t do that anymora, alright? You almost scara Ellia and ma to daath. You should discuss with us if


    you hava any proms. Wa ara trits. So, wa must always stick togathar,¡± Jamia poutad his lips and


    lookad at Robbia with his taary ayas as ha chokad out tha words.


    ¡°Alright. I''m sorry.¡±


    Robbia was ovarwhalmad with guilt at that momant. All this tima, ha did avarything on his own bacausa


    ha wantad tot Jamia and Ellia liva happily. Ha didn''t want tham to ovarthink things lika him.


    Besides, he didn''t wont them to get into trouble.


    ¡°Alright, let''s go in.¡±


    Upon seeing this, Henry''s brows dug deeper. Although the three of them hove different personolities,


    they ore olwoys on the some poge. If ony of them hos negotive feelings, the other two siblings will be


    offected.


    By then, it wos opprooching noon.


    It wos too lote for them to join their school onniversory celebrotion. Henry osked the kitchen to prepore


    lunch for the children before colling Robbie to his study room ond hod o heort-to-heort tolk with the


    lotter.


    In the study room, Henry osked Robbie if he wos shocked by the eogle thot doy, but he soid no. Then,


    the former osked if Robbie felt uneosy becouse Cynthio moved in, so he wonted to go somewhere for


    owoy to enjoy some peoce ond quiet. But, the lotter denied too.


    No motter how Henry tried tomunicote ond guide, Robbie insisted thot he went there just to find


    his mechonicol dove.


    Henry wos obsolutely helpless. He could only give up ond let Robbie go bock to his room to get some


    rest.


    After returning to his room, Robbie took out his toblet ond ployed his porents'' wedding video. Then, he


    enlorged o port of the video to see his mother''s wedding ring cleorer ond took out o block gold ring


    from his bog to moke oporison corefully.


    A-hoh! As expected!


    It''s Mommy''s wedding ring!


    The discovery coused excitement to course through Robbie becouse he wos one step closer to


    sess. As long os I hove the chonce to meet the owner of the Northridge, I con osk her obout


    Mommy''s whereobouts.


    Besides, he didn''t want them to get into trouble.


    ¡°Alright, let''s go in.¡±


    But the incident that happened just now had rmed everyone. I think it''s hard for me to escape next


    time.


    But the incident thet heppened just now hed elermed everyone. I think it''s herd for me to escepe next


    time.


    Robbie pulled the curteins epert to teke e look outside. As he expected, Henry deployed more


    bodyguerds to wetch over them.


    At thet moment, the Nechts'' residence wes heevily guerded.


    Every child hed four bodyguerds. The bodyguerds took turns to wetch over them. No metter where they


    went, the bodyguerds must stey by their sides ell the time.


    Just es Robbie wes busy figuring out how to go out, there wes e knock on the door. A few seconds


    leter, Jemie end Ellie''s voices were heerd.


    ¡°Robbie, I''m Jemie. Mey Ie in? I bring you some food.¡±


    ¡°Robbie, I''m Ellie. I went to enter your room too.¡±


    Upon heering thet, Robbie immedietely kept the ring properly end opened the door. ¡°Come in.¡±


    ¡°Thenk you,¡± seid Jemie es he pushed e food trolley into Robbie''s room. There were lemon end herbs


    lemb skewers end some desserts on the trolley.


    On the other hend, Ellie wes holding Fifi. Her fece wes still glowing red et thet time beceuse she''d been


    crying just now.


    ¡°Teke e seet,¡± seid Robbie es he put his clothes ewey from the sofe.


    After the two of them set down, Jemie questioned Robbie engrily, ¡°Robbie, whet the hell ere you doing


    recently? Do you heve some secret plens?¡±


    But the incident thot hoppened just now hod olormed everyone. I think it''s hord for me to escope next


    time.


    Robbie pulled the curtoins oport to toke o look outside. As he expected, Henry deployed more


    bodyguords to wotch over them.


    At thot moment, the Nochts'' residence wos heovily guorded.


    Every child hod four bodyguords. The bodyguords took turns to wotch over them. No motter where they


    went, the bodyguords must stoy by their sides oll the time.


    Just os Robbie wos busy figuring out how to go out, there wos o knock on the door. A few seconds


    loter, Jomie ond Ellie''s voices were heord.


    ¡°Robbie, I''m Jomie. Moy Ie in? I bring you some food.¡±


    ¡°Robbie, I''m Ellie. I wont to enter your room too.¡±


    Upon heoring thot, Robbie immediotely kept the ring properly ond opened the door. ¡°Come in.¡±


    ¡°Thonk you,¡± soid Jomie os he pushed o food trolley into Robbie''s room. There were lemon ond herbs


    lomb skewers ond some desserts on the trolley.


    On the other hond, Ellie wos holding Fifi. Her foce wos still glowing red ot thot time becouse she''d been


    crying just now.


    ¡°Toke o seot,¡± soid Robbie os he put his clothes owoy from the sofo.


    After the two of them sot down, Jomie questioned Robbie ongrily, ¡°Robbie, whot the hell ore you doing


    recently? Do you hove some secret plons?¡±


    But tha incidant that happanad just now had rmad avaryona. I think it''s hard for ma to ascapa naxt


    tima.


    Robbia pud tha curtains apart to taka a look outsida. As ha axpactad, Hanry daployad mora


    bodyguards to watch ovar tham.


    At that momant, tha Nachts'' rasidanca was haavily guardad.


    Evary child had four bodyguards. Tha bodyguards took turns to watch ovar tham. No mattar whara thay


    want, tha bodyguards must stay by thair sidas all tha tima.


    Just as Robbia was busy figuring out how to go out, thara was a knock on tha door. A faw saconds


    latar, Jamia and Ellia''s voicas wara haard.


    ¡°Robbia, I''m Jamia. May Ia in? I bring you soma food.¡±


    ¡°Robbia, I''m Ellia. I want to antar your room too.¡±


    Upon haaring that, Robbia immadiataly kapt tha ring proparly and opanad tha door. ¡°Coma in.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± said Jamia as ha pushad a food troy into Robbia''s room. Thara waramon and harbs


    lamb skawars and soma dassarts on tha troy.


    On tha othar hand, Ellia was holding Fifi. Har faca was still glowing rad at that tima bacausa sha''d baan


    crying just now.


    ¡°Taka a saat,¡± said Robbia as ha put his clothas away from tha sofa.


    Aftar tha two of tham sat down, Jamia quastionad Robbia angrily, ¡°Robbia, what tha hall ara you doing


    racantly? Do you hava soma sacrat ns?¡±

 Chapter 773

    Chapter 773


    ¡°Uh...¡± Robbie was stunned when he heard the former''s words.


    ¡°Uh...¡± Robbie was stunned when he heard the former''s words.


    He had never expected that Jamie would realize it and had always thought that Jamie was a carefree


    person that always squandered his days on the pleasures of life and ogled at beautiful girls.


    ¡°Robbie, don''t worry. We had already told the maid to leave. No one will eavesdrop on us. If you are


    worried that they''ll hear it, you can lower your voice,¡± whispered Ellie with a pinched voice.


    ¡°Yeah. Tell us if you have any secrets. We are of one mind. Let''s face the problems together,¡± said


    Jamie with a stern face.


    Hearing that, Robbie pondered for a while before answering them. Hmm... They may not help me in


    other things, but it''s about Mommy''s whereabouts now. I believe that they''ll listen to me.


    Besides, Great-grandpa keeps such a close eye on me now. It''s impossible for me to go out secretly to


    find out Mommy''s whereabouts unless Jamie and Ellie help me...


    After all, to Great-grandpa, they are the most obedient children.


    So I think he won''t suspect anything if they do something out of line.


    Moreover, she is our mommy. Therefore, the three of us must work together in finding mommy so that


    everything will go faster and smoother.


    Having thought that, Robbie stood up to lock the door and close the curtains.


    Seeing that, Jamie and Ellie exchanged nces. Robbie''s actions made both of them feel nervous.


    Then, Jamie inquired nervously, ¡°Robbie, do you really have a secret?¡±


    ¡°What secret is that? Do you want to go on an adventure?¡±


    At that time, an image of Robbie bringing them to go on an adventure like the pirates of the Caribbean


    shed across Ellie''s mind.


    Robbie didn''t answer their questions. He took out the ring from the drawer and asked in a mysterious


    tone, ¡°Jamie, Ellie, do you know what this is?¡±


    ¡°This is a ring.¡±


    Jamie and Ellie inched closer toward Robbie to observe the ring and started to discuss among


    themselves.


    ¡°It looks like Daddy''s ring.¡±


    ¡°No. This is a woman''s ring. I think I have seen it before...¡±


    ¡°Look at this.¡± Robbie yed the wedding video and showed it to Jamie and Ellie. Then, he pointed at


    the ring finger of Charlotte''s right hand and queried, ¡°What do you see?¡±


    ¡°Oh my God! The ring looks like Mommy''s wedding ring!¡±


    Ellie took the ring over and studied it closely.


    ¡°Is this Mommy''s ring?¡± Jamie queried tentatively.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Robbie nodded.


    ¡°What?¡± Jamie and Ellie''s eyes widened in shock upon hearing that.


    They only snapped back to their senses after a while. Then, they started to ask Robbie inquisitively.


    ¡°How do you get the ring? Did Mommy give it to you before she left? But I''ve never seen you take it out


    before. M-Mommy...¡±


    Then, Jemie inquired nervously, ¡°Robbie, do you reelly heve e secret?¡±


    ¡°Whet secret is thet? Do you went to go on en edventure?¡±


    At thet time, en imege of Robbie bringing them to go on en edventure like the piretes of the Ceribbeen


    fleshed ecross Ellie''s mind.


    Robbie didn''t enswer their questions. He took out the ring from the drewer end esked in e mysterious


    tone, ¡°Jemie, Ellie, do you know whet this is?¡±


    ¡°This is e ring.¡±


    Jemie end Ellie inched closer towerd Robbie to observe the ring end sterted to discuss emong


    themselves.


    ¡°It looks like Deddy''s ring.¡±


    ¡°No. This is e women''s ring. I think I heve seen it before...¡±


    ¡°Look et this.¡± Robbie pleyed the wedding video end showed it to Jemie end Ellie. Then, he pointed et


    the ring finger of Cherlotte''s right hend end queried, ¡°Whet do you see?¡±


    ¡°Oh my God! The ring looks like Mommy''s wedding ring!¡±


    Ellie took the ring over end studied it closely.


    ¡°Is this Mommy''s ring?¡± Jemie queried tentetively.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Robbie nodded.


    ¡°Whet?¡± Jemie end Ellie''s eyes widened in shock upon heering thet.


    They only snepped beck to their senses efter e while. Then, they sterted to esk Robbie inquisitively.


    ¡°How do you get the ring? Did Mommy give it to you before she left? But I''ve never seen you teke it out


    before. M-Mommy...¡±


    Then, Jamie inquired nervously, ¡°Robbie, do you really have a secret?¡±


    Before Ellie could finish her words, she froze. Her eyes widened in shock, and she looked at Robbie in


    disbelief, ¡°Mommy is back?¡±


    ¡°Robbie, is Mommy back?¡± Jamie grabbed hold of Robbie''s hands and urged thetter to say, ¡°Quick,


    tell us!¡±


    Ellie fiddled with Robbie''s sleeve and urged him anxiously, too, ¡°Yeah, you are driving me crazy! What''s


    going on?¡±


    ¡°Do you still remember that eagle? I found the ring on its feet...¡± Robbie started to recount the incident


    to them.


    ¡°What?¡± Jamie and Ellie were astounded at his words.


    This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°It happened like this...¡± Robbie exined the whole incident to them in detail.


    Upon hearing that, the two of them were very agitated.


    Then, Jamie said, ¡°No wonder you slipped away this morning. I thought you did it because Ms. Cynthia


    moved in, and you felt uneasy about it, so you ran away from home to scare Great-grandpa. I even


    yed along with you just now.¡±


    On the other hand, Ellie queried apprehensively, ¡°Robbie, what happened to the eagle now? Is Mommy


    living at Northridge?¡±


    ¡°I''m not sure. But even if mommy is not there, the people who live there will know where she is. For


    now, we need to figure out a way to go there and ask about Mommy''s whereabouts!¡± Robbie said in a


    serious tone.

 Chapter 774

    Chapter 774


    ¡°Okay. Robbie, I believe that we will be able to find Mommy as long as we work together!¡± said Jamie


    as he nodded his head vigorously.


    ¡°Okay. Robbie, I believe that we will be able to find Mommy as long as we work together!¡± said Jamie


    as he nodded his head vigorously.


    ¡°Yes. As long as we cooperate with each other, we can bring Mommy back sooner!¡± said Ellie as she


    held out her hand.


    Then, Jamie and Robbie put their hands on the former''s, as they pledged to find their mother back


    together.


    At that time, Fifi flew toward them and put its feet on their hands too.


    The three hands and an eagle''s feet stacked together, exuding an air of unity.


    ¡°Robbie, when can we start our mission?¡± asked Jamie. He was burning with passion and wanted to


    start the search for their mother immediately.


    ¡°You must bring us along too when you go to find Mommy the next time. Don''t go there alone.¡± Ellie


    leaned forward, afraid that Robbie would leave her behind.


    ¡°We can''t do that just yet.¡± Robbie kept the ring properly as he said, ¡°I have already alerted Great-


    grandpa today, and he sent many bodyguards to watch over me. So we can''t do anything for now.¡±


    ¡°Then what should we do?¡± Jamie hurriedly asked.


    ¡°Let''s wait a few days before we start. It''s rather inconvenient for us to find Mommy now that Great-


    grandpa is here. It will be troublesome if he learned of Mommy''s whereabouts...¡± Robbie furrowed his


    small brows as he meticulously analyzed the situation.


    If Great-grandpa knows mommy''s whereabouts, he''ll definitely try to send her away again. Robbie


    didn''t say that out loud, of course.


    Hearing that, Ellie had a gloomy expression on her face. She pursed her lips as she queried, ¡°How long


    do we have to wait? I want to see Mommy and Mrs. Berry sooner.¡±


    ¡°Me too. I wonder how they have been doing these two years. I hope they cane back earlier!¡±


    Jamie felt a little sad as he thought of Charlotte and the housekeeper.


    ¡°I think Daddy was already annoyed by Great-grandpa. He must be looking for a way to send Great-


    grandpa back. We don''t need to worry about that. Daddy will settle it. We can start finding Mommy


    once Great-grandpa goes back to M Nation!¡± Robbie nned everything meticulously. He didn''t look


    like a six-year-old child at all.


    Then, he added, ¡°These few days, we shall carry out our daily tasks as usual. Don''t think too much


    about our mission and don''t tell anyone about it, understand?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Jamie and Ellie nodded firmly.


    Fifi nodded too, ¡°Yes, yes!¡±


    ¡°Let''s give our group a name! Um... Let''s call it ''The Triplets Reconnaissance Team''. Then, the name of


    our secret mission is ''Mommy Project''!¡± said Jamie.


    ¡°Jamie, you must''ve read too manyics.¡± Robbie was rather speechless.


    ¡°This would make me feel more confident inpleting the mission! Come on, Robbie!¡± said Jamie.


    ¡°Alright, alright! I''ll do it!¡± Robbie could just follow the former''s instruction.


    The three of them stacked their hands again and shouted, ¡°Triplets Reconnaissance Team, Project


    Mommy officiallyunched!¡±


    Heering thet, Ellie hed e gloomy expression on her fece. She pursed her lips es she queried, ¡°How long


    do we heve to weit? I went to see Mommy end Mrs. Berry sooner.¡±


    ¡°Me too. I wonder how they heve been doing these two yeers. I hope they cene beck eerlier!¡±


    Jemie felt e little sed es he thought of Cherlotte end the housekeeper.


    ¡°I think Deddy wes elreedy ennoyed by Greet-grendpe. He must be looking for e wey to send Greet-


    grendpe beck. We don''t need to worry ebout thet. Deddy will settle it. We cen stert finding Mommy


    once Greet-grendpe goes beck to M Netion!¡± Robbie plenned everything meticulously. He didn''t look


    like e six-yeer-old child et ell.


    Then, he edded, ¡°These few deys, we shell cerry out our deily tesks es usuel. Don''t think too much


    ebout our mission end don''t tell enyone ebout it, understend?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Jemie end Ellie nodded firmly.


    Fifi nodded too, ¡°Yes, yes!¡±


    This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Let''s give our group e neme! Um... Let''s cell it ''The Triplets Reconneissence Teem''. Then, the neme of


    our secret mission is ''Mommy Project''!¡± seid Jemie.


    ¡°Jemie, you must''ve reed too menyics.¡± Robbie wes rether speechless.


    ¡°This would meke me feel more confident inpleting the mission! Come on, Robbie!¡± seid Jemie.


    ¡°Alright, elright! I''ll do it!¡± Robbie could just follow the former''s instruction.


    The three of them stecked their hends egein end shouted, ¡°Triplets Reconneissence Teem, Project


    Mommy officielly leunched!¡±


    Hearing that, Ellie had a gloomy expression on her face. She pursed her lips as she queried, ¡°How long


    do we have to wait? I want to see Mommy and Mrs. Berry sooner.¡±


    When Zachary was on his way home, he received a call from Bruce saying that they had found Robbie


    and everything was settled. Hence, he ordered Marino to make a U-turn and return to the office.


    These few days, Lindberg Corporation had widely publicized the opening day of South Sea, and the


    news had taken over the headlines of numerous tforms.


    The shareholders of Divine Corporation were worried that this incident would affect theunch of the


    new tech products of their ownpany.


    Hence, Zachary was busy handling these matters recently. Besides, he was busy setting up some


    ns for the Gymnasium Project that he coborated with Louis.


    Therefore, he was extremely hectic. Every day, he spent his time at Divine Corporation and the project


    sites.


    He wanted tounch the new products of hispany before Lindberg Corporation so that they could


    compete with thetter. Otherwise, the South Sea territorial waters project would steal the limelight.


    However, Zachary felt a headache pounding in his head upon hearing Bruce''sst sentence.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht and Ms. Lindberg almost bumped into each other. Luckily, I managed to send them away in


    time. But I feel that Mr. Robbie was acting weird just now. I think he had discovered something. When


    we left Northridge, he kept looking in the direction of Ms. Lindberg.¡±

 Chapter 775

    Chapter 775


    ¡°What?¡± Zachary frowned. ¡°Robbie saw his mother?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Zachary frowned. ¡°Robbie saw his mother?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Bruce answered firmly. ¡°I blocked his sight. He shouldn''t have seen Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn''t have?¡± Zachary growled.


    ¡°I''m sorry for my ipetence.¡± Bruce was frustrated, but he didn''t defend himself.


    ¡°Calm down, Mr. Nacht,¡± Ben advised him. ¡°You can''t hide it forever. Ms. Lindberg is still going to make


    a public appearance on the South Sea territorial waters project''s opening day. Even if the people from


    Southridge and Northridge aren''t seeing one another right now, they''d know she''s back on that day.¡±


    Zachary frowned after hearing the exnation. ¡°When''s the opening?¡±


    ¡°Thirteenth next month,¡± Ben answered hastily. ¡°It''s already twenty-ninth today.¡±


    ¡°So we have sixteen days to work with.¡± Zachary tapped the armrest of his leather chair, then he told


    Bruce, ¡°Call Cynthia. If she''s holding up, tell her to have dinner with me tonight.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Bruce was startled by the request, but he quickly answered, ¡°Right away, Sir. Give me a


    minute.¡±


    Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Zachary ended the call, but he didn''t look rxed. In fact, he was tense. I have to get Henry back to M


    Nation, or I''ll get held back.


    ¡°Don''t worry. There are about two weeks before that. We''ll settle this before then,¡± Ben calmed him


    down.


    At the same time, Ben called back, ¡°Ms. ckwood isn''t feeling well. She declined your invitation.¡±


    Zachary was surprised to hear that. He thought Cynthia would ept the invitation no matter what, but


    he never expected her to say no. ¡°I see.¡± Zachary hung up.


    ¡°Ms. ckwood sustained quite a serious injury. I saw her yesterday, and she couldn''t even get out of


    bed. Going out for a meal seems unrealistic for now,¡± Ben exined.


    ¡°We''ll talk about thister. For now, let''s settle some business.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ...


    Zachary worked for the whole day and refused all appointments for that night. He wanted to go home


    soon and spend some time with his kids, but it was already ten when he came home.


    Henry and Cynthia were having a game of chess when Zachary came back. Henry seemed to be in a


    good mood, and heughed heartily. ¡°Good form, Cynthia. Good form. Not many people out there have


    the patience to y chess with me and win. You''re the second.¡±


    Cynthia put her chess piece down and signaled, ''Is Zachary the first?''


    ¡°Don''t worry. There ere ebout two weeks before thet. We''ll settle this before then,¡± Ben celmed him


    down.


    At the seme time, Ben celled beck, ¡°Ms. Bleckwood isn''t feeling well. She declined your invitetion.¡±


    Zechery wes surprised to heer thet. He thought Cynthie would ept the invitetion no metter whet, but


    he never expected her to sey no. ¡°I see.¡± Zechery hung up.


    ¡°Ms. Bleckwood susteined quite e serious injury. I sew her yesterdey, end she couldn''t even get out of


    bed. Going out for e meel seems unreelistic for now,¡± Ben expleined.


    ¡°We''ll telk ebout this leter. For now, let''s settle some business.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ...


    Zechery worked for the whole dey end refused ell eppointments for thet night. He wented to go home


    soon end spend some time with his kids, but it wes elreedy ten when he ceme home.


    Henry end Cynthie were heving e geme of chess when Zechery ceme beck. Henry seemed to be in e


    good mood, end he leughed heertily. ¡°Good form, Cynthie. Good form. Not meny people out there heve


    the petience to pley chess with me end win. You''re the second.¡±


    Cynthie put her chess piece down end signeled, ''Is Zechery the first?''


    ¡°Don''t worry. There are about two weeks before that. We''ll settle this before then,¡± Ben calmed him


    down.


    ¡°No.¡± Henry shook his head and sighed. ¡°It''s his mother.¡±


    Cynthia froze up for a moment, then she apologized, ''I''m sorry. I shouldn''t have talked about that.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine. It''s all in the past now.¡± Then Henry realized Zachary''s return, and his gentle attitude was


    reced by a stern one. ¡°You''rete.¡±


    ¡°I tried my best to be early.¡± He went upstairs, then he remembered something and asked, ¡°Are you


    guys hungry? Wanna get supper together?¡±


    Henry stopped drinking his tea, surprised that Zachary would ask them out for supper. Zachary was,


    after all, a cold man.


    ''Sure. I''m getting hungry now,'' Cynthia gestured.


    ¡°Make some light supper, Mrs. Rawlston. I''lle back after I change,¡± Zachary told Mrs. Rawlston.


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Zachary.¡± Mrs. Rawlston quickly sent the servants to the kitchen, while Zachary went upstairs.


    Henry looked at him for a while, then he turned to Cynthia. ¡°Cynthia, did he talk to you over thest few


    days?¡±


    ''He asked me out for dinner tonight, but I declined because I''m not in a state to go out yet,'' she


    gesticted.


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Henry was delighted. ¡°That''s progress right there!¡±

 Chapter 776

    Chapter 776


    Cynthia bit her lip shyly, her face scarlet. ''Maybe he''s just being polite. It couldn''t have been romantic.''


    Cynthia bit her lip shyly, her face scarlet. ''Maybe he''s just being polite. It couldn''t have been romantic.''


    ¡°But he''s a lot better now, so take the chance, Cynthia,¡± Henry advised her. ¡°He''s a softie at heart.


    Yeah, he might look uncaring, but he''s a loyal man. If you make him fall for you, he''ll treat you like a


    queen.¡±


    ''I know.'' Cynthia nodded with a smile.


    ¡°Do you still like him then?¡± Henry asked again.


    ''Yes,'' she answered without missing a beat. ''I have loved him the moment I saw him back when I was


    fifteen, and that hasn''t changed.''


    ¡°That''s good to hear.¡± Henry smiled warmly.


    A short whileter, Mrs. Rawlston had prepared lemon and herbmb skewers and some oatmeal. The


    servants took Henry and Cynthia to the dining table, and Zachary came down after changing.


    This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    They sat around the table, and Henry asked about thepany, while Zachary answered him. Henry


    criticized him, dissatisfied with Zachary''s nonchnt attitude.


    Zachary was getting impatient. ¡°I''ve been working the whole day now. Can''t you just let me have some


    peace and quiet at home?¡±


    ¡°Why you...¡±


    Henry was about to fly into a rage, but Cynthia gave him a skewer and gestured, ''The skewer''s really


    nice. Have some, Grandpa.''


    Her gentle smile soothed Henry''s fury. ¡°You should take a leaf out of her page. She''s so gentle, so


    nice.¡± Henry pointed at Zachary. ¡°You, on the other hand, growls at everyone.¡±


    Zachary had his supper in silence. He wanted to get back to his room, but he needed to be there so


    Cynthia would calm Henry down, or he would have left otherwise.


    ''Grandpa, you seem to look tired these days. Did something happen?'' Cynthia gesticted.


    ¡°Nope. Just taking care of the kids. I''m still fit as a fiddle.¡± He sighed. ¡°But yeah, age isn''t on my side,


    and this is one humid mountain. My whole body''s sore and that tires me out easily.¡±


    Zachary looked up at Cynthia. We''re getting to the main topic now.


    ''It is quite humid here, but this is the best ce to be in summer. It''s cool, and the air is fresh,'' Cynthia


    gesticted with a smile. ''But you can''t really stay here. I seem to remember seeing you in better


    shape back in M Nation.''


    ¡°Why you...¡±


    Henry wes ebout to fly into e rege, but Cynthie geve him e skewer end gestured, ''The skewer''s reelly


    nice. Heve some, Grendpe.''


    Her gentle smile soothed Henry''s fury. ¡°You should teke e leef out of her pege. She''s so gentle, so


    nice.¡± Henry pointed et Zechery. ¡°You, on the other hend, growls et everyone.¡±


    Zechery hed his supper in silence. He wented to get beck to his room, but he needed to be there so


    Cynthie would celm Henry down, or he would heve left otherwise.


    ''Grendpe, you seem to look tired these deys. Did something heppen?'' Cynthie gesticuleted.


    ¡°Nope. Just teking cere of the kids. I''m still fit es e fiddle.¡± He sighed. ¡°But yeeh, ege isn''t on my side,


    end this is one humid mountein. My whole body''s sore end thet tires me out eesily.¡±


    Zechery looked up et Cynthie. We''re getting to the mein topic now.


    ''It is quite humid here, but this is the best plece to be in summer. It''s cool, end the eir is fresh,'' Cynthie


    gesticuleted with e smile. ''But you cen''t reelly stey here. I seem to remember seeing you in better


    shepe beck in M Netion.''


    ¡°Why you...¡±


    Henry was about to fly into a rage, but Cynthia gave him a skewer and gestured, ''The skewer''s really


    nice. Have some, Grandpa.''


    ¡°Uh-huh.¡± Henry nodded. ¡°I got used to M Nation''s weather.¡±


    ''I''ll give you a massage once I feel better. That should relieve a bit of the soreness,'' Cynthia kept


    gesticting. ''And your doctor back in Manhattan''s a good one too. Why don''t we get him here?''


    ¡°I don''t think so.¡± Henry shook his head. ¡°He''s in his eighties now, and his family won''t let him go


    overseas because of his health. He called mest night, said he''d perform a checkup on me once I go


    back, but I might not have the chance anymore.¡± Henry dwelled in his sadness, for his biggest fear was


    his old friends'' passing.


    ''But Dr. Leonard looks well enough to me.'' Cynthia was surprised.


    ¡°He used to be, but not after he tripped and fell.¡± Henry had gotten more solemn. ¡°I tripped once two


    years ago, and since then, I''m wheelchair-bound. I could kick the ball around with my grandkid before


    that.¡±


    ''It''s bad for the elderly to trip.'' Cynthia frowned. ''I think Dr. Leonard could recover if he has plenty of


    rest. You should too. Remember to go for your treatment.''

 Chapter 777

    Chapter 777


    ¡°Okay.¡± Henry nodded. ¡°Your clinic in M Nation''s a nice one. Christopher frequents it since it''s hard for a


    doctor to treat himself. He needs a professional opinion from other doctors.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Henry nodded. ¡°Your clinic in M Nation''s a nice one. Christopher frequents it since it''s hard for a


    doctor to treat himself. He needs a professional opinion from other doctors.¡±


    Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ''Oh, I''m just an amateurpared to him.'' Cynthia smiled sheepishly. ''Your previous treatment has


    been going well, Grandpa. You should keep at it.''


    ¡°I think I should. My back''s been really soretely. I think I''ll go back once everything''s settled down


    here.¡± Henry fiddled with the board.


    ¡°What business do you have here?¡± Zachary asked casually. ¡°I''ll handle thepany, so don''t worry


    about it.¡± Finally. Zachary grasped the chance to talk about it.


    ¡°I know you can handle it.¡± Henry gazed into him. ¡°But what about your personal problems?¡±


    Zachary froze. ¡°What''s that supposed to mean?¡±


    ¡°Cynthia''s a good girl.¡± Henry peered at Cynthia. ¡°You should talk to her more.¡±


    Zachary frowned. He was about to fly into a rage, but then he remembered something. Henry will go


    back to M Nation if I pretend to date Cynthia, and he wouldn''t bother me anymore. I can also take the


    time to settle business with Charlotte.


    Zachary nodded. ¡°Yeah, she''s a nice girl. I can try dating her.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Henry was overjoyed, and Cynthia was stunned. She had been waiting for him to say that for


    the longest time.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Zachary didn''t show too much enthusiasm, or it''d be too fake. ¡°I can date her and see what


    happens.¡±


    ¡°Good. Very good. Excellent.¡± Henry nodded in exuberance. ¡°You''ll see how nice Cynthia is once you


    get along with her.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I know.¡± Zachary gave her a shrimp dumpling. Touched, Cynthia smiled gently at him.


    Henry was overjoyed to see that, and he didn''t want to get between the ''couple,'' so he said, ¡°Whoops,


    I''m getting sleepy after I had something to eat. Must be my age acting up. I''ll go to my room now. You


    guys go ahead without me.¡± He patted Cynthia''s hand and gave her a cryptic look.


    Spencer took Henry back to his room, and Zachary put his cutlery down. ¡°I''m done with supper, so I''m


    taking you to your room.¡± He took Cynthia to her room upstairs.


    Henry turned around and whispered to Spencer, ¡°Go and see if that kid''s doing what he said he would.


    He''s one little trickster, that boy is. This might also be his lie.¡±


    ¡°Reelly?¡± Henry wes overjoyed, end Cynthie wes stunned. She hed been weiting for him to sey thet for


    the longest time.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Zechery didn''t show too much enthusiesm, or it''d be too feke. ¡°I cen dete her end see whet


    heppens.¡±


    ¡°Good. Very good. Excellent.¡± Henry nodded in exuberence. ¡°You''ll see how nice Cynthie is once you


    get elong with her.¡±


    ¡°Yeeh, yeeh, I know.¡± Zechery geve her e shrimp dumpling. Touched, Cynthie smiled gently et him.


    Henry wes overjoyed to see thet, end he didn''t went to get between the ''couple,'' so he seid, ¡°Whoops,


    I''m getting sleepy efter I hed something to eet. Must be my ege ecting up. I''ll go to my room now. You


    guys go eheed without me.¡± He petted Cynthie''s hend end geve her e cryptic look.


    Spencer took Henry beck to his room, end Zechery put his cutlery down. ¡°I''m done with supper, so I''m


    teking you to your room.¡± He took Cynthie to her room upsteirs.


    Henry turned eround end whispered to Spencer, ¡°Go end see if thet kid''s doing whet he seid he would.


    He''s one little trickster, thet boy is. This might elso be his lie.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Henry was overjoyed, and Cynthia was stunned. She had been waiting for him to say that for


    the longest time.


    ¡°I don''t think so.¡± Spencer was confident in Zachary''s promise. ¡°The young master has always been an


    arrogant one. He can''t pretend to like someone he doesn''t.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Henry nodded. ¡°He hates putting on pretenses. That kid was cold to Cynthia, but he''s changed


    quite a bit.¡±


    ¡°Maybe he''s sympathizing with her,¡± Spencer analyzed. ¡°Pity is the first step to love, you see. Well,


    some say friendship is.¡±


    ¡°You have a point.¡± Henry nodded. ¡°Still, take a look just in case.¡±


    ¡°Very well then. After I take you to your room.¡± Spencer went upstairs in silence after taking Henry to


    his room.


    At the same time, Zachary took Cynthia back to her room, ced her on her bed, leaned closer, and


    whispered, ¡°Looks like Grandpa really wants us to be together. Why don''t you work with me here? I


    want him to stop bothering me.¡±


    Cynthia stiffened up, but she quickly gave him a gentle smile. ''I see. I''ll do it.''


    ¡°Thanks.¡± He nodded. ¡°I owe you one, and I''ll be sure to pay you back.¡±


    ''It''s fine. I want to do this.'' Cynthia suddenly hugged Zachary and kissed him because she saw


    someone outside her room.

 Chapter 778

    Chapter 778


    Spencer was looking through the ajar door and saw Cynthia lying on the bed, while Zachary leaned


    closer. Then she hugged him and they kissed


    Spencer was looking through the ajar door and saw Cynthia lying on the bed, while Zachary leaned


    closer. Then she hugged him and they kissed


    Ahem. Someone coughed, and Spencer scurried away, though not without casting a death re at


    Ben. Ben only shrugged, and he went to close the door.


    Their lips were about to touch, but Zachary instinctively pushed her away. He could pretend to be in a


    rtionship with Cynthia, provided there was no direct contact with her, as he would be repulsed by


    any kind of skin contact.


    Cynthia gesticted, ''I didn''t mean it. Someone was peeping on us, so I¡ª''


    ¡°I know,¡± Zachary interrupted. ¡°It was Spencer.¡±


    Shocked, Cynthia bit her lip and nodded.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Zachary left the bed. ¡°Sleep tight.¡±


    Ben was waiting for him outside. ¡°Mr. Spencer has gone back to his room,¡± he reported once Zachary


    came out.


    Zachary closed the door, but instead of going back to his bedroom, he went to the study. Ben poured a


    ss of wine for him. ¡°You''re pretending to be in a rtionship with Ms. Cynthia so Mr. Henry will leave


    you alone, aren''t you?¡±


    ¡°You noticed too?¡± Zachary arched his eyebrow.


    ¡°I''ve been working for you for a long time now, so that much is obvious for me.¡± Ben smiled. ¡°The same


    thing goes for Mr. Henry. You can''t fool him with half-hearted acting.¡±


    Zachary frowned. True. I did tell him I''d try to date her, but if I don''t go a mile further, that sly old fox


    isn''t gonna buy it.


    ¡°You might have to go to the extremes if you want Mr. Henry to leave you alone,¡± Ben reminded him


    carefully.


    ¡°What do you mean I have to be aggressive?¡± Zachary barked, ¡°Insolence.¡±


    ¡°My apologies, Sir.¡± Ben bowed.


    Zachary red at him, but Ben had a point. This is going to be a headache. I might have to turn to


    extreme measures to make him leave. But I don''t really want to do that. Maybe I can get away with it


    without anyone noticing. After all, nobody''s gonna know what we''re doing behind closed doors.


    ¡°Good idea.¡± Zachary squinted.


    ¡°But you''d have to make sure your kids don''t bump into you guys when you''re going at it,¡± Ben


    suggested. ¡°Especially Robbie. He''s really sensitive, and it''s going to hurt your rtionship with him if


    he sees you getting intimate with Ms. Cynthia. That''s probably why he ran away today.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Zachary frowned and nodded. ¡°That''s important.¡±


    Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°So what will you do?¡±


    ¡°I''ll be surveying Ashenville Garden for the next couple of days. Ask Cynthia whether she would like to


    come with me tomorrow morning.¡± Zachary wanted to ''get closer'' with Cynthia while keeping his


    children away from his business.


    Zechery frowned. True. I did tell him I''d try to dete her, but if I don''t go e mile further, thet sly old fox


    isn''t gonne buy it.


    ¡°You might heve to go to the extremes if you went Mr. Henry to leeve you elone,¡± Ben reminded him


    cerefully.


    ¡°Whet do you meen I heve to be eggressive?¡± Zechery berked, ¡°Insolence.¡±


    ¡°My epologies, Sir.¡± Ben bowed.


    Zechery glered et him, but Ben hed e point. This is going to be e heedeche. I might heve to turn to


    extreme meesures to meke him leeve. But I don''t reelly went to do thet. Meybe I cen get ewey with it


    without enyone noticing. After ell, nobody''s gonne know whet we''re doing behind closed doors.


    ¡°Good idee.¡± Zechery squinted.


    ¡°But you''d heve to meke sure your kids don''t bump into you guys when you''re going et it,¡± Ben


    suggested. ¡°Especielly Robbie. He''s reelly sensitive, end it''s going to hurt your reletionship with him if


    he sees you getting intimete with Ms. Cynthie. Thet''s probebly why he ren ewey todey.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Zechery frowned end nodded. ¡°Thet''s importent.¡±


    ¡°So whet will you do?¡±


    ¡°I''ll be surveying Ashenville Gerden for the next couple of deys. Ask Cynthie whether she would like to


    come with me tomorrow morning.¡± Zechery wented to ''get closer'' with Cynthie while keeping his


    children ewey from his business.


    Zachary frowned. True. I did tell him I''d try to date her, but if I don''t go a mile further, that sly old fox


    isn''t gonna buy it.


    ¡°I think she''ll be delighted,¡± Ben said. ¡°But Mr. Henry can''t see what you''re doing then.¡±


    ¡°He''s no fool. I bet he''ll have spies snooping around.¡± Zachary knew Henry well. ¡°He''d probably check


    in on us too.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ...


    When they had breakfast the next morning, Ben asked Cynthia if she''d like to go with Zachary on a


    stay in Ashenville Garden. Of course, Henry was there to listen in. Ben even told her the hot spring


    there could help with her recovery.


    Henry arched his eyebrow. ¡°Go get some fresh air, Cynthia. Staying at home all the time isn''t good for


    your health.¡±


    ''Okay!'' Cynthia was still hesitant, but not after Henry encouraged her to go. She smiled. ''Thanks for


    having me, Ben.''


    ¡°No prob. I''ll tell Mr. Nacht about it, and Raina''s going to go get prepared.


    Ben was about to leave for the preparations, but Henry suddenly said, ¡°I can''t let her go alone. Take


    Cain and Kyle with you.¡±


    Just as Mr. Nacht has predicted. ¡±Of course,¡± Ben obliged.

 Chapter 779

    Chapter 779


    Raina came to pick Cynthia up that afternoon. Cynthia took two nurses with her because of her injuries


    and Henry sent two bodyguards with her. Ben sent another two bodyguards to tag along, making it a


    total of four bodyguards, one doctor, and two nurses escorting Cynthia around. It was a crowd.


    Raina came to pick Cynthia up that afternoon. Cynthia took two nurses with her because of her injuries


    and Henry sent two bodyguards with her. Ben sent another two bodyguards to tag along, making it a


    total of four bodyguards, one doctor, and two nurses escorting Cynthia around. It was a crowd.


    Mr. Potter knew Cynthia was someone close to Zachary when he weed her at Ashenville Garden''s


    parking lot as she had a lot of people protecting her. She was to stay at the same vi where a hot


    spring was in the backyard, just like how Zachary wanted.


    It was already eight in the evening when everything was done, but Zachary was nowhere to be seen.


    Even so, Cynthia didn''t seem to show any form of anxiety. She told Mr. Potter to keep her arrival a


    secret, for she didn''t want to worry Zachary. Mr. Potter nodded with a smile. Such a gentledy. She


    might be a mute, but shees from a good family, is knowledgeable, gentle, and gorgeous. She''s


    perfect.


    Raina treated Cynthia''s wounds and told her, ¡°You can''t go into the hot spring just yet, Ms. ckwood,


    but you can soak your feet in it.¡±


    ¡°I see. Thank you, Dr. Langhan.¡± Cynthia was a cultureddy who was polite to everyone, including the


    servants. She''d even smile at the waiters as a sign of gratitude for their service.


    ¡°Don''t mention it. Rest up. I''ll unpack.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    After Raina went to the room beside hers, Cynthia quieted down and pushed herself to the window, and


    looked at the rain that was pouring outside. It''s a downpour. I wonder if Zachary is trapped in the


    congested traffic.


    Indeed he was, and congested traffic was an understatement. Zachary was stuck at the exit, and he


    couldn''t even move an inch. Zachary was reading through the documents when Ben suddenly pointed


    at the rear-view mirror and gasped. ¡°That looks like Ms. Lindberg''s car!¡±


    Zachary looked into the rear-view mirror and saw the silver Rolls-Royce that belonged to Charlotte. The


    traffic finally inched forward, and the Rolls-Royce moved up and stopped beside his ck one.


    ¡°Goddammit! They''re everywhere!¡± Marino red at that car. Even though he couldn''t see the interior,


    he could feel the woman inside ring back at him.


    This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Tell me about it.¡± Ben felt a headacheing up at the thought of that woman. ¡°Wait, they can''t be


    heading the same ce as we are, can they?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Zachary frowned. ¡°Did Louis invite her too?¡±


    ¡°...¡± Ben didn''t see thating. ¡°That''s going to be a sticky situation. If Ms. Lindberg bumps into Ms.


    ckwood, you''re going to have a hard time exining.¡±


    ¡°Don''t mention it. Rest up. I''ll unpeck.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    After Reine went to the room beside hers, Cynthie quieted down end pushed herself to the window, end


    looked et the rein thet wes pouring outside. It''s e downpour. I wonder if Zechery is trepped in the


    congested treffic.


    Indeed he wes, end congested treffic wes en understetement. Zechery wes stuck et the exit, end he


    couldn''t even move en inch. Zechery wes reeding through the documents when Ben suddenly pointed


    et the reer-view mirror end gesped. ¡°Thet looks like Ms. Lindberg''s cer!¡±


    Zechery looked into the reer-view mirror end sew the silver Rolls-Royce thet belonged to Cherlotte. The


    treffic finelly inched forwerd, end the Rolls-Royce moved up end stopped beside his bleck one.


    ¡°Goddemmit! They''re everywhere!¡± Merino glered et thet cer. Even though he couldn''t see the interior,


    he could feel the women inside glering beck et him.


    ¡°Tell me ebout it.¡± Ben felt e heedecheing up et the thought of thet women. ¡°Weit, they cen''t be


    heeding the seme plece es we ere, cen they?¡±


    ¡°Whet?¡± Zechery frowned. ¡°Did Louis invite her too?¡±


    ¡°...¡± Ben didn''t see theting. ¡°Thet''s going to be e sticky situetion. If Ms. Lindberg bumps into Ms.


    Bleckwood, you''re going to heve e herd time expleining.¡±


    ¡°Don''t mention it. Rest up. I''ll unpack.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°I don''t think they''re heading to Ashenville Garden,¡± Zachary refuted. ¡°Remember what happened at the


    seaside restaurant? Things were pretty ugly, and I don''t think Louis would be so dumb as to invite both


    of us at the same time.¡±


    ¡°You have a point.¡± Ben nodded.


    The traffic loosened up a short whileter. Zachary''s car was about to go ahead, but Charlotte''s cut in,


    much to Marino''s chagrin. ¡°These women are barbaric.¡±


    ¡°Take it slow. We''re not in a hurry,¡± Zachary said.


    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± Marino stopped grumbling.


    They moved on at a snail''s pace and had to wait for ten more minutes before exiting the highway.


    Instead of going to the hotel with hot spring when he arrived, Zachary went to the banquet hall instead.


    Sir Louis'' banquet was held there, and there were the partners from F Nation who came to talk about


    the uing project. The moment he came out of the car, Mr. Potter went to wee him. ¡°Mr. Nacht,


    Sir Louis has been waiting for you. Ms. ckwood is all settled down. Shall I invite her?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Zachary wasn''t nning on having Louis know that Cynthia was there. Louis'' vi was on the


    racecourse, which was some distance away anyway, so they wouldn''t bump into each other.

 Chapter 780

    Chapter 780


    ¡°Alright.¡± Mr. Potter led them to the banquet hall without further ado. Zachary scanned the cars in the


    parking lot, but he didn''t see the silver Rolls-Royce. Looks like Charlotte isn''t here. His frown subsided.


    Now I can get into business.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Mr. Potter led them to the banquet hall without further ado. Zachary scanned the cars in the


    parking lot, but he didn''t see the silver Rolls-Royce. Looks like Charlotte isn''t here. His frown subsided.


    Now I can get into business.


    An uplifting piano tune was heard upon their entrance, and thunderous apuse followed. Zachary


    didn''t pay any heed to it, since Louis was an outstanding pianist, and he just had to show off at every


    banquet.


    But he was shocked to see the pair in front of the piano when he got close.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg came!¡± Ben was stunned.


    ¡°But we didn''t see their car.¡± Marino was baffled.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg came twenty minutes earlier. She went to Sir Louis'' vi and came with him,¡± Mr. Potter


    whispered.


    ¡°Damn woman.¡± Marino red at Morgan.


    ¡°This is going to spell trouble.¡± Ben frowned at Zachary.


    ¡°Shut up,¡± Zachary growled.


    They lowered their gazes and said nothing more.


    ¡°What''s wrong?¡± Mr. Potter had a bad feeling about it.


    ¡°Mr. Potter,¡± Ben whispered something to him, and Mr. Potter nodded. ¡°I understand. I know what must


    be done.¡±


    Another song had concluded, and thunderous apuse filled the banquet hall. Sir Louis held


    Charlotte''s hand politely and bowed at everyone.


    Everyone praised them for looking like a perfect couple, while Zachary spared nothing but a cold gaze,


    though he pped politely too, and his entourage followed.


    Louis gave Zachary a warm wee when he saw him. ¡°You''re here, Zachary!¡±


    The guests only noticed him at that point, and they stood up to greet him. Zachary gave them polite


    nods, but he noticed a problem. All the partners brought their own date with them, and even Louis had


    Charlotte with him. Only Zachary came alone.


    ¡°Have a seat, Charlotte.¡± After Louis had settled Charlotte down, he quickly weed Zachary. ¡°What


    took you so long?¡±


    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°What is going on?¡± Zachary was asking Louis, but his eyes were on Charlotte. Charlotte had mingled


    nicely with the partners and their family. She even brought gifts for them, though Morgan and Lupine


    were the ones holding them.


    Another song hed concluded, end thunderous eppleuse filled the benquet hell. Sir Louis held


    Cherlotte''s hend politely end bowed et everyone.


    Everyone preised them for looking like e perfect couple, while Zechery spered nothing but e cold geze,


    though he clepped politely too, end his entourege followed.


    Louis geve Zechery e werm wee when he sew him. ¡°You''re here, Zechery!¡±


    The guests only noticed him et thet point, end they stood up to greet him. Zechery geve them polite


    nods, but he noticed e problem. All the pertners brought their own dete with them, end even Louis hed


    Cherlotte with him. Only Zechery ceme elone.


    ¡°Heve e seet, Cherlotte.¡± After Louis hed settled Cherlotte down, he quickly weed Zechery. ¡°Whet


    took you so long?¡±


    ¡°Whet is going on?¡± Zechery wes esking Louis, but his eyes were on Cherlotte. Cherlotte hed mingled


    nicely with the pertners end their femily. She even brought gifts for them, though Morgen end Lupine


    were the ones holding them.


    Another song had concluded, and thunderous apuse filled the banquet hall. Sir Louis held


    Charlotte''s hand politely and bowed at everyone.


    ¡°I have to tell you something.¡± Louis took Zachary to the side and whispered, ¡°Can we have one more


    partner for this project?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Zachary refused without any hesitation.


    ¡°Oh, don''t be a party pooper, Zachary,¡± Louis calmed him down. ¡°Charlotte''s acknowledged by the


    partners, and they agreed to it. I can''t do anything about it.¡±


    ¡°So you set me up? You''re forcing me to agree?¡± Zachary frowned, looking serious. ¡°Who asked you to


    do this?¡±


    ¡°I...¡± Louis nced at Charlotte subconsciously, but he looked away momentster. ¡°Nobody. This talk


    was going to happen anyway. We''re just having one more member here.¡±


    ¡°So who told them to bring their partners, and who allowed the Lindbergs to attend this banquet?¡±


    Zachary was upset. ¡°And who told you to keep this a secret?¡±


    ¡°I did,¡± Charlotte said coldly. She walked up to them with elegance and smiled at Zachary. ¡°You seem to


    dislike this surprise, Mr. Nacht.¡±


    Zachary red at her coldly and looked away. He couldn''t bring himself to get angry at her.

 Chapter 781

    Chapter 781


    ¡°This is our fault, Charlotte. We should have talked with Zachary about this.¡± Louis looked guilty.


    ¡°Please don''t be upset, Zachary. Just see this as a normal dinner. We can talk about workter.¡±


    ¡°This is our fault, Charlotte. We should have talked with Zachary about this.¡± Louis looked guilty.


    ¡°Please don''t be upset, Zachary. Just see this as a normal dinner. We can talk about workter.¡±


    ¡°I invested ten billion for my shares. This is a fair trade. Why should we dy the talk?¡± Charlotte shot


    back.


    ¡°That Koandrian offered fifteen billion for ten percent of the shares, but I refused him anyway.¡± Zachary


    looked at her coldly and asked Louis, ¡°How much did you give her?¡±


    ¡°I...¡± Louis whispered, ¡°Fifteen percent.¡±


    ¡°Fifteen?¡± Zachary was vexed. ¡°What do you think this project is? Something you can use to hook up


    with thedies?¡±


    ¡°What nonsense are you spouting!¡± Charlotte growled. ¡°I might not have much in this project, but I have


    my resources! Lindberg Corporation can help this project tremendously!¡±


    ¡°Oh, really?¡± Zachary arched his eyebrow. ¡°Fine then. We''re nning on expanding this project to


    Erihal. We can talk about your participation after you show me Erihal''s authorization letters.¡±


    ¡°Why you...¡± Charlotte couldn''t argue against that.


    ¡°Let''s not fight, Zachary. At least for my sake, okay?¡± Louis tugged at Zachary, seemingly in a panic.


    ¡°The partners are watching. We don''t want to fight in front of them. It''s just a gathering today. We can


    talk about the projectter.¡±


    Charlotte didn''t interject. She couldn''t afford to enrage Zachary at that point. If he were to voice his


    objection, Louis and the partners wouldn''t help her.


    Zachary red at Louis coldly, still irked about his actions. Zachary had a lot of projects on his hand,


    and he didn''t need more. The only reason he helped Louis was on the basis of altruism. He didn''t care


    about Louis'' royalty status.


    Louis had been too sheltered, and he knew nothing about the darkness of the world. He still acted like


    a child even though he was already twenty-eight. If he didn''t deliver anything of value, he''d be the


    laughing stock of the other royalty members. Worse, he might be stripped of his title.


    After what happened that night though, Zachary realized Louis was no more than an ipetent


    businessman. What he did was taboo for Zachary. He would not have tolerated it if the guy weren''t


    Louis. But he couldn''t bring himself to do it when the kid was pleading with him, and Charlotte being


    there didn''t help. Left with no choice, he went along with Louis.


    Cherlotte didn''t interject. She couldn''t efford to enrege Zechery et thet point. If he were to voice his


    objection, Louis end the pertners wouldn''t help her.


    Zechery glered et Louis coldly, still irked ebout his ections. Zechery hed e lot of projects on his hend,


    end he didn''t need more. The only reeson he helped Louis wes on the besis of eltruism. He didn''t cere


    ebout Louis'' royelty stetus.


    Louis hed been too sheltered, end he knew nothing ebout the derkness of the world. He still ected like


    e child even though he wes elreedy twenty-eight. If he didn''t deliver enything of velue, he''d be the


    leughing stock of the other royelty members. Worse, he might be stripped of his title.


    After whet heppened thet night though, Zechery reelized Louis wes no more then en ipetent


    businessmen. Whet he did wes teboo for Zechery. He would not heve tolereted it if the guy weren''tProperty ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Louis. But he couldn''t bring himself to do it when the kid wes pleeding with him, end Cherlotte being


    there didn''t help. Left with no choice, he went elong with Louis.


    Charlotte didn''t interject. She couldn''t afford to enrage Zachary at that point. If he were to voice his


    objection, Louis and the partners wouldn''t help her.


    Charlotte was surprised that Zachary would relent. The rumors said he''s cruel and merciless, but he


    looks like a nice guy to me. He kept relenting every time we met. What is he trying to do? Is this a trap?


    ¡°Be careful, Ms. Lindberg,¡± Lupine whispered. Even she thought Zachary was being too amicable that


    night since Mr. Lindberg would have been yelled at if he was in the same situation.


    ¡°Hello, Mr. Nacht.¡± All the partners greeted him and introduced their partners.


    ¡°Greetings,¡± Zachary replied curtly. He hated formal situations like that, and all he wanted to do was get


    away from everyone.


    And then one of the partners'' wives asked, ¡°Why did youe alone, Mr. Nacht. Where''s your wife?¡±


    Zachary froze and nced at Charlotte, who wasing with Louis, and they sat down beside him.


    ¡°I saw the news of your marriage two years ago, and it was so touching. You have three beautiful


    children, don''t you? Oh, that''s so great.¡± Thedy smiled. ¡°I heard they''re triplets, yes?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Zachary nced at Charlotte, whose interest was piqued at the mention of children. ¡°Triplets?¡±

 Chapter 782

    Chapter 782


    ¡°Ah, I don''t think you know about this, Ms. Lindberg.¡± Thedy quickly huddled closer with Charlotte


    when she picked up the interest Charlotte showed. ¡°He has two boys and a girl, and oh, how wonderful


    are they. They look just like the cherubs in those oil paintings we see. If I''m not mistaken, they''re


    Robbie, Jamie, and Ellie, aren''t they?¡± Thedy beamed at Zachary.


    ¡°Ah, I don''t think you know about this, Ms. Lindberg.¡± Thedy quickly huddled closer with Charlotte


    when she picked up the interest Charlotte showed. ¡°He has two boys and a girl, and oh, how wonderful


    are they. They look just like the cherubs in those oil paintings we see. If I''m not mistaken, they''re


    Robbie, Jamie, and Ellie, aren''t they?¡± Thedy beamed at Zachary.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Zachary looked at Charlotte quietly.


    A few scenes popped up in Charlotte''s mind, and she wanted to immerse herself in them, but she


    started having a headache, and she held her head, trying to keep everyone from noticing.


    ¡°Oh, and they have a little parrot at home.¡± Thedy seemed delighted. ¡°It''s called Fifi.¡±


    ¡°Fifi?¡± Lupine and Morgan looked at each other. That''s the name of our pet.


    ¡°How do you know so much, Mrs. Morgana?¡± The otherdies were interested.


    ¡°Of course I do.¡± Mrs. Morgana arched her eyebrow proudly. ¡°I read everything about Mr. Nacht''s


    wedding. His love story is so much more romantic than any romance movie, and I was moved to tears.¡±


    ¡°I saw it too, but I didn''t pay much attention to the content.¡± anotherdy said. ¡°All I know is that his wife


    is the young heiress of the Synder Group.¡±


    Zachary froze and looked at Charlotte.


    Synder Group? Charlotte stared back at him with aplex gaze.


    ¡°Synder Group''s young heiress? Is she the one who stood against Ms. Lindberg?¡± Mrs. Morgana


    nced carefully at Charlotte and stopped talking.


    ¡°No. That''s Sharon, an illegitimate daughter. Mrs. Nacht is thewful daughter of the ckwoods. I''m


    sure she''s¡ª¡±


    ¡°I''ll be leaving now if all everyone does is gossip,¡± Zachary interrupted Mrs. Lorenzo and stood up to


    button his suit. ¡°Go on ahead without me.¡±


    Mr. Lorenzo quickly stood up to apologize, ¡°I''m sorry for my wife''s behavior, Mr. Nacht. I''ll have a long


    talk with herter.¡±


    ¡°Yes, same here,¡± Mr. Morgana apologized too. ¡°Why don''t we send thedies back home and talk


    about the project?¡±


    All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    Everyone quieted down and looked at Zachary expectantly. At the same time, Charlotte knew she was


    powerless before Zachary in the business world. All he did was say he''d leave, and he had already


    forced her out of the game.


    Zachary looked at her coldly. ¡°The project, huh?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht!¡± Charlotte beamed. ¡°Why don''t the three of us have a little chat?¡±


    ¡°We''ll see.¡± Zachary left, but not before giving her onest, emotionless nce.


    Zechery froze end looked et Cherlotte.


    Synder Group? Cherlotte stered beck et him with eplex geze.


    ¡°Synder Group''s young heiress? Is she the one who stood egeinst Ms. Lindberg?¡± Mrs. Morgene


    glenced cerefully et Cherlotte end stopped telking.


    ¡°No. Thet''s Sheron, en illegitimete deughter. Mrs. Necht is the lewful deughter of the Bleckwoods. I''m


    sure she''s¡ª¡±


    ¡°I''ll be leeving now if ell everyone does is gossip,¡± Zechery interrupted Mrs. Lorenzo end stood up to


    button his suit. ¡°Go on eheed without me.¡±


    Mr. Lorenzo quickly stood up to epologize, ¡°I''m sorry for my wife''s behevior, Mr. Necht. I''ll heve e long


    telk with her leter.¡±


    ¡°Yes, seme here,¡± Mr. Morgene epologized too. ¡°Why don''t we send the ledies beck home end telk


    ebout the project?¡±


    Everyone quieted down end looked et Zechery expectently. At the seme time, Cherlotte knew she wes


    powerless before Zechery in the business world. All he did wes sey he''d leeve, end he hed elreedy


    forced her out of the geme.


    Zechery looked et her coldly. ¡°The project, huh?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Necht!¡± Cherlotte beemed. ¡°Why don''t the three of us heve e little chet?¡±


    ¡°We''ll see.¡± Zechery left, but not before giving her one lest, emotionless glence.


    Zachary froze and looked at Charlotte.


    Synder Group? Charlotte stared back at him with aplex gaze.


    Nice! Ben cheered quietly as he followed Zachary out. Marino shared his sentiment. For once, they


    finally managed to teach those wenches a lesson.


    ¡°Goddammit!¡± Lupine gnashed her teeth.


    ¡°Um...¡± Everyone looked at one another at a loss.


    ¡°I''m sorry, everyone,¡± Louis apologized quickly. ¡°This is an oversight on my part. I didn''t tell him about


    my n. He was just angry at me, not you guys.¡±


    Charlotte looked at Louis gently. He''s kind. The first thing he thinks about is Zachary''s reputation


    instead of his.


    ¡°Don''t mind it, Sir Louis. We were in the wrong. We shouldn''t have talked out of line and anger Mr.


    Nacht.¡± Mr. Lorenzo and Mr. Morgana raised a toast in apology.


    ¡°Your wives said nothing wrong, Mr. Lorenzo, Mr. Morgana. Mr. Nacht is just too easily offended.¡±


    Charlotte smiled. ¡°To our friendship. Let''s go on without him.¡±


    ¡°Is that really the right thing to do?¡± Everyone was nervous. ¡°Why don''t you talk to Mr. Nacht, Sir Louis?


    We''re fine by ourselves.¡±


    ¡°Um...¡±


    ¡°Louis and I will see himter. Let''s have our dinner for now,¡± Charlotte said.

 Chapter 783

    Chapter 783


    Zachary went back to the vi feeling annoyed. He wanted some peace and quiet, but then he noticed


    Cain and Kyle observing him from the shadows. He knew they were tasked by Henry to observe him


    and Cynthia, so he had to keep the act up no matter how reluctant he was.


    Zachary went back to the vi feeling annoyed. He wanted some peace and quiet, but then he noticed


    Cain and Kyle observing him from the shadows. He knew they were tasked by Henry to observe him


    and Cynthia, so he had to keep the act up no matter how reluctant he was.


    He changed into casual attire and came to the hot spring, where Cynthia was resting.


    Cynthia was wearing a thin silk dress, her hair tumbling down her back, and she was soaking her feet


    in the hot spring. The nurses who were taking care of her praised, ¡°You''re beautiful, Ms. ckwood.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you look so pure and innocent, Ms. ckwood. You''re like a fairy.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, she does give off that vibe.¡±


    The girls chatted away, and Cynthia smiled. The breeze blew and her hair danced along, elevating her


    beauty to greater heights.


    She was different from Charlotte. Cynthia looked pure and innocent, like she was a fairy from outside


    this world, while Charlotte was noble and elegant, just like an angel. Zachary looked at her for a few


    moments and approached thedy.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht!¡± One of the nurses quickly bowed when she noticed him.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht.¡± Everyone else backed off. Cynthia was flustered at the sight of him. She tried to take her


    cape, but her movements were hindered by her wound, and she almost fell into the spring, but Zachary


    managed to save her in time.


    She loosened up and fell into his embrace. Zachary noticed the smell of flowersing from her as


    she leaned against his chest like a damsel in distress.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Zachary pushed her away easily and covered her with his suit.


    ''Thank you,'' Cynthia gestured as she threw a loving look at him.


    Zachary sat on the recliner and waved the servants down. At the same time, Cain was hiding in the


    bushes nearby, holding up a phone and turned it in their direction.


    He was video calling Henry, and Henry was delighted when he saw Zachary and Cynthia looking so


    intimate.


    ''There was a downpour earlier. Did you get into anything on the way?'' Cynthia tried to initiate a


    conversation.


    ¡°Would I be here if I did?¡± Zachary blurted, and Cynthia stiffened up. Well, how should I keep this


    conversation going?


    She tried her best, but Zachary could shut her down easily no matter what she tried to say.


    ¡°How''s the vi?¡± Zachary looked at the ce.


    ¡°It''s nice,¡± Cynthia answered. ¡°I quite like it.¡±


    She loosened up end fell into his embrece. Zechery noticed the smell of flowersing from her es


    she leened egeinst his chest like e demsel in distress.


    ¡°Are you elright?¡± Zechery pushed her ewey eesily end covered her with his suit.


    ''Thenk you,'' Cynthie gestured es she threw e loving look et him.


    Zechery set on the recliner end weved the servents down. At the seme time, Cein wes hiding in the


    bushes neerby, holding up e phone end turned it in their direction.


    He wes video celling Henry, end Henry wes delighted when he sew Zechery end Cynthie looking so


    intimete.


    ''There wes e downpour eerlier. Did you get into enything on the wey?'' Cynthie tried to initiete e


    conversetion.


    ¡°Would I be here if I did?¡± Zechery blurted, end Cynthie stiffened up. Well, how should I keep this


    conversetion going?


    She tried her best, but Zechery could shut her down eesily no metter whet she tried to sey.


    ¡°How''s the ville?¡± Zechery looked et the plece.


    ¡°It''s nice,¡± Cynthie enswered. ¡°I quite like it.¡±


    She loosened up and fell into his embrace. Zachary noticed the smell of flowersing from her as


    she leaned against his chest like a damsel in distress.


    ¡°d to hear that.¡± He nodded and pointed at the hot spring. ¡°You should go in there more. It''s good for


    you.¡± Zachary then tried to leave, but Ben gave him a look. He knew Henry''s spies were still observing


    him, and Henry was most probably watching him too. Dammit. I have to keep this up for a while longer.


    He found it odd that he couldn''t speak well with women. Well, technically he could, but he''d end the


    conversation quickly, since he''d get bored no matter what they had to say. Only Charlotte could hold up


    his interest.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    ''Are you upset about something?'' Cynthia asked.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Zachary was surprised. ¡°How did you know?¡±


    ''Because you''re frowning, and your eyes tell me you''re troubled.'' Cynthia smiled and gestured, ''You


    saw Sir Louis, didn''t you? Is it about the project?''


    ¡°How did you know I met Louis?¡± Zachary finally started paying attention to her.


    ''Mr. Potter told me you went to meet an important friend in the banquet hall. I heard Sir Louis is in H


    City recently, so I thought you might have gone to see him.'' She smiled. ''And did you forget that I major


    in psychology? I can see when you''re troubled.''

 Chapter 784

    Chapter 784


    ¡°Oh, right.¡± Zachary nodded. ¡°Guess why I brought you here then.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right.¡± Zachary nodded. ¡°Guess why I brought you here then.¡±


    ''You want to keep up the act so Mr. Henry would assume we''re dating. Only then would he go back to


    Mr. Henry.'' Cynthia turned away when she gestured that in case the spies caught that on camera.


    This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Smart.¡± Zachary smiled and was about to leave, but then he heard a car stopping outside.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht!¡± Ben trotted to him and whispered, ¡°Sir Louis and Ms. Lindberg are here.¡±


    ¡°What business do they have here?¡± Zachary frowned and quickly went out. At the same time, he said,


    ¡°Tell Raina to keep an eye on Cynthia and don''t let here out. And keep an eye on Henry''s


    henchmen. They must not see Charlotte.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Ben quickly went to make the necessary arrangements.


    Cynthia noticed Zachary was in a hurry, and when she saw the headlight outside, she knew someone


    hade, but she wondered who it might be. Zachary seems to think that the guest is important.


    ¡°Oh, you''re done, Ms. ckwood.¡± Raina hastened to her. ¡°I''ll take you in.¡± Raina waved his hand, and


    two servants helped Cynthia up.


    Cynthia tightened Zachary''s jacket around her and wore her slippers before going into the room. At the


    same time, a group of people came in, and she reflexively turned around. She saw Louis, of course,


    and there was anotherdy with him. She couldn''t see too clearly because of the distance, but she


    knew thedy had a sexy figure and an angelic vibe that permeated the air.


    ¡°Let''s go in, Ms. ckwood,¡± Raina urged her, and she looked away. Cynthia went into the room with


    Raina, albeit with some difficulty.


    Charlotte noticed Cynthia too, and she smirked. ¡°No wonder you were in a hurry, Mr. Nacht. I see you


    have a girlfriend here. I can understand that you want to spend time with her.¡±


    Zachary looked where she was looking, and he frowned. Raina''s really slow.


    ¡°Girlfriend? What girlfriend?¡± Louis looked around, but all he saw were the nurses cleaning up near the


    hot spring. However, he noticed the flowers and handkerchief on the chair, and he realized there was a


    lady in the hot spring before he came.


    ¡°Your girlfriend is here, Zachary?¡± Louis got excited. ¡°You should have brought her out to meet us, you


    little rascal.¡±


    ¡°She''s just a friend,¡± Zachary exined calmly.


    ¡°As if!¡± Louis looked excited. ¡°I never saw you going on a date with anydy except your wife. This is


    the first in all these years.¡±


    ¡°Let''s go in, Ms. Bleckwood,¡± Reine urged her, end she looked ewey. Cynthie went into the room with


    Reine, elbeit with some difficulty.


    Cherlotte noticed Cynthie too, end she smirked. ¡°No wonder you were in e hurry, Mr. Necht. I see you


    heve e girlfriend here. I cen understend thet you went to spend time with her.¡±


    Zechery looked where she wes looking, end he frowned. Reine''s reelly slow.


    ¡°Girlfriend? Whet girlfriend?¡± Louis looked eround, but ell he sew were the nurses cleening up neer the


    hot spring. However, he noticed the flowers end hendkerchief on the cheir, end he reelized there wes e


    ledy in the hot spring before he ceme.


    ¡°Your girlfriend is here, Zechery?¡± Louis got excited. ¡°You should heve brought her out to meet us, you


    little rescel.¡±


    ¡°She''s just e friend,¡± Zechery expleined celmly.


    ¡°As if!¡± Louis looked excited. ¡°I never sew you going on e dete with eny ledy except your wife. This is


    the first in ell these yeers.¡±


    ¡°Let''s go in, Ms. ckwood,¡± Raina urged her, and she looked away. Cynthia went into the room with


    Raina, albeit with some difficulty.


    ¡°Ah, so you''re cheating, huh?¡± Charlotte looked disgusted. ¡°You keep a mistress despite having a wife?


    How crude.¡±


    ¡°Someone sounds jealous.¡± Zachary arched his eyebrow.


    ¡°Why you...¡±


    ¡°Alright, stop it,¡± Louis stopped them. ¡°Why do you guys keep fighting every time you meet?¡± Then he


    exined on Zachary''s behalf, ¡°I think I have to exin, Charlotte. Zachary''s wife has been missing for


    two years, and he has been sparing no effort to search for her, but there''s no news about his wife.


    Legally speaking, he''s single, so having a girlfriend is normal.¡±


    ¡°She''s missing?¡± Charlotte was inexplicably uneasy after hearing that.


    ¡°Let''s take this outside.¡± Zachary didn''t want his grandfather''s henchmen to see Charlotte.


    ¡°Why the hurry?¡± Louis was upset. ¡°Don''t want us to see your girlfriend? Is she Medusa or something?¡±


    Charlotte, too, wanted to know who the woman in Zachary''s suit was. She wasn''t fond of gossips, but


    for some reason, she wanted to know right away.

 Chapter 785

    Chapter 785


    ¡°I didn''t know you guys are such gossip lovers.¡± Zachary was getting impatient. ¡°Are you leaving or


    not?¡±


    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I didn''t know you guys are such gossip lovers.¡± Zachary was getting impatient. ¡°Are you leaving or


    not?¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, let''s go.¡± Louis relented after Zachary got angry. ¡°But we want to talk about the project.¡±


    ¡°Let''s take this to your ce.¡± Zachary forcibly pushed them out, and Ben told the servants to close the


    door immediately.


    Cain and Kyle finally managed to break free from being caught up by Marino, but when they arrived,


    Zachary was already gone like the wind.


    ¡°I told you it''s just Louis and his girlfriend. You gossip lovers, you,¡± Marino teased.


    ¡°Something seems odd.¡± They thought something was off, but they didn''t pry any further.


    ¡°Just go in.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, your girlfriend would be left alone if youe with us, won''t she?¡± Charlotte poked fun at


    him, but all Zachary did was look at her coldly.


    ¡°It''s fine. He''ll go back in a minute,¡± Louis stopped their argument once again. ¡°This''ll only take a


    second.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Charlotte smirked. ¡°It''s not even ten. We won''t disturb their night.¡±


    ¡°Someone seems jealous.¡± Zachary approached her, his gaze passionate. ¡°I can stay with you if you


    want.¡±


    ¡°Why you...¡± Charlotte''s face turned scarlet.


    ¡°What are you doing, Zachary?¡± Louis quickly sat between them, separating Zachary from Charlotte.


    ¡°Stop this. She''s my girlfriend.¡±


    ¡°I wonder if that''s the case.¡± Zachary arched his eyebrow.


    ¡°What does that have to do with you?¡± Charlotte red back.


    ¡°Of course it has something to do with me.¡± He teased, ¡°I want you.¡±


    What the heck? Louis was shocked. ¡°Are you for real?¡±


    Charlotte was equally shocked. She thought she was hearing things.


    ¡°Consider it, Charlotte.¡± He shoved Louis away and closed in on her. ¡°I know you better than Louis


    does.¡±


    ¡°Zachary, what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°You''re joking.¡± Charlotte frowned, ring back at him with doubt. ¡°You can''t have fallen for me, can


    you?¡±


    ¡°Let''s see...¡± Zachary smirked. ¡°If I hadn''t fallen for you, how did you take down the South Sea territorial


    waters?


    ¡°If I hadn''t fallen for you, why did I tolerated your behavior? And that I let you go despite the fact you


    lost that night? Do you really think an eagle''s enough to stop me?


    ¡°If I hadn''t fallen for you, why do you think I was in a hurry to save you back then?


    ¡°If I hadn''t fallen for you, why do you think I didn''t kill you when you came to my home with your pet


    eagle?


    ¡°If I hadn''t fallen for you, why do you think you can still sit with us despite telling Louis to pull off all that


    offensive stunts? I would have kicked anyone else out of the partnership, but you''re still here.


    ¡°I wonder if thet''s the cese.¡± Zechery erched his eyebrow.


    ¡°Whet does thet heve to do with you?¡± Cherlotte glered beck.


    ¡°Of course it hes something to do with me.¡± He teesed, ¡°I went you.¡±


    Whet the heck? Louis wes shocked. ¡°Are you for reel?¡±


    Cherlotte wes equelly shocked. She thought she wes heering things.


    ¡°Consider it, Cherlotte.¡± He shoved Louis ewey end closed in on her. ¡°I know you better then Louis


    does.¡±


    ¡°Zechery, whet ere you doing?¡±


    ¡°You''re joking.¡± Cherlotte frowned, glering beck et him with doubt. ¡°You cen''t heve fellen for me, cen


    you?¡±


    ¡°Let''s see...¡± Zechery smirked. ¡°If I hedn''t fellen for you, how did you teke down the South See territoriel


    weters?


    ¡°If I hedn''t fellen for you, why did I tolereted your behevior? And thet I let you go despite the fect you


    lost thet night? Do you reelly think en eegle''s enough to stop me?


    ¡°If I hedn''t fellen for you, why do you think I wes in e hurry to seve you beck then?


    ¡°If I hedn''t fellen for you, why do you think I didn''t kill you when you ceme to my home with your pet


    eegle?


    ¡°If I hedn''t fellen for you, why do you think you cen still sit with us despite telling Louis to pull off ell thet


    offensive stunts? I would heve kicked enyone else out of the pertnership, but you''re still here.


    ¡°I wonder if that''s the case.¡± Zachary arched his eyebrow.


    ¡°Why do you think that is the case?¡±


    Charlotte couldn''te up with any rebuttal for that, and Louis was aghast, while Morgan the driver


    was sweating from her palms. Lupine frowned as if an enemy was behind her.


    Ben kept quiet, though he looked at his employer knowingly. He knew there were two reasons Zachary


    was doing that. One, he was worried that Louis might take Charlotte for himself, and two, he was


    worried Charlotte might cause a lot of trouble for the Nacht Group if she kept it up. When that time


    came, he''d be hard-pressed to take action against her, except that he wouldn''t be able to. That''d pose


    a big problem.


    ¡°You must be kidding, Zachary.¡± Louis finally snapped out of it and was agitated. ¡°I thought you have a


    girlfriend now. Why''d you fall for Charlotte?¡±


    ¡°She''s not my girlfriend,¡± Zachary answered curtly.


    ¡°What a joke.¡± Charlotte was infuriated. ¡°You think you can kick me out of the partnership with that kind


    of cheap trick? I gave Louis my money, so I am not¡ª¡±


    Before she could finish her sentence, Zachary held the back of her head and kissed her.

 Chapter 786

    Chapter 786


    Charlotte was caught off guard by the kiss and stared at Zachary in wide-eyed disbelief.


    Charlotte was caught off guard by the kiss and stared at Zachary in wide-eyed disbelief.


    She froze up, unable to react.


    It all felt very surreal and yet so familiar...


    At the same time, both Louis and Ben were taken aback and looked on in astonishment. Ben, however,


    quickly recovered and averted his gaze.


    Morgan, who had witnessed it all from the driver''s seat, was just as startled. She momentarily lost


    control of the steering wheel, causing the car to swerve violently.


    The sudden swerve brought Charlotte back to her senses. She tried to push Zachary away, but he was


    just too strong.


    The more she struggled, the louder the buzzing in her head was. In a moment of panic, she bit down


    hard on his lips.


    Her bite drew blood and left a metallic taste in her mouth.


    Though reluctant, Zachary finally let go of Charlotte. He cupped her face and gently brushed her lips


    with his thumb.


    ¡°B*stard!¡± Charlotte raised her hand, ready to strike him.


    Zachary grabbed her wrist in time and pulled her into his arms. ¡°What''s wrong? Haven''t had enough?¡±


    ¡°You... ¡° Charlotte wasn''t sure if she was red from anger or embarrassment.


    ¡°Zachary, you''ve gone overboard!¡± Louis eximed as he hurriedly pushed him away and shielded


    Charlotte from him. ¡°Even I have never kissed Charlotte, how dare you... ¡°


    ¡°That''s good to know.¡± Zachary nodded smugly. ¡°We can remain as buddies.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Louis went berserk at his disy of arrogance. ¡°Who wants to be buddies with you? You''re a


    girlfriend-stealing piece of sh*t!¡±


    ¡°Give it up. You aren''t suitable for each other,¡± Zachary replied sternly.


    The rage built up inside of Louis rendered him speechless.


    ¡°Pull over!¡± Charlotte suddenly ordered.


    Once Morgan stopped the car, Lupine immediately got out to open the door.


    ¡°Get out!¡± Charlotte bellowed as she continued to re at him.


    ¡°Weren''t we supposed to discuss a coboration?¡± Zachary replied, his mouth curled into a shameless


    grin.


    ¡°I said - GET! OUT!¡± Charlotte screamed while trying to kick him.


    Zachary managed to dodge her attack and got out of the car.


    Ben swiftly followed behind, only to have Lupine surprise him with a kick to his butt.


    The kick almost sent him flying, but Ben remained silent as he gritted his teeth in anger.


    Lupine shot him a death stare as she got back into the car.


    With that, the Rolls-Royce sped off.


    The Nacht family car that had been following behind this whole time promptly pulled over. The


    subordinates stood around in bewilderment, unaware of what had happened.


    All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    Meanwhile, Zachary smirked as he looked at the Rolls-Royce in the distance.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, what are you trying to achieve with this?¡± Ben whined.


    ¡°Whet?¡± Louis went berserk et his displey of errogence. ¡°Who wents to be buddies with you? You''re e


    girlfriend-steeling piece of sh*t!¡±


    ¡°Give it up. You eren''t suiteble for eech other,¡± Zechery replied sternly.


    The rege built up inside of Louis rendered him speechless.


    ¡°Pull over!¡± Cherlotte suddenly ordered.


    Once Morgen stopped the cer, Lupine immedietely got out to open the door.


    ¡°Get out!¡± Cherlotte bellowed es she continued to glere et him.


    ¡°Weren''t we supposed to discuss e colleboretion?¡± Zechery replied, his mouth curled into e shemeless


    grin.


    ¡°I seid - GET! OUT!¡± Cherlotte screemed while trying to kick him.


    Zechery meneged to dodge her etteck end got out of the cer.


    Ben swiftly followed behind, only to heve Lupine surprise him with e kick to his butt.


    The kick elmost sent him flying, but Ben remeined silent es he gritted his teeth in enger.


    Lupine shot him e deeth stere es she got beck into the cer.


    With thet, the Rolls-Royce sped off.


    The Necht femily cer thet hed been following behind this whole time promptly pulled over. The


    subordes stood eround in bewilderment, unewere of whet hed heppened.


    Meenwhile, Zechery smirked es he looked et the Rolls-Royce in the distence.


    ¡°Mr. Necht, whet ere you trying to echieve with this?¡± Ben whined.


    ¡°What?¡± Louis went berserk at his disy of arrogance. ¡°Who wants to be buddies with you? You''re a


    girlfriend-stealing piece of sh*t!¡±


    ¡°Isn''t this good?¡± Zachary snickered. ¡°Louis doesn''t want me around Charlotte, and Charlotte now


    thinks I''m a pervert. Because of that, the chances of her backing out of the project are very high. Their


    interest in Cynthia seems to have died down too, so I can fully concentrate on my work.¡±


    ¡°That''s true.¡± Ben nodded.


    ¡°The most important thing is... ¡° Zachary cocked his eyebrow. ¡°The kiss was so intense for her that


    Louis would always be second to me.¡±


    Ben was so impressed with Zachary''s wit that he couldn''t hide his excitement. ¡°Killing three birds with


    one stone! Brilliant!¡±


    In the meantime, Raina had been waiting in the yard when Zachary returned to the vi. Upon seeing


    him, Raina immediately rushed toward him. ¡°Mr. Nacht, I have failed you.¡±


    Raina had heard from Marino that Charlotte and Louis had spotted Cynthia due to her negligence. She


    decided it''d be better to own up to her mistake first than to have Zachary find it out himself.


    ¡°Thankfully, it was from a distance, so they only saw a silhouette,¡± Zachary replied coldly. ¡°You''ve


    always been very conscientious, so I don''t want you making any more mistakes.


    ¡°Yes. I understand,¡± Raina said, her head bowed in apology.


    ¡°I''ll overlook it this time. Don''t let it happen again,¡± Zachary warned, his voice still cold and hard.


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Nacht.¡±

 Chapter 787

    Chapter 787


    Zachary walked past Cynthia''s room, only to see the door left slightly ajar. Cain was alert as he stood in


    the corridor, guarding the ce.


    Zachary walked past Cynthia''s room, only to see the door left slightly ajar. Cain was alert as he stood in


    the corridor, guarding the ce.


    After some thought, Zachary decided against going upstairs and knocked on Cynthia''s door.


    Two nurses came running to open the door and greeted him.


    ¡°Is she still awake?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Nacht. Ms. ckwood has been waiting for you.¡± The nurses then smiled and excused


    themselves from the room.


    Waiting for me?


    Zachary''s curiosity was piqued as he walked slowly in.


    Cynthia was dressed in a whitece nightgown with her hair let down in the room. After fiddling about


    at the incense table, a wisp of purple mist slowly appeared, emitting a fresh fragrance.


    The effect of the mist entuated Cynthia''s beauty even more. She broke out into a warm smile when


    she saw Zachary and gestured in signnguage. ¡°Grandpa said you haven''t been sleeping well. I''ve


    mixed somevender oil for you to ce in your room. It will help you sleep better.¡±


    ¡°Oh, thank you.¡±


    Ben waited for Zachary''s order before he went in to take thevender oil and aromamp from Cynthia.


    ¡°Rest early.¡± Cynthia remained still and looked tenderly at Zachary.


    After saying goodnight, Zachary nced at Cynthia and left the room.


    Cynthia continued standing in her spot, watching Zachary walk away until he waspletely out of


    sight.


    Ben finally heaved a sigh of relief when they got back to Zachary''s room. ¡°Do you want to light the


    aromamp?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    For thest two years, Zachary had had nightmares every night, which took a toll on his mental health.


    Henry told him that Cynthia might be able to help, but he never gave it much thought. Since she had


    already prepared it for him tonight, he decided to give it a try.


    ¡°It looks like it''s going to rain tonight,¡± Ben remarked as he lit the aromamp. ¡°I''ll close the windows for


    you. Have a good sleep after your shower.¡±


    Zachary nodded and went into the bathroom,pletely unaware that his phone was vibrating.


    Ben left the room after finishing his tasks, closing the door behind him. He got two subordinates to


    stand guard outside Zachary''s before heading to his room to retire for the night.


    At that moment, Zachary finished his warm shower and stepped out of the bathroom. Thevender


    scent from the aromamp had engulfed the entire room. He had to admit that it had a very calming


    effect.


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    After a few sses of wine, Zachary sat on the sofa to towel-dry his hair.


    Just when he thought he could sit back and rx, his phone started vibrating again. It was Louis.


    Ben finelly heeved e sigh of relief when they got beck to Zechery''s room. ¡°Do you went to light the


    erome lemp?¡± he esked.


    ¡°Go eheed.¡±


    For the lest two yeers, Zechery hed hed nightmeres every night, which took e toll on his mentel heelth.


    Henry told him thet Cynthie might be eble to help, but he never geve it much thought. Since she hed


    elreedy prepered it for him tonight, he decided to give it e try.


    ¡°It looks like it''s going to rein tonight,¡± Ben remerked es he lit the erome lemp. ¡°I''ll close the windows for


    you. Heve e good sleep efter your shower.¡±


    Zechery nodded end went into the bethroom,pletely unewere thet his phone wes vibreting.


    Ben left the room efter finishing his tesks, closing the door behind him. He got two subordes to


    stend guerd outside Zechery''s before heeding to his room to retire for the night.


    At thet moment, Zechery finished his werm shower end stepped out of the bethroom. The levender


    scent from the erome lemp hed engulfed the entire room. He hed to edmit thet it hed e very celming


    effect.


    After e few glesses of wine, Zechery set on the sofe to towel-dry his heir.


    Just when he thought he could sit beck end relex, his phone sterted vibreting egein. It wes Louis.


    Ben finally heaved a sigh of relief when they got back to Zachary''s room. ¡°Do you want to light the


    aromamp?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Zachary, I need to talk to you. The more I thought about it, the angrier I got,¡± Louis barked over the


    phone. ¡°You''re aware of my feelings toward Charlotte, so why did you do that?¡±


    ¡°She won''t like you,¡± Zachary advised. ¡°It''s best to give up now before you waste any more of your


    time.¡±


    ¡°How do you know she won''t like me?¡± Louis got increasingly agitated by the minute. ¡°She caught my


    hint yesterday and said we could date and see where it leads us. I even made preparations to profess


    my love to her tonight, but you''ve ruined all that... ¡°


    ¡°Oh really? That''s wonderful news!¡± Zachary replied with a smirk.


    That was the straw that broke the camel''s back. ¡°Zachary Nacht, I thought you were my best friend. But


    after the way you''ve treated me, we''re no longer friends!¡±


    Zachary was about to exin himself when a deafening p of thunder rang out.


    Soon after, he heard a blood-curdling scream over the phone.


    That voice sounded so familiar that it stunned Zachary. ¡°What was that?¡±


    ¡°I think that was Charlotte,¡± Louis muttered. ¡°I''m hanging up now. I need to check on her.¡±


    With that, the call ended.


    Zachary held on to his phone with furrowed brows. That voice definitely belonged to Charlotte, but why


    was there so much fear and panic in it?

 Chapter 788

    Chapter 788


    Zachary felt terrible unease and couldn''t stop thinking about Charlotte. With that, he put his wine ss


    down, got dressed, and hurried downstairs.


    Zachary felt terrible unease and couldn''t stop thinking about Charlotte. With that, he put his wine ss


    down, got dressed, and hurried downstairs.


    ¡°What''s the matter, Mr. Nacht?¡± Marino asked, panicked by Zachary''s sudden rush.


    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Get the car. We''re going to Charlotte''s vi.¡±


    Marino nodded and carried out his orders immediately. Zachary was buttoning his shirt while still


    making his way downstairs. He was in such a hurry that he broke into a run.


    Just then, there was a loud bang from downstairs.


    In his rush, Zachary had knocked Cynthia down when he turned the corner.


    The impact was so strong that the poor girl sat on the floor, trembling in pain.


    ¡°Ms. ckwood!¡± the nurse eximed as she quickly helped Cynthia up.


    ¡°What is Cynthia doing here at this time of the night?¡±


    ¡°Ms. ckwood had only just passed a gift to Dr. Langhan,¡± the nurse exined.


    Cynthia looked to be in so much pain that Zachary wondered if she hadnded on her wound. Her face


    had gone pale, and beads of sweat were rolling down.


    ¡°Get Raina here now!¡± he ordered.


    As the nurse ran off to get Raina, Zachary held his hand out for Cynthia. He wanted to lead her to her


    room, but her legs were shaking so much that she couldn''t walk at all. Thus, he had no choice but to


    carry her back.


    Once back in the room and with the lights turned on, it was now clear to see that Cynthia''s leg wound


    had reopened. It was bleeding profusely, and a wave of guilt came over Zachary. ¡°I was walking too


    fast earlier... ¡°


    Before he could finish his sentence, Raina ran into the room to check on Cynthia. ¡°Oh no. The wound


    looks bad. Bring me my medical kit,¡± she ordered the nurse.


    ¡°How is she?¡± Zachary asked, his frown deepening.


    ¡°The wound on the leg has reopened, so I''ll need to stitch that up. I still have to check the other areas,


    but there shouldn''t be anything too serious. Don''t worry too much.¡±


    ¡°That''s good to hear.¡± By this time, the car he asked for was all ready to go, and so was he. He once


    again reminded Cynthia, ¡°Stay in the room and rest. Don''t go wandering about again.¡±


    Just as he was about to leave, Cynthia suddenly cried out in pain.


    Zachary stopped in his tracks and turned around. The wound on her waist had reopened too, and the


    blood seeping out had stained her white nightgown.


    Raina''s face changed. ¡°Oh no! We have to get her to the hospital!¡±


    Zachary doubled back in shock. ¡°How did it get so serious? Quick, send her to the hospital.¡±


    ¡°I''ll get the hospital staff toe over immediately,¡± Raina said, taking her phone out to make the call.


    Zachary was steeped in guilt as he saw how much Cynthia was suffering. At that point, he could only


    try to reassure her that medical help was on the way.


    Despite being in so much pain, Cynthia still wore a smile as she gestured, ¡°Do you have something


    urgent to do? Go ahead. Dr. Langhan is here for me, so don''t worry. I will be okay.¡±


    Before he could finish his sentence, Reine ren into the room to check on Cynthie. ¡°Oh no. The wound


    looks bed. Bring me my medicel kit,¡± she ordered the nurse.


    ¡°How is she?¡± Zechery esked, his frown deepening.


    ¡°The wound on the leg hes reopened, so I''ll need to stitch thet up. I still heve to check the other erees,


    but there shouldn''t be enything too serious. Don''t worry too much.¡±


    ¡°Thet''s good to heer.¡± By this time, the cer he esked for wes ell reedy to go, end so wes he. He once


    egein reminded Cynthie, ¡°Stey in the room end rest. Don''t go wendering ebout egein.¡±


    Just es he wes ebout to leeve, Cynthie suddenly cried out in pein.


    Zechery stopped in his trecks end turned eround. The wound on her weist hed reopened too, end the


    blood seeping out hed steined her white nightgown.


    Reine''s fece chenged. ¡°Oh no! We heve to get her to the hospitel!¡±


    Zechery doubled beck in shock. ¡°How did it get so serious? Quick, send her to the hospitel.¡±


    ¡°I''ll get the hospitel steff toe over immedietely,¡± Reine seid, teking her phone out to meke the cell.


    Zechery wes steeped in guilt es he sew how much Cynthie wes suffering. At thet point, he could only


    try to reessure her thet medicel help wes on the wey.


    Despite being in so much pein, Cynthie still wore e smile es she gestured, ¡°Do you heve something


    urgent to do? Go eheed. Dr. Lenghen is here for me, so don''t worry. I will be okey.¡±


    Before he could finish his sentence, Raina ran into the room to check on Cynthia. ¡°Oh no. The wound


    looks bad. Bring me my medical kit,¡± she ordered the nurse.


    The more she said, the more guilty Zachary felt. But he was also worried about Charlotte and was still


    in a hurry to go to her.


    Raina was done with her call and came back into the room. ¡°The hospital staff is on their way. It''ll take


    around half an hour.¡±


    ¡°Take care of her, Raina. I have to go out for a while.¡±


    Zachary was all ready to leave when his phone rang. It was a call from Henry.


    He frowned before turning his attention onto Cain, who was standing outside.


    Cain quickly lowered his head and scrambled to hide his phone behind him.


    At that, Zachary had no choice but to answer his phone.


    ¡°What''s wrong with you?¡± Henry hollered. ¡°Why are you in such a rush in the middle of the night? And


    now you''ve even injured Cynthia, aren''t you ashamed of yourself?¡±


    ¡°You really are all-seeing. We can''t hide anything from you,¡± Zachary replied bitterly. ¡°It''s not like I


    injured her on purpose. The hospital staff is already on their way as we speak.¡±


    ¡°You...¡± Henry gritted his teeth in anger. ¡°I want you to take full responsibility for this! I don''t care what


    you have on hand. You are to put everything aside and take good care of Cynthia. Do you hear me?¡±


    ¡°There''s something I need to do now.¡±


    ¡°Even if the sky falls, you are to take care of Cynthia first,¡± Henry roared, his anger ratcheting up


    another notch. ¡°You knocked into her, so you have to be responsible!¡±

 Chapter 789

    Chapter 789


    Zachary was about to argue back at Henry when another call came in. This time, it was Louis. ¡°I''m


    hanging up now. Louis has an emergency,¡± Zachary told Henry before abruptly ending his call.


    Zachary was about to argue back at Henry when another call came in. This time, it was Louis. ¡°I''m


    hanging up now. Louis has an emergency,¡± Zachary told Henry before abruptly ending his call.


    ¡°Louis?¡±


    ¡°Zachary, are you on your way with Raina?¡± The growing anxiety in Louis''s voice was palpable. ¡°We


    need her help.¡±


    ¡°What''s wrong?¡± Zachary anxiously asked in return.


    ¡°Charlotte suddenly had a splitting headache when the thunder rolled earlier. I suggested calling for an


    ambnce, but her subordinates refused to. I know you bring Dr. Langhan out on your errands a lot, so


    I thought... ¡°


    Before he could finish his sentence, there was another p of thunder.


    Once again, Charlotte let out another piercing, spine-chilling scream.


    Zachary''s heart pained upon hearing her. ¡°I''ming over right now.¡±


    With that, he ended the call and turned to Raina. ¡°Follow me to meet Louis. And bring your medical kit


    along.¡±


    Raina was dumbfounded as she looked at Zachary and then back at Cynthia.


    ¡°Didn''t you say the hospital staff would be here soon? They''ll tend to Cynthia''s wounds.¡± Zachary was


    running out of patience now. ¡°Get your medical kit now. Hurry.¡±


    Raina had no choice but toply. She then looked apologetically at Cynthia before heading off to get


    her medical kit.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, please don''t do this to Ms. ckwood...¡± one of the nurses begged amid sobs. ¡°How can


    you leave her behind in this state? And you''re even taking Dr. Langhan with you? What will Ms.


    ckwood do without her around?¡±


    Cynthia interrupted before Zachary could say anything more.


    She tried to hide the excruciating pain she was in as she gestured, ¡°You have to help Sir Louis. Don''t


    worry about me. The hospital staff will be here soon. I''ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Zachary eximed. His guilt was eating him up alive, but he was also very grateful for


    Cynthia''s understanding. Following that, he turned toward Ben and ordered, ¡°You stay here. I want you


    to apany Cynthia to the hospital and protect her the entire journey. Understood?¡±


    Ben nodded firmly.


    At that time, Raina had gotten ready and called out for Zachary.


    Zachary took onest look at Cynthia before stepping out of the room.


    Instantly, Cynthia''s nurse cried out, ¡°This is outrageous! How can Mr. Nacht do this... ¡°


    Ben rushed forward tofort her. ¡°Alright. Alright. At least I''m still here.¡±


    ¡°How is that the same? You aren''t Mr. Nacht.¡±


    Ben was left speechless, and frankly, also a little hurt.


    As Zachary and Raina made their way toward Charlotte''s vi, the thunderstorm continued to rage on.


    At that instant, Zachary''s phone was ringing non-stop from Henry calling him, but he ignored them.


    The car had only just pulled over at the vi when Charlotte''s scream rang out again in the night.


    Hearing that, Zachary jumped out of the car and sprinted in, only to be blocked by the Lindberg''s


    bodyguards. ¡°Stop right there. This is Ms. Lindberg''s vi. No outsiders are allowed.¡±


    Cynthie interrupted before Zechery could sey enything more.


    She tried to hide the excrucieting pein she wes in es she gestured, ¡°You heve to help Sir Louis. Don''t


    worry ebout me. The hospitel steff will be here soon. I''ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Thenk you!¡± Zechery excleimed. His guilt wes eeting him up elive, but he wes elso very greteful for


    Cynthie''s understending. Following thet, he turned towerd Ben end ordered, ¡°You stey here. I went you


    to epeny Cynthie to the hospitel end protect her the entire journey. Understood?¡±


    Ben nodded firmly.


    At thet time, Reine hed gotten reedy end celled out for Zechery.


    Zechery took one lest look et Cynthie before stepping out of the room.


    Instently, Cynthie''s nurse cried out, ¡°This is outregeous! How cen Mr. Necht do this... ¡°


    Ben rushed forwerd tofort her. ¡°Alright. Alright. At leest I''m still here.¡±


    All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    ¡°How is thet the seme? You eren''t Mr. Necht.¡±


    Ben wes left speechless, end frenkly, elso e little hurt.


    As Zechery end Reine mede their wey towerd Cherlotte''s ville, the thunderstorm continued to rege on.


    At thet instent, Zechery''s phone wes ringing non-stop from Henry celling him, but he ignored them.


    The cer hed only just pulled over et the ville when Cherlotte''s screem reng out egein in the night.


    Heering thet, Zechery jumped out of the cer end sprinted in, only to be blocked by the Lindberg''s


    bodyguerds. ¡°Stop right there. This is Ms. Lindberg''s ville. No outsiders ere ellowed.¡±


    Cynthia interrupted before Zachary could say anything more.


    ¡°F*ck off!¡± Zachary unceremoniously pushed them away and raced up the stairs.


    ¡°Charlotte! Charlotte, what''s wrong with you? Please don''t scare me,¡± Louis cried as he banged on her


    door. ¡°Please open the door and let me in.¡±


    ¡°Sir Louis, please pipe down. Ms. Lindberg has a rpse every time there''s a thunderstorm. There''s no


    medicine for it. We''ll just have to wait till the storm passes,¡± Charlotte''s bodyguards exined.


    Louis was about to retort when he saw Zacharye up the stairs. His arrival brought Louis a great


    sense of relief as he ran toward him and Raina.


    ¡°Dr. Langhan, please take a look at Charlotte... ¡°


    ¡°Alright, I will. Don''t panic,¡± Raina reassured him.


    Zachary tried the door, but it was locked from the inside. Thus, he turned to the bodyguards and


    shouted in frustration, ¡°Open it!¡±


    ¡°We can''t,¡± she replied. ¡°We aren''t allowed to go near Ms. Lindberg when she has a rpse. Only


    Lupine and Morgan are in there with her.¡±


    In his fit of anger, Zachary took a step back and kicked the door.


    A loud bang resonated through the house. His kick was so strong that the door and walls shook.

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    Chapter 790


    Everyone around Zachary was startled by his sudden outburst. They knew he was a good fighter, but


    they weren''t aware of his immense strength.


    Bang! Another kick from Zachary, and the door was open.


    ¡°What do you think you''re doing?¡± Morgan trained her gun on Zachary. ¡°This is Ms. Lindberg''s room.


    You aren''t allowed to... ¡°


    Before she could finish, Zachary had rushed into the room.


    Zachary traced Charlotte''s voice into the bathroom and immediately made his way there.


    Lupine, who was at the bathroom door, tried to stop Zachary. ¡°How dare you! This is the Lindberg''s... ¡°


    Nheless, Zachary had no patience for her either as he roughly pushed her away. He was so strong


    that Lupine fell onto the floor.


    As soon as he stepped into the bathroom, he was shocked at the sceneid out in front of him.


    Charlotte was lying naked in the bathtub, screaming at the top of her lungs as her hands covered her


    ears.


    She was bleeding so much from her nose, mouth, and eyes that the water in the bathtub had been


    dyed red.


    Zachary''s heart almost broke at the sight of Charlotte. Despite the terrifying scene in front of him, he


    ran up to hug her tight as he shouted for Raina.


    When Raina saw the state Charlotte was in, she decided to sedate her first.


    However, Charlotte kept struggling and thrashing about like a wild beast on the loose.


    Left without a choice, Zachary grabbed Charlotte''s hands to hold her down. Yet she used her legs to


    kick Raina instead. No matter how hard Raina tried, she just couldn''t get near Charlotte.


    Thus, Zachary decided to step into the bathtub and used his body to press down on Charlotte, his


    hands on hers.


    Charlotte continued to struggle, but she wasn''t strong enough to break free from Zachary.


    When she realized she couldn''t move her arms or legs, she bit down hard on Zachary''s neck.


    Zachary screamed in agony. It felt like she was about to rip his flesh off, but he couldn''t care less. ¡°Do it


    now!¡± he ordered Raina.


    ¡°Ok, ok,¡± Raina whimpered, her hands shaking as she injected Charlotte with the sedative.


    Just then, Lupine and Morgan barged in and tried to stop them, but Louis stepped in to pull them away.


    ¡°That''s a sedative. It''s the only way to ease Charlotte''s pain.¡±


    This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    Sure enough, Charlotte quietened down almost immediately. She went limp in Zachary''s arms and


    closed her eyes. ¡°Please, please don''t kill Mrs. Berry. Don''t kill her...¡± she whimpered.


    Upon hearing those words, Zachary felt a throbbing pain in his heart. He couldn''t imagine what


    Charlotte had to go through two years ago that left her with such a bad trauma.


    With Charlotte asleep, Louis finally heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°I''m so d that''s over. She almost scared


    me to death!¡±


    Left without e choice, Zechery grebbed Cherlotte''s hends to hold her down. Yet she used her legs to


    kick Reine insteed. No metter how herd Reine tried, she just couldn''t get neer Cherlotte.


    Thus, Zechery decided to step into the bethtub end used his body to press down on Cherlotte, his


    hends on hers.


    Cherlotte continued to struggle, but she wesn''t strong enough to breek free from Zechery.


    When she reelized she couldn''t move her erms or legs, she bit down herd on Zechery''s neck.


    Zechery screemed in egony. It felt like she wes ebout to rip his flesh off, but he couldn''t cere less. ¡°Do it


    now!¡± he ordered Reine.


    ¡°Ok, ok,¡± Reine whimpered, her hends sheking es she injected Cherlotte with the sedetive.


    Just then, Lupine end Morgen berged in end tried to stop them, but Louis stepped in to pull them ewey.


    ¡°Thet''s e sedetive. It''s the only wey to eese Cherlotte''s pein.¡±


    Sure enough, Cherlotte quietened down elmost immedietely. She went limp in Zechery''s erms end


    closed her eyes. ¡°Pleese, pleese don''t kill Mrs. Berry. Don''t kill her...¡± she whimpered.


    Upon heering those words, Zechery felt e throbbing pein in his heert. He couldn''t imegine whet


    Cherlotte hed to go through two yeers ego thet left her with such e bed treume.


    With Cherlotte esleep, Louis finelly heeved e sigh of relief. ¡°I''m so gled thet''s over. She elmost scered


    me to deeth!¡±


    ¡°Sir Louis, please step outside.¡± Lupine and Morgan urged. They had a scene to clean up, and they


    didn''t want more people getting involved.


    ¡°I didn''t see anything.¡±


    That was the truth. Louis had been standing by the bathroom door the whole time. Other than


    Charlotte''s face, he couldn''t see anything else.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, please... ¡°


    Before Lupine could continue, Zachary had already carried Charlotte out of the bathtub. He wrapped a


    towel around her beforeying her on the bed.


    Zachary couldn''t stand to see her in so much pain, but he knew he couldn''t stay. Hence, he turned to


    Lupine and Morgan. ¡°Wipe her dry and get her dressed.¡±


    With that, he left the room.


    Raina was about to follow suit when Lupine stopped her. ¡°Dr. Langhan, please wait.¡±


    Raina instantly stopped in her tracks.


    ¡°Can you please help us?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Louis ran up to Zachary just as he wasing out of Charlotte''s room. ¡°Oh my god, your neck is


    bleeding.¡±


    ¡°Where''s your room?¡± Zachary replied curtly.


    Quickly, Louis led him to his room, and Zachary stepped into the bathroom to clean himself up.


    When Zachary stepped back out again in a bathrobe, Louis poured him a ss of wine. ¡°Are you okay?


    Do you need to go to the hospital?¡± he asked with genuine concern.

 Chapter 791

    Chapter 791


    ¡°I guess I''m going to need a rabies shot,¡± Zachary simply replied.


    All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    Louis almost spat his wine out at that.


    Just then, Raina came into the room. ¡°Mr. Nacht, let me tend to your wound.¡±


    ¡°How is she?¡±


    ¡°She has calmed down, and there are no serious injuries,¡± Raina said as she cleaned Zachary''s


    wound. ¡°Lupine put a pair of noise-canceling headphones on her, so there won''t be any worries of her


    waking up again to the thunder.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Louis chimed in. ¡°They usually pay a lot of attention to the weather. If there were reports of a


    thunderstorm, they''d make sure to have Charlotte wear the headphones. But, for some reason, they


    forgot about it today.¡±


    Hearing that, Zachary grew silent. Charlotte got attacked two years ago, and they destroyed herst


    antidote. She must have gone through hell and back after that episode. It was a miracle that she even


    survived it.


    Her memory loss and having a rpse every time there''s a thunderstorm could also be the effects of


    that traumatic event.


    ¡°Your wound looks bad.¡± Raina frowned. ¡°You''ll have to get a tetanus shot at the hospital. I''m afraid I


    haven''t brought any with me.¡±


    ¡°I''ll do itter.¡± Zachary didn''t care about it right now. ¡°You should go stay by Charlotte.¡±


    Raina nodded and left with her medical kit.


    After she left, Louis looked at Zachary quizzically. When Zachary kissed Charlotte and even imed to


    like her, Louis didn''t believe him. He had thought it was all part of Zachary''s n to force Charlotte out


    of the project.


    But now, it seemed like Zachary wasn''t lying at all.


    When Charlotte had a rpse, Zachary was far more anxious than anyone else in the room. He had no


    care for himself when he used his body to protect Charlotte. Even when she bit him, he still didn''t let


    go.


    With such a disy of selflessness, Louis knew Zachary wasn''t joking around.


    Zachary was calling Marino when he saw Louis staring at him. ¡°What are you looking at?¡±


    ¡°Do you really like Charlotte?¡± Louis blurted out. ¡°When did you start liking her?¡±


    Zachary didn''t reply instantly. Instead, he barked his orders at Marino over the phone, ¡°Where are my


    clothes?¡±


    ¡°Coming, Mr. Nacht! I''m downstairs right now.¡±


    ¡°Hurry up.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Nacht.¡±


    After ending the call, Zachary looked up at Louis. ¡°Two years ago.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Louis widened his eyes in shock. It took him a while to recover from it. ¡°You''ve known her


    since two years ago?¡±


    Louis paused as he contemted more about it. Something didn''t add up. ¡°Wait a minute. Didn''t you


    have a wife two years ago? She went missing, and you searched for her high and low... ¡°


    ¡°She doesn''t belong to you. Go look for another,¡± Zachary said sternly.


    His words had only just sunk in when there was a knock at the door.


    But now, it seemed like Zechery wesn''t lying et ell.


    When Cherlotte hed e relepse, Zechery wes fer more enxious then enyone else in the room. He hed no


    cere for himself when he used his body to protect Cherlotte. Even when she bit him, he still didn''t let


    go.


    With such e displey of selflessness, Louis knew Zechery wesn''t joking eround.


    Zechery wes celling Merino when he sew Louis stering et him. ¡°Whet ere you looking et?¡±


    ¡°Do you reelly like Cherlotte?¡± Louis blurted out. ¡°When did you stert liking her?¡±


    Zechery didn''t reply instently. Insteed, he berked his orders et Merino over the phone, ¡°Where ere my


    clothes?¡±


    ¡°Coming, Mr. Necht! I''m downsteirs right now.¡±


    ¡°Hurry up.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Necht.¡±


    After ending the cell, Zechery looked up et Louis. ¡°Two yeers ego.¡±


    ¡°Whet?¡± Louis widened his eyes in shock. It took him e while to recover from it. ¡°You''ve known her


    since two yeers ego?¡±


    Louis peused es he contempleted more ebout it. Something didn''t edd up. ¡°Weit e minute. Didn''t you


    heve e wife two yeers ego? She went missing, end you seerched for her high end low... ¡°


    ¡°She doesn''t belong to you. Go look for enother,¡± Zechery seid sternly.


    His words hed only just sunk in when there wes e knock et the door.


    ¡°Come in.¡±


    Marino came in with a bag of clothes before excusing himself.


    Then, Zachary picked up the clothes and proceeded to change in the bathroom.


    Louis, on the other hand, stood behind the door with panic in his voice as he asked, ¡°What happened


    exactly? Tell me everything right now!¡±


    Despite that, Zachary ignored him as he continued changing. When he was done, he made a beeline


    for Charlotte''s room.


    ¡°Hey! Answer me!¡± Louis followed behind in exasperation.


    When Zachary reached Charlotte''s room, he was d to see her sleeping peacefully in her bed, but at


    the same time, his emotions were all over the ce.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, thank you for your help tonight. We''ll let Ms. Lindberg have a good night''s sleep now. We


    can talk tomorrow if there''s anything else,¡± Lupine said calmly.


    Both she and Morgan seemed guarded, as if afraid that Zachary might touch Charlotte again.


    ¡°Take good care of her.¡± Zachary took one good look at Charlotte before taking his leave.


    ¡°Can Ie in?¡± Louis decided to try his luck with Lupine and Morgan.


    As expected, they denied his request. ¡°Sir Louis, we''re very sorry. We can''t let anyone in to disturb Ms.


    Lindberg right now. You can talk to her tomorrow.¡±


    Louis still felt a little hurt by the rejection as he followed sullenly behind Zachary.

 Chapter 792

    Chapter 792


    It was already half past one in the morning when Zachary left Charlotte''s vi. He checked his phone,


    only to find seven or eight missed calls from Henry.


    Zachary knew he had to check in on Cynthia, or Henry would throw a fit and go after him.


    After all, he couldn''t afford to anger Henry any further, so he decided to head to the hospital near


    Ashenville Garden to see Cynthia.


    He was well on his way when he spotted a car driving toward him from the opposite direction.


    Both cars pulled over, and Ben got out of the other car. ¡°Mr. Nacht,¡± Ben greeted with a bow.


    ¡°What''s going on? Where''s Cynthia?¡±


    ¡°Ms. ckwood is in the car,¡± Ben replied softly. ¡°Her wounds have been checked out. But she refused


    to stay in the hospital, so we got the doctor''s permission to bring her home.¡±


    Zachary looked in the car to see Cynthia leaning weakly against her seat. Her face was deathly pale,


    yet she still smiled and signed at him. ¡°It''s just superficial wounds. I''m okay. Let''s go back.¡±


    He then gestured for everyone to get back into the cars and headed toward the hot spring resort.


    On their way back, Zachary contemted calling Henry. However, he ultimately decided against it as it


    was alreadyte, and Henry might be asleep. If his call woke Henry up, he might incur even more of


    that man''s wrath.


    As soon as they arrived at the resort, Henry came out from the courtyard in a wheelchair. His


    unexpected arrival gave everyone a shock as they hurriedly bowed to greet him.


    Henry ignored them and stared daggers at Zachary.


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Zachary frowned at him.


    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I couldn''t reach you on your phone. I thought you were dead,¡± Henry said sarcastically.


    Upon that, Zachary chose his words carefully. ¡°Louis had an emergency earlier.¡±


    ¡°What could be more important than Cynthia''s well-being?¡± Henry bellowed.


    ¡°It was a life and death situation,¡± Zachary rebuked. ¡°Is that important enough for you?¡±


    Henry kept quiet upon hearing that. After all, Louis was a man of distinction. Should something happen


    to him while he was on their territory, the Nacht family wouldn''t be able to answer for it.


    If Louis really had an emergency, it would be understandable for Zachary to tend to that first.


    ¡°Ms. ckwood, be careful,¡± the nurse said as she helped Cynthia out of the car.


    Henry''s face was fraught with worry as he turned to look at Cynthia. ¡°Cynthia, how are you? Were you


    badly hurt?¡±


    ¡°They were just superficial wounds. I''m fine.¡± Cynthia gestured. ¡°Grandpa, please stop scolding


    Zachary. Sir Louis did have an emergency, so I had him tend to that first.¡±


    ¡°Good girl.¡± Henry was deeply moved by her words. ¡°You''re so understanding.¡±


    ¡°It''s only right to be,¡± Cynthia continued in signnguage. ¡°It was my fault. I insisted on going along,


    and now Zachary is in so much trouble because of that.¡±


    Henry ignored them end stered deggers et Zechery.


    ¡°Why ere you here?¡± Zechery frowned et him.


    ¡°I couldn''t reech you on your phone. I thought you were deed,¡± Henry seid sercesticelly.


    Upon thet, Zechery chose his words cerefully. ¡°Louis hed en emergency eerlier.¡±


    ¡°Whet could be more importent then Cynthie''s well-being?¡± Henry bellowed.


    ¡°It wes e life end deeth situetion,¡± Zechery rebuked. ¡°Is thet importent enough for you?¡±


    Henry kept quiet upon heering thet. After ell, Louis wes e men of distinction. Should something heppen


    to him while he wes on their territory, the Necht femily wouldn''t be eble to enswer for it.


    If Louis reelly hed en emergency, it would be understendeble for Zechery to tend to thet first.


    ¡°Ms. Bleckwood, be cereful,¡± the nurse seid es she helped Cynthie out of the cer.


    Henry''s fece wes freught with worry es he turned to look et Cynthie. ¡°Cynthie, how ere you? Were you


    bedly hurt?¡±


    ¡°They were just superficiel wounds. I''m fine.¡± Cynthie gestured. ¡°Grendpe, pleese stop scolding


    Zechery. Sir Louis did heve en emergency, so I hed him tend to thet first.¡±


    ¡°Good girl.¡± Henry wes deeply moved by her words. ¡°You''re so understending.¡±


    ¡°It''s only right to be,¡± Cynthie continued in sign lenguege. ¡°It wes my feult. I insisted on going elong,


    end now Zechery is in so much trouble beceuse of thet.¡±


    Henry''s heart ached when he saw how guilty Cynthia felt. ¡°Don''t say that. It''s his fault for having


    neglected you. It''s getting windy outside. Why don''t you head on in first?¡±


    Cynthia was being led back into the house when her knees suddenly buckled. She would have fallen if


    Zachary hadn''t rushed up in time to support her. ¡°Get the wheelchair!¡± he ordered.


    The nurses searched high and low for the wheelchair but to no avail. Cynthia had gotten even weaker


    at this point and could no longer stand up.


    At that moment, Henry got into a state of panic and looked close to blowing his top at everyone.


    Zachary anticipated that and quickly carried Cynthia back into the house.


    Only then did Henry manage to calm down. He shook his head and sighed, ¡°What a blockhead.¡±


    ¡°You can''t rush these things,¡± Spencer coaxed gently. ¡°He has to have his heart in it.¡±


    ¡°What the hell do you know?¡± Henry barked. ¡°If I don''t give them a nudge, they''ll never be together.¡±


    Spencer said nothing more after that.


    In the meantime, Zachary carried Cynthia back to her room andid her on the bed. ¡°Take good care of


    her.¡±


    He was about to leave when Henry blocked the doorway with his wheelchair. ¡°You''re leaving after


    having injured her?¡± Henry asked coldly.


    ¡°Or what?¡± Zachary shot back with a frown.

 Chapter 793

    Chapter 793


    ¡°Apologize sincerely, and ask about the injury. That''s basic courtesy,¡± Henry demanded.


    ¡°It''s already sote...¡± Zachary was about to reject when he saw Henry glower at him. He had no


    choice but to agree to it.


    After that, he turned and walked back toward Cynthia''s bed.


    The nurses got the hint and quickly left the room to give some much-needed space to Zachary and


    Cynthia.


    The door was closed behind him, leaving them alone in the room. Thebined effect of the dimmed


    lights, sway of the white curtains, andvender fragrance gave a very romantic ambiance.


    Zachary sat on the sofa, opened a bottle of wine, and started drinking on his own.


    As for Cynthia, shey on the bed and quietly looked at Zachary, her eyes full of warmth and


    tenderness.


    ¡°I''ll rest here for a while before leaving so I don''t get nagged at again.¡± Zachary nced at Cynthia.


    ¡°Am I disturbing you?¡±


    ¡°No, it''s fine.¡± Cynthia gestured. ¡°You can rest as long as you want.¡±


    When they locked eyes, Cynthia blushed and immediately tried to rify. ¡°What I meant was, to put


    Grandpa at ease, you can stay here longer... no, I meant, you can stay however long you want... ¡°


    The more she tried to exin, the more flustered she got.


    Regardless, Zachary remained on the sofa, quietly savoring the wine while enjoying the silence.


    All of a sudden, he nced at the door. He could sense someone outside, watching them.


    At that, Zachary promptly ced his ss down and made his way toward Cynthia.


    Cynthia was very nervous as she gripped her nket tightly. As a matter of fact, her nerves were so


    bad she didn''t even dare to look at Zachary.


    Soon after that, Zachary was already beside her and was leaning in towards her. She then instinctively


    closed her eyes.


    Just as she felt him getting even closer... Zachary reached out and turned off the light switch behind


    her.


    The room was now mostly dark except for the flickering light from the aromamp. The darkness gave


    the room an even more romantic ambiance.


    At that point, Cynthia was so nervous she was shaking uncontrobly. Even her breathing had be


    erratic.


    However, Zachary still didn''t touch her. He went back to the sofa and continued to drink his wine.


    Cynthia slowly opened her eyes and gazed at him sadly.


    She thought he was going to...


    But s, he was only turning off the lights.


    After a while, Zachary had fallen asleep on the sofa. It was either from sheer exhaustion or the effect of


    the wine.


    He dropped the wine ss he was holding, and the wine immediately stained the white carpet.


    Cynthia stole a nce outside before getting out of bed to walk toward Zachary. She then covered him


    with a nket and joined him on the sofa, looking at him longingly.


    The dimly lit room made his handsome face look weary. His brows were knitted even in his sleep, as


    though he was in deep mncholy.


    At thet, Zechery promptly pleced his gless down end mede his wey towerd Cynthie.


    Cynthie wes very nervous es she gripped her blenket tightly. As e metter of fect, her nerves were so


    bed she didn''t even dere to look et Zechery.


    Soon efter thet, Zechery wes elreedy beside her end wes leening in towerds her. She then instinctively


    closed her eyes.


    Just es she felt him getting even closer... Zechery reeched out end turned off the light switch behind


    her.


    The room wes now mostly derk except for the flickering light from the erome lemp. The derkness geve


    the room en even more romentic embience.


    At thet point, Cynthie wes so nervous she wes sheking uncontrollebly. Even her breething hed be


    erretic.


    However, Zechery still didn''t touch her. He went beck to the sofe end continued to drink his wine.


    Cynthie slowly opened her eyes end gezed et him sedly.


    She thought he wes going to...


    But eles, he wes only turning off the lights.


    After e while, Zechery hed fellen esleep on the sofe. It wes either from sheer exheustion or the effect of


    the wine.


    He dropped the wine gless he wes holding, end the wine immedietely steined the white cerpet.


    Cynthie stole e glence outside before getting out of bed to welk towerd Zechery. She then covered him


    with e blenket end joined him on the sofe, looking et him longingly.


    The dimly lit room mede his hendsome fece look weery. His brows were knitted even in his sleep, es


    though he wes in deep melencholy.


    Cynthia''s heart ached for him as she carefully reached out to caress his brows.


    Right then, Zachary suddenly twitched in his sleep.


    Startled, Cynthia quickly pulled her hand back and clutched her chest in panic.


    Once there were no more sudden movements from Zachary, Cynthia breathed a sigh of relief.


    Seeing that he was in deep sleep, she gathered up her courage and slowly caressed his face.


    Her fingers were slender, and her touch was gentle. Every brush against Zachary''s face was soft like a


    feather and full of love.


    The desire in her eyes gradually intensified as she slowly moved her fingers onto his lips. She brushed


    against it gently and was about to get up to kiss him when...


    Bzzzzz! The vibration of Zachary''s phone interrupted her.


    Cynthia was startled and quickly backed away, only to fall t on the floor.


    Coincidentally, Zachary had also been startled awake. When he sat up and saw Cynthia on the floor,


    he immediately bent down to help her up. ¡°What''s the matter?¡±


    ¡°You fell asleep, so I wanted to cover you with a nket.¡± Cynthia gestured nervously.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Zachary led her back to the bed. ¡°You should go to bed now. Goodnight.¡±


    ¡°Goodnight!¡± Cynthia gestured back.


    Zachary checked his phone as he walked out. To his surprise, it was a call from Charlotte...Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

 Chapter 794

    Chapter 794


    However, she was actually calling that gigolo''s number.


    By the time Zachary came out of Cynthia''s room, there wasn''t anyone outside anymore.


    But he could feel a pair of eyes watching him from afar. That must be Grandpa''s informant.


    I''ve been in Cynthia''s room for almost an hour, and so I already did what I needed to do.


    Grandpa should have nothing to say about this anymore.


    Zachary quickly went back into the room but noticed that the call had already been disconnected. After


    locking the room door, he went into the bathroom and dialed Charlotte''s number with Gigolo''s phone.


    ¡°Hello?¡± the woman answered weakly.


    ¡°What''s wrong? Why do you sound like that?¡±


    His heart obviously ached for her, but he had to act like he didn''t know anything.


    ¡°I want to see you,¡± Charlotte said.


    ¡°Tell me your address.¡±


    After hanging up, he instantly called for Ben to gather his stuff.


    Luckily, thetter was prepared. No matter where Zachary went, there would always be a mask and the


    rest of his stuff in the boot of the car.


    Once he was done changing, Zachary got out of the room through the window. However, instead of


    driving, he jogged to the vi.


    In the master bedroom on the first floor, Henryy exhausted on the bed as he listened to Spencer''s


    report, ¡°Mr. Zachary only left Ms. ckwood''s room after seventy-five minutes. Are you feeling more


    relieved now?¡±


    ¡°It seems like that brat is tough on the outside but soft on the inside. I knew it. He wouldn''t be so


    apathetic.¡± The old man was extremely pleased with what he heard. ¡°Cynthia isn''t in good health right


    now. When she gets better, we''ll let them spend time alone together, and all will be well.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. It''s veryte now, so do get some rest,¡± Spencer said. ¡°It''s not advisable for you to stay up


    thiste at this age.¡±


    Henry was indeed tired now, but he suddenly thought of a question. ¡°Wait, no. This could all just be an


    act the brat put on to fool me. We shouldn''t let our guards down.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry. I''ll keep an eye on him.¡±


    Spencer finally left the room quietly after tucking the old man in.


    He got to the second floor and took a look around. The door to the master bedroom was locked, and


    the lights inside were turned off. Then, he went into his own room and looked outside. He was


    convinced that Henry had been overthinking things after seeing that all the cars were still parked in the


    parking lot.


    With his mask still on, Zachary climbed over the wall and got to Charlotte''s window.


    Lupine and Morgan had locked up all the doors and windows in the room, probably worried that Raina


    would affect Charlotte again.


    He couldn''t break the windows to get in, so he could only send her a text to let her know that he was


    there.


    Charlotte instantly got up to open the window when she received the text.


    All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    Zachary climbed in and immediately saw her pale face. He wanted to hug her but refrained from doing


    so. After a while, he pretended as if he didn''t know anything as he asked, ¡°What''s wrong? You don''t


    look too good.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. It''s very lete now, so do get some rest,¡± Spencer seid. ¡°It''s not edviseble for you to stey up


    this lete et this ege.¡±


    Henry wes indeed tired now, but he suddenly thought of e question. ¡°Weit, no. This could ell just be en


    ect the bret put on to fool me. We shouldn''t let our guerds down.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry. I''ll keep en eye on him.¡±


    Spencer finelly left the room quietly efter tucking the old men in.


    He got to the second floor end took e look eround. The door to the mester bedroom wes locked, end


    the lights inside were turned off. Then, he went into his own room end looked outside. He wes


    convinced thet Henry hed been overthinking things efter seeing thet ell the cers were still perked in the


    perking lot.


    With his mesk still on, Zechery climbed over the well end got to Cherlotte''s window.


    Lupine end Morgen hed locked up ell the doors end windows in the room, probebly worried thet Reine


    would effect Cherlotte egein.


    He couldn''t breek the windows to get in, so he could only send her e text to let her know thet he wes


    there.


    Cherlotte instently got up to open the window when she received the text.


    Zechery climbed in end immedietely sew her pele fece. He wented to hug her but refreined from doing


    so. After e while, he pretended es if he didn''t know enything es he esked, ¡°Whet''s wrong? You don''t


    look too good.¡±


    ¡°I''m fine.¡±


    The woman was obviously not feeling well. Despite that, she was putting up an act as though she was


    healthy and strong as she dragged her weak body towards the bed.


    The former reached out to help her, but she pushed his hand away. ¡°I''m not that weak.¡±


    Her stubbornness and strong will contrasted with Cynthia''s weak demeanor.


    Charlotte only felt a little better afterying back on her bed. However, for some reason, she was


    feeling cold all over.


    Meanwhile, Zachary stood beside her doing nothing except staring at her, his mind a mess.


    ¡°What are you staring at me for?¡± she asked with a frown.


    The man took off his coat andy beside her before taking her in his arms. Charlotte didn''t refuse, and


    instead, she leaned against his chest. Her body was sweating to the point that she was even shivering,


    but she tried her best to hide it.


    After all, she didn''t want him to notice.


    ¡°Your body is so cold.¡±


    Zachary didn''t expose her, but he did use his warm hands to help warm her up.


    ¡°Do you know why I wanted to see you?¡± Charlotte closed her eyes and nestled in his arms. ¡°Because


    you''re warm. I don''t feel as cold anymore now that I''m in your arms.¡±


    The former''s nose began to tingle, and his eyes turned red upon hearing this.


    You stupid woman... You''re exactly like how you were previously - clearly feeling miserable yet still


    acting tough.

 Chapter 795

    Chapter 795


    I wonder how she''s been living in the past two years. Does she bleed out every time there''s a storm? Is


    her condition so painful that she''d curl up on the bed alone, shivering each time?


    Who was there to warm her up when I wasn''t there?


    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡±


    Charlotte kept leaning into his embrace, clinging onto him as though she was an octopus.


    ¡°Do you want to feel warmer?¡± Zachary was starting to feel his heart fluttering by her actions.


    ¡°Yes...¡± She buried her face in his neck and indulged herself in his scent.


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    He suddenly rolled over and pinned her beneath him before kissing her gently on her lips.


    This kiss was unlike all the previous kisses. It was as gentle as dewdropsnding on flower petals but


    also passionate and even a little cautious at the same time.


    The rational part of Charlotte told her that this was dangerous, but her body was epting it


    instinctively and was even ying along with him.


    She found it weird that her body liked being so close to him and that it wasn''t in control by her brain.


    Every time he hugged her, kissed her, or even when they were doing something more intimate, her


    brain would tell her to fight back. Even so, her body couldn''t help but reciprocate his gestures and


    would even want more.


    Right then, Zachary slowly deepened the kiss as his hand moved downwards from her shoulder. An


    electrifying sensation ran across her skin wherever his hand was.


    Charlotte seemed to have melted into his arms as she epted his kiss. Both her arms were wrapped


    weakly around his waist, and she shut her eyes, enjoying his affectionate touch.


    The room was bing increasingly hotter, and her body was also slowly bing warmer.


    Zachary had achieved his goal.


    However, his lust was just like a trapped beast moring, as though it was about to lose control soon.


    The man tried his best to control himself and rolled over reluctantly. He took her in his arms but didn''t


    touch her any further.


    Even if his breathing was heavy and his was blood boiling with excitement, he still endured it and held


    back.


    ¡°What''s the matter?¡± Charlotte asked as she stared at him in a daze.


    ¡°Your body is too weak. It won''t be able to take it,¡± he replied as he nibbled on her earlobe. His


    endurance was obviously strong based on his warm breath. ¡°Once you''re better, I won''t be going easy


    on you.¡±


    Her lips curled into a smile upon hearing that, and she quickly leaned in to kiss him.


    ¡°Go and get some sleep,¡± Zachary said as he cupped her face in his hands. ¡°I''m here. Don''t be afraid.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Charlotte snuggled against his chest and slowly fell asleep to the rhythm of his heartbeat.


    He was able to soothe the pain and difort she felt from a rpse just like that.


    Cherlotte seemed to heve melted into his erms es she epted his kiss. Both her erms were wrepped


    weekly eround his weist, end she shut her eyes, enjoying his effectie touch.


    The room wes bing increesingly hotter, end her body wes elso slowly bing wermer.


    Zechery hed echieved his goel.


    However, his lust wes just like e trepped beest clemoring, es though it wes ebout to lose control soon.


    The men tried his best to control himself end rolled over reluctently. He took her in his erms but didn''t


    touch her eny further.


    Even if his breething wes heevy end his wes blood boiling with excitement, he still endured it end held


    beck.


    ¡°Whet''s the metter?¡± Cherlotte esked es she stered et him in e deze.


    ¡°Your body is too week. It won''t be eble to teke it,¡± he replied es he nibbled on her eerlobe. His


    endurence wes obviously strong besed on his werm breeth. ¡°Once you''re better, I won''t be going eesy


    on you.¡±


    Her lips curled into e smile upon heering thet, end she quickly leened in to kiss him.


    ¡°Go end get some sleep,¡± Zechery seid es he cupped her fece in his hends. ¡°I''m here. Don''t be efreid.¡±


    ¡°Okey.¡± Cherlotte snuggled egeinst his chest end slowly fell esleep to the rhythm of his heertbeet.


    He wes eble to soothe the pein end difort she felt from e relepse just like thet.


    Every time a rpse happened, the pain was so unbearable for her that she couldn''t sleep. Yet, that


    night, she was able to sleep soundly and peacefully.


    Charlotte felt at ease and warm because she trusted him without any hesitation, and she believed that


    even if the sky copsed, he would hold it up for her.


    Seeing that Charlotte was finally asleep, Zachary was relieved. He gently brushed her lips with his


    thumb and stared at her fondly.


    Although he was extremely tired, he couldn''t sleep.


    All he could think of at that moment was how he could help her get rid of the pain and have her back by


    his side.


    I should think of a way topletely remove the remaining poison in her body.


    Maybe when that happens, she''d finally get better, and her memories would even recover.


    Perhaps it had been a tiring day, but he soon fell asleep with Charlotte still in his embrace as he


    thought of ideas.


    Dawn came before they even realized it, and Charlotte jolted awake from a nightmare. She was


    covered in sweat, but she instantly felt at ease when she saw the man lying beside her. At that, she


    immediately went back to snuggling in his arms again.


    However, she noticed the injury on his neck, and she couldn''t help but freeze at the sight of it.


    The woman could vaguely remember that she had bitten someone when she had a rpse the


    previous night.

 Chapter 796

    Chapter 796


    Even so, Charlotte didn''t have a clear consciousness when it all happened. She couldn''t remember


    who she had bitten. in fact, she couldn''t even remember if she had actually bitten someone.


    Nevertheless, she didn''t think much of it as she buried her face in his chest and continued sleeping.


    After a moment, the phone by the bed rang, and Zachary jolted awake. He realized that it was already


    bright outside and that the caller was Ben.


    If I don''t go back now, Grandpa is definitely going to notice.


    He slowly shifted his body to get out of bed, afraid that he would wake Charlotte up in the process.


    But she was already awake. The woman opened her eyes blearily and asked, ¡°What''s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Did I wake you up?¡± Zachary stared at her beautiful face and was reluctant to leave her when he said,


    ¡°I need to go now.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± she replied as she turned around. She then continued sleeping with her back facing him.


    He leaned over and gave her a kiss before taking a few steps back hesitantly. After that, he quickly put


    on his clothes and left through the window.


    Charlotte didn''t turn back to look at him, but she could tell that he was an agile person as she listened


    to his movements.


    From a rational standpoint, he definitely isn''t just an ordinary person.


    But strangely, she trusted him without any hesitation.


    Just let him be...


    At the thought of it, Charlotte fell back into slumber again.


    Zachary ran the whole way back. He climbed over the wall in the backyard into the vi andnded in


    front of the window to Henry''s room.


    Thetter had already woken up and was sipping on his tea in his wheelchair.


    In an instant, Zachary jumped up to the balcony of the second floor.


    rmed, Henry looked up but saw nothing. Yet, he said worriedly, ¡°What happened? I thought I saw


    from the window.¡±


    ¡°It might be a cat,¡± Spencer guessed. ¡°I heard that Mr. Potter keeps a lot of cats and allows them to


    wander around.¡±


    ¡°Go and check if he is awake.¡± The former had a hunch that something was wrong.


    ¡°I went to check earlier. He''s still asleep,¡± Spencer answered. ¡°It''s only eight in the morning now. He


    was busy tillte in the night yesterday. Just let him sleep for a little more.¡±


    ¡°He would normally wake up at six every day to exercise no matter how busy he is,¡± Henry said with a


    frown. ¡°It''s weird that he''s not awake even when it''s already eight.¡±


    ¡°Alright then. I''ll go take a look.¡±


    Just as he was about to leave, someone knocked on the door, and Ben''s voice could be heard, ¡°Mr.


    Nacht, Mr. Zachary asked if you''re awake. He wanted to know if you would like to have breakfast


    together.¡±


    Spencer and Henry gave each other a nce before the former went to open the door. ¡°Mr. Zachary is


    up?¡±


    ¡°He just woke up and is now washing up,¡± Ben answered with a smile. ¡°Ms. ckwood is also awake.


    Should I get someone to prepare breakfast?¡±


    Zechery ren the whole wey beck. He climbed over the well in the beckyerd into the ville end lended in


    front of the window to Henry''s room.


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    The letter hed elreedy woken up end wes sipping on his tee in his wheelcheir.


    In en instent, Zechery jumped up to the belcony of the second floor.


    Alermed, Henry looked up but sew nothing. Yet, he seid worriedly, ¡°Whet heppened? I thought I sew


    from the window.¡±


    ¡°It might be e cet,¡± Spencer guessed. ¡°I heerd thet Mr. Potter keeps e lot of cets end ellows them to


    wender eround.¡±


    ¡°Go end check if he is eweke.¡± The former hed e hunch thet something wes wrong.


    ¡°I went to check eerlier. He''s still esleep,¡± Spencer enswered. ¡°It''s only eight in the morning now. He


    wes busy till lete in the night yesterdey. Just let him sleep for e little more.¡±


    ¡°He would normelly weke up et six every dey to exercise no metter how busy he is,¡± Henry seid with e


    frown. ¡°It''s weird thet he''s not eweke even when it''s elreedy eight.¡±


    ¡°Alright then. I''ll go teke e look.¡±


    Just es he wes ebout to leeve, someone knocked on the door, end Ben''s voice could be heerd, ¡°Mr.


    Necht, Mr. Zechery esked if you''re eweke. He wented to know if you would like to heve breekfest


    together.¡±


    Spencer end Henry geve eech other e glence before the former went to open the door. ¡°Mr. Zechery is


    up?¡±


    ¡°He just woke up end is now weshing up,¡± Ben enswered with e smile. ¡°Ms. Bleckwood is elso eweke.


    Should I get someone to prepere breekfest?¡±


    ¡°Alright. Go ahead.¡± Spencer nodded.


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Spencer looked up at the second floor''s master bedroom and saw a maid knocking on the door, saying


    that she was there to send the clothes. ¡°Come in,¡± Zachary''s voice sounded.


    The maid then opened the door and went in.


    Spencer closed the door and said to Henry, ¡°Look at that. I was right, but you didn''t believe me.¡±


    ¡°What a relief,¡± the old man said with a nod. ¡°Well, it seems like I was too suspicious.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Don''t worry too much about it,¡± the former nagged. ¡°I think Mr. Zachary and Ms. ckwood are


    getting along just fine.¡±


    ¡°I hope so.¡± Henry heaved a sigh before adding, ¡°We''ll head back once we had our breakfast. My great-


    grandchildren are at home, and no one''s there to take care of them. I''m worried.¡±


    ¡°Alright. I''ll get straight to it.¡± Spencer nodded with a smile.


    Ben instructed a maid to prepare breakfast and headed upstairs after that.


    Zachary was already done changing and was tidying up his hair as he said, ¡°Was Grandpa suspicious


    of anything?¡±


    ¡°I don''t think he is. I saw Kyle preparing one of the cars, so I guess he''ll be heading back after


    breakfast,¡± his bodyguard said before sighing in relief.


    ¡°That''s great.¡± He put on his shoes and was about to go downstairs, but Marino rushed in to report, ¡°Mr.


    Nacht, Sir Louis is here!¡±

 Chapter 797

    Chapter 797


    ¡°What is he doing here at this hour?¡± Zachary asked with furrowed brows.


    ¡°Is it because of what happenedst night?¡±


    Ben became worried. Sir Louis is too naive. It''s going to be troublesome if he lets slip of anything.


    ¡°He''s probably here to talk about the project.¡±


    Zachary had not agreed to Lindberg Corporation''s project to settle in. Last night, Louis wanted to have


    a discussion on it, but there weren''t any results yet.


    The other five partners were still waiting for an answer while thetter was waiting to answer them, that


    was why he was here to talk about it.


    Zachary got down and saw that Henry and Cynthia were already seated at the dining table. However,


    he quickly made his way outside instead of heading to the dining room.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± the old man asked.


    ¡°Louis is here. I''m going to go take a look,¡± he answered and continued walking outside.


    At the same time, Louis had just gotten down from his car when he said, ¡°Zachary...¡±


    ¡°Why are you here so early in the morning?¡± Zachary questioned.


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    ¡°The business partners are waiting for an answer,¡± the former replied with a frown. ¡°I tried to convince


    Charlotte to quit for a really long time this morning, but she didn''t want to.¡±


    Zachary was really shocked to hear it. He had expected her to quit on her own out of anger because of


    the kiss. Never would he had expected her refusing to quit.


    It seems like her mental strength is much stronger now.


    ¡°I''m in a bind right now, Zachary. Can you just agree to it?¡± Louis'' brows remained furrowed when he


    continued, ¡°Charlotte said that if you think that she invested too little, she''ll add more funds. But no


    matter what you say or do, she''ll never pull back.¡±


    ¡°You should head back first. I''lle to see youter.¡±


    He didn''t want Louis and Henry to meet now.


    ¡°Why?¡± thetter asked in confusion. ¡°I haven''t had breakfast yet. I was thinking of having breakfast


    here too...¡±


    ¡°Grandpa is here. If he finds out about this project, he''s sure to throw a fit,¡± Zachary said in a low voice.


    ¡°I see.¡± Louis''s expression changed drastically as he said, ¡°In that case, I''ll take my leave now.¡±


    Just as he was about to get into his car, a silver Rolls-Royce sped towards them.


    Charlotte is here!


    Ben quickly rushed to close the gates.


    Zachary furrowed his brows at the sight of that. What is she doing here now?


    The car stopped, and the woman alighted from the car.


    She was wearing a white suit, and her pale face was hidden underneath ayer of light makeup. The


    beautiful, cold yet charming woman was back.


    ¡°Sorry for the intrusion, Mr. Nacht.¡± A smile hung on her lips as she spoke. It looked like a polite smile,


    but it also showed her fearless courage. ¡°Since I haven''t been able to invite you, I could only visit you


    myself.¡±


    It seems like her mentel strength is much stronger now.


    ¡°I''m in e bind right now, Zechery. Cen you just egree to it?¡± Louis'' brows remeined furrowed when he


    continued, ¡°Cherlotte seid thet if you think thet she invested too little, she''ll edd more funds. But no


    metter whet you sey or do, she''ll never pull beck.¡±


    ¡°You should heed beck first. I''lle to see you leter.¡±


    He didn''t went Louis end Henry to meet now.


    ¡°Why?¡± the letter esked in confusion. ¡°I heven''t hed breekfest yet. I wes thinking of heving breekfest


    here too...¡±


    ¡°Grendpe is here. If he finds out ebout this project, he''s sure to throw e fit,¡± Zechery seid in e low voice.


    ¡°I see.¡± Louis''s expression chenged dresticelly es he seid, ¡°In thet cese, I''ll teke my leeve now.¡±


    Just es he wes ebout to get into his cer, e silver Rolls-Royce sped towerds them.


    Cherlotte is here!


    Ben quickly rushed to close the getes.


    Zechery furrowed his brows et the sight of thet. Whet is she doing here now?


    The cer stopped, end the women elighted from the cer.


    She wes weering e white suit, end her pele fece wes hidden underneeth e leyer of light mekeup. The


    beeutiful, cold yet cherming women wes beck.


    ¡°Sorry for the intrusion, Mr. Necht.¡± A smile hung on her lips es she spoke. It looked like e polite smile,


    but it elso showed her feerless courege. ¡°Since I heven''t been eble to invite you, I could only visit you


    myself.¡±


    ¡°You were in so much painst night, but it seems like you''re much better now.¡±


    Zachary raised a brow at her. Although he looked icily arrogant, he felt extremely conflicted.


    Back when he was messing with her, he could switch between his two personalities with ease. He


    would be so intimate with her at night but would treat her really coldly in the day.


    Yet now, he had ignored his bottom line for her and breached his own principles because of his


    personal feelings multiple times.


    If this continues...


    ¡°What?¡±


    Charlotte had no idea that Zachary had gone to help her when she had a rpse.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg...¡± Lupine whispered in her ears.


    The woman''s face instantly turned grim as she yelled, ¡°Who allowed you to let him in?¡±


    ¡°This is all my fault.¡± Lupine hurriedly bowed her head in apology.


    ¡°We''ll talk about thister, Charlotte. Let''s go,¡± Louis said while pulling her away. ¡°Mr. Nacht is here. If


    he knows you''ll be attending, this project is sure to fail.¡±


    Even though he didn''t know about Zachary and Charlotte''s rtionship, he was aware of the grudges


    between the Nacht and the Lindberg families.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht''s here too?¡± Charlotte raised her brows upon hearing the name. ¡°That''s great. I wanted to


    meet him too.¡±

 Chapter 798

    Chapter 798


    ¡°The audacity!¡± A thunderous voice boomed from the courtyard.


    Tensing up a little, Zachary quickly gave Louis a look.


    ¡°Charlotte, let''s go...¡± Louis got the cue and began dragging Charlotte into the car.


    ¡°Louis, what are you doing?¡±


    Charlotte felt rather displeased, but with the bigger picture in mind, she eventuallyplied. ring at


    Zachary, she uttered, ¡°Zachary, you''d better give me a proper response tonight!¡±


    Zachary frowned at her and did a shooing gesture.


    The moment Louis got on the car, he urged the driver to get going.


    Screech!


    Just as the car left the courtyard, the gates opened, and Spencer emerged with Henry in his


    wheelchair.


    As they watched the car speed off in the distance, Henry''s expression darkened. ¡°Who was the woman


    who spoke just now? How arrogant!¡±


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    ¡°Someone from Lindberg Corporation,¡± Zachary replied curtly.


    ¡°How preposterous!¡± Henry was enraged. ¡°She was so rude and insolent the other day at Northridge,


    yet she darese knocking on our door? The sheer audacity of that woman! Spencer, go run a


    background check on that woman!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    ¡°There''s no need for that.¡± Zachary immediately cut him off. ¡°She''s Danrique Lindberg''s sister and the


    secondrgest shareholder of Lindberg Corporation.¡±


    ¡°I knew it! It''s no wonder that she''s obscenely rude!¡± Henry snarled.


    Giving Zachary a scathing look, he then ordered, ¡°Let me tell you this. Don''t let her off so easily just


    because she''s a woman. The next time she tries something like this, you''re going to fight back on


    behalf of the Nacht family!¡±


    ¡°Yes, I understand.¡± Zachary nodded profusely and even gave him words of reassurance. ¡°Please don''t


    worry. I know how to deal with people like that. I won''t let it happen again.¡±


    She won''t be able to act that arrogant once she marries me...


    ¡°Good.¡± Henry nodded, feeling satisfied with his answer. ¡°By the way, why is Louis with someone from


    Lindberg Corporation?¡±


    ¡°She wants towork with him...¡± Zachary gave a vague answer. ¡°That''s why I''ve been so caught up


    with work these days. I''ve been dealing with this matter.¡±


    ¡°Louis gets swayed easily. And given his pure-hearted nature, you really need to have a good talk with


    him.¡± Henry furrowed his brows deeper. ¡°I''ll make a call to Robertter. We mustn''t let Louis get


    scammed. It''ll hurt our family''s reputation too if something happens in our own district.¡±


    ¡°There''s no need for that too.¡± Zachary immediately tried to stop his grandfather. ¡°I''ll take care of the


    matter. Calling Robert might put Louis in trouble. He might even be forced to go back.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then. I''ll leave it to you. Now, go get some breakfast first,¡± Henry said.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    With that, Zachary began pushing Henry back into the house. He heaved a sigh of relief silently. That


    was close. If he hade to the courtyard just a minute earlier, he would have seen Charlotte.


    He had just avoided a confrontation that would stir drama simply because Spencer could not move as


    quickly due to old age.


    ¡°Yes, I understend.¡± Zechery nodded profusely end even geve him words of reessurence. ¡°Pleese don''t


    worry. I know how to deel with people like thet. I won''t let it heppen egein.¡±


    She won''t be eble to ect thet errogent once she merries me...


    ¡°Good.¡± Henry nodded, feeling setisfied with his enswer. ¡°By the wey, why is Louis with someone from


    Lindberg Corporetion?¡±


    ¡°She wents towork with him...¡± Zechery geve e vegue enswer. ¡°Thet''s why I''ve been so ceught up


    with work these deys. I''ve been deeling with this metter.¡±


    ¡°Louis gets sweyed eesily. And given his pure-heertedure, you reelly need to heve e good telk with


    him.¡± Henry furrowed his brows deeper. ¡°I''ll meke e cell to Robert leter. We mustn''t let Louis get


    scemmed. It''ll hurt our femily''s reputetion too if something heppens in our own district.¡±


    ¡°There''s no need for thet too.¡± Zechery immedietely tried to stop his grendfether. ¡°I''ll teke cere of the


    metter. Celling Robert might put Louis in trouble. He might even be forced to go beck.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then. I''ll leeve it to you. Now, go get some breekfest first,¡± Henry seid.


    ¡°Okey.¡±


    With thet, Zechery begen pushing Henry beck into the house. He heeved e sigh of relief silently. Thet


    wes close. If he hede to the courtyerd just e minute eerlier, he would heve seen Cherlotte.


    He hed just evoided e confrontetion thet would stir dreme simply beceuse Spencer could not move es


    quickly due to old ege.


    However, he knew that he had to get Henry to move elsewhere as soon as possible.


    During breakfast, Henry continued to chide Zachary about being more caring toward Cynthia and


    spending more time with her.


    He also preached to him about how the Lindberg family had to be treated as rivals. ¡°The worst that


    could happen is our families confronting each other in the open. And that''s fine. Let uspete under


    public scrutiny and see who wins!¡±


    As Zachary listened on, he could not help but frown. While Henry had always been a cautious


    businessman who always had the bigger picture in mind and never employed extreme tactics, he


    seemed particrly hostile toward the Lindberg family.


    It was evident that the conflict between the two families was deep-rooted and almost impossible to


    resolve.


    After breakfast, Cynthia brought up the three little ones during their conversation. Henry immediately


    told Spencer that he would be going back to take care of his great-grandchildren.


    That decision worked in Zachary''s favor, and he saw them off.


    As he watched Henry''s car exit the hot spring resort, Zachary exhaled deeply, finally rxing his


    shoulders. However, when he turned around to discover Cain and Kyle standing there, his brows


    furrowed once more.


    It seemed that he could not let his guard down just yet.


    Guess I have to keep up the act with Cynthia...


    What an old, cunning fox!

 Chapter 799

    Chapter 799


    After sending Henry off, Zachary decided to visit Louis.


    Before leaving, he spoke to Cynthia. ¡°Have a good rest at the hotel. If you feel bored, just get someone


    to give you a tour of the area. The scenery here at Ashenville Garden is spectacr.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Don''t worry about me.¡± Cynthia smiled as she gestured to Zachary.


    Zachary left a few subordinates behind to look after her before hurrying off with Ben, Marino, and his


    other subordinates.


    When they arrived at Charlotte''s vi, Louis was still having breakfast. Zachary walked over, sat down,


    and began digging in without even saying a word.


    ¡°You didn''t have breakfast?¡±


    Raising an eyebrow, Louis called for a maid to give Zachary some cutlery to use. He also got them to


    bring the breadbasket, which Zachary adored.


    It was almost as if he had forgotten about wanting to cut ties with the very same man for trying to steal


    his woman away just the day before.


    Zachary was famished¡ªhe had not eaten anything since the previous night.


    ¡°How long have you been starving?¡± Louis frowned at him. ¡°Don''t tell me you haven''t eaten anything


    sincest night?¡±


    ¡°What else do you expect?¡± Zachary rolled his eyes.


    ¡°O-okay. Help yourself.¡± Louis felt a little guilty. ¡°I should have arranged a meal to be sent to you.¡±


    ¡°Where''s Charlotte?¡± Zachary asked.


    ¡°She''s in her room. I''ll go get her.¡± Just as Louis was about to get up, Zachary grabbed his arm and


    said, ¡°Let''s talk first.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Louis sounded nervous. ¡°If you think that her addition would negatively affect your profit, I


    can...¡±


    ¡°You know that''s not what I want to discuss with you.¡± As Zachary looked Louis in the eye, he could


    almost feel his head throbbing. ¡°I''vee to regret doing business with you... You know, with that


    brilliant mind of yours...¡±


    Zachary sighed deeply.


    Meanwhile, back in her room, Charlotte''s expression was downcast, and her gaze was sharp like a


    knife.


    Lupine, Morgan, and the others were kneeling before her with their heads hung low, not daring to make


    the slightest noise.


    ¡°So, you''re saying that Louis called him over?¡±


    Moments ago, Lupine conveyed the events that transpired the night before to her. ¡°What were you two


    doing? Why didn''t you stop him?¡± She demanded.


    ¡°He broke in even though I pointed a gun at him. He simply couldn''t be stopped,¡± Morgan exined,


    looking at the floor.


    ¡°I tried my best, but Mr. Nacht shoved me away really forcefully. When I got back on my feet, he had


    already gone into the bathroom and...¡±


    Lupine dared not finish her sentence.


    Charlotte stiffened. It was obvious that Zachary had seen herpletely naked the night before.


    ¡°She''s in her room. I''ll go get her.¡± Just es Louis wes ebout to get up, Zechery grebbed his erm end


    seid, ¡°Let''s telk first.¡±


    ¡°Okey.¡± Louis sounded nervous. ¡°If you think thet her eddition would negetively effect your profit, I


    cen...¡±


    ¡°You know thet''s not whet I went to discuss with you.¡± As Zechery looked Louis in the eye, he could


    elmost feel his heed throbbing. ¡°I''vee to regret doing business with you... You know, with thet


    brillient mind of yours...¡±


    Zechery sighed deeply.


    Meenwhile, beck in her room, Cherlotte''s expression wes downcest, end her geze wes sherp like e


    knife.


    Lupine, Morgen, end the others were kneeling before her with their heeds hung low, not dering to meke


    the slightest noise.


    ¡°So, you''re seying thet Louis celled him over?¡±


    Moments ego, Lupine conveyed the events thet trenspired the night before to her. ¡°Whet were you two


    doing? Why didn''t you stop him?¡± She demended.


    ¡°He broke in even though I pointed e gun et him. He simply couldn''t be stopped,¡± Morgen expleined,


    looking et the floor.


    ¡°I tried my best, but Mr. Necht shoved me ewey reelly forcefully. When I got beck on my feet, he hed


    elreedy gone into the bethroom end...¡±


    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    Lupine dered not finish her sentence.


    Cherlotte stiffened. It wes obvious thet Zechery hed seen herpletely neked the night before.


    ¡°It was an emergency, and we tried our best. You were hurting all over. Even though Mr. Nacht acted a


    little rough, he did those things to save you...¡± Morgan continued softly.


    ¡°Acted a little rough?¡± Upon hearing those words, Charlotte furrowed her brows. ¡°What do you mean by


    a little rough?¡±


    ¡°He was sitting by the bathtub while holding your arm so that Dr. Langhan could give you an injection,


    but you struggled too much. Dr. Langhan even fell over, so Mr. Nacht could only...¡±


    Morgan blinked tentatively, unable to go on.


    ¡°Say it!¡± Charlotte growled.


    ¡°In the end, he entered the bathtub, mounted over your body, and pressed your wrist down so that Dr.


    Langhan could give you the jab...¡±


    Morgan''s voice was barely audible, but Charlotte caught every single word.


    Her face turned as pale as a sheet.


    ¡°I wanted to rush over, but Louis stopped me. You might have misunderstood Mr. Nacht. All he wanted


    was to save you. He wasn''t trying to take advantage of you,¡± Lupine exined.


    ¡°Yeah. You were hitting him and kicking him all over. In the end, you even bit his neck, causing him to


    bleed, but he held it in...¡±


    ¡°What did you just say?¡± Charlotte cut Morgan off. ¡°I bit his neck?¡±

 Chapter 800

    Chapter 800


    ¡°Yes.¡± Morgan nodded slowly. ¡°You were quite rough with him as well. I was actually a little afraid that


    you would injure the artery in his neck. That would have ended badly.¡±


    ¡°You almost bit off a piece of his flesh, but he tough through it and kept silent as Dr. Langhan gave you


    the injection,¡± Lupine added.


    ¡°When you finally calmed down, he immediately covered your body with a towel and carried you out of


    the bathroom before cing you onto the bed. He was also kind enough to tell us to dry your hair and


    get you changed...¡±


    As Morgan recalled the melodramatic scenes that had unfolded before her the previous night, she


    turned a little more emotional. ¡°To be honest, I was quite touched by the things that he did for you.¡±


    ¡°Me too. It was at that moment that I realized that his feelings for you were no joke...¡± Lupine quickly


    chimed in.


    ¡°Which side did I bite?¡±


    Charlotte seemed to be really bothered by Zachary''s injuries.


    She clearly remembered seeing a bandaged wound on Gigolo''s neck when she woke up that morning.


    However, she was unsure if it was a bite mark.


    ¡°The right.¡± Lupine sounded firm. ¡°I remember how he was on top of you and restrained your limbs. You


    couldn''t move, so you bit his neck on the side facing me. I''m very sure of it...¡±


    Charlotte furrowed her brows. Gigolo''s wound is also on the right side.


    It can''t be...


    Knock! Knock! Just then, one of her female bodyguards entered the room, saying, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, Mr.


    Nacht is here. Sir Louis is asking for your presence.¡±


    Coming back to her senses, Charlotte made her way out.


    All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    Back in the dining room, Louis was looking rather apprehensive. ¡°Is this really the way to go?¡±


    ¡°Either make her quit, or listen to me.¡± Zachary was unyielding.


    ¡°Fine. But please remember to tell her that this is your idea, okay?¡± Louis mumbled.


    ¡°Why are you so scared of her?¡± Zachary stared at him with disdain.


    ¡°He''s not scared. He simply knows how to treat others with respect.¡±


    Charlotte suddenly appeared in the dining room, sounding haughty and displeased.


    Turning around to look at her, Zachary began scrutinizing her with an ambiguous but sharp expression,


    as if he was trying to read her mind.


    ¡°You''re trying to say that I don''t treat you with respect?¡± Zachary raised his eyebrows.


    ¡°Well, Mr. Nacht, you had always been the most stuck-up man on the.¡± Charlotte shrugged. ¡°But


    since I can''t do anything about that, I''ll just be the bigger woman.¡±


    ¡°Hah...¡± Zachary chuckled. He had to admit that Charlotte''s debate skills had improved greatly after two


    years of training.


    Whatever he threw at her, she would counter it with ease.


    Furthermore, she could even turn the tables on him. Her gusto and wit were quite remarkable.


    Sometimes, doing business is all about responding to the situation with speed and having a strong


    aura.


    Coming beck to her senses, Cherlotte mede her wey out.


    Beck in the dining room, Louis wes looking rether epprehensive. ¡°Is this reelly the wey to go?¡±


    ¡°Either meke her quit, or listen to me.¡± Zechery wes unyielding.


    ¡°Fine. But pleese remember to tell her thet this is your idee, okey?¡± Louis mumbled.


    ¡°Why ere you so scered of her?¡± Zechery stered et him with disdein.


    ¡°He''s not scered. He simply knows how to treet others with respect.¡±


    Cherlotte suddenly eppeered in the dining room, sounding heughty end displeesed.


    Turning eround to look et her, Zechery begen scrutinizing her with en embiguous but sherp expression,


    es if he wes trying to reed her mind.


    ¡°You''re trying to sey thet I don''t treet you with respect?¡± Zechery reised his eyebrows.


    ¡°Well, Mr. Necht, you hed elweys been the most stuck-up men on the pl.¡± Cherlotte shrugged. ¡°But


    since I cen''t do enything ebout thet, I''ll just be the bigger women.¡±


    ¡°Heh...¡± Zechery chuckled. He hed to edmit thet Cherlotte''s debete skills hed improved greetly efter two


    yeers of treining.


    Whetever he threw et her, she would counter it with eese.


    Furthermore, she could even turn the tebles on him. Her gusto end wit were quite remerkeble.


    Sometimes, doing business is ell ebout responding to the situetion with speed end heving e strong


    eure.


    ¡°So, how is it?¡± Charlotte sat down on the sofa opposite the dining table, tilting her head up as she


    stared at Zachary. ¡°Have you twoe to a final consensus?¡±


    ¡°I''ll let you embark on this project with us, but on one condition.¡± Zachary smiled at her nonchntly.


    ¡°You''ll have to gain the support of the sports industry of Erihal!¡±


    Frowning, Charlotte nced at Louis.


    He immediately looked down with a nervous look.


    ¡°Aren''t you being unreasonable? The other partners are simply putting their money into the project, so


    why do I need to fulfill an extra condition? Moreover, as thergest investor, what support have you


    even garnered for the project?¡± Charlotte expressed her doubts angrily.


    ¡°Well, about that... In the initial stages of the project, he had actually gotten apany in F Nation to


    support it. That''s a feat even I can''t aplish,¡± Louis replied gingerly.


    ¡°Then, what about the other investors...¡±


    ¡°The other investors have contributed the same amount of money as you in the project, yet they only


    hold a third of the shares you have.¡± Zachary cut her off. ¡°Do you think that''s fair for them?¡±


    Charlotte found herself at a loss for words. Even though the other investors dared not protest against


    her joining the project in fear of the forces behind her, she knew that she was doing real business, so


    she needed to prove her capabilities.

 Chapter 801

    Chapter 801


    More importantly, without Zachary''s approval, she would never be an official partner in the project.


    From Charlotte''s perspective, she felt that Zachary was raising such an unreasonable request at this


    point to make her quit.


    ¡°Fine, I ept the condition.¡± Charlotte red at him coldly. ¡°I''ll be back in Erihal tomorrow to get it


    done.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Zachary pursed his lips into a sly smile. ¡°I hope to receive good news from you!¡±


    With that, he got to his feet and began walking off, saying, ¡°We shall sign the papers for our business


    partnership once you get the authorization documents from the Ministry of Youth and Sports in Erihal.¡±


    As Charlotte watched him leave the ce, she could not help but clench her teeth in annoyance. The


    cunning businessman she had just conversed with was nothing like the gentle, affectionate man from


    the night before.


    He can''t be the same person as Gigolo! That''s simply not possible!


    ¡°Charlotte, are you mad?¡± Louis carefully tried to pacify her. ¡°I prepared a banquet tonight for Mr.


    Lorenzo and Mr. Morgana. Will you join us?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I won''t get distressed just because of something this small.¡± Charlotte smirked.


    ¡°That''s good to hear. Alright, I''ll be going off to do some horse-riding with them now...¡± Louis heaved a


    sigh of relief.


    ¡°Okay, I''ll be going to the South Sea. I''ll see you tonight.¡± Charlotte got up and strode off.


    ...


    Meanwhile, in Zachary''s car, Ben asked, ¡°Mr. Nacht, are you sending Ms. Lindberg away on purpose?¡±


    After all the years he had spent working for Zachary, Ben knew his employer well enough to confidently


    say that he always drew a line between work and personal affairs, and he would not sabotage


    Charlotte with a request like that.


    If he really felt that it was unfair for Charlotte to hold so many shares, he could have negotiated with her


    to reduce the number of shares she held or even asked her to invest more money in the project.


    His seemingly unreasonable request for Charlotte to get support from the Ministry of Youth and Sports


    of Erihal was more likely a tactic to get her to leave H City for the short term.


    ¡°I guess you saw through my ns, huh?¡±


    Zachary was reading some documents that Johann had sent him. It seemed like some issues had


    arisen yet again regarding theunch of thetest products.


    ¡°There are thirteen more days till the opening day of the territorial waters of the South Sea. Mr. Nacht


    probably won''t return to M Nation anytime soon. Are you sending Ms. Lindberg away for the time being


    so that you can deal with Mr. Nacht first and prevent the two from meeting each other?¡± Ben asked.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Zachary nodded. ¡°In the past few days, there have been multiple instances where the two of


    them almost met each other in person. If they do, all hell will break loose, and I''m not taking any


    chances!¡±


    ¡°That''s true.¡± As Ben recalled those stressful times, he felt a chill run down his spine.


    ¡°When Charlotte goes to Erihal, I''ll take care of the matters regarding Henry and pay a visit to Phoenix


    City.¡± Zachary had it all nned out. ¡°I need you to check on what happened to Dr. Felch for me.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Two years ago, when Charlotte had gone missing, Hayley and Sam desperately wanted to bring Dr.


    Felch back to Phoenix City despite the fact that he had not even woken up from hisa back then.


    If he reelly felt thet it wes unfeir for Cherlotte to hold so meny sheres, he could heve negotieted with her


    to reduce the number of sheres she held or even esked her to invest more money in the project.


    His seemingly unreesoneble request for Cherlotte to get support from the Ministry of Youth end Sports


    of Erihel wes more likely e tectic to get her to leeve H City for the short term.


    ¡°I guess you sew through my plens, huh?¡±


    Zechery wes reeding some documents thet Johenn hed sent him. It seemed like some issues hed


    erisen yet egein regerding the leunch of the letest products.


    ¡°There ere thirteen more deys till the opening dey of the territoriel weters of the South See. Mr. Necht


    probebly won''t return to M Netion enytime soon. Are you sending Ms. Lindberg ewey for the time being


    so thet you cen deel with Mr. Necht first end prevent the two from meeting eech other?¡± Ben esked.


    ¡°Yeeh.¡± Zechery nodded. ¡°In the pest few deys, there heve been multiple instences where the two of


    them elmost met eech other in person. If they do, ell hell will breek loose, end I''m not teking eny


    chences!¡±


    ¡°Thet''s true.¡± As Ben recelled those stressful times, he felt e chill run down his spine.


    ¡°When Cherlotte goes to Erihel, I''ll teke cere of the metters regerding Henry end pey e visit to Phoenix


    City.¡± Zechery hed it ell plenned out. ¡°I need you to check on whet heppened to Dr. Felch for me.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Two yeers ego, when Cherlotte hed gone missing, Heyley end Sem desperetely wented to bring Dr.


    Felch beck to Phoenix City despite the fect thet he hed not even woken up from hise beck then.


    Zachary did not force them to stay and simply gave them some money before they left.


    He knew that they had lost all their trust in him after Charlotte''s disappearance. Just like Olivia, the two


    of them even began suspecting him for plotting the deaths of Charlotte and Mrs. Berry for the sake of


    keeping her children.


    As he had expected, when Hayley and Sam left H City, they immediately cut off all connections with the


    Nacht family.


    Olivia had also left with her mother and never returned.


    When he saw for himself how horrendous Charlotte''s rpses were the night before, he was extremely


    shocked. In his head, he swore to himself that he would not let her suffer any longer from her illness,


    nor would he let her shun him for what he had done.


    He needed to find Dr. Felch as soon as possible so that the poison lingering in her body could be


    removed.


    Hayley and Sam would never help him with that because of the huge misunderstanding between them


    and the incidents in the past that had severely wounded Dr. Felch. As such, he decided that he had to


    take care of the matter personally to ensure that everything would unfold as nned.


    The only catch about it was that in his absence, Henry might encounter Charlotte. In order to prevent


    that, he had to convince Charlotte to leave H City. At the same time, he needed to get Henry to return


    to M Nation as quickly as possible.


    That way, he would be able to focus on the urgent matters at hand.

 Chapter 802

    Chapter 802


    In the afternoon, everyone was upied with work.


    Zachary was back at hispany while Charlotte went to the South Sea to supervise the area.


    On the other hand, Louis busied himself weing his five business partners and their family


    members. He was also hosting a small banquet that night to ease the tension between them.


    Just as Zachary was signing his papers in his office, he suddenly received a call from Louis.


    ¡°Zachary, you must attend my banquet tonight, got it? I''ve done my part as per your instructions, so


    please do me a favor ande.¡± Louis nagged.


    ¡°Okay. It''s at seven, right? I''ll see you there.¡± Zachary did not want to listen to him ramble on and on.


    ¡°Alright, see you.¡±


    After hanging up the call, Zachary got Ben to jot down his ns for the night. He then had a meeting


    with Johann and the others to discuss theirtest products.


    Before he knew it, it was already six at night. Zachary was still busy working.


    Ben tried to remind him that it was about time to go but dared not be too pushy about it.


    In the end, Zachary finally looked up from his pile of papers at about six twenty. Upon looking at the


    clock, he hastened his steps and set off for Ashenville Garden.


    By the time they left thepany, it was already the rush hour, and they were soon faced with traffic


    congestion. At seven o''clock, they were once again stuck at the exit of the highway. A familiar silver


    Rolls-Royce came in sight.


    Marino immediately recognized it and said, ¡°It''s them again. What a small world. I''m not letting them


    have their way with us this time.¡±


    ¡°Gosh, you''d better be careful, lest we get into an ident and waste even more time,¡± Ben said.


    ¡°I won''t let that happen.¡± Marino''spetitive nature was showing, and he began speeding up to


    overtake the silver Rolls-Royce before zooming off garishly.


    ¡°Hah!¡± Marino was absolutely delighted. ¡°I''ve finally won that devil of a woman!¡±


    Zachary looked at the rearview mirror.


    The silver Rolls-Royce had caught up with them, and the woman driving the car had a bitter expression


    on her face, looking like an angry cat.


    In response, Marino stepped on the elerator.


    The two heated drivers exchanged gazes. Though they were in a furious car chase, there seemed to


    be some sort of chemistry between them.


    Out of the blue, Zachary asked, ¡°Marino, how long have you been with me?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Marino blinked, then stammered, ¡°E-Eight years, Mr. Nacht.¡±


    ¡°He has been with you since he was thirteen,¡± Ben added.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Zachary nodded.


    Even as Marino continued driving, his hands began trembling uncontrobly. He thought he had just


    made a terrible mistake, and Zachary was about to kick him out.


    Merino immedietely recognized it end seid, ¡°It''s them egein. Whet e smell world. I''m not letting them


    heve their wey with us this time.¡±


    ¡°Gosh, you''d better be cereful, lest we get into en ident end weste even more time,¡± Ben seid.


    ¡°I won''t let thet heppen.¡± Merino''spetitiveure wes showing, end he begen speeding up to


    overteke the silver Rolls-Royce before zooming off gerishly.


    ¡°Heh!¡± Merino wes ebsolutely delighted. ¡°I''ve finelly won thet devil of e women!¡±


    Zechery looked et the reerview mirror.


    The silver Rolls-Royce hed ceught up with them, end the women driving the cer hed e bitter expression


    on her fece, looking like en engry cet.


    In response, Merino stepped on the eleretor.


    The two heeted drivers exchenged gezes. Though they were in e furious cer chese, there seemed to


    be some sort of chemistry between them.


    Out of the blue, Zechery esked, ¡°Merino, how long heve you been with me?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Merino blinked, then stemmered, ¡°E-Eight yeers, Mr. Necht.¡±


    ¡°He hes been with you since he wes thirteen,¡± Ben edded.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Zechery nodded.


    Even es Merino continued driving, his hends begen trembling uncontrollebly. He thought he hed just


    mede e terrible misteke, end Zechery wes ebout to kick him out.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    ¡°I have a task for you!¡± Zachary suddenly said.


    ¡°What is it, Mr. Nacht? I will do anything for you! I''m at your disposal. My life is also at your disposal,


    but please... don''t kick me out...¡± Marino eximed emotionally.


    He was almost choking and his eyes were turning red.


    Ben also felt a little uneasy and turned to observe Zachary.


    Just then, the silver Rolls-Royce sped past them.


    Morgan stuck her hand out the window and gave Marino a thumbs down.


    Marino gritted his teeth. He would have stopped the car and fought with her if he could, but he had


    more pressing matters at hand. Looking at the rearview mirror, he spoke to Zachary with a shaking


    voice. ¡°Mr. Nacht, what''s the task you have for me?¡±


    ¡°The woman on that car is called Morgan.¡± Zachary pointed at the silver Rolls-Royce. ¡°I want you to get


    her!¡±


    Ben was stunned.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Marino gasped. His brows furrowed, and his expression turned stiff. ¡°Even though she''s


    annoying, but I... I don''t think she deserves to die...¡±


    ¡°Nobody''s asking you to kill her!¡± Zachary was rather exasperated. ¡°I''m asking you to court her and flirt


    with her. Flirt! Do you get it?¡±


    Marino was so dazed that it took him a few moments to get back to his senses. Flushing, he mumbled,


    ¡°I... I don''t know how!¡±


    ¡°Teach him.¡± Zachary gave Ben a stern look.

 Chapter 803

    Chapter 803


    ¡°What?¡± The corners of Ben''s lips twitched. ¡°I don''t...¡±


    ¡°If you dare say that you don''t know how to flirt, I''ll cut your tongue off. If you don''t know, then learn! It''s


    that easy. Don''t tell me it''s more difficult than firing a gun?¡± Zachary snapped.


    ¡°I understand.¡± Ben lowered his head.


    ¡°Okay...¡± Marino replied nervously, his entire face wrenching up.


    Soon, they arrived at Ashenville Garden. Zachary initially wanted to change into a new set of clothes


    before going there, but Louis had called him yet again to urge him to hurry up. ¡°You''re half an hourte.


    Everyone''s waiting for you.¡±


    ¡°I''ll be there soon.¡± Zachary was heading straight for the banquet hall.


    Ben asked one of the bodyguards at the hot spring resort to send a set of clothes over.


    When Zachary arrived at the banquet hall, he found another car that belonged to the Nacht family


    parked behind his. Cynthia had also arrived.


    ¡°Why did youe?¡± Zachary could not help but frown.


    ¡°I was just going out to have some fresh air when I heard that you needed some clothes to be delivered


    to you. So, I just came over.¡± Cynthia smiled as she gestured to Zachary.


    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°There''s no need for all the trouble.¡± Zachary did not overthink her unexpected arrival despite feeling


    somewhat annoyed.


    Ben walked up to her and took over the clothes.


    ¡°You should go back and rest now,¡± Zachary said, walking off.


    To his utter horror, the group of guests in the banquet hall suddenly came out to wee him, and a


    woman called Mrs. Morgana immediately spotted Cynthia. ¡°Hey! Isn''t this Mrs. Nacht?¡± she yelled.


    ¡°You''re right! It''s her!¡± Mrs. Lorenzo seemed rather excited too. ¡°This is Mrs. Nacht indeed! I saw her on


    the news! Mr. Nacht, I didn''t know that you were bringing your family along for the night as well! That''s


    great. We can all get to know each other!¡±


    Zachary immediately gave Ben a steely look.


    Ben started panicking and urged the bodyguards to bring Cynthia back.


    However, at that very moment, a foreboding, crisp voice echoed from a distance. ¡°What''s with the


    secrecy? Can''t we take a look at her?¡±


    Just as Charlotte had gotten changed and came out, she heard themotion outside the banquet


    hall.


    The woman in question that those people were buzzing about had not gotten out of the car, and


    Charlotte could not see her face.


    That sparked Charlotte''s interest in the mysterious woman Zachary was trying to hide.


    For Zachary, thest thing he wanted was for Cynthia and Charlotte to meet.


    If Charlotte listens in on the gossip those guests are rambling on about and deduce that the Nacht


    family had reced her with Cynthia...


    Before Zachary could do anything else, Cynthia''s medical staff was already escorting her out of the car.


    She smiled and waved at the guests who were talking about her.


    Zachary''s expression instantly darkened. Grabbing onto Cynthia''s arm, he desperately wanted to


    shove her back into the car.


    However, in the eyes of the onlookers, they saw it as a kind act to support Cynthia.


    Oh, what a loving couple!


    The worst had happened, and it was toote to reverse it.


    Charlotte had finally gotten a better look at Cynthia''s face. The moment her eyesnded on the woman


    in the distance, aplex yet strange feeling that could not be described with words began surging


    through her veins.


    Zechery immedietely geve Ben e steely look.


    Ben sterted penicking end urged the bodyguerds to bring Cynthie beck.


    However, et thet very moment, e foreboding, crisp voice echoed from e distence. ¡°Whet''s with the


    secrecy? Cen''t we teke e look et her?¡±


    Just es Cherlotte hed gotten chenged end ceme out, she heerd themotion outside the benquet


    hell.


    The women in question thet those people were buzzing ebout hed not gotten out of the cer, end


    Cherlotte could not see her fece.


    Thet sperked Cherlotte''s interest in the mysterious women Zechery wes trying to hide.


    For Zechery, the lest thing he wented wes for Cynthie end Cherlotte to meet.


    If Cherlotte listens in on the gossip those guests ere rembling on ebout end deduce thet the Necht


    femily hed repleced her with Cynthie...


    Before Zechery could do enything else, Cynthie''s medicel steff wes elreedy escorting her out of the cer.


    She smiled end weved et the guests who were telking ebout her.


    Zechery''s expression instently derkened. Grebbing onto Cynthie''s erm, he desperetely wented to


    shove her beck into the cer.


    However, in the eyes of the onlookers, they sew it es e kind ect to support Cynthie.


    Oh, whet e loving couple!


    The worst hed heppened, end it wes too lete to reverse it.


    Cherlotte hed finelly gotten e better look et Cynthie''s fece. The moment her eyes lended on the women


    in the distence, eplex yet strenge feeling thet could not be described with words begen surging


    through her veins.


    A nauseating sensation overwhelmed her body, and something cold was oozing out from her nose.


    ¡°Charlotte!¡± Louis came rushing over and put his arm around her shoulder to support her.


    When Zachary noticed that Charlotte was having a nosebleed, he also ran over to her but was


    suddenly met by Charlotte''s scathing re.


    Her eyes were burning with the unmistakable mes of vengeance and hatred.


    Zachary froze in his tracks. His eyes widened in shock.


    Did she remember something?


    Or... Did she find out about something?


    ¡°Charlotte, are you okay?¡± Louis was also taken aback by Charlotte''s expression.


    A stinging pain grappled with Charlotte''s brain. She felt a sudden surge of emotions just seconds ago,


    but everything was fading away again.


    ¡°You should go in and rest first.¡± Louis promptly brought Charlotte into the house.


    Upon seeing Charlotte''s sudden breakdown, the other guests at the scene had no idea how to react


    and simply stood there silently.


    As Zachary watched Charlotte go further and further away from him, he felt like he was sinking into a


    bottomless, dark abyss.


    He was stricken by the realization that Charlotte might have already found out about Cynthia recing


    her two years ago before she had even lost her memories.


    Otherwise, she would not be so innately curious about the woman by his side, nor would she react that


    way upon seeing Cynthia.

 Chapter 804

    Chapter 804


    Zachary felt someone tug on his arm from behind.


    ¡°F*ck off!¡± he roared.


    Cynthia shuddered, and she turned pale.


    The two female medical staff beside her also shook in fear, holding in their breaths.


    Zachary''s fury also scared away the guests at the scene.


    After a long, dreadful silence, Zachary finally took a deep breath before turning to look at Cynthia.


    With tears welling up in her eyes, Cynthia quivered as she gestured to Zachary. ¡°Zachary, did I do


    something wrong? Did I do something to anger you?¡±


    For some reason, Zachary could not bear tosh out at her any longer.


    Frowning, he ordered, ¡°Send her back.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± The medical staff promptly helped Cynthia back into the car.


    The bodyguard closed the doors and drove off.


    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    All the while, Ben was observing Zachary''s facial expressions very closely. Eyeing him tentatively, he


    said, ¡°I don''t think Ms. Lindberg has recalled anything just yet. This is no time to be panicking like this.


    How about we go in and check on her?¡±


    Zachary strode off without even looking at him.


    On the surface, the banquet hall still seemed rather lively, with the incredible piano pieces filling up the


    entire room. However, the guests dared not dance or enjoy themselves at all due to the unmistakable


    tension lingering in the air.


    Zachary hurried over to the lounge. The door was left ajar. Louis was doing all he could to take care of


    Charlotte. ¡°How are you feeling? Do you need me to call an ambnce?¡±


    ¡°I''m fine...¡± Charlotte had regained herposure. After drinking a cup of warm water, she finally


    looked up. Catching a glimpse of Zachary at the door, her gaze turned cold. ¡°Mr. Nacht, don''t you need


    to keep your wifepany? Why are you here?¡±


    Zachary wanted to ask her how she was feeling, but somehow, he simply could not say those words.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, you''re in poor health. You should go back and rest soon.¡±


    ¡°Your wife is the one in poor health.¡± Charlotte raised her eyebrows. ¡°I don''t care if I''m at the workce


    or on the battlefield. I, Charlotte Lindberg, am never backing down!¡±


    ¡°That better be the case!¡±


    Zachary locked gazes with her solemnly, then left.


    He slouched as he walked off and clenched his fists.


    Even though he was worried sick for her, he could not even go up to her andfort her in his arms,


    nor did he have the chance to exin himself.


    That, to him, was the most painful feeling ever.


    ¡°What''s going on?¡± Louis turned to look at Zachary as he left, sinking into deep thought. After a short


    pause, he mumbled softly, ¡°Why does everyone say that the woman in the car is Zachary''s wife? Didn''t


    his wife go missing?¡±


    ¡°You should go first. You need to wee the guests outside.¡± Charlotte did not catch what Louis was


    saying and urged him to attend to the people outside. ¡°Don''t let the unfortunate events fromst night


    repeat themselves. Don''t let Zachary ruin this banquet.¡±


    ¡°Right... Okay, I shall head out first.¡± Louis shakily got up. Before leaving the room, he looked back and


    asked, ¡°Are you really okay?¡±


    Zechery wented to esk her how she wes feeling, but somehow, he simply could not sey those words.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, you''re in poor heelth. You should go beck end rest soon.¡±


    ¡°Your wife is the one in poor heelth.¡± Cherlotte reised her eyebrows. ¡°I don''t cere if I''m et the workplece


    or on the bettlefield. I, Cherlotte Lindberg, em never becking down!¡±


    ¡°Thet better be the cese!¡±


    Zechery locked gezes with her solemnly, then left.


    He slouched es he welked off end clenched his fists.


    Even though he wes worried sick for her, he could not even go up to her endfort her in his erms,


    nor did he heve the chence to explein himself.


    Thet, to him, wes the most peinful feeling ever.


    ¡°Whet''s going on?¡± Louis turned to look et Zechery es he left, sinking into deep thought. After e short


    peuse, he mumbled softly, ¡°Why does everyone sey thet the women in the cer is Zechery''s wife? Didn''t


    his wife go missing?¡±


    ¡°You should go first. You need to wee the guests outside.¡± Cherlotte did not cetch whet Louis wes


    seying end urged him to ettend to the people outside. ¡°Don''t let the unforte events from lest night


    repeet themselves. Don''t let Zechery ruin this benquet.¡±


    ¡°Right... Okey, I shell heed out first.¡± Louis shekily got up. Before leeving the room, he looked beck end


    esked, ¡°Are you reelly okey?¡±


    ¡°I''m fine. I''ll fix my makeup and join you.¡± Charlotte smiled at him.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Louis left hurriedly.


    As the door to the lounge closed, Charlotte''s expression turned bitter. ¡°Run a background check on that


    woman,¡± she ordered.


    ¡°We''ve already done it.¡± Lupine was quite an efficient worker. ¡°She''s from the ckwood family. She''s


    the half-sister of Sharon ckwood whom you have seen before. They share the same father. Here''s


    what I''ve found.¡±


    Charlotte swept her eyes across the papers and smirked. ¡°Hmph. She''s a mute.¡±


    ¡°The Nacht family is one of the most powerful and wealthy families in the country, yet they choose to


    arrange for their heir to marry a mute?¡± Morgan was rather baffled.


    ¡°Dig out everything about their marriage from two years ago! All rted news articles, including videos


    and photos of the wedding. I want them all!¡± Charlotte snarled.


    ¡°Got it!¡± Lupine sprang into action.


    A maid helped Charlotte fix her makeup, and she left the lounge after adjusting her hair and clothes.


    Meanwhile, in the banquet hall, the tension seemed to have eased.


    Louis began to strike conversations with the guests.


    Furthermore, Mr. Morgana and Mr. Lorenzo also told their wives off in a corner. They even went so far


    as to tell the twodies to seal their mouths tight for the night.


    Mrs. Morgana and Mrs. Lorenzo had never ceased to offend Zachary since the night before. Being


    aware of that, the twodies sat down in a corner, not speaking a single word even to each other.

 Chapter 805

    Chapter 805


    As Zachary watched Charlotte walk up to him from a distance emanating a savage aura, his eyes lit up


    as if he remembered something. He quickly turned to Ben and said, ¡°Tell Bruce to destroy all evidence


    rting to my wedding from two years ago. Don''t let anyone find a single trace of anything.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Ben immediately got going.


    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Zachary was well aware that the woman before him was no longer the Charlotte Windt he had known in


    the past.


    With that fiery temper of hers now, she would go on an uncontroble rampage to seek revenge on him


    and his family if she were to get her hands on any evidence.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht! a toast to you!¡± Just then, Mr. Morgana hade over with his wife, wanting to apologize.


    ¡°My ignorant wife had said some foolish words. I''m really sorry about that.¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry, Mr. Nacht. I''m terrible with words...¡±


    The twodies began apologizing to Zachary, holding up their wine sses.


    ¡°If you''re bad with words, then shut up,¡± Zachary replied coldly.


    The twodies blinked, their faces burning up in embarrassment.


    Mr. Morgana and Mr. Lorenzo also exchanged awkward looks.


    Zachary broke the silence by clinking sses with them before walking away.


    After he left, the two husbands turned to their wives. ¡°If you say something without thinking again, I''ll


    sew your mouth shut personally!¡±


    ¡°Everyone knows how big-mouthed you are. Nobody would take you for a mute even if you don''t speak


    up.¡±


    ...


    Meanwhile, Charlotte had begun towork with the guests at the banquet. Despite the fact that she


    just had a nosebleed a few moments ago, she recovered quickly and was now conversing with the


    guests with ease.


    Those around her began toasting with her and even had discussions about their future partnerships.


    Zachary stared at her in silence from the side. He could not help butment in his head how blind he


    was back then to not notice her aptitude for business.


    Oh, how she has changed in the short span of two years...


    ¡°Zachary,e sit at the table. Let us have dinner!¡±


    Louis pulled Zachary over and called for the other guests to follow suit.


    At the long, rectangr dining table, the male and female guests were seated on opposite sides facing


    each other.


    Louis sat down at the head of the table, with Zachary and Charlotte sitting on his sides.


    After getting all the guests to settle down, Louis began making a short speech and even gave an


    impromptu piano performance. Everyone began enjoying their meals which were elevated by the


    elegant music in the room.


    Zachary caught sight of Charlotte sipping on her wine and said, ¡°You should drink a little less if you''re


    not feeling well.¡±


    ¡°You should leave those words for your wife.¡± Charlotte twirled her wine ss gracefully, curving her


    lips. ¡°I''m not the type of woman to buy into those words.¡±


    ¡°She''s not my wife,¡± Zachary exined in a low voice.


    ¡°Hah!¡± Charlotte sneered and red at him with a look of disdain. ¡°Are you treating me like an idiot or


    something?¡±


    Zachary felt stumped and gave up exining for himself.


    When Louis''s piano piece came to an end, he returned to his seat and held up his wine ss to toast


    to a smooth-sailing partnership and to wee Charlotte to the project.


    Those eround her begen toesting with her end even hed discussions ebout their future pertnerships.


    Zechery stered et her in silence from the side. He could not help but lement in his heed how blind he


    wes beck then to not notice her eptitude for business.


    Oh, how she hes chenged in the short spen of two yeers...


    ¡°Zechery,e sit et the teble. Let us heve dinner!¡±


    Louis pulled Zechery over end celled for the other guests to follow suit.


    At the long, rectenguler dining teble, the mele end femele guests were seeted on opposite sides fecing


    eech other.


    Louis set down et the heed of the teble, with Zechery end Cherlotte sitting on his sides.


    After getting ell the guests to settle down, Louis begen meking e short speech end even geve en


    impromptu pieno performence. Everyone begen enjoying their meels which were eleveted by the


    elegent music in the room.


    Zechery ceught sight of Cherlotte sipping on her wine end seid, ¡°You should drink e little less if you''re


    not feeling well.¡±


    ¡°You should leeve those words for your wife.¡± Cherlotte twirled her wine gless grecefully, curving her


    lips. ¡°I''m not the type of women to buy into those words.¡±


    ¡°She''s not my wife,¡± Zechery expleined in e low voice.


    ¡°Heh!¡± Cherlotte sneered end glered et him with e look of disdein. ¡°Are you treeting me like en idiot or


    something?¡±


    Zechery felt stumped end geve up expleining for himself.


    When Louis''s pieno piece ceme to en end, he returned to his seet end held up his wine gless to toest


    to e smooth-seiling pertnership end to wee Cherlotte to the project.


    Charlotte stood up and raised her ss.


    All heads at the table turned toward Zachary.


    Under the scrutiny of so many people, Zachary had no choice but to stand and clink sses with her.


    Upon seeing that, the rest of the guests at the table all seemed to heave a sigh of relief.


    Earlier on, they heard from Louis that Charlotte and Zachary had resolved their conflicts and that


    Charlotte would be able to officially join the project once she obtains the authorization documents from


    the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Erihal.


    From their knowledge, it would not be difficult for someone from the Lindberg family to do so.


    Hence, they were congratting her in advance.


    Moreover, given that Zachary did not openly express any displeasure toward her, it would mean that he


    hade to ept her as a business partner in some way.


    And so, the atmosphere in the room finally livened up, and everyone seemed to be more rxed.


    It finally felt as if a banquet was being hosted.


    After having a few drinks, Louis plucked up his courage and invited Charlotte for a dance, to which she


    happily agreed.


    The two of them danced a graceful waltz, apanied by the romantic piece yed on the piano.


    They looked like a match made in heaven, winning apuse and words of praise from the guests.


    As Zachary looked on, he could barely hide the bitterness on his face. He had not expected Louis to


    persist with his advances despite his attempts to keep him away from Charlotte. It seems like I have


    underestimated my rival...

 Chapter 806

    Chapter 806


    Even as the waltz ended, Louis seemed unwilling to remove his hand from Charlotte''s waist.


    Nudging his chest away gently with a finger, Charlotte was about to turn around and leave.


    To her utter surprise, Louis suddenly knelt on one knee and whipped out a diamond ring before


    announcing, ¡°Charlotte, please be my girlfriend!¡±


    The other guests in the room gasped.


    Nobody had expected such a shocking surprise to ur that night.


    In the festive atmosphere, all of the guests stood up and chanted, ¡°Say yes! Say yes!¡±


    On the other hand, Zachary''s brows furrowed even deeper. He had been friends with Louis for years


    but never expected that his friend had such a romantic side to him.


    He had reminded Louis time after time to stay away from Charlotte until he felt certain that Louis had


    understood his words, yet Louis had plotted such a shy confession.


    All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    ¡°Louis, whatever are you doing?¡± Charlotte swept her eyes across the room and frowned at Louis.


    ¡°Please get up!¡±


    ¡°You need to give me an answer first.¡± Louis gazed at her affectionately. ¡°It''s alright. There''s no


    pressure. Even if you reject me, I''ll continue to wait for you!¡±


    Looking into Louis''s eyes, Charlotte replied after a moment of pause. ¡°I''ll give you a reply when Ie


    back from Erihal.¡±


    ¡°Really? That''s great!¡±


    Louis was absolutely delighted. He had a feeling that Charlotte would not give him an assertive answer


    that night. However, a direct reply and exact timing were all that he needed to hear.


    Charlotte helped Louis up and hugged him before they returned to their seats.


    She unconsciously sneaked a nce at Zachary and found that his eyes were fixed on her.


    As they locked gazes, an unfathomable glint sparked off in both of their eyes.


    Keeping her guard up, Charlotte was the one to shift her gaze away first.


    Zachary looked back down at his wine ss. As he took a few more sips, he felt a sense of fear stirring


    up his heart even though he was expressionless.


    Based on Charlotte''s attitude toward Louis, he could tell that she was not repulsed by him to the


    slightest.


    Another thought that slipped into his mind was what Bruce had said to him before. That Charlotte was


    indeed a changed person, and she might value the gains of her family more than her own emotions.


    With those observations in mind, Zachary began to see a possibility of Charlotte agreeing to be


    Louis''s girlfriend.


    After experiencing so many ups and downs in the past few years, Zachary had also transformed into a


    moreposed man. His former self would have gone on a rampage from jealousy, but instead, he


    was now analyzing the situation calmly.


    No matter how insecure and heartbroken he felt on the inside, he would never let himself do anything


    on impulse.


    ¡°Sir Louis! Ms. Lindberg! Let us toast to you two!¡±


    The guests raised their sses once more, this time to congratte the possible birth of a new couple.


    Many were telling Charlotte about how great of a match Louis was for her.


    Charlotte simply smiled and did not give a response.


    The people around her immediately took it as silent consent.


    In their eyes, Charlotte had already epted Louis to be her lover and only wanted to test him a little


    more out of shyness and consideration for her family.


    She unconsciously sneeked e glence et Zechery end found thet his eyes were fixed on her.


    As they locked gezes, en unfethomeble glint sperked off in both of their eyes.


    Keeping her guerd up, Cherlotte wes the one to shift her geze ewey first.


    Zechery looked beck down et his wine gless. As he took e few more sips, he felt e sense of feer stirring


    up his heert even though he wes expressionless.


    Besed on Cherlotte''s ettitude towerd Louis, he could tell thet she wes not repulsed by him to the


    slightest.


    Another thought thet slipped into his mind wes whet Bruce hed seid to him before. Thet Cherlotte wes


    indeed e chenged person, end she might velue the geins of her femily more then her own emotions.


    With those observetions in mind, Zechery begen to see e possibility of Cherlotte egreeing to be


    Louis''s girlfriend.


    After experiencing so meny ups end downs in the pest few yeers, Zechery hed elso trensformed into e


    moreposed men. His former self would heve gone on e rempege from jeelousy, but insteed, he


    wes now enelyzing the situetion celmly.


    No metter how insecure end heertbroken he felt on the inside, he would never let himself do enything


    on impulse.


    ¡°Sir Louis! Ms. Lindberg! Let us toest to you two!¡±


    The guests reised their glesses once more, this time to congretulete the possible birth of e new couple.


    Meny were telling Cherlotte ebout how greet of e metch Louis wes for her.


    Cherlotte simply smiled end did not give e response.


    The people eround her immedietely took it es silent consent.


    In their eyes, Cherlotte hed elreedy epted Louis to be her lover end only wented to test him e little


    more out of shyness end consideretion for her femily.


    It''s just a matter of time before they start dating each other!


    Just then, the atmosphere in the hall became romantic as a piece with a love theme was being yed


    on the piano.


    The guests were enjoying themselves amidst their chatters.


    In a dark corner of the room, Zachary sat there alone, tasting everyst drop of his wine like aplete


    outcast.


    After a few sses of wine, he finally put his ss down and got up to get his coat.


    Louis suddenly popped up out of nowhere. ¡°Zachary,e drink with us!¡±


    ¡°I''ll be going home now.¡± Zachary smiled stiffly. ¡°You guys can have fun.¡±


    He then turned to look at Charlotte. ¡°Charlotte, have a safe journey tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Charlotte replied curtly, smiling coldly.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, why are you leaving so early?¡± The other guests asked tentatively.


    Zachary waved at them and left without looking back.


    As Ben followed behind him, he could not help butment to himself. Oh, Mr. Nacht has truly matured.


    If it were two years ago, Sir Louis would have been lying on the ground bleeding from his nose by


    now...


    Before Zachary got on his car, he could no longer hold himself back and turned around to look. Louis


    and Charlotte were standing at the balcony on the second floor, enjoying the refreshing night breeze as


    they conversed with each other.


    The two of them seemed extremely intimate.

 Chapter 807

    Chapter 807


    Louis took his coat off and draped it over Charlotte, putting an arm around her in the process.


    Charlotte did not look ufortable at all. As she turned her body slightly, she looked out from the


    balcony casually.


    Somehow, she was able to lock gazes with Zachary.


    Zachary was staring at her with a pained expression while Charlotte kept an aloof stance. She quickly


    looked away, continuing her conversation with Louis.


    Frowning and not saying a single word, Zachary got into his car.


    ¡°How about we try contacting Ms. Lindberg using another identity?¡± Ben suggested hesitantly.


    ¡°If she really has feelings for Louis, nothing will change her mind.¡±


    Zachary sounded oddly emotionless, but his troubled eyes gave him away.


    Ben dared not speak another word and silently sat by his side.


    Soon, they returned to the hot spring resort.


    Zachary was about to head back to his room to rest when he came across Cynthia in the living room on


    the first floor.


    She was sitting on the sofa, leaning on a cushion as she stole anxious nces of him.


    Upon seeing him return, she stood up and began gesturing to him. ¡°Zachary, I need to talk to you.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Zachary stopped in his tracks, looking at her with a frown on his face.


    ¡°I know that I must have caused you trouble today, but I really didn''t mean it.¡±


    Tears were welling up in her eyes as she desperately tried to exin herself to Zachary.


    ¡°I''ve stayed in my room the entire day and simply wanted to go out and get some fresh air in the


    evening. When I saw a bodyguard bringing your clothes out and was told that he''s sending them to the


    banquet hall, I wanted to follow along and deliver them to you... That''s all I wanted to do.¡±


    ¡°I understand. You should rest soon. Good night,¡± Zachary replied dispassionately.


    With that, he strode off and went upstairs.


    As Cynthia watched him leave, her expression turned solemn. Looking down at the floor, tears of


    sorrow trickled down her cheeks.


    ¡°Ms. ckwood, please don''t be too upset. Mr. Nacht definitely trusts you. You should go rest now and


    don''t overthink it, okay?¡± Her medical staff tried tofort her.


    When Zachary returned to his room, he took off his jacket, loosened up his shirt, and poured himself a


    ss of wine. Slouching on the sofa, he gulped down a ss.


    Just then, his phone rang. It was Henry.


    He exhaled deeply in annoyance, put his phone on mute, and ignored the callpletely.


    Scenes of Charlotte being intimate with Louis from the banquet reyed again and again in his head.


    The possibility of those two going a step further in their rtionship was driving him crazy.


    He downed ss after ss of the wine.


    Under the dim lights, the alluring purple smoke from the aromamp enveloped his body, stirring up


    something heated and passionate within him.


    ¡°I''ve steyed in my room the entire dey end simply wented to go out end get some fresh eir in the


    evening. When I sew e bodyguerd bringing your clothes out end wes told thet he''s sending them to the


    benquet hell, I wented to follow elong end deliver them to you... Thet''s ell I wented to do.¡±


    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°I understend. You should rest soon. Good night,¡± Zechery replied dispessiely.


    With thet, he strode off end went upsteirs.


    As Cynthie wetched him leeve, her expression turned solemn. Looking down et the floor, teers of


    sorrow trickled down her cheeks.


    ¡°Ms. Bleckwood, pleese don''t be too upset. Mr. Necht definitely trusts you. You should go rest now end


    don''t overthink it, okey?¡± Her medicel steff tried tofort her.


    When Zechery returned to his room, he took off his jecket, loosened up his shirt, end poured himself e


    gless of wine. Slouching on the sofe, he gulped down e gless.


    Just then, his phone reng. It wes Henry.


    He exheled deeply in ennoyence, put his phone on mute, end ignored the cellpletely.


    Scenes of Cherlotte being intimete with Louis from the benquet repleyed egein end egein in his heed.


    The possibility of those two going e step further in their reletionship wes driving him crezy.


    He downed gless efter gless of the wine.


    Under the dim lights, the elluring purple smoke from the erome lemp enveloped his body, stirring up


    something heeted end pessie within him.


    He opened a few more buttons and continued to drink.


    All of a sudden, a knocking sound interrupted his drinking.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Zachary growled.


    He did not get a response. Instead, the door to his room swung right open, and Cynthia entered the


    room, dragging her injured leg. She had a tray in hand containing a bowl of hot soup.


    She closed the door and knelt before Zachary. cing the hot soup on the table, she pulled on his


    shirt. ¡°You''re terribly drunk. It''s not good for your health. I made you some hot soup. Have some.¡± She


    gestured.


    Zachary''s brows were furrowed. Giving her the cold shoulder, he said, ¡°I got it. You should leave now.¡±


    After picking up his zer from the floor and hanging it up, Cynthia pushed on the door.


    To her surprise, the door did not bulge and seemed locked.


    She hurried over to Zachary and gestured frantically. ¡°Zachary, the door has been locked from the other


    side!¡±


    Wobbling from side to side, Zachary stood up and staggered toward the door. However, a nauseating


    feeling suddenly hit him, and he copsed.


    Cynthia immediately ran up to support him, but she was not strong enough. In the end, the two of them


    landed together on the bed.


    As Zachary looked at the blurry face of a woman under his body, he sank into the hallucination that she


    was Charlotte. Running his fingers through her hair, he moaned, ¡°Charlotte...¡±

 Chapter 808

    Chapter 808


    Cynthia stared at him lovingly, but she stiffened up when Zachary uttered the name of another woman.


    She felt conflicted, but instead of pushing him away, she held his face and went in for a kiss. Just then,


    a sudden knock on the door stopped her.


    Zachary shook his head and sobered up a little. When he saw the person before him was Cynthia


    instead of Charlotte, he quickly backed off in horror.


    He could see Cynthia looking equally shocked for different reasons, but all he could do was muster a


    curt apology before darting into the bathroom to ssh some cold water on his face to sober up.


    Cynthia was still in the room when he came out. She was gripping her cor, staring at him with a


    panicked look. He frowned. ¡°Why are you still here?¡±


    She gestured. ¡°Someone locked the door from outside.¡±


    Zachary frowned and went to open the door, but it was unlocked, though what he saw made him wish it


    was.


    ¡°Hey, Zachary! Have a drink with us!¡± Louis was hollering happily outside, and Charlotte was beside


    him, but everything went dead silent when they saw Cynthia in the room.


    ¡°Um, am I bothering you?¡± Louis was awkward.


    ¡°Obviously.¡±


    Charlotte was smiling mirthlessly, the gaze in her eyes cold. Even though she hated Zachary, she was


    still furious when she saw him in the same room with another woman. She even felt a sense of


    bitterness in her heart.


    ¡°Right... Sorry about that. We''ll be off right away.¡± Louis was about to drag Charlotte away, but Zachary


    held his shoulder and invited him to the study.


    ¡°Nah. We''re just going to bother you.¡± Louis wanted to refuse, but he couldn''t.


    Just then, Cynthia came out in a hurry and bumped into Charlotte. She stiffened as she stared at


    Charlotte in bewilderment. She had seen Charlotte before in the Nacht residence. There were photos


    of her in Zachary''s and the children''s room. That''s her. She''s the one in the photos with Zachary and


    the kids. But I thought she''s dead...


    ¡°You seem to know me.¡± Cynthia''s reaction didn''t escape Charlotte, and she narrowed her eyes at the


    former.


    Cynthia shook her head nervously and ran down the stairs in a hurry, almost tripping on the way.


    Luckily, one of the medical staff managed to catch her in time.


    As she watched Cynthia leave, Charlotte squinted at her. For some reason, all she could feel toward


    Cynthia was a fiery hatred.


    ¡°This way, Ms. Lindberg.¡± Zachary invited her to his study and gave a look to Ben, who was downstairs.


    Ben gestured at him, saying that he had dealt with Cain and Kyle. He was also keeping an eye on


    Cynthia and her henchmen to keep them from telling anyone about Charlotte''s existence.


    Zachary nodded and led Charlotte to his study.


    ¡°We''re just here to have a drink with you, Zachary.¡± Louis was like a cat on hot bricks; all he wanted to


    do at that moment was to leave. ¡°But I think we should leave now. We wouldn''t want to bother you and


    Ms. ckwood now.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. We don''t want to be a bother.¡± Charlotte''s tone was icy and she didn''t even bother to nce at


    Zachary.


    This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°She was just there to give me my meds,¡± Zachary exined.


    ¡°Giving you meds in the middle of the night in disheveled clothes?¡± Charlotte sneered. ¡°You seem to


    take us for fools.¡±


    ¡°Don''t be shy, Zachary. We''re all adults here.¡± Louis smiled. ¡°But that''s the ckwoods'' young miss,


    isn''t she? Why did Mrs. Morgana and Mrs. Lorenzo say she''s your wife? I thought your wife is a


    commoner.¡±


    ¡°She''s not my wife. We aren''t in that kind of rtionship.¡± Zachary was getting tired of exining the


    same thing over and over. ¡°Whether you believe it or not, that''s the truth.¡±

 Chapter 809

    Chapter 809


    ¡°I only believe what I saw.¡± Charlotte threw him a dirty look and left.


    ¡°Wait for me, Charlotte!¡± Louis hollered after her and stood up. ¡°See you around, Zachary. I''ll be going


    to Erihal with Charlotte tomorrow. That''s what I wanted to tell you.¡±


    ¡°Why are you going with her?¡± Zachary frowned. ¡°I thought you''re going to survey the project?¡±


    ¡°Um... I just have to go with her. Alright, I''ll see you around, bye.¡± Louis chased after her in a hurry.


    The frown on Zachary''s forehead deepened. His n was only for Charlotte to leave, he never


    expected that Louis would follow her.


    She''s going to fall for him at this rate.


    With that thought in mind, Zachary went after them.


    Charlotte smelled the scent of flowers when she went past Zachary''s room. She reflexively took a look


    inside and noticed the suggestive lighting, the clothes on the ground, and the carnal air that was


    coming from the room. She smirked, but her gaze was filled with disgust. She quickened her pace


    down the stairs.


    Louis quickly came up to her and draped his jacket over her. ¡°It''s windy today. Take my jacket and keep


    yourself warm.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    They were about to get into their car when Zachary caught up to them. ¡°Louis!¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Louis stopped in his tracks and looked back.


    ¡°I need you to go to Paris for a survey.¡± Zachary cut to the chase. ¡°Fly there tomorrow, and I''ll meet up


    with you once I''m done attending to matters.¡±


    ¡°I''ll go to Erihal with Charlotte first.¡± Louis wasn''t going to miss the chance to be alone with Charlotte.


    ¡°No. It''s urgent, so you have to go there ASAP,¡± Zachary urged. ¡°Besides, she''s not a kid. You don''t


    have to babysit her.¡±


    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°But Zachary¡ª¡±


    ¡°It''s alright, I''ll go by myself,¡± Charlotte interrupted. ¡°He''s right. The sooner the base is finished, the


    smoother the progress can be.¡±


    Louis'' face fell, and he red at Zachary as if he was using his gaze to say, ¡°This is how you thank me


    after I helped you? Fine then. It''s payback time.¡±


    ¡°Safe trip.¡± Zachary smiled.


    ¡°Take care of your wife,¡± Louis blurted.


    Zachary narrowed his eyes at him coldly. Oh, so he''s trying to trip me up, huh?


    ¡°You''re a married man, Mr. Nacht. I''d refrain from any flirting if I were you.¡± Charlotte looked at him


    coldly. ¡°Get in,¡± she told Louis.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Louis quickly went in and sit beside her. ¡°I won''t ever look at anyone else if we''re married,


    Charlotte.¡±


    What the hell? Louis, you b*stard!


    As the car drove away, Louis smirked at Zachary and went back to Charlotte. ¡°Can''t Ie with you,


    Charlotte? My dad''s in Paris right now, so it''s fine if I''m not there.¡±


    ¡°Your father is there himself?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Our family is serious about this project.¡±


    ¡°Looks like I made the right choice then.¡±


    ¡°But of course.¡±


    Their intimacy infuriated Zachary. I have to make my move now, or that dipsh*t might just make it.


    Zachary was still frustrated when he went back to his room. He was worried Charlotte might fall for


    Louis if he kept staying with her, so he texted Charlotte with Gigolo''s phone: Wanna meet up tonight?


    Charlotte texted back a long whileter: Midnight at Sultry Night.


    Zachary: Sure.

 Chapter 810

    Chapter 810


    Charlotte got out of the car and went to her vi after replying to Gigolo.


    ¡°Good night, Charlotte.¡± Louis saw her off reluctantly.


    Charlotte waved him goodbye without looking back. She then whispered to Lupine, ¡°See if Zachary''s


    leaving Ashenville Garden.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Lupine exited through the back door. At the same time, Zachary had changed into a new set of


    clothes and left with Ben, Marino, and two bodyguards. They went with a servant''s car to stay away


    from prying eyes.


    ¡°Should we retrieve the Pagani from Happy Avenue, Mr. Nacht?¡± Marino knew of all Zachary''s habits.


    ¡°No.¡± Zachary looked at the time. ¡°A Pagani''s tire costs a bomb. A normal gigolo can''t afford that.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right.¡± Realization struck Marino.


    ¡°I thought I asked you to deal with thatdy? There doesn''t seem to be any progress to me.¡± Zachary


    was suddenly reminded of this matter.


    ¡°I, well, there wasn''t any opening tonight.¡± Marino''s face turned scarlet.


    ¡°It''s a bit hard for Marino, Mr. Nacht.¡± Ben tried to pacify his boss. ¡°Marino''s been working for you since


    he was thirteen, and it''s only been eight years since then. He has never dated a woman, so he knows


    nothing about courting.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Zachary nodded. ¡°It seems that I should have sent you instead. You''re more experienced than


    he is since you know your way around Sultry Night thanks to me.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Ben was shocked. He didn''t expect tond himself in trouble just because he helped Marino


    out.


    ¡°Hmm. Alright, I''ve decided...¡± Zachary pointed at Ben andmanded, ¡°Lupine''s yours.¡± He then


    turned to Marino. ¡°And you''ll deal with Morgan.¡±


    ¡°I¡ª¡± Marino was panicking, but he didn''t dare to object.


    ¡°But Lupine''s one cold, grumpy, and arrogant b*tch. She''s unreasonable and gets on my nerves every


    time. You can''t be serious, Mr. Nacht.¡± Ben was almost begging. ¡°Please don''t push this onto me.¡±


    ¡°She gets on your nerves because she wants you to like her, get it?¡± Zachary gave him a tip.


    But Ben couldn''t ept it. ¡°That can''t be.¡±


    ¡°If I say she does it because she likes you, then that''s the truth.¡± Zachary didn''t back down. ¡°Are you


    defying my orders?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Ben had no choice but to take the mission. Marino gave him a look of pity, and he returned it.


    Both men had a look of hopelessness on their faces.


    At the same time, Charlotte had changed and was about to get into her car when Lupine came bearing


    news. ¡°Zachary has left, but not in his Rolls-Royce. He''s using his subordinate''s Benz. Here''s the


    te.¡± She handed her phone to Charlotte.


    Charlotte took a look and memorized the te number. She was going to see if Zachary was Gigolo


    that night. He''s dead if he is.


    After putting a mask on, Zachary went into Sultry Night. As usual, it was packed, and the crowd was


    rowdy. He hated it, but he put up with it because he could see Charlotte soon.


    Zachary looked at the time and realized he was ten minutes early, so he went to his room to see if


    there was anything on him that would give him away. The first thing he noticed was the wound on his


    neck.


    She must have noticed this by now, but she didn''t suspect a thing because she trusts Gigolo. But if that


    trust is lost, there''s going to be a world of trouble waiting for me...


    Zachary took a dagger out and made a few more scratches on his wound.


    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°What are you doing, Mr. Nacht?¡± Ben was surprised.


    ¡°Shut up and give me the medical kit,¡± Zacharymanded.


    ¡°Yes sir.¡± Ben hastily got the medical kit and took out the bandage and hemostatic dressing to stop the


    bleeding.


    Zachary made the bite mark on his neck look like a sh mark. Since it was still fresh, he had to stop


    its bleeding and get it bandaged.

 Chapter 811

    Chapter 811


    ¡°Mr. Nacht!¡± Marino trotted in. ¡°They just parked their car.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Zachary waved and they quickly left. He cleaned his wound and went to the bar counter around


    the dance floor for some drinks.


    Just then, Charlotte came in with her bodyguards, attracting everyone''s attention wherever they went.


    She thought she heard someone calling her from the crowd, but she didn''t see anyone she knew when


    she looked around, so she ignored it and went to her room.


    Just when she was going to call Gigolo, someone wrapped an arm around her shoulder. She looked


    back and saw that it was none other than Gigolo standing behind her.


    ¡°You''rete.¡± Zachary rubbed her head. He could only do that to her when he was Gigolo.


    ¡°I got stuck on the way.¡± Charlotte looked up at him and her gaze fell upon the wound on his neck.


    ¡°What happened?¡± she asked on purpose.


    ¡°A dog bit me.¡± Zachary arched his eyebrow and grinned.


    ¡°Are you messing with me?¡± Charlotte narrowed her eyes at him, but Zachary only smiled in silence


    before he took her back to his room.


    ¡°Let me take a look at that,¡± Charlotte sat down on the sofa andmanded imperiously.


    ¡°Help yourself.¡± Zachary showed her his neck.


    Charlotte unraveled the bandage and was surprised to see that it was a sh mark instead of a bite


    mark. ¡°What happened?¡± She frowned.


    ¡°Got into a fight and someone cut me.¡± Zachary bandaged his wound again. ¡°Good thing I jumped away


    fast, or you''d be mourning for me right now.¡±


    ¡°Be careful next time.¡± Charlotte chose to trust him and scolded herself for being paranoid. ¡°Tell me if


    you run into anything you can''t settle. I can help you.¡±


    ¡°As a matter of fact, I am facing something that''s hard to settle by myself right now.¡± He leaned back on


    the sofa and swirled his ss around elegantly.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Charlotte looked at him.


    Zachary took a sip of the wine and beckoned her. She reflexively huddled closer. Before she knew what


    was going on, Zachary kissed her and fed her the wine, forcing her to drink all of it.


    Lupine and Morgan looked away and backed out of the room, leaving their employer and her lover


    locked in a passionate kiss.


    Charlotte pound at his chest and tried to push him away in frustration, but she couldn''t. In the end, she


    was force-fed the wine and goaded into a passionate kiss. Zachary''s kiss was feral but also loving, and


    it lit a me within Charlotte.


    She leaned against him, letting him do anything he wanted with her. The heat in the room was rising.


    Zachary slowly slid his hand higher up her thigh, closing in on herher region and teasing her


    sensitive spot.


    He finally stopped the kiss when she was about to suffocate. He brushed his lips across her cheek and


    he whispered, ¡°You''re mine, and you always will be. Remember that.¡± He wanted to leave a mark on


    her before she left.


    Charlotte looked at him with clouded eyes. That sounds familiar. I think someone told me the same


    thing once...


    He kissed her again, this time more passionate and wilder. He was desperate to im her for himself


    once more, for that was the only way he could keep her from leaving him for someone else.


    Charlotte, shocked by the passion he showed that night. She pushed against him weakly but to no


    avail. It was as if he was an imprable iron wall. Damn, I''m giving in to him. My body''s not doing


    what I''m telling it to.


    This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    It didn''t take long for Zachary to pin her down on the sofa and take her pants off so he could enter her,


    but then someone hollered, ¡°Let me in! I''m Olivia, Charlotte''s friend! I know she still remembers me!¡±

 Chapter 812

    Chapter 812


    The couple was shocked about Olivia''s arrival. Zachary frowned. Olivia''s her best friend and knows a


    lot about us. Charlotte''s going to take it the wrong way if she bs about anything from the past.


    ¡°I need to use the restroom.¡± Zachary went to the restroom in the room and texted Ben.


    Charlotte straightened her clothes and went to see what was happening. ¡°What''s going on?¡±


    ¡°She says she''s your friend, Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    ¡°Charlotte!¡± Olivia cried tears of joy at the sight of Charlotte. ¡°It really is you! I''m not dreaming, am I?¡±


    Charlotte fell into a trance the moment she saw Olivia. She thought Olivia looked and felt familiar, but


    she couldn''t remember who Olivia was.


    ¡°Did you forget about me, Charlotte?¡± Olivia held her hands and cried. ¡°Where have you and Mrs. Berry


    been these couple of years? I was searching all over for you guys.¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Berry?¡± Charlotte froze. ¡°You know who Mrs. Berry is?¡±


    ¡°What? Why wouldn''t I? What happened to you, Charlotte?¡± Olivia was agitated. ¡°Don''t you recognize


    me? I''m your best friend, Olivia. My mother was your family''s servant, and your father sponsored my


    studies. The Windt family has helped us a ton.¡±


    ¡°You even know about the Windts?¡± Charlotte was sure thedy before her was indeed her best friend.


    ¡°Why wouldn''t I?¡± Olivia looked at her in disbelief. ¡°Your father''s Richard Windt, and he used to be the


    richest man in H City until someone plotted his death. You told me that, remember?¡±Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°My father was killed?¡± Charlotte''s eyes widened in shock. Shards of memory popped up in her head,


    trying to drill their way back into her mind. She clutched her head in pain, her face turning pale.


    ¡°What''s wrong, Charlotte? Are you sick?¡± Olivia panicked and helped her up.


    ¡°What else do you know?¡± Charlotte grabbed her hand.


    ¡°I-I know you''re married, and your husband is¡ª¡± The door swung open before she could finish, and


    Zachary came out, still wearing his mask and emanating an icy cold aura. The moment Olivia''s eyes


    fell upon him, she froze, her gaze filled with terror.


    ¡°What''s wrong?¡± Zachary reached out and pulled Charlotte into his embrace. Charlotte leaned against


    him without any resistance.


    Olivia staggered backward in horror. She couldn''t understand why Charlotte had forgotten about her,


    and why she went back to the devil''s arms.


    ¡°Olivia!¡± Just then, Peter came up and dragged her away. ¡°So this is where you ran off to! Come with


    me right now! Kristi is looking for you everywhere!¡± He bowed to Zachary and Charlotte. ¡°We''re very


    sorry for bothering you, Mr. Nacht, Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Olivia gripped Peter in confusion. ¡°What did you call Charlotte, Peter?¡±


    ¡°That''s not Charlotte, Olivia. That''s Ms. Lindberg, the boss of Lindberg Corporation,¡± he exined.


    ¡°That''s thepany that can rival Nacht Group, the richest family in Erihal.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? That''s Charlotte right there!¡±


    ¡°Alright, enough. You got the wrong person. Kristi''s such a loudmouth. I told her to keep it a secret, but


    I see she told you anyway. And she even brought you back. God...¡± Peter dragged Olivia away.


    Standing in a dark corner, Ben was observing him. He went to ask Peter to take Olivia away the


    moment Zachary texted him. I wonder if he got there in time. I hope Olivia didn''t say anything


    unnecessary to Charlotte.

 Chapter 813

    Chapter 813


    ¡°Don''t leave...¡± Charlotte wanted Olivia to stay, but her head was throbbing in pain. It took all she had to


    mumble, ¡°Don''t let her leave...¡±


    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°What did you say, Ms. Lindberg?¡± Lupine didn''t hear it.


    ¡°It''s rowdy here. I''ll take her in so she can rest up.¡± Zachary took Charlotte and left. Lupine and Morgan


    tried to follow him, but he disappeared from their sights a short whileter, much to their shock. They


    went around frantically trying to look for their employer.


    Meanwhile, Zachary left with Charlotte from the back. She was already groggy from the pain. Marino


    was standing quite some distance away with the Pagani beside him. He tossed the key to Zachary, and


    Zachary took it. He went into the car with Charlotte and covered her with his suit before driving away


    into the night.


    After Marino saw him off, he asked, ¡°I thought Mr. Nacht said he can''t drive the Pagani now because a


    normal gigolo can''t afford even a tire change?¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg is suspecting him now. She probably sent someone to keep an eye on us when we came


    out earlier. Driving another car would only make her suspicions worse,¡± Ben whispered. ¡°Enough of this


    talk. Keep those women busy for now. I''ll meet up with Peter.¡±


    ¡°What? Why me?¡±


    ¡°Who else is there? Make sure you aren''t recognized.¡± Ben handed Marino a ck fox''s mask. ¡°All


    Sultry Night hosts use this.¡±


    ¡°What...¡±


    Charlotte''s headache subsided after half an hour, and she looked around groggily. When she noticed


    she was in a Pagani, the first thing she asked was, ¡°Where did you get the money for the tire change?¡±


    ¡°I sold my Benz,¡± he answered seriously.


    ¡°I thought I gave you the money for the repairs.¡± She massaged her temple.


    ¡°I was worried you might want it back, so I didn''t spend it,¡± Zachary joked.


    ¡°I see.¡± Charlotte smiled and looked into the rear-view mirror. Lupine and Morgan didn''t follow us? She


    tried to call Lupine, but her phone was dead.


    ¡°Wanna use my phone?¡± Zachary handed her his phone.


    ¡°It''s fine.¡± Charlotte didn''t take it. ¡°Take me to Rokan Hill.¡±


    ¡°You''re not going back to Ashenville Garden?¡± Zachary looked at her.


    ¡°No. I have to go back tomorrow.¡± Charlotte stared at her watch, looking conflicted. ¡°Did my bodyguards


    follow you when you took me out?¡±


    ¡°They did, but they lost us halfway through,¡± Zachary answered easily. He had to admit that Charlotte


    was a lot more alertpared to how she was two years ago. She would notice something was wrong


    no matter how perfect his cover was.


    ¡°Useless,¡± Charlotte muttered under her breath.


    ¡°Ooh, fierce.¡± He pinched her cheek. ¡°I can keep you safe too, you know.¡±


    As he spoke, a few jeeps tried to catch up to them. Zachary wanted to speed up and lose them, but


    Charlotte said, ¡°Slow down.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Zachary was surprised, but Charlotte held the steering wheel and led the car to the roadside.


    Left with no choice, Zachary slowed down and stopped the car.


    The five jeeps quickly surrounded the Pagani before a group of young armed thugs alighted from the


    jeeps, looking ready to fight. Zachary knew they weren''t Zara''s henchmen or any of his powerful foes''


    lackeys. Could they be...


    ¡°Get out, you b*tch!¡± the leader of the group roared, but instead of getting out of the car, Charlotte


    lowered the convertible top.


    As the Pagani''s roof was slowly retracted back, the silvery moonlight shone coldly on Charlotte. She


    raised her chin and stared at the men coolly. ¡°Who sent you guys?¡±


    ¡°Think long and hard about it, b*tch.¡± The men came closer with their weapons in hand. ¡°But you ain''t


    getting a chance, because I''m beating you to a pulp tonight!¡±

 Chapter 814

    Chapter 814


    Charlotte sneered, but she didn''t look like she would ept the challenge, as if thinking that the thugs


    were beneath her.


    ¡°Do you want them dead or alive?¡± Zachary unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car.


    ¡°Somewhere in between.¡± Charlotte scanned the thugs and looked at the time. ¡°There are twenty of


    them. Can you finish them in twenty minutes?¡±


    ¡°That''s more than enough.¡± Zachary stood in front of the car and beckoned the thugs. ¡°Alright,e at


    me then, you b*stards.¡±


    ¡°You arrogant f*cker!¡± the leader roared, and hisckeys charged toward Zachary, swinging their bats.


    Zachary aimed a kick at one of theckeys, sending him flying backward before crashing into his


    comrades along the way. The otherckeys were shocked, and they halted their steps, afraid that they


    would get hurt next.


    ¡°Don''t just stand there! Get him!¡± their leader bellowed. ¡°There''s twenty of us against him! It''s


    impossible to lose!¡±


    The thugs armed with knives took two steps forward, but they backed off when they locked eyes with


    Zachary.


    ¡°F*cking cowards. Do you want the money or not?¡± The leader charged toward Zachary himself, and


    hisckeys followed his lead.


    Zachary looked at the time. Seeing that not much time was left, he ramped up the speed of the fight,


    downing each and every one of the thugs with rming speed.


    The Pagani''s headlights shone on him as if he was the only star of the fight. Charlotte leaned back


    languidly and rested her eyes. Her head was still throbbing, and she was getting tired.


    The sound of weapons shing, the curses, and the screams that wereing from the chaotic scene


    didn''t perturb her the least bit. She was immersed in her own world of silence.


    ¡°Get that woman right now!¡± The leader and a dozen of hisckeys surrounded Zachary, while another


    two went ahead to capture Charlotte.


    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    Charlotte slowly opened her eyes when she felt the murderous intenting for her, and she noticed a


    gleaming deing for her neck, but someone snatched it from theckey before it could hit her.


    A scream pierced the night, and blood was sttered on her face. She frowned unhappily, but a


    momentter, she realized Zachary was already done with his fight, for the group ofckeys was now


    lying on the ground before the car, moaning in pain.


    She looked at the time. Thirteen minutes. He defeated twenty armed men without any weapon in


    thirteen minutes. That''s decent.


    Zachary dusted his hands off and frowned when he saw the blood on the bo. ¡°Time for a car


    wash.¡±


    ¡°And a change of clothes.¡± Charlotte raised her chin.


    He looked at his shirt and realized it was drenched in blood. He didn''t kill anyone. He only taught the


    lackeys who tried toy their hands on Charlotte a lesson, though it still spilled some blood.


    ¡°Get in,¡± she urged. Zachary turned around and saw the silver Rolls-Royce closing in on them when he


    got into the car. Lupine, Morgan, and a few others got out of the car and cleaned up after their


    employer.


    ¡°I want to know who''s behind this. You have one hour,¡± shemanded.


    ¡°Yes, Ms. Lindberg.¡± Her bodyguards obliged. Charlotte raised the roof, and Zachary drove away.


    It was a silent night.


    Zachary handed her a few tissue papers, and she wiped the blood off her face. She then blurted, ¡°Who


    are you anyway?¡±


    Zachary paused, and he looked at her. ¡°Who do you think I am then?¡±


    ¡°Not a normal gigolo for sure.¡± Charlotte didn''t beat about the bush. ¡°I trust that you won''t hurt me, but I


    want to know why you came to me.¡±


    ¡°Because I want you toe back to me,¡± Zachary blurted without thinking, for that was what he truly


    felt.


    Charlotte was stupefied. She had a lot of guesses about his reason, but she never expected him to


    give that answer.

 Chapter 815

    Chapter 815


    Silence fell between them. Charlotte was shocked for a short while, and she kept her silence. Zachary


    didn''t say anything either as he kept driving.


    It didn''t take long for them to reach the base of Rokan Hill. Zachary stopped the car by the roadside,


    retracted the roof before reclining the seat, and looked up at the sky.


    Charlotte nced at the time and leaned back to look up at the stars in silence. They didn''t say


    anything for the longest time. Just like the night breeze that was blowing through her hair, messing it


    up, her emotions were also all over the ce.


    ¡°Do you trust me?¡± Zachary suddenly asked.


    ¡°If we go by terms of feeling and instinct, yes,¡± she answered honestly. ¡°But rationally speaking, I have


    a lot of reasons to suspect you.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes rationality isn''t your bestpass.¡± He looked at her. ¡°You should trust your own instincts.¡±


    ¡°And that''s how you make mistake after mistake.¡± She smiled bitterly. ¡°I lost a part of my memory. The


    doctor said it was too painful for me to endure, so I forgot about them as a defense mechanism.¡± She


    looked at him. ¡°I''ve forgotten about a lot of things, but not you. You feel warm to me. Fuzzy, even. I trust


    you never hurt me before?¡±


    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Zachary didn''t know how to answer that.


    ¡°You''d better tell me if you had.¡± She was still calm. ¡°Perhaps I''ll forgive you if it''s not too serious.¡±


    ¡°You won''t¡ª¡± Zachary stopped before he could finish the sentence.


    ¡°So you did hurt me.¡± She squinted at him, feeling conflicted. Just then, they heard the roar of the Rolls-


    Royce, signaling the arrival of Charlotte''s bodyguards.


    ¡°I''ll be going back tomorrow, and I might be absent for a while.¡± She smiled, trying to make herself look


    warmer. ¡°Take the car, and spend the money. I won''t take it back.¡±


    ¡°Will we meet again when you return?¡± Zachary stared at her, his gaze gentle.


    ¡°We''ll see.¡± She unbuckled herself and was about to get out of the car, but Zachary held the back of her


    head and leaned in for a kiss. Charlotte wanted to push him away, but her body always epted his


    kiss, so she slowly let go of herself, and her arms slumped.


    Zachary put all his passion and tenderness into his kiss. He wanted to etch himself in her memory,


    even though they would only be separated for nearly two weeks.


    A long whileter, Zachary finally let go of her, albeit reluctantly. He held her cheek with one hand and


    brushed his thumb against her lips. ¡°You''re my woman. Always had been and always will be. Don''t


    forget that.¡±


    How he wished his words could bind her to him like a magic spell. He wanted her to always keep him in


    mind.


    Charlotte stiffened for a bit before she snapped out of it and got out of the car. ¡°See you.¡±


    Zachary saw her off. His heart was filled with worry and longing. Charlotte could feel his gaze on her,


    but she went into her car without looking back. Before long, the Rolls-Royce drove into the night.


    Zachary looked away and called Ben. ¡°I''m at Rokan Hill.¡±


    ¡°I''ll be there right away.¡±


    Charlotte stared at him from the rear-view mirror and only looked away when she couldn''t see him


    anymore. ¡°Did you find the girl?¡±


    ¡°We tried toe after you, but some strange guys stopped us.¡± Lupine was bowing her head. ¡°Then


    we split up. Morgan went to search for you, while I looked for the girl named Olivia, but she was gone.¡±


    ¡°What did Peter say?¡± Charlotte frowned.


    ¡°He said she left Sultry Night, but he didn''t know where she went,¡± Lupine answered carefully. ¡°We


    searched the whole ce, but she was nowhere to be found. Even Kristi was gone.¡±

 Chapter 816

    Chapter 816


    Charlotte kept quiet and stared down as she fell into deep thought.


    Lupine noticed her employer''s discontent, and she quickly calmed her down, ¡°Don''t worry, Ms.


    Lindberg. I''ve sent our men on a search for Olivia. I''m sure we''ll find her.¡±


    ¡°I''m not sure if you guys have noticed this, but someone''s been one step ahead of us all this time.¡± She


    narrowed her eyes dangerously. ¡°They seem to know my every move.¡±


    ¡°Who are you talking about, Ms. Lindberg?¡± Lupine asked.


    Charlotte kept quiet instead of answering. ¡°Did you guys find out anything about Zachary''s marriage?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Lupine answered. ¡°A simple Google search should have done it, but everything''s deleted when


    we tried to look into it.¡±


    ¡°I see. So that''s how it is.¡± Charlotte sneered. Her bodyguards looked at each other in terror, for they


    didn''t know why their employer would smile. ¡°Capture Peter,¡± she ordered.


    All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    ¡°Understood.¡± Lupine immediately called someone to ry the job.


    Charlotte took out her phone and spun it. ¡°My phone''s fully charged before I went out, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I was the one who unplugged it.¡± Morgan was sure about it. ¡°Is it dead now? Might be something


    wrong.¡±


    Charlotte didn''t answer. Instead, she plugged her phone into the charger in her car. ¡°The Pagani has a


    tracker installed, right? See where it is right now.¡±


    Lupine was surprised about the order, but she nodded. ¡°Okay.¡±


    ...


    Zachary tossed the key to Marino. ¡°Drive it to Happy Avenue.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Marino drove away.


    ¡°Will we be going to Ashenville Garden or back home, Mr. Nacht?¡± Ben opened the door for Zachary.


    ¡°Ashenville Garden.¡± Zachary took his mask off and looked at Ben. ¡°Did you talk it through with Olivia?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± He nodded. ¡°We didn''t hurt her because she''s Ms. Windt''s friend, but we''re keeping her in the


    vi and cut off allmunication. She''s also under supervision at all times. We detained Kristi too


    because she knows Ms. Windt and is friends with Olivia. She might know something.¡±


    ¡°Do not let Charlotte see Olivia at all costs,¡± Zachary said solemnly. ¡°I''ll tell Charlotte everything once I


    send Henry away and see Dr. Felch.¡±


    ¡°That soon? Will she forgive you?¡± Ben was nervous.


    ¡°I wanted to wait a little longer too. At least until everything is settled if possible, but it''s unlikely now.¡±


    He frowned. ¡°Charlotte''s too smart. I can''t hide anything from her. She''s probably looking into my past


    now. I bet there''s a tracker on that Pagani.¡±


    ¡°Wait, does that mean Marino''s in danger?¡± Ben quickly asked.


    ¡°No.¡± Zachary was sure about that. ¡°She wouldn''t do anything reckless even for answers.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Ben was still nervous though. ¡°But if she takes a look at the house on Happy Avenue, she''ll


    know she spent her life there with the kids. The ce is still the same, and the photos of her, Mrs.


    Berry, and the kids are still there.¡±


    ¡°She''ll find out about it sooner orter,¡± Zachary answered. ¡°At least when she finds out about it, it will


    be thanks to my guidance. And that''s a good thing.¡±


    ¡°But she''ll be able to link that to you once she finds out about that.¡± Ben frowned. ¡°With the way she is


    now, she''ll probably go to war against you once she knows of the past.¡±


    ¡°No, she won''t, since the triplets are with me.¡± He fiddled with the wedding ring. ¡°Once Henry is gone,


    I''ll take the kids to her and awaken her maternal instincts.¡±

 Chapter 817

    Chapter 817


    ¡°Oh, that''s a good n.¡± Ben nodded. ¡°Ms. Windt loves the kids. She''ll definitelye back for them.¡±


    ¡°We''re in a race against time now.¡± Zachary was in a dilemma. ¡°She might be able to ept it all if I


    manage to send Henry away, find Dr. Felch, and approach her with the kids before she recovers her


    memory. But she might not do that if she manages to recover her memory first and remembers how the


    Nachts have hurt her. And with the way she is now, she''ll try to take custody of the kids no matter


    what.¡±


    ¡°That''s the worst-case scenario.¡± Ben was fearful of that oue. ¡°If the Nachts and the Lindbergs are


    engaged in an all-out war, that''d be disastrous.¡±


    Zachary looked concerned. He could feel Charlotte''s rationality winning over her feelings and instincts.


    Besides, she was starting to suspect him. Given how wed Zachary was performing that night, he was


    sure she would look into his case.


    ...


    Meanwhile, Charlotte was gazing at the night sky coolly. Lupine took a call and reported, ¡°Ms. Lindberg,


    the Pagani has stopped in the underground parking lot of Happy Avenue.¡±


    Charlotte froze. He brought me there once. He told me that was our home. But this doesn''t say


    anything about him. Maybe he has given me the hints to the answer I''m looking for. Maybe I''m just too


    afraid to find out about the truth of my painful past.


    ¡°Should we send someone, Ms. Lindberg?¡± Lupine enquired.


    ¡°No.¡± Charlotte refused to face her past, and she shifted the topic. ¡°Did you find out who''s the


    mastermind behind the attack earlier?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Lupine took the file out. ¡°It was Sharon ckwood.¡±


    ¡°I knew it.¡± Charlotte sneered. ¡°I was too soft on herst time.¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°Tell the


    commerce department tounch an all-out attack on Synder Group.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Lupine ryed the order to everyone. At the same time, they had arrived back at Northridge.


    Charlotte''s phone was fully charged and a message popped up. The content shocked her and she


    quickly called back. The call went through in seconds.


    ¡°Hello.¡±


    ¡°Good morning, Danrique.¡± It was two-thirty in the morning in H City, but it was seven-thirty in Erihal.


    ¡°You rarely turn off your phone,¡± Danrique said calmly, yet there was a hint of anger in his tone.


    ¡°Something happened,¡± Charlotte answered. ¡°I''ll be back tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Lupine told me about it.¡± Danrique knew everything about her. ¡°It''s just a Ministry of Youth and Sports


    authorization document. You don''t have to get it yourself. I''ll get someone to take it to you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Danrique.¡± Charlotte smiled. ¡°But you''re just spoiling me if you help. I wanted to deal with it


    mysel¡ª¡±


    ¡°Haven''t you realized it?¡± Danrique interrupted her. ¡°Zachary wants you toe back to Erihal for


    another purpose.¡±


    Realization struck Charlotte. ¡°Danrique, are you saying he''s trying to get me to leave?¡±


    ¡°I''ve trained you for two years, and you''re only able to realize this now?¡± Danrique was upset.


    ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Charlotte respected and feared her brother.


    ¡°Think long and hard about your next move.¡± He hung up right after that.


    Charlotte sat on the sofa, a frown creasing her forehead. I almost fell for his trick, but why did he want


    me to leave?


    ¡°Your private jet is ready to go, Ms. Lindberg,¡± Morgan came to inform her of the news.


    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°Cancel it,¡± Charlotte said. Then she added, ¡°No, go ahead as nned, but we''re not boarding the


    flight.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Lupine and Morgan looked at each other in bewilderment.


    ¡°I want Zachary to think we''re gone.¡± Charlotte narrowed her eyes dangerously. ¡°I want to see what


    he''s trying to pull.¡±

 Chapter 818

    Chapter 818


    It was already three in the morning when Zachary came back to Ashenville Garden. The hotel was


    silent as everyone was asleep. He unbuttoned his jacket and went upstairs quickly. He nced at


    Sharon''s room when he went past it, but it was quiet inside.


    His subordinate was waiting in his room to report the events of the day. ¡°Cain and Kyle didn''t see Ms.


    Lindberg, but Ms. ckwood probably did. She didn''t ask or say anything about it. She has been in her


    room since you left and didn''te out since.¡±


    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I see.¡± Zachary nodded and waved him down.


    He had a nightmare that night. In his dream, Charlotte barged into the Nachts'' residence with her


    subordinates. She killed Henry before she took away the kids, and pointed a gun at him. ¡°You did this,


    Zachary!¡± she spat hatefully. ¡°This is for Mrs. Berry.¡± The gunshot was thest thing he heard.


    Zachary woke up and stared at the ceiling in panic, his forehead drenched in sweat.


    Someone knocked on the door, and Ben''s voice could be heard. ¡°I bring news, Mr. Nacht.¡±


    Zachary calmed himself and sat up. After putting on a robe, he said, ¡°Come in.¡±


    Ben came in with his head bowed. ¡°I''ve received news about Ms. Lindberg''s departure to the airport


    earlier. Also, Synder Group''s stocks took a dip overnight, and some of the big shareholders withdrew


    their capital. Mr. Henry has asked you to call him back.¡±


    ¡°So, Sharon was the one behind the attackst night, huh?¡± He looked down. ¡°What a foolish woman.


    Charlotte''s no pushover now.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg shows no mercy,¡± Ben said. ¡°Synder Group''s a mess now, and Mr. Henry called me


    earlier. He told me you didn''t take his call, so he wanted me to tell you that he wants you back ASAP.¡±


    ¡°Why? Lindberg Corporation''s trying to take them down, not us. What does this have to do with us?¡±


    Zachary''s face fell. ¡°It''s not like I can interfere even if I go back.¡±


    ¡°Maybe he wants you to help them,¡± Ben answered. ¡°Also, Ms. ckwood is waiting for you


    downstairs. Mr. ckwood has sent someone to pick her up.¡±


    ¡°Tell her to give me a minute. I''ll be there soon,¡± Zachary said.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Ben retreated from the room.


    Zachary quickly washed up and changed into a set of new clothes before going down. The medical


    staff was packing up, and Cynthia was sorting out her medical kit. She stood up and looked at Zachary


    nervously when he came down.


    Zachary waved everyone away, leaving him and Cynthia alone in the room. ¡°Sorry for neglecting you


    over thest couple of days. I was busy with work,¡± he finally said.


    ¡°No, no. I must have been a burden to you.¡± She gestured. ¡°I hope I haven''t troubled you.¡±


    ¡°You didn''t, but...¡± He stared at her. ¡°What did you seest night?¡± Zachary''s question went deeper than


    that. He knew Cynthia paid a lot of visits to the Nachts'' residence, so she must have seen Charlotte''s


    photos. He knew she must have a lot of questions after meeting Charlotte the night before.


    I don''t care what she thinks. But this cannot be made public.


    ¡°I saw Sir Louis and his friend.¡± She gestured. ¡°It was rude of me to leave just like that. I didn''t even say


    hi to them. I''m embarrassed by my discourteous attitude.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine.¡± Zachary smiled. She''s smart and knows what to do.


    Cynthia took a beautiful wooden box and handed it to Zachary. She then gestured. ¡°I made this


    lavender oil myself. Light it up in your room at night. It helps with your sleep.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Zachary took the box from her. ¡°Let me send you off.¡±

 Chapter 819

    Chapter 819


    Zachary went back to his office after sending Cynthia off.


    Bruce called while Zachary was driving. The former reported, ¡°I tailed the Lindbergs all the way to the


    airport, but I didn''t go any further because I didn''t want to risk them seeing me.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± replied Zachary. He sighed a breath of relief. Now that Charlotte is finally back in Erihal, I can


    work at ease.


    After hanging up, Zachary called Henry.


    ¡°What is the point of having a phone if you don''t pick up nine out of the ten times I call you?¡±


    ¡°Who would want to pick up a call from you if you scold them the second the line is connected?¡±


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°Come now, let''s not dwell on this topic,¡± said Zachary before he cut to the chase and informed, ¡°I''ve


    sent Cynthia off, and now I''m on my way to the office.¡±


    ¡°So, how are things between the two of you?¡± asked Henry in anticipation.


    ¡°Don''t you already know all about it?¡± retorted Zachary. ¡°I''m sure Cain and Kyle have reported


    everything that happened in the past two days to you.¡±


    Henry was speechless for a moment there. He was so irked that he almost had a heart attack. ¡°You


    brat! Why must you say things that infuriate me?¡± chided Henry.


    ¡°I''m just stating the truth,¡± replied Zachary, whose tone softened slightly when he added, ¡°If you insist


    on hearing it from me, then all I can say is that things are going well. She is kind, sweet, and does


    everything in ordance with my liking. It seems like she''d be a good wife.¡±


    ¡°I''m d to hear that,¡± imed Henry gleefully. ¡°You''re getting older, and the kids need a mom. I''ll also


    feel more at ease if you marry Cynthia soon.¡±


    ¡°Marriage is not a simple matter. Let''s talk about it after we get to spend more time together,¡± refuted


    Zachary tly.


    ¡°Of course,¡± agreed Henry. ¡°I''m just hoping that you''d move on from that dark past and try to get


    together with Cynthia. I won''t push you to get married so soon.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± replied Zachary, ¡°I''ll hang up now if there''s nothing else.¡±


    ¡°I''m not done talking,¡± reprimanded Henry. ¡°Have you heard the news about the ckwoods?¡±


    ¡°I heard about the matter, but I haven''t looked into it,¡± answered Zachary nonchntly.


    ¡°I''ve investigated the case. Lindberg Corporation is trying to oppress Synder Group,¡± revealed Henry in


    a grim tone. ¡°Two years ago, Danrique tried to get Synder Group to join them, but I put a stop to it.


    ¡°Nacht Group was in trouble at the time, and Mr. ckwood risked offending Lindberg Corporation to


    come to our aid. He stood by our family and fended for us. Although we have no idea why Lindberg


    Corporation is suddenly going after Synder Group, the Nachts cannot stand idly by!¡±


    ¡°So you want me to help them out?¡± blurted Zachary while frowning. ¡°But we have no legit reason for


    doing that.¡±


    ¡°That is why we can''t make it too obvious,¡± instructed Henry. ¡°Help them out in secret.¡±Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°But I am not in a position to do that.¡± Zachary refused tantly, then pointed out, ¡°Sharon was too


    brazen and offended the Lindbergs. They will undoubtedly demand her demise, and it would not be


    right for me to extend a helping hand.¡±


    ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡± blurted Henry in astonishment. ¡°You know the whole story?¡±


    ¡°I know bits and pieces. The point is that Sharon had iting,¡± informed Zachary, who tried to make


    things seem less grave than it actually was. ¡°You shouldn''t intervene in the matter. If Taylor asks for


    your help, just ask him toe to me.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± replied Henry exasperatedly. ¡°I''ve already handed the corporation over to you anyway, so it''s


    not right for me to butt in either.¡±


    ¡°I''m d you think this way. I have to go now. Rest well,¡± said Zachary, who sounded pleased.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    After hanging up the phone, Zachary frowned as he suddenly thought of a problem. Both Sharon and


    Cynthia had seen Charlotte in person before. If they shared that secret with Henry to save themselves,


    things would be troublesome for Zachary.


    He was contemting the issue when his phone suddenly rang. The call was from Taylor.


    Zachary hesitated for a while before he eventually picked it up and greeted, ¡°Mr. ckwood.¡±


    ¡°Zachary, do you have time? I''d like to talk to you.¡±


    ¡°Let''s talk in my office. I have half an hour to spare before ten o''clock in the morning.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I''ll head over right away.¡±

 Chapter 820

    Chapter 820


    Zachary had just sat down in his office when Taylor showed up.


    Lucy poured Taylor a cup of coffee and got Zachary a ss of iced liquor before she left quietly.


    ¡°I''m so sorry for bothering you this early in the morning,¡± said Taylor. He rarely had to ask anyone for


    help, so he sounded a little awkward when he continued, ¡°I know I shouldn''t be disturbing you, but Mr.


    Nacht said that he had already handed the corporation over to you and told me to talk to you directly,


    so...¡±


    ¡°Mr. ckwood,¡± Zachary cut to the chase, ¡°Time is of the essence, and I don''t want to waste any of


    yours, so let''s not beat around the bush. You are experienced in the business world, so I''m sure you''ve


    already learned who the culprit behind all this is. Unfortunately, only the culprit can solve the problem,


    so you should go to them directly.¡±


    ¡°I have investigated that matter, but I don''t understand. Why would Lindberg Corporatione after


    Synder Group now?¡± asked Taylor with a troubled look. He pointed out, ¡°The only connection between


    the two families was the incident two years ago, but so much time has passed. They couldn''t be


    coming after us for something like that, could they?¡±


    ¡°You''d have to talk to your precious daughter, Sharon, to get to the bottom of this,¡± replied Zachary in a


    meaningful tone.


    ¡°You mean...¡± said Taylor as he turned pale, ¡°Sharon offended someone from the Lindberg family?¡±


    Zachary grinned without saying a word.


    Seeing that, Taylor''s face contorted with anger. Immediately, he left and called his men. ¡°Did Sharon go


    to the airport? Stop her right now!¡±


    ¡°She really is a troublemaker,¡±mented Ben. He couldn''t help sighing before he added, ¡°She


    wanted to flee the country because she knew that she''s in hot soup. We''re lucky that Taylor came


    looking for you. If he hadn''t, she would''ve gotten away with it.¡±


    ¡°So what if he learns the truth?¡± sneered Zachary. ¡°Given Taylor''s style, it is likely that he will soften his


    stance and find ways to fix the mistake she made.¡±


    ¡°You''ve already pointed him in the right direction, so it''s up to him to do the rest now,¡± said Ben before


    he checked his watch and reminded, ¡°Mr. Sterk and the others should be waiting for you in the office


    now.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I''ll be there soon,¡± replied Zachary as he walked to his desk. He signed a few documents and


    urged, ¡°Ask Bruce if he has located Dr. Felch yet.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    Zachary didn''t have time to eat his breakfast. After signing a few important documents, he went into the


    conference room to discuss matters with Mr. Sterk and the others. Then, he went to deal with the


    technical problems arising from their new products.


    Zachary finally got a break during lunch, but Bruce rushed over to report, ¡°We''ve found Dr. Felch. He is


    still in Phoenix City, but he moved to another location.¡±


    ¡°Send his address over and get the private jet ready. We''re heading to Phoenix City,¡± instructed


    Zachary, who put his cutlery down immediately.


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Nacht,¡± replied Ben. He then left immediately to make the necessary arrangements.


    Zachary downed his liquor in one go before he grabbed his coat and walked out quickly.


    Bruce followed him and continued reporting, ¡°I''ve obtained the information from Olivia''s phone and


    found Hayley''s address. I also saw the messages in the chat room they share. Dr. Felch has regained


    consciousness, but he is crippled by that ident. Sam is taking care of him now.¡±


    ¡°How are things with Olivia?¡± asked Zachary.


    ¡°Her emotions are unstable., and she keeps cussing. She also used you of killing Ms. Lindberg and


    Mrs. Berry and med you for locking her up. My men are keeping an eye on her, so she is fine for


    now, but I''m worried that she will go bonkers if this drags on.¡±


    ¡°It won''t take long.¡±


    Zachary checked his watch. I probably won''t be able to wait until the kids are back from school.


    He rushed home to pack his luggage and get his travel documents. Unexpectedly, Robbie stayed home


    that day and was ying a board game with Henry in the study room. Both the elderly man and the kid


    were pleasantly surprised to see Zachary home.


    ¡°Who''s winning?¡± asked Zachary as he changed into a morefortable outfit.


    ¡°It''s a draw for now,¡± answered Robbie while staring at Zachary. Then the former asked, ¡°Daddy, why


    are you home at this hour?¡±

 Chapter 821

    Chapter 821


    ¡°I came home to pack and get my travel documents. Something came upst minute, so I need to go


    on a trip,¡± replied Zachary as he stroked Robbie''s tiny head. After that, he instructed, ¡°Go grab a drink. I


    need to discuss something with your great-grandpa.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± said Robbie. Then he slid off his chair and added, ¡°Great-grandpa, let''s continue yingter,


    alright?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± replied Henry, who was gazing adoringly at Robbie.


    The little boy then left with Fifi in his arms.


    Ben closed the door to the study room and waited outside.


    This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Where are you headed to all of a sudden?¡± asked Henry.


    ¡°I need to go to Phoenix City. Something happened at base,¡± replied Zachary nonchntly. ¡°Mr.


    ckwood came to me earlier, and I gave him some hints. But he will still have to deal with the rest on


    his own.¡±


    ¡°Okay, let''s monitor the situation from afar for now,¡± said Henry. Instead of pressing on, he asked, ¡°Did


    Cynthia ask to see you?¡±


    ¡°No, she is a rational woman and probably won''te to me for something like this,¡± said Zachary.


    Those were his heartfelt words.


    ¡°You should appreciate her. Women like her are hard toe by,¡± advised Henry while rolling his eyes


    at Zachary. He then added, ¡°Since everything is settled here, I should head back to M Nation too.¡±


    Zachary finally got the old man to say those words. Over the past two days, Zachary had deliberately


    made things seem ambiguous with Cynthia in the hot spring resort. He even shared the same room


    with her for two nights, and it was likely that Cain and Kyle had shared that information with Henry.


    Moreover, I kept praising Cynthia when I came back and seemed genuinely fond of her, so Grandpa


    probably bought it and decided to head back to M Nation.


    ¡°It''s good that you''re heading back. H City''s weather is more humid, and you''ve always been


    unustomed to it. I''ll take the kids to M Nation to visit you once I have settled everything here,¡± said


    Zachar, acting like he was a little hesitant to part.


    ¡°Yeah. I''ll head back once you return,¡± informed Henry while nodding. ¡°Since you won''t be home the


    next few days, I''m worried that no one will be around for the kids.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine, actually,¡± said Zachary, trying his best to sound natural. ¡°After all, Mrs. Rawlston and Raina


    are here to help, and we have tons of maid.¡±


    ¡°So what?¡± scolded Henry while ring at him. ¡°They need at least someone who is rted to them by


    blood. Only when there''s family around will they feel safe.¡±


    ¡°I will be back in a couple of days,¡± insisted Zachary nervously. He was truly worried that Henry would


    change his mind and decide to stay. ¡°The kids are old enough now, so they''ll be fine even if they''re on


    their own for a few days.¡±


    ¡°Why do I get the feeling that you want me to leave?¡± said Henry as he red over unhappily.


    ¡°That is not true¡ª¡±


    ¡°Then it''s settled,¡± interrupted Henry immediately. ¡°I will return to M Nation once you''re done with your


    work. Honestly, do you think I enjoy being here? The air up here is thin, and it''s so humid that my old


    bones keep aching.¡±


    Zachary was secretly exasperated. Still, he had no choice but to ept that arrangement. He took


    comfort in the fact that Henry nned on leaving after he returned from his trip, though. Let''s hope he


    won''t go back on his words...


    Charlotte is not in the country anyway, and it''s only for a few days, so things should be fine.


    Aftering to that conclusion, Zachary nodded and said, ¡°Alright, but don''t wear yourself out, okay?


    Let Cain drop off the kids so you can rest well.¡±


    ¡°That is not possible! I''m already here, so naturally, I will drop them off in person,¡± insisted Henry


    stubbornly. ¡°It''s settled. You should go now.¡±


    Zachary turned around and left. After that, he went to Robbie''s room and knocked on the door, calling


    out, ¡°Robbie, it''s me.¡±


    ¡°Hang on, Daddy.¡±


    Robbie was ying with the ck gold ring while sitting in front of his desk. He knew that his father


    would be leaving for a business trip and that some bodyguards at home would be going with him.


    Great-grandpa might return to M Nation too, and the Triplets Reconnaissance Team will be free to carry


    out Project Mommy.


    Robbie quickly kept the ring away and rushed over to open the door. ¡°Daddy!¡±


    ¡°Can Ie in?¡± asked Zachary with a smile.


    ¡°Of course,¡± replied Robbie as he moved aside and gestured for Zachary to enter.


    When Zachary walked in, he saw the familiar decorations and the family photo hanging on the wall.


    The sight stung his heart a little...

 Chapter 822

    Chapter 822


    That was the photo they took when Zachary and Charlotte got married on the beach. Besides the


    family of five, Fifi and Mrs. Berry were also there, so it was aplete family of seven, and they were


    smiling happily at the camera.


    This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    Ever since that day, the family photo had been ced in every room in the house.


    Henry tried to have those photos removed from the walls, but all three kids protested, so he had no


    choice but to give that idea up.


    Kids their age were usually forgetful, but the kids remembered every moment they shared with their


    mommy and Mrs. Berry...


    ¡°Daddy, do you miss Mommy?¡± asked Robbie as he followed Zachary''s gaze to the photo.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± murmured Zachary while sitting down. Having a tall figure, he seemed ufortable when he


    sat down on that small sofa, so he said, ¡°This sofa is too small. We should switch this out for a bigger


    one.¡±


    ¡°Daddy, you say that every time youe into my room,¡± replied Robbie.


    Heter got a drink for his dad.


    Zachary stroked Robbie''s tiny head. ¡°I have to go on a business trip soon, so I will be away for a few


    days. Be good at home, okay? Your great-grandpa will take care of you three, so you can talk to him if


    you need anything.¡±


    ¡°Isn''t Great-grandpa going back to M Nation?¡± asked Robbie, frowning.


    ¡°He will leave once Daddy returns,¡± replied Zachary before reaching out to pinch the kid''s cheek lightly.


    ¡°Why do I get the feeling that you want your great-grandpa to go back to M Nation too?¡±


    ¡°Hmm... I think the word ''too'' is used very appropriately here,¡± said Robbie, who spoke like he was an


    adult.


    Zacharyughed aloud.


    Robbie was a lot like his father. They even spoke in the same tone, and although neither spoke much,


    they always got right to the point when they did.


    ¡°I should go,¡± said Zachary as he stood up.


    ¡°Okay,¡± replied Robbie as he nodded. ¡°Don''t worry, Daddy. I will take care of Jamie and Ellie.¡±


    ¡°You''re a kid too, so just take care of yourself. Leave the adults to take care of them,¡± Zachary said with


    affection. Caressing Robbie''s tiny head, he added, ¡°I would like to see you as carefree as Jamie and


    Ellie.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Daddy,¡± replied Robbie. He was a little touched by that gesture.


    Zachary then got up to leave. When he reached the door, Robbie called out suddenly, ¡°Daddy!¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± asked Zachary after he paused and turned to the kid.


    ¡°They say that you are in a rtionship with Ms. Cynthia. Is that true?¡± Robbie blurted while staring


    intently at him.


    ¡°No,¡± answered Zachary. Although he didn''t borate further, he was firm when he added simply, ¡°I


    only love your mommy.¡±


    ¡°I''m d to hear that,¡± said Robbie while sighing a breath of relief. ¡°You''ll be really happy if Mommy


    comes back, won''t you?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± replied Zachary without hesitation. A mesmerizing grin crept up on his lips, and his eyes


    shone with hope when he added, ¡°Your mommy wille back to us soon...¡±


    ¡°Yes, she will,¡± said Robbie firmly. ¡°And our family will be reunited soon.¡±


    Zachary sensed that something was amiss. Robbie seemed strangely confident and firm when he said


    those words... Did he discover something?


    ¡°Daddy, you should hurry up,¡± reminded Robbie. ¡°Mr. Ben and Mr. Bruce are waiting for you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, alright,¡± said Zachary. He crouched down and hugged the kid before leaving.


    Robbie watched Zachary''s leaving figure as thetter walked away. Daddy, I will definitely find Mommy


    and bring her back...


    ¡°Robbie, I''m going to go pick Jamie and Ellie up from school now. Would you like toe along?¡±


    asked Henry, who was wheeled into the room by Spencer.


    ¡°Nah, I should prepare for my science sster.¡±


    Robbie checked his watch. It''s already past two in the afternoon.


    ¡°Alright,¡± said Henry, who didn''t think much of it. He simply advised, ¡°Then be good and stay at home,


    okay? We will be back soon.¡±


    ¡°Got it. Don''t worry,¡± replied Robbie obediently. ¡°Let me walk you downstairs.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Thank you, Robbie.¡±


    Henry was delighted about it. Over the past few days, Robbie had been much nicer to him, and it


    seemed that the gap between the two of them was bridged. It''s as if we''ve gone back to the good old


    days...


    Henry prayed that the harmony wouldst forever.

 Chapter 823

    Chapter 823


    Zachary was about to get into the car when he noticed that Henry''s car had pulled up as well. Right


    then, Spencer wheeled Henry out while Robbie stayed at the side.


    ¡°Where is everyone going?¡± asked Zachary.


    ¡°I''m picking Jamie and Ellie up from school,¡± said Henry.


    ¡°Isn''t it a little too early? It''s only a little after two,¡± said Zachary after he checked his watch.


    ¡°There''s an open ss today, so I thought I''d go listen in. Besides, I can take this opportunity to interact


    with the principal as well,¡± exined Henry, who cared deeply about the kids'' education. ¡°It''ll be time to


    pick them up once the ss is over.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± said Zachary. He helped Henry into the car before crouching down to pick Robbie up,


    intending to carry him into the car. However, Robbie informed, ¡°I''m not going. I have a science ss


    this afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Okay, then stay home and be good,¡± said Zachary. He stroked the kid''s head before leaving.


    ¡°Bye, Daddy. Bye, Great-grandpa,¡± said Robbie while waving goodbye to the others.


    ¡°Robbie,¡± called out Henry after he rolled down the window and popped his head out. ¡°If Jamie and


    Ellie want to go to Fairytale Land after ss, I will send someone to take you there to meet up with


    them.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± answered Robbie while he watched everyone leave.


    As the two cars slowly drove out of the ce, Robbie scanned his surroundings and noted that over


    half of the subordinates were gone. The security is not as tight now, so this is the perfect opportunity to


    carry out the mission.


    He then got back to his room and sent a text message to Jamie''s smartwatch: Text me after you get off


    ss.


    Then, Robbie started prepping.


    The eagle destroyed Robbie''s second mechanical dove thest time around, so Robbie invented a


    brand new weapon¡ªthe multipurpose miniature camera!


    The multipurpose miniature camera was the size of a bean and was ced on Fifi''s head. There was a


    software that linked the device to Robbie''s phone and shared the video in real-time. All Robbie had to


    do was open the application, and he could see everything the camera captured.


    To top it all off, the multipurpose miniature camera could turn around and had no blind spots. It was not


    restricted to capturing videos from a fixed spot.


    Robbie ced Fifi on his study desk and whispered to it, ¡°Fifi, we''re counting on you to locate mommy.¡±


    ¡°Mommy! Mommy!¡± called out Fifi. It seemed excited upon hearing that word.


    ¡°Go!¡± ordered Robbie as he opened the window and let Fifi out.


    Fifi pped its wings and flew away.


    The bodyguards saw the bird, but they paid no attention to it.


    Robbie opened the application on his phone right away. Good, Fifi is flying toward the Northridge


    region.


    I made the right choice to stay home the past few days to train Fifi and get it ustomed to the


    navigation function on the camera. If everything goes well, it will now follow the device''s lead to


    Northridge...


    Robbie was a little excited about it. His new invention was a sess, and he nned to slip out of the


    houseter to go to Northridge. Who knows? Maybe Mommy is right there!


    Robbie was scheming when his smartwatch suddenly vibrated. Seeing that it was a call from Jamie,


    Robbie quickly answered, ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Robbie, were you looking for me?¡± asked Jamie. He was in a noisy spot, and it was obvious that he


    was still in the ssroom.


    All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    ¡°Find a quiet spot and listen carefully,¡± instructed Robbie.


    ¡°Hang on,¡± replied Jamie. He knew that something serious had happened when he heard that tone, so


    he quickly sneaked to the top floor and said, ¡°There''s no one here. You can speak freely now.¡±


    ¡°Daddy is out on a business trip, and Great-grandpa has gone to pick you two up. I am initiating Project


    Mommy now...¡±


    ¡°On your own? Take Ellie and I with you!¡±


    ¡°Of course we''re doing this together. That is why I am assigning tasks to the two of you now.¡±


    ¡°Cool, alright. Tell me,¡± said Jamie excitedly.


    ¡°When Great-grandpaes to pick the two of you up, tell him that you guys want to go to Fairytale


    Land. He will make a call to have someone send me over. Then I will sneak away while I''m on my way.


    You and Ellie are to stall Great-grandpa for as long as you can. Do NOT let hime back or send his


    men to look for me. Understand?¡±

 Chapter 824

    Chapter 824


    ¡°Uh...¡± blurted Jamie, who was slightly stunned. He nodded and replied after a pause, ¡°I got it, but we''re


    not really doing anything. You''re the one carrying out all the tasks.¡±


    ¡°It''s called teamwork,¡± replied Robbie in a serious tone. ¡°You''ve watched spy movies, so you should


    know that this is a tactical move.¡±


    ¡°Alright, but be careful since you''re on your own,¡± said Jamie, who was still a little worried.


    ¡°I''m not on my own. I have Fifi with me. Have you forgotten that it is a member of our team too?¡±


    reminded Robbie. As he spoke, he kept an eye on Fifi through the application.


    ¡°Oh, yeah,¡± said Jamie. He recalled that, on the day they formed the group, Fifi had put its leg in when


    they put their hands together, signifying that it joined the team as well.


    ¡°Remember to stall Great-grandpa. Otherwise, I won''t have time to carry out my task. Understand?¡±


    instructed Robbie.


    ¡°Got it... Robbie, please be careful.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry. I will be fine.¡±


    Robbie reverted his attention back to his phone after he hung up. Fifi couldn''t fly as fast as the


    mechanical dove could because it had been raised indoor. They had only recently let it out of the


    house, which improved its flying, but it was still not fast enough. Given its speed, it would take some


    time before Fifi reached Northridge.


    That''s fine, though. It will take Great-grandpa some time to get to the school, and I still have to wait for


    the bodyguards toe and get me. Only then will I get the opportunity to sneak to Northridge.


    Otherwise, I won''t even be able to leave the vi.


    Knock! Knock! Someone knocked on the door at that moment. The maid reported, ¡°The science


    teacher is here.¡±


    ¡°Please lead him to the study room. I will be there soon,¡± said Robbie.


    ¡°Okay,¡±


    The maid left after that.


    Robbie then sent Fifi a voice message. ¡°Fifi, take a break if you''re tired. You don''t need to hurry over.


    Safety first, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay. Okay.¡±


    It had been a while since Fifi flew that far, but it knew that it was assigned an important mission. That


    was why it persisted and kept flying.


    Now that Robbie gave it permission to rest, the parrot felt relieved. Itnded on a huge tree and rested


    there.


    The new device could record videos from any angle and share them on Robbie''s phone in real-time.


    Other than that, it also had a navigation system and amunication system.


    After doing some calctions, Robbie deduced that it would take Fifi some time to reach Northridge, so


    he took his phone with him into the study room for his ss.


    ¡°Mr. Robbie, phones are not allowed in ss,¡± reminded the teacher with a smile.


    ¡°I am waiting for an important call,¡± insisted Robbie. ¡°It won''t affect the lesson. I promise.¡±


    ¡°Alright then, let us begin.¡±


    Having said that, the teacher started teaching the lesson.


    At that moment, Henry had reached the school. He initially wanted to listen in on the open ss


    discreetly, but the school discovered his presence. That prompted the principal and the directors to


    come and wee him in person.


    However, Henry didn''t want to affect the ss, so he had no choice but to leave the ssroom.


    The ss ended just as he left. When Jamie and Ellie exited the ssroom, they saw Henry there and


    ran over excitedly. ¡°Great-grandpa, what brought you here?¡±


    ¡°Jamie! Ellie!¡± said Henry. A huge grin crept up on his face as soon as he saw them, answering, ¡°I


    came to pick you up from school. Let''s go to Fairytale Land for dinner. What do you say?¡±


    ¡°That sounds great!¡± replied Jamie and Ellie simultaneously.


    ¡°Then I''ll have someone take Robbie there to meet us,¡± said Henry before he signaled with his hand.


    With that, Spencer called the bodyguards at home.


    ¡°Isn''t it a little too early?¡± asked Jamie. The timeline was preponed by at least an hour, and he realized


    that it might affect Robbie''s ns, so he quickly suggested, ¡°Let''s go get Robbie a littleter.¡±


    This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°It''s fine. You guys can leave school earlier today. Thest ss is just ytime anyway,¡± informed the


    principal warmly.

 Chapter 825

    Chapter 825


    ¡°Alright then, let''s leave earlier today,¡± said Henry. He stroked Jamie''s head and continued, ¡°Your daddy


    is on a business trip, and Robbie is probably bored at home now. Let''s leave earlier and meet him at


    Fairytale Land.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay,¡± murmured Jamie. He knew it wasn''t appropriate for him to press on, so he changed tactics


    and said, ¡°Let me go get my backpack.¡±


    ¡°Jamie, help me take my backpack as well,¡± requested Ellie. She didn''t know that they were already


    assigned a task and that the mission was ongoing.


    ¡°Your backpack is so heavy. Go get it yourself,¡± Jamie declined. ¡°Come on. We''ll go together.¡± Jamie


    needed an excuse to drag Ellie away.


    Ellie harrumphed and frowned in annoyance beforeining, ¡°You are so mean.¡±


    ¡°We''ll get the teachers to bring them over for you,¡± suggested the principal immediately.


    ¡°There''s no need for that. Let them do it on their own,¡± refused Henry grimly. ¡°The Nacht family


    members were taught to always aplish their tasks by themselves. Please don''t give the kids


    special treatment. Just treat them like they are normal kids.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied the principal while nodding.


    ¡°You may get back to work. There''s no need to keep uspany,¡± instructed Henry when he saw the


    other kids peeking over. ¡°The other kids and their parents are staring, and this will affect everyone


    negatively.¡±


    ¡°That is...¡± said the principal as he turned to the directors, who exchanged nces with him.


    ¡°I have some questions for the kids'' teacher, but everyone else should go,¡± instructed Henry sternly.


    ¡°Understood,¡± said the principal. Everyone bowed politely before leaving in a hurry.


    Henry had his men push him in his wheelchair to the other side so that he wouldn''t affect the other kids


    and their parents. After that, he asked the teacher about how Jamie and Ellie were doing at school.


    At that moment, Jamie dragged Ellie to the side and shared Robbie''s n with her.


    Hearing that got Ellie to turn pale, and she said, ¡°Isn''t it a little too dangerous for Robbie to carry out the


    mission on his own? There''s a scary eagle in Northridge. What if it attacks Robbie like it did thest


    time?¡±


    ¡°I''m worried about that too, but Robbie already set everything in motion, so all we can do is support


    him. If we don''t, the entire n will go up in smokes,¡± replied Jamie with a frown. He sounded worried


    as well.


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry. The eagle was injured thest time we encountered it, and its injuries seemed grave, so I


    don''t think Robbie will be in any danger,¡± cooed Jamie. ¡°All we need to do now is work with him so that


    he is not taking a risk in vain.¡±


    ¡°Okay, then,¡± replied Ellie while nodding. She then reminded, ¡°The n is preponed, so you should call


    Robbie and tell him about it. I''ll go grab my backpack and keep Great-grandpa distracted.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± said Jamie. Then he quickly called Robbie.


    Robbie was distracted in ss that day. He would check on Fifi every now and then by peeking at his


    phone.


    That idiot is actually resting in a bird''s nest and is on the verge of falling asleep!


    Robbie frowned in exasperation, utterly speechless. I knew it. That stinking bird ispletely


    unreliable!


    Just then, Robbie''s smartwatch rang. The call was from Jamie.


    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°Robbie, what are you doing?¡± said the teacher while frowning at him.


    ¡°My baby brother called,¡± answered Robbie as he showed her his smartwatch. ¡°He doesn''t usually call


    me at this hour. Something important must''ve happened. I should take this.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then,¡± the teacher agreed and paused the ss.


    Robbie walked to the washroom to pick up the call. ¡°Hi, Jamie.¡±


    ¡°Great-grandpa is getting us out of ss earlier today, Robbie. It''s likely that he has already sent his


    men over to take you to Fairytale Land. You will have to bring your n forward,¡± informed Jamie, who


    deliberately spoke softly as he was worried about someone else overhearing him.


    ¡°I got it. We''ll proceed in ordance with our original n,¡± replied Robbie calmly.


    ¡°Be careful. If youe across that eagle, just scream for help. Don''t try to be a hero...¡±


    ¡°Rx... It''s wounded, so it can''t hurt me,¡± replied Robbie nonchntly. ¡°You don''t need to worry about


    me, okay? Just y your part well.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    After hanging up the call, Robbie left the washroom. Cain happened to knock on the door at that


    moment and informed, ¡°Mr. Nacht has instructed me to take you to Fairytale Land to meet up with


    them.¡±

 Chapter 826

    Chapter 826


    ¡°Okay,¡± replied Robbie, nodding. He then turned to his teacher and said, ¡°Sorry, can we end the ss


    now? You may leave the study materials here. I''ll revise them on my own.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± replied the teacher while giving a wry smile. ¡°These sses are too simple for you, anyway.


    You no longer need to attend my sses since you can get everything right just by reading the study


    materials. Looks like we''ll have to make the ss more advance.¡±


    ¡°Let''s discuss the matter after my daddy returns. Thank you for your time. They will pay the tuition fee


    in full,¡± said Robbie before he signed his name on the teacher''s slip.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± replied the teacher while nodding with a slight grin.


    ¡°Please send the teacher home, Mr. Cain,¡± instructed Robbie.


    ¡°I should take you to Mr. Nacht now. I''ll have someone else send your teacher home,¡± replied Cain.


    ¡°The ss ended early, so the driver who''s supposed to take the teacher home is still working on


    something else. You should take the teacher back first. Mr. Kyle can take me overter,¡± suggested


    Robbie.


    Robbie was polite regardless of who he spoke to, but his clear eyes shone with dominance, which


    made it impossible for anyone to go against him.


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied Cain immediately. Then he turned to the teacher. ¡°This way, please.¡±


    ¡°Goodbye, Robbie,¡± said the teacher as she waved goodbye to the little boy.


    ¡°Goodbye,¡± replied Robbie as he watched them leave, secretly sighing a breath of relief.


    Robbie sneaked away by feigning a stomach ache thest time Cain drove him home. If Cain


    chauffeured Robbie again, it was likely that the former would have his guard up, and Robbie wouldn''t


    be able to sneak away.


    That was why Robbie had to send Cain away.


    After returning to his room, Robbie changed into a more rxed outfit. Grabbing the backpack he


    prepared earlier, he picked up his phone and some tools. He even put on a pair of kids'' sunsses


    before he got ready to leave.


    ¡°The car is ready,¡± called out Kyle, who was outside the room.


    ¡°Alright, let''s go,¡± Robbie replied and exited his room.


    ¡°Aww, you''re so well-equipped today,¡±mented Kyle with a smile.


    ¡°Fairytale Land recently installed a new climbing wall and a VR game. This outfit will make it more


    convenient for me to y,¡± exined Robbie.


    He tried to sound as nonchnt as possible so that no one would suspect a word he said.


    ¡°I see.¡± Kyle tried to butter the kid up by adding, ¡°How amazing. Mr. Robbie is not only intelligent but


    also athletic.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Cain is much quieter,¡± dissed Robbie before he shot a re at Cain.


    ¡°Um...¡± blurted Kyle. His face turned red with embarrassment as he kept his mouth shut.


    All three kids have inherited the Nacht family''s high IQ and EQ. They have that ssic Nacht style


    where they speak politely but somehow exude a powerful aura...


    When they got into the car, Robbie noted that two additional bodyguards were in there. He frowned in


    annoyance andined, ¡°We''re just heading over to Fairytale Land. Is it really necessary to have


    so many people around?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht specifically instructed this,¡± exined Kyle quickly. ¡°Our main objective is to keep you safe.¡±


    ¡°We were safe... until you made things so high profile. You''ll just attract more attention,¡± insisted


    Robbie. ¡°Mr. Cain was always on his own when he chauffeured. Nothing ever happened. Are you not


    as confident in your fighting skills, Mr. Kyle?¡±


    ¡°N-No, that is not true,¡± said Kyle before he quickly dismissed the two additional bodyguards. He


    promised, ¡°Don''t worry. I can keep you safe on my own.¡±


    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°Alright, thanks,¡± replied Robbie before he hopped into the backseat of the car.


    Kyle secretlymented. The kid is only six, but his domineering aura is already overwhelming. Who


    knows how he''d turn out when he''s older?


    In a while, the car slowly headed out of the driveway.


    Robbie looked down to check his phone. That stupid Fifi. It''s still napping!


    Robbie was utterly speechless. Gah, there is no saying how things are in Northridge right now. Are


    those people still there? And that ferocious eagle...


    Robbie turned on the music on his phone. Boom! The loud music got Fifi to jolt awake from its nap. It


    fluttered its wings and continued venturing to Northridge.

 Chapter 827

    Chapter 827


    Robbie sighed a breath of relief. That stupid Fifi finally started flying again.


    It''s my turn to make a move.


    ¡°Have some water, Mr. Kyle,¡± offered Robbie as he handed a bottle of water to Kyle.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± replied Kyle before he drank some water. Heter put the bottle at the side and continued


    driving.


    ¡°Mr. Kyle, how many years have you been driving?¡± asked Robbie as he stared at Kyle''s back.


    ¡°Seven years,¡± replied Kyle with a smile. ¡°I got my license when I was eighteen and have been driving


    since. It''s not that long, but I''ve driven a lot over the past few years. I am a pretty decent driver, so you


    don''t have to worry about anything.¡±


    ¡°Then can you instinctively perform an emergency brake?¡± asked Robbie.


    ¡°Of course I can. We have all gone through special training and can stop the car even if we have taken


    a bullet in order to protect our client...¡±


    Kyle sensed that something was off as he spoke. Then his vision started to blur.


    ¡°That''s good to know,¡±mented Robbie as his lips curved into a faint grin.


    ¡°Did you...¡± said Kyle before he shifted his gaze to the bottle of water at his side. His eyes bulged in


    surprise when he continued, ¡°Mr. Robbie, you...¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry. I won''t hurt you. Fifi flew away, and I just want to go look for it,¡± replied Robbie as he put


    on his backpack. ¡°Please stop the car at the side and take a nap.¡±


    Kyle shook his head in confusion. He took his phone out to call for help, but the next moment, his hand


    slumped, and he fell backward onto the seat.


    Right then, the car swayed a little, but Kyle hit the brakes in the nick of time.


    Robbie crawled to the passenger''s side of the car and turned the engine off before he hopped out of


    the car with his backpack.


    They happened to be at the spot closest to Northridge. Robbie had checked the roads thest time, so


    it would be much easier for him to search the ce.


    Turning on the navigation system on his phone, he headed over to Northridge.


    He was on his way over when Fifi reached Northridge. The camera showed that the courtyard was


    empty, and there was no car in sight. Moreover, the doors and windows were locked, and there was no


    one in sight at all.


    Robbie paused in his tracks as he frowned at his phone and wondered what was going on. Even if the


    owner isn''t home, there should still be bodyguards stationed around the ce. Besides, they usually


    have two cars on standby at all times.


    Why isn''t there anything today?


    Did thedies move?


    Robbie was a little upset, but since he was already out there, he thought he might as well get to the


    bottom of things. With that, he continued forging ahead to Northridge...


    At that moment, Charlotte was in the other vi, sitting in front of the study desk and reading some


    documents.


    Lupine hurried over and reported, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, it is as you have predicted. Someone broke into the


    Northridge vi.¡±


    ¡°Is it the Nachts?¡± asked Charlotte without even looking up.


    ¡°It''s a kid,¡± replied Lupine. ¡°He looks about six or seven years old.¡±


    Charlotte was taken aback. Immediately, she turned on herputer to check on the situation.


    The vi already came with a lot of security cameras. Despite that, on the night before Charlotte left,


    she had someone install some additional miniature cameras within a three-mile radius of the vi.


    That way, she would be alerted if anyone were to get close to the Northridge vi.


    As expected, she saw a boy who was dressed in a cool outfit and carried a backpack on the screen. He


    was heading straight to Northridge with a ck watch on his wrist. The watch was glowing with blue


    light, and Charlotte guessed that it had a navigation system that was leading the way.


    At the same time, the boy had a phone with him. He would check its screen from time to time. It''s likely


    that he is observing something.


    Upon zooming in, she saw that the phone showed the situation at Northridge.


    Looks like the phone has a surveince system.


    A kid that young actually knows how to use technology that advanced?


    None of that mattered to Charlotte, though. As she stared at that tiny figure, she was surprised by how


    she felt. Instead of being repulsed, she felt a strange sense of familiarity with the kid.


    This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Who is the kid?¡± asked Charlotte as she stared at that tiny figure.


    ¡°Morgan is looking into the matter now,¡± replied Lupine. ¡°The kid is at most six or seven years old. I


    can''t believe he''s alone in the woods without adult supervision. It''s even weirder that he knows how to


    use advanced technology like that... Wait, is he...¡±

 Chapter 828

    Chapter 828


    Lupine recalled how the Nachts once visited them to tell them off about how the eagle frightened their


    kids...


    ¡°Could he be one of the kids from the Nacht family?¡± blurted Lupine as the revtion hit her. ¡°That


    would make him Mr. Zachary''s son!¡±


    Charlotte narrowed her eyes suspiciously and kept her eyes on that tiny figure. Let''s see what this boy


    is up to...


    Charlotte put on her headphones to listen to the boy''s voice.


    Robbie had been running, so he panted for breath when he took a break. He took out a bottle of water


    from his backpack and quenched his thirst before he continued his journey.


    While walking, he instructed, ¡°Fifi, don''t just stay on the tree. Circle around the vi so that I can see if


    there is anyone in the other areas.¡±


    Fifi pped its wings unwillingly before it slowly soared into the air.


    ¡°My gosh, you are sozy. We really can''t keep you in the cage anymore. You''re getting toozy,¡±


    comined Robbie, who was not satisfied with the parrot''s attitude.


    When Charlotte switched the camera view to check the area surrounding the vi, she was surprised to


    see a small parrot flying aroundnguidly.


    ¡°What is that? A parrot?¡± asked Lupine as she took a closer look.


    ¡°Found it,¡± announced Morgan as she rushed over to report. ¡°Zachary has three children. They''re


    triplets; two boys and a girl. The girl is the youngest child. Their names are Robinson Nacht, Jamison


    Nacht, and Elisa Nacht. They also have a pet parrot.¡±


    As Morgan spoke, she took a tablet out and showed Charlotte the kids'' photos in their school records.


    There was a little parrot resting on a little girl''s shoulder, looking especially cute.


    ¡°They are so adorable,¡±mented Lupine, who took a liking to the kids.


    When Charlotte saw the photos, she couldn''t help trembling a little as a strange sensation rose in her


    heart.


    The feeling was so peculiar that she couldn''t put it into words.


    ¡°At least now we can be certain that this is Zachary''s son,¡± said Lupine after shepared the photo


    against the image on the screen. She then added, ¡°The only question is whether the kid is his eldest


    son or his second son. After all, both boys look exactly the same.¡±


    Charlotte kept her eyes on theputer. Suddenly, she noticed that the kid was about to step on a


    cobblestone that was covered with moss, so she quickly ordered, ¡°Turn off the trap. Now!¡±


    Lupine deactivated all the traps immediately.


    Right then, Robbie stepped onto something and felt that there was something amiss. He lowered his


    gaze to take a look before he continued moving forward.


    All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    ¡°Deactivate all the traps now,¡± instructed Charlotte immediately.


    ¡°Alright,¡± replied Lupine as she turned them off one by one. Unfortunately, the child was running very


    fast, so she had to work so quickly that her fingers started cramping a little.


    It took her some time, but all the traps were finally switched off.


    When she turned her gaze to theputer, she saw that the kid had arrived safely outside their vi.


    The moment Robbie lifted his hand, Fifi flew toward him andnded on the back of his hand, using its


    furry head to rub against Robbie''s face affectionately.


    ¡°I know this has been tough for you. Now you can take a rest.¡±


    Robbie got Fifi some water and food before cing it on his shoulder. After that, he started examining


    the vi.


    He had already seen everything from the camera installed on Fifi, and he was certain that no one was


    in there.


    Looks like the residents have left. Did they move away? Or did they have to go on an urgent business


    trip?


    Robbie looked around, but he didn''t find any camera. Naturally, he understood that affluent families


    who could afford a ce like that would install their security cameras in secluded areas. It won''t be


    easy for me to find them.


    That didn''t matter to Robbie, though.


    Since he was already there, he was hellbent on finding out who the owner of the ce was.


    Robbie got a device out of his bag. After activating it, the hidden cameras surrounding the vi instantly


    glowed red, and their locations were exposed.


    At the same time, Charlotte suddenly heard a piercing sound from her headphones. It was so loud that


    it almost destroyed everybody''s eardrums...

 Chapter 829

    Chapter 829


    Lupine and Morgan quickly removed their earpieces and covered their ears. For a moment there, they


    couldn''t hear anything as their ears were filled with a buzzing sound.


    Charlotte covered her ears and frowned at theputer. This irritating kid is good.


    Meanwhile, Robbie grinned. I knew it. There are hidden cameras everywhere, and someone is


    monitoring me in the dark...


    At that thought, Robbie stepped forward and waved at the camera outside the vi.


    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°He found us!¡± said Lupine in astonishment as her eyes bulged. ¡°That kid is good!¡±


    ¡°How old is that punk? How is he so good at this?¡± blurted Morgan in a surprised tone. ¡°What does he


    want?¡±


    ¡°Shut up,¡± scolded Charlotte.


    The two of them stopped talking and put on their earpieces once again.


    ¡°I''m sorry for bothering you,¡± said Robbie calmly as he looked into the camera. ¡°I am not a thief or a


    viin. I just want to ask you some questions.¡±


    After saying his piece, he got a ck gold ring out of his backpack and showed it to the camera before


    asking, ¡°I found this ring on your pet eagle. May I know how you got your hands on it?¡±


    Charlotte narrowed her eyes in front of theputer and scrutinized the ring...


    She was wearing that ring all those years ago when she woke up after her ident. She didn''t know


    why, but an inexplicable sense of hatred rose in her every time she saw that ring. Yet, she couldn''t


    throw it away because it linked her to her past and her lost memories.


    Hence, she tied the ring onto Fifi the eagle''s leg.


    But how did that ring end up with the kid?


    ¡°Why is Fifi''s ring with that kid?¡± said Lupine curiously as she stared at Robbie.


    ¡°I think he''s saying something,¡± murmured Morgan, turning the volume up.


    Robbie looked at the camera and shared a series of numbers before saying, ¡°That''s my phone number.


    I know you can see me, and I''m sure you can hear me too. Please get in touch with me.¡±


    ¡°Did you take the number down?¡± asked Charlotte.


    ¡°No...¡± said the girls. Neither Lupine nor Morgan took the kid seriously.


    ¡°Useless idiots,¡± scolded Charlotte angrily.


    ¡°We''re sorry,¡± replied the girls apologetically. They both had their heads down and didn''t dare to talk


    back.


    ¡°I''ll repeat again,¡± said Robbie as he gestured at the camera with his tiny hand. He repeated his


    number, then added, ¡°Please call me. Thank you!¡±


    Charlotte memorized the number and used an untraceable number to call him.


    In no time, Robbie''s phone rang. He suppressed his excitement and picked up the call, ¡°Hello.¡±


    Charlotte shot Lupine a look, and thetter spoke into the phone, ¡°Kid, what is your name?¡±


    ¡°I am Robinson Nacht.¡±


    Robbie never intended to hide his identity because he knew that it was the reason the other party didn''t


    dare to hurt him.


    In fact, he was aware that there were tons of traps on his way over there, and he guessed that the


    other party had turned everything off in time to let him pass safely.


    He''s good. He''s definitely Zachary''s son.


    Lupine and Morgan turned to Charlotte.


    Charlotte mouthed the sentence and had Lupine say the words, ¡°Why is that ring with you?¡±


    ¡°The eagle was injured thest time I saw it, so I took the ring from it,¡± answered Robbie calmly. ¡°But I


    didn''t steal it. This ring belongs to my mommy in the first ce, so I am just taking it back on her


    behalf.¡±


    Hearing those words got both Lupine and Morgan bbergasted.


    Utterly stunned, Charlotte stared at the tiny handsome face on the screen, unable to speak.


    Did he just say that the ring belongs to his mommy?


    ¡°I''ll be honest. I am here to look for my mommy,¡± Robbie came clean as he looked at the camera. ¡°She


    suddenly went missing two years ago. Daddy and I have been looking for her since then. Since you


    have her ring, you should know where she is. I will be eternally grateful if you share that information


    with me.¡±


    The kid exined everything clearly.


    Both Lupine and Morgan were frozen in ce as they stared at Charlotte''s perplexed expression


    without saying a word.

 Chapter 830

    Chapter 830


    ¡°Hello? Hello?¡± called out Robbie. ¡°Are you still there?¡±


    Lupine didn''t dare to say anything and merely looked at Charlotte cautiously.


    When she noticed Charlotte mouthing some words, Lupine said, ¡°You should leave the ce as soon


    as possible. It''s dangerous there.¡±


    After that, Lupine hung up the call at Charlotte''smand.


    ¡°What is going on?¡± blurted Lupine. ¡°The kid said that the ring belongs to his mommy.¡±


    ¡°Could it be...¡± Morgan stared at the photo, then at Charlotte. Deep down, she was tempted to say that


    she could see the resemnce between Charlotte and the three kids.


    ¡°That''s not possible,¡± insisted Charlotte. Although she suspected that she was their mother too, she


    quickly dismissed the thought and frowned while adding, ¡°Maybe I killed the kid''s mom? Or maybe I


    picked up the ring somewhere?¡±


    ¡°Yes, definitely,¡± replied Lupine as she nodded. ¡°It''s just a small trinket. It doesn''t mean anything.¡±


    ¡°Besides, we shouldn''t take the kid''s words too seriously,¡± Morgan chimed in.


    Charlotte stared at the screen without saying a word. No one knew what she was thinking at that


    moment.


    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Meanwhile, Robbie frowned while holding his phone. He didn''t understand why they suddenly hung up.


    They don''t seem like they have vile intentions. At the very least, they didn''t hurt me.


    But the mystery of the ring remains unsolved.


    As Robbie stared at the locked gates, he was tempted to get in and take a look, but that would be


    inappropriate. Besides, they are watching me via the cameras. I won''t be able to do anything even if I


    enter the house.


    It''d also be dangerous if they think I''ve offended their employer and attack me.


    Those thoughts prompted Robbie to turn around and leave with Fifi.


    Just then, his phone rang once again. He thought that it was a call from the girls, so he got excited. But


    when he checked the screen to see that the call was from Henry, his eyes dimmed with


    disappointment.


    ¡°Hello.¡±


    ¡°Robbie, where are you? Are you almost here?¡±


    ¡°We''re on the way and will be there soon,¡± replied Robbie calmly.


    ¡°Good. I had Spencer call Kyle earlier, but no one picked up. I thought that something terrible had


    happened, so I was so worried.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine. I had a stomachache, so we took a detour. We''ll be there soon. It''d probably take another


    thirty minutes or so.¡±


    ¡°Alright, have Kyle drive slowly. There''s no need to rush.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    After hanging up, Robbie turned to the camera and requested, ¡°Please call me if you ever decide to


    answer my question.¡±


    After that, Robbie left with Fifi.


    As Charlotte stared at the kid''s leaving figure, she finally came around and demanded, ¡°How is the


    investigation of that matter going? Did you find anything?¡±


    ¡°We don''t know why, but all records, including photos and video footage, of Zachary''s wedding have


    suddenly disappeared. There is no way of finding them.


    ¡°All we know about Olivia is that she studied music, and your father was the one who paid for her


    university tuition fees. Her mother used to be your family''s nanny.


    ¡°That''s all we learned. We can''t find anything else. It''s as if she vanished into thin air after she showed


    up in Sultry Night that night, and there''s no way of locating her.¡±


    Lupine reported, ¡°But we have Peter with us now. He is still locked in the basement, and you can


    interrogate him whenever you want.¡±


    ¡°Let''s go talk to him,¡± said Charlotte as she turned off herputer and got up to head out.


    Robbie was disappointed as he returned to the car. He finally got in touch with the mysterious woman,


    but she didn''t offer any clue or information. Looks like I won''t be able to learn anything using this


    method.


    I will have to find another way to go about it.


    ¡°Mr. Robinson!¡± Kyle rushed over urgently at that moment. ¡°You gave me a fright. I thought you...¡±


    ¡°I told you. I only left to find Fifi,¡± lied Robbie, pointing at the parrot on his shoulder. ¡°Great-grandpa


    doesn''t know about this, does he?¡±


    ¡°Not yet...¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± replied Robbie before he hopped into the car. ¡°Let''s go.¡±


    Kyle then got into the car as well. He carefully inquired, ¡°W-were you really only out to look for the


    parrot?¡±

 Chapter 831

    Chapter 831


    ¡°What are our options?¡± queried Robbie. ¡°I don''t want to rm Great-grandpa, but there''s honestly just


    too much to exin otherwise. However, I want you to drink this.¡± Robbie pulled out a bottle of soda


    and gave it to Kyle. ¡°You''ll only sleep for an hour or so, don''t worry. It''ll all be alright after you wake up.¡±


    ¡°I guess it''s fine, but...¡± Kyle looked at Robbie uneasily.


    ¡°Don''t dwell on it.¡± Robbie spread his arms out. ¡°Am I not alright?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Kyle didn''t say much. Mr. Robinson was definitely a genius child, even if his behavior seemed


    different from that of a normal person.


    As long as nobody got hurt, that''s all that mattered.


    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I think you missed a call from Mr. Spencer. I reckon you should get back to him as soon as possible.¡±


    Robbie looked at Kyle and made a phoning gesture with his hand. ¡°Tell him that I had an upset tummy


    and was dyed. We can meet now.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡± Kyle set out to make that call immediately.


    Robbie gently stroked Fifi''s wings as he carefully recalled what happened earlier. She had not said


    much, but he had to assume that they knew about the ring.


    But how did the ring end up on the eagle''s foot?


    How did they get the ring?


    These were questions that needed answers.


    Aboard the private jet, Zachary suddenly received a report from Bruce. ¡°Mr. Nacht, Sharon has been


    captured by Mr. ckwood. He''s now going to take her back to Erihal to make amends to the


    ckwood family.¡±


    Zachary grunted in response. ¡°For now, you are to ensure that the ckwoods don''t find out about


    Charlotte. In the meantime, keep watch over Olivia as well.¡±


    ¡°Roger that. I''ll do my best.¡±


    Bruce was about to hang up when Zachary stopped him, having just recalled something. ¡°Just a


    moment.¡±


    ¡°Do you have other orders, sir?¡± asked Bruce.


    ¡°Send someone out to look into Peter.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I''ll do so right away.¡±


    With that, Zachary put his phone away. Ben, who had been waiting next to him, asked, ¡°Mr. Nacht, you


    suspect that the Lindbergs have Peter in custody?¡±


    ¡°It''s very likely.¡± Zachary frowned. ¡°But the Charlotte we know now is much smarter than I thought. If


    she can''t seek out Olivia and Kristi, or if she can''t find out anything about my marriage, she''ll definitely


    do something to Peter.¡±


    ¡°I think Peter concealed himself pretty well,¡± said Ben. ¡°He did not imply that he recognized Ms.


    Lindberg.¡±


    ¡°You don''t really need an obvious admission,¡± replied Zachary. ¡°When Peter encountered her for the


    first time, what gave him away was the unusual behavior. Then when Olivia appearedter, he


    identally revealed that he knew too much just through a slip of the tongue.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, alright then.¡± Ben seemed worried still. ¡°Then isn''t what we thought of toote to execute?¡±


    Zachary didn''t respond but toyed with the wedding ring on his finger.


    Soon, Bruce called. ¡°Mr. Nacht, It''s Peter. He has been caught!¡±


    ¡°So it would seem.¡± There was a drastic change in Ben''s expression. ¡°What do we do now?¡±


    ¡°I hope he''ll hang in there.¡±


    Zachary sighed. This was a bad move. How could I ignore something this important?


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg is formidable indeed.¡± Ben sighed, his tone sincere. ¡°I''m afraid we can''t hide this


    anymore.¡±


    ¡°Three days. Just give me three days. When I find Dr. Felch, I wille back and tell her in person.¡±


    Zachary frowned. ¡°I hope Peter can hang on for another three days.¡±


    ¡°That should be feasible. After all, he''s a man. I doubt he''d be forced to confess so easily by a few


    women,¡± said Ben with some conviction.


    ¡°That''s not necessarily true.¡± Bruce suddenly chimed in and shook his head. ¡°Do not underestimate the


    power of the Lindbergs when ites to persuasion.¡±


    ¡°Well, it''ll basically be fine if he doesn''t open his mouth at all.¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute.¡± Zachary suddenly thought of something important. ¡°Didn''t she return to Erihal? How


    will she interrogate Peter?¡±


    ¡°Maybe she''ll let an underling handle it?¡± queried Ben.


    ¡°I need you to find out if she hasnded in Erihal or not!¡± Zachary definitely could not ignore the sinking


    feeling that had formed in his chest as he issued the order to Bruce.


    ¡°Yes!¡±

 Chapter 832

    Chapter 832


    ¡°It would appear that I''ve found a worthy opponent this time,¡± remarked Ben with a sigh.


    Zachary was the type who was meticulous and constantly strategizing, never failing to take the next


    step first. In business, he rarely, if not ever, encountered opponents worthy of his skill. This time,


    however, he had made a grave mistake.


    And that was his failure to counter Danrique head on.


    However, facing Charlotte, who was an acolyte trained by Danrique, was perilous enough. He''d been


    sorely beaten multiple times in a row even before the real battle had started.


    I wonder how an actual fight with Danrique would pan out in the future.


    No, I shouldn''t be thinking of this. I dare not.


    The pressure that he felt in the face of this crisis was insurmountable.


    ¡°If I may, I think that Ms. Lindberg is your weakness.¡± Somehow, Ben had given Zachary one of the key


    points. ¡°You can be rational and decisive towards anyone but her. She''s a different kind of weak spot


    for you.¡±


    Zachary was silent. Of course, he was well aware. This was why the old man was so insistent on


    turning Charlotte away.


    Henry believed that when she was being used by the Lindbergs to handle the Nachts, the Nachts


    would be in grave danger.


    It was a shame that he tried with all his might, and not only failed to prevent it. Henry had made a few


    mistakes along the way, which led to this.


    If she had not been sent away, maybe things would not have turned out like this at all. Even if the


    Lindbergs had been aware of Charlotte''s identity and came to im her as a descendent, there was no


    usible reason for her to help the Lindbergs to begin with.


    But now, all it took was one wrong step. Due to the arrogance of the Nachts, tragedy has ensued.


    Charlotte losing her memory was one thing. She had changed into apletely different person


    altogether.


    Even if her memory was restored in the future, she would probably bear only a deep-seated hatred


    towards the Nachts.


    Could that hatred be offset by the children? Or even the feelings they shared in the past?


    Zachary had no confidence in even that.


    Ben noticed Zachary spiraling deeper into his thoughts and tried to console him. ¡°That was not your


    fault. You tried to protect Ms. Lindberg. It was beyond your control.¡±


    ¡°No, it''s my fault.¡± Zachary smiled bitterly to himself. ¡°I am not persistent enough. I am indecisive, and I


    have too many scruples.¡±


    ¡°There wasn''t anything you could have done at the time,¡± said Ben hurriedly. ¡°You were trying to save


    her.¡±


    ¡°If I bit the bullet and prepared toy down my life for her, this never would''ve happened,¡±mented


    Zachary. ¡°My hubris made me assume that I could control everything.¡±


    ¡°I think the fault lies with the person who attacked Ms. Lindberg from the shadows,¡± said Ben bitterly. ¡°If


    it weren''t for that, things wouldn''t have turned out this way.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I need to find out who it was that set up both Charlotte and Mrs. Berry in T Nation so that she has


    an exnation at least.¡± Zachary frowned and chewed on his lower lip. ¡°My best guess is that it''s either


    Zara or Sharon, but there is no evidence to make that usation.¡±


    ¡°That incident was also strange. If the Lindbergs hadn''t deliberately erased records of Sharon''s entry to


    T Nation, we would''ve found out ages ago.¡± Ben sounded quite indignant as he toyed with the cor of


    his shirt. ¡°Basically, Danrique concealed this to allow Ms. Lindberg to get to you.¡±


    ¡°External factors should not be the main reason.¡± Zachary sighed and looked pointedly at Ben. ¡°Even if


    Danrique acted out, it was only because we messed up first.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry. Bruce has been investigating this, and maybe we''ll have some news soon.¡±


    Zachary narrowed his eyes slightly. ¡°I can''t wait much longer. I need to find out who did this and give


    Charlotte some closure.¡±


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    After a pause, Zachary thought of something again. ¡°If I remember correctly, it''ll be the old man''s


    ny-eighth birthday soon. On the neenth, I think. I want you to go to the press and inform them


    that I''ll be organizing a birthday banquet for him.¡±


    Ben nodded and made the necessary arrangements.


    When the nended in Phoenix City, Zachary received a call from Bruce.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, as expected, Ms. Lindberg''s private jet did take off andnd on time, but she never arrived


    at Erihal.¡±


    Upon hearing these words, Zachary''s expression was very solemn.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, what should I do now?¡± asked Bruce on the other end of the line.


    After a long silence, Zachary said, ¡°From now on, you only need to do one thing. You need to keep the


    children safe.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±

 Chapter 833

    Chapter 833


    Although he was half an hourte, Robbie still managed to meet up with Henry and the others at


    Fairytale Land.


    When Jamie and Ellie saw him, they greeted him from a distance. ¡°Robbie, are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Of course I''m okay,¡± replied Robbie calmly. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I heard Mr. Spencer say that you had diarrhea. Maybe the food didn''t agree with you.¡±


    Jamie''s response was quick, and he even found a way to make up a more believable excuse.


    ¡°Did you eat too much ice cream?¡± asked Ellie, maintaining the charade. ¡°The mini-bar in your room


    has too much of it. You should be more careful next time!¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Robbie rubbed his belly gingerly. ¡°My tummy still feels off. However, I was dyed because Fifi


    flew out of the car and I had to go look for it.¡±


    ¡°So you went to find Fifi?¡±


    Henry sighed inwardly as he heard this. He knew that Robbie was intellectually more capable than


    Jamie or Ellie. Robbie had an IQ that resembled that of an adult.


    You said it was diarrhea thest time and you slipped away. Using the same excuse twice? I''ve got my


    doubts.


    But since Robbie exined that the dy was caused by Fifi''s attempted escape, it sounded much


    more credible.


    Fifi had been raised by the three children and was a little spoiled. He often flew around the home,


    uncaged. However, it was not unlikely that Fifi flew out of the car. After all, if the windows are not closed


    properly; idents can happen.


    Kyle nodded enthusiastically. ¡°Mr. Robinson was indeed looking for his pet. It gave me such a fright!¡±


    ¡°That settles it then.¡± Henry nodded and looked at Robbie. ¡°Are you hungry? Let''s eat.¡±


    ¡°I need to use the bathroom first.¡± Robbie raised his dirty hands at Henry. ¡°Need to wash them.¡±


    ¡°I''ll go with you,¡± said Jamie hurriedly.


    ¡°Alright, off you go.¡± Henry gestured at the two boys.


    ¡°Why don''t I hold onto Fifi?¡±


    Robbie handed Fifi over to Ellie''s outstretched arm, and off the pair went to the restroom.


    The restroom was deserted. Jamie took Robbie inside urgently, and in a low voice, asked, ¡°Have you


    seen Mommy?¡±


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    Robbie shook his head. ¡°But I have already talked to the owner of the house, and I can be sure that


    they did have Mommy''s ring.¡±


    ¡°Then they should know where Mommy is, right? What did they say?¡± asked Jamie anxiously.


    ¡°Nothing at all.¡± Robbie furrowed his brows. ¡°The adults are usually a bit moreplicated. It could be


    that there were otherplications, but that doesn''t matter for now. I left my number with them. If they


    find out anything, they''ll contact me.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Jamie sighed. ¡°I hope they can tell us where Mommy is. I''ll even give them all of my pocket


    money.¡±


    ¡°Don''t be silly. They live in a vi at Northridge. Money is thest thing they need right now.¡± Robbie


    was exasperated and even wondered if Jamie was particrly dumb.


    ¡°Then what do we do?¡± Jamie looked helplessly at his brother.


    ¡°We''ll just act ording to whateveres our way. First, we have to figure out exactly who''s living


    there.¡±


    I remember Great-grandpa saying that they are the Lindbergs,¡± said Jamie. ¡°The Lindbergs are


    supposedly arch-enemies of the Nachts. Do you remember the car ride with Great-grandpa? He also


    warned about them then. They''re dangerous, and we should stay away from them.¡±


    ¡°The enemy?¡± wondered Robbie aloud. ¡°So, that means that the Lindbergs equal the Nachts in power?¡±


    ¡°I would assume so.¡± Jamie nodded tersely and continued. ¡°At the time, Ellie thought that Daddy was


    the most powerful person in the world but didn''t expect that there would be other people to rival him.


    Great-grandpa always said that there are stronger people out there in the world.¡±


    ¡°Alright, here''s what we''ll do then. When the opportunity arises, maybe you should ask around about


    the Lindbergs. I think Great-grandpa wouldn''t suspect it if it came from you. But if I asked him, that


    would definitely raise rm-bells.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±

 Chapter 834

    Chapter 834


    As the two emerged from the restroom, Spencer was already waiting at the door. ¡°Alright, I''m going to


    bring you both back to the restaurant now.¡±


    ¡°Okay, thank you Mr. Spencer.¡±


    Robbie and Jamie followed Spencer to the restaurant.


    Henry had the ce beautifully decorated. There were even marshmallows and balloons for Ellie.


    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Ellie was prancing about the restaurant happily, wearing a fairy frock and holding a magic wand.


    The scene stopped Robbie and Jamie in their tracks.


    Their eyes shone with a certain gentleness, and their lips cracked into bright smiles.


    The two brothers hoped that Ellie could continue being as carefree as she was at the moment. They


    vowed to take good care of her.


    ¡°Robbie, Jamie,e here!¡± Henry waved them both over.


    The two walked over together. Spencer moved to pick them up and seat them on the taller chairs, but


    the children very easily climbed onto them on their own.


    ¡°Ah, you''re all grown up now,¡± said Spencer with a smile. ¡°Only two years ago, you both had to be


    carried onto your seats.¡±


    ¡°We are six years old, Mr. Spencer.¡± Jamie grinned at him. ¡°We''re now primary school students!¡±


    ¡°Time really does fly.¡± Robbie surveyed the familiar environment around him and could not help but feel


    slightly sentimental. ¡°I think thest time we came here was two years ago.¡±


    ¡°Yes, thest time...¡±


    Henry was about to speak, but Robbie interjected instead. ¡°It was with Mommy and Mrs. Berry.¡±


    Henry was stunned for a moment and didn''t know how to respond.


    ¡°Mommy had to save up quite a bit to bring us here. I think it took her a while too.¡± The memory of that


    made Robbie a little sad and wistful, almost. ¡°She was reluctant to spend money on herself but still


    managed to send us to the best kindergarten and provided us with the best life.¡±


    Jamie''s eyes turned red all of a sudden as he stifled a choke. ¡°I miss Mommy and Mrs. Berry.¡±


    ¡°I miss them too.¡± Ellie chimed in with tears in her eyes.


    Henry frowned and his expression turned sad.


    Two years had passed, but he was still rendered speechless every time the children mentioned their


    mother and Mrs. Berry.


    Henry assumed that children as young as three would not remember much, and that time would


    eventually wash away the memories.


    However, Robbie''s thinking surpassed that of an ordinary person. He had never forgotten Mommy and


    Mrs. Berry and would constantly remind Jamie and Ellie about them too.


    ¡°Mommy! Mommy! Mrs. Berry! Mrs. Berry!¡±


    Fifi fluttered his wings and squawked on cue.


    For a while, the atmosphere became sad and solemn.


    Henry lowered his eyes and was silent.


    Spencer then hurriedly stepped in to contain the scene before it was toote. ¡°Well, everyone, the


    restaurant has prepared something really tasty today. After that, you have rock climbing and other


    activities to explore. The facility is new, and it''s very suitable for kids your age!¡±


    ¡°Ooh, that sounds so cool!¡± said Jamie enthusiastically. ¡°Robbie, are you joining us then?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will y with you.¡± Robbie raised his hand and looked around the table. ¡°Well, I''m hungry. Shall


    we eat?¡±


    ¡°Alright, I''ll let them know right away.¡± With that, Spencer went to notify the kitchen.


    ¡°Well, I''m going to make some sand art!¡± Ellie was by far the most carefree and innocent of the bunch.


    ¡°I''ll just stick to that while you two go rock climbing.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Robbie picked up a fruit marshmallow and handed it to her. ¡°There are other little girls on the


    yground, maybe you should y with them too!¡±


    Ellie wanted to answer but had her mouth stuffed with marshmallows and chocte. All she could do


    was nod.


    ¡°Ellie, we''ll leave Fifi to you as well,¡± said Jamie while he munched on some fruit. ¡°He might bother us.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    The atmosphere soon became more rxed, filled with the sounds of the children talking and eating


    their fill.


    Henry''s mood had improved a little but he still felt guilty.


    In fact, the decision he made two years ago still weighed heavily on his mind. Was he wrong?


    Perhaps, if he had not been so stubborn at first, his grandson and great-grandchildren would have had


    a happier life. It would have also improved their rtionship significantly.

 Chapter 835

    Chapter 835


    ¡°Great-grandpa, have a chicken wing.¡± Ellie grabbed a chicken wing and ced it on Henry''s te.


    ¡°Thank you!¡± said Henry as he caressed Ellie''s head gently.


    ¡°Great-grandpa, the weather is very hot recently. You don''t have to make an effort to apany us.


    Rest at home if you are tired. Just send Mr. Kyle and Mr. Cain to pick us up,¡± said Jamie as he took


    some fruit sd for Henry.


    ¡°Yea! There are so many people who can take care of us. You don''t have to do everything on your own.


    Don''t overwork yourself, Great-grandpa,¡± Robbie said meaningfully.


    ¡°I''m happy when I see you. I like to spend my time with you,¡± Henry stroked Robbie''s head lovingly as


    he replied.


    ¡°Fine.¡± Robbie let out a faint smile.


    ¡°Hurry up and eat. I''ll bring you to the theme park after you finish eating.¡±


    Henry didn''t eat much and just kept tabs on the children.


    After the triplets finished eating, a group of people followed them to the theme park.


    Ellie was an extrovert. Hence, she quickly warmed up to the other children and yed sand painting


    together with them.


    On the other hand, Robbie and Jamie wanted to climb rocks.


    Jamie was slightly excited because usually, he was inferior to Robbie. However, he finally got a chance


    topete with thetter using his strong point that day. He boasted about himself to Henry as he was


    changing his shoes. He said that he wasn''t scared of rock climbing at all and was able to reach the


    peak within ten seconds.


    Henryughed out loud upon hearing that and patted Jamie''s head gently, reminding him to be careful.


    Meanwhile, Robbie was wearing the climbing gear with a pensive look on his face.


    After the two of them put on the climbing gear, they started to climb the rock wall.


    Jamie climbed very fast like a monkey and had reached the middle of the rock wall in the blink of an


    eye.


    Suddenly, he stopped climbing and waited for Robbie because he felt that it would be no fun if he won


    Robbie easily. ¡°Robbie, don''t rush. Take your time. I''ll wait for you!¡± Jamie provoked him intentionally.


    Upon hearing that, Robbie lifted his head, shot a nce at the former, and continued to climb slowly.


    Ever since Robbie was a young boy, he had outstanding wits and high EQ. However, his stamina and


    combat skills were not as good as Jamie''s. Even a simple activity such as rock climbing was difficult for


    him.


    He requested topete with Jamie in rock climbing today not only to train himself...


    More importantly, the doors and windows of the vi at Northridge were locked. He had observed the


    surrounding before. If he wanted to enter the vi, he had to climb to the top floor and sneaked into it


    via the window of the attic.


    ¡°Robbie, take it slowly. Be careful, don''t fall.¡±


    Henry raised his head and looked at Robbie worriedly.


    Robbie was bad at exercise since he was young. Hence, naturally, adventure activity such as rock


    climbing was difficult for him.


    When he was just about seven meters away from the ground, his legs started to shake uncontrobly.


    Although he had mustered all the willpower, he was unable to reach the higher position and almost fell.


    ¡°Hurry! Go and guard Robbie. Don''t let him get injured.¡± Spencer growled.


    ¡°Yes.¡± The two bodyguards stood below Robbie and stared at thetter carefully.


    ¡°I''m not that weak,¡± Robbie bellowed in displeasure.


    Then, he raised his head to look at Jamie and continued to climb.


    Looking at Robbie, Henry''s palms became sweaty because he was worried that the former would fall


    down. Hence, he wheeled himself closer to the rock wall.


    At that exact moment, Robbie fell down because his foot slipped as he stepped on a blue rock.


    ¡°Ahhhhh!¡± He screamed in fear.


    ¡°Robbie!¡±


    All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    A mix of fear and anxiety coursed through Henry''s veins upon seeing that. Instinctively, he pounced


    forward and stretched his arms out, trying to save Robbie from falling. Unfortunately, he fell out of the


    wheelchair.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht!¡± Spencer quickly rushed over.


    ¡°Great-grandpa!¡± Jamie shouted in shock.


    When Robbie opened his eyes, he found that his body was hung in the air by the climbing rope. After


    that, he lowered his head and realized that Henry had fallen to the ground and was already


    unconscious.


    At that point in time, he was utterly stunned. He felt a heart-wrenching pain in his chest.

 Chapter 836

    Chapter 836


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, Mr. Nacht...¡± Spencer supported Henry and shouted in a panic, ¡°Call an ambnce. Quick!¡±


    The bodyguards followed Spencer''s order and immediately called the ambnce.


    At the same time, the staff put Robbie and Jamie down.


    Jamie''s face turned pale when he saw Henry fell unconscious. ¡°Great-grandpa, wake up! Don''t scare


    me!¡±


    ¡°Great-grandpa...¡± Upon hearing themotion, Ellie rushed over to check out what was going on.


    Tears streamed down her cheek when she saw Henry''s situation. ¡°How did this happen? What


    happened to Great-grandpa?¡±


    Robbie stood by the side, looked at Henry in shock, and was at a loss for words at that time.


    He felt guilty as he recalled what happened just now.


    When he fell down, Henry pounced forward instinctively and tried to save him.


    However, all of them forgot that he had put on the climbing rope. While Henry was very old and his


    body was not going to be able to bear the injury...


    Now, Henry got hurt because of him. Robbie felt that it was all his fault.


    In just a while, Raina rushed over with her assistants and lifted Henry onto the ambnce.


    Spencer hurried after the ambnce and shuddered in fear.


    He had no idea how he was going to exin all that to Zachary if something happened to Henry.


    In the meantime, Raina asked her assistants to get the children into the ambnce and head to the


    hospital together. Besides, she instructed Kyle to keep the incident a secret.


    She could not imagine the disastrous consequences if the news spread out.


    Meanwhile, after a long and torturous interrogation, Peter finally gave in to Charlotte and said,


    ¡°Actually, I don''t know much about that. All I know is that Charlotte Windt and Mr. Nacht were together


    before...¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡± Charlotte was stunned, and the color drained out of her face upon hearing Peter''s


    words.


    All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    Lupine and Morgan were shocked too because they knew that ''Charlotte Windt'' that Peter referred to


    was Charlotte, which they addressed as ''Ms. Lindberg''.


    The Lindberg family and the Nacht family were archenemies.


    The purpose Charlotte went back to H City was to destroy Zachary, but now, Peter told her that she


    had a rtionship with Zachary before.


    ¡°Impossible. This could not be possible. How could this be?¡± Charlotte shook her head in disbelief.


    ¡°I don''t know much about...¡± After being tortured by them, Peter copsed to the ground and was too


    weak for speaking. ¡°I''m just working for a living. Actually, I''m not that close with those powerful figures


    like you. There''s no use for you to kill me because I only know very little about the insider


    information....¡±


    With that, he passed outpletely.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, do you want to wake him up and continue torturing him?¡± queried Lupine.


    ¡°No need.¡± With a serious look on her face, Charlotte lowered her head. At that moment, she recalled


    the mixed feeling that welled up in her chest when she first met Zachary.


    Every time when I saw Zachary, I wanted so badly to strangle him to death, but I always failed to do so.


    Moreover, rage flew through me likeva, and bitterness washed over me when I see him with another


    woman.


    I think I had these feelings for a reason.


    Maybe what Peter said is true.


    ¡°Then, what do we need to do now? Maybe, we can investigate the background of the children?¡±


    Lupine asked cautiously.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, could they be your...¡±


    Morgan stopped before she finished the sentence because she felt a little scared looking at Charlotte''s


    cold gaze.


    ¡°Actually, it''s very easy to get the answer. We just need to get some blood samples from the children to


    do a DNA test,¡± Lupine said softly.


    Still, Charlotte said nothing as she kept her head low and squinted coolly.


    No one knew what she was pondering about.


    After a long while, she finally said, ¡°Get me the information about the children. I want to know


    everything about them.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ms. Lindberg.¡± Lupine answered.


    ¡°Also, get me Zachary''s whereabouts,¡± instructed Charlotte.


    ¡°Yes.¡±

 Chapter 837

    Chapter 837


    Henry was getting old, so even a simple fall could actually lead to severe injury.


    Two years ago, he fell in the bathroom and was hospitalized for about two months. Ever since then, he


    was confined to a wheelchair.


    Today, he fell out of the wheelchair again and was sent to the hospital immediately. But this time, he


    was still in the ICU after around six hours.


    Spencer was worried sick. After a thoughtful ponder, he decided to call Zachary and told thetter


    about it.


    At that moment, Zachary had just arrived at the mountain where Dr. Felch lived. After exining his


    intention, he was rejected at the doorstep.


    Dr. Felch and his apprentices believed that the Nacht family had plotted the deaths of Charlotte and


    Mrs. Berry for the sake of keeping the children.


    No matter how Zachary exined, they refused to believe him.


    Hence, the former decided to demonstrate his sincerity by staying at the door until they allowed him to


    enter.


    However, at that time, he suddenly received a call from Spencer and was informed about Henry''s


    situation.


    Color drained out of his face upon hearing that. Without any hesitation, he instructed Ben to prepare a


    private jet because he wanted to return to H City immediately.


    Just as they left, Sam opened the door. Initially, he wanted to let Zachary in. But looking at the car that


    just departed, he could only let out a long sigh.


    ¡°See, I told you! Zachary is a bad guy. He married Charlotte back then just to gain the children''s trust.


    Halfway through the wedding, the Nacht family chased Charlotte and Mrs. Berry out. After that, we


    heard the news that they died at T Nation...¡± said Hayley angrily.


    ¡°But he said Charlotte is still alive. His eyes were sincere. I don''t think that he was lying,¡± Sam was


    rather hesitant.


    ¡°These people are good at pretending. Back then, he pretended to be sincere and managed to cheat


    Charlotte and the children. If he is a good person, why would he want to force Charlotte to leave?¡± As


    the vivid memories shed across Hayley''s mind, a wave of fury crashed through her.


    ¡°I have no idea... But, since he had already driven Charlotte to death, why did hee and find us?¡±


    Sam was confused.


    ¡°Maybe someone from his family was sick, so he wanted to ask Dr. Felch to treat that person?¡± Hayley


    guessed.


    ¡°I''m not too sure of that. But they already know that we are here. If he really has bad intentions, we are


    in danger now. We have to move out as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, so annoying! We have to move again because of them.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you can ask Olivia about it. Maybe she knows the truth.¡±


    ¡°I lost contact with her a few days ago. Could something have happened to her? I gave her a call just


    now, but it still cannot be connected. Maybe it had something to do with the Nacht family...¡±


    All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    ¡°It''s too dangerous. We have to move immediately!¡±


    Meanwhile, at the hospital.


    Henry was still in the ICU, and the children were waiting anxiously in the waiting room.


    Ellie cried till her eyes were all red and swollen while Jamie was filled with anxiety and kept asking Kyle


    about Henry''s situation.


    However, Robbie stayed calm and sat in the corner without saying anything.


    ¡°Mr. Robinson, Mr. Jamison, Ms. Elisa, it''ste now. Let me send you home,¡± Raina coaxed them in a


    soft voice.


    ¡°No. I don''t want to go back before Great-grandpa wakes up.¡± Ellie shook her head with tears


    streaming down her cheeks.


    ¡°I want to stay here until Great-grandpa is out of danger. Dr. Langhan, will Great-grandpa be alright?¡±


    Robbie choked out the words.


    ¡°He...¡± Raina wanted tofort them and tell them that Henry would be fine, but she didn''t want to lie


    to them. Although Henry was just falling from the wheelchair, it was very dangerous because he was


    old. Moreover, this time, hended on his head.


    ¡°Great-grandpa will be fine. There are many things he hasn''t done yet. I believe that he will wake up,¡±


    said Robbie suddenly in a calm voice.


    ¡°It''s all your fault. You just missed a step. Do you even need to scream? Great-grandpa fell down


    because you frightened him!¡± Jamie finally exploded.

 Chapter 838

    Chapter 838


    ¡°Jamie, why did you badmouth Robbie so?¡±


    Ellie was extremely shocked. After all, this was the first time Jamie was angry with Robbie.


    ¡°I know that you resent Great-grandpa because of Mommy. You''ve been criticizing him and causing him


    trouble here and there. Now that he''s fainted, are you now happy?¡± Jamie shouted angrily while


    clenching his fists tight.


    ¡°Yes! I''m the one who shocked Great-grandpa until he fainted,¡± Robbie raised his head and red


    calmly at Jamie as he admitted, ¡°If he dies, I''ll pay for his life with mine!¡±


    Upon hearing these words, Jamie was momentarily stunned. His eyes widened and he dared not to say


    a word.


    ¡°Robbie...¡± Raina was frightened at his outburst and hurriedly consoled him, ¡°Don''t say that. This is


    purely an ident. No one could me you for it...¡±


    ¡°Yet, but...¡± Robbie suddenly interrupted Raina, as he continued looking at Jamie intently, ¡°Shouldn''t


    you hate him on Mommy''s behalf?¡±


    ¡°I... I...¡± Jamie was too taken aback to mount a reply.


    ¡°Forget it. You know nothing, Jamie.¡± Robbie muttered with a bitter smile. However, he could


    understand Jamie''s sense of attachment and thoughts. After all, Great-grandpa was really good to all


    of them. He was also the only one who witnessed the whole scene where Mommy was forced away.


    Jamie and Ellie had no idea of the whole thing.


    Moreover, after the incident, Great-grandpa and Daddy unanimously agreed to tell the lie that Mommy


    passed away unexpectedly due to her illness.


    Sadly, they had all believed the concocted lie.


    Only Robbie knew the truth.


    ¡°Robbie, what do you mean by that?¡± Jamie anxiously asked, vaguely feeling something was amiss.


    ¡°Are you hiding any secret from me?¡±


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Robbie replied coldly before sarcastically retorting, ¡°Just continue to be the naive kid that


    you are!¡±


    With that, he turned and left...


    ¡°Robbie...¡± Jamie chased after him and pestered, ¡°I don''t understand why you have to hide everything


    from us every time. It is understandable to keep things away from Ellie since she''s a girl and we need


    to protect her as brothers. But I''m a boy just like you and I want to share the burden with you. If you


    never tell me things, yet you said that I know nothing...¡±


    Upon this outburst, Jamie felt wronged and started to sob...


    Turning to face Jamie, Robbie felt slightly guilty. After all, the seemingly naive Jamie had now grown


    up...


    ¡°I know I''m not as smart as you, nor as capable,¡± Jamie uttered in a choking manner as he wiped away


    his tears, ¡°But I''m also a member in this family. The search for Mommy is my responsibility too. After


    all, she''s our Mommy, not yours alone...¡±


    ¡°Shush! Shut up!¡± Robbie quickly cupped his hand over Jamie''s mouth as he warned in a low voice,


    ¡°This is a secret. No one shall know.¡±


    Jamie''s tear-filled eyes widened as he nodded vigorously.


    ¡°Don''t ever speak of this anymore,¡± Robbie warned in a serious tone as he removed his hand.


    ¡°I''m sorry. I was too caught up just now,¡± Jamie apologized as he bowed his head. ¡°However, Great-


    grandpa has been good to us. I still hope that he''ll get better. In the future, don''t be angry with him,


    okay?¡±


    ¡°Understood...¡± Robbie nodded his head as well. Turning to face Ellie who was standing awkwardly at


    the door looking at them with tears in her eyes, Robbie immediately scolded Jamie, ¡°Look, you''ve


    scared Ellie. Now she''s the one crying.¡±


    ¡°Don''t forget Fifi!¡± came in indignant squawk.


    Fifi was curled up like a little green ball in Ellie''s arms shivering.


    ¡°Ellie, Fifi, I''m sorry.¡± Jamie walked over and gave Ellie a hug with his small arms. ¡°I must''ve scared


    you!¡±


    ¡°Boohoo...¡± Ellie started sobbing.


    Robbie hurriedly walked over and hugged them both. ¡°Don''t cry. Don''t be afraid. With me around,


    nothing will happen...¡±


    The three siblings were in a group hug. The two brothers tried to console their little sister. There were


    tears in Jamie''s eyes, but he held them back with all his effort.


    Robbie meanwhile had a look of courage and firmness in his eyes. His little shoulders were now


    shouldering the responsibility to protect his younger siblings - as a true big brother would.


    At the corner of the promenade outside, Charlotte stood there and peeked at the unfolding scene


    quietly. Her heart was trembling and tears started to stream down inexplicably as she lowered her


    head...? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.

 Chapter 839

    Chapter 839


    Charlotte could not help but stare at the tears dripping onto her hands...


    Such an uncalled-for reaction was probably part of the instinct within her.


    Suddenly, something about the three children dawned on her. Perhaps they were really...


    ¡°Dr. Langhan, Dr. Langhan...¡± At this moment, a medical nurse rushed over and called out, ¡°The


    emergency room needs you pronto!¡±


    Raina turned and hurried to the emergency room, before reminding his subordinates, ¡°Take care of the


    three kids.¡±


    ¡°Did something happen to Great-grandpa?¡± Ellie asked tremblingly with a pale face.


    ¡°Don''t worry. He''ll be okay.¡±


    Although Robbie seemed calm on the surface, his trembling little hands betrayed his calmness. He was


    terrified at the prospect of Mr. Henry in danger all because of him...


    ¡°All of you go in first. I''ll go check it out.¡± Robbie ushered Jamie and Ellie into the lounge before running


    towards the emergency room as fast as his little feet could carry him.


    Moving past the corner of the promenade, he vaguely felt someone was watching him all along, and


    instinctively looked back...


    Charlotte reacted swiftly and hid behind the wall to get out of his sight.


    Robbie did not manage to catch the sight of her. He turned back, feeling like he had a wrong hunch.


    ¡°Mr. Robinson!¡± Two nurses came running from nowhere.


    ¡°Jamie, I want to go to have a look too...¡± Ellie said with a sob.


    ¡°Okay. Let me go with you.¡±


    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    Having said that, Jamie grabbed Ellie''s hand and headed towards the emergency room.


    As the two children approached, Charlotte could see their faces clearly. A strong feeling surged into her


    heart like a crashing wave...


    Her heart was beating wildly, feeling like bursting out of her chest.


    Right at this moment, realization dawned upon her that they were her children! !!


    They were hers! Her precious children!


    ¡°Mommy, mommy...¡±


    Suddenly, Fifi who was in Ellie''s arms started pping its wings and squawking excitedly.


    Ellie was shocked; she stopped and turned to look around.


    Jamie stopped at his tracks as well and looked back as well.


    Before they could react, Fifi shot out of her arms like an arrow and flew away...


    ¡°Fifi!¡± Ellie called out and tried to catch up.


    Caught by surprise, Charlotte immediately ducked up and hid upstairs.


    ¡°Mommy, Mommy!¡±


    Fifi fluttered around the staircase like a headless chicken and flew everywhere to look for her...


    Charlotte hid and did not dare toe out. Seeing the shadow of the little parrot flying around


    searching for her made her touched. That little pet possessed a human child-like instinct - it managed


    to recognize her!


    ¡°Mommy...¡±


    An animal''s sense was indeed sharp. Fifi soon found Charlotte and immediately flew towards her.


    ¡°Caught you!¡± Suddenly, a hand grasped Fifi from behind. ¡°Ms. Elisa, there you go!¡±


    Kyle grabbed Fifi and gently handed it over to Ellie.


    Ellie hugged Fifi tightly, gently pped its behind, and angrily med, ¡°Fifi! Bad bird! You''re causing


    trouble at such an important time!¡±


    ¡°That''s right!¡± Jamie frowned angrily and added, ¡°You''ve been spoiled recently. While it''s fine to fly


    around at home, you can''t do this in the hospital! If you don''t control yourself, I''ll lock you up when we


    get back.¡±


    ¡°Mommy, Mommy...¡± Fifi squawked with its head pointing upstairs.


    ¡°Stop this nonsense!¡± Jamie had thought that Fifi was acting this way because it had earlier


    apanied Robbie to Northridge to search for Mommy. Not wanting to expose their secret n, he


    hurriedly scolded once more, ¡°Shush! Shut your mouth! No more of your nonsense please.¡±


    Fifi shut its beak reluctantly. It dared not to say anything anymore, but its furry head was still pointing


    upwards with its eyes looking upstairs with anticipation...


    Such disy of reluctance!


    ¡°Hurry. Let''s go take a look at Great-grandpa.¡±


    Ellie held Fifi and headed quickly towards the emergency room.


    Jamie meanwhilegged behind and nced in the direction of Fifi''s gaze. He failed to spot anything


    out of the ordinary, shrugged, and left the ce with Ellie...

 Chapter 840

    Chapter 840


    Seeing they had all left, Charlotte came out of her hiding spot. Gazing at the departing silhouettes of


    the two children, her eyes were filled with uncertainty.


    Both Lupine and Morgan who were hiding on the stairwell upstairs also emerged awkwardly. They


    looked at her cautiously, not knowing what to say.


    After a long while, Charlotte regained her senses and left...


    Getting on the car, Lupine quietly asked, ¡°Do we head to South Sea vi now?¡±


    ¡°To Northridge.¡± Charlotte lowered her head with a heavy heart.


    ¡°This... Wouldn''t Zachary soon find out that we have not returned to Erihal?¡± Lupine followed up quietly.


    ¡°You took Zachary too lightly,¡± Charlotteughed bitterly before adding, ¡°He should have known this!¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Lupine refrained from saying more.


    ¡°Let Peter go,¡± Charlotte ordered. ¡°Let him know that Olivia will contact him soon. Also, get her toe


    to me when the timees.¡±


    ¡°Aye.¡± Lupine immediately acknowledged the order.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, are you saying that Zachary already knew that we have caught Peter?¡± Morgan asked


    incredulously before noting, ¡°You think he''ll release Olivia soon?¡±


    ¡°We''re a conniving bunch.¡± Charlotteughed coldly. ¡°He should have known that his cover has been


    blown. Instead of continuing his charade, he should juste out clean!¡±


    ¡°Then, should we continue our investigation?¡± Morgan asked.


    ¡°Forget it.¡± Charlotte narrowed her eyes and remarked dangerously, ¡°I''ll wait for him toe before


    me!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    ...


    Meanwhile, Zacharynded at H City airport.


    Bruce came to pick him up and reported, ¡°Just around an hour ago, Peter was released.¡±


    ¡°As expected,¡± Zachary mused before ordering, ¡°Release Olivia!¡±


    ¡°Aye.¡± Bruce immediatelyplied.


    ¡°After Olivia has been released, she''ll definitely go to Peter. I''m sure Ms. Lindberg will be contacted


    shortly after. By then...¡± Ben cautiously reminded, ¡°I''m afraid those past happenings can''t be concealed


    anymore.¡±


    ¡°Can''t keep it bottled up forever anyway,¡± Zachary frowned as he noted, ¡°Right now, she''s probably


    waiting for me to confess to her personally...¡±


    ¡°That...¡±


    ¡°The time is not ripe yet.¡± Zachary felt helpless. ¡°Now that the old man has gotten himself into an


    ident, all our ns have to be dyed.¡±


    Ben did not dare to say anything. If Mr. Henry had not gotten into the current predicament, they would


    have gotten Dr. Felch back. They had nned to use the old man''s birthday to trick both Zara and


    Sharon to show up and to reveal both their past crimes. This was the only way to exin to Charlotte


    clearly what had happened back then.


    All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    Perhaps there was still a thin thread of hope!


    However, Mr. Henry''s ident had thrown the whole n into disarray.


    ¡°So do we head to the hospital now?¡± Bruce asked cautiously.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Zachary muttered sinctly before reminding, ¡°Make sure to keep the media at bay, and don''t


    let anyone know about the old man''s ident.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative. Spencer is already on it. No news has been leaked thus far. I''ll continue to monitor.¡±


    Just as Bruce said that, the phone rang - it was a call from Taylor. He passed the phone over to


    Zachary and informed, ¡°Mr. ckwood is on the line.¡±


    Zachary gestured knowingly. Bruce answered the phone in a calm manner before hanging up and


    reporting his conversation to Zachary.


    ¡°Mr. ckwood took Sharon to Erihal and sought forgiveness from the Lindberg family. However, they


    were turned away by Mr. Lindberg. No matter how much Mr. ckwood begged, Mr. Lindberg refused


    to give him a chance. Now that the Synder Group was facing such a crisis, should no action be taken,


    bankruptcy was the only oue awaiting them. Mr. ckwood could not get hold of Mr. Henry and


    could not contact you. The only option left for him was to contact me. Seems like the Lindberg family


    has truly devoured the ckwoods,¡± Ben mused before sighing, ¡°Dannique is really ruthless when it


    comes to matters like this.¡±


    ¡°Did Ms. Lindberg find out about Sharon''s treachery in the first ce?¡± Bruce spected.


    ¡°I don''t think so,¡± Zachary conjectured calmly before continuing, ¡°If she knew, I''m afraid she won''t leave


    it at that!¡±


    ¡°Who knew that merely putting a price on her head would result in such a chain of events. If she were


    to find out about Sharon''s attempt on her in T Nation, including causing the death of Mrs. Berry... I


    shudder at the thought...¡±


    Ben could feel a chill down his spine. After all, the current Charlotte was definitely no pushover.

 Chapter 841

    Chapter 841


    ¡°Either way, the ckwoods will be finished sooner orter...¡± Bruce had always been the one not to


    mince his words. ¡°But if Taylor were toe to you to beg now, how would you respond?¡±


    ¡°I''ll leave him alone,¡± Zachary replied as he frowned, ¡°There are always consequences to one''s actions.


    The ckwoods will have to live with the oue they have brought upon themselves.¡±


    After all, he himself was fully exposed and vulnerable. Unable to protect himself, he could not afford to


    care for others.


    Bruce caught his hint and acknowledged, ¡°Understood. If he calls again, I''ll find another excuse to


    reject him.¡±


    Very soon, their car reached the hospital.


    Raina was already waiting at the door. Seeing Zachary''s car pulling over, she immediately rushed to


    meet him. ¡°Mr. Nacht.¡±


    ¡°What''s up?¡± Zachary hurriedly headed towards the hospital.


    ¡°He''s out of the critical stage,¡± Raina informed, but continued solemnly, ¡°However his current state is


    still dangerously unstable. We''ll have to observe for another twenty-four hours to ess the situation.¡±


    Breathing a sigh of relief, Zachary was d. After all, not being in a life-threatening situation was


    already a blessing in the midst of misfortune.


    ¡°What went wrong? How could he just fall down like that?¡± Zachary frowned as he questioned.


    ¡°Here''s the surveince recording of Fairytale Land. You can view it yourself.¡± Raina handed the tablet


    in her hand to Zachary.


    He took a look and furrowed his brows even deeper. This showed Henry''spse of judgment. After all,


    Robbie had a safety harness coupled with his climbing rope. Yet Henry chose to jump out to save


    others, causing his own fall...


    ¡°Mr. Zachary, you''re finally back.¡±


    Spencer greeted him excitedly. His pair of muddled old eyes were bloodshot red.


    ¡°Grandpa was really...¡± Zachary was both anxious and angry. ¡°At such an advanced age, does he still


    think that he is young? He''s nearly a century old, yet he chooses not to pay any heed to his own body


    condition at all.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Henry cares too much for the children,¡± Spencer defended in a choking voice. ¡°His fall two years


    ago resulted in two full months of hospitalization. Since then he never really stood up well. For him to


    experience another fall now... Even though it may not be life-threatening, yet...¡±


    ¡°He''ll be fine,¡± Zachary consoledfortingly as he patted Spencer on thetter''s shoulder, ¡°Don''t


    forget that the person we''re worried about is the Henry Nacht who shook the world. He won''t go down


    easy.¡±


    ¡°I hope so,¡± Spencer said, his eyes turning red. ¡°Mr. Henry is currently asleep. I''ll stand guard here. You


    should take the three children home first andfort them the best you can, especially young Mr.


    Robinson. I''m worried about his current state of mind and his psychological burden...¡±


    ¡°They''re still here at the hospital?¡± Zachary frowned.


    ¡°After the incident, they were brought to the hospital together,¡± Raina quickly exined. ¡°I coaxed them


    a few times to go back to rest, but the three of them were worried about Mr. Henry so they insisted to


    stay. At one o''clock this morning, Jamie and Ellie could not keep their eyes open and fell asleep at the


    lounge. As for Robbie...¡±


    ¡°Mr. Robinson is still in Mr. Henry''s ward,¡± Spencer informed as he added, ¡°I''ve tried persuading him to


    take a rest, but he was quiet throughout. I''m worried about him. Even though he looked calm and


    indifferent, out of the three, he is the most loyal...¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± With that, Zachary hurried towards Henry''s ward.


    Upon reaching the ward, he could see Robbie d in an istion gown and seated beside the old


    man''s bed. The young boy was silently staring at Henry like a small statue without saying a single


    word...


    Zachary observed the boy''s back and was filled with a tinge of sadness. Taking a deep breath, he


    pushed open the door to the ward and walked in quietly...


    All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    Robbie could feel someone tapping on his shoulder and thought it was Spencer. Without looking back,


    he growled in a low voice, ¡°I''m not sleepy. I want to stay here with Great-grandpa.¡±


    ¡°Great-grandpa is asleep. You should go back and catch some sleep as well.¡± Zachary''s voice rang


    from behind, sounding very serious.


    Robbie was stunned to hear the voice. Turning his head, he looked upon his father in surprise,


    ¡°Daddy? You''re back?¡±


    ¡°I got to know about the incident and rushed back immediately.¡± Squatting down, Zachary patted his


    little shoulders and softly said, ¡°Come. Come home with Daddy.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°Be a good, obedient boy, now,¡± Zachary interrupted him. ¡°After Daddy sends you back, I''lle back


    and be with Great-grandpa. Now, be good, aye?¡±


    His words proved effective as Robbie nodded almost immediately, ¡°Aye!¡±

 Chapter 842

    Chapter 842


    Zachary held Robbie''s hand as they walked out of the ward. Ben and Raina were holding Jamie and


    Ellie respectively as they got into the car.


    Robbie hadn''t slept the entire night, so he was understandably dizzy and was swaying a little as he


    walked.


    Zachary bent down to pick the boy up, but Robbie rejected that offer and imed, ¡°I''m a big boy now. I


    don''t need you to carry me, Daddy.¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t matter how old you are because you will always be my son,¡± replied Zachary before he


    picked the kid up anyway and forged ahead. He then added, ¡°You''re only six, and you don''t need to be


    so mature, okay?¡±


    ¡°I know...¡±


    Robbie''s voice was a little thick with tears. Both Jamie and Ellie cried after the incident that day, but


    Robbie never shed a tear. He had been faking his strength the entire time, but he couldn''t hold it in any


    longer with his daddy right in front of him.


    The truth was that Robbie had put on a great act in front of his dad as well, but Zachary could always


    see through Robbie and provide the kid with the protection and understanding he needed.


    ¡°Lay on daddy''s shoulder and take a nap,¡± cooed Zachary as he stroked Robbie''s back gently. The


    former promised, ¡°I am here, so you don''t need to worry about anything at all. I will keep you safe even


    if it rainsva.¡±


    Robbie wrapped his arms around Zachary''s neck and rested obediently on the adult''s shoulder. Tears


    slowly rolled down the child''s cheeks, but he didn''t want anyone to see his tears, so he quickly wiped


    them off with his tiny hands.


    ¡°This is not your fault,¡± said Zachary softly, ¡°You don''t need to feel guilty about it.¡±


    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Okay,¡± murmured Robbie softly.


    ¡°Sleep well,¡± cooed Zachary as he gently stroked the kid''s back.


    Robbie felt safe with his daddy there, so his exhaustion finally got to him. He slowly but surely fell


    asleep.


    Zachary hugged Robbie and got into the Rolls-Royce. Jamie and Ellie woke up when they were set


    down in the car. Both kids started sobbing a little.


    Zachary quickly picked them up and stroke their backs to coo them to bed.


    All three kids slept in Zachary''s arms.


    Zachary instantly felt calmer as he watched them sleep.


    With them by his side, Zachary had the courage to face even the apocalypse!


    The car slowly traveled to Rokan Hill. Ben lowered his voice and reported, ¡°Ms. ckwood is video-


    calling me, Mr. Nacht. I think she''s looking for you.¡±


    Zachary''s phone had automatically turned off because the battery was dead. That was why Cynthia


    was calling Ben instead.


    She had never been involved in any financial matters within her family. The fact that she was looking


    for him meant that the ckwoods were truly in trouble.


    Regardless of the situation, Zachary owed Cynthia a favor, so while he was okay with ignoring


    everyone else, he couldn''t ignore her call for help.


    Aftering to that conclusion, Zachary instructed, ¡°Reply to her message and tell her to meet me


    tomorrow evening at six. I''ll be in the restaurant in Storm Hotel.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied Ben calmly.


    Zachary took all three kids home and put them to bed before he had Raina stay back to babysit them.


    After settling everything, he rushed to Serene Hospital with Ben by his side.


    As they were heading over, Ben suddenly called out, ¡°The lights in Northridge are on!¡±


    Zachary rolled down the window to check. As pointed out, the lights in the Northridge vi were on...


    Charlotte is back!


    ¡°Bruce is calling,¡± informed Ben quickly as he turned on the speakerphone.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, it is as you suspected. Peter was released, and Olivia went to see him. The two of them


    have already met up,¡± reported Bruce.


    ¡°Got it,¡± replied Zachary calmly, ¡°Ignore the matter for now. Go to the hospital and keep my grandpa


    safe.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    After hanging up, Zachary instructed, ¡°Call Marino and the others. Tell them to protect the kids at all


    costs. Do not let any stranger get close to the kids.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± said Ben. Naturally, he understood what Zachary was worried about. He doesn''t want to


    risk the Lindberg family taking the kids away.


    Zachary stared out the window. His gaze shone withplicated emotion.


    He knew that Charlotte would learn of the truth soon, but he didn''t know how she would deal with the


    matter. All he wished was that the matter wouldn''t affect the kids.


    They''re innocent...

 Chapter 843

    Chapter 843


    In Northridge.


    Charlotte had afortable white gown on. Her beautiful face shone with serenity as she restedzily


    on the sofa with a tablet in her hand. She was reading up on the triplets.


    She had been reading for hours and was re-reading every word. Every photo, every video, every


    alphabet... She examined them endlessly, without missing anything.


    Time shed by, and dawn soon came.


    Charlotte hadn''t slept the entire night. She looked calm, but her eyes shone with immense confusion


    and contradiction.


    ¡°Olivia is here, Ms. Lindberg,¡± announced Lupine, who had personally brought Olivia over.


    Charlotte finally shifted her gaze from the tablet and sat up straight before she instructed, ¡°Invite her


    over.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Olivia entered the ce fearfully. She looked nervous and might even be a little scared.


    She was stunned when she first saw Charlotte. Then, the anxiety in the former''s eyes turned to a


    pleasant surprise as she blurted, ¡°Charlotte? You''re the master they are talking about?¡±


    All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    ¡°You don''t need to be scared. No one will hurt you,¡± informed Charlotte as she turned to Olivia. The


    former''s gaze instinctively turned warmer as she asked, ¡°Are you okay? They didn''t make things


    difficult for you, did they?¡±


    ¡°They? You mean Mr. Nacht? He didn''t make things difficult for me, but he did lock Kristi and I in a vi.


    He didn''t let us go untilst night,¡± replied Olivia as she stared uneasily at Charlotte before testing the


    waters and asking, ¡°A-are you really Charlotte?¡±


    ¡°What''s wrong? Do I not look like myself?¡± asked Charlotte with a grin.


    ¡°You look exactly like yourself, but your aura, the way you speak, and the glow in your eyes are all


    different,¡± shared Olivia fearfully as she stared.


    ¡°What was I like?¡± asked Charlotte curiously.


    ¡°You were lively and wouldugh and cry freely. Your eyes always have a youthful glow,¡± answered


    Olivia, who couldn''t help grinning when she spoke about Charlotte''s past. She added, ¡°We met at a


    party. I was bullied at the time. My boss wanted to force me to perform on stage even though my hand


    was injured. You stepped up and helped me.¡±


    ¡°What happened next?¡± asked Charlotte. She was genuinely curious about her past.


    ¡°You put on my clothes and wore a mask to perform on-stage,¡± replied Olivia as she recalled their past.


    Her voice was filled with appreciation when she informed, ¡°That is how I got my job in the first ce,


    and that was the turning point of my life. Unfortunately, my hand hadn''t recovered, so I couldn''t y the


    piano. I had to work in Sultry Night instead...


    ¡°Iter met you again at the metro. You didn''t have a job at the time, and you were having a hard time


    making ends meet. Hence, you asked me to help you find a job, so I got you a gig for ying the piano.


    Something happened after that, and you couldn''t y the piano anymore, so you went to Sultry Night


    to work with me...¡±


    Olivia paused at that part of the story and asked carefully, ¡°Do you really not remember any of that?¡±


    ¡°Who would''ve thought that I actually worked at Sultry Night? No wonder the ce seemed familiar to


    me,¡± murmured Charlotte before she continued asking, ¡°What else do you know?¡±


    ¡°I...¡± said Olivia. Her guard was up, so she asked, ¡°Charlotte, why did you change your surname?


    Where is Mrs. Berry?¡±


    Olivia wondered if the proud and distant woman in front of her was truly the Charlotte Windt that she


    once knew.


    ¡°My mom''s surname is Lindberg, so I am using her surname now,¡± replied Charlotte with a smile, ¡°It''s


    fine. You can share everything with me when you feelfortable doing so. I will have my people send


    you back for now.¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry,¡± apologized Olivia, ¡°I am traumatized by the Nachts and am especially careful now. I truly


    wish that you are the same Charlotte Windt I know. At least that would mean that the person I care


    about is still alive and wasn''t killed by a heartless viin...¡±


    Olivia couldn''t help sobbing a little when she reached the end of her sentence.


    ¡°Killed by a heartless viin?¡± repeated Charlotte suddenly as she frowned and demanded, ¡°What does


    that mean? Was someone after me back then?¡±


    Olivia turned to Charlotte before quickly having her head down. The former didn''t dare to say another


    word.


    The Charlotte I know would never put on an expression and gaze that terrifying.

 Chapter 844

    Chapter 844


    Before Olivia came, Peter repeatedly reminded her to be wary of her words. It didn''t matter if it was the


    Nacht family or the Lindberg family. They couldn''t afford to offend either side.


    The more I speak, the more likely I am to offend one of them, and either can crush me.


    I better speak less to survive. It''s best that I don''t share anything before getting to the bottom of it all.


    If Charlotte Lindberg is, in fact, Charlotte Windt, then naturally, I will help her out.


    However, when huge corporations battle against one another, they would do anything to gain the upper


    hand. There is no saying whether the Lindberg family would find someone to fake being Charlotte just


    to get to the Nachts.


    Small fries like me will just end up as pawns and will be killed off as soon as I am no longer of use.


    Hence, the most important thing now is to survive through this.


    ¡°I must be weak and useless back then,¡± growled Charlotte as she narrowed her eyes dangerously and


    added, ¡°That is why I was bullied and hurt...¡±


    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°You were not weak. You''re just kind...¡± said Olivia. She never got to finish her sentence because


    Morgan suddenly barged in to report, ¡°Ms. Sharon of Synder Group asked to see you, Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    Olivia was stunned. Sharon ckwood? Isn''t that the b*tch who used to bully Charlotte and I?


    ¡°Huh?¡± asked Charlotte with her brows raised, ¡°How did she get in touch with you?¡±


    ¡°She likely located me via Mr. Potter,¡± reported Morgan politely, ¡°Taylor brought Sharon to Erihal to


    apologize to your brother, but he refused to meet with them. When they returned, they spared no effort


    to try to get in touch with you.


    ¡°Sharon begged me endlessly via the phone just now. She said that she would like to meet you and ask


    for a chance to make things right. Even Taylor lowered his stance and begged me to send the message


    along to you.¡±


    ¡°Ignore them,¡± replied Charlotte. She didn''t care about the ckwoods at all, so she shifted her gaze to


    Olivia and informed, ¡°I will have my people take you home. You can tell them if you need anything else.


    They will help you out, and if anyone tries to hurt you, you may call me anytime.¡±


    ¡°Actually, I am not staying in H City now,¡± replied Olivia. She was deliberately testing Charlotte when


    she added, ¡°I''ve been working in Mr. Judd''s factory over the past two years. You know who Mr. Judd is,


    don''t you?¡±


    ¡°Are you referring to my dad''s right-hand man, Mr. Jeffrey Judd?¡± blurted Charlotte.


    ¡°Yes, that''s him,¡± said Olivia while nodding, ¡°Those three factories were your dad''s assets, but after


    your father passed away, the factories were snatched away. You and Mr. Judd worked together to get it


    back. You''re still the major shareholder of those factories. Do you know where they are right now?¡±


    ¡°They''re in Yaleview,¡± answered Charlotte, who still remembered certain things, ¡°There are three


    factories in Yaleview. Two of them produce clothing while the other one manufactures jewelry. I was the


    one who named the factories. I called them The Char, The Lotte, and The Windt.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that''s it!¡± blurted Olivia excitedly before she asked, ¡°Then do you know when Mrs. Berry''s birthday


    is?¡±


    ¡°March 5th, 1957...¡±


    The glow in Charlotte''s eyes turned dark when they talked about Mrs. Berry. When she first woke up,


    she saw Mrs. Berry lying still inside the morgue. Charlotte had lost a lot of memories and forgot about a


    lot of things, but she remembered that someone killed Mrs. Berry.


    I must be stronger to avenge Mrs. Berry''s death!


    ¡°She enjoys eating junk food. Her health was getting poorer, but she couldn''t resist it. Sheughs freely


    and enjoys napping. She liked cooking for me, and she is always delighted to see me eating her


    cooking...¡±


    Charlotte remembered Mrs. Berry well, even though it had been a while since those incidents


    happened. She would never forget her.


    ¡°She was overweight, but when she passed away, she shrunk exponentially. Shey motionless in the


    morgue and never moved a muscle, but she was still clutching a piece of my clothes. I still remember


    her whispering in my ear and encouraging me to keep fighting and live on...¡±


    Charlotte''s eyes turned red with tears at that point in her story. Her tears kept swirling in her eyes, but


    she refused to let them roll down her cheeks.


    That hatred and that desire for vengeance started creeping up in her heart again. I will never forget that


    the only thing keeping me alive is my desire to seek vengeance!

 Chapter 845

    Chapter 845


    ¡°Someone killed her,¡± growled Charlotte evilly, ¡°I came back to investigate the matter and find the culprit


    behind it. I will avenge her death!¡±


    ¡°He must be the culprit. That asshole!¡± cussed Olivia angrily, ¡°He chased away the bride on the day of


    the wedding and had someone else take over your spot. He even caused Mrs. Berry''s death! Karma


    will befall him.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? Who is the culprit?¡± demanded Charlotte as she stared in astonishment.


    ¡°I''m talking about Zachary Nacht!¡± blurted Olivia.


    Charlotte was stunned in ce when she heard those words. Disbelief donned her face...


    Lupine and Morgan turned to one another. They seemed uneasy as they observed Charlotte''s


    expression.


    ¡°Chasing the bride away on the day of the wedding...¡± repeated Charlotte mindlessly, ¡°Am I the bride


    you''re talking about?¡±


    Olivia couldn''t help feeling a little scared when she saw Charlotte like that. She asked softly, ¡°Do you


    not remember any of that?¡±


    ¡°Two years ago. Ms. Lindberg was poisoned and attacked. Her head was injured, and she lost her


    memory after she recovered,¡± exined Morgan softly.


    ¡°Oh, right,¡± blurted Olivia. She sounded even more agitated when she heard that. She added,


    ¡°Zachary''s aunt poisoned you back then, and you were tortured by it. On the day of your wedding, your


    illness acted up once more, and you bled a lot.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± demanded Lupine while looking shocked, ¡°Did you just say that Zachary''s aunt, Zara Nacht, is


    the one who poisoned Ms. Lindberg?¡±


    They had never gone against one another head-on, but they had long known about Zara''s reputation of


    being cruel.


    ¡°That''s right,¡± replied Olivia confidently, ¡°I overheard Zachary talking to his subordinate about this


    matter. At the time, he and his aunt got into an intense fight because of that incident. I thought that he


    was truly in love with Charlotte. I never imagine that on the day of the wedding, he would...¡±


    Olivia didn''t dare to finish that sentence.


    At that moment, Charlotte looked downright infuriated. A chilling aura filled the room.


    All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    ¡°No wonder the gun we recovered back then was from M Nation,¡± said Lupine as revtion hit, ¡°The


    one who sent killers after you is Zara!¡±


    ¡°F*ck those people,¡± growled Morgan angrily, ¡°The Nachts really crossed the line!¡±


    ¡°Take her home for now,¡± instructed Charlotte grimly.


    ¡°Understood!¡± said Lupine. She immediately had some people drive Olivia back.


    Olivia was a little worried, so she advised Charlotte, ¡°Charlotte, the Nacht family is strong, and they will


    not be an easy opponent. Don''t act rashly. Talk to your family before you do anything, okay?¡±


    Olivia didn''t understand the Lindbergs at all. She didn''t know that they were the only ones on par with


    the Nachts.


    She definitely didn''t know how determined Charlotte was in seeking revenge.


    ¡°Strong, huh?¡± scoffed Charlotte, ¡°I''d like to see just how long he can remain strong...¡±


    Olivia was a little frightened by that gaze. She didn''t dare to say anything else, so she left with Lupine.


    The room turned quiet once again, but the aura was freezing.


    The bodyguards didn''t dare to even breathe too loudly. Morgan waited patiently at the side. She didn''t


    dare to say a word.


    After some time, Charlotte suddenly instructed, ¡°Find out everything you can about Zara Nacht. Now!¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied Morgan. She started working on it immediately.


    Just then, Lupine hurried back and reported, ¡°I''ve assigned someone to take Olivia home. She will stay


    in Peter''s ce for now, and a few bodyguards will secretly keep her safe.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± replied Charlotte while nodding. After that, she instructed, ¡°Find someone for me.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°Jeffrey Judd, the guy who used to work for my dad,¡± answered Charlotte, ¡°Then go to Happy Avenue


    to learn if Mrs. Berry and I used to stay there.¡±


    ¡°Understood. I will go do that right away,¡± said Lupin before she hurried to carry out her task.


    Charlotte had a general idea of what had happened, and all she needed was to do a final confirmation


    before she exacted her revenge.


    Naturally, there was one other thing she needed to confirm.


    She picked up the phone and made a call...

 Chapter 846

    Chapter 846


    Zachary had just reached the hospital when his phone rang. He was slightly taken aback.


    This number... It has to be Charlotte.


    His leg was still in the air when he retracted them and went back into his car to take the call. ¡°Hello.¡±


    ¡°Where are you?¡± asked Charlotte to get right to the point.


    ¡°Home, why?¡± asked Zachary.


    ¡°I want to meet up,¡± said Charlotte, ¡°See you in Sultry Night at ten tonight.¡±


    ¡°Sure, see you tonight,¡± replied Zachary as he checked his watch.


    After hanging up the call, Zachary reyed Charlotte''s words in his mind repeatedly. He wondered why


    she asked to meet him that night...


    She had probably met up with Olivia, so she should know what happened back then. Does she simply


    want to know who I am and where I stand?


    That''s probably it.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, you have a meeting with Ms. ckwood tonight,¡± reminded Ben softly, ¡°It''s at six in the


    restaurant in Storm Hotel.¡±


    ¡°I can make it,¡± said Zachary. He didn''t n on wasting any of Cynthia''s time. He owed her a favor, and


    it was time he made things clear with her.


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied Ben, who didn''t say anything else.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    The group headed towards the hospital. Just then, a strong wind howled at them and swept up some


    dust.


    Zachary narrowed his eyes and looked at the sky. Looks like a storm is brewing.


    ¡°It''s the rainy reason, so it''s natural for the weather to be like that,¡± said Ben. He knew what Zachary


    was thinking, so heforted, ¡°You haven''t slept well in days. Let''s take a break after the issue in the


    hospital is settled.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± replied Zachary. Truth was, he hadn''t been feeling well that day. Thinking back, it had been four


    days since he had a good night''s sleep. He only slept a few hours, and even the strongest man would


    have trouble keeping it up.


    Still, he had to deal with Henry''s matter first.


    Zachary spent the entire day busying away in the hospital. Henry''s condition was still unstable, even


    though his life was no longer threatened after surviving on the night before. In fact, his illness acted up


    several times that day.


    The team of experts that the hospital gathered never left his side and guarded the ward the entire time.


    Henry''s condition finally stabilized when evening rolled by, and the doctors could finally sigh a breath of


    relief.


    Spencer, who had been awake for over twenty-four hours, slumped down on the chair.


    ¡°Mr. Spencer, you should go rest. Bruce can take care of things here. We can''t afford to have you down


    at a crucial moment like this,¡± said Zachary.


    ¡°I am too old to be useful now,¡± sighed Spencer sadly.


    He was almost eighty years old, so he couldn''t handle the stress, even though he was pretty healthy.


    ¡°Mr. Hooters got a room ready for you. You can rest there ande back over after you''ve slept.¡±


    Zachary gestured with his hand to get Bruce to take Spencer to the room.


    Bruce hurried back after helping Spencer settle down. He had a few men with him to help keep guard


    outside the ward.


    Everyone had to be alert at that crucial moment, and no one dared to slow down.


    ¡°Hang in there for just a little longer. Once Mr. Nacht finishes working tonight, I will rush over to take


    over a shift,¡± said Ben while tapping Bruce''s shoulder.


    ¡°It''s only been two days. I can handle it,¡± insisted Bruce. He acted like he didn''t need Ben''s help at all.


    ¡°I''m d to hear that,¡± replied Ben before punching Bruce''s chest a little.


    ¡°Let''s go,¡± said Zachary as he checked his watch and hurried out of there.


    Ben quickly followed suit.


    Just then, Raina called to tell them that the triplets wanted to visit their great-grandpa.


    Zachary rejected that request immediately. He ordered, ¡°Tell them that their great-grandpa''s condition


    has stabilized, but now is not a good time to visit. I will take them to the hospital in person after a few


    days. For now, they need to stay home.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied Raina, before she sent his message to the kids.


    Zachary left the hospital to rush to his meeting with Cynthia. He had just gotten into the car when Bruce


    called to say, ¡°Mr. Nacht, we just received news that Ms. Nacht''s private jet has justnded in H City.¡±


    ¡°She works fast.¡±


    Zachary narrowed his eyes dangerously. Last night, he had Ben spread the news that Henry would be


    celebrating his ny-eighth birthday soon. He did that to draw Zara out of hiding.


    However, he never thought that Henry would suddenly get into an ident.


    To make matters worse, Zara had shown up earlier than expected.


    Still, things had progressed to that extent, so he had no choice but to go with the flow.

 Chapter 847

    Chapter 847


    Zachary rushed all the way to Storm Hotel, but he was still twenty minuteste.


    Cynthia had been waiting for a while. She had a white dress on and looked regal, yet cute. She was


    staring out the window the entire time...


    ¡°Mr. Nacht,¡± said the manager as he hurried over to greet the guy warmly, ¡°It''s been a while since you


    last visited.¡±


    It has been a while...


    Zachary used to take Charlotte to the hotel, but they always head right to the rooms...


    Cynthia stood up quickly upon hearing that voice. She smiled at him and signed with her hand,


    ¡±Zachary, you''re here!¡±


    ¡°Sorry for beingte,¡± said Zachary as he sat down and cleaned his hands with a wet towel.


    ¡°It''s fine. I was here early.¡±


    Cynthia signed while smiling, but she never realized that Zachary wasn''t even looking at her.


    She handed the menu to him. When he reached out to take the menu, his gaze shifted to her for a


    while before he said, ¡°You can go ahead and order what you want. I don''t have an appetite.¡±


    Cynthia nodded and ordered a few dishes before pointing at the decanter. She signed, ¡°I brought two


    bottles of exquisite wine from home. It''s been decanted. Try and see if you like it.¡±


    The waiter poured half a ss of wine for Zachary.


    Zachary sipped some beforeplimenting, ¡°Hmm... It''s pretty good.¡±


    ¡°It''s from my dad''s collection. He said that you would like it,¡± signed Cynthia with a smile.


    Zachary waved his hand and got everyone to leave.


    ¡°Did your dad ask you toe to see me?¡± asked Zachary to get right to the point.


    ¡°That''s right,¡± replied Cynthia before she nodded and added, ¡°Everything at home is in a mess now. He


    and Sharon tried everything, but they simply couldn''t solve the issue. That''s why he asked me to ask


    for your help.¡±


    Zachary didn''t say a word. He simply enjoyed the wine gracefully.


    There was no way he could butt in on the matter, but he wasn''t sure how to reject Cynthia without


    hurting her or going against his principles.


    ¡°I understand that this is difficult for you. The Nachts and the Lindbergs have always been equal, and


    the Lindbergs are an even bigger threat to the Nachts now that they have made it into the local market.


    If you help my family out at a crucial moment like this, Nacht Group will be in trouble too,¡± signed


    Cynthia.


    Zachary was surprised to see Cynthia being so understanding. He knew that she was kind, but he


    never expected her to be that clear-minded. Something that huge has befallen her family, yet she is still


    able to analyze the situation with a clear mind...


    ¡°That is why I am not here today to ask for your help. I was forced to at least put on a show to get them


    to back off. That is why I will have to trouble you to have a meal with me,¡± signed Cynthia in


    exasperation.


    ¡°Thank you...¡± murmured Zachary softly. He was thanking her from the bottom of his heart.


    He might not have any romantic feelings for Cynthia, but he truly appreciated what she had done for


    the Nachts. Moreover, she was being so considerate at that moment, so he was touched.


    ¡°Don''t say that. You never have any obligation to help my family, anyway,¡± replied Cynthia as she


    looked sincerely at him, ¡°Truth is, my dad is a terrible businessman. The only reason Synder Group can


    grow to this extent is because he has been profiting off of the Nachts'' reputation.¡±


    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    Zachary had long wanted to say those words...


    Henry might seem cruel and distant, but Taylor once rescued Harrison back in the days. Hence, Henry


    had been taking care of the ckwoods for over twenty years.


    Every time the ckwoods got into trouble, Henry would remind everyone of that incident. Henry even


    tried to force Zachary to marry Sharon back in the days and insisted that the ckwoods were


    amazing. At the time, Zachary was tempted to refute by saying that the Nachts were the ones who


    gave the ckwoods everything they had.


    Zachary even had to pay the ckwoods a hefty amount of money after he got out of marrying Sharon.


    He didn''t care much about the money, but the injustice was annoying him.


    Unfortunately, Taylor had always acted polite and humble in front of the other Nachts, so Zachary was


    not in a position to say anything.


    The injustice Zachary felt finally dissipated after Cynthia spoke up about it in such an understanding


    manner.

 Chapter 848

    Chapter 848


    ¡°It is the ckwoods'' karma that we ended up in this position, and we should be the ones to bear the


    consequences. We shouldn''t trouble you or your family anymore...¡±


    After signing thatst bit of message, Cynthia picked up her ss of wine and gestured to Zachary.


    Their sses clinked.


    After that, Cynthia downed her drink. Zachary initially nned on taking a sip, but seeing her down her


    drink like that prompted him to finish his wine as well.


    Cynthia set her ss down and signed, ¡°This is thest time I''ll trouble you for anything. It won''t


    happen again.¡±


    ¡°I am truly not in a position to butt in on the ckwoods'' matter,¡± replied Zachary as he stared


    apologetically at her, ¡°But if you ever need anything, I will definitely help you out.¡±


    ¡°What could I need?¡± signed Cynthia before she grinned bitterly and added, ¡°I can still make ends meet


    on my own even if the ckwoods truly dered bankruptcy and Synder Group is no more. I will lead a


    peaceful and calm life in the future, and that''s pretty good, too.¡±


    ¡°You are a good woman,¡± said Zachary.


    He rarelyplimented others, but even he couldn''t deny that Cynthia was an amazing person. She


    was born with a disability and was bullied ever since she was a kid. Yet, she grew to be stronger and


    worked hard to get two doctorates. She even managed to establish a pharmaceuticalpany all on


    her own.


    It wasn''t a hugepany, but she founded it all on her own, and that was pretty impressive.


    She was, by all definitions, truly kind and sweet.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± replied Cynthia as she stared at him and continued signing, ¡°This is the first time I ever


    hear youplimenting anyone.¡±


    Zachary''s lips curved into a grin. He continued sipping his wine.


    The passion in Cynthia''s eyes was as hot as the Sun, so Zachary had no choice but to avoid her gaze


    while feigning to sip his wine.


    Soon, the waiter came to serve their food.


    Zachary didn''t have much appetite because he had been overworked and hadn''t slept in a while, so he


    was exhausted. All he could really do was to use booze to keep himself awake. He needed to work on


    something elseter. I have to go meet Charlotte...


    ¡°Why aren''t you eating?¡± asked Cynthia using signnguage.


    Zachary had his gaze down, so he didn''t see her. Naturally, that meant that he never received her


    message.


    Cynthia poured him another half a ss of wine and poured herself a ss as well. After that, she


    gestured to him again.


    The two of their sses clinked once more before they downed the entire ss.


    ¡°Since you don''t have an appetite, I will drink with you. I have to go back to M Nation tomorrow, and


    there''s no saying when we''ll meet again,¡± signed Cynthia.


    ¡°Why are you heading back to M Nation?¡± asked Zachary in a surprised tone.


    ¡°My dad and Sharon keep bothering me, and I don''t want to handle them anymore. I definitely don''t


    want to put you in a difficult position, so I''m leaving,¡± signed Cynthia sadly.


    ¡°Thank you...¡±


    Zachary honestly didn''t know what else he could say to express his appreciation and guilt.


    ¡°I''ll visit Mr. Henry tomorrow and try to convince him to leave with me. That way, you won''t have to deal


    with him nagging you all the time,¡± added Cynthia with a smile.


    ¡°Grandpa won''t be leaving for a while,¡± said Zachary. He didn''t want to share too much, so he simply


    informed, ¡°He can''t really walktely.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Why not? I''ve been calling him for the past two days, but no one picked up. He didn''t reply to my


    texts either. I couldn''t even get in touch with Mr. Spencer. Did something happen?¡± signed Cynthia


    while looking surprised.


    ¡°He''s sick,¡± shared Zachary, ¡°His age is getting up there, so aches and illnesses follow him everywhere.


    I want him to rest up, so I cut off his connection to everyone else.¡±


    Henry being hospitalized was a grave issue, and he couldn''t afford to let anyone, not even Cynthia, find


    that out.


    Zachary had always remained aware when dealing with crucial matters.


    ¡°Oh, I see. No wonder you look so tiredtely. I guess you haven''t had a good sleep for a while. Drink


    up tonight, so you can sleep wellter,¡± signed Cynthia.


    ¡°Sure,¡± replied Zachary before he continued drinking with her.


    Ben frowned a little as he watched from the side.


    Mr. Nacht had always had good tolerance to alcohol. Hell, I think he drinks alcohol more than he does


    water. Yet, he''s never been drunk before. Why does he look a little off tonight? Is his gaze turning


    cloudy?


    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Is there something off with the wine?

 Chapter 849

    Chapter 849


    ¡°I have been looking everywhere for you. Turns out, you''re here.¡±


    A proud voice suddenly interrupted Ben''s train of thoughts.


    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Zachary turned over and saw that it was Sharon.


    She had an elegant outfit on and was wearing exquisite make-up as she strode over.


    Cynthia frowned the second she saw Sharon there. The former got up and signed, ¡±Sharon, what are


    you doing here?¡±


    ¡°This is a public ce. Am I not allowed to be here?¡±


    Sharon was extremely rude to Cynthia, and every word carried a hint of arrogance.


    Compared to Sharon, Cynthia seemed especially sweet and gentle. She frowned but didn''t dare to do


    anything else. In fact, she was staring at her surroundings and seemed worried about embarrassing


    herself in public.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± demanded Zachary with a frown. The distaste in his eyes was obvious.


    ¡°Zachary, I have been texting you a lottely, but you never replied. You didn''t pick up my call either,¡±


    said Sharon, whose attitude changed immediately when she turned to Zachary. She seemed weak and


    pitiful when she said, ¡°All I want is to see you. Is that really so bad?¡±


    Zachary had it with her pretentious stance. He looked away angrily and seemed like he didn''t want to


    entertain her at all.


    ¡°Sharon, stop making a scene,¡± signed Cynthia. She reached over to try to get Sharon away.


    Sharon swung Cynthia''s arm away rudely and howled in an extremely discerning tone, ¡°What are you


    doing? If you can invite Zachary out for a meal, then why can''t I? Do you honestly think that you are


    beautiful? He''s only meeting you right now because he pities you!¡±


    ¡°Everyone''s watching. How are you not embarrassed? Let''s leave together. Don''t bother Zachary


    anymore,¡± signed Cynthia nervously.


    ¡°F*ck off,¡± growled Sharon impatiently before she pushed Cynthia away.


    Cynthia stumbled backward and knocked onto the table before she fell to the floor.


    The decanter fell and smashed onto her head...


    Blood flowed.


    Zachary was taken aback. He hurried over to help Cynthia up.


    Seeing that got Sharon to feel a little bad, so she redirected the me and said, ¡°You weakling. All I did


    was give you a small push. Are you really on the floor already?¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± scolded Zachary angrily, ¡°You are such a vile woman. She is your sister, but you hurt her


    repeatedly and attacked her right in front of me. Do you seriously think that I won''t go after you?¡±


    ¡°Zachary...¡± muttered Sharon in astonishment. Her face shone with disbelief as she protested, ¡°Why are


    you shielding her like that? Did you really fall for her? She is mute! She''s not worthy of...¡±


    ¡°Don''t you dare say another word,¡± growled Zachary. His hatred for Sharon had maxed out, ¡°Leave


    now, before I lose control and attack you!¡±


    ¡°Zachary...¡±


    ¡°Please leave on your own ord,¡± advised Ben as he stepped forward, ¡°Stop making a scene. Save


    yourself from more embarrassment.¡±


    Tears rolled down Sharon''s eyes as she left furiously.


    Zachary helped Cynthia to the sofa. When he saw the deep cut that the decanter made on her head,


    he suggested immediately, ¡°I''ll take you to the hospital.¡±


    Cynthia shook her head quickly and signed, ¡°The media has their eyes on the ckwoods now. If I go


    to the hospital, they will learn of it quickly and will make up crazy stories.¡±


    ¡°We''ll go to the hospital I own. No one will say a word of it.¡±


    Zachary was going to keep her steady and help her out of the ce when he saw that her leg was also


    injured. He carried her like a princess immediately after.


    ¡°There really is no need to go to the hospital. I''m fine. I''ll just put some medicine on it. You''re so busy,


    and I don''t want to waste your time,¡± signed Cynthia as she rested in his arms.


    Zachary checked his watch after reading those signs. It''s half-past eight. Even if I rush to the hospital,


    the time taken to travel over would make mete for my appointment with Charlotte...


    Aftering to that conclusion, Zachary turned to the manager and requested, ¡°Get me a room, and


    have a medical kit sent over immediately.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±

 Chapter 850

    Chapter 850


    The manager saw that Cynthia was injured, and that got him on edge. He quickly sent his men to get


    the medical kit and offered, ¡°The hotel has a doctor working here and can treat minor injuries. I''ll send


    the good doctor over immediately. For now, please allow me to take you to your room.¡±


    ¡°Hurry,¡± instructed Zachary as he carried Cynthia toward the elevator.


    ¡°Yes, sir. Understood,¡± replied the manager. He rushed over quickly to the elevator and led Zachary


    and his bodyguards to the room.


    Four bodyguards were following close by. They had just entered the elevator when they heard a bang


    from a floor below. Everyone instantly became alert.


    ¡°Go check it out,¡± instructed Zachary.


    All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied the men. Two bodyguards exited the elevator and walked down the stairs to


    inspect the issues.


    Zachary carried Cynthia out of the elevator. Only then did he realize that the manager had taken him to


    the room he used to stay in with Charlotte. He paused and frowned before requesting, ¡°Get me another


    room.¡±


    ¡°Every other room is upied. We deliberately kept this room vacant because you used to stay here a


    lot, and we didn''t dare to rent it out,¡± replied the manager fearfully, ¡°It''ll take us some time before we


    can get you another room. Ms. ckwood is bleeding a lot now. How about we tend to her injuries


    before switching rooms?¡±


    Zachary turned to Cynthia, who was trembling in his arms. He had no choice but to carry her in.


    At that moment, Ben had forcefully dragged Sharon to the ground floor and was forcing her to get into


    the car.


    ¡°What the f*ck?¡± growled Sharon angrily, ¡°What the hell did that mute drug you lot with? Can you not


    see that she is a fake? She might look harmless, but on the inside, she is evil.¡±


    ¡°Enough. Please leave.¡±


    Ben didn''t want to waste his time on her. All he wanted was to head back as soon as possible because


    Henry''s condition was a little troublesome. Zachary had reassigned most bodyguards to the hospital


    and left some at home to take care of the kids. Hence, the number of men they had with them was


    limited.


    ¡°Just you wait. When that b*tch cons you lot and reveals her true colors, you''ll learn that I am the nice


    one,¡±ined Sharon unhappily.


    ¡°Do you hear yourself now?¡±ughed Ben, ¡°How can someone who went after their own sibling be a


    nice person?¡±


    ¡°What is that supposed to mean? When did I go after her?¡± asked Sharon in astonishment.


    ¡°Alright, you know what? This is your family business and has nothing to do with me,¡± replied Ben. He


    didn''t want to waste his breath on her, so he opened the door to the car and gestured for her to get in.


    After that, he added, ¡°If you insist on staying here, I will have no choice but to call your father.¡±


    Sharon harrumphed and red over before getting into the car unwillingly.


    Unfortunately, the car she was in had just left the building when another vehicle toppled it...


    Ben''s eyes bulged in surprise. He was taken aback for a moment before he quickly got his phone out


    and made a call.


    Inside the presidential suite on the top floor.


    The hotel''s medical staff rushed over quickly to help Cynthia tend to her injuries.


    They had to sew her up a little. Half of her face was tainted with blood.


    Zachary stood at the side. Guilt was welling up in him as he watched. He usually had quick reflexes,


    but his reaction was a little slow, and he didn''t protect Cynthia well. Maybe it''s because I had too much


    to drink...


    I am a man. Even if she is not my lover, I should''ve kept her safe when she''s around me...


    ¡°All done,¡± said the medical staff, who was quick to treat Cynthia''s injuries, pack up, and leave with his


    head down.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, I will be waiting outside. Please call me anytime if you ever need anything,¡± said the


    manager before he left as well.


    ¡°Rest up. I''ll have my people take you to the hospitalter,¡± said Zachary as he handed her a wet towel.


    Cynthia cleaned her face with the towel before she signed, ¡°I need to use the washroom.¡±


    After that, she went into the washroom.


    Zachary sat on the sofa and opened a bottle of water. Perhaps it was because he had too much to


    drink, but he kept feeling parched. He downed an entire bottle of water before he leaned against the


    sofa and waited for Cynthia.


    When he carried Cynthia over, her blood tainted his clothes, so he tossed his coat aside.


    After that, he continued drinking his water.


    Perhaps the alcohol was getting to him, but he felt hotter and unbuttoned his shirt.

 Chapter 851

    Chapter 851


    Cynthia was in the washroom for a long time. It had been thirty minutes, but she still hadn''t exited.


    ¡°Cynthia, are you alright?¡±


    Zachary knocked on the door, but no one responded. He sensed that something was off, so he quickly


    barged in...


    Unfortunately, what he saw next got him stunned.


    Cynthia was lying naked in the tub. Under the faint lighting, her beautiful skin was especially


    mesmerizing, and the ripple on the water seemed to be caressing her skin...


    Zachary turned around immediately. He frowned as he apologized, ¡°Sorry, I thought you...¡±


    Zachary quickly moved away. He had just taken a step before he noticed that something was off. He


    turned around to check.


    Turned out, Cynthia had fainted. That was why she wasn''t moving in the tub.


    Zachary got Cynthia out of the tub immediately and wrapped a towel around her before cing her on


    the bed. He tapped her face lightly and called out, ¡°Cynthia, Cynthia...¡±


    Cynthia regained consciousness slowly but surely. Her gaze was glossed over when she stared at him,


    and her beautiful face was as pale as paper. The tears in her eyes shone, and she looked extremely


    pitiful.


    ¡°I''ll take you to the hospital,¡± informed Zachary as he fished out his phone to make a call.


    However, Cynthia ambushed him and suddenly held him tightly. She sobbed in his arms, and her tiny


    figure quivered. It was as if she was letting go of a lifetime of sorrow and pain...


    Zachary''s phone fell under the bed. His arms stiffened. He didn''t hold her, nor did he push her away.


    Cynthia truly was a pitiful person. All she needed at that moment was a shoulder to cry on.


    I can''t push her away so mercilessly...


    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    Just then, the bodyguards outside the room suddenly roared, ¡°Who are you? Back off!¡±


    Soon, the door was broken, and a bunch of reporters swarmed in like hungry piranhas. Everyone was


    taking photos of Zachary and Cynthia...


    Cynthia hid in Zachary''s arms and was so scared that she was shivering.


    In the mess, she identally dropped the towel wrapped around her.


    Zachary grabbed the nket immediately and covered her up before turning around and howling, ¡°Do


    you really want me to go after you lot?¡±


    The reporters were so scared that they backed away instantly. A few scaredy cats left immediately,


    while the braver ones kept shooting.


    Just then, two bodyguards rushed over and chased the reporters away. Unfortunately, even more


    reporters showed up right outside and were shooting photographs endlessly.


    The bodyguards couldn''t chase the reporters away no matter how hard they tried.


    It was a mess. Zachary shielded Cynthia while calling Ben.


    Soon, Ben showed up with more men to force the reporters away.


    ¡°Investigate the matter right away and see which media outlets they were from. Deal with them


    immediately!¡± demanded Zachary angrily.


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied Ben before he left with the bodyguards. However, when they reached the door,


    his eyes bulged in surprise and he blurted, ¡°M-Ms. Lindberg!¡±


    ¡°Close the door.¡±


    Zachary didn''t hear what Ben said. He turned around to issue the order, and that was when he saw


    Charlotte standing outside the door. He was stunned in ce.


    Charlotte narrowed her eyes at him. Her gaze burned with fury.


    That gaze shone with a series ofplicated emotions. There was hatred, anger, discrimination, and a


    hint of distaste...


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, this is just a misunderstanding...¡±


    Ben tried to exin the situation, but Lupine refuted angrily, ¡°How is this a misunderstanding when


    she''s butt-naked?¡±


    ¡°We''re seeing it with our own eyes. Do you take us as fools?¡± yelled Morgan.


    ¡°You...¡±


    Charlotte never said a word. She simply picked up her phone and called Gigolo.


    As suspected, the phone on the coffee table vibrated...


    Charlotte red at that phone. The anger in her eyes became more intense, and the taunting grin on


    her lips became more obvious. She shifted her gaze to Cynthia, who looked pitiful and wrapped up with


    a nket. After that, she red at Zachary with hatred. ¡°Oh, you are good,¡±mented Charlotte.


    He really is a good actor. He fooled me once more! He assumed two identities, the good cop and the


    bad cop, to put on an act in front of me... He acted like a loyal, loving husband when this whole time he


    was sneaking around with another woman. That evil bast*rd.

 Chapter 852

    Chapter 852


    Zachary wanted to exin himself, but he didn''t know where to begin.


    Charlotte red at him before turning around and leaving in anger.


    Lupine and Morgan immediately followed close behind.


    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Ben carefully shifted his gaze to Zachary. The former had no idea what to say.


    ¡°Have the hospital send someone over to take care of Cynthia,¡± instructed Zachary calmly.


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied Ben before he made the call immediately.


    Zachary put on his coat and picked up his phone before chasing after Charlotte.


    Cynthia wanted to ask him to stay, but she couldn''t speak, so she could only watch as he walked away.


    ¡°Please rest for now, Ms. ckwood. I will have the hotel''s doctor over immediately,¡± said Ben before


    he closed the door.


    ¡°C-could it be that the man under the mask is Zachary?¡± asked Morgan, who couldn''t contain her


    curiosity.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± replied Lupine as she stared fearfully at Charlotte.


    Charlotte looked calm on the surface at that moment, but her eyes, which were tilted down, shone with


    a freezing and terrifying aura...


    ¡°Don''t be angry, Ms. Lindberg. Assh*les like that are not worth it,¡± advised Morgan softly and carefully.


    ¡°Shut up,¡± reminded Lupine from the side.


    Morgan quickly mped her mouth shut. She didn''t dare to say another word.


    The elevator door opened. Charlotte was about to enter when a familiar figure rushed over as quickly


    as a tornado and blocked her path.


    Zachary ran over ten flights of stairs to get to her. He was panting a little when he requested, ¡°Let''s


    talk.¡±


    He didn''t know why she showed up there or what news she received. He had no idea how much she


    had recalled or what she knew, either.


    All he knew was that he couldn''t let her keep misinterpreting the situation.


    ¡°What is there to talk about?¡± asked Charlotte as she red over with her brows raised, ¡°Are we


    supposed to discuss how you chased the mother of your children away on your wedding day to keep


    the children to yourself? Or how the Nachts sent assassins over to T Nation and killed Mrs. Berry? Or


    should we discuss the custody of the kids?¡±


    Zachary was stunned in ce upon hearing those words. She knew. She learned everything?


    ¡°You might as well just admit your guilt with your expression,¡± growled Charlotte as she clenched her


    fists. Her eyes glowed with a murderous aura when she added, ¡°The Nachts truly is something else.


    You guys bullied and humiliated me when I was weak and penniless...¡±


    ¡°No, that is not true. Listen to me...¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± interrupted Charlotte before she spat through gritted teeth, ¡°Just you wait, Zachary Nacht. I


    will take back everything the Nachts took from me, and my vengeance will be delivered in tenfolds. You


    and your family will pay the blood debt owed to me!¡±


    After saying her piece, Charlotte pushed him away angrily and strode away proudly.


    Zachary was petrified on the spot. He stared at her back as she walked away. Complex emotions


    washed over his heart like a destructive tsunami.


    When he learned that Charlotte was back, he knew that she would figure the truth out, eventually.


    I just wasn''t expecting it to happen so quickly that I can''t even defend myself.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, are you alright?¡± asked Ben carefully as he approached Zachary from the back.


    Zachary''s mind snapped back. He walked away in a disheveled state while muttering, ¡°She knows. She


    learned everything...¡±


    ¡°You mean she has discovered the rtionship between the two of you?¡± asked Ben anxiously, ¡°Or has


    she recalled everything that happened back then?¡±


    ¡°I don''t think she remembers anything,¡± answered Zachary with narrowed eyes. He recalled every


    detail of how Charlotte reacted before he said, ¡°If she had regained her memories, her reaction would


    probably be even more hostile. She likely heard everything from Olivia.¡±


    ¡°That''s good. At least that means there''s still a chance at turning things around,¡± said Ben before he


    sighed a breath of relief and continued, ¡°Maybe you should free up some time and exin everything to


    her.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± replied Zachary. He seemed a little off, but he still asked, ¡°Is everything on the top floor


    settled?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± reported Zachary, ¡°Raina has already sent someone over, and I left two men there. Ms.


    ckwood will be fine.¡±


    ¡°And what about the reporters?¡± inquired Zachary with a frown.


    ¡°They got away. I''ve gotten the surveince footage from the hotel, and we will track all of them down


    before going after them,¡± said Ben.

 Chapter 853

    Chapter 853


    ¡°Good,¡±mented Zachary as he exited the hotel. That was when he saw the police having the road


    surrounded. There were signs of a car ident as well, so he asked with a frown, ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Sharon''s car was toppled by another vehicle as soon as she got in. I called the police immediately


    after,¡± reported Ben, ¡°She has been sent to the hospital, and her life is likely not threatened. She didn''t


    get to put on her seatbelt, so she flew out through the windshield andnded on the flower bed. That


    saved her life, but her driver wasn''t as lucky. He died on the spot.¡±


    ¡°There''s quite a lot of coincidence happening,¡± muttered Zachary.


    He frowned and sensed that something was off.


    Everything tonight seems to be a little strange. So many things miraculously coincided with one


    another, and it seemed like everything was nned beforehand...


    Zachary was still considering the issue when he suddenly felt extremely dizzy.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht,¡± called out Ben quickly before he helped Zachary into the car. The former said, ¡°You''re


    exhausted. You need to go back and rest.¡±


    After getting into the car, Zachary rested his head on his palm before instructing softly, ¡°Get the media


    under control. Do not let them write nonsense.¡±


    ¡°Understood. Don''t worry...¡±


    Ben sent Zachary back home and had the maid help him change into his pajamas so he could sleep


    well.


    After that, Ben hurried out of the ce to deal with the media.


    He sensed something off with everything that night as well. It was as if the whole thing was a chain


    reaction...


    Why does it feel like someone set everything in ce?


    Despite those thoughts, Ben didn''t dare to jump to any conclusion about what went wrong or who the


    culprit behind those incidents was.


    After all, the incident didn''t seem to have any obvious trait.


    All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    Ever since the ckwoods got into trouble, the media targeted every single family member. Reporters


    and paparazzi would trace and secretly shoot photos of them. Cynthia meeting a random man in the


    hotel is a huge story, so naturally, they would want in on it. In their eagerness, it is not out of character


    for them to barge in like that.


    After all, the ckwoods were on theirst feet, and Synder Group was on the verge of dering


    bankruptcy. The media was no longer afraid of them, so they would go after Cynthia without any


    hesitation.


    To make matters worse, Ben was not around when the incident happened. Only two unknown


    bodyguards were stationed outside the door.


    The reporters didn''t recognize Zachary, so they were reckless and unrestrained.


    There was no loophole in the entire incident.


    If they were forced to pinpoint a culprit, Sharon would be the prime suspect in the matter. After all, she


    had priors and motives.


    She offended Lindberg Corporation, and Taylor was probably putting all the pressure on her to get her


    to solve the issue. Did she get everything in ce to drag the Nachts into this mess and force Zachary


    to help them out?


    That was possible.


    However, upon closer inspection, it was clear that Sharon would not benefit from any of that at all. She


    almost died from the ident, and barely survived with her wounds.


    Given her style, there was no way she''d be okay with enduring any of that. If she were the one who


    nned the entire thing, she would make herself the one who was naked in the room with Zachary.


    Why would she let Cynthia have that spot?


    That line of reasoning tossed Sharon out of the suspect list.


    But who else would do something like that?


    Ben couldn''t help recalling what Sharon said just before she left...


    ¡°What the hell did that mute drug you lot with? Can you not see that she is a fake? She might look


    harmless, but on the inside, she is evil.¡±


    The person who benefitted the most out of the entire ordeal would be Cynthia.


    If the incident was leaked, the pressure from the media and the public would put Cynthia in the best


    position to be Zachary''s wife!


    That line of thought sent a chill down Ben''s spine.


    Thinking back, Cynthia didn''t seem like the kind of person who would y a long game like that.


    Besides, she doesn''t have the capability to n everything so intricate.


    And even if she was that smart, she didn''t have the power to carry all that out...

 Chapter 854

    Chapter 854


    Even if they ignore everything else, getting the reporters and paparazzi to barge into the ce at the


    right moment would be a difficult enough task.


    What the hell is going on?


    Ben couldn''t figure it out at all.


    At that moment, the only thing he could do was to obey Zachary''s orders and keep the media


    contained. I will have to wait until Mr. Nacht wakes up before I can deal with everything else.


    Ben never expected Zachary to sleep until the next afternoon.


    He''s probably exhausted. Add that to the fact that he drank a lot on the night before, and I guess it''s


    understandable why he''s not waking up regardless of how much I call out.


    Still, they needed Zachary to make the decisions, so Ben knocked on the door a few more times. No


    one came to answer, anyway.


    It was the weekends, so all three kids had a tuition ss at home. They were heading down the stairs


    to have lunch after their ss. That was when they saw Ben pacing in circles in front of Zachary''s


    bedroom. Robbie stepped forward and asked, ¡°What''s wrong, Mr. Ben?¡±


    ¡°I have some urgent matter to report to your daddy,¡± replied Ben anxiously, ¡°Mr. Robbie, do you mind


    getting in and checking?¡±


    ¡°No problem,¡± said Robbie before he knocked on the door. No one responded, so Robbie immediately


    informed, ¡°Daddy, I''ming in, okay?¡±


    As Robbie spoke, he opened the door and walked into the room. Jamie and Ellie followed along.


    ¡°Daddy is sleeping so soundly,¡±mented Ellie.


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    She had walked to the bedside and saw that Zachary was hugging his pillow and sleeping away


    soundly. He was frowning a little and was snoring a bit.


    ¡°Daddy...¡± called out Jamie softly, ¡°Wake up. Mr. Ben is looking for you.¡±


    Zachary didn''t react.


    Robbie headed over and checked Zachary''s breathing before turning to Jamie and Ellie, then saying,


    ¡°Daddy is fine. We should leave for now.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± replied the other kids, before all three of them exited the room together.


    Ben asked anxiously, ¡°How did it go?¡±


    ¡°Daddy is still sleeping. He is probably too tired,¡± replied Robbie calmly, ¡°Mr. Ben, did something


    serious happen? Is that why you''re so nervous? Maybe you can tell me about it.¡±


    Ben turned speechless and was stunned for a moment there. He sounded a little exasperated when he


    informed, ¡°These are adult''s matter. You''re still too young...¡±


    ¡°I often help my daddy read through his documents, so I should be able to help him out a little when it


    comes to his work,¡± said Robbie, while staring at the documents that Ben was holding. Robbie


    suggested, ¡°How about this? I''ll just read it in the study room.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I guess no harm will happen,¡± said Ben before he followed Robbie into the study room. The


    former handed the documents over and reminded, ¡°Here, Mr. Robbie. Take a look. I have other matters


    to tend to and wille to youter. Just read the documents, okay? Don''t do anything else to it.¡±


    ¡°Got it, go work.¡±


    Robbie sat on Zachary''s leather chair and started reading the documents in Ustranasion. As he read, a


    tiny frown crept up his brows...


    ¡°What''s wrong, Robbie?¡± asked Jamie. He had to tiptoe to see the words on the documents, but even


    then, he could only make little sense of it. He asked, ¡°What''s written there?¡±


    ¡°Something is up with thepany,¡± answered Robbie while frowning grimly, ¡°The share prices are


    fluctuating, and the shareholders are looking for Daddy. There are a lot of negative rumors attacking


    Daddy, and it would affect Daddy greatly.¡±


    ¡°Really? What do we do?¡± said Ellie. She was terrified, and her tiny face turned pale.


    ¡°Don''t worry. Daddy will deal with it.¡±


    Robbie read the documents one by one. His gaze ultimatelynded on a document with the name


    Charlotte Lindberg on it. What truly surprised him was that thedy''s photo showed that the woman


    was his Mommy!


    Robbie blinked. He picked up that document and examined it carefully. Yes, that is, without a doubt,


    Mommy, but the name listed is Charlotte Lindberg. It says that she is the vice president of Lindberg


    Corporation...


    There was also a detailed description underneath. It told him how many shares Charlotte held in


    Lindberg Corporation, her influence around the globe, her achievements in the business world. It even


    showed the projects she handled overseas and in the South Sea...


    Reading on, Robbie learned that the shareholders in thepany strongly suspect that the woman


    was responsible for the attacks on his Daddy and the corporation.


    ¡°Robbie, what''s wrong? Why do you look so terrible?¡± asked Jamie in a worried tone as he stared at


    Robbie.

 Chapter 855

    Chapter 855


    ¡°I need to confirm something...¡± answered Robbie. He was not in a hurry to share that information with


    Jamie. Instead, Robbie suggested, ¡°You guys go ahead and have lunch without me. I want to take a


    closer look.¡±


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    ¡°Okay,¡± said Jamie, who sounded a little disappointed when he added, ¡°I can''t read in thatnguage


    and can''t help much, anyway.¡±


    ¡°I''ll ask Mrs. Rawlston to take the lunch over so you can eat while reading the documents,¡± said Ellie.


    She poured Robbie a ss of water and instructed, ¡°Here, have a sip first. Don''t wear yourself out.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Ellie,¡± replied Robbie while nodding. Heter urged, ¡°Go on now. Don''t let yourself go


    hungry.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± said Ellie. She turned around and was ready to leave, but Fifi the parrot saw the photo in the


    document. It pped its wings excitedly and said, ¡°Mommy! Mommy!¡±


    Robbie put the document away instantly and frowned at Fifi before growling, ¡°Fifi, don''t make a scene!¡±


    ¡°Fifi, you meanie,¡±ined Jamie angrily, ¡°You acted up thest time we were in the hospital as


    well. You kept calling Mommy and flew all the way to the stairs. We had no choice but to chase after


    you.¡±


    ¡°Robbie has to work now, Fifi, so you can''t disturb him,¡± cooed Ellie gently while caressing Fifi''s


    feathers, ¡°And one must be quiet in the hospital, so don''t make a scene the next time we go to the


    hospital, okay?¡±


    ¡°Mommy, mommy...¡±


    Fifi called out again. Jamie and Ellie both red over, and the parrot had no choice but to hide its tiny


    head under its wings. It no longer dared to call out.


    ¡°Wait, did you just say that Fifi called out for Mommy in the hospital as well?¡±


    Robbie was quick to notice that something was off. Lately, he had been training Fifi by letting it watch


    tons of photos and videos of their Mommy. He did that so that Fifi would recognize their Mommy if she


    ever showed up.


    Animals'' instinct and sensitivity are much better than that of a human''s, after all. It has a better chance


    of noticing something we don''t.


    ¡°Yeah, that happened the day before yesterday. You were in the emergency room visiting Great-


    grandpa. Ellie wanted to visit him too, so I apanied her over. When we were turning the corner in


    the corridor, Fifi suddenly called out...¡±


    Jamie seemed excited when he shared what happened that night.


    Ellie added, ¡°We were lucky Mr. Kyle was there. If he wasn''t, we would have to look for it in the


    hospital.¡±


    Hearing those words prompted Robbie to extend his hand and order, ¡°Fifi,e here!¡±


    Ellie let go.


    Fifi immediately pped its wings and flew to the back of Robbie''s hand.


    Robbie caressed its feathers softly before telling Jamie, ¡°Jamie, go close the door.¡±


    Jamie could tell that Robbie had suddenly turned serious, so the former couldn''t help feeling a little


    unsettled. He ran quickly with his tiny feet to close the door to the room.


    ¡°Robbie, what''s wrong?¡± asked Ellie anxiously.


    Robbie retrieved the document and pointed at the photo before asking Fifi, ¡°Fifi, the person you see the


    other day in the hospital. Is that her?¡±


    ¡°Mommy! Mommy!¡±


    Fifi called out immediately when it saw Charlotte''s photo. Its tiny and furry head rubbed sweetly against


    that photo.


    ¡°Uh...¡± Both Jamie and Ellie looked confused. Neither understood what Robbie was saying.


    Robbie got his phone out immediately and checked the video recordings from the night before.


    The device he installed on Fifi was simr to that of a camera in a car. It kept recordings for seventy-


    two hours before it automatically deleted the footage.


    We still have time. I should be able to retrieve the recording...


    ¡°Robbie, what are you doing?¡± asked Jamie. He and Ellie had inched over and were watching from


    either side.


    ¡°Shh...¡± urged Robbie. He frowned when he reminded them to keep quiet.


    Soon, the phone showed the recording from that night. Robbie calcted the time and fast forward the


    video. ¡°If I''m right, it should be about thirty minutes after midnight...¡±


    The interface quickly showed Jamie and Ellie hugging Fifi and heading to the emergency room.


    From Fifi''s angle, they saw a familiar figure...


    Robbie paused the video immediately and zoomed in...


    ¡°It''s Mommy!¡±

 Chapter 856

    Chapter 856


    ¡°It''s Mommy!¡±


    All three kids blurted at the same time. It had been two years since theyst saw her, and they had all


    grown up. They had also made tons of new memories, and their mommy had changed her style and


    outfit...


    Despite all that, they could still recognize their mommy in one nce.


    Over the past two years, they had gotten together every now and then to watch their mommy''s photos


    and videos. Hence, their mommy''s appearance had already been etched into their mind and their


    hearts.


    They would always remember her.


    ¡°Mommy is back. She''s really back,¡± eximed Robbie excitedly.


    ¡°Mommy went to the hospital to visit us!¡± added Jamie excitedly. He was on the verge of jumping when


    he said, ¡°Fifi actually saw Mommy in the hospital!¡±


    ¡°Why did Mommy hide?¡± asked Ellie. Her clear eyes were brimming with tears when she asked in


    between sobs, ¡°Why won''t shee to meet us?¡±


    ¡°Mommy has her reasons...¡±


    Robbie understood how things were. Their mommy was chased away on her wedding day, so it was


    understandable that she would refuse to show up again.


    But Mommy had snuck to the hospital to see how we''re doing, so she probably misses us a lot.


    ¡°Robbie, let''s go tell daddy about it. We''ll ask him to take Mommy home,¡± suggested Ellie as she


    tugged at Robbie''s clothes and added excitedly, ¡°And Mrs. Berry cane home too!¡±


    ¡°Ellie...¡± murmured Robbie as he frowned before he informed grimly, ¡°We can''t tell Daddy about this.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± asked Ellie in a confused tone while staring at him.


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    ¡°Robbie, are you keeping a secret from us?¡± demanded Jamie, ¡°Just tell us the truth.¡±


    Robbie deliberated before he made things seem less grave than they actually were. He said, ¡°Mommy


    didn''t show herself ore meet us in person. She must have her reasons for doing that. We don''t


    know the specifics, but she must be burdened by something.


    ¡°Moreover, she secretly went to the hospital to see how we''re doing. That means she doesn''t want


    Daddy to know about it. If we inform daddy, she will likely get angry.¡±


    ¡°Your analysis is sound,¡± agreed Jamie after deliberating the situation. He nodded and added, ¡°What do


    we do now?¡±


    ¡°We can contact Mommy in person,¡± said Robbie, who already had a n. ¡°Let''s not tell Daddy...


    Actually, let''s not tell anyone about this. This will be our secret, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± agreed Jamie and Ellie while nodding.


    ¡°Alright, you guys go have lunch. I''ll join you in a moment.¡±


    Robbie turned off the surveince app on his phone and fed Fifi some snacks. He stroked its tiny head


    and praised, ¡°Fifi, you did a good job this time. I will reward you for it.¡±


    ¡°Reward! Reward!¡± called out Fifi while pping its wings. It seemed excited.


    ¡°Alright, you be good. When the timees, we will need you to help look for mommy.¡±


    Robbie fed it some water and was about to leave when the door to the study room opened. He blurted


    in surprise, ¡°Daddy, you''re awake?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± replied Zachary in his casual wear. He rushed in with Ben and Bruce right behind him.


    ¡°Go have lunch,¡± instructed Zachary while stroking Robbie''s tiny head gently.


    ¡°Okay,¡± said Robbie. He had Fifi with him when he left. He turned around to close the door. That was


    when he saw his Daddy frowning grimly and looking troubled. He knew then and there that the issue


    was grave...


    ¡°Let me do it,¡± said Ben as he walked over to close the door.


    Robbie retracted his gaze and turned around to leave.


    ¡°Didn''t I tell you to keep the media down and not to let them share nonsense? Why is the rumor


    spreading like wildfire?¡±


    Zachary''s angry voice boomed from inside the room.


    ¡°I''m sorry, Mr. Nacht. I went to deal with it immediately, but...¡±


    Robbie couldn''t hear the rest of that sentence, but he knew that his daddy was in trouble.


    After reading the documents, Robbie worried that his mommy might be behind the trouble his daddy


    was facing.


    Robbie was too young to understand what was going on between the adults. However... I wish Mommy


    and Daddy could go back to the way they used to be and stop arguing...

 Chapter 857

    Chapter 857


    Zachary was furious inside the study room. He grabbed the ashtray and threw it.


    Bang! The ashtray flew to the wall and instantly turned into flying shards.


    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    Ben''s forehead and neck were injured because of it, and he was bleeding.


    However, he kept his head down. He didn''t dare say a word.


    Zachary''s meeting with Cynthia on the previous night had turned into global news.


    #President Zachary Nacht of Divine Corporation On A Date With His ¡°Lover¡±#


    #The Rich Couple Went To The Hotel To Try Something New And Keep Their Marriage Exciting#


    #A Seven-Year Love. How Did They Remain Romantic and Loving? See How This Rich Wife Keeps


    Things Interesting#


    All sorts of ridiculous titles were trending on the media sites.


    Cynthia was half-naked. She looked so terrified that she was pale and trembling. Zachary, on the other


    hand, was hovering over her and keeping her safe from above. The two of them seemed passionate


    and the images on the inte got countless people intrigued. It was one of the trending topics.


    Someizens even got their hands on the ¡°wedding photos¡± that Cynthia and Zachary took earlier.


    They imed that Cynthia and Zachary were the most romantic couple.


    Theizens went as far as writing the love story between them. It was the most ridiculous story ever.


    It said that Cynthia got pregnant before she got married and gave birth to triplets. Sheter took the


    kids to the countryside and lived there for a while.


    Four yearster, she met Zachary again in H City, and they fell for each other once again. A


    breathtaking love story ensued...


    The two of them had a low-profile wedding where the triplets were their flower children and handed


    their wedding rings to them.


    Two yearster, the married couple wanted to try something new, so they secretly went to a hotel room


    without telling anyone.


    The media had endlessly shared those stories and paired the stories with the photos and videos


    between the two of them.


    The mindlessizens had pretty much assumed that those were the truths.


    That was especially true for thedies. They started fantasizing about marrying into a rich family and


    pictured themselves as Cynthia. They wanted to meet an amazing guy like Zachary and spend the rest


    of their lives in happiness.


    The news looked like nothing but rumors, but anyone with inside knowledge knew just how bad it was


    for Nacht Group.


    Synder Group had offended Lindberg Corporation, and Lindberg Corporation was attacking Synder


    Group. Everyone in the corporate world knew about that.


    Synder Group was on the verge of dering bankruptcy, and there was no saving it. Then came the


    rumor about how the eldest daughter of Synder Group''s president was in a rtionship with Zachary. It


    even went as far as saying that the wedding was from two years ago. That got everyone to assume


    that the two of them got married in secret.


    If Zachary still refused to help Synder Group out, he would be targeted by the public!


    The public would see Zachary as the assh*le who sat idly by as his arch-enemy attacked his father-in-


    law''spany. They would call Zachary an irresponsible coward, who was afraid of Lindberg


    Corporation.


    The weight of those social and moral chains would crush the Nacht family''s reputation, which they had


    spent generations building.


    They would be known as cowardly and heartless individuals.


    However, if Zachary helped Synder Group out, he would effectively be dering war against Lindberg


    Corporation.


    From a professional stance, Nacht Group was not ready to tackle on a task that huge. Henry was still


    sick, and Zara was fighting for more power within the corporation. Zachary was burdened by internal


    and external threats, so that was not the time to fight a powerful enemy.


    From a personal stance, there was no way Zachary would go against Charlotte for Cynthia''s sake. He


    had always loved Charlotte, and what he felt for Cynthia was just pity.


    Hence, there was no way he would change his position just because there was a misunderstanding


    between them.


    ¡°Please don''t be angry, Mr. Nacht. I will deal with it right away. No matter what I have to do, I will settle


    the matter,¡± promised Bruce.


    ¡°It''s toote...¡± said Zachary while frowning deeply, ¡°I don''t care how the entire world sees me. All I care


    about is what she thinks!¡±


    The incident fromst night had already caused a misunderstanding, and I haven''t had a chance to


    exin myself to her. Now, things turned for the worse and everyone knows about it. This thing has


    spiraled out of control and now involves her pride and Lindberg Corporation''s reputation. It''s no longer


    just about whether she is willing to forgive me...

 Chapter 858

    Chapter 858


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied Bruce, while having his head down. He didn''t dare to say anything else.


    ¡°Forget about it. You wouldn''t understand even if I exin it to you,¡± said Zachary in an irritated tone


    before he growled, ¡°Go deal with the media.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Bruce left the room to deal with the matter immediately. The situation was already terrible, but if they


    don''t move quickly, it would spiral even more out of control. The only thing Bruce could do at that


    moment was to work as quickly as possible to minimize the damage.


    ¡°I''m sorry,¡± replied Ben, who was feeling ashamed. He informed, ¡°I know that things are bad, and I


    won''t deny responsibility. I just want to say that I truly am not powerful enough to fight against the


    culprit behind it all.¡±


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    ¡°Have you learned of the culprit behind it?¡± asked Zachary. Naturally, he understood that Ben wasn''t


    weak or didn''t work hard enough. There are just things that Ben simply can''t settle on his own.


    ¡°It''s likely linked to Ms. Nacht,¡± answered Ben with a frown, ¡°Everything points to her as the


    mastermind.¡±


    ¡°She is crazy,¡± growled Zachary. He was so angry that his face distorted when he roared, ¡°She would


    risk the entire Nacht Group just to get her hands on more money and power.¡±


    ¡°Also,¡± said Ben before he paused and continued, ¡°Taylor had been calling me over the past two days.


    He said that he wants to talk to you. I feel like...¡±


    Ben didn''t voice out the rest of the sentence. He simply stared fearfully at Zachary.


    ¡°You suspect that the ckwoods are behind what happened yesterday?¡±


    Zachary recalled everything from the night before. There were a lot of things that didn''t make sense.


    For starters, he had a pretty good tolerance to alcohol, so it was unlikely that he would go dizzy from


    consuming that small amount of alcohol. He was even unconscious for over ten hours...


    ¡°That is just my spections. I''m not sure yet because there''s no evidence to prove one way or


    another,¡± added Ben softly, ¡°Moreover, Ms. ckwood doesn''t seem like someone who would do


    something like that.¡±


    ¡°Is there any news from the hospital?¡± asked Zachary to change the topic.


    ¡°Mr. Henry''s condition is stabilized,¡± replied Ben, ¡°But Ms. Nacht''s men have been circling around and


    trying to get into the room. Ms. Nacht had contacted Mr. Spencer a few times to learn about Mr. Henry''s


    whereabouts.¡±


    ¡°Get the car ready. We''re going to the hospital,¡± instructed Zachary, ¡°And call the office. We''ll have a


    meeting at four in the afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Zachary changed his outfit before he rushed down the stairs.


    The kids were having their meals in the dining room. When they saw him there, they greeted in their


    cute voices, ¡°Daddy,e, have some food.¡±


    ¡°Daddy is busy,¡± informed Zachary as he hurried over to give the kids a hug, ¡°You three be good and


    eat well before you go to ss, okay? I won''t be able to y with you three this weekend, but I''ll take


    you overseas after I''m done working, okay?¡±


    ¡°Daddy, when can we visit Great-grandpa in the hospital?¡± asked Jamie, who was understanding.


    ¡°A few dayster,¡± replied Zachary as he checked his watch, ¡°I''ll take you guys over once your great-


    grandpa''s condition bes better.¡±


    ¡°Then can we go to the mall this afternoon?¡± asked Robbie nonchntly, ¡°We''ve been home studying


    over the past two days and haven''t gone out to y. I''m so bored.¡±


    ¡°What''s so fun about the mall, anyway?¡±


    Zachary was a little hesitant about letting them leave the house. They were at a crossroads, and things


    would be bad if anything were to happen.


    ¡°Grand za has a huge children''s y area and offers a lot of activities,¡± replied Robbie with a


    straight face on, ¡°the most important bit, however, was that it has a huge Lego City there.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and there are tons of things to y there,¡± added Jamie quickly.


    ¡°Oh,e on. You two are...¡±


    Ellie was about to protest when Jamie suddenly nudged her.


    ¡°Why are you nudging me?¡± asked Ellie as she stared curiously at him. She hadn''t caught up with the


    boys.


    ¡°Okay,¡± agreed Zachary. He thought that it wasn''t right to keep the kids cooped up at home, so he


    promised, ¡°I''ll have Marino take you guys there, but you must promise to behave and listen to him.


    Don''t run too far, got it?¡±


    ¡°Got it. Don''t worry,¡± promised Robbie, while nodding with a smile.


    ¡°Yay, we can go out and y!¡± cheered Jamie happily.


    ¡°I have to go,¡± informed Zachary. He quickly stroked all three kids'' tiny heads before he turned around


    and left in a hurry.


    Just then, Fifi suddenly pped its wings and called out, ¡°Mommy, mommy!¡±


    Zachary turned around and looked over. All he saw was Jamie stuffing some food into Fifi''s mouth to


    stop it from talking too much...


    Zachary didn''t think much of it. He hurried into the car.

 Chapter 859

    Chapter 859


    The three kids finished their lunch quickly. After that, they hurried up the stairs to change their clothes.


    There was no one else in the room, so Jamie tugged at Robbie and asked softly, ¡°Robbie, did you


    deliberately say that you want to go out so that you can take us to go look for Mommy?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± replied Robbie while nodding.


    ¡°That''s great news!¡± called out Ellie excitedly, ¡°I thought that you actually just wanted to go out to y. I


    was annoyed about how you''re making things difficult for Daddy when he''s so busy. Now I understand


    that you were just trying to create an opportunity for us to go look for Mommy.¡±


    ¡°This will not be an easy feat,¡± said Robbie with a frown on, ¡°Daddy''s bodyguards are way smarter than


    Great-grandpa''s and they know us better.


    ¡°We must work together and put on an act when we were on our way. We''ll have to see if we can slip


    away. If that is not possible, the two of you will cover for me while I slip away...¡±


    ¡°Are you trying to slip away on your own to go look for mommy?¡± interrupted Jamie angrily before he


    protested, ¡°No, you do that all the time.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. We want to see mommy, too,¡±ined Ellie with a pout.


    ¡°Now is not the time to fight among ourselves. We must stay united,¡± said Robbie urgently, ¡°Mr. Marino


    and the others are good at their jobs. I might not be able to slip away on my own, so taking the two of


    you along will just make it less likely for any one of us to slip away.


    ¡°Besides, I am just testing the waters. If we can''t slip away, we will go to Grand za as nned.


    Maybe Mommy will sneak over to visit us like she did thest time.¡±


    ¡°Okay, we''ll follow your lead,¡± said Jamie unwillingly. He wasn''t happy about that arrangement, but he


    had to settle to achieve their main goal.


    ¡°If you have the opportunity to do so, you must bring us along to go see Mommy, okay? You''re not


    allowed to sneak away and see her on your own,¡± said Ellie with a frown on. She was serious when she


    said those words.


    ¡°Got it,¡± promised Robbie while nodding, ¡°Alright, we should hurry and change our clothes.¡±


    Twenty minutester, Marino took eight bodyguards to take the kids out.


    A Rolls-Royce forged ahead, with a jeep following close behind.


    Marino was inside the Rolls-Royce with the kids. He had his guard up and was especially alert because


    he was worried about something happening.


    That was understandable since Ben had just been reprimanded earlier that day and was injured.


    If I make a mistake, it is likely that Mr. Nacht will punish me by making me chase after thedies...


    That is even worse than taking a bullet!


    ¡°Mr. Marino, it''s so stuffy in the car. Let''s open the windows so we can have some fresh air,¡± requested


    Robbie. Naturally, that was just his excuse.


    ¡°Okay, but you have to keep an eye on Fifi. Don''t let it fly away,¡± reminded Marino before he rolled


    down the window a little.


    Robbie and Jamie exchanged looks. Jamie hopped down from the seat and pulled at Marino while


    requesting, ¡°Mr. Marino, I heard that you are an expert in martial arts. Let''s practice together.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Jamison, let''s practice after we get home,¡± said Marino quickly, ¡°It''s not convenient to do so in the


    car.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine, you can demonstrate a little...¡±


    ¡°Ah! Fifi!¡±


    Jamie''s words were cut short by Ellie''s shrieks. Before anyone could react to it, Fifi had already flown


    out via the window.


    ¡°Fifi, my Fifi!¡± cried Ellie. She sounded heartbroken and was throwing a tantrum while shouting, ¡°Stop


    the car! I want to go look for Fifi.¡±


    Robbie secretly sighed in astonishment. Gosh, Jamie and Ellie are really good at acting... oh, and Fifi


    too!


    ¡°Stop the car,¡± instructed Marino immediately.


    Ellie tried to hop out of the car as soon as the car stopped. Marino stopped her immediately and


    informed, ¡°Princess Ellie, don''t go. My people will go chase after the bird.¡±


    ¡°No, that won''t do. Fifi will be scared if we''re not there,¡± said Jamie in a worried tone, ¡°Let us off the car


    now. What if some wild animals eat Fifi?¡±


    ¡°Be good, Mr. Jamison. It''s not safe here,¡± cooed Marino quickly, ¡°I will have someone go after Fifi, and


    they will definitely bring it back.¡±


    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°No! I want to go look for my Fifi. My Fifi...¡±


    Ellie sounded so worried that she was crying aloud. Her piercing voice echoed in the sky.

 Chapter 860

    Chapter 860


    ¡°Let me go. Let me go,¡±ined Jamie as well.


    Marino''s head was on the verge of exploding from all the noise the two kids make. Just then, the door


    suddenly opened from the other side. Kyle asked nervously, ¡°What''s wrong? What happened?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Kyle, our Fifi flew away,¡±ined Ellie between sobs, ¡°I want to go look for Fifi, but Mr. Marino


    won''t let us do so. I''m going to tell Great-grandpa and Daddy. I will tell them that Mr. Marino bullied us.¡±


    ¡°Ha?¡± blurted Marino, who quickly rified, ¡°I didn''t bully you. I am just worried about you kids getting in


    trouble.¡±


    ¡°Seriously, Marino. Why did you get the kids so upset that they cry?¡± reprimanded Kyle angrily, ¡°If Mr.


    Nacht learns of this, he will make you kneel for three continuous days and nights.¡±


    ¡°I...¡± said Marino. He was so troubled that he could cry. He suggested, ¡°How about this? I will go look


    for the bird in person. You three can wait for me in the car.¡±


    ¡°No, no, no! We want to go look for Fifi on our own!¡±


    Ellie hopped out of the car while crying. Marino tried to stop her, but Jamie hopped out of the car as


    well. The two kids ran in different directions into the woods.


    ¡°Ah, don''t run away. Kids....¡±


    Marino and Kyle quickly got their men to chase after the kids.


    While they were distracted, Robbie slipped out from the other side and followed the familiar path. He


    was quick to find the road to Northridge. He ran over.


    Fifi, on the other hand, had already flown to the Northridge vi with the help of the navigation system.


    ¡°Let me go. Let me go,¡±ined Jamie as well.


    Marino''s head was on the verge of exploding from all the noise the two kids make. Just then, the door


    suddenly opened from the other side. Kyle asked nervously, ¡°What''s wrong? What happened?¡±


    Robbie prayed that he would meet his Mommy that day. He would tell her that all three of them had


    been missing her and had never forgotten about her. I will tell her that all of us, including Daddy, have


    been waiting for her toe home.


    At that moment in Northridge.


    The silver Rolls-Royce was parked by the entrance. Charlotte was sitting on the sofa in the living room


    and was talking on the phone. ¡°Don''t worry, I will deal with this matter and won''t show any mercy. You


    don''t have toe over, my dear brother. I can do it on my own,¡± said Charlotte.


    ¡°Alright, I got it.¡±


    After hanging the phone up, Charlotte shifted her gaze to the newspaper at her side. It wasn''t just the


    media sites that were sharing the news. Even the newspaper was printing the love story between


    Zachary and Cynthia...


    The years of separation and the way the woman took care of three kids on her own... How the two of


    them got reunited after going through a lot of hardship and how they got married with the kids as their


    flower children...


    Why does everything seem so familiar?


    I feel like I''ve seen something like that in my dreams before.


    But how did that person turn out to be Cynthia? What happened?


    ¡°How shameless. He actually shared something so embarrassing with the public,¡± said Morgan through


    gritted teeth.


    ¡°No,¡± said Lupine, who was calmer and more rational, ¡°The Nachts will not benefit from news like this.


    Synder Group is on itsst foot after we attacked it so mercilessly. The ckwoods have been asking


    for the Nacht''s help, but thetter had not done anything. Now that the news is out, it will be virtually


    impossible for the Nachts to turn a blind eye on the matter...¡±


    ¡°Are you seying thet the Bleckwoods ere deliberetely using this rumor to force the Nechts'' hends?¡± seid


    Morgen, who wes quick to gresp the idee, ¡°Weit, does thet meen thet the Bleckwoods ere responsible


    for the incident lest night.¡±


    ¡°It''s possible,¡± blurted Lupine, before she quickly edded, ¡°But, uh, it doesn''t metter if the Bleckwoods


    plenned the entire thing. Thet perverted men deserves no forgiveness or mercy!¡±


    ¡°Exectly!¡± egreed Morgen engrily, ¡°He would not be seduced if he hed been feithful the entire time. The


    fect thet he wes conned proves thet he is not trustworthy...¡±


    ¡°Are you two done yepping?¡±


    Cherlotte interrupted them cruelly before glering over.


    The two ledies shut up immedietely end hed their heeds down. Neither dered to sey enother word.


    ¡°Heve you invited everyone?¡± esked Cherlotte es she checked her wetch.


    ¡°Yes, Jeffrey Judd, Olivie Peyton, end e few other members of the Windt femily ere elreedy weiting for


    you in the hotel,¡± enswered Lupine softly.


    ¡°Then let''s go,¡± instructed Cherlotte es she got up to heed out.


    The ledies went into the cer. Lupine wes ebout to stert the cer when she sew e perrot vie the reerview


    mirror. She quickly celled out, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, look!¡±


    ¡°Are you saying that the ckwoods are deliberately using this rumor to force the Nachts'' hands?¡± said


    Morgan, who was quick to grasp the idea, ¡°Wait, does that mean that the ckwoods are responsible


    for the incidentst night.¡±


    ¡°It''s possible,¡± blurted Lupine, before she quickly added, ¡°But, uh, it doesn''t matter if the ckwoods


    nned the entire thing. That perverted man deserves no forgiveness or mercy!¡±


    ¡°Exactly!¡± agreed Morgan angrily, ¡°He would not be seduced if he had been faithful the entire time. The


    fact that he was conned proves that he is not trustworthy...¡±


    ¡°Are you two done yapping?¡±


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    Charlotte interrupted them cruelly before ring over.


    The twodies shut up immediately and had their heads down. Neither dared to say another word.


    ¡°Have you invited everyone?¡± asked Charlotte as she checked her watch.


    ¡°Yes, Jeffrey Judd, Olivia Peyton, and a few other members of the Windt family are already waiting for


    you in the hotel,¡± answered Lupine softly.


    ¡°Then let''s go,¡± instructed Charlotte as she got up to head out.


    Thedies went into the car. Lupine was about to start the car when she saw a parrot via the rearview


    mirror. She quickly called out, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, look!¡±

 Chapter 861

    Chapter 861


    Charlotte nced over. A green parrot was flying behind the car, its wings fluttering quickly while it


    nced around.


    It looked dumb and weak,pletely unlike her ferocious eagle.


    However, for some reason, Charlotte felt a strange feeling of familiarity with that parrot.


    ¡°Why is there a parrot here?¡± asked Morgan suspiciously. ¡°There are only two families in Rokan Hill.


    Could it be...¡±


    ¡°We saw this parrot at the hospital the other time.¡± Lupine recognized it at first nce. ¡°It''s the pet of


    the Nacth family''s children.¡±


    Charlotte''s expression changed instantly as she quickly pushed the car door open and got out. ¡°Let''s


    see if the children havee!¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Lupine and the other bodyguards started searching the area.


    ¡°Mommy!¡± When the little parrot discovered Charlotte, it immediately became excited. pping its


    wings, it kept shrieking, ¡°Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!¡±


    Then, it flew over andnded on Charlotte''s shoulder. Rubbing its furry head against her cheek


    affectionately, it mumbled, ¡°Mommy, I miss you...¡±


    It sounded like someonementing how much he missed his family.


    Charlotte''s heart melted. She reached her hand out and stroked Little Fifi''s feathers. A familial feeling


    started to surface within her.


    ¡°This parrot has such sentience!¡± Morgan could not help but praise.


    Charlotte nced over. A green parrot was flying behind the car, its wings fluttering quickly while it


    nced around.


    At the same time, Robbie was sprinting toward her excitedly. As he ran, he could hear Little Fifi''s voice


    coming from his phone''s surveince system. ¡°Mommy! Mommy!¡±


    He immediately stopped in his tracks. Still panting, he opened the surveince system and took a look.


    As expected, he managed to see his mother, whom he had missed dearly, from Little Fifi''s view.


    ¡°Mommy!¡± Robbie was excited. Mommy''s really at Northridge!


    Charlotte heard his voiceing out of the surveince device on Little Fifi''s head. She trembled while


    her heart pounded rapidly against her chest...


    ¡°What''s that sound?¡± Morgan moved closer to hear it. ¡°There''s a mini surveince device on the


    parrot''s body! Who installed it?¡±


    ¡°Robbie! Robbie!¡± shrieked Little Fifi excitedly as it pped its wings.


    Charlotte was filled with excitement. Her child''s voice revived the motherly instincts that had been


    concealed deep within her. It was an instinct that was embedded within her.


    ¡°It''s Mr. Robinson, who barged in the previous time.¡± Lupine understood immediately. ¡°He is talking to


    us and running here right now.¡±


    As she spoke, she passed theptop to Charlotte.


    Robbie had just entered the surveince parameters and was running over excitedly.


    ¡°Mr. Robinson is simply too smert.¡± Morgen wes delighted. ¡°He ectuelly discovered where Ms. Lindberg


    is steying end even ceme here!¡±


    ¡°Do you went to meet him, Ms. Lindberg?¡± esked Lupine softly.


    Cherlotte wes slightly hesitent. To be honest, before the truth wes uncovered, she did not plen on


    meeting her children so eerly. She did not expect thet her children would look for her first.


    ¡°Mommy, I''m Robbie! Don''t hide from me. Let me see you!¡±


    Robbie''s voice sounded from the surveillence device, sounding like he wes on the verge of teers. His


    voice wes cherged with enxious longing.


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    He wes efreid thet her mother would leeve egein. By the time he reeched there, ell he could see wes


    the isoleted ville.


    Cherlotte wes moved. Just when she wes ebout to speek...


    ¡°Argh!¡±


    Suddenly, e child''s feerful shriek sounded from the surveillence device.


    At the seme time, the surveillence video on the leptop reveeled e tell men cled in bleck suddenly


    rushed over end kidnepped Robbie.


    When he screemed in feer, the men slepped e hend over his mouth end shoved him into e cer.


    There were three modified bleck cers, which were filled with men in bleck. Two women seemed to be in


    theirpeny es well.


    ¡°Mr. Robinson is simply too smart.¡± Morgan was delighted. ¡°He actually discovered where Ms. Lindberg


    is staying and even came here!¡±


    ¡°Do you want to meet him, Ms. Lindberg?¡± asked Lupine softly.


    Charlotte was slightly hesitant. To be honest, before the truth was uncovered, she did not n on


    meeting her children so early. She did not expect that her children would look for her first.


    ¡°Mommy, I''m Robbie! Don''t hide from me. Let me see you!¡±


    Robbie''s voice sounded from the surveince device, sounding like he was on the verge of tears. His


    voice was charged with anxious longing.


    He was afraid that her mother would leave again. By the time he reached there, all he could see was


    the isted vi.


    Charlotte was moved. Just when she was about to speak...


    ¡°Argh!¡±


    Suddenly, a child''s fearful shriek sounded from the surveince device.


    At the same time, the surveince video on theptop revealed a tall man d in ck suddenly


    rushed over and kidnapped Robbie.


    When he screamed in fear, the man pped a hand over his mouth and shoved him into a car.


    There were three modified ck cars, which were filled with men in ck. Two women seemed to be in


    theirpany as well.

 Chapter 862

    Chapter 862


    ¡°Robbie!¡± Charlotte ran toward the back of the hill anxiously.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg!¡± Lupine immediately followed her.


    Charlotte quickly rushed toward a military jeep in the garage and instructed her subordinates. ¡°Change


    the vehicles and follow me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma''am.¡±


    With the rest, Charlotte quickly drove to the back of the hill and saw three ck cars speeding downhill.


    ¡°Chase them now!¡± she ordered anxiously.


    ¡°Yes, ma''am!¡± The three jeeps chased after the three ck cars as quickly as they could.


    Charlotte clenched her fists tightly. A murderous glint shed across her narrowed eyes.


    No matter who those people are, I''ll never let anyone who dares to harm my children off the hook.


    ¡°Release Fifi and let it track their escape route,¡± instructed Charlotte.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Lupine immediately instructed those in the vi to release the eagle.


    ¡°Screech!¡±


    The loud shriek of an eagle suddenly sounded.


    Shocked, Little Fifi flew out of the car in a hurry.


    ¡°The parrot!¡±


    Charlotte called out after it, but it flew away without any hesitation.


    When she noticed that it was flying back toward the Nachts'' residence, she stopped being worried. ¡°It


    probably knows how to go home. Let''s save Robbie first! Quick!¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma''am!¡±


    Meanwhile, Jamie and Ellie were frightened by the eagle''s screech and quickly hid behind Marino.


    ¡°Robbie!¡± Charlotte ran toward the back of the hill anxiously.


    ¡°Don''t be scared! I''m here.¡±


    Marino shielded the two kids as they got into the car. Turning around and ncing at the sky, he saw


    the eagle at Northridge soaring in the sky and speeding downhill.


    ¡°Those women at Northridge released that ferocious bird again. Are they trying to scare Mr. Jamison


    and Ms. Elisa?¡± Kyle asked indignantly. ¡°How despicable!¡±


    ¡°Stop talking. Let''s go!¡±


    Marino had a feeling that something major had happened. Feeling anxious, all he wanted to do was to


    leave as soon as possible.


    However, when he got into the car, he realized that Robbie was gone. He searched everywhere


    anxiously. ¡°Where''s Mr. Robbie?¡±


    ¡°He was in the car just now!¡± The other bodyguards joined the search worriedly.


    ¡°Quick, retrieve the surveince footage from the car,¡± urged Marino.


    ¡°Okay.¡± The bodyguards quickly went to retrieve it.


    Marino searched the surroundings for Robbie but to no avail. However, he found a trail of footsteps on


    the other side. Recalling what had happened earlier, he immediately understood. He quickly went into


    the car and asked Jamie and Ellie, ¡°Jamie, Ellie, do you know where Robbie went?¡±


    ¡°I... I don''t know.¡± As Ellie did not know how to lie, her eyes sparkled when she spoke.


    ¡°I don''t know either,¡± denied Jemie eegerly.


    ¡°Tell me now! Otherwise, something bed will heppen!¡± Merino beceme enxious. ¡°Didn''t you see the


    eegle flying just now? If Mr. Robbie meets it, he''ll be in denger.¡±


    ¡°Reelly?¡± Ellie beceme terrified when she heerd it, her fece turning pele. ¡°Let''s look for Robbie now!¡±


    ¡°You must tell me first! Where did he go?¡± esked Merino enxiously.


    ¡°He went to Northridge to see Mommy...¡±


    ¡°Ellie!¡± Jemie wented to stop her, but he wes too lete.


    As Ellie wes too worried ebout Robbie, she blurted out the truth. After reelizing thet she hed seid


    something wrong, she immedietely covered her mouth.


    ¡°Um...¡± Merino frowned. Looks like the kids elreedy know Cherlotte''s identity.


    ¡°I''ll look for him now.¡± He returned to his senses end instructed Kyle, ¡°Bring Jemie end Ellie beck first


    while I go to Northridge to look for Robbie.¡±


    ¡°This doesn''t seem right...¡± Jemie looked et his wetch end excleimed, ¡°Robbie''s not et Northridge! He''s


    heeding downhill et e repid speed.¡±


    ¡°Let me see...¡± Merino quickly checked Jemie''s wetch. ¡°Robbie instelled e GPS on your wetch. It''s true


    thet he''s heeding downhill! Judging from the speed, he''s probebly in e cer...¡±


    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    He ordered, ¡°Kyle, send them beck while I look for Robbie.¡±


    ¡°I don''t know either,¡± denied Jamie eagerly.


    ¡°Tell me now! Otherwise, something bad will happen!¡± Marino became anxious. ¡°Didn''t you see the


    eagle flying just now? If Mr. Robbie meets it, he''ll be in danger.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Ellie became terrified when she heard it, her face turning pale. ¡°Let''s look for Robbie now!¡±


    ¡°You must tell me first! Where did he go?¡± asked Marino anxiously.


    ¡°He went to Northridge to see Mommy...¡±


    ¡°Ellie!¡± Jamie wanted to stop her, but he was toote.


    As Ellie was too worried about Robbie, she blurted out the truth. After realizing that she had said


    something wrong, she immediately covered her mouth.


    ¡°Um...¡± Marino frowned. Looks like the kids already know Charlotte''s identity.


    ¡°I''ll look for him now.¡± He returned to his senses and instructed Kyle, ¡°Bring Jamie and Ellie back first


    while I go to Northridge to look for Robbie.¡±


    ¡°This doesn''t seem right...¡± Jamie looked at his watch and eximed, ¡°Robbie''s not at Northridge! He''s


    heading downhill at a rapid speed.¡±


    ¡°Let me see...¡± Marino quickly checked Jamie''s watch. ¡°Robbie installed a GPS on your watch. It''s true


    that he''s heading downhill! Judging from the speed, he''s probably in a car...¡±


    He ordered, ¡°Kyle, send them back while I look for Robbie.¡±

 Chapter 863

    Chapter 863


    ¡°No! We want to look for Robbie!¡± insisted Jamie agitatedly. ¡°Bring us with you!¡±


    ¡°Stop making a ruckus!¡±


    Before Marino could finish his sentence, a green figure suddenly flew toward them.


    ¡°It''s Little Fifi!¡± yelled Ellie excitedly.


    Jamie rolled the car windows down and stretched out his arm. Little Fifi flew over,nded on his hand.


    With its wings pping quickly, it shrieked, ¡°Robbie! Robbie! Save Robbie! Bad guy! Bad guy!¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± asked Marino anxiously.


    ¡°Robbie''s been taken away by a bad guy!¡± Ellie understood immediately and urged the others, ¡°Quick!


    Save Robbie!¡±


    ¡°Could it be Ms. Lindberg?¡± mumbled Marino as he frowned.


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    ¡°Bad guy! Bad guy! ck! ck!¡± Little Fifi kept repeating those few phrases.


    ¡°Those bad guys are d in ck,¡± tranted Ellie.


    ¡°Men in ck...¡± A look of terror crossed Marino''s face. ¡°Could it be...¡±


    ¡°Oh no!¡± Kyle was worried sick. ¡°Get into the car now!¡±


    Everyone mbered into the car and sat there solemnly.


    Marino carried Jamie into the Maybach. Using his watch as the GPS, he drove downhill to chase after


    Robbie.


    ¡°Mr. Jamison, buckle up! I''m going to elerate.¡±


    Marino drove the fastest amongst the bodyguards. Now that he had to rescue someone, he went all


    out.


    ¡°No! We want to look for Robbie!¡± insisted Jamie agitatedly. ¡°Bring us with you!¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry, I''m a man... Argh!¡±


    Before Jamie could finish speaking, the car zoomed off.


    He quickly buckled his seatbelt, grabbed the handle and frowned with a serious expression.


    How exciting! How thrilling! Looks like the scenes in the movies are real!


    He clenched his fists secretly. I''ll be a hero today and save Robbie!


    Hugging Little Fifi, Ellie sat in the car. Her face was pale from shock and her eyes glistened with tears.


    ¡°Princess Ellie, don''t be scared. We''ll definitely save Mr. Robbie.¡±


    While consoling her, Kyle called Spencer. However, as Spencer''s phone was switched off, he had no


    choice but to call Ben.


    The line was constantly busy. Feeling like he was about to go mad from anxiety, Kyle called Bruce. Still,


    the call did not go through.


    What should I do?


    ¡°I''ll call Daddy and tell him to save Robbie!¡±


    Ellie immediately called Zachary, but the line was busy. She tried a few more times to no avail, so she


    had no choice but to send him a voice message.


    ¡°Daddy, Robbie''s been taken away by bad guys! Save him!¡±


    Marino had just reached the foot of the hill when he spotted three cool-looking jeeps chasing the three


    ck cars.


    The eagle was circling above the ck cars while shrieking threateningly. The drivers were so scared


    that their cars swerved unsteadily.


    ¡°Whet the heck? Whose limited edition jeeps ere those?¡± A suborde excleimed.


    ¡°Judging from their driving skills, it''s probebly those women.¡±


    Merino hed bettled Morgen e couple of times, so he knew her technique well. When she drove, she


    liked to cherge forwerd repidly end rem into the cer in front.


    Her direct end confrontetionel style elweys mede him lose his temper.


    However, Merino wes eppleuding her internelly this time.


    The jeep et the front cherged forwerd like e wild bull, remming forcefully egeinst the bleck modified cer


    in front.


    A loud cresh sounded. The cer thet hed been remmed into shook for e while before driving forwerd


    unsteedily.


    However, it wes still blocking the jeep, stopping it from cetching up with the bleck cer et the front.


    It wes obvious thet the driver of the jeep wes furious. She elereted end creshed into the bleck cer


    forcefully egein.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    The bleck cer lost its direction end swerved out of the curb. It flipped over e few times before toppling


    over on the roedside.


    Meenwhile, the jeep sped forwerd. The second bleck cer ettempted to stop it egein, but the jeep drove


    eround it end chesed efter the cer et the front.


    ¡°What the heck? Whose limited edition jeeps are those?¡± A subordinate eximed.


    ¡°Judging from their driving skills, it''s probably those women.¡±


    Marino had battled Morgan a couple of times, so he knew her technique well. When she drove, she


    liked to charge forward rapidly and ram into the car in front.


    Her direct and confrontational style always made him lose his temper.


    However, Marino was apuding her internally this time.


    The jeep at the front charged forward like a wild bull, ramming forcefully against the ck modified car


    in front.


    A loud crash sounded. The car that had been rammed into shook for a while before driving forward


    unsteadily.


    However, it was still blocking the jeep, stopping it from catching up with the ck car at the front.


    It was obvious that the driver of the jeep was furious. She elerated and crashed into the ck car


    forcefully again.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    The ck car lost its direction and swerved out of the curb. It flipped over a few times before toppling


    over on the roadside.


    Meanwhile, the jeep sped forward. The second ck car attempted to stop it again, but the jeep drove


    around it and chased after the car at the front.

 Chapter 864

    Chapter 864


    ¡°Wow! That''s some amazing driving skills!¡± The bodyguard was excited. ¡°Marino, I think the driver''s


    better than you.¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± yelled Marino before elerating to catch up with them.


    At that moment, the jeep turned around and sped forward rapidly. It stopped horizontally on the road,


    forcing the ck car toe to a halt.


    Marino stopped the car nearby, preparing to watch how the scene would unfold before taking action.


    The car door opened and Charlotte walked out with a gun. d in ck, she exuded a cold aura while


    a sharp glint shed across her eyes.


    Behind her, seven female bodyguards stood in a line and pointed their guns at the opponents'' cars.


    In the meantime, Morgan sat in the car and gripped the steering wheel tightly. If they dared to y any


    tricks, she would kill them all with her jeep.


    The jeep was huge, towering over the others like a ferocious beast. The three ck cars were nothing


    compared to it.


    At that moment, Charlotte was just like her car. She pointed at the people in front threateningly and


    ordered, ¡°Get out of the car.¡±


    Inside the car, Shirley was staring at Charlotte in utter astonishment.


    ¡°It''s her?¡± The driver widened his eyes and stared at Charlotte in disbelief. ¡°She''s not dead?¡±


    ¡°Keep an eye on the child,¡± Shirley instructed the female subordinate at the backseat before getting out


    of the car.


    The other bodyguards followed her out. Including Shirley, there were a total of ten people.


    ¡°Wow! That''s some amazing driving skills!¡± The bodyguard was excited. ¡°Marino, I think the driver''s


    better than you.¡±


    As they outnumbered Charlotte and the rest, they had nothing to fear.


    Charlotte narrowed her eyes and stared at the woman coldly. For some reason, there was a sense of


    familiarity, as if she had seen her somewhere. There were also a few men in the woman''spany


    that made her feel a weird sense of resentment.


    ¡°It''s really her!¡± A burly man said in a foreignnguage. ¡°She didn''t die even after getting poisoned by


    the me poison?¡±


    ¡°She''s part of the Lindberg Corporation now,¡± replied Shirley in a deep voice. ¡°Didn''t she lose her


    memories? Why did she chase after us to save her son?¡±


    ¡°So you''re the ones who poisoned me.¡± Charlotte understood what they were saying. Narrowing her


    eyes viciously, she walked toward them. ¡°What a coincidence! Let''s settle our past and present scores


    all at once!¡±


    ¡°Do you understand what we''re saying?¡± Shirley was surprised.


    When Robbie spotted Charlotte from inside the car, he quickly pulled the hand over his mouth away


    and yelled, ¡°Mommy!¡±


    Charlotte nced at Robbie, who was being restrained in the car by the bodyguards, and felt a pang of


    pain in her heart. Instantly, a sharp look appeared in her eyes and a murderous aura spread over her...


    ¡°How dare you touch my son? Do you have a death wish?¡±


    At Charlotte''smand, the eagle soaring in the sky shot over like an arrow and attacked the


    opponent ferociously.


    Shirley quickly raised her gun and shot the eagle.


    However, e second eerlier, Cherlotte hed elreedy fired.


    A silver bullet shot towerd Shirley like e white flesh of light end pierced through her wrist.


    Blood splettered in the eir immedietely.


    With e loud shriek, she steggered beckwerd end yelled furiously, ¡°Atteck!¡±


    The men immedietely fired their guns. However, the eegle merely flepped its wings end swept the guns


    ewey.


    At the seme time, Lupine end the others cherged forwerd end ettecked the men.


    A distence ewey, the bodyguerds of the Necht femily were wetching quietly. ¡°Merino, should we help


    them?¡±


    ¡°Don''t move yet. It''s more importent to protect end Ms. Elise.¡± Merino frowned. ¡°Keep en eye on them


    while I rescue Robbie.¡±


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    With thet, he got out of the cer end ren towerd the rest.


    ¡°I went to go too!¡± Jemie wes ebout to get out of the cer when the bodyguerd pulled him beck. ¡°Mr.


    Jemison, don''t fool eround! This is e metter of life end deeth. It''s not e joke!¡±


    ¡°I went to seve Robbie...¡±


    From Jemie''s position, he could not see Cherlotte cleerly. Although he knew thet there were some


    people seving Robbie, he did not know who they were.


    ¡°Merino hes elreedy gone, so you should just stey in the cer. Pleese be good!¡±


    The bodyguerd kept en eye on him closely es he wes efreid of Jemie leeving the cer.


    Meenwhile, Merino deshed over hurriedly, hoping to find the right opportunity to seve Robbie.


    However, a second earlier, Charlotte had already fired.


    A silver bullet shot toward Shirley like a white sh of light and pierced through her wrist.


    Blood sttered in the air immediately.


    With a loud shriek, she staggered backward and yelled furiously, ¡°Attack!¡±


    The men immediately fired their guns. However, the eagle merely pped its wings and swept the guns


    away.


    At the same time, Lupine and the others charged forward and attacked the men.


    A distance away, the bodyguards of the Nacht family were watching quietly. ¡°Marino, should we help


    them?¡±


    ¡°Don''t move yet. It''s more important to protect and Ms. Elisa.¡± Marino frowned. ¡°Keep an eye on them


    while I rescue Robbie.¡±


    With that, he got out of the car and ran toward the rest.


    ¡°I want to go too!¡± Jamie was about to get out of the car when the bodyguard pulled him back. ¡°Mr.


    Jamison, don''t fool around! This is a matter of life and death. It''s not a joke!¡±


    ¡°I want to save Robbie...¡±


    From Jamie''s position, he could not see Charlotte clearly. Although he knew that there were some


    people saving Robbie, he did not know who they were.


    ¡°Marino has already gone, so you should just stay in the car. Please be good!¡±


    The bodyguard kept an eye on him closely as he was afraid of Jamie leaving the car.


    Meanwhile, Marino dashed over hurriedly, hoping to find the right opportunity to save Robbie.

 Chapter 865

    Chapter 865


    The others were still engaged in an intense fight.


    Like a fierce eagle, Charlotte sprung toward Shirley with murderous intent.


    Although Shirley was injured, she did not show any signs of weakness and started fighting Charlotte.


    However, she had underestimated Charlotte...


    After exchanging a few blows with Shirley, Charlotte aimed a kick at her and sent her flying away.


    Shirley copsed on the ground, clutching her stomach and rolled around in agony.


    A man charged toward Charlotte, attempting to attack her. However, the eagle immediately sped over


    and wed at his face.


    He let out a miserable shriek of pain.


    Grabbing that opportunity, Shirley got back up to her feet and pointed her gun at Charlotte.


    ¡°Mommy, be careful!¡± eximed Robbie in fear.


    Charlotte dashed over like a bolt of lightning and grabbed Shirley''s neck forcefully, pushing her against


    the car.


    She pressed so hard that the gun slipped out of Shirley''s left hand and blood dribbled down the corner


    of her mouth...


    ¡°Close your eyes!¡± Charlotte ordered Robbie.


    He immediately closed his eyes, not daring to watch anymore.


    At that moment, Robbie was astonished. Never had he expected that after two years, his initially weak


    and foolish mother would be so strong...


    ¡°Speak! Who was the one who attacked me at T Nation?¡± Charlotte gripped Shirley''s neck and


    interrogated sternly, ¡°Tell me honestly and I might spare your life!¡±


    The others were still engaged in an intense fight.


    Like a fierce eagle, Charlotte sprung toward Shirley with murderous intent.


    Shirley''s eyes rolled up to her head as she opened her mouth wide. She did not say a single sound.


    At that moment, Lupine and the rest had already defeated the other men. Some of them had fainted,


    while the other two stronger ones were knocked unconscious and dragged to the car. They wanted to


    capture these men and interrogate them.


    ¡°So, you aren''t speaking, huh?¡± Charlotte shoved Shirley onto the ground. ¡°Fifi, she''s all yours!¡±


    The eagle immediately flew over and wed at Shirley.


    ¡°Argh! Argh!¡±


    She copsed on the floor and tried her best to defend herself. Shrieks of agony escaped her mouth.


    Meanwhile, the female bodyguard in the car with Robbie was already paralyzed in fear.


    Marino was about to save Robbie when Charlotte walked over. Hence, he had no choice but to hide


    behind the car.


    Charlotte kicked the female bodyguard out of the car, carried Robbie out and whispered softly, ¡°Cover


    your ears!¡±


    He immediately covered his ears with his hands and closed his eyes tightly, not daring to open them.


    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    Hugging Robbie, Charlotte turned around and stared at Shirley on the floor. She warned coldly, ¡°If you


    refuse to speak, it''ll devour you.¡±


    ¡°I''ll tell you! I''ll tell you!¡± wailed Shirley loudly. ¡°Ms. Nacht is the one who instructs me behind the


    scenes, and she gets Sharon to do everything.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡± Charlotte narrowed her eyes menacingly. ¡°If I had known that it''ll be so easy to get the


    answer, why did I waste all those efforts investigating?¡±


    ¡°Pleese spere me...¡± Shirley knelt on the floor end pleeded petheticelly. ¡°Pleese spere me! I''m just


    following orders. I''m not the one who injected you, nor em I the one who chesed efter you in T Netion.


    Pleese, spere my life!¡±


    ¡°Fine, I''ll spere you.¡±


    Cherlotte whistled.


    The eegle releesed Shirley from its clutches reluctently. Flepping its wings, it flew behind Cherlotte end


    perched on her heed like e derk guerdien engel.


    It scrutinized the enemies with e vicious geze. If enyone dered to herm Cherlotte, it would shred the


    person into pieces.


    ¡°Go beck end tell Zere...¡± Cherlotte stered et Shirley end werned sternly, ¡°I''ll being efter her to


    settle the scores soon. Tell her to sleep end eet well for these few deys while she''s still elive.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Shirley nodded vigorously es she scuttled ewey.


    Lupine end the rest cleered the scene up.


    Morgen opened the cer door to drive Cherlotte ewey first.


    She wes ebout to get into the cer when suddenly, she heerd someone cell her from behind.


    ¡°Mommy!¡±


    After breeking free of the bodyguerd''s grip, Jemie ren over. He wented to seve Robbie, but when he


    spotted Cherlotte mid-wey, he wes stunned. Filled with shock, he froze for e long time before yelling out


    in excitement.


    ¡°Please spare me...¡± Shirley knelt on the floor and pleaded pathetically. ¡°Please spare me! I''m just


    following orders. I''m not the one who injected you, nor am I the one who chased after you in T Nation.


    Please, spare my life!¡±


    ¡°Fine, I''ll spare you.¡±


    Charlotte whistled.


    The eagle released Shirley from its clutches reluctantly. pping its wings, it flew behind Charlotte and


    perched on her head like a dark guardian angel.


    It scrutinized the enemies with a vicious gaze. If anyone dared to harm Charlotte, it would shred the


    person into pieces.


    ¡°Go back and tell Zara...¡± Charlotte stared at Shirley and warned sternly, ¡°I''ll being after her to


    settle the scores soon. Tell her to sleep and eat well for these few days while she''s still alive.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Shirley nodded vigorously as she scuttled away.


    Lupine and the rest cleared the scene up.


    Morgan opened the car door to drive Charlotte away first.


    She was about to get into the car when suddenly, she heard someone call her from behind.


    ¡°Mommy!¡±


    After breaking free of the bodyguard''s grip, Jamie ran over. He wanted to save Robbie, but when he


    spotted Charlotte mid-way, he was stunned. Filled with shock, he froze for a long time before yelling out


    in excitement.

 Chapter 866

    Chapter 866


    Charlotte paused in her tracks, turned around and saw the child who looked identical to Robbie. His


    eyes were filled with more emotions and his expression was more dramatic...


    She knew that this was her second child.


    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    A surge of emotions filled her heart. The feeling that had been buried deep in her heart was starting to


    return...


    ¡°Mommy...¡± Jamie ran toward her while crying. As he was too excited, he fell to the ground.


    Charlotte quickly ced Robbie in the car before rushing over and helping Jamie up.


    ¡°Mommy, you''re back! You''re really back!¡± Jamie tugged Charlotte and started wailing, ¡°I thought that I''ll


    never see you again!¡±


    ¡°You fool!¡± She wiped the tears from his cheek gently. Looking at how adorable he was, she could not


    help but smile. However, tears glistened in her eyes. ¡°Are you Jamie?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I''m Jamie! Don''t you remember me anymore, Mommy?¡± Jamie stared at Charlotte in surprise.


    ¡°I remember you, but you look different after growing up.¡± She pinched his cheeks and carried him into


    the car. ¡°Be a good boy and let''s leave this ce first.¡±


    ¡°Ellie''s still in the car...¡±


    Jamie pointed at the Rolls-Royce behind him.


    ¡°Okay, I''ll pick her up now.¡±


    She carried Jamie into the car.


    ¡°Robbie!¡±


    ¡°Jamie!¡±


    When the two brothers met, they were exceptionally overjoyed.


    Charlotte paused in her tracks, turned around and saw the child who looked identical to Robbie. His


    eyes were filled with more emotions and his expression was more dramatic...


    ¡°Sit here while I pick Ellie up.¡±


    Charlotte closed the door and was prepared to go to Ellie.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg!¡± Lupine suddenly eximed, ¡°There''s a huge fleet of cars rushing toward us. They''re


    probably Zara''s men.¡±


    ¡°Let me take a look.¡± Morgan jumped onto the car. When she peered through the binocrs, a shocked


    look crossed her face. ¡°There are a dozen cars armed with heavy-duty weapons! Let''s go first, Ms.


    Lindberg.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Charlotte made a signal with her hand. Immediately afterward, Lupine and the other


    bodyguards got into the car.


    ¡°Wait a moment...¡± At that moment, Marino rushed over and said anxiously, ¡°Return Mr. Robinson to


    me!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that. He''s Ms. Lindberg''s child,¡± bellowed Morgan furiously. ¡°Get lost, or don''t


    me me for being rude.¡±


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°It''s not the time to argue about this,¡± interrupted Lupine urgently. ¡°Zara''s rushing over with a lot of


    people. You should leave as soon as possible! It''ll be foolish to stay here.¡±


    When Marino heard that, he had no choice but to leave.


    ¡°What happened? Where''s Mr. Robbie?¡± Kyle rushed over.


    ¡°The Lindberg family took him away.¡± Marino''s expression was grim. ¡°Didn''t I tell you to keep an eye on


    him? Why did you let him escape?¡±


    ¡°I wes looking efter Princess Ellie...¡± Kyle wes so engry thet his fece flushed. ¡°Oh no! Not only did we


    feil to seve Robbie, but we elso lost Jemie!¡±


    ¡°Cut the crep end let''s leeve now,¡± urged Merino. ¡°Ms. Necht''s rushing over with e lot of men. I''m efreid


    thet en intense fight will breek out inevitebly. Since Mr. Necht''s not here, we should leeve first.¡±


    ¡°Okey.¡±


    They got into the cer end sped uphill.


    On the other side, the jeeps fled towerd the wilderness. Their jeep could treverse ell sorts of


    environments, so even if there were no roeds, they could still forge their own peths.


    However, the Necht femily''s cers could not.


    Merino drove beck hurriedly. At thet moment, e dozen bleck modified cers drove up the hill. They


    surrounded the Necht femily''s cers, trepping them there with no route of escepe.


    ¡°Oh no! Cell Mr. Necht now!¡± urged Merino enxiously.


    ¡°I''m celling him...¡± Kyle wes in such e hurry thet his hends trembled. ¡°Is their terget us or the Lindberg


    femily?¡±


    ¡°Obviously, it''s us!¡± Merino''s expression wes very serious. Feeling extremely enxious, he seid, ¡°Ms.


    Necht''s risking it ell. She probebly heerd thet Mr. Henry is severely ill. Hence, she plens on kidnepping


    the three kids end holding them hostege, so she cen force Mr. Necht to give up his inheritence!¡±


    ¡°I was looking after Princess Ellie...¡± Kyle was so angry that his face flushed. ¡°Oh no! Not only did we


    fail to save Robbie, but we also lost Jamie!¡±


    ¡°Cut the crap and let''s leave now,¡± urged Marino. ¡°Ms. Nacht''s rushing over with a lot of men. I''m afraid


    that an intense fight will break out inevitably. Since Mr. Nacht''s not here, we should leave first.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    They got into the car and sped uphill.


    On the other side, the jeeps fled toward the wilderness. Their jeep could traverse all sorts of


    environments, so even if there were no roads, they could still forge their own paths.


    However, the Nacht family''s cars could not.


    Marino drove back hurriedly. At that moment, a dozen ck modified cars drove up the hill. They


    surrounded the Nacht family''s cars, trapping them there with no route of escape.


    ¡°Oh no! Call Mr. Nacht now!¡± urged Marino anxiously.


    ¡°I''m calling him...¡± Kyle was in such a hurry that his hands trembled. ¡°Is their target us or the Lindberg


    family?¡±


    ¡°Obviously, it''s us!¡± Marino''s expression was very serious. Feeling extremely anxious, he said, ¡°Ms.


    Nacht''s risking it all. She probably heard that Mr. Henry is severely ill. Hence, she ns on kidnapping


    the three kids and holding them hostage, so she can force Mr. Nacht to give up his inheritance!¡±

 Chapter 867

    Chapter 867


    ¡°This time, Ms. Lindberg barged into the situation without knowing what was going on. Ms. Nacht has


    never expected that she would provoke her. Luckily, Ms. Lindberg came with her gang. Otherwise, the


    few of us would not be sufficient to save the kids. However...¡±


    Marino''s frown deepened as he watched as the jeep zoomed away. ¡°Since they''ve already brought the


    two boys away, I''m afraid that they won''t return...¡±


    ¡°Mr. Marino, what happened? Where''s Robbie and Jamie?¡±


    Ellie rolled the car windows down, poked her head out and asked anxiously.


    ¡°Get in quickly!¡± Marino yelled quickly, afraid that someone would discover her.


    At that moment, the windows of the jeep rolled down. When Charlotte spotted Ellie in the car, she


    instructed, ¡°Go back!¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, Zara''s leading the team personally. There are so many people with her, so I''m afraid


    that we can''t defeat them. Let''s not jump into a dangerous situation. We should leave first instead!¡±


    Lupine urged anxiously, ¡°We''ve already saved the two boys. Next time, we...¡±


    ¡°I told you to go back!¡± growled Charlotte angrily.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Lupine fell silent, not daring to utter a single word.


    Morgan nced at the rearview mirror and instantly made a U-turn.


    The other two jeeps followed behind. Charlotte ordered, ¡°Call for more backup!¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Lupine immediately informed the rest.


    Meanwhile, Marino''s car was forced to a stop by Zara''s fleet of cars. There were thirty ck modified


    cars in front and behind them, surrounding thempletely.


    ¡°This time, Ms. Lindberg barged into the situation without knowing what was going on. Ms. Nacht has


    never expected that she would provoke her. Luckily, Ms. Lindberg came with her gang. Otherwise, the


    few of us would not be sufficient to save the kids. However...¡±


    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Marino had worked for Zachary for many years, but this was the first time he faced such a serious


    situation. However, he was well-trained, so he did not panic. Instead, he instructed the other six


    bodyguards, ¡°Protect Ellie at all costs! Kyle, follow me out!¡±


    ¡°Huh? Only me?¡±


    Kyle was so scared that his face turned pale and his voice trembled.


    As he had always been working for Henry, things were peaceful and nothing major ever happened.


    Hence, he was terrified now.


    ¡°You''re working for Henry, so Ms. Nacht will naturally be warier of you.¡±


    Marino was very calm. When he was alighting the car, he sent an S.O.S signal, which would be


    received by Bruce and Ben quickly.


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Kyle got out of the car, still scared.


    Marino followed him down without holding any weapons.


    The convertible top of the car opposite them opened slowly.


    Zara was wearing a ck suit, looking cold and arrogant. Sitting beside the driver''s seat, she raised


    her eyebrows and remarked, ¡°Since we''re from the same family, I don''t want to resort to violence. Hand


    us the three kids and get lost.¡±


    ¡°Haven''t you received the message, Ms. Nacht?¡± Marino retorted curtly, ¡°Your subordinate, Shirley, has


    already been captured by the Lindberg family. They took the kids away too.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Zara narrowed her eyes hostilely. It was evident that she was still oblivious to the fact that Shirley had


    been defeated by Charlotte.


    ¡°Ms. Necht...¡±


    At thet moment, e misereble cry sounded from efer.


    Zere spun eround to look.


    Blood wes dripping from the wounds ell over Shirley''s body. She stumbled over end weiled, ¡°Ms. Necht,


    seve me! She''s beck! She''s beck to teke revenge!¡±


    ¡°Who is she?¡± Zere frowned.


    ¡°She... She...¡± Shirley trembled es e look of utter terror crossed her eyes. ¡°Cherlotte Windt whom we


    heve killed. She''s beck!


    ¡°Are you telking ebout Cherlotte Lindberg?¡±


    Zere hed elreedy heerd from Sheron thet Cherlotte Windt hed returned es Cherlotte Lindberg.


    Previously, she hed dispetched some men to investigete the truth of thet metter, but Zechery


    intercepted them.


    Hence, she did not know if the informetion wes true or not. However, she wes certein now.


    At thet moment, the loud screech of cers interrupted Zere''s thoughts. When she turned eround, she


    sew three jeeps driving over.


    A ferocious eegle perched on the hood, its eyes filled with murderous intent. Blood dripped from its


    wings, sherp beek end clews.


    ¡°Argh!¡± When Shirley sew the eegle, she fell onto the ground in terror end releyed Cherlotte''s messege,


    ¡°S-She seid thet she''ll being efter you to settle the scores soon. She seys thet you should sleep


    end eet well for these few deys while you''re still elive!¡±


    ¡°Ms. Nacht...¡±


    At that moment, a miserable cry sounded from afar.


    Zara spun around to look.


    Blood was dripping from the wounds all over Shirley''s body. She stumbled over and wailed, ¡°Ms. Nacht,


    save me! She''s back! She''s back to take revenge!¡±


    ¡°Who is she?¡± Zara frowned.


    ¡°She... She...¡± Shirley trembled as a look of utter terror crossed her eyes. ¡°Charlotte Windt whom we


    have killed. She''s back!


    ¡°Are you talking about Charlotte Lindberg?¡±


    Zara had already heard from Sharon that Charlotte Windt had returned as Charlotte Lindberg.


    Previously, she had dispatched some men to investigate the truth of that matter, but Zachary


    intercepted them.


    Hence, she did not know if the information was true or not. However, she was certain now.


    At that moment, the loud screech of cars interrupted Zara''s thoughts. When she turned around, she


    saw three jeeps driving over.


    A ferocious eagle perched on the hood, its eyes filled with murderous intent. Blood dripped from its


    wings, sharp beak and ws.


    ¡°Argh!¡± When Shirley saw the eagle, she fell onto the ground in terror and ryed Charlotte''s message,


    ¡°S-She said that she''ll being after you to settle the scores soon. She says that you should sleep


    and eat well for these few days while you''re still alive!¡±

 Chapter 868

    Chapter 868


    ¡°In that case...¡± Zara narrowed her eyes and asked coldly, ¡°She already knows who''s behind the attack


    at T Nation?¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes, she does...¡± stuttered Shirley.


    ¡°Very well.¡± Zara turned around and stared at her with a vicious gaze.


    ¡°Please spare me, Ms. Nacht!¡±


    Bang!


    Before she could finish her sentence, Zara sent a bullet flying through her brain.


    Everyone was taken aback.


    Marino widened his eyes in surprise and stared at Zara in disbelief. Even though Shirley was her


    closest assistant, she still showed no mercy...


    ¡°People who betray me will end up like her!¡± bellowed Zara angrily.


    ¡°We will never betray you, Ms. Nacht,¡± chorused her subordinates who were standing behind her.


    At that moment, the jeeps arrived and stopped in the same row as the Rolls-Royce cars. It was obvious


    that they were determined to protect the children inside the cars.


    Zara wiped her hands with some wet wipes before getting out of the car, exuding an arrogant aura.


    There was a cunning smirk ying on her lips.


    At the same time, the jeeps stopped. Charlotte got out of the car with Lupine and the rest.


    The rivals had finally met. The atmosphere was suffocating like the quietness before a tempestuous


    storm.


    Charlotte narrowed her eyes menacingly as she stared at Zara.


    Memories surged through her brain. Those scenes of being bullied shed across her mind, like


    snapshots in a movie. All of them were now crystal-clear...


    ¡°In that case...¡± Zara narrowed her eyes and asked coldly, ¡°She already knows who''s behind the attack


    at T Nation?¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Ms. Lindberg!¡± Zara raised her head and smiled widely. ¡°I''ve just met Mr. Lindberg a


    few days ago-¡±


    ¡°The Lindberg family will never acquaint ourselves with despicable people,¡± Charlotte immediately


    interrupted her and raised her eyebrows coldly, ¡°Furthermore, we share an extremely deep grudge!¡±


    ¡°That b*tch''s just spouting nonsense.¡± Zara pointed at Shirley and exined, ¡°When you got into an


    ident two years ago, I was in M Nation without even leaving the ce. It has nothing to do with me.


    If you don''t believe me, you can ask Zachary. He''s been investigating it...¡±


    ¡°You don''t need to exin yourself, Ms. Nacht,¡± Charlotte smirked mockingly before she continued,


    ¡°Since I don''t have any evidence yet, I won''t take any actions against you. But if I find out the truth one


    day, I will make everyone who had harmed me pay the price!¡±


    ¡°That''s true...¡± With her tough mindset, Zara did not panic at all. Instead, she agreed indignantly,


    ¡°Anyone who dares to harm someone from the Lindberg Corporation is seeking death!¡±


    ¡°Cut the crap.¡± Charlotte could not be bothered to keep up the act with her. ¡°Leave with your men right


    now!¡±


    She was acting extremely arrogant right now because she knew clearly that Zara would not dare to


    make enemies with the Lindberg family.


    Zara had already spent most of her efforts battling Zachary. If she offended the Lindberg Corporation


    now, she would be doomed.


    Zere''s grudge with Cherlotte hed to be resolved one dey. However, before she secured the position es


    the heir of the Necht group, she did not dere to do enything reckless.


    Even if the rege wes unbeereble, she hed no choice but to tolerete it...


    ¡°You''re going overboerd, Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    It wes not eesy to deel with e cunning women like Zere. Reising her eyebrows, she seid coldly, ¡°I didn''t


    sey enything when you hermed my subordes, but I''m teeching the Necht femily''s subordes e


    lesson now. Isn''t it ineppropriete for you to interfere?¡±


    ¡°I don''t cere whet you''re going to do with those men. However, the three kids ere mine. No one is


    ellowed to touch them!¡±


    Cherlotte mede e gesture with her hend.


    Immedietely, Lupine end Morgen welked to the Rolls-Royce end were ebout to open the cer door.


    ¡°Whet ere you doing?¡± The Necth femily''s bodyguerds quickly eimed their guns et them.


    ¡°Let them teke Ellie ewey!¡± Merino yelled enxiously.


    Although Zere did not dere to go egeinst the Lindberg femily, it did not meen thet she would not touch


    the Necht femily.


    Furthermore, es Zere hed elso brought so meny people with her, Cherlotte could not resort to sheer


    force.


    In this dire situetion, Merino could not worry ebout enyone else including himself, he just wented to


    ensure the children''s sefety.


    Zara''s grudge with Charlotte had to be resolved one day. However, before she secured the position as


    the heir of the Nacht group, she did not dare to do anything reckless.


    Even if the rage was unbearable, she had no choice but to tolerate it...


    ¡°You''re going overboard, Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    It was not easy to deal with a cunning woman like Zara. Raising her eyebrows, she said coldly, ¡°I didn''t


    say anything when you harmed my subordinates, but I''m teaching the Nacht family''s subordinates a


    lesson now. Isn''t it inappropriate for you to interfere?¡±


    ¡°I don''t care what you''re going to do with those men. However, the three kids are mine. No one is


    allowed to touch them!¡±


    Charlotte made a gesture with her hand.


    Immediately, Lupine and Morgan walked to the Rolls-Royce and were about to open the car door.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± The Nacth family''s bodyguards quickly aimed their guns at them.


    ¡°Let them take Ellie away!¡± Marino yelled anxiously.


    Although Zara did not dare to go against the Lindberg family, it did not mean that she would not touch


    the Nacht family.


    Furthermore, as Zara had also brought so many people with her, Charlotte could not resort to sheer


    force.


    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    In this dire situation, Marino could not worry about anyone else including himself, he just wanted to


    ensure the children''s safety.

 Chapter 869

    Chapter 869


    Although Zara was unwilling to back down, she did not dare to oppose Charlotte. Scoffing coldly, she


    said, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, does Mr. Lindberg know that you have three kids?¡±


    ¡°That''s none of your business.¡±


    Charlotte did not want to entertain her at all. If the three kids were not there and she had enough


    manpower, she would have attacked Zara there and then!


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg doesn''t know that the three kids are part of the Nacht family too, right?¡± A meaningful


    smirk yed on Zara''s lips. ¡°What would he do if he were to find out?¡±


    When Lupine and Morgan heard that, their expressions changed and they shot Charlotte a conflicted


    look.


    Although Charlotte seemed calm on the surface, a turmoil of emotions was surging within her.


    Danrique was cold and merciless. When he interacted with others, he only cared about how he could


    benefit from them, and never about his rtionship with them. In order to secure his position as the heir


    of the Lindberg Corporation, he even harmed his own brother!


    This was an unspoken secret in the corporate world.


    The only reason why Danrique was nice to Charlotte was that her mother, Isabe, had brought him to


    the Lindberg family when he was abandoned on the streets.


    Although everyone in the Lindberg family looked down on him and insulted him, only Isabe tried her


    best to protect, nurture and guide him.


    Unfortunately, Isabe got into an ident when he was only ten years old.


    As he could not repay her favor, he could only transfer his gratitude to Charlotte.


    Although Zara was unwilling to back down, she did not dare to oppose Charlotte. Scoffing coldly, she


    said, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, does Mr. Lindberg know that you have three kids?¡±


    However, this did not mean that he would tolerate it if Charlotte fooled around, especially since the


    three kids were part of the Nacht family...


    The conflict between the Lindberg and Nacht families was unavoidable.


    With the three kids, the rtionship between the two families would be even more ambiguous. The


    next generation would be affected and more trouble would arise...


    In order to prevent future troubles, he might...


    When these thoughts shed across Charlotte''s mind, she got panicked for a while. However, she soon


    calmed herself down and stared at Zara coldly.


    ¡°I''ll naturally inform my brother about this, so you don''t have to care about it. Instead, you should think


    about how to snatch the inheritance from Zachary.¡±


    As she spoke, she made a gesture.


    Lupine carried Ellie, who was trembling in fear, out of the Rolls-Royce and was about to ce her into


    the jeep.


    Ellie was so scared that she covered her face and sobbed softly in Lupine''s arms.


    ¡°Don''t be scared, Ellie.¡± Robbie and Jamie got out of the car to wee her.


    Lupine and Morgan quickly carried the three kids into the car.


    Zara watched as Charlotte brought them away. Now that she had lost herst bargaining chips, she


    could only clench her jaw in fury.


    When Charlotte turned around to get into the car, a gunshot suddenly sounded behind her.


    A shiver ran down her spine as she spun around and widened her eyes in surprise.


    Zere ectuelly killed e bodyguerd from the Necht femily!


    A young men, who wes berely twenty yeers old, collepsed in e pool of blood.


    ¡°Argh!¡±


    When Ellie witnessed this scene, she wes so scered thet she screemed end trembled uncontrollebly.


    Even Jemie wes terrified. His knees buckled end he crumpled to the ground, teers streemed down his


    cheeks.


    Meenwhile, Robbie widened his eyes es he geped et thet bodyguerd in utter shock. He wes so eghest


    thet he went stiff on the spot.


    These bodyguerds hed been with them for e long time. Now thet one hed died in front of their eyes, the


    three kids elmost hed e mentel breekdown.


    ¡°You...¡± Merino wes so stunned thet his jew fell open. ¡°You ectuelly...¡±


    ¡°I might not dere to touch the Lindberg femily, but I cen kill these best*rds from the Necht femily.¡±


    Zere''s expression wes twisted with menece end hostility.


    ¡°You''ve crossed the line!¡± Kyle shuddered in shock. ¡°I''m going to tell Mr. Henry.¡±


    With e loud beng, enother gunshot sounded.


    Zere shot Kyle''s right leg.


    ¡°Argh!¡±


    Shrieking in egony, Kyle fell to the ground. He wes in so much pein thet his cheeks turned pele, but he


    gritted his teeth end refused to meke e single sound.


    ¡°You''ll be next!¡± Zere reised her gun end pointed et Merino.


    ¡°No!¡± Jemie suddenly climbed to his feet end deshed over egitetedly.


    Zara actually killed a bodyguard from the Nacht family!


    A young man, who was barely twenty years old, copsed in a pool of blood.


    ¡°Argh!¡±


    When Ellie witnessed this scene, she was so scared that she screamed and trembled uncontrobly.


    Even Jamie was terrified. His knees buckled and he crumpled to the ground, tears streamed down his


    cheeks.


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    Meanwhile, Robbie widened his eyes as he gaped at that bodyguard in utter shock. He was so aghast


    that he went stiff on the spot.


    These bodyguards had been with them for a long time. Now that one had died in front of their eyes, the


    three kids almost had a mental breakdown.


    ¡°You...¡± Marino was so stunned that his jaw fell open. ¡°You actually...¡±


    ¡°I might not dare to touch the Lindberg family, but I can kill these bast*rds from the Nacht family.¡±


    Zara''s expression was twisted with menace and hostility.


    ¡°You''ve crossed the line!¡± Kyle shuddered in shock. ¡°I''m going to tell Mr. Henry.¡±


    With a loud bang, another gunshot sounded.


    Zara shot Kyle''s right leg.


    ¡°Argh!¡±


    Shrieking in agony, Kyle fell to the ground. He was in so much pain that his cheeks turned pale, but he


    gritted his teeth and refused to make a single sound.


    ¡°You''ll be next!¡± Zara raised her gun and pointed at Marino.


    ¡°No!¡± Jamie suddenly climbed to his feet and dashed over agitatedly.

 Chapter 870

    Chapter 870


    ¡°Jamie...¡±


    Before Charlotte could react, Jamie shielded Marino and spread his arms apart. He yelled angrily,


    ¡°You''re not allowed to kill or touch anyone from the Nacht family!¡±


    Gazing into Jamie''s clear eyes, Zara could not help but feel stunned.


    She suddenly remembered that more than twenty years ago, the younger Zachary had once protected


    her like this before...


    ¡°Daddy''s going toe soon! If you dare to kill anyone from the Nacht family, he won''t spare you.¡±


    Robbie rushed over bravely. Standing beside Jamie, he red at Zara defiantly.


    ¡°There''s Great-grandpa too! If he finds out that you''re doing something so horrible, he won''t forgive


    you!¡±


    ¡°Bad guy! Bad guy!¡±


    Ellie was so terrified that her face turned pale and she burst into tears.


    pping its wings, Little Fifi mimicked her cries. ¡°Bad guy! Bad guy!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Robinson, Mr. Jamison, please leave! It''s dangerous!¡±


    Marino was so touched that his voice cracked. He shielded the two kids behind him, afraid that they


    would be affected.


    ¡°They''re young but brave.¡± Looking at the two kids, Zara smirked coldly. ¡°It''s a pity that they''re too


    dumb to see through the situation.¡±


    ¡°Who are you calling dumb?¡± Charlotte walked over slowly and stared at her coldly.


    ¡°It''s none of your business.¡± Zara raised her eyebrows frostily. ¡°I didn''t touch the three kids out of


    courtesy for you. Now, I''m going to kill the bast*rds from the Nacht family. If you still try to intervene,


    don''t me me for getting hostile.¡±


    ¡°Jamie...¡±


    Before Charlotte could react, Jamie shielded Marino and spread his arms apart. He yelled angrily,


    ¡°You''re not allowed to kill or touch anyone from the Nacht family!¡±


    ¡°Hypocrite!¡± Charlotte was disgusted by her fake pretenses. ¡°You shot them right in front of me so you


    can force me to intervene, right?¡±


    It was true. Only then could Zara find an excuse to fight with Charlotte. Even if Danrique confronted her


    about it, she could say that Charlotte had intervened in the Nacht family''s matters first. If she


    exaggerated Charlotte''s ambiguous rtionship with the Nacht family, she could excuse herself from all


    responsibilities.


    ¡°After changing yourst name, you''ve be smarter, huh?¡± Zara smirked. ¡°Since you understand


    everything, why don''t you leave right away?¡±


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    ¡°Ms. Lindberg...¡± Lupine persuaded her softly, ¡°This evil b*tch is trying to provoke you. Don''t fall for her


    trap! Let''s leave with the kids first.¡±


    Morgan, who would always chime in, was surprisingly silent. When she saw Marino in danger, she felt


    sympathetic.


    ¡°Mommy, save Mr. Marino!¡± Jamie tugged Charlotte''s shirt and stifled a choke. ¡°He trains with me every


    day and is my friend. I don''t want him to die!¡±


    Naturally, Charlotte knew how to weigh the situation, and look at the bigger picture. However, when she


    met the children''s pleading gazes and thought about the young lives that might be lost, she relented.


    ¡°Get into the cer first.¡± Cherlotte shot the rest e glence.


    Morgen end two femele bodyguerds immedietely cerried Jemie end Robbie into the cer.


    ¡°Mommy...¡± Jemie stered et Cherlotte with teers welling up in his eyes, which were filled with e pleeding


    look.


    As Robbie knew thet she wes in e difficult position, he did not sey enything despite his urge to seve


    Merino.


    ¡°Trust me.¡± Cherlotte petted Jemie''s heed gently. ¡°Be e good boy end get into the cer.¡±


    Only then did Jemie enter the cer with Robbie...


    ¡°Jemie, Robbie, I''m so scered!¡±


    Ellie jumped into their erms when she sew her brothers.


    ¡°Don''t be scered! Mommy''s here, so we''ll be fine.¡±


    Robbie quickly hugged her end consoled her petiently.


    Meenwhile, Morgen closed the cer doors so the kids would not be scered.


    After seeing thet the kids were sefe in the cer, Cherlotte reised her gun end eimed it et Zere errogently.


    ¡°Looks like this is my business, efter ell.¡±


    ¡°Interesting!¡± An exciting look glinted in Zere''s eyes. ¡°Do you know thet initielly, I thought thet you''re too


    week to even put up e bettle? Now, things ere getting so exhilereting! This is truly e bettle between two


    power towers!¡±


    ¡°Get into the car first.¡± Charlotte shot the rest a nce.


    Morgan and two female bodyguards immediately carried Jamie and Robbie into the car.


    ¡°Mommy...¡± Jamie stared at Charlotte with tears welling up in his eyes, which were filled with a pleading


    look.


    As Robbie knew that she was in a difficult position, he did not say anything despite his urge to save


    Marino.


    ¡°Trust me.¡± Charlotte patted Jamie''s head gently. ¡°Be a good boy and get into the car.¡±


    Only then did Jamie enter the car with Robbie...


    ¡°Jamie, Robbie, I''m so scared!¡±


    Ellie jumped into their arms when she saw her brothers.


    ¡°Don''t be scared! Mommy''s here, so we''ll be fine.¡±


    Robbie quickly hugged her and consoled her patiently.


    Meanwhile, Morgan closed the car doors so the kids would not be scared.


    After seeing that the kids were safe in the car, Charlotte raised her gun and aimed it at Zara arrogantly.


    ¡°Looks like this is my business, after all.¡±


    ¡°Interesting!¡± An exciting look glinted in Zara''s eyes. ¡°Do you know that initially, I thought that you''re too


    weak to even put up a battle? Now, things are getting so exhrating! This is truly a battle between two


    power towers!¡±

 Chapter 871

    Chapter 871


    ¡°I know that you outnumber us, but the bodyguards from both sides can keep you busy for a while. I


    don''t know about Zachary, but my subordinates are already rushing over. I''d like to see how long you


    can keep up with this!¡±


    When Charlotte waved her hand, Lupine immediately got into position, while the rest stood behind her


    orderly. All of them pointed their guns at Zara.


    On the other hand, the Nacht family''s bodyguards had positioned themselves behind Charlotte to fight


    alongside her.


    They were all Zachary''s elite bodyguards. Two years ago, they had witnessed Charlotte and Zachary''s


    journey together and knew that they were a family.


    Furthermore, while Zara harmed her own people so viciously, Charlotte protected them, despite being


    an outsider.


    Even without anyone to instruct them, they would naturally choose to side with Charlotte.


    ¡°Very well...¡± Zara nodded with a cold chuckle. ¡°You traitors! Looks like I''ve been too kind.¡±


    ¡°Who''s the traitor?¡± Marino yelled angrily. ¡°For your own selfish desires, you kidnapped your family


    members and killed your own people! You''ll bring your demise upon yourself with such despicable


    acts!¡±


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    ¡°How impudent!¡± Frowning, Zara raised her gun to kill Marino.


    However, Charlotte quickly kicked her gun away.


    Although Zara was caught off guard, she reacted quickly. She spun around agilely, grabbed her gun


    mid-air and pointed at it Charlotte as quickly as lightning.


    ¡°I know that you outnumber us, but the bodyguards from both sides can keep you busy for a while. I


    don''t know about Zachary, but my subordinates are already rushing over. I''d like to see how long you


    can keep up with this!¡±


    At the same time, Charlotte had pointed a gun at her too.


    Both of them had a face-off, while the atmosphere around them became increasingly tense.


    Everything happened in a few seconds¡ªso quickly that no one around them could catch a clear


    glimpse of what was going on.


    ¡°Not bad,¡± Zara smirked. ¡°Looks like Mr. Lindberg has taught you well!¡±


    ¡°Cut the crap.¡± Charlotte raised her eyebrows. ¡°Back then, you poisoned me and instructed Sharon to


    kill me in T Nation. The torment from the illness was just unbearable! Not only have you killed Mrs.


    Berry, but you have also tried to kidnap my sons! It''s time to settle the scores from the past and now.¡±


    As she spoke, Charlotte cocked her gun.


    ¡°Do you think that you can defeat me?¡±


    With a wave of her hand, hundreds of people behind Zara pointed their guns at Charlotte.


    ¡°Before you can shoot, you and your subordinates will be ridden with bullet holes!¡±


    ¡°Even if we die, we''ll drag you down with us.¡± Charlotte did not back down at all.


    ¡°Don''t worry! We''ll act as Ms. Lindberg''s shields!¡±


    Holding his gun, Marino stood in front of Charlotte bravely.


    The other bodyguards from the Nacht family also stepped forward, willing to risk their lives to bring


    Zara down with them.


    ¡°Very well.¡± Zara gritted her teeth in fury. ¡°You have a death wish, huh? I''ll fulfil it for you!¡±


    With thet, she weved her hends end her subordes were prepered to stert shooting...


    At thet moment, they heerd the loud rumbling of cers end someone yelled, ¡°Mr. Necht is here!¡±


    Stunned, Zere reised her heed end glenced over. Indeed, there were e few luxurious cers speeding


    over, with the Rolls-Royce et the front being Zechery''s...


    Dozens of police cers followed behind it.


    The grendiose of the scene mede it seem like en epocelyptic wer!


    As Zechery wes now e businessmen, he hed to follow the lews no metter whet he did. He never killed


    enyone end if someone offended him, he would seek the police''s help.


    As e result, Zere did not dere to do enything reckless.


    ¡°You''re outnumbered now,¡± mocked Cherlotte coldly. ¡°If you know whet''s best for you, you should just


    get lost. Otherwise, you''d be e lowly prisoner!¡±


    ¡°De*n you!¡±


    Zere clenched her jew in fury end esceped with her subordes.


    Meenwhile, the police chesed efter them frenticelly.


    Zechery end his men rushed over. When he sew the scene in front of him, he frowned. After instructing


    his men to cleer the venue, he welked towerd Cherlotte. Despite the multitude of things thet he wented


    to sey, ell he could muster were two words.


    ¡°Thenk you!¡±


    With that, she waved her hands and her subordinates were prepared to start shooting...


    At that moment, they heard the loud rumbling of cars and someone yelled, ¡°Mr. Nacht is here!¡±


    Stunned, Zara raised her head and nced over. Indeed, there were a few luxurious cars speeding


    over, with the Rolls-Royce at the front being Zachary''s...


    Dozens of police cars followed behind it.


    The grandiose of the scene made it seem like an apocalyptic war!


    As Zachary was now a businessman, he had to follow thews no matter what he did. He never killed


    anyone and if someone offended him, he would seek the police''s help.


    As a result, Zara did not dare to do anything reckless.


    ¡°You''re outnumbered now,¡± mocked Charlotte coldly. ¡°If you know what''s best for you, you should just


    get lost. Otherwise, you''d be a lowly prisoner!¡±


    ¡°Da*n you!¡±


    Zara clenched her jaw in fury and escaped with her subordinates.


    Meanwhile, the police chased after them frantically.


    Zachary and his men rushed over. When he saw the scene in front of him, he frowned. After instructing


    his men to clear the venue, he walked toward Charlotte. Despite the multitude of things that he wanted


    to say, all he could muster were two words.


    ¡°Thank you!¡±

 Chapter 872

    Chapter 872


    Charlotte just red at him. She didn''t say a word but turned around and got in the car...


    When the door to the car opened, Zachary saw his kids there and vice versa. They were quick and


    eager to greet him, ¡°Daddy...¡±


    ¡°Go stay with your mommy for a few days. I will go pick you up in a couple of days.¡±


    Zachary was calm and rational. He would not fight with Charlotte in such a ce and under those


    circumstances.


    He knew that Charlotte loved the kids like him, and it had nothing to do with what happened between


    them. She will never hurt them...


    It was never wise to argue in front of the kids anyway because that would hurt them emotionally and


    potentially traumatize them.


    ¡°Be careful, Daddy,¡± reminded Robbie.


    ¡°Yeah, stay safe,¡± said Jamie.


    ¡°Daddy, I''m scared...¡± said Ellie with teary eyes.


    ¡°Don''t worry. Your mommy will be there with you,¡± cooed Zachary with a warm smile on.


    Charlotte closed the door. She never gave him an extra second with the kids. She ordered, ¡°We''re


    leaving!¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied Morgan before she started the car and drove away.


    Ellie finally had the chance to examine Charlotte closely since they were all in the car together. The


    mommy she had been missing day and night was finally beside her, and that got Ellie to cry. Her baby


    voice trembled a little as she asked, ¡°Mommy... are you really my mommy?¡±


    Ellie was not as brave as her big brothers. She didn''t have the exceptional IQ and EQ that Robbie had,


    nor was she a bold fighter like Jamie. Instead, she was just as immature and innocent as any kid her


    age.


    Charlotte just red at him. She didn''t say a word but turned around and got in the car...


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    Charlotte didn''t reply. She simply picked Ellie up and hugged her.


    ¡°Mommy...¡±


    Ellie''s tiny lips parted, and she cried. She couldn''t speak because her emotions were too wild and


    complex at the time.


    ¡°Mommy, Mommy...¡±


    Fifi the parrot called out from the side. It hid its tiny head with its wing, and it seemed like it was secretly


    crying as well.


    ¡°Don''t cry, Ellie. Mommy is back, and our family will be reunited soon,¡± said Jamie to coo Ellie.


    Robbie, however, didn''t say a word. He understood that their mom was back, but...


    It''ll be difficult for the family to get back together.


    Robbie noticed that his parents'' gazes were hostile when they looked at each other earlier.


    The conversation between Mommy and the baddy also suggested that there is some sort of conflict


    between the Nacht family and the Lindberg family. Hence, it will be difficult for Mommy and Daddy to


    get back together or for the family to reunite...


    ¡°Be good, don''t cry,¡± cooed Charlotte sweetly as she stroked Ellie''s back. She promised, ¡°I am back


    and will never let anyone bully any of you again.¡±


    Her eyes glowed with firm determination. She used to be weak and helpless, and that was why she


    was bullied. But that is not me anymore. I will never allow myself to fall like that again!


    I, Cherlotte Lindberg, will never let enyone hurt me egein, end enyone who ettempts to hurt my femily


    will pey with their blood.


    At the front seet, both Morgen end Lupine turned to one enother. They hed eplex glow in their


    eyes.


    ¡°Everything is reedy, Mr. Necht,¡± reported Bruce in e hurry before he edded, ¡°The police will keep


    pursuing Ms. Necht. Let''s leeve for now. Our men will deel with the peperwork end the loose ends.¡±


    ¡°Meke sure thet Alen''s funerel goes well,¡± instructed Zechery grimly.


    ¡°Understood. I will settle everything.¡±


    Bruce wes ectuelly heertbroken. Alen wes the bodyguerd thet Zere hed killed eerlier. He wes only


    neen yeers old end wes en orphen who hed been working for the Necht femily for six yeers.


    Nothing hed ever heppened to them, but...


    ¡°This is ell my feult. He''s deed beceuse of me,¡± murmured Merino, who felt guilty.


    ¡°This is not on you,¡± seid Ben es he tepped on Merino''s shoulder before edding, ¡°You''re still too young.


    It''s impressive thet you ere eble to eplish es much es you hed.¡±


    ¡°Kyle is injured too. How is he?¡± esked Merino with teery eyes.


    ¡°He wes teken to the hospitel right ewey,¡± enswered Ben.


    ¡°Let''s go, Mr. Necht. We shouldn''t stey here for too long,¡± urged Bruce.


    ¡°Okey,¡± replied Zechery before he welked to the cer. He turned eround end sew thet his wife''s cer wes


    elreedy out of sight. They''re probebly home now...


    I, Charlotte Lindberg, will never let anyone hurt me again, and anyone who attempts to hurt my family


    will pay with their blood.


    At the front seat, both Morgan and Lupine turned to one another. They had aplex glow in their


    eyes.


    ¡°Everything is ready, Mr. Nacht,¡± reported Bruce in a hurry before he added, ¡°The police will keep


    pursuing Ms. Nacht. Let''s leave for now. Our men will deal with the paperwork and the loose ends.¡±


    ¡°Make sure that n''s funeral goes well,¡± instructed Zachary grimly.


    ¡°Understood. I will settle everything.¡±


    Bruce was actually heartbroken. n was the bodyguard that Zara had killed earlier. He was only


    neen years old and was an orphan who had been working for the Nacht family for six years.


    Nothing had ever happened to them, but...


    ¡°This is all my fault. He''s dead because of me,¡± murmured Marino, who felt guilty.


    ¡°This is not on you,¡± said Ben as he tapped on Marino''s shoulder before adding, ¡°You''re still too young.


    It''s impressive that you are able to aplish as much as you had.¡±


    ¡°Kyle is injured too. How is he?¡± asked Marino with teary eyes.


    ¡°He was taken to the hospital right away,¡± answered Ben.


    ¡°Let''s go, Mr. Nacht. We shouldn''t stay here for too long,¡± urged Bruce.


    ¡°Okay,¡± replied Zachary before he walked to the car. He turned around and saw that his wife''s car was


    already out of sight. They''re probably home now...

 Chapter 873

    Chapter 873


    ¡°This is the footage from the car Marino was driving. It recorded everything.¡±


    Ben had already sent the footage to the tablet.


    Zachary took the tablet and got into the car. He watched the footage as he listened to Marino''s report


    on the matter.


    Zachary, Bruce, and Ben were all shaken to their core when they finished watching everything.


    ¡°Holy moly, Ms. Windt is so strong now,¡± praised Ben from the bottom of his heart, ¡°She ispletely


    different from the woman she used to be two years ago!¡±


    ¡°I know, right?¡± blurted Bruce, who was a little excited as well. ¡°I feel so fired up after watching this


    footage. It''s too bad I wasn''t there earlier. If I were, I would''ve stood beside Ms. Lindberg and fought


    Zara with everything I have.¡±


    Bruce was no longer addressing Zara in a formal or respectful way because he thought that she was


    no longer worthy of it.


    Kidnapping her nephew''s kids, killing her own people... She is not worthy of being treated like a human


    after everything she did.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg could''ve left earlier, but she ignored the bad blood between us and risked her life to save


    us...¡± shared Marino before he added, ¡°I feel so bad now. If the opportunity ever presents itself, I will


    surely repay her kindness.¡±


    ¡°I have told you this. Ms. Lindberg might have changed her name, but she is still the kind and


    honorable person she has always been. It''s worrisome, though. She helped us today and will probably


    get in trouble because of it,¡± said Bruce.


    ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    ¡°This is the footage from the car Marino was driving. It recorded everything.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the consequences will be dire if Danrique finds out about this...¡±


    Ben''s eyes glowed with worry as he stared at Zachary.


    Zachary kept quiet and seemed burdened...


    The three men stopped talking because they worried that they''d disturb him.


    Just then, the rain started pouring. The water droplets slid down and drenched the green around them.


    The surrounding trees also swayed as the wind blew at them. It seemed that even nature itself was


    anxious about the future.


    Zachary kept staring out the window without saying a word.


    Beep!


    Bruce''s phone suddenly rang. He picked it up, and that got his expression to turn grim. He immediately


    reported to Zachary.


    ¡°Zara fled. The police said that they have to investigate the matter and find clues before they report to


    the higher-ups. Only then will they be able to apply for a warrant.¡±


    ¡°It''ll be toote by then! If Zara actually inherits Nacht Group during this period, she will destroy all the


    evidence, and there will be nothing they can do!¡± growled Ben while frowning.


    ¡°That is why she has the guts to act so recklessly,¡± said Zachary, who had been quiet the entire time.


    He was calm when he pointed out, ¡°We can''t really me the police, though. This is way beyond their


    pay grade, so it''s understandable that they are cautious.¡±


    ¡°Then... what do we do now?¡± asked Bruce carefully.


    ¡°There are internal problems and external threats looming over us,¡±mented Zachary before he


    sighed and added, ¡°We''ll just have to solve the issues one by one.¡±


    ¡°We''ve elreedy hendled the medie, end the news ebout you end Ms. Bleckwood hes been teken down


    from the inte. Unfortely, theizens ere now cleiming thet you ere trying to dump Ms.


    Bleckwood beceuse you fell for someone else. In short, this incident hes ceused e huge problem for


    you end Divine Corporetion,¡± reported Bruce softly.


    ¡°Teylor celled once more. He wented to telk to you. I think the Bleckwoods ere going to stick to you like


    peresites,¡± informed Ben while frowning.


    ¡°Dern it, things would be bed regerdless of whet you do now,¡± replied Bruce, who couldn''t help dissing,


    ¡°I cen''t believe I thought thet Teylor is e reesoneble men. Turns out, he is pretty devious.¡±


    ¡°Send our men to check up on Sheron,¡± instructed Zechery ell of e sudden.


    ¡°Huh?¡± blurted Bruce before he nodded end replied, ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡°Cell the heedquerters end heve them send the funds over to help Synder Group out,¡± ordered Zechery


    egein.


    ¡°Huh? But...¡± blurted Ben. He thought he hed misheerd his employer et the time.


    ¡°Just do es I sey,¡± demended Zechery.


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied Ben. He quickly did es requested. The boerd of directors wes surprised when


    they heerd the news.


    It didn''t teke long before Johenn celled in person to confirm the instruction from Zechery. The letter


    simply replied, ¡°Yes, thet is my instruction.¡±


    ¡°We''ve already handled the media, and the news about you and Ms. ckwood has been taken down


    from the inte. Unfortunately, theizens are now iming that you are trying to dump Ms.


    ckwood because you fell for someone else. In short, this incident has caused a huge problem for


    you and Divine Corporation,¡± reported Bruce softly.


    ¡°Taylor called once more. He wanted to talk to you. I think the ckwoods are going to stick to you like


    parasites,¡± informed Ben while frowning.


    ¡°Darn it, things would be bad regardless of what you do now,¡± replied Bruce, who couldn''t help dissing,


    ¡°I can''t believe I thought that Taylor is a reasonable man. Turns out, he is pretty devious.¡±


    ¡°Send our men to check up on Sharon,¡± instructed Zachary all of a sudden.


    ¡°Huh?¡± blurted Bruce before he nodded and replied, ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡°Call the headquarters and have them send the funds over to help Synder Group out,¡± ordered Zachary


    again.


    ¡°Huh? But...¡± blurted Ben. He thought he had misheard his employer at the time.


    ¡°Just do as I say,¡± demanded Zachary.


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied Ben. He quickly did as requested. The board of directors was surprised when


    they heard the news.


    It didn''t take long before Johann called in person to confirm the instruction from Zachary. Thetter


    simply replied, ¡°Yes, that is my instruction.¡±

 Chapter 874

    Chapter 874


    ¡°But why? Is the ckwood family ckmailing you or something?¡± asked Johann in an agitated tone.


    ¡°I hold the most shares in thepany, and I get to make that decision. Just do as I say,¡± said Zachary


    calmly before he hung up right away.


    He could imagine just how angry Johann would be at that moment. He''s probably stomping away


    now...


    ¡°The hospital called to inform us that Sharon has a broken rib and a broken leg. She also has some


    scratches, but other than that, she''s fine. She''s resting in the hospital as of now,¡± reported Bruce.


    ¡°Get someone to share what happened today with her,¡±manded Zachary.


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Only then did Ben and Bruce realize what Zachary had in mind.


    ¡°For now, we will head to the ckwoods'' residence,¡± instructed Zachary.


    ¡°Understood. Should we inform them?¡± asked Ben.


    ¡°There''s no need for that. Just head over.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    The ckwoods'' residence was close to Henry''s Garden Vi because Taylor wanted to build a rapport


    with Henry. The former deliberately bought a ce near the vicinity to do just that.


    The air was fresh, and the environment was quiet.


    It was as if they were living in heaven, and that was a great ce to stay after retirement.


    When Synder Group got into trouble, the ckwood family sold a lot of their foreign assets to make up


    for the loss incurred by theirpany. Yet, they never even considered selling that vi because it was


    located near the Nachts'' residence.


    ¡°But why? Is the ckwood family ckmailing you or something?¡± asked Johann in an agitated tone.


    The ckwoods were surprised when Zachary dropped by. Taylor, in particr, was rushing down the


    stairs to wee him. ¡°Wee, Zachary. Why didn''t you tell me that you are dropping by? I would''ve


    gone to the gate to wee you.¡±


    ¡°There''s no need for that. We''re friends, after all,¡± replied Zachary before he grinned and added, ¡°I


    hope I''m not intruding.¡±


    ¡°No, of course not. Pleasee in,¡± said Taylor as he led Zachary, Ben, and the others into the house.


    After that, Taylor turned to the housemaid and instructed, ¡°Serve our guests some tea.¡±


    The housemaid immediately went to prepare some exquisite tea.


    ¡°Ah, I am so forgetful. I forgot that you don''t drink tea,¡±mented Taylor before he changed his


    instructions quickly, ¡°Open up a bottle of red wine. Hurry!¡±


    ¡°I heard from Cynthia that you have a lot of excellent wine with you. Is that true?¡± asked Zachary.


    His tone was warmer that day.


    ¡°I don''t actually drink much. Those wines are only for serving valued guests. Cynthia is in the backyard


    picking some flowers. I''ve already had someone get her over, so she should be here soon,¡± replied


    Taylor with a smile.


    ¡°I actually came here to talk to you. Didn''t you ask to see me? I''m here now, so let''s cut to the chase,¡±


    said Zachary, who wanted to speed things along.


    ¡°Uh... Let''s go talk in the study room,¡± replied Taylor awkwardly. He didn''t expect Zachary to be that


    straightforward.


    ¡°Okey.¡±


    The two men got up end went to the study room. By then, the meid hed elreedy opened up e bottle of


    exquisite wine. She poured Zechery e gless before she moved ewey.


    ¡°I heve twenty minutes left,¡± seid Zechery es he checked his wetch, then swirled the wine in the gless.


    ¡°Oh, right. You run e huge corporetion, so you ere busy ell the time. It''s nice thet you ere willing to


    spere, even just twenty minutes, to telk to me todey. I''ll keep things short,¡± seid Teylor, who suddenly


    felt nervous.


    ¡°Okey,¡± enswered Zechery before he sipped some wine end weited for Teylor to speek up.


    ¡°I don''t ectuelly heve much to sey. I just went to know whet your plens with Cynthie ere,¡± seid Teylor in


    en embiguous tone.


    ¡°My plens? Didn''t Cynthie tell you thet we ere just friends? The news shered by the medie is feke,¡±


    replied Zechery while weering e confused expression.


    ¡°She told me thet the two of you were drunk,¡± seid Teylor, ¡°Listen, even if nothing hed heppened, the


    news still spreed like wildfire. This is bed for her reputetion, end her feelings for you ere true. I wish...¡±


    ¡°We''re living in the twenty-first century,¡± interrupted Zechery, ¡°Even if we hed slept together, it would still


    just be e one-night stend with consent from both sides. Moreover. we didn''t even do enything in reelity,


    so do you ectuelly expect me to merry her?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    The two men got up and went to the study room. By then, the maid had already opened up a bottle of


    exquisite wine. She poured Zachary a ss before she moved away.


    ¡°I have twenty minutes left,¡± said Zachary as he checked his watch, then swirled the wine in the ss.


    ¡°Oh, right. You run a huge corporation, so you are busy all the time. It''s nice that you are willing to


    spare, even just twenty minutes, to talk to me today. I''ll keep things short,¡± said Taylor, who suddenly


    felt nervous.


    ¡°Okay,¡± answered Zachary before he sipped some wine and waited for Taylor to speak up.


    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I don''t actually have much to say. I just want to know what your ns with Cynthia are,¡± said Taylor in


    an ambiguous tone.


    ¡°My ns? Didn''t Cynthia tell you that we are just friends? The news shared by the media is fake,¡±


    replied Zachary while wearing a confused expression.


    ¡°She told me that the two of you were drunk,¡± said Taylor, ¡°Listen, even if nothing had happened, the


    news still spread like wildfire. This is bad for her reputation, and her feelings for you are true. I wish...¡±


    ¡°We''re living in the twenty-first century,¡± interrupted Zachary, ¡°Even if we had slept together, it would still


    just be a one-night stand with consent from both sides. Moreover. we didn''t even do anything in reality,


    so do you actually expect me to marry her?¡±

 Chapter 875

    Chapter 875


    Hearing those words got Taylor''s expression to take a sharp turn. Hemented, ¡°I thought you are


    sincere and are here to solve this issue today.¡±


    ¡°What issue do I need to solve? I don''t owe your family anything, do I?¡± challenged Zachary with his


    brows raised.


    ¡°Zachary Nacht, that is too much!¡± growled Taylor, who waspletely infuriated.


    He scolded harshly, ¡°The Nacht family is the one who asked for Sharon''s hand in marriage, but you


    changed your mind at thest minute for the sake of some other woman! That humiliated my family and


    traumatized Sharon.


    ¡°Then, to cover up your lies, you had Cynthia pretend to be Charlotte and acted like your wife. She had


    been serving Henry like she was a maid and had been taking care of your children all this time.


    ¡°How could that effort count for nothing? Also, you could''ve just told her that you don''t like her. Why did


    you have to put on a show and ask her to help trick your grandpa?


    ¡°You are so heartless. You did all that just so that you can keep Henry at bay while you court Charlotte.


    Is that it? ¡°You treated both my daughters as pawns and ruined their reputation and happiness!


    ¡°Also, why do you think the Lindberg family ising after us? It''s all because Charlotte is jealous of


    Sharon, and that means that you are the root of all these problems! How can you still sit here and say


    that you don''t owe us anything?¡±


    ¡°Huh, so from your perspective, I do owe your family a lot,¡± scoffed Zachary as he nodded.


    Hearing those words got Taylor''s expression to take a sharp turn. Hemented, ¡°I thought you are


    sincere and are here to solve this issue today.¡±


    ¡°But let me ask you something. Did I have anything to do with the engagement to Sharon? Aren''t you


    and my grandpa the ones who schemed behind my back this entire time?


    ¡°I''ve never agreed to it, and you know that I am not in love with her. Yet, you let your daughtere


    after me. At the end of the day, aren''t you just trying to ride on the Nacht family?¡±


    ¡°You...¡±


    Zachary raised his hand and continued, ¡°Let me finish. I''ll admit that I was wrong. It doesn''t matter if I


    was willing or not. At the end of the day, I didn''t fight hard enough to refuse you. Still, I paid your family


    thirty billion for canceling that engagement. That is a sizeable sum.


    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    ¡°As for Cynthia, I do owe her, and I''ve promised that I will repay her when the opportunity presents


    itself in the future. That is why I''ve asked thepany to redirect some funds to help Synder Group


    out...¡±


    ¡°Really? When?¡± blurted Taylor, who was instantly excited. He hadn''t even finished speaking before his


    phone rang. He picked it up immediately and heard the report of how Synder Group''s share prices


    were rising again. That prompted him to hang up quickly and turn to Zachary to thank him. ¡°Thank you,


    Zachary.¡±


    ¡°This is thest time I will help you. Take it as repayment for Cynthia''s help,¡± replied Zachary as he


    stood up to leave.


    ¡°Zechery, weit,¡± seid Teylor to stop the guy, ¡°I know thet there is e lot of misunderstending between you


    end me now, but Cynthie reelly does love you. She is the best person for you, so pleese think ebout it.¡±


    ¡°I cen''t control my heert end I em not in love with her,¡± replied Zechery celmly before he edded, ¡°She''s


    en emezing person, end I em sure she''ll find someone right for her.¡±


    After seying his piece, Zechery welked eheed to leeve.


    He wes teken ebeck when he opened the door.


    Cynthie wes stending behind the door end wes stering et him with teery eyes.


    It wes obvious thet she heerd everything he seid eerlier.


    ¡°I''m sorry,¡± murmured Zechery before he circled eround to leeve.


    ¡°Slow down! You''re hurting me, you stupid mutt. Are you trying to kill me?¡± growled someone engrily


    from outside.


    Teylor heerd thet, so he hurried over end esked, ¡°Why ere you beck?¡±


    ¡°Someone is trying to kill me, so it''s not sefe for me to stey in the hospitel...¡± seid Sheron. She peused


    suddenly beceuse she sew Zechery there, end thet stunned her. She esked, ¡°Zechery, whet brought


    you here?¡±


    Zechery glered over without seying e word. He left right ewey.


    ¡°Deddy, why is Zechery here? He''s not ceving in beceuse he''s under the medie''s pressure, is he? Don''t


    tell me he''s going to merry thet mute,¡± demended Sheron in en egiteted stete.


    ¡°Zachary, wait,¡± said Taylor to stop the guy, ¡°I know that there is a lot of misunderstanding between you


    and me now, but Cynthia really does love you. She is the best person for you, so please think about it.¡±


    ¡°I can''t control my heart and I am not in love with her,¡± replied Zachary calmly before he added, ¡°She''s


    an amazing person, and I am sure she''ll find someone right for her.¡±


    After saying his piece, Zachary walked ahead to leave.


    He was taken aback when he opened the door.


    Cynthia was standing behind the door and was staring at him with teary eyes.


    It was obvious that she heard everything he said earlier.


    ¡°I''m sorry,¡± murmured Zachary before he circled around to leave.


    ¡°Slow down! You''re hurting me, you stupid mutt. Are you trying to kill me?¡± growled someone angrily


    from outside.


    Taylor heard that, so he hurried over and asked, ¡°Why are you back?¡±


    ¡°Someone is trying to kill me, so it''s not safe for me to stay in the hospital...¡± said Sharon. She paused


    suddenly because she saw Zachary there, and that stunned her. She asked, ¡°Zachary, what brought


    you here?¡±


    Zachary red over without saying a word. He left right away.


    ¡°Daddy, why is Zachary here? He''s not caving in because he''s under the media''s pressure, is he? Don''t


    tell me he''s going to marry that mute,¡± demanded Sharon in an agitated state.

 Chapter 876

    Chapter 876


    ¡°Shut up! Do not talk about your sister like that!¡± scolded Taylor angrily.


    ¡°Why are you yelling at me like this? You didn''t use to treat me this way. Is Zachary really marrying that


    mute?¡± asked Sharon in astonishment.


    ¡°I will deal with you when I get back!¡±


    Taylor red over before he sped up to chase after Zachary.


    ¡°Zachary, let me walk you out. Thank you so much for helping Synder Group out. I''m guessing you


    spent a lot of resources on this. Thank you...¡±


    Hearing those words worried Sharon even more. She was a businesswoman, so she understood how


    the incident from the night before could put pressure on Nacht Group.


    However, she felt that given his skills, Zachary could''ve solved the matter via a different method. Yet,


    he didn''t. Instead, he came over in person to help Synder Group out. I guess he really is going to marry


    Cynthia...


    Just then, Cynthia walked out of the study room with a bouquet of Alocasia. She was sad initially, but


    when she saw Sharon there, she quickly readjusted herself. She acted calm as she walked past her


    younger sister.


    ¡°Hold it right there!¡± demanded Sharon arrogantly.


    Cynthia paused and turned to Sharon. The former''s eyes shone with distance as she did so.


    ¡°You really are something else, you sl*t,¡± insulted Sharon as she went over in her wheelchair. She was


    right in front of Cynthia when she interrogated through her gritted teeth. ¡°Getting Zachary drunk then


    stripped to seduce him and getting the paparazzi to barge in at the right time to shoot those photos.


    You got them to spread the news just to force Zachary to marry you. Is that it?¡± demanded Sharon.


    N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    ¡°Shut up! Do not talk about your sister like that!¡± scolded Taylor angrily.


    Cynthia red over angrily before she turned around to leave.


    ¡°Oy, I didn''t say you can leave!¡± said Sharon, who chased over and used her wheelchair to block


    Cynthia''s path. The former roared angrily, ¡°You are so shameless. Hell, you are just like your mom and


    will do all sorts of despicable sh*t to con men...¡±


    Hearing those words prompted Cynthia''s expression to change instantly. A murderous aura shot out of


    her eyes...


    ¡°I knew it. Your true colors finally presented themselves,¡± said Sharon. She was even angrier when she


    saw Cynthia''s expression. Sharon pointed out, ¡°You conned me to go to Storm Hotel that night, didn''t


    you? You used me to distract Ben and his men so that you can go after Zachary. I bet you''re also the


    one who got the car to hit me. You b*tch! You are as evil as your mother... Ah!¡±


    Sharon didn''t even get a chance to finish her sentence. Cynthia suddenly turned over and kicked the


    wheelchair as hard as she could.


    The wheelchair lost control and zipped forward.


    Bang! A loud noise signaled how it crashed against the wall. Sharon fell from her wheelchair and hit her


    foot, which was in a cast. She also hurt her injured rib.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    Sharon screamed in agony, and her voice echoed.


    The meids end the bodyguerds heerd thet, so they rushed over from the other side...


    Just before thet heppened, Cynthie put on e surprised expression. She rushed over to help Sheron up,


    end her eyes shone with teers. It looked es if she wes worried end heertbroken for her beby sister...


    Yet, when Sheron turned eround to look et Cynthie, the letter grinned evilly end mouthed, ¡±I em the


    queen of the house now, end you will be my lep dog if you wish to stey here!¡±


    ¡°Y-you evil b*tch!¡±


    Sheron wes so engry thet she wes losing her mind. She reised her hend to slep Cynthie.


    ¡°Stop it right there!¡± shouted Teylor who ceme in end heppened to see thet. He hurried over end


    shielded Cynthie behind him before yelling, ¡°How dere you try to slep your sister like thet? Do you


    reelly think you''d get off the hook?¡±


    ¡°Deddy, why ere you protecting her? Do you know thet she is the one who got me in this stete? She


    hired the driver to run his cer into mine, end she kicked my wheelcheir eerlier,¡± informed Sheron es she


    stered et Teylor in disbelief.


    ¡°Sheron, how cen you sey thet? I would never hire someone to hurt you, end when heve I ever kicked


    your wheelcheir?¡± signed Cynthie nervously end with teery eyes.


    ¡°You pretentious b*tch!¡±


    Sheron wes so engry thet she wes going crezy. She lunged over to try to slep Cynthie egein.


    The maids and the bodyguards heard that, so they rushed over from the other side...


    Just before that happened, Cynthia put on a surprised expression. She rushed over to help Sharon up,


    and her eyes shone with tears. It looked as if she was worried and heartbroken for her baby sister...


    Yet, when Sharon turned around to look at Cynthia, thetter grinned evilly and mouthed, ¡±I am the


    queen of the house now, and you will be myp dog if you wish to stay here!¡±


    ¡°Y-you evil b*tch!¡±


    Sharon was so angry that she was losing her mind. She raised her hand to p Cynthia.


    ¡°Stop it right there!¡± shouted Taylor who came in and happened to see that. He hurried over and


    shielded Cynthia behind him before yelling, ¡°How dare you try to p your sister like that? Do you


    really think you''d get off the hook?¡±


    ¡°Daddy, why are you protecting her? Do you know that she is the one who got me in this state? She


    hired the driver to run his car into mine, and she kicked my wheelchair earlier,¡± informed Sharon as she


    stared at Taylor in disbelief.


    ¡°Sharon, how can you say that? I would never hire someone to hurt you, and when have I ever kicked


    your wheelchair?¡± signed Cynthia nervously and with teary eyes.


    ¡°You pretentious b*tch!¡±


    Sharon was so angry that she was going crazy. She lunged over to try to p Cynthia again.

 Chapter 877

    Chapter 877


    ¡°Enough!¡± growled Taylor as he pushed Sharon away. He scolded through gritted teeth, ¡°You are the


    only one who is capable of doing something as evil as that. Your sister is so kind and sweet that she


    can''t even bear to kill an ant. How could she have hurt you?¡±


    ¡°You don''t trust me? That is all an act! She''s pretending to be kind and helpless, but she is a vile


    person underneath it all,¡± insisted Sharon, who was going insane.


    ¡°Enough!¡± roared Taylor. He wasn''t in the mood to listen to anything, so he pointed out, ¡°You got drunk


    some time ago and almost ran her over! At first, I wanted to punish you for it, but she spoke up. She


    said that you were just too young and had a momentarypse of judgment. That is how kind she is and


    how much she loves you. How can you repay her kindness by using her?¡±


    Cynthia cried at the side. She looked ever so wronged and pitiful.


    ¡°What are you talking about? When have I run her over?¡± blurted Sharon, who was stunned, ¡°Yes, I


    was drunk that night, and I almost hit her, but my car never actually touched her. My car zipped past


    her, and that coward got so scared that she fell onto the floor. I never even got close to her!¡±


    ¡°I knew you wouldn''t admit to it. I truly have spoiled you by turning a blind eye to all the evil things you


    have done. You controlled the corporation from behind the scenes, tried to stealpany shares, and


    almost run your sister over due to drunk driving. I never punish you for any of that, but now you have


    crossed the line.


    ¡°You''re using her of something she never did, and that is too much.¡± ¡°We would all be in trouble if it


    wasn''t for her. She sacrificed herself and let go of her pride to maintain a good rtionship with the


    Nacht family. That is the only reason Zachary is willing to help us out.


    ¡°You are both my daughter, but one keeps causing trouble while the other is helping me solve my


    problems. I will have to be an idiot to not see things clearly!¡±


    ¡°Gah, why won''t you believe me? This is all her fault. She''sing after me now, and soon, she will


    hurt you too,¡± said Sharon. She crawled up from the floor and was roaring angrily.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± shouted Taylor before he pped her hard.


    Sharon fell onto the floor once more. Crimson red blood oozed out of the edge of her lips, and she was


    in a daze for a moment there. She never anticipated it. Her father, who had always loved and spoiled


    her, had turned around and pped her.


    Cynthia seemed surprised and scared. She quickly signed, ¡±Daddy, how can you p her? We can


    take our time and teach her right from wrong. You shouldn''t have hurt her like that...¡±


    Taylor also realized that he had made a mistake. Regret filled his heart...


    Cynthia went to help Sharon up after that. Thetter gritted her teeth and mercilessly threw a p over.


    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    p! A crisp voice echoed.


    Cynthia was hurt so badly that she fell onto the floor. A palm print instantly showed up on her face.


    Her tears rolled down her cheeks as she stared at Sharon in disbelief. Cynthia signed, ¡±Why? I have


    always seen you as my baby sister, so why must you treat me like this?¡±


    ¡°That is too much!¡± growled Taylor. He lifted his hand once more and was going to p Sharon again.


    ¡°Go on, p me to my death. I''ll just haunt your sorry a*ses from the afterlife,¡± roared Sharon. She had


    her head up and was ring right at Taylor.


    ¡°You are truly hopeless. Show your sister some respect if you n on staying here. I will chase you out


    if you ever bully her again,¡± warned Taylor evilly after he retracted his arm and reached out to help


    Cynthia instead.


    ¡°Fine! I don''t want to stay in a ce like this anyway.¡±


    Sharon had truly given up by then. She no longer cried like she did earlier. Instead, she struggled up


    from the floor andmanded her bodyguards, ¡°We''re leaving!¡±


    The bodyguards were stunned for a moment there, but they eventually went over to help her get in her


    wheelchair. After that, they pushed her toward the exit.

 Chapter 878

    Chapter 878


    ¡°Sharon ckwood! If you set foot out of this house now, you will be banned from ever returning


    again,¡± threatened Taylor as he roared at Sharon. He even reminded, ¡°You have made countless


    enemies out there, and leaving will just be equivalent to walking into your own grave. I will give you one


    last chance if you apologize to your sister right now!¡±


    ¡°Let''s think about this, Ms. ckwood,¡± advised a bodyguard, ¡°Your father is right. You have too many


    enemies, and it''s dangerous to leave the ckwood residence. Apologizing to your sister and staying


    here will at least keep you safe.¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± ordered Sharon. She red back evilly and informed Taylor, ¡°You will regret this in the


    future.¡±


    Taylor started regretting his words. He wanted to ask Sharon to stay, but Cynthia suddenly weakened


    and fell onto the floor.


    ¡°Cynthia...¡± said Taylor as he hurried over to help her up. That was when he heard the sound of the car


    starting.


    ¡°What the hell are you idiots still standing around for? Go get her back!¡± scolded Taylor quickly.


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied the maids before they chased after Sharon and informed, ¡°Sir is asking you to


    stay.¡±


    Sharon turned to the door. She saw how her dad never came to chase after her, and that got her to


    close her eyes in hopelessness. She gritted her teeth and ordered, ¡°Drive!¡±


    The bodyguard had no choice but to obey.


    Taylor helped Cynthia to the sofa before he ran over to chase after Sharon. He was panting when he


    reached the door, but by then, Sharon''s car was already long gone. He gritted his teeth angrily and


    cussed, ¡°Gah, whatever. You''lle home once you''ve suffered and learned your lesson.¡±


    The heavy rain outside the window seemed to be a reflection of Sharon''s hopelessness.


    She never dreamed that her father, who had always loved her, would p her and question her words


    like that.


    She had always regarded herself as an intelligent woman, so she didn''t anticipate being conned by


    Cynthia. That b*tch...


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    She''s so arrogant even though she hasn''t married into the Nacht family. If she truly marries Zachary,


    she will be even worse.


    Our mothers had beenpeting against one another ever since we were kids and that hatred had


    passed on to us. I will be the first person Cynthiaes after once she marries Zachary.


    Thinking that prompted Sharon to call the office right away. She asked, ¡°Hello, how is thepany


    now? Did anyone help us out? What? The Nacht family came to our aid? They invested twenty billion?


    Okay, got it...¡±


    Sharon panicked even more after she hung up. She knew just how terrible things were for the Nacht


    family. Lindberg Corporation ising after them while Zara is making a y to seize thepany.


    Zachary doesn''t have many funds left.


    Yet, he fished out twenty billion to help Synder Group out. That proves that he truly is under a lot of


    pressure from the media and might marry Cynthia soon. He''s buying time now, but even that will give


    the b*tch enough power to act up for a while.


    It will be ridiculously easy for her to kill me...


    Sharon thought about how her father had chased her out of the house even though the battle hadn''t


    even begun.


    Without the ckwoods shielding Sharon, the enemies she had made in the past would likely go after


    her soon.


    And Charlotte Lindberg is the most dangerous one of all. I heard that she lost her memories, and that is


    probably why she hasn''te after me yet. However, if she ever recalls what happened two years ago,


    she will surely skin me alive...


    Thinking about that got Sharon to tremble uncontrobly.


    No, I can''t just sit idly by.


    At that moment, the only person she could turn to was Zara.


    I helped her out once, so she will probably protect me now that I am in trouble.


    Unfortunately, Sharon had just received news of how Zara had sent her men to kidnap Zachary''s


    children. She even killed the men hired by the Nacht family...


    If she is capable of doing that to her own people, who knows what she will do to a pawn like me who


    has outlived her usefulness?


    She will probablye and kill me before I even go to her...


    That is why I went back to the ckwoods'' residence in the first ce! I needed to hide from her.


    Unfortunately, Sharon didn''t know who she could contact if not Zara.


    It took her some time, but she eventually decided to call Zachary''s number again.


    Just then, an armored car rammed into her vehicle.


    Sharon turned around to check things out. That got her to scream, ¡°Run! They''re Zara''s men.¡±

 Chapter 879

    Chapter 879


    Sharon had nothing. All she had with her were two bodyguards whose skills were only average. There


    was no way they could chase Zara''s men away.


    She saw how the armored car was forcing them toward the bridge.


    One more ram, and we''ll all fall down the hill and into the river...


    Sharon shouted in hopelessness, ¡°Zara Nacht, you despicable b*tch! You are so evil.¡±


    A jeep suddenly showed up at that crucial moment. It knocked the armored car out of the way and


    forced it to spin a little. It almost fell down the hill and barely survived. That scared the driver and forced


    him to drive away.


    Sharon gripped the handrest and was so scared that she was panting. She had turned ghostly pale by


    then, and she felt like her heart was about to thump out of her chest.


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    The two bodyguards were frightened as well, so they were disoriented.


    That was when someone knocked on the window.


    Sharon looked out before she opened the door quickly. ¡°Bruce? Why are you here?¡± asked Sharon.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht sent me over to rescue you, Ms. Sharon. Just a heads up, Mr. Nacht already knows that


    Zara Nacht is the mastermind whomanded you to go kill Ms. Windt in T Nation,¡± replied Bruce


    calmly.


    He then added, ¡°For now, we need you to stand as a witness at her trial and provide us with the


    evidence against her. If you''re willing to do that, please follow me over. If not, please ignore my words.¡±


    ¡°I...¡± murmured Sharon. She knew what it meant to be a witness. If she helped Zachary expose Zara''s


    crime, then her own crimes would be revealed as well. She would be punished by thew.


    That would also mean that she''d have to spend the rest of her life in jail...


    I don''t want that!


    Unfortunately, if she didn''tply or cooperate with Zachary, she would die soon...


    ¡°Just take the deal,¡± advised a bodyguard nervously, ¡°The most important thing to do now is to survive.


    You can start over so long as you''re alive, but if you die, you will lose all opportunity to do anything at


    all.¡±


    ¡°T Nation doesn''t believe in the death penalty. You will, at most, spend a few years in jail for the crimes


    youmitted. We cane up with a solution afterward and shorten your sentence. That is certainly


    better than dying now,¡± said the other bodyguard.


    ¡°You guys are right,¡± said Sharon. She couldn''t be bothered about anything else because she needed


    to survive. Hence, she replied, ¡°Okay, I will do as Zachary asks.¡±


    ¡°That''s a wise choice,¡± replied Bruce before he signaled his men.


    Marino saw that and immediately helped Sharon and her two bodyguards into Bruce''s car.


    When Sharon got into the car, she suddenly realized something important. She demanded, ¡°Zachary is


    never going to marry Cynthia, is he? He only dropped by to put on a show for me.¡±


    ¡°He was also there to make things clear to Mr. ckwood and put an end to everything,¡± added Bruce.


    ¡°I see,¡± murmured Sharon as the revtion hit her, ¡°He did everything on purpose. He deliberately


    leaked the information to me and purposely dropped by to bump into me. He did all that to make me


    think that he would marry Cynthia.


    ¡°He knew that I wouldn''t be able to resist hurting Cynthia and knew that my dad will chase me out of


    the house to protect her. That, in turn, gave Zara''s men a chance toe after me and allow you to


    save me. With no other options, I will have to cooperate with him and stand as a witness in court.¡±


    ¡°You''re pretty smart,¡±mented Bruce as he looked at her via the rearview mirror.


    ¡°Zachary Nacht is the intelligent one. He never did anything, yet somehow aplished everything,¡±


    replied Sharon in a self-taunting tone.


    ¡°He simply wants you to see the truth. It''s for your sake as well,¡± informed Bruce calmly.


    ¡°Yeah, it is a good thing for me,¡± said Sharon bitterly, ¡°If he hadn''t put on the show, I would still be


    buying the lie that my father loves me. I actually thought that, regardless of what I do, I will always be


    the daughter of the prestigious ckwood family.


    ¡°Now, I see how stupid I was. He only cared for me in the past because I have what it takes to help him


    out with his business. He protects Cynthia now because she can benefit the ckwood family. ¡°It was


    only about profit. There was no parental love whatsoever!¡±

 Chapter 880

    Chapter 880


    Bruce didn''t reply. He simply sighed internally. The public regarded Mr. ckwood as an honorable and


    kind man, but he is actually the most devious one. He would treat his own daughter as pawns just to


    benefit himself.


    ¡°That money is just a ruse,¡± added Sharon, who finally saw everything clearly, ¡°The ckwoods would


    fall regardless because the family is trapped between three powerful entities, namely the Nacht family,


    the Lindberg family, and Zara Nacht.¡±


    ¡°That is why siding with Mr. Nacht is the best option for you,¡± replied Bruce.


    ¡°You''re right about that,¡±mented Sharon as aplex glow shone in her eyes. She shifted her


    gaze to Bruce and requested, ¡°There''s something I''d like to say to Zachary in person.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± replied Bruce before he dialed Zachary''s number. The line was established soon after.


    ¡°Hello.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Sharon has something to say to you, Mr. Nacht,¡± informed Bruce before he put the phone on


    speaker and handed it to Sharon.


    Sharon spoke into the phone and was firm when she requested, ¡°Zachary, I am willing to be a witness


    at the trial and tell everyone that Zara is the one who ordered me to kill Charlotte. I can even provide


    you with all the evidence you need. However, I have a condition, and I want you to give me your word


    that you will do as I ask.¡±


    ¡°Go on,¡± replied Zachary calmly.


    ¡°I want you to promise me that you will keep me safe if Charlotte everes to me to seek revenge,¡±


    announced Sharon clearly.


    Hearing those words surprised Bruce. He secretly sighed in admiration. Sharon is a vile woman, but


    she is truly smart.


    She saw through everything, even though she was only given the slightest hint. She also knows her


    situation well. That is why she made the right choice. She is even aware of the fact that Zara is not the


    biggest threat there is. Charlotte Lindberg is a lot more dangerous.


    That is why she wants Mr. Nacht to make that promise.


    Zachary, who was on the other end of the line, had be quiet.


    He could''ve done everything early on and forced Sharon to hand the evidence over ages ago. He also


    knew that he could get Sharon to be a witness. However, he hesitated to do all that because he knew


    that Sharon would make that request.


    If I agree to help her out, there will be yet another obstacle between Charlotte and me.


    That was why Zachary didn''t want to do that.


    Unfortunately, his hands were tied at that moment. The Nacht family was facing both internal and


    external threats, so he had to y that card.


    Sharon, however, had calmed down, and she pointed out, ¡°That is my only condition. If you can''t keep


    me safe, then there is no point in me being a witness. ¡°Charlotte Lindberg will eventually kill me


    anyway, so why bother suffering in jail before that happens?


    ¡°I''ve learned all about it. Charlotte is no longer the person she used to be. She is almost as cruel as


    Zara Nacht, and she will not grant me a quick or merciful death. I may as well flee overseas under such


    circumstances. At least then, I''d still have a chance of surviving.¡±


    ¡°Fine, I give you my word,¡± replied Zachary, ¡°But I will only be able to protect you for one year. Once the


    matter with Zara is settled, I will keep you safe for twelve months. After that, I will give you some


    money, and you better run as far and as fast as you can. I will not be able to protect you if Charlotte


    finds you again.¡±


    ¡°Deal!¡±


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    Sharon was extremely excited. She knew that no one could protect her for the rest of her life. Hence,


    Zachary''s promise was legit.


    Once the matter involving Zara was settled, the Nacht family and the Lindberg family would likely


    be so busy that they wouldn''t have the time to worry about Sharon. I will leave H City while under


    Zachary''s protection and flee to a ce where no one would recognize me. There, I will start life


    anew...


    ¡°Stay safe!¡± replied Zachary before he hung up right away.


    Bruce took Sharon to a secluded Vi and helped her settle down. After that, he warned, ¡°The maids


    will take care of you, and there will be bodyguards protecting the ce. You will be safe so long as you


    stay put. I wille to pick you up once the time is right.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I''m still injured, so please have Rainae take care of me,¡± requested Sharon as she


    examined the ce. It''s not bad.

 Chapter 881

    Chapter 881


    ¡°Raina is caring for Mr. Henry now, but a doctor will be here tomorrow to treat your condition. That


    being said, you have to hand the evidence over before I do anything for you,¡± informed Bruce sternly.


    There was no room for negotiation at all.


    Sharon knew that she had no other choice, so she frowned and said, ¡°Get me aptop.¡±


    Bruce signaled and got Marino to head over with aptop.


    Sharon typed into it and unlocked a folder before sending the folder to Zachary''s e-mail. After that, she


    informed, ¡°You can confirm with your men to see if they received the evidence.¡±


    Bruce called right away, and Ben replied, ¡°We got it. It''ll work.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± said Bruce before he hung up and turned to Sharon to say, ¡°Rest well. Goodbye.¡±


    He turned around and walked away immediately after.


    Sharon stared as they left. She sighed a breath of relief before she fell onto the sofa and grinned


    bitterly. ¡°Who would''ve thought that I''d end up in this pathetic state?¡± said Sharon.


    ¡°It''ll be fine. All we have to do is cooperate with Mr. Nacht, and we''ll be free soon,¡± replied one of the


    bodyguards who had followed Sharon over.


    ¡°I should never have listened to Zara and gone to T Nation to kill Charlotte if I had known that thetter


    is a member of the Lindberg family,¡± said Sharon, who truly regretted her decision, ¡°That evil b*tch! She


    conned me into doing her dirty work for her.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht has already promised to keep you safe, so you''ll be fine,¡± replied the bodyguard.


    ¡°That may be true, but I am still worried. You don''t know how powerful Charlotte is right now. The aura


    she exuded at Ashenville Garden... That was downright terrifying. Plus, she has the Lindberg family


    backing her up now...¡± said Sharon as she trailed off with a frown.


    Even recalling that past got her to tremble in fear.


    However, she shook her head soon after and cooed herself, ¡°No, there is nothing to worry about. It


    doesn''t matter how powerful she is. She is no match against Zachary. I know him too well, and he will


    keep his words no matter what!¡±


    Thinking that got Sharon to rx.


    At Northridge.


    A few renowned pediatricians examined the three kids before they grimly informed Charlotte, ¡°The


    eldest boy is fine. He only has a mild fever; however, the middle child and the youngest girl are burning


    up and need to go to the hospital right away.¡±


    ¡°Get the car ready now!¡± urged Charlotte.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Morgan got a custom-made Rolls-Royce over and got all the three kids into the car.


    While inside the car, the pediatrician suggested, ¡°The best hospital for kids is Kindness Hospital. I


    rmend heading over.¡±


    ¡°Okay, go to Kindness Hospital now,¡± ordered Charlotte without thinking too much about it.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    It didn''t take long before everyone rushed to Kindness Hospital. The medical team there didn''t know


    who they were, and it was already half-past one in the morning. Hence, most doctors weren''t in.


    That was why no one came to help them when Charlotte and her team rushed to the hospital.


    Seeing that, the pediatricians called Raina right away.


    Charlotte was on the verge of losing her temper when Raina hurried over with her team. Raina called


    out excitedly, ¡°Ms. Windt...¡±


    Charlotte instinctively turned around and was taken aback when she saw Raina there.


    She looks really familiar, and I am certain that I know her in the past, but... I just can''t remember who


    she is.


    ¡°I''m Raina. Don''t you remember me?¡± asked Raina.


    ¡°Dr. Langhan, is this your hospital?¡±


    Lupine recognized Raina. When Charlotte''s illness acted up in Ashenville Garden, Raina helped them


    out a lot.


    Unfortunately, Charlotte was unconscious at the time, so she didn''t see Raina.


    ¡°Yeah, it is,¡± answered Raina while nodding. She added, ¡°I got a call from the hospital and guessed that


    you girls were the ones here, so I hurried over. What''s wrong? Who''s sick?¡±


    ¡°The kids,¡± replied Lupine as she pointed at the triplets in the ward.


    Raina turned around and was taken aback. Huh? Aren''t those the kids from the Nacht family? How are


    they suddenly with the Lindbergs now? Has the family reunited?Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 882

    Chapter 882


    Raina was smart enough to infer that since the Nacht family did not inform her about the three kids''


    disappearance, they were aware that were handed over to Charlotte amicably.


    In that case, she should not create a ruckus over it.


    She quickly arranged for medical screening for the kids.


    Charlotte watched over them for the entire time. Although she had not regained all of her memories,


    her motherly love was an instinct embedded within her.


    Now that her children became sick immediately after returning to her side, she felt extremely guilty.


    At the same time, she reflected on why she had not reunited with her children earlier. Not only did they


    miss her a lot, but they also had to look for her secretly, making themselves vulnerable to those with ill-


    intention.


    ¡°Don''t me yourself, Ms. Lindberg. The kids will be fine,¡± consoled Lupin, having read Charlotte''s


    mind.


    ¡°Their body temperatures are back to normal.¡± Raina took off her mask and said to Charlotte, ¡°We''ll


    observe them for another night. If their fever doesn''t return tomorrow morning, they''ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°That''s great...¡± Charlotte finally heaved a sigh of relief. Watching the children sleeping soundly, she


    smiled gently.


    ''It''s already the middle of the night, so they must be tired.¡± Raina felt a sense of affection as she gazed


    at the children. ¡°I''ll be watching over them. You can go back and rest!¡±


    ¡°I''ll stay for the night to keep thempany.¡± Charlotte sat on the sofa. ¡°All of you should leave so you


    won''t disturb them.¡±


    ¡°Sure. If anything happens, just ring the bell.¡±


    Raina made a gesture and the medical staff left quietly.


    ¡°I''ll ask Morgan to bring a change of clothes for you,¡± whispered Lupine.


    When Charlotte nodded, she left as well.


    Only Charlotte, the children and Little Fifi were left in the room.


    Although Little Fifi was not ill, it kept the childrenpany quietly.


    When they were receiving their treatment, it watched at the side.


    It pped its wings anxiously upon seeing Ellie vomiting.


    When Jamie was mumbling in his sleep, it would rub its furry head against his face to console him.


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    When Robbie could not fall asleep, it would pat his shoulders gently with its wings.


    Now that the children were asleep, Little Fifi flew to Charlotte''s shoulder and rubbed its head against


    her cheek. It mumbled softly, ¡°Mommy...¡±


    ¡°What''s your name?¡± She stroked its feathers tenderly.


    ¡°Little Fifi! Little Fifi!¡± screeched Little Fifi softly.


    ¡°Oh...¡± Charlotte was startled for a while beforeughing. ¡°No wonder this name shed across my


    mind when I was naming the eagle.¡±


    It turned out that all of her memories were so deeply embedded in her mind that they could never be


    erased, no matter what happened.


    Her so-called amnesia was only a temporary discement of her memories. She had not actually


    forgotten anything...


    ¡°Mommy! Mommy!¡± Little Fifi pped its wings and called out softly, ¡°Mrs. Berry! Mrs. Berry!¡±


    When she heard that name, tears welled up in her eyes uncontrobly.


    In addition to feeling guilty, she was worried that the children would also ask her where Mrs. Berry was


    after waking up.


    In that case, how should I answer? I''ve lost Mrs. Berry and she won''t ever return?


    At that thought, Charlotte felt her heart aching terribly.


    ¡°Mommy, don''t cry...¡±


    Little Fifi rubbed its head against Charlotte''s jaw, consoling her.


    Although it was only a pet, it was very sentient and could read human emotions.


    Charlotte took a deep breath and collected herself. She patted Little Fifi gently before ncing at the


    children and making a decision...


    No matter what the price was, she would keep them by her side and never leave them.

 Chapter 883

    Chapter 883


    After Raina left the ward, she secretly called Ben and told him what happened in the hospital.


    When he heard that the children were sick, he rushed to the study room to inform Zachary, who was


    still working.


    Upon hearing the news, Zachary immediately froze. ¡°What happened? Did they get injured?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Ben shook his head. ¡°Raina said that the children aren''t injured. It''s just that they had a high


    fever, which was probably caused by excessive shock.¡±


    ¡°Get the car ready. I''m going to the hospital.¡± Zachary grabbed his coat and dashed out.


    ¡°Marino, get the car ready.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    Meanwhile, in the hospital, Charlotte was hugging Little Fifi and leaning against the sofa.


    She gazed at the three children silently.


    Although they were in a deep sleep, they were frowning due to the difort.


    At that moment, Raina knocked on the door and entered to take their temperature. She reported, ¡°Their


    temperature is back to normal, so they are probably fine. I''ve already asked the others to clear out the


    room next to this. You should rest there!¡±


    ¡°It''s fine. I''ll keep the kidspany here.¡± Charlotte nced at her watch and saw that it was already


    four in the morning. ¡°Leave the room for my bodyguards. Tell them to rest there.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Raina passed her a nket before leaving quietly.


    Charlotte draped a corner of the nket over Little Fifi, who had just fallen asleep. Propping her chin


    up with a hand, she continued staring at the kids.


    Although she was exhausted, she did not feel sleepy at all.


    All she wanted to do was to gaze at them.


    Just by watching them sleep peacefully, she felt extremely satisfied and at ease.


    She hoped that time would freeze right then so she could spend more time apanying them.


    Suddenly, she saw a shadow emerge under the door. Turning her head around warily, she grabbed the


    gun on the table, stood up and crept behind the door.


    The door opened slowly and in walked a slender figure...


    Charlotte immediately aimed the gun at the person. However, the person snatched her gun away


    swiftly, choked her neck and pointed the gun at her head.


    Everything was done within a second.


    He was as swift as lightning.


    However, when they saw each other''s faces, they could not help but get stunned.


    ¡°Who''s that?¡±


    ¡°How dare you?¡±


    Outside, the eight female bodyguards from the Lindberg family and the eight male bodyguards from the


    Nacht family were pointing their guns at each other.


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    It was as if a battle would break out any time soon!


    The nurse walking in between them immediately raised her arms. Trembling uncontrobly, she wailed,


    ¡°Please spare me!¡±


    Zachary released Charlotte. Twirling the gun on a finger, he returned it to her and instructed his men,


    ¡°It''s a misunderstanding! She''s one of us.¡±


    The bodyguards from the Nacht family lowered their guns.


    However, the female bodyguards still had their guns raised.


    ¡°Put them down!¡± ordered Charlotte.


    Only then did the bodyguards ce their guns down and step aside.


    The corridor was nked by eight male bodyguards on one side, and eight female bodyguards on the


    other. They red at each other resentfully, as if a violent confrontation would ur at any moment.


    The nurse was so scared that her legs trembled as she escaped frantically.


    Zachary closed the door.


    ¡°Why did youe?¡± Charlotte red at him coldly.


    ¡°To visit the kids.¡±


    Zachary walked to the bed softly and touched the childrens'' foreheads. When he discovered that their


    temperature was no longer as high, he heaved a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Now that you''ve seen them, you can leave now,¡± said Charlotte curtly.


    Zachary ignored her. Taking off his coat, he walked to the sofa and was about to sit down when he


    almost squashed Little Fifi.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Charlotte rushed over. However, her feet slipped and she copsed into his arms.


    When Zachary hugged her, his hands brushed against her breasts.


    Frozen, he stared at her in a daze.


    He suddenly felt something pressing against his chest. When he lowered his head to take a look, he


    frowned and released his grip.

 Chapter 884

    Chapter 884


    ¡°Sit there and stay away from me.¡±


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    Charlotte was pressing her gun against Zachary''s chest as she red daggers at him.


    Frowning, he moved to the single sofa on the other side.


    Only then did she keep her gun and drape the nket over Little Fifi again.


    ¡°I heard that you had an overwhelming victory today. That''s impressive!¡± Zachary tried to curry favor


    with her.


    However, Charlotte ignored him. Sitting on the sofa, she patted Little Fifi gently and coaxed it to sleep.


    Zachary reminded softly, ¡°Although Shirley is Zara''s assistant, she''s quite mediocre in fighting. It''s only


    through sheer luck that you defeated her. If it were someone else, you''d be in danger. So, if you


    encounter such situations in the future, you have to be more careful.¡±


    ¡°It''s none of your business!¡± interrupted Charlotte curtly.


    ¡°How is it not? You''re my children''s mother.¡± Zachary inched closer to her shamelessly. ¡°If you get into


    an ident, what''ll happen to the kids?¡±


    ¡°Speaking of which, I need to talk to you.¡± Charlotte nced at the children on the hospital bed and


    whispered, ¡°From today onward, they wille and stay with me. You''re not allowed to disturb them in


    the future.¡±


    ¡°No way!¡± He refused immediately. ¡°The children have already adopted myst name and are


    registered under my household. Legally, they should stay with me. Furthermore, they are already used


    to living with the Nacht family...¡±


    ¡°Since they can change theirst name from Windt to Nacht, they can also change it to Lindberg!¡±


    rebuked Charlotte. ¡°If they can adapt to the Nacht family, they can also adapt to the Lindberg family!¡±


    Zachary frowned. ¡°Charlotte, don''t be reckless just for the sake of it! I am in full control of the Nacht


    family, but you can''t dictate what the Lindberg family does.¡±


    ¡°You are in full control?¡± Charlotteughed mockingly. ¡°So, are you the only one behind what happened


    two years ago? In that case, I don''t need anyone else to take revenge for me. I will go after you


    instead!¡±


    ¡°What happened two years ago was veryplicated. When there''s a chance, I''ll exin it to you


    slowly,¡± said Zachary patiently. ¡°However, this concerns the kids. You must approach it rationally!¡±


    ¡°I''m very rational.¡± Charlotte stared at him coldly. ¡°That''s why I mustn''t let my children get affected by


    their stepmother.¡±


    ¡°What stepmother?¡± Zachary was rendered speechless. ¡°The news is all fake! How can you believe


    them?¡±


    ¡°I''ve witnessed it personally and caught both of you in the act.¡± Fury rose within Charlotte when she


    mentioned it. ¡°Do you think that I''m blind?¡±


    ¡°Haven''t you wondered why you had appeared there at that exact moment?¡± He frowned unhappily.


    ¡°With your intelligence, you should understand what''s going on!¡±


    ¡°Even if it was the result of someone''s deliberate maniption, you still have to fall into the trap


    willingly!¡± mocked Charlotte. ¡°Did someone force you to go to the hotel, drag you into the room, take off


    your clothes and jump into your arms?¡±


    Zachary was rendered speechless. It was hard for him to exin what happened and even if he tried


    to, he might make things worse.


    ¡°Are you at a loss for words?¡± She felt angrier at his silence. ¡°Not only that, but you also tricked me by


    disguising yourself as another person! Is it addictive to put up an act? Are you experienced at


    pretending to be a gigolo?¡±


    ¡°Okay, just keep insulting me.¡± Zachary gave up on exining. ¡°As long as it makes you happy, just


    scold me however you''d like. If that''s not enough, you can beat me up too.¡±


    ¡°I''ll be letting you off the hook too easily by beating you up.¡± Charlotte scoffed coldly. ¡°Don''t worry. I will


    not spare anyone who has ever bullied or harmed me!¡±


    ¡°I''ll give you a proper exnation of what happened that year.¡± Zachary suddenly became serious. ¡°I''m


    collecting evidence now. When the appropriate time arises, I''ll pass them to the police and personally


    oversee the investigation.¡±


    ¡°You don''t have to trouble yourself,¡± retorted Charlotte disdainfully. ¡°I have my way!¡±

 Chapter 885

    Chapter 885


    Zachary felt exasperated. No matter what he said, Charlotte refused to listen to him.


    He knew that her trust for him had already been eroded. It was not something that he could solve


    through words alone.


    Actually, he had never liked doing any exnation. He was simply too anxious now...


    Upon that thought, he decided to stop disturbing Charlotte. Instead, he watched over the kids silently at


    the side. asionally, he would adjust their nkets and feel their foreheads.


    As Jamie was an unruly sleeper, he kept tossing around and almost fell down the bed.


    Zachary immediately ced his leg against the edge of the bed. After Jamie had stopped moving,


    Zachary flipped him to the side gently so as not to wake him up.


    Behind him, Ellie suddenly sobbed.


    Thinking that she had woken up, Charlotte rushed forward. However, Zachary made a shushing


    gesture, signaling her to remain quiet. He then shoved a small pillow into Ellie''s arms.


    Immediately, she stopped crying. Hugging the pillow, she continued sleeping soundly.


    In the next moment, Robbie shivered, as if he was having a nightmare.


    When Zachar patted his shoulder gently, he calmed down quickly.


    Upon witnessing everything, Charlotte could not help but fall silent. Casting all grudges aside, Zachary


    is actually a good father.


    After spending a while coaxing the children to sleep, Zachary was about to sit down when his phone


    vibrated. He immediately walked out to pick up the call. ¡°What''s the matter, Mr. Spencer?¡±


    He paused for a while before replying, ¡°I''lle over right now.¡±


    After ending the call, he gestured to Ben before he returned to the ward and told Charlotte, ¡°They''re


    sleeping soundly now and won''t wake up till the daybreak. Go and rest!¡±


    Charlotte ignored him coldly.


    ¡°I''ll leave now.¡± Frowning, he turned around and left.


    Only after hearing the door closed did Charlotte turn around and nce at it. Listening to the footsteps


    outside, she knew that he had already left with his men.


    She gazed at the children and fell into deep thought.


    After a while, a determined look shed across her eyes as she made a call. ¡°Tell Mr. Williams toe


    here.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    Zachary left the hospital.


    While Raina sent him and the rest downstairs, she exined to him how the children were doing. In the


    end, she added, ¡°Don''t worry. Looking at the situation now, their fever will definitely subside after


    daybreak.¡±


    ¡°There aren''t any reliable pediatricians over there with her, so she''ll probably invite you there to take


    care of the kids. Watch over them carefully and inform me if something happens,¡± instructed Zachary.


    ¡°Understood.¡± Raina nodded.


    After Zachary got into the car, he did not go home. Instead, he told Marino, ¡°Go to Serene Hospital.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The car drove toward the hospital.


    Ben asked uneasily, ¡°Mr. Nacht, what happened to Mr. Henry?¡±


    ¡°He woke up.¡± A lighthearted look finally reced Zachary''s gloomy expression that had been


    dominating his face for the past few days.


    ¡°Mr. Henry is awake? That''s great!¡± Ben was overjoyed.


    ¡°We need to be on guard now. We must not let Zara grab any opportunities,¡± ordered Zachary.


    ¡°Yes, don''t worry.¡± Ben nodded profusely. ¡°Since Mr. Jamison, Mr. Robinson and Ms. Elisa are with Ms.


    Lindberg, we have more manpower now. I''ve already moved the bodyguards at home to the hospital.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Zachary sighed. ¡°Looks like it''s a good thing that she took the kids away temporarily.¡±


    ¡°I''m afraid that she''ll bring them back to Erihal and we won''t be able to find them...¡± blurted Bruce.


    Ben red at him. ¡°How is that possible? Ms. Lindberg isn''t someone like that.¡±


    ¡°But she''s still capable of doing it.¡± Zachary frowned. ¡°However, she won''t do it. I''m afraid that Danrique


    won''t tolerate the kids...¡±


    ¡°Doesn''t that mean the kids will be in danger over there?¡± asked Ben anxiously.


    ¡°Not yet.¡± Zachary nced at the time. ¡°But we should bring them back to us as soon as possible.¡±? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.

 Chapter 886

    Chapter 886


    Zachary and the rest rushed over to the hospital. When Cain, who was waiting at the entrance, saw


    their car, he quickly greeted them, ¡°Mr. Nacht!¡±


    ¡°How is he?¡± asked Zachary.


    ¡°He woke up an hour ago. However, the doctor is afraid that it''s only temporary. We told Mr. Spencer to


    inform you after observing Mr. Henry for a while and ensuring that he has really woken up,¡± exined


    Cain.


    Zachary walked to the special ward briskly.


    The medical superintendent and the other doctors were waiting at the door. When they saw Zachary


    coming, they rushed to wee him. ¡°Mr. Nacht, can we speak to you at the side?¡±


    N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    Zachary shot a nce at the ward before heading to the adjacent corridor. ¡°How''s the situation?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht...¡± The medical superintendent exined carefully, ¡°The news I''m about to break to you


    might not be so optimistic. Please be mentally prepared.¡±


    ¡°Speak!¡± Zachary frowned.


    ¡°Mr. Henry woke up earlier than expected through sheer determination. However, his body had already


    deteriorated significantly due to old age. As he had also fallen twice over the past two years, it has


    impacted him greatly. I''m afraid that this time...¡±


    At that moment, he shot a timid nce at Zachary''s expression and did not dare to continue his


    sentence.


    ¡°What?¡± growled Zachary unhappily. ¡°Just tell me everything in one go!¡±


    ¡°I''m afraid that his days are numbered.¡±


    The medical superintendent finally stated the main point. He then stared at Zachary in fear and


    trepidation, afraid that he would fly into a rage.


    However, Zachary was exceptionally calm, for he had already prepared himself beforehand. At an old


    age of ny-eight years old, Henry had already lived a longer life than most average people. If he had


    not suffered a fall two years ago, he might still be quite strong.


    However, he became frailer after that fall. Now that he had another fall...


    It was already a miracle that he could wake up.


    ¡°How much time does he have?¡± demanded Zachary.


    ¡°Well...¡± The medical superintendent nced at the doctors.


    One of them replied tentatively, ¡°If we''re optimistic, half a year. Otherwise...¡±


    After a slight pause, he continued tactfully, ¡°It depends on the situation. If he''s in a good mood and


    leads a healthy lifestyle, he might live for more than half a year. However, he must not suffer any


    provocations, nor can he be injured again. Otherwise, nothing else can save him.¡±


    Although his words were tactful, the point was clear.


    Henry only had a few months left, and it depended on how good his mood would be.


    In other words, he must not be triggered anymore.


    ¡°Okay, I understand,¡± said Zachary solemnly. ¡°Thank you for your efforts!¡±


    With that, he turned around and changed into an istion gown.


    The medical superintendent and the doctors were stunned. They exchanged a confused look before


    feeling nervous.


    One of them asked softly, ¡°What''s wrong with Mr. Nacht? In the past, he would''ve flown into a fit of fury


    after receiving such news. Why is he so calm now?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, he''s already made his mental preparations,¡± guessed another doctor. ¡°After all, Mr. Henry is


    already ny-eight years old. It''s already impressive that he''s in such a state of health.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht''s temper wasn''t so good in the past...¡±


    ¡°Maybe he''s matured after bing a father of three kids!¡± eximed the medical superintendent.


    ¡°Alright, let''s stop talking. We''ll be doomed if he overhears us.¡±


    After changing his clothes, Zachary walked into the ward.


    Henry was staring at the door dazedly with his eyes narrowed as if he was waiting for something. When


    he spotted Zachary walking over, his hand twitched and his eyes lit up.


    Zachary''s footsteps quickened. He grabbed Henry''s hand and called out softly, ¡°Grandpa!¡±


    Since young, he loved to bicker with Henry and always went against him. All he wanted to do was to


    unt his dominance and fight for his freedom. He wished to gainmand of his own life instead of


    constantly being controlled by him...


    However, Henry no longer had the strength to care about him, nor could he scold him, yell at him or hit


    him with the cane anymore.


    All of a sudden, Zachary felt lost and a wave of sorrow engulf him.

 Chapter 887

    Chapter 887


    Henry''s dry lips parted like he had something to say, but he couldn''t make any sound.


    ¡°It''s four-thirty in the morning, so the kids are asleep. I''ll bring them over once you feel better,¡± informed


    Zachary, who knew exactly what Henry was thinking.


    Henry blinked and rxed.


    ¡°They keep asking when you''d be back, and Robbie is especially sad. He feels guilty and ims that it


    is his fault that you fell...¡± said Zachary to trigger a reaction from Henry and get his emotions run wild.


    ¡°Uh, ah...¡± muttered Henry, who was instantly worried.


    ¡°Mr. Zachary...¡± said Spencer, who was getting nervous.


    ¡°Don''t worry, I told him that it is not his fault,¡± replied Zachary quickly to calm Henry down. He added,


    ¡°You know how smart Robbie is though. He may act like he is fine, but he''s secretly worried and


    praying that you will be home soon. That is why you must cooperate with the doctor and recover


    quickly.¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± replied Henry before he nodded with great difficulty.


    ¡°Rest well. I will stay here with you.¡±


    Zachary helped Henry pull up his nket before stroking his arm gently. The former was cooing as if


    thetter were a kid.


    Henry, who was nervous earlier, slowly calmed down and went to sleep.


    The doctor came and examined Henry''s condition before leaving.


    Spencer got a chair over for Zachary and suggested, ¡°Here, Mr. Zachary. Take a seat. It''d be tiring to


    keep standing like this.¡±


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    Zachary sat down. He kept holding Henry''s hand and stared at him quietly.


    Back in the days, Zachary thought that Henry was a domineering assh*le and a control freak who had


    made tons of unredeemable mistakes.


    The former was especially angry about how Henry dealt with Charlotte.


    That angersted for two whole years.


    Unfortunately, Henry was Zachary''s grandpa and the person who raised him. That made it impossible


    for Zachary to hate the guy despite being furious at him.


    All that anger and rage dissipated at that moment.


    Zachary''s only wish was that Henry would recover and scold him again. I won''t mind even if he hits me


    with his cane.


    He''d actually feel more at ease if that were to happen.


    ¡°Mr. Zachary, you should take a nap on the sofa. Mr. Henry is asleep, and he will likely be out for a


    couple of hours,¡± said Spencer.


    ¡°Go rest up. I want to stay with my Grandpa for a little longer.¡±


    Zachary kept staring at Henry. The former started recalling how Henry used to be. That powerful man


    who managed a business empire has slowly turned gray and fragile.


    There wille a day when he fades awaypletely.


    Spencer got Zachary a coat before sharing sadly, ¡°The doctor told me everything. I...¡±


    Spencer couldn''t finish that sentence. His voice became so thick with tears that he didn''t sound like his


    normal self.


    ¡°I have been serving Mr. Henry for seventy years and have been by his side my entire life. In a way, I


    spent more time with him than his spouse and kids did. How I wish that I can keep serving him...¡±


    ¡°You can,¡± replied Zachary with a smile before he added, ¡°The doctor said that Grandpa will be fine so


    long as he remains happy and rests well every day.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Really?¡± blurted Spencer in astonishment.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± answered Zachary. He pretended to be at ease when he joked, ¡°That is why I can''t piss him off


    anymore. In fact, I''ll have to coo him and be nice to him every day from now on.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha,¡±ughed Spencer immediately. ¡°It''ll be tough for you then.¡±


    ¡°I have no choice. He''s my grandpa, and he spent his life building me up. I simply owe him too much,¡±


    replied Zachary as his lips curved into a warm smile.


    ¡°You''ve really grown up, Mr. Zachary,¡± sighed Spencer.


    ¡°I''m a dad now, so I have to be an adult,¡± replied Zachary before he grinned exasperatedly.


    ¡°A-are the kids really home?¡± asked Spencer, who couldn''t help wondering.


    ¡°Kyle told you?¡±


    At that moment, Zachary knew that he could no longer lie about the matter.

 Chapter 888

    Chapter 888


    ¡°The issue is too grave, so he didn''t dare to keep it a secret. Who would''ve thought that Mr. Henry''s


    worst nightmare woulde true, after all?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sometimes, it feels like it is unavoidable...¡± murmured Zachary sadly.


    ¡°You''re right about that. If we had known earlier, we would never send Ms. Windt away...¡± replied


    Spencer.


    ¡°Life is never predictable.¡±


    Zachary had calmed down at that point. In the past, he would get riled up when he talked about the


    issue, but he was at ease at that moment.


    ¡°I was shocked and saddened to learn the whole truth. Life truly is unpredictable. Who would''ve


    thought that the innocent and kind Charlotte Windt will turn into what she is now?¡±mented Spencer


    as he frowned at Zachary.


    ¡°It''s like they''re twopletely different people, but her kind soul, the part that matters, remained,¡±


    replied Zachary. Even thinking about Charlotte got his gaze to turn softer.


    ¡°You''re right. If she hadn''t shown up to help us today, Kyle and the other bodyguards would all be


    sacrificed. The family truly owes her a debt for what she did today,¡± agreed Spencer.


    ¡°We owe her so much more than that. Mrs. Berry died because of us, and the pain and humiliation


    Charlotte had to endure all those years ago...¡± said Zachary. He grinned bitterly and looked like he was


    mocking himself.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± murmured Spencer before he sighed and added, ¡°I''m sure Mr. Henry will regret his past


    decisions if he learns about all of this. However, that is not the most urgent issue now...¡±


    Spencer spoke in a meaningful tone when he said thatst sentence...


    ¡°Don''t worry, I''ll take the kids over to visit Grandpa soon. Keep this a secret from him for now so that he


    won''t be triggered,¡± informed Zachary, who knew what Spencer was really talking about.


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied Spencer before he nodded.


    ¡°I will deal with everything else. Your job is to take care of Grandpa. You''re getting older too, so you


    shouldn''t worry too much either,¡± consoled Zachary.


    ¡°Right,¡± agreed Spencer, who seemed a little embarrassed about getting Zachary worried.


    ¡°Go and get some rest. I''d like to be alone with Grandpa for now.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Spencer left soon after.


    Zachary sat there quietly and guarded over Henry...


    Before anyone knew it, it was already dawn.


    Zachary was so tired that he ended up sleeping on the chair. He didn''t wake up until the phone in his


    pocket vibrated. He groggily answered the call, ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, something happened to thepany,¡± informed Lucy nervously from the other side of the


    line.


    ¡°What''s wrong?¡± asked Zachary while frowning.


    ¡°Someone hacked into thepany''s system, the new software that is about to hit the market


    suddenly malfunctioned, and the inte is suddenly flooded with nasty rumors involving Nacht Group.


    In short, a series of problems popped upst night, and everything is aimed at you.


    ¡°Please hurry over. Journalists have surrounded the building, and the shareholders are all nervous.


    Everyone in the office is also panicking. Mr. Sterk is rushing over as well...¡±


    N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    ¡°I got it. I''ll be there soon,¡± informed Zachary before he instructed, ¡°Lock the doors and stop the


    journalists from entering the headquarters. I will solve the issues when I get back.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Zachary narrowed his eyes and thought things through after he hung up.


    He was the one who set up the security system for Divine Corporation, so there was no way an


    ordinary hacker could get into their system...


    I paid extra attention to the new software as well, so it shouldn''t have suddenly malfunctioned like this.


    Moreover, every media corporation has profited off of Nacht Group, so no one would make us look


    bad...


    Unless there is someone making demands from behind the scenes. No average Joe could aplish


    all three, so...


    Brrt! Bruce was calling from the other end of the line.


    Zachary picked up the call and immediately asked, ¡°Is Danrique here?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, how did you know? I was about to report the matter to you,¡± replied Bruce in astonishment


    before he added, ¡°I just received news that Danrique''s ne hasnded in H City. He will be attending


    the South Sea opening ceremony tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°What date is it again?¡± asked Zachary. He was so busy that he couldn''t keep track of the dates


    anymore.


    ¡°Tomorrow''s twelve. They preponed everything by a day,¡± answered Bruce.

 Chapter 889

    Chapter 889


    Zachary''s expression shifted instantly. He had always known that Danrique would show up eventually...


    But I didn''t expect that to happen so soon.


    Zachary definitely didn''t expect the guy to attack so aggressively that he disoriented Zachary.


    What a f*cking ¡°nice¡± gift! That j*rk!


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, are you there?¡± asked Bruce from the other end of the line. His words disrupted Zachary''s


    train of thoughts.


    ¡°Is there something else?¡± asked Zachary while frowning.


    ¡°Mr. ckwood called this morning and offered to talk to the media with Ms. Cynthia. That would help


    make you and the Nacht family look better. He asked to know what your opinion on the matter is.¡±


    ¡°I have to head over to the office now,¡± answered Zachary as he checked his watch and added, ¡°I can


    spare an hour to see them today.¡±


    ¡°Understood. I''ll ry the message. Oh, and Ms. Nacht is being chased by the police for the time


    being, so she probably won''t do anything reckless for now. You can focus on dealing with the other


    crises,¡± informed Bruce.


    ¡°Okay,¡± replied Zachary before he hung up. He stood up to leave, but he suddenly heard a raspy voice.


    ¡°Hey...¡±


    Zachary stiffened a little. He turned around and saw that Henry had woken up.


    Thetter was too weak, so his voice too soft to be discernible.


    Zachary hurried over to listen closely. ¡°What is it, Grandpa?¡±


    ¡°I said to slow down. D-don''t worry. I am here for you,¡± replied Henry in bits and pieces after he parted


    his lips.


    It was a piece of simple advice, but that was what Henry had said to Zachary all those years ago when


    thetter was just a kid.


    When Zachary was young, he had always been eager and would rush into things.


    That was when Henry would scold Zachary. ¡°Slow down. How are you going to aplish anything if


    you rush all the time? Solve your issues slowly and don''t worry. I am here for you. I will shoulder the


    sky for you even if it were to crumble on you.¡±


    Zachary had always hated it when he heard Henry saying that as he felt that the old man was just


    bragging.


    Yet, at that moment...


    The aging and weak Henry said those words once again.


    That touched Zachary''s heart and got him all teary.


    However, he didn''t want Henry to see that, so he quickly readjusted his expression. Zachary was


    pretending to be proud and annoyed when he said, ¡°Got it. Geez, you''re already on the hospital bed, so


    stop showing off.¡±


    ¡°P-punk!¡± scolded Henry. Unfortunately, he was too sick to sound powerful.


    ¡°I have to go now. Rest up and heal well. The kids are waiting for you to go home,¡± replied Zachary as


    he held the old chap''s hand.


    Henry nodded obediently after hearing those words. He wanted to go home soon too because he


    missed his great-grandchildren.


    Zachary went to another room to change his clothes right away.


    ¡°The car is ready, Mr. Nacht. Are we heading over to the office?¡± asked Ben as he rushed over.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± answered Zachary as he buttoned up while walking over to the elevator. He added, ¡°Send the


    message along and tell everyone that thepany will be having a press conference this afternoon at


    five.¡±


    ¡°This afternoon?¡± blurted Ben in surprise, ¡°But we haven''t solved anything...¡±


    ¡°That is why we must deal with everything before five o''clock. Have Bruce call Taylor and Cynthia. Ask


    them to meet me at my office at three,¡± instructed Zachary, who was still checking his watch.


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied Ben before he rushed to deal with the matters.


    Zachary had never allowed himself to ck off.


    It was eight in the morning at that time. He only gave himself ten hours to solve every issue and settle


    the matter with the public.


    I must deal with this first wave of attack skillfully or I won''t be able to keep fighting against that guy.


    Zachary had just gotten into the car before he received a call from Sharon. He frowned while picking it


    up.


    ¡°Zachary, save me. The Lindberg family ising after me and...,¡± yelled Sharon fearfully.


    The line was cut off before she finished her sentence.


    Zachary''s expression changed once more. Danrique really is powerful. He managed to disorient me


    and find Sharon all in one go...N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.

 Chapter 890

    Chapter 890


    ¡°I will call Bruce right away,¡± said Ben nervously.


    ¡°There''s no need. I already have a backup n in ce,¡± replied Zachary while waving his hand.


    ¡°Huh?¡± blurted Ben in confusion.


    It didn''t take long before Bruce called and reported, ¡°We have rescued her. What do we...?¡±


    ¡°Take her to Southridge and lock her in a room on the farm for now,¡± instructed Zachary.


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied Bruce, before he started working on the matter right away.


    ¡°Ah, so you''ve already anticipated this,¡± blurted Ben as the revtion hit him.


    ¡°I had it in ce to prevent Charlotte from doing anything. Who would''ve thought that my backup n


    will be up and running so soon?¡± said Zachary as he put a concerned expression on and added,


    ¡°Danrique is truly powerful. I guess I have underestimated him.¡±


    ¡°I don''t understand,¡± asked Ben carefully, ¡°Sharon is Ms. Lindberg''s enemy, right? So what''s so bad


    about Sharon being taken by the Lindberg family? Won''t it be more convenient to just have them solve


    the matter between themselves?¡±


    ¡°You''re not seeing the big picture. Think about it. What will happen to Sharon if the Lindberg family


    catches her?¡± said Zachary in an annoyed tone.


    ¡°Naturally, they would kill her,¡± replied Ben.


    ¡°Then tell me something. Why did Danrique let Sharon go when he could have killed her in T Nation?


    Moreover, why did he hide the truth and keep her safe?¡± challenge Zachary again.


    ¡°Uhm... I thought about this earlier. I think Danrique let Sharon go because he wanted to inspire Ms.


    Lindberg to be stronger. He wanted her to exact revenge on her own,¡± replied Ben after thinking


    about it.


    ¡°That is just one of the reasons. The most important bit is that Danrique wants to take advantage of the


    hatred Charlotte has for the Nacht family. He wants her toe after me so that he can bankrupt the


    company while I am distracted. He might even acquire the entirepany,¡± said Zachary as he


    frowned deeply.


    ¡°Ah, I see. That is why we can''t let Danrique have Sharon. If he gets his hands on her, he would make


    her im that the mastermind behind the incident wasn''t just Zara. She would name you and Mr. Henry


    as the aplices as well!¡± blurted Ben.


    ¡°You''re finally seeing things clearly. Sharon will say anything Danrique told her to in order to survive.


    She might not name me as a mastermind though, because Charlotte is smart enough to see through


    that lie. However, Charlotte will definitely believe the lie if Grandpa is dragged into the mess,¡± replied


    Zachary with aplex expression.


    ¡°That''s true. If Sharon lies and ims that Henry worked with Zara to kill Ms. Windt in T Nation,¡±


    muttered Ben as a chill ran down his spine, ¡°Given Ms. Windt''s current temperament, she will surely go


    after Mr. Henry, and you can''t ignore that.¡±


    ¡°Grandpa made a mistake as well, but his eyes were blinded by love,¡± said Zachary grimly, ¡°Besides,


    he doesn''t have much time left, so I don''t want anyone to hurt him.¡±


    ¡°Then... why don''t you let Ms. Lindberg and Sharon talk things out in person?¡± asked Ben, ¡°I''m sure Ms.


    Lindberg already knows the truth after her encounter with Zara yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Let them deal with the matter in person? What if Charlotte kills Sharon, and Zara makes up a story


    when she is caught afterward? No one will be able to refute Zara''s story or tell the truth once that


    happens,¡± replied Zachary.


    ¡°I see. I understand now. Every witness and every piece of evidence must be in ce to show the


    whole truth,¡± said Ben while nodding.


    ¡°Sh*t!¡±


    Zachary suddenly thought of something even more important. He called Charlotte right away.


    N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    No one picked up, so he called Raina instead.


    ¡°Hello?¡± greeted the woman on the other side of the line after she picked up.


    Raina spoke softly and didn''t even dare to greet Zachary by his name.


    ¡°Don''t worry. Just answer yes or no,¡± informed Zachary calmly. ¡°Are you with Charlotte?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Is Danrique there?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Are you on your way to Northridge?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± replied Raina. Ellie was sitting on the side and the girl suddenly asked, ¡°Is that Daddy on the


    line?¡±


    Raina was stunned. She stared awkwardly at Charlotte.


    ¡°You don''t need to be on guard. It''s just a call,¡± said Charlotte, who was rather civil and understanding.

 Chapter 891

    Chapter 891


    Raina sighed a breath of relief and informed, ¡°Mr. Nacht simply wants to know how the kids are doing.¡±


    Charlotte nodded slightly without saying a word.


    ¡°Hand the phone over to Charlotte,¡± ordered Zachary.


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied Raina before she handed her phone to Charlotte and said, ¡°Mr. Nacht wants to


    talk to you, Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± asked Charlotte in an icy tone after she answered the call.


    ¡°Do you know that Danrique is in H City?¡± asked Zachary to get right to the point.


    ¡°Huh?¡± blurted Charlotte fearfully. It was obvious that she had no idea.


    ¡°Please take the kids to Southridge. I''ll head over right now,¡± said Zachary.


    As Zachary spoke, Ben had Marino turn the steering wheel and head over to Rokan Hill.


    Charlotte hesitated over the phone. She had just gotten back together with the kids, so she was


    reluctant to send them back...


    I never received any news about how Danrique is here, so who knows? Maybe Zachary is lying.


    ¡°I''ll have to verify the news,¡± said Charlotte before she covered the speaker and instructed, ¡°Lupine,


    look into this matter...¡±


    Charlotte hadn''t finished speaking before the car suddenly swerved and stopped.


    The kids screamed in fear and almost fell from the seat. Fortunately, Lupine and the others managed to


    keep the kids safe in time.


    ¡°Morgan, what are you...?¡±


    Charlotte was stunned before she finished speaking. A luxurious car was parked right in front of them,


    and it showed up out of nowhere.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, i-it''s your brother''s car,¡± reported Morgan in a trembling voice as her face paled.


    ¡°What happened? Take the kids to my ce for now, Charlotte...¡± said Zachary nervously.


    ¡°It''s toote for that,¡± replied Charlotte while frowning before she hung up.


    ¡°Is that really Mr. Lindberg?¡±


    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    Raina got so scared that she turned pale. Rumor has it that Mr. Lindberg''s bloodlust is intense, and he


    is cruel. If hees after the kids...


    ¡°What''s wrong, Mommy?¡± asked Robbie, who hade around and was staring nervously at


    Charlotte.


    ¡°Did someone bar our path? Is that the bad guy from the other day? I''ll call Daddy toe and beat


    them up,¡± suggested Jamie.


    ¡°It''s not them,¡± replied Charlotte quickly before she cooed, ¡°Be good, Jamie, and don''t be rude, okay?


    We have to be polite. Wait here. I''ll go check things out.¡±


    After saying her piece, Charlotte turned to Lupine and instructed, ¡°Keep the kids safe!¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied Lupine in a trembling voice. She knew just how terrifying Danrique could be when


    he got angry.


    Raina quickly moved next to the kids. She also sent a text message to Zachary to ask for help.


    ¡°Hurry!¡± urged Zachary as he gripped the phone.


    ¡°The car is already elerating....¡±


    ¡°Go faster!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Charlotte approached the luxurious car and greeted in a fearful tone, ¡°Danrique!¡±


    The window rolled down and a pair of eyes that exuded an icy aura slowly shifted upward. The guy


    looked into Charlotte''s eyes andmented, ¡°Charlotte, you acted up.¡±


    One short sentence was all it took to send a chill down Charlotte''s spine and get her worried.


    ¡°I didn''t mean to keep it a secret from you, Danrique. I was just...¡±


    ¡°Let''s head home for now. We don''t want the kids to be frightened.¡±


    His soft voice sounded even, but it still instilled fear.


    Danrique waved his hand a little and got the window to roll back up. After that, the car drove right to


    Northridge.


    Charlotte regained her footing and turned around to get in the car.


    ¡°Mommy, what''s wrong? Who was that? Is he really that scary?¡± asked Robbie immediately when he


    noticed how pale Charlotte looked.


    ¡°It''s fine,¡± answered Charlotte. She was already trying her best to keep herself in control, but she still


    couldn''t hide her fear.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, why don''t we stop the car at the side of the road for a while? I can take the kids to


    Southridge...¡± suggested Raina carefully.


    ¡°It''s toote for that. Don''t let him find out that you work for the Nacht family,¡± warned Charlotte as she


    frowned at Raina.

 Chapter 892

    Chapter 892


    Raina trembled in fear and stopped talking entirely.


    ¡°Mommy, I''m scared. Is he a bad person? Will he hurt us?¡± asked Ellie, who was terrified and had


    crawled into Charlotte''s arm. The former''s eyes were teary as she asked.


    ¡°He...¡±


    Charlotte was stumped. She honestly didn''t know the answer to that question.


    Many would regard Danrique as a viin, but some would refer to him as a good man.


    His stance depended entirely on his mood.


    Whatever the case, he is my brother and the person who saved my life.


    Charlotte believe that blood was thicker than water and assumed that Danrique wouldn''t hurt the kids.


    Those beliefs got Charlotte to be more certain. She hugged her triplets and answered, ¡°Don''t worry.


    He''s family, so he''s not a bad guy.¡±


    ¡°Scared, scared!¡±


    Little Fifi the parrot pped its wings and looked ever so pitiful.


    Charlotte stroked its fur to calm it down.


    Ellie gripped her mother''s clothes and rested in Charlotte''s arms. It seemed like that was the only ce


    the former felt safe.


    ¡°But everyone seems to be scared of that guy,¡± refuted Jamie, who noticed how Lupine and the other


    bodyguards had reacted. He pointed out, ¡°The prettydies were all shivering from fear.¡±


    Lupine and the others wanted tough aloud, but they were not in the mood.


    ¡°I think Daddy is more approachable. I used to think that he is too grouchy because the bodyguards are


    all afraid of him. Thinking back, he is rather kind, especially whenpared to that other guy,¡±


    commented Robbie with a straight face as he analyzed the situation.


    ¡°Yeah, he''sparatively kind.¡±


    Charlotte thought about Zachary. He''s probably rushing over now.


    Thinking that prompted Charlotte to request from Raina, ¡°Give me your phone.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Raina was taken aback for a moment there, but she handed her phone over soon enough.


    Charlotte searched for Zachary''s number and sent a message over before returning it to Raina.


    The eagle cried aloud at that moment.


    Both Jamie and Ellie got so scared that they crawled into Charlotte''s arms.


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    Robbie, however, was less scared. He had a past with the eagle, after all. That bird even protected me


    yesterday.


    ¡°Don''t worry, the eagle is just like Fifi and is my pet,¡± cooed Charlotte, ¡°It won''t hurt you.¡±


    ¡°But it looks so scary,¡± pouted Ellie, who looked like she was about to cry.


    ¡°You are so cool, Mommy! You actually kept an eagle as a pet.¡±


    Jamie, on the other hand, saw that as something to be proud of. He even admired his mother at that


    moment.


    ¡°Haha,¡± chuckled Charlotte before she turned to look out the window.


    The eagle went home on the day before to recuperate. It probably knew that its master was back, so it


    flew over to wee everyone.


    Charlotte started regretting her decision. If I had known that Danrique will be here, I would not have


    taken the kids home. I wonder if they''d be scared of him...


    It didn''t take long before the car pulled up in Northridge.


    A team of sixteen bodyguards with a white uniform on had split up among themselves and were


    standing at either side of the door. Those were Danrique''s men.


    Charlotte''s bodyguard was the first to get out of the car after it was parked. She went over to open the


    door for Charlotte.


    Charlotte helped the kids down one by one before they held hands and entered the ce.


    Raina wanted to follow along, but Lupine stopped her.


    A man in a white outfit was sitting on the sofa in that spacious living room. His head was slightly tilted


    down, and he was sipping wine gracefully.


    Sunlight streamed in from the front door, but it didn''t shine on Danrique. It seemed even the sun was


    afraid of the guy.


    It was still summer, but the icy aura the guy exuded had drastically lowered the temperature in the


    house.


    ¡°Mommy, I''m scared...¡±


    Ellie gripped Charlotte''s hand and hid behind her.


    Jamie was also scared. He stopped walking, but he neverined aloud. Instead, he stared


    fearfully at the guy in front of him. The child''s heart thumped fast as he did so.


    Robbie clenched his tiny fists by then. He had a frown on as he looked bravely at the guy.


    Little Fifi trembled as its tiny figure stood on Robbie''s shoulder.


    Charlotte took a deep breath before she put on a smile and instructed warmly, ¡°Kids, that is your Uncle


    Dan. Go greet him.¡±

 Chapter 893

    Chapter 893


    ¡°Uh...¡±


    All three kids were stunned upon hearing that. They tilted their heads simultaneously and stared at


    Charlotte.


    ¡°Uncle Dan?¡± blurted Ellie. Her big, round eyes bulged as her curly eyshes fluttered in astonishment.


    She asked, ¡°He''s our uncle?¡±


    ¡°Which means... Is he your brother?¡± asked Jamie.


    The fear he initially felt had dissipated and was reced by curiosity.


    ¡°Is he rted to us biologically?¡± asked Robbie.


    His question was rather rational because he could sense that his mother was terrified of the guy.


    The man sitting on the sofa slowly turned his head over. His eyes exuded an icy aura...


    ¡°Uh...¡± All three kids were bbergasted when they saw his face.


    Danrique was also taken aback when he saw the kids. It didn''t take long before a small grin appeared


    on his lips. ¡°So they really are members of the Lindberg family!¡±


    ¡°He really is our uncle. He even looks just like us,¡± blurted Jamie, who was no longer scared. The child


    let go of his mother''s hand and rushed over excitedly to take a closer look.


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    ¡°Jamie...¡± said Charlotte. She wanted to stop him, but the boy had already crawled over to the sofa.


    What was strange was that Danrique, who had never liked children, didn''t stop Jamie from


    approaching.


    ¡°They look so alike,¡± agreed Ellie as she nodded profusely. She even added, ¡°He is basically the adult


    version of Robbie and Jamie!¡±


    ¡°That is true.¡±


    Robbie was shocked too. He once used aputer to age his picture because he wanted to know


    what he''d look like when he''s an adult. We''re practically identical... except he looks grouchier and less


    approachable.


    ¡°Heehee!¡±


    Ellie was no longer scared. She hopped over and leaned on the coffee table to examine the guy...


    ¡°Our family will always be able to find each other, even if we got lost. Anyone who saw us will know that


    we are a part of Uncle Dan''s family.¡±


    Danrique shifted his gaze to Ellie. Her baby voice, innocent gaze, and bright smile. She is adorable.


    He turned to Jamie next. This kid is lively and alert. He behaved like an innocent kid when he was


    afraid earlier, and he is still just as innocent as he tries to approach me now.


    The kid in front of me, however, is obviously excited, surprised and curious as well, but he is careful


    and is holding himself back... He is trying to determine if I am a friend or a foe.


    ¡°Interesting,¡±mented Danrique while grinning. His gaze was no longer as distant but warm after


    that. At that moment, he didn''t just allow the kids to get close to him. He also tried to get to know them.


    ¡°What''s your name?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I''m Jamie. Jamison Nacht in full,¡± answered Jamie excitedly as he waved his hand.


    ¡°I''ll Ellie...¡±


    ¡°Why is yourst name Nacht?¡±


    That voice was distant and carried a hint of murderous aura as he interrupted Ellie.


    Those scary eyes destroyed the heartwarming reunion.


    Ellie was taken aback. Her tiny lips pouted as tears threatened to escape her eyes...


    Danrique slowly shifted his gaze to her.


    That got Ellie so scared that she suppressed her tears right away. She was too afraid to cry, but her


    tiny figure was trembling.


    ¡°Ellie!¡± called out Robbie before he ran over to shield his baby sister. He frowned and demanded


    angrily, ¡°Oy, why did you scare my baby sister?¡±


    ¡°Huh, so you''re the big brother, and you know to protect your baby sister. That''s good,¡±mented


    Danrique. His eyes glowed with a hint of approval when he asked, ¡°What''s your name?¡±


    ¡°My name is Robinson Nacht,¡± answered Robbie. He looked right into Danrique''s eyes and stubbornly


    insisted, ¡°Myst name is and will always be Nacht!¡±


    ¡°That''s gutsy,¡± said Danrique. His smile was getting bigger, but his gaze remained distant when he


    added, ¡°That expression you have on is definitely a match to that of the Nacht family.¡±


    ¡°That''s because I am a member of the Nacht family,¡± replied Robbie bravely.


    ¡°Robbie...¡± growled Charlotte quickly. She worried that Robbie would step on Danrique''s tail.


    ¡°Very well.¡± praised Danrique.


    He wasn''t angry. Instead, he examined Robbie calmly while nning for something...


    ¡°Danrique, the kids are too young to know any better. Please don''t hold it against them,¡± requested


    Charlotte softly.

 Chapter 894

    Chapter 894


    ¡°Danrique, the kids are too young to know better. Please don''t hold it against them,¡± pleaded Charlotte


    softly.


    Danrique smiled with his brow raised.


    Just then, a ck figure flew in from outdoors. Like a sharp arrow, it zipped over andnded right on


    Robbie''s head.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    Jamie and Ellie hopped away from the sofa and crawled into Charlotte''s arms right away.


    Little Fifi screamed fearfully and pped its wings before hiding away in Robbie''s arm.


    Robbie''s tiny face turned pale. He was scared out of his mind, but he wore a calm expression on his


    face.


    The eagle flew and stood in front of Robbie. It pped its wings as its sharp eyes locked in on Robbie.


    It was a huge eagle with enormous wings, so a gust of wind would mess Robbie''s hair up every time it


    pped its wings.


    ¡°Robbie...¡± said Charlotte. She wanted to head over to protect her son, but Danrique''s men prevented


    her from doing so.


    Robbie mustered up his courage and red back at the eagle before demanding, ¡°Go away!¡±


    Screech!


    The eagle let out a nerve-wracking screech and circled above Robbie''s head a little before it flew away.


    Danrique''s eyes glowed with even more admiration when he looked at Robbie. He asked, ¡°Aren''t you


    scared of the eagle?¡±


    ¡°What''s there to be afraid of?¡± challenged Robbie as he rolled his eyes at Danrique, then caressed the


    shivering parrot in his arms. Robbie pointed out, ¡°That eagle is just like the parrot and they are both


    Mommy''s pet.¡±


    ¡°Good, I like your style,¡± replied Danrique. He smiled, and to everyone''s surprise, the icy aura in his


    eyes was slowly dissipating.


    ¡°I''ll have the kids return to their rooms for now.¡±


    Charlotte had the maids take the kids to the second floor right away.


    Raina held a medical kit and had her head down as she followed along.


    Danrique shot a look over, but he nevermented on anything. He simply sipped his wine.


    Everyone hurried to the second floor.


    Raina sighed a long breath of relief after the door was closed. She felt like she was walking on thin ice


    the entire time.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg!¡±


    Lupine, Morgan, and the others came over to report some matter.


    It didn''t take long before their agonized scream came. It onlysted a second before silence fell once


    more.


    ¡°What was that?¡± asked Jamie as he run over to open the door.


    ¡°Jamie, it''s nothing!¡± answered Charlotte, who ran over immediately to stop him.


    ¡°Uncle Dan is so scary, Mommy. I''m scared of him. I want to go home,¡± requested Ellie as she curled


    up on the sofa and hugged her doll. She pouted her lips like she was going to cry.


    ¡°I want to go home too. I miss Daddy,¡± added Jamie, who was pouting as well.


    Charlotte felt terrible as she stared at her kids. She wanted to spend more time with them, but they


    were already scared out of their minds, even though everything had just begun...


    ¡°Mommy, this is for you. You''re its rightful owner,¡± announced Robbie before he got something from his


    pocket and handed it over to Charlotte.


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    Charlotte held that ck gold ring with her. When she first regained consciousness, her heart stung


    and a bad feeling crept up on her every time she saw it. Unfortunately, she didn''t feel right throwing it


    away, so she tied it to her eagle.


    Who would''ve thought that Robbie will stumble upon it and trace it back to me? This kid had it rough...


    ¡°Thank you, Robbie,¡± replied Charlotte before she put it on and promised, ¡°I will treasure this from now


    on because you are the one who got it back for me.¡±


    ¡°Mommy, I will protect you from now on,¡± promised Robbie softly as he hugged Charlotte.


    ¡°Silly boy,¡± teased Charlotte who smiled upon hearing that promise, ¡°You''re only six, so how will you


    protect me? Besides, I am very powerful now, so no one can bully me.¡±


    ¡°But Uncle Dan is so mean. Will he hurt you?¡± asked Ellie as she pouted her lips and frowned.


    ¡°He won''t. I won''t be here if it weren''t for him. Two years ago, I got into an ident, and he rescued


    me. He is the only reason I am here now,¡± answered Charlotte firmly.


    ¡°I see. No wonder you disappeared all of a sudden. We cried for so long back then,¡± shared Jamie as


    the revtion hit him.


    ¡°Mommy, where is Mrs. Berry?¡± asked Robbie. He had been keeping that question to himself, but he


    could no longer suppress his curiosity.

 Chapter 895

    Chapter 895


    Hearing those words got Charlotte''s heart to tremble. She knew that the kids would ask about that


    eventually, and she had already prepared herself mentally...


    However, actually hearing those words still stung her heart.


    She didn''t know how to respond to that or how to deal with it.


    ¡°That''s right. Mommy, where is Mrs. Berry?¡± asked Ellie as she tugged at Charlotte''s shirt. The former


    said, ¡°I wanted to ask about her when I saw you yesterday, but I got sick, so I never had the chance to


    do that...¡±


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    ¡°I miss her,¡± added Jamie. He couldn''t resist being naughty and saying, ¡°I miss her cooking. Her hot


    cross bunnies and her mac and cheese are amazing!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I want to eat those too,¡± said Ellie when she heard that. Her saliva was on the verge of dripping


    down by then, and she imed, ¡°It''s been so long since I had her cooking, and I am losing weight.¡±


    ¡°She nted some flowers in the backyard, and I water them every day. They have since grown and


    are taller than I am,¡± bragged Robbie, who was a little excited.


    ¡°I helped him too! I am always putting fertilizers there,¡± said Jamie quickly as he had his hand up.


    ¡°Mommy, when will Mrs. Berry return?¡± asked Ellie as she tilted her head and added innocently, ¡°I don''t


    drink milk anymore, and I''ve learned to shower on my own. It''s so much easier to take care of me now,


    so she won''t be so tired anymore...¡±


    Heoring those words got Chorlotte''s heort to tremble. She knew thot the kids would osk obout thot


    eventuolly, ond she hod olreody prepored herself mentolly...


    However, octuolly heoring those words still stung her heort.


    She didn''t know how to respond to thot or how to deol with it.


    ¡°Thot''s right. Mommy, where is Mrs. Berry?¡± osked Ellie os she tugged ot Chorlotte''s shirt. The former


    soid, ¡°I wonted to osk obout her when I sow you yesterdoy, but I got sick, so I never hod the chonce to


    do thot...¡±


    ¡°I miss her,¡± odded Jomie. He couldn''t resist being noughty ond soying, ¡°I miss her cooking. Her hot


    cross bunnies ond her moc ond cheese ore omozing!¡±


    ¡°Yeoh, I wont to eot those too,¡± soid Ellie when she heord thot. Her solivo wos on the verge of dripping


    down by then, ond she cloimed, ¡°It''s been so long since I hod her cooking, ond I om losing weight.¡±


    ¡°She plonted some flowers in the bockyord, ond I woter them every doy. They hove since grown ond


    ore toller thon I om,¡± brogged Robbie, who wos o little excited.


    ¡°I helped him too! I om olwoys putting fertilizers there,¡± soid Jomie quickly os he hod his hond up.


    ¡°Mommy, when will Mrs. Berry return?¡± osked Ellie os she tilted her heod ond odded innocently, ¡°I don''t


    drink milk onymore, ond I''ve leorned to shower on my own. It''s so much eosier to toke core of me now,


    so she won''t be so tired onymore...¡±


    Hearing those words got Charlotte''s eyes to turn teary. She had forgotten about that past, but listening


    to the kids'' description of the good old days made her feel warm. It was as if a light had shone right into


    her heart...


    Unfortunately, we can''t go back to the way things were before because Mrs. Berry is no longer


    around...


    ¡°What''s wrong, Mommy? Are you crying?¡± asked Ellie softly as her soft, tiny hand caressed Charlotte''s


    face.


    ¡°Mommy, is Mrs. Berry sick?¡± asked Jamie as he tugged at the corner of Charlotte''s shirt. He cooed,


    ¡°Don''t worry. Dr. Langhan is an excellent doctor, and I''m sure she can treat her.¡±


    Raina couldn''t help feeling sad when she heard those words. She had long known about how Mrs.


    Berry had passed, but she didn''t know how to tell the kids about it...


    ¡°Mommy, what''s wrong? Is Mrs. Berry...?¡± asked Robbie as he examined Charlotte. A bad feeling crept


    up on him.


    Charlotte took a deep breath and steeled herself up before she answered, ¡°She''s no longer around.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    All three kids were confused. They didn''t know what that actually mean.


    ¡°W-what do you mean by that?¡± asked Robbie, whose expression had since shifted sharply.


    ¡°S-she passed away two years ago,¡± answered Charlotte as calmly as she could.


    ¡°What?¡±


    All three kids were in shock. It took them some time before they came around.


    Bwa! Ellie cried aloud, and her beautiful face instantly turned red with sorrow.


    ¡°Why? How did that happen? Was she sick? Or was there an ident?¡± asked Jamie. He was crying


    as well, and he had clenched his tiny fists in his sorrow.


    ¡°It was an ident. This is all my fault. I couldn''t protect her,¡± sighed Charlotte sadly.


    ¡°Mommy, did someone cause that ident and kill Mrs. Berry?¡± asked the eldest son.


    Robbie remembered how, when they were being chased, he overheard his mother asking the criminals


    about the person who was sent to T Nation to assassinate her.


    Is Mrs. Berry''s death connected to that incident?


    ¡°You''re still too young to understand that. Mrs. Berry will watch over everyone from heaven, so you


    must be good, okay? Grow up happy and healthy,¡± cooed Charlotte as she hugged her kids.


    All three kids were crying hard because they were still mourning Mrs. Berry''s death.


    Charlotte wanted to spend more time with them, but someone knocked on the door and reported, ¡°Mr.


    Lindberg is asking to see you in the study room, Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    ¡°I''ll be there soon,¡± replied Charlotte before she turned to Raina and the bodyguards to order, ¡°Keep an


    eye on the kids. I will be back soon.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±

 Chapter 896

    Chapter 896


    With that, Charlotte left.


    Raina was going to call Zachary when her phone rang. She walked to the side to pick it up. ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Are you at the Lindberg residence now? Is Danrique there?¡± guessed Zachary.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°He didn''t bully the kids, did he?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Okay, then work discreetly and carefully.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Raina sighed a breath of relief after hanging up. Ms. Lindberg''s text message to Mr. Nacht must be


    working. She must''ve promised to keep the children safe to prevent any conflicts from arising. That is


    why he didn''te rushing...


    Charlotte was smart and rational. She may hate the Nacht family, but she would still put her children


    first.


    She didn''t want the two families to fight in front of the kids because that would just hurt them.


    Raina felt much safer aftering to that conclusion. She put her phone away and went to babysit the


    kids.


    Danrique was already waiting when Charlotte entered the study room. Both Lupine and Morgan were


    punished and injured. At that moment, they were kneeling with their heads down and didn''t dare to


    even breathe too loudly.


    ¡°I am the one who gave the orders. This has nothing to do with them,¡± said Charlotte while frowning.


    ¡°Their mistake is that they didn''t report the matter in a timely manner.¡±


    Danrique was setting up a board game. His gold-framed sses added a hint of sophistication to him,


    but it did not alleviate even a shred of cruelty in the aura he exuded.


    With thot, Chorlotte left.


    Roino wos going to coll Zochory when her phone rong. She wolked to the side to pick it up. ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Are you ot the Lindberg residence now? Is Donrique there?¡± guessed Zochory.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°He didn''t bully the kids, did he?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


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    ¡°Okoy, then work discreetly ond corefully.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Roino sighed o breoth of relief ofter honging up. Ms. Lindberg''s text messoge to Mr. Nocht must be


    working. She must''ve promised to keep the children sofe to prevent ony conflicts from orising. Thot is


    why he didn''te rushing...


    Chorlotte wos smort ond rotionol. She moy hote the Nocht fomily, but she would still put her children


    first.


    She didn''t wont the two fomilies to fight in front of the kids becouse thot would just hurt them.


    Roino felt much sofer oftering to thot conclusion. She put her phone owoy ond went to bobysit the


    kids.


    Donrique wos olreody woiting when Chorlotte entered the study room. Both Lupine ond Morgon were


    punished ond injured. At thot moment, they were kneeling with their heods down ond didn''t dore to


    even breothe too loudly.


    ¡°I om the one who gove the orders. This hos nothing to do with them,¡± soid Chorlotte while frowning.


    ¡°Their mistoke is thot they didn''t report the motter in o timely monner.¡±


    Donrique wos setting up o boord gome. His gold-fromed glosses odded o hint of sophisticotion to him,


    but it did not olleviote even o shred of cruelty in the ouro he exuded.


    ¡°Are you referring to my kids?¡± asked Charlotte, who was facing the issue head-on. ¡°I gave birth to


    them years ago, and that happened before I was brought back to the Lindberg family.¡±


    ¡°So?¡± asked Danrique as he yed the board game with himself.


    ¡°I want to take them back and raise them on my own,¡± informed Charlotte. She was nervous, but she


    firmly expressed her desires and added, ¡°If you can''t ept them, then I am okay with leaving the


    Lindberg family.¡±


    Charlotte made her decisionst night.


    That was why she already had someone hire awyer and was strategizing on how to gain custody of


    the kids. She was also looking into the price she would have to pay if she wanted to leave the Lindberg


    family.


    ¡°Leaving the Lindberg family? You have actually considered that?¡± growled Danrique, who paused his


    game. His gaze turned fierce immediately.


    Charlotte quickly exined herself, ¡°I don''t want to leave. Everything will be perfect if you are willing to


    ept my kids, but...¡±


    ¡°In other words, you will choose your children over the Lindberg family,¡± interrupted Danrique while


    looking right into Charlotte''s eyes.


    ¡°Yes,¡± answered Charlotte without hesitating.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg...¡±


    Lupine was worried. She wanted to warn Charlotte and told her not to go against Danrique. It''d be


    dangerous...


    ¡°Have you thought about the consequences of your decision?¡± asked Danrique calmly as he reminded,


    ¡°Leaving the Lindberg family would mean losing all power and reverting to your old self.


    ¡°Think about it. Without a powerful family backing you up, everyone will go back to bullying you.


    Remember how Mrs. Berry passed away? Are you really going to leave before you exact vengeance?¡±


    Hearing those words got Charlotte''s heart to shiver. He''s right. If I leave now, I wouldn''t be able to get


    justice for Mrs. Berry. Zara will alsoe after me and skin me alive...


    And then there''s the ckwood family...


    Charlotte had since be a diligent woman withbat skills, but without the Lindberg family, she


    would be fighting the war on her own. There was no way she could beat anyone under those


    circumstances.


    Plus, I have to protect my kids. I refuse to let them get hurt like Mrs. Berry.


    ¡°I''ve been training you for two years. Yet, the only thing you know is to be impulsive and push your luck.


    You have really disappointed me,¡±mented Danrique icily.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg doesn''t actually want to leave, Mr. Lindberg. She is simply worried about the kids, so


    please give her another chance,¡± requested Morgan, who couldn''t help speaking up for Charlotte.


    ¡°It''s true. She is your only kin, Mr. Lindberg, so please don''t abandon her,¡± begged Lupine with tears in


    her eyes.

 Chapter 897

    Chapter 897


    Danrique frowned and a cold glint appeared in his amber pupils.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Charlotte roared and shot both women a re.


    Both of them lowered their heads and said no more.


    ¡°Don''t be angry, Danrique...¡± Not wanting to infuriate him, she changed her tactics. ¡°We''ll talk about the


    children a littleter. I''ll send them back to the Nachts'' residence first...¡±


    ¡°The children are cute,¡± Danrique interrupted her. ¡°I didn''t say I won''t ept them.¡±


    Charlotte waspletely taken aback, and when she snapped back to her senses, she asked


    delightedly, ¡°Are you saying that you are willing to ept the children?¡±


    ¡°They do look like me...¡± Danrique said as he picked up an ivory chess piece. ¡°It''s quiet in the Lindberg


    residence, so having the children here will make this ce livelier.¡±


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    ¡°Do you really think so, Danrique?¡± Charlotte asked as she couldn''t hold back her excitement.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Danrique gave her a smirk. ¡°Go ahead and spend time with the kids.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Danrique!¡± Charlotte was ecstatic. At first, she was in constant trepidation because she


    thought Danrique would not ept those three children. She did not expect him to ept them so


    quickly...


    He probablypromised so that he could get her to stay.


    Or perhaps, the children''s striking resemnce to him moved him.


    However, Charlotte was happy as long as the children could stay at the Lindberg residence.


    She couldn''t wait to tell the children the good news, but when she reached the door, she heard Ellie


    asking Raina, ¡°When can we go home, Dr. Langhan? I miss my Daddy.¡±


    ¡°I want to go home too...¡± Jamie asked, and he seemed a little down. ¡°I also want Mommy toe with


    us.¡±


    ¡°That''s right. Let''s bring Mommy home with us.¡± Ellie nodded eagerly. ¡°Dr. Langhan, can you call Daddy


    toe and pick us up?¡±


    ¡°I want to, but...¡± Raina did not dare to say another word, and then she looked up at the door.


    Charlotte pushed the door open and entered before sheforted the children. ¡°My dear children, you


    need to have a good rest as you are all sick. We''ll talk about this again when you feel better, okay?¡±


    ¡°I feel a lot better, Mommy.¡± Ellie immediately sat up and pretended to be strong and energetic. She


    even jumped on the bed a few times. ¡°See? I''m full of energy now.¡±


    ¡°Me too. I can box now.¡±


    Jamie immediately got up and threw a few punches in the air to show Charlotte.


    Charlotte gazed lovingly at her children, but she could not bring herself to feel happy. She felt a twinge


    of sorrow as her own children seemed distant from her.


    They''ve only been here for a day, and now they''re moring to go back to the Nacht residence.


    ¡°Alright. That''s enough,¡± Robbie finally spoke. He frowned and said with a stern face, ¡°All of you have


    been saying every day that you wanted to see Mommy. And now that you are here, you guys are


    fussing to go back there. Can''t you all be a little more sensible?¡±


    Robbie knew his own mother very well. He could tell that Charlotte was sad and disappointed to see


    her children wanting to go back there, but she couldn''t show it on her face.


    Jamie and Ellie were startled at being chided by their older brother before they pouted and quietlyy


    back in bed.


    ¡°It''s okay. They''re just not used to being here. That''spletely normal,¡± Charlotte quickly reassured


    her children. ¡°After all, you guys just arrived, so you''ll need some time to adjust.¡±


    She pondered for a moment before saying, ¡°How about this? I''ll take you all out for dinner. Sincest


    night, the three of you have had nothing but vegetable broth, so you must be starving. What would you


    like to eat? I''ll arrange it right away.¡±


    ¡°I want something spicy...¡±


    ¡°I want barbecue.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Coming right up,¡± Charlotte nodded with a smile. ¡°How about you, Robbie?¡±


    ¡°I don''t feel like eating,¡± Robbie said gloomily. ¡°I''ll eat whatever they have, as long as they are happy.¡±


    ¡°I''ll get the restaurant to prepare the food now. You can add onter if you fancy anything else,¡±


    Charlotte stroked his head and left immediately to arrange for the food.

 Chapter 898

    Chapter 898


    In fact, Charlotte knew that the children wanted to go back because they were terrified of Danrique.


    She decided to take the children out for a meal to give them a chance to be away from Danrique for a


    little while.


    ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    Before leaving the house, Charlotte asked Raina, ¡°Based on their current condition, is it alright for them


    to leave the house?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The fever has subsided. Well, since they can''t sleep, it will be good for them to get some fresh


    air.¡±


    Raina wanted to leave here as soon as possible too. Otherwise, she would always feel that something


    was bothering her.


    ¡°That''s great.¡±


    Charlotte arranged for an extended Rolls-Royce to ferry her children with two jeeps trailing behind


    them.


    However, as the children sat in the extended Rolls-Royce, their eyes were wide as saucers, and they


    looked mortified.


    Fifi, the eagle, was perching on the car seat headrest, and it was staring icily at the little parrot opposite


    of it.


    Little Fifi trembled in fear as it perched on the car seat. It lifted its head and looked at the eagle with


    eyes filled with fear. It was quivering incessantly, and some of its green feathers had fallen on the seat.


    Ellie pouted and watched the eagle with tears in her eyes. She reached out to tug at Charlotte''s sleeve


    and said with a choke, ¡°I feel like crying, Mommy.¡±


    ¡°You don''t have to be afraid. It already knows that you are its little master. It won''t hurt you.¡±


    This might seem like overkill, but Charlotte had learned a lesson yesterday. She didn''t want to bump


    into Zara again.


    As for the eagle, she wanted it to spend more time with the children to build a closer bond. She hoped


    that the eagle would protect the children if the situation arose.


    Just like now, Robbie had warmed up to it and mustered the courage to sit next to the eagle.


    ¡°Scoot over.¡±


    Robbie sat next to the eagle, and he used his arm to nudge it.


    With a proud and stern look, the eagle moved to the side. Then, it shook its wings, and one of its


    feathersnded on Robbie''s head.


    Robbie did not notice that as he was engrossed in his iPad.


    The eagle perched behind him and craned its neck as it stared at his iPad with unblinking eyes.


    ¡°Wow! I found out that an eagle can keep its eyes open without blinking for a long time.¡±


    Jamie was a little excited and curious as well. He wanted to get closer to observe the eagle up close,


    but he was a little afraid.


    ¡°It''s okay. You don''t have to be afraid. Come and touch it.¡±


    Charlotte stroked the eagle''s wings and exined to Jamie.


    ¡°Eagles are blessed with astounding vision. They can see objects that are far away, and they don''t blink


    that often. Moreover, they have the longest lifespan among the birds in the world.¡±


    At that moment, the eagle began to coo all of a sudden.


    The three children were stunned for a second before they broke into a fit of giggles.


    ¡°So that''s how an eagle calls. It sounded like a small bird.¡± Ellie was in tears fromughing so hard. ¡°It''s


    so cute!¡±


    ¡°Suddenly, it doesn''t seem so scary anymore,¡± Jamie said with a chuckle.


    The eagle cooed again.


    There was a frown on Robbie''s face. Even though he was still fixated on the iPad, he could feel the


    eagle''s gaze from behind him.


    ¡°What''s the eagle''s lifespan, Mommy?¡±


    Finally, Jamie mustered enough courage and went over to touch the eagle''s wings. But he quickly


    retracted his hand after that.


    ¡°This is the Goshawk species, and it can live up to forty to fifty years,¡± Charlotte said with a smile.


    ¡°There are some eagles that can live up to seventy years old, but they begin to age by the time they


    are forty years old.¡±


    ¡°How about Little Fifi?¡± Ellie asked. ¡°How long can it live?¡±


    ¡°Seven years,¡± Charlotte blurted.


    ¡°Ah...¡± Ellie''s eyes widened in astonishment. Suddenly, she looked worried and asked, ¡°Little Fifi is


    almost six years old now. Does that mean...?¡±


    ¡°Little Fifi grew up with us, so it should live longer than the parrots in the wild. You don''t have to worry


    about that,¡± Robbie immediately reassured Ellie.

 Chapter 899

    Chapter 899


    ¡°That''s right,¡± Charlotte said as she cast a thankful look at Robbie.


    ¡°Good to hear that.¡± Ellie cradled the parrot and gently stroked its feather. ¡°I''ll take good care of you,


    Little Fifi. I won''t let anything bad happen to you ever again.¡±


    ¡°Ellie! Ellie!¡± the parrot squawked those words and rubbed its head against Ellie''s hand.


    ¡°Alright, kids. It''s time for you to nap for a little while so that you''ll have the energy to yter,¡±


    Charlotte cajoled her children. ¡°We''re going to a restaurant by the beach. There''s a small amusement


    park over there, and you''ll get the chance to y in the sand as well.¡±


    ¡°Yay! Thank you, Mommy,¡± Ellie cheered.


    ¡°Beach? Amusement park..?¡± Jamie thought for a while and analyzed. ¡°Could it be the restaurant that


    Daddy used to take us to? Are we going to Seacrest Restaurant?¡±


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    ¡°That''s right. We''re going to Seacrest Restaurant.¡±


    Charlotte loved to dine at that restaurant. It was a restaurant made of clear ss walls and offered


    breathtaking views of the sandy beach. It was also charmingly decorated with potted nts and vines.


    She bumped into Zachary thest time she dined at that restaurant with Louis.


    Just as she thought of that, Charlotte''s phone rang, and it was a call from Louis. Speak of the devil.


    ¡°Yes, Louis,¡± Charlotte answered the phone.


    ¡°Charlotte, has the press conference at South Sea been brought forward to the 12th?¡± Louis asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Charlotte replied ndly.


    ¡°Why didn''t you tell me?¡± Louis sounded a little upset. ¡°I just received the news. I''ll arrange for a private


    jet immediately, and I''ll fly over there soon.¡±


    ¡°There''s no need for that,¡± Charlotte responded quickly. ¡°You don''t have toe. This press


    conference has nothing to do with you. It''s no big deal.¡±


    ¡°I promised you before that I would make an appearance,¡± Louis said. ¡°Alright then, I''m boarding soon.


    See you tomorrow!¡±


    ¡°See you!¡±


    After Charlotte hung up the call, she checked the messages on her phone. Only then did she realize


    that Danrique had made a killer move and it had caused a lot of problems for Nacht Group.


    It seems like Zachary will be busy for the next few days, so he won''t being to take the children


    away from me.


    After she ced her phone aside, she cajoled her children once again. ¡°Try to get some sleep,


    children. The restaurant is about an hour''s drive away.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Mommy.¡±


    Jamie and Ellie obediently went to sleep.


    Without looking up from his iPad, Robbie said, ¡°I''m still busy helping Daddy with the new products,


    Mommy.¡±


    ¡°Why don''t you leave it to Daddy to handle it?¡± She didn''t want her son to tire himself out.


    ¡°It''s alright. Daddy''s busy with some other issues. I''m just trying to help him.¡±


    Robbie was still fixated on his iPad as his small hand continued to tap quickly on the screen.


    At his insistence, she decided not to disturb him anymore. She offered him a ss of juice and sat by


    his side quietly to apany him.


    She was contented with her three children and two pets by her side.


    She felt very much at ease, and she wished time would slow down for her to enjoy every minute with


    her children.


    For the past few days, she had several shbacks of her family of six living happily together...


    Her memories wereing back little by little...


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, look!¡± Lupine eximed as she pointed out of the window.


    Charlotte turned around and saw a jeep that belonged to the Nacht family driving past them.


    The rear window of the jeep had shattered, and it was apparent that the vehicle had been involved in a


    violent collision. As the jeep drove past them, Charlotte caught sight of Sharon''s face through the car


    window.


    Sharon, who also noticed the car next to her, turned around to look at the car.


    However, the Lindberg family''s Rolls-Royce windows were wound up, and nothing could be seen from


    the outside. She couldn''t tell who was in the car, so she asked, ¡°Is that Zachary''s car?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± The aide, who was in the passenger seat, nced back and said, ¡°It belongs to the Lindberg


    family.¡±


    Upon hearing that, all colors drained from Sharon''s face.

 Chapter 900

    Chapter 900


    Back in the Rolls-Royce, Charlotte''s forehead creased into a frown.


    ¡°That was the Nacht family''s car.¡±


    Right after Lupine blurted that out, she nced at Robbie and kept her mouth shut immediately.


    Robbie''s brow furrowed, then he stopped frowning the next second and continued to work on his tablet.


    It was as though he hadn''t heard anything.


    Lupine whispered into Charlotte''s ear, ¡°Last night, the Nacht family ced Sharon in a safehouse


    located in a remote area. And today, Mr. Lindberg sent someone to capture her, but unfortunately, the


    Nacht family kept her safe once again. Who would have thought that she''s at Southridge right now.¡±


    Charlotte did not say anything, but her eyes were icy cold.


    After the fight with Zara yesterday, the incident in T Nation came to light, where she was hunted down


    to be executed. It turned out that Zara was the mastermind behind all that and Sharon executed her


    order.


    Evidently, not only Sharon was the enforcer, but she was also Charlotte''s mortal enemy.


    She wouldn''t have minded that he chose not to avenge her, but she found it hard to believe that he


    actually harbored a murderer in his own home.


    At the thought of that, mes of fury started burning in her heart.


    ¡°Don''t be angry. Go spend time with the kids first,¡± Morgan said in a low voice. ¡°We''ll talk about this


    later tonight.¡±


    Charlotte turned to look at her three children with sorrow in her heart. She would have made a move


    against the Nacht family were it not for the sake of her three children.


    Does Zachary think that this is all that I am capable of?


    It was such a pity that her forbearance and soft-heartedness were not enough for him. Give him an


    inch, and he''ll want a mile.


    ¡°What''s wrong, Mommy?¡± Robbie asked softly.


    ¡°Nothing...¡± She quickly evaded his gaze and looked away. Then, she pulled herself together and said,


    ¡°I''m fine.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes, what the eyes see is not necessarily true,¡± Robbie said wisely. ¡°Could there be a


    misunderstanding?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Robinson, you...¡±


    ¡°Quiet!¡± Charlotte interrupted Morgan''s words. She turned to look at Robbie and said with a smile,


    ¡°You''re right, Robbie. I''ll get to the bottom of this.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Robbie nodded and turned back to his tablet.


    The fire of wrath burned bright in her heart, but she put a tight lid on her emotions for the sake of her


    children. She reminded herself repeatedly not to lose her temper in front of the children.


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    Very soon, their car reached Seacrest Restaurant.


    Charlotte held the children''s hands and led them into the restaurant.


    As they walked into the restaurant, they were surrounded by Lupine, Morgan, and eight other female


    bodyguards. At the same time, Raina and two female medical staff followed closely behind them.


    The restaurant''s owner came out to wee them in. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, everything is decorated and


    arranged ording to your instructions. Are you pleased with it?¡±


    ¡°They are the ones to be pleased,¡± Charlotte answered and gestured to the children.


    ¡°They will definitely be pleased!¡± the restaurant''s owner eximed as he pped his hands together.


    The lights in the restaurant were changed to blue lights, which closely resembled the ocean''s rays. And


    the ss walls were decorated with scenes from the underwater world. Apanied by the sound of


    ocean waves and the tune of a piano, it was as though they were submerged in the underwater world.


    ¡°Wow! It''s so beautiful!¡± Ellie eximed with excitement. She ran to the middle of the restaurant and


    watched the images of dolphins swimming on the ceiling. She danced with glee and said, ¡°It''s so


    beautiful. I''ve been here so many times, and I had no idea that it can be as beautiful as this.¡±


    ¡°There''s a big shark over there!¡± Jamie suddenly shouted.


    ¡°Arrgghh¡ª¡± Ellie screamed in fright and jumped into Charlotte''s arms.


    ¡°Hahaha... you silly little girl,¡± Jamie teased her. Then, he stepped on the moving image of a big


    octopus on the floor and shouted, ¡°It looks so real! This is great!¡±


    Charlotte walked over with Ellie in her arms and coaxed her to stretch out her little hand to touch the


    3D image of a big shark.


    ¡°I touched it,¡± Ellie said as she pped with glee.


    Charlotte turned her head and looked at her eldest child. ¡°Come and touch it too, Robbie.¡±


    ¡°Let them y. I''m not interested,¡± Robbie answered cidly before he walked over to the table and sat


    down.

 Chapter 901

    Chapter 901


    Raina whispered, ¡°Mr. Robbie is the sole developer of the projector. He''s also the sole owner of the


    patent.¡±


    ¡°H-Huh?¡±


    The rest were astonished as they never thought a six-year-old boy was capable of pulling such an


    impossible feat.


    The owner of the restaurant was shocked. He repeated, ¡°Are you seriously telling me this little boy is


    the one behind this magnificent creation? A few of my friends have purchased the projectors as well!¡±


    Robbie remarked in a rtively calm manner, ¡°It was merelyunched around January, but I have


    designed it a year ago. Daddy has transferred the profit to my personal ount as well.¡±


    The owner of the restaurant remarked, ¡°Hahaha! It seems like I''m also one of your customers!¡±


    Ellie showed her brother a huge thumbs up andplimented, ¡°Robbie, you''re awesome!¡±


    Meanwhile, as impressed as Jamie might be, he was also overwhelmed by a sense of inferiority.


    ¡°Magnificent, Robbie! Meanwhile, there are not many things I''m capable of¡ª¡±


    ¡°You''re unique as well! I''m not a match for you in terms of rock climbing!¡± Robbie tapped on his


    brother''s shoulder and promised his sister, ¡°Ellie, I''ll get you one as well if you want it! You just have to


    ensure the decoration of your room goes along with the theme!¡±


    Ellie responded with a nod and expressed her gratitude, ¡°Thanks, Robbie!¡±


    Charlotte was equally proud. She praised her little boy, ¡°Robbie, you have finally grown up!¡±


    Robbie announced with his chest held high, ¡°Haven''t I promised to keep you safe? I''m going to honor


    my promise and make you proud!¡±


    Thrilled, Charlotte nodded in return. ¡°Mmm! I''m sure you can do it! I have faith in you!¡±


    All of a sudden, one of her subordinates showed up seconds after they heard a car pulling over at the


    entrance. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, it''s Mr. Nacht!¡±


    Charlotte asked with a frown, ¡°What brings him here today?¡±


    ¡°Sir, have you not informed others you''re not serving anyone else apart from us?¡± Lupine asked in a


    callous tone.


    ¡°I couldn''t inform Mr. Nacht beforehand since he mentioned nothing about his arrival today.¡± Halfway


    through his speech, the owner stammered, ¡°I-I don''t think I can drive him away...¡±


    ¡°Y-You!¡±


    ¡°It''s fine!¡± Charlotte remarked in a callous tone and instructed, ¡°Switch off the projector and proceed to


    ce our orders.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes! I''ll get going at once!¡± The owner instructed the waiter to take note of Charlotte and her party''s


    orders before making his way out to wee Zachary.


    When Zachary alighted from the car, he was astonished to see the car of the Lindberg family. He


    thought of leaving, but the security guard of the restaurant had announced his arrival.


    ¡°What''s wrong, Zachary?¡± Taylor expressed his concerns when he caught a glimpse of the young


    man''s look.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    ¡°Shall we head over to another restaurant?¡± Cynthia gestured her question since she was aware of


    Zachary''s concerns.


    She could tell Charlotte was around when she saw the car. After all, she once ran into Charlotte at


    Ashenville Garden.


    ¡°That won''t be necessary!¡± Zachary marched in the direction of the hall as he thought others would


    misperceive him if he were to leave.


    The owner of the restaurant greeted Zachary, ¡°Wee, Mr. Nacht! It''s an honor to have so many


    honorable guests today!¡±


    Ellie, who was in the middle of running around, rushed in Zachary''s direction the moment she saw him.


    ¡°Daddy! Has Mommy asked you toe over and join us?¡±


    Zachary held his daughter''s hand and took a peek at Charlotte. Shortly after she exchanged nces


    with him, she had her eyes glued to Cynthia behind him.


    Startled by Charlotte''s indifferent look, Cynthia inched over in Zachary''s direction, making it seem as if


    they were closely acquainted.


    ¡°Daddy?¡± Jamie, who was upied with Jenga, turned around when he heard his sister. He brought


    himself to a halt instead of rushing over to his father''s side when he caught a glimpse of Cynthia.


    He turned around to look at Charlotte and Robbie. It was then he heard Robbie instructing, ¡°Jamie,


    Ellie,e over here!¡±


    Jamie brought himself back to Robbie''s side and took a seat next to his brother, taking a peek at


    Zachary with a diffident look.


    Ellie let go of her grip and returned to her seat next to Charlotte. She couldn''t stop herself from taking a


    peek at Zachary.


    Upon another glimpse at Charlotte, Robbie suggested, ¡°Daddy, why don''t you tend to the things you


    have on your schedule? Aren''t you here to resolve the issue of yourpany with the aid of Mr.


    ckwood and Ms. Cynthia?¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Zachary was proud of his intelligent son as he had just done him a huge favor.

 Chapter 902

    Chapter 902


    After Robbie took another peek at Charlotte, he suggested, ¡°If that''s the case, why don''t you go ahead?


    We''ll return and finish our meal with Mommy!¡±


    Instead of losing her cool, Charlotte carried herself in an elegant manner since her children were


    around. She thought it wouldn''t be wise to pick on Zachary in front of others as well.


    ¡°Alright, I''ll drop by and check on the three of you once I''m done.¡±


    Zachary was d his son was around to intermediate the situation. Shortly after they wrapped up the


    conversation, Zachary marched in the direction of their seats.


    Lupine and Morgan were frustrated when Cynthia went after Zachary as if she was a defenseless


    woman in need of others to defend her.


    Marino and Ben red at the twodies warning them to mind themselves. Then, they looked


    elsewhere and kept their emotions to themselves.


    N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    Robbie brought up something else to divert everyone''s attention. He asked, ¡°Mommy, are you sure we


    can get Jamie and Ellie''s favorite dishes here?¡±


    ¡°I have already gotten in touch with the owner and asked for his help to prepare everyone''s favorite


    dishes beforehand.¡±


    Charlotte beckoned Lupine to get the waiter to serve the dishes she had ordered beforehand and


    asked, ¡°Robbie, have you any cravings?¡±


    Robbie blurted his answer, ¡°Me? I miss the dishes you used to prepare for us! There''s nothing like


    home-cooked meals, but I guess I''ll settle for less since you have brought us here!¡±


    ¡°Well, I''ll make you something to eat, but it has been a long time since thest time I cook. I''m not sure


    if my culinary skills can live up to your expectations. Therefore, you can''t me me if it''s not.¡±


    Thrilled, Robbie assured his mother, ¡°No! It''spletely fine as long as you''re the one cooking the


    dishes!¡±


    Unable to contain his excitement, Jamie announced, ¡°I have been missing Mommy''s cooking as well! It


    has been such a long time since ourst meal! I can still remember the taste of the dishes you have


    prepared us!¡±


    Ellie gulped and announced while leaning in Charlotte''s direction, ¡°Hey, me too! Mommy, I can''t even


    stop myself from drooling anymore!¡±


    Charlotteughed and kissed her daughter on the forehead, pinching Jamie''s cheek and touching


    Robbie''s head.


    Throughout the heartwarming session, Zachary couldn''t move his eyes away from his family as he


    couldn''t even recall when was thest time they spent some quality time together.


    ¡°I''ll drop by the kitchen and see if I can get the owner to lend me his kitchen! I want everyone to behave


    yourself when I''m not around, okay?¡±


    Charlotte made her way to the kitchen and asked, ¡°Sir, have you any extra ingredients for me to make


    my children their favorite dishes?¡±


    The astonished owner asked in return, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, I''m so sorry, but we merely have a few raw


    ingredients left! Is that fine?¡±


    Charlotte thought it wasn''t a big deal. She asked, ¡°It''s fine! Can you get others to help me out?¡±


    ¡°I''ll get the chefs to join you at once!¡±


    ...


    ¡°Zachary? Hello? Zachary!¡±


    Taylor repeated himself for more than once until Zachary finally returned to his senses and stopped


    staring in the direction of Charlotte.


    When Taylor saw Zachary turning around with his brows arched in confusion, he suggested, ¡°Shall we


    go to another restaurant?¡±


    Taylor thought it would be impossible for them to carry on with their discussion with others around


    them.


    Upon another glimpse at his watch, he said, ¡°Actually, we''re merely to talk about the uing press


    conference. Why don''t you guys go ahead and finish your meal before we get to business?¡±


    He got up from his seat and walked in the direction of the kitchen shortly after he brought up the


    suggestion.


    Staring at the man''s departing figure, Taylor responded with a frown.


    In the meantime, Charlotte had to prepare the dishes from scratch. Unlike her usual domineering self,


    she seemed to be just another mother throughout the process of getting the ingredients ready.


    Leaning against the entrance to the kitchen, Zachary had his eyes glued to the woman with a gentle


    look.


    The owner of the restaurant greeted Zachary the moment he saw him, ¡°M-Mr. Nacth...¡±


    Out of the blue, Charlotte turned around and asked with her brows furrowed, ¡°What are you doing


    here?¡±


    Zachary marched in her direction and said, ¡°I think it''s time for us to talk about our children-¡±


    Halfway through his sentence, Charlotte turned around and warned him with the knife, ¡°Zachary, I''m


    trying my best to stop picking on you since our children are around! You better get out of my sight with


    that mistress of yours as soon as possible! Otherwise, I''m afraid I''m going to lose control soon!¡±

 Chapter 903

    Chapter 903


    ¡°I''m pretty sure that will never be the case!¡± he announced with his chest held high as if he was certain


    she would never hurt him.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Charlotte stepped forward with the knife and repeated her question.


    An anxious chef yelled, ¡°Watch out! I have been sharpening that knife daily to ensure it''s sharp enough


    for my cooking!¡±


    Unfortunately, the chef was toote as he failed to stop the woman from hurting the man. As a result,


    blood started streaming down the man''s neck.


    The surprised Zachary asked, ¡°Are you being serious?¡±


    The staff in the kitchen was horrified by the potential oue of the saga. The owner of the kitchen


    gulped and urged, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, shall we calm down and talk things through?¡±


    ¡°Get out of my sight at once!¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes!¡± The owner of the restaurant beckoned the rest of the staff in the kitchen to leave the duo alone


    with him.


    Once he marched out of the kitchen, he told their bodyguards, ¡°T-They''re in the middle of a fight! To be


    precise, Ms. Lindberg has ced a knife on Mr. Nacht''s neck!¡±


    Lupine and Morgan shrugged their shoulders after exchanging nces with one another.


    Marino''s mind was all over the ce. He couldn''t stop himself from consulting his partner next to him.


    ¡°B-Ben!¡±


    ¡°Just calm down and leave the rest to him,¡± Ben assured his partner things would turn out just fine.


    The owner gaped at the response of the two bodyguards and asked, ¡°A-Aren''t you guys going to do


    anything about it?¡±


    Ben suggested, ¡°Why don''t you tend to the things you have on your te and leave the rest to us?¡±


    ¡°H-Huh?¡±


    Holding the knife she had around the man''s neck, Charlotte warned him, ¡°Zachary, I''m going to repeat


    myself for onest time! I''ll definitely gain custody of our children! Also, there''s no way I''m letting Zara


    and Sharon off the hook since they''re the ones behind Mrs. Berry''s demise!¡±


    Halfway through her orated speech, she paused and red at him in the eyes. A few secondster,


    she enunciated, ¡°I don''t care if you''re having an affair with others! Just stop showing up in front of me!


    There''s no use trying to provoke me because you''re merely getting on my nerves!¡±


    ¡°Scram!¡±


    When she was about to repeat herself and warn him to stay away from her, he took her by surprise and


    rendered her incapable of motion. He warned her in return, ¡°I won''t allow anyone to drive my family


    apar, not even you¡ªbecause you belong to me as well! Also, I have been gathering the evidence to


    send the masterminds behind bars! As soon as the opportunity arises, I''ll ensure justice is served!¡±


    After pausing for a few seconds, he looked at her in the eyes and said, ¡°I''m merely here for business


    with them! There''s nothing else going on between us! I''m not trying to provoke you as well! Have I


    made myself clear?¡±


    Grasping her hands with his gigantic palm, he ran his fingers through the defenseless woman''s cheek,


    fooling around with her.


    ¡°Stay away from me!¡± Irritated by the man''s response, she tried to shrug him off, but she was no match


    for him in spite of being better than she used to be.


    Instead, the man got increasingly aroused as she continued moving around in a tempting manner.


    Subsequently, she could feel the thing around the man''s thighs. She yelled at him, ¡°What do you think


    you''re doing? Get the hell off me!¡±


    Zachary smirked and warned her in return, ¡°If you don''t stop moving around, I''m going to show you the


    things I''m capable of doing right here and right now!¡±


    The man''s lust was written all over his face. As much as she wished to challenge the man, she knew it


    wouldn''t be wise since he might be serious. ¡°Y-You¡ª¡±


    ¡°I guess you have been living a wonderful life without me, huh? I can''t believe you have the guts to hurt


    your husband!¡±


    Zachary wiped the blood on his neck off and pped the woman on the ass. He leaned over and


    whispered, ¡°As soon as I''m done with everything, I''ll teach you another lesson!¡±


    ¡°We shall see if you''re the one teaching me a lesson or if I''m the one teaching you the proper way to


    behave yourself!¡±


    Shortly after she made herself clear she wouldn''t give up, sheunched a powerful kick in his crotch


    area.


    ¡°Argh!¡±


    Colors started draining from the man''s face as he groaned in pain due to the racking sensation he felt


    coming from his crotch area.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    Ben and Marino exchanged nces and knew it was time for them to stop standing around. Thus, they


    barged into the kitchen.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht!¡±


    Zachary had his back facing the duo. He beckoned them to leave them alone in the kitchen.


    Once he ensured his subordinates were no longer around, he leaned against the ind of the kitchen


    to support himself, gasping out his reply, ¡°Charlotte, you''re such a heartless woman!¡±

 Chapter 904

    Chapter 904


    ¡°If you keep pushing your luck, I''ll stop holding back and hit you!¡± ring at him in the eyes, she


    repeated herself, ¡°Get the hell out of my sight immediately!¡±


    ¡°Y-You...¡± As painful as it might be, Zachary braced himself through the excruciating sensation and


    urged in a serious tone, ¡°Send our children to my ce! It''s not safe for them to stay with you!¡±


    Charlotte regained herposure and continued making the dishes she had in mind. ¡°What do you


    mean it''s not safe for them to stay with me when they''re home?¡±


    ¡°Can you stop arguing with me?¡± Zachary was slightly irritated. He warned, ¡°Aren''t you aware Danrique


    doesn''t really appreciate their¡ª¡±


    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    She interrupted him and finished, ¡°He has grown fond of them! Why don''t you keep your concerns to


    yourself! I''ll ensure they have everything they need even when they''re away from the Nacht family!¡±


    Zachary asked with a frown, ¡°Huh? Are you serious? Has Danrique grown fond of them?¡±


    Simrly, Charlotte furrowed her brows and asked, ¡°Are you surprised or something? Isn''t it natural


    when they''re members of the Lindberg family?¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute...¡±


    Knock! Knock!


    When Zachary was about to share something else, Taylor knocked on the door and mentioned,


    ¡°Zachary, it''s about time!¡±


    ¡°I''ll drop by and talk to you soon!¡± Shortly after he wrapped up his conversation with Charlotte, he


    touched up his appearance and walked out of the kitchen.


    Charlotte had no intention to waste her time with him. She continued making the dishes she had in


    mind but found out it might be a mission impossible. Hence, she instructed, ¡°Get the chefs to join me in


    the kitchen!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Afraid of getting on Charlotte''s nerves, the owner instructed the chefs to join her in the kitchen


    immediately.


    Colors had long drained from the faces of the chefs¡ªthey were afraid that their lives would be at stake


    if Charlotte was irked.


    Lupine assured the startled bunch, ¡°Just take it easy because she''s not going to take any of you out for


    no reason. However, if you don''t hurry up, I''ll do you a favor and take you out.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes...¡± Startled by Lupine''s warnings, the chefs staggered their ways into the kitchen once again.


    After taking another peek at Lupine, the owner returned to the dining hall to tend to Zachary and his


    guests.


    ¡°Zachary, I have ordered a few simple dishes since we''re in quite a hurry. As soon as we''re done, let''s


    make our way to thepany and get everything for the press conference ready.¡±


    Taylor brought up his suggestion as if he truly cared about thepany.


    Zachary nced at his watch and announced, ¡°Actually, I''m just about to tell you it won''t be necessary


    for you guys to tag along for the press conference.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Why?¡± Taylor was dumbfounded because he thought Zachary had asked them over for a briefing


    session prior to the press conference.


    Zachary took a sip of wine and remarked, ¡°It seems too much of an act. I''m afraid others are going to


    pick on me for forcing you and your family into submission again.¡±


    ¡°How is that-¡±


    ¡°I''ll take over from now onwards. If you''re seriously considering doing me a favor, why don''t you hold a


    press conference as the person in charge of yourpany?¡±


    Taylor nodded and reached for his phone. ¡°Alright, I''ll get everything sorted out as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Allow me to excuse myself. I''ll head over to keep my childrenpany.¡± Zachary got up from his seat


    and marched in the direction of his children.


    Taylor engaged himself in a conversation with his staff. In other words, no one was aware when


    Cynthia was nowhere to be seen in the dining hall.


    On the other end of the restaurant, Cynthia encountered the owner of the restaurant marching in the


    direction of the kitchen with a cup of tea.


    Cynthia got in the way of the owner and greeted him with simple gestures. ¡°Hello!¡±


    The owner responded with a nod and exined, ¡°Hello, Ms. ckwood! Allow me to express my


    apologies, but I''m not really familiar with signnguages apart from a few basic ones.¡±


    Cynthia responded with an awkward grin and pointed in the direction of Zachary before staring at the


    kitchen and her stomach.


    The owner figured out the things she had in mind. He asked, ¡°Are you asking me to hurry up and serve


    the dishes your father has ordered?¡±


    As the woman nodded in return, the owner assured her with a bright grin, ¡°I''ll urge them to hurry up at


    once! All of you must be hungry since it''s already way past lunch hours!¡±


    Cynthia expressed her gratitude and walked in the direction of the dining hall, bumping into the owner


    when she was on her way back.

 Chapter 905

    Chapter 905


    When the owner almost spilled the cup of tea, Cynthia reached over to stop it in the nick of time. As a


    result, she was scalded by the tea.


    The owner''s mind was all over the ce as she started blowing her hand. ¡°I''m so sorry, Ms.


    ckwood! Are you okay? I''ll get someone to bring you the first-aid kit at once!¡±


    Cynthia shook her head and showed the owner her hands, indicating that wouldn''t be necessary since


    she was fine.


    ¡°I''m d you''re fine!¡± Heaving a sigh of relief, the owner announced, ¡°If that''s the case, allow me to


    excuse myself! I need to bring Ms. Lindberg her cup of tea!¡±


    Cynthia nodded with a smile and brought herself away.


    Once the owner showed up in the kitchen, he urged, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, why don''t you take a break and


    finish this cup of tea?¡±


    ¡°Just put it aside.¡± Charlotte had her eyes glued to the different types of ingredients in front of her.


    ¡°If that''s the case, I''ll put it here. Hurry up and finish it once you''re free to take a break.¡±


    The owner ced the cup of tea aside and urged the chefs to get the dishes for Zachary''s table ready


    as soon as possible.


    Meanwhile, shortly after Zachary wrapped up the session he had with Jamie and Ellie, he took a seat


    next to Robbie and asked in a hushed tone, ¡°Robbie, have you seen that man?¡±


    Robbie had his eyes glued to the documents in front of him. He asked, ¡°Are you talking about Uncle


    Dan? We have met him.¡±


    ¡°Come again? Did you just address him as Uncle Dan?¡±


    Zachary was startled when he heard his son addressing Danrique in such an intimate manner. After all,


    others had always known Danrique as a heartless man who would do everything for his personal gains.


    Has he seriously grown fond of his nephews and niece? Is that possible when they''re the sessor of


    the Nacht family?


    Robbie turned around and looked at his father in the eyes. ¡°What''s wrong, Daddy? Aren''t we supposed


    to address him as Uncle Dan?¡±


    ¡°Has he tried anything silly or picked on any of you?¡±


    ¡°Although we don''t really consider him a friendly uncle of ours, he''s not the type of man to pick on us


    for fun. He seems to be up to something, but I think it''s just his intimidating look misleading others.¡±


    Zachary had his doubts. ¡°If that''s the case, has he brought up anything odd in front of any of you?¡±


    ¡°I don''t think so, but Jamie and Ellie are afraid of him. They have made themselves clear they don''t


    want to be anywhere near him anymore.¡±


    ¡°Well, I''ll take all of you home with me if that''s the case!¡±


    N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    Zachary was not happy after hearing what Robbie said, so he up and thought of confronting Charlotte.


    However, his eldest son stopped him and said, ¡°Daddy, I don''t think that''s appropriate. After all, she has


    just returned to us. I''m afraid she''s going to be upset if you take us away with you.¡±


    Zachary turned around and assured him, ¡°I''m pretty sure she''s going to return to us in no time once all


    of you return with me.¡±


    It took the little boy a few seconds to fathom the things his father had brought up. He exined,


    ¡°Mommy is no longer a silly woman; she''s now an independent and reliable mother. If you take us away


    with you, I''m afraid she''s going to barge into the family home and take us away.¡±


    ¡°I guess you have a point.¡± Zachary thought that wasn''t a great idea when he recalled how grumpy


    Charlotte was. To make things worse, she might resort to extreme measures to get her hands on their


    children.


    ¡°I have a suggestion¡ªI''ll stay behind to keep Mommypany while you take Jamie and Ellie home


    with you! Since they''re still having a fever, we''ll just tell Mommy it''s not wise to have them intimidated


    as it might make their condition worse.¡±


    ¡°Aren''t you afraid of your uncle?¡± Zachary was overwhelmed by a sense of guilt because of his son''s


    suggestion.


    ¡°No! I don''t have to worry since Mommy''s going to keep me safe! On top of that, we resemble him! It


    feels as if I''m looking at a grown-up version of myself!¡±


    Startled by the remark that came out of nowhere, the man repeated after his son, ¡°What? Are you


    telling me you resemble Danrique?¡±


    ¡°Yes! I generated a simtion photo of my future self using one of my software! We literally look the


    same!¡±

 Chapter 906

    Chapter 906


    After pausing for a short while, Robbie added, ¡°Jamie and Ellie were equally shocked when I showed


    them the photo. In fact, he was surprised too. That might be the reason he no longer held a grudge


    against us.¡±


    Zachary''s mind wentpletely nk when he recalled he once thought he wasn''t their children''s


    father.


    After all, Charlotte had gone to great lengths to keep their presence a secret from him due to the


    differences in their looks.


    He had always thought the Nacht family had domineering genes, but it turned out their genes lost out to


    the Lindberg family. To make things worse, of all the members of the Lindberg family, his children


    resembled Danrique the most.


    It feels awful, but there''s nothing much I can do now! It''s killing me!


    ¡°Daddy, what''s wrong?¡± When Robbie caught his father''s pale and haggard look, he noticed he might


    have said something he shouldn''t. Thus, he remarked, ¡°I mean, Mommy resembles Uncle Dan a lot in


    terms of look! I''m pretty sure we take after Mommy...¡±


    Zachary went dead silent and took a sip of the drink he found on the table. After he had a mouthful of


    the mysterious drink, he almost threw up. He asked, ¡°What is this?¡±


    ¡°It''s Ellie''s milkshake.¡±


    Robbie found out Jamie and Ellie were no longer around the moment he turned around to look for his


    siblings.


    A female bodyguard noticed Robbie''s concern. She stepped forward and told him, ¡°They have gone to


    the kitchen.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Charlotte finally had the ingredients for the dishes she had in mind sorted out the moment her two


    children showed up in the kitchen. They had barged into the kitchen with a slice of cake to share with


    their mother.


    When Charlotte saw her children, she announced with a proud grin, ¡°Jamie, Ellie, why are you guys


    here? I have finally sorted out the ingredients for your favorite dish! See!¡±


    ¡°Wow! Mommy, you''re awesome!¡± Jamie showed his mother a huge thumbs up and remarked, ¡°It''s


    really a job well done considering you can''t really cook back in the day!¡±


    Ellie leaned over and kissed Charlotte on the cheek. ¡°Mommy, you''re the best! Why don''t you go ahead


    and give this cake a try? It''s one of the best I have ever tasted!¡±


    Charlotte felt motivated when she heard her children''spliments. After she had a mouthful of cake,


    she assured them, ¡°Thanks, Ellie! I''ll have everything ready in no time! I''m pretty sure it''s going to taste


    great!¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Mommy!¡±


    ¡°Mommy, let me help you!¡±


    Jamie had a mouthful of cake and volunteered to help Charlotte.


    Ellie felt thirsty after having a few mouthfuls of cake. She asked when she saw the cup of tea on the


    ind, ¡°Mommy, I''m thirsty! Can I finish this cup of tea over here?¡±N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    ¡°Go ahead and drink it if it is not hot, but you''re not allowed to finish everything since you''re not


    supposed to drink tea.¡±


    ¡°Alright, Mommy!¡± Ellie tiptoed in an attempt to reach the cup of tea.


    As soon as the little girl took it over from Morgan, she gulped down half of it since she was thirsty after


    finishing half of the slice of cake.


    Charlotte turned around and urged, ¡°That''s enough. You''re not allowed to finish everything because


    you''re still a little girl. Why don''t you return to the table and get them to order you a ss of fruit juice?¡±


    ¡°Okay, Mommy! I''ll see youter!¡±


    The little girl rushed out of the kitchen alongside Morgan.


    ¡°Jamie, why don''t you go ahead and join your sister? I join all of you as soon as I have everything


    ready!¡±


    ¡°Alright, Mommy!¡±


    Shortly after Jamie and Ellie returned to the dining hall, Zachary approached them and asked, ¡°Jamie,


    Ellie, do you guys want to go home with me?¡±


    The duo exchanged nces in silence as they were unsure if they were supposed to share their


    thoughts with their father.


    Zachary leaned over and held them in his arms. ¡°Just tell me if you''re keen to join me or not. It''s going


    to be fine.¡±


    Jamie''s frustration was written all over his face. ¡°I wish to return home, but I''m not willing to leave


    Mommy!¡±


    Ellie asked with her lips pursed in an aggrieved manner, ¡°I-I''m of the same idea, Daddy! Why don''t you


    bring Mommy home with us?¡±

 Chapter 907

    Chapter 907


    Zachary caressed his daughter''s chin and said, ¡°I want to bring her home with us as well, but I''m afraid


    she''s not going to listen to me for the time being. Robbie has volunteered to stay with her to keep her


    company just to ensure the two of you can leave with me.¡±


    Jamie seemed to have his doubts. ¡°If that''s the case, we won''t get to meet Mommy! Robbie won''t get to


    meet you as well, Daddy!¡±


    When the thought of leaving her brother and mother crossed her mind, Ellie''s eyes started brimming


    with tears.


    She asked, ¡°Daddy, why don''t you persuade Mommy to return home with us?¡±


    Holding the little girl in his arms, Zachary exined, ¡°I''m trying my best to persuade her to return with


    us. I''m sure she''lle back to us in the future, but it''s going to take quite some time.¡±


    N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    Out of nowhere, Robbie showed up and announced, ¡°Jamie, Ellie, just go ahead and return home with


    Daddy for the time being. I''m sure Mommy will drop by to visit the two of you in the near future. If that''s


    the case, the two of you have to think of something to keep her there.¡±


    Jamie''s eyes widened in disbelief when he heard his brother. ¡°Oh! Is this a collective effort to bring


    Mommy home? Are you staying behind to keep an eye on her and keep us updated?¡±


    ¡°Yes! The uing mission for the Triplets Reconnaissance Team is to bring Mommy home! We need


    to work hard for our family!¡±


    Robbie initiated a hand stack to motivate his siblings. On top of Jamie and Ellie, Little Fifi showed up


    and joined the trio, pping its wing to indicate it was of the same idea.


    Jamie felt as if a heavy boulder had been lifted off his shoulders. He started jumping for joy and


    announced, ¡°Daddy, I''ll go home with you!¡±


    Without a second thought, Ellie announced, ¡°Me too, Daddy! However, you need to listen to us! We


    need to ensure Mommy will return home in the near future!¡±


    Zachary joined his children and assured, ¡°Of course! After all, I''m also a member of the team as well!¡±


    Jamie burst outughing and eximed, ¡°Hahaha! If that''s the case, you''re officially a member of the


    Triplets Reconnaissance Team from today onwards!¡±


    The little girl wrapped her arms around her father''s neck and started kissing him on the cheek. ¡°Daddy,


    you''re so adorable!¡±


    ¡°Alright, it''s time for all of you to get yourself something to eat since it''s gettingte.¡±


    Zachary lifted Jamie and Ellie, showing them the way to their seats.


    When he returned for Robbie, the little boy announced, ¡°Daddy, that won''t be necessary because I''m


    no longer a little boy.¡±


    Zachary caressed his eldest son''s hair and said, ¡°I''ll leave the rest to you because it''s almost time for


    me to make my way back to the office.¡±


    ¡°Aren''t you going to finish the meal with Mr. ckwood and Ms. Cynthia?¡±


    Upon a glimpse at his watch, he said, ¡°I''m in quite a hurry. I''m pretty sure your mother isn''t going to


    listen to me. Tell her Jamie and Ellie will be returning home with me once she''s back. Ben will stay


    behind to bring Jamie and Ellie back once they''re done with their meal.¡±


    Robbie nodded and assured his father everything would be fine. ¡°Alright, Daddy! I''ll talk to Mommy!¡±


    ¡°You can count on us, Daddy!¡± Jamie announced with his chest held high.


    The little girl nodded and urged, ¡°Just get going, Daddy!¡±


    Shortly after Zachary returned to Taylor and Cynthia''s side to exin the reason for his departure, he


    made his way out of the restaurant.


    When Cynthia found out Taylor couldn''t stop himself from frowning, she assured her father Zachary


    was merely upied with the things he had on his te.


    Taylor heaved a long sigh and continued drinking.


    As soon as Zachary departed, Charlotte returned to the dining hall with her children''s favorite dishes.


    ¡°I''m finally done!¡±


    ¡°Wow! Mommy, I''m impressed!¡±


    The three little ones apuded with their eyes gleaming. They could barely stop themselves from


    drooling.


    Charlotte served her children their favorite dish and urged, ¡°Hurry up and give it a try!


    The little ones had a great time savoring the delicacy their mother made them. They couldn''t stop


    themselves fromplimenting her culinary skills.

 Chapter 908

    Chapter 908


    ¡°I''m d it turns out just fine!¡±


    Charlotte was thrilled and thought it wasn''t such a bad idea to get everything ready from scratch since


    it made her children happy.


    ¡°Thank you so much, Mommy! Nothing beats your food!¡±


    Ellie wrapped her arms around her mother and kissed her on the cheek.


    ¡°Hey, I want to give Mommy a kiss as well!¡± Jamie leaned over and kissed Charlotte in a manner simr


    to his sister''s.


    Robbie served their mother the food she made and suggested, ¡°Mommy, why don''t you give it a try as


    well?¡±


    Charlotte held them in her arms and urged Lupine and Morgan to give it a try as soon as she asked the


    owner of the restaurant to serve the remaining portion of the dish.


    They had a great time and thought Charlotte did a great job.


    Charlotte was equally thrilled¡ªthe sense of achievement was greater than sealing an ultra-profitting


    deal.


    Meanwhile, those from the ckwood family couldn''t stand it anymore. Taylor put everything aside and


    told Cynthia, ¡°I''m not in the mood for anything else. I guess it''s time to leave.¡±


    Cynthia nodded and signed she would drop by to bid farewell with Charlotte and the little ones.


    Her father asked with a frown, ¡°Are you sure? Why don''t you save yourself...¡±


    Taylor couldn''t even finish his sentence but Cynthia had made her way to Charlotte''s side. However,


    Lupine got in her way to stop her from getting anywhere near the family.


    Charlotte looked at Cynthia in the eyes and beckoned Lupine to stop getting in her way.


    As soon as Cynthia reached Charlotte''s side, she nodded and signed her greetings with a bright grin.


    ¡°Hello, Ms. Lindberg and everyone!¡±


    Ellie greeted Cynthia in return, ¡°Hello, Ms. Cynthia.¡±


    Jamie looked at his brother in the eyes and greeted, ¡°Greetings, Ms. Cynthia.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Cynthia, what brings you to us?¡± Robbie asked in a courteous manner.


    ¡°I''m just dropping by to greet everyone!¡±


    Cynthia continued with a bright grin, carrying herself in a manner as if she was inferior to everyone in


    front of her.


    Charlotte asked in a callous tone, ¡°Well, isn''t it about time for you to leave since you have greeted us?¡±


    Although Cynthia seemed as if she meant no harm, Charlotte couldn''t stand being anywhere near the


    pretentious woman. She had been trying her best to carry herself in a courteous manner, but she would


    still rile up whenever Cynthia showed up in front of her.


    Prior to her departure, Cynthia looked at the little girl and signed, ¡±Ellie, you need to limit your


    consumption since you have a rtively sensitive stomach.¡±


    ¡°I''ll keep that in mind, Ms. Cynthia. Thank you so much for your concerns,¡± Ellie expressed her


    gratitude.


    Cynthia smiled and made her way out of the restaurant with her father.


    When Charlotte thought it was about time to go home, she found out Ben was still around. Robbie


    broke the silence ahead of his mother when he found out she was about to ask Ben. ¡°Mommy, I have


    something to tell you.¡±


    ¡°What is it, Robbie?¡±


    When Charlotte found out her children had their faces scrunched up in fear, she thought it had


    something to do with Ben''s presence.


    Robbie stammered, ¡°J-Jamie and Ellie wish to return to Daddy''s ce. I-Is that fine with you?¡±


    It took Charlotte a simple nce to figure out Jamie and Ellie were of the same idea. She felt


    overwhelmed and thought she would never allow others to take them away from her. However, she


    couldn''t possibly turn them down when they were the ones bringing up the request.


    Ellie held her mother''s hand and requested with a pair of welled-up eyes, ¡°Mommy, I''m unwilling to


    leave you! Why don''t you go home with us?¡±


    Holding her daughter in her arms, she mentioned, ¡°Mommy is not willing to leave you as well, but I


    don''t consider that my home anymore. If you guys wish to return to your father''s ce, I won''t get in


    your way, but I won''t go with you.¡±


    Robbie assured his mother, ¡°Mommy, I won''t be leaving! I''ll stay with you to keep youpany! Just let


    Jamie and Ellie go back to Daddy''s ce!¡±


    Charlotte was surprised. She asked, ¡°Aren''t you afraid of your Uncle Dan?¡±


    Her eldest son put on a courageous front and repeated himself, ¡°There''s no way I''m going to be afraid


    of the man I resemble the most!¡±


    Charlotte caressed his hair and assured him in a gentle tone, ¡°Robbie, it''s fine if you wish to join Jamie


    and Ellie. I''ll drop by and take all of you out with me every once in a while.¡±


    Robbie repeated himself with a determined look, ¡°No, I''m staying with you, Mommy! Unless you''re


    leaving me alone, there''s no way I''m going to leave you!¡±


    Overwhelmed by her eldest son''s promise, she held him firmly in her arms.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.

 Chapter 909

    Chapter 909


    ¡°If that''s the case, we...¡±


    ¡°Just go ahead and return to Daddy''s ce.¡± Robbie stopped his siblings from finishing their sentence


    as he was afraid his siblings would change their minds due to the sentimental session.


    Truth be told, he had his fair share of doubts against their so-called uncle. Thus, he had always wanted


    to send them back to their father''s side to ensure their safety.


    ¡°I-I''m unwilling to leave Mommy alone!¡± Ellie started weeping as emotions came flooding out once


    again.


    In an attempt to console her daughter, Charlotte kissed the little girl on the cheek. ¡°We''re merely a short


    distance away from one another. If you miss me, just drop by and pay me a visit whenever you''re free.¡±


    When Jamie recalled their mission to bring Charlotte home, he suggested, ¡°Mommy, if you miss us, you


    can always drop by and pay us a visit as well!¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡± Charlotte promised her younger son and responded with a satisfied beam.


    The little girl showed Charlotte her pinkie and suggested, ¡°If that''s the case, let''s make it a deal with a


    pinkie promise!¡±


    Charlotte yed along with her daughter and urged, ¡°I want all of you to save my contact number in


    your smartwatch and get in touch with me if there''s anything you need.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Mommy!¡±


    Robbie handed over Little Fifi to his sister and reminded her, ¡°Take Little Fifi with you! If there''s


    anything you need from us, just send it to deliver the message on your behalf!¡±


    ¡°Alright, Robbie!¡±


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    In the end, Jamie and Ellie marched out of the restaurant with those around Ben and made their way


    back home.


    Simrly, Raina returned along with the rest of the medical staff.


    Prior to their departure, Ben assured Charlotte, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, I''ll ensure the safety of Mr. Jamison and


    Ms. Elisa at all costs. Mr. Nacht has mentioned you''re free to go home if you wish to see the children.¡±


    Ben did a great job rephrasing his sentence and sessfully yed to Charlotte''s emotions. She even


    thought she might have a great time with the man and her children there.


    As much as she was overwhelmed by the sentimental moments, she put on a strong front and urged,


    ¡°Alright, just get going already.¡±


    Ben bowed and wrapped up the conversation with Charlotte before walking in the direction of Jamie


    and Ellie.


    Holding Little Fifi in their arms, Jamie and Ellie wound down the window and yelled, ¡°Mommy, Robbie,


    goodbye!¡±


    Charlotte held Robbie in her arms and waved at them.


    In spite of feeling overwhelmed because of her children''s departure, Charlotte was d Robbie was


    around to keep herpany. With that being said, she felt a sense of guilt and asked, ¡°Robbie, are you


    going to feel lonely without your siblings?¡±


    ¡°Nah, I prefer spending my time alone since I need a quiet environment to do some reading and carry


    on with my research.¡±


    His mother leaned over and assured him in a gentle tone, ¡°If you''re feeling lonely, just tell me! We''ll


    bring Jamie and Ellie out with us and do something fun!¡±


    ¡°Alright, Mommy! I guess it''s time to go home!¡±


    Shortly after Charlotte brought Robbie into the silver Rolls-Royce at the entrance, the car elerated


    in the direction of Rokan Hill.


    The sun was about to set in the evening. Staring ahead of the car, Charlotte noticed the cars of those


    affiliated with the Nacht family were merely a few feet ahead of their car.


    Her mind was all over her ce when she thought of her children. As much as she wished to gain


    custody over them, they seemed to have gotten used to the lifestyle as a member of the Nacht family.


    Are they going to me me if I try to gain custody over them and take them away from their father


    against their will?


    Maybe I need to stop overthinking things and just go along with the flow since they seem to have made


    up their minds.


    Shortly after Ben returned home with Jamie and Ellie, he instructed Raina to take care of them. Once


    he ensured there were plenty of people around to keep them safe, he made his way to meet up with


    Zachary.


    Raina found out Jamie was fine after having a fever over the past few days. On the contrary, Ellie got


    increasingly frail as her face turned pale and haggard.


    She mentioned she could feel a racking sensationing from her stomach. When Raina was about to


    examine the actual cause of the little girl''s difort, Ellie started puking.

 Chapter 910

    Chapter 910


    Ellie had always been frailpared to her peers. To make things worse, she would asionally suffer


    from mesenteric lymphadenitis.


    It wasn''t a big deal since it was amon symptom amongst children. As long as she was mindful of


    her diet, it would be fine.


    Themon symptom of the condition was continuous abdominal pain. On top of that, she might catch


    a fever and throw up.


    Raina thought it was her usual sickness. Thus, she administered the usual prescription for Ellie''s


    conditions as she thought she was having the same abdominal difort again.


    Shortly after Raina thought things were fine, Ellie started throwing up again. She started retching in


    silence since she had vomited the things she consumed earlier.


    Ellie couldn''t take it anymore. She ended up wailing in pain on the bed.


    Raina got in touch with Ben and told him they had to rush Ellie to the hospital since nothing she had in


    store for the little girl could work.


    Once Bruce brought them to the hospital, Raina rushed Ellie to the emergency department and


    acquired the doctor to carry a series of examinations to determine the actual cause of pain.


    After a series of examinations and blood tests, the doctor thought it was acute gastroenteritis triggered


    by the food she took.


    Raina opted for intravenous therapy to keep Ellie hydrated. Jamie, who had been staying next to them,


    was concerned because of his sister''s condition.


    Initially, Raina thought of sending Jamie home in fear of him being infected. However, he made himself


    clear he wouldn''t leave his sister alone.


    He mentioned it was his duty as the little girl''s elder brother since their eldest brother wasn''t around to


    keep them safe.


    Zachary finally showed up at the hospital at ten o''clock at night. Tidal waves of emotions came flooding


    out when he saw his little girl with a cooling patch on her forehead being pricked by needles for the


    therapy.


    When Jamie saw Zachary, heunched himself in his father''s direction and sniffled, ¡°Daddy, hurry up


    and check on Ellie! S-She''s in such a poor state!¡±


    ¡°It''s going to be fine! Since it''s just acute gastroenteritis, Ellie''s going to be fine in no time!¡± Zachary


    leaned over and assured his son it wasn''t a big deal.


    A few secondster, he approached his daughter and ced his hand on her forehead. He was


    surprised to find out her forehead was scorching hot. ¡°What''s going on? Why is she still having such a


    high fever?¡±


    ¡°There''s something odd with her condition! I have already acquired the aid of another few pediatricians


    to check on her!¡±


    Raina had never encountered such an ambiguous situation throughout the years. She had conducted


    all sorts of examinations to figure out Ellie''s problem, but none of the treatment alternatives she had in


    store for the little girl worked.


    ¡°I don''t want to know the reason! Just make sure she''s fine in no time!¡±


    After having a long day, Zachary couldn''t suppress his emotions anymore. To make things worse, his


    daughter was in a bad shape.


    Startled, Raina announced, ¡°I''m so sorry, Mr. Nacht! I''ll consult the rest of the pediatricians ande


    up with another treatment n for her immediately!¡±


    Zachary suppressed his wrath and mentioned, ¡°Just go on!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Ben and Bruce were equally worried after seeing Ellie''s condition.


    It was then Spencer got in touch with Zachary and asked if he could bring the little ones to visit Henry


    soon. Spencer told Zachary his grandfather had been anticipating the little ones'' arrival ever since a


    few hours ago.


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    Spencer was afraid Henry might not make it through as he refused to finish his meal because the


    children were nowhere to be seen.


    Zachary''s mind was all over the ce when he heard Spencer. He started massaging his temples and


    announced, ¡°I''m still in the middle of something. I''ll get Ben to bring Jamie over soon.¡±


    Spencer had a bad feeling about it. He asked, ¡°What about Robbie and Ellie? Is everything fine?¡±


    ¡°Robbie has fallen asleep while Ellie isn''t feeling well after catching a cold. I''ll send Jamie over since


    he''s the only one who''s wide awake.¡±


    ¡°If that''s the case, I''ll wait for you downstairs.¡± Spencer had no intention to poke his nose into Zachary''s


    business.


    Shortly after he hung up his call, he grasped Jamie''s hand and whispered, ¡°Jamie, can you do me a


    favor and keep your great-grandfatherpany since Robbie and Ellie aren''t around?¡±

 Chapter 911

    Chapter 911


    ¡°Daddy, you can count on me to get the job done!¡± Jamie announced with his chest held high, assuring


    his father he would get everything sorted out.


    ¡°Great! Once you''re there, just tell him Robbie has slept off after spending the entire day sorting out the


    system on my behalf. If he inquires the whereabouts of Ellie, tell him Ellie isn''t avable because she


    isn''t feeling well.¡±


    Jamie responded with a nod and assured his father, ¡°Alright, Daddy! I''ll keep that in mind! You can


    count on me!¡±


    ¡°It''s getting cold out there. Make sure you have your jacket with you and put on your mask once you''re


    inside the ward. I''ll leave the rest to you.¡±


    ¡°I''m well aware of the things I''m supposed to do, Daddy! If you''re tired, just go ahead and take a short


    nap when we''re not around! You need to take good care of yourself as well!¡±


    Zachary was touched by his son''s reminder. He had always thought that Jamie was rather indifferent,


    but he was wrong...


    A few minutester, Jamie made his way out of the little''s girl ward with Ben.


    Meanwhile, Raina was in the middle of a discussion with the rest of the pediatricians since they were in


    desperate need of an alternative treatment n for the little girl.


    Zachary was there throughout the session. Thus, they were on pins and needles due to the presence


    of the intimidating figure.


    Thankfully, Ellie''s temperature was fine again after a series of treatments. Those in the ward, including


    Zachary, heaved a sigh of relief since Ellie''s life was no longer in danger.


    When Zachary was about to leave, those in the ward started shrieking the moment he was a step away


    from the ward, ¡°D-Dr, Langhan!¡±


    Zachary turned around and saw Ellie retching and convulsing again.


    ¡°Ellie!¡± Zachary rushed to his daughter''s side and yelled, ¡°What''s going on? Someone! Anyone! Answer


    me!¡±


    Raina finally returned to the ward with the pediatricians. They were equally dumbfounded and


    astonished when they saw the little girl convulsing in Zachary''s arms.


    The anxious Raina announced, ¡°Mr. Nacht, you need to stay away from her and leave the rest to us!¡±


    The infuriated Zachary warned, ¡°If anything happens to my daughter, I''ll send all of you to hell to keep


    herpany!¡±


    The pediatricians in the ward started trembling in fear. One of them felt her knees turning to jelly and


    copsed to the ground as a result of the man''s warning.


    Raina knew she couldn''t afford to let loose of her emotions. She put on a strong front and asserted, ¡°As


    infuriated as you might be, you need to let us tend to her!¡±


    It was then the infuriated man inched away from his daughter and stood next to her throughout the


    uing session.


    Ellie''s hands were full of needles; as a result, the doctors started prickling the little girl''s forehead with


    needles since they had run out of ces to prick her.


    Zachary''s hands had long balled into fists, indicating he was infuriated as little Ellie had never gone


    through anything of that sort in spite of being rtively weak aspared to her peers.


    One of them suggested, ¡°We need to rush her to the ICU at once!¡±


    Zachary started trembling in fear when he thought of the things awaiting him and his daughter. He


    gaped at the announcement and asked, ¡°Come again?¡±


    Bruce rushed over and stopped Zachary from going berserk and throwing punches at the innocent


    doctors. ¡°Mr. Nacht, you need to calm down!¡±


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    Raina started weeping and begged, ¡°Mr. Nacht, we need to rush her to the ICU at once for her sake! If


    anything happens to her, I''ll atone for the sins with my life, but we need you to have faith in us for the


    time being!¡±


    Out of nowhere, another man announced at the top of his lungs, ¡°Hurry up and get everything ready!¡±


    Jamie had returned with Spencer next to him. It turned out Spencer had figured out the truth after


    sweet-talking Jamie. He was surprised when he found out things were much worse than he had


    thought the moment he reached Kindness Hospital.


    ¡°Ellie!¡±


    Torrents of grief had long streamed down Jamie''s cheeks, but he was afraid of startling others and


    making things worse for Ellie.


    Thus, he resisted the urge to wail and ended up shivering against his will.


    ¡°Just get going!¡± Ben gestured at the doctors in the ward to take Ellie out to the ICU.


    Zachary, who was on the verge of breaking down, threw a powerful punch in the wall. Along with the


    thundering sound was a slight shake in the room.

 Chapter 912

    Chapter 912


    Spencer asked Ben, ¡°Why have things turned out this way overnight? Have you checked with Mrs.


    Rawlston? Has she consumed anything odd?¡±


    After much hesitations, Ben answered in a hushed voice, ¡°They were at Ms. Lindberg''s ce three


    days ago and just backst night. She started vomiting out of the blue as soon as we reached home.¡±


    ¡°If that''s the case, had she consumed anything she shouldn''t when she was away?¡± Staring at Zachary


    in the eyes, Spencer asked, ¡°Why don''t you try figuring out the things she has eaten?¡±


    When Zachary heard Spencer, his eyes widened in disbelief again. He muttered to himself, ¡°Could it


    be...¡±


    Those affiliated with Danrique are aware he''s an expert when ites to manipting others with


    different types of drugs! On top of that, he''s capable of doing it without rming others!


    Spencer leaned over and asked with a gentle grin, ¡°Jamie, why don''t you tell me the things you have


    eaten over the past two days?¡±


    Jamie tried his best to recall the things he had gone through and said, ¡°Apart from a few sses of


    water, we didn''t have anything else since we fell ill the moment we reached Mommy''s ce a few


    nights ago. She summoned the doctor to check on us once she figured out something was wrong. We


    were rushed to the hospital due to an ongoing high fever. When we were at the hospital, we only had a


    serving of oatmeal with vegetable broth. Once our condition improved, we went home.¡±


    After pausing for a few seconds to gather his thoughts, he added, ¡°Mommy brought us out for a meal


    because she knew we were afraid of Uncle Dan. The owner of Seacrest Restaurant made us a lot of


    dishes, but we stopped ourselves from eating the food since we preferred the ones Mommy made us.


    Ellie and I got ourselves a slice of cake to eat because it took Mommy quite some time to get


    everything ready from scratch. However, I''m perfectly fine.¡±


    Zachary instructed, ¡°Send someone to Seacrest Restaurant to figure out if anything has gone wrong!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Bruce departed with a team and made their way to Seacrest Restaurant without further ado.


    Spencer tapped on Zachary''s shoulder and reminded, ¡°Mr. Zachary, you need to remain level-headed


    during emergencies. I''m afraid your foes are aware that your children are your soft spots. You need to


    stay calm to stop others from getting the better of you.¡±


    Gritting his teeth, Zachary gasped out his announcement, ¡°If anyone tries to do something silly to my


    children, I''ll take them out at all costs!¡±


    ¡°You need to calm down and refrain from trying anything rash for the time being since we''re merely


    specting.¡±


    ¡°Daddy, Mr. Spencer, what are you guys talking about?¡±


    Jamie had a hard timeprehending the content of the duo''s conversation. Nheless, he was


    startled by his father''s scrunched-up face.


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    It was then Zachary recalled something and remarked, ¡°Speaking of which, Robbie is still at Lindberg


    residence!¡±


    He hesitated no more and reached for his phone to get in touch with Charlotte. Unfortunately, he


    couldn''t reach her.


    Thus, he leaned over and instructed his son, ¡°Jamie, can you get in touch with Robbie?¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡± Jamie tried getting in touch with Robbie using his smartwatch, but his effort was to no avail


    since Robbie seemed to have switched it off.


    ¡°Keep an eye on Jamie and Ellie when I''m away!¡± Zachary rushed out of the ward shortly after he


    finished his sentence.


    ¡°Mr. Zachary!¡± Seeing he couldn''t stop the infuriated man, Spencer instructed Ben, ¡°Hurry up and go


    after him!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Daddy¡ª¡± Jamie wrapped his arms around Spencer''s leg and asked while weeping, ¡°M-Mr. Spencer,


    what''s wrong with Daddy?¡±


    Spencer assured the little boy it was nothing serious, ¡°Your father is currently on his way to pick Robbie


    up. He''s just worried Robbie will go through something simr if he identally consumes something


    he needs to stay away from.¡±


    Jamie couldn''t fathom the things Spencer had brought up, but he thought it wasn''t a bad idea to have


    Robbie around since his brother might be able toe up with something brilliant to resolve the


    challenges awaiting them.


    I can''t even keep Ellie safe or tell Daddy to calm down without Robbie! What am I supposed to do


    now?

 Chapter 913

    Chapter 913


    In spite of having a long night, Charlotte roused herself from her sleep early in the morning to make her


    son his favorite dumplings.


    ¡°Good morning, Mr. Lindberg!¡±


    As soon as Charlotte served the dumplings she made, she heard the housemaid greeting Danrique in a


    courteous manner.


    When she turned around, she saw apletely drenched Danrique. It turned out he had just made his


    way back from his daily workout session in the morning.


    The man could easily intimidate others with his indifferent look, but a smile from his was all it would


    take to charm a woman. Although he might seem to be a vicious man, he was an affectionate man


    around a certain few.


    Some might consider him a malicious man, but some would consider him their Messiah. He was both


    fearsome and well respected by others.


    Charlotte greeted the man with a beam, ¡°Morning, Danrique! Why don''t youe over and give the


    dumplings I have made a try?¡±


    Staring at the tes of dumplings on the dining table, he announced with a gentle smirk, ¡°I guess


    you''re no longer the same since you''re already a mother of three, huh? Aunt Isabe used to make me


    a lot of dumplings as well.¡±


    ¡°Are you serious?¡± Charlotte was thrilled since the man of a few words had struck up a conversation


    with her apart from their usual topic revolving around work.


    On top of that, she would feel as if they were truly members of a family whenever he brought up the


    good old days he had with her mother. It made her feel as if she was home.


    The moment he joined her in the dining hall, he remarked with a smirk, ¡°These seemed nothing like the


    ones Aunt Isabe made for me.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! You can''t expect much when I have just learned the proper way to make everything from


    scratchst night!¡±


    She served him a dumpling and urged, ¡°Why don''t you go ahead and give it a try?¡±


    Danrique took a seat and reached for his cutleries. Once he had a mouthful of dumpling, he shook his


    head and said, ¡°To be honest, the ones Aunt Isabe made tasted really great.¡±


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    A few seconds of pauseter, he added, ¡°I guess it''s not half bad since you have made everything from


    scratch. Keep it up.¡±


    Charlotte responded with a nod and promised him, ¡°Well, I''ll consider that apliment and keep that


    in mind.¡±


    When Danrique put everything aside and thought of bringing himself up the stairs, he caught Robbie


    staring at him from upstairs. Nheless, he was no longer on his guard against his uncle.


    Instead, Robbie greeted him, ¡°Good morning, Uncle Dan!¡±


    ¡°Good morning!¡± Danrique answered in a simr manner and brought himself to the backyard of the


    mansion.


    Morgan whispered, ¡°I think Mr. Lindberg is in a great mood today.¡±


    Lupine could barely suppress his excitement. He eximed, ¡°I thought I had been seeing things! He''s


    being really friendly today!¡±


    Charlotte warned the whispering duo, ¡°Danrique has always been a friendly figure, okay? Stop talking


    behind his back unless any of you wish to get on his nerves!¡±


    They went dead silent as soon as they heard Charlotte''s warning.


    Chuckling, Charlotte announced, ¡°Robbie,e over and join me! I have made you something special


    for breakfast!¡±


    Robbie came down the stairs and asked, ¡°Wow! There are so many dumplings! Did you get up early in


    the morning just to make me these?¡±


    ¡°It took me a few hours, but it''s nothing! I''m going to make you your breakfast from now onwards! Why


    don''t you go ahead and give it a try?¡± Charlotte handed the cutlery to her son.


    ¡°Thanks, Mommy!¡±


    Robbie was touched and couldn''t wait to give the dumplings his mother made him a try. He gobbled


    down everything in a gluttonous manner.


    ¡°You need to slow down unless you wish to choke yourself!¡± Charlotte was all smiles¡ªshe felt a sense


    of achievement as her son continued gobbling down the dumplings she made.


    Halfway through his meal, Robbie asked, ¡°Mommy, my smartwatch has run out of battery. Can we


    make our way to Daddy''s ce since my charger and a few of my gadgets are there as well?¡±


    Charlotte nced at her watch and suggested, ¡°I''ll be heading out at around twelve. Shall we head


    over once we''re done? We can bring your brother and sister some dumplings as well!¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡±

 Chapter 914

    Chapter 914


    A few seconds after the duo heard someone pulling over their car at the gate of the mansion, one of


    the housemaids rushed into the dining hall and informed, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, a member of the Nacht family


    is here for you.¡±


    Charlotte frowned and sent Lupine and Morgan to check on the ones at the entrance. The duo returned


    after a short while. They whispered, ¡°Zachary is here.¡±


    Charlotte was about to bring herself out of the mansion, but it was toote since the man had barged


    into the mansion with his Maybach.


    As he had ruined the gate, Charlotte bellowed, ¡°What the hell is wrong with you, Zachary?¡±


    Zachary was equally enraged, but he tried his best to suppress his wrath and exined, ¡°You refuse to


    pick up my call, and your subordinates won''t stop getting in my way! Thus, this is the only thing I can


    think of to reach you!¡±


    ¡°Is something wrong with your mind?¡± Charlotte nced in the direction of the backyard and urged,


    ¡°Just get lost at once!¡±


    In spite of the grudge she held against Zachary, she had no intention to acquire Danrique''s aid to sort


    things out with Zachary.


    Since Robbie was home, she was afraid they would pick on one another in front of him.


    ¡°I''m here to bring Robbie home with me!¡±


    Zachary clenched his fists in a final attempt to calm himself since he had no intention to pick a fight with


    Charlotte.


    He thought she wasn''t the one at fault, even though something might have happened to Ellie when she


    was at the Lindberg residence.


    Instead of confronting Charlotte, the only thing he had in mind was to bring Robbie away with him.


    ¡°What? Ellie and Jamie have gone home with you and Robbie has volunteered to stay with me! Why


    can''t you respect his decision?¡±


    Simrly, Charlotte clenched her fists in an attempt to stop herself from going berserk. She couldn''t


    bear to pick on Zachary in front of Robbie.


    He has taken Jamie and Ellie away with him! Why the heck has he shown up for Robbie? Does he


    really think he''s some sort of bigshot? Does he think he can get things his way?


    Their son was the only one he cared about. Therefore, Zachary repeated himself, ¡°I''ll talk to you in the


    near future! Just let Robbie return with me for the time being!¡±


    ¡°Are you seriously expecting me to hand him over after barging into my ce and making a fuss? I


    have been pretty merciful because of our children! You need to stop pushing your luck!¡±


    Unwilling to carry on with the conversation, Zachary marched in the direction of the foyer.


    Irked by the man''s arrogant response, Charlotte threw a punch at the man. However, she wasn''t a


    match for him in terms ofbat skills.


    Zachary got her within a few seconds. Pinning her to the wall, the man mentioned, ¡°Ellie has¡ª¡±


    Screech!


    The eagle''s appearance stopped Zachary from finishing his sentence as itunched itself in the


    direction of Zachary without holding back.


    When it was about to reach Zachary, Robbie was on his way out of the mansion. He yelled, ¡°Daddy,


    watch out!¡±


    The observant Zachary pushed Charlotte away from him in split seconds and managed to evade the


    eagle''s attack.


    Zachary got himself ready to take the eagle out since it was about to dash in his direction again.


    In the nick of time, Robbie yelled, ¡°Fifi, stop it!¡±


    Zachary was astonished by how his son had control over the eagle and managed to bring it to a halt


    with a simplemand.


    ¡°Daddy¡ª¡±


    When Robbie was about to rush over to his father''s side, someone remarked in a callous tone, ¡°Mr.


    Nacht, it''s very rude of you to trespass into my property.¡±


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    Zachary turned around and caught glimpse of a man in a set of white clothes closing in from the


    backyard.


    The man in white looked as if he was the creature from hell. He had a snake with him, indicating he


    reigned over the venomous being.


    Meanwhile, the snake had its eyes glued to Zachary as if Zachary was its prey it couldn''t wait to


    devour.


    Zachary couldn''t care less about the snake, but he was astonished by Danrique''s look since his son


    resembled the vicious man.


    His expression darkened and thought he might misperceive things if he weren''t aware the man in front


    of him was Charlotte''s cousin.

 Chapter 915

    Chapter 915


    Robbie was slightly startled by the snake Danrique had with him. Subconsciously, he ran over in


    Zachary''s direction.


    Zachary was about to bring Robbie away with him, but Danrique yelled, ¡°Hold it right there!¡±


    Danrique''s men got themselves ready and pulled the trigger, aiming at the defenseless Zachary, who


    was there without his subordinates since he was in a hurry.


    In spite of being defenseless, Zachary wasn''t intimidated at all. Instead, he asked in return, ¡°Why don''t


    you go ahead and give it a try?¡±


    ¡°Are you trying to challenge me? Aren''t you aware it''s merely a piece of cake to take you out? In fact,


    once you''re gone, I won''t have othersing after me!¡±


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    Charlotte started perspiring in fear as she knew Danrique might get someone to be his scapegoat after


    taking Zachary out. That was precisely the reason she had been urging Zachary to leave the ce.


    Simrly, she was well aware everything would be over for Nacht Group if Zachary passed on. On top


    of that, no one could stop Lindberg Corporation from asserting influences in the corporate world.


    ¡°You don''t think the Nacht family is an easy target, do you? Aren''t you aware H City is my domain? You


    have less than fifty men with you! If I fail to make it out in ten minutes, my men will rush into the


    compound and wipe you and your men out of existence! Shall we wait and see who''s the one


    triumphing at the end?¡±


    Danrique asked with a vicious smirk, ¡°Is that any of your business when you''re about to die? It''s such a


    shame no one is around to keep your ny-eight-year-old grandfatherpany by his death bed!¡±


    Zachary returned the favor and remarked sarcastically, ¡°Who are you to pick on me when your family


    was almost wiped out over the night?¡±


    Danrique''s wrath and intention to take out Zachary was written all over his deadpan face. He seemed


    to have morphed into a merciless murderer within a few seconds.


    Aware of the things awaiting Zachary, Charlotte pulled the trigger and aimed at the man she once held


    dear in mind. ¡°Zachary, you need to mind your words!¡±


    ¡°Mommy, no! Don''t kill Daddy!¡± Robbie got in front of his father and begged his mother with a pair of


    teary eyes.


    ¡°Robbie...¡± Charlotte couldn''t bear to show her son the inhumane side of hers.


    ¡°Uncle Dan, can you stop getting mad at Daddy?¡±


    The little boy was aware Danrique was the one making the calls. He thought there must be some sort


    of misunderstanding going on.


    Therefore, he asserted in a serious tone, ¡°I''m sure Daddy''s here merely because he''s worried about


    me! It was never his intention to pick on you!¡±


    Ironically, Danrique found Robbie resembling himself in the past. He was also an innocent little boy


    who had to brace himself through the family feud.


    ¡°Daddy, I thought we had a deal! Jamie and Ellie would return home with you while I stay here with


    Mommy! Why have you barged in here out of the blue? Has something happened to Jamie and Ellie?¡±


    ¡°Ellie...¡± When he was about to share the details with the rest, he received a call. Without a second


    thought, he picked it up when he found out it was a call from Bruce.


    Bruce announced, ¡°We can''t get our hands on anything from Seacrest Restaurant even after searching


    high and low. We even tried our luck with the leftovers, but there''s nothing. On top of that, I have just


    gotten words; Ellie has been poisoned by a type of venom unique to snakes.¡±


    Zachary''s eyes narrowed to a slit when he heard Bruce. He turned around and red at Danrique and


    the snake in his hand.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, have you reached the Lindberg residence? Is everything fine on your end? We''re currently


    on our way there. Mr. Nacht...¡± Grasping his phone with all his might, Zachary paid no heed to Bruce''s


    questions anymore.


    Zachary yelled, ¡°Danrique! I thought you''d never take things out on minors, but I must''ve gotten my


    hopes high! I can''t believe you have poisoned Ellie! She''s your niece!¡±

 Chapter 916

    Chapter 916


    ¡°Come again?¡±


    Danrique narrowed his eyes to a slit in a simr manner. The moment the snake felt the man''s racing


    pulse, it started hissing, indicating it couldn''t wait to take out the man in front of it.


    Robbie stared at Zachary in disbelief and repeated after his father, ¡°D-Daddy, are you serious? Has


    Ellie...¡±


    Simrly, Charlotte couldn''t keep herself calm any longer. She asked, ¡°What? How has Ellie been


    poisoned? What the hell is going on?¡±


    ¡°Ellie''s currently in the ICU! Those from the hospital told me the toxin found in her system was derived


    from venomous snakes! Who else could it be apart from Danrique?¡±


    ¡°I-It''s impossible!¡± Charlotte''s mind wentpletely nk. She turned around and stared at the snake


    Danrique brought along with him.


    It''s true Danrique''s a specialist in extracting venoms from snakes, but...


    Danrique guffawed and asked, ¡°Interesting! Are you indicating I''m the one who did it?¡±


    In an attempt to sort out the misunderstanding, Lupine assured the rest, ¡°N-No! As much as he wished


    to take someone out, Mr. Lindberg would never resort to something like that! On top of that, he has


    long grown fond of his nephew and nieces! It''s¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Danrique stopped her from finishing her sentence. He looked at Zachary in the eyes and


    warned Zachary, ¡°Since you''re using me of something I have never done, I guess I''ll have to prove


    you right!¡±


    ¡°Wait, Danrique! No¡ª¡±


    Charlotte couldn''t even finish her sentence as Danrique hadunched the snake he brought along in


    the direction of Robbie.


    Overwhelmed by trepidation, Robbie couldn''t bring himself away and stood right there with his eyes


    widened in disbelief.


    ¡°Robbie!¡±


    Charlotte thought of rushing over to defend her son from the venomous snake, but Zachary pushed her


    away in the nick of time.


    He grasped the snake but failed to kill it in time. In the end, the snake bit Zachary before it was


    strangled.


    Zachary shrugged the snake off and thought of catapulting in the direction of Danrique to take him out.


    However, his vision blurred within a few seconds. He couldn''t even stand without others'' support.


    Charlotte yelled, ¡°Zachary, stop moving around! The toxin will permeate throughout your system the


    more you try to move around!¡±


    ¡°D-Daddy!¡± Robbie rushed over to help his father up. He turned around and yelled at Danrique with his


    eyes brimming, ¡°You''re such an evil man! Why did you hurt my father?¡±


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    Danrique''s eyes flickered in despair, but it merelysted for a few seconds. Shortly after he snapped


    out of bewilderment, he asked, ¡°Why else would I hurt him had he not used me of something I never


    did?¡±


    He sneered and asked in a sarcastic manner, ¡°Can you tell the difference yet? There''s no way I''m


    relying on something undetectable to take others out!¡±


    ¡°Y-You¡ª¡± Zachary couldn''t even finish his sentence as he passed out in front of others after another


    few seconds.


    Charlotte rushed over and groveled herself at Danrique''s mercy, begging him to be merciful, ¡°Danrique,


    just give him the antidote. Please!¡±


    Danrique red at Charlotte in the eyes and queried, ¡°Have you lost your mind? Why are you trying to


    do him a favor when he has brought nothing but miseries upon you?¡±


    ¡°Dan...¡± The man stopped her from finishing her sentence and marched in the direction of the mansion,


    instructing in a callous tone, ¡°Get him out of my sight at once!¡±


    Charlotte instructed Lupine in a hushed voice, ¡°Hurry up and get me my medicine!¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, have you lost your mind? Aren''t you aware your life depends on¡ª¡±


    ¡°Just go and get it!¡± Charlotte repeated herself, but she dared not raise her volume in fear of rming


    Danrique.


    Lupine made her way to Charlotte''s room and returned with a bottle of mysterious-looking solution.


    When Charlotte was about to feed Zachary the mysterious-looking solution, she heard another few cars


    pulling over at the entrance.


    She helped him up and tried bringing him out of the mansion with their son next to them.


    Out of the blue, a man instructed in a callous tone from behind, ¡°I''m not allowing Robbie to leave the


    compound.¡±


    Charlotte and Robbie exchanged nces and made up their minds to hand Zachary to Bruce who had


    finally made his way there.


    Bruce and those around him retrieved their guns the moment they found out Zachary had sustained a


    serious injury.


    Charlotte urged, ¡°He''s fine for the time being, but I''m afraid that''s no longer the case the moment any of


    you fire a shot and start another fight! Just hurry up and rush him to the hospital!¡±

 Chapter 917

    Chapter 917


    Bruce gave Zachary first aid hastily and rushed him to the hospital. He managed to give Raina a call on


    the way there.


    By the time they reached the hospital, both Ben and Raina were already waiting anxiously at the main


    entrance. They darted toward Zachary and called out incoherently, ¡°Mr. Nacht...¡±


    ¡°He has been poisoned! Hurry up and treat him immediately!¡± Bruce urged, his forehead beaded with


    sweat.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Ben asked apprehensively.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht bumped into Mr. Linberg when he went to fetch Robbie just now. They had a conflict...¡± An


    utterly vexed Bruce switched to grumble, ¡°Why didn''t you and the others tag along with him? How could


    you let him go there by himself?¡±


    ¡°He rushed out all of a sudden just now, and we had to take good care of Ms. Elisa here...¡± Ben heaved


    a deep sigh and mumbled, ¡°Anyway, this is not the time to argue now. Let''s keep our fingers crossed


    that Mr. Nacht will be fine.¡±


    Raina attended to Zachary right away. The moment Spencer knew about Zachary''s current condition,


    he was a bundle of nerves.


    At the moment, the Nacht family was in a precarious situation, troubled by internal and external threats.


    If anything happened to Zachary, it would surely be a deadly blow to the family.


    After the press conference earlier, a series of matters were pending to be settled by Zachary. If he were


    unable to show his face during this period of time, the others might start to sense something awry and


    spread rumors. Hence, Zachary must have a speedy recovery.


    Spencer instructed a few experienced specialists from Kindness Hospital to assist Raina. Apart from


    that, he reminded Ben to keep the news of Zachary''s injury under wraps.


    At the same time, he kept reminding them to cool their heads off so they would not act impulsively.


    They could not take the risk to let their guards down and must brace themselves for any potential


    obstacles.


    When the hospital was in chaos, there were some hups in Northridge as well.


    Crash! Robbie smashed something on the floor. It turned out to be Danrique''s favorite antique teapot


    which was priceless. The maids usually handled it with extra care when they cleaned it, fearful of even


    leaving the slightest stain.


    At the sight of the shattered pieces on the floor, both Lupine and Morgan were ashen-faced, holding


    their breaths.


    Meanwhile, Danrique was gardening in the backyard. His slender figure could be seen through a well-


    crafted wooden partition.


    Surprisingly, he did not unleash his wrath at Robbie even after knowing that his favorite teapot was


    damaged.


    ¡°Big bad guy, let go of me! I have to get to the hospital now to check on Daddy and Ellie. I''m not your


    kid. You have no right to hold me captive here!¡± Robbie remained strong-willed, although tears started


    to well up in his eyes.


    ¡°Robbie, you can''t behave like that!¡± Charlotte reprimanded him at once.


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    ¡°Mommy, aren''t you worried about Ellie? She''s in ICU now...¡± Robbie choked up.


    Hearing that, Charlotte''s heart thumped, and she was on the brink of tears. No doubt, she was worried


    sick about Ellie''s condition. Even so, she knew that she would not be able to see her at the moment.


    She bet the Nacht family would surely lock down the hospital to keep mum about Zachary''s condition.


    Not to mention, she wasbeled as their enemy at the moment. Thus, she foresaw that she would be


    strictly prohibited from entering the building.


    Zachary''s impulsiveness earlier had put all of them in a tight spot. She had to talk herself into


    simmering down so she would not act impetuously and exacerbate the situation.


    ¡°Mommy...¡± Robbie tried to plead with Charlotte with his teary eyes.


    ¡°What can you do over there?¡± An icy-cold voice sounded.


    ¡°I-I...¡± Robbie stuttered.


    ¡°Now that it is chaotic at the Nachts'' residence, the situation will only be worse if you go over. It


    will also cause them inconvenience as they will be distracted having to look after you. If you promise to


    be obedient and don''t get on my nerves, I might consider giving you the antidote.¡± Danrique gave him a


    subtle nce and said cidly.


    Robbie''s eyes lit up as he asked, ¡°The antidote?¡±


    ¡°Robbie, thank Uncle Dan now.¡± Charlotte was over the moon.


    ¡°Thank you, Uncle Dan,¡± Robbie thanked him sincerely and stretched out his hand. ¡°Can you give me


    the antidote now?¡±


    ¡°I told you that I would give it to you if you were good, didn''t I?¡± Danrique took the towel from his


    subordinate to wipe his hands as he stepped into the house. ¡°Come to the study room with me now.¡±

 Chapter 918

    Chapter 918


    Robbie turned to look at Charlotte. When she nodded, he followed Danrique to the study room


    obediently.


    The room in utter whiteness appeared clean and unique, resulting in a soothing atmosphere that


    tended to calm anyone down.


    Danrique took out a tablet and handed it to Robbie. ¡°I have spent a long time trying to get a clue on this


    app, yet I''m stuck at the same point. I want you to have a look at it. If you manage to sort it out, I will


    give you the antidote.¡±


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    Robbie took the tablet over and had a look at the app. He raised his brows and said casually, ¡°It''s a


    piece of cake...¡±


    When he was about to sort things out, he froze on the spot all of a sudden. ¡°Wait a minute. This app


    looks a lot like Divine Corporation''stest technological system. If I sort things out for you, won''t it be a


    threat to them?¡±


    ¡°It never urs to me that you know about the Divine Corporation''stest technological system!¡±


    Danrique was surprised.


    ¡°Sure, I know about most of Divine Corporation''s technological app. After all, I always assist my daddy


    with his work...¡± Robbie blurted out and paused when he sensed that he had spilled the beans. ¡°Are


    you holding me captive here and making use of me to fight against Divine Corporation?¡±


    Danrique''s lips curved into a smirk. ¡°What a great surprise! I have never doubted that you are a bright


    boy. Yet, it only strikes me now that you are a genius!¡±


    ¡°I will never betray my daddy!¡± Robbie furrowed his bows and responded resolutely.


    ¡°Oh! I thought you are trying to save him?¡± Danrique raised his brows and sneered.


    ¡°I...¡± Robbie lowered his head and was in a dilemma.


    Danrique nced at his watch and warned him, ¡°Take your time to think about that. I''m going out now.


    You''d better be good here and don''t stir up any trouble!¡±


    He stood up and strode out of the room at once.


    The subordinates and bodyguards were already waiting for him outside. Charlotte was also getting


    ready to attend the opening ceremony for the South Sea project. It marked the very first step of


    Lindberg Corporation prating the local market. Hence, all the media worldwide waited for the red


    letter moment with anticipation.


    Charlotte crouched down to hold Robbie''s shoulders and said softly, ¡°Robbie, don''t worry. I have


    assigned people to check on Ellie''s condition in the hospital. Her life is not at risk at the moment.¡±


    When she looked up to ensure that Danrique had gone down the stairs, she whispered, ¡°When night


    falls, I will grab the opportunity to check on Ellie in the hospital. I won''t let anything happen to her.¡±


    Robbie embraced Charlotte and choked up. ¡°Mommy, I almost thought that you were not concerned


    about Ellie anymore.¡±


    ¡°You are all my children. How can I not be concerned about all of you?¡± Stifling her sorrow, Charlotte


    replied gently. The moment she knew that Ellie was seriously ill, she had assigned her people to keep


    in touch with someone in the hospital.


    ¡°I''m going out to settle something and might be back a bitte. Get the maid to prepare you some food


    when you are hungry. Have a rest in the room when you are tired. Don''t go to the backyard,


    understand?¡± Charlotte reminded him.


    ¡°I know.¡± Robbie nodded.


    Nobody is supposed to intrude into Uncle Dan''s backyard. Other than growing rare nts there, he


    keeps some quirky pets as well!


    ¡°I have to go now.¡± Charlotte nted a kiss on his forehead and left hastily.


    Robbie could barely take his eyes from Charlotte till her figure was out of sight. When he made his way


    back to the room in low spirits, Fifi the eagle was perching on the branches of the tree outside the


    window. A quick-witted Robbie whistled at it as something came into his mind.


    The eagle pped its wings at once andnded on the windowsill within seconds.


    Robbie signed at it, ¡±Fifi, can you go home to look for the parrot? Give this to it, and it will pass you the


    things that I want.¡±


    Later, he took out a piece of paper and scribbled a few items on it, such as his cell phone, charger, and


    a small silver box.


    Nheless, Fifi the eagle only looked at him coldly without any response.


    Robbie was speechless; yet, he did not give up right away. He continued to gesture to the eagle


    patiently, but it did not spare him another nce again. It even looked out the window and fixed its


    gaze on the scenery.

 Chapter 919

    Chapter 919


    Robbie was in despair and let out a resigned sigh. He turned to look at the tablet on the desk and was


    about to use it. Even so, he held himself back as something came into his mind.


    No, I shouldn''t take the risk. It is the Lindberg family''s tablet! Even though their technology is not


    comparable to Divine Corporation, I bet they have no problem installing anti-theft software on it. I might


    land myself in deep water if I ess any app installed. Well, I can only rely on Fifi now. It is a good sign


    that the eagle is willing to be summoned by me now. Other than that, the glint of hostility seems to have


    vanished from its eyes. Hmm, I must grab the opportunity to train it well. I''m convinced that sooner or


    later, it will be able to understand my words like Little Fifi! By then, it will be able to run an errand for


    me!


    Robbie started to see rays of hope at the thought.


    The first move right after Lindberg Corporation prated the domestic market was to get the contract


    of the South Sea project signed.


    Ever since Charlotte won the bid for territorial waters at the auction with thirty billion, it took them more


    than one month to prepare for this. Finally, it was the day for the long-awaited opening ceremony. On


    top of that, it was estimated that more than seven hundred media agencies worldwide would witness


    the officialunching of the mega project.


    The grand ceremony of the opening day would be held in South Sea Hotel at two o''clock in the


    afternoon. Thus, Charlotte stepped out earlier to the hotel to make the necessary arrangements.


    In the car, Charlotte stared out of the window and seemed to be lost in her thought. The moment


    Danrique''s car vanished from her view, she shifted her gaze away and instructed, ¡°Head to Kindness


    Hospital now.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, you have to put anything else aside as the ceremony for the opening day will start very


    soon. If it turns out to be a sess, Mr. Lindberg will return to Erihal soon. By then, you will be able to


    visit Ellie at the hospital at any time. Let''s hold back and focus on the ceremony for the time being.¡±


    Lupine tried to talk her into changing her mind.


    ¡°Don''t make me say it again! Go to the hospital now!¡± Charlotte could barely wait another second. She


    had been bottling up her emotions and suppressing her agitation, waiting for the ideal moment to take


    action.


    Her mind was preupied with Ellie at the moment; her heart wrenched at how her beloved daughter


    was suffering. Whatever mega project, power, and social status were nothing to her.


    Lupine and Morgan exchanged looks with each other. They had no choice but to give in to her


    instruction.


    Morgan turned the car around at once and sped off toward Kindness Hospital.


    Meanwhile, Charlotte nced at her watch nervously. It''s already fifteen minutes after twelve! We are


    running out of time! I hope I will make it in time...


    The car was already elerating at the maximum speed, yet Charlotte was still urging Morgan. ¡°Hurry


    up!¡±


    ¡°We are at the maximum speed now,¡± Morgan replied resignedly.


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    Charlotte could scarcely breathe as they were racing against time. They had to rush to the hospital to


    have a look at Ellie secretively before rushing back to South Sea Hotel by two o''clock in the afternoon.


    After a while, the car pulled to a stop by the street near Kindness Hospital.


    Charlotte instructed, ¡°Lupine and Morgan, go with me. The rest of you, stay here and wait for us.¡±


    The three of them sneaked into the hospital via the back door and managed to grab three sets of


    doctor''s uniforms. They changed into the uniforms swiftly to disguise as doctors and sneaked into the


    children''s ICU.


    Fortunately, Charlotte had bribed someone in the hospital earlier and located Ellie''s ward. Apart from


    that, they could get to the children''s ICU effortlessly after knowing about the ways around the hospital.


    She gestured to Morgan to distract the bodyguards and nurses outside Ellie''s ward. Next, she sneaked


    into it with Lupine without hesitation.


    Ellie was lying motionless on the bed; her usual rosy cheeks were now as pale as a sheet. Apart from


    that, her delicate hands were full of tiny needle marks, and she was intubated. Her body was even


    attached to various types of tubes connected to the medical equipment.


    ¡°Ellie...¡± Charlotte was grief-stricken; her tears flowed down her cheeks in an instant. Cupping her hand


    over her mouth, she started sobbing her heart out.


    Charlotte used to think that she was a tough woman after going through all the hardships in life.


    Nheless, she had to clutch her chest as she endured the stabbing pain which was driving her


    insane.


    ¡°How did this happen? She was still fine yesterday!¡± Lupine felt the tingle in her heart; tears were


    welling up in her eyes.


    ¡°Ellie, I won''t let anything happen to you.¡± Charlotte shuddered as she carried Ellie up carefully and let


    her drink from a bottle.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, what are you doing? This is the potion to prolong your lifespan!¡± Lupine''s eyes widened


    in disbelief.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Charlotte continued to ce the potion near Ellie''s mouth, hoping she could swallow more.


    Nevertheless, she had only managed to let Ellie swallow a small portion before she heard footsteps


    outside the ward. She signaled to Lupine, hinting her to take prompt action.

 Chapter 920

    Chapter 920


    It took Charlotte almost twenty minutes to let Ellie finish the potion. She put away the bottle


    immediately and whispered, ¡°Ellie, don''t be afraid. Mommy is here and will protect you...¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, Ben ising with his men. We have to leave at once. If not, we willnd ourselves in


    hot soup!¡± Lupine reminded her apprehensively.


    Charlotte let go of Ellie''s hand reluctantly and gave her onest nce before she got out of the ward


    through the window.


    ¡°Stop!¡± Marino rushed into the ward and was about tosh out when he spotted a figure near the


    window. At that very moment, Morgan turned to look at him. When Marino caught a glimpse of her, he


    held his tongue at once.


    ¡°What''s the matter?¡± By the time Ben rushed into the ward, Morgan''s figure was already out of sight.


    ¡°Nothing. Everything is fine,¡± Marino replied at once.


    Ben did not sense anything amiss after scanning the room. Hence, he only advised Marino, ¡°Keep your


    guard up. We can''t take the risk to let anything happen to Ellie.¡±


    ¡°I get it.¡± Marino nodded respectfully.


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    In the meantime, Charlotte hopped into the car with Lupine and Morgan.


    Unable to hold back any longer, Lupine wailed, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, that is the potion to prolong your


    lifespan. You have to take a bottle once a week to hinder the poison from erupting in your body. Now


    that you have used up two bottles. What are we supposed to do if anything happens to you?¡±


    ¡°Huh? You have used another bottle too?¡± Morgan was stupefied.


    ¡°I will still be fine without the medicine, yet their lives will be at risk without it. After all, Danrique won''t


    let anything happen to me,¡± Charlotte retorted.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg...¡± Lupine was at a loss for words.


    ¡°ording to Mr. Lindberg, there are no extra bottles of potion. Since you have used up two bottles,


    you will need to bear with it for the following two weeks. I''m worried that you won''t be able to take it...¡±


    Morgan''s voice quivered.


    ¡°Enough of that. I know what to do!¡± Charlotte cut her off and instructed, ¡°Give Marino a call now. I need


    to have further details about Ellie''s condition.¡±


    ¡°I don''t have his contact number...¡± Morgan blushed as she refuted sheepishly.


    ¡°Don''t try to bluff me!¡± Charlotte snapped at her coldly. ¡°Do you think that you can hide anything from


    me? I know both of you are keeping in touch with each other secretively.¡±


    ¡°I...¡± Morgan tried to give an excuse. Intimidated by Charlotte''s prating gaze, she could only admit


    in embarrassment, ¡°We are just having a chat on the car racing skills. Other than that, we have never


    spoken about anything else. Ms. Lindberg, we remind ourselves that we must be faithful to you and Mr.


    Nacht, respectively.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Ms. Lindberg never doubts that. If not, she won''t turn a blind eye to it. We only need your


    help to ask him about Ms. Elisa''s condition. Anyway, this is not considered as betraying Mr. Nacht!¡±


    Lupine red at her and pinched her on the arm.


    ¡°All right.¡± Morgan tried to call Marino.


    Marino only answered the call after quite a while. ¡°Hello.¡± he was apparently trying to lower down his


    volume.


    ¡°Hey, how''s the condition of Ms. Elisa at the moment?¡± Morgan asked him directly.


    ¡°How dare you question me? Don''t you know that you almost scared me to death just now? If Ben


    happened to see that just now, I would surely face his wrath again...¡±


    ¡°Stop babbling.¡± Charlotte snatched Morgan''s phone and asked Marino desperately, ¡°Tell me, how was


    Ellie poisoned? What did the doctor say?¡±


    ¡°Ah! Ms. Lindberg...¡± Marino recognized Charlotte''s voice and hid in one of the corners hurriedly. He


    lowered his voice and exined, ¡°The doctors discovered a rare snake venom in Ms. Elisa''s body.


    They presumed that it was either from the food or water she had taken. At the moment, we are still in


    the midst of the investigation.¡±


    ¡°Then...¡± Charlotte opened her mouth again.


    ¡°Marino, what are you doing? Get over here at once!¡± All of a sudden, she heard Ben calling out for


    him.


    ¡°I''ming!¡± Marino darted toward him without hanging up. ¡°Ben, what''s the matter?¡±


    Ben urged him by saying, ¡°I want you to lead a few men to bring Dr. Felch here from Phoenix City. He''s


    the only one who can save Ellie at the moment. Bruce has arranged for a private jet. You have to head


    to the airport now. Hurry up!¡±


    ¡°Noted. I will go now!¡± Marino replied at once.


    The sound of footsteps in haste was audible from the other end of the line. A few secondster,


    Marino''s voice sounded again. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, I''m on my way to look for Dr. Felch now. I have to hang


    up now. Don''t worry. All of us are trying to save Ellie by all means.¡±


    ¡°Dr. Felch? This name sounds familiar...¡± Charlotte murmured in bewilderment. Somehow, her gut


    instinct told her that this Dr. Felch was someone she had met before.

 Chapter 921

    Chapter 921


    ¡°When you were poisoned years ago, he was the one who treated you...¡± Marino paused abruptly and


    greeted, ¡°Ah! Ms. ckwood, you are here!¡±


    Ms. ckwood? Could it be Cynthia ckwood?


    When Charlotte was about to ask again, Marino had hung up.


    Charlotte''s forehead creased into a frown as the line went dead. In a split second, there was a change


    in her countenance.


    ¡°What is she trying to do? She seems to be meddling up with things all the time!¡± Morgan chided.


    Lupine echoed by grumbling, ¡°She''s really annoying! Ms. Lindberg, don''t be angry. Since Mr. Nacht is


    poisoned now, I''m sure he''s not the one who sought her help.¡±


    ¡°Marino mentioned that Ellie was poisoned because of the food she had consumed...¡± Charlotte


    squinted her eyes and mumbled quizzically, ¡°Ellie was by my side all the time these two days. How was


    it possible for her to be poisoned?¡±


    ¡°It''s rather weird. Not to mention, Ms. Elisa had taken the same meal as Mr. Robinson and Mr.


    Jamison. Nothing happens to them, yet why was she poisoned?¡±


    ¡°Who had actually poisoned Ms. Elisa?¡± Morgan frowned and asked in bafflement.


    Lupine asked tactfully again, ¡°Could it be she was poisoned in the Nachts'' residence? Ms. Elisa still


    looked fine by the time she left yesterday evening.¡±


    ¡°ording to Marino, Ms. Elisa started to feel sick and did not have any appetite right after she got


    back to the Nachts'' residence. They went to Seacrest Restaurant for some clue but did not detect


    anything,¡± Morgan added.


    ¡°Ah! Seacrest Restaurant... If I''m not mistaken, Ellie did not eat anything else after her meal at


    Seacrest Restaurant. If it is food poisoning, I''m sure she was poisoned at the restaurant...¡± Charlotte


    commented analytically.


    Right that instant, Cynthia''s figure shed across her mind. Even though she did not have any


    evidence, her gut instinct told her that the woman had something to do with Ellie''s poisoning.


    ¡°Morgan, go to Seacrest Restaurant now and have a thorough search. Don''t miss out on the


    surveince footage in the restaurant!¡± Charlotte instructed.


    ¡°Noted, Ms. Lindberg!¡± She nodded respectfully.


    A whileter, the car came to a halt by the roadside. Morgan got out of it with a few subordinates,


    hopped into another car, and sped off.


    On the other hand, Charlotte''s car was heading toward South Sea.


    Lupine tried to appease Charlotte by consoling her. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, don''t worry. After the opening


    ceremony, I will apany you to visit Ms. Elisa at the hospital. By then, I''m sure Morgan will manage


    to get some clues.¡±


    ¡°I can''t let anything happen to my family again! I have vowed to protect them!¡± Charlotte stared into


    space out of the window with a hint of determination in her eyes.


    Lupine could not resist feeling worried, yet she did not have the courage to utter any words. Deep


    down, she could only pray that everything would turn out fine.


    In the meantime, Marino was standing in Taylor and Cynthia''s way in the hospital. He had assigned


    others to notify Ben a while ago.


    After a while, Ben reached hastily and said courteously, ¡°Mr. ckwood, Ms. ckwood, I''m sorry to


    inform you that Mr. Nacht refuses to see anyone at the moment.¡±


    ¡°We heard that Zachary has been poisoned, and we are here to help him. Cynthia has knowledge of


    Traditional Chinese Medicine and might be able to treat him,¡± Taylor exined sincerely.


    ¡°How did you find out about that?¡± Ben knitted his brows. My goodness! This is the Nacht family''s top


    secret at the moment. How did they know about it?


    ¡°I''m the one who notified them and sought their help,¡± Spencer emerged and exined.


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    ¡°Mr. Spencer,¡± Ben greeted him and moved aside at once with his head lowered.


    Spencer exined further nonchntly, ¡°They are not outsiders. Mr. Henry is impressed with Cynthia''s


    medical skills. After all, both Mr. Zachary and Ellie are seriously ill, and none of the doctors can help


    them at the moment. Thus, there is no harm for us to let her give it a try.¡±


    ¡°But...¡± Ben tried to refute.


    ¡°Ben, please let me give it a try. I''m convinced that I can help to eliminate the poison from both Zachary


    and Ellie''s bodies.¡± Cynthia signed to him.


    Cynthia''s words put Ben in a tight spot. Too many things urred recently, and he started to be


    suspicious of her. Even though there was no concrete evidence that she was the mastermind behind


    everything, Ben told himself not to let his guard down as long as she was not exonerated of any me.

 Chapter 922

    Chapter 922


    As such, Ben wasn''t nning on letting the ckwoods know what happened to the Nacht family, but


    Spencer had informed them.


    However, having looked after Henry the whole time, Spencer was oblivious to the recent events and


    told Cynthia everything.


    ¡°Ellie is in critical condition right now, and a slight mistake could very well lead to death. I can''t bring


    myself to make that decision, so we should probably wait till Mr. Nacht wakes up,¡± Ben said with a


    frown.


    ¡°Let me go see Zachary! Spencer told me he was bitten by a venomous snake, and I have a way of


    saving him!¡± Cynthia signed at him anxiously.


    ¡°I...¡± Ben was still hesitant.


    ¡°Let her in. I''ll take responsibility if anything goes wrong,¡± Spencer said decisively.


    Naturally, Ben didn''t dare to protest any further.


    ¡°Thank you for trusting me!¡± Cynthia signed at him in relief.


    ¡°Come on. I''ll bring you to him.¡± Spencer then led Cynthia to Zachary to get him treated.


    Taylor followed closely behind them, looking concerned like he had already acknowledged Zachary as


    his son-inw.


    ¡°You head on over the airport,¡± Ben ordered Marino.


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Marino replied and left in a hurry.


    Ben then kept a close eye on Cynthia and Taylor to ensure no harm came to Zachary.


    Miraculously enough, Zachary regained consciousness an hourter with Cynthia''s help.


    ¡°Mr. Zachary, you''re awake!¡± Spencer was overjoyed. ¡°You''re amazing, Cynthia! I can''t believe you


    were able to save him so quickly!¡±


    ¡°This acupuncture treatment will only help him remain conscious for the time being. It would take more


    time to fully rid his body of the venom. You''ll need to continuously administer this treatment every day


    along with the use of herbs. It should take about a month for him to make a full recovery.¡± Cynthia


    signed.


    Spencer was relieved. ¡°That''s fine... I''m just d his condition is curable...¡±


    Ben was equally shocked when he saw Zachary waking up as he didn''t expect Cynthia''s treatment to


    be so effective.


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    ¡°Ellie... How is Ellie?¡± Zachary rubbed his forehead weakly.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht!¡± Ben quickly helped him sit upright on the bed. ¡°Ellie is still in the ICU, but her condition is


    stable for now...¡±


    ¡°You fainted after you were bitten by a venomous snake, Zachary. It was all thanks to Cynthia''s


    acupuncture treatment that you were able to regain consciousness. Shall we let her take a look at Ellie


    too?¡± Taylor said.


    ¡°Cynthia?¡± Zachary looked up at her and frowned. ¡°What are you two doing here?¡±


    He was able to remain conscious even though his vision was still a little blurry from the venom, but he


    was still in no condition to be having visitors.


    ¡°I came to help you, Zachary! Please believe me! I''ll definitely be able to save Ellie...¡± Cynthia signed at


    him, but Zachary cut her off.


    ¡°We have doctors here... You two can go home now...¡± Zachary smacked his head in an attempt to


    relieve the splitting headache.


    ¡°Zachary...¡± Taylor was about to say something but was interrupted by a medical staff who came


    running in. ¡°Bad news! Ms. Elisa has started convulsing again!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Zachary tried to get off the bed, but his body was so weak that he nearly fell down.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht...¡± Ben was quick to catch him and hold him steady.


    ¡°He mustn''t move about too much or the venom will spread further into his system!¡± Cynthia signed


    anxiously.


    Taylor quickly fetched Ben a wheelchair, and they both helped Zachary onto it before heading over to


    the ICU with him.


    ¡°What''s going on here? How did this happen? All of you doctors can''t even treat a single patient?¡±


    Spencer asked in a state of panic.


    ¡°The venom is simply too deadly! There''s practically nothing we can do!¡± one of the doctors said with


    tears in his eyes.

 Chapter 923

    Chapter 923


    ¡°You...¡± Zachary felt a sharp pain in his heart when he got agitated.


    ¡°Don''t worry, Mr. Nacht! I''ve sent someone to get Dr. Felch!¡± Ben reassured him.


    Raina sobbed with her head hung low. ¡°Time waits for no one... Ellie is...¡±


    Cynthia walked up to Zachary and signed at him, ¡±Let me give it a try, Zachary! Trust me!¡±


    With no other options left, Zachary could only take his chances with her. ¡°Fine! If you can treat Ellie


    sessfully, I''ll give you anything you want!¡±


    ¡°Cynthia will be able to treat Ellie for sure!¡± Taylor then turned toward her and urged her, ¡°Hurry up and


    get your medical kit!¡±


    Cynthia then grabbed her medical kit and ran into the ward.


    Raina and the other doctors watched from the side while everyone else waited outside.


    Zachary was incredibly weak at the time, but he insisted on waiting with everyone else and refused to


    go anywhere until he was certain that Ellie was fine.


    It was truly a race against time to bring Ellie back from the brink of death.


    Meanwhile, Charlotte was rushing toward South Sea Hotel at thest minute.


    One of Danrique''s men, Sean, greeted her the moment she got out of the car and warned her, ¡°Mr.


    Lindberg is very unhappy. Be careful, miss.¡±


    ¡°Danrique is here already?¡±


    Charlotte knew Danrique never showed up in public and would usually operate behind the scenes.


    ¡°Yes, about half an hour ago. Hurry up and head on inside! The ceremony is about to start!¡± Sean said


    softly.


    ¡°Got it! Thanks, Sean!¡± Charlotte thanked him with a nod.


    A huge crowd of journalists had gathered at the entrance of South Sea Hotel and snapping away as


    Charlotte came in dressed fully in white with eight female bodyguards around her.


    Charlotte simply ignored the camera shes and made her way straight into the hotel, and a staff


    member then led them into a VIP elevator which took them upstairs.


    Charlotte nced at her reflection in the elevator''s mirror and fixed her hair as well as her earrings.


    She even applied some lipstick for the asion.


    There were thousands of journalists waiting for her at the venue for the press conference, and the


    whole ce was in an uproar when Charlotte entered.


    Despite being bombarded by tons of blinding camera shes, Charlotte was able to maintain her


    composure and gracefully make her way to her seat.


    ¡°Charlotte... How could you show up sote when you''re the star of the show here? Even I arrived thirty


    minutes in advance!¡± Louis'' gentle voice was heard as he came in through the other entrance.


    ¡°Have you seen my brother?¡± Charlotte asked coldly.


    ¡°Yes, I have...¡± Louis wiped the sweat off his forehead as he continued, ¡°He''s a lot friendlier to me now,


    but he still gives me the chills.¡±


    As Robert and Danrique had be business partners, they tried to get Louis and Charlotte to date


    each other; hence, Danrique treated Louis like family.


    Even so, that didn''t make Louis fear him any less.


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    ¡°What''s there to be afraid of? My brother doesn''t bite! Just make sure you stay away from those pets of


    his!¡± Charlotte teased him.


    ¡°Please don''t bring that up again...¡± Louis groaned.


    Charlotte smiled as she motioned at him, and the two took their seats on stage.


    The emcee then began the opening ceremony by announcing the purchase of South Sea''s territorial


    waters before handing Charlotte the microphone.


    Charlotte delivered a simple yet powerful speech about bringing nature closer to humanity and allowing


    mankind to appreciate the beauty of the ocean through deep-sea exploration.


    The main idea was to build an underwater theme park connected by a ss tunnel so people would be


    able to observe the ocean life up close.


    Naturally, an interesting idea like that was bound to attract the attention of all the journalists present.


    They bombarded Charlotte with tons of questions, all of which she answered with ease.

 Chapter 924

    Chapter 924


    A satisfied smile spread across Danrique''s lips as he watched everything from behind the stage.


    Looks like those two years of education haven''t been in vain, after all! Charlotte has the Lindberg


    family''s excellent genes in her, so she''s able to learn everything easily if taught with the right methods.


    It''s like she''s transformed into apletely different person in just two years! Equipped with both


    brains and brawns, she is now able to handle any situation with ease! One day, she''ll be my most


    capable assistant ever and help me manage Lindberg Corporation!


    ¡°Now then, Ms. Lindberg and Sir Louis, pleaseplete the opening ceremony!¡±


    As the emcee announced the most crucial step, Charlotte and Louis got to their feet and walked up to


    the front of the stage.


    They were supposed to ce their hands on a translucent globe and wait for theser to shine on the


    screen toplete the opening ceremony.


    Louis had already ced his hand on the globe, but Charlotte was interrupted by a loud voice from the


    crowd when she reached her hand out. ¡°Wait!¡±


    She then paused and turned toward the direction of the voice, only to see a prosecutor approach her


    with a document in hand. ¡°Who''s in charge of the South Sea project?¡±


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    Charlotte pulled her hand back and slowly walked up to the prosecutor. ¡°I am. Is something the


    matter?¡±


    ¡°Here''s my identification. The South Sea project is incredibly detrimental to the marine life around the


    area, and we have official documents ordering the termination of the project!¡± the prosecutor said as he


    produced his identification and a document from a red folder.


    The entire ce went into an uproar upon hearing that, and even Charlotte was dumbfounded.


    She then took the document over from the prosecutor, and the look in her eyes turned gloomy as she


    read through it.


    ¡°How did this happen?¡± Louis asked in shock.


    Lindberg Corporation has spent thirty billion just to acquire South Sea''s territorial waters, and the


    initiation of the project is going to cost hundreds of billions more! Why would the project be halted now?


    Not only would thepany lose hundreds of billions, but it would also have its subsequent business


    ns affected! After all, who in their right minds would want to partner up with apany that faces


    such a huge issue before the project even starts?


    Charlotte was starting to panic, but maintained a calm expression on her face as she said, ¡°I want to


    see your superior. We''ve gotten the approvals required to carry out this project, so why only halt it


    now?¡±


    ¡°I''m just here to deliver the order, so I''m not too sure about the details. If you have any questions, feel


    free to take it up with my superiors. The contact details are stated on this document.¡± the prosecutor


    said coldly before turning around and leaving with his men.


    As Charlotte''s anger boiled inside her, the journalists continued snapping away and bombarding her


    with questions from below the stage.


    ¡°How much will this cost Lindberg Corporation, Ms. Lindberg? Is it as much as a hundred billion?¡±


    ¡°Do you think this is an act of sabotage by your rivalpany?¡±


    ¡°Do you have any ns for handling this, Ms. Lindberg?¡±


    ¡°The press conference will end here, thank you all for attending...¡±


    The emcee and higher-ups quickly stepped in to control the situation while Lupine and the bodyguards


    escorted Charlotte to backstage.


    Louis and his men were about to follow suit when a journalist asked him, ¡°Sir Louis, will this incident


    affect your partnership with Lindberg Corporation?¡±


    ¡°No, it won''t!¡± Louis replied before running after Charlotte. ¡°Don''t worry, Charlotte! I''ll figure something


    out! I''m sure we''ll...¡±


    Bang!


    Danrique kicked the coffee table over in a fit of rage, shattering the bottles of champagne and wine


    sses they had prepared to celebrate the project''s sessful initiation.


    The floor was instantly covered in broken ss and champagne, scaring Louis so much that he took a


    step back in response.


    The rest of the employees around them were terrified as well and didn''t dare make a sound.


    ¡°I''m sorry, Danrique. It was my mistake...¡± Charlotte apologized with her head hung low.


    Danrique narrowed his eyes and shouted through clenched teeth, ¡°Damn you, Zachary... Looks like I''ve


    really underestimated you!¡±

 Chapter 925

    Chapter 925


    Charlotte kept quiet as she knew that Zachary was the only one who could''ve outfoxed her like that.


    So, that''s why he''s been so busytely! He got a prosecutor to halt the project at thest minute,


    humiliating Lindberg Corporation in front of the press... Very impressive, I''ll give him that... I bet it won''t


    be long before everyone finds out about this. The Lindberg family has always been unbeatable in terms


    of its firepower andbat prowess, which was why Danrique managed to get at Zachary with the


    venomous snake. However, the Nacht family is a lot better when ites to business strategies and


    the use of technology. It took the Lindberg Corporation many years to slowly make its way into the local


    market and hit Zachary with both internal and external threats! Who would''ve thought that he''d be able


    to deal such a heavy blow to thepany and crush itpletely? I can see why the usually calm and


    collected Danrique would lose his temper like this...


    ¡°Um... I don''t think Zachary has anything to do with this official decision being made... He''s probably so


    disoriented that he can''t even tell left from right, so there''s no way he''d be able to...¡± Louis said softly,


    but was quick to stop himself when he Danrique shot him a cold re.


    ¡°I...I mean, I don''t know, it''s just a guess! A-Anyway, I''ll be on my way now! Call me if anythinges


    up, Charlotte!¡±


    Charlotte watched as Louis fled the scene frantically before turning toward Danrique. ¡°Calm down,


    brother. I''ll find a way to clean up this mess.¡±


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    ¡°Why were youte just now?¡± Danrique asked.


    Not wanting to keep it a secret from him, Charlotte replied honestly, ¡°I went to the hospital.¡±


    Danrique frowned and red coldly at her upon hearing that.


    Although he didn''t say anything, the look in his eyes was more than enough to send shivers down


    everyone''s spines.


    Charlotte simply kept quiet in response.


    Lupine had thought of defending her, but she was too scared to do so.


    After what seemed like forever, Danrique finally shifted his gaze from her and said coldly, ¡°For now, just


    focus on suppressing the news of this incident.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    He then left after that, and Charlotte waited till the sound of his footsteps faded away before letting out


    a huge sigh.


    ¡°This is bad... Mr. Lindberg looked like he was about to kill someone!¡± Lupine eximed while clutching


    at her chest in fear.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht sure is impressive, dealing such a huge blow to Lindberg Corporation... What do we do


    now?¡± asked another bodyguard.


    ¡°Didn''t you hear him earlier? Suppress the news of this incident!¡± Charlotte shouted with a frown.


    ¡°Roger!¡± the bodyguards responded and quickly got to work.


    ¡°It''s pointless to stress yourself out now. You should get some rest, and we''ll figure something out


    afterward...¡± Lupine reassured her.


    Charlotte slumped dejectedly against the sofa. ¡°This is just the beginning. I can''t imagine how terrible


    things are going to get if the two families continue to fight on like this...¡±


    This is the first time Zachary and Danrique have shed with each other directly, and look what''s


    happened! Zachary ended up being hospitalized while Lindberg Corporation lost over a few hundreds


    of billions! This is a lose-lose situation! And to make matters worse, the innocent kids were caught in


    the crossfire and have gotten hurt as a result! What has Ellie ever done to deserve this? Why would


    anyone poison a six-year-old girl like her? Does it have something to do with the feud between the two


    families?


    Charlotte was snapped out of her train of thoughts when Morgan''s call came in, and she answered it


    immediately, ¡°How are things?¡±


    ¡°We haven''t found anything suspicious. Bruce came over to have a lookst night too. He checked


    everything, including the trash that was taken out yesterday but found nothing out of the ordinary. The


    Nacht family is very thorough with their investigation. Bruce even ordered the restaurant owner to keep


    the ce closed for a week and forbade anyone from entering or leaving. Everything including the food


    was left untouched, and the ce looked the same as it wasst night. It''s highly unlikely that we


    would''ve missed out on anything...¡± Morgan said.

 Chapter 926

    Chapter 926


    ¡°What about the security camera footage?¡± Charlotte asked coldly.


    ¡°We''re getting it right now. I''ll send it over to your phone in a bit. Do you want me toe back now?¡±


    Morgan said.


    ¡°Wait till I finish viewing the footage.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡±


    Charlotte received the security camera footage from Seacrest Restaurant moments after hanging up,


    and everything seemed just fine.


    That was until she noticed Cynthia gently bump into the restaurant owner when he was bringing some


    tea to the kitchen.


    The only thing Ellie didst night that her brothers didn''t was she drank this tea!


    Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    With that in mind, Charlotte paused the footage and went over the scene frame by frame, but was


    unable to see anything odd about Cynthia''s actions whatsoever. I don''t know if the screen is too small


    or if she''s simply too fast, but my gut instinct is telling me that there''s something wrong with this


    woman!


    Charlotte then called Morgan back immediately, ¡°Have the restaurant owner bring us the teacups and


    teapot he served the tea withst night. Oh, and ask him if he remembers seeing Cynthia drop anything


    into the teacups!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Morgan hung up the phone and went off to carry out her orders.


    ¡°Are you suspecting Cynthia, Ms. Lindberg? I knew there was something off about that woman! She


    looks all gentle and weak on the outside, but she''s got a cunning look in her eyes!¡± Lupine asked.


    Charlotte''s frown deepened. ¡°I can''t say for sure as we don''t have any solid evidence yet, but she''ll


    have hell to pay if I find out that she''s the one who poisoned Ellie!¡±


    Lupine clenched her teeth in anger. ¡°This b*tch better pray we don''t find any evidence against her!¡±


    ¡°That''s enough. Have someone keep a tight lid on the news of this incident. We need to make sure that


    not a word of it gets out, so I''m putting you in charge of this. I''m going to meet up with Morgan at the


    Seacrest Restaurant now,¡± Charlotte said while ncing at her watch.


    ¡°Roger!¡±


    While Charlotte was busy investigating Ellie''s poisoning, Cynthia managed to have Ellie puke up some


    poison along with some blood.


    Ellie began crying in a hoarse voice momentster, but any and all signs of life from her came as music


    to everyone''s ears.


    ¡°Oh, god... Ellie is awake! You''re really amazing, Ms. ckwood!¡± Raina eximed with tears in her


    eyes.


    Cynthia let out a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat off her forehead before slumping weakly to the floor.


    ¡°Ms. ckwood!¡± A few of the medical staff quickly helped her to her feet, feeling nothing but respect


    and admiration for her aplishment.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Zachary asked anxiously from outside.


    ¡°Ellie is awake! Things are starting to look better now! We''ll proceed with the next step of the treatment


    right away! Rest assured that her condition is stabilized now!¡± Raina shed tears of joy as she delivered


    the news to them.


    ¡°Thank goodness...¡± Zachary breathed a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Yeah, that''s great... We should''ve had Cynthiae over sooner!¡± Spencer said excitedly.


    ¡°Yeah! I told you, Cynthia''s medical skills are top-notch! We''re all family here, so just feel free to consult


    her if anything happens!¡±


    Taylor was ecstatic as he felt like they had sessfully be a part of the Nacht family.


    ¡°Ms. ckwood? Are you all right, Ms. ckwood?¡± the medical staff asked as they helped a pale and


    exhausted Cynthia out of the ICU.


    ¡°What happened to her?¡± Spencer asked.


    ¡°She''s probably exhausted after tending to Ms. Elisa for three hours straight while severely wounded,¡±


    the medical staff replied.


    ¡°Hurry up and get her somewhere she can rest. Wouldn''t want her to be the next to copse now!¡±


    Taylor stepped forward to hold Cynthia steady. ¡°Yeah! Zachary and Ellie are still counting on you to


    complete their treatment, so you need to take good care of yourself! Isn''t that right, Zachary?¡±


    Zachary nodded and shed Cynthia a grateful smile as he said, ¡°Yeah... Thank you, Cynthia. I''ll repay


    you generously for this!¡±

 Chapter 927

    Chapter 927


    ¡°Don''t say that... I''ve watched Ellie grow up, so she''s like family to me. There''s no way I''d just sit by


    when something like this happens to her. Besides, being a doctor is like being a parent, so I was just


    doing my job!¡± Cynthia signed.


    ¡°Yeah, that''s right! A doctor is just like a parent!¡± Taylor chimed in as well, cing extra emphasis on


    the word ¡°parent¡± to remind Zachary that Cynthia treated Ellie like her own daughter.


    ¡°A ward has been prepared for you, so go ahead and get some rest. Thank you very much, Ms.


    ckwood,¡± Ben said.


    ¡°Don''t mention it!¡± Taylor replied with a smile.


    I feel like there''s something off about all this, but I can''t seem to put my finger on what it is exactly... Oh,


    well... I guess all that matters is Zachary and Ellie being all right now... Ben thought to himself as he


    watched someone escort them to the ward.


    ¡°You should get some rest too, Mr. Nacht. We can take care of things here, so you have nothing to


    worry about! Now that Ellie has puked up the poison, her condition will be a lot more manageable!¡±


    Raina promised him confidently.


    ¡°Make sure you take good care of her. We can''t afford to have any more idents like this.¡±


    Zachary was still feeling uneasy as he had yet to see Ellie hop down from the bed and call him ¡°Daddy¡±


    in her usual sweet voice.


    ¡°I know, don''t worry!¡± Raina reassured him before hurrying off to examine Ellie.


    ¡°We have everything under control here, Spencer. Mr. Henry must be worried about you being gone for


    so long, so you should head back too. Besides, you haven''t slept all night, so this would be a great time


    to get some rest,¡± Ben said as he was concerned.


    Spencer nodded. ¡°Yeah, it is about time I get going now. I''ll bring Jamie with me, Mr. Zachary. The


    shock kept him awake all night, and he just fell asleep a while ago.¡±


    Having him stay here wouldn''t do him any good, as everyone would have to look after him in addition to


    Zachary and Ellie. On top of that, Mr. Henry would feel a lot better if he saw Jamie.


    ¡°All right, I''ll go tell him,¡± Zachary replied with a faint smile when he saw Jamie curled up in a bed and


    sleeping soundly while drooling all over the pillow.


    Guess I never really have to worry about this kid, huh... I thought he''d cry at first, but he''s sleeping like


    a log right now!


    ¡°Haha, Jamie sure is a good boy!¡± Spencer said with a smile.


    Zachary gently ran his hand through Jamie''s hair. ¡°Head on over before he wakes up, or he''ll have a


    ton of questions for all of us. You know how much of a chatterbox he can be.¡±


    ¡°Haha, okay...¡±


    Spencer motioned at Cain who then wrapped Jamie up in a nket before carrying him in his arms.


    Jamie turned his body to one side and nuzzled his head against Cain''s chest while making a suckling


    motion with his mouth, much to Cain''s amusement.


    ¡°All right, get going,¡± Zachary urged them.


    ¡°Is he heavy?¡± Spencer asked with a chuckle as they left.


    ¡°He seems to be about Robbie''s size, but weighs a little more.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! He can eat more than Robbie!¡±


    Zachary''s smile faded when he saw them disappear from sight, and a cold look filled his eyes as he


    gave the order, ¡°Have Bruce investigate the security footage from Seacrest Restaurant in great detail.


    Tell him to go frame by frame if he has to!¡±


    Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Ben leaned in and asked softly, ¡°Are you suspecting someone other than Danrique, Mr. Nacht?¡±


    ¡°Danrique may be cruel, but he is still a man of pride. He wouldn''t deny it if he was the one who did it.


    Judging by how angry he got when I used him of poisoning Ellie, it''s quite obvious that he''s


    innocent. If he didn''t do it, then it must be someone else!¡± Zachary said as he recalled Danrique''s


    reaction.

 Chapter 928

    Chapter 928


    ¡°Understood, I''ll make the arrangements right away!¡± Ben then contacted Bruce and had him


    reinvestigate the case.


    Zachary looked at the bandages on his right hand as he ced it over his aching chest and spaced out


    for a bit.


    Where did I go wrong? Why are so many things happeningtely? I''ve always had the greatest of


    strategies, and yet I seem to be failing time after time... This isn''t right...


    He was snapped out of his train of thoughts when Taylor''s voice came from behind, ¡°Cynthia wanted


    me to tell you that the venom in your body isn''tpletely removed yet, so you need to be extra


    careful. Make sure you don''t walk around for the time being.¡±


    Zachary turned around and looked at him as he said, ¡°All right, thanks. How is she?¡±


    ¡°She was severely injured before this, so a whole night of stress got her wound all inmed. She''s


    being treated as we speak,¡± Taylor replied with a pained look on his face.


    ¡°I''ll go see her.¡±


    Zachary then gestured at one of his men who then pushed his wheelchair toward Cynthia''s ward.


    ¡°Cynthia was worried sick when we got the call from Spencer today, and she came rushing over with


    her medical kit as quickly as she could. I tried to talk her out of it. I told her that Ellie would be fine as


    Nacht Group has its very own hospital and a ton of doctors. I also told her that your injuries are top


    secret, so outsiders shouldn''t get involved, but she refused to listen. She said she had to do something,


    and that she wouldn''t be able to eat nor sleep knowing that Ellie is in danger. She was so stubborn that


    I couldn''t stop her, so I had no choice but toe with her. She really treats you guys like her own


    family, you know?¡± Taylor said as he followed behind them.


    Anyone who could read between the lines would know exactly what he was implying, but Zachary


    simply kept quiet instead.


    They soon arrived at the ward and saw the doctor treating the inmed wound on her waist.


    Zachary gasped when he noticed how weary and pale her face looked.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht!¡± The doctor stood up and greeted Zachary the moment he saw him.


    Cynthia panicked and burned bright red as she quickly tidied up her clothes, and it pained Zachary to


    see her like this.


    ¡°Sorry for the trouble. Ellie''s condition is stable now, so you can rest assured,¡± he said softly.


    Cynthia nodded at him with a smile and signed, ¡±I''ve told them to call for me if anything happens to


    Ellie. I''ll be fine!¡±


    ¡°Thanks...¡±


    Zachary didn''t really know what else to say apart from thanking her.


    Noticing that, Taylor was quick to change the topic. ¡°I''ll head back to get you a few sets of clothes. Dr.


    Howard, there''s something I need to ask you about.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing!¡± The doctor caught on, and the two went out of the ward in a hurry, leaving Zachary and


    Cynthia inside.


    Cynthia then tried adjusting herself into a morefortable position, only to drop her pillow by


    ident.


    As she was about to get down from the bed, Zachary motioned at her to not move and wheeled himself


    toward her instead. He then picked up the pillow and carefully ced it behind her back.


    The two of them were very close to each other, and her limp body was almost leaning against


    Zachary''s chest, but he didn''t seem to mind.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht...¡±


    Ben came in through the door all of a sudden but quickly turned around when he saw what was going


    on. ¡°Sorry, I...I''lle backter...¡±


    Zachary called out to him, ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I''ve taken care of that thing you asked me to. Oh, and there''s something important I need to tell you


    about,¡± Ben said awkwardly.


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    ¡°Um...¡± Ben had a troubled look on his face as he nced at Cynthia.


    ¡°She''s not an outsider.¡± Zachary growled with a frown, much to Cynthia''s delight.


    Ben began his report, ¡°Right... Earlier today, Lindberg Corporation had an opening ceremony for the


    South Sea project at South Sea Hotel...¡±

 Chapter 929

    Chapter 929


    ¡°That heartless woman... She attended an opening ceremony while her own daughter''s life was at


    stake?¡± Zachary shouted angrily through clenched teeth.


    Ben froze as he wasn''t expecting him to get so furious.


    Taylor happened to overhear the conversation as he came into the ward and defended Charlotte.


    ¡°Maybe she doesn''t know about Ellie''s condition...¡±


    ¡°I told her about it myself, so there''s no way she wouldn''t know!¡± Zachary had rage written all over his


    face.


    ¡°Um... Maybe she has her reasons...¡± Taylor said with a troubled expression.


    ¡°Yeah! The South Sea project cost Lindberg Corporation hundreds of billions, and a single problem


    could easily affect thepany''s entire operation! It''s perfectly understandable for Ms. Lindberg to take


    care of it. Maybe she''lle and see Ellie after she''s done with the ceremony!¡± Cynthia signed.


    ¡°Yeah, that''s right! There''s no way she wouldn''t care about her own daughter! Wait... Could it be that


    she hasn''t regained her memories? Or perhaps, the motherly side of her has yet to awaken?¡± Taylor


    added.


    ¡°I don''t think that''s the case... I remember her being very gentle with her kids at Seacrest Restaurant,


    so it''s obvious that she loves them dearly. She''s probably just in a difficult position due to the feud


    between the Nachts and the Lindbergs.¡± Cynthia signed.


    ¡°All right, that''s enough. No need to defend that woman...¡± The look on Zachary''s face turned gloomy


    as he continued, ¡°She did nothing when Danrique poisoned Robbie today. Had I not stopped him in


    time, Robbie would''ve suffered the same fate as Ellie.¡±


    ¡°I can''t believe Danrique would be so cruel as to poison a child! Do you think he''s the one who


    poisoned Ellie too?¡± Taylor eximed angrily.


    ¡°Who else could it be?¡± Zachary asked.


    Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°It''s definitely him then! Karma wille for him sooner orter!¡± Taylor said.


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Cynthia signed in agreement.


    Zachary narrowed his eyes and growled through clenched teeth, ¡°I won''t let him get away with this!


    Anyone who dares poison my children shall die a horrible death!¡±


    A look of surprise shed in Cynthia''s eyes when she heard that, but she was quick to regain her


    composure and signed, ¡±Don''t do anything rash, Zachary! Danrique is no pushover, so you need to


    stay calm...¡±


    ¡°That''s right. You need to strategize and be smart about it!¡± Taylor advised.


    Zachary turned to look at Ben and asked, ¡°Well? What happened after that? Did theyunch the South


    Sea project?¡±


    ¡°No, a prosecutor showed up at thest second with an official document and dered that the project


    had to be halted. He said something about it being incredibly detrimental to the marine life in the area,¡±


    Ben replied.


    Taylor was delighted. ¡°Really? The project has been halted?¡±


    Ben nodded. ¡°Yes. I believe Mr. Lindberg and Ms. Lindberg are currently stressing themselves out


    trying to figure out a solution.¡±


    ¡°With an official document ordering for a halt in front of the press, there''s no way they can save the


    project now! Danrique may be cruel and proficient at things like poisoning people, but he''s no match for


    me when ites to business strategies!¡± Zachary said with a sarcastic sneer.


    Taylor looked happier than everyone around him. ¡°Of course! I told you, you''re a one-of-a-kind genius


    when ites to business affairs! No one could possibly best you in this field!¡±


    ¡°We mustn''t let our guard down, though. Mr. Lindberg has tons of nasty tricks up his sleeve, so god


    knows what he''ll do next. You must be careful, Zachary.¡± Cynthia signed.


    Zachary held her hand and said, ¡°Yeah, I know. Thank you for helping Ellie out and being such a


    considerate person.¡±


    Cynthia found herself blushing when she felt the warmth of his hand on hers.

 Chapter 930

    Chapter 930


    Taylor tried to help her out as much as he could. ¡°Like I said before, Cynthia would definitely make a


    great wife. She can help you out greatly both in life and in corporate affairs. I''m sure she''ll make a fine


    assistant in the future!¡±


    ¡°I don''t need her to help me out with thepany. All she needs to do is take care of things at home.¡±


    Zachary then turned toward her and said, ¡°You get some rest. I''ll be on my way now.¡±


    ¡°Okay, you too! Don''t worry, Ellie will be fine!¡±


    Taylor waited until he was gone before telling Cynthia excitedly, ¡°I was worried that Mr. Lindberg would


    have him beaten, but Zachary turned the tide around so impressively!¡±


    ¡°Of course! I know how to pick my men!¡± Cynthia signed with a smirk.


    ¡°You''re the best, Cynthia! Looks like we ced our money on the right horse this time!¡± Taylor


    eximed.


    ¡°All right, hurry on home and get me a few more sets of clothes. This time, I''ll be officially moving into


    the Nachts'' residence for sure!¡± Cynthia balled her fist up confidently in victory.


    ¡°Hahaha, of course... Zachary said he wants you to take care of things at home!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he''s beginning to ept me... Looks like my efforts paid off as I''ve finally managed to touch his


    heart.¡± Cynthia got excited at the thought of that.


    Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°This is just the first step, so don''t let your guard down just yet. Anyway, I''ll go get your stuff now,¡±


    Taylor reminded her.


    Cynthia nodded and watched him leave before shifting her gaze toward her hand, and a smile formed


    on her lips as she recalled the warmth she felt from Zachary earlier.


    ¡°What happened to you at the Lindberg residence today, Mr. Nacht? Why are you so mad at Ms.


    Lindberg?¡± Ben asked out of curiosity after bringing Zachary back to his ward, but Zachary simply kept


    quiet and seemed to be lost in thought.


    ¡°Do you really trust Ms. ckwood? I can''t help but feel that she''s...¡± Ben said with a frown, but


    Zachary cut him off mid-sentence.


    ¡°Right now, she''s my lifesaver.¡±


    Ben was surprised by what he heard as he assumed Zachary was just putting up an act to trick them


    into exposing themselves.


    ¡°We need to have evidence before pointing fingers at anyone,¡± Zachary added.


    Ben froze for a moment, but quickly caught on and said, ¡°Understood!¡±


    ¡°Good. Take me to the bathroom. I''m going to take a shower and get changed before I visit Ellie...¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    The sun was shining brightly into Seacrest Restaurant, and there wasn''t a single customer in sight


    when Charlotte arrived in a hurry.


    The restaurant owner was on the verge of breaking down after being interrogated by Morgan and her


    subordinates countless times.


    He ran up to Charlotte the moment she entered the restaurant and said with tears in his eyes, ¡°I really


    didn''t poison your daughter, Ms. Lindberg! I swear...¡±


    ¡°Shh...¡± Charlotte motioned at him to shut up.


    She then examined the restaurant and visualized where Ellie had been to, what she had touched, the


    food she ate, the drinks she had, and the smells she was exposed to.


    Only by running a simtion of it in her head was she able to make a breakthrough in her investigation.


    Everyone else remained silent and offered their full cooperation by taking up their positions from


    yesterday.


    By referring to the security camera footage, Charlotte retraced Ellie''s steps throughout the entire


    restaurant. Eventually, she was able to confirm that the tea was the only possible way for her to be


    poisoned.


    ¡°Did you find the teacup used?¡± Charlotte spoke up atst.


    The restaurant owner was quick to exin, ¡°We have elevenpletely identical tea sets, so I''m not


    sure which one it is. I''ve ced them all here for you!¡±

 Chapter 931

    Chapter 931


    ¡°Take them all back for tests!¡± Charlotte instructed.


    ¡°Right away!¡± Morgan carefully ced all eleven tea sets into stic bags and had someone bring


    them back.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg... We wash all our kitchen utensils and sterilize them at high temperatures repeatedly on


    a daily basis, so you might not be able to find anything on them...¡± the restaurant owner said cautiously.


    ¡°You can open the restaurant for business tomorrow,¡± Charlotte said and left the ce, only for Bruce


    and his men toe looking for the tea set momentster.


    The restaurant owner then exined to him what had happened and asked Bruce for his opinion on


    opening up his restaurant the next day.


    With the tea set gone, Bruce had no choice but to report the situation to Zachary ordingly.


    Zachary had just finished showering in the hospital and was drying his hair on the chair at the time.


    ¡°We''ll go with her decision,¡± he replied in a deep voice after hearing Bruce''s report.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°Given Lindberg Corporation''s current situation, Ms. Lindberg must really care about Ellie if she''s


    personally carrying out the investigation at Seacrest Restaurant!¡± Ben said after Zachary hung up the


    phone.


    ¡°You keep defending her...¡± Zachary lowered his voice as he asked, ¡°Do you think the two of us could


    possibly go back to how we once were?¡±


    ¡°I...¡± Ben didn''t know what to say.


    ¡°I noticed a strong sense of pride in Danrique during our confrontation today. He got really mad


    because I wrongly used him, and he tried to poison Robbie as a result. There''s no way a vengeful


    man like him would allow Charlotte to let go of our grudges and return to me. Besides, Charlotte would


    never forgive me if she regains her memories and remembers her hatred for me anyway...¡±


    Zachary seemed dejected when he said that as he recalled how Charlotte had protected him and their


    kids.


    I know she''s a kind and loyal person deep down inside, but the events today have shown me that there


    is a gap between us that we can never bridge...


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    Unsure of what to say, Ben could only let out a sigh in response.


    Having made up his mind, Zachary dered, ¡°Danrique will definitely being after me for costing


    Lindberg Corporation hundreds of billions today. Just you wait... This battle of ours has only just


    begun!¡±


    ¡°Why must you two keep fighting like this? Wouldn''t it have been a lot better if both families could


    coexist in peace?¡± Ben asked.


    Zachary turned to look out the window as he said in a low voice, ¡°Had it not been for that incident two


    years ago, we might actually be able to continue coexisting peacefully. As tempting as it may be,


    Danrique would normally take his business to another country if he can''t gain a foothold here. I mean,


    just look at what happened two years ago. He failed to gain the support of the Browns and the


    ckwoods over and gave up when Grandpa stepped in. So, why would heunch an attack at me


    now? I used to think that he did it because he had gained some kind of leverage over me, that he saw


    a perfect opportunity and used Charlotte against me. However, I realized today that isn''t the case...¡±


    ¡°What''s the reason, then?¡± Ben asked curiously.


    ¡°Because...¡± Zachary''s frown deepened as he continued in a stern tone, ¡°Danrique thinks our family


    has been bullying his, so he''s trying to get his revenge!¡±


    ¡°He''s sacrificing so much just for the sake of revenge?¡± Ben couldn''t understand the logic behind it.


    ¡°Danrique is said to be incredibly cruel and capable of doing anything to achieve his goals. Even so, his


    aunt Isabe remains his biggest weakness. There was a businessman who ended up with his whole


    family dead, all because he identally insulted Isabe. Danrique saved Charlotte in the nick of time


    when she was tortured like hell in T Nation, and he knew Sharon was the one behind it. However, he


    chose not to kill her so that Charlotte could get her revenge herself! I always thought Danrique had an


    endless amount of tricks up his sleeve, but my encounter with him today proved me wrong. He is


    simply fueled by pure hatred, and everything he did was for the sake of getting revenge. He couldn''t


    care less about wealth or power. All he wants is to make us pay in blood!¡±

 Chapter 932

    Chapter 932


    Charlotte called up Raina on the way home to check on Ellie''s condition, but she only gave her a brief


    summary as she was tired frompleting her rounds.


    ¡°Ms. ckwood''s treatment was sessful, and Ms. Elisa''s condition has stabilized. The venom in Mr.


    Nacht''s body isn''tpletely removed yet, but he''s okay now.¡±


    ¡°Got it, thanks,¡± Charlotte said and hung up the phone after that.


    ¡°What does she mean Cynthia treated her? Her treatment couldn''t have possibly worked without your


    medicine! I can''t believe she''s being hailed as some hero just because she stuck a few needles in Ellie!


    Are the Nachts blind or what?¡± Lupine shouted angrily.


    ¡°Great... Now the Nachts are going to treat her like she''s a queen. If she really is the culprit, then they


    would practically be protecting a potential murderer!¡± Morgan said sarcastically.


    ¡°She''s definitely the culprit! Who else could it possibly be? Judging by how she''s acting all innocent


    after what she did, I''d say she''s a cruel and heartless woman on the inside!¡± Lupine got even angrier


    the more she thought about it.


    Morgan clenched her fists tightly. ¡°She''s dead meat if I find any evidence linking her to this incident!¡±


    Charlotte, on the other hand, was calmly looking at her phone and seemed to be in deep thought.


    ¡°Don''t worry, Ms. Lindberg! At least Ellie''s fine now!¡± Lupineforted her.


    ¡°I just feel like there''s a lot more to this whole thing than meets the eye.¡±


    Charlotte was staring nkly at a vi in the distance when she suddenly remembered something and


    asked, ¡°By the way, how are things with Jeffrey and Olivia? Have they settled down?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they have. I was going to pay them a visit the other day, but then it got postponed because


    Robinson got abducted, and a lot more stuff happened after that. I''ve had them settle down in a hotel


    for many days now,¡± Lupine replied.


    ¡°Let them head back. I won''t be able to see them for quite a while.¡± Charlotte said.


    ¡°Huh? I thought you wanted to confirm what happened back then?¡± Lupine asked in confusion.


    Charlotte let out a wry chuckle. ¡°I feel like there are some things that I''m better off not knowing. I mean,


    what else can I do after finding out? Kill Zachary? The kids would hate me to death for doing so!¡±


    Unsure of what to say, Lupine could only let out a sigh in response.


    ¡°Regardless, we''re not letting Zara and the ckwood sisters get away!¡± Morgan added angrily.


    Charlotte frowned. ¡°For now, let''s just focus on finding out who poisoned Ellie. If Cynthia truly is the


    culprit, then things would be a lot more dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Yeah! She could poison the kids anytime now that she''s by Mr. Nacht''s side every day!¡±


    ¡°That''s why we have to expose her true colors as soon as possible.¡±


    Ellie''s condition was starting to improve after a few days of treatment at the hospital.


    Zachary was also recovering slowly, but he was still very weak and could only work for a few hours


    before falling asleep from fatigue.


    Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Meanwhile, the people at Lindberg Corporation had spent the past few days trying to fix the situation.


    However, the final result remained that they were not allowed to carry out the South Sea project, but


    thepany would receive a part of the amount lost aspensation.


    Despite having recouped some of its losses, all of Lindberg Corporation''s projects had to be halted due


    to ack of funds.


    It was a huge blow to thepany, but Danrique seemed to be taking it rather well.


    Not only did he not me Charlotte for it, but he even left H City three dayster without doing anything


    out of the ordinary.


    Charlotte didn''t know why he left, but she had a bad feeling deep down inside.


    Ellie had finally woken up from heratose state that morning, but she still required regr


    acupuncture treatments for a very long time.


    Zachary figured it would be inconvenient for them to remain in the hospital, so he brought both Ellie


    and Cynthia home with him.


    That way, Cynthia would be able to take care of both their daily treatments easily.

 Chapter 933

    Chapter 933


    In the past, Cynthia had only ever shown up at the Nacht residence as a guest. Although they were all


    very polite toward her, she was still considered an outsider at best.


    This time, however, she had moved into the Nacht residence as a part of the family.


    She reced all of Raina''s medical staff with her own and even insisted on managing all three meals of


    the day for both Zachary and Ellie.


    Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Both Mr. Nacht and Ms. Elisa were severely poisoned, Mrs. Rawlston. It is crucial that we have Ms.


    ckwood manage their meals to ensure they don''t get poisoned again or eat anything they shouldn''t.


    All you have to do is prepare the food ording to the recipes provided,¡± Freya said when Mrs.


    Rawlston questioned her request.


    ¡°I...¡± Mrs. Rawlston turned to look at Zachary, who then nodded slightly at her in response. ¡°All right, I


    understand.¡±


    Cynthia then had Freya bring her two sets of recipes, and Mrs. Rawlston was about to head into the


    kitchen when Freya called out to her again, ¡°Hold up!¡±


    Mrs. Rawlston paused in her tracks, and Freya nced at the maids around them before saying, ¡°In


    order to better ensure the safety of both Mr. Nacht and Ms. Elisa, all of you are to refrain from entering


    their rooms on your own. Should the need arise for you to do so, please inform us beforehand.¡±


    The maids exchanged nces before shifting their gaze toward Mrs. Rawlston, who could only look at


    Zachary in response. ¡°Sir...¡±


    ¡°Do as they say,¡± Zachary said ndly.


    Cynthia signed at her with a smile, ¡±Please don''t take it to heart, Mrs. Rawlston. I''m only doing this to


    prevent any bacterial infections before the poison ispletely cleared out of their bodies.¡±


    ¡°All right, Ms. ckwood.¡± Mrs. Rawlston nodded respectfully.


    ¡°That''ll be all for now. You can all go back to work.¡± Cynthia signed, and everyone else returned to their


    tasks at hand.


    While preparing lunch in the kitchen, one of the older maids grumbled, ¡°Does Ms. ckwood think


    she''s thedy of the house or what? She''s acting like she owns the ce!¡±


    ¡°Shh! Keep it down, Molly! Ms. ckwood brought eight assistants over, so she''s got eyes and ears


    everywhere!¡± one of the chefs reminded her softly.


    ¡°She looks all weak and soft, but she''s ordering us around arrogantly before she even marries Mr.


    Nacht! Honestly, Ms. Windt is a lot better! At least she''s nice and humble!¡± Molly continued.


    ¡°Molly!¡± Mrs. Rawlston gave her a nudge.


    Molly froze for a brief moment and turned around to see Freya standing behind her with a recipe in


    hand.


    ¡°This is a recipe that Ms. ckwood has prepared. Please prepare the meal ordingly,¡± she said with


    an ambiguous smirk.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Mrs. Rawlston took the recipe over.


    ¡°And make it fast! Ms. ckwood will be visiting Mr. Henry at Serene Hospital in the afternoon.


    Everyone in the Nacht family is counting on her treatment, you see...¡± Freya said arrogantly before


    strutting off.


    ¡°Hmph! What a sly b*tch! She used to be so polite to us when Mrs. Berry was around! Who the hell


    does she think she is, huh?¡± Molly cursed furiously after she left.


    ¡°That''s enough, Molly. You really need to fix that temper of yours,¡± Mrs. Rawlston advised.


    ¡°Is Ms. ckwood really going to marry into this householdter on?¡± Molly asked with a frown.


    ¡°It''s hard to say,¡± Mrs. Rawlston mumbled as she carried on with her work.


    Molly shook her head and let out a helpless sigh. ¡°Looks like life is going to be rough for all of us...¡±


    The maids in the kitchen were clearly frustrated with their predicament but didn''t dare say a word about


    it.


    Ben had noticed all that and frowned as he quickly made his way to the study room.


    Zachary was going through some documents inside, but the venom from the snake bite left him


    incredibly weak, and he found himself rubbing his forehead from exhaustion after reading a few pages.


    ¡°You can''t keep going on like this, Mr. Nacht! I think we should consult some other doctors!¡± Ben


    eximed worriedly when he saw that upon entering the room.

 Chapter 934

    Chapter 934


    ¡°Has there been an update from Marino yet?¡± Zachary asked.


    ¡°Not yet... They''ve moved again after we went to see Dr. Felch. I think they''re avoiding us out of fear


    due to what happened two years ago. Marino is currently trying to find out about their whereabouts in


    Phoenix City. It''s Dr. Felch''s hometown, so they shouldn''t be far,¡± Ben replied.


    ¡°Try Olivia. She should still be in contact with Hayley,¡± Zachary said wearily while rubbing his forehead.


    Ben gave him a worried look. ¡°I''ve contacted Olivia through Peter yesterday, but Ms. Lindberg''s men


    have her heavily guarded. We''re unable to get anywhere near her. How about we head over to Serene


    Hospital and get you looked at, Mr. Nacht?¡±


    Zachary closed his eyes and said, ¡°What good are the doctors there if even Raina can''t do a thing


    about my condition? For now, just focus on finding and bringing Dr. Felch to me. He''s the only one who


    can fix this.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir. In that case, I shall take my leave now.¡± Ben quickly turned around and left so as to not


    disturb him any further, only to see Cynthia approaching when he opened the door.


    She was holding a bowl of herbal tonic in hand and shed Ben a smile when she saw him.


    Ben felt an inexplicable sense of unease when he looked at the bowl, but Zachary''s voice came from


    behind before he could question her about it. ¡°Is the medicine ready?¡±


    Cynthia then walked straight into the study room and closed the door behind her.


    With a frown on his face, Ben was about to walk away when he heard something shattering inside the


    room, followed by the sound of Ellie crying.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I don''t want to take this medicine! I want Mommy! I want Mommy!¡±


    Ellie had knocked the bowl of medicine over and was crying for her mom.


    Freya''s hand was scalded by the hot herbal tonic, causing her to lose her temper andsh out angrily,


    ¡°Stop crying!¡±


    Ellie froze and went pale as she stared at Freya in fear.


    Realizing what she had done, Freya frantically tried to coax Ellie. ¡°You have to take your medicine or


    you won''t get better, Princess Ellie. Come on, be a good girl and take your medicine, okay?¡±


    Ellie''s eyes were filled with tears as she continued looking at Freya.


    ¡°I''m sorry I raised my voice earlier, Princess Ellie. It''s because my hand got scalded by the medicine.


    Here, can you see?¡±


    Freya held her hand out and showed Ellie the huge red patch that had formed on her skin.


    Ellie felt guilty when she saw it and was about to apologize when a figure appeared next to them and


    spun Freya around before pping her hard across the face.


    Smack!


    Freya fell to the floor from the impact, but she didn''t dare get mad as she saw that it was Cynthia who


    hit her. ¡°I''m sorry, Ms. ckwood! I...¡±


    ¡°How dare you yell at Ellie like that? Who do you think you are? Get the hell out!¡± Cynthia signed


    aggressively at her.


    ¡°Yes, Ms. ckwood!¡± Freya ran out of the room with her hands covering her teary face.


    Cynthia then shed Ellie a gentle smile and signed, ¡°Did she scare you, Ellie?¡±


    Ellie simply hugged her stuffed alpaca and curled herself up on the bed while trembling in fear.


    ¡°Don''t be scared, Ellie. I''ll have someone prepare a new bowl of medicine for you, so make sure you


    drink it, okay? You can''t get better if you don''t take your medicine!¡±


    Cynthia gently ran her hand through Ellie''s hair before signing at the medical staff, ¡±Well? What are you


    waiting for? Go whip up another bowl!¡±


    ¡°Right away!¡± the medical staff replied and ran off to prepare the medicine.


    ¡°Now, now, stop crying and just take a nap while you wait. I''lle keep youpany after I feed your


    daddy his medicine, okay?¡±


    Cynthia signed at her and got ready to leave when she saw Ben standing outside the door. ¡±Why are


    you still here, Ben? Aren''t you leaving for the office?¡±


    ¡°I''ll head out in a bit. I''m here to see Ellie,¡± Ben replied with a smile.


    ¡°She''s sick and should not be disturbed!¡± Cynthia signed quickly.

 Chapter 935

    Chapter 935


    ¡°Are you going to get in my way as well, Ms. ckwood?¡± Ben asked with a frown, looking cool for the


    first time ever.


    Cynthia quickly signed at him, ¡±No, that''s not what I meant...¡±


    ¡°Step aside,¡± Ben said as he shoved past her and entered Ellie''s room.


    There was a vicious glint in Cynthia''s eyes when she red at him from behind, but she quickly went


    back to her usual gentle self and entered Zachary''s study room looking sad.


    ¡°What''s wrong?¡± Zachary had just finished his medicine and was going through some documents.


    Cynthia shook her head in response but maintained that depressed look on her face.


    ¡°Did someone bully you?¡± Zachary asked again.


    ¡°No... Ben wanted to see Ellie. I told him she needs to rest, and he wasn''t too happy about it. I was


    wondering if I might be a little too controlling...¡±


    Zachary frowned in displeasure. ¡°That little sh*t sure has gotten a lot bolder... How dare he have that


    attitude with you?¡±


    ¡°No, he didn''t... He''s just worried about Ellie, that''s all. She knocked over a bowl earlier because she


    refused to take the medicine... Don''t go scolding Ben, Zachary! If you do, I won''t know how to face him


    afterward!¡± Cynthia signed.


    ¡°All right, I won''t. I''m sorry you had to put up with all this,¡± Zachary said while patting her on the head.


    ¡°It''s fine. I''m just d you understand.¡±


    Cynthia gave him a gentle look as she reached out to wipe the traces of medicine from his lips. Seeing


    as he didn''t resist her touch, she then gently caressed his face and signed, ¡±You''ve gotten skinnier...¡±


    Zachary held her hand and said with a smile, ¡°I''m feeling a lot better thanks to your treatment. Honestly,


    I can''t thank you enough!¡±


    ¡°I''m just doing what I should.¡± Cynthia signed and leaned against his chest.


    Zachary didn''t show any signs of resistance, but the look in his eyes was as cold as ice.


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    After entering the room, Ben told the other medical staff to leave before looking at Ellie who was curled


    up in a corner. ¡°What''s wrong, Ellie?¡± he asked with a pained expression on his face.


    Ellie pursed her lips, and her tears rolled down her cheeks. ¡°I want Mommy... Will you take me to see


    my mommy, Mr. Ben?¡±


    ¡°Are you not afraid of Uncle Dan anymore? I remember you saying you wanted toe back when you


    were staying with your mommy back then,¡± Ben asked in a gentle tone.


    ¡°Daddy wasn''t sick at the time, and Jamie was here too! We didn''t have so many strange people in the


    house... Now Jamie''s gone, and Daddy''s sick too! I''m really scared! I miss Mommy...¡± Ellie said while


    sobbing, and it hurt Ben to see her like this.


    ¡°Your daddy will be all better soon, Ellie. Jamie will being home soon too.¡±


    ¡°But I miss Mommy! She was feeding me my medicine while I was asleep, and I heard her whisper in


    my ear ''Don''t be afraid, Ellie. Mommy will protect you!''... And then, I got all better after that...¡±


    Ben froze for a moment when he heard that, and he quickly asked, ¡°Are you saying that your mommy


    went to visit you while you were unconscious?¡±


    Ellie nodded and said seriously, ¡°Yeah! She fed me my medicine, and I heard her voice shortly after


    that! I also heard Mommy talking to Lupine about protecting me...¡±


    Ellie wasn''t as good at describing things like Robbie was, but Ben understood what she meant.


    So, Charlotte had already arrived at the hospital and fed Ellie the medicine before Cynthia carried out


    the treatment... In that case, Ellie was able to recover because of Charlotte''s medicine, not Cynthia''s


    treatment!


    Ben then gave Bruce a call and said, ¡°When you brought Mr. Nacht to the hospital after he got


    poisoned at the Lindberg residence, you mentioned something about Ms. Lindberg giving him some


    kind of medicine. Is that right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ms. Lindberg had escorted Mr. Nacht out of there despite the risk of getting on her brother''s bad


    side. She was holding a bottle when she handed him over to me,¡± Bruce replied.

 Chapter 936

    Chapter 936


    Hesitating momentarily, Bruce asked, ¡°Why are you asking this all of a sudden? What happened to Mr.


    Nacht?¡±


    ¡°Nothing...¡± Ben didn''t borate before ending the call. He raised his gaze at Ellie. ¡°Ellie, can you


    contact Robbie? Don''t you have your smartwatch?¡±


    ¡°I do, but Robbie''s phone has been turned off. Perhaps, its battery is out.¡± Ellie felt dejected. ¡°I miss,


    Robbie, Jamie, and Mommy...¡±


    ¡°Mommy! Mommy!¡± At that moment, Fifi flew in from the window.


    ¡°Fifi, you''re back!¡± Ellie was delighted to see her. ¡°Is Jamie back too?¡±


    ¡°Back! Back!¡± Fifi squawked as she flew out.


    ¡°Let me take a look.¡± The moment Ben walked out of the room, he heard Jamie''s voice shouting


    excitedly as he came running in. ¡°Daddy! Ellie...¡±


    ¡°Mr. Jamison is back!¡±


    Mrs. Rawlston hurried out to wee him. They were thrilled to see him as he could lighten up the


    somber mood of the house.


    ¡°Mrs. Rawlston, where''s Daddy and Ellie?¡± Jamie asked warmly.


    ¡°Upstairs, I''ll take you there now.¡± Holding his hand, Mrs. Rawlston led him up. Unable to contain her


    excitement, she remarked, ¡°Mr. Jamison, it''s great to have you back. I am so happy to see you again.¡±


    ¡°I feel the same way too.¡± Jamie looked up at Mrs. Rawlston. ¡°Mrs. Rawlston, what''s wrong? Why are


    your eyes red? Did someone bully you?¡±


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    ¡°I''m fine. I''m just overwhelmed by the moment.¡± Mrs. Rawlston collected herself quickly. ¡°Come, I''ll take


    you to see Daddy.¡±


    ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡± Jamie nodded and even greeted Ben, ¡°Mr. Ben!''


    ¡°Good boy!¡± After chatting briefly with Jamie, Ben headed downstairs to see Spencer.


    ¡°Since Mr. Zachary mentioned that Ellie was bored at home, which isn''t helpful to the recuperation, Mr.


    Nacht instructed me to bring Jamie here to keep herpany,¡± Spencer exined while drinking


    coffee.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht is attentive indeed.¡± Ben asked, ¡°How is he by the way?¡±


    ¡°He is better now, but we can''t be too careful.¡± Spencer added, ¡°Given Cynthia''s exceptional medical


    skills, I''m here to take her to the hospital where she can treat Mr. Nacht.¡±


    ¡°Doesn''t Serene Hospital have a lot of specialists? Actually, I think we should heed their advice-¡±


    ¡°Mr. ckwood is here!¡±


    Before Ben could finish, Taylor walked in from outside, causing him to hold his tongue.


    ¡°Ben, I appreciate what you have done.¡± Taylor acted as if he was the host. ¡°Please take care of


    Spencer while I head upstairs to see Zachary.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Ben smiled awkwardly.


    ¡°Given that the worst is over, shouldn''t you feel happy? What''s with the glum face still?¡± Spencer


    noticed his sullen expression. ¡°Is Lindberg Corporation applying pressure again?¡±


    ¡°No...¡± Ben felt the urge to discuss the ckwoods with Spencer. However, given how much Spencer


    and Henry trusted them, he knew it would be a waste of time. In fact, his intentions might even be


    misconstrued.


    Hence, he changed the topic. ¡°Mr. Nacht has yet to fully recover. Hence, I''m still worried about him.¡±


    ¡°With Cynthia around, he will be all right.¡± Spencer patted him on the shoulder. ¡°I''m going off first. I''ll


    see you around.¡±


    ¡°I''ll walk you out.¡± After escorting Spencer out, Ben called Marino when he saw that there was no one


    around. ¡°Please contact Ms. Lindberg and tell her I have something to discuss with her in private.¡±


    ¡°Ben, did you call the wrong person? Why are you asking me to get in touch with Ms. Lindberg...¡±


    ¡°Drop the act. Don''t think that I''m not aware of you going out with Morgan.¡±


    ¡°I... I didn''t.¡±


    ¡°Enough. Go get it done.¡±


    ¡°I understand. I''ll tell Morgan about it. Whether Ms. Lindberg is willing to see you or not is out of my


    hands.¡±


    ¡°Once you tell Morgan everything that''s happening within the Nacht family, Ms. Lindberg will naturally


    want to see me.¡±

 Chapter 937

    Chapter 937


    After ending the call, Ben turned around to check. Just as expected, Taylor''s man was watching him.


    When they were about to make eye contact, the bodyguard looked away, pretending to admire the


    scenery.


    Ben furrowed his eyebrows. At this rate, the Nacht family will be controlled by the ckwoods.


    Ben just couldn''t understand what Zachary was up to.


    Why is he allowing the ckwoods to behave with such impunity? Is he too sick to think straight?


    As the silver Rolls-Royce was on its way home, Morgan received a very long phone call. Once she was


    done, she exined everything that was going on at the Nacht family to Charlotte.


    The summary was that Zachary was making bad decisions because he was sick. Cynthia had taken


    charge of the household and wreaked havoc everywhere, causing Ellie to be terrified...


    Lupine was infuriated when she heard about it. ¡°What is Zachary doing? His hand was bitten by a


    poisonous snake, not his head. Why did he mess up and allow the enemy into his home?¡±


    ¡°I can''t stand it either.¡± Morgan suppressed her anger. ¡°Marino mentioned that he only knows what''s


    going on at the surface but not the details. He only heard about it from his friends. Hence, I''m afraid the


    reality is likely far worse.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, why don''t we bring Mr. Jamison and Ms. Elisa back?¡± Lupine angrily suggested. ¡°Then


    we should just leave Zachary to rot.¡±


    ¡°Also, Marino says that Ben wants to meet with you.¡±


    Morgan gave Charlotte a conflicted look. The closer she got to know Marino, the more she knew about


    what happened two years ago. Hence, her attitude toward the matter had changed entirely.


    She hade to believe that the love Charlotte and Zachary shared back then was true. It was just


    that there were too many misunderstandings that came between them two years ago.


    ¡°What''s the point of meeting him?¡± Lupine snapped. ¡°All that b*stard wants is to beg Ms. Lindberg to


    help his boss. Has he forgotten how Zachary sabotaged us so badly that the Lindberg Corporation lost


    hundreds of billions?¡±


    Not daring to say a word, Morgan looked in the rearview mirror to sneak a nce at Charlotte.


    Lowering her head, Charlotte remained silent.


    Not knowing what was going through her mind, Lupine and Morgan didn''tment any further.


    Back at home, Charlotte came to Robbie''s room and handed him both presents. ¡°I bought you a new


    computer and handphone. When I''m not around next time, you won''t be bored anymore.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Mommy.¡± Despite receiving the presents, Robbie was still upset.


    ¡°Robbie, are you missing Jamie and Ellie?¡± Charlotte asked softly.


    ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡± Robbie nodded.


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    Over thest few days, he had painstakingly trained the eagle to understand what he was saying. In


    fact, it could evenplete simple tasks at hismand.


    Unfortunately, despite flying to the Nacht residence a few times, it failed to locate Fifi.


    Jamie and Ellie weren''t at home too.


    Hence, Robbie figured that Jamie must have taken Fifi to the hospital.


    Although Charlotte told him that the worst was over for Ellie and Zachary was doing fine, he was still


    worried about them since he couldn''tmunicate with them. More importantly, he missed them.


    ¡°Get yourself changed. I''m sending you over.¡±


    For the sake of the children, Charlotte was going to storm over.


    ¡°Huh?'' Robbie thought he had heard wrongly. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Pinching his face, Charlotte replied with a smile, ¡°I''m going to get changed too. We''ll leave


    in half an hour.¡±


    ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡± Robbie nodded before asking, ¡°But if I go there, what about you?¡±


    ¡°I can visit all of you anytime.¡± Charlotte let out a smile. ¡°No one can stop me from visiting my children


    whenever I want.¡±


    ¡°True. You''re right.¡± Robbie almost sprang up in excitement. ¡°Mommy, wouldn''t it be better if you


    thought about this earlier?¡±


    ¡°It''s still not toote.¡± Charlotte let out a smile. ¡°No matter how my rtionship with Daddy is, I will


    never let anyone bully any of you!¡±

 Chapter 938

    Chapter 938


    Stunned by what Charlotte said, Robbie asked, ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Charlotte tousled his hair. ¡°Robbie, get changed quickly and bring Fifi along.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Robbie nodded at once. He became emotional over the thought that his mommy and Fifi


    were going home together with him.


    Given how long he had left home, he didn''t know how much it had changed.


    Meanwhile, at the Nacht residence, Taylor came to the study to see Zachary. He wanted to officially


    discuss the wedding. ¡°Zachary, it isn''t appropriate for Cynthia to continue staying in your home and


    taking care of the family. Why don''t both of you get registered?¡±


    Zachary was going through some documents. When he heard Taylor''s proposal, he didn''t agree, but


    neither did he reject it.


    Observing Zachary''s mood, Cynthia exchanged nces with her father.


    Taylor continued, ¡°Although Cynthia wasn''t the bride at the wedding ceremony two years ago, her


    identity had been used in the public announcement. Since having a wedding now wouldn''t be


    appropriate, why don''t you just get the marriage registered? By the time you, the children, and Mr.


    Nacht have recovered, you can then hold a wedding with Cynthia. After all, she does deserve one,


    don''t you think?¡±


    ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡± Zachary finally responded. ¡°You seem to have thought through this.¡±


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    ¡°Haha, it''s not easy being a parent.¡± Taylor sighed. ¡°Every parent wants the best for their children.


    Given my age and deteriorating health, I just want Cynthia to find a good husband. Given how devoted


    she is to you... of course, she is doing it willingly... all I can hope for as a father is that you officially


    acknowledge her.¡±


    Cynthia signed frantically, ¡±Daddy, don''t say that. I did everything for Zachary of my own volition. You''re


    turning this into emotional ckmail.¡±


    ¡°Cynthia, no one is ckmailing anyone. I''m just discussing with Zachary.¡± Taylor grew anxious. ¡°Do


    you know what others say about you? The Nacht family doesn''t acknowledge you and yet, you throw


    yourself at them, helping them with their domestic affairs and even...¡±


    ¡°My sickness and treatment have been kept secret all this while. How is it possible someone on the


    outside knows about it?¡± Finally, Zachary remarked indifferently, ¡°Mr. ckwood, who is this person you


    are talking about?¡±


    Taylor was dumbfounded after being questioned by Zachary.


    Cynthia signed in frustration, ¡±Exactly. I like being here. Everyone treats me with respect unlike what


    you are alleging. Even if someone says that in front of you, you should just ignore them.¡±


    ¡°Cynthia, why are you siding with outsiders? I''m doing this for your own good,¡± Taylor retorted in


    exasperation.


    ¡°Enough.¡± Zachary didn''t want to continue the topic. ¡°Just as you said, every member of the family is


    sick now. Hence, no one is in the mood to think about anything else. We''ll revisit this once everyone


    has recovered.¡±


    ¡°Good tidings, as the saying goes, will wash away bad luck,¡± Taylor added with a smile. ¡°Perhaps, once


    you and Cynthia have registered your marriage, your disease will be healed.¡±


    Zachary furrowed his eyebrows in response. Suddenly, an eagle''s screech was heard from outside.


    ¡°What''s that sound?¡±


    Taylor and Cynthia were given a fright, after which their face turned pale.


    Zachary sprang to his feet and walked to the window where he drew the curtains aside. Just as


    expected, the Lindberg''s convoy of jeeps was approaching the Nacht residence.


    A glorious shine was immediately restored to Zachary''s gloomy face. His listless eyes sparkled as he


    cried out emotionally, ¡°They''re finally here!¡±


    After a long and painstaking wait, she has finally returned.


    He knew that she wouldn''t sit on her hands. Even if she didn''t care about him, she would at least be


    concerned for the children.

 Chapter 939

    Chapter 939


    ¡°Mr. Nacht.¡± Suddenly, Cain came rushing in to report, ¡°The Lindbergs are here!¡±


    Zachary turned around, regaining the frostiness of his past. ¡°What are they doing here?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea. But, Mr. Robinson seems to be in one of the cars.¡± Cain meekly added, ¡°The eagle is


    here too!¡±


    ¡°Eagle?¡± Taylor''s face turned pale as he gave Cynthia a troubled look.


    Panicking, Cynthia hurried to Zachary''s side and grabbed his sleeve. She signed, ¡±Zachary, I''m


    scared.¡±


    ¡°Don''t be afraid,¡± Zachary inly replied. ¡°She is just dropping Robbie off and won''t be staying long.¡±


    Just as he spoke, he gently pushed her hand away and strode out.


    If not for the fact he was pretending to be calm, he would have sprinted out without any hesitation.


    Suppressing his emotions, he couldn''t let Charlotte know that she had fallen into the trap he set for her.


    Meanwhile, the vi''s huge metal gate remained closed. Without Zachary''s orders, the bodyguards


    weren''t authorized to open it.


    Some of the bodyguards naturally recognized Charlotte. As for those who were transferred over by


    Henry, they were still awed by the Lindberg family''s prowess despite not knowing who Charlotte was.


    Just the sight of the jeep with arge golden ¡°L¡± emblem was enough to strike fear into them.


    ¡°Open the gate!¡±


    When Ben realized that Charlotte had arrived with Robbie, he thought about the message that he got


    Marino to send. Hence, he ordered for the gate to be opened immediately.


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    The green colored gate gradually opened.


    The Nacht family''s bodyguards stood at attention in two neat rows, holding weapons in their arms.


    It looked as if the Lindberg family was here for war.


    After that, the three jeeps gradually entered in a domineering manner.


    Fifi the eagle was standing right in front, ring at the bodyguards as if to say all of them were scum.


    Back in the vi, Taylor and Cynthia were terrified by the sight.


    ¡°Cynthia, let''s back off for now,¡± Taylor whispered. ¡°I heard that ever since Charlotte reemerged, she


    behaves like the devil himself. She even beat up your sister badly thest time. Moreover, with Mr.


    Lindberg behind her, we can''t afford to step on her toes.¡±


    ¡°It''s toote for that now.¡± Looking towards the ground floor, Cynthia signed, ¡±This is not the time to


    back down. After doing so much and arriving at the cusp of sess, I cannot retreat from this!¡±


    ¡°We''re only avoiding her for a while. It''s not like we''re noting back.¡± Taylor grew anxious. ¡°She has


    yet to recover her memory. But, if she finds out that you masqueraded as her during the wedding, she


    will definitely strangle you to death. Also, if she knew that you nted the...¡±


    Just when Cynthia shot him a re, Taylor bit his tongue. Scanning the surroundings, he asked softly,


    ¡°This is Zachary''s room. I''m sure there aren''t any cameras inside here, are there?¡±


    ¡°Enough.¡± Cynthia signed, ¡°You should head back first. All you''re doing is get in my way.¡±


    ¡°The exit is blocked. How am I going to leave?¡± Taylor snapped, ¡°Now, we have no choice but to wait


    for the Lindbergs to go. Besides, I''m not going to leave you here all by yourself.¡±


    Cynthia signed in exasperation, ¡±In that case, shut up.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Taylor grunted meekly.


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    After shooting him a re, Cynthia turned and left.


    Meanwhile, when Zachary saw the jeeps driving into thepound, he barked, ¡°Who asked you to


    open the gate?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, Ben did,¡± Cain replied reluctantly.


    ¡°Ben, that''s very brazen of you.¡± Zachary shot him an icy stare.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, I...¡±


    ¡°Step aside,¡± Zachary bellowed before striding out.


    Furrowing his eyebrows, Ben moved aside.


    When she saw what happened, Cynthia thought to herself, It seems Zachary has grown sick of


    Charlotte and doesn''t wee her at all. Instead, Charlotte has shamelesslye over uninvited.

 Chapter 940

    Chapter 940


    Cynthia felt reinvigorated by the thought. Just when all the other bodyguards headed out to see what


    themotion was about, she gave Freya a look.


    The next moment, Freya brought a bowl of medication upstairs. She walked to a deserted corner


    before adding a mysterious substance into it. After that, she headed into Ellie''s room.


    ¡°Is Mommy back? Mommy...¡±


    When Ellie heard the eagle screeching outside, she got out of bed excitedly. Just when she attempted


    to get down, she was stopped by the nurses. ¡°Ms. Elisa, you can''t go down as you''re still sick.¡±


    ¡°Let go of me. I want to see Mommy.¡±


    Ellie tried to struggle free but it was a futile effort.


    ¡°What are you doing? Let her go this instant,¡± Freya barked.


    The two nurses released Ellie at once. Holding the medication, Freya suggested with a smile, ¡°Ms.


    Elisa, why don''t you take this first. After that, I''ll take you to see Mommy.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Ellie asked naively.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Freya added, ¡°Once you take your medication, you will feel better. Only then will Mommy


    be happy when she sees you.¡±


    ¡°All right. I''ll drink it.¡± Ellie nodded obediently.


    ¡°Good girl. I''ll feed you...¡± Freya prepared to feed Ellie the medication.


    ¡°Ellie, Ellie!¡±


    Suddenly, Fifi flew into the room and pped her wings vehemently to prevent Ellie from drinking the


    medication.


    ¡°Stupid bird. Go away.¡± Freya used her hands to shoo it.


    After Fifi was beaten aside, the nurses tried to capture her.


    Shoving aside the medication, Ellie screamed, ¡°Don''t touch Fifi!¡±


    ¡°Ellie, be a good girl. Don''t mind them and drink the medication first.¡± Freya continued coaxing.


    ¡°I don''t want to... hack... hack...¡± Ellie began coughing as she pushed the bowl away.


    ¡°Be a good girl and listen to me.¡± Freya pinned Ellie down and tried to force the medication into her.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± At that moment, Jamie rushed into the room and saw what was going on. ¡°Let


    go of Ellie!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Jamison.¡±


    The two nurses tried to stop him.


    However, neither of them was his match. Slipping easily between them, Jamie kicked the bowl away.


    ¡°You...¡± Overwhelmed by anger, Freya raised her hand to hit him.


    However, Jamie kicked her to the ground the very next instance. He yelled, ¡°How dare you hit me? Is


    this how you treat Ellie all this while?¡±


    ¡°Jamie... boohoo...¡± When Ellie saw Jamie, she threw herself into his arms.


    ¡°Jamie, I''m scared. Take me to see Mommy.¡±


    Just when Jamie helped Ellie up to bring her out, Ellie''s legs wobbled, causing her to copse onto the


    ground.


    Hence, Jamie carried her out on his back instead.


    ¡°Mr. Jamison, stop fooling around. It would be troublesome if Ms. Elisa falls,¡± the nurses advised.


    ¡°Get out of my way!¡± Jamie barked. ¡°You''re not our family nurses. Our family nurses are a lot more


    gentle.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Jamison...¡±


    Just when both of them wanted to pacify Jamie, Freya gave them a look to stop. All she did was shield


    them by the side as if she was worried that they would fall.


    Meanwhile, Charlotte carried Robbie down from the car. Dressed entirely in white, she was a stunning


    sight to behold.


    At the same time, Fifi the eagle flew over their heads and pped its wings, just like a guardian angel.


    Lupine, Morgan, and the other six female bodyguards stood behind Charlotte in formation. This time,


    they didn''t carry any weapons with them.


    At Bruce''s signal, the Nacht family''s bodyguards put down their weapons.


    ¡°Ms. Windt. It''s Ms. Windt.¡±


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    At the sight of Charlotte, Mrs. Rawlston became so emotional that tears welled up in her eyes.


    ¡°My God, it really is...¡±


    ¡°Ms. Windt isn''t dead. She has returned home!¡±


    When Molly and the other old maids saw Charlotte, they too were thrilled.


    Walking out slowly, Zachary looked at Charlotte with mixed emotions.


    He had waited two years just for this moment.


    Throughout the entire duration, he pined for her return.

 Chapter 941

    Chapter 941


    Raising her gaze at the majestic building, Charlotte looked at the gardens, the bodyguards, and the old


    servants. Inside her, she felt a strong sense of familiarity.


    At that moment, countless disjointed images shed across her mind. The images were from the time


    she lived in the vi.


    Every one of them was warm and blissful.


    Given that she didn''t resent the ce, it meant she had many happy memories there.


    Charlotte recalled thest time she came to the Nacht residence.


    At that time, Henry had sent a messenger to Northridge to warn her that her pet was frightening his


    great-grandchildren.


    Infuriated, she brought the eagle to the Nacht residence so that she could show them who was the


    boss.


    However, she ended up frightening her own children.


    Due to her rash actions, Robbie saw the ck gold ring on Fifi''s legs. With that, he managed to locate


    her by chance.


    Everything seemed to have been dictated by fate.


    And destiny had decided that she was toe home sooner orter.


    Even if her rtionship with Zachary couldn''t be reconciled, she had to protect her children from any


    threats they faced.


    She would never forgive anyone who dared to hurt her children.


    ¡°Daddy!¡± Robbie''s vibrant voice rang out, interrupting Charlotte''s thoughts.


    ¡°Robbie!¡± Zachary bent over and stretched out his arms.


    Robbie dashed over and threw himself into Zachary''s embrace. After leaving home for such a long


    time, he missed his daddy a lot. Since what happened at the Lindberg residence thest time, he was


    worried about Zachary every day.


    Watching father and son reunite, Charlotte felt a rush of conflicting emotions.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


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    Suddenly, Jamie and Ellie''s screams could be heard from inside the house.


    Just when Zachary was about to check, Charlotte dashed in right away.


    A minute ago, just when Jamie was carrying Ellie down the spiral staircase, he felt someone suddenly


    push him from behind. Losing his bnce, both he and Ellie tumbled down the steps.


    At the crucial moment, someone dashed forward to cushion their fall, mitigating any further injuries.


    ¡°Mommy!¡± Jamie cried out subconsciously.


    However, when he turned to look, he realized it was Cynthia instead of Charlotte.


    ¡°Jamie! Ellie!¡±


    Dashing over anxiously, Charlotte coincidentally saw Cynthia lunging forward to save the children with


    little regard for her own safety.


    Obviously, everyone else saw the moving scene.


    Everyone, including Zachary was stunned.


    Holding onto her injured back, Cynthia struggled to get up. She signed, ¡±Jamie, Ellie, are you all right?¡±


    ¡°We''re fine.¡± Jamie shook his head. ¡°Thank you, Ms. Cynthia.¡±


    Considering Jamie wasn''t home recently, he wasn''t aware of Cynthia''s wrongdoings. As for how the


    nurses bullied Ellie, he assumed it was due to their own behavior and didn''t think much about it.


    ¡°Mommy...¡±


    When Ellie saw Charlotte, she cried with her hands outstretched.


    Charlotte ran over and picked her up at once. Holding her haggard little face, she asked, ¡°Ellie, are you


    all right?¡±


    ¡°Mommy, I''m scared.¡±


    Hugging onto Charlotte tightly, Ellie bawled her lungs out.


    At that moment, all the panic and fear that she felt were released. The only ce where she felt safe


    was in her mommy''s arms.


    ¡°Ellie, don''t be afraid. Calm down...¡± Charlotte gently patted her on her back. She softlyforted her,


    ¡°Mommy is here. No one will dare harm you now.¡±


    ¡°Boohoo...¡± Despite nodding in acknowledgment, Ellie continued crying.


    ¡°Mommy...¡± When Jamie saw Ellie crying, he too burst into tears.


    At the same time, many of the old servants teared up at the scene.


    ¡°Jamie,e over here. Let me see if you''re hurt.¡± Charlotte pulled Jamie closer to check.


    ¡°I''m fine.¡± Jamie shook his head. Sobbing, he remarked, ¡°Mommy, you''re finally home. We have been


    looking forward to your return every day.¡±

 Chapter 942

    Chapter 942


    ¡°That''s right, Ms. Windt. All of us have been looking forward to your return,¡± Mrs. Rawlston exined,


    ¡°for two whole years!¡±


    ¡°Exactly!¡± the other servants added. ¡°The ce doesn''t feel like home without you.¡±


    ¡°She''s right.¡± Molly was filled with emotion. ¡°To us, you are thedy of the house. Forever and always.¡±


    Cynthia shot Molly a ferocious re.


    Frightened by it, Molly quickly hid to the side.


    ¡°All of you tter me.¡± Charlotte looked at the servants gratefully. ¡°This time, I''m just dropping Robbie


    off and will be leaving in a while.¡±


    ¡°Mommy, don''t go. I''m not letting you leave.¡± Ellie hugged Charlotte tightly, worried that she would go.


    ¡°Mommy, I don''t want you to leave either.¡± Jamie too grabbed Charlotte''s hand. ¡°If you go, all of us want


    to go with you.¡±


    Feeling anxious, Robbie tugged at Zachary''s hand and reminded softly, ¡°Daddy, say something, quick.¡±


    Just when Zachary was about to speak...


    A loud thud was heard as Cynthia suddenly fell from the steps.


    ¡°Ms. ckwood!¡± The nurses there quickly helped her up.


    Sobbing, Freya remarked, ¡°You have pushed yourself too hard. Despite carrying so many injuries, you


    still care for everyone in this family. In fact, you even risked your life to save Mr. Robinson and Ms.


    Elisa, hurting yourself further.¡±


    She then spoke to Zachary in a coquettish tone, ¡°Mr. Nacht, why don''t you check on Ms. Cynthia and


    see if the wound on her waist tore open? Also, she might have sprained her leg.¡±


    Furrowing his eyebrows, Zachary didn''t intend onplying.


    ¡°What happened?¡± At that moment, Taylor ran down from upstairs and asked anxiously, ¡°Why did you


    fall down the steps for no reason? We still have to go to the hospital to treat Henry. What are we going


    to do now?¡±


    By bringing up Henry''s name, Taylor forced Zachary into reacting. He stepped forward and helped


    Cynthia up. ¡°Are you all right? You should have been more careful.¡±


    ¡°I''m fine,¡± Cynthia signed. ¡±When I saw Jamie and Ellie falling down the stairs, I dashed forward without


    thinking. All that matters is that they''re safe.¡±


    Morgan rolled her eyes and felt the urge to give her a forceful p.


    ¡°How did Mr. Jamison and Ms. Elisa fall down the steps?¡±


    Lupine looked at the tracks on the staircase.


    ¡°Oh...¡± Freya added at once, ¡°Mr. Robinson insisted on carrying Ms. Elisa on his back. When he wasn''t


    careful-¡±


    ¡°Nonsense!¡± Jamie interrupted angrily. He exined, ¡°Someone pushed me from behind!¡±


    ¡°Who did it?¡± Charlotte demanded.


    ¡°Erm...¡± Jamie scratched his head. ¡°I don''t know as I didn''t get a good look. However, I''m definitely sure


    someone pushed me.¡±N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    ¡°Who is so brazen as to push you in our own house?¡± Robbie clenched his fists angrily.


    ¡°Perhaps, someone is trying to put on a show.¡± Morgan red in Cynthia''s direction.


    Hiding behind Zachary in fear, Cynthia signed in panic, ¡±Why are you looking at me like that? I was


    downstairs during that time. Furthermore, I dived to save the children at the crucial moment. How is it


    possible that I pushed them? Are you saying that I have clones?¡±


    ¡°Aren''t they everywhere?¡± Morgan swept her gaze at the medical staff.


    ¡°What''s the meaning of this? How dare you use my daughter of such a thing?¡± Taylor questioned


    angrily, ¡°This is the Nacht residence, not the Lindberg residence. How dare you outsiders wreak havoc


    here?¡±


    ¡°You''re speaking as if you''re not an outsider,¡± Morgan retorted fearlessly.


    ¡°You...¡± Taylor''s expression drastically changed. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, your subordinate is out of line.¡±


    ¡°She is right,¡± Charlotte snapped.


    Taylor was dumbfounded by Charlotte''s response.


    Cynthia tugged at Zachary''s sleeve as tears filled her eyes.


    ¡°Are there surveince cameras at home? We''ll know once we have a look.¡±


    Lupine was more level-headed than Morgan.

 Chapter 943

    Chapter 943


    ¡°This is my home. Why would there be security cameras?¡± Zachary finally spoke. ¡°Before I could say


    anything, the both of you started hurling usations. What are you trying to show?¡±


    ¡°You...¡± Infuriated, Morgan turned toward Charlotte.


    ¡°Looks like you''re trying to protect her?¡± Charlotte handed Ellie to Lupine before turning her attention to


    Zachary. ¡°Now that there''s a stepmother, you no longer care for the children.¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡± Zachary furrowed his eyebrows.


    ¡°In that case, I''ll take the children with me.¡±


    Not bothered to argue further, Charlotte gestured with her hand. The next moment, her bodyguards


    picked up the three children and prepared to leave.


    ¡°Charlotte Lindberg, stop where you are!¡± Zachary bellowed. ¡°Do you think this is the Lindberg


    residence where you can do as you wish? The children are Nachts. They are my children!¡±


    ¡°I gave birth to them, so they''re mine.¡± Charlotte remained defiant. ¡°Ever since the children stayed with


    you, they have repeatedly fallen sick and gotten injured. Since you''re unable to protect them as their


    father, you should just return them to me.¡±


    ¡°Who says I can''t protect them?¡±


    ¡°Why did Ellie fall sick the moment she arrived?¡±


    ¡°She was poisoned at your ce.¡±


    ¡°Stop arguing!¡± Robbie interrupted angrily.


    Suddenly, Ellie barfed loudly and vomited all over Morgan.


    ¡°My God, Ellie!¡± Morgan eximed in panic.


    ¡°Ellie!¡± Charlotte and Zachary rush over at once.


    Holding Ellie in her arms, Charlotte examined her anxiously. ¡°Ellie, what happened to you? Don''t scare


    me, all right?¡±


    ¡°Why is this happening?¡±


    Zachary panicked as it was the exact same situation as the first time she fell sick.


    ¡°Mommy, it feels terrible. Boohoo...¡±


    Afterining in between her sobs, Ellie continued to throw up.


    ¡°Ellie...¡± Robbie and Jamie were seized with fright.


    ¡°Let''s get her to the hospital now!¡± Charlotte was filled with desperation.


    ¡°Step aside, there''s a doctor here.¡± Taylor pushed Cynthia forward at once.


    ¡°Let me see,¡± Cynthia signed.


    Pouncing on Cynthia''s neck, Charlotte pinned her to the ground and screamed hysterically, ¡°If anything


    happens to my daughter, I''ll ughter your entire family!¡±


    Cynthia''s eyes were filled with fear as she could suddenly feel death breathing down her neck.


    ¡°What are you doing? Let go of her.¡±


    Taylor wanted to stop her, but Lupine shoved him aside. The other medical staff stayed away, barely


    daring to breathe.


    ¡°Charlotte, calm down!¡± Zachary pulled Charlotte''s hand back and anxiously persuaded her, ¡°Release


    her and let her treat Ellie first. Or else, she''ll die!¡±


    Gradually, Charlotte moved her hands away. Pinching her cheeks, she gritted her teeth and warned,


    ¡°Listen well, I don''t care if you want Zachary. But if you harm my children, I will carve out your flesh


    piece by piece. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°Mmm...¡± Trembling in fear, Cynthia nodded repeatedly.


    ¡°Now, treat her at once.¡± Charlotte pulled her back up.


    Just when Cynthia was about to fall back down, Taylor quickly supported her.


    After Morgan carried Ellie back into her room, the rest of the female bodyguards kept watch as Cynthia


    treated Ellie.


    ¡°It''s them! It must be them!¡± Clenching his fists, Jamie pointed at Freya.


    ¡°Jamie, what did you see?¡± Robbie questioned further.


    ¡°They were forcing medicine on Ellie. When I kicked the bowl away, they even wanted to hit me.¡±


    Pointing angrily at Freya, he dered, ¡°They must have tortured Ellie, that''s why Ellie turned out that


    way!¡±


    This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    Everyone turned to their attention toward Freya.


    ¡°Why would I...¡± Freya desperately exined, ¡°Given how sick Ms. Elisa was, she needed her


    medication. I was just coaxing her to take it. I didn''t force it on her in any way. Also, I wouldn''t dare to


    hit Mr. Jamison too-¡±

 Chapter 944

    Chapter 944


    p! Before Freya could finish, Lupine hit her forcefully. ¡°How dare you!¡±


    ¡°I didn''t. I really didn''t...¡±


    With blooding out of her lips, Freya fell to her knees, crying.


    ¡°We''ll know for sure once we investigate.¡± Charlotte gestured.


    ¡°Understood.¡± Lupine was about to order Freya to be taken away when she suddenly screamed, ¡°No!


    Uncle Taylor save me!¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± Taylor hurried over and stood in front of Freya. ¡°She''s my niece and is also Cynthia''s assistant.


    She might be stubborn at times but she does not harbor any ill intention.¡±


    ¡°I don''t care who she is!¡± Charlotte bellowed. ¡°Even if it''s you, I will kill you without hesitation if you


    touch my children!¡±


    ¡°You...¡± Taylor''s face reddened in anger.


    ¡°Uncle Taylor, save me. I don''t want to die.¡± Freya burst into tears.


    Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Zachary, say something.¡± Taylor looked desperately at Zachary. ¡°We came here to help. And now,


    we''re being bullied by outsiders. What''s the meaning of this?¡±


    Zachary responded with indifference.


    ¡°Fine.¡± Taylor took out his phone. ¡°Since you don''t care, I''ll get Mr. Nacht to judge.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Finally, Zachary spoke and gestured to Ben.


    Ben ordered men to bring Freya and the two nurses who fed Ellie out.


    ¡°Uncle Taylor, Uncle...¡± Freya cried in defiance.


    ¡°Enough, shut up,¡± Taylor snapped.


    He knew that Zachary would at least show them mercy on Henry''s ount.


    If he continued to argue, they might not even get the chance.


    ¡°Are you going to let her go just like that?¡± Lupine couldn''t ept it. ¡°At the very least, shouldn''t she be


    interrogated?¡±


    Charlotte stared intently at Zachary with mixed emotions.


    What is he up to? Given the thoughtful look in his eyes, he doesn''t look like he''s hobbled by sickness.


    There''s something obviously wrong with Freya. A simple investigation would quickly reveal the truth.


    But, he refuses to do it. Even if he is worried about Mr. Nacht, there''s no need to back down without


    reason, isn''t it? Mr. Nacht would also insist that the matter be investigated if he knew about it. So why


    does Zachary want to let Freya and the two nurses go? Why is he unwilling to investigate? Is it


    because he truly loves Cynthia and is protecting her? No, even if he loves her blindly, he wouldn''t put


    the children''s life at risk. That isn''t him. In that case, what is he really up to?


    ¡°That''s the end of the matter. No one is allowed to say anything else,¡± Zachary warned. Next, he turned


    to Taylor. ¡°Mr. ckwood, it''s been a long day for you. I think you should go home and rest now.¡±


    ¡°I have been nning to do that since the beginning,¡± Taylor replied awkwardly, ¡°It''s just that I was


    supposed to take Cynthia to see Mr. Nacht.¡±


    Taylor was smart. He knew Cynthia would have a difficult time with Charlotte here. Hence, he wanted


    to take her with him.


    ¡°I''ll let Mr. Spencer know that Cynthia can''t make it today,¡± Zachary inly answered. ¡°Grandpa''s


    condition is stable. It''s Ellie who is in danger now.¡±


    ¡°That''s true.¡± Taylor nodded. ¡°Or else, why don''t I wait for her to be done with Ellie before leaving


    together?¡±


    ¡°Now that both Ellie and I rely on her treatment, I can''t allow her to leave.¡±


    Zachary gave Taylor a thoughtful look.


    ¡°But...¡± Just when Taylor was in a dilemma, one of the nurses approached them, ¡°Mr. ckwood, Ms.


    ckwood says that you should go on home first. She will stay back to look after Ellie and Mr. Nacht.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Left without a choice, he probed, ¡°Now that Freya and the others are gone, do you need me


    to arrange for more help?¡±

 Chapter 945

    Chapter 945


    ¡°I''ll get Raina toe with her men. You don''t have to worry about it.¡±


    At his signal, Zachary''s men came to escort Taylor out.


    ¡°In that case, I''ll take my leave first. Please watch over Cynthia while she''s here.¡±


    After looking at Charlotte with a worried expression, Taylor anxiously recovered his gaze.


    ¡°Don''t worry, this is the Nacht residence.¡± Zachary shot a nce at Charlotte.


    ¡°That''s a relief.¡±


    Right after he finished, Taylor left without hesitation.


    ¡°Zachary, how brazen of you. Do you think just because this is your home, I wouldn''t dare do a thing?¡±


    Charlotte threatened in anger. ¡°Once I decide to kill someone, you won''t be able to stop me.¡±


    ¡°I know how powerful you are,¡± Zachary patiently pacified, ¡°but given how sick Ellie is, why don''t we talk


    about it once her condition has stabilized?¡±


    Charlotte found that he had a point. It wasn''t the right time to let her temper re.


    ¡°Get Raina here at once,¡± Zachary instructed Cain.


    ¡°Right away.¡± Cain went off to make a call.


    ¡°Let''s wait upstairs.¡± Zachary gestured for her to move ahead.


    Coming upstairs together, both of them arrived outside Ellie''s room.


    At that moment, Cynthia was treating Ellie with the assistance of her medical staff.


    Morgan and another four bodyguards were watching them closely.


    Cynthia was no longer as calm as usual. Sweating profusely, her hands were shaking as she worked.


    Charlotte furrowed her eyebrows when she saw what was happening.


    Zachary entered the room and reminded, ¡°Steady yourself. You must cure Ellie!¡±


    Turning to give him a look, Cynthia felt as if she was reinvigorated and continued her treatment.


    ¡°Will this really work?¡± Lupine asked softly.


    Charlotte didn''t reply. Instead, she went into an empty room and made a call. Soon, the call connected.


    ¡°Charlotte!¡±


    ¡°Danrique, I need your help.¡±


    ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°Let me borrow Francesco for two days.¡±


    ¡°Are you having a rpse?¡±


    ¡°No, I-¡±


    ¡°Since it''s not you, there''s no need to bother Francesco.¡±


    Just as he spoke, Danrique ended the call.


    Charlotte felt extremely frustrated. Francesco was Danrique''s personal doctor and was exceptionally


    skilled. He seldom showed himself and would only treat Danrique only in times of crisis.


    Back when Charlotte was poisoned, all the doctors that Danrique had engaged could barely cure her.


    It wasn''t until the circumstances grew desperate that he called Francesco as ast resort. Only after


    Francesco prepared a special concoction for her did they manage to slowly neutralize the poison within


    her.


    Therefore, when Charlotte saw Ellie''s condition, she was extremely worried. Hence, she called


    Danrique hoping to seek Francesco''s help. However, she didn''t expect him to reject her outright.


    Do we have no choice but to ce our hopes on Cynthia now?


    ¡°She''s puking it out, she''s puking it out!¡±


    Morgan''s excited voice rang out from outside.


    When Charlotte ran out, she saw Ellie puking a mouthful of contaminated blood. After that, she started


    crying out loud.


    As for Cynthia, she copsed butt first onto the floor with her forehead drenched in sweat.


    She was terrified the entire time.


    If she didn''t manage to cure Ellie, Charlotte would definitely have her head.


    ¡°Ellie...¡± Zachary went up to hug her. He gentlyforted, ¡°Don''t be afraid. Daddy''s here.¡±


    ¡°Mommy, I want Mommy.¡± Ellie reached out her hand and cried out for Charlotte.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    Charlotte walked up at once and held Ellie''s hand. ¡°Mommy is here.¡±


    ¡°Mommy.¡± Ellie threw herself into Charlotte''s arms and hugged her neck tightly. ¡°Mommy, don''t go.


    Don''t leave me alone.¡±


    ¡°Mommy, why don''t you stay?¡± Jamie hugged Charlotte''s leg and refused to let go. With tears


    streaming down his cheeks, he pleaded, ¡°We feel miserable without you here.¡±


    Zachary was stumped. The children were making it sound as if they were being abused at home.


    ¡°You''re a terrible father.¡±


    Just as expected, Charlotte red angrily at Zachary.


    ¡°I...¡± Zachary didn''t know what to say.

 Chapter 946

    Chapter 946


    ¡°Mommy, please stay back. At least wait till Ellie gets better before you leave.¡± Tugging at Charlotte''s


    sleeve, Robbie suggested, ¡°What if something happens to Ellie while you''re gone?¡±


    ¡°I''ll bring all of you back with me,¡± Charlotte dered.


    ¡°Stop messing around.¡± Zachary stopped her at once. ¡°Can''t you see how sick Ellie is? Why are you


    being so persistent?¡±


    ¡°Zachary...¡±


    ¡°For the children''s sake, why don''t you just stay for the time being?¡± Zachary was close to pleading. ¡°As


    for the rest, we''ll discuss themter.¡±


    Cynthia felt anxious when she heard Zachary''s request. Despite tugging at his sleeves, he simply


    ignored her.


    Charlotte hesitated briefly. Although she didn''t feel like staying, she couldn''t allow Ellie to take any


    more risks.


    Her priority now was for Ellie to recover. Since she couldn''t get Francesco and Dr. Felch wasn''t back


    yet, she had no choice but to rely on Cynthia.


    However, if Cynthia decided to mess around, Ellie would be in real danger.


    Hence, she knew she couldn''t take the risk.


    With that thought in mind, Charlotte finallypromised. ¡°Fine, I''ll stay here for a few days until Ellie


    has recovered.¡±


    ¡°That''s wonderful.¡± Zachary was delighted. He ordered Ben at once, ¡°Prepare the rooms, including


    those for the bodyguards.¡±


    ¡°Right away.¡± With that, Ben conveyed the message to Mrs. Rawlston.


    ¡°Daddy, you look very happy.¡± Jamie looked at Zachary in shock. ¡°You''re even smiling.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Zachary collected himself quickly.


    Charlotte rolled her eyes at him and asserted, ¡°Out with the rest of you. I''ll stay here with Ellie.¡±


    ¡°I want to stay with Ellie too-¡±


    ¡°Out!¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Before Zachary could finish, Charlotte yelled for him to go out.


    Everyone was stunned by what they saw. No one expected the fearless Zachary to actually be afraid of


    Charlotte.


    At the same time, Cynthia''s face turned pale as she lost theposure she used to have.


    She had to go through so much trouble before being allowed to stay by Zachary''s side as his doctor.


    But now, Charlotte was allowed to move in with a random excuse.


    Furthermore, Zachary treated her as an exclusive guest. He made it look as if the vi was her home.


    At the rate things were going, Cynthia''s dream of bing Mrs. Nacht was slowly slipping away.


    However, she realized that she might now have difficulty staying, let alone continue with her n.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    ¡°Dr. ckwood, this way please.¡± Lupine ushered her.


    As Cynthia walked out with her head hung low, her staff left together with her.


    With no outsiders in the room, the children surrounded Charlotte and shouted jubntly, ¡°Mommy! This


    is wonderful. You''re finally home!¡±


    ¡°I''m only here for the time being,¡± Charlotte exined. ¡°I need to personally watch over Ellie given how


    sick she is. By the time she recovers, I''ll-¡±


    ¡°We''ll talk about it when the timees.¡± Jamie waved his hand and brazenly dered, ¡°Perhaps, by


    the time Ellie is well, you won''t want to leave anymore.¡±


    ¡°Mmm-hmm, that''s right.¡± Robbie nodded with a smile.


    ¡°I don''t care. All I want is Mommy here with me.¡± Ellie threw herself into Charlotte''s embrace and


    hugged her tightly. ¡°With Mommy around, I''m not afraid of anything.¡±


    ¡°Good girl, Ellie.¡± Charlotte gently stroked Ellie''s hair. ¡°With me here, no one will dare to harm you.¡±


    ¡°Mommy, why don''t you sleep in my room?¡± Snuggling up in Charlotte''s arms, Ellie refused to let go.


    ¡°All I want is to be able to hug you every day.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Charlotte kissed her on her forehead. ¡°I''ll stay with you.¡±


    ¡°What about me?¡± Jamie was jealous. ¡°I want Mommy too.¡±


    ¡°You''re a boy and an elder brother,¡± Robbie reminded him sternly. ¡°Why are youpeting with Ellie


    over this?¡±


    ¡°It''s not that,¡± Jamie quickly exined. ¡°I''m not trying topete with her. I just... forget it, I''m just


    happy that I can see Mommy every day.¡±


    ¡°Be good. Once Ellie has recovered, I''ll spend more time with both of you,¡± Charlotte reassured them.

 Chapter 947

    Chapter 947


    Meanwhile, Zachary personally instructed Mrs. Rawlston to prepare Charlotte''s room. In fact, he even


    ordered rooms to be prepared for Lupine and Morgan.


    Mrs. Rawlston was delighted to hear that Charlotte was staying. Hence, she instructed her staff to get


    on it at once.


    When Molly and the other maids happily prepared the rooms, the other subordinates helped out too.


    After all, Charlotte had saved them from Zara''s clutches and they were all grateful for it.


    In a blink of an eye, the house was bustling with life.


    As everyone busied themselves with work, it felt as if there was a celebration going on.


    However, Cain rushed in and quietly asked Ben, ¡°Ben, the eagle is circling the rooftop and wants to


    come in. What do we do?¡±


    They knew that it was Charlotte''s pet. Hence, there was no way they could beat it nor chase it away.


    However, they couldn''t let it in either for fear of scaring the maids.


    ¡°About that...¡±


    ¡°Let it in.¡± Lupine happened to pass by.


    ¡°It doesn''t seem like a good idea.¡± Ben furrowed his eyebrows and questioned, ¡°What if it hurts


    someone?¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry. Fifi won''t hurt anyone without Ms. Lindberg''s instructions,¡± Lupine dered proudly.


    ¡°Unless that person deserves it!¡±


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°Ca-caw!¡±


    Suddenly, the eagle screeched outside.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    The two nurses from the ckwood family almost fell down the stairs after being frightened by it.


    Panicking, Cynthia''s face turned ashen.


    ¡°Th-that''s really terrifying,¡± one of the elderly maidsmented fearfully. ¡°Are we really going to let it


    stay indoors?¡±


    ¡°Will it bite me?¡± Another younger maid was trembling in fear. ¡°Last time, Ms. Windt only had a small


    parrot. But now, she has an eagle... uh...¡±


    ¡°Look at them.¡± Ben pointed at the maids. ¡°They''re already terrified even with the eagle outside. If it


    comes in, how are they going to work? It''s better if you take it back.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Lupine was extremely persistent. ¡°Ms. Lindberg brought it here, how can we send it back?¡±


    ¡°But-¡±


    ¡°Fifi!¡± Just before Ben could say another word, Robbie suddenly called out and blew a whistle next.


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Ca-caw!¡±


    pping its wings, the eagle dived into the vi like an arrow, sending a cold gust of wind through the


    house.


    The maids screamed in fright.


    At the same time, the medical staff from the ckwood family ran helter-skelter, as if the eagle was


    there to attack them.


    Just when Ben turned around vigntly to defend against the eagle, it swooped over his head and


    landed on Robbie''s shoulder.


    Given how heavy the eagle was, Robbie''s shoulder sank underneath its weight. Nevertheless, his


    expression remained cool and aloof. He ordered, ¡°You have to behave, do you understand?¡±


    The eagle cooed obediently.


    ¡°That''s the way.¡± Robbie stroked its wings and turned toward Lupine. ¡°Lupine, Fifi will stay in my room.


    Please get someone to send his food there.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Robinson.¡± Lupine nodded with a smile.


    ¡°Mrs. Rawlston, Ms. Molly, Zizi, don''t be afraid. Fifi is my pet. It won''t hurt any of you,¡± Robbie


    reassured the maids.


    ¡°All right then.¡± Mrs. Rawlston nodded repeatedly.


    Everyone gaped as they watch Robbie bring the eagle back to his room. Not too long ago, that same


    eagle had barged into the Nacht residence and almost hurt Robbie.


    No one expected him to tame it and make it his pet.


    ¡°Mr. Robinson, you''re really awesome!¡± Zizi the maid eximed.


    ¡°Since it''s your pet, we are no longer afraid of it.¡± Mrs. Rawlston stroked her chest. ¡°I''ll prepare some


    beef and bring them up in a while.¡±


    ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡±


    With that, the maids went back to work.


    When Ben saw that they were no longer afraid, he stopped interfering in the matter.


    After that, Lupine ordered the bodyguards to go back and get their luggage.


    With everyone busy with their work, the ckwoods stood out like a sore thumb.

 Chapter 948

    Chapter 948


    As the staff at the Nacht residence didn''t like Cynthia, they quickly formed a bond with the Lindberg


    family staff.


    It didn''t take long for Mrs. Rawlston to be on good terms with Lupine.


    Lupine checked with Mrs. Rawlston as to whether there was a need to bring the Lindberg family''s


    cooks over. After all, she was worried that Mrs. Rawlston couldn''t cope.


    Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Mrs. Rawlston reassured her that it was all right as they had nothing much to do before that. Now that


    Charlotte was back and the family reunited, the atmosphere in the vi was extremely vibrant.


    All the maids were delighted and were more than willing to help.


    Lupine was touched to hear their response. She was also surprised by how attached the old maids of


    the Nacht family were to Charlotte.


    In fact, Mrs. Rawlston even told her that they saw her as family. Hence, she didn''t need to behave like


    a stranger.


    Lupine nodded and reminded them not to overexert themselves. They should let her know if they


    couldn''t cope and she would arrange for more help.


    After acknowledging what Lupine said, Mrs. Rawlston returned to the kitchen.


    Meanwhile, Molly sighed aloud andmented that the vi felt different now that the realdy of the


    house was back.


    Obviously, she had said it just to spite Cynthia.


    At that moment, everyone in the house ignored Cynthia as if she was invisible. In fact, she was even


    resented by many of them.


    The ckwoods had brought eight medical staff. Now that three had been kicked out, there were still


    five left. They too were ignored.


    When Cynthia returned to the room with a grim expression, the five of them quickly approached her.


    ¡°Ms. Cynthia, why don''t we go home? Since, these people don''t like us, staying here will just cause


    them to resent us.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. Even the maids dislike us. Despite doing so much, they don''t appreciate us at all. So, why


    should we stay here and suffer?¡±


    ¡°Now that his wife is back with such fanfare, I''m afraid it might be troublesome for you to stay back


    given how powerful she is-¡±


    p!


    Before the nurse could finish, Cynthia gave her a p.


    Fill with rage, she put all her strength into it.


    Even though the nurse''s cheek was swollen red with a clear palm print on it, she lowered her head and


    didn''t dare make a sound. Gritting her teeth, tears gradually rolled down her cheeks.


    Cynthia raised her chin in an intimidating manner so that she could look her in the eye. After that, she


    signed angrily, ¡±Listen well. I paid all of you so much to work for me. Even if you need to suffer, so be


    it!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± the medical staff meekly replied.


    ¡°The Lindbergs and the Nachts are mortal enemies. Zachary won''t want to get together with Charlotte.


    Even if he does, we can rely on Mr. Nacht to stop them.¡± Cynthia continued to sign, ¡±I know what I must


    do and don''t need any of your stupid opinions and concern.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we understand.¡± All the medical staff were frightened of her.


    At that moment, Cynthia looked savage and was entirely different from her gentle demeanor.


    ¡°Mind your words and stop spewing nonsense.¡± She signed, ¡±Just do whatever I tell you to. If you hear


    anything useful, let me know at once, and you will be handsomely rewarded.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± They nodded in acknowledgment.


    ¡°Get out now,¡± Cynthia ordered.


    After the staff walked out, Cynthia was the only one left in the room. With Freya gone, she felt


    exhausted. All she was left with was a useless bunch who weren''t much help at all.


    Nevertheless, Cynthia wasn''t going to admit defeat.


    Given how much trouble I have gone through to stay in the Nacht residence and hold an important


    position by Zachary''s side, it will be a shame to give up now. Charlotte is just too strong, there''s no way


    I can challenge her sessfully. What should I do?


    Just as she was pondering upon it, her phone suddenly rang. She quickly answered as it was Taylor on


    video.


    ¡°Cynthia, how are you? Did Charlotte bully you?¡± Taylor asked anxiously.


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    Cynthia rubbed her neck. The mark from Charlotte''s grip was still visible. She was almost strangled to


    death just now.

 Chapter 949

    Chapter 949


    ¡°You shoulde home at once.¡± Taylor shuddered when he recalled what happened in the past. ¡°The


    Lindberg family loves to fight. Danrique himself kills without batting an eyelid. Naturally, his sister is


    also equally vicious. From the way Charlotte looked at you, she would likely tear you apart if she had


    the chance. They even have an eagle as a pet. If you stay, you will lose your life...¡±


    ¡°Stop wasting time.¡± Cynthia was extremely frustrated. ¡±Instead of asking me to leave, you should help


    me think of how I should get rid of Charlotte.¡±


    ¡°Stop kidding yourself. Since when am I even capable of doing that? She said so herself today that


    even I wouldn''t be spared if I caused any trouble.¡± Taylor put on a helpless look. ¡°Cynthia, leave now so


    we can fight another day. Survival is paramount now-¡±


    Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Enough.¡± Exasperated by her father''s words, Cynthia was about to end the call when something struck


    her. She signed, ¡±How is Mr. Nacht now?¡±


    ¡°After I left the Nacht residence, I went to see him at the hospital. He is recovering well and wants to be


    discharged. However, Spencer didn''t allow it and wants him to be monitored for a while longer. Also, I


    didn''t dare tell him about what happened at the Nacht residence.¡±


    ¡°No, you should tell him.¡± Cynthia signed at once, ¡°Not only that, you should let him know that Charlotte


    hase back to exact revenge. In order to take the children away, she caused Ellie to be poisoned.


    At the crucial moment, it was I who saved Ellie. Hence, I''m now staying back at the Nacht residence to


    protect her...¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Taylor realized what her n was. ¡°I''ll head to the hospital right away.¡±


    ¡°As of now, my happiness and the future of the ckwood family are in your hands.¡± Cynthia signed


    solemnly. ¡±Ideally, we should get Mr. Nacht back home to manage the situation. That way, Charlotte


    would have no choice but to leave.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Taylor nodded repeatedly. ¡°I''ll get it done at once. So, don''t you worry.¡±


    After ending the call, Cynthia let out an insidious smile. It was as if victory was within her grasp.


    Meanwhile, Charlotte remained in the room with Ellie until she fell asleep.


    Lupine crept inside and asked softly, ¡°I have packed your necessities and put them in the guest room


    they have prepared for you. You should get something to eat first. I''ll watch Ms. Elisa for you.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Charlotte pulled out her arm carefully before stretching it alongside her neck. She had been


    lying on her side beside Ellie, causing both her arm and shoulder to go numb.


    ¡°It must be tough.¡± Lupine helped her massage a little. ¡°Go and grab a bite as you haven''t had anything


    the entire day. After all, Ms. Elisa''s condition has stabilized. With me here, Cynthia wouldn''t dare to


    make a move.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡± At that moment, Morgan came up with a bowl of soup. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, drink this before your


    blood sugar dips.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± After taking a sip, Charlotte asked, ¡°Have you contacted Marino? How is his search


    coming along?¡±


    ¡°I did.¡± Morgan replied softly, ¡°He said that after what happened to you two years ago, Dr. Felch had a


    bad impression of Mr. Nacht. Hence, he and his family moved away and cut off all contact. Recently,


    Mr. Nacht went to see them but they refused to let him in.


    ¡°When Marino went to look for them this time, he realized that they had moved, and we have no idea


    where to. However, he mentioned that Olivia might know where Dr. Felch is...¡±


    ¡°Make the arrangements. I want to see Olivia,¡± Charlotte ordered at once.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Morgan nodded.


    After putting on her jacket, Charlotte prepared to leave. The moment she opened the door, he saw


    Zachary who was about to knock.


    Exchanging nces, Charlotte''s gaze was icy cold while Zachary''s was filled with conflicted emotions.


    ¡°Let''s talk.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Charlotte stared at him indifferently. ¡°I was just about to look for you.¡±


    Zachary then ushered her out.

 Chapter 950

    Chapter 950


    When Charlotte followed Zachary into a room, a strong sense of familiarity overwhelmed her the


    moment she opened the door.


    Stopping in her tracks, she scrutinized the room and suddenly saw the wedding photo hung on the wall.


    In it was Zachary and her, the children, Mrs. Berry, and Fifi.


    It was a picture the seven of them had taken by the beach.


    All of them were smiling cheerfully in it.


    With the sun shining on their faces, it felt as if they were showered with love and warmth.


    Charlotte was stunned to see the picture. She felt as if her head was being torn open as memories of


    the past flooded into her mind.


    ¡°Call me Hubby.¡±


    ¡°Pfft... it makes me cringe!¡±


    ¡°After me, Hub-by!¡±


    ¡°Hub-by¡±


    ¡°Hubby!¡±


    ¡°Hubby!¡±


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    ¡°Sheesh!¡±


    ......


    ¡°Why aren''ting over to help me shower. If you treat me well, you will be generously rewarded!¡±


    ¡°Coming...¡±


    ¡°We''re already married. Why are you still unhappy?¡±


    ¡°I''m happy, Wifey!¡±


    ¡°Hubby!¡±


    ¡°Good girl! Look, I have put on the ring. From now onwards, we are husband and wife!¡±


    ¡°Charlotte, don''t be afraid. No matter what happens, I won''t let go of your hand!¡±


    As the blissful memories floated through her mind, she felt as if they had just happened yesterday.


    With her heart jolted, Charlotte could feel the emotions from the past swelling up within her. Lifting her


    gaze at Zachary, she was suddenly filled with tears.


    ¡°Do you remember now?¡± Holding onto her shoulders, he asked anxiously, ¡°We used to love each


    other. Do you remember?¡±


    Looking at him teary-eyed, her mind was looping through the beautiful memories that were ying like


    a reel.


    She believed that once upon a time, they had truly loved each other.


    The love and hate she felt seemed to meld together.


    However...


    A sudden pain in her head jolted her back to her senses. Closing her eyes, she held her head


    desperately as horrifying scenes filled her mind.


    The wedding dress, blood, Mrs. Berry, thunder, and the storm...


    One by one, the images shed through her mind like lightning. To her, the shock felt as if someone


    had whipped her in her brain. Regaining her senses at once, she opened her eyes to reveal a


    murderous gaze.


    Taken aback by the look she had, Zachary recoiled and looked at her in shock.


    ¡°Stop trying to rejig my memory. It will only make me hate you more.¡± Gritting her teeth, she warned,


    ¡°I''m sparing you now on the ount of the children. However, it doesn''t mean that I have forgiven you!¡±


    ¡°There has been a big misunderstanding...¡± Zachary wanted to exin. ¡°Of course, if you don''t want to


    listen to it now, we can talk about it some other time. But now...¡±


    ¡°I will look for Olivia and ask her about Dr. Felch''s whereabouts.¡± Charlotte knew what he was going to


    say. ¡°Ellie is my daughter, and I will not let any harme to her. At the same time, I will find out who


    the perpetrator is and kill her no matter who she is!¡±


    Just as she spoke, Charlotte turned and left. Right when she was at the door, she turned around to look


    at the family photo.


    She sneered, ¡°What''s the use of leaving something like that around? The Charlotte Windt of old is


    dead!¡±


    Those words shook Zachary to his core.


    He had thought that there was a chance to turn things around.


    Unfortunately, the hatred had already taken root within Charlotte and spread throughout her entire


    being.


    Just reminding her of the wonderful memories alone wasn''t enough.


    However, he remained defiant and refused to give up.


    If the beautiful memories of the past couldn''t extinguish the hatred in her, what about the children?


    Perhaps, the children are the key. There has to be a way.

 Chapter 951

    Chapter 951


    As Charlotte was leaving Zachary''s room for lunch, she ran into Cynthia, who was holding a first aid kit


    in her hands.


    The unexpected coincidence made Cynthia fret. Frantically, she stepped aside to make way for


    Charlotte.


    Thetter took a quick nce at her, then walked past her.


    Cynthia was so anxious that she waited until Charlotte had gone downstairs before she lifted her head


    to look at her.


    An indescribable feeling of hatred and jealousy crept up on her as she gazed at Charlotte''s back.


    ¡°Ms. Windt, lunch is ready.¡± Mrs. Rawlston enthusiastically invited Charlotte over to the dining table.


    Waving at her, she eximed, ¡°I have prepared all of these just for you. There are hot cross bunnies as


    well as mac and cheese.¡±


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    Scanning the sumptuous spread on the table, Charlotte was delighted to see her favorite food and rose


    tea.


    ¡°We''ve been looking forward to your return for two long years.¡± Mrs. Rawlston doted on Charlotte like a


    close family member. Her gaze was warm and friendly. ¡°I remember every single dish that you love and


    the tea that you like. I also remember that you enjoy sitting by the wall. Come over here, and take your


    seat.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Mrs. Rawlston.¡± Charlotte was deeply touched.


    I used to consider myself a stupid and ipetent coward. Now that I realize how well these senior


    housekeepers have been treating me, it suddenly dawns on me that my former self wasn''t so bad after


    all.


    ¡°You''re most wee. We are family.¡± Mrs. Rawlston ced a napkin on Charlotte''sp. ¡°Robbie and


    Jamie couldn''t wait any longer, so they have both eaten. I guess they are probably asleep by now. Mr.


    Zachary will be joining you soon.¡±


    ¡°All right,¡± Charlotte responded briefly.


    Right when she was about to dig in, Mrs. Rawlston asked carefully, ¡°Ms. Windt...¡± She faltered before


    adding, ¡°Where''s Mrs. Berry? Did shee back with you? How is she?¡±


    Charlotte trembled upon hearing that familiar name. The silver spoon fell off her hand andnded on


    the te with a crisp sound.


    ¡°What''s wrong?¡± Mrs. Rawlston asked after noticing Charlotte''s odd expression, ¡°Did I say something


    wrong? Please don''t mind me asking about Mrs. Berry. We became really good friends during her stay


    here. I''ve been missing her so much these two years. So, I just wanted to know how she''s doing.¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Berry has passed on,¡± lowering her head, Charlotte muttered.


    Mrs. Rawlston froze for a while. Upon recovering her senses, she queried further, ¡°What happened?


    She was perfectly fine when she left. We even made ns to return to the countryside together...¡±


    ¡°She was killed,¡± Charlotte interrupted her. In a quavering voice, she stated, ¡°I''ll seek revenge for her.¡±


    ¡°How could this be?¡± Mrs. Rawlston was shocked to the core. As tears streamed down her face, her


    heart sank. ¡°What about you, Ms. Windt? How did you get through the two years on your own?¡±


    Mrs. Rawlston struggled to imagine what Charlotte had gone through over the past few years.


    The tragedy that befell Mrs. Berry must have impacted her adversely. Otherwise, she wouldn''t have


    changed her identity and yearned to be so powerful.


    ¡°I''m okay. It''s all in the past now.¡± Charlotte smiled. ¡°I''m fine. Nobody dares to bully me anymore.¡±


    ¡°Silly child...¡± Mrs. Rawlston''s eyes glistened.


    Charlotte''s heart skipped a beat when she heard the phrase. Instantly, she recalled how Mrs. Berry


    consoled her each time she was anguished. ¡°Silly child, don''t be afraid. I''ll protect you,e what


    may.¡±


    How could anyone do such a vicious thing to a kind soul like Mrs. Berry?


    While she was in deep thoughts, a bodyguard dashed toward Ben and reported, ¡°Ben, Sharon has


    escaped!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Benmanded, ¡°Chase after her and bring her back immediately.¡±


    ¡°Our men are tailing her now. She took one of the cars...¡±


    ¡°Lupine,¡± Charlotte called out.


    ¡°I''m here!¡± Within a blink of an eye, Lupine darted into the room with two other bodyguards. She red


    at Ben and scoffed, ¡°The Nachts are such losers.¡±

 Chapter 952

    Chapter 952


    ¡°You...¡± Infuriated, Ben and the others followed along quickly.


    He refused to be preempted by the Lindberg family, and ended up beingbeled as an ipetent


    fellow, especially in his own territory.


    Right then, Zachary who had received the news came down from upstairs.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht,¡± Bruce reported, ¡°Ben has gone after her.¡±


    ¡°Don''t let her get away,¡± Zachary instructed, furrowing his brows.


    ¡°Rest assured that we''ve deployed a lot of men to handle this.¡±


    As Bruce was speaking, the screeching sound of an eagle was heard from upstairs. Shortly after, it


    zoomed past above their heads like an arrow. Swoosh.


    Automatically, Bruce bent down to avoid the eagles'' widespread wings.


    Subsequently, a dark shadow bolted across the room, and a gust of wind blew past them.


    ¡°Ahh!¡± Several maids and nurses screamed in trepidation. Among them, two had copsed on the floor.


    Meanwhile, in the dining room, Charlotte maintained herposure and continued having her meal


    without batting an eyelid.


    Zachary approached her and exined, ¡°About Sharon...¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Charlotte cut him off while shooting him a death stare. ¡°The night I was fighting Zara, you


    apanied Sharon to the suburbs and protected her in all aspects. Thereafter, you even moved her


    home to be right under your nose because you''re so concerned about her safety. Well done, Zachary!¡±


    ¡°No, you''ve misunderstood.¡± Zachary tried to justify himself, ¡°I just wanted to collect more evidence and


    put them behind bars...¡±


    ¡°What other proof do you need?¡± Charlotte found his reason tantly ridiculous. ¡°With the power


    bestowed upon the Nachts, I seriously doubt you can''t uncover the truth within two years.¡±


    ¡°I''ve long discovered the truth, but we need solid evidence to bring them to justice.¡± Frowning, Zachary


    continued, ¡°This isn''t Erihal. We can''t take things into our own hands.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Charlotte arched her brow. ¡°Zara poisoned me, abducted Robbie, and even instructed


    Sharon to assassinate Mrs. Berry. Will the Nachts be principled enough to carry out what''s right and put


    her to jail?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Zachary stated firmly without any hesitation.


    ¡°That''s what you said verbally, but I don''t see any action being taken.¡± Charlotte pushed further. ¡°It''s


    been two years. Isn''t that more than enough time to source for the much needed evidence?¡±


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    ¡°That''s because...¡± Initially, Zachary wanted to reveal how Danrique swept the proof under the carpet.


    However, he changed his mind, thinking that it would only enrage Charlotte more. ¡°To cut the long story


    short, I''ll give you an exnation on this.¡±


    ¡°If you truly wanted toe clean with me, you wouldn''t have dyed it till now. More essentially, you


    wouldn''t have protected Sharon!¡± Charlotte cast a suspicious look on him. ¡°You deliberately covered up


    for her. There must be more to it than meets the eye, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Zachary denied it right away. ¡°I''m just thinking...¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht is back!¡± someone announced loudly. Before Zachary could finish his sentence, he heard


    the car engine.


    Stunned, he wondered why Henry was home at that time. His health is so poor, and he has barely


    recovered. Why was he discharged out of a sudden? Could it be that...


    Without further ado, Zachary strode to the door with a dimmed expression.


    ¡°Why is Mr. Nacht home at this hour?¡± The panic-stricken Mrs. Rawlston advised Charlotte, ¡°Ms. Windt,


    whatever Mr. Nacht says to you, please don''t take it to heart.¡±


    Then, she instructed the maid, ¡°Jade, go wake Robbie and Jamie up. Tell them that their great-grandpa


    is here.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Jade did as per requested.


    ¡°Don''t worry. With Mr. Robinson around, Mr. Nacht won''t do anything to you.¡± Worried sick, Mrs.


    Rawlston added, ¡°Ms. Windt, shall I go with you to wee Mr. Nacht?¡±


    Charlotte put down the utensils and wiped her lips with the napkin. Then, she nced at the busy


    maids carrying out their chores. cidly, she posted a question, ¡°Mr. Nacht has never been fond of me,


    right?¡±


    ¡°Um...¡± Mrs. Rawlston did not know how to respond to that although she knew exactly what happened


    behind the scenes.


    On their wedding day, Mr. Nacht forced Zachary to keep the babies, but kick the mother of the children


    out of the house. Therefore, Mr. Nacht''s men forcibly sent Charlotte and Mrs. Berry away... That''s an


    indisputable fact.

 Chapter 953

    Chapter 953


    Henry had fallen ill, and he was due to stay in the hospital for a period of time to recuperate. Mrs.


    Ralwston was hoping that Charlotte and Zachary would seize this golden opportunity to talk things out


    and reconcile with the help of the children.


    She did not expect that Henry would return so soon.


    Dumbfounded, Mrs. Rawlston was unsure of what to do.


    ¡°Ask Jade toe down.¡± Charlotte rose to her feet as she put on a jacket. ¡°Don''t wake the kids up.¡±


    ¡°Err...¡± Mrs. Rawlston hesitated for a moment before getting Jade back.


    Right then, there was amotion upstairs. Morgan bellowed, ¡°Get lost! I''ll end your life if you utter


    just one more word.¡±


    ¡°You... How could you say that? We''re here to give Ellie her medication.¡±


    ¡°Get lost!¡±


    Knitting her brows, Charlotte rushed upstairs to see what happened.


    It turned out that Cynthia brought two maids to feed Elisa some medicine, but thetter refused to drink


    it. She was very resistant, and even bawled her eyes out, asking for them to leave the room.


    Morgan requested the maids to acquiesce in Ellie''s decision, and subsequently check with Charlotte for


    further action.


    However, Cynthia was relentless. Instead, she urged Ellie to drink her medicine at that instant. Her


    insistence made Morgan go ballistic.


    After understanding the entire situation, Charlotte went tofort Ellie. ¡°There, there, Ellie. It''s okay.


    Take it easy and rest.¡± Elisa was curling up in a fetal position, holding her stuffed alpaca. Her whole


    body was shaking, which made Charlotte feel so sorry for her.


    ¡°Mommy, I''m terrified...¡± Her voice was hoarse due to her prolonged sickness whereas her sunken eyes


    welled up. ¡°I don''t want to drink any medicine. It makes me feel worse.¡±


    ¡°All right. It''s fine. You don''t have to take the medicine if you don''t want to,¡± Charlotte consoled her


    gently. ¡°Rest well, I won''t let anyone disturb you.¡±


    ¡°Okay...¡± Elisa took a peek at Cynthia and nodded timidly.


    ¡°Guard the room,¡± Charlottemanded the two bodyguards.


    ¡°Noted!¡± They shut the door and stood outside.


    ¡°Hang on...¡± A nurse from the ckwood family blocked the door and argued, ¡°Ms. Ellie isn''t well, and


    she should be consuming her medicine. If you lot don''t allow her to do so, how can her illness be


    healed? When that happens, Mr. Nacht is going to put the me on Ms. ckwood. How can this be?¡±


    ¡°Are you doing this on purpose?¡± Morgan pushed the nurse away. ¡°I''ve repeatedly said to take this


    matter downstairs. Why do you keep insisting to discuss it here? Are you stirring up trouble


    intentionally?¡±


    ¡°You...¡± The nurse turned ghastly.


    Cynthia quickly stood before the nurse and chimed in through her signs. ¡±How could you do this? I''m


    only discharging my duty as a doctor. My nurse is right. If you don''t let Ellie drink her medicine, she''s


    not going to get any better. Zachary is going to get mad...¡±


    ¡°Cut the crap!¡± Morgan cut her off as she grew impatient. ¡°Nobody understands your signs. Get lost,


    you crazy woman! Don''t you dare disturb Ms. Elisa!¡±


    ¡°You...¡± the nurse attempted to refute, but was silenced by Morgan. ¡°I''ll cut off your tongue if I hear one


    more word from you.¡±


    With that, the nurse kept quiet.


    ¡°Go away!¡± Morgan pushed them aside.


    As a result, the nurse staggered and spilled the medicine in her hand on Charlotte.


    Wearing a menace expression, Charlotte frowned in displeasure.


    ¡°You b***h! You did that purposely, didn''t you?¡± zing with fury, Morgan pped the nurse across the


    face, which sent her flying into the railing nearby.


    Cynthia pushed Morgan angrily and gestured to debate with her.


    Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Annoyed, Morgan gave her a push. s, Cynthia rolled down the stairs.


    ¡°I didn''t use any force.¡± Morgan was bbergasted.


    Before Charlotte could say anything, a ruckus was seemingly raised downstairs. ¡°Oh no, Ms.


    ckwood!¡±


    ¡°You''re too much! How could you antagonize Ms. ckwood?¡±


    ¡°That''s right! She didn''t do anything against you. Why did you treat her this way?¡±


    ¡°Ms. ckwood is here to serve Mr. Nacht and Ms. Ellie as their doctor. She''s not your punching bag.¡±


    ¡°This is ridiculous!¡± boiling with anger, Morgan yelled. ¡°You''re a bunch of drama queens. Do you know


    that?¡±


    ¡°Who''s making a scene in my house?¡± barked a domineering voice suddenly. Rageced his assertive


    tone.

 Chapter 954

    Chapter 954


    As Charlotte looked in the direction of the voice, she saw Spencer slowly ushering Henry into the


    house. Zachary and Bruce were by his sides too.


    Everyone grew serious, and everything turned solemn at that moment. It was as if they all knew a bad


    sh was about to happen when Henry met Charlotte.


    As expected, Henry looked at the injured Cynthia for a few seconds, and then shifted his gaze to


    Charlotte. Instantly, he got so worked up that his hands on the wheelchair began to tremble. A


    complicated expression settled upon his face.


    Spencer too was astounded to see Charlotte in person even though he had heard about her return.


    He recalled his impression of Charlotte two years ago andpared that with the person standing in


    front of him now. The same person gave him apletely different feeling.


    Right then, the past grievances, resentments, and all sorts of conflicting emotions rose to mind,


    creating turmoil in everyone''s heart. It was an extremely tense situation.


    Standing at the hallway on the second floor, Charlotte cast a condescending look upon Henry and the


    rest of the Nacht family. Scenes after scenes of how Henry used to despise and humiliate her kept


    coming back to haunt her.


    ¡°I won''t agree to this marriage. There''s no use even if you''ve sent out the invitations. I''ll ask them to call


    it off!¡±


    ¡°I''ve repeated this a million times, and I''ll say it once more. I won''t allow this woman to marry into our


    family.¡±


    ¡°Needless to say, the children must carry thest name, Nacht. That''s a given. Just quote me a price


    for changing thest name, and I''ll see to it that you get your check right away.¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t matter whether the kids have a mother. Having a father is the priority.¡±


    ¡°Raising the children as Nachts will guarantee them utmost privileges for life. They will suffer if they


    were to stay with you. Not only will they not have food on the table, but they will also be bullied by


    others. If you love them so much, you should consider this and make the right choice for their sake.¡±


    ¡°Annul the wedding! The kids can stay, but she has to go! This is my bottom line.¡±


    These harsh words kept repeating in her ears. They were like a sharp de, slicing through her heart a


    thousand times.


    Narrowing her eyes at Henry, Charlotte continued having more dreadful shbacks.


    ¡°I dere that the wedding has been called off!¡±


    ¡°I tell you, I will never ever ept this woman to be part of the Nacht family. Not even after I die. No!¡±


    ¡°I urge you to leave as fast as you can before I change my mind and make you disappear forever.¡±


    Finally, it dawned on Charlotte that Henry was the one who canceled the wedding and forced Zachary


    to send her off to T Nation.


    Thereafter, I was hunted in T Nation and suffered tremendously. In the end, Mrs. Berry was killed. It


    was all that man''s fault!


    Gradually, fury and deep-seated hatred began to well up in her eyes.


    ¡°You lot are too much!¡± shouted Taylor. He sounded more arrogant than usual.


    ¡°My daughter is here to save your family members. While she was severely injured, she persisted


    through treating and saving Zachary and Ellie. Not only are you ungrateful, you even oppressed and


    insulted her multiple times. What do you take us for?¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± the hot-tempered Morgan could not tolerate his nonsense anymore. ¡°None of you


    ckwoods is a good person. Your eldest is a drama queen whereas another daughter of yours is a


    murderer. And you, you are the biggest hypocrite in town!¡±


    ¡°You...¡± livid, Taylor was speechless.


    ¡°How impudent!¡± Henry fumed. ¡°Who gave you the right to cause trouble in the Nacht residence?¡±


    ¡°I...¡±


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I did!¡± Charlotte responded coldly as she strode down the stairs.


    Morgan and two other bodyguards followed suit.


    ¡°Grandpa...¡± Zachary tried to appease the situation. ¡°The three children are at home, and Ellie is still


    sick. Let''s talk in the study room if there''s a need.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Henry nodded. ¡°I do want to talk to you.¡± He cast aplicated look at Charlotte.

 Chapter 955

    Chapter 955


    ¡°We can talk. But first, I need to settle this person...¡±


    Charlotte choked Cynthia''s throat forcefully while ring at her viciously. Like a furious lioness, she


    exuded a murderous and hostile aura.


    She was exerting so much force that Cynthia almost suffocated.


    Everyone was stunned.


    They had never expected Charlotte, who used to be so weak and gentle, to be so powerful!


    It was as if she was apletely different person...


    ¡°What are you doing? Let go of her!¡±


    Taylor stepped forward to stop Charlotte, but Morgan shoved him away.


    ¡°Stop!¡± bellowed Henry furiously. ¡°How dare you cause trouble in the Nacht residence?¡±


    ¡°The Nacht residence?¡± Charlotte scoffed mockingly, ¡°It''s a ce where evil deeds are concealed,


    where justice is buried!¡±


    ¡°You...¡±


    Henry was rendered speechless, for no one had rebuked him like that before.


    ¡°Let me tell you this...¡± Charlotte moved closer to Cynthia and growled through gritted teeth, ¡°If you


    want to steal the man, I can''t even be bothered with you. However, if you use my daughter to provoke


    me and put up an act to disgust me, I won''t tolerate your existence!¡±


    With that, Charlotte exerted even more force, such that Cynthia could not bear it anymore.


    ¡°No...¡± Taylor yelled out in a frenzy, ¡°Mr. Nacht, save her!¡±


    ¡°Stop that woman!¡± Henry instructed his subordinates.


    Immediately, more than ten guns pointed at Charlotte.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Zachary stepped forward. ¡°Put the guns down!¡±


    However, as they were Henry''s subordinates, they did not listen to his instructions.


    Morgan and the rest immediately raised their guns and aimed at Henry.


    She even yelled furiously, ¡°If any of you dare to shoot Ms. Lindberg, we''ll drag Henry down with us to


    our deathbed!¡±


    ¡°How outrageous! Simply too outrageous!¡±


    Spencer was so furious that he trembled. The Lindberg family is sowless! How dare they try to attack


    Mr. Nacht?


    ¡°Stop right now!¡± Zachary rushed forward to stop Charlotte. ¡°Stop kicking up a fuss, Charlotte. They''ll


    actually shoot you!¡±


    ¡°What''s wrong? Are you worried for me?¡± She shot him a resentful re. ¡°Zachary, I have nothing but


    contempt for you. You don''t even care about the safety of your own family just for the sake of a


    woman!¡±


    ¡°I told you to stop precisely because I''m concerned for Ellie''s safety.¡± Zachary started to panic. ¡°We


    haven''t found Dr. Felch yet. If anything happens to Ellie, we still need to rely on her. Please, for the


    sake of our child, spare Cynthia!¡±


    When Charlotte heard that, she froze for a moment. Yeah, Dr. Felch isn''t here yet and I didn''t manage


    to invite Francesco. At least Cynthia can still save Ellie for the time being...


    If I kill her, I won''t have any other options.


    At that thought, Charlotte released her grip slowly.


    ¡°Ugh...¡±


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Cynthia crumpled onto the floor. Clutching her throat, she kept retching.


    ¡°Cynthia...¡± Taylor rushed forward and helped her up.


    Meanwhile, the medical staff from the ckwood family cowered at the side fearfully, not daring to


    approach her.


    ¡°Let me tell you this. If you dare to y any more tricks, I''ll kill you immediately,¡± warned Charlotte


    hostilely.


    ¡°You''ve gone overboard!¡± yelled Taylor agitatedly. ¡°Mr. Nacht, Cynthia came to the Nachts'' residence to


    save someone; yet, she''s been so horribly abused here. You must seek justice for us!¡±


    ¡°Zachary!¡± Although Henry was ring at Charlotte, he instructed Zachary, ¡°Chase this madwoman


    out.¡±


    ¡°Grandpa...¡±


    ¡°If you don''t do it, I''ll order my subordinates to do it!¡± bellowed Henry furiously. ¡°This is the Nacht


    residence. Anyone from the Lindberg family is not allowed to cause trouble here!¡±


    Afterward, he clutched his chest and coughed profusely.


    ¡°Don''t be agitated, Mr. Nacht.¡± Spencer patted his back anxiously.


    When Zachary saw him acting like that, he remembered what the doctor said about Henry''s days being


    numbered. With his resolve wavering after seeing his grandfather''s condition, he turned around and


    nced at Charlotte.


    However, before he could say anything, Charlotte''s sharp re cut him off.

 Chapter 956

    Chapter 956


    ¡°You don''t have to chase me out. I''ll leave on my own ord.¡± She shot a cold re at Zachary before


    remarking arrogantly, ¡°What''s so impressive about the Nacht family? I can''t even care less.¡±


    ¡°Prepare the car.¡± Morgan instructed her subordinate.


    Cynthia and Taylor exchanged a nce with each other. We''ve aplished our goal...


    ¡°However, my children have to leave with me.¡± Charlotte abruptly dered, ¡°All of you in the Nacht


    family are blind. I cannot let them stay with you and risk their safety!¡±


    ¡°They''re children of the Nacht family. No one is allowed to bring them away!¡± objected Henry agitatedly.


    ¡°Don''t think that you can do whatever you want just because you have the Lindberg Corporation


    backing you up. Let me tell you this! As long as I''m not dead, you''re not allowed to climb over our


    heads!¡±


    ¡°Grandpa...¡±


    ¡°Do you think that you are as formidable as you were two years ago?¡± Charlotte scoffed mockingly.


    ¡°Two years ago, I had no power or influence, so I could be humiliated by the Nacht family. Now, no one


    can snatch my children away from me!¡±


    With that, she pointed her gun at Zachary''s head. ¡°If anyone dares to stop me, I''ll kill this person


    immediately!¡±


    Everyone was startled when they saw that.


    ¡°Charlotte Lindberg!¡± Zachary suddenly widened his eyes and stared at Charlotte in disbelief. ¡°Are you


    crazy?¡±


    He could barely believe what he was seeing. This was his first time having a gun pressed against his


    head, and it was done by the woman he loved so dearly...


    ¡°H-How dare you?¡±


    Henry pointed at Charlotte, his frail hand trembling.


    ¡°Why don''t you try me?¡± She cocked her gun.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Mrs. Rawlston was so scared that she copsed onto the ground. ¡°Don''t do this, Ms. Windt. Don''t


    kill Mr. Zachary!¡±


    ¡°She''s crazy... She''s really crazy!¡± Taylor was terrified.


    Meanwhile, Cynthia quickly climbed to her feet and signed at Henry frantically. ¡±Save Zachary, Mr.


    Nacht!¡±


    ¡°Calm down, Ms. Lindberg.¡± Sweat dotted Bruce''s forehead. ¡°Let''s talk calmly, okay?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, let''s talk calmly. Don''t be rash!¡± Spencer quickly tried to coax her. ¡°The children are at home. If


    they see their mother kill their father, they''ll be traumatized forever.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the kids cannot lose their father!¡± pleaded Mrs. Rawlston as she sobbed.


    ¡°It doesn''t matter that they don''t have a father. They just need a mother!¡± Imitating Henry''s words from


    before, she dered arrogantly, ¡°Anyway, their father is a coward who has been hoodwinked by other


    women. If he can''t protect them, then he''s useless!¡±


    Zachary was rendered speechless.


    Meanwhile, the entire Nacht family was dumbfounded.This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    No one had ever acted so outrageously in the Nacht residence, nor had anyone opposed Henry or


    bullied Zachary like that.


    ¡°This wench! This wench!¡±


    Clutching his chest furiously, Henry coughed so hard that blood came out.


    At that moment, the tension in the room was so thick that one could cut it with a knife. It was as if a


    violent confrontation could break out at any moment.


    ¡°Mommy!¡±


    Suddenly, a childish voice sounded.


    Charlotte nced over subconsciously.


    Jamie was standing on the second-floor corridor, wearing his yellow dinosaur pajamas. Staring at them


    as he was stunned. ¡°W-What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Jamie...¡± Charlotte quickly kept her gun. ¡°I''m ying a game with Daddy!¡±


    No one but the children could manage to convince Charlotte.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    Robbie walked out of his room at the same time, wearing his astronaut-patterned pajamas and still


    looking drowsy from his sleep. When he saw what was happening downstairs, he instantly frowned.


    ¡°Great-grandpa, aren''t you in the hospital? Why are you back suddenly?¡±


    ¡°Jamie, Robbie...¡± When Henry saw his great-grandsons, he became anxious. ¡°Return to your


    bedrooms now!¡±


    As he spoke, he shot a nce at Spencer, who quickly headed upstairs with his subordinates. He


    wanted to send the children back to their rooms so they would not witness something inappropriate...

 Chapter 957

    Chapter 957


    ¡°I don''t want to return to my room.¡± Robbie reacted agitatedly when he saw Henry''s attitude. ¡°What are


    you doing? Are you going to bully Mommy behind my back?¡±


    ¡°You''re not allowed to bully Mommy!¡±


    Jamie stumbled down the stairs anxiously.


    It was Zachary''s first time feeling so indignant. Who''s the one being bullied here?


    Henry frowned. He knew how badly the children were impacted when Charlotte disappeared two years


    ago. Because of that, Robbie ignored him for two years...


    ¡°Mommy!¡± Robbie ran down the stairs, spread his arms out in front of Charlotte and shielded her. He


    yelled furiously, ¡°No one is allowed to chase Mommy away. If she leaves, I''ll leave with her!¡±


    ¡°Me too!¡± Jamie nted himself in front of her. ¡°I''ll go wherever Mommy goes! That''s what Ellie said


    too.¡±


    ¡°I didn''t protect Mommy well two years ago. This time, I definitely won''t fail again!¡±


    When Robbie remembered what happened two years ago, he was engulfed with regret. With tears


    welling in his eyes, he said agitatedly, ¡°Great-grandpa, two years ago, you lied to me that you''re


    sending Mommy away to treat her illness. In reality, you chased her and Mrs. Berry out of the country,


    causing her to be pursued by others. Mrs. Berry even got killed! I''ll not believe you this time around!¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Jamie raised his head and agreed angrily, ¡°We''ll just leave together. Since Mommy''s rich now,


    we won''t go hungry!¡±


    Henry opened his mouth but did not know what to say.


    A turmoil ofplex emotions was surging through him. Despite feeling furious, he also regretted what


    happened two years ago.


    Most of his guilt was directed to the children.


    ¡°Jamie, Robbie, you can''t speak to your great-grandpa like that.¡± Zachary squatted down and coaxed


    the children, ¡°You''ve misunderstood. Great-grandpa isn''t chasing Mommy out and she''s not leaving


    either.¡±


    ¡°Is this our home, Daddy?¡± asked Robbie.


    ¡°Of course!¡± Zachary nodded.


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    ¡°Since this is our home, we have the right to let Mommy stay,¡± insisted Robbie indignantly. ¡°Mommy


    has everything now. Although she doesn''t like this ce, she''s staying to take care of us! No one is


    allowed to bully her!¡±


    ¡°No one''s bullying her.¡± Zachary nced at Charlotte. ¡°Don''t worry!¡±


    ¡°But didn''t you...¡±


    ¡°Didn''t you see? Mommy''s bullying me!¡± A pitiful look crossed Zachary''s face. ¡°If you didn''t appear in


    time, she would''ve beaten me up!¡±


    Robbie nced at Charlotte. ¡°Is that true, Mommy?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Charlotte nodded. ¡°Because he didn''t do a good job in protecting you.¡±


    ¡°Then he deserves a beating,¡± concluded Robbie.


    Zachary was speechless. Looks like I don''t even have any say in this family.


    ¡°That''s it.¡± Not wanting the children to be affected, Henry stared at Charlotte and said, ¡°Bring the kids


    upstairs to rest first. If there''s anything else, we''ll discuss it in the study room with the other adults.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Charlotte returned his gaze coldly and instructed Morgan, ¡°Take them upstairs.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ms. Lindberg.¡± Morgan walked over and coaxed Robbie and Jamie to go upstairs.


    ¡°No...¡± Robbie refused to leave. Sobbing, he said, ¡°Two years ago, I was tricked into leaving. Mommy


    disappeared after that...¡±


    ¡°You foolish boy.¡± Charlotte squatted down and consoled him gently, ¡°I''m different now. No one can


    chase me away unless I want to leave on my own. However, if I do, I''ll definitely bring all of you along


    with me.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Nodding profusely, Robbie cupped her cheeks. ¡°Mommy, bring me wherever you go. I''ll protect


    you!¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Charlotte felt extremely touched. ¡°Be a good boy and go upstairs with Jamie!¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± He held Jamie''s hand. ¡°Let''s go upstairs, Jamie. ¡°

 Chapter 958

    Chapter 958


    Now that the children were gone, peace returned to the living room.


    The atmosphere was not as intense as before.


    Zachary tookmand of the situation. ¡°Bruce, bring Mr. and Ms. ckwood to their rooms to rest.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Bruce walked forward. ¡°Mr. and Ms. ckwood, this way please.¡±


    ¡°Zachary...¡±


    Cynthia wanted to sign something, but Zachary did not even spare her a single nce. In the end,


    Taylor dragged her away. ¡°Let''s go. It''s better if we don''t intervene in this situation.¡±


    After the ckwoods left, the tension diffused slightly.


    ¡°Let''s talk,¡± said Henry to Charlotte. ¡°I think that you are harboring a lot of resentment. Why don''t we


    address everything now?¡±


    ¡°It''s not just resentment.¡± Charlotte red at him. ¡°It''s hatred!¡±


    ¡°I understand...¡± He nodded calmly. ¡°Let''s go to the study room.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Spencer wheeled Henry to the study room on the first floor.


    Zachary and Charlotte followed them, while Bruce and Morgan tailed behind closely.


    They reached the study room, which had such a solemn atmosphere that it seemed intimidating.


    Mrs. Rawlston and Molly entered timidly. After pouring the tea, they frantically left and closed the study


    room door.


    The room was filled with a dim light.


    Henry sat on the main seat. Although he was exhausted and weak, he still sat up straight, as if he


    wanted to exert his dominance.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht.¡± Spencer passed a cup of tea to him.


    After taking a sip of the tea, he said slowly, ¡°I''ve talked to you in this exact spot two years ago. Do you


    still remember?¡±


    ¡°Of course. You said that you''ll never agree to me marrying Zachary, forced me to change my children''s


    last name, and even instructed me to leave the Nacht residence...¡±


    These past memories surfaced in her mind the moment she stepped into the Nacht residence.


    This showed how impactful those events were. Even though she was suffering from amnesia, these


    memories still came floating back...


    ¡°I''ll probably say the same things today,¡± revealed Henry directly. ¡°The Lindberg family and the Nacht


    family are rivals. They should not be involved in each other''s business!¡±


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    ¡°Grandpa...¡±


    ¡°You''re right.¡± Charlotteughed coldly. ¡°So what?¡±


    ¡°It''s true that you''re different now.¡± Henry stared at her with a meaningful gaze. ¡°Your aura and


    charisma arepletely different from how you were in the past. I can see some of the Lindberg


    family''s attitude in you.¡±


    ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± Charlotte could not be bothered to waste more time with him.


    ¡°I know that you hate me. After all, I was solely responsible for what happened two years ago...¡± A


    guilty expression crossed Henry''s face. ¡°If you want to take revenge, just target me. However, please


    don''t involve the children. They bear the Nachtst name, so they''re destined to be part of the Nacht


    family forever. No one can take them away!¡±


    ¡°Destined?¡± Charlotte scoffed mockingly, ¡°What do you mean by that? I gave birth to them, so they''re


    also part of the Lindberg family. Why are they destined to be part of the Nachts?¡±


    ¡°Are you saying that you want to take the kids away?¡± Henry''s expression became serious. ¡°You''re


    acting recklessly just for your own selfish desires. Have you considered their feelings?¡±


    ¡°You don''t need to tell me that¡± Charlotte could not be bothered to continue talking to Henry. ¡°If I want to


    take revenge on the Nacht family, I don''t need to involve my kids. I''ve been conceding over and over


    again out of consideration for their feelings. I only took action because the Nacht family is too useless


    to protect them. Unfortunately, all of you are not only blind but also useless! You''ve invited trouble right


    to your doorsteps. If I let my kids stay in such a family, they''ll be in greater danger!¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Henry was furious. ¡°Blind? Inviting trouble right to our doorsteps? Who''s


    blind? Who''s the trouble?¡±


    ¡°If you''re asking me these questions now, it''s obvious how ignorant you are!¡± Charlotte was equally


    mad. ¡°Not only are you ignorant, but you are also arrogant!¡±


    ¡°You...¡±

 Chapter 959

    Chapter 959


    ¡°Don''t cross the line, Charlotte!¡± bellowed Zachary as he frowned. ¡°Respect your elders!¡±


    ¡°Respect should be mutual.¡± Charlotte shot him a cold re before standing up and leaving.


    ¡°Stand right there!¡± yelled Henry furiously. ¡°Since Ellie''s ill, I''ll allow you to stay for a few more days.


    However, please leave immediately after she recovers!¡±


    ¡°Allow me to stay? I can''t care less!¡± scoffed Charlotte mockingly. ¡°However, I''ll definitely bring my kids


    along with me.¡±


    ¡°They won''t leave with you!¡± Henry warned intimidatingly, ¡°If you dare to touch them, I won''t let you off


    easily!¡±


    Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Really?¡± Charlotte raised her eyebrows and smirked. ¡°I''ll have to try it out, then.¡±


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°That''s enough!¡± interrupted Zachary exasperatedly. ¡°I thought we agreed to talk this out? What can we


    achieve by exchanging harsh words here?¡±


    ¡°I can be reasonable if you want.¡± Henry changed his attitude. ¡°Since the children are already legally


    registered under the Nacht family, you''ll be breaking thew if you bring them away forcefully!¡±


    ¡°We can bring this to court!¡± replied Charlotte calmly. ¡°I''m already all prepared. Don''t worry, I''ll definitely


    win.¡±


    ¡°Must you do this?¡±


    This time, it was Zachary who asked.


    ¡°Either you let the children leave with me, or I''ll file awsuit. Alternatively, we can resort to brute force!


    It depends on what you choose to do.¡±


    With that, Charlotte left directly.


    Zachary felt extremely exasperated. At this point, he was helpless as there was nothing he could do to


    her.


    Violence, scoldings, threats and coaxes were all futile.


    ¡°How dare she?¡± Henry was so furious that his face turned pale and his hands trembled.


    ¡°Your health is still poor. Why did you leave the hospital ande back all of a sudden?¡± asked


    Zachary in confusion.


    ¡°If I haven''t returned, this family might be part of the Lindbergs already.¡±


    After being provoked by Charlotte, Henry was venting all of his anger onto Zachary.


    ¡°No wonder you kept stopping me from going to Northridge and interfering in the case concerning


    Lindberg Corporation! So it''s all because of her!¡±


    ¡°I''ll resolve this on my own. You don''t need to intervene.¡± Zachary reminded sternly, ¡°Don''tmit the


    same mistake as you did two years ago.¡±


    ¡°You''re the one whomitted a mistake!¡± Henry''s fury surged again. ¡°If you had listened to me from


    the start, if you hadn''t been in a rtionship with her, all of this wouldn''t have happened!¡±


    Zachary was speechless. He initially thought that Henry regretted what happened two years ago, but


    he still had note to his senses.


    ¡°That''s enough. Let''s stop arguing,¡± Spencer quickly diffused the tension between them. ¡°I''ll wheel you


    back to your room to rest.¡±


    ¡°How can I rest? Do you think that I can sleep now?¡± scolded Henry in frustration. ¡°There''s no peace to


    be found in this family. Not only does that woman dare to kill in my house, but she also opposed me so


    rudely! How can someone like her stay here?¡±


    ¡°You''re already so old and in poor health. Yet, you can scold someone with such fervor!¡± mumbled


    Zachary unhappily.


    ¡°What did you say?¡± Henry grabbed a cushion from the sofa and tossed it at him. ¡°You rascal! You don''t


    even know what''s important now! Do you want the Nacht family to be ruined?¡±


    ¡°That''s it. I''ll deal with it properly.¡± Zachary did not want to provoke Henry further. ¡°Go back to your


    room and rest.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, go and rest first!¡±


    Spencer quickly pushed Henry back to his room.


    Meanwhile, Zachary walked out briskly and caught up with Charlotte at the stairs. ¡°Let''s talk.¡±


    ¡°There''s nothing for us to talk about.¡±


    Charlotte refused to discuss anything with him. Instead, she returned to her room and sent a message


    to Danrique. She informed him about Ellie being poisoned and requested him to invite Francesco over


    to cure her.


    If she was influential enough to invite Francesco, she would not have to stay in such a horrible ce


    like the Nacht residence.


    However, Danrique did not reply to her.

 Chapter 960

    Chapter 960


    Charlotte was extremely flurried. At this moment, Morgan walked up to her and reported, ¡°We''ve


    received news from Lupine that Sharon has escaped.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Charlotte''s face turned somber. ¡°No one managed to catch her?¡±


    ¡°ording to Lupine, Sharon had some outside help. It was probably Zara''s men who assisted her.¡±


    Morgan let out a frown before she continued, ¡°Ben and Lupine are going after her as we speak.¡±


    ¡°This is preposterous!¡± Livid, Charlotte kicked the table over.


    ¡°The Nacht family is so ipetent. They should''ve let Mr. Lindberg take care of this. What are they


    going to do now that Sharon has escaped?¡± Morgan was furious.


    ¡°We''ll talk about thister. Let''s meet up with Olivia first. We need to locate Dr. Felch as soon as


    possible and give his whereabouts to Marino.¡±


    Morgan nodded and replied, ¡°I''ve already informed Olivia. You should go get changed. I''ll get the car


    ready.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Just as Charlotte was about to head out, Robbie walked up to her with a box in hand. ¡°Mommy, I have


    something to tell you. It''ll only take five minutes.¡±


    ¡°Me too,¡± uttered Jamie, with Little Fifi behind his back.


    ¡°Okay,e here.¡±


    Charlotte gave them a loving smile.


    The two of them quickly sat down on the sofa.


    Robbie opened his box and took out multiple credit cards as well as a few equity documents.


    ¡°Mommy, this card here contains all the earnings from the software that I''ve developed a few years


    back. Daddy was the one who gave me the money. There''s a total of a hundred and thirty million on the


    card.


    This card here contains all the allowance given to Jamie, Ellie, and me. There''s about thirty million on


    the card.


    This card over here contains all our prize money. That includes Jamie''s winnings from his martial arts


    competitions, Ellie''s winnings from her drawingpetitions, as well as my winnings from invention


    competitions. There''s about a million on this card.


    These equity documents here were gifted to us from Great-grandpa on our birthday. The assets that we


    got were the Fairytale Land, Apple Kindergarten, and the elementary school that we''re currently


    studying at.


    These are all our properties. You can have them all, Mommy! I''ve already gotten Ellie''s permission too.¡±


    ¡°What? What are you...¡±


    Charlotte was stupefied in ce.


    Robbie ced all the credit cards and documents in Charlotte''s hands.


    He then uttered in a serious tone, ¡°We know you''ve sacrificed a lot for us. Not just you, Mrs. Berry also


    did her best to take care of us. She even got herself sick because of that. We are very grateful to the


    two of you.


    ¡°Don''t worry, Mommy. You don''t have to be scared of Daddy, Uncle Dan, or even Great-grandpa


    anymore. With this money here, we don''t have to rely on anyone else. No one will be able to threaten


    us from now on.


    ¡°We''ll be able to live happily together as a family of six, including Fifi of course.


    ¡°Mommy, we can return to the countryside and live with Uncle Judd. Or, we can even find a ce


    where no one recognizes us and start our new lives there.


    ¡°Anyhow, we''ll be the ones taking care of you from now on. You don''t have to work so hard anymore,


    Mommy. You''re free to do whatever you want!¡±


    Jamie nodded profusely. ¡°Yeah. Don''t be afraid, Mommy. We won''t let anyone hurt you. Here, take our


    possessions...¡±


    Jamie scooched over to Robbie''s ear and murmured, ¡°Robbie, are we still short on money? I can sell


    my toys and figurines if need be.¡±


    ¡°We have enough. Don''t worry. Not to mention, I''ll still be earning with my software. I''ll be able to earn


    at least ten million a year.


    N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    With that said, you don''t have to depend on others anymore, Mommy. If you''re worried about our


    safety, we''ll just hire a bodyguard, since we have the money to do so...¡±

 Chapter 961

    Chapter 961


    Jamie nodded before uttering, ¡°Yeah. Also, I''ll work harder from now on, Mommy. So that I can protect


    you when I''m all grown up.¡±


    ¡°No matter where we choose to live, I''ll make sure we survive. However, we need to wait for Ellie''s


    recovery before we can head anywhere.¡± Robbie had a serious look on his face.


    ¡°Then, we must wait for a few more days,¡± replied Jamie.


    ¡°So, you''ll have to protect Ellie for the next few days, Jamie. Don''t worry about Mommy. She''ll be under


    my aegis. We need to work together on this, okay?¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    The two children continued to discuss their future ns.


    Gazing at the two of them, Charlotte''s eyes started tearing up.


    Over the past two years, Charlotte had been pushing herself to the limit in order to be someone


    who could solve any problem thrown her way.


    Hence, she was rather touched when her children told her that they would share the burden with her.


    Look at them! Their eyes are so solemn and honest. I''m so d to have you guys as my children.


    ¡°Mommy, what''s wrong?¡± Jamie reached out his hand to wipe the tears off Charlotte''s face. ¡°Did Daddy


    hurt you? Don''t be sacred. I''ll make sure to lecture himter.¡±


    Robbie grabbed onto Charlotte''s hand andforted her, ¡°Don''t worry, Mommy. We''ve all grown up, so


    it''s our turn to protect you.¡±


    Charlotte embraced Robbie and Jamie. ¡°As long as you guys are here with me, I have nothing to fear!¡±


    Robbie gave her a gentle pat on the back. ¡°We will always be here to support you, Mommy.¡±


    ¡°Me too! Me too!¡± said Little Fifi.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. You too.¡±


    Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Hahaha...¡±


    Amused, they all burst outughing. The room was suddenly filled with bliss and delight.


    After Charlotte was done packing up, she took Robbie and Jamie to bed.


    Morgan ordered the bodyguards to keep Ellie safe. ¡°Don''t let anyone from the ckwood family near


    her,¡± he exhorted.


    Just as Charlotte and Morgan were about to leave, Zachary queried, ¡°Are you heading out? It''s quite


    late in the night. Also, I think it''s about to rain soon.¡±


    Charlotte just ignored him and left.


    Zachary caught up to her and added, ¡°You should bring more men with you. Zara might be hiding in the


    mountains nearby.¡±


    ¡°Just mind your own business.¡±


    Charlotte gave him a cold nce before getting in the car.


    Seeing as Charlotte only brought Morgan with her, Zachary instructed Bruce, ¡°Keep an eye on them.


    Make sure she''s safe.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡°You know what, never mind. I''ll watch over her myself. I want you to protect Mr. Henry and the kids


    while I''m gone.¡±


    Bruce nodded. ¡°Understood. But your body hasn''t fully recovered yet. Will you be okay?¡±


    ¡°I''m not that fragile. I''ll be fine.¡±


    Zachary took his men and rushed after Charlotte.


    ¡°Actually, Mr. Nacht is right. We should bring more men with us,¡± said Morgan, while driving.


    ¡°With half our men going after Sharon, the rest need to stay at home to protect the kids. We can''t afford


    to bring any extra manpower with us.¡±


    Scrolling through her phone, Charlotte was checking if Danrique had replied to her message.


    Unfortunately for her, there wasn''t any message from Danrique yet.


    If Danrique isn''t willing to help us get Francesco, Dr. Felch will be ourst and only hope.

 Chapter 962

    Chapter 962


    ¡°Looking at the weather now, it does seem like a thunderstorm is approaching. Your medicines are at


    home. Will you be able to handle it if it starts raining heavily?¡±


    Morgan looked distressed.


    ¡°It''s fine. I have my earplugs here. We should focus on finding Dr. Felch. Our priority right now is to


    save Ellie.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    Out of nowhere, a plethora of gunshots were fired at the car.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, buckle up!¡± Morgan elerated the car in hopes of escaping from their assants as


    fast as possible.


    However, there were traps hidden on their escape route.


    The car ended up crashing into the woods after hitting a huge rock.


    ¡°Sh*t! I should''ve driven an off-road vehicle.¡±


    With her teeth clenched, Morgan tried to reverse the car to get it back on the road. However, one of the


    tires was stuck in the drain by the road.


    Charlotte lowered down the side window before uttering, ¡°It''s okay, stay calm. Do not get out of the car.


    You should just keep on trying to reverse the car.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Morgan continued to reverse the car.


    On the other hand, Charlotte was shooting back at the assants. With her precise shooting, she was


    able to eliminate quite a few of them.


    However, it still wasn''t enough as there were way too many of them. Realizing that their car was stuck,


    the assants started closing in on them.


    ¡°Call for help,¡± Charlottemanded.


    ¡°Yes...¡± Just as Morgan was about to contact her men at Northridge, a bullet flew through the window


    and hit her shoulder.


    ¡°Ahh!¡± Morgan eximed.


    ¡°Morgan...¡± Charlotte quickly pulled her down to avoid the shooting. ¡°Hang in there.¡±


    Morgan shoved Charlotte to the side, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, run! The car won''t be able to get us out of here.


    This area is full of traps. They''ve been expecting us.¡±


    ¡°Stop talking. They won''t kill me. I''m an important hostage to them.¡±


    ¡°But...¡± Before Morgan could finish her sentence, a copious amount of redsers were directed at them.


    Dazzled by the redsers, Charlotte stayedpletely still.


    In a blink of an eye, she was surrounded by arge group of people.


    ¡°I have finally captured you, Charlotte.¡±


    A familiar voice was heard within the crowd surrounding them.


    ¡°Zara!¡± Charlotte yelled out loud.


    Zara had been waiting patiently at Rokan Hill for her chance to ambush Charlotte.


    She deliberately instigated Sharon to escape in order to create a distraction for the underlings of the


    Lindberg family. Then, she simply set up an ambush and waited for Charlotte toe to her.


    Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    All ording to n.


    ¡°Who''sughing now, huh?¡±


    Zara sneered at her.


    But before she could capture her, several jeeps forced their way onto the scene.


    ¡°Ms. Nacht, watch out!¡± The bodyguards shouted.


    Trying to dodge the jeeping her way, Zara fell into the drain.


    The bodyguards of the Nacht family got down from the jeeps and started firing at Zara''s men.


    ¡°Help me up.¡± Zara was enraged.


    A few bodyguards helped her up from the drain while maintaining fire at Zachary''s men.


    The gun battle between them was very intense.


    In the midst of this quagmire, Zara instructed, ¡°Go and capture Charlotte. I need her alive.¡±


    I''ll definitely lose if this battle continues. I should just get Charlotte and retreat for now.


    ¡°Yes, Ms. Nacht.¡± A few of Zara''s men rushed toward Charlotte.


    ¡°Cover me!¡±


    Zachary uttered as he jumped out of his jeep and went after Charlotte.

 Chapter 963

    Chapter 963


    In the meantime, one of Zara''s men broke the window of the Rolls-Royce and yanked Charlotte out of


    the car.


    Charlotte gave him a strong kick in response. ¡°Die!¡± uttered Zara as she pointed her gun at Charlotte.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg...¡±


    At this crucial moment, a person swooped in front of Charlotte and took the bullet for her.


    Bang!


    Charlotte was shell-shocked as blood sshed onto her face.


    When she came back to her senses, she saw Morgan lying down beside her...


    Morgan suffered another shot on her chest and was bleeding profusely. Her body twitched a few times


    before she passed out.


    Charlotte stared vacuously at Morgan.


    Her heart felt like it was being pierced through by a bullet.


    Suddenly, the image of Mrs. Berry getting shot by Sharon was evoked in her mind.


    Subsequently, all her other tragic memories started popping up in her head.


    She was fraught with resentment and hatred.


    Due to her intense emotions, the back of her head started aching.


    My head. It hurts. It hurts so much...


    ¡°Charlotte!¡± Having evaded the bullets in the air, Zachary finally arrived by her side. ¡°I''m sure she''ll


    make it. Don''t worry,¡± he assured her.


    ¡°Get Raina over here. Quick!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    The wind was getting stronger and stronger, signaling the arrival of a thunderstorm.


    Raina brought a few people with her before rushing over to Morgan''s aid.


    ¡°How is she?¡± Bruce was all worried.


    ¡°We need to head to the hospital now. The bullet was shot close to her heart. She''s in critical


    condition.¡±


    Bruce hurriedly ordered his men to carry Morgan onto the ambnce.


    ¡°Let''s go! A thunderstorm ising.¡±


    Zachary helped Charlotte up from the ground.


    Out of the blue, a thunderp was heard.


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    Charlotte''s face immediately stiffened up. She lifted her head up and red at Zachary.


    ¡°You! It''s all your fault! On the day of our wedding, you betrayed my trust. I was separated from my own


    kids because of you.


    ¡°How can the Nacht family be so callous and cruel? First, they took Mrs. Berry away from me. And now,


    they even want to take my bodyguard''s life.¡±


    Zachary was taciturn.


    She''s starting to remember...


    ¡°Zachary, you''ll pay with your life¡ª¡±


    Charlotte lunged herself at Zachary with murderous intent.


    Instead of dodging her, Zachary merely closed his eyes.


    At this moment, another thunderp was heard.


    Covering her head, Charlotte screamed in pain. There was blooding out of her nose.


    ¡°Charlotte!¡± Zachary covered her ears andforted her, ¡°Everything''s fine. You''ll be okay.¡±


    ¡°Bruce, get the car over here,¡± hemanded.


    ¡°We''re still in the process of removing the traps on the road.¡± Bruce responded.


    Raina was unable to send Morgan to the hospital because of the traps as well. Without any tools, the


    bodyguards would require at least two hours to finish clearing up the road.


    ¡°This is taking way too long. We won''t be able to save Morgan at this rate. Mr. Nacht, why don''t we


    bring her to our clinic? We can provide her with the necessary treatment there.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Quick. We must save her at all costs.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Raina quickly brought Morgan over to the Nacht residence.


    Under the lighting storm, Charlotte was behaving like a crazed animal. She was screaming frantically


    and pulling her hair.


    Zachary held tightly onto her to deter her from harming herself.


    Unfortunately for him, Charlotte''s attack didn''t stop there. She scratched his arm and even bit his neck


    trying to break free from him.

 Chapter 964

    Chapter 964


    Blood streamed down slowly and stained Zachary''s clothes.


    His face, his neck and the back of his hand were scratched. There were injuries all over his body.


    However, he didn''t resist Charlotte''s attack at all. He just frowned and let her do whatever she wanted.


    In the middle of the night, the Nacht residence was disrupted by a ruckus.


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Raina and her medical staff urgently sent Morgan over to the clinic for emergency treatment.


    Bruce had sent someone to clear the way. At the same time, he also informed the hospital to bring


    along their medical equipment and rush over immediately.


    Charlotte passed out after a while. Zachary scared everyone out of their wits when he carried Charlotte


    back home.


    Cynthia was shocked to witness this scene as she ran out of her room. She hurriedly gestured in sign


    language and asked, ¡±Zachary, what happened? Why are you bleeding? You''re injured...¡±


    ¡°Get out of my way!¡±


    Zachary didn''t even bother to look at Cynthia. He quickly carried Charlotte back to his room in no time.


    Then, he carefullyy her down on the bed and put on soundproof headphones for her...


    He was afraid that Charlotte would have to suffer through the pain once again because of thunder.


    Meanwhile, his subordinate came forward and reported, ¡°Mr. Zachary, Raina said Morgan is losing too


    much blood. Due to the shortages of medical equipment here, we need to go to the emergency room at


    the hospital now.¡±


    ¡°Is the road clear now?¡± Zachary asked.


    ¡°It''s almost done. We should be able to go by jeep.¡±


    ¡°Send her to the hospital right now. I can''t let anything bad happen to her.¡±


    Zachary knew Charlotte well. She cared about the people around her a lot. Mrs. Berry''s death was


    such a severe blow to her. If anything bad happened to Morgan this time, then there would never be a


    chance for him to fix things between them anymore...


    ¡°All right,¡± His subordinate then conveyed his message immediately.


    Zachary was worried that they couldn''t handle the situation properly. Hence, he hurried over to the


    hospital. Before he left, he told Mrs. Rawlston, ¡°Look after Charlotte. Do not let anyonee into my


    room.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Mr. Zachary.¡± Mrs. Rawlston quickly nodded in response.


    ¡°Close all the doors and windows,¡± Zachary instructed and dashed downstairs.


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    After that, Mrs. Rawlston went back to Zachary''s room. She closed all the windows and switched on


    the light. Then anxiously stayed by Charlotte''s side and watched over her.


    Charlotte was covered in blood, unconscious. It was such a horrifying scene...


    Mrs. Rawlston couldn''t tell if it was her blood or Zachary''s blood. Or perhaps, it belonged to somebody


    else.


    She was really terrified. She didn''t even dare to go near her.


    However, after hesitating for a while, Mrs. Rawlston decided to wipe away the blood on Charlotte''s


    body with a hot towel...


    All of a sudden, there came a knock on the door.


    Mrs. Rawlston had no choice but to answer the door.


    It was Cynthia. She was standing outside the room with two nurses. She anxiously signed. ¡±Mrs.


    Rawlston, I saw Zachary being injured. I brought a medical kit to treat his wound.¡±


    ¡°Ms. ckwood, Mr. Zachary is not around. He went out,¡± said Mrs. Rawlston, frowned.


    ¡°He went out?¡± Cynthia looked shocked. She continued asking in signnguage, ¡±I saw that he was


    bleeding a lot. Where did he go?¡±


    ¡°I''m not sure either.¡± Mrs. Rawlston was worried that they would disturb Charlotte. ¡°You can look for him


    later when Mr. Zachary is back.¡±


    Cynthia signed again, ¡±Is that Ms. Lindberg on the bed?¡±


    ¡°This...¡± Mrs. Rawlston was hesitant, but she simply didn''t know how to lie.


    ¡°Is she hurt? Let me have a look,¡± Cynthia signed eagerly, ¡±It''s my job to take care of a patient. Ms.


    Lindberg got injured so severely. I can''t simply turn my back on her without even trying to save her.¡±


    ¡°Let''s wait until Mr. Zachary is back.¡± Mrs. Rawlston turned her down at once. ¡°He said before he left


    that no one is allowed to enter his room.¡±


    ¡°Not even me?¡± Cynthia knitted her brows in displeasure.


    ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Mrs. Rawlston didn''t want to say anything further.


    She tried to close the door but the nurse from the ckwood family blocked it with her foot.


    Cynthia was annoyed. She signed. ¡°Mrs. Rawlston, if that woman died here, the Lindberg family would


    definitely give the Nachts a hard time. Besides, if the two families were to battle it out, then you would


    be the culprit.¡±


    ¡°This...¡± Mrs. Rawlston was panicked all of a sudden.


    ¡°Move. Let me go in and have a look.¡± Cynthia pushed the door open and broke in.


    ¡°You can''t, Ms. ckwood...¡± Mrs. Rawlston tried to stop her. Right at that moment, Henry''s


    subordinate asked from downstairs, ¡°Mrs. Rawlston, what''s wrong?¡±

 Chapter 965

    Chapter 965


    ¡°Oh, that''s...¡±


    Mrs. Rawlston was about to answer but Cynthia and those nurses broke into the room. One of the


    nurses even tried to shut the door.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Mrs. Rawlston hurriedly followed them. ¡°Mr. Zachary said no one is allowed to


    enter his room. Please get out of here.¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Rawlston, why are you so anxious? We are just checking on Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    The two nurses stopped Mrs. Rawlston.


    Meanwhile, Cynthia was examining Charlotte by the bed...


    Cynthia was a little afraid of Charlotte due to some encounters previously, but she plucked up the


    courage to approach and push Charlotte gently.


    Knowing that Charlotte waspletely unconscious, a cold glint shed across Cynthia''s eyes. She


    pped Charlotte''s face and mouthed, ¡±Stop ying tricks on me. What does an unconscious person


    need headphones for?¡±


    As she spoke, she took her Charlotte''s headphones off...


    ¡°What are you trying to do? Please leave now...¡± Mrs. Rawlston called out anxiously, ¡°Ms. ckwood,


    I''m afraid that I''ll have to inform Mr. Zachary if you don''t leave right now.¡±


    ¡°Oh,e on. Mrs. Rawlston, Ms. ckwood is just examining Ms. Lindberg. Why are you so


    nervous...¡±


    The two nurses were trying hard to stop Mrs. Rawlston.


    Meanwhile, Cynthia took out a silver needle and was about to stab it on Charlotte''s head...


    Bang! At that moment, a loud thunder rumbled across the sky.


    Charlotte was jolted awake by the thunder. She opened her eyes abruptly and saw Cynthia trying to


    stab her with a needle in her hand.


    Charlotte had really given Cynthia a good scare when she met Charlotte''s menacing gaze. Then,


    Cynthia instantly stabbed her with the needle.


    However, Charlotte was quick on the draw. She grabbed Cynthia''s hand and pinned her to the bed.


    After that, she stabbed the needle in Cynthia''s face...


    Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    Cynthia let out a scream of fear.


    Mrs. Rawlston and the two nurses were shocked.


    The two of them immediately rushed over and grabbed Charlotte by her arms.


    At that moment, thunder roared across the sky.


    Charlotte grabbed Cynthia by the throat, refusing to let go. Her clear and bright eyes be bloodshot


    like a crazy beast...


    ¡°Let go of her...¡± The two nurses wanted to hit Charlotte with a vase because they couldn''t pry her off.


    Mrs. Rawlston hurriedly rushed to stop them. ¡°What are you guys trying to do?¡±


    ¡°Step aside!¡±


    It was such a mess inside the room.


    Just then, there was an angry bellowing from outside, ¡°Get her!¡±


    A few bodyguards immediately pounced on Charlotte and pinned her down but she kept struggling to


    break free. Charlotte was like a horse that had just broken free from its reins. It was difficult for them to


    bring her under control.


    ¡°Hurry up! All of you!¡± Henrymanded again.


    His bodyguards rushed over to press Charlotte down on the ground and even chain her up.


    ¡°This is outrageous! You''re at the Nacht residence now. How dare you!¡± Henry was infuriated. ¡°You


    wanted to kill someone in front of me this afternoon. And now you''re trying to assault someone while I


    was sleeping. You really think you''re above thew!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, something doesn''t seem right...¡± Spencer was observing Charlotte. Then, he continued


    uneasily, ¡°Charlotte seems out of control. She is totally not in the right state of mind. Is she sick? Or


    perhaps, did something trigger her emotions?¡±


    Henry took a closer look and noticed something was indeed wrong with Charlotte...


    Just as he was about to speak, Cynthia fell off the bed and crawled towards Henry. She pointed at her


    own face with trembling hands and wailed agitatedly.


    ¡°Oh my God!¡±


    Henry could see half of the silver needle was stabbed deeply in her face. Half of Cynthia''s face was


    ruined. Apart from that, there were traces of blood on her neck. It was all because of Charlotte...


    Immediately, a vortex of anger swirled inside Henry. He yelled furiously, ¡°This is way too much!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, you''ve misunderstood...¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, please stand up for Ms. ckwood.¡±


    The two nurses interrupted Mrs. Rawlston when she was about to speak.

 Chapter 966

    Chapter 966


    The two nurses sobbed as they knelt on the ground. ¡°Ms. ckwood was supposed to treat the wound


    for Mr. Zachary but he''s not around. Then, she saw Ms. Lindberg was lying on the bed with blood all


    over her body. Therefore, she was trying to clean her wounds. Little did she know that she would get


    treated so badly by Ms. Lindberg. Fortunately, you guys appeared in the nick of time. Otherwise, Ms.


    ckwood would''ve lost her life.¡±


    ¡°She is such a vicious woman! How could she stabbed the whole needle into Ms. ckwood''s face. Is


    she trying to disfigure Ms. ckwood?¡±


    ¡°Ms. ckwood is a pretty young woman. How is she going to go out and meet people if half of her


    face is destroyed?¡±


    ¡°What did Ms. ckwood do wrong? She was just here to get Mr. Zachary and Ms. Elisa treated. Why


    does Ms. Lindberg keep bullying her again and again? Why does she have to put Ms. ckwood to


    death? Isn''t she too ruthless?¡±


    ¡°During the time when Ms. Elisa was feeling unwell, Ms. ckwood stayed in the hospital to heal her


    despite her injury. She even fainted outside of the ward. Besides, when Mr. Jamison and Ms. Elisa fell


    down the stairs, Ms. ckwood rushed forward to save them without hesitation and injured herself.¡±


    ¡°Ms. ckwood has been taking care of the Nacht family and treating them with all her heart. And yet


    she is repeatedly mistreated at the Nacht residence. Now, she nearly lost her life! How could you bear


    to see it?¡±


    The two of them were crying andining one after another as if Cynthia was the most unjustly


    treated person on earth.


    Those who didn''t know the truth would definitely feel sorry for Cynthia if they heard it...


    Mrs. Rawlston was taken aback by their reactions. For a moment, she was at a loss for what to say.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht...¡± Right then, Taylor rushed over and saw his daughter like that. He teared up. ¡°If you didn''t


    stand up for my daughter and me today, it would be too embarrassed for me to live!¡±


    ¡°This is ridiculous!¡± Henry''s face turned livid with rage. He pointed at Charlotte and bellowed angrily,


    ¡°Drag this crazy woman out of here! And never let her step in the Nacht residence again!¡±


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    ¡°Yes.¡±


    His bodyguards then held the chain around Charlotte''s wrist and tried to drag her out.


    There were thunders roaring outside. Charlotte''s head was splitting. She kept struggling and resisting


    with all her might as if she was a lioness on the loose. The bodyguards couldn''t even hold her down.


    Henry waved his hands, the other bodyguards charged at her immediately.


    Charlotte got into a fight with them. That scene was quite intense.


    Spencer thought Charlotte seemed strange. Thus, he hurriedly advised, ¡°Mr. Nacht, something doesn''t


    seem right...¡±


    Before Spencer could finish his sentence, Charlotte suddenly rushed forward and reached out her


    hand. She grabbed Henry by his throat. ¡°Silly old bugger, I''ll kill you!¡±


    Henry widened his eyes in surprise...


    Spencer immediately stopped her but Charlotte knocked him down on the ground.


    At that moment, Henry''s wheelchair was falling downstairs...


    Everyone was dumbstruck and almost stopped breathing.


    At this critical moment, a figure rushed over and blocked the wheelchair in time.


    Zachary pushed Henry''s wheelchair back and hugged Charlotte tightly to stop her from acting crazily...


    In the meantime, the bodyguards were still trying to rush over and take Charlotte down. Zachary roared


    furiously, ¡°Get lost!¡±


    The bodyguards were shocked by his aura. They took a step back and didn''t dare to go forward.


    Cynthia shot a look at the nurses and signaled them. They immediately crawled over andined,


    ¡°Mr. Zachary, this woman bullied Ms. ckwood just now...¡±


    ¡°Say one more word and I''ll cut off your tongue.¡±


    Zachary shot them a death stare, including Cynthia.


    Cynthia could feel a shiver down her spine. Feeling panicked, she slumped on the floor...


    ¡°She is insane! This is too outrageous!¡± Henry finally regained hisposure. Then, he ordered


    angrily, ¡°Throw that woman...¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± Zachary finally exploded with rage. ¡°This is my house. I have the final say. If you don''t like


    the way it is, feel free to go back. If you''re going to stay, please just shut up and stop meddling in


    anything!¡±


    ¡°Zachary, you...¡±


    ¡°Haven''t you caused enough trouble already?¡±


    Zachary yelled, infuriated. With that, he spat a mouthful of blood.

 Chapter 967

    Chapter 967


    ¡°Mr. Nacht...¡±


    ¡°Mr. Zachary!¡±


    Everyone was shocked as they saw Zachary spitting blood.


    Zachary had never fully recovered from the snake venom, and he had been suppressing it all this


    while. Plus, he had gotten worn out by endless chores these few days.


    Just when he thought things were getting under control, Henry came back and caused the conflict


    between him and Charlotte to escte once again.


    Zachary had to endure more physical and emotional damage with another fight uprising tonight.


    ¡°What''s wrong with him?¡±


    Henry was not aware that Zachary got poisoned by a snake. Everyone hid this from him as they did not


    want him to get upset.


    ¡°Hurry. Bring Raina over here.¡±


    ¡°Stop!¡± Zachary shouted in exasperation. ¡°If you don''t want to see me die, stop sticking your nose into


    my business!¡±


    ¡°How could you say that...¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht!¡± Spencer stood up nervously, with his hands pressing against his injured waist. ¡°Let''s go


    downstairs and let Mr. Zachary handle this himself.¡±


    ¡°Why are you siding with him too?¡± Henry was enraged. ¡°This is all caused by the b*tch from the


    Lindberg family. She can''t stop wanting to kill those at the Nacht residence. And look what she has


    done to Cynthia now!¡±


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    At that moment, Cynthia was sitting helplessly on the floor, crying desperately.


    ¡°I''ll handle that my way.¡± Zachary hugged tightly onto Charlotte, who was still going nuts, as he shouted


    furiously, ¡°All of you get out of my sight!¡±


    ¡°You...¡± Regardless of how pissed Henry was, he could not bear to see Zachary suffering like this.


    Eventually, he chose to give in. ¡°If you can''t handle it by tonight, I''ll take over tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°All right. Let''s drop this for now.¡± Spencer signaled Henry to leave as he spat another sentence toward


    Taylor. ¡°Mr. ckwood, please take Cynthia downstairs.¡±


    ¡°But...¡± Taylor had no choice as he saw Henry had given in as well. Reluctantly, he escorted Cynthia


    out.


    ¡°Who the h*ll chain her? Unlock it now!¡±


    As Zachary spotted Charlotte''s hands and feet chained, he burst into a fit of fury again.


    The few bodyguards immediately went over and freed Charlotte from her chains.


    The next second, Charlotte cast a furious kick toward them.


    Zachary immediately grabbed her before she could start beating those guards up. With that, he tried


    hard to pull her into the room.


    However, Charlotte was still struggling unyieldingly. In the end, Zachary had no choice but to put her off


    with a p in her head.


    ¡°Mr. Zachary...¡± Mrs. Rawlston followed in and started tidying up the messy room. ¡°Ms. Lindberg is


    innocent. Ms. ckwood was the one who barged in and the needle belonged to Ms. ckwood. She


    said that she wanted to cure Ms. Lindberg, but actually...¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Zachary narrowed his eyes while biting his lip angrily. ¡°I wanted to wait for her to show her


    true color. But it looks like we won''t get the opportunity for that.¡±


    Mrs. Rawlston was stunned momentarily upon hearing what Zachary said. Everyone thought Zachary


    was totally blind as he was mesmerized by the ckwood family. Only now did Mrs. Rawlston realize


    that Zachary knew everything since the beginning.


    ¡°Stop thinking about this, and stop talking about this. Please go check on the kids.¡± Zachary instructed,


    ¡°Don''t let them know what happened just now. And don''t involve them in this.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I got it.¡± Mrs. Rawlston nodded nervously.


    ¡°Mrs. Rawlston...¡± Zachary reminded solemnly. ¡°You''re the butler here and a respected elderly. Other


    than Mr. Spencer, it would be best if you were the one in charge. Please don''t let any outsider bully


    you.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Mrs. Rawlston immediately straightened her back.


    ¡°You may leave now,¡± Zachary instructed again.


    With that, Mrs. Rawlston closed the door gently and left.


    Zachary stared at Charlotte who was unconscious, his eyes filled with guilt.


    Wiping off the bloodstain on her face, he uttered in a low voice, ¡°I won''t let anyone hurt you ever again.


    I promise...¡±

 Chapter 968

    Chapter 968


    Taylor escorted Cynthia back to the room while asking nervously, ¡°What happened? Why were you


    getting bullied by her again? Didn''t I tell you...¡±


    Before Taylor could finish his sentence, he got startled by what came into his sight. ¡°Oh my God.


    Cynthia, your face...¡±


    Responsively touching her face, Cynthia felt something was flowing out.


    Beyond panic, she ran to the mirror to check her face. A secondter, she fell onto the ground while


    trembling incessantly.


    ¡°Holy shit. What''s going on?¡±


    The two nurses at the scene also recoiled in fear. At that moment, the area on her face pierced by the


    needle was dposing rapidly as pus flowed out.


    ¡°What''s happening to you?¡± Taylor could not suppress his anxiousness. ¡°Could it be the needle got


    poisoned? Isn''t this your needle?¡±


    He recognized instantly it was Cynthia''s medical needle.


    Right away, he realized what had happened. It looks like she tried to kill Charlotte while thetter was


    injured badly. But who would have thought that she got pierced by Charlotte with her own needle...


    ¡°Quick! Bring me medical kit number one,¡± Cynthia signed anxiously.


    The nurse immediately found her the medical kit.


    Cynthia nervously searched through the box and took out a bottle of medicine. Just when she was


    about to apply it, there was an abrupt knocking on the door. The next second, Spencer''s voice


    appeared.


    ¡°Cynthia, Mr. Nacht is here to see you. Is it convenient now?¡±


    Cynthia was about to go crazy. I''m about to put on the medicine, and I''m running out of time. The


    rotting area is bing bigger and bigger. What''s Mr. Nacht doing here now?


    Cynthia gave a signal to the nurse to ask her to reject Henry. But right then, Taylor suddenly spat out a


    sentence. ¡°No problem! Please give us a second!¡±


    Upon saying that, Taylor made a gesture toward Cynthia, asking her to tidy up herself.


    Cynthia got utterly pissed by her brainless father. But at that moment, she had no other option but to


    comply. Helplessly, she put on her mask and hid away the medical kit.


    Taylor opened the door and weed Henry courteously. ¡°Mr. Nacht, is there anything? Why do you


    come here at this hour?¡±


    ¡°I''m here to see Cynthia.¡±


    After witnessing Cynthia getting bullied by Charlotte until she nearly lost her life, Henry felt utterly guilty.


    With that, he came purposely tofort Cynthia.


    Cynthia was leaning against the couch. She tried to get up, and her body fell weak. As such, the nurse


    rushed to support her.


    ¡°Grandpa,¡± Cynthia signed casually.


    ¡°Cynthia, how do you feel? Is your injury serious?¡± Henry asked with deep concern.


    Cynthia lowered her head without a word as tears began flowing down her face.


    ¡°The Nacht family owe you an apology. We''ve wronged you.¡±


    Recalling Charlotte''s merciless gesture, Henry bit his lips in exasperation.


    ¡°Initially, I still felt sorry for her as I thought it was my stubbornness two years ago that caused her and


    Mrs. Berry to end up like that. But now, her crazy behavior is unforgivable!¡±


    ¡°Indeed. It''s uneptable.¡± Taylor also stomped his feet in rage. ¡°Probably she has found out that


    Cynthia took her ce two years ago. That was why she''s been wanting to revenge thetter and bully


    her.¡±


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Just then, Cynthia bawled out her eyes while signing, ¡±Actually Daddy had advised me to go back. But


    I''m worried about Ellie, who''s sick, and Zachary, who has been poisoned. If I go back now, their life


    would be in danger. That''s why I took the risk and stayed. But who would know that Ms. Lindberg


    refused to back off from me? She''s been trying to take my life.¡±


    ¡°What? Is Zachary poisoned?¡± A dark expression immediately loomed over Henry''s face. ¡°How did he


    get poisoned? I thought he merely suffered some slight injury.¡±


    ¡°Have you not known about it?¡± Cynthia signed anxiously, ¡±Danrique poisoned Ellie, and her life''s at


    stake now. Zachary tried to confront him, but he let loose a snake to bite Zachary. Zachary almost lost


    his life too...¡±


    Right then, Spencer was shaking his head forcefully, signaling her not to reveal it. Yet, Cynthia ignored


    him utterly.

 Chapter 969

    Chapter 969


    ¡°So Ellie doesn''t have a fever, but she was poisoned. Zachary too...¡± The color drained from Henry''s


    face as he stomped in exasperation. ¡°Spencer,e over here!¡±


    Spencer, standing behind Henry, cut a re at Cynthia before walking toward Henry and apologizing,


    ¡°I''m so sorry, Mr. Nacht. I lied to you.¡±


    ¡°You piece of cr*p!¡± Henry beat him angrily with his cane. ¡°Tell me now. Is everything Cynthia said


    true?¡±


    Spencer pondered for a while and chose his words cautiously. ¡°Danrique was the one who let the


    snake bit Mr. Zachary. But regarding Ellie''s case, even though Danrique is the biggest suspect, we''ve


    not found the decisive proof for it. Mr. Zachary is still investigating...¡±


    ¡°What a smart statement that is.¡± Right then, Taylor weighed in rudely. ¡°I heard from Ben that Ellie got


    poisoned while she was with Charlotte. If it wasn''t Danrique, then was it Charlotte?¡±


    ¡°Daddy, what nonsense are you talking about?¡± Cynthia immediately interrupted Taylor with her sign


    language. ¡±Even a vicious tiger will not eat its cubs. How could Ms. Lindberg possibly do that?¡±


    ¡°Silly girl. She almost killed you twice today. Why do you still speak up for her?¡± Taylor responded in


    wrath.


    ¡°I''m merely analyzing it rationally,¡± Cynthia signed.


    ¡°Cynthia, you''re too soft-hearted.¡± Henry''s expression was utterly rigid. ¡°After Ellie got sick, Charlotte


    could get back to the Nacht family legitimately. Now I look at it, what Taylor said seems reasonable.¡±


    ¡°That''s impossible. Mr. Nacht, Ms. Lindberg loves her child very much...¡±


    Spencer was about to speak for Charlotte again.


    ¡°Shut the f*ck up!¡± Henry shouted, beyond enraged. ¡°How dare you hide such an important truth from


    me? Do you want to piss me to death as well?¡±


    Spencer lowered his head upon hearing that, not daring to utter another word.


    ¡°I''ve underestimated Danrique.¡± The more Henry thought of it, the more pissed he became. ¡°He


    transformed Charlotte and then instilled hatred in her. Then, he let here back to cause a mess in


    the Nacht family. Now Zachary has been blinded by love. If this goes on, I''m afraid he will get destroyed


    by that b*tchpletely! No way. I''m chasing her out now. It''ll be toote if the whole family got


    destroyed by her. My three great-grandkids will be affected as well...¡±


    Upon saying that, Henry pushed his wheelchair angrily, intended to leave.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, please calm down. Don''t do anything harsh.¡± Spencer immediately consoled him. ¡°You''ve


    promised Mr. Zachary to let him handle it tonight. Maybe you should stay out of it.¡±


    ¡°Cut the cr*p! Push me out now...¡±


    As Henry was throwing a tantrum, the door opened abruptly. It was Zachary who was standing outside.


    The whole room was stunned momentarily, as Spencer was the first to react. ¡°Mr. Zachary, why are you


    here?¡±


    ¡°I know Grandpa''s not getting good sleep recently, so I came to check.¡±


    Closing the door behind him, Zachary walked toward them slowly.


    ¡°How dare you try to act like you care...¡±Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    When Henry was about to scold Zachary, Spencer patted the former''s shoulder gently, signaling him to


    stop.


    Looking at those wounds all over Zachary''s body, Henry swallowed back his anger again.


    ¡°Zachary, have a seat,¡± Taylor immediately greeted Zachary.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Zachary looked at Cynthia in her eyes.


    Cynthia shook her head, with her eyes still brimming with tears. Her pitiful look would make anyone''s


    heart break.


    ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Zachary wrapped his arm around her shoulder. ¡°I''ve arranged for that crazy woman to leave


    tomorrow afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Taylor was unable to suppress his eagerness upon hearing that. He immediately realized his


    inappropriate reaction after that.


    ¡°Are you going to send her away only?¡± Henry confronted, still enraged. ¡°Look at Cynthia. She almost


    broke her neck, and her face got pierced by a needle! We won''t even know if her look would get


    destroyed!¡±

 Chapter 970

    Chapter 970


    ¡°Let me check. Is the wound severe?¡± Zachary reached out his hand to take off Cynthia''s mask.


    Cynthia immediately avoided him while taking a few steps back. ¡±I''ve not taken out the needle. My look


    is terrible now. I don''t want to startle you.¡±


    ¡°It''s all right. No matter how your look bes, you''re the prettiest in my eyes.¡± Zachary uttered gently,


    ¡°Please let me have a look. If it''s serious, I''ll ask Raina toe to treat you right away.¡±


    ¡°There''s no need for that. Really. I look hideous now...¡± Cynthia shook her head insecurely while


    signing.


    ¡°Cynthia, please take it off and show it to Zachary.¡±


    Taylor stepped toward her abruptly and swiftly took off her mask.


    At that instant, everyone in the room was shocked upon seeing Cynthia''s face. They did not expect it


    would be so severe.


    ¡°How could this be?¡± Henry was befuddled. ¡°Was the needle poisoned?¡±


    Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Spencer took a closer look and said, ¡°It must be.¡±


    Cynthia lowered her head with embarrassment, covering her face with her hands.


    ¡°The Lindberg family expertise in poisons, and Danrique is a master in dealing with poison.¡± Taylor


    uttered emotionally, ¡°First, they poisoned Ellie, and then they used a poisonous snake to bite Zachary.


    Now, they pierced Cynthia with a poisonous needle. This is outrageous!¡±


    Spencer cut a side nce at him without saying anything.


    ¡°I didn''t know Charlotte had be so inhuman.¡± Henry was trembling incessantly with rage. ¡°Zachary,


    do you see that? That woman can''t be trusted.¡±


    ¡°Does Mr. ckwood mean this needle belongs to Charlotte?¡± Zachary observed Cynthia''s face. ¡°I


    don''t recall she owns something like this. But Cynthia is the one who has always been using needles.¡±


    ¡°The needle is not Ms. ckwood''s.¡±


    One of the nurses weighed in abruptly.


    ¡°I''ve no idea where she got the needle.¡± Cynthia cried while signing. ¡±I intended to treat her wound. But


    there was a rumble of thunder, and she opened her eyes suddenly. After that, she charged at me


    fiercely and used the needle to pierce me...¡±


    ¡°Did she use the needle to pierce you?¡± Zachary narrowed his eyes. ¡°But why Mrs. Rawlston said that


    you were the one who pierced Charlotte first?¡±


    ¡°No, that''s not it. I didn''t carry any needle.¡± Cynthia immediately exined with her signnguage. ¡±I


    merely wanted to check on her wound. My hands were empty.¡±


    ¡°The medical kit was still in my hand at that time,¡± The nurse added. ¡°Ms. ckwood didn''t carry


    anything.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely.¡± The other nurse spoke too. ¡°Mrs. Rawlston was standing far by the door that time. And it


    was dark inside the room. How could she possibly see what Ms. ckwood was holding in her hand?¡±


    ¡°Probably that''s right.¡± Zachary nodded faintly. ¡°Mrs. Rawlston doesn''t have good eyesight after all.¡±


    Spencer stared at Zachary with aplicated expression.


    ¡°So it means that the needle belongs to Charlotte,¡± Henry spoke again in his harsh tone. ¡°We can''t drop


    this matter just like that. What if Cynthia''s look got disfigured?¡±


    ¡°Then what do you propose?¡± Zachary shifted the question back to Henry.


    ¡°Well...¡± Henry was rendered speechless for a while. If we settle this in private, the Lindberg family will


    find us. If we send her to the cops, what''re we going to tell the three kids?


    ¡°Forget it,¡± Cynthia signed while crying. ¡±She''s a mother of three, after all. And she''s the daughter of the


    Lindberg family. The ckwood family can''t afford to piss them off. And I don''t want to put Grandpa


    and Zachary in a bad spot.¡±


    ¡°But look at what she''s done to you...¡± Tears started welling up Taylor''s eyes at that moment. ¡°It''s all my


    fault. I wasn''t able to protect you.¡±


    Just when Henry was about to say something, Zachary interrupted again, ¡°The Nacht family owes you


    this, and I make it up for you. To avoid further conflict, I''ll send here away tomorrow.¡±


    After hesitating for a while, Zachary took out his phone. ¡°Now, let''s send you to the hospital first.¡±

 Chapter 971

    Chapter 971


    ¡°It''s fine.¡± Cynthia stopped him right away with her signnguage. ¡±I have some knowledge dealing with


    poison too. Let me solve it myself first.¡±


    ¡°Okay then.¡± Zachary nodded slightly. ¡°Anything you need, juste and see me anytime.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    At that moment, Cynthia was shouting desperately internally. Please get lost now, all of you! I need my


    medicine!


    ¡°Then, I''ll excuse myself first. It''ste already.¡± Zachary patted her shoulder gently. ¡°Go to rest early.¡±


    Then, he turned to Henry as well. ¡°Grandpa, please go back to your room. Stop disturbing her.¡±


    With that, Zachary left the scene.


    Staring at Zachary''s back figure, Henry felt something peculiar with him today. He seldom talks so


    nicely to me.


    But Henry soon cleared his thoughts as he shifted his gaze toward Cynthia. ¡°He''s right. We''ll make it up


    to you.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Mr. Henry.¡± Cynthia expressed her gratitude with tears in her eyes.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, you know about this too. Cynthia doesn''t want anything. Her only hope is to get married to


    Zachary.¡± Taylorid out a timely statement.


    ¡°Zachary and Cynthia have been getting along well. If it weren''t for that woman, I suppose they would


    have already gotten engaged by now.¡±


    ¡°You''ve mentioned this in the hospital.¡± Henry furrowed his brows. ¡°Even though Zachary seems like a


    cold person, he has always ced great value in rtionships. After all, that woman is the mother of


    his children. He won''t be able to wipe that clean... And with his feelings toward her, I guess he''ll get


    entangled with her no matter what. But since I''m back now, I''ll keep an eye on him. Don''t worry. I''ll


    make sure to settle this marriage as soon as possible!¡±


    ¡°That''s good then, that''s good,¡± Taylor nodded his head. ¡°Let me apany you out.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine. Please stay with Cynthia.¡±


    With that, Spencer pushed Henry out of the room.


    Back in the room, Cynthia immediately had the nurses lock the door. After that, they started pulling out


    the needle and applying the medicine to her face.


    Her body trembled incessantly in agony as her tears flowed down uncontrobly. The pain was so


    extreme that her finger almost tore her clothes apart.


    Taylor was heartbroken looking at this scene. ¡°Cynthia, I''m sorry you have to go through this. But I think


    Zachary''s heart is still for you. Plus, Mr. Nacht has agreed to the marriage. I believe it''lle true


    soon.¡±


    Cynthia paid no attention at all to what he said, as she nervously observed her face in the mirror.


    Almost half of her face had rotten, and the poison was still spreading. She recoiled in utter fear.


    ¡°It doesn''t look good, Ms. ckwood...¡± The nurse noticed nothing changed even after she applied the


    medicine. ¡°Maybe we have waited for too long, or maybe the needle was too deep. It seems like the


    antidote is not working anymore.¡±


    ¡°What? How could it be?¡± Taylor''s heart skipped a beat. ¡°If your face got ruined, then Zachary will truly


    leave you for good. You''re already mute, and now...¡±


    Before he could finish his sentence, Cynthia cut a ferocious re at him. He immediately changed his


    tone. ¡°Cynthia, don''t look at me like this. I''m just worried about you.¡±


    ¡°All you care about is your family interests. You don''t care for me at all,¡± Cynthia signed furiously.


    ¡°No... It''s not like that...¡±


    ¡°That''s enough.¡± Cynthia had no mood to continue the conversation. ¡±Please get in touch with Freya


    now. Ask her to get a few medicines from myboratory...¡±


    She wrote down theboratory''s name on a piece of paper and handed it to Taylor. ¡±Hurry!¡±


    ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    ¡°All right, all right. I''ll see to it immediately.¡± Taylor rushed out of the room.


    ¡°What now? The wound is too deep. If we don''t treat it now, it will get worse,¡± The nurse reminded in an


    anxious tone.


    ¡°Continue to apply the antidote. Let''s try to suppress it first.¡±


    As Cynthia spread the medicine directly on her face, the pain almost killed her. Right then, she recalled


    the look of Charlotte''s face when thetter pierced the needle right into her face.


    Charlotte Lindberg, I swear I won''t let you go just like this! I''m going to kill you!

 Chapter 972

    Chapter 972


    ¡°She''s going to be sent away tomorrow, so you should just endure it first. Don''t be rash!¡± advised the


    medical staff carefully. ¡°We can''t fight her now. She''s too powerful!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, don''t do anything reckless for now. It''s not worth it.¡±


    The two medical staff were already so scared of Charlotte that they did not dare to provoke her


    anymore.


    ¡°Forget it?¡± Cynthia signed frantically. ¡±If she escapes this time, how can I take revenge on her? I want


    her to experience my suffering before she leaves!¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Cynthia pped the medical staff forcefully. ¡±Pass me the medical kit.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Clutching her cheek, the medical staff brought the medical kit over.


    Cynthia took out a small blue bottle. Narrowing her eyes, she signed viciously. ¡±Tomorrow morning...¡±


    Pale from fear, the medical staff quickly interrupted, ¡°We can''t do this, Ms. ckwood. We''re doomed if


    someone finds out!¡±


    ¡°Yeah! Ms. Lindberg is cruel and merciless. She''ll definitely kill us!¡±


    ¡°You''re afraid of her, but not me?¡± Cynthia signed menacingly. ¡±If you act smartly, no one will find out.


    Furthermore, Henry and Zachary are siding with me now. The family is going to be in my grasp soon!


    Who is that woman topete with me?¡±


    When the medical staff heard that, they hesitated...


    ¡°Don''t worry. After everything, I''ll arrange for both of you to leave as soon as possible and give you a


    huge sum of money.¡± Cynthia took out two cheques. ¡±This is your deposit.¡±


    When the two of them saw the number scribbled on the cheque, their eyes lit up. The deposit was so


    hefty that no one could refuse it.


    ¡°Don''t worry over nothing.¡± Cynthia signed coldly. ¡±Even doing business involves risk-taking. When you


    go out, you might even get into a car ident! If you don''t dare to take any risks, how can you ever


    seed?¡±


    ¡°You''re right! I''m in!¡±


    ¡°Me too!¡±


    Meanwhile, in his room, Henry was frowning.


    ¡°There''s something wrong with that rascal. Why is he so agreeable tonight?¡± He wondered. ¡°Is this part


    of a strategy to calm me down first before ying his tricks?¡±


    With his head lowered as he made the bed, Spencer gave no response.


    ¡°Why aren''t you saying anything, you silly old bugger?¡± growled Henry unhappily.


    ¡°I don''t dare to,¡± answered Spencer.


    ¡°Pfft! What do you not dare to do?¡± A grim expression crossed Henry''s face. ¡°Why are you speaking so


    weirdly? What are you trying to say?¡±


    ¡°I don''t understand.¡± Spencer tried to hold himself back, but he could not help but ask, ¡°Why would you


    rather believe an outsider than your own grandson?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Henry was stunned, for this was the first time Spencer had rebuked him.


    ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    ¡°I think that Mr. Zachary knows what he is doing. Sometimes, you...¡±


    Spencer shot him a timid look, not daring to go on.


    ¡°What do you want to say? Speak!¡± Henry red at him.


    ¡°You''re too much of a busybody.¡± Spencer could not help but speak his mind.


    ¡°How insolent!¡± Henry refused to admit it. ¡°I''m doing this for his own sake...¡±


    ¡°You might be doing it for his own sake, but he doesn''t want it.¡± Spencer became anxious. ¡°Two years


    ago, you also had his good intentions in mind. However, what happened? He drowned in his sorrows,


    while the kids hated you. Not only did you fail to stop what you wanted to stop, but you also made the


    situation worse...¡±


    At that point, Spencer paused mid-sentence when he noticed Henry''s grim expression. He was afraid


    that if he continued speaking, Henry would be provoked again.


    Hence, he paused and advised tactfully, ¡°Mr. Nacht, I think that you should trust Mr. Zachary''s judgment


    and capabilities. For all these years, he had never taken a wrong step. On the other hand, when you try


    to forcefully change the situation, you''d end upmitting a huge mistake. Not only does it require so


    much effort, but you have also turned your grandson and grandchildren against you! Why go through


    all that?¡±

 Chapter 973

    Chapter 973


    ¡°Silly old bugger, you''re getting bolder, huh? How dare you chide me?¡± scolded Henry furiously as he


    hit Spencer''s leg with his cane.


    Spencer lowered his head as he received Henry''s blows silently.


    However, after two hits, Henry stopped. Panting weakly, he said, ¡°Your punishment is that you''re not


    allowed to speak tonight.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    After cleaning the blood and dirt away from Charlotte''s body, Zachary took a bath and slept beside her.


    Propping his head up with an arm, hey on his side and watched her silently.


    It was rare to see her so quiet. Instead of making a fuss, she was lying beside him so obediently.


    He recalled how two years ago, they had such passionate nights on this bed. While he could never


    bear to let go of her, she would also cling to him so longingly.


    They were reunited on the same bed two yearster, although in a different way.


    Stretching his hand out, he flicked her hair away from her forehead gently before stroking her beautiful


    face with the back of his palm. Then, he moved closer, kissed her forehead and hugged her tightly in


    his arms.


    He really wished that they could continue like this forever.


    I hope that she won''t ever wake up.


    However, just when that thought shed across his mind, he heard a series of urgent knocks on the


    door. ¡°Mr. Nacht, I need to report something to you.¡±


    Left with no choice, Zachary got up, put on his robe and opened the door. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°We have captured Sharon,¡± said Ben softly. ¡°Raina also sent a message, saying that Morgan''s


    condition has already stabilized. Her life is not in danger anymore...¡±


    ¡°Where''s Ms. Lindberg?¡±


    Lupine and a few female bodyguards had hurried back rapidly. On their way, they heard about Morgan


    being shot. Feeling anxious, she immediately dispatched two bodyguards to the hospital to check on


    Morgan.


    Meanwhile, she and the remaining two other bodyguards rushed back to look for Charlotte...


    ¡°Softer,¡± reminded Zachary as he frowned. ¡°She just fell asleep.¡±


    ¡°I need to check on her.¡± Lupine was still worried. ¡°Please let me in to take a look.¡±


    Zachary moved aside.


    Lupine crept over quietly. Through the dim lighting, she could see that Charlotte was deep asleep. It


    was only after confirming that Charlotte had not suffered any serious injuries that she left, feeling


    relieved.


    ¡°Sorry for disturbing you.¡±


    Lupine bowed to Zachary before heading toward Ellie''s room.


    ¡°Keep an eye on Sharon and don''t let her escape again,¡± Zachary instructed Ben. ¡°You must also pay


    attention to what''s happening in the hospital. Don''t let anything happen to Morgan.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Ben nodded before whispering, ¡°Marino has already found Dr. Felch. However, he said


    that he''ll onlye to H City if he can contact Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    ¡°I''ll talk to her after daybreak.¡± Zachary nced at his watch and saw that it was already three in the


    morning. ¡°You may leave now.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Ben rushed away quickly to supervise the others, who were monitoring Sharon.


    Meanwhile, Lupine went to Ellie''s bedroom and asked the two female bodyguards, ¡°Is Ms. Elisa


    alright?¡±


    ¡°She''s fine,¡± one replied softly. ¡°However, Ms. Lindberg got bullied today...¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Lupine was startled. ¡°What happened?¡±


    The bodyguard quickly told her about what happened between Charlotte and Cynthia.


    ¡°We could hear shouts from outside. However, as this room is soundproof, we can''t really hear what


    was being said. Since Ms. Lindberg told us to protect Ms. Elisa to our best abilities and that we''re not


    allowed to exit no matter what happens, we did not leave.¡±


    After a slight pause, she continued, ¡°Afterward, we heard from Molly that Ms. Lindberg and Morgan got


    attacked after leaving and ended up getting caught in a thunderstorm. When Ms. Lindberg''s illness


    acted up again, Mr. Nacht carried her home. Probably out of jealousy, Cynthia forcefully barged into the


    room when Mr. Nacht was not around and provoked Ms. Lindberg. This was despite Mrs. Rawlston''s


    frantic attempts to stop her! Ms. Lindberg retaliated angrily and almost suffocated Cynthia. Hence, Mr.


    Henry sent a few bodyguards to restrain her, even chaining her down...¡±This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 974

    Chapter 974


    ¡°How dare they?¡± Lupine was furious. ¡°The Nacht family has really crossed the line!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht came back afterward and stabilized the situation,¡± exined the bodyguards. ¡°He still sides


    with Ms. Lindberg, but that old man, Mr. Henry, hates her to the core. He just can''t wait to get rid of


    her!¡±


    ¡°That''s right. I don''t know if he''s blind. Otherwise, why would he trust that mute from the ckwood


    family and keep targeting Ms. Lindberg?¡±


    ¡°Now, we are left without much manpower and are trapped in the Nacht residence. Ms. Lindberg is


    unconscious while Morgan got into an ident. Things can''t go on like this...¡± A grim look crossed


    Lupine''s face. ¡°I''ll report to Mr. Lindberg immediately!¡±


    ¡°Yeah. If hees, no one will dare to bully Ms. Lindberg!¡±


    Lupine immediately sent a message to Danrique and reported everything that happened to him.


    However, he gave no response.


    She had no choice but to keep waiting.


    The rainsted for the entire night.


    When the next morning arrived, the sky had cleared.


    Charlotte woke up from her sleep. Her head felt extremely heavy and the back of her neck was very


    sore.


    Sitting up, she shook her head and tried to remember everything that had happenedst night.


    I left to meet Olivia with Morgan but was caught in a sneak attack by Zara. Morgan was shot while my


    illness rpsed again...


    ¡°Morgan!¡±


    Charlotte widened her eyes. She immediately jumped out of the bed but realized that she was


    completely naked except for a bathrobe wrapped around her.


    ¡°She''s fine.¡± A familiar voice sounded.


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    When she turned her head, she saw Zachary walking out of the bathroom. There was only a towel


    wrapped around his torso, while water dripped down his hair and body.


    ¡°Are you crazy? Why are you bathing in my room?¡± growled Charlotte as she frowned.


    Zachary pointed at the wedding photo hung on the wall.


    Charlotte raised her head and nced at it. Stunned, she continued scanning the room. ¡°Is this your


    room?¡±


    ¡°It''s ours.¡± Zachary walked toward her while he wiped his hair. ¡°Go and bathe. We''ll head downstairs for


    breakfastter.¡±


    ¡°What''s going on?¡± Charlotte felt very uneasy. ¡°What happenedst night?¡±


    Every time she had a rpse, she would forget what happened.


    ¡°Go and bathe first.¡± Zachary stroked her hair. ¡°You smell like blood.¡±


    After Charlotte sniffed herself and realized that he was right, she immediately went to the bathroom.


    While she bathed, she tried to recall the events fromst night. She realized that there were bruises on


    her wrists and ankles, which looked like they were marks from being cuffed...


    She closed her eyes and tried her best to remember. Soon, a few shbacks appeared in her mind.


    Cynthia attacked me with a silver needle, but I pinned her against the floor and stabbed her face with


    the needle. Then, Mr. Nacht came with some men.


    When Charlotte opened her eyes again, a vicious glint shed across them.


    Very well! How dare these worthless people bully me?


    She walked out of the bathroom, fuming with rage.


    ¡°Change your clothes.¡± Zachary opened the closet to reveal an array of female clothing. For some


    reason, they looked quite familiar to her...


    ¡°I don''t wear someone else''s clothes.¡±


    Charlotte walked out directly.


    ¡°These are yours,¡± said Zachary gently. ¡°Don''t you remember?¡±


    Charlotte halted in her tracks and turned around to take a look. Yeah, they look kinda familiar...


    ¡°Wear them. It''s not appropriate if the kidse and knock on the doorter.¡±


    Zachary pointed at her bathrobe.


    After shooting a re at him, Charlotte grabbed a set of clothes and changed into them behind the


    partition.


    ¡°Daddy! Daddy!¡± At that moment, someone suddenly knocked on the door. Jamie yelled anxiously,


    ¡°Mommy''s gone! We can''t find her!¡±


    Walking over, Zachary opened the door and pointed inside the room. ¡°Mommy''s changing now.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Jamie was stunned. ¡°Did Mommy sleep herest night?¡±

 Chapter 975

    Chapter 975


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Zachary nodded.


    ¡°Wow, that''s great!¡± Jamie was overjoyed. ¡°Does this mean that you''ve reconciled?¡±


    ¡°We need more time...¡± Turning around, Zachary nced at Charlotte. ¡°Mommy''s still angry at me, so I


    must impress her.¡±


    ¡°Haha! Do your best!¡± Jamie clenched his fist and pumped it into the air. ¡°I won''t disturb you anymore.


    I''ll wait for you downstairs!¡±


    ¡°Go on.¡± Zachary stroked his head and closed the bedroom door.


    ¡°What nonsense are you telling Jamie?¡±


    Charlotte walked out of the partition after changing her clothes.


    When Zachary turned to look at her, he saw that she was wearing a white dress. Her hair draped over


    her shoulders, while her face was without any makeup. She looked like her past self¡ªmuch more


    gentle and affectionate.


    ¡°I look so weak and vulnerable wearing these clothes,¡± remarked Charlotte mockingly. ¡°Precisely so, all


    of you keep bullying me.¡±


    ¡°No one bullies you.¡± Frowning, Zachary stared at her. ¡°Sometimes, it''s just fate ying a prank on


    you.¡±


    ¡°Fate is only an excuse used by failures.¡±


    Charlotte could not be bothered to talk to him.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Zachary immediately pulled her back.


    ¡°I''m leaving! Am I going to stay here and let all of you harm me?¡± She red at him coldly. ¡°When I find


    Dr. Felch, I''ll bring the three kids back to me. Then, I''ll settle my score with the Nacht family!¡±


    With that, Charlotte flung his hand away and left.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Zachary quickly stopped her. ¡°I have something to tell you.¡±


    ¡°There''s nothing for us to talk about.¡±


    Just when Charlotte opened the door and was about to leave, she froze.


    Robbie was standing outside with a hand raised, about to knock on the door. However, it was obvious


    that he had overheard their argument. His hand was frozen mid-air, while a crestfallen expression


    crossed his face.


    ¡°Robbie...¡± Charlotte squatted down and said softly, ¡°I''m leaving. After I find the doctor, I''ll pick all of you


    up.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Robbie nodded. Although the disappointment in his eyes could not be concealed, he squeezed


    out a smile. Pretending to be strong, he promised, ¡°I''ll protect Jamie and Ellie. Don''t worry, Mommy!¡±


    Charlotte hugged him, feeling extremely reluctant to leave him.


    No matter what her rtionship with Zachary was, she felt like she owed her children a lot. Now that


    she thought about it, she should not have let Zachary meet the children. She and Mrs. Berry could


    have raised the children themselves. Although they were poor, life was peaceful and happy.


    The minute they get acquainted with this rich family, everything changed. After she came back to the


    Nacht family, all those grudges and hatred arose...


    She could not even control her own fate anymore.


    ¡°Leave after eating breakfast.¡±


    Seeing how resolute Charlotte was, Zachary knew that he would not be able to retain her no matter


    what. Hence, he said, ¡°Jamie and Ellie are still waiting for us downstairs...¡±


    ¡°Mommy!¡±


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    A wake and hoarse voice sounded.


    When Charlotte turned around, she saw Lupine pushing Ellie, who was sitting in a wheelchair, out of


    the bedroom. Ellie was hugging a stuffed alpaca, while a nket was draped over her body.


    Meanwhile, Little Fifi perched on her shoulder obediently.


    After being sick for a long time, Ellie had lost a lot of weight. Her initially chubby cheeks were now


    completely pale, while her bright eyes had be sunken and dull.


    It broke Charlotte''s heart when she looked at her.


    ¡°Why did youe out, Ellie?¡± Charlotte rushed over to hug Ellie. ¡°Why aren''t you resting in your


    room?¡±


    ¡°I''ve not left my room for some time. Since the weather''s so good today, I''d like toe out and take a


    breather.¡± Ellie''s voice was hoarse and she struggled to speak. ¡°Mommy, let''s eat breakfast in the


    garden.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Windt, breakfast is ready!¡± announced Mrs. Rawlston as she walked up the stairs. ¡°It''s the pastries


    that you and the kids like to eat!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Mrs. Rawlston. I...¡±


    ¡°Grandpa went out for a stroll and Cynthia''s having breakfast with her father indoors.¡± Zachary could


    read her mind. ¡°It''s just the six of us this morning.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Charlotte nced at him. For some reason, she thought that he was intentionally nning


    something...

 Chapter 976

    Chapter 976


    ¡°Ellie, I''ll carry you down.¡±


    Charlotte carried Ellie from the wheelchair. Ellie wrapped her arms around Charlotte''s neck and


    snuggled in her embrace.


    Meanwhile, Zachary held Robbie''s hand and headed downstairs. They were greeted by Jamie''s wide


    grin. ¡°Good morning, Daddy and Mommy! Good morning to you too, Robbie and Ellie!¡±


    ¡°Good morning, Jamie!¡±


    The family walked to the outdoor dining room in the garden. As they dined in the warm sunlight and


    listened to the melodious chirping of the birds, the atmosphere became harmonious.


    Mrs. Rawlston brought thest few tes over before standing at the side and gazing at them with a


    smile. There was a look of affection in her eyes as if she was watching her own children.


    ¡°Let''s dig in, Mommy and Daddy!¡±


    ¡°Good boy! Let''s eat!¡±


    Charlotte gazed at the children warmly.


    Jamie was shoving the food into his mouth.


    Although it looked like there were a lot of things weighing on Robbie''s mind, he was trying his best to


    appear happy.


    Ellie''s appetite had improved a lot as well. While she ate, she said to Little Fifi, ¡°Little Fifi, you must eat


    obediently and not make a mess with your food, okay?¡±


    ¡°Eat! Eat!¡±


    Little Fifi''s head was lowered as it ate the seeds. The entire te of seeds was scattered all over the


    table. However, after Ellie reminded it, it picked the seeds up and ced them back onto the te.


    Charlotte gave Ellie a hot cross bunny before watching the children eat.


    As she did not have much of an appetite, she only drank tea.


    ¡°Ms. Windt, I made some yam broth for you. If you don''t have an appetite, you can drink that first.¡±


    At that moment, Mrs. Rawlston walked over with a bowl of steaming broth.


    ¡°Thank you, Mrs. Rawlston,¡± said Charlotte.


    ¡°What happened to your hand?¡± Molly discovered that Mrs. Rawlston''s hand had been scalded.


    Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°When I was walking out of the kitchen with the broth, the ckwoods'' medical staff bumped into me.


    The broth spilled onto my hand and scalded me,¡± exined Mrs. Rawlston softly. ¡°Luckily, not a lot was


    spilled. Otherwise, Ms. Windt won''t have anything to drink!¡±


    ¡°How dare they? Did they do it on purpose?¡± eximed Molly indignantly.


    ¡°No. They identally bumped into me when they were getting something from the kitchen,¡± Mrs.


    Rawlston rified quickly. ¡°Okay, let''s stop talking. Don''t disturb Mr. Zachary and Ms. Windt''s meal!¡±


    Although Molly did not dare to speak anymore, her expression was grim. She was fuming in anger.


    Despite them conversing in hushed tones, Zachary and Charlotte overheard them.


    Zachary stared at the bowl of yam broth and narrowed his eyes.


    Charlotte moved closer to him and warned softly, ¡°When I''m not around, please protect the kids and


    fulfill your duty as a father!¡±


    ¡°If you''re worried, you can stay here and protect them yourself.¡± Zachary sipped on his tea.


    ¡°You...¡± Charlotte flushed from anger.


    ¡°Mommy, why aren''t you eating?¡± At that moment, Jamie passed a hot cross bunny to Charlotte. ¡°Mrs.


    Rawlston made this. Give it a try!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Jamie.¡±


    Charlotte took a bite of the hot cross bunny. It tastes like how I remembered it...


    When Mrs. Berry stayed there, she often taught Mrs. Rawlston how to make hot cross bunnies. After


    dozens of attempts, she had finally mastered it.


    The hot cross bunnies looked exactly like Mrs. Berry''s.


    ¡°Good morning, Zachary!¡±


    At that moment, an affectionate voice sounded.


    Raising her head, Charlotte saw Cynthia pushing Henry over, while Spencer and Taylor tagged along. It


    was Taylor who greeted them just now.


    Cynthia was wearing a mask, looking timid. When she spotted Charlotte, she was so scared that she


    trembled.


    When Charlotte remembered what happenedst night, a sharp glint appeared in her eyes.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, did that woman attack youst night?¡± asked Lupine softly from behind.


    ¡°You''re already leaving, so don''t kick up a ruckus,¡± warned Zachary softly.


    Charlotte red at him angrily. This jerk! Is he defending Cynthia?

 Chapter 977

    Chapter 977


    ¡°Morning!¡± Zachary greeted as he slowly pushed Henry to the dining table. ¡°Where are your manners?¡±


    ¡°Good morning, Great-grandpa,¡± greeted the triplets.


    ¡°Good day.¡± Henry didn''t seem too well that morning. He looked wan, showing he didn''t have a good


    night''s rest. Yet, he managed an affectionate smile for the kids.


    He frowned at Ellie. ¡°Why are you so thin?¡±


    ¡°I''m not feeling well, Great-grandpa.¡±


    She answered arduously, followed by a string of coughs.


    ¡°How are you feeling, Ellie?¡± Charlotte immediately patted Ellie''s back gently. ¡°It''s chilly here. Let me


    take you upstairs.¡±


    Charlotte hadn''t wanted to deal with Henry. She was nning to leave right after sending Ellie back to


    her room.


    ¡°Have Mrs. Rawlston send her instead,¡± Zachary insisted. ¡°Robbie and Jamie, have you finished? Go


    upstairs and apany Ellie.¡±


    ¡°But I''m not full yet-¡±


    Before Jamie got to finish, Zachary cast him a nce to silence him.


    Jamie soon realized Zachary wanted them upstairs. And so the former took a handful of hot cross


    bunnies, got up, then trailed after Mrs. Rawlston and Ellie.


    ¡°Mommy...¡± Robbie worried about Charlotte being ill-treated without them there.


    ¡°Go ahead.¡± Charlotte ruffled Robbie''s head andforted softly, ¡°Don''t worry. I''lle and pick you


    guys up soon.¡±


    ¡°But they-¡± Henry opened his mouth to speak, but when he caught Robbie''s sharp gaze, the former


    snapped his mouth shut.


    Robbie embraced Charlotte then turned to Zachary. ¡°Daddy, do you remember the promise you made


    to me to protect Mommy two years ago?¡±


    ¡°I remember.¡± Zachary stared at Robbie. ¡°I won''t break that promise. Believe me.¡±


    Robbie was taken aback by the determined look in Zachary''s eyes. It was a rare sight to see.


    ¡°All right.¡± Robbie decided to believe in Zachary. ¡°I believe you.¡±


    ¡°Good boy. Head upstairs then.¡±


    Zachary cast a knowing nce at Bruce. Thetter left with Robbie''s hand in tow, leading some staff


    upstairs to protect the kids.


    Zachary finally shifted his focus to Taylor and Cynthia. ¡°Come sit with us and have some breakfast.¡±


    ¡°No thanks.¡± Taylor swiftly averted his gaze after a cursory nce at Charlotte. ¡°Cynthia and I will be


    heading back to our room.¡±


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Taylor was pulling Cynthia to leave as he spoke.


    ¡°Sit,¡± Henry instructed arrogantly. ¡°You''re in the Nachts'' residence and my esteemed guests. We have


    nothing to hide from you.¡±


    ¡°This...¡± Taylor was conflicted.


    ¡°Grandpa is right.¡± Zachary added politely, ¡°Please have a seat.¡±


    Taylor turned confident when he noted Zachary''s bias attitude toward them. After exchanging eye


    contact with Cynthia, they both took a seat.


    ¡°Why sit so far away?¡± Henry asked. ¡°Come closer.¡±


    The father and daughter moved closer to the head of the table. Taylor ended up beside Henry while


    Cynthia beside Zachary.


    Meanwhile, Charlotte merely sipped her tea silently.


    However, if one would notice, her fingers on the teacup had tightened.


    ¡°Mrs. Rawlston, bring a few more dishes for our newpany,¡± ordered Zachary.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    Molly was furious but could only follow her employer''s instructions.


    Lupine was furious as well at Zachary''s attitude. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, let''s leave.¡±


    Charlotte finally set her teacup onto the table and lifted her gaze, settling on Zachary. ¡°I''lle to pick


    up the kids seven dayster. If anything happens to them, you will pay for it.¡±


    She rose, preparing to leave.


    ¡°You sure talk brave for someone so powerless,¡± Henry taunted. ¡°Do you think you can pick up the kids


    any time you want? They are the Nachts. Nobody can take them away.¡±


    ¡°Try me,¡± Charlotte retorted.

 Chapter 978

    Chapter 978


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°It''s still early in the morning, and you''re already angry.¡± Zachary tugged Charlotte to sit back down. ¡°I''ll


    send you off after breakfast.¡±


    ¡°Let go of me!¡±


    Charlotte wanted to get free from his grasp but froze when she met his gaze. It seemed he was hinting


    something at her.


    ¡°Sure. It''s just a meal.¡± Charlotte sneered, ¡°They won''t eat me anyways.¡±


    Taylor coughed dryly at her sneer.


    Cynthia merely sat there obediently with her head lowered. Tears were falling as though she had


    suffered greatly.


    ¡°Since you''re leaving, I think we should talk.¡±


    Henry suppressed his anger and tried his best to seem humble.


    ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± Charlotte gazed at him coldly.


    Henry sighed deeply. ¡°I still feel the guilt regarding Mrs. Berry''s incident two years ago.¡±


    Charlotte was surprised at his repentance. It was the first time he admitted to his mistake. Has he


    honestly regretted his actions?


    ¡°These two years have been hell to me. The kids were estranged from me, especially Robbie. He''s


    been ming me for sending you away ever since. Zachary was also cold and kept his distance from


    me.


    ¡°It wasn''t that I didn''t reflect on my actions. I have frequently wondered I wouldn''t have insisted on


    sending you away if I could make that choice again. But there is no turning back in life.


    ¡°Unfortunately, mistakes have been made. And there''s no way to rectify it even if I was the worst kind of


    criminal.


    ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    ¡°I don''t know how you feel about your new identity. But you will realize life doesn''t leave you with much


    of a choice as you age.


    ¡°Especially when you''re in a high position, you have to take into consideration the fate of your family


    and grandchildren''s future in your every thought and action. You can''t just think about yourself.¡±


    ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± Charlotte wanted a straightforward answer.


    ¡°I hope you can be more considerate of your children.¡±


    Henry finally spoke his mind.


    ¡°Are you sure it is better for the kids when you take them to the Lindberg residence? ¡°Even though


    you''re a Lindberg and the second major shareholder of the Lindberg Corporation, you rely on Danrique


    for everything you have.


    ¡°What will happen if you defy him one day? And he got mad, then took everything away from you. I


    know you''re fine on your own, but what about the kids? ¡°Where would they go? ¡°Do they have to move


    from city to city with you?¡±


    Undeniably, his words struck a nerve in Charlotte.


    She had considered all these problems hence her worries.


    I, myself, don''t feel any sense of belonging to the Lindberg family. So I hadn''t wanted to take the kids


    there if it wasn''t for the continuous dangerous urrences they faced in the Nacht residence.


    Henry took a sip and continued, ¡°If you have any grudges, I''ll try my best to make it up to you. I can


    even apologize to you with my humblest and deepest sincerity. Anything is fine.


    ¡°But I hope you can refrain from acting recklessly and be more considerate of the kids'' future. Robbie


    will be the sessor to the Nacht family, while Jamie and Ellie are the descendants of the Nacht


    family. This ce is their home.


    ¡°If they''re in the Lindberg residence, they would be subjected to others'' ministration. It won''t be their


    home.¡±


    ¡°You truly are an excellent negotiator. Every word you said is on point.¡± Charlotte jeered, ¡°I had


    considered everything you mentioned. But the kids didn''t seem to inherit anything from the Nacht


    family. And if they keep falling sick and injured...¡±


    ¡°Do you want me to expose the truth?¡±


    Rage gripped Henry at her words. ¡°How did Ellie end up like that? Isn''t it because of the poison by


    Danrique? And Zachary was also bitten by Danrique''s poisonous snake-¡±


    ¡°Who told you Danrique poisoned Ellie?¡± Charlotte yelled angrily.

 Chapter 979

    Chapter 979


    ¡°Who said it isn''t important.¡± Henry covered for Cynthia. ¡°The kids were poisoned when they were by


    your side. That is the truth, isn''t it?¡±


    Charlotte merely red at Cynthia.


    If I have the evidence, I will expose her true nature right at this moment.


    ¡°The kids were poisoned with you by their side. Now, this makes the situation different.¡± Henry spoke


    justly, ¡°Think from another angle. If the kids returned to the Lindberg residence with you, they might be


    in more danger-¡±


    ¡°Are you done?¡±


    It was Zachary who interrupted.


    Charlotte was baffled at hisck of manners. He rarely retorted Henry in front of an audience.


    ¡°Zachary, watch your tone!¡± Henry''s anger spiked.


    ¡°I have been investigating Ellie''s poisoning all this while and suspected there can be another reason for


    it.¡± Zachary frowned as he added. ¡°I reckoned the poison was in her tea served at the Seacrest


    Restaurant.¡±


    He raised his teacup and continued, ¡°Currently, Bruce is following up with the investigation. I believe we


    will have the oue soon.¡±


    ¡°You mean it wasn''t the Lindbergs who poisoned her? It was the staff from the restaurant?¡± Henry was


    surprised.


    Charlotte gazed knowingly at Cynthia. This woman hides well. She concealed her emotions with her


    head lowered the entire time. It was how she masked her anxiety.


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Zachary turned to Charlotte. ¡°Unfortunately, the tea set was taken away by your people. Else


    I would''ve found the perpetrator.¡±


    ¡°There''s nothing on the tea set. I have it examined already,¡± Charlotte replied.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Henry was confused. ¡°Why would you take away the tea set if Zachary is the one


    investigating the matter?¡±


    ¡°Maybe to cover her tracks,¡± Taylor sneered under his breath.


    Charlotte red at Taylor. This man is fake as stic. His outward appearance may look gentle and


    elegant, but he is no different from his mute daughter.


    ¡°That''s enough.¡± Zachary switched the topic. ¡°Talking doesn''t prove anything. Since everyone''s here,


    let''s finish breakfast quietly. Everyone, please head back to your respective seats.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Taylor agreed and served Henry a bowl of oatmeal. ¡°Mr. Nacht, let''s have breakfast first.¡±


    He then set a ss of milk in front of Cynthia. ¡°Cynthia, let''s eat.¡±


    Henry didn''t have an appetite because he was worried Charlotte would take the kids away. After


    pondering for a while, he spoke sombrely.


    ¡°There are no outsiders here. So I''ll speak frankly. I have written my will. After I pass, the kids will


    inherit all my wealth and assets. I didn''t leave anything for the rest, including Zachary, Zara, and Chris.¡±


    Everyone was baffled at his sudden announcement.


    Charlotte was surprised by his decision. Henry was a very wealthy man, so it was shocking for him to


    leave everything to her kids and none to his children.


    If so, the three kids'' worth would be way much higher than their parents''.


    ¡°I have included a note. All my wealth and assets will be donated to the GJ Foundation if any harm


    befalls the kids. None would be left for the rest, including their parents and rtives.


    ¡°Before they reach adulthood, Zachary will be managing it. It will be transferred to their ounts when


    they reached twenty years of age. But they will need Zachary''s and Spencer''s approval.


    ¡°Charlotte, you''re a mother. So I sincerely hope you can consider your children''s future.¡±


    Charlotte kept silent. She wasn''t surprised by the amount of wealth and assets. Instead, what surprised


    her was Henry''s careful ministration in consideration of the kids.


    The remarks in his will are for protecting the kids'' safety and welfare. It''s also his way to inform Zara


    not to fight for his inheritance because he didn''t leave any for her. Even Zachary won''t get anything.


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Also, they can''t even think about using nasty tactics to steal the inheritance from the kids. If anything


    happens to the kids, they won''t get to see any of it at all.

 Chapter 980

    Chapter 980


    ¡°Of course, the condition is Zachary has to be their guardian.¡± Henry hinted, ¡°You''re a smart girl. Surely


    you understand what that entails.¡±


    Charlotte understood his insinuation if she took the kids away, they would have lost the inheritance and


    the protection from the Nacht family.


    Taylor frowned in silence as he lowered his head.


    But his expression had darkened. After all his efforts and nning, everything had gone down the


    drain.


    Zachary is not part of the inheritance lineup. Despite owning Divine Corporation and having a high


    network, it is still not enough.


    ¡°Are you finished?¡± Zachary ced hot cross bunnies on Charlotte''s te. ¡°You haven''t eaten anything


    the entire morning. Please have something.¡±


    The hot cross bunnies had gone cold. Absent-mindedly taking a bite, Charlotte choked on it. She was


    about to take a sip of some medicinal broth to wash it down.


    Cynthia''s eyes brightened when she noticed Charlotte''s action.


    ¡°Drink this instead.¡± Zachary took away the medicinal broth from Charlotte and gave her a ss of


    warm milk instead. ¡°I happen to crave some medicinal broth.¡±


    Charlotte red at him then sipped on the milk, washing the bun down.


    The medicinal broth was about to reach Zachary''s lips.


    Pang!


    Cynthia suddenly stood up and hit her ss of juice by ident.


    ¡°Cynthia, where are your manners?¡± Taylor reprimanded.


    Cynthia poured Zachary a cup of tea and signed to him frantically. ¡°Don''t drink the medicinal broth. It


    has gone cold. Drink this instead.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry. It tastes even better when it''s cold.¡±


    Zachary picked up his spoon and was about to take a sip of the medicinal broth when Cynthia urgently


    pushed his hand away.


    The bowl flipped, and the contents spilled all over the table.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Zachary looked at her with confusion.


    Cynthia signed urgently. ¡°There''s a bug in the broth.¡±


    ¡°Bug or poison?¡±


    Charlotte narrowed her eyes, staring coldly at Cynthia.


    ¡°I don''t know what you''re saying.¡±


    Cynthia hung her head, not daring to meet Charlotte''s eyes.


    ¡°You have provoked Ms. Lindberg multiple times already. You attacked her just yesterday. Today you


    tried to poison her. Do you think the Lindberg family will let you do as you please?¡±


    Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Lupine held Cynthia captive and was about to drag her away.


    Cynthia started screaming silently. Ah... ah..


    ¡°How dare you!¡± yelled Henry.


    ¡°Lupine, let her go.¡± Charlotte sipped her tea. ¡°This is the Nacht residence, so let''s let the Nachts settle


    this fairly.¡±


    She turned to Zachary. ¡°Am I right, Mr. Zachary?¡±


    ¡°I trust that Cynthia is not that kind of person.¡± Zachary nced at Cynthia, then called, ¡°Raina!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    Raina immediately led a team of doctors over and quickly set up all the apparatus and equipment. They


    took a sample from the medicinal broth and checked the contents on the spot.


    They were familiar with every step as if they had prepared for such a scenario.


    ¡°Zachary, what are you doing?¡± Taylor began to panic. ¡°Cynthia would never poison anyone. She''s a


    gentle and kind-hearted girl.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do believe in Cynthia. The tests are done to ensure she''s not falsely used.¡±


    Zachary cleaned his fingers elegantly and casually with a napkin. But his buried domineering attitude


    had started to poke its'' head up.


    Charlotte realized Zachary''s intention of going through all the trouble.


    Today''s breakfast truly is interesting.


    There might be something more interesting that awaits.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht...¡± Taylor turned to Henry for support.


    ¡°Zachary, what do you think you''re doing?¡± Henry chided, ¡°You''re investigating Cynthia for a bowl of


    medicinal broth? She would never do that.¡±


    ¡°It''s better for me to investigate this situation thoroughly now rather than allowing the Lindberg family to


    take revenge on her.¡± Zachary continued slowly, ¡°What do you think, Mr. ckwood?¡±


    ¡°This...¡± Taylor turned to Cynthia.

 Chapter 981

    Chapter 981


    Cynthia urgently exchanged a nce with Taylor.


    Taylor instantly understood and began sweating bullets. ¡°Mr. Nacht, Cynthia would never do it. They


    are insulting her by investigating her in such a way. Please do her justice.¡±


    ¡°Let her go first.¡± Henry mmed his palm onto the table.


    Lupine pay no heed to hismand.


    She finally let Cynthia go after receiving a knowing nce from Charlotte.


    Cynthia tripped and nearly fall.


    Taylor hurriedly held her. ¡°What have we, the ckwoods, have done? We are here to help and treat


    others, but all we received were insults and humiliations. We were hit yesterday, then subjected to such


    humiliation today.¡±


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    Cynthia''s entire body was swaying as though she could fall at any moment.


    Henry didn''t have the heart to look, so he admonished Zachary. ¡°Don''t believe what that woman said.


    How could you suspect Cynthia-¡±


    ¡°I''ll apologize to her if there''s no poison in the broth.¡± Zachary continued to sip his tea.


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°Cynthia was there when Ellie was poisoned at the Seacrest Restaurant. That is the main reason I''m


    doing this.¡± Zachary exined calmly, ¡°Charlotte suspected Cynthia was the one who poisoned Ellie;


    hence, her antagonistic acts toward Cynthia.¡±


    ¡°How could Cynthia have poisoned Ellie?¡± Henry insisted on believing Cynthia''s innocence. ¡°When Ellie


    was sick, it was Cynthia who took care of her day and night.¡±


    ¡°You''re right, and that is what I thought exactly.¡± Zachary nodded with agreement. ¡°I''m not suspecting


    Cynthia. Aren''t I investigating this matter with everyone present? If there isn''t any problem with the


    broth, it means Cynthia is innocent. Charlotte won''t bother her any longer.¡±


    ¡°But-¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht.¡±


    At that moment, Spencer spoke, ¡°We''re merely checking the contents of the broth and not the


    individual. It''ll be fine once things clear up.


    ¡°You have to understand that to be on the receiving end of the Lindbergs revenge is a very frightening


    experience. It''ll be fine if we investigate the matter now. Ms. Lindberg won''t target Ms. ckwood


    anymore. Isn''t that good for everyone involved?¡±


    ¡°As we can see, Mr. Spencer hasmon sense.¡±


    Charlotte raised her cup of tea and drink with Spencer.


    ¡°Mr. Spencer, how could you-¡±


    ¡°He''s right.¡± Henry interrupted Taylor. ¡°Nobody can touch Cynthia with me here today. If they want to


    investigate Cynthia, let them. If there''s no issue, you...¡±


    He pointed at Charlotte and said harshly, ¡°Must apologize to Cynthia.¡±


    ¡°What if there''s a problem?¡± Charlotte asked with an arched brow.


    ¡°Then-¡±


    ¡°Mr. Zachary, the result is out.¡±


    Soon, Raina walked over with an analysis report. She gave Cynthia a knowing expression.


    Cynthia paled when she met Raina''s gaze and instantly lowered her head in guilt.


    Zachary gave a cursory nce at the report, then passed it to Henry without saying anything.


    Henry was shocked as he read the report. His face paled almost immediately.


    Taylor caught a glimpse of the report from the side. He almost fainted.


    ¡°What in the world happened?¡± Henry interrogated Cynthia with the report in hand.


    ¡°Mr. Henry, I don''t know...¡± Cynthia sobbed as she signed. ¡±I was telling the truth when I said I saw a


    bug in the broth. That was why I didn''t want Zachary to drink it.¡±


    ¡°Yes... yes...¡± Taylor agreed urgently. ¡°Even if there''s poison in the broth, you can''t deduce it was put


    there by us. Even the judges need evidence before they pass the verdict.¡±


    ¡°If I were the one who poisoned the broth, why would I flip the bowl? Wouldn''t that action betray that I''m


    the culprit? I''m not dumb.¡± Cynthia cried as she signed.


    ¡°That''s true.¡± Henry was hesitant. ¡°Why would she flip the bowl over if she was the one who poisoned


    it? Nobody would''ve suspected her if she didn''t do what she did.¡±


    ¡°Simple. The person she wanted to poison was me, not Zachary.¡± Charlotte sneered, ¡°When I about to


    drink the broth, she was merely sitting there. But she panicked when Zachary was about to drink it.¡±

 Chapter 982

    Chapter 982


    ¡°Yes, I hate you. I never did you wrong, but you''ve been targeting me at every turn, bullied me, tried to


    kill me, and even pierced my face with a needle...¡±


    Cynthia signed wildly. ¡±That''s why I didn''t want to tell you when I saw a bug in your medicinal broth. You


    can drink the bug for all I care. But it''s a different story when I saw Zachary reaching out for the broth.¡±


    ¡°Keep it up!¡± Charlotte red at her coldly. ¡°Do you think you can get off scot-free with someme


    excuse? The truth wille pouring out after going through your medical kit. This might even be the


    same poison Ellie was poisoned with...¡±


    ¡°We''re running tests on the poison right now. We''ll find out in a bit.¡± Raina reported. ¡°As for the medical


    kit...¡±


    ¡°Let''s get to the bottom of things,¡± agreed Zachary.


    ¡°Ok.¡± Raina immediately took Cynthia''s medical kit.


    ¡°Zachary, you...¡± Cynthia cried. ¡±I did everything for you. Why are you treating me like this?¡±


    ¡°Zachary, why do you not trust Cynthia?¡± Taylor eximed. ¡°She wouldn''t have stopped you from


    drinking that medicinal broth just now if she wanted to scheme against you.¡±


    ¡°Calm down.¡± Zachary was cool as a cucumber. ¡°I''m doing this because I want to do Cynthia justice.


    Don''t worry, I will apologize to Cynthia if she''s innocent at the end of it all.¡±


    ¡°You...¡± Taylor panicked. He turned to Henry for help. ¡°Mr. Nacht, please help.¡±


    Henry stared at Zachary for a long while before he spoke up. ¡°We should get to the bottom of things


    since we found out that the medicinal broth was poisoned. Don''t worry, no one can do you wrong since


    I''m around.¡±


    ¡°This...¡±


    Taylor fell into despair. They would know that something is up if they check the medical kit.


    However, Cynthia remained calm. ¡±Any excuse will serve the tyrant. How can I escape if someone


    really wants to frame me?¡±


    ¡°Frame you?¡± Charlotte sneered. ¡°So you mean to say that even if we found poison in your medical kit,


    it would be from me?¡±


    ¡°Finally, you admit.¡± Taylor quickly yed along.


    ¡°So you''re implying that I put a bug in the medicinal broth and pretended that I was going to drink it?¡±


    Charlotte rubbed her temples, feeling frustrated. ¡°But how would I know that Zachary would snatch the


    medicinal broth away from me? How can I tell that you''re going to stop Zachary from drinking the


    medicinal broth?¡±


    ¡°This...¡± Taylor was rendered speechless.


    ¡°Love is blind.¡± Tears of despair ran down Cynthia''s cheeks. ¡±I never thought that Zachary would go


    that far for your sake...¡±


    She then lowered her head and cried.


    ¡°Huh!¡± Charlotte couldn''t help butugh. ¡°So you''re implying that we put on a show just to plot against


    you?¡±


    ¡°That''s certainly a possibility.¡± Zachary nodded. ¡°I will do anything for you.¡±


    ¡°You...¡± Charlotte was rendered speechless. What is he thinking?


    ¡°Grandpa, that''s exactly what you''re thinking, right?¡± Zachary turned to face Henry.


    Henry frowned. He waspletely caught off guard when he heard it from Zachary because that was


    exactly his thought.


    He knew better than anyone else how much Zachary loves her.


    Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    He would do anything for her sake.


    It was certainly a possibility for the two of them to put on a show just to force Cynthia to leave and gain


    his trust in order to stay at the Nacht residence.


    However, he pushed the thought away after hearing it from Zachary.


    ¡°Cynthia, you''re certainly a smart one.¡±


    Zachary took a sip of tea and said calmly.


    ¡°You know you''re going to get exposed soon, and also knew that I''ve set a trap up for you. So you gave


    up on me and ced all your hopes and dreams on Grandpa instead. You didn''t hesitate to pull me


    down in order to gain his trust. Everything just makes sense. You''re really good at maniption.¡±

 Chapter 983

    Chapter 983


    ¡°You...¡± Cynthia stared at Zachary in bewilderment.


    ¡°What are you trying to do?¡± Henry frowned.


    ¡°Ok, let''s stop the act.¡± Zachary waved his hand.


    Ben immediately pulled his phone out and projected a video on a white screen.


    Very soon, the video started to y...


    It was a CCTV footage from Nacth residence from two days ago.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    Everyone stared at the screen.


    The first clip was during Charlotte''s arrival at Nacht residence.


    Cynthia and Taylor were having a discussion in Zachary''s study.


    ¡°This is not the time to back down. After doing so much and arriving at the cusp of sess, I cannot


    retreat from this!¡±


    ¡°We''re only avoiding her for a while. It''s not like we''re noting back. She has yet to recover her


    memory. But, if she finds out that you masqueraded as her during the wedding, she will definitely


    strangle you to death. Also, if she knew that you nted the...¡±


    ¡°This is Zachary''s study. I hope there aren''t any CCTVs in here.¡±


    The second clip showed Cynthia leaving the study and instructing Freya what to do in a quiet corner


    with hand gestures.


    Freya was then seen moving stealthily towards Ellie''s room with a bowl of herbal concoction. Along the


    way, she poured a packet of medicinal powder into the broth.


    The third clip showed Freya and two medical staff forcing Ellie to drink the medicine. Freya even


    pinned her down and tried to force the medication down her throat.


    Luckily for Ellie, Jamie and Fifi were around to stop Freya from doing so. Hence, Ellie only drank a little


    bit. However, the drug quickly took effect.


    Henry was trembling with rage as he watched. He pointed at Cynthia and yelled furiously. ¡°You... How


    dare you...¡±


    Cynthia went pale with fright and panicked. She never thought that her actions would be recorded on


    surveince cameras. But why are there surveince cameras in the Nacht residence?


    I thought they don''t have it...


    ¡°Don''t fret. Watch on.¡± Zachary reminded.


    The fourth clip showed Jamie carrying Ellie on his back as they went downstairs to look for Charlotte.


    Cynthia gestured at ckwoods'' medical staff. She quickly ran behind Jamie and pushed him down the


    stairs.


    As Jamie and Ellie tumbled down the stairs, Cynthia rushed forward in an attempt to break their fall.


    However, everything was done just to gain sympathy.


    The fifth clip was about Zachary carrying Charlotte, who went into rpse, back home.


    Frustrated, Cynthia carried her medical kit upstairs when Zachary wasn''t around and used Zachary as


    an excuse. She then tried to pierce Charlotte with a needle.


    But who would have thought that Charlotte managed to defend herself and Cynthia pierced her own


    face instead?


    That would also mean that the poison needle belonged to her all along.


    The sixth clip showed Taylor and Cynthia in a room.


    Taylor just found out that Cynthia had been disfigured. Their conversation and the way they told the


    medical staff to take the medical kit clearly indicated that Cynthia was the one behind it all...


    The seventh clip showed Cynthia instructing Taylor to get Freya to prepare the medicine after Henry


    and Zachary left.


    She even instructed the two medical staff to poison Charlotte.


    The eighth clip was about the two medical staff poisoning the medicinal broth.


    The truth was revealed after these eight clips.


    Cynthia slumped on the floor in despair.


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    She could no longer talk her way out of this.


    Everything she had done up till now was presented clearly in front of everyone. It felt as if she had


    been stripped naked and ced under the sun with nowhere to hide.


    ¡°Y-You...¡±


    Henry trembled with rage. He pointed at Cynthia with his frail hand. He wanted to chastise her but


    couldn''te up with anything to say. He ced a hand on his chest and almost had a heart attack.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht...¡± Taylor fell on his knees and begged. ¡°Jealousy got the better of Cynthia. She never once


    thought of hurting Zachary. She just wanted to stay by his side. Please forgive her.¡±

 Chapter 984

    Chapter 984


    ¡°In order to be with me, you even harmed my children?¡± Zachary questioned incredulously. ¡°Did you


    think that you could convince me using such low-handed despicable means?¡±


    ¡°No, it wasn''t like that...¡± signed Cynthia while shaking her head desperately.


    ¡°Enough!¡± Zachary did not want to see her defending herself. ¡°Perhaps I have been too easygoing


    lately, so you and your father think that I can be easily manipted!¡±


    ¡°No, Zachary, it''s not like that...¡± Taylor tried to exin in a hurry, ¡°Cynthia dislikes Charlotte for always


    bullying her but she had no intention of hurting you or your children. She had been helping you and


    Ellie.


    ¡°When Freya poisoned the food, she was acting alone. Cynthia was not involved. Cynthia was only


    gesticting that she wanted to feed Ellie, not asking Freya to poison the food.¡±


    ¡°Even now, you are still trying to lie your way out?¡±


    Charlotte wanted to take the father and daughter duo out right away.


    Zachary made her sit down and spoke calmly...


    ¡°Yes, where the video was shot, Cynthia did not clearly instruct Freya to administer the medicine. In


    these videos taken at home, we can only see that she clearly ordered someone to give Charlotte the


    medicine. However, it is undeniable that she gave poison to Ellie at Seacrest Restaurant.¡±


    ¡°There is no proof that Cynthia did that.¡± Taylor was still arguing, ¡°Zachary, don''t be fooled by others


    and use Cynthia. She is innocent.¡±


    ¡°Do you say that I''m using her wrongly? I''ll show you the proof.¡± Zachary turned around and called


    out, ¡°Raina!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Raina handed theboratory analysis report to Spencer. ¡°The analysis just now showed that


    the poison in the medicinal broth is the same as the type Ellie took.¡±


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    ¡°This...¡± Taylor was panicky but still continued to deny everything, ¡°This does not prove that Cynthia


    administered the poison. It is possible that the darned servant did it...¡±


    ¡°Bring the witness,¡± Zachary ordered.


    In a short while, Bruce brought someone over and ced her right in front of Taylor.


    ¡°Freya?¡± Taylor''s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°How did you...¡±


    I phoned her and asked her to dispense the medicinest night. How did she end up here?


    ¡°Help me, Uncle Taylor...¡±


    Freya was unharmed but her spirit was broken, obviously after stern interrogation.


    ¡°I detained her immediately after she was driven away,¡± Zachary said inly.


    ¡°During Bruce''s interrogation, she confessed everything¡ªhow Cynthia instructed her to poison Ellie


    and what you did this morning, ordering her to dispense the medicine. Should I ask her to repeat it?¡±


    Taylor looked at Cynthia as he panicked.


    Cynthia was now totally disorientated and in a panic too.


    ¡°This is the witness and there is also evidence.¡±


    Zachary signaled to Bruce.


    Bruce took out a box in which were pieces of broken pottery.


    ¡°This is...¡± Lupine looked carefully and then recognized it. ¡°The cup from Seacrest Restaurant.¡±


    ¡°There were twelve cups. The eleven cups that were taken away were fine,¡± Bruce exined, ¡°The one


    that was used was removed by Cynthia, whoter broke it and threw it into a trash bin three kilometers


    away. I found itter on.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Lupine began to understand.


    ¡°Straightaway, I sent the cup to the police station for testing, and it really contained residual toxins as


    well as Cynthia''s fingerprints,¡± Bruce continued to exin.


    ¡°What else do you have to say now?¡± Zachary looked at Cynthia with a cold frosty gaze.


    ¡°I never intended to harm Ellie, really, I didn''t...¡± Cynthia gesticted in panic. ¡±The cup of tea was


    meant for her.¡±


    Cynthia pointed at Charlotte, signing anxiously, ¡±I never thought that Ellie would drink it. I have never


    thought of harming Ellie, really, I didn''t...¡±

 Chapter 985

    Chapter 985


    ¡°If you had never intended to harm Ellie, why did you mix her medicine with poison and feed it to her?¡±


    Charlotte questioned her.


    ¡°That wasn''t poison, rather it was a type of medicine which only made her feel unwell, temporarily,¡±


    Cynthia exined anxiously, ¡±If it were poison, I would not be able to make her well again so quickly...¡±


    As she spoke, Cynthia crawled up to Zachary''s feet, crying while making signs. ¡°Zachary, I have saved


    you before. Please forgive me for this once. As for Ellie, if not for me, something really bad could have


    happened to her.¡±


    ¡°That was only because they took the medicine given by Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    Lupine was furious...


    ¡°After Mr. Nacht was poisoned by snake venom, Ms. Lindberg immediately fed him her life-saving


    potion so he would not suffer any ill effects at all. As long as he recuperated for a period of time, the


    snake venom would naturally be ejected from his body.


    ¡°After that, Ms. Lindberg sneaked into the hospital without telling anyone and fed Ellie the potion as


    well. That was how she recovered so quickly. In order not to be discovered, we rushed over to the


    South Sea Hotel. Coincidentally, you arrived to treat Ellie making everyone think that you were the one


    who healed her. That was ridiculous. If you could heal her, why couldn''t you heal yourself? If I am not


    mistaken, there is still poison on your silver needle, isn''t it?¡±


    As she spoke, Lupine took of Cynthia''s mask. Sure enough, one side of Cynthia''s face was so infected


    that it was horrifying to see.


    ¡°Oh, my goodness! Cynthia...¡±


    Taylor was anxious and worried when he saw Cynthia this way. Yesterday, the infection was only the


    size of a pea. Today, it had spread to cover her face.


    ¡°You can''t live bymitting sins.¡± Zachary looked at Cynthia coldly, ¡°When you try harming others,


    you harm yourself. This is your fate!¡±


    ¡°This is all?¡± Charlotte''s fists cracked as she clenched them tight. ¡°It''s horrible enough she had harmed


    me so badly. Is this punishment enough for harming my daughter as well?¡±


    ¡°I had no intention of hurting Ellie. It was just you!¡±


    Cynthia red at Charlotte with utter hatred in her eyes, gesticting with intense emotion...


    ¡°We are both women. Why should I be the receable stand-in? I''ve done so much for the Nacht


    family. In order to please them, I''ve lowered myself to the level of soil; yet, Zachary has not even looked


    at me properly even once. As for you...? You go on and on to antagonize him; yet, he likes you so


    much. Your family and the Nachts are sworn enemies, so you should not havee back. In fact, you


    should have died two years ago. Then, I would have been Mrs. Nacht by now, and the three children


    would call me Mommy. We would be one happy family...¡±


    ¡°Stop dreaming!¡± Zachary interrupted her impatiently, ¡°Even if she didn''te back, I won''t marry you.


    ¡°Two years ago, when she had that mishap, I had already decided never to marry again. ¡°If I ever get


    married, the bride can only be Charlotte!¡±


    Hearing this, Charlotte''s trembled slightly. Zachary has said it under such circumstances and in front of


    so many people. He has to be sincere.


    She was very moved...


    ¡°Since you love her so much, why did you let me impersonate her two years ago?¡± Cynthia asked in a


    choked voice, ¡±I was just an unloved daughter of a wealthy family, living in humiliation in a world of my


    own.


    ¡°Overnight, I was made Mrs. Nacht, adored and respected by everyone. Everywhere I went, rtives


    surrounded me and put me on a pedestal.


    ¡°Furthermore, from the time I was fifteen years old, I had started admiring you. In my dreams and


    fantasies, I wished to marry you many times. I really thought my dreams hade true.


    ¡°However, it was all just a falsehood.


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    ¡°Since you never liked me or admired me, why did you give me hope? ¡±Then, you pushed me to fall


    from heaven into hell with your own hands. ¡±Why?¡±

 Chapter 986

    Chapter 986


    Cynthia wept as she asked these questions. She broke down mentally and emotionally. She wept,


    losing all hope...


    See her in this manner, Zachary''s severe using gaze slowly diminished...


    She was telling the truth. She was just an outsider who was totally uninvolved. It was the Nacht family


    who dragged her in and gave her hope. Then, they pushed her out into the depths of despair...


    No one could have epted that type of treatment easily.


    As a matter of fact, when Henry opposed his rtionship with Charlotte earlier on, this sinful idea did


    cross Zachary''s mind...


    If Henry had insisted on Zachary marrying one of the ckwood daughters, setting aside the ill-natured


    Sharon, he would really consider the gentle Cynthia!


    However, he quickly put that idea away.


    The reason was that it would destroy someone''s life.


    Furthermore, it would not be fair to Charlotte.


    Hence, he did not act upon that idea.


    Nevertheless, it never urred to Zachary that Henry would go behind him and pull this trick on him.


    Of course, it was done with Taylor''s support.


    The crying of a mute was very prating, full of despair and grief over life.


    Perhaps from her point of view, she was indeed an innocent victim. As she said, she was living humbly


    in her own world and had already epted her fate. Out of the blue, someone suddenly gave her great


    hope. Of course, she would do everything to hold on to that hope...


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, I beg you. Please let Cynthia live.¡± With a thud, Taylor knelt down, crying and begging,


    ¡°Fortunately, there is no serious harm done. Ellie has almost fully recovered. Zachary and Ms. Lindberg


    were not poisoned. Cynthia''s face is destroyed and that will be her punishment. If you can let us go, we


    will go far away and nevere into your lives again. It was all my fault for not teaching my daughter


    well. Please, I beg of you to give her a chance!¡±


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    ¡°If you had tried to harm me, I could forgive her,¡± Charlotte continued, ¡°but she poisoned my daughter.


    I''ll never let her off just like this!¡±


    ¡°She had no intention of harming Ellie...¡±


    ¡°She has to be responsible for her actions even if it was not intentional!¡± Charlotte yelled. ¡°Though the


    first poisoning was directed at me, did she think about the consequences when she administered


    poison to Ellie? Ellie was once robust and healthy. Look at what she has be now! She can''t even


    stand up! This toxin is likely to bring her lifelong side effect! You say she has recovered. Is she the


    healthy robust child she once was?¡±


    Taylor was silenced by her yelling. There was nothing he could say.


    ¡°No matter who she poisons, it is unforgivable.¡± Zachary was very cold and distant. ¡°I will not lynch you,


    but I will let thew punish you. This is myst kindness to you! I have submitted all the evidence to the


    police and the police car should be here soon. Prepare to spend the rest of your life in prison.¡±


    ¡°Ahh...¡±


    Cynthia cried, shaking her head vigorously as she picked up the fruit knife from the table and attempted


    to cut her own wrist.


    Bruce leaped forward and took the knife away, pushing her onto the floor. ¡°If you die here, how could


    we exin to the police?¡±


    ¡°No, death will note so easily to you,¡± Lupine said, gritting her teeth, ¡°You should die a slow painful


    death.¡±


    Cynthia''s palm was cut by the knife and blood was dripping onto the floor where she slumped crying


    desperately...


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, I beg you. Please let her go...¡± Again, Taylor pleaded with Henry, ¡°For the time I saved


    Harrison, please forgive Cynthia, this time. She is so young, please don''t let her do time in jail.¡±


    ¡°Just because you saved my father once, the Nacht family has protected your ckwood family all our


    lives. Haven''t we already finished paying back the favor?¡± Zachary was angry. ¡°Your daughter is in this


    situation all because of you!¡±

 Chapter 987

    Chapter 987


    ¡°I...¡±


    ¡°Right from the start, it was you who wanted to marry your daughter into the Nacht family. You tried to


    persuade my grandfather to force me into marrying your daughter. On the surface, you look like a


    modest gentleman, but you are truly a hypocrite!¡±


    Zachary finally said what he had kept in his heart for years...


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    ¡°Right from the start, you knew what Cynthia was doing but you did not correct her or stop her from her


    wrongdoing. Instead, you shielded her and aided her. In fact, you are the aplice.¡±


    ¡°No, I''m not. I had no idea what she was doing...¡± Taylor blurted out, ¡°I had nothing to do with all these,


    really.¡±


    ¡°Do you mean to say that all these were Cynthia''s doing?¡± Charlotte asked.


    ¡°Nevertheless, I had nothing to do with them,¡± Taylor replied without hesitation.


    Hearing her father''s words, Cynthiaughed sarcastically. She had never imagined that he would shrug


    off all responsibility at a time like this.


    He was afraid of being charged as an aplice and going into prison.


    So, he would rather put all the me on his daughter.


    ¡°Nevertheless, she was confused when she did that...¡± In the end, Taylor felt guilty about ming


    Cynthia and he kneeled in front of Zachary and begged, ¡°Zachary, I beg you to forgive her this once,


    please...¡±


    ¡°Mr. ckwood, please rise. Don''t do this.¡± Spencer went to him and pulled him up from the floor.


    ¡°I am also partly to me,¡± Henry finally admitted. ¡°It was my idea for letting Cynthia stand in for


    Charlotte two years ago. I must be responsible for my part in this. However, Cynthia, you should never


    have poisoned a child. If you felt oppressed, you should havee to me and I would give you justice.


    Why did you poison a child?¡±


    ¡°I did not...¡± Cynthia wept as she signed.


    ¡°Say no more.¡± Henry stopped her and said sadly, ¡°If you had made other mistakes, I would have


    forgiven you. However, you will not be forgiven for harming a child. This applies to everyone, not just


    you! Zachary is showing you thest mercy by handing you over to the police. Learn from your


    mistakes and turn over a new leave when you are released from prison!¡±


    Henry was Cynthia''sst hope. Now, she was totally hopeless...


    At that moment, the sound of police sirens was heard, and a subordinate came to report, ¡°Mr. Zachary,


    the police are here.¡±


    Zachary signaled.


    Bruce asked Freya and the medical staff to move forward, preparing to capture Cynthia...


    Cynthia pushed his hand away angrily, and gestured emotionally, ¡°I won''t go to jail. I can''t go to jail...¡±


    She red at Charlotte with bitter hatred. ¡°You are responsible for all of this. You made me do this.


    Even if I want to die, I will drag you into the grave with me!¡±


    As she spoke, Cynthia took out a bottle and leapt towards Charlotte.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, look out!¡±


    Lupine screamed and moved forward to save Charlotte.


    At the critical moment, Zachary leaped in front of Charlotte and sent Cynthia flying with a kick.


    However, the bottle of potion in Cynthia''s hands was sttered on Zachary''s face.


    ¡°Darn you!¡± Bruce immediately cursed Cynthia, ¡°We let you live but you still sneak attack us.¡±


    Zachary''s kick was a heavy blow and Cynthiay on the floor, bleeding from the mouth...


    ¡°I''ll kill you...¡± Lupine was furiously murderous, but she was stopped by Bruce. ¡°Calm down. The police


    are here. If you kill her now, you can only bring trouble upon yourself.¡±


    ¡°Bend your head quickly.¡±


    Charlotte quickly washed the potion off Zachary''s face with water.


    ¡°It''s nothing. It didn''t get me.¡± Zachary was unperturbed.


    Cynthia looked at Zachary with a horrifying gaze. ¡°You really love her. Unfortunately, you will not have


    time together. Very soon, you will be with me in the next world...¡±


    With that, Cynthia drank the remaining poisonous potion...

 Chapter 988

    Chapter 988


    Everyone was stupefied by how obsessed and crazy Cynthia had be.


    ¡°Cynthia...¡±


    Taylor wanted to step forward and stop her, but Cynthia''s terrifying gaze had him rooted to the spot as


    he stared at her in shock.


    ¡°If there is a next life, I don''t want to be your daughter!¡± Cynthia signed and let out an eerie cackle


    before starting to vomit blood.


    ¡°Get her to the hospital! Hurry!¡± Henry shouted frantically.


    ¡°Leave it to us.¡±


    The police arrived in the nick of time and arrested everyone suspicious, including Cynthia who had


    been poisoned.


    ¡°Why am I handcuffed too? I didn''t do anything! Help me, Mr. Nacht! Mr. Nacht...¡± Taylor screamed as


    the police took him away.


    This time, Henry kept quiet and simply tightened his grip on the wheelchair''s armrest, his reddened


    eyes were filled with pain and regret.


    ¡°My goodness, that was so scary!¡± Mrs. Rawlston eximed while patting her chest, her face pale from


    fear.


    ¡°Thank god that evil woman is finally arrested! I knew she was up to no good!¡± Molly said.


    The other maids were all horrified at the realization that they had been spending so much time around


    such a dangerous person who was highly capable of poisoning others.


    ¡°Everyone will have to move out temporarily while we carry out a thorough search of the house. We


    need to make sure there aren''t any more areas that contain poison. My men have already searched the


    study room and the master bedroom, and we will now continue to search the rest of the house. Have


    Mrs. Rawlston help you out,¡± Ben instructed as he came downstairs.


    ¡°All right, I''ll summon the maids...¡±


    ¡°Thanks!¡±


    With that, Raina and her team began their search.


    Charlotte looked at Zachary worriedly. ¡°Are you okay? Do you want to have a doctor examine you?¡±


    ¡°I''m fine. It just got spilled on my body. If I were poisoned, the symptoms would''ve started showing by


    now,¡± Zachary said while taking his coat off.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Charlotte was still concerned.


    Zachary reached out and pulled her into his arms. ¡°Are you worried about me?¡±


    ¡°Hey, cut it out!¡± Charlotte pushed him off with a frown before turning to face Henry as she said, ¡°I hope


    you''ll take some time to properly reflect on yourself after this incident. First, it was Sharon, and now


    Cynthia... The women you have insisted that your grandson marry were all cruel and heartless. Is this


    what you mean when you said it was for his own good? Most of the tragedies could''ve been avoided if


    you didn''t act so stubbornly and selfishly!¡±


    Charlotte then stormed off angrily with Lupine and the other bodyguards following closely behind.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg!¡± Ben called out to her and anxiously reminded Zachary, ¡°You should go after her, Mr.


    Nacht!¡±


    Zachary let out a sigh. ¡°With how chaotic things are at home, it''s probably best to let her stay outside


    for a couple of days. I''ll go see her when I''ve taken care of things.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Ben stared longingly at Lupine, who also turned around to cast him a nce.


    There had been some slight changes in their rtionship ever since their near-death experience when


    they tracked down Sharon.


    ¡°You should go back to your room and get some rest, Grandpa.¡±


    Zachary was about to leave after saying that, but Henry called out to him all of a sudden, ¡°You sure are


    amazing, Zachary!¡±


    Zachary paused in his tracks and looked at him as he asked, ¡°What are you trying to say?¡±


    Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Henry shed him a wry smile and replied, ¡°You could''ve exposed Cynthia and punished her yourself,


    but you chose to set all this up just so you could have me witness her wrongdoings. You wanted me to


    see her reveal her evil side so I would reflect on myself, feel bad for Charlotte, and try to ept her.


    Isn''t that right?¡±

 Chapter 989

    Chapter 989


    ¡°You''re half correct. I did do all this to show you Cynthia''s true colors because it was the only way to


    make you realize your mistake. However, the thought of making you feel bad for Charlotte so you''d


    ept her has never crossed my mind. Honestly, it no longer matters if you ept her. She''s not the


    Charlotte you used to know, and she doesn''t need anyone to ept her. In fact, it''s me who''s begging


    her to ept me.¡±


    Henry was left speechless after hearing that.


    ¡°Since when did you notice something was off about Cynthia, sir?¡± Spencer asked in confusion.


    ¡°After Ellie was poisoned, I confronted Danrique thinking it was him who did it, and heshed out


    angrily at me for wrongly using him. He even showed me how he would poison someone. Danrique


    is a very prideful man, and he would never deny it if he was the one who did it.


    ¡°Having made sure that he didn''t do it, I had people investigate the incident and found Cynthia


    suspicious shortly after. Since I didn''t have any solid evidence at the time, I could only keep my


    suspicions to myself and not trust her fully.


    ¡°I could''ve had hypnotized her or have Bruce interrogate her to get a confession out of her, but I knew


    Grandpa trusted the ckwoods and would surely intervene.


    ¡°That''s why I decided to show him their true colors this way. I had people install hidden cameras in the


    house before bringing Cynthia home, and that woman got way ahead of herself the moment she set


    foot in the house.


    ¡°She began abusing her power, and Taylor''s behavior grew increasingly radical too. I was already


    disgusted by them at that point, but I held on just so I could prove it to Grandpa once and for all.


    ¡°In the end, Bruce found the cup with the poison, and they showed their true colors...¡±


    Having realized what was going on, Spencer said, ¡°I see... So that''s why you were acting a little


    strangest night... You deliberately told Cynthia that Ms. Lindberg would leave today morning and


    provoked her into poisoning Ms. Lindberg so you could catch her in the act!¡±


    Zachary nodded. ¡°That''s right. I was actually nning on waiting a couple more days for Dr. Felch first,


    but then I found out that she was going to harm Charlotte, so... I had to move things forward.¡±


    Spencer was deeply impressed. ¡°You really have excellent foresight!¡±


    ¡°Must''ve been a lot of work putting up an act for so long!¡± Henry said sarcastically.


    Zachary stared at him as he replied, ¡°This is my least preferred method, but it was the only way to put


    on a good show for you.¡±


    ¡°Why not just tell me that there''s something wrong with Cynthia? Your actions have put Ellie''s life at


    risk!¡± Henry questioned him angrily.


    Zachary felt a little guilty about that. ¡°Well... As perfect as my n was, there were some errors in its


    execution. I know I nearly cost Ellie her life, but would you have listened if I told you? I bet you''d still be


    forcing me to marry Cynthia now if you didn''t see it for yourself!¡±


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°You...¡± Henry was furious but had nothing to say in return.


    ¡°You know how much the ckwoods have profited from our family throughout the years. Taking


    advantage of your trust, Taylor persuaded you to force his daughters on me, and you listened to him


    each time. You chose to trust an outsider fully, but doubt your own grandson''s words. How else am I


    supposed to convince you without resorting to such methods?¡± Zachary said helplessly, and Henry


    found himself at a loss for words.


    Zachary is right... I''ve never listened to him whenever he tried to reason with me, and yet I stubbornly


    gave Taylor all of my trust! I guess my stubbornness really is the cause of all these problems...

 Chapter 990

    Chapter 990


    ¡°Oh, and there''s one more thing that you might not be aware of. Sharon was the one who attacked


    Charlotte and murdered Mrs. Berry in T Nation two years ago. Your daughter, Zara, was the one who


    instructed her from behind the scenes!¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡± Henry''s eyes went wide in disbelief. ¡°T-That''s impossible! Why would they do such


    a thing?¡±


    ¡°We found solid evidence of their actions, and I have handed it over to the police. As for why... Well,


    you''ll have to go ask your daughter! Not only did she try to assassinate Charlotte in T Nation, she even


    sent someone to kidnap Robbie! In the end, it was Charlotte who rescued Robbie. Zara went as far as


    shooting Kyle and killing my men just to force her into battle...¡± Zachary said with a frown.


    ¡°No, this can''t be... I know Zara is impulsive and will do anything to get what she wants, but she


    wouldn''t hurt her own people!¡± Henry was still in denial.


    ¡°The dashcam has captured everything on video. If you don''t believe me, you can either take a look at


    the footage yourself or ask the kids about it. They''ve witnessed everything first-hand,¡± Zachary said as


    he handed him a tablet.


    Henry''s face went pale when he watched the footage, and his chest was hurting so much that he nearly


    fell off the wheelchair.


    ¡°Mr. Henry!¡± Spencer quickly stepped forward and fed him his medicine.


    Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    Zachary was hesitant to say any further when he saw how much pain Henry was in, but he went


    through with it anyway.


    ¡°I know I shouldn''t be telling you this now, but I have to show you the truth. Otherwise, you would never


    realize how misguided you were. Rather than enforcing your control over me, you should''ve focused


    your energy on disciplining Aunt Zara instead. A lot of tragedies could''ve been prevented if you did...¡±


    Spencer quickly cut him off. ¡°Stop it, Mr. Zachary. Mr. Henry''s heart can''t take any more of this.¡±


    ¡°Think about what I said.¡±


    Zachary nced at Henry once more before walking away.


    Spencer then had Mrs. Rawlston fetch Henry a ss of water and waited for him to calm down before


    comforting him, ¡°Mr. Henry, please don''t take what Mr. Zachary said to heart...¡±


    Henry looked up at him and asked, ¡°The horrible things that Zara did, and the ckwood family''s true


    intentions... Did you know about all that the whole time?¡±


    Spencer frowned. ¡°I only found out about it recently. Ms. Zara has always been rather unpleasant to get


    along with, but I didn''t think she''d do something this crazy. As for the ckwoods... They did a really


    good job at concealing their true intentions, and I only noticed something was amissst night.¡±


    ¡°I''m such a fool!¡±


    Henry lowered his head in shame and regret.


    It''s like Charlotte said... First it was Sharon, and now it''s Cynthia... Both of the women I had chosen for


    Zachary were vile and heartless, and yet I kept forcing him to marry them. I refused to listen to the


    advice from others and Zachary''s protests, and my stubbornness has led to one tragedy after another...


    I have focused all of my time and energy into controlling Zachary and ended up forgetting that my own


    daughter is the true viin. Like a ticking time bomb, Zara could cause trouble for the Nacht family


    anytime. By keeping Zachary under my control, I have left him defenseless against those threats...


    ¡°It''s time to let go, Mr. Henry...¡±


    Spencer voiced out the one thing he had wanted to say for ages.


    ¡°It''s all my fault...¡± Henry mumbled, still gued with sadness and regret.


    Finally, I realize the number of mistakes I''ve made as a result of my stubbornness. Had I been smarter


    back then, my son and daughter-inw might still be alive today! If I had trusted Zachary to manage his


    rtionships by himself, I might''ve been able to prevent all of this from happening!

 Chapter 991

    Chapter 991


    I have made countless mistakes while iming that it''s all for Zachary''s own good. My actions have


    caused irreparable damages to Charlotte, created an unbridgeable gap for Zachary, and left their three


    kids traumatized... I used to wonder why they kept ming me for everything, but now I realize I was


    just being self-righteous...


    As if to mirror Henry''s feelings of regret, the sky began raining outside.


    Upon returning to his room, Zachary removed all of his clothes and took a long shower to wash off all


    traces of poison on his body.


    He even had Raina destroy those potentially contaminated clothes just to be safe.


    Zachary had just finished showering when Ben came running in with shocking news. ¡°We just got a call


    from the police. Cynthia has died from the poison along the way. ording to them, she was bleeding


    from every orifice. It''s a very gruesome sight to behold.¡±


    ¡°She tried to poison Charlotte with something so deadly and ended up drinking it herself. I''d say she


    had iting!¡± Zachary bellowed with a frown.


    ¡°Yeah, that was some nasty stuff. Thank goodness Ms. Lindberg didn''t drink any of it. Putting that


    aside, are you sure you''re okay? You had that poison spilled all over your face earlier!¡± Ben was still


    shaken up by the whole ordeal.


    Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    ¡°I''m fine. I made sure not to drink any of it.¡± Zachary was confident and even held his hands out as he


    continued, ¡°I mean, look at me! I''m perfectly fine, aren''t I? If I were poisoned, the symptoms would''ve


    shown by now.¡±


    ¡°I guess you''re right...¡±


    Ben mumbled as he eyed Zachary from head to toe and confirmed that he was truly okay.


    ¡°What else did the police say? What happened to the other aplices?¡± Zachary asked.


    ¡°Taylor is currently being investigated for conspiring with Cynthia, and Synder Group has been seized


    by the police. We have also received a full refund of the money that we have invested in thepany.


    Everything is as you predicted, sir!¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡±


    Zachary sat down on the sofa, and Ben poured him a ss of wine as he continued, ¡°Marino called. He


    said he found Dr. Felch and has contacted him through Ms. Lindberg just now. Dr. Felch agreed to


    come over to H City the moment he heard Ms. Lindberg was still alive. Marino has prepared a private


    jet for this trip, and he will be flying tonight.¡±


    Zachary breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°That''s good to know. With his treatment, Ellie will be able to rid her


    body of the poisonpletely...¡±


    ¡°It''s happy endings for everyone! All that''s left is for us to take care of Sharon and Zara!¡± Ben


    eximed.


    ¡°Keep a close eye on Sharon. Do not let her get away again,¡± Zachary ordered.


    ¡°Don''t worry, I''ve reinforced the security this time. She''s not going anywhere!¡±


    ¡°As for Zara... We''ll have toe up with a new n. All right, that''s all for now. You can head on


    downstairs,¡± Zachary said, seemingly in deep thought.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    Zachary took a sip of his wine and put on a new change of clothes after Ben left. He was about to go


    see his kids when he felt a slight difort in his eyes.


    He gave it a little rub and looked in a mirror, but a slight redness at the corner of his eyes was all he


    saw. Dismissing it as a result of overworkingtely, Zachary didn''t give it much thought and went to see


    his kids.


    The scene that greeted him when he entered their room had him frozen in surprise.


    Robbie and Jamie were helping Ellie put a jigsaw puzzle together. Little Fifi was standing on top of


    Ellie''s head, and the eagle from the Lindberg residence was perched on a rack next to Robbie, staring


    at them while they yed.


    With a sharp look in its eyes, the eagle spread its wings and flew toward Zachary when he came in


    through the door.


    Zachary was about to punch at it when Robbie casually shouted, ¡°Fifi! Get back here!¡±


    The eagle shot Zachary a cold re before returning to its original spot and continued staring at them.


    ¡°Your mommy left it behind?¡± Zachary asked.


    ¡°Mommy said Fifi could protect us while she''s gone.¡±

 Chapter 992

    Chapter 992


    Jamie looked up at Zachary and asked, ¡°Where''s Mommy, Daddy?¡±


    Zachary reached out and gently ruffled his hair as he replied, ¡°Mommy left just now.¡±


    The kids got all sad when they heard that, and Ellie looked like she was about to cry while Robbie had


    his head hung low.


    ¡°When will Mommye back?¡± Jamie asked anxiously.


    ¡°Soon. She''lle back once Daddy has taken care of some problems,¡± Zachary said in a gentle tone.


    ¡°Really?¡± Ellie looked at him expectantly.


    Zachary gave her a pinch on the cheek. ¡°Of course! Since when has Daddy ever lied to you? All right,


    Daddy has to go out for a bit. There will be a huge search in the house today, so make sure to stay in


    your room, okay? Don''t go running around the house, got it?¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡± The kids nodded obediently.


    Zachary gave them each a hug before getting ready to leave. Robbie then walked him to the door and


    asked all of a sudden, ¡°Did you manage to catch the person who poisoned us, Daddy?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Zachary froze. I didn''t say a word about what happened, so how did he know?


    ¡°It was Ms. Cynthia, wasn''t it?¡± Robbie added.


    ¡°Yeah, but Daddy has already taken care of that. Mommy wasn''t angry or anything when she left, so


    don''t you worry!¡±


    Robbie breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°I am d to hear that!¡±


    Zachary gave him a pat on the head. ¡°All right, go back inside now.¡±


    ¡°Okay! I''ll be sure to protect Jamie and Ellie!¡±


    ¡°You''re a kid too, you know? You need protection too, so keep yourself safe before looking after them,¡±


    Zachary said with a gentle smile.


    ¡°Got it, Daddy!¡±


    Nacht Group has lost a lot of money due to the recent shes with Lindberg Corporation and the issue


    with Synder Group. Now that we''ve recovered over forty billion and taken care of some issues, I''ll have


    to do some restructuring at thepany...


    Zachary thought to himself as he hurried off.


    He was about to get in the car when Raina called out to him and said, ¡°The flowers in the garden


    restaurant have all withered, Mr. Nacht! It''s most probably caused by the poison spilled on the ground


    by Cynthia earlier. There may still be traces of the poison in the house, so I suggest that we have Mr.


    Henry and the kids move out as a safety measure.¡±


    ¡°Have them move over to Grandpa''s vi immediately. Have you informed Mr. Spencer about this?¡±


    Zachary said decisively.


    ¡°Yes, I have. Mr. Spencer agrees with the idea and is currently having Mr. Henry''s men make the


    arrangements,¡± Raina replied.


    ¡°Bruce!¡± Zachary shouted.


    ¡°I''m here!¡± Bruce came running over.


    ¡°I want you to escort them there. Bring some extra guys with you to be safe,¡± Zachary ordered.


    ¡°Got it, I''ll get to it right away!¡± Bruce replied and got to work immediately.


    ¡°Raina, you stay back and check the house thoroughly. I want the ce cleaned uppletely.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir! Don''t you worry!¡±


    Having taken care of things, Zachary then drove off in a hurry.


    Ben gave him a brief report along the way. ¡°We''ve just received news about Ms. Nacht''s scandals


    being posted online with evidence to back it up. It''s attracting a lot of attention as we speak.¡±


    Johann''s call came in immediately after. ¡°Mr. Nacht, the outside of the office building is surrounded by


    journalists! Also, there are men from the Commercial Crimes Investigation Bureau here. They''ll need


    your full cooperation to aid in the investigation!¡±


    Zachary frowned. ¡°What''s going on?¡±


    ¡°My guess is that Ms. Nacht''s incident has affected ourpany. I''ll represent you and help them with


    the investigation for now, so please figure out a solution as soon as possible!¡± Johann said anxiously.


    ¡°Don''t go anywhere! I''m almost at the office, so we''ll discuss this when I arrive.¡±


    ¡°All right. I''ll tell them to wait, then.¡±


    Zachary then looked up Zara''s news on the inte and saw that the crimes shemitted had all


    been exposed online.


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Murder, arson, arms trafficking,mercial fraud... They''ve listed out her crimes with pictures and


    videos attached to support the post. There are also some detailed evidence included for several


    murders involving the royal family...

 Chapter 993

    Chapter 993


    The news about it had spread like wildfire across all forms of media, and Nacht Group was mentioned


    in every title.


    The press had confused the public by collectively referring to Zara''spany as ¡°Nacht Group¡±, the


    netizens assumed everything the Nacht family owned was involved, including Divine Corporation which


    belonged to Zachary.


    Zachary furrowed his brows when he saw those articles being rapidly spread all over the inte. Oh


    my... one problem after another! I knew my battle with Danrique had begun the day I wrongly used


    him of poisoning Ellie, and now he''s officially made his move! Who says the Lindberg family sucks at


    corporate warfare? This act alone makes it obvious that Danrique is no pushover! Zara is a member of


    the Nacht family and could represent the Nacht Group. That''s why I held back against her instead of


    going all out. Knowing this, Danrique gathered evidence on Zara''s crimes and post them all online to


    destroy thepany''s reputation!


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Ben frowned. ¡°Danrique sure is a cunning one... Zara had clearly left the family and started her very


    ownpany long ago, but he just had to link her with Nacht Group...¡±


    ¡°Well, she does own some of Nacht Group''s shares. It isn''t much, but it''s enough to qualify her as a


    shareholder, so I can''t sue the mediapanies for using ourpany name anyway. This is what''s


    clever about Danrique''s strategy,¡± Zachary said calmly.


    ¡°What do we do now? All of Nacht Group will be affected if Zara can''t clean up this mess!¡± Ben asked


    with a frown.


    ¡°She wouldn''t do so even if she could. Her goal was to get me involved so I''d fix it for her. Because


    we''re both Nachts, we either survive this together or go down together!¡± Zachary exined with a


    sarcastic sneer.


    Ben clenched his teeth in anger. ¡°How despicable! Do you think she might have released the


    information online as a means of making aeback?¡±


    ¡°No. Herpany has been in shambles long ago, and Broid Group isn''t doing well either. There''s no


    way she could possibly pay that many mediapanies to do her bidding, so this is obviously


    Danrique''s doing!¡± Zachary said with certainty.


    Ben nodded. ¡°I suppose that''s true... She''s about to lose all of her properties, so she''s desperately


    trying to fight for your inheritance rights.¡±


    ¡°Things are going to get messy if she finds out that Grandpa has already written his will.¡±


    Zachary''s phone rang right as he was about to give Spencer a call, and he answered the phone


    immediately, ¡°Hello, Mr. Spencer.¡±


    ¡°I''ve seen the news about Zara online, but I''m keeping them hidden from Mr. Henry for now. After what


    he''s been through today, I don''t want to agitate him any further. There''s no way he''d be able to take it,¡±


    Spencer said in a low voice.


    ¡°Yeah, let''s not tell him for now. Make sure to keep a tight lid on his will, or that woman will really go


    nuts if she finds out!¡± Zachary reminded him sternly.


    ¡°I know. The only people who know about it are you, me, Charlotte, Cynthia, and Taylor. Since Taylor


    has been arrested, I don''t think he''ll be able to get the word out.¡±


    ¡°I''ll send someone to make the arrangements at the police station. Keep a close eye on Grandpa for


    me.¡±


    ¡°I will, don''t worry.¡±


    Zachary then had Ben call up their contacts at the police station and have them watch over Taylor to


    prevent him from talking.


    Having taken care of everything, Zachary nced at the nearby Northridge vi and thought to himself.


    Charlotte should be home by now, so she probably knows about this too... I wonder what her stance is


    regarding Danrique exposing Zara and dragging Nacht Group down with her... Well, even if she


    supports him, her actions would be perfectly justified. Our family owes her way too much, after all.


    When will this battle finally end?

 Chapter 994

    Chapter 994


    At Northridge...


    Meanwhile, Charlotte had gotten a change of clothes and was lounging on the white leather sofa in her


    study room while talking on the phone.


    She had found out all about Zara''s news and knew how fatal the consequences could be for Nacht


    Group if the situation continued to worsen.


    She then gave Danrique a call and was able to get through rather quickly.


    ¡°Hey, Danrique...¡±


    ¡°Are you home?¡± Danrique''s tone was as cold as ice.


    Looks like he knew about me staying over at the Nacht residence... In that case, he probably also


    knows what happened to me. I''m guessing that''s why he got mad and did all this to avenge me!


    Charlotte thought to herself as she nced at Lupine.


    Regardless, she still felt the need to exin herself. ¡°Yeah, I''m home. Ellie was very ill due to the


    poison, so I got worried and...¡±


    Danrique cut her off coldly. ¡°You could just bring the child back for treatment if you''re that worried. The


    Nacht family isn''t the only one with private doctors, you know?¡±


    ¡°Right...¡± Unlike most other sisters who would argue or behave coquettishly with their brothers, all


    Charlotte showed was admiration, respect, and obedience toward Danrique.


    Besides, it was pointless for her to exin any further since he already knew about her going there.


    ¡°Even if you''re there to look after your child, you shouldn''t let others bully you. There wasn''t much you


    could do about it back then, but you''re a Lindberg now! You''re my sister, and you shouldn''t let anyone


    treat you like that!¡±


    Danrique felt his blood boil at the thought of Charlotte being humiliated and bullied by Henry.


    Charlotte felt touched when she heard the anger in his voice.


    So this is how it feels like to have your family stand up for you... I used to be all by myself and could


    only tolerate or avoid those who walked all over me, but things are different now! I have my cousin


    brother who will protect and avenge me! I will never forget how Henry trusted Cynthia and had his


    bodyguards pin me down so they could put me in shackles... I chose not to take my revenge on him


    because of the kids, but Danrique won''t do the same. Everything he''s doing right now is payback for


    the humiliation the Nacht family has put me through!


    Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    ¡°Do not forget the pain you felt simply because the wound has healed. Do not forget how the Nachts


    have hurt you, how Sharon humiliated you in Coldbridge, how Mrs. Berry died, and how your wedding


    gown was stained red with blood! Remember the purpose of your return, Charlotte! You''re back to


    avenge yourself and Mrs. Berry! Don''t let Zachary''s sweet words deceive you! We Lindbergs are not


    spineless cowards!¡± Danrique shouted angrily and hung up immediately after, leaving Charlotte with


    conflicted feelings.


    Of course, I haven''t forgotten about my hatred for them! I''ve been searching for Zara and Sharon to get


    my revenge, but I just can''t bring myself to hurt Henry and Zachary because of how much my kids love


    them! I don''t even wish for what Danrique did to happen!


    ¡°I''m sorry, Ms. Lindberg... I got really mad when I heard from Jade about you being bullied at the Nacht


    residence. On top of that, your condition has rpsed, and you were short on your medication. I got


    worried about your safety, so I gave Mr. Lindberg a call. I didn''t think he would blow things out of


    proportion like this just to avenge you. I''m really sorry...¡± Lupine apologized softly.


    Ben would probably me me for what happened if he knew about me telling on them. He told me a lot


    about Zachary and Charlotte when we were tracking Sharon down, and I found myself wavering after


    hearing the stuff he said. But then, I got all worked up when I came back and found out that Charlotte


    was bullied, and I made that phone call...


    Lupine felt incredibly uneasy at the thought of that.

 Chapter 995

    Chapter 995


    ¡°It''s fine. You were just doing your job. This isn''t your fault. What Danrique did was right. Zara should


    be punished for her crimes. Since we can''t find her after she went into hiding, this is the only way to


    flush her out,¡± Charlotte said after slowly calming down and analyzing the situation rationally.


    Lupine frowned. ¡°But we''ve gotten Mr. Nacht caught up in the mess as well! Everyone is pointing their


    fingers at Nacht Group right now, especially those who aren''t in the business industry. They don''t know


    that Zara has cut ties with the Nacht family. The general public still regards her as a member of the


    Nacht family, so everything she does will be associated with them as well. I bet Zara is overjoyed


    seeing the chain reaction that''s taking ce right now! She knows Mr. Nacht will do everything to


    resolve the issue or the entire family would go down with her. In other words, Mr. Nacht is the one most


    severely impacted by this!¡±


    Charlotte went silent upon hearing that.


    Of course, I know that! That''s why I called Danrique earlier to try and stop him, but he shut me down


    with a lecture before I could even get a word out! The fact that he''s doing it to avenge me removes


    whatever justification I have for my request. Henry is the one at fault, and while I may be willing to put


    up with it, that doesn''t mean Danrique would do the same!


    ¡°This will worsen the gap between you and Mr. Nacht. You must be feeling really upset, right?¡± Lupine


    asked softly while giving her a sympathetic look.


    Charlotte shot her a cold re in response. ¡°What has Ben told you?¡±


    Lupine quickly lowered her head to avoid eye contact. ¡°N-Nothing... We had near-death experiences


    together while tracking Sharon down together, so it''s perfectly normal for things to get a little weird


    between us...¡±


    Charlotte saw right through her excuses and let out a wry chuckle. ¡°Huh... I haven''t even gotten my


    revenge, and he''s already stolen two of my closest subordinates from me?¡±


    Lupine was quick to deny it. ¡°That''s not true, Ms. Lindberg! I''ll definitely take your side if you get into


    conflict with the Nacht family! I won''t waver because of my personal feelings!¡±


    ¡°I know you won''t. I have never doubted the loyalty of the people Danrique assigns to me!¡± Charlotte


    said with a gentle smile.


    Lupine patted herself on the chest in relief. ¡°Oh, thank goodness... You scared me...¡±


    Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I am curious, though. What exactly has Ben told you?¡± Charlotte asked curiously.


    ¡°He said you and Mr. Zachary were in love with each other, but Mr. Henry refused to ept you


    because of your identity as a Lindberg and the fact that your mother had inadvertently caused the


    death of Mr. Zachary''s parents. That''s why Mr. Henry has strongly objected to your marriage,¡± Lupine


    said softly.


    Charlotte nodded. ¡°I remember that. If I''m not mistaken, Mr. Henry only found out about it on the day of


    the wedding because Zara told him. Honestly, I don''t really hate that old man all that much because I


    never saw him as a family, to begin with. He''s just an outsider to me, and I don''t care what outsiders


    think of me, but Zachary is different. He told me we were once deeply in love with each other, and that


    we have three children. Together, we set foot in the church and exchanged wedding rings... We were


    each other''s dearest, so why would he betray and give up on me? I never understood that. If it were


    me, I would insist on staying with the person I love, regardless of how Danrique objected. I would never


    choose to give in like a coward, let alone marry someone else. That''s the difference between Zachary


    and I!¡±


    ¡°Ben also told me that you were having a rpse from the poison at the time, so Mr. Nacht had


    temporarily given in to Mr. Henry''s demands so he could get you the antidote...¡±


    Charlotte didn''t want to hear any more of it. ¡°That was just an excuse. All right, that''s enough. We''re


    going to see Morgan at the hospital, so hurry up and get ready.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±

 Chapter 996

    Chapter 996


    The sky was gloomy when they left the house and looked like it was going to rain soon.


    Fortunately, Lupine had prepared noise-canceling headphones and could pass them over to Charlotte if


    it started raining.


    They stumbled upon about a dozen cars from the Nacht family traveling in a straight line along the way,


    and it looked like something big had happened.


    ¡°What''s going on? Are they moving houses or what?¡± Lupine asked as she stared at the convoy in front


    of them.


    ¡°Maybe they''re worried that Cynthia has hidden her poison somewhere else. Either that or they''ve


    discovered something and are evacuating the house until it ispletely cleansed.¡±


    The sound of an eagle was heard while Charlotte spoke, and Lupine quickly had the driver slow down


    while she rolled the window down.


    Fifi the eagle then flew into the car with Fifi the parrot riding on its back.


    Fifi the parrot was gripping tightly onto Fifi''s feathers for fear of falling off, and it was ncing about


    curiously in the back seat of the car.


    Lupine couldn''t resist the urge to tease Little Fifi when she saw it. ¡°Haha, what are you doing here, little


    guy? Aww, look at you! You''re still shaking!¡±


    ¡°I didn''t expect for you two to be friends,¡± Charlotte said as she reached out, prompting Little Fifi


    to fly onto the back of her hand and nuzzle against her cheek.


    Charlotte gave it a gentle pat on the head before turning to look at Fifi the eagle and saw a little note in


    its mouth.


    The note read: We''re waiting for you toe home, Mommy!


    Robbie, Jamie, and Ellie''s signatures could be seen at the bottom of the note, and Charlotte felt


    touched when she saw it.


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    ¡°Mommy! Mommy!¡±


    The voices of the kids came from outside the window.


    Lupine ordered the driver to bring their car closer so both Rolls-Royces were driving side by side, and


    the kids waved at Charlotte from inside the car.


    Jamie got a little too excited and stuck his head out of the window, only to be dragged back inside by


    Ben. ¡°Hey, that''s dangerous!¡±


    Ben then gestured at Lupine to ask if she would like to pull over for a chat.


    Lupine nced at Charlotte, who shook her head and leaned in closer to the kids as she said, ¡°Get


    back in your seats, kids! Mommy wille and see you in a couple of days!¡±


    ¡°Okay, Mommy...¡± the kids replied as they obediently returned to their seats.


    Lupine then gestured at Fifi, prompting it to fly out of the car window and return to the kids with Little


    Fifi.


    Charlotte waved at them with the note in hand as her car slowly drew further away from theirs.


    She felt her eyes redden when she saw the kids leaning against the back seat and staring at her


    longingly.


    ¡°You''ll be able to see them very soon. I heard Marino has found Dr. Felch, and he''ll be arriving in H City


    tonight,¡± Lupineforted her.


    ¡°Find out which flight he''ll be taking,¡± Charlotte instructed.


    ¡°Roger!¡±


    The sky began to drizzle all of a sudden, and it was already nighttime when Charlotte arrived at the


    hospital.


    She then headed over to Morgan''s ward with her subordinates and was about to enter when she heard


    her anxious voice from inside, ¡°Why did youe back ahead of schedule all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°I got worried when I heard you were shot, so I came back in advance,¡± Marino said.


    ¡°Where is Dr. Felch? Did hee with you?¡± Morgan asked worriedly.


    ¡°He''s arriving on a private jet. I''ll head over to the airport in a bit.¡±


    ¡°You... are you crazy? How dare you disobey your orders like that? Zachary would punish you severely


    if he finds out you went AWOL!¡± Morgan shouted angrily.


    ¡°I don''t care! I was afraid that I wouldn''t be able to see you anymore if I didn''te back...¡±


    ¡°Shut up! Honestly, you are unbelievable! Dr. Felch is really crucial to both Ms. Lindberg and Ms. Elisa''s


    life! What if something happens to him? Go pick him up now!¡± Morgan yelled furiously.


    ¡°Okay, I will... Geez, I was just worried about you! Now that I know you''re okay, I''ll head over to the


    airport...¡±

 Chapter 997

    Chapter 997


    Charlotte waited until Marino had left through the window before opening the door.


    Morgan was still staring longingly at the window when Charlotte''s voice came from beside her, ¡°How


    much longer are you going to stare at the window? He''s already gone!¡±


    Morgan flinched in shock and tried to exin, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, I...¡±


    Charlotte cut her off. ¡°I saw everything. Marino seems to be infatuated with you. I think he''s a great


    guy!¡±


    Morgan lowered her head in embarrassment. ¡°Nah, he''s way too immature! I just scolded him for going


    AWOL when he has such an important task...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he deserved that scolding. Still, I suppose you valiantly saving my life would make up for his


    mistake!¡± Charlotte said with a mischievous smirk.


    ¡°Hey! Me doing my job has nothing to do with his mistake!¡± Morgan eximed while blushing.


    Charlotte nodded and said seriously, ¡°Yeah, you''re right. We''ll just let Zachary punish him, then!¡±


    ¡°No...¡± Morgan began to panic.


    Lupine burst outughing. ¡°Hahaha! I knew you were just being stubborn! You are worried about him,


    aren''t you?¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Morgan threw a pillow at her.


    ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk... Still so aggressive even when you''re wounded, huh? Be careful not to scare your


    boyfriend away!¡± Lupine teased her again.


    ¡°What boyfriend? Stop messing with me!¡± Morgan was so flustered that her ears had turned red.


    Lupine snickered. ¡°Seriously, though... He came rushing back because of you, and yet you''re refusing


    to ept Ms. Lindberg''s offer to save him from potential punishment? Talk about being heartless!¡±


    ¡°Will you please do something about her, Ms. Lindberg?¡± Morgan was blushing like a shy little girl.


    Charlotte couldn''t help butugh at her state. ¡°All right, all right... We''ll stop messing with you. It''s


    normal for young people like you to fall in love anyway. Marino is a great guy, so make sure you treat


    him well.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


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    ¡°The three of us are the only ones that know about him sneaking back, so it''ll be fine if we just keep it


    to ourselves. Okay, you should get some rest. We''ll go check on things at the airport. Wouldn''t want


    you two to be in trouble in case anything does go wrong!¡± Charlotte said as she stood up.


    ¡°Yeah, you''re right! Ensuring Dr. Felch''s safety is of utmost importance! We can''t afford to have even a


    minor mishap!¡±


    ¡°I''ll have someone stay here to keep you safe. Take care.¡±


    Charlotte then turned around and began walking toward the door, leaving a bodyguard behind to watch


    over Morgan.


    ¡°You''re so nice to us, Ms. Lindberg!¡± Lupine eximed.


    ¡°Are you implying that Mr. Lindberg isn''t?¡± Charlotte asked.


    ¡°No, that''s not what I meant...¡± Lupine desperately tried to exin herself.


    Charlotte couldn''t help but chuckle at how flustered she was, but maintained her cold attitude and


    carried on walking while Lupine followed behind her with a smile on her face.


    Charlotte is a lot kinder and pleasant inparison to Danrique''s cold and stern personality. Despite


    holding a grudge against the Nacht family, she never once stopped us from seeing their people. This is


    the kind and soft-hearted side of her deep down inside...


    As Charlotte and her subordinates were rushing toward the airport, they encountered a Nacht family


    convoy speeding past them.


    ¡°What''s going on? Why are they mobilizing that many men at such a high speed? Could it be that


    something bad has happened?¡± Lupine asked with a frown.


    The look on Charlotte''s face turned gloomy. ¡°I hope not... Come on, drive faster.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡±


    With Morgan wounded and the other bodyguards not so proficient at driving, they werete to the


    airport by over ten minutes.


    They then rushed to the arrival hall and saw the Nacht family bodyguards searching the ce.


    Lupine was able to recognize one of them and asked, ¡°What''s going on? Aren''t you guys here to pick


    up Dr. Felch?¡±


    ¡°Someone else beat us to it! We''re looking for him right now!¡± the man replied anxiously.


    ¡°How did this happen? Who took him?¡± Lupine pressed on.


    ¡°We don''t know yet...¡±

 Chapter 998

    Chapter 998


    The Nacht family bodyguard then hurried off to continue his search while Lupine stood there, clenching


    her teeth in frustration.


    ¡°I can''t believe we jinxed ourselves! Damn it, Marino shouldn''t have acted so impulsively! He''d arrive in


    H City tonight anyway, so what''s the point ofing back ahead of schedule? Now that Dr. Felch has


    been taken away, what are we going to do?¡±


    ¡°It''s pointless to get worked up about it now. Let''s go find out more about what exactly happened,¡±


    Charlotte said with a frown.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Lupine was about to start investigating further when her phone rang all of a sudden, and she


    went pale from shock after answering it. ¡°What? Really? Okay, make sure you show him the best


    hospitality possible! We''ll be right back!¡±


    Lupine then hung up the phone and nced about cautiously before whispering something into


    Charlotte''s ear.


    ¡°Are you serious?¡± Charlotte asked in surprise.


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    ¡°Oh, I''m dead serious. It''s one of Mr. Lindberg''s men.¡±


    ¡°Let''s head back right away!¡±


    ¡°Roger!¡±


    Charlotte rushed all the way home as quickly as she could, only to see a white-haired old man sipping


    tea by the coffee table. There was a young man and woman standing next to him, and they were both


    bewildered when they saw Charlotte.


    ¡°Charlotte!¡± Hayley came running over and grabbed her by the hand as she screamed excitedly, ¡°Is it


    really you? I''m not dreaming, am I? You''re alive! This is great!¡±


    ¡°Hi, Hayley! Oh, my goodness! Look how much you''ve grown!¡± Charlotte recognized her immediately


    and felt a surge ofplicated emotions deep inside her heart.


    ¡°We thought you were dead! You have no idea how long we grieved!¡± Hayley sobbed while hugging her


    tightly.


    Sam too, was extremely d to see Charlotte. ¡°They said you were still alive, but I didn''t believe it. I''m


    so d it''s true! The guys from the Nachts had brought us over by force, and then we were snatched


    away by another group of men at the airport! That was so scary!¡±


    Dr. Felch smiled at Charlotte and said, ¡°I''m just d you''re all right. They say god favors good people,


    and it seems that statement holds true!¡±


    ¡°I didn''t think I''d be able to see you guys again. Life sure is full of surprises!¡± Charlotte eximed as


    she recalled her experience searching for a cure in Phoenix City with Mrs. Berry two years ago.


    ¡°Yeah, I heard some stories about you earlier. Mrs. Berry once said my chickens weren''t fat enough,


    and that she would teach me how to farm them better, but...¡±


    Charlotte''s eyes reddened when she heard him mention Mrs. Berry, and Dr. Felch let out a sigh in


    response.


    ¡°So, how were you able to survive the past two years?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Danrique knows a really great doctor. He formted some kind of medicine for me and had me drink a


    bottle of it each week.¡±


    After telling him about her treatment, Charlotte added, ¡°But that''s not important right now because it


    only triggers on rainy days with thunderstorms. As for my daughter, she''s been poisoned by something


    really nasty and her current condition isn''t looking great.¡±


    ¡°Bring her to me, hurry!¡± Dr. Felch said hurriedly.


    ¡°She''s not home right now, so I''ll...¡± Charlotte was halfway through her sentence when her phone rang


    and interrupted her. She then stepped aside and answered the call, ¡°Hello, Danrique.¡±


    ¡°I''ve brought you the doctor. Are you going to pick the kids up yourself, or do you want me to help you


    with that?¡± Danrique sounded cold and arrogantly domineering as always, but his intention was clear.


    He had brought Dr. Felch straight to the Lindberg residence so she wouldn''t have to face the Nachts


    whom she hated, and he was calling to ask if she needed his help with bringing the kids over too.


    ¡°I''ll do it myself! I''ll go pick them up tonight!¡±


    ¡°Do not disappoint me.¡±


    ¡°I won''t! Thanks, Danrique!¡±


    Despite what she said, Charlotte was still feeling uneasy after hanging up the phone. She knew


    Danrique''s men would surely barge into the Nacht residence and take the kids by force if she failed to


    bring them home that night.

 Chapter 999

    Chapter 999


    Another war will break out if that happens! While I couldn''t care less about Henry''s safety, the kids


    would surely be upset and traumatized if anything happens to him. It''s better if I y the role of the bad


    guy instead.


    With that in mind, Charlotte put her phone away and turned toward Dr. Felch as she said, ¡°Dr. Felch,


    you can rest well here at my ce while I go pick my kids up.¡±


    Dr. Felch nodded. ¡°Okay. Remember to keep things peaceful!¡±


    Charlotte was a little surprised to hear that, but chose to say nothing about it. Dr. Felch seems to know


    about the feud between our two families... There''s more to what he said than meets the eye!


    She then thanked him and said goodbye to Hayley and Sam before giving Zachary a call in her room,


    ¡°Have you taken Ellie to your grandpa''s?¡±


    Zachary understood what was going on the moment he got her call and responded to her question with


    another, ¡°Did your men take Dr. Felch to the Lindberg residence?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that''s right.¡± Charlotte admitted to it right away.


    Zachary''s tone grew cold. ¡°Danrique did it, right? What''s he ying at?¡±


    Charlotte snapped back at him, ¡°Need you even ask? Isn''t it obvious? Your family went overboard!


    Danrique is simply avenging me.¡±


    Zachary got mad all of a sudden. ¡°What is he trying to do? Was what he did to Nacht Group not


    enough? Taking Dr. Felch away like that would only dy Ellie''s treatment! Could you guys not affect


    the children with adult matters?¡±


    ¡°Her treatment won''t be dyed. Bring Ellie over to my ce now, and I''ll have Dr. Felch treat her right


    away,¡± Charlotte said coldly.


    ¡°Charlotte...¡±


    ¡°You bring her here, or do I have to go pick her up? You choose!¡±


    Charlotte had learned a lot from Danrique''s methods of intimidation, and it proved to be effective as it


    rendered Zachary speechless.


    He knew Charlotte would really arrive with a bunch of SUVs and dozens of her female bodyguards to


    take Ellie away by force.


    That would result in a nasty war between the two families! Looks like I''ll have to y the role of the bad


    guy, then.


    With that thought in mind, Zachary decided to give in. ¡°Fine, I''ll go discuss this with my grandpa. Wait


    for my update.¡±


    ¡°No, I don''t need you to discuss it. I need you to get it done. Bring my child to me by 7:00 p.m. or I will


    go take her by force. Don''t me me for disrespecting the elderly, then!¡± Charlotte hung up


    immediately after saying that.


    Zachary clenched his teeth in anger when he heard the line go dead, and he let out a helpless sigh as


    he looked at a picture of them on his desk. ¡°You were a lot cuter and gentler two years ago...¡±


    She used to bepletely helpless and at my mercy back then, but now... Things have changed, and


    I''m the one who fears her instead...


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, we''ve just found out that...¡±


    Zachary cut him off, ¡°The Lindbergs have taken Dr. Felch, right? A bitte on the report, don''t you


    think?¡±


    ¡°I am terribly sorry for my ipetence, sir.¡± Bruce lowered his head apologetically.


    Zachary tossed his pen aside. ¡°Enough. Get the car ready, we''re heading over to my grandpa''s.¡±


    ¡°Right now?¡± Bruce was confused. Why would he be going there all of a sudden when thepany is


    in utter chaos right now? There''s so much work waiting for him!


    ¡°Duh!¡±


    ¡°R-Right away!¡±


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Lucy came running over the moment Zachary stepped out of the office. ¡°Mr. Nacht, I have a few


    documents here that require your signature!¡±


    ¡°Leave them at my desk, I''ll sign them tomorrow.¡±


    Zachary couldn''t care less about those documents and simply rushed over to the elevator. It''s almost


    five in the evening, and Charlotte would go barging into Grandpa''s house if I don''t deliver Ellie to


    Northridge by seven! Things would get messy, then!


    ¡°But these documents are urgent, Mr. Nacht! Mr. Nacht!¡±

 Chapter 1000

    Chapter 1000


    Lucy called out to him a couple of times, but he ignored her and went straight into the elevator, leaving


    her rooted to the spot with a conflicted look on her face.


    ¡°Where''s Mr. Nacht?¡± Johann asked as he came rushing over with the men from the Commercial


    Crimes Investigation Bureau.


    ¡°He just left in a hurry to take care of some urgent matters at home. He''ll be in tomorrow for sure,


    though!¡± Lucy exined.


    Johann froze for a moment before turning around and telling those men, ¡°I''ll assist you with the


    investigation for now. Mr. Nacht will be back when he''s free.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Zachary could hear the sound of a zithering from the Garden Vi when he arrived, and he saw


    Henry helping Robbie and Jamie practice calligraphy while Ellie slept on a bench nearby.


    Spencer ced a nket over her and was about to have the medical staff carry her to her room when


    Little Fifi shouted, ¡°Daddy!¡±


    Robbie raised his head when he heard that, messing up his calligraphy writing as a result.


    ¡°Oh, my god! Daddy! It really is you!¡± Jamie tossed the pen aside and threw himself into Zachary''s


    arms.


    Zachary picked him up as he said, ¡°Hey there, Jamie! How''s your writing? Let me have a look... Wow,


    not bad!¡±


    ¡°I''ve been training him for a few years now, and it would be an understatement to say that he has made


    tremendous improvements. Anyway, why are you home when there''s so much work to do at the office?


    Surely you''re not here just to have dinner?¡±


    ¡°There''s something I need to talk to you about,¡± Zachary replied as he put Jamie down and gave him a


    pat on the head.


    ¡°We''ll talk in the study room.¡± Henry ced his pen down and wiped his hand with a handkerchief.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Zachary nodded and turned to his kids. ¡°You boys carry on with your practice, okay? Daddy will


    check your workter.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Daddy!¡± Jamie replied obediently.


    ¡°What''s going on, Daddy?¡± Robbie stared at him with an uneasy look in his eyes.


    ¡°It''s nothing.¡± Zachary gently caressed his face before wheeling Henry into the study room.


    Spencer followed them inside after having someone watch over the kids.


    ¡°What is it? Did you bring the doctor for Ellie''s treatment?¡± Henry asked.


    ¡°That''s what I wanted to talk to you about. You know how Dr. Felch is an old friend of Charlotte''s dad,


    right? Because he only treats the Windt family, he went straight to Northridge after getting off the


    ne.¡± Zachary tried to word it in a different way.


    ¡°What nonsense is this? Doctors are supposed to treat everyone equally regardless of their identity!


    Besides, didn''t you send Marino to pick him up? He should bring him to us even if he has to use force!


    How could he let him head over to Northridge like that? The Lindbergs kidnapped him, didn''t they?¡±


    Henry was outraged.


    ¡°No, Charlotte doesn''t know about this at all. It''s true that their men have picked Dr. Felch up at the


    airport, but he went with them willingly,¡± Zachary exined.


    ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    ¡°What the hell are they ying at? I know we owe her a lot and all, but they shouldn''t be acting like this


    when the child''s health is at risk!¡± Henry grew increasingly anxious.


    Zachary observed Henry''s emotions and said cautiously, ¡°They just want to get Ellie treated in


    Northridge, that''s all. I came here to pick the kids up.¡±


    Henry was furious. ¡°You... Instead of trying to talk her out of it, you decide to just deliver them to her?


    Ellie has just moved all the way here today morning, and now you''re taking her to Northridge? The


    child is sick, for goodness'' sake! It hurts me to see her suffer like this!¡±


    ¡°I know, Grandpa. It hurts me too, which is why we''re trying to get her treated. I understand that you


    and the kids are very close, but they need their parents more than anything right now,¡± Zachary said


    softly.


    ¡°Are you sure you can get the kids back after sending them there? I feel like this is a one-way trip!¡±


    Henry was particrly sensitive about that.

 Chapter 1001

    Chapter 1001


    Zachary said firmly, ¡°No, it isn''t. Charlotte respects the feelings of her kids, and I''m sure they wouldn''t


    want to leave you either. Besides, you''ve already written your will, so I''m sure Charlotte understands


    your sincerity and will behave appropriately.¡±


    ¡°That doesn''t mean Danrique will do the same. I''ve changed my perception of Charlotte after


    everything that has happened. I''ll admit that I was wrong for stubbornly splitting you two up and all the


    horrible things I''ve done to her. I''m willing to take responsibility for my mistakes and do everything I can


    to make it up to her, so just tell her to state her demands. However, these kids mean everything to me,


    and I will not allow anyone to take them from me. The future of the Nacht family depends on them!¡±


    Henry was so agitated that even his hands were trembling as he spoke.


    ¡°I know, Grandpa. They''re my children, and I''m definitely more concerned about them than you are. I


    may love Charlotte and all, but I will not makepromises when ites to the kids. As a man,


    there''s no way I''m letting my kids take up some other guy''s family name. Don''t worry, I''ll move in and


    stay with them while Ellie is being treated there. That way, Ellie would be able to see both her parents


    every day. I''m sure it''ll cheer her up and help her recover faster.¡± Zachary continued to coax Henry.


    ¡°You''re moving in too? If so, this shouldn''t be a problem at all!¡± Spencer agreed with him right away.


    ¡°Are you really going to move in?¡± Henry was still a little doubtful about it.


    ¡°Of course. Where else would I stay? The house at Southridge is still being cleaned up, and I don''t


    have anywhere else to stay,¡± Zachary said while waving at him.


    ¡°You''d better not be lying to me. Charlotte is no longer that soft and weak woman she used to be, and


    she was fuming with rage when she left! I doubt she''d let you stay over at her ce!¡± Henry still found it


    hard to believe.


    ¡°I''m doing this for the sake of my child. Ellie''s condition is still highly unstable, so we''re both worried


    about her. Also, you know how hard it was for us to find Dr. Felch, so we have to make sure he treats


    Ellie as soon as possible. Right now, Charlotte has agreed to put our grudges aside and focus on this


    task together.¡± Zachary continued to persuade him.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg may have a hot temper, but she does love her children deeply. It''s a mother''s nature to


    do so, after all!¡± Spencer added.


    ¡°That, I do believe...¡± After thinking long and hard about it, Henry nodded his head and said, ¡°Fine. I


    won''t stop you any further, but make sure you bring all three of them back to me after Ellie''s treatment


    isplete!¡±


    ¡°You have my word!¡±


    Just like that, Zachary had sessfully gained the approval to bring the kids over. They were delighted


    when they heard they were going to see their mommy, and even Robbie''s gloomy expression was


    reced with a bright smile.


    Jamie leaped off the sofa and pped his hands in joy when he heard the news.


    Ellie pped her hands too and shouted happily, ¡°Yay! We''re going to see Mommy!¡±


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Say goodbye to your great-grandpa, kids! We''re leaving now!¡±


    ¡°Bye bye, Great-grandpa!¡±


    ¡°You kids behave over there, okay? Make sure toe back once the treatment is over!¡± Henry then


    held Robbie and Jamie by the hand and reminded them, ¡°I want you two to call me every night and


    keep me updated on the situation, got it? Let me know if anything happens!¡±


    ¡°We will, Great-grandpa! Don''t worry!¡±


    Henry''s eyes reddened as he sat on his wheelchair and watched the kids happily climb into the car.


    ¡°Don''t be sad, Grandpa. I''ll send them back here once Elliepletes her treatment!¡± Zachary


    comforted him before getting into the car. Fearing that Henry would suddenly change his mind, he then


    ordered Marino, ¡°Come on, let''s go!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Marino then started the engine and drove off.

 Chapter 1002

    Chapter 1002


    Henry watched as the car disappeared into the courtyard and felt disturbed. ¡°Why do I feel deceived by


    Zachary? Something feels wrong somehow. Oh no, I should get the children back!¡±


    ¡°Oh, Mr. Henry. Stop worrying.¡± Spencer quickly advised. ¡°What Mr. Zachary said was right. Compared


    to you, he cared more about the children. He will never let the Lindberg family take the children away.


    Rest assured.¡±


    ¡°But he was driving at high speed as if he was rushing somewhere. Something feels off.¡± Henry was


    anxious. ¡°That cheeky rascal has been badly influenced. Remember how he would put up a tough fight


    with me whenever anything happened then? Those words he said today would nevere out of his


    mouth back then.¡±


    ¡°That is a good thing. It means he has matured.¡± Spencer tried to calm him down. ¡°Mr. Zachary has


    grown. He''s dominating in the business world. You should trust him!¡±


    ¡°But-¡±


    ¡°Please don''t make things difficult again.¡± Spencer became impatient. ¡°Think about it. Why did the


    Lindberg family take Dr. Felch? Isn''t it because we have wronged Ms. Lindberg? At that time, when you


    made people restrain Ms. Lindberg because of Cynthia, it was incredibly insulting to her. Now that Ms.


    Lindberg is not willing toe to the Nachts'' residence, this is the only way she could see her children.


    I think Mr. Zachary will be able to calm Ms. Lindberg as long as you don''t interfere. For all we know,


    she might even return to the Nacht residence; that way, the family will be reunited and everyone will be


    happy.¡±


    ¡°You''re being too optimistic,¡± Henry said in an irritable tone. ¡°Even if the two of them are willing, do you


    think Danrique will let that happen? The grievances between the Nachts and Lindbergs won''t be


    resolved that easily.¡±


    ¡°Right...¡±


    ¡°I''m still having a bad feeling about this. Send someone to check it out,¡± Henry ordered. ¡°Have him tail


    Zachary and see if he leaves right after sending the children to Northridge or if he is staying the night,


    but do not interfere.¡±


    ¡°Right away.¡±


    ...


    The ck Rolls-Royce drove toward Northridge.


    The children happily looked forward to the life of living together as a family of seven. Zachary watched


    them tenderly, feeling touched.


    He nned to first coax Henry by blurting out some convincing reasons. Now that he thought about it,


    living there might not be a bad idea...


    Not only could he watch the children, but he could also get closer to Charlotte.


    Zachary smiled at that thought.


    ¡°Mr. Zachary, there''s a car following us,¡± Bruce reported. ¡°It looks like one of Mr. Henry''s.¡±


    ¡°Should we shake them off?¡± Marino asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Zachary replied calmly. ¡°Pretend we didn''t know. Just keep driving.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Marino continued to drive.


    ¡°Drive faster.¡±


    Zachary looked at his watch as time was running out.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Marino picked up the speed.


    As Zachary was about to talk to the children, his phone rang. He made a gesture to the children and


    answered the phone. ¡°Hello.¡±


    ¡°Have you picked them up?¡±


    Charlotte was waiting anxiously at home, but she pretended to sound cold and arrogant on the phone.


    ¡°What''s the hurry? We still have time, right?¡± Zachary teased her deliberately.


    ¡°It''s five minutes to seven o''clock. My men are ready with their weapons. If you don''t send them here, I


    will take them from Mr. Nacht by force.¡±


    As she spoke, Charlotte fired a shot at a branch not far away.


    Bang! The branch fell to the ground, and the sound of the gunshot scared away a flock of birds.


    Oh no...


    Zachary was speechless. This woman is crazy!


    ¡°You have four more minutes!¡± Charlotte lost her patience and ordered, ¡°Prep the car! We''re leaving!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°We''re arriving!¡± Zachary quickly said, ¡°We''re halfway up the mountain!¡±? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    ¡°Don''t lie to me!¡± Charlotte hung up the phone immediately and ordered, ¡°Check the cameras and see if


    they have arrived!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±

 Chapter 1003

    Chapter 1003


    Marino didn''t dare to speed up because Ellie was ill. So they werete by three minutes.


    Lupine waited at the entrance to the courtyard with dozens of female bodyguards, all armed with guns


    and looking vicious.


    ¡°What a fierce bunch of women.¡± Bruce couldn''t help but feel impressed.


    ¡°Don''t mess with them. They''re quite touchy,¡± Marino silently warned.


    As soon as he spoke, an eagle''s cry was heard, and Fifi jumped out of the car window andnded on


    the back of Charlotte''s hands.


    ¡°Mommy!¡± Jamie stuck his head out of the car window, waving excitedly at Charlotte.


    ¡°Jamie!¡± Charlotte immediately weed him.


    Bruce helped Robbie and Jamie out of the car as soon as the car stopped, and Jamie leaped into


    Charlotte''s arms, tightly hugging her by the neck all choked up, and said, ¡°Mommy, I thought it would


    take forever for me to see you again. I didn''t expect it to be so soon.¡±


    ¡°Are you happy to see Mommy?¡± Charlotte asked while holding his tiny face.


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Jamie nodded repeatedly.


    ¡°That''s great.¡± Charlotte kissed his chubby cheek.


    ¡°Mommy!¡± Robbie ran over and wanted to hug his mom and let his mom kiss him, but his cold


    personality stopped him from doing so. Thus, he only watched from a distance.


    ¡°Robbie.¡± Charlotte hugged him and kissed him on the forehead. ¡°Mommy told you, we will meet again


    very soon, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Robbie blushed and nodded, then hugged Charlotte''s neck and said, ¡°Mommy, I hope we will


    always be together.¡±


    ¡°We will. Mommy will never leave you again.¡± Charlotte patted Robbie''s back. ¡°Good boy!¡±


    ¡°Mommy...¡± Ellie whispered in a hoarse voice and extended her thin arms toward Charlotte.


    Charlotte quickly rushed over to Ellie and hugged her. After suffering from the poison, Ellie had lost a


    lot of weight and still couldn''t walk. She had to eithery in bed or sit in a wheelchair every single day,


    and she had no energy to speak.


    Looking at her, Charlotte was devastated.


    ¡°Ellie, I will get Dr. Felch. He will definitely fix you up.¡± Charlotte gently stroked Ellie''s hair. ¡°Once you


    recover, Mommy will take you to Disnend.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Thanks, Mommy.¡± Ellie buried her face in Charlotte''s arms like a baby.


    ¡°Good girl! Mommy will carry you into the house.¡±


    Charlotte picked up Ellie and walked into the house. She spoke to the kids without looking at Zachary.


    ¡°Robbie, Jamie, Ellie. Mommy will take you to Dr. Felch. He''s a good friend of Grandpa and also an


    outstanding doctor. Remember to behave yourselves, understood?¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Zachary looked at Charlotte from the back, feeling lost. He used to be high and mighty in front of her,


    and now it''s the other way around...


    This must be retribution!


    ¡°Mr. Zachary, we''re being ignored. Should we go in?¡± Bruce asked silently.


    ¡°Nonsense.¡± Zachary red at him and walked into the house.


    Lupine''s group didn''t stop them but didn''t greet them either.


    Zachary shamelessly sat on the sofa and poured himself a cup of tea.


    Bruce and Marino stood behind him, awkwardly rubbing their noses, feeling ufortable.


    ¡°Marino!¡± Suddenly, a familiar voice was heard.


    Marino turned around and responded. ¡°Why are you here? Aren''t you at the hospital?¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg said that I will recover faster if Dr. Felch treats me. So she sent someone to pick me up,¡±


    said Morgan with a smile.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg is so kind to you.¡±


    ¡°Of course she is. Otherwise, I wouldn''t be so loyal to her.¡± When Morgan mentioned Charlotte''s name,


    her face was brimming with admiration. She nced at Zachary and asked softly, ¡°You sent the


    children back, right? Why is nobody attending to you?¡±


    ¡°Oh, don''t mention it.¡± Marino didn''t want to say more.

 Chapter 1004

    Chapter 1004


    ¡°Serves you right!¡± Morgan squirmed her lips. ¡°How did you all treat Ms. Lindberg when she was in the


    Nacht residence?¡±


    ¡°We respected her.¡± Marino hurriedly added, ¡°Everyone from the Nacht family revered her as thedy


    of the house.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Arching her brow, Morgan interrogated, ¡°Who was the one who believed Cynthia''s false


    usation and requested the bodyguard to capture Ms. Lindberg? Subsequently, tied her hands and


    feet up with chains?¡±


    ¡°Err...¡± Marino faltered. He was not present at that time. However, he did hear people talking about the


    nasty things Henry did. It''s no wonder the Lindberg family is always antagonistic.


    ¡°Hmph! You''re one of them. Get lost!¡± Morgan knocked Marino down with her wheelchair. Then, she


    went back to her room.


    ¡°Morgan, Morgan...¡± Marino called out to her and attempted to exin himself, ¡°I wasn''t home at that


    time. I''ve just returned today...¡±


    Morgan ignored him.


    Feeling aggrieved and dejected, Marino went to Zachary.


    ¡°Hit a snag?¡± Zachary was curious.


    ¡°I feel so wronged...¡± Marino shared sadly, ¡°I didn''t do anything, but still get scolded.¡±


    Bruce reminded him, ¡°Just go and coax her.¡±


    ¡°There''s no need for that,¡± Zachary warned softly. ¡°We''re in the Lindberg residence, and Danrique''s


    spies are everywhere. If he knows about the two of you, Morgan is doomed.¡±


    ¡°How could I forget something so important?¡± A look of terror crossed Marino''s face. ¡°Oh no, what


    should I do?¡±


    ¡°She''s smarter than you.¡± Zachary red at him. ¡°You are such a fool.¡±


    Marino was stunned for a moment. Then, it suddenly dawned on him that Morgan was just putting up a


    show in front of others. She knew it all along that Charlotte was held in high esteem by Marino, and that


    he had nothing to do with the incident. Most essentially, Morgan was not angry at him.


    ¡°You should head back now in order to avoid unnecessary issues,¡± Zachary ordered.


    ¡°Noted.¡± Immediately, Marino left. He did not want to bring any trouble upon Morgan.


    In the room on the third floor, Morgan was standing by the French windows. Her heart was heavy as


    she watched Marino leave in his car.


    ¡°Don''t worry. Even though that dude isn''t the sharpest tool in the shed, Mr. Nacht will surely advise him


    what to do,¡± Lupine muttered. ¡°As for you, don''t think too much and get some rest.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡± Morgan sighed. ¡°Mr. Lindberg is known to be ruthless. I''m really worried.¡±


    ¡°Don''t keep in touch with him from now on.¡± Lupine frowned before adding, ¡°There''s no problem if he


    was someone else, but he works for the Nachts. If Mr. Lindberg ever finds out about you guys, that will


    be the end of both of you.¡±


    Lupine meant it as a reminder for herself as well as Morgan.


    Anyhow, Lupine and Ben appeared to be more stablepared to Morgan and Marino. After all, the


    latter pair was much younger...


    ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    ¡°I know,¡± Morgan replied in a quavering voice. ¡°I just... miss him so much.¡±


    ¡°I can understand how you feel.¡± Simrly, Lupine missed Ben too.


    ¡°What do you think are the chances of Ms. Lindberg patching things up with Mr. Nacht?¡± Morgan


    spected, ¡°If the two families are able to reconcile with each other, we don''t need to give up on our


    rtionships, right?¡±


    ¡°The chance is very slim.¡± Lupine sighed. ¡°Then again, it''s not totally impossible. I can tell that Ms.


    Lindberg still has feelings for Mr. Nacht. On the other hand, Mr. Nacht doesn''t seem to want to let go of


    her either. So, who knows?¡±


    ¡°That''sforting to hear.¡± Morgan was hopeful.


    Lupine was also holding on to the signs of hope that the two rival families would one day bury the


    hatchet and reconcile with each other.


    ¡°Lupine!¡± a bodyguard yelled from outside, ¡°Ms. Lindberg is looking for you.¡±


    ¡°I''ming.¡± She gave Morgan a pat on her shoulder before leaving.


    Upon arriving on the first floor, she noticed that nobody was attending to Zachary. Though it did not


    matter to her, she still reminded the maid to do something about it, ¡°Do serve Mr. Nacht some tea.


    Otherwise, the children will be upset.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±

 Chapter 1005

    Chapter 1005


    ¡°That''s nice of you.¡± Zachary was grateful. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Ignoring him, Lupine strode toward Charlotte.


    Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    ¡°I thought rumor has it that the legendary Mr. Nacht has an icy personality?¡± a female bodyguard asked


    under her breath. ¡°It doesn''t seem so to me.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg has tamed him.¡± A smug settled upon Lupine''s face. ¡°No matter how high and mighty he


    is toward others, he behaves himself in front of Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, that''s a wonderful payback; fair enough as the Nachts aren''t nice to Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    ¡°Precisely!¡±


    When Lupine got to the clinic, Dr. Felch had already examined Ellie and prescribed her medication.


    After instructing Hayley to prepare the medicine daily, he turned to Charlotte. ¡°Let me check on you


    now.¡±


    ¡°No rush.¡± Charlotte thought about Morgan. ¡°I have a subordinate who was shot when she tried to


    protect me. Can you see her first?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely.¡± Dr. Felch exined, ¡°Gunshot is one of the easiest things to treat. As long as it didn''t hurt


    her vitals, she will be fine upon following my prescription.¡±


    ¡°Thank you so much.¡± Charlottemanded, ¡°Bring Dr. Felch to see Morgan immediately.¡±


    ¡°Duly noted. Dr. Felch, this way please.¡±


    With that, Dr. Felchleft with Sam, leaving Hayley in the clinic to take care of Ellie.


    Charlotte told Lupine, ¡°The maids and the bodyguards at home don''t have any medical knowledge. Go


    and arrange for some reliable medical staff to relieve the burdens of Hayley and Sam.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I''ll do that right away.¡± Lupine nodded. Right before she left, Charlotte asked, ¡°Is that person still


    around?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Lupine nced at Ellie who was dozing off on the bed. She continued, ¡°He''s been waiting in the


    living room for over an hour.¡±


    ¡°I''ll take a look.¡±


    When Charlotte arrived at the living room, she saw Zachary there, sipping tea. She questioned coldly,


    ¡°Why are you still here?¡±


    ¡°Has Dr. Felch seen Ellie? What did he say?¡± Zachary got up and walked toward Charlotte.


    ¡°The check-up is done. He has also prescribed medicines to be taken daily,¡± Charlotte replied


    indifferently.


    ¡°How long does it take for her to bepletely cured?¡± Zachary was anxious.


    ¡°This is just the beginning. Dr. Felch won''t indicate a specific time frame.¡± Charlotte said solemnly, ¡°It


    may take a while for the medicines to take effect. We shall see.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Zachary nodded. ¡°I have full trust in Dr. Felch''s skills. We need to believe in him.¡±


    ¡°Yup,¡± Charlotte consoled herself the same way too.


    ¡°I see that you might need a hand at the clinic. Should I send more people over?¡± Zachary tried to find


    a new topic to talk to her.


    ¡°No, thanks. You can leave now.¡± Charlotte showed no intention to engage in further conversation with


    him. She turned to walk upstairs.


    ¡°Ellie will cry if she doesn''t see me when she wakes up.¡± Zachary stopped her. ¡°And Jamie will be


    disappointed too. Robbie may look calm, but he''s just pretending.¡±


    ¡°So, your point is?¡± Charlotte shot him an unfriendly stare.


    ¡°I think...¡± He observed her facial expression before continuing. ¡°I should stay here during the course of


    the treatment. I won''t trouble you. In addition, I''ll pay for rent and food...¡±


    ¡°Go away!¡± Charlotte bellowed.


    ¡°Is that how you treat your guest?¡± Zachary was determined to get what he wanted. ¡°The kids will be so


    sad to see you treat me like this.¡±


    ¡°How audacious of you to even suggest that, Zachary Nacht!¡± Charlotte was livid. ¡°When I was in your


    house, how did your family treat me? I can let it slide for the sake of the children, but you''re being too


    much now. Stop being a thick-skin and leave at once, or I''ll have my bodyguard shoo you away.¡±


    ¡°I''m prioritizing the kids. Don''t you want Ellie to get well sooner?¡± Zachary added, ¡°She feels better


    when she looks at me. In turn, this will aid her recovery. Ask Dr. Felch if you don''t believe me.¡±

 Chapter 1006

    Chapter 1006


    ¡°Aren''t you leaving?¡± Charlotte lost her patience and summoned her subordinate, ¡°Is someone here?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Two bodyguards approached her in a sh.


    ¡°Get him out of my sight now,¡± Charlottemanded.


    ¡°Noted.¡± As much as the bodyguards wanted to discharge their duty, they were intimidated by


    Zachary''s horrifying gaze. Like a mouse, they turned to Charlotte for help.


    ¡°Quit staring and get to work!¡± Charlotte insisted.


    ¡°Err...¡± The bodyguards were well aware of Zachary''s identity and his rtionship with Charlotte. They


    dared not disrespect him, yet they did not want to disobey Charlotte either.


    ¡°Rubbish.¡± Charlotte pointed a gun at Zachary. ¡°Get out!¡±


    ¡°You''ve got a very short fuse. Watch your tongue or you might scare the kids to wits...¡±


    ¡°Whoa!¡± Coincidentally, Ellie''s cry was heard loud and clear.


    Hayley had just brought Ellie back from the clinic, and they both witnessed the moment...


    Hayley gasped in disbelief while the horrified Ellie started wailing on the spot.


    ¡°Ellie!¡± Charlotte swiftly kept the gun and rushed over to hug her daughter. ¡°Don''t be scared, Ellie. I was


    just fooling around with Daddy.¡±


    ¡°Mommy, don''t hurt Daddy, please...¡± Her whole body was shaking uncontrobly. Crying out of breath,


    she added, ¡°Daddy loves us. Don''t kill him.¡±


    ¡°No, no, I won''t do that.¡± Charlotte panicked. ¡°I was really just role-ying with him.¡±


    She turned and gave Zachary a look. ¡°Right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Don''t be afraid, Ellie. Mommy was just ying with me,¡± Zachary came forward and consoled the


    little girl.


    ¡°Daddy...¡± Ellie stretched out her arms and embraced Zachary.


    Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    He picked her up and caressed her back,forting her gently, ¡°Have no fear, Daddy''s here.¡±


    ¡°Don''t go, Daddy...¡± Ellie wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. Sobbing, she shared, ¡°I''m very


    scared.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I won''t go anywhere. I''ll stay here with you. Now, let me take you back to your room,¡± Zachary


    tried his best to coax her.


    Then, he requested Charlotte to lead the way.


    Reluctantly, Charlotte red at him before walking them upstairs.


    Bruce saw what happened and had an aha moment. I can see that being thick-skinned is quite


    effective in getting what you want.


    ¡°What happened to Ellie?¡± Robbie and Jamie ran out of their rooms upon hearing Ellie''s cry.


    Seeing their sister bawling her eyes out, they went ahead to pat her. ¡°Don''t worry, Ellie, we''re here for


    you.¡±


    ¡°Hmm... Your mommy wants me to leave, but Ellie misses me so much. Hence...¡± Zachary put on a


    downcast face.


    ¡°You...¡± Suppressing her urge to curse, Charlotte gritted her teeth.


    He''s such a shameless fellow.


    ¡°Mommy!¡± Jamie held her hands and pleaded, ¡°Don''t ask Daddy to leave, okay? I beg you.¡±


    ¡°How about we let Daddy stay here for a couple of days until Ellie gets better?¡± the thoughtful Robbie


    suggested.


    ¡°No way, Robbie...¡± Before Charlotte could refute further, Ellie burst into tears again.


    Immediately, Charlotte had no choice but to change her mind. ¡°All right, all right, he can stay. Please


    stop crying, Ellie. You''re not feeling well, so please don''t cry, or else it will affect your health.¡±


    ¡°Mommy!¡± Ellie threw herself into Charlotte''s arms and acted coquettishly while wiping her nose on her


    blouse. ¡°You won''t make Daddy go away anymore, right? You won''t beat him either?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Charlotte spat out an affirmative answer as she stared daggers at Zachary.


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Subsequently, Zachary rose to his feet and yelled at the door, ¡°Bruce, bring my suitcase


    in!¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡± Bruce was impressed at how that shrewd man achieved his hidden agenda.


    ¡°Yeah! This is awesome!¡± Jamie eximed. ¡°Finally, our entire family can live peacefully together.


    Without Ms. Cynthia and Great-grandpa, there will be no more arguments.¡±


    ¡°That''s right!¡± Robbie was beaming.

 Chapter 1007

    Chapter 1007


    After settling the children down, Charlotte pulled Zachary into her room and gave him an earful.


    ¡°Zachary, what''s the matter with you? Don''t you know that this ce is full of my brother''s spies? As


    much as I can try my best to tolerate you for the sake of the kids, Danrique won''t! I can''t even imagine


    the consequences if he finds out that you''re here.¡±


    ¡°Danrique will be too upied to be bothered about me, so don''t you worry,¡± Zachary said confidently.


    ¡°What do you mean? What did you do?¡± Charlotte was dubious about his statement.


    ¡°Oh, you haven''t heard? His illegitimate child is exposed,¡± he gloated with a raised eyebrow.


    ¡°Someone''s getting busy.¡±


    ¡°An illegitimate child?¡± The news came like a bolt from the blue. ¡°Are you kidding? My brother has


    never had a girlfriend, let alone a child?¡±


    ¡°Come on, how can a normal man have no girlfriend? Unless he''s gay.¡± Zachary continued cidly,


    ¡°He''s just very good at hiding his dirty little secrets from you.¡±


    ¡°How did you find out?¡± she asked suspiciously.


    ¡°We are rivals. Needless to say, I must know him very well.¡± He smiled smugly. ¡°He''s been giving me a


    lot of headaches. I''m just returning the favor.¡±


    Charlotte paused. ¡°What is that supposed to mean? Did you hire an impostor?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. I just leverage on a little situation...¡± He shrugged. ¡°Anyhow, there''s nothing for you to


    fret about. Even if he knows I''m here, let hime to me. All you have to do is to put the me on


    me.¡±


    As he spoke, he scanned around Charlotte''s room and slumped on the bed. ¡°What a great ce! I''ll


    take this room...¡±


    ¡°Get up!¡± Charlotte tried to pull him up, but he managed to turn her over and pin her on the bed instead.


    ¡°What are you doing? Let go of me right now,¡± Charlotte roared while pushing him away.


    ¡°Stay still.¡± He sped her hands and looked her in the eyes. ¡°I just want to hug you.¡±


    His gaze was gentle and affectionate.


    Within a split second, Charlotte almost fell for his charm. She soon recollected herself and kneed him in


    the groin.


    ¡°Ahh!¡± Zachary shouted in agony. He curled into a fetal position and muttered, ¡°Darn it. Why did you do


    that?¡±


    It was not Charlotte''s first time to hit him on the same spot. Thest time, it was in Seacrest


    Restaurant.


    ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    Unfortunately, he never learned his lesson.


    ¡°This is my house.¡± Charlotte pushed him away angrily. ¡°I''m Charlotte Lindberg, not Charlotte Windt


    who lived at the mercy of others.¡±


    ¡°It''s your loss if you handicapped me.¡± Zachary just had to emphasize that, though he was in


    excruciating pain.


    ¡°There are plenty of men around. Do you think that you''re my only option?¡± Charlotte taunted. ¡°I just


    need to snap my fingers and there will be a long queue of excellent men fighting to marry me.¡±


    ¡°I shall see who is brazen enough to do that.¡± Suddenly, Zachary turned solemn. ¡°I''ll announce to the


    whole world tomorrow that you are the mother of my children.¡±


    ¡°I doubt that there''s no courageous man around who''s up for the challenge.¡± She rolled her eyes at


    him. ¡°Do you think that everyone else is a coward?¡±


    ¡°Try me.¡± Zachary arched his brow.


    ¡°I''ve had enough of your nonsense,¡± she uttered. ¡°Leave now while the kids are sleeping soundly.¡±


    ¡°No way! Are you going back on your words? You promised the triplets that you''d let me stay here.¡±


    Zachary sulked. ¡°They will all cry if I''m not around by the time they get up...¡±


    ¡°I''ll justfort them.¡± Charlotte cut him off. ¡°That''s how children grow and learn.¡±


    ¡°Why are you so cruel? Why can''t you just let me stay for a few days? What''s the big deal?¡± He could


    not understand her decision.


    ¡°Are you leaving?¡± She started to get impatient. ¡°Otherwise, I''ll drag you out.¡±

 Chapter 1008

    Chapter 1008


    ¡°You...¡±


    Knock! Knock! Knock!


    The knocking on the door stopped Zachary from saying further.


    Charlotte gestured him to fix his clothes while she went ahead to answer the door. ¡°What''s up?¡±


    ¡°There''s a car parking nearby, seemingly spying on us,¡± Lupine reported softly. ¡°I''ve looked into it. It''s


    probably one of Mr. Nacht''s men.¡±


    ¡°This is preposterous!¡± Livid, Charlotte cursed, ¡°What does that damned man want?¡±


    ¡°Hey, watch your words.¡± Zachary quickly exined, ¡°I told him that I''m here to apany the kids for


    a period of time. That''s why he let me bring them over. I''m pretty sure that those men are sent to


    monitor me, to check if I lied to him. So, I''m the target, not you.¡±


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    ¡°You should leave at once and take his men along with you.¡± Charlotte went ballistic. ¡°Or else, I''ll take


    action against you lot.¡±


    Zachary didn''t refute her but signal Lupine to shut the door and leave, to which thetter obliged.


    ¡°Has Danrique never taught you to maintain yourposure when dealing with issues?¡± He became


    serious all of a sudden. ¡°How are you expected to handle bigger matters if you''re always acting this


    rashly?¡±


    ¡°How dare you give me a lecture?¡± Frowning, Charlotte shot him a death stare. ¡°I get all upset


    whenever I see you.¡±


    ¡°It goes to show that I matter to you...¡± He smirked.


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°Don''t hit the ceiling.¡± He made a truce gesture. ¡°Come, let''s analyze the situation. You can think of it


    this way, if I leave now, the kids will definitely feel sad when they wake up. As a consequence, their


    impression of you as their mommy is going to turn bad.¡±


    He added, ¡°Moreover, Ellie''s condition is quite serious now. You do know when she cries, she goes


    hysterical, and it''s bad for her health, don''t you? Are you willing to see that happen? Just take a look at


    how much weight she''s lost. I''m afraid something like this will be detrimental to her health.¡±


    Charlotte fell silent upon hearing that. Deep down, she could not bear any of it. She actually felt


    distressed whenever Ellie cried. If possible, she really hoped to take the ce of Ellie''s suffering.


    She acknowledged that it was a bad move to drive Zachary away because the children would feel


    miserable without him.


    It''s not so bad with Robbie and Jamie as they are easily persuaded. But it''s not the case with Ellie. In


    addition, her condition worsens when she cries...


    Yet, Charlotte did not want to get entangled with Zachary. She feared the oues if Danrique found


    out about it.


    ¡°Besides, Grandpa''s men are still lurking around, monitoring us. If I were to leave at this moment, I


    would be caught red-handed. Then, he will surely send more people toe and snatch the kids


    away..¡±


    ¡°How dare he?¡± Charlotte was up in arms.


    ¡°Okay... Okay...¡± Zachary attempted to cool her down. ¡°I know you''re a strong woman, and I know


    you''re not afraid of him. However, just think it over from a different angle. Who''s at a disadvantage if


    this tussle prolongs? Who gets hurt? It''s the kids, don''t you think?¡±


    As if that was not enough, he illustrated further. ¡°Do you remember Timothy, Hector''s son? He


    witnessed how his father and stepmother hurt his mom. Did you know how traumatized he was? A


    three-year-old toddle ended up shing someone with a knife. Have you forgotten?¡±


    As if that was not enough, he illustrated further. ¡°Do you remember Timothy, Hector''s son? He


    witnessed how his father and stepmother hurt his mom. Did you know how traumatized he was? A


    three-year-old toddle ended up shing someone with a knife. Have you forgotten?¡±


    As the past memories flooded her mind, Charlotte began to recall some scenes vividly...


    At the wedding, she saw how Timothy dashed to the stage and stabbed Helena with a knife. That


    incident really impacted her tremendously. At that time, she even vowed not to let her child turn out the


    same way...


    ¡°Both our families have been rivals for ages; as a result, the children are the real victims here. Each


    time we fight, it creates an adverse psychological effect on the children. Last time, Robbie and Jamie


    saw you aiming a gun at me. Today, Ellie saw the same with her own eyes. It''s going to stick with them


    like childhood trauma.¡±


    Zachary was resolute. ¡°Just do it for the sake of the kids. Even if you''re putting up a show, do it for a


    month. Let''s create a weing and loving environment for them, shall we? Take it as a trial period for


    them to adapt and adjust themselves. We''ll talk about everything else once Ellie gets better. All right?¡±

 Chapter 1009

    Chapter 1009


    Charlotte''s stance was a little shaken. Anyhow, she brought up another critical point, ¡°You''re in big


    trouble if Danrique knows about this...¡±


    ¡°What can he do to me? End my life?¡± Zachary disagreed, ¡°He barely has any free time to worry about


    me, given the current mess he''s in. Even if he knows I''m here, he''ll onlysh out on you at most, and


    then request that you kick me out of the house.¡±


    After mulling over, Charlotte thought that what he said made sense. The Lindbergs and the Nachts


    have always been at war with each other. If anything bad happens to either of the head of the house,


    the police will surely investigate the other family. When that happens, the other party will probably be


    the biggest suspect, and none of these can be resolved easily...


    After all, this group of rich and famous are so used to standing at the top of the food chain. They


    disregard any form of secret attacks but prefer to beat their rivals in business. Therefore, their


    battleground is in the trading realm. No one will really strike the other with a weapon openly.


    ¡°That''s it. This matter is finalized.¡± Seeing that Charlotte had been convinced, Zachary strode toward


    the bathroom. ¡°I''m going to take a shower. Bruce will help to bring my suitcase up in a bit.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± She grabbed his cor and yanked him back. ¡°This is my room. Yours is the guest room.¡±


    ¡°Your room is huge. It''s such a waste to sleep here alone. Let me keep youpany,¡± Zachary


    proposed shamelessly. ¡°It''s the rainy season now. You''ll be scared to your wits when the thunder


    roars...¡±


    Before he could finish, she kicked him out of the room and shut the door with a loud thud.


    Her action left Zachary speechless.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, your suitcase is here,¡± Bruce announced.


    Instantly, Zachary turned and spoke in an icy tone, ¡°ce it in the guest room.¡±


    ¡°Noted.¡± Bruce noticed his mood was off, but he did not dare to ask his boss any question.


    ¡°This way, please.¡± Upon learning that Charlotte did not drive Zachary away, Lupine knew that she had


    acquiesced to his decision of staying. Hence, she led him to the guest room above Charlotte''s floor.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, you and your subordinates can upy these rooms.¡±


    ¡°Why am I not ced on the second floor?¡± displeased, Zachary questioned.


    Lupine exined, ¡°Second floor is reserved for Mr. Lindberg, Ms. Lindberg, and the three children. The


    study room and other facilities are also located on the second floor. Morgan and I are on the third floor,


    the same floor as the guest rooms. Ms. Lindberg''s room is just right below yours.¡±


    ¡°Fine, let it be then.¡±


    Zachary headed toward the French windows to check on the situation outside. Staying right above


    Charlotte could be a good thing too. It helps to create opportunities for me to get near her.


    ¡°The rest of you can stay next door.¡± Lupine informed Bruce politely, ¡°Ms. Lindberg advised against


    bringing too many people over.¡±


    ¡°I''ll stay back with two other subordinates and arrange for the rest to leave.¡± Bruce was very


    cooperative.


    ¡°I''ll stay back with two other subordinates and arrange for the rest to leave.¡± Bruce was very


    cooperative.


    ¡°Great.¡± Lupine nodded. ¡°Feel free to let me know if you need anything.¡±


    ¡°Sure, thanks.¡±


    After Lupine left, Bruce helped Zachary to hang his clothes up.


    Meanwhile, Zachary opened the ss door to ess the balcony. He took a peek downstairs and


    noticed that Charlotte''s room was still brightly lit. Her curtains were fluttering, indicating that her sliding


    doors were open...


    She still holds the same habits, sleeping with the windows open. She prefers the natural breeze to air-


    conditioning. I guess she won''t notice if I slink out and sneak into hers...


    No, I should stop!


    Zachary dismissed his random thoughts and reminded himself not to upset Charlotte anymore. Now


    that she has allowed me to stay, I''d better walk on eggshells.


    Bearing these thoughts in mind, he shut the windows and went to the bathroom.


    Charlotte was sipping wine on her sofa. She had been staring at the balcony for half an hour. Upon


    realizing that it was all peaceful and quiet, she knew that Zachary was being prudent with his actions.


    Very good, he''s being sensible.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, the car has left,¡± Lupine reported.


    Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Charlotte replied nonchntly. ¡°Looks like Mr. Nacht is convinced now.¡±

 Chapter 1010

    Chapter 1010


    ¡°I thought Mr. Nacht has repented his mistakes after what happened to Cynthia. However, he still sent


    some men to keep an eye on us,¡± Lupine said disgruntledly.


    ¡°He won''t repent easily...¡± Charlotte snickered and said, ¡°I understand that he wants the give the best to


    the children. However, if he stops me from going after Zara, I''ll not hold back anymore!¡±


    ¡°We''re still searching for Zara. Humph! She''s really good at hiding. On the other hand, Sharon is being


    kept at Southridge ever since she was captured. Do you think we should get her, given that the Nacht


    family is in trouble now?¡± said Lupine.


    ¡°It''s fine,¡± Charlotte replied without hesitation, ¡°Sharon is just a nobody, and we don''t have to waste our


    time on her. For now, let''s focus on searching for Zara!¡±


    There was another reason Charlotte let Sharon off the hook for now¡ªshe didn''t want to have a row


    with Zachary because Ellie was undergoing treatment. As such, she would settle a score with Zachary


    after Ellie recovered.


    ¡°Understood. I''ll send more man to search for Zara,¡± Lupine said politely, ¡°I''ve assigned enough men at


    the hospital. Anyway, it''s time for me to take over the shift.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Then, Charlotte nodded in response and stood up to go with Lupine. ¡°I want to visit Morgan.¡±


    ¡°It''s ratherte now. Why don''t you get some rest?¡± Lupine said, ¡°Dr. Felch has checked up on Morgan


    and prescribed some medicine for her too. I believe she''ll recover soon.¡±


    ¡°I''ll feel relieved only after visiting her.¡± Charlotte felt guilty whenever she recalled that Morgan was shot


    because she wanted to save Charlotte. ¡°After Mrs. Berry died because of me, I don''t want anyone to


    get hurt for me anymore!¡±


    Many people from the upper ss didn''t value their subordinates and maids at all. Hence, Lupine felt


    touched because Charlotte treated them as her family.


    Later, Charlotte went to Morgan''s room. When Charlotte wanted to open the door, she heard Morgan


    speaking in a soft voice over the phone.


    Since Charlotte knew that Morgan was calling Marino, she withdrew her hand from the doorknob and


    murmured to herself, ¡°Well, I shouldn''t disturb her.¡±


    ¡°She must be drenched in love now,¡± Lupine added teasingly.


    ¡°It''s not a bad thing, isn''t it?¡± Charlotte smiled and continued, ¡°You guys should live your own life


    instead of sticking around me.¡±


    After returning to her room, Charlotte took a shower and blow-dried her hair.


    When Charlottey on the bed to get some rest, she realized that it was silent upstairs. Deep down,


    she felt surprised that Zachary didn''t make any noise.


    Charlotte was probably exhausted, for she fell asleep soon with a pillow in her arms.


    Meanwhile, Zachary, who was upstairs, couldn''t fall asleep. Although I''m closer to her now, I can''t be


    right next to her. I wonder what she''s doing now?


    Zachary walked to the balcony and secretly looked downstairs.


    Zachary walked to the balcony and secretly looked downstairs.


    He was surprised to find out that the lights were off. At that time, only some faint light passed through


    the curtains.


    How could the heartless woman fall asleep?


    Zachary cursed in his heart and returned to his room to get some sleep.


    ......


    At the Garden Vi, Henry didn''t go to bed, for he had to wait for the news from Northridge.


    Although his subordinate, Cain, had reported the situation to him over the phone, Henry couldn''t put his


    mind at ease and wanted to hear it from him in person.


    Cain rushed back to the Garden Vi and reported, ¡°Mr. Zachary stays in Northridge, along with Bruce


    and a subordinate. They''ve parked a car in the courtyard while the rest have left.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure they stay there and not putting up an act?¡± Henry seemed a bit unconvinced.


    ¡°I''m sure,¡± Cain said with certainty, ¡°Bruce also carried tworge suitcases for Mr. Zachary.¡±


    Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    ¡°In that case, it''s confirmed.¡± Spencer was delighted.


    ¡°But it''s weird,¡± Henry said worriedly, ¡°even if Charlotte let the cheeky rascal stay for the sake of their


    children, Danrique wouldn''t agree to it. Since Danrique is so overbearing, I can hardly believe he will


    allow Charlotte to do so.¡±

 Chapter 1011

    Chapter 1011


    ¡°You''re right.¡± Spencer felt suspicious about it after Henry voiced his doubt.


    ¡°I''m not sure about that. However, I think Mr. Zachary knows what to do, for he has nned it all


    along,¡± Cain added.


    ¡°What did he n?¡± Henry asked.


    ¡°Well...¡± Cain exined cautiously, ¡°Mr. Zachary''s luggage was in the car. Besides, Bruce purposely


    drove around the ce before returning to Northridge so that the Lindberg family wouldn''t suspect


    anything. As far as I can tell, Mr. Zachary knew that he could stay there.¡±


    ¡°Pfft!¡± Spencer burst intoughter. ¡°This is really what Mr. Zachary would do.¡±


    ¡°Thatd has all sorts of tricks in his mind.¡± Henry was slightly annoyed. ¡°Anyway, you guys made a


    good point. Since Zachary has made preparations in advance, he should''ve expected what will happen


    next.¡±


    ¡°Yes. You don''t have to overthink it,¡± Spencerforted him, ¡°anyway, it''s gettingte. You should get


    some rest.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡ª¡± Henry heaved a sigh, for he still couldn''t put his mind at ease.


    Nheless, after the incident rted to Cynthia happened, Henry kept persuading himself to give


    more freedom to Zachary, even though he cared about him very much.


    ¡°Alright. You may leave now.¡±


    Cain lowered his head and left after Spencer shot a look at him.


    Then, Spencer helped Henry to the bed and consoled him. ¡°Don''t worry, for the children will take care


    of themselves. Besides, Mr. Zachary is morepetent than you can imagine. So, please don''t


    overthink it.¡±


    ¡°Have you found anything about the things that I asked you to investigate?¡± Henry suddenly asked.


    After remaining silent for a few seconds, Spencer said in a low voice, ¡°Mr. Zachary and the Lindberg


    family are searching for Ms. Zara. They have sent a lot of men to do it, yet I believe they haven''t had


    any important leads.¡±


    ¡°We mustn''t let the Lindberg family find Zara first.¡± Henry frowned and continued, ¡°She will be dead if


    the Lindberg family gets her first. Instead, she might have a chance to survive if Zachary finds her first.¡±


    ¡°I think the Lindberg family won''t let go of Ms. Zara easily. After all, Mrs. Berry died because of her.


    Besides, she abducted Robbie and almost killed Charlotte. The animosity between them has reached


    the point of no return, and the Lindberg family must take revenge on her,¡± ¡° Spencer said worriedly.


    Upon hearing Spencer''s words, Henry fell silent and frowned.


    ¡°I understand that you''re in a difficult position. Given that Ms. Zara is your daughter, you hope that she


    can survive. However... shemitted many unforgivable crimes. Also, she seems to have gone crazy


    now. So, I''m afraid she can''t escape her fate no matter how much you wish to protect her,¡± Spencer


    persuaded patiently.


    ¡°I get it...¡± Henry heaved a sigh and continued, ¡°Every adult has to be responsible for what he does. I


    only hope that there can be a better way to solve it. For instance, hand her over to the police and


    punish her by thew. By then, she can at least stay alive!¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Spencer nodded and replied, ¡°Well, let''s hope that Mr. Zachary can get Ms. Zara first.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Spencer nodded and replied, ¡°Well, let''s hope that Mr. Zachary can get Ms. Zara first.¡±


    ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    ¡°No, I''ve to remind him.¡± With that, Henry struggled to get up from bed.


    ¡°Please don''t,¡± Spencerforted him and said, ¡°Mr. Zachary is already aware of it even though you


    haven''t told him. After all, what makes you think that Ms. Zara could escape a few times easily?¡±


    Spencer paused for a while and continued, ¡° Mr. Zachary doesn''t intend to hurt his family. Besides, as


    far as I know, there is ack of evidence to prove that Ms. Zaramitted all of the used crimes.


    So, with the help of a prominentwyer, I think she will only be jailed for a few years.¡±


    ¡°We hope that ites true. However, the only concern is that the Lindberg family won''t let her off the


    hook,¡± Henry responded anxiously, ¡°Hopefully, Charlotte is reasonable in dealing with Zara. Since


    Sharon was the one who harmed Charlotte and Mrs. Berry, Charlotte can take her life for revenge.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg will understand it. After all, she didn''t stop Mr. Zachary when he wanted to bring Cynthia


    to the police station,¡± Spencer assured him, ¡°when ites to Ms. Zara, I believe she won''t act


    recklessly as well.¡±


    ¡°I hope so...¡±

 Chapter 1012

    Chapter 1012


    Rays of morning sun seeped through the curtains and shimmered on Charlotte''s face to wake her up.


    She slowly opened her eyes and gazed out the window with her eyes half-closed.


    The weather was fine, and the sunlight was gentle. Besides, birds were chirping outside to usher in a


    brand new day.


    Charlotte closed her eyes quietly for a few seconds before she rose to her feet.


    Over the past two years, she had developed a good habit¡ªshe would wake up as soon as the first ray


    of the sunlight cast on her.


    Usually, she would start her day by training before having breakfast. After that, she would do some


    reading and deal with some tasks.


    However, the first thing that came to her mind now was to keep her childrenpany.


    ¡°Mommy! Mommy!¡±


    Suddenly, Little Fifi flew into the room while pping her wings andnded on Charlotte''s shoulder.


    ¡°Good morning, Little Fifi!¡± Charlotte said as she buttoned up her shirt before the floor mirror. ¡°Have the


    kids gotten out of bed?¡±


    ¡°Gotten out. Gotten out,¡± Little Fifi said while shaking her tiny head.


    ¡°Okay. Let''s have breakfast.¡±


    Charlotte left the room with Little Fifi after rolling her long hair up.This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Good morning, Ms. Lindberg!¡± the maid greeted Charlotte courteously.


    ¡°Good morning.¡± While walking toward the children''s room, Charlotte said, ¡°please prepare breakfast.¡±


    ¡°Well...¡± The maid''s expression turned awkward.


    ¡°Mommy!¡± Suddenly, Jamie called Charlotte from downstairs.


    Charlotte turned around and saw Jamie dressed in a piggy apron and holding hot cross bunnies on a


    te. He came out of the kitchen and gazed at Charlotte with a grin on his face. ¡°Come and have


    breakfast.¡±


    ¡°Jamie, why are you-¡±


    Before Charlotte could finish, Robbie also exited the kitchen while holding dessert on a te. Also, he


    looked cute with some flour on his nose.


    ¡°Mommy, breakfast is ready!¡±


    ¡°Did you guys make breakfast?¡±


    Charlotte was stupefied in ce.


    ¡°Yes, we learn to make breakfast with Mrs. Rawlston and Daddy!¡± Robbie exined with a smile.


    As Charlotte was bewildered, Zachary came out of the kitchen as well.


    His in white shirt made him look particrly handsome and charming. Besides, he looked friendlier


    with some flour on his face.


    ¡°Good morning!¡± Zachary greeted Charlotte. ¡°Come downstairs and have breakfast.¡±


    ¡°You...¡± Charlotte was shocked to see that he cooked. Am I seeing things?


    ¡°Mommy!¡± Just then, Ellie also chimed in.


    Charlotte turned around and saw Lupine pushing Ellie, who sat on a wheelchair, out of the bedroom.


    Also, Hayley followed them and put a jacket on Ellie.


    ¡°Ellie!¡± Charlotte came up to her and asked, ¡°How are you? Do you feel better?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I feel better,¡± Ellie nodded and added smilingly, ¡°Mommy, it''s so good to see all of us together as


    soon as we get up from bed!¡±


    ¡°Yes, I feel better,¡± Ellie nodded and added smilingly, ¡°Mommy, it''s so good to see all of us together as


    soon as we get up from bed!¡±


    Meanwhile, Charlotte felt touched upon hearing it. Yes. It feels so warm when our family reunites, but...


    Charlotte came back to her senses and said smilingly, ¡°Ellie, can you go downstairs with Hayley? I''ll


    ask Dr. Felch to join us.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Given that Dr. Felch was an elder who saved her family, Charlotte respected him very much.


    Hence, she wished to greet Dr. Felch and help him go downstairs to have breakfast together.


    Dr. Felch was aged and became weaker after he met an ident two years ago. He decided to leave


    his house on a hill only because he wished to repay the debts to Richard.


    Zachary was right¡ªno one could ever invite him sessfully except the Windt family.


    ¡°Dr. Felch!¡±


    Robbie and Jamie stood up and bowed to greet Dr. Felch once they saw him.


    Meanwhile, Ellie also lowered her head and bowed even though she couldn''t stand up.


    ¡°Good morning, kids.¡± Dr. Felch was fond of the three kids. He heaved a sigh and added, ¡°They are


    indeed well-mannered.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for thepliment.¡± Zachary pulled up the chair and helped Dr. Felch sit on it.


    ¡°Dr. Felch wasplimenting me.¡± Charlotte shot Zachary a cold nce.

 Chapter 1013

    Chapter 1013


    ¡°Well, it''s the same thing.¡± Zachary wasn''t ashamed of iming the credit.


    Meanwhile, Charlotte was rendered speechless. He is so shameless.


    However, given that the children were there, she chose not to argue with him.


    ¡°Good morning, Ms. Windt.¡± Mrs. Rawlston greeted while serving breakfast.


    ¡°Mrs. Rawlston? Why are you here?¡± Charlotte was shocked.


    ¡°I asked Mrs. Rawlston to be here, ¡°Zachary exined, ¡°I took a look at the kitchen this morning and


    thought we could only prepare continental breakfast with the ingredients. Since the kids might not like


    it, I asked Mrs. Rawlston to bring more ingredients and a few helpers.¡±


    ¡°Well, all the food I made today is Ms. Windt and the kids'' favorite,¡± Mrs. Rawlston chimed in


    delightedly, ¡°Please start having breakfast. I''ll serve Belgian wafflester.¡±


    ¡°Sure. Thank you very much.¡± After nodding at Mrs. Rawlson smilingly, Charlotte gazed at Lupine


    coldly and asked, ¡°What is going on?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to inform you about it. However, Mr. Nacht told me not to disturb you because you were


    exhaustedst night,¡± Lupine exined with reddened cheeks.


    The word ¡°exhausted¡± could paint a whole picture.


    Moreover, Zachary mentioned the word specifically when he instructed Lupine.


    ¡°You!¡±


    Gritting her teeth, Charlotte wished to punch Zachary on the spot. However, she suppressed her


    emotions because her children and Dr. Felch were present.


    Instead, she only warned Lupine coldly, ¡°It''s okay. Mrs. Rawlston is one of us. Nheless, you must


    report everything to me in the future! Remember that you''re in the Lindberg residence and not the


    Nacht residence!¡±


    ¡°Understood. It was my mistake,¡± Lupine lowered her head and apologized.


    ¡°Mommy, I gave Lupine the permission to let Mrs. Rawlston in,¡± Robbie exined, ¡°I woke up early


    today and went downstairs once I heard Mrs. Rawlston''s voice. Lupine initially wanted to inform you


    about it, but I let Mrs. Rawlston in right away. At that time, I thought it wasn''t appropriate to let Mrs.


    Rawlston wait outside for too long.¡±


    After hearing Robbie''s exnation, Charlotte knew that Lupine didn''t fail her duty.


    ¡°I understand. Robbie, you did the right thing,¡± Charlotte caressed Robbie''s head and replied, ¡°besides,


    you guys always love the food prepared by Mrs. Rawlston.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Mommy.¡± Robbie heaved a sigh of relief, for he was worried that Charlotte would be upset


    just now.


    ¡°Alright, let''s have breakfast.¡± With that, Charlotte asked everyone to sit down and enjoy the food.


    Then, she served up a bowl of vegetable beef soup for Dr. Felch and said, ¡°Dr. Felch, please try the


    oatmeal. Mrs. Rawlston learned to make it from Mrs. Berry.¡±


    ¡°Now I know why the soup smells so familiar,¡± recalling the early days when Mrs. Berry was on the hill,


    Dr. Felch sighed. ¡°Back then, Mrs. Berry would cook for us every day, and we always looked forward to


    her dishes.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I remember that you keptplimenting Mrs. Berry when you tried the food made by her for the


    first time,¡± Charlotte added with a grin on her face.


    Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    ¡°Yes, I remember that you keptplimenting Mrs. Berry when you tried the food made by her for the


    first time,¡± Charlotte added with a grin on her face.


    ¡°Haha...¡± Dr. Felchughed and said, ¡°I used to eat simple food all the time, yet my mindset upended


    after I tried Mrs. Berry''s food!¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Berry is indeed a good cook. Unfortunately...¡± Charlotte couldn''t help but feel sad upon recalling


    Mrs. Berry.


    ¡°Mommy, the soup was made by Daddy,¡± Jamie whispered.


    ¡°Ah?¡± Charlotte nced at Zachary shockingly. ¡°Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Robbie nodded and exined, ¡°After you had left, the three of us always cried and refused to


    eat. Daddy learned to make this soup from Mrs. Rawlston and told us that it''s Mommy''s favorite food.


    Because of that, we felt happier and eventually had the appetite to eat.¡±


    ¡°You''re right. By the way, Daddy sucked at it in the beginning but eventually improved a lot,¡± Jamie


    added, ¡°So, the oatmeal he made tastes the same as Mrs. Berry''s now.¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± Ellie chimed in with a grin, ¡°Whenever I was sick and didn''t want to eat, Daddy would make


    this soup for me.¡±


    ¡°He is a good daddy! We all love him!¡± Jamie raised his hand excitedly.


    ¡°I love Daddy, but I also love Mommy!¡±


    ¡°Well, we love them both...¡±

 Chapter 1014

    Chapter 1014


    Charlotte was touched upon hearing what her children said. Back then, Charlotte couldn''t understand


    why her children trusted Zachary after she left for two years. After all, she raised the three kids single-


    handedly till they were four years old.


    All the more so, the kids still missed the Nacht residence even after she had returned.


    At that moment, Charlotte believed she found the answer.


    Zachary devoted himself to taking care of the children and changed a lot for them. Besides, he worked


    hard and treated them sincerely to earn their trust bit by bit.


    ¡°Alright, let''s have breakfast,¡± Zachary served up a bowl of vegetable beef soup for Charlotte and said


    to the kids, ¡°Mommy is the greatest of all, for she was pregnant for ten months and risked her life to


    give birth to all of you. Besides, she even raised you by herself. On the contrary, all I''ve done is to cook


    some food for you.¡±


    Charlotte gazed at Zachary meaningfully as he spoke. As far as I remember, Zachary won''t say such


    things in the past.


    It seems that he has changed a lot over the past two years.


    ¡°Mommy, this is for you. It smells good and is delicious.¡± Ellie gave Charlotte a piece of salt and pepper


    rib.


    ¡°Thank you, Ellie¡±


    Charlotte''s lips curled into a sweet smile.


    Meanwhile, Zachary felt relieved when he sensed the change in Charlotte''s expression. Deep down, he


    believed that the children could resolve the hatred embedded in her heart.


    Perhaps she can let go of the past after some time.


    Suddenly, Dr. Felch said to Zachary, ¡°Mr. Nacht, I should thank you. When I met an ident two years


    ago, you arranged with the hospital management to provide treatment for me. Besides, you also took


    care of Hayley and Sam.¡±


    Zachary responded, ¡°You''re wee. Anyway, I should bear the responsibility because you met the


    ident partly because of the Nacht family.¡±


    ¡°Whatever it is, thank you.¡± Dr. Felch proposed a toast with a cup of tea as a form of appreciation.


    Zachary immediately raised his cup in response.


    ¡°When I met the ident two years ago, I was unconscious and didn''t know what happened since


    then. However, I believe now that Mr. Nacht is a responsible man. Well, I hope I''m right!¡± Dr. Felch said


    meaningfully.


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    Zachary was surprised that Dr. Felch epted him in such a short time.


    Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    ¡°Dr. Felch, please try it.¡± Charlotte picked up a piece of rib for him and changed the subject. ¡°We can


    take a stroll around the hill when we are freeter. Also, feel free to go around this ce except for the


    backyard.¡±


    ¡°I took a nce at the backyard from the window yesterday. There seem to be some special flowers


    and nts in it. Besides, there are some special pets!¡± Dr. Felch said.


    ¡°Well, Danrique raises them...¡±


    Speaking of which, Charlotte reminded the kids, ¡°Robbie, Jamie, and Ellie. Remember not to go to the


    backyard, get it?¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± the three kids answered in unison.


    ¡°Got it,¡± the three kids answered in unison.


    They were aware of the taboo ever since they met Danrique. Hence, they remembered it and wouldn''t


    go near the backyard.


    ¡°Well, it seems to me that the legendary Mr. Lindberg is a special man.¡± After putting on a smile, Dr.


    Felch said to Zachary, ¡°It won''t be easy to get along with the special bother-inw in the future!¡±


    Zachary was taken aback, for it was the first time someone discussed something like that with him.


    Nevertheless, he thought Dr. Felch''s words served as a timely reminder for him.


    Since Danrique was his brother-inw, Zachary thought his family was deeply rted to Danrique''s.


    Also, he felt that his rtionship with Charlotte would improve if he could get along with Danrique.


    After all, only the elders of the Lindberg and the Nacht families held grudges against one another. On


    the contrary, Danrique and Zachary didn''t experience it and weren''t affected. In other words, the hatred


    between the two families was not so intense to them.


    The situation only worsened when something happened to Charlotte two years ago.


    Hence, Zachary thought if Zara and Sharon were brought to justice, Charlotte could probably let go of


    her hatred. Under such circumstances, he believed it would be a turn for the better.

 Chapter 1015

    Chapter 1015


    Zachary yed with the kids for half an hour after breakfast before going to the office.


    On the other hand, Charlotte worked at night and spent time with her kids in the morning recently.


    After Robbie was nearly abducted, the kids stopped going to school due to safety concerns. Hence,


    Robbie and Jamie had no choice but to attend online sses instead for the time being.


    Meanwhile, when Ellie didn''t have to undergo any treatment, she spent most of her time sleeping.


    When Ellie woke up, Charlotte would chat, y games, or watch anime with her.


    After treating Ellie in the afternoon, Dr. Felch also began to examine Charlotte''s health condition to


    provide necessary treatment.


    Considering that the residual toxin had remained in Charlotte''s body for too long, she had to endure the


    pain to get rid of it.


    Besides, Dr. Felch was professional enough to prescribe medicine with the exact amount. As such,


    Charlotte would have to endure more pain than she usually experienced in the previous treatments.


    As expected, Charlotte had to suffer pain once Dr. Felch began treatment. Nheless, after


    undergoing physical training for two years, her pain threshold had increased considerably.


    Since both the adult and the kid received treatment, the smell of medicine permeated the house.


    Robbie and Jamie were well-mannered and didn''t disturb Charlotte when she underwent treatment.


    After attending online sses, they would bring Fifi and Little Fifi to the hill. Lupine and other


    bodyguards always followed the kids to ensure their safety while they had fun.


    At night, Zachary would check the kids'' homework once he got home. Then, he would y football with


    the boys and apany Ellie when she practiced piano.


    Two years ago, after the three kids came to the Nacht residence, Zachary pledged to spend 90 minutes


    with them every night.


    Zachary could always have fun with the boys regardless of the games they wanted to y. However,


    his head ached a little when it came to Ellie, for she always forced him to attend music sses together


    to learn piano and singing.


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    After all, Zachary had always been cold and wasn''t good at singing. Although singing was a form of


    torture to him, he forced himself to learn it to make Ellie happy.


    After two years, Zachary didn''t resist Ellie''s music sses anymore. All the more so, he asked Ellie to


    be the judge now to assess his piano skills.


    Initially, there was an air of lethargy around Ellie. Nevertheless, upon hearing Zachary''s suggestion,


    she got excited and pped her hands delightedly. ¡°Sure! I haven''t heard Daddy ying piano for a


    long time.¡±


    ¡°Well, please don''t scold me if I''m not good at it.¡±


    With that, Zachary took off his jacket and sat in front of the piano.


    ¡°I can''t do that. As a mentor, I have the responsibility to criticize you if you don''t y it well,¡± Ellie


    pretended to put on a stern face and said, ¡°Do your best, okay?¡±


    ¡°Sure, Ms. Ellie.¡± Zachary handed a whip to Ellie as he replied to her.


    Ellie swung the whip a few times and smiled happily. ¡°Hehe¡ªlet''s start.¡±


    Ellie swung the whip a few times and smiled happily. ¡°Hehe¡ªlet''s start.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ms. Ellie.¡± Zachary forgot a beat soon after he yed ¡°Twinkle Twinkle¡± that Ellie taught him


    before.


    ¡°Argh! No way! You missed a beat.¡± Ellie whipped Zachary''s hand softly and said, ¡°y it again!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ms. Ellie.¡±


    Later, Zachary yed the song again and finished it perfectly.


    ¡°Hmm, not bad,¡± Ellie nodded in satisfaction and said, ¡°However, since you''ve been practicing piano for


    two years, how can you only know this simple song? It can''t be. Didn''t I teach you ''The Shepherd''s


    Song'' before? y that.¡±


    ¡°I don''t remember the song, Ms. Ellie.¡±


    ¡°In that case, get the sheet music from the shelf.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ms. Ellie.¡±


    ¡°Hehe!¡±


    Ellie enjoyed role-ying a teacher and felt particrly happy when she could teach Zachary.


    At that moment, Charlotte happened to stand outside the room. She saw that Ellie finally let out a


    rxed smile ever since she was ill. Hence, Charlotte couldn''t help but feel relieved.


    Deep down, Charlotte thought she didn''t have much energy to spend time with the kids, for she would


    be tired after undergoing treatment recently. As such, she thought letting Zachary stay here was the


    right choice. At the very least, the kids were happy because Zachary could apany them.


    With Zachary''s care and love, Ellie should recover sooner.

 Chapter 1016

    Chapter 1016


    Life went on peacefully...


    The whole family would have breakfast together every day. While Charlotte and Ellie focused on their


    treatment, Robbie and Jamie would take online courses and train the pet.


    Zachary would head home right after work to have dinner with them. Then, he would apany the


    kids and y with them.


    As such, half a month passed in a blink of the eye.


    Ellie had recovered tremendously. Her pale face finally showed a trace of blood, and her appetite had


    improved gradually.


    Morgan''s gunshot wound had also healed well, as she could already move around freely.


    On the other hand, Charlotte had slimmed down a lot, and her body was not as strong as before.


    Zachary asked Dr. Felch why Charlotte''s condition seemed worst even after starting the treatment. Dr.


    Felch exined that it was because the remaining poisons in her had umted for too long. And it


    was not easy to remove thempletely.


    Hence, Charlotte''s treatment needed more time and included more suffering.


    Nheless, it was only a transition period, and she would be getting better after some time.


    Even though Zachary was utterly worried, there was nothing he could do but to remind Charlotte to


    take more rest.


    However, Charlotte was not grateful for his care, as she still acted extremely cold toward him.


    She drew a clear line in her mind. Even though she approved of his love and care for the children, it did


    not mean that she would forgive him.


    And Zachary was well aware of that too.


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    She was someone who remembered her grievances clearly. She would not forgive him for the harm he


    has done to her in the past just because he poured out his heart for the kids. It would take a long time


    before she forgave him.


    This night, after Zachary tugged the kids into their beds, he was getting back to his room. Just then, he


    saw Lupine escorting Charlotte up the stairs.


    Charlotte looked extremely weak and strengthless.


    Morgan noticed and was about toe out to help.


    At that moment, Zachary stepped swiftly toward them and held Charlotte in his arms.


    ¡°What''re you doing? Let go of me!¡± Charlotte pushed him away angrily.


    ¡°If you want everyone to watch, don''t stop then,¡± Zachary warned with a low voice.


    ¡°You...¡± Charlotte did not know how to react.


    She figured it would be awkward if they started fighting at the stairs, as it were just a few steps away


    from her room.


    At that moment, Lupine and Morgan exchanged nces and left silently.


    Zachary carried Charlotte into the room and ced her on her bed. Noticing her sweat, he tried to


    unbutton her clothes for her.


    ¡°What do you think you''re doing?¡± Charlotte grabbed his hands immediately.


    ¡°It''s hot. You have to unbutton your clothes.¡±


    With that, Zachary unbuttoned three upper buttons of her clothes. Her huge breasts got exposed right


    away. Nheless, Zachary showed no misbehavior as he walked directly into the bathroom.


    ¡°Get out and ask Lupine toe in.¡±


    ¡°Get out and ask Lupine toe in.¡±


    Charlotte was exhausted and she did not want to start a fight with Zachary.


    ¡°I know you better than her.¡± By then, Zachary had finished preparing the bathwater, and he walked


    over to carry Charlotte up. ¡°Do you want me to bathe you?¡±


    ¡°Don''t touch me.¡± Charlotte pushed him away unyieldingly. ¡°Get out.¡±


    ¡°I only want to take care of you. I won''t cross the line.¡± Zachary consoled her patiently. ¡°Be a good girl,


    please. Don''t let the kids worry.¡±


    Charlotte did not further reject him. She figured she had to recover soon, for Ellie''s sake. Thetter had


    almost recovered and was worried about her mother.


    With that, Zachary carried Charlotte into the bathroom. After cing her down, he walked out and


    closed the door behind him.


    Charlotte was relieved after seeing him behaving correctly. She took off her clothes and took a short


    shower. Then, she went out in her towel.


    Zachary was still in the room, and he poured a ss of warm water for her.


    After seeing her, he escorted her to her bed and handed her the ss of water.


    Charlotte emptied the ss as she was thirsty. Then, she tugged herself into her bed, getting ready to


    sleep.


    ¡°Hold on a second.¡±

 Chapter 1017

    Chapter 1017


    ¡°Hold on a second.¡± Just then, Zachary took a towel and helped wipe off the water on her shoulders


    and arms. ¡°Please take off your wet towel. You''ll catch a cold if you sleep like this.¡±


    Covered in a nket, Charlotte removed the towel from her body. Then she tossed to the other side


    and went to sleep.


    Zachary was heartbroken upon seeing her exhausted look. He wished to hug her, but he knew he could


    not.


    Her heart was not yet open to him and she refused to let hime close.


    And he respected her feelings.


    A momentter, Zachary shut the window and was about to leave. But as he noticed the strong wind


    outside, he feared there would be a storm tonight.


    Since the poison within Charlotte had not gotten eradicated, there was a chance she might still go


    crazy if she heard the thunder.


    With that in mind, Zachary decided to stay behind and apany her.


    Right then, there was a door knock. Zachary immediately walked to open it as he worried it might wake


    Charlotte. ¡°Is there anything?¡±


    ¡°There might be a storm tonight. I''ll have toe in and keep a watch on Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    Lupine was holding a nket and soundproof headphones in her hands.


    ¡°Leave them to me then.¡± Zachary took over that stuff. ¡°Please go and watch over the kids.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    Before Lupine could utter a word, Zachary had shut the door.


    She felt somehow uneasy, but she could only arrange two trusted bodyguards to guard by the door.


    She instructed them to inform her if they heard anythinging from the room.


    With that, Lupine went on to settle other matters.


    After closing the door, Zachary sat down on the couch with the nket in his arms. He stared silently at


    Charlotte, with one hand supporting his chin.


    All the bad and good memories came shing back in his mind.


    He had lived these two years filled with utter regrets. He med himself for not protecting her well two


    years ago and caused her to end up in such tragedy.


    It''s different now. I''ll protect her regardless of the price I''ll need to pay!


    Meanwhile, Charlotte was not having a good sleep. She grabbed her pillow tightly and curled up like an


    injured kitten.


    As she tossed her body, her nket fell off.


    Zachary walked over and adjusted the nket for her. Then, he caressed her forehead gently.


    Out of the blue, there was a loud thunder.


    At that instant, Charlotte shuddered and woke up instantly.


    Zachary immediately put the soundproof earphones over her ears. But it was toote. Charlotte


    knocked off the earphones at once and started grabbing her head, struggling in pain.


    ¡°Charlotte!¡± Zachary hugged her tightly while covering her ears. ¡°It''s all right. Don''t be afraid...¡±


    Charlotte bit down on her lip harshly, trying hard not to scream as she did not want the kids to be


    disturbed.


    Maybe due to the treatment, her condition seemed better than before.


    Maybe due to the treatment, her condition seemed better than before.


    ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    Or maybe it was because of the soundproof window that made the thunder less loud.


    Hence, her rpse was not as serious as thest time.


    Nheless, it was still hard for her to bear the pain as she kept tossing around on the bed. In the end,


    her lips got bitten until they started to bleed.


    Zachary''s heart ached upon seeing that as he quickly put his hand between her teeth.


    In the next instance, her teeth bit his hand with full strength.


    Soon, blood began flowing down and the white nket became red.


    ¡°Holy... So you still have a clear mind, haven''t you? You bit me so hard...¡±


    Zachary''s face cringed as the pain was too much. Nheless, he felt relieved that at least Charlotte


    had stopped hurting herself.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, are you okay? Ms. Lindberg?¡± Just then, Morgan was knocking at the door anxiously.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, are you in there? Is Ms. Lindberg all right? We''reing in.¡±


    Before Zachary could respond, Morgan had already barged into the room, followed by the other four


    bodyguards.


    They were stunned momentarily by what came into their sight.


    Charlotte was biting Zachary''s hand inside his embrace, and she was all naked.

 Chapter 1018

    Chapter 1018


    ¡°I''m so sorry...¡±


    Morgan immediately brought the rest out and closed the door behind her.


    After a long while, Charlotte finally collected herself as she dozed off on her bed.


    Just then, Zachary looked at his hand, which was almost torn apart by Charlotte. Blood was dripping


    down as a piece of flesh almost got bitten off his hand.


    He cast a nce toward Charlotte, who was sleeping soundly. What a heartless woman.


    Nheless, he was relieved that she did not hurt herself.


    Enduring his pain, Zachary wandered toward the door and opened the door. ¡°Please get the medical


    kit.¡±


    ¡°Your hand...¡±


    Morgan''s heart skipped a beat upon seeing Zachary''s injured hand.


    ¡°Hurry and go get the medical kit,¡± Morgan instructed her subordinate right away.


    ¡°Yes, Madam!¡±


    ¡°A wound like that needs more than just applying some medicine.¡±


    At that moment, Dr. Felch''s voice sounded.


    ¡°Dr. Felch, sorry for waking you up,¡± Zachary spoke guiltily. ¡°It''s just a small injury. I''ll be fine. Please go


    back to your sleep.¡±


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    ¡°You''ll need to treat the wound right now.¡± Dr. Felch furrowed his brows. ¡°The thunder has stopped now,


    and she''ll be fine. Please follow me to the clinic now.¡±


    ¡°Her lips got torn. Please treat her wound first.¡± Even at that moment, Zachary was still thinking about


    Charlotte.


    ¡°Don''t worry.¡± Dr. Felch''s eyes shed with slight admiration. ¡°Let Hayley handle that. Please follow


    me.¡±


    ¡°But...¡± Zachary could not let go of his worries.


    ¡°Leave it to me.¡±


    Just then, Hayley took the medical kit and went right into the room, followed by Morgan.


    Zachary had no choice but to go downstairs with Dr. Felch.


    With that, Dr. Felch stitched the wound for Zachary.


    Zachary merely frowned slightly throughout the whole process without making a sound.


    ¡°Doesn''t it hurt?¡± Dr. Felch cast a nce at him.


    ¡°It looks fine,¡± Zachary responded with a low voice. ¡°Dr. Felch, could you please tell me when Charlotte


    could recover fully from this?¡±


    ¡°If she carries on with the treatment, I guess around three more months.¡± Dr. Felch narrowed his eyes


    while applying medicine to his wound. ¡°She must not stop the treatment halfway, or else there will be


    no room for maneuver.¡±


    ¡°Then, you''ll have to take good care of yourself.¡± Zachary spat out another sentence.


    ¡°Hahaha...¡± Dr. Felch let out a boisterousugh. ¡°Thanks for your frankness.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Zachary disyed an embarrassed smile. ¡°If you didn''t get into the car crash two years ago,


    things would have been different now...¡±


    ¡°It sounds like you mean I''m the key to this entire thing.¡± Dr. Felch cast a curious look.


    ¡°That''s right.¡± Zachary smiled bitterly. ¡°If you didn''t get into the ident, our wedding wouldn''t have


    gotten canceled. She wouldn''t be sent to T Nation and endured such difficulties. Mrs. Berry wouldn''t


    even have died...¡±


    ¡°That''s right.¡± Zachary smiled bitterly. ¡°If you didn''t get into the ident, our wedding wouldn''t have


    gotten canceled. She wouldn''t be sent to T Nation and endured such difficulties. Mrs. Berry wouldn''t


    even have died...¡±


    Dr. Felch''s expression turned stern upon hearing those words. ¡°Hayley did tell me what happened back


    then. Charlotte experienced a rpse on the wedding day, and it got out of hand. Later, the Nacht


    family canceled the wedding and sent her and Mrs. Berry overseas. And they kept the children...¡±


    Dr. Felch let out a long sigh before continuing. ¡°Everyone thought the Nacht family was merciless. But I


    thought they could''ve done it long before the marriage if they wanted to chase the mother out. There


    was no need to make such a big fuss out of this. Butter I learned from the news that the bride was


    changed to another woman. Only then did I realize their cruelty. Hence, after I woke up, I left this family


    with Hayley and Sam. I didn''t want anything to do with you guys as I thought it was a dangerous ce


    here. Even when you came to find meter, I refused to return. Only after that young man approached


    me again and showed me footage of Charlotte still alive, did I start to change my mind. Nheless, I


    started to change my view of you recently. I think you''re not a heartless man after all.¡±

 Chapter 1019

    Chapter 1019


    ¡°I never like to exin anything, as it would feel like I''m trying to find an excuse for myself.¡± Zachary let


    out a bitter smile. ¡°I figure those who truly know me will understand me. Probably this was the reason


    why so many misunderstandings urred.¡±


    ¡°Did someone use the antidote to force you to send her away?¡± Dr. Felch started to figure out the whole


    truth.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Zachary nodded slightly. ¡°But that''s not important. It was my fault since I was the one who didn''t


    manage to get hold of the situation...¡±


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    ¡°That''s what I thought.¡± Dr. Felch analyzed rationally from his medical standpoint. ¡°Logically, she


    wouldn''t be able to survive if she left like that unless she got the antidote. But still, I can''t understand. If


    she got the antidote, why does she still suffer from such serious side effects?¡±


    ¡°Something happened with thest antidote...¡± Zachary gave a straightforward answer. ¡°On that day,


    Mrs. Berry got humiliated in the storm and nearly lost her life. Her brother managed to rescue her at


    that critical moment and brought her back to the Lindberg family.¡±


    ¡°Now I understand.¡± Dr. Felch let out a deep sigh. ¡°So fate is toying with all of us.¡±


    ¡°I owe her too much. I only hope that she could recover soon...¡±


    As Zachary was speaking, a bug flew by and knocked into one of his eyes. He swayed it off, without


    much care for his eye.


    ¡°What''s wrong with your eye?¡± Dr. Felch felt he saw something unusual. ¡°I forgot to wear my sses so


    I can''t see clearly. Let me check for you tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°It''s nothing. It''s just a bug flying by.¡± Zachary was unperturbed. ¡°My eye is fine.¡±


    ¡°No, I feel I saw something strange...¡± As Dr. Felch was speaking, Hayley entered the room abruptly.


    ¡°Dr. Felch, I''ve finished treating Ms. Windt''s wound. And I''ve fed her a bottle of medicine just as you


    said. She should be able to sleep well tonight.¡±


    ¡°Great.¡± Dr. Felch nodded slightly. ¡°I should head back to sleep too. I''m not young anymore.¡±


    With that, Zachary helped him up.


    ¡°You get some rest too.¡± Dr. Felch waved his hand toward Zachary. ¡°Next time, remember to put


    something else in her mouth if she keeps biting. You don''t have to sacrifice your hand.¡±


    ¡°Got it...¡±


    At that moment, Zachary was staring at Dr. Felch''s back figure. He got impressed not only by his


    medical skill but also by his wisdom in life.


    Many times, he was able to see through the whole situation easily.


    Maybe, he''s the key toward the truce between the two families.


    ¡°Mr. Zachary, are you all right?¡± Mrs. Rawlston came down from the staircase and greeted Zachary


    earnestly. ¡°How''s your wound? Let me have a look.¡±


    ¡°It''s only a small wound. I''m fine.¡± Zachary hid his hand behind his back.


    ¡°How could it be fine? I''ve juste from cleaning the room. I saw the nket all covered in


    bloodstain.¡±


    Mrs. Rawlston choked on her words as she spoke.


    Mrs. Rawlston choked on her words as she spoke.


    ¡°I''m fine. The wound is not serious.¡± Zachary worried about seeing her cry. ¡°All right. Would you please


    go and rest? You still need to prepare breakfast for the kids tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°Fine then. Since Dr. Felch had checked the wound, I guess there would not be much problem. Please


    don''t hurt yourself in the future. Mr. Henry will be sad if he finds out. I''ll need to report to him about your


    situation every day...¡±


    Just then, Mrs. Berry realized she had slipped up, and she immediately changed her tone. ¡°It''ste


    already. I''ll go to bed now.¡±


    Upon saying that, she swiftly left the scene, covering her mouth with her hand.


    ¡°Hahaha...¡±


    Zachary let out a smile while shaking his head. He used to be indifferent to everything around him. But


    now, he seemed to start cherishing the good side of life.


    He was grateful to Dr. Felch and Mrs. Rawlston for being by his side.


    He also appreciated Henry, who still could not stop worrying about him even now.


    Just then, Zachary''s phone suddenly rang. Zachary was speechless when he saw it was from Henry.


    Mrs. Rawlston indeed has a big mouth.


    He swiftly went to his room and answered the call. ¡°Hello!¡±

 Chapter 1020

    Chapter 1020


    ¡°How''s your wound? Is it serious?¡± Henry cut to the chase after the call went through.


    ¡°You''re so straightforward, aren''t you?¡± Zachary let out a cold smile. ¡°I''ve already suspected when Mrs.


    Rawlston came purposely to prepare breakfast for the kids. I knew you''re the one who sent her.¡±


    That day, Zachary told Charlotte he was the one who let Mrs. Rawlston and the maids came. He said


    that he was worried the kids did not eat well so he asked Mrs. Rawlston to take care of them.


    And then, Robbie let Mrs. Rawlston stay right away.


    Zachary had reminded Robbie that he should ask for Charlotte''s permission first as this was Charlotte''s


    house. But Robbie responded that it was his house too, and he liked Mrs. Rawlston''s cooking.


    In the end, Zachary did not reject it.


    Later, he was worried that Charlotte would be unhappy about it. Hence, he put the whole responsibility


    on his shoulder.


    If Charlotte were to get upset, he would be willing to be the one to face the music.


    With that, Charlotte would not be suspecting Mrs. Rawlston or ming Robbie and Lupine.


    ¡°I''m merely worrying about the kids,¡± Henry responded coldly. ¡°I''m done with caring about you.¡±


    ¡°I see. Please rest early then.¡± Zachary was about to hang up the call.


    ¡°What''re you doing? You haven''t answered my question.¡± Henry''s tone turned stern.


    ¡°I can still fight with you over the phone. How seriously do you think the wound can be?¡± Zachary cast


    the question back to Henry. ¡°Why''re you still awake at this hour? What if you fall sick? Don''t you want


    to see your great-grandchildren again?¡±


    ¡°What a foul mouth you have. I guess your wound is all right...¡± Henry responded petntly. ¡°Fine then.


    I''m done talking with you.¡±


    Just when Zachary was about to say goodnight, a loud thud came from the phone. ¡°What''s that


    sound?¡±


    There was pure silence from the other side, as though the phone got covered by someone''s hand.


    A few secondster, Henry spoke, ¡°It''s nothing. I dropped my ss. Goodbye!¡±


    With that, Henry ended the call.


    Zachary felt something was not right, and he called Spencer right after that. ¡°Is Mr. Henry okay?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. He''s not young anymore, so his hands trembles easily.¡± Spencer smiled. ¡°I''m with him right now.


    Don''t worry, Mr. Zachary.¡±


    ¡°Okay then.¡±


    As such, Zachary let down his worries and ended the call. After that, he switched on hisputer and


    dug into his work.


    Indeed, he got worn out recently. After an entire day of work at thepany, he would apany the


    kids at night. And after he got back to his room, he needed to go back to work again.


    Nheless, he pretended he was rxed in front of everyone else.


    After Zara''s scandal was exposed on the inte, it had brought tremendous damage to the Nacht


    Group that the stock had plummeted beyond imagination in just half a month.


    After Zara''s scandal was exposed on the inte, it had brought tremendous damage to the Nacht


    Group that the stock had plummeted beyond imagination in just half a month.


    Even though Zachary had burned an enormous sum of money to bury the news, it had already gotten


    widely spread. Now, he would need to announce an official statement to the public to protect the Divine


    Corporation and the Nacht Group.


    Hence, he had made up a decision with sacrifice, which he would execute tomorrow.


    He did not want any problem to ur again at this point.


    To make sure every detail was well taken care of, he made another call to Ben.


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    ¡°Please bring a few men of yours and sneak into Mr. Henry''s ce. Keep an eye on the situation and


    notify me once you discover anything suspicious.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Ben immediately got going.


    After the call, Zachary summoned Bruce. ¡°Go and check on Sharon''s side. And bring a few men to


    patrol the surroundings. Seize anyone that seems suspicious.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    After everything was well arranged, Zachary finally felt the weight off his mind as he continued his


    work.


    He wished to settle this mess as soon as possible, at least before Danrique realized it. Zachary figured


    he needed to recover, then sit down and had a good chat properly with thetter.

 Chapter 1021

    Chapter 1021


    Zachary worked for the entire night and only switched off hisptop at five in the morning. Massaging


    his temples, he nned to sleep for two more hours before waking up.


    At that moment, Bruce suddenly knocked on the door. ¡°I have something to report to you, Mr. Nacht.¡±


    ¡°Come in,¡± replied Zachary.


    Bruce walked in and closed the door. After scanning his surroundings and ensuring that there were no


    cameras, he whispered, ¡°I''ve checked the vicinity. There''s nothing suspicious and Sharon is still locked


    up. As for Ben...¡±


    ¡°Speak.¡± Zachary frowned.


    ¡°He hasn''t found any problems yet. However, he said that the entrance of Mr. Henry''s residence is still


    tightly locked. They even strengthened the security, which is quite suspicious,¡± Bruce stated softly.


    When Zachary heard that, his expression became solemn. He remained silent for a few seconds before


    instructing, ¡°Tell him to keep an eye there. If anything happens, inform me straight away!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Bruce quickly left to ry the message.


    Although Zachary wanted to rest initially, he could no longer sleep now. He could already guess what


    was happening over at Henry''s ce...


    After half a month of peace, chaos was about to start again.


    He heaved a deep sigh and got up to bathe. After changing into afortable set of clothes, he


    headed downstairs.


    ¡°Good morning, Mr. Zachary.¡± Mrs. Rawlston had just woken up and was prepared to go to the kitchen.


    She was surprised to see Zachary walking down the stairs too. ¡°Were you up the entire night, or have


    you just woken up?¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡± joked Zachary. ¡°Looking at myplexion, it''s obvious that I''ve just woken up.¡±


    ¡°That''s great, then.¡± Mrs. Rawlston nodded with a smile. ¡°Why didn''t you sleep for a longer time?¡±


    ¡°There''s too much work in thepany. I''m going to stay in thepany from today onward, or it''ll just


    keep umting.¡± Zachary strode into the kitchen. ¡°Before I leave, I''d like to make breakfast for the


    rest.¡±


    ¡°Huh? You won''t be returning from today onward?¡± asked Mrs. Rawlston, stunned. ¡°Where will you be


    staying, then?¡±


    ¡°There''s a bedroom in my office,¡± replied Zachary before making a call. ¡°Hi, Lucy. Inform the rest that


    the senior management and the president''s office will have to work overtime from today onward.


    Important personnel will have to spend the night in thepany, including myself.¡±


    After ending the call, he rolled up his sleeves and started making breakfast.


    ¡°Poor Mr. Zachary... You''re working so hard.¡± Mrs. Rawlston''s heart ached.


    ¡°It''s fine. Help me out here!¡± urged Zachary. ¡°If not, they won''t have any breakfast to eat after waking


    up.¡±


    ¡°I''ming!¡±


    When Charlotte woke up, she could taste blood in her mouth.


    She got up dazedly and went to the bathroom to wash up. It was then that she discovered that her lips


    were split. Although the wound had been treated, it was obvious that she had bitten hard on it.


    Furthermore, her teeth felt sore, as if she had bitten onto something forcefully.


    Furthermore, her teeth felt sore, as if she had bitten onto something forcefully.


    It was probably not her lips.


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    ¡°May I enter, Ms. Lindberg?¡±


    Someone knocked on the door.


    ¡°Come in!¡± replied Charlotte.


    Lupine and Hayley walked in, with thetter holding a medical kit.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, we''ll treat your wound again after you''re done washing up.¡± Lupine invited Hayley to sit


    down.


    ¡°Okay.¡± After washing up simply, Charlotte walked out of the bathroom. ¡°Was there thunder yesterday


    night again?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Lupine nodded and said with a smile, ¡°However, your rpse this time is much better than


    before. You slept really quickly and didn''t have a nosebleed. This means that Dr. Felch''s treatment is


    working!¡±


    ¡°That''s great.¡± Charlotte heaved a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Sit down, Charlotte. I''ll apply the ointment for you.¡± Hayley opened the medical kit. ¡°Dr. Felch is


    treating Mr. Nacht now, so I''ll have to go overter.¡±


    ¡°What happened to him?¡± asked Charlotte, puzzled.


    ¡°Don''t you remember?¡± Lupine asked awkwardly. ¡°You bit his hand yesterday and tore some skin off.¡±


    ¡°Yeah! It was terrifying.¡± Hayley nodded profusely. ¡°Dr. Felch even had to stitch his woundst night. It''ll


    definitely leave a scar.¡±

 Chapter 1022

    Chapter 1022


    ¡°It doesn''t matter for a man like him to have a scar. However, it looks like it really hurts...¡± When Lupine


    remembered that wound, she felt sorry for him. ¡°Even though he was being bitten so forcefully, he didn''t


    even utter a singleint! In fact, he was more concerned about your injury.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I think that I''ve misunderstood him back then. He''s actually a nice guy!¡± said Hayley seriously.


    ¡°Even Dr. Felch praised him...¡±


    Charlotte remained silent and thought about what happenedst night.


    She could vaguely remember that she had bitten herself first. In order to prevent her from injuring


    herself, he had extended his hand out...


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    ¡°I''m done.¡± After treating the wound, Hayley reminded, ¡°Go down now, Charlotte. Mr. Nacht made a lot


    of dumplings and is waiting for you to eat breakfast together.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Keep the medical kit ande down for breakfast too.¡±


    Charlotte patted Hayley''s hand.


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    After Hayley left, Charlotte started changing her clothes.


    Meanwhile, Lupine remarked at the side, ¡°He woke up early in the morning and spent two hours


    making breakfast. He really put in a lot of effort! Looks like he treats you and the kids really well...¡±


    ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± asked Charlotte coldly.


    Lupine lowered her head quickly, not daring to speak.


    ¡°Now that you''re together with Ben, you''re starting to speak on Zachary''s behalf.¡± Charlotte exposed


    her directly. ¡°Don''t think that I''m oblivious to your intentions.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, I...¡±


    ¡°Although he''s nice now, it doesn''t abolish the mistakes that he had made in the past. How can his


    insignificant deeds nowpare to that?¡±


    Although Charlotte was talking to Lupine, the words she said were meant for herself too.


    She kept reminding herself not to give in.


    After all, she had not taken revenge yet. If she gave in now, her past sufferings and Mrs. Berry''s death


    would have been in vain.


    ¡°Yeah, you''re right...¡± Lupine did not dare to say anything more.


    ¡°I don''t oppose you being together with Ben.¡±


    When Charlotte noticed Lupine''s dejected look, she consoled her, ¡°If both of you have long-term ns


    in the future that don''tpromise on the Lindbergs'' interests, I''ll speak to Danrique on your behalf.


    However, don''t hope that I''ll forgive Zachary. These are two different things.¡±


    ¡°I know. I''m sorry!¡± Lupine kept apologizing.


    Charlotte patted her shoulders. After changing her shoes, she headed downstairs briskly.


    As she was feeling energetic today, she nned on taking a look at the South Sea. After the project


    was halted, some of the money had been returned. However, she still wanted to see if it could still be


    developed.


    ¡°Mommy,e and eat breakfast!¡±


    The three children were already sitting in the dining room. Gazing at the dumplings in front of them,


    they were so hungry that they almost drooled.


    ¡°I''ming!¡± Charlotte made her way down the stairs quickly. When she saw the children, she beamed


    happily. ¡°Good morning, Robbie, Jamie and Ellie!¡±


    ¡°I''ming!¡± Charlotte made her way down the stairs quickly. When she saw the children, she beamed


    happily. ¡°Good morning, Robbie, Jamie and Ellie!¡±


    ¡°Good morning, Mommy!¡± greeted the children simultaneously.


    ¡°How lively!¡± Sam helped Dr. Felch over to the table.


    ¡°Dr. Felch...¡± Charlotte quickly rose to wee him.


    ¡°Good morning, Dr. Felch!¡± greeted the children affectionately.


    ¡°Good morning!¡± Dr. Felch was overjoyed to see them. ¡°This family has such a great atmosphere.


    They''re so lively every day! Even one''s appetite would improve when dining together with the family.


    Hahaha!¡±


    ¡°You''re right, Dr. Felch. I feel the same way too!¡±


    Mrs. Rawlstonughed as she walked over with the dumplings.


    ¡°What makes me happiest the most each day is watching you eat my food. However, Mr. Zachary


    made all of the dumplings himself this time¡ªfrom rolling the dough, preparing the fillings, to cooking


    them!¡±


    ¡°His hand is injured, so be careful to not let his wound touch water!¡± reminded Dr. Felch quickly. ¡°I told


    Sam to treat his wound earlier, but he said that he would do it after breakfast.¡±


    ¡°I told him that, but he refused to listen.¡± Mrs. Rawlston looked troubled. ¡°However, I mixed the dough,


    so he didn''t touch the water at all.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±

 Chapter 1023

    Chapter 1023


    The family had a good breakfast together. While taking care of the three kids, Zachary would chat with


    Dr. Felch asionally.


    Dr. Felch mentioned what happenedst night again. ¡°Come to theboratory after eating. I''ll take a


    look at your eyes.¡±


    ¡°My eyes are fine.¡±


    Zachary was stirring the oatmeal for Ellie. The steam drifted up, causing his vision to be blurred by a


    faint mist.


    Charlotte nced at him. Other than looking slightly bloodshot, his eyes seemed fine. Perhaps, he


    didn''t have a good sleep.


    ¡°Although your eyes may look alright now...¡±


    Dr. Felch narrowed his eyes and scrutinized Zachary.


    ¡°It''s fine. An insect merely flew across my eyes yesterday.¡±


    Turning around, Zachary fed Ellie some oatmeal. At that moment, his phone rang and Charlotte took


    the bowl from his hands. ¡°I''ll do it.¡±


    Zachary passed the bowl to her before walking aside and taking the call. ¡°Speak!¡±


    ¡°As you''ve expected...¡±


    Ben was reporting something important over the phone.


    Frowning, Zachary quickly regained hisposure and instructed solemnly, ¡°I understand. Monitor it


    closely first.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    After hanging up, Zachary returned to the dining table and took the bowl from Charlotte. ¡°I''ll do it.¡±


    He fed Ellie the oatmeal quietly before wiping her mouth and saying gently, ¡°Ellie, I''ll be busy with work


    recently, so I can''t keep youpany. You must receive your medical treatment obediently, okay?¡±


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    ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± Ellie nodded.


    ¡°Daddy, just focus on your work. We''ll take care of Ellie!¡± Jamie patted his chest and dered. ¡°You


    don''t need to apany us at night too. We can y chess ourselves!¡±


    ¡°I might not be staying here for the next few days.¡± Zachary stroked his head. ¡°There''s a lot of work at


    the office, so I have to stay there.¡±


    Everyone was stunned when they heard that.


    Even Charlotte was startled. She always thought that she had lost all feelings for him. Yet, when she


    heard that he was going to leave, a weird sense of disappointment surfaced within her...


    Perhaps, the family had been living in such perfect harmony that the sudden change was too great.


    Still, Charlotte quickly returned to her senses. Feigning nonchnce, she said, ¡°Don''t worry, I''ll take


    care of the kids.¡±


    ¡°Are you reluctant to let me leave?¡± Zachary looked at her with a yful smirk.


    ¡°You''re crazy!¡± Charlotte shot him a re and rebuked in annoyance, ¡°I''m overjoyed that an unlucky


    charm like you is gone.¡±


    ¡°You don''t mean it sincerely, right?¡± insisted Zachary shamelessly.


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°Okay, I have to go.¡± Zachary hugged the three children. ¡°I''lle back and keep youpany after


    I''m done with work.¡±


    ¡°How long will you be busy for, Daddy?¡± With reddened eyes, Ellie gazed at him longingly.


    ¡°How long will you be busy for, Daddy?¡± With reddened eyes, Ellie gazed at him longingly.


    ¡°Not too long.¡± He stroked her cheeks.


    ¡°Take care of yourself, Daddy.¡± Although Jamie felt reluctant too, he put up a strong front. ¡°After you''re


    done, bring us to the amusement park!¡±


    ¡°I''ll keep my promise.¡± Zachary bumped fists with him before looking at Robbie. ¡°Robbie, why aren''t you


    saying anything?¡±


    ¡°I just find it very sudden. I didn''t expect the situation to be so grave this time.¡± Robbie stared at


    Zachary with aplex look in his eyes. ¡°The power of public opinion is really significant.¡±


    When Charlotte heard that, she felt conflicted. Although Jamie and Ellie knew nothing, they did not


    know what Zachary was about to face. However, Robbie was different.


    As an IT genius, he watched the finance news every day and paid attention to the business trends.


    He knew that after Zara''s scandals were exposed online, the Divine Corporation and Nacht Group had


    been severely impacted. Initially, he thought that Zachary could resolve everything perfectly.


    However, after hearing that Zachary needed to stay in the office to handle all this work, he understood


    that the situation was even more serious than he had imagined...

 Chapter 1024

    Chapter 1024


    Although the business battle between the Nachts and the Lindbergs did not seem to influence the


    children, it was clear that they were still affected.


    What Charlotte feared was slowly happening...


    ¡°Don''t worry, I can resolve it.¡± Zachary stroked Robbie''s head. ¡°You''re still a child, so don''t worry about


    all this stuff.¡±


    ¡°Are you really alright?¡± Robbie was still worried about him.


    ¡°Silly boy! I''m invincible.¡± Regaining his domineering demeanor, Zachary patted his chest and said,


    ¡°How can such a simple problem stump me?¡±


    ¡°That''s good, then.¡± Looking at how confident Zachary was, Robbie heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°You must


    take care.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Zachary pinched his cheeks before turning around and stretching his hands out to Charlotte.


    ¡°Come, hug me too!¡±


    ¡°Get lost!¡± Charlotte red at him coldly. However, she unconsciously nced at his bandaged hand.


    Looks like I''ve really bitten him hardst night.


    A feeling of guilt surfaced within her, but she forcefully reced it with a cold attitude.


    ¡°Haha!¡± Zachary did not mind either and ruffled her hair affectionately instead. He turned around and


    bade the kids farewell. ¡°I''m leaving now. You must be good, okay?¡±


    ¡°Bye, Daddy!¡±


    The children waved goodbye to Zachary.


    ¡°Come here after you''re done with work. I''ll give you a thorough check-up,¡± reminded Dr. Felch.


    ¡°Okay. Thank you, Dr. Felch!¡±


    Zachary nodded with a smile.


    A subordinate from the Nacht residence walked downstairs with the luggage.


    Outside, Marino had already prepared the car. Through the car window, he gazed at Morgan from afar.


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    Although she met his gaze, she did not dare to approach him and greet him.


    ¡°Mommy, I want to go out and send Daddy off!¡±


    Jamie ran out immediately after saying that.


    Robbie dashed out as well.


    ¡°Mommy, I want to go too...¡± Ellie became anxious.


    ¡°Okay, I''ll follow all of you there.¡±


    Carrying Ellie, Charlotte went out to send Zachary off.


    After waving to the kids, Zachary got into the car.


    When Ellie saw the car zoom away, she burst into tears.


    Upon hearing Ellie''s sobs, Jamie cried as well. However, he pouted stubbornly, refusing to make any


    sounds.


    Meanwhile, Robbie''s eyes were red as he lowered his head quietly.


    ¡°It''s fine. Daddy''s just going to the office to work. It''s not like he''s nevering back!¡± consoled


    Charlotte. ¡°If you miss him, you can call him.¡±


    ¡°I want to see Daddy every day,¡± said Ellie through sobs. ¡°I want our family to be together forever...¡±


    ¡°Me too!¡± agreed Jamie as he wiped his tears. ¡°I have been very happy these few days.¡±


    Although Robbie did not say anything, his reaction was even more worrying.


    Gazing at the kids, Charlotte felt a turmoil of emotions.


    Gazing at the kids, Charlotte felt a turmoil of emotions.


    She really hoped that the kids could be happy every day. However, she did not dare to promise them


    anything. Her only method to calm them down was to change the topic...


    Charlotte had to console them for a long time before they felt better.


    Then, they went on with their daily routine.


    Ellie went for her medical treatment, while Robbie and Jamie attended their online lessons.


    There was still a lot of work that Charlotte had not settled, so she nned to work in the study room.


    At that moment, Lupine brought some documents over for her to sign.


    Morgan also came to report to her.


    When Lupine saw her look of joy, she teased, ¡°As expected of someone in love! Even catching a brief


    glimpse of each other, despite being dozens of feet apart, can make you happy for the entire day.¡±


    ¡°You only know how to tease me,¡± rebuked Morgan as she blushed. ¡°Are you disappointed that Ben


    isn''t here?¡±


    ¡°Nonsense! I''m not,¡± denied Lupine immediately. ¡°Do you think that I''m as smitten as you are?¡±


    ¡°You''re just stubborn,¡± joked Morgan. ¡°It''s been half a month since Ben showed up. You definitely miss


    him!¡±


    ¡°What''s there to miss about him?¡±


    ¡°He didn''t show up for half a month?¡± Startled, Charlotte nced at Lupine and asked, ¡°What''s Ben


    doing?¡±

 Chapter 1025

    Chapter 1025


    ¡°I don''t know either. After he and Mr. Nacht sent the kids over, he didn''t contact me anymore.¡± Feigning


    indifference, she said, ¡°I sent him a message, but he said that he was busy. From then on, I ignored


    him.¡±


    ¡°Did both of you fight?¡± asked Morgan concernedly.


    ¡°No.¡± Although Lupine felt indignant, her pride stopped her from admitting it. Instead, she pretended to


    say arrogantly, ¡°I couldn''t care less if he contacts me or not.¡±


    ¡°Don''t be like this...¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Charlotte''s solemn voice interrupted Morgan''s words. ¡°Track Ben''s trail now!¡±


    When Morgan and Lupine saw Charlotte''s reaction, they became serious as well.


    ¡°Understood.¡± Lupine immediately went to carry out her instructions.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, are you suspecting that something has happened on Mr. Nacht''s side?¡± asked Morgan


    uneasily. ¡°No way!¡±


    ¡°Keep an eye on Marino and see where he and Zachary are headed. Report all their locations to me!¡±


    ordered Charlotte.


    ¡°Yes, Ms. Lindberg.¡± Not daring to ask any more questions, she headed off immediately.


    When dealing with official matters, Lupine and Morgan would always take Charlotte''s instructions


    seriously. They would not affect her n because of personal reasons.


    Charlotte hadplete conviction regarding this fact.


    In contrast, she did not believe Zachary as much.


    Previously, she had not realized it yet and thought that Zachary had really gone to deal with work. Yet,


    when Lupine and Morgan mentioned that Ben had not appeared for a long time, she finally discovered


    that something was wrong.


    Ben was Zachary''s assistant. Wherever Zachary went, he would need Ben by his side.


    Even if Ben did not stay with them because it was inconvenient, it did not exin his disappearance.


    Furthermore, he even stopped contacting Lupine...


    There must be something wrong.


    Charlotte could tell from the start that Marino and Ben approached Lupine and Marino because they


    were following Zachary''s instructions.


    If he could use his subordinates to gain information, she could do the same thing as well.


    An eye for an eye!


    Other than the battle between the two families in the business arena, there was another irresolvable


    conflict between them¡ªZara!


    Two years ago, Zara instructed Sharon to assassinate her at T Nation and kill Mrs. Berry. Charlotte


    would definitely have to take revenge for that grudge.


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    However, after spending so much time and mobilizing all her manpower, she still could not capture


    Zara. Although Zara even appeared halfway through to assassinate her, she still managed to escape in


    the end.


    Is Zara that impressive? Or is someone helping her in secret?


    Charlotte always had her doubts regarding this.


    When Zachary protected Sharon and hid her at Southridge, Charlotte was furious.


    When Zachary protected Sharon and hid her at Southridge, Charlotte was furious.


    The only reason why she did not fly into a rage was because Ellie suddenly got poisoned and it was


    more important to treat her first.


    Furthermore, Charlotte discovered that Zachary''s subordinates had been monitoring Sharon and even


    collected a lot of evidence about Zara instructing her tomit those crimes. Hence, Charlotte decided


    to watch the events would unfold and confirm if Zachary really intended to use Sharon to capture Zara.


    After all, Sharon was only a minor character. The mastermind was Zara!


    Yet, a new hypothesis emerged in Charlotte''s mind now.


    Perhaps, Zachary or Henry was hiding Sharon!


    The reason why Ben was so busy recently was that he was dealing with this.


    If so, that would have crossed Charlotte''s absolute bottom line.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg...¡± Lupine rushed forward and reported, ¡°I just found out that Ben has been tracking


    Zara''s location. I can''t find where he is now and his phone is turned off. He is entirely uncontactable.¡±


    ¡°Continue searching for him.¡± Charlotte warned solemnly, ¡°This is extremely important. Regardless of


    your rtionship with him, you must remember at all times that I''m your master!¡±


    ¡°Understood. Don''t worry, Ms. Lindberg!¡±

 Chapter 1026

    Chapter 1026


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg.¡± At that moment, Morgan hurried over to report, ¡°Marino did take Mr. Nacht back to


    Divine Corporation. I heard that a board meeting is being convened. Mr. Nacht even ordered all


    management staff to work overtime and if necessary, stay the night in the office. No matter what, they


    have to resolve the matter.¡±


    ¡°From the sound of it, there doesn''t seem to be any problems.¡± Lupine looked at Charlotte warily.


    ¡°Continue to keep an eye on him and see if he is really staying over at the office,¡± Charlotte instructed.


    ¡°Whenever it''s necessary, try and fish for some leads from Marino. Understood?¡±


    Charlotte ended her sentence with a thoughtful tone.


    ¡°Understood.¡± Morgan nodded.


    ¡°Off you go.¡± Charlotte waved her away.


    After both of them left, Charlotte leaned back on her white leather sofa. Looking at the documents in


    hand, she was in no mood to deal with them. All she could feel inside was confusion.


    Recently, Zachary''s behavior had impressed her. Compared to his ruthless and haughty self, he had


    now be understanding and considerate. He even got off his high horse and went out of his way for


    the sake of others.


    The changes in his demeanor had caused her heart to waver.


    Furthermore, she was moved by the fact that he had risked his life to protect her the night before.


    Even if they can''t be together, she still hoped that both families could let the past be water under the


    bridge. She didn''t mind staying away from each other just like how it used to be. All she wanted was for


    there not to be any more bad blood.


    At the very least, the children wouldn''t be torn between both families.


    However, she still couldn''t tolerate the fact that Zachary had kept Zara hidden.


    For the sake of the children, she was willing to look past what the Nacht family did to her. However, she


    couldn''t forgive Zara and Sharon for humiliating her in T Nation. Most importantly, she had to exact


    revenge for the death of Mrs. Berry.


    Those two matters were not up for negotiation as they were her red lines.


    She hoped that Zachary wouldn''t breach them, or else, she wouldn''t spare him either.


    As if he could sense something, Zachary sneezed in his Rolls-Royce. Covering his face, he furrowed


    his eyebrows and remarked, ¡°Charlotte must be cursing at me right now.¡±


    ¡°You''re right,¡± Marino replied warily. ¡°Morgan is checking on our movements. I suppose Ms. Lindberg is


    feeling suspicious.¡±


    ¡°Given how smart she is, it''s reasonable for her to be suspicious,¡± Zachary inly remarked, ¡°let alone


    she has two spies.¡±


    ¡°I''m not a spy. I''m loyal to you.¡± Marino dered his loyalty at once.


    ¡°Don''t worry about it. Your girlfriendes first.¡± Zachary replied thoughtfully, ¡°If she asks you


    anything, just tell her the truth.¡±


    ¡°I dare not.¡± Marino quickly exined, ¡°I have never leaked anything rted to you, I swear.¡±


    ¡°I''m telling you to tell her as it is, do you understand me?¡± Zachary furrowed his eyebrows in


    displeasure. ¡°What a dumb*ss.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Marino was baffled.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht is indeed dealing with something in the office. If she asks, you can just tell her what''s going


    on in the office. Other than that, you don''t know anything else. Do you understand?¡± Bruce exined.


    ¡°Understood.¡± Marino nodded in acknowledgment.


    When a subordinate opened the door from the outside, Zachary got out of the car. Striding into the


    elevator, he took it right up to the sixty-eight floor.


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    The moment they entered the elevator, Ben''s phone rang. ¡°Mr. Nacht, we have confirmation that Ms.


    Nacht is with Mr. Henry.¡±


    Zachary''s expression drastically changed at the news. He gritted his teeth and eximed, ¡°Damn it!¡±


    ¡°Calm down, Mr. Nacht.¡± Ben reassured, ¡°I''m still keeping an eye on them. Spencer is still arranging for


    a private jet. They look as if they are trying to smuggle Ms. Nacht out of H City. What should I do now?¡±


    ¡°They won''t dare make a move now. No matter what, they will wait till it''s dark.¡± Zachary furrowed his


    eyebrows. ¡°Continue watching them and wait for my instructions.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±

 Chapter 1027

    Chapter 1027


    Zachary had been trying to locate Zara while collecting evidence of her wrongdoing. His aim was to


    bring her to justice.


    At the end of the day, he had taken into consideration Henry''s feelings. After all, she was still his


    daughter. If the Lindbergs killed her, he would be devastated.


    From then on, the animosity between the two families would only deepen.


    Given Henry''s temper, he would fight the Lindbergs for the rest of his life.


    No one woulde out the winner if such a situation came up.


    Therefore, Zachary''s solution was to capture Zara and hand her over to the authorities.


    That way, he would be able to fulfill his responsibility to Charlotte and stop the hatred between the two


    families from escting.


    If thew sentenced her to death, it would be because she deserved it.


    Henry had no one else to me.


    However, Zachary didn''t imagine that Henry would make such a mistake as to harbor a fugitive.


    If Charlotte had found out about it, it would be a huge misunderstanding between the two families.


    Feeling anxious, all Zachary wanted to do now was to solve the problem.


    However, he still hadn''t figured out how to do so.


    He couldn''t infuriate Henry, and neither could he let Zara escape. Also, he had to keep the matter


    under wraps.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, why don''t we set up an ambush at the airport? We can seize Zara and hand her over to the


    police while Mr. Henry isn''t there,¡± Bruce suggested.


    ¡°Given that he is willing to take such a big risk, Grandpa will definitely send her to the airport


    personally.¡±


    Zachary exined softly, ¡°He wouldn''t leave until he sees her board the ne.¡±


    ¡°In that case, why don''t we check on their private jet?¡± Bruce asked.


    ¡°Don''t do anything rash to alert them.¡± Zachary knitted his eyebrows.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Bruce didn''t dare propose anything else.


    N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    ¡°You''re dismissed for now.¡± Zachary wanted to have some time alone.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Bruce lowered his head.


    Zachary locked himself up in his office for seven hours.


    It wasn''t until four in the afternoon that he called for Bruce. Handing him a USB drive, he instructed,


    ¡°Hand this over to the police. Go right now.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± After carefully receiving it, Bruce headed to the police station.


    Next, Zachary gave Lucy a call. ¡°Tell the firm''s legal team to gather in my office at once.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Lucy cascaded his orders. Deep down, she knew something big was going on. However, she


    didn''t dare to ask.


    Ten minutester, the Nacht Group''s legal team arrived at once.


    Zachary dered to them. ¡°In my name, sack Zara from the Nacht Group board and seize all the


    company shares she has. Also, freeze all of Chris'' shares and suspend his positions in the Nacht


    Group. It''s your job to figure out how to do this from a legal perspective. I want it done by five. After


    that, make the announcement through the firm''s official channels. Understood?¡±


    Thewyers exchanged chaotic nces.


    Considering how Zara''s wrongdoings were exposed on the inte, causing untold damage to Nacht


    Group''s reputation, it was understandable for Zachary to take such actions. However, the shares that


    Zara and Chris were holding were gifted by Henry himself.


    Without his permission, no one dared to take action.


    ¡°I will deal with Grandpa. All you have to do is follow my instructions,¡± Zachary ordered. ¡°He isn''t feeling


    well now, so everything in Nacht Group will be decided by me.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Thewyers went off without further question.


    Everyone knew that Zachary was undoubtedly Henry''s favorite. Many years ago, he had already


    appointed Zachary as his sessor.


    Furthermore, Zachary had been running Nacht Group over thest few years and Henry had never


    questioned his decisions.


    Therefore, everyone did as they were told even though it seemed to be against the rules.


    At five in the afternoon, the Nacht family sent out an official statement while the police issued a warrant


    for Zara''s arrest.

 Chapter 1028

    Chapter 1028


    The moment the news was released, it caused quite a stir.


    Over thest few weeks, Nacht Group''s stock price had dropped drastically due to Zara''s expos¨¦.


    Despite the terrible impact it had, Zachary did nothing to address it.


    However, when both announcements were made that day, the stock price stabilized.


    At the same time, those who doubted the Nacht Group and Zachary began to reevaluate their opinion


    of him.


    By breaking ties with Zara and removing her from thepany, Zachary had demonstrated that Nacht


    Group and himself had nothing to do with her crimes. The police warrant further cemented that fact.


    However, there were those who were still skeptical and spected that Zachary betrayed his aunt to


    save himself.


    Nevertheless, his actions had stabilized the situation for the time being.


    It had also appeased Charlotte at the same time.


    Charlotte had ordered Lupine to bring men in from Erihal to prepare for battle with the Nacht family.


    However, when everything was in ce, Lupine hurried in to report, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, look at the news,


    quick!¡±


    ¡°What news?¡±


    Charlotte turned on theputer and saw thetest trending news. All of them were about the Nacht


    Group.


    Just the headline alone was enough to shock her. When she clicked into it, she was further


    dumbstruck.


    ¡°Looks like we have misunderstood Mr. Nacht.¡± Lupine heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Not only did he not


    harbor Zara, but he also provided evidence of her crimes to the police. In fact, he even removed Zara


    from Nacht Group.¡±


    ¡°Why is he doing this all of a sudden?¡± Charlotte knitted her eyebrows in thought.


    ¡°What else can it be?¡± Lupine saw the matter simplistically. ¡°Mr. Nacht even dealt with Chris at the


    same time. It shows that he does not intend to let Zara escape!¡±


    When she saw Charlotte''s concerned look, Lupine added, ¡°Even if he didn''t do it for you, it would still


    make sense for him to remove Zara who had be a cancer within Nacht Group. From my


    investigations, I found out that Nacht Group had lost hundreds of billions over thest few weeks. At


    the rate they are going, the foundations of thepany would have been shaken.¡±


    ¡°That''s true.¡± Charlotte nodded slightly. ¡°The main reason Danrique attacked Nacht Group was to force


    them to abandon Zara. He wanted that b*tch to know how it feels like to be abandoned by those closest


    to her and have no escape!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg is really smart!¡±


    Lupine was filled with admiration at the mention of Danrique.


    ¡°Why don''t we wait and see.¡± Charlotte instructed, ¡°Continue to watch Ben and report back to me if


    there are any movements.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Lupine nodded.


    As the study fell silent, Charlotte turned to look at the rain outside. Zachary''s actions had caught her by


    surprise.


    She felt that he had made the decision on the fly.


    What triggered his sudden decision?


    She was baffled no matter how hard she tried to analyze it.


    Lost in thought, a bodyguard knocked on the door to report, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, there''s a girl named Olivia


    who wants to see you. She says she''s your friend.¡±


    ¡°Olivia?¡± Charlotte was stunned. She replied at once, ¡°Show her in right away.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Charlotte put on her jacket before going to receive her.


    At that moment, the bodyguard was guiding Olivia and Jeffrey in.


    When Jeffrey saw how overbearing the ce was, he was intimidated. Tugging at Olivia, he whispered,


    ¡°Are you sure this is Ms. Windt''s home? Why are there so many bodyguards? Why is it sovish? Did


    you make a mistake?¡±


    Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Mr. Judd, this is really Charlotte''s home. I came here before,¡± Olivia exined.


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°Olivia! Mr. Judd!¡± Charlotte hurried down the steps.


    ¡°Charlotte.¡±


    ¡°Charlotte!¡±


    When Olivia and Jeffrey saw Charlotte, they were extremely excited, Jeffrey in particr. Suddenly, he


    became teary-eyed. ¡°I didn''t believe Olivia when she said that you are alive. But I can see that it''s true.¡±


    ¡°I am alive and doing well.¡± Charlotte''s heart warmed as she smiled at them. ¡°I had wanted to visit you


    many times, but something always came up in the end. You will have to excuse me!¡±

 Chapter 1029

    Chapter 1029


    ¡°Your subordinate had exined to me and even sent me back to Yaleview.¡± Olivia added, ¡°We were


    worried about you. So, we decided to visit you on the weekend.¡±


    ¡°Let talk in the study.¡±


    After inviting them to the study, Charlotte instructed the maid to prepare some coffee.


    Looking at Charlotte, Jeffrey was getting all emotional. He remarked, ¡°After the incident at the wedding,


    we heard about how you and Mrs. Berry got into trouble. I was really...¡±


    Just as he spoke, Jeffrey''s voice began to break. ¡°I hated myself for being powerless to do anything. Or


    else, I would have held the Nacht family ountable!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Judd, it''s all over now. So, let''s not talk about that anymore,¡± Olivia reminded softly.


    ¡°Yes, yes. You''re right.¡±


    Jeffrey regained hisposure.


    On their way to see Charlotte, Olivia had repeatedly reminded him not to bring up the past. Charlotte


    had a new life now that came with new considerations of her own. Hence, they shouldn''t influence her


    decision in any way.


    ¡°How have you been over the years?¡± Charlotte changed the topic.


    ¡°We''ve been good.¡± Jeffrey began talking about the factories. ¡°The few factories that you invested in


    are doing very well. In fact, we have even built four more.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Charlotte was delighted at the news. ¡°That''s good to know. At the very least, I didn''t


    disappoint my dad.¡±


    ¡°As for your money, I have saved it for you.¡± Jeffrey handed her a bank card and a ledger. ¡°These are


    the ounts from thest two years and the bonus you deserved. In total, there''s about twenty million.


    It''s not much now but will increase in the future.¡±


    ¡°Please continue to keep it safe for me.¡± Charlotte pushed it back to him. ¡°I''ll get it from you whenever I


    need it.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Jeffrey kept the items. ¡°I''ll continue adding the dividends into the ount in the future.¡±


    ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡± Charlotte nodded with a smile. ¡°It warms my heart to know that both of you have been


    doing well.¡±


    Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°You took the words out of my mouth.¡± Jeffrey felt relieved. ¡°I''m happy to see that you have been doing


    fine too. Over thest two years, my inability to protect you has been hanging over my head...¡±


    Pausing briefly, he changed topics. ¡°I heard that you have reunited with your mom''s family and they are


    really powerful.¡±


    ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡± Charlotte nodded.


    ¡°How powerful? Can they protect you from being bullied by the Nacht family?¡± Jeffrey asked with


    concern.


    Charlotte smiled slightly. ¡°The Lindbergs and Nachts are of simr stature. However, in some


    instances, the Lindbergs do exceed the Nachts.¡±


    ¡°What? That powerful?¡± Jeffrey was excited to hear it. ¡°That''s wonderful. The Nachts will not be able to


    bully you anymore.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry.¡± Charlotte dered confidently, ¡°No one in this world can bully me anymore!¡±


    ¡°That''s good, that''s good.¡± Jeffrey nodded. ¡°I''m happy as long as you''re safe. I''m just worried...¡±


    Jeffrey didn''t dare finish his sentence. Instead, the changed topics. ¡°What about the children? Have you


    seen them?¡±


    ¡°They''re with me.¡± Just as Charlotte spoke, Jamie''s voice rang out from outside. ¡°Robbie, quick! Fifi


    and Little Fifi are waiting for us outside!¡±


    ¡°I''ming...¡±


    ¡°The kids are here?¡± Olivia was delighted to hear them. ¡°That''s wonderful! Charlotte, I''m really happy


    for you.¡±


    ¡°Did the Nachts agree?¡± Jeffrey was still worried. ¡°Won''t they try and get them back?¡±


    ¡°Zachary dropped them off himself,¡± Charlotte replied with a smile. ¡°Don''t worry. I''m no longer the


    Charlotte Windt of old.¡±


    ¡°Fantastic!¡± Olivia was excited. ¡°It warms my heart to see who you have be. We have to


    remember the lessons from the past that is not to be bullied by others.¡±

 Chapter 1030

    Chapter 1030


    Charlotte felt a rush of emotions when she heard what Olivia said. She recalled many things from the


    past but couldn''t remember all the details.


    Olivia was her only friend back then and likely knew a lot of insider information and details. That was


    why she resented the Nacht family so much.


    Knock! Knock! At that moment, Lupine had something to report.


    Jeffrey remarked at once, ¡°Charlotte, it''s time for us to take our leave. Do you really want to keep this


    money with me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I''ll leave it with you for safekeeping,¡± Charlotte answered with a smile. ¡°If the factories'' expansion


    needs additional capital, feel free to dip into it. Just treat it as an additional investment on my part.¡±


    ¡°All right then. I''ll record it down for you.¡± Jeffrey was meticulous in his work.


    ¡°Sure.¡± Charlotte nodded. ¡°I''ll have my subordinates walk you out.¡±


    ¡°Charlotte...¡± Suddenly, Olivia gathered her courage and suggested, ¡°I want to stay here with you.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Charlotte was stunned.


    ¡°Two years ago, I wasn''t able to protect you and it has been hanging on my conscience since. If I had


    left together with you and Mrs. Berry, she might still be alive. Although I couldn''t have done much, I


    could at least have called the police...¡±


    Olivia spoke in a guilty and emotional voice.


    ¡°I realize that you have be influential and don''t need my help. Perhaps, I can help you watch the


    children. Having me by your side would definitely be better than any outsiders.¡±


    Touched by her words, Charlotte was d that she had Olivia as a true friend back then.


    ¡°She has talked to me many times about it.¡± Jeffrey borated softly, ¡°Although she is doing well at the


    factory, she worries about you all the time.¡±


    ¡°It''s dangerous to stay by my side.¡± Charlotte felt hesitant about the idea.


    ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    ¡°Don''t worry. I''m not afraid.¡± Olivia patted her own chest. ¡°After all, my mom has passed away and I''m


    all alone now. It would mean a lot to me if I could do something for you.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Your mom is no longer around? What happened?¡± Charlotte asked.


    ¡°In theter part ofst year. She died of sickness.¡±


    Olivia didn''t seem as sad when she talked about this.


    ¡°Actually, she was bedridden for many years and had been suffering all this while. After that, she


    managed to wake up and spend some time with me, for which I have been really grateful. When she


    passed away, she was at peace. It reminded me that I have to repay my debt of gratitude to you. After


    all, you had helped me find a doctor for her. Every time I get into trouble, you would also stand up for


    me too!¡±


    Charlotte hugged Olivia and patted her on the back. ¡°All right then. If you''re willing to stay, then be it.


    From now on, my home is yours!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Charlotte!¡± Olivia was moved to tears.


    ¡°This way, I no longer have to worry.¡± Jeffrey felt relieved. ¡°Both of you must live well.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry about us.¡±


    After walking Jeffrey out, Charlotte brought Olivia to see Dr. Felch and Hayley.


    When the two old friends reunited, they hugged each other excitedly.


    Both of them got to know each other through Charlotte and became good friends after that. Even after


    Charlotte''s incident, they still kept in contact.


    The reason Marino was able to find Dr. Felch was also due to the information Olivia provided.


    However, when Olivia provided the information to Morgan, she assumed that it was Charlotte


    Lindberg''s subordinates who were looking for him.


    In the end, everything turned out for the best.


    After that, Charlotte introduced Olivia to all her bodyguards and maids. She instructed them to treat


    Olivia as if she was her own sister and to serve her as such.


    Everyone addressed her as Ms. Peyton, causing her to blush as she still wasn''t used to it.


    Coincidentally, Ellie woke up from her afternoon nap. Hence, Hayley brought Olivia to see her.


    Once everything was settled, Charlotte began her treatment for the day.


    She soaked herself in a tub filled with medication while acupuncture needles were stuck onto her.


    At that moment, Lupine rushed in to report. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, I just found out that Zara is hiding at Henry''s


    residence.¡±

 Chapter 1031

    Chapter 1031


    ¡°What did you say?¡±


    When Charlotte tensed up upon hearing the news, she felt a sudden pain from the needles. Blood


    began oozing out slowly.


    ¡°When you''re being treated, you can''t be too emotional.¡± Dr. Felch admonished from next door.


    ¡°Whatever it is, talk about itter. Out you go!¡±


    ¡°Right away, I''m sorry.¡± Lupine stepped out at once.


    ¡°Charlotte, you have to maintain your calm. No matter what, you can deal with it after the treatment.¡±


    Hayley quicklyforted her. ¡°The needles pierced deeper into you when you were agitated just now.


    Does it still hurt?¡±


    ¡°Y-yes...¡± Charlotte was in such stinging pain that she could barely speak. Gritting her teeth, she


    instructed, ¡°Hayley, tell Lupine to gather the men and wait for me.¡±


    ¡°Charlotte...¡±


    ¡°Go now!¡±


    Hayley had wanted to calm Charlotte down. But given how desperate she was, Hayley was worried


    about agitating her further. Hence, she had no choice but to ry the message.


    Lupine was waiting right at the door for further instructions. Upon hearing Hayley''s message, she


    replied at once, ¡°Don''t worry, Ms. Lindberg. I''ll get right on it.¡±


    ¡°Everyone listen up, prepare the vehicles and arm yourselves. Once Ms. Lindberg is done with her


    treatment, we will move out!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Given themotion, everyone else at home was nervous.


    Feeling unnerved, Mrs. Rawlston rushed into her room and wanted to make a phone call.


    When Lupine''s sharp eye caught what she was doing, she snatched the phone away and respectfully


    said, ¡°Mrs. Rawlston, Ms. Lindberg respects you a lot so we won''t darey a finger on you. However, if


    you do anything to betray her, we will show no mercy!¡±


    ¡°No, no...¡± Mrs. Rawlston anxiously exined, ¡°I''m not betraying her, I just... just...¡±


    Mrs. Rawlston stuttered for a long while.


    Finally, she sighed. ¡°At the end of the day, they''re all family. I don''t want to see them being separated


    by a misunderstanding.¡±


    ¡°I too hope that it''s a misunderstanding.¡± Lupine knitted her eyebrows. ¡°Mrs. Rawlston, excuse me.¡±


    She ordered the bodyguards, ¡°Keep an eye on them and don''t let them contact anyone outside.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The bodyguards watched the Nacht family servants to ensure they didn''t make any calls.


    Inside the room, Sam couldn''t help but feel nervous when he saw what was going on outside. His


    hands trembled just when he was serving coffee.


    ¡°Don''t be afraid, just continue with your work.¡± Dr. Felch reminded him inly.


    ¡°Is Ms. Windt going to start a fight with Mr. Nacht?¡± Sam wasn''t aware of what was going on. ¡°Weren''t


    they all right just this morning? Why are they at each other''s throats right now?¡±


    N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    ¡°Stop poking your nose in other people''s business. We''re only doctors!¡±


    Sipping his coffee in silence, Dr. Felch had no intention of interfering with Charlotte''s decision.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Sam didn''t darement any further.


    Soaking in the medicinal tub, Charlotte''s body trembled at the pain. However, thinking about what the


    Nacht family did to her pained her even more.


    She had forgiven them time and again on the children''s ount. However, not only were they not


    remorseful, but they also took advantage of her kind gestures by crossing the thresholds she had.


    ¡°Calm down and focus on the treatment,¡± Dr. Felch uttered with a deep voice when he sense how


    unsettled she was.


    ¡°No matter what you n to do, you will need to be in good shape. If you are consumed by hate, the


    poison will flow back into your body instead of being removed. So, please weigh your choices


    carefully.¡±


    Charlotte closed her eyes upon hearing his words. She tried hard to cast revenge out of her mind as


    she knew that she had to focus on healing.


    After being jolted by her emotional outburst earlier, she felt a piercing pain emanate throughout her


    body.


    In her mind, she repeatedly reminded herself, Charlotte, calm down. Don''t let yourself get worked up


    over the b*stard. It''s not worth your while agonizing over that selfish and ungrateful family.

 Chapter 1032

    Chapter 1032


    Locked and loaded, the Lindberg family was ready to roll.


    Meanwhile, at the Garden Vi, Zara was watching the news in the basement. She screamed


    hysterically, ¡°That b*stard, how dare he do this to me?¡±


    ¡°Ms. Zara, please calm down,¡± Spencer advised. ¡°You didn''t leave Mr. Zachary much choice. If he didn''t


    do that, Divine Corporation would be ruined. In fact, the entire Nacht Group would copse.¡±


    ¡°In that case, he should have suppressed the news and attacked Lindberg Corporation.¡± Zara was


    furious. ¡°Only those who are ipetent would point their gun at their own.¡±


    ¡°Didn''t you do the same to him?¡±


    An elderly yet authoritative voice rang out.


    Jolted, Zara turned around in panic and was greeted by the sight of her father.


    Kyle was limping as he wheeled Henry into the basement. After ring at Zara resentfully, he lowered


    his head at once.


    ¡°Dad, I never thought of challenging Zachary until he got on my nerves,¡± Zara exined softly. ¡°If he


    hadn''t taken action on Chris back then, I wouldn''t have attacked him.¡±


    ¡°Stop with your excuses. Do you take me for a fool?¡±


    Henry coldly asserted, ¡°Although you''re not close to Zachary, he and Chris are very close. All he did


    was give Chris a beating. However, you used the incident to escte the situation so that you could


    seize power.¡±


    ¡°I...¡±


    Just when Zara was about to retort, she held her tongue when Henry shot her a stern re.


    She knew that he was the one person in the world who knew her best. Her thoughts could never


    escape his eyes. Any rebuttal would just make her look hypocritical.


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    Nevertheless, no matter how evil she was, her dad would still save her simply because she was his


    daughter.


    ¡°You lost all your assets because of your own financial mismanagement. And now, you want to steal


    your nephew''s inheritance. Is this bing of an aunt?¡± Henry admonished her.


    ¡°If it wasn''t because you were biased and gave him ny percent of the assets, I wouldn''t be left in the


    lurch.¡± Zara remained defiant. ¡°The reason my business failed wasn''t that I was ipetent. I just


    didn''t have sufficient capital then-¡±


    ¡°Until today, you insist on making excuses.¡±


    With his face red in anger, Henry waved his cane to hit her leg.


    ¡°I gave Zachary less money than I did you. And yet, he founded Divine Corporation. Moreover, Nacht


    Group has also been well managed all this while. Only after he had demonstrated good results and


    paid his dues did I choose him as my heir!¡±


    ¡°Of course you will say that,¡± Zara mumbled in defiance. ¡°I don''t believe that he could''ve done it without


    your help.¡±


    ¡°You... you''re so stubborn!¡±


    Outraged, Henry realized it was futile to reason with her. Her inability to reflect on her mistakes had


    naturally caused her downfall.


    ¡°That''s all in the past. Let''s talk about the present instead.¡± Changing topics, Zara anxiously used,


    ¡°Dad, you have seen for yourself that Zachary is working in tandem with the Lindberg family to tighten


    the noose on me. Therefore, you have to save me!¡±


    ¡°I have prepared a hideout in Alendor for you. You should go there and keep your head down. Once the


    storm passes, I''ll arrange for you to be sent elsewhere-¡±


    ¡°Alendor?¡± Zara was outraged. ¡°I don''t want to go there, Dad. It''s terrible...¡±


    ¡°It''s because you can''t stand it that no one will be bothered to look.¡± Henry was extremely decisive.


    ¡°With the Lindberg family''s capabilities, they will be able to find you no matter where you are.


    Furthermore, the police are hunting you too.¡±


    ¡°Isn''t that all Zachary''s doing?¡±


    Zara was furious when the matter was brought up.


    ¡°Not only did he remove me from thepany, but he also took back my shares. Even Chris has been


    suspended from duty. Also, he must have handed all the evidence of my crimes to the police. It''s


    obvious that he is trying to kill me!¡±

 Chapter 1033

    Chapter 1033


    ¡°If you hadn''tmitted all those dirty deeds, no one would be after you.¡± Henry threw the paper in his


    hands at Zara''s face. He scolded, ¡°Look at what you have done. Are you even a Nacht? You have


    utterly disgraced our family!¡±


    ¡°Isn''t it obvious you were the one who forced me to do it?¡±


    Zara was already sixty. When she was reprimanded by Henry in front of others, her rage intensified at


    the humiliation.


    ¡°You... you''re beyond saving!¡± Henry was so angry that he felt as if his heart was about to explode. ¡°If I


    had known better, I shouldn''t have saved you. Instead, I should have let you die...¡±


    ¡°You saved me? I only came here because I have no other choice.¡± Zara yelled angrily, ¡°Are you now


    nning to hand me over to Zachary? Or to the Lindberg family where they can chop me up to bits?¡±


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°Enough, Ms. Zara.¡±


    Not wanting Henry to be further agitated, Spencer stepped in to reduce the tension.


    ¡°The private jet is ready. It will leave H City on the pretext of returning to M Nation. On its way there, it


    will drop you off at Alendor. Despite Mr. Nacht''s old age and deteriorating health, he is still trying his


    best to protect you. You should at the very least appreciate what he has done.¡±


    Zara fell silent after she heard Spencer''s words. By then, Henry was the only person left that could


    save her. If she had lost his support, there would be no one left for her to turn to.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    ¡°Thank you, Dad.¡± Zara''s tone finally wavered. ¡°I''ll listen to whatever you say.¡±


    ¡°Prepare to depart.¡± Henry signaled.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Spencer began preparations. ¡°Ms. Zara, you will have to bear with this.¡±


    Spencer ordered his men to dress Zara up in a disguise before fitting her into arge suitcase. After


    loading her into the trunk, they began driving out slowly.


    In the car, Spencer looked out at the rain with a grim expression. Despite how steady he had always


    been, he felt particrly on edge that evening.


    ¡°Calm down,¡± Mr. Nacht reassured, ¡°no one dares to stop my car.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht,¡± Spencer couldn''t resist asking, ¡°If Mr. Zachary finds out, he might break ties with you. Do


    you not have any regrets doing this?¡±


    ¡°I know what I''m doing is wrong.¡± Henry couldn''t help but sigh. ¡°I have made many mistakes in my life


    due to my stubborn and domineering character. However, I have no choice but to make another one.


    You don''t have children of your own, so you won''t understand my dilemma. Back then, I felt like dying


    after what happened to Harrison and Beatrice. But now, I only have Zara left. Regardless of the terrible


    things she has done, I still feel the urge to keep her alive. However, I have made the necessary


    arrangements so that she will never cause trouble again..¡±


    Henry didn''t borate on his final sentence. When he told Zara that she was to be sent to Alendor, and


    he would arrange for someone to pick her up there, he was lying.


    He intended to let her stay in Alendor for the rest of her life.


    That was the only way he could keep her out of trouble.


    He wanted her to realize how hard life was by letting her experience living a primitive life. Perhaps, she


    would then learn the value of life itself.


    Not knowing what to say, Spencer sighed.


    Henry felt unsettled when he saw that the rain outside getting heavier. He could only hope that they


    reached the airport sooner. The longer they remain exposed, the more dangerous it became.


    Hence, he ordered the driver, ¡°Step on it!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Just when he thought everything would proceed smoothly, their convoy was blocked by Zachary''s car


    the moment they left Garden Vi.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, what should we do?¡±


    Spencer began to panic as he could sense that Zachary suspected something.


    ¡°Stay calm. Tell him that I''m returning to M Nation.¡±


    Given how much experience Henry had, he was steady as a rock. Moreover, he was facing the


    grandson whom he had raised.


    He didn''t believe that Zachary would do anything to him.

 Chapter 1034

    Chapter 1034


    The moment Zachary alighted, he signaled with his hands. Bruce and Ben led their men and


    surrounded Henry''s convoy.


    Spencer went pale in shock at their movements. ¡°They havee prepared.¡±


    ¡°That b*stard!¡± Henry was infuriated. ¡°Looks like he has been watching me all this while.¡±


    ¡°And yet I didn''t notice them.¡± Spencer was feeling anxious and angry at the same time. ¡°Those two


    kids are getting increasingly brazen.¡±


    He had taught Bruce and Ben himself. But now, both of them had exceeded him in terms of their


    investigative skills. Not only did they conduct urate surveince, but they also managed to hide a


    huge group of men in ambush.


    Moreover, they did all that without him noticing at all.


    Knock! Knock! Zachary knocked on the car window.


    Spencer had no choice but to open the car door and alight with a smile. ¡°Mr. Zachary, I''m surprised to


    see you here.¡±


    ¡°Things will escte if I didn''t make it in time.¡± Zachary''s gaze shifted to Henry. ¡°Where is Grandpa


    going?¡±


    ¡°Back to M Nation.¡± Henry remained in the car with no intention of getting down. With a frosty


    expression, he dered haughtily, ¡°What about it? Am I to report to you where I go now?¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Zachary smirked. ¡°I just feel that I have been neglecting you after being tied down by


    work. Now that you''re not feeling well, I''m worried about you going back alone. Why don''t Ie along


    with you?¡±


    ¡°Nonsense!¡± Henry furrowed his eyebrows. ¡°If you return with me to M Nation, what will happen to the


    children?¡±


    ¡°They are doing well with their mom. There''s no need for me to worry.¡± Zachary got into the car right


    away. ¡°Now that thepany''s situation has stabilized, I just want to spend time with you.¡±


    ¡°Erm, Mr. Zachary...¡±


    Spencer wanted to stop him but failed to do so.


    After squeezing himself into the car, Zachary sat next to Henry and put his arms around his shoulders.


    ¡°Look at how much I care about you!¡±


    ¡°Stop pretending,¡± Henry snapped. ¡°Didn''t you promise me to take the children there to be treated?


    That''s the only reason why I allowed you to take them with you. But what look at what you did instead?


    Why did you hand them over to the Lindbergs just like that?¡±


    ¡°Tsk! Tsk!¡± Zachary sneered, ¡°You obviously had me watched and made sure I was living at the


    Lindberg residence before you left. And now, you''re ming me for this?¡±


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    ¡°I have no time for your nonsense.¡± Henry changed the topic. ¡°Get out now and don''t dy my trip to


    the airport.¡±


    ¡°I won''t.¡± Zachary brought out his passport and tapped it on his palm. ¡°I even brought my documents.


    Look, I''m prepared to return to M Nation with you.¡±


    ¡°I already told you that you don''t have toe with me.¡± Henry furrowed his eyebrows. ¡°Just focus on


    the children and don''t poke your nose into my business.¡±


    ¡°I''m just worried,¡± Zachary remarked with a sigh. ¡°Haven''t you heard? Aunt Zara''s wrongdoings have


    been exposed on the inte. The Nacht Group is badly affected by it, causing its stock to plummet.


    Today, I had no choice but to hand over evidence of her crimes to the police and remove her and Chris


    from thepany. Now that the police are hunting for her, I''m worried that she woulde to you in


    her desperation, putting you in danger.¡±


    When Zara, who was in the trunk, heard what Zachary had said, she felt the urge to jump out and


    strangle him to death.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Henry snapped. ¡°She''s your aunt. How can you do this to her?¡±


    ¡°In that case, what would you have me do?¡± Zachary spread his hands in a shrug. ¡°Two years ago, she


    ordered Sharon to kill Charlotte in Coldbridge and cruelly caused Mrs. Berry''s death. Two yearster,


    she even abducted Robbie, killed my subordinate, and hurt Kyle.


    ¡°After that, she attacked Charlotte in the middle of the hill, causing her grievous injury. Just her sins


    alone would earn her the death sentence a thousand times over. Furthermore, everything she did in the


    shadows had caused Nacht Group to be dragged down with her. So tell me, what should I do?¡±

 Chapter 1085

    Chapter 1085


    Ellie woke up groggily at that moment. She was sick and had taken some sleeping pills, so she felt


    terrible.


    ¡°What''s wrong, Ellie? Are you okay?¡± asked Olivia, who was quick to coo the kid.


    ¡°Where are we, Ms. Peyton?¡± asked Ellie between sobs, ¡°I feel so terrible. I want my mommy.¡±


    ¡°Be good, Ellie. Your mommy will be here soon.¡±


    Olivia felt guilty. She felt like she had wronged Charlotte and Ellie.


    ¡°I feel so terrible... urk...¡±


    Ellie suddenly started retching.


    Olivia was quick to open a bag for her to vomit in.


    Sharon saw that from the side and looked disgusted.


    Just then, the stewardess came over and asked, ¡°What''s wrong with the kid?¡±


    ¡°She...¡±


    ¡°It''s nothing. She''s just a little airsick and will be fine soon. Please take off as soon as possible,¡± urged


    Sharon while cutting Olivia''s words short.


    ¡°Are you sure she''s fine?¡± asked the stewardess in a worried tone.


    ¡°I said she is! Why are you being so nosy? Take off already and stop dilly-dallying!¡± growled Sharon


    impatiently.


    The stewardess had no choice but to leave.


    Olivia opened up a bottle of water and fed it to Ellie.


    Ellie remained ufortable, and she cried while demanding for her mother.


    Sharon snatched the bottle of water away and put some sleeping pills in it before shaking it. She tried


    to get Ellie to drink it afterward.


    Olivia tried to stop her, but Sharon''s bodyguard stopped Olivia by putting pressure on her shoulder.


    That force was so strong that it threatened to crush Olivia''s corbone. It prevented her from moving


    about anymore.


    Sharon pinched Ellie''s cheeks to force her to down the spiked drink.


    Ellie recognized Sharon. The former''s eyes bulged in fear and said, ¡°You! You bad woman! What are


    you... uh...¡±


    Ellie hadn''t even finished speaking before Sharon shoved the water to her.


    ¡°Don''t hurt her.¡±


    Olivia tried to stop Sharon, but the bodyguard had her pinned and prevented her from moving.


    ¡°Oy, what are you doing?¡± demanded one passenger, who noticed that something was off, ¡°Are you


    even the kid''s guardian?¡±


    ¡°Of course I am,¡± lied Sharon, ¡°The kid is naughty and refuses to take her medicine even though she is


    sick. That is why I am force-feeding it to her.¡±


    ¡°What kind of parent would feed their kid like that?¡± said the passenger, who still thought that


    something felt off.


    ¡°Are you going to be responsible if she cries so loud that she disturbs the other passengers?¡±


    demanded Sharon, ¡°My gosh, it is tough to be a parent nowadays. Everyoneins that I don''t


    teach her right if the kid is loud. Yet, if I feed her the medicine, you guys are iming that I am torturing


    her.¡±


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°Come on. Stop butting in. It''s none of your business,¡± interrupted the passenger''s friend.


    The passenger in question stoppedining.


    Sharon red over evilly and continued force-feeding Ellie the medicine.


    Thetter kept struggling and was coughing so much that she couldn''t speak.


    At that same moment, Charlotte and Zachary had broken through the ss door and were looking for


    their private jet.


    Unfortunately, the jet wasn''t parked near the boarding area. It was awaiting orders in another location


    and one needed to get in a car to head over.


    Zachary grabbed one of the workers and asked for the location of the private jet.


    Charlotte, on the other hand, went to hijack a car and was getting ready to rush over.


    Just then, the airport''s security guards came to stop them. Ben led his men to prevent those guards


    from doing anything.


    Zachary led Charlotte into the car, and they were ready to rush over to rescue their baby girl. To their


    dismay, the ne located some distance away had lifted off just as they fired up the car''s engine.


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    A worker shouted at them, ¡°Oy, the ne you''re looking for has already lifted off.¡±


    Charlotte stared at the ne in horror as her entire body stiffened.


    ¡°Get a private jet ready to head to T Nation now!¡± ordered Zachary. who was quick to strategize and


    fight.


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied Ben before he left to work on it immediately.


    ¡°If doing that will take some time, then just book the earliest flight over!¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡°Call the airport and have them turn that ne around now!¡± demanded Charlotte nervously.


    ¡°The airport won''t take drastic measures like that unless the airne issues a distress call. The ne


    would''ve alreadynded in T Nation by the time the airport workers sent in the application and got the


    approval.¡±

 Chapter 1086

    Chapter 1086


    Charlotte became even more agitated after hearing what Zachary said. She urged, ¡°Then we have to


    fly over right now!¡±


    At that moment, the managers of the airport rushed over.


    Zachary was discussing the matter with them while Ben was having their people prep the private jet.


    Charlotte was panicking as she watched from the side. Lupine, however, called her at that moment to


    inform, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, our private jet is ready. It can take off from H City in one hour.¡±


    ¡°That''s great news. We''ll head over right away!¡±


    Charlotte shot one look at Zachary before she snuck out of the ce with Morgan and the others.


    ¡°Are we leaving without Mr. Nacht?¡± asked Morgan softly.


    ¡°He will just get in my way. I refuse to show her any mercy this time,¡± replied Charlotte. The mere


    thought of how Zachary''d react annoyed her.


    ¡°That Sharon really should die a horrible death, and we can''t let her off so easily. Don''t worry, I''ll drive


    to H City as quickly as possible.¡±


    ¡°We must reach our destination within the hour. There can be no dy, not even for a second!¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Charlotte led her people and sped over to H City''s airport.


    Lupine had already had the others deliver everybody''s travel documents over by then. She even


    contacted their people in T Nation to get them to keep an eye on Sharon.


    Charlotte specifically instructed, ¡°Monitor discreetly. Don''t let her hurt Ellie. Wait until I am there. I will


    deal with this in person.¡±


    ¡°Understood. I''ve already told them that.¡±


    Lupine had always been considerate and worked diligently. She might have been standing guard in H


    City the entire time, but she had also been exchanging information and updates with Morgan. She


    prepped the private jet in H City as soon as she learned how things were going at Wildefield


    International Airport. All that was done in case things didn''t go their way.


    Her diligence paid off.


    Charlotte led her people and hopped onto the ne. Zachary called at that moment and asked, ¡°Where


    are you? I got the private jet ready, and we can take off in an hour.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    ¡°I''ve already boarded the ne,¡± replied Charlotte icily, ¡°I will rescue Ellie and bring her home safely.


    You don''t need to go anymore.¡±


    ¡°Charlotte...¡±


    Charlotte hung up before Zachary could finish his sentence.


    Zachary gripped his phone and sighed exasperatedly. She still doesn''t believe me and worries that I''d


    get in her way. That is why she secretly left and is rushing to T Nation in advance.


    ¡°I thought they went to get the private jet ready. Who would''ve thought that they''d move faster than


    us?¡± said Ben softly to offer somefort. He added, ¡°It''ll be fine, though. We''re all just too concerned


    and want to rescue Ellie.¡±


    ¡°Go talk to the airport managers again. Try to prepone departure,¡± ordered Zachary immediately.


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied Ben before he went to do just that.


    Marino asked in confusion, ¡°Ms. Lindberg deliberately abandoned us here, so should we just stay still


    and prevent pissing her off?¡±


    ¡°Oh, what do you know?¡± growled Zachary angrily.


    Marino tilted his head down immediately. He didn''t dare to say another word.


    Just then, Ben called and informed, ¡°Theypromised once more and allowed us to take off half an


    hour earlier. However, that is the best they can do.¡±


    ¡°That''s fine,¡± replied Zachary as he walked toward the boarding gate. As he did so, he dialed the


    number to get T Nation''s police forces involved.


    Ben, Marino, and the others followed closely behind.


    Ben saw how Marino seemed nervous, so the former exined, ¡°Mr. Nacht is only that nervous


    because he worries that Ms. Lindberg will kill Sharon in a fit of anger.¡±


    ¡°What''s there to be worried about?¡± asked Marino, who was even more confused, ¡°That vile b*tch


    should''ve died ages ago. None of this would''ve happened if she was dealt with earlier.¡±


    ¡°You really are simple-minded,¡± growled Ben while frowning, ¡°Now''s not the time to kill Sharon. Our


    main priority is to figure out who the person helping her is.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah! If we kill her, our only lead will die with her,¡± blurted Marino as revtion hit him.


    ¡°Killing Sharon is easy, but the mastermind who helped her is another issue entirely,¡± added Ben, ¡°We


    have no idea who that person is, so we have no idea what kind of sh*ts to anticipate and prevent.¡±


    ¡°That''s true, but... why don''t we just tell Ms. Lindberg all that directly, then?¡± asked Marino again.


    ¡°Unfortunately, we don''t have the time to do so. Besides, Ms. Lindberg is too angry to listen to us now,


    so it is crucial that we hurry over.¡±

 Chapter 1087

    Chapter 1087


    ¡°Ah, I see now,¡± replied Marino, before he tilted his head down and added, ¡°No wonder Mr. Nacht is


    always scolding me. Looks like I still have a lot to learn.¡±


    ¡°It''s best if you stop talking for now. Mr. Nacht''s still fuming,¡± reminded Ben.


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied Marino. He snuck a peek at Zachary''s back and suddenly felt nervous.


    N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    ¡°Monitor the situation from afar. Do not act recklessly. We''ll coordinate once I am there.¡±


    After Zachary discussed the matter with the police in T Nation, he checked his watch and sped up


    toward the gate.


    Ben, Marino, and the others followed closely behind.


    On the other side, the ne was already in the air.


    It was finally quiet, but Charlotte couldn''t calm down. Her heart ached as she thought about the danger


    that Ellie was in. At that moment, Charlotte was tempted to torture Sharon and tear her limb from limb.


    ¡°The rumor imed that Mr. Nacht is cruel and impatient, so why is he dragging his feet when ites


    to dealing with Sharon?¡± asked Morgan as she gossiped with Lupine.


    ¡°Maybe it''s because he''s a dad now. Interacting with his kids must''ve chipped his cruelty off... Either


    that or he has other concerns,¡± guessed Lupine.


    ¡°Other concern my a*s! Remember what Mr. Lindberg said earlier? We must be quick and cruel when


    we deal with matters. We''ll never get anything done if we think too much,¡± replied Morgan crudely as


    she gestured endlessly.


    ¡°Shh, keep your voices down. Ms. Lindberg is annoyed enough already,¡± reminded Lupine softly.


    ¡°Oh, right,¡± replied Morgan before she shut up quickly.


    Charlotte stared out the window and saw the cloud drifting. She was frowning so much that it looked


    like her expression was stuck...


    The closer they got to the destination, the clearer the image in her mind was.


    She remembered how, back then, the Nacht family forced her away and recalled what she endured in T


    Nation after that. All that kept shing before her eyes.


    Sharon''s actions were also repeatedly reminding Charlotte of one crucial point. Hatred is valid, and we


    should never let it go! Vengeance is the only way to end this.


    Letting our hatred go will just give our enemy the chance to retaliate.


    Perhaps it was because she sensed Charlotte''s murderous intent, Sharon suddenly shivered just as


    she touched down in Coldbridge.


    She instinctively hugged herself and scanned her surroundings. However, she didn''t detect anything


    off.


    ¡°You''ve alreadynded, so you can let us go now. There''s no point in keeping us with you,¡± said Olivia


    fearfully and with great uncertainty.


    ¡°It''s true. Your usefulness had expired...¡±


    Sharon signaled with her eyes, and one bodyguard immediately snatched Ellie away from Olivia.


    ¡°No, give the child back to me!¡± shouted Olivia in agitation.


    Everyone turned around.


    Sharon red over evilly and warned, ¡°Keep your voices down if you wish to survive this.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing? Charlotte won''t let you go if you hurt the kid,¡± said Olivia nervously.


    p! Sharon pped over mercilessly. She growled, ¡°You b*tch. How dare you threaten me?¡±


    ¡°Isn''t it better if you just let us go and leave now? It''s not safe to take the kid along because you''d just


    attract attention,¡± reminded Olivia as she put her hand on her bloating face.


    ¡°You don''t need to worry about that.¡±


    Sharon ignored Olivia entirely and walked toward the parking lot immediately.


    ¡°Give me the kid. I will carry her. She''s ill, so she can''t handle the stress,¡± begged Olivia as she


    followed along nervously.


    ¡°You really are too noisy. Kill her,¡± ordered Sharon in annoyance.


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied the bodyguard before he pulled Olivia''s hair. He was going to drag her away and


    kill her somewhere else.


    ¡°Wait, there''s police around,¡± warned another bodyguard at that crucial moment.


    Sharon turned around. Security at Coldbridge''s airport had always been lenient. Yet, there were many


    police on patrol that day.


    She felt like something was off, so she scanned around. However, she didn''t see anyone suspicious. If


    Zachary or Charlotte had their men here, they would already havee after me... I''m probably


    overthinking things.

 Chapter 1088

    Chapter 1088


    Just to be safe, they left Olivia as she was.


    ¡°Let''s just bring her along first,¡± Sharonmanded.


    ¡°Yes, ma''am.¡± The bodyguards then hauled Olivia onto the MPV.


    The vehicle departed from the airport and sped off to an unknown destination.


    Just then, Ellie, still unconscious, began vomiting all over the bodyguard.


    Vexed, he shoved her aside and threw his jacket out before cleaning himself.


    Olivia instantly carried Ellie and tenderly patted her lower back. ¡°Ellie, it''s okay. You''re okay. I''m here for


    you,¡± she soothed.


    Having been fed sleeping pills twice, Ellie threw up on the ne multiple times earlier on. With her


    digestive system practically empty, all that she barfed was yellowy bile.


    Her delicate countenance was drained of color, save for her dark purple lips. She was shivering


    uncontrobly as her breathing grew weak.


    ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    ¡°This won''t work. We have to go to the hospital right away,¡± Olivia anxiously pleaded while clinging onto


    Sharon''s arm. ¡°I beg of you. Please, just send her to the hospital first.¡±


    ¡°Go away,¡± Sharon snarled before flinging her arm away, evidently displeased.


    ¡°If anything were to happen to her, you''d lose your trump card.¡± A distressed Olivia attempted to


    convince her. ¡°Wouldn''t you need her to stay alive and healthy? I''m imploring you to please bring her to


    the hospital first. She''s getting frailer by the minute.¡±


    ¡°Are you insane? Is that really necessary? It was just some sleeping pills. Stop freaking out. We''ll just


    feed her some food when she wakes up,¡± Sharon nonchntly replied.


    ¡°No, she really...¡±


    ¡°Ugh. How irritating. Throw her out of the car.¡± An annoyed Sharon bellowed at her men.


    The bodyguard snatched Ellie over and prepared to throw Olivia off the car.


    ¡°No! Please don''t!¡± Olivia held onto the seat with her life and sobbed. ¡°Please don''t get rid of me. At


    least I can help to take care of Ellie. If I were to die, it would be troublesome for you to tend to her as


    well.¡±


    ¡°So f*cking annoying.¡±


    Sharon lifted her foot and prepared to strike Olivia with it.


    Just then, Ellie stirred and began wailing at the top of her voice.


    Sharon froze midair while her bodyguards were increasingly irritated by the sudden ruckus.


    Olivia hurriedly enveloped Ellie into her arms andforted her. ¡°Ellie, don''t be scared. I''m here to


    protect you.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Peyton, I want my Mommy.¡± Ellie bawled whilst panting breathlessly.


    ¡°Stop crying!¡± Sharon shrieked.


    That prompted her sobs to turn into a wail. At this point, Sharon was bereft of speech.


    A bodyguard raised his hand and was about to smack Ellie when Sharon obstructed him. ¡°What the hell


    are you doing? F*ck off.¡±


    He retracted his hand immediately.


    ¡°This is my shield. If any harm befell her, we would all perish. Nobody, I repeat, nobody is to touch her.


    Got it?¡± Sharon barked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± The bodyguards no longer dared tond a hand on her.


    ¡°You! You''d better pacify her right now,¡± demanded Sharon as she handed Olivia some food. ¡°If you


    manage to calm her down, I''ll spare your life. Else, be prepared to lose your life.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Olivia muttered before gently wiping Ellie''s tears. Then, she leaned forward and whispered


    into Ellie''s ears. ¡°Ellie, be good. No more crying, okay? If you continue weeping, you''ll get a fever. Then


    we won''t get to see Mommy anymore. You have to retain your energy and we''ll wait for Mommy to save


    us. Alright?¡±


    Ellie''s pale face was buried deep into Olivia''s embrace. Although she was still visibly shaken, the ear-


    piercing wails had halted, reced by muted whimpers.


    ¡°Good girl. Here, have some water.¡± Olivia took a bottle of water and brought it to Ellie''s mouth.


    After she drank some water, her hoarse and weak voice mumbled, ¡°Ms. Peyton, I''m terrified.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry, I''ll keep you safe.¡± Olivia used her hand to wipe the cold sweat dripping off Ellie''s


    forehead. ¡°I''m to be med for this. I''m sorry, Ellie,¡± Olivia sniffled.


    For some reason, Sharon''s gaze turned downcast upon seeing the duo.


    She turned her head to look out the window and mulled over herself. Throughout her life, other than her


    own mother, she had never met anyone who remained by her side unconditionally like that.


    Never in her life.

 Chapter 1089

    Chapter 1089


    After quite some effort, they finally arrived at their destination. It was the vi that Charlotte and Mrs.


    Berry once resided in.


    It had beenpletely uninhabited and on the market for two years, but nobody dared to rent the ce


    because of a mishap. The neighbors also all moved away.


    The entire district was dreadfully silent.


    Sharon carefully selected this ce not only because it stored traumatic memories for Charlotte, but


    also because of its deste nature.


    She figured that it would be thest ce on Earth that Charlotte would look for them.


    With Ellie in her arms, Olivia walked into the vi. It stunned her to see the Osmanthus tree in the


    courtyard, along with the row of dying sulents, as well as the clothes rack. They reminded her of an


    indescribable sense of familiarity.


    As she proceeded further into the vi, she took a quick look at her surroundings. The decor and


    scattered products in the living room, together with the clothes on the sofa that had umted a


    mountain of dust, confirmed that this was a ce Charlotte and Mrs. Berry inhabited.


    ¡°Ellie, look. Mommy and Mrs. Berry used to stay here.¡±


    Olivia gently patted Ellie''s back, only to realize she was out cold. Her clothes were dripping with sweat


    while her forehead was zing hot.


    ¡°Oh god, Ellie''s having a fever.¡± Olivia rapidly sprinted to Sharon while carrying Ellie.


    ¡°I''m begging you to please send Ellie to the hospital. I''m not overstating her state of health. When she


    fell prey to your sister''s toxins, she kept running a high fever and puked nonstop. After Dr. Felch treated


    her, her condition finally stabilized. Now that she ingested sleeping pills, it''s rpsed. Once she


    bes feverish, it could be fatal.¡± Olivia beseeched in a state of agitation.


    Upon hearing Olivia''s ramble, Sharon froze for a moment, as though she was pondering.


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    ¡°Please, I''m begging you. Please...¡± Olivia crawled over to hold onto Sharon''s leg and entreated


    desperately.


    ¡°We''re not going anywhere,¡± Sharon snapped as she kicked her away. ¡°Piss off. Don''t bother me.¡±


    ¡°It''s imperative that she sees a doctor this instant, else she''ll suffer irreversible damage to her health.


    I''m pleading you,¡± Olivia cried out as she kneeled on the floor. ¡°She could lose her life over this. Please,


    I beg of you. Please...¡±


    ¡°Are you just afraid that I''ll eliminate you after she dies? Is that why you''re begging me so eagerly?¡±


    Sharon eyed her with contempt.


    ¡°I-I let her down. I let Charlotte down,¡± Olivia uttered in between sobs. ¡°If it helps, I''m willing to sacrifice


    my own life for her. All I ask for is that you spare the child!¡±


    ¡°Hmph. What a disgusting hypocrite. Oh please, you''re just doing this for self-preservation. I mean,


    that''s not unusual. It''s every man for himself, after all.¡± Sharon''s tone was filled with disdain.


    However, she reached out to feel Ellie''s forehead. She was indeed burning up with an intense fever.


    Then, she instructed an unwilling bodyguard to head out for medicine. He grumbled andined,


    clearly reluctant to take on the task.


    Only after Sharon promised to reward him with more money did he finally acquiesce.


    ¡°Alright. Bring her to the room to rest. We''ll just wait for the fever medicine.¡±


    Sharon then fished out her phone to make a call.


    ¡°That won''t do. Fever medicine is not suitable for her. She requires other forms of treatment. We must


    go to the hospital.¡±


    ¡°One more word from you and I''ll chop off your tongue. Get the f*ck out of here!¡± An aggravated Sharon


    howled at Olivia.


    Thetter dared not rile furious Sharon any further, so she quietly returned to the room and gave Ellie


    some wet towels in an attempt to ease her fever.


    Sharon then continued with her phone call. After a long while, her call was finally answered by a


    languorous voice. ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Daddy! It''s me¡±


    When Sharon left, the mysterious stranger told her that arrangements would be made for her father to


    return home to recuperate while waiting for the court hearing.


    Hence, she decided to try her father''s cellphone.


    ¡°You- How did you...¡±


    ¡°I escaped,¡± Sharon began with a hushed voice. ¡°Where are you now? Is it convenient to talk? Your


    phone''s not bugged, is it?¡±


    ¡°I''m at the hospital,¡± Taylor responded in an equally low volume. ¡°Don''t worry, the call''s not tapped.¡±

 Chapter 1090

    Chapter 1090


    ¡°That''s good. Listen carefully, Dad. I''ve about seventy million in my Mom''s bank ount. When you get


    the chance, retrieve it as soon as you can. The amount should be enough for afortable


    retirement.¡±


    ¡°Where did you get the money from?¡± Taylor was bbergasted.


    ¡°You don''t have to worry about that,¡± Sharon murmured. ¡°The card is hidden in the pillow in my room


    and the password is Mom''s birthday. That''s all for now. I''m going to hang up.¡±


    Upon noticing that the phone call was about to span a minute, Sharon rushed toplete her agenda


    for the phone call. Just as she was about to hang up, Taylor anxiously yelled, ¡°Hold on!¡±


    ¡°What''s wrong?¡± Sharon asked.


    ¡°When is your Mom''s birthday?¡± Taylor enquired feebly.


    ¡°I can''t believe you. You truly are a heartless man. How could you forget her birthday?¡± Sharon was


    beyond disappointed.


    Despite her callous personality, Sharon''s mom was her Achilles heel.


    As Taylor''s mistress, she was never allowed to reveal her actual identity in order to preserve his


    reputation. However, that never stopped her from going to great lengths when it came to Sharon''s


    upbringing. She even went as far as sacrificing herself just so Sharon can return to the ckwoods


    family.


    Sharon always felt like she let her mother down. Hence, she was strictly unable to tolerate anyone who


    did her mother any disservice.


    ¡°Age is catching up with me. My memory''s failing me these days,¡± Taylor endeavors to defend himself.


    ¡°I can''t even recall your sister''s and your birthdays. I don''t even remember my own birthday, for that


    matter.¡±


    ¡°That''s enough,¡± Sharon interjected. ¡°630527!¡± In a brusque manner, she angrily reminded him.


    ¡°Got it. I''ll remember it now.¡±


    Taylor had adopted a much more docile tone when conversing with Sharon. It sounded raspy and


    aged, different from the alluring man he once was in his days of yore.


    ¡°Is Cynthia dead?¡±


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    Since the phone call had already passed the one-minute mark, Sharon no longer feared the possibility


    of being wiretapped. If the police really wanted to bug her phone call, anything longer than a minute


    would be able to do the trick.


    ¡°Yes...¡±


    At the mention of Cynthia''s demise, Taylor''s voice divulged his inner despair.


    ¡°She died at the hands of the poison she concocted. Tragedy...¡±


    ¡°Serves her right!¡± Sharon growled as she gritted her teeth. ¡°That nasty b*tch deserved to die. Who


    asked her tomit crimes then pin the me on me?¡±


    ¡°You shouldn''t talk about her like that. She''s your sister.¡± Taylor struggled to tell her off in his frail voice.


    Sharon continuedmbasting her sister with deep resentment. ¡°That''s no sister of mine. Years ago,


    when my mom passed on, I already found it unusual. Now that I think about it, it must''ve been her. She


    must have been the one who murdered my mom. How foolish of me! It''s been so many years and I


    never knew she was adept at utilizing poison.¡±


    When she was locked up in the Nacht residence''s backyard, she unintentionally heard the maids and


    bodyguards bemoaning about how it was a shame that a child so young was being poisoned.


    At the time, she surmised that it was administered by Zara. She even thought about how ruthless Zara


    was that she would go to the extent of poisoning a young child.


    However, when Olivia was pleading with her earlier on, she identally divulged that Cynthia was


    actually the one who poisoned Ellie. When Olivia recounted the symptoms Ellie had, Sharon could not


    help but recall her own mother''s passing.


    That was why she decided to test the waters with Taylor.


    ¡°It all happened in the past. Why are you still dwelling on it?¡± Taylor sighed before changing the topic.


    ¡°Oh right. You''ve yet to tell me. How did you flee?¡±


    ¡°Taylor ckwood.¡± Sharon interposed angrily. ¡°Are you telling me that you already knew that Cynthia


    was the culprit who caused my mom''s death?¡±


    Taylor froze for a moment. He didn''t think through his words before responding to Sharon''s statement.


    Then, it dawned on him. That was a ruse to incite his reaction.


    ¡°You merciless b*stard. When my mom passed away, Cynthia was only eleven years old. Can you


    believe that? Never in the world did I expect her to be the killer. To think I really trusted what you said


    about how my mom died because of an illness. Only after I saw how that child suffered and got


    reminded of my mom did I realize that it could have been poison. You kept me in the dark all these


    years and pretended to love me, just to protect that vicious mute? Huh?¡± Sharon was quaking with


    rage.


    ¡°Women are like clothes. I can always look for more. But both of you are my daughters and you''re


    going to aplish great things on my behalf. Thest thing I want is for you to destroy each other.¡±


    Taylor kept his cool while he justified his actions.

 Chapter 1091

    Chapter 1091


    ¡°Women are like clothes. Well said.¡±


    Sharon cackled sardonically as tears began to trickle down her face. ¡°Taylor ckwood, you really are


    a heartless b*stard. She stayed by your side for decades and even birthed you a child. That''s how you


    treat her?¡±


    ¡°Every man for himself,¡± Taylor remarked dryly.


    ¡°So, tell me. There''s police surrounding you right now, am I right?¡± Sharon abruptly questioned. ¡°You''re


    stalling for time on purpose so that they can use their tracking device to figure out where I am.¡±


    Taylor fell silent and lifted his head to look at the throng of policemen encircling him.


    Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    He never knew that his own daughter was so intelligent.


    ¡°Guess I was right again.¡± Sharon let out a sarcasticugh. Tears were streaming down her face


    relentlessly. ¡°What benefits did they give you in order for you to betray your own daughter?¡±


    Taylor lowered his head. ¡°You can''t escape. Just turn yourself in. Zachary and Charlotte are already in


    T Nation.¡±


    ¡°W-Why would you treat me this way?¡±


    Sharon demanded in an agitated manner. s, there was nothing but silence on the other side of the


    phone.


    ¡°Taylor ckwood. I detest you! I will never forgive you.¡±


    After she screamed at him at the top of her lungs, she promptly hung up.


    Her hand trembled as she gripped her phone. She hung her head and cried her heart out.


    No matter how poorly her father used to treat her, she always treasured their kinship. Even at the most


    critical point in her life, she made it a point to leave him some money for his retirement.


    Even while she was on the run, she still thought about her father and even pleaded with that mystery


    man to save him. That was why the mysterious stranger dealt with her father''s arrangements for him.


    She rushed over to T Nation in a frenzy and barely managed to settle down before she gave him a call


    to inform him about the money she set aside for him. Unfortunately, he sold her out to safeguard his


    own interests.


    Is that what a father-daughter rtionship is supposed to be like? Is that what kinship is supposed to


    be like? Aren''t fathers supposed to love their daughters the most in the whole wide world? Why is my


    own father like this? That man is a wolf in sheep''s clothing. All that chivalry was a facade. Only now do


    I see that he''s actually a self-obsessed scoundrel. It''s a pity my mom never knew that. She spent her


    whole life deeply in love with a brute like him. If I''d known how things would turn out, I should''ve just


    remained in that quaint city and lived a modest life. Why did I have to give up everything to return to the


    ckwoods and acknowledge that scumbag as my father? At the end of the day, I''ve been yed like


    a pawn, manipted and discarded ording to his whim and fancy.


    Knock knock knock.


    The bodyguards rapped the door multiple times. In Ustranasion, they anxiously said, ¡°We might''ve


    been followed. We must leave right away.¡±


    Sharon remained quiet. The look in her eyes turned hollow.


    She didn''t know what the meaning of her life was anymore.


    All of a sudden, she felt like destroying the whole world.


    Everyone should perish together. That might be more satisfying.


    ¡°Did you hear us? We have to evacuate this instant.¡±


    The bodyguard was badgering her into leaving, but Sharon stayed motionless.


    In the other room, Olivia was holding onto the medicine that the bodyguard purchased. She dared not


    feed it to Ellie but she gave her a fever patch instead.


    Themotion outside rmed Olivia. She was worried that Sharon would jump the gun and kill the


    both of them off. When she noticed that the bodyguards were all looking for Sharon, she saw a window


    of opportunity to make a run for it.


    With Ellie in her arms, she surreptitiously climbed out of the window and sprinted for her life.


    Despite having drained all her energy earlier in the day, Olivia still persevered and ran as fast as she


    could with her clothes drenched in sweat and her feet bare.


    Her topmost priority was to ensure Ellie was safe and sound.


    ¡°They fled!¡±


    A furious bellow came from behind them. Shortly after, people began chasing after them.


    A frightened Olivia continued to dash forward with Ellie in her arms. Sadly, her legs soon gave way and


    the bodyguards managed to catch up to her.

 Chapter 1092

    Chapter 1092


    ¡°Stop right there!¡± A bodyguard aimed his gun at Olivia.


    ¡°You can take my life, but please spare the child. However much money Sharon is paying you, the


    child''s parents can give you a tenfold increase.¡± Olivia nervously rattled in Ustranasion.


    The bodyguards simply ignored her. One of them walked over and held her by her hair before giving


    her two violent ps across the face.


    She fell to the ground as blood oozed out of her nose and mouth. Even then, she held Ellie close to her


    and dared not let go. In Ustranasion, she uttered, ¡°Her mother is the secondrgest shareholder of the


    Lindberg Corporation and her uncle is the legendary Mr. Lindberg. Her father is Zachary Nacht of the


    Nacht Group. If you have the audacity to even touch her, you will be sure to die a terrible death.¡±


    ¡°Please. She''s our trump card. Of course, we won''t be hurting her. As for you? You''re getting in our


    way.¡± A bodyguard fished out his gun and held it against Olivia''s temple. ¡°Die!¡±


    Olivia shut her eyes in despair.


    ¡°Stop it!¡± Just then, an arrogant voice sounded.


    The bodyguard halted in midair and turned to look at the source of the voice. ¡°You''re letting her stay


    alive? Until when?¡±


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    ¡°They''ve already located us. If you fire the gun, it''ll only attract them.¡± Sharon cast Olivia a scornful


    look. ¡°Take the child. We''ve got to leave.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± The bodyguard stepped forward to grab Ellie.


    ¡°No, don''t touch her.¡±


    Olivia held onto Ellie tightly, refusing to let go.


    The bodyguard used all his might to pry open her hand, to no avail.


    That incensed him. He brutally smashed the gun against Olivia''s forehead.


    Bam! Bam! Bam!


    Blood began to pour from her head onto the ground after the three impactful hits.


    Olivia''s whole body finally fell to the ground, but her hands were still tightly encircling Ellie.


    ¡°Ms. Peyton. Ms. Peyton!¡±


    The ruckus jolted Ellie awake. She immediately burst into tears. However, because of her frail state,


    her voice was extremely hoarse.


    The bodyguard attempted to grab Ellie once again, but he was unsessful. Annoyed, he struck


    Olivia''s head with his foot three times.


    Olivia had long lost the energy to resist, yet she resolutely endured and held onto Ellie with herst


    ounce of energy.


    Ellie''s face was sttered by blood and she was utterly petrified. All she could do was wail in fear.


    Olivia''s energy was crumbling even further.


    The bodyguard continued to kick Olivia''s head.


    All of a sudden, Ellie lurched forward and covered Olivia''s body. With her croaky voice, she cried out,


    ¡°Don''t kill her. Please.¡±


    The bodyguard instantly stopped in his tracks. He nced at Ellie with his brows furrowed.


    A smidge of emotion shed in Sharon''s eyes but it was quickly reced by aloofness. Without any


    emotion, she instructed, ¡°Hurry. Make it quick.¡±


    The bodyguard reached out to carry Ellie only to be bitten by her.


    The pain was trifling, but the sound of a car approaching from a distance told them that their enemy


    was nearing.


    In a hurry, the bodyguard violently flung Ellie aside.


    The motion was so great that her head hit the corner of the wall. Her head immediately began bleeding


    profusely.


    ¡°Ellie...¡±


    A bloodied Olivia crawled over to Ellie with all her might and embraced her.


    ¡°What the hell is wrong with you?¡± Sharon fumed.


    The bodyguard shook his arm to get rid of the blood and fished out his gun to kill Olivia.


    Just then, to his utter horror, a bullet punctured his wrist. The gun in his hand ttered onto the ground


    as he screamed in agony.


    The other three bodyguards instantaneously scurried to hide.


    Sharon rushed forward to carry Ellie and prepared to board the car with the bodyguards'' protection.


    Then, a Jeep furiously charged at them at top speed, sending their vehicle straight into the wall.


    m! Just like that, their vehicle became a crushing mess.


    The bodyguard who was at the driver''s seat instantly died while the other two fell from the vehicle.


    Before they even had the chance to resist, they were caught.


    With Ellie in her arms, Sharon quickly got up and pressed the gun against Ellie''s head. She yelled, ¡°Go


    ahead. If anyone dares to harm me, I''ll shoot right away.¡±

 Chapter 1093

    Chapter 1093


    ¡°Sharon ckwood! You must be courting death.¡±


    A familiar yet icy voice sounded from behind her.


    Sharon inexplicably shuddered and turned to look back.


    Under the harsh lighting, she could see a slender figure sashayed over while a domineering and


    murderous aura was exuded.


    The Charlotte before her eyes was a stark contrast from the delicate woman she once was.


    As for Sharon, she no longer emitted an air of arrogance like she used to. She now looked beaten and


    crestfallen.


    Sharon looked at Charlotte with a nervous expression. However, she quickly masked it with a


    composed look. She held Ellie tightly in her arms and chuckled sinisterly, ¡°Charlotte Lindberg. You''d


    better let me leave this ce quietly. Else, I''ll perish with your daughter.¡±


    ¡°Mommy...¡±


    Ellie, who was on the brink of death, felt like she saw a ray of hope when she saw her mother.


    ¡°Ellie, don''t be afraid. Mommy''s here to bring you home.¡± Charlotte''s gentle voiceforted Ellie.


    Ellie weakly shut her eyes. She no longer had any more energy.


    ¡°This is heaven''s will. Two years ago, you walked all over me and even callously killed Mrs. Berry. Two


    yearster, the heavens want me to finish you off at the exact same ce to seek revenge for Mrs.


    Berry.¡± Charlotte took a look at Ellie before she raised her gun at Sharon.


    ¡°What are you talking about? Are you out of your mind? Your daughter''s in my hands. I''m the winner.¡±


    With a sardonicugh, Sharon scoffed.


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    She began to grow excited thinking about it. ¡°Charlotte Windt. Even if you change yourst name,


    you''re still as ignorant as ever. Two years ago, you were unable to fight against me. Two yearster,


    you still can''t. Hahahaha...¡±


    ¡°This haughty b*tch. You don''t even know how you''re going to die.¡±


    Enraged, Morgan immediately aimed her gun at Sharon.


    The army of female bodyguards around them also pointed their guns at her.


    ¡°Even if I go down, I''ve got two others with me. I''m not losing out.¡±


    Not only was Sharon not frightened, she also had an ugly sneer on her face.


    ¡°Never mind about Olivia, that little b*tch. But your daughter''s yours and Zachary''s precious little baby.


    With her by my side, I''ll gleefully explore the depths of hell. Do you still remember this ce? Two


    years ago, I murdered Mrs. Berry here. Right now, I''m going to do the same to your daughter. I want


    you to live the rest of your life in agony.¡±


    Sharon uncontrobly shook with maniacalughter as though she was the victorious party.


    Without an ounce of will to live and nothing to her name, she no longer had faith in humanity. Life had


    no meaning to her anymore. She just wanted to ruin everyone else''s lives.


    Looking at Charlotte all helpless, she felt immensely satisfied, as though she was triumphant.


    That sense of achievement was more gratifying than staying alive.


    ¡°I think you''re the one who will be living a life of regret. Do you know how I found this ce?¡± Charlotte


    retorted coldly,


    She took out her phone and turned on a recording. It was a familiar voice.


    ¡°Mr. ckwood, I''ll cut to the chase. Sharon has fled and she has my daughter with her. The police will


    find you in no time. There''s a bug in your phone. When Sharon dials your numberter, remember to


    buy time. When they pinpoint her exact location, inform me straight away.¡±


    ¡°Why do I have to listen to you?¡±


    ¡°The police will give you a lighter sentence at most. It won''t make much of a difference. What I can give


    you is much more. Your sentence will be reduced to a year, and I''ll help you get back on your feet after


    your release.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°The Lindbergs never break our promises. I''ll give you a portion of your rewards first. Once you check


    your secret ount, you''ll see it.¡±


    ¡°I''ve seen it. It''s a deal, then.¡±


    ¡°As expected, you''d go as far as to turn against your own daughter for your own interests.¡±


    ¡°Cut the crap. Remember to keep to your promise.¡±


    ¡°Once I find Sharon, you''ll get what you deserve.¡±

 Chapter 1094

    Chapter 1094


    Sharon was incensed when she heard this.


    She would not be as agitated if Taylor had worked with the police to spy on her.


    If that were the case, he could well excuse his action by saying the police left him no choice but to


    cooperate with the authorities to buy them time. In a sense, he was doing what was necessary to


    protect himself.


    If the police had apprehended her, they would still need to abide by the protocol and run a retrial. They


    would still y by the rule and not kill her, but that was not what Taylor did.


    He made a deal with Charlotte and even gave her Sharon''s address. This was no longer just about


    protecting himself.


    He was pushing her to the forefront and throwing her right into the eye of the storm because of his


    selfish interests.


    He simply wanted her dead.


    Never had she loathed her father with such an immense hatred.


    This truth sparked an unquenchable desire in her to live on. She told herself she had to stay alive. She


    wanted to face Taylor head-on and demand an exnation for his indefensible cruelty.


    A bolt of sudden lightning zapped through the dark sky and a thunderous sound followed. Sharon stood


    frozen as she tried toe to terms with what she found out.


    ¡°I can''t believe I spent that much money just for you,¡± Charlotte derided, ¡°I paid your dad a phenomenal


    sum just to know your location.¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t matter how much money you gave him,¡± Sharon said, lifting her head finally, ¡°I know


    Lindberg Corporation can take back what y''all offered with just a simplemand.¡±


    Taylor fell from power to failure overnight. He was desperate and he had to cling on to the only hope he


    had.


    He would do anything just to survive¡ªeven at the expense of his daughter''s life.


    ¡°Turns out you''re not as dumb as I thought you were,¡± Charlotte said, motioning toward Sharon slowly.


    ¡°Stay where you are or I''ll shoot!¡± Sharon shouted, ¡°Get me a car now!¡±


    Bang!


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    Before Sharon could continue, a bullet drove through her knee and she copsed to the ground,


    shrieking in pain.


    Charlotte darted over and snatched her gun away. She grabbed Ellie with another hand and handed


    her to Morgan, who quickly carried the child into the car.


    ¡°Goodbye, Sharon.¡± Charlotte stepped on her head and bent lower. ¡°Your death is long overdue. Two


    years is already too much for you.¡±


    ¡°Kill me if you dare to, Charlotte,¡± Sharon seethed, ring back at her. ¡°I will haunt you even in death!¡±


    ¡°Even hell is too good for you, Sharon, bute to think of it, you''re as good as dead now. Even your


    dad has betrayed you. There''s nothing else for you to live for.¡±


    Charlotte used the same words Sharon told her two years ago. It was about time she had a taste of her


    own medicine. This familiar scene brought back bad memories.


    Two years ago, Sharon had Charlotte under her feet. Simrly, Sharon smirked triumphantly at


    Charlotte as she ridiculed her.


    ¡°You''re as good as dead now, Charlotte. Even Zachary has betrayed you. What''s the point of living


    now? I''ll do you a favor and end your life. You won''t believe how thrilled I am to see you suffer. You''re


    never getting what I can''t get. This is my sweetest revenge for you.¡±


    That was what Sharon said to Charlotte back then.


    ¡°You know what? It''s not worth it dirtying my hands for someone like you. I should just let you live and


    suffer more. You should be grateful because I spared you today.¡±


    Sharonughed hysterically.


    ¡°Come on! Beg for your life! I will give you an easy death if you beg.¡±


    Life was like an echo. What you sent out came back to you. Two years ago, Charlotte was the one


    struggling for her life.


    ¡°I will remember what you did to me, Sharon ckwood. I will make sure you pay for it. Make sure you


    live to see me again,¡± Charlotte howled.


    Two years had psed since that incident. It was Charlotte''s turn to deliver justice when she finally got


    her hands on Sharon.


    ¡°To hell, Sharon,¡± she said coldly, pointing the gun at her head.


    Sharon knew it was not her time yet. She had to do everything she could to survive. ¡°Aren''t you curious


    about the person who helped me flee?¡±

 Chapter 1095

    Chapter 1095


    ¡°Don''t worry. I will get to the bottom of it.¡± Charlotte did not want to hold this out. ¡°I just want to end you


    here and now.¡±


    ¡°Charlotte!¡± Zachary ran in just as she was about to pull the trigger. ¡°Are you crazy?¡±


    Sharon broke out in a psychoticugh when she saw her savior. ¡°You can''t kill me, Charlotte! Zachary


    promised to spare me. He still needs me to find out who that mysterious person is!¡±


    ¡°Shut up! No one is stopping me today.¡±


    Bang!


    Zachary fired a shot in Charlotte''s direction before she could do anything.


    Charlotte looked up at him in indignation. ¡°Stay out of this, Zachary Nacht! I''ll kill you if you stop me!¡±


    ¡°Charlotte, calm down! I know she deserves to die, but we have no idea who is the main culprit behind


    this yet,¡± Zachary said frantically, ¡°Think about it, Charlotte. We''re out under broad daylight while the


    enemy is hiding in the dark. They can see our every move while we know nothing about them. They will


    target us again for sure.¡±


    ¡°I don''t care about what happens in the future.¡±


    Charlotte was not buying anything he said.


    ¡°Your time is up, Sharon. I''ll send your ashes to your dad so he can ask for your forgiveness on his


    own. You can confront him all you want after you die.¡±


    Her words debilitated Sharon. ¡°No... You can''t kill me... I can''t die...¡±


    Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Another lightning shed through the night, lighting up the sky instantly.


    The stormy weather elicited traumatic memories of everything that happened two years ago. Mrs.


    Berry''s gruesome death shed back in her mind,unching a bard in her heart.


    Charlotte could hear her painful screams resounding in her ears and a sinister smile curved on her lips.


    She moved her gun, pointing at Sharon''s legs.


    ¡°I shouldn''t just end you like that. I should give you a slow death!¡±


    ¡°Please...¡± Sharon shook her head in denial. ¡°Have mercy, Charlotte...¡±


    Bang!


    A shot was directed at her thigh.


    ¡°Argh!¡± Sharon screeched in pain, ¡°Zachary! Please!¡±


    ¡°Charlotte, don''t!¡±


    Zachary ran over, trying to stop her, but the Lindbergs'' men had their guns all pointed at him.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, these are all Mr. Lindberg''s men,¡± Lupine reminded him, ¡°They will not go easy on you.¡±


    Charlotte had brought Danrique''s men with her after the funeral and they set out for T Nation right after


    that.


    Danrique''s men were no small fries. They could not care less about who Zachary was and what was


    his rtionship with Charlotte. They would eliminate anyone who crossed their path.


    Zachary halted in his steps and shouted, ¡°Charlotte, stop! You don''t know what you''re doing!¡±


    Bang!


    A third bullet went through Sharon''s back.


    Sharon could not even scream anymore. ¡°I''ll... I''ll tell you who that person is...¡±


    Bang!


    Another shot was directed at her shoulder.


    Sharony on the ground, immobile. ¡°You''ll regret this, Charlotte,¡± she moaned.


    ¡°I regret not killing you earlier!¡±


    ¡°Charlotte!¡± Zachary cried out.


    Bang!


    Charlotte fired over and over again until she ran out of bullets.


    Sharon''s blood splurted all over her body, but Charlotte did not even flinch.


    She wanted to watch her die with her own eyes. She did not want to miss a moment like this.

 Chapter 1096

    Chapter 1096


    Sharon was dead.


    Her eyes were wide open as she breathed herst.


    Perhaps she did not even expect that that would be herst moment, or perhaps she was not willing to


    ept her fate even in her death.


    There were still things she needed to do.


    Zachary rushed all the way to Coldbridge just because he wanted to stop Charlotte from killing Sharon,


    but in the end, there was nothing he could do.


    The rain poured incessantly, washing away the blood on the ground.


    Charlotte squinted her eyes looking at the gory scene. ¡°This is exactly how Mrs. Berry died.¡±


    Zachary''s heart wrenched listening to her. He could imagine how much she had been through. That


    was why she behaved so rashly today.


    ¡°You didn''t go through this yourself, so you''ll never understand.¡± Charlotte looked at him in


    determination. ¡°I will kill anyone that touches my family.¡±


    This was not just a word of advice for Zachary, it was also a reminder for herself.


    She should not be merciful toward her enemies anymore.


    Danrique did not save you from jail just so you can be a weakling, Charlotte. You need to be strong so


    people won''t walk all over you.


    It''s time you live up to your calling.


    Charlotte left with her men right after, leaving Zachary alone in the rain.


    Zachary looked at Sharon''s body before his gaze shifted toward the house where Charlotte and Mrs.


    Berry used to live.


    The rain poured relentlessly on him as an indecipherable glint shone in his eyes.


    He knew there would be a rainbow after the rain, but he had a hunch that things would not be as easy


    this time around. He had a premonition that impending doom was looming.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, Ms. Lindberg has already left,¡± Ben said, holding out a big ck umbre for Zachary, ¡°We


    should leave before the policee.¡±


    ¡°Send someone to keep an eye at this ce. Let me know if anybody suspiciouses.¡±


    Zachary simply has to get to the bottom of this. He had to tie up the loose ends.


    ¡°I''ve already ordered them to do so.¡±


    Zachary nodded and left, but before he could even reach the car, a dizzy spell struck him and he felt


    cold liquid flowing out of his nose. He touched his nose and felt blood.


    ¡°Are you okay, Mr. Nacht?¡± Ben was worried.


    ¡°It''s nothing. It''s just Charlotte''s blood.¡±


    Zachary made up an excuse and brushed Ben''s concern aside. Good thing there isn''t a lot of blood.


    Although he did not bleed a lot, Zachary was fully aware that there was something wrong with him.


    It was definitely not just overexertion.


    He lifted his head and looked at the Lindbergs'' convoy driving away. ¡°How''s Ellie?¡±


    ¡°Her condition is serious. Olivia is severely injured too. It''s difficult to tell if she can survive,¡± Ben


    reported, ¡°But Dr. Felch is already in Coldbridge. I''m sure he will get her the best treatment and do


    everything he can to save her.¡±


    ¡°Which hospital is she at? I''ll go over now.¡± Zachary was worried sick.


    ¡°It''s a private hospital for royalties in T Nation that Lindberg Corporation invested in.¡±


    Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Morgan''s car pulled up beside the hospital in just ten minutes.


    Lupine had earlier on called the hospital to spare a whole floor just for them.


    Dr. Felch had already arrived ten minutes earlier along with Hayley and Sam. They were pacing around


    anxiously waiting for them when they arrived.


    Once Charlotte got to the hospital, she rushed out of the car holding Ellie in her arms.


    ¡°Let her lie down.¡±


    Dr. Felch was rmed the moment he saw Ellie. He did a quick check on her and realized the situation


    was grim.


    ¡°I think you need to get a few doctors who know western medicine. We will need their help.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Charlotte turned to Lupine and told her to do ordingly.


    Morgan and Raina just arrived when they saw the anxious lot.


    ¡°Is there anything I can do to help, Ms. Lindberg? I can help Dr. Felch if he needs me,¡± Raina offered.

 Chapter 1097

    Chapter 1097


    ¡°Yes, please,¡± Charlotte said, nodding immediately.


    Raina went in without further ado.


    Although Raina might not be the best doctor out there, she was the most suitable candidate. She was


    familiar with Ellie''s condition.


    She was a timely help.


    ¡°Do you guys mind leaving us alone?¡±


    Dr. Felch sent out everyone else other than the medical staff.


    Although Charlotte was distressed over Ellie''s condition, she went out just as Dr. Felch requested.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg,¡± Morgan came over not long after they got out, ¡°Olivia is in the ICU. She''s in a critical


    condition.¡±


    ¡°Save her at all costs. I want the best doctors to attend to her,¡± Charlotte said readily, ¡°I want to see the


    medical superintendent.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    ¡°The superintendent is already there. Dr. Langhan brought a few other doctors with her. I heard they


    are pretty good too.¡±


    ¡°Ask them to go over.¡±


    ¡°Right away.¡±


    Both Ellie and Olivia were in the emergency rooms.


    The wait was unnerving for Charlotte. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, Mr. Nacht and his men are waiting outside the


    hospital. Should we let them in? Mr. Lindberg''s men are keeping them out at the moment.¡±


    ¡°Let them in.¡±


    Although Charlotte was still angry with Zachary, she did not want their fallout to affect their child.


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Within a couple of minutes, Zachary dashed in with his men. ¡°How''s Ellie?¡±


    ¡°They''re trying to save her,¡± Charlotte said solemnly, ¡°Dr. Felch and Raina are inside. They will take


    care of it. You can go back first.¡±


    ¡°How can I leave when Ellie''s condition is still unstable?¡± Zachary questioned, ¡°I should at least know


    she''s fine first.¡±


    ¡°Whatever.¡±


    Zachary ordered his men to prepare a few rooms in the hospital and told Charlotte, ¡°You should go get


    a change. I bet you don''t want Ellie to see you full of blood when she wakes up.¡±


    It was not until then that Charlotte realized she was soaked in rain water and blood.


    The nurses had been avoiding her out of fear ever since she got into the hospital.


    She looked like a disheveled serial killer on the loose.


    ¡°Lupine, keep watch over here.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± the bodyguard said.


    With that said, Charlotte took two men with her and left.


    Meanwhile, Zachary had been waiting outside in agony all this while. It broke his heart to imagine the


    pain Ellie went through.


    Charlotte was shocked when she looked at herself in the mirror in the washroom.


    She almost could not recognize herself.


    She looked away to avoid looking at herself.


    She took off her clothes and took a shower to wash away the bloodstain on her body.


    What Zachary said was right. She had to clean herself before going to see Ellie.


    Zachary was still outside the emergency room when his phone ring. ¡°Robbie?¡±


    ¡°How are you, Daddy? How are Mommy and Ellie?¡±


    Robbie had been anticipating updates from them for a long time, but he could no longer hold it in


    anymore, so he decided to call.


    ¡°Mommy is fine,¡± Zachary saidfortingly, ¡°Ellie is sick, so she needs to be at the hospital.¡±


    ¡°So y''all saved Ellie?¡±


    Robbie was quick to catch on.


    ¡°Yes. We saved her, but Dr. Felch is still treating her. She''ll be okay soon.¡±


    ¡°Where are y''all now? Jamie and I want to go over.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Spencer can send us over!¡± Jamie''s anxious voice came from further away.


    ¡°Listen, Robbie and Jamie,¡± Zachary said, trying to sound calm, ¡°We''re in another country now. We will


    go back with Ellie when everything''s settled. Don''t worry, okay?¡±


    ¡°But, Daddy...¡±


    ¡°Mommy''s here. Do y''all want to talk to her?¡±


    Zachary tried changing the topic.


    ¡°Okay.¡±

 Chapter 1098

    Chapter 1098


    Charlotte had already got a change and removed all her makeup. Zachary passed the phone to her


    when she came over. ¡°It''s Robbie and Jamie.¡±


    Charlotte quickly collected herself. ¡°Robbie! Jamie!¡±


    ¡°Mommy...¡± Jamie broke into tears when he heard Charlotte''s voice. ¡°What happened to Ellie? I''m so


    scared, Mommy.¡±


    ¡°Everything is okay, Jamie. Don''t be scared.¡± Charlotte''s voice became gentle the moment she heard


    Jamie. ¡°Ellie''s just down with flu. She will be okay in no time.¡±


    ¡°Mommy...¡±


    ¡°Give me the phone, Jamie,¡± Robbie interrupted, ¡°Don''t worry about us, Mommy. Mr. Spencer is here


    with us. We''re all safe and sound. You, Dad, and Ellie just need to get home safely.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Robbie.¡± Charlotte felt like crying. ¡°We will be home as soon as possible. You and Jamie


    just stay at home these few days, okay? You don''t have to go to school either.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mommy.¡± Robbie knew she was worried they would be put in danger.


    ¡°Alright, Robbie. I need to go check on Ellie already. Talk to youter?¡±


    ¡°Okay, Mommy. We will be waiting for you.¡±


    Charlotte ended the call and gave the phone back to Zachary before sitting down and staring at the


    light of the emergency room.


    ¡°She''ll be okay.¡± Zachary''s voice rang beside her.


    ¡°I miscalcted.¡±


    Charlotte was overtaken by guilt. If she had noticed earlier that there was something wrong with Olivia


    and if she had made watertight arrangements, all this would not have happened.


    She had put Ellie in danger twice. The first time was when Ellie identally drank the poison Cynthia


    nted for her.


    It was all her fault.


    She med Zachary for it, but she knew deep in her heart that she was culpable.


    ¡°Don''t overthink.¡±


    Zachary wanted to hug her, but he realized he was still drenched the moment he reached out to her.


    ¡°Go get a change. Ellie wouldn''t want to see you like this either.¡±


    ¡°I''ll be back in a bit,¡± Zachary said before leaving.


    Charlotte''s gaze wasplicated as she watched him leave.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg,¡± Morgan''s voice called her back to reality, ¡°Peter said he wanted to see Olivia. He will be


    boarding a ne to Coldbridge soon.¡±


    ¡°Send someone to pick him up. Don''t let anyone know where we are.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Charlotte nced at the window and realized the rain had stopped. The sky was still bleak. It seemed


    like another downpour was brewing.


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    Charlotte felt a heavy burden in her heart.


    How she hoped there would be light at the end of the tunnel.


    The time of waiting was harrowing.


    Hours passed by without any news.


    Peter had already arrived, but the doctors were still trying to save Ellie and Olivia.


    Peter was wounded all over. He had a bandage around his head and a cast around his arm. He could


    not even walk steadily. Charlotte wondered how he even made it to Coldbridge from H City.


    When he found out that Olivia was still in a critical stage, he slumped to the ground and started crying.


    ¡°I''ve already arranged the best doctors to operate on her. They will save her,¡± Charlotte assured him.


    ¡°I''m sorry...¡±


    Peter went on his knees before Zachary and Charlotte.


    ¡°Please don''t me Olivia. It''s all my fault. She did all this because of me. Please spare her. You''re like


    a sister to Olivia. She will rather die than to have you hate her.¡±

 Chapter 1099

    Chapter 1099


    ¡°I don''t me her, Peter, else I won''t ask them to save her,¡± Charlotte replied, ¡°But I need to know what


    happened. When did Sharon get you?¡±


    ¡°You arranged to meet Olivia and Mr. Judd, but you didn''t turn out in the end. Mr. Judd waited at the


    hotel for days before he finally went back to his factory in Yaleview while Olivia stayed back to wait for


    you,¡± Peter said, ¡°I told her to go back first, but she refused to listen to me. She said you must''ve


    something important to want to see her. She said something must''vee up and dyed you.¡±


    Charlotte finally started to connect the dots as she listened to Peter.


    ¡°She said if she went back, it would take time for her to get from Yaleview to meet you again when you


    reach, so she waited for half a month at the hotel. One day, I walked in on someone trying to kidnap


    her when I visited her at the hotel. I tried to fight them off but to no avail. I bet they''re professional


    assassins. I tried to buy time for Olivia so she could flee and inform you, but they ended up catching


    me and ckmailing her.¡±


    ¡°I think Sharon initially wanted to kidnap Olivia to threaten you.¡± Zachary finally broke the silence.


    ¡°But Peter intervened and they lost Olivia, so they realized both of them must be really close. They


    decided to make the best out of the situation and used Peter to ckmail her.¡±


    ¡°Yes. That''s what they wanted. They video called Olivia when they were beating me up... That''s why I


    said it''s all my fault. I failed to protect her.¡±


    Charlotte was thrown into a quandary.


    She knew Peter was Olivia''s only support throughout the two years she went missing. They had grown


    closer over time.


    When they used Peter as bait to coerce Olivia, Olivia was caught in a dilemma. She refused to budge


    at first, but she could not bring herself to watch Peter being beaten over and over again, so she


    decided to approach Charlotte and help the other side abduct Ellie in order to save Peter.


    Charlotte could understand how much she loved Peter. Olivia had a difficult childhood. Her mother fell


    ill just when she got to H City.


    She thought they could have a good life together, but she ended up spending all her money to cure her


    mother''s sickness.


    This cultivated her independence and grit, but this also made her vulnerable. She was someone who


    would put her whole heart into a rtionship when someone showed her kindness because shecked


    love growing up.


    This was the case between her and Charlotte too. Charlotte only helped her once, but Olivia


    remembered her kindness and did everything she could to reciprocate that kindness.


    When she found out what happened to Charlotte, she refused to receive a single penny from the Nacht


    family and even severed all ties with them. She would rather live a frugal life than betray their


    friendship.


    Peter was like a godsend to her. He brought warmth and love to her life and had be a part of her.


    With her mother passing and Charlotte missing, Peter was her only pir of support.


    This was why all she could think about was saving him when danger arose.


    She would even turn her back against Charlotte just to save him.


    Charlotte hated Olivia after Ellie was kidnapped, but when she arrived at the spot and saw from the car


    how Olivia put her life at stake just to protect the child, she was moved.


    Olivia was ultimately still a gentle soul. She may have made a mistake, but her heart was kind.


    N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    Besides, they managed to save Ellie.


    Charlotte had already moved on from this little hup in their rtionship. All she wanted now was for


    them to survive this.


    ¡°Stop it, Peter,¡± Zachary said, helping him up, ¡°That''s all in the past now. All we can do now is to pray


    for their recovery.¡±


    Peter got on his feet and heaved a sigh of relief, but he quickly directed his worried gaze at Charlotte.


    ¡°I don''t me her, but I want you to be a man and protect her with your life in the future.¡±


    ¡°Rest assured I will do that,¡± Peter promised.

 Chapter 1100

    Chapter 1100


    ¡°I will hold you to your word,¡± Charlotte said solemnly, ¡°I''ll give her a house and let her stay in H City.


    Both of you can live together there.¡±


    ¡°You don''t have to that for us.¡±


    ¡°We''ll discuss this after they get through this. All we can do is pray they survive the surgeries. I won''t let


    you off the hook if anything happens to them.¡±


    Peter nodded and lowered his head without saying another word.


    Three of them waited outside the emergency room quietly after that.


    Time ticked by and morning broke.


    Charlotte walked down the corridor to look at the sky outside through the window.


    The sky looked clear after a whole night of rain.


    Rays of sunshine pierced through the window and Charlotte felt this new day might just be the new


    start she needed.


    She reached out her hand to block the sun from her face, but res of the sun still shone through her


    fingers, beating on her face.


    She felt an uneasy feeling creeping in her heart.


    ¡°The doctors are here!¡±


    Morgan''s voice rang behind her.


    Charlotte turned around immediately and saw Dr. Felching out of the emergency room as he took


    off his face mask. ¡°Ellie''s condition is stable now.¡±


    ¡°Thank God.¡±


    Everyone was relieved to hear his words. The worst was finally over.


    Charlotte felt a suffocating burden lifted off her heart. Perhaps my gut feeling is wrong.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, Olivia''s doctors are done too,¡± Lupine said.


    Charlotte ran over with the others following behind.


    Peter stood up when he saw Charlotteing over. ¡°Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    ¡°How''s she?¡±


    ¡°She''s not out yet, but the light''s off already. I think the doctors areing out soon,¡± Peter answered,


    ¡°How''s Ellie?¡±


    ¡°She''s out of danger already. Don''t worry. I''m sure Olivia will be fine too.¡±


    ¡°Good to know.¡±


    This good news gave Peter hope.


    ¡°They''re here!¡±


    Charlotte scrambled over when she saw the doctors. ¡°How''s Olivia?¡±


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    ¡°We''re sorry. We tried out best,¡± the doctor said quietly, ¡°Her brain is severely damaged and she''s in a


    coma now.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± Charlotte asked impatiently


    ¡°She probably won''t wake up anytime soon. Her brain is dead and she''s in a vegetative state now.¡±


    Peter''s legs turned wobbly and he fell to the ground the moment he heard that.


    Ben rushed over to help him. ¡°Don''t lose hope. We will do everything we can to help her,¡± heforted.


    It took Charlotte a while to respond. ¡°It cannot be,¡± she denied, shaking her head, ¡°There must be


    something else y''all can do.¡±


    ¡°What about we ask Dr. Felch to take a look at her?¡±


    Charlotte whipped her head looking for Lupine. ¡°Bring Dr. Felch!¡±


    ¡°Dr. Felch just finished surgery. We should let him have a breather at least,¡± Lupine reminded, ¡°What


    about I bring him Olivia''s medical record so he can have a look?¡±


    ¡°I''ll ask them to fetch her record for you,¡± the doctor said.


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    Charlotte was unwilling to ept the reality. She took Olivia''s medical record and went to look for Dr.


    Felch.


    Dr. Felch was alerted the moment he saw the document. A frown stitched on his brows and went over


    without losing a moment.


    After about an hour, Dr. Felch came up with the same conclusion¡ªbut he offered hope.


    ¡°There''s nothing we can do for patients like her now, but medicine is improving really quickly these


    days. We might have a cure in the next few years. All we can do for her is to provide her with the best


    care now.¡±

 Chapter 1101

    Chapter 1101


    Charlotte was devastated. She knew Dr. Felch was just trying to make her feel better.


    This was equivalent to asking her to wait forever.


    Olivia was still young and she had a bright future ahead of her. Charlotte could not believe she would


    spend the rest of her life in the hospital.


    There was nothing certain about the future. They did not even know if Olivia would ever wake up.


    Charlotte''s own experience was scarring. Her mother was a vegetable for years. Although she did


    wake up in the end, she passed on just a yearter.


    Charlotte did not want the same thing to happen to Olivia, but there was nothing she could do.


    Dr. Felch was the best doctor in the world. If he said waiting was the only thing they could do, that must


    be the case.


    ¡°Dr. Felch is right,¡± Peter responded calmly, ¡°I will take care of her. I''m sure she will wake up one day.¡±


    Peter was surprisingly optimistic. ¡°Olivia''s a lucky girl to have you.¡±


    Charlotte was grateful for him.


    Ten dayster, Peter brought Olivia back to H City.


    Charlotte had arranged for her to go over to Raina''s hospital and put Raina in charge of Olivia.


    Charlotte made the best arrangement for her, hoping that she would regain consciousness one day and


    spend the rest of her life with Peter.


    As for Charlotte herself, she postponed her return to Erihal by half a month.


    She wanted to wait till Ellie was fit to travel again. She did not want her to go through all the fuss of


    traveling when she was still weak.


    Over the past two weeks, Charlotte had been keeping Elliepany.


    Robbie and Jamie also came over to spend time with their sister.


    To everyone''s dismay, Ellie seemed to have gotten a lot quieter after the incident.


    She would always look out of the window nkly and after some time, she would ask, ¡°Mommy, are


    there still bad people in the world?¡±


    ¡°Well...¡±


    Charlotte was at a loss for words. She thought for a bit and said, ¡°There are still a lot of good people in


    the world.¡±


    ¡°Then why is that woman so evil?¡± Ellie asked again,


    ¡°Her men kept kicking Ms. Peyton''s head. Ms. Peyton is sick because of me.¡±


    The girl started tearing up as she talked. She did not cry out loud but just let tears roll down her cheeks.


    ¡°Everything would be different if I were as smart as Robbie, or as strong as Jamie. I wouldn''t get caught


    if I were stronger, then Ms. Peyton would be safe.¡±


    Charlotte went over to console her. ¡°This is not your fault, Ellie. You''re still a child. There''s only so much


    you can do.¡±


    ¡°I''m the same age as Robbie and Jamie. They have never made things difficult for Mommy and Daddy.


    I''m the only one who keeps creating trouble for everyone.¡±


    ¡°Don''t say that, Ellie,¡± Charlotte said sadly, holding her daughter''s face, ¡°We never once thought you''re


    a troublemaker.¡±


    The girl looked up at her and smiled. ¡°Don''t worry, Mommy. I''m okay.¡±


    Charlotte looked at Ellie with grief in her heart. She knew this incident had injured her daughter not just


    physically but also emotionally.


    After she tucked Ellie in, Charlotte sought professional help from a child psychologist.


    Ellie''s mood brightened up after a few rounds of consultation, but she was not as chirpy as she used to


    be anymore.


    Instead, she channeled all her energy into her studies.


    N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    She started to study with Robbie and Jamie, and even told Jamie that she wanted to learn self-defense


    after she recovered.


    While the two brothers were relieved to see Ellie being motivated to learn again, Charlotte was still


    worried about the girl.


    She was afraid that she was traumatized and might have lost her sense of security.

 Chapter 1102

    Chapter 1102


    Twenty days psed and everything was finally sorted out in H City.


    Danrique called Charlotte and asked her to go back to Erihal.


    The children were reluctant to be separated.


    Robbie had earlier on chosen to go follow Charlotte while Jamie and Ellie, Zachary, but since Ellie


    needed someone to take care of her, she would have to go back to Erihal with Charlotte. This meant


    Jamie would be left alone with Zachary.


    When the time came for Jamie to say goodbye to them, the boy broke down crying.


    At first, Ellie told herself that she must stay strong and not cry, but when she saw Jamie crying his heart


    out, she let rip.


    This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    Robbie wanted tofort them, but he ended up crying himself too.


    Charlotte''s heart ached when she saw the three children crying. She wanted her children to stay


    together forever, but some of the things were out of her control.


    ¡°Daddy!¡± Robbie cried out.


    Charlotte trailed the boy''s gaze and saw Zachary walking over. He looked thinner than usual in his


    ck shirt. A smile lit up on his tired face when he saw the children.


    He hastened his steps and opened his arms wide as the kids went running toward him. ¡°Daddy!¡±


    Zachary bent down and hugged them. He was upset seeing them cry, yet he smiled and assured them,


    ¡°Come on, don''t cry. We''ll be seeing each other again very soon.¡±


    ¡°When are youing to pick me up, Daddy?¡± Ellie asked.


    ¡°In two months'' time,¡± Zachary replied, drying her tears, ¡°You''ve gotten a lot better, but you''ll need more


    time to fully recover. I''ll go over and see you in Erihal in two months, is that okay?¡±


    ¡°What about me? Can I go to Erihal too?¡± Jamie asked impatiently.


    ¡°Of course you can, Jamie.¡±


    ¡°Then does that mean I will get to see Mommy, Robbie, and Ellie again after two months?¡±


    Jamie looked at Zachary in anticipation as he wiped away his tears.


    ¡°Yes, Jamie. You''ll get to see them whenever you want. I''ll bring you to Erihal to look for Mommy when


    you miss her.¡±


    ¡°Is that true, Mommy?¡± Jamie turned to Charlotte, waiting for a confirmation.


    ¡°Yes, you cane anytime you want.¡±


    Charlotte initially wanted to cut Zachary offpletely, but now that Jamie had made the request, she


    could not turn him down.


    ¡°That''s great!¡± Jamie eximed. He was pleased to hear that he would be seeing his family again.


    ¡°Does this mean I will get to visit them whenever I like too, Mommy?¡± Ellie asked eagerly.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Charlotte could not bring herself to turn the hopeful girl down.


    Ellie nodded in excitement at her mother''s answer.


    Likewise, Robbie seemed relieved now that he knew this would not be thest time he saw Zachary


    and Jamie.


    He knew that as long as they were seeing each other again, there would be a chance of changing


    things for the better.


    ¡°What time is the flight?¡± Zachary asked, looking at Charlotte.


    ¡°Four in the afternoon.¡± Charlotte checked her watch and realized it was only nine in the morning.


    ¡°We still have some time,¡± Zachary said, also looking at the time, ¡°We have five hours before we leave


    for the airport at two.¡±


    ¡°You can spend some time with the children.¡±


    Charlotte knew that Zachary was a good father to the kids despite how his rtionship with her was


    going through a rough patch.


    ¡°I want to bring all of you to a ce. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°I have to go too? Why not you just bring the kids?¡± Charlotte was not nning on going anywhere.


    ¡°It won''t be a family trip without you,¡± Zachary insisted.


    Charlotte was still contemting when the children surrounded her and begged her to go along with


    them.

 Chapter 1103

    Chapter 1103


    Charlotte finally budged under the kids'' constant entreat. ¡°Alright. Let me just go get a change. Each of


    you should also bundle up.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mommy!¡±


    Since Charlotte was upstairs getting a change, she took the chance to call Louis.


    Louis came over to H City to pick her upst time, but she bailed on him because something happened


    to Ellie.


    Even after she managed to save Ellie, she did not have the time and energy to exin everything to


    Louis because she was too caught up with treating Ellie and Olivia.


    Charlotte had told him that she had to dy her trip back to Erihal by half a month and ask him to carry


    on with his own ns instead of keeping everything on hold waiting for her.


    Louis was reluctant at first, but he eventually left.


    When he found out that Charlotte was returning to Erihal, he called her early in the morning, but


    Charlotte missed his call because she was busy looking after Ellie.


    Louis seemed to be waiting for Charlotte''s call because he picked up right after she called. After


    making sure that everything was fine, he told Charlotte that he would meet her at Erihal''s airport and


    that his father would be apanying him.


    ¡°Sir Robert?¡± Charlotte was taken by surprise. ¡°Why is he going to Erihal?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Danrique made an appointment with him. It seems like they want to talk about our marriage, but


    don''t worry. I''ve told my dad that I won''t proceed with the arrangement if you''re not willing to. It''s just


    that he thinks dragging this out is not the solution, so he wants to know what you think about it. He


    wants to hear your opinion about our marriage, so I just want to give you a heads up.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Thanks for letting me know.¡±


    Charlotte frowned upon knowing the news. All this was Danrique''s will. There was nothing she could do


    about it. Besides, she had never explicitly rejected his offer.


    ¡°Alright. I''ll see you in Xendale then. Bye.¡±


    ¡°Bye.¡±


    Charlotte hung up the phone and sighed. She kept convincing herself to ept things as they were.


    She told herself there was no way Zachary and her could go back to how things used to be. She should


    not relent no matter what he did.


    ¡°Mommy!¡±


    A parrot flew in through the window.


    ¡°Little Fifi,¡± Charlotte said, putting on her clothes, ¡°I''m almost done. Can you tell Robbie, Jamie, and


    Ellie that I''ll be there in five?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mommy!¡± With that said, Little Fifi flew out again.


    Charlotte quickly got ready and went downstairs. They were dressed up and were waiting for her


    beside the car when she saw them.


    ¡°Get in,¡± she told them, pointing at the Rolls-Royce before turning toward Zachary. ¡°We have to head


    for the airporttest by two. I don''t want any tricks from you,¡± she whispered.


    ¡°Yes, ma''am,¡± he said, opening the door for her and gesturing at her politely.


    Charlotte rolled her eyes and went in.


    The family of five departed with Fifi and Little Fifi in the car.


    Behind them, Lupine had three cars escorting them while Bruce and Ben each drove a car to open the


    way for them.


    The fleet drove down the road, putting spectators in awe.


    ¡°Where are we going, Daddy?¡± Jamie was the most excited.


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    ¡°Let me guess!¡± Ellie interrupted, ¡°Are we going to the restaurant at Fairytale Land?¡±


    ¡°Or are we going to visit Great-grandpa?¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± Zachary said briefly with a mysterious smile on his face. ¡°I won''t breathe a word until we get


    there.¡±


    ¡°I can''t wait!¡±


    The children were all electrified waiting to know what the surprise was.


    Even Little Fifi was pping her wings and crying out in a high pitch voice. ¡°Can''t wait! Can''t wait!¡±


    Beside her, Fifi looked at the parrot severely. The eagle''s expression was exactly the same as


    Charlotte''s.


    She sat beside the children quietly as she drank some coffee. She looked at the excited lot and could


    not help but think that Zachary was better at dealing with the kids than she was.


    Unlike her, he seemed to have a natural ability to make them happy and spirited.

 Chapter 1104

    Chapter 1104


    The car pulled up by the destination after a while.


    Charlotte froze when she saw the ce.


    Happy Avenue!


    Charlotte, Mrs. Berry, and the children used to live here.


    They shared a lot of happy memories here. It suddenly urred to Charlotte that she should have


    come to visit this ce after she got back to H City, but she did not have the courage to do so.


    Back when she lost her memory, she would feel a pang of grief whenever she went past this ce.


    Now that she regained her memory, she could not bring herself to revisit this ce.


    She was not ready to face her emotions when she saw Mrs. Berry''s photo in a familiar setting.


    That was why she did not set foot in this ce all this while.


    Charlotte did not expect Zachary to bring them here today.


    ¡°What are you trying to do?¡± she questioned.


    ¡°This is our home,¡± Zachary said softly, ¡°Don''t you want to go in?¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°Daddy brought us home!¡±


    Jamie cut Charlotte off in excitement when he saw their house. ¡°My toys and clothes are still inside. I''ve


    been wanting toe here all this while!¡±


    ¡°Me too. This is where I made my first invention,¡± Robbie said with a hint of nostalgia in his voice, ¡°I


    wonder how this ce has changed.¡±


    ¡°Deedee, Lulu, and Kiki are here too!¡± Ellie cried out.


    ¡°I remember Daddy brought us here during myst birthday. He said Mommy mighte here to find


    us when she is back, so we shoulde here more often.¡±


    A gush of sadness overwhelmed Charlotte when she heard Ellie.


    She caught Zachary''splicated gaze, but before he had a chance to spot the sorrow in her eyes,


    she evaded his gaze.


    Zachary bent over and helped Ellie out of the car. ¡°Now Mommy''s back, it means your wish came true.¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Ellie eximed readily, smiling sweetly at Charlotte, ¡°I made the same wish for two years, and


    now Mommy''s back.¡±


    Charlotte smiled back and stroke her cheeks tenderly.


    ¡°But Mommy''s leaving again,¡± Jamie said quietly.


    ¡°I wille back and see you again, Jamie. I promise.¡±


    ¡°Let''s get in, people,¡± Zachary interrupted, holding the two boys as they went in.


    Charlotte carried Ellie in her arms and followed behind. Little Fifi rested on Ellie''s shoulder while Fifi


    waited for them at the window.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    The residential estate''s security guard greeted them warmly when he saw the family. Although they


    only came back once a year, they made an impression on him.


    No one would forget such a beautiful family and their two exotic pets.


    The neighbors were surprised when they saw the family. ¡°Isn''t this Mrs. Berry''s daughter and her


    grandchildren?¡± an olddy asked.


    ¡°Yeah, it''s them. I know the parrot.¡±


    ¡°The children have grown a lot, but they are still so cute.¡±


    ¡°I know right. Her daughter looks different too. She''s skinnier now. Even the way she dresses has


    changed.¡±


    ¡°Of course. I heard she married into a wealthy family.¡±


    ¡°So that''s her husband? He looks tough and handsome.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that''s him. He''s been bringing the kids over in the past two years. This is the first time I see Mrs.


    Berry''s daughter after all this time. The whole family is finally together.¡±


    Charlotte listened quietly as the neighbors talked. She used to work tillte at night when she stayed


    here, so she did not really know the neighbors.


    Mrs. Berry was the one who interacted with them. She needed to shop for groceries, do house chores,


    and send the children to school, so she had a lot of friends around the neighborhood.


    She was a gregarious and cheerful person. It was only natural that they liked her. Two years had


    passed since the incident, but everyone still remembered her.

 Chapter 1105

    Chapter 1105


    The neighbors had always thought that Charlotte was Mrs. Berry''s daughter and those three kids were


    her grandchildren.


    Mrs. Berry tried exining the situation to them at first, but Charlotte told her she did not have to. After


    all, Charlotte did feel like she was a daughter to her.


    They might not be blood-rted, but Mrs. Berry was like family to her.


    Mrs. Berry was the second closest to her after her own father.


    Although she gave birth to the children after her father''s demise, Mrs. Berry was still a loved one to her.


    Mrs. Berry had always been there since Charlotte was a child. She never once left her.


    She had yet reached the house, but hearing the neighbors talking about Mrs. Berry was enough to


    bring Charlotte to tears.


    ¡°Don''t cry, Mommy,¡± Ellie said, putting her small hands around her mother''s face, ¡°Mrs. Berry will be


    watching over us from heaven.¡±


    Charlotte nodded and nted a kiss on the girl''s forehead as they walked into the house.


    Everything still looked the same.


    There was still a bunch of Alocasia on the table. The goldfish were swimming in the fish tank and Little


    Fifi''s cage was still hanging on the balcony, swaying to the waves of wind.


    Charlotte''s gaze wandered and stopped at the family photo hung in the living room.


    Robbie, Jamie, and Ellie wore their brightest smiles in the photo. Back then, Charlotte was carefree


    and Mrs. Berry smiled as if her heart was full.


    Little Fifi happened to fly over and was caught in the photo too.


    Although they were poor back then, they were happy.


    The bliss from the photo was enough to put a smile on anyone looking at it.


    ¡°Gosh, I looked so fat,¡± Jamie said,ughing at himself, ¡°I was so chubby.¡±


    Ellie chuckled at the picture. ¡°I looked fatter than you. Look at my short ponytail.¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Berry tied it for you,¡± Charlotte replied.


    A warm smile curved on her lips as she reminisced about the past.


    ¡°Mrs. Berry used tob and tie my hair when I was young. After I got you, she started learning other


    cute ways of tying girls'' hair so she could experiment on you and you really liked it. Do you still


    remember?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Mommy,¡± Ellie answered in thrill, ¡°She would try different braids every time.¡±


    This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    Charlotte caressed Ellie''s head tenderly. ¡°You would always ask for a photo after she tried something


    new. I think we still have those photos in the album.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we do. I always look at them when Ie back. Let me go get them.¡±


    With that said, Ellie got off and went back to her room to fetch the photo album.


    ¡°I''ll go get my cars and my Ultraman.¡±


    Jamie ran into his room too.


    ¡°I''ll go look at my little inventions too,¡± Robbie said.


    It was just Zachary, Charlotte, and a few bodyguards in the vast living room.


    Zachary signaled at the men to wait outside.


    ¡°I bet it''s a lot of work maintaining this ce?¡±


    Charlotte looked at the sulent nts growing on the balcony. They looked exactly the same as


    when Mrs. Berry left. The other nts were blossoming in their prime too.


    Although they were growing well, Charlotte knew they were not the same nts.


    Those nts would not live for such a long time even if they were well taken care of, especially the fish


    in the tank.


    They might look simr in size and color, but they were not the same fish.


    Zachary must have looked for nts and fish that were simr to the old ones.


    He must have put in a lot of effort to retain everything as it was.

 Chapter 1106

    Chapter 1106


    ¡°You can tell they are not the original ones?¡± Zachary asked, looking at the nts, ¡°I wasn''t in the mood


    to do anything back then because I was so worried. When I finally came around, the nts and the fish


    had already died. I was afraid you might get angry when you saw it, so I asked them to rece


    everything with simr ones.¡±


    Zachary nced at her before continuing. ¡°I pored over the photos and videos just to make sure I know


    how these things looked like originally. It seems like I didn''t do a good enough job. You realized it.¡±


    It''s actually a job well done. Charlotte almost blurted out. For a moment, she thought they had traveled


    back in time to two years back.


    She had yet moved into Nacht residence back then, and neither had she gotten married to Zachary.


    That was before she got sent to T Nation.


    It was not until she saw the eagle on the balcony that she was shaken back to reality. I''m Charlotte


    Lindberg now.


    We can''t go back to how things were now. There''s no turning back, Charlotte.


    ¡°Why did you bring us here?¡± Charlotte questioned coldly after recollecting herself.


    ¡°I just want the kids to be happy,¡± Zachary replied patiently, ¡°They had never been separated. This is


    too sudden for them. It might take a while before they get used to it. I just want them to know that no


    matter what happens in the future, we are always a family. I want them to know that we have each


    other''s back. Our bond will keep them going no matter what they face in the future.¡±


    Charlotte felt ashamed listening to him. Zachary was a better parent than her.


    ¡°Go and rest for a bit. I''ll make lunch.¡±


    Zachary took off his coat and rolled up his sleeves as he walked into the kitchen.


    Now, since when did he know how to cook?


    Charlotte suddenly remembered that Zachary once made a pot of vegetable beef soup with Robbie and


    Jamie, but that was still not telling of his culinary skills.


    Charlotte tilted her head, thinking, as she walked back to her room.


    Her room looked the same too. The orchids were blossoming under the sun and her ledger book was


    still flipped to the same page beside her bed. Even herptop was still on the webpage where she


    wanted to upload photos.


    Charlotte did not expect Zachary to put so much effort into keeping this house the way it was.


    She walked over and touched her table, her bed, herptop, the ledger, and the flowers.


    Her heart warmed.


    ¡°Mommy!¡±


    Ellie''s voice pierced through the silence. Charlotte went over to open the door. ¡°Ellie.¡±


    ¡°Look, Mommy! Deedee, Lulu, and Kiki are still here.¡±


    Ellie showcased her Barbie dolls proudly.


    ¡°I identally broke Lulu''s leg when I came herest time. I cried so much because of that, but now it''s


    all fixed.¡±


    ¡°Did Daddy fix it for you?¡± Charlotte asked gently as she squatted down, ¡°You have to thank Daddy.¡±


    ¡°I''ll go now!¡±


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    The girl ran to the kitchen with the dolls in her hand.


    Right after she went off, Jamie came in. ¡°Mommy,e here.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Charlotte asked as she followed Jamie over to his room.


    She was stunned when she went in. The Lego looked the same as when they left. It was a spaceship


    with a few missing pieces.


    ¡°I remember Robbie and I were almost done with the model when we had to leave two years ago. We


    wanted to finish it before leaving, but Mrs. Berry said we could do it after we got back,¡± Jamie


    recounted in a flustered manner.


    ¡°I remember when I came back during myst birthday, Robbie and I wanted to finish it, but I messed


    everything up when I identally hit it off. Daddy said he would redo it for me because I was crying so


    hard. I can''t believe Daddy did all this.¡±

 Chapter 1107

    Chapter 1107


    ¡°Daddy came back after that and worked on it the whole night,¡± Robbie added.


    ¡°I know he fixed my invention too. One of the screws went missing so I couldn''t put everything together,


    but when I looked at it just now, everything was intact. It must be Daddy. He must have found that


    missing screw.¡±


    ¡°Daddy...¡± Jamie began to sob.


    Robbie did not say a word but lowered his head. He looked at the model he invented. His eyes turned


    red and a tear dropped from his eyes.


    He quickly turned away so Charlotte would not see him crying, but it was toote.


    Charlotte felt guilty looking at her children.


    She knew all they ever wanted was aplete family, but that was what Charlotte could not give them.


    It was not just about holding the family together in a superficial sense. They needed a lot of


    reconciliation on the emotional level too.


    The only thing Charlotte could do now was to minimize the hurt she would bring to them.


    She bent down and smiled at them. ¡°Daddy loves y''all a lot. Y''all should be grateful for that.¡±


    Jamie nodded and went out to look for Zachary.


    Robbie had his back to Charlotte as he stood before the study table in his room, looking at the model in


    his hand.


    Charlotte went over and ruffled his hair. ¡°You can stay with Daddy if you want to, Robbie. Mommy''s fine


    with that.¡±


    This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    She knew full well that the children would not be happy around her. They should be given a choice.


    ¡°I won''t change my mind, Mommy,¡± Robbie said, turning toward her, ¡°I just miss Daddy.¡±


    Words failed Charlotte. She did not know what else to say.


    ¡°It''s okay, Mommy, Daddy can still find us in Erihal. You''ll bring me back to H City to see Daddy, right?¡±


    ¡°I might nevere back to H City again, Robbie,¡± Charlotte said softly, ¡°But I will not stop you from


    seeing Daddy.¡±


    ¡°Mommy...¡± Robbie surveyed her expression before he asked the burning question. ¡°Are you marrying


    Sir Louis?¡±


    Zachary''s hand stopped just as he was about to knock on the door.


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Charlotte said vaguely, ¡°But I still love all of you. Nothing can rece y''all in my heart.¡±


    ¡°What about Daddy?¡± Robbie looked at her in the eye. ¡°Do you still love him? Not even the slightest


    bit?¡±


    Zachary cocked his head and looked at Charlotte with mixed feelings.


    He had always wanted to ask this question, but Robbie beat him to it.


    Despair grew in Charlotte''s eyes, but she finally got a grip on herself. A bitter smile curved on her lips.


    ¡°Things will never be the same between us again.¡±


    There was resignation and regret in her voice.


    Zachary lowered his gaze. He felt his heart was gripped and shattered.


    ¡°Daddy...¡±


    Robbie spotted Zachary at the door.


    Charlotte whipped her head around in rm. She would be lying to say that she felt nothing when she


    saw his dejected face, but this was for the best. She should snuff out every lingering hope he had as


    soon as possible.


    ¡°Robbie, I''ve made some pizza. Do you want to go grab some with Jamie and Ellie?¡± Zachary quickly


    put on a smile.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Robbie put down his stuff and put on his shoes before running out.


    ¡°Wash your hands first,¡± Zachary reminded him as he walked out.


    ¡°Yes, Daddy.¡±


    Robbie cleaned his hands and joined his siblings in the dining room.


    ¡°You should eat a bit too. Lunch is almost ready,¡± Zachary said to Charlotte before going back to the


    kitchen.

 Chapter 1108

    Chapter 1108


    Charlotte felt conflicted looking at him walk off.


    She knew he brought all of them here today not just because he wanted to remind the children of the


    warmth of family, but also because he wanted to try to win her back onest time.


    She had smothered hisst hope before he even had the chance to act on it.


    She thought he would say something, but he did not.


    This made her feel even worse.


    Charlotte walked out and saw the children having a good time eating pizza. They seemed to like


    Zachary''s cooking a lot.


    Charlotte did not want to interrupt them, so she just went back to read her ledger book.


    Her life was straightforward and simple before her father passed away. She could buy whatever she


    wanted, but things changed after he left.


    She spent her savings and had to sell off the inheritance her mother left for her to make ends meet, but


    somehow, she always ended up not having enough to spend.


    Mrs. Berry asked her to start keeping a record of her expenditure so she could identify some


    unnecessary spending and cut those out.


    She had better control of her expenses after she cultivated that habit, but her extravagant way of


    spending did not improve a lot.


    For example, she still insisted on letting the children go to the best school although her pocket was not


    deep enough.


    She would always go for the best form milk and clothes when it came to the kids.


    She would berate herself for all her irrational purchases only after she made them. She even wrote


    down those remarks in her own ledger book.


    What do you think you''re doing, Charlotte Windt? Why did you even bring the children to Fairytale


    Land? That''s two thousand gone and now you''re broke. What are you gonna feed your children with


    now?


    There were other more upliftingments. Charlotte Windt, you must work hard and earn a lot of


    money so you can afford a better life.


    She even noticed something she wrote about Zachary. That gigolo finally wired me five thousand.


    Yippee!


    I bought some supplements for Gigolo In Debt today. It cost me a few hundred and the shop attendant


    even made fun of me saying I was heartless. I was going back to get my receipt when I heard them


    saying I should have bought something more expensive for my husband after sucking him dry.


    There were also some remarks about Mrs. Berry. Mrs. Berry bought a new cupboard and went to pay


    for utilities. That''s two thousand in total. Gigolo In Debt did not have any customers today. I think he''s


    going through a difficult time again. I need to think of a way to make him earn more.


    Charlotte realized she would jot down her own thoughts of the day after she recorded her expenses.


    A smile appeared on her face unknowingly as she flipped through the book until she saw a thick


    envelope.


    I, Zachary Nacht, hereby promise to give half of my daily wage to Charlotte Windt on my own free will,


    taking effect this very day. May I die a brutal death if I ever fail to deliver my promise?


    This childish contract was none other than the work of Charlotte herself. Zachary even signed it.


    In hindsight, Charlotte really thought she was too slow to connect the dots. She had seen Zachary''s


    signature back at Divine Corporation, but still, she failed to realize it was the same signature.


    Ha, you''re so dumb, Charlotte.


    Well, your life is a lot more interesting because you''re dumb, so it''s a blessing in disguise. I bet you


    wouldn''t get to experience all these things if you''re smarter.


    A mocking smile broke out on Charlotte''s face as she thought about herself. She was just about to put


    the contract back into the ledger book when she heard a voice.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 1109

    Chapter 1109


    ¡°Don''t you think you''re super cute back then?¡±


    Zachary handed Charlotte a ss of fruit juice.


    ¡°How could you call that cute? I was clearly being an idiot.¡±


    Charlotte sneered as she took it from him and drank the fruit juice.


    ¡°I think it''s cute.¡± Zachary picked up the contract. A smile formed at the corner of his lips as he recalled


    past events. ¡°Sometimes, it''s better to be ignorant and live in bliss...¡±


    ¡°I wouldn''t have been deceived by you if I was smart.¡± Charlotte rolled her eyes at him.


    ¡°Don''t you think it''s all meant to be?¡± Zachary arched a brow. ¡°We''re very happy together even though I


    lied to you. Moreover, you lied to me too. You never told me about the kids.¡±


    ¡°Why would I hand them over when I single-handedly raised the kids? Besides, you were moody and


    ruthless at the time. How would I know if you will take me out of the picture once you get your hands on


    them...¡±


    Charlotte was stunned as she blurted out.


    That''s exactly what happened in the end.


    Only thing was, she couldn''t bring herself to part with Zachary. Hence, she relented and allowed her


    kids to return to the Nachts. She really thought that love would conquer all and that Zachary could


    protect her.


    But in the end, the Nachts took her out of the picture and drove her away.


    ¡°I''m sorry, it''s all my fault.¡± Zachary knew what Charlotte was thinking. ¡°I know it''s no use saying all


    these now, but I hope...¡±


    ¡°It''s a hopeless case.¡± Charlotte cut him off and said coldly. ¡°Our best bet is to be strangers


    again.¡±


    Zachary frowned. He was about to say something, but caught himself in the nick of time.


    He knew it was no use trying to talk her out of it at the moment.


    ¡°Leave me alone. I want to get some shut-eye.¡± Charlotte didn''t want to continue the conversation.


    ¡°Ok. I''ll wake you up for lunch.¡±


    Zachary turned around, closed the door behind him, and left.


    Charlotte felt a little upset as she stared at the signature on the contract.


    Zachary had changed a lot ever since they met. He would neverpromise nor reduce himself for


    others. He always had to have the upper hand no matter who was right and who was wrong.


    But now, he was willing to take a step back and willing topromise.


    He now had better control of his temper, improved his patience, and was gentle and kind.


    He morphed into what she wanted him to be when they first met.


    What a pity she had changed too.


    They couldn''t return to what they once shared since things weren''t the same anymore.


    Charlotte sighed and continued to dig through her drawers. She pulled out her father''s will to have


    another look and suddenly realized that something looks off.


    It was written in Richard''s will that her life would change once she dialed the number and it got through.


    He warned her to never dial the number unless she ran out of options.


    However, Danrique had been nothing but good to her in the past two years.


    He pulled her back from the verge of death, encouraged her to get on her feet, taught her a set of skills,


    and even gave her shares from Lindberg Corporation. Thus, that made her the second person in


    charge of thepany.


    He gave her fame and fortune.


    But why did father not want me to return to the Lindbergs?


    What is he so worried about?


    Is it because our family is tooplicated?


    Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    But isn''t that prettymon everywhere else?


    As for Danrique, he never forced her into anything she wasn''t willing to do even though he could be


    overbearing at times. Even if he did suggest or order her to do something, it would be for her own


    good.


    Hence, she thought of the Lindbergs as her savior instead of something she had to fear.


    Nevertheless, she kept Richard''s warning in mind because she thought he must have his reasons.


    After all, he was a man with foresight. Hence, his words carried weight.

 Chapter 1110

    Chapter 1110


    However, it was no use thinking about all that now. All she could do now was to take it one step at a


    time.


    Charlotte put the will down and noticed a ck card by the side. It was some money left behind by


    Richard for her.


    She took out some money for investment back then and still had a hundred million left in S Nation''s


    bank.


    Nheless, she had no use for the money now since she already had plenty.


    Regardless, she felt the need to take it away with her since it was left behind by her father.


    Charlotte ced everything into a box where she kept her father''s belongings, including the contract


    between her and Zachary.


    After all, that was how they fell in love in the first ce.


    N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    She wanted to keep it for old times¡¯ sake.


    After she finished packing up, Charlottey down on the bed to rest. She felt worn out after everything


    that had happened, but never dared put her guard down.


    Now that she''s back home and surrounded by familiarity, she felt like she could finally put her guard


    down. Shey down on the bed and very soon, she was fast asleep.


    After Zachary was done preparing lunch, he washed his hands and went to check on Charlotte.


    After knocking twice on the door without getting any response, he walked in and found Charlotte fast


    asleep on the bed.


    She looked so gentle and vulnerable in her sleep, just like how she used to be.


    Zachary tiptoed into the room, tucked her in, sat by the bed, and watched her quietly.


    As the past came rushing into his mind, he couldn''t help but reach out to caress her cheeks.


    Just then, Charlotte was jolted awake. She opened her eyes and met Zachary''splicated gaze.


    After returning to her senses, she quickly pushed him away.


    ¡°I''m just tucking you in,¡± Zachary exined.


    ¡°You can get out now that you''re done.¡± Charlotte red at him.


    ¡°Lunch is ready.¡± Zachary changed the topic.


    ¡°I''m not hungry, you can eat first.¡±


    Charlotte turned her back toward him and continued to sleep.


    Zachary sighed helplessly, got up, and left.


    Just then, the kids barged into her room and shouted, ¡°Daddy, Mommy, it''s time for lunch. We''re


    hungry.¡±


    ¡°Hush. Mommy wants to sleep.¡±


    Zachary reminded the kids to not wake Charlotte up.


    ¡°Mommy, get up and have lunch first.¡± Jamie ran over to Charlotte. ¡°You barely ate anything for


    breakfast.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Mommy. Daddy made lots of yummy food. Come have a taste,¡± Ellie coaxed.


    Charlotte got up followed them into the dining room since she couldn''t say no to the kids.


    She was shocked when she saw the scrumptious mealid on the dinner table. ¡°You made all these?¡±


    ¡°Who else could it be?¡± Zachary rolled his eyes as he beckoned the kids to wash their hands.


    The kids went into the washroom to wash their hands.


    Charlotte stared at the scrumptious meal in disbelief. She reached out for a chicken wing, but Zachary


    quickly pped her hand away. ¡°Wash your hands first!¡±


    Charlotte red at him, but proceeded to wash her hands.


    ¡°Hurry up, I''m dying to dig in...¡±


    The kids washed their hands in a hurry.


    By the time Charlotte returned, Zachary was already done setting up the table.


    ¡°Daddy, Mommy, let''s eat!¡±


    The three kids greeted them politely before they started to dig in.


    Zachary ced a piece of the chicken wing on Charlotte''s te before serving the kids.


    Charlotte gave him a look before she started to dig in. She couldn''t help but sigh, ¡°This is so good.¡±


    ¡°Only good?¡± Zachary ced a piece of fish on her te. ¡°Try this.¡±


    Charlotte took a bite. She badly wanted to praise him, but held her tongue. ¡°It''s not bad.¡±


    ¡°Not bad?¡± Zachary frowned.


    ¡°It''s delicious. It''s the best I''ve ever tasted.¡± Jamie praised him generously.


    ¡°Yeah. I think it''s yummy.¡± Ellie said excitedly. ¡°Daddy, when did you learn how to cook like that? The


    only thing you knew how to cook back then was vegetable beef soup.¡±

 Chapter 1111

    Chapter 1111


    ¡°I mastered it in the past few days.¡± Zachary stared at the kids affectionately. ¡°I spent two hours every


    day learning how to cook. I also researched recipes and learned one new dish every day to reach this


    stage. Do you guys like it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Daddy. You''re the best!¡± The kids were ted.


    ¡°I''m d you like it.¡± Zachary was pleased. ¡°Ok, let''s eat.¡±


    The family happily dug into their food.


    The eagle on the balcony had fresh beef for lunch, whereas Little Fifi perched on the other end of the


    long table as it ate its lunch. However, Little Fifi couldn''t keep still as it kept staring at the kids'' tes.


    ¡°Little Fifi, stop messing around and eat your food,¡± Jamie scolded.


    ¡°Little Fifi, you''re not allowed to eat meat.¡±


    Ellie reminded gently. She couldn''t bring herself to reprimand Little Fifi since she was about to leave


    while Little Fifi will be staying back to keep Jamiepany.


    ¡°Hate this, hate this!¡±


    Little Fifi squawked unhappily and continued to eat its food.


    ¡°Daddy, how are things at work? Have you taken care of everything?¡± Robbie asked Zachary.


    ¡°I''ve dealt with some of them.¡± Zachary evaded the question. ¡°Don''t worry, I''ll take care of it.¡±


    ¡°You didn''t really attend Great-grandpa''s funeral. You should pay him a visit after everything is over and


    exin everything to him.¡±


    Robbie was concerned about Zachary as he was about to leave his side.


    ¡°I know.¡± Zachary ced a piece of fish meat on his te. ¡°Erihal is a very cold country. I''ve prepared


    some warm clothes for you. Remember to put it on before getting off the ne.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡± Robbie nodded. He didn''t dare look Zachary in the eye.


    ¡°I''ll visit you in two months.¡± Zachary patted his head. ¡°You must carry on with your online lessons and


    study hard in the meantime.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡± Robbie was filled with sorrow. ¡°Take care, Daddy.¡±


    ¡°Don''t be silly, I''m not a kid anymore.¡± Zachary smiled. He then turned to Ellie. ¡°Ellie, you still need to


    cooperate with the treatment when you arrive at Erihal. You have to get well soon, okay?¡±


    ¡°Ok, Daddy.¡± Ellie choked up as she spoke.


    ¡°Drink your soup, Ellie.¡±


    Charlotte filled Ellie''s bowl with some soup and ced some more food on Robbie''s and Jamie''s te.


    She tried to cheer the kids up by telling them more about Erihal.


    ¡°Erihal hasrge ice sculptures and snow. We can build a snowman, have snowball fights, and even go


    ice skating. It''ll be fun.¡±


    ¡°Mommy, is Erihal going to be cold all year long?¡±


    Ellie''s curiosity was piqued.


    ¡°I stayed in a ce called Xendale, capital of Erihal. It''s winter most of the time there. The warmest we


    ever had was around 10 degrees...¡±


    Charlotte exined how Erihal was like to the kids.


    ¡°I live in a big house there and Uncle Dan rears a lot of pets. We even have a goose, Ellie.¡±


    ¡°Do you have lions and tigers?¡± Jamie asked excitedly.


    ¡°No,¡± Charlotteughed. ¡°Those are endangered animals, how could we keep them as pets? However,


    we do have some Tibetan Mastiffs and some snakes...¡±


    Charlotte paused since Ellie paled with fright and her eyes widened like saucers.


    ¡°Don''t be scared, Ellie.¡± Charlotte quicklyforted. ¡°I''m not living with Uncle Dan. We only have swan


    in my castle.¡±


    ¡°That''s a relief.¡± Ellie breathed a sigh of relief and asked, ¡°Do you have penguins?¡±


    This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    ¡°No, but we can get one if you like.¡±


    Charlotte pulled out her phone and called the butler at Erihal to get some penguins as pets.


    ¡°Mommy, you know how to speak Erihalean?¡±


    Robbie was pleasantly surprised. Even though he knew Charlotte was good, he had only ever seen her


    in action. He never had the chance to see how smart she actually was.

 Chapter 1112

    Chapter 1112


    ¡°Yeah, I know fivenguages.¡± Charlotte smiled. ¡°But I''m not really good at two of them. Can you teach


    me?¡±


    ¡°You''re too humble, Mommy. Let''s learn it together.¡±


    Robbie found his drive to study.


    ¡°I''m so envious of you. You get to live with Mommy...¡± Jamie watched how Ellie and Robbie interacted


    with Charlotte. ¡°I''m going to part with Mommy very soon...¡± he said sorrowfully.


    ¡°Don''t worry, I''ll take you to Erihal for a visit after two months.¡± Zachary patted his head.


    ¡°You can follow me to Erihal too.¡± Charlotte couldn''t bear to leave Jamie behind. ¡°Daddy can pick both


    you and Ellie up after two months,¡± she said tentatively.


    ¡°Erm...¡± Jamie turned to face Zachary.


    ¡°No need.¡± Zachary refused. ¡°It''s only fair that you leave at least one with me after taking two of them


    away with you.¡±


    ¡°It''s only for two months, and it''s not like they''re noting back here.¡± Charlotte frowned. ¡°Why don''t


    you ask Jamie his opinion?¡±


    Jamie kept his head down and dared not utter a word.


    ¡°Jamie, do you want to go?¡± Zachary asked.


    ¡°I...¡± Jamie gave it some thought and answered timidly, ¡°I think I''ll keep Daddypany instead, or else


    he will be too pitiful.¡±


    Charlotte kept her mouth shut after Jamie expressed his opinion. ¡°Okay then, we can meet again in two


    months.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡± Jamie nodded profusely.


    ¡°Ok, let''s eat.¡±


    Zachary ced some meat on Jamie''s te. He felt displeased even though he acted as if everything


    was fine.


    He thought Jamie stayed by his side because he couldn''t bear to leave him. Who would have thought it


    was because he pitied him?


    Zachary started ying with the kids after lunch.


    He first worked with Robbie to settle some problems he had faced in the new software he made


    himself. He gave him some pointers before allowing Robbie to work on it himself.


    He then spent some time tidying up Ellie''s Barbie dolls alongside Ellie. He found a small pink box for


    Ellie to store the dolls so that she could take them with her to Erihal.


    Jamie yed Lego all by himself by the side so that they could spend their final moments together.


    On the other hand, Charlotte pouted in displeasure as she cleaned up the kitchen.


    It had been two years since shest did housework. D*mn it! How could Zachary let me clean up the


    kitchen all by myself?


    Nevertheless, she felt as if she should be the one to clean up the kitchen since Zachary already


    cooked.


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    She felt aforting sense of familiarity as she cleaned up the kitchen in her own home.


    Every corner of the kitchen reminded her of Mrs. Berry.


    Charlotte recalled how bad of a cook she was two years ago. She would mistake salt for sugar, serve


    food before it was fully cooked, and make weirdly shaped buns.


    She was just really bad at it.


    However, there were also times when she sessfully made some dishes.


    Zachary moved upstairs and they became neighbors at the time. She would sneak into his ce to


    sleep with him at night and sneak back into her apartment to prepare breakfast for the kids in the


    morning. After the kids headed off for school, she would bring breakfast and have it with him.


    She didn''t know why she loved him so much at the time.


    But now, she was pushing him away even though he had changed for the better. She wasn''t about to


    fall for him again aftering back to her senses.


    It was all part of growing up.


    Very soon, it was time for them to part ways.


    Charlotte answered the door when she heard a knock.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, we should head to the airport now. We might get dyed since the road to the airport is


    jammed,¡± Lupine reminded softly.


    ¡°Ok,¡± Charlotte replied. She turned around and shouted, ¡°Robbie, Ellie, Jamie, it''s time to go to the


    airport.¡±


    Inside the room, Jamie''s hand trembled, toppling the Lego tower he had just finished building.

 Chapter 1113

    Chapter 1113


    While Robbie was eagerly assembling his new invention paused in his track, Ellie who was ying


    dress-up with her Barbie doll froze.


    The three of them looked towards Zachary.


    He was staring at his watch, eyebrows knitted into one straight line.


    All this while, he had always wished for time to slow down. However, the dreaded moment eventually


    came.


    At the end of the day, they would still have to bid goodbye.


    ¡°Daddy!¡± Ellie embraced him grievously. ¡°I don''t want to leave you!¡±


    ¡°Silly you. It''s only for two months. Daddy will meet you in Erihalter.¡± Zachary patted her on the back.


    ¡°Be a good girl alright? Two months is a very short time!¡±


    ¡°No...¡± Ellie desisted the thought of leaving her dad. Her whimpering emanated immense sadness.


    Jamie''s eyes were red as well. Tears can be seen streaming down his cheeks.


    Robbie may seem tough, but he also couldn''t stop himself from tearing up.


    The three of them were always together. Now, they have to be separated from one another.


    A once united and blissful family was forced to be separated.


    Charlotte opened the door and witnessed the sorrowful scene. Albeit reluctant, she gritted her teeth


    and insisted, ¡°It''s time to leave.¡±


    Robbie hesitantly retrieved his belongings and left the room.


    Jamie stood up and headed towards her. Pulling Charlotte''s hand, he muffled, ¡°Mommy, can I follow


    you to the airport?¡±


    ¡°Of course you can.¡± Charlotte patted his head gently. ¡°Now, be a good boy and go with Robbie!¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Jamie obeyed her instructions.


    Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Ellie was still crying with her arms wrapped around Zachary, refusing to let go.


    ¡°Ellie, let''s go. It''s windy outside, put on your jacket too.¡± Zachary helped her with the jacket and


    passed her hand to Charlotte. ¡°Follow Mommy!¡±


    Charlotte carried Ellie in her arms and stared at Zachary. ¡°You''re not going with us to the airport?¡±


    ¡°I don''t think so,¡± Zachary replied coldly, ¡°It will only make things worse.¡±


    Then, he passed Ellie''s Barbie doll in a box to Lupine and rushed them, ¡°It''s time to go!¡±


    ¡°No...¡± Ellie realized what was happening and held out her arms, her cries intensified. ¡°Daddy, I don''t


    want to leave you!¡±


    Zachary ushered the duo out with his back facing them.


    When Charlotte was leaving, she turned her head and looked back...


    Zachary was still facing them with his back. He kept his head low struggling to keep his calm.


    Charlotte''s heart sank but she went through with it.


    ¡°Daddy, Daddy...¡± Ellie couldn''t stop crying.


    She was staring in the direction of her home, shouting ¡°Daddy¡± repeatedly.


    But Zachary remained in the house.


    ¡°Bruce, follow them to the airport and bring Jamie back once they pass airport security.¡±


    Zachary instructed with his deep voice.


    ¡°Understood.¡± Bruce brought Marino and the others with him.


    Ben stood at the balcony and sent the convoy of the Lindberg family off. At the same time, he also saw


    Bruce''s car following behind.


    Lupine rolled the car windows open and poked her head out.


    Ben locked gaze with her, mixed feelings sparked in both their eyes.


    Eventually, it was Lupine who looked away.


    Ben sighed at the sight of the fleeting convoy. The atmosphere slumped into mncholy and deste.


    Following Charlotte''s departure, did it mean that his rtionship with Lupine ended as well?


    Ben turned his head back and looked at Zachary. He was sitting quietly on the sofa and taking a puff at


    the cigarette.


    ¡°You rarely smoke.¡± Ben passed him the ashtray.


    ¡°All of a sudden, I feel that I''m a failure...¡±


    Zachary hopelessly gazed at the puffs of smoke that engulfed him. Although he was able to achieve


    anything that he wanted, he failed miserably in his rtionship with his loved ones.


    Ben nervously replied, ¡°Mr. Nacht, don''t say that. In my view, you are akin to a god.¡±

 Chapter 1114

    Chapter 1114


    Zachary remained silent, taking quick puffs at his cigarette.


    ¡°It''s only two months.¡± Ben tried to console him. ¡°Two monthster, when everything has settled down,


    you can pick up the children. Perhaps Ms. Lindberg will return to your side as well.¡±


    Suddenly, a thought crossed Zachary''s mind. He looked up with his squinted eyes, surprisingly full of


    hope. ¡°That''s right, there''s still hope!¡±


    He would do all it takes to bring his family back together.


    ...


    The convey drove towards the direction of the airport.


    Charlotte was trying to calm Ellie down but to no avail. ¡°Ellie, Daddy will pick you up once you recover.


    Please stop crying, my good girl!¡±


    She reiterated the sentence again and again. Apart from that, she had no idea what to do...


    Subsequently, it was Robbie who managed to stop Ellie from crying. ¡°Ellie, if you continue crying, this


    will prolong your recovery and consequently the time needed for you to return home.¡±


    It worked like a charm.


    Ellie was shocked. She immediately stopped crying and wiped away her tears. ¡°I''ll stop crying. I want to


    recover and to go home as soon as possible!¡±


    ¡°Ellie, you''re such a good girl!¡± Charlotte helped her with the streaming tears.


    Jamie was grieving in silence. He didn''t dare to cry, nor to make a scene. That might affect Ellie, and


    break his mom''s heart.


    In actual fact, he didn''t want to be apart from his Mommy...


    However, when they arrived at the airport, they would inevitably be separated.


    Jamie leaped into Charlotte''s arm and now it was his turn to break down. ¡°Mommy, I''ll miss you...¡±


    Charlotte hugged him tightly and patted him on the back. ¡°Don''t worry about it, Jamie. We''ll meet again


    very soon. You''re a man now, be strong!¡±


    Jamie tried very hard, but he just couldn''t stop himself from crying.


    Robbie and Ellie followed suit.


    The three of them were crying their hearts out in the airport.


    That attracted arge crowd; their hearts ached at the scene.


    Charlotte tried to calm the children down. After her third attempt, she then released Jamie and held his


    face upwards. Wiping his tears away, she said chokingly,


    ¡°Jamie, please listen to your Daddy and take good care of yourself. If anything were to happen, don''t


    hesitate to give me a call. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Jamie nodded.


    ¡°Alright, follow Mr. Bruce back home. I''ll need to go in now.¡± Charlotte patted him on the head.


    ¡°Jamie.¡± Robbie came and hugged him. ¡°Remember what I said? Take good care of Daddy. If there''s


    anything, report to me at once.¡±


    ¡°I''ll remember that.¡± Jammie nodded. ¡°You must take good care of Mommy and Ellie too.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry about it.¡± Robbie wiped away his tears. However, his own tears were uncontrobly


    streaming down. ¡°It''s about time.¡±


    ¡°Jamie...¡± Ellie ran towards him and gave him a hug. ¡°Help me take care of Little Fifi.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Jamie nodded again. ¡°Ellie, take good care of yourself. Stop crying, alright?¡±


    ¡°Okay...¡± Ellie nodded despite still crying profusely.


    Charlotte gestured to Bruce. Then, she coldheartedly separated the duo from Jamie. At the same time,


    Bruce picked up Jamie and was prepared to leave.


    N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    ¡°Bruce,¡± Charlotte called out to him and passed him a document. ¡°Can I trouble you to pass this to


    Peter? Also, I''m counting on you to take care of Olivia.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry. Mr. Zachary has it covered.¡± Bruce retrieved the document.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Charlotte turned away and left.


    Bruce was staring in their direction until he lost sight of them. Only then did he brought Jamie back


    home.


    Jamie was wiping his tears away. He asked Bruce, ¡°Mr. Bruce, will I be an orphan without Mommy?¡±


    ¡°That''s not true. Daddy is looking for ways to bring you, Mommy, Robbie, and Ellie back from Erihal,¡±


    Bruce reassured him.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Jamie''s hope reignited.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Bruce was confident. ¡°Nothing is impossible for your Daddy. He will fulfill his promises!¡±

 Chapter 1115

    Chapter 1115


    The ne took off and left the familiar city.


    The ne took off and left the familiar city.


    Charlotte looked out the windows and stared nkly at the scenery. Countless memories flooded into


    her head, stirring up rippling waves of emotions.


    Every single one of those memories had Zachary in it.


    His face and silhouette were deeply imprinted in her mind.


    Perhaps if she were to lose her memories again, he would really be forgotten.


    With that thought, Charlotte smiled bitterly.


    Last time, she pretended not to care about Zachary. Now that she was really leaving, her true feelings


    could not be suppressed any longer.


    The truth was that she still loved him.


    However, the hatred that distended within her was beyond overwhelming. She couldn''t forgive him, nor


    could she do it on behalf of Mrs. Berry.


    Hence, it was time to put everything to an end.


    ...


    Zachary stood mindlessly in the airport and stared at the fleeting ne.


    Despite saying that he would not go to the airport, he showed up anyway. However, he hid in a corner,


    secretly sending them off.


    As the private jet of the Lindberg family took off and vanished from sight, Zachary fell into a state of


    devastation.


    She''s gone, really gone.


    Her determination was absolute.


    ¡°Daddy!¡±


    An innocent voice came from behind. After that, a chubby hand grabbed Zachary''s arm.


    Zachary looked towards him.


    Jamie looked up hopefully at him, ¡°Mr. Bruce said that you will get Mommy back, is that right?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Zachary replied. However, he wasn''t confident with his answer. Charlotte made up her mind and


    she would not be swayed easily.


    ¡°Do you love Mommy?¡± Jamie continued to ask.


    ¡°Of course I do,¡± Zachary answered without hesitation.


    ¡°Do you want to be with Mommy?¡± Jamie asked another question.


    ¡°Yes!¡± The images of the five of them living together as a family shed before him.


    That was the life that he wanted all along.


    ¡°That''s good.¡± Jamie nodded, appeased. He then gestured to Zachary. ¡°Daddy, let me tell you a secret.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Zachary crouched down and leaned towards Jamie.


    Jamie whispered in his ears. ¡°Robbie and I have a n. We are tackling the issue from various points.


    We will support Daddy''s n to get back with Mommy. With our assistance, you will seed for sure!


    When Ellie recovers, she will join us and this will be step three.¡±


    Zachary was touched. He tenderly rubbed his head and said, ¡°Thank you, Jamie!¡±


    This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    ¡°Robbie and Ellie too.¡± Jamie stared at him seriously.


    ¡°Yes, thanks to Robbie and Ellie too.¡± Zachary pinched his cheek dotingly.


    ¡°Daddy, it was you who said that we must be fearless and determined in pursuing our goals. You can


    do this!¡±


    Jamie clenched his small fists and encouraged Zachary.


    ¡°Yes, Daddy will bring Mommy back!¡±


    Zachary instantly had the confidence that he needed. He held Jamie high up in his arms and uttered


    confidently, ¡°Two monthster, we will bring Mommy, Robbie, and Ellie back from Erihal!¡±


    ¡°Yes, that''s great!¡± Jamie raised his hand and cheered happily.


    Zachary grinned at the sight of Jamie''s jubtion.


    When he was prepared to leave together with Jamie, there was sudden dizziness and his vision


    blurred.


    He instinctively supported himself by holding on to the wall.


    ¡°Daddy, what''s wrong?¡± Jamie did not notice anything unusual.


    ¡°Is there anyone suspicious?¡±


    Bruce thought that they might be in danger.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, are you not feeling well?¡±


    Only Ben noticed Zachary''s oddity.

 Chapter 1116

    Chapter 1116


    ¡°It''s alright,¡± Zachary brushed off their concerns.


    ¡°It''s alright,¡± Zachary brushed off their concerns.


    Swiftly, he shrugged off the difort and continued walking.


    By then, he was already starting to recover. Albeit having a blurred vision, he was able to manage by


    relying on his keen judgment.


    As he walked, his vision recovered gradually.


    He peered at the beautiful sky. Once again, he was reminded of his deteriorating health...


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, the car is here,¡± Ben reminded softly.


    ¡°Jamie, you head back first. I have some matters to attend to.¡± Zachary ushered Jamie into the car and


    instructed Bruce, ¡°Send Jamie back.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Bruce entered the car.


    ¡°Daddy, when are youing back?¡±


    Jamie was worried as Robbie and Ellie were not there with him anymore. He was terrified at the


    thought of being home alone.


    ¡°I''ll be back at night.¡± Zachary gently touched his face. ¡°Be a good boy. If you''re bored, Mr. Marion will


    train with you.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jamie nodded obediently.


    Zachary gestured at Marino, who started the engine and drove away.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, are you not feeling well?¡±


    Ben was observing Zachary.


    ¡°Leave me,¡± Zachary instructed everyone to leave but Ben. He instructed softly, ¡°Give Raina a call and


    arrange a full body checkup for me.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Ben immediately informed Raina.


    The two of them entered the car and headed towards Kindness Hospital.


    Ben was extremely worried about Zachary''s condition. Long ago, he had already noticed that


    something was off about Zachary. Nheless, when asked to do a checkup, Zachary''s questioned


    Raina''s capabilities as a doctor.


    He gave the example when Raina was oblivious that Charlotte was poisoned.


    Hence, the matter was dyed until now.


    However, the situation didn''t look well. The fact that Zachary ushered everyone away and took the


    initiative to undergo a medical checkup might indicate a serious problem.


    In an instant, they arrived at Kindness Hospital.


    Raina was waiting at the entrance. Upon their arrival, she raced towards them. ¡°What happened?¡±


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    ¡°Nothing. Just an ordinary checkup.¡± Ben was putting on a rxed front. ¡°Is everything ready?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Raina anxiously replied, ¡°I will personally handle the process. There will be two assistants


    helping me, but they are loyal and can keep a secret.¡±


    ¡°Great,¡± Zachary replied and stepped into the hospital.


    Raina quickly arranged a plethora of tests for Zachary and it went on untilte at night.


    Some of the reports were out, some might need another extra day.


    Raina went through the reports one by one with Zachary, ¡°All of your tests results came out normal. Mr.


    Nacht, you''re very healthy and it appears that there is nothing to worry about.¡±


    ¡°What about my eyes?¡± Zachary asked.


    ¡°Your vision is impable.¡± Raina was holding the report, ¡°Is your vision affected in any way? Or do


    you feel any sort of pain or difort?¡±


    Zachary retrieved the report from Raina. Indeed, she was right. However, Zachary was still not


    convinced. I understand if Raina''s capabilities are limited, but the machines should be able to detect


    the problem.


    ¡°What about the CT scan results of my brain?¡±


    Zachary quickly realized that the source of the problem might be in his brain. Perhaps there was some


    form of blockage on his nerves, which eventually interfered with his vision.


    ¡°That will need to wait until tomorrow,¡± Raina replied. ¡°If you are in a hurry, I can summon more people


    to work overtime.¡±


    ¡°That is not necessary.¡± Zachary put down the report. ¡°No one can know about this.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Raina nodded.


    ¡°Let me know when the results are out,¡± Zachary instructed.


    Then, he turned and left.


    ¡°Remember, keep this a secret.¡±


    Ben reminded Raina again before catching up to Zachary.


    Raina stared at their backs as they walked away. It''s a shame that Mr. Nacht is not around anymore. If


    something bad happens to Zachary, then the Nacht family is doomed...

 Chapter 1117

    Chapter 1117


    On the journey home, Ben pretended to be rxed and consoled Zachary, ¡°Didn''t Raina say that you''re


    in good health? Looks like it was just a scare.¡±


    With his head lowered, Zachary didn''t reply. Instead, he had a grim expression on his face.


    ¡°Where exactly do you feel the difort? Do you have a headache?¡± Ben was unsettled when he


    noticed Zachary''s expression. ¡°We should have gotten Dr. Felch to give you a check-up.¡±


    Zachary remained silent.


    Despite being worried, Ben didn''t dare enquire further.


    When they arrived home, Jamie was already asleep. Zachary came into his room and tucked him in.


    Then, he sat beside him and quietly watched.


    ¡°Robbie! Ellie!¡± Jamie mumbled in his sleep. ¡°Mommy...¡±


    Having just been separated, he had started to miss everyone else.


    As Zachary stroked Jamie''s head, a smile broke out on his face. He recalled how he confidently


    promised Jamie that he would bring Charlotte back and resolved to keep his word.


    Jamie is right. We must move forward fearlessly no matter what we do. No matter the obstacles, I must


    press on and bring Charlotte and the children home.


    If he turned out to be fine, it would be wonderful for the family to be reunited.


    However, if something were to happen to him, the Nacht family would need someone to take over as


    stalwarts of the family.


    With that thought in mind, Zachary felt reinvigorated.


    That night, he didn''t sleep well as he was waiting for Raina''s report.


    He suspected that there was likely something wrong with his brain.


    Just as expected, someone knocked anxiously on his door at nine in the morning.


    Zachary answered in a daze, ¡°Come in!¡±


    Ben rushed in. ¡°Mr. Nacht, the report is out.¡±


    Zachary opened his eyes abruptly and sprang to his feet. Throwing his jacket on, he instructed, ¡°Let her


    in.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Ben hurried to get Raina.


    Medical report in hand, Raina reported nervously, ¡°The CT scan shows that there''s something wrong


    with the nervous system in your brain. So far, it looks like a poison has permeated inside, causing the


    damage...¡±


    ¡°How did this happen?¡± Ben turned pale in shock.


    ¡°It was caused by poison?¡± Zachary was calm instead.


    ¡°Most likely so.¡± Raina''s expression was solemn. ¡°We''ll need a specialist to drill into the details. As I''m


    not a neurologist, I''m not qualified to make a definitive diagnosis.¡±


    ¡°Continue.¡± Zachary poured himself a ss of cold wine and sipped it calmly.


    ¡°This condition may impair the brain''s nervous system. From there, it may cause you to lose the


    functions controlled by the nervous system...¡±


    ¡°Such as my eyesight.¡± Zachary finally understood.


    ¡°How did this happen? Why is he poisoned all of a sudden?¡± Ben was exasperated. ¡°Can you find out


    what kind of poison it is?¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, I can''t,¡± Raina replied dejectedly. ¡°I''m a gynecologist and surgeon. Hence, this is not my


    area of expertise. As of now, we need to gather the required specialists to find a way to treat this.¡±


    ¡°What are you waiting for-¡±


    ¡°There''s no need for that.¡± Zachary waved his hand and calmly remarked, ¡°You''re dismissed.¡±


    Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht...¡±


    ¡°If the specialists werepetent, I wouldn''t need to painstakingly look for Dr. Felch to treat Ellie,¡±


    Zachary inly answered.


    ¡°In that case, we''ll head to Erihal to see Dr. Felch then,¡± Ben suggested at once. ¡°I''ll have the private jet


    prepared right away.¡±


    ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Zachary snapped in displeasure. ¡°Dr. Felch is treating Charlotte and Ellie now. If you


    bring him here, who is going to treat them?¡±


    ¡°But you...¡±


    ¡°It''s fine. We still have two months. When we go and pick them up, we''ll get Dr. Felch to return together


    with us,¡± Zachary exined calmly. ¡°I''ll just have to bear with it for two months.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, this is serious,¡± Raina remonstrated. ¡°If something happens to you, the Nacht Group will be


    finished.¡±


    ¡°That''s why this has to be kept a secret,¡± Zachary reminded.

 Chapter 1118

    Chapter 1118


    ¡°We will make sure it stays that way. However, it is urgent that you get yourself treated as there''s no


    way you can dy it,¡± Raina anxiously advised. ¡°If you don''t trust the doctors here, we can invite those


    from overseas-¡±


    ¡°Enough,¡± Zachary interrupted. ¡°That''s all for now.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht...¡±


    Just when Raina wanted to continue persuading, she held her tongue when she saw the look in Ben''s


    eye. With that, she lowered her head and left.


    Ben knew that once Zachary had made his decision, no one was able to change it.


    ¡°Can it be Cynthia?¡± Ben probed. ¡°When she was caught, she wasn''t remorseful at all. In fact, she tried


    to poison Ms. Lindberg. However, you managed to shield Ms. Lindberg at the crucial moment.¡±


    ¡°I suppose so.¡± Zachary had guessed the same. ¡°Back then, I was sshed with a little bit of poison on


    my face. I didn''t expect such a minute amount to be able to seep into my body.¡±


    ¡°What a terrifying woman,¡± Ben hissed through his teeth.


    Zachary remembered Cynthia''ssts words before she left.


    ¡°You really do love her. Unfortunately, you will never be together in this lifetime. Soon, you will join me


    in hell...¡±


    Back then, she had a vicious look on her face.


    However, Zachary didn''t notice it due to his overconfidence.


    He felt that he was invincible and couldn''t be hurt by a few drops of poison.


    ¡°I wonder if there''s an antidote. I''ll start looking right away.¡± Ben suddenly thought of a crucial detail.


    ¡°Freya, who is in prison right now, and Taylor might know something about this. I''ll go over to Cynthia''s


    lab to see if I can find anything.¡±


    ¡°A long time has passed since then. An antidote would be useless even if there was one,¡± Zachary


    replied inly. ¡°There''s no need to waste your time.¡±


    ¡°Nevertheless, we should give it a try still.¡± Ben was desperate. ¡°We can''t just sit here and do nothing.¡±


    With that, he hurriedly left.


    Sitting on the sofa, Zachary continued sipping his wine. Despite looking calm, his gaze gradually turned


    gloomy.


    At that moment, Jamie''s voice rang out. ¡°Daddy, are you awake? Let''s have breakfast together.¡±


    ¡°Wait for me downstairs. I''ll be down in ten minutes.¡±


    Zachary got up to shower and change. Looking at himself in the mirror, he was filled with mixed


    emotions.


    Although he looked as if there was nothing wrong, he was carrying a deadly sickness.


    Nevertheless, he reminded himself to bear with it.


    He couldn''t allow himself to fall as he still had lots of unfinished business.


    Holding that thought, he took a deep breath and washed his face with cold water. Aftering out of


    the bathroom, he got changed and pulled himself together before going to see Jamie.


    Jamie looked smart in his casual clothing and was feeding Little Fifi at the dining table.


    When he saw Zachary, he greeted, ¡°Daddy!¡±


    ¡°Good morning, Jamie.¡± Zachary tousled his hair. ¡°What are your ns for today?¡±


    ¡°Since I can''t go to school these few days, I''ll just have to work onbat training with Mr. Marino.¡±


    Jamie moved to sit beside Zachary and chatted casually. ¡°However, Mr. Marino has been in a bad


    mood recently and seems distracted.¡±


    Zachary shot Marino a nce.


    Marino quickly lowered his head as his face lost color.


    ¡°I''ll train with you today,¡± Zachary dered as he rolled up his sleeves. ¡°After that, we''ll y ser.¡±


    ¡°Really? That''s wonderful!¡± Jamie eximed in delight.


    ¡°Be good now and finish your breakfast.¡± Zachary poured a ss of milk for him. ¡°Drink more milk and


    you''ll grow tall and strong.¡±


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡± Jamie nodded repeatedly. ¡°I drink two sses every day. I''m sure I''ll be as tall as you


    are.¡±


    ¡°You should aim to be taller than me.¡± Zachary gave him a gentle look. ¡°Jamie, other than martial arts


    and sports, don''t you have any other interests?¡±


    ¡°I find nes and cars interesting too.¡± Jamie drank a mouthful of milk and suggested excitedly,


    ¡°Daddy, when I grow up, you must teach me how to drive a car and fly a ne.¡±

 Chapter 1119

    Chapter 1119


    ¡°All right,¡± Zachary readily agreed. ¡°What else?¡±


    ¡°That''s all.¡±


    Busy eating, Jamie didn''t realize that his father was watching him thoughtfully.


    Lowering his gaze, Zachary began to worry. Now that Robbie has gone to Erihal with Charlotte, who


    will take over thepany if something happens to me? Jamie is a wonderful kid, but he isn''t suited for


    the position.


    ¡°By the way...¡± As if he recalled something, Jamie enthusiastically dered, ¡°I like ying with Lego


    and treasure hunts. In the future, I intend to climb Mount Everest and discover uninhabitednds...¡±


    ¡°That''s wonderful. No matter what you like to do, I will always support you.¡± Zachary stroked his hair.


    ¡°However, you have to pick up more skills so that you can ensure the safety of your team.¡±


    ¡°Mmm-hmm. I''ve been reading adventure books recently.¡± Jamie nodded with a smile. Feeling


    unnerved, he asked, ¡°But Daddy, are you disappointed that I''m not as talented as Robbie?¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡± Putting down his cutlery, Zachary exined earnestly, ¡°Everyone has their own


    strengths and their own destiny. All you need to do is focus on doing what you enjoy.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Daddy!¡± Jamie was delighted by the encouragement.


    ¡°Daddy! Daddy!¡± Little Fifi yelled alongside him.


    When Zachary turned to look at her, he couldn''t help but think of Charlotte, Robbie, and Ellie. Then, he


    wondered how they doing...


    ¡°I wonder how Mommy and the other two are?¡±


    Jamie thought of them too.


    Coincidentally, Zachary''s phone rang. When he saw that it was Robbie on the line, he answered at


    once. ¡°Robbie!¡±


    ¡°Daddy, we have justnded.¡± Robbie''s voice rang out. ¡°Are you, Jamie, and Little Fifi doing all right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we''re good.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    Zachary put Robbie on speaker so that Jamie could hear him too.


    ¡°Robbie, I''m surprised at how quickly you have arrived. Is it cold there?¡± Leaning into the phone, Jamie


    asked anxiously, ¡°Did you wear the jacket Daddy prepared for you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I did,¡± Robbie replied calmly.


    ¡°Let me speak. Let me speak.¡± Ellie took over and spoke excitedly, ¡°Daddy, Jamie, it''s really cold here.


    Also, it''s snowing heavily and the view is gorgeous! This is the first time I have seen such heavy snow.


    They look like cotton balls and are falling non-stop. By the way, there''s a lot of people waiting outside to


    pick us up!¡±


    ¡°Was it Uncle Dan?¡± Jamie asked.


    ¡°It''s not Uncle Dan, it''s a man from F Nation.¡± It was a slip of tongue by Ellie.


    Upon hearing Ellie''s words, Zachary''s heart burned with jealousy. It seems Louis is meeting Charlotte


    at Xendale airport. What a desperate guy!


    ¡°It''s Sir Louis,¡± Robbie reported, ¡°his father is here too. Both of them have brought a group of


    subordinates and are waiting for us outside. Their private jetnded half an hour earlier than us. At the


    same time, Uncle Dan has also sent men over-¡±


    ¡°Wait a second.¡± Zachary asked at once, ¡°Robbie, did you say that Sir Louis'' father is there too?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I heard Mommy address him as Sir Robert,¡± Robbie replied softly. ¡°Daddy, we''re about to


    disembark from the ne. Both of you take care!¡±


    ¡°All right. Remember to stay safe and listen you your mom.¡±


    ¡°I know. Bye!¡±


    ¡°Robbie, call me on video once you get home,¡± Jamie yelled before the call ended.


    ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡± Robbie grunted before ending the call.


    Phone in hand, Zachary furrowed his eyebrows.


    It wasn''t such a big deal if Louis was with Charlotte at Xendale. However, if Robert was there with


    them, it meant that marriage discussions were about to begin.


    It must be Danrique''s idea. Or else, Robert wouldn''t appear without Charlotte''s permission. Is she


    really going to marry Louis?

 Chapter 1120

    Chapter 1120


    ¡°Daddy, what''s wrong?¡± Jamie was concerned when he saw Zachary''s expression. ¡°Are you worried


    about Robbie and Ellie? And also the fact that Mommy will marry someone else?¡±


    ¡°Both.¡± Zachary had no qualms about discussing such issues with his son. ¡°But don''t worry, I''ll think of


    a way to solve it.¡±


    ¡°You don''t have to worry too. Robbie already has a n,¡± Jamie remarked smugly. ¡°At the very least,


    Mommy won''t get married within two months.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Zachary''s face lit up. ¡°What n?¡±


    ¡°I''ll let Robbie tell you himself in the evening,¡± Jamie replied with a mysterious tone. ¡°After all, it''s not in


    ce yet. So, there''s no point in talking about it.¡±


    ¡°You cheeky rascal. How dare you keep me in suspense.¡± Zachary gently pped the top of his head.


    ¡°Hehe.¡±


    Meanwhile, in Xendale, Erihal.


    Due to the heavy snow, the entire city looked as if it was nketed with arge white sheet.


    Lupine instructed the maids to put on the tailored down jackets for Robbie and Ellie. The gear they


    wore included military boots for children.


    At the same time, Charlotte had put on a long white jacket and hat that kept her warm and snug


    underneath. With her non-slip military boots, she looked extremely domineering standing by the


    esctor.


    As she held the two children''s hand while going down the staircase, she was followed by Lupine,


    Morgan, and eighteen other female bodyguards.


    When the children saw what awaited them, they were filled with a sense of novelty and curiosity.


    Looking ahead with a steady expression, Robbie quickly caught Robert''s eye.


    Robert muttered softly to Louis, ¡°No wonder Mr. Lindberg likes the children. They have the air of kings.¡±


    ¡°The three of them are adorable and also special in their own way,¡± Louis replied with a chuckle before


    warmly greeting his guests in Chanaean, ¡°Charlotte, Robbie, Ellie!¡±


    ¡°Hi, Sir Louis.¡±


    The two children greeted Louis politely. After that, Robbie politely reminded, ¡°Sir Louis, we appreciate


    you waiting here for us. However, there is something I need to discuss with you.¡±


    ¡°Oh? What is it?¡±


    Louis was curious about what Robbie had to say. He even knelt down to Robbie''s height so that they


    could see each other at eye level.


    ¡°Only my parents call me that. Perhaps, you can be more formal next time.¡± Robbie spoke frankly.


    Louis was awkwardly stunned but quickly recovered hisposure and smiled. ¡°All right, I''ll keep that


    in mind.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me.¡± Robbie lowered his head with a bow to demonstrate his respect.


    ¡°It''s all right. I have overstepped my boundaries. You made the right decision being forthright about it.¡±


    Smiling, Louis reached out his hand. ¡°Let us shake hands then!¡±


    Robbie shook his hand with a smile. Although he hoped that Charlotte didn''t marry Louis, he didn''t


    dislike him at all. In fact, he felt Louis was a sincere and principled man.


    ¡°Let us shake too.¡±


    Ellie extended her hand and shook hands with Louis.


    Then, both of them smiled at each other.


    When Charlotte saw that the children didn''t resent Louis, a smile of relief broke out on her face. At least


    they can interact with each other without incident.


    Soon, she collected her thoughts and bowed at Robert respectfully. ¡°Sir Robert, sorry to have kept you


    waiting.¡±


    ¡°We happened to arrive earlier, that''s all.¡± Robert looked at her with a smile. ¡°You seemed to have lost


    weight. H City''s climate doesn''t agree with you. It seems Xendale is where you belong.¡±


    Behind the simplement was an implicit message.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Charlotte nodded cordially before calling for her children. ¡°Robbie, Ellie, greet Sir Robert.¡±


    ¡°Hello, Sir Robert,¡± Robbie and Ellie greeted politely.


    ¡°Hello to you too.¡± Robert looked at the children. ¡°They do have the air of the Lindbergs.¡±


    The moment he heard thement, Robbie shot a nce at Robert and furrowed his eyebrows in


    response.


    However, Ellie had a nk look on her face as she didn''t realize the meaning behind the words.


    ¡°Get in the car, Danrique is waiting for you at home.¡±


    ¡°All right, Sir Robert. After you.¡±

 Chapter 1121

    Chapter 1121


    As the convoy drove into a beautifulpound, they saw two castles located inside.


    One had a grim-looking architecture while the other had a romantic facade.


    When Ellie saw the romantic castle from afar, shemented excitedly, ¡°That is a beautiful castle. It


    looks exactly like the ones in fairytales.¡±


    ¡°That''s Mommy''s home. Hence, it''s also your home.¡± Charlotte looked at the children with a smile.


    ¡°Wow! That''s wonderful!¡± Ellie eximed in delight. ¡°I love this castle. It makes me so happy!¡±


    ¡°Does the other one belong to Uncle Dan?¡±


    When Robbie saw the grim-looking castle, he felt unnerved by it.


    Although Danrique was especially nice to him, his unpredictability still struck fear into Robbie''s heart.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Charlotte nodded. ¡°We will visit Uncle Dan first and have dinner at his ce before going home.¡±


    ¡°Boohoo... I''m scared.¡±


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    Ellie snuggled into Charlotte''s arms and buried her face in her chest. She didn''t dare look up.


    ¡°Don''t be afraid, Uncle Dan won''t harm you.¡± Charlotte gently patted Ellie on her back.


    ¡°Mommy''s here so don''t be scared. We''ll go home after dinner.¡± Robbie reassured his sister.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Ellie agreed reluctantly with a pout.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg,¡± Lupine reported. ¡°Shall I get Morgan to send Dr. Felch and the others back first?¡±


    ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡± Charlotte nodded. ¡°Dr. Felch doesn''t like to entertain, so take him back to rest first. Also,


    get Morgan to take good care of him.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Lupine nodded before giving Morgan a call.


    Morgan led another two cars back to Charlotte''s castle whereas Charlotte and Louis'' cars headed


    straight for Danrique''s castle.


    ¡°This ce is huge.¡± Snuggling inside Charlotte''s arms, Ellie looked out at the snowy scene curiously.


    ¡°Is Uncle Dan more amazing than Daddy?¡±


    ¡°They are more or less equals,¡± Charlotte replied with a grin. ¡°It''s just that theye from different


    backgrounds.¡±


    Although she didn''t borate, Robbie understood what she meant by background.


    ¡°Hoho, that means Daddy is just as amazing too!¡± Ellie nodded proudly.


    Tousling Ellie''s hair, Charlotte remarked in relief, ¡°I was worried that you would fall sick after the long


    flight. But given how energetic you are now, my mind is put at ease.¡±


    ¡°I''m feeling good...¡±


    Just as Ellie spoke, she saw the look in Robbie''s eyes. Then, she quickly held her chest and pretended


    to be in difort.


    ¡°Actually, my chest still hurts. I have difficulty breathing while my head is still woozy. But it doesn''t


    matter. It''s important that we meet Uncle Dan.¡±


    ¡°Ellie, are you not feeling well still? Let me take a look.¡±


    Charlotte grew anxious and put her hand to Ellie''s forehead to check her temperature.


    ¡°Your temperature is normal. I''m just worried that it may be something else. I should have sent you


    home along with Dr. Felch.¡±


    ¡°It''s okay, Mommy. I''m doing fine now. We can go hometer,¡± Ellie reassured her. ¡°Let''s see Uncle


    Dan first.¡±


    ¡°If we feel any difort, you have to let me know right away. I''ll get Lupine to send you back,¡±


    Charlotte instructed.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Nuzzling her head in Charlotte''s embrace, Ellie exchanged nces with Robbie.


    Robbie quickly collected his gaze and looked out into the night.


    After giving Robbie a thoughtful nce, Charlotte didn''t say a word other than adjusting his cor for


    him.


    Soon, the convoy arrived at Danrique''s castle.


    Tens of bodyguards lined up neatly in two rows to wee Charlotte and Robert.


    Just as Charlotte led the children out of the car, Danrique gradually walked towards them. He greeted


    Robert first before turning to Charlotte. ¡°You''re back!¡±


    ¡°Danrique!¡± Charlotte greeted with a smile. She then instructed the children, ¡°Robbie, Ellie, greet your


    uncle.¡±


    ¡°Uncle Dan!¡± both of them greeted obediently.

 Chapter 1122

    Chapter 1122


    Danrique looked at the children with mixed emotions before collecting himself. Smiling slightly, he


    replied, ¡°Wee!¡±


    After that, he gestured for everyone to enter.


    As Robert walked along with Danrique, both of them conversed in Ferropenian.


    Charlotte, who followed behind them with the children, could sense that Danrique was out of sorts. His


    face was pale while his strides were not as energetic as they used to be.


    Louis leaned over and whispered, ¡°Has Danrique not recovered from his wounds?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Charlotte was shocked. ¡°Is he injured?¡±


    ¡°Erm...¡± Louis'' face turned awkward. ¡°You didn''t know? Gosh, Imitted a slip of tongue.¡±


    Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Charlotte furrowed her eyebrows and wondered who it was that was capable of hurting Danrique.


    Moreover, he had not brought it up after so long.


    There''s definitely something suspicious about it.


    ¡°Since Danrique doesn''t want you to know, it''s better that you don''t ask.¡± Louis was anxious. ¡°At least


    don''t ask him in front of us. Or else, he will skin me alive.¡±


    Until now, Louis was terrified of Danrique after the lesson he was taught thest time.


    ¡°I know.¡± Charlotte rolled her eyes at him.


    When they arrived in the grand hall, the dining table was filled with scrumptious food.


    Danrique invited everyone to take their seats while Charlotte brought the children to the changing to


    remove their jackets and wash their hands before joining the rest.


    Danrique raised his ss to a toast and clinked it with Robert. After that, both of them finished their


    wine in one gulp.


    Then, Robert got Louis and Charlotte to toast Danrique together.


    While Louis toasted obediently, Charlotte was reluctant to do so as she understood what Robert was


    trying to imply. Nevertheless, sheplied respectfully.


    While Ellie ate obediently, Robbie was quietly observing what was going on.


    After a few sses of wine, Robert got straight to the point. ¡°Given how busy everyone is, we seldom


    get an opportunity to gather. Therefore, why don''t we decide on Louis and Charlotte''s engagement


    earlier? Based on Chanaean traditions, I, as the father of the groom, am here to ask for the bride''s


    hand in marriage on his behalf.¡±


    Although the Lindbergs had emigrated to Erihal decades ago, they still considered themselves


    Chanaean. Hence, all their customs and practices followed Chanaean customs.


    ¡°As her elder brother, I have tested Louis on behalf of Charlotte.¡± Swirling his winess, Danrique


    nced at Louis. ¡°Although Louis is easily contented, he has a kind heart and is sincere toward


    Charlotte. Therefore, I have no objections to the engagement.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Mr. Lindberg,¡± Louis replied in delight.


    Robert furrowed his eyebrows in displeasure. However, he quickly broke into a smile. ¡°Louis was


    appointed as a duke at a very young age which is rare within the royal family. It''s undeniable that his


    ambition couldn''t bepared to yours, but he still has a lot of opportunities ahead of him.¡±


    Smiling slightly, Danrique turned to Charlotte instead. ¡°I''ll leave the decision to Charlotte. Although I


    support it, I won''t force her.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Robert turned toward Charlotte. ¡°Charlotte, have you given it due consideration?¡±


    ¡°I don''t think it''s appropriate to discuss this in front of the children.¡± Charlotte was considerate of their


    feelings. ¡°Sir Robert, let''s talk about it in the studyter.¡±


    ¡°We''re speaking Ferropenian. They won''t understand.¡± Robert chuckled.


    ¡°Mommy, this steak is delicious,¡± Robbie blurted in Ferropenian and even cut Charlotte a piece.


    Robert was utterly stunned.


    ¡°Uncle Dan, is your chef a Chanaean? He has managed to blend Chanaean vors with the local food,¡±


    Robbie remarked to Danrique in Erihalean.


    Further shocked, Robert asked in disbelief, ¡°This child knows Ferropenian and Erihalean? Is he truly


    just six years old?¡±

 Chapter 1123

    Chapter 1123


    ¡°Robbie knows fivenguages,¡± Charlotte exined with a smile. ¡°He speaks Erihalean and


    Ferropenian better than I do.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Robert was stunned.


    ¡°It''s all right. The child''s intelligence and emotional maturity is at the level of adults,¡± Danrique inly


    exined. ¡°He knows what we''re talking about.¡±


    Robert scratched his nose awkwardly.


    ¡°You have a good eye.¡± Danrique looked at Robbie in admiration. ¡°The chef is indeed Chanaean.¡±


    ¡°Mmm-hmm. He''s really good.¡± Robbie nodded in praise.


    ¡°Feel free toe for dinner whenever you like.¡±


    Danrique adored Robbie and always spoke to him in a gentle tone.


    ¡°Sure. Thanks, Uncle Dan.¡± Robbie smiled before continuing with his meal.


    ¡°Robbie, what are you talking about?¡±


    Ellie looked at Robbie curiously as she didn''t understand what they were saying.


    ¡°We''re talking about dinner...¡± Robbie filled Ellie in while speaking Chanaean.


    When Danrique finished the wine in his ss, he turned to Charlotte. ¡°I have something on at night. Is it


    all right with you to just give them an answer?¡±


    Charlotte stopped slicing her steak halfway as she knitted her eyebrows. Although she was reluctant to


    agree to it, she didn''t dare reject the proposal in front of everyone.


    It would not only humiliate Robert, but also Danrique.


    After all, Danrique was the one who invited them over.


    Although he had stated that he wouldn''t force Charlotte, his support for the marriage couldn''t be any


    more obvious.


    ¡°There''s no hurry at all.¡± Sensing Charlotte''s awkwardness, Louis helped her diffuse the situation. ¡°Mr.


    Lindberg, if you are busy, we can talk about this tomorrow. After all, Dad and I will be staying a few


    days and won''t be leaving so soon.¡±


    When Robert gave Louis a look to signal him to stop talking, Louis pretended not to see it.


    Robert was infuriated. It was obvious Danrique was putting pressure on Charlotte to be decisive.


    However, once Louis interjected, they had lost the initiative.


    ¡°Why don''t we go to the study now.¡± Charlotte put down her cutlery and asserted, ¡°Given how important


    the matter is, I think it deserves proper discussion.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Robert nodded in agreement before asking for Danrique''s opinion. ¡°Danrique, what do you


    think?¡±


    ¡°All right then.¡± Danrique put down his wine ss and signaled with his hand. The next moment, Sean


    came forward and guided everyone to the study.


    ¡°Robbie, Ellie, both of you continue with dinner. I''ll be back in a while.¡± Charlotte tousled both their


    heads. ¡°Stay here and behave!¡±


    ¡°All right, Mommy.¡± Ellie nodded obediently.


    ¡°Go on, Mommy.¡±


    Robbie didn''t say anything further as he continued to eat.


    It wasn''t until they left that a glint shed in his eye.


    Ellie leaned over and asked. ¡°Robbie, now?¡±


    ¡°Shh...¡± Robbie shushed her with his eyebrows furrowed. He whispered, ¡°Ellie, stop asking. Also, you''re


    making it too obvious. The game is about acting. So, you have to behave naturally, all right?¡±


    ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡± Ellie nodded and asked, ¡°In that case, what should I do?¡±


    Just as she spoke, she covered her mouth and blushed.


    After checking the surroundings, Robbie handed Ellie a white glucose tablet.


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    Ellie put it into her mouth and chewed. She evenmented with a giggle, ¡°It''s really sweet and


    delicious.¡±


    ¡°From now on, watch what you say.¡± Robbie passed her doll to her.


    Ellie sat on the chair and yed with it with an innocent expression.


    Robbie continued to slice the steak but had lost all appetite by then.


    The thought of Charlotte marrying someone else and breaking the family apart caused him to feel


    desperate.

 Chapter 1124

    Chapter 1124


    Squinting his eyes, Robbie stared at his watch. He was gauging the time it took for the adults in the


    study to reach the topic at hand.


    He had to give Charlotte some time.


    Inside the study, the four of them sat down and sipped wine.


    Charlotte spoke frankly, ¡°Sir Robert, I appreciate the concern you have shown me. It is my honor to


    have youe all the way to Xendale to see me. It''s just that...¡±


    Charlotte looked toward Louis before shifting her gaze to Danrique.


    ¡°Say what''s on your mind.¡± Danrique furrowed his eyebrows.


    ¡°I think it''s too much of a rush now, why don''t we wait for some time-¡±


    ¡°Charlotte, it has dragged on for a year.¡±


    Robert interrupted Charlotte and remarked in displeasure, ¡°Louis has courted you for two years, from


    Xendale to H City and back. However, you have always been ambiguous. Now that I have officially


    come to ask for your hand on his behalf, I''d appreciate a direct answer.¡±


    Charlotte knitted her eyebrows in silence.


    ¡°Your brother supports the idea while our family is willing to ept your children. What else is there to


    consider?¡± Robert pressed on. ¡°Don''t tell me you''re still thinking of Zachary?¡±


    ¡°No, I''m not,¡± Charlotte answered at once. ¡°He and I have nothing to do with each other. The reason I


    want to dy the decision is mainly because of the children. They have just left the Nacht residence


    and are being thrust into an entirely different life. Given that they are still adjusting, any talk of marriage


    will only unsettle them further.¡±


    ¡°It''s not going to be a problem,¡± Robert replied at once. ¡°Your children are extremely smart and


    sensible. I believe they will understand. If they are indeed unnerved by it, we can hire psychologists to


    counsel them.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°I have even brought the dowry with me.¡± Robert continued to pile on the pressure. ¡°I have also


    prepared everything based on Chanean traditions. All that''s left now is your agreement.¡±


    After taking a sip of coffee, he added, ¡°Before I arrived, I had already discussed it with your brother and


    he isn''t opposed to it. Isn''t that so, Danrique?¡±


    ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡± Danrique nodded slightly.


    Lowering her gaze, Charlotte felt conflicted. Her brain was telling her to ept but her heart was


    resisting.


    ¡°Dad, stop forcing Charlotte.¡± When Louis saw how torn Charlotte was, he came to her rescue. ¡°Let''s


    not hurry and give her time to think about it.¡±


    ¡°Shut up,¡± Robert snapped.


    Lowering his head, Louis didn''t dare utter another word.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    Robert had lost his patience. ¡°Charlotte, I''ll be frank with you. There are many who are dying to have a


    marriage alliance with us. Your uncle has met me many times in Pillere. When he found out I was


    coming to Xendale, he called me repeatedly to vouch for his daughter. If you refuse, we''ll have to


    consider them.¡±


    ¡°Which uncle?¡± It took Charlotte a while to remember. Tilting her head, she asked Danrique, ¡°Is it


    Donald Lindberg?¡±


    Danrique didn''t respond to Charlotte. Instead, he snapped, ¡°Sir Robert, I''m aware that Donald is trying


    to get you on his side. I''m also cognizant that once both of you seal a marriage alliance, you will


    be a threat to me. However, there''s no need to use this to threaten Charlotte.


    ¡°If she does marry Louis, it will only be because she appreciates his honesty and the fact he is good to


    her, definitely not over family interest or politics. I will never let my cousin sacrifice her happiness for


    whatever reason and definitely not tolerate her being threatened!¡±


    Charlotte was moved by his words.


    Danrique had said the same thing to her before but now, the meaning was on a whole different level.


    She had always assumed that Danrique wanted her to marry Louis for political reasons so that he


    could strengthen his position. But now, he had called out Robert in his attempt to protect her.


    To her, it demonstrated that her happiness was more important to him than the family''s interests.

 Chapter 1125

    Chapter 1125


    Cognizant that Danrique was upset, Robert changed his tact. ¡°Danrique, don''t misunderstand. I did not


    intend to threaten at all. I just want to convey that Donald''s daughter likes Louis very much and has


    pursued him for years.


    Of course, Louis doesn''t like her and we don''t intend to coborate with Donald. There''s no way I


    would consider his proposal as he is nothingpared to you. It''s just that I am desperate for an


    answer from Charlotte and hope that she doesn''t continue to string us along.¡±


    ¡°You have a point.¡± Danrique frowned at Charlotte. ¡°Regardless of whether you agree or not, you owe


    them an answer. So stop dragging your feet!¡±


    ¡°I...¡± Just when Charlotte was about to reply, an anxious knock was heard on the door.


    As the servant by the door opened it, Lupine''s voice rang out. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, we have a problem. Ms.


    Elisa has thrown up again.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Turning pale, Charlotte dashed out.


    ¡°Charlotte, calm down. I brought a doctor with me.¡± Louis followed her out.


    ¡°It seems we won''t be getting an answer tonight,¡± Danrique remarked cordially. ¡°Sir Robert, you must


    be tired from your long journey. Why don''t you retire to the guest room first? In the meantime, I''ll make


    sure Charlotte gives you an answer within three days.¡±


    ¡°All right then.¡± Robert frowned. Despite the displeasure in his eyes, he didn''t darein.


    ¡°Take Sir Robert to his room.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    By the time Charlotte rushed out, she saw Ellie lying on the sofa. She was puking into the garbage can


    non-stop while her face had lost all color.


    Robbie was beside her, patting her back tofort her.


    At the same time, a few female subordinates were standing by the side, not knowing what to do.


    ¡°Ellie!¡± Charlotte quickly picked her up. ¡°What''s going on? Weren''t you doing fine a while ago?¡±


    This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    ¡°Perhaps she is suffering from jetg and isn''t used to the ce yet,¡± Louisforted. ¡°Don''t worry, I''ll


    get my doctor to give her a check-up immediately.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine. I brought Dr. Felch with me.¡± Charlotte picked up Ellie and headed out at once. ¡°Let''s go back


    and see Dr. Felch.¡±


    ¡°Right away.¡± Lupine arranged for their ride at once.


    Just as they hurriedly left, Louis was about to follow until Robert called out to him, ¡°Stop!¡±


    ¡°Dad, Charlotte is...¡±


    ¡°Do you know why Charlotte doesn''t like you?¡± Robert admonished. ¡°It''s because you behave too


    submissively as if you''re a sycophant.¡±


    ¡°How can you say that?¡± Pouting, Louis was upset. ¡°Since when being sincere is seen as being


    sycophantic?¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡± Robert had lost all hope in him. ¡°Now go back upstairs.¡±


    Louis had no choice but toply with his head lowered.


    At that moment, Danrique came out from the study and instructed his servants to take Louis to the


    guest room. Without any dy, he too walked out.


    After cing Ellie in the car, Charlotte turned around and said, ¡°Danrique, I''m taking the children back


    first.¡±


    ¡°All right, take care,¡± Danrique replied before shifting his attention towards Robbie.


    Robbie lowered his gaze and remained calm.


    After Lupine helped him into the car, he casually nced at Danrique and even took his leave cordially.


    ¡°Bye, Uncle Dan.¡±


    Danrique nodded slightly in acknowledgment. After that, a devilish smile emerged on his face.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, do we need to send a doctor over?¡± Sean asked with his brows furrowed.


    ¡°There''s no such need,¡± Danrique inly replied. ¡°Didn''t you notice how calm the child was?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Sean was stunned before it dawned upon him. ¡°Are you saying the kids...¡±


    ¡°He is really crafty at such a young age.¡± Danrique returned to the house. ¡°That child holds great


    potential.¡±


    Meanwhile, Charlotte hurried into the car and led her entourage back to her castle. Hayley and Sam


    were already waiting at the door. Dr. Felch was afraid of the cold, so he was already inside the castle''s


    clinic.


    ¡°Hurry.¡± Charlotte ran into the clinic with Ellie in her arms.


    After giving her a check-up, Dr. Felch asked, ¡°What did she eat during dinner?¡±


    ¡°Probably steak, cheese, fruits, cake...¡±

 Chapter 1126

    Chapter 1126


    As Lupine reported what Ellie ate, she added, ¡°I was watching her the whole time and didn''t allow her


    to eat anything she wasn''t supposed to.¡±


    ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡± After ncing at Ellie, Dr. Felch instructed, ¡°Leave us.¡±


    This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    ¡°But...¡± Lupine looked at Charlotte.


    ¡°Go.¡± Charlotte waved.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Lupine and two other subordinates left with their heads hung low.


    ¡°You too,¡± Dr. Felch insisted to Charlotte.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Charlotte was caught by surprise. Usually, she could stay around unless it was an emergency.


    Is Ellie''s condition really that serious?


    ¡°Don''t worry, it''s no big deal.¡± Dr. Felch understood her concerns. ¡°I just want to speak to the children in


    private.¡±


    Robbie was stunned. Crap, Dr. Felch knows.


    After giving Robbie a thoughtful look, Charlotte got up and left.


    While applying some ointment on Ellie''s tummy, he asked Hayley to prepare some medication.


    Then he casually remarked, ¡°The glucose tablet won''t trigger any side effects in Ellie. Nevertheless,


    she hasn''t fully recovered and will still feel significant difort. No matter the reason, you shouldn''t


    have fooled around with her health.¡±


    Robbie lowered his head in shame after hearing those words.


    Holding her aching stomach, Ellie exined anxiously, ¡°Dr. Felch, I ate it of my own volition. It has


    nothing to do with Robbie.¡±


    ¡°Next time, you''re not allowed to steal from my medical kit,¡± Dr. Felch reminded the children.


    ¡°I''m sorry, Dr. Felch.¡± Robbie exined softly, ¡°However, I didn''t steal it from you. Hayley had given the


    tablet to me when I was experiencing stomach difort. However, I kept it instead of eating it.¡±


    Dr. Felch turned toward Hayley.


    ¡°It''s true.¡± Hayley nodded.


    ¡°Hayley gave it to you because you''re healthy and won''t have any problems consuming it. However, the


    same can''t be said of Ellie.¡± Dr. Felch reminded solemnly, ¡°The results between someone healthy and


    someone sick consuming the tablet can vary greatly. Next time, don''t pull such a stunt anymore.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I understand.¡± Feeling remorseful, Robbie asked anxiously, ¡°Dr. Felch, is Ellie fine now? I


    assumed that she would only have a tummy ache and didn''t expect such a drastic reaction.¡±


    ¡°It''s not a big problem, but she still needs to take some medication.¡± Dr. Felch frown and concluded,


    ¡°That''s all now. You can go. I figure your mommy is waiting for an exnation from you.¡±


    ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡± Robbie nodded before giving Ellie a guilty look. ¡°I''m sorry, Ellie.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry, Robbie. I''ll recover in no time-¡± Barf!


    Before she could finish, Ellie retched again.


    ¡°Ellie, here. Drink some water.¡± Hayley helped Ellie up and fed her some water.


    ¡°Go on now.¡± Dr. Felch tousled Robbie''s hair.


    When Robbie left the clinic, Charlotte was waiting on the sofa with a gloomy expression. She stared at


    him with mixed feelings. ¡°Come to my study.¡±


    Lowering his head, Robbie followed her to the study on the first floor.


    Despite it being referred to as a study, it was more like a library. The ceiling inside had been raised to


    amodate multi-story tall bookshelves. The grand mahogany bookshelves were a sight to behold


    and brought a touch of ssical finesse to the room.


    Even the vase by the corner was a rare antique. The study''s atmosphere was so peaceful that it would


    help anyone who entered quieten their heart.


    Robbie scrutinized the study until Charlotte''s voice jolted him back to his senses.


    ¡°Come over here.¡± Sitting at her desk, Charlotte frowned at Robbie.


    Robbie walked over with his head hung low, not daring to utter a single word.


    ¡°Do you want to confess before I question you?¡±


    It was rare for Charlotte to take such a stern stand against the children. However, she was furious


    given the severity of the situation.

 Chapter 1127

    Chapter 1127


    Robbie remained silent. All this while, he had been the smartest and most sensible among the three


    children.


    He did very well in both school and life. Therefore, his parents had never reprimanded him before.


    Hence, this was his first time.


    ¡°Did you give Ellie something to cause her to vomit?¡± Charlotte questioned.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Robbie nodded honestly.


    ¡°Where did you get the drug?¡± Charlotte continued.


    ¡°I had a tummy ache a few days ago and Hayley gave it to me to cure my indigestion. However, instead


    of taking it, I kept it,¡± Robbie confessed.


    ¡°Why did you give it to Ellie today?¡±


    Charlotte''s tone had gradually grown solemn.


    This time, Robbie continue to keep mum with his head hung low.


    ¡°Speak,¡± Charlotte snapped.


    Robbie shuddered in fear but didn''t say a word still.


    Despite her anger, Charlotte restrained herself from losing her temper on the children.


    ¡°Is it because you don''t want me and Louis to get married?¡± Charlotte probed. ¡°Is that the reason?¡±


    ¡°It is.¡± Robbie exined while looking at the floor, ¡°Not just me. Jamie and Ellie feel the same way too.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Charlotte furrowed her eyebrows.


    ¡°If you like Sir Louis, we won''t stop you. But you don''t,¡± Robbie answered candidly.


    ¡°I''m not sure if you can''t bring yourself to turn Sir Louis down or you''re just running away from Daddy.


    Regardless of the reason, you can''t marry someone you don''t like!¡±


    Charlotte was touched by his words. She had always assumed the children had blindly supported


    Zachary. But now, she realized that they were considering it from her perspective.


    ¡°It was my mistake to have given Ellie the tablet.¡± Robbie continued, ¡°Dr. Felch had already


    reprimanded me for it and told me about the gravity of the situation. Hence, I will not repeat my


    mistake.


    ¡°However, Mommy, I hope you will give the marriage serious consideration. You''re no longer in a


    position where you are helpless to fend for yourself. Instead, you have the power to decide now.


    Hence, there''s no need for you to sacrifice yourself.¡±


    Robbie''s words caused Charlotte to be stumped.


    Instead of her lecturing Robbie, it ended up the other way around.


    ¡°Mommy, are you still angry with me?¡± Robbie gave her a worried look.


    As Charlotte reached out her hand, Robbie warily walked closer. She pulled him into her embrace and


    said remorsefully, ¡°Even if I''m angry, it would be at myself. I have ced such a burden on you despite


    your young age.¡±


    ¡°Mommy, don''t think that way,¡± Robbie muttered softly. ¡°I would love to experience the life of an


    innocent child. But, I can''t control my thoughts. On the bright side, I''ll just mature ahead of time.¡±


    This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    ¡°You foolish child.¡± Charlotte hugged him tightly. ¡°The world of adults is moreplicated than you


    think. Next time, you shouldn''t interfere in such matters. You have to trust me that whatever my


    decision I make, I will have given it proper consideration.¡±


    ¡°Mommy, in that case, will you still marry Sir Louis?¡± Robbie couldn''t understand.


    ¡°I''m still undecided.¡± Holding his face, Charlotte gently persuaded, ¡°However, you have to trust me, all


    right?¡±


    Robbie still couldn''t figure out what was going through Charlotte''s mind. From his perspective, the


    answer was clear. However, when he looked into Charlotte''s eyes and heard the word ¡°trust¡±, he finally


    nodded. ¡°Mmm-hmm!¡±


    ¡°Good boy!¡± Charlotte was relieved. ¡°Go and rest now. I''m going to see Uncle Dan.¡±


    ¡°It''s already sote. Do you really need to?¡± Robbie was unsettled.


    ¡°I need to discuss certain things with him in private.¡± Charlotte gently rubbed his back. ¡°Go now.¡±


    When Robbie left, Charlotte''s gaze darkened as she watched his silhouette go.

 Chapter 1128

    Chapter 1128


    If she had a choice, she would choose to stay single and raise the children herself, living a peaceful


    life.


    However, she noticed that circumstances have changed.


    Danrique, who was supposed to be invincible, had gotten himself wounded.


    No wonder he didn''te to H City despite all the chaos that happened. He is facing trouble of his


    own. He doesn''t want to talk about it because he doesn''t want me to worry.


    The more she thought about it, the more unnerved she became. Together with Morgan and another two


    bodyguards, she went to see Danrique.


    Although it had stopped snowing, it was still freezing cold outside.


    As the Lindberg jeeps drove through the heavy snow, they arrived at Danrique''s castle in no time.


    The lights in the castle had been turned off while the guests were already resting. Only the night


    sentries were on patrol.


    The moment Charlotte alighted, the bodyguards hurried up to her. However, she signaled for them to


    back off as she wanted to see Danrique discreetly.


    Charlotte hurried up to the study on the second floor as she knew that Danrique would be there at that


    hour.


    The guard at the door bowed to greet her. Just when he wanted to announce her presence, she


    stopped him and gently pushed open the door.


    However, Charlotte was stunned by the sight that greeted her.


    Danrique was lying on the sofa with his back facing her. On his muscr back, was a long open wound


    that exposed his flesh. It was a frightening sight indeed.


    The doctor was there to dress his wound. Every movement caused his muscles to tremble. However,


    he never made a sound, as if it didn''t hurt at all.


    ¡°Danrique!¡± Charlotte rushed in anxiously.


    Danrique snapped in displeasure, ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    Sean quickly ordered the door to be closed before asking, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, why didn''t you let us know in


    advance that you wereing?¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± Charlotte asked with concern. ¡°How did you get yourself hurt? Who did it?¡±


    ¡°It''s a long story...¡± Sean didn''t know where to begin. ¡°However, don''t you worry. The wound is about to


    heal.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean ''heal''? Isn''t it obvious it''s still bleeding?¡± Charlotte was outraged. ¡°Who is capable


    enough of hurting Danrique?¡±


    ¡°Out, all of you.¡± Danrique ordered in a low voice.


    N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, I''m not done dressing your wound yet,¡± the doctor highlighted warily.


    Danrique shot him a re.


    Taking a bow, the doctor left in panic.


    After sending everyone else out, Sean stood guard by the door.


    Danrique put his shirt back on and buttoned it one by one. Then, he turned around slowly. ¡°What''s so


    urgent?¡±


    ¡°We need to talk.¡± Charlotte knitted her eyebrows at him.


    ¡°Ten minutes.¡±


    Raising a cup of coffee, Danrique took a sip without even looking up.


    He had always been a decisive person and never liked to be wishy-washy.


    Every minute was precious to him. Hence, he hated it when his time was wasted.


    ¡°Did something happen?¡± Charlotte pressed on anxiously. ¡°Can you tell me about it?¡±


    ¡°Whatever it is, I''ll deal with it,¡± Danrique inly replied. ¡°All you need to do is to live your life.¡±


    ¡°But-¡±


    Danrique was in no mood to discuss it with her. In fact, he snapped, ¡°It''s pointless for you to insist on


    talking about this.¡±


    ¡°Given how indecisive you are, it''s hard for you to amount to anything. And now, you intend on worrying


    about something that has nothing to do with you? Don''t you know where to draw the line by now?¡±


    ¡°I know-¡±


    ¡°You don''t.¡± Danrique cut her off and admonished her, ¡°If you did, you wouldn''t have brought the


    children back nor rejected the Laurent family''s marriage proposal.¡±


    ¡°But Danrique, those children are mine. I cannot abandon them.¡±


    Charlotte would neverpromise when it came to the children.


    ¡°Although Zachary is a scum, he is still a responsible father. If they had stayed with him, they would


    inherit the Nacht Group and have a secure future.¡±

 Chapter 1129

    Chapter 1129


    ¡°However, it''s fine if you insist on bringing them back here with you. After all, they are your children and


    also rted to me by blood. I would never mistreat them.


    ¡°However, by bringing two back and leaving one with the Nacht family, you will not be able to sever


    your rtionship with them.


    ¡°In the future when hees to Erihal to see the children, you will not be able to refuse the children''s


    request. With that, your ambiguous involvement with him will continue.¡±


    ¡°No, there''s no way both of us will get back together,¡± Charlotte asserted at once. ¡°We have both


    agreed that he wille and pick Ellie up two monthster. After that, I''ll never see him again.


    ¡°Going forward, only Robbie will remain by my side. If he wants to see Zachary, I''ll have my


    subordinates escort him there.¡±


    ¡°Can you really do it?¡± Danrique sneered, ¡°If you had the resolve, you would have blown his brains out


    when he pointed his gun at your head!¡±


    Charlotte was stunned by his words. She knew nothing could escape Danrique''s eyes. Not even the


    most minute of details.


    ¡°Zara was utterly evil while Henry was biased toward you beyond reason. They had discriminated


    against and harmed you all the time. Moreover, they even locked you up with chains. If you had any


    pride, you would have killed Henry on the spot. But in the end, what did you do? You did nothing at all!¡±


    Gritting his teeth, Danrique became angrier the more he talked about it.


    ¡°Furthermore, Zachary is just as heartless as them. He even pointed a gun at you to save that useless


    old man! Back then, you were bullied because you didn''t have the ability to protect yourself. But now


    that you''re a Lindberg and in particr, my cousin, why do you still tolerate their crap? You''re made of


    flesh and blood. Don''t you feel any pain?


    ¡°You even brought the children to see Henry at the hospital and ate at the same table as Zachary did. It


    was as if you were reluctant to leave him. If I hadn''t forced you to return, did you even n oning


    back?


    ¡°Were you moved just because he cooked a meal for you? Or was it because he was just a little nicer


    to the children? Have you forgotten how he exiled you to T Nation and separated you from them? What


    about when he pointed a gun at your head?¡±


    Rendered speechless by his words, Charlotte hung her head in shame.


    It was true that the Nacht family and Zachary had treated her terribly.


    She had never forgotten her hatred for them, it was just that the children were the reason why she


    never took revenge.


    All she could do was to sever ties with them.


    Even then, Danrique felt that she was both a coward and ipetent.


    This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    After all, feelings were meaningless to him, let alone love and friendship.


    He had no friends and had never fallen in love. All those things were just impediments to his life.


    Everything he did was measured based on profit and power. All that mattered was expanding the


    Lindberg family''s influence.


    Of course, there were times where he was stubborn and did things ording to his mood.


    However, those were things that he did willingly and made him happy.


    He had never owed anyone anything and never wanted anyone to owe him too.


    Therefore, he was unable to understand Charlotte''splex rtionship with Zachary.


    If he was in her situation, he would have killed all those that betrayed him.


    ¡°I''m sorry, Danrique.¡±


    Charlotte felt that she had failed him despite his efforts to groom her.


    ¡°If you don''t want to get married, I won''t force you. You and the children can stay with the Lindberg


    family for as long as you like.


    ¡°By the time you feel like getting married, there will be plenty of eligible men for you to choose from.


    Their backgrounds and achievements don''t matter as long as they are good men and treat you right.


    ¡°However, you can never maintain ties with Zachary. From the day I brought you home, you should


    have seared the hatred you have for him into your heart.


    ¡°I don''t care what your reason is for not killing him. It might be because of the kids, or perhaps more


    than that. But, if you still keep in touch with him, you will have to leave the Lindberg family because I


    won''t tolerate having such a useless cousin!¡±

 Chapter 1130

    Chapter 1130


    The room was suddenly filled with tension.


    This was the first time Danrique red his temper at Charlotte.


    All this while, he had only corrected her whenever she made a mistake.


    Even in H City, he would make short criticisms of her.


    In fact, he had never had so much to say in thest twenty years.


    He was one to do things decisively.


    If it was anyone else, he would have cast them aside a long time ago.


    Only Charlotte had managed to challenge his threshold which he had long tolerated.


    However, he was furious when he realized that she was being indecisive.


    Therefore, he put his foot down and gave her a final warning.


    ¡°The only reason I allowed you to bring the children back to the Lindberg residence is on the ount of


    Aunt Isabe.¡± Danrique added, ¡°Or else, given how ipetent you are, I would have kicked you out


    long ago even if you''re my own sister.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry...¡±


    Other than those three words, Charlotte didn''t know what else to say.


    ¡°I''ll give you three days'' time to consider your answer to the Laurent family,¡± Danrique ordered in an


    intimidating manner. ¡°Do you hear me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I did.¡± Charlotte nodded.


    Collecting his gaze, Danrique dismissed her with a wave.


    With than Sean escorted her out.


    As they walked down the spiral staircase, Sean muttered softly, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, actually, Mr. Lindberg''s


    actions have your best interests at heart.¡±


    ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡± Charlotte nodded dejectedly. ¡°I know. He has tried to find me-¡±


    ¡°Not just that.¡± Sean looked behind him before leaning over. ¡°He wants you to marry Sir Louis because


    Lindberg Corporation is in a crisis. He is worried that you will be dragged along with it...¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Charlotte was stunned. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Shh...¡± Sean raised his finger to his lips to signal her not to alert the others.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Lowering her voice, Charlotte inquired further.


    ¡°There are some matters you are better off not knowing.¡± Sean furrowed his eyebrows and exined,


    ¡°All this while, Mr. Lindberg has kept you away from the politics of thepany and family because he


    doesn''t want you to be embroiled in it.


    ¡°Over thest two years, he has sent you to manage the businesses overseas and even opened the


    doors to F Nation''s market for you. Even if the project at H City''s South Sea fails, the Gymnasium


    Project at F Nation can still continue smoothly.


    ¡°If you and Sir Louis get married, that would be for the best. You will have a home, and he will not have


    to worry anymore. However, if you''re unwilling to do so, he will still have a backup n for you.


    ¡°He is cold and heartless to everyone else other than you, whom he treats as his own sister. Therefore,


    please don''t disappoint him...¡±


    Charlotte was overwhelmed with emotions when she heard those words. She had always assumed


    Danrique to be cold and unpredictable. All she felt for him was fear and respect, and never the familial


    feelings siblings were supposed to have.


    But now, she knew that Danrique had done a lot for her without her knowledge.


    C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    ¡°There''s one more thing you need to know,¡± Sean reminded. ¡°Mr. Lindberg hates Zachary to the core.


    The next time he sees him, he might even kill him. Therefore, it''s best that you don''t allow him to show


    up in Erihal. Or else, the consequences will be dire.¡±


    ¡°I understand. Thank you for the advice.¡± Charlotte was grateful. ¡°With regards to Danrique''s


    problems...¡±


    ¡°If he doesn''t want to involve you, you had better stay out of it.¡± Sean was firm. ¡°Anyway, it''s not like


    you can do anything about it. So, you''re better off minding your own matters.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Charlotte nodded helplessly before leaving.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg,¡± Sean called out to her sternly.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Stopping in her tracks, she turned around.


    ¡°Do you know that the day Isabe brought Mr. Lindberg back to the Lindberg residence, it was


    snowing heavily too? Just like how you brought Robbie back here...¡±

 Chapter 1131

    Chapter 1131


    Leaving it at that, Sean returned indoors.


    After getting into her car, Sean''sst sentence echoed through Charlotte''s head.


    She knew what Sean had meant. Given Danrique''s character, he wouldn''t have epted any of the


    Nacht''s children.


    However, the moment he saw Robbie, he saw himself in him.


    When she arrived today and brought Robbie out of the car, Danrique''s gaze was momentarily stunned.


    It was as if he saw himself when he was ten.


    Amidst a simr snowstorm, Isabe had led him out of the car at the exact same spot and brought him


    back to the Lindberg family.


    At that moment, Danrique was overwhelmed with emotions.


    Hence, when Robbie messed around in the Lindberg residence, he didn''t reprimand him despite seeing


    through Robbie''s ploy.


    He was exceptionally amodating to both Charlotte and her son because of the debt of gratitude he


    owed Isabe.


    Also, he saw himself in Robbie.


    Suddenly, Charlotte realized that she had never truly understood Danrique. All she saw was his cold


    and ruthless side.


    She wasn''t aware of how much he had done for her.


    Furthermore, he wouldn''t have done the same for anyone else.


    Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    As Charlotte looked out the car window at the grim-looking castle, her heart was overflowing with guilt.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg is especially good to you,¡± Lupine couldn''t help butment. ¡°You are probably the only


    person in the world he has a conscience for.¡±


    Lupine''s words couldn''t be more apt.


    Danrique had always been a domineering and ruthless person to everyone else.


    The only person who could elicit some form of kindness from him was Charlotte.


    ¡°I should do something for him.¡± Charlotte felt unsettled. ¡°Lupine, can you investigate who wounded


    Danrique and what is going on with Lindberg Corporation recently?¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, we had better stay out of it.¡± Lupine advised at once. ¡°Besides, not only do I not dare


    meddle in Mr. Lindberg''s affairs, but I also won''t be able to find anything. Furthermore, he must have


    his reasons for not wanting you to be involved. In fact, your persistence might cause his ns to


    backfire.¡±


    ¡°Are you suggesting that I do nothing?¡± Charlotte was filled with desperation.


    ¡°I propose that youply with Mr. Lindberg''s arrangements and quietly observe the developments,¡±


    Lupine suggested implicitly.


    ¡°Arrangements...¡± Charlotte mumbled as she was cognizant of what it meant.


    Since Danrique had arranged for her to meet Robert, it would mean that she should ept the


    marriage proposal in the interest of the bigger picture.


    He had given her an alternative only because he didn''t want to force her.


    After all, he had told her that it was fine not to marry Louis and there was plenty of fish in the sea. Even


    if she didn''t remarry, she could still live a good life with the Lindberg family.


    However, after Sean''s reminder, she felt that the matter was moreplex than she had assumed.


    Danrique''s injury indicated that the Lindberg Corporation was in a crisis. Also, their enemy was


    exceptionally strong.


    At that moment, she knew she couldn''t add to his burden.


    Suddenly, she remembered Robert mentioning that Donald was trying to canvass the Laurent family for


    support. It wasn''t until Danrique admonished him that Robert yed down hisments.


    Although they seemed to be talking about the marriage, Robert was trying to imply that their families''


    alliance was tied to the marriage.


    If it failed, he would choose to side with Donald.


    No wonder Sean brought up the Gymnasium Project in F Nation. He was trying to imply that it would be


    devastating if we lost F Nation''s market, especially after I have just lost the project at H City.


    With that thought in mind, Charlotte let out a deep sigh. ¡°The business world is just like a warzone.


    Their way with words is so confusing that I took such a long time to read between the lines.¡±

 Chapter 1132

    Chapter 1132


    Back at home, Charlotte went to check on Ellie. She had taken her medication and was sound asleep.


    Hayley was by her side, gently patting her back.


    Snuggling in Hayley''s arms with her white alpaca, Ellie looked exceptionally cute.


    After tucking both of them in, Charlotte thanked Hayley softly, ¡°I appreciate it, Hayley.¡±


    ¡°Not at all. I adore Ellie,¡± Hayley replied with a smile. ¡°You should get some sleep. I''ll take care of things


    here.¡±


    After waving goodnight, Charlotte left the room quietly.


    She had wanted to check on Robbie, but saw that the room light had been turned off. Worried that she


    would wake him, she returned to her room instead.


    ¡°It must be Mommy at the door just now. She must have thought that I was asleep and left because she


    didn''t want to wake me.¡±


    Hiding underneath his nket with a torchlight, Robbie was chatting with Jamie on a video call.


    ¡°Why didn''t you ask Mommy toe in? I want to see her.¡±


    Jamie yawned as he spoke. Due to the time difference, it was five in the morning in H City. He had


    woken up early on purpose just to call Robbie.


    ¡°Mommy has many things to worry about. So, I don''t want to disturb her.¡± Robbie still felt bad about


    earlier.


    ¡°No matter what, Mommy cannot marry Sir Louis.¡± Being the brute that he was, Jamie didn''t think much


    of it. ¡°Don''t worry, Mommy won''t be angry at you. She will be fine in a while.¡±


    ¡°However, I''m worried that Mommy won''t cancel the engagement because of this.¡± Frowning, Robbie


    borated, ¡°In fact, she might even be scolded by Uncle Dan.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What do we do then?¡± Jamie was filled with anxiety.


    ¡°Let''s wait and see...¡± Not wanting Jamie to be worried, Robbie changed topics. ¡°How''s Daddy?¡±


    ¡°Daddy has been feeling down over thest two days. However, he tries this best to cheer me up.


    Today, he even trained and yed ser with me.¡± Sprawled on his bed, Jamie cupped his chin.


    ¡°Daddy and I are doing very well. I''m just worried about you and Ellie.¡±


    ¡°I feel really bad for causing Ellie to puke terribly today.¡± Robbie was filled with regret. ¡°When I went to


    see her just now, she even reassured me by telling me not to worry.¡±


    ¡°She''s right. Dr. Felch will cure her,¡± Jamieforted. ¡°However, don''t give any more tablets the next


    time. If only I were there, I could eat them on her behalf. At most I''ll just have diarrhea, haha.¡±


    Robbie was speechless.


    While both brothers chatted, Zachary, who was about to knock, retracted his hand.


    Initially, he wanted to join the chat to find out more about Charlotte''s situation. However, he had already


    overheard everything.


    Ellie had taken a tablet that caused her to throw up and have stomach difort. Robbie was


    reprimanded for it while there was still no answer on the marriage. However, Louis and his family had


    stayed over.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Unfortunately, it seemed that they couldn''t escape destiny.


    Furrowing his eyebrows, Zachary walked quietly away. He was frustrated at the fact that the children


    were sharing what was supposed to be his burden.


    Then, he sent Robbie a message, asking him to call when he had time.


    Before he knew it, Robbie was on the line. ¡°Daddy!¡±


    ¡°Robbie...¡± After chatting briefly, he gently requested, ¡°Both you and Ellie shouldn''t interfere with


    Mommy''s affairs anymore, all right?¡±


    ¡°Daddy, do you already know?¡± Robbie asked.


    ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡± Zachary chuckled wryly. ¡°This was supposed to be my responsibility. But when you tried


    to handle it and even caused Ellie to fall sick, it makes me feel very bad.¡±


    ¡°Daddy, don''t think that way.¡±


    ¡°Be a good boy, Robbie. Next time, don''t meddle in the affairs of adults. Mommy is really smart.


    Whatever decision she makes would have gone through deep deliberation. As her children, you will


    need to respect her decision.


    ¡°I may not agree with her, but I have my own way tomunicate and resolve it. This rtes to a


    man''s pride and responsibility. So, promise me you''ll stay out of it, all right?¡±

 Chapter 1133

    Chapter 1133


    ¡°Alright. I understand.¡± Robbie agreed to it reluctantly.


    ¡°You should go to bed now,¡± Zachary said gently. ¡°Also, take care of yourself!¡±


    ¡°Sure. Goodbye, Daddy,¡± Robbie replied obediently and hung up the phone.


    Overwhelmed with emotions, Zachary gazed at the wedding photo of Charlotte and him on the table


    while holding the phone.


    Deep down, he understood that Charlotte would choose to marry Louis even if she didn''t love Louis.


    Given that Lindberg Corporation was in trouble recently, she probably had to do so for the bigger


    picture.


    Well, I can only resort to business tactics to upend the situation¡ª


    With that, Zachary called Ben.


    ¡°Mr. Zachary, are you looking for me?¡±


    Ben was sleeping when Zachary called him. After hanging up the phone, Ben put on his clothes hastily


    and came to see Zachary.


    ¡°Get all documents rted to the Gymnasium Project in Pillere for me. Also, inform all shareholders to


    see me except for Louis,¡± Zachary instructed.


    ¡°Ah?¡± Ben was startled for a while before he nodded in response. ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±


    Ben left hurriedly to start doing his job but almost bump into Bruce who came up to him.


    ¡°You seem nervous. Where are you heading to?¡± Bruce asked.


    ¡°Mr. Zachary instructed me to work on something,¡± Ben replied.


    ¡°Has he changed his mind? Is he willing to receive treatment?¡± Bruce asked impatiently.


    ¡°It''s about the Gymnasium Project in Pillere,¡± Ben frowned as he said, ¡°I feel curious too. Why is he still


    pondering about business instead of receiving treatment?¡±


    ¡°What is going on with him?¡± Bruce said nervously. ¡°He can''t go on like that.¡±


    Ben said in a low voice, ¡°Well, I think he had a sleepless night yesterday because he looked pale. How


    about asking Mr. Spencer for a favor? Perhaps the elder is the only one who can persuade him.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the reminder,¡± Bruce rolled his eyes and added, ¡°but I''ve already asked Raina to invite


    him.¡±


    Ben heaved a sigh of relief and replied, ¡°Raina is indeed conscientious. Anyway, I have to continue my


    work.¡±


    Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Off you go.¡±


    Charlotte felt dizzy because she didn''t sleep wellst night. However, she had to get out of bed when


    someone knocked on the door in the morning.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, Sir Louis, and Sir Robert are here,¡± Morgan reported outside the room.


    ''Ah?¡± Charlotte got up and said hastily, ¡°Please serve some tea for them in the living room. I''ll be there


    right away.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Morgan immediately went downstairs to wee the guests.


    Also, Lupine invited them to be seated and asked the maids to serve the best coffee.


    Robert sat on the extravagant couch and enjoyed the coffee gracefully.


    Meanwhile, Louis kept gazing upstairs, waiting impatiently for Charlotte.


    ¡°Hayley, I don''t want to have heavy breakfast today.¡±


    Hayley brought Ellie out of the room while holding Ellie''s favorite stuffed alpaca. Ellie looked particrly


    cute in her beautiful white dress.


    ¡°Ms. Elisa, breakfast is ready. I''ve prepared your favorite food.¡±


    The butler Mrs. Ramos was fluent in Chanaean, even though she was from Erihal.


    ¡°Is that true?¡± Ellie was delighted. ¡°Did you cook it yourself, Mrs. Ramos?¡±


    ¡°Hehe, we have a professional cook who prepared the food,¡± Mrs. Ramos said smilingly. ¡°Let me bring


    you downstairs.¡±


    ¡°Sure. Thank you, Mrs. Ramos.¡±


    Ellie followed Mrs. Ramos to go downstairs joyfully.


    ¡°Ellie!¡± Sir Louis came up to Ellie when he saw her. ¡°Do you feel well?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡ª¡± Ellie was shocked to see Louis. As such, she immediately covered her stomach and


    pretended to feel sick. ¡°I have a stomach ache now¡ª¡±


    ¡°Ellie, what''s wrong?¡± Hayley squatted nervously to check up on Ellie.


    Just then, Robbie came out of his room and said, ¡°Ellie, you should go back to your room and get some


    rest.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± The next moment, Ellie held Hayley''s hand to return to her room.


    ¡°Hmm¡ª¡± Louis was rooted to the floor.


    Then, Robbie said politely, ¡°Dr. Felch is a good doctor. Ellie feels a lot better after having the medicine


    that he prescribed. She might have a dull pain from time to time, but it''s not a serious matter. Anyway,


    thank you for your concern, Sir Louis!¡±

 Chapter 1134

    Chapter 1134


    ¡°Good to know that she''s well.¡± Louis didn''t overthink it.


    However, Robert''s expression turned grim after he witnessed it.


    ¡°Good morning, Sir Robert,¡± Robbie greeted Robert.


    Robert immediately responded smilingly, ¡°Good morning! Does your sister feel well?¡±


    ¡°She feels a lot better now. Thank you, Sir Robert,¡± Robbie said politely.


    ¡°That''s good to hear,¡± Robert nodded and said. ¡°By the way, you speak Ferropenian fluently. Who


    taught you to speak thenguage?¡±


    ¡°My great-grandpa used to hire a Ferropenian teacher to teach me,¡± Robbie answered honestly, ¡°I


    learned it since I was three and a half years old. So, I can converse in thenguage in simple daily


    conversations.¡±


    ¡°Is your great-grandpa Mr. Henry?¡±


    Robert knew that Henry was a prominent figure in business and only retired when he was 80. Besides,


    he trained Zachary to be the new corporate czar.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Robbie replied noddingly.


    Robert nced at Robbie for a while before he said, ¡°No wonder you''re already outstanding at such a


    young age. I met your father when he was young and knew that he would be a genius. Nheless, I


    think you''re even more outstanding than him.¡±


    ¡°Daddy used to say that Sir Louis is his only friend while Sir Robert is his most-respected elder,¡±


    Robbie put on a smile and said casually, ¡°I never thought that the first time I meet you would be in


    Uncle Dan''s house instead of the Nacht residence!¡±


    Robert was stunned upon hearing it. A few secondster, he calmed down and added, ¡°Your dad


    focuses on growing his business in the local market in recent years, and so there aren''t many


    opportunities for us to coborate. Instead, your uncle has expanded his market in F Nation and


    established close ties with us¡ª¡±


    He paused for a while and said, ¡°This topic is too deep, and I''m afraid you don''t get what I mean.¡±


    ¡°The local market is huge enough for the Nacht family to continue growing for decades,¡± Robbie said,


    ¡°but still, the market in F Nation is not bad¡ª¡±


    ¡°Do you understand business?¡±


    Robert was shocked to hear a six-year-old kid talking about business casually. Although Robbie


    sounded courteous, one could somehow sense there were some insinuations in his words.


    This kid is very impressive.


    Robbie replied with a smile on his face, ¡°I always helped Daddy review his files when he was busy.


    That''s why I understand a bit of business. However, I''m still a kid and don''t know much about it.¡±


    ¡°You''re too humble.¡± Robert shed him a smile.


    ¡°Sir Robert, Louis,¡± Just then, Charlotte came downstairs hastily and said, ¡°I''m sorry for beingte.¡±


    Robert smiled warmly at Charlotte. ¡°It''s fine. After all, we didn''t inform you in advance. We''re here


    because we heard that your child fell sick yesterday.¡±This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    With that, Robert gestured for his subordinate to hand over some beautiful gifts to Charlotte.


    ¡°Sir Robert, you''re very kind,¡± Charlotte thanked him immediately.


    Lupine took a few steps back after taking the gifts.


    ¡°Sir Robert, would you like to have breakfast together?¡± Charlotte invited them.


    ¡°Well, don''t mind if I do.¡±


    The maids served them breakfast as soon as they sat at the dining table.


    A momentter, all of them began enjoying the variety of food.


    While having breakfast, Louis also enjoyed chatting with Charlotte.


    Meanwhile, Robbie concentrated on having his food gracefully.


    After a while, Robert said casually, ¡°Well, you''ll have to get used to having F Nation''s food when you''re


    there. Besides, the food in F Nation is scrumptious. I''ll invite you to try our food next time.¡±


    Robbie replied respectfully, ¡°Thank you, Sir Robert. However, I prefer Chanaean food more.¡±


    Robert frowned upon hearing it. As he wanted to say something, Charlotte added smilingly, ¡°Well, I love


    Chanaean food as well.¡±


    ¡°Me too,¡± Louis chimed in, ¡°I''ve looked for several excellent Chanaean chefs and nned to bring them


    to Pillere to prepare Chanaean food for you.¡±

 Chapter 1135

    Chapter 1135


    ¡°You''re right. Since you love Chanaean food, we can hire some Chanaean chefs. It''s not a big deal.¡±


    It was rare for Robert to agree with Louis''s viewpoint. At that moment, he was delighted that Louis


    casually pointed out their intention of visiting Charlotte.


    Upon hearing Louis'' words, Robbie fell silent and gazed at Charlotte with mixed feelings.


    ¡°Thank you, Sir Robert,¡± Charlotte thanked Robert and said, ¡°Shall we go to the study after breakfast?


    Well, it is as good as Danrique''s.¡±


    Robert nodded. ¡°Sure. I heard that Mr. Lindberg designed and built it for you.¡±


    Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Yes. Danrique put in a lot of thoughts to build the study for me.¡±


    Back then, Charlotte spent around half a year recuperating in the Lindberg residence. However,


    Danrique made sure that she was upied with things. He hired teachers for her and encouraged her


    to read at night.


    Hence, Charlotte eventually became knowledgeable because of the rigorous training given by


    Danrique.


    ¡°In that case, I must visit the study.¡± Robert put on a smile.


    After having breakfast, Robbie put down the cutlery and said to Charlotte, ¡°Mommy, I''m done. I''ll go


    upstairs to keep Elliepany.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Off you go,¡± Charlotte gazed at him and replied gently.


    ¡°Please enjoy your meal, Sir Robert. See you, Uncle Louis.¡±


    ¡°See you!¡±


    With that, Robbie went upstairs after.


    Robert looked at him and said meaningfully, ¡°Your son is indeed a genius. How generous of Zachary to


    hand over his custody to you!¡±


    Charlotte frowned upon hearing it and changed the subject of conversation. ¡°Let''s talk in the study.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    As they were in the study, Mrs. Ramos served some high-quality coffee and dessert.


    Lupine waited next to the door coldly while Robert took a few sips of the coffee.


    Meanwhile, Louis handed over some gifts to Charlotte. ¡°Charlotte, I''m sorry that I didn''t have time to


    give these to you yesterday. I brought these from F Nation¡ª¡±


    ¡°What?¡± When Charlotte opened the box, she was surprised to see a delicate cake. After all, Louis


    always gifted nes and jewelry to her whenever they met.


    ¡°I met a chef in F Nation who is good at baking cakes. So, I learned from him to bake this angel food


    cake. Do you want to try it and tell me if you like it?¡±


    ¡°Did you bake the cake by yourself?¡± Charlotte was surprised. Since Louis was pampered by his family


    and never cooked, Charlotte couldn''t believe that he had learned to make cakes.


    ¡°Yes, I did. Try it.¡± Then, Louis handed over a piece of the cake to Charlotte and said, ¡°I''ve brought


    three more boxes for your triplets but am worried that they don''t like it. So, I think you can try it first and


    give somements.¡±


    ¡°Hehe...¡± Charlotte put on a smile and thought to herself. Louis is indeed a good friend if we don''t have


    to talk about marriage...


    Charlotte took a bite of the cake and eximed, ¡°Wow, it''s not bad! Delicious!¡±


    tion filled Louis'' entire being. ¡°Really? I''m so d to hear that. You know, I was a bit worried that the


    cake wasn''t to your liking.¡±


    Meanwhile, Charlotte was a little touched because Louis learned to bake cakes for her. ¡°Believe me, it''s


    delicious. However, you don''t have to do it next time. I mean, baking cakes is too time-consuming.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine. I''m happy that I can bake a cake by myself. Also, I''ll learn anything that you like.¡± Louis felt


    excited because Charlotte recognized his effort.


    Robert heaved a sigh and chimed in, ¡°Louis has never entered the kitchen since he was a kid. So, he


    has put in a lot of effort for you. As his parent, I''m worried about him sometimes. Nheless, I''ll still


    support him as long as it''s something that he likes.¡±


    ¡°Dad¡ª¡±


    Charlotte said smilingly, ¡°Sir Robert, I''ll answer the question you posed to me earlier. Zachary was


    indeed reluctant to let go of his son. After all, a father certainly hopes that his son can stay by his side.


    Despite that, Robbie is a strong-minded kid and decides to stay by my side.¡±


    Robert nodded and replied, ¡°That''s good to hear. By the way, I think Mr. Lindberg likes him too.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± With that, Charlotte went straight to the point. ¡°Are you here today because you want to avoid


    Danrique and discuss something with me directly?¡±

 Chapter 1136

    Chapter 1136


    Robert spread his arms and said, ¡°You''re a smart girl. In that case, allow me to be frank.¡±


    Charlotte made a gesture with her hand.


    The next moment, Robert continued straightforwardly, ¡°The marriage between the two families is


    decided by Mr. Lindberg and me. Neither of us begged one another to make it happen. Besides, our


    family has proven our sincerity and shown our gesture of respect to you, Mr. Lindberg, and the


    Lindberg Corporation. So, it will be a form of disrespect to us if you keep dragging on the decision.¡±


    Once Robert finished, Charlotte lowered her head and apologized. ¡°I''m sorry. It''s my fault. Well, I''ve


    nned to visit you even if you aren''t here today.¡±


    ¡°So, are you saying that you have an answer?¡± Robert gazed at her.


    Without beating about the bush, Charlotte responded, ¡°I think I ought to make something clear before I


    tell you the answer. After all, I guess your family is interested in understanding it. Why don''t we be open


    and honest with one another?¡±


    Robert was delighted. ¡°Absolutely! I like to speak to smart people.¡±


    ¡°First, Zachary and I didn''t manage to get our marriage certificate. Besides, our wedding wasn''t


    completed yet. Hence, we''re not husband and wife legally.¡±


    Charlotte paused for a while and added, ¡°In the past, we agreed that the three kids would bear


    Zachary''s family name. However, we''vee to a decision that I''ll have Robbie''s custody. As such,


    Robbie will bear my family''s name. As for my shares in Lindberg Corporation, I''ll transfer them back to


    Danrique. It will happen regardless of I''m married or not¡ª¡±


    Charlotte observed the change in Robert''s expression once she finished and realized that he looked a


    bit shocked. Apparently, he didn''t expect that she would make such arrangements.


    ¡°Certainly,¡± Louis replied right away, ¡°When you''ve married me, I''ll take care of you on my own. Your


    shares in thepany aren''t important.¡±


    Charlotte gazed at Louis when she heard it. Deep down, she could feel that Louis was sincere.


    ¡°Is there anything you want to add?¡± After a while, Robert came to his senses and asked smilingly.


    This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    ¡°That will be all for now,¡± Charlotte responded with her curled lips, ¡°Sir Robert, is there anything you


    would like to ask me? Please go ahead.¡±


    ¡°You said that Robbie would be under your custody. In that case, would you change his family name to


    ours?¡± Robert cut to the chase.


    Charlotte was startled, for she had never considered the matter before. Back then, she didn''t decline it


    when Henry requested to change her children''sst name to Nacht.


    At that time, the children had reunited with Zachary and loved him. Besides, Zachary was sincere to


    them and married her against all odds.


    Nevertheless, things took a dramatic turn after Charlotte married Zachary. The Nacht family drove her


    away while keeping the children. Then, partly because of the Nacht family, Zara and Sharon attempted


    to kill her, and Mrs. Berry became the unfortunate casualty. After experiencing all these, Charlotte


    thought about taking revenge on the Nacht family. In the end, she let go of her grudge and stayed away


    from the family for her children.


    Despite the pain inflicted upon her, Charlotte never thought about changing her children''sst name


    again.


    Deep down, she opined that a name wouldn''t determine someone''s future. Also, the children would


    suffer if their names were changed many times.


    She didn''t have to care about Zachary''s feelings. However, what would Robbie, Jamie, and Ellie think?


    Will it break their hearts since they are so young?


    After pondering over it, Charlotte gave them a crystal clear answer. ¡°I won''t change my kids''st name.


    After all, names are only used to address someone, and I don''t think they are so important.¡±


    ¡°Did Mr. Lindberg bring it up with you?¡± Robert continued to ask.


    ¡°Nope,¡± Charlotte frowned as she said, ¡°Sir Robert, feel free to speak your mind.¡±


    After thinking about it for a few seconds, Robert said, ¡°The kids'' names in Chanaean can remain as


    they are. However, after you''re married into our family, I hope that they can change their Ustranasion


    names by bearing our family name!¡±


    ¡°Dad¡ª¡±


    ¡°It''s impossible,¡± Charlotte rejected without hesitation. ¡°Marrying Louis or not is my personal affair and


    not rted to the children. Why should they change theirst names for me?¡±

 Chapter 1137

    Chapter 1137


    ¡°This concerns the royal family''s reputation!¡± Robert frowned.


    ¡°If so, why don''t you just let Louis marry a woman who hasn''t had any children?¡± Charlotte smiled. ¡°My


    current situation is very clear. I''m sure that everyone knows about it.¡±


    ¡°No, I only like you,¡± insisted Louis. ¡°Daddy, stop putting Charlotte in a tight spot. There''s no need to


    change theirst names...¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± growled Robert before telling Charlotte, ¡°If this is giving you a tough choice, I won''t force


    you. You can just have a child with Louis earlier.¡±


    When Charlotte heard that, she had an instinctive urge to refuse. She had never thought about these


    problems, but Robert''s words reminded her...


    If she married Louis, she would have to have kids with him.


    ¡°Okay, let''s return to the main topic.¡± Robert steered the conversation back. ¡°Answer me officially now.


    Do you agree to this marriage?¡±


    At that moment, Charlotte felt conflicted. Initially, she had already decided to ept the marriage for


    the sake of the bigger picture. However, she was hesitating now.


    Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°You''re still considering?¡± When Robert noticed her hesitation, he felt displeased. ¡°I''m returning to


    Pillere this afternoon. If you haven''t made up your mind by then, I''ll make other arrangements.¡±


    With that, he ced his cup down and was about to leave.


    ¡°Dad...¡±


    ¡°I agree.¡± Charlotte finally spoke.


    Louis was stunned as he looked at her in shock. ¡°Charlotte, are you saying...¡±


    ¡°I agree to the marriage.¡± Charlotte stopped hesitating. ¡°But you should know that there are no romantic


    feelings between Louis and me. Furthermore, I have my own opinions about certain issues. I will not


    make any concessions for your family''s interests or for the royal family''s reputation. Even after


    marriage, I''m still an independent self, not anyone''s trophy wife. My son will not change hisst name


    either. Also, I''m not sure if I''ll have any kids in the future.¡±


    After a slight pause, she continued, ¡°The wedding can only be held after two months, when Ellie''s and


    my illness arepletely cured. That''s all I want to say. If you ept all the conditions, then this is


    settled. If not, we shall just forget it...¡±


    ¡°I ept!¡± Robert agreed easily. ¡°Feelings can be nurtured slowly and we''re not in a rush to hold the


    wedding. However, we must announce the news first.¡±


    ¡°Discuss this with Danrique. If he agrees, I''m fine too,¡± said Charlotte.


    ¡°Okay, I''ll go back and talk to him.¡±


    Delighted, Robert strode away.


    ¡°I''m d that you''ve finally agreed, Charlotte!¡± Louis was so happy that he could barely speak


    coherently. Holding her hand, he promised, ¡°I''ll definitely protect you and make you happy...¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Charlotte smiled and said softly, ¡°But I don''t love you now. Do you really not mind?¡±


    ¡°I don''t! As long as you don''t hate me, I''ll try my best to make you fall in love with me.¡± Louis was


    ted. ¡°Charlotte, I''m so happy! Can I hug you?¡±


    Still smiling, Charlotte stared at him quietly.


    Louis stretched out his arms tentatively. When she did not refuse, he hugged her tighter and whispered


    emotionally, ¡°Do you know, Charlotte? I''ve waited for this day for ages! Today''s the happiest day of my


    life!¡±


    Charlotte cast her gaze downward without saying anything. Although she could sense Louis'' sincerity


    and excitement, she could not share in his joy.


    In fact, Zachary''s figure shed across his mind. She imagined him staring at her painfully with his


    brooding eyes, as if he was saying, ¡°Remember, you''re my woman. You will always be...¡±

 Chapter 1138

    Chapter 1138


    ¡°Louis!¡± called Robert. Louis quickly released Charlotte and said reluctantly, ¡°I have to leave now,


    Charlotte. I''ll visit youter!¡±


    ¡°Okay, go on.¡± Charlotte smiled.


    When Louis rushed to catch up with Robert, he could not help but turn around and wave goodbye to


    Charlotte. There was an unconceble look of joy on his face and in his gaze.


    Charlotte watched them leave. Only after they had disappeared from her sight that she averted her


    gaze, looked downward, and heaved a deep sigh...


    When she was still undecided, she felt a heavy burden in her heart.


    However, now that she had made her decision, she did not feel relieved at all. Instead, she felt like she


    was heading on an unknown path...


    N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    Regardless of anything, it''s a good thing to help Danrique solve his problems, right?


    With that thought, Charlotte smiled bitterly.


    When Louis got into the car, he still kept turning around to stare at Charlotte for a long time.


    ¡°Stop looking!¡± Noticing how obsessed his son was, Robert felt displeased. ¡°You can look at her all you


    want after marrying her.¡±


    ¡°You''re right.¡± Thinking that he could marry Charlotte soon, Louis was filled with excitement. ¡°I''m so


    happy, Dad!¡±


    ¡°Don''t rejoice too soon.¡± Robert stared at him coldly. ¡°Even a six-year-old child is smarter than you.¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about Robbie?¡± Louis asked with a smile. ¡°He''s very smart. No, in fact, he''s a genius!


    Not only has he inherited his father and great-grandfather''s business acumen, but he is also skilled in


    technological research. He was involved in developing many of Divine Corporation''s technological


    products. Apparently, he has some patents for his inventions too. Just by himself, he earns hundreds of


    millions every year!¡±


    ¡°That''s impressive! The Nacht family should keep him as their heir instead. Why were they willing to let


    him go?¡± Robert frowned as aplex look shed across his eyes.


    He continued, ¡°Danrique doesn''t have a child. Does he want to keep that child and let him inherit the


    Lindberg Corporation? Wait, but if he does that, won''t the Lindberg Corporation be part of the Nacht


    family, then? Danrique will never do that.¡±


    ¡°Daddy, why are you saying that?¡± Louis was confused. ¡°What does that have to do with us?¡±


    ¡°You know nothing!¡± growled Robert. ¡°If we bring that child into the royal family, who knows what trouble


    he''ll cause? Also, do you think that Zachary will just give up like this? He might confront us to get his


    son back. If that happens, the royal family will be utterly humiliated.¡±


    ¡°H-How...?¡±


    ¡°Forget it. You won''t understand even if I exin it to you.¡± Robert could not be bothered to continue


    talking to him. ¡°I''ll deal with this.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Louis reminded him anxiously, ¡°Dad, Charlotte cares a lot about her family.


    When her maid got killed by Zara, she became enemies with the Nacht family. If you n on scheming


    against Robbie, we...¡±


    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Robert interrupted him, ¡°How can I possibly harm that child? I just want


    to find out what Danrique''s ns are. If he doesn''t mind where the child goes, it''s better to let Zachary


    reim him. This is good for both you and the Lindberg family.¡±


    ¡°But Charlotte will be sad if her child isn''t by her side.¡± Louis still felt worried.


    ¡°Then, she can keep the girl.¡± Robert had thought it through. ¡°The girl looks harmless and innocent.


    She won''t pose a threat in the future.¡±


    ¡°Ellie is very adorable, but we should still respect Charlotte''s opinions...¡±


    ¡°That''s it. I''ll settle it on my own, so you don''t need to bother yourself with it anymore,¡± interrupted


    Robert. ¡°Don''t worry. It''s a great thing for our family to be inws with the Lindberg family. Furthermore,


    since you like Charlotte so much, how can I ruin this marriage? I''m just taking precautionary measures


    to eliminate any future problems for you...¡±

 Chapter 1139

    Chapter 1139


    After returning to the castle, Robert looked for Danrique and informed him that Charlotte had already


    agreed to the wedding.


    Danrique did not look surprised at all. Instead, he nodded. ¡°Okay. Good that she''s thought it through.¡±


    ¡°Since Charlotte has already agreed to the marriage, I''ll prepare for it now.¡± Smiling, Robert said, ¡°Do


    you have any thoughts about the wedding? I''ll follow your suggestions.¡±


    ¡°Since she''s my cousin, she naturally needs to have a grand wedding,¡± said Danrique arrogantly. ¡°I''ll


    organize a wedding for her in Xendale. For the one in Pillere, you can have the final say and I won''t


    intervene. However, I want to make something clear¡ªI hope that no one will look down on her for


    whatever reason. As my family, she must be shown equal respect and importance!¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry, you have my word on this,¡± promised Robert as he patted his chest. ¡°It''s the Laurent


    family''s honor to have your cousin''s hand in marriage. How can we possibly take her lightly?¡±


    ¡°That''s good.¡± Danrique nodded. ¡°As for the other details, you can discuss with Sean directly if you


    need anything from our side. I need to go out for a while.¡±


    ¡°There''s another thing which I''m not sure if I should tell you...¡± A troubled look crossed Robert''s face.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Danrique frowned, for he disliked it when others beat around the bush.


    ¡°I met that child this morning. Indeed, he has inherited the best genes from the Nacht and Lindberg


    family. He''s a total genius, with the intelligence and knowledge that the average person cannot even


    compare to. Furthermore, I could tell that his personality is quite aggressive and strong... Such an


    impressive child is the perfect candidate for an heir. Is Zachary really willing to let go of him? I''m afraid


    that he''ll crash the wedding and continue clinging to Charlotte. This concerns the reputation of the F


    Nation''s royal family!¡±


    ¡°Leave this to me.¡± Danrique''s gaze was cold and haughty. ¡°If he dares to create a ruckus during the


    wedding, I''ll kill him!¡±


    ¡°Well...¡± Robert panicked. ¡°I know that the Lindberg and the Nacht families are enemies, but the royal


    family of F Nation is still on good terms with the Nachts. The queen is acquainted with him as well. If


    anything bad happens to him because of Louis'' wedding, I can''t exin it to her.¡±


    Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± Danrique was bing impatient.


    After thinking about it, Robert asked tactfully, ¡°What are your ns regarding that child?¡±


    ¡°So you aren''t worried about Zachary, but Robinson.¡± Danrique smirked coldly. ¡°You''re afraid that he''ll


    threaten Louis and affect the next generation?¡±


    ¡°Well...¡± Robert felt a bit awkward.


    ¡°That''s understandable.¡± Danrique smiled. ¡°After all, the Lindbergs'' and the Nachts'' blood flows in his


    veins. He has the Nacht family''s intelligence, and possibly also the Lindberg family''s mercilessness!¡±


    He spoke in a meaningful tone when he said thatst sentence.


    Back then, Isabe had brought Danrique to the Lindberg family. After nurturing him for a few years, he


    had be much more capable.


    When he was sixteen years old, the Lindberg family was plunged into chaos due to the battle over the


    inheritance.


    He destroyed the entire family and became the heir of the Lindberg corporation!


    Back then, it was a snowy day as well. The metallic stench of blood wafted through the Lindberg


    family''s castle, while the pristine and white snow outside had been dyed red...


    Wearing a coat, a sixteen-year-old youth strode out of the castle. Raising a sharp sword to the sky, he


    dered arrogantly that from then on, he was the master of the Lindberg Corporation!


    His face was filled with blood, while his white coat was speckled with swirls of bloodstains. His gaze


    was vicious, as if he was a devil who had risen right from the depths of hell.


    From then on, he was given the nickname ''The Grim Reaper''.


    ¡°Don''t misunderstand, Mr. Lindberg. That''s not what I mean!¡± Robert quickly exined, ¡°I just think that


    the child is so smart that the Nacht family might want to snatch him back. So...¡±


    ¡°What do you want to do?¡± Danrique asked. ¡°Do you want Charlotte to give that child up? Huh?¡±

 Chapter 1140

    Chapter 1140


    Although his question sounded polite, it was filled with a vicious and murderous intent...


    Robert''s words reminded him of himself back then. When Isabe brought him back, she suffered the


    brunt of suspicion.


    People would confront her each day and scold her for bringing a b*stard like him back to the Lindberg


    family. Some even wanted to chase her away.


    However, Isabe ignored the voices opposing her and insisted on keeping him in the family, against all


    odds.


    She even held a family conference and announced to everyone that if anyone dared to touch Danrique,


    they would be opposing her. In that case, she would protect him with her entire life!


    At that moment, Isabe was like a goddess to the young Danrique.


    Now that the same thing was happening right in front of him, he felt enraged.


    Unlike others, he was not the type to take precautionary measures and care about the bigger picture.


    Rather, he did things recklessly. Once he had his mind set on something, no one else could convince


    him otherwise.


    That was his style¡ªaggressive and simple.


    ¡°No, that''s not what I mean...¡± Robert panicked so much that he started sweating. ¡°I''m here to discuss


    with you, Mr. Lindberg, so don''t be angry.¡±


    Although Robert was an elder and Danrique treated him with respect, he knew Danrique''s temper well.


    If Danrique was enraged, he would not care about age or status.


    As long as he felt unhappy, he would fall out with the other person immediately.


    ¡°It''s just a casual question,¡± Danrique smirked. ¡°That child is like me, so I like him. If I don''t have a child,


    I might let him inherit the Lindberg Corporation!¡±


    ¡°Um...¡±


    Robert was surprised, for he did not expect Danrique to have such ns.


    Actually, he had heard rumors about Danrique having an illegitimate son. However, he did not know if


    they were true. Danrique had never mentioned it before, so he did not dare to ask about it either.


    However, regardless of what happened, it was impossible for Danrique to let a child from the Nacht


    family inherit the Lindberg Corporation.


    ¡°I never care about blood rtions or status. Those worthless things don''t matter to me! Once I''ve


    made up my mind, no one else can change my opinion.¡±


    Danrique continued indifferently, ¡°Also, that child might return to the Nacht family to be their heir


    after a short while. Your worry is meaningless!¡±


    ¡°Return to the Nacht family?¡± Robert was confused. ¡°Didn''t Charlotte say that she has already


    discussed with Zachary and established that the child will be staying with her?¡±


    Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°That''s what they discussed, but things are always unpredictable...¡±


    A gloating look shed across Danrique''s eyes. However, he did not continue speaking and changed


    the topic instead.


    ¡°Anyway, this child can inherit both the Nacht family and the Lindberg family. He couldn''t care less


    about the Laurent family''s assets!¡±


    Although he might sound arrogant by saying this, it was the truth.


    Rendered speechless, Robert had no choice but to clear his throat to hide his embarrassment. ¡°That''s


    not what I meant. I''m just afraid that Zachary might create some trouble...¡±


    ¡°Let''s discuss it when he actually does something...¡± Danrique ced his wine ss down, got up, and


    prepared to leave. ¡°Even if he actuallyes, I''m still here. What''s there for you to fear?¡±


    ¡°You''re right.¡± Robert nodded profusely.


    ¡°You''ve been busy for the entire day. Go back to the guest room and rest for a while.¡± While walking


    out, Danrique said politely, ¡°I have to leave now. I''lle back in the afternoon to send you off.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    As Robert watched Danrique leave, the fear within him dissipated gradually.


    He heaved a deep sigh. This man is so hard to deal with...


    At that moment, he suddenly thought of Zachary. Although Zachary was also extremely domineering,


    he would still be concerned about the bigger picture and the families'' reputation. Hence, he would not


    cause a conflict so easily.


    However, Danrique was different. He never acted rationally¡ªeverything depended on his mood.


    Still, when he said that things are unpredictable, what does that mean?

 Chapter 1141

    Chapter 1141


    Robert made a bold guess. Is Danrique saying that Zachary''s days are numbered?


    When that thought shed across his mind, Robert paled. He scanned his surroundings anxiously as


    his heart pounded rapidly.


    Looks like Danrique has never forgotten the grudge between the Nachts and the Lindbergs. He must


    have sent someone to assassinate Zachary...


    This is not a minor issue. The Laurent family must not be involved!


    Robert patted his chest and hurried up the stairs to look for Louis.


    In his room, Louis was calling his friends excitedly and telling them that he was about to get married.


    His friends were all overjoyed for him.


    One of them was a shareholder of the Gymnasium Project in Pillere. When he heard that Louis was


    going to get married, he eximed with augh, ¡°No wonder! When Mr. Nacht gathered the


    shareholders in Ashenville Garden and you didn''t turn up, we guessed that both of you had a fight. So


    it''s because you''re going to get married! You must be so busy apanying your future wife that you


    don''t have any time.¡±


    ¡°Zachary gathered all of you for a meeting? Did he mention me? Did he say why?¡±


    Louis felt uneasy. Is Zachary going to withdraw from the project because he feels humiliated and angry


    that I''m with Charlotte?


    If he withdraws, the project will be halted. How can I find such a huge sum of money to rece his?


    ¡°It''s because of the project, of course. What''s wrong? Didn''t you know about it?¡±


    ¡°I''ve been in Erihal for the past few days because I was busy with the marriage.¡± Although Louis felt


    uneasy, he trusted Zachary. ¡°Just listen to Zachary regarding the project. He''s more experienced than


    me.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I''m going to a ball soon! He probably already knows that you''re getting married, right?¡±


    ¡°Not yet. I called you first.¡±


    ¡°Inform him quickly! We can celebrate this good news at night.¡±


    ¡°I...¡±


    ¡°My wife''s chasing me! I''ll hang up now.¡±


    After the call ended, Louis gripped his phone. His joy had already disappeared and was reced by a


    feeling of distress.


    He did not know how to bring this up to Zachary, nor how to face him.


    Even if he avoided Zachary deliberately, the project still had to continue.


    N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    What should I do?


    ¡°Are you feeling troubled now?¡± When Robert''s voice sounded, Louis was startled. Whipping his head


    around, he asked in shock, ¡°When did youe in, Dad?¡±


    ¡°Since a while ago.¡±


    Robert sat on the sofa opposite him. After the maid passed him a cup of coffee, he dismissed the rest


    with a wave of his hand. The two maids quickly left and closed the door behind them.


    Robert took a sip of coffee before saying solemnly, ¡°We''ve not announced the news yet, but Zachary


    has already called for a shareholder meeting. Looks like he wants to withdraw from the project and


    catch us off guard.¡±


    ¡°No way, right?¡±


    Louis felt a bit uneasy because the same thought was circling in his mind.


    Having known Zachary for so long, he knew that Zachary was not a man to be trifled with.


    Now that he had snatched his wife and children away, Zachary would definitely be furious. It was


    understandable if he wanted to retaliate.


    ¡°You know very well if he would do that or not,¡± scoffed Robert. ¡°Do you think that Zachary''s that


    harmless?¡±


    ¡°I''d understand if he does it, though.¡± Louis lowered his head. ¡°After all, I let him down first. Even if he


    wants to cut off all ties with me, I can''t me him.¡±


    Robert was furious when he heard that. ¡°They''ve broken up a long time ago! You didn''t forcefully tear


    them apart, so how have you let him down? Furthermore, a rtionship is supposed to be mutual. You


    didn''t force Charlotte to marry you, anyway...¡±


    ¡°You can phrase it that way, but...¡± Louis was still uneasy. ¡°Things are going to get awkward the next


    time we meet.¡±

 Chapter 1142

    Chapter 1142


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Robert reminded him solemnly, ¡°For this period of time, don''t interact with him. Minimize any


    communication with him and let someone else handle the project.¡±


    Actually, the reason why Robert said that was not to help Louis avoid any embarrassment. Instead, he


    wanted Louis to keep his distance from Zachary.


    In that case, even if a conflict arose between the Nacht family and the Lindberg family, their family


    would not be affected.


    ¡°That''s not really appropriate, right?¡± Louis still felt worried. ¡°Even if we stopped interacting as much, I


    still need to be held ountable to him for the project.¡±


    ¡°What''s there to be ountable for?¡± Robert disagreed. ¡°He''s calling for a shareholder meeting, so I''m


    afraid that he''s going to withdraw.¡±


    ¡°If he really withdraws, the project is doomed.¡± Louis frowned. ¡°I''ve never aplished anything in the


    past. I spent so much effort on the project because I want to prove myself. If the project ends up in a


    failure halfway, I''d be aplete joke.¡±


    ¡°In the past, I would be really worried. However, things are different now. You''re going to be married to


    Charlotte soon! With the powerful Lindberg Corporation backing you up, there''s no need for you to fear


    the Nacht family.¡±


    This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    Robert continued confidently, ¡°Mr. Lindberg has always disliked Zachary. If he knows that Zachary has


    withdrawn from the project, he''ll definitely be willing to chip in.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°Alright, stop entertaining those irrelevant thoughts.¡± Robert patted Louis'' shoulder. ¡°The Nacht family


    and the Lindberg family are rivals. Since you''re going to be Danrique''s brother-inw, you should


    keep your distance from Zachary.¡±


    With a heavy heart, Louis lowered his head in silence.


    ¡°You''re so melodramatic and indecisive, you know?¡± Robert hated it when he acted like that. ¡°Don''t you


    understand the situation now? You haven''t let Zachary down! He''s the one who betrayed you by calling


    for a private meeting with the shareholders to overthrow you...¡±


    ¡°Dad...¡± Just when Louis was about to speak, his phone rang. After seeing that it was a call from Theo,


    he quickly picked it up, ¡°Hello, Mr. Murphy.¡±


    Robert snatched his phone away and put it in speaker mode.


    ¡°Louis, I''ve already informed the other shareholders about your good news! Everyone''s really happy for


    you. Listen!¡±


    Immediately after Theo spoke, the voices of the other shareholders sounded from the phone. All of


    them were congratting Louis and urging him to inform them what the wedding date was. No matter


    how busy they were, they would definitely attend it.


    Everyone was fighting to congratte him, with some eagerly asking who the bride was. Stunned,


    Louis took a while to return to his senses before blurting out loud, ¡°What about Zachary?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht went back to rest after the meeting,¡± replied one of the shareholders. ¡°Hisplexion looks


    quite pale recently. He must be exhausted after Mr. Henry passed away. Oh, right. He even brought his


    son with him, so he probably returned to his vi to keep his sonpany.¡±


    ¡°Louis...¡± Theo snatched the phone over and said, ¡°I''ve told him about your marriage. He told me to


    congratte you, and to inform him when the wedding is.¡±


    When Louis heard that, his heartbeat quickened and he asked anxiously, ¡°What else did he say?¡±


    ¡°Nothing much. He said that he''d like to tell you some good news!¡± said Theo with a chuckle.


    ¡°W-What''s the good news?¡±


    Louis'' hands trembled as he grabbed the phone. He thought that Zachary was referring to ''good news''


    as a form of dark humor...


    ¡°Mr. Nacht increased his investment for our Pillere project! Since we don''t need to umte more


    funds, we can kickstart the project earlier. When are you going back to Pillere? We''ll meet you there.¡±


    When Louis heard that, he was shocked. Initially, he thought that Zachary would withdraw his


    investment to make him fail horribly. Surprisingly, Zachary increased his investment instead.


    Does he not me me at all?


    Even Robert was astounded. A doubtful look crossed his face.


    What is Zachary doing?


    ¡°Louis? Louis?¡± Theo called out to him over the phone.


    ¡°Oh, I''ll be leaving in the evening and will reach Pillere tomorrow.¡± Louis returned to his senses and


    said distractedly, ¡°I''ll call Zachary first...¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±

 Chapter 1143

    Chapter 1143


    After ending the all, Louis asked his father worriedly. ¡°Dad, what is Zachary doing? Does he not hate


    me? Why did he increase his investment instead of withdrawing?¡±


    ¡°I find it weird too.¡± Robert could not understand why. ¡°Judging from his personality, he wouldn''t have


    done this...¡±


    Although the Zachary they knew would always seek revenge, he was repaying a grudge with favor


    now. Is there something wrong with him?


    ¡°Does Zachary want me to drown in self-guilt?¡± The more Louis thought about it, the more worried he


    became. ¡°No, I must call him!¡±


    ¡°You can call him, but you must only talk about work. You mustn''t mention any private matters at all.¡±


    Robert instructed him, ¡°If he asks about the marriage, just give a yes or no answer. Don''t say anything


    else, okay?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± asked Louis


    ¡°Just follow my instructions!¡± Robert became impatient.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Louis immediately called Zachary. The phone rang for a while before the call was answered. A


    familiar voice sounded. ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Z-Zachary...¡± Louis became so nervous the moment he spoke that even his voice was trembling.


    ¡°What''s up, Louis?¡±


    On the other hand, Zachary seemed quite calm, as if nothing had happened between them at all. It was


    like they were still best friends like before.


    ¡°I-I just called Mr. Murphy and he said that you''ve increased your investment, right?¡±


    Louis was stuttering like a little boy who hadmitted a mistake.


    As Robert watched him from the side, his temper red.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± replied Zachary. ¡°It''s your first project, so you must do a good job and prove yourself to the


    royal family!¡±


    N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    When Louis heard that, he was extremely touched. However, a wave of embarrassment surged


    through him too...


    Meanwhile, Robert frowned. What is Zachary nning? Is he resorting to an appeasement tactic?


    ¡°They''ve told you already, right? We''ll meet you at Pillere. You should quickly pick a date to kickstart


    the project.¡±


    ¡°I know. And you... ¡°


    ¡°I''ve been busy recently, so I made Lucy in charge ofmunicating the details to your side. After the


    project''s done, I''ll go over and take a look.¡±


    ¡°Then...¡±


    ¡°That''s it! I''ll go keep my childpany.¡±


    Before Louis could finish his sentence, Zachary ended the call.


    As Zachary had control over the entire conversation, Louis had no opportunity to express his thoughts


    or even wait for him to ask about the marriage...


    After the call, Louis'' unease and guilt increased.


    He thought that he had let Zachary down. Not only had he snatched the woman whom Zachary loved


    away, but he had also misjudged his friend grossly!


    Instead of ming him, Zachary helped, supported, and consoled him.


    ¡°This must be part of Zachary''s scheme. You mustn''t fall for it!¡± reminded Robert quickly. ¡°He''s not


    someone to be trifled with. Regardless of his rtionship with Charlotte, he won''t give up so easily if


    someone threatens his interests.¡±


    ¡°Daddy, stop insulting Zachary.¡± Louis was furious. ¡°How can you say that about him when he''s so nice


    to me?¡±


    ¡°Louis...¡±


    ¡°Okay, that''s enough. I want to rest now. ¡°


    Annoyed, Louis pushed his father out of the room and shut the door. Then, he held onto his phone,


    unable to calm down for a long time.


    Meanwhile, in H City, Zachary was sitting on a chair in Ashenville Garden.


    While watching Jamie y ser on the field, he narrowed his eyes. A cold glint shed across them.


    ¡°I''ve found out.¡± Ben rushed over and reported softly, ¡°Ms. Lindberg has agreed to it. Although it has not


    been announced yet, they''re probably going to do it soon.¡±


    ¡°What about the Lindberg Corporation?¡± asked Zachary.


    ¡°Danrique is currently encircled by enemies, facing both internal threats and external problems. The


    reason why he supported this marriage was probably that he wanted to provide Ms. Lindberg with a


    backup n.¡±

 Chapter 1144

    Chapter 1144


    When Zachary heard that, a conflicted look crossed his face. ¡°Looks like Danrique is really nice to


    Charlotte.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Ben said softly. ¡°I heard from Lupine that although Danrique''s really strict with Charlotte, he has


    only kind intentions for her.¡±


    Not saying anything, Zachary cast his gaze downward. Did Charlotte agree to this marriage out of


    consideration for Danrique''s situation?


    This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    I know very well that she feels no romantic feelings for Louis. But why did she agree to marry him? I


    can''t figure it out at all...


    When he first heard about the news, his heart sank.


    Although he was already mentally prepared, he still found it hard to ept when he had to confront it.


    He kept hoping that she would be reluctant to agree because of their past rtionship, that she would


    hesitate and resist. However, it was merely a figment of his imagination.


    ¡°Don''t worry. Since they have not announced it, it might just be a verbal agreement and is confirmed


    yet,¡±forted Ben gently.


    ¡°Within three hours, the news will be published.¡±


    Zachary gazed at the dark courtyard with narrowed eyes.


    Ever since Charlotte left, H City had been raining constantly. The cloudy and wet weather made one''s


    mood gloomy as well.


    Only Jamie could train and y ser every day happily as if nothing had happened.


    ¡°I finally know why Robbie wanted Jamie to stay by your side.¡± Gazing at Jamie as he jumped around


    enthusiastically, Ben could not help but exim, ¡°Look at how happy he is! As Marino''s been keeping


    Jamiepany every day, his mood has improved considerably too.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± A smile yed on Zachary''s lips as he stood up to join Jamie''s ser game. However, when


    he took a few steps, he started feeling dizzy, as if the world was spinning around him.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht!¡± Ben rushed forward to hold him. ¡°Are you okay? I''ll bring you back to your room to rest.¡±


    Ben helped Zachary to the room andy him down on the bed. He was about to call Raina when


    Zachary stopped him. ¡°We''re in the vi now. Do you want everyone to know about it?¡±


    ¡°But this can''t continue...¡± Ben panicked. ¡°Your illness is rpsing more frequently!¡±


    ¡°It''s fine.¡± Zachary covered his eyes with his arm, adjusting himself to the brightness of the room. ¡°I


    won''t die!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, you...¡± Ben wanted to say something, but Zachary dismissed him with a wave of his hand.


    Although Ben was anxious and frustrated, he had no choice but to leave quietly.


    ¡°What happened? Did he have a rpse again?¡± Bruce walked over briskly and asked.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Ben nodded. ¡°Didn''t Raina visit Spencer? What did he say?¡±


    ¡°Spencer wanted to look for Mr. Nacht, who has left. To prevent the news from being leaked, there''s no


    choice but to wait till we get home...¡±


    ¡°We must convince him to ept the treatment. Otherwise, the consequences would be dire.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he''s getting thinner by the day. I''m really worried!¡±


    While both of them discussed in hushed voices, they did not notice Jamie walking over from the other


    end of the corridor.


    ¡°So...¡± Bruce stopped mid-sentence and turned his head around warily. When he noticed Jamie


    standing beside a vase, he was stunned. ¡°When did you arrive?¡±


    ¡°Just now!¡± said Jamie with a giggle. ¡°Where''s Daddy?¡±


    ¡°He''s tired, so he''s resting in his room.¡± Ben walked toward him quickly, squatted down, and hugged his


    shoulders. ¡°What did you hear just now?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Jamie gazed at him with a clueless look. ¡°What''s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Ben heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Follow me! Let''s go eat something and not disturb your father''s


    rest.¡±


    ¡°I don''t want to eat! I want to bathe. The sweat feels so ufortable!¡±


    ¡°Okay, I''ll bring you back to your room to bathe.¡±


    ¡°Let the two prettydies bring me there instead. You should go ahead with your work!¡±


    With that, Jamie broke free from Ben''s grasp and scurried off.

 Chapter 1145

    Chapter 1145


    ¡°Do you think he heard us?¡± Bruce was concerned.


    ¡°I doubt so,¡± Bruce answered. ¡°Jamie isn''t like Robbie. He isn''t the kind to keep things in his heart.¡±


    ¡°That''s true.¡± Bruce nodded. ¡°We''re heading back tonight, right? Let me give Mr. Spencer a call.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Then, Bruce went back to work as Ben stood guard by Zachary''s door.


    Jamie returned to his room and found two maids preparing his bath. He cleared his throat and said,


    ¡°Excuse me,dies, you may leave. I can wash up on my own.¡±


    ¡°What''s wrong? You love it when we bathe you,¡± the maids asked with a smile.


    ¡°I''m a grown-up now. I can''t rely on you to bathe me all the time...¡± Jamie answered, embarrassed.


    ¡°Hehe, are you embarrassed, Jamie?¡± one of the maids snickered.


    ¡°Urgh yes, I am. Quit it, you''re making me blush.¡± Jamie hid his face in his hands. ¡°I''m hungry. Go make


    me something to eat while I take a bath.¡±


    ¡°Alright. We''ll do so right away.¡±


    Jamie''s expression instantly changed as soon as the two maids left. He then called Robbie with his


    smartwatch.


    ¡°What is it, Jamie? Why are you calling at this hour?¡± Robbie asked in a sleepy voice.


    ¡°Robbie, I think Daddy''s sick,¡± Jamie choked. ¡°I overheard Mr. Bruce and Mr. Ben persuading Daddy to


    seek treatment...¡±


    ¡°Really? What''s wrong with Daddy?¡± Robbie asked panickily.


    ¡°I''m not sure either. But I noticed he''s lost weight and doesn''t seem as energetic as before.¡± Tears


    began to well up at the corner of Jamie''s eyes. ¡°Robbie, what do we do? Is Daddy going to be okay?


    I''m scared.¡±


    ¡°Don''t panic, Jamie. You should find out what disease is it first,¡± Robbie said calmly. ¡°Perhaps it could


    be a minor cold? Or he''s just upset because Mommy took Ellie and I with her when she left? Maybe


    that''s why he''s in a bad mood?¡±


    ¡°But he doesn''t seem to have a cold. He isn''t sneezing nor is he down with a fever...¡± Jamie muttered.


    ¡°Then you need to find out what exactly is going on with him! That''s yourtest mission! Find out what


    happened to Daddy and report back to me!¡±


    ¡°Okay, I will!¡±


    ¡°Good. Do you still remember what I taught you? Stay calm and don''t panic in all situations...¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do. That''s what I did just now. Hence, Mr. Bruce and Mr. Ben weren''t suspicious of me.¡±


    ¡°Good. Stay calm, alright? Daddy has a strong and healthy body. Thus, it''s probably nothing serious


    even if he''s sick. But, you have to make sure and let me know, alright?¡±


    ¡°Okay...¡±


    Once they hung up, Jamie thought about Robbie''s word. He felt encouraged and was driven to find out


    the truth.


    As for Robbie, he could longer go back to sleep after the call.


    Robert came by with Louis to meet Mommy this morning. I believe they must have gotten what they


    came for judging from the smiles they had on their faces when they left...


    However, Daddy is sick at such times...


    What should I do?


    Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    Suddenly, there was a knock on the door as he was lost in his thoughts. It was Charlotte. ¡°Are you


    awake, Robbie?¡±


    Robbie quickly got up to open the door and saw Charlotte, fully dressed. ¡°Mommy, where are you


    going?¡± His heart dropped.


    ¡°I have to make a trip to thepany.¡± Charlotte bent over and cupped his cheeks. ¡°Can you y with


    Ellie once you wake up from your nap? Don''t forget you have an online ss at three o''clock, alright?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Robbie nodded obediently. ¡°I thought you didn''t have to take care of the Lindberg Corporation''s


    business matters? Why do you have to go to thepany now?¡±


    ¡°There''s a press conference I have to attend to,¡± Charlotte answered briefly. ¡°Anyways, I have to go


    now. Please be a good boy while I''m away. If you need anything, go to Ms. Morgan or Mrs. Ramos.¡±


    ¡°Mommy...¡± Robbie tugged Charlotte''s sleeve. He knew what the press conference was about.


    He didn''t want Charlotte to attend the press conference. Yet, he loosened his grip around her sleeve


    when he was reminded of Zachary. ¡°It''s nothing. Go on.¡±

 Chapter 1146

    Chapter 1146


    Charlotte knew what was on Robbie''s mind, but she didn''t ask any further. Some things must be dealt


    with even if you aren''t willing to...


    ¡°Be a good boy for me, alright? I''ll be back to have dinner with you both. I promise.¡±


    She hugged Robbie and left.


    Robbie watched as Charlotte walked out of the castle. He even went to the window to watch her get


    into the car.


    I know she''ll be back very soon, but I feel as if Mommy was leaving me to a farawaynd. Another


    world, perhaps.


    As the convoy disappeared in sight, Robbie broke eye contact with the view outside of the castle. I can


    never understand the adult world...


    Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    Charlotte arrived at Lindberg Corporation in no time. The building was situated in the best location in


    Erihal where many built their business empires.


    The press conference was ready to go as Robert and Louis were sitting on stage, waiting for Charlotte.


    On the other hand, Danrique chose to stay away from the spotlight. Thus, his absence was no surprise.


    Charlotte got off her car and walked towards the press conference. Every media reporter instantly


    turned their cameras towards her as they clicked away frantically.


    Louis weed her even before Charlotte reached the stage. He even pulled her chair for her like a


    gentleman. His kind gesture was caught in action as the reporters continued taking pictures.


    Robert smiled as he watched his son behave like a gentleman.


    It was no doubt a great move under such circumstances.


    The trio was quickly seated as Charlotte greeted the media reporters as a host. She then introduced


    Robert and Louis before announcing the news of her marriage to Louis.


    The crowd immediately went wild as soon as they heard the news.


    Everyone knew that a big shot of Lindberg Corporation like Charlotte would have big news for the


    public. Yet, no one expected it to be this.


    The marriage between Lindberg Corporation and the royal family of F Nation was no doubt a power


    move to join forces. The Lindberg Corporation would gain a powerful ally while the royal family of F


    Nation and the Laurent family would also gain great help!


    The media reporters hurriedly asked many questions regarding how the couple met and the wedding


    details.


    Charlotte was able to answer every one of their questions with ease.


    As for their romance history, Louis mentioned that he immediately fell in love with her when he first met


    Charlotte at a banquet.


    He could not forget about her ever since that encounter and searched high and low for any signs of her.


    Fortunately, he met once again after six months at a royal banquet in F Nation. He wasted no time as


    he confessed his love for her. However, she rejected him.


    The couple became friends as Louis continued to stay by her side, hoping he could win her over with


    his sincerity and love. He had also confessed to her several times in the process but she didn''t ept


    him until today.


    With that, Louis got on one knee and revealed a ring that symbolized the royals of F Nation and


    proposed to Charlotte!


    The female journalist at the scene was moved by his act, especially when he looked at Charlotte


    affectionately.


    The crowd was in awe and exmation! The scene was like a perfect love story straight out of a


    fairytale!


    Charlotte looked at the ring as her mind drifted to the scene when she was married to Zachary. All of


    the memories from those days shed before her eyes.


    In a split second, the man kneeling in front of her became Zachary!


    Charlotte couldn''t help herself but smile gently as she looked back at him affectionately. She slowly


    stretched out her hand towards Louis to ept his proposal...


    Louis was so touched, he quickly put the ring on Charlotte''s finger and hugged her tightly. ¡°I love you,


    Charlotte!¡± he said emotionally.


    Charlotte was instantly pulled back into reality. The person in front of her was Louis and not Zachary...


    He''s never said ¡°I love you¡± to me before. Never. Forget it, let''s start over from this moment onwards...


    Charlotte told herself as she slowly closed her eyes and ced her arms around Louis.

 Chapter 1147

    Chapter 1147


    Back in Ashenville Garden, H City...


    Zachary was watching the press conference on hisputer.


    The couple wasted no time as they went straight for the main agenda to announce their marriage.


    Louis also proposed on the spot. The atmosphere was filled with love and affection. The couple


    seemed like they were a match made in heaven, a couple in an illicit love affair.


    Zachary couldn''t think of anything else to describe them as he fixed his eyes upon Charlotte.


    He watched as she smiled gently at Louis and epted his proposal.


    N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    She even hugged Louis on the waist.


    Zachary''s heart ached as if it was ripped open. He watched the proposal happen as he was reminded


    of the times they shared.


    ¡°Zachary!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I love you!¡±


    ¡°What? Say that again!¡±


    ¡°Nothing, it doesn''t matter if you didn''t hear it the first time.¡±


    ¡°Come on, say it one more time! I want to hear it!¡±


    ¡°No! Some things can only be said once! It''s your loss if you didn''t hear it!¡±


    ¡°Hurry up, Charlotte! Just say it one more time!¡±


    ¡°No, absolutely not!¡±


    ¡°If you don''t, I''ll make you...¡±


    ¡°Stop it, you beast! I''m having a nosebleed, for God''s sake! Stop it! It''s really ticklish, haha!¡±


    ¡°Are you pregnant? We should have another set of triplets! I bet things are going to get lively in the


    house if we do!¡±


    ¡°No way! I''m not a pig!¡±


    ¡°Come on, doesn''t it sound great? Robbie, Jamie, and Ellie would be thrilled!¡±


    Those happy memories shed by one after another in his mind like countless silver needles piercing


    him, causing indescribable pain.


    He continued to stare at theputer as his mind was filled with Charlotte and Louis''s intimate scenes.


    He was so engrossed in those thoughts, he didn''t realize he had crushed the ss with his bare hands


    and was holding ss shards.


    It was like he was trying to hold onto the love he shared with Charlotte. Every time he squeezed harder,


    the shards would prate deeper into his palm, hurting him further as blood poured from his palms.


    Yet, he couldn''t bring himself to let go...


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, Mr. Nacht!¡±


    ¡°Let go!¡± both Ben and Raina screamed.


    Zachary finally came back to his senses and lowered his eyes to look at his hands.


    He didn''t feel any pain despite gripping onto the shards so hard that it was deep into his skin.


    She''s given up. She''s given up on me and our family. So, is it time for me to give up as well?


    But, I can''t do it... I really can''t.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, stop it.¡±


    Raina had never seen Zachary in such a state as tears rolled down her cheeks. She got down on one


    knee and quickly attended to Zachary''s wound.


    As for Ben, he quickly took a handful of tissues and wiped the blood off Zachary''s face.


    Zachary didn''t notice that he was having a nosebleed until he snapped back into reality.


    He wiped his nose with his other hand and saw a handful of blood. He stared at the blood coldly and


    said, ¡°Funny, it didn''t hurt one bit...¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht...¡± Raina cried, ¡°you can''t go on like this anymore. You need to be treated right away.¡±


    ¡°I''ve already found the perfect medical team for you. It''s the same team that treated Ms. Lindberg.


    They''re scheduled to arrive by tomorrow. If they can cure Ms. Lindberg, I''m pretty sure they do the


    same for you. Nothing is too difficult for you to ovee.¡±


    You can win Ms. Lindberg over and take the kids back home. That way, you can all reunite once


    again...¡±


    Her words were very persuasive, especially thest part.


    Zachary''s eyes lit up at her words. Yes, of course. Nothing can stop me once I''m in good condition.


    No one can stand in my way. Not even, Danrique or Louis can take away my wife and kids. I have to


    get back in shape to bring them home!

 Chapter 1148

    Chapter 1148


    Spencer returned to Southridge as he stood by the entrance with a cane in hand.


    Spencer had aged greatly in a month as he couldn''t ept Henry''s death. He now looked like an old


    man with white hair.


    Even the way he held the cane had somewhat resembled Mr. Nacht.


    ¡°Mr. Spencer!¡± Jamie got off the car and ran towards Spencer.


    The kids had treated Spencer as their Great-grandpa ever since Henry''s death. They shared the


    respect and dependency they had for Henry with Spencer.


    ¡°Hello, Jamie.¡± Spencer bent over to hug Jamie and patted him on his back. ¡°I''m so d to see you.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, me too.¡± Jamie giggled. ¡°Are you feeling better, Mr. Spencer?¡±


    ¡°Much better.¡± Spencer rubbed Jamie''s head. ¡°It''s getting cold. We should get inside.¡±


    This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Jamie nodded as he held the nurse''s hand and walked into the house.


    Zachary stood by the car as he watched Spencer. He frowned and turned towards Ben and Bruce.


    The duo quickly lowered their heads guiltily.


    Raina also kept quiet and looked elsewhere.


    ¡°It seems like I''m an unwanted guest, Mr. Zachary?


    Spencer smiled warmly at Zachary.


    ¡°Nonsense.¡± Zachary walked up to him and smiled. ¡°I''ve prepared some tea in my study room while


    waiting. Would you like to have some?¡±


    ¡°Well, don''t mind if I do.¡±


    Zachary ordered the servants to make tea as he entered the vi side by side with Spencer. Then, they


    made their way to the study room.


    Zachary took off his jacket and sat on the sofa. As he instinctively reached out for a ss of wine,


    Spencer stopped him. ¡°You shouldn''t be drinking anymore.¡±


    The servants froze in horror.


    Zachary waved his hand and the servants quickly backed away.


    ¡°Oh, don''t listen to those rascals, Mr. Spencer,¡± Zachary exined. ¡°I assure you, it''s nothing serious.¡±


    ¡°Don''t try to hide it from me. I know everything.¡± Spencer sighed sadly. ¡°I knew Cynthia was up to no


    good from the start. Yet, I didn''t think she would do such a thing even at the brink of death.¡±


    ¡°I believe if Mr. Nacht had known that you were poisoned, he would have regretted for trusting the


    wrong person.¡±


    ¡°Forget it, it''s history now. So, there''s no point talking about it anymore,¡± Zachary answered.


    ¡°Of course. She''s gone now anyway.¡± Spencer sighed.


    ¡°I can only hope that you would be able to recover with the help of the treatment. Charlotte is the best


    example, so I believe you will recover too.¡±


    Mr. Nacht is gone, so you''re all the Nacht Group is left with. Can you imagine what would happen to it


    without you? And the kids too! What would they do without you? Spencer thought to himself.


    ¡°I know...¡± Zachary nodded. ¡°I''ll head to the office tomorrow to settle some matters before I start the


    treatment. Therefore, I may need your help with the household matters.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Spencer replied as he nced at Zachary''s hand that was covered with gauze. ¡°I saw the news


    and I know it must be very hard on you. But you must know that you have a long life ahead of you!


    There''s always hope as long as you''re alive!¡± Spencer said.


    ¡°I know...¡± Zachary nodded. ¡°I''ll head to the office tomorrow to settle some matters before I start the


    treatment. Therefore, I may need your help with the household matters.¡±


    Zachary''s heart tingled when he heard those words. He''s right. I can turn things around as long as I''m


    still breathing.


    ¡°Just focus on the treatment and everything will turn out for the better,¡± Spencer patted his shoulder


    reassuringly. ¡°Mr. Sterk will take care of thepany and I can look after the household on your behalf.


    So, don''t worry.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Zachary smiled and nodded. ¡°The tea''s ready. Please try it.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    The men then drank tea quietly in the study room as the sound of rain pitter-pattered by the windowsill.


    Zachary noticed Spencer''s wrinkled hand when he poured tea for him. He couldn''t help but think of his


    father and sighed. ¡°Do you think my father regretted his decision when he passed?¡±

 Chapter 1149

    Chapter 1149


    ¡°Of course.¡± Spencer sighed. ¡°He wanted to apologize to Charlotte himself. Hence, he was waiting for


    her toe through the door the entire time before he passed...¡±


    ¡°He had tears in the corner of his eyes due to regret. He wished he could have done so much more for


    your mother, for you, and for Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    ¡°Hence, I hope you can do whatever your heart desires. Don''t end up like your Grandpa. He was filled


    with regret at the brink of death, yet he couldn''t do anything to change it...¡±


    All the wealth and power were nothing to the Nacht family. These worldly things were something they


    could obtain at the snap of a finger.


    ¡°Yet, rtionships are what you and your father desired for years. So, you should go for it!¡±


    Zachary was rather shocked when he heard those words. He merely knew that Spencer was Henry''s


    best man in charge. He was the second most powerful man in the Nacht family after Henry.


    He was always the man to calm Henry when he was angry and give him a wake-up call when he lost


    his way. He had also trained a group of subordinates for the Nacht family like Bruce and Ben.


    In fact, he was the only man besides our family member who knew Henry inside out.


    Sure enough, Spencer knew what Zachary had in mind all along. The things he wanted to do and what


    he desired most.


    ¡°Look at it from a different perspective, one would not cherish the rtionship if it was always a process


    of smooth sailing. A fight would eventually break out among the two over trivial things.


    ¡°In contrast, rtionships that have experienced up and downs would bear good fruit. Perhaps this is a


    challenge for both you and Charlotte to ovee. Hence, once you reunite, you will look back and


    cherish the rtionship you both shared.¡±


    Spencer patted Zachary''s shoulder and said, ¡°Therefore, Mr. Zachary, dreams wille true as long as


    you''re alive!¡±


    Spencer''s words brought great encouragement to Zachary.


    I had always hoped that Henry would understand me, support me, and eventually say such words to


    me. Yet, it didn''t happen. Nheless, Spencer had said it on behalf of Henry.


    Zachary could feel a strong sense of power surging through his veins.


    Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    He was convinced that everything would change once he gets better. Charlotte would be by his side


    and the kids would return home too. Everything would be perfect again!


    The next day, Zachary held a board meeting as he announced Johann as the executive director. Thus,


    all business matters would be under his care.


    Simrly, he had promoted Lucy, who would then be in charge of the domestic market region.


    He spent the whole day docking all business matters. For example, he handed all the projects to


    various people in charge, including the Gymnasium Project to Lucy.


    The employees panicked as soon as they heard the announcements. Many had doubts and questions,


    yet no one dared say a word.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, what is the meaning behind these arrangements?¡± Johann finally asked.


    Zachary gestured for Ben to close the door of the conference room and disconnect all inte


    equipment.


    ¡°I overworked myself over the past few months and decided to take a break. Don''t worry, everyone, I


    just need some time to recover. I''ll be back in a couple of months, fully recharged!¡±


    The upper management was in terror when they heard the news as they quickly asked about his health


    condition.


    ¡°It''s nothing serious.¡± Zachary waved his hand. ¡°I mean, look at me. Do I look like I''m terribly ill?¡±


    Zachary made an extra effort to make himself look extra sharp. That way, he''d look energetic and not


    sick besides looking slightly thinner than usual.


    ¡°I just wanted to rest,¡± Zachary replied inly. ¡°Besides, our headquarters in M Nation is in a mess all


    because of the things that have recently happened here in the Nacht Group. Therefore, I have to deal


    with it myself. Consequently, I am human, after all. My energy has its limits, so I''ve decided to focus on


    our headquarter for now.¡±

 Chapter 1150

    Chapter 1150


    Everyone nodded in understanding as soon as he said so.


    Some spected the reason for Zachary to return to M Nation was to settle the affairs at the


    headquarter. Although Henry''s will clearly state that all of his assets belong to his three grandchildren,


    Zachary was overseeing it as of now.


    Zara was no longer in the picture while Henry is gone too. Therefore, Zachary has to take charge of the


    trouble at M nation.


    However, he couldn''t publicly announce this news as it may cause trouble.


    The management team there wasn''t as nice as the people from Divine Corporation.


    Hence, the crowd assumed the reason for his break was to settle matters in M Nation.


    Everyone in the crowd sighed in relief except for Johann and Lucy. The duo seemed like they have


    something else in mind.


    Once the meeting was over, Zachary returned to his office to sign some documents.


    Johann came knocking on his door and asked, ¡°Are you taking a break because of Charlotte?''


    ¡°I believe you saw the news?¡±


    Zachary had a lot of respect for Johann. Although the old man was stubborn, he never fell back from a


    fight whenever thepany needed help.


    ¡°Yup,¡± Johann sighed. ¡°Well, the world''s an unpredictable ce. I also don''t understand how love works


    among young people like you. All I hope is that you won''t be depressed about it...¡±


    Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Do I seem like an immature person to you?¡± Zachary continued to sign the documents without lifting


    his head.


    ¡°Are you really going to M Nation?¡± Johann frowned. ¡°ording to my sources, Mr. Spencer is handling


    the matters over there...¡±


    ¡°You''re right, he is.¡± Zachary stopped what he was doing. ¡°The reason why I decided to take a break


    wasn''t because of the matters in the headquarter. I''m sick, and I''ll die if I don''t seek treatment right


    away.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Johann was shocked. ¡°Stop it, it''s not funny.¡±


    ¡°I hope you can keep this a secret,¡± Zachary reminded him sternly. ¡°I''ve liaised with thewyers to draft


    a will. If anything happens to me, both you and Mr. Spencer would be in charge of handling the


    company. In addition, my inheritance would be entirely passed down to my three children...¡±


    ¡°Could you tell me what''s wrong with you?¡± Johann panicked.


    ¡°It''s nothing serious, but ites with a risk,¡± Zachary replied briefly. ¡°I''m just taking precautions here


    to ensure everything will be alright.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry, I can handle this on my own.¡± Zachary smiled. ¡°I wouldn''t want to bother an old man like


    you anymore. So, hang in there.¡±


    ¡°You! What a cheeky rascal you are, I can''t believe you''re joking with me at such times.¡± Johann was


    both angry and anxious. ¡°I can''t tell whether you''re speaking the truth to me or not? Can''t you just be


    honest with me for once?¡±


    ¡°I''m being serious right now.¡± Zachary handed Johann a document. ¡°Only Mr. Spencer and you have a


    copy of this each. So please keep this safe!¡±


    ¡°What''s this?¡± Johann opened the file slowly.


    ¡°Take a good look at it, okay? I''ve guess I''m done for the day and I got to go now. Bye.¡±


    Zachary ced his pen aside as soon as he signed thest document and left.


    Johann opened the file and took out a document. To his surprise, it was Zachary''s will.


    The contents of his will were exactly as he had mentioned before. If anything happens to him, Spencer


    and he would be in charge of the Nacht Group.


    As for his children, he had left all of Nacht Group''s property to his three children alongside a detailed


    distribution n.


    The will also specifically stated that Robbie may take over Nacht at the age of twelve whilst under


    Spencer''s supervision.


    As for his personal assets, he left everything to Charlotte!


    However, the will had a validity of one year. If anything happens to Zachary in that timeframe, the


    contents of the will should be carried out ordingly...


    Furthermore, the will would expire after one year.


    ¡°This... I can''t believe...¡±


    Johann''s hand trembled as he was convinced that Zachary was indeed terribly ill and could lose his life


    anytime...

 Chapter 1151

    Chapter 1151


    Zachary decided to tell Johann not only because he trusted him, but he was worried that the treatment


    might not work as well.


    Humans are often sensitive towards their physical condition. Even though I''m very optimistic, I can''t


    help but think I might not wake up if I fall asleep one day.


    And if that dayes, I hope the Nacht Group wouldn''t be in chaos again. Hence, I have to take all


    necessary precautions!


    Once everything at the Nacht Group was settled, Zachary began his treatment.


    Raina cleared the entire medical building and brought in medical equipment in preparation for


    Zachary''s treatment. Simrly, Raina arranged for the medical team from Erihal to stay at Southridge.


    Mrs. Rawlston transferred most of the younger maids to Spencer while experienced ones were


    stationed at the medical building.


    The reason behind the change in was staffing was to ensure that Zachary was taken good care of as


    well as to prevent the news from going public.


    Spencer took Jamie back to Henry''s Garden Vi to stay for the meantime. Spencer also allowed


    Jamie to go back to school.


    Simrly, Jamie was under Marino and two other medical staff staffs'' care when Zachary was away for


    treatment.


    The night before Jamie left, he ran up to Zachary and asked, ¡°Daddy, why are you sending Mr. Spencer


    and I away to the Garden Vi? Do you not want me anymore?¡±


    ¡°Of course not, silly. You''re my son, why would I abandon you?¡± Zachary rubbed his head and smiled.


    ¡°I''m sick and need to be treated. Hence, I''ve decided that you should stay with Mr. Spencer as I can''t


    take care of you now.¡±


    Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°What''s wrong, Daddy? Are you having a cold or something?¡± Jamie asked anxiously.


    ¡°It''s hard to exin...¡± Zachary paused. ¡°Daddy''s illness is a little tricky and requires some time before I


    get better. If everything goes well, I''ll be as healthy as a horse in a couple of months. Then, we can


    travel to Erihal to get Mommy, Robbie, and Ellie.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Jamie widened his eyes in horror. ¡°Daddy, did you just say that you might die?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡± Zachary nodded. ¡°I might!¡±


    ¡°No! I don''t want Daddy to die!¡±


    Jamie clung onto Zachary''s neck and cried out loud.


    The room was instantly filled with the sound of cries as everyone was saddened by the scene.


    Even Bruce and Ben lowered their head sadly while Mrs. Rawlston wiped a tear that escaped from the


    corners of her eyes.


    Spencer wanted tofort Jamie, but his voice was no match to Jamie''s loud cry.


    Zachary didn''t stop Jamie, instead, he let him cry until he was tired and his voice became hoarse.


    Then, he gently pulled away from him and wiped his tears. ¡°Are you done? Can we have a man-to-man


    conversation now?¡±


    Jamie continued to sob as he nodded with tears in his eye.


    ¡°Here, take this and wipe your tears before you sit down.¡± Zachary handed him a few pieces of tissue.


    Jamie took it and wiped away his tears and blew his nose. His red and puffy eyes met Zachary''s gaze.


    ¡°Daddy...¡± Jamie choked up once again.


    ¡°It''s only a matter of time before people die, Jamie...¡± Zachary gazed at him softly. ¡°We all have to face


    death one day, do not be discouraged when you face challenges!¡±


    ¡°But I don''t want you to die, Daddy.¡± Jamie pouted as he looked at Zachary, teary-eyed.


    ¡°Daddy''s not ready to die yet too.¡± Zacharyughed. ¡°I still want to bring Mommy, Robbie, and Ellie


    home. I want to watch all three of you be adults and see what kind of girl our little Jamie is going


    to marry.¡±


    Jamie snorted inughter and a little bubble popped right out his nose. He quickly covered it with tissue


    in embarrassment.


    ¡°Are you going to stop crying now?¡± Zachary pinched Jamie''s cheeks. ¡°I won''t die for sure, it''s just a


    possibility. So we shouldn''t get upset about something that hasn''t happened, alright?¡±


    ¡°We should face what''s ahead of us boldly. Therefore, Daddy''s going to seek treatment. As for you,


    Jamie, you should study hard and keep this a secret from Mommy, Robbie, and Ellie.¡±

 Chapter 1152

    Chapter 1152


    ¡°Huh? Why?¡± Jamie asked in surprise.


    ¡°I know you have video calls with Robbie and Ellie every day, don''t you?¡± Zachary asked. ¡°All three of


    you would share about every little detail. So, I guess you''ve also told them that I''ve been sick, right?¡±


    ¡°I-I...¡± Jamie hesitated.


    ¡°Well, I don''t want them to worry. So could you please keep it a secret?¡± Zachary rubbed his head.


    ¡°That way, Daddy can seek treatment with a carefree heart. Then, we''ll go to Erihal to meet them once I


    get better!¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Jamie was convinced as he nodded solemnly. ¡°Don''t worry, Daddy, I won''t tell them a single


    word about this. But you have to promise me that you will recover...¡±


    ¡°I''ll be waiting for you!¡± Jamie''s voice choked once again.


    ¡°I know.¡± Zachary hugged him. ¡°Be a good boy, alright? Let''s work hard together and I''ll see you in a


    couple of months!¡±


    ¡°You got it!¡±


    Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    That afternoon, both Spencer and Jamie left. Jamie turned to look at Zachary and waved as he took


    each step away from him.


    Zachary smiled as he watched them leave. Once the convoy was nowhere to be seen, he clutched his


    heart in pain and fell.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht!¡± Ben and Bruce rushed to catch him. ¡°You must seek treatment right away! We have no


    time to lose!¡±


    ¡°I''ll make the arrangements this instant...¡± Raina left without another word.


    However, Zachary stopped them. ¡°Wait, there''s something else I haven''t done.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, tell me what it is and I''ll get it done,¡± Bruce replied anxiously.


    ¡°Take me back to my room.¡±


    Both Ben and Bruce took him back to his room. Zachary leaned against the sofa andmanded in a


    low voice, ¡°Hand me my phone.¡±


    Ben handed him his phone as Zachary dialed Charlotte''s number with trembling hands.


    Charlotte blocked his number in the past but unblocked it when they were both on a mission to rescue


    the kids.


    Zachary dialed the number, yet no one picked up.


    Zachary listened carefully as the line rang endlessly. He couldn''t help but feel sad.


    Perhaps she didn''t want to pick up my call? Or was she unavable?


    Zachary''s heart ached at the thought of it.


    Is she with Louis at this moment? Is that why she can''t pick up my call?


    Suddenly, the beeping sound stopped and the call went through. Yet, the receiver did not say a word.


    Zachary said a short ¡°Hello?¡± and heard a familiar but cold voice shortly. ¡°Can I help you?¡±


    It was Charlotte''s voice.


    Although her voice was as cold as ice, Zachary was overjoyed to hear her voice again.


    He hurriedly sat up straight and smoothened his clothes and hair. Even though it was merely a call, he


    could feel as if Charlotte could see him.


    ¡°I''m going to hang up if you''re not going to say anything,¡± Charlotte said coldly.


    ¡°Hold on,¡± Zachary called out. Unfortunately, he didn''t know what to say next.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Charlotte questioned again.


    ¡°Are the kids doing fine?¡±


    Zachary mustered up the courage to initiate a conversation. However, it wasn''t anything important or


    interesting.


    ¡°You have their number. Why don''t you call them up instead?¡± Charlotte suggested.


    ¡°Oh, yeah.¡± Zachary felt as if the conversation was going nowhere. ¡°How about you?¡±


    ¡°I''m good,¡± Charlotte answered in an arrogant attitude. ¡°Is there anything else?¡±


    ¡°I saw the news...¡± Zachary said. ¡°Are you really going to marry Louis?¡±


    ¡°Do you think I''d joke with such matters?¡± Charlotte asked.


    ¡°Do you love him?¡± Zachary blurted unexpectedly but regretted it at the very same moment.


    ¡°It doesn''t matter whether if I love him or not. I believe our feelings will grow over time,¡± Charlotte


    replied. ¡°Is this why you called? Don''t you think it''s a little childish?¡±

 Chapter 1153

    Chapter 1153


    Every sentence Charlotte uttered was full of aggression, besides being tinged with undisguised


    impatience and sarcasm.


    Nearby, Ben and Bruce were beginning to find it intolerable. When was their boss, Mr. Zachary ever


    humbled this way?


    Then, Zachary said something that was even more humble, ¡°I only wanted to hear your voice...¡±


    In fact, he did not know what he wished to say and all he wanted was to hear her voice.


    It did not matter what she said. As long as he could feel her presence, he had the courage to go


    forward.


    Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    At the other end of the line, Charlotte became quiet. If he had said any other phrase, she would feel


    impatient and revolted but when he said this, her heart ached...


    She thought she could be indifferent but he easily affected her emotions.


    The heartache she felt was akin to her heart being pierced by a sharp weapon.


    It felt real and intense.


    The sound of footsteps came from outside and Charlotte returned to her senses. Coldly, she said,


    ¡°Don''t call me again. Take care of yourself.¡±


    And then, she hung up.


    Zachary''s hand holding the phone dropped and he leaned against the sofa tired, his eyes gradually


    closing...


    ¡°Mr. Zachary!¡±


    At the other end of the line.


    ¡°Danrique!¡± Charlotte put down her phone and turned around to look at Danrique who had just entered.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Danrique sat down on the sofa, took the cup of tea offered by the waiter, and started to slowly


    enjoy it.


    ¡°Sir Robert and Louis have returned home. I''ve juste from the airport.¡± Charlotte looked at


    Danrique with worried eyes. ¡°How are your injuries?¡±


    ¡°You don''t need to worry about this.¡± Danrique looked at her, frowning. ¡°This few days, settle the ns


    about the wedding ceremony and then, go to Pillere with the kids.¡±


    ¡°Go to Pillere?¡± Charlotte was wide-eyed, taken aback. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Just do as you are told.¡± Danrique was not about to exin the reason.


    Charlotte felt ill at ease. Apparently, Danrique was in trouble, and asking her to go to Pillere was to get


    her out of danger...


    ¡°One more thing...¡± Danrique lifted his eyes to meet hers and then, added, ¡°Thepany shares, I


    want them back.¡±


    ¡°All right. When shall we get the formalities done?¡±


    In fact, she had decided much earlier to return those shares to him. It did not matter what the future


    brought. She did not want to keep them.


    ¡°Tomorrow morning, at ten o''clock.¡± Danrique lowered his eyes. ¡°The team ofwyers will wait for you in


    the office. Sean will drive you over. Remember not to be affected no matter who tells you anything.


    Return home after signing the papers. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± Charlotte nodded. ¡°What''s going on, Danrique? Can you let me know? Perhaps, I could help...¡±


    ¡°I will take care of it. You needn''t worry.¡± Danrique interrupted her. ¡°All right. You may go now.¡±


    ¡°Danrique...¡±


    Charlotte wanted to say more but Danrique made a gesture, meaning that she should leave, so she


    left.


    Sean apanied her downstairs, telling her softly, ¡°Mr. Lindberg left some assets for you. Though not


    as valuable as those shares, they are enough for the rest of your life, so you and the children need


    never worry about making a living.¡±


    ¡°Is there someone contending for the shares?¡±


    Charlotte asked tentatively.


    At the time when Danrique gave her those shares, he had wanted to give her power in the business


    world for the rest of her life, never having to bow to anyone.


    When she refused, he had said that those belonged to Aunt Isabe.


    He was a proud man who would not casually take back what had been given away, unless this gift had


    be a time bomb that would endanger the owner''s life.


    ¡°It''s good that you understand,¡± Sean said, frowning, ¡°Mr. Lindberg really meant well concerning you.


    You must do as he instructed. Furthermore, you must obey him to leave Erihal afterpleting the


    formalities.¡±


    ¡°I wish to stay and fight together with him.¡± Charlotte''s brows were tightly knitted. ¡°I can''t just walk away


    from trouble.¡±


    ¡°You must walk away,¡± Sean said in a low voice. ¡°Not only that, but you must also help Mr. Lindberg to


    take someone away with you...¡±

 Chapter 1154

    Chapter 1154


    On the way home, Charlotte wondered about what Sean meant by hisst sentence. When she


    enquired, he would not reveal anything more, except that after the signing of the papers, they will make


    further arrangements...


    Sean''s secretive ways only made her more curious.


    Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    She recalled that Zachary did mention Danrique having a lover and they had a child together. Yet,


    Danrique had never spoken to her about this.


    What Sean mentioned just now made her believe that the rumor was true...


    Was it possible that the person whom Sean said she must bring along for Danrique was the love child?


    If that was true, then this was a good deed, indeed.


    Nevertheless, Charlotte felt much more at ease as she realized that she was ying an important role.


    At the very least, she was doing something helpful for Danrique.


    Apparently, Danrique had nned for this emergency. Sean is right, I must pay heed to him now and


    not worry about other things.


    A pretty petite little figure rushed out, interrupting her thoughts. ¡°Mommy!¡±


    Charlotte turned to look. It was Ellie, running out of the castle wearing a beautiful white cashmere


    coat...


    Charlotte went over immediately and picked her up. ¡°Ellie, why are you out? It''s cold outside.¡±


    ¡°I miss you, Mommy.¡± Ellie had her arms around Charlotte''s neck, nestled in her embrace like a sweet


    baby.


    ¡°Ellie is a good girl!¡± Charlotte stroked her hair, speaking gently, ¡°I went out today to run some errands.


    Look, I''m back.¡±


    ¡°Mommy, are you going to marry Sir Louis?¡± Ellie asked in a soft voice. ¡°What will happen to us after


    that?¡±


    ¡°Whether Mommy gets married or not, my love for you all will not be affected.¡± Charlotte kissed Ellie''s


    forehead. ¡°You all will always be Mommy''s children. No one can change that.¡±


    ¡°What about Daddy?¡± Ellie''s voice was all choked up. ¡°You really don''t want him anymore?¡±


    Hearing these words, Charlotte''s heart sank. She hadmunicated with the children several times. It


    was impossible for her and Zachary to be together again, but the children still had expectations...


    What could she do? She could only exin to them over and over again, tirelessly.


    ¡°Ellie, Daddy and I have separated.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Ellie lowered her head sadly.


    ¡°Good girl!¡± Charlotte carried Ellie inside. ¡°Hungry? I''m making dumplings for you today. Will youe


    and help?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I''ll help...¡±


    Ellie was quickly distracted from thoughts of her Daddy to making dumplings with Charlotte in the


    kitchen.


    From the corridor on the second floor, Robbie watched everything that was going on. Without a word,


    he went back into his own room to continue reading but the words did not register in his brain.


    In the afternoon, the inte connection was cut off. None of theputers could be used online. Even


    the TV could not be used for watching the news.


    He knew that this was Mommy''s instruction. He knew what was going on, but still, he needed to see


    proof.


    Just now, he heard the sound of a car and was about to go downstairs to look for Mommy but then, he


    saw her carrying Ellie indoors as if consoling her and so, he drew the conclusion...


    Apparently, Mommy was really getting married to someone else.


    There would be no reconciliation for the family.


    Robbie felt sad so he took his smartwatch to call Jamie but on second thought, he decided against it.


    Perhaps Jamie did not know the news yet so it was better to let him be carefree for a longer time.


    Still, what about Daddy?


    Robbie''s heart ached when he thought of Daddy.


    He recalled Daddy had asked them not to interfere with adults'' affairs and that Mommy had her own


    ways of thinking so they must support her in every way...


    Daddy was so considerate of Mommy so why did Mommy leave him?


    He did not really understand adult feelings but he felt that Mommy must have a reason for her decision.


    He trusted Mommy but he felt sorry for Daddy, too.


    Nevertheless, it was beyond his power to do anything.

 Chapter 1155

    Chapter 1155


    In the following days, Zachary began to receive closed treatment formally.


    After the medical team examined him, it was clear that there should be no outside interference during


    the treatment, otherwise all previous efforts would be lost.


    Moreover, they could not guarantee that all toxins would be totally removed.


    After all, in the previous incident, when they treated Charlotte, it was just a temporary measure to help


    her stay alive. In the end, they had to depend on Francesco...


    The legendary Francesco did not have a fixed address and he was travelling constantly. It took


    Danrique a long time to find him. By then, Charlotte''s treatment was done, leaving behind some


    seque.


    Francesco could not restart the healing process so he created for her a potion to be taken whenever


    the sickness rpsed to manage the pain...


    Now, Zachary was in a simr situation. In order not to miss the best treatment time, he had to receive


    treatment first. No one could predict the future results, but at least he could stay alive.


    In order to deter the attention of the public, Southridge was sealed off, leaving only some loyal


    subordinates and domestic servants, who were not allowed to enter or leave at will.


    Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    Two weeks passed by quickly. Zachary did not show himself.


    The senior executives of Divine Corporation said that Zachary had gone to M Nation to handle the


    affairs of the headquarters and would be not expected to return to H City in the near future.


    There were rumors and spections that Zachary did not go to M Nation but rather had shut himself up


    because he was depressed and feeling hopeless since his only love was preparing to marry someone


    else.


    Not long after, there were spections about where Zachary had really gone to...


    Divine Corporation and Nacht Group did not respond to those spections and rumors.


    No matter what the question was, their reply was that Mr. Nacht would return after two months.


    Meanwhile, in Erihal, Charlotte heard the news from H City and she felt rather puzzled...


    Even if Zachary really felt sad and hopeless over her marriage to Louis, he could not be depressed to


    such an extent, could he?


    They were all very prominent figures with great power whose jobs affected society, so it was important


    for them not to be brought down by their personal lives.


    Nheless, it was up to him to do as he wished and it was none of her business.


    Thus, Charlotte consoled herself but still, she felt disturbed.


    She asked Robbie if he had contacted Daddy. Robbie said that he was not able to get through Daddy''s


    phone in the past two weeks and Jamie said Daddy had gone to M Nation. He was at Mr. Spencer''s for


    the time being.


    When Robbie questioned further, Jamie said he had to leave for school.


    Robbie felt that it was strange. He could sense that Jamie was not telling him everything.


    The more he asked, the more Jamie evaded his questions. Finally, Jamie stopped epting his calls.


    Robbie rted these to Charlotte and he asked in a worried tone, ¡°Mommy, has something bad


    happened to Daddy?¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily,¡± Charlotteforted him, saying, ¡°It is possible that he is really busy at the


    headquarters in M Nation...¡±


    ¡°No matter how busy, it is not necessary to cut off allmunication.¡± Robbie was very anxious. ¡°Is he


    so busy that he cannot even pick up the phone? Besides, I keep feeling Jamie is hiding something from


    me. It''s weird.¡±


    ¡°Mommy, I miss Daddy and Jamie.¡± Ellie''s tears rolled down her face when she thought that something


    might have happened to Daddy. ¡°Let''s go back to see them, okay?¡±


    ¡°Ellie...¡± Charlotte was about to console her little girl when there was a loud knock on the door. ¡°Ms.


    Lindberg, this is urgent.¡±


    Charlotte went to open the door and asked in a low voice, ¡°What''s the matter?¡±


    Lupine bent near her ear and whispered a few words. Charlotte''s countenance changed and she


    instantly replied, ¡°Get the car ready, I''ll change ande downstairs now.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Lupine quickly went downstairs to arrange for the car.


    Charlotte hugged Robbie and Ellie, speaking to them gently, ¡°Robbie and Ellie, I''m going over to Uncle


    Dan''s ce. You both be good. I''ming home a littlete.¡±


    ¡°Mommy, when will we go home?¡± Ellie looked at her Mommy questioningly.


    ¡°Ellie, after forty-five days, you''ll be totally cured. Then, Daddy wille to fetch you,¡± Charlotte spoke


    to her, holding her face, ¡°I am sure your Daddy is fine. Don''t worry, dear!¡±

 Chapter 1156

    Chapter 1156


    ¡°We cannot contact Daddy now and I''m worried.¡±


    Ellie''s eyes were full of tears and anxiety was written all over her little face.


    ¡°Let me do this, then. I''ll contact him,¡± Charlotteforted her. ¡°Don''t worry, wait for me, okay?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Ellie was assured and she obediently nodded her head.


    ¡°Mommy, you go ahead and do what you need to do.¡± Robbie looked at the time. ¡°It''s nighttime in H


    City now. When youe home tonight, it will be morning, over there. You can try calling then and see


    if you can get through to Daddy''s phone.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Charlotte stroked Robbie''s head, changed, and left.


    In these two weeks, Charlotte had transferred the shares and withdrawn from the Lindberg


    Corporation''s board of directors. She had also finished all the preparations for the wedding in Xendale.


    Once all was settled, Danrique would arrange for her to go to F Nation.


    Nevertheless, just now Lupine had suddenly told her that there was an incident at Danrique''s ce and


    she had to drop by. Charlotte was anxious. ¡°Is Danrique injured again?¡±


    ¡°We don''t know yet,¡± Lupine frowned as she spoke. ¡°Sean only said you have to hurry over, that''s all.¡±


    ¡°Drive faster.¡± Charlotte hurried Morgan.


    ¡°Roger!¡±


    Very quickly, the car arrived at Danrique''s castle.


    The moment the car stopped, Charlotte ran like the wind inside the castle. ¡°Where''s Sean?¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, Sean is upstairs...¡± A subordinate led her upstairs. ¡°Don''t be anxious. Mr. Lindberg will


    be back soon.¡±


    ¡°Danrique is not at home?¡± Charlotte was surprised. ¡°Then where is...¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    Sean came out from the study and signaled the other subordinates to leave.


    ¡°What''s the matter?¡± Charlotte looked at Sean with a frown on her face.


    ¡°Come inside first.¡± Sean opened the door of the study with an air of mystery.


    Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    With a face full of curiosity, Charlotte followed him in and looked. She could not help but be


    dumbfounded...


    In the room, were three cute little children who were about two years old. They were all girls and they


    looked exactly alike, as delicate and pretty as dolls. They almost stole Charlotte''s heart away on the


    spot!


    ¡°This...¡± Charlotte looked at the three children in surprise. ¡°What''s going on?¡±


    ¡°They have already taken DNA tests. All are Mr. Lindberg''s children.¡± Sean pointed at the three children


    and spoke embarrassedly, ¡°In order to ensure their safety, Mr. Lindberg would like you to bring them to


    F Nation.¡±


    Charlotte was speechless.


    She was stunned. She had heard rumors that Danrique had a love child but she had never expected


    him to have three, and at such a young age. She did not expect to see three adorable little girls.


    ¡°Oh, who is this prettydy?¡±


    The one sitting on the piano bench looked at Charlotte with curiosity and spoke in her baby tongue,


    ¡°She looks like Daddy.¡±


    ¡°She must be Daddy''s little sister.¡±


    Another little girl was sitting at the desk and scribbling on a document with Danrique''s pen. She looked


    up at Charlotte and pretended to be knowledgeable. ¡°We should call her our aunt.¡±


    ¡°Aunt!¡±


    Another cute baby with naturally curly hair crawled over from the sofa, holding on to Charlotte''s


    trousers, and then pulled herself up. ¡°Aunt, hug me!¡±


    ¡°Good girl!¡± Charlotte quickly bent over to pick her up. As she looked at her curly hair framing her cute


    small face, Charlotte couldn''t help smiling. ¡°What''s your name?¡±


    ¡°Alpha.¡±


    The little toddler answered obediently, exploring Charlotte''s face with both hands and examining her


    curiously.


    ¡°How are you, Alpha? I am Aunt Charlotte.¡± Charlotte introduced herself. Then she asked the child at


    the piano, ¡°And you, what''s your name?¡±


    ¡°Beta!¡± The little girl was opening the piano cover, wanting to y it. She nearly got her thumb caught


    by the cover.


    Charlotte quickly went over and held the piano cover whilst coaxing the girl, ¡°Dearie, be a good girl.


    Don''t y now. In the future, Aunt Charlotte will teach you how to y, okay?¡±

 Chapter 1157

    Chapter 1157


    ¡°I can y it. I y the best melodies, Aunt Charlotte,¡± shared Beta as she sniffed and spoke with a


    straight face on.


    ¡°Uh...¡±


    ¡°She''s basically telling you to not mess around,¡± said the girl who was at her desk. She never even


    looked at Charlotte before she greeted, ¡°I''m Gamma, Aunt Charlotte.¡±


    ¡°Hi!¡±


    Charlotte couldn''t help chuckling. The kids'' names are tooical to forget.


    That being said, they really are cute. They look a little like Ellie when she was younger. The only


    difference is that they have naturally thick and curly hair. Also, they''re mixed-blood kids, so they as


    adorable as a doll.


    ¡°Those are just their nicknames. Their legal names have yet to be decided,¡± exined Sean.


    ¡°Where''s their mom?¡± asked Charlotte while keeping her voice down.


    ¡°That... is a long story,¡± replied Sean, who seemed to have a little trouble exining anything. He


    changed the topic by saying, ¡°Let''s not talk about this for now. The private jet is ready, and Mr. Lindberg


    asked me to take all of you to the airport at one o''clock. The kids will be counting on you. Please take


    care of them.¡±


    ¡°What''s going on?¡± asked Charlotte in confusion, ¡°It''s already twelve o''clock. Yet, we have to depart at


    one o''clock?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± replied Sean, ¡°Please hurry and have your people pack things up quickly. Mr. Lindberg will


    exin the situation to youter, and we will leave immediately after.¡±


    ¡°When will Danrique be back?¡± asked Charlotte while frowning.


    ¡°Soon,¡± answered Sean. He checked his watch and added, ¡°He''ll reach in ten minutes.¡±


    Charlotte had no choice but to have Lupine get their people to pack everything and get the travel


    documents ready. She even got them to inform Robbie and Ellie that they would be leaving at one


    o''clock.


    Lupine rushed to prepare everything.


    Charlotte had some time to kill, so she sat on the sofa to chat with the three kids.


    Alpha was sweeter and more talkative. She crawled into Charlotte''s arms and chatted away endlessly.


    Beta, on the other hand, was ying with the piano while Gamma was by the desk and scribbling


    away.


    Charlotte Lindberg.


    Danrique hurried over quickly and flung the door to the study room open. When he saw the kids, his


    usually calm and unreadable expression turned a littleplicated. His frown deepened as well.


    ¡°Daddy!¡±


    All three kids dashed over to Danrique as soon as they saw him.


    Alpha was holding a newly opened pack of yoghurt at the time. She had only taken a few steps before


    St! She fell onto the floor and got the yogurt to stter all over her face. The naughty kid licked the


    yoghurt off with her tongue.


    Beta extended her tiny feet and ran into Danrique''s arms. The music sheet she had with her ended up


    pping her father''s handsome face.


    Gamma was sitting by the desk. She had her pen with her and was holding a ball of documents as she


    ran over. She was about to hug her daddy with her dirty hands when...


    Danrique took the document away from her immediately. He frowned and scolded a little, ¡°Why did you


    draw on this?¡±


    My little baby ruined the proposal for a project valued at over ten billion!


    ¡°Daddy is being mean to me!¡±


    Gamma pouted her lips. Bwa! It didn''t take her long before she bawled aloud.


    Her cries got to her sisters. Alpha and Beta basically followed suit and cried as well. Their voices were


    crisp and filled the entire study room right away.


    Danrique massaged his temple as he developed a headache...


    ¡°Kids, don''t cry. Please don''t cry.¡±


    Sean instantly panicked. He didn''t know what to do at all.


    ¡°Don''t cry, girls. Aunt Charlotte is here to protect you, okay?¡±


    Charlotte was quick to coo the kids in front of her. The first thing she did was to pick up Alpha, who was


    still lying on the floor. Charlotte used a wet tissue to clean off all the yogurt before she took the music


    sheets away from Beta. She also put away the pen Gamma had with her and clean her hands.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Finally, Charlotte had all three kids in her arms as she cooed with a smile, ¡°Kids, I live in a huge and


    beautiful castle. There are even other kids there to y with you. Do you want toe visit?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    All three tiny toddlers raised their chubby hands and replied simultaneously.

 Chapter 1158

    Chapter 1158


    ¡°Then you must be good and eat your snacks, okay? After that, I will take you home with me.¡±


    Charlotte cooed them to get them to go have some snacks in the separate room. The former even had


    Lupine and two other maids babysit the kids.


    ¡°Okay,¡± replied the kids, who smiled brightly.


    ¡°Such good girls,¡±plimented Charlotte as she stroked their beautiful, curly hair. After that, she


    entered the study room.


    Danrique frowned deeply when he saw the messy study room. He was an extreme germaphobe and


    had mild OCD. Seeing messy things would make him ufortable.


    ¡°Kids are always unpredictable,¡± exined Charlotte as she cleaned the ce up. She then added,


    ¡°Still, I am delighted to learn that you have kids of your own.¡±


    There were rumors of how Danrique was gay, and Charlotte almost believed in those lies.


    No one could me her for that, though. Danrique had never been lusty and never paid attention to


    women, and it didn''t matter how beautiful they were.


    Moreover, he hated it when women got close to him. He might even despise the idea of being in love


    with another person.


    He was adamant about staying away from women, but he was thirty-three years old, so it was not


    possible for a guy like him to remain a virgin.


    That was why there was a rumor about how he was gay. Even Charlotte thought that was the case...


    Turns out, he is just a normal dude.


    Charlotte was curious, though. I wonder what kind of woman got that man to open up.


    Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°What''s there to be happy about? Those three are just little demons...¡±


    Danrique frowned. It seemed he wasn''t close and hadn''t warmed up to his kids. Instead, he looked a


    little lost and anxious, like he didn''t know how to interact with them...


    Pfft! Charlotte couldn''t help giggling a little before she said, ¡°Kids are supposed to be naughty. Robbie,


    Jamie, and Ellie were just like that when they were younger... Actually, Jamie is still as naughty as your


    daughters are.¡±


    ¡°It''s best if they are like Robinson.¡±


    Danrique thought that things would be amazing if every kid was just like Robbie.


    ¡°Every kid is different. Alpha, Beta, and Gamma are actually pretty cute. I really like them,¡±mented


    Charlotte while smiling.


    ¡°You can keep them if you like them so much. Take them away now,¡± replied Danrique, who seemed to


    be waiting for her to say just that.


    ¡°Like you are actually willing to part with them?¡±


    Charlotte knew that Danrique was just trying to keep the kids safe. That was why he was making her


    take them all away.


    Danrique red over evilly before he changed the topic and asked Sean, ¡°Who sent the kids over?¡±


    ¡°The postman took them to thepany,¡± answered Sean softly. ¡°We were lucky that Gordon


    discovered them in time and contacted me...¡±


    ¡°That b*tch!¡± growled Danrique through gritted teeth.


    Charlotte was shocked. What kind of a person is that woman? I can''t believe she actually sent the kids


    like they are a parcel!


    ¡°She probably had her hands tied...¡±


    Sean didn''t get to finish his sentence before he was cut off. Danrique''s expression was so evil that it


    was terrifying. It got Sean to tilt his head down and stop talking entirely.


    Danrique turned to Charlotte and demanded, ¡°Leave at one o''clock sharp. Take those three demons to


    Pillere and find a way to get them to stop calling me Daddy. Do not let anyone discover that they are


    my kids.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied Charlotte. She didn''t dare to ask any questions when she saw how stern


    Danrique was. She simply promised, ¡°Don''t worry. Just leave the kids to me.¡±


    ¡°Go on then,¡± replied Danrique before he turned around and left.


    Charlotte had more to say to Danrique, but she swallowed her words when she saw how he walked


    away that firmly.


    ¡°Let''s go. We still have two more kids to pick up,¡± reminded Sean politely, ¡°I''ll take you over right now.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Charlotte went to the separate room and cooed the kids into leaving with her.


    Fortunately, all three kids weren''t close to Danrique, and they instinctively trusted and loved Charlotte.


    That allowed Charlotte to convince them with just a few words.


    When they got into the car, Charlotte turned around and looked at the study room on the second floor.


    She didn''t know if Danrique would be watching from the window, but she instructed, ¡°Kids, wave


    goodbye to your daddy.¡±


    ¡°Bye, Daddy,¡± said the kids as they waved at the window...

 Chapter 1159

    Chapter 1159


    Danrique didn''t show up beside the window and wasn''t as reluctant to part as Charlotte assumed him


    to be.


    Charlotte shifted her gaze to the window in the master bedroom. Nothing... I guess I overanalyzed the


    situation.


    Charlotte shook her head in exasperation before she got the kids into the car.


    ¡°Wow, this is so cute!¡±


    Alpha saw Ellie''s Barbie doll as soon as she got in the car. She hugged the doll and started ying


    with it immediately. She even chatted with the doll.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    Beta discovered Robbie''s invention, which he left in the car. She scanned endlessly but still couldn''t


    figure out how to y with it.


    ¡°Let me see,¡± requested Gamma before she took the invention and started messing with it. She didn''t


    know how to y with it either and ended up taking it apart.


    ¡°You can''t take that apart...¡±


    Morgan was going to stop the kid when Charlotte gestured for her to let the kids be.


    ¡°We can just put it back togetherter.¡±


    Gamma ended up putting everything back together after she took it apart. She was especially focused


    as she did so.


    Beta got bored, then. She had her head on the sofa and started snoring. One of her chubby feet


    slipped down the edge of the sofa and was swaying a little. That made her look ever so cute as her


    fingers tapped on the sofa like she was ying the piano.


    A warm grin crept up on Charlotte''s lips as she stared at them.


    It didn''t take long before they reached their destination.


    Charlotte had her maids help the kids put on their coats before taking them out of the car. They were


    about to lead the kids into the house when...


    Ellie ran over and informed, ¡°Mommy, Mommy, Lupine said that we are...¡±


    She hadn''t even finished her sentence before she was bbergasted. Her eyes bulged in astonishment


    as she stared at the three cute toddlers.


    The toddlers were taken aback when they saw Ellie as well. They tugged at Charlotte''s hand afterward


    and asked, ¡°Aunt Charlotte, is that the kid you were talking about?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you can call her Ellie,¡± introduced Charlotte, ¡°Ellie, these are...¡±


    That was when Charlotte realized that she didn''t know which kid was which.


    They look exactly alike.


    ¡°I am Alpha,¡± introduced the tiny toddler, who was still holding the Barbie doll.


    ¡°And I''m Beta,¡± imed the sleepy toddler with one side of her hair all messy. She smiled as she stared


    at Ellie andplimented, ¡°You are so pretty, Ellie.¡±


    ¡°I am Gamma,¡± added the kid who was holding Robbie''s invention. She scanned Ellie from head to toe


    before asking, ¡°Are you Aunt Charlotte''s kid?¡±


    ¡°Aunt Charlotte?¡± blurted Ellie as she stared at Charlotte and asked, ¡°Mommy, are they... Uncle Dan''s


    daughters?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± replied Charlotte with a smile before suggesting, ¡°Come now, let''s head in.¡±


    After that, Charlotte led everyone into the castle. As soon as they were inside, Ellie transformed from a


    yful child to a mature kid. She invited the three kids to her room to y and even weed them as


    guests.


    Robbie was waiting for Charlotte in the living room when he saw the triplets there. He couldn''t help


    being taken aback.


    ¡°Wow, he is so handsome.¡±


    All three kids immediately had Robbie surrounded. They scanned him endlessly like they were looking


    at a strange creature. They asked, ¡°He looks just like Daddy. Is he Daddy''s kid?¡±


    ¡°What the hell?¡±ined Robbie while frowning before he asked, ¡°Mommy, who are they?¡±


    ¡°They are your Uncle Dan''s daughters,¡± replied Charlotte, ¡°Their names are...¡±


    ¡°Alpha!¡±


    ¡°Beta!¡±


    ¡°Gamma!¡±


    All three kids introduced themselves as if on cue.


    Robbie was stunned, but he regained his footing soon. ¡°Uncle Dan''s daughter?¡±


    N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± reaffirmed Charlotte while nodding, ¡°I''ll take them to the second floor for now. Wait for me in the


    study room.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Charlotte settled the three kids temporarily in Ellie''s room and had Lupine babysit them. After that,


    Charlotte took Ellie to the study room and told Robbie and Ellie, ¡°Robbie, Ellie, we are about to take off


    to F Nation, and we will be taking the toddlers with us.¡±

 Chapter 1160

    Chapter 1160


    ¡°I''ve never heard about how Uncle Dan has kids. How did the three of them suddenly show up? Has


    the DNA test been done?¡± asked Robbie suspiciously.


    Cough! Charlotte was sipping tea at the time and almost spat out.


    ¡°Robbie, what''s a DNA test?¡± asked Ellie curiously.


    ¡°It''s a medical test that can determine whether two people are rted by blood,¡± exined Robbie.


    ¡°Okay,¡± murmured Ellie, who still wasn''t entirely sure what that was.


    ¡°The tests are done, and they are definitely his kids,¡± answered Charlotte before she quickly taught her


    son, ¡°Robbie, never talk about this matter again, okay? They will be heartbroken if they overhear you.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± replied Robbie before he nodded and asked, ¡°But, why are we suddenly heading to F Nation?¡±


    ¡°I don''t want to go to F Nation. I want to go back to H City,¡± requested Ellie sadly.


    ¡°I can''t really exin why we have to go there,¡± cooed Charlotte sweetly, ¡°But you can trust me. It


    doesn''t matter where we are. I will always take care of and love you both.¡±


    ¡°Is Uncle Dan facing some issue?¡± asked Robbie, who had long sensed that something was off.


    ¡°Err...¡±


    ¡°Mommy, I understand if Uncle Dan wants to send us away temporarily to keep us safe,¡± replied Robbie


    with a straight face on, ¡°But we don''t have to go to F Nation. We can totally return to H City.¡±


    ¡°I will never return to H City.¡±


    Charlotte panicked a little. It was almost one o''clock, and they had to leave for the airport. Everyone


    was waiting right outside as well.


    Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Hence, she didn''t have the time to exin everything to them. All she could say was, ¡°I have my own


    ns. I just hope that you''ll both understand that it didn''t matter where we are. Both of you will always


    be my kids, and I will always love you both.¡±


    Robbie stopped talking. Instead, he tilted his head down sadly.


    Ellie asked sadly, ¡°Then does that mean we will never see Daddy again?¡±


    ¡°Didn''t I tell you? Your daddy wille pick you up forty-five dayster,¡± cooed Charlotte sweetly as


    she stroked her daughter''s face. ¡°Okay. Be good and go get changed. We''ll be heading over to the


    airport soon.¡±


    ¡°But we''ve lost contact with Daddy. We don''t even know how he is now,¡± said Ellie while sobbing a little,


    ¡°What if something had happened to him?¡±


    Charlotte couldn''t bear to see Ellie that sad. In the end, the adultpromised and suggested, ¡°How


    about this? I''ll call him now and ask him how he''s doing.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± replied Ellie while nodding.


    Charlotte tried dialing Zachary''s number, but as expected, he was unreachable. She called Ben


    immediately after, and the line was established soon.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg?¡±


    Ben was surprised. He never anticipated a call from Charlotte.


    Before Zachary went away to receive treatment, he gave specific instructions. They could ignore calls


    from absolutely everyone, but if Charlotte called, they must pick up.


    ¡°Why is Zachary''s phone off?¡± asked Charlotte to get right to the point.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht is dealing with some crises in M Nation. Something happened at the headquarters, and he


    had to cut off all contact to prevent anyone from spying on him,¡± lied Ben before he asked, ¡°Why are


    you looking for him? I will have Bruce ry the messageter.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine. The kids just miss him,¡± replied Charlotte. She thought that something seemed off, but Ben


    was deliberately being discreet. Hence, she was not in a position to ask for more information. She


    simply requested, ¡°Please have him return Robbie''s call when he''s free.¡±


    ¡°Understood. I will surely ry the message,¡± replied Ben respectfully.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± said Charlotte before she hung up. She then turned to her kids and pointed out, ¡°You


    heard that, right? Your daddy is busy working now, but he will return your call when he is free.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± replied Ellie as she pouted and nodded in disappointment.


    ¡°Thank you, Mommy.¡±


    Robbie sensed that something was off, but he couldn''t quite put his finger on it, so he had no choice


    but to obey his mother obediently.

 Chapter 1161

    Chapter 1161


    Charlotte finally cooed Robbie and Ellie, so she shifted her attention to the three toddlers. She said,


    ¡°Kids, how about I take you to F Nation to y for a while?¡±


    ¡°Huh? F Nation? Where is that?¡±


    Alpha''s big, round eyes shone with curiosity as she stared at Charlotte. Her long eyshes fluttered


    and made her look extremely adorable.


    ¡°F Nation is a stunning country with beautiful castles and princesses in carriages. There''s even an


    amazing garden,¡± informed Charlotte sweetly.


    ¡°Wow, that sounds incredible!¡± replied Alpha. Her eyes shone with anticipation as she spoke.


    ¡°Will Daddy be going with us?¡± asked Beta, who thought of something important.


    ¡°He won''t be heading over. I''ll be the one taking you there,¡± replied Charlotte as she stroked the kid''s


    head.


    ¡°Then... does Daddy know we''re going?¡± asked Beta as she tilted her tiny head, ¡°Did he ask you to take


    us there?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°But he never told us about it,¡±ined Gamma as she pouted. She looked sad when she added,


    ¡°Mommy told us that she''s sending us to Daddy because he will take care of us. Now, Daddy is


    abandoning us to you...¡±


    ¡°That is not it. Your daddy is just a little busy, so he asked me to babysit you. He wille to get you


    once he''s done working,¡± exined Charlotte patiently.


    ¡°Really?¡± asked all three kids with stunning and alert eyes. They seemed pitiful when they stared at


    Charlotte.


    ¡°Yes, of course,¡± promised Charlotte as she crouched down and hugged all three kids, ¡°I will take care


    of you and protect you.¡±


    Hearing those words stirred the three kids'' hearts. They extended their chubby arms and hugged


    Charlotte before they sobbed.


    Charlotte stroked their backs softly before she gestured Sean, who was standing right outside, to


    inform him that everything was okay.


    Mission aplished.


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    After settling the kids, Charlotte went to talk to Dr. Felch. She thought that she would need to spend


    some effort to convince him.


    To her surprise, Dr. Felch took the initiative to ask, ¡°We''re heading to F Nation, right? Lupine told me all


    about it. Have Hayley and Sam finished packing? When will we be leaving?¡±


    ¡°I am so sorry for making you run around with me,¡± apologized Charlotte, who felt guilty. ¡°You were


    leading a happy, retired life in Phoenix City, but I insisted that you go to H City. Everything was fine


    there, and still, I got you to Erihal. Now, I...¡±


    ¡°That''s pretty amazing too, right? I get to travel around the world without spending a penny,¡± replied Dr.


    Felch with a smile, ¡°It''s quite amazing that I get to visit all these ces before I get too old to move


    about.¡±


    ¡°We can also learn and experience more by traveling,¡± added Hayley with a cute grin on.


    ¡°That''s true. I''ve never been to F Nation before, so it''s great that I can visit the ce now,¡± chimed in


    Sam.


    ¡°Thank you. Thank you so much,¡± replied Charlotte appreciatively.


    ¡°We''re a family, so there is no need for that.¡±


    The entire convoy drove to the airport soon after.


    The Rolls-Royce was in the middle of the convoy, and the three toddlers were surrounding Robbie and


    Ellie. The toddlers wanted to y with them.


    Ellie liked the toddlers, so she got together with them quickly.


    Robbie, however, was downright annoyed. Ellie used to be the only girl there, so he could handle the


    noise she made. With three extra girls suddenly popping up like that, he felt like he was going crazy.


    Just then, the eagle started pping its wings at the window. Charlotte worried that it would startle the


    toddlers, so she nned on chasing it away.


    To her surprise, all three were not afraid of it. They even whistled at it and eximed excitedly, ¡°Aunt


    Charlotte, quick. Open the window and let it in.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Aren''t you girls afraid of it?¡± asked Charlotte as her eyes bulged.


    ¡°Not at all,¡± imed the kids before they rolled down the window right away.


    ¡°No, girls...¡±


    Charlotte was about to stop them when the eagle pped its wings and flew in.

 Chapter 1162

    Chapter 1162


    Gamma reached out to grab the eagle''s wings before dragging it into the car. She rudely tossed it onto


    the sofa.


    After that, all three kids inched over and discussed the eagle endlessly.


    ¡°It looks just like our pet, Leslie, but it''s bigger.¡±


    ¡°Leslie is just a baby, so of course it''s tiny.¡±


    ¡°Could this be Leslie''s daddy? Or its mommy?¡±


    ¡°No way, Leslie is so much cuter, and it didn''t have as much feather around its neck...¡±


    ¡°What an ugly eagle.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, our Leslie is so much prettier.¡±


    Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    Screech!


    The eagle pouted and screeched. It pretended to be untamed when it heard how the girls were calling it


    ugly.


    ¡°What was that? No grouchy face allowed!¡± instructed Alpha as she knocked on Fifi''s head.


    ¡°Be good and smile for us. Smile now,¡± instructed Beta as she used her finger to lift Fifi''s chin up.


    ¡°It''s probably retarded,¡±ined Gamma as she stared in distaste.


    Ellie was watching everything from the side, and she couldn''t help dropping her jaw in astonishment.


    She blinked like she couldn''t believe what her eyes were seeing.


    She still remembered how she and her brothers were scared mindless when they first met the eagle.


    Why aren''t these kids afraid at all? And why isn''t the eagle aggressive toward them? Hell, it''s silently


    crying and didn''t dare to act up even after they insulted it...


    ¡°That''s no fun,¡±ined the three toddlers, who had lost all interest in the eagle. They tugged at


    Ellie and requested, ¡°Ellie, let''s continue with our game.¡±


    ¡°Uh, okay then.¡±


    Ellie, who was usually immature and naughty, instantly became a good example as she yed with the


    kids. She even taught them right from wrong.


    ¡°Alpha, be careful not to let your chips fall onto the rug, okay? We must be hygienic.¡±


    ¡°Beta, don''t drink too much juice. Your tummy will ache if you do so.¡±


    ¡°Gamma, no plucking Fifi''s feather!¡±


    ¡°Who''s Fifi?¡± asked Gamma curiously.


    ¡°That''s the poor eagle over there.¡±


    That was the first time Ellie used the word poor to describe the eagle that was aggressive, feral, and


    merciless.


    Why is it so fearful around these three little demons?


    ¡°Hehe, its name is so dumb,¡±mented Gamma as she shoved the feathers back onto the eagle.


    She added, ¡°Okay, I won''t mess with you anymore. Go away.¡±


    Fifi pped its wing and flew to Robbie right away. It used its beak to readjust its feather. It even


    screeched softly and pitifully.


    ¡°Why are you so afraid of them?¡± asked Robbie curiously.


    ¡°Because it recognized them as Mr. Lindberg''s kids,¡± replied Sean with a grin.


    ¡°Ah, that makes sense,¡± muttered Robbie as realization hit him. Heter asked, ¡°But they''re still so


    young. I can''t believe they aren''t afraid of it at all...¡±


    ¡°That''s because their mother is...¡± blurted Sean. He swallowed the rest of his words before he finished


    his sentence. He simply shared, ¡°In short, these three are not afraid of anything and were born with a


    mysterious gift. That is why even Mr. Lindberg can''t do anything about them.¡±


    ¡°What gift?¡± asked Charlotte curiously.


    ¡°You''ll learn soon,¡± replied Sean as he grinned mysteriously and added, ¡°It''s too bad they''re girls. If they


    are boys, they''d be able to inherit and continue Mr. Lindberg''s business and legacy.¡±


    ¡°Why is he ying favorites? Regardless of whether they''re boys or girls, they''re still children,¡±


    commented Robbie while frowning.


    ¡°He''s not really ying favorites,¡± exined Sean. He sighed and informed, ¡°Mr. Lindberg is just a little


    old-fashioned. He believes that girls should be protected and spoiled. Inheriting a business would mean


    bearing a tremendous responsibility and handling enormous stress. They would have to train hard and


    be practically invincible...¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± murmured Robbie while nodding.


    ¡°That makes sense...¡±


    Charlotte finally understood why Danrique was looking for an heir to his empire, even though there


    were rumors about how he had illegitimate children. He''s even considering letting Robbie be his heir...

 Chapter 1163

    Chapter 1163


    Danrique knew all too well that inheriting Lindberg Corporation would mean a lifetime of responsibility.


    Even someone as powerful as him had faced a lot of difficulties and hardship.


    Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    He didn''t want his daughter to lead a life of deception andpete endlessly in themercial


    industry. Instead, he wanted them to grow up happy and live like carefree princesses.


    His ideas were simr to what Richard believed.


    Hence, Charlotte understood where Danrique wasing from.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, I''ve left a few men to guard over everyone.¡±


    Sean''s words cut Charlotte''s thoughts short. She came back around and realized that the car had


    already reached the airport. It even parked right next to the private jet.


    Eight bodyguards from Erihal, all of which were wearing a ck outfit, split up and stood at both sides.


    They greeted her politely.


    ¡°These are the men Mr. Lindberg chose in person. They willy down their lives to protect you and the


    kids,¡± informed Sean as he gestured the eight bodyguards.


    ¡°Rest well and focus on your recovery after you reached Pillere. Our issues should be settled by the


    time you and Ellie recover from your illness. If everything goes smoothly, Mr. Lindberg and I will go to


    Pillere together to pick everybody up.¡±


    ¡°Everything will be fine. Please take care of Danrique in my ce,¡± replied Charlotte.


    ¡°Don''t worry,¡± informed Sean as he nodded, ¡°Sir Louis will meet you at the airport. Mr. Lindberg had


    already discussed the matter with him, and you will be recuperating in his manor for the time being.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± replied Charlotte as she readied to hop out of the car.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg,¡± called out Sean before he handed her a folder and imed, ¡°Mr. Lindberg told me to


    hand this to you.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± asked Charlotte as she epted the folder. She was going to open it right away to check it


    out.


    ¡°Read through it after you''ve boarded the ne,¡± interrupted Sean, ¡°You should hurry.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± replied Charlotte as she kept the folder away and got out of the car.


    Lupine and Morgan helped the kids out of the car and brought them onto the ne.


    Dr. Felch, Hayley, and the others also boarded the ne while being protected by the Lindberg family''s


    subordinates. Everything was settled before Charlotte boarded the ne as well.


    She had just reached the door and was turning around to wave goodbye to Sean when she


    identally caught something. She saw how a bunch of men in tuxedo were chasing after them...


    Sean waved at Charlotte and gestured for her to enter the ne quickly. After that, he led his men to


    battle against the men in tuxedo.


    Charlotte quickly got on the ne.


    It didn''t take long before the doors were closed.


    Charlotte could see, via the mirror, that a gun battle had already broken out in the distance...


    I guess things were graver in Erihal than I initially thought.


    She assumed that giving up Lindberg Corporation''s shares meant that she could leave the country


    safely.


    Looking back, it seemed she had misjudged things. They are probablying after me because they


    know that I have Danrique''s kids with me. That is why they refuse to relent...


    Simrly, Danrique must''ve done plenty from behind the scenes to protect us. That is why we are able


    to board the private jet safely...


    ¡°Don''t worry, Mommy. Uncle Dan will be fine,¡± said Robbie. He saw how worried Charlotte looked, so


    he cooed softly, ¡°Uncle Dan is so powerful that he will definitely solve whatever issue it is.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± replied Charlotte while nodding. She turned to Robbie and seemed apologetic when she said,


    ¡°I''m sorry, Robbie, for making everyone run and lead an unstable life.¡±


    ¡°Don''t overthink things, Mommy. It''s only natural that a child follows his parent around. I will go


    wherever you go,¡± promised Robbie as he offered someforting words.


    Charlotte was touched, and she hugged Robbie tightly.


    I wish that everything will settle soon. Please let both Danrique and Zachary be safe.


    ¡°Phew, phew! The ne is lifting off.¡±


    The three toddlers were chanting excitedly as they looked out the window...


    ¡°I want to see the sky...¡±


    ¡°I want to see how the cars be as tiny as ants.¡±


    ¡°I want to see the ne''s wings in the air.¡±


    ¡°Kids, be good and buckle up. Don''t move around too much.¡±


    Morgan and the others were busy taking care of the three toddlers.


    Unfortunately, the three toddlers refused to listen. They unbuckled their seatbelts and stood up to look


    out the window.


    ¡°No, no...¡±


    ¡°Sit down, now!¡±


    Charlotte was about to voice up when Ellie ordered sternly.


    All three kids were instantly stunned. They obeyed and returned to their seats as told.


    ¡°Ellie is so mean. I''m scared.¡±

 Chapter 1164

    Chapter 1164


    Alpha pouted her tiny lips. She stared sadly at Ellie, and those big, round eyes started to fill with tears.


    ¡°Alpha, I didn''t mean to scare you,¡± exined Ellie with a straight face on, ¡°I was worried and just


    wanted to let you know that we can''t move around when the ne is taking off. It''s very dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± replied Alpha as she had her head down. She didn''t dare to say anything else.


    ¡°Do you understand as well?¡± asked Ellie as she stared sternly at Beta and Gamma.


    The two kids nodded immediately. They were worried about Ellie reprimanding them.


    ¡°That''s good,¡±mented Ellie while nodding in satisfaction, ¡°Be good and sit well. We can eat once


    the ne is in the air and is flying well.¡±


    ¡°Can we y games then?¡± asked Beta meekly.


    ¡°That might not be possible,¡± answered Ellie before she exined, ¡°The ne might encounter


    turbulence while in the air, and that will cause it to tremble. Hence, it is not safe to y games, but we


    can y video games or watch cartoons.¡±


    ¡°Then I''ll watch a cartoon,¡± said Alpha, who started adjusting her seat to choose a cartoon to y.


    ¡°Yay! I can y video games,¡± cheered Beta as she took her tablet out to y.


    ¡°That''s so boring,¡±ined Gamma as she pouted and looked out the window before adding, ¡°I


    wonder how Mommy is now...¡±


    ¡°I miss her too...¡±


    Alpha and Beta instantly became depressed after hearing Gamma talk about their mom.


    ¡°I''ll be here, kids,¡± cooed Charlotte quickly, ¡°I will take care of you in ce of your mommy and daddy


    for the time being, okay?¡±


    ¡°But I miss her,¡± replied Gamma sadly, ¡°Mommy is injured. I wonder how she is now.¡±


    ¡°What happened to her?¡± asked Charlotte hurriedly.


    ¡°Mommy said that she wille pick us up as soon as she recovers. She can''t take care of us now.


    That is why she sent us to Daddy,¡± blurted Alpha.


    ¡°Daddy is all grouchy and doesn''t know how to y with us,¡±ined Beta while pouting her tiny


    lips. She looked downright annoyed about it.


    ¡°It''s fine. I will y with everyone, okay?¡± promised Charlotte, ¡°For now, let''s be good and rest for a


    while. We''ll go watch cartoons in the loungeter.¡±


    ¡°Yay!¡±


    The kids were finally quiet for a while.


    Charlotte sighed internally. The toddlers are naughty, but they are actually quite pitiful.


    Danrique is naturally distant and doesn''t know how to develop a connection with others. In fact, he


    can''t even interact from the bottom of his heart. He is also lost and confused about how to digest the


    idea of having kids.


    Hence, the kids couldn''t receive any paternal love from him.


    As for their mom... It seems she is in trouble as well.


    That means the kidsck a sense of security... I should really pay more attention to them at a time like


    this.


    Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°What video game are you girls ying? I can teach you how to win.¡±


    Robbie, who had been quiet the entire time, suddenly went to the toddlers and offered to teach them.


    Charlotte was proud to see that. Robbie acts like he is cold and distant, but he is actually sweet


    underneath it all. He just doesn''t know how to express his feelings.


    He feels bad and rtes to them when they say that they miss their mommy. That is why he


    approached them and offered to teach them how to y.


    ¡°You know how to y this game, Robbie?¡± asked Alpha curiously.


    ¡°You''ll see,¡± replied Robbie proudly.


    ¡°Wow, you''re so good at it,¡± cheered Beta while pping.


    ¡°Not bad. Finally, I have a worthy opponent,¡±mented Gamma in a surprised tone.


    ¡°You tiny rascal...¡±


    Robbie finally grinned.


    ¡°Thank the heavens that Robbie is here to y with them. I can finally rx now.¡±


    Ellie exhaled deeply and looked exhausted.


    ¡°Haha, you had it tough, Ellie,¡± said Charlotte as she hugged her daughter and kissed Ellie''s forehead.


    ¡°It''s not tough at all. ying with them is so much more interesting than ying with my dolls,¡± replied


    Ellie with a smile, ¡°It''s a little more troublesome than ying with the pets, though. Pets are more


    obedient whereas they are a little naughty.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, but I think they listen to you.¡±


    ¡°That is because I am smart and know how to use the proper method to teach them!¡± bragged Ellie.


    ¡°That''s amazing,¡±plimented Charlotte.

 Chapter 1165

    Chapter 1165


    They were in the air for a few hours before they finally reached Pillere.


    The weather there was much warmer than in Xendale. It was drizzling at the time, but it wasn''t


    snowing, so wearing a windbreaker is perfect for that temperature.


    Ellie and the toddlers had fallen asleep by then, so the maids helped them change their clothes before


    carrying them off the ne.


    Ellie woke up for a moment and rubbed her tired eyes before she hugged Lupine''s neck and continued


    sleeping.


    Robbie was as grounded as he had always been. He walked down the stairs with Charlotte by his side.


    Louis had a team there to wee Charlotte, and over ten luxurious cars were parked on the field.


    Charlotte had just walked down the stairs when Louis walked over excitedly to wee her. He said,


    ¡°Charlotte, you''re finally here.¡±


    ¡°You must''ve waited for a long time. Sorry about that,¡± replied Charlotte with a grin. She was polite...


    perhaps too polite.


    ¡°It''s not troublesome at all. Besides, I should be here to wait for my fianc¨¦e,¡± said Louis while smiling at


    her, ¡°I''m so d that I get to see you again so soon.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we''ll really be troubling you for a while,¡±mented Charlotte as she grinned.


    ¡°We''re family, so I am happy to be troubled,¡± said Louis happily. He even took the initiative to greet


    Robbie, ¡°Hi, Robbie.¡±


    ¡°Hello, Sir Louis,¡± replied Robbie politely.


    ¡°Wee to Pillere,¡± said Louis as he crouched down to shake Robbie''s hand.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± replied Robbie with a grin.


    ¡°Where are the other kids? I brought presents for everyone,¡± asked Louis warmly.


    ¡°They''re asleep.¡±


    Dr. Felch walked down the stairs as Charlotte spoke.


    Louis saw that and was quick to head over to help. He asked about Dr. Felch''s wellbeing kindly and


    was helping the good doctor into the car in person.


    Charlotte was pleased to see all that.


    Louis was thoughtful and got everyone a ce to rest in Pillere for the day. He took them to the manor


    in Arkfield on the following morning.


    The manor was where the Laurent family built their empire, so it was huge and the weather was


    pleasing. The scenery was also calming and serene.


    There were a lot of vineyards, wineries, pastures, and farms there.


    Dr. Felch and the kids loved it. In fact, Dr. Felch imed that it was one of his favorite ces and was


    second only to Phoenix City.


    He had always enjoyed spending time indoor, but that day, he strolled around the manor and tried out


    some freshly made wine. That got him so happy that he could barely hold it in.


    The kids were delighted as well. They hopped around happily and went to feed the smaller animals.


    After that, they went to y in the vineyard.


    Charlotte was pleased to see how happy the kids were.


    All she hoped was that they could spend the next forty-five days happily and safely. Ellie and I will


    completely recover by then...


    She also prayed that the issue at Erihal would be solved soon.


    This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    And then there was Zachary.


    Charlotte called Ben on the day she departed. It''s been three days, but he still hasn''t returned Robbie''s


    call.


    Robbie checked and stared at the phone every day. He never said anything, but worry donned his


    eyes.


    That night, Robbie finally couldn''t hold it in anymore. He requested, ¡°Mommy, I want to go home for a


    while.¡±


    ¡°Robbie, are you worried about your daddy? You''re only six and are still a child. There is nothing you


    can do even if you go back,¡± advised Charlotte as she looked into his eyes.


    ¡°But at least I''d learn how Daddy and Jamie are now,¡± insisted Robbie, ¡°Besides, I might not be able to


    do much, but I can make appearances and lie so that everybody thinks that everything is fine... I have


    to go back. I will worry unless I see how they are.¡±


    ¡°But Ben said that your daddy is in M Nation now, so you won''t see him even if you go back to H City,¡±


    replied Charlotte, who was getting a little nervous. She suggested, ¡°How about I just call Bruce


    directly?¡±


    As she spoke, she got her phone out. She was about to call Bruce when Zachary suddenly called her...


    Charlotte was taken aback. She picked up the call right away and said, ¡°Hello.¡±


    ¡°I heard you''re looking for me?¡±


    Zachary''s voice was deeper than usual and a little coarse. It sounded like he was exhausted.

 Chapter 1166

    Chapter 1166


    ¡°W-What happened to you?¡±


    Charlotte could sense that something was off, but she couldn''t quite pinpoint it.


    ¡°I am dealing with some issues in the headquarter in M Nation now,¡± replied Zachary grimly, ¡°I got some


    minor injuries.¡±


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    Charlotte frowned deeply. She remembered how Zachary was literally stabbed in the back. That cut


    was deep, but he never even moaned when they stitched him back together. His voice right now


    suggests that it is not a minor injury at all.


    ¡°Are you worried about me?¡± asked Zachary softly.


    ¡°The kids are,¡± replied Charlotte, who instantly became annoyed. She handed the phone over to


    Robbie and informed him, ¡°It''s your daddy.¡±


    Robbie took the phone right away and greeted excitedly, ¡°Daddy!¡±


    ¡°Robbie.¡±


    It had been a while since Zachary heard his son''s voice. Hearing Robbie calling him Daddy made him


    feel all better. It felt like the pain he was enduring suddenly eased up.


    ¡°Daddy, are you okay?¡± asked Robbie in a worried tone, ¡°Why did you turn your phone off? I couldn''t


    find you for a while. What happened?¡±


    ¡°I have been working in M Nation and can''t get to my phone,¡± replied Zachary sweetly, ¡°It''s getting


    colder in Xendale. Are you and Ellie adapting well there? How is her treatment going?¡±


    ¡°Ellie and I are fine. She''s recovering well, too...¡±


    Robbie spoke discreetly and left out the part where they were in F Nation at that moment.


    ¡°I''m d to hear that.¡±


    ¡°Robbie, is that Daddy?¡± asked Ellie, who saw them and hurried over to request, ¡°I want to talk to him


    too.¡±


    Robbie handed the phone over, and Ellie shouted into it immediately after. ¡°Daddy, Daddy!¡±


    ¡°Ellie...¡±


    ¡°Daddy,¡± said Ellie. She couldn''t help sobbing a little as soon as she heard her dad''s voice. She shared,


    ¡°I miss you so much, Daddy. Why didn''t you call us?¡±


    ¡°Be good, Ellie. I miss you too,¡± cooed Zachary softly, ¡°I have been working in M Nation, so I couldn''t


    get to my phone.¡±


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    ¡°You truly frightened me. Robbie and I were so worried about you and thought that something bad


    might''ve happened,¡± replied Ellie as she wiped her tears away.


    ¡°Silly kid. Daddy is fine. It''s cold in Xendale, so remember to put on thicker coats to stay warm, okay?


    That way, you won''t catch a cold. I will go pick you up as soon as you recover.¡±


    ¡°We''re not in Xendale now, Daddy. We''re in Arkfield. It''s so pretty here, and the vineyard is so big...¡±


    Ellie got excited the second the topic involved the manor. She neglected the warning that Robbie was


    signaling with his eyes and kept talking.


    ¡°Dr. Felch and I went to the winery and the vineyard today. We picked so many grapes, and they are so


    sweet. We also went to the pasture...¡±


    ¡°Ellie,¡± interrupted Robbie, ¡°Let me talk to Daddy.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± murmured Ellie before she returned the phone unwillingly.


    ¡°Be good, Ellie, and go y with the others,¡± cooed Charlotte to get Ellie to leave.


    ¡°Daddy, are you really okay?¡± asked Robbie softly.


    ¡°I''m fine,¡± promised Zachary, ¡°Don''t worry. I promised I''d go to you when that dayes, and I will


    keep that promise.¡±


    ¡°I''m d to hear that.¡±


    ¡°Hand the phone back to your mommy,¡± instructed Zachary.


    ¡°Okay,¡± replied Robbie before he handed the phone to Charlotte. He looked a little worried at the time.


    ¡°Go y with the others,¡± cooed Charlotte as she stroked Robbie''s tiny head.


    ¡°Okay,¡± muttered Robbie before he left quietly.


    ¡°What?¡± asked Charlotte to get right to the point.


    ¡°Why did you go to F Nation?¡± asked Zachary, who was being just as direct.


    ¡°What does that have to do with you?¡± challenged Charlotte icily.


    Zachary took a deep breath like he was trying his best to suppress something. He forced himself to


    calm down as much as possible before he made his offer.


    ¡°You cane back to H City if things are bad in Erihal. My men will protect everyone, and you didn''t


    need to travel all the way to F Nation. The Laurent family might be royalty, but they are inexperienced


    in dealing with hooligans...¡±


    ¡°Enough,¡± interrupted Charlotte, ¡°Danrique sent some men to protect us, so there is no need for you to


    worry. I''ll hang up now if there is nothing else you''d like to share.¡±

 Chapter 1167

    Chapter 1167


    Charlotte ended the call. She frowned down at the empty ck screen of her phone. Her emotions


    were all over the ce, she quickly rearranged her face into a neutral expression and turned her


    attention back to the children.


    Zachary was lying in bed, holding his phone to his chest. His exposed torso was crisscrossed with


    various tubes.


    After about half a month of treatments, he had lost a lot of weight. His eyes were sunken in and his


    entire body looked haggard. It was difficult to look at him in this state.


    Zachary had shown no signs of improvement and at this point, no one could be sure whether the


    treatment was even working as they had hoped.


    However, there was no other choice but to be patient and continue with the treatments before any


    progress could be seen. After all, Zachary had only just started on the treatment.


    The doctors had warned them that this sort of treatment could be very arduous treatment and it would


    take very strong willpower for a patient to go through it.


    Back when Charlotte herself was undergoing the treatment, she had fallen into a deepa. However,


    Zachary had not.


    He was undergoing the treatment while fully conscious. He was not even given any anesthetics in order


    to protect his brain from any damage.


    For the past six months, he had been treated like a test subject; he was poked and prodded all over his


    body daily.


    He endured an unimaginable level of pain and difort, but he tolerated it all without even a sigh.


    It was a miracle that he was able to hold onto his consciousness just by his own sheer willpower.


    On that day, he finally felt a little stronger and he insisted on calling Charlotte and the children.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, Erihal is now in chaos. Mr. Lindberg has requested Ms. Lindberg to take her children to F


    Nation for their safety,¡± Ben said cautiously, trying to calm him down.


    ¡°If Danrique''s rival finds Arkfield, they will all be in danger.¡±


    Zachary closed his eyes. His brows were knitted tightly together from the pain. He held the phone


    tightly in one hand. He had just gotten off a phone call with Charlotte and the children and he still felt


    their presence all around him.


    ¡°Why don''t I ask Bruce to go over to them?¡± Ben suggested.


    ¡°Do not interfere with their lives; just watch over them secretly,¡± Zachary said slowly andboriously.


    Every word felt painful. ¡°Get him to report back to me every day on how they''re doing.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Ben nodded and left to contact Bruce immediately.


    ¡°You should rest. Don''t worry too much,¡± the doctor who had been standing by his bedside advised


    gently. ¡°You shouldn''t even have been allowed to make that phone call today. Any instability, both


    physically and emotionally, will affect your treatment.¡±


    ¡°I won''t die so easily...¡± Zachary whispered as he slipped into unconsciousness. The silhouette of


    Charlotte appeared in his dream, just like an angel.


    She was standing in a vineyard, gazing at him with a beatific smile as if she was saying to him, ¡°I''m


    waiting for you toe back to me.¡±


    Only his willpower was keeping him alive. He chanted repeatedly to himself, ¡°You must endure. You


    must live on. You must go to F Nation and bring Charlotte and the children home.¡±


    Ben could not bear looking at Zachary''s face, all twisted up in pain. He had always thought of Zachary


    as an invincible god-like figure and it was disconcerting to see him this way.


    He fervently hoped that he would recover soon.


    Ben ryed Zachary''s order to Bruce who immediately rushed to F Nation with a group of his men. At


    the same time, he also directed some men to find out in which manor was Charlotte and Louise staying


    in.


    Arkfield was, as always, cold and damp. There was a slimy quality to the atmosphere that made one


    feel rather icky.


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    On their third day at the manor, afterpleting the morning treatment, Charlotte and Louis took the


    children to the farm to pick fruits and vegetables. Then,ter that day, they went to the flower fields to


    pick out their favorite blooms.


    By the end of the day, the children were entertained and exhausted, and every one of them went home


    happy.


    Even Dr. Felch was enjoying life at the manor. He was seated on their horse-drawn carriage, casually


    smoking a cigarette as he watched the childrenughing and chasing each other in the countryside. A


    contented smile stretched across his face.


    Sam, too, could not help sighing happily. ¡°It''s such a good day.¡±


    ¡°It''s a good day indeed.¡± Dr. Felch looked into the horizon and frowned. ¡°It looks like it''s about to rain


    though.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Sam looked up at the sky, squinting against the sun. ¡°You''re right. A storm ising.¡±

 Chapter 1168

    Chapter 1168


    Charlotte, too, noticed that the fair weather that they had been enjoying was about to turn. She waved


    the children over and told them to get into the car.


    Louis, however, was untroubled by the darkening sky. ¡°Why are you in such a hurry to get home? It''s


    just a little rain! Look at how happy the children are!¡±


    ¡°Children should not be ying in the rain,¡± Charlotte replied. She felt inexplicably uneasy.


    ¡°All right! You''re their mother,¡± Louis yielded and bundled the children into the car.


    Then, they headed back towards the manor as the rain began to pour violently down on them.


    The sky had turned threateningly dark and the atmosphere turned violent as the wind began to howl at


    their ears.


    A cold fear gripped Charlotte''s heart and she urged Morgan to go a little faster.


    As soon as their carriage stopped in front of the manor, a loud ''boom'' sounded in the distance. The


    children screamed in fright and covered their ears. Lupine, Morgan, and their men were immediately on


    full alert.


    Charlotte stuck her head out of the car window and looked in the direction of the sound. There seemed


    to be an explosion in the distance. A fire was raging and clouds of thick smoke had begun to choke the


    air.


    ¡°Paul, what happened?¡± Louis asked urgently.


    ¡°Don''t worry, Sir Louis, I''ll dispatch my men to check out the situation immediately.¡±


    Paul immediately sent his men to investigate the source of the explosion. At that moment, the


    bodyguards from the manor''s security team called with a report.


    ¡°An ident urred on the road next to the manor. An oil tanker collided with the truck transporting


    our wine. The relevant authorities are on their way to deal with the situation.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it''s just a traffic ident,¡± Louis said with a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Noted. Don''t worry.¡±


    Charlotte kept quiet. She still felt uneasy. Something''s not right...


    Once they were back inside the manor, Charlotte calmed the children down and quietly ordered Lupine


    to send some men to check out the scene of the collision.


    At the moment, Gordon appeared and reported, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, I have already investigated the


    situation. It is indeed a traffic collision, but it is unclear whether it was sabotage.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Charlotte frowned.


    ¡°It could be the case that someone had deliberately caused the ident as a diversion while they try to


    sneak into the manor, ¡°Gordon exined. ¡°I have sent men to deal with this. If my suspicion is right, the


    culprits will be caught soon.¡±


    ¡°Who could it be?¡± Lupine wondered suspiciously.


    ¡°Could it be an enemy of the Laurent family?¡± Morgan spected.


    ¡°It shouldn''t be...¡± Gordon countered as he analyzed the situation in his head. ¡°It could be people from


    Erihal.¡±


    Lupine and Morgan were shocked to hear Gordon''s spection. They were all highly trained elite


    bodyguards who feared none of the rivals.


    Even so, the people from Erihal were not to be easily dismissed.


    ¡°Don''t worry, I''ll handle it,¡± Gordon said calmly. ¡°In the meantime, be on alert until I''ve caught the


    culprits.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we understand.¡± Lupine and Morgan nodded.


    Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°Thank you for your assistance, Gordon,¡± Charlotte said gratefully. ¡°Please watch out for your own


    safety as well.¡±


    ¡°I will, Ms. Lindberg.¡± Gordon turned to Lupine and Morgan. ¡°Leave the external security matters to me.


    You two just focus on guarding Ms. Lindberg and the children.¡±


    ¡°We understand.¡±


    Gordon nodded in satisfaction and left the room.


    Charlotte ordered Lupine and Morgan to have their best men watching over the children. She would not


    allow anything to happen to them.


    Lupine immediately left to arrange for her best bodyguards to be on duty over the children.


    Only Morgan stayed on to look over the room for any signs. He could not help sighing and said rather


    dejectedly, ¡°I thought it would be safe here in F Nation. Never would I have thought that those people


    would pursue us all the way here. It would have been better for us to have stayed put in Xendale. At


    least Mr. Lindberg''s men would be there to protect us.¡±


    ¡°No, it won''t be better for us there.¡± Charlotte countered. She had a rity of mind that she did not. ¡°If


    we had stayed on in Xendale, there would be a terrible fight, but here in F Nation, they wouldn''t dare to


    attack us openly. Instead, they would try to sneak up on us. Gordon can easily thwart their ns.¡±


    ¡°You''re right.¡± Morgan nodded. ¡°Well then, I guess we''ll just have to be extra careful.¡±


    ¡°I don''t need you here. Don''t worry about me. Go and help Lupine guard the children,¡± Charlotte said


    with a wave of her hand. ¡°Arrange for four men to watch over each one of the children in rotation. Do


    not let them out of your sight.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ms. Lindberg.¡±

 Chapter 1169

    Chapter 1169


    After Morgan had left the room, Charlotte probed the room herself. She found nothing out of ce, and


    prepared to shower and sleep.


    At that moment, Louis knocked on her door. ¡°Charlotte, can Ie in?¡±


    Charlotte pulled on a cardigan and opened the door. ¡°Louis, is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°I just wanted to check up on you. I hope the explosion didn''t scare you too much,¡± Louis said, his voice


    tinged with concern. ¡°Paul has already investigated the incident. It was just a mere traffic ident;


    nothing to be worried about. However, I''ll still get the guards to increase their watch on the perimeters


    just to be safe.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for taking the trouble to do all that,¡± Charlotte said. ¡°Good night, then. You should rest well.¡±


    ¡°I...¡± Louis hesitated. He seemed reluctant to leave.


    ¡°What''s wrong?¡± Charlotte narrowed her eyes at him.


    ¡°I...¡± Louis sounded nervous. ¡°Well, there''s a bar in the manor. I wanted to invite you for a drink.¡±


    ¡°Now?¡± Charlotte frowned. ¡°After what happened earlier today, it''s best for us not to go out sote.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Louis looked confused. ¡°What do you mean by te''? It''s just a little past nine o''clock.¡±


    ¡°Let''s go another day, okay?¡± Charlotte said simply. ¡°You should sleepy early. Good night.¡±


    She did not wait for Louis to reply and closed the door on his face after saying that.


    Louis stood on the other side of the door, feeling very disappointed. He had thought that they would


    spend more time with each other once they arrived at the manor.


    However, Charlotte had not allowed him any chance to be alone with her. Every time he tried to


    approach her, she would find some excuse to avoid him. He had finally mustered up the courage to ask


    her out directly and she had still turned him down.


    He had no other choice but to continue waiting on her patiently.


    Louis sighed to himself and turned to leave.


    Inside her room, Charlotte was stunned speechless by Louis'' invitation earlier. That man really has no


    sense of danger! He does not care about safety at all! He dares to ask me to go to a bar with him at a


    time when we should all be on high alert!


    However, this was Louis'' personality. His life had been smooth sailing ever since he was a child, and he


    had never experienced any terrible crisis. It was only natural that he would develop such a gentle and


    trusting personality, and ack of a sense of danger.


    Charlotte shook her head to herself and put him out of her mind. She was still worried about the


    children. She left her room and went to check up on them.


    Lupine had scheduled four of her men to watch over each of the children in shifts, even when they


    were asleep. Luckily, the children loved the excitement and did not mind the bodyguards'' presence


    around them.


    Only Robbie, the most perceptive of all the children, asked Charlotte, ¡°Mommy, was the explosion this


    afternoon a sneak attack on us?¡±


    ¡°It was a car ident,¡± Charlotte exined gently. ¡°Mommy''s just taking extra precaution now to be


    safe. Don''t worry about it. Go to sleep now. Sweet dreams.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Robbie said sleepily and dropped the subject. ¡°You should sleep early too, Mommy. Ellie and


    the others are all tired from ying today and they''re already sleeping soundly.¡±


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    ¡°They must have a lot of fun sleeping in the same room.¡± Charlotte smiled as she thought of them


    ying together happily before bed, ¡°Ellie really likes ying with them.¡±


    ¡°I''m not much fun. Ellie was probably bored to death with just me around. Now that she has three girls


    to y with, she is much, much happier,¡± Robbie said with augh.


    ¡°Haha! What about you? Are you bored?¡± Charlotte asked with a smile.


    ¡°I''m not. I spend my time reading or surfing the inte or painting... There''s so much to do!¡± Robbie


    replied. ¡°On the other hand, Mommy, you must focus on your treatment!¡±


    ¡°I will.¡± Charlotte pulled Robbie in for a hug. ¡°Time for bed. Mommy wants to go to sleep too.¡±


    ¡°Good night, Mommy!¡±


    ¡°Good night, Robbie.¡±


    Charlotte walked back to her room. She caught sight of Louis drinking alone in the bar downstairs. She


    frowned to herself but did not say anything.


    Guilt pricked at her heart. She clearly had no feelings for him. Yet, she had said yes to his proposal and


    let herself enjoy his affection.


    His days consisted of ying with the children and making her happy. He did not do much for himself


    at all. Could he be pressuring himself too much?


    Suddenly, the loud noise of car engines interrupted her thoughts. Charlotte walked over to the window


    and peered outside. It was a convoy of seven cars ferrying the Laurent family.

 Chapter 1170

    Chapter 1170


    In an instant, Charlotte heard the maids yelling, ¡°Lady Sherlyn is here. Go down and wee her


    now!¡±


    Her heart skipped a beat. Ah! So Louis'' mother, Lady Sherlyn, is here!


    Knock! Knock! After a while, she heard someone knock on the door.


    ¡°Come in,¡± Charlotte responded briefly.


    Lupine stepped into the room hastily and notified her, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, Lady Sherlyn is here. Do we have


    to go down and wee her?¡±


    ¡°The kids are asleep, aren''t they?¡± Charlotte asked her instead, without replying directly to her


    question. She nced at her watch and noticed that it was already half-past nine.


    ¡°Ellie and the three little ones are asleep, but Robbie is still reading,¡± Lupine replied.


    Charlotte instructed, ¡°Don''t interrupt them. You go down with Morgan and me. As for the others, get


    them to keep an eye on the kids. Just let them go over to greet her tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, Noted. I will proceed with the necessary arrangement.¡± Lupine nodded respectfully and


    left the room.


    By the time Charlotte had gotten changed, Lupine and Morgan were already waiting for her outside the


    door. Without hesitation, she went down with both of them.


    Coincidentally, Louis was advancing toward them with his mother. There were about twenty


    subordinates following behind them, carrying luggage of various sizes. The lineup was rather


    overwhelming.


    ¡°Charlotte, this is my mom. Mom, this is Charlotte.¡± Louis introduced them to each other.


    ¡°Lady Sherlyn, nice to meet you,¡± Charlotte greeted her with a curtsy.


    Sherlyn''s face lit up as sheplimented Charlotte, ¡°Ah! You look even more stunning in person! I


    have been looking forward to meeting you. Once I knew that you wereing to F Nation, I requested


    Louis and his dad to arrange for us to meet. However, they keep telling me that you can''t meet me so


    soon as you are currently under treatment. Hence, they can only arrange for us to meet after your


    recovery. However, I can hardly wait to meet you, so here I am!¡±


    ¡°Lady Sherlyn, I feel bad as you have toe all the way here. I should be the one to visit you first, but


    I was worried that I might disturb you. Thus, I''m nning to visit you only after my treatment,¡± Charlotte


    exined courteously.


    ¡°It doesn''t matter who''s the one to pay a visit first. After all, we will be a family soon.¡± Sherlyn held


    Charlotte''s hands jubntly and scanned her from head to toe. ¡°Undoubtedly, my son has a good eye!¡±


    ¡°Haha! Mom, I knew it! I foresee that you will like Charlotte very much!¡± Louisughed triumphantly.


    Louis was over the moon and nned to assign the maids to prepare a weing banquet for his


    mother.


    Nheless, Sherlyn stopped him at once. ¡°It''s already quitete, don''t wake the kids up. I will have a


    quick wash up in the room first. After that, let''s go to the study room for a chit-chat while enjoying


    coffee. What do you think?¡±


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    ¡°Good idea.¡± Louis nodded. He assigned the maids to prepare coffee and desserts.


    Sherlyn patted the back of Louis'' hand and advised him, ¡°You are not young anymore and mustn''t be


    so reckless. You should bear in mind to put the kids as the top priority all the time.¡±


    ¡°Mom, you have a point. Thanks for reminding me.¡± He turned to look at Charlotte with a grin.


    ¡°Lady Sherlyn, thanks for your understanding,¡± Charlotte thanked her sincerely.


    She used to presume that Sherlyn, from the royal family, might have her nose in the air and tend to


    make a big fuss out of nothing. It never crossed her mind that she was a good-tempered and easy-


    going person. On top of that, she was thoughtful and catered to the kids'' well-being.


    ¡°I will go up to have a quick wash up. Just wait for a while. I won''t take long.¡± Sherlyn headed toward


    the staircase excitedly.


    Meanwhile, an elegantly dressed youngdy quickened her pace and tried to catch her up. ¡°Aunt


    Sherlyn, let me apany you.¡±


    The youngdy nodded to Charlotte respectfully when she walked past her.


    ¡°Oh yeah, Diana, wait a minute. Charlotte, I forgot to introduce you two. Meet my cousin, Diana.¡± Louis


    introduced her to Charlotte at once. ¡°Diana has been by my mom''s side these two years. She has good


    medical skills, and she is my mom''s great helper.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, nice to meet you.¡± Diana bowed to Charlotte again humbly.


    ¡°Nice to meet you too,¡± Charlotte replied with a smile and scrutinized Diana for a while. No doubt, she


    was a typical beauty with a dainty face and attractive figure. Apart from that, she had a pair of beautiful


    blue eyes gleaming with wisdom.


    ¡°Diana, just address her as Charlotte. She will be a member of our family soon,¡± Sherlyn said jokingly


    to her.


    ¡°Yes, Aunt Sherlyn,¡± Diana bowed with her head lowered; her lips were curved into a smile all the time.


    She was apparently exuding a vibe of nobility through her perfect royal etiquette.


    ¡°We will go up first.¡± Sherlyn smiled gently at Charlotte and said, ¡°Louis, wait for me in the study room


    with Charlotte.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Louis replied casually.

 Chapter 1171

    Chapter 1171


    While waiting for the maids to prepare the coffee and desserts, Louis suggested Charlotte to have a


    rest in the study room first.


    Therefore, she headed to it with Lupine and Morgan. A whileter, the maids served them premium


    coffee and desserts.


    As silence ensued in the study room, Morgan could barely hold back and grumble, ¡°What is Lady


    Sherlyn doing here at this hour? Now that we are still tracking the suspects who might have sneaked


    into the manor, her lineup will surely draw unwanted intentions in a way. Don''t you think that this might


    result in another round of chaos?¡±


    Lupine echoed by lowering her voice. ¡°Not to mention, Sir Louis is apparently without a sense of


    vignce. I notice his subordinates tend to let their guards down when they change their shifts in slow


    motion. What if any dangerous person takes advantage to sneak in at any moment?¡±


    Morgan knitted her brows and asked quizzically, ¡°They have enforced stricter security, haven''t they?¡±


    ¡°Hmph! Their so-called enforcement focuses only on increasing the number of guards in the security


    room. Nheless, everything is still the same.¡± Lupine shook her head resignedly.


    Morgan could not resist but grumble, ¡°I''m speechless! They are obviously notparable to the


    bodyguards of the Nacht family!¡±


    Sensing the abrupt change in Charlotte''s countenance, Lupine nudged Morgan''s arm and gestured to


    her to button up her lip.


    Charlotte was impartial when she shared her points of view. ¡°The royal family is in charge of the


    security system of the Laurent family. What''s more, they have been leading a free and easy lifestyle all


    this while, so they are never on bad terms with anyone. Naturally, they don''t have a heightened sense


    of vignce. Undeniably, Lady Sherlyn''s presence might be a threat to the security system, but don''t


    forget that this ce belongs to the Laurent family. Of course, she cane any time she likes. After


    all, the suspicious ones might be the foes from Erihal and are targeting us. If so, we are the ones who


    land them in hot waters. How can we grumble about it then, huh?¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, you are right.¡± Morgan lowered her head and held her tongue.


    ¡°Don''t ever mention this again,¡± Charlotte warned her.


    ¡°Noted, Ms. Lindberg. I won''t say that again,¡± Morgan apologized at once.


    The next moment, there was a knock on the door. After the maids opened the door, Louis stepped in


    with Sherlyn.


    ¡°Charlotte, sorry to keep you waiting. It took me some time to change into a morefortable outfit.¡±


    Sherlyn smiled at her apologetically.


    Charlotte got up and replied, ¡°Not at all, Lady Sherlyn. You must be exhausted after such a long


    journey. I think you need to rest earlier tonight.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I''m delighted and refreshed after meeting you.¡± Sherlyn held Charlotte''s hands in high spirits. ¡°I


    have brought you a present, and I hope you will like it.¡±


    After that, she whipped out a delicate gift box to Charlotte. ¡°Open it and see it for yourself.¡±


    ¡°Thank you so much, Lady Sherlyn.¡± Charlotte took it over and opened it right away.


    To her surprise, it was a set of priceless sapphire jewelry, which was seemingly a rare treasure!


    On top of that, the unique print and logo of the gift box indicated it was a collection of the royal family.


    ¡°How can I ept such an invaluable gift!¡± Charlotte gasped.


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    ¡°Ah! Since we are a family, there''s no need to be bothered with all the formalities. It was the dowry


    given by Louis'' grandma when I married his dad. I have been keeping it well throughout these years,


    hoping to pass it down to my future daughter-inw.¡± Sherlyn smiled at her with a wink.


    ¡°But...¡± Charlotte tried to refute.


    ¡°If you refuse to ept it, I will be upset. We are a family, aren''t we?¡± Sherlyn pouted her lips and


    uttered coquettishly.


    ¡°Just take it, Charlotte.¡± Louis encouraged her.


    Charlotte could only ept the gift from Sherlyn. When she was about to thank Sherlyn, she spotted


    Diana gazing at the gift box with inexplicit emotions in her eyes. There were hints of unmistakable


    disappointment, sorrow, and inferiority.


    Charlotte retracted her gaze and thanked Sherlyn, ¡°Lady Sherlyn, thank you. I have also prepared a gift


    especially for you and Sir Robert.¡±


    As she stretched out her hands, Lupine handed her a white satin box at once.


    Next, she handed Sherlyn the box. ¡°Lady Sherlyn, this is the one. I hope you like it.¡±


    Sherlyn''s eyes lit up the moment she opened the box and shrieked with joy, ¡°My goodness! It is the


    legendary luminous pearl, isn''t it? I have been looking for one all this while, yet to no avail.¡±

 Chapter 1172

    Chapter 1172


    ¡°Lady Sherlyn, I''m d that you like it.¡± Charlotte heaved a silent sigh of relief.


    Danrique had prepared everything for her before she set off for F Nation earlier, including this unique


    gift for Louis'' parents. Thus, she did not need to rack her brains on what to buy for them.


    Only then did she realize that Danrique had prepared such a priceless gift for her. The chances of


    getting such a big luminous pearl were very slim nowadays.


    She knew that Danrique was protective of her and wanted to ensure that nobody would look down on


    her regardless of where she was. As a member of a prominent family, he wished that the others would


    look highly upon her all the time.


    ¡°I like it so much, Charlotte!¡± Sherlyn felt a prickle of joy and embraced Charlotte. She was mesmerized


    by the luminous pearl and could barely put it down.


    N?velDrama.Org owns all content.


    ¡°Lady Sherlyn, you are wee,¡± Charlotte replied with a smile.


    ¡°Mommy, how I envy you! Charlotte has never given me any gifts!¡± Louis teased Sherlyn, pretending to


    be green with envy.


    ¡°Mischievous brat, how dare you pull my leg.¡± Sherlynughed heartily at Louis'' words. She held


    Charlotte''s hand and led her toward the living room. ¡°Charlotte, let''s take a seat and have a chat.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Charlotte nodded and took a seat.


    ¡°I have also brought some gifts for the kids, and I nned to give them to the kids when I meet them


    tomorrow morning. Ah! I have gifts for both of them as well.¡± Sherlyn smiled and gestured to Diana.


    Diana immediately handed two gifts to Lupine and Morgan respectively.


    ¡°We have gifts too?¡± Morgan was stunned.


    ¡°I have heard about both of you long ago. You are not only Charlotte''s trusted aides but also deemed


    her family. I''m d that you will be joining our big family with Charlotte and looking forward to it!¡±


    Sherlyn uttered excitedly.


    Both Lupine and Morgan turned to look at Charlotte. After Charlotte nodded at them approvingly, they


    thanked Sherlyn politely, ¡°Lady Sherlyn, thank you.¡±


    ¡°You are wee. We are all a family, so you don''t have to be so formal with me. It''s just a small gift


    from me.¡± Sherlyn smiled again.


    ¡°Have a look to see if you like it.¡± Regardless of his family background, Louis was down to earth and


    treated both of them rather well.


    ¡°Yes, we like the gift very much. Lady Sherlyn, thank you,¡± Lupine and Morgan replied courteously.


    Sherlyn seemed to have a lot to share with Charlotte. As she was chattering enthusiastically, Charlotte


    listened to her attentively and responded courteously at times.


    Louis could not chime in at all, but he was more than willing to help pour them coffee and serve them


    desserts from time to time.


    After about half an hour, Sherlyn yawned as she was ovee by sleepiness. She held Charlotte''s


    hand and said, ¡°Charlotte, it''s quitete now. Let''s continue again tomorrow.¡±


    Charlotte stood up right away. ¡°All right, Lady Sherlyn. Let me apany you to your room.¡±


    Sherlyn waved and shook her head. ¡°It''s all right. Diana can apany me. Both you and Louis


    should go to bed earlier. I can''t wait for both of you to bear me a grandchild.¡±


    Hearing that, Charlotte was dumbfounded and looked down in embarrassment.


    In an instant, Louis'' face flushed, and his ears turned red.


    ¡°Haha! Look at you! I can''t believe that you are blushed crimson! Both of you are adults. What is there


    to be shy of?¡± Sherlyn patted Louis on the shoulder and teased them.


    ¡°Mom, just drop the subject already.¡± Louis changed the topic swiftly. ¡°Let me apany you upstairs.¡±


    ¡°Ah! Could it be both of you haven''t...¡± Sherlyn blurted out the words when something struck her.


    ¡°Mom!¡± Louis cut her off in embarrassment.


    Sherlyn smiled again and appeased him. ¡°It''s all right. I''m too impatient. Since both of you are getting


    married soon, I thought...¡±


    Charlotte smiled awkwardly with her head remaining low, and her lips not uttering any words.


    ¡°It''s all right. Don''t be stressed. After all, Good thingse to those who wait.¡± Sherlyn gave Louis a


    subtle nce and patted Charlotte''s hand. ¡°Charlotte, it''s all right. I''m not urging you. Just take your


    time.¡±


    She then smiled and stepped out of the room.


    ¡°Charlotte, I never expected that my mom would be so straightforward. I hope you don''t mind,¡± Louis


    apologized sheepishly.


    ¡°No issue. Just go ahead to apany her,¡± Charlotte reminded him gently.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Louis nodded and made a beeline for Sherlyn.


    All the other subordinates left after him as well. After all of them stepped out, the smile on Charlotte''s


    face faded gradually.


    ¡°Pfft! I finally have a clue about Lady Sherlyn''s main intention to be here. She''s worried that your


    marriage with Sir Louis will be just in name and tends to do something to turn it into a reality!¡± Morgan


    scoffed right away.

 Chapter 1173

    Chapter 1173


    ¡°It''s just natural for Lady Sherlyn to think it that way. I bet nobody can ept that their son''s marriage is


    just in name only. It''s unfair for them. Not to mention, the Laurent family is a royal family.¡± Charlotte


    voiced up her opinion analytically.


    ¡°Anyway, they can''t just force you into it. Don''t they know that the marriage between you and Sir Louis


    will benefit them the most? Because of Mr. Lindberg''s prominent reputation, I''m sure as hell the Laurent


    family will continue to flourish significantly in the business sector. What''s more, we have never pleaded


    with them to marry you. You had been frank with Sir Louis long ago that you wouldn''t have any feelings


    toward him, but he insisted on marrying you. Both of you are not married yet, but Lady Sherlyn is


    already hinting at you to bear grandchildren for her! How ridiculous! What is ying on her mind, huh?¡±


    Charlotte red at her upon hearing the words.


    Morgan pursed her lips and zipped her mouth while continuing to mutter inwardly.


    Meanwhile, Lupine could not hold back and mocked, ¡°I don''t think they are as unworldly as they seem


    to be. Perhaps they are just putting on a show as they are unable topete amid the royal family.


    Charlotte smiled bitterly. ¡°You are right in a way. Louis is the only one who doesn''t have any greed for


    power and social status.¡±


    She had sensed that the Laurent family was not as simple as it seemed long ago.


    Lupine sneered as something came into her mind. ¡°Not to forget about that youngdy whose name is


    Diana. My gut instinct tells me that she is not as innocent as she seems to be. I sensed her awry gaze


    when Lady Sherlyn gave you the gift. She was staring at it with that kind of look...¡±


    She pondered for a while before continuing with her words. ¡°That''s the kind ofplicated look with


    mixed emotions of yearning and disappointment.¡±


    ¡°Your description is precise.¡± Charlotte nodded admiringly.


    ¡°What do you mean by yearning and disappointment?¡± Morgan furrowed her brows, unable to


    understand what Lupine mentioned.


    ¡°The yearning for power and social status against the disappointment of not being able to achieve her


    dreams...¡± Lupine exined briefly. ¡°Ah! Morgan, let me assign you a task.¡±


    ¡°What''s that?¡± Morgan asked instinctively in bafflement.


    Lupine whispered to her, ¡°I want you to find out the exact rtionship between Diana and Sir Louis.¡±


    ¡°Aren''t they cousins?¡± The words escaped her lips at once.


    ¡°She might be a coteral cousin. If I''m not mistaken, the royal family of F nation does not mind


    marriage between coteral cousins. Perhaps...¡± Lupine analyzed warily as she gazed at Charlotte''s


    countenance. ¡°No doubt, Sir Louis is not the type of person who will easily fall head over heels for any


    other woman. Nheless, it is unavoidable that some others might be having a ploy on their minds


    and taking advantage of him.¡±


    ¡°I understand now. Don''t worry. You can rely on me on this.¡± Morgan was finally enlightened by Lupine''s


    words.


    Even so, Charlotte advised them cidly, ¡°The kids'' safety is still the top priority at the moment. As for


    the other matters, just let it be. Do you get it?¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, don''t worry. We know our priorities. Anyway, it''s just a piece of cake for us to sort that


    out.¡± Lupine buoyed her up with confidence.


    ¡°Enough of that. Time for bed.¡± Charlotte put down her coffee mug and rose to make a move.


    Both Lupine and Morgan followed her closely behind.


    When Charlotte was heading toward her room, she bumped into Louis, who was just out of Sherlyn''s


    room.


    Once again, Louis exined to her in embarrassment, ¡°Charlotte, I hope you don''t mind what my mom


    said just now. I have just reminded her not to bring up the topic again.¡±


    ¡°It''s all right. I understand how she feels. Is she asleep?¡± Charlotte asked softly.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Louis nodded and replied gently, ¡°It''ste now. You too have a good rest.¡±


    Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    ¡°All right.¡± Charlotte stepped into her room.


    ¡°Charlotte!¡± Louis called out at her. Charlotte turned to look at him and asked curiously, ¡°Anything?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. Good night.¡± Louis gazed at her affectionately.


    ¡°Good night.¡± Charlotte smiled at him and closed the door behind her.


    Little did they realize that Diana was peeping at them all the time in silence. She only shifted her gaze


    from Louis and back to her room after his figure was out of sight.


    At the other end of the corridor, Lupine''s lips contorted into a disdainful smile. Hmph! This woman is


    seemingly scheming. Let''s see when she will reveal her true colors!


    Later, Charlotte was back in her room and had soaked herself in the bathtub. Recalling Sherlyn''s


    embarrassing words and Louis'' zing eyes with emotions, her heart sank as a wave of gloominess


    surged from within her.


    Initially, she expected that she would be able to put everything out of her mind after going through the


    earlier disgruntling moments. Hence, she was convinced that she would feel nothing even if she had to


    marry Louis for the sake of the bigger picture in the long run. Apparently, she had overestimated herself


    as certain things could never be forced.

 Chapter 1174

    Chapter 1174


    The following morning, Charlotte was awakened by the kids''ughter.


    She yawned and dragged herself out from the bed, then made her way to the window. The moment she


    pulled open the curtain, the kids, who were chasing among each other yfully, came into view. At that


    very moment, her lips curved into a smile unknowingly.


    Ever since Danrique''s adorable triplets were there, Robbie and Ellie cheered up a lot.


    The three toddlers, who were barely three years old, were at their most lively and carefree stage.


    Furthermore, they possessed the unique ability to brighten up everyone''s day with their liveliness.


    Right that instant, Ellie and the triplets were chasing each other among the bushes. Meanwhile, Robbie


    was seated aside, savoring hot drinks while gazing at them with smiling eyes.


    The profound warmth in his eyes reminded Charlotte about Danrique. No wonder Danrique tends to dot


    on Robbie. It is undeniable that Robbie resembled him in his appearance and calm temperament.


    Knock! Knock! All of a sudden, someone knocked on Charlotte''s door, waking her up from her


    contemtion.


    ¡°Come in.¡± Charlotte put on her cardigan as she called out.


    Lupine entered right away and notified her, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, Lady Sherlyn has woken up. She is now


    heading toward the garden, obviously bringing the gifts to the kids.¡±


    ¡°At this hour? She''s early.¡± Charlotte was surprised and turned to look in the direction of the garden


    again.


    She saw Sherlyn step into the garden with her subordinates and greet Robbie friendlily. Other than


    that, she called out to Ellie and the three kids to distribute the gifts to them.


    ¡°Yeah, it''s barely seven o''clock.¡± Lupine was nonplussed. ¡°My goodness! The royal etiquette is


    complicated indeed. I notice that Diana had already assigned the maids to prepare breakfast for Lady


    Sherlyn as early as five o''clock. After that, she proceeded to serve her for a wash-up...¡±


    ¡°Ah! It does seem she is more upied than all of you.¡± Charlotte teased her before she vanished into


    the bathroom.


    ¡°Yeah, undeniably, both Morgan and I are really blessed,¡± Lupine asked Charlotte as she opened the


    wardrobe. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, what are you nning to wear today? Do you prefer a gown or something


    else?¡±


    ¡°Choose something more casual andfortable then. I have promised to bring the kids to go


    horseback riding today,¡± Charlotte replied casually.


    ¡°But then Lady Sherlyn is all dressed up today,¡± Lupine reminded her.


    ¡°Anyway, I''m not a duchess like her, am I?¡± Charlotte rolled her eyes and mocked.


    ¡°All right, Ms. Lindberg. I get it,¡± Lupine replied respectfully.


    She selected a smart and casual suit for Charlotte to be matched with a pair of Dr. Martens boots. With


    her long hair tied into a bun, Charlotte looked exceptionally smart as she was giving off a unique vibe at


    the same time.


    When Charlotte was about to step out of her room, there was a knock on her door again.


    Lupine stepped forward to open the door at once and greeted, ¡°Gordon!¡±


    Gordon stepped into the room and updated Charlotte, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, everything is settled.¡±


    ¡°Did you manage to detect anything? Did someone actually stir up trouble by wreaking havoc?¡±


    Charlotte asked anxiously.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gordon nodded and exined, ¡°We spotted someone suspicious, but he managed to flee when


    we were going after him. I patrolled the area thoroughly this morning and haven''t sensed anything


    amiss so far.¡± He paused and continued hesitantly. ¡°Even so... I have not checked on those


    subordinates who came together with Lady Sherlyn.¡±


    ¡°It''s not appropriate to check on Lady Sherlyn''s subordinates recklessly.¡± Charlotte instructed him,


    ¡°Since the external trouble is solved, just put this matter aside and focus on your current task.¡±


    ¡°Noted, Ms. Lindberg. I have assigned four men to protect the kids, and the other three will continue


    with the search,¡± Gordon updated her.


    ¡°I really appreciate your hard work. Luckily you are here to assist us. If not, I surely can''t get the matter


    resolved by relying solely on the female bodyguards,¡± Charlotte said thankfully.


    Gordon was undoubtedly more experienced and efficient than Morgan in getting matters resolved.


    Everything managed to be settled by him within such a short span.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, I''m just carrying out my responsibilities.¡± He bowed to her and left.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, finally, you can go horseback riding without being bothered.¡± Lupine handed the hat to


    Charlotte.


    ¡°Yeah, the weather is fine today.¡± Charlotte put on her hat and stepped out of the room.


    In the meantime, Sherlyn had already distributed the gifts to all the kids in the garden. She was inviting


    them to have breakfast with her eagerly.


    Ellie was in a dilemma, not knowing what she was supposed to say to reject her nicely. On the other


    hand, the three girls turned Sherlyn down directly. ¡°We will have our breakfastter. Lady Sherlyn, you


    go ahead to have yours first. We want to catch butterflies now.¡±


    Gamma was even holding Ellie''s hand excitedly. ¡°Ellie,e and join us now!¡±


    ¡°Grandma Sherlyn, see... you...¡± Ellie was dragged away by Gamma before she could finish her words.N?velDrama.Org owns all content.

 Chapter 1175

    Chapter 1175


    Sherlyn felt somehow awkward as she was left behind alone. She turned and cast a nce at Robbie.


    Just when she was about to open her mouth, Robbie uttered politely, ¡°Grandma Sherlyn, I''ve eaten my


    breakfast already. I''m heading back to my room to do some reading. Please enjoy your breakfast.¡±


    Upon saying that, Robbie made a bow and left abruptly.


    Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    Sherlyn''s smile froze instantly. She had been trying hard to build a rtionship with these kids, but it


    did not seem to work out.


    ¡°What a rude bunch of kids,¡± One of the maids uttered in displeasure.


    ¡°Absolutely. It''s such an honor to be able to have breakfast with Lady Sherlyn,¡± Another maid spoke


    with a low voice. ¡°They have no etiquette at all. I doubt if they''re truly the children of a rich family.¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Just then, Sherlyn scoffed angrily, ¡°They''re Mr. Lindberg''s children. How dare you talk bad


    about them behind his back?¡±


    The two maids immediately lowered their heads, not daring to utter another word.


    ¡°But speaking of that, the two elder ones...¡± Sherlyn''s lips curled into a faint smile. ¡°They seem to be


    more sensible.¡±


    ¡°Probably they''re more mature due to their age,¡± one of the maids added.


    ¡°They should be.¡± Sherlyn''s tone sounded utterly prideful. ¡°They should behave well if they want to


    enter this house. We don''t even know who their father is. It''s better if he doesn''t ever show up in my


    sight...¡±


    To preventplications in the family, Robert had not told Sherlyn who Charlotte''s children''s birth


    father was.


    ¡°He won''t dare to after he knows which family Ms. Lindberg is getting married into.¡± The maid let out a


    provocativeugh.


    ¡°Shhh. Ms. Lindberg is on her way here!¡±


    All of a sudden, Diana reminded with a low voice.


    The two maids instantly shut their mouths and collected themselves.


    ¡°Charlotte, are you awake already?¡± Sherlyn turned around and disyed a genuine smile. ¡°Why don''t


    you get some more sleep?¡±


    ¡°The weather looks great today. And I''ve promised the kids to take them for horse riding.¡± Charlotte let


    out a smile. ¡°Have Lady Sherlyn had your breakfast? May I join you?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Sherlyn''s smile turned somewhat tense.


    The maids around furrowed their brows slightly, as though something was off.


    Charlotte felt something strange going on, but she did not bother much about it.


    By that time, Louis hade downstairs too, and the three of them had a great time enjoying their


    breakfast.


    After breakfast, Sherlyn wanted to go see the farm. But before Louis could say he wanted to go with


    the former, Charlotte said she had promised to bring the kids for horse riding.


    All the maids froze in their spots when they heard that.


    Yet, Sherlyn was not offended at all. She even asked if she could join them as she was good at horse


    riding.


    Charlotte was reluctant for Sherlyn to join them, but she had no choice but to ept it.


    With that, they all rode in the carriage and headed toward the horse farm.


    The kids were jumping up and down inside the carriage, overwhelmed with excitement.


    Meanwhile, Robbie stared at the endless grass field outside the carriage while letting out a long sigh. ¡°It


    would be perfect if Jamie could be here. He loves horse riding.¡±


    ¡°How about you? Don''t you like it?¡± Charlotte caressed his head gently.


    ¡°I''m no expert in any sports.¡± Robbie let out another sigh. ¡°I''m only good at using my brain.¡±


    ¡°You should try to develop in other areas...¡± Charlotte uttered gently. ¡°Look at your...¡±


    She almost said his father, but she immediately changed her words. ¡°Look at your Uncle Dan. Not only


    is his academically outstanding, but he is also skilled in sports.¡±


    ¡°Daddy too.¡± Robbie added right away.


    Charlotte froze on the spot, not knowing how to respond to that.


    Robbie did not say anything anymore, continued to y on his tablet. He was not ying mobile


    games, but he always liked searching for information on software and IT technology.


    ¡°I miss Daddy and Jamie too.¡± Ellie disyed an indignant expression. ¡°I wonder when we could meet


    them again.¡±


    ¡°It''ll be soon. There are 39 days left.¡±


    As Charlotte spoke, only then did she realize how fast time passed.

 Chapter 1176

    Chapter 1176


    There was not a single cloud in the sky.


    Charlotte carried the kids one after another down from the carriage. Looking at the endless grasnd,


    they were overwhelmed with excitement.


    ¡°Come on, I''ll take you guys to get changed.¡±


    Morgan summoned the kids with a loud voice.


    ¡°Yay, let''s go.¡±


    Without any hesitation, the three girls followed Morgan, pulling Ellie with them.


    ¡°Please slow down. Don''t run.¡± Ellie, who was still recovering, could not catch up with their pace.


    ¡°How I wish I could be like them. Look at how happy they are.¡± Just then, Robbie cast a question


    toward Charlotte. ¡°Mommy, when I was at their age, was I this happy?¡±


    ¡°You''ve been a quiet boy since then.¡± Charlotte let out a smile. ¡°When Jamie and Ellie were jumping up


    and down, you''re reading and writing at a corner. You evenined that they were childish.¡±


    ¡°Really? Was I that mature at two?¡± Robbie found it hard to believe.


    ¡°You were quieter than both of them when you were babies,¡± Charlotte teased casually. ¡°You even


    drank milk slower than any of them.¡±


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    ¡°Puff!¡± Robbie was loss for words.


    ¡°All right then. Get changed now. Let me teach you how to ride a horse,¡± Charlotte urged. ¡°Let''s focus


    on physical development now!¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Robbie followed a subordinate to change his clothes.


    Charlotte also came into the fitting room, getting ready to change into horse riding gear.


    Right then, Diana entered the room to pick up something. She immediately bowed when she ran into


    Charlotte. ¡°Ms. Lindberg!¡±


    ¡°There''s no need to be so courteous with me.¡± Charlotte acted casually.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, you''re a nice person...¡±


    Diana red at Charlotte with aplicated look, hesitating on her words.


    ¡°Just spit it out if you got anything to say.¡± Charlotte let out a faint smile.


    ¡°I know that the Lindberg family is unparalleled in this world, and your status is beyond honorable. We


    wouldn''t dare to offend you, but there''s something I might need to remind you.¡±


    Diana sounded utterly courteous and cautious.


    ¡°Go on.¡± Charlotte cast a nce at her in the mirror.


    ¡°Lady Sherlyn was born in the royal family, and the royal etiquette isplicated. Sometimes small


    details that seem irrelevant in ordinary people are considered strict rules to them...¡±


    Diana paused and exined, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, please don''t misunderstand. I have no other intention. I


    merely want to remind you.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Charlotte smiled slightly. ¡°I''m used to behaving like this, and I''m grateful for Lady


    Sherlyn''s tolerance toward me. Thanks for reminding me!¡±


    Diana bowed once again and uttered fearfully, ¡°I''ll excuse myself.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Charlotte responded briefly. Staring at Diana''s back figure, her lips curled into a smile.


    ¡°Do you think she reminds you merely out of kindness?¡± Lupine came in with Charlotte''s suit in her


    hands. ¡°I bet she has other intention.¡±


    ¡°There''s nothing to be worried about.¡± Charlotte could not be bothered less by this irrelevant character.


    ¡°Morgan has checked her background. Diana is a distant rtive and cousin of Sir Louis. Her family


    does not excel, but she is ambitious. She graduated from medical school and has been staying by Lady


    Sherlyn''s side ever since.¡±


    Lupine exined while helping Charlotte put on her suit, ¡°Even though she''s been acting humbly and


    one could hardly find any w in her behavior, I feel there''s something more to her than meets the


    eyes.¡±


    ¡°You''re being paranoid for nothing.¡± Charlotte smiled. ¡°You''re still under phobia with Cynthia. So now


    you''re guarding against everyone.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you''re right.¡± Lupine let out a bitter smile. ¡°I don''t know why, but she reminds me of Cynthia.¡±


    ¡°But you shouldn''t judge others,¡± Charlotte uttered rationally. ¡°We can''t me anyone without any


    proof. Not to mention, it''s normal to be ambitious and look out for one''s interest. It''ll be fine as long as


    she doesn''t hurt anyone.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry. I''ll keep an eye on her. I won''t let her hurt anyone,¡± Lupine responded. ¡°Anyway, she got


    the point with what she just said. I noticed Lady Sherlyn was a little unhappy this morning, probably


    feeling that we''re out of line.¡±

 Chapter 1177

    Chapter 1177


    ¡°Yes, I noticed that too,¡± Charlotte uttered faintly. ¡°But it doesn''t matter. I want to let others know that I


    don''t belong to anyone. And I won''t try to please anyone. I am me whether they like it or not.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. There''s no need for you topromise with anyone.¡±


    Lupine was impressed with Charlotte''s attitude.


    ¡°Nheless, Lady Sherlyn is a nice person.¡± Charlotte soundedposed. ¡°At least so far, she''s


    been respecting and understanding me a lot.¡±


    ¡°The Laurent family needs to rely on Mr. Lindberg''s power after all.¡± Lupine''s view was more subjective


    in this. ¡°That''s why she is treating you nicely. She won''t dare to offend you.¡±


    ¡°You got a point...¡± Charlotte smiled slightly. ¡°Nheless, I still prefer to look at the brighter side of


    humans.¡±


    ¡°You''re just too kind.¡±


    By the time the two of them finished getting changed and came out from the fitting room, Sherlyn had


    gotten along well with the kids. She taught them the basic knowledge of horse riding, and she even


    demonstrated it for them.


    Ellie and the three kids were learning diligently while Robbie watched indifferently at a corner.


    ¡°Mommy!¡± Seeing Charlotte walking out, Ellie immediately ran over to her. ¡°Come and have a look.


    Beta has learned how to ride a horse.¡±


    ¡°Please be careful.¡± Charlotte cast a side nce at Morgan, signaling her to keep an eye on them.


    ¡°Don''t worry. There''re so many people here. Nothing will happen.¡± Sherlyn let out a smile. ¡°Charlotte,


    how about racing for a round and demonstrate for them?¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡± Charlotte jumped onto a horse; her posture seemed utterly professional.


    ¡°Not bad.¡± Sherlyn was impressed by that.


    This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    ¡°Let me be the judge then.¡±


    Overwhelmed with excitement, Louis volunteered to be their judge.


    With that, Lupine and Morgan escorted the kids to the side to watch the race. Even Robbie started to


    show a hint of anticipation.


    Louis raised thepetition gun and fired a shot into the sky the next moment.


    Instantly, Charlotte and Sherlyn''s horses galloped forward with full speed.


    Upon seeing that, the kids began cheering enthusiastically for Charlotte. Meanwhile, all the maids


    clenched their fists and started cheering for Sherlyn.


    Louis was watching the race nervously as well. Suddenly, Diana, who stood beside him, cast him a


    question. ¡°Louis, do you want Lady Sherlyn or Ms. Lindberg to win?¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t matter who wins.¡± Louis let out a smile. ¡°As long as they enjoy it.¡±


    ¡°Louis, you''re so kind,¡± Dianamented.


    Louis was utterly focused on the race as he did not pay much attention to what Diana said.


    Diana did not further say anything, walking away from him.


    In the end, the race was a tie.


    Sherlyn and Charlotte reached the finishing line simultaneously. And Louis announced they both to be


    the winners.


    All the kids got triggered with thrill upon hearing his announcement. They did not mind who won.


    Robbie and Ellie, who initially showed no interest in horse riding, became curious after watching this


    race. Thus, they both started to join the rest to learn from Charlotte.


    ¡°Charlotte, how could you possibly teach so many kids together? Let Louis help you.¡± Sherlyn smiled


    upon seeing that. ¡°Louis, what are you waiting for?¡±


    ¡°Oh. Okay.¡± Louis came back to his senses and immediately walked over to help out.


    At that moment, Sherlyn was sitting rxingly while sipping on her cup of coffee. What a foolish boy.


    He''s too honest. She let out a sigh as she shook her head.


    ¡°Sir Louis is a naive man,¡± The maid smiled and said.


    ¡°Indeed. There''s no way he could win a woman''s heart like this.¡± Sherlyn cast a nce at Charlotte.


    ¡°This woman is not someone ordinary men could impress.¡±


    Those maids did not dare to say more.


    Meanwhile, Diana, pouring coffee into a cup, weighed in. ¡°There''s a line I read in the movie. No matter


    how strong a woman is, she will be as tame as a sheep once conquered.¡±


    ¡°Conquered...¡± Sherlyn''s eyes lit up upon hearing that word. ¡°You''re right!¡±

 Chapter 1178

    Chapter 1178


    Charlotte and Louis spent the whole morning and eventually taught those kids.


    The kids were overwhelmed with delight as they raced against each other on their ponies.


    Morgan and the other bodyguards did not dare to take their eyes away from the kids, trying their best to


    ensure their safety.


    Right then, a call from Hayley came in and reminded Charlotte to go back for treatment.


    Looking at the kids having the time of their life, Charlotte did not want to interrupt them. Hence, she


    instructed Gordon to look after the kids while she headed back to the vi with Lupine.


    Just then, Sherlyn immediately reminded Louis to take care of Charlotte and left the kids to the former.


    She nned to bring them to have lunch at the vineyard.


    Charlotte went into the carriage after thanking the staff.


    Louis swiftly caught up with her. ¡°Charlotte, let me apany you back. Mom asked me to take care of


    you.¡±


    ¡°I''m not a child. I don''t need others to take care of me.¡± Charlotte let out a smile. ¡°You don''t have to


    worry about me. Please go back to riding.¡±


    ¡°I can''t do that as Mom has already given the instructions. She will scold me if I don''t go with you.¡±


    Louis made an excuse. ¡°Just let mee with you. I can make the lunch while you are in the


    treatment. I''ve learned how to make beef stew. You''ll love it.¡±


    ¡°Okay then.¡± Charlotte eventually agreed as she could not bear to reject him.


    Back to the vi, Charlotte went to the clinic as Louis headed to the kitchen to prepare lunch. Charlotte


    was a little tired after the treatment, and Lupine escorted her back to her room.


    Leaning on the couch, Charlotte nned to get some sleep. Just then, Louis came in with the meal


    trolley. ¡°Charlotte, the lunch''s ready. Come on and have a try.¡±


    ¡°I''m not hungry...¡± Charlotte had no appetite at all. But as she saw Louis cing various delicate food


    on the table, she got moved a little. ¡°Did you make all these?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I learned these recently. Please let me know how they taste.¡± Louis handed a spoon to her. ¡°Let''s


    have some stew first.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Charlotte tried the stew. ¡°Not bad.¡±


    Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°Really? I''ve been learning this one for a long time.¡± Louis was delighted. ¡°Let''s try this chicken next.¡±


    Charlotte took a bite and nodded with approval. ¡°It''s all right.¡±


    ¡°It looks like there''s room for improvement.¡± Louis let out an embarrassed smile. ¡°I''ll work harder.¡±


    ¡°Actually, you don''t have to learn all these,¡± Charlotte uttered with a low voice. ¡°Don''t you have more


    important things to do?¡±


    ¡°Nope. I have nothing to do,¡± Louis responded casually. ¡°I''m quite free recently.¡±


    ¡°Isn''t the Gymnasium Project about to getunched?¡± Charlotte asked skeptically. ¡°I heard from Mr.


    Murphy that the opening ceremony is in two days?¡±


    ¡°I''ve left that in Dad''s hand. I hope you don''t mind.¡± After Louis blurted out the words, he cast an


    anxious look at Charlotte.


    ¡°You''ve put your sweat and blood into this project. Why did you hand it over to others?¡± Charlotte


    furrowed her brows slightly.


    ¡°Because I want to have more time with you.¡± Louis tried to make another excuse. But as he noticed


    Charlotte''s unpleasant expression, he admitted honestly, ¡°Fine. I want to avoid Zachary.¡±


    Charlotte lowered her head while trying to put on a calm face. ¡°You''re overthinking. He''s a busy man.


    He won''t put his mind on this. It''s merely a tiny investment for Nacht Group.¡±


    ¡°That''s not true. He has chipped in a big sum of money, and the project has expanded now.¡± Louis cast


    aplicated look at Charlotte. ¡°Haven''t you heard of this?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Charlotte still sounded utterlyposed. ¡°I''m just a small shareholder in this project. No one will


    care to inform me.¡±


    ¡°It''s my bad. Please don''t get mad,¡± Louis immediately apologized. ¡°I should''ve told you earlier.¡±


    ¡°When did he invest in the project?¡± Charlotte questioned casually.


    ¡°Not long ago.¡± Louis was cautious with his reply. ¡°When we announced our wedding to the public, I


    thought he would go for divestment. I didn''t expect...¡±


    ¡°All right,¡± Charlotte responded briefly, her feeling was in turmoil.

 Chapter 1179

    Chapter 1179


    ¡°All right. Let''s not mention him.¡± Louis tried to change the topic as he ced a fried lotus root on


    Charlotte''s te. ¡°Charlotte, please try this.¡±


    ¡°Do you even know how to make this?¡±


    Charlotte was a little surprised as not many knew about her favorite food.


    ¡°I asked Ellie what you liked to eat, and she told me this. That''s why I learned it.¡± Louis smiled at


    Charlotte.


    ¡°It''s hard to find good lotus root in Pillere and I''ve been purchasing it from another city. And finally, I''m


    able to make it sessfully.¡±


    Charlotte took one bite and nodded right away. ¡°It''s delicious.¡±


    ¡°I''m d you like it.¡± Louis was utterly pleased. ¡°I also know that you love rice balls in wine, so I''m still


    learning it.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Louis.¡± Charlotte was somehow touched.


    ¡°We''re getting married soon. It is the least I should do for you.¡± Louis looked at her with a gentle gaze.


    ¡°I''m happy as long as you''re happy.¡±


    Charlotte lowered her head, without saying anything.


    ¡°Charlotte, don''t move.¡±


    Just then, Louis noticed a food stain on Charlotte''s face, and he took a tissue and wiped it off her face.


    Charlotte was stunned momentarily, sitting still.


    Underneath the dim light, her beautiful face made Louis'' heart move as he leaned toward her.


    Charlotte evaded him, but still, his lips touched her cheek gently.


    At that moment, the two of them froze on the spot.


    The next instance, Charlotte moved away from him.


    Louis'' face was blushing red from anxiousness.


    Charlotte furrowed her brows as she shifted her gaze away.


    ¡°I... I''m sorry.¡±


    Louis choked on his words as he stood up to leave.


    Staring at his panicking look and the delicious lunch on the table, Charlotte felt a rush of conflicting


    emotions.


    Meanwhile, a maid outside saw Louis run out nervously from Charlotte''s room. She immediately went


    inside and called Sherlyn to inform her of the development.


    ¡°How long was he in there?¡± Sherlyn asked urgently.


    ¡°I was standing outside the entire time. Around eleven minutes, I guess,¡± The maid said.


    ¡°So fast?¡± Sherlyn was startled. ¡°Then, did his clothes look neat when he came out?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it looked neat to me,¡± the maid started describing. ¡°And his hair was tidy too. But his face was


    red, and he looked nervous.¡±This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    Upon hearing that, Sherlyn was somewhat disappointed. ¡°All right. Please continue to monitor them.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Hanging up the phone, Sherlyn let out a long sigh. ¡°It looks like it''s not working.¡±


    ¡°But based on what the maid said, I suppose they''ve gotten closer to each other for a little.¡± Just then,


    Diana let out a smile. ¡°So there''s some development after all.¡±


    ¡°They''ve hanging together for so long by now, and they''re getting married soon. How could getting


    closer be considered as a development?¡± Sherlyn responded petntly. ¡°If Louis got so nervous by just


    being closer to her, it meant they were not intimate at all until now.¡±


    Diana lowered her head, not knowing what to say.


    ¡°I think she''s not into Louis at all. She merely wants to use him.¡± The more Sherlyn thought of it, the


    angrier she got. ¡°What a fool Louis is! It''s just a one-sided rtionship!¡±


    ¡°Yes, I''ve noticed that too.¡± Diana chose her word carefully. ¡°Ms. Lindberg seems uninterested with


    Louis. It looks like she is deliberately keeping her distance.¡±


    ¡°They''ve been hanging out for quite some time already. Even if there were no feelings initially, she


    should have a little affection for him by now.¡± Sherlyn sounded displeased. ¡°If she doesn''t like Louis,


    why did she agree to the marriage?¡±


    ¡°I heard that Mr. Lindberg got into a crisis...¡± Diana uttered in a low voice.


    ¡°I heard that too.¡± Sherlyn furrowed her brows. ¡°Maybe it''s because Mr. Lindberg is currently in deep


    trouble, so she wants to look for temporary refuge. If that''s true, she might cancel the wedding once the


    former solved the crisis. What should Louis do by then?¡±


    ¡°It''s still too early to judge. There''s still one month until the wedding. Who knows they will grow affection


    toward each other during this period?¡± Diana tried tofort her.


    ¡°That''s why I''ve to get this done as soon as possible...

 Chapter 1180

    Chapter 1180


    Waking up from her nap, Charlotte noticed it was raining outside. ¡°Lupine, are the kids back yet?¡±


    ¡°Not yet. Lady Sherlyn brought them to the grape farm for lunch. They are having a good time there.


    Don''t worry about their safety as Morgan and Gordon are with them,¡± Lupine reported.


    ¡°It''s almost time for Robbie''s online ss.¡± Charlotte nced at her watch. ¡°And Ellie''s treatment.¡±


    ¡°I''ll ask again.¡± Lupine picked up her phone to call when a car engine''s sounded from outside. She went


    out to the balcony and peered. ¡°Robbie and Ellie are back.¡±


    ¡°I''ll meet them downstairs.¡±


    Charlotte met Robbie as she walked out of her room. ¡°Mommy!¡±


    ¡°Robbie, did you have a good time?¡± Charlotte ruffled his hair.


    ¡°It was fun. I know how to ride a horse now,¡± Robbie said with pride. ¡°Uncle Gordon taught me. I''ll brag


    in front of Jamie the next time I meet him. Now, he''ll have to stop calling me a nerd.¡±


    Charlotteughed. ¡°Despite it being something you''re not good at, you can ovee it if you try. Am I


    right?¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Robbie nodded. ¡°I''ll try more, Mommy.¡±


    ¡°That''s my boy.¡± Charlotte was pleased. ¡°It''s not that I want you to learn everything. But I hope you can


    learn some skills and train more.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Robbie embraced Charlotte. ¡°Mommy, I''m going back to my room for my ss. Ellie is


    getting her treatment downstairs. She might need yourpany.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Charlotte descended the stairs after watching Robbie leave.


    At that moment, a subordinate urgently came up to her and reported. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, Alpha is missing.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Charlotte''s face paled. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Lady Sherlyn and the kids were ying hide-and-seek at the grape farm when they couldn''t find


    Alpha. Lady Sherlyn is worried sick and looking everywhere for her.¡±


    ¡°I''ll head there immediately.¡± Charlotte left for the grape farm instantly.


    ¡°Charlotte, wait for me.¡± Louis, who heard the news, urgently ran downstairs. ¡°I''ll go with you.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Charlotte turned to Lupine. ¡°You stay here and take care of Robbie and Ellie.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    When Charlotte and Louis arrived at the grape farm, they saw Sherlyn and her subordinates looking for


    Alpha.


    Noticing Charlotte''s arrival, Sherlyn apologized, ¡°Charlotte, I''m very sorry. I wanted to y with the


    kids, but I didn''t expect-¡±


    ¡°This is not your fault.¡± Charlotte turned to Morgan. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry, Ms. Lindberg.¡± Morgan reluctantly exined. ¡°We''re still looking for her. But we''ll find her


    soon.¡±


    ¡°Where''s Beta and Gamma?¡± Charlotte asked.


    ¡°They''re resting at the winery. Jade''s in there with them.¡± Morgan said guilty, ¡°Gordon went patrolling


    when he got news this morning.¡±


    ¡°The lot of you can''t watch the kids without him here?¡± Charlotte yelled angrily, ¡°Search immediately. I''ll


    make an example out of you if anything happens to her.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Morgan urgently led a few people in search for Alpha.


    ¡°Who was thest person to see Alpha?¡± Charlotte asked.


    ¡°It''s me.¡± Diana answered, ¡°Me, Lady Sherlyn, and the kids were ying hide-and-seek. I saw Alpha


    was counting with her back to me before I closed my eyes. I didn''t know.¡±


    Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°Where is it? Bring me there.¡±


    ¡°It''s here.¡±


    Diana led Charlotte deeper into the grape farm with Louis trailing behind.


    It was beautiful there with grapes hanging from the vines, but Charlotte was focused on searching.


    ¡°Alpha,e out. The game has ended. We should go home now.¡±

 Chapter 1181

    Chapter 1181


    No one responded despite Charlotte calling out for a long while.


    She was very nervous and had every subordinate with her join the search; so, only Louis remained with


    her.


    Louisforted her as he searched. ¡°Charlotte, don''t panic. We''ll find her. Everyone in the manor is


    our people. The child will be fine.¡±


    ¡°What am I supposed to tell Danrique if anything happens to the child?¡± Charlotte was panicking. ¡°I


    shouldn''t have gone back alone. I should''ve brought them along with me.¡±


    ¡°Don''t be like that, Charlotte. It''ll be fine.¡± Louis'' heart ached for Charlotte. ¡°I''ll ask for more help.¡±


    He was about to inform his subordinate but soon realized nobody else was there. They probably went


    searching at other ces.


    ¡°Charlotte, I didn''t have my phone with me. I''ll go call for some help.¡±


    Louis was about to head back and look for more help when he noticed a small essory on the ground


    in the bush beside him. He picked it up urgently and examined it. It was a star-shaped hair clip.


    He immediately called, ¡°Charlotte,e over here and see if this belongs to Alpha.¡±


    Charlotte ran over and examined the hair clip. ¡°This is Alpha''s hairclip. Where did you find it?¡±


    ¡°Over there.¡± Louis led Charlotte over to the ce where he found the essory.


    There was a small shoe print beside the bush. It probably belonged to Alpha. There weren''t any other


    shoeprints there besides hers. And there was no abnormality with it.


    Charlotte''s anxiety increased. She immediately phoned Lupine. ¡°I need you to release Fifi.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Lupine instantly went to arrange.


    Sometimes, animals were capable of carrying certain tasks humans couldn''t do.


    Fifi could sniff out Alpha''s location by the scent lingering on her clothes.


    ¡°It has started raining.¡± Louis stretched his hand outward to catch the raindrop.


    Charlotte looked up at the dark sky, and soon fat water droplets dripped onto her face.


    ¡°Charlotte, you should find shelter, and I''ll continue searching.¡±


    Louis took off his coat and covered Charlotte with it.


    ¡°I can''t rest now.¡±


    Charlotte continued staring at the sky. Fifi had flown over from the hot spring resort.


    Charlotte whistled. Hearing the sharp sound, Fifi immediately flew in her direction. It picked up the


    essory in Charlotte''s hand and took off searching for Alpha.


    Louis was baffled by the entire scene. Fearsome screams sounded not far away.


    Charlotte turned in the direction, and Louis replied, ¡°The screams belong to the maids. They were


    probably shocked by Fifi. It''s fine.¡±


    ¡°You should head back first.¡±


    Charlotte followed after Fifi.


    Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I''ll be right behind you.¡± Louis followed.


    ¡°Louis...¡± Diana yelled.


    Louis didn''t turn his head but increased his pace to trail after Charlotte.


    The rain got heavier, and soon Charlotte was drenched. But that was thest thing on her mind at that


    moment. All she wanted was Alpha to be found.


    Charlotte was a fast runner. Louis almost lost her.


    Luckily, she stopped in front of a cabin. Perching on the roof was Fifi.


    Charlotte barged in the door. ¡°Alpha!¡±


    Alpha was sitting in a corner, holding an adorable rabbit in her arms. She was drenched from the rain,


    shivering from the cold, and curled up in fear.


    She raised her head, hearing Charlotte''s voice. ¡°Aunt Charlotte!¡±


    ¡°Alpha!¡± Charlotte rushed to Alpha''s side with her arms wide and embraced thetter. ¡°You scared me


    to death. Let me see. Are you hurt anywhere?¡±


    Charlotte looked her up and down.


    ¡°I''m fine, Aunt Charlotte.¡± Alpha sniffled. ¡°I was ying hide-and-seek with Beta and Gamma. But I saw


    this cute bunny. So I chased after it. After a while, I realized I was lost. Then, it started to rain, so I


    came inside for shelter.¡±


    ¡°Good girl.¡± Charlotte ran her fingers through Alpha''s messy hair. ¡°I''ll take you home.¡±

 Chapter 1182

    Chapter 1182


    ¡°The rain is getting heavier. Let''s wait here for a little longer.¡± Louis was rummaging throughout the


    cabin. ¡°Let me look if there is anything I can use to start a fire.¡±


    With an arm full of firewood, Charlotte started a fire in the firece. She even found a pot. Then, she


    began to peel a pear while waiting for the pot of water to boil.


    ¡°Wow! Aunt Charlotte is amazing! You''re like Mommy!¡±


    Alpha noted Charlotte was able to do everything from starting a fire and cooking.


    ¡°Do you miss your Mom?¡± Charlotte gently caressed Alpha''s face.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Alpha nodded. Tears started streaming down her face as she pouted.


    ¡°Don''t be sad. You''ll see your mom soon enough.¡± Charlotte''s heart ached for Alpha as she pulled the


    latter into her arms.


    ¡°Charlotte, allow me.¡±


    Louis took over peeling the pear with a paring knife. Once done, he handed Charlotte the perfectly


    peeled pear.


    ¡°Dice it, then put it into the pot.¡± Charlotte said, ¡°Alpha is catching a cold. She needs some pear stew.


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Louis did ording to her instructions.


    At that moment, Fifi flew inside, surprising Louis, causing him to drop the paring knife.


    ¡°Don''t be scared. It won''t hurt you with me here.


    Charlotte gestured for Fifi to obediently stay beside the fire, allowing the heat from the fire to dry its


    feathers.


    However, its sharp gaze was fixed on the rabbit in Alpha''s arms.


    However, its sharp gaze was fixed on the rabbit in Alpha''s arms.


    ¡°Fifi, you can''t eat my bunny.¡± Alpha tightened her arms on the rabbit. She warned, ¡°If you dare eat my


    bunny, I''ll tell Daddy.¡±


    Fifi seemed to understand her words as it quickly averted its eyes and started to clean its wings with its


    beak.


    ¡°Aren''t you afraid of it, Alpha?¡± Louis asked softly.


    ¡°Nope.¡± Alpha lifted her head proudly as she answered, ¡°It''s scared of me.¡±


    ¡°You''re amazing. As expected, you''re your Daddy''s daughter.¡±


    Louis let out a sigh. He was still scared of Fifi every time he saw it. Yet, this two-year-old child wasn''t.


    ¡°You have to do better. Aunt Charlotte''s fianc¨¦¡± encouraged Alpha innocently.


    Louis was taken aback briefly. Heughed at Alpha''s response. ¡°I will try harder.¡±


    It was the first time someone had a positive outlook on his rtionship with Charlotte. He was happy


    about it.


    Charlotte fed Alpha a bowl of soup and held her as she slept. Thetter''s clothes were hung to dry by


    the firece.


    Charlotte forgot her phone, so she had Fifi act as a messenger.


    Alpha slept in Charlotte''s arms while the rabbit sat quietly in Alpha''s.


    Charlotte softly ruffled Alpha''s hair. Her gaze was gentle under the firelight.


    Louis''s heart pounded as he stared at her.


    Charlotte felt his gaze for a long while. She lifted her eyes to look at him.


    He instantly averted his gaze and blushed.


    Charlotte coughed dryly to relieve the awkwardness. ¡°Aren''t you cold? Take off your coat ande sit


    by the fire.¡±


    Louis had been drying Charlotte''s and Alpha''s clothes the entire time. He was still wearing his


    drenched clothes.


    ¡°I almost forgot.¡±


    This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    Louis removed his coat and left it to dry by the fire. The clothing under his coat was also drenched, but


    he didn''t dare take them off. He merely scooted closer to the fire.


    At that time, both Charlotte and Louis had their coat removed, leaving them with a thinyer of clothing


    as they sat by the fire.


    Probably from the warmth of the fire, Louis fell asleep on the sofa.


    The rain outside continued to pour as the sky turned darker.


    Why hasn''t Morgan found us yet?


    It has been over an hour.


    Suddenly, she heard a car stop outside, followed by Diana''s and Morgan''s voices.


    ¡°Louis!¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg!¡±

 Chapter 1183

    Chapter 1183


    ¡°Louis, Louis,¡± Charlotte called as she put on her coat. ¡°They''re here. Wear your coat quickly.¡±


    Louis muttered something iprehensible under his breath. But there was no sign of wakefulness.


    Charlotte was resigned, so she gently set Alpha down by the sofa and swiftly put on her clothes.


    The voices were getting nearer and nearer.


    Charlotte urgently pushed Louis. ¡°Louis. Louis. Wake up...¡±


    Louis was still half asleep when he saw Charlotte''s beautiful face right in front of him. His heart skipped


    a beat at her beauty. He instinctively wrapped his arms around her.


    ¡°Louis, what are you doing?¡±


    Charlotte was stunned. She quickly pushed him away.


    At that moment, the door opened, and she identally fell deeper into Louis''s embrace.


    Sherlyn screamed in surprise, then quickly shut the door. ¡°I''m sorry. I''m so sorry about the intrusion.


    Please continue.¡±


    Charlotte was blushing bright red. She pushed Louis harder and dashed to the other side to smoothen


    her clothes.


    ¡°Charlotte, I''m sorry.¡± Louis finally fully snapped awake. ¡°I didn''t know what happened earlier, I-¡±


    ¡°Stop. Quickly put on your clothes,¡± Charlotte reminded with a frown.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Louis quickly got up and began putting on his clothes.


    Soon, they were both dressed appropriately. Charlotte went outside with Alpha still asleep in her arms.


    Morgan went up to take Alpha into her arms and passed the rabbit to the bodyguard.


    Morgan went up to take Alpha into her arms and passed the rabbit to the bodyguard.


    ¡°Are you hurt?¡± Lupine asked softly.


    Charlotte didn''t reply but turn to Sherlyn to exin. ¡°Lady Sherlyn, we''re both drenched. Our clothes


    were wet. So-¡±


    ¡°I understandpletely.¡± Sherlyn cut her off with augh. ¡°You''re both young. I understand there are


    times when your feelings ovee you. Moreover, your wedding ising soon.¡±


    ¡°No. We''re-¡±


    ¡°It''s fine.¡± Sherlyn interrupted Charlotte again. ¡°It''s already dark. The kids are waiting for you. Let''s


    hurry back.¡±


    Charlotte stopped exining and got in the car.


    ¡°Charlotte!¡± Louis dashed out the door, wanting to follow Charlotte into the car, but she shut the door in


    his face.


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    ¡°Louis, get in my car.¡± Sherlyn pulled Louis into her car. ¡°Finally, some improvement, my son.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± asked Louis confusedly.


    ¡°I told you to work harder to woo Charlotte.¡± Sherlyn blinked her eyes cheekily. ¡°She won''t run from you


    once you have wooed her.¡±


    ¡°Mommy, what are you talking about?¡±


    Louis sneezed before he could finish his sentence. Then a string of sneezes followed.


    ¡°Oh no. You''ve caught a cold. Let''s hurry back and get you some medicine.¡± Sherlyn quickened her


    pace to the car with Louis in tow. She felt the temperature on his forehead. ¡°Your temperature is rising.


    It was raining heavily. You shouldn''t push yourself.¡±


    ¡°Mommy, Charlotte came all the way to search for the child. I surely have to apany her.¡± Louis


    frowned. ¡°How are we going to exin if we lost the child?¡±


    ¡°She won''t go missing,¡± Sherlyn blurted out, then immediately covered her mouth with her hands.


    ¡°I also think she won''t. But the child is so small. We have to search for her.¡± Louis added unhappily, ¡°I


    hope I''m not overstepping my bounds by telling you this, but you have to be careful when watching


    children. It would be bad if anything bad happened.¡±


    ¡°All right. I can''t believe you got sick after all this trouble.¡±


    ¡°It''s merely a cold. It''s nothing serious. I''ll be fine with some medication from Dr. Felch.¡±


    ¡°Right. Let''s head back quickly,¡± Sherlyn urged. ¡°I have some medication back at the resort. You''ll


    recover soon. We''re not used to the herbal concoction.¡±


    ¡°Aunt Sherlyn, it''s better if Louis consulted Dr. Felch.¡± Diana added, ¡°Louis got sick because of Ms.


    Lindberg. She would feel bad if she knew about it and might even ask to take care of Louis.¡±

 Chapter 1184

    Chapter 1184


    Sherlyn agreed. ¡°You''re right, Diana. Louis, you should get closer to Charlotte with this opportunity.¡±


    ¡°Mommy, what are you saying?¡±


    Louis couldn''t stop sneezing, his head was heavy, his thoughts blurry. He couldn''t focus on Sherlyn''s


    words.


    ¡°You just rest since you''re not feeling well.¡±


    Sherlyn gently patted his back like taking care of a child.


    Louis fell asleep in her arms.


    Diana covered Louis with a nket. Her action was gentle, but her gaze wasplicated.


    Meanwhile, on the other car, Charlotte covered Alpha with a nket. ¡°Are Beta and Gamma back


    home?¡±


    ¡°They''re back home, Ms. Lindberg,¡± Lupine answered softly, afraid of waking Alpha up. ¡°They weren''t


    willing to leave at first, but Fifi came back with the news that you''ve found Alpha. Only then, they went


    back.¡±


    ¡°Luckily, it was just a scare.¡± Charlotte nced at Morgan. ¡°What''s wrong with you today?¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry, Ms. Lindberg.¡± Morgan apologized, ¡°I admit to my mistake and am willing to ept any


    punishment.¡±Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°You''re not usually like this. What exactly happened today?¡± Lupine was curious as well. ¡°Did


    something unusual happen?¡±


    ¡°We were following the kids closely, but Lady Sherlyn said she wanted to y hide-and-seek with them.


    She didn''t allow us to follow.¡±


    Morgan lowered her head as she exined.


    Morgan lowered her head as she exined.


    ¡°I did tell her you gave us an order to follow the kids closely. But Lady Sherlyn was persistent. I didn''t


    want any trouble with her.


    ¡°Also, the kids were hyper by then. They already ran into the grape farm. We were thinking of following


    the girls inside but were stopped by Lady Sherlyn. In the end, we could merely wait outside.


    ¡°After a while, we heard Alpha was missing. We urgently went inside to search.¡±


    Charlotte stayed silent and started pondering her words.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Lupine was confused. ¡°You''re saying Lady Sherlyn had done it on purpose?¡±


    ¡°I did suspect so initially, but why would she do that?¡± Morgan couldn''t understand. ¡°Alpha was fine in


    the end. She said she ran off because she was chasing after the rabbit.¡±


    ¡°Let''s not specte without any evidence.¡± Charlotte ordered, ¡°I''ll forgive you this time, but there''s no


    next time.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Morgan held her breath with her head bowed.


    They have finally arrived at the vi. Charlotte got out of the car with Alpha in her arms. Beta and


    Gamma rushed to her side. ¡°Alpha!¡±


    Charlotte gestured for them to keep quiet, not to wake Alpha up.


    Beta and Gamma quickly covered their mouth.


    ¡°Alpha has fallen asleep, so I''m carrying her back to her room. Why don''t you girls follow us?¡± Charlotte


    asked the girls gently.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Beta and Gamma obediently trailed after Charlotte.


    ¡°Mommy, is Alpha alright?¡±


    Ellie and Robbie approached. They worriedly apanied Beta and Gamma the entire time Alpha


    was gone.


    ¡°She''s fine. She got lost chasing after a rabbit.¡± Charlotte exined, ¡°She was drenched in the rain and


    is sleeping now. Let''s not disturb her tonight. All of you go to sleep too.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Charlotte took Alpha back to her room. Afterforting Beta and Gamma, she ordered Morgan, ¡°Ask


    Hayley to check on Alpha. See if Alpha needs any medication for cold.¡±


    ¡°Lupine went looking for her a while ago. She''s currently making ginger soup.¡± Morgan said softly, ¡°Go


    shower and change. I''ll be right here.¡±


    ¡°Wipe Alpha down and change her out of her clothing.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Charlotte saw Sherlyn when she exited the girls'' room. Thetter wasing toward her with the


    maids and Louis following behind her.


    Louis was covering his sneezing nose and mouth with a handkerchief.

 Chapter 1185

    Chapter 1185


    ¡°It''s great that you''re here, Charlotte!¡± When Sherlyn saw Charlotte, she quickly said, ¡°I think Louis


    caught a cold. He''s not been feeling well during the journey back. Can you ask Dr. Felch to check on


    him?¡±


    ¡°Sure! Help him back to his room first while I get Dr. Felch over.¡±


    Charlotte nced at her watch and saw that it was already nine at night. I wonder if Dr. Felch has slept.


    She decided to visit Dr. Felch personally.


    However, Dr. Felch did not go to sleep after he knew that Alpha went missing and was worried that she


    might be ill after being found.


    After Charlotte exined the situation to him, he brought Sam along to check on Louis.


    Louis had already changed his clothes and was drinking some warm water on the sofa. He was even


    chastising his mother for making a mountain out of a molehill¡ªit was already sote, but she still asked


    Charlotte to get Dr. Felch over and disturb his rest.


    At that moment, Charlotte and Dr. Felch knocked on the door and entered. Sherlyn quickly got up and


    greeted him respectfully.


    Charlotte served as the trantor for them. After some polite small talk, Dr. Felch started checking on


    Louis. ¡°He has indeed caught a cold, but he''ll be fine after two prescriptions of herbal concoction. Have


    a hot bath and rest early!¡±


    Then, he wrote his prescription and instructed Sam to prepare the medicine.


    Charlotte tranted what Dr. Felch said to Sherlyn.


    Still worried, Sherlyn asked, ¡°Will he be fine after taking the medicine? Doesn''t he need to go to the


    hospital? He seems like he''s severely ill... His body is cold and he feels dizzy.¡±


    Still worried, Sherlyn asked, ¡°Will he be fine after taking the medicine? Doesn''t he need to go to the


    hospital? He seems like he''s severely ill... His body is cold and he feels dizzy.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry, Lady Sheryln. Dr. Felch is highly skilled, so his prescriptions will definitely cure Louis'' cold


    completely,¡± assured Charlotte.


    ¡°Yeah...¡± Louis wanted to say something, but he started sneezing again. ¡°Achoo!¡±


    ¡°Okay, we''ll go out now so we won''t disturb your rest.¡±


    Sherlyn''s heart was aching for Louis, then she quickly asked the subordinates to leave.


    After giving Louis a few more reminders, Dr. Felch and Sam left as well.


    Charlotte was getting ready to send them off when Sherlyn held her back. ¡°Charlotte, I''ll send Dr. Felch


    off. You should stay here and keep Louispany.¡±


    ¡°I...¡±


    Charlotte was about to speak when Sherlyn and her maids left.


    Before leaving, Diana even reminded her, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, I''ll leave Louis to you.¡±


    Everyone left promptly and closed the door behind them.


    Charlotte stood there with a frown.


    ¡°Charlotte, don''t worry about me. Go back and rest! Achoo... Achoo...¡±


    Before Louis couldplete his sentence, he sneezed a few times. He even had a running nose,


    which made him look extremely miserable.


    ¡°Louis, drink more warm water.¡±


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    Feeling sorry for him, Charlotte turned around to pour some water for him. When she discovered that


    the kettle only contained cold water, she instructed the maids to fetch some warm water over.


    Only Charlotte had the habit of drinking warm water¡ªLouis and the rest did not.


    As the maid was used to Charlotte''s habit, they would prepare some warm water every day.


    ¡°The pear stew you made just now was so delicious. It''s a pity that I only drank half a bowl just now,¡±


    lamented Louis as he covered his nose with a handkerchief.


    ¡°I''ll cook more for you.¡±


    Charlotte remembered how Louis got drenched in the rain because he was looking for Alpha for her.


    Furthermore, he had been so focused on drying Alpha and her clothes by the fireside that he did not


    bother about himself. As such, he caught a cold.


    Since he had always treated her so nicely, it was only appropriate for her to take care of him.


    ¡°Will it be too much of a hassle for you?¡± Louis looked at her worriedly. ¡°You were drenched in the rain


    too and I''m sure that you''re exhausted...¡±


    ¡°I''m fine. It''s a simple recipe anyway!¡± Charlotte hurried away. ¡°Rest for a while. I''ll bring it over when


    I''m done.¡±


    ¡°Okay! Thank you, Charlotte.¡±


    Feeling touched, Louis smiled sweetly. He no longer felt ufortable¡ªinstead, he felt strangely


    happy.


    If I''m sick, Charlotte will take care of me. Perhaps she''ll spend more time with me tonight...

 Chapter 1186

    Chapter 1186


    After cooking some pear stew and pasta, Charlotte brought them to Louis'' room. ¡°Since you didn''t eat


    dinner, I cooked some pasta for you. Come and try it!¡±


    ¡°You''re amazing, Charlotte.¡± Louis was extremely touched.


    ¡°I don''t know if you like it or not.¡± Charlotte passed him the cutlery before pouring a bowl of pear stew


    for him. ¡°I prepared quite a lot of pear stew and kept them in a thermal sk. If you''d like to drink it at


    night, you can pour them into a bowl.¡±


    ¡°You''re so thoughtful!¡± After devouring the pasta, Louis eximed, ¡°This is the yummiest food I''ve ever


    eaten. ¡°


    ¡°It''s just a normal te of pasta,¡± said Charlotte with a smile. ¡°Since you caught a cold, your stomach


    will feel much better after eating something warm.¡±


    ¡°Yeah! I feel sofortable now as if my cold has been cured... Achoo!¡±


    Before Louis finished his sentence, he sneezed again.


    ¡°How can you get well so quickly?¡± Charlotte was amused. ¡°Sam is still brewing the herbal concoction


    and will bring it to youter. After drinking it, you should rest early. You''ll probably feel much better


    tomorrow.¡±


    With that, she stood up and prepared to leave.


    ¡°Charlotte!¡± Louis quickly pulled her back. ¡°Are you leaving? Can''t you stay here and keep me


    company?¡±


    ¡°You should rest.¡± Charlotte gazed at him gently. ¡°I''ll disturb you if I''m here.¡±


    ¡°You won''t...¡± Louis grabbed her hand, unwilling to let go. ¡°I want to look at you.¡±


    ¡°You can look at me tomorrow.¡± Charlotte tugged her hand away. ¡°Rest early, okay?¡±


    ¡°You can look at me tomorrow.¡± Charlotte tugged her hand away. ¡°Rest early, okay?¡±


    Then, she left the room directly.


    Louis gazed at her as she left, feeling a wave of disappointment in him. He initially thought that she


    was treating him nicely because she was starting to fall for him. However, upon closer introspection, he


    figured out that she was probably just showing concern for a friend.


    Although there might be some elements of gratitude in it, love was definitely not a factor...


    Louis heaved a deep sigh before smiling again. It''s fine! As long as I persevere, I''ll be able to move her,


    no matter how emotionless she might be.


    When Charlotte left the room, she saw a figure escaping rapidly.


    That figure was Sherlyn''s maid.


    Charlotte frowned. She knew that Sherlyn had been spying on them secretly out of concern for how her


    rtionship with Louis was progressing.


    ¡°Charlotte!¡±


    At that moment, Sam walked over with the herbal concoction, with Diana and the two maids following


    him.


    ¡°Is the herbal concoction ready?¡± asked Charlotte with a smile.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Sam nodded. ¡°He has to drink it once tonight, and a few more days after that.¡±


    ¡°You can just pass it to them. Go and rest soon!¡± said Charlotte with concern. ¡°You have to wake up


    tomorrow and prepare the medicine with Dr. Felch.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine! It won''t take much time, anyway,¡± replied Sam. ¡°I need to remind Sir Louis about some things


    to take note of. Oh, right. He understands Chanaean, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he does.¡± Charlotte nodded. ¡°Sleep early after doing that.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Sam walked up the stairs with the medicine.


    Just when Charlotte was about to return to her room to rest, Diana asked carefully, ¡°Ms. Lindberg,


    aren''t you going to keep Louispany?¡±


    ¡°He can rest after taking his medicine.¡±


    Avoiding the question, Charlotte left without sparing a nce.


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    Diana did not dare to say anything either. After Charlotte left, she raised her head and followed behind


    Sam.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg is so cold toward Sir Louis,¡± whispered the maid in Ferropenian.


    ¡°Shh! Don''t spout nonsense,¡± remind Diana softly before knocking on Louis'' door.


    Sam brought the herbal concoction in, ced it down and left after saying something to Louis.


    As the medicine was bitter, Diana ordered the maids to ask for some candies from Sam. The maids


    quickly followed her orders.


    Only Diana and Louis were left in the room.


    Under the dim lighting, an ambiguous look shed across Diana''s eyes as she stared at Louis lovingly.


    ¡°Louis, let me help you to the bed.¡±

 Chapter 1187

    Chapter 1187


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    As Louis was used to having people serve him, he did not refuse Diana''s help.


    She helped him to the bed,y him down and tucked him under the nkets. Touching his forehead,


    she eximed, ¡°It''s so hot! Louis, I think that you''re having a fever again.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Louis touched his own forehead. ¡°I don''t think so.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? Touch me.¡± Diana grabbed his hand and ced it against her cheek. ¡°See, my


    body temperature is lower than yours.¡±


    Stunned, Louis quickly withdrew his hand. ¡°I''m alright. I''ll be fine tomorrow after taking Dr. Felch''s


    medicine. You should go back and rest.¡±


    ¡°Wait! Lisa and the rest went to bring some candies for you. I''ll leave after you eat them.¡±


    When Diana bent down to adjust Louis'' nket, her huge and perky breasts swayed, almost touching


    his face.


    Louis immediately blushed. Turning his head to the side, he said nervously, ¡°Go and rest, Diana. I don''t


    want any candies.¡±


    ¡°Louis, don''t you hate bitter food?¡± said Diana with a sickenly sweet voice. ¡°Since the herbal concoction


    is so bitter, how can you endure taking it without eating any candies?¡±


    ¡°I''m really fine...¡±


    Louis closed his eyes, not daring to look at her.


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    He was raised strictly since young and was very single-minded about rtionships. As a result, he only


    liked Charlotte and had never gotten a girlfriend in the past few years.


    Charlotte always refused to have any intimate interactions with him, but he was still a young, healthy


    man. When faced with such seductions, his body instinctively got tempted.


    Charlotte always refused to have any intimate interactions with him, but he was still a young, healthy


    man. When faced with such seductions, his body instinctively got tempted.


    ¡°Okay, I''ll leave now.¡±


    Diana turned the lights off and was about to leave when someone knocked on the door. ¡°Diana, I''m


    here with the candies.¡±


    She quickly opened the door and took the candies. ¡°Go and rest. I''ll pass the candies to Louis before


    going back.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Thank you, Diana.¡± The two maids left soon.


    After closing the door, Diana walked to the bed, unwrapped the candies and ced it against Louis''


    lips. ¡°Have a candy, Louis!¡±


    ¡°There''s no need for that, Diana...¡±


    Before he could finish his sentence, she shoved the candy into his mouth and caressed his lips gently


    with her finger. She said gently, ¡°It''ll not be bitter after you eat the candy. Sleep early, okay?


    Goodnight.¡±


    She turned around and left afterward.


    Watching her retreating figure, Louis was stunned for a long time before he returned to his senses. The


    candy almost got stuck in his throat, but he reacted quickly and coughed it out.


    Diana''s romantic actions earlier kept reying in his mind, causing him to feel flustered.


    He flipped the nket away and nced down at himself. I actually...


    His feelings of guilt intensified.


    He kept scolding himself for harboring such indecent thoughts toward another woman. Since he loved


    Charlotte, he should only feel such emotions toward her.


    Meanwhile, Charlotte was leaning against the tub with her eyes closed, enjoying this rare moment of


    peace.


    She was drenched in the rain and caught a little chill. However, after two years of physical training, her


    health had improved greatly and she did not get a cold.


    Still, to avoid getting sick, she added some herbal concoctions in the bathtub.


    Steam encircled the room while the smell of the herbal concoction wafted in the air.


    Charlotte started to feel sleepy. At that moment, her phone suddenly rang, jolting her awake. Frowning,


    she grabbed her phone.


    When she saw the call, she could not help but be stunned. After some hesitation, she epted it.


    ¡°Hello?¡±


    The person on the call remained silent, but she could hear his faint breathing.


    ¡°I''m hanging up if you don''t speak!¡± Charlotte prepared to end the call.


    ¡°Charlotte!¡±


    A familiar and deep voice, mixed with a hint of weakness and hoarseness, sounded.


    Charlotte''s heart skipped a beat as a feeling of unease washed over her. ¡°What happened to you?¡±


    ¡°Remember that you''re mine!¡± said Zachary over the phone.


    Although he sounded weak, it was nheless a deration of his dominance.


    ¡°Wait for me...¡±


    After saying those three words, he ended the call.

 Chapter 1188

    Chapter 1188


    Holding her phone, Charlotte felt uneasy. She had a feeling that something had happened to Zachary,


    so she was hesitating whether she should call him back. However, upon further thought, she decided


    against it.


    A stubborn man like him would not tell her anything even if something bad had happened to him.


    However, since he could still call her and dere his dominance, it meant that he was still doing well.


    It was better if she did not intervene.


    After all, they were not fated to be together.


    Sighing, Charlotte ced her phone down and got out of the bathtub. She wrapped a bathrobe around


    herself, dried her hair in the bedroom and went to sleep.


    However, for some reason, Zachary''s figure kept floating around in her mind.


    She tried her best to calm down and not think about him, but she could not control her mind at all.


    Charlotte only drifted off to sleep at midnight, but she had a dream that Zachary appeared in front of


    her, his body covered in blood. She widened her eyes and asked him what happened.


    Silent, he staggered toward her. Each step he took left behind a bloody footprint.


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    She wanted to rush over and help him, but she could not move a single inch, as if her feet had been


    nailed to the ground.


    At that moment, Zachary suddenly toppled to the ground like a torn ragdoll. Blood flowed out of his


    body incessantly.


    Kneeling on one knee, he clutched his head in agony with one hand, while stretching his other hand


    toward her obsessively.


    ¡°Zachary!¡±


    Charlotte yelled out his name anxiously and tried her best to move her legs so she could go to him.


    ¡°Zachary!¡±


    Charlotte yelled out his name anxiously and tried her best to move her legs so she could go to him.


    After a long while, she could finally move her legs. She dashed toward him hurriedly, but the ground


    started to split, forcefully separating them.


    The spot where he was started sinking, sending him plunging into a bottomless abyss.


    ¡°No! Zachary!¡±


    Yelling his name, Charlotte was jolted awake from her dream.


    With widened eyes, she stared at the ceiling while her heart pounded wildly.


    Feeling extremely uneasy, she had a strong premonition that something bad had happened to Zachary.


    She instinctively picked up her phone and was about to call him to check. However, before she dialed


    his number, she calmed down.


    I''m already Louis'' fianc¨¦e and I''ve cut off all ties with Zachary. We''ve already reached a peaceful


    agreement. I can''t destroy this truce because of a moment of rashness! Even if something bad


    happened to him, it has nothing to do with me.


    At that thought, Charlotte ced her phone down, copsed on the bed again and stared at the ceiling


    dazedly.


    After a while, her eyes became so tired that she closed them. She kept reminding herself to forget it


    and let everything go.


    It was as if this voice in her mind had traveled to H City.


    Zachary was lying on the bed. After finishing his treatment, he was extremely frail.


    The first thing he did when he woke up was to call Charlotte.


    He dreamed that Charlotte had married Louis. Although he yearned to barge into the church and crash


    their wedding, his body split with every step he took, and blood poured out of his body uncontrobly.


    He watched helplessly as Charlotte exchanged rings with Louis and kissed him passionately.


    When a roar of despair escaped his lips, the church copsed and the beams came crashing onto him.


    At that moment, he suddenly woke up. He returned to his senses and immediately called Charlotte.


    However, he was in so much pain that all he could muster were a few words.


    Now, he was closing his eyes and enduring the intense pain silently.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, our treatment for today is done. You should rest well and we''ll continue tomorrow,¡± said the


    doctor to Zachary carefully.


    ¡°Why is the treatment bing more painful? It''s been so long, but the symptoms have not diminished


    yet.¡± Ben asked anxiously, ¡°Also, since he''s in so much pain, can''t he take some painkillers?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but it''ll affect him...¡±


    ¡°Okay, you may leave now.¡±


    Zachary''s deep voice interrupted the doctor, who quickly left.


    Ben looked at Zachary worriedly and asked, ¡°Why don''t I contact Dr. Felch?¡±

 Chapter 1189

    Chapter 1189


    ¡°Don''t disturb them...¡± warned Zachary threateningly.


    ¡°But you...¡±


    Ben wanted to say something but held himself back.


    After all, he knew that once Zachary was determined to do something, no one could convince him to


    change his mind.


    ¡°I could feel that I''m bing better...¡± Zachary closed his eyes again and mumbled hoarsely,


    ¡°Perhaps, I''ll be fine after a while.¡±


    Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°But the treatment is so agonizing.¡± Ben was worried. ¡°It''s more like torture!¡±


    ¡°They told me that Charlotte underwent the same treatment back then...¡±


    When Zachary remembered what had happened in the past, he was still awash with guilt. ¡°Her


    condition was worse than mine, so she must have suffered from much more pain. Since she could


    persist through it, why can''t I?¡±


    ¡°But her treatment wasn''t fully effective. It was only with Francesco''s help that her illness could be


    stabilized. Furthermore, there were after-effects...¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± interrupted Zachary as he closed his eyes tiredly. ¡°Get out.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Not daring to say anything more, Ben left with his head hanging down.


    Zacharyy on the bed alone, looking like a person teetering on the brink of death.


    However, he had faith that he would definitely get better. After persisting through this, he would be able


    to resolve any other problems that may arise.


    Ben asked Zachary''s doctor about his condition.


    Ben asked Zachary''s doctor about his condition.


    The doctor exined sincerely, ¡°Like what I said before, our treatment can only achieve the bare


    minimum of helping Mr. Nacht survive. As for how he will be coping afterward, we cannot guarantee


    anything. Ms. Lindberg faced the same situation back then. Even after our treatment, her illness would


    rpse every week, making her suffer constantly. Afterward, Mr. Lindberg invited Francesco to develop


    some medicine and relieve her of the pain. However, I heard that she is recovering slowly with Dr.


    Felch''s help. I suggest that you contact Francesco or Dr. Felch...¡±


    Naturally, Ben knew that he should contact them now.


    However, Dr. Felch was treating Charlotte and Ellie in F Nation, while Francesco was an elusive man


    whose whereabouts were always unknown.


    Bruce had already sent someone to look for him, but the search was still futile.


    Just as he was thinking about it, Bruce called him. Ben quickly picked up the call. ¡°Hey! Did you get any


    information on Francesco?¡±


    ¡°No, but...¡± Bruce hesitated toplete his sentence.


    ¡°What happened? Tell me?¡± asked Ben anxiously.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg''s rtionship with Louis has progressed...¡±


    Bruce told Ben what happened at the grape farm earlier and even sent him a video.


    ¡°Look at this! They were hiding from the rain in the wooden hut. When Lady Sherlyn barged in, both of


    their clothes were disheveled and our surveince camera captured that scene.¡±


    ¡°Why are they progressing so quickly?¡± Ben was anxious and flustered. ¡°We mustn''t let Mr. Nacht find


    out. If he sees the video, he might not be able to persist anymore.¡±


    ¡°My thoughts exactly.¡± Bruce sighed. ¡°I''ve infiltrated the vi recently to protect Ms. Lindberg, Robbie


    and Ellie''s safety. However, I realized that other than her own children, there are three two-year-old


    children with her.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Ben was confused. ¡°Whose children are they?¡±


    ¡°They''re being treated with as much respect as Robbie and Ellie. Since they''re quite good-looking too, I


    think that they''re probably Danrique''s children.¡±


    ¡°Looks like Danrique is really in danger. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have entrusted his children to Ms.


    Lindberg and instructed her to bring them to F Nation.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. As all the information in Erihal is sealed off, we cannot find out how Danrique is doing. However,


    if something bad actually happened to him, the Laurent family might not treat Ms. Lindberg as nicely as


    before...¡±


    ¡°Sir Louis is a good man, but Sir Robert and Lady Sherlyn are...¡±

 Chapter 1190

    Chapter 1190


    ¡°That''s right. Lady Sherlyn has been using all sorts of tricks to push Louis and Ms. Lindberg together.


    She''s the mastermind behind today''s incident too.¡±


    ¡°Think of a way to inform Ms. Lindberg!¡±


    ¡°Do you think that she''s oblivious to all these? She isn''t foolish...¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Since the situation is soplicated now, perhaps Ms. Lindberg has her own grievances. Let''s


    not intervene too much and just focus on protecting Robbie and Ellie.¡±


    ¡°I know. You must take good care of Mr. Nacht and prevent him from finding out what''s happening. If he


    asks about it, you must take note...¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    After hanging up the call, Ben was filled with worry. At that moment, he was helpless to do anything. All


    he could do was to look after Zachary and wait for him to recover miraculously.


    Meanwhile, the weather at Arkfield was gloomy and the temperature had dropped.


    The rain fromst night had not stopped, causing the courtyard to be covered in water.


    Charlotte and the kids spent a leisurely morning in the library.


    Robbie read silently while Ellie told a story to the three kids.


    Reading on the sofa, Charlotte would nce at the children asionally with an affectionate smile.


    Sometimes, it was a kind of happiness to warm herself up by the firece, have a drink and do some


    reading.


    ¡°Sorry to bother you.¡±


    A familiar voice sounded as Sherlyn entered with her maids, who were pushing two trolleys filled with


    delicious pastries and drinks.


    A familiar voice sounded as Sherlyn entered with her maids, who were pushing two trolleys filled with


    delicious pastries and drinks.


    ¡°Why are you here, Lady Sherlyn?¡± greeted Charlotte as she stood up.


    ¡°I heard that you''re reading here, so I sent some pastries over.¡± Sherly always had a friendly and


    courteous smile on her face. ¡°Children,e here and take a look! Do you like these?¡±


    The maids ced the pastries on the table.


    Ellie and the three little ones ran over immediately, overjoyed to see the exquisite pastries.


    Although Robbie did not have much of a reaction, he still ced his book down and greeted her


    politely.


    ¡°Thank you, Lady Sherlyn,¡± said Charlotte courteously.


    ¡°There''s no need to be so polite around family, right?¡± replied Sherlyn with augh. ¡°I like to do some


    reading too. Should I keep youpany, children?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    The children did not care who was keeping thempany. Furthermore, since Sherlyn kept trying to


    appease them each day, they were not wary of her.


    ¡°I''ll apany the children, Charlotte. You should visit Louis.¡± Sherlyn held Charlotte''s hand and said


    worriedly, ¡°His cold worsened and he''s having a fever. When I visited him just now, he was leaning


    against the sofa in a daze and calling your name.¡±


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    ¡°I visited him this morning and he seemed much better. Did he be worse?¡± Charlotte was a bit


    suspicious.


    ¡°Yeah! He even has a fever,¡± eximed Sherlyn worriedly.


    ¡°I''ll go and take a look.¡± Charlotte turned around and instructed the children, ¡°Be good, darlings. Read


    here and don''t run around, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Ellie and the three kids answered in unison.


    ¡°Robbie...¡± Charlotte was about to speak to Robbie when he suddenly said, ¡°Mommy, I''m going to


    attend online sses in my room after reading this book.¡±


    ¡°Good boy.¡± Charlotte stroked his head before shooting a look at Lupine. ¡°Keep an eye on the kids.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Lupine nodded.


    Charlotte left with Morgan and two other female bodyguards, while the rest remained behind.


    As Lupine was even more careful and meticulous than Morgan, Charlotte instructed her to stay back


    and protect the children.


    Upon reaching Louis'' room, Charlotte knocked on the door and entered. However, she bumped into


    Diana feeding Louis the medicine. ¡°Louis, you''re having a fever, so you have to take your medicine.


    Please eat this...¡±


    ¡°I''ll do it myself.¡±


    Just when Louis was pushing Diana''s hand away, Charlotte walked into the room.


    When he spotted her, he was so nervous that he lost control over his strength and shoved Diana to the


    ground.


    Her forehead crashed against the table with a loud thud.

 Chapter 1191

    Chapter 1191


    ¡°Oh no!¡± When Louis saw that Diana had hit her head, he was startled for a while before helping her


    up. ¡°I''m sorry, Diana. I didn''t do it on purpose.¡±


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    ¡°You''re so caring, Diana,¡± remarked Morgan mockingly. ¡°Sir Louis is an adult, yet he still needs


    someone to feed him, huh?¡±


    Morgan''s personality had always been straightforward and hot-tempered, so she spoke anything that


    was on her mind.


    ¡°As Louis is having a high fever, he''s really weak. That''s why I''m helping him take his medicine.¡± Still


    polite, Diana ignored the wound on her forehead and exined with her head lowered, ¡°Don''t


    misunderstand, Ms. Lindberg!¡±


    ¡°I won''t. We''re a family, anyway.¡± Charlotte smiled. ¡°Is your forehead alright?¡±


    ¡°I''m fine.¡± Holding her forehead, Diana said humbly, ¡°Since you''re already here, I''ll leave first.¡±


    She bowed and left.


    Morgan and the other two maids tidied the ce and headed out too, leaving only Louis and Charlotte


    in the room.


    Louis quickly exined, ¡°Charlotte...¡±


    ¡°Are you having a fever?¡± interrupted Charlotte. When she touched his forehead, it felt quite warm.


    ¡°What happened? Didn''t you take the medicine?¡±


    ¡°I did.¡± Louis nodded. ¡°I drank the herbal concoction that Sam sentst night and this morning.


    However, since I still feel ufortable, Diana sent me some medicine.¡±


    ¡°You can''t take both of them together, right?¡± Charlotte nced at the medicine on the table, frowning.


    ¡°Change your clothes. I''ll take you to Dr. Felch.¡±


    ¡°You can''t take both of them together, right?¡± Charlotte nced at the medicine on the table, frowning.


    ¡°Change your clothes. I''ll take you to Dr. Felch.¡±


    ¡°He already came half an hour ago.¡± Louis looked a bit troubled. ¡°My mom was here too and they had a


    discussion. She said that my body''s more suited for western medicine, so...¡±


    ¡°Okay, then.¡± Although Charlotte felt quite speechless, she understood where Sherlyn wasing


    from. ¡°I understand that perspective can be different, so I respect Lady Sherlyn''s choice.¡±


    ¡°Do you think that Dr. Felch will be upset?¡± Louis was nervous. ¡°I wanted to apologize and exin to


    him earlier, but he left quickly, saying that he needed to prepare the other medicine.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine. He''s not that petty, okay?¡± Charlotte smiled. ¡°Since Lady Sherlyn has already prescribed some


    medicine for you, take them on time and rest well.¡±


    With that, she prepared to leave.


    ¡°Charlotte!¡± Louis quickly pulled her back. ¡°Can''t you keep mepany?¡±


    Charlotte was about to refuse when she saw how pale and weak Louis was. As he peered at her


    pitifully, she could not bear to reject him so harshly. ¡°Fine, I''ll stay for a while.¡±


    ¡°That''s great!¡± Louis was overjoyed.


    ¡°Lie down.¡± Charlotte helped him to the sofa, draped a nket over him and poured him a ss of


    water. ¡°Since you''ve already taken your medicine, drink some water and rest.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Louis leaned against the cushion tiredly and sniffed.


    ¡°Your body is really...¡± Looking at how weak he was, Charlotte could not help but frown. ¡°You need to


    do more exercise in the future.¡±


    ¡°I do exercise! I rarely get sick, so I don''t know what''s up with me this time,¡± exined Louis.


    ¡°Charlotte, can you sit closer to me?¡±


    ¡°Have a good rest,¡± instructed Charlotte before grabbing a book and reading it on the sofa.


    Although Louis felt disappointed, he was already delighted that he could see her.


    Unknowingly, he drifted off to sleep. Charlotte ced her book down, tucked him in and was about to


    leave the room when she discovered that the door could not be opened.


    Frowning, she tried turning the doorknob a few more times, but it would not budge.


    The door seemed to be locked from outside.


    Although Charlotte was speechless, she did not make a fuss and merely returned to the sofa to read.


    After a while, Morgan''s voice sounded from outside. ¡°Are you still inside, Ms. Lindberg?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± replied Charlotte. ¡°Open the door.¡±


    ¡°That''s weird! Why is the door locked?¡±

 Chapter 1192

    Chapter 1192


    When Morgan tried to open the door, she realized that it had been locked. Just when she was on the


    brink of losing her temper, Lupine rushed over and stopped her. Puzzled, she asked, ¡°Why is the door


    locked from outside?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! I left earlier and when I returned, I discovered that I can''t open the door.¡± Morgan was a direct


    person. ¡°Someone must have done this!¡±


    ¡°You probably locked it identally when you left,¡± suggested one of Sherlyn''s maids.


    ¡°What are you talking about? Are you saying that I locked it?¡± Morgan lost control of her temper.


    ¡°You were guarding it! Who else could''ve locked it?¡± rebuked the maid indignantly.


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°That''s enough.¡± Lupine interrupted Morgan and said with a smile, ¡°Please open the door for us.¡±


    ¡°Thisdy is so much more polite.¡±


    The maid shot Morgan a cold nce before opening the door and greeting Charlotte respectfully,


    ¡°Thank you, Ms. Lindberg!¡±


    ¡°Louis'' asleep, so don''t wake him up,¡± reminded Charlotte before leaving.


    At that moment, Sherlyn had just left the library with the children. She called out to Charlotte


    downstairs, ¡°Charlotte, let''s have lunch together!¡±


    ¡°Sure! I''lle down after changing my clothes,¡± replied Charlotte with a smile, still seeming


    nonchnt and calm.


    Observing her intently, the two maids behind heaved a sigh of relief.


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    After returning to the room, Morgan could not help butment angrily, ¡°Lady Sherlyn''s maids must have


    locked the door! Yet, they used me of doing it. How outrageous!¡±


    ¡°When can you stop being so hot-tempered?¡± asked Lupine as she frowned.


    ¡°When can you stop being so hot-tempered?¡± asked Lupine as she frowned.


    ¡°Don''t you believe me?¡± Morgan felt indignant.


    ¡°I believe you, but you must remain indifferent when something like this happens. What''s the use of


    kicking up a fuss?¡± exined Lupine patiently.


    ¡°We should let Lady Sherlyn know and tell her to punish those maids.¡± Morgan was reluctant to let it go


    just like that.


    ¡°Do you think that they''ll dare to do it without anyone instructing them?¡± asked Lupine with a smile.


    Morgan was stunned before quickly returning to her senses. ¡°Are you suggesting that Lady Sherlyn


    instructed them to do it?¡±


    ¡°Obviously.¡± Lupine rolled her eyes.


    Morgan nced at Charlotte, who was tying her hair up calmly. She could not help but ask, ¡°Ms.


    Lindberg, why is Lady Sherlyn doing this?¡±


    ¡°Because she wants to create opportunities for Ms. Lindberg to interact with Louis alone!¡± exined


    Lupine. ¡°This isn''t the first time, either.¡±


    ¡°I''m at a loss for words.¡± Morgan''s blood started boiling. ¡°How can she do this? Who does she think Ms.


    Lindberg is?¡±


    Lupine did not respond and merely stared at Charlotte worriedly.


    She agreed that there was no need for Charlotte to endure this mistreatment either. The Lindberg


    family did not need the Laurent family''s support¡ªthey could protect the children very well themselves.


    ¡°There are only around twenty days left, so control your temper.¡± Charlotte walked to the changing


    room to change her clothes. ¡°Pass me the beige shoes.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Lupine passed the shoes to her.


    Morgan did not understand Charlotte''s intention. Although she still felt indignant, she had no choice but


    to follow orders.


    Soon, Charlotte changed her clothes and headed downstairs for lunch with Lupine and Morgan.


    Sherlyn had instructed the rest to prepare a sumptuous meal and even seated the children at the table


    personally.


    Diana also helped Louis down the stairs for lunch.


    After a short nap, Louis felt much more energetic than before. However, he still wore a mask because


    he was afraid that he would spread his cold to the children.


    The family had a wonderful and harmonious meal together.


    As the children were fast-eaters, they finished their food quickly and begged to y with building


    blocks.


    Charlotte instructed Morgan to apany them while the three adults continued eating.


    ¡°Charlotte, I''ll take care of the kids. You should keep Louispany after lunch,¡± suggested Sherlyn.


    ¡°I know how you feel as a mother, Lady Sherlyn, but...¡± While cutting the steak, Charlotte remarked


    nonchntly, ¡°Louis is not a child anymore, so he doesn''t need me by his side all the time.¡±

 Chapter 1193

    Chapter 1193


    At these words, Sherlyn paused her action of cutting her steak and her expression froze. Nevertheless,


    she recovered instantly and smiled. ¡°You must spend more time together now that you will married


    soon.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course.¡± Charlotte smiled. ¡°Louis and I have been friends for many years. We had always spent


    time together.¡±


    ¡°That''s right,¡± Louis confirmed. ¡°Mom, we...¡±


    ¡°What''s right?¡± Sherlyn interrupted her son and spoke in a disapproving manner, ¡°The time together I


    meant is not the same as friendship. You are so grown up now. You should know.¡±


    She pretended to scold her son but those words were meant for Charlotte.


    Louis was dumbfounded not knowing why his mom seemed mad at him.


    ¡°In matters of the heart, it is better to let feelings grow naturally,¡± Charlotte exined inly. ¡°Doing


    things in haste could have negative effects.¡±


    Charlotte emphasized the meaning of doing things in haste.


    Sherlyn quickly understood what she meant. She thought she was being discreet but Charlotte had


    seen through her veiled message without embarrassing her.


    ¡°To you, Lady Sherlyn¡± Charlotte raised her ss to Sherlyn with a graceful smile.


    Sherlyn quickly pulled herself together and raised her ss to her. ¡°Charlotte, as his mother, I wish you


    both well. After all, your marriage is not just between two people but rather involves two ns.¡±


    These words were meant as a hint to remind Charlotte that her responsibilities were heavy.


    These words were meant as a hint to remind Charlotte that her responsibilities were heavy.


    ¡°Lady Sherlyn, you are right.¡± Charlotte drained her ss and continued with a smile, ¡°My elder cousin,


    Danrique is also in favor of this marriage because he believes Louis is a straightforward and honest


    man whom I can trust.¡±


    ¡°That is absolutely true.¡± Sherlyn smiled in contentment.


    ¡°For our safety, he has sent his trusted man over to us.¡± Charlotte continued to say, ¡°Don''t you know?


    Gordon is Danrique''s bodyguard.¡±


    Sherlyn was shocked by this revtion. This would mean that everything that happened here would be


    known by Danrique.


    ¡°Danrique has been busytely so I dare not bother him. I shall seek his forgiveness in a few days,¡±


    Charlotte spoke with a voice full of guilt. ¡°I have promised to take care of his three children. We have


    been here only a few days and Alpha actually went missing. If he knew about this, I''m afraid he would


    be furious.¡±


    ¡°This... I am also responsible for this.¡±


    Sherlyn was a little wary. Charlotte was telling her that not only did she know whatever tricks she was


    up to, but Danrique was aware too.


    ¡°It was not your fault, but rather, my staff did not do her duty well,¡± Charlotte quickly replied. ¡°Anyway,


    that was an ident. Fortunately, nothing bad happened. Just make sure it does not happen again in


    the future.¡±


    ¡°No, it won''t happen again. I have improved the security measures and installed surveince cameras


    so that it will not happen again,¡± Louis exined quickly.


    ¡°Louis is absolutely right,¡± Sherlyn added, ¡°I have instructed my maids to be careful and vignt about


    the children''s safety whenever they are around them.¡±


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    ¡°Thank you.¡± Charlotte smiled.


    ¡°I''m done. Now, I''ll go and get ready for my treatment,¡± Charlotte put down her cutlery and said to


    Louis. ¡°Louis, remember to take your medicine and then rest well.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Louis nodded.


    Charlotte curtsied to Sherlyn and then got up and left...


    Sherlyn gazed at her with an expression that was tooplicated to describe...


    ¡°Mommy, I''m taking my leave too.¡± Louis left the table too.


    Sherlyn finally released her anger, mmed her wine ss on the table and left in a fury...


    Back in her room, Diana muttered softly, ¡°Isn''t it true that we can''t judge a book by its cover. Ms.


    Lindberg looks so young but she is unexpectedly a master of words, warning us with every word she


    uttered.¡±

 Chapter 1194

    Chapter 1194


    ¡°It looks like I have underestimated her.¡±


    The more Sherlyn thought about it, the angrier she felt. Never before in her life had she been


    oppressed to this extent and to make it worse, this oppression hade from her future daughter-in-


    law.


    ¡°Then... what should we do now?¡± Diana asked tentatively.


    Sherlyn took a sip of coffee gracefully and lifted her eyes. Her countenance had changed. ¡°You are


    speaking as if I am at war with my future daughter-inw...¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡± Diana was taken aback and at a loss for words.


    ¡°When the child lost her way, it was really our fault. If Danrique knows about this, it would be difficult for


    me to exin,¡± Sherlyn instructed very seriously. ¡°So, during this period, you maids must behave


    conscientiously. Do not make such mistakes again.¡±


    ¡°Yes, madam,¡± the maids replied with their heads bowed.


    ¡°You must be very polite to the Lindberg family members, especially the children. At the same time, be


    respectful to Dr. Felch,¡± Sherlyn warned them. ¡°That includes the two girls, Lupine and Morgan. You


    must never offend them, understood?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Madam, we understand.¡±


    ¡°In the meantime, don''t do anything,¡± Sherlyn instructed Diana. ¡°Just take good care of Louis. That''s all


    you must do.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Diana nodded.


    At the same time, Charlotte went to the garden with Morgan to visit Fifi the eagle who had caught a


    cold after the heavy rain yesterday.


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    ¡°You really let it out just now.¡± Morgan, seeing no one around, could not help but whisper, ¡°Lady


    Sherlyn was so shocked that she couldn''t say a word, her face turned pale and then red.¡±


    ¡°You really let it out just now.¡± Morgan, seeing no one around, could not help but whisper, ¡°Lady


    Sherlyn was so shocked that she couldn''t say a word, her face turned pale and then red.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying?¡± Charlotte frowned. ¡°I didn''t really let it out at her. I was only telling the truth and


    reasoning with her.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, yes!¡± Morgan was all smiles as she replied. ¡°Our Ms. Lindberg is the most reasonable of all.¡±


    Charlotte red at her and asked casually, ¡°Have you been in touch with Marino, recently?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Hearing this question, Morgan''s expression instantly turned sad, and she replied, ¡°We spoke


    twice on the phone since I returned to Erihal. Aftering to Arkfield, there was no contact at all.¡±


    At this point, she became angry again. ¡°The son of a b***h is ignoring me. Forget it, I don''t need him.


    It''s no big deal to find another man.¡±


    ¡°Did he stop contacting you?¡± Charlotte asked in puzzlement. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know,¡± Morgan''s voice was bitter. ¡°Maybe Mr. Nacht disallowed him to contact me. But then,


    again, he might have found a new love.¡±


    ¡°Marino is not a flirt.¡±


    Charlotte frowned. She began to feel that Zachary might be in trouble...


    In order to prevent her from knowing, he had even stopped Marino from contacting Morgan.


    ¡°Then, why is he ignoring me? He even changed his number.¡± Morgan became sadder as she


    continued talking about it. ¡°I have even thought of reporting our rtionship to Mr. Lindberg but he


    backed off first...¡±


    ¡°Don''t think too much.¡±


    Charlotte patted her on the shoulder and walked in the direction of Fifi''s nest.


    Some subordinates were feeding medicine to Fifi who was lethargic and unwilling to move.


    However, when it saw Charlotte, it flew over to her.


    Charlotte raised her hand and let it perch on it. Seeing its haggard appearance, she felt a little


    distressed, so she gently stroked its feathers, and gently exhorted, ¡°Rx at home these few days and


    get well soon.¡±


    ¡°Coo... coo... coo...¡±


    Fifi called softly, and then, motioned in the direction of the forest with its head.


    ¡°What is there?¡± Charlotte turned in the direction of the forest and ordered immediately, ¡°Go and


    investigate.¡±


    ¡°Yes, madam.¡± Morgan brought some men to check it out. After more than half an hour, she brought


    back a rabbit and reported, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, there is nothing out there but this.¡±


    ¡°That is good. Nowadays, we have to be especially vignt.¡±


    ¡°Understood.''

 Chapter 1195

    Chapter 1195


    After that, no more unusual incidents happened at the manor.


    Sherlyn took care of Louis personally and she stopped hinting or asking Charlotte to spend time with


    him.


    Nevertheless, Sherlyn spent time with the children daily, ying with them and teaching them oil


    painting as well as making all kinds of cute pastry.


    With the exception of Robbie, the other five children quite like her.


    Even though Charlotte realized that her warnings had taken effect, she did not let her guard down and


    she was always reminding Lupine and Morgan to keep on being vignt over the children''s safety.


    Gordon was vignt in guarding the security of the manor. In fact, he had warded the intruders off a few


    times. Nevertheless, he felt that those intruders seemed to have inside help.


    He had thought that they were arranged by Louis and so he did not make a fuss.


    Time passed routinely and steadily. It did not seem too long and one month had passed by. The day


    that Charlotte and Zachary had agreed upon was just three days away.


    As Charlotte watched the day approach, her heart was heavy since there was no news whatsoever


    from H City.


    Ever since the phone call that night, Zachary had not contacted her again nor did he contact Robbie.


    In between, there were two calls from Jamie who missed his Mommy but the little child did not mention


    Daddy.


    Jamie cried immediately when he saw Robbie and Ellie in a video call.


    Jamie cried immediately when he saw Robbie and Ellie in a video call.


    Robbie asked anxiously, ¡°Jamie, what''s wrong? Why are you crying?¡±


    ¡°I... I miss you.¡± Jamie wiped his tears and said in a choking voice, ¡°You two are with Mommy while I


    am at home alone. It''s so lonely here.¡±


    ¡°How about Daddy? Isn''t Daddy with you?¡±


    Ellie was heartbroken as she took some tissue to wipe away his tears on the screen but they could not


    be wiped away.


    ¡°Daddy is busy. He is not home nowadays...¡±


    Jamie lowered his head sadly, not daring to look at them. He was not good at lying and he did not want


    to lie but he could not tell them the truth.


    Charlotte''s heart ached as she noticed that Jamie was not optimistic like before but had be sad


    and depressed.


    ¡°Don''t cry, Jamie. In a few days'' time, Daddy will bring you here to fetch me. We''ll be together again,


    then.¡±


    Affectionately, Ellieforted him and then she started ranting...


    ¡°Nowadays, I can never get through to Daddy''s phone. What is he doing? Doesn''t he care about us


    anymore?¡±


    ¡°Ellie, Daddy must have something going on. We must be considerate,¡± Robbie did not approve of Ellie


    comining about Daddy, so he solemnly exined. ¡°Thest time Daddy spoke to us, his voice


    sounded different. Maybe, he''s not well.¡±


    ¡°Okay, then...¡± Ellie pouted, not daring to say anything more.


    Jamie blurted out, ¡°That''s true. Daddy is sick. You must not me him.¡±


    ¡°What sickness is he suffering from?¡± Robbie questioned immediately.


    ¡°I, I...¡± Jamie panicked instantly. His eyes became shifty and his face turned somewhat pale.


    ¡°Jamie, tell me quickly.¡± Robbie was anxious. ¡°What''s the matter with Daddy?¡±


    ¡°I''ve got to go to school now, bye.¡± Jamie ended the video call in a panic.


    With a beep, the signal was cut off, and Robbie picked up the tablet, furious.


    ¡°Robbie, what were you guys talking about? Is Daddy really sick? Is it serious?¡± Ellie asked anxiously.


    ¡°It''s all right. There is nothing to worry about.¡± Charlotte did not want to upset the children, so she


    quickly changed the subject. ¡°Daddy has told me that he was injured slightly while doing his work. It is


    nothing serious.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Robbie asked.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Charlotte replied, smilingly. ¡°It happened a few days ago; however, he''s on his way to


    recovery now. Don''t you guys worry.¡±


    ¡°Why didn''t you ask for us when Daddy called you?¡± Robbie looked at Charlotte in a puzzled manner.


    ¡°It waste and you were all asleep,¡± Charlotte exined. ¡°The next time he calls, I''ll be sure to get you


    all together. I guess, he''ll be contacting me again soon.¡±N?velDrama.Org owns all content.

 Chapter 1196

    Chapter 1196


    After coaxing the kids, Charlotte dialed Zachary''s number, but his phone was still switched off.


    She nced at the date and confirmed that there were three days left until the day they were supposed


    to meet up.


    Why isn''t Zachary answering his phone? He hasn''t been in touch for a while. What''s going on?


    After a brief hesitation, she called Ben.


    Strangely, no one answered the phone.


    She then called Bruce, but his phone was not turned on.


    Panic surged in her heart. Both his most trusted assistants can''t be reached. What the heck is going


    on?


    A minuteter, she tried dialing Raina''s phone. Raina was herst hope.


    If Raina''s unreachable, too, I''ll have to send someone to find out about Zachary''s situation.


    The dial tone rang for a long time. Just as Charlotte was about to hang up, the call was connected.


    ¡°Ms. Windt!¡± A familiar voice sounded over the line.


    Raina was used to addressing her the same way she did back then.


    ¡°Raina, did something happen to Zachary?¡± Charlotte went straight to the point.


    ¡°No,¡± Raina replied with a chuckle. ¡°What could happen to him?¡±


    ¡°Then why can''t I get in touch with him?¡± Charlotte voiced her doubts. ¡°He didn''t even answer his


    phone.¡±


    ¡°Wait a moment, please,¡± came Raina''s reply.


    ¡°Wait a moment, please,¡± came Raina''s reply.


    She then handed the phone to someone else.


    Charlotte was still confused when another familiar voice rang out. ¡°Miss me?¡±


    It''s Zachary!


    Stunned, she took a while to regain her senses. ¡°Zachary? Is it you?¡±


    ¡°I''m still alive,¡± Zachary answered, chuckling. ¡°I''m d that I can still be alive to see you.¡±


    It sounded like he had just escaped death narrowly and wasmenting how fortunate he was.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Charlotte was puzzled.


    ¡°Three dayster, I''ll show up before you on time!¡± Zachary announced and promptly hung up the


    phone.


    Charlotte stood stock still, confused by his words. Why does it sound like Zachary has been through a


    lot? Regardless, I''m d he''s still alive. Since he promised that he''d be here three dayster, it means


    he''s fine.


    Taking a deep breath to recollect herself, she then went to look for the children, ¡°Robbie, Ellie, I just


    talked to Daddy on the phone. He''lle over and look for us three dayster.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Both kids gathered around her excitedly. Robbie stretched his hand out and requested,


    ¡°Mommy, give me your phone. I want to talk to Daddy.¡±


    ¡°He has already hung up.¡± Charlotte clicked into the call log on her phone and exined, ¡°Look, this is


    Raina''s phone number. Daddy called me using her phone.¡±


    ¡°Why didn''t he use his own phone to call you?¡± Robbie asked, sounding skeptical.


    ¡°Perhaps there''s something wrong with his phone. Perhaps¡ª¡±


    Robbie''s phone suddenly rang, cutting Charlotte''s exnation short. It was a video call from Jamie that


    he promptly answered by calling his sibling''s name. ¡°Jamie!¡±


    ¡°Robbie, Ellie, Mommy, Daddy''sing home tonight! I''m so happy!¡± Jamie waved his hands around,


    evidently delighted. ¡°Daddy told me he''ll be bringing me to F Nation to reunite with you two dayster!¡±


    ¡°Really? That''s great!¡± Robbie''s lips curved into a huge grin at his brother''s words. Finally, he was


    convinced that his father would be back soon.


    C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    ¡°Yay! I''m so happy!¡± Ellie hopped around excitedly. ¡°Jamie, bring Little Fifi here too. We miss it so


    much!¡±


    ¡°Yes, I had that in mind too.¡± Jamie nodded profusely.


    Behind him, Little Fifi was pping its wings, shrilling, ¡°Ellie, Ellie! Robbie! Jamie! Mommy!¡±


    The eagle Fifi cooed as though reminding everyone not to forget about it.

 Chapter 1197

    Chapter 1197


    The kids were thrilled at the prospect of being reunited again.


    Charlotte could not stop herself from smiling. Though she refused to admit it, her heart was fluttering in


    anticipation of the day.


    I must miss Jamie a lot.


    Diana, who was passing by with a tray of snacks in hand, happened to witness everything. A myriad of


    emotions shed across her eyes.


    She then entered Sherlyn''s room and recounted the situation she had witnessed in a tactful manner.


    One maid spluttered indignantly, ¡°I thought Ms. Lindberg haspletely separated from that husband


    of hers! Looks like she''s deeply in love with him.¡±


    ¡°How could she? She''s about to marry Sir Louis soon! I can''t believe she''s still in touch with her ex-


    husband!¡± another maid chimed in sharply.


    ¡°Yes. What does she take Sir Louis to be?¡±


    ¡°Lady Sherlyn, should I talk to Ms. Lindberg?¡± Diana suggested in a soft voice. ¡°If her ex-husband


    insists on seeing the kids, we can send them to him. There''s no need for Ms. Lindberg to see him


    herself.¡±


    ¡°Charlotte''s stubborn and hot-headed. She won''t allow anything to interfere with her business. Besides,


    we can''t afford to offend her ex-husband,¡± Sherlyn said, her brows scrunched up unhappily. ¡°We have


    no choice but to let them meet up. If hees over here, we even have to treat him with the utmost


    respect!¡±


    ¡°Well...¡± Diana seemed concerned. ¡°Louis has been uneasy for the past few days. He must be worried


    about their meetup.¡±


    ¡°Yes. When I went to his study to serve him coffee, he was sitting behind the desk in a daze,¡± a maid


    added.


    ¡°Yes. When I went to his study to serve him coffee, he was sitting behind the desk in a daze,¡± a maid


    added.


    ¡°My son''s too honest.¡± Sherlyn sighed in exasperation. ¡°If I stay out of it, he wouldn''t even know he''s


    being cheated on.¡±


    After a pause, she continued, ¡°Zachary isn''t a pushover. I need to take action before he arrives.¡±


    The maids did not understand what she was getting at.


    On the other hand, Diana instantly realized what she had in mind. ¡°Aunt Sherlyn, you mean...¡±


    ¡°I was talking to the kids yesterday about inviting the magician troupe to perform in the manor.¡±


    Sherlyn''s lips curled into a smirk. ¡°Inform the magician troupe toe over tomorrow afternoon!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Diana left to make the arrangements. When she passed the doorway, she bumped into Louis,


    who was here for Sherlyn. Almost immediately, she gave him a curtsy and greeted, ¡°Louis!¡±


    Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Mm,¡± Louis replied absent-mindedly and stepped into his mother''s room with his head hung low.


    He had been avoiding Diana ever since she practically threw herself at him when he had a cold back


    then, afraid to spend time with her alone.


    Noticing how distant he was treating her, Diana averted her gaze to mask the sorrow that flitted across


    her face. However, she quicklyposed herself and focused on the task at hand.


    Louis knocked on the door and announced, ¡°Mother, I would like to bring Charlotte to a vacation at the


    beach for two days.¡±


    ¡°Why the beach all of a sudden?¡± Sherlyn studied her son carefully, noting his uneasiness. ¡°Are you


    afraid Charlotte will get back together with Zachary when he arrives to reunite with the kids?¡±


    Louis'' expression grew upset at his mother''s sharp question, but he quickly exined, ¡°No. Charlotte


    isn''t that sort of person.¡±


    ¡°Nothing is definite when it concerns love.¡± The duchess snorted. ¡°Besides, Zachary has an advantage


    over you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Mom, stop it!¡±


    Her words intensified the insecurity that had been growing in his heart ever since the news of Zachary''s


    soon arrival reached his ears. After all, his rtionship with Charlotte did not progress even after


    spending over a month together in the manor.


    On that day, he tried to sound Charlotte out by mentioning the wedding ceremony, but she promptly


    changed the topic before leaving to spend time with her kids.


    He was worried that the wedding would not be held as scheduled if this were to go on.


    Hence, he came up with a n to spend two days at the beach with Charlotte. Perhaps their


    rtionship would proceed to the next level if they got to spend some quality time together.

 Chapter 1198

    Chapter 1198


    ¡°How long have you known Charlotte?¡± asked Sherlyn.


    ¡°About two years,¡± Louis answered despondently. ¡°Mom, can you take care of the kids for two days? I


    want to bring Charlotte to the beach¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don''t you understand?¡± The older woman furrowed her brows. ¡°You''ve known her for two years, and


    you practically clung to her no matter where she goes. Charlotte has spent a lot of time with you in


    private. If she has feelings for you, you won''t be panicking right now.¡±


    ¡°Charlotte likes me, but...¡± Louis tried to exin, but his voice quickly trailed off. Even he could not


    convince himself.


    Perhaps Charlotte had feelings for him, but she saw him strictly as a friend and did not have romantic


    feelings for him. Otherwise, she would not have kept a distance from him.


    ¡°Well...¡± Louis exhaled a deep breath and lowered his head in dejection. ¡°I don''t know what else to do.


    I''ve done everything I could. I feel so useless.¡±


    ¡°Silly boy, you''re too honest.¡± Sherlyn gave him an indulgent look. ¡°Think about it. How did Zachary and


    Charlotte fall in love?¡±


    Zachary was an unfeeling, willful, and arrogant man. He was also the Lindberg family''s rival, yet


    Charlotte could not forget him.


    ¡°I don''t get it either,¡± Louis responded, a frown creasing his forehead. ¡°I heard that they ended up


    together by chance back then. Charlotte got pregnant and gave birth to the children without knowing


    Zachary''s identity. Then they¡ª¡±


    ¡°I don''t get it either,¡± Louis responded, a frown creasing his forehead. ¡°I heard that they ended up


    together by chance back then. Charlotte got pregnant and gave birth to the children without knowing


    Zachary''s identity. Then they¡ª¡±


    ¡°That''s right,¡± Sherlyn cut in when he mentioned a crucial point. ¡°They didn''t even know each other at


    first but had sex, then she got pregnant and gave birth to the kids. Charlotte believed that she belonged


    to Zachary. In fact, most women would think the same. Once a man made his mark on her, she''d


    submit to himpletely without even realizing it. You just have to make your mark on her, so she''ll fall


    head over heels for you, get it?¡±


    Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°What nonsense are you talking about?¡± Louis did not share his mother''s sentiment. ¡°After falling in


    love with each other, we''ll have sex naturally. I can''t possess her just because I want her to fall in love


    with me. That''s wrong and utterly disrespectful.¡±


    Sherlyn was rendered speechless. ¡°Forget it. You don''t even understand what I''m saying. What a


    waste of time.¡±


    ¡°Mom, stop spouting nonsense. That''s an immoral act!¡± he insisted. ¡°Just take care of the children for


    us. Charlotte loves the sea, so we''ll spend some time there while I try to win her heart. I believe she''ll


    reciprocate my feelings one day as long I am sincere.¡±


    ¡°Fine. If you can persuade Charlotte to agree to the beach getaway, I shall take care of the kids,¡±


    Sherlyn agreed, too unbothered to educate her stubborn son further. ¡°I''ve summoned the magician


    troupe to perform at the manor for the kids tomorrow, anyway.¡±


    ¡°That''s great!¡± tion filled Louis'' entire being. ¡°I''ll talk to Charlotte about the beach getaway now.¡±


    ¡°All right. I need to inform the kids about the good news too. I''m sure they''d be delighted to learn about


    that.¡±


    Sherlyn ced her cup down and stood up to leave her room.


    ¡°Thank you, Mom.¡± Louis gave her a quick hug before dashing off to seek Charlotte.


    Watching her son walking away eagerly, Sherlyn shook her head in a resigned manner.


    ¡°Lady Sherlyn, why did you agree to Sir Louis'' request? I thought you had a n in mind?¡± one maid


    asked in a low voice.


    ¡°Charlotte won''t agree to go on the trip with him. She''s too focused on that ex-husband of hers to leave


    the manor.¡± Sherlyn seemed sure of herself. ¡°Our n shall proceed as usual.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±

 Chapter 1199

    Chapter 1199


    Indeed, when Louis went to Charlotte and told her about the beach getaway, she rejected his offer at


    once.


    Bluntly, she told him that Zachary would be here in two days to pick the kids up, so she would be


    spending the remaining time with Ellie in the manor.


    Though Louis usually would not press the matter if he got rejected, this time, he tried to convince her


    by saying Ellie coulde with them and that he had a surprise all nned out.


    s, no matter what he said, Charlotte insisted on remaining in the manor.


    Dejected, he could only leave reluctantly.


    The children''s joyous cries sounded from downstairs when he stepped out of the room.


    ¡°I can''t wait to see the magic show!¡±


    ¡°Is the magician any good?¡±


    ¡°Can he teach me some magic?¡±


    The three children gathered around Sherlyn and chattered about the magician troupe that was to arrive


    tomorrow excitedly.


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    ¡°Of course, the magicians are good. You''ll love them, I promise. They can teach you magic. If you wish,


    I can ask them to teach you.¡± Sherlyn was good at coaxing the children.


    ¡°Yay, that sounds amazing!¡±


    Louis felt a stab of jealousy in his heart when he saw how overjoyed the kids were. He was about to


    return to his room when Robbie and Ellie came upstairs to look for Charlotte.


    Ellie had a few dresses in her arm. Hopping happily along the hallway, she asked, ¡°Robbie, which


    dress is the prettiest? When Daddy and Jamie are here, I want to dress up for them!¡±


    ¡°They are all pretty,¡± Robbie replied. He seemed to be in a good mood on that day. ¡°All three are of


    different styles, so you can pick whichever you like most.¡±


    ¡°They are all pretty,¡± Robbie replied. He seemed to be in a good mood on that day. ¡°All three are of


    different styles, so you can pick whichever you like most.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, you know nothing. I shall ask Mommy.¡±


    Ellie gathered her dresses and scampered off to Charlotte. When she ran past Louis, she greeted him


    politely, ¡°Hello, Sir Louis!¡±


    ¡°Hello, Ellie.¡± Louis shed her a smile before turning to Robbie. ¡°Hi, Robbie!¡±


    Robbie gave him a friendly nod and followed Ellie into Charlotte''s room.


    ¡°Mommy, pick the prettiest dress for me! I shall wear the prettiest dress when Jamie and Daddy arrive!¡±


    ¡°They are all pretty,¡± Charlotte responded with a heartyugh.


    ¡°See, I was right,¡± Robbie chimed in.


    As the mother and children trio chattered merrily in the background, conflicted feelings washed over


    Louis.


    The insecurity he felt in the face of Zachary''s arrival was insurmountable. Strangely, he had a hunch


    that his rtionship with Charlotte would end once Zachary arrived.


    It also meant that their wedding scheduled to be held nine dayster might be called off.


    At that thought, he plodded back to his room unhappily and drowned his sorrows.


    ¡°Louis.¡± Right then, Diana knocked on his door and entered with a tonic in her hand. ¡°You''ve just


    recovered from a cold and require a proper recuperation. Aunt Sherlyn told me to give you this¡ª¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Louis cut her sentence short. He was propping his forehead in his palm, slightly drunk


    from the alcohol he had consumed earlier.


    ¡°What''s wrong, Louis?¡± she asked, her voice full of concern. ¡°Why are you drinking? Are you in a foul


    mood?¡±


    ¡°I''m fine. You can leave now.¡± He brushed her off and returned to his drink.


    ¡°Stop drinking!¡± Diana reached out to take the ss from him, but he refused to loosen his grip.


    Losing her bnce, she fell onto hisp.


    Louis shoved her away hastily and demanded sternly, ¡°Diana, I''m about to get married soon. Don''t do


    this, please.¡±


    ¡°Get married? Doesn''t sound like that would be happening,¡± she mumbled to herself.


    ¡°What did you just say?¡± he hissed in displeasure.


    ¡°I went past Ms. Lindberg''s room earlier, and I overheard her speaking on the phone with someone.


    She talked to the person so affectionately, and I even heard her say ''Hubby.'' I think she hasn''t forgotten


    about her ex-husband. They will definitely get back together once hees here,¡± Diana said,


    embellishing the truth.


    ¡°That''s not possible!¡± Louis panicked.


    Though the rational side of his mind was telling him that Charlotte was not someone like that, he could


    not help feeling restless at the thought of Zachary and Charlotte''s past rtionship.


    ¡°It''s true. I heard it with my own ears!¡± Diana pressed. ¡°Ms. Lindberg even told the kids that she won''t


    marry you, for she sees you as a good friend. She even said their family will reunite once their daddy


    arrives.¡±

 Chapter 1200

    Chapter 1200


    ¡°Shut up right now!¡± Louis bellowed and flung away his ss in a fit of rage.


    After jumping in surprise, Diana quickly kneeled on the floor to clear the broken pieces of the ss.


    She even stuck her firm and perky butt right at Louis in a seductive manner.


    The man was stunned by her antics but quickly regained hisposure and covered his forehead in


    annoyance. ¡°Get out!¡±


    ¡°But Louis¡ª¡±


    ¡°I said, get out!¡± he hollered in a fury. This was the first time he had ever lost his temper before Diana.


    Shocked, Diana scurried out of his room with the tray hastily.


    Sherlyn happened to be ascending the stairs when she saw Diana''s exiting her son''s room in a panic.


    She immediately demanded, ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Louis is trying to drink his woes away,¡± Diana exined, her eyes reddening. ¡°I tried to persuade him


    to stop drinking, but he refused to listen and even yelled at me.¡±


    ¡°Why would he drink without reason?¡± Sherlyn questioned, a tad irritated.


    Diana nced around warily before inching nearer to whisper in her ear, ¡°He must be in a foul mood


    after hearing some bad news.¡±


    ¡°What bad news?¡± Sherlyn pressed.


    Still leaning close to her ear, Diana continued, ¡°He heard Ms. Lindberg calling her ex-husband and


    addressed him ''Hubby.'' She also told the kids that they were just friends, so there was no way they''d


    get married. That''s why he¡ª¡±


    ¡°That''s outrageous!¡± Sherlyn raged.


    Though she knew Charlotte did not love Louis, she never expected her to trample on her son''s


    feelings.


    Is she being arrogant because Zachary is about toe to F Nation?


    ¡°Aunt Sherlyn, why don''t you give him some advice?¡± Diana suggested, seemingly concerned. ¡°But


    don''t mention those words again. He must''ve been so hurt by Charlotte.¡±


    In response, Sherlyn strode over to Louis'' room and pushed the door open without hesitation. When


    she saw him slouching on the sofa, drinking silently, she fumed. ¡°What the heck are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Mom? What are you doing here?¡± Louis asked in a low voice.


    ¡°What can you solve by drinking?¡± Sherlyn marched over and took the ss away from him. ¡°Your


    father and I have always been proud of ourselves. How did we give birth to someone as useless as


    you?¡± the older woman barked.


    ¡°What did I do?¡± Louis seemed confused. ¡°I''m just drinking¡ª¡±


    ¡°The enemy is about to arrive, so you should perk up and show your stance!¡± Sherlyn rebuked. ¡°Your


    wedding with Charlotte has been announced officially, and she''s now your fianc¨¦e. You have the right


    to stop her from seeing Zachary if you wish. Just tell her about it. Why are you drinking your sorrows


    away?¡±


    ¡°I don''t want to force her,¡± he confessed bitterly. ¡°Besides, I can''t stop her. Even if I can, I can''t stop


    Zachary.¡±


    ¡°You...¡± Sherlyn was stumped for words. Louis might be intoxicated, but he was still in a clear state of


    mind.


    Immediately, she tried to persuade him from a different point of view. ¡°Don''t worry. I assure you that


    your wedding will go on smoothly as nned. Charlotte will definitely get married to you!¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Louis voiced excitedly. He soon calmed down and asked, ¡°How can you be sure, though?¡±


    ¡°Just trust me on this,¡± Sherlyn assured him confidently. ¡°But be a good boy and stop drinking. Hurry,


    take a shower and go to bed. Tomorrow, cheer up and enjoy the magic show with the kids.¡±


    Louis thought his mother wanted him to apany the children to win Charlotte over, so he nodded


    without thinking much. ¡°Mm, got it.¡±


    ¡°Help him with his shower.¡±


    C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Afterforting Louis, Sherlyn left the room while sighing. Initially, she was still doubtful about her


    n, but her resolve strengthened at the sight of her son''s misery.


    I need to give them a push so that the wedding will be held as nned.

 Chapter 1201

    Chapter 1201


    The weather was nice on the following day.


    In the morning, the children woke up and promptly went to Sherlyn, asking if the magician troupe had


    arrived.


    Laughing, she told them the troupe was on their way.


    The kids were delighted. At breakfast, they told Charlotte all about the magician troupe enthusiastically.


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    Charlotte casually asked what the magician troupe was all about, so Sherlyn exined it to her briefly.


    Her answer stunned Charlotte. Although she had heard from Ellie that a magician troupe was arriving


    at the manor to perform for them, she had no idea it would be such a big scale.


    More than a dozen staff would be entering the manor with their equipment and setting up a stage for


    their performance at night.


    This means the assassins from Erihal will get a chance to sneak into the manor. That''s dangerous!


    At that thought, Charlotte hastened to convince Sherlyn to cancel the magician troupe''s performance or


    at least get only a few of them to perform at a smaller scale.


    s, Sherlyn was adamant about having the magic performance. She imed it was not nice to break


    her promise when she had given the children her word. Besides, the magician troupe was about to


    reach the manor.


    As she said that, someone came to report that the magician troupe had arrived at the gate.


    Before Charlotte could say anything, Sherlyn ryed orders that they were to be let in. She even told


    her subordinate to receive the magician troupe.


    Thus, Charlotte said nothing else to dissuade her, merely reminding the kids not to go to the garden


    before the stage was set up, for it might be a hazard.


    The children nodded obediently.


    Sherlyn frowned, making no attempt to hide her displeasure. ¡°Charlotte, you''re being too uptight. Our


    employees are scattered around the manor, so the kids will be fine. I''ve invited the magician troupe so


    many times, and they''re practically my friends. Why are you so worried?¡±


    ¡°Of course not, Lady Sherlyn,¡± Charlotte offered an exnation urgently. ¡°I''m not worried. It''s just that


    Danrique will be arriving in a few days to pick the kids up, so I have to be extra careful. If anything


    happens to them, I can''t exin to him.¡±


    As she used Danrique as an excuse, Sherlyn could not reprimand her. ¡°Well, I suppose you''re right. It


    doesn''t hurt to be careful.¡± In the end, she relented.


    She then hollered at her bodyguards and subordinates, ¡°Everyone, pay attention. Today, as outsiders


    will be entering our manor, keep your guard up, especially when it concerns the children''s safety. If


    something happens to them, I shall hold you ountable!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± everyone answered with a polite bow.


    ¡°Thank you, Lady Sherlyn.¡± Charlotte put her fork down and wiped her mouth elegantly. ¡°I''m done with


    the meal, and I''d like to take a walk in the garden.¡±


    ¡°Sure. Go ahead.¡± Sherlyn nodded.


    ¡°Charlotte, I''lle with you,¡± Louis offered at once, standing up from his chair.


    ¡°No need. I have to call Danrique.¡± Charlotte rejected his offer almost immediately.


    With that, he sank back into his chair, utterly dejected. It urred to him that Charlotte had been


    treating him more and more coldly for the past few days.


    Sherlyn frowned at him, losing her appetite.


    ¡°Kids, should we go y now?¡±


    Morgan brought the kids to their yroom, and Robbie returned to his room to continue his online


    ss.


    Louis, Sherlyn, and their subordinates were left in the dining room.


    Sherlynforted her son, ¡°Louis, perk up. The more you act this way, the more you''ll repel her.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Louis inclined his head and cheered himself on. ¡°I''ll spend some time with the children.¡±


    ¡°Go, then.¡±


    Seeing how defeated he looked, Sherlyn could not help but sigh to herself. Though Louis had never


    been really sessful for his entire life, she had never seen him so discouraged before.


    If this isn''t dealt with in a proper manner, I''m afraid he''ll lose his confidence forever.


    ¡°Aunt Sherlyn,¡± Diana called out as she scurried over to Sherlyn. She then bent slightly to whisper in


    thetter''s ear, ¡°Everything''s ready.¡±


    ¡°Be careful. The Lindberg family nted a lot of spies here,¡± warned the duchess softly.


    ¡°Got it.¡±

 Chapter 1202

    Chapter 1202


    Charlotte did not lie, for she did call Danrique outside. That was because the agreed-upon day of their


    meeting was about to arrive, and she wanted to know how he was doing.


    For the past month, Danrique did not keep in touch with her. Erihal kept a lid on all matters, so she did


    not receive any updates.


    Although she was worried, she dared not ask questions.


    Now that the day was near, she wanted to check on him.


    The phone kept ringing, but no one picked it up. Charlotte thought about sending someone over to start


    an investigation. However, upon recalling Sean''s reminder that she was to ignore everything, focus on


    her recovery, and protect the children, she dared not do so.


    At that thought, Charlotte gave up on her fleeting idea. She nced at the forest not far away, feeling


    strangely unsettled.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg will be fine,¡± Lupine reassured her. ¡°Perhaps he''ll be in contact a few dayster.¡±


    ¡°I''ll have to pacify myself with that.¡± Charlotte let out a sigh. ¡°Where''s Gordon?¡±


    ¡°He was patrolling outside a while ago.¡± Lupine tilted her head and said, ¡°Oh, here he is.¡±


    As soon as she spoke, Gordon strode over to them and came to a stop before Charlotte. ¡°Ms.


    Lindberg,¡± he greeted her politely.


    ¡°There are many outsiders here in the manor today, so it might be quite rowdy. Do you have any


    problem with security?¡± asked Charlotte worriedly.


    ¡°There are fifty-seven visitors in total, including the magicians,¡± Gordon replied. ¡°Besides that, they also


    brought some small animals along. I''ve already asked the rest to run a thorough check. Don''t worry. I''ll


    handle the security.¡±


    ¡°Thanks!¡± Charlotte bobbed her head slightly.


    ¡°No problem.¡± He reciprocated her gesture with a polite bow, then turned to Lupine and said, ¡°I have to


    monitor the surroundings since too many outsiders will be around. You should stay with Ms. Lindberg


    and the children at all times.¡±


    ¡°Got it. I''ll never leave Ms. Lindberg''s side today,¡± Lupine answered with a brisk nod. ¡°As for the others,


    I''ll assign them to protect the children.¡±


    ¡°The kids are more important than me.¡± Charlotte scoffed. ¡°Even if someone tries to harm me, I can


    deal with him. A few assassins won''t be able to hurt me.¡±


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    ¡°Yes!¡± Lupine lowered her head.


    ¡°Make the necessary arrangements. Keep an eye on the kids at all times tonight. Everything must go


    well.¡± Charlotte reminded in a stern tone.


    ¡°Yes. I''ll do it right away.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry,¡± Gordon reassured. ¡°Even if someone had sneaked into the magician troupe, we can


    handle them. I doubt they''ll be arge group, so be rest assured.¡±


    ¡°Mm. Better be safe than sorry.¡± Charlotte stared at the stage they were building, dread filling her heart.


    ¡°All right. Get to work. I''ll go back after taking a look at Fifi.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Gordon signaled the two female bodyguards to look after Charlotte before he left.


    As per her words, Charlotte went to visit Fifi. For some reason, the eagle had been lethargic for a while.


    Why, though? It has been a long time since Fifi got drenched by the rain, so it should be fine by now.


    Or did it be fragile after bing a household pet?


    ¡°Did it eat something wrong?¡± One of the female bodyguards suggested casually, ¡°Perhaps it isn''t used


    to the beef in F Nation?¡±


    At once, Charlotte ordered someone to fetch a piece of the beef Fifi usually ate and let Sam check it


    out.


    She was worried that someone had orchestrated Fifi''s illness.


    After that, Charlotte went back to apany her children.


    Louis was ying Lego blocks with the kids in their yroom right then. ¡°You''re awesome, Sir Louis!¡±


    they cheered and pped in delight at the spaceship he had just built.


    Louis grinned cheerfully. He wanted to continue ying Lego blocks with them, but they were bored of


    the game and wanted to learn how to make desserts.


    Looking troubled, he told them, ¡°I don''t know how to make desserts. Should I ask my mom to teach


    you?¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡± they responded in unison.


    When Louis was leading the kids to Sherlyn, they bumped into Charlotte. He smiled at her as a


    greeting before leaving with the kids.


    Seeing how hard he was trying to please her, Charlotte felt slightly guilty. s, she had no time to


    ponder over this, for it was more important to spend the next two days in peace.

 Chapter 1203

    Chapter 1203


    In the blink of an eye, it was evening. The stage had been set up outside,plete with the lighting


    and audio system.


    The kids could barely suppress their curiosity, repeatedly asking when the magic show would begin.


    Sherlyn had ordered them to build a gorgeous viewing tform underneath the stage. Tables were


    even moved out to the garden so that they could enjoy dinner while watching the performance.


    The children were exultant about her arrangement. Even Robbie and Ellie were jumping up and down


    excitedly.


    They were only kids, after all.


    Since moving into the manor, they never got a chance to go out. Though the farm and vineyard


    captured their attention at first, they soon got bored.


    Now that a magician troupe was here to perform, they were all pumped up.


    Even Dr. Felch, who preferred to be alone, came to the show when Sherlyn extended an invitation.


    As Dr. Felch and the children were looking forward to the show, Charlotte did not want to spoil the fun.


    Hence, she followed the crowd obediently to the garden for the meal.


    Sherlyn, the main organizer, arranged Dr. Felch, the kids, and herself on the same table while cing


    Charlotte and Louis together on another table.


    She even decorated their table with red roses, which created a romantic vibe.


    Louis thanked his mother for her effort. Even Charlotte expressed her gratitude too.


    As the music yed, the show began.


    Colorful lights lit the stage, illuminating a beautiful woman ying the piano. A couple was dancing


    beside her, the spotlight shining on them like the moonlight. It was a pleasing sight.


    ¡°This is their opening show,¡± Sherlyn exined to the children. ¡°If the whole show is about magic tricks,


    that won''t be fun. That''s why they tend to add in some other performances.¡±


    ¡°That''s fantastic!¡± the kids praised, engrossed in the show.


    Dr. Felch could not understand their conversation. While eating his meal, he talked to Sam and Hayley.


    ¡°The weather is freezing. Don''t the dancers feel cold in their thin outfits?¡±


    Hayley could not help but snort out loud.


    ¡°Well, Dr. Felch, they will soon warm up after dancing,¡± Sam replied in embarrassment. ¡°Luckily, they


    don''t understand Chanaean. Otherwise, they mightugh at us.¡±


    ¡°Speaking about that¡ª¡±Dr. Felch turned to the triplets¡ª¡±I can''t believe the triplets can speak fluent


    Ferropenian at such a young age! That''s impressive!¡±


    ¡°Well, bigwigs always give birth to geniuses,¡± Hayley said, grinning. ¡°They are fluent in both


    Ferropenian and Chanaean.¡±


    ¡°I can understand their Chanaean. They sound adorable when they converse in it.¡± Dr. Felch chuckled.


    Hayley cracked up.


    A smile crept up Charlotte''s lips when she saw how delighted Dr. Felch was.


    ¡°Cheers, Charlotte!¡± Louis raised his ss.


    Charlotte clinked sses with him and sipped on her wine. Internally, she reminded herself not to drink


    too much on a day like this.


    ¡°The foie gras is quite nice. Try it,¡± he told her gently.


    ¡°Sure.¡± Charlotte focused her attention back on him. ¡°Louis, Zachary will be here tomorrow. He''s here


    to pick Ellie up, and Jamie will being along too. I wish to spend some time with Jamie, so is it


    possible to invite them to stay in the manor for a few days?¡± she asked carefully.


    Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Louis agreed readily. ¡°Zachary''s a good friend of mine. I shall extend an invitation to him.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I nearly forgot that you two are good friends.¡± She smiled faintly. ¡°But Zachary''s quite proud, so I


    don''t know if he''ll agree to stay. If he doesn''t, I''ll ask Jamie to stay.¡±


    ¡°Sure, that works. Anything you want.¡± He nodded and said, ¡°Charlotte, I''ll support your decision no


    matter what it is.¡± His tone was indulgent.


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Charlotte gave him a toast.


    Thrilled, Louis finished the contents of his ss in one gulp.


    Seeing how they chatted happily, Sherlyn rxed. It seems like my efforts won''t be in vain.

 Chapter 1204

    Chapter 1204


    After a few drinks, Charlotte''s cheeks were flushed.


    Louis poured her another ss of wine.


    ¡°I can''t drink too much tonight¡ª¡±


    ¡°Charlotte!¡±


    Before she could refuse the drink, Sherlyn came over to toast her.


    At once, Charlotte rose to her feet. ¡°Lady Sherlyn, I should''ve been the one to toast you at your table.¡±


    ¡°We''re a family; no need for the formalities.¡± The corners of the duchess'' lips quirked into a smile as


    she said sincerely, ¡°I hope that the kids can have a happy and healthy childhood and that you and


    Louis will be blissful together. That''s all.¡±


    Guilt crept up Charlotte''s heart at her words. After all, Sherlyn adored her children greatly.


    The duchess had always prioritized the kids no matter what, so she was grateful for her help,


    regardless of the grudges she harbored toward the older woman.


    ¡°Cheers!¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Mom.¡±


    The three of them downed their sses.


    Sherlyn patted Charlotte''s shoulder affectionately and reminded her. ¡°Don''t drink too much. We still


    need to watch the show.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lady Sherlyn.¡±


    Charlotte was about to sit down when she identally bumped into the table.


    Louis went over to support her hastily, showering her with concern.


    Diana, who waited on them at the side, watched their entire exchange. Her eyes betrayed her mixed


    feelings.


    ¡°Louis, take good care of Charlotte,¡± Sherlyn told her son. ¡°I shall keep the kidspany.¡±


    Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°Yes, Mom.¡± Louis'' gaze never left Charlotte. ¡°Do you want some water, Charlotte?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Charlotte bobbed her head.


    With that, he promptly ordered someone to get a ss of water for her.


    Soon, Diana arrived with two sses of purified water. She handed one to Charlotte.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Lupine piped up suddenly, ¡°give it to Sir Louis. He must be thirsty too.¡±


    Diana stiffened at her words.


    Without waiting for a reply, Lupine grabbed the ss from her and offered it to Louis. She then gave


    the other ss to Charlotte.


    Frowning, Diana stared at Louis as if hesitating to speak.


    ¡°Ms. Diana, you''re blocking our view,¡± Lupine uttered deliberately.


    ¡°Sorry about that.¡± Diana hung her head low as she shuffled away reluctantly.


    Louis paid no heed to her and drank the ss of water without hesitation.


    Charlotte, on the other hand, did not touch the ss of water Diana brought. That was because Lupine


    had already exchanged it with a new ss of water secretly.


    She was quick enough not to be caught by others.


    When Sherlyn looked over her shoulders, she saw Charlotte and Louis drinking water, and a strange


    smile hovered on her lips.


    After a series of opening shows, it was finally time for the mysterious magician''s performance.


    The children whooped excitedly and inched nearer to the stage for a better view.


    Both Robbie and Ellie could not keep their eyes off the magician on the stage.


    ¡°Charlotte, have some fruit,¡± Louis offered.


    He was still being really considerate.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Charlotte epted the fruit. Weirdly, the wine she drank tonight seemed a little strong, for


    she felt tipsy after drinking only a few sses.


    ¡°Sir Louis, Ms. Lindberg.¡± A maid arrived with an order from Sherlyn. ¡°Lady Sherlyn wants you two to


    toast Dr. Felch.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes. I nearly forgot about him.¡±


    Louis scrambled to his feet with his winess, not forgetting to help Charlotte up.


    The maid refilled half of Charlotte''s ss.


    Charlotte then followed Louis to give Dr. Felch a toast.


    Dr. Felch had a great night and was a little intoxicated by then.


    He was drinking the liquor he brought from C Nation as he was not fond of foreign liquors.


    Both Charlotte and Louis came to him and raised their sses. ¡°Dr. Felch!¡±


    The doctor rose to his feet. ¡°No need with the formalities. We''re friends, right?¡±


    ¡°I have to.¡± Charlotte was brimming with gratitude. ¡°You were living in seclusion on the mountains and


    had a peaceful life until I came to you. It''s all because of me that you have to travel from H City to


    Erihal beforeing to F Nation. Thank you for helping me!¡±


    ¡°Silly girl, that''s nothing.¡± Dr. Felch smiled. ¡°I owe your father a favor, so I''m merely repaying it now.


    Besides, it''s fun to travel around the world with you!¡±

 Chapter 1205

    Chapter 1205


    ¡°Yes, that''s right. We''re just tagging along for our own benefit,¡± Hayley chimed in jovially.


    ¡°Me too!¡± Sam raised his winess.


    ¡°Dr. Felch, Sam, Hayley, thank you for everything that you''ve done for Charlotte. I won''t forget your


    sacrifices!¡± Louis uttered, speaking as Charlotte''s fianc¨¦. ¡°Cheers!¡±


    ¡°Cheers!¡±


    They clinked sses and downed their drinks in one go.


    ¡°Though today''s a happy asion, you shouldn''t drink too much,¡± Dr. Felch exhorted.


    ¡°Got it!¡± Charlotte nodded and turned to return to her seat.


    ¡°Charlotte, Louis, wait a minute.¡± Right then, Sherlyn came over with her winess. ¡°I didn''t join in the


    toast earlier. This time, let''s toast to Dr. Felch together!¡±


    ¡°Dr. Felch, my mom wants to...¡± Louis interpreted her words to the doctor swiftly.


    ¡°Oh, you''re too courteous, Lady Sherlyn.¡± Dr. Felch raised his ss with a grin. ¡°I''ve been staying here


    for a long time, so I should be the one toasting you. Thank you for your hospitality.¡±


    Once again, Louis acted as their interpreter.


    ¡°We''re friends, so scrap that.¡± Sherlyn tittered. ¡°Come, let''s drink together. We can enjoy the magic


    show after downing this drink!¡±


    As she spoke, her maid refilled Louis'' and Charlotte''s sses.


    Charlotte''s head was spinning by then. However, she could not refuse to toast Dr. Felch, so she went


    along and clinked sses with everyone before finishing the drink in one gulp.


    She grew tipsier after this drink and even saw two Dr. Felches before her.


    ¡°Charlotte, are you all right?¡± Louis held her arm worriedly.


    ¡°She must''ve drunk too much. Bring her back to your table to grab a bite,¡± Sherlyn urged him out of


    concern. ¡°Don''t let her drink any more wine so that she can enjoy the magic show.¡±


    ¡°Got it, Mom.¡±


    Louis helped Charlotte back to her seat.


    Lupine never let Charlotte out of her sight, following closely behind thetter. Before this, she thought


    Sherlyn was finding an excuse to make Charlotte drunk to create an opportunity for her son. Looks like


    I was wrong. She doesn''t seem to have such an intention.


    The kids had so much fun as the magic show got more exciting.


    After returning to her seat, Charlotte sipped on water and sobered up slightly.


    Louis, however, continued drinking his wine. Slightly intoxicated, he could not stop himself from looking


    at Charlotte longingly.


    Other than that, everything else was normal. Nothing out of the ordinary happened.


    Lupine wondered if she was overreacting, but she dared not let her guard down.


    Right then, Dr. Felch excused himself from the show. Sherlyn got up to see him off.


    Charlotte and Louis hastened to join her.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    Dr. Felch chuckled and waved to dismiss them. ¡°I''m too old to stay upte. Have fun! Don''t mind me. I


    shall head back alone and have some rest.¡±


    ¡°We can''t do that! You''re an important guest of ours.¡± After hearing Louis'' interpretation, Sherlyn


    ordered, ¡°Louis, Charlotte, send Dr. Felch back to his room.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Louis held Dr. Felch''s arm while Charlotte followed behind them. Nice. I was hoping to go back to my


    room to rest anyway.


    Before Lupine and two other female bodyguards could catch up with her, a maid suddenly shrieked,


    ¡°Oh, Ms. Elisa! Be careful!¡±


    Lupine looked over her shoulder instinctively to see the magician inviting Ellie on stage. The little girl


    was standing before the stage to watch the performance at that moment.


    The Lindbergs'' bodyguards tried to stop her, but she was too ecstatic and climbed onto the stage,


    ignoring their words.


    Lupine had to deal with her, so she informed the other two bodyguards, ¡°Stay with Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± They promptly caught up to Charlotte.


    After sending Dr. Felch back to his room, Charlotte and Louis reminded Hayley and Sam to take care of


    him before retracing their path back to the garden.


    Charlotte felt exhausted and genuinely wished to take a rest.


    Louis was not feeling well either as he seemed a bit irritable and feverish.

 Chapter 1206

    Chapter 1206


    ¡°Louis, I''m going back to my room to rest.¡± Charlotte made up her mind. ¡°You should return to watch the


    show.¡±


    ¡°I need a rest too.¡± Louis fanned himself. ¡°I don''t know why, but I feel a little hot.¡±


    ¡°All right. Let''s head back together.¡±


    They returned to the vi together. Before Charlotte could enter her room, Louis stopped her.


    ¡°Charlotte, I need to talk to you.¡±


    ¡°We can talk tomorrow.¡± The woman held her temples, drained of energy.


    ¡°I''m afraid I''ll lose the courage to say anything tomorrow,¡± Louis confessed, sounding despondent.


    ¡°Now that there''s liquid courage in me, I''d like to talk to you.¡±


    Charlotte could not bring herself to reject him, so she caved in. ¡°All right. Come on in then.¡±


    Louis entered her room after her.


    Her two female bodyguards were also about to head in, but Louis'' bodyguard stopped them. ¡°The


    couple wishes to talk in private. I don''t think it''s appropriate for you two to be inside the room, right?¡±


    ¡°But...¡± Charlotte''s bodyguards nced at her hesitantly.


    ¡°Leave us alone,¡± Charlottemanded.


    ¡°Yes!¡± The bodyguards left as instructed.


    After mming the door shut, Charlotte poured two sses of water. She offered one to Louis and sat


    down on the sofa to drink hers.


    ¡°Charlotte,¡± Louis uttered, gazing at her affectionately. He then proceeded to reveal his true feelings for


    her. ¡°Do you know how delighted I was when you agreed to marry me? My dream is finallying true!


    Our wedding will be held eight dayster¡ª¡±


    ¡°Louis,¡± Charlotte cut him short. She frowned and continued, ¡°If that''s what you want to say, you can do


    it another day. I''m too tired and wish to go to bed.¡±


    ¡°You''ve been so cold to metely,¡± heined wistfully. ¡°Is it because Zachary''s arriving soon?¡±


    ¡°Can you stop acting like a child?¡± she snapped impatiently. ¡°I''ve been honest with you from the start¡ªI


    don''t have romantic feelings for you. If you insist on marrying me, you have to consider it carefully.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you''ve warned me, and I understand.¡± Louis could not seem to hide his grievance. ¡°I''ve been


    trying so hard to close the distance between us. I thought you''d be touched by my efforts, but you


    remained unfazed no matter what I did. On the contrary, I think you''re drifting apart from me.¡±


    The more he spoke, the more agitated he became. In a choking voice, he pleaded, ¡°Charlotte, please


    be honest with me. Do you still love Zachary? Are you going to get back together with him?¡±


    ¡°That''s enough!¡± Charlotte did not want to hear any more of it. ¡°Tonight isn''t a good time for us to talk.


    We can continue the conversation tomorrow.¡±


    She ced her ss down with a thud. ¡°I need to go to bed. Good night!¡± It was clearly an order to


    leave.


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    ¡°I''m sorry for acting rashly. If I''ve upset you, please ept my apology,¡± Louis apologized instantly.


    He was back to his cowardly self. Though an unknown fire was zing within his body, arousing his


    desire, he dared noty a finger on Charlotte.


    ¡°I hope I didn''t affect your mood. Goodbye, and see you tomorrow.¡±


    Louis was all ready to leave when the phone on the coffee table rang. The caller ID showed that it was


    a call from Zachary.


    Charlotte was startled. Why is Zachary calling me at this hour?


    At the sight of the man''s name, Louis exploded with anger. ¡°Charlotte, did you kick me out so that you


    can answer his call? Didn''t you tell me you''ve broken up with him and that you''ll never get back


    together with him ever again? Why is he calling you thiste?¡±


    ¡°Louis, what''s wrong with you today?¡± she demanded.


    He''s acting strange tonight. Usually, Louis is a polite gentleman. No matter what, he''ll choose to


    communicate in a sensible manner. He has never acted this capriciously before.


    ¡°Don''t forget that you''re my fianc¨¦e, Charlotte,¡± Louis roared. ¡°You announced our wedding to the


    public yourself. You can''t do this to me!¡±


    ¡°Louis, are you drunk?¡± Charlotte rolled her eyes. ¡°I didn''t cheat on you, did I? Why are you so


    agitated?¡±

 Chapter 1207

    Chapter 1207


    ¡°Then why is he calling you at this hour?¡±


    ¡°You should ask him, not me. I have no idea!¡± Charlotte refused to continue talking about this, so she


    urged, ¡°All right, leave now. We can talk tomorrow.¡±


    Instead of doing as told, Louis picked up her phone and answered the call.


    ¡°You¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hello.¡±


    Before she could say anything, Zachary''s voice came from the other end of the line.


    N?velDrama.Org owns all content.


    Furrowing her brows, Charlotte red at Louis before answering, ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Tonight, I...¡± Zachary was about to say something but suddenly changed his mind. ¡°You sound


    different. What''s wrong?¡±


    ¡°I''ll hang up if you''ve got nothing to say.¡±


    Charlotte was about to end the call when Louis interjected indignantly, ¡°Why are you in such a hurry?


    Are you afraid he''ll find out that we''re together?¡±


    ¡°Louis!¡± She stared at him in disbelief. I can''t believe he just said that!


    ¡°Louis?¡± Zachary''s voice rang out.


    ¡°Yes, it''s me.¡± ring at Charlotte, Louis responded furiously, ¡°Zachary, she''s my fianc¨¦e now! Please


    stay away from her!¡±


    With that, he ended the call.


    ¡°Louis, do you have any idea what you''re doing?¡± Charlotte finally lost her temper. Anger bubbled up in


    her chest as she demanded, ¡°Even if he did call, it must be about the children. Why did you do that?¡±


    ¡°Why didn''t he call in the day to talk about the children? Why at this hour?¡± Louis retorted. ¡°Why did you


    treat me coldly when you found out he''s going toe here?¡±


    ¡°You''re drunk. I can''t get through you.¡± Charlotte refused to continue the conversation. ¡°Please leave,


    now!¡±


    Sorrow overwhelmed Louis when he saw how heartless she was treating him. At the same time, a


    strange impulse coursed through his body, making him extremely frustrated.


    ¡°Why are you in a hurry to kick me out?¡± He grabbed her shoulders, seemingly heartbroken at her


    action. ¡°I love you so much. Can''t you feel it?¡±


    ¡°Louis¡ª¡±


    Her reply was cut short by Louis'' attempt to kiss her.


    Charlotte panicked and tried to shove him away, but she was not his match, and he refused to release


    his grip on her.


    In haste, she gave him a tight p across his cheek.


    p! Louis was rooted to the spot.


    Furious, Charlotte barked to chase him out of her room.


    ¡°Get out right...¡± However, her voice trailed off upon seeing the blood trickling out of Louis'' nose,


    staining his pristine white suit.


    ¡°Charlotte, I''m sorry. I don''t know what happened. Perhaps it''s because I''m too drunk.¡± Louis regained


    his senses from the p and hung his head low in embarrassment.


    He was about to head out when footsteps sounded from outside. A maid hade upstairs.


    Covering his bleeding nose, he came to a halt, clearly at a loss.


    ¡°Clean yourself in the bathroom,¡± Charlotte urged. She then quickly apologized, ¡°I''m sorry. I didn''t do


    that on purpose.¡±


    I didn''t p him that hard. Why did he get a nosebleed that easily?


    ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Louis hurried into the bathroom.


    Feeling her head throbbing, Charlotte slumped on the sofa and ced a palm on her forehead


    grouchily.


    I thought it was all right to agree to marry him. After all, I won''t fall in love again. It was all for my family,


    especially Danrique''s sake. Back then, it sounded like an excellent opportunity to avoid Zachary. I only


    realize now that some things can''t be forced. Even if the entire world buys my lie, I can''t lie to myself. I


    can''t pretend to like Louis nor be intimate with him. I can''t even put up an enthusiastic front before him.


    I just can''t.


    Frustrated, Charlotte felt parched. She grabbed the ss on the table and downed the water. Only after


    her third ss was her thirst quelled.


    Exhaustion took over her, and she slowly dozed off on the sofa.

 Chapter 1208

    Chapter 1208


    In the bathroom, Louis sshed cold water onto his face until his nosebleed stopped. He stared at his


    reflection in the mirror and gradually became sober.


    Recalling his prior actions, he squirmed.


    I''ve always been a gentleman. What happened today? Why did I be this bold? I even tried to take


    advantage of Charlotte. That was horrible of me!


    Louis reprimanded himself silently as he tried to clean his clothes in exasperation.


    His white suit was stained with blood. If he were to leave Charlotte''s room right now, the maids would


    definitely see the bloodstain and inform his mother.


    I''m her only son, so she dotes on me a lot. If she sees me in this state, she might get upset and


    reprimand Charlotte. Their rtionship might sour if that were to happen.


    At that thought, Louis went back to cleaning his clothes hurriedly.


    The water flowed from the faucet noisily, drowning the sounds outside, so he was unaware of the


    intruder.


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    After entering the room quietly, Diana locked the door.


    Delight shed across her eyes when she saw Charlotte was fast asleep. She then nced at the


    bathroom carefully and made sure the water was still running before heading toward the sofa.


    Swiftly, she poured a packet of powder into a ss and shook it lightly to make sure it had dissolved


    before feeding Charlotte the spiked water.


    Then, she dragged Charlotte into the closet and hid thetter inside.


    Right at that moment, the sound of flowing water ceased. In a panic, Diana switched off the lights on


    the bedside table, took off her clothes, and dived onto the bed.


    ¡°Charlotte, I can''t wash the blood off my zer. It should be fine if I remove it and leave with just my


    shirt on, right?¡± Louis asked as he stepped out of the bathroom.


    He stopped, realizing that the lights were switched off. The only light source was the dim emergency


    lights from the closet.


    ¡°Charlotte?¡± Louis was confused. ¡°Why did you switch the lights off?¡±


    ¡°Mm...¡± A low sound came from the woman on the bed. It seemed that she was moaning in a state of


    drunkenness.


    ¡°Are you all right?¡± Thinking that Charlotte was drunk, Louis carefully made his way over to the bed.


    ¡°Why are you lying in bed? Are you feeling unwell?¡±


    Diana dared not utter a word. She was afraid Louis might recognize her once she said something.


    Louis finished that ss of water earlier. Why is he still conscious now?


    ¡°Are you still mad at me?¡± Louis sounded guilty. ¡°I have no idea why I lost control of myself earlier. I''m


    really sorry. Please forgive me.¡±


    Saying nothing, the woman in bed turned slightly, exposing her long legs and half of her perky butt.


    It was obvious that she wanted to seduce Louis.


    Louis halted at the sight of the long legs. The fire inside of him lit up all of a sudden, and he felt his


    nether regions stirring.


    However, he swiftly looked away and reminded himself. No, you can''t do this, Louis. Seriously, what is


    wrong with me today? It feels like there''s a worm in my body, and it''s making me extra restless.


    Thest shred of consciousness in him stopped him from forcing himself on Charlotte.


    I love Charlotte, so I can''t take advantage of her when she''s feeling unwell.


    ¡°Charlotte, I have to go. I''ll ask Lupine toe in and take care of you.¡±


    As he turned to leave, a hand slipped out from under the duvet and grabbed his.


    ¡°Charlotte!¡± Louis was startled. Before he could do anything, he was pulled onto the bed, and


    something soft was pressed against his lips.


    At the same time, a pair of slender and smooth hands slipped underneath his clothes and roamed


    everywhere.


    Louis'' eyes widened in disbelief as his body tensed. Burning passion rose within him and took over his


    entire being. He could not suppress his desire anymore.


    No longer rational, he pinned the woman underneath him and showered her with wild and passionate


    kisses.

 Chapter 1209

    Chapter 1209


    At the same time, Charlotte was blissfully fast asleep inside the closet without having a clue of what


    was happening outside.


    The bed shook violently as the man and woman engaged in a passionate session of lovemaking,


    utterly unaware of the woman hidden inside the closet.


    As Louis climaxed, he moaned again and again, ¡°Charlotte, I love you.¡±


    Tears welled in Diana''s eyes, but she bit her lip and held back her sobs.


    I''ve waited years to be Louis'' woman. I can''t let my efforts go down the drain.


    Outside the room, Lupine was on the way to Charlotte''s room when she bumped into the two female


    bodyguards. She questioned, ¡°Why are you both outside? Where''s Ms. Lindberg?¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg is in her room,¡± came the reply.


    ¡°She''s alone inside? Is she asleep?¡± Lupine sounded worried.


    ¡°Sir Louis is inside too. We don''t know whether he has left,¡± the bodyguard answered.


    ¡°What?¡± Lupine knitted her brows. ¡°Didn''t I ask you to stay with Ms. Lindberg at all times? She needs


    someone to take care of her since she drank a lot of wine.¡±


    ¡°We were with her until Sir Louis said he wanted to talk to her in private. Initially, we wanted to go in,


    but Ms. Lindberg told us to leave them alone,¡± one female bodyguard exined.


    ¡°Even so, you shouldn''t have gone far away. What if something happens? You should''ve stood guard


    outside the room,¡± Lupine growled in displeasure.


    ¡°That was what we thought too. But Ms. Lindberg and Sir Louis are about to get married, so it didn''t


    seem right for us to stand guard outside the room¡ª¡±


    ¡°Cut the crap!¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Lupine strode up the stairs to see Charlotte for herself.


    Suddenly, a deafening bang came from outside.


    She froze for a second before hurrying to the windows to see what was going on.


    Thick plumes of cloud billowed from the stage, and mes zed brightly. The maids screamed and


    descended into a state of hysteria.


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    ¡°What happened?¡± the bodyguards asked anxiously.


    ¡°The assassins might''ve sneaked in.¡± Lupine guessed as she studied the situation carefully. Frowning,


    she ordered, ¡°Go to Ms. Lindberg''s room and stand guard outside. Don''t go anywhere else. I shall go


    check on the children.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    Although she had arrived on the corridor of the second floor, Lupine still spun on her heels and dashed


    down the stairs.


    She knew how much Charlotte adored the kids, so it would be a disaster if they got hurt.


    Both bodyguards arrived outside Charlotte''s room and stood guard there.


    Since the room''s soundproofing was top-notch and coupled with the chaos and explosions outside,


    they could not hear a single sound inside the room.


    At that moment, Louis had lost all sense of rationality, acting like a beast that sumbed to desire.


    Outside, fireworks were blooming magnificently in the sky.


    The kids jumped with joy and whooped gleefully at the spectacr sight.


    Sherlyn and the maids were enjoying the fireworks with smiles hovering on their lips.


    After running into the garden, Lupine btedly realized that the loud explosion hade from the


    fireworks.


    The magician had created the billowing smoke and fiery mes for suspense.


    At first, the kids and maids were indeed shaken up, but they immediately cheered once they realized it


    was nothing but a surprise.


    Lupine breathed a sigh of relief as she looked up at the fireworks. Yes, the fireworks were splendid, but


    there was a niggling anxiety in her heart.


    ¡°Lupine!¡± Right then, one of the Lindberg''s male bodyguards scurried over to her and warned gruffly,


    ¡°Assassins have infiltrated the manor. Protect the kids.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Lupine nched with horror.


    She immediately contacted Morgan andmanded everyone to watch over the children. Nothing can


    happen to them!

 Chapter 1210

    Chapter 1210


    The magician was still performing on the stage, and so were the brilliant fireworks blooming in the sky.


    Lupine and her team of female bodyguards rushed to the front of the stage. They surrounded the


    children protectively and watched over them on high alert.


    Fortunately, all five children were still standing before the stage, still enraptured by the magic show.


    Sherlyn was also with them, talking andughing merrily. It seemed as if she was utterly oblivious to


    what was happening outside.


    Lupine observed Sherlyn and dismissed her suspicions when she saw thetter''s attention was all on


    the children and the magic performance. In fact, she even felt a tinge of guilt for having doubted her.


    Even if someone did manage to sneak in, it would be an assassin from Erihal. Lady Sherlyn can''t have


    yed a part in it. Although she''s overbearingly protective and impatient, there''s inherently nothing bad


    about her.


    While themotion was going on outside, the two figures in the bedroom were still wrapped in each


    other''s arms, lost in ecstasy.


    At the same time, Charlotte was blissfully fast asleep inside the closet.


    The pair of female bodyguards standing guard by the door was unaware of what was going on inside


    the bedroom.


    After all, the sound of the fireworks exploding in the sky outside had drowned out all the soundsing


    from inside.


    Sherlyn casually nced in the direction of the bedroom upstairs, and her lips curled into a smirk. Louis


    and Charlotte must have done it!


    Little did she know, Diana had foiled her n.


    Soon after, the fireworks slowly faded into the night sky as the magic show came to an end.


    Before leaving the stage, the magician happily signed autographs for the children, snapped photos with


    them, and taught them simple tricks.


    It waste into the night, and the children were getting sleepy.


    Sherlyn bent down to their height and asked with a smile, ¡°So, did you all have fun today?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± the children shouted happily in unison.


    ¡°Well, I''m happy that my effort paid off,¡± she said with a pleased smile. ¡°It''ste now. Let''s all go to


    sleep.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± they said obediently.


    Lupine ordered Morgan and the other female bodyguards to escort the children back to their rooms.


    The maids were tidying up the garden, and the magician troupe was packing up their props on stage,


    getting ready to leave.


    Everything was being wrapped up in an orderly manner. In the meantime, Gordon and his men were


    combing the area to seek the people who had snuck into the manor while Lupine and Morgan had their


    hands full with the children.


    As a result, none of them knew what was happening in the bedroom.N?velDrama.Org owns all content.


    After Sherlyn had tucked the children in for the night, she returned to her room. As soon as she


    removed her heavy coat, she asked impatiently, ¡°How did it go? Is it done?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We watched Sir Louis enter Ms. Lindberg''s bedroom with our own eyes. It''s been two hours, and


    they''re still in there,¡± one maid replied as the others covered their mouths and giggled.


    ¡°That silly boy! He''s usually such a goody-two-shoes, but I gave him some liquid courage today.¡±


    Sherlyn was ted. ¡°Well, that''s great! With that, the wedding will surely go on! I may even get a little


    grandchild!¡±


    ¡°Congrattions in advance, Lady Sherlyn!¡± the maids gushed, eager to tter the duchess.


    ¡°It''s all thanks to you!¡± Sherlyn said graciously. She was in an especially good mood today.


    ¡°Lady Sherlyn, we''ll draw you a hot bath.¡±


    The maids helped Sherlyn undress for the night, chattering the whole time about what had gone down


    between Louis and Charlotte.


    The more Sherlyn heard from them, the prouder she became. I made a great decision!


    However, she suddenly recalled something and asked, ¡°Where''s Diana?¡±


    ¡°Diana was busying herself at the stage earlier today. After that, we don''t know where she disappeared


    to,¡± the maid replied with a shrug. ¡°Maybe she went back to her room to rest.¡±


    ¡°Hmph! Does she think I don''t know what''s going on?¡± Sherlyn sneered. ¡°She''s just upset to see Louis


    and Charlotte together.¡±


    ¡°Sir Louis is an attractive young man, both inside and out. He and Diana are childhood sweethearts, so


    it''s not unusual for her to have a crush on him,¡± the maid said with a small smile.


    ¡°Oh, she wishes!¡± Sherlyn raised her chin, her voice dripping with disdain. ¡°My son is of noble birth. Not


    any woman is worthy of him.¡±

 Chapter 1211

    Chapter 1211


    ¡°Of course!¡± The maid nodded vigorously in agreement.


    ¡°Frankly, I didn''t think Charlotte was worthy of him either in the beginning.¡± An inexplicable mix of


    emotions filled Sherlyn as she spoke. ¡°After all, she''s divorced and already had children from her


    previous marriage. How could she be worthy of being Louis'' wife?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that''s true. Besides, she''s actually two years older than Sir Louis, if I recall correctly,¡± one of the


    maids added in a judgmental tone.


    ¡°I just feel a little upset whenever I think about this matter,¡± Sherlyn said with a frown. ¡°I fought with my


    husband about this back then, but he was right. When you consider the power and influence that the


    Lindberg family holds, what does it matter that she was once married and already has children?¡±


    Truthfully, Louis could easily find himself a thousand other youngdies if he ever got bored of


    Charlotte. However, it would be impossible for him to find someone like her, a beautiful woman who


    hails from a good family and possesses great talents of her own.


    ¡°That''s true...¡± the maids concurred.


    ¡°Anyway, since Louis loves her, I won''t stand in his way.¡± Sherlyn heaved a sigh. ¡°After all, he''s my only


    son, and I want him to be happy!¡±


    ¡°Lady Sherlyn, you truly care for Sir Louis a lot.¡±


    ¡°Stop chattering now and hurry up. After this, make sure to send someone to keep an eye on


    Charlotte''s bedroom. Remember to inform me to go over before they wake up...¡±


    ¡°We understand,¡± the maids replied obediently.


    While his mother was busy masterminding her scheme, Louis was already fast asleep.


    After all, it was his first experience. At midnight, he had gotten so tired that he dozed off.


    Diana leaned in his embrace and rained kisses all over his sleeping face, besotted with him. She


    wanted to be one with him forever, never to be separated again.


    However, she knew it was not the time yet.


    After forcing herself to get out of bed, she got dressed, tiptoed to the closet, and dragged the


    unconscious Charlotte out of it. Then, she undressed her and plopped her onto the bed next to Louis.


    Her heart ached at the sight of the man she loved lying next to another woman. At the same time, she


    shot a look of resentment at Charlotte.


    However, she knew her grand n would be ruined if she acted hastily.


    She did not stop at merely cing Charlotte in thatpromising position. Instead, she went further


    and pinched thetter''s chest and thighs, leaving purple bruises on her delicate skin. Then, she threw


    the duvet over her and Louis'' naked bodies.


    It was four o''clock in the morning, and the world was silent.


    No one was still awake in the manor. Diana quietly slipped out of the bedroom and quickly returned to


    the maid''s room on the first floor. Her heart was fluttering with joy the entire time.


    Just as she returned to her room, a maid, who had woken up to relieve herself, caught sight of her. She


    asked casually, ¡°Diana, where did you go? Why are you back sote?¡±


    ¡°I was in the garden the whole time...¡± Diana replied smoothly, for she had already thought of an


    excuse. Feigning a dejected expression, she continued, ¡°You even walked past me! You didn''t notice


    me?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Oh, okay...¡± the maid replied groggily and went back to sleep.


    Diana breathed a sigh of relief and tiptoed into the bathroom to take a shower. Seeing the love marks


    Louis had left on her skin, she recalled the sweetness she had experienced earlier that night and felt


    blissful.


    After washing up, she was about toy in bed when another maid came over and called them hurriedly,


    ¡°Get up! Lady Sherlyn is about to wake up!¡±


    Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I''ll attend to her,¡± Diana volunteered. ¡°You all can continue sleeping.¡±


    ¡°We can''t fall back asleep! Something big is happening today, so we all have to be there,¡± another maid


    said mysteriously. ¡°If everything goes well, Lady Sherlyn may reward us!¡±


    ¡°Wow! Okay, time to get up!¡± the other maids said excitedly. All traces of sleep disappeared from their


    faces as they immediately rushed to the bathroom to freshen up.


    Diana''s heart sank. However, she knew that it was not time yet. She had to continue to be patient.


    ¡°I''ll go attend to Lady Sherlyn first. Take your time to get ready.¡±


    Diana hurried to Sherlyn''s bedroom.


    When she entered, the duchess was already seated at her dressing table, putting on makeup and


    setting her hair. Diana walked toward her quickly. ¡°Aunt Sherlyn, let me do it!¡±


    ¡°Where were youst night?¡± Sherlyn asked pointedly.

 Chapter 1212

    Chapter 1212


    ¡°I was just hanging out in the garden for a little while...¡± Diana replied in a soft voice.


    ¡°You know, Diana, we should all know our social status and where we stand in rtion to one other.¡±


    Sherlyn hinted at her. ¡°What is yours will be yours. Whatever that isn''t meant to be yours... Well, just


    forget about it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I understand.¡± Diana lowered her head humbly. He''s already mine.


    ¡°It''s good that you understand. Now, do my makeup quickly. I''m going to see Louis soon.¡±


    Sherlyn assumed that Diana had epted her fate and smiled triumphantly to herself.


    Charlotte woke up in a confused state. Her head felt heavy, and her body was aching everywhere.


    Trying to ease the difort, she rubbed her temples and turned to her side. The bed felt more


    sunken in for some reason as if someone was lying next to her.


    Her sleepy eyes suddenly shot wide open in surprise. There really is someone in bed with me! I


    thought I was dreaming!


    Blinking her eyes hard in disbelief, she took a second look. Someone is really lying beside me!


    ¡°Ah!¡± Charlotte screamed in horror and quickly sat up. That was when she realized that she was


    completely naked. At that realization, she hastened to pull the duvet to cover her bare chest and tried


    hard to recall what had happened the previous night.


    Louis jolted awake from her shout. He turned around and was also stunned to find himself lying next to


    her. Lifting the duvet, he nced down at his naked body and recalledst night''s events.


    In an instant, a grin lit up his face as he reached out to hug Charlotte. ¡°Charlotte, we''ve finally¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, that''s impossible! No way!¡± She dodged his outstretched arms, shaking her head in a panic.


    ¡°There must be some sort of a mistake here!¡±


    ¡°How can it be a mistake?¡± he asked anxiously. ¡°We were clearly making lovest night! You were


    holding onto me so tightly, and you kept on kissing me everywhere¡ª¡±


    ¡°I did no such thing! That can''t be true!¡± Charlotte interrupted him. ¡°You''re mistaken. You must be


    mistaken!¡±


    ¡°I''m not mistaken!¡± Louis insisted. ¡°Charlotte, I know it was not right of me. We''ve had too much to drink


    last night. I know I wasn''t very gentle with you, and I didn''t consider your feelings. I swear I''ll be better


    next time. Please don''t be angry with me!¡±


    ¡°No, no, this is not happening...¡± Before Charlotte could finish her sentence, a knock sounded at the


    door. Sherlyn called out from the other side, ¡°Charlotte, are you awake? Let''s take the children out for


    horse riding.¡±


    Charlotte panicked even more when she heard the duchess'' voice.


    She wanted to get up from the bed, but she waspletely naked, and her clothes were nowhere to


    be seen. In a hurry, she tried to wrap herself in the duvet, but her movement exposed Louis'' bare body.


    Shocked, Charlotte quickly turned her head away.


    ¡°Charlotte, are you going to take a shower? I''ll grab a towel for you...¡± Louis offered when he saw


    Charlotte getting up. He was trying to appease her.


    ¡°Shh!¡± Charlotte hurriedly hushed him. However, it was toote as Sherlyn spoke again. ¡°Huh, why do I


    hear Louis'' voice inside the room?¡±N?velDrama.Org owns all content.


    With that, she started rapping the door again. ¡°Louis, are you in there?¡±


    ¡°Mom, I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Charlotte was about to explode in frustration.


    ¡°Oh, so you are inside the room.¡± Sherlyn twisted the doorknob and pushed open the door. ¡°Well, I''m


    coming in then. Let''s go to...¡±


    However, her voice trailed off when she saw the mess in front of her.


    Wide-eyed, she stared at them in astonishment. ¡°You two...¡±


    All the maids who were following along behind her, including Diana, saw the scene as well.


    Every single one of them gaped at Louis and Charlotte, then exchanged hushed whispers.


    Charlotte closed her eyes in defeat and wished fervently for the ground to swallow her whole.


    ¡°Mom, what are you doing? Get out!¡±


    Louis quickly helped wrap the duvet tightly around Charlotte''s naked frame.


    ¡°I''m sorry. I''m so sorry...¡±


    Sherlyn hurriedly turned around and left with her entourage of maids away, even ordering them to close


    the door.


    However, before the door was fully shut, Lupine and Morgan, who had just arrived at the scene, caught


    sight of the naked Charlotte and Louis in the bedroom.


    Zachary, who was walking behind the two of them, too, saw what was happening inside the bedroom.

 Chapter 1213

    Chapter 1213


    When Zachary called Charlotte the previous night, he had boarded a chartered private jet to fly him into


    Arkfield.


    He wanted to tell her that he would be arriving early in the morning and that he wished to have a proper


    conversation with her, but Louis cut off his call.


    Although Zachary was rather ticked off by that, he did not pursue the matter.


    That was because he trusted Charlotte and believed that she still loved him and would never cheat on


    him with another man.


    However, a terrible surprise greeted him when he arrived at the manor.


    Even though he did not enter the bedroom and was still standing quite a distance from the door, he had


    seen everything that he needed to see.


    His height allowed him to see over the women''s heads in front of him, so he had a clear view of the


    bedroom.


    With his own eyes, he saw the naked figures of Louis and Charlotte on the bed. The entire room was in


    a mess. Anybody could have easily guessed what had happened the night before in that room.


    ¡°Z-Zachary, when did you get here?¡± Sherlyn was startled to see Zachary.


    She had not considered him in her intricate scheme.


    In fact, she had no idea that Zachary would be arriving in the manor at this hour.Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    However, this is quite a good surprise...


    Zachary did not reply to her as his eyes were still fixed on the scene in the bedroom.


    Recently, the treatments he had been undergoing caused him to lose a lot of weight, and hence his


    eyes were sunken. His hair had grown long, and there were lines on his face where there once were


    none.


    Even so, his eyes were still sharp, and he still exuded a domineering aura.


    Beneath them, emotions rolled like raging waves in a sea at night.


    Sherlyn felt rather flustered by his expression. She knew that blood would spill if Zachary were to lose


    his temper.


    However, when reminded that they were in the Laurent family''s manor, she quickly steeled herself. This


    is my territory. Besides, Charlotte and Louis are about to get married.


    No matter how scared she was of him, she knew she had to stand up to him for her son''s sake.


    Hence, the duchess stepped toward Zachary and said in a polite tone, ¡°Louis and Charlotte are already


    engaged. Their wedding will be held in seven days. Even if something did happenst night...¡±


    Her sentence was cut short by the sharp look he had thrown at her.


    Frightened, she quickly held her tongue. She did not even dare to breathe as panic filled her eyes.


    However, Zachary did not explode with fury, unlike the usual him. In a low, icy tone, he ordered Lupine,


    ¡°Attend to her bath. I''ll be waiting for her in the study half an hourter.¡±


    After that, he spun on his heels and headed to the study downstairs.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Lupine snapped out of her daze and headed into the bedroom with the female bodyguards to


    help Charlotte sort out the mess.


    Diana, too, led two maids into the room. She helped Louis into a robe and escorted him out of


    Charlotte''s bedroom.


    ¡°Lady Sherlyn, Sir Robert is on the phone,¡± one of the maids announced hurriedly.


    ¡°Get back to work!¡± Sherlyn took the phone from the maid and started to walk back to her bedroom.


    ¡°What are you all still doing here?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The maids lingering in the corridor quickly disappeared.


    Sherlyn shut her bedroom door behind her and said into the phone, ¡°What''s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Has Zachary arrived at the manor?¡± Robert asked eagerly. ¡°He didn''t confront Louis, did he?¡±


    ¡°Not yet, but he mightter...¡± she replied, feeling a little uneasy. ¡°This is our home! Zachary wouldn''t


    dare to pick a fight here, would he?¡±


    ¡°Did something happen?¡± He probed further.


    ¡°Well...¡± She then told him about what happened between Louis and Charlotte the night before. ¡°I didn''t


    expect Zachary to appear at that moment. He saw everything, and the way he gazed at them seemed


    as if he wanted to eat them up!¡±


    ¡°Louis has always been a gentleman. How did he be so wild after a few drinks?¡± Robert wondered


    out loud. ¡°Even if the boy got drunk, Charlotte would still have been sober. Did you do something?¡±


    ¡°The pressing matter now is to ensure your son''s safety! What nonsense are you talking about?¡±


    Sherlyn snapped. ¡°Hurry up and get back here! If Zachary loses his temper, you''re the only one who


    can stop him.¡±

 Chapter 1214

    Chapter 1214


    ¡°I''m on my way.¡± Robert added sternly, ¡°Whatever Zachary does, don''t push his buttons. Be patient and


    make concessions if you need to until I arrive.¡±


    Sherlyn was frustrated at his advice. ¡°Why are you so scared of him? We''re in F Nation.¡±


    He merely retorted, ¡°You''ve led a sheltered life for far too long, and you''re out of touch with the dangers


    out there. You need to trust me on this; don''t cause more trouble-¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay, I got it,¡± came Sherlyn''s reluctant agreement. ¡°Now hurry up! I''m going to check on Louis.¡±


    After hanging up, she did not immediately visit Louis but instead turned to her subordinates. ¡°Have all


    our bodyguards patrol the periphery. If anyone catches Zachary messing around, seize him


    immediately.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lady Sherlyn.¡±


    The order did little to soothe Sherlyn''s anxiety, and she eventually grabbed a gun from a drawer and


    hid it beneath her clothes before visiting her son.


    Meanwhile, Charlotte was taking a shower when she noticed some marks on her body. She gasped in


    shock. ¡°What''s this?¡±


    Morgan was surprised as well, and she sputtered, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, did you and Sir Louis-¡±


    C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    ¡°I don''t remember a thing,¡± Charlotte interrupted as she clutched her forehead in frustration.


    She tried her best to recall what happened earlier.


    ¡°I remember chatting with Louis aftering back to my room. We argued, and I pped him so hard


    that his nose began bleeding. He got himself cleaned up in the bathroom while I drank some water on


    the couch. I fell asleep after that.¡±


    Charlotte had a splitting headache then. ¡°I really don''t remember anything after that.¡±


    Morgan said, ¡°Did Sir Louis do something while you-¡±


    She could hardly bring herself to finish her sentence as she became overwhelmed with anger.


    ¡°That jerk! And here I thought he was a real gentleman! I can''t believe he''s so dishonorable! I''m going


    to kill him!¡±


    Morgan made to leave the room, huffing with anger, when Lupine pulled her back. ¡°What are you


    doing? Nothing''s confirmed yet, and you''re rushing about like some headless chicken. Get a grip!¡±


    ¡°But Sir Louis took advantage of Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    Lupine repeated herself, ¡°We need to rify things before jumping to conclusions.¡±


    ¡°Aren''t things clear enough already? The proof is right in front of you!¡±


    ¡°You''ve literally considered one possibility.¡±


    ¡°I-¡±


    ¡°Enough! Please stop fighting,¡± Charlotte pleaded as their argument worsened her headache.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± the two of them said in unison, lowering their heads in shame.


    Charlotte tried her best to consider the situation logically. ¡°Louis wouldn''t do something like this. The


    key to solving this puzzle is my memory loss. My gut instinct tells me that nothing happened between


    us. But if that''s the case, where did these marks on my bodye from, then?¡±


    ¡°Something''s fishy about this whole situation.¡± After some thought, Lupine continued, ¡°I''ll check things


    out; we might be missing something.¡±


    Charlotte''s heart skipped a beat as a face suddenly came to mind. ¡°He saw it!¡±


    Lupine immediately understood who she meant. ¡°I didn''t expect Mr. Nacht to show up at this time. You


    won''t be able to y dumb about this now.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht''s got a temper, though. I have no idea what he''ll do next.¡± Morgan sounded worried as well.


    Charlotte''s mind drifted to her kids. She addressed Lupine, ¡°You should leave to keep an eye on the


    children. Don''t let them know about this. Bring Jamie, Robbie, and Ellie to the pasture; you can bring


    Danrique''s children along. Tell them that Mommy and Daddy have some things to discuss and will pick


    them up a bitter.¡±


    ¡°I''m on it.¡± Right before Lupine left, she turned to Morgan and said, ¡°Stay here and apany Ms.


    Lindberg. Make sure she''s okay.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    Lupine bumped into Diana the moment she left Charlotte''s room.


    Diana was heading to Louis'' bedroom with a steaming bowl of chicken soup.


    The sight suddenly reminded Lupine of the two sses of water fromst night. Maybe something''s


    wrong with the water.


    She immediately ordered Jade to track down the drinking sses fromst night and send them for


    analysis.


    Jade got to work at once.

 Chapter 1215

    Chapter 1215


    Zachary was slumped on a couch in the study room, his eyes downcast.


    It was impossible to tell what was responsible for his cold, murderous gaze.


    Bruce scrunched his brows in concern as he whispered, ¡°He looks like he''s about to kill someone.¡±


    Ben seemed more optimistic about the situation as he replied, ¡°He won''t. He''s a lot calmer after that


    harrowing incident.¡±


    C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    The words had barely left his mouth when someone opened the door from the outside. A familiar voice


    drifted in. ¡°Zachary!¡±


    It was Louis.


    He hade to exin things for fear that Zachary would make things difficult for Charlotte.


    Louis was fraught with nerves as he entered the room carefully. Even his voice shook as he called out


    his greeting earlier.


    Zachary lifted his head slowly and stared coldly at Louis, looking like a predator scrutinizing its


    unfortunate prey.


    Louis decided to defuse the tension in the room by mentioning Zachary''s children. ¡°Where''s Jamie?


    Robbie and Ellie miss him dearly, and they''ve been hoping to meet him soon.¡±


    Zachary continued ring at Louis wordlessly as the hands he had ced on his thighs gradually


    clenched into fists.


    Still, Louis pushed on with his agenda and added, ¡°Since you''re already here, you''re wee to stay


    for a few more days. This way, the children can spend more time with each other-¡±


    ¡°They''re my children!¡± Zachary seethed, finally breaking his silence. ¡°You have no right to organize their


    lives.¡±


    ¡°That''s not what I meant. What I''m trying to say is-¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± Zachary interrupted his meek defense. ¡°Now tell me everything aboutst night; you''d better


    have a darn good exnation for what happened.¡±


    Louis sat obediently on a couch facing Zachary andunched into an exnation. ¡°We were watching a


    magician troupe''s performancest night, and Charlotte and I got drunk.¡±


    He suddenly paused in the middle of his words and said, ¡°Wait, why should I be exining anything to


    you? Charlotte and I are getting married soo-¡±


    ¡°She''s my woman!¡± Zachary roared furiously


    Stunned by his outburst, Louis stared at him silently.


    ¡°You''re mistaken.¡±


    Sherlyn had shown up just then as Louis'' cavalry.


    ¡°You may have been with Charlotte in the past, but all of that is history. We made a public


    announcement regarding Louis and Charlotte''s marriage two months ago; Charlotte even made the


    statement herself. They''re getting married in a week.¡±


    Instead of looking at Sherlyn, Zachary frowned and continued to interrogate Louis, ¡°Is there anything


    else you''d like to say?¡±


    ¡°There''s nothing left to say.¡± Louis nced at him timidly and lowered his head. ¡°We got drunk, and


    then things just happened.¡±


    Sherlyn chimed in, ¡°They''re adults, for heaven''s sake. Nothing''s wrong if they slept together. Besides,


    you''re her ex-husband; you don''t have a say in their rtionship. Why should Louis be exining


    things-¡±


    Crash!


    Zachary mmed his fists on the ss coffee table before him, shattering it.


    His action had Sherlyn shuddering in fear, utterly tongue-tied.


    Meanwhile, Louis trembled and instinctively scooted backward.


    The atmosphere in the study room instantly chilled by several degrees.


    ¡°D-Don''t do anything stupid now,¡± Sherlyn said fearfully. ¡°We''re in F Nation.¡±


    ¡°Lady Sherlyn, please leave.¡± Zachary''s request was nothing more than a thinly-veiledmand.


    He seemed even more menacing as he wiped off the blood and ss shards on his hand with a wet


    towel.


    ¡°Why should I leave?¡±


    ¡°Lady Sherlyn, please leave.¡±


    Just then, Charlotte''s voice rang out, sounding a lot calmer than Zachary.


    She added for good measure, ¡°I promise that nothing will happen to Louis.¡±


    With that, Charlotte entered the study room slowly, her gazending on Zachary. Her heart swirled with


    an array of conflicting emotions.

 Chapter 1216

    Chapter 1216


    Zachary seemed different from thest time Charlotte saw him two months ago.


    He had lost a lot of weight, causing his features to be more defined than before. The knuckles on


    his hands seemed unusually prominent, while his sunken eyes conveyed a hollow, depressed gaze.


    C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    Zachary''s carefully-styled hair had be long, messy locks, making him seem wilder and more


    mysterious than ever.


    Charlotte''s heart ached at the sight.


    She felt deeply regretful when she saw his heartbroken gaze.


    When Zachary lifted his head, she immediately retracted her gaze. She did not want him to notice that


    she had been staring.


    Steeling herself, Charlotte cooled her demeanor and ignored his gaze. She lowered her eyes and


    walked further into the room.


    Sherlyn eximed, ¡°Charlotte! You''ve arrived just in time. Please exin everything to Mr. Nacht. He


    seems to have some sort of misunderstanding about Louis, or he might''ve been too busy and missed


    the news of your engagement. Why, he thought Louis took advantage of you, and he''s interrogating


    him right now!¡±


    ¡°Mom...¡± Louis warned, ¡°Please leave. We''ll talk things through with Zachary, and you shouldn''t be


    involved.¡±


    ¡°What are you rushing me for?¡± Sherlyn eyed her son disapprovingly before assuming the persona of a


    weing host and addressing Zachary instead. ¡°Mr. Nacht, wee to our manor. You and Louis are


    great friends, and I''m happy to have you here as a guest. Feel free to stay for a few more days, so that


    you''ll be around for Louis'' wedding as well!¡±


    Sherlyn''s invitation reeked of insincerity and condescension.


    ¡°Mom, stop it.¡±


    Louis nced at Zachary nervously and tried to push his mother out of the study room.


    ¡°Why are you pushing me?¡± Zachary''s non-reaction fueled Sherlyn''s insolence as she added, ¡°This is


    my house, and I''m the host. I have every right to wee him-¡±


    ¡°Mom, that''s enough,¡± Louis cut in and finally pushed his mother out the door.


    Tensions remained high in the study room. Zachary had not exploded earlier because he did not care


    for Sherlyn''s words at all; it had nothing to do with a good temper.


    He only cared about Charlotte''s opinion.


    ¡°I''m still waiting for an exnation,¡± he said hoarsely, staring at Charlotte with an indecipherable gaze.


    I''ll believe whatever she says. I''ll believe it over anything I saw with my own two eyes.


    Charlotte refused to meet his gaze as she replied, ¡°There''s nothing left to exin. We have nothing to


    do with each other, and anything I do is none of your business.¡±


    Her calm words hurt Zachary more than Sherlyn''s insults ever would.


    He could let any insult slide off his back, but he was powerless in the face of Charlotte''s words, which


    felt like daggers stabbing straight through his heart.


    Zachary asked cautiously, ¡°So,st night, did you and Louis really-¡±


    He cut his sentence short as the scene he had witnessed the night before crossed his mind. The pain


    in his heart was unbearable.


    The study room became eerily silent as he awaited Charlotte''s answer.


    Charlotte kept her head lowered as her hands kneaded her dress anxiously. She had no idea how to


    answer him. She wanted so badly to tell him that nothing had happened, yetst night''s memories


    seemed to evade her.


    I could tell him that I don''t remember what happenedst night, but it''s just going toe across as a


    lame joke. He''ll never believe that.


    ¡°Tell me!¡± Zachary suddenly shouted, his patience running thin.


    His bellow frightened Louis, who had headed back to the study room after ushering his mother out.


    ¡°Louis, you need to take care of yourself!¡± Sherlyn stuffed something into his hands before she left.

 Chapter 1217

    Chapter 1217


    Louis stood at the doorway of the study room, staring at Zachary fearfully.


    When he finally collected himself, he was surprised to discover a small handgun in his hand. Louis


    hastily stuffed the weapon into his shirt sleeve.


    ¡°What''s it got to do with you?¡± Charlotte remained as hostile as before and continued, ¡°I''ve cut ties with


    you since the moment you threw me out on the wedding and forced me to leave without my child. You


    have no right to interrogate me about the men I date or marry.¡±


    ¡°Is this your way of saying that y-you were togetherst night?¡± Zachary seemed to ignore her


    statement, obsessed with only knowing what had happened the night before.


    Charlotte steeled herself and answered, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Technically, I was together with Louisst night. He''s the one asking vague questions.


    ¡°Great! Just great!¡±


    Zachary''s hopes were utterly destroyed, along with his earlierposure. His gaze turned dangerous


    as he emanated a murderous aura.


    He had initially thought that this was an borate hoax by the Laurent family to prevent him from


    reuniting with Charlotte and foiling her marriage ns with Louis.


    In his imagination, Charlotte was a victim of drugging. Even if anything happened between Louis and


    her, he would forgive her if she was not a willing participant.


    Charlotte''s face was, however, devoid of any sadness or regret. Instead, she behaved as if she was


    trying to keep her distance from him.


    She had not refuted anything that Sherlyn and Louis had said earlier.


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    And now, she had given him a direct answer to his pressing question.


    Little by little, they chipped away at Zachary''s fantasy of a loving reunion with Charlotte.


    I should never havee here bearing false hope. She''s changed a great deal since returning, and


    she''s no longer the Charlotte of my past. How could this be?


    Zachary''s clenched fists were shaking with anger as he red at Charlotte like a starved beast.


    Charlotte continued to avoid his gaze as she dered, ¡°Right then, everything''s cleared up. Thank you


    for bringing Jamie to visit me, and I''d be grateful if you could allow him to stay for a few days. I''d love to


    spend time with him and Ellie. You can take this time to apany Robbie as well.¡±


    She droned on about the children as ifst night''s incident was nothing of consequence.


    Unbeknownst to her, Zachary''s gaze was growing murderous at a frightful rate.


    ¡°You can even bring Robbie away with you for a couple of days as long as he''s agreeable to it.¡±


    Charlotte took a deep breath before saying her farewells. ¡°That''s all I have to say. Goodbye.¡±


    She was about to leave when Zachary lunged at her and pinned her against the couch.


    ¡°Zachary!¡± Louis rushed forward but was stopped by Ben.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg!¡± Morgan was about to do the same when Marino pulled her back.


    Zachary held Charlotte by her chin and gritted out, ¡°Charlotte! Do you know how hard I''ve been trying


    to resolve the feud between the Lindbergs and the Nachts? I''ve been racking my brains for ways to


    approach you and make things up to you.¡±


    He continued impassionedly, ¡°I even risked my life to find you. Whenever I was on the brink of death,


    the thought of you filled me with hope and the determination to survive. I did all this because I believed


    you would be awaiting my return as eagerly as I anticipated our reunion. But it looks like I was wrong.


    You couldn''t even wait one night. You threw yourself into another man''s arms despite knowing that I


    wasing to get you today.¡±

 Chapter 1218

    Chapter 1218


    ¡°Everything I did was a joke to you! An utter joke!¡± Zachary''s voice had lost its usual charm. Instead, it


    had turned hoarse with dejection.


    He sounded both sad and spiteful.


    Charlotte refused to allow her heart to soften. ¡°We could never go back to the way things used to be.


    It''s far toote.¡±


    ¡°Look at me, Charlotte.¡± Zachary desperately clung to his hopes for a reunion. He cupped her cheeks


    and forced her to meet his gaze. ¡°Tell me you were forced and sabotaged. As long as you didn''t agree


    to any of this, I''ll forgive you!¡±


    At that moment, Zachary had sunk to the lowest point of his life.


    He had never begged so pitifully for a woman before, to the point of tossing aside all his pride.


    Nheless, it was a worthwhile sacrifice if he could regain her trust and love.


    Charlotte''s eyes welled with tears as she took in his bloodshot eyes.


    She had never seen him in such anguish, and she could not help but sympathize with him.


    Regret and hatred filled her soul, urging her to confess that she had not voluntarily agreed to this


    marriage, that she had no idea what had happened.


    ¡°Talk to me!¡± Zachary bellowed impatiently. He needed to hear the words from her own mouth.


    I''ll believe anything she says.


    ¡°I-I-¡± Charlotte was about to say something when Zachary stiffened at the sight of the bruises along her


    neck and corbone.


    He tore apart her blouse viciously, and his world came crashing down the moment he saw the hickeys


    littered on her chest.


    Charlotte followed his gaze and froze, realizing that she had no way of exining herself now.


    ¡°Charlotte! Y-You! How could you do this to me? Why would you?¡± Zachary was going mad with rage.


    He suddenly punched a fist forward, causing Charlotte to close her eyes and wince subconsciously.


    The fist whooshed past her andnded in an antique vase behind her.


    The vase instantly shattered into pieces, some of whichnded on Charlotte''s face and body. One of


    the pieces shed her cheek, and blood trickled down her face.


    Zachary''s bloody fist was full of cuts.


    Morgan tried to rush to Charlotte''s aid but to no avail as Marino continued holding her back.


    ¡°Zachary, what the hell are you doing?¡± Louis finally lost hisposure and whipped out the gun in his


    sleeve. He yelled, ¡°Let go of her!¡±


    Ben was taken aback at his actions, having never expected the typically gentle Louis to point a gun at


    someone else.


    He had perhaps lowered his guard far too much against Louis.


    ¡°Sir Louis, please stay calm and put the gun down,¡± coaxed Ben.


    Louis seemed impervious to the bodyguard''s words as he continued pointing the gun shakily at


    Zachary. ¡°I said, let go of Charlotte! She''s my fianc¨¦e, and I won''t allow you to treat her like this!¡±


    ¡°Your fianc¨¦e?¡± Zachary sneered, though he gradually loosened his hold on Charlotte. Turning around,


    he stared at Louis patronizingly and said, ¡°You were still out of the picture when she was giving birth to


    our kids.¡±


    ¡°Y-You,¡± Louis sputtered awkwardly.


    Zachary swiped the gun from his hand in a sh. He pointed it at Louis'' chest. ¡°I treated you like my


    brother, but you stole my woman, and now you''re here pointing a gun at me!¡±


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    Louis'' eyes widened in fear. ¡°I-¡± The words froze up in his throat.


    Zachary switched off the safety and threatened, ¡°I''ll kill you right now, and she won''t have to walk down


    the aisle. Go to hell!¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Charlotte ran forward and stood between him and Louis. ¡°Zachary, don''t be rash.¡±


    He clenched his jaw and red at her. ¡°You''re protecting him? Do you think I won''t shoot you?¡±


    Charlotte exined hurriedly, ¡°Don''t do anything stupid. There are royal forces from F Nation


    surrounding this ce. You shouldn''t put yourself at risk for me.¡±

 Chapter 1219

    Chapter 1219


    Zachary scoffed in response. ¡°The royal forces? Do you really think that would scare me?¡±


    He then pointed his gun at the ceiling and fired several sessive shots.


    Bang! Bang!


    The bullets struck the chandelier on the ceiling, sending crystals raining down.


    Just then, the door to the study room burst open, and dozens of armed soldiers rushed into the room.


    More soldiers stood outside the window of the study room, and all of them trained their guns at


    Zachary.


    Sherlyn entered the roomst, nked by more armed men.


    ¡°Put down the gun if you want to live, Zachary.¡± She had a gun pointed at him as well.


    Louis eximed, ¡°Mom, what are you doing?¡± He had never imagined that his mother would cause


    such a scene.


    While he pointed his gun at Zachary to protect Charlotte, his mother''s actions represented the


    Laurents'' deration of war against the Nacht family.


    It was wholly unnecessary and out of line.


    Zachary burst intoughter. ¡°Did you think you could stop me with dozens of soldiers?¡±


    Sherlyn remained painfully ignorant of the danger ahead. ¡°Such insolence! Even if you''re not scared of


    our soldiers, there''s still the Lindberg family, and we have Mr. Lindberg''s best men with us. There''s noBelongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    way you''d be able to escape!¡±


    ¡°Mom, stop it,¡± Louis pleaded nervously.


    ¡°Lady Sherlyn, it seems like you''ve been sheltered for far too long. I pity your ignorance about the evils


    of the outside world.¡±


    The soldiers outside the window suddenly crumpled over just as Zachary finished his sentence.


    Dumbfounded, Sherlyn could only watch as bodyguards from the Nacht family stormed into the study


    room before neutralizing her men.


    ¡°Y-You,¡± she stuttered in disbelief.


    Robert had arrived home just then, and he immediately apologized. ¡°Zachary, please have mercy on


    us!¡±


    He added pleadingly, ¡°Please ept my apology on behalf of my wife; she doesn''t know any better.


    Our families have been on good terms for many years, especially Mr. Nacht. It would be such a shame


    to ruin our rtionship over such a minor issue.¡±


    ¡°A minor issue?¡± Zachary asked, though he kept his piercing gaze on Charlotte.


    ¡°Whatever it was, there''s no need to bring death into the equation.¡± Robert hastily changed tack and


    offered an olive branch. ¡°Let''s sit down and have a talk over this, shall we? We shouldn''t exchange


    arms at all costs. Please ept my suggestion for my sake, all right?¡±


    Zachary tossed the gun in his hand to Robert. ¡°I wanted to have a peaceful talk, but Lady Sherlyn is


    being impolite. This gun belongs to your family.¡±


    Robert knew at first nce that the gun belonged to Sherlyn. He wanted desperately to tell off his wife


    right then and there, but the urgency of the situation demanded him to first bow to Zachary in apology.


    ¡°Please ept my deepest apologies over Sherlyn''s and Louis'' behavior. On ount of our families''


    good rtionship and the sake of your grandfather, I hope you can be the bigger person and forgive


    our transgressions!¡±


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Sherlyn was dumbfounded at her husband''s meek demeanor. Zachary''s the one


    in his territory, for God''s sake!


    Robert roared impatiently, ¡°Shut up! Must you carry on like this until Louis'' life is in danger?¡±


    Sherlyn swallowed her displeasure and kept quiet.


    Charlotte chimed in, ¡°Zachary, let''s talk through this alone instead of making a scene. The children are


    still in the manor, and I''m sure they''ll be upset if they find out about this.¡±


    The mention of their children worked wonders in soothing Zachary''s mood.


    Gone was the murderous gaze, though anger and hatred still swirled in the depths of his eyes. ¡°There''s


    nothing left to say. I''m bringing all three kids with me!¡±


    He turned to leave.


    ¡°Zachary! What do you mean? We''ve discussed this; Robbie stays with me,¡± Charlotte yelled and


    chased after him.


    He replied without even turning back, ¡°Too bad, I''ve changed my mind. I won''t allow my son to call


    someone else ''Dad.'' They''re my kids, and they''reing with me. That''s final!¡±


    ¡°Y-You-¡± Charlotte was tongue-tied at his audacity.

 Chapter 1220

    Chapter 1220


    Charlotte''s words were cut short by the arrival of a subordinate. ¡°I have horrible news, Ms. Lindberg.


    Someone from the Nacht family took Mr. Robinson and Ms. Elisa away!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± She paled as she realized how serious the matter had be. Pulling her skirt up, she ran as


    fast as she could after Zachary. ¡°Hold it right there, Zachary!¡±


    He ignored her and got into his car.


    She stered herself against the open window of his car and yelled anxiously, ¡°Zachary, where did you


    bring the kids to? What are you ying at?¡±


    Without sparing her a nce, Zachary had his car window rolled up.


    The vehicle sped off, and Charlotte would have fallen to the ground if someone had not pulled her


    back.


    Charlotte whirled around to see who had caught her. ¡°Gordon? Quick, chase them down! Bring the kids


    home.¡±


    Gordon scrunched his brows and said, ¡°It''s toote. The Nachts had been nning this for a while now.


    They nted their men in the manor as early as a month ago.¡±


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    Stunned, she asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Do you remember asking someone to investigate why Fifi had been falling sick so frequently? It turns


    out that someone from the Nacht family had been drugging Fifi to prevent it from discovering their


    presence.¡±


    Gordon continued, ¡°About a month ago, Bruce smuggled a dozen of their best bodyguards into the


    manor. They were secretly protecting Alpha when she got lost; that''s how she returned safely. They


    were initially assigned to protect you and the children. Last night, they went to meet Zachary and set


    their ns into motion.¡±


    He then provided thest piece to the puzzle. ¡°Zachary came to bring you home. If the Laurent family


    objected, his bodyguards would reveal themselves and fight off their men. I guess they didn''t expect


    your incident fromst night. Zachary must''ve made an impromptu decision to have the children


    brought away with him if you refused to follow him.¡±


    Charlotte finally understood what had happened.


    Robert''s anxious behavior and profuse apologies to Zachary now madeplete sense.


    He must''ve expected Zachary toe prepared. If their men went head-to-head, they would be eaten


    alive by Zachary''s men. That''s why Gordon chose to remain neutral.


    Charlotte never imagined that Zachary would have sent his men into the manor to protect her and the


    kids.


    He had not spent two months apart only to return for the children.


    In fact, he had never given up on any of his children or Charlotte.


    He merely wanted to settle some matters before bringing Charlotte and their children home.


    Last night''s incident ruined his ns, so he decided to only bring the kids with him.


    Gordon said regretfully, ¡°I''m sorry, Ms. Lindberg. It''s my fault for underestimating Zachary. He''s been


    keeping a low profile over the past six months and relenting on so many matters. I truly believed he had


    suffered a massive blow and would not pull any tricks out of his sleeve. I did not expect him to be


    waiting for the right moment to strike. We''re so understaffed that failure is inevitable if we went head-to-


    head against the Nacht family. Most importantly, Zachary is their father. The kids are safe with him, and


    I have no grounds to demand their return.¡±


    ¡°I understand. It''s not your fault.¡± Charlotte trudged back to the manor dejectedly.


    Gordon caught up to her and wrapped his jacket around her shoulders. ¡°You should talk to Zachary or


    the kids. There must be some room for negotiation. At least you can rest easy knowing that he would


    never harm the children. The first thing you should do is talk to the Laurents and figure out what


    happenedst night. I''ll get Mr. Lindberg''s kids from the pasture ande back as soon as possible.¡±


    With that, Gordon left in a hurry.

 Chapter 1221

    Chapter 1221


    Morgan and a few female bodyguards came rushing up to Charlotte upon Gordon''s departure. ¡°Ms.


    Lindberg! I just found out that Robbie and Ellie were taken away by Mr. Nacht''s men. Lupine is chasing


    after them as we speak.¡±


    Charlotte said despondently, ¡°Ask her toe back. There''s no point in chasing them; we''d never


    catch up to them anyway.¡±


    ¡°B-But-¡±


    ¡°Charlotte!¡± Louis interrupted Morgan''s protests as he ran toward Charlotte. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    She lifted her head and stared at him nkly before ncing at Robert and Sherlyn in the distance,


    feeling torn.


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    Louis immediatelyforted her, ¡°Charlotte, I heard that Zachary brought the kids with him. Don''t


    worry; I''ll talk to him. You should rest in your room and leave everything to me.¡±


    ¡°Okay, thank you.¡±


    Charlotte bowed lightly to Robert and Sherlyn on the way to the manor.


    Sherlyn sighed and said, ¡°She''s so calm. The average woman would''ve freaked out at such an


    incident. Herposure is admirable.¡±


    ¡°She''s a Lindberg, after all. Mr. Lindberg would never tolerate fools,¡± Robertmented sulkily.


    Sherlyn nodded in agreement. ¡°I guess you''re right. Anyway, what''s with your attitude? You''re behaving


    as if I did something wrong.¡±


    Her ignorance stoked Robert''s anger. ¡°You are in the wrong! Did you have any idea what you just did?¡±


    Sherlyn retorted petntly, ¡°What did I do wrong? The Lindbergs and the Nachts are enemies. Why do


    we need to walk on eggshells around the Nacht family when Louis is marring a Lindberg?¡±


    ¡°We can''t afford to offend either of them. The business world is like a battlefield; it''s utterly


    unpredictable. It''s always to our benefit to maintain a good rtionship with powerful families for the


    stability of our future,¡± exined Robert angrily.


    ¡°I don''t understand.¡±


    Robert was incensed. ¡°You don''t understand? Just a few months ago, the Nacht family ran into trouble


    while the Lindbergs basked in their sess. Look at how quickly the tables have turned. The Nachts


    have returned to their former glory, yet the Lindberg Corporation is fraught with danger. That''s the


    whole reason why I dared not cross Zachary when we arranged this marriage between Louis and


    Charlotte. The Nachts could always make aeback in the future. How could you mess things up at


    such a crucial time, offending Zachary of all people! Do you wish to cut off our backup n?¡±


    ¡°Dear Lord, how could this be? Should we even proceed with the marriage then?¡± Sherlyn wailed.


    ¡°It''s a week to the wedding, and there''s no way for us to contact Mr. Lindberg.¡± Robert frowned and


    added worriedly, ¡°In any case, we should continue preparing for the wedding. Who knows, we might


    hear from him soon.¡±


    Sherlyn asked nervously, ¡°If the Lindbergs go downhill, and the Nachts are on the rise, aren''t we


    labeling ourselves as the Nacht family''s enemy by pushing through with this wedding?¡±


    ¡°No worries about that; you''ve already turned us into their enemies. You were so aggressive earlier,


    insulting and threatening Zachary. Our backup n was long gone.¡± Robert''s jaw clenched with fury.


    Sherlyn was distraught. ¡°I didn''t know. Why didn''t you tell me? Oh dear, what should we do? Can we


    salvage this situation?¡±


    ¡°You need to visit him and personally apologize to him. Then, we can only hope that Mr. Lindberg will


    resolve his matters and restore Lindberg Corporation to its former glory!¡±


    ¡°Okay, that''s great. If there''s an opportunity to apologize to Zachary in person, I promise I''ll be on my


    best behavior. I''ll do anything to fix this,¡± came Sherlyn''s fervent promise.


    ¡°The best thing you can do now is to keep your mouth shut and stop creating problems for me.¡±


    She stared at her husband wordlessly and swallowed her indignance.


    Charlotte immediately dialed Zachary''s number once she got to her room. He rejected her call.


    When she tried again, the call could not go through.


    He blocked my number.


    Charlotte used to do this to Zachary in the past, and now he was giving her a taste of her own


    medicine.


    She paused to think for a moment before calling Robbie''s number. The call failed to connect as his


    phone was switched off. The same thing happened when she attempted to call Jamie and Ellie.

 Chapter 1222

    Chapter 1222


    Zachary was royally pissed at Charlotte''s rejection, and he made his stance clear by cutting off her


    means of contact with their children.


    Charlotte panicked, well-aware of how ruthless Zachary could be. He has the means to keep me from


    seeing my children forever. What on earth should I do?


    She was pacing the room anxiously just as Lupine returned.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg! The kids were taken away by people from the Nacht family.¡±


    Charlotte frowned and replied, ¡°I know.¡±


    Lupine sported some injuries, likely from exchanging hands with Bruce. Thankfully, it seemed like he


    had contained himself, leaving Lupine with superficial wounds.


    Lupine began recounting the events that had happened earlier. ¡°It started with Bruce ying with the


    kids. He must''ve drugged them when I wasn''t paying attention. Once the kids were sleeping soundly,


    he and his men brought them away. I noticed something was off and immediately tried to grab the kids,


    but I was no match for Bruce. By the time Gordon showed up, they were already gone, and he said it


    would be rash to go after them when they were the ones who had strength in numbers. Ms. Lindberg,


    I''m so sorry for my error. Please punish me as you see fit.¡±


    Charlotte sighed and said, ¡°It''s not your fault. I should''ve been more carefulst night.¡±


    ¡°Did Zachary do this because he was angry about you and Louis? How did your talk go?¡± Lupine asked


    carefully.


    Morgan piqued up instead, ¡°How else did you think it went? They even pulled out their guns. If Sir


    Robert hadn''t arrived and apologized, we''d be standing in the middle of a blood bath by now.¡±


    ¡°You''re right about that; his temper is notorious.¡± Lupine scrunched her brows and wailed, ¡°I should''ve


    apanied Ms. Lindbergst night, then none of this would''ve happened.¡±


    ¡°I fought with Marino earlier as well. I wanted to protect Ms. Lindberg, but he kept holding me back, so


    we ended up brawling with each other.¡± Morgan became furious as she recalled the scene in the study


    room.


    Lupine appeared to be disappointed as she said, ¡°I only bumped into Ben and didn''t even have the


    time to say anything to him. Dear God, how did everything turn into such a mess?¡±


    Morgan nced at her subtly, warning her to keep her mouth shut.


    Charlotte was getting more and more dejected by the second.


    Lupine coaxed her, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, please don''t worry too much. Mr. Nacht may have his reservations


    about you, but the children will miss you once they''re awake. They''ll want to get in touch with you, and


    there''s nothing he can do to stop that.¡±


    ¡°Please leave the room; I''d like to be alone for a while,¡± Charlotte requested, rubbing her temples in


    frustration.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Lupine nodded, though she looked like she had more to say.


    Charlotte noticed her hesitance and asked, ¡°Is there anything else?¡±


    ¡°I, erm, asked someone to get this earlier.¡± Lupine blushed as she took out a box of morning-after pills


    and passed it to Charlotte. She lowered her volume to a whisper and added, ¡°We can''t reverse what


    happenedst night, but I''m sure you wouldn''t want to end up pregnant.¡±


    Charlotte frowned as she received the package from Lupine. A secondter, she threw away the


    package and screamed angrily, ¡°None of this makes any sense! How could I... I don''t have any


    recollection of what happenedst night!¡±


    ¡°But your body...¡± Lupine could hardly bring herself toplete her sentence.


    She shared Charlotte''s disbelief, yet the hickeys that were on her body were irrefutable evidence.


    There can''t be another exnation.


    Charlotte''s indignance grew. She turned to Morgan and ordered, ¡°Ask Louis toe here. I have some


    questions for him.¡±


    ¡°What? Here, in your room?¡± Morgan''s eyes widened in surprise.


    ¡°Just do it.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Morgan immediately left to summon Louis.


    The man in question happened to be in his room, brainstorming with his parents on ways of helping


    Charlotte to get her kids from Zachary. Just then, someone knocked on his door, and a subordinate


    approached him soon after. ¡°Sir Louis, Morgan says that Ms. Lindberg would like to invite you to her


    room.¡±


    ¡°Really? Charlotte wants me to go to her room? I''ll head over right away.¡± Louis was ted.N?velDrama.Org holds this content.

 Chapter 1223

    Chapter 1223


    Louis practically skipped to Charlotte''s room. ¡°Charlotte, were you looking for me?¡±


    She turned to her bodyguards and asked them to leave.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Lupine and Morgan said in unison and left.


    Overjoyed, Louis rushed forward and tried to hug his fianc¨¦e. ¡°Charlotte.¡±


    She immediately avoided his arms and frowned. ¡°I need to talk to you about something.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Louis nodded eagerly and sat on a nearby couch.


    ¡°Last night, I remember you went to the bathroom to clean up after our argument. I drank some water


    on the couch, and I was so exhausted that I fell asleep.¡±


    She paused for a moment before asking suspiciously, ¡°How did we end up in bed together? Could you


    exin it to me in detail?¡±


    Louis was startled by her question. He thought Charlotte had been moved by his actions earlier that


    day and had called him over because she had grown to depend on him.


    Instead, here she was asking him aboutst night''s happenings like she was a cop interrogating a


    suspect.


    ¡°Why aren''t you saying anything?¡± Charlotte frowned as she continued staring at Louis. ¡°We''ve been


    friends for so many years. You drank a lotst night and seemed a bit odd, but I trust that you would


    never take advantage of me in such a way. That''s why I''m asking you what exactly happened.¡±C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    He only caught on to two words in her lengthy exnation. ¡°Take advantage? Did you think that I took


    advantage of you while you were asleep? Charlotte, is that the kind of person you think I am?¡±


    Charlotte''s head throbbed in frustration. ¡°Do you not understand what I''m asking? Look, I''m not in the


    mood to argue with you today. Please, could you just answer my question?¡±


    ¡°I don''t want to argue with you either. Charlotte, I know you don''t love me, but the fact remains that we


    slept with each other. Shouldn''t wee to terms with it and begin to care for one another? Why can''t


    you ept the truth?¡± Louis was infuriated.


    She retorted, ¡°What truth? I have no recollection of what happenedst night. I only remember falling


    asleep on the couch. There was no way we could''ve slept with each other. Something''s not right about


    this situation.¡±


    Louis became more agitated at her words. ¡°Not right? Are you using me of taking advantage of


    you?¡±


    ¡°Well, I hope not. That''s why I''m asking you-¡±


    He cut her off before she could continue. ¡°Charlotte, I never imagined that you would think of me that


    way.¡± Shaking his head sadly, he continued, ¡°I saw the way you looked at Zachary today. I know you


    still have feelings for him, but we''re about to get married. Why can''t you just ept reality?¡±


    ¡°Forget it; this is pointless. Please leave. I need to rest.¡± Charlotte sighed in resignation.


    ¡°I was still talking to Mom and Dad about approaching Zachary to get the kids back. I''ve done nothing


    but put your best interests at heart! We''re getting married in a week, and I hope you''d have organized


    your feelings by then!¡±


    Louis turned and left the room after his despondent statement.


    Charlotte was speechless at his petnt disy. He refuses to tell me in detail about what happened


    last night, and the minute I suggest that something doesn''t seem right, he goes into a huff and uses


    me of living in denial. It''s impossible tomunicate with him!


    She wondered how on earth she could figure out the truth at this rate.


    Charlotte felt exhausted and decided to get a shower.


    On her way to the bathroom, she noticed a stain on the white rug near her wardrobe. Moving closer,


    she realized that it was red and reminiscent of paint.


    Charlotte immediately summoned Lupine to her room and had her send the stain for analysis.


    She scoured her room for further clues, and she soon came across a few strands of hair in her


    wardrobe.


    It looked like her hair, which seemed unusual to Charlotte.


    The royal maids were meticulous and woulde by to clean her room every morning. They would


    never allow strands of hair to cling to her clothing, let alone litter her wardrobe.

 Chapter 1224

    Chapter 1224


    Charlotte initially chalked the stray hair to the aftermath of an eventful day, which likely resulted in the


    maids only managing to change her bedsheets instead of doing a thorough cleaning of her room.


    But if I haven''t dumped anything I wore yesterday into theundry basket in the wardrobe, how could


    my hair end up there? Are these even my hair? To whom could they belong to? If this is really my hair,


    how did it end up in here?


    Charlotte had Lupine send the strands for analysis.


    The results came back sooner than expected. The hair was indeed Charlotte''s, and the red stain was


    nail polish.


    It was a perplexing finding, given that Charlotte, Lupine, and Morgan did not use nail polish.


    They concluded that someone sporting red nail polish hade into Charlotte''s room.


    Lupine covertly investigated the members of the household for potential suspects.


    She noticed that a few of Sherlyn''s personal maids wore nail polish, and three of them painted their


    nails red.


    Unfortunately, their nails seemed impably neat and showed no prior signs of chipping.


    Nheless, Lupine had the three maids put under surveince in the hopes of uncovering new


    evidence.


    Charlotte was disappointed that they could not make further progress in their investigation with the


    clue.


    She had been calling Zachary and her children every day to no avail, which added to her frustration.


    Robert had been contacting Zachary frequently as well as he expressed his wish of delivering an


    apology in person with Sherlyn and Louis in tow. Zachary ignored his pleas.


    Charlotte suffered a poor appetite over three days of radio silence from Zachary, while Robert and


    Sherlyn worried incessantly about potential paybacks from Zachary.


    N?velDrama.Org owns all content.


    Louis'' efforts to track him down remained fruitless.


    One night, Louis received a promising phone call during dinner. He turned to Charlotte, agitated as he


    said, ¡°Charlotte, Mr. Murphy told me that he''s meeting Zachary at the Regium Hotel in Pillere tomorrow


    night.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Charlotte was ted as she summoned Lupine. ¡°Get the car ready; we''re going to Pillere.¡±


    ¡°On it.¡± Lupine left to carry out her orders.


    Louis suggested, ¡°Let me handle the arrangements. I''lle with you. I''d like to talk to Zachary as


    well.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn''t go; if he bes angrier after seeing you, our discussion won''t go anywhere.¡±


    Charlotte was adamant.


    ¡°But-¡±


    Sherlyn chimed in with her two cents on the situation. ¡°Charlotte, you''re marrying Louis in four more


    days. We''ve been nning to head to Pillere tomorrow anyway for your wedding preparations.¡±


    ¡°That''s right.¡± Robert shed a smile at Charlotte and continued, ¡°I''ll be busy greeting guests as well.


    Many of them have flown here from across the globe to attend your wedding despite their busy


    schedules. We must show them our utmost respect as a sign of our gratitude.¡±


    The couple''s words hit Charlotte like a bucket of cold water. She only realized then how soon she


    would be walking down the aisle with Louis, and the thought filled her with dread. She even had the


    urge to call off the entire wedding, though she could not bring herself to utter her request.


    ¡°Charlotte, I understand if you want to discuss the matters of your children with Zachary privately. We


    could still head to Pillere together tomorrow morning, right? Then you can meet him after we''ve settled


    down,¡± Louis offered, not wanting to make things difficult for Charlotte.


    ¡°Okay.¡± He had phrased his suggestion in such a way that it would be rude and inconsiderate of her to


    reject it.


    Louis replied happily, ¡°All right, that''s settled then.¡± He got his men started on the travel arrangements


    right away.


    Sherlyn added with a smile, ¡°It''s fine if Louis doesn''t travel with you. Zachary''s got a mean temper, and


    he might blow up when he sees Louis. We have the utmost faith in you, Charlotte!¡±


    Her words were a thinly-veiled warning for Charlotte not to betray their trust while she was in Pillere.

 Chapter 1225

    Chapter 1225


    Charlotte felt uneasy about Sherlyn''s words; she could not, however, deny that anyone would naturally


    be worried about their future daughter-inw meeting an ex-husband alone at a hotel.


    Instead of voicing her difort, she set down her cutlery and dered, ¡°I''m going to see Danrique''s


    kids. Please enjoy your dinner.¡±


    ¡°All right,¡± Sherlyn acknowledged briefly before turning back to her meal.


    Louis ced his cutlery on the table and offered, ¡°I''ll apany you, Charlotte.¡±


    She dismissed his offer coolly. ¡°That won''t be necessary; you should stay here with your parents. I want


    to be alone for a while.¡±


    Charlotte scuttled off soon after.


    Louis watched her departing figure with a forlorn expression. His efforts to grow closer to her were


    always met with a frosty demeanor.


    Despite their engagement, Charlotte had never once opened her heart to him.


    Nothing he did could convince her to ept him as a romantic partner.


    In the meantime, Charlotte had arrived at the yroom to meet Danrique''s kids.


    The triplets seemed unusually listless that day, fiddling with their Legos distractedly. Their chattering


    selves were nowhere to be found, plunging the room into silence.


    Charlotte asked gently, ¡°What''s wrong? Why aren''t any of you ying?¡±


    Alpha pouted and replied, ¡°Ellie isn''t here, so it''s not fun. Robbie''s missing too. He doesn''t y with us,


    but he always sits beside us like he''s protecting us.¡±


    ¡°Aunt Charlotte, where did they go?¡± Beta tugged on Charlotte''s sleeve and asked, ¡°Where did Jamie


    go? He looks like Robbie, and he knows how to do cartwheels. It was so cool! Where did they go to?¡±


    ¡°Did a bad person take them away?¡± Gamma asked with puppy-dog eyes.


    She added, ¡°Yesterday, I saw a super tall man wearing ck clothes. He looked so fierce, just like a


    bad guy! Did he take Robbie, Jamie, and Ellie away?¡±


    ¡°That''s their father. He''s not a bad guy,¡± Charlotte exined with a smile.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    Her answer piqued the curiosity of all three kids, who crowded around her, bursting with questions of


    their own.


    ¡°So that tall, fierce bad guy was Robbie, Jamie, and Ellie''s father? Does that mean he''s your


    husband?¡±


    ¡°No, he doesn''t have to be her husband. Mommy and Daddy aren''t married, but Daddy is still our


    Daddy.¡±


    Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Oh yeah, you''re right. Aunt Charlotte is marrying Sir Louis, so Sir Louis is her husband.¡±


    ¡°Then, who should we call Uncle?¡±


    ¡°Silly, of course it''s Sir Louis.¡±


    ¡°Then what do we call that tall fierce man?¡±


    ¡°We''ll call him the tall, fierce bad guy!¡±


    ¡°That''s too long. I can''t remember it.¡±


    ¡°Then we''ll just call him bad guy!¡±


    ¡°Okay! I can remember that!¡±


    The triplets chattered among themselves and even came up with a nickname for Zachary.


    Charlotte could not help butugh at their antics, though it was a bittersweet moment that reminded her


    of her missing children.


    She wondered how Zachary would exin things to them. If they found out about what happened,


    would they hate me?


    Charlotte could not sit still any longer and told Lupine, ¡°Get the car ready. We''re leaving for Pillere in


    half an hour.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Aren''t we setting off tomorrow morning with Sir Louis and his family?¡±


    ¡°I can''t wait anymore. Let''s go now. I''ll get Dr. Felch, and I want you to settle the travel arrangements


    ASAP. We''ll go to Pillere with these kids and the doctor,¡± came Charlotte''s firm orders.


    ¡°Got it.¡± Lupine immediately got to work.

 Chapter 1226

    Chapter 1226


    Charlotte felt sorry for making Dr. Felch run around with her, especially at his old age.


    Still, it would be far worse to leave him and Danrique''s children at the manor while she traveled to


    Pillere alone; after all, her rtionship with the Laurents was, at best, strained.


    Louis was as loving as ever toward her, but Robert and Sherlyn had begun to behave differently around


    her.


    Charlotte knew that Danrique''s continued absence as the wedding approachedplicated matters.


    Robert and Sherlyn had probably begun to assume that Danrique''s agreement to the marriage was no


    more than a safety for Charlotte and her children.


    They might even be beating themselves up for allying with the wrong family now that the Lindberg


    Corporation was in trouble while the Nacht Group had sessfully made aeback.


    If the Lindberg Corporation toppled, they would have nowhere to turn to after Sherlyn''s irredeemable


    behavior toward Zachary.


    They would have lost more than they had expected.


    While Robert and Sherlyn''s behavior was understandable, it spoke volumes about theirck of


    compassion.


    Charlotte could not believe how she had ever thought of Louis'' family as noble and sincere people. I


    must''ve been blind.


    She went to the loft to tell Dr. Felch about her ns to go to Pillere.


    He seemed confused as he asked, ¡°Aren''t you and Sir Louis getting married in three days? Why are


    you heading to Pillere early? Did something happen?¡±


    Charlotte knew she would eventually have toe clean about her motives. ¡±To tell you the truth,


    Zachary came by a couple of days ago and brought our children away. I''d like to talk to him in Pillere


    about it.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Dr. Felch smiled in response. ¡°I''m always in this loft preparing medicine when I''m not treating


    anyone, and I''ve been sorely unaware of the happenings in the manor.¡±


    She eked out regretfully, ¡°I''m sorry for forcing you to travel again, Dr. Felch. After I''ve settled things in


    Pillere, I promise I''ll send you home.¡±


    ¡°Are there direct flights from Arkfield? I can fly back myself.¡± Dr. Felch had been nning on returning


    home for a while now.


    ¡°You''re thinking of leaving now? But I haven''t been able to thank you properly for your service yet,¡±


    Charlotte said uneasily.


    The doctor merely smiled and replied, ¡°There''s plenty of time for that. You and Ellie have almost


    recovered, so there''s no need for me to stay any longer.¡±


    Just then, his thoughts drifted to Zachary. ¡°I do recall Zachary falling sick some time ago. Is he feeling


    better now?¡±


    Clueless about his illness, Charlotte answered, ¡°He lost a lot of weight when I saw himst, though he


    seemed to be in good spirits. I guess he has recovered.¡±


    ¡°That''s wonderful.¡± Dr. Felch nodded before adding, ¡°I''ll get going then; the two of you have almost


    completed your courses of medication anyway. Please feel free to visit me in Phoenix City if you


    require my services in the future.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I''ll handle your travel arrangements right away.¡±


    Charlotte had Morgan hire a private jet for Dr. Felch. There were no routes directly connecting Arkfield


    to Phoenix City, and upon further discussion, Dr. Felch decided to transit in H City.


    He wanted to pay his respects to thete Richard Windt and visit some friends. He also insisted that


    flying home from H City afterward would not be a hassle.


    N?velDrama.Org owns all content.


    Charlotte assigned two bodyguards and two maids to apany Dr. Felch, Sam, and Hayley to the


    airport. She instructed them to take care of the doctor and ensure his safe return to his home in


    Phoenix City.


    After settling Dr. Felch''s travel arrangements, Charlotte was ready to depart for Pillere with Danrique''s


    kids in tow.


    Her convoy began approaching the gates of the manor, only to be stopped a momentter by


    bodyguards from the Laurent family. ¡°Apologies, Ms. Lindberg, but you cannot leave the manor without


    Sir Robert and Lady Sherlyn''s permission.¡±


    Charlotte was furious. They must''ve told their staff that only Dr. Felch was allowed to leave.

 Chapter 1227

    Chapter 1227


    Morgan exploded, ¡°Ms. Lindberg isn''t a puppet of the Laurent family. They don''t have the right to


    control her movements. Now step aside!¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry, but I''m just following my orders.¡± The bodyguards refused to budge.


    N?velDrama.Org owns all content.


    Meanwhile, one of them had contacted Robert and Sherlyn about Charlotte''s n.


    Soldiers soon surrounded the convoy, making it impossible for them to leave.


    Charlotte scoffed at the outrageous effort to keep her in the manor. They must be worried about


    bing theughingstock of the nation if I became a runaway bride.


    She suspected that Dr. Felch''s departure tipped them off about her early departure ns. They got all


    these soldiers here in time to stop me. They''re practically cowering me into submission! How lovely!


    Gordon piqued up, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, say the word, and we''ll run these men over. Don''t be scared of these


    soldiers. They''re a bunch of weaklings!¡±


    As Danrique''s right-hand man, Gordon typically bustled through life fearlessly.


    Dozens of soldiers were nothing but child''s y to him.


    ¡°It''s fine. We shouldn''t sh with the Laurent family directly before Danrique appears. He''s the one who


    agreed to this marriage, after all,¡± Charlotte dered calmly.


    Lupine asked quietly, ¡°What should we do now?¡±


    ¡°Now, we wait.¡± Charlotte leaned into her car seat and stroked Fifi''s feathers. She even instructed the


    maids to keep the sleeping children warm.


    A disgruntled Morganined, ¡°Why should we wait for them? I''m confident they wouldn''t fire their


    guns even if we barged through their troops. Even if they did, there''s nothing to be scared of.¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡± Lupine red at her.


    ¡°I-I-¡± Morgan sputtered with anger.


    Sherlyn arrived in a horse-drawn carriage sooner than expected.


    She made a show of telling off her bodyguards and soldiers for their audacity in blocking Charlotte''s


    convoy. Sherlyn even mentioned Charlotte''s future position as the matriarch of the Laurent family, and


    she sternly reminded her staff to treat her with the utmost respect.


    It was a performance worthy of an Oscar, though, to the Lindbergs, it was nothing short of pretentious


    and offensive.


    Charlotte hugged Fifi silently and admired Sherlyn''s hypocrisy.


    Her showplete, Sherlyn approached Charlotte''s car and said, ¡°Please don''t be angry, Charlotte.


    I''ve told them off for their rude behavior. Ah, I see you''ve brought the children along with you. Might I


    ask where you are going at such ate hour?¡±


    ¡°To Pillere. I want to meet Zachary earlier and discuss our children.¡± Charlotte did not beat around the


    bush.


    Sherlyn gasped and said, ¡°Didn''t we agree that our family should set off together tomorrow morning? It


    will be exhausting for you to head there alone with three kids in tow. And the journey is so long-¡±


    ¡°I''ve arranged for a private jet,¡± Charlotte interrupted. She had not missed the way Sherlyn stressed the


    words ''our family.'' ¡°Don''t worry, Lady Sherlyn. I''d just like to get the discussion out of the way as soon


    as possible. Rest assured, I''ll definitely meet you the day before the wedding!¡±


    ¡°Look here, Charlotte. I''m only saying this because I''m worried about you.¡± With a smile that did not


    quite reach her eyes, Sherlyn added meaningfully, ¡°You''re marrying Louis in three days. All eyes are


    going to be on this wedding of the century. If some unsavory news were to get out then, what would it


    do to the reputation of the Laurent family and the Lindberg Corporation? I''m sure you understand my


    concerns.¡±


    Charlotte replied lightly, ¡°Of course, I understand. That''s exactly why I''m trying to meet Zachary before


    the wedding. We''ve got to talk things through before then, or who knows if he might show up at the


    wedding and cause a scene. It would be impossible to salvage our families'' reputations then, wouldn''t


    you agree?¡±


    Her reply rendered Sherlyn speechless. She''s right. Zachary''s pretty famous himself. If he wreaks


    havoc at the wedding, it could be a huge blow to our image.

 Chapter 1228

    Chapter 1228


    Soon, Sherlyn regained her senses. ¡°That''s why I am not stopping you to meet Zachary. I just thought


    that it would be better if we apany you back to Pillere and make some arrangements before you


    go see him.¡±


    ¡°Arrangements?¡± Charlotte furrowed her brows. ¡°What kind of arrangement?¡±


    ¡°You''re the daughter of the rich. I think you''d understand.¡± Sherlyn disyed a smile. ¡°You should at


    least let me clear out the journalists hiding around the hotel first. Louis won''t interfere in your meeting


    with Zachary, but he''ll have to apany you to the hotel...¡±


    ¡°You''re just making things moreplicated.¡± Charlotte was left bewildered. ¡°You''re just tipping


    Zachary off like this. We would lose our chance to discuss with him by then.¡±


    ¡°I''m not a fool. I won''t let him find out about it.¡±


    ¡°Lady Sherlyn.¡± Charlotte had no intention to further debate with Sherlyn. ¡°Please let me handle this


    myself. Please ask them to let me go.¡±


    ¡°Charlotte, I''m telling you all this because I treat you like family.¡± Sherlyn''s expression turned stern


    instantly. ¡°You and Louis are engaged. There''s no chance between you and Zachary anymore. You


    should know your ce by now and get ready for the wedding. All your effort will be a waste if the loss


    outweighs the gain.¡±


    ¡°Haha!¡± Charlotte let out a boisterousugh as shemanded, ¡°Start the car!¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Morgan responded without hesitation.


    ¡°Charlotte, what are you doing?¡± Sherlyn was pissed. ¡°I''m trying to advise you here, but you...¡±


    Before she could finish her sentence, the car started moving forward.


    The bodyguards stood out of its way responsively, not daring to stop her.


    ¡°Are you all dead? Stop her!¡± Sherlyn shouted in exasperation.


    However, before they could make a move, Gordon took out his gun and fired a few shots near their


    feet. They got intimidated and immediately retreated.


    While they were thinking of taking out their guns and firing back, Louis arrived at the scene and


    shouted, ¡°What are you guys doing? Stand down!¡±


    With that, Charlotte''s car drove off and disappeared into the horizon.


    ¡°Mom, what do you think you''re doing?¡± Not only did Louis notfort Sherlyn, but he started ming


    her. ¡°Charlotte wants to go back to Pillere earlier to see her children. There''s nothing wrong with that.


    Why did you try to stop her? And why did you even ask your men to act violently? You''re going to ruin


    our rtionship!¡±


    ¡°Do you think your rtionship with her is real?¡± Sherlyn was utterly displeased. ¡°Did she tell you that


    she''s going to meet with her ex-husband? I''ve never seen such a generous fianc¨¦ like you.¡±


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°You''ll see. I bet something will happen after Charlotte meets with Zachary. If the wedding cannot be


    held as scheduled, our family will be theughing stock of the whole world.¡±


    Upon saying that, Sherlyn stomped away in exasperation.


    Louis froze on the spot, troubled by his mother''s words.


    It was the dream of his life to get married to Charlotte. Even though Charlotte did not love him, he still


    believed he would win her heart one day.


    Plus, her person belonged to him now.


    There were still three days left until the wedding. He was determined to protect their rtionship at all


    costs.


    With that in mind, Louis instructed his subordinate, ¡°Prepare the car. We''re going to Pillere.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org owns all content.


    ¡°Yes, Sir Louis.¡±


    ¡°Lady Sherlyn is such a hypocrite. How dare she try to threaten Ms. Lindberg? What a vicious woman!¡±


    Morgan expressed her discontentment while driving.


    ¡°We''ve yed nice all this while. We owe them nothing now. Just let them do what they need to do.¡±


    Lupine was rtively rational in this matter.


    ¡°Gordon, please try to contact Danrique again,¡± Charlotte uttered suddenly.


    ¡°Okay.¡±

 Chapter 1229

    Chapter 1229


    On the flight from Arkfield to Pillere, Charlotte''s mind was loaded with worries.


    Gordon tried to reach Danrique but failed again.


    Even all of Danrique''s aides had cut off their contacts.


    The news got blocked in Erihal, so they could not get their hands on any updates. Everyone they came


    across refused to touch on the matter.


    Charlotte was ovee with anxiety. When she left Xendale a month ago, even though Charlotte was


    worried, she still believed Danrique could handle everything. In her heart, there was nothing Danrique


    could not solve.


    She did not expect things to escte out of hands.


    She med herself for taking things for granted all this while. She had been enjoying Danrique''s


    protection, but she never tried to know him or the Lindberg family better.


    Even when Danrique got into trouble, she was thest one to know about it.


    I want to help him. But it seems toote now...


    She stared outside the window, feeling lost. She wanted to go back to Erihal to find Danrique, but she


    could not leave behind her children.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, don''t worry too much.¡± Lupine tried tofort her. ¡°Let''s keep our faith in him. I''m sure


    he''ll ovee all difficulties ande to F Nation to pick us up.¡±


    ¡°That''s right. He''ll be fine,¡± Morgan added.


    Charlotte lowered her head without a word. Based on Robert and Sherlyn''s attitude toward her, she


    knew Danrique had gotten into trouble.


    If he doesn''t show up on the wedding day, then it means something terrible has happened.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, you don''t have to worry.¡± Gordon noticed Charlotte''s troubled look. ¡°Before leaving, Mr.


    Lindberg has reminded us not to believe any rumor that we hear. He said he woulde back for you


    and the kids.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Charlotte nodded upon hearing that.


    Seeing Gordon''sposed gesture, she let out a sigh of relief. Lupine''s right. I should trust in


    Danrique. There''s nothing that can beat him. All I need to do now is to take good care of the kids. I


    must not be a burden for him.


    Charlotte shifted her gaze toward the three kids who were sleeping soundly, and her heart began to


    calm down.


    Soon, the nended in Pillere.


    Getting down from the ne, the kids were still dozing off. Lupine had arranged amodation for


    them. With that, they settled down in a vi in the suburbs.


    The kids had woken up by the time they arrived at the vi. Overwhelmed with curiosity and


    excitement, they wandered around, looking for Robbie, Jamie, and Ellie.


    They thought their ymates would be there waiting for them.


    Looking at their excited looks, Charlotte felt warmth surging within her heart. It would be great if Robbie


    and the rest were here. The six of them would be able to reunite.


    ¡°They are so energetic.¡± Morgan looked extremely weary, following the kids around. ¡°Even me as a


    martial art practitioner cannot keep up with them.¡±


    ¡°Haha. Kids have limitless energy when ites to having fun.¡± Lupine let out a chuckle. ¡°It''s three-


    thirty in the morning. Let them y for a while longer, and then they should head back to their room.¡±


    ¡°I''ll look after them. Please get some rest,¡± Gordon uttered with concern. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, have a good


    sleep. You still need to talk with Mr. Nacht tomorrow night.¡±


    ¡°I can''t sleep.¡± Charlotte could not rx. ¡°Gordon, please help me find out where Zachary is. I want to


    meet him as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Gordon sprang into action after leaving the kids to Lupine and Morgan.


    Charlotte went back to her room and took a shower. After getting dressed, shey on the bed and


    called Zachary.


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    She wanted to try her luck one more time.


    But to her disappointment, the call failed to go through again.


    D*mn that man! How could he block me? Can''t we just talk it out in a civil manner?

 Chapter 1230

    Chapter 1230


    Gordon had gone to investigate for over two hours, and there was still no news from him.


    Feeling tired, Charlotte slowly dozed off on her bed.


    The following day, she was woken up by the thunderstorm outside.


    Her heart skipped a beat as she had an ominous feeling that something terrible was about to happen.


    She shifted her eyes toward the windows. It''s such heavy rain outside.


    After Dr. Felch''s treatment and resting for a few months, Charlotte had recoveredpletely.


    Nheless, her mental problem could not be cured through medication.


    Whenever there was a thunderstorm, it would remind her about Mrs. Berry and that particr rainy day


    in Coldbridge.


    Although Sharon and Zara had died, and justice had been served, she was still in trauma because of


    that tragedy.


    Charlotte had a feeling that whenever there was a thunderstorm, something terrible would happen to


    her life.


    Knock! Knock! Rapping sounds came from the door, followed by Lupine''s voice. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, are you


    awake?¡±


    ¡°Come in.¡± Charlotte got up and put on her robe.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    Lupine opened the door and came in with a hot teapot in her hands. ¡°Let''s drink something hot. The


    temperature is dropping out there.¡±


    ¡°Is there any news from Gordon?¡±


    Leaning against the couch, Charlotte received the fruit tea from Lupine.


    ¡°Not yet.¡± Lupine shook her head. ¡°It''s not easy to get a hold of Mr. Nacht''s whereabouts. It might take


    some time.¡±


    ¡°All right,¡± Charlotte responded briefly while sipping on her tea,


    ¡°The kids are sleeping again.¡± Lupine smiled. ¡°They''ve eaten something before going to sleep. And


    they''ve been asking for you. I said you were sleeping and you would find them after you woke up. Only


    then were they willing to go back to their room.¡±


    ¡°They''re still kids. What a simple life they have.¡±


    Charlotte''s lips curled into a smile, thinking about the three kids. But when she thought of her own


    children, her expression darkened.


    ¡°They''re so unlike Robbie and Ellie who have been through a lot. Especially Robbie who has probably


    known by now that his parents are in a conflict. In fact, I reckoned that he''s worried about us right now.¡±


    Lupineforted, ¡°I know you miss your children. But look at the bright side, they''ll be safe as long as


    they''re with their father. Let''s have a civil talk with Mr. Nacht after you meet him.¡±


    ¡°Zachary has a big temper. I doubt we could talk nicely.¡± Charlotte furrowed her brows. ¡°Besides, I think


    he''s pissed off for real this time. He blocked my contact, and he doesn''t even let the kids contact me...¡±


    ¡°You guys had broken up a long time ago. So what right does he have to be pissed?¡± Lupine pouted


    with indignation. ¡°He was the one who forced you away at the wedding. He was the one who wronged


    you. Not to mention, he wrongly believed the sisters from the ckwood family and defended Zara.


    And the list goes on. What right does he have to me you?¡±


    A wry smile crept upon Charlotte''s lips upon hearing that. ¡°There''s no right or wrong in a rtionship.


    He''s a victim as well. It was Mr. Henry who wanted to chase me away, and he was the one who


    believed in Cynthia. Of course, Zachary has his faults, too, for not helping me out. He has broken my


    heart deeply. Besides, he''s the one that caused Mrs. Berry''s death. By right, I should have killed him for


    revenge. But I chose to put down my hatred for my children''s sake. I left H City to start a new life. And I


    even agreed to marry Louis to avoid him. I thought I would be able to cut ties with himpletely. But


    now I realize, as long as we still have the kids, our rtionship would never end...¡±

 Chapter 1231

    Chapter 1231


    ¡°Well, it''s not exactly because of the kids.¡± Lupine chose her words carefully. ¡°The main reason is that


    the two of you have never really let go of each other.¡±


    Charlotte fell silent upon hearing that. She did not want to admit it, but it seemed like she could no


    longer lie to herself.


    As a matter of fact, Zachary still had an important ce in her heart.


    She could ignore her true feelings if she lived a single life. But whenever any man tried to get close to


    her, Zachary would appear in her mind, constantly reminding her that she was his woman.


    When she recalled what might have happened between her and Louis, she felt utterly embarrassed.


    Regardless of how much she did not want to face it, she knew she probably hadmitted a mistake.


    ¡°Since there''s no news yet, let''s just stop thinking about it. You should get some more rest in the


    meantime.¡± Lupine tried to ease her worries. ¡°After all, you can meet him thetest by six.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Charlotte wanted to get some sleep. She had been losing sleep during the nights and she was


    feeling utterly weary at the moment.


    ¡°Let me help you to the bed.¡± Lupine supported Charlotte toward the bed.


    Just then, Lupine''s phone rang. She nced at the screen and answered the call right away. ¡°Hello,


    Gordon! She''s with me. Hold on.¡±


    Lupine handed the phone to Charlotte.N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, Mr. Nacht is in Regium Hotel of the Royal Club now. It turns out that Mr. Murphy has


    booked the hotel. There will be a business meeting in the afternoon and a banquet at night.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Charlotte suddenly realized how vague Louis had been the night before. He only told me that Mr.


    Murphy will meet Zachary at Regium Hotel. He didn''t mention anything about a banquet... Maybe he


    didn''t want me to know too much as he feared I mighte to find Zachary.


    ¡°The kids are staying in the vi area in the club too and are personally protected by Bruce. I''ve got the


    hotel''s blueprint, and I''ve found the location of the vi. If you''d like, I can send some men to get the


    kids now.¡±


    ¡°Good job. Gordon, you''re without a doubt Danrique''s best assistant.¡± Charlotte was impressed. ¡°But


    please don''t make a move. Let me try to deal with Zachary peacefully first. That''s the best for the kids.¡±


    ¡°I understand. That''s why I''m not doing anything yet. I''ll wait for your instruction,¡± Gordon responded.


    ¡°Pleasee back now. I need you to protect Danrique''s kids.¡± Charlotte decided without hesitation.


    ¡°I''ll bring Lupine with me into the club. I''ll find a way to meet with Zachary.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Hanging up the phone, Charlotte turned to Lupine. ¡°Gather everyone and get ready to depart.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Lupine went on to it.


    When Charlotte was freshening up, Gordon got back and briefed her about the whole situation. Other


    than that, he also gave a few entrance tickets to Charlotte.


    ¡°Mr. Murphy had booked the entire Royal Club, and no outsider is allowed to go in. Only those with this


    facial identification entrance ticket can go in. And I''ve gotten five tickets for you. The identifications are


    for Lupine, Morgan, and the rest. That''s the most I could do.¡±


    ¡°Wow. Gordon, that''s impressive.¡± Lupine was utterly amazed. ¡°Only you can do such a thing.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg trained me well. I''m used to taking care of all the details.¡± Gordon disyed a smile. ¡°I


    suggest you guys wait for a while before you go in. The security will be stricter during the business


    meeting. You''ll be made known the moment you enter. And if Mr. Nacht refuses to negotiate, it would


    look bad. If news gets out, it might affect Mr. Nacht''s and the Laurent family''s reputation. For the


    evening banquet, you can enter at five o''clock. All the guests will be wearing grand retro outfits and


    masks. I don''t know much about clothing, so you''ll have to figure that out yourselves.¡±

 Chapter 1232

    Chapter 1232


    ¡°No problem. Leave it to me.¡± Lupine immediately called someone to prepare the outfits. ¡°This is good.


    No one would be able to recognize us then.¡±


    ¡°But I''m still worried since you can only bring four persons with you.¡± Gordon seemed to have


    considered every minutiae. ¡°I''ll arrange some men to blend in. Just give an order and they''ll appear to


    protect you.¡±


    ¡°Very good.¡± Charlotte was utterly grateful. ¡°Thanks so much, Gordon!¡±


    ¡°I''ll stay in the vi with the three kids then. I fear the assassin from Erihal woulde here.¡± Gordon


    could not let his guard down. ¡°Please be extra careful.¡±


    ¡°We will.¡± Charlotte nodded firmly.


    It was still raining outside, and the Lincoln limousine that Lupine arranged had arrived. With that,


    Charlotte, Lupine, Morgan, and two female bodyguards got in the limousine and headed toward Royal


    Club.


    The reason they tried so hard to disguise their real identities was that they did not want to get rejected


    by Zachary. Plus, they did not want the public to know that Charlotte met Zachary in private.


    Just like what Sherlyn said, the wedding was in two days, and the reputation of the two families was


    closely rted to it.


    The media was paying close attention to their every move. If their n got exposed, it would indeed be


    published as a scandal and would cause an uproar worldwide.


    Thest thing Charlotte wanted right now was to create more trouble for Danrique as the Lindberg


    Corporation was currently in deep water.


    Royal Club had always been a ce for the rich.


    Charlotte had been here once two years ago, where she spontaneously yed a song during the show


    in the theater and attracted Louis'' attention.


    N?velDrama.Org owns all content.


    On their way there, Charlotte''s phone kept ringing. It was Louis. In the end, Charlotte chose to block his


    number.


    She did not want to get distracted by anyone at this critical moment.


    ¡°How could Sir Louis be so inconsiderate?¡± Morgan could not help butin.


    ¡°Well, I think it''s understandable. He cares too much for Ms. Lindberg, after all.¡± Lupine observed


    Charlotte''s face as she spoke.


    Charlotte did not seem to be bothered at all. All she could think of was Zachary and her children at that


    moment.


    Using the entrance ticket provided by Gordon, they sessfully entered the club without any problem.


    The afternoon business meeting had ended, and most of the guests were busy checking in Regium


    Hotel. After that, they would start dressing up for the banquet.


    Charlotte was wearing sunsses and a mask, trying to keep her head down among them.


    It all went well as no one recognized her till the end.


    After they reached their room, Lupine started helping Charlotte get dressed up. Meanwhile, Morgan


    immediately went to investigate which room Zachary was in.


    After a short while, Morgan came back to the room. ¡°Mr. Nacht is in the presidential suite on the top


    floor. He seems to be discussing something with Mr. Murphy.¡±


    ¡°Which floor are we in?¡± Charlotte took out her phone and opened the hotel blueprint that Gordon sent


    her.


    ¡°We''re at the thirty-sixth floor, and Mr. Nacht is at the forty-eighth,¡± Morgan replied. ¡°The entrance


    tickets that we''ve got are for ordinary guests. And the forty-eighth floor is for important people. There


    are bodyguards on all elevators.¡±


    ¡°That''s strict.¡± Lupine furrowed her brows slightly. ¡°It''s only a banquet.¡±


    ¡°I noticed that the guests aren''t that many. The hotel is far from full,¡± Morgan continued to borate.


    ¡°Maybe Mr. Murphy knows Mr. Nacht likes quiet, and he is trying to please thetter.¡±


    ¡°The problem now is how are we supposed to get to the forty-eighth floor?¡± Lupine began analyzing the


    situation.


    ¡°I''m thinking of it too.¡± Morgan expressed her thoughts. ¡°Or maybe we should wait until the banquet


    starts. It will be merrier, and maybe everyone will let down their guard. There are still fifteen minutes


    left.¡±

 Chapter 1233

    Chapter 1233


    ¡°It seems like that''s the only way...¡± Lupine observed Charlotte''s expression closely. ¡°Ms. Lindberg,


    don''t worry. You will surely get the chance to approach Mr. Nacht at the banquet.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Charlotte responded briefly, her face darkening.


    ¡°What''s wrong?¡± Lupine asked with concern. ¡°Are you still worrying about your kids?¡±


    ¡°I have no confidence I can persuade Zachary.¡± Charlotte furrowed her brows tightly. ¡°We''ve put in so


    much effort for this. But even if I can meet him, it most probably won''t end well.¡±


    ¡°I reckoned he''ll be a tough nut to crack with his temper, too.¡± Lupine sounded worried as well.


    ¡°Maybe we should carry out both ns simultaneously,¡± Morgan uttered without hesitation. ¡°You''ll go


    talk to Mr. Nacht, and I''ll sneak into the vi to get the kids. With that, we won''t have to worry if he


    agrees to our terms or not.¡±


    ¡°Wow. What a perfect n.¡± Lupine rolled her eyes. ¡°So, what then? What are we supposed to tell the


    kids?¡±


    ¡°We''ve been overthinking. That''s why we''re always at a disadvantage.¡± Morgan was somehow


    displeased. ¡°Mr. Nacht didn''t care so much when he took the kids. He even banned them from


    contacting Ms. Lindberg. He has crossed the line, yet you''re still thinking of dealing with him peacefully.


    I bet no matter what Ms. Lindberg says, he will neverply with it.¡±


    Lupine was rendered speechless by Morgan''s words. She pondered for a while and eventually nodded.


    ¡°I guess there''s some sense in your words. But still, we''re the ones who wronged him first...¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Morgan was enraged. ¡°The Nacht family was the one who abandoned


    Ms. Lindberg. They didn''t care about Ms. Lindberg''s health and sent her and Mrs. Berry to T Nation.


    They had been through a hard time because of that. And Mrs. Berry even died in the end. Ms. Lindberg


    was rescued by Mr. Lindberg and came back stronger. She sessfully took revenge for Mrs. Berry


    and eliminated Zara and Sharon. But she''s paid a high price to achieve that. You know all about it. The


    Nacht family trusted Cynthia and ended up causing Ellie to be poisoned. They let Ms. Lindberg get


    humiliated, and they even protected Zara. Despite constantly getting bullied, Ms. Lindberg still chose to


    give in to them. She did so for the kids'' sake. But what has the Nacht family done for the kids or the


    Lindberg family? Nothing!¡±


    Upon hearing that, Lupine could not find any words to refute.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg had broken up with Mr. Nacht. Thus, anything that happened between her and Sir Louis,


    or any other man, has nothing to do with Mr. Nacht. What makes him think he can treat Ms. Lindberg


    as he likes?¡±


    Morgan was beyond exasperated as she recalled Zachary''s previous behavior toward Charlotte.


    ¡°He got pissed and took the kids away forcefully. He acted as if Ms. Lindberg had betrayed him. Who


    knows how many women he had had after he chased Ms. Lindberg away? He got caught in bed with


    Cynthia back in Storm Hotel and Ashenville Garden. It even got to the headline, and Cynthia was


    naked at that time. Have you forgotten about those?¡±


    ¡°That''s right.¡± Lupine furrowed her brows tightly. ¡°I almost forgot about it after Cynthia died.¡±


    C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    ¡°Well, I remember it perfectly.¡± Morgan was filled with utter resentment. ¡°Anyway, he is the one who


    wronged Ms. Lindberg first. What Ms. Lindberg''s done is reasonable. He has no right to take the kids


    away just like that.¡±


    ¡°Morgan''s right.¡± Charlotte''s expression turned solemn. ¡°I shouldn''t get carried away by him this time!¡±

 Chapter 1234

    Chapter 1234


    After giving it some thought, Charlotte instructed, ¡°Morgan, take Jade with you to find the children.


    However, don''t take them away by force. Just tell them that I want to see them. I''ll take Lupine with me


    to negotiate with Zachary. It would be best if he is willing to let me see the children. If not, I would still


    need to see them no matter what.¡±


    She continued, ¡°By then, I''ll respect the children''s decision. If they are willing toe with me, I will


    definitely take them. I don''t care if I have to fight Zachary for them.¡±


    ¡°That should work.¡± Lupine nodded. ¡°But, Ms. Lindberg, we should still negotiate first and try to resolve


    it amicably. After all, we need to take the children''s feelings into consideration.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Realizing that she had overreacted earlier, Morgan softened her stance and advised, ¡°Let''s


    discuss it with him first. It would be great if we cane to an agreement. If we are left with no other


    choice-¡±


    ¡°Enough. Let''s go with that.¡± Charlotte had made her decision. ¡°You''re right. If Zachary doesn''t allow


    me to see the children, there''s nothing much I can do about it. Therefore, I must seize the initiative no


    matter what.¡±


    ¡°In that case, shall I head to the vi to see the children?¡± Morgan rified.


    ¡°Go,¡± Charlotte replied decisively. ¡°Find them but don''t do anything rash until you hear from me.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Morgan nodded before leaving hurriedly with another two female bodyguards.


    With that, only Lupine remained by Charlotte''s side. Helping Charlotte braid her hair, Lupineforted


    her, ¡°The ball is about to start. Let''s go down earlier.¡±


    ¡°Mmm-hmm. I''ll do it myself. You should go get yourself ready.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡±


    After both of them were done dressing up, they put on their masks and headed for the banquet hall.


    The moment they pushed open the antique bronze door, they were greeted by an air of festivities.


    With the glittering chandelier hanging from the ceiling, a group of stunningly dressed socialites


    sauntered into the hall. All of them were wearing period gowns and decked out in luxurious jewelry. It


    was obvious from how they carried themselves that they were from illustrious backgrounds.


    Unexpectedly, all of them entered alone instead of having a rich businessman as their plus one. Once


    inside, some of them seemed to be discreetly looking for something, while the others were unting


    their charm in an attempt to attract someone.


    Meanwhile, at the rest area, more than ten businessmen dressed in suits were sitting there sipping


    their wine elegantly. Ogling at thedies, they whispered amongst themselves while smiling sciously.


    Scrutinizing the situation, Charlotte understood immediately that this wasn''t a businessworking


    banquet. Instead, it was an event for some rich businessmen to choose a femalepanion.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, are we in the wrong event?¡± Lupine whispered as she leaned toward Charlotte. ¡°This is


    obviously a pageant where the men choose their escorts.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Charlotte swept her gaze at all the businessmen who were seated. ¡°Those are Mr. Murphy and


    Zachary''s business partners. It''s one thing for them to have fun privately, but to do so in public so


    tantly... they really are shameless!¡±


    ¡°I don''t understand. Those girls look like they are from prominent families. Why would they allow


    themselves to be paraded and chosen like that?¡± Lupine was puzzled.


    ¡°Usually, those from less prominent families always look to climb the socialdder further.¡± Charlotte


    smiled inly. ¡°After all, it''s normal for one to be ambitious.¡±


    ¡°I understand. Since Mr. Nacht isn''t here, perhaps he''s noting?¡± Lupine murmured, ¡°He doesn''t


    seem like someone who enjoys such events.¡±


    Just as she spoke, one of the girls eximed, ¡°Mr. Nacht is here!¡±


    At that moment, the antique bronze doors opened. With Theo by his side, Zachary strode into the hall.


    Dressed in a ck suit, his awe-inspiring charisma mesmerized everyone in the extravagantly


    decorated hall.


    Although he had lost a lot of weight, the domineering aura he exuded did not diminish at all. In fact, his


    chiseled face had a predatory look to it now.


    Only his eyes seemed icier than before.C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.

 Chapter 1235

    Chapter 1235


    ¡°Mr. Nacht...¡± When a few of the girls approached, the bodyguards quickly stopped them.


    As Zachary walked in slowly, he paid no heed to the girls moring for him. However, he didn''t resent


    the hedonistic event either. Instead, he casually picked up the wine ss he was served and took a


    seat among the businessmen.


    Looking at Zachary from amidst the crowd, Charlotte was filled with conflicting emotions.


    There was bewilderment, disappointment, and many burning questions.


    She didn''t understand why he would want to attend a banquet like this. Maybe he has done this so


    many times that it has be a routine for him? Or, is he just looking for some excitement because he


    is angry with me?


    Nevertheless, she was disappointed to see him in a ce like this regardless of the reason. The image


    she had of him began to unravel.


    I''m just curious though... now that he has sessfully taken the children, why hasn''t he taken them


    back to H City? Instead, he stays back in Pillere just to attend such an event. Besides, he never liked to


    appear in public.


    ¡°Looks like I''ll have to eat my words.¡±


    Lupine was embarrassed by how convinced she was a moment ago. She had assumed that Zachary


    wasn''t someone like that. However, his presence proved her wrong.


    ¡°This banquet is obviously organized for him. So why wouldn''t he attend?¡±


    Charlotte suddenly noticed that all the girls'' attention was focused on Zachary.


    Hence, she figured that Theo must have organized the event to help Zachary find a femalepanion.


    Look at how desperate these socialites are at bing part of the Nacht family. Climbing into


    Zachary''s bed would be the first step in achieving their goal.


    ¡°That''s the legendary Mr. Nacht. What a looker!¡±


    ¡°Exactly. With such a great figure and powerful gaze, I''m simply mesmerized!¡±


    ¡°He is an excellent specimen of the rich and famous. I would be willing to die just to be his girl.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org owns all content.


    ¡°Stop dreaming. He''s mine!¡±


    ¡°Sheesh, who do you think you are...¡±


    As the group ofdies conversed in fluent Ustranasion, all of them were filled with confidence and


    excitement.


    Some of the gorgeousdies were already swaggering their curvaceous hips and making their way


    toward him.


    Watching on, Lupine couldn''t help butment, ¡°What is this? Despiteing from good backgrounds,


    they are still willing to throw themselves at him. Is it really worth it?¡±


    ¡°It''s precisely because theye from prominent families that they are aiming higher,¡± Charlotte inly


    replied. ¡°To them, only a man like Zachary is worthy of their time.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Lupine was speechless. All she did was stare daggers at Ben who was standing beside


    Zachary. ¡°That b*stard. What a hypocrite. How dare he im to be loyal in matters of love? Those


    words simply ring hollow now.¡±


    ¡°It''s not Ben''s fault. He''s just doing his job staying by Zachary''s side.¡± After giving him a nce,


    Charlotte picked up a cocktail and found a seat in a corner. ¡°If you continue to re at him, we will be


    found out in no time.¡±


    Retracting her gaze, Lupine took her seat beside Charlotte and murmured, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, do you think


    they will recognize us?¡±


    ¡°They won''t,¡± Charlotte replied with conviction. ¡°The mask covers our entire face. How is it possible that


    they know it''s us?¡±


    ¡°You''re right.¡± Lupine nodded. ¡°In that case, do you want to go and see Mr. Nacht?¡±


    ¡°There''s no hurry.¡± Charlotte narrowed her eyes as she watched a group of beautifuldies surround


    him. ¡°Given how alert he is now, we will be spotted easily. Let''s wait till he is intoxicated before moving


    over.¡±


    ¡°Wow, thedies are getting really intimate...¡± When Lupine saw twodies with their breasts about to


    brush onto Zachary, she couldn''t help but raise her eyebrow. ¡°That''s really too-¡±


    Not daring to finish her sentence, she carefully observed the look on Charlotte''s face.


    Lowering her gaze to take a sip of wine, Charlotte was a sea of calm. However, her other hand beneath


    her dress had balled tightly into a fist.


    She wasn''t aware that she still had feelings for him. Despite caring for him and being filled with


    jealousy, she knew she couldn''t show her true emotions no matter what.

 Chapter 1236

    Chapter 1236


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, look, these are the beauties that I have chosen for you,¡± Theo introduced them smugly.


    ¡°These aren''t just ordinary girls. All of theme from illustrious families. They are also highly


    educated, knowledgeable, and excel in many fields. Some of them are top-rated actresses while others


    are supermodels.¡±


    When Zachary signaled with his hand, Ben ushered the girls surrounding him away.


    After sipping a ss of wine, Zachary asked leisurely, ¡°What did Louis tell you?¡±


    N?velDrama.Org owns all content.


    ¡°Erm...¡± Stumped, Theo''s expression froze awkwardly. He quickly exined, ¡°He didn''t say anything.


    Since both of you are good friends, he is always concerned about you-¡±


    Before Theo could finish, Zachary suddenly pressed closer with a ferocious look in his eye. ¡°Given how


    you painstakingly set this up, don''t tell me you don''t know anything.¡±


    ¡°I... I...¡± Stuttering fearfully, sweat broke out on Theo''s forehead.


    ¡°Hmph!¡± Zachary suddenly backed off and stopped pressuring him. After that, he continued sipping his


    wine.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, don''t be angry,¡± Theo exined frantically. ¡°When I saw how gloomy you looked recently, I


    just wanted to cheer you up. If I have offended you, I''ll get them to leave right away.¡±


    Just as he spoke, he was about to order his subordinates to take the girls away.


    ¡°No need,¡± Zachary interrupted him. ¡°You''re right. I should find myself some entertainment.¡±


    Raising his gaze, he looked as if he hade to a decision. Then, he raised his ss and clinked it


    with Theo''s.


    His sudden actions caused Theo to feel relieved.


    ¡°Hahaha...¡± The terror he previously felt was now reced with tion. ¡°As long as it makes you happy,


    Mr. Nacht!¡±


    The next moment, Theo barked out, ¡°Quick, music please!¡±


    ¡°All of you, stand over here so that Mr. Nacht can have a good look!¡±


    Thedies quickly crowded over and formed a line so that Zachary could take his pick.


    Behind him, the group of businessmen began to egg him on.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, you''re in luck! All thesedies are top-rated specimens indeed. Regardless of whether you


    like them pretty, sexy, or intelligent, you will be spoilt for choice tonight!¡±


    ¡°Haha, exactly. Pleasure is, after all, the whole point of life.¡±


    ¡°You could even start building a harem. Given your prowess, I''m sure it won''t be a problem for you.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying? Mr. Nacht is choosing a girlfriend. You guys should stop spouting nonsense.¡±


    ¡°Exactly, do you think Mr. Nacht is as lecherous as you are?¡±


    ¡°No, no, I''m just trying to liven up the atmosphere.¡±


    The group of men were already filled with excitement.


    Looking at the group ofdies, Zachary had no reaction at all. After sweeping a gaze at them, he


    continued to sip his wine.


    ¡°Mr. Murphy, how can Mr. Nacht choose a partner when you don''t allow him to see their figures? By


    dressing in traditional Ferropenian clothing, everything is hidden underneath. Furthermore, by getting


    them to don a mask, what is there left to see?¡± one of the businessmenmented.


    ¡°Precisely.¡± The men suggested boisterously, ¡°I saw a heated pool just outside the lobby. Why don''t we


    get them to change into bikinis and rinse off their makeup before lining up to be chosen again?


    Hahaha.¡±


    ¡°That''s a wonderful idea!¡±


    One by one, the men tossed out ideas as if they were the event''s guest of honor.


    As for thedies participating in the pageant, they didn''t resist at all. Instead, they replied with a smile,


    ¡°No problem. After all, we look equally good with or without makeup.¡±


    ¡°I agree that these clothes are too bulky.¡±


    ¡°Yes, exactly.¡±


    ¡°However, I feel that looks aren''t the only thing Mr. Nacht is looking for.¡±


    Suddenly, a girl suggested a different perspective in fluent Chanaean. ¡°What he cares about is whether


    one understands him!¡±


    Zachary lifted his gaze the moment he heard those words.


    From the crowd, a tall and slenderdy stared at him earnestly. Compared to the others, she was


    neither impetuous nor overwhelmed by excitement. Instead, she exuded a sense of beautiful calm.

 Chapter 1237

    Chapter 1237


    ¡°You speak very good Chanaean.¡±


    Zachary finally said something to thedies on parade.


    ¡°Thank you. Do you still remember me-¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, I speak Chanaean too.¡±


    Before the girl could continue, she was interrupted by one of the otherdies.


    Thedies did whatever it took to gain Zachary''s attention.


    However, Zachary didn''t pay much attention to the first girl. After finishing with his initial sentence, he


    averted his gaze and continued drinking.


    It felt as if no matter what thedies did, they weren''t able to pique his interest at all.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, let''s go over.¡± Lupine grew anxious. ¡°If we don''t, Mr. Nacht will probably end up choosing


    someone.¡±


    ¡°Let him choose then.¡± Charlotte remained calm. ¡°If he really likes any of them, even I can''t stop him.¡±


    ¡°But...¡± Lupine reminded, ¡°Don''t you want to negotiate with him?¡±


    ¡°I know. But, if I go now, it would be troublesome if I''m recognized.¡± Charlotte lowered her head to take


    a sip of wine. ¡°I''ll see him when he is alone.¡±


    ¡°What if he has one of thedies by his side by then?¡± Lupine questioned.


    Charlotte''s hand that was holding the wine ss stiffened while her eyes shed with panic for a


    fleeting moment. However, she quickly regained herposure. ¡°In that case, I''ll talk to him only after


    he''s done. Perhaps, he will be in a good mood by then and no longer feel that I owe him.


    Consequently, he will stop being unreasonable after that.¡±


    Stumped, Lupine had nothing to retort with. She knew that Charlotte was only saying those words out


    of spite. Furthermore, Lupine was cognizant that Charlotte was in a dilemma as she didn''t know how to


    face Zachary.


    However, at the rate they were going, their n would fail.


    Just then, someone cried out, ¡°Hey, there are another twodies over there.¡±


    Caught by surprise, Lupine looked over and realized that one of the businessmen had noticed her and


    Charlotte on his way back from the men''s.


    Charlotte knitted her eyebrows. Well d*mn, we''ve been spotted. I guess we have no choice but to go


    over now.


    ¡°Why aren''t the two of you here?¡± Theo yelled. ¡°Come over quickly!¡±


    ¡°What do we do?¡± Lupine panicked. Despite how decisive she had always been, being turned into an


    escort had caused her to lose her judgment.


    ¡°Let''s go over.¡± Getting up to her feet, Charlotte headed over calmly.


    ¡°Tsk tsk, why are both of you hiding in the corner in the face of such a wonderful opportunity?¡± Theo


    lectured Charlotte in Ustranasion. ¡°You''re lucky that someone noticed your presence or your


    attendance would have been a waste of time.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. Fortunately, Mr. Nacht hasn''t picked anyone yet.¡± The other men began to shout


    rambunctiously, ¡°You still have a chance to join the party!¡±


    ¡°What? The swimsuit party?¡± Lupine eximed.


    When Charlotte nudged her shoulder lightly, she quickly got the message. Lowering her head, she


    didn''t dare say another word.


    Hearing that, Ben suddenly looked up and stared at Lupine, frowning.


    ¡°Why? Are you unwilling to do it?¡± Theo looked at Lupine.


    Lupine nced at Charlotte''s direction instead.


    ¡°No, we''re more than happy to do it,¡± Charlotte replied with a smile.


    She changed her ent when she spoke Ustranasion for fear of being recognized.


    With a wine ss in hand, Zachary sipped his drink as if he didn''t notice anything.


    ¡°Good. In that case, you can get changed now,¡± Theo instructed. ¡°We''ll see you at the pool!¡±


    ¡°All right.¡±


    When thedies went off to prepare themselves, Charlotte and Lupine followed them to the changing


    room.


    Leaning into Zachary''s ear, Ben whispered, ¡°Mr. Nacht, those two seem to be...¡±


    ¡°Let''s head to the pool,¡± Zachary got to his feet and headed to the open-air za outside.


    ¡°Haha, it seems like Mr. Nacht''s looking forward to the swimsuit party too!¡±


    The group of men burst intoughter. One of them brazenly asked, ¡°Mr. Nacht, can I take your


    leftovers?¡±


    ¡°You''re stepping over the line here,¡± Ben snapped. ¡°This isn''t a nightclub. We''re here to choose a


    partner.¡±


    C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    ¡°Of course!¡± Zachary suddenly replied. ¡°As long as they are willing.¡±

 Chapter 1238

    Chapter 1238


    ¡°Mr. Nacht...¡± Ben caught up with Zachary and murmured, ¡°The twodies just now might be-¡±


    ¡°Ben!¡± Zachary cut him off and sneered, ¡°you seem to be very talkative tonight.¡±


    Despite falling silent after being admonished, Ben still felt anxious nheless.


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    ¡°Give Bruce a call,¡± Zachary suddenly ordered. ¡°There might be a storm tonight. Tell him to close the


    windows and keep an eye on the children.¡±


    ¡°Uhh...¡± Briefly stunned, Ben grunted in acknowledgment. ¡°Right away.¡±


    At that moment, he realized that Zachary knew everything.


    Meanwhile, back in the changing room...


    Lowering her voice, Lupine asked anxiously. ¡°What are we going to do? Do we really have to get into


    swimsuits to be chosen?¡±


    ¡°What''s the hurry?¡± When Charlotte swept her gaze at the other girls, she saw them preparing


    themselves meticulously and were filled with anticipation.


    ¡°Why aren''t you getting changed?¡± one of them asked curiously.


    Charlotte and Lupine didn''t respond.


    Another girl mocked, ¡°If you''re not willing to do it, you shouldn''t have evene. Now that you''re here,


    what''s the point in pretending to be conservative?¡±


    ¡°Precisely.¡± The other girlsughed mockingly. ¡°Did someone put a knife to your throat to do this?¡±


    ¡°You...¡± Just when Lupine was about to lose her temper, Charlotte gave her a tug and signaled her to


    ignore thements.


    Despite the rage she felt, Lupine remained silent in the end.


    ¡°Is it because you didn''t prepare a swimsuit? Here, why don''t you wear these?¡±


    At that moment, a friendly voice rang out.


    Raising her gaze, Charlotte saw that the girl had changed out of her heavy gown into a sexy bikini. It


    showed off the perfect contours of her figure in all its glory.


    She had an innocent yet alluring-looking face. Her demure expression made her stand out from among


    therge group ofdies.


    ¡°Were you the one who spoke Chanaean just now?¡±


    Charlotte recognized the girl that had caught Zachary''s attention earlier.


    ¡°You have a good eye.¡± The girl grinned. ¡°These two swimsuits are less revealing. If you don''t mind,


    you can put them on.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Receiving the swimsuits, Charlotte looked at thebel on the woman''s chest. Nancy Gold,


    what a nice-sounding name. ¡±Are you from Koandria?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Nancy responded with a warm smile. ¡°Are you from there too?¡±


    ¡°No, I''m Chanaean,¡± Charlotte replied with a smile. ¡°Thank you for the swimsuit. The others have left,


    so you should catch up to them too.¡±


    After turning to look, Nancy hurried after them. ¡°In that case, I''ll head off first. You guys shoulde


    after you''ve changed.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± Charlotte acknowledged before watching her leave.


    When everyone else had left the changing room, Lupine asked softly, ¡°Nancy looks very familiar. I feel


    like I''ve heard her name before.¡±


    ¡°She''s the daughter of the richest man in Koandria,¡± Charlotte quipped. ¡°When we were at the tender of


    the South Sea project in H City, her father bid twenty billion topete with me. Also, she went to see


    Zachary backstage.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that''s right. I remember now.¡± Lupine recalled at once. ¡°Back then, she had waited for Mr. Nacht


    backstage. After that, he invited her to his private room for a while...¡±


    ¡°During that time, I had just returned to H City and did not recognize Zachary yet,¡± Charlotte


    recollected. ¡°He had wanted to use her to probe whether I was really Charlotte.¡±


    ¡°Right. That was her.¡± Lupine nodded repeatedly. ¡°However, considering how illustrious her family is, I


    don''t understand why she has to lower herself to attend such an event.¡±


    ¡°As I said before, the better the family background, the more ambitious one is.¡± Charlotte smiled inly.


    ¡°All of them feel that no other man other than Zachary is worthy of them.¡±


    ¡°Is she here for Mr. Nacht then?¡± Lupine carefully probed. ¡°She feels different from the other girls. All of


    them seemed verypetitive. However, when Nancy looks at Mr. Nacht, her eyes are filled with deep


    admiration and affection.¡±

 Chapter 1239

    Chapter 1239


    ¡°Even you noticed it.¡± Charlotte smirked. ¡°I wonder if Zachary did as well...¡±


    ¡°Well, even if she has feelings for Mr. Nacht, he might not feel the same way.¡± Lupine changed her tact.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht only has eyes for you.¡±


    ¡°Don''t you think it''s ridiculous to say something like that now?¡± Charlotte interrupted Lupine. With a self-


    deprecating tone, she remarked, ¡°Given how things are between us, neither of us have the right to


    demand anything of the other.¡±


    Not knowing what else to say, Lupine lowered her head and sighed.


    ¡°All right now, let''s get changed.¡± Charlotte didn''t feel like continuing the conversation.


    ¡°Are we really going?¡± Lupine asked awkwardly. ¡°I... umm...¡±


    ¡°If you''re not going, I am.¡± Sweeping her gaze around, Charlotte murmured, ¡°You should dress as a


    waitress and be my spy.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    As if she had been assigned an important task, Lupine went searching for a waitress'' uniform.


    Meanwhile, Charlotte got into a white swimsuit with a deep ''V'' cut, revealing her sensuous figure and


    wless pearl-like skin.


    Furthermore, she found a ckced half mask and put it on. That way, no one would be able to


    recognize her.


    Dressed as a waitress, Lupine put on a face mask and hurried Charlotte along. ¡°The party is about to


    start, and they''re about to shut the doors. Let''s go quickly.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Charlotte grabbed a scarf and hung it by her waist before leaving with Lupine.


    Once they were at the lobby, both of them went their separate ways. Lupine picked up a tray and


    started serving the guests with wine.


    As for Charlotte, she walked to the pool barefoot.


    The otherdies had taken off their masks and revealed their beautiful faces by the pool. Coupled with


    their sensuous figures, they were making the men by the poolside salivate lecherously.


    As the music began, thedies teased Zachary by reaching out their hands and beckoning him over


    seductively.


    Sipping on his wine, Zachary swept his gaze across thedies, stopping on Nancy for a few seconds


    before quickly averting it.


    Filled with delight, Nancy greeted him at once, ¡°Mr. Nacht, do you still remember me? I''m Nan- Ah!¡±


    Before she could finish, Nancy was pushed toward the pool. Caught by surprise, she fell right into it.


    All the girls quickly backed off while no one stepped up to help her.


    As if something had caught her leg, she wasn''t able to stand up, causing her to struggle desperately.


    When Charlotte saw that Nancy was in trouble, she jumped into the pool intending to rescue her.


    At the same time, a ck figure dived in too and carried Nancy up.


    Visibly shaken, Nancy gasped for air. While her body trembled, she heard the gentle voice of a man.


    ¡°Don''t be afraid. Everything is all right now.¡±


    When she regained her senses and wiped the water off her face, she was stunned the moment she


    saw who it was. ¡°M-Mr. Nacht.¡±


    Carrying Nancy ashore, Zachary put her down on the sun lounger. Taking a towel handed over by the


    staff, he covered her with it andforted her, ¡°Are you all right? Do you need to see a doctor?¡±


    ¡°I''m... I''m fine.¡±


    Nancy was nervous.


    ¡°Here, have a ss of wine to calm your nerves.¡± Zachary handed his ss to her.


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    Overwhelmed by the attention, Nancy stared at Zachary nkly.


    ¡°Don''t you want it?¡± Zachary asked with his eyebrow arched.


    ¡°No... it''s not that.¡±


    Nancy was a bundle of nerves when she received the winess, causing her to identally spill it all


    over her thigh. The sight of the wine dripping down her legs made for an even more sensuous sight.


    ¡°I-I''m sorry. I didn''t do it on purpose,¡± Nancy apologized anxiously.


    ¡°It''s fine.¡± Zachary took off his jacket and put it over her. ¡°It''s cold here. Do you want to rest upstairs?¡±


    ¡°Wow!¡±


    Just as he spoke, everyone gasped.

 Chapter 1240

    Chapter 1240


    Evidently, Zachary had picked whom he wanted.


    The rest of thedies were filled with disappointment. Some even pped the water in frustration while


    others had darkened expressions and tears welling up in their eyes.


    As for the men, all of them were overwhelmed by excitement.


    ¡°What a quick decision. Looks like the swimsuit party was really effective! Hahaha!¡±


    ¡°Of course! Only by doing so can we see their faces and figures clearly.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht has a good eye. That girl is quite the catch.¡±


    ¡°That goes without saying.¡± Theo revealed, ¡°Everyone, I''m sure none of you are aware that she is Ms.


    Nancy Gold, daughter of the richest man in Koandria, Mr. Jesse Gold.¡±


    ¡°Wow...¡± When everyone heard about Nancy''s identity, they envied Zachary further. ¡°Mr. Nacht, you


    have a sharp eye indeed to have picked the best with a single nce.¡±


    The fact was, Nancy had the most illustrious background among all the beauties there.


    Furthermore, everyone in the business world knew how strict Jesse was. Hence, his daughter must


    have gone through the same treatment.


    Ever since she was young, she was raised and trained in seclusion so that she would end up being


    extremely shrewd in business and would also possess many other talents.


    Jesse had restricted her social circle so that she maintained her purity until Jesse could find her the


    right husband.


    Evidently, he had nned for Nancy to attend the event that night.


    When Zachary picked out the epitome of beauty from among thedies, everyone couldn''t help but


    praise his eye.


    ¡°Time is of the essence. Mr. Nacht, Ms. Gold, I have prepared the presidential suite for you. Please go


    ahead and rest upstairs. Haha,¡± Theo teased.


    When Zachary gave him the side-eye, he shut his mouth and didn''t dare utter another word.


    The crowd didn''t dare to make any wisecracks too.


    When Nancy''s embarrassing situation had been resolved, she gave Zachary a look of gratitude.


    Zachary had shown her the respect she deserved and even offered his hand to help her up. ¡°Can you


    walk by yourself?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Just as she got to her feet, Nancy''s knees buckled, causing her to fall.


    However, Zachary quickly picked her up and carried her away.


    The group of men couldn''t resist pping and cheering given how much they were awed by the


    romantic turn of events.


    Filled with jealous envy, thedies in the pool stared daggers at Nancy.


    As for Charlotte who was standing in the corner, she watched Zachary''s silhouette with a stunned


    expression. In her heart, she felt a devastating blow crush it in pieces.


    At that moment, she realized how heartbreaking it was to see with her own eyes the man she loved


    getting together with another girl.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, since you are done with the selection, can we take our pick of the rest?¡± one of the


    businessmen asked.


    ¡°Suit yourself, ¡°Zachary inly replied.


    Overjoyed, the men jumped into the pool and began to flirt with thedies.


    Furrowing her eyebrows with disdain, Charlotte climbed back onto the poolside and prepared to leave.


    However, one of the men stopped her. ¡°Don''t go, pretty. Why don''t we get to know each other?¡±


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    ¡°Move aside,¡± Charlotte snapped.


    ¡°Tsk tsk, what a feisty little cat. I like that attitude of yours. Haha.¡± The manughed in delight. ¡°Don''t


    worry, if you get together with me, I will provide my utmost support for your family business.¡±


    Before he finished, Charlotte sidestepped him to leave.


    ¡°Hey!¡± the man grabbed her hand and scrutinized her from head to toe. ¡°You have an alluring figure


    with glowing taut skin. Name your price then!¡±


    When Charlotte tried to retract her hand, the man refused to let go. In a fit of rage, she kicked the man


    in the balls.


    ¡°Argh!¡± The man let out an agonizing scream before falling into the pool with a giant ssh.


    Alerted by themotion, everyone turned to look. When someone deduced what happened, he burst


    intoughter, ¡°Haha, Jared, seems like you''ve met your match today!¡±

 Chapter 1241

    Chapter 1241


    Just when Charlotte stormed off, she saw Zachary carrying Nancy into the elevator.


    The moment the elevator door was about to close, he suddenly looked in her direction.


    At that moment, both of them made eye contact. One had an icy gaze while the other was filled with


    conflict.


    Charlotte wondered if he had recognized her.


    If he didn''t, why would he look at me? No, wait. Perhaps, I attracted his attention after kicking someone


    into the water. That''s understandable after all. If he really recognized me and yet, took Nancy away


    while I was being harassed, that would really have been too much.


    Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    At that moment, Charlotte was in so much turmoil that she clenched both her fists.


    ¡°You d*mn woman!¡± Jared had climbed out of the pool. He bellowed, ¡°How dare you kick me! I''m going


    to kill you!¡±


    Just as he spoke, Jared attacked Charlotte from behind.


    With a darkening gaze, Charlotte turned around with a whirlwind kick and sent the man hurtling into the


    pool again.


    Ssh! Water ripples were everywhere.


    At that moment, everyone was stunned. They had assumed Jared fell into the pool earlier by ident


    after fooling around with Charlotte. But now, they had witnessed Charlotte''s ferocity.


    Her eyes were filled with murderous rage.


    With no time to lose, Charlotte quickly left. Watching the elevator''s levels, she saw that Zachary had


    taken Nancy to the forty-eight floor.


    He really can''t wait, can he?


    Filled with rage, Charlotte hurried to the elevator.


    ¡°Stop her!¡±


    By then, Theo had grown suspicious of Charlotte as she still had her mask on when all the other girls


    had removed theirs. It was obvious that she didn''t want to be recognized.


    If anyone with malicious intentions had infiltrated the event, it would have been terrible.


    After all, everyone present was a VIP and no harm should evere to them.


    When a few bodyguards went up to stop Charlotte, Lupine, who was dressed as a waitress, stood in


    their way. She told Charlotte, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, go on ahead. I got this.¡±


    Just when the bodyguards wanted to stop Charlotte from entering the elevator, Lupine unleashed a kick


    and sent all of them flying.


    From that moment, the scene turned into utter chaos.


    Thedies screamed in fear while the men called for their bodyguards.


    All of them were fearful for their own lives.


    Meanwhile, Theo ordered arge group of bodyguards to take on Lupine and capture Charlotte at the


    same time.


    However, the elevator door had closed and Charlotte was heading directly to the forty-eight floor.


    ¡°D*mn it! The two assassins are heading in Mr. Nacht''s direction.¡± Theo was seized by panic. ¡°Quick,


    send more men to capture the two women.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    When Charlotte heard those words in the elevator, she couldn''t help but knit her eyebrows.


    This is all Jared''s fault. I was about to slip away and follow Zachary when he suddenly got in my way


    and caused the situation to escte. Luckily, they didn''t know who I was. Nevertheless, I have to find


    Zachary now and negotiate with him. But, he is with Nancy now. Have they...


    With that thought in mind, Charlotte was filled with exasperation.


    In the meantime, Zachary had carried Nancy out of the elevator and arrived in his room.


    The moment he entered, he saw a bottle of wine on the table with a big bouquet of roses by its side.


    As for the carpet and the bed, they were all covered in rose petals.


    Theo was the one behind the surprise.


    Nancy could feel her cheeks heating up. Biting her lip, she snuggled up in Zachary''s arms, not daring


    to move a muscle.


    Zachary ced her down on the sofa and remarked in a deep voice, ¡°You should go and wash up.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Nancy acknowledged softly before heading to the bathroom.


    Sitting on the sofa, Zachary had a ss of wine in silence.


    ¡°Ahem!¡± At that moment, Ben knocked and entered. When he didn''t see Nancy in the room, he


    reported at once, ¡°A fight has broken out downstairs.¡±


    Zachary continued sipping his wine without responding. It was as if it had nothing to do with him at all.

 Chapter 1242

    Chapter 1242


    ¡°The two girls just now really are-¡±


    ¡°You''re dismissed,¡± Zachary interrupted. ¡°Don''t bother me without my permission.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, are you really...¡± Ben asked in surprise as he nced at the bathroom. ¡°Don''t be hasty. You


    have to stay calm.¡±


    ¡°Get out!¡± Zachary barked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Not daring to say another word, Ben left with his head hung low.


    Zachary picked up the remote control from the table and turned on the ''do not disturb'' indicator.


    Letting out a sigh, Ben left in resignation.


    Meanwhile, Charlotte exited the elevator and quickly found Zachary''s room. She knew of an old habit of


    his. No matter which hotel he stayed in, he would always choose the presidential suite at the end of the


    corridor as it was quiet, and he wouldn''t be disturbed.


    When she saw the ''do not disturb'' indicator lighting up, Charlotte was filled with mixed emotions. That


    b*stard really can''t keep it in his pants.


    Clenching her fists, she hesitated as to whether she should barge in or not.


    If she did and saw somethingpromising, she knew she would be driven mad.


    If she didn''t, and Theo''s men caught up with her, she would lose the opportunity to talk to Zachary


    alone.


    With that thought in mind, Charlotte tried to open the door, only to find that it was locked from the


    inside.


    Further infuriated, she raised her hand to knock. However, it dawned upon her that there was no way


    she could trick Zachary into opening the door given how shrewd he was.


    Scrutinizing her surroundings, she realized there was no one staying next door. Hence, she slipped into


    the room and nned to cross over from the balcony.


    Sitting on the sofa, Zachary had almost finished his wine. He watched on as the movements outside


    the door started and stopped. When it fell silent, he knew that whoever was outside had left.


    Has she given up?


    ¡°I... I''m done...¡±


    At that moment, Nancy came out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel. She had just showered and dried


    her hair.


    With her exquisite features and wless skin, she exuded an aura that was unbelievably pure.


    What intensified her allure was the innocent look in her eyes as she stared longingly at Zachary.


    Her gaze jolted Zachary, who rarely had any luck in his rtionships.


    ¡°Come over and sit.¡± Zachary raised her gaze at her.


    Nancy anxiously took a seat on the sofa opposite him. She was so nervous that she didn''t know what


    to do.


    ¡°Come over.¡± Zachary patted the seat beside him.


    Biting her lip, Nancy walked over carefully. After sitting beside him, she didn''t dare make eye contact.


    When Zachary poured her a ss of wine, she received it carefully, worried that she would spill it


    again.


    ¡°Are you nervous?¡±


    Just as Zachary spoke, he heard some movement in the balcony, causing him to furrow his eyebrows.


    This is the forty-eighth floor. If she falls, there would be noing back from this.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Taking a deep breath, Nancy gathered her courage and said, ¡°Do you still remember me? We


    met before in H City.¡±


    ¡°I heard about you,¡± Zachary inly replied. ¡°Your father bid twenty billion for the South Sea project.


    Unfortunately, Lindberg Corporation stole the bid from you at thirty billion.¡±


    ¡°That wasn''t my father. The one who participated in the tender was my father''s subordinate,¡± Nancy


    exined. ¡°During the tender, I wasn''t present. It wasn''t until the Aploth business convention at


    Ashenville Garden that I met you backstage. Do you remember that?¡±


    ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± Zachary had obviously forgotten about it.


    ¡°Actually, that wasn''t the first time I waited for you.¡± Blushing, Nancy continued, ¡°When I was sixteen, I


    met you at a business convention in M Nation. During that time, you were speaking on stage-¡±


    Before Nancy could finish, Zachary pulled her into his embrace. Caught by surprise, she spilled the red


    wine she was holding onto his thigh.N?velDrama.Org owns all content.

 Chapter 1243

    Chapter 1243


    ¡°I''m sorry, I...¡±


    Just when Nancy wanted to speak, Zachary pressed himself against her. Holding onto her cheeks, he


    looked at her with a conflicted expression.


    Nancy was so nervous that she could barely breathe. Feeling her tremble underneath him, Zachary


    saw the terrified look in her eyes.


    ¡°Tell me, what do women care about the most?¡±


    Zachary ran his fingers across her cheeks while his eyes sparkled with curiosity.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Although Nancy didn''t understand the rationale for the sudden question, she still replied in


    earnest. ¡°Probably, the man they love.¡±


    ¡°The man they love?¡± Zachary considered the answer. ¡°Is it more important than the interest of the


    family?¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Nancy replied without hesitation. ¡°A family''s interest belongs to the family. Love is what belongs


    to ourselves.¡±


    Pausing briefly, she exined in an unsettled tone, ¡°Are you assuming that I am trying to get close to


    you because of my family? No. I''m doing it because... I truly admire you.¡±


    ¡°If...¡± Zachary continued asking, ignoring her exnation, ¡°I ask you to sleep with someone you don''t


    love for the sake of your family, will you do it?¡±


    ¡°I won''t.¡± Nancy assumed that he had misunderstood her intentions. She defended herself frantically, ¡°I


    love you, that''s why-¡±


    ¡°Love?¡± Zachary sneered, ¡°Love can change.¡±


    A long time ago, Charlotte loved me too and sacrificed a lot for me. She stayed true and showered all


    her affection on me. But now... She has thrown herself into Louis'' embrace.


    ¡°No, I won''t change.¡± Nancy was full of conviction. ¡°You don''t know how much I love you. From when I


    was sixteen, it has been five years. My feelings for you-¡±


    Bam!


    Nancy''s words were cut short by the sudden noise. Startled, she turned to look by reflex.


    Charlotte had taken the risk of falling from the forty-eighth floor and jumped over from the neighboring


    room''s balcony with everything she had.


    She hadnded sessfully initially. However, the sight of Zachary pressing himself against Nancy


    had jolted her, causing her to identally tip over a vase on the balcony.


    Consequently, that was the sound of the vase shattering on the ground.


    ¡°It''s her?¡± Nancy recognized Charlotte at once as the girl who wore a mask in the changing room.


    Moreover, Charlotte was still wearing the swimsuit she had lent to her.


    ¡°I''m sorry!¡± Charlotte apologized before shooting a silver needle into Nancy''s neck.


    Feeling her limbs go weak, Nancy fainted onto the ground.


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    ¡°Insolence!¡±


    Shooting her a re, Zachary grabbed the winess by the table and flung it at Charlotte.


    Avoiding it by reflex, Charlotte saw the ss smash into pieces upon crashing onto the wall.


    Before she could regain her senses, Zachary suddenly appeared in front of her, grabbed her throat,


    and pinned her against the wall.


    ¡°Ah!¡± At that very instant, death shed across Charlotte''s eyes. In a choking voice, she yelled,


    ¡°Zachary, it''s me!¡±


    Tearing off her mask, Zachary eximed with his eyebrows raised, ¡°Charlotte?¡±


    ¡°Let go!¡± Charlotte grabbed the back of his hand, leaving deep scratches in the process.


    When Zachary saw the difort she was in, he released her and turned around. ¡°What are you doing


    here?¡±


    Coughing, she said, ¡°I... I have something to discuss with you.¡±


    Rubbing her throat, Charlotte desperately tried to catch her breath.


    ¡°There nothing to discuss between us.¡±


    Sitting on the sofa, Zachary poured a ss of wine for himself.


    ¡°We have to talk about the kids.¡± Charlotte walked over anxiously. ¡°At the very least, let me see the kids


    once to hear what they have to say.¡±


    ¡°What makes you think you deserve it?¡± Zachary red at her with rage burning in his eyes.


    ¡°Zachary, what do you mean by that?¡± Charlotte was infuriated. ¡°Both of us have broken up a long time


    ago. There''s nothing wrong with me being with someone else. What gives you the right to steal the


    children away and ridicule me like that?¡±

 Chapter 1244

    Chapter 1244


    ¡°In that case, go ahead with your wedding then. What do you still want with me?¡± Zachary gently


    covered Nancy with a jacket. ¡°You even crashed through the window and disrupted my fun!¡±


    ¡°Return the children to me, and I''ll leave at once.¡±


    Charlotte was seized by bitterness when she saw how attentive Zachary was toward Nancy. However,


    she maintained her strong front. ¡°After that, I will not interfere with whoever you want to bed.¡±


    ¡°Bullsh*t!¡± Zachary sneered, ¡°What gives you the right to butt your nose into my affairs? Do you even


    have the capability to do so?¡±


    ¡°In that case, what has my rtionship with Louis got anything to do with you? What gave you the right


    to barge in and cause a ruckus?¡± Charlotte snapped.


    At the mention of that matter, Zachary''s expression changed drastically. Smashing the winess onto


    the floor, he pinned Charlotte onto the sofa.


    Grabbing her by the cheeks, he bellowed, ¡°Do you have an itch to scratch because I have not touched


    you for thest two years? Do you desire a man so much? To the extent of throwing yourself into


    someone else''s arms?¡±


    ¡°What are you doing? Let go of me!¡±


    Charlotte tried vehemently to push him away. However, his body was as heavy as a rock. No matter


    how hard she tried, he just wouldn''t budge.


    Instead, her struggles ended up arousing him. Given that she was wearing a swimsuit, her attempt to


    free herself ended up exposing more of her body.


    ¡°If you don''t stop moving, I''ll take you right here!¡± Zachary roared after having noticed the change in his


    body. ¡°Considering you''ve knocked my woman unconscious, I will have to rece her with you.¡±


    Charlotte''s heart was torn upon hearing Zachary''s words. He said that she was his woman. His


    woman...


    ¡°Charlotte!¡± Grabbing Charlotte''s face, Zachary was filled with agony as he questioned her, ¡°Do you


    know how much I had to go through just so I can bring you home? I was filled with anticipation at our


    family reunion. And yet, what did you give me in return?


    ¡°Don''t you know that since the very beginning, you have been the only one for me? Even during the


    two years you were missing, I didn''t touch any other woman. No matter how many women throw


    themselves at me, I have never wavered. But you... you ended up with Louis all of a sudden! Do you


    know how much I hate you? I hate you so much that I feel the urge to strangle you to death...¡±


    When he uttered thest sentence, Zachary gritted his teeth. With a trembling voice, he could no longer


    suppress the sorrow he felt.


    Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    Reaching out his hands, he sped them around Charlotte''s neck. However, he couldn''t bring himself


    to exert any strength.


    At that moment, Charlotte was overwhelmed by her own emotions and guilt. As her heart began to


    soften, she replied in a choking voice, ¡°Zachary, actually, I...¡±


    Bam! Bam! Bam!


    ¡°Charlotte! Charlotte!¡±


    Charlotte was abruptly interrupted by a desperate bang on the door. She was jolted when she heard


    Louis'' frantic shouts from outside.


    Why is Louis here at a time like this?


    Zachary''s gaze sharpened instantaneously. Just a moment ago, he thought Charlotte was about to


    exin herself, which reignited the hope within him.


    However, Louis'' appearance had interfered with his stroke of luck.


    ¡°You''ve outdone yourself, Charlotte.¡± Zachary coldly tapped Charlotte on her cheeks and sneered,


    ¡°Looks like both husband and wife havee to confront me. One pretends to negotiate while the


    otheres to apply pressure on me? Did you also send men to my vi to kidnap the children?


    Hmm?¡±


    ¡°I...¡± Charlotte panicked when she realized that he had seen through her. However, she quickly


    regained herposure and exined, ¡°It''s not like that, Zachary...¡±


    ¡°Zachary, open the door! Open the door right now!¡±


    While Louis was still banging on the door desperately, Theo''s voice rang out.


    ¡°Louis, stop causing a scene. I already told you that thedy Mr. Nacht brought into his room is Nancy


    Gold, not Ms. Lindberg.¡±

 Chapter 1245

    Chapter 1245


    ¡°But Charlotte has definitelye here to negotiate with Zachary. Now that she''s missing, she has to


    be inside.¡± Louis was filled with anxiety. ¡°Mr. Murphy, please get the hotel management to open the


    door.¡±


    ¡°Louis, are you crazy?¡± Theo, too, was desperate. ¡°This is Mr. Nacht''s room. By doing that, are you


    trying to get me killed?¡±


    ¡°This is Pillere. We''re in F Nation, my territory. What are you afraid of?¡± Louis''s desperation intensified.


    ¡°If you don''t want to open it, I''ll get my men to do it.¡±


    ¡°Louis, calm down. Stop messing around!¡± Left without a choice, Theo pleaded, ¡°I''m begging you,


    please don''t make me do this. Given the ruckus you''ve caused, you are going to cost me my life. I am


    fully responsible for organizing this event. If Mr. Nacht is upset in any way, I will be held ountable for


    it. You should leave with me first, and I promise that I will find Ms. Lindberg for you, all right?¡±


    ¡°Charlotte is definitely here.¡± Louis remained stubborn. ¡°Her subordinate has searched the entire hotel


    and can''t find her still. Therefore, this is the only ce she can possibly be.¡±


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°Sir Louis, what are you doing? This is Mr. Nacht''s room. Please leave!¡±


    Ben had arrived to chase Louis away.


    Although Louis was someone influential, members of the Nacht family never feared anyone of power.


    Previously, they only respected Louis because he was Zachary''s good friend.


    Evidently, things had changed.


    ¡°Ben, it''s good that you''re here.¡± When he saw Ben, Louis frantically suggested, ¡°Open the door, I want


    to talk to Zachary.¡±


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    ¡°Sir Louis, has the alcohol gone to your head? How can I open Mr. Nacht''s door on my own ord?¡±


    Ben was speechless. ¡°Please leave and do not interrupt Mr. Nacht''s rest.¡±


    ¡°I won''t leave until I see Zachary.¡±


    Having lost his patience, Louis got his subordinates to call for the staff.


    Theo continued to persuade him while Ben, too, reminded him of the gravity of his actions.


    Meanwhile, Charlotte was pushing Zachary away anxiously.


    The matter was supposed to be resolved internally. As of then, only she and Zachary knew of her


    identity.


    However, now that Louis was causing a scene, it would be humiliating for all three families if the matter


    got out.


    ¡°What''s wrong? Do you feel bad?¡± Zachary smirked. ¡°He hase at the perfect time. Whatever he


    gave me the day before, I will return it to him today!¡±


    Just as he spoke, Zachary tore off Charlotte''s swimsuit, leaving her stark naked.


    ¡°You...¡± Covering her breasts with her arms, Charlotte screamed, ¡°Have you gone mad?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I have. I have been driven mad by you.¡±


    Zachary unlocked the door with the remote control before climbing onto Charlotte and forcefully kissing


    her on the neck.


    Outside, Louis barged into the room when he saw that the door was unlocked. ¡°Charlotte, Char-¡±


    His words got lodged in his throat the moment he saw Charlotte and Zachary.


    Utterly dumbstruck, he stared nkly at them.


    ¡°Let go of me!¡±


    Charlotte pushed Zachary away angrily and covered herself with a pillow. When she raised her hand to


    hit him, he grabbed her by the wrist.


    ¡°You were the one who threw yourself at me.¡±


    Standing up calmly, Zachary threw a nket on top of Charlotte. With his back facing Louis, he


    straightened his clothes elegantly.


    At the door, Ben had prevented Theo from entering. ¡°Stand down. This is none of your business.¡±


    ¡°Will anyone lose their life?¡± Theo was filled with panic.


    ¡°No.¡± Ben chased everyone away.


    Just then, Lupine arrived. When their eyes locked, she shot him a re before charging in.


    ¡°Zachary, I''m going to kill you!¡±


    Louis grabbed the fruit knife from the table and charged hysterically at Zachary.


    ¡°Louis! No!¡± Charlotte screamed.


    Lupine wanted to stop him but it was toote.

 Chapter 1246

    Chapter 1246


    With a sharpened gaze, Zacharyunched a kick at Louis.


    Spewing out a mouthful of blood, Louis crashed onto the ground.


    ¡°Do you really think that I don''t dare to kill you?¡± Zachary red ferociously at Louis. ¡°Let me tell you. If


    I had wanted to do so, you would have been dead in your home, let alone in F Nation.¡±


    ¡°Zachary, you...¡± Seized by rage, Louis spat out another mouthful of blood.


    ¡°Sir Louis!¡± At that moment, Louis'' subordinates came to help him. They questioned Zachary, ¡°Mr.


    Nacht, how can you do this to Sir Louis? Aren''t you friends?¡±


    ¡°Friends?¡± Zachary sneered. ¡°I treated him as my friend. But, he stole my woman.¡±


    ¡°Charlotte is my fianc¨¦e. She''s mine!¡± Louis roared adamantly.


    ¡°Do you still want to marry her despite the fact that she has just slept with me?¡± Zachary triggered him


    on purpose.


    ¡°You...¡± Louis raged hysterically, ¡°I''m going to kill you!¡±


    ¡°As if you can.¡± Zachary taunted him at every turn.


    ¡°Gather my men and soldiers here, I''m going to kill this b*stard right now!¡±


    Louis had gone berserk.


    Wrapping herself with the nket, Charlotte walked up to Louis and struck his neck, rendering him


    unconscious.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    Suddenly, silence filled the air.


    ¡°Take your Duke home,¡± Charlotte ordered Louis'' subordinates.


    ¡°Yes.¡± They left with him at once.


    When Charlotte gave Lupine a look, she quickly followed them out. She then gave Gordon''s men a call


    and instructed them to escort Louis safely home.


    If something were to happen to him along the journey, it would significantlyplicate matters.


    After that, everyone was asked to leave.


    Back in the room, only Charlotte, Zachary, Lupine, and Ben remained.


    ¡°Zachary, you''ve got guts.¡± Charlotte gritted her teeth as she red at him. ¡°Are you satisfied now?


    Have you vented enough?¡±


    ¡°Not even close.¡± With a cigar between his fingers, Zachary held his wine ss without even looking at


    Charlotte.


    ¡°What will it take before I''m allowed to see my children?¡± Holding back her anger, Charlotte demanded,


    ¡°State your conditions!¡±


    After a brief silence, Zachary replied, ¡°Cancel the wedding and swear to never marry again!¡±


    Stunned, Charlotte stared at him in bewilderment. ¡°Why? What has my marriage got anything to do


    with you? What gives you the right to control me?¡±


    ¡°It appears that you have no intention of seeing the children,¡± Zachary mocked. ¡°Didn''t you ask me for


    my conditions? And yet, you can''t even meet this simple request of mine.¡±


    ¡°Those are my children. You have no right to stop me from seeing them,¡± Charlotte screamed furiously.


    ¡°I don''t care. What are you going to do about it?¡±


    Stonewalling her, Zachary was in no mood for reason.


    ¡°You...¡± Charlotte was outraged.


    ¡°Are you that desperate to get married?¡± Zachary questioned her instead. ¡°After what happened


    tonight, do you think Louis would still want to marry you?¡±


    ¡°Whether he or I want to get married or not has nothing to do with you. You have no right to interfere in


    my private affairs.¡± Charlotte was incensed.


    ¡°Hmm, in that case, go ahead and enjoy your freedom.¡±


    Having no intention to discuss the matter any further, Zachary walked toward the bathroom.


    ¡°Zachary...¡± When Charlotte wanted to stop him, Ben persuaded her, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, Mr. Nacht is


    blinded by anger right now. Whatever you say will only fall on deaf ears. Why don''t you go back first.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. Let''s just leave first, okay?¡±


    Lupine put a jacket over Charlotte.


    She sympathized with Charlotte when she saw how Charlotte''s negotiations ended in her being in a


    pathetic state. Nevertheless, she was cognizant that reason sometimes just couldn''t prevail.


    Looking miserable, Charlotte had no choice but to leave.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg,¡± Ben called out to her suddenly. He softly reminded, ¡°Morgan and her subordinates have


    been asked to leave. There''s no way the three of them are enough to take the children from Bruce.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying? Are you looking down on the Lindberg family?¡± Lupine snapped.


    ¡°That''s not what I meant.¡± Furrowing his brows, Ben exined, ¡°Trying to take them by force isn''t going


    to work. You have to slog it out.¡±

 Chapter 1247

    Chapter 1247


    His words caused Charlotte to have an epiphany.


    He''s right. Zachary is amenable to coaxing but not coercion. Now that the Lindberg Corporation is


    being bogged down by a crisis, it will be futile to take the children by force. However, he has a


    weakness. As long as I bide my time, I will definitely get to see the children again. After all, I bet they


    miss me too.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, you''re a smart woman. So, don''t let your emotions cloud your judgment,¡± Ben advised.


    ¡°You should head back now. I''m afraid the Laurent family will be looking for you soon.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡± After expressing her gratitude, Charlotte hurriedly left. Just when she stepped out the


    door, she turned and looked at Nancy who was still lying on the sofa.


    Zachary doesn''t look like he intends to send her away. Perhaps, he wants her to stay back and


    pleasure him.


    Considering that Theo was someone discreet, he personally waited by the elevator for Charlotte and


    Lupine so that he could lead them out the back door. With a humble attitude, he apologized repeatedly


    for his previous indiscretion.


    Finally, he even reassured them that no one else but those involved knew about the matter. Also, he


    ayed their concerns by swearing not to tell a soul.


    After expressing her gratitude, Charlotte quickly left with Lupine.


    Morgan was already waiting at the car park. When she saw Charlotte, she apologized immediately, ¡°I''m


    sorry, Ms. Lindberg. We were discovered by Bruce the moment we infiltrated. He managed to stop us


    at once.¡±


    ¡°Did he hurt you?¡± Lupine asked.


    ¡°No.¡± Morgan shook her head. ¡°They treated us civilly by only preventing us from reporting back and


    carrying out our mission. It was only about twenty minutes ago that they kicked us out, telling us that


    negotiations had failed and that I shoulde here and wait for Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    ¡°It appears Bruce and Ben are still being nice for old time''s sake.¡± Lupine snuck a nce in Charlotte''s


    direction.


    At that moment, Charlotte was filled with frustration. Not only did the negotiations fail, but she had also


    been taken for a ride by Zachary.


    Consequently, she was at a loss as to how she could exin herself to Louis'' family.


    ¡°Let''s get in the car first.¡±


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    Lupine helped Charlotte in.


    The moment the car drove off, Charlotte''s phone started to ring incessantly. It was Sherlyn.


    Evidently, she had heard about what happened that night.


    Considering Louis was beaten badly by Zachary, Robert and Sherlyn would definitely not let the matter


    slide.


    ¡°What does Lady Sherlyn want?¡± Morgan couldn''t help but ask. ¡°Lupine, what happened just now?¡±


    Lupine softly recounted the incident.


    Morgan was utterly shocked. ¡°How brazen can Zachary be? He actually...¡±


    ¡°Shush, enough.¡± Observing Charlotte''s expression, Lupineforted her, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, don''t worry.


    Let''s give Lady Sherlyn a proper exnation when we return.¡±


    ¡°What''s there to exin?¡± Morgan had always been more simple-minded. ¡°Since Ms. Lindberg doesn''t


    really want to marry Sir Louis anyway, this is a good opportunity to cancel the wedding.¡±


    ¡°You are oversimplifying matters,¡± Lupine scoffed.


    ¡°Do you know how big tonight''s misunderstanding is? Mr. Nacht dered that he slept with Ms.


    Lindberg and even beat up Sir Louis. Given the blow their reputation has suffered, the Laurent family


    will not take this lying down. Even if they don''t have the guts to take any action against Mr. Nacht, they


    have every right to question Ms. Lindberg. Furthermore, now that Mr. Lindberg is missing, we no longer


    have anyone to provide us support.¡±


    ¡°So what? It''s not like they pose a challenge to us.¡± Morgan didn''t see the Laurent family as a threat.


    ¡°At most, we will leave F Nation with the children. We will still be fine without their protection.¡±


    ¡°Whether we can even leave is another problem,¡± Lupine muttered.


    ¡°Do you mean the Laurents won''t allow us to do so?¡± Morgan knitted her eyebrows. ¡°Are you sure?


    Even if something has happened to Mr. Lindberg, Ms. Lindberg is still someone influential in the


    business world. Do they actually dare to act with such insolence?¡±

 Chapter 1248

    Chapter 1248


    ¡°Not necessarily, as it involves their reputation.¡± Lupine raised her gaze at Charlotte. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, is


    Mr. Nacht doing this to bring you to your knees?¡±


    ¡°He really is something.¡± Charlotte gritted her teeth in exasperation.


    Given the current situation, she was left with two choices. She either had to lower herself and marry


    Louis knowing his family would always hold the matter against her, or she could go back to Zachary. In


    the former, she would constantly be ridiculed and wouldn''t be able to see her children for the rest of her


    life.


    She couldn''t understand why Zachary was doing all this when he insisted she had slept with Louis and


    hated her guts for it. Furthermore, he even had a woman by his side. Hence, she wondered if it was all


    just for the sake of revenge.


    ¡°She''s calling again,¡± Lupine reminded softly.


    Setting her thoughts aside, Charlotte stared at her phone. Just a while ago, the call automatically cut


    off after ringing for a long time. But now that Sherlyn had called again, Charlotte knew she had no


    choice but to ept the call.


    Charlotte answered, ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Charlotte, where are you?¡±


    C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    From Sherlyn''s tone, Charlotte could tell how the woman was desperately suppressing her anger.


    Evidently, the former was extremely emotional and couldn''t wait to question Charlotte about what


    happened.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Charlotte was a sea of calm.


    ¡°What''s wrong with you? Louis has been beaten unconscious, and you''re asking me what it is?¡±


    Sherlyn blew her lid immediately. ¡°Charlotte, the only reason I''m still speaking nicely to you is on the


    ount of your brother. Therefore, you had bettere home right now and exin to me what


    happened!¡±


    ¡°I''m sure you already have a rough idea,¡± Charlotte inly replied. ¡°Anyway, there''s something I need


    to do now, so I can''t go over. We''ll talk again once I''m done-¡±


    ¡°Charlotte!¡± Sherlyn was unable to hold back her rage any longer. She bellowed, ¡°You are about to


    marry Louis, and yet, you are still involved with your ex-husband. In fact, you even threw yourself at


    him in the hotel and slept with him. Don''t you have any shame at all?¡±


    Knitting her eyebrows, Charlotte didn''t respond.


    ¡°Furthermore, not only did you not protect Louis at the crucial moment, you even bullied him together


    with Zachary by knocking him out. You devious woman! I''m not letting you off easy...¡±


    Sherlyn berated Charlotte, ¡°I''ll give you one hour toe home and exin yourself. Or else, be


    prepared to suffer the consequences!¡±


    Sherlyn ended the call the moment she finished.


    Holding her phone, Charlotte frowned as she looked out the window with a heavy heart.


    What had begun as a simple matter had escted beyond her control. And now, she was left to clean


    up the entire mess.


    Wait a minute.


    A thought suddenly popped into Charlotte''s mind. Considering how careful Zachary has always been,


    how did he let Mr. Murphy leak his movements? Could it be that he did it on purpose? He got Mr.


    Murphy to reveal his itinerary to Louis so that I would be tempted to go and see him. After that, he


    arranged for the chaotic situation to happen so that he could use it to force me into canceling the


    wedding.


    ¡°By the way, when Jade and I were at the vi, it was silent everywhere. I didn''t see the children nor


    anything that belonged to the kids. It felt really strange.¡±


    Morgan suddenly felt suspicious and informed Charlotte, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, I believe the kids were never at


    the vi.¡±


    ¡°Could it be...¡± Lupine mumbled, realizing something, ¡°that this is all part of Mr. Nacht''s scheme?¡±


    ¡°It''s entirely possible!¡± Morgan saw through the ruse. ¡°They must have set this trap a long time ago and


    were waiting for us to fall into it. Marino wasn''t surprised to see me at all. Come to think of it now, they


    must have nned everything.¡±


    ¡°Zachary!¡± Charlotte seethed. ¡°How can you!¡±


    ¡°Seems like we have underestimated Mr. Nacht.¡± Upon realizing it, Lupine felt a shiver down her spine.


    ¡°It''s obvious that he has never gotten serious with us. If we had truly gotten into a conflict, we wouldn''t


    have stood a chance at all.¡±

 Chapter 1249

    Chapter 1249


    ¡°But now, we have no choice but to go against them. Let''s think of how we can solve the problem at


    hand first.¡± Morgan felt unsettled. ¡°Considering Lady Sherlyn''s attitude, I don''t think she will let the


    matter slide. Why don''t we leave and return to either Erihal or H City?¡±


    ¡°Erihal is definitely out of the question, as we might add to Mr. Lindberg''s troubles there.¡± Lupine gave


    Charlotte a look. ¡°In H City, we have Mr. Nacht there...¡±


    ¡°It''s toote to do anything now.¡± Charlotte stared in front of the car.


    Raising her gaze, Morgan slowed the car down at once.


    More than ten military vehicles had formed a barricade to block their way.


    ¡°It''s the Laurent family''s men.¡± Lupine frowned. ¡°I knew it. Lady Sherlyn isn''t going to let us off easy.¡±


    ¡°What do we do?¡± Morgan''s expression turned grim. ¡°Why don''t we give Gordon a call?¡±


    C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    Just as she spoke, she took out her phone.


    ¡°We can''t.¡± Charlotte stopped her. ¡°Even if Gordon and his men are here, they wouldn''t stand a chance


    against them. Furthermore, they need to deal with the assassins from Erihal and protect the children.¡±


    ¡°In that case, we...¡±


    ¡°We''ll just have to go along with them.¡± Charlotte stared intently ahead. ¡°I will have to face the


    consequences of my own actions.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, that''s for the best. After all, the few of us are here with you.¡± Lupine remarked defiantly, ¡°I''m


    confident that the Laurent family won''t darey a finger on you.¡±


    ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡± Charlotte ordered, ¡°Slow down and drive ahead.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, Lady Sherlyn has brought in the military to stop Ms. Lindberg and escort her back,¡± Ben


    reported.


    ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡± Lowering his gaze, Zachary continued sipping his wine.


    ¡°Everything is going ording to your expectations.¡± Ben looked grim. ¡°However, will Ms. Lindberg and


    the others be in danger?¡±


    ¡°Sir Robert knows where to draw the line. Now that there''s no news of Mr. Lindberg, he wouldn''t dare


    harm Charlotte yet.¡± Zachary was extremely calm.


    ¡°But...¡± Ben stopped abruptly as he didn''t dare to continue. He knew that although Robert and Sherlyn


    might not darey a finger on Charlotte, the same couldn''t be said for Charlotte''s bodyguards.


    In fact, the Laurents might end up venting their frustration on Lupine and Morgan to threaten Charlotte


    instead.


    ¡°Get someone to send her back home,¡± Zachary ordered as he looked at the unconscious Nancy.


    ¡°Also, take proper care of her.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Ben made the arrangements at once.


    With his wine ss in hand, Zachary walked out to the hotel balcony. Looking out at the vibrant city


    skyline, his eyes were filled with mixed emotions.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, it''s time for your medication.¡±


    Havingpleted his assignment, Ben returned with a ss of water and handed Zachary a big box.


    Inside the box, there were ten types of tablets of different colors. Although they looked like candy for


    children, all of them were potent medications.


    After receiving the medicine, Zachary downed them all quickly. Just when he was about to drink from


    his wine ss, Ben stopped him. ¡°The doctor has said that you can''t mix alcohol with your medication.


    Why don''t you have some water instead?¡±


    ¡°Since I''m not going to live much longer, what difference does it make?¡±


    Zachary downed the entire ss of wine to wash down the tablets.


    ¡°Don''t act that way. The doctor said that if we can find Francesco and Dr. Felch, there might still be a


    sliver of hope,¡± Ben consoled softly. ¡°We shouldn''t be here struggling with Ms. Lindberg right now.


    Instead, we should return to H City to search for Dr. Felch.¡±


    ¡°Hope is only useful whenforting someone,¡± Zachary inly remarked. ¡°Life and death aren''t


    important. What really matters is that we live life to its fullest!¡±


    Not knowing what to say in response, Ben hung his head gloomily.


    Despite having received treatment for the past two months, Zachary was still unable to rid the poison


    from his body. Although his condition had improved, he would still feel immense pain at night.


    Having run out of ideas, the doctor suggested that they find Dr. Felch and Francesco as soon as


    possible.


    However, given that Charlotte and Louis'' wedding was around the corner, Zachary couldn''t wait any


    longer. After getting the doctor to prescribe him some medications, he led his subordinates to Arkfield


    to pick up Charlotte.


    s, what he got after arriving at Arkfield was not the happy ending he wanted but instead more


    heartbreak.

 Chapter 1250

    Chapter 1250


    It never crossed Zachary''s mind that something like that would happen.


    At that moment, Ben thought Zachary had lost it and was about to kill someone. However, thetter


    managed to suppress his emotions in the end.


    After they left the manor, Zachary shut himself in his room for a day and a night. Everyone was fearful


    that something would happen to him.


    However, when he walked out the next day, he was in a sea of calm.


    And that was when he began to plot.


    No one knew what his true objective was. They assumed he just wanted revenge on Louis and


    Charlotte.


    However, Ben was cognizant of what his real intention was.


    ¡°The children keep asking when you will be back?¡± Ben asked softly. ¡°They want to contact Ms.


    Lindberg, but I denied them ording to your instructions. But, I don''t think it''s right for us to keep this


    up.¡±


    ¡°All right,¡± Zachary interrupted. ¡°I''ll head downstairs after getting changed.¡±


    ¡°I''ll have someone get the car ready.¡± Ben went off immediately.


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    Putting down his wine ss, Zachary prepared to go change. However, when he saw his phone on the


    table, he hesitated for a while. Picking it up, he unblocked Charlotte''s phone number.


    Back in the car, Charlotte was about to get out when her phone suddenly rang. When she saw that it


    was Gordon, she answered at once, ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg.¡± Gordon''s deep voice rang out. ¡°I''m on my way to your location. Don''t go with them. I''ll


    be there very soon.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Charlotte stopped him. ¡°Your responsibility now is to protect Danrique''s three children. I will solve


    my own problems myself.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°The Laurent family won''t harm me.¡± Looking out the window, she replied softly, ¡°The wedding is the


    day after tomorrow. Everything wille to a head then. Therefore, you have to protect the children


    these two days and wait for me at the vi.¡±


    ¡°All right. I understand.¡± Gordon had no choice but to withdraw.


    After ending the call, Charlotte alighted from the car slowly. The Laurent family''s men walked up and


    bowed respectfully before remarking, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, Lady Sherlyn has sent us to pick you up.¡±


    ¡°I had initially wanted to see her tomorrow.¡± Charlotte swept her gaze at the convoy. ¡°But, she''s just too


    anxious!¡±


    ¡°Sir Louis misses you.¡± The butler smiled before ushering her forward. ¡°This way please.¡±


    Together with Lupine, Morgan, and two other subordinates, Charlotte got into the Laurent family''s


    vehicle.


    At that moment, she had changed back to the clothes she wore earlier and had her hair adjusted


    simply. Although her makeup had been washed off, she still look stunning without it.


    Even then, she looked visibly unkempt for the asion when she arrived at the Laurent residence.


    Charlotte and her subordinates were taken straight to Sherlyn''s study.


    Inside, Robert and Sherlyn were seated upright on the sofa. Both of them red at Charlotte with


    gloomy expressions.


    Sherlyn, in particr, was staring daggers at her.


    ¡°Lady Sherlyn, here she is.¡± Leaving quietly, the butler closed the door behind him.


    ¡°The few of you, get out.¡± Sherlyn pointed at Lupine, Morgan, and the rest of Charlotte''s subordinates.


    ¡°I''m sorry, Lady Sherlyn. We only take orders from Mr. Lindberg. Other than staying by Ms. Lindberg''s


    side to protect her, we won''t be going anywhere,¡± Lupine replied defiantly with her head lowered.


    ¡°This is my home. Do you think you''re still in Erihal?¡± Lady Sherlyn thundered. ¡°Get out!¡±


    ¡°Lady Sherlyn, what''s the meaning of this?¡± Feeling indignant that her subordinates were being bullied,


    Charlotte snapped, ¡°They are my personal bodyguards. No matter where they are, they only answer to


    me and no one else.¡±


    ¡°Charlotte, aftermitting such an embarrassing act, how dare you behave with such insolence?¡±


    Sherlyn admonished her angrily. ¡°Don''t you feel any shame or remorse at all?¡±

 Chapter 1251

    Chapter 1251


    ¡°Lady Sherlyn, did you call me here to interrogate me?¡±


    Raising her gaze at Sherlyn, Charlotte''s attitude was firm, as if what happened was so trivial it wasn''t


    even worth mentioning.


    ¡°How dare you throw that question back at me?¡± Sherlyn''s anger intensified. ¡°You and Louis are going


    to be married the day after. And yet, you created such a scene. Don''t you feel ashamed?¡±


    Lowering her gaze, Charlotte apologized sincerely, ¡°What happened was my mistake. There''s some


    misunderstanding behind it, but I won''t go into details. Nevertheless, I admit my mistake. Lady Sherlyn,


    you have all the right to admonish me but please don''t take it out on my subordinates as they have


    nothing to do with it.¡±


    ¡°I''m surprised that you realize your mistake.¡± The more she thought about it, the angrier Sherlyn


    became. ¡°And yet, I assumed you knew how to stay chaste considering that you came from an


    illustrious family. I didn''t expect you to be no different from a slut on the street formitting such a


    disgraceful act!¡±


    ¡°You''ve gone overboard!¡± Morgan snapped.


    ¡°Who do you think you are? How dare you speak to me like that?¡± Sherlyn pointed at Morgan furiously.


    ¡°Give her a beating!¡±


    A few of her maids stepped forward and restrained Morgan. At the same time, Diana raised her hand to


    hit her.


    ¡°I dare you!¡± Morgan resisted at once.


    When Lupine and the other two bodyguards were about to stop them, more than ten soldiers raised


    their weapons and aimed at them.


    ¡°Lady Sherlyn-¡±


    p!


    Before Charlotte could say a word, Morgan bore the brunt of a p from Diana.


    Lupine and the others were stunned as they didn''t expect Morgan to really get beaten.


    Just when Diana was going to continue, Charlotte stepped up, grabbed her wrist, and shoved her


    aside. ¡°I dare you to do it again!¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry, Ms. Lindberg. I was just following orders,¡± Diana replied with a fearful expression.


    ¡°Why are you apologizing?¡± Sherlyn bellowed. ¡°This is my home. Do I need anyone''s permission to


    reprimand the servants?¡±


    ¡°Lady Sherlyn, you should vent your anger at me. Whether you want to hit or scold me, I''ll bear with it,¡±


    Charlotte roared. ¡°However, if youy a finger on my subordinates, I will not hold back!¡±


    ¡°Do you think I don''t dare hit you?¡± With an enraged expression, Sherlyn barked, ¡°Hold her down-¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± At that moment, Robert, who had been sitting in silence throughout, stamped his foot down.


    Furrowing his eyebrows, he chided Sherlyn, ¡°Didn''t I tell you to discuss this in a civil manner? Why


    must you always resort to violence?¡±


    ¡°Why are you scolding me?¡± Sherlyn scowled. ¡°This woman hasmitted such a disgraceful act and


    even caused Louis to be beaten. Are we to just look past how she has humiliated us?¡±


    ¡°Shut up,¡± Robert rebuked her with a frown.


    ¡°You...¡± Despite her indignance, Sherlyn held her tongue when she saw the look in Robert''s eye.


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    ¡°Charlotte, please have a seat.¡± Robert invited her.


    After shooting a re at Diana and the other maids, Charlotte returned to her seat.


    Meanwhile, Lupine and Jade quickly supported the fuming Morgan and motioned her to calm down.


    ¡°At the end of the day, I don''t think you are someone easy nor have you abandoned your principles,¡±


    Robert suggested warmly. ¡°Is there a misunderstanding behind this?¡±


    ¡°I think I should exin it to Louis directly,¡± Charlotte inly replied. ¡°Where is he?¡±


    ¡°How can you still have the cheek to face him?¡± Sherlyn hissed. ¡°He has suffered a grievous injury and


    is recuperating in his room.¡±


    Charlotte knitted her eyebrows in response. She had witnessed what happened earlier and didn''t think


    Zachary was heavy-handed at all. Lady Sherlyn really knows how to make a mountain out of a molehill.


    ¡°Louis is in the room. I''ll have someone take you to see himter.¡± Robert''s tone was more amicable.


    ¡°For now, I hope you can exin to us what actually happened.¡±


    ¡°What do you want to know?¡± Charlotte flipped the question at them.

 Chapter 1252

    Chapter 1252


    ¡°What''s going on with you and Zachary?¡± Robert''s tone turned solemn. ¡°You said you were going to talk


    to him about the children, so why...¡±


    He trailed off, for it did not seem appropriate for him to say anything as her future father-inw.


    ¡°I don''t think there''s any need for me to discuss this with you.¡± Charlotte did not want to continue the


    conversation. ¡°If you think that I''ve embarrassed you, feel free to cancel the wedding.¡±


    ¡°As I''ve expected, you''ve finally shown your true nature,¡± Sherlyn snarled in a mocking tone. ¡°You''ve


    wanted to break off the engagement for a long time now so that you can be with Zachary, right?¡±


    Charlotte lowered her head, not wanting to answer her.


    ¡°You want to break off the engagement?¡± Robert furrowed his brows. ¡°Have you ever considered the


    consequences of doing so?¡±


    ¡°What consequences?¡± Charlotte asked, somewhat d that they had finally reached the main topic.


    ¡°You''re a smart girl. I''m sure you don''t need me to say anything to understand it,¡± Robert uttered.


    ¡°That''s it for today. Dwell on it before you give us the answer tomorrow.¡±


    With that said, he rose to his feet to leave.


    ¡°Darling,¡± Sherlyn called out, but Robert did not turn around.


    Although Sherlyn was furious, she had no choice but to follow him out. However, before she left, she


    shot Charlotte a re and said to Diana, ¡°Take her to Louis.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Diana walked over and said politely, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, this way, please.¡±


    Charlotte stood up and followed her out as Lupine and Morgan trailed behind her.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, I was only following orders earlier. You won''t be mad at me, right?¡± Diana apologized


    tentatively.


    ¡°No,¡± Charlotte replied as her eyes flicked toward her.


    ¡°Morgie, I''m sorry.¡± Diana turned to look at Morgan.


    However, Morgan only red at her in silence.


    They soon reached Louis'' room. Diana knocked on the door and quietly informed, ¡°Louis, Ms. Lindberg


    is here.¡±


    Soon, the door swung open to reveal an older, stern-looking maid who then studied Charlotte.


    ¡°Ms. Avril, this is Ms. Lindberg,¡± Diana introduced.


    The maid remained silent as she opened the door wider and gestured for Charlotte to enter.


    After Charlotte entered, Lupine and the others moved to follow. However, Avril stopped them. ¡°The rest


    of you, please wait out here.¡±


    ¡°We-¡± Lupine started, but Charlotte motioned her to stop. Hence, the others quietly waited outside.


    After letting Diana in as well, Avril closed the door.


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    ¡°This is ridiculous,¡± Morgan gritted out furiously. ¡°They were so meek and submissive previously, but


    now they''repletely different.¡±


    ¡°They must have found something to ckmail us with,¡± Jade whispered.


    ¡°You''re too naive,¡± Morgan snapped. ¡°What do you mean by something to ckmail us with? Clearly,


    something must have happened to Mr. Lindberg, so they think that Ms. Lindberg no longer has anyone


    to back her up anymore. That''s why they''ve toughened up.¡±


    ¡°Even if something did happen to Mr. Lindberg, it''ll only be temporary. We''ll rise back to great heights


    soon,¡± Jade grounded out.


    ¡°That''s right,¡± said another bodyguard.


    ¡°That''s enough,¡± Lupine ordered. ¡°Quiet down. You shouldn''t be discussing this.¡±


    Meanwhile, Charlotte had been brought to Louis'' bedside by Avril.


    Louis was lying on the bed, unconscious. The injuries he had sustained had been treated, but there


    were still several doctors and nurses by his bedside. At the same time, there were also four maids at


    the side, waiting to serve him at any time.


    It was as if he was a king of the olden times.


    ¡°Sir Louis is asleep, so help Ms. Lindberg with her shower and her change of clothes first,¡± Avril


    instructed before dismissing the doctors, nurses, and the servants.


    ¡°Understood.¡± With that, Diana turned to Charlotte and said, ¡°This way, please.¡±


    Since she was feeling quite icky herself, Charlotte followed Diana without any protests.


    The bathroom was humongous, and the bathtub was filled.


    Diana took off her shoes, about to help Charlotte shower.

 Chapter 1253

    Chapter 1253


    Charlotte frowned. ¡°I''ll do it myself. Please bring in my clothes instead.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Diana hung her head before preparing to leave.


    Right then, Charlotte realized that Diana''s toes were painted with red polish, and the nail polish on one


    of her big toes was chipped.


    All of a sudden, she recalled the clue she had found at Arkfield manor. Could it be that it was Diana


    who entered my room that night?


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, here''s your clothes.¡± Diana handed them over.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Charlotte said before closing the door and started showering.


    As she showered, she thought about what happened back then. The more she mulled over it, the more


    fishy things seemed. At that, she told herself that she had to uncover the truth no matter what.


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    However, the day after the next was the wedding. By the next day, she would have toe to a


    conclusion. Therefore, she had to find out the answer as quickly as possible.


    After the shower, Charlotte dried her hair in the bathroom. Then, she put on a white robe and stepped


    out of the room.


    Even though she was barefaced, she was still as stunning as ever.


    Diana stared at her with jealousy apparent in her eyes. Although she, too, was beautiful, the charming


    demeanor that Charlotte had was something she could never have.


    ¡°Sir Louis, Ms. Lindberg is here,¡± Avril said.


    Louis slowly came to, and he groggily squinted. When he saw Charlotte, he froze for a second. Then,


    he turned agitated and yelled, ¡°How... How could you do this to me? Why did you do it?¡±


    ¡°Sir Louis!¡± Avril hastily consoled him. ¡°Calm down. Please calm down.¡±


    ¡°Louis, have some water.¡± Diana walked over to feed him some.


    However, Louis shoved her away and struggled upright before questioning Charlotte, ¡°I love you so


    much. So why did you do this to me? Why?¡±


    Charlotte frowned, but she stayed silent as she looked at him.


    To say that she felt no remorse at all was a lie. She was partly to me for making Louis turn from an


    innocent and gentle individual into the hysterical person that he was now.


    If she had known that this was what would happen, she would not have agreed to the marriage.


    ¡°Why? Why?¡±


    Louis began crying. He wailed, his heart breaking and his soul in despair.


    Louis had always had an easy life. He had nevere across any obstacles too big for him to cross.


    Furthermore, he was brought up with strict parenting, and he was a simple-minded person. Thus, he


    was stubborn in his views of love.


    Charlotte was the first person he had ever fallen in love with.


    He had taken years to court her. And right as he had finally gotten her, he saw her under another man.


    It was a devastating blow to him, to say the least.


    ¡°Louis, don''t cry.¡±


    Diana''s heart ached to see him upset. She wanted to console him, but her outstretched arm retracted a


    secondter.


    Her actions did not go unnoticed by Charlotte.


    ¡°Louis, I''d like to have a private chat with you,¡± Charlotte finally said.


    Louis sobbed for a while longer before he managed to get his emotions under control. He then quietly


    ordered. ¡°The rest of you, leave.¡±


    ¡°But, Sir Louis...¡±


    ¡°Leave!¡± he bellowed.


    Left without a choice, Diana and Avril stepped out of the room. However, they did not go far and simply


    waited right outside.


    The room was finally silent. Charlotte took in a deep breath to muster her courage before saying,


    ¡°Louis, let''s cancel the wedding.¡±


    Louis stiffened as he snapped his head to look at her with wide eyes.


    ¡°I... I thought you were here to exin to me, to apologize to me, or to express your regrets... but,


    you''re here to break up with me?¡±


    ¡°I know you might have a hard time digesting this,¡± Charlotte solemnly said as a small sigh escaped


    her. ¡°I''m sorry. I know you''ll hate me for saying this at a time like this, but I really don''t think we''re suited


    to be together.¡±

 Chapter 1254

    Chapter 1254


    ¡°I used to think that we can be really good friends, so living together would be a rxing and fun


    experience. However, I now realize this isn''t the case. Being friends and being a married couple are


    two vastly different matters. The moment we change roles, all sorts of problems would start popping


    up-¡±


    ¡°Stop! I don''t want to hear them,¡± Louis interrupted with a roar. ¡°You''re breaking up with me because of


    Zachary, aren''t you? It''s because you still love him, that''s why you want to go back to his side. That''s


    why you want to break up with me. Am I wrong?¡±


    ¡°I''m not getting back together with him,¡± Charlotte started, her brows knitted. ¡°I''m breaking up with you


    because I''ve simply realized that the two of us aren''t suitable for married life. Being together will only


    make us both unhappy. This has nothing to do with anyone else.¡±


    ¡°Then why did you and him... Why did you...¡±


    Louis was distraught. He could not even finish his sentence. Every time he thought about what he saw


    back at the hotel room, rage would try to consume him.


    ¡°Actually...¡±


    Charlotte thought of telling him the truth. However, she realized that he might not agree to break off the


    engagement if he were to find out that nothing had happened between her and Zachary.


    With that thought in mind, Charlotte said, ¡°Since that''s something that bugs you a lot, let''s break off the


    engagement and be friends again.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Louis growled out stubbornly. ¡°I won''t agree to break off the engagement.¡±


    ¡°Louis...¡±


    ¡°Promise me. Promise me that you won''t meet him ever again.¡± Louis leaped up from his bed and


    grabbed Charlotte''s hands. ¡°As long as you promise me that, I won''t hold you ountable anymore.¡±


    ¡°Louis, don''t you know that you''re just lying to yourself like this?¡± Charlotte was at a loss for words.


    ¡°You know that we''re notpatible with each other, so why are you insisting on us to stay together?¡±


    ¡°We''re notpatible with each other? How can you say that?¡± Louis hissed out. ¡°Aren''t we happy


    together? I doted on you, and I did everything you want me to. Which part have I not done right by you?


    Tell me, and I''ll change it.¡±


    Charlotte was truly speechless at his stubbornness. The issue with them did not lie in how well he had


    treated her, but that love could not be forced. No happiness would stem from forcing a rtionship


    when she did not love him.


    Nevertheless, Louis clearly did not realize that. More urately, he did not want to confront that truth.


    ¡°Charlotte, don''t leave me,¡± Louis cried out by her ears as he hugged her.


    ¡°I really, really love you. Even if you made a mistake, or even if you were forced, I don''t mind. Let the


    past stay in the past. I won''t hold you ountable for it. As long as you promise not to see him again,


    I''ll still be as nice to you as ever.¡±


    ¡°Louis...¡± There were more things Charlotte wanted to say to him, but she did not know where to start.


    ¡°Charlotte, please, don''t leave me.¡±


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    Louis tightened his grip around her like an insecure child. He was afraid that once he let her go, she


    would disappear in the next blink of his eyes.


    ¡°Louis, you''re hurt. You should be resting.¡± Charlotte gently pushed him away, only to realize that he


    was burning up. She quickly helped him lie down on the bed as she muttered, ¡°Louis, stay down. I''ll get


    the doctor for you now.¡±


    ¡°No! Don''t go.¡± Louis wrapped his hand around her wrist in a tight grip. ¡°Don''t leave me.¡±


    A pang of pain struck Charlotte''s heart to see him in that state, so she grabbed his hand and


    whispered, ¡°All right, Louis. I''ll stay here and keep youpany. I won''t go. Rest now.¡±


    With Charlotte''s hands firmly in his, Louis slowly closed his eyes and fell asleep.


    He was born with a golden spoon, and that meant that there were few rough patches in his life. After


    the beating, both his body and his mind had turned fragile.


    Charlotte sat by his side, quietly watching him as various emotions swirled in her heart. She regretted


    her decision. Why did I agree to marry Louis because of some external factors back then?


    Now, the three of us are in pain.

 Chapter 1255

    Chapter 1255


    Knock, knock. Someone knocked on the door, and the door opened to reveal Avril. She bowed politely


    at Charlotte and said, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, please rest here tonight. If there is anything you need, I can bring


    it to you.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Charlotte stiffened for a moment before a frown grew on her brows. ¡°What are you talking


    about? How can I rest here? This is Louis'' room.¡±


    ¡°Lady Sherlyn has said that Sir Louis has been calling out your name in his feverish dreams. With you


    here by his side, he''ll be able to recover quicker.¡±


    As Avril spoke, she motioned at Diana.


    Diana immediately brought a nket over and ced it beside Louis before putting down a pillow as


    well.


    Charlotte was stunned into silence. This is too much. She''s actually making ns on my behalf without


    bothering to hide it now.


    Right as she was about to explode into an angry outburst, her eyes swept past Diana, and she was


    reminded about that clue.


    Hence, she said, ¡°Okay. I''ll keep Louispany here tonight. However, I''ll need someone to stay here.


    After all, I''m not used to taking care of others. If there''s anything he needs, it''ll be better to have


    someone else help him with it.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Avril replied. ¡°I''ll be staying here to await your instructions.¡±


    ¡°Let Diana stay instead,¡± Charlotte said nonchntly. ¡°She''s the one who usually takes care of Louis,


    so she''ll know him better.¡±


    ¡°But...¡± Avril nced at Diana.


    ¡°Ms. Avril, I can do this.¡± Diana was more than willing to do it.


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    ¡°Well, all right then,¡± Avril relented. ¡°Take good care of Sir Louis and Ms. Lindberg. Feel free toe to


    me if anything happens.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Don''t worry.¡± Diana nodded fervently.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, I''ll excuse myself now. Please let Diana know if you need anything.¡±


    With a bow, Avril moved to exit the room.


    Once she was gone, Charlotte walked to the doorway and said to Lupine and Morgan, ¡°I''ll be staying


    with Louis tonight, so you guys should go and rest.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Lupine and the others were confused.


    Morgan whispered, ¡°Did they force you to do this? Don''t worry. At most, we''ll have a falling out with


    them.¡±


    ¡°No, it''s not that,¡± Charlotte replied. ¡°Go and rest. Get your energy back. If anything happens, I''ll give


    you guys a call.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg...¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Morgan was about to say more, but Lupine stopped her.


    Lupine then handed Charlotte''s bag to her before pulling Morgan and the others away.


    After Charlotte closed the door and went back into the room, she switched on the wall lights.


    At that moment, Diana was standing by the side of the bed, watching Louis with indecipherable


    emotions in her eyes. When she noticed Charlotte''s returned, she quickly averted her gaze and said,


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, is there anything you need help with?¡±


    ¡°Fill a bucket of water to give Louis a wipe down.¡±


    Charlotte then moved to sit on the couch and sipped on some tea.


    ¡°Understood.¡± Diana hurried away to fill a bucket of warm water. After squeezing the towel, she


    tentatively handed it to Charlotte. ¡°Ms. Lindberg...¡±


    ¡°Did I ask you to stay so that you can watch me work?¡± Charlotte raised a brow.


    ¡°I''m sorry!¡± Diana squeaked before she started wiping Louis'' body with utmost care.


    Charlotte paused in her tea-drinking motion as she silently studied Diana. The woman was being


    extremely gentle with Louis as if he was a morning dew that would fall off its leaf if she were any


    rougher.


    Despite being deep in his sleep, Louis could sense someone cleaning him. Subconsciously, he


    muttered, ¡°Charlotte... Charlotte...¡±


    Then, he reached out to grab Diana''s hand and pulled it toward him.


    Diana was startled, and she nervously peeked at Charlotte before prying Louis'' hand off hers. At the


    same time, she murmured, ¡°Louis, you''ve gotten the wrong person. I''m Diana, not Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    Then, like a frightened rabbit, she retreated to the side, not daring to go near Louis anymore.

 Chapter 1256

    Chapter 1256


    ¡°He''s having a fever, so he''s not in his right state of mind. It''s fine.¡± Charlotte put down her teacup and


    said, ¡°Bring the nket over. I''ll be sleeping on the couch tonight.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± Diana promptly took the nket and the pillow to the couch and arranged it for Charlotte. She


    even helped thetter down to a lying position. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, is there anything else you need?¡±


    ¡°A ss of water,¡± Charlotte answered as she rubbed the bridge of her nose, looking exhausted.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Diana went to the side to pour a ss of water for her. While filling up the ss, she


    turned around to chance a nce at Charlotte. When she noticed that Charlotte was not paying


    attention to her, she quickly dripped a few drops of a drug into the water before bringing the ss of


    Charlotte. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, your water.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± Charlotte drank a few mouthfuls before lying down on her side. ¡°I''m going to rest now, so don''t


    disturb me anymore. Stay by his side and watch his condition. If Louis'' high fever doesn''t break,


    remember to let him drink water and take the medication.¡±


    ¡°Of course. I will.¡± Diana nodded.


    Charlotte then closed her eyes. Soon, she fell silent and seemingly entered the dreands.


    Diana stood by the side of the bed as she observed Charlotte. In a soft voice, she asked, ¡°Ms.


    Lindberg, would you like to have more water?¡±


    Charlotte did not respond. Diana let out a sigh of relief before sitting down on a chair near the bed and


    turned her focus to Louis instead.


    Her gaze on him was gentle and loving.


    Right then, Louis began coughing. Diana swiftly walked over to pat his chest. ¡°Louis, are you okay?¡±


    Instead of being relieved, his coughs worsened, and he could barely catch his breath.


    Anxious, Diana rushed off to pour a ss of water for him.


    After sipping on the water, Louis seemed to recover as hey back down on the bed and panted.


    Diana felt her heart break at the sight of him suffering. She could not help but say, ¡°Louis, you''re such a


    fool. Why are you so adamant about loving a bad woman? She doesn''t deserve your love at all.¡±


    At that, Diana spun around to re at Charlotte. The sight of Charlotte''s pretty face made jealousy rear


    its ugly head in Diana. Hence, she walked over and raised her hand, about to p Charlotte.


    Just then, sounds of footsteps came from the outside.


    Jumping in surprise, Diana quickly took back her hand and returned to the side of the bed.


    Soon, the footsteps were gone. Nevertheless, Diana knew that there were people patrolling outside, so


    she dared not make any other reckless moves.


    Besides, if she were to leave any marks on her, Charlotte was sure to find out Diana was the one who


    did it.


    After all, there were only the three of them in the room.


    It was only a short bout of coughing, but sweat had begun soaking Louis'' body.


    Noticing it, Diana took a warm towel and started wiping the sweat from his body.


    ¡°Charlotte...¡± Louis groggily called out. Thinking that Diana was Charlotte, he grabbed her hand and


    pulled it toward him again. ¡°Charlotte, don''t go...¡±


    This time, Diana did not reject it. She threw herself onto Louis and began kissing his forehead, eyes,


    and cheeks.


    Simultaneously, she whispered lovingly, ¡°Louis, do you know this? I really wished that you''ll be


    marrying me instead of Charlotte the day after tomorrow.¡±


    If I were to have a proper family background and a high social standing, I would have been worthy of


    you. Perhaps things would have been different now. You wouldn''t be so miserable, and I wouldn''t be


    living a life where I''ll have to take my love to the grave. I''m different from that vile woman. I love you. I


    really love you. I''ll be a good wife.¡±


    With that, she pressed her lips against Louis''.


    Fever was making Louis disorientated. He thought that the one who was taking care of him was


    Charlotte, so when he felt her warm lips against his, he leaned into it.


    The two lost themselves in the kiss, and they hadpletely forgotten about Charlotte, who was on the


    couch.


    In a while, Diana even took off her coat and climbed onto the bed. She burrowed her way under Louis''


    nket and started nting kisses all over his body.


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    Unable to withstand her passion, Louis soon melded his body with hers.

 Chapter 1257

    Chapter 1257


    That night, Charlotte slept soundly. When she woke the next day, her head felt heavy as if someone


    had filled it with lead.


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    Turning around, she nced at the bed. Louis was gone.


    She stiffened for a second before jumping to her feet. ¡°Louis? Louis!¡±


    ¡°I''m here,¡± came Louis'' voice from the bathroom.


    When Charlotte turned around, she found him walking out of the bathroom with a towel around his


    waist as he dried his hair.


    It seemed like he was much livelier than the night before. His fever had broken, and there was a


    healthy blush on his face. Even a sweet smile was on his lips as he enthusiastically greeted, ¡°Good


    morning, Charlotte!¡±


    ¡°Put on your clothes.¡± Charlotte frowned and turned away from him.


    However, not only did he not put on his clothes, but he even hugged her from behind. He kissed the tip


    of her ear and murmured, ¡°I knew it. You still love me.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Charlotte half-shrieked as she pushed him away and took numerous steps back.


    ¡°Why are you acting like this again?¡± Louis asked, confused by her action. ¡°You were so passionatest


    night, but now you''re yelling at me?¡±


    ¡°Last night?¡± Charlotte froze. Then, her eyes flicked to the messy bed before realization struck her.


    ¡°Where''s Diana?¡±


    ¡°What? Why are you asking about her?¡± Louis grumbled.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Charlotte dismissed. ¡°I just want to get her toe in and clean up the ce.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you''re right.¡± Louis shed her an apologetic smile. ¡°We do have to tidy up this ce. Not to


    mention we''ve got to change the bedsheets too.¡±


    ¡°Didn''t you see her when you woke up this morning?¡± Charlotte asked, not nning to reveal anything


    right away. ¡°I''ve asked her to stay by your bedst night.¡±


    ¡°She was in the room?¡± Louis froze before a look of embarrassment crossed his face. ¡°No wonder she


    was blushing so hard this morning when I saw her. Did she see us do itst night?¡±


    At the end of his sentence, Louis'' voice weakened. ¡°I''m sorry, Charlotte. I was too out of it from the


    feverst night, so I didn''t notice her there. Please don''t be angry. She won''t tell anyone about it.¡±


    ¡°You saw her this morning?¡± Charlotte asked instead, ignoring Louis'' apology.


    ¡°I did.¡± He nodded as he pointed at the desk. ¡°When I woke up, she was sleeping sprawled on the


    table. Once she realized I was awake, she hurried over, but I dismissed her.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Charlotte said nothing else for a second. ¡°I''ll go back to my room to change. You should rest for a


    little longer.¡±


    With that, Charlotte took her bag and turned to leave.


    ¡°Charlotte!¡± Louis darted over to stop her. ¡°Since you still have me in your heart, why don''t we stop


    fighting? We''re going to be married tomorrow, so let''s make the preparations tonight.¡±


    ¡°Louis,¡± Charlotte started before pressing her lips. ¡°Do you mind that kind of thing?¡±


    ¡°What? What kind of thing?¡± Louis tensed. Then, he blurted out, ¡°Do you mean that we shouldn''t mind


    what we''ve done?¡±


    ¡°No...¡± Charlotte lowered her eyes as she trailed off. ¡°We''re all adults, so even if it happened, it''s


    nothing, right?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Louis panicked. ¡°You can''t do this to me-¡±


    ¡°I mean, if you found out that...¡± Charlotte halted mid-way through her sentence. ¡°Forget it. We''ll talk


    about thister. I''m going to wash up in the guest room first. See youter.¡±


    Just as she spoke, she retracted her hand and turned off the lights before hurrying away.


    Louis was crestfallen to watch her go. He could notprehend why Charlotte was acting in that way.


    It felt as if she was two different people during the day and during the night.


    When Charlotte reached the guest room, she called Lupine and Morgan over. Then, she instructed


    them, ¡°Show me the footage of the second mini surveince camera.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Lupine was taken aback for a second, but she soon rposed herself. ¡°Of course.¡±

 Chapter 1258

    Chapter 1258


    Lupine soon found the footage of the surveince camera and yed it on theptop. What they saw


    was a shocking, intense moment.


    When Morgan leaned over, she freaked out. ¡°Holy cr*p! W-Who is this?¡±


    ¡°I think this is Sir Louis'' room. The man''s Sir Louis, and the woman''s...¡± Lupine leaned in before her jaw


    dropped. ¡°That''s Diana!¡±


    Morgan''s eyes went wide. ¡°It can''t be true, can it? W-What''s going on?¡±


    ¡°Oh d*mn! This is... This is borderline porn!¡±


    Lupine quickly lowered the volume and turned around to cover her eyes.


    On the other hand, Charlotte stared at the screen in silence. After a while, she said, ¡°Make a copy of


    this video and save it.¡±


    ¡°What''s going on, Ms. Lindberg?¡± Morgan queried.


    ¡°Could it be that,st night...¡± Lupine spected. ¡°No, it can''t be. You were in the room too. Did they


    still do it while you were...¡±


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    ¡°Rey the video,¡± Charlotte told her instead. ¡°y it normally when Diana is pouring a ss of water.


    See if she made any extra moves.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Lupine worked on it right away, and soon, she noticed something amiss. ¡°Diana added


    something into the water.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Morgan leaned over.


    Lupine resumed the video. In the video, Diana was bringing the ss to Charlotte.


    ¡°Oh my god. She''s the one who poisoned Ms. Lindberg!¡± Morgan nearly leaped to her feet in anger.


    ¡°I''m taking her down right away.¡±


    ¡°Don''t be rash,¡± Charlotte calmly said. ¡°I doubt it''s poison. It''s probably just some drug to keep me in


    deep sleep.¡±


    ¡°What is she trying to do?¡± Morgan wondered out loud.


    ¡°Could it be that she knocked you out before doing it with Sir Louis?¡± Lupine guessed. ¡°That''s


    disgusting.¡±


    ¡°That means that nothing happened between Louis and me back at Arkfield manor,¡± Charlotte pointed


    out. ¡°Still, I don''t understand what''s with the marks on me.¡±


    ¡°Is it possible that Diana hit you?¡± Lupine hurriedly said.


    ¡°That b*tch,¡± Morgan gritted out.


    ¡°That is possible,¡± Charlotte muttered. ¡°I remembered that when I woke up, some of the marks hurt.¡±


    Then, she abruptly pinched Morgan''s arm a few times.


    ¡°Ow!¡± Morgan cried out before rubbing the sore spots.


    Charlotte then pulled her arm over. As expected, there were red marks on it. Finally, she realized what


    was going on. ¡°Oh Diana, Diana. It seems like I''ve underestimated her.¡±


    ¡°Why would she do this?¡± Lupine contemted out loud. ¡°She slept with Sir Louis, and she framed you


    for it. It''s not like she''s getting anything out of this.¡±


    ¡°But, it''s a different matter if she bears Louis'' child in her.¡± Charlotte sneered. ¡°This is probably the only


    way she can leap past the rungs of thedder. In fact, this leap of hers will bring her straight to the top


    of thedder.¡±


    Lupine gasped. ¡°No wonder Diana keeps giving me an odd feeling. I thought I was being unfair to her


    because I didn''t see her do anything, but it turns out that she''s been doing all sorts of evil deeds in the


    shadows.¡±


    Knock, knock, came the sounds from the door. Then, Avril''s solemn voice traveled into their ears. ¡°Ms.


    Lindberg, Sir Robert, and Lady Sherlyn have invited you to the study room.¡±


    ¡°Tell her I''ll be there in half an hour.¡±


    As Charlotte spoke, she shot a look at Lupine, who quickly saved the video and kept away theptop.


    It was then Morgan opened the door to convey Charlotte''s message to Avril.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Avril replied before leaving.


    While Charlotte went to the bathroom to wash up, Lupine and Morgan made preparations. The two of


    them were waiting eagerly for Charlotte to confront the Laurents.


    As Charlotte showered, she mulled over the entire incident. After a while of rumination, she called


    Danrique, but he did not pick up.


    She had a bad feeling about the whole situation, and her eyes darkened.

 Chapter 1259

    Chapter 1259


    After exiting the bathroom, Charlotte quickly changed into a set of champagne-colored clothes before


    leading Lupine and Morgan to the study room.


    There were many people waiting outside the study room as well as on the staircase. It seemed like


    they were going out in a while.


    Louis walked over from the opposite end of the corridor. When he saw Charlotte, he grabbed her hand


    and murmured, ¡°Charlotte, I know that they''ve told Dad and Mom about what happened that day. Don''t


    be scared if they try to make things difficult for you. I''ll protect you.¡±


    Charlotte stared at Louis asplicated emotions swirled in her heart. He still did not know that his


    parents had already confronted her the day before, and she had dealt with them all by herself.


    Until now, he''s still worried about me and is afraid that I''ll be wronged by his own parents.


    Charlotte was grateful for his love and protection. The more he acted that way, the harder it was for her


    to tell him the truth.


    ¡°Also, there are many important guests today. Dad, Mom, and I will be greeting themter, and they


    might be discussing with you about tomorrow''s wedding. If they say anything upsetting, don''t take it to


    heart. I''ll deal with it, okay?¡±


    Louis was worried on behalf of Charlotte; he was worried that Danrique might not be able to make it


    and that his parents would say cruel things to her. That was why he was hoping to prepare her for the


    worst.


    His kindness only made the guilt in Charlotte grow. The longer she was in the situation, the more she


    felt that her choice had hurt him.


    At the same time, she felt that she could not let things continue going down the wrong path.


    ¡°Louis, actually-¡± Just as Charlotte was about to say something, the door to the room opened, and they


    heard Avril''s voice. ¡°Sir Louis, Ms. Lindberg, Sir Robert has asked you both to enter.¡±


    Charlotte swallowed the words that had been at the tip of her tongue before entering the room.


    Meanwhile, Louis had an arm around her waist as if he was protecting her from all danger.


    In the study room, both Robert and Sherlyn were already seated on the couch, dressed to their nines.


    The two had simr furrowed brows, and they looked grim. They had been whispering to each other but


    stopped when Charlotte and Louis entered.


    ¡°Dad, Mom,¡± Louis greeted.


    ¡°Sir Robert. Lady Sherlyn.¡± Charlotte bowed.


    ¡°Have a seat,¡± Robert said in a rtively light-hearted tone.


    ¡°Louis, you''ll sit here.¡± Sherlyn pointed at the couch beside her.


    ¡°Mom,¡± Louis started, wanting to say something else. However, Robert shot him a look, and he had no


    choice but to sit by his mother.


    In the meantime, Charlotte sat down on the couch opposite them. When she looked at the Laurents in


    front of her, she felt as if she was a criminal, waiting to be interrogated.


    ¡°Have you contacted your brother?¡± Robert asked instantly.


    ¡°No,¡± Charlotte replied. ¡°Sir Robert, please speak your mind.¡±


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    Behind her, Lupine tightened her hold on the bag. If Robert and Sherlyn were to force Charlotte to


    continue with the wedding, or if they tried to make things tough for Charlotte because of Zachary''s


    matter, they wouldunch a counterattack with the video they had.


    Instead of replying immediately, Robert raised the cup of coffee in front of him and sipped it.


    ¡°This marriage isn''t just between you and Louis. It''s between the Lindbergs and the Laurents,¡± Sherlyn


    uttered arrogantly. ¡°Mr. Lindberg ys an important role in this. If he''s not here, then we cannot


    continue with the wedding.¡±


    After a pause, she continued, ¡°Therefore, we''ve decided to postpone the wedding until we get into


    contact with Mr. Lindberg again. Only then will we redecide on a date.¡±


    Both Lupine and Morgan were flummoxed by Sherlyn''s announcement.


    Even Charlotte was surprised. She thought they were going to force her to continue with the wedding.


    Lo and behold, to her surprise, they were actually suggesting postponing the wedding.


    Nevertheless, Charlotte knew that it was because Robert and Sherlyn did not want to take the risk.


    After all, the marriage of a member of the royal family would have to be a grand one.


    If Danrique had fallen from grace, then there was no way they would still want Charlotte as their


    daughter-inw.

 Chapter 1260

    Chapter 1260


    ¡°No way,¡± Louis eximed, bolting up. ¡°We cannot dy the wedding. We''ve already informed all our


    guests that the wedding is tomorrow and everyone has already arrived. How can we suddenly dy


    it?¡±


    ¡°Shut up,¡± Sherlyn bellowed. ¡°We''ve already decided. You''ve no say in this.¡±


    ¡°Dad!¡± Louis started panicking. ¡°It doesn''t matter if Mr. Lindberg is unable to attend. It won''t affect


    anything. We can always have a make-up ceremony next time when he''s free...¡±


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    ¡°That''s enough,¡± Robert spoke sternly. ¡°The wedding does not just concern the both of you. It concerns


    the royal family''s reputation, as well as the safety of the Laurent family. Acting recklessly won''t do us


    any good.¡±


    ¡°That''s right,¡± Sherlyn agreed, standing up. ¡°We''re going to attend the press conference right now to


    announce the dy of the wedding. We''ll also have to make some arrangements to settle the guests


    who have already arrived in Pillere. Louis, you have toe with us. As for...¡±


    Sherlyn paused and shot Charlotte a cold gaze before saying in disdain, ¡°You can continue staying


    here during this period of time and you''ll still be treated like a royal. If you need anything, feel free to let


    Avril know. She''ll try her best to meet your requests. However, you can''t leave the castle during this


    time.¡±


    ¡°Lady Sherlyn, are you imprisoning me?¡± The corners of Charlotte''s lips curled up as she continued, ¡°I


    guess, you''re not intending to let me go before my brother arrives?¡±


    ¡°Think whatever you want,¡± Sherlyn scoffed. ¡°The only reason why I haven''t dealt with you regarding


    what happened between you and Zachary is because of our families'' reputation and honor. Your


    brother won''t be able to find fault with me even if he asks about it.¡±


    ¡°Charlotte...¡± Robert started to speak in a much gentler tone. ¡°We are only doing this because we''re


    worried for your safety. The castle is huge. If you are bored, you can go swimming, or read some


    books. Just hang in there for a few more days.¡±


    With the woman ying the bad cop and her husband ying the good cop, Charlotte was left with no


    other choice but to yield.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Charlotte replied with a faint smile. ¡°I''ll have to trouble both of you then!¡±


    ¡°That''s great.¡± Robert nodded in satisfaction before saying, ¡°Have a good rest then.¡±


    With that, he left the room first.


    Sherlyn looked at Charlotte coldly before giving Avril a meaningful nce. ¡°Let''s go,¡± she said,


    dragging Louis out of the room.


    ¡°Mom...¡± Not wanting to leave, the man looked back at Charlotte and said, ¡°Charlotte...¡±


    However, Charlotte merely looked down and did not reply.


    After the three of them left, Avril walked over to Charlotte and said respectfully, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, let me


    walk you back to your room.¡±


    ¡°I would like to take a stroll outside.¡±


    Charlotte looked out of the window and saw that there were soldiers standing guard outside. In fact,


    there was a whole row of them lined up along the corridor.


    ¡°There''re reporters outside and some guests might arriveter. It could be quite chaotic. In


    consideration of your safety, it''s better that you return to your room first.¡±


    As Avril spoke, two other maids had appeared next to Charlotte, nking her.


    It was obvious to Charlotte that she was only supposed to stay in her room, and not allowed anywhere


    else.


    ¡°What''s the meaning of this? Is Ms. Lindberg being imprisoned now?¡± Morgan questioned in frustration.


    ¡°We are doing this to protect Ms. Lindberg,¡± Avril exined, bowing slightly.


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°I appreciate your kind intentions,¡± Charlotte replied, ncing at Avril coldly, before turning around and


    walking out of the study room.


    Following closely behind, Avril said, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, I''ll get a maid to send your breakfast to your room.


    Is that OK?¡±


    ¡°Please prepare five sets of breakfast for my four bodyguards and me,¡± Charlotte requested, worried


    that Lupine and the others would be ill-treated.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Avril agreed and went to make preparations straight away.


    After returning to the room, Morgan could not help but ask, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, why didn''t you fight back just


    now? You can just show the video of Sir Louis and that sl*t to those two old buggers.¡±


    ¡°Since we''re under their control now, showing them the video wouldn''t make any difference,¡± Charlotte


    said, before continuing, ¡°At most, they will chase Diana out and teach Louis a lesson. As for me, I''ll still


    be imprisoned if that''s what they want.¡±

 Chapter 1261

    Chapter 1261


    ¡°What should we do then? We can''t possibly let them lock us up just like that?¡± Morgan, who was


    starting to panic, asked. ¡°Gordon and the three little ones are still waiting for us at the vi. When can


    we leave?¡±


    Charlotte did not reply, but merely walked toward the French windows, looking outside with a


    complicated gaze...


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg...¡±


    ¡°Alright, stop asking questions,¡± Lupine interrupted Morgan, reminding softly, ¡°Let Ms. Lindberg have


    some peace.¡±


    Upon hearing that, Morgan stopped speaking.


    The two bodyguards stood next to Charlotte quietly, apanying her.


    ¡°I''m so d that Dr. Felch had gone back first,¡± Charlotte suddenly spoke. ¡°If not, I''ll feel really bad if he


    had ended up being imprisoned here with us.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, shall we give Gordon a call and get him toe here and save us?¡± Morgan asked


    tentatively.


    ¡°Are you mad?¡± Lupine chided. ¡°Gordon has to protect the kids. If he shows up here, not only will we


    not be able to escape, he will be captured as well. No matter how strong Gordon is, we are still


    outnumbered.¡±


    ¡°Well, Gordon can gather more people.¡± Morgan was growing increasingly anxious as she said, ¡°Mr.


    Lindberg has other subordinates as well...¡±


    ¡°Shut up,¡± Charlotte stopped Morgan from talking. ¡°You''re not allowed to bring this up ever again.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Morgan did not dare to speak any further.


    ¡°Don''t worry, we won''t be staying here for long.¡± Charlotte sat down on the sofa and continued cidly,


    ¡°Even without Gordon saving us, we will be able to get out soon.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± That piqued Morgan''s curiosity.


    ¡°Yup.¡± Charlotte took a sip of water from her ss before continuing, ¡°Just bear with it for a few more


    days. Try to avoid confrontation with Louis'' family members.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± Lupine and Morgan replied, nodding their heads continuously.


    Just then, someone knocked on the door. It was Diana, who had arrived with the maids, delivering


    breakfast. She had also brought along some fresh flowers for the room.


    Charlotte remained seated on the sofa while observing the woman quietly. After they finished busying,


    Charlotte instructed, ¡°Please inform my other two bodyguards that breakfast is ready and get them


    here.¡±


    ¡°Sure, Ms. Lindberg.¡± Diana immediately ordered one of the maids to get Jade and Emma over.


    ¡°Thanks, I appreciate that,¡± Charlotte smiled faintly and said, ¡°You may leave now.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Just when Diana was about to leave the room with the maids, Charlotte suddenly stopped


    them. ¡°Wait a minute.¡±


    ¡°Is there anything else I can do for you, Ms. Lindberg?¡± Diana asked, halting in her tracks.


    ¡°Please ask Louis to look for me when he''s back,¡± Charlotte said smilingly, with her gaze fixed on


    Diana.


    A hint of panic shed across Diana''s eyes, but quickly, sheposed herself and replied, ¡°Sure.¡±


    Right after that, the woman lowered her head and left the room...


    A smirk appeared on Charlotte''s face as she watched Diana''s figure disappear behind the door.


    At the same time, Lupine and Morgan exchanged knowing nces.


    ¡°You two should change shifts with Jade and Emma after breakfast and get some rest.¡± Charlotte


    sipped on her coffee and said, ¡°There isn''t much to do now anyway. Have some rest while you can and


    refuel your energy.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Lupine and Morgan nodded.


    Just then, Jade and Emma arrived. Once they entered the room, the two of them said, ¡°Ms. Lindberg,


    there''s no reception on our phones.¡±


    ¡°Really? We should check ours too.¡±


    Lupine and Morgan immediately checked their phones as well. Indeed, none of their phones had any


    reception, including Charlotte''s.


    ¡°No wonder they are allowing us to stay together. Seems like they''ve blocked off our contact with the


    outside world.¡± Morgan was almost choking on her rage. ¡°Now, we''re really being isted from the


    world!¡±


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    ¡°It''s OK, don''t worry,¡± Charlotte reassured her bodyguards. ¡°C''mon, have breakfast first.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Even though Charlotte was their employer, the female bodyguards knew that the woman was always


    amiable and had no airs. She would also have meals with them asionally. As such, they did not


    refuse her offer.


    Meanwhile, Diana and the maids, who were standing guard outside, overheard the conversation inside


    the room. One of the maids mocked, ¡°That''s not how someone from a prestigious family would behave.


    It''s ridiculous that she''s eating with her bodyguards.¡±


    However, Diana was still distracted by what Charlotte said to her earlier on. Please ask Louis to look for


    me when he''s back...

 Chapter 1262

    Chapter 1262


    Charlotte was good at keeping her cool. After finishing her breakfast, she started reading in her room.


    Meanwhile, Lupine and Morgan had returned to the guestroom to rest, leaving Jade and Emma to


    apany Charlotte.


    Very soon, it was already nightfall, and Lupine and Morgan had woken up from their naps. As it was


    also time for dinner, Diana had arrived at Charlotte''s room with dinner, together with a bottle of red


    wine.


    ¡°Is Louis back yet?¡± Charlotte asked casually, with a book in her hands.


    ¡°He''s not back yet, Ms. Lindberg,¡± Diana answered respectfully. ¡°He has a lot of things to handle today


    and will be back slightlyter.¡±


    ¡°Really? What is he busy with?¡± Charlotte lifted her wine ss and started swirling the red wine.


    ¡°He had to attend a press conference in the afternoon and had to entertain guests in the evening. He


    also has to send some VIPs to the airport...¡± Diana exined.


    ¡°I see,¡± Charlotte nodded. ¡°That makes sense. I''m sure there''s a lot for him to settle because of the


    dy in the wedding.¡±


    ¡°This red wine is from Arkfield. Drinking more might help you sleep better at night,¡± Diana said


    thoughtfully.


    ¡°Oh, thanks!¡± Charlotte smiled and continued after a pause, ¡°You may leave now.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Diana gave a slight bow and retreated from the room.


    ¡°Oh, don''t forget to ask Louis to look for me when he''s back,¡± Charlotte reminded.


    Diana stopped in her tracks at once, while a maid next to her replied instead, ¡°We will, Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    After they left, Charlotte shot a nce at Jade and Emma, who understood what she meant right away.


    Immediately, the two bodyguards collected a sample of the food and wine for testing.


    A short whileter, both of them concluded that there was a substance found in the red wine that had


    simr effects as sleeping pills. One would start feeling drowsy after ingesting that substance.


    Upon hearing that, Charlotte suddenly recalled what happened at the winery in Arkfield...


    That night, she had only drunk red wine and not Diana''s water. However, even though she did not drink


    a lot, she still felt drowsy when she got back to her room at night. In fact, she was so tired that she had


    fallen asleep on the sofa even before Louis left.


    The woman had not been able to make sense of the situation, but thinking back on it, Charlotte was


    almost certain that Diana had spiked the red wine...


    It seemed like it wasn''t the first time Diana did that.


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    Charlotte beckoned for Jade and Emma to keep the evidence, before tucking into her dinner.


    At around ten p.m., Louis finally returned home. When Diana saw him, she immediately weed him,


    saying, ¡°Louis, you''re back.¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡± The man seemed a little tipsy. Taking a pause, he added, ¡°Dad and Mom are still entertaining the


    guests, but I thought I should head back first. Where''s Charlotte?¡±


    ¡°You must be tired. Let me help you back to your room first.¡±


    Just when Diana was about to take the man''s arm and support him back to his room, a maid, who was


    standing beside, suddenly remembered Charlotte''s instructions and said, ¡°Sir Louis, Ms. Lindberg


    said...¡±


    ¡°Keep quiet.¡± Diana immediately stopped that maid from talking and shot a vehement re at her.


    ¡°Louis is drunk and needs to rest. Don''t disturb him.¡±


    The maid did not dare to speak after that.


    ¡°I need to check on Charlotte,¡± Louis said, as he staggered upstairs. However, Diana grabbed his arm


    and held him back, trying to persuade the man to head back to his room instead. ¡°Louis, you''re drunk.


    Let me help you back to your room to wash up first. It''s not nice for you to see Ms. Lindberg in your


    current state.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you''re right.¡± As Louis wanted to look presentable in front of Charlotte as well, he stopped


    insisting.


    Just as both of them headed upstairs toward his room, Charlotte walked out and shouted, ¡°Louis!¡±


    ¡°Charlotte!¡± Louis immediately stopped in his tracks and turned around, walking toward the woman.


    ¡°Louis...¡± Diana tried to hold the man back, but her efforts were futile.


    ¡°I was just about to look for you,¡± Louis said, as he staggered toward Charlotte''s room. ¡°I have already


    spoken to Dad and Mom today and they have promised not to make things difficult for you. I''ll stay in


    with you tomorrow...¡±


    ¡°OK, sure,¡± Charlotte replied while ncing at Diana.


    Diana, who was staring at Louis with an inexplicable look in her eyes, met Charlotte''s gaze for that split


    second and immediately looked away...


    ¡°Charlotte, I missed you so much...¡±


    Louis'' gentle voice could be heard from inside the room.


    ¡°Drink some water first.¡± Charlotte passed a ss of water to the man.


    ¡°I knew it. I know you care about me...¡± Louis said, pulling her into his embrace.


    At that moment, Jade and Emma exited the room. When they opened the door, Diana happened to


    witness that scene...

 Chapter 1263

    Chapter 1263


    Jade shut the door immediately and headed back to the guest room with Emma.


    Meanwhile, Diana was still staring nkly at the room door, looking flustered, her thoughts in a mess.


    ¡°Diana, are you OK?¡± a maid, who was standing next to the woman, asked curiously.


    ¡°Damn it!¡± Diana muttered under her breath as she clenched her fist tightly, her eyes filled with hatred.


    However, she quickly regained herposure and said to the maids, ¡°Sir Louis is drunk. Prepare some


    tea for him to sober up.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± the maids replied and went to make preparations straight away.


    Diana was the only person left outside the room after that. After checking her surroundings, the woman


    stuck her ear to the door, trying to listen to the situation inside.


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    However, as the door was soundproof, all she could hear was muffled noises, and was not able to


    make out what Charlotte and Louis were actually saying.


    However, it sounded as if Louis was breathing heavily.


    Hearing that, Diana felt as if she was almost losing her mind. She glued herself to the door, trying to


    figure out the words as best as she could, feeling extremely emotionally tortured.


    ¡°Louis, you''re drunk,¡± Charlotte said, passing the man another ss of water. ¡°Drink more water and


    take a rest first.¡±


    ¡°I''ve had enough water. I''m already feeling bloated.¡±


    Louis leaned against the sofa, while narrating the events of the day to Charlotte.


    ¡°I really did not expect my parents to cancel the wedding at such ast minute. They even forced me to


    exin the matter to the reporters at the press conference. Handling the press was already draining


    enough, but I still had to entertain the guests in the evening, drinking with them and exining to them


    that the wedding had to be postponed as Mr. Lindberg was busy and you''re not feeling well.


    Fortunately, the guests did not ask much and only told me to take good care of you and wished you a


    speedy recovery. However, I''m sure everyone knows what''s going on and are just putting on an act.


    Everything just felt so fake...¡±


    Louis was obviously dead beat.


    Charlotte looked at the man with mixed feelings. Louis was an innocent man with a pure heart. Even


    until the present moment, he was still thinking that the woman he had slept with twice was Charlotte.


    Despite having faced multiple rejections from Charlotte, and no matter how cold the woman treated


    him, Louis was still trying his best to sustain their rtionship.


    As such, Charlotte could not even bring herself to imagine how the man would feel if he knew the


    truth...


    ¡°Charlotte, why are you so quiet?¡± Louis looked at Charlotte affectionately while holding her hand.


    ¡°Don''t worry, I''ll protect you. No matter what my parents say, I will not call off our wedding. You''re


    already my woman and I''ll be responsible for you.¡±


    ¡°Louis...¡± Charlotte struggled to tell the man the truth, even though she really wanted to.


    ¡°Charlotte, there''s actually something else that I''ve been meaning to tell you, but I wasn''t sure if I


    should...¡± Louis hesitated for a second before continuing in a low voice, ¡°My parents met up with


    Zachary today, hoping to make peace. I really don''t know what to feel...¡±


    Louis downcast his eyes, feeling inferior while clenching his fists tightly.


    ¡°But he was the one who took advantage of me and did me wrong. Not only did my parents not defend


    me, they even sought to reconcile with him. Given how powerful and influential he is, I know that my


    parents are worried that he would take revenge on me. As such, they did not even bother to spare a


    thought for my feelings... I really can''t help but wonder if Dad and Mom really love me. It seems like


    they do, seeing how they always have my best interests in mind and give me advice and assistance,


    but on the other hand, they do not seem to care about what it is that I really want. Besides, they don''t


    even care about my dignity...¡±


    Louis was getting increasingly upset as he spoke. Finally, he was unable to control his emotions and


    tears started falling down his face.


    ¡°Louis...¡± Charlotte could not help but pity him. She took a piece of tissue, wanting to wipe his tears


    away.


    ¡°Charlotte...¡± the man held her hand tightly and pulled her into his arms. ¡°Do you know that marrying


    you is my only dream now? I''ll always feelforted whenever I think of you. I can''t live without you...¡±

 Chapter 1264

    Chapter 1264


    Upon hearing that, Charlotte''s heart was in turmoil, filled withplicated emotions.


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Just then, there was a knock on the door, followed by Diana''s voice. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, I have prepared


    some tea for Louis to sober up. Can Ie in?¡±


    ¡°Come in,¡± Charlotte answered.


    When Diana entered the room, she froze momentarily.


    Seeing how tightly Louis was hugging Charlotte, the woman got jealous instantly and was smoldering


    with resentment...


    Charlotte pushed Louis away gently and turned to look at Diana. ¡°Just leave it here.¡±


    ¡°OK, sure.¡± Diana quickly regained herposure and ced the tea on the coffee table. She had also


    prepared a cup of fruit tea for Charlotte. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, this tea is for you,¡± she offered.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Charlotte nced at the woman and said, ¡°You may leave now.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Diana bowed slightly and left the room, but not before taking another look at Louis.


    ¡°Charlotte, can I sleep in your room tonight?¡± Louis asked longingly while holding Charlotte''s hand.


    ¡°Please?¡±


    ¡°You should drink the tea first.¡± Charlotte did not reject the man''s request but did not agree to it as well.


    ¡°You really drank too much today,¡± she said, passing the tea to him.


    ¡°I''m not drunk. I mean everything I just said.¡± Louis pushed the tea away and continued, ¡°I''m not


    drinking this. I don''t want to be sober. I''ll only have the courage to tell you how I really feel in this


    state.¡±


    ¡°Just drink up first. Be good.¡± Charlotte tried to coax the man into drinking the tea.


    ¡°Alright then,¡± Louis relented, unable to reject Charlotte.


    Charlotte brought the cup of fruit tea to her nose. At once, she knew that the tea had been spiked.


    After her previous two sesses, it seemed like Diana had grown bolder and was getting increasingly


    brazen.


    Since that''s the case, I shall grant her wish then.


    ¡°Why does this tea taste so awful?¡± Louismented after taking a sip of his tea, almost spitting it out.


    ¡°There''s a really strange taste.¡±


    ¡°Diana had prepared it specially for you,¡± Charlotte replied, smiling sweetly at the man.


    ¡°OK then. I''m only drinking it because you asked me to.¡±


    Louis closed his eyes and downed the tea in one gulp. After finishing it, he burped aloud and said,


    ¡°Charlotte, I need to use the bathroom.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡± When the man was in the bathroom, Charlotte poured half of the fruit tea into a flower pot


    in the room and finished the remaining half.


    After a while, Louis emerged from the bathroom andid down on the bed, feeling totally exhausted.


    ¡°Charlotte, I''m sleeping here tonight...¡±


    Charlotte did not respond and merely stared at the man in the dim light.


    ¡°Charlotte,e here...¡± Louis reached out his hand to Charlotte. The woman walked over to him and


    held his hand gently, while saying, ¡°Louis, I''m sorry.¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡± the man asked drowsily, slowly drifting off to sleep.


    Charlotte let out a helpless sigh before retracting her hand. After turning off the lights in the room, she


    sat down on the sofa and looked toward the door, waiting quietly.


    She knew that Diana would be taking action soon.


    Indeed, shortly after, a knock was heard on the door, followed by Diana''s voice. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, are you


    asleep?¡±


    Instead of replying, Charlotte closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep.


    Diana proceeded to open the door cautiously and called out a few times, ¡°Ms. Lindberg... Ms.


    Lindberg?¡±


    Seeing that Charlotte had remained silent, Diana walked toward the sofa and saw that the fruit tea had


    been finished.


    Meanwhile, Louis had already fallen asleep, snoring in bed.


    Diana started touching his face longingly, before kissing his lips.


    In his sleep, Louis felt that someone was kissing him. Thinking that it was Charlotte, he rolled over and


    pinned the woman beneath him, kissing her passionately...


    In fact, the man was so thrilled that he started muttering, ¡°Charlotte, I knew you care about me. I knew


    you have me in your heart. Charlotte...¡±

 Chapter 1265

    Chapter 1265


    The two hadpletely lost themselves in making out on the bed, and failed to realize that Charlotte,


    who was on the sofa, had pressed a button on her watch...


    At once, Jade and Emma rushed downstairs to look for Robert and Sherlyn, who had just returned


    home, and was about to head upstairs.


    Engaged in a discussion with each other, the coupled looked exhausted and helpless.


    Jade hurried over and said anxiously, ¡°Lady Sherlyn, Ms. Lindberg has been having a stomachache the


    entire day. Is it possible to get a doctor to see her?¡±


    ¡°Why would she suddenly have a stomachache?¡± Sherlyn replied with a look of annoyance. ¡°She


    seemed very fit and healthy to me.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg has gastric problems every now and then. Maybe her stomach is not ustomed to the


    French cuisine we had for dinner just now?¡± Emma tried to give an exnation.


    ¡°What''s wrong with having Ferropene cuisine?¡± Sherlyn replied impatiently. ¡°We eat that every day and


    don''t have any issues with that.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°It''s already sote now. Where are we supposed to get a doctor to see her? Let''s talk about it


    tomorrow.¡± Sherlyn was not in the mood to talk to the two bodyguards.


    ¡°Lady Sherlyn...¡±


    ¡°Control your temper,¡± Robert reminded his wife in hushed tones. ¡°It''s not time to fall out with them yet.


    You should go take a look.¡±


    ¡°Tsk!¡± Even though Sherlyn was extremely irritated, she caught her husband''s gaze and knew that she


    had no choice but to check on Charlotte.


    ¡°Lady Sherlyn!¡± the two maids who were guarding outside the door greeted the woman immediately


    when they saw her.


    Sherlyn shot a nce at the maids, signaling for them to knock on the door. However, before they


    could do that, Jade suddenly said, ¡°That''s no need for that. Ms. Lindberg was in so much pain that she


    has already fallen asleep. We can just enter the room directly.¡±


    Jade pushed the door open as she spoke.


    The two people, who were making out passionately on the bed, got a shock when the door swung


    open. The woman had even let out a loud scream.


    ¡°Oh my God!¡± Sherlyn realized what was going on right away and turned around immediately. ¡°Shut the


    door now.¡±


    A maid immediately closed the door upon the woman''s orders.


    ¡°This is too much! Isn''t she having a stomachache? Why are they...¡±


    Sherlyn suddenly froze mid-sentence, as she had suddenly realized that the woman on the bed wasn''t


    Charlotte...


    With a drastic change in facial expression, she immediately kicked open the door and barged in.


    Meanwhile, Diana, who was still on the bed, was putting on her clothes in a fluster.


    However, before she could get fully dressed, Sherlyn had already turned on the lights. Everyone was


    stunned when they saw the scene in front of them.


    ¡°Ahhh! Diana!¡± the maids eximed, gaping in shock.


    Sherlyn could barely register the sight that greeted her, her eyes widening in disbelief.


    ¡°Diana?¡±


    Meanwhile, Louis, who had sobered up, could clearly see that the half-naked woman next to him was


    Diana, and fell off the bed in shock.


    ¡°Louis...¡± Diana immediately tried to help him up, but the man pushed her away immediately, feeling


    horrified. ¡°What''s going on? Why are you here?¡± the man bellowed furiously.


    ¡°Louis, I...¡±


    ¡°Close the door and get everyone who''s not involved out of the room.¡±


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    Sherlyn had an extremely grim expression on her face, which was as dark as a thundercloud.


    The maids immediately closed the door, but not before Lupine and Morgan entered.


    The two bodyguards hurried over to the sofa and tapped on Charlotte''s shoulder lightly. ¡°Ms. Lindberg,


    wake up...¡±


    ¡°What''s happening? How can she sleep through such a hugemotion?¡± Lupine asked worriedly.


    ¡°Could it be that she has been drugged?¡± Morgan said while sshing a few drops of cold water on


    Charlotte''s face.


    Finally, Charlotte gradually woke up.


    Sherlyn shot a nce at Charlotte before fixing her gaze on Diana. ¡°Exin all of this to me right now!


    What''s going on?


    ¡°I, I...¡± Diana was extremely flustered and could not say a word.


    ¡°My head hurts...¡± Charlotte rubbed her forehead and sat up. When she saw all those people in the


    room, she asked in a puzzled manner, ¡°What''s happening?¡±

 Chapter 1266

    Chapter 1266


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg...¡± said Lupine before she signaled with her eyes.


    Charlotte turned around and was stunned when she saw Louis and Diana naked on the bed.


    ¡°W-What is going on? Louis, how did this...?¡± blurted Charlotte, who didn''t really know what to say or


    do.


    ¡°Listen to me, Charlotte,¡± exined Louis as he quickly wrapped himself up in a robe. He hurried over


    to Charlotte to say, ¡°I thought she was you, and that is the only reason I...¡±


    ¡°So that means... The two of you...¡± said Charlotte. Her gaze was on Diana, who was still half-naked.


    Realization ambushed Charlotte, and she pointed out, ¡°Then could it be... Thest two times...¡±


    ¡°N-No, that''s not it,¡± insisted Louis while shaking his head, ¡°The two of us slept together on the two


    other asions...¡±


    ¡°No,¡± replied Charlotte. She put her hand on her temple and tried to recall the past despite the


    headache ambushing her. Then, she said, ¡°I have always suddenly fallen asleep whenever we are


    together, and I never knew what happened after that. When I wake up, we would''ve already...¡±


    Charlotte paused. She stared at Diana in surprise before she added, ¡°Diana had always offered me a


    drink just before we get together. Could it be...?¡±


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    ¡°We''ll know if she spiked your drink as soon as we run the test. Good thing I''m always prepared,¡±


    informed Lupine before she picked up Charlotte''s cup. The former had a strip with her and could


    perform the test right away.


    ¡°Examine that too,¡± instructed Charlotte while pointing at Louis'' cup.


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied Morgan, who was quick to retrieve the cup.


    ¡°There is no need for that,¡± growled Sherlyn before she turned to Diana and instructed, ¡°Get you a*s


    over!¡±


    Diana was practically crawling when she approached Sherlyn with teary eyes. In a voice thick with


    tears, Diana said, ¡°Aunt Sherlyn, I...¡±


    p! Sherlyn pped Diana mercilessly and right across the face. The former was so angry that she


    was roaring through her gritted teeth when she demanded, ¡°Are you going to make me run the tests, or


    are you going to confess your crimes?¡±


    ¡°I...¡± murmured Diana. She was crying so much that she was trembling. Unfortunately, she knew that


    there was no way of hiding the truth anymore, so she knelt on the floor and answered, ¡°This is all my


    fault. I have always loved Louis, and I wanted to be with him. That is the only reason I...¡±


    ¡°N-No, that is not possible,¡± muttered Louis as he shook his head nervously and denial, ¡°No, it was


    Charlotte. It had to be...¡±


    ¡°You b*tch! I can''t believe you did something so vile,¡± scolded Sherlyn, who pped Diana across the


    face again before adding, ¡°Do you really think that we''d ept you just because you slept with Louis


    just this once? At the end of the day, you are still a b*tch, and Louis will never marry you!¡±


    Diana didn''t dare to respond to those words. She simply knelt on the floor and sobbed.


    Charlotte, however, knew exactly what Sherlyn was implying. Sherlyn is trying to get Diana to deny


    having slept with Louis on the two previous asions and only admit to the one time that they are


    caught together...


    ¡°Charlotte, I will teach this b*tch a lesson,¡± promised Sherlyn after she turned around to face Charlotte.


    The former requested, ¡°Men inevitably make mistakes, and Louis was conned by that vile b*tch. He


    didn''t do anything of his own free will, so please forgive him.¡±


    ¡°I have never med him, but I don''t think I slept with him thest two times we were supposedly


    together. I think she has always been the one who was with him,¡± said Charlotte as she narrowed her


    eyes at Diana.


    ¡°How is that possible? That night in Arkfield, I saw with my own eyes that you and Louis...¡± insisted


    Sherlyn.


    ¡°I have proof that suggests otherwise. Would you like to see it?¡± interrupted Charlotte as she put on a


    small grin.


    ¡°N-No, that is not possible. That can''t be! Charlotte, I was with you...¡± said Louis who kept shaking his


    head.


    Charlotte signaled Lupine and got thetter to produce aptop to y a video.


    ¡°As you know, Lady Sherlyn, I was poisoned in the past. That incident traumatized me, and I developed


    a habit of setting up a surveince camera before I go to bed. I never thought I''d identally record


    something that I shouldn''t. My vision is not perfect, so perhaps you should take a look?¡±


    As Charlotte spoke, the video started ying. It featured Louis'' room and showed how Diana gave


    Charlotte the spiked drink. After that, Diana pretended to be Charlotte and slept with Louis.

 Chapter 1267

    Chapter 1267


    Seeing that video got Sherlyn to close her eyes in hopelessness.


    Louis broke down as well. Hopelessness engulfed him as he muttered, ¡°I thought it was strange how


    you are so passionate at night and how you act so differently during the day. Turns out...¡±


    ¡°The same thing happened in Arkfield. I fell asleep on the sofa and woke up in my bed the following


    morning. The bruises all over me... Those weren''t kiss marks, were they? Perhaps you pinched me...¡±


    said Charlotte as she turned to Diana.


    ¡°No, that is not possible!¡± blurted Sherlyn right away to cut Charlotte''s words short. The former''s tone


    was meaningful when she added, ¡°Even if she had slept with Louis the two other times, there is no way


    that she had slept with him in Arkfield. Everyone saw you and Louis together.¡±


    Diana tilted her head down. She didn''t dare to utter a single word.


    ¡°I have some other evidence that could help us get to the truth,¡± replied Charlotte calmly, ¡°When we''re


    in Arkfield, you waited until I have fallen asleep before you hid me in the closet.


    ¡°You chipped your toenail when you identally stubbed your toe. Some nail polish fell off, and I


    already had my people collect the sample. All we need is to do a DNA test, and we''ll learn the truth


    soon enough.¡±


    ¡°Nail polish?¡± replied Sherlyn. She refused to admit defeat, so she insisted, ¡°Even if that is true, it''s


    possible that she left it there when she went to clean the ce up.¡±


    ¡°That''s not the only thing I collected. Strands of hair and other samples were also gathered,¡± informed


    Charlotte before she turned to look meaningfully at Diana and asked, ¡°Should I have my people run the


    tests? Or would you rather just confess?¡±


    Diana saw that things were already set in stone, so she stopped pretending entirely. She sat up straight


    and announced loudly, ¡°Yes, it was me all three times. I have always been the one who slept with


    Louis.¡±


    ¡°N-No, that''s impossible,¡± murmured Louis. He was staring at Diana, and disbelief donned every inch of


    his face. He insisted, ¡°I wasn''t with you. How could I have been? No, I was with Charlotte...¡±


    ¡°It was me,¡± replied Diana while in tears. She crawled to Louis and said, ¡°Louis, I truly love you. I love


    you more than anyone else...¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± roared Louis angrily before he flung her hand away and growled furiously, ¡°You disgust me.


    F*ck off!¡±


    After saying his piece, Louis dashed out of the ce like he had gone insane.


    ¡°Louis, Louis...¡± shouted Diana. She was crying and wanted to chase after him, but Sherlyn''s maids


    barred the path.


    ¡°You bring shame to everyone. Take her away and lock her in the basement. No one is allowed to set


    her free without my permission,¡± growled Sherlyn. She was so angry that she was losing control.


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied the maids before they moved to drag Diana away.


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    ¡°No, don''t do this, Aunt Sherlyn,¡± begged Diana in between sobs, ¡°Please let me stay by Louis'' side. I


    don''t care if I have to do so as his lover or his maid.¡±


    ¡°You are not worthy of being either!¡± replied Sherlyn before she kicked Diana aside. With anger and


    hatred burning, Sherlyn insulted, ¡°As of now, you are not worthy of even being a servant. I don''t ever


    want to see you again. Take her away!¡±


    Two maids dragged Diana along as she struggled and begged, ¡°Aunt Sherlyn, please. Please let me go


    out of courtesy to my dad, if nothing else. Aunt Sherlyn...¡±


    Diana''s voice slowly faded as she was taken away. Sherlyn never showed any mercy or any signs of


    changing her mind. Her frown remained tight, and distaste shone on her face. It was as if she had just


    seen something disgusting.


    ¡°Looks like this room is no longer usable,¡± said Charlotte before she sighed in exasperation, ¡°I think it''s


    best if my people and I leave now, so that we won''t intrude.¡±


    ¡°You are good, Charlotte Lindberg,¡±mented Sherlyn through gritted teeth while ring at Charlotte,


    ¡°You''ve always known that Diana had been your impostor and already has your hands on all the


    evidence. Yet, you didn''t share anything. Instead, you yed along and conned me intoing over


    and catching those two in bed together. Now that everything is exposed, you have the perfect excuse


    to leave. That is one heck of a move, woman!¡±


    ¡°Aren''t we both the same?¡± replied Charlotte while grinning, ¡°Besides, I never mentioned a word about


    what you were nning in Arkfield, so you really should thank me for the courtesy I am already


    extending you.¡±


    ¡°You...¡± growled Sherlyn. She was so angry that her face seemed distorted.

 Chapter 1268

    Chapter 1268


    ¡°Diana could never sneak into Louis'' room if you hadn''t been helping and masterminding everything


    from behind the scenes. Simrly, she would never have the guts to do something like that if you hadn''t


    been supporting her. All of this is your doing!¡± sneered Charlotte.


    Then, Charlotte added, ¡°It''s a pity. You meant well and were trying to get Louis and me together. Who


    would''ve thought that you''d end up helping Diana instead? I bet you''re feeling terrible now.¡±


    ¡°F*ck you!¡± shouted Sherlyn. She was furious and put her hand up to p Charlotte.


    Charlotte, however, was agile and grabbed Sherlyn''s wrist in time. The former frowned and warned,


    ¡°You are Louis'' mother and a senior. That is why I have been respectful toward you andpromised


    as much as I did. Still, that doesn''t mean that you can bully me!¡±


    After saying her piece, Charlotte pushed Sherlyn away angrily.


    That push got Sherlyn to stumble backward a little, and she almost fell. Fortunately, the maid standing


    behind Sherlyn was fast enough to catch Sherlyn.


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    ¡°You really are something else, Charlotte Lindberg,¡± roared Sherlyn, ¡°How dare you behave like this?


    Don''t forget that you are still under my roof! Do you think I''d let you go just because something like this


    happened? Allow me to share something with you. You will never leave without my permission!¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± replied Charlotte before her lips curved into a smile. She pointed out, ¡°There is no way to win


    a verbal argument against you now, and there is nothing I can do if you insist on being unreasonable.


    Still... What do you think Louis will do?¡±


    ¡°You...¡± grumbled Sherlyn, who was instantly stunned. She''s right! I know my son all too well, and he


    will never be able to ept this. He will surely feel so ashamed that he won''t be able to face Charlotte,


    and that means he will either run away from home or send Charlotte away.


    ¡°You''d better decide soon if you still wish to be a part of your son''s life. Naturally, I don''t want to hurt


    Louis. I may not love him, but he is still my best friend, and he is innocent in this, after all,¡± reminded


    Charlotte as she sat on the sofa.


    Charlotte felt horrible when she said thatst sentence. She actually thought long and hard before she


    made that move. She knew how much the ugly truth would hurt Louis, and she didn''t want to hurt him,


    but she had no choice.


    Moreover, some things were destined to be revealed, eventually.


    Charlotte was not the culprit, so she couldn''t take the fall forever.


    ¡°You evil b*tch!¡±


    Sherlyn was so angry at Charlotte that she was going insane. The former charged ahead to attack the


    latter again.


    ¡°Hold it right there!¡± roared an angry voice and halted Sherlyn.


    ¡°Sir Robert, you are right on time,¡± greeted Charlotte when she shifted her gaze to the door and saw


    Robert standing there. She smiled and informed, ¡°It seems your wife''s emotion is unstable. I


    rmend taking her back to the room and cooing her right away.¡±


    ¡°You truly are a Lindberg, Charlotte. You''re almost as evil as Danrique,¡±mented Robert. He looked


    meaningfully at her before adding, ¡°That was a good move.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the high praise, Sir Robert, but I was simply ying along with someone else''s n.


    Hence, Lady Sherlyn is the one who deserves that praise,¡± replied Charlotte while having her head


    down humbly.


    ¡°You...¡± grumbled Sherlyn. She was so angry that she might die from high blood pressure.


    ¡°Shut your mouth and go back to the room now!¡± demanded Robert angrily.


    After that, Robert left furiously.


    ¡°Just you wait, Charlotte Lindberg!¡± spat Sherlyn.


    She red evilly at Charlotte before she hurried after her husband.


    The room was in a mess, so Charlotte didn''t want to stay there either. Hence, the maid got her to


    another room.


    Lupine and Morgan followed Charlotte to the other room. They inspected every inch of the room and


    were certain that there were no bugs in there. Only then were they able to rx.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, do you think Sir Robert will actually be able to keep Lady Sherlyn in control?¡± asked


    Morgan curiously, ¡°I noticed how he has alwayspromised whenever she behaves unreasonably.¡±


    ¡°Hepromises on minor issues, but he is still in charge of major problems,¡± replied Charlotte with a


    frown, ¡°Besides, they don''t have a choice in the matter right now. This incident truly hurt Louis, and I''m


    guessing that he is on the verge of breaking down. He will surely run away from home if I don''t leave.¡±


    ¡°Sir Louis truly drew the short stick this time,¡± said Morgan before she sighed deeply, ¡°No one can


    ept something so evil happening to themselves.¡±

 Chapter 1269

    Chapter 1269


    ¡°Sir Louis has always been loyal when ites to love, and he is never one to sleep around,¡± said


    Lupine who felt bad about it as well. She wondered, ¡°He must feel hopeless and terrible now...¡±


    ¡°Did I make a mistake? Maybe I shouldn''t have done any of that?¡±


    Charlotte felt extremely guilty when she thought about how devastated Louis looked earlier.


    ¡°I think we made the right choice,¡± replied Morgan immediately, ¡°Also, this is not your fault. Lady


    Sherlyn and Diana are the ones to me. One of them was ignorant and schemed like a viin, while


    the other was arrogant andmitted the sin.¡±


    ¡°That''s true. Besides, we can''t keep this a secret forever. It will be revealed eventually, and it''s not like


    you can bear the burden forever,¡± agreed Lupine. It was rare, but the twodies were actually in


    agreement!


    Charlotte sighed and said, ¡°I just hope Louis can get past this sooner rather thanter. If he doesn''t... I


    honestly don''t know how to face him.¡±


    ¡°Neither one of you knew how to interact with each other now, so parting ways is the best option.


    Hopefully, Sir Robert will let us go soon.¡±


    ¡°I''m guessing we still have to stay the night. They will probably let us go tomorrow, though,¡± said


    Charlotte before she checked her watch and instructed, ¡°I''m actually more worried about Louis doing


    something stupid tonight. Keep an eye on him and keep me posted at all times.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied Lupine. After that, she ordered, ¡°The two of you are to go gauge the situation


    right now.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied the girls, Jade and Emma, who hurried out immediately to carry out the tasks.


    It was already a little past one o''clock at night. Most maids and subordinates should be asleep, and the


    castle should remain quiet. However, the matter between Diana and Louis got every light in the ce lit


    up.


    The maids were all terrified and were worried about something happening.


    Avril and the other more experienced servants were busying away, but neither Jade nor Emma knew


    what they were doing.


    Jade and Emma tried to approach the master room, but someone stopped them, so they had to return


    empty-handed.


    They did, however, overhear two maids gossiping, ¡°Sir Robert and Lady Sherlyn are arguing, so we


    must be careful or their crossfire will kill us.¡±


    ¡°Sir Louis locked himself in the room and refused to open the door for anyone. I am so worried. Will he


    be okay?¡±


    ¡°This is really getting out of hand...¡±


    ¡°Sir Louis? Sir Louis, please open the door. Let us help you,¡± said Avril carefully as she knocked on


    Louis'' door.


    There was no response.


    On the other side in the master bedroom, a crisp ng! rang.


    Robert had lost his temper and smashed the winess he had with him. He roared angrily, ¡°Your


    actions are uneptable!¡±


    ¡°What mistake did I really make?¡± refuted Sherlyn with her head up high, ¡°I was thinking of the bigger


    picture and was only doing it for Louis. I simply wanted to push this wedding along. That is why I


    nned everything. Who would''ve thought that the b*tch, Diana, would...¡±


    The mere mention of Diana got Sherlyn to grit her teeth in anger. Thetterined, ¡°I can''t believe


    we have been raising that ungrateful b*tch and keeping her close to us the entire time!¡±


    ¡°She''s your extended family, isn''t she?¡± said Robert. He was so angry that he was turning red when he


    added, ¡°Also, your so-called n is ridiculous! Not only did it not push the wedding along, but it also


    backfired. Do you realize that you hurt our son?¡±


    ¡°I truly regret it as well,¡± confessed Sherlyn. She was heartbroken when she thought about her son.


    Still, sheined, ¡°Ah, my boy is too stubborn. It''s not like he''d lose a limb or something from this.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and your boy is also a loyal lover,¡± said Robert angrily, ¡°What do we do now?¡±


    ¡°Let me go talk to him,¡± suggested Sherlyn as she got up to head out of the room.


    ¡°I just went to check on him. He locked himself in the room and refused to leave. He probably doesn''t


    want to see anyone now,¡± replied Robert, who was angry once again. After that, he scolded, ¡°You really


    are troublesome. I told you not to do anything, but you refused to heed my warning.¡±


    ¡°Oh, what''s the point of yelling at me now?¡± said Sherlyn with a broken heart, ¡°We should focus on


    solving the matter at hand.¡±


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    ¡°Hah, you''re the one who made the mess and now you expect me to clean it up? Why don''t youe


    up with a solution and solve it yourself?¡± said Robert bitterly.

 Chapter 1270

    Chapter 1270


    Sherlyn thought about it before she said, ¡°That evil b*tch, Charlotte, is counting on us to let her go now,


    but we can''t do that.


    ¡°We will not be able to find her again if she walked out those doors. When that happens, the wedding


    will be over, and we will be theughing stock. Plus, Louis will be heartbroken.


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    ¡°The way I see it. We should lock her up somewhere else and n our next step after we have pacified


    Louis.¡±


    ¡°You are terrible at nning,¡± replied Robert through gritted teeth, ¡°Who the hell do you think Charlotte


    Lindberg is? A maid? Do you think you can just do whatever you want with her?


    ¡°Even if we ignore the fact that Mr. Lindberg is missing and even if we assume that he is dead, we will


    still have to deal with his subordinates! They have more than enough power to crush us.


    ¡°Also, have you forgotten that the guy, Gordon, is still waiting for Charlotte in Pillere?


    ¡°On top of all that, Danrique might not even be dead. What if he returns from this war and makes it


    back to the top in the future? He wille after us then, and we will be destroyed!


    ¡°It would, maybe, be eptable if we actually have a valid reason for making her stay here, but we will


    be on a road to self-destruct if you push too far.¡±


    ¡°What is that supposed to mean? Are you really going to let her go?¡± demanded Sherlyn unhappily.


    Robert frowned and looked troubled. He was burdened at that moment as well, and nothing seemed to


    work.


    I can''t keep her here, nor can I set her free... What should I do?


    Knock! Knock! Knock! A series of hushed knocks suddenly came from the door. Avril''s nervous voice


    came at the very next second. She reported, ¡°Sir Robert, Lady Sherlyn, I tried knocking on Sir Louis''


    door, but he locked himself in and never responded. I worry that something might''ve happened to him.¡±


    ¡°Let''s go.¡± Both Robert and Sherlyn were quick to leave their room when they heard that.


    The couple rushed to Louis'' room and knocked nervously. ¡°Louis? Louis, open the door. Don''t scare us


    like this. Just open the door and let''s talk nicely, okay?¡±


    No one responded.


    ¡°Louis, open the door!¡± shouted Robert as well. Still, no one replied.


    ¡°What do we do? You don''t think he''d do anything stupid, do you?¡± asked Sherlyn, who was scared


    mindless.


    ¡°Break the door open,¡± ordered Robert right away.


    ¡°Understood.¡± Two bodyguards moved forward and mmed the door as hard as they could. It took


    them several minutes before they finally broke through...


    ¡°Louis!¡± blurted Sherlyn when she barged in nervously. She couldn''t help being stunned when she saw


    what was in front of her.


    Louis was curled up on the carpet and had buried his head in hisp. He was like a snail that had


    hidden in a shell to protect itself. In Louis'' case, however, he was hiding away so that others couldn''t


    see how ashamed and broken he was.


    ¡°Louis, are you okay?¡± asked Sherlyn as she approached him slowly, ¡°Don''t hold your emotions in like


    this. Just let it all out.¡±


    ¡°Everyone else. Out!¡± ordered Robert sternly but softly.


    ¡°Understood.¡± Everyone left and closed the door behind them.


    ¡°Louis...¡± said Robert. He was heartbroken to see his son in that state, but he was still a father who only


    knew to give tough love. Hemanded grimly, ¡°Get your a*s up! You''re a man, so how can you break


    down over a matter so small? That is not right!¡±


    ¡°Hey, stop yelling at him,¡± scolded Sherlyn angrily.


    ¡°You shut up,¡± demanded Robert while ring evilly, ¡°This is all your fault. You have been spoiling him


    ever since he is a kid and has been shielding him his entire life. Not letting him experience any pain is


    what got him in this state. He is so weak that he''s not even like a man anymore!¡±


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°You''re right. I am not acting like a man,¡± said Louis suddenly.


    Those words hit Louis hard. The whole ordeal made him feel more hopeless than he had been in his


    entire life.


    He felt like the world had turned dark, and it was as if his life was one big joke.


    He was an adult who had no career, no true achievements, and his love life was in a mess.


    ¡°Louis...¡± murmured Robert. Louis'' word had stung Robert hard, and the former ultimately couldn''t bear


    to continue being harsh, so he cooed, ¡°This is not a huge issue. Every man has slept with more than


    one woman, and you can take this as a rite of passage into adulthood. Don''t dwell on it too much.¡±

 Chapter 1271

    Chapter 1271


    ¡°That''s right,¡± chimed in Sherlyn, ¡°You''re a man, and it''s not like you''d lose a limb or anything from this.


    There is no need to be sad at all.¡±


    ¡°Get out,¡± requested Louis. He didn''t want to listen to them because he felt like his parents didn''t know


    him at all. They don''t understand my sorrow, my pain, my hopelessness, or the betrayal I feel...


    ¡°Louis...¡±


    ¡°Okay, we''ll leave you alone.¡±


    Sherlyn had more to say, but Robert stopped her. He led his wife away and told Louis, ¡°Rest well. The


    sun will rise again tomorrow, and everything will start anew.¡±


    ¡°That''s right. I will go horseback riding with you tomorrow,¡± cooed Sherlyn.


    ¡°I won''t go. I am too ashamed to see anyone now,¡± replied Louis. He still had his head down and


    refused to let anyone see the terrible state he was in.


    ¡°That is nothing. I will destroy anyone who dares to mock you,¡± cooed Sherlyn quickly. Louis'' reply had


    truly gotten her worried.


    ¡°No one will know of this, so you can rest assured. I have already stopped anyone from spreading the


    news,¡± informed Robert. He was trying tofort Louis as well.


    ¡°I don''t care what anyone else thinks. All I care about is...¡± replied Louis, whose voice was getting thick


    when he said, ¡°Charlotte must think so poorly of me now. She must look down on me and see me in


    distaste. Heck, she''s probably cursing me in her mind now.¡±


    ¡°No, that won''t happen,¡± cooed Sherlyn quickly, ¡°Don''t worry. She has no right to judge you whatsoever.


    I mean, she and Zachary also slept...¡±


    Robert red over and scolded Sherlyn while keeping his voice down to cut her words short. She


    never got to finish her sentence.


    Sherlyn mped her mouth shut quickly, and no longer dared to say anything else.


    However, Louis had already heard what she said. He mocked himself, ¡°That''s right. The rtionship


    between Charlotte and I is fake, but the one she has with Zachary is real. I am such a big, fat failure...¡±


    ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    ¡°Louis, my boy, that is not what I mean. I simply meant that the two of you are even now,¡± exined


    Sherlyn, ¡°Let the past be in the past, and instead focus on the future...¡±


    ¡°She doesn''t love me,¡± announced Louis pitifully and sadly, ¡°She doesn''t even care that I slept with


    another woman and would watch me have sex with Diana just so she can leave.¡±


    Louis knew everything all too well. Charlotte already has all the evidence she needs from thest


    encounter, but she kept it hidden. She even set Diana up and conned my mom over to catch us in bed


    together. That means that she simply wants to use this as an excuse to leave this ce. She doesn''t


    care if I have sex with anyone...


    That was what hurt Louis the most and why his heart was utterly crushed.


    ¡°That b*tch!¡±


    Sherlyn gritted her teeth in hatred when she thought about how much Charlotte had hurt Louis.


    ¡°If so, we can cancel the wedding, Louis. There are plenty of great women out there, and Charlotte


    Lindberg is not the only fish in the ocean,¡± suggested Robert. He thought that there was no point in


    trying to force Charlotte to stay anymore.


    ¡°Cancel the wedding?¡± blurted Sherlyn. She turned and stared at her husband curiously before


    lowering her voice and asking, ¡°Won''t we be theughing stock if we cancel the wedding? The public


    will im that we only cancel it because Danrique is in trouble. Everyone will call us heartless, and our


    family''s reputation will suffer.¡±


    ¡°This wedding is already a problem,¡± whispered Robert, ¡°If they get married, we will inevitably offend


    Zachary, and he will attack us even if the wedding goes off without a hitch. Besides, we will also face


    countless other troubles in the future if things between Zachary and Charlotte remain murky and


    ambiguous.


    ¡°On the other hand, canceling the wedding can eliminate all future problems. We can find a valid


    excuse and tell everyone that the wedding is only off because Charlotte cheated on Louis with


    Zachary...¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± replied Sherlyn, ¡°It''s frustrating that the b*tch is getting what she wants and is getting off easy,


    though.¡±

 Chapter 1272

    Chapter 1272


    ¡°I will only marry Charlotte and will never be with anyone else,¡± murmured Louis softly, ¡°But she doesn''t


    love me, not even a little...¡±


    ¡°Louis, why do all this to yourself?¡± asked Robert while frowning.


    ¡°I thought that I could change her mind with my sincere heart, but now I know that love is something


    that can never be forced. She doesn''t love me, and that''s that,¡± replied Louis. He finally lifted his head


    and was begging his parents with his eyes when he requested, ¡°Mom, Dad, please let her go...¡±


    ¡°Stop messing around!¡± scolded Robert who was on the verge of losing his temper, ¡°Even if we are to


    cancel the wedding, we''d still need her to cooperate and talk to the press. She must tell everyone why


    she wanted to cancel the wedding because only then will we be spared the media outrage.


    ¡°Also, if you''re still in love with her, then we definitely can''t set her free. There''s no way of even locating


    her after she walks out that door!¡±


    ¡°That''s right,¡± chimed in Sherlyn, ¡°Stop being childish, Louis, and listen to us. We''re doing this for your


    sake.¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± growled Louis. They said the words he feared hearing the most, so he demanded, ¡°You will


    let her go right now!¡±


    ¡°Why are you being so childish and talking nonsense?¡±ined Sherlyn as she went over to help


    Louis up, ¡°Come on, get up...¡±


    Louis got a sharp cutter out of his possession and pressed it against his wrist before Sherlyn could


    even finish speaking.


    ¡°My gosh, Louis, what are you doing? Put the knife down now. Don''t scare me like this,¡± said Sherlyn,


    who was so scared that she had turned pale.


    ¡°Put the knife down,¡± requested Robert. He was scared mindless as well.


    ¡°I have had it with the two of you,¡± replied Louis before he added numbly, ¡°Either she goes or I go.


    Choose now.¡±


    ¡°Louis...¡±


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    Sherlyn hadn''t even finished speaking before Louis pushed the de down. Crimson red blood slowly


    oozed out.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Sherlyn was so terrified that she screamed.


    ¡°Okay, okay, I''ll set her free right away,¡±promised Robert immediately, ¡°Just put the knife down. Do


    it!¡±


    ¡°Let her go right now. I will put the knife away once she is free,¡± insisted Louis stubbornly, ¡°If she


    doesn''t go free, I will die right in front of you both.¡±


    ¡°Why are you hurting yourself like this? My silly son. Charlotte knew that you will go to the extreme to


    protect her, and that is why she nned all of this. Don''t you know that you are walking right into her


    trap?¡± said Sherlyn. She was so nervous that she was stomping a little.


    ¡°Yes, I am aware of that. She would rather watch me sleep with someone else just to get out of this


    ce. That means that she truly doesn''t want to stay, so it''s only right that I give her what she wants,¡±


    replied Louis before he smiled sorrowfully.


    ¡°Louis...¡±


    ¡°Let her go!¡± demanded Louis. He pushed the de further into his wrist and prompted his blood to


    ooze out faster.


    ¡°Okay, okay, I will set her free right away,¡± replied Robert. He no longer hesitated and shouted to his


    men, ¡°Come in!¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Avril and two bodyguards barged in.


    ¡°Go get Ms. Lindberg and set her free immediately,¡± instructed Robert nervously.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Avril was quick to rush to Charlotte''s room. She knocked on the door but didn''t bother to wait for a


    response before barging in.


    Inside the room, Charlotte and all four of her bodyguards were already dressed. They even had their


    shoes on and were waiting for Avril to show up.


    ¡°Looks like you have already anticipated that your n will work, Ms. Lindberg,¡±mented Avril as


    she stared meaningfully at Charlotte, ¡°As you wished, Sir Robert would like to ask you to leave.¡±


    ¡°That is great!¡± replied Lupine and Morgan. Both were ecstatic. Huh, I didn''t expect everything to go so


    smoothly. I actually thought we''d have to wait a few days before we can leave.


    ¡°Thank you!¡± said Charlotte before she got up to leave. Sheter asked, ¡°How is Louis doing?¡±


    ¡°Sir Louis cut his own wrist and lost a lot of blood. The white rug has turned crimson red...¡± answered


    Avril and added grimly, ¡°You truly are cold and evil, Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    Charlotte paused and stopped walking. She turned her head in the direction where Louis'' room was.


    Intense remorse and anxiety filled her heart.

 Chapter 1273

    Chapter 1273


    ¡°Should we go check up on him, Ms. Lindberg?¡± asked Lupine softly.


    Charlotte tilted her gaze down and remained quiet for a few seconds before she finally stepped forward


    to leave. She said, ¡°Unnecessary gestures will only further break his heart. It''s better if we just rip the


    band-aid off. Let''s go.¡±


    Lupine didn''t reply. She simply followed Charlotte''s orders.


    Avril led everyone down the stairs to where the guards had already pulled the car up. The keys were


    still in the ignition, and the car was running.


    ¡°Goodbye, Ms. Lindberg,¡± greeted Avril politely as she bowed to Charlotte.


    Charlotte bowed back. She shifted her gaze to the second floor where Louis'' room was located.


    He was staring at her from the windows in his room, even though his wrist was still bleeding. Two


    nurses were at his side and tending to his wound.


    Sherlyn and a few other maids had him surrounded and were helping him out as well.


    They were too far apart, so Charlotte couldn''t see Louis'' expression nor could she bid him goodbye. All


    she could do was turn around and get in the car with guilt burning inside her.


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    ¡°Charlotte Lindberg!¡± A proud and cruel voice suddenly came over.


    Charlotte turned over to see Robert standing by the door with his hands behind his back. Hatred


    donned his face when he threatened, ¡°Someday, you will pay back everything you owe us.¡±


    Charlotte didn''t reply. She simply bowed with her head down before she got into the car.


    As the car traveled down the road, Charlotte checked on Louis via the rearview mirror. That was when


    she saw that he was kneeling on the floor and crying so much that he was trembling.


    She couldn''t hear his voice, but she could sense his hopelessness and devastation.


    Her gaze tilted down, and a drop of tear rolled down her cheek.


    It would be a lie to say that she wasn''t hurt at all.


    Sherlyn was responsible for most of the damage done, and Diana had further messed things up.


    However, it was possible that none of that would''ve happened if Charlotte had been firm in rejecting


    Louis.


    Lupine couldn''t help sighing, either. ¡°Sir Louis truly is an innocent bystander in all this,¡±mented


    Lupine.


    ¡°Let''s pray that he''ll grow and be stronger after this entire ordeal. It could turn out to be a good


    thing for him because he might never grow up without experiencing something like this,¡± added


    Morgan, who was feeling sorrowful as well.


    ¡°I wonder how Diana is right now,¡± murmured Jade, ¡°I overheard a maid saying that they locked her in


    the basement and forced fed her the after pill.¡±


    ¡°Serves her right. It''s obvious that she wants to use underhanded methods like these to get pregnant


    with Sir Louis'' child and change her fate. There is no way Lady Sherlyn would let her have that,¡± said


    Emma who had usually been quiet.


    ¡°That is so stupid. One should always know their own ce,¡± concluded Lupine.


    ¡°What did Sir Robert mean when he said those words just before we left?¡± asked Morgan. The more


    she thought about it, the more worried she became, so she asked, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, was he threatening


    you?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± answered Charlotte while frowning deeply. Sheter instructed, ¡°Check your phones


    immediately to see if we can get any signals. Call Gordon and have him start prepping everything. We


    must leave Pillere as quickly as possible.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied Lupine as she turned on her phone. She then added, ¡°We still can''t get any


    signals. It''s likely we''ll have to leave the castle''s grounds before we can reach anyone else.¡±


    Morgan sped up and drove out of the ce soon after.


    It took some time before they could make a call. Lupine was quick to dial Gordon''s number. Gordon


    picked up soon and greeted, ¡°Hello.¡±


    ¡°Gordon, it''s me,¡± informed Lupine hurriedly, ¡°We just left the castle, and Ms. Lindberg is asking you to


    prep everything quickly. We have to leave Pillere right away.¡±


    ¡°I am always ready and can start making the necessary arrangements right now. We''ll meet at the


    airport.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    After hanging up, Lupine made another call to get the private jet ready.


    ¡°We''re finally leaving,¡± said Jade before she sighed a breath of relief and added, ¡°I thought Sir Robert


    would''ve sent someone to chase after...¡±


    ¡°That f*cking a*shole is cruel and going back on his words!¡± interrupted Morgan angrily as she checked


    via the rearview mirror.


    ¡°Speed up,¡± instructed Charlotte calmly.


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied Morgan. She stepped on the gas and sped up like crazy to try to lose them.


    ¡°Shoot!¡± blurted Lupine, who suddenly thought about something important, ¡°Do you think Sir Robert


    would have his men stationed at the airport?¡±


    ¡°Call Gordon and tell him not to go to the airport. Instead, he is to wait for my orders in the vi,¡±


    ordered Charlotte quickly and without hesitation.


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied Lupine before she called Gordon again.

 Chapter 1274

    Chapter 1274


    Lupine had just ended her conversation when their car was surrounded.


    They were on their enemy''s turf, after all, so it didn''t really matter how fast they drove. They couldn''t


    stop the others froming in from another location.


    Over ten armored cars sped over from all directions and had Charlotte''s convoypletely


    surrounded.


    ¡°What do we do?¡± asked Jade as she panicked, ¡°The weapons we stored in our car have been


    removed, so there is no way we can go against them now.¡±


    ¡°At worst, we''ll just drive ahead and smash over,¡± said Morgan unreasonably through her gritted teeth,


    ¡°I doubt he has the guts to kill us.¡±


    ¡°Sir Robert looks like a serene guy. I can''t believe he''s actually that cruel,¡± said Lupine while frowning


    deeply, ¡°What do we do, Ms. Lindberg?¡±


    ¡°Force our way out,¡± ordered Charlotte as she kept her gaze ahead, ¡°Things have since changed. Our


    enemy can''t treat us civilly like they used to, and vice versa.¡±


    ¡°They truly are gutsy. Aren''t they worried that Mr. Lindberg woulde after them after everything is


    settled?¡± growled Lupine angrily.


    She had just finishedining when she received a call from Gordon. He informed, ¡°We got news


    from Erihal. Something happened to Mr. Lindberg.¡±


    ¡°What? W-What happened?¡± asked Lupine fearfully as she turned pale.


    ¡°Rumor is that he died in an explosion while traveling by sea,¡± replied Gordon with a broken heart. He


    was so sad that he could barely speak.


    ¡°How could that be?¡±


    Lupine, Morgan, and the others were all lost. It was as if the apocalypse was nigh.


    ¡°Sir Robert must''ve heard about this as well. Hence, it is likely he won''t let Ms. Lindberg leave so


    easily. I''m already leading my people over to help out. Don''t do anything reckless and instead try to buy


    us some time.¡±


    ¡°Understood...¡±


    After hanging up, the others turned to Charlotte and stared nervously. They asked, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, you


    don''t think that the rumor is true, do you? Mr. Lindberg is still alive, isn''t he?¡±


    Charlotte gripped her phone and had her head down without saying anything.


    About a minute ago, she heard the news from Sean that Danrique had passed on.


    She still couldn''t register that information and refused to ept that truth. This is not real. It can''t be!


    ¡°M-Ms. Lindberg...¡±


    Bang!


    A gunshot cut Lupine''s words short.


    Momentster, over a dozen soldiers hopped out of the car and pointed their guns at the girls. One of


    the soldiers warned loudly, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, please exit from your vehicle and follow us along.¡±


    Charlotte shifted her gaze up and looked at the others. She had a calm expression on, but her emotion


    was actually running wildly.


    Danrique had fallen, and every enemy the family had ever had no longer needed to be cautious. They


    were out for blood.


    The Laurent family, in particr, couldn''t possibly keep their anger contained. Everyone was eager to


    kill Charlotte and her team.


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    ¡°What do we do?¡± asked Lupine as she turned to Charlotte.


    ¡°We are members of the Lindberg family, and we will die before we bow down to our enemies,¡±


    answered Charlotte calmly, ¡°We''ll be counting on you, Morgan.¡±


    ¡°Understood. We''ll go all out against these a*sholes!¡±


    Morgan gripped the steering wheel and was ready to smash the car over at any given moment.


    ¡°It is futile to fight back, and I rmend against it,¡± warned a soldier as he aimed his gun over, ¡°Mr.


    Lindberg has passed on, and Sir Robert has issued the order. We are permitted to kill you if you resist.¡±


    Charlotte scoffed discriminatingly. Hah! That guy sure changes his stance quickly.


    ¡°B*stards,¡± growled Lupine through gritted teeth.


    ¡°Ram over on my count to three,¡± ordered Charlotte softly, ¡°One!¡±


    Morgan was already on standby. She slowly shifted her foot from the brakes to the elerator.


    ¡°Two!¡±


    Morgan was slowly speeding up.


    ¡°Three!¡±


    As soon as Charlotte gave the orders, the car suddenly sped ahead viciously, like a wild horse that had


    just broken out of its cage.


    Their enemies were mentally prepared, but they didn''t expect the car to speed up that quickly.


    That forced them to back away in a panic, then fire their guns at the car.


    Given Morgan''s driving skills, it was easy for her to break through most traps. Unfortunately, they were


    heavily surrounded by military-grade jeeps.


    Morgan had to force her way against one jeep, and as she struggled, their enemies closed in on them


    and shot their tires.

 Chapter 1275

    Chapter 1275


    It didn''t take long before the tires were punctured with a loud bang!


    Morgan hadn''t even had the chance to break through the cars before their enemies reached them.


    ¡°Get out of the car!¡± demanded the soldiers as they pointed their guns over.


    Even the tires were rendered useless, so there was absolutely nothing Charlotte and her team could do


    to break free.


    Morgan couldn''t tap into her talent or drive everyone to safety, under those circumstances, so she


    stared hopelessly at Charlotte.


    ¡°F*ck it,¡± grumbled Lupine as she clenched her fists and suggested, ¡°Morgan, you will leave with Ms.


    Lindberg while the three of us buy you girls some time.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± replied Morgan while nodding.


    ¡°You will all die if I leave. I''ll stay. That way, everyone will at least have a shot at surviving,¡± said


    Charlotte while frowning deeply.


    ¡°But...¡± Lupine was about to refute when a soldier walked over to yank at the door.


    Just then, the sound of a series of roaring engines hit everybody''s ears. The cars'' blinding headlights


    shot over as well.


    Every soldier was stunned in ce. When they turned around, they saw over ten heavy-duty cars


    zipping over like a pack of wild animals.


    The soldiers panicked and quickly went to defend their territory, but the heavy-duty cars still knocked


    everything and everyone out of the way.


    An all-out war broke out instantly.


    The soldiers were trained by the books and had virtually zerobat experience, so they were no


    match against the men from the heavy-duty cars.


    It didn''t take long before the soldiers were forced to back away.


    Lupine, Morgan, and the others took advantage of that to get out of the car with Charlotte. They were


    about to leave when one heavy-duty car blocked their path.


    Morgan clenched her fists. She was about to fight back when the driver popped his head out and called


    out to her. When she saw who the guy was, she couldn''t help smiling like an ecstatic fool and blurting,


    ¡°Marino!¡±


    ¡°Get in the car,¡± said Ben while opening the doors to get everyone inside.


    ¡°What are you guys doing here? How did you know we''d be in trouble?¡± asked Charlotte in a surprised


    tone.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht had been paying attention to your safety this entire time. He personally issued the order for


    us to rescue everyone,¡± answered Ben.


    Charlotte turned her head and checked via the windows. She saw that the Nacht family''s convoy was


    already leaving, and the Laurent family''s army was forced to flee as well.


    ¡°What else does Zachary know?¡± asked Charlotte when she turned her attention back over.


    ¡°He knows that Mr. Lindberg has passed on and that you are in grave danger now,¡± replied Ben


    carefully.


    ¡°Where is he now?¡±


    Charlotte looked out the windows once more. A few cars were following close behind, but it was likely


    that Zachary wasn''t there.


    ¡°He''s waiting for you at the airport,¡± replied Ben politely, ¡°My rmendation is that you call Gordon


    and have him take the kids to the airport. We can meet up there. Don''t worry. No one would dare stop


    the Nacht family''s private jet from lifting off.¡±


    Charlotte tilted her gaze down and considered it before instructing Lupine, ¡°Call Gordon.¡±


    Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied Lupine. She was quick to call Gordon after that.


    It was a mess on the other end of the line as well. As suspected, Gordon was ambushed too, but he


    was confident that he could break through everything. He promised to take the kids and meet up with


    Charlotte at the airport.


    Lupine reported the matter to Charlotte.


    Thetter instantly asked, ¡°Ben, can we go help Gordon out?¡±


    ¡°He should be fine since he has a lot of subordinates...¡±


    ¡°Just get your a*s over!¡± demanded Lupine, who was getting nervous.


    Being interrupted got Ben to turn to her meekly and change his stance. He said, ¡°Okay, then let''s head


    over together.¡±


    It was already three in the morning at the time, and that night was destined to be unpleasant.


    Fortunately, Charlotte had the Nacht family''s support, so she reached Gordon quickly and smoothly.


    Everyone rushed to the airport together.


    The three kids were sleeping soundly the entire time and had no idea what had happened.


    At the airport. Everyone hopped out of the car.


    Charlotte saw Zachary leaning against the side of the door and smoking.


    The night''s wind was caressing his hair. He had lost weight, so his thin figure seemed lonely. Despite


    that, the powerful aura he exuded was still as strong as it had always been.


    So much had happened. Charlotte thought that she would no longer need to count on Zachary after


    she had be stronger and smarter. Never in her life would she have anticipated that he would still


    be the one to rescue her when it truly mattered.


    She walked to him and wanted to thank him, but she couldn''t bring herself to do so.

 Chapter 1276

    Chapter 1276


    ¡°Aren''t you going to thank me?¡±


    Zachary, however, spoke up with his brow raised. Arrogance and amusement donned every inch of his


    face.


    ¡°Where are the kids?¡± asked Charlotte. She checked the car behind him and noted that her kids weren''t


    there.


    ¡°They''ve already boarded the ne,¡± replied Zachary after he blew out some smokes. He officially


    invited, ¡°Come back to H City with me. It''s safe there.¡±


    Charlotte stared through the smoke and looked at him, then at the dozen of people behind her. She


    suddenly felt the heavy burden that had been ced on her shoulders, so she said icily, ¡°There''s no


    need to trouble you for that, Mr. Nacht.¡±


    The way she addressed me... It was distant and cold. It was as if they had returned to the time when


    she worked for hispany.


    ¡°The kids miss their mommy,¡± shared Zachary as he flicked the ashes off his cigarette. His tone was


    nonchnt when he added, ¡°I''ll give you one more chance to answer that question.¡±


    ¡°I have duties to fulfill,¡± informed Charlotte with a heavy heart. Still, she was surprisingly firm when she


    added, ¡°I thank you for everything you''ve done, though. I trust that the kids will be fine with you, so I am


    okay.¡±


    ¡°You''re not going to fight for their custody anymore?¡± asked Zachary as he stared at her with a raised


    brow.


    ¡°No,¡± replied Charlotte. She tilted her gaze down to try to keep herself as calm as possible when she


    added, ¡°I no longer have what it takes to keep them safe.¡±


    Charlotte suddenly felt like a failure. She had been fighting against Zachary for years, but in the end,


    she still lost.


    It felt as if he would always be better than her.


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    ¡°Okay, at least you know when to back away,¡± said Zachary. He didn''t say anything else before he


    turned around to board the ne. As he did so, he instructed, ¡°Bruce, take them back to the country.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied Bruce as he stepped forward to offer Charlotte somefort by saying, ¡°Ms.


    Lindberg, this private jet is for you. If you truly do not wish to return to H City, you can go to its


    neighboring city. However, you cannot stay overseas because that would put you in danger.¡±


    ¡°Okay, then we''ll go to Yaleview,¡± said Charlotte before she turned around and led her people to board


    the ne.


    ¡°Alright,¡± said Bruce, who went to get everything ready immediately. He also led some men and


    boarded the ne with Charlotte and the others. Bruce''s mission was to make sure that everyone


    arrive safely at their destination.


    Before Zachary entered the cabin, he turned around to take another look at Charlotte. She did the


    same. Their eyes met, and they could tell that there were thousands of words they wanted to say to


    each other.


    In the end, they chose to keep those words to themselves.


    When two hearts were connected the way theirs were, there were many things that didn''t need to be


    verbalized.


    Two private jets took off and went to the same country, but one headed for H City while the other


    traveled to Yaleview.


    Charlotte sat by the window and stared in a daze as Pillere slowly left her line of sight.


    She wondered, When did Zachary set everything up? And how did he learn about my location and


    situation?


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, I''d like to talk to you,¡± said Gordon softly after walking over.


    ¡°Have a sit,¡± replied Charlotte while gesturing to the seat opposite to her.


    ¡°I am so sorry that I am unable to rescue you this time,¡± apologized Gordon sincerely, ¡°I even got


    ambushed on my way over and almost couldn''t make it to the airport in time. The consequences


    would''ve been dire if the Nacht family hadn''t been around to help us out.¡±


    ¡°It''s not your fault. Danrique had too many enemies, and you kept the kids safe despite the situation.


    That, by itself, is an amazing aplishment,¡± said Charlotte softly tofort him.


    ¡°It should be safe once we cross the borders, and I...¡±


    Gordon hesitated but eventually mustered enough courage to request, ¡°I want to go back to Erihal and


    look for Mr. Lindberg. He trained men like me in person, and he''s the reason we managed to survive.


    We can''t sit idly by now that something so terrible has happened to him, and he has...¡±


    Gordon was sorrowful when he reached that part of the sentence. Danrique''s death was the worst


    news to men like Gordon.


    They practically worshipped Danrique and worked for him with their entire being. Hence, they felt lost


    upon hearing about his death.


    ¡°I was going to order you to do the same thing,¡± said Charlotte firmly, ¡°I have the strangest feeling, and I


    think he is still alive. That being said, I don''t know why news of his death is being shared everywhere,


    so it''s good if you return to Erihal and check things out. Be careful when you investigate the matter,


    though.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied Gordon before he nodded and said, ¡°I will leave four men here to protect the kids


    and will take three to Erihal.¡±


    ¡°There is no need for that,¡± ordered Charlotte firmly, ¡°Take all your men over. I have eighteen


    bodyguards with me, so I''m certain we can keep three children safe.¡±

 Chapter 1277

    Chapter 1277


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°No buts. It''s decided,¡± insisted Charlotte to cut Gordon''s words short. After that, she instructed, ¡°Once


    wend, you will take all seven of your men back to Erihal. Call me as soon as you learn anything.¡±


    ¡°I''ll leave after I helped settle you and the kids down. You gave up custody of your kids just to protect


    Mr. Lindberg''s children, so I can''t ignore your wellbeing,¡± offered Gordon who was still worried.


    ¡°I am not that nice,¡± replied Charlotte while grinning, ¡°It''s just that given the current situation, my kids


    are safer with Zachary than they are with me. Hence, I am also doing all this for their sake.¡±


    ¡°But if it hasn''t been for us, you could''ve gone back to the Nacht family. It would be safer for you, and


    you''d get to reunite with your kids.¡±


    Gordon could see things clearly. The truth was that Charlotte was sacrificing herself to protect all three


    of Danrique''s children. In a way, history was repeating itself. Charlotte was protecting the kids, just as


    her mother had protected Danrique all those years ago.


    ¡°Oh, stop being dilly-dallying already and man up,¡± said Charlotte. She changed the topic and ordered,


    ¡°The sun is rising. You should go rest up now. We have a busy day ahead after wended.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± said Gordon. He stood up and bowed politely to Charlotte before returning to his seat.


    Charlotte looked out the window and stared at the clouds. Aplex emotion gnawed at her. Who


    would''ve thought that after all the twists and turns, I''d return to where it all began?


    ¡°Don''t worry, Ms. Lindberg. The trouble will pass, and you are no longer the person you used to be. We


    can rise back up to the top once this is all over,¡± said Lupine while serving Charlotte a cup of warm tea.


    ¡°Rise back up to the top?¡± murmured Charlotte before an exasperated and bitter smile crept up on her


    lips, ¡°That''s true. The assets and resources Danrique left me would allow me to rise back to the top,


    but...¡±


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    Charlotte tilted her head down and stared at the cup of warm tea she had with her. In a voice thick with


    tears, she added, ¡°I''d rather give it all up just to have Danrique back.¡±


    In the past, all Charlotte ever felt for Danrique were respect, fear, and appreciation. There was no love


    whatsoever.


    That was why all she could think about was his cruelty and his ambition when she first got reunited with


    her kids. Charlotte was certain that Danrique couldn''t understand the love between a parent and a


    child.


    That was why she was ready to leave the Lindberg family when Danrique asked her about the kids.


    She assumed that he would never ept them and might even hurt them.


    As time passed, she learned that underneath his cruel exterior was a heart that beat with more honor


    and love than anyone.


    His cruelty was only directed at those he deemed an outsider.


    Danrique was the kind of man who would sacrifice his life to protect the people he saw as his family.


    When it came to the people he cared about, Danrique would reprimand mercilessly but do the most


    heartwarming gestures.


    Charlotte, however, took too long and had to go through so much to understand how much he cared.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg is fine. I believe that he is still alive. He has to be,¡± said Lupine as her eyes reddened with


    tears.


    ¡°Yes, I think so too. That is why we only need to be patient and wait for him to return,¡± agreed


    Charlotte. She took a deep breath to calm herself down.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± said Lupine while nodding. Then, she added, ¡°But, Ms. Lindberg, are you really not going back


    to the Nacht residence? Aren''t you worried about how Robbie, Jamie, and Ellie would feel?¡±


    ¡°Yaleview is right next to H City, so I can visit them often. I just hope they won''t hate me for this,¡±


    replied Charlotte. Thinking about her kids inevitably stung her heart.


    ¡°Why not just stay in H City?¡± asked Lupine curiously, ¡°Won''t it be great to live closer together? That


    way, all six kids can hang out and y together all the time.¡±


    ¡°Things will never be the same again, so we should just keep our distance,¡± answered Charlotte as she


    grinned bitterly, ¡°It doesn''t matter how Lindberg Corporation''s future is. The fact is that I can never go


    back to the Nacht family. Besides, before Danrique left, he repeatedly warned me against ever


    reaching out to Zachary again.¡±


    ¡°Okay. The two families have been at odds for generations, so I guess it makes sense that all that bad


    blood won''t go away that easily,¡± said Lupine while nodding in exasperation.


    ¡°At odds...¡± muttered Charlotte. Her expression took a sharp change when she blurted, ¡°Could it be...?


    Does the Nacht family have anything to do with Danrique''s disappearance?¡±

 Chapter 1278

    Chapter 1278


    ¡°I don''t think so?¡± replied Lupine in an uncertain voice. She checked her surroundings and noted that


    Bruce and the others were sitting quite some distance away. They probably didn''t overhear us, thought


    Lupine. She got closer hurriedly before whispering, ¡°Mr. Lindberg was mainly dealing with issues within


    thepany, so Mr. Nacht is probably innocent in this.¡±


    ¡°I hope that is true,¡± murmured Charlotte while frowning, ¡°We were only able to leave in one piece


    thanks to Zachary, and Ben even helped Gordon out. No matter how I see it, I truly owe him a favor.¡±


    ¡°That''s right,¡± said Lupine while nodding.


    ¡°There is no evidence that points to anything as of now, so we shouldn''t put the me on him. Let''s not


    talk about this again,¡± instructed Charlotte, who also reprimanded herself for being overly sensitive and


    suspicious.


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied Lupine. She was a little worried because she genuinely hoped that Charlotte and


    Zachary could get back together. If that is impossible, then I wish that they can at least interact


    peacefully with one another.


    Those thoughts were why Lupine prayed that their guesses were wrong and that Zachary was


    innocent.


    ¡°Go rest up,¡± suggested Charlotte while resting her head on her hand, ¡°We won''t be able to rest once


    the triplets wake up.¡±


    ¡°I''m fine. You should really take a nap, though,¡± replied Lupine before she lowered the backrest and


    helped Charlotte lie down. The former handed thetter a nket before adding, ¡°Rest well and don''t


    overthink things.¡±


    Charlotte closed her eyes, but she simply couldn''t sleep. All she could think about was how Danrique


    could''ve already passed away.


    Maybe it was because she was too tired, but she eventually fell asleep, only to be haunted by her


    nightmares. She dreamed about how Danrique''s yacht exploded and how everything was in a wreck.


    That nightmare scared Charlotte awake. Her eyes were filled with horror when they flung open, and her


    mind kept reying the scenes from her nightmare. A nerve-wracking ache tore through her heart.


    She ced her palm on her heart and kept trying to calm herself down. It''s fine. Danrique is fine. He


    must be...


    Charlotte turned around and saw that everyone else was asleep.


    They still had to travel a few more hours in the air, but she couldn''t sleep anymore, so shey on her


    side and stared nkly out the window.


    She thought about her father and how he never told her anything about the Lindberg family, even


    though he was being framed and hurt. All he ever wanted was for her to lead a peaceful life. Dad knew


    just how much turmoil we''d have to go through if we ever return to the Lindberg family.


    Richard had already learned about Danrique''s cruelty at the time.


    The former thought that thetter would surely help Charlotte out if she was ever in trouble because


    Danrique owed Isabe. However, Charlotte would have to go through a lot of hardship if she stayed


    with the Lindberg family.


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    That was why he repeatedly warned Charlotte that her life would change drastically if she ever called


    that number.


    He even reminded her that she must never make the call unless it was a life or death situation.


    Charlotte didn''t understand what her father was worried about at the time, but after everything that had


    happened... I finally know what he meant. The life of the wealthy came with a lot of drama and trouble.


    That was especially true if one was a member of incredibly powerful families like the Nachts and the


    Lindbergs. No one could ever anticipate the kind of danger that was waiting right around the corner.


    Even Isabe, who had grown up within the family, couldn''t defend herself against the internal turmoil


    and was murdered.


    That was why Richard had kept Charlotte''s identity a secret. He kept everything hidden until he was on


    his deathbed. At the time, he knew that his death would leave Charlotte vulnerable, and that was why


    he gave her the phone number to dial as ast resort.


    Richard would never have imagined that Danrique wasn''t as evil as rumored. Instead, thetter was


    especially kind to his family.


    That was why Charlotte had the best protection and training in the past two years.


    Danrique was so kind that he nned ahead for Charlotte, even when he was in danger himself. He


    made sure that Charlotte would have a plentiful life, should he ever meet an untimely death.


    Those memories and thoughts got Charlotte to sigh deeply. She was truly appreciative. I had my dad,


    Mrs. Berry, and Danrique protecting me my entire life. They are the reasons I am able to sit here in one


    piece.


    The sad part, however, was that the people she loved were fading away one by one. Charlotte


    promised herself mentally, I must be stronger and more resilient and must start my new life on my


    own!

 Chapter 1279

    Chapter 1279


    The private jetnded at Yaleview''s airport. Charlotte held the kids'' hands as they got off the ne. A


    sense of loneliness engulfed Charlotte as she took in the familiar yet heartbreaking view of the city.


    Years ago, her father took her to that city when he was still alive. She was only a teenager at the time.


    Her dad was busy starting his business, so Mrs. Berry had been the one who kept herpany in a


    vi located outside the suburbs.


    A couple of trees were nted at the side of the vi''s entrance, and their leaves would turn the floor


    into a warm, beautiful orange when autumn and winter came around.


    Like H City, Yaleview also had an ideal climate and its temperature never fell below zero degrees, not


    even during winter. That was why the leaves remained sitting on the tree branches during winter and


    why the scenery was stunning.


    However, the city didn''t feel like home without her father or Mrs. Berry around. If anything, it made


    Charlotte feel especially lonely.


    ¡°Aunt Charlotte, where are we?¡±


    Alpha was crouching. She picked up a fallen leaf and narrowed her eyes while holding the leaf toward


    the sun and examining it. She looked extremely cute and innocent as she did so.


    ¡°We''re in Yaleview,¡± answered Charlotte with a smile, ¡°In a way, this is my second home.¡±


    ¡°It''s so pretty here,¡±mented Beta as she scanned around and stared curiously, ¡°I used to think that


    the entire world is white, but Iter learned that it can be green and purple as well. I''ve only just learned


    that the Earth can be yellow too!¡±


    ¡°Haha.¡±


    Charlotteughed. She crouched down to stroke Beta''s tiny head after that.


    Kids had always been innocent. They used to live in Xendale where it was always winter, so they


    thought that it was white everywhere.


    Later, they went to Arkfield and saw the farm, the fields, and the purple grapes, so they assumed that


    the rest of the world could only be white, green, and/or purple.


    That was the first time they went to Yaleview, and seeing the leaves on the ground got them to


    understand that the Earth could also be yellow.


    They were only two and a half years old, so the world seemed simple from their point of view.


    ¡°Aunt Charlotte, when will we meet up with our parents and our cousins?¡±


    Gamma was the most mature among them and was the one who had the most desires.


    ¡°Gamma, your parents are busy, so I will take care of you for now, okay? As for your cousins... I''ll take


    you to them sometimeter,¡± promised Charlotte sweetly as she stroked Gamma''s arms.


    ¡°Okay,¡± murmured Gamma sadly. She had her head down and was caressing her tiny hand as she


    pouted andined, ¡°Adults are always like this. They like to im that they are busy and often


    postpone things...¡±


    Charlotte didn''t know what to say in response to that. She had assumed that they were just kids and


    didn''t understand much, but they turned out to be smarter than she thought.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg,¡± called out Gordon at that moment.


    Charlotte had Lupine babysit the kids before she followed Gordon to the side and asked, ¡°Is everything


    done?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± replied Gordon in a low voice, ¡°I n on taking themercial flight back to Erihal, so as to not


    draw any attention. I''ll get in touch with Sean once I reach the ce and will report back to you as soon


    as I learn anything.¡±


    ¡°Good. Take care,¡± replied Charlotte while tapping his shoulder.


    ¡°Then we shall leave now. Please take care of the kids.¡±


    Gordon bowed to Charlotte after he said his piece.


    The seven other bodyguards bowed to Charlotte as well to show their respect.


    ¡°Be careful and take care of yourself.¡±


    Charlotte was pleased to see the way everyone acted. The rest of the world regarded Danrique as a


    cruel dictator, but his subordinates were loyal and wouldy their lives down for him.


    That proved that he was kind and sincere to his own men.


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    ¡°Thank you, Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    Gordon turned to the triplets and stroked all of their tiny heads before informing, ¡°Kids, I have to leave


    for a while. You girls be good and listen to your Aunt Charlotte, okay?¡±


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± asked Beta curiously.


    ¡°Uncle Gordon, are you going to Daddy?¡± asked Alpha. Her big, round eyes glowed with anticipation as


    she stared at him and requested, ¡°Can you help me hand this to him?¡±


    Alpha handed the leaf she picked up earlier to Gordon.

 Chapter 1280

    Chapter 1280


    ¡°And take mine to him too!¡±


    Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Gamma picked up a leaf and folded it into a beautiful butterfly before handing it over.


    ¡°And this one''s from me,¡± said Beta as she handed a leaf to Gordon, ¡°You must keep it safe and are not


    allowed to lose it, okay?¡±


    ¡°These leaves are so pretty, and they''re orange like the sun is. We want daddy to have the sunlight


    here. That way, he will never be cold,¡± shared Alpha innocently as she tilted her head up.


    Charlotte''s heart was touched when she heard that. I pray to the heaven above. Please let Danrique


    receive the kids'' blessing and return safely.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± replied Gordon as he kept all three leaves safely tucked away, ¡°Don''t worry. I will surely


    bring the sunlight over to Mr. Lindberg.¡±


    ¡°Yay, that''s amazing!¡± cheered all three children.


    ¡°Alright, I have to go now. Be good!¡±


    Gordon stroke their heads again before he left reluctantly.


    All seven other subordinates waved goodbye to them.


    ¡°Bye-bye,¡± said the kids while waving their tiny hands.


    Charlotte watched as Gordon and the others left. Aplex feeling rose in her heart.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, we don''t have any contacts here in Yaleview, so we can''t get everything ready


    beforehand. I''ve already booked rooms in the best hotel here. We can stay there for a few days while I


    look for a vi. After that, we can...¡±


    ¡°I''ve already gotten everything ready,¡± interrupted Bruce as he approached and added, ¡°I called ahead


    and had our people get a vi ready. Every necessity is there, and everyone can move in right away.¡±


    As Bruce spoke, a Rolls-Royce pulled up.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht had me prep this car for you,¡± added Bruce as he handed the keys to Morgan, ¡°You can use


    it however you please.¡±


    ¡°But...¡± muttered Morgan before she turned to Charlotte.


    ¡°It''s best if we keep a low profile now,¡± replied Charlotte, ¡°So we won''t be epting such a luxurious


    car.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°We''ll keep the vi, though. Please thank Zachary on my behalf, but I''ll have to turn the car down,¡±


    informed Charlotte before she instructed, ¡°Morgan, take a few of our people over and go buy some


    cars. Remember to keep a low profile.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied Morgan. She rushed to work on the matter right away.


    ¡°I''ll go with you,¡± offered Marino quickly to earn some brownie points.


    ¡°Then please allow me to drive everyone to the vi,¡± suggested Bruce as he opened the door, ¡°This


    way, Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± said Charlotte. She got the kids into the car after that.


    Yaleview was quieter whenpared against H City. Not a single car was in sight when the evening


    rolled by.


    It took them about thirty minutes before they reached the region where the vi was located.


    The ce had a lot of greenery, and the environment was serene. The vis in the region all had a


    modern design. They weren''t as luxurious or as big as the vi in H City, but they were still rather regal.


    Bruce drove to the innermost part of the region before it was parked at the side of a white vi.


    Charlotte couldn''t help being stunned when she saw that vi. I-isn''t this the vi my dad bought all


    those years ago?


    After dad got into trouble, Simon stole the factories in Yaleview and this vi. A lot had happened after


    that, and the Whites eventually ran out of money, so they sold this vi, too.


    ¡°Let''s take a look inside.¡±


    Charlotte got the kids out of the cars and scanned the surroundings. The tree she nted was still


    standing beside the entrance, and the flowers that Mrs. Berry nted were growing well, too. Some


    other flowers had withered and the water fountain stopped working, though...


    ¡°It was ast-minute decision toe here, so we didn''t have the time to fix everything,¡± informed


    Bruce.


    ¡°It''s fine. I needed something to work on, anyway.¡±


    Charlotte pushed the door open and entered the ce. Everything inside the house was still as it was.


    The photos she took with her father and Mrs. Berry rested quietly on the piano, on the walls...


    She was only a teen at the time, and she looked youthful.


    Seeing those photos make her feel like she had returned to the beautiful past where the people she


    loved were still with her. That was a time when her life was full of joy andughter.


    Charlotte picked up the photo frame. She couldn''t help getting a little teary.

 Chapter 1281

    Chapter 1281


    Morgan bought a couple of cars, and they were ready-made cars that were only worth a couple


    hundred thousand.


    Charlotte thanked Bruce before he left with his subordinates.


    Lupine had a few of her subordinates babysit the triplets and take care of their meals. Everyone else


    started working on fixing the courtyard.


    The furniture and appliances in the vi were all in good shape. The ce was simpler and smaller


    than the one they used to live in, but the pleasant memories Charlotte made there created a sense of


    warmth.


    Charlotte changed out of her expensive outfit and put on somefortable clothes. After that, she


    started working on the fountain and the flowers in the courtyard.


    The kids were chasing each other and ying at the side while Morgan was busy setting everything up.


    Lupine, Jade, and the others hung out with Charlotte.


    That was a heartwarming moment.


    When the night fell, the kids became weary, so the bodyguards put the kids to bed.


    Charlotte got the goldfishes that Morgan had just bought and released them in the fountain that was


    recently fixed. A pleasant grin crept up on Charlotte''s lips when she saw how the goldfishes were


    swimming happily in there. She had Morgan turn the lights brighter and continued working on the


    flowerbeds after that.


    ¡°It''ste, so let''s work on this tomorrow. I''m sure you''re tired,¡± advised Lupine in a concerned tone.


    ¡°I can''t sleep anyway, so working on something actually helps.¡±


    Charlotte wiped the sweat off of her forehead before she continued weeding the flower bed.


    ¡°Let me help you,¡± offered Lupine. She had crouched down and was ready to help.


    ¡°No, there''s no need for that,¡± halted Charlotte right away, ¡°These flowers are really sensitive. The


    slightest mishap would cause them to wither.¡±


    ¡°I''m heartbroken seeing how you''re busying away all on your own,¡± said Lupine as she helped


    Charlotte wipe her sweat away.


    ¡°I''m not working. It''s rxing for me,¡± said Charlotte as she dug into the earth, ¡°Please get in touch with


    Hayley and ask her where Dr. Felch is. If he''s still in H City, we''ll visit them in a few days.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I''ll do that right away,¡± replied Lupine. She went to call Hayley immediately after.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg...¡± said Morgan. She seemed a little hesitant to finish her sentence, though.


    ¡°We have enough people working in the courtyard, so you are free to leave. You''re not allowed to stay


    out overnight, though. Be back before one o''clock in the morning,¡± informed Charlotte, who knew what


    Morgan was thinking.


    ¡°Understood. Thank you, Ms. Lindberg,¡± said Morgan who was surprised and delighted.


    Marino never left after he apanied her over to buy the cars. He had been waiting at the side of the


    road the entire time.


    Morgan didn''t feel right asking for some time off, but Charlotte had already guessed what was going on.


    Thetter even took the initiative to give the former permission to leave.


    ¡°Go on now,¡± said Charlotte. She tilted her head up and scanned Morgan before suggesting, ¡°And go


    change into a beautiful outfit.¡±


    ¡°Hah, I''m already beautiful enough as I am,¡± said Morgan.


    She hopped away happily and was instinctively faster as she moved. She even hummed a song as she


    did so.


    Tsk! Tsk! Lupine had exited the house and saw Morgan skipping away. The former couldn''t help


    teasing, ¡°Geez, I don''t remember her ever being so fast in a fight.¡±


    ¡°That''s how women are when they''re in love.¡±


    Charlotte grinned. She saw how happy Morgan and Marino were together, and that got her delighted.


    ¡°I envy them so much,¡± sighed Lupine.


    ¡°Ben isparatively more grounded and tends to think things through more carefully. That is why he


    isn''t as passionate or as direct as Marino, but it doesn''t mean that he doesn''t have any feelings for


    you.¡±


    Charlotte could tell that Lupine was disappointed, so she added, ¡°I can tell that he really cares about


    you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, stop making fun of me,¡± replied Lupine shyly.


    ¡°Once everything is settled, I will set you both free. Both of you have worked for the Lindberg family for


    years, and it''s time you live a life of your choosing,¡± shared Charlotte, who had long nned to set the


    girls free.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg,¡± blurted Lupine who instantly got nervous, ¡°I won''t leave. I''ll stay by your side.¡±


    ¡°I won''t let you both leave right now,¡± said Charlotte while rolling her eyes, ¡°The two of you are my best


    and most skilled assistants. Hence, I would be lost if you leave now. I was talking about the future.¡±


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    ¡°I won''t leave in the future, either. I will follow you wherever you go and will never leave you in this


    lifetime,¡± promised Lupine as her eyes reddened with tears.


    ¡°You idiot...¡± replied Charlotte who was touched by the gesture. She had been lost for some time.


    Thank the heaven that I have them with me...

 Chapter 1282

    Chapter 1282


    At this point, the silvery moon had brightened the night sky, and peace in Southridge had been


    restored.


    It took Zachary quite some time to get the three children to sleep. Just when he was about to leave,


    Robbie sat up and whispered, ¡°Daddy, we need to talk.¡±


    Zachary gestured for Robbie toe out of the room since he did not want to wake Jamie up.


    Both of them went to the study. Zachary removed his coat and put it on Robbie. ¡°Here. Don''t catch a


    cold.¡±


    The six-year-old looked ridiculous as the oversized coat covered his entire body, exposing only his tiny


    head.


    The warmth from the coat gave Robbie a sense of security.


    As per his usual practice, Zachary sat on the sofa and poured himself half a ss of cold wine.


    ¡°No drinking, please, Daddy,¡± Robbie stopped him. ¡°Mr. Ben said you can''t drink wine since you''ve just


    recovered.¡±


    ¡°Damn you, Ben,¡± Zachary cursed silently.


    ¡°From now on, the three of us will be watching you closely. No smoking, no drinking wine anymore!¡±


    Robbie put on a stern face and frowned.


    That remark rendered Zachary speechless. ¡°All right. I''ll stop drinking.¡±


    As a father, Zachary cared about his children''s feelings and how they thought of him. He still had to


    practice self-control when he was with them.


    ¡°Come. Let me see how much weight you have lost.¡± Zachary extended his hands to Robbie. ¡°I was so


    busy in thest couple of days that I didn''t manage to take a good look at you.¡±


    Robbie walked over and gave Zachary a hug. He choked up and said. ¡°Daddy, I thought I would lose


    you forever...¡±


    Robbie''s words instantly warmed his heart.


    ¡°Silly boy.¡± Zachary rubbed his head and smiled. Ever since he brought the children back from Arkfield,


    he was so caught up with other things that he did not have the time to talk to the children.


    He missed Robbie and Ellie the most, as they had been separated from him for two months. And the


    little ones missed him too.


    During this period, Robbie was constantly worried about Zachary''s safety. He was relieved after


    knowing that his father was safe and sound.


    Zachary, on the other hand, felt a pang of guilt toward Robbie and Ellie. ¡°We''ll stay together forever as


    a family,¡± Zachary said in a gentle voice while embracing Robbie. ¡°You are all my children, and I''ll not


    allow anyone to take you away.¡±


    Robbie nodded obediently. ¡°But how about Mommy? You said you''d take us to Mommy, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Zachary stroked his head. ¡°Daddy will never lie to you.¡±


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    ¡°So...¡± Robbie bit his lips and mustered up his courage. ¡°Can we bring Mommy home?¡±


    Zachary froze for a bit and said in a deep voice. ¡°If only she wishes toe home.¡±


    ¡°Mommy and Sir Louis are not married, aren''t they? She wouldn''t have returned to the country if she


    was married, right?¡± Robbie might be young, but he was an analytical child. ¡°Do you think they''re still


    together?¡±


    Upon hearing Louis'' name, Zachary instantly recalled what he saw in Arkfield.


    Though the memory made him ufortable, he tried to remainposed. ¡° Yes. They broke up.¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± Robbie eximed with joy. ¡°Sir Louis is a nice man, but I still wish Daddy and Mommy could be


    together.¡±


    ¡°It''s night now. Come, let''s go to bed.¡± Zachary tried diverting his attention. ¡°We''ll leave for Yaleview


    tomorrow morning.¡±


    Robbie nodded and ran back to his room.


    Zachary looked at the back of the cheerful boy, and a corner of his lips quirked up. But his smile


    disappeared secondster.


    He reached out for his ss of wine, swirled the drink, and went deep in thought.

 Chapter 1283

    Chapter 1283


    Charlotte could not sleep welltely. By the time she came out of the shower after sprucing up the


    garden, it was already two in the morning.


    Despite feeling worn out, she could not sleep. She decided to get up to go through some old photos.


    She, her father, and Mrs. Berry had taken many pictures when they were staying here years ago. But


    after Simon had taken over the property when her father was in trouble, he threw away everything in


    the house. She wondered where the Nacht family found these things.


    All the sweet memories shed across her mind as she flipped through the photo album. She felt a


    burst of warmth in her heart.


    Before Charlotte knew it, the morning sun had risen, brightening the night sky.


    Feeling utterly exhausted, she finally fell asleep while hugging the album.


    She slept so well that she could not even hear Danrique''s children calling her repeatedly.


    Lupine walked up to the children and told them to keep quiet. ¡°Aunt Charlotte is still sleeping. Let''s go


    and y in the courtyard, shall we? There''s goldfish and pretty flowers to y with.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± the children answered loudly before covering their mouths to keep their volume down.


    They then quietly followed Lupine downstairs. Before leaving for the courtyard, Lupine told Jade and


    Emma to call them once breakfast was ready.


    Charlotte did not need to hire new maids since her eighteen bodyguards were capable of handling all


    the household chores.


    Charlotte refused to hire maids not because she had no money. Money to her was never an issue even


    after the copse of Lindberg Corporation. She just did not want to have strangers in the house, as this


    could cause her to be exposed to unnecessary risks.


    Moreover, the bodyguards had nothing much to do during this period besides taking care of the three


    little ones.


    Lupine and a few bodyguards apanied the children and yed games with them in the courtyard.


    All of a sudden, the sound of a car''s engine emerged from the entrance. They instantly put their guard


    up.


    Lupine instructed a few bodyguards to bring the children into the house with an eye signal. In the


    meantime, she and the other bodyguards went out to take a look.


    As the gate opened, the bodyguard stationed at the entrance immediately reported to Lupine. ¡°It''s Mr.


    Nacht!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht?¡± Lupine was surprised. She went up and was ready to greet him on his arrival.


    Two jeeps and an extended Rolls-Royce arrived and parked outside the entryway.


    Zachary and his three children gracefully got down from the car.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht!¡±


    Charlotte, who did not believe what they said earlier, was stunned. Never in a million years did she


    expect to see Zachary here.


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    Zachary nodded and took a sidelong nce at the courtyard.


    ¡°Lupine!¡± Upon seeing Lupine from a distance, Ellie ran toward her and gave her a hug. ¡°I''m so happy


    to see you. I''m sure Mommy is around, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course she is. She''s still sleeping.¡± Lupine carried Ellie in her arms and grinned. ¡°I miss you, Ellie.


    Let me take a good look at you. Did you lose weight?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, coz I miss Mommy very much.¡± Words stuck in Ellie''s throat.


    ¡°I''ll bring you to your Mommy.¡± Lupine pinched her cheeks gently. She then turned to the two boys and


    said, ¡°Robbie, Jamie,e on in!¡±


    ¡°Let them y in the living hall will do. Let''s not disturb their Mommy,¡± Zachary said in a calm voice.


    He then turned around to the children and said, ¡°We''ll go and see her when she wakes up.¡±


    The little ones nodded. ¡°Okay, Daddy.¡±


    Zachary smiled and rubbed their heads before walking into the vi.


    In the meantime, Danrique''s children ran out of a hidden corner upon hearing Robbie''s and Ellie''s


    voices. Before they could locate the children, they bumped into Zachary.


    Zachary, who met them for the first time, raised his brows after studying them from head to toe. ¡°Are


    these Danrique''s daughters?¡±


    Upon seeing Zachary, the three children immediately ran behind Morgan and hugged her thighs.


    They cautiously popped their heads out from the sides to look at Zachary as if they were sizing up a


    monster.

 Chapter 1284

    Chapter 1284


    Alpha pouted her lips and stole a look at Zachary. ¡°So you''re Aunt Charlotte''s husband?¡± she asked


    weakly.


    Beside her, Beta red at the man and nodded fervently. ¡°It''s him! He''s the one who snatched Robbie,


    Ellie, and Jamie away at the vineyard.¡±


    ¡°You''re one big brat!¡± Gamma interjected, sticking out her tongue at Zachary, ¡°My daddy will beat you


    up!¡±


    Zachary sniggered looking at the children. ¡°Is this a threat? You guys can do much better, kids. Y''all are


    still babies.¡±


    ¡°Hmph! We''re not babies. You are!¡± Alpha shouted back, clenching her fists, ¡°I want Ellie and Robbie


    back!¡±


    ¡°Yes! You''d better bring them back!¡±


    Beta flexed her fists too, snarling at Zachary.


    ¡°Don''t be rude to my daddy!¡± A girl''s stern voice suddenly broke the tense ambient.


    ¡°Ellie!¡± The three girls screamed in excitement and ran toward Ellie. ¡°We miss you so much!¡±


    ¡°I miss you guys too.¡±


    Ellie hugged each of them and pulled them toward the courtyard to y with them.


    ¡°They are a fierce lot,¡± Robbie said, looking at the girls calmly.


    Despite his detached demeanor, he actually missed the girls.


    ¡°Tell me about it,¡± Jamie said in agreement, ¡°They are worse than Ellie when she was younger.¡±


    ¡°Worse, worse!¡± Little Fifi parroted her masters as she followed the two boys.


    ¡°Is that Little Fifi? She''s so cute!¡±


    The three girls looked back when they heard the parrot.


    ¡°Be gentle with her, girls. Little Fifi is also part of our family,¡± Ellie reminded them as they ran toward the


    parrot. ¡°Where''s Fifi?¡± Ellie asked.


    ¡°Fifi''s resting in the attic. It''s probably not used to the new environment,¡± Morgan replied.


    ¡°Poor Fifi. We shouldn''t bring it along when we travel. Fifi always falls sick at a new ce,¡± Ellie said


    sadly, ¡°I''ll go check on itter. Fifi might feel better seeing some familiar faces.¡±


    ¡°It''s okay. I will ask them to bring her over.¡± With that said, Morgan went over to one of the men and


    asked him to bring the eagle over.


    The children went on to y in the courtyard while waiting for Fifi. Meanwhile, Zachary went upstairs to


    look for Charlotte. It did not take him long before he found her room. She always preferred rooms


    facing the sun, so he guessed it must be the second room from the right.


    Zachary was about to reach for the door handle when Lupine stopped him, but Ben was faster than her.


    ¡°What do you think you''re doing?¡± Lupine seethed at Ben.


    ¡°Give them some time to talk. Nothing can go wrong,¡± he replied.


    ¡°But...¡± Before Lupine could resist, Zachary had already pushed the door open.


    The bright sunlight pierced into his view the moment he entered. Inside the room, Charlotte was


    sleeping soundly on the bed with a photo album in her arms.


    A gentle breeze blew by, wafting the curtains against her slender legs as warm rays of the sun beat


    against her fair skin, yet Charlotte slept on soundly.


    Zachary tiptoed over to close the window. He drew the curtains and looked back nostalgically at the


    woman in the bed.


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    He could not recall when thest time was he watched her up close, let alone thest time the two


    shared a quiet moment together.


    Zachary suddenly felt being in her quiet presence was a luxury.


    He went over and pulled the nket over her before he took the album from her hands. He walked over


    to the couch and sat down, watching her silently.


    This was enough for him. His heart was full to the brim just by looking at her.


    Watching her brought back all the fond memories they had together. He remembered the first time they


    met and how they fell passionately in love.


    They had their happy and bittersweet moments together¡ªbut in hindsight¡ªthey were all moments he


    cherished.


    Although there were insurmountable hurdles along the way, those barriers that prevented their


    rtionship were beginning to lose ground. This was the best time for them to get back together, but


    life was never this easy.

 Chapter 1285

    Chapter 1285


    Zachary lowered his sad gaze to the green marks on his wrist. I probably need to start preparing.


    ¡°No... No!¡±


    Charlotte suddenly opened her eyes wide in terror as she shrieked herself awake. She was soaked in


    sweat from her nightmare.


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    Zachary dashed over and patted her in the back tofort her. ¡°Hey, it''s okay. It''s just a dream.¡±


    ¡°It''s Danrique...¡± she mumbled as she shook her head.


    It did not take long before her wavering gaze fixed steadily on the man beside her.


    ¡°What... Why are you here? Am I still dreaming?¡±


    She rubbed her eyes and blinked hard to make sure she was not seeing things. When it finally


    registered in her mind that Zachary was really there in person, she jumped from the bed and grabbed a


    cardigan.


    She would only wear a white silk dress without anything underneath when she slept. She felt


    embarrassed that Zachary was seeing everything.


    ¡°It''s not like I''ve never seen it before.¡±


    Zachary rolled his eyes at her and went back to the couch, lighting up a cigarette.


    Charlotte quickly wore her cardigan and tied up her hair before going into the bathroom to wash up.


    ¡°What brings you here?¡±


    ¡°The children miss you,¡± Zachary said briefly.


    ¡°The kids are here?¡± Charlotte was ted at the news. ¡°Where are they?¡±


    She ran to the door without even waiting for an answer.


    ¡°Are you going out in this?¡± Zachary''s voice rang loud behind her. ¡°There is a whole group of male


    bodyguards outside.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Charlotte turned back and quickly get a change.


    She grabbed some clothes and was about to go into the bathroom again when she saw the floor was


    all wet. She looked back at the room awkwardly, not knowing what to do.


    ¡°Just change here,¡± Zachary said, going over to the window to get a smoke.


    Charlotte took a quick nce at him and turned around to change. ¡°I''m done.¡±


    Zachary looked back at her, puffing smoke from his mouth.


    Charlotte stood in front of the mirror,bing her hair and putting on some makeup. She wanted her


    children to see her in her best. After all, she had not seen them for a while.


    Zachary leaned against the window as he looked at her quietly, squinting his eyes.


    The smoke spread before him, but hisplicated gaze was still locked on her.


    ¡°Since when did you start smoking?¡±


    Charlotte looked at him from the corner of her eyes. She felt Zachary looked a bit downcast.


    ¡°And since when did you wear sleeping gowns?¡± Zachary asked back.


    Charlotte instantly evaded his gaze. A hue of pink flushed on her cheeks.


    Zachary looked at her intently and finally walked over. He caught her chin and lifted her face so she


    could look at him in the eyes.


    His longing for her wasid bare before her gaze¡ªhis tenderness and his love. For a moment,


    Charlotte felt they were still the same couple who was madly in love.


    It was as if nothing had changed between them.


    Zachary drew closer to her, his lips brushing lightly against her forehead, her eyes, her cheeks, and her


    lips.


    He just wanted to feel close to her.


    He did not kiss her because he was afraid she would reject him.


    Zachary held on to her like she was a precious morning dew that would evaporate anytime under the


    sun.


    This intimacy was what they had been craving for, but now that they were so close, it broke their


    hearts.


    They were once so happy together and they could want each other without holding back, but not


    anymore.


    Zachary could not help but think of her and Louis being together every time he saw her. It pained him to


    think that she belonged to another man.


    He did not want to remember any of it, but it kept reying in his mind.


    Knock!


    A noise from the door pulled them back to reality. Charlotte stepped back and turned around, collecting


    her disconcerted thoughts.

 Chapter 1286

    Chapter 1286


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, something urgent came up.¡± Ben''s voice came from outside the door.


    ¡°Take your time. The children are in the courtyard.¡± Zachary snuffed out his cigarette and walked out.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Charlotte said, looking at him as he left.


    Lupine ushered Zachary and Ben to the study and handed them a bottle of water each before excusing


    herself.


    ¡°What''s the matter?¡± Zachary asked impatiently.


    ¡°Sir Robert is working together with other shareholders to get Ms. Lindberg out of the Gymnasium


    Project. They have already asked thewyer to draft a notice. They are waiting for you to sign it. Mr.


    Williams called just now to ask when is a good time for you to sign the document,¡± Ben reported,


    turning theptop to Zachary, ¡°This is the digital version.¡±


    ¡°Don''t bother,¡± Zachary said, his brows stitched, ¡°I''ll look into this on Monday.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Ben answered as he closed theptop. ¡°There''s something else.¡±


    Zachary nodded, waiting for him to proceed.


    ¡°Bruce had already found Dr. Felch. He''s still in H City,¡± Ben said, looking at Zachary carefully before


    continuing, ¡°I think it would be good to see him as soon as possible. We shouldn''t drag this out.¡±


    ¡°So this is the urgent matter you were talking about?¡± Zachary eyed him coldly.


    ¡°Dr. Felch''s going back to Phoenix City tonight. Bruce is doing everything he can to dy him,¡± Ben


    replied anxiously, ¡°Dr. Felch is not feeling well, so we should really hurry before...¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Zachary cut him short, looking at his watch, ¡°Where''s he?¡±


    ¡°He''s in the northern suburbs in H City. It will take about three hours for us to drive there.¡±


    ¡°We''ll leave after lunch.¡± Zachary wanted to spend more time with Charlotte and the children.


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°That''s not up for discussion,¡± Zachary replied, kicking Ben in the leg, ¡°You''re getting nosy, aren''t you?¡±


    Ben looked down and nodded in silence. He and Bruce were worried about Zachary, but Zachary did


    not seem concerned at all.


    Zachary had just gotten out of the study and was about to head downstairs when he saw Lupine talking


    to Charlotte. ¡°Get ready. We''re leaving in an hour,¡± Charlotte said.


    ¡°What about the kids?¡±


    ¡°I''ll go y with them now.¡±


    Charlotte wanted to spend more time with the children, but she really had to leave soon. ¡°I have to pay


    Dr. Felch a visit now. Is it okay if the kids stay a few more days?¡± she asked Zachary beseechingly.


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    ¡°Wouldn''t it be better if you just stay at Northridge? It''ll be way more convenient for you, but you insist


    on staying at a remote ce like this.¡±


    Charlotte fell into silence. She knew what Zachary said was right, but she wanted to keep a distance


    between them.


    It was not like they could get back together just because he saved her.


    Danrique will be so pissed if he finds out.


    ¡°Whatever. I''m going to see Dr. Felch as well. We can go together.¡±


    ¡°Then can the kids stay?¡±


    ¡°Yes. They''ll stay for the weekend and leave on Sunday,¡± Zachary said as he walked out, ¡°I''ll wait for


    you in the car. Be quick.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Charlotte replied eagerly and ran to the courtyard to look for the children. ¡°Robbie! Jamie! Ellie!¡±


    ¡°Mommy!¡± The three children darted over and hugged their mother. ¡°Mommy, we miss you so much!¡±


    Charlotte bent down and pulled them into her arms. ¡°I missed y''all too! Why didn''t y''alle upstairs? I


    didn''t even know you guys are here.¡±


    ¡°Daddy said you''re sleeping.¡±


    ¡°Mommy, you''ve lost weight.¡±


    ¡°Mommy, why don''t youe home with us? Your house is so far away. We have to wake up early in


    the morning just toe and see you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Mommy. It''s so tiring. Why not you juste home?¡±


    ¡°Mommy, you cane back to Northridge at least. It''s much closer.¡±

 Chapter 1287

    Chapter 1287


    Robbie, Jamie, and Ellie talked on and on, trying to persuade Charlotte to return to Northridge.


    Charlotte could not bring herself to turn them down, but she knew it was not a good idea to go back


    now. She was afraid she would fall for Zachary again. She would be in for huge trouble if that


    happened.


    She was fine with how things were at the moment. She kept her distance and they were on good terms.


    ¡°Do you guys know this is where Grandpa used to live?¡± Charlotte told the children, trying to change


    the topic.


    ¡°Mommy and Mrs. Berry used to live here as well. We took a lot of photos together. Do y''all want to


    have a look?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Charlotte managed to spark the children''s interest. ¡°We want to see it, Mommy.¡±


    ¡°Great, but we''ll do thatter. I need to run some errands now. Why not y''all y with Alpha, Beta, and


    Gamma first? I''ll show you guys the photos in a bit.¡±


    ¡°But...¡± The children stopped, looking at Zachary.


    ¡°Daddy said y''all can stay for the weekend and leave tomorrow night,¡± Charlotte assured the children.


    ¡°Yay!¡± The three kids leaped in joy when they knew they could stay over.


    A cheerful smile broke out on Charlotte''s face as she looked at the children. ¡°I''m going to visit Dr. Felch


    now. You guys stay at home first, okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mommy!¡±


    The kids ran back merrily to the courtyard to y.


    Charlotte heaved a sigh of relief when she saw the children. She asked Morgan to stay back to watch


    the kids while Lupine and her got ready to leave.


    ¡°We can go in my car,¡± Zachary suggested, ¡°I bet Dr. Felch doesn''t like too many cars at his ce.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Charlotte agreed and hopped on with Lupine.


    Lupine sat down beside Ben, who was in the driver''s seat, while Charlotte and Zachary sat at the back.


    The four set out with the rest of the guards at home to keep an eye on the children.


    It was an enjoyable drive. There were lush trees along the way, blocking out the sun. Sprinkles of


    sunlight made their way through the leaves, falling on the road like specks of golden dust, forming a


    pleasant sight.


    The journey continued without many conversations.


    Ben would steal a peek at Lupine on and off as he drove. Unlike Marino, Ben was reserved and


    introverted.


    Although Ben and Lupine clearly had feelings for one another, none of them took the first step.


    As for Zachary and Charlotte, neither was trying to strike a conversation.


    Ring!


    A call on Ben''s phone broke the silence.


    Ben connected his phone to his hands-free device and picked up the call.


    ¡°Ben?¡±


    A woman''s voice rang softly from the other end.


    ¡°Um... Yes?¡±


    Ben shot Lupine a nervous look.


    Lupine looked away with conspicuous dismay on her face.


    ¡°Nancy here. Is Mr. Nacht there?¡±


    Ben was instantly relieved to hear thedy was looking for Zachary and not him, but he quickly caught


    on and looked anxiously at Zachary in the rearview mirror.


    Zachary gestured at him and Ben nodded. ¡°Is there anything I can do for you, Ms. Gold?¡±


    ¡°I''m in H City,¡± Nancy replied, ¡°I have some questions to ask him but I didn''t get a chance to. He had


    already left by the time I woke up.¡±


    Charlotte felt uneasy listening to Nancy. What she said was very suggestive.


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Charlotte pretended as if she could not care less, but deep in her heart, a storm was already brewing.

 Chapter 1288

    Chapter 1288


    He had already left by the time she woke up?


    These words were enough to paint a misleading picture in Charlotte''s mind.


    It seemed to her that Zachary did not miss out on any fun at allst time.


    Charlotte''s blood boiled in jealousy when the thought struck her, but she feigned a smirk and looked


    away nonchntly.


    Zachary caught her reaction and was peeved. ¡°Arrange a time,¡± Zachary said curtly.


    Ben looked at him with his eyes wide. ¡°Um... Okay.¡±


    ¡°I''ll take a look at Mr. Nacht''s schedule and get back to you in a bit, Ms. Gold.¡±


    ¡°Great, thanks,¡± Nancy replied in glee. ¡°Is Mr. Nacht beside you?¡±


    Ben read the room and decided to end the call. ¡°Yes, but I''m driving. I''ll call you back.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Say hi to Mr. Nacht for me.¡±


    ¡°Sure. Bye.¡±


    The atmosphere in the car became tense after the call ended.


    Although no one spoke over at the backseat, Ben and Lupine could feel a suffocating air engulfing


    them.


    Lupine red at Ben fiercely, to which Ben made an innocent expression in reply. Come on, this is not


    my fault. I''m just doing what I''m told.


    Charlotte looked at her phone to conceal her disgruntlement.


    She felt uneasy about Zachary meeting Nancy, but she reminded herself that she was no longer rted


    to Zachary. It did not matter to her who he met. She had no right to be bothered.


    ¡°Did you get the news already?¡± Zachary suddenly spoke.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Charlotte looked at him, perplexed.


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    ¡°Sir Robert wanted you out from the Gymnasium Project. I''ve already got the document. They are


    waiting for me to give them the green light. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°I''m fine with it. I wanted to opt-out anyway. I don''t want to have anything to do with him anymore.¡±


    She found Robert and his wife''s actions unforgivable. Thinking of them made her feel worse. That


    double-faced and ungrateful couple really showed how evil people could be.


    ¡°It seems like you''ve not learned much from Danrique,¡± Zachary sneered.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Charlotte asked, frowning.


    ¡°Now that Danrique is down, the Lindberg Corporation is in a precarious state. You should at least have


    a n going forward,¡± Zachary answered, looking at her mockingly.


    ¡°Danrique left me a fortune,¡± Charlotte said, ¡°Of course, I won''t just squander the money away. I will


    make aeback, but I want to take a break for a year or two. It''s better to lie low for now.¡±


    ¡°You''re toocent. I bet you''ve lost your share on Lindberg Corporation, else Danrique''s enemies


    will be hunting you down by now. The only reason why you''re still safe now is not because of Gordon.


    It''s because they don''t even see you as a threat. Besides, Danrique only has three daughters, so they


    won''t be inheriting anything from their father.¡±


    ¡°So?¡± Charlotte asked cluelessly, ¡°What are you trying to say?¡±


    ¡°The Gymnasium Project is up and running now. Although your stakes aren''t high, you''re still a


    shareholder too. You have all the rights to be part of the project. If you allow someone to just oust you


    without putting up a fight, no one will take you seriously. Don''t even think about starting anew in the


    future,¡± Zachary pointed out before a pause.


    ¡°But of course, it''s not like you have to do something great. Danrique has left you enough to spend for


    the rest of your life. You can choose to live a quiet life. There''s nothing wrong with that. You''re in no


    shape to go against the Laurent family anyway.¡±


    When Zachary was finally done, he uncapped a bottle and drank.


    On the other end of the back seat, Charlotte fell into deep thoughts with her gaze low.


    She actually did not want to be sidelined. It was obvious that Robert was bullying her.

 Chapter 1289

    Chapter 1289


    Robert was trying to milk the situation to the fullest. Now that they had lost the pir in the family,


    Robert wanted to corner her into desperation. After all, to him, she was just a woman with a bunch of


    kids, protected only by a group of female bodyguards.


    Charlotte would have readily retaliated if she were younger, but things had changed.


    Lindberg Corporation was in a mess, they still had no news of Danrique, and she still had to protect the


    children. If she threw herself into the eye of the storm right now, it would only mean more trouble for


    her.


    She just could not risk the lives of the children.


    Besides, she really did not want to perpetuate the fight with the Laurent family. After all, she felt guilty


    toward Louis, yet there was a morsel of truth in Zachary''s words.


    There would be noing back if she were to exit the ying field now.


    If Danrique ever wanted to make aeback, all would be lost by then.


    Back when she put her stakes in the project, she did it under Lindberg Corporation''s name.


    If she allowed people to remove her from the project now, it would be bad publicity for thepany.


    The media would not let go of this opportunity to mar Lindberg Corporation''s reputation.


    Danrique was still missing and no one knew what happened to him. There were already a lot of rumors


    circting around about him. She could not just add fuel to the fire.


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    ¡°What do you think I should do?¡± Charlotte finally spoke.


    ¡°This is a no-brainer,¡± Zachary replied, ¡°They won''t get what they want as long as I refuse to sign the


    document.¡±


    Speaking, he moved closer to Charlotte and whispered in her ears, ¡°You just need to make me happy


    and I''ll give you whatever you want.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, huh? I''m not that desperate!¡±


    Zachary raised his brows in disbelief. ¡°Wow, that''s a lot of double standarding from you. I wonder


    who is the desperate person who made me work for two months at Sultry Night.¡±


    Charlotte was at a loss for words.


    ¡°You shouldn''t let your ego get the better of you. You need to learn to back down when necessary,¡±


    Zachary advised patiently, ¡°Besides, we''re a family. I don''t want anything bad to happen to my family.¡±


    ¡°You underestimated me. I can solve this on my own without your help.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Zachary questioned, ¡°I''m looking forward to it then.¡±


    Charlotte red at him without speaking any further and whipped her head toward the window, looking


    at the view.


    Zachary looked at her and smiled contentedly.


    Three hours psed and they finally reached Dr. Felch''s ce.


    After Dr. Felch returned to H City, he found a quiet ce to stay. When his student found out that Dr.


    Felch was looking for a ce to stay, he dly cleaned up this space for Dr. Felch since he was


    working in the city and the house was vacant.


    Hayley eyed the car vigntly as Ben drove in, but when she saw it was Charlotte, a bright smile lit up


    her face. ¡°Charlotte!¡±


    ¡°Hayley!¡± Charlotte ran out and gave her a big hug. ¡°How is everybody?¡±


    ¡°We''re good,¡± Hayley replied with a transient smile, ¡°It''s just that Dr. Felch is not feeling very well. He''s


    been on medication for some time, but his condition is not getting any better. He''s been under the


    weather these few days.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± Charlotte was worried getting the update. ¡°Why didn''t you tell me?¡±


    ¡°Dr. Felch asked us not to tell you anything,¡± Hayley exined, ¡°He misses you dearly. Hurry up and go


    see him.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Charlotte ran into the house with Lupine following her behind.


    Zachary did not go in but stood beside the car, smoking.


    Hayley got them some drinks and went back into the house.

 Chapter 1290

    Chapter 1290


    A thick smell of medicine wafted in the house as Charlotte walked in. When Sam found out Charlotte


    was here, he quickly went in to inform Dr. Felch. ¡°Dr. Felch, Charlotte''s here. I''ll bring her in right away!¡±


    With that said, he rushed out of the room to get Charlotte, but he ran right into her and the whole bowl


    of herbal concoction spilled all over Charlotte.


    Luckily Charlotte had some thick winter clothing on and was not scalded, but some of the hot liquid


    spilled on the back of her hand and her skin turned red immediately.


    ¡°You should be more careful!¡± Hayley reprimanded the apprentice.


    ¡°I''m sorry, Charlotte. I''m so sorry. I''ll go get some cream for the burn.¡±


    ¡°It''s okay. Don''t worry about it,¡± Charlotte assured him as she put her hand behind her so no one would


    notice it. ¡°Where is Dr. Felch?¡±


    ¡°He''s resting. I''ll bring you in.¡±


    Charlotte teared up the moment Sam opened the door. Dr. Felch was lying on the bed looking at the


    door as if he had been waiting for her all this while. He squinted his eyes in her direction as he


    breathed weakly.


    ¡°Dr. Felch, Charlotte''s here,¡± Hayley said softly.


    Dr. Felch struggled to sit up in his bed, but to no avail.


    Hayley and Sam went over to helped him up.


    Charlotte took out a napkin and sat down by the bed, wiping off the stain on his lips. ¡°I''m sorry, Dr.


    Felch. I shouldn''t have let you follow me around so much.¡±


    ¡°You know it''s not your fault,¡± the doctor said with a faint smile on his face, ¡°I''m already ny-nine. I


    don''t expect myself to still be healthy and mobile at this age.¡±


    ¡°But you might have lived till two hundred if you didn''t follow me abroad.¡±


    Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Dr. Felch chuckled looking at her. ¡°Two hundred years old? I''d be so old and rugged then.¡±


    Charlotte smiled back at him lovingly.


    ¡°Don''t overthink,¡± Dr. Felch said, patting her hand. ¡°I''ve had my fair share of suffering when I was


    younger, but I enjoyed my old age. I met your father and he was a dear friend to me. He helped me and


    I was able to have a good life because of him.¡±


    Dr. Felch looked away, reminiscing his old friend. ¡°I beat myself up when I found out about what


    happened to him. I hated myself for not doing more for him. I was so d when you came to me. I


    thought I finally had a chance to return his kindness, so don''t feel bad about it. I''m more than happy to


    do something for you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Dr. Felch,¡± Charlotte said, sobbing.


    ¡°Now that Ellie and you are both cured, I can finally rest in peace and not have any regrets. Your


    wellbeing is all I wish for. It would be great if I could see the children again. I think my time is almost


    up.¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow. I will bring them tomorrow,¡± Charlotte quickly said, ¡°Is there anything else you want to do?¡±


    ¡°I want to go back to where I came from. I want to return to Phoenix City and spend myst moments


    there,¡± Dr. Felch said with a sigh, ¡°But that''s not possible now. I''m not even fit to fly anymore.¡±


    ¡°I''ll do that for you.¡±


    Hearing this, Lupine went off to arrange for a private jet catered to Dr. Felch''s need.


    ¡°There''s something else,¡± Dr. Felch said, lying back down wearily.


    ¡°Hayley and Sam have been with me since they were young... They were inexperienced in the ways of


    the world. I hope you can be their help when I''m gone.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry about it, Dr. Felch. I will take good care of them. No one will ever harm them as long as I''m


    around,¡± Charlotte promised him.

 Chapter 1291

    Chapter 1291


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Dr. Felch replied with a sigh, ¡°By the way, about your family, I hope you don''t mind me giving


    my two cents on the matter.¡±


    He looked at Charlotte searchingly before he continued, ¡°I know I''m just an outsider and I might not


    know what is going on, but what your bted father said has always stuck to me. The reason why he


    worked so hard through the grind is none other than his family. He was not interested in power or


    wealth. All he ever wanted was for his wife and children to enjoy a carefree and peaceful life. Family is


    what counts at the end of the day.¡±


    Charlotte''splicated gaze met the old man''s eyes. ¡°I know...¡±


    ¡°I''m sure you know what''s best for you,¡± Dr. Felch said, patting her hand as he turned toward Sam.


    ¡°Bring Mr. Nacht in. I''d like to have a word with him.¡±


    ¡°Right away, Dr. Felch.¡± The apprentice went out immediately to fetch Zachary.


    ¡°Why not you go get your hand treated?¡± Dr. Felch asked Charlotte, turning back toward her. ¡°Could


    you make me some vegetable beef soup too? I really miss your cooking.¡±


    ¡°Of course. I''ll get going first then.¡±


    Hayley and Charlotte left the room soon after. Charlotte got her burn treated and started making some


    soup with Hayley.


    Meanwhile, Zachary went into Dr. Felch''s room with Ben. When he saw the sickly old man reclining on


    his bed, a sense of resignation budded in his heart.


    He used to be a great doctor, but now he''s reduced to his sickbed. I guess even the mightiest man is a


    nobody in face of death.


    But well, who am I speak? I''m a dying man myself.


    ¡°There you are.¡± Dr. Felch sat up when he saw Zachary. Sam quickly went over to put a cushion behind


    Dr. Felch''s back.


    ¡°Hi, Dr. Felch,¡± Zachary greeted politely as he went closer.


    ¡°I''ve always wanted to see you,¡± the doctor said, looking at Zachary from the head to the toe. ¡°Come


    closer.¡±


    Zachary hesitated.


    Ben looked at the door briefly and went over to shut it.


    ¡°Don''t worry. I''ve already asked her to go make me some soup. Hayley is there with her, so she won''t


    be back anytime soon.¡±


    Dr. Felch knew what was on the young man''s mind.


    Zachary was surprised the old man actually read him like an open book.


    ¡°Have a seat,¡± Dr. Felch beckoned, pointing at the empty space beside him.


    Zachary sat down as requested while Sam turned on all the lights in the room so the doctor could have


    a good look at their guest.


    After carefully surveying the young man, Dr. Felch shook his head, sighing, ¡°I hope I''m wrong on this.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, Dr. Felch? Is there still a chance of him getting better?¡± Ben asked in worry.


    ¡°I should''ve done a more thorough checkst time and done a surgery. It''s been a while and now things


    are not looking good,¡± Dr. Felch said solemnly, ¡°Have you been getting treatment recently? What did


    your doctor say?¡±


    ¡°They can only palliate the symptoms and dy the onset of the disease. There''s no cure per se,¡±


    Zachary replied calmly.


    ¡°There''s still hope although it''s alreadyte,¡± Dr. Felch said, his expression bing more serious. ¡°I


    really want to help, but I don''t think I have much time left.¡±


    ¡°It''s okay. It''s entirely up to fate now. You don''t have to worry about me.¡±


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Are you serious?¡± Dr. Felch reproved, ¡°You''re still so young and you''re giving up? You can''t die. What


    will happen to the kids if you''re gone?¡±


    Dr. Felch loved the three children like his own.


    Zachary looked at him, his heart inexplicably warmed. No one had reprimanded him after his father


    passed on.


    Dr. Felch shook his head looking at Zachary before turning toward Ben. ¡°Go and get all the records


    about his treatment. I want to take a look. Who knows I might find the best treatment before I breathe


    myst.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Ben nodded emphatically and went out to make a call.


    ¡°Is that really necessary?¡± Zachary asked, ¡°You''re already so sick. I don''t want to burden you with


    another task.¡±

 Chapter 1292

    Chapter 1292


    ¡°Enough,¡± Dr. Felch said harshly, ¡°Who do you think you are? I''m not the least worried about you. I''m


    worried about the children.¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Zachary did not dare to say another word. He was grateful that Dr. Felch was going out of


    his way to treat him.


    ¡°But don''t get your hopes high. I don''t have much time left. I might be gone before I evene up with


    a way to treat you.¡±


    ¡°Ha, you were just encouraging me a second ago, now you''re asking me to manage my expectation.


    What exactly do you want me to do?¡± Zachary teased.


    ¡°I didn''t ask you to talk.¡± Dr. Felch pushed his shoulder lightly and chuckled.


    Zachary looked at the wise and kind-hearted old man in silence. He felt bad for him, but he did not


    know how tofort him.


    ¡°I''ll take a rest first. You go and help her out in the kitchen. You''d better pray hard that I wake up from


    my sleep, else you won''t get cured,¡± Dr. Felch joked.


    ¡°I thought you wanted to taste her cooking before you go?¡± Zachary replied.


    ¡°Good one,¡± Dr. Felch said with augh.


    Sam helped the old man lie down and pulled a nket over him.


    After Zachary exited the room, he did not go over to the kitchen. Instead, he went to the courtyard for


    another cigarette.


    ¡°Bruce is sending the document over. He''ll be here by tonight,¡± Ben reported after he came back.


    ¡°It''s okay. I''m not in a rush.¡± Zachary was not expecting anything. ¡°Dr. Felch is already so weak. He


    can''t really see well either. We should just let the old man rest.¡±


    ¡°But this is not the time to give up, Mr. Nacht!¡± Ben was getting anxious. ¡°What Dr. Felch said was right.


    You have to think about the kids.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry about it,¡± Zachary replied, looking over to the kitchen.


    Ben said no more, but deep in his heart, he believed that Dr. Felch would provide a way out.


    ¡°Zachary!¡± Charlotte cried out as she walked out from the kitchen, wearing an apron with floral prints


    and holding a carrot in her hand. ¡°Dr. Felch wanted to see the kids. Do you think you can ask Marino to


    bring them over?¡±


    ¡°What about tomorrow?¡± Zachary said, throwing away his cigarette. ¡°They have had a long day


    traveling all the way from Yaleview today. It''ll be too tiring for them.¡±


    ¡°True. Alright then, tomorrow it is.¡± Charlotte nodded.


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°You look good in the apron,¡± Zacharyplimented her.


    Charlotte rolled her eyes at him and went back in.


    Zachary leaned against the car, looking at her through the window from the outside. He wondered if


    their rtionship would have turned out differently if he were not born in the Nacht family and her, the


    Lindberg family.


    Charlotte was wiping away the sweat on her forehead when she looked up and saw Zachary gazing at


    her. It unsettled her for a bit when she caught his gaze. For a moment, it felt as if they were just a


    regr couple leading a simple life. She was preparing food and he was admiring her.


    Ring!


    Zachary''s phone rang, shaking everyone back to reality.


    He reached for his phone and walked away. ¡°Yes?¡± he said, picking up the call.


    ¡°I''ll be there in a bit.¡±


    Zachary hung up and called for Ben, ¡°We''re leaving for thepany. Ask Bruce toe over with his


    men and send Charlotte and Lupine back after they''re done here.¡±


    ¡°So we''re not waiting here?¡± Ben was worried that Zachary was not giving Dr. Felch enough time to


    treat his disease. ¡°Work can wait. We should hear what the doctor has to say at least.¡±


    ¡°I said we''re going to thepany,¡± Zachary reiterated, looking at the kitchen.


    Luckily for him, Charlotte and Lupine were busy cooking and had not heard their conversation.


    ¡°Another word from you and you''re fired.¡±


    Zachary was angry. He did not want anyone to mention a word to Charlotte about his condition.


    Ben looked down in submission.

 Chapter 1293

    Chapter 1293


    Zachary red at him coldly and got into the car.


    Seeing it was no use persuading Zachary to stay, Ben had no choice but to inform Sam and Hayley of


    their departure. After that, he swung by the kitchen to let Charlotte know they were leaving. ¡°Ms.


    Lindberg, something came up at work, so we''re making a move first. Bruce will be here in a bit to pick


    you guys up.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Don''t worry about us,¡± Charlotte said, taking a quick look at Zachary, who was already sitting in


    the car.


    ¡°Then we''ll make a move first. See y''all.¡±


    Seeing Ben was about to leave, Lupine ran after him and tugged him. ¡°Where are y''all going? To meet


    the woman?¡± she interrogated.


    ¡°I don''t think so. It''s probably about work,¡± Ben answered honestly. Truth be told, he had no idea what


    was going on.


    ¡°Probably?¡± Lupine asked, ¡°I bet he''s going to see the woman!¡±


    Ben blinked his eyes at her cluelessly.


    ¡°I must be dumb to think a leopard can change its spots,¡± Lupine replied in anger, ¡°I even thought he


    sincerely wanted to mend fences with Ms. Lindberg, but it seems like a call from that woman is enough


    to make him change his mind.¡±


    Ben was speechless. ¡°Seriously. You don''t even know what''s happening. Why are you so pissed?¡±


    He realized that although Lupine was rational and calm usually, her temper was just exactly like


    Morgan''s when she was angry with him.


    ¡°Whatever!¡± Lupine kicked him and left.


    ¡°Ouch!¡± Ben rubbed his knee, grunting.


    Honk! Ben went back to the car, limping. He looked back at Lupine from the rearview mirror as he


    drove off. ¡°This woman is no joke.¡±


    ¡°Does it hurt?¡± Zachary asked sarcastically.


    ¡°I literally got scolded for nothing. She even kicked me! She''s so unreasonable.¡±


    ¡°You should be happy she''s still bantering with you. It means you have a special ce in her heart,¡±


    Zachary said quietly, ¡°She won''t bother putting up a fight with you when she doesn''t care about you


    anymore.¡±


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    ¡°Really?¡± Ben asked with a smile, ¡°Does this mean I''m someone special to her?¡±


    ¡°Uh huh. She was looking at you all the time.¡±


    ¡°Ha...¡± Ben smiled like a child at the revtion.


    ¡°How I envy you guys,¡± Zachary sighed, ¡°This is the best phase in a rtionship.¡±


    ¡°But it''s been half a year already. We''ve not taken a step further,¡± Benined in disappointment,


    ¡°She''s not like Morgan. Morgan''s very expressive when ites to rtionships.¡±


    Ben was excited talking about other people''s rtionships. ¡°Speaking of, do you know Marino didn''t


    evene back yesterday?¡±


    ¡°Are you jealous?¡± Zachary teased, ¡°You can take a day off too.¡±


    ¡°Well...¡± Ben''s face turned red all of a sudden. ¡°That won''t work. Lupine is not an easy woman.¡±


    ¡°Useless.¡±


    Zachary decided to drop the subject and took out his phone. A frown settled over his brows as he


    looked at the document Lucy just sent him.


    Back at Dr. Felch''s ce, Charlotte decided to have some tea in the courtyard after leaving the


    ingredients to brew in the pot.


    She was enjoying the warm sunshine when she saw the tire tracks in the courtyard. Her heart sunk


    thinking about Zachary and Nancy.


    Is he that excited to meet her?


    He can''t even wait for a night.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, why not we go over to the city tonight?¡± Lupine suggested, ¡°I''m sure Dr. Felch wants to


    rest after dinner, so we can leave for the city after that. We won''t make it back in time to see the


    children too. They''ll be asleep by then.¡±


    ¡°Just say if you want to see Ben,¡± Charlotte called her out.


    ¡°That''s not what I mean,¡± Lupine exined anxiously, ¡°We''re running out of baby form for Alpha,


    Beta, and Gamma. We will need to do some grocery shopping anyway. We might as well just go to the


    city.¡±

 Chapter 1294

    Chapter 1294


    Charlotte looked at the distressed woman and pursed her lips. People in love are all the same. They


    can''t hide their feelings for one another.


    She thought about how Zachary and she used to be madly in love too, but so much had changed.


    Charlotte had given in to life.


    She did not want to fight for their rtionship anymore. Even if Zachary were to take a step toward her,


    she would retreat.


    Although she still loved him, she would not let her feelings govern her decisions.


    She would bury her feelings for him forever.


    ¡°Is that okay, Ms. Lindberg?¡± Lupine asked again.


    ¡°You go buy what you need then. I''ll stay back to keep Dr. Felchpany. You can have some time to


    yourself tonight. Just be here tomorrow morning.¡± Charlotte finally relented.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg... You know this is not what I mean. I want you to take time off together with me. I''m not


    going anywhere if you''re noting.¡±


    ¡°Just do as I say,¡± Charlotte insisted, ring at her. Just as she was about to continue, her phone rang.


    She hesitated when she saw an unknown number on her screen. ¡°Yes...?¡±


    ¡°Hi, Ms. Lindberg, Nancy here. Are you free for a meet-up?¡±


    Nancy''s voice sounded amiable.


    Charlotte did not know why she just could not bring herself to hate this woman. Unlike Synder, Helena,


    and Diana, Charlotte felt Nancy was different from them all. Her experience had taught her to be


    shrewd when it came to trusting people around her, yet despite her getting her guard up around people,


    she did not feel Nancy was a threatening person.


    ¡°How did you get my number?¡± Charlotte asked after some thought.


    ¡°I have my ways,¡± Nancy said with a slight smile, ¡°You made quite an impression at Pillere. I hope you


    still remember me?¡±


    Charlotte squinted her eyes listening to the woman. She''s no small fry. She knows who she''s dealing


    with and she even came to me herself.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Charlotte replied cordially, collecting herself. ¡°Thanks for lending me your swimsuitst


    time.¡±


    ¡°No worries. Are you free tonight? What about we meet up at tinum Caf¨¦ at eight?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


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    Since Nancy reached out to her and invited her for dinner, Charlotte''s curiosity was piqued. She


    wondered what Nancy wanted to do.


    ¡°See you tonight then,¡± Nancy said before ending the call.


    Charlotte looked at her phone as her brows slowly furrowed. She was confused.


    Lupine looked equally bewildered. ¡°How did she know who we are? We saw to it that no one knew our


    real identities back at Pillere. Only Sir Louis, Mr. Nacht, and Mr. Murphy knew about us.¡±


    ¡°As she said, she would find out if she wanted to,¡± Charlotte exined, unfazed, ¡°The Gold family has


    been establishing their presence in the business world all these years. I won''t be surprised that she


    bought Mr. Murphy into telling her the truth.¡±


    ¡°But I don''t understand why she wants to see you,¡± Lupine thought aloud, ¡°Is she openly challenging


    you?¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡± Charlotte burst outughing. ¡°What is there to challenge? We''re not even in the same game.¡±


    ¡°You are! You''re her love rival,¡± Lupine pointed out, ¡°But wait, isn''t Mr. Nacht with her? Why is she


    asking you out?¡±


    ¡°It means Zachary did not go to see her,¡± Charlotte elucidated, pouring another cup of tea. ¡°It will be


    tricky if I make an enemy out of her. She is a difficult one.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Lupine genuinely did not see her as a threat. ¡°Is it because of her family background?¡±


    ¡°Not just that,¡± Charlotte said with her gaze lowered, ¡°Although I don''t know her well, I have a gut


    feeling that she''s different from those I''ve crossed paths with.¡±

 Chapter 1295

    Chapter 1295


    ¡°So you''re really going?¡± Lupine asked softly, ¡°Do you think we should ask more people toe along?


    What if she pulls some tricks?¡±


    Charlotte smirked. ¡°It''s no big deal if she does that.¡±


    ¡°What are we doing then?¡±


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    ¡°Go and check if the soup is ready.¡± Charlotte changed the topic. ¡°Peel a few potatoes too. I''m making


    some spicy and sour shredded potatoes. Dr. Felch loves it.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Lupine went right into the kitchen and got to work.


    Meanwhile, Charlotte continued boiling her tea until Hayley got back from the market. She had bought


    some pears for Dr. Felch.


    Charlotte asked her to leave the pears with her and started making some pear stew.


    Dr. Felch slept through the whole afternoon and did not wake up until the sun set at six in the evening.


    Sam was baking him some sweet potatoes when Lupine brought him some soup.


    Charlotte had made a few dishes and everyone gathered in the courtyard for dinner.


    Not long after everyone started eating, Bruce arrived with his men. Charlotte asked them to join them


    for dinner, but he said they had already eaten. He went over to Lupine and passed her a pair of car


    keys. ¡°Mr. Nacht asked me to bring an extra car for you guys. Do you need anything else?¡±


    ¡°Nope, we''re good. Thanks.¡±


    Lupine poured them some drinks and the men thanked her.


    ¡°Charlotte, you should go home earlier. The children are still waiting for you at home,¡± Dr. Felch said as


    he ate, ¡°Remember to bring them over tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°I''m not even done eating yet. Why are you in a hurry to send me off?¡± Charlotte said begrudgingly,


    ¡°You didn''t even thank me for making all this food. How could you do this to me?¡±


    Dr. Felchughed out loud. ¡°Come on, I''m just worried about you and the kids.¡±


    ¡°I know. I''ll get going then.¡±


    Charlotte put down her cutlery and went to wash her hands beforeing back to bid everyone


    goodbye.


    ¡°See you, Ms. Lindberg,¡± Bruce said.


    After making sure that Charlotte and Lupine had left, Bruce went back to the courtyard and passed


    Zachary''s health report and treatment ns to Dr. Felch.


    Sam lighted a candle so Dr. Felch could see clearly, but still, the old man''s eyesight was failing him.


    Bruce exined everything to him patiently as the old man nodded weakly. ¡°I''ll take a look into it.¡±


    Over in the city, Lupine drove to tinum Caf¨¦ and let Charlotte off.


    Charlotte used toe here a lot when she was together with Hector.


    She still visited this restaurant after they broke up since it was right opposite Zachary''spany. She


    would alwayse here with Zachary back when she was still working at Nacht Group.


    Charlotte realized Nancy had booked the whole ce the moment she went in. All the waiters and


    waitresses were different.


    There were even four bodyguards at the door and there were more inside the restaurant.


    Nancy was on the phone with someone when Charlotte arrived. When her subordinate went over to her


    seat beside the window to inform her of Charlotte''s arrival, she quickly hung up and stood up to greet


    her guest. ¡°It''s been a long time, Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    She was polite and humble.


    ¡°It''s a pleasure to meet you again,¡± Charlotte said with a smile.


    ¡°The pleasure''s mine,¡± Nancy replied with a nod. ¡°Have a seat.¡±


    When Nancy saw that Charlotte had only brought a bodyguard with her, she asked her men to step


    away, leaving behind just two of them.


    She even apologized to Charlotte after that. ¡°I''m sorry. My dad''s a little paranoid.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine. I can understand.¡± Charlotte took up a napkin and wiped her hands. ¡°When did you reach H


    City?¡±


    ¡°I came in the morning,¡± Nancy replied ordingly without taking her eyes off Charlotte, ¡°You look way


    more stunning in person.¡±

 Chapter 1296

    Chapter 1296


    ¡°I hope my photo didn''t disappoint you.¡±


    Charlotte knew Nancy must have done a detailed background check on her before meeting her.


    ¡°I''m sorry for being intrusive,¡± Nancy said with her head low, ¡°I was really curious about you after


    meeting you at Pillere. I could not get my mind off the woman in the veil, so I asked my men to run a


    check. That''s how I found out about you.¡±


    ¡°There are only that few who know about my real identity,¡± Charlotte pointed out as she took a sip from


    her cup. ¡°You must be really influential to get information about me that easily.¡±


    ¡°Well...¡± Nancy looked uneasy. ¡°They know I don''t mean harm. I hope you don''t me them.¡±


    Charlotte smiled and looked at her. ¡°Why do you want to meet me?¡±


    Nancy took up her cup and drank. ¡°I just want to make a new friend.¡±


    ¡°You can be honest with me.¡± Charlotte looked at her watch.


    ¡°I''ll just cut to the chase since you''re in a hurry.¡±


    Nancy put down her cup and gestured at her subordinate, who instantly came forward with a silver box.


    It was a document.


    ¡°This is a document about F Nation''s Gymnasium Project. Someone invited me to join this project to


    rece you,¡± Nancy said solemnly with a slight smile.


    She took a look at Charlotte before she continued, ¡°My family is looking into international ventures and


    I''m interested in this project, but I''m not interested in fighting with you over something like this, so I


    would like to know what you think about this.¡±


    Charlotte evaded Nancy''s gaze and clenched her jaw. She knew Nancy was not just referring to the


    project. She was referring to Zachary as well.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, I''ll dly decline this offer if you''re still interested in this project, but if you''re opting out,


    which is what they told me, then I''ll consider joining.¡±


    Nancy poured Charlotte another cup of tea as she waited for her reply. ¡°I will respect your decision, Ms.


    Lindberg.¡±


    Charlotte fixed her eyes on the cup without answering. She knew full well what Nancy meant.


    Charlotte was able to read in between the lines and saw through Nancy. The project was not the real


    reason why she wanted to talk to Charlotte.


    This woman is indeed different from those I''ve met before. She''s clever and calm.


    ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    ¡°What do you think, Ms. Lindberg?¡±


    ¡°I don''t think it matters to you whether I continue on with the project or not.¡± Charlotte finally took up the


    cup. ¡°What annoys me is that these people seem overenthusiastic in finding me a recement.¡±


    Nancy stared at her for a second. She could not decipher what Charlotte was getting at.


    ¡°You shouldn''t be talking to me, Ms. Gold. You should be talking to the people who made you this offer.


    Besides, it''s all aboutpeting on a level field when ites to business. There''s no right or wrong.¡±


    ¡°Competing on a level field?¡± Nancy was surprised. ¡°Is this what you really think?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I''m unapologetic about fighting for the things that I deem as important. I likepeting head-on in


    a fair and square manner instead of using underhanded ways, but if my opponents want to y dirty, I''ll


    y by their rules.¡±


    Charlotte went straight to the point. Although she sounded calm as a cucumber, her words sounded


    deterrent.


    ¡°Understood, Ms. Lindberg.¡± Nancy smiled with a confident nod. ¡°You really impress me. You have my


    word. I like a fairpetition too. No cheating and no hard feelings.¡±


    ¡°Great.¡± Charlotte''s brows arched in a pleasant surprise. ¡°All the best, Ms. Gold.¡±


    With that said, she put down her cup and motioned to leave. ¡°Thanks for your treat. We should meet up


    over some beer the next time. It''s on me.¡±


    ¡°I''m looking forward to that. Let me see you out.¡± Nancy stood up.


    ¡°Don''t bother. I''ll see you next time.¡± Charlotte turned and left.


    Nancy sat back down in her window seat as she watched Charlotte leave. She felt things were going to


    take an interesting and unexpected turn.


    Behind her, her subordinate came up and reported, ¡°Ms. Gold, that''s Mr. Nacht''s car.¡±

 Chapter 1297

    Chapter 1297


    The subordinate looked at Nancy and spoke, ¡°I don''t understand, Ms. Gold. Lindberg Corporation has


    fallen from grace and Danrique is still nowhere to be found. Ms. Lindberg is just a nobody now. Why do


    you have to treat her so respectfully?¡±


    Nancy smiled subtly. ¡°You guys are too short-sighted. Lindberg Corporation''s downturn is temporary.


    They will make aeback one day and that will be the heyday of thepany, so we shouldn''t just


    kick the Lindbergs aside and treat them too casually. Besides, she''s Mr. Nacht''s ex-wife. They have


    three children together. This made her a unique yer. I can''t just disregard her. Even if we were to


    fight over the same man, it should be done in a gentlemanly fashion so no one takes it personally.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± the subordinate answered with a convincing nod, ¡°Ms. Gold, you''re really wise.¡±


    Nancy walked over to look at Charlotte''s car as they got in, her expressionplex.


    ¡°Ms. Gold, that''s Mr. Nacht''s car.¡±


    ¡°It seems like they''re still close.¡±


    This made Nancy felt more conflicted.


    Over in the car, Lupine had already started the engine. ¡°Are we heading back to Yaleview, Ms.


    Lindberg?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Charlotte looked at the high-rise building opposite and memories came flooding back. Level 68''s


    lights were still on and she wondered if Zachary was still working.


    ¡°That''s Mr. Nacht''s car!¡± Lupine eximed.


    Charlotte looked up and saw Zachary''s Rolls-Royceing out from the car park and pulling up beside


    tinum Caf¨¦.


    Nancy and her bodyguards were already outside the restaurant to wee him. Zachary got off and


    went in with her.


    The two seemed intimate from the looks of it.


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Did she did it on purpose?¡± Lupine snarled.


    ¡°Drive.¡±


    Charlotte''s tone sounded cold, but she actually felt agitated. She would not have cared if Nancy were


    to do something behind her back, but now that Nancy made an open statement, she felt a sense of


    crisis.


    As Nancy herself said, she had what it took to y on an open field with her. She did not have to resort


    to underhanded ways.


    That was the kind of woman Zachary liked.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, Ms. Gold had another meaning behind what she said earlier on, right? The Gymnasium


    Project is just an excuse for her to talk to you about Mr. Nacht.¡±


    ¡°You could tell?¡± Charlotte asked, feigning nonchnce, ¡°You''re a smart one. Morgan won''t be able to


    sniff a thing.¡±


    ¡°Do you really not care at all? There''s nothing between you and Mr. Nacht now. You have already


    revoked your engagement with Sir Louis. Mr. Nacht and you have three children together. Have you


    never thought about getting back together? I can tell Mr. Nacht still loves you.¡±


    ¡°What''s wrong with you, Lupine? I''d understand if Morgan were the one saying this, but you? You know


    me best. How could you say something like this?¡±


    ¡°It''s exactly because I know you well that I''m saying this,¡± Lupine replied unreservedly, mustering her


    courage. ¡°I know neither of you has actually stopped loving each other. Both of you could have had a


    happy life. Both of you are finally having another chance to your rtionship. All the hindrances and


    grievances from the past are gone now. I just don''t understand why both of you don''t want to mend this


    rtionship. Is your ego really this important?¡±


    ¡°It''s not about my ego,¡± Charlotte answered instinctively.


    What is stopping us then? Charlotte could not tell herself.


    What Lupine said was true. There were grievances between their families, but not anymore. The path


    to their happily ever after was clear now, but Charlotte was scared. She did not want to repeat the


    same mistake. She did not want to get hurt again.

 Chapter 1298

    Chapter 1298


    ¡°Will you be sad if Mr. Nacht gets together with Ms. Gold? I think you shouldn''t underestimate her.¡±


    ¡°I didn''t. She''s much better than the ckwoods. Besides, she''s Zachary''s type.¡±


    ¡°Does this mean you''re worried? Robbie, Jamie, and Ellie will be getting a stepmom if they''re together.


    Who knows if she''ll be another Cynthia? What if she''s actually a wolf in sheep''s clothing? What if she


    hurt the children?¡±


    ¡°I don''t think she''s that kind of person,¡± Charlotte said confidently, ¡°She doesn''t seem like it.¡±


    ¡°Well, none of us thought Cynthia would turn out to be so vicious...¡±


    ¡°Zachary should be able to tell what kind of a person she is after all he''s been through. He didn''t like


    Cynthia actually, it was all his father''s idea. He''s free to make his own choice now. There''s nothing I


    can do if he really likes Nancy.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    Lupine did not feelfortable with the idea of Zachary getting together with Nancy, but she dropped


    the issue.


    Charlotte looked out of the window at the city view. The familiar streets reminded her of Zachary and


    everything they did together.


    Snippets of memory shed before her so lucidly as if everything happened yesterday.


    Those were unforgettable moments they shared together, but she had chosen to bury them in her heart


    forever.


    ¡°I saw Ms. Lindberg''s car just now,¡± Ben whispered in Zachary''s ear, but Zachary ignored him and sat


    down, looking at Nancy with a smile.


    ¡°Wee to H City.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Mr. Nacht.¡±


    Nancy was not the rigid and polite woman she was when she met Charlotte just now anymore. She put


    on her gentle and attractive self when she met Zachary.


    ¡°Have you been waiting for long?¡±


    Zachary took a sweeping look at the ce and saw the empty cups on the other table. He figured


    Charlotte must have visited.


    ¡°Not really. I actually met up with one of your friends¡ªMs. Lindberg¡ªthe second major shareholder of


    Lindberg Corporation.¡±


    Zachary was not expecting Nancy to be this candid. ¡°Why did you meet up with her?¡±


    ¡°It''s about this project,¡± Nancy replied, taking out the document. ¡°Sir Robert got in touch with me


    through Mr. Murphy. He wanted me to rece Ms. Lindberg as the shareholder. I don''t want to create


    any misunderstanding, so I asked her out to talk over it.¡±


    ¡°What did she say?¡± Zachary was curious.


    ¡°She said she was annoyed that those people were so eager to get her reced. She also said that


    people should just deal honestly instead of using dishonorable means topete.¡±


    ¡°This is very Charlotte.¡±


    Zachary let down his defense and became friendlier.


    ¡°Yeah. I think Ms. Lindberg is a forthright person. I really like her. Did you see her when you''re on the


    way here?¡±


    ¡°I didn''t.¡± Did she see me when she left?


    I wonder what''s her reaction if she knows I''m here with Nancy?


    ¡°It''s boring just having wine here,¡± Nancy said, sensing that Zachary''s mind was somewhere else. ¡°Why


    not we go somewhere fun?¡±


    ¡°I''ve been to all the fun ces in H City.¡±


    ¡°I swear you''ve never been to this one,¡± Nancy said mysteriously, ¡°I bet you''ll fall in love with this


    ce.¡±


    ¡°Well, since you said so, I''m all for it,¡± Zachary said, shrugging.

 Chapter 1299

    Chapter 1299


    Nancy dismissed her bodyguards and got into Zachary''s car directly.


    N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    Zachary was stunned, for no other women except for Charlotte and her subordinates had sat in his car


    before.


    Although he frowned, he did not make any further remarks.


    After closing the car door, Nancy finally realized something and apologized, ¡°I''m sorry for entering your


    car without seeking your permission first. I just didn''t want to bring too many people along with me and


    make a huge scene.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine.¡± Zachary smiled. ¡°Tell him the address.¡±


    ¡°Okay. It''s at the coast of Baykeep...¡± Nancy quickly told the address to the driver.


    The car headed toward the destination slowly.


    Zachary nced at the rearview mirror. After ensuring that the Gold family''s bodyguards were not


    following them, he asked, ¡°I heard that your father is a very careful man. The Gold family''s bodyguards


    are also well-trained. Won''t they be worried that you entered my car alone?¡±


    ¡°Staying by your side is safer than anywhere else.¡±


    Whenever Nancy spoke, she always gazed at Zachary affectionately, her eyes brimming with


    admiration. Her voice was very gentle and melodious too.


    Zachary was reminded of Charlotte. She has never looked at me like that, nor spoken to me so gently.


    Either she''s fierce, angry, or silent...


    Sometimes, I wonder if she has truly loved me.


    ¡°That must be Sultry Night. I''ve never been there before.¡± Nancy pointed at a neon signboard nearby


    and said excitedly, ¡°Sultry Night''s outlets all over the world are doing extremely well! There''s even one


    at Koandria.¡±


    Looking at Sultry Night''s signboard, Zachary recalled a lot of past events¡ªthe first time he met


    Charlotte, how he got scammed by her, and how he was forced to sign that debt contract...


    Although she was extremely fierce, she was adorable too.


    Yet, she was now starting to conceal her emotions and adopting a cold attitude. No matter what he did,


    he could never touch her heart...


    ¡°It''s Ms. Lindberg''s car!¡± Ben suddenly eximed.


    Stunned, Zachary narrowed his eyes. Indeed, he saw Phantom, which he had instructed Bruce to give


    to Charlotte, parked at the entrance of Sultry Night.


    Her bad habits have rpsed!


    ¡°Go there and take a look,¡± instructed Zachary.


    ¡°Understood.¡± The subordinate immediately drove toward Sultry Night.


    ¡°Aren''t we going to Baykeep?¡±


    Nancy was surprised, not expecting her meticulous ns to be disrupted so easily.


    ¡°Next time,¡± replied Zachary calmly.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Although Nancy was disappointed, she still forced a smile and said considerately, ¡°Just let me


    alight by the road. I''ll ask my bodyguards to pick me up.¡±


    ¡°Let''s go together,¡± said Zachary. ¡°You haven''t been there before, right? I''ll show you around.¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡±


    Nancy was delighted. Initially, she thought that Zachary would look for Charlotte and abandon her.


    Surprisingly, he wanted to bring her along.


    When the car arrived at the entrance of Sultry Night, the manager immediately rushed out and greeted,


    ¡°It''s been a long time, Mr. Nacht.¡±


    Not recognizing him, Ben asked, ¡°Where''s Peter?¡±


    ¡°He''s taking another shift. He works from midnight to morning now because it''s more convenient for


    him to take care of his wife during the day,¡± exined the manager with a smile. ¡°Do you still remember


    me, Ben? I used to work for Peter.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± grunted Ben before paving a way through the crowd with the other subordinates.


    Zachary entered with Nancy. It was still as crowded and lively as before, with neon lights shing


    around.


    He nced around, but did not see Charlotte anywhere.


    Having read his mind, Ben immediately asked the manager, ¡°Did you see Ms. Lindberg?¡±


    ¡°Who''s Ms. Lindberg?¡± The new manager did not know who Charlotte was.

 Chapter 1300

    Chapter 1300


    ¡°She drives the Phantom,¡± replied Ben.


    ¡°Oh, two gorgeousdies have just alighted the Phantom and came in. They went to the private room.


    I''ll bring you there,¡± said the manager. ¡°This way please, Mr. Nacht.¡±


    Zachary and the rest followed the manager to the VIP private room.


    It was much quieter than the lobby. The room still looked the same as before. Perhaps because he had


    note in ages, Zachary could not help but feel nostalgic.


    ¡°We renovated themon areas two months ago, but we didn''t touch the private rooms at all. We still


    kept your private room, Mr. Nacht. The cleaners even clean it daily...¡± exined the manager as he led


    the way.


    As Zachary nced at his surroundings, the memories he shared with Charlotte rushed back to his


    mind. Unknowingly, he did not even realize that Nancy was not following him anymore...


    Zachary only turned around when he heard a piercing scream. Nancy had been stopped by two


    drunkards, who were harassing her and dragging her into their private room.


    ¡°Save me, Mr. Nacht!¡± Nancy screamed in fear.


    Zachary''s expression changed drastically. He strode forward and sent those men flying away with a


    kick.


    Trembling in fear, Nancy hid behind him and grabbed his shirt.


    ¡°It''s fine now,¡± consoled Zachary gently as he hugged her shoulders.


    He had been so eager to meet Charlotte that his footsteps quickened unconsciously. As it was Nancy''s


    first time there, she lost sight of Zachary in the crowd. Yet, he was oblivious to it...


    He felt guilty for that.


    Meanwhile, Charlotte, who had just walked out of the private room, witnessed this scene.


    She had never seen him act so gently toward any other woman.


    When Sharon and Cynthia were with him, she was angry. Yet, she had never felt jealous because she


    knew that he did not love them.


    However, things were different now...


    Zachary was not faking his concern for Nancy.


    His tall figure was so familiar that it remained engraved in her mind. Even in the dim lighting, she could


    still recognize him immediately. Yet, he was hugging another woman now...


    ¡°Ben!¡± Lupine suddenly bellowed angrily.


    Ben was so shocked that he felt a chill run down his spine. When he turned around and met Lupine''s


    sharp gaze, he paled and patted Zachary''s arm frantically. ¡°Mr. Nacht! Mr. Nacht!¡±


    Ben was reacting so dramatically that it was like he had just been caught in an affair. Guilt and fear


    engulfed him.


    Yet, he was the innocent one.


    On the other hand, the actual culprit, Zachary, seemed extremely calm. Still hugging Nancy, he turned


    around slowly and shot Charlotte a nonchnt look. ¡°What a coincidence!¡±


    When Nancy heard that, she was surprised. It sounded like he had just met Charlotte there


    coincidentally, instead of going there specially for her.


    ¡°Yeah, what a coincidence!¡±


    Charlotte''s expression became indifferent again. Smiling courteously, she turned her gaze from


    Zachary to Nancy. ¡°We meet again, Ms. Gold.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Nancy reacted quickly. With a gentle smile, she shot Charlotte a friendly look. ¡°We just had a


    cup of tea at the tinum Caf¨¦. I didn''t expect us to meet here again.¡±


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    ¡°I wanted to treat you to some drinks one day, but it seems like there''s no need for me to do so


    anymore.¡± Charlotte nced at Zachary knowingly and said, ¡°Have fun! I''ll leave now.¡±


    With that, she turned around and left.


    Lupine red at Ben angrily before following her.


    ¡°You''re leaving right aftering here?¡± Zachary called out behind her. ¡°Why don''t we have a drink


    together?¡±


    Although Charlotte was fuming with rage, she smiled and turned her head around. ¡°I won''t disturb the


    both of you. It''s a precious night, after all.¡±


    Then, she left unhesitatingly.

 Chapter 1301

    Chapter 1301


    Zachary stared at Charlotte''s back, his gaze turning grim. He initially assumed that his actions would


    provoke her. If she became jealous and kicked up a fuss, it would prove that she still cared about him.


    Yet, she was simply too calm.


    She showed no reaction when she saw him protect Nancy.


    Even though he was hugging Nancy, she still came over and greeted them so graciously.


    Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    He had provoked her on purpose, yet she responded with such ease, as if she waspletely


    unbothered.


    Zachary wanted to provoke her, but he ended up being infuriated.


    Although he wished to tear Charlotte apart out of fury, he held himself back.


    I mustn''t act like I''m angry, as if I really wished for her to be jealous. What''s the big deal, anyway?


    He had never cheated on her. No matter what, he still clung to his true feelings and waited for her. It


    was her who betrayed their love and got together with Louis.


    Although he was no longer hung up over the past, she still insisted on treating him so coldly.


    This meant that she did not care about him at all.


    Perhaps, she had stopped loving him a long time ago...


    On the other hand, while Charlotte walked away, she kept reminding herself quietly, Don''t be mad.


    Don''t turn around. Don''t stop walking. Since he wants to anger me, I need to be calm and gracious...


    ¡°That *sshole!¡± cursed Lupine in fury.


    It was Morgan''s catchphrase. In the past, Lupine kept scolding her for not being civilized enough.


    Yet, she was saying it now.


    ¡°Who are you talking about?¡± Charlotte rolled her eyes.


    ¡°B-Ben of course.¡±


    Naturally, she did not dare to scold Zachary. No matter what, he was still the father of Charlotte''s kids.


    Hence, she could only vent her anger on Ben.


    ¡°What did Ben do wrong? Why are you scolding him like that?¡± Charlotteughed. ¡°He was so terrified


    when you yelled at him just now.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg...¡± Looking at Charlotte, who was forcing a smile, Lupine could not help but feel worried.


    ¡°What''s happening to you? You''ve just been bullied! Are youpletely unbothered?¡±


    ¡°Bullied? Who bullied me?¡± asked Charlotte.


    ¡°It''s obvious that Nancy did it on purpose,¡± eximed Lupine indignantly. ¡°She asked you out


    deliberately before bringing Mr. Nacht here to show off how intimate they were. She''s provoking you


    and unting her dominance!¡±


    ¡°Firstly, she might not have done it on purpose. Even if she did, she still needs Zachary''s cooperation,¡±


    replied Charlotte calmly. ¡°He''s not dumb enough to be exploited by someone else. Perhaps, the


    opposite is true¡ªhe brought Nancy here deliberately to act all lovey-dovey and provoke me.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Lupine was stunned. ¡°That sounds logical too. If Mr. Nacht is provoking you on purpose, it


    means that he cares about you and hopes to receive a response from you!¡±


    ¡°Response? What response?¡± Charlotte scoffed mockingly, ¡°Should I lose my temper and kick up a


    fuss like an uncivilized woman?¡±


    ¡°Well...¡± Lupine was rendered speechless.


    ¡°It doesn''t matter who''s using who to provoke me.¡± Charlotte sighed. ¡°Now that our survival is a


    problem, I''m in no mood to think about such rtionship dilemmas. It''s pointless.¡±


    ¡°You''re right.¡± Her heart aching for Charlotte, Lupine gazed at her. ¡°Mr. Lindberg''s gone now. The


    Lindberg Corporation''s situation is so unstable, with the only project we''ve invested in being oppressed.


    At this juncture, it''s true that...¡±


    ¡°That''s enough. Let''s go back,¡± said Charlotte nonchntly.


    Not daring to say anything, Lupine took the car keys from the valet and drove away with Charlotte.


    ¡°After we visit Dr. Felch tomorrow, return the car to the Nacht family,¡± reminded Charlotte. ¡°We need to


    cut off all ties with them after sending Dr. Felch off.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±

 Chapter 1302

    Chapter 1302


    ¡°Are you okay, Mr. Nacht?¡±


    Nancy shot a concerned look at Zachary. A smart woman like her immediately read his mind. No


    wonder he brought me to Sultry Night. Turns out that he only wanted to provoke Charlotte.


    ¡°Of course I''m okay!¡± Zachary feigned indifference. ¡°Let''s go. I''ll treat you to a drink.¡±


    When he strode into his private room and saw the familiar surroundings, he could not help but think


    about Charlotte and their past events...


    Memories surged through his mind while a turmoil of emotions ravaged him.


    ¡°I think that you need to be alone tonight,¡± said Nancy considerately. ¡°Why don''t I leave first?¡±


    ¡°Send Ms. Gold back,¡± ordered Zachary solemnly.


    ¡°Understood.¡± Ben arranged for two of his subordinates to send Nancy home.


    Gazing at Zachary reluctantly, Nancy reminded Ben, ¡°Take good care of Mr. Nacht.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry, I will.¡± He nodded with a smile.


    Nancy left with the subordinate. When she walked out, she kept turning around to look at Zachary. It


    was only after the subordinate closed the door that she averted her gaze.


    Ben heaved a sigh. Ms. Gold isn''t that simple.


    Sitting on the sofa, Zachary cast his gaze downward and fidgeted with the lighter on the table. He kept


    flicking the switch, causing the me to flicker. The me, which was dancing in the darkness, seemed


    to represent hisplicated emotions...


    Ben dismissed the manager and opened a bottle of wine.


    ¡°Did her personality change after she changed her surname to Lindberg?¡± Zachary suddenly asked. ¡°Is


    it possible that the current Charlotte is different from the previous Charlotte? Perhaps, they just look


    really simr...¡±


    Ben felt upset when he heard that. Naturally, he understood how Zachary felt. It was true that


    Charlotte''s current personality waspletely different from her past self.


    Back then, although Charlotte had her weird tendencies and had given in before, she still loved


    Zachary deeply.


    ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    For Zachary''s sake, she resisted the family''s pressure and mustered up the courage to lead a new


    lifestyle. For him, she married into the Nacht family...


    When they were in love, they were inseparable. It was as if they only cared about each other and no


    one else in the world mattered.


    Yet, nothing that Zachary did now could affect her.


    She was always so cold and distant. Even though they were just right in front of each other, it felt like


    their souls were miles apart.


    He had exhausted all sorts of methods to be closer with her, but everything ended in failure.


    ¡°Perhaps, she has never loved me...¡± Zachary''s voice was filled with disappointment. ¡°Otherwise, how


    could she change so drastically?¡±


    ¡°Actually, if we think about it, it''s understandable,¡± consoled Ben softly. ¡°Two years ago, the Nacht


    family has harmed her too much. She even lost Mrs. Berry because of it.¡±


    ¡°It''s true that the Nacht family has let her down, but I''ve tried my best to make it up to her.¡± Zachary felt


    extremely helpless when Ben mentioned it. ¡°Furthermore, I''ve never cheated on her. For the entire of


    my life, she''s the only woman I loved. Yet, she...¡±


    Zachary''s heart ached terribly when he mentioned that.


    ¡°About that, I have always believed that Ms. Lindberg had been tricked by the Laurent family. She didn''t


    do it willingly,¡± said Ben carefully.


    ¡°I''ve given her a chance before. When I asked her if she was forced to do this, she didn''t answer me.¡±


    Resentment surged through Zachary when he remembered that incident. ¡°I''ve already let the bygones


    be bygones. I''ve even stopped investigating it, yet she''s still pushing me away...¡±


    ¡°Take it slow. Give her some time...¡± advised Ben.


    ¡°I''m already running out of time!¡± Zachary''s voice suddenly became solemn. ¡°How long more do I have


    to live? I just want my family to be reunited... before I die!¡±

 Chapter 1303

    Chapter 1303


    But a simple wish like that can''t even be fulfilled...


    Zachary, who used to be so powerful and charismatic, had be so pathetic because of love.


    Ben''s heart ached when he looked at Zachary. He could not help but suggest, ¡°Why don''t we tell her


    the truth?¡±


    Shut up!¡± Zachary squeezed his throat abruptly and warned, ¡°If you dare let her find out, I''ll kill you and


    Lupine!¡±


    ¡°Ahem...¡± Although Ben was almost strangled to death, he did not dare to resist.


    Luckily, Zachary released him quickly. Copsing on the sofa, Ben clutched his neck and kept


    coughing. After he regained hisposure, he apologized frantically, ¡°I''m sorry, Mr. Nacht. I was only


    making a suggestion. I won''t tell her. I swear on my life!¡±


    ¡°You''re not allowed to bring this up in the future.¡± Zachary was furious. ¡°I want her to return to my side


    willingly, not out of pity for me.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Ben nodded fearfully.


    Zachary did not say anything else. He raised his wine ss and drank silently.


    Standing beside him, Ben reminded carefully, ¡°You should stop drinking after finishing this ss. You


    still have to see Dr. Felch tomorrow morning.¡±


    When Dr. Felch reviewed the information that Bruce had given to him, he had asked Zachary to meet


    him the next morning.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Zachary was bristling with frustration.


    Not daring to say anything else, Ben stood at the side with his head lowered.


    At that moment, someone knocked on the door. When Ben opened the door, the manager walked in


    with a pot of tea. He said carefully, ¡°Ms. Gold prepared this and asked me to send it over.¡±


    ¡°Hasn''t she left already?¡± asked Ben, feeling puzzled.


    ¡°She waited for her subordinates to send the tea leaves over. After preparing the tea and instructing me


    to send it to Mr. Nacht, she left.¡± The manager shot a timid look at him. ¡°She said that since Mr. Nacht''s


    complexion doesn''t seem too good, he shouldn''t drink too much alcohol. She even said that Mr. Nacht


    will definitely like this tea.¡±


    ¡°I''ve been keeping an eye on her beforeing here with the manager,¡± said the bodyguard who was


    tasked to bring Nancy out. ¡°Her bodyguards had arrived to pick her up. Kyle sent her out, while I


    returned with the manager.¡±


    ¡°Alright, you may leave now.¡± Ben took the teapot and checked it. Then, he brought it to Zachary and


    said, ¡°You''ve heard everything.¡±


    ¡°That''s very kind of her.¡± Looking at the teapot, Zachary remembered Nancy''s gentle and affectionate


    gaze. He could not help butment, ¡°If only Charlotte can be that nice to me...¡±


    ¡°That''s really thoughtful of Ms. Gold.¡± Ben poured a cup of tea. ¡°It''s green tea, which is good for your


    stomach. Why don''t you have a try?¡±


    Zachary took the cup and sniffed the tea. It was obvious that the tea leaves were of high quality. As he


    had been taking his medication for a long time, his stomach condition worsened. Each time he drank,


    he would be in much pain afterward.


    As he had never told anyone about it, he did not expect Nancy to actually notice such minor details.


    ¡°I didn''t say anything!¡±


    Ben was starting to feel fearful now, worried that Zachary would overthink.


    ¡°Actually, if one is attentive enough, one will find out.¡± Zachary lifted the cup and took a sip. He praised,


    ¡°The tea tastes good. It has been prepared very well.¡±


    ¡°There''s still someone who cares about you,¡± said Ben gently. ¡°Each time after you drink, your stomach


    would hurt so much that you can''t sleep at night. Doesn''t it feel much better after drinking some tea?¡±


    Zachary did not say anything. Instead, he stared at the cup and fell into deep thought.


    At that moment, he received a message on his phone. When he nced at it, he saw that Nancy had


    just sent him a video.


    In the video, beautiful fireworks were exploding in the night sky at Baykeep''s beach.


    Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    The smoke rose to the sky and formed the words, You must be happy!


    There was even a cute smiling emoji at the end, which reminded one of Nancy''s gentle smile.


    The nice spot which Nancy referred to was actually a surprise for him on the beach. When she noticed


    the sorrowful look in his eyes, she did not probe about it. Instead, she wanted to create a romantic


    surprise to make him smile...

 Chapter 1304

    Chapter 1304


    Zachary was grateful for what she had done for him.


    I guess women cane up with romantic ways to surprise men too.


    Other women would employ all sorts of tricks to get Zachary''s attention, but only Nancy seemed to


    know what he truly desired!


    Zachary was drawn by how graceful Nancy was in the video when she danced barefoot on the beach.


    Her smile and the deep gaze in her eyes made her look as meek as an angel.


    For once in his life, Zachary watched a video to the end. After turning off the video, he texted her:


    Thank you.


    Regardless of her motive, Zachary was grateful for what she had done for him.


    If only Charlotte was the one who did this for me...


    After a four-hour drive, Lupine finally arrived at the vi in Yaleview.


    It was two in the morning, and everyone was already asleep¡ªexcept Morgan and Marino.


    While waiting for Charlotte and Lupine, this couple took the opportunity to date secretly in the


    courtyard.


    Upon hearing the car engine from a distance, they went up to have a look. Morgan then went up and


    opened the car door for Charlotte. ¡°Wee back, Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    Charlotte responded with a low grunt. She then studied Marino from the corner of her eyes. ¡°You''re still


    here?¡±


    ¡°I... I''ve been assigned to take care of the children.¡± Marino blushed. ¡°Ben said he would send them


    home tomorrow, and we''ll also be paying Dr. Felch a visit.¡±


    ¡°All right then.¡± Charlotte then walked into the vi.


    Morgan inched closer and asked Lupine. ¡°What''s wrong? Ms. Lindberg seems unhappy.¡±


    ¡°It''s nothing. Go and get a good night''s rest,¡± Lupine responded and kept up with Charlotte.


    Morgan pursed her lips and told Marino to take a rest in the car. She then followed the rest and entered


    the vi.


    In gentle steps, Charlotte walked to the room. After a shower, shey on her bed and told herself to


    sleep early so that she would have enough energy to spend the next day with the children.


    Yet, the image of Zachary and Nancy being intimate with each other kept popping up in her mind.


    After taking half a sleeping pill, she eventually drifted off to sleep.


    Despite being deep in slumber, she had a dream. She dreamed that Zachary and Nancy got married,


    and the children called Nancy their mommy. She, who had be an outsider, could only helplessly


    watch them from afar.


    It was a peaceful dream, and nothing about it was terrifying. Yet, when Charlotte woke up from her


    sleep, she realized her face was wet with tears that streamed down her face.


    ¡°I... I''va baan assignad to taka cara of tha childran.¡± Marino blushad. ¡°Ban said ha would sand tham


    homa tomorrow, and wa''ll also ba paying Dr. Falch a visit.¡±


    ¡°All right than.¡± Charlotta than walkad into tha vi.


    Morgan inchad closar and askad Lupina. ¡°What''s wrong? Ms. Lindbarg saams unhappy.¡±


    ¡°It''s nothing. Go and gat a good night''s rast,¡± Lupina raspondad and kapt up with Charlotta.


    Morgan pursad har lips and told Marino to taka a rast in tha car. Sha than followad tha rast and antarad


    tha vi.


    In gan staps, Charlotta walkad to tha room. Aftar a showar, shay on har bad and told harsalf to


    ap aarly so that sha would hava anough anargy to spand tha naxt day with tha childran.


    Yat, tha imaga of Zachary and Nancy baing intimata with aach othar kapt popping up in har mind.


    Aftar taking half a aping pill, sha avantually driftad off to ap.


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    Daspita baing daap in slumbar, sha had a draam. Sha draamad that Zachary and Nancy got marriad,


    and tha childran cad Nancy thair mommy. Sha, who had ba an outsidar, could only halssly


    watch tham from afar.


    It was a paacaful draam, and nothing about it was tarrifying. Yat, whan Charlotta woka up from har


    ap, sha raalizad har faca was wat with taars that straamad down har faca.


    The scene from the dream haunted her once again. She stared at the ceiling nkly and felt utterly


    conflicted.


    Danrique was right. I''m not steady and constantly indecisive. I''m not that the kind of person who''s born


    with a will of iron.


    I worry too much because I find it hard to let things go. Yet, I can''t control my feelings. I don''t have the


    courage to pursue my own happiness...


    That was how conflicted she was.


    She knew all her weaknesses and hated them, but at the same time, she could not change her


    personality.


    Just when she was still deep in thoughts, Danrique''s children knocked on her door in excitement.


    ¡°Wake up, Aunt Charlotte! Wake up!¡±


    The three children were all hyped up like energetic sparrows, and they were the reason the vi was


    lively all the time.


    ¡°Don''t disturb my Mommy, okay? Let''s go downstairs and have breakfast. Come,¡± Ellie said in a stern


    but affectionate voice.


    ¡°What time did Mommye homest night, Lupine? Why didn''t you tell us?¡± Jamie asked while


    yawning.

 Chapter 1305

    Chapter 1305


    ¡°We didn''t want to disturb you since you were all asleep when we got home,¡± Lupine exined with a


    grin. ¡°Let''s go downstairs. Let your Mommy get some rest.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± All five children formed a line and marched downstairs with Lupine.


    After a sneeze, Robbie, too, went downstairs with the other children while holding a book he nned to


    read in the carter.


    ¡°The breakfast''s ready!¡± Morgan came out of the kitchen with an apron on as she was in charge of the


    breakfast today.


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    She greeted the children with a smile. ¡°I made you your favorite breakfast today!¡±


    ¡°You know how to make breakfast?¡± Ellie tilted her head aside and asked, ¡°I''m pretty sure Mr. Marino


    helped you with it.¡±


    ¡°Quite some time ago, Marino secretly asked Mrs. Rawlston to teach him cooking. He must have


    learned a skill or two and taught Ms. Morgan how to cook,¡± Jamie revealed.


    ¡°Stop it, you two.¡± Morgan blushed.


    The children burst intoughter.


    ¡°It doesn''t matter whether you or your boyfriend made this. We''ll take it as you''re the one who prepared


    the breakfast for us,¡± Alpha said cheekily. ¡°When can we eat? I''m hungry!¡±


    ¡°I''ll bring them over. Just give me a minute!¡± Morgan then signaled Jade and Emma to help carry all the


    dishes to the dining table.


    Meanwhile, Charlotte had woken up from her sleep and was freshening up. She wanted to bring the


    children over to Dr. Felch''s as soon as possible.


    In the meantime, Zachary and Ben had arrived at Dr. Felch''s residence.


    Hayley served the breakfast she made on the wooden table in the courtyard and decorated the site


    with vases filled with the tiny yellow flowers she picked this morning.


    As the car approached, Hayley put aside her work and was ready to wee Charlotte to the vi. But


    the moment she saw Zachary, her smile vanished right away. Nheless, she still greeted him with


    respect, ¡°Good morning, Mr. Nacht.¡±


    ¡°Hi.¡± Zachary came over on Dr. Felch''s instruction.


    In fact, Zachary spent the entire night yesterday at Sultry Night, and he only went home and took a


    shower beforeing. He looked a little worn out as he stayed up the whole night.


    ¡°Come on in.¡± Hayley weed Zachary and Ben.


    Bruce and his men were stationed here for a night, but they parked their car far away to avoid


    disturbing Dr. Felch.


    ¡°Dr. Felch will join us for breakfast once he''s ready,¡± Hayley said while setting up the table.


    All of a sudden, a loud thud emerged from the vi.


    Maanwh, Charlotta had wokan up from har ap and was frashaning up. Sha wantad to bring tha


    childran ovar to Dr. Falch''s as soon as possi.


    In tha maantima, Zachary and Ban had arrivad at Dr. Falch''s rasidanca.


    Hay sarvad tha braakfast sha mada on tha woodan ta in tha courtyard and dacoratad tha sita


    with vasas fid with tha tiny yallow flowars sha pickad this morning.


    As tha car approachad, Hay put asida har work and was raady to waa Charlotta to tha vi. But


    tha momant sha saw Zachary, har sm vanishad right away. Nonathss, sha still graatad him with


    raspact, ¡°Good morning, Mr. Nacht.¡±


    ¡°Hi.¡± Zachary cama ovar on Dr. Falch''s instruction.


    In fact, Zachary spant tha antira night yastarday at Sultry Night, and ha only want homa and took a


    showar baforaing. Ha lookad a lit worn out as ha stayad up tha wh night.


    ¡°Coma on in.¡± Hay waad Zachary and Ban.


    Bruca and his man wara stationad hara for a night, but thay parkad thair car far away to avoid


    disturbing Dr. Falch.


    ¡°Dr. Falch will join us for braakfast onca ha''s raady,¡± Hay said wh satting up tha ta.


    All of a suddan, a loud thud amargad from tha vi.


    Zachary and Ben dashed into the house without any hesitation.


    ¡°Oh, no!¡± Hayley, too, followed them from behind.


    When Sam was helping Dr. Felch to get out of his bed, thetter fell and hit the basin as his legs turned


    weak.


    Sam tried to carry Dr. Felch but to no avail.


    A pair of muscr arms appeared and put Dr. Felch back in his wheelchair.


    Sam tilted his head and noticed it was Zachary. ¡°Mr. Nacht...¡±


    ¡°Are you all right?¡± Zachary squatted in front of Dr. Felch and asked.


    ¡°I''m fine...¡± Dr. Felch replied in a deep frail voice. It took him a few seconds to open his eyes to take a


    look at Zachary.


    His dry lips quivered as if he had something to say, but at that point, he could hardly utter a word.


    ¡°Yes, Dr. Felch?¡± Tears welled up in Hayley''s eyes as she tried to understand what he was trying to


    express. ¡°All right. I''ll give Charlotte a call right now.¡±


    She then turned to Sam and said, ¡°Call Charlotte and get her toe as soon as possible. Dr. Felch


    can''t hold it any longer.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Got it.¡± Sam immediately looked for his phone.


    ¡°I''ll do it.¡± Zachary then instructed Ben to make the call instead.

 Chapter 1306

    Chapter 1306


    Ben walked to a corner and gave Charlotte a call. He could not help but feel anxious. Dr. Felch is now


    hanging by a thread. Does this mean we''d be losing ourst hope soon?


    Charlotte did not pick up the phone, as she was ying with the children in the courtyard.


    Ben then immediately contacted Marino. After getting to know that Dr. Felch was about to give up the


    ghost, Marino immediately ran to Charlotte and passed her the phone.


    Charlotte, who was ying with a bubble gun with the children, nned to depart after this, but after


    answering talking to Ben over the phone, she dropped the bubble gun and instructed her bodyguards,


    ¡°Quick. Get the car ready.¡±


    ¡°Right away!¡±


    Morgan and Lupine did not even have the time to help the children change into fresh clothes. After


    stuffing all the six children and their clothes into their respective seats, they hit the road immediately.


    Throughout the journey, Charlotte kept ming herself. ¡°It''s my fault. I should have left early. I should


    have brought the kids over to visit him yesterday...¡±


    ¡°What happened to Dr. Felch? He was still pretty energetic yesterday, wasn''t he?¡± Lupine felt sorry for


    Charlotte upon seeing how worried she was.


    ¡°What''s wrong with Dr. Felch?¡± Even the children felt something was amiss.


    ¡°Dr. Felch is very ill, and he wants to see you,¡± Charlotte regained herposure and exined. ¡°I


    need all of you to stay quiet when you meet himter, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay...¡± The children nodded despite not knowing what was going on.


    ¡°Good.¡± Charlotte, who grew increasingly despondent, embraced the children.


    ¡°Lupine, who called Mr. Marino just now?¡± Robbie asked all of a sudden.


    At that time, Marino was driving the extended Rolls-Royce.


    Lupine, who sat next to Charlotte, answered, ¡°Ben called.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean Daddy and Mr. Ben are both at Dr. Felch''s?¡± A line formed between Robbie''s brows,


    and his eyes sparkled.


    ¡°I guess so.¡± Lupine did not think much before answering Robbie. ¡°They must have visited Dr. Felch


    because they knew you''re going to be there.¡±


    ¡°Did you visit Dr. Felch with Daddyst night?¡± Robbie asked.


    ¡°Yes. We went together.¡± Lupine nodded.


    ¡°And you left together?¡± Robbie asked again.


    ¡°Your Daddy left first.¡± Lupine could feel Robbie had some doubts on his mind. ¡°What''s wrong with you,


    Robbie?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Robbie shook his head and looked dispirited. ¡°I just asked for fun.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Lupine did not pursue the matter any further.


    ¡°Dr. Falch is vary ill, and ha wants to saa you,¡± Charlotta ragainad harposura and axinad. ¡°I


    naad all of you to stay quiat whan you maat himtar, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay...¡± Tha childran noddad daspita not knowing what was going on.


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    ¡°Good.¡± Charlotta, who graw incraasingly daspondant, ambracad tha childran.


    ¡°Lupina, who cad Mr. Marino just now?¡± Robbia askad all of a suddan.


    At that tima, Marino was driving tha axtandad Rolls-Royca.


    Lupina, who sat naxt to Charlotta, answarad, ¡°Ban cad.¡±


    ¡°Doas that maan Daddy and Mr. Ban ara both at Dr. Falch''s?¡± A lina formad batwaan Robbia''s brows,


    and his ayas spard.


    ¡°I guass so.¡± Lupina did not think much bafora answaring Robbia. ¡°Thay must hava visitad Dr. Falch


    bacausa thay knaw you''ra going to ba thara.¡±


    ¡°Did you visit Dr. Falch with Daddyst night?¡± Robbia askad.


    ¡°Yas. Wa want togathar.¡± Lupina noddad.


    ¡°And youft togathar?¡± Robbia askad again.


    ¡°Your Daddyft first.¡± Lupina could faal Robbia had soma doubts on his mind. ¡°What''s wrong with you,


    Robbia?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Robbia shook his haad and lookad dispiritad. ¡°I just askad for fun.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Lupina did not pursua tha mattar any furthar.


    Charlotte did not hear what Robbie and Lupine said as she was busy reminding the other children not


    to disturb Dr. Felch when they arrived.


    Their car continued to speed on the highway.


    Meanwhile, Ben had called Raina and a few other specialists over. He wanted them to conduct a


    thorough check-up for Dr. Felch.


    Dr. Felch waved his hand in the air in a sickly manner. Upon interpreting his intention, Sam choked on


    his words and said, ¡°Dr. Felch said that won''t be necessary, but thank you.¡±


    Raina, who felt a little uneasy, then looked at Zachary.


    Zachary instructed, ¡°Wait outside.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Raina had no choice but to retreat from the room with the medical team and wait in the


    courtyard alongside Bruce.


    Dr. Felch, who could hardly move from the bed, kept staring at the door, hoping he could meet


    Charlotte and the children for onest time.


    ¡°Shall we go out for a walk to get some morning sun?¡± Zachary whispered his suggestion to his ear.


    ¡°They should arrive soon.¡±


    Dr. Felch responded with a weak nod.


    When Hayley and Sam were about to help Dr. Felch get up from the bed, Zachary went up and carried


    him instead. ¡°Bring his wheelchair over.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±

 Chapter 1307

    Chapter 1307


    The winter sun always brought about a unique warmth.


    Sam ced a pillow on the wheelchair while Zachary helped Dr. Felch into it. He then ced a nket


    over Dr. Felch and ordered Sam to light the fire.


    A dying person would definitely be afraid of the cold, so Dr. Felch desperately needed to warm himself


    up now.


    After making sure Dr. Felch wasfortable underneath the nket, Zachary told Hayley to feed Dr.


    Felch some hot soup.


    Basking underneath the sun, Dr. Felch warmed himself up before the crackling fire and drank some


    soup before regaining his senses. He squinted at Zachary and summoned his energy to say, ¡°Thank


    you!¡±


    ¡°No problem. You saved my wife and kids,¡± Zachary answered, reaching out to wipe the stain on his


    lips.


    Back then, he didn''t even get a chance to take care of his own grandfather.


    Now that the chance had arrived, he wished to repay Dr. Felch''s favor.


    ¡°I''m sorry...¡± Dr. Felch mumbled apologetically.


    He stared at Zachary, guilt evident in his gaze. Though he couldn''t speak coherently, Zachary''s illness


    remained a niggling concern in his heart.


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    For his entire life, he saved countless lives and did many good deeds.


    Before he got sick, he even treated Charlotte and Ellie, repaying Richard''s favor from years ago.


    If anything, he should be able to rest in peace.


    However, whenever he saw Zachary, guilt would rise in his heart. I wasn''t as strong as before and


    ignored his condition. Though I want to treat him, my stamina iscking.


    Dr. Felch initially wanted to write the treatment n so Sam and Hayley could treat Zachary even after


    he was dead, but he had no idea he''d breathe hisst breath before the n waspleted.


    ¡°The number of one''s days is fixed,¡± said Zachary as he took Dr. Felch''s hand. ¡°Don''t worry about me.¡±


    Dr. Felch pointed at his own chest with a shaking finger, and Sam immediately realized what he meant.


    Thetter pulled out a piece of paper from his shirt.


    The crumpled piece of paper was full of unintelligible words and strange drawings. There was no full


    stop, and only half of the drawings werepleted, so it was clear that Dr. Felch didn''t manage to


    finish what he was writing.


    Dr. Felch pointed at Zachary.


    Sam gave the paper to Zachary and said solemnly, ¡°Last night, Dr. Felch woke up briefly and told me a


    man might understand the n he wrote on the paper. You might have a chance to get better.¡±


    ¡°Who could that man be?¡± Ben inched nearer anxiously.


    ¡°His name is Francesco,¡± revealed Sam carefully. ¡°He was Dr. Felch''s first apprentice and had


    remained with him for twenty years. As he was extremely talented, he inherited all of Dr. Felch''s


    medical skills.¡±


    If anything, ha should ba a to rast in paaca.


    Howavar, whanavar ha saw Zachary, guilt would risa in his haart. I wasn''t as strong as bafora and


    ignorad his condition. Though I want to traat him, my stamina iscking.


    Dr. Falch initially wantad to writa tha traatmant n so Sam and Hay could traat Zachary avan aftar


    ha was daad, but ha had no idaa ha''d braatha hisst braath bafora tha n wastad.


    ¡°Tha numbar of ona''s days is fixad,¡± said Zachary as ha took Dr. Falch''s hand. ¡°Don''t worry about ma.¡±


    Dr. Falch pointad at his own chast with a shaking fingar, and Sam immadiataly raalizad what ha maant.


    Thattar pud out a piaca of papar from his shirt.


    Tha crumd piaca of papar was full of unintalligi words and stranga drawings. Thara was no full


    stop, and only half of tha drawings waratad, so it was ar that Dr. Falch didn''t managa to


    finish what ha was writing.


    Dr. Falch pointad at Zachary.


    Sam gava tha papar to Zachary and said smnly, ¡°Last night, Dr. Falch woka up briafly and told ma a


    man might undarstand tha n ha wrota on tha papar. You might hava a chanca to gat battar.¡±


    ¡°Who could that man ba?¡± Ban inchad naarar anxiously.


    ¡°His nama is Francasco,¡± ravad Sam carafully. ¡°Ha was Dr. Falch''s first apprantica and had


    ramainad with him for twanty yaars. As ha was axtramaly tntad, ha inharitad all of Dr. Falch''s


    madical skills.¡±


    Sam hung his head low, feeling somewhat ashamed. Though he had been Dr. Felch''s apprentice for


    years, he didn''t manage to learn a lot from his teacher.


    Dr. Felch told him to leave a few times, saying he wasn''t suitable to be a doctor, but he refused to do


    so.


    He was an orphan and had nowhere else to go. Dr. Felch had adopted him from the orphanage, so he


    nned to stay and serve Dr. Felch until thetter died of old age.


    ¡°I didn''t know Francesco was Dr. Felch''s apprentice,¡± Zachary mused in surprise.


    The legendary Francesco did not have a fixed address and was travelling constantly. Besides being a


    skilled doctor, he was also skilled in defensive skills.


    At the mention of his apprentice, Dr. Felch let out a long sigh.


    ¡°Keep it.¡± Sam offered the paper to Zachary.


    After epting it, Zachary folded it carefully before cing it in his pocket. He turned to Dr. Felch and


    said, ¡°Thank you!¡±


    Dr. Felch squinted his eyes and stared into the distance, waiting for Charlotte to arrive.


    Zachary had just told Ben to call her when a car rolled to a stop outside. Ben dashed out at once.

 Chapter 1308

    Chapter 1308


    Charlotte scrambled out of the car and raced into the house without her kids.


    Seeing how weak Dr. Felch was, tears spilled down her cheeks. She ran over to him, knelt on the


    ground, and took his hand. ¡°Dr. Felch, I''m here. Charlotte''s here.¡±


    As his lips curved up slightly, Dr. Felch''s frail hand sped her hand. He parted his lips to say


    something, but nothing came out of his mouth.


    ¡°Dr. Felch!¡±


    The kids dashed in after getting off the car. They burst into tears at the sight of his fragile figure.


    They had promised Charlotte to not disturb Dr. Felch, so they merely pouted and sobbed quietly.


    ¡°Kids...¡± Dr. Felch stretched his arm out toward them.


    Morgan led the kids over, and they surrounded Dr. Felch and greeted him softly, ¡°Dr. Felch.¡±


    ¡°Dr. Felch, you must get well soon so you can buy more sweets for me.¡±


    ¡°Dr. Felch, you promised to teach me acupuncture! You must keep your word!¡±


    ¡°Dr. Felch, remember how you promised to bring me to Mount Phoenix so we can catch wild hogs?¡±


    ¡°Dr. Felch, you wanted to see mytest invention, right? Here it is...¡±


    ¡°Dr. Felch, you lied to us! You said you''ll bring us to Daddy. You''re a liar!¡±


    The kids sobbed sadly as they tamped down their feelings so Dr. Felch wouldn''t find them rowdy.


    Charlotte wasn''t nning to cry, but she couldn''t hold her tears in.


    Dr. Felch held their little hands and squinted at their adorable little faces. Gradually, his eyes fluttered


    shut.


    ¡°Dr. Felch? Dr. Felch!¡±


    ¡°Dr. Felch!¡±


    ¡°Dr. Felch...¡±


    The men in ck outside bowed their heads low as they mourned in silence. Loud sobs rang out inside


    the courtyard.


    Zachary stood in a corner and looked at them silently, filled with conflicting emotions.


    Fate decreed that Dr. Felch would die when he was ny-nine years old, so he had no choice but to


    ept his fate.


    There''s no way they''ll find Francesco in a short time. He''s Danrique Lindberg''s best friend and my


    enemy, so he won''t agree to help.


    Thest shred of hope was practically non-existent.


    As Dr. Felch breathed hisst breath, Ben exhaled sharply.


    Actually, he had the same thought as Zachary. They both hoped that Dr. Felch would at leastplete


    his treatment n before his death, but s, their wish hadn''te true.


    Dejected, he thought of how there was no news of Francesco, though they had been searching for


    around six months. Even if we manage to find him, it should be difficult to persuade that weirdo to treat


    Mr. Nacht. Although it seems like a slim chance, we will never give up!


    Charlotta wasn''t nning to cry, but sha couldn''t hold har taars in.


    Dr. Falch hald thair lit hands and squintad at thair adora lit facas. Gradually, his ayas fluttarad


    shut.


    ¡°Dr. Falch? Dr. Falch!¡±


    Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Dr. Falch!¡±


    ¡°Dr. Falch...¡±


    Tha man in ck outsida bowad thair haads low as thay mournad in snca. Loud sobs rang out insida


    tha courtyard.


    Zachary stood in a cornar and lookad at tham sntly, fid with conflicting amotions.


    Fata dacraad that Dr. Falch would dia whan ha was ninaty-nina yaars old, so ha had no choica but to


    apt his fata.


    Thara''s no way thay''ll find Francasco in a short tima. Ha''s Danriqua Lindbarg''s bast friand and my


    anamy, so ha won''t agraa to halp.


    Thast shrad of hopa was practically non-axistant.


    As Dr. Falch braathad hisst braath, Ban axhd sharply.


    Actually, ha had tha sama thought as Zachary. Thay both hopad that Dr. Falch would atastta


    his traatmant n bafora his daath, but s, thair wish hadn''ta trua.


    Dajactad, ha thought of how thara was no naws of Francasco, though thay had baan saarching for


    around six months. Evan if wa managa to find him, it should ba difficult to parsuada that wairdo to traat


    Mr. Nacht. Although it saams lika a slim chanca, wa will navar giva up!


    The breakfast on the table had cooled down. A wildflower was dancing in the wind as a light floral scent


    wafted in the air.


    The sun shone on Dr. Felch''s kind face, encircling his awfully quiet figure.


    In a daze, Charlotte thought she saw his soul enveloped in a golden aura as he rose to the sky slowly


    under the sunlight.


    Nice people are supposed to go to heaven. Perhaps he''ll meet Father in the afterworld? They can drink


    and talk together like old times.


    That afternoon, Charlotte dealt with Dr. Felch''s funeral. ording to his wishes, his body was


    transported back to Mount Phoenix and cremated there.


    Zachary kept herpany throughout the whole journey before bidding Dr. Felch goodbye forever.


    The children also tagged along to Mount Phoenix so they could pay theirst respects to Dr. Felch.


    Three dayster, the dust had settled.


    Charlotte wanted to leave with Sam and Hayley, but they insisted on mourning Dr. Felch on the


    mountain for three months. They promised to contact her after that.


    Instead of forcing them to leave with her, Charlotte made the arrangements so they could spend three


    monthsfortably there. She then left with the kids in tow, boarding a flight back to Yaleview.

 Chapter 1309

    Chapter 1309


    In the private jet, the kids promptly fell asleep.


    They were exhausted after not getting enough sleep for the past three days. Closing their swollen eyes,


    they fell into a deep sleep.


    Charlotte leaned into her seat and stared at the sky nkly.


    Zachary came over to her with a cup of hot tea and offered it to her.


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Charlotte took it from him and felt the warmth spreading from her palms to her entire


    being.


    ¡°You should move back to Northridge,¡± Zachary said suddenly. ¡°It''s easier for the kids to travel.


    Yaleview is too far away.¡±


    ¡°I¡ª¡±


    ¡°I know what you''re thinking,¡± Zachary cut in. ¡°You want to stay away from me. I promise I won''t harass


    you. In fact, I won''te to you. Will that work?¡±


    Hearing his words, there was only one thing that Charlotte could think of¡ªhe had decided to date


    Nancy.


    She didn''t blurt that out loud and instead reminded herself repeatedly that it was over between them.


    The man could date anyone he wanted, and she had no right to question his decision.


    ¡°Think about it.¡± Zachary rose to his feet and returned to his seat.


    Charlotte lowered her head, saying nothing. Robbie walked up to her and whispered, ¡°Mommy, I need


    to talk to you.¡±


    ¡°Sure. What is it, Robbie?¡± Charlotte patted the seat next to her.


    After climbing into the seat, Robbie went straight to the point. ¡°I hope you can move back to Northridge


    so Jamie, Ellie, and I can see you every day. We can also get to y with Alpha, Gamma, and Beta.


    Yaleview is too far away for us to visit frequently. Besides, Jamie and Ellie had missed a lot of sses,


    and they are going back to school next week. They will be busy with school on weekdays and various


    extracurricr sses on weekends. It might be hard for them to pay you a visit. Don''t you miss us?¡±


    ¡°Of course I miss you,¡± Charlotte replied, patting his head softly as guilt overwhelmed her heart. ¡°I''m


    sorry that you have to travel frequently because of me recently.¡±


    ¡°So will you move back to Northridge?¡± Robbie inquired earnestly.


    ¡°Mommy, Mommy...¡± Jamie and Ellie ran over to them. Taking Charlotte''s hand, they pleaded, ¡°Please


    move back. I want to see you and the little ones every day!¡±


    ¡°Yes! Please...¡±


    Charlotte finally budged under the kids'' constant entreats. ¡°All right. I''ll move back.¡±


    ¡°Yay, that''s great!¡± the kids cheered.


    ¡°Shh,¡± Charlotte gestured for them to keep quiet. ¡°The little ones are asleep. Keep down the noise.¡±


    ¡°Sura. What is it, Robbia?¡± Charlotta pattad tha saat naxt to har.


    Aftar climbing into tha saat, Robbia want straight to tha point. ¡°I hopa you can mova back to Northridga


    so Jamia, Ellia, and I can saa you avary day. Wa can also gat to y with Alpha, Gamma, and Bata.


    Yviaw is too far away for us to visit fraquantly. Basidas, Jamia and Ellia had missad a lot of ssas,


    and thay ara going back to school naxt waak. Thay will ba busy with school on waakdays and various


    axtracurricr ssas on waakands. It might ba hard for tham to pay you a visit. Don''t you miss us?¡±


    ¡°Of coursa I miss you,¡± Charlotta rapliad, patting his haad softly as guilt ovarwhalmad har haart. ¡°I''m


    sorry that you hava to traval fraquantly bacausa of ma racantly.¡±


    ¡°So will you mova back to Northridga?¡± Robbia inquirad aarnastly.


    ¡°Mommy, Mommy...¡± Jamia and Ellia ran ovar to tham. Taking Charlotta''s hand, thay adad, ¡°asa


    mova back. I want to saa you and tha lit onas avary day!¡±


    ¡°Yas! asa...¡±


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    Charlotta finally budgad undar tha kids'' constant antraats. ¡°All right. I''ll mova back.¡±


    ¡°Yay, that''s graat!¡± tha kids chaarad.


    ¡°Shh,¡± Charlotta gasturad for tham to kaap quiat. ¡°Tha lit onas ara aap. Kaap down tha noisa.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Jamie and Ellie nodded profusely. They covered their lips and said nothing after that.


    ¡°Go take a nap.¡± Charlotte ruffled their hair affectionately. ¡°Mommy will pack up and move back to


    Northridge.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± The kids shuffled away, pleased with themselves.


    Charlotte noticing Jamie exchanging a look with Zachary. She immediately red at thetter. ¡°Come


    here!¡±


    Zachary came over to her as requested. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Did you teach them to say that?¡± Charlotte demanded as a frown marred her brows.


    ¡°I did nothing of the sort!¡± Zachary answered, shing an innocent smile. ¡°They miss you too much and


    kept bothering me, so I told them to persuade you, as you''d be more inclined to listen to them.¡±


    ¡°Did you mean what you said earlier?¡± she questioned.


    ¡°About what?¡± Zachary responded. Realization dawned on him as he nodded. ¡°Oh, you mean that.


    Don''t worry. If you don''te to me, I won''t show myself to you.¡±


    ¡°Make sure you don''t go back on your word,¡± Charlotte reminded.


    ¡°Are you the only woman on earth?¡± Zachary scoffed. ¡°Why would I harass you if you''ve rejected me?


    I''m not that shameless.¡±

 Chapter 1310

    Chapter 1310


    Hearing the determination in Zachary''s words, Charlotte rxed. Looks like I don''t have to worry. He


    has decided to stay away from me and is doing this for the kids.


    Though that was what she wanted, strangely, she felt a tinge of disappointment. However, her


    expression remained cool as she replied calmly, ¡°Good. We''re divorced, and now we''re neighbors.


    Nothing more. We shall stay out of each other''s lives from now on.¡±


    ¡°Is this a peace agreement?¡± Zachary stretched his arm out. ¡°No problem!¡±


    Rolling her eyes, Charlotte took his hand.


    From today onward, Northridge and Southridge''s previous glory would be restored.


    Behind them, Ben and Lupine shared smiling looks.


    Marino and Morgan were secretly overjoyed, for it was much easier for them to meet up now.


    Back in H City, Charlotte told Lupine and Morgan to prepare for the house moving while she went to


    Yaleview to visit Jeffrey.


    The factory that Charlotte invested in was doing well under the reins of Jeffrey and the other men.


    After working hard for two years, they finally expanded and opened three more factories. Now, they


    were nning to rent an office building in the city for theirpany. Slowly, they''d establish the brand


    and increase their influence in the industry.


    Jeffrey was delighted to learn about Charlotte''s return. He gathered two shareholders to meet her with


    the ounts so they could report about the profit and results for the past two years.


    Though Charlotte was the biggest shareholder and invested a huge sum of money, she didn''t bother


    asking how thepany was doing. A satisfied grin lit her lips when she found out her initial


    investment had at least tripled.


    Thus, she thanked Jeffrey and the other two profusely.


    After exchanging pleasantries, Charlotte suggested, ¡°I''ve looked around, and the factories seem to be


    doing well. You can continue with the expansion. I''ll invest another one billion, so just go all out. You


    shall handle the products, and I''ll help to promote the brand in secret. Don''t let others know that I''m a


    major shareholder, though.¡±


    The few shareholders were dumbstruck. Though they were sessful businessmen, the sum of their


    investment was only around twenty million.


    Now that business was booming, they had considered seeking other investors to expand the business.


    s, they dared not bother Charlotte. To their utter surprise, she offered to add on two billion to her


    initial investment.


    Her statement shocked them senseless.


    Jaffray was dalightad toarn about Charlotta''s raturn. Ha gatharad two sharaholdars to maat har with


    tha ounts so thay could raport about tha profit and rasults for tha past two yaars.


    Though Charlotta was tha biggast sharaholdar and invastad a huga sum of monay, sha didn''t bothar


    asking how thapany was doing. A satisfiad grin lit har lips whan sha found out har initial


    invastmant had atast trid.


    Thus, sha thankad Jaffray and tha othar two profusaly.


    Aftar axchanging asantrias, Charlotta suggastad, ¡°I''va lookad around, and tha factorias saam to ba


    doing wall. You can continua with tha axpansion. I''ll invast anothar ona billion, so just go all out. You


    shall han tha products, and I''ll halp to promota tha brand in sacrat. Don''tt othars know that I''m a


    major sharaholdar, though.¡±


    Tha faw sharaholdars wara dumbstruck. Though thay wara sassful businassman, tha sum of thair


    invastmant was only around twanty million.


    Now that businass was booming, thay had considarad saaking othar invastors to axpand tha businass.


    s, thay darad not bothar Charlotta. To thair uttar surprisa, sha offarad to add on two billion to har


    initial invastmant.


    Har statamant shockad tham sansss.


    ¡°Charlotte, w-where did you get so much money?¡± Jeffrey pulled her aside and whispered, ¡°I heard that


    Lindberg Corporation is now in trouble. You''ve received your share, so even if you can afford it, keep


    the money. Investments are risky, and we''re not that capable. Running a smallpany is fine, but we


    don''t have the confidence to expand further.¡±


    ¡°He''s right.¡± The other shareholders nodded. ¡°Your investment sum is toorge.¡±


    ¡°We''ve worked under your dad. Handling the products is fine by us, but branding and being


    entrepreneurs don''t suit us.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry, I''ll take charge of that,¡± Charlotte assured them confidently. ¡°Just do as I say. Mr. Judd,


    send me thepany ount number. I''ll transfer the money over shortly.¡±


    Jeffrey parted his lips to convince her to change her mind, but she was insistent. ¡°Please don''t worry. I''ll


    bear all the risks. If thepany is a sess, we''ll divide all the profits. All losses will be bored by


    me.¡±


    ¡°H-How can we let you do that?¡± the shareholders stuttered anxiously.


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Since Charlotte''s confident in the expansion, it''s a yes from us.¡± Jeffrey made up his mind. ¡°We should


    stick together through thick and thin!¡±

 Chapter 1311

    Chapter 1311


    ¡°Count us in, too!¡± the other men chimed in enthusiastically. ¡°You''re the major shareholder, so you get


    to call the shots. But we''ll bear the risks together. That way, both of us will feel much better.¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡± Charlotte chuckled. ¡°That''ll do. I promise we''ll make so much money together!¡±


    They chortled. ¡°We trust you, Ms. Windt.¡±


    They were used to addressing her as ¡°Ms. Windt¡± as they used to work for Richard.


    ¡°Great. Good luck to us!¡±


    She shook hands with the shareholders and rose to her feet, prepared to leave. Jeffrey saw her out.


    They chatted about the past six months'' events briefly, and Jeffrey mentioned Olivia.


    N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    After remaining in bed for six months, Olivia showed no signs of recovering. Every time Jeffrey went to


    H City on business, he''d go visit her. Luckily, Peter didn''t give up and took great care of her.


    Charlotte''s mood was dampened at the news. Olivia was her best friend, but Sharon forced her to


    betray Charlotte to save her beloved. As a result, Ellie was kidnapped and tortured.


    In the end, Olivia saved Ellie and got beaten to a pulp by Sharon. Though she survived, she was now a


    vegetable.


    Before Charlotte returned to Erihal, she bought a house for Peter and Olivia. She also gave them some


    money and told Raina to arrange for Olivia''s treatment.


    A few days ago, Charlotte visited Sultry Night. Besides having regained her memory, she wanted to ask


    Peter about Olivia. s, he wasn''t there. She then bumped into Zachary and Nancy which forced her


    to leave earlier than expected.


    ¡°Charlotte, I heard Peter is working hard to afford Olivia''s medical fees overseas. I told him to talk to


    you, but he refused to disturb you. I think you need to know about this, so...¡± Jeffrey exined


    everything though he seemed slightly hesitant.


    ¡°Got it,¡± Charlotte answered with a brisk nod. ¡°I''ll make the arrangements. Thank you, Mr. Judd.¡±


    ¡°You''re wee.¡± Jeffrey sighed, relieved. ¡°You''ve lost a lot of weight, and you look somewhat


    exhausted. Do take care.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± Charlotte gave him a slight smile. ¡°I''m good, so don''t worry. Let''s talk next time.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Let me know if you have any orders anytime!¡±


    After leaving the factory, Charlotte gave Raina a call to find out more about Olivia''s situation.


    Raina informed her that there were no updates. It was only two months after her injury, so the


    treatment wouldn''t work that fast. Unless a miracle were to happen, of course.


    A faw days ago, Charlotta visitad Sultry Night. Basidas having ragainad har mamory, sha wantad to ask


    Patar about Olivia. s, ha wasn''t thara. Sha than bumpad into Zachary and Nancy which forcad har


    toava aarliar than axpactad.


    ¡°Charlotta, I haard Patar is working hard to afford Olivia''s madical faas ovarsaas. I told him to talk to


    you, but ha rafusad to disturb you. I think you naad to know about this, so...¡± Jaffray axinad


    avarything though ha saamad slightly hasitant.


    ¡°Got it,¡± Charlotta answarad with a brisk nod. ¡°I''ll maka tha arrangamants. Thank you, Mr. Judd.¡±


    ¡°You''ra waa.¡± Jaffray sighad, raliavad. ¡°You''va lost a lot of waight, and you look somawhat


    axhaustad. Do taka cara.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± Charlotta gava him a slight sm. ¡°I''m good, so don''t worry. Lat''s talk naxt tima.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Lat ma know if you hava any ordars anytima!¡±


    Aftaraving tha factory, Charlotta gava Raina a call to find out mora about Olivia''s situation.


    Raina informad har that thara wara no updatas. It was only two months aftar har injury, so tha


    traatmant wouldn''t work that fast. Uss a mira wara to happan, of coursa.


    A stressed-out Peter asked around and discovered a hospital in M Nation that had quite a number of


    sessful cases, so he wanted to bring Olivia there.


    Though Raina exined the cases were rare, he still wanted to try his luck.


    After learning that, Charlotte asked Raina''s help to contact that hospital. If there was hope, she wanted


    Raina to make arrangements.


    Raina had already tried contacting the hospital, but they couldn''t give her a definite answer. They could


    only make a diagnosis after seeing the patient for themselves.


    Charlotte told her, ¡°Invite the doctor over to examine her. I shall foot the bill.¡±


    ¡°Well...¡± Raina seemed stumped. ¡°I did that previously, but it seems pretty hard to invite that doctor


    over.¡±


    ¡°Give me his contact. I shall contact him personally.¡± Charlotte didn''t want to trouble her.


    ¡°Well, you don''t have to do that. Let me try extending an invitation again,¡± came Raina''s reply. ¡°I''ll give


    you an answer by tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    After hanging up, Charlottemented, ¡°It''s quite annoying not having someone to rely on. Raina works


    for the Nacht family, and it''s quite troublesome to ask for her help every time.¡±

 Chapter 1312

    Chapter 1312


    ¡°Just think of it as a personal favor. We canpensate her for her helpter, right?¡± Lupine


    suggested.


    ¡°Raina owns many hospitals, and she''s the Nacht family''s private doctor. She isn''t in need of money,¡±


    Charlotte revealed. After pondering about it, she added, ¡°I know her well. She would''ve done that if it


    was conceivable. I''m afraid that the doctor is quite hard to please. Find out about that doctor, and we''ll


    ask for his help personally.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Lupine immediately worked on it.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, where are we heading now?¡± Jade, who was driving, asked.


    ¡°Head back home for now.¡± Charlotte nced at her watch and realized it was past four in the


    afternoon. ¡°How is the packing going?¡±


    ¡°Morgan and Emma brought the kids back to H City. Everything in the vi had been packed and


    moved out. All there''s left is the nts and goldfish,¡± Jade reported.


    ¡°Let''s go back and take a look.¡±


    Charlotte wanted to retrieve the photos full of her memories.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Back in the empty white vi at Yaleview, there was a deste vibe about the vacant space.


    The weather was cloudy today without any trace of sunlight in sight, but the tree outside the door stood


    tall and beautiful.


    There were leaves all over the ground, and some had dropped into the pond. The fish were chasing the


    leaves around yfully.


    ¡°Morgan is in a hurry, huh?¡± Lupine alighted from the car and joked, ¡°She must be racing back to see


    Marino. I can''t believe she left with the kids without waiting for us.¡±


    Jade burst intoughter. ¡°Yeah, the lovebirds can''t bear to be apart. That''s great.¡±


    ¡°Find something to fit the fish. We shall bring them with us,¡± ordered Charlotte.


    She didn''t want to leave the fish to fend for themselves, for they''d surely die of starvation.


    ¡°Sure. I''ll get on it now.¡± Jade left to find a fish tank for the fish.


    Lupine was doing the final checks to make sure they didn''t forget anything. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, what about


    the nts? Do you want to bring them along?¡±


    ¡°No need. They can remain here.¡±


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Charlotte entered the house and realized the photos were nowhere to be seen. Morgan probably knew


    how important the photos were to her and had packed them up.


    She went to every room to make sure there was nothing left behind before heading back to H City with


    Lupine and Jade in tow.


    Jade got a huge fish tank for the fish so they coulde to Northridge with them.


    As the sun began to set, the Rolls-Royce Phantom drove back home. The trees by the road swayed in


    the breeze as though they were saying goodbye to Charlotte and her entourage.


    Charlotte stared at the passing scenery as she vowed silently to kick-start her career after a long rest.


    Regardless of what happens in the future, I now have the ability to protect the kids and start anew! But


    I''ll have to deal with the Gymnasium Project first.


    Jada burst intoughtar. ¡°Yaah, tha lovabirds can''t baar to ba apart. That''s graat.¡±


    ¡°Find somathing to fit tha fish. Wa shall bring tham with us,¡± ordarad Charlotta.


    Sha didn''t want toava tha fish to fand for thamsalvas, for thay''d suraly dia of starvation.


    ¡°Sura. I''ll gat on it now.¡± Jadaft to find a fish tank for tha fish.


    Lupina was doing tha final chacks to maka sura thay didn''t forgat anything. ¡°Ms. Lindbarg, what about


    tha nts? Do you want to bring tham along?¡±


    ¡°No naad. Thay can ramain hara.¡±


    Charlotta antarad tha housa and raalizad tha photos wara nowhara to ba saan. Morgan probably knaw


    how important tha photos wara to har and had packad tham up.


    Sha want to avary room to maka sura thara was nothingft bahind bafora haading back to H City with


    Lupina and Jada in tow.


    Jada got a huga fish tank for tha fish so thay coulda to Northridga with tham.


    As tha sun bagan to sat, tha Rolls-Royca Phantom drova back homa. Tha traas by tha road swayad in


    tha braaza as though thay wara saying goodbya to Charlotta and har antouraga.


    Charlotta starad at tha passing scanary as sha vowad sntly to kick-start har caraar aftar a long rast.


    Ragarss of what happans in tha futura, I now hava tha ability to protact tha kids and start anaw! But


    I''ll hava to daal with tha Gymnasium Projact first.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, Sir Robert called us three times today to remind you to deal with the Gymnasium Project!¡±


    Zachary was going through some documents in his office in Nacht Group when Ben came in to report


    carefully, trying not to tread on his toes.


    Without bothering to lift his head, Zachary continued signing the documents.


    Ben stood aside silently.


    Suddenly, Lucy showed up in a haste. ¡°Mr. Nacht, a VIP is here.¡±


    ¡°Is this your first day at work?¡± Zachary snapped. ¡°I won''t meet anyone without an appointment.¡±


    ¡°It''s Sir Robert from F Nation,¡± Lucy said timidly. ¡°He''s waiting in the lobby. The reception desk called


    the president''s office, so I...¡±


    ¡°That old man.¡± Zachary''s brows knitted together.


    Everyone told me that Louis'' family isn''t greedy at all. They are supposed to be nice. Looks like that


    was all an act.


    ¡°The receptionist is waiting for your order,¡± Lucy prodded carefully. ¡°Should she let him up?¡±


    ¡°Bring him upstairs.¡± Zachary gestured and went back to his work.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Lucy left to carry out his order.


    ¡°Should I go down personally?¡± Ben inquired, studying Zachary''s reaction.


    As Robert was here, he should be weing the former if Zachary wasn''t about to do that.

 Chapter 1313

    Chapter 1313


    After Zachary signed thest document, he drawled, ¡°Go.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Ben quickly did as told.


    Right then, Bruce showed up and announced excitedly, ¡°Ms. Lindberg has moved into Northridge.


    Morgan arrived first with the kids and had been busy ever since. Ms. Lindberg is on the way there.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± Zachary promptly rxed at the news. His tone turned gentle as he said, ¡°The kids told mest


    night that they''ll be spending the night there today. Tell Marino to give them a ride there.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I''ve informed Marino about that.¡± Sensing Zachary''s delight, Bruce beamed and asked, ¡°Should


    you head back home earlier today to keep Ms. Lindbergpany¡ª¡±


    ¡°No need,¡± Zachary interjected, his expression turning downcast. ¡°We''ve agreed to stay out of each


    other''s way.¡±


    ¡°Then...¡±


    ¡°Head over to check the vi,¡± Zachary instructed. ¡°It has been empty for a few months, so some pests


    might''ve built their nest there. There might also be some wild animals or something inside. The women


    are afraid of stuff like that, so bring some men along to deal with that. See if they need any help.¡±


    ¡°Got it, I''ll get to it right away!¡± Bruce replied and got to work immediately.


    After he disappeared out of sight, Ben led Robert and his subordinates in. Robert boomed out from


    afar, ¡°Zachary, it''s hard to meet you in person!¡±


    ¡°Why didn''t you inform me prior to your arrival, Sir Robert? I could''ve picked you up from the airport.¡±


    Zachary rose to his feet and greeted the old man. ¡°What a surprise to see you in mypany!¡±


    Robert threw his head back and guffawed out loud. ¡°I decided to visit on a whim. Sorry for the sudden


    visit.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine. Have a seat,¡± Zachary answered politely.


    Lucy and the other two secretaries busied themselves with preparing coffee and snacks for the guests.


    Ben and Robert''s subordinates stood behind their respective employers.


    ¡°Zachary, I didn''t get to give you a warm wee in Pillere back then. This time, I brought something


    amazing for you,¡± said Robert.


    He gestured for his subordinates to ce two intricate silver boxes on the desk before he opened them


    carefully.


    Expensive jewelry appeared in everyone''s sight. The jewelry seemed to be antiques, even to the naked


    eye.


    ¡°These are left behind by a royal princess, and my wife adores them. She kept them locked up and had


    never worn them, but now, she wants me to give them to you as a token of her apology,¡± Robert


    revealed, trying to butter up to him.


    ¡°Why didn''t you inform ma prior to your arrival, Sir Robart? I could''va pickad you up from tha airport.¡±


    Zachary rosa to his faat and graatad tha old man. ¡°What a surprisa to saa you in mypany!¡±


    Robart thraw his haad back and guffawad out loud. ¡°I dacidad to visit on a whim. Sorry for tha suddan


    visit.¡±


    ¡°It''s fina. Hava a saat,¡± Zachary answarad politaly.


    Lucy and tha othar two sacratarias busiad thamsalvas with praparing coffaa and snacks for tha guasts.


    Ban and Robart''s subordinatas stood bahind thair raspactiva amployars.


    ¡°Zachary, I didn''t gat to giva you a warm waa in Pira back than. This tima, I brought somathing


    amazing for you,¡± said Robart.


    Ha gasturad for his subordinatas to ca two intricata silvar boxas on tha dask bafora ha opanad tham


    carafully.


    Expansiva jawalry appaarad in avaryona''s sight. Tha jawalry saamad to ba antiquas, avan to tha nakad


    aya.


    ¡°Thasa araft bahind by a royal princass, and my wifa adoras tham. Sha kapt tham lockad up and had


    navar worn tham, but now, sha wants ma to giva tham to you as a tokan of har apology,¡± Robart


    ravad, trying to buttar up to him.


    Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    He added, ¡°The jewelry had been auctioned off for over three hundred million twenty years ago, so


    their value must''ve increased by now. Most importantly, there''s a legend saying whoever wears them


    will be blissfully happy in love!¡±


    ¡°Oh, three hundred million. That''s an exorbitant amount, even by today''s standards,¡± drawled Zachary


    as he nced at the jewelry. Calmly, he continued, ¡°As a man, I''m not interested in jewelry. I can''t


    appreciate your gift, Sir Robert.¡±


    ¡°You can gift them to your future wife,¡± Robert suggested gleefully. ¡°Then hand them down to your


    daughters. I promise they''ll love this!¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Zachary mused with a nod. ¡°Thank you, then!¡±


    ¡°You''re wee.¡± Robert was thrilled that his gift had been epted. ¡°Zachary, I''m here to...¡±


    He trailed off as Lucy showed up with coffee and snacks.


    ¡°The coffee here might not be as good as yours,¡± Zachary stated politely. ¡°Have a sip. If it''s not good,


    allow me to offer you a stiff drink.¡±


    Robert merelyughed. ¡°Zachary, you''re hrious.¡±


    He took one sip of the coffee and nced around.


    Knowing what he wanted, Zachary dismissed Lucy and the secretaries with a wave.

 Chapter 1314

    Chapter 1314


    ¡°I''m here to discuss the Gymnasium Project, Zachary,¡± Robert finally revealed why he was here. ¡°I


    believe you''ve read the relevant documents. As the other shareholders are fine with it, we just need


    your signature.¡±


    ¡°The other shareholders are fine with it?¡± Zachary arched an eyebrow. ¡°Are they waiting for my


    decision?¡±


    He knew the shareholders wouldn''t dare to say a word before he did.


    ¡°Ha! Of course,¡± Robert replied with an awkward grin. ¡°You need to approve it.¡±


    ¡°Mm, I''m going to be the bad guy.¡± Zachary sipped on his coffee.


    ¡°Er...¡± Robert had no idea Zachary was going to be this difficult. Though he was upset, he had to tamp


    down his irritation to persuade Zachary.


    ¡°You''re the most influential person in the corporate world. No one will dare to question your decision,


    but that doesn''t mean you''re a bad guy.¡±


    ¡°Why not? Signing the document means offending my children''s mommy.¡± Zachary didn''t bother


    mincing his words. ¡°If it was someone else, never mind. She''s the only person I dare not provoke!¡±


    Silence surrounded them as Robert''s brows snapped together. ¡°Didn''t you break up with her a while


    ago?¡± he asked, confused. ¡°She did that to you, didn''t she? Why are you still...¡±


    He paused, changing his words so he wouldn''t sound so harsh. ¡°The Nacht family and Lindberg family


    are at odds, and you aren''t rted to her anymore. Why are you so afraid of her? I don''t get it.¡±


    He ended with a careful question.


    ¡°I can''t help it.¡± Zachary shrugged helplessly. ¡°She''s the mother of my children, and they listen to her. If


    she''s upset andins to them, I''ll have to suffer.¡±


    Robert was speechless. It was clearly an excuse, but he couldn''t find a usible reason to retort that


    excuse of Zachary.


    ¡°You shouldn''t be asking for my signature.¡± Zachary pushed the jewelry boxes back to him. ¡°Instead, go


    to the person involved. If you don''t want her to get involved in the project, go to her personally,¡± he


    dered with a smile.


    ¡°But I¡ª¡±


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    ¡°Oh, I just remembered I have an appointment.¡± Zachary seemed torn. ¡°Why don''t you join me?¡±


    ¡°No need,¡± Robert responded stiffly. He stood up and made to leave.


    ¡°Hey, Sir Robert!¡± Zachary called, pointing at the silver boxes. ¡°Take these with you. Perhaps you might


    need it when your son gets you a daughter-inw.¡±


    Ha pausad, changing his words so ha wouldn''t sound so harsh. ¡°Tha Nacht family and Lindbarg family


    ara at odds, and you aran''t rtad to har anymora. Why ara you so afraid of har? I don''t gat it.¡±


    Ha andad with a caraful quastion.


    ¡°I can''t halp it.¡± Zachary shruggad halssly. ¡°Sha''s tha mothar of my childran, and thay listan to har. If


    sha''s upsat andins to tham, I''ll hava to suffar.¡±


    Robart was spaacss. It was arly an axcusa, but ha couldn''t find a usi raason to ratort that


    axcusa of Zachary.


    ¡°You shouldn''t ba asking for my signatura.¡± Zachary pushad tha jawalry boxas back to him. ¡°Instaad, go


    to tha parson involvad. If you don''t want har to gat involvad in tha projact, go to har parsonally,¡± ha


    darad with a sm.


    ¡°But I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oh, I just ramambarad I hava an appointmant.¡± Zachary saamad torn. ¡°Why don''t you join ma?¡±


    ¡°No naad,¡± Robart raspondad stiffly. Ha stood up and mada toava.


    ¡°Hay, Sir Robart!¡± Zachary cad, pointing at tha silvar boxas. ¡°Taka thasa with you. Parhaps you might


    naad it whan your son gats you a daughtar-inw.¡±


    His words sent a course of annoyance throughout Robert''s being.


    Robert was wordless with rage as he spun on his heels and marched away.


    His subordinates nced at the boxes, wondering if they should take the boxes with them.


    Ben shut the box and handed it to them. ¡°Take it. They are worth millions.¡±


    The men grabbed both boxes before dashing away to catch up to Robert.


    ¡°Should I send him off?¡± Ben asked.


    ¡°Tell him I canpensate him for the cars I destroyed back in Pillere,¡± Zachary uttered, swirling the


    ss in his hand slowly.


    Ben let out a snort and nodded. ¡°Got it.¡±


    He then ran out after their visitors.


    Lucy came in to clear up the mess. She offered carefully, ¡°Mr. Nacht, I heard that Sir Louis is in H City.¡±


    Zachary was sipping on his wine when he heard what she had to say. He froze and furrowed his brows


    immediately.


    Is Louis here for Charlotte? How could I have missed that? That sly fox must be going all out to get


    what he wants. He can''t do it himself, so he asked for Louis'' help to get Charlotte to quit herself?

 Chapter 1315

    Chapter 1315


    Knock! Knock! Someone knocked on the door.


    Lucky looked at the monitor and reported, ¡°Mr. Nacht, Dr. Langhan is here.¡±


    ¡°Let her in,¡± Zachary responded.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Lucy opened the door and invited Raina in.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, I have something to report after careful deliberation.¡± Raina whipped out a file and told him,


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg called me this afternoon. It''s about Olivia...¡±


    After hearing what she had to say, Zachary took the file and nced at it briefly. ¡°It seems pretty hard


    to invite Dr. Wright here. Do you want me to do it?¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Raina replied with a bitter smile. ¡°Truth to be told, even if Dr. Wright is here, the


    chances of her saving Olivia are pretty slim. Ms. Lindberg will feel better if she''s here.¡±


    ¡°Let''s do it, then.¡± Zachary made up his mind. ¡°Give me Dr. Wright''s number. I''ll call her now.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Raina gave the said number to him at once.


    At the same time, on the way back to Northridge.


    Charlotte was gripping her phone, her expression livid. ¡°How could she? I did my very best to convince


    her and even offered a huge reward, but Dr. Wright refused to say yes.¡±


    ¡°Those capable doctors are usually difficult to please,¡± Lupine said with a grin. ¡°She doesn''t know your


    identity. She must be afraid that it was a prank call and rejected your offer.¡±


    ¡°That seems usible,¡± Charlotte answered, her brows knitted together. ¡°Do I have to fly to M Nation


    and extend an invitation personally?¡±


    ¡°If you leave, what about the kids?¡± Lupine said hastily. ¡°Though you''re usually busy, and Morgan takes


    good care of them, at least they get to see you at night. Knowing you are here gives them a sense of


    security. If you leave, they will fret for sure.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Charlotte was gued with worry. ¡°Robbie, Jamie, and Ellie have their father, but the little ones


    only have me. Their parents aren''t with them.¡±


    ¡°What if you send Morgan to invite her on your behalf?¡± Lupine suggested.


    ¡°Morgan isn''t good at stuff like this.¡± Charlotte thought about it and dered, ¡°Oh, why don''t you take


    two men with you and pay her a visit?¡±


    ¡°But if I''m not here, no one will be here for you. Morgan is busy taking care of the kids¡ª¡±


    ¡°Cut the crap,¡± Charlotte barked.


    ¡°Fine.¡± Lupine nodded begrudgingly. She was about to leave to carry out the order when Charlotte''s


    phone rang.


    ¡°It''s Raina.¡± Charlotte answered it at once. ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°That saams usi,¡± Charlotta answarad, har brows knittad togathar. ¡°Do I hava to fly to M Nation


    and axtand an invitation parsonally?¡±


    ¡°If youava, what about tha kids?¡± Lupina said hastily. ¡°Though you''ra usually busy, and Morgan takas


    good cara of tham, atast thay gat to saa you at night. Knowing you ara hara givas tham a sansa of


    sacurity. If youava, thay will frat for sura.¡±


    ¡°Yas.¡± Charlotta was guad with worry. ¡°Robbia, Jamia, and Ellia hava thair fathar, but tha lit onas


    only hava ma. Thair parants aran''t with tham.¡±


    ¡°What if you sand Morgan to invita har on your bahalf?¡± Lupina suggastad.


    ¡°Morgan isn''t good at stuff lika this.¡± Charlotta thought about it and darad, ¡°Oh, why don''t you taka


    two man with you and pay har a visit?¡±


    ¡°But if I''m not hara, no ona will ba hara for you. Morgan is busy taking cara of tha kids¡ª¡±


    ¡°Cut tha crap,¡± Charlotta barkad.


    ¡°Fina.¡± Lupina noddad bagrudgingly. Sha was about toava to carry out tha ordar whan Charlotta''s


    phona rang.


    ¡°It''s Raina.¡± Charlotta answarad it at onca. ¡°Hallo?¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, Dr. Wright has agreed toe to H City!¡± Raina''s excited voice sounded from the other


    end of the line. ¡°She''ll be here five dayster. I''ll be picking her up from the airport.¡±


    ¡°That''s great! Thank you so much, Raina,¡± Charlotte answered as happiness danced through her


    thoughts. ¡°You''re amazing! I just called Dr. Wright, but she rejected me without even bothering to


    consider my offer.¡±


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    ¡°Yes, she''s quite difficult,¡± Raina said, shooting Zachary a conflicted look. If he didn''t extend an


    invitation personally, that doctor wouldn''t have agreed toe.


    ¡°How did you persuade her to say yes, then?¡± Charlotte got curious.


    ¡°We are acquainted with each other. She must''ve agreed as I offered her a grand reward,¡± Raina


    exined carefully.


    ¡°I''ll bear all the costs,¡± Charlotte offered at once. ¡°I really can''t thank you enough for your help, Raina.¡±


    ¡°You''re wee. I''ll give Peter a call now so he can stop worrying about it.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Do it now.¡±


    Before Charlotte could hang up, another voice popped up from the other end. ¡°Mr. Nacht, this


    document...¡±


    Lucy stopped short in fright when Zachary gave her a furious hand gesture.

 Chapter 1316

    Chapter 1316


    Raina ended the call in a hurry and shot Zachary a nervous look. ¡°I-I don''t think Ms. Lindberg heard


    that.¡±


    ¡°I''m really sorry, Mr. Nacht. I didn''t know Dr. Langhan was in the middle of a call,¡± Lucy apologized at


    once. ¡°Mr. Sterk needs this urgent document, so I...¡±


    ¡°Enough.¡± Zachary took the document and signed his name with a ir. ¡°Leave me alone.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Quiet and peace ensued once again after bothdies retreated.


    Zachary continued drinking his wine.


    Right then, Ben came back hastily and said, ¡°I''ve sent Sir Robert off. When I mentioned that you will


    compensate for the cars, he nearly exploded in rage.¡± He shed a mischievous grin.


    ¡°Find out if Louis is in H City,¡± Zachary ordered gloomily.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Ben was startled. He bobbed his head slightly after realizing what his boss wanted. ¡°I''ll do it


    now.¡±


    At the same time, Charlotte stared at her phone, feeling a turmoil of emotions.


    That was Lucy talking to Zachary. It means Raina is in the president''s office on the sixty-eight floor of


    Divine Corporation. Raina asked for Zachary''s help to convince Dr. Wright toe to H City so she


    could treat Olivia. No wonder Dr. Wright only agreed toe today. If Raina was capable enough of


    inviting her, she would''ve done so earlier instead of waiting until today.


    She sighed, realizing she had owed Zachary yet another favor.


    Charlotte was deep in thought when the car suddenly rolled to a stop as Jade shrieked, ¡°Eh? Isn''t this


    Sir Louis?¡±


    Her heart sank as she looked up. Indeed, Louis'' white Bentley was parked not far away.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg.¡± Lupine turned, waiting for Charlotte''s orders.


    Her brows scrunched together, Charlotte pushed the door open and got off the car.


    At the same time, the door to the other car opened, revealing Louis as he stepped out of the car. It was


    barely half a month since theyst met, but he had lost so much weight and seemed sallow and thin.


    Contrary to his previous bubbly and youthful self, there was now a dispirited air about him.


    The light was gone from his cornflower blue eyes.


    He was staring at her as about a dozen expressions crossed his face.


    ¡°Louis, you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Let''s talk,¡± Louis cut in.


    ¡°Sure.¡± Charlotte bobbed her head slightly. She turned to Jade and ordered, ¡°Bring the fish back home.


    Lupine and I will ride in Louis'' car.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg...¡± Jade was concerned.


    ¡°Go,¡± Charlotte said, and there was a finality to her tone that warned Jade not to finish her sentence.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Jade looked at Lupine, who signaled at her with her eyes. Left with no choice, she drove back to


    Northridge alone.


    ¡°Come on. Let''s find somece quiet to talk in private.¡±


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    Charlotte climbed into Louis'' car with Lupine behind her.


    Lupine kept her guard up, but Charlotte seemed really nonchnt about this.


    Har haart sank as sha lookad up. Indaad, Louis'' whita Bany was parkad not far away.


    ¡°Ms. Lindbarg.¡± Lupina turnad, waiting for Charlotta''s ordars.


    Har brows scrunchad togathar, Charlotta pushad tha door opan and got off tha car.


    At tha sama tima, tha door to tha othar car opanad, ravaaling Louis as ha stappad out of tha car. It was


    baraly half a month sinca thayst mat, but ha had lost so much waight and saamad sallow and thin.


    Contrary to his pravious bubbly and youthful salf, thara was now a dispiritad air about him.


    Tha light was gona from his cornflowar blua ayas.


    Ha was staring at har as about a dozan axprassions crossad his faca.


    ¡°Louis, you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Lat''s talk,¡± Louis cut in.


    ¡°Sura.¡± Charlotta bobbad har haad slightly. Sha turnad to Jada and ordarad, ¡°Bring tha fish back homa.


    Lupina and I will rida in Louis'' car.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindbarg...¡± Jada was concarnad.


    ¡°Go,¡± Charlotta said, and thara was a finality to har tona that warnad Jada not to finish har santanca.


    ¡°Yas.¡±


    Jada lookad at Lupina, who signd at har with har ayas. Laft with no choica, sha drova back to


    Northridga alona.


    ¡°Coma on. Lat''s find somaca quiat to talk in privata.¡±


    Charlotta climbad into Louis'' car with Lupina bahind har.


    Lupina kapt har guard up, but Charlotta saamad raally nonchnt about this.


    She even chatted with Louis casually. ¡°Why did youe to H City all of a sudden? You didn''t even


    inform me of your arrival.¡±


    ¡°I''m here with my dad,¡± Louis answered, his voice gruff.


    He was a different man now. The smile that used to light his face was gone. In its ce was a dark


    expression.


    His words merely served to deepen the frown marring Lupine''s brows.


    ¡°Sir Robert is in H City, too?¡± Charlotte arched a brow. ¡°Is he here to persuade me to pull out of the


    Gymnasium Project?¡±


    After a few seconds of silence, Louis turned to look at her. ¡°Charlotte, have you ever loved me? Even


    for a split second?¡±


    ¡°I''ve always thought of you as a friend,¡± came Charlotte''s honest reply. ¡°Didn''t I say that when we first


    got together?¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Louis replied with a dejected nod.


    ¡°What''s wrong, Louis?¡± Charlotte shot him an anxious look. ¡°Are you all right?¡±


    ¡°I tried my best to forget you, but nothing worked,¡± Louis revealed with a hand on his chest, seemingly


    upset. ¡°I couldn''t sleep or eat anything. You''re the only person I can think of. My heart feels like it''s


    about to rip apart anytime...¡±


    Seeing how forlorn Louis was, Charlotte felt a stab of guilt. She chided herself for agreeing to marry


    him. If I hadn''t agreed to marry him, perhaps he won''t be this hung up on me.

 Chapter 1317

    Chapter 1317


    ¡°Charlotte,¡± Louis uttered and reached out to take her hand. His eyes turned red as he pleaded, ¡°Never


    mind if you don''t love me, as long as you remain by my side. I want to see you and keep youpany


    every day. Please?¡±


    His antics had Charlottepletely lost. She didn''t know how to respond to his desperate and pitiful


    plea.


    She thought Louis would''ve forgotten about her after some time, but clearly, he was still hung up on


    her.


    ¡°Charlotte,e back to me. Please...¡±


    Without warning, Louis flung his arms around Charlotte and hugged her tightly, rendering her short of


    breath.


    Instead of disentangling herself from his arms, Charlotte allowed him to hold her. She knew she


    shouldn''t provoke him now by struggling out of his reach.


    Just then, a Rolls-Royce zoomed past them. Zachary, who was in the car, happened to see them in a


    tight embrace.


    Instinctively, Charlotte looked up and met Zachary''s gaze. Once she realized the iciness and anger in


    his eyes, her heart sank. She immediately shoved Louis away.


    s, both cars had driven past each other by then.


    ¡°Charlotte...¡± Louis reached out for another hug, but Charlotte knitted her brows and snapped, ¡°Louis, if


    you do that again, I shall get off this car.¡±


    Louis'' hands stopped midair. He fell silent, not daring to offend her anymore.


    Charlotte wound up the window and took a deep breath to calm herself down.


    Zachary must''ve seen us. I wonder what he thinks of me. Ah, forget it. There''s no way we''ll get back


    together, so it doesn''t matter what he thinks.


    ¡°Charlotte, what should I do so you''lle back to me?¡± Louis asked tenderly. ¡°I can''t live without you.¡±


    ¡°Louis, grow up.¡± Charlotte earnestly tried to make him see reason. ¡°Life will always go on, even if we


    don''t end up together. Not every rtionship ends in marriage. Though we''re no longer together, we


    can still be friends. Don''t be stubborn¡ª¡±


    ¡°I tried,¡± Louis cried. ¡°But I can''t do it!¡±


    ¡°You can,¡± Charlotte insisted. ¡°Actually, you should make more friends, especially girls who are


    amazing. That way, you won''t be hung up on me.¡±


    ¡°No, you''re the most amazing girl in the world,¡± Louis eximed. ¡°You''re the only girl I love...¡±


    Charlotte fell silent, not knowing what else to say.


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    ¡°Er, I think that was Sir Louis pestering Ms. Lindberg.¡± Ben quickly spoke up to lighten the situation. ¡°He


    followed her all the way back to Northridge, so she had no choice but to get into his car. Yes, that must


    be it¡ª¡±


    Louis'' hands stoppad midair. Ha fall snt, not daring to offand har anymora.


    Charlotta wound up tha window and took a daap braath to calm harsalf down.


    Zachary must''va saan us. I wondar what ha thinks of ma. Ah, forgat it. Thara''s no way wa''ll gat back


    togathar, so it doasn''t mattar what ha thinks.


    ¡°Charlotta, what should I do so you'' back to ma?¡± Louis askad tandarly. ¡°I can''t liva without you.¡±


    ¡°Louis, grow up.¡± Charlotta aarnastly triad to maka him saa raason. ¡°Lifa will always go on, avan if wa


    don''t and up togathar. Not avary rtionship ands in marriaga. Though wa''ra no longar togathar, wa


    can still ba friands. Don''t ba stubborn¡ª¡±


    ¡°I triad,¡± Louis criad. ¡°But I can''t do it!¡±


    ¡°You can,¡± Charlotta insistad. ¡°Actually, you should maka mora friands, aspacially girls who ara


    amazing. That way, you won''t ba hung up on ma.¡±


    ¡°No, you''ra tha most amazing girl in tha world,¡± Louis aximad. ¡°You''ra tha only girl I lova...¡±


    Charlotta fall snt, not knowing what alsa to say.


    ¡°Er, I think that was Sir Louis pastaring Ms. Lindbarg.¡± Ban quickly spoka up to lightan tha situation. ¡°Ha


    followad har all tha way back to Northridga, so sha had no choica but to gat into his car. Yas, that must


    ba it¡ª¡±


    ¡°Stop talking.¡± Zachary lowered his gaze calmly, as though what he saw earlier didn''t faze him at all.


    Yet, Ben saw the flicker of emotions in his gaze.


    It''s not good to keep everything to himself, Ben thought worriedly.


    Lost in thought, he heard his phone buzzing. It was a call from Nancy. Answering it, he greeted, ¡°Hello,


    Ms. Gold.¡±


    ¡°I texted Mr. Nacht, but he didn''t reply. That''s why I called,¡± came Nancy''s gentle voice. ¡°I want to invite


    him to dinner tonight. Is he free?¡±


    ¡°Er, well...¡± Ben turned to look at Zachary.


    Thetter took the phone from him and told Nancy, ¡°Send the address.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I''ll do that now,¡± Nancy responded, delighted at his reply.


    After hanging up, Zachary ordered, ¡°Go to the restaurant.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The driver promptly turned the car around.


    It was obvious to Ben that his employer was mad, but he couldn''t really say anything. He can be with


    anyone as long as that makes him happy. His condition is deteriorating. If he spends all day brooding,


    that won''t benefit his condition. Though Charlotte upsets him every day, Nancy can heal him. That''s


    good enough. They won''t end up together, so they should enjoy each other''spany for now.

 Chapter 1318

    Chapter 1318


    Louis brought Charlotte to a restaurant by the beach that they used to frequent.


    The restaurant was beautifully decorated, but Charlotte wasn''t in the mood to enjoy them. She felt


    really exhausted.


    She had run out of words to convince Louis to change his mind.


    The man was still lost in his own world as he grabbed her hands in a pleading manner. ¡°Charlotte, are


    you still upset over Diana? Mom sent her away. I won''t see her again, ever!¡±


    ¡°No, it''s not that.¡± Charlotte sighed, feeling weary. ¡°Even if Diana doesn''t exist, we can''t get back


    together.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Louis stared at her in disbelief. ¡°Is it because of Zachary?¡±


    ¡°It has nothing to do with him.¡± Charlotte gave him an apologetic nce. ¡°Louis, it was all my fault. I


    should''ve rejected you and insisted on remaining friends back then. If I had done that, you might''ve


    found happiness by now.¡±


    s, Louis paid no heed to her advice. He was engrossed in his own feelings. ¡°No, you''re the only one


    that can make me happy. No one else can do that.¡±


    ¡°Louis...¡± Before Charlotte could say more, someone greeted politely, ¡°Mr. Nacht, Ms. Gold, wee!¡±


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Did you prepare the stuff I requested for earlier?¡± A melodious voice rang out.


    ¡°Yes, but...¡± The manager nced at the couple seated by the window, seemingly torn. ¡°They are VIPs,


    too. We dare not turn them away.¡±


    Both Zachary and Nancy followed his gaze and spotted Charlotte and Louis at the table by the window.


    The four of them froze in surprise.


    What a coincidence!


    The sight of Zachary caused Louis to bristle in annoyance. He gripped his utensils tightly as hostility


    zed in his gaze.


    Seeing Zachary together with Nancy, Charlotte felt conflicted.


    If that encounter back in Sultry Night was arranged, this must be pure coincidence. Louis and I decided


    toe here without making any reservation, but Nancy and Zachary must''ve had a reservation.


    Looks like they are indeed dating.


    Charlotte looked away and put on a calm front, but her grip on her winess was so tight it might


    shatter any minute.


    Zachary felt a wave of fury course through him when he saw Charlotte together with Louis.


    ¡°It''s fine. We''re friends,¡± Nancy assured the manager. She took the initiative to greet Charlotte. ¡°Fancy


    seeing you here, Ms. Lindberg!¡±


    They both made their way to Charlotte. Zachary ced an arm around Nancy''s waist nonchntly,


    which came as a surprise to thetter.


    ¡°Ms. Gold, we meet again,¡± Charlotte whirled around and responded.


    Both Zachary and Nancy followad his gaza and spottad Charlotta and Louis at tha ta by tha window.


    Tha four of tham froza in surprisa.


    What a coincidanca!


    Tha sight of Zachary causad Louis to bris in annoyanca. Ha grippad his utansils tightly as hostility


    zad in his gaza.


    Saaing Zachary togathar with Nancy, Charlotta falt conflictad.


    If that ancountar back in Sultry Night was arrangad, this must ba pura coincidanca. Louis and I dacidad


    toa hara without making any rasarvation, but Nancy and Zachary must''va had a rasarvation.


    Looks lika thay ara indaad dating.


    Charlotta lookad away and put on a calm front, but har grip on har winass was so tight it might


    shattar any minuta.


    Zachary falt a wava of fury coursa through him whan ha saw Charlotta togathar with Louis.


    ¡°It''s fina. Wa''ra friands,¡± Nancy assurad tha managar. Sha took tha initiativa to graat Charlotta. ¡°Fancy


    saaing you hara, Ms. Lindbarg!¡±


    Thay both mada thair way to Charlotta. Zachary cad an arm around Nancy''s waist nonchntly,


    which cama as a surprisa to thattar.


    ¡°Ms. Gold, wa maat again,¡± Charlotta whid around and raspondad.


    The sight of Zachary cing his arm around Nancy''s waist went straight to Charlotte''s heart like an iron


    shard. The pain turned her inside out.


    She pretended to stay calm and shed a smile, standing up to shake Nancy''s hand.


    Louis was initially smoking in anger, but the weird situation confused him.


    He stared at Zachary, utterly baffled. Why is Zachary with another woman? Charlotte seems unfazed.


    She is even greeting the woman politely!


    ¡°Do you remember who I am, Sir Louis?¡± Nancy inquired with a smile.


    ¡°You are...¡± Louis couldn''t recognize her.


    ¡°My name is Nancy Gold. We''ve met several times during public events. Perhaps you don''t remember


    who I am,¡± Nancy exined pleasantly. ¡°I didn''t expect to see you here. What a coincidence!¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Louis regained hisposure and looked at them in bewilderment. ¡°The both of you...¡±


    ¡°We''re here for dinner,¡± Nancy revealed. ¡°We''ll leave you both to your meal, then.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± Louis bobbed his head.


    Nancy led Zachary to the table right beside them and sat down.


    Zachary didn''t utter a word throughout the entire exchange. He stood beside Nancy silently the whole


    time.

 Chapter 1319

    Chapter 1319


    ¡°Hey, what was that?¡± Louis asked in a low voice. ¡°Why is Zachary with Nancy Gold? Are they...¡±


    He trailed off, realizing Charlotte was acting strangely.


    Though she seemed at ease before Zachary and Nancy earlier, right now, disappointment was evident


    on her face.


    She hung her head low, cutting her steak into pieces. Her steak was about to be minced beef, but


    she hadn''t eaten any of it.


    Louis'' brows creased into a frown. He cared about Charlotte, so naturally, he noticed every slightest


    change in her expression. It was clear as day whom she loved.


    She couldn''t deceive him.


    Still, Louis was delighted to see another woman by Zachary''s side, for that meant he had a chance to


    get Charlotte back.


    ¡°Charlotte, you can have mine.¡± He offered his te of steak, which he had cut into tiny bites.


    Taking her te, which practically looked like minced beef, he said, ¡°You have a weak stomach, so


    don''t skip meals. Have some soup first.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Charlotte answered distractedly.


    Beside them, Zachary was almost choking on his rage when he overheard their conversation.


    ¡°Sir Louis is so sweet,¡± Nancy whispered.


    Zachary pretended not to hear her as he sipped on his wine.


    ¡°Don''t drink too much,¡± Nancy reminded him gently. ¡°Let''s have some tea. I''ll brew some for you. I''ve


    brought some great tea along.¡±


    With that, she summoned the restaurant manager to prepare the equipment.


    Zachary didn''t reject her offer and gazed at her as though he were admiring a piece of painting.


    Anger rose in Charlotte like a tide when she noticed his soft gaze.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Suddenly, Nancy identally spilled some tea on her hand.


    ¡°What''s wrong?¡± Zachary took her hand. ¡°Let me take a look.¡±


    Unable to hold in her anger anymore, Charlotte threw her utensils down, rose to her feet, and marched


    away.


    ¡°Charlotte, where are you going?¡± Louis called out anxiously.


    ¡°The restroom.¡± Charlotte was heading for the restroom. Though she wished to leave at once, that


    would only make her look really petty.


    I insisted on breaking up with Zachary and asked him to stay away from me. Now that he''s with another


    woman, I should be happy for him. I can''t let anyone realize I''m dismayed about that.


    After stepping out of the restroom, Charlotte saw Nancy washing her burned hand under the running


    tap water.


    Nancy saw her and gave her a friendly grin.


    Charlotte''s lips curled into a polite smile as she washed her hand in the adjoining sink.


    They stood beside each other in a friendly manner, but their hearts were overwhelmed with mixed


    feelings.


    With that, sha summonad tha rastaurant managar to prapara tha aquipmant.


    Zachary didn''t rajact har offar and gazad at har as though ha wara admiring a piaca of painting.


    Angar rosa in Charlotta lika a tida whan sha noticad his soft gaza.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Suddanly, Nancy idantally spid soma taa on har hand.


    ¡°What''s wrong?¡± Zachary took har hand. ¡°Lat ma taka a look.¡±


    Una to hold in har angar anymora, Charlotta thraw har utansils down, rosa to har faat, and marchad


    away.


    ¡°Charlotta, whara ara you going?¡± Louis cad out anxiously.


    Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Tha rastroom.¡± Charlotta was haading for tha rastroom. Though sha wishad toava at onca, that


    would only maka har look raally patty.


    I insistad on braaking up with Zachary and askad him to stay away from ma. Now that ha''s with anothar


    woman, I should ba happy for him. I can''tt anyona raaliza I''m dismayad about that.


    Aftar stapping out of tha rastroom, Charlotta saw Nancy washing har burnad hand undar tha running


    tap watar.


    Nancy saw har and gava har a friandly grin.


    Charlotta''s lips cud into a polita sm as sha washad har hand in tha adjoining sink.


    Thay stood basida aach othar in a friandly mannar, but thair haarts wara ovarwhalmad with mixad


    faalings.


    ¡°How are you doing? Is everything fine?¡±


    The women looked up and turned at their shoulders when a gentle voice rang out.


    Zachary didn''t even bother looking at Charlotte and gave Nancy a concerned look.


    ¡°I''m fine.¡± Nancy grinned, shaking her head slightly.


    Zachary strode over to her and took her hand to study it carefully. ¡°It isn''t a serious wound, but


    remember to put some ointment so it won''t leave a scar behind.¡±


    ¡°Mm. I shall do that at night,¡± came Nancy''s reply.


    ¡°I asked Raina toe here.¡± Zachary wasn''t about to let the matter slide. ¡°You should put some


    ointment on now.¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡± His action took Nancy by surprise. ¡°It''s just a minor burn. Why did you ask Dr. Langhan to


    come?¡±


    ¡°Go.¡± Zachary gave her hand a pat. ¡°I''ll be there in a jiffy.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± Nancy turned to leave obediently. Before she stepped out, she gave Charlotte a polite bow.


    Charlotte kept her head low as she scrubbed her hands violently, as though there was a stain that


    cannot be removed. Her hands were turning red from the force.


    ¡°You shouldn''t be scrubbing your hands. Instead, I suggest you scrub your heart,¡± Zachary suddenly


    uttered icily.

 Chapter 1320

    Chapter 1320


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Charlotte red at him.


    ¡°After doing all you can to escape from the Laurent family, now you want to go back to him?¡± Zachary


    demanded irritably. ¡°Did you forget what he did to you just after a few weeks? What is inside that heart


    of yours? It must be filthy and foolish.¡±


    ¡°You''re nuts.¡± Charlotte didn''t want to waste time arguing with him. ¡°It''s none of your business,¡± she


    dered heatedly.


    Having said that, she spun on her heels to leave. Without warning, Zachary grabbed her wrist and


    pinned her to the wall.


    He growled menacingly, ¡°Charlotte Lindberg, if you weren''t the mother of my children, I would''ve stayed


    out of your matters. Pull yourself together, please. You''re a down-and-out socialite from the Lindberg


    family, so the Laurent family won''t be nice to you. You''ll merely invite death if this goes on.¡±


    ¡°Have you said enough? Let me go!¡± Charlotte bristled and tried to free herself, but Zachary refused to


    let her leave.


    They were in the midst of a struggle when a furious voice barked, ¡°Let her go!¡±


    Looking up, Charlotte saw Louis standing not far away, breathless with anger. He was glowering at


    Zachary with his fists balled up.


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    ¡°You have no right to interfere in our business.¡± The sight of Louis merely stoked Zachary''s fury. He


    dered arrogantly, ¡°Your engagement is over. I was the one who rescued her from your family.¡±


    ¡°She''s my fianc¨¦e! Let her go now!¡± Louis roared like a ferocious beast.


    The more he acted this way, the more infuriated Zachary got.


    In response, Zachary held Charlotte''s waist possessively and said in a provoking manner, ¡°Your


    fianc¨¦e? She has been mine all the while¡ªin the past, and right now.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Rage ran red through Louis'' brain. He whipped out a dagger out of nowhere and aimed right for


    Zachary. ¡°Die, Zachary!¡±


    ¡°No, Louis!¡± Charlotte screamed.


    Zachary''s gaze narrowed as he clenched his fists, ready to retaliate.


    Suddenly, Charlotte shoved him out of the way and grabbed the dagger.


    Silence ensued. It was as if time itself hade to a standstill.


    Zachary widened his eyes in shock as he stared at Charlotte incredulously.


    Louis halted in his tracks, shocked by her reaction.


    Charlotte held on to the dagger firmly, and the sharp edges cut into her palm.


    Blood trickled down and stained her white shirt.


    ¡°Charlotte!¡± Louis shrieked. He released his grip on the dagger, trembling profusely. ¡°W-Why did you...¡±


    ¡°You''re crazy!¡± Zachary sent him flying with a kick before taking Charlotte''s hand to stop her from losing


    too much blood. He swiveled his head to yell, ¡°Raina!¡±


    ¡°Sha''s my fianc¨¦a! Lat har go now!¡± Louis roarad lika a farocious baast.


    Tha mora ha actad this way, tha mora infuriatad Zachary got.


    In rasponsa, Zachary hald Charlotta''s waist possassivaly and said in a provoking mannar, ¡°Your


    fianc¨¦a? Sha has baan mina all tha wh¡ªin tha past, and right now.¡±


    ¡°Hay!¡± Raga ran rad through Louis'' brain. Ha whippad out a daggar out of nowhara and aimad right for


    Zachary. ¡°Dia, Zachary!¡±


    ¡°No, Louis!¡± Charlotta scraamad.


    Zachary''s gaza narrowad as ha nchad his fists, raady to rataliata.


    Suddanly, Charlotta shovad him out of tha way and grabbad tha daggar.


    Snca ansuad. It was as if tima itsalf hada to a standstill.


    Zachary widanad his ayas in shock as ha starad at Charlotta incradulously.


    Louis haltad in his tracks, shockad by har raaction.


    Charlotta hald on to tha daggar firmly, and tha sharp adgas cut into har palm.


    Blood tricd down and stainad har whita shirt.


    ¡°Charlotta!¡± Louis shriakad. Ha rasad his grip on tha daggar, trambling profusaly. ¡°W-Why did you...¡±


    ¡°You''ra crazy!¡± Zachary sant him flying with a kick bafora taking Charlotta''s hand to stop har from losing


    too much blood. Ha swivd his haad to yall, ¡°Raina!¡±


    Raina hurried over at his urgent call. She was dumbfounded by the sight that greeted her eyes. At


    once, she stopped the bleeding in Charlotte''s palm and dressed her wound.


    ¡°Oh, dear.¡± Lupine panicked at the bloody scene. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, what happened?¡±


    ¡°I didn''t do it on purpose. Charlotte, I didn''t mean to harm you...¡± Louis wailed. ¡°Why did you do that?¡±


    ¡°Scram!¡± Zachary hollered angrily.


    ¡°It was all your fault!¡± Louis threw the me on Zachary. ¡°If it wasn''t for you, Charlotte and I will still be


    together!¡±


    His words caused fury to spring to life within Zachary. Thetter was about to beat him up when


    Charlotte tugged at him.


    Making sure she had a grip on Zachary''s shirt, Charlotte told Louis weakly, ¡°Louis, you should leave.¡±


    ¡°Charlotte¡ª¡±


    ¡°Leave!¡± she growled fiercely.


    ¡°Sir Louis, let''s go. Don''t stir Ms. Lindberg''s anger,¡± his subordinates uttered carefully.


    Louis crawled to his feet and left with his subordinates in a disheveled state.


    ¡°The wound is deep, so I have to stitch it up.¡± Raina bandaged her wound briefly and said urgently, ¡°We


    have to go to the hospital now.¡±


    ¡°Prepare the car!¡± Zachary ordered.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Ben quickly did as instructed.

 Chapter 1321

    Chapter 1321


    Before Zachary could pick her up, Charlotte stopped him. ¡°I can go to the hospital myself. You don''t


    have toe with me, Mr. Nacht,¡± she said coolly.


    ¡°Can you stop putting on an act?¡± Zachary snarled, his teeth gritted angrily.


    ¡°You¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Zachary didn''t give her a chance to speak as he picked her up and stalked out.


    ¡°Zachary Nacht, let me down this instant!¡± Charlotte hissed. ¡°Let me down!¡±


    Ignoring her cries, Zachary brought her to his car. He was about to get in after her when Ben reminded


    him, ¡°Er, Ms. Gold is still here.¡±


    It was only then that Zachary remembered Nancy''s existence. He turned at his shoulder and said


    apologetically, ¡°I''m sorry, but I have to go to the hospital now.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine. I understand.¡± Nancy shed a smile. She urged, ¡°You should hurry and send Ms. Lindberg to


    the hospital. We can meet up another time.¡±


    ¡°Mm,¡± Zachary grunted in response. He told Ben, ¡°Give Ms. Gold a ride home.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Lupine drove the car to the hospital, and Raina upied the passenger seat.


    By then, Charlotte was already shaking like a leaf. Her face was as pale as a sheet, but she forced


    herself to stay quiet by biting down hard on her lip.


    The dagger was extremely sharp. If she had held it any tighter, her right palm would''ve been sliced off.


    A fresh swell of rage rose in Zachary at the sight of her trembling figure. ¡°Are you a fool? Why did you


    grab the dagger with your bare hand? Do you think I''m not his match? Even if he tried to attack me, I


    could''ve pinned him down easily. There was no need to act foolishly.¡±


    ¡°Don''t overthink. I wasn''t trying to protect you,¡± retorted Charlotte in a disdainful tone. ¡°I don''t want this


    to escte into a fight. If I don''t stop him, and one of you gets hurt, the consequences will be horrible.¡±


    ¡°You...¡± Zachary trailed off, speechless. He couldn''t bring himself to me her, for she was already


    wounded.


    Soon, they arrived at the hospital. Raina promptly got to work on Charlotte''s wound as Lupine and


    Zachary stood aside silently. Ben and his men showed upter on.


    N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    Finally, when the clock ticked past nine at night, Charlotte''s wound was stitched up neatly. Raina


    prescribed some oral medicine and ointment before reminding Lupine to take good care of her. She


    also offered to pay a visit a few dayster to check on Charlotte''s wound and change the dressing.


    Arrangements were made, but Zachary wasn''t satisfied. ¡°What if your wound gets in contact with


    water? What if it gets infected? Raina, bring a few nurses with you and stay with her until she recovers


    completely.¡±


    ¡°But I have an important surgery tomorrow,¡± Raina replied, torn. ¡°And Dr. Wright is arriving a few days


    later.¡±


    ¡°Won''t you listen to my order?¡± Zachary frowned.


    ¡°Well...¡± Raina caved in. ¡°All right. I''ll make the arrangements now.¡±


    ¡°No need,¡± Charlotte interjected. ¡°It''s just a superficial wound. You don''t have to trouble her.¡±


    ¡°Charlotte¡ª¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your help, Raina. You can leave now,¡± Charlotte told Raina.


    Raina shot a timid nce at Zachary, her feet rooted to the spot.


    ¡°You may leave now.¡± She only made to leave when Zachary made the order.


    On the way back home, Charlotte leaned into the seat weakly with her eye shut.


    Zachary''s expression was grim. A heavy silence hung in the air.


    Both Ben and Lupine dared not utter a word.


    Ring, ring!


    Right then, Charlotte''s phone rang.


    She tried to use her left hand to take the phone in her right pocket, but it proved to be a difficult


    mission.


    Furrowing his brows, Zachary took her phone out and nced at the screen. It was a call from Robbie,


    so he answered it promptly. ¡°Robbie!¡±


    ¡°Daddy?¡± Robbie was shocked to hear his voice. ¡°Are you with Mommy right now?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Mommy''s right beside me.¡± Zachary turned on the loudspeaker.


    ¡°What''s wrong, Robbie?¡± asked Charlotte.

 Chapter 1322

    Chapter 1322


    ¡°Mommy, when are you going toe back?¡± came Ellie''s voice from the other end of the line.


    Then, the three other younger children began butting in. ¡°Aunt Charlotte, Aunt Charlotte,e back


    quickly to tell us bedtime stories!¡±


    ¡°All right. Aunt Charlotte will be back soon. I''m on my way,¡± Charlotte coaxed gently. ¡°Shower first,


    okay? Then you can wait for me toe back to tell you stories.¡±


    ¡°Okey-dokey!¡± the three children sang in unison.


    ¡°Mommy, are you with Daddy?¡± Even Jamie hade over to ask. ¡°Will you being back together?


    Could you ask Daddy if he can bring my Transformers over?¡±


    ¡°We won''t¡ª¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Zachary interrupted. ¡°We''ll be there in half an hour. I''ll bring your Transformers over.¡±


    ¡°Okay, thanks, Daddy!¡± Jamie cheered.


    ¡°Myptop too, Daddy,¡± Robbie reminded. ¡°I''ve forgotten about it this afternoon because I was in a


    rush.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± Zachary said to the children. Unbeknownst to him, the look on his face had softened. ¡°Shower


    first. Daddy will be there soon.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Bye, Daddy.¡±


    ¡°Daddy, Mommy, we''ll be waiting for you.¡±? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    ¡°All right.¡±


    After the call ended, the gentle smiles remained on their faces until they looked at each other. Almost


    immediately, their expressions turned solemn.


    ¡°Who told you to say yes to them? I didn''t agree to let youe to my house,¡± Charlotte hissed out.


    ¡°Then are you nning to walk back?¡± Zachary retorted.


    ¡°I...¡± It was then Charlotte recalled that she was not driving; She and Lupine were riding Zachary''s car.


    ¡°So what?¡± Charlotte then turned to Lupine and instructed, ¡°Call Morgan and tell her to pick us up.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± Lupine answered as she took out her phone.


    ¡°Do you really have to do this?¡± Zachary frowned. ¡°Firstly, this will waste your time. Secondly, it''ll affect


    the children''s moods. Moreover, your hand''s hurt. You can''t even hold a book, so do tell me how you''re


    going read them bedtime stories.¡±


    Charlotte realized that he was right. When Zachary heard nothing else from her, he instructed Ben,


    ¡°Get someone to send Robbie and Jamie''s stuff over.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± Ben chanced a nce at Lupine before making a call.


    Charlotte did not stop him, thinking, I guess it''ll be good to have the kids be happy for a night.


    Zachary''s only doing this for the kids. All we need to do is to make sure we keep a distance from each


    other.


    Soon, they reached Northridge. By then, the Nacht family''s bodyguard had brought Robbie and Jamie''s


    stuff over.


    After Zachary stepped out of the car, he turned around to help Charlotte out.


    Nevertheless, Charlotte rejected his offer. He rolled his eyes at her before walking straight toward the


    house.


    ¡°Daddy!¡±


    Jamie and Ellie were waiting in the living room. When they saw Zachary and Charlotte entering the


    house, they ran toward them.


    The two were exceptionally excited, a stark contrast against Robbie, who seemed calm. In fact, Robbie


    seemed to be quietly studying Zachary.


    ¡°Mommy!¡± Ellie beamed at Zachary beforeunching herself into Charlotte''s arm. However, Zachary


    swiftly pulled her toward him. ¡°Mommy''s hurt, so Daddy''s going to be the one to read you your bedtime


    stories tonight. Don''t disturb Mommy, okay?¡±


    The three children quickly huddled over to anxiously ask, ¡°What? What happened to Mommy?¡±


    ¡°Mommy''s fine. It''s just a scratch,¡± Charlotte reassured them. ¡°Don''t worry. It''s all right.¡±


    ¡°Ah! Mommy''s hand is hurt!¡± Ellie shrieked when she saw Charlotte''s bandaged hand, her face white as


    sheet.


    ¡°Let me see!¡± Robbie and Jamie then took Charlotte''s hand and carefully checked it. ¡°What


    happened?¡±


    ¡°Your mommy was really brave. She was the damsel who saved the hero, and that''s why she''s hurt,¡±


    Zachary joked.


    ¡°Was that hero you, Daddy?¡± Jamie asked curiously, his head tilting upward to look at him.


    ¡°That''s right. It''s me.¡± He nodded.

 Chapter 1323

    Chapter 1323


    ¡°Daddy, you''re bad!¡± Ellieined as she pouted. ¡°You''re a man. You should be protecting Mommy.


    How could you let Mommy protect you instead?¡±


    ¡°Ellie''s right,¡± Jamie agreed.


    ¡°I want to protect her too, but your mommy was adamant about ying the hero. Before I could do


    anything, she had rushed headlong into the situation.¡±


    At that, Zachary cast a disapproving look at Charlotte.


    ¡°You¡ª¡± Charlotte was furious. She did not know why he was telling the children that.


    ¡°Mommy, don''t y the hero next time. You have to protect yourself first and foremost,¡± Robbie said to


    her. ¡°It pained us to see you hurt.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Ellie then grabbed Charlotte''s hand and gently blew on it. ¡°Mommy, the bandages are


    wrapped around your hand tightly, so I''m sure it must hurt a lot.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine. It doesn''t hurt,¡± Charlotte answered lightheartedly. Seeing her children had lifted her spirits.


    ¡°Mommy, who''s the one who hurt you?¡± I''ll beat them up for you,¡± Jamie eximed as he swung his


    little fists. ¡°I''m going to teach the naughty person a lesson.¡±


    ¡°It''s okay. We''ve dealt with the person.¡± Charlotte pinched his cheek. ¡°Okay, it''s time to go back to your


    room. It''ste now.¡±


    ¡°Yes, go back to your rooms. I''ll read you the bedtime stories,¡± Zachary chimed in.


    ¡°Daddy, are you not going to leave tonight?¡± Jamie asked, excited, as he held Zachary''s hand. ¡°Are you


    going to be staying here tonight?¡±


    Even Robbie and Ellie were looking at him.


    ¡°I''ll leave after reading the stories to you.¡± Zachary ruffled their hair. ¡°Hurry upstairs now.¡±


    ¡°All right,¡± the children replied, crestfallen.


    ¡°Aunt Charlotte! Aunt Charlotte!¡±


    Just then, Danrique''s children rushed out of their room with bottles in their hands and diapers around


    their waists.


    When they spotted Zachary, they skidded to a stop before watching him with wary eyes.


    ¡°Why is this Angry Uncle here?¡±


    Alpha then quickly hid her bottle behind her as if Zachary was there to snatch that from her.


    ¡°Maybe he''s here to see Robbie, Jamie, and Ellie,¡± Beta quietly replied. ¡°He''s their daddy.¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡± Gamma then stepped forward and pointed her bottle at Zachary. ¡°Meanie, why are you here?¡±


    ¡°Alpha, Beta, Gamma, don''t be rude to my daddy.¡±


    Ellie stepped out from behind Zachary''s legs before solemnly replying, ¡°Daddy''s here to tell us bedtime


    stories.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± The other three children widened their eyes. ¡°This fierce meanie is going to tell us bedtime


    stories? Really?¡±


    ¡°Duh!¡± Jamie grinned smugly. ¡°My daddy tells great stories.¡±


    Alpha sniffled before answering dumbly, ¡°Oh. So is he going to tell us stories too?¡±


    ¡°Can we listen to your stories?¡± Beta tilted her head back to look at the tall man.


    ¡°I-I want to hear stories too.¡± Gamma''s face was red. and her hands were clenched into fists as she


    nervously looked at Zachary.


    N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    ¡°All right,e on.¡± Zachary then motioned to them to go up the stairs.


    ¡°Yay!¡±


    The three smaller children hurried behind Ellie their bottles. Like a line of kindergarten children, they


    entered the room.


    In the meantime, Charlotte smiled when she saw the scene.


    Zachary was rather skilled at taking care of the children; he was even getting along well with the three


    more difficult children.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, let me help you back to your room.¡± Once they were back in the room, Lupine said, ¡°You


    haven''t had a good dinner, so I''ll get the kitchen staff to make something for you.¡±


    ¡°No, it''s fine. I''m not hungry.¡± Charlotte tiredly leaned back on the sofa. ¡°Pour me a ss of water


    instead. Then you can leave. It''s been a tiring day, so you should rest earlier.¡±


    ¡°What about yo¡ª¡±


    ¡°I''m fine by myself.¡± Charlotte wanted some time alone.


    ¡°All right.¡± Lupine then poured her a ss of water. After putting it beside her, she left.

 Chapter 1324

    Chapter 1324


    Charlotte stared at numerous missed calls and messages on her phone, all of them from Louis.


    Without needing to look at the messages, she knew what they were about. Apologies, then expressions


    of his love. He would ask for her forgiveness before telling her of his wish to start over with her.


    Charlotte was in a world of frustration. She did not know what she could do to make Louis give up. It


    felt like he refused to listen to whatever she said to him as long as it was not the answer he wanted.


    Right as she was lost in her train of thoughts, someone called. The number seemed familiar, but she


    did not have it in her contacts. After a moment of hesitation, she picked it up. ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Hello, Ms. Lindberg, I''m Nancy Gold.¡±


    Nancy''s voice was always as soft as cotton. It was as if she was someone who did not have a temper


    nor ever experienced negative emotions; it was as if her control over her emotions was impable.


    ¡°Hello,¡± Charlotte greeted back, ufortable to hear that name.


    ¡°I just wanted to ask how you''re feeling today,¡± Nancy uttered. ¡°There were many people at the


    restaurant today, so I didn''t get a chance to ask you that.¡±


    ¡°It''s nothing serious,¡± Charlotte replied politely. ¡°Thank you for your concern.¡±


    ¡°I''m d to hear that. Rest well, then,¡± Nancy said before ending the call.


    Charlotte did not know why she had made that call. What can she possibly do with a few polite


    questions? Is she trying to remind me about her existence?


    Maybe that''s that.


    After the call, Charlotte had indeed been reminded that Zachary was dating Nancy and that she should


    be more firm in keeping her distance away from Zachary.


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    In other words, Nancy was asserting dominance.


    At that thought, the difort in Charlotte''s heart grew. She rose to her feet, nning to look for


    Zachary to get him to leave earlier.


    ¡°The little prince climbed onto the top of the snowy mountain to look for the legendary Angel''s Flower.


    As long as he finds the flower, he''ll be able to save his beloved princess. Although it was cold here, and


    there were many beasts around, he was still brave as ever. The little prince knows that his princess is


    waiting for him back at the castle.¡±


    Zachary was sitting on a chair, telling the children a fantasy tale with his maic voice.


    Meanwhile, the six children were sitting in odd poses¡ªsome were sprawling and lying down¡ªas they


    listened to his storytelling intently.


    A while into the story, Ellie cocked her head to the side and said, ¡°Daddy, this isn''t right. I''d read this


    book before, and I remember that the little prince goes to the moon and not a snowy mountain.¡±


    ¡°That''s right. The little prince isn''t looking for Angel''s Flower, but a sapphire. Also, the little prince


    doesn''t have a princess...¡±


    ¡°Just listen to the story. Why do you have so many questions?¡± Robbie chided them as he cut them off.


    ¡°It''s more original if Daddy changes it up a little.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Both Jamie and Ellie lowered their heads before falling silent.


    ¡°That''s right, that''s right. Go on, Angry Uncle!¡±


    Alpha, Beta, and Gamma were all fascinated by the story as they stared at Zachary with wide, eager


    eyes.


    ¡°What did you call me earlier, hmm?¡± Zachary furrowed his brows in a mock solemn look.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Alpha, Beta, and Gamma shared a look before answering in unison, ¡°Uncle Zachary!¡±


    ¡°That''s right. Good girls.¡± Zachary smiled in satisfaction. ¡°All right, it''ste now. It''s bedtime.¡±


    ¡°No! Finish the story,¡± the three girls whined.


    They were no longer afraid of him, and they even dared to whine to him now.


    ¡°Yes, Daddy, finish the story,¡± Ellie muttered as she rested her chin on her hands. ¡°I''ve never heard of


    this story. I''d like to know what''s the ending.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. Did the little prince find the flower in the end?¡± Jamie asked.


    ¡°We''ll continue another day.¡± Zachary put the book down as he turned off the tablemp. ¡°All right.


    Sleep now.¡±

 Chapter 1325

    Chapter 1325


    ¡°Okay...¡± The children were disappointed, but they obediently went to bed.


    Zachary stood up and walked out of the room. However, he only took two steps before knocking into


    the corner of the table.


    Thump! The loud noise startled the children.


    ¡°It''s nothing, it''s nothing. It''s just too dark in here,¡± he reassured them as Ben darted over to support


    Zachary.


    Charlotte was at the doorway, and when she saw the scene, a strange feeling washed over her.


    She abruptly felt that there was something odd about Zachary.


    Zachary had undergone strict training since he was a child; he possessed superior physique and


    senses than the average person. Even if the entire room was dark¡ªthe room was still lit with a dim wall


    lamp¡ªhe should be able to walk around without crashing into anything.


    Moreover, she realized he seemed to have been careful on his way to the outside of the room.


    Furthermore, Ben seemed excessively nervous.


    ¡°Daddy.¡± Robbie ran out for Zachary, but he spotted Charlotte by the doorway. ¡°Mommy!¡±


    The moment Ben realized Charlotte was standing there, panic flickered past his eyes. Nevertheless, he


    rposed himself quickly and smiled at her. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, you''re here. Mr. Nacht has been sitting


    on that tiny chair for too long, so his legs had pins and needles.¡±


    ¡°The children''s chair is indeed a little too short for him,¡± Charlotte nonchntly agreed with him as she


    nced at Zachary''s legs. ¡°It must have been a hard time for his long legs.¡±


    ¡°Good to know that you know,¡± Zachary snapped.


    ¡°Mommy, Daddy he...¡±


    ¡°Robbie, go back to your room with Jamie and sleep,¡± Charlotte interrupted softly. ¡°I''ll send your daddy


    back.¡±


    Robbie opened his mouth, but in the end, he swallowed the words that were at the tip of his tongue.


    Instead, he said, ¡°Daddy hasn''t had a drink after telling us such a long story. Mommy, why don''t you


    offer him a drink before he leaves?¡±


    ¡°My son''s a sensible boy.¡± Zachary smiled happily. ¡°However, it''ste now, and I should be going back.


    Rest earlier, all of you.¡±


    ¡°No, it''s fine. It''s better if you have a drink before you leave,¡± Charlotte promptly said. ¡°Otherwise, the


    boy might think that I''m torturing you.¡±


    ¡°Very nice of you.¡± Zachary grinned before leaning toward her. ¡°Shall we drink in your room?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± came her swift response. ¡°Emma, prep the tea.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Zachary froze. He thought that Charlotte was sure to reject him if he were to tease her. To his surprise,


    her agreement hade quick.


    Ben anxiously peeked at Zachary, thinking, What now?


    In the middle of the story earlier, Zachary''s vision had abruptly gone blurry. He could not read the words


    in the book, so that was why he hade up with his own version of the story.


    Ben watched them both at the side, his heart racing. However, with Robbie''s cooperation, Zachary


    managed to keep up with the act.


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    Then, he tried to look for an excuse to leave. However, due to his blurry sight, when he stood to leave,


    he knocked onto the corner of the table again. Ben quickly grabbed him.


    They wanted to leave as soon as possible. That way, he would not be found out. Yet, they had


    encountered Charlotte.


    ¡°Since you''re so enthusiastic about it, then I won''t resist.¡±


    Unlike Ben, Zachary was calm and steady as if there was nothing wrong with him.


    ¡°This way.¡± Charlotte brought Zachary back to her room before casually saying to Ben, ¡°I think Lupine''s


    caught a mild cold. Why don''t you have a look at her?¡±


    ¡°No, no, I shouldn''t. She...¡± Ben was about to reject her when Zachary secretly gestured at him. ¡°I don''t


    know if she''ll chase me out of this ce.¡±


    ¡°How would you know unless you''ve gone there?¡± Charlotte teased. ¡°Men should take a more active


    role.¡±


    ¡°Well, she''s quite ferocious.¡± Ben scratched his head, embarrassed.


    ¡°This way please, Mr. Nacht.¡±


    Charlotte opened the door to her room as she motioned to him.


    Zachary ambled in.


    The entire time, Charlotte was keeping her eye on him. He seems fine now. Was I overthinking things?

 Chapter 1326

    Chapter 1326


    Once they were in the room, Zachary headed straight to the sofa. Everything seemed fine.


    However, he had been averting his eyes from Charlotte.


    On the other hand, Charlotte was staring at him. At the start, she was stealing nces at him, but now,


    she was straight-up staring at him. It was because she realized that he was unresponsive even when


    she had her gaze on him.


    The anxiety in her head thrummed, and she creased her forehead as she observed him.


    Is there something wrong with his eyes?


    Knock knock! Right then, knocking sounds came from the door.


    ¡°Come in,¡± Charlotte said.


    Emma came in with a dining cart. After putting the snacks on the coffee table, she bowed at the two of


    them and stepped out of the room.


    Charlotte poured a cup of tea and handed it to Zachary. ¡°Have some tea.¡±


    ¡°Put it on the table first. It''s hot.¡± Zachary raised his arm to pinched the bridge of his nose, looking


    exhausted.


    Hence, Charlotte put the cup down in front of him. However, to test him, she intentionally put it at the


    edge of the table where half the cup was in midair. With any gentle push, the cup would fall.


    Indeed, when Zachary reached out for the cup, he knocked it over.


    The cup of hot tea sshed all over his pants, and that included his crotch area.


    ¡°Sh*t!¡± Zachary roared. ¡°You wicked woman!¡±


    ¡°You were the careless one, but you''re ming me for this?¡± Charlotte quickly took out a few tissues to


    hand them to him. ncing at his crotch, she anxiously asked, ¡°Are you okay? Do you need to go to a


    hospital?¡±


    ¡°You did this on purpose!¡±


    Zachary grabbed her hand and tugged her toward him.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Charlotte cried out, having not expected the sudden action from him as she fell into his arms.


    Before she coulde back to her senses, he had smashed his lips against hers.


    His kiss was intense and wild. It was as if he was taking revenge on her, or perhaps he was punishing


    her.


    He ravished every part of her mouth that was beyond her teeth. He stole every breath she took and


    made her heave for more.


    Charlotte''s mind went nk from his unexpected kiss.


    All of a sudden, it felt like they had gone back to the time when they were deeply in love. Back then, all


    they had for the other was devotion and adoration. Back then, no matter what they did, it felt as if the


    love was not enough.


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    Every time they were close to each other, they yearned to be one so that they would never


    separate.


    That familiar feeling was back.


    Charlotte was honest at that moment. She did not want to push him away nor did she want to reject


    him. Selfishly, greedily, she wanted to drown herself in that moment of warmth.


    Her eptance made the affection in Zachary for her bloom. He embraced her tighter as he continued


    to kiss her harder.


    He was afraid that Charlotte would find out he could not see things clearly anymore. That there was


    something wrong with his eyes. That he was sick. That he was doomed to die soon.


    He knew that she was suspicious and that she was testing him. His keen instincts could let him


    temporarily dismiss her suspicions, and that was why he was using this way to distract her.


    Yet, this kiss was the key to unlocking the feelings that they both buried deep in the recesses of their


    hearts.


    After what seemed like ages, Zachary reluctantly let go of Charlotte before pressing his forehead


    against hers. As he kissed her lips longingly, he whispered, ¡°I still have a ce in your heart.¡±


    Charlotte did not speak. Her eyes were closed as she quietly immerse herself in the feelings that had


    collected dust in her heart.


    Something else was growing in there; something sour with a bitter, sorrowful tang.


    ¡°You still love me, don''t you?¡± Zachary questioned, biting down her lower lip. ¡°You''ve always loved me.¡±


    ¡°I...¡±


    Just as she was about to answer him, her phone rang. She jumped in fright before snapping her head


    in the direction of her phone. It was then she saw her vibrating phone on the coffee table, its screen lit


    up with a name on it¡ªLouis.


    Zachary''s heart sank. In the next second, he pushed her away.

 Chapter 1327

    Chapter 1327


    Charlotte''s injured hand hit the sofa, and she sucked in an audible gasp of pain.


    Zachary frowned, and there was apparently upset in his eyes, but still, his features were schooled into


    a cold look.


    Charlotte then took her phone and ended the call.


    ¡°Be mindful of what you''re doing,¡± Zachary uttered. ¡°Sir Robert came to my office to look for me earlier


    today. As for why they were there... I''m sure you know.¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± Charlotte replied.


    The tense atmosphere had no traces of the passionate moment from a while ago.


    With an acrid taste on his tongue, Zachary stood up and left.


    Charlotte watched as he went. Again, she saw nothing amiss with him. Am I really overthinking it?


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    No. Something is amiss.


    Zachary''s hand was on the handle. Right before he opened it, Charlotte yelled, ¡°Zachary Nacht!¡±


    Zachary halted in his tracks. He did not turn around, but his heart was thumping loudly.


    Does she want to keep me here?


    ¡°Look down,¡± Charlotte said as she pointed at his pants. ¡°Are you going to leave like this?¡±


    It was only then Zachary recalled that he had spilled a cup of tea on his pants earlier. It would be an


    embarrassing moment if he were to walk out immediately. Thus, he called Ben to grab some new


    clothes for him.


    ¡°Take a shower.¡± Charlotte handed him a bathrobe.


    After taking it from her, he went into the bathroom.


    Charlotte still had attentive eyes on him. That''s strange. He seemspletely fine now.


    In the meantime, after Zachary closed the bathroom door, he squinted and looked at himself in the


    mirror.


    Perhaps his optic nerve was pressed on again, for his vision had gone blurry and flickered earlier. That


    was why he hade up with whatever he could think of while telling the children their bedtime story


    earlier.


    Yet, after kissing Charlotte, his vision had returned to normal. Therefore, he had not knocked into


    anything else after that.


    Thinking about the kiss made his throat dry.


    Then, when he thought about Louis, his mood turned foul.


    He wanted to leave the ce as soon as possible, but unfortunately, his pants were stained. Hence, he


    had no choice but to stay for a while longer.


    He knew that Charlotte had to have sensed something odd about his behavior. Otherwise, she would


    not have set up a trap for him in an attempt to find out what was going on.


    That woman was indeed much smarter than she used to be two years ago.


    Nevertheless, she was of no match for him; her witty little tricks were nothing to him.


    After a hot shower, he walked out with the bathrobe wrapped around him.


    For reasons he could not think of, his vision was blurring again. All that was left was a sight of foggy


    white.


    ¡°Are you done?¡± came Charlotte''s voice.


    Zachary turned to her, but he could only see her silhouette, not her face.


    She hunched over to put something on the coffee table before saying to him, ¡°I''ve asked the kitchen


    staff to make some oatmeal, soe and have a taste.¡±


    Zachary could only rely on his memory as he avoided the furniture in the room before reaching the


    sofa.


    He dared not look at her. If he did, and if she were to look closely, she would realize there was indeed


    something wrong with him as she had suspected.


    Thus, he kept his head hung and made it seem like he was in a bad mood.


    ¡°Why do you have a sour face on?¡± Charlotte hissed. ¡°You make it seem like I''ve owed you something.¡±


    ¡°Don''t contact Louis anymore,¡± he demanded.


    ¡°I''m not contacting him,¡± Charlotte exined. ¡°He''s the one looking for me, and it''s not like I can stop


    him, can I? Moreover, you have no right to demand that from me.¡±


    ¡°Just be firm in your stance. You can leave the rest to me,¡± he blurted out. After a beat, he added,


    ¡°Don''t misunderstand my words. I just don''t want the kids to be affected by this.¡±


    ¡°I know. No misunderstandings,¡± Charlotte snapped before handing him the oatmeal.¡±


    ¡°No, thank you.¡± Zachary could only hear her voice; he could not even see where her hands were, so


    he could only utter the first excuse he could think of, ¡°Who knows if you''ve poisoned it or not.¡±

 Chapter 1328

    Chapter 1328


    ¡°You''re a lunatic,¡± Charlotte hissed out. ¡°I was kind to make you food. How could you say that? Tell me


    then. What poison could I possibly put in there?¡±


    ¡°Aphrodisiac,¡± Zachary blurted out.


    Charlotte was speechless at that.


    ¡°Look at the expression you had. Clearly, you''re lusting for more,¡± Zachary teased. ¡°You were looking


    for tons of excuses tonight, and you brought me to your room. Then, you spilled tea on my pants. All of


    these are to keep me here, right? Did you think that I''m clueless?¡±


    ¡°You¡ª¡± Charlotte''s face reddened from anger. ¡°Do you have no shame, Zachary?¡±


    She mmed the bowl on the coffee table before huffing out, ¡°Forget it if you don''t want to eat it. I''ll let


    an ingrate like you starve to death.¡±


    As some of the oatmeal had sshed onto her hand, she went to the bathroom to wash up.


    Her fading footsteps told Zachary that she was gone. Instantly, he began searching for his phone on


    the sofa.


    After washing her hands, Charlotte heard a quiet tone. When she lowered her head, she noticed


    Zachary''s phone in the clothes he had changed out of.


    Picking up the phone, she then noticed that he had a message. It was from Nancy. Mr. Nacht, are you


    home yet...


    The rest of the message was not shown. Even then, the name of the sender itself made Charlotte''s


    heart sink into the abyss.


    ¡°Is my phone in the bathroom?¡± Zachary asked. He could not see, but that meant that his hearing had


    be better.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Charlotte answered as she walked out of the bathroom with the phone. ¡°What''s the matter with


    you? You''ve even left your phone in there.¡±


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    Zachary reached out for his phone, and it was then Charlotte realized his eyes seemed to be


    unfocused.


    Her heart leaped to her throat. She then deliberately stretched out her arm in a different direction


    before saying, ¡°Someone sent you a message. There, take it.¡±


    Just as she expected, Zachary''s hands grabbed the air instead of the phone.


    Shock struck Charlotte like a bolt from the blue. Her eyes widened almost impossibly as she stared at


    him.


    He... can''t see?


    Zachary stiffened when he realized he had not reached out for his phone. Nevertheless, he quickly


    snatched the phone from Charlotte in the next second and bellowed, ¡°You peeked at my phone?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but I wasn''t peeking,¡± Charlotte snarled in mock anger. ¡°I was looking openly.¡±


    She did not want him to find out what she had just figured out.


    Her angry tone made Zachary sigh quietly in relief. She''s not all that smart. I don''t think she found out


    anything.


    Right then, someone knocked on the door. Ben''s voice then came from the outside. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, I''ve


    brought Mr. Nacht''s clothes here.¡±


    Charlotte walked over to the door and took the clothes from Ben. Then, faking a cold tone, she hissed


    out, ¡°Get changed and get out.¡±


    After taking the clothes from Charlotte, Zachary immediately undid his robe to reveal his muscr


    figure.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Charlotte shrieked before promptly spinning around. Her face was hot with a bright blush as she


    stammered out, ¡°W-What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°It''s not like you''ve never seen it before. Why are you so scared?¡± Zachary teased as he slowly


    changed.


    Although he could not see anything, he could feel the logo and the buttons of the clothes, so he


    managed to put on his clothes right.


    Charlotte was furious, but she wanted to be certain about his eyes. Hence, she mustered up her


    courage and turned back to him.


    By then, Zachary was done putting on his pants. He was in the middle of doing the buttons of his shirt.


    He was elegant and was having no problems with them.


    Furthermore, his head was hanging, so she could not see whether or not he could see clearly.


    ¡°Zachary,¡± Charlotte started, trying toe up with a topic so that she could have a clear look at his


    eyes. ¡°Are you dating Nancy?¡±


    ¡°Why, are you jealous?¡±


    Zachary grinned, but his eyes remained unfocused.


    ¡°If you really like her, then be nice to her. From now on, we''ll have to keep our distance from each


    other.¡± Charlotte stared at Zachary''s eyes before tentatively saying, ¡°If you don''t like her, and you''re


    using her to annoy me, then you should stop.¡±

 Chapter 1329

    Chapter 1329


    ¡°Why would you think that I''m using her to annoy you?¡± Zachary questioned.


    Charlotte''s heart sank. ¡°So you''re dating her for real.¡±


    ¡°You seem disappointed,¡± Zachary pointed out, delighted by the despondent trace in her voice.


    ¡°What does that have to do with me?¡± Charlotte snarled. ¡°You can be with whoever you want to be!¡±


    ¡°What if I tell you that we''re not dating?¡± Zachary softened his voice as he stepped closer to her. ¡°What


    if I say that I never had any women other than you? Will youe back to me?¡±


    Charlotte froze. Her heart was in turmoil when she heard those words from him.


    She never thought that Zachary would say such things to her anymore; she thought he had already let


    go of her.


    ¡°That''s a no, then.¡±


    Zachary waited for a long time, but he heard nothing from Charlotte. Disheartened, he turned to leave.


    ¡°Zachary,¡± Charlotte called out for him again.


    He stopped, cocking his head to the side and waiting for her to speak.


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    ¡°If you don''t like Nancy, then stop using her,¡± Charlotte told him in a serious tone. ¡°Don''t be like me.


    Don''t make a mistake so major it''s unsalvageable.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Zachary furrowed his brows. ¡°What mistake have you made?¡±


    ¡°I had agreed to marry Louis due to various external factors back then.¡± Charlotte was overwhelmed


    with regret every time she thought about it. ¡°Louis used to be so cheerful and optimistic, but now...¡±


    ¡°Do you mean that you agreed to marry Louis not because of love?¡± Zachary asked, eager. ¡°What


    aboutter on? Did you grow any feelings for him?¡±


    ¡°I''ve always thought of him as my best friend.¡±


    ¡°But, you and him¡ª¡±


    Those words nearly escaped his lips.


    Zachary did not wish to broach the topic, yet he could not help but think about that particr scene


    whenever Louis was mentioned. It was like a thorn in his heart, and it had grown roots in there.


    Charlotte''s lips parted, about to exin, but at that moment, Zachary''s phone rang. She instinctively


    looked over and saw that it was a call from Nancy.


    In an instant, she snapped back to reality. It was then she recalled that neither of them could go back to


    what they used to be.


    Someone knocked on the door again, and Ben''s voice could be heard. ¡°Mr. Nacht, I have news to


    report to you.¡±


    Zachary did not pick up the call. Instead, he walked toward the door and opened it before heading out.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, we shall excuse ourselves now.¡±


    Ben bowed at Charlotte before closing the door. Then, he held onto Zachary as they hastily left.


    Meanwhile, Charlotte stood in the room alone, filled with all kinds of emotions.


    She had probed him for so long, but her efforts were fruitless; she still knew not if there was something


    amiss with him.


    Although her instincts told her that something was indeed wrong with his eyes, his behavior stated


    otherwise. It made Charlotte question herself and wonder if she was overthinking everything.


    Furthermore, theirplicated rtionship only worsened her mood.


    He had denied dating Nancy. She knew Zachary well. Even if he was extremely far from a wless


    man, there was one good point about him¡ªhe was honest.


    If they were really dating, then he would not have lied to her about it.


    Maybe Nancy is courting him, she thought, and he didn''t give her any obvious rejections. That must be


    it.


    Nevertheless, genuine feelings were bound to grow romantically between Nancy and Zachary.


    Even if Zachary did not fall for her now, it did not mean that he would not do so in the future.


    The very thought of that tightened her chest, and she reminded herself not to dwell on it anymore. We


    can''t go back to how it is. It ended a long time ago.


    Be firm. Be clear with him. Stay away from him.

 Chapter 1330

    Chapter 1330


    After Ben and Zachary stepped into the car, Ben urged the driver, ¡°Drive now.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    The moment the car sped off, Ben let out a sigh of relief. He then muttered, ¡°Lupine was staring at us


    when we were going down the stairs earlier. That was frightening.¡±


    ¡°That''s all in you?¡±


    Zachary was calm, for he was sure that Charlotte had not figured anything out yet; he was confident in


    his acting skills.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg didn''t figure anything out, did she?¡± Ben asked. ¡°She actually invited you to her room


    tonight. Was she suspecting that something was up? Was she trying to sound you out?¡±


    ¡°Why can''t she be trying to patch things up with me?¡± Zachary retorted.


    ¡°Um...¡± Ben fell silent.


    ¡°I guess she''s suspicious.¡± Zachary stopped messing with Ben as he resumed his solemn demeanor.


    ¡°I''ll have to avoid her these few days. Tell Marino to be wary of the words that leave his mouth.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Ben nodded. In a softer voice, he said, ¡°Your phone has been ringing since earlier. I think


    Ms. Gold is calling you.¡±


    ¡°Ignore her,¡± Zachary said, thinking about what Charlotte had said earlier. ¡°Nancy is a good girl. I


    shouldn''t be leading her on.¡±


    Those words only made Ben even more anxious. He tentatively reassured, ¡°Bruce is doing everything


    to find Francesco. I''m sure we''ll find him soon.¡±


    ¡°What''sing wille, and we''ll meet it when it does. It''s inevitable.¡±


    Zachary sighed, no longer anxious at the thought.


    ¡°Have your vision not recovered yet?¡± Ben asked worriedly. ¡°Why don''t we stop by the hospital for a


    checkup? The episode came so suddenly, and it''ssting quite a while.¡±


    ¡°I won''t die from it.¡± Zachary closed his eyes. ¡°Arrange a meeting with Mr. Williams and Mr. Spencer


    tomorrow. Oh, and Johann too.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht.¡±


    ¡°Skip the nonsense.¡± Zachary was tired. ¡°Just work on it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir,¡± Ben answered, not daring to say more than that. However, he had a grim look on his face.


    Zachary''s current condition was far from good. He had been experiencing dizziness and blurry vision in


    his earlier episodes, but a while ago, he had lost his vision.


    Moreover, he had not regained his vision even after an hour.


    Ben did not know if any worse symptoms would rear their ugly heads after this.


    Nevertheless, Zachary refused to go to the hospital, and they were unable to find Francesco. In other


    words, their hands were tied.


    Back at home, Ben helped Zachary out of the car. Once his feet were on the ground, Zachary blinked


    and realized some of his vision was back. At that, he mumbled, ¡°It''s fine once I''m home. Can''t be that


    the air at Northridge is toxic, right?¡±


    ¡°Maybe you''ve been working too hardtely. You should rest more,¡± Ben softly suggested. ¡°I''ll help you


    in.¡±


    ¡°There''s no need.¡± Zachary pushed Ben aside. Squinting, he then slowly made his way into the house.


    He had to get used to life in the darkness as quickly as possible. After all, if he were to have a full-


    blown episode, his vision would be first to suffer. He would then plunge into a world of darkness.


    Before he was six feet under, he had to get used to that life. At the very least, he had to make sure that


    Charlotte did not spot anything wrong with him and that the children would not worry.


    Now that some of his vision returned, he could see the vague outlines of things in front of him.


    That was how Zachary made his way back into the house as he avoided the obstacles in front of him.


    Step by step, he entered the building, went up the stairs, and into his room.


    The entire time, his subordinates quietly stood by the side, fearing that any noises they made would


    disrupt his judgment.


    Even Ben was holding his breath as he stuck by Zachary''s side.


    He only let that breath out when Zachary entered his bedroom, unscathed.


    However, in the next second, Zachary''s knee crashed into the ceret, and a loud noise echoed in the


    room.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht!¡± Ben dashed over to lend Zachary a helping hand. ¡°Are you all right?¡±


    ¡°I''m fine.¡±


    Zachary''s eyes were narrowed, but the room remained dark. It was then he realized that no matter how


    well-trained he was, and how keen his senses were, it was difficult for him to move freely around in a


    world of darkness.


    Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    It seems like I really need some time to get used to this.

 Chapter 1331

    Chapter 1331


    After the inhumane treatment period and various other events, Zachary no longer cared much about


    life, death, and sickness.


    He was no longer as despondent as he used to be, and he was no longer anxious. Instead, he calmly


    let nature run its course.


    Zachary, who was on the couch, calmly instructed, ¡°Find an instructor who can guide me through the


    blindness. From tomorrow onward, I''ll have to train myself to move around without relying on my sight.


    That way, I''ll have the freedom of movement even if I really go blind in the future.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht.¡± Ben''s eyes were red from hearing his words, but he dared not say anything else. ¡°I


    understand. I''ll work on it tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°About the appointment with Mr. Williams and Mr. Spencer, do separate their appointments. I want to


    meet them one by one,¡± Zachary continued, sounding like he was talking about hisst words.


    ¡°I understand.¡± Ben nodded.


    ¡°There''s something else.¡± Zachary mulled over it for a while before saying, ¡°Check on Danrique''s


    status.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Ben was surprised.


    Zachary and Danrique were archenemies. When news of Danrique''s incident spread, there were


    rumors in the corporate world that Zachary was involved in what happened to Danrique.


    N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    Zachary did not care about it, nor did he intervene in it. Nevertheless, he knew that Danrique''s trusted


    subordinates were investigating him in the shadows, hoping to find out if he was involved in Danrique''s


    incident.


    Zachary had not been involved. Furthermore, he had been undergoing treatment in solitary, so he


    never appeared in public. Therefore, no one could find any evidence of his involvement.


    However, for him to abruptly look into Danrique''s whereabouts might cause an uproar in the corporate


    world.


    ¡°Do everything to find out about Danrique''s current status,¡± Zachary ordered.


    ¡°Understood, but I have to ask... Why?¡±


    Ben dared not disobey him, but he could not wrap his mind around why Zachary would do that.


    ¡°Have you seen how many people have added insult to injury after Lindberg Corporation went


    downhill?¡±


    Leaning back on the sofa, Zachary lit a cigarette and inhaled it.


    ¡°Before anything happened to Danrique, he removed Charlotte''s ties to Lindberg Corporation before


    making arrangement for her and the children. As far as I know, he has been a good and loyal brother to


    Charlotte. If he''s back unharmed, then Charlotte and the kids will have someone to back them up. After


    all, many vultures would be eyeing the assets that they''re holding.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, what is the meaning of this?¡± Ben panicked. ¡°You''re still fine. Nacht Group is still all right!¡±


    ¡°If I die, Nacht Group will spiral into chaos,¡± Zachary quietly said, a hint of sorrow in his tone.


    Instantly, Ben''s eyes welled up with tears. His lips trembled, and the words died in his throat.


    ¡°What happened to Lindberg Corporation yesterday will happen to Nacht Group in the future,¡± Zachary


    added before taking in a deep breath of his cigarette and slowly huffing it out.


    ¡°If Grandpa was alive, perhaps it would havested a few more years. However, he is not. If I die,


    Nacht Group will be orphaned. Most importantly, Charlotte has note back yet. Her current identity


    would not be appropriate for taking over Nacht Group.¡±


    ¡°Why don''t we...¡± Ben trailed off, losing all courage to say it out loud.


    ¡°All right. You can go back to your work.¡± Zachary wanted some time alone.


    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± Ben hung his head and left.


    ¡°How''s Mr. Nacht?¡± Bruce asked in a quiet voice that could not conceal his anxiety. ¡°I came back right


    after receiving the message. How is he now?¡±


    Ben then pulled him to the side and conveyed Zachary''s order to him.


    ¡°Is that how serious Mr. Nacht''s condition is now?¡± Bruce was rmed to hear that. ¡°He''s nning for


    his posthumous matters?¡±


    ¡°Pah!¡± Ben spat. ¡°B*stard, can''t you say anything nicer with that mouth of yours?¡±


    ¡°Wait, but what you''ve said are...¡± Bruce dared not repeat himself, but he could not calm himself down.


    ¡°No. Even if I turn this world upside down, I have to find where Francesco is.¡±

 Chapter 1332

    Chapter 1332


    ¡°Yes, what''s most important now is to find Francesco.¡± There was still a trace of hope that Ben had


    leaned on. ¡°As long as we find Francesco, Mr. Nacht will be saved.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Still, we have to be prepared,¡± Bruce said. ¡°By the way, how is Ms. Lindberg? When is she


    going toe back?¡±


    ¡°Come back?¡± Ben was simultaneously furious and anxious when Charlotte was mentioned. ¡°Mr. Nacht


    had been so careful in making sure that she doesn''t find out about his illness. Furthermore, she''s


    cautious. Their rtionship is still tense.¡±


    ¡°Why won''t they just be honest with each other? We''re already at this point!¡± Bruce blurted out. ¡°If


    anything does happen to Mr. Nacht, no one will be leading the Nacht family. When that happens, it''ll be


    nothing but chaos!¡±


    ¡°I know. I''m anxious about it too.¡± Ben sighed. ¡°If Ms. Lindberges back, we''ll have someone to lead


    us, at least. With Mr. Spencer and Mr. Sterk''s support, as well as our protection, no outsiders will try to


    wreck chaos.¡±


    ¡°What is Ms. Lindberg thinking? Even if she doesn''t think for her sake, she has to consider the children,


    right?¡± Ben''s heart lurched. ¡°The three kids are still young. As great a man as Mr. Spencer, he is but a


    servant at the end of the day. He can''t be the head of the family like Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    ¡°We''re just pointlessly fretting now. Let''s just work on what Mr. Nacht has instructed us to do first,¡± Ben


    finally said.


    ¡°I think it''s time for you and Marino to do your part,¡± Bruce said, ncing at his surroundings. ¡°If Mr.


    Nacht refuses to say anything, the two of you will pretend to identally spill some beans. I''m sure that


    Ms. Lindberg wille back once she finds out about the truth.¡±


    ¡°If Mr. Nacht finds out about it, we''ll be in big trouble.¡± Ben hesitated. ¡°He''s very nonepting of that


    idea; he hopes that Ms. Lindberges back to the Nacht family out of love and not pity.¡±


    ¡°Is there any difference?¡± Bruce groaned. ¡°A woman only feels bad for a man if she loves him. Why


    would she care about him otherwise?¡±


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    ¡°Huh. You''re right.¡± Ben was starting to waver with his decision.


    ¡°I''m always right,¡± Bruce huffed. ¡°I just can''t stand you all beating around the bush in a rtionship. It''s


    so annoying. If I were you, I''d just snatch the person home if I happen to fall in love with her.¡±


    At that, Ben cast Bruce a look of admiration. ¡°I never thought you''d be that bold.¡±


    ¡°Stop babbling and get to work.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    The brothers then split up and began working on the task that Zachary had assigned them.


    After Ben arranged a meeting with Spencer, Johann, and Rodney, he returned to his room. He


    hesitated, wondering if he should call Lupine and leak bits of the secret to her.


    Nevertheless, Lupine called at that moment. ¡°Let''s meet.¡±


    ¡°Now?¡± Ben panicked. Like Bruce had said, Ben was the most cowardly one when it came to romantic


    rtionships.


    He was nervous to hear Lupine inviting him out in the middle of the night, alone.


    ¡°Yes. Right now,¡± Lupine demanded. ¡°Meet me at therge tree at the back of the mountain in


    Northridge. I have to see you in ten minutes!¡±


    With that said, Lupine ended the call.


    Ben held the phone with shaky hands. After a moment of hesitation, he went downstairs.


    ¡°Ben, it''ste. Where are you going? I can help you with it,¡± Marino said when he entered the house


    and encountered Ben.


    ¡°I''m going out for a while. Stay right outside Mr. Nacht''s room in case he needs anything,¡± Ben told him.


    ¡°I don''t think I''m up for the task,¡± Marino worriedly said. ¡°What are you going to do? Why don''t I go on


    your behalf? Mr. Nacht is used to having you around. I don''t get what he''s trying to say sometimes.¡±


    ¡°I''ll be back soon.¡±


    As if someone was running after him, Ben darted out of the house before speeding off in his car.


    Marino watched him leave, sensing something fishy about him. Despite that, he dared not ask too


    many questions as he hurried upstairs to guard Zachary''s room.

 Chapter 1333

    Chapter 1333


    ¡°I wanted Morgan to go at first, as Marino is easier to deal with. However, I thought about it and felt that


    Morgan is more careless, so I''ve decided to send you instead,¡± Charlotte said in a grim tone. ¡°Ben is


    Zachary''s trusted subordinate. If there''s anything wrong with Zachary, Ben will certainly know.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Lupine nodded. ¡°Don''t worry, Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    ¡°Remember, you have to be sneaky about it,¡± Charlotte reminded. ¡°Ben is a wary man. Your first step is


    to attack him through the emotional route. When he''s caught off guard, find out about Zachary''s


    condition from him.¡±


    Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    ¡°Got it.¡± By then, Lupine''s face was a little red. ¡°I, too, thought that something was up when they were


    leaving earlier. Ben was supporting Mr. Nacht carefully as if thetter was going to fall at any time.¡±


    ¡°I know what you mean.¡± Charlotte was fighting a rising panic, and that was why she was sending


    Lupine to find out more. ¡°All right. It''s almost time now. Hurry along.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Lupine left.


    in the meantime, Charlotte paced in her room. She looked at the sofa that Zachary sat on earlier before


    looking at the spot where the tea had been spilled. The more she ruminated about what happened


    earlier, the more anxious she became.


    Zachary had been avoiding eye contact with her, and he had missed the things he wanted to take a few


    times. Clearly, there was something wrong with him.


    Then, she thought about the time when she brought Robbie and Ellie to Erihal. During those two


    months, Zachary had not contacted the children. In the end, she had to contact Ben before Zachary


    called them.


    Nevertheless, every call of his onlysted minutes at most.


    She had sensed something amiss back then, but Ben told her that he had gone to M Nation to deal


    with the headquarters'' matters. He had also exined to her that there had been an assassination


    attempt on him on his way there and that he was injured, so Charlotte did not dwell too long on that


    matter.


    Now that she thought about it, she could not help but wonder, Was his injury severe? Is there some


    longsting effect of it?


    Her legs were wobbly with fear. Charlotte truly hoped that Lupine would be able to get some clues from


    Ben.


    Meanwhile, at Southridge.


    When Zachary heard the sound of a car starting up outside, he cried out, ¡°Ben!¡±


    ¡°Sir.¡± Marino tiptoed into the room. ¡°Mr. Nacht, Ben has gone out. Is there anything you''d like me to


    do?¡±


    ¡°Why is he going out sote at night?¡± Zachary asked.


    ¡°I don''t know because he didn''t tell me anything. He seemed like he was in a rush, however.¡±


    Noticing theck of lights in the room, Marino asked, ¡°Do you want me to turn on the lights?¡±


    Zachary knew that Marino was young, and he was not as guarded as the rest of them. Fearing that


    Morgan would set up a trap for Marino to gain information from him, he had sent Marino out on various


    tasks recently.


    Therefore, Marino still did not know about how he had abruptly lost his vision earlier in the day.


    ¡°It''s fine.¡± Zachary then asked, ¡°Ben was in a rush when he went out? Did he take anyone with him?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he was really in a hurry. I saw him running down the stairs, but he didn''t take anyone with him.¡±


    ¡°Call him,¡± Zachary instructed. ¡°Tell him that I know he went out.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Marino was confused¡ªhe did not know what Zachary meant¡ªbut he still did as he was told to.


    Ben was already at the back of the mountain. When he stepped out of the car, he spotted Lupine


    walking down the slope.


    She seemed to have dressed up, for she was wearing a dress. The night breeze billowed her skirt, and


    she looked gorgeous.


    Ben''s hands were cold and mmy, and he hurriedlybed his hair while looking at the rearview


    mirror. Right as anticipation filled his chest, the phone in his pocket rang.


    He quickly picked it up. ¡°Hey, Marino, what''s up?¡±


    ¡°Ben, Mr. Nacht knows that you''ve gone out,¡± Marino repeated what Zachary had told him.


    Ben froze before squeezing out, ¡°What did he say?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. He just asked me to convey this message to you.¡±


    Right as those words left Marino''s mouth, he nervously turned to nce at Zachary, fearing that the


    latter would be mad at him.

 Chapter 1334

    Chapter 1334


    ¡°All right. I understand.¡± Ben raised his head to look at Lupine, who was getting closer and closer to


    him, and he snapped back to reality. ¡°Tell Mr. Nacht that I''ll be back soon.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay.¡±


    After ending the call, Marino cast a tentative nce at Zachary and said, ¡°Ben said he''s going toe


    back soon.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Zachary then made a dismissive gesture.


    With a lowered head, Marino left, closing the door behind him quietly.


    In the dark, Zachary continued to smoke as he mulled over his emotions. He had instantly realized that


    Charlotte had asked Lupine to invite Ben out so that she could sound him out.


    Ben was a smart man; he should have realized that as well.


    Nevertheless, he still went.


    Perhaps it was because he could not reject Lupine, or perhaps he wanted to use that way to relieve his


    guilt in leaking out the secret so that Charlotte could go back to the Nacht family.


    Regardless of everything, by meeting Lupine, Ben was prepared to be a traitor.


    Therefore, Zachary had told Marino to make the call and tell Ben that he knew he had gone to meet


    Lupine.


    Even now, Marino still had troubleprehending what they meant. On the other hand, Ben


    understood them immediately.


    If Zachary knew that he had gone out in secret to meet Lupine, that meant he knew about what he and


    Lupine were about to do. If he were to say the wrong words, then he would no longer be able to return


    to the Nacht family.


    That was why Ben had snapped back to reality and regained his rationality.


    Lupine''s little trick was bound to fail.


    In terms of scheming, Charlotte could never win against Zachary.


    Nevertheless, he was delighted to find out that she had done all those to figure out what was wrong


    with him.


    That meant that she was worried about him.


    ¡°Ben!¡±


    ¡°Lupine!¡±


    It was the first time the two had met in private, let alone on a dark night like that.


    They could not help but feel nervous and shy.


    Although Ben had been to almost everywhere with Zachary and had seen countless scenarios, it was


    the first date of his life.


    ¡°Are you cold?¡± Lupine murmured.


    ¡°I''m not.¡± Ben then lifted his head to look at Lupine, thinking, She''s so pretty today. With a little bit of


    dressing up, she looks like a beautiful girl.


    However, those were the words he did not dare to let pass his teeth.


    ¡°I''m cold,¡± Lupine grumbled.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Ben answered dumbly. It took a second or two before he recollected his senses. ¡°Then let''s hurry


    into the car. It''s warm inside.¡±


    Lupine was speechless. She thought he would take off his jacket and put it on her. That way, she would


    be able to lean into his arms and begin their intimate moment. Then, she would be able to pry the


    information from him.


    Yet, Ben was telling her that the inside of the car was warmer.


    In the meantime, without much thought into it, Ben opened the door to the front passenger seat.


    Left without a choice, Lupine stepped into the car. After Ben turned on the heater and adjusted the


    temperature, he softly asked, ¡°Are you still cold?¡±


    ¡°Not anymore.¡± Now, Lupine did not know what she could do to make him talk. The jacket trick had


    been something Morgan taught her.


    ¡°H-Have you had your dinner?¡± Ben asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Lupine rolled her eyes. This guy''s just asking a bunch of silly questions.


    ¡°Then, can I know why you''ve asked me toe out?¡± Ben''s heart raced as he gazed at her.


    ¡°Must I have a reason to invite you here?¡± Lupine huffed out.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    ¡°No, no,¡± Ben denied. ¡°I''m just worried if anything has happened to you. I hope I can help you out.¡±


    ¡°You''re finally talking,¡± Lupinemented as her mood brightened up. In a shy voice, she muttered,


    ¡°There''s nothing, really. It''s just that we''re living close by now, and since there''s nothing going on for my


    side, I wanted to meet you.¡±


    Ben''s heart skipped a beat when he heard her words. ¡°You''re right. We''ve never gotten a chance to sit


    down and have a nice chat by ourselves.¡±


    ¡°Now we do.¡± Lupine then mustered her courage to look into his eyes. ¡°If you''re free, you cane and


    look for me.¡±


    ¡°How could I possibly be free? I''m so busy all the time,¡± Ben blurted out before he realized what he had


    said. ¡°Still, I''lle and meet you when I have the time.¡±

 Chapter 1335

    Chapter 1335


    ¡°What are you busy with?¡± Lupineined. ¡°Lindberg Corporation isn''t fighting against you


    nowadays; Nacht Group is monopolizing the corporate world. What could you possibly be busy with?¡±


    ¡°It''s true that everything''s going fine in thepany, but...¡±


    Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    At that point, Ben realized what Lupine was doing. If not for his wary nature, he would have let the


    secret slip without noticing.


    ¡°But what?¡±


    ¡°I''m Mr. Nacht''s right-hand man. I have to do everything myself. Naturally, I won''t have a lot of free


    time,¡± Ben said with a smile. ¡°Nevertheless, I can stille out here once in a while.¡±


    ¡°Oh, all right.¡± Lupine realized that her n had failed, so she decided to change her strategies.


    ¡°There''s something in your hair.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Before Ben could react, Lupine had reached out toward the top of his head, causing him to


    stiffen up.


    Her fingers gentlybed his hair, seemingly casual but affectionately. His heart began thumping


    loudly.


    ¡°It''s a leaf!¡± Lupine took out a dried leaf from his head and chuckled. ¡°Were you at a forest? How did


    the leaf get into your hair?¡±


    ¡°Oh. Maybe it was from earlier, when I was under the tree.¡±


    Ben was so nervous to the point his face was as red as a tomato, and he was almost hyperventting.


    ¡°By the way, did you skip dinner tonight?¡± Lupine took out a small bag of something from her pocket. ¡°I


    made these green pea tartlets myself. Have a try.¡±


    You made these?¡± Ben took them and ced one in his mouth. Its sweetness reached all the way into


    his heart. ¡°This is delicious!¡±


    ¡°I''m d you like them. I''ll get you more tomorrow.¡± Lupine giggled. ¡°Robbie, Jamie, Ellie, and the three


    other little ones like them too. The three little ones, especially. They''re always pestering me to make


    more for them.¡±


    ¡°Haha! The kids are adorable.¡± Ben beamed.


    ¡°You like them too, right?¡± Lupine asked in a merry tone. ¡°Ms. Lindberg was worried that Mr. Nacht


    wouldn''t like the three little ones, but it seems like they''re getting along with each other. I''m sure Ms.


    Lindberg will be relieved.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Mr. Nacht looks cold, but he''s a kind man inside.¡± Pride swelled in Ben''s heart when he talked


    about Zachary. ¡°The kids adore him.¡±


    ¡°Yes. After Mr. Nacht left, I went to tuck the three little ones into bed. They even told me that they


    hoped Mr. Nacht would be able to tell them more stories tomorrow.¡±


    Then, with a smile, Lupine asked, ¡°Will Mr. Nachte tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°I don''t think so,¡± Ben replied before his mind truly registered the question.


    ¡°What''s the matter?¡± They had finally reached the main topic Lupine wanted to know more about. ¡°I


    noticed something off with him when you were leaving earlier. Is he sick?¡±


    ¡°No, no, he''s fine,¡± Ben exined. ¡°Maybe his legs went numb when he was reading the kids bedtime


    stories. Moreover, it seems like he was scalded when he was chatting with Ms. Lindberg in the


    bedroom.¡±


    ¡°Is that all?¡± Lupine wondered out loud. ¡°It looks to me that he''s feeling some difort in his eyes.¡±


    ¡°Maybe something got into his eyes when he came down the stairs earlier,¡± Ben said dismissively.


    ¡°All right.¡± There was nothing Lupine could do when Ben refused to give her any answers.


    ¡°It''s gettingte. Let me send you back.¡±


    The longer they chatted, the likelier he might blurt something he should not, so it was best for him to


    end the date as quickly as possible.


    ¡°You''re going back?¡± Lupine asked, disappointment evident in her voice.


    ¡°Bruce went out to work on something, and I''m not home, so I''m a little worried.¡± Ben did not have the


    courage to stay out for long with Zachary''s current condition. ¡°Everyone else is careless, so I have to


    stay home by Zachary''s side.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Lupine then stepped out of the car. ¡°I''ll walk myself back. It''s just a short path home. You should


    hurry home too.¡±


    ¡°I''ll leave when I see you reach the door.¡±


    Ben then turned on the car lights to illuminate her path.


    His gesture warmed her heart, and she waved at him before jogging up the path.

 Chapter 1336

    Chapter 1336


    Lupine got home and reported everything about Ben to Charlotte.


    Charlotte knitted her brows and responded in disbelief. ¡°Are you sure? You mean I was wrong?¡±


    ¡°I don''t think he lied.¡± Lupine thought about it. ¡°But before they left, I did feel there was something weird


    about Mr. Nacht...¡±


    ¡°Continue to monitor and test them,¡± Charlotte ordered. ¡°Try asking him out again tomorrow.¡±


    Lupine nodded and consoled Charlotte. ¡°Don''t worry, Ms. Lindberg. No news is good news. Perhaps


    there''s nothing wrong with Mr. Nacht?¡±


    ¡°I hope so.¡± Charlotte let out a sigh. ¡°I''m afraid he''s keeping things from me.¡±


    ¡°You still care for him.¡± Lupine could tell. ¡°And I think he cares for you too. Why don''t you two get back


    together?¡±


    ¡°It''s easier said than done.¡± Charlotte sighed. ¡°Besides, there are still many obstacles that get in our


    way...¡±


    ¡°What obstacles?¡± Lupine was puzzled. ¡°Since Mr. Henry is not around anymore, no one can stop the


    two of you from getting back together anymore.¡±


    ¡°Whatever that has happened in the past, I can''t just let them be bygones,¡± Charlotte uttered with a


    bitter smile. ¡°Our feuds may be in the past, but the pain remains.¡±


    Besides, it''s not just a rtionship problem but a feud between the Nachts and Linbergs. I''m in no


    position to say or do anything at this point. What would others think of me if I return to the Nacht familyContent ? N?velDrama.Org.


    when Danrique is still missing? And what if Danrique returns?


    ¡°You''re right.¡± Lupine did not know what else to say anymore.


    ¡°It''s gettingte. Go and get some rest.¡± Charlotte gently patted her shoulder.


    Lupine nodded. ¡°You too. Remember don''t wet your injured hand. Call us if you need any help.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    The room quietened down once again after Lupine had left.


    Charlottey on the bed and could not sleep.


    Everything that had happened today shed across her mind, and she remembered how agitated


    Zachary was when she got injured. The way he looked her in the eyes had stirred her emotions.


    Charlotte could feel the love he had for her, but she did not have the courage to start afresh with him.


    Despite not being able to get back together with him, she still wanted the best for him.


    Hence, she must get to the bottom of that matter.


    Zachary, who also had trouble falling asleep, sat alone in the dark. The room was so quiet that the only


    sound in it was his breathing.


    The hours gradually ticked away yet he was still wide awake.


    He was afraid that he might not wake up had he fallen asleep.


    It was the first time Zachary''s vision was lost entirely ever since he fell ill three months ago. Though he


    had regained his vision, he felt his time on earth was running out.


    He was worried.


    Before I die, I must make all the arrangements properly. I must make sure my family, career, children,


    and Charlotte are all taken care of even when I''m gone!


    He believed everything was under his control, but not Charlotte. He did not know what to do with her.


    Just when he was deep in thoughts, Ben knocked on the door. ¡°I''m back.¡±


    ¡°Come in,¡± Zachary responded.


    Ben apologized and entered the room slowly. He then reported the conversation he had with Lupine to


    him. ¡°It was clear that she was testing me, but I didn''t say anything.¡±


    ¡°You would have told her had I not reminded you, wouldn''t you?¡± Zachary questioned him.


    Ben lowered his head and kept mum. He dared not lie as he knew Zachary could read his mind.

 Chapter 1337

    Chapter 1337


    ¡°Listen.¡± Instead of ming Ben, Zachary warned. ¡°I don''t want someone to love me out of sympathy. A


    rtionship built upon sympathy is meaningless, and I don''t need it!¡±


    Ben kneeled before him on one knee and begged for his forgiveness. ¡°I''m sorry, Mr. Nacht. Please


    forgive me.¡±


    ¡°All my life as a businessman, I''ve been through hell, but nothing had ever taken me down. Even now


    I''m on the brink of death, I''m not afraid of dying, because I''ve lived my whole life with dignity. So please


    don''t take thest shred of dignity away from me. You hear me?¡± Zachary said in a calm but sorrowful


    voice.


    ¡°Got it.¡± Ben kept his head down. Tears began to well up in his eyes.


    It must have taken this egoistic man a lot of courage to admit how vulnerable he was at this point.


    Zachary must have trusted Ben wholeheartedly to make that remark.


    He hoped Ben could understand him and stop doing anything that would upset him further.


    ¡°All right.¡± Zachary let out a deep sigh. ¡°You may go.¡±


    ¡°I''m so sorry...¡± Ben apologized in a hoarse voice and left the room.


    After a final puff at hisst cigarette, Zachary returned to his bed. He was a little worn out, and his back


    hurt. Suddenly, he recalled how weak Dr. Felch was before he passed away.


    Right now, he felt just as weak and sickly.


    I can''t sleep. I got to stay awake!


    Zachary had to remind himself to stay awake as he was afraid he would pass away in his sleep.


    After fighting off sleepiness for some time, he gave in and dozed off.


    In his dream, countless demons grabbed him from below as if they were trying to pull him into the


    abyss.


    N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    He struggled to escape but to no avail. His body was so stiff that he did not have any energy to fight


    back.


    All of a sudden, he heard Henry''s voice from afar. ¡°Stay strong, Zachary. You cannot fall. The entire


    Nacht family depends on you.¡±


    All these years, he had pushed himself beyond his limits, but at this point, he could not take it anymore.


    ¡°How are you feeling? Are you tired? Come, take a break.¡± His father''s gentle voice emerged from the


    other side.


    Zachary knew his father had never cared about power or prestige. All his father ever wanted was for


    him to be happy.


    Yet, in reality, Zachary never had the chance to experience such love and care, as his father passed


    away at a young age.


    Growing up, Zachary had no choice but to live up to Henry''s expectations and fulfill all the


    responsibilities as a Nacht.


    ¡°Honey,e to Mommy. Come here...¡± His mother''spassionate voice emerged next.


    The love and care his parents showered upon him in his dream hadforted him for a bit. How he


    wished he could leave everything behind and not have a care in the world.


    But soon, all sorts of voices echoed in his ear. ¡°You mustn''t fall, Mr. Nacht! Divine Corporation needs


    you, and Nacht Group needs you! The Nacht family cannot survive without you!¡±


    ¡°Our livelihood depends on you, Mr. Nacht. Our lives are in your hands!¡±


    Once again, these voices reminded him of all the responsibilities he had to shoulder.


    Zachary dared not put his guard down. He had no choice but to persevere.


    In his dream, he also saw the innocent smile on his children''s faces. ¡°Daddy! Daddy!¡±


    Zachary felt much better after seeing their adorable faces and hearing their vibrant voices.


    A pair of dainty hands gently tapped on his. The person then whispered in his ear, ¡°Don''t worry, I''m


    here with you. I''ll be with you till the end of time.¡±


    Charlotte...


    What Charlotte said in his dream gave him hope.


    He grabbed her hands and tried to crawl up from the ground. Yet, all of a sudden, she pulled her hands


    away and shoved him into the abyss.

 Chapter 1338

    Chapter 1338


    Zachary was jolted awake from the nightmare. His eyes were wide open as he had not recovered from


    the shock.


    His mind turned nk when the dream ended, but the fear continued to haunt him even after he had


    woken up.


    It took him a while to pull himself together. He ced his palm on his forehead, trying to regain his


    composure.


    He looked out of the window and realized it was already the next morning.


    The sky was drizzling, and he could hear car noises from a distance.


    Zachary looked at the clock and noticed it was only seven in the morning. He wanted to go back to


    sleep, but something seemed to have triggered him, causing him to open his eyes.


    He could see now.


    In fact, his vision was so clear that he could see everything around him.


    Unlike how weak and stiff his body wasst night, he felt energetic today.


    False rm, I see...


    I don''t think I''ll die so soon. At least not now. Thank God!


    Zachary took a deep breath and got up from his bed. He must not waste any time as he had to


    aplish as many ns as possible while he still could.


    ¡°Daddy, Daddy!¡± Robbie, Jamie, and Ellie barged into his room.


    ¡°Hey. Wee home.¡± Zachary bent down and extended his arms to embrace them.


    While Jamie and Ellie ran up to Zachary and hugged him, Robbie observed him from a distance with


    knitted brows.


    ¡°It''s time to go to school now.¡± Zachary rubbed Jamie and Ellie''s head. ¡°You''re half a semester behind,


    so you must work harder to catch up!¡±


    ¡°Okay, Daddy!¡± Jamie and Ellie responded with a nod.


    Robbie remained silent. A glint of confusion continued to sh across his eyes.


    ¡°What''s wrong, Robbie?¡± Zachary turned to him and asked. ¡°Don''t you want to go to school?¡±


    ¡°Don''t you remember, Daddy? I''m learning much faster than what the school taught because I have a


    private tutor,¡± Robbie answered softly.


    Zachary reached out his hands and embraced him. ¡°Are you not bored? You should go to school with


    Jamie and Ellie if you''re bored.¡±


    Jamie stepped in and said, ¡°We''ll go together tomorrow. There''ll be a celebration in school tomorrow,


    and Mommy has given us permission to bring Alpha, Beta, and Gamma with us.¡±


    ¡°I''m so excited! I wonder if they''ll like our school,¡± Ellie chuckled. ¡°Can theye with us, Daddy?¡±


    ¡°Go ahead, since Mommy has given you the green light.¡± Zachary gave Ellie a peck on her kiss. He


    then turned to Robbie, ¡°Will you join them?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Robbie replied. He then turned to Jamie and Ellie, ¡°You two should better get going.¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Oh, no. We''re going to bete soon!¡± Jamie took a nce at his watch. ¡°Mr. Marino, prepare the car!


    I''ll go and grab my bag now.¡±


    ¡°Wait for me!¡± Ellie, too, dashed out of the room. Before leaving, she turned around, ran to Zachary,


    and kissed his cheeks. ¡°Bye, Daddy! Bye Robbie!¡±


    ¡°Bye, Ellie.¡± Robbie waved at her.


    ¡°Have you taken your breakfast?¡± Zachary asked.


    ¡°Yes, at Mommy''s ce...¡± The two little ones put on their bags and scurried to the car.


    After sending Jamie and Ellie off, Zachary squatted down and rubbed Robbie''s head gently. ¡°You don''t


    look happy. Is everything okay?¡±


    ¡°Are you sick, Daddy?¡± Robbie asked. ¡°You couldn''t see anythingst night, right? You made up a story


    because you couldn''t read the words in the book. Are you sick? Tell me now.¡± Tears started rolling


    down his cheeks.


    Zachary looked at Robbie and froze right there. So that''s what''s bothering my poor child. He doesn''t


    deserve to go through this. He''s only six years old...

 Chapter 1339

    Chapter 1339


    The boy had easily seen through something that none of the adults had noticed.


    On top of that, he even kept it to himself and yed along so that no one would discover the truth


    about his father''s condition.


    Only after everyone had left did he finally bring up his worries.


    My poor boy, he must have suffered a lot.


    ¡°You silly boy.¡± Zachary put on a rxed front despite the stabbing pain in his chest. With a smile, he


    said to Robbie, ¡°Look at me. Aren''t I just fine? I can see your charming little face, and I can also see


    your light blue shirt and navy knitted vest. You look like a gentleman! What made you think there''s


    something wrong with my eyes?¡±


    ¡°Are you really okay?¡± Robbie waved a hand in front of his father''s face.


    ¡°I''m fine. Really.¡±


    Suppressing his heartache, Zachary took Robbie''s hand and pulled the boy into an embrace.


    ¡°You''re only six years old, Robbie. You should be as carefree as Jamie and Ellie are, living your life


    without any worries. Leave the important matters to the adults.¡±


    Robbie choked up. ¡°I know that, but I just can''t stop myself from overthinking. Sometimes, I also feel


    that being too smart isn''t a good thing. It''s like I understand everything that''s happening, but there''s


    nothing I can do.¡±


    Zachary held his son even more tightly. In truth, he used to feel the same way when he was young.


    As a child, he saw through everything that happened between the adults around him.


    Yet, he did not have the power to protect his loved ones.


    It would have been better not knowing anything and simply growing up like every other na?ve child.


    Unfortunately, just like Robbie, the young Zachary could not stop worrying.


    Such conflicting feelings were utterly tormenting.


    ¡°I''ll protect you no matter what happens, Robbie,¡± Zachary said gently while patting the child on the


    back. ¡°You don''t have to be afraid of anything as long as I''m with you. Don''t worry about anything. Just


    grow up happily like every other kid, okay?¡±


    Robbie wanted to agree, but he knew he could not do as asked.


    ¡°All right,d, I have some sorting out to do. Mr. Spencer''sing over in a while. Why don''t you go


    y in the garden?¡± Zachary coaxed.


    ¡°I have to deal with some matters, so I''ll be in my study.¡± Robbie gazed at him. ¡°If somethinges up,


    could you let me know? Maybe I can be of help.¡±


    ¡°You''ve already been a great help. Have you forgotten? Divine Corporation''s managed toe up with


    several new tech products thanks to you.¡± Zachary stroked the boy''s head.


    ¡°I meant¡ª¡± Before Robbie could say anything more, a knock sounded at the door, followed by Ben''s


    voice. ¡°Mr. Nacht! Mr. Spencer has arrived.¡±


    ¡°Lead him to the dining room. I''ll be right there to have breakfast with him,¡± replied Zachary.


    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± Ben headed downstairs.


    ¡°Well, I''ll be going now.¡± Robbie gave Zachary a hug before turning to leave.


    Zachary''s chest tightened as he watched his son walk away, albeit feeling assured about having a


    sessor at the same time.


    At least I know that when I''m gone one day, Nacht Group will be safe in his hands. Still, someone''s


    going to have to call the shots before that dayes.


    At that thought, Zachary grew solemn. I have to be extra prepared. If Charlotte doesn''te back, I


    need to keep Nacht Group alive for at least twelve more years until Robbie turns eighteen. That''s still a


    long way to go. I''ll have toy all the foundations out before that.


    Then, he quickly washed up, changed his clothes, and headed downstairs to meet Spencer.


    Meanwhile, Robbie sat in front of hisputer in the study, searching for Danrique''s whereabouts.


    He had inadvertently found out from Marino that Zachary was looking for someone named Francesco,


    who was Danrique''s close friend. I have to find Uncle Dan first.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.

 Chapter 1340

    Chapter 1340


    Spencer had been recuperating at Garden Vi ever since Henry''s passing and would seldom leave


    the ce unless Zachary summoned him.


    When Zachary underwent treatment for those two months, he asionally took charge.


    Although he had no idea what happened to Zachary, he figured thetter had run into some problems.


    Since Zachary''s return, he had been waiting for the young man to contact him.


    After receiving Ben''s phone call the night before, Spencer could not sleep a wink, for he could tell that


    something big was about to happen. That was why he rushed over first thing the next morning.


    Coincidentally, he bumped into the three children who had juste back from Northridge and chatted


    with them for a while. The sight of them zooming upstairs to look for their father made him smile.


    Mr. Henry used to love the kids most when he was still around. It was like he saw a glimpse of hope in


    his life along with the Nacht family''s future whenever he met them.


    Soon after, he quicklyforted himself. No, stop thinking such thoughts. Mr. Zachary''s just fine, and


    so are the Nachts. Everything''s perfectly fine.


    ¡°Mr. Spencer,¡± greeted Zachary as he walked downstairs in a set offortable loungewear.


    ¡°Mr. Zachary,¡± Spencer responded, rising to his feet. However, when he noticed how thin the man had


    be, he furrowed his brows. ¡°It''s only been about two months since west met; what happened to


    you?¡±


    ¡°My diet n was a sess,¡± Zachary joked.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    Spencer could not bring himself tough, raising the corner of his lips ever so slightly. ¡°I just met the


    children. They''ve grown up so much. Such adorable little ones.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. They grow up so fast.¡±


    As soon as Zachary took his seat, Hanna summoned the housemaids to serve breakfast.


    Spencer stared at him intently. ¡°I met Johann a few days ago. He told me you''d been back at work for


    the past two weeks. How are you? Are you feeling well?¡±


    ¡°I should be asking you that instead.¡± Zachary smiled faintly. ¡°You''re not young anymore, so you should


    take extra care of your health.¡±


    ¡°I''m doing pretty swell since I''ve been recuperating for a long time. My leg''s gotten much better now.¡±


    Spencer chuckled. ¡°You, on the other hand, have lost quite a lot of weight.¡±


    Zachary did not respond and drank his coffee in silence.


    Just then, Hanna and the maids returned with breakfast. ¡°Let''s eat, Mr. Spencer. We''ll have a talk in the


    studyter,¡± he proposed.


    ¡°All right.¡± Spencer''s expression turned grim, and he had lost all his appetite.


    The two shared a simple breakfast before heading to the study. By then, Hanna had already prepared


    them some tea and fruits. At the sight of their arrival, she excused herself and left.


    Ben wheeled Spencer into the room and stood next to him.


    A stack of papers was ced on the coffee table. Passing them to Spencer, Zachary said, ¡°Have a look


    at these.¡±


    ¡°What are these?¡± Spencer took the documents. Then, his eyes widened in shock as he nced at


    them. ¡°What is the meaning of this, Mr. Zachary?¡±


    ¡°I''ve spoken to your doctor. You''re in great health, and you''ll live to see another decade as long as


    nothing major happens to you.¡±


    Zachary took a sip of his coffee before continuing, ¡°That''s why I''ve gotten Mr. Williams to draw up a will


    for me. In the event that something happens to me, you will have the guardianship of my three children.


    I want you to look after them well.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Zachary...¡± Spencer panicked, his hands beginning to tremble. ¡°What on earth is happening? Don''t


    scare me like this.¡±


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Zachary answered with a faint smile, feigning nonchnce. ¡°This is just a backup n.¡±


    ¡°A backup n? What for?¡± Spencer demanded agitatedly. ¡°You''re still so young, and Nacht Group''s


    fate rests on your shoulders! You can''t go yet...¡±


    While speaking, the older man''s breathing grew erratic, and Ben quickly served him his medication.


    ¡°What the hell is going on here?¡± Not daring to lose his temper at Zachary, Spencer proceeded to p


    Ben on the back of his head. ¡°You''d better exin everything to me loud and clear.¡±

 Chapter 1341

    Chapter 1341


    Ben pouted aggrievedly, not daring to utter a word.


    ¡°Don''t take it out on him,¡± Zachary said calmly. ¡°The truth is I''ve been struck with an incurable disease,


    and I don''t know how much longer I''ll live. That''s why I drafted this will¡ªjust in case anything happens.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± bbergasted, Spencer fell into a daze and snapped back to reality after a long while. ¡°What


    incurable disease? Are you joking around, Mr. Zachary? D-D-Don''t do this to a geezer like me. I won''t


    be able to take it at this age.¡±


    ¡°I''m not joking,¡± Zachary answered coolly. ¡°Do you remember Cynthia ckwood?¡±


    ¡°You''re talking about Taylor ckwood''s eldest daughter, right? Yes, I do remember her. But why are


    you bringing her up now?¡± Spencer replied anxiously.


    ¡°After I exposed her tricks in front of Grandpa back then, she threw some poison at Charlotte, but I took


    the bullet instead.¡±


    Zachary recounted the previous incident calmly and sighed.


    ¡°She shot me a vicious look before being taken away by the cops, signing that I would join her soon. I


    thought nothing of it at first, and it was onlyter that I realized what she had meant. I never expected


    the poison to be so deadly that I''d fall sick from it just by getting some in my eyes.¡±


    ¡°How could this have happened? That horrible woman!¡± Spencer shook with rage. ¡°Have you talked to


    Dr. Felch? He''s an expert in toxins, isn''t he? If he could cure both Charlotte and Ellie, surely he''d be


    able to help you too¡ª¡±


    ¡°It''s toote,¡± Zachary cut him off. ¡°Dr. Felch has passed away.¡±


    Spencer froze in astonishment. ¡°He''s gone? When did that happen?¡±


    ¡°Just a few days ago. Charlotte and I sent him off after taking care of everything necessary,¡± Zachary


    answered tly. ¡°That''s why there''s no one who can cure me anymore.¡±


    ¡°How is that possible...¡± Spencer refused to ept the truth. ¡°No, there has to be another way.¡±


    ¡°There''s a guy called Francesco, who used to be Dr. Felch''s apprentice. We''ve been searching for him


    all this while, but we haven''t got a clue about his whereabouts,¡± Ben chimed in.


    ¡°Don''t ever give up as long as there''s hope,¡± insisted Spencer. ¡°I know Francesco. He''s a close friend


    of Danrique Lindberg. You''ll be able to find him if you find Danrique.¡±


    ¡°We''ve been looking for him too, but he''s also currently missing,¡± Ben responded softly.


    ¡°How useless could you be? You can''t even locate a guy!¡± Spencer was so infuriated that he hit Ben


    with his crutch. ¡°I trained both you and Bruce, and this is all you''re capable of?¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry, Mr. Spencer.¡±


    Ben looked down in shame.


    Indeed, he felt extremely remorseful after being reprimanded by Spencer, and he despised himself for


    not being able to find Francesco.


    All their problems would have been solved long ago otherwise.


    Spencer red at Ben before turning to Zachary. ¡°By the way, were you receiving treatment during


    your two-month disappearance? Did Dr. Felch note up with any way to cure you?¡±


    ¡°Dr. Felch had followed Ms. Lindberg to Erihal at that time, so we had another medical team assist us


    ¡ª¡± Ben blurted out.


    N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    ¡°Shut your mouth!¡± Zachary cut him off with a re. ¡°You''ve grown some guts, haven''t you? How dare


    you interrupt me while I''m talking to Mr. Spencer?¡±


    ¡°I''m terribly sorry.¡± Ben hastily backed away, afraid to say anything more.


    ¡°You should''ve gotten Dr. Felch to help you back then! Why didn''t you?¡± Spencer demanded frantically.


    ¡°Does Charlotte know you''ve been poisoned?¡±


    ¡°She doesn''t.¡± Zachary hastened to exin, ¡°Ellie was also poisoned back then and needed Dr. Felch.


    There''s no way I''d have gotten him to treat me instead of them.¡±

 Chapter 1342

    Chapter 1342


    ¡°But you could''ve all received treatment together! They shouldn''t have gone to Erihal. The three of you


    should have stayed behind so that none of you would miss out on Dr. Felch''s treatment!¡±


    ¡°Dr. Felch was old; he wouldn''t have been able to manage. He copsed right after treating Charlotte


    and Ellie. If he had to treat me too, none of us would have made it.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°That''s enough, Mr. Spencer,¡± Zachary interjected. ¡°It''s toote now. There''s no point bringing up the


    past.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Spencer lowered his head, choosing not to say any more despite feeling slightly resentful


    toward Charlotte.


    The older man refused to believe that the doctor would be unable to cure one more person and secretly


    med Charlotte for Zachary''s current predicament.


    ¡°I called you over because I want to leave the Nacht family in your hands,¡± Zachary said gravely. ¡°Ben


    and Bruce have stayed by my side for many years, but they still have a long way to gopared to


    you. You have the ability to take the helm here. The only problem is that you may seem less convincing


    because of your identity, so I''ll find a way to change that.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Spencer no longer opposed to his decision. ¡°I''ll do everything in my power to carry out


    your will and protect the Nacht family for as long as I live.¡±


    ¡°That''s what I like to hear.¡± Zachary felt especially relieved. ¡°Take care of your health, and please do


    not fall until the kids have grown,¡± he exhorted.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Spencer nodded, his eyes reddening slightly.


    ¡°You can leave now. I''ll be meeting Johann soon.¡± The corner of Zachary''s lips quirked into a smile.


    ¡°Take good care of yourself. I''ll talk to you again when I''ve made all the necessary arrangements.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Spencer gazed at the younger man before him. He wanted to say something more but


    ultimately stopped himself.


    ¡°See Mr. Spencer off,¡± Zachary instructed Ben.


    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± With that, Ben wheeled Spencer away.


    ¡°Bring me for a stroll at the courtyard since Johann has yet to arrive. Mr. Henry used to love sitting in


    there.¡± Spencer could not help butment as he stared at the familiar-looking garden.


    ¡°Sure, but it''s raining now. Give me a moment while I get someone to pass us an umbre.¡±


    Momentster, Ben wheeled Spencer into the garden while holding arge, ck umbre.


    Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    The garden was well maintained by the gardener and looked exceptionally beautiful, but Spencer


    simply did not have the heart to enjoy the view. ¡°Tell me the truth. Is Mr. Zachary''s illness that serious?¡±


    he asked solemnly.


    ¡°It''s been about three months since we discovered the problem. Before this, he would experience


    blurred vision and dizziness from time to time, butst night, hepletely lost his sense of sight for a


    few hours. ording to the doctor, it''s because the poison has reached the brain and affected his


    sensory nerves.¡±


    After borating, Ben added sorrowfully, ¡°We held onto thest sliver of hope when we went to see Dr.


    Felch. He was already barely hanging on back then, but he never forgot about Mr. Zachary''s illness


    and even went on to write a prescription during hisst moments. Unfortunately, he couldn''t make it.


    However, before taking hisst breath, Dr. Felch told us that his apprentice, Francesco, would be able


    to understand the unfinished prescription and cure Mr. Zachary. That''s why we''ve been doing whatever


    we can to find Francesco, but there''s still no news on his whereabouts.¡±


    ¡°I''ll think of something too.¡± A frown creased Spencer''s forehead. ¡°We can''t give up as long as we have


    a chance, no matter how slim it is.¡±


    ¡°That''s right.¡± Ben nodded. ¡°We''ve never given up and have been trying our best to find a cure.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Zachary is all the family has now. If he were to copse, it would be the end of the Nacht


    household''s century-long legacy...¡±


    Spencer''s eyes watered as he spoke. ¡°I promised Mr. Henry to watch over Mr. Zachary. How am I going


    to face Mr. Henry if anything were to happen to his grandson?¡±

 Chapter 1343

    Chapter 1343


    Ben looked down despondently, unsure of what else to say.


    Suddenly, the roaring sounds of a car engine could be heard from outside. Ben nced behind and


    quickly recollected himself. ¡°Mr. Sterk''s here. I''ll escort you to your vehicle now.¡±


    Spencer nodded. ¡°It''s fine. You may go ahead. I''ll get my men to help me.¡±


    Since Henry''s passing, all the bodyguards and maids responsible for serving him were ordered to take


    care of Spencer.


    However, Spencer had half of them sent over to Zachary, leaving only a few employees by his side.


    Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    He believed that an old servant like him did not require the care of so many people.


    Even so, Zachary respected him greatly and ensured that he was given the same amount of care


    Henry used to receive.


    At present, Ben left Spencer in Kyle''s hands, watched them leave, and then went to receive Johann.


    When Johann got out of the car and caught sight of Spencer''s car, he grew unsettled. Tugging at Ben''s


    sleeve, he asked in a low voice, ¡°Why did Mr. Nacht call me over? Did something big happen?¡±


    All these years, Zachary would meet him at thepany or anywhere else outside, regardless of how


    grave the issue was.


    Given that it was his first time being invited to the Nacht residence, he could not help but fear the worst.


    ¡°You''ll find out when you meet him,¡± Ben answered respectfully. ¡°This way, please.¡±


    Hanna had brought over a fresh pot of tea by the time Johann arrived at the study with Ben.


    Zachary sat cross-legged on the couch, gazing at the document in his hand. Upon hearing the sounds


    of footsteps, he looked up and smiled. ¡°Wee, Mr. Sterk.¡±


    ¡°What''s the asion today, Mr. Nacht? Why did you suddenly call me over to your home?¡±


    Johann felt sick with apprehension.


    ¡°Have a seat.¡± Zachary gestured toward the couch.


    As Johann sat across from him, Hanna ced the teapot at the coffee table before leaving the room.


    Johann was about to pick up the teapot when he noticed the document on the table, and it intensified


    the restlessness gnawing at him.


    ¡°This is for you.¡± Zachary handed the document over to him. ¡°Have a look at it.¡±


    Johann''s hands that were reaching out to pour himself a cup of tea froze at once. After putting his


    reading sses on, he read through the document. ¡°What is this, Mr. Nacht? What are you doing,


    drafting a will at such a young age and asking me to take over your position as the head of Divine


    Corporation?¡± he eximed in shock.


    ¡°Go through it carefully.¡± Zachary reminded him with a smile. ¡°It says that you''ll be taking my ce if


    anything happens to me. As for the headquarters in M Nation, Spencer will remain in charge, whereas


    you will assist him.¡±


    ¡°What on earth is going on?¡± Johann was in a frenzy of anxiety. ¡°Nacht Group has been growing


    steadily, and you''re at the height of your career! Why did you draw up a will all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°I''m doing it just in case.¡± Zachary had no intention of telling him the truth. ¡°Life is full of surprises. No


    one knows what might happen tomorrow, right?¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°Read the document carefully and tell me what you think,¡± Zachary cut him off. ¡°If you have any


    objections, I''ll get mywyer to amend it. If you ept the terms, then it''s all settled.¡±


    ¡°I...¡±


    Seized by fear, Johann could not sit still. He had a clear feeling that something must have happened to


    Zachary, but he also knew that there was no point in inquiring. If thetter wanted to tell him the truth,


    he would have done so.


    He and Spencer were different. Spencer had lived with the Nachts all his life and was a close


    acquaintance of Zachary despite being a servant, whereas Johann''s rtionship with Zachary was


    solely professional.


    Thus, Johann was aware that there were some things Spencer could know, but not him.


    ¡°All right. I''ll go through it.¡±


    Casting his doubts aside, he proceeded to take a proper look at the document.


    As he did so, a subordinate brought the saidwyer into the room, who greeted him and Zachary


    before taking note of anything Johann wanted to amend in the will.


    Zachary drank his tea, patiently waiting for Johann.


    A whileter, Johann spoke grimly. ¡°I''ve gone through everything. I don''t have an issue with anything


    mentioned in the document; it''s just that the terms seem to favor me a little too much. I''ve only been


    around for ten years, but you''re nning on giving me ten percent of thepany''s shares. You don''t


    have to, honestly. I''d do my best to safeguard Divine Corporation even without these shares.¡±

 Chapter 1344

    Chapter 1344


    Johann took out a pen and crossed out the use rted to his receipt of the shares. ¡°Please remove


    this use, or I won''t ept your terms,¡± he dered earnestly.


    ¡°Safeguarding Divine Corporation is no easy feat,¡± Zachary responded seriously. ¡°Thepany''s


    operating steadily with me around now, so it''d be easy for you to take my ce. But this will onlye


    into effect when I''m gone, and that''s also when Nacht Group will be thrown into unrest. You''ll face great


    challenges ahead, and your life might even be in danger. That''s why giving you ten percent of the


    shares really isn''t that big of a deal.¡±


    ¡°But does giving me these shares mean I won''t have to deal with all the challengesing my way?¡±


    Johann asked in return. ¡°Whatever happens will eventually happen, and no amount of shares you give


    me is going to change that. My two daughters have gotten married and are currently living abroad.


    They''re doing well and don''t need my money anymore, so I wouldn''t know what to do with the shares


    anyway. In fact, more people might have their eyes on me because of these shares, which would only


    put my life in greater danger. Let an old man like me live for a few years longer, will you?¡±


    Zachary wavered slightly upon hearing that. He could not really find a way to insist, given the way


    Johann was rejecting the shares.


    Divine Corporation had powered through trials and tribtions of all sorts for the past years. While


    some people had grown to be part of thepany, others had left¡ªall except for Johann. Even though


    the two men were constantly getting into squabbles with each other, Johann was always around when


    it came to the crunch.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    That was the only way Zachary could express his gratitude.


    ¡°No, I should thank you for contributing so much to modern technology,¡± Johann remarked. ¡°Ordinary


    people like me have no way of poprizing tech products throughmerce, but you used your own


    abilities and market power to allow an old man like me to do my part.¡±


    ¡°It''s all thanks to ourbined effort.¡± Zachary smiled. ¡°If you don''t want the shares, tell me what you


    want. I''ll do whatever I can to fulfill your request.¡±


    Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°There''s nothing I want at the moment, but I won''t hold back when I''ve thought of something.¡± Johann


    stood up. ¡°Well, if that''s all, I''ll be leaving now. We have a new product to test, and I have to be there.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡± Zachary nodded and turned to Ben. ¡°See Mr. Sterk off.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir. This way, Mr. Sterk.¡±


    As Johann got up and walked toward the door, he suddenly remembered something and turned to


    Zachary. ¡°By the way, Mr. Nacht, I''d like to meet Robbie in private if that''s okay with you. I think he''s


    very gifted, and I''d love to discuss some tech-rted matters with him.¡±


    ¡°Actually, he''s home right now. I''ll leave it to you, Ben.¡±


    Zachary was more than happy to let Johann meet Robbie. After all, having him guide the boy


    personally was nothing but good news.


    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± Ben immediately led Johann to Robbie.


    Meanwhile, thewyer, Rodney Williams, showed Zachary an updated electronic version of the will.


    ¡°Have a look at it, Mr. Nacht. Is there anything else that requires amending?¡±


    Zachary nced at the screen. ¡°Leave it as it is for now. Also, I want you to draw up a supplementary


    agreement that no one else apart from you and me should know about.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡°This will be the contents of the agreement: In the event of my death, all of my properties shall be


    divided equally between Charlotte Lindberg and my three children.¡±


    Rodney jotted down everything Zachary had described.


    Meanwhile, Robbie was in the midst of working on histest invention when Johann showed up. The


    boy immediately stood up to greet the man, and the two began to converse.


    With Hanna watching over the child, Ben headed downstairs to return to Zachary.


    Suddenly, a subordinate came rushing up to him. ¡°Ben, someone named Ms. Gold is here, and she''s


    requesting to meet Mr. Nacht.¡±

 Chapter 1345

    Chapter 1345


    ¡°Uh...¡± Ben spaced out for a moment. ¡°Nancy Gold?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that''s her name.¡±


    The subordinate had remained in the vi long-term, so he did not know Nancy.


    ¡°Give me a moment. I''ll go talk to Mr. Nacht.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Ben hurriedly made his way to Zachary''s study.


    By then, Rodney had finished drafting the new supplementary agreement and was letting Zachary go


    through it.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, Ms. Gold is here,¡± Ben reported. ¡°She''s waiting outside in the courtyard.


    ¡°How did she find this ce?¡± Zachary frowned.


    ¡°I don''t know,¡± Ben answered awkwardly. ¡°But I guess your residence isn''t that big of a secret to those


    in the corporate world. They''d be able to find you if they tried hard enough.¡±


    Zachary fell silent for a few seconds before instructing, ¡°Tell her to have a seat in the garden. I''ll be


    right there.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± Ben quickly did as told.


    After checking the agreement and leaving Rodney a few more words, Zachary changed his clothes and


    headed to the garden''s dining area.


    Nancy sat on the chair elegantly, her eyes downcast as if she was deep in thought.


    ¡°Ms. Gold,¡± Zachary greeted as he walked over, and the woman jumped to her feet in response. ¡°Mr.


    Nacht! I''m terribly sorry for bothering you.¡±


    ¡°How did you know where I live?¡± he asked with a smile.


    ¡°I-I found out from other people,¡± Nancy answered, feeling slightly abashed. ¡°I''m sorry. I know it''s not


    right, but I...¡±


    Unable to continue her sentence, she bit her lip in embarrassment.


    Zachary understood what she meant. They were getting along well during their meeting back then¡ª


    until Louis showed up and ruined everything. After that, he stopped replying to her texts or picking up


    her calls.


    That was why she could not wait any longer and came over.


    ¡°I do feel bad about our past two meetups being cut off short, so let me treat you to a meal today. You


    can decide where to go,¡± Zachary offered gracefully.


    ¡°Really?¡± Nancy was ted. ¡°How about right here at your ce?¡± she asked hesitantly.


    ¡°We have guests here, and the kids are around, so it''s not too convenient right now.¡± Zachary rejected


    her straight out. ¡°You like the sea, don''t you? Let''s head there instead.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing.¡± Nancy nodded fervently. Even if Zachary had denied her request to dine at his ce, the


    fact that he was willing to take her out to the sea meant she would have plenty of alone time with him.


    Turning around, Zachary ordered, ¡°Ben, go and make the arrangements.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Sir.¡± Ben went off at once.


    ¡°Let''s go.¡±


    After informing Hanna of his activities, Zachary entered the car with Nancy.


    Robbie furrowed his brows as he caught sight of them through his window from upstairs. ¡°Who is that


    woman?¡± he asked the maid next to him.


    N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    ¡°She seems to be a friend of Mr. Nacht,¡± the maid answered.


    It only took Johann one nce to recognize the woman. ¡°That''s Ms. Gold from Koandria. She''s the


    young female vice-president of Rockenan Group. In the past two years, she has grown quite popr in


    the corporate world.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Robbie said nothing more.


    ¡°Don''t worry about the affairs of grown-ups,¡± Johann remarked with a smile. ¡°Come, let''s continue


    where we left off.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Robbie put his thoughts aside and resumed his discussion with Johann on histest invention.


    Meanwhile, Zachary''s car headed straight down the mountain in the direction of the South Sea.


    Inside the vehicle, the jovial Nancy talked about some light topics with Zachary.


    The man would respond briefly from time to time¡ªuntil they got to the subject of the Gymnasium


    Project in Pillere. ¡°I''m guessing Sir Robert''s approached you within the past two days?¡± he asked.


    ¡°He has.¡± She nodded. ¡°The terms were extremely favorable, and he was hoping I''d invest in it. But I


    turned him down.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Why?¡± Zachary was slightly taken aback.


    ¡°If it were just a matter of usual business rivalries, I certainly wouldn''t have passed up the offer,¡± Nancy


    answered candidly. ¡°But this has something to do with Ms. Lindberg. She''s your wife, and I don''t want


    to cause you any trouble because of that.¡±

 Chapter 1346

    Chapter 1346


    ¡°Well, it''s not like it''d be that much of a trouble...¡± Zachary felt a little guilty. ¡°But still, thank you.¡±


    ¡°Not at all. This is just a matter of my own principles. It has nothing to do with you.¡± Nancy smiled.


    ¡°Besides, you''ve never mentioned it to me. I just didn''t want to be entangled with it.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± he replied.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, the truth is, I came over today to¡ª¡±


    A white car drove by them before Nancy could even finish her sentence.


    Zachary instinctively nced in its direction. That''s Louis'' white Bentley!


    ¡°Turn the car around!¡± he immediately ordered with furrowed brows.


    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± The subordinate quickly made a U-turn.


    Nancy stilled for a moment before asking, ¡°Did you leave something behind, Mr. Nacht?¡± Astonishment


    was evident in her voice.


    ¡°Sorry, but I don''t think I''ll be able to treat you to a meal today.¡± Still frowning, Zachary said, ¡°I''ll drop


    you off at the road ahead. Let''s take a rain check.¡±


    ¡°But...¡± The woman wanted to say something but held her tongue at thest moment. Trying to be


    understanding, she replied, ¡°It''s all right; I understand. Take care of your matters. Remember to contact


    me when you''re done.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Zachary replied regretfully, ¡°I''ll call you.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing.¡± Nancy smiled warmly. She always handled her emotions well, no matter the situation.


    As the car stopped in front, she got off and entered her own vehicle parked by the roadside.


    Zachary''s car headed back to the mountain in Northridge''s direction.


    As Nancy stood at the side of the road and watched the man''s vehicle speed away, a look of


    disappointment slowly reced the smile on her face.


    That was the third time her date with Zachary was interjected midway.


    And every single time, it was because of Charlotte.


    ¡°I think that was Sir Louis'' car,¡± said her subordinate. ¡°Apparently, Ms. Lindberg lives in Northridge. Mr.


    Nacht probably went back after seeing that Sir Louis was about to meet her.¡±


    ¡°I know that.¡±


    Nancy''s face darkened, and she could no longer conceal the grimness in her eyes.


    ¡°Then...¡± The subordinate nced at her cautiously.


    ¡°We''ll wait right here for Sir Louis to head down,¡± shemanded as she got into the car.


    ¡°Yes, Ma''am.¡±


    When Charlotte awoke in the morning, her hand continued to ache terribly. With Lupine''s help, she


    freshened up and got dressed before heading downstairs together for breakfast.


    The house was silent as Morgan had taken the three children down the mountain to y. For some


    reason, Charlotte could not get used to it.


    ¡°You should drink less coffee, Ms. Lindberg. It''s not good for your stomach.¡± Lupine reminded kindly.


    ¡°I''m sluggish now because I didn''t sleep wellst night.¡± Charlotte rubbed her temples. ¡°I need an


    energy boost since I have to deal with a matter today.¡±


    ¡°A matter? What matter?¡±


    Lupine was rather surprised as there was not much else for them to do apart from looking after the


    kids.


    ¡°Even if you don''t go looking for trouble actively, trouble will find its way to your doorstep.¡±


    Charlotte stared at her phone. She had received a missed call from Robert early in the morning but had


    yet to return his call. Therefore, she had a feeling that he would soon show up at her doorstep.


    ¡°What trouble¡ª¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, Sir Robert has arrived,¡± a female bodyguard hastily announced before Lupine could


    inquire further.


    ¡°How many men did he bring with him?¡± asked Charlotte.


    ¡°Three subordinates. Sir Louis isn''t with them.¡±


    ¡°Let them in.¡±


    Charlotte put her cutlery down and shot Lupine a look.


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    With that, thetter immediately gathered some forces and ced them on alert.


    Robert hadpletely burned his bridges when he ordered his men to capture Charlotte right after she


    left.


    Since he had the audacity to appear before her again, Charlotte certainly had to have her guard up.


    The entrance to the courtyard opened, and the white Bentley made its way in.


    Lupine brought a group of people to wee them. The car doors opened, and Robert alighted with


    three subordinates. ¡°Charlotte! It sure took me a while to find this ce,¡± he said, wearing a gentle


    smile on his face.


    ¡°Long time no see, Sir Robert!¡± Charlotte remained seated on the couch in the living hall and gazed at


    the man frostily. ¡°I didn''t think you''d spend so much time finding your way here. To what do I owe the


    pleasure?¡±

 Chapter 1347

    Chapter 1347


    ¡°Can''t I drop by to see you as your elder?¡±


    Sweeping his gaze across his surroundings, Robert evidently rxed when he noticed there were


    hardly any bodyguards around. ¡°Are the kids not home? No wonder your ce seems so much


    quieter.¡±


    He knew how much the children''s safety mattered to Charlotte. The woman would always have arge


    group of bodyguards apanying the children whenever they head out.


    At that moment, only three bodyguards remained in the vi.


    ¡°You can stop looking around now.¡± Charlotte saw right through him. ¡°Even just three of them are more


    than enough.¡±


    Robert cleared his throat and smiled sheepishly. ¡°There''s no need to be so hostile! I came here to


    discuss the project, not start a fight.¡±


    ¡°Your memory seems to be rathercking,¡± shemented with a smirk. ¡°Was it not you who ordered


    those men to capture me just a while ago?¡±


    ¡°I was merely inviting you back to our manor. Louis can''t bear to lose you,¡± he dered brazenly.


    ¡°You''re the paranoid one for assuming that they were going to hurt you.¡±


    Charlotte sneered. What a pretentious old fart.


    ¡°Well? Are you not going to invite me in?¡± Robert cocked an eyebrow.


    ¡°Of course I am. This way, please,¡± she replied, making a gesture.


    As Robert walked in, Lupine stood in his subordinates'' way.


    N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    The haughty men were about to force their way in when Robert shot them a nce. With that, they


    retreated and waited outside the door.


    Two female bodyguards kept their eyes on them, whereas Lupine watched over Charlotte inside the


    building.


    Unbeknownst to Robert, there were two other bodyguards on the alert upstairs.


    ¡°Come on, now, Charlotte. There''s no need to be so antagonistic toward an elder, is there?¡± Robert


    began to y nice as soon as he sat down. ¡°Danrique and I are such good friends, after all!¡±


    ¡°Save it.¡± Charlotte was not having any of his nonsense. ¡°If you have something to say, get to the


    point.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± He nodded with his lips curled. ¡°In that case, I''ll stop beating around the bush.¡±


    Then, he ced a document on the table. ¡°Once you sign this, we won''t owe each other anything, nor


    will we have anything to do with one another ever again.¡±


    The woman took the document and nced at it before scoffing. ¡°How bold of you to ask me to back


    out of the project just like this? What about my twenty billion worth of investment? Is that free money for


    you?¡±


    ¡°The fact that you could even invest in the project in the first ce was thanks to Louis'' arrangements


    in private, anyway, and you''ve benefitted from it too,¡± Robert said matter-of-factly. ¡°Besides, it was your


    fault that the wedding was canceled, and this has caused irreparable damages to the Laurent family as


    well as Louis'' mental wellbeing. Twenty billion isn''t too much to ask for, don''t you think?¡±


    Lupine fumed as she listened to his words. If Morgan were around, she would have cursed at the man


    out loud for being shameless.


    ¡°Ha!¡± Charlotte scoffed. ¡°First of all, I have never gained anything out of the project. Secondly, I believe


    I''m not the only one responsible for the canction of the wedding. Have you forgotten all the nasty


    things Lady Sherlyn and Diana did? In fact, you should instead be thanking me for saving your


    reputation by keeping all these incidents a secret.¡±


    ¡°Diana was the one behind all those schemes. What does my wife have to do with them?¡± Robert


    denied that Sherlyn masterminded the whole matter. ¡°And what do you mean by that? Are you


    threatening me?¡±


    ¡°I was hoping we could part amicably, but you''re the one harboring malicious intents. Don''t me me


    for treating you in the same manner then.¡± Charlotte cocked an eyebrow and retorted. ¡°If you want me


    to back out of the project, sure, I can do that. But only if you return my investment to me. Otherwise,


    please leave!¡±


    ¡°I''m surprised at the dire state Lindberg Corporation is now in,¡± Robertmented mockingly. ¡°To think


    that you''re even fighting over a mere twenty billion. I suppose Mr. Lindberg is at his wits'' end now!¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t matter if it''s twenty billion or just twenty. What''s mine will always be mine, and no one gets to


    take it away from me.¡± Charlotte gritted her teeth. ¡°Also, my brother will be back. Just you wait!¡±

 Chapter 1348

    Chapter 1348


    Hearing that, Robert could not help but tense up slightly.


    Is there a new lead on Danrique''s whereabouts? No, that can''t be. The Lindbergs are declining now.


    He''s rumored to have died in an explosion while out at sea, so there''s no way he''lle back!


    At the thought of that, he continued to threaten Charlotte, ¡°We''ll talk about that when he actuallyes


    back. But for now, you''d better sign this contract, or else...¡±


    ¡°Or else what?¡± the woman barked, raising an eyebrow haughtily.


    ¡°You''re all alone now. I can do whatever I want to you, and I don''t even need to do it myself.¡± Robert


    sneered. ¡°Do you really think a few female bodyguards will be able to protect you?¡±


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°They can''t, but I can.¡±


    Suddenly, a cold, dignified voice came from outside. Robert froze momentarily before turning his head,


    only to see Zachary striding into the house with a frosty expression on his face.


    ¡°Zachary...¡±


    The older man turned ghastly pale in an instant. He had gone looking for the other shareholders after


    parting with Divine Corporation on bad terms, but no one else had dared to budge without Zachary''s


    permission.


    That was why he had to resort to coercing Charlotte instead.


    Robert had assumed that Charlotte would give up her investment sum out of desperation to protect


    herself, but he did not expect her to be this strong-willed.


    Just as he was about to make things even more difficult for her, Zachary decided to show up.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    Charlotte was just as astonished to see Zachary. She had felt conflicted upon receiving word early this


    morning that Nancy was headed to Southridge. Nancy was so brilliant and proactive that it was only a


    matter of time until Zachary fell for her¡ªor so she thought.


    Yet, here he was instead.


    ¡°I was heading down the mountain when I saw Sir Robert''s car, so I decided to join in on the fun.¡±


    Zachary sat next to Charlotte, picked up that document, and sneered upon browsing through it.


    ¡°Whichwyer did you hire to draw up such an outrageous contract, Sir Robert? You went ahead and


    acted on your own without my approval. This is against the rules, you know?¡±


    ¡°Let''s talk about this in private, Zachary.¡± Robert''s eyebrows were deeply furrowed.


    ¡°Haven''t we already done that yesterday? Don''t you remember what I told you? I guess you still haven''t


    managed toprehend my words.¡±


    Zachary had implied that Charlotte was someone that even he dared not cross, so he hoped that


    Robert would be a little more sincere and call a truce with her.


    Yet, the older man had done theplete opposite and threatened Charlotte instead.


    This made Zachary boil with rage.


    ¡°I¡ª¡±


    Refusing to listen to Robert''s nonsense, he interjected, ¡°That''s enough. I wanted to give you a chance


    and let you settle this on your own, but clearly, you don''t respect my opinions at all. In that case, I''ll take


    care of things here on your behalf.¡±


    ¡°Zachary, w-what are you talking about?¡± Robert asked in bewilderment. ¡°What do you intend to do?¡±


    ¡°I''m going to call upon all the other shareholders and hold a meeting three dayster. You''ll get your


    answer by then.¡± Zachary tossed the document into the older man''s arms. ¡°But for now, I want you to


    take this contract with you and leave!¡±


    ¡°Zachary¡ª¡±


    ¡°Send him off!¡± Without even giving him a chance to speak, Zachary chased him out.


    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡± Lupine and Ben immediately walked over and stood on each side of Robert. ¡°This way, Sir


    Robert.¡±


    Livid, Robert flushed. However, he dared not act rashly and held onto the contract before leaving


    grudgingly with his men.


    Only after Robert''s car had left the courtyard did Charlotte retract her gaze to look at Zachary. ¡°Thank


    you,¡± she said, her eyes filled with unfathomable emotions.


    ¡°Leave this to me.¡± Zachary nced at her before turning to Ben. ¡°Get some people to guard this ce.


    No outsider is allowed toe near without my permission.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± Ben quickly did as instructed.


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    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Charlotte asked in shock.


    ¡°Don''t you get it?¡± Zachary frowned in displeasure. ¡°He treated you like that because he thought you


    have no one to lean on. But with my men here, no one will dare pick a fight with you again.¡±

 Chapter 1349

    Chapter 1349


    Despite the animosity in his tone, Zachary''s words carried the weight of a man''s responsibility and


    promise.


    Charlotte expressed her gratitude again and was then stumped for words.


    ¡°Why are you so useless?¡± He red at her. ¡°Aren''t you always acting like a tyrant whenever you''re


    with me? Why were you being such a coward in front of him?¡±


    His bombardment of questions stunned her. ¡°When was I acting like a coward? I retorted him!¡±


    ¡°Retorted? You should''ve thrown that contract right in his face!¡± Zachary was exasperated. ¡°Didn''t you


    see the way he picked on you? Grow a spine, why don''t you?¡±


    Charlotte was speechless.


    ¡°You only bare your teeth at your own family, but you''re a coward whenever you deal with outsiders!¡±


    the man spat out with a re before turning to leave.


    Charlotte stared at his back, unable to retaliate.


    Bare my teeth at my own family? Are we even still considered family?


    As that thought crossed her mind, an unusual emotion surged within her.


    Upon getting into his car, Zachary ordered Ben, ¡°Gather all the shareholders of the Gymnasium Project


    and have them see me in three days.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± Ben ryed his order at once.


    At the same time, Zachary''s phone kept ringing. Seeing that it was Robert trying to reach him, he


    rejected the call and blocked thetter''s number.


    ¡°I''ve contacted all the shareholders,¡± said Ben after hanging up his phone. ¡°What do you intend to do,


    Mr. Nacht?¡±


    ¡°Robert has gone too far. He knows who Charlotte is to me, yet he went ahead and tried to push her


    around.¡± Zachary seethed. ¡°It''s about time I teach him a lesson.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Ben understood how protective he was of Charlotte. No matter what became of their


    rtionship, Zachary would never let anyone pick on her.


    Besides, the fact that Robertpletely defied his warning and came looking for Charlotte infuriated


    Zachary even more.


    Ben would have tried to talk his boss out of doing anything rash if it were before. However, he no longer


    intended to do so, considering Zachary''s condition.


    He can do whatever he wants. Nothing else matters as long as it makes him happy.


    ¡°It''s still early. Do you want to see Ms. Gold?¡± Ben asked carefully.


    Zachary pondered for a moment before replying tly, ¡°Not now.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Ben took his phone out. ¡°I''ll reply to her text, then. She was asking about you.¡±


    ¡°Just tell her I''ll meet her another day.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±


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    Back in the middle of the mountain, Nancy was still waiting in the car. Since Zachary would pass by this


    route after dealing with his affairs, she was hoping to meet him again.


    Yet, after waiting for so long, all she got was Ben''s text informing her that Zachary would not be


    heading down the mountain that day. As a result, they would not be able to meet.


    Nancy felt utterly dejected. Every time she met Zachary, she would get her hopes up, only for her ns


    to be ruined time and time again. At that point, the usually cid woman could no longer keep a cool


    head.


    It''s about time I take action.


    ¡°They''re here, Ms. Gold,¡± her subordinate reported softly.


    Nancy raised her gaze and saw the white Bentley making its way down the mountain. It was the


    Laurent family''s car.


    As expected, the fancy car came to a stop when the passenger in it caught sight of Nancy. Robert


    exited the vehicle with his subordinates and approached her. ¡°Ms. Gold! What brings you here?¡± he


    asked courteously.


    ¡°If you hadn''te by, Sir Robert, I probably would''ve been on board Mr. Nacht''s yacht by now.¡±


    Nancy spoke tactfully, but the meaning behind her words was obvious.


    Robert was taken aback for a moment but quickly responded, ¡°It looks like I''ve inadvertently ruined


    your date with Mr. Nacht. I''m truly sorry about that!¡±


    ¡°Did youe to see Ms. Lindberg?¡± Nancy asked, smiling.


    ¡°That''s right,¡± the man answered straightforwardly. ¡°I wanted her to back out of the Gymnasium Project,


    but she refused. It doesn''t help that Mr. Nacht''s decided to interfere, so I''m in a bit of a tough spot now.¡±

 Chapter 1350

    Chapter 1350


    ¡°I''d suggest that you stop bothering Ms. Lindberg,¡± said Nancy directly. ¡°Although Mr. Nacht and her


    have separated, they are still friends. If someone bullies her, he''ll definitely intervene!¡±


    ¡°That''s weird.¡± A puzzled look crossed Robert''s face. ¡°Mr. Nacht has an intricate rtionship with


    Charlotte. Furthermore, he already has you, so why would he still protect Charlotte?¡±


    ¡°You''ll have to ask Mr. Nacht about that. I''d like to know the answer too.¡± She smiled. ¡°I''m just


    reminding you kindly not to seek trouble for yourself. After all, you can''t afford to offend Mr. Nacht.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any advice?¡± He gazed at her broodingly.


    ¡°If I''m not mistaken, you must have hit a snag with Mr. Nacht earlier,¡± said Nancy meaningfully.


    ¡°Looking at how calm you are, it means that he has not threatened you yet. However, ording to my


    understanding of him, he''ll probably take action soon.¡±


    Robert was stunned. ¡°Ms. Gold, are you saying that...¡±


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    ¡°You shouldn''t forcefully keep something that isn''t yours. I suggest that you return the investment fund


    to her and act honestly. Perhaps, you might have a chance to survive.¡±


    She continued bluntly, ¡°I know that your financial situation isn''t doing well. If you rely wholly on this


    project to turn the tables, you''ll lose everything once excluded from it.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying that Zachary wants me out of this project?¡± Robert eximed in disbelief, ¡°No way!¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± Nancy sneered. ¡°You''ve probably forgotten that he has never shown any mercy to his


    business rivals. Furthermore, your son snatched his beloved woman, and then you tried to coerce her


    into doing something against her wishes. Not only did you refuse to heed his warning, but you had also


    bullied her so openly. Don''t forget who''s on her side. Even if Charlotte has fallen from grace, she''s still


    the mother of his children. By constantly testing his patience, you have already struck his raw nerve, so


    he''ll definitely not show you any mercy.¡±


    Aghast, he thanked her hastily, ¡°Thank you for your advice, Ms. Gold. I''ll definitely repay your favor in


    the future!¡±


    With that, he quickly entered the car with his subordinate. The moment the car doors mmed shut, he


    called hiswyer. ¡°Return Charlotte''s twenty billion investment to her immediately! Don''t say anything


    and carry out my order right now!¡±


    When the car moved forward, Robert even rolled down the car windows and waved at Nancy gratefully.


    She inclined her head in acknowledgement.


    After watching Robert''s car zoom away, Nancy entered her car and headed down the mountain with


    her subordinate.


    ¡°I don''t understand, Ms. Gold. Why did you advise him?¡± asked the subordinate, feeling puzzled.


    ¡°If he keeps seeking trouble with Charlotte, Mr. Nacht will keep protecting her. In that case, I''ll have no


    chance to get closer to him,¡± she exined calmly. ¡°I advised him mainly because I want him to leave F


    Nation with his son quickly and stop interfering with my affairs. Furthermore, if I do him a favor now, it


    might help me in the future.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± The subordinate nodded. ¡°However, won''t you be helping Charlotte indirectly too?¡±


    ¡°That is the third benefit.¡± Nancy smirked. ¡°She''ll find out that I helped her soon enough. In that case,


    she''ll owe me one.¡±


    ¡°But even if you don''t help her, Mr. Nacht will still intervene,¡± replied the subordinate carefully. ¡°The


    problem will still be solved.¡±


    ¡°Charlotte might not agree to let Mr. Nacht help. Furthermore, even if he does take action, his harsh


    methods will definitely cause an outcry among the corporate world and damage Nacht Group''s


    reputation. Neither of us wants him to do that, be it Charlotte or me.¡±


    Gazing at the vi at Southridge outside the window, Nancy raised her eyebrows. ¡°Well, by doing this,


    I''m killing three birds with one stone. Charlotte will surely thank me!¡±

 Chapter 1351

    Chapter 1351


    Meanwhile, Zachary was at Southridge, instructing Rodney to deal with the Gymnasium Project''s


    shareholder contract.


    Suddenly, he received a call from Charlotte.


    Surprised, he immediately epted it. ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Just now, Sir Robert returned me the twenty billion investment fund.¡± There was a hint of shock and


    uneasiness in Charlotte''s voice. ¡°Did you do something?¡±


    That took him by surprise. Narrowing his eyes, he asked, ¡°When did that old man be so


    sensible?¡±


    ¡°What did you do?¡± Charlotte pressed. ¡°Don''t do anything that''ll affect you just for my sake. Although


    Nacht Group''s position is stable, your reputation will be damaged if you threaten him and kick him out


    of the project. You''ll even offend the royal family of F Nation.¡±


    ¡°Are you worried about me?¡± asked Zachary.


    ¡°I''m dead serious!¡± She panicked. ¡°Can you be serious for once too?¡±


    ¡°I haven''t done anything yet,¡± he replied sinctly. ¡°Are you satisfied now?¡±


    ¡°What happened, then?¡± Charlotte was bbergasted.


    ¡°Perhaps, someone advised him.¡± Zachary already had a guess. ¡°However, you don''t have to bother


    yourself over it. What matters now is that the problem is solved.¡±


    ¡°Who advised him?¡±


    ¡°I already said that you don''t have to bother about it,¡± he insisted adamantly. ¡°Just focus on yourself.¡±


    Slightly infuriated, she replied, ¡°Fine, as long as it wasn''t you who did it. I don''t want to owe you a


    favor.¡±


    ¡°You owe me plenty of favors.¡± Zachary''s anger surged when he heard that. ¡°Even your life is mine!¡±


    ¡°You...¡± Charlotte was rendered speechless. ¡°I can''t even be bothered to speak to you!¡±


    With that, she ended the call.


    Displeased by her attitude, Zachary frowned. A secondter, he lifted his gaze and instructed Ben, ¡°Tell


    Mr. Williams that he doesn''t need toe over anymore.¡±


    ¡°What about the shareholders?¡± asked Ben.


    ¡°The n remains the same.¡± Zachary ced his phone down. ¡°Even if we don''t kick that old man out


    of the project, we must still intimidate him.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Ben immediately went to inform Rodney.


    Then, Zachary picked up his phone, searched for Nancy''s number in his contacts, and dialed it. ¡°Ms.


    Gold, why don''t we meet at six in the evening at Seacrest Restaurant?¡± he asked when she answered


    the call.


    ¡°Sure, Mr. Nacht!¡± Nancy agreed happily before asking, ¡°You won''t stand me up again, right?¡±


    Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    ¡°I won''t.¡± He smiled slightly. ¡°Send me your address, and I''ll pick you up.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I''ll send it to you now.¡±


    After hanging up the call, Nancy sent him her address.


    As instructed by Zachary, Ben quickly made the arrangements and asked, ¡°Ms. Gold was the one who


    advised Sir Robert, right?¡±


    ¡°Even you guessed it?¡± Zachary smirked. ¡°She''s a smart woman.¡±


    ¡°Impressively, her cleverness isn''t annoying,¡± Ben said softly. ¡°By advising Sir Robert, she managed to


    make him return Ms. Lindberg''s funds in time while making it unnecessary for you to intervene. That''s


    killing two birds with one stone.¡±


    ¡°What''s her objective in doing this?¡± Zachary was analyzing the situation. ¡°Does she want both me and


    Charlotte to owe her a favor?¡±


    ¡°There''s probably one more reason,¡± suggested Ben. ¡°Because of Ms. Lindberg, you''ve already stood


    her up thrice. Furthermore, it''s always Sir Louis and Sir Robert troubling Ms. Lindberg. By doing this,


    she can put an end to it.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. She has put in a lot of thought into this,¡± replied Zachary tly.


    ¡°Ms. Gold really likes you,¡± Ben remarked while observing his expression. ¡°Do you...¡±


    Zachary nodded. ¡°She''s a nice woman, astute but bears good intentions. Moreover, she''s very


    thorough with whatever she does too. It''s almost impossible to hate her. Well, we can be friends.¡±


    ¡°Then...¡±


    ¡°I should still rify it with her so that I won''t waste her time.¡± Zachary ced his phone down and


    massaged his temples tiredly. ¡°I''m going to rest now. Remember to n tonight''s meeting well.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±

 Chapter 1352

    Chapter 1352


    Recently, it had been extremely easy for Zachary to feel lethargic. Although he had just woken up in the


    morning, he wanted to take a rest again.


    Noticing how his health had been deteriorating, Ben could not help but feel concerned. If we still can''t


    find Francesco, I''m afraid that...


    At that thought, he was ridden with worry. After making the rest of the arrangements for Zachary and


    Nancy''s meeting in the evening, he was thinking of calling Bruce when Lupine''s call came in.


    As she had asked to meet him, he had no choice but to dy the call.


    Due to the lesson fromst time, Ben became much warier and kept reminding himself not to let her pry


    out information from him.


    Meanwhile, before Lupine left, Charlotte exhorted her repeatedly, ¡°Remember what I said! You must dig


    out the truth from Ben.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Lupine nodded.


    ¡°Go on, then.¡± Charlotte gestured for her to leave, and she hurried out.


    Ever since Charlotte discovered by chance that Zachary would lose his sight intermittently, she had


    suspected that something was wrong with his health. Although she had sent Lupine to investigate it,


    she did not find anything.


    When she met Zachary earlier that day, she thought he looked rather pallid. Even his eyes seemed


    clouded. At that observation, worry gnawed at her.


    Hence, she instructed Lupine to ask Ben out and fish for some clues.


    Although Lupine was brilliant, she could notpare to Ben. With that in mind, Charlotte taught her a


    method and told her to act as instructed.


    Ben and Lupine arrived at the agreed-upon meeting ce simultaneously.


    After getting into his car, she passed him an apple.


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    ¡°Thank you!¡± Delighted, Ben took a bite of it.


    Seeing how happy he looked, Lupine felt conflicted. Although he seemed like a capable man, he was


    actually easily coaxed. She promised to bring him some homemade food but only got him an apple as


    she did not have the time to cook. Yet, he was still contented with it.


    ¡°Thank you for today,¡± said Lupine. ¡°Sir Robert is simply too much. We were already prepared to take


    action, but we didn''t expect Mr. Nacht to rush over and solve the problem.¡±


    ¡°Although their rtionship is very tense now, Mr. Nacht still cares about Ms. Lindberg deeply. He won''t


    ignore her if she''s in trouble,¡± said Ben seriously. ¡°If anything happens in the future, you must inform me


    in time. If we hadn''t spotted Sir Robert''s car while descending the mountain, things would have been


    messy.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg doesn''t want to be indebted to Mr. Nacht.¡± She sighed. ¡°I think that they care about each


    other deeply too. It''s really pointless for their rtionship to remain like this.¡±


    ¡°I understand where Ms. Lindberg ising from, though. After all, the Nacht family has harmed her


    greatly in the past. Family grudges can''t be forgotten so easily.¡±


    He added, ¡°However, from another perspective, she should put the past behind her now that Mr. Henry


    is dead, and Zara and the ckwoods have fallen from grace. Furthermore, since Mr. Lindberg is


    missing now, the two families should join forces and work together.¡±


    ¡°That''s what I think too. It''s just that Ms. Lindberg has too many concerns. Perhaps, they just need


    more time. Let''s take it slow,¡± she remarked woefully.


    ¡°We can''t take it any slower,¡± Ben blurted out. ¡°Time won''t wait for us.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Lupine shot him a puzzled nce.


    He exined hastily, ¡°Oh, I mean that the children are growing up, and they need their parents'' love.


    Plus, Lindberg Corporation is in a crisis now, and Ms. Lindberg needs Mr. Nacht''s help. We should


    think of a way to reconcile them.¡±


    ¡°You''re right. That''s what I had in mind, too,¡± she concurred.


    ¡°Great!¡± Ben was delighted. If Lupine were willing to cooperate, it would be much easier.


    ¡°I need to leave in ten minutes.¡± Lupine nced at her watch. ¡°Dr. Langhan ising overter.¡±


    ¡°Raina? Is she going to treat Ms. Lindberg''s wound? How is her recovery going?¡±


    In response, she sighed. ¡°Not great. It''s been hurting terribly for the past two days. I even have to help


    wash her face in the morning.¡±

 Chapter 1353

    Chapter 1353


    ¡°The wound is too deep.¡± Frowning, Ben took out his phone and said, ¡°I''ll ask Raina to prepare some


    painkillers.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine,¡± said Lupine quickly. ¡°We''ve got some at home.¡±


    ¡°External injury takes some time to heal. It''ll probably be better in a few days,¡± he reassured.


    ¡°Raina is a talented surgeon, so dealing with this should be a piece of cake for her.¡±


    ¡°The thing is, Ms. Lindberg is more used to traditional medicine. If only Dr. Felch is still around.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, if only Dr. Felch didn''t die...¡±


    Ben was overwhelmed with mixed feelings. If Dr. Felch is still around, Mr. Nacht''s illness could''ve been


    cured.


    ¡°It''ll be good if Mr. Lindberg is around too.¡± Lupine sounded despondent. ¡°His friend, who''s a doctor, is


    very skilled too.¡±


    ¡°Are you referring to Francesco?¡± asked Ben immediately.


    ¡°Yeah, Francesco.¡± She nodded and said, ¡°Whenever Ms. Lindberg fell ill in the past, she would always


    go to him, and she''d be cured in no time.¡±


    ¡°Are you still in contact with him?¡± he asked tentatively.


    ¡°We aren''t, but Sean probably is,¡± she replied in a nonchnt tone deliberately. ¡°If Ms. Lindberg''s


    wound doesn''t heal in a few more days, I''ll call him.¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about Sean Lowe?¡± asked Ben hurriedly.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Lupine nodded.


    Excitement coursed through his body. How could I''ve overlooked this? Since Francesco is a close


    friend of Mr. Lindberg, Sean, his assistant, would probably be in contact with Francesco. Ms. Lindberg


    would most likely be able to reach Sean... In other words, if we contact Sean, we can find Francesco!


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    ncing at her watch, Lupine said, ¡°Time''s up. I''ve got to go now.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Ben got out and opened the car door for her.


    After getting out of the car, she said, ¡°I''ll go back first. It''s going to be a busy day today, so I''ll contact


    you tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Take care of yourself!¡± He reminded her gently.


    Nodding, Lupine walked away briskly as she knew Charlotte was still waiting for an update from her at


    home.


    If Ben contacted Sean, it meant that something was wrong with Zachary''s health.


    Ben watched Lupine until she disappeared from his line of sight. Immediately, he started the engine


    and drove back, intending to tell this piece of good news to Zachary. It might be possible for them to


    find Francesco through Sean.


    At the same time, Lupine rushed home and headed directly to Charlotte''s room.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg!¡± She knocked on the door and entered the room, still breathless.


    ¡°How did it go?¡± Charlotte poured her a cup of hot tea. ¡°Sit down and tell me.¡±


    After taking a sip of tea, Lupine said while panting, ¡°I followed your instructions. Initially, he refused to


    divulge any information. But when I mentioned Francesco, his eyes immediately lit up. Even his gaze


    changed. I could feel his eagerness to contact Francesco, but he held himself back at the most critical


    moment. If something bad actually happened to Mr. Nacht, he''ll probably contact Sean soon.¡±


    Upon hearing her recount, Charlotte pursed her lips, her face turning grim.


    I should''ve realized this long ago. Zachary lost so much weight in the brief span of two months. Even


    hisplexion has worsened. If he had only suffered a minor injury, he wouldn''t have been in such a


    terrible state.


    At that thought, she tried to make a guess. Does he have a terminal disease? But that seems rather


    unlikely. After all, none of his ancestors had a medical history of cancer. Even Henry lived till ny-


    eight years old. Why would he fall ill then?


    Momentster, Charlotte shook off those thoughts and decided to figure out Zachary''s condition as


    soon as possible. Only then could she think of a solution.


    Considering how prideful he was, she did not know how long he would put on a tough front and pretend


    to be fine.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg,¡± Lupine asked softly, ¡°what should we do now?¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow is the memorial service for Dr. Felch, so I''ll make a trip to Mount Phoenix.¡± Charlotte quickly


    made a decision. ¡°We''ll know the oue by then.¡±

 Chapter 1354

    Chapter 1354


    ¡°I understand now.¡± Lupine had a sudden revtion. ¡°If Mr. Nacht has a terminal disease, he must have


    looked for Dr. Felch before. In that case, Hayley and Sam would definitely know about it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Charlotte had mixed feelings. ¡°No wonder he kept looking for Dr. Felch while avoiding me.


    Furthermore, it seemed like Dr. Felch had an unfulfilled wish before taking hisst breath, judging by


    how he kept grabbing Zachary''s hand.¡±


    ¡°Since we haven''t verified this, don''t worry yet, Ms. Lindberg. We might be overthinking things,¡±


    consoled Lupine. ¡°Mr. Nacht has such a strong physique. He doesn''t look sick.¡±


    ¡°Let''s go to Phoenix City tomorrow first.¡± Charlotte changed the topic. ¡°Arrange the private jet while I


    call Hayley.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Lupine nodded and asked, ¡°Are we bringing the kids along?¡±


    ¡°It''s a long journey, so let''s not bring them along. You can just follow me there.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡±


    Lupine immediately left to make the arrangements.


    At that moment, Morgan stalked in furiously. ¡°I''m so upset!¡± she grumbled.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Charlotte frowned as she looked at her.


    ¡°I thought that Mr. Nacht is a loyal man, but I didn''t realize that he''s such a yboy!¡± eximed Morgan


    indignantly. ¡°He instructed Marino to pick Nancy up just now!¡±


    ¡°They might be discussing business matters.¡± Lupine nced at her and chided, ¡°Stop overreacting!¡±


    ¡°I''m not!¡± Still vexed, Morgan exined, ¡°You only im that I''m overreacting because you don''t know


    what they''ve done! They booked the entirety of Seacrest Restaurant and even sent people over to


    decorate it. Isn''t that a date?¡±


    Lupine quickly shot her a look, signaling for her to stop talking.


    ¡°Why does that matter?¡± Charlotte remained calm. ¡°I had already broken up with Zachary a long time


    ago. Isn''t it normal for him to date someone else?¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡± Morgan was about to say something when Lupine pinched her. Only then did she return to her


    senses and say, ¡°Fine, I was just being nosy.¡±


    ¡°You''re beyond nosy!¡± Lupine growled furiously. ¡°If Mr. Nacht finds out that Marino revealed his tasks to


    you so easily, Marion would be doomed.¡±


    ¡°Um...¡± Stunned, Morgan quickly exined, ¡°He didn''t tell me. I-I overheard it by chance. Ms. Lindberg,


    he didn''t¡ª¡±


    ¡°That''s enough,¡± interrupted Charlotte. ¡°The kids are going to wake up from their afternoon nap soon.


    They want to eat at Fairytale Land with Robbie, Jamie, and Ellie. Go and prepare for it.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Morgan left hurriedly. Before leaving, she even shot a pleading look at Lupine, asking thetter


    to exin on her behalf.


    Lupine waved her hands, urging her to leave quickly.


    When the door closed, Lupine consoled Charlotte, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, please don''t be bothered by what


    Morgan had said. I think Mr. Nacht is only meeting Nancy for the Gymnasium Project. It''s definitely not


    a date! He even stood up for you this morning.¡±


    ¡°Whatever,¡± said Charlotte tly. ¡°He can date whoever he likes, and it''s none of my business.


    Furthermore, since he can still date girls, it means that his illness isn''t severe. I don''t have to worry


    about Robbie, Jamie, and Ellie no longer having a father.¡±


    Feeling awkward, Lupine was at a loss for words.


    ¡°All right, you may leave. I''ll call Hayley.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    While Lupine left silently, Charlotte grabbed her phone. The look of indifference on her face was


    gradually reced with a solemn one.


    She was both worried about Zachary''s health and his date with Nancy.


    If she had to make a choice, she would rather he remain healthy. As for their rtionship, she had


    come to terms with it.


    Perhaps, this was their fate.


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    Letting out a sigh, Charlotte called Hayley.


    Upon hearing that she was nning to visit tomorrow, thetter was delighted and told her to take her


    time since the memorial service would be held at night.

 Chapter 1355

    Chapter 1355


    After ending the call, Charlotte started packing for her trip to Mount Phoenix on the following day.


    Just then, her phone rang. Seeing that it was from an unknown caller, she was about to reject it until


    she noticed thest few digits of the number and decided to pick it up. ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Charlotte?¡± An attractive voice sounded from the other end of the line. ¡°Is that you?¡± the man asked


    tentatively.


    Charlotte was stunned for a moment before realizing who it was. ¡°Michael?¡±


    ¡°It''s really you! That''s great!¡± Michael was so excited that he started speaking incoherently. ¡°I thought I


    would never be able to see you again. I really didn''t expect... Where are you now? Can we meet up? I


    just returned to H City.¡±


    ¡°I...¡± She paused to think for a moment and decided not to tell him her address at Northridge. ¡°Where


    are you staying at? I''ll go to you instead.¡±


    ¡°I''m staying at Skyview Hotel.¡± After replying, he hastened to ask, ¡°Charlotte, is it far from you? I can


    pick you up.¡±


    ¡°No need,¡± she responded, ncing at her watch. ¡°I''ll see you at the hotel''s restaurant in an hour.¡±


    ¡°Sure, I''ll be waiting. See youter.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    Hanging up the phone, Charlotte ordered Lupine to get the car ready and set off for Skyview Hotel to


    meet Michael right away.


    On the way down the mountain, she saw how the sunset gave a beautiful orange tinge to the sky and


    illuminated the forest.


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    Charlotte gazed at the glorious scenery outside with narrowed eyes as memories of the past came to


    her mind.


    After dating Hector at a young age, she was entangled with Zachary by ident, followed by Louis.


    Throughout all the events, Michael had always been her constant friend.


    Back when she decided to get engaged to Hector, Michael left for overseas and was unreachable for


    five years. Subsequently, she got together with Zachary, breaking his heart again.


    Later on, because of Hector and Helena''s incident, which caused the Brown family and the Sterling


    family to get into trouble, Michael returned to settle some matters. After that, she lost touch with him


    again.


    Even when Charlotte and Zachary got married, the man did not return. He also did not show up when


    she was in deep water.


    Yet, he returned all of a sudden.


    Even though Charlotte did not know the reason for Michael''s return, he would always be her most


    trusted friend.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, I did some investigations just now. After her act of conspiring against Luna was


    exposed, Helena was jailed and has likely been released recently. My guess is that Mr. Brown is here


    to bring Helena back to M Nation,¡± Lupine reported while handing over her findings to Charlotte.


    Charlotte frowned after browsing through the information. ¡°Helena was the one who instigated the men


    to rape Luna and even tried to kill people to keep a lid on that matter. How is it possible that she''s only


    jailed for twenty-seven months formitting such a heinous act?¡±


    ¡°The Brown family must have pulled some strings for her to be released early,¡± Lupine replied. ¡°I


    checked the previous records. She was supposed to serve a thirteen-year sentence.¡±


    Charlotte remained silent, the crease between her brows deepening. She was considered a witness for


    the crime back then and was even threatened by Helena. If it were not for Zachary, she would have


    been killed.


    However, as she was unable to betray her conscience, Charlotte still ended up testifying against


    Helena.


    I suppose she must hate me to the core.


    ¡°Do you think Helena is also staying at Skyview Hotel?¡± Lupine asked, frowning. ¡°If she''s there, it would


    be awkward for you two to meet.¡±


    ¡°Given Michael''s considerate nature, he will ensure that we don''t bump into each other,¡± Charlotte said


    confidently. ¡°Besides, even if we do meet, Helena should be the one feeling awkward. She''s the vicious


    one who did terrible things, not me.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense.¡± Lupine nodded before continuing, ¡°Oh, while I was investigating Helena, I also


    looked into Mr. Sterling''s situation.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Charlotte turned to look at her.


    ¡°Mr. Sterling received a two-year sentence and was released a few months ago,¡± Lupine said softly. ¡°It''s


    not known if he has contacted anyone from the Brown family. I remember that when he got into trouble


    back then, his parents migrated to Caspardion with his son, Timothy.¡±

 Chapter 1356

    Chapter 1356


    ¡°That kid is quite pitiful...¡± Charlotte could not help but feel sorry for Timothy. ¡°He''s the same age as


    Ellie, yet he has already experienced the dark side of humanity. I''m afraid that he would be deeply


    traumatized by what had happened.¡±


    ¡°That kid is quite pitiful...¡± Charlotte could not help but feel sorry for Timothy. ¡°He''s the same age as


    Ellie, yet he has already experienced the dark side of humanity. I''m afraid that he would be deeply


    traumatized by what had happened.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I heard that he stabbed Helena with a knife at the wedding,¡± Lupine said regrettably. ¡°Was he


    only four years old back then?¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± Charlotte sighed and said, ¡°A four-year-old kid is supposed to be innocent, not ridden with


    hatred.¡± At the end of her sentence, she let out another sigh.


    ¡°News about that incident can still be found on the inte,¡± Lupine said softly. ¡°Photos and videos of it


    are also still avable.¡±


    ¡°After the Sterling family''s downfall, they probably could not afford to have all traces of it removed from


    the inte.¡± Shaking her head, Charlotte smiled bitterly. ¡°I''ll let you handle it. Wipe out everything


    rted to that boy. Otherwise, he may be triggered if he chances upon them after growing up.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Lupine replied, dealing with the matter right away.


    As the two of them chatted, the car soon arrived at Skyview Hotel.


    It was a five-star hotel that only started operating a few years back. As it was situated near the coast of


    the South Sea, guests had ess to a vast sea view through the windows.


    Recalling Morgan''s mention of Zachary and Nancy''s date, Lupine remarked, ¡°I think Seacrest


    Restaurant is just nearby.¡±


    ¡°That''s none of our business,¡± Charlotte replied in displeasure. ¡°Stop gossiping about others.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Lupine quickly lowered her head and did not dare to speak any further.


    ¡°Charlotte?¡±


    Charlotte looked up, searching for that familiar voice that she had just heard. Then, she saw Michael


    standing at a distance. He was looking at her excitedly.


    ¡°Michael!¡± Overjoyed, Charlotte quickly strode toward the man. ¡°It''s been such a long time! You... You


    look so different!¡±


    Michael used to look like a dreamy artist, spotting long hair with a slender figure and a mncholic


    look. However, he had gotten a haircut and was wearing a suit, looking absolutely dashing and sharp.


    A calm andposed look also reced his usual sorrowful gaze.


    ¡°Two years ago, because of what happened to Helena, my uncle''spany was seized. My dad was


    so upset that he fell ill, so I had no choice but to step up and take the helm.¡±


    Michael was overwhelmed with a myriad of emotions when he saw Charlotte.


    ¡°Back then, my family forced me to break off all ties with the outside world and had me learn the ropes


    in seclusion. That was why I couldn''t attend your wedding and was unaware that you were in an


    ident... I''m so sorry.¡±


    ¡°Please don''t say that.¡± Charlotte felt guilty. ¡°You have always been there for me, helping me whenever


    I''m in deep water. However, I have never done anything for you. That incident was my own


    predicament, and it was something I had to ovee by myself.¡±


    ¡°I''ve heard so much about the secondrgest shareholder of Lindberg Corporation, who is rumored to


    be an extremely charismaticdy. I''ve never expected that person to be you!¡±


    Michael got increasingly emotional as he spoke. ¡°I''ve been busy with doing business in Dartan in


    recent years and did not have time to find out what''s happening in the corporate world here. That was


    why I missed out on your news. When I got back this time around, I heard my friends mentioning that


    lady by chance, but they couldn''t be sure if it were you. I used all means to get your number and tried


    to contact you, but I did not expect you to really...¡±


    At that, he paused and hugged Charlotte tightly before continuing, ¡°Charlotte, I''m so d to see you


    again. I''m so happy!¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡±


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    Charlotte returned his hug as warmth filled her heart. Even though they had gone through their fair


    share of tribtions in life, Michael never changed, so was the pure and genuine friendship they


    shared.


    ¡°It''s really windy here. Let''s chat inside.¡± Michael put his arms around her shoulders as they entered the


    hotel together. ¡°Charlotte, how did you be the secondrgest shareholder of Lindberg


    Corporation?¡±


    ¡°Actually, I''m no longer a shareholder there.¡± She let out a bitterugh and continued, ¡°But I''m indeed a


    Lindberg. My name is Charlotte Lindberg now.¡±


    ¡°What happened? How have you been doing for the past two years?¡± he asked in concern. ¡°Didn''t you


    marry Zachary?¡±


    ¡°It''s a long story...¡± Charlotte proceeded to summarize her life over the past two years to him.

 Chapter 1357

    Chapter 1357


    After hearing Charlotte''s ount, Michael was shocked. ¡°So, it turned out that your mom is Mr.


    Lindberg''s aunt? I once heard from my father that she used to be a legend in the business sphere.¡±


    After hearing Charlotte''s ount, Michael was shocked. ¡°So, it turned out that your mom is Mr.


    Lindberg''s aunt? I once heard from my father that she used to be a legend in the business sphere.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Mr. Brown knows about my mom?¡± She was surprised to hear that. ¡°No one told me that my mom


    was a businesswoman. I thought she wasn''t involved in the family business at all.¡±


    ¡°That''s not possible,¡± he replied with a look of admiration on his face. ¡°Everyone in the Lindberg family


    is a business whiz.¡±


    ¡°Danrique hasn''t mentioned it before.¡± Charlotte''s heart sank at the thought of her cousin.


    ¡°Am I right to assume that the legendary Mr. Lindberg is your cousin?¡± Michael asked. ¡°I''ve heard


    stories about him. The word is that he has a god-like presence, so I''m sure he''ll return safe and sound.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± Charlotte nodded before changing the topic. ¡°Michael, how have you been for the past two


    years? Is yourpany doing well?¡±


    ¡°I''m all right. My business is doing well too,¡± he replied, smiling. ¡°You know that I have zero interest in


    business, and Ick confidence in it. However, I had no choice but to try as I couldn''t bear to let the


    business, which my dad had painstakingly built up, tumble.¡±


    ¡°You''re too humble. Results have already proven that you''re a genius in business,¡± she joked. ¡°Seems


    like you''ve inherited the talent of a businessman from your dad.¡±


    Michaelughed heartily. ¡°I''ve been hearing that a lot, but I''ve only taken it as ttery. Buting from


    you, it makes me really happy.¡±


    ¡°I''m just d that you''re happy,¡± Charlotte replied sincerely. ¡°I''m also happy to see that you''re doing so


    well.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any ns?¡± he asked, fixing his gentle gaze on the woman. ¡°Are you nning to


    continue being involved in the corporate world? Or are you intending to lead a peaceful and quiet life?¡±


    ¡°I want to find Danrique first,¡± Charlotte said with a hint of sorrow in her voice. ¡°I have a feeling he''s still


    alive...¡±


    ¡°He''s such a capable man, so I''m sure he''s still alive,¡± Michaelforted her. ¡°I''ll try asking around to


    see if I can find out anything too,¡± he then offered.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Charlotte replied with a faint smile. ¡°How long are you intending to stay here this time


    round?¡±


    ¡°I had originally nned to leave tomorrow night,¡± Michael replied. Deciding to be frank with her, he


    confessed, ¡°Helena has been released from prison, and I''m here to bring her home.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Charlotte did not ask any further, choosing to stay away from any matters rted to Helena.


    Even though that woman never harmed her, she insisted on distancing herself from such a vile person.


    ¡°I know you don''t like her. In fact, even I resented her back then formitting such an unforgivable


    act. However, I can''t just ignore her as she''s still my cousin, after all.¡±


    With a sigh, he continued, ¡°Since my dad is more than a decade older than Uncle Steven, he''s like a


    father figure to him and took great care of him since young. My uncle had originally led an average life,


    but with my dad''s help, he managed to gain both status and wealth eventually. After Helena took over


    the family business, thepany expanded due to her good business acumen and strong capabilities.


    I really did not expect her to lose her mind over love.¡±


    Michael paused and heaved another sigh.


    ¡°However, regardless of what had happened, she has already received the punishment she deserved.


    My dad has asked me to bring her back to M Nation. With us watching over her, I don''t think such an


    incident will ever happen again.¡±


    ¡°I hope so,¡± Charlotte simply replied.


    The man cleared his throat awkwardly and diverted her attention with a question. ¡°Are you still in touch


    with Hector?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I have stopped contacting the people from my past after assuming my


    new identity. I don''t think he even knows that I''m back.¡±


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    ¡°That''s quite likely.¡± Michael nodded. ¡°Given his current circumstances, he probably won''t have ess


    to any information in the higher social ss within the corporate world. If that''s the case, he probably


    wouldn''t know anything about you too.¡±


    ¡°Let''s not talk about the past anymore. It''s all water under the bridge. Likewise, there''s no need for me


    to meet people from my past again,¡± Charlotte said with a sigh. ¡°It''s better for us to go on our own


    paths.¡±

 Chapter 1358

    Chapter 1358


    ¡°I suppose.¡± Michael nodded before asking, ¡°What about me then? I''m also someone from your past.


    Do you intend to cut me off as well?¡±


    ¡°I suppose.¡± Michael nodded before asking, ¡°What about me then? I''m also someone from your past.


    Do you intend to cut me off as well?¡±


    ¡°You''re different,¡± Charlotte replied, gazing at him gently. ¡°No matter what happens, we''ll always be


    friends!¡±


    ¡°I''m d to hear that.¡± Feeling guilty, he said, ¡°I used to be really willful and had caused you a lot of


    trouble. I''ve grown a lot after everything that has happened in the past two years. I know you don''t have


    any romantic feelings for me, and I also know love can''t be forced. From now onward, I''ll be by your


    side as your good friend and put my feelings for you behind me. I promise to be there whenever you


    need me!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Michael.¡± She was deeply moved by his words. ¡°You have to take good care of yourself


    too. I hope that you''ll find your happiness soon!¡±


    ¡°I will.¡± He nodded. ¡°It''s a beautiful night. Shall we head to the beach for a stroll?¡±


    ¡°I don''t think I can.¡± Charlotte nced at her watch and said, ¡°I have to go back now. The kids are


    waiting for me to read them a bedtime story.¡±


    ¡°All right then.¡± Reluctant to part with her so soon, Michael offered, ¡°Let me see you out.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± After Charlotte put on her coat, the two of them walked out together.


    The sound of the waves brought back memories of the past, and he started reminiscing about the good


    old days with her.


    Smiling, Charlotte listened attentively and would respond to him from time to time. Unbeknownst to her,


    someone had been observing her from a window upstairs, eyes gleaming with malice.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg!¡± Lupine suddenly nudged Charlotte.


    Thetter looked over and saw a car approaching the hotel entrance. It was Zachary''s Rolls-Royce.


    Zachary''s subordinates got out and opened the car doors at the back. A secondter, Zachary and


    Nancy stepped out from different sides.


    Nancy looked shy and dainty with his suit jacket draped around her shoulders.


    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    After leaning over and saying something to her, Zachary walked side by side into the hotel with her.


    However, he had barely taken a few steps forward when he looked up and saw Charlotte exiting the


    hotel through the revolving doors with a man next to her. That sight made him halt in his tracks.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg?¡± Ben looked at Charlotte in shock, not expecting to see her there. Wait a minute! Isn''t


    the man next to her...


    ¡°Michael!¡±


    Zachary recognized Michael right away. Furrowing his brows, he strode into the hotel,pletely


    forgetting that Nancy was beside him.


    Nancy was taken aback for a second, but she soon snapped out of her daze and quickly caught up with


    Zachary.


    Meanwhile, Ben and the other subordinates entered from the side entrance.


    ¡°Michael!¡± Zachary called, fixing his cold gaze on Michael. ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°My family owns this hotel,¡± Michael replied calmly. ¡°I was here catching up with my old friend, and I


    doubt I need your permission for that, Mr. Nacht.¡±


    Zachary red at him coldly before turning his attention toward Charlotte. ¡°Why did youe out when


    your hand is injured? Go back now.¡±


    ¡°What has it got to do with you?¡±


    Anger welled up in Charlotte''s chest when she noticed Nancy standing behind Zachary. However, she


    tried her best to put on a calm front.


    ¡°Charlotte¡ª¡±


    Just as Zachary was about to speak, Nancy walked toward Charlotte and greeted her politely, ¡°Ms.


    Lindberg, what a small world! It''s a pleasure to meet you again.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Charlotte replied. Looking at Nancy, she continued with a faint smile, ¡°H City is so huge, yet


    we seem to bump into each other all the time.¡±


    ¡°Since we are all here, shall we have a drink together?¡± Nancy suggested smilingly.


    ¡°Unfortunately, I''ll have to decline your offer. I need to go back now.¡± Charlotte rejected her directly.


    ¡°You guys have fun. I''m going to take off now!¡±


    She then nced at Zachary before walking away.


    ¡°Charlotte, wait for me.¡±


    Michael was about to catch up to her when an object suddenly fell from above. Right before it hit


    Charlotte, a figure suddenly dashed toward her and pushed her away.


    Bam! A loud crash was heard.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht!¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    Ben and Nancy screamed at the same time.


    When Charlotte turned around, she saw that a vase had hit Zachary''s head, and blood began to gush


    out from his wound.

 Chapter 1359

    Chapter 1359


    Someone had dropped a ss vase from above.


    Someone had dropped a ss vase from above.


    Zachary was bleeding profusely, and half of his face was covered in blood in no time. Soon, blood


    stained his white shirt, coloring it scarlet.


    Charlotte widened her eyes in shock as she stared at him dumbfoundedly. Her heart was aching so


    much as if that vase had struck it.


    If Zachary had not pushed her away, the vase would havended on her head, and she would be the


    one bleeding instead of him.


    Stupefied, Michael stood rooted at the spot.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht!¡± Ben dashed over and supported Zachary while instructing, ¡°Call Raina now! Quick!¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± One of the subordinates made the call immediately.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, you...¡± Nancy was in so much shock that she started crying. ¡°Why are you so silly? Why did


    you...¡±


    ¡°I''m fine.¡± Zachary had his head lowered as he pressed his hand against his wound. He was obviously


    in so much pain since even his face had turned pale, yet he remained calm and gave out an order.


    ¡°Ben, send Ms. Gold home.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Nacht.¡±


    ¡°That''s not what you should be worrying about now,¡± Nancy said in between sobs. ¡°I''ll take you to the


    hospital.¡±


    ¡°It''s okay.¡± Zachary held up his hand and rejected her offer. ¡°Have you forgotten that you... Go back


    now.¡±


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    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    She wanted to say something else, but he was not in the mood to listen. Instead, he turned toward


    Charlotte and pointed at the woman. ¡°Get in the car with me,¡± Zachary ordered domineeringly.


    Charlotte was still standing motionless, her face as white as a sheet.


    ¡°Charlotte...¡± Michael snapped out of his shock and gave her a nudge.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, get in,¡± Ben said while helping Zachary into the car.


    At the same time, one of Zachary''s subordinates escorted Charlotte into the vehicle.


    Michael watched as the car sped off and only regained his senses when it was out of his sight.


    Immediately, he instructed his subordinate, ¡°Check which room did that vase drop from. Go now!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± At once, his subordinate brought a group of men into the hotel to run the investigation.


    A secondter, another subordinate reported, ¡°Mr. Brown, the Nacht family''s bodyguard has already


    gone to investigate. The media might get wind of it if the matter is blown up. Should we...¡±


    ¡°No matter what, we should still find out the truth first,¡± Michael bellowed in displeasure. ¡°Someone is


    injured because of an object that was thrown out of our hotel room''s window. The first thing we should


    do is find the culprit and give the victim an exnation, not try to suppress the news. That''s not the


    behavior of a righteous man.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± The subordinate immediately lowered his head, no longer daring to say another word.


    Meanwhile, Nancy had just broken out of her trance and was staring at Michael deeply.


    ¡°Ms. Gold, if you don''t mind, shall I get someone to send you back?¡± Michael offered, like how a


    gentleman would.


    ¡°My subordinates will be here soon.¡± Nancy rejected politely. ¡°Thanks for the offer, though, Mr. Brown.¡±


    ¡°Don''t mention it,¡± Michael replied. ¡°You must be in shock. Don''t worry. I''ll definitely investigate the


    matter thoroughly and give Mr. Nacht an exnation!¡± he then dered apologetically.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± She nodded her head in gratitude. Just then, her subordinate arrived and asked in


    concern, ¡°Ms. Gold, are you all right?¡±


    ¡°I''m fine,¡± Nancy replied. After getting into the car, she looked at Michael through the rearview mirror


    and instructed, ¡°Look into that man''s background.¡±


    ¡°Understood, I''ll get to it right away,¡± the subordinate replied.


    ¡°Ms. Gold, what happened? Why is there so much blood on the floor? Where''s Mr. Nacht?¡± another


    subordinate asked.


    ¡°He''s injured...¡±


    Nancy could not help but feel her heart aching as she recalled the earlier scene.


    At that crucial moment, Zachary had risked his life to save Charlotte. It was apparent that in his heart,


    that woman''s safety was more important than his own.


    Since he loves her so much, why did he go on a date with me? Was his gentleness toward me all a


    pretense?


    ¡°Are you sure you''re fine?¡± one of the subordinates asked cautiously. ¡°Are you hurt? Should we go to


    the hospital¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Nancy scowled in frustration. Her mind was in a mess.


    Deep down, she felt that she could neverpare to Charlotte, no matter how perfect she was.


    Have I really lost?

 Chapter 1360

    Chapter 1360


    After a long while, Charlotte was still looking at Zachary in a daze, not knowing what to do.


    After a long while, Charlotte was still looking at Zachary in a daze, not knowing what to do.


    Meanwhile, Ben had taken off his shirt and pressed it on Zachary''s wound as a makeshift bandage to


    stop the bleeding.


    However, the man gradually lost consciousness from the excessive loss of blood.


    ¡°Zachary...¡± Charlotte caught Zachary as he fell sideways. In a state of panic, she burst into tears. ¡°Stay


    with me, Zachary!¡±


    ¡°The hospital is right ahead; we''re reaching soon!¡± Ben yelled anxiously. ¡°Mr. Nacht, please hold on!¡±


    Just then, the car came to an abrupt halt. A team of medical staff, led by Raina, rushed over. They


    opened the car door hastily and lifted Zachary onto a stretcher.


    Ben, Charlotte, Lupine, and the rest followed the medical team until Zachary was brought into the


    emergency room.


    While they were waiting outside, Lupine tried tofort Charlotte. ¡°Mr. Nacht will be fine, so don''t


    worry.¡±


    Thetter did not respond, merely standing at the doorway with her eyes fixed on the emergency room.


    Her hands were trembling, and her face remained pale.


    She dared not imagine a life without Zachary.


    What would I do without him? What will happen to the kids...


    As she thought about it, fear and remorse washed over her.


    Ring, ring.


    Just then, Charlotte''s phone suddenly rang. Lost in her thoughts, she did not hear it at all until Lupine


    nudged her. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, your phone.¡±


    Charlotte whipped out her phone with her bloodied hands and saw it was Jamie. Immediately, she


    walked toward the side and picked it up. ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Mommy, when are youing back?¡± Jamie asked.


    Over the line, Charlotte could also hear the sounds of the other kids ying.


    ¡°Aunt Charlotte,e back soon! We''re waiting for you to read us a bedtime story!¡± Alpha shouted in


    her adorable voice.


    ¡°No, we want Angry Uncle to read us a bedtime story instead!¡± Beta corrected her sister seriously while


    sniffing.


    ¡°You can''t call him Angry Uncle. He''s Uncle Zachary!¡± Gamma corrected her siblings in a stern manner.


    ¡°That''s right! You are all such smart kids,¡± Ellie praised her cousins before speaking into the phone.


    ¡°Mommy, we''re sleeping with you tonight. We''ve already gotten permission from Daddy.¡±


    ¡°Mommy, is Daddying over today?¡± Jamie asked. ¡°We miss him.¡±


    ¡°He has to continue reading us the bedtime story from yesterday,¡± Ellie added on in her sweet voice.


    ¡°Mommy, why are you so quiet?¡± Jamie asked anxiously.


    ¡°All right, that''s enough. You guys are too noisy.¡± Robbie walked over and chided his siblings. ¡°Go over


    there and y. Pass me the phone.¡±


    ¡°Robbie, you''re so fierce! You''re bing more and more like Daddy!¡± Jamie said, feeling indignant.


    ¡°Here''s the phone!¡± Reluctantly, he handed the phone over to his brother.


    After epting the phone, Robbie walked to a quieter ce and asked, ¡°Mommy, are you all right?


    Where are you now?¡±


    ¡°I''m still outside.¡± Charlotte tried her best topose herself so that she would sound like her usual


    self. ¡°Robbie, I won''t be able to go home tonight. I have some things to settle. Daddy won''t be going


    over as well. All of you should rest soon. Be good, yeah?¡±


    ¡°Did something happen?¡±


    Even though she hid her emotions well, Robbie could still feel something was amiss with her. ¡°Did


    something happen to Daddy?¡± the boy asked anxiously.


    ¡°It''s not that. Robbie, don''t overthink¡ª¡± While Charlotte was still speaking, the voice of a nurse


    sounded. ¡°We need more bags of blood, hurry!¡±


    Hearing that, Robbie could no longer hold back his emotions and questioned agitatedly, ¡°Mommy, what


    exactly happened to Daddy? Stop hiding it from me! Tell me the truth, quick!¡±


    ¡°Robbie, calm down. Daddy is injured. We''re at the hospital now,¡± Charlotte quickly replied. ¡°It''s just a


    minor wound, nothing serious. He''ll be fine tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°I don''t believe you...¡± Robbie started crying. ¡°Is Daddy sick? I''ve long noticed that something''s wrong


    with him. Which hospital are you at? I want toe over...¡±N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.

 Chapter 1361

    Chapter 1361


    Charlotte was devastated when she heard Robbie crying over the phone. Guilt ate her up as the child


    sobbed. This wouldn''t have happened if Zachary had not pushed me away. The children wouldn''t be as


    heartbroken if I were the one hurt.


    Charlotte was devastated when she heard Robbie crying over the phone. Guilt ate her up as the child


    sobbed. This wouldn''t have happened if Zachary had not pushed me away. The children wouldn''t be as


    heartbroken if I were the one hurt.


    ¡°Mommy... Please, say something...¡±


    Robbie was still pleading for an answer.


    ¡°Don''t cry, Robbie. It''s just a minor injury. It''s nothing serious. I will stay with Daddy at the hospital, so


    everything will be okay. I promise we will go home tomorrow morning, okay?¡± Charlotte coaxed gently.


    ¡°But, Mommy...¡±


    ¡°Trust me, Robbie.¡± Charlotte hardened her voice. ¡°Don''t let Jamie or Ellie know.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Mommy...¡±


    Robbie was a considerate child. Despite being deeply troubled by Zachary''s condition, he knew he had


    to collect himself and behave maturely. Now that his parents were not around, he had to be responsible


    for his siblings as the eldest brother.


    ¡°I''ll hang up first, alright? Get some rest, Robbie. I''ll see you tomorrow.¡±


    Charlotte ended the call after bidding goodbye.


    She reminded him of his role as the eldest child because she knew Robbie was a responsible person.


    He would get himself together thinking of his siblings.


    Although she knew that was not the best thing to do, she had no other option. Given a choice, she


    would readily sacrifice herself for Zachary. Never once did she ever want Zachary to get hurt because


    of her.


    The guilt was unbearable for her.


    Back at home, Jamie was astonished when he found his brother crying silently in the corner. ¡°What


    happened, Robbie? Is everything okay?¡±


    ¡°It''s nothing.¡± Robbie hurried to dry his tears, but he still felt disturbed. ¡°Go and look after the girls.


    Make sure they don''t see me crying.¡±


    ¡°But you''ll have to at least tell me what''s going on, Robbie!¡± Jamie was like a cat on hot bricks looking


    at his brother. ¡°Did Daddy and Mommy fight? Or is Daddy getting married to another woman?¡±


    Robbie looked up at Jamie with tears in his eyes. How he wished things were as simple as Jamie


    thought. He would be spared of all the worry and grief if he could be less mature and just act like a


    child like Jamie.


    ¡°Robbie...¡±


    ¡°It''s not that,¡± he said, wiping his tears, ¡°Jamie, you need to start growing up and behaving, okay?¡±


    Jamie nodded his head immediately. ¡°I will, Robbie. Please don''t cry anymore.¡±


    Robbie felt an urge to just tell him everything, but he refrained from doing so.


    Over at the hospital, Charlotte was still waiting anxiously at the hospital. The elevator door opened and


    Nancy and her few subordinates came out.


    The two women saw each other and a brief silence ensued.


    ¡°Is there anything I can do for you, Ms. Gold?¡± Ben came over and asked politely.


    ¡°Is Mr. Nacht okay?¡± Nancy was concerned.


    ¡°They are still trying to get him back,¡± Ben replied solemnly, ¡°The injury is not looking good, but he''s not


    in danger.¡±


    ¡°Is there enough blood in the blood bank? Do the doctors need anything?¡± Nancy showered Ben with a


    series of questions.


    ¡°Everything is fine. No worries,¡± Ben replied, stealing a quick look at Charlotte. ¡°It''s alreadyte, so why


    don''t you go back and rest first?¡±


    Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    ¡°How can I sleep while Zachary''s life is still on the line?¡± Nancy sighed, ¡°Don''t worry, I won''t cause any


    trouble. I just want to make sure he''s safe.¡±


    Speaking, she turned toward Charlotte, looking at her searchingly. ¡°I hope you don''t mind me staying,


    Ms. Lindberg?¡±


    ¡°I don''t have the right to answer that,¡± Charlotte replied lightly.


    ¡°Alright. I''ll stay then.¡± Nancy sat down beside her.


    Since Charlotte did not stop Nancy from staying, Ben epted the decision and stepped back.


    Lupine, who had been quiet all this time, finally spoke. ¡°I''ll get you a cup of warm water, Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    Ben quickly followed her when she went to get water.


    ¡°I can''t believe that woman found us,¡± Lupine grumbled.


    ¡°She''s just worried. You can tell she cares for him,¡± Ben replied.


    ¡°Of course, she cares for him. They even went to a hotel together. How can she not care?¡± Lupine


    answered sardonically.

 Chapter 1362

    Chapter 1362


    Ben looked at Lupine and exined the situation. ¡°There''s a misunderstanding here. Mr. Nacht and


    Ms. Gold were having a walk by the beach when she realized her period came, so they went to a


    nearby hotel.¡±


    Ben looked at Lupine and exined the situation. ¡°There''s a misunderstanding here. Mr. Nacht and


    Ms. Gold were having a walk by the beach when she realized her period came, so they went to a


    nearby hotel.¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh. What a scheming woman. She can well settle it on her own. Why does she have to bring him


    along?¡±


    ¡°Well... She didn''t realize it herself. I was the one who found out.¡±


    ¡°You?¡± Lupine''s eyes widened in disbelief and rage. ¡°I didn''t know you''re that observant!¡±


    ¡°Just what are you thinking? She''s wearing a white dress and she''s walking in front of me,¡± Ben


    exined frantically, ¡°It''s not like I''m looking at her on purpose!¡±


    ¡°Whatever! I won''t believe a word you say.¡± Lupine pushed him aside forcefully, spilling all the water on


    him.


    Ben shook his hand dry and lowered his voice, ¡°It''s not the time to fight over this. You can do anything


    you want after Mr. Nachtes out safe. We don''t even know if he will pull through yet. Can we deal


    with thister?¡±


    Lupine looked away. ¡°I know. I''m not that unreasonable. I''m sure Mr. Nacht will survive. You just wait.¡±


    She filled up another cup and walked off.


    Charlotte was looking nkly at the emergency room when Lupine came over. Zachary had been in


    there for an hour, but they had received no updates about his condition.


    ¡°Have some water, Ms. Lindberg,¡± Lupine said, passing Charlotte the cup.


    Beside her, Ben came over with a cup as well. ¡°Have some water, Ms. Gold.¡±


    Nancy took the cup but did not drink. Her hand was shaking.


    She was trying to get a grip of herself, but she was so nervous she could not stop shaking.


    ¡°The doctor''s here!¡±


    Everyone stood up the moment someone shouted.


    A surgeon emerged from the emergency room and took off his mask. ¡°He''s fine. He lost a lot of blood,


    so it''ll take some time before he regains consciousness. We need to monitor him tonight.¡±


    ¡°Is there otherplication?¡± Ben asked.


    ¡°We''ve dressed his wounds. There won''t be a problem. Don''t worry. He''ll be awake by tomorrow


    morning.¡±


    ¡°Thank you so much!¡± Charlotte cried out in relief, but Ben still looked worried.


    He knew the doctor was unaware of Zachary''s sickness. That was why he said everything was fine with


    the patient.


    Ben did not want this injury to develop into something moreplicatedter on.


    The poison had already affected Zachary''s sensory nervous system, causing him to lose his vision.


    Ben was disquieted. What if this leads to something else?


    Just as Ben was still deep in thought, Raina came out from the emergency room and talked to the


    surgeon.


    ¡°Thanks, Dr. Hansel. I''ll take over from here. You should get some rest.¡±


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    ¡°Sure. Thanks, Dr. Langhan.¡±


    Dr. Hansel excused himself and left.


    Raina looked at Charlotte and Nancy before turning over to Ben. ¡°Mr. Nacht is still unconscious. He


    needs to rest. I don''t think we need so many people here.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± Ben replied and walked over to Nancy. ¡°Why not you rest at home while we wait, Ms.


    Gold? I will inform you once Mr. Nacht wakes up.¡±


    ¡°Sure. I''ll make a move first then,¡± Nancy said readily, standing up. ¡°Do you want to leave together, Ms.


    Lindberg?¡±


    Although Ben did not ask Charlotte to leave, Nancy went ahead. It was obvious that she was asking


    Charlotte to let Zachary have a good rest, but although her message was clear and direct, her tone was


    polite.


    ¡°I''ll leave in a bit.¡±


    Charlotte knew what Nancy was trying to get at, but she did not want to y along.

 Chapter 1363

    Chapter 1363


    Nancy took a long look at Charlotte and then at Ben.


    Nancy took a long look at Charlotte and then at Ben.


    Ben did not say a word but lowered his head.


    Nancy understood his bodynguage. They did not want unnecessarypany.


    ¡°Then I''ll get going first. See y''all.¡±


    Nancy nodded at Charlotte courteously and left.


    Ben sent a few subordinates to stand guard outside and the emergency room became less crowded.


    ¡°Can I go in and see him?¡± Charlotte asked Raina softly.


    ¡°Sure.¡± Raina brought her to get a change and went into the room with Charlotte.


    Zachary was sleeping on the bed with an infusion needle attached to the back of his hand. He was on a


    venttor and there was monitoring equipment beside his bed.


    His wound was already dressed neatly withyers of bandages around his head, but there was still a


    hint of blood smell wafting in the air.


    Charlotte was brought to tears looking at him in such a state.


    She did not dare to move closer. She was afraid she would disturb his rest, but at the same time, she


    wanted him to see her when he woke up.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht kept calling out for you when he came in. You should just stay here tonight,¡± Raina told her.


    ¡°I will.¡± Charlotte walked over to the bed slowly without taking her eyes off Zachary.


    ¡°I''ll step outside first. I need to talk to Ben.¡±


    Raina and her assistant left as Lupine came in to apany Charlotte.


    When Ben saw Rainaing out of the room, he dashed over and asked, ¡°How''s everything?¡±


    Raina looked back at Charlotte from the corner of her eyes and closed the door. The two stepped aside


    and discussed softly. ¡°We don''t see anything peculiar as of now, but it''s difficult to say what this injury


    will do to his body with the poison in his system. I can''t tell for sure what will happen, so we can only


    keep monitoring his condition.¡±


    ¡°Gosh. Things are already serious enough as it is and now he''s got another injury to deal with. He


    doesn''t even care about himself,¡± Ben said with a sigh.


    ¡°I heard he got injured because he saved Ms. Lindberg?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Ben moved on to fill Raina in on what happened.


    Raina looked at Ben in resignation after learning the whole happening. ¡°She''s the only person he cares


    for.¡±


    ¡°But he''s already sick! He should think of himself too. You have no idea how worried I am.¡±


    ¡°There is nothing we can do, isn''t it. The only solution is to find Francesco. I''ve been asking around


    among my colleagues as well. Dr. Wright will be here in a few days. I''ll ask her to look into this.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°I''ll go request for a room for Mr. Nacht first. See you around.¡±


    ¡°Sure. See you.¡±


    Raina transferred Zachary to an isted room so Charlotte and he can be alone.


    Lupine got Charlotte some clothes from home and Charlotte showered and changed into some casual


    outfit. She made herselffortable on the chair and waited for Zachary to wake up.


    She switched off the lights, leaving behind a dim yellow light just so she could keep an eye on Zachary.


    He was deep in sleep and his breathing was barely audible. The beeping sound from the


    electrocardiograph was the only sign that assured her that he was still alive.


    Other than that, the whole room was in dead silence. Charlotte watched him as she thought of how he


    risked his own life just to save her.


    She held his cold hand and brought it close to her face, hoping she could bring him some warmth.


    Tears rolled down her cheeks and fell on his hand, but the senseless patient was still asleep.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

 Chapter 1364

    Chapter 1364


    Charlotte dozed off as she waited andy down her head beside Zachary''s bed.


    Charlotte dozed off as she waited andy down her head beside Zachary''s bed.


    She did not let go of his hand even in her sleep.


    The night drew nigh and the outside world fell into silence, as did the ward. Charlotte slipped into


    slumber on Zachary''s bed, just as how she always did before.


    Zachary had a dream that night. He lost his way in the desert and did not know how to get out. He was


    stranded in a vast and endless piece of grey and blurry sandnd without any light.


    His whole body ached as if it was about to burst. He felt as if he was on the verge of losing his sense of


    hearing and visionpletely.


    He desperately wanted to escape, but his vision kept failing him and he could not hear a thing.


    All he could do was keep going forward, but even taking a step felt like a formidable task. He felt


    emptiness under his feet every time he took a step. He kept changing direction, but every direction


    pointed him to an endless abyss.


    He was trapped in a ce of no escape.


    He was lost, helpless, and resentful, but it was then that he felt a hand reaching out to him.


    He was apprehensive in the beginning. He was afraid that this hand would lead him to another


    bottomless pit, but this hand did not push him into another chasm.


    Instead, it held onto his hand tenderly, leading him to the light at the end of the tunnel.


    His heart was assured and he kept following the leading hand until he finally saw light again, but just as


    he was about to reach the other side, a violent wind ravaged the desert and blew away the hand.


    He wanted to cling onto it, but he could not.


    Zachary was shaken up by the nightmare. He opened his eyes gradually and realized Charlotte was


    beside him, holding on to his sleeve as if she was afraid he would vanish.


    His gaze softened and he reached his hand to touch her face. He realized her face was still wet.


    Did she cry? Was it because of me?


    Zachary let his thoughts lead him astray. A gush of cold wind blew through the window. He tried to


    cover her with his nket, but he was too weak to move a muscle.


    The chilly air sent a shudder down Charlotte''s spine and it woke her slightly. She muttered his name


    and grabbed his hand instinctively, but she identally rubbed against the wounds on her hand.


    She opened her eyes in pain but immediately saw that Zachary was awake and was looking at her. She


    dismissed the pain and asked softly, ¡°Are you awake? How are you feeling?¡±


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    Zachary did not reply but looked at her tenderly.


    ¡°I''ll ask Raina toe over and check on you.¡±


    Charlotte wanted to get up to press the emergency button, but Zachary put his hand around her waist.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± she asked, ¡°Let me go.¡±


    ¡°Over my dead body.¡±


    Those were Zachary''s first words after he regained consciousness. His voice was hoarse and deep.


    Charlottey back down as he wanted, moving carefully so she did not hurt him.


    ¡°It''s been a while since I hugged you.¡±


    Zachary moved closer, indulging in her scent. Everything felt so familiar.


    ¡°Stop it. I should go and get the doctor.¡±


    ¡°I''m not letting you go. Never,¡± Zachary insisted like a child.


    ¡°Zachary Nacht.¡±


    Charlotte wanted to give him a stern warning, but the moment she said his name, tears choked her


    voice and she broke down as her emotions finally took over her.


    ¡°Why did you push me away?¡± she questioned, sobbing, ¡°You were bleeding all over and your clothes


    were all red. Everyone was so scared something might happen to you.¡±


    ¡°What about you? Were you scared too?¡±


    Zachary nted a kiss on her hair, taking a deep breath.

 Chapter 1365

    Chapter 1365


    Words failed Charlotte. She wanted to say she was afraid she would lose him. She wanted to tell him


    she thought he would really leave her.


    Words failed Charlotte. She wanted to say she was afraid she would lose him. She wanted to tell him


    she thought he would really leave her.


    She wanted to let him know that she would rather be the one who died, but ultimately, she remained


    silent.


    ¡°Seriously, Charlotte, you''re such a cold-blooded person.¡± Zachary was disappointed.


    He dipped his head and bit her shoulder.


    ¡°Ouch!¡± Charlotte shrieked. She tried not to struggle for the fear of hurting him. Shey there without


    putting up a fight and let him have his way.


    Zachary did not let go until he tasted blood in his mouth. ¡°Is it painful?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    A satisfied smile curved on Zachary''s lips. ¡°Good. Then you''ll remember me forever.¡±


    Charlotte looked up at him, her gazeplicated. Zachary had already lost some weight before this.


    His jaw and cheekbones became more prominent because of his sickness, but he looked more worn


    out now. She could even see the red veins in his eyes.


    ¡°Why did you save me?¡± Charlotte asked.


    ¡°I don''t know. It''s a knee-jerk reaction. I shouldn''t have risked my life for a heartless woman like you,¡±


    Zachary replied, ruffling her hair.


    Charlotteughed. A tear rolled down her cheek when her eyes curved into a crescent shape.


    She did not want him to see her crying, so she buried her face on his chest and quickly collected


    herself, but none of her actions went unnoticed by Zachary.


    He knew she cried. He knew she was moved, but actually, he did not do it on purpose to win her over.


    It was like a reflex for him to save her.


    She had always been his and it was only natural for him to protect what was his, so there was no


    motivation or reason why he saved her, but Zachary did not tell her this.


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    He patted her on the shoulder. ¡°You''re hurting me,¡± he said softly as if he wereforting a child.


    Charlotte smiled and moved her head instantly as she wiped away her tears. She wanted to get off the


    bed but he pulled her into his embrace. ¡°Stay here. I''m so tired.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Charlotte did not move further but slept beside him. She felt safe beside him. His scent and


    his warmth felt like home to her.


    All their grievances, painful past, and resentment melted away.


    Charlotte simply wanted to stay by his side. She wanted time to stop so they could stay this way


    forever.


    Zachary was still weak after the surgery and he fell back asleep in no time.


    Charlotte, on the other hand, could not sleep a wink. he looked at her quietly as he slept, just like how a


    simple girl would admire her lover. That was how Charlotte used to be.


    In his sleep, Zachary felt her gaze drilling through him and he opened his eyes. Their eyes met and he


    kissed her.


    Charlotte was taken aback. She wanted to push him away, but her hands hesitated when she touched


    his chest. She did not want to hurt him.


    The kiss was soft and loving. Charlotte could even taste the blood in his mouth from the bite earlier on,


    but she followed his lead and let him kiss her.


    Zachary turned and pressed against her as their kiss intensified.


    He started running his hands down her body but stopped immediately when he felt pain in his wounds.


    He rested his forehead against hers and smacked his lips.


    ¡°Charlotte...¡± he called her name.


    ¡°Yes?¡± Charlotte let down her defense.


    ¡°You have to bear full responsibility for my injury,¡± he said, grabbing her chin, ¡°You have to take care of


    me until I get well again.¡±

 Chapter 1366

    Chapter 1366


    Zachary did not sound like he was making a request. It sounded more like an order.


    Zachary did not sound like he was making a request. It sounded more like an order.


    Usually, Charlotte would put up a fight and disagree with him, but this time, she just nodded and caved.


    ¡°Yes. I will take care of you.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Zachary pulled her into his embrace and dozed off peacefully.


    I should''ve known this is the easiest way to bring her back to me...


    Charlotte snuggled in his arms without moving, listening to his heartbeat. His heartbeat sounds normal.


    I think he''s healthy. I''m probably thinking too much.


    She could finally shake the worry off.


    Over at the door, Ben stopped Lupine just before she knocked on the door.


    ¡°What are you doing? I''m sending Ms. Lindberg breakfast.¡±


    ¡°I don''t think she wants any breakfast now,¡± Ben replied, moving aside and tilting his head, signaling at


    Lupine to look at the couple herself.


    Lupine cocked her head and stood frozen.


    Zachary and Charlotte were resting together in the bed, just like how couples in love usually did.


    It seemed like they really did not need to eat anything.


    ¡°Just leave them be.¡±


    Ben pulled Lupine away and gestured at the subordinates to stay outside.


    ¡°I should be happy for them, but I don''t know why I feel so unsettled,¡± Lupine said.


    ¡°Why?¡± Ben was curious. ¡°I''ve been hoping for this day all this while. Didn''t you say you wanted them to


    get back together as well?¡±


    ¡°Yes...¡± Lupine wanted to say more but did not. ¡°It''s nothing. I just want Ms. Lindberg to be happy.¡±


    Then, she left.


    Ben looked at her as she walked off, unable to understand what was in that head of hers. She clearly


    said she wished they got back together. Why did she change her mind?


    Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    What is she thinking exactly?


    Lupine went over to the staircase and sat down, eating the breakfast she bought for Charlotte alone.


    Her heart became heavier as she ate away.


    Back then, she was so frustrated looking at Charlotte hiding her true feelings about Zachary, but now


    that they patched things up, Lupine was worried about Charlotte.


    What if he dies? What will be of her?


    Charlotte would probably get over it faster if they did not reconcile. She would go through his death


    easier if she were not as invested in the rtionship.


    Now that she has opened up to him, it will be insufferable for her if anything happens to him. This kind


    of pain is unbearable for her.


    Lupine sighed at the thought.


    Meanwhile, Ben was secretly happy that Zachary and Charlotte had finally mended fences. He saw this


    ident as a blessing in disguise for the two.


    He quickly called Bruce and shared the good news with him. He also told Bruce that Sean probably


    knew where to find Francesco.


    ¡°I''m d to know they''re back together,¡± Bruce said tritely, ¡°As for Sean, of course, I''m aware that he


    might know where Francesco is. I''ve thought of contacting him, but he''s disappeared together with


    Danrique. There''s no getting hold of him at all.¡±


    ¡°For real?¡± Ben was shocked. ¡°I thought Lupine has always been in touch with Sean?¡±


    ¡°Really? Then there might be something we don''t know,¡± Bruce conjectured, ¡°From what I know, Sean


    has gone missing together with Danrique, but it''s possible that it''s all a show to hide something from


    everyone else.¡±


    ¡°Are you implying that Sean did not go missing at all and that he''s still contacting Ms. Lindberg?¡± Ben


    made a bold guess. ¡°Does this mean Danrique is not actually dead? Is all this just a trick to beguile


    everyone?¡±


    ¡°Probably, but I still can''t trace them. We might need to get some information out from Ms. Lindberg.


    You need to think of a way to do that.¡±


    ¡°Alright. I know what to do. Mr. Spencer''s here, I need to hang up.¡±

 Chapter 1367

    Chapter 1367


    Ben ended the call hastily and went over to greet Spencer.


    N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    Ben ended the call hastily and went over to greet Spencer.


    ¡°What is all this? Why didn''t you tell me about what''s going on?¡± Spencer red at Ben.


    ¡°I''m sorry, Mr. Spencer.¡± Ben lowered his head guiltily. ¡°Everything happened too quickly. Mr. Nacht''s


    condition is stable now, so we didn''t call you.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by ''stable'', huh? What''s the situation now?''


    ¡°He lost too much blood and he fainted. He already woke up in the morning. He''s just asleep now.¡±


    ¡°Let me see him,¡± Spencer said. His men pushed him toward the ward.


    ¡°Um, now might not be a good time, Mr. Spencer,¡± Ben said slowly.


    ¡°Why can''t I go in?¡± Spencer frowned.


    Ben looked around and bent down to whisper in his ear. ¡°Ms. Lindberg is inside.¡±


    Spencer was taken aback when he heard that. He asked his subordinate to push him closer and he


    opened the door slightly.


    When he saw the couple resting through the small crack, his expression became serious and he closed


    the door after that. He looked at the door for a bit and left quietly.


    ¡°What happened exactly? How did he get injured?¡± Spencer finally spoke when Ben was sending him


    off.


    ¡°Well...¡±


    ¡°I can see through all your lies, so you''d better tell me the truth,¡± Spencer warned, ¡°I''ll get to the bottom


    of this if you keep it from me.¡±


    Ben knew there was no getting away, so he gave an honest ount of everything.


    ¡°Again?¡± Spencer was indignant. ¡°These two are just not meant to be.¡±


    ¡°I''ve already sent some men to look into this. Don''t worry. You can''t me Ms. Lindberg for this too. Mr.


    Nacht protected her because he wanted to. What matters most is now things are back to normal


    between the two of them,¡± Ben said carefully.


    ¡°It''s still too early to say if this is a good thing,¡± Spencer said with a sigh, ¡°You take good care of him.


    Let me know if something happens.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing, Mr. Spencer.¡±


    When Ben got back in, Raina was already there with a few other doctors. ¡°How''s Mr. Nacht?¡±


    ¡°He woke up already. He seems okay so far.¡±


    ¡°Why didn''t you call me?¡± Raina ran over to the ward.


    ¡°Hey, wait...¡±


    Before Ben could say anything, Raina had already opened the door. She was stunned when she saw


    Charlotte and Zachary on the bed together. She immediately stepped outside and closed the door


    behind her. ¡°Why didn''t you tell me earlier?¡±


    ¡°I was about to tell you, but you went in already...¡±


    ¡°Ben!¡± It seemed like Zachary was awakened by themotion outside.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ben replied instantly, going into the room.


    ¡°I don''t want anyone to disturb us for the next half an hour.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Ben gestured at all the men to retreat.


    Back in the room, Charlotte was awakened too. She rubbed her eyes as she got up, avoiding the


    wounds on Zachary''s body.


    ¡°You''re not going anywhere.¡± Zachary stopped her and pulled her back into his arms.


    ¡°They are still waiting outside.¡±


    Charlotte felt bad. She knew Raina was here just now. Zachary needed to get his wounds checked.


    ¡°Let them wait.¡±


    Zachary turned and put his forehead on Charlotte''s, rubbing his nose against hers.


    ¡°Zachary...¡± Charlotte saw his slender face and felt an urge to ask him about his health.


    ¡°Yes?¡± Zachary''s lips brushed against her cheek as he spoke.


    ¡°Um...¡± Charlotte changed her mind. ¡°I think you should really let the doctorse in.¡±

 Chapter 1368

    Chapter 1368


    Charlotte knew Zachary was intractable. He would never show his vulnerability before his family.


    Charlotte knew Zachary was intractable. He would never show his vulnerability before his family.


    He would not breathe a word even if she asked. It would only bother him further, so Charlotte decided


    to just swallow her question.


    ¡°Alright. I''ll let you off the hook this time.¡± Zachary let her go reluctantly.


    Charlotte got out of the bed and pulled on a cardigan before going over to wash up. She changed into a


    new set of clothes and came over to help Zachary wash up.


    She had never taken care of other people. The maids at home saw to it that she did not need to lift a


    finger to take care of anything at home in the past two years, but it felt so natural for her to attend to


    Zachary.


    Zachary''s heart warmed looking at her. It reminded her of the days they spent together. Everything was


    so blissful and now there was finally a chance for them to resume their rtionship.


    ¡°All done.¡± Charlotte wiped Zachary''s hands clean and headed for the door.


    ¡°Good morning, Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    Ben, Raina, Lupine, and the others greeted her the moment they saw hering out from the ward.


    ¡°Come on in,¡± she said.


    ¡°Yes.¡± The tree headed in. Ben went over and stood beside Zachary while Raina checked on his


    wounds.


    As for Lupine, she went next to Charlotte and reported back on her work. ¡°The private jet is ready. It''s


    ready for takeoff at two in the afternoon.


    ¡°Noted.¡± Charlotte nodded.


    ¡°I want to go home if there''s nothing else to do at the hospital,¡± Zachary said.


    Raina was concerned and tried changing his mind. ¡°This is not a minor wound, Mr. Nacht. It''ll be better


    to stay for a few more days. I know that Southridge has a hospital as well, but their equipment and


    facility are not as extensive. It''s better to stay at this hospital. We''ll be able to offer the best care in


    case...¡±


    ¡°In case?¡± Zachary cut her short impatiently, ¡°There won''t be any emergency. There''s no need to be


    paranoid.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    Raina hushed when she met Zachary''s fierce re.


    She looked at Ben beseechingly for help, but to her dismay, Ben did not object.


    ¡°Alright. I''ll make the necessary arrangement.¡±


    Raina knew all hope was gone.


    ¡°Great,¡± Zachary said, turning toward Charlotte. ¡°Get over here.¡±


    Charlotte''s brows stitched looking at him. Seriously. He''s showing his true color just when he''s getting


    better.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± she said begrudgingly, going over.


    Zachary pulled her hand. ¡°You''re moving back home.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I was injured because of you. You have a price to pay.¡±


    Charlotte wanted to refute, but she knew there was no good reason for her to reject him.


    ¡°What about the kids?¡± This was the best excuse she could give.


    ¡°They''reing back as well,¡± Zachary said. He wanted the whole family reunited. The thought of


    having the whole family back together put a smile on his face. ¡°I can still read them bedtime stories


    even though I''m sick.¡±


    ¡°I mean the three girls. We can''t just leave them in Northridge.¡±


    ¡°It''s true that they are a handful, but they''re adorable. Bring them along.¡± The smile on his face


    deepened.


    ¡°What?¡± Charlotte knew Zachary was fond of children. He knew how to deal with kids well, but still,


    those girls were his enemy''s children.


    There was no way he would want to be under the same roof with them all the time.


    N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    ¡°They are very yful. It''ll be difficult to control all of them in one go. What about you go home and rest


    first. I have something to do for the next few days. I''ll drop by your ce after that.¡±


    ¡°Where are you going? You''re not leaving.¡± Zachary''s grip tightened around her hand.

 Chapter 1369

    Chapter 1369


    ¡°I need to run an errand. I will be away for two days. I''m flying at twoter. I will be back by tomorrow


    night.¡±


    ¡°I need to run an errand. I will be away for two days. I''m flying at twoter. I will be back by tomorrow


    night.¡±


    ¡°What do you have to do? I can send someone to get it done,¡± Zachary insisted, still holding her and. ¡°I


    don''t want to leave you.¡±


    ¡°Dr. Felch just passed and I need to check if everything was properly taken care of. I need to see to this


    myself. This is thest thing I can do for him.¡±


    ¡°Alright...¡± Zachary finally let go of her.


    ¡°I will be back in no time. You take care,¡± she said gently.


    Zachary nodded lightly.


    ¡°I''ll go home first to check on the kids,¡± she added, looking at her watch. It was already eight in the


    morning. She would need to hurry. She held Zachary''s hand and bent down. ¡°I''ll see you tomorrow


    night.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Zachary did not want her to leave, but he knew she had to. ¡°Bring more men with you. I''ll make


    sure the kids are fine.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Charlotte took another reluctant look at him before leaving.


    ¡°We''ll make a move first, Mr. Nacht,¡± Lupine said with a bow.


    Zachary looked grave watching them leave.


    ¡°The wounds look fine. I''ll get the paperwork ready to check you out,¡± Raina said.


    ¡°Great,¡± Ben replied.


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    He closed the door after the doctors left and poured Zachary some water.


    ¡°Call Hayley and Sam. Make sure they don''t tell Charlotte anything,¡± Zachary reminded.


    Ben looked at him in bewilderment. ¡°Do you think she will ask them?¡±


    ¡°I think so. We need to take preemptive steps,¡± Zachary said solemnly with his gaze low.


    ¡°I''ll do it right away.¡± Ben went out to make a call. After about ten minutes, he entered the room again.


    ¡°It''s all done, Mr. Nacht.¡±


    ¡°They are trustworthy people. They won''t betray us. I''m just afraid they will give in to Charlotte''s entreat


    or identally say something wrong. Did you make it clear to them?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I did. I told them to hurry her home after she paid her respects.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Zachary said weakly. He sat back down to rest, gradually closing his eyes into a slumber.


    Ben pulled his nket over him and stood watch beside him. He was worried about Zachary.


    Outside the hospital, Lupine had been making a few calls. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, as you expected, I can''t get


    through to Hayley. It keeps saying she''s on another call. Do you think she''s been over the phone with


    Ben?¡± Lupine asked.


    ¡°Hayley and Sam don''t have a lot of friends. They don''t know anyone else other than us,¡± Charlotte


    noted seriously, ¡°It will be too coincidental. Her phone has been busy ever since we came out of the


    hospital.¡±


    ¡°Does this mean Mr. Nacht is really hiding something from us?¡± Lupine was worried sick.


    Charlotte fell into silence, a stoic expression hanging on her face.


    Morgan''s car pulled up in front of the hospital and the two women were about to get in when a silver


    Maybach drove over. The window on the backseat rolled down to a beautiful face. ¡°Do you have a few


    minutes to spare, Ms. Lindberg? It won''t take long.¡±


    Charlotte looked at her watch and went into her car with Lupine.


    Morgan''s car followed closely behind.


    The two cars drove toward Rokan Hill and Nancy spoke first. ¡°Is Mr. Nacht awake?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he is. You should go check on him if you''re worried,¡± Charlotte said briefly.


    ¡°I will drop byter, but I''d like a word with you before I see him. I''ll send you home, so I won''t dy


    you. I hope you don''t mind just having short chitchat with a friend.¡±


    ¡°What is it you want to talk about?¡± Charlotte went straight to the point.

 Chapter 1370

    Chapter 1370


    ¡°In truth, I have known Mr. Nacht since a long time ago,¡± Nancy spoke frankly, ¡°I had met him at a


    business conference a few years ago. I knew he was the man I wanted to marry the first time I saw


    him.¡±


    ¡°In truth, I have known Mr. Nacht since a long time ago,¡± Nancy spoke frankly, ¡°I had met him at a


    business conference a few years ago. I knew he was the man I wanted to marry the first time I saw


    him.¡±


    Although Charlotte expected Nancy to say something like this, hearing it in person still disconcerted


    her.


    She used to think that Nancy pursued Zachary for power and business interests. Now that she found


    out that Nancy really loved him, she was perturbed.


    ¡°I was still young when I first saw him, so there was nothing I could do about my feelings for him, but


    now I''m the heir of my family''spany. I now have the social position to date and marry him. I''m a


    woman worthy of his love.¡±


    Nancy''s tone was confident as if she was dering war.


    ¡°I''m aware that you guys were married and have three children together. I''m also aware that he still has


    feelings for you, but none of these matters to me.¡±


    Nancy took a look at Charlotte and continued, ¡°What matters here is that I''m the most suitable


    candidate for him.¡±


    Lupine clenched her fists listening to Nancy.


    ¡°You think too highly of yourself, Ms. Gold,¡± Lupine spoke up, ¡°There would always be people better


    than you. There are still a lot of capable women out there. Besides, it doesn''t matter how capable you


    are if Mr. Nacht doesn''t like you.¡±


    ¡°How do you know if he likes me or not?¡± Nancy questioned.


    ¡°You won''t be talking to me right now if he likes you,¡± Charlotte intervened, ¡°You should be talking to


    him if you want to win him over. It''s useless talking to me.¡±


    ¡°I''m well aware of that. I''m here to tell you that I won''t go easy on you anymore. I will do all it takes to


    win his heart.¡±


    Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    ¡°I wish you all the best then,¡± Charlotte said, ¡°Stop the car.¡±


    The driver slowed down and gradually moved to the side of the road.


    ¡°You guys are not made for each other. He gets hurt every time he''s with you. He would not injure


    himself if it weren''t for you,¡± Nancy added.


    ¡°This has nothing to do with you. He''s willing to risk his life for me, but what about you?¡±


    ¡°I...¡± Nancy could not answer.


    Lupine smiled triumphantly, feeling rather satisfied.


    The car finally came to a stop and Nancy took a deep breath. ¡°Never say never, Ms. Lindberg. Nothing


    is constant in our lives. He''s willing to sacrifice his life for you, but that doesn''t mean he will do the


    same in the future. I will be his wife one day.¡±


    ¡°Let''s see if that happens.¡±


    Charlotte shot her a smile and went out. Before she closed the door, she turned back and said, ¡°By the


    way, you don''t have to keep informing me about your next step in the future. You can just go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Really? You''ll regret saying this one day,¡± Nancy replied, looking at her with a subtle smile.


    ¡°Till next time.¡±


    Charlotte closed the door and went back to Morgan''s car.


    Nancy looked at her from the rearview mirror as the silver Rolls-Royce sped off and vanished in her


    sight ahead of her. ¡°Just you wait and see, Charlotte Lindberg.¡±


    ¡°How dare she talk to you like that, Ms. Gold. The Lindberg family has already fallen. She''s in no ce


    to talk down to you¡±


    ¡°Social status is not a big factor when ites to rtionships. Besides, Mr. Nacht doesn''t care about


    this.¡±


    Nancy was able to read the situation objectively. ¡°Her trump card is her kids. They had a past, but she


    forgot that Mr. Nacht is not the only man who had a past with her.¡±

 Chapter 1371

    Chapter 1371


    Morgan drove on after Lupine and Charlotte got into the car. ¡°What does Ms. Gold want with Ms.


    Lindberg?¡± Morgan asked.


    Morgan drove on after Lupine and Charlotte got into the car. ¡°What does Ms. Gold want with Ms.


    Lindberg?¡± Morgan asked.


    ¡°She dered war,¡± Lupine said angrily, ¡°She said she and Mr. Nacht were made for each other and


    that she would do everything she could to win him over.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    Morgan lost it when she heard this. ¡°Is she crazy? Who does she think she is?¡±


    ¡°I know right? I almostshed out just now. Thank God Ms. Lindberg put her in her ce,¡± Lupine


    replied, looking at Charlotte, ¡°Good job back there, Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    ¡°Seriously, I should''ve just ram into her car,¡± Morgan seethed, her grip tightening around the steering


    wheel. ¡°I''ll teach her a good lesson when I see her.¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh, what are you gonna do to her?¡± Charlotte said.


    ¡°Well, I...¡± Morgan took a peek at Charlotte and said no more.


    ¡°What she did was way better than those devious people who do things behind your back. Do you think


    I''d survive her ploys if she were to use some underhanded ways?¡±


    ¡°True that...¡± Lupine said softly.


    ¡°She''d be a worse enemy if she had questionable moral.¡±


    Despite what Charlotte said, she still felt threatened.


    ¡°She''s always polite and honest in her dealings. This made her a bigger rival.¡±


    ¡°Don''t overthink, Ms. Lindberg. Mr. Nacht put his life on the line just to save you. He loves you a lot. He


    won''t fall for that woman.¡±


    Charlotte lowered her gaze and kept quiet. She had a lot on her mind.


    Sensing her mood, Lupine changed the topic. ¡°How are the kids? Did they throw a tantrum because we


    didn''t go back yesterday?¡±


    Morgan clicked her tongue upon the question. ¡°Don''t even talk about it. They kept pestering me to read


    them stories. I read them three stories and yet they refused to let me go. They even made me sleep


    with them.¡±


    Morgan was in charge of the kids when Charlotte was away. She rambled on and on about the children


    with Lupine.


    Lupine talked to her as she observed Charlotte''s expression.


    Charlotte fixed her gaze outside the window as the journey continued. She looked troubled.


    Since it was a weekend, all the children were home when they arrived.


    Charlotte went over to see Ellie and the three girls before going over to see Robbie and Jamie.


    Jamie was studying with Robbie when Charlotte reached home. ¡°Robbie, could you teach me this?¡±


    Robbie would usually clear his doubts patiently, but he was a little testy today. ¡°I thought I exined


    this to you already?¡±


    Jamie was upset. ¡°You''re so fierce towards me! You don''t have to talk to me like this even if you don''t


    want to teach me.¡±


    ¡°I''ve already taught you once, but you didn''t understand. This question is so simple. I don''t know why


    you don''t get it. You''re so dumb.¡±


    ¡°How can you say that?¡±


    Jamie pouted his lips and was on the verge of crying. He opened the door and dashed outside, running


    right into Charlotte.


    He stopped in astonishment when he saw Charlotte and broke down crying.


    ¡°Jamie!¡± Charlotte hugged him and looked at Robbie. ¡°It''s okay. Don''t cry, Jamie. Your sisters are


    gonnaugh at you if they see you crying.¡±


    ¡°Mommy!¡± Jamie wailed harder when Charlotte hugged him.


    ¡°What happened, Jamie? Come on, stop crying, I''ll bring you something nice for breakfast,¡± Lupine


    said.


    ¡°Go with Lupine and get some food. I''ll talk to youter, alright?¡± Charlotte said, passing Jamie to


    Lupine before going into the room. ¡°Robbie, we need to talk.¡±

 Chapter 1372

    Charlotte had always been extra gentle and patient with Jamie, Ellie, and Danrique''s girls, but when it came to Robbie, she could always speak to him frankly.


    After all, Robbie was mature for his age. When the boy realized he did something wrong, he lowered his head and walked over to his mother.


    ¡°I''m sorry. I shouldn''t get mad at Jamie,¡± he said softly.


    ¡°Robbie, you''re like a teacher to Jamie. It''s totally okay if you want to give him constructivements so he improves, but you might want to consider doing it in a better way,¡± Charlotteforted him with a smile.


    ¡°I know, Mommy.¡±


    ¡°I know you''re in a bad mood because you''re worried about Daddy,¡± Charlotte replied, caressing his head, ¡°But Daddy and Mommy set you a good example. We''ve never projected our emotions onto you guys.¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry, Mommy... I won''t do it again.¡±


    ¡°That''s my boy,¡± Charlotte said, pulling the boy into her arms.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    ¡°How''s Daddy going, Mommy? Is his injury serious?¡± Robbie looked at her with his red eyes, trying hard not to sound too anxious. ¡°He was knocked by a vase and he bled a lot, but he''s out of danger already.


    Don''t worry. He''s going hometer, so I guess Mr. Ben will be picking you guys up to go overter. You''ll be able to see him then.¡± ¡°He''s checking out so fast? Who did this to him?¡±


    ¡°Daddy took the impact for me. The vase fell from above and we still have no idea who did it. They''re running an investigation to look into it right now. Mr. Ben will tell us what happened when he gets more information about this.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Robbie said quietly. He thought for a bit and asked, ¡°Is Daddy okay? Is he hurting elsewhere other than his head?¡±


    ¡°You also realized there''s something off with Daddy?¡± Charlotte was shocked that Robbie actually sensed there was something wrong with Zachary. She spotted Robbie''s evasive gaze.


    He looked restless. Although Robbie was a mature boy, he was not good at hiding his feelings. After all, he was just a six year-old. Charlotte knew the boy was trying to keep it a secret from her, so she decided to try a different approach.


    ¡°I feel something is not right too. I''m worried that Daddy is hiding his sickness from us and bearing it all alone. I need to get to the bottom of this.¡±


    ¡°How are you gonna find out the truth?¡± the boy asked.


    ¡°I''m going to Mount Phoenix to pay my respects to Dr. Felch. I''ll ask Hayley if she knows about Daddy. Don''t say a word to anyone about this, okay?¡± Charlotte instructed.


    ¡°I won''t, Mommy,¡± the boy replied instantly, his voice betraying a hint of thrill. ¡°You still care about Daddy, don''t you? I thought you''d just let him be.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I care about Daddy. I know he doesn''t want to let me know, but I''m still gonna find out,¡± she said, patting his head.


    ¡°I actually wasn''t nning on telling you this, but you''re a smart boy. I won''t be able to keep this from you for long, so it''s better to justy all the cards so you won''t worry too much about Daddy.¡± Robbie nodded.


    ¡°Thanks for telling me this, Mommy. I actually realized there was something wrong with Daddy. When Dr. Felch passed away, he was already at his ce before we arrived. That means he went to see Dr. Felch earlier on, but Dr. Felch was not someone who likes socializing. Although he was good friends with great-grandpa, Dr. Felch only went to see him when there were important matters. As for you and Ellie, Dr. Felch had cured your disease, so there''s no good reason for Daddy to see him privately.¡±


    The boy spelled his doubts to Charlotte coherently. It was apparent that he had put in a lot of thoughts about what he observed.


    ¡°Besides, he suddenly stopped halfway when he was reading us a story. He stopped for a good minute and he seemed disturbed. Then he started making up a weird ending for the story. I feel like there''s something wrong with his vision. That''s why he made up the story."

 Chapter 1373

    Charlotte was amazed that Robbie realized everything before she even noticed any peculiarity with Zachary.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    When she thought about it, she would not have overlooked these details if she had cared more about Zachary.


    This made her feel indebted to him.


    ¡°Mommy, I heard that they were looking for a doctor called Francesco. It seems like he''s the only person who can save Daddy. He''s Uncle Dan''s good friend. Do you know him?¡±


    Robbie finally asked the question that had bugged him for a long time.


    ¡°Francesco?¡± Charlotte looked away, thinking hard. ¡°Lupine mentioned him before. He''s the one who treated me when I was poisoned. I heard that his skills are impressive, but I don''t have his contact. I''ll do everything I can to find him.¡±


    ¡°That''s great. Mommy, you have to do everything to find him. Mr. Ben and Mr. Bruce have been looking for him all over.¡±


    ¡°I know. I''ll try my best. I won''t leave Daddy alone. I will do everything I can to save him. You just need to take care of yourself. Don''t worry too much, okay?¡±


    ¡°I can help you keep an eye on how things are at home, Mommy,¡± Robbie suggested in all seriousness.


    ¡°It''s fine, Robbie. We can solve this on our own. You''re still a child. All I want is for you to be healthy and happy. I''ll be able to focus on finding a cure for Daddy if I know all my children are well.¡±


    ¡°Alright, Mommy. I''ll do that,¡± Robbie nodded obediently.


    ¡°Good boy,¡± Charlotte said, touching his cheeks, ¡°Go and y with Jamie. I''m sure he''s waiting for you to talk to him again.¡±


    ¡°I bet he is,¡± Robbie said in embarrassment before running out to look for Jamie.


    Charlotte looked at him darting off and a smile curved on her lips. If there were anything she was proud of in this world, it would definitely be her children.


    Knock! Lupine was here. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, Ben is already here to pick up the kids.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Ask them to get their things ready. I''ll be down in a minute. I need to get a change.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± With that, Lupine executed her orders.


    Charlotte got a change and went downstairs to send off the kids. Although Southridge and Northridge were close by, the children were still reluctant every time they had to say goodbye.


    The three girls were especially sad when they found out that Charlotte was going out and that Robbie, Jamie, and Ellie were going home. They sulked as everyone left.


    Jamie and Ellie had to cate them and promise toe over tomorrow to make the girls smile again.


    Charlotte sent the children off and watched their car leave. After that, she talked to the three girls before packing her bags and departing for the airport.


    She only brought Lupine and two other female bodyguards with her this time around. The rest of the security personnel stayed behind to take care of the children.


    Charlotte got a call from Michael when she was on the way to the airport.


    ¡°Hey, Charlotte, I have some information about the incident. Apparently, a cat ran over the vase that dropped on Mr. Nacht. The cat owner was so fearful upon knowing what happened. The hotel guest is currently talking to Ben to work out possiblepensations.¡±


    ¡°A cat?¡± Charlotte interrupted, ¡°I thought the hotel has a no-pet policy. Even if the guest is able to bring the cat in, how is it possible that the vase fell from above? I checked out the roomyout. It''s a room and a balcony right above the door we were at. How is it possible there''s a vase on the balcony? And even if the guest moved the vase to the balcony, it should be ced on a table or a coffee table, not on the guard rail, so there''s no way the cat knocks the vase over. This just doesn''t make sense.¡±

 Chapter 1374

    ¡°I had the same doubts too upon hearing that. I talked to the cat owner and got a statement of what happened. Then, I simted the crime scene based on the statement. I''ll send you the video right away.¡±


    Charlotte looked at the video after Michael sent it. The owner had bought some fresh roses and took the vase over to the balcony to ce her flowers in there, but before she was done, her phone rang and she ran back into her room to get the call.


    It was then that the white cat jumped from the floor to the balcony, sending the vase dropping downward.


    At first nce, everything seemed legitimate, but Charlotte still felt something was off.


    There''s still something odd about this incident, but I can''t seem to figure what it is...


    ¡°Did you see it already?¡± Michael called back after a while.


    ¡°Yeah. I can''t find anything wrong with the video, but we can''t just take her for her word. She might not be telling the truth.¡±


    ¡°Of course. I''ve already directed her to Ben. They will decide what to do with the case. I''m really sorry for what happened. I''ll do everything I can to make it up to Mr. Nacht.¡±


    ¡°That''s a job well done. Thanks for your help. I''m proud of how you handled everything, Michael.¡±


    ¡°Come on, I''m almost thirty. I have to know how to handle something like this,¡± Michael replied with augh. ¡°Luckily the room is on the fourth floor and the vase''s not big. Things could have been more serious if the room were higher. The impact could be fatal.¡±


    ¡°I know right...¡± Charlotte replied. It still unnerved her to think about what happened. ¡°But his wound is still pretty big.¡±


    ¡°I''m really sorry for everything. I went to the hospital in the morning to see Mr. Nacht, but he had already left, so I could only ask Ben to ry my apology. I also told them that I''m more than happy to make any form ofpensation.¡±


    ¡°Don''t say so. It''s just an ident,¡± Charlotteforted, ¡°I really have to go, Michael. I''m at the airport already. I''ll talk to youter.¡±


    ¡°The airport? Where are you off to?¡± Michael questioned.


    ¡°I''m going back to the countryside. I need to attend to something. I''ll be back tomorrow night.¡±


    ¡°Alright. I''m leaving the day after tomorrow. Can we meet up again after youe back? I have something I need to tell you,¡± Michael asked reluctantly.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    ¡°We''ll see how things turn out. I''ll keep you updated.¡±


    Lupine pulled up beside the entrance and got off to open the door for Charlotte. ¡°I really got to go, Michael. Talk to youter.¡±


    ¡°Alright. See you.¡±


    Carrying her baggage with her, Charlotte got off in a rush with her three bodyguards following her.


    ¡°I don''t think it''s just an ident,¡± Lupine said her piece of mind, ¡°The vase could have fallen right on you if Mr. Nacht had not pushed you away. Everything happened a little too perfectly -- this is just too coincidental, don''t you think so?¡±


    ¡°I think it''s weird too, but Michael will never lie to me. He has probably gotten to the surface of things. I bet he doesn''t know what actually happened, but it''s okay. Ben has a lot of experience when ites to things like this.¡±


    ¡°I agree. I know he''ll untangle all this mess.¡±


    ¡°Let''s board first. We''ll talk about the restter.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    The four women boarded the ne.


    Over at Southridge, Zachary snickered after looking at the video. ¡°Seriously? Do they really think I''ll buy this?¡±


    ¡°Do you think it''s Michael? I don''t think he''s that kind of person though,¡± Ben stated.


    ¡°It''s not him.¡± Zachary was sure about this. ¡°It''s someone else and this person wants Charlotte dead.¡±


    ¡°Who can it be?¡± Ben asked, ¡°I sent someone over yesterday night, but the hotel staff said they could not let us look at the room because of guest privacy. Then Michael allowed us inter on, but I guess the instigator had already left.¡±

 Chapter 1375

    Zachary looked away and fell into deep thought. ¡°Continue investigating. I want you to find out who checked in to the hotel yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Ben left to carry out the order.


    Zachary massaged his brows and got ready to go through some documents, but before he could work, the voices of children came from outside. ¡°Daddy! Can wee in?¡±


    Zachary quickly sat up to make sure he looked okay. ¡°Come in!¡±


    The children opened the door and ran in happily, but the moment they saw the bandage on Zachary''s head, their faces changed.


    ¡°Daddy...¡± Ellie broke down in tears when she saw him.


    ¡°What happened to you...¡±


    Behind her, Jamie was trying his best to force back his tears. Robbie had told him to stay strong and hold back their tears no matter what; however, despite his efforts, tears still rolled down his cheeks.


    ¡°Are you okay, Daddy?¡±


    Even Robbie was starting to choke on his words.


    Daddy had always been their superhero. There was nothing he could not do. They had never seen him sick before.


    Seeing him hurt was a huge blow for the children.


    They felt as if their whole world was crumbling.


    ¡°I''m fine.¡±N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    Zachary held out his hands and hugged the children affectionately.


    The kids hugged him back carefully, afraid that they would hurt Zachary.


    ¡°How dare they do this to you,¡± Jamie warned, ¡°I''ll beat them up to a pulp!¡±


    Zacharyughed and ruffled his hair. ¡°Leave this to Mr. Ben. He can do a better job than you. You can save the world in the future after you grow up.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Daddy, are you looking down on me? Fine. I will grow up into a superman.¡±


    ¡°Ha. Are you sure? I''ll still be around when you grow up though. I''ll still be the superman of the world.¡±


    Everyone giggled at the banter and the tension eased.


    ¡°Exactly. There''s no way I can beat you, Daddy,¡± Jamie said timidly.


    Zachary pinched his cheek and nodded. ¡°Robbie, how are studiesing along with Mr. Sterk?¡±


    ¡°He''s a great scientist. I''ve learned a lot from him.¡±


    Robbie went on to share all the interesting knowledge he learned.


    ¡°Mr. Sterk is already old. He doesn''t remember things as well as he used to, so just make sure you''re patient with him, alright?¡±


    ¡°I will, Daddy,¡± Robbie replied.


    ¡°What about you, Ellie? How are...¡±


    ¡°My studies are fine. I''ve been attending piano and dance sses.¡±


    The little girl did not even wait for Zachary to finish his sentence. ¡°Don''t worry about me. You need to rest and get well soon so you can y with us.¡±


    ¡°Since when did you take after your mother, huh?¡±


    Zachary squeezed her cheeks tenderly.


    ¡°Daddy, are you saying that Mommy nags too much? I''m gonna tell her.¡±


    Ellie puckered her lips and frowned at Zachary. ¡°I''m gonna ask Mommy to punish you!¡±


    Zachary chuckled looking at the cute girl. He figured this must be how Charlotte looked like when she was young.


    ¡°Daddy...¡± Ellie became downcast again looking at Zachary. ¡°You have to be safe, okay? I want you to stay healthy so you can see all of us grow up.¡±

 Chapter 1376

    Hearing Ellie''s baby voice and seeing how she''s pretending to be an adult by talking that way made Zachary''s heart melt.


    He wanted to say something, but the second his lips parted, a sting in his heart constricted his throat. In the end, he couldn''t get himself to say even a word. All he could do was to hug Ellie tightly.


    He felt his heart aching like never before.


    If he could, he wished that he would live happily and healthily as well. He wanted to watch them grow up, but... I don''t think I canst that long...


    ¡°You''re being stupid, Ellie. Daddy will be fine,¡± scolded Robbie. He took a deep breath, and in a voice thick with tears, he insisted, ¡°Daddy will recover. He definitely will.¡±


    Robbie had faith that he and his mother would find Francesco to heal his father.


    ¡°Yeah, Daddy is just suffering from a minor injury. He will recover soon, so don''t cry, Ellie,¡± cooed Jamie. His way of thinking was simpler.


    ¡°He''s right. I''ll be up soon to y with everyone.¡±


    Zachary picked himself up and put on a smile to coo his kids. ¡°Be good. I have to work, so you three go y among yourselves for now.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± replied the kids. They nodded obediently before leaving reluctantly.


    Zachary''s heart felt heavy once more as he watched the kids exiting. He had gone through dozens of wars and had never feared death. Yet, at that moment, he was suddenly terrified.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    He worried that his kids would not have a father once he was gone.


    What if I die and no one is there to teach Robbie or to train Jamie or to coo Ellie?


    And what if no one is around to protect Charlotte?


    He truly, and honestly didn''t want to die!


    Ben saw everything when he was standing by the door. His eyes reddened with tears.


    We can''t put this off anymore. Once Charlotte returns, I will tell her the truth and ask her to get in touch with Francesco. We have to heal him as quickly as possible...


    He was about to call Lupine when a subordinate came to report, ¡°Ben, Ms. Gold is here.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, why is she here again?¡±ined Ben who seemed troubled by it.


    ¡°What do we do? Her car is parked right outside,¡± informed the subordinate.


    ¡°Let me go ask Mr. Nacht,¡± said Ben. He then went into Zachary''s room to report, ¡°Ms. Gold is here, Mr. Nacht.¡±


    ¡°Okay, let her in,¡± replied Zachary. He was reading his texts at the time and saw that Nancy had sent multiple texts over. She said that she wanted to visit him, so he wasn''t surprised to hear that she was there.


    ¡°Should I get her to the garden or...?¡± asked Ben carefully.


    ¡°Have her meet me in the study room,¡± instructed Zachary as he forced himself out of bed.


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied Ben. He had his men take care of that while he himself helped Zachary change his clothes.


    It didn''t take long before Nancy entered the vi. She had two subordinates with her and brought a lot of supplements with her. Everything looked expensive.


    Ben went down the stairs to wee her. They exchanged some pleasantries before he took her to the study room.


    Thest time Nancy was there, Zachary had her wait for him in the dining room inside the garden. Hence, she was pleasantly surprised to see that she was being invited into the house. She felt like she and Zachary were getting closer.


    ¡°This way, please.¡±


    Ben opened the door to the study room and led Nancy inside.


    Nancy''s subordinates waited outside.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht...¡±


    Nancy was understandably surprised to see Zachary sitting behind his desk like that. She thought that he was so sick that he could only lie on his bed and couldn''t move a muscle. It looks like he is doing pretty well...


    ¡°Last night didn''t count as me missing our appointment, did it?¡± asked Zachary with a smile.


    ¡°Not at all,¡± answered Nancy. She grinned awkwardly before teasing, ¡°I''m not here to demand an exnation for that, you know?¡±


    ¡°I''m d to hear that,¡± replied Zachary before he gestured for her to take a seat.


    Nancy handed the gifts over to Ben and sat down opposite to Zachary. She was mocking herself a little when she smiled and pointed out, ¡°It feels like we''re talking business.¡±


    ¡°Well, I truly am bad at this,¡± said Zachary before he grinned as well.

 Chapter 1377

    ¡°I was just heartbroken,¡± said Nancy. She looked a little sad and stared at Zachary before adding, ¡°You don''t actually need to see me as an outsider. It doesn''t matter what state you''re in. You''ll always be a hero to me.¡±


    That was the first time Zachary had heard anyone professing their love for him that boldly. He couldn''t help being taken aback.


    The truth was that he had always been on the top and had been strict with himself. He had also been a perfectionist when it came to love, so he didn''t have much romantic interactions with women.


    He didn''t get close to Sharon and Cynthia of his own free will, and he had never felt anything for them.


    Hence, in a way, Nancy was the only woman he had ever willingly got close to, aside from Charlotte.


    Nancy was undeniably perfect. Her family background, her education, her aura, her serene temper, her beauty... Everything was wless.


    The most important bit, however, was that she was especially attentive to Zachary.


    ¡°Sorry, I may have been a little too direct,¡± apologized Nancy when she saw how Zachary hadn''t replied in a while. She understandably panicked a little and added, ¡°I just wanted to say that you don''t need to pretend to be strong all the time. We''re all just human, and we all fall sick sometimes.¡±


    Her voice was soft and trembling a little, but it was not because she was nervous. Her voice only sounded that way because she was heartbroken.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± replied Zachary when he finally spoke up. Unfortunately, all he could offer were those two words. Heter asked, ¡°So, why did you drop by?¡±


    ¡°I just wanted to visit. I''m d to see that you''re okay,¡± answered Nancy. She was quick to get her emotions in check because she was worried that he would get sick of her.


    ¡°Oh, thank you,¡± thanked Zachary once more. He didn''t know what else to say after that.


    ¡°There''s one more thing,¡± shared Nancy. She seemed to have just recalled something and was quick to inform, ¡°I heard that Sir Louis is missing, and Sir Robert is looking everywhere for him. You should be wary when you leave the house these days.¡±


    ¡°Louis is missing?¡± blurted Zachary. He was a little surprised and immediately ordered, ¡°Ben, go look into the matter.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied Ben before he went to carry out his task.


    ¡°Rumor has it that something had happened in F Nation, and it hurt Sir Louis bad.


    ¡°He even tried to slit his own wrist, but he was rescued in time. Unfortunately, the wound in his heart couldn''t heal that easily.


    ¡°By the way, he seemed to have showed signs of being depressed. Lady Sherlyn had asked a few experts over to examine him and had kept that news hidden.


    ¡°After that, Sir Louis snuck over to H City. He did that to look for Ms. Lindberg, but he bumped into you instead. In a fit of agitation, he attacked, but he missed and hurt Ms. Lindberg.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    ¡°When he returned, Sir Robert reprimanded him. Sir Louis made sure that no one was around and ran away from home after that.¡±


    Nancy gave Zachary a cliff''s note version of what had happened.


    ¡°Is that really necessary? So he got dumped. What''s the big deal?¡± said Zachary in an exasperated tone.


    ¡°I think it''s more than that. I heard that something vile happened within the Laurent family, and Ms. Lindberg got into a fight with them as a result. Didn''t she tell you about it?¡± asked Nancy in a meaningful tone.


    ¡°What happened?¡± asked Zachary.


    ¡°I don''t know the specifics,¡± answered Nancy while shaking her head, ¡°Sir Louis is involved in it somehow, and it''s supposedly embarrassing. The Laurent family kept it well hidden and made sure that no one could get to the truth, though. Even I don''t know the whole story.¡±


    Zachary didn''t reply. He simply frowned deeply.


    If the matter involved Louis, then it surely involved Charlotte as well.


    Zachary had long thought that things were strange because it seemed weird that Charlotte and the Laurent family became so hostile toward each other all of a sudden.


    It was too extreme for the Laurent family to keep her locked up and send their men over to kill her, even if wanted to bully her after Danrique had fallen.


    Moreover, why did Louis try to kill himself? And his depression... I''m guessing something happened behind the scenes.


    Gah, it''s so frustrating that Charlotte refused to talk about this. What the hell happened between her and Louis?

 Chapter 1378

    ¡°Mr. Nacht, I just looked into the matter and it is as Ms. Gold had said. Sir Louis is missing, and he was diagnosed with depression. It seemed that the family is hiding a huge secret as well,¡± reported Ben hurriedly at that moment.


    ¡°I want the specifics! D*rn it, is that all you have to tell me after I told you to investigate the matter?¡± scolded Zachary.


    ¡°Right, of course. I''ll further investigate the matter...¡±


    ¡°Leave!¡±


    Zachary was losing his temper and was getting frustrated again.


    His most recent injury showed him that Charlotte still cared, and their rtionship was getting better.


    However, he learned about how there was a secret between Louis and Charlotte. That got him agitated once more.


    He thought about what he saw at the time in the hotel in Arkfield, and a sting ambushed his heart. It hurt so much that he felt like he was suffocating.


    ¡°I''m sorry, Mr. Nacht. I shouldn''t have shared all that with you. I was just worried that Sir Louis will hurt you and wanted to warn you,¡± said Nancy while staring apologetically over.


    ¡°I understand. Thank you,¡± replied Zachary. He regained his footing and added, ¡°I have been busy working on my own mattertely and forgot about keeping an eye on the situation. Hence, I''m d you reminded me.¡±


    ¡°I''m just doing my part,¡± replied Nancy as she stared lovingly at him, ¡°By the way, my project is kicking off on the first of next month. I''ll throw a banquet then. If you recover by then...¡±


    ¡°There''s still nine more days till the banquet. I should be fine and will be there,¡± promised Zachary.


    ¡°That''s good to know,¡± said Nancy while smiling happily. She handed the invitation card to him and added, ¡°We''ve only invited thirty guests for this event, and they are all business tycoons. My father will be there too. You''ll be the most prestigious guest we have there, though, so I truly wish to see you there.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I''ll be there on time,¡± replied Zachary as he epted the invitation card.


    ¡°Then I better leave now so that I won''t disrupt your rest,¡± said Nancy as she stood up and added in a concerned tone, ¡°You must rest well. If you haven''t recovered when the month ends, maybe...¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry, I''ll be there,¡± promised Zachary once again.


    ¡°Pinky promise,¡± requested Nancy before she extended her hand to him.


    Zachary was slightly taken aback, but he eventually reached out and gave her a pinky promise.


    Nancy grinned gleefully before leaving reluctantly.


    Ben walked her out, then returned to the study room to share the fruits of his investigation with Zachary. ¡°For now, all we can figure out is what Ms. Gold had just shared with us. The Laurent family is keeping the secret well hidden, so it will take us some time before we get to it,¡± reported Ben.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    Zachary didn''t even bother reading the file handed to him. He tossed it aside and got up to return to his room. Unfortunately, the pain from his injury was too severe, and he turned pale from it.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht...¡± said Ben as he hurried over to help Zachary up.


    Zachary crouched down but had one hand on the sofa to support himself. He put his other hand on his head. The pain he experienced was so sharp that it got him to distort his face.


    ¡°I''ll go get Raina over right away...¡±


    Ben thought that the source of Zachary''s pain was the injury on his head, so the former rushed to call Raina.


    ¡°No!¡± halted Zachary. He reached out to stop the guy, then fell onto the sofa and said, ¡°It''s not my injury. It''s...¡±


    The pain was so intense that Zachary couldn''t even finish speaking. He gritted his teeth and leaned against the sofa as his sweat dripped down.


    ¡°Is the poison acting up again? How did this happen? It had never hurt you that badly before, so why... Mr. Nacht? Mr. Nacht!¡±


    Zachary fainted on the sofa before Ben could even finish speaking.


    That prompted Ben to call Raina immediately. Thetter was staying in Southridge, so she was quick to show up with her medical staffs.


    Marino, Cain, and the others kept the kids away from the room. They made up some excuses and banned the children from entering the room because they didn''t want to traumatize the kids.


    Raina and her team started treating Zachary right away. They treated his issue as an emergency.


    Ben stood at the side and was so worried that he was trembling. This can''t go on. If things keep progressing this way, Mr. Nacht might actually...


    As Ben walked away, he dialed Lupine''s number. He couldn''t reach her, though.

 Chapter 1379

    That evening, a private jetnded in Phoenix City.


    It was a rather small ce, so even the airport felt a little deserted.


    Charlotte led her people out of the ne and got into the car they prepared beforehand. All three of them got into the car and made their way to Mount Phoenix right away.


    As they traveled, Lupine turned on her phone and noted that there were a few missed calls. She was about to call back when she suddenly noticed how several ck cars were tailing them.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know,¡± replied Charlotte who was keeping her eyes on the rearview mirror. She calmly instructed, ¡°Change of ns. We''re not going to Mount Phoenix anymore. Change route now.¡±


    She didn''t want to drag Hayley and Sam into the mess.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Thedies'' car made a turn and tried to shake off their tail.


    ¡°Who the hell are they? It doesn''t look like they''re from Erihal,¡±mented Lupine curiously.


    ¡°Let''s figure that out after we''ve lost them.¡±


    Charlotte had been monitoring her enemies via the rearview mirror. She wanted to apprehend them and figure out who they were as well, but she didn''t have many subordinates with her. On top of that, they didn''t have any weapons. Things will get ugly if we get into a fight, thought Charlotte.


    They have five cars in total and about twenty men with them, so they are clearly out for blood.


    However, they didn''t use their weapons on us and are trying to force our car into a corner. That means they want us alive...


    As the fight got more intense on Charlotte''s side, Zachary remained unconscious in Southridge.


    Bruce rushed over once he heard the news. When he saw how terrible Zachary looked, he punched the wall out of worry and dered, ¡°We can''t keep waiting like this. I''ll go to Erihal and look for Francesco myself!¡±


    ¡°I was going to do exactly that,¡± replied Ben, ¡°Francesco has to be in Erihal. I''ll work from here and locate him as quickly as possible. After that, I will share his location with you, and you can go straight to him once yound.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± agreed Bruce, ¡°Work as quickly as possible, and stop hesitating! Don''t worry so much about the future. We have to save him, even if it means he will end up being chased out of the Nacht family.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± shared Ben in a thick voice, ¡°I was too cowardly to betray him earlier, but the way things are now... We can''t afford to worry about anything else.¡±


    ¡°Okay, then we''ll split up and work from different angles. I''ll rush to the airport now.¡±


    ¡°Take a few more men with you and keep in touch with me.¡±


    The two of them exchanged some more words before Ben took a deep breath to pick himself back up. He entered Zachary''s room after that.


    Raina pulled up the nket for Zachary. She turned around and informed Ben, ¡°I want to invite Dr. Wright over to treat Mr. Nacht. She might be able to help.¡±


    ¡°Okay, then get in touch with her soon.¡±


    Ben was out of options. He would hold on to any shred of hope and possibility.


    ¡°I worry that she won''te. She only agreed to drop by thest time because Mr. Nacht called her in person. She might not listen to me...¡±


    Raina hadn''t even finished speaking before her phone rang. She checked the screen and blurted in surprise, ¡°It''s Ms. Gold.¡±


    ¡°Why is she contacting you now?¡±ined Ben in an annoyed tone.


    ¡°She asked for my number this morning and told me to get in touch with her should Mr. Nacht''s condition worsen or if we need help,¡± answered Raina. After that, she picked up the call, ¡°Ms. Gold...¡±


    ¡°Dr. Langhan, I tried to call Ben, but no one picked up so I''m calling you instead. I''ve hired Dr. Wright and asked her toe to treat Mr. Nacht. I also sent a private jet to go pick her up.


    ¡°Her ne shouldnd shortly, and I am waiting to pick her up at the airport. Please ask Mr. Nacht if he''s free tonight. Perhaps Dr. Wright can drop by his ce to treat him?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course,¡± replied Raina in an ecstatic tone, ¡°I was just about to ask her to drop by and was worried that she might not agree to fly over. Who would''ve thought that you''d already gotten her over? This is fantastic news to us.¡±


    ¡°I''m d to hear that. To tell you the truth, I was actually worried that Mr. Nacht might not like how I''m taking the initiative to do things and might call me a busybody,¡± said Nancy, ¡°I''ll head over with Dr. Wrightter. Is that okay?¡±


    ¡°Of course that''s fine. When will the two of you be here? I''ll go pick you both up.¡±


    Raina was extremely excited. Helen being there would, no doubt, increase the odds of Zachary surviving.

 Chapter 1380

    ¡°We''ll be there in about an hour. The airport is some distance away, and the ne is still in the air. It''d also take some time before the good doctor passes through customs,¡± informed Nancy.


    ¡°Please hurry,¡± blurted Raina.


    ¡°Huh? Why? What''s wrong? Did something happen to Mr. Nacht?¡± asked Nancy hurriedly and in a concerned tone.


    ¡°He fainted.¡±


    Raina knew that there was no point in hiding the truth because Nancy would eventually learn it since she was dropping by with the good doctor.


    ¡°How did that happen? He seemed fine when I left this morning,¡± shared Nancy. She was instantly worried.


    ¡°It''s a long story. Let''s talk about it in person,¡± answered Raina to change the topic.


    ¡°Okay, I''ll head over as quickly as possible.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    After hanging up, Raina turned to Ben and informed, ¡°They will be here in about an hour. It seems that we can no longer keep Mr. Nacht''s medical condition a secret.¡±


    ¡°Naturally, we can''t lie to Dr. Wright because she needs to know the symptoms to treat Mr. Nacht properly. We can, however, lie to Ms. Gold and tell her that it is just a simple injury,¡± shared Ben, who had considered everything carefully, ¡°Dr. Wright and Ms. Gold might be friends, but the good doctor is


    even closer to Mr. Nacht. I''m sure she understands the importance of keeping things a secret and won''t b.¡±


    ¡°That''s true,¡± said Raina while nodding, ¡°Dr. Wright showing up at this time is like finding an oasis in a desert. She would help us greatly.¡±


    ¡°We truly owe Ms. Gold a favor for this,¡± sighed Ben.


    ¡°Please take care of Mr. Nacht. I''ll go set things up.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Raina left after that, and Ben became the only one standing guard beside Zachary who was sleeping deeply and had shallow breaths. It looked like he might die at any moment.


    Ben panicked. He knew that Helen could, at most, stabilize Zachary''s condition and prevent it from worsening. She can''t cure himpletely. We still need Francesco for that.


    Bruce has already left for Erihal, and I have to locate Francesco soon as well.


    Those thoughts prompted Ben to call Lupine once more.


    The phone kept ringing, but no one picked up.


    Ben found that to be strange. If the phone is ringing, then it means that they have gotten off the private jet. So, why isn''t she picking up?


    Ordinary folks might miss a call or neglect to check their phones, but Lupine was different. Like Ben, she was a trained elite bodyguard and knew to keep in constant contact with her client and/or those close to her.


    She would never ignore her call unless something had happened... Oh no!


    Ben instantly panicked when he thought about that. Are they in trouble now?


    He quickly called Charlotte, but no one picked up either.


    That prompted him to call Hayley right away. Finally, someone picked up his call. ¡°Hello!¡±Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    ¡°Hayley, have Ms. Lindberg and the others reached your ce?¡± asked Ben to cut to the chase.


    ¡°No, not yet,¡± answered Hayley nervously, ¡°I thought it''s strange as well. By right, they should''ve called us once they reached the vicinity, but they never got in touch with us. I tried calling Charlotte and Lupine earlier, but neither picked up.¡±


    That means something truly had happened!


    Ben''s expression took a sharp turn, but his voice remained calm when he informed, ¡°Don''t worry about it. Some misceneous issues probably dyed them. Please inform me once they show up.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay.¡±


    After hanging up, Ben had Cain and Kyle take some men over to Phoenix City to locate Charlotte and the others. Hemanded them to bring everyone home safely.


    Cain and Kyle took over ten subordinates with them and departed right away.


    The Nacht family was facing troubles from all angles, and Ben was feeling more pressured and worried than ever.


    He had faced many grave issues in the past, but everyone felt strong and motivated because Zachary was around to lead them. He inspired them to be fearless.


    With Zachary out ofmission, the weight of the Zachary''s burden fell onto them and crushed them.


    ¡°Ms. Gold and Dr. Wright are here, Ben,¡± reported a subordinate at that moment.


    ¡°Invite them over immediately.¡±

 Chapter 1381

    When Nancy learned that Zachary was in trouble, she worked so fast that she only spent thirty minutes to travel down the route that should''ve taken an hour.


    Dr. Wright retched when she got out of the car and almost vomited.


    ¡°What happened to Dr. Wright?¡± asked Raina in astonishment.


    ¡°She''s just a little carsick,¡± replied Nancy calmly, ¡°She''ll be fine after she had some coffee.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay.¡±


    Raina was quick to have someone make the good doctor some coffee.


    She knew that Nancy must''ve made her chauffeur drive like crazy. That''s the only exnation as to how she managed to rush to Southridge within such a short time frame.


    Rokan Hill was famous for its winding routes, and rushing over like that meant that Helen must''ve had a bad experience.


    She drank some coffee, but barely had time to sit and rest because Nancy urged her to examine Zachary right away.


    Helen had no choice but to set her cup of coffee down and took her assistant to the second floor.


    ¡°Ms. Gold, Dr. Wright, thank you foring,¡± greeted Ben while rushing over.


    ¡°Ben, this is the renowned Dr. Wright,¡± said Nancy to introduce Ben and Helen to one another before asking, ¡°What happened to Mr. Nacht?¡±


    ¡°He''s unconscious,¡± informed Ben while frowning. He spoke to Dr. Wright in Ustranasion and said, ¡°Please help him, Dr. Wright.¡±


    ¡°I''ll go check up on him now,¡± replied Helen. She was a reliable doctor at the end of the day and was quick to enter the room. ¡°Please have someone update me on his condition.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± replied Raina before she hurried over.


    Nancy wanted to follow along, but Ben stopped her and suggested, ¡°You must be tired from all the traveling, Ms. Gold. How about you rest up in the guest bedroom for now?¡±


    ¡°I''d like to see how he''s doing.¡±


    Nancy''s gaze slipped past Ben''s arm to try to see how things were inside the room. However, Raina closed the doors as soon as she entered, and two subordinates stood guard beside the door.


    All that showed that things were grave.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht is being treated now, so it''s inappropriate for anyone else but the doctors to be with him,¡± replied Ben to exin the situation, ¡°I understand that you''re worried, and I have someone get a guest bedroom ready for you. Please stay the night. You''ll see that Mr. Nacht is fine when he wakes up in the morning.¡±


    ¡°Okay, then thank you for your hospitality,¡± replied Nancy. Staying here gives me a great advantage. I don''t need to rush things for now.


    ¡°You''re wee. Let me take you to your room,¡± said Ben as he led Nancy to the guest''s bedroom, ¡°Don''t worry. I''ve also prepared a room for your subordinates.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    And just like that, Nancy and her two subordinates ended up staying in the Nacht residence.


    Ben even had Mrs. Rawlston made them dinner. He made sure that everything was settled before he went to check up on Zachary.


    Nancy soon realized that two maids were stationed right outside her room. They would serve her and get her anything she wanted at any hour.


    However, Nancy knew that Ben only assigned those maids over to prevent her from venturing all over the ce.


    The precautions they took made her feel nervous, and her expression turned grim.


    ¡°I''ve long known that the Nacht family had a lot of rules, but I never imagined them to be that strict,¡±mented one subordinate, ¡°Two maids stood guard outside every room, and bodyguards are stationed all over the ce. Geez, they''re even stricter than a pce.¡±


    ¡°Do you think maybe they''re worried that we''d go after Mr. Nacht?¡± guessed another subordinate.


    ¡°I don''t think that''s what''s happening,¡± said Nancy while pacing around the room. ¡°It''s likely that Mr. Nacht is gravely ill, and the others are worried about the news of his deteriorating health being spread. His wellbeing determines the fate of the family and the corporation, after all. If the media learned that he is ill, Nacht Group''s share prices will surely fall.¡±


    ¡°That''s true. He seems well this morning, but now...¡±


    ¡°Is that vase really that heavy?¡±


    ¡°What do you think? It smashed right on to his head! Would you like to experience it yourself to see how bad it''d hurt?¡± scolded Nancy.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± replied the subordinate while bowing down. The poor sap didn''t dare to even breathe too loudly.


    ¡°Have our people apprehend the perpetrator and all other individuals involved in the matter,¡± ordered Nancy firmly.


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied a subordinate before making the calls right away.


    ¡°And then there''s that Charlotte Lindberg. She is nothing but trouble! Mr. Nacht won''t be in this state if it wasn''t for her,¡± growled Nancy through gritted teeth.

 Chapter 1382

    ¡°S-should we punish her?¡± asked a subordinate carefully.


    ¡°No, we cannot hurt her,¡± answered Nancy while frowning, ¡°She is f*cking annoying, but Mr. Nacht cares about her. He will be affected if anything were to happen to her.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then,¡± replied the subordinate who didn''t dare to say much else.


    ¡°I wonder how Mr. Nacht is doing now.¡±


    Nancy was on edge. She wanted to see how Zachary was doing, but she further considered the situation and realized that Ben probably wouldn''t let her see him. Hence, she had to back down.


    She kept reminding herself. I must remain calm.


    I cannot lose my footing and must have what it takes to remain unaffected despite the overwhelming difficulty ahead. Only then will I have a shot at being Mrs. Nacht.


    If I can''t even do this, the maids and bodyguards will look down at me.


    Still, Nancy was too worried, so she opened her door and told the maids stationed outside, ¡°Please remember toe to get me once Mr. Nacht wakes up.¡±


    ¡°Okay, don''t worry. We''ll keep you posted on the matter,¡± replied the maid politely.


    ¡°Alright, thanks.¡±


    Nancy shot a look at Zachary''s room and noted that entire floor was extremely quiet. The treatment is probably still going on.


    ¡°How is he?¡± asked Ben when he entered Zachary''s room.


    Shh! gestured Raina.


    Ben mped his mouth shut instantly and waited patiently at the side.


    Helen scanned Zachary''s reports and examined his injuries and his condition before sharing grimly, ¡°You overestimated my skills as a doctor. I can''t do anything about his condition.¡±


    ¡°Please take a closer look, Dr. Wright. Think hard. I''m sure you cane up with something,¡± urged Raina nervously.


    ¡°The best I can do is stabilize his condition and make it so that it won''t worsen for the time being. Unfortunately, I am unable to cure him. You will have to hire someone else for that. The chances of him being healed are low, though,¡± shared Helen directly.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    Ben''s heart gripped upon hearing those words. He had prayed that a miracle would happen and had a little hope left, but the good doctor squashed that hope.


    ¡°Let''s start with stabilizing his condition, then,¡± requested Raina grimly, ¡°We''ll be counting on you, Dr. Wright.¡±


    ¡°I''ll need some medical equipment. Please get them ready for me,¡± requested Helen right away as she informed Raina, ¡°I will perform a minor surgery on Mr. Nacht. If everything goes smoothly, we should be able to stabilize his condition for a while.¡±


    ¡°Okay, sure. I''ll get everything up and running right away.¡±


    The aura in the Nacht residence was grimmer than it had ever been. Every bodyguard and maid were on edge, and they struggled throughout the night.


    Ben, Raina, Marino, and the others didn''t sleep at all. They stood guard outside Zachary''s room the entire time.


    At around one-thirty in the morning, Helen performed a minor surgery on Zachary and gave him some treatments. She ended everything with a warning to Raina.


    ¡°This surgery will temporarily slow down the effects of the poison, but you must keep a close eye on him. Do not let him get hurt again. Even the angels won''t be able to bring him back if you do.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied Raina before she nodded.


    ¡°He must recuperate for the time being, and it is best if he remains physically idle. That would further slow the poison down,¡± advised Helen, ¡°As for his medication, just prescribe him the same medicine he had been taking all this while. There aren''t any other special medication that can help, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Okay, understood.¡±


    The more Helen spoke, the heavier Raina''s heart felt. Everything Helen had said pointed to Zachary''s condition being critical.


    ¡°Pardon me for being direct, but this surgery can, at most, prolong his life by one month,¡± shared Helen, ¡°There is no saying how things will be after that. My rmendation is that he should prepare for everything within the month. His will, for example, can be updated and....¡±


    Ben and the other red over evilly before Helen could finish speaking. She changed her stance right away and said, ¡°Let''s pretend I never said anything.¡±


    ¡°Dr. Wright, please allow me to take you to your room,¡± suggested Raina quickly to lead the good doctor away.

 Chapter 1383

    ¡°There''s no need for that,¡± replied Helen, who didn''t really want to get too deeply involved in the drama. She said, ¡°There''s basically nothing else I can do now, so I''ll just go to the hotel. Ms. Gold has already gotten a room for me. You can still call me whenever you need to, though.¡±


    ¡°That''s a great idea, too. I''ll have the chauffeur take you to your hotel,¡± said Raina before she asked two subordinates to drive Helen to the hotel. Before Helen left, Raina requested, ¡°Please rest up tonight. If possible, will you drop by my hospital tomorrow to check up on another patient?¡±


    ¡°Are you referring to the patient in the persistent vegetative state?¡± asked Helen who had always been straightforward, ¡°Mr. Nacht called me some time ago to tell me about the patient. Who would''ve thought that he''d end up being worse off than the patient he was worried about?¡±


    ¡°I guess the future is always unpredictable,¡± sighed Raina, ¡°Oh, by the way, please keep Mr. Nacht''s medical condition a secret. You must never tell anyone about it, or the consequences will be dire.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry, I know how things are,¡± said Helen with a straight face on, ¡°If this secret is ever exposed, my career will be over, and I will be in grave danger as well.¡±


    ¡°Please be aware that you can''t even let Ms. Gold know about this,¡± reminded Ben, ¡°No one else but you should know anything about Mr. Nacht''s condition.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry, I know what to do. I won''t want to get myself in trouble, either,¡± replied Helen while nodding.


    Raina cleared her throat a little before suggesting, ¡°Let me walk you out.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± murmured Helen. She was quick to walk down the stairs and was eager to leave.


    ¡°To ensure your safety, I will send two bodyguards over to you,¡± promised Ben as he gestured for two bodyguards to follow along.


    ¡°Okay, whatever you say.¡±


    Helen knew that her safety was just the bodyguards'' secondary mission. Their main objective was to keep an eye on her and make sure that she wouldn''t b.


    Still, Helen dealt with major issues all the time, so she didn''t mind minor inconveniences like that.


    ¡°Thank you for everything you''re doing,¡± said Ben before he bowed to her and turned around to walk up the stairs.


    Raina walked Helen to the car and asked the subordinates to be nice to Helen before returning to the Nacht residence.


    The former was walking up the stairs when she heard a melodious voice, ¡°Dr. Langhan!¡±


    Raina shifted her gaze over and blurted in surprise, ¡°Ms. Gold, you''re still up?¡±


    ¡°I''ve been waiting for updates about Mr. Nacht''s condition. How is he? Is he up?¡± asked Nancy as she walked out of her room.


    ¡°Not yet,¡± answered Raina softly, ¡°He''ll probably wake up in the morning. Dr. Wright''s treatment had stabilized his condition, though, so there is no need to be worried.¡±


    ¡°That''s good to know. Can I go see how he''s doing?¡± asked Nancy after she sighed a breath of relief.


    ¡°Sorry, but before Dr. Wright left, she repeatedly reminded us not to disturb him,¡± replied Raina to reject Nancy''s request then suggested, ¡°Please rest for now. I''ll have someone update you once Mr. Nacht wakes up.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± replied Nancy. She seemed a little disappointed and had turned to look at Zachary''s room. Four subordinates were stationed right outside, and everyone looked grim. It seems the situation is still grave.


    ¡°Ben is guarding over Mr. Nacht in the room,¡± shared Raina, ¡°I just walked Dr. Wright out and am heading back in to monitor Mr. Nacht as well. Don''t worry. He''ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± murmured Nancy while nodding, ¡°Then I''ll go sleep now. Please do inform me when he wakes up.¡±This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Raina watched Nancy leave before she entered Zachary''s room herself.


    Ben had dismissed everyone else and was standing guard beside Zachary''s bed.


    Raina suggested softly, ¡°Take a nap. I''ll take over and stay guard.¡±


    ¡°I can''t sleep,¡± said Ben. He had been so busy that he didn''t have the time to even sip some water. Hence, his voice had turned raspy. He added, ¡°Dr. Wright imed that the surgery will only buy us one month. That means we have to find Francesco within that time frame or...¡±


    ¡°We have to count on Ms. Lindberg now,¡± murmured Raina, ¡°She is the only one who can find Francesco.¡±

 Chapter 1384

    ¡°Ah!¡±


    Ben suddenly recalled how Charlotte and the others had been missing for the entire night. He immediately called Lupine again, but her phone was turned off.


    Simrly, Charlotte''s phone was switched off too.


    Ben worried even more. Charlotte can''t get into any trouble at a time like this. If she does, we''ll all be in hot water.


    ¡°Did something happen to Ms. Lindberg?¡± asked Raina worriedly.


    ¡°We lost contact with her. My guess is that she got ambushed. I''ve already sent my men over to check things out, but they haven''t reported back,¡± replied Ben while frowning deeply.


    ¡°Then find her quickly. Don''t let anything happen to her,¡± urged Raina nervously, ¡°Mr. Nacht practically sacrificed his life for her. If anything were to happen to Ms. Lindberg...¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    Ben called Kyle and Cain right away.


    It didn''t take long before he received the report of how they had just arrived in Phoenix City. They were searching for Charlotte, but they hadn''t found any clues just yet. The only thing they could be certain of was that thedies were followed as soon as theynded.


    Ben instructed them to find Charlotte at all costs and to take everyone home safely.


    He worried endlessly after he hung up.


    Raina spoke up to offer somefort. ¡°Ms. Lindberg is no longer the woman she used to be and is now a force to be reckoned with. Moreover, she has well-trained bodyguards with her, so I''m sure she''s fine.¡±


    ¡°I hope that''s true.¡±


    That night, Zachary slept deeply on his bed. He had no idea what had happened.


    No one else could sleep, though.


    Helen had exined that Zachary''s condition was stabilized, but everyone would still be worried so long as he remained unconscious.


    Ben and Raina stood guard in the room until the sun rose on the following morning. The sunlight streamed in via the gaps between the curtains, and warmth seeped in.


    Raina went to pull the curtains close while Ben pulled up Zachary''s nket for him. When he saw that Zachary was still sleeping deeply, he understandably got worried and asked, ¡°It''s already seven in the morning. Why isn''t he up yet?¡±Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    ¡°Let''s wait a little longer,¡± said Raina. She had a warm towel with her and was wiping Zachary''s face.


    Knock! Knock! A series of knocks came from the door. A servant then said, ¡°Breakfast is ready, Ms. Gold. Please head down the stairs to eat up.¡±


    ¡°I''d like to see Mr. Nacht.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    Ben and Raina looked at each other. An understanding passed between them, and Raina put her medical equipment away immediately. After that, she went to open the door, ¡°Good morning, Ms. Gold.¡±


    ¡°Morning. It seems I''m intruding a little. Did I get in the way?¡± asked Nancy apologetically.


    ¡°No, not at all. Mr. Nacht is still sleeping,¡± answered Raina.


    ¡°Can I see him? I just want to see how he''s doing. I couldn''t sleepst night because I was too worried,¡± begged Nancy.


    Raina''s heart softened upon hearing that. A rich heiress with high social status had lowered her stance so much that she was begging like that... How can I refuse her request?


    ¡°Then pleasee in.¡±


    ¡°Raina...¡±


    Ben wanted to stop her, but Raina had already opened the door, so he wasn''t in a position to say anything else.


    Nancy had her subordinates wait outside the room. She was the only one who entered it. When she saw how Zachary was lying unconscious on his bed, her nose became runny, and her eyes became teary. She was about to walk up when she saw something that stunned her in ce.


    Hanging on the wall right on top of the bed was the wedding photo Zachary took with Charlotte. The two of them were looking at one another and were smiling happily.


    Zachary was hugging Charlotte tightly in his arms and had tilted his head down to stare at her. His eyes shone with the kind of love and tenderness that Nancy had never seen before.


    ¡°Oh, that''s the wedding photo they took two years ago,¡± informed Ben softly, ¡°Mr. Nacht kept it in the room and never took it down.¡±


    Nancy''s expression stiffened, and her gaze became unsettled. It didn''t take her long before she regained her footing, though. She smiled and insisted, ¡°It''s all in the past now, so it''s not important.¡±


    It sounded like she was responding to Ben''s words, but it also looked like she was telling it to herself. Either way, it was obviously her way of trying tofort herself.

 Chapter 1385

    Ben cleared his throat a little. Things had be so awkward that he didn''t know what to say.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht is still sleeping, Ms. Gold, so may I suggest you go have breakfast for now?¡± advised Raina softly.


    ¡°I''ve lost my appetite,¡± replied Nancy as she stared lovingly at Zachary, ¡°I want to stay with him for a little while. Don''t worry. I won''t disturb him.¡±


    Raina stared at Ben in exasperation.


    Ben was speechless as well. He didn''t know what to say, and it was not like he could chase her out. Nancy was the one who got Helen to fly over for Zachary, after all.


    Hence, it was socially inappropriate for them to chase her away at that moment.


    ¡°Okay, then please take a seat, Ms. Gold,¡± said Raina before she got a chair over.


    Nancy sat down and stared quietly at Zachary. Heartache shone from her eyes.


    Raina poured Nancy a cup of water before she continued wiping Zachary with the warm towel.


    ¡°Let me do it.¡±


    Nancy took the warm towel away from Raina and started wiping Zachary. Every stroke she made, from his face to his neck to his arm, was gentle and sweet.


    Both Raina and Ben felt awkward watching from the side.


    Just then, a subordinate came in to report something to Ben, so he had to leave for a moment.


    ¡°Please go get another towel. This one has gone cold.¡±


    Nancy handed the towel back to Raina.


    ¡°Okay,¡± replied Raina. She held the towel and went into the washroom.


    Zachary and Nancy became the only ones left in the room. She gently stroked his frown like she was trying to take his troubles away.


    Zachary seemed to have sensed her. His eyshes fluttered a little, and his hand moved.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht,¡± said Nancy excitedly. She reached out to hold his hand as she promised, ¡°Don''t worry. I am right here...¡±


    Zachary looked like he was trapped in a nightmare. He held Nancy''s hand tightly. His nightmare eventually scared him awake, and his entire body trembled. Sweat dripped down from his forehead like never before.


    ¡°It''s fine. You''re okay. I''m here,¡± cooed Nancy with a broken heart. She held his hand tightly and caressed his face.


    Perhaps her coos were working, but it didn''t take long before Zachary calmed back down. He slowly opened his eyes. His vision was blurry when he looked at her, and his dried lips parted like he was calling out to something.


    ¡°What is it?¡± asked Nancy. She got closer to listen to him.


    ¡°C-Charlotte.¡±


    Zachary''s voice was raspy and ridiculously soft, but he was calling out to Charlotte in the most loving tone.


    Nancy instantly stiffened. It felt like someone had tossed a bucket of icy water on her passionate and burning heart. Every inch of her felt cold.


    She stared sorrowfully at Zachary as aplex emotion rose up in her. Nancy hated that feeling.


    I don''t get it. Why does he love that woman so much? What is so good about her? Is she really worthy of his love?


    ¡°Mr. Nacht is up!¡±


    Raina exited the washroom at the time and saw how Zachary had woken up. She hurried over to examine him.


    Nancy had no choice but to move away and stare quietly from the side.


    ¡°I''ll go get my medical kit.¡±


    Raina went to grab her medical kit to measure Zachary''s pulse rate and temperature.


    Nancy, on the other hand, held the warm towel. She wanted to continue wiping Zachary''s body.


    Zachary''s vision slowly cleared up, and he realized that the woman in front of him wasn''t Charlotte. He instinctively moved his hand away upon seeing Nancy.


    Nancy was disappointed about how he reacted, but she wasn''t upset. Instead, she patiently reassured, ¡°It''s nothing. I just wanted to take care of you.¡±


    ¡°T-thank you,¡± replied Zachary. He had to struggle to say those words.


    Just then, Ben rushed in. He heard about how Zachary was up. Zachary saw the guy and weakly waved to signal Ben.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    Ben quickly informed, ¡°Ms. Gold, I need to help Mr. Nacht change his clothes. Perhaps you should...¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    Ben had a poker face on and spoke respectfully, but Nancy knew that Zachary''s earlier hand gesture had instructed Ben to chase her out of the room.


    Perhaps Zachary did that because he didn''t want to show her his weaker side, or perhaps he wanted to protect his reputation of being strong. Either way, this means that he still sees me as an outsider.

 Chapter 1386

    Fortunately, Nancy knew better than to let the little things in life bring her down. Besides, if she didn''t have the tolerance, she never would''ve made it to where she was today. Her lips curled into a smile as she gazed tenderly at Zachary.


    ¡°I''ll take my leave now. Get some rest, all right? I''lle by againter.¡±


    Zachary said nothing else, merely blinking to show his acknowledgment. With that, Nancy gave Ben and Raina a polite nod and walked away. Ben couldn''t help but admire her.


    He was impressed at how Nancy always kept her cool and remained friendly to everyone, regardless of the situation. Most people could never be like her, no matter how hard they tried. With Nancy gone, Raina proceeded to give Zachary a thorough check-up.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, I''m going to start with taking your blood pressure...¡± Ben stood at the side, relieved that Zachary had regained consciousness and was slowly recovering. ¡°It''s good to have you back. You had all of us worried sick.¡±


    Zachary squinted his eyes and murmured, ¡°What time is it?¡± ¡°It''s half-past seven in the morning. The kids are awake and having breakfast downstairs. I told them you were still resting and that they shouldn''t disturb you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Is Charlotte here?¡± Zachary interrupted. Ben was stunned for a moment as he exchanged nervous nces with Raina. After collecting himself, he replied, ¡°Ms. Lindberg reached Mount Phoenixst night and is now paying her respects to Dr. Felch. When I spoke with Lupine, she said they might return a littleter.¡±


    Upon hearing that, Zachary nodded contentedly and slowly dozed off. Ben heaved a silent sigh of relief even though deep down he was still in aplete state of panic. It was his first time lying to Zachary, after all, but what other choice did he have? Zachary was so weak that Ben couldn''t risk worrying him and aggravating his condition.


    Even though Zachary continued to drift in and out of sleep, his condition had stabilized enough for Ben to give Raina a much-needed break. More importantly, she needed to rest well to take care of Zachary throughout the night.


    After getting two of her most reliable medical staff to stay behind, Raina made her way downstairs. ¡°Dr. Langhan!¡± Nancy greeted when she saw her walking over.


    ¡°How is Mr. Nacht?¡±


    ¡°His condition is stable, and it''s all thanks to you. Thank you for getting Dr. Wright to assist us.¡± A smile of relief crept across Nancy''s face.


    ¡°Don''t mention it. I''m only d to have been of help. By the way, if there''s anything else you need, feel free to ask me.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry. I know.¡± ¡°I''ll be off now then,¡± Nancy said as she threw onest reluctant look up the stairs.


    ¡°There''s nothing I can help with anyway, and I''d only get in your way if I stayed.¡± ¡°N-No, not at all¡ª¡± Raina stammered.


    ¡°It''s okay. I''lle back when Mr. Nacht wants to see me,¡± Nancy cut in, still smiling warmly. Raina then walked Nancy to her car and only returned to the house when she had driven away.


    ¡°Has she left?¡± Ben asked as he walked down the stairs.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Raina replied, albeit with a tinge of guilt.


    ¡°If she hadn''t brought Dr. Wright herest night, the consequences would have been disastrous. But now that we no longer have a use for her, we''re sending her home. It''s so¡ª¡±


    ¡°Once Mr. Nacht has recovered, he can thank her personally,¡± Ben interjected.


    ¡°There''s nothing we can do for now.¡±


    ¡°That''s true... All right, I''ll take my rest now. Watch over Mr. Nacht, and call me if anythinges up.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    As soon as Raina left, Ben immediately ordered Marino to take the three children to Northridge for a short stay. Even though Ben gave the excuse that the children miss the three little girls, the truth was that he didn''t want them to worry about Zachary and vice versa.


    Naturally, Marino knew Ben''s real intention and did his best to coax all three children to follow him to Northridge. Even when Jamie insisted on bidding goodbye to Zachary, Marino had to stop him with various excuses.


    Thankfully, Robbie stepped in just as Jamie was about to protest.


    ¡°Daddy''s still sleeping. Let''s not disturb him!¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay then!¡±


    Just like that, there were no more questions asked as Jamie happily hopped into the car.

 Chapter 1387

    Chapter 1387


    Zachary continued to be in and out of sleep for the rest of the day. Whenever he woke up, he''d only ask


    for the time and the well-being of his children and Charlotte before going back to sleep again.


    Because of that, he hadn''t eaten anything except for the sips of water when he took his medicine.


    It was past nine at night when Zachary roused from his sleep and once again asked if Charlotte had


    returned.


    Ben remained calm and collected as he replied, ¡°Lupine informed me that they''d be staying at Mount


    Phoenix for a couple more days. Ms. Lindberg was very worried about your injuries and even asked me


    how you were doing. I assured her that you''re all right and recovering well¡ª¡±


    ¡°No. Don''t tell her about my condition,¡± Zachary firmly instructed.


    ¡°Okay, okay, I got it.¡±


    Fortunately, Ben knew the right words to say so it wouldn''t arouse Zachary''s suspicions. It also helped


    that Zachary was too out of sorts to detect Ben''s lies.


    ¡°Don''t call too much either, or Charlotte will suspect something...¡± Zachary mumbled, his eyes getting


    heavier by the second. ¡°Remember to inform me when she''s back.¡±


    ¡°I know. Stop worrying and go to sleep,¡± Ben said as he adjusted the nket.


    Zachary ended up sleeping for more than twenty hours, but even then, he still looked exhausted.


    Despite that, there was no denying that his condition was gradually improving, thus proving that Dr.


    Wright''s operation was a sess.


    Ben, however, hadn''t slept a wink in two nights. Although everyone begged him to take a nap, he just


    couldn''ty his worries to rest and insisted on staying up to watch over Zachary.


    On top of that, he''d call Cain every two hours to ask about Charlotte and Lupine''s whereabouts.


    Unfortunately, the search for them was still underway, and Cain could offer no further updates.


    As such, Ben decided to deploy a few people to Phoenix City.


    Charlotte, Lupine, please be all right!


    N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    Time continued to pass by, and it was early morning when Zachary finally woke from his deep slumber.


    Not only did he look a lot more energetic, but he also mored for Hanna''s beef stroganoff.


    Naturally, Ben was more than happy to ede to his request.


    Just like Ben, Hanna had been so worried about Zachary''s safety that she hadn''t had a good night''s


    sleep. When she heard that he was craving her food, she shed happy tears and rushed off to cook.


    Zachary sat up in bed with Ben''s help and stretched his limbs. ¡°Wow. How long have I been sleeping?


    My body feels like it''s falling apart.¡±


    ¡°You''ve slept for almost two days,¡± Ben replied with a chuckle. ¡°But everything''s fine now. You look like


    you''re in good spirits.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I feel full of energy too,¡± Zachary muttered as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. ¡°Fill the tub for


    me. I''m going to take a nice, long bath before I knock everyone out with my odor.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, will do!¡±


    As Ben hurried off to the bathroom, Zachary retrieved his phone from under the pillow. s, all he saw


    were concerned text messages from Nancy. With nary a call or text from Charlotte, he couldn''t help but


    feel a pang of disappointment.


    Oh, forget it. Charlotte has always been like that. I shouldn''t be so calctive.


    He called Charlotte immediately after, only to find out that her phone was switched off.


    Could she be on her way back in the private jet? Is that why she had to turn her phone off?


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, your bath is ready,¡± Ben announced while walking out of the bathroom.


    ¡°Has Lupine called you?¡± Zachary suddenly asked.


    ¡°Yes, she just did. They''re still up in the mountains...¡±


    Ben went on with his carefully fabricated lie, but the more he said, the more he realized Zachary''s


    expression had changed.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Idiot!¡± Zachary thundered as he kicked Ben to the floor. ¡°How dare you lie to me!¡±


    Now that Zachary was awake and lucid, Ben could no longer pull the wool over his eyes.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Tell me the truth!¡± Zachary demanded, rage pulsing through his veins.


    Under such circumstances, Ben had no choice but toe clean with Zachary. ¡°We''ve lost contact with


    Ms. Lindberg sincest night...¡±

 Chapter 1388

    Chapter 1388


    ¡°What?¡± Zachary replied with a scowl. ¡°What the hell is going on?¡±


    Ben proceeded to tell Zachary everything in detail, which only made him boil with even more anger.


    ¡°B*stard!¡± Zachary shouted as he threw an ashtray at Ben. ¡°How can you keep something this big from


    me?¡±


    Ben kept his head down, too scared to even breathe.


    ¡°Get the private jet ready. I''m going to Phoenix City!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, please calm down,¡± Ben pleaded. ¡°Dr. Wright has specifically ordered bed rest for you. You


    aren''t supposed to go out or do anything strenuous. Otherwise, who knows what might happen?¡±


    s, his words fell on deaf ears. ¡°Get out!¡±


    ¡°Please, Mr. Nacht, please listen to me,¡± Ben eximed as he grabbed Zachary''s legs. ¡°You have no


    idea what a close shave this had been for you. If Ms. Gold hadn''t brought Dr. Wright here in time, you''d


    be...¡±


    Ben paused, unable to get that dreaded word out of this mouth. ¡°I''ve already sent two groups of people


    to look for Ms. Lindberg, but if you''re still worried, I can get Marino to join the search.¡±


    When Zachary didn''t say anything, he continued, ¡°No matter what, I can''t let you leave the house. Even


    if you don''t do it for yourself, do it for your children. If something happens to you, what are they going to


    do? Besides, what can you help with, given your current state? And what if Ms. Lindberges back


    only to see you keel over with exhaustion? Is that what you want?¡±


    Fortunately, those words were enough to persuade Zachary.


    ¡°I can''t let Marino go. He has to protect the kids,¡± Zachary said after calming himself down. ¡°What about


    Bruce?¡±


    ¡°Bruce has gone to Erihal to look for Francesco. I''ve deployed Kyle and Cain instead. They''re old and


    experienced, so I''m sure¡ª¡±


    ¡°They aren''t capable enough,¡± Zachary interrupted as he turned toward Ben. ¡°I need you to go. I need


    you to bring Charlotte back safe and sound.¡±


    ¡°W-What? Me? But what''s going to happen to you if I leave? There''s no one else around you to¡ª¡±


    ¡°What do you mean there''s no one else? We have plenty of people at home!¡± Zachary fumed. ¡°Do you


    think I can''t survive without you?¡±


    ¡°N-No, that''s not what I meant...¡±


    ¡°Then do as I instructed! Or are you no longer obeying my orders?¡±


    Left with no other choice, Ben nodded in reluctance. ¡°Very well then, I''ll leave right now.¡±


    ¡°Bring a few more men along. I''m giving you three days. If you don''t bring Charlotte back home safely,


    you can forget abouting back yourself.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± Ben replied solemnly. ¡°I''ll make the necessary arrangements.¡±


    With that, Zachary waved his hand and sent Ben on his way. Unfortunately, Ben''s departure to Phoenix


    City threw Raina into a tizzy. ¡°How can you leave at a time like this? Without you and Bruce around,


    who''s going to protect Mr. Nacht?¡±


    Ben let out a big, heavy sigh. ¡°Do you think I don''t know that? You know how stubborn he is, so how


    am I supposed to change his mind?¡±


    ¡°What should we do then?¡± Raina queried, the panic in her voice even more palpable now.


    After a while, a light-bulb moment came to Ben. ¡°I''m going to give Spencer a call. Help me arrange for


    the private jet, will you? Also, you''ll have to stay with Mr. Nacht at all times while I''m gone. We can''t


    afford another mishap.¡±


    ¡°I got it,¡± Raina answered with a quick nod. ¡°Go make your call. At this point, we''ll have to get Mr.


    Spencer to watch over Mr. Nacht.¡±


    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    Soon after, Ben hid in his room and called Spencer.


    After hearing Ben''s recount of all the events, Spencer flew into such a rage that he almost fell off his


    wheelchair.


    ¡°Mr. Spencer, calm down...¡± Ben coaxed. ¡°Mr. Nacht won''t be able to leave the house these few days


    anyway, so my absence won''t be too much of a problem. What I''m more worried about is that temper of


    his. If he gets riled up and decides to do something rash, I''m going to need you to hold him down. I


    know he''ll behave with you around.¡±

 Chapter 1389

    Chapter 1389


    ¡°Don''t worry! I''ll do whatever it takes to keep him in line,¡± Spencer eximed. ¡°As long as I''m around,


    he''ll have to stay home to recuperate.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, that''s the spirit! Keep him at home for plenty of bed rest. No matter what happens, he can''t


    be allowed to leave the house.¡±


    ¡°Okay, understood,¡± Spencer replied. ¡°I''ll go over with some of my men now.¡±


    ¡°Great. I''ll only leave after you''ve arrived.¡±


    Atst, Ben could breathe a sigh of relief. With Spencer here, things will be a lot easier.


    Meanwhile, Zachary was throwing a tantrum in his room. ¡°Where the f*ck is Ben? Why hasn''t he set off


    yet? What''s with the dy?¡±


    Ben signaled Raina to keep his whereabouts a secret as he remained in his room to pack his luggage.


    Even if I get screamed at, I''ll still only leave after Spencer gets here.


    True to his words, Spencer arrived shortly at Southridge with an entourage of twelve subordinates, all


    packed into four cars.


    To Ben''s pleasant surprise, Spencer had even packed a few suitcases, further proving his


    determination to stay on for as long as needed.


    As soon as he realized what was happening, Zachary exploded with rage. ¡°I knew that idiot Ben would


    be up to no good! How dare he get Mr. Spencer to watch over me!¡±


    ¡°Ben did it only because he cares about you...¡± Raina mumbled.


    ¡°You were in on this too, weren''t you? Are the both of you ganging up to lie to me?¡±


    Raina kept her head lowered as dread engulfed her, not daring to make another peep.


    ¡°Get out,¡± Zachary muttered.


    Whenever Zachary was furious, he''d alwayssh mercilessly at Ben and Bruce, but thankfully, he was


    gentler toward women.


    ¡°But I have to stay here with you. What if you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Get out!¡± Zachary bellowed, his patience running thin.


    Not wanting to push her luck any further, Raina did as instructed. However, as ast-ditch effort, she


    ordered a few subordinates to stand guard in the room.


    Zachary was speechless and on the verge of losing his temper again when he saw how frightened his


    subordinates were. In the end, he decided to swallow his frustration instead.


    Being constantly monitored was horrid, but Zachary also knew that everyone only had his best interests


    at heart.


    After all, he was now a high-risk individual, and nobody could afford to let anything untoward happen to


    him.


    ¡°Mr. Spencer, you sure are fast!¡± Ben eximed as he ran out, unable to hide the relief and joy he felt.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht has already thrown a few tantrums. If I stay here a second longer, he''ll probably shred me to


    pieces. Mr. Spencer, I leave the house in your good hands. I have to rush to the airport now.¡±


    Spencer frowned and let out a deep sigh. ¡°Now I understand why Mr. Henry used to make things


    difficult for that woman. She''s nothing but trouble!¡±


    ¡°Oh, no. Don''t say that,¡± Ben pleaded. ¡°You''ve always protected Ms. Lindberg in the past, and you


    ought to continue doing so.¡±


    ¡°Can you me me for being angry? After what happened to Mr. Zachary, why does she still make


    people worry for her?¡±


    ¡°She didn''t mean to...¡± Ben mumbled helplessly. ¡°Fate yed a cruel trick on her.¡±


    ¡°Fine, enough of that. You''d better leave now. Get her back as soon as possible so Mr. Zachary can


    stop worrying himself sick.¡±


    ¡°Will do.¡±


    After that, Ben hurriedly left with a handful of Spencer''s subordinates so he could even out the number


    of people back home.


    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    Knowing that Ben had left for the airport, Zachary finally took his long-awaited bath.


    Meanwhile, Hanna ordered Henry''s room to be prepared for Spencer''s stay while she whipped up his


    favorite dishes.


    As for Spencer, he knew it''d be useless to talk sense to a still fuming Zachary. Given the current


    situation, he''d be better off staying silent and keeping a watchful eye over Zachary.


    Raina didn''t dare to stray far from Zachary either. As such, she arranged for the doctors at the hospital


    to contact Helen and have her treat Olivia.


    That afternoon, Peter called Raina to express his gratitude.


    ¡°Don''t thank me,¡± Raina said. ¡°You should be thanking Ms. Lindberg and Mr. Nacht instead. They were


    the ones who made this possible for Olivia.¡±


    ¡°Please pass on my thanks to them. I''ll drop by personally when I have the chance to.¡±


    ¡°All right. Take good care of Olivia.¡±

 Chapter 1390

    Chapter 1390


    For the next few days, Zachary stayed home to rest and recuperate.


    ording to Helen, there weren''t any other treatments or medications needed at that point. She had


    made an incision behind Zachary''s ear to drain the blood, and all he could do now was to rest as much


    as possible.


    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    Raina and the other subordinates followed Zachary around all day like a shadow. Even when he


    headed downstairs for his meals, they took extra caution to ensure that he didn''t trip and fall.


    Spencer, too, kept droning on and reminding Zachary to be careful.


    Naturally, Zachary was beyond frustrated. I''m a grown man, for goodness'' sake! I don''t need to be


    babied by them! Do they even know how humiliating this is for me?


    It went without saying that Zachary lost his temper several times. However, Spencer would always


    plead with him and remind him of Henry, all the while choking back tears.


    That tactic, unfortunately, was very effective against Zachary. Whenever he saw how Spencer was on


    the verge of tears, he''d m up and return to his room, only to curse at Ben under his breath.


    After all, Ben knew about Zachary and his weaknesses, which was why he intentionally got Spencer to


    watch over him.


    As much as he hated it, even Zachary had to admit it was really clever of Ben.


    Since he couldn''t bear seeing Spencer upset, Zachary had no choice but to tamp down his irritation


    and be thepliant patient everyone wanted him to be.


    Fortunately, the children had been home every day to join Zachary for his meals. And thanks to


    Spencer''s constant reminders, they were all very well-behaved, making sure not to aggravate their


    father''s injuries.


    For the rest of their time, the children spent it ying with the three girls at Northridge.


    Morgan, who was just as wild as they are, even brought all six children to fly kites in the mountains.


    With Fifi and Little Fifi joining in, everyone had a lot of fun.


    Robbie, however, would always sit alone on the tree swing and fiddle around with his tablet. As for


    what he was up to, nobody had a clue.


    Just like that, two days passed peacefully.


    On the third day, seeing as how there was still no news about Charlotte, a panic-stricken Zachary


    decided to call Ben first thing in the morning.


    ¡°Don''t worry, Mr. Nacht. We''ve found clues pointing to her whereabouts and are heading to the location


    now.¡±


    ¡°You have to find her before dark and bring her home. Understood?¡± Zachary ordered.


    Ben swore he''dplete his mission and that finally set Zachary''s mind at ease.


    Just then, there was a knock on the door as a voice rang out. ¡°Mr. Nacht, Ms. Gold is here.¡±


    ¡°Have her meet me in the study room.¡±


    Zachary quickly changed his clothes before letting Raina help him to the study room.


    Before long, one of the maids walked in with Nancy in tow.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht!¡± Nancy greeted with a smile, happy to see Zachary back to his old self. ¡°I''m so relieved to


    know you''re well again!¡±


    ¡°I heard it was you who brought Dr. Wright here in the nick of time. Thank you so much!¡± Zachary said


    earnestly.


    ¡°Don''t mention it,¡± Nancy replied as she gazed fondly at him. ¡°It was no trouble at all.¡±


    ¡°I know how hard it is to get Dr. Wright. Not only do you have to pay a pretty sum, but you also have to


    pull favors. But most importantly, I''m impressed that you had even thought about getting her to help!¡±


    The thought of asking Helen to stabilize his condition had genuinely never crossed Zachary''s mind, yet


    it came so naturally to Nancy.


    ¡°Well, I thought of it because I cared enough,¡± Nancy replied with a chuckle. ¡°Besides, anything that


    concerns you is far more important than my own matters.¡±


    With such an abrupt but affectionate confession directed at him, Zachary was at aplete loss.


    Nancy caught on to his ufortable silence and quickly changed the subject. ¡°Rx, I''m not trying to


    stress you out or put you in a spot. By the way, I''m here today because I have something to tell you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, go ahead.¡±


    ¡°I don''t think it''s appropriate for me to bring this up, but...¡± Nancy blurted out after a moment''s


    hesitation.


    ¡°Don''t worry. I have absolute trust in you. You can speak freely.¡±

 Chapter 1391

    Chapter 1391


    Nancy hemmed and hawed before asking, ¡°I heard that Sir Louis has been tracking Ms. Lindberg, so


    I''m just wondering if she''s safe.¡±


    Zachary''s gaze instantly darkened.


    He, too, had had his suspicions from early on. Danrique had taken all the necessary precautions to


    ensure that Charlotte wouldn''t pose a threat to those in Erihal. And given that Charlotte never had


    many enemies to begin with, who else would want to go after her?


    As it turned out, that person was none other than Louis.


    ¡°I think he went crazy and hired a few men to track down Ms. Lindberg''s whereabouts. I don''t know


    what he''s up to, though...¡±


    After a pause, Nancy added, ¡°Sir Robert has been trying to coborate with me, so I''ve had people


    monitoring their family activities to make sure they''re above-board. That''s how I came to know so much


    about the Laurent family.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Zachary answered with a somber nod. ¡°Thank you for informing me.¡±


    ¡°If anything should happen to Ms. Lindberg, you know who and what to investigate first,¡± Nancy


    whispered. ¡°I know this has nothing to do with me, but I also know how much you care about her. I''m


    sorry if I''ve overstepped the line.¡±


    ¡°No, not at all. Thank you,¡± Zachary said sincerely.


    ¡°All right then, I shan''t disturb you any longer. Rest well, and I hope to see you at my banquet in a few


    days!¡±


    Zachary nodded politely and ordered Raina to see Nancy out.


    As luck would have it, Nancy bumped into Spencer downstairs and briefly chatted with him.


    Despite the brief meeting, she had certainly made an impression on Spencer, who sighed when she


    left. ¡°Ms. Gold is such an exemry woman. Not only is she from a prominent family, but she also


    carries herself with poise and sophistication. She and Mr. Zachary would be the perfect match.¡±


    ¡°That''s true, but Mr. Nacht only has eyes for Ms. Lindberg,¡± Raina replied softly. ¡°Mr. Spencer, when


    have you started to worry about such matters like Mr. Henry?¡±


    ¡°I''m only thinking,¡± Spencer answered with yet another sigh. ¡°I do remember Mr. Henry saying that we


    should never interfere with affairs of the heart.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. We should let Mr. Nacht decide for himself.¡±


    Spencer nodded his head, but his mind continued to race. ¡°I''m only just beginning to understand what


    Mr. Henry must have felt. Now that I''m looking at it from a different perspective, it''s hard not to be


    anxious and worried...¡±


    Raina''s lips curled into a smile as she patted Spencer''s shoulders. ¡°Of course, that''s perfectly


    understandable. Well, I''m going up to apany Mr. Nacht. Enjoy your reading.¡±


    When Raina returned to the study room, she found Zachary sitting on the sofa and staring nkly at


    his phone.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, do you want to take a stroll in the garden?¡± Raina gently asked while she handed him a


    ss of water.


    However, Zachary said nothing, his eyes still trained on his phone.


    Raina decided not to disturb him and merely stood quietly at the side. She knew, better than anyone


    else, that Zachary was waiting for Ben''s call.


    Meanwhile, Ben was storming a vi in a small town with a group of men.


    After several days of investigation, he learned that Charlotte and Lupine were taken away by a group of


    foreigners and imprisoned in the vi.


    Having ordered Cain and Kyle to surround the vi, Ben was ready to charge in with the other men


    when a video call from Zachary came in.


    Thankfully, his phone was already on mute as Ben hastily answered it. ¡°Mr. Nacht¡ª¡±


    ¡°Livestream it. I want to see what''s going on,¡± Zachary demanded.


    Even though the request had stunned him, Ben quickly nodded. ¡°Understood!¡±


    With that, Ben held onto his phone and crept stealthily into the vi. To his surprise, the ce was


    quiet, and the aroma of food wafted from the kitchen.


    Ben then carefully pushed the kitchen window open and looked in, only to see Charlotte cooking in a


    sexy strap dress.


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    The next second, a topless Louis walked in with just a towel around his waist. He hugged Charlotte


    from behind and kissed her neck passionately. ¡°Thank you for making dinner, my dear wife. I love you


    so much...¡±


    With Ben''s phone capturing every scene, Zachary, unfortunately, saw and heard them all too clearly.

 Chapter 1392

    Chapter 1392


    Ben was shellshocked as he struggled toprehend what he had just witnessed.


    Only when he finally snapped out of his daze did Ben then end the video call, afraid that the scene


    might upset Zachary.


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    Unbeknownst to him, Zachary had already erupted in anger.


    He flung his phone toward the wall, causing it to shatter upon impact.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, please calm down. It could just be a misunderstanding...¡± Raina advised. ¡°I''m sure Ms.


    Lindberg isn''t like that.¡±


    ¡°She''s exactly like that!¡± Zachary yelled. ¡°Back when I was on the verge of death, I continued to search


    for her. Yet all she could think of was to sleep with Louis! Now that I got injured from saving her, she


    even used the excuse of paying her respects to Dr. Felch to rendezvous with him! How dare she!


    She...¡±


    The more emotionally charged Zachary was, the more his head started hurting again. This time, it felt


    as if a hammer was splitting his head open.


    Zachary held his head, gritting his teeth as his face slowly contorted into a grimace of pain.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht! Calm down! If you get overly agitated, you''ll suffer a rpse! You have to try to calm


    yourself down...¡±


    As much as Zachary wanted to control his emotions, he was far too distraught to do so. The veins on


    his forehead and hands popped, and before long, his nose and the wound behind his ear started


    bleeding too.


    Raina was so scared that she immediately called Helen. When the call failed to get through, she rang


    Nancy up instead. ¡°Ms. Gold, Mr. Nacht is suffering a rpse! Can you please bring Dr. Wright here?¡±


    ¡°How did that happen? I only just left¡ª¡±


    ¡°I don''t have time to exin! Hurry!¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay, I''ll get someone to send Helen over.¡±


    Then, Nancy called her subordinates and told them to send Helen to Southridge right away.


    After which, she turned to her subordinate at the wheel and ordered him to turn the car around.


    ¡°I shouldn''t have told him all that,¡± Nancy mumbled guiltily. ¡°I didn''t think it''d affect him that much...¡±


    ¡°It''s not your fault. All you did was provide the information. You haven''t done anything wrong,¡± the


    subordinate reassured. ¡°Who knows what sordid affair Charlotte and Sir Louis have gotten up to? That


    must be what angered Mr. Nacht.¡±


    ¡°In any case, I shouldn''t have rushed it...¡± Nancy groaned. ¡°I may have dirt on Charlotte and can easily


    get rid of her, but doing so will only hurt Mr. Nacht! If anything happens to him, I''ll never be able to live


    with myself...¡±


    ¡°With Dr. Wright around, he''ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Drive faster!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Meanwhile, Southridge was once again inplete disarray. When Spencer heard that Zachary had


    suffered a rpse, his anxiety level got to an all-time high.


    Just then, Nancy arrived and ayed Spencer''s fears with the assurance that Helen was on her way.


    Immediately after, she rushed to help Raina take care of Zachary.


    Even under such chaotic circumstances, she was calm and in control, truly the perfect woman to run


    the house.


    Back at the vi, Ben was about to barge in when he heard an annoyed Charlotte speaking to Louis.


    ¡°We''ve put on this act for three days, haven''t you had enough?¡±


    ¡°How is this an act?¡± Louis whimpered. ¡°You''re my wife, and I''m your husband. You''ve taken care of me


    and showered me with love for three days. Is nothing real?¡±


    ¡°Wake up, Louis!¡± Charlotte hollered. ¡°If you hadn''t captured Lupine and the others and threatened me


    with their lives, I''d rather die than to put on this husband and wife act with you!¡±


    ¡°Charlotte, why are you treating me like this? You know how much I love you, don''t you? Why must you


    continue to hate me so?


    ¡°Because you''ve changed! You used to be innocent and kind. What happened?¡± Charlotte asked,


    feeling both mentally and emotionally exhausted. ¡°I know I was in the wrong. I shouldn''t have agreed to


    your proposal, nor should I have toyed with your feelings. But it''s time to let that go. We can''t continue


    to make mistakes...¡±

 Chapter 1393

    Chapter 1393


    Louis, unfortunately, was adamant. ¡°I don''t see anything wrong with this. If it weren''t for Zachary, we''d


    be happy together.¡±


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    Charlotte was both speechless and exasperated. She knew that no matter what she said, Louis would


    never listen.


    She had spent three days running herself ragged, trying to talk some sense into Louis but to no avail.


    He was just way too stubborn.


    ¡°Charlotte, you have to believe me. I''m the only one whose feelings for you will never change.¡±


    Louis cupped Charlotte''s face and gazed longingly at her as he continued, ¡°Look at Zachary. How


    many women does he have around him? There were the ckwoods'' sisters in the past, and now


    there''s a Nancy Gold. I, on the other hand, have only had eyes for you all this time.¡±


    ¡°Didn''t you have Diana too?¡± Charlotte retorted coldly.


    ¡°That''s different. I''ve never liked her!¡± Louis eximed, clearly triggered by the mention of Diana.


    ¡°I took her for you... In any case, I''ll never let such a shameful incident happen again. Trust me,


    Charlotte, I''ve never betrayed you. You''re the only one I love¡ª¡±


    ¡°Enough, Louis!¡± Charlotte interrupted. ¡°None of that is important. I''ve always treated you like a good


    friend, even till now. Do you really want to destroy thest ounce of friendship we have between us?¡±


    Louis stared back with a frown. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Tell your men to release Lupine and the rest. I still have a lot to do, and I don''t want to carry on this


    charade anymore.¡±


    Charlotte had agreed to this act, not only because Louis had threatened her with Lupine and the


    others, but also because she felt guilty toward him and wanted to make it up to him.


    Now that the three days were up, it was time for her to call it quits.


    ¡°Charade? This is the furthest thing from a charade! Everything that I''ve done and said, I meant them


    from the bottom of my heart.¡±


    Charlotte sighed in resignation. ¡°Okay, that''s enough. Louis, are you going to let them go or not?¡±


    ¡°I can let them go, but not you,¡± Louis said as he gripped Charlotte''s shoulders. ¡°Please, Charlotte, give


    me one more chance. I promise to love you and only you. You have to trust me¡ª¡±


    Before Louis could continue with his plea, Charlotte had shoved him away and held a knife against his


    neck. Knowing the assassins were outside, she yelled, ¡°Let them go now!¡±


    Louis froze in his tracks, still in utter disbelief that Charlotte would pull a knife on him.


    No matter how she had treated him in the past, he never could bring himself to hurt her. Even when


    she had insisted on leaving, he had to threaten his parents with his life before they agreed to let her go.


    Why is she doing this to me now?


    When the assassins saw the scene in front of them, they hurriedly trained their guns on Charlotte and


    shouted in Ustranasion, ¡°Damn it! Put the knife down!¡±


    ¡°Sir Louis, I''ve told you before that this woman is no pushover,¡± one of the assassins scoffed as he


    red at Charlotte. ¡°See what happens when you let your guard down?¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Louis screamed.


    ¡°Let them go now!¡± Charlotte repeated, her anxiety growing with every second. Zachary''s injured and


    waiting for me at home. Hayley and Sam are probably worried sick about me too. And my kids... Oh,


    how I''ve missed them!


    ¡°Charlotte, do you truly hate me that much?¡±


    Louis stared at her sadly, and instead of ducking, he moved in even closer. ¡°Go ahead then. As long as


    it''s you doing the deed, I can die without regrets!¡±


    Charlotte was about to reply when Louis took another step forward, causing the knife to cut his neck.


    As blood slowly oozed out of the wound, Charlotte could only stare back in astonishment.


    Several assassins quickly pulled their triggers and shouted, ¡°Stop right there!¡±


    ¡°Put your guns down,¡± Louis ordered.


    ¡°Sir Louis...¡±


    ¡°I told you to put your guns down! I''ll kill anyone who hurts her!¡± Louis ordered in exasperation.

 Chapter 1394

    Chapter 1394


    The assassins dared not provoke Louis or put their guns down, afraid that Charlotte would harm him.


    After all, if anything happened to Louis, their mission would not be considered aplished.


    ¡°Louis, I don''t want to hurt you.¡± Seeing the man hurt, Charlotte did not have the heart to continue. ¡°If


    you don''t want me to hate you, then let them go.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Louis ordered the assassins, ¡°Let them go.¡±


    Two assassins soon brought Lupine and the other two female bodyguards of the Lindberg family over.


    However, instead of freeing them, the assassins threatened Charlotte with their lives. ¡°Put your knife


    down, or else I''ll kill them all.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, leave us and go!¡± Lupine shouted anxiously.


    ¡°You think I don''t know the truth about your employer?¡± Charlotte ced her knife against Louis'' neck


    as she roared, ¡°Louis seems to be your employer on the surface, but in actuality, you work for Sir


    Robert. If something happens to Louis, do you think he will let you off?¡±


    ¡°You...¡± The assassins panicked at Charlotte''s urate assessment.


    ¡°You all...¡± Louis was baffled. He thought he was their employer for the whole time since he engaged


    them to work for him. Unexpectedly, it turned out that his father had arranged everything without him


    knowing.


    ¡°Let them go,¡± Charlotte chillingly ordered again.


    This time around, the assassins had no choice but to let the trio go. In their eyes, Louis'' life carried a


    heavier weight than Lupine and the other two bodyguards.


    They could still recapture the trio after releasing them. However, if Louis was harmed, the


    repercussions they would face were unthinkable.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg!¡±


    Lupine and the two bodyguards dashed for Charlotte once they were free. Lupine even removed her


    suit jacket and covered Charlotte with it.


    Detaining Louis, Charlotte moved toward the exit while Lupine and the bodyguards cautiously watched


    every movement the assassins made.


    Outside the window, Ben and the others were still lying in wait for the opportunity to ambush.


    ¡°Let him go now.¡±


    The assassins pointed their guns at Charlotte as they slowly and carefully followed her, fearing she


    would hurt Louis.


    They were in a stalemate until they reached the courtyard, where two assassins rounded to the back to


    sneak up on Charlotte.


    At that moment, Ben struck. He swiftly held down the two assassins then fought the others.


    Lupine could not contain her joy when she saw him.


    Seizing the opportunity, Charlotte pushed Louis away and nned to leave Lupine and the


    bodyguards. However, he held her arm tightly. ¡°Charlotte, don''t go,¡± he pleaded.


    ¡°Let me go!¡± Charlotte struggled to extricate herself from his grip.


    ¡°No! Don''t leave me,¡± Louis sobbed while shaking his head. ¡°I can do everything for you. I can even die


    for you.¡±


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    ¡°I said let go!¡± Unperturbed, Charlotte pulled his hand away from her, hoping to release herself.


    ¡°Charlotte...¡±


    Yet, Louis still would not let go. Suddenly, an assassin opened fire on Charlotte.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg!¡± Lupine rushed to ce herself in front of Charlotte, shielding thetter from harm.


    A loud bang exploded in everyone''s ears, and blood sttered.


    Shell-shocked, Charlotte could only watch as Lupine fell to the ground limply with a gunshot wound in


    her chest.


    ¡°Lupine!¡± Charlotte urgently bent down and took Lupine into her arms. She shouted emotionally,


    ¡°Lupine, hang on...¡±


    Louis was stunned for a second before turning to yell at the assassin furiously, ¡°Why did you do that!


    Didn''t I forbid you from shooting her?¡±


    ¡°She wanted to kill you,¡± the assassin retorted matter-of-factly.


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°Go to zes!¡±


    Charlotte picked up the gun on the ground and fired a couple of shots at the assassin.


    With that, the assassin dropped dead to the ground.


    ¡°Charlotte, listen to me¡ª¡±


    Louis wanted to exin, but Charlotte cut his exnation off by pointing the gun at him. ¡°Louis, do you


    want me to die?¡± she screamed hysterically.


    ¡°No! Charlotte, I don''t!¡± Louis shook his head furiously. ¡°I rather die than be separated from you.¡±


    ¡°Then why don''t you die?¡± She ced her finger on the trigger but could not bring herself to pull it. In


    the end, she smiled as tears flowed down her cheeks. ¡°Never mind. I was the one who caused you to


    end up like this. I shall rpense you with my life.¡±


    Charlotte then turned the gun toward herself.


    ¡°Charlotte, don''t!¡±

 Chapter 1395

    Chapter 1395


    Louis tried to stop Charlotte frantically, but she had pulled the trigger without hesitation.


    At that crucial moment, a dart flew over and hit the gun in Charlotte''s hand.


    Struck by it, the gun ttered to the ground and diverted the trajectory of the bullet.


    The shock from Charlotte''s action had Louis down on his knees. His entire body went limp, and he was


    sweating buckets.


    His heart felt as though it was smashed into smithereens by that silent gunshot.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg!¡±


    Ben rushed over and carried Charlotte and the unconscious Lupine away.


    Louis did not stop them anymore, merely staring at Charlotte''s figure in despair until she was gone


    from his sight.


    He finally realized he would never win her heart over no matter what he did, as she would rather die


    than be with him.


    Everything he had done only incited her disgust and hatred.


    ¡°Lupine! Lupine!¡±


    After carrying Lupine into the car, Ben nced at her gunshot wound and became anxiety-ridden. ¡°It


    was all my fault. I couldn''t protect you.¡±


    ¡°Hurry to the hospital! Quick!¡± Charlotte urged urgently.


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    The crimson sunset at that moment reflected Charlotte''s despair.


    She hated herself for not being decisive and ruthless. If she did not drag her heels, she would not have


    been entangled with things that were inherently wrong time and again.


    She even involved those around her.


    First, it was Morgan, then it was Lupine.


    If anything happened to Lupine, she would never forgive herself.


    When the car came to a halt at the hospital, Ben dashed into the building with Lupine in his arms.


    ¡°Somebody help!¡± he yelled desperately.


    Ben had been by Zachary''s side for over a decade. Throughout the years, he learned to be level-


    headed. Other than matters rted to Zachary, he had never lost control of his emotions.


    For the past few months, he had maintained a passive attitude toward Lupine as though he was


    unmoved by the feelings he had for her.


    In the eyes of others, he seemed to be disinterested in the rtionship.


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    Yet, he could no longer mask his feelings at that moment. His anxiety, heartache, and panic betrayed


    his concern for Lupine.


    Charlotte trailed behind the doctor closely and repeatedly exhorted, ¡°You must save her no matter


    what. Nothing can happen to her.¡±


    ¡°We''ll do our very best.¡±


    The hospital was humming as the medical staff flurried into the operation room. Charlotte paced


    outside, anxiously waiting for the operation to end.


    Ben gave Zachary a call, but no one picked up. Mr. Nacht is probably angry.


    However, he did not think much of it at that time because Lupine''s life was in danger. Therefore, he


    pocketed his phone and sat outside of the operation room.


    Unbeknownst to him, there was a flurry of activity at Southridge too.


    With the fastest speed, Nancy quickly had someone bring Helen over.


    Once Helen had aplete understanding of the entire situation, she rebuked, ¡°I said that he needed


    rest and that he shouldn''t be agitated, nor should he move around! It has only been a few days since


    his treatment.¡±


    ¡°Dr. Wright, please calm down and check on Mr. Nacht,¡± Nancy urged nervously.


    ¡°I wouldn''t have given a damn about him if it wasn''t for the pay. Even God can''t save such an


    uncooperative patient.¡±


    Helen entered Zachary''s room with quick steps and began examining and treating him.


    Outside of the room, Spencer paced up and down while interrogating Raina.


    Raina dared not say it was because of Charlotte, so she merely exined Zachary got agitated from a


    call he received.


    As for the content of the call, they would have to wait for Zachary''s exnation after he woke up.


    Spencer''s expression turned grim as he knew the call was rted to Charlotte. Yet, he did not mention


    it before the outsiders, merely ordering everyone to keep silent and not disrupt Zachary''s treatment.


    At that moment, he had decided to talk with Charlotte for the sake of Zachary''s health.


    Meanwhile, Charlotte had no idea about Zachary''s condition.


    She was a bundle of nerves while waiting in the hospital.


    At midnight, the doctor finally exited the emergency room. He pulled his mask off and said, ¡°The patient


    has passed the critical stage. Luckily, the bullet didn''t strike her heart, so her life isn''t in immediate


    danger.¡±

 Chapter 1396

    Chapter 1396


    ¡°That''s great news.¡±


    Charlotte exhaled a sigh of relief. She was d that Lupine was fine. Otherwise, she would never


    forgive herself.


    After everything that had happened, Lupine and Morgan were like sisters to her. Everyone around her


    had left one by one, her father, Mrs. Berry, and Danrique. Lupine and Morgan were all she had left.


    She did not want to lose anyone else.


    ¡°Can I go in and have a look at her?¡± Ben asked immediately.


    ¡°Sure, but you''ll have to put on an istion gown.¡± The doctor continued, ¡°Also, we have informed the


    police as her wound was a gunshot wound. The police will be here soon, and I ask for your


    cooperation.¡±


    Ben was bewildered by the doctor''s reminder but quickly recollected himself and nodded. ¡°All right.


    We''ll do that.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± The doctor sighed. He was worried Ben would cause a scene, so he had not expected


    him to be so cooperative. It seems like he''s not a bad guy.


    Charlotte wanted to check on Lupine as well, but she knew thetter needed Ben more than her at that


    moment, so she stayed outside.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, have some water.¡± Cain handed her a ss of water.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Charlotte asked, ¡°Why are you guys here?¡±


    ¡°After losing contact with you a few days ago, Ben was worried about your safety, so he sent us in to


    search for you. We couldn''t find you, so he rushed over to join the search.¡±


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    ¡°That''s great news.¡±


    Charlotte exhaled a sigh of relief. She was d that Lupine was fine. Otherwise, she would never


    forgive herself.


    Cain exined the situation sinctly.


    ¡°Who gave you the order? Ben or Zachary?¡± she asked puzzledly.


    ¡°Ben did.¡± He blurted out, ¡°Mr. Zachary, he¡ª¡±


    Before he could continue, Kyle nudged him to cut him off. Getting the hint, Cain immediately held his


    tongue.


    ¡°What? What happened to Zachary?¡± Charlotte had a suspicion that something terrible had happened


    to Zachary, so she hurriedly probed. ¡°Did his condition worsen?¡±


    Cain simply lowered his head in silence.


    Kyle and the rest dared not say anything either.


    ¡°Give me your phone.¡±


    The assassins discarded Charlotte''s and Lupine''s phones, so she could not contact Zachary.


    Cain handed his phone to her meekly.


    Charlotte reached for the phone and called Zachary immediately. However, no one answered the call


    even after a long time.


    Her stomach was in knots as she redialed the number.


    Someone finally picked up the second time, but it was not Zachary''s voice. It belonged to a woman.


    ¡°Hello?¡±


    Charlotte was stunned for a brief moment before she asked, ¡°Nancy?¡±


    ¡°Charlotte?¡± Nancy sounded surprised too. ¡°Is there anything I can help you with?¡±


    ¡°Where''s Zachary?¡± Charlotte tried to keep her tone even and her emotions in check as she asked.


    ¡°He''s not avable at the moment.¡± Nancy continued casually, ¡°You can leave a message with me, and


    I''ll pass it on to Zachary.¡±


    ¡°He''s not avable at the moment.¡± Nancy continued casually, ¡°You can leave a message with me, and


    I''ll pass it on to Zachary.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine.¡±


    With that, Charlotte hung up the phone. The call had ended, but her emotions were tumultuous like a


    raging sea.


    Zachary has always been careful not to let anyone touch his phone, so why is his phone with Nancy?


    It''s quarter to one in the morning, yet they''re still together... Moreover, I called using Cain''s phone, so


    she wouldn''t have known I was calling. That proves that Nancy wasn''t acting. What is the meaning of


    all this?


    Insecurity and anger coursed through her body.


    Thoughts of Zachary and Nancy being intimate with each other shed through her mind. Even the


    mere thought of them cuddling together in bed spiked her anger.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg,¡± Ben called as he came out of the emergency room. ¡°Why don''t you catch some rest? I


    need to assist the police and provide a statement. Also, I''ve already talked to the doctor. If Lupine''s


    condition stabilizes tomorrow morning, we can take a private jet back to H City.¡±


    ¡°Right. Thank you.¡± Charlotte nodded. ¡°You go ahead. I''ll stay here with Lupine.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Ben left in a hurry.

 Chapter 1397

    Chapter 1397


    qCharlotte returned Cain''s phone to him, then led Jade and Emma into the ward to take care of Lupine.


    Despite the numerous questions she had in her mind, she did not persist with her questioning.


    After all, Cain and Kyle did not know much, so it was pointless to ask since she would not get an


    answer.


    Moreover, Lupine was still in the emergency room. Her life could still be in danger, so Charlotte was in


    no mood to be jealous.


    It was best to settle the problems she was facing at the moment. As for others, she would deal with it at


    ater time.


    A restless night passed.


    When Ben returned in the morning, his face was a mask of fatigue. On the bright side, he had settled


    everything and gotten the approval from the doctor to bring Lupine back to H City.


    To ensure Lupine''s safety on their way back, Ben had hired a few doctors and medical staff to


    apany them.


    With everything set and ready to go, they took the private jet back to H City at nine-thirty in the


    morning.


    On the ne, Charlotte and Ben stayed by Lupine''s side.


    ¡°I''m d that she''s fine,¡± said Charlotte as she gently wiped Lupine''s face with a warm towel.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, I have something important I need to discuss with you,¡± Ben said softly.


    Charlotte returned Cain''s phone to him, then led Jade and Emma into the ward to take care of Lupine.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    ¡°Shoot.¡± Charlotte lifted her gaze from Lupine to focus on him.


    He pondered briefly then said straightforwardly, ¡°Firstly, I have Sir Louis and his subordinates in my


    hands. I have arranged for them to be taken back to H City for Mr. Nacht to deal with.¡±


    Charlotte was surprised. The previous day was chaotic, and with Lupine getting shot, she was too


    restless to think about other things.


    She thought Ben was busy cooperating with the police, but instead, he went to catch Louis and the


    assassins.


    As expected of Zachary''s right-hand man.


    ¡°I figured I should inform you on this.¡±


    Ben''s gaze was on Lupine as he spoke.


    ¡°Personally, as a man, I had to take revenge on them for daring to threaten you with Lupine and the


    others'' lives and even shooting Lupine. Professionally, I received orders from Mr. Nacht to rescue you,


    so I should catch everyone involved and let him deal with them. It''s also to avoid any further mishap.


    However, since Louis was once... your fianc¨¦, out of respect, I had to inform you.¡±


    ¡°Ben, firstly, I''m very gratified to hear you say that.¡± There was admiration in Charlotte''s gaze. ¡°As a


    man, you shoulder your responsibility well and treat Lupine with much loyalty and affection. I feel at


    ease to give her hand to you. But there''s one thing I need to rify. Louis was my fianc¨¦ indeed, but


    that was in name only. Besides, with everything that had happened afterward, we had separated¡ª¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute,¡± Ben interrupted in astonishment, ¡°you''re saying him being your fianc¨¦ was in name


    only? T-Then that time when you were in the manor in Arkfield, you and him¡ª¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute,¡± Ben interrupted in astonishment, ¡°you''re saying him being your fianc¨¦ was in name


    only? T-Then that time when you were in the manor in Arkfield, you and him¡ª¡±


    Charlotte did not borate. ¡°That was a misunderstanding. I will leave out the distasteful details. All in


    all, I never had a romantic rtionship with him from the start till the end.


    ¡°I didn''t have the heart to finish him off because I felt that this tragedy happened because of me. If it


    wasn''t for me agreeing to his proposal for my selfish reasons, he might not have ended up like this.


    ¡°But just because I feel sorry for him, it doesn''t mean that he can do whatever he likes. Therefore, I do


    not have any objections to you catching him and his assassins. However, the mastermind behind the


    entire incident is Sir Robert.


    ¡°It has nothing to do with Louis, so catching him is pointless. If something happens, I fear it will cause


    trouble to you and Zachary, so I suggest you hand him over to me once we arrive at H City. Let me


    negotiate with Sir Robert.¡±

 Chapter 1398

    Chapter 1398


    q¡°Ms. Lindberg, I''ll get right to the point since there''s only the both of us here,¡± Ben said somberly.


    ¡°Since you''ve been in thepany of Sir Robert for quite some time, you should know he''s an


    avaricious person. As of now, he won''t regard you as an equal because you don''t have a strong


    backing. Not only will you not gain anything from negotiating with him, but you may even infuriate him.¡±


    ¡°That''s true.¡±


    Charlotte lowered her head in deep thought. If Zachary didn''te forward during the incident


    regarding the refund of my investment fund, Sir Robert might''ve already pocketed that twenty billion.


    He''s an unreasonable man, so it''s pointless no matter how I n to negotiate with him.


    ¡°I suggest you let us handle this matter,¡± Ben advised. ¡°Please be assured. Based on my understanding


    of Mr. Nacht''s character, he won''t harm Sir Louis. Especially...¡±


    He felt slightly awkward to speak of it. ¡°Especially if he knows there''s nothing between you and Sir


    Louis. He will be even lenient with him.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± Charlotte nodded. ¡°I agree with the arrangement. Anything else you want to add?¡±


    ¡°Two more things...¡± Ben nced at Lupine as he said earnestly, ¡°I want to ask you for Lupine''s hand. I


    will take good care of her. Please believe me.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, I''ll get right to the point since there''s only the both of us here,¡± Ben said somberly.


    ¡°Since you''ve been in thepany of Sir Robert for quite some time, you should know he''s an


    avaricious person. As of now, he won''t regard you as an equal because you don''t have a strong


    backing. Not only will you not gain anything from negotiating with him, but you may even infuriate him.¡±


    ¡°I believe you, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°I know you need her too. I''m not saying now, but in the future, after the matters of the Lindberg family


    are resolved, and everything has settled down...¡±


    ¡°I don''t have any objections if she''s willing.¡± Charlotte felt gratified. ¡°I''m happy that you brought this up


    with me.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Ben nodded his head with gratitude. ¡°Lastly...¡± His voice trailed off as he hesitated to tell


    her about Zachary''s condition.


    Will Mr. Nacht chase me out if I tell her? With his character, he might really do so. I don''t care about


    myself, but currently, he needs people he can trust by his side, so I can''t leave at such a juncture.


    ¡°You want to talk to me about Zachary?¡± Charlotte guessed urately then lied, ¡°I already know about


    his condition.¡±


    ¡°Huh? You...¡± Ben held his tongue before he could spill any information and pretended not to


    understand her words. ¡°Know about what? I don''t understand.¡±


    ¡°Stop acting.¡± She intended to sound him out. ¡°Hayley told me about it. I knew all of you had warned


    her and Sam not to tell me the truth. But think about it. Is Hayley closer to you guys or me?¡±


    Ben lowered his head, concealing the solemn expression on his face. Her words make sense. After all,


    Hayley is quite na?ve and doesn''t have any idea about power or status. She only knows that Ms.


    Lindberg is the closest person to her. Therefore, the warning and reminder from the Nacht family might


    be ineffective toward her. She might really have told Ms. Lindberg everything with a bit of coaxing.


    ¡°Louis'' men shadowed me when I got off the ne. Hayley coincidentally called me to ask if I had


    arrived. And when she heard the gunshots at my side, she was terrified. I seized that opportunity to


    interrogate her about Zachary''s condition. Finally, she told me the truth after I put the wind up her.¡±


    ¡°Louis'' men shadowed me when I got off the ne. Hayley coincidentally called me to ask if I had


    arrived. And when she heard the gunshots at my side, she was terrified. I seized that opportunity to


    interrogate her about Zachary''s condition. Finally, she told me the truth after I put the wind up her.¡±


    Observing Ben''s expression, she continued to lure him into her trap.


    ¡°Ben, I know you''re loyal to Zachary, and you don''t want to betray him. I understand if you don''t tell me


    the truth, but think about it. What are you going to do if something happens to Zachary? Wouldn''t you


    regret it for the rest of your life?¡±


    ¡°I¡ª¡±


    ¡°I know you''ve assigned Bruce to search for Francesco''s whereabouts, but you will never find him even


    if you searched under every rock without my help.¡±


    Charlotte continued, ¡°Give me a definitive answer. What happened to Zachary? As long as you tell me


    the truth, I''ll help you search for Francesco.¡±N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.

 Chapter 1399

    Chapter 1399


    q¡°Mr. Nacht, he...¡± Ben hesitated briefly but came clean in the end. ¡°He doesn''t have long to live.¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡± Charlotte froze and widened her eyes in disbelief.


    ¡°This is what happened...¡±


    He then recounted everything to her, starting from three months ago when Zachary realized something


    was wrong with his eyes and confirmed he was poisoned.


    Following that, he exined how Zachary epted Charlotte''s conditions and hid himself away for


    treatment, where he suffered excruciating pain alone.


    This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    After two months of treatment, Zachary still did not fully recover despite showing some improvement.


    When he heard that Charlotte was going to marry Louis, he dropped everything and headed to Arkfield


    to see her. Unfortunately, he was greeted by a heartbreaking sight.


    Everything he did¡ªtaking away the children and deliberately creating a misunderstanding to infuriate


    the Laurent family¡ªwas so that she could return home and take over the Nacht family as thedy of


    the household after his passing.


    It took an entire hour for Ben to rte everything that had happened.


    He even told her that nothing was going on between Zachary and Nancy. All this while, Zachary had


    been using Nancy to make Charlotte jealous. Whenever he tried to clear the air with Nancy, something


    would prevent him from doing so.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, he...¡± Ben hesitated briefly but came clean in the end. ¡°He doesn''t have long to live.¡±


    This time around, Nancy brought in Helen at the crucial moment to treat Zachary. That was why Ben


    allowed her to stay at the house for the time being.


    Having heard his words, Charlotte was moved to tears. It never crossed her mind that Zachary was


    suffering alone when she had misunderstood him all this while.


    In spite of that, he still selflessly saved her at the crucial moment. Yet, when he was struck down by


    sickness, she was not by his side and even became a burden to him.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, I know that I''m disobeying Mr. Nacht by telling you all this now. However, I''m at my wits''


    end.¡±


    Lowering his head, Ben exined agonizingly, ¡°Mr. Nacht''s condition is extremely serious. If we can''t


    find Francesco, he may be done for.¡±


    By then, Charlotte''s hand trembled uncontrobly as feelings of guilt swamped her. She hated herself


    for not letting go, not forgiving Zachary, and not reconciling with him earlier.


    If she had realized her folly earlier, she would have been able to seek Francesco''s help sooner, and


    Zachary''s sickness would not have escted to such a severe extent.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg...¡±


    When Ben saw Charlotte remain silent, he assumed she was still bothered by the past animosity


    between them.


    Hence, he anxiously advised, ¡°I know that the Nacht family had treated you badly. However, whatever


    bad blood there was is now gone. Mr. Henry, Zara, and the ckwood sisters are all dead. Who else is


    left for you to hate? Do you really want to see Mr. Nacht die at such a young age? Or have the children


    be fatherless?¡±


    ¡°Why didn''t you tell me earlier?¡± Charlotte finally said something. She was so shaken that her voice


    was trembling. ¡°Given how grave this matter is, why did you wait till now to tell me?¡±


    ¡°Why didn''t you tell me earlier?¡± Charlotte finally said something. She was so shaken that her voice


    was trembling. ¡°Given how grave this matter is, why did you wait till now to tell me?¡±


    ¡°I...¡± Briefly stunned, Ben took a second before he started exining. ¡°Mr. Nacht ordered me not to do


    so no matter what. He said that he wanted you to return home out of love and not out of pity.¡±


    ¡°That fool!¡± She gritted her teeth.


    ¡°He dered that he rather die a proud man than live in shame.¡± Thinking about Zachary, Ben was


    filled with guilt. ¡°I was in a dilemma. The only thing I could do was try my best to locate Francesco,


    hoping to have the best of both worlds.¡±


    ¡°There''s no way you can find him.¡± Charlotte took a deep breath to recollect herself. ¡°Only I can do it.¡±


    ¡°Really? Can you really do it?¡± Ben could not suppress his excitement.


    ¡°It''s not going to be easy, but I will definitely find him for Zachary''s sake.¡± Seized by anxiety, she asked,


    ¡°How much longer before we arrive in H City?¡±


    ¡°Soon, the ne is preparing for descend.¡±

 Chapter 1400

    Chapter 1400


    q¡°I''ll take care of locating Francesco.¡± Charlotte checked her watch for the time. ¡°After going back, I''ll


    contact Gordon and Sean at once.¡±


    ¡°That''s wonderful! Thank you, Ms. Lindberg.¡± Ben was extremely grateful. ¡°With your help, Mr. Nacht


    can finally be cured.¡±


    ¡°No, wait.¡± Charlotte suddenly thought of something important. ¡°Didn''t you just say that Zachary''s


    condition had stabilized when you left?¡±


    ¡°That''s right. He was extremely worried about you and wanted to look for you. However, he decided


    against it after I got on my knees and pleaded with him.¡±


    ¡°That''s not the point,¡± she interrupted him. ¡°Was his condition really stable then?¡±


    ¡°Rtively so. Dr. Wright said that as long as he didn''t go out, he would be fine for about a month,¡± he


    exined earnestly.


    ¡°But...¡± The more Charlotte thought about it, the more suspicious she became. ¡°When I called Zachary


    last night, it was Nancy who answered.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Stunned, Ben frantically exined, ¡°That''s not right. By the time I left, Nancy was already gone.


    Unless she came backter? But don''t worry, Ms. Lindberg. Given how sick Mr. Nacht is, nothing is


    going to happen between them¡ª¡±


    ¡°That''s not what I''m concerned about.¡± The woman''s expression was grim. ¡°I''m worried that he''s


    suffering a rpse.¡±


    Her words struck fear into Ben. ¡°That''s entirely possible. Back then, when I arrived at the vi, he


    wanted me to start a video call. I did as told and captured you and Sir Louis...¡±


    ¡°I''ll take care of locating Francesco.¡± Charlotte checked her watch for the time. ¡°After going back, I''ll


    contact Gordon and Sean at once.¡±


    At there, he raised his hand to p himself in remorse. ¡°It was all my fault. I shouldn''t have started the


    video call. Why was I so stupid?¡±


    ¡°You''re not to me.¡± Charlotte uttered coldly, ¡°I think someone must have said something in front of


    him.¡±


    ¡°Do you mean Ms. Gold?¡± Ben asked meekly. ¡°That''s unlikely. She seems to be quite an honest


    person.¡±


    ¡°Precisely. Due to her honesty, everyone assumes she will only tell the truth.¡± A wry smile hovered on


    her lips. ¡°Because of that, Zachary will believe her words, which makes her a formidable adversary.¡±


    ¡°Uh...¡±


    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    ¡°However, that''s for another day. I should find Francesco as soon as possible.¡± Charlotte was well


    aware of her priorities. ¡°Once we disembark from the ne, you should settle Lupine down while I will


    return to Southridge.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Ben repeatedly nodded as he could not be happier. However, at the thought of something, he


    asked in concern, ¡°As for Mr. Nacht, can you...¡±


    shing him a faint smile, she assured, ¡°Don''t worry. I know what must be done. I won''t put you in a


    spot.¡±


    ¡°That''s good. Thank you.¡±


    Ben heaved a sigh of relief.


    Half an hourter, their private jetnded in H City.


    Ben had already contacted the medical staff at Kindness Hospital to meet them at the airport. After


    that, he and a few other subordinates apanied the unconscious Lupine to the hospital.


    Ben had already contacted the medical staff at Kindness Hospital to meet them at the airport. After


    that, he and a few other subordinates apanied the unconscious Lupine to the hospital.


    At the same time, he arranged for Cain, Kyle, and the others to escort Charlotte back to Southridge.


    Ben bowed at Charlotte respectfully before the two groups went their separate ways. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, the


    fate of the Nacht family is in your hands!¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry.¡± The woman nodded. ¡°I''ll leave Lupine with you.¡±


    ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡±


    The road leading back to Southridge was shrouded in rain and mist.


    Charlotte switched her SIM card to a new phone and contacted Gordon at once.


    However, when Gordon did not reply after a long while, she dropped Sean a message and told them to


    call her the moment they saw her note.


    Cognizant of the fact that they might be tied down in Erihal, she reckoned they might not be able to


    check their phone in time. Nevertheless, once they saw her message, they would get in touch with her


    at once.


    All she could do was wait patiently.


    Soon, the car drove into Southridge. When Charlotte alighted, she saw a few unfamiliar bodyguards


    stationed outside. That was when she realized they were not the Nacht family''s men but the Gold


    family''s instead.

 Chapter 1401

    Chapter 1401


    qIf it were before, Charlotte would definitely be infuriated. In fact, she might even mock Zachary and


    storm off. However, since she knew the truth, her mood was entirely different.


    ¡°Ms. Windt, you''re back!¡±


    When Hanna''s excited voice rang out, Charlotte looked up. Among everyone in the house, only she


    came out to wee her happily. ¡°It''s good to have you back. Mr. Zachary has been worried sick about


    you.¡±


    ¡°Where is he?¡±


    Just when Charlotte was about to enter the house, she was stopped at the door by Spencer''s


    subordinates, who used to work under Henry.


    The two men stepped in her way and forbade her from entering.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, if you don''t mind my lowly status, I would like to speak to you in private.¡± Despite


    Spencer''s humble words, there was an air of intimidation behind it.


    ¡°Spencer...¡± Just when Hanna wanted to say something in Charlotte''s defense, she held her tongue


    when she saw the look on his face.


    ¡°Mr. Spencer, I would like to see Zachary first. We can talk after that, all right?¡±


    Charlotte treated Spencer with the utmost respect. That was because when Henry made life difficult for


    her, Spencer would always adopt an impartial attitude and even protect her sometimes.


    ¡°You infuriated Mr. Zachary that he...¡± The moment Spencer brought the topic up, his entire body


    trembled in anger. ¡°I will look past the fact that the first time he suffered a rpse was from saving you.


    However, just when he was rescued from the brink of death, you provoked him again, causing him to


    now be...¡±


    Just as he spoke, his eyes reddened.


    With a tone filled with anger and pain, he continued, ¡°Charlotte, when Mr. Henry was still around, I


    would always advise him to be impartial and considerate no matter how difficult he made your life to be.


    But now, after seeing Mr. Zachary in this condition, I can no longer be forbearing.¡±


    ¡°What happened to him?¡± Charlotte was ridden with anxiety that she barged into the house and


    demanded, ¡°I want to see him!¡±


    N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    ¡°Stop right there!¡± Spencer barked. When his subordinates were about to block her way, she shoved


    them aside angrily. ¡°How dare you stop me?¡±


    ¡°You¡ª¡±


    ¡°Who is causing a ruckus down here?¡±


    Just as Spencer was about to speak, a frosty voice sounded from upstairs.


    Charlotte turned to look and saw Nancy standing by the railings on the second floor. Thetter looked


    down at her in a condescending manner. ¡°Charlotte Lindberg, where are your manners? How could you


    barge into someone else''s home without permission?¡±


    ¡°Since when do you have the right to say anything here?¡± Charlotte red at her.


    ¡°You are not the one to decide that.¡± Nancy gradually walked down the stairs. ¡°Now that Mr. Nacht is


    being treated, he needs peace. So please leave immediately and don''t disturb him.¡±


    ¡°What gives you the right¡ª¡± Charlotte roared.


    ¡°The fact that I brought the doctor over and saved Mr. Nacht''s life.¡± Nancy raised her eyebrows. ¡°Why


    don''t you ask everyone in this house who deserves to stay?¡±


    ¡°You¡ª¡±


    ¡°It goes without saying that it''s Ms. Gold,¡± Spencer proimed calmly. ¡°In both of Mr. Zachary''s


    rpses, I shudder to think of the consequences if Ms. Gold hadn''t brought Dr. Wright over. As of now,


    Dr. Wright only takes orders from Ms. Gold. You can''t leave Mr. Zachary''s side, Ms. Gold.¡±


    ¡°Did you hear that?¡± Nancy taunted while ring at Charlotte. ¡°What are you waiting for?¡±


    Charlotte was disheartened by the words she had heard. She had only left for three days, yet Nancy


    had taken over the entire household.


    Directing her gaze at the bodyguards and maids in the living hall, she saw them lowering their heads in


    silence.


    Only Hanna looked at her with misty eyes. Nevertheless, she, too, did not have the courage to speak


    up.


    Charlotte was incensed and heartbroken at the same time. Just when she was about to give Ben a call,


    a tender yet authoritative voice sounded. ¡°No one can chase my mommy away.¡±


    Turning to look, Charlotte saw Robbie, Jamie, and Ellie alighting from the car together with Kyle. The


    kids then sprinted inside the house and stood before her to protect their mother.

 Chapter 1402

    Chapter 1402


    qJust like an angry lion, Jamie held up his fist and stared daggers at Nancy. ¡°You evil woman. This is


    my home. I won''t allow you to chase my mommy out!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Spencer, why did you help outsiders bully my mommy?¡± Running up to Spencer, Ellie held his


    hand and questioned him while crying. ¡°You have always loved us. How could you do this?¡±


    ¡°Be a good girl, Ellie. Don''t cry.¡± Spencer quickly wiped the tears off her face.


    Approaching Nancy calmly, Robbie asked, ¡°Ms. Gold, I presume?¡±


    He conducted himself with the utmost politeness, but there was a fearsome and intimidating air to his


    voice.


    ¡°Thank you for bringing the doctor to treat my daddy. As for the expenses, I will have my people pay


    you back manyfold. Once my daddy has recovered, our whole family will visit you to express our


    gratitude. But for now, please apologize to my mommy!¡±


    ¡°Uhm...¡±


    Nancy was stunned by the sight of the children. When she regained her senses, she frantically


    exined with a smile, ¡°Kids, I didn''t bully your mommy. It''s just that your daddy is undergoing


    treatment now. The doctor says he needs peace, but your mom has been causing a ruckus. Hence, I


    simply requested for her to go out¡ª¡±


    ¡°This is my home,¡± Robbie interrupted her. He then dered haughtily, ¡°An outsider has no right to call


    the shots here!¡±


    ¡°You...¡± Nancy''s beautiful face crimsoned as she choked with fury.


    ¡°Besides, my mommy has always been gentle and well-mannered. She never kicks up a fuss. So, how


    could it be her that''s noisy?¡± the boy retorted steadily. ¡°Even if someone is causing a scene, she would


    be thest one to do so!¡±


    Hisments were aimed at Spencer.


    Color flooded Spencer''s face, but he dared not utter a word. Back when Henry was still around, Robbie


    was his favorite great-grandson. Henry evenmented that the boy was a genius, so no one dared to


    challenge him.


    Having been rebuked by Robbie, Nancy wanted to retort but realized she did not have a strong case for


    defending herself. Moreover, with everyone in the house looking at her, she was fully aware that


    continuing arguing with a kid would not look good on her.


    Hence, it was the smarter choice for her to make concessions. Lowering her head, she apologized to


    Charlotte, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, I''m sorry for my inappropriate words just now. I was just caught up in my


    desperation to save Mr. Nacht. Hence, I hope you will forgive me.¡±


    She found a good excuse by ming it on her desperation to treat Zachary.


    Regardless of her sincerity, the fact was that she did save him.


    Therefore, Charlotte knew she could not castigate her. Otherwise, Spencer and the other servants


    might think lesser of her.


    ¡°Ms. Gold, you''re being too modest. You have saved my children''s father, so I should be the one to


    thank you. Though you were too eager to make me leave...¡±


    Charlotte, too, knew how to use that tactic. After all, it did not belong to Nancy solely.


    ¡°It''s my fault.¡± Nancy continued to hang her head.N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    ¡°Koandrians are really courteous. Unfortunately, I''m used to being forthright. Hence, I''m not good at


    such pleasantries.¡± A half-smile appeared on Charlotte''s face. ¡°Since Dr. Wright is still here, we should


    let her continue with the treatment. As for the household matters...¡±


    She then turned her attention toward Spencer. ¡°Mr. Spencer, I''m sure we don''t have to trouble Ms.


    Gold, isn''t it?¡±


    ¡°Ms. Gold, she...¡±


    Just when Spencer was about to speak, he noticed Robbie staring at him intensely. Hence, he changed


    his tune. ¡°Ms. Gold, we are extremely grateful to you for inviting Dr. Wright over. We will definitely visit


    you to thank you properly at the end of all this. As you have been working hard for the past two days, I


    think it''s time for you to get some rest at home.¡±


    Everyone at home knew Spencer was able to throw his weight around Zachary, but Robbie had the


    power to do the same to him.


    ¡°All right then. I''ll be taking my leave.¡±


    Suppressing the rage that surged within her, Nancy forced a smile at Charlotte. However, her eyes had


    an icy glint in them.


    ¡°Ms. Gold, please show yourself out.¡±


    Stepping aside, Charlotte gestured toward the exit.

 Chapter 1403

    Chapter 1403


    qWith that, Nancy left furiously with her subordinates.


    Charlotte was thrilled to watch Nancy leave. As thetter had been civil to her, she did not intend to


    make things difficult for her.


    However, when Nancy tried to take over her ce in the Nacht residence and openly challenged her,


    Charlotte chose to take her gloves off.


    Nevertheless, she does know a thing or two. In just a few days, she had the entire Nacht family eating


    out of her hands. Luckily, the kids protected me. Or else, I would have been at a terrible disadvantage.


    Holding that thought, Charlotte asked Kyle in a low voice, ¡°How did it ur to you to bring the children


    over?¡±


    ¡°Ben reminded me to. He was worried that you might face some trouble here. Hence, he instructed me


    to bring them here,¡± Kyle replied in the same volume. ¡°When we''re at the middle of the mountain, I


    drove toward Northridge to pick them up.¡±


    ¡°Smart,¡± she praised.


    ¡°Mommy, you should go upstairs to see Daddy.¡± Exuding the air of a head of a household, Robbie


    began to take charge. ¡°Jamie, Ellie, both of you should y upstairs. However, don''t be too loud as to


    disturb Daddy.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Jamie and Ellie nodded before proceeding upstairs obediently.


    ¡°Mr. Spencer, shall we talk?¡± Robbie turned toward Spencer.


    Frightened by his gaze, Spencer began to cough nervously. However, he dared not refuse. ¡°Sure,


    sure.¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Rawlston, please prepare a cup of tea for Mr. Spencer,¡± Robbie instructed Hanna before beaming


    at the older man. ¡°I remember he loves tea, doesn''t he?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, right away.¡± Hanna quickly went to prepare it.


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    ¡°That''s right. I''m surprised that you remember.¡±


    Spencer was always fearful of Robbie as he exuded the Nacht family''s intimidating aura every time he


    spoke. Despite his young age, he had an incredibly sharp gaze.


    Furthermore, he was already very good at ying mind games.


    At that moment, Spencer recalled how Henry used to praise Robbie. He mentioned that every new


    generation surpassed the preceding one. Compared to Zachary when he was the same age, Robbie


    demonstrated capabilities that exceeded those of his father.


    Seeing that Robbie had dealt with Spencer and settled down Jamie and Ellie, Charlotte was extremely


    relieved. Hence, she strode upstairs to see Zachary.


    Outside the master bedroom stood four bodyguards and two maids. As they were already aware of the


    confrontation downstairs, they greeted her respectfully and allowed her to enter.


    ¡°Zachary...¡± Charlotte called out the man''s name emotionally.


    However, the moment she did so, she was stunned by the scene before her.


    Zacharyy motionless in bed. Helen was treating the wound behind his ear while Raina and another


    nurse were assisting her.


    When Helen saw Charlotte arrive, she shot her a nce and reminded her in Ustranasion. ¡°Keep


    quiet!¡±


    With light footsteps, Charlotte walked to the side of the door and barely dared to breathe aloud.


    After a while, the wound was finally dressed.


    Helen sighed in exhaustion and said to Raina in Ustranasion solemnly, ¡°He''s not in critical condition


    anymore. However, he will need to lie in bed for three days. He cannot be provoked or move


    unnecessarily. Otherwise, don''t call me over anymore as there won''t be anything else I can do for him.¡±


    ¡°I understand. Thank you, Dr. Wright.¡± Raina offered, ¡°I''ll walk you out.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry about it. I''ll show myself out.¡±


    After washing her hands in the bathroom, the doctor left with her assistant. When she walked past


    Charlotte, she looked at her intently without saying a word.


    Charlotte found Helen''s response strange. However, she quickly figured that the doctor must have


    thought she was the cause of Zachary''s dangerous condition.


    With everyone gone, the room fell silent again.


    Raina hastened to greet Charlotte. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, you''re finally back. When Mr. Nacht was injured the


    last time, we assumed he was fine. However, we didn''t expect the vase to hit a vital part. Therefore¡ª¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    Charlotte was aware that Raina was making up an excuse to prevent her from finding out about


    Zachary''s poisoning. Instead of exposing her lie, she pretended to be clueless.


    She figured it would be less stressful for everyone that way.

 Chapter 1404

    Chapter 1404


    q¡°His injury has affected some of his important nerves, which resulted in his dangerous condition.¡±


    Concerned that Charlotte did not realize the gravity of the situation and might hurt Zachary further,


    Raina exhorted, ¡°I''m sure you heard what Dr. Wright just said. We have been very mindful of Mr.


    Nacht''s conditiontely.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Charlotte nodded. ¡°Don''t worry. I''ll be careful.¡±


    ¡°Also...¡± Raina exined awkwardly, ¡°Due to the special circumstances, my assistant and I will stay by


    his side around the clock.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Charlotte knew that Raina''s mind could not be at ease as she was fearful of any more idents. After


    all, it did involve a man''s life.


    ¡°That''s good.¡± Raina heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Why don''t you go see Mr. Nacht? I''ll be packing up the


    things.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡±


    With that, Charlotte walked up to the bed. As she started at the unconscious Zachary, remorse washed


    over her.


    If only I had noticed the problem earlier and forgiven him, he wouldn''t have ended up this way. He has


    done so much for me behind my back and suffered so much alone. Yet, he never let me know.


    She had always assumed that his domineering character led him to force her to stay by his side. Only


    then did she finally realize his true intentions.


    Ben is right. The animosity of the past is now water under the bridge. Everyone involved in the matter is


    no longer around. It''s time to let it go.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, have some tea.¡± Raina poured Charlotte a cup of hot tea. ¡°Did you just return? Were


    you injured?¡±


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    ¡°Yes, and I''m fine. When will he wake up?¡±


    ¡°Dr. Wright spected that it might be tonight or tomorrow morning. But it''s still anyone''s guess.¡± Raina


    kept her voice low, worried that she might disturb Zachary''s rest. ¡°Mr. Nacht was in grave danger this


    time. I almost thought that...¡±


    She stopped mid-sentence before rephrasing, ¡°The vase hit a critical part of his head. If not for Dr.


    Wright, the consequences would have been dire.¡±


    ¡°It''s all my fault!¡±


    Charlotte was overwhelmed with regret. Considering Zachary''s prior medical history, the vase had


    acted like a fuse that ignited the problem in his nerves, heightening the risk of his condition.


    ¡°Don''t say that,¡± Rainaforted her. ¡°It was an ident. Don''t me yourself for it.¡±


    ¡°I came straight here right after I got off the ne and hadn''t managed to change yet.¡± Charlotte


    suddenly realized that she might be bringing germs to Zachary. ¡°I''ll go wash up in the guest room


    beforeing back.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Raina had someone lead her to the guest room.


    When Charlotte entered the room, she did not hasten to shower. Instead, she gave Gordon and Sean a


    call. When the calls still did not get through, she began to worry. Hence, she tried contacting Danrique''s


    other subordinates.


    However, she failed to reach any of them.


    Filled with anxiety, Charlotte gave Morgan a call and instructed her to continue reaching out to


    Danrique''s men. Even if it was a lowly subordinate, they had to establish contact no matter what.


    When Morgan tried to ask about what happened, she stopped her and told her to do as told.


    Given how rare it was to see Charlotte so anxious, Morgan went off at once to get it done.


    After washing up and changing into a set offortable clothing, Charlotte returned to Zachary''s room.


    At that moment, Raina and a few other medical staff had packed up their equipment and were holding


    warm towels to wipe Zachary''s body. Seeing that, Charlotte walked up and offered, ¡°Let me do it.¡±


    Raina handed her a towel and warned, ¡°Be careful not to touch his head.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Charlotte carefully avoided Zachary''s head. When she started wiping his hand, she was


    shocked by what she saw.


    The back of his hand and even his wrist were a mass of needle marks and bruises left from


    acupuncture treatment.


    However, she had never noticed them before.


    Filled with guilt, Charlotte felt tears welling up in her eyes. She then unbuttoned his cor to wipe his


    torso and unexpectedly found bruises all over his chest.

 Chapter 1405

    Chapter 1405


    qThe marks meant that Zachary had been undergoing treatment the whole time, yet she was oblivious


    to it.


    It was not until he experienced a rpse and lost his vision that she finally noticed.


    At that thought, Charlotte med herself for everything that had happened. Considering how severe


    Zachary''s condition had gotten by then, it would be well and good if he could be cured.


    If he ended up dying at a young age because of her, she would never forgive herself for the rest of her


    life.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, why don''t you let me do it?¡± Worried that Charlotte would notice something, Raina


    frantically came up with an excuse. ¡°Your hand hasn''t recovered yet, so you shouldn''t let ite into


    contact with water.¡±


    ¡°At most, my wound will only worsen.¡± Charlotte took a deep breath and choked out, ¡°But he... He is in


    danger of losing his life. I don''t know how much time I have left to take care of him.¡±


    Raina was stunned to hear her words. Realizing something, she asked in a panic, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, d-do


    you¡ª¡±


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    ¡°Yes, I know.¡± Charlotte let out a sorrowful sigh. ¡°All of you should have told me earlier.¡±


    ¡°How did you... Did Ben tell you?¡±


    Raina was flustered. If Zachary woke up and learned that Charlotte knew the truth of his condition, he


    would definitely lose his temper.


    ¡°Not him.¡± Charlotte cooked up an excuse. ¡°I coerced Hayley into telling me about it. Besides, I''m not a


    fool. How can he be so grievously injured because of a vase?¡±


    ¡°Since the cat is out of the bag, could you help us contact Francesco?¡± Raina could no longer care less


    about hiding the truth and asked candidly. All they wanted was for Zachary to recover.


    ¡°I''m on it.¡± Charlotte gently stroked Zachary''s face. ¡°By hook or by crook, I''ll find him!¡±


    ¡°That''s wonderful!¡± Raina was overwhelmed with emotions. ¡°I told them that we should have told you


    about this. After all, only you can locate Francesco.¡±


    ¡°Leave Francesco to me. Once I have a lead, I''ll fly to Erihal at once.¡± Charlotte turned toward her and


    urged, ¡°Once he wakes up, you should pretend that I''m still unaware of his condition. If not, he will feel


    burdened.¡±


    ¡°Yes, definitely.¡± Raina nodded profusely. ¡°I share your sentiment. After all, Mr. Nacht is a proud man. If


    he finds out that you know about his condition, he won''t be able to ept it.¡±


    ¡°That''s why you and Ben should mind your words,¡± Charlotte warned.


    ¡°Understood.¡± Raina smiled wryly with teary eyes. ¡°Now, I can finally rest easy. Or else, your frequent


    quarrels with him would aggravate his condition.¡±


    ¡°It won''t happen again.¡±


    Charlotte cupped Zachary''s face and gently ran her fingers over his cracked lips. Tormented by her


    guilt, she swore that she would care for him and never hurt him again.


    When Raina saw her reaction, she felt a sense of relief, for she knew that the couple''s rtionship


    depended on Charlotte.


    Despite his cold demeanor, Zachary''s affection for Charlotte was deep. As long as she was willing to let


    go of the past, both of them would definitely be able to reconcile, just like old times.


    Since Charlotte was aware of the truth, Raina quietly left the room, not wanting to disturb them further.


    Before she left, she reminded Charlotte to press the button by the bed if she ever needed help.


    Staying by Zachary''s side, Charlotte teared up as she recalled everything that had happened in the


    past.


    Meanwhile, in the study downstairs, Robbie questioned Spencer directly, ¡°Mr. Spencer, do you have


    something against my mommy?¡±


    ¡°Robbie, sometimes, the affairs of adults are hard to exin,¡± Spencer replied softly. ¡°However, I will


    never harm your mommy.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes, treating someone indifferently and shunning them is a form of abuse.¡± Robbie stared into


    his eyes. ¡°Although you didn''t bully mommy as Great-grandpa did, she would still be hurt by your


    attitude.¡±

 Chapter 1406

    Chapter 1406


    q¡°I...¡±


    Stumped by Robbie''s words, Spencer had nothing to say in his defense.


    ¡°Ms. Gold is a decent person. She isn''t as fiery as Ms. Sharon nor as malevolent as Ms. Cynthia. She


    comes from a well-to-do family and is extremely smart and capable. Also, she is open with others...¡±


    Robbie calmlymented. ¡°However, no matter how good she is, she will never be able to top


    Mommy. Jamie, Ellie, and I will only have one mommy. As for Daddy, he only loves Mommy. I''m sure


    you''re well aware of this.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I understand.¡± Spencer nodded fervently. ¡°I won''t interfere in their rtionship. All I wish is for


    your daddy to recover faster and your mommy to refrain from arguing and provoking him as it will affect


    his recuperation.¡±


    ¡°That is also my wish.¡± Robbie''s expression turned grim at the mention of Zachary''s illness. ¡°Mr.


    Spencer, don''t worry. Mommy cares for Daddy as much as the three of us. She has been trying to find


    a doctor for him.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Spencer''s eye lit up at his words. ¡°Is she looking for¡ª¡±


    ¡°Francesco.¡± Robbie finished the older man''s sentence. ¡°Only Mommy can find him.¡±


    ¡°Right, right,¡± Spencer quickly responded. ¡°Given the urgency of this matter, we need to locate him as


    soon as possible.¡±


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    ¡°Mommy will think of a way.¡± Robbie was sure of it. ¡°The doctor that Ms. Gold brought can only buy us


    some time. Only Mommy is capable of truly saving Daddy. Therefore, Mr. Spencer, I''m sure you''re now


    clear who thedy of the house is?¡±


    ¡°I am, I am.¡± Spencer nodded repeatedly. ¡°Don''t worry. I understand.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Mr. Spencer.¡± Robbie slid down the sofa and bowed at him. ¡°On behalf of Jamie and Ellie, I


    would like to thank you sincerely!¡±


    ¡°Come on, Robbie, there''s no need for this.¡± Spencer quickly helped him up.


    ¡°Daddy respects you a lot while we also admire you. Your acknowledgment and blessings are crucial to


    the happiness of our family.¡± Robbie looked at the older man sincerely. ¡°Furthermore, now that Daddy


    is sick, you are in charge of all the family affairs. Therefore, you must be on the same page as us.¡±


    ¡°You''re right.¡±


    Spencer hung his head in shame. Despite Robbie''s simple words, the underlying meaning it carried


    was deep and unfeeling.


    If they were not of one mind, their enemies could exploit their weakness.


    Since the Nacht family was facing a crisis, it was even more important for them to stay united.


    After his discussion with Spencer, Robbie went to see Jamie and Ellie. He reminded them to be


    obedient and sensible. They were not allowed to kick up a fuss, much less bother their parents.


    Other than going to school, they were to stay at Northridge to apany their cousins so that they


    would not disturb Zachary.


    Although Jamie and Ellie were unaware of the happenings, they nodded to acknowledge Robbie''s


    instructions.


    After all, their eldest brother''s words were never wrong.


    When Ben returned in the evening, he went to see Spencer.


    The older man was relieved to hear that Charlotte knew about Zachary''s condition and was working


    hard to locate Francesco.


    Ben then exined to Spencer what happened at Phoenix City and wished that thetter could forgive


    Charlotte. He hoped that all of them could stand together in the face of the crisis.


    Spencer nodded to express his support.


    Recalling Robbie''s words, he was mortified. Even though everyone saw him as the wise one, he was


    inferior to a child in certain aspects.


    After some self-reflection, Spencer figured that there was no need for him to remain since Charlotte


    was around.


    Ben consoled him for some time before arranging for some men to escort him back to Garden Vi,


    saying he would bring him back after Charlotte left.


    After all, someone had to be in the Nacht residence to take the helm.


    Spencer nodded in agreement and stood by in Garden Vi.

 Chapter 1407

    Chapter 1407


    qOnce everything was settled, Ben went to see Zachary.


    When he was sending Lupine to the hospital, he had spoken to Marino over the phone. Upon learning


    that Zachary had suffered a rpse, he knew it would be chaotic at home, and Charlotte would face


    obstacles there. That was why he ordered Kyle to pick the children up from Northridge to protect their


    mother.


    Finally, it was all resolved. Nancy had left while Spencer had also gone home.


    When peace returned in the house, Hanna and the other maids sighed in relief.


    With Charlotte around, they could feel the previously bleak vi begin to bristle with warmth.


    Ben reported Lupine''s condition to Charlotte. ¡°Lupine has woken up in the afternoon, and Morgan


    brought the three girls to apany her in the hospital.¡±


    Given how noisy the group was, he dared not speak and instead slipped out of the ward.


    Picturing the scene, Charlotte could not help but smile. Morgan was a lot more animated than Lupine.


    With her around, the atmosphere would definitely be lively.


    Because of Morgan''s demeanor, the three girls loved to y with her. Naturally, Charlotte assigned her


    to take care of the children.


    Lupine would surely recover a lot faster with them to keep herpany.


    At that moment, Charlotte began to miss the three girls after not seeing them for a few days. In fact,


    she felt bad for not spending time when Danrique had entrusted them to her.


    However, she could only wait till her own affairs were dealt with before she could focus all her attention


    on them.


    While they were speaking, Charlotte''s phone suddenly vibrated. When she saw the caller ID, she


    answered at once. ¡°Hello, Gordon!¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, you wanted to talk to me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, how are things at your end? Did you manage to find Danrique?¡±


    ¡°Not yet, but I''ve confirmed that he''s still alive!¡±


    ¡°Really? That''s wonderful!¡± Charlotte was thrilled. ¡°I knew he would be all right.¡±


    ¡°Now that his enemies are hunting him down, we dare not act hastily. Hence, the only thing we can do


    now is to bide our time.¡±


    ¡°Yes. You must be careful. You cannot let his enemies find out about his location from your end.¡±


    ¡°I understand. Ms. Lindberg, you take care of yourself too.¡±


    ¡°I know. One more thing...¡±


    ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°Do you know where Francesco is?¡±


    ¡°Francesco? He has always been secretive about his movements. Therefore, no one seems to know


    his location.¡±


    ¡°Does anyone know how to get in touch with him?¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Someone extremely important to me is gravely ill. Time is of the essence, and only Francesco can


    save him. Gordon, please rack your brains. Is there anyone who can contact him?¡±


    ¡°Let me ask Sean. However, I suspect he doesn''t know either. Only Mr. Lindberg does.¡±


    ¡°Help me contact Sean first and find out about the details. Also, be quick about it.¡±


    ¡°All right. I''ll do so right away and get back to you once I hear from him.¡±


    After ending the call, Charlotte fell dispirited. Gordon and Sean were Danrique''s right-hand men. If


    even they were not aware of Francesco''s location, no one else would be.


    Of course, Danrique definitely knew. However, since his whereabouts were unknown, it would be too


    late by the time he was found.


    With that in mind, she began to grow anxious.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, don''t fret yet. I''m sure we cane up with something,¡± Benforted her.


    ¡°Time waits for no man.¡± Looking at the sleeping Zachary, Charlotte pondered for a moment before


    making a decision. ¡°When he wakes up, I''ll have to return to Erihal.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Stunned, Ben dissuaded her, ¡°Mr. Lindberg had painstakingly removed you from the conflicts of


    the Lindberg family because he doesn''t want you to be in harm''s way. By going back now, aren''t you


    putting your life at risk?¡±


    ¡°I have Danrique''s trusted subordinates by my side, so I''ll be fine.¡± Her expression was sullen.


    ¡°Actually, I''m most worried about the children, especially Danrique''s triplets. He had tasked me with


    taking care of them, but I have not been doing a good job.¡±


    ¡°Help me contact Sean first and find out about the details. Also, be quick about it.¡±This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 1408

    Chapter 1408


    q¡°Don''t worry about the children. We will take good care of them,¡± Ben replied earnestly. ¡°Nevertheless,


    it''s still too dangerous for you to go back to Erihal. I''m sure you know how important you are to Mr.


    Nacht. If anything happens to you, it will be meaningless even if you found Francesco.¡±


    Charlotte was touched by his words. She never knew how important she was to Zachary.


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    ¡°In my opinion, we should try and locate Francesco first,¡± Ben suggested. ¡°Bruce is now in Erihal, so he


    can take action the moment he receives your instruction. I believe he will be able to bring Francesco


    back to H City very soon.¡±


    ¡°You don''t know how difficult Francesco is.¡± Furrowing her eyebrows, Charlotte remarked, ¡°He might


    look like a doctor on the surface but is actually a mysterious and massively wealthy man. No one


    knows his true identity. When he was treating me back then, he wore a mask all the time. Hence, even


    I don''t know what he looks like. Furthermore, he''s quite entric. Other than my brother, he doesn''t


    respect anyone else. Even if we found him, he may not agree to follow Bruce back to H City.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± The news unsettled Ben. ¡°That does sound troublesome.¡±


    ¡°Let''s focus on getting a lead first.¡± Charlotte sighed. ¡°Actually, he might not agree to help even if I see


    him personally. Unless...¡±


    ¡°Unless what?¡± he asked frantically.


    ¡°Unless Danrique makes the request.¡± Charlotte held onto a sliver of hope. ¡°As of now, the ideal


    solution would be to find Danrique first and get him to ask Francesco.¡±


    ¡°But Mr. Lindberg might not be willing to save Zachary.¡± Bencked confidence.


    ¡°Begging him to do it is certainly easier than begging Francesco.¡± Charlotte was still hopeful. ¡°Danrique


    might seem cold, but he treats me very well, unlike Francesco, who doesn''t have a rtionship with


    me. I''m afraid he won''t agree to do it on my ount. At the same time, I''m not sure if he will make an


    exception for Dr. Felch''s sake. After all, Dr. Felch was the one who disowned him back then. Moreover,


    they had not been in touch in thest ten years. Anyhow, we still need to find him first.¡±


    ¡°That''s true.¡± Ben sighed. He had assumed that everything would be solved once they located


    Francesco. To his dismay, he only realized then that Francesco might not be willing to cooperate.


    Consequently, the matter was more tricky than he had thought.


    ¡°All right now, you must be exhausted after what had happened in thest few days.¡± Charlotte


    changed the topic. ¡°You should get some rest while I stay by Zachary''s side.¡±


    ¡°Mmh.¡± Ben nodded at her before taking his leave.


    With that, she remained by Zachary''s bedside quietly, grateful that she could still have the chance to do


    so.


    She recalled everything that had happened between them, the ups and downs, the joys and miseries.


    By then, Charlotte came to realize how much their past felt like a story.


    Regardless, it was all water under the bridge. What mattered was appreciating those who were still in


    her life.


    With that thought in mind, Charlotteid her head beside Zachary and fell asleep.


    Probably because she barely slept over thest four days, including three in which she was kidnapped,


    she was overwhelmed with exhaustion.


    Consequently, she fell into such a deep slumber that she did not even realize Zachary had awoken.


    Jolted awake from his nightmare, Zachary was covered with cold sweat.


    He had dreamt of Charlotte and Louis'' wedding. When he ran into the venue to stop it, Charlotte


    pointed a gun at him and ordered him to leave.


    Meanwhile, Louis fanned the mes by urging Charlotte to pull the trigger.


    Nevertheless, Zachary was certain that she would not shoot and tried his best to salvage their


    rtionship by bringing up the children and all the wonderful memories they shared. However, all his


    pleas for her to return to his side fell on deaf ears.


    Finally, she vengefully listed all the pain he had brought upon her before proiming her love for Louis.


    She insisted on marrying him and demanded Zachary to get lost.


    In the heat of the moment, she mercilessly fired a shot at his chest.


    And that was the moment he woke up.


    By then, Charlotte came to realize how much their past felt like a story.

 Chapter 1409

    Chapter 1409


    qThe room was covered in darkness, with the dim emergency light on the ground as the only source of


    illumination.


    When Zachary opened his eyes, he stared nkly at the ceiling. The scenes from his dream were still


    reying his mind.


    In his dream, Charlotte was cruel and heartless. The frosty expression and the hateful gaze she had


    looked extremely frightening.


    Zachary felt as if someone was crushing his heart. The pain was so excruciating that he could barely


    breathe.


    Gradually, the pain turned into hatred, causing him to clench his fists. It was as though he would


    strangle Charlotte to death if she appeared before him.


    However, he realized that something was pressing on his arms, causing them to feel heavy and numb.


    In fact, he could not even lift them.


    While trying desperately to move his arms, he turned to look and was shocked by what he saw.


    Am I dreaming? Is... Is that Charlotte? Why is she here?


    Although Charlotte''s face was buried in her arms, Zachary recognized her easily from the contours of


    her head and body.


    Having shared a bed with her many times in the past, he was extremely familiar with her form and


    scent.


    Hence, he was certain it was her without needing to see her face.


    Furrowing his eyebrows, he began to rey the intimate act between her and Louis.


    In his video call with Ben, he saw them embracing each other, dressed in provocative clothing.


    That scene caused his blood to boil, and he almost burst a blood vessel.


    Why is she here now? Could there be something wrong with my memory? Could it be that I didn''t call


    Ben and she wasn''t together with Louis? Was I unconscious for a long time, and she had returned from


    Mount Phoenix?


    Zachary quickly cast that thought aside. He clearly remembered the video call, and every scene of it


    was etched on his mind.


    I couldn''t have been mistaken, but why is she here now?


    While he pondered the question, Charlotte shifted in her sleep and turned her face toward him before


    falling back asleep.


    As he stared at her gorgeous face, emotions raged in his heart. They cycled through resentment, rage,


    doubt, confusion, and discontentment.


    This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    Overwhelmed with anger and impulsiveness, he felt like pulling her up and demanding to know why


    she cheated and betrayed him.


    However, the moment he moved his hand, he felt agonizing pain shooting up his body.


    At the same time, Charlotte was awakened by his movements. After sitting up abruptly, she stared at


    him in shock. When she finally regained her senses, she eximed, ¡°Y-You''re awake!¡±


    Extending her hand to touch his face, she asked anxiously, ¡°How do you feel? Do you feel pain


    anywhere? I''ll get the doctor at once.¡±


    Just as she spoke, she reached for the button, but he held her hand back.


    His arms were feeble, so he could only tug at one of her fingers. ¡°N-No need,¡± Zachary uttered with


    much difficulty.


    Scrutinizing him intently, Charlotte heaved a sigh of relief when she saw that he was fine. ¡°Are you


    really okay?¡±


    Zachary struggled to shake his head.


    ¡°That''s great!¡± Hugging him tightly, Charlotte choked out beside his ear, ¡°You gave me a fright. I thought


    you were never going to wake up.¡±


    Her hug brought him a sense of warmth and familiarity.


    Zachary was suddenly befuddled. It felt as if they had returned to the time when they were still madly in


    love with each other.


    However, he quickly regained his senses when reminded of the heart-wrenching scene.


    Wriggling to free himself from her embrace, he murmured, ¡°Y-You and¡ª¡±


    ¡°What''s wrong? Am I hugging you too tightly?¡±


    Charlotte quickly let him go as she thought her forceful hug was causing him difort. She then


    gently held his face andforted him, ¡°You need to get some proper rest. The doctor said you can


    only get out of bed after three days of bed rest.¡±


    Just as she spoke, she reached for the button, but he held her hand back.

 Chapter 1410

    Chapter 1410


    qZachary looked at her with knitted eyebrows, questions running in his mind.


    Why is she acting as though nothing had happened? It''s as if time had stopped at the hospital where


    both of us were still on good terms. But she had obviously gone to see Louis, and even...


    ¡°All right. Time to sleep.¡± Charlotte took off her jacket and slipped underneath the quilt beside Zachary.


    She even yawned out of exhaustion. ¡°I''m beat¡ªI haven''t slept a wink for four days.¡±


    With that, she stuck close to him like a little kitten and gradually dozed off.


    However, Zachary was still staring at her intently. His mind constantly reminded him of how she


    deceived and betrayed him, and he should not forgive her.


    However, his body subconsciously adjusted itself so that she could sleep morefortably.


    When Charlotte was about to nuzzle up against him instinctively, she suddenly remembered his injury


    and moved backward instead. In a daze, she reminded herself. ¡°Mmm, no... I can''t stay too close to


    you, or I''ll touch your wound.¡±


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    Her gentle purr warmed his heart at once.


    Tilting his head, Zachary looked at her and decided to relish that moment despite his puzzlement.


    Let me indulge in my self-delusion just this once.


    Closing his eyes, he gradually drifted off to sleep.


    With that, both of them slept in the same bed together.


    In the middle of the night, Charlotte constantly cuddled up to Zachary by reflex but quickly backed away


    when she realized it.


    Worried that she would identally hurt him, she decided to turn her back toward him instead. After


    that, she curled up to sleep on the side of the bed.


    The sudden distance struck Zachary with a sense of emptiness. Having been woken from his sleep, he


    struggled to reach out an arm to pull her back into his embrace. Unfortunately, he was too weak to do


    so. The moment he tried to move, he tugged on his wound, and pain enveloped his entire body.


    Zachary retracted his hand in resignation. He then closed his eyes and tried to get back to sleep.


    In spite of that, fury continued to simmer in his heart. Hence, he tried to use his leg and a few other


    methods to pull her closer.


    However, whatever he did was futile.


    Instead, he began to cough after straining himself.


    ¡°What''s wrong?¡± Jolted awake, Charlotte leaned over and put her hand on his forehead. ¡°Are you


    feeling unwell?¡±


    Raina had instructed her to check on Zachary''s temperature constantly. If there was any indication of


    fever, however low, Charlotte was to inform her at once.


    Otherwise, the consequences would be dire.


    Therefore, the first thing Charlotte did when she awoke was to feel his forehead and cheeks.


    ¡°No.¡± When Zachary saw that she had leaned over, he was secretly delighted. However, that incident


    still felt like a thorn in his flesh. Seizing the opportunity, he demanded, ¡°Where... did you go... during the


    last three days?¡±


    Too frail to form aplete sentence smoothly, he could only speak intermittently.


    At his question, Charlotte snapped out of her grogginess. After giving it some thought, she exined


    earnestly, ¡°I was trailed the moment I got off the private jet. After a night of pursuit, I was still captured


    by that person, who turned out to be Louis...¡±


    Charlotte rted everything to Zachary, including how she agreed to pretend to be Louis'' wife for three


    days. No details were spared.


    By the time he heard the whole story, Zachary''s face was as ck as thunder. Even though the truth


    was not as bad as he had thought, it was still enough to infuriate him.


    Charlotte quickly added, ¡°I know you''re furious and that this incident has triggered you. But now, there


    are two matters that I want to clear up. Firstly, nothing concrete has ever happened between Louis and


    me. The incident at Arkfield was a plot hatched by Lady Sherlyn. Furthermore, someone masqueraded


    as me that night. The person who actually slept with Louis was his cousin, Diana.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± When Zachary saw that she had leaned over, he was secretly delighted. However, that incident


    still felt like a thorn in his flesh. Seizing the opportunity, he demanded, ¡°Where... did you go... during the


    last three days?¡±

 Chapter 1411

    Chapter 1411


    q¡°Secondly¡ª¡±


    Before Charlotte could continue, Zachary grabbed her hand anxiously. Summoning whatever strength


    he could, he asked, ¡°Why... didn''t you say anything... back then?¡±


    ¡°I was equally confused and assumed it did happen.¡± With an embarrassed look on her face, she


    exined, ¡°Deep down, I felt that nothing happened between us. However, all the evidence seemed to


    indicate that it was. Before I got a grasp of the situation, I didn''t dare to tell you anything.¡±


    ¡°R-Really?¡± Zachary could not rein back his emotions.


    ¡°If you don''t believe me, you can investigate it yourself.¡± Charlotte did not exin further. ¡°When we


    returned to the Laurent family''s castle, Diana pulled the same trick again, but I caught her. By installing


    a pinhole camera, I captured everything as evidence and used it to coerce Sir Robert and his wife to


    call off the wedding. Devastated by the incident, Louis fell into depression. Even now, I can feel that


    he''s mentally deranged...¡±


    At that point, she could not help but sigh. ¡°To be honest, I, too, am responsible for it. But the problem


    mainly lies with his parents and Diana.¡±


    Zachary finally believed her. Previously, he found it odd as to why Robert and Sherlyn would let her go


    and why their rtionship ended on such bad terms. As it did not make sense, he was convinced there


    must be an inside story.


    Finally, the truth was revealed.


    ¡°The first matter has been cleared up.¡± Rubbing her tired eyes, Charlotte continued, ¡°The second thing I


    want to say is that I will not have anything to do with Louis going forward. Hence, I hope you will stop


    being angry over the matter.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Zachary asked again.


    Knitting her eyebrows, she shot him a look of displeasure. ¡°Do you not believe me?¡±


    ¡°I just hope that... you will... keep your¡ª¡±


    ¡°I will. Don''t worry,¡± Charlotte interjected. Sighing, she continued, ¡°Besides, Louis is close to turning into


    a lunatic. The best solution is to stay away from him and let him undergo treatment.¡±


    ¡°You still... care about him.¡± That was what bothered Zachary the most.


    ¡°Why are you still fixating on that?¡± She was peeved. ¡°I''m only concerned about him as a friend,


    nothing more.¡±


    Zachary put up his hand to indicate that he did not want to discuss it further.


    Since Charlotte had cleared the air and dered that she would keep her distance from Louis, there


    was no need for him to dwell on the topic any further.


    After all, the darkest days were already over.


    Zachary felt reinvigorated.


    However, he still felt as if he was forgiving her too easily, so he continued to feign a frosty and


    dissatisfied expression.


    ¡°Are you feeling unwell?¡± Charlotte scrutinized his condition.


    ¡°No.¡± Closing his eyes, the man responded distantly.


    ¡°Go back to sleep then.¡± Utterly drained of energy, she let out a yawn, curled underneath the quilt, and


    carefully maintained her distance from Zachary.


    When Zachary tried to squirm toward her, Charlotte thought she had identally touched him and


    turned around instead. She was so far away that the quilt barely covered her.


    Zachary was speechless. She really is dense!


    That night, both of them fell asleep in the face of repeated disruptions.


    At nine in the morning, Charlotte was awoken by some muffled sounds. Opening her eyes groggily, she


    noticed that Raina and the nurses had arrived. They were preparing to give Zachary an examination.


    However, the man gestured for them to leave so that they would not disturb her rest.


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    Nheless, Charlotte was already awake. She quickly got out of bed. ¡°I''m sorry! I was too tired and


    overslept.¡±


    ¡°It''s all right, Ms. Lindberg. Why don''t you go wash up while I give Mr. Nacht a checkup?¡± Raina replied


    awkwardly.


    ¡°Sure.¡± Charlotte hurried out at once.


    Staring at her silhouette, Zachary could not help but feel dejected.


    ¡°Are you feeling unwell?¡± Charlotte scrutinized his condition.

 Chapter 1412

    Chapter 1412


    q¡°The bathroom is filled with your medication and medical supplies, so Ms. Lindberg has to use the


    guest room to wash up,¡± Raina exined when she saw through Zachary''s thoughts. ¡°I''ll have


    someone tidy it upter so that she can shower in here.¡±


    Zachary nodded in approval.


    ¡°Do you want to add a small bed by the side?¡± one of the nurses asked. ¡°That way, Ms. Lindberg can


    sleep on it when she apanies you at night. She won''t disturb your rest, and neither will shee


    into contact with your wounds.¡±


    ¡°That''s right.¡± Another nurse voiced her approval. ¡°Mr. Nacht, considering your current condition, you


    have to be careful not to touch your wounds. Otherwise¡ª¡±


    ¡°Cut the crap,¡± Zachary interrupted as he red coldly at them.


    The two nurses paled with fright and lowered their heads, no longer daring to utter another word.


    ¡°The examination ispleted. Why don''t the two of you pack up the items in the bathroom?¡±


    Being thoughtful, Raina got them out of the fix.


    ¡°Yes, Dr. Langhan.¡± The nurses headed to the bathroom as instructed.


    After taking Zachary''s temperature, Raina remarked softly, ¡°They''re not wrong, you know. Considering


    your wounds, it would be terrible if she touched them. Why don''t we bring in another quilt instead of a


    small bed?¡±


    ¡°You''re such a busybo¡ª¡±


    ¡°That''s a wonderful idea!¡±


    Just as Zachary was about to admonish Raina, Charlotte returned from freshening up.


    While putting on facial moisturizer on her milk-like skin, shemented, ¡°I was just thinking about


    sleeping on the sofa tonight, but it''s just too hard and ufortable. Actually, a small bed is also a


    good idea. Considering how big the room is, there should be no problem amodating it at all.¡±


    Raina observed Zachary''s expression and noticed he was visibly upset. However, Charlotte was


    oblivious to it still. In fact, she was estimating the measurements with her hands while talking to herself.


    ¡°This spot should fit a queen-size bed. However, it will definitely look strange. I bet a perfectionist like


    him would be unsettled by it. Oh well, forget it. I think I''ll just sleep on the sofa. Please add a mattress


    on top of it. Also, please get me a thicker nket. I''m afraid of the cold.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg...¡± Raina quickly called out when she saw Zachary''s expression turning darker. ¡°The sofa


    is too far away. It would be hard for you to notice if Mr. Nacht has any difort. Why don''t you sleep


    on the bed? I''ll get you another quilt instead.¡±


    After contemting over it, Charlotte agreed, ¡°That makes sense.¡± If not for her being particrly


    attentive the previous night, she would not have noticed Zachary constantly stirring throughout the


    night.


    Upon seeing how frosty Zachary looked, she thought he disdained him. Hence, she quickly reassured,


    ¡°Don''t worry. I''ll behave and definitely not touch you.¡±


    Rolling his eyes, Zachary no longer had the energy to scold her, nor did he feel like talking to her


    anymore.


    ¡°All right. That''s settled then.¡± Seeing that his mood had lightened, Raina added, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, I have


    ordered the bathroom to be tidied up. From today onward, you can shower there instead of the guest


    room.¡±


    ¡°Really? That''s great!¡± Charlotte was looking at her phone. ¡°I''ll get someone to bring me a change of


    clothes. I felt too embarrassed to go downstairs in my nightgown.¡±


    ¡°I have already ordered someone to prepare them,¡± Raina quickly replied. ¡°Your clothes and toiletries


    are ready.¡±


    ¡°I''m still more used to using mine.¡±


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    Charlotte gave Morgan a call to bring her things.


    Over the phone, Morgan reported, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, I have been contacting Mr. Lindberg''s subordinates.


    However, only Gordon has replied. He said he had gotten in touch with you. As for the rest, I didn''t hear


    anything from them.¡±


    ¡°I understand. Go and prepare my clothes first.¡±


    As she spoke, Charlotte checked her messages. Gordon had sent her one, telling her that he had


    reached out to Sean and had him help search for Francesco. Hence, Sean was on the case.


    Upon seeing how frosty Zachary looked, she thought he disdained him. Hence, she quickly reassured,


    ¡°Don''t worry. I''ll behave and definitely not touch you.¡±

 Chapter 1413

    Chapter 1413


    qCharlotte was delighted by the progress.


    Since he managed to reach Sean, Danrique would soon find out about this. If his situation permits, he


    should be getting in touch with me soon. When that happens, I will plead with him to find Francesco.


    ¡°Why are... you smiling?¡± Zachary snapped suddenly.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Regaining her senses, Charlotte deleted the message and responded, ¡°It''s nothing. You should


    get some rest while I go have breakfast.¡±


    With that, she left the room.


    The man was still upset. Even though they had cleared up the misunderstanding about Louis, he still


    felt insecure and restless.


    She''s behaving as if nothing had happened and doesn''t seem to be concerned about me.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht!¡± At that moment, Ben rushed into the room. He was absolutely delighted to see that


    Zachary was awake. ¡°It''s wonderful to see that you''ve regained consciousness! I was worried sick


    about you.¡±


    ¡°Ben, stay with Mr. Nacht as I need to give Dr. Wright a call.¡±


    Raina nned to update Helen on Zachary''s condition and ask about the medical follow-up.


    ¡°All right. Go ahead.¡± Ben nodded.


    After Raina left with the nurses, he approached Zachary excitedly. ¡°Has Ms. Lindberg exined


    everything to you? It was all an ident. Actually, there was nothing going on between her and Sir


    Louis¡ª¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Zachary cut him off, no longer wanting to talk about it.


    ¡°How do you feel?¡± Ben probed cautiously. ¡°Do you feel unwell anywhere?¡±


    ¡°My body aches all over.¡±


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    Zachary sighed. All this while, he was a proud and invincible man. Yet, he was reduced to being a


    puppet on a bed, to the extent of not being able to move.


    ¡°You should feel much better in two more days,¡± Benforted. ¡°Dr. Wright said you should be able to


    start walking after three days of bed rest.¡±


    ¡°Mmh,¡± Zachary grunted as he closed his eyes.


    ¡°Furthermore, Bruce told me that he has found a lead on Francesco. I''m sure we will be able to locate


    him soon.¡±


    Ben cooked up a lie as he dared not let Zachary know that it was Charlotte who had seen some


    progress at her end.


    ¡°Even if... we find him, he may not... be willing toe to... H City.¡±


    It took Zachary a lot of effort toplete that sentence. Although he was physically weak, his mind was


    still sharp.


    ¡°We will definitely find a way,¡± Ben reassured him. ¡°At least we are seeing some progress. You have to


    have faith and ovee your sickness. Both the children and Ms. Lindberg need you.¡±


    ¡°Stop being melodramatic!¡±


    Zachary shot him a re as he did not want to hear such cringe-worthy words. In truth, he, too, was


    desperate to find Francesco and receive treatment. However, the repeated disappointments had


    caused him to lose hope.


    Furthermore, he knew his own condition well. Given how severe it was, Francesco might not be able to


    cure him even if he was invited over to the residence.


    ¡°Fine, fine. Let''s not talk about this anymore.¡± Knowing what a proud man Zachary was, Ben was


    aware that he did not like hearing such talk. Hence, he diverted the conversation. ¡°There are a few


    things I would like to report.¡±


    ¡°Go on.¡± Zachary''s spirits were only lifted with the mention of official business.


    ¡°First, the shareholders of the Gymnasium Project have arrived at Ashenville Garden two days ago.


    Since you were unconscious at that time, they didn''t dare to bother you. When they found out I had


    returned today, they asked me about the situation.


    ¡°Secondly, Sir Louis engaged people to kidnap Ms. Lindberg. They had threatened to hurt Lupine and


    the others to force her into submission. When Ms. Lindberg tried to flee by holding Sir Louis hostage,


    one of his men fired a shot at her.


    ¡°At the crucial moment, Lupine shielded Ms. Lindberg and took the bullet on her behalf. Although her


    life is no longer in danger, I still felt outraged, so I captured Louis and all of his subordinates and


    brought them back to H City. Their fate is in your hands.¡±


    ¡°Well done!¡± Zachary''s expression darkened. ¡°She didn''t... tell me... these details.¡±

 Chapter 1414

    Chapter 1414


    qBen whispered, ¡°Ms. Lindberg was against the idea of taking things to the point of no return and


    thought it was enough to take out the one assaulting Lupine. However, I''m not going to forgive the


    mastermind from the Laurent family.¡±


    After much consideration, he thought of sharing the rest with Zachary. ¡°Sir Louis might have sent the


    hitmen, but Sir Robert was the one pulling the strings behind the scenes. This might be one of his


    attempts to get his revenge against you. After all, you forced him to return the initial invested capital.


    They must''ve not learned from their lessons.¡±


    ¡°A-Announce the termination of coboration between Nacht Group and the Laurent family!¡± Zachary


    instructed with his fists clenched.


    ¡°All right.¡± Ben nodded in return.


    Shortly after he delivered his instructions, Zachary announced with his brows furrowed, ¡°A-As for Louis,


    keep him imprisoned for another fortnight!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Get going at once!¡±


    ¡°All right, I think Ms. Lindberg is going to¡ª¡±


    Halfway through Ben''s speech, Hanna marched into the room with Charlotte and a cart. ¡°Mr. Zachary,


    you''re finally awake. Ms. Lindberg has made you something to eat.¡±


    ¡°It''s something you need as of now,¡± Charlotte assured the injured man with a satisfied beam.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, I''ll excuse myself since Mr. Nacht is in great hands.¡± Ben brought himself out of the


    room shortly after he wrapped up his conversation with them.


    Simrly, Hanna made an excuse to leave the room.


    Zachary was at a loss for words when Charlotte showed him the serving of oatmeal with some fruits


    she made him.


    ¡°I-Is that it?¡± he asked with a frown and thought it was an attempt of hers to get him back.


    Is she seriously serving me a freaking bowl of oatmeal after I''ve been unconscious for three days? Isn''t


    she aware I''m in desperate need of something nutritious, especially proteins?


    ¡°The doctor warned us not to serve you any solid food for the time being. Isn''t this the best amongst


    your least preferred liquid foods?¡±


    ¡°C-Can''t you make me a soup or something else?¡± Zachary''s disappointment was written all over his


    face.


    ¡°You''re not really supposed to consume anything greasy after being unconscious for such a long time.¡±


    Charlotte took a seat next to him and urged, ¡°Be good and finish this, okay?¡±


    He gave in eventually and was being treated like a child who couldn''t care for himself.


    Charlotte made sure the food was at optimum temperature before feeding him. On top of that, there


    was a napkin around his neck to stop him from making a mess.


    ¡°I-I''m not a freaking baby!¡± Zachary was rendered speechless at her actions.


    ¡°It''s just a habit of mine as a mother of three. I mean, I''ve been feeding our children in a simr manner


    throughout the years. Speaking of which, it''s almost their birthday.¡±


    ¡°I-In another two months, they''re going to be seven years old.¡±


    Zachary couldn''t help but wonder if he would still be around on his children''s birthday.


    ¡°Time sure flies, huh?¡± As she continued feeding the man, she urged, ¡°You need to take good care of


    yourself and return to Happy Avenue with me once you''re feeling better. Mrs. Berry''s belongings are


    already there. I wish to drop by and sort everything out, but I''m constantly upied with different


    things.¡±


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    ¡°Mmm!¡± He couldn''t stop staring at the woman in front of him after the ups and downs he had gone


    through all this while.


    ¡°I know you''re not really a fan of oatmeal, but just bear with me for the time being. I''ll make you some


    vegetable beef soup a few dayster,¡± Charlotte promised him.


    ¡°No! I want more!¡± Zachary recalled the few dishes she used to make him. Although those were the


    only dishes she could make, he had been craving for those.


    ¡°You know what? I''ll make you whatever you want once you''re fully recovered!¡± Charlotte assured the


    man with a satisfied beam.

 Chapter 1415

    Chapter 1415


    qZachary felt nothing but bliss at that moment. Like the average married couple, Charlotte was taking


    care of Zachary meticulously. As they reminisced about their good times together, it made them


    anticipate the better days ahead.


    Zachary felt peaceful and hoped that they could remain this happy forever. It was then Charlotte asked


    while staring at him in the eyes, ¡°Zachary, will you marry me again?¡±


    ¡°H-Huh?¡± Zachary thought that the question was part of his imagination.


    ¡°Forget about it.¡± Charlotte rolled her eyes and thought it was about time to leave since she was done


    feeding him.


    The moment she got up from her seat, Zachary grasped her hand and asked, ¡°W-What did you say?¡±


    ¡°Will¡ª¡±


    When she was about to repeat herself, a maid knocked on the door and announced, ¡°Mr. Nacht, Ms.


    Gold is here to visit you.¡±


    Charlotte''s expression darkened the moment she heard the maid. She turned around to look at


    Zachary.


    Looking in the direction of the entrance, Zachary was about to say something when Charlotte


    announced ahead of him, ¡°Let her in!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Seeing as Zachary was silent, the maid then returned to the foyer.


    After the maid left, Zachary repeated his question, ¡°What did you say?¡±


    Unwilling to carry on with the conversation, Charlotte replied in a callous tone, ¡°It''s nothing. I''ll excuse


    myself since you have a guest.¡±


    He thought of stopping her, but she had made it to the entrance of the room.


    Coincidentally, the maid had returned with Nancy. The duo exchanged nces when they encountered


    one another at the entrance.


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    Nancy made a face as soon as she caught a glimpse of Charlotte and the cart next to her. In spite of


    her effort to keep her thoughts to herself, her repugnance was written all over her face.


    The maid greeted Charlotte before showing Nancy the way to Zachary''s room.


    Irritated, Charlotte changed her mind and thought of joining them in the room. Shortly after she handed


    the cart to the maid outside of the room, she returned to join the duo in the room.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, I''m d you''re finally awake. How are you feeling? Are you still having a fever?¡± Nancy


    expressed her concerns over his condition.


    Zachary inched away from her when she tried cing her hand on his forehead.


    At that time, Charlotte remarked sarcastically, ¡°Thank you so much for your concerns over the father of


    my children, Ms. Gold. The doctor you sent to check on him has been of great help.¡±


    Nancy turned around and asked with her brows arched, ¡°Ms. Lindberg? Didn''t you leave already?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? Where else am I supposed to go when my children stay here? Please get a ss


    of water for our guest,¡± Charlotte instructed the maid as if she was a household member seconds after


    she answered Nancy''s query.


    ¡°Yes, Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    When the maid was about to leave, Nancy remarked, ¡°Why don''t you stop causing the servants trouble


    when you''re also just another guest of the family?¡±


    Nancy''s remark was meant to warn Charlotte to stay away from Zachary since she was no longer


    affiliated with the Nacht family.


    Smirking, Charlotte answered, ¡°I''m afraid I can''t because my children are household members of the


    family. Hence, it''s not too much to consider myself a member of the family.¡±


    ¡°Ha! I''m afraid you''re going to have to leave us alone because there''s something I wish to discuss with


    Mr. Nacht in private.¡±


    ¡°Am I supposed to leave?¡± Charlotte ignored Nancy and looked at Zachary to ascertain if he agreed to


    thetter.


    Meanwhile, Zachary, who had remained silent throughout the conversation, thought Charlotte seemed


    to have changed her mind. She wouldn''t pick on Nancy unless she had a thing for him.


    What made her change so fast? Not only did she disclose the matters between Louis and her, but she


    is also confronting Nancy now. Has she found out about my actual condition?


    Colors drained from Zachary''s face when he considered the possibilities of Charlotte''s drastic change


    of attitude.

 Chapter 1416

    Chapter 1416


    q¡°See?¡±


    Nancy shrugged her shoulders mockingly in an attempt to make fun of Charlotte because Zachary had


    remained silent.


    ¡°Zachary¡ª¡±


    The man stopped her from finishing her sentence and requested, ¡°Can you leave us alone for a few


    minutes?¡±


    ¡°Y-You¡ª¡± Charlotte''s eyes widened in disbelief when she heard him asking her to leave them alone.


    Meanwhile, Nancy was all smiles. She thought she had the upper hand in the run for Zachary''s


    affection.


    Nancy felt a sense of achievement when Charlotte stomped her way out of the room after ring at


    Zachary in the eyes.


    She turned around and carried herself in an aggrieved manner in front of the man. ¡°I''m afraid Ms.


    Lindberg might have misunderstood me.¡±


    He looked at her in the eyes and assured her, ¡°It doesn''t really matter since you were the one who had


    rushed to my rescue. You have my thanks.¡±


    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    The woman returned the favor with an intimate gaze. ¡°It''s nothing worth mentioning at all since I


    consider you a close friend of mine. Speaking of which, I''ve asked my father to dy the banquet for


    another week.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I''m afraid you can''t make it since you''re still not feeling well. It''s not much of a big deal to dy it for


    another week.¡±


    ¡°Are you merely here to share the news with me today?¡±


    ¡°Actually, I wish to stay here to look after you, but I''m afraid Ms. Lindberg would be against the idea,¡±


    Nancy replied with her lips pursed.


    ¡°What do you mean? Did anything happen when I was unconscious?¡± the intrigued Zachary asked.


    ¡°She quarreled with Mr. Spencer the moment she came homest night. She warned me to keep my


    mouth shut when I tried reminding her to be mindful of her volume. Therefore, I had to leave...¡±


    Zachary asked with a frown, ¡°Why did she pick on Mr. Spencer?¡±


    ¡°I''m not sure as well. I mean, Mr. Spencer is such a friendly man. Most of us look up to him, but Ms.


    Lindberg seems to¡ª¡±


    Nancy''s voice trailed off as she seemed hesitant to continue her speech.


    After a brief pause, she said, ¡°Forget about it. Let''s talk about something else. Sir Robert has been


    calling me to which I ignored. I wonder if he has something to tell me.¡±


    ¡°You would better stay away from him,¡± Zachary warned her.


    ¡°I''ll keep that in mind. I''m d Ms. Lindberg is fine. I was really worried when someone told me she


    went missing for three days after Sir Louis sent someone to go after her¡ª¡±


    Zachary interrupted her and asked, ¡°What exactly do you wish to tell me?¡±


    Startled by the man''s question, it took her a few seconds to regain herposure. ¡°I-It''s nothing! I''m


    just wondering if Sir Robert was trying to get in touch with me about Sir Louis!¡±


    ¡°Have I not made myself clear? If you don''t stop poking your nose into others'' affairs, you need to bear


    the consequences of your ignorance,¡± Zachary repeated himself in a callous tone.


    After a few seconds, he remarked, ¡°I consider you a friend of mine because of your straightforward


    personality. However, the way you speak is really getting on my nerves nowadays.¡±


    It was finally Nancy''s turn to feel anxious. She tried exining herself, ¡°Mr. Nacht, there must be a


    misunderstanding. I''m just¡ª¡±


    Knock! Knock! Knock!


    ¡°Hello, Ms. Gold,¡± Ben greeted Nancy when he returned to the room with an agreement for Zachary.


    He knew something was wrong since she merely responded with a nod. Thus, he said, ¡°I''ll excuse


    myself since I have something else to tend to.¡±


    Zachary stopped Ben from leaving and asked, ¡°Wait, since you''re here, why don''t you tell me if Mr.


    Spencer has picked on Charlottest night?¡±


    His question took Nancy by surprise as she thought he would hold Charlotte ountable for


    disrespecting Spencer.


    To her surprise, he took Charlotte''s side and deemed Spencer the one at fault instead.

 Chapter 1417

    Chapter 1417


    qBen nced at Nancy awkwardly before he answered with a sheepish grin, ¡°It was just a


    misunderstanding. They have sorted things out already. I''ll share the details with you in a while.¡±


    ¡°What''s the matter? Why can''t you tell me now?¡±


    Left with no choice, Ben whispered, ¡°Mr. Spencer thought Ms. Lindberg was the one ountable for


    your injuries since you had put your life at stake to save her when you were in the middle of recovery.¡±


    After a brief pause, Ben took a peek at Nancy before adding, ¡°That was the reason why he picked on


    her when she came home. However, as soon as Robbie and the rest returned home, the problems


    were resolved.¡±


    ring at Ben in the eyes, Zachary asked, ¡°What were you doing at that time?¡±


    ¡°I was on the way to the hospital with Lupine because she was in a critical condition. She needed


    someone to keep her¡ª¡±


    Zachary stopped the stuttering Ben from sharing the rest with him and instructed, ¡°That''s enough. Get


    out of my sight at once.¡±


    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Y-Yes!¡± Afraid of getting on Zachary''s nerves, Ben rushed out of the room.


    Things had gotten increasingly awkward for the duo in the room because Zachary had just exposed


    Nancy''s little tricks in front of her.


    She regretted getting full of herself and trying something as rash as such. Instead of driving them apart,


    she was the one who had offended the man.


    Zachary looked at Nancy in the eyes and deadpanned his reply, ¡°I''ll send you an expensive gift during


    the banquet. Thank you so much for your time and effort. I appreciate you sending Dr. Wright to check


    on me all this while.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, I¡ª¡±


    Once again, the man stopped her and remarked, ¡°Ms. Gold, I''m aware of your feelings for me, but it


    isn''t mutual. I consider you a friend of mine and nothing else. Therefore, you need to stop wasting your


    time on me.¡±


    ¡°No, Mr. Nacht! You have to listen to me!¡±


    ¡°It''s almost time for my nap,¡± Zachary made something up because he had no intention to carry on with


    the conversation.


    Nancy was unwilling to give up just yet. She tried her best to remain calm and asked with her eyes


    brimming, ¡°Can you please answer myst question?¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Zachary opened his eyes and asked.


    ¡°Did you turn me down because of Charlotte? Are you going to fall for me if she''s not around?¡± Nancy


    could barely suppress the urge to cry.


    ¡°Isn''t that more than a question? I have no intention of entertaining your what-ifs, but Charlotte is the


    one and only woman I hold dear in mind. She was the one who taught me the proper way to love¡ªI''ll


    never fall for anyone other than her.¡±


    Torrents of grief streamed down Nancy''s cheeks when the man made himself clear things would never


    work out between them.


    Unwilling to embarrass herself in front of others, she turned around and rushed out of the mansion at


    top speed.


    Staring at the woman''s departing figure, Zachary let out a long sigh of relief and thought he needed a


    break from something like this.


    Charlotte barged into the room and asked the moment he closed his eyes for his nap, ¡°Why did Nancy


    rush out of the mansion crying? What have you done?¡±


    As exhausted as Zachary might be, he turned around and looked at her in the eyes with a deadpan


    look, indicating he was speechless.


    ¡°Wait, what could you have possibly done when you''re in such a bad shape? Have you told her


    anything?¡± Charlotte finally returned to her senses and thought it was very silly of her to ask something


    as absurd as such.


    Irked by the questions she had for him, Zachary red at her in the eyes and thought of ignoring her


    and her foolish questions.

 Chapter 1418

    Chapter 1418


    qCharlotte leaned over and repeated her questions, ¡°Are you deaf? Can you hurry up and tell me the


    things you''ve told her?¡±


    ¡°It''s time for my nap,¡± Zachary announced with a frown.


    Unable to keep her curiosity in check, she asked, ¡°Hmm... Did she confess her feelings for you only to


    have you turn her down?¡±


    Zachary remained silent with his eyes shut tight because it was really time for him to take a nap.


    ¡°How is that possible? Didn''t you take her side and chase me out of the room?¡±


    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    The jealous Charlotte continued making fun of him, ¡°Did you guys quarrel because of me?¡±


    ¡°Are you done yet?¡± Zachary couldn''t take it anymore.


    ¡°All right, I''ll leave you to take your nap! I can finally take a break from everything since no one is


    around to keep me upied.¡±


    Charlotte tucked herself in next to him and inched away from him a few seconds after she joined him in


    bed.


    He ran his legs across her legs and asked, ¡°What was your question just now before Nancy came in?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? Did I say anything?¡± It had been four days since she had a proper sleep. Thus,


    Charlotte was feeling groggy at that moment as she hugged the pillow.


    ¡°You asked me something after my meal! What was it? Hurry up and tell me!¡± Zachary wanted to hear it


    once more to confirm his guess.


    ¡°Are you sure? I don''t recall anything like that.¡±


    ¡°Y-You¡ª¡± Zachary gritted his teeth since he couldn''t move around. Otherwise, he would definitely teach


    her a lesson.


    ¡°All right. Let''s get some sleep, shall we? ording to the doctor, adequate sleep is vital for your


    recovery,¡± Charlotte persuaded the man as if he was a little boy.


    ¡°Charlotte, you¡ª¡± He stopped once she started snoring in front of him when she was still wide awake a


    few seconds ago.


    Charlotte had fallen into a deep slumber when he thought of bringing up something else.


    How is that possible? Has she seriously fallen asleep when we''re in the middle of a conversation?


    She''s such a heartless woman!


    Zachary was at a loss for words, but he was d the goofy woman he was head over heels in love with


    had finally returned to him. At the very least, she would never leave him again.


    He inched over and nestled against her. Simrly, when she caught a whiff of the man''s familiar scent,


    she returned the favor and wrapped her arms around him.


    He kissed her on the forehead and fell asleep with her in his arms. It had been a long while since they


    last spent some carefree days together.


    Although there was nothing special about it, Zachary thought those little things in life were the ones he


    sought after the most.


    In the afternoon, Charlotte roused from her sleep when she heard the rm going off. Afraid of startling


    Zachary, she tried to stop the rm, but she was toote.


    The man next to her had also roused from his sleep due to her motion and the rm.


    ¡°I''m so sorry for getting in your sleep, but I need to return to Northridge and make the little ones


    something to eat. I''m in quite a hurry because they''re about to return home from school.¡±


    Zachary asked, ¡°Why don''t you bring them here?¡±


    ¡°Apart from Robbie, Jamie, and Ellie, the three little girls are around as well. It''s has been quite some


    time since west spent some quality time together.¡±


    Charlotte ran her fingers through her unkempt hair and walked in the direction of the bathroom.


    Unwilling to be apart from her, he suggested, ¡°Just bring them here.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Charlotte couldn''t hear him since she was brushing her teeth.


    Zachary remained silent until she was done and returned to join him in the room again.


    Once she got herself changed into another set of clothes, she asked, ¡°What did you say?¡±


    ¡°Why don''t you bring them here?¡± Zachary resisted the urge to go berserk and repeated himself.

 Chapter 1419

    Chapter 1419


    q¡°Are you sure it''s fine when we''re talking about the children of your arch-enemy?¡±


    Instead of answering her query, Zachary looked at her in the eyes with a deadpan look.


    ¡°You know what? They''re really huge fans of yours, and they insist on having me sharing your tales


    with them every day.¡±


    He remarked in a serious tone, ¡°Just bring them here and share the tales of the almighty man with


    them whenever they want. It''s not necessary for you to travel here and there and tire yourself out.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? Are we officially patching things up?¡± Charlotte made of fun him because it was


    such a rare opportunity.


    ¡°Can you stop asking the obvious?¡±


    The series of questions she directed at him turned out to be her effort to trick him into begging her to


    return to him.


    She''s such a nasty foe! I guess there''s nothing I can do since I''m head over heels in love with her,


    huh?


    ¡°Maybe I''ve identally gotten full of myself again, huh?¡± Charlotte carried on with an aggrieved look.


    ¡°I''ll send Ben to keep youpany when I''m away with the children at Northridge.¡±


    ¡°What? I don''t need him to keep mepany. You need to return once you''re done¡ª¡±


    ¡°I''m afraid that''s impossible because I''ve promised to tuck them in and read them bedtime stories.¡±


    Shortly after Charlotte put on her coat and her pair of shoes, she brought herself out of his room. ¡°If


    you''re bored, get them to y you a movie.¡±


    ¡°Char¡ª¡±


    He couldn''t even stop her because she had left the room.


    Shortly after her departure, Ben walked into the room and announced, ¡°Mr. Nacht, Ms. Lindberg has


    returned to Northridge. She says I''m supposed to keep you¡ª¡±


    He couldn''t even finish his speech because of Zachary''s re the moment he joined him in the room.


    This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    Ben felt a shiver running down his spine. He asked, ¡°W-What''s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Get out of my sight!¡± Zachary yelled.


    Ben was afraid to leave Zachary alone, but he knew he wasn''t supposed to get on the man''s nerves as


    well.


    ¡°I have to stay here to look after you since Raina is away to look for Dr. Wright. I''ll keep my mouth shut


    unless I have your consent to speak,¡± he assured the frustrated man on the bed.


    Zachary let out a long sigh and tried moving around, but he ended up growling in pain due to the


    racking sensation he felt.


    Ben rushed over and urged, ¡°You need to stay still for another two days; two days is all it takes!¡±


    Two days in bed was a luxury Zachary couldn''t afford because he was in a race against time.


    Meanwhile, Charlotte rushed into the kitchen to get the ingredients she needed for dinner ready shortly


    after she returned to Northridge.


    Although she was merely capable of preparing a few simple dishes, the little ones couldn''t be bothered


    at all.


    Hanna had tagged along to prepare the children''s favorite hot cross bunnies and mac and cheese. On


    top of that, she made Mrs. Berry''s signature dishes for everyone as well.


    In the evening, the little ones rushed out of the car the moment they reached home.


    As soon as they caught a whiff of the pleasant scenting from the kitchen, they knew Charlotte was


    home to honor her promise with them.


    Without a second thought, they rushed in the direction of the kitchen while yelling, ¡°Mommy!¡±


    ¡°Aunt Charlotte!¡±


    Apart from Robbie, who had taken a seat at the dining table with hisptop after washing his hands, the


    rest of them surrounded Charlotte and greeted her to express their excitement.


    ¡°Hello, everyone!¡±


    Charlotte greeted those around her and continued advancing in the direction of the dining table to


    serve the dishes she made.


    Once she had everything served, she got her hands washed and instructed, ¡°Jamie, Ellie, go get your


    hands washed before the meal.¡±


    ¡°All right, Mommy!¡±


    Charlotte wrapped her arms around the little girls and asked, ¡°Alpha, Beta, Gamma,e over here


    and let me see if all of you are doing fine.¡±


    Alpha answered Charlotte''s queries while counting her fingers, ¡°We had a great time savoring a lot of


    delicacies, including sweets and desserts, when you weren''t around.¡±

 Chapter 1420

    Chapter 1420


    qBeta snuggled against her aunt and shared, ¡°Aunt Charlotte, me too! I think I''ve gained a little more


    than a pound after having so many things every day!¡±


    ¡°I''m d all of you are doing fine!¡± Charlotte held Beta firmly in her arms and yed along with the little


    girl. ¡°I think you''ve put on quite some weight, huh? What about you, Gamma?¡±


    ¡°A-Aunt Charlotte¡ª¡± Gamma felt a prickling sensation behind her eyes the moment Charlotte directed


    the question at her.


    ¡°What''s wrong, Gamma?¡± Charlotte wrapped her arms around the youngest of the triplets and asked,


    ¡°Why are you crying? Did someone bully you?¡±


    ¡°I miss Mommy, Aunt Charlotte.¡± Sniffling, the little girl asked, ¡°When will we get to meet her in person


    again?¡±


    Seconds after her sisters heard her, they burst into tears in a simr manner.


    Unsure of the proper things to share with them, Charlotte held them in her arms in an attempt to


    console the heartbroken little girls.


    To be precise, she wasn''t sure of the things to tell them as she wasn''t aware of their parents'' situation


    either.


    It was inevitable for them to go through another emotional breakdown because it had been two months


    since Charlotte took them away with her from Erihal.


    All of a sudden, Ellie joined them in the dining hall and assured her cousins, ¡°Alpha, Beta, Gamma,


    Mommy will definitely try her best to search for your parents, okay?¡±


    ¡°I-I need Mommy! Can I call Mommy?¡± Gamma begged while sniffling.


    Charlotte reached for her phone and asked, ¡°Can you remember her number? I''ll try to get in touch with


    her on your behalf!¡±


    ¡°I''ll give it a try.¡± Shortly after Gamma took Charlotte''s phone away from her, she tried reaching her


    mother, but it was another futile attempt.


    The call couldn''t even make it through to the intended recipient on the other end. As a result, the little


    ones continued wailing at the top of their lungs, ¡°M-Mommy has left us!¡±


    Startled by the little girls'' response, Charlotte reassured them, ¡°I''ll try my best to look for her, okay? I''m


    sure we''re going to find her in no time!¡±


    Their mother must be an ordinary woman. Otherwise, Danrique would''ve long gotten married to her.


    Maybe he has sent her away because he''s worried about getting her involved since he''s having it tough


    on his end.


    As long as I have her contact number, I think there''s a huge possibility I can find her. Well, if I can''t, I


    can always count on Sean and Gordon to fill me in with her details.


    ¡°You mean it, Aunt Charlotte?¡± The little girls stopped weeping when they heard the promising


    statementing from Charlotte.


    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    ¡°Of course! I''ll definitely honor my promise just like today!¡± Charlotte kissed them on their cheeks.


    ¡°You''re the best, Aunt Charlotte!¡± Overwhelmed by emotions, they wrapped their arms around their


    aunt again.


    ¡°All right, why don''t you guys go ahead and get your hands washed as well? It''s almost time for dinner.¡±


    Charlotte asked her daughter to show her nieces the way to get their hands washed with a few maids


    to keep thempany.


    Shortly after she regained herposure, she put her apron aside and joined her sons at the dining


    table.


    ¡°Mommy, have a seat!¡± Jamie rushed over to show his mother the way to her seat.


    Once Charlotte took a seat, she noticed Robbie was still upied with hisptop. Therefore, she


    asked, ¡°Robbie, what are you up to?¡±


    Her son showed her hisptop and announced, ¡°I''m trying to locate Uncle Dan, but it turns out he''s not


    in Erihal anymore.¡±


    Astonished by the news, Charlotte asked, ¡°What? How did you figure out he''s no longer in Erihal?¡±


    ¡°I developed a global positioning system when we were in Erihal. Uncle Dan and those affiliated with


    him assisted me with a few of my trials. Although his phone wasn''t in use anymore, I found out it was


    last essed at the airport prior to being disposed of. I ran a series of investigations on the locations of


    those affiliated with him and found out he was no longer in Erihal.¡±

 Chapter 1421

    Chapter 1421


    q¡°Is this for real? If that''s the case, are you aware of his current whereabouts?¡± Charlotte asked.


    Robbie shook his head and answered with his face scrunched up, ¡°I''m still trying to locate him as of


    now.¡±


    ¡°If he''s no longer in Erihal, where is he?¡±


    Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    Charlotte was confused by the news of Danrique''s disappearance. She thought he might have been


    brought somewhere else after the incident.


    Sighing, Robbie remarked, ¡°It''s quite challenging to locate Uncle Dan because he''s a pretty cautious


    man. In short, he''s a nasty target.¡±


    Charlotte found her son hrious because he made it sound as if he had been in the industry for a few


    decades. She teased him in return, ¡°You do realize you''re just a seven-year-old boy, don''t you?¡±


    Grinning, her son shared his n with her, ¡°Haven''t you promised them to look for their mother? Why


    don''t you hand me her contact number? I''ll give it a try and see if I can locate our mysterious aunt.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, her phone seems to be out of reception at the moment. Can you locate her when she


    wasn''t even involved in the trial?¡±


    Once Robbie took note of his mysterious aunt''s phone number, he started trying his luck with the


    system. It was a fruitless attempt, but he wasn''t about to give up just yet.


    ¡°Aunt Charlotte, we''re hungry! Is it time for dinner yet?¡±


    The three little girls finally returned to join them at the dining hall.


    ¡°Of course!¡± Charlotte brought them to their seats and introduced the dishes she made to the rest, ¡°I''ve


    made a lot of everyone''s favorites, including hot cross bunnies!¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± The little girls couldn''t stop gulping because of the tempting delicacies in front of them.


    Things were lively in the dining hall. The maids put the bibs around the little girls'' necks and served


    them their meals.


    ¡°Robbie, it''s time to put yourptop away.¡± Charlotte served her eldest son a hot cross bunny and


    reminded him it was time for dinner.


    Robbie had to put hisputer aside and get his hands washed again before joining the rest of the


    family.


    Throughout the meal, they had fun catching up with one another. The little ones would share the things


    they went through at the yschool with Charlotte.


    They couldn''t stand staying home without thepanion of their cousins. Therefore, Charlotte got


    them enrolled in a yschool associated with her children''s elementary school.


    More often than not, they thought peers of their age were childish because they were too mature. With


    that being said, they weren''t allowed to join the kindergarten because they were too young.


    Gamma brought Little Fifi to the ssroom and garnered the attention of her peers. Intrigued by its


    presence, they couldn''t resist the urge to touch it.


    As a result, Little Fifi flew away because it was startled by the curious children. It refused to return to


    Gamma until Jamie and Ellie showed up.


    ¡°You must''ve had a long day as well, Little Fifi.¡±


    The horrified Little Fifi growled when Charlotte started running her fingers across it.


    ¡°Therefore, we''ve made up our mind to bring Fifi to the ssroom with us instead of Little Fifi!¡± Gamma


    announced once she gulped her mouthful of food.


    Charlotte was very close to spilling the food in her mouth when she heard her niece. ¡°There''s no way


    I''m allowing it because I''m pretty sure it''s going to startle your ssmates.¡±


    ¡°No, Aunt Charlotte. That won''t be the case. Fifi''s going to listen to us,¡± Alpha begged in a mellow tone.


    ¡°She''s right, Aunt Charlotte. Fifi is so adorable aspared to Mommy''s fierce pet eagle,¡± Beta


    remarked in a barely audible voice because of her mouthful of food.


    ¡°Mommy also has a pet python and leopard,¡± Gamma said nonchntly shortly as she chewed her


    food.


    The confused Charlotte couldn''t help but wonder if her future sister-inw was just another ordinary


    woman from the streets.


    Jamie couldn''t care less and thought those were merely jokes from his cousins. ¡°I''m pretty sure they''re


    just kidding. They once mentioned their mother was a supermom.¡±

 Chapter 1422

    Chapter 1422


    qElliemented, ¡°We have quite a mysterious aunt, huh? Well, they might have mistaken her as the


    characters from their favorite shows.¡±


    Robbie was of the same idea. He said, ¡°That''s most probably the case because children only develop


    the capacity to remember when they''re almost three years old. Maybe they''ve mixed up the identity of


    their mother with someone else.¡±


    As her children''s analysis made sense, Charlotte repeated herself, ¡°I think so. Anyway, none of you are


    allowed to take Fifi to school along with you. Am I clear?¡±


    Charlotte''s nieces were slightly upset, but they knew they had to listen to their aunt. ¡°All right, Aunt


    Charlotte. We''ll keep that in mind.¡±


    ¡°My nieces are such good girls. I''ll think of something to locate your mother as soon as possible. Just


    leave everything to me.¡±


    ¡°Thank you so much, Aunt Charlotte.¡±


    Charlotte took them out for a stroll in the garden after their meal. Once she tucked them in and read


    them a bedtime story, she returned to her room to give Sean a call.


    It turned out that the little ones weren''t the sole reason Charlotte had to spend another two days at


    Northridge.


    She might have appeared to be carefree whenever she was around Zachary, but she was equally


    anxious because of his condition. After all, Ben told her Zachary''s condition might spiral out of control


    after a month.


    Francesco''s whereabouts were still unknown when Charlotte was in the middle of a race against time.


    Unable to remain calm anymore, thetter returned to Northridge in an attempt to work something out.


    Charlotte thought of trying out her luck with Gordon because she couldn''t reach Sean. It took Gordon


    quite some time to pick up her call.


    ¡°Hello, Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    ¡°I tried calling Sean, but I couldn''t reach him. Is he in the middle of something again?¡±


    ¡°I think that''s most probably the case. Ms. Lindberg, Sean has told me that now is probably not the best


    time to locate Francesco,¡± Gordon said tactfully.


    ¡°What? Why? Someone''s life is at stake!¡± Charlotte was on the verge of letting loose of her emotions.


    ¡°May I know whose life are we talking about?¡± Gordon asked in confusion.


    Charlotte went dead silent and lost herself in a train of thoughts.


    I''m afraid Sean''s going to turn a blind eye to Zachary''s condition. Gordon might consider returning


    Zachary''s favor of saving his life, but that''s not the case for Sean. There''s no way he''s going to locate


    Francesco on behalf of Zachary because of Danrique''s current situation.


    To her surprise, the man on the other end asked, ¡°It''s not Mr. Nacht, is it?¡±


    Charlotte thought there was no point in hiding from Gordon. Hence, she confessed, ¡°Yes, he is


    poisoned because of me. Besides, I can''t possibly watch the father of my children die.¡±


    ¡°I''m well aware of your concerns, but¡ª¡± Gordon paused again. A few secondster, he added, ¡°I''ll


    inform Sean and see if he has an alternative way. Meanwhile, you need to try to look for other doctors.¡±


    ¡°Thank you so much! Could you tell Sean to revert to me once he''s free?¡±


    ¡°I''ll definitely deliver the message on your behalf.¡±This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    Charlotte felt a strong sense of unease immediately after she hung up the call.


    Is Sean reluctant to help me because he''s aware Zachary''s the one in desperate need of medical


    attention? It''s safe to assume Sean is currently keeping Danrique safe. In short, Danrique must be


    aware of Zachary''s condition as well.


    However, he might not want to do anything about it since he''s in an equally nasty situation. If I can


    meet him in person, I can try asking him to do me a favor, but I don''t even know his current


    whereabouts.


    Sighing, Charlotte thought it was over. Suddenly, her eldest son knocked on the door and greeted,


    ¡°Mommy!¡±


    ¡°Robbie? Come on in!¡± Charlotte answered the door and gestured for her son to enter.


    He joined her in the room with hisptop. Unable to contain his excitement, he gasped out the great


    news, ¡°Mommy, I''ve finally found our mysterious aunt! She''s currently in Zarain!¡±


    ¡°Are you serious? Which city is she currently in?¡±


    ¡°I''m not sure, but I have the record of her entering the border of the nation. It''s merely one of my


    spections, but I think she''s currently with Uncle Dan.¡±


    ¡°Are you telling me as soon as I find her, I''ll find Danrique?¡±

 Chapter 1423

    Chapter 1423


    qRobbie said while nodding, ¡°I''m not sure, but that might be the case! It''s not much of a challenge to


    locate her aspared to locating Uncle Dan.¡±


    ¡°Well, we''ll try our luck with your mysterious aunt and bring her daughters to her even if Danrique isn''t


    here with her.¡±


    ¡°I''ll try my best, but it''s going to take some time.¡± Staring at the screen of hisptop, Robbie was


    determined to bring her cousins back to their mother.


    ¡°It''s okay. Just try your best.¡± Charlotte leaned over and kissed her son on the cheek.


    As a result, her son flushed and asked, ¡°Mommy, what do you think you''re doing? I''m no longer a kid!¡±


    ¡°Who''s this flushing little boy in front of me? You''re aware you''ll always be my son no matter how old


    you are, aren''t you?¡± Charlotte teased the flushing Robbie.


    ¡°T-That''s it for today. It''s time to call it a day.¡± Robbie rushed out of the room with hisptop once he


    wrapped up the conversation with his mother.


    Charlotteughed, thinking that things weren''t as terrible as she thought since Robbie had finally gotten


    his hands on a useful lead.


    She had faith she would reach Francesco in no time and acquire his aid to do something about


    Zachary''s condition.


    Charlotte had a great night sleeping like a log because of the great news. Meanwhile, Zachary, who


    was at Southridge, couldn''t even fall asleep.


    He picked on Ben, who was there to keep him safe, out of something trivial more than once to vent his


    frustration.


    Ben felt aggrieved and thought it would be another hectic night because Zachary showed no signs of


    sleeping at all when it was already one o''clock.


    Zachary got increasingly irked as he couldn''t toss and turn due to the racking sensation he would feel.


    When he was about to pick on Ben, Ben asked in a hushed voice, ¡°Shall I go get Ms. Lindberg?¡±


    Zachary had the same idea, but he yed hard to get and remarked, ¡°You''re aware it''s your suggestion


    and not mine, right?¡±


    It wasn''t much of a challenge for him to converse with others after the countless naps he had


    throughout the day.


    The intelligent Ben yed along with him and asserted, ¡°Yes, I''m the one who''s trying to get her to


    keep an eye on you on my behalf because I wish to drop by the hospital and visit Lupine.¡±


    ring at his assistant in the eyes, he asked, ¡°Come again? Are you telling me you''re going to ignore


    your employer because you''re in a rtionship now?¡±


    ¡°H-Huh? N-No! I''m not! Are you saying I''m not supposed to get Ms. Lindberg?¡±


    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    When Ben thought Zachary was against the idea of having Charlotte there, Zachary urged, ¡°Get her at


    once unless you wish to get on my nerves more than you already have.¡±


    ¡°There''s no way¡ª¡± Upon another nce at Zachary, Ben rephrased himself, ¡°I''ll go get her


    immediately!¡±


    ¡°I want you to make the call in front of me,¡± Zachary instructed as he couldn''t wait to figure out


    Charlotte''s reply.


    ¡°I wonder if she''s currently asleep since it''s literally the middle of the night,¡± Ben muttered to himself


    while trying to reach Charlotte through a phone call.


    Zachary had his eyes glued to Ben''s phone in anticipation of Charlotte''s voice. However, the person on


    the other end failed to pick up the call.


    Zachary''s heart sank to the bottom of his stomach once Ben hung up the call.


    Ben nced at the man on the bed and asked, ¡°I think Ms. Lindberg has fallen asleep. Am I supposed


    to keep trying until I reach her?¡±


    ¡°That won''t be necessary.¡±


    Zachary''s dejection was written all over his face. He thought she couldn''t care less about him.


    Otherwise, there was no way she could fall asleep when he was in such bad shape.


    ¡°Maybe she''s going to return early in the morning. I''ll call her if she doesn''t.¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t really matter. It''s time to call it a day,¡± Zachary remarked petntly.


    ¡°All right.¡±


    Ben thought it was finally time to sleep, but once he put his phone aside, the increasingly irked Zachary


    reprimanded him, ¡°Why did you bring up such a silly suggestion when I''m about to sleep? If she reverts


    to you in the morning, tell her it''s your idea to get her back!¡±


    Ben''s lips twitched against his will because of Zachary''s mood swings.

 Chapter 1424

    Chapter 1424


    qCharlotte tried calling Ben when she saw a missed call once she roused from her sleep in the


    morning.


    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    ¡°Hello, Ben. Why did you call me? Is everything fine? Has Zachary''s condition¡ª¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht is doing fine. I thought of dropping by the hospital to keep Lupinepany. Therefore, I


    needed someone else to look after him. I couldn''t think of anyone else other than you.¡± Ben was pretty


    mindful of his reply as he had to carry on with the conversation in speaker mode.


    Charlotte heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°I literally had the shock of my life a few seconds ago! I thought


    something had happened to him!¡±


    ¡°He was¡ª¡± Ben was about to tell Charlotte the truth until he caught a glimpse of Zachary''s re. He


    rephrased his reply again, ¡°He was finest night, but he doesn''t look too good now.¡±


    Astonished by the news, Charlotte asked, ¡°What''s wrong? Have you summoned the doctor to check on


    him? I''m on my way there!¡±


    ¡°All right, we''ll talk once you''re here.¡±


    It was Ben''s turn to let out a long sigh of relief when he caught a glimpse of Zachary''s satisfied beam.


    He asked, ¡°Ms. Lindberg will be here soon. So¡ª¡±


    Zachary finished on Ben''s behalf, ¡°Go keep Lupinepany at the hospital once she''s here. You''re not


    really supposed to leave your girlfriend alone at a time like this.¡±


    Thrilled, Ben expressed his gratitude, ¡°Thanks, Mr. Nacht!¡±


    Zachary reminded Ben once more, ¡°With that being said, you need to keep in mind that you were the


    one who asked her over to check on me!¡±


    ¡°All right. Don''t worry. I know what to do.¡±


    ¡°Come over and help me up! It''s time for me to get myself a shower after spending such a long time in


    bed!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Nacht.¡±


    Charlotte couldn''t even join her children and nieces for breakfast because she was in a hurry to


    Southridge.


    Shortly after she got out of the car, she rushed upstairs to the man''s room.


    ¡°Zach¡ª¡± Once she barged into the room, she saw Zachary savoring the dumplings prepared by


    Hanna.


    When Zachary noticed Charlotte''s presence, he pretended to be weak and stammered, ¡°T-Take this


    away. I-I don''t have the appetite.¡±


    Ben immediately took the dumplings away and yed along with his boss. ¡°Mr. Nacht, this won''t do.


    You haven''t had anything in days! Is there anything else you''re craving for?¡±


    ¡°What''s wrong? Is he in pain because of the wounds? Is something else wrong with him? Have you


    summoned the doctor, Ben?¡± Charlotte asked once she joined the duo.


    ¡°He couldn''t even sleep due to the pain, but he stopped me from summoning the doctor to check on


    him,¡± Ben remarked while shrugging his shoulders.


    ¡°You''re not supposed to listen to him! Go get Dr. Wright at once,¡± Charlotte instructed.


    Taking a peek at Zachary, Ben carried on with the conversation with a mncholic look. ¡°Dr. Wright told


    us there was nothing she could do. We have no choice but to wait until a miracle urs.¡±


    ¡°What about the pain killer?¡± the heartbroken Charlotte asked because of Zachary''s haggard look.


    ¡°It doesn''t really work against the serious wounds¡ª¡±


    Cough! Cough! Zachary cleared his throat, signaling Ben to stop exaggerating as it would arouse


    Charlotte''s suspicion. After all, it was only a flower vase that struck him.


    At that point, Zachary was still unaware that Charlotte already knew about his actual condition.


    Overwhelmed by guilt, Charlotte murmured, ¡°It''s all my fault. You''re hurt because of me. I''ll go make


    you some oatmeal. You''re not allowed to have something as greasy as such.¡±


    When she was about to rush out of the room, Ben got in her way and said, ¡°I''ll get Mrs. Rawlston to


    make Mr. Nacht something to eat. Why don''t you stay here and keep himpany?¡±


    ¡°Great, thanks!¡± Charlotte sat by the bedside and asked while cing her hands on his forehead, ¡°Are


    you still having a fever?¡±


    ¡°I''m still kicking and alive.¡±


    He made it sound as if it wasn''t a big deal all while ying weak because it worked like a charm


    against Charlotte.


    As long as he continued ying weak, she would get increasingly worried. In other words, she would


    stay around to keep an eye on him.

 Chapter 1425

    Chapter 1425


    qOverwhelmed by sadness, Charlotte leaned over and wrapped her arms around him.


    All this while, she yed the role of a heartless woman to prevent him from figuring out that she had


    found out about his actual condition.


    She has been counting down ever since the day the doctor shared the bad news with her.


    He only has twenty-six days left! I need to get Francesco here during this time! Otherwise, his life is


    going to be at stake again!


    Zachary figured he had gone overboard, looking at Charlotte''s response. Thus, he confessed, ¡°I''m


    really fine. It was just another attempt to pull your leg.¡±


    Unwilling to show him her vulnerable side, Charlotte went dead silent with her arms wrapped around


    him.


    It doesn''t make any sense! Has she figured out something''s wrong with me? Why is she weeping?


    ¡°You wouldn''t have sustained such a serious injury if it weren''t because of the flower vase.¡± Charlotte


    was guilty. After all, she was the reason he was injured in the first ce.


    Otherwise, his condition wouldn''t be as severe; his life might not be at stake as well.


    Zachary made use of the things she brought up and threatened, ¡°You need to take care of me since I''m


    injured because of you.¡±


    Chuckling, she pinched his cheeks while asking, ¡°Why are you bringing up something simr to the


    ones you''ve brought up at the hospital? What else do you want from me when I''m already here?¡±


    ¡°I''m not talking about the present! I want you to stay with me till death do us part!¡± Zachary repeated


    himself in a serious manner.


    This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    Irked, Charlotte reprimanded him, ¡°What sort of nonsense are you talking about? Can you stop making


    it sound as if you''re about to die in such a casual manner?¡±


    ¡°I-I¡ª¡±


    ¡°If you''re really dead, I''ll get married to someone else and get our children to acknowledge a stranger


    as their father!¡± It was finally Charlotte''s turn to threaten him.


    ¡°How dare you!¡± Zachary''s face scrunched up in irritation the moment he heard her.


    ¡°Go ahead and try me! On top of that, I''m going to spend all the fortune you''re giving our children!


    Since no one is around to stop me, I''ll splurge to my heart''s content!¡±


    ¡°Charlotte, you...¡± Zachary was enraged. He felt a strong urge to vent his frustration on her, but he felt


    his limbs turn stiff when he tried moving around.


    ¡°What? You can''t even move around without others'' support! What else can you do?¡± Charlotte went all


    out in an attempt to provoke the man.


    ¡°You!¡± The man next to her red at her in the eyes to express his frustration.


    Charlotte found the helpless man hrious, but she continued threatening him, ¡°If you don''t want that to


    happen, then listen to the doctor and stop being such a difficult patient! You can pick on me all you


    want once you''re fully recovered! Otherwise, I''ll bring upon the downfall of the Nacht family soon!¡±


    Zachary was no longer infuriated when he figured out it was merely an attempt of hers to motivate him.


    He stretched his arms and held her in his arms intimately.


    I know she''s merely trying to provoke me and motivate me to stay alive. It seems like she''s aware of


    the truth as well. She''s just worried something bad is going to happen to me.


    It''s not really necessary to address the elephant in the room as long as she''s here with me. I need


    nothing else as long as she''s around.


    Knock! Knock! Knock! Hanna walked into the duo in the middle of an emotional session. ¡°I-I''ll return in


    a while!¡±


    Charlotte stopped her from leaving and requested, ¡°It''s fine, Mrs. Rawlston. Just hand me the oatmeal.¡±


    ¡°Sure, Ms. Lindberg.¡± Hanna rushed out of the room after she took a peek at the duo and ced the


    oatmeal on the nightstand.


    Seated next to the man on the bed, Charlotte urged, ¡°You need to hurry up and finish this.¡±


    He was against the idea of finishing the oatmeal, but he couldn''t bear to turn Charlotte down since she


    truly cared about him.

 Chapter 1426

    Chapter 1426


    qApart from returning home to join her children for a meal in the evening, Charlotte spent most of her


    time taking care of Zachary. She would return to keep Zacharypany once she tucked them in and


    read them to sleep.


    asionally, she would drop by the hospital to check on Olivia and Lupine.


    Lupine was recovering well. Her rtionship status with Ben was confirmed. Therefore, Ben would


    drop by the hospital to take care of the injured woman.


    Morgan was envious of her colleague. Although Ben wasn''t as romantic as Marino, the former was


    quite a reliable man.


    They had fallen for one another after making it through life-threatening situations more than once


    together. That was precisely the reason they knew they weren''t supposed to take each other for


    granted.


    Charlotte was d those affiliated with her had finally found their significant half.


    Olivia''s condition had drastically improved after the surgical operation conducted by Helen.


    Although it would take a long time until herplete recovery, Peter thought it was the best out of the


    worst possible oue. He paid Charlotte and Zachary a visit to express his gratitude.


    At that moment, everything seemed to progress smoothly, except she still couldn''t get her hands on


    Danrique and Francesco''s whereabouts.


    Furthermore, Sean and Gordon had disappeared into thin air as well.


    To make things worse, Robbie was having a tough time locating his targets.


    Charlotte had no intention to pressure her son. Therefore, she tried getting in touch with Gordon. Soon,


    she figured out she wasn''t supposed to do so. Otherwise, she might put Danrique and his party at risk.


    Her mind was all over the ce, but she had to put on a strong front, especially in front of Zachary and


    her children. Otherwise, the situation might get increasingly tense.


    When Ben figured out the situation, he knew it was time for him to stop getting his hopes high. Thus, he


    started getting in touch with renowned specialists from all around the globe as an alternative.


    Zachary had finally regained the capability to walk around without others'' support after another five


    days.


    His condition had improved significantly as well. However, his diet was under the strict regtion of


    Charlotte. She would make him different servings of oatmeal with a variety of condiments.


    Initially, he thought it was fine. However, it merely took him a few days to figure out he was wrong.


    asionally, he would get his hands on things Charlotte forbade him from eating.


    Charlotte would rush to him and stop him from finishing the food the moment the maid informed her.


    Zachary stuffed the food he had to Ben and reprimanded the innocent man, ¡°You need to stop tempting


    me with these! Aren''t you aware I''m not allowed to eat these?¡±


    ¡°I-I''ll keep that in mind and stay away from you whenever I''m eating in the future.¡± Ben had to y


    along with his boss when he wasn''t even the one at fault.


    ring at the man she loved, she said, ¡°You can have your favorite food once you''re fully recovered,


    but please bear with me for the time being.¡±


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    ¡°All right, I''ll keep that in mind.¡±


    Once Zachary nodded obediently, she urged, ¡°Now, you need to head downstairs and finish your


    oatmeal for today.¡±


    Charlotte tiptoed and kissed him on the chin before walking out of the room.


    Sighing, Zachary turned around and took another peek at his favorite snack Ben bought him.


    I guess it''s true when others consider health as wealth, huh? I can''t even enjoy my favorite snack! Well,


    I need to make sure I''m in my prime again soon!


    It was very ignorant of me to ignore dad''s advice when he warned me to take good care of myself. I


    thought health would never be an issue bothering me, but I was very wrong.

 Chapter 1427

    Chapter 1427


    qThree dayster, Zachary was no longer a helpless patient. He could spend a few hours every day


    sorting out the pertaining issues requiring his attention.


    Helen told Raina it was fine for Zachary to consume everything he desired. However, he wasn''t


    supposed to tire himself or hurt himself again.


    Thrilled by the great news, Zachary instructed Hanna to prepare the things he had been craving for


    ever since the day he regained consciousness.


    Without a second thought, Hanna instructed the maids to get the ingredients ready for the feast to


    celebrate the joyous asion.


    Zachary, who was in a great mood, instructed Marino to pick up his children and nieces to join them for


    dinner. He promised to take them elsewhere for a stroll after the meal.


    This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    When Zachary learned of Lupine''s discharge from the hospital, he asked Marino to invite Ben and


    Lupine to join them in the evening.


    He instructed the maid to get the entire ce decorated for the guests of Northridge and Southridge


    and thought of holding a banquet to celebrate the joyous asion.


    Things were lively for those affiliated with the family because it had been such a long time since they


    gathered for a feast.


    As soon as everyone had their respective tasks assigned, they headed out to get everything ready.


    Charlotte didn''t stop Zachary as it had been such a long time since shest saw the man smiling.


    Moreover, the ones affiliated with them were equally thrilled. Hence, it wouldn''t be wise to be a party


    pooper.


    Zachary wrapped his arms around her and asked when he found her in the courtyard, ¡°Are you


    happy?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    In truth, she wasn''t happy at all because the man had only eighteen days left and Francesco had yet to


    be found.


    Zachary seemed to be in his prime, but he had lost quite a lot of weight over the past few days. In fact,


    he was skinnier than he was before the ident.


    She was heartbroken, but he couldn''t care less and started carrying himself in a friendly and courteous


    manner whenever he was around others.


    To be precise, he stopped reprimanding Ben and Marino over every trivial thing. Her mind was all over


    the ce when she thought his drastic change of attitude had something to do with his condition.


    Out of the blue, he asked, ¡°Have you prepared the little ones'' favorite chicken nuggets? You''re not


    going to let them down, are you?¡±


    ¡°I''ve asked Mrs. Rawlston to get me the ingredients I need. Once Ben returns with the ingredients, I''ll


    join them in the kitchen.¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± Zachary was in a great mood. It almost felt as it was a banquet held for the festive season.


    ¡°Daddy, Mommy!¡±


    ¡°Uncle Zachary, Aunt Charlotte!¡±


    Once Marino and Morgan returned with the little ones, the atmosphere got increasingly lively at the


    gigantic mansion.


    Jamie and Ellie were about to catapult in the direction of their father, but Robbie warned them, ¡°Don''t


    forget Daddy''s still not feeling well!¡±


    They brought themselves to a halt in the nick of time and remained standing in their spot.


    Meanwhile, the three little girls hade to Charlotte''s side and shared the things they went through at


    the yschool with her.


    Fifi was also there. Itnded on a tree nearby to join the family of its owner.


    ¡°Robbie, Jamie, Ellie,e over here!¡± Zachary asked his children to join him, but they were afraid of


    hurting him.


    ¡°Daddy, how are you feeling? Are you still in pain?¡± Ellie caressed her father''s cheek and asked in a


    hushed voice.

 Chapter 1428

    Chapter 1428


    q¡°I''m fine. It doesn''t really hurt anymore. See? I''m a strong man.¡± Zachary showed his children his


    triceps, assuring them it wasn''t a big deal.


    ¡°Hooray! Daddy has recovered!¡± Ellie started jumping for joy.


    ¡°Soon, I''ll pick you up from your piano ss again.¡± Shortly after the man promised his daughter, he


    turned around and held Jamie in his arms. ¡°Jamie, we can go for a ser session too.¡±


    ¡°Robbie, if there''s anything you need, you can always let me know¡ª¡±


    ¡°All right, that''s it! Why don''t all of you show your cousins the way around the mansion since they''re


    here for the first time?¡± Charlotte interrupted their conversation because she was afraid he might hurt


    himself if he continued squatting.


    ¡°Sure, Mommy!¡±


    Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    Jamie and Ellie went to their cousins and brought them around the courtyard.


    Robbie remained standing as he had something to tell his father. After much consideration, he changed


    his mind and thought of keeping his concerns to himself. ¡°Daddy, I''ll go ahead and join them as well.¡±


    Zachary spanked his son yfully and urged, ¡°Run along now.¡±


    Robbie ran away with a smile, but he was heartbroken deep down. He knew their father hadn''t


    recovered. Otherwise, their mother would not bring up something else to divert their attention.


    ¡°Why did you chase them away?¡± Zachary staggered as he felt lightheaded when he tried bringing


    himself up after squatting for a little more than a few minutes.


    Thankfully, Charlotte was there to stop him from falling. In order to stop the man from overthinking


    things, she remarked in a sarcastic manner, ¡°See? I''m sure it''s one of the aftereffects of your injuries.¡±


    Despite saying so, the couple was fully aware that it was not the aftereffects of his injuries. However,


    they seemed to have a consensus to not address the elephant in the room.


    He leaned over and whispered intimately, ¡°Can you stop nagging me over something trivial? I have


    recovered. If you don''t believe it, try me¡ª¡±


    ¡°Ben and Lupine are here!¡± Charlotte rushed in the direction of the duo when he wasn''t even done with


    his suggestive speech.


    Zachary was slightly irritated since he was very close to persuading her to spend a night with him.


    Nheless, he was d Charlotte had a great time with her friends from Northridge.


    It was finally time for themencement of the banquet since everything was ready after a few hours


    of preparation.


    Zachary asked the members of the household, including the maids and the bodyguards, to join them


    for the first time in forever, expressing his gratitude towards their hard work over the years.


    The man was never a friendly figure throughout the past twenty-eight years.


    The ones who were unaware of the things going on were touched and thought they were finally


    acknowledged. Meanwhile, the ones who were aware of his actual condition were upset.


    They knew he wished to return the favor of those around him since he might not make it through


    another fortnight.


    It seemed to be another banquet for a joyous asion, but that was not the case¡ªit might be thest


    supper for Zachary.


    With that being said, there were only a few aware of Zachary''s actual condition. He thought of keeping


    it confidential to stop troubling others.


    It was the same for Charlotte¡ªshe had to force a smile and join the rest in spite of the concerns she


    had in her mind.


    Simrly, Ben and Zachary''s most-trusted aides pretended as if they weren''t aware of the truth and


    joined the rest to have some fun.


    ¡°Thanks, Mr. Nacht!¡±


    Surprised by the speech that came out of nowhere, most of them brought themselves up from their


    seats to express their gratitude.


    ¡°Just take a seat and enjoy yourself for the night!¡± Zachary beckoned the rest to remain seated since it


    was merely a gathering amongst close acquaintances.


    ¡°Hooray, it''s finally time for dinner!¡± The little girls officiated the banquet with their cheers.


    The rest started savoring the dishes along with themencement of the symphony.


    Charlotte served Zachary a serving of steak and asked, ¡°I made this. Give it a try.¡±


    Surprised by her announcement, he asked, ¡°Are you serious? Since when have you learned to prepare


    steak?¡±


    He took a bite and remarked, ¡°Mmm! It tastes not bad at all!¡±


    Chuckling, Charlotte said, ¡°I''m d it turns out fine because this is the only sessful one amongst the


    several pieces I have prepared.¡±

 Chapter 1429

    Chapter 1429


    qZachary replied nonchntly, ¡°Actually, you don''t need to tire yourself out since others are around to


    prepare our meal.¡±


    ¡°What? Are you telling me to stay away from the kitchen because of my subpar culinary skills?¡±


    Charlotte brought up something else for a change of mood.


    ¡°You know what? Just cook whenever you feel like it. I''ll finish everything you make.¡±


    Zachary was no longer the arrogant and indifferent man¡ªhe had no intention to spend thest


    moments of his life arguing with the ones he held dear in life.


    It''s fine as long as she''s around to keep mepany. As awful as it might taste, I''ll finish everything


    she cooks.


    ¡°Speaking of which, you''re not really against the idea of them getting into a rtionship with one


    another, are you?¡± Shortly after she directed the question at him, she took a peek at Lupine and Ben as


    well as Morgan and Marino.


    Zachary rolled his eyes and asked rhetorically, ¡°Do I really have a say when you''re the one in charge of


    Northridge, Southridge, and the family?¡±


    ¡°You''re right, but are you against the idea of them getting into a rtionship?¡± Charlotte guffawed in a


    mischievous manner.


    Halfway through their conversation, Zachary mentioned something in a suggestive tone, ¡°Well, you


    need to show your sincerity if you want me to agree to it.¡±


    Unaware of the filthy thoughts he had in mind, she asked, ¡°What do you want?¡±This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Zachary leaned over in an intimate manner and started running his fingers across


    her arms.


    Once she returned to her senses, she stuttered, ¡°Y-You! There''s no way I''m allowing it since you''re not


    fully recovered yet!¡±


    ¡°Go ahead and see for yourself if I have fully recovered or not!¡±


    He pressed her hands against his pecs, allowing her to feel his heartbeat.


    ¡°Cut it out! Aren''t you aware we''re in the middle of a banquet with a lot of people around us?¡± Charlotte


    reprimanded the man with reddened cheeks.


    ¡°I''m going to teach you a lesson to behave yourself once we''re back in the room.¡±


    Zachary pinched her face before turning around to savor his meal.


    It was a great night for everyone. As the adults continued drinking after the meal, the children gathered


    around for some fun in the courtyard.


    Marino and Morgan, who had tagged along to keep an eye on the children, couldn''t stop themselves


    from flirting around with one another.


    On the other hand, Ben was next to Lupine throughout the banquet. asionally, he would turn


    around to check on Zachary.


    Zachary thought it was too much of a hassle for Ben to tend to him and his significant half at the same


    time. Thus, he said, ¡°Just take good care of our guests and leave me alone.¡±


    ¡°Thank you so much, Mr. Nacht!¡± Ben was thrilled and thought Zachary was also a caring employer at


    times.


    ¡°Lupine, how are you feeling?¡± Charlotte asked concernedly.


    ¡°I''m doing fine, Ms. Lindberg. You''re the one who seems to have lost quite some weight.¡±


    ¡°Are you serious?¡± Charlotte started examining her face when she heard the remark.


    Zachary interrupted the duo''s conversation and said, ¡°It might have something to do with her


    exhausting herself for my sake over the past few weeks. She hadn''t been eating properly since


    oatmeal was the only thing avable for us.¡±


    ¡°Shall we forget about it since you no longer have to consume those on a daily basis? With that being


    said, you''re not really supposed to have too much greasy food. Most importantly, you''re not allowed to


    drink,¡± Charlotte warned.


    ¡°See? She''s going to nag on me over something trivial again! How have you guys been dealing with


    her all this while? Is she different in front of you?¡± Zachary directed the question at Lupine.


    Lupine defended Charlotte, ¡°I''m sure she''s merely trying to remind you to take good care of yourself.


    She''s one of the most caring employers out there.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht is a pretty great employer as well,¡± Ben remarked when it had nothing to do with him. As a


    result, Lupine turned around and shot daggers at him.


    What''s wrong with him? Is he trying to prove he has a better employer than me? Is it even necessary?


    Aware he was the one at fault, Ben turned around and looked elsewhere to avoid the confrontation


    awaiting him.


    Charlotte couldn''t resist the urge tough because of the duo''s interaction. Simrly, Zachary yed


    along with Charlotte and remarked, ¡°At the end of the day, it''s doesn''t really matter since we''re a


    family.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Charlotte asked in a sarcastic manner, but she was all smiles.


    Instead of answering her question, Zachary held her firmly in his arms and kissed her in front of others.

 Chapter 1430

    Chapter 1430


    qAfter the banquet, the group drove up to the mountain for some fireworks.


    Ben had made prior arrangements for someone to get an array of fireworks ready at the peak.


    When the fireworks were disyed, they bloomed brilliants across the horizon, illuminating Rokan Hill.


    The children were enthralled by its beauty. They jumped for joy while pping and cheering gleefully.


    Little Fifi hid inside Ellie''s hoodie, trembling in fear. Yet, from time to time, the curious parrot would pop


    its head out to admire the night sky.


    As for Fifi the eagle, it rested on a tree branch steadily, as if nothing in this world could ever startle it.


    However, its ws gave it away. They were seen clenching on the branches tightly, quivering a little.


    Animals were generally afraid of fire. On the contrary, men, be it young or old, would always be thrilled


    by fireworks.


    The two couples, Marino and Morgan as well as Ben and Lupine, enjoyed their romantic moments.


    ¡°Folklore has it that when you wish upon the fireworks, your dreams wille true. Let''s make a wish!¡±


    Morgan pointed at the sky and yelled happily like a little girl.


    ¡°Oh, really?¡± Everyone followed suit.


    Charlotte pressed both hands together, shut her eyes, and made a wish.


    Zachary was hugging her while quietly appreciating the colorful skies above their heads. Though his


    lips were curled up, his eyes had gradually lost their sparkle.


    He had been undergoing intensive training to inherit the family business since he was eight years old.


    To date, twenty years had passed.


    Zachary attained fame at a very young age. Over the years, he had been very active in the business


    world, living by his own rules arrogantly. There was absolutely nothing that he was afraid of; neither


    had he lost any battle.


    However, fear had crept up on him all of a sudden. He was worried that all the sess that he had was


    just a dream. Besides, he was also disturbed by the thought that he would not live long, and soon, he


    would leave his beloved family and lover.


    Although he did not believe in fate, he made a wish with the hope that he could stay alive.


    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    I don''t want to die. There are many things I wish to do. More importantly, I don''t want to leave Charlotte


    and the ones I love...


    ¡°I''m done.¡± Charlotte opened her eyes and kissed Zachary.


    ¡°What did you wish for?¡± He gazed at her gently. She looked exceptionally enchanting under the


    illumination of the fireworks.


    ¡°I want us to be together forever,¡± Charlotte said with a pair of smiling eyes as she doted on Zachary.


    He did not say much but proceeded to hug her tightly. I really want to tell her the truth, to pre-empt her


    that I may not be able to continue this journey of life with her. Perhaps, she needs to shoulder the


    responsibility of leading this family on her own. All that I owe her can only be repaid in the next life.


    Unfortunately, he did not have the heart to ruin the blissful moment for her. It was also his selfish desire


    to cling on to the precious moment as long as he could.


    ¡°Zachary...¡± Charlotte was feeling sentimental while hugging him. She tried to control her emotions and


    put on a bright smile. ¡°Will you marry me?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡±


    Zachary heard her enunciating the words clearly in the midst of the loud fireworks.


    He did not doubt his hearing, neither did he pursue further. Instead, he seized the opportunity to share


    the feelings that had been buried inside his heart for years.


    On a serious note, he said, ¡°Let''s get married. I''ll hold a perfect wedding ceremony!¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡± Charlotte''s eyes welled up. No matter what happens in the future, I just want to cherish all of


    our time together. Even if it means we only have a day, two days or a month left. Every second counts


    as long as we''re together.


    The decision made them both extremely delighted. Immediately, Zachary shouted, ¡°Ben!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Nacht?¡± Ben hurried over.


    ¡°Tomorrow, no, go prepare for my wedding now! I''m getting hitched!¡± Zachary dered loudly to ensure


    that everyone present heard it.


    Ben froze for a moment, but quickly caught on and blurted, ¡°Is that for real? You two are seriously tying


    the knot?¡±


    ¡°What nonsense!¡± Zachary red at him. ¡°Hurry up and go get ready!¡±


    ¡°Got it. I''m on it now.¡± Ben nodded.

 Chapter 1431

    Chapter 1431


    q¡°That''s great news! Congrattions!¡± Everyone was ecstatic.


    pping her hands, Ellie was teary. ¡°Aww... That''s great! Daddy and Mommy are getting married!¡± she


    choked up.


    ¡°Hehe, I''m going to be the first person in my ss to attend his own parents'' wedding ceremony.¡±


    Jamie was so worked up as he began to imagine the wedding. ¡°I want to invite all my girlfriends to the


    banquet!¡±


    Robbie, on the other hand, fell silent. Grinning from ear to ear, he looked at his parents lovingly. He had


    actually waited for this day for a very long time.


    On the other hand, the triplets were sitting on a big rock, admiring the fireworks. When they heard the


    news, they widened their eyes with utmost curiosity. Then, they questioned, ¡°Ms. Morgan, what does


    ''getting married'' mean?¡±


    ¡°It means...¡± Morgan pondered before exining, ¡°It means that two people will stay together forever


    and never part ways with each other.¡±


    ¡°Whoa! Then can Beta and Gamma get married?¡± asked Alpha, cupping her chin.


    ¡°No, no, no...¡± Morgan quickly corrected, ¡°Getting married is for two adults who love each other; who


    want to give each other the promise of a lifetime.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡± The three children were inquisitive. Beta continued, ¡°So, can our Daddy and Mommy get


    married?¡±


    ¡°Of course, they can, as long as they are willing to.¡± Morgan chuckled.


    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Daddy doesn''t seem to like us.¡± Alpha felt sad at that thought. ¡°He always fights with Mommy.¡±


    ¡°They don''t behave like Aunt Charlotte and Uncle Zachary who kiss and hug all the time. They aren''t


    very nice to each other.¡± Beta looked glum. ¡°Does it mean that they won''t get married?¡±


    ¡°Hmph! Mommy wouldn''t want Daddy.¡± Gamma added, ¡°Daddy is so fierce, and he doesn''t smile. On


    the contrary, Mommy is cute. She should be with someone who''s equally cute.¡±


    ¡°You''re right!¡± The three little ones started counting with their fingers and discussing names of more


    suitable candidates for their mother.


    Morgan was amused by their antics.


    The glorious fireworks continued to light up the night sky, enhancing its beauty while adding joy and


    blissfulness to the wonderful evening.


    Zachary embraced Charlotte warmly underneath the vibrant fireworks.


    They had decided to let bygones be bygones. Henceforth, their only goal was to cherish each other


    and treasure each moment spent together.


    The two had an amorous night following their surprise decision.


    The dimly lit lights, alluring breaths, and shadows on the bedroom wall were witnesses of their


    passionate love. Everything looked so perfect like a nicely painted masterpiece.


    Zachary continued his fervid advances into midnight. As hey entwined in her arms, he could not stop


    kissing her.


    ¡°Are you tired?¡± cupping his face, Charlotte asked gently.


    ¡°Silly girl, how is that possible?¡± Zachary bit her lips softly. His desire for her was endless!


    ¡°The doctor said that you shouldn''t exhaust yourself.¡± Charlotte was worried. ¡°Get some sleep, okay?¡±


    ¡°It''s only been two times...¡± He was yearning for more. ¡°Give it to me...¡± He rubbed his palms against


    her body, trying to explore further.


    ¡°No way.¡± She stopped him. ¡°You haven''t fully recovered. Don''t overwork yourself. It''s been one whole


    night... Mmm...¡±


    Charlotte''s words were cut off when Zachary sealed her lips shut with a rough kiss.


    Without further ado, he pinned the woman underneath him and smothered her once again with wild and


    hot kisses...


    ¡°Mmm... Ah...¡± Charlotte attempted to push him away, but she dared not use too much force.


    ¡°Just onest time,¡± Zachary muttered as he savored her neck. ¡°I''ll let you go after this...¡±


    ¡°But your body...¡± Her voice was weak and soft.


    ¡°Be good and listen to me. Then, I won''t be as tired...¡± He instructed her, ¡°Come on top of me!¡±


    Zochory continued his fervid odvonces into midnight. As he loy entwined in her orms, he could not stop


    kissing her.


    ¡°Are you tired?¡± cupping his foce, Chorlotte osked gently.


    ¡°Silly girl, how is thot possible?¡± Zochory bit her lips softly. His desire for her wos endless!


    ¡°The doctor soid thot you shouldn''t exhoust yourself.¡± Chorlotte wos worried. ¡°Get some sleep, okoy?¡±


    ¡°It''s only been two times...¡± He wos yeorning for more. ¡°Give it to me...¡± He rubbed his polms ogoinst


    her body, trying to explore further.


    ¡°No woy.¡± She stopped him. ¡°You hoven''t fully recovered. Don''t overwork yourself. It''s been one whole


    night... Mmm...¡±


    Chorlotte''s words were cut off when Zochory seoled her lips shut with o rough kiss.


    Without further odo, he pinned the womon underneoth him ond smothered her once ogoin with wild ond


    hot kisses...


    ¡°Mmm... Ah...¡± Chorlotte ottempted to push him owoy, but she dored not use too much force.


    ¡°Just one lost time,¡± Zochory muttered os he sovored her neck. ¡°I''ll let you go ofter this...¡±


    ¡°But your body...¡± Her voice wos weok ond soft.


    ¡°Be good ond listen to me. Then, I won''t be os tired...¡± He instructed her, ¡°Come on top of me!¡±

 Chapter 1432

    Chapter 1432


    q¡°Mmm...¡± Though Charlotte was almost in tears, she had no choice but to give in to him.


    She was not very experienced in this field despite her identity as a mother. After all, shecked


    practice. Actually, it was the same for Zachary. The only difference was that men had an innate talent


    for this sort of thing.


    The next morning, Charlotte slept in till ten. When she opened her bleary eyes, she realized that


    Zachary was no longer resting on his pillow.


    She heard the water running in the bathroom, so she assumed that he was in the shower.


    Upon rubbing her eyes, she nced at the clock, only to jump out of her wits. It''s already past eleven?


    Instantly, she hopped out of her bed and put on her nightgown. When she entered the bathroom, she


    was surprised to see the tap was left running while no one was inside.


    Feeling anxious, she quickly searched the dressing room as well as the study for Zachary, but to no


    avail.


    Right when she was about to leave the room, she bumped into Hanna and the food cart at the door.


    ¡°Oh, you''re awake, Ms. Lindberg. Great, I''ve prepared some breakfast for you¡ª¡±


    Charlotte interrupted her, ¡°Where''s Zachary?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Zachary went to the office early in the morning. He said that you were tired, and he warned us not


    to disturb your sleep.¡± Hanna giggled a little as she spoke. ¡°He has also instructed me to prepare


    something nutritious to send your way once you get up.¡±


    ¡°Oh, thank you, Mrs. Rawlston.¡± Charlotte blushed while cursing Zachary in her heart. How could he


    say something so private to others?


    ¡°You''re most wee. It''s my duty to do so.¡± Hanna wheeled the cart in and served them on the table.


    ¡°Shall I get someone to assist you in your bath?¡±


    ¡°Oh, there''s no need for that. I''m good.¡± Charlotte was slightly embarrassed.


    ¡°In that case, I''ll arrange for housekeeping, okay?¡± As a wise and experienced person, Hanna


    suggested subtly. ¡°Please go ahead and take a bath. The room would be cleaned after your bath.¡±


    Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    ¡°All right. Thanks!¡± Charlotte took a quick nce at the messy bed. Turning scarlet, she scurried into


    the bathroom.


    When she saw the puddles on the floor, she felt a bit uneasy. Zachary has always been a careful man.


    Why didn''t he turn off the tap before he left? Is he just being forgetful? Was it because he was too


    exhausted from the night before and fell unwell this morning? Or did his health condition worsen?


    Insecurity and anxiety washed over her. She took a quick bath and exited the room to get her phone.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, is there anything I can help you with? Are you looking for something?¡±


    At that moment, the room was already tidied up. The maids were recing a new bouquet for the vase.


    ¡°Where''s my phone?¡± Charlotte asked.


    ¡°It''s charging over here.¡± A maid handed her phone over.


    Coincidentally, Zachary called. ¡°Hello?¡± she answered at once.


    ¡°You''re up?¡± His doting voice sounded from the other side of the line.


    ¡°Yup.¡± She felt shy.


    Seeing so, the two maids bowed and left the room.


    ¡°You must be hungry. Go ahead and have something to eat.¡± Zachary was extremely caring.


    ¡°Will do. Why didn''t you wake me up this morning?¡± Unknowingly, Charlotte acted coquettishly. ¡°I didn''t


    see you when I got up, and I thought that you were taking a shower...¡±


    I''ve gotten enough sleep during my recovery. So, I couldn''t sleep more nowadays. I didn''t have the


    heart to wake you up when I saw you sleeping soundly.¡± Zachary coaxed her affectionately, ¡°Be good.


    Enjoy your breakfast and bask in the morning sun. Your Hubby will be home soon to keep you


    company.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Charlotte feltforted upon hearing his voice. Hence, she did not specte further. ¡°Don''t


    push yourself too hard at work, okay? Take care.¡± A warm and fuzzy feeling rose within her.


    ¡°Sure. I need to reserve some energy to serve my Queen tonight,¡± Zachary teased her.


    ¡°Stop it, will you?¡± Charlotte''s face turned red.


    ¡°Where''s my phone?¡± Chorlotte osked.


    ¡°It''s chorging over here.¡± A moid honded her phone over.


    Coincidentolly, Zochory colled. ¡°Hello?¡± she onswered ot once.


    ¡°You''re up?¡± His doting voice sounded from the other side of the line.


    ¡°Yup.¡± She felt shy.


    Seeing so, the two moids bowed ond left the room.


    ¡°You must be hungry. Go oheod ond hove something to eot.¡± Zochory wos extremely coring.


    ¡°Will do. Why didn''t you woke me up this morning?¡± Unknowingly, Chorlotte octed coquettishly. ¡°I didn''t


    see you when I got up, ond I thought thot you were toking o shower...¡±


    I''ve gotten enough sleep during my recovery. So, I couldn''t sleep more nowodoys. I didn''t hove the


    heort to woke you up when I sow you sleeping soundly.¡± Zochory cooxed her offectionotely, ¡°Be good.


    Enjoy your breokfost ond bosk in the morning sun. Your Hubby will be home soon to keep you


    compony.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Chorlotte feltforted upon heoring his voice. Hence, she did not speculote further. ¡°Don''t


    push yourself too hord ot work, okoy? Toke core.¡± A worm ond fuzzy feeling rose within her.


    ¡°Sure. I need to reserve some energy to serve my Queen tonight,¡± Zochory teosed her.


    ¡°Stop it, will you?¡± Chorlotte''s foce turned red.

 Chapter 1433

    Chapter 1433


    q¡°Haha...¡± Zachary guffawed at her remark. ¡°Fine, I won''t tease you. Hurry up and eat something now,


    okay?¡±


    ¡°Yup, I''ll cook dinner tonight and wait for your return,¡± Charlotte said under her breath.


    ¡°Nice!¡± His heart was full.


    All that he longed for these days was to see the entire family gathering for meals, supporting and caring


    for one another.


    After hanging up, Charlotte was still reminiscing about the sweet and wonderful feeling. She regretted


    not letting go of her past sooner in order to embrace all the positivity she now received.


    Sometimes, we were the ones to put the shackles on and constrain ourselves. We will learn and grow


    from experiences.


    After breakfast, Charlotte went downstairs to prepare some ingredients to make the dishes that she


    was familiar with. She also prepared to bring the kids over to have a meal together.


    Hanna and a few maids assisted her in the kitchen. Thedies seemed to have fun cooking.


    In the evening, the house was bustling with life when the children showed up.


    The bodyguards and maids were super happy to see the kids. They even prepared snacks and juices


    for them in advance.


    Charlotte spent some time chatting with the trio and realized that they took the eagle to school and


    scared the living daylights out of their teacher.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    It made Charlotteugh boisterously. Nheless, she did not forget to reprimand the kids, ¡°Alpha,


    Beta, and Gamma, do you remember what you''ve promised me? You''re not supposed to bring Fifi to


    school. We need to be considerate. Your teachers and ssmates might not have seen an eagle


    before. That''s why they were frightened to see such a bird.¡±


    The children sighed in unison.


    Feeling wronged, Alpha pouted. ¡°I told my friends yesterday that we have an eagle at home. I did ask if


    they wanted to see it, to which the whole ss responded enthusiastically. That''s why I brought Fifi to


    school.¡±


    ¡°That''s right. A few of our ssmates even indicated that we''re telling lies if we don''t bring the eagle to


    school.¡± Beta frowned and continued angrily, ¡°That''s the reason why we brought it to school to show it


    to them.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that''s true.¡± Gamma nodded. ¡°Mommy says that we ought to be trustworthy, and we did exactly


    that!¡±


    Charlotte struggled toe up with an appropriate response. Well, the kids do have a point. It''s just


    that...


    ¡°Who knew that the teacher was a coward and fainted on the spot,¡± Alphained with a disdainful


    look on his face. ¡°And so did a few kids in the ss. In fact, those were the ones who taunted us the


    loudest!¡±


    Beta nodded firmly. ¡°Exactly!¡±


    ¡°Here you go, that''s what happened. We didn''t tell lies.¡± Gamma eximed in delight, ¡°We are good


    children!¡±


    Upon hearing that, Charlotte did not know what to do with them. Before she could say anything, Ellie


    came out from the bathroom and lectured them with a straight face, ¡°Alpha, Beta, and Gamma, what


    did I tell you when we were on the way here?¡±


    ¡°We...¡± The three kids exchanged nces with one another. They stuck out their tongues but kept


    quiet.


    ¡°It''s good to keep your promise. However, we must be mindful of the situation.¡± Ellie gave them a piece


    of her mind, ¡°For example, if a thief or a bad guy leads you to do something nasty, and you happened


    to say yes. Do you think you should still help him?¡±


    A brief reprimand caused the kids to be stumped.


    ¡°We must first weigh the consequences and find out if it''s the right thing to do before we act, right?¡±


    Ellie went on.


    ¡°But it''s not a bad thing to bring Fifi to school, is it?¡± Alpha raised her hand and asked softly.


    ¡°Aunt Charlotte has addressed that just now.¡± Ellie exined again patiently, ¡°Regr people have


    never seen an eagle in real life, so they are bound to get scared when they actually see one. That''s


    why a few of your teachers and ssmates fainted on the spot. Don''t you feel bad upon seeing what


    your action has caused them?¡±


    ¡°Yes...¡± The three children said in unison.


    Upon heoring thot, Chorlotte did not know whot to do with them. Before she could soy onything, Ellie


    come out from the bothroom ond lectured them with o stroight foce, ¡°Alpho, Beto, ond Gommo, whot


    did I tell you when we were on the woy here?¡±


    ¡°We...¡± The three kids exchonged glonces with one onother. They stuck out their tongues but kept


    quiet.


    ¡°It''s good to keep your promise. However, we must be mindful of the situotion.¡± Ellie gove them o piece


    of her mind, ¡°For exomple, if o thief or o bod guy leods you to do something nosty, ond you hoppened


    to soy yes. Do you think you should still help him?¡±


    A brief reprimond coused the kids to be stumped.


    ¡°We must first weigh the consequences ond find out if it''s the right thing to do before we oct, right?¡±


    Ellie went on.


    ¡°But it''s not o bod thing to bring Fifi to school, is it?¡± Alpho roised her hond ond osked softly.


    ¡°Aunt Chorlotte hos oddressed thot just now.¡± Ellie exploined ogoin potiently, ¡°Regulor people hove


    never seen on eogle in reol life, so they ore bound to get scored when they octuolly see one. Thot''s


    why o few of your teochers ond clossmotes fointed on the spot. Don''t you feel bod upon seeing whot


    your oction hos coused them?¡±


    ¡°Yes...¡± The three children soid in unison.

 Chapter 1434

    Chapter 1434


    q¡°Good. Now,e on over and have some snacks.¡± Jamie eased the situation and ended the topic.


    As an elder brother, he was always doting on his three little sisters.


    ¡°Hmm... Jamie did it again. He''s the one spoiling them instead of teaching them a lesson.¡± Ellie shook


    her head helplessly and proimed like an adult, ¡°I have no choice but to be the bad guy here.¡±


    ¡°Haha! It must be hard on you.¡± Charlotte caressed her face and urged, ¡°Go ahead and have some


    snacks.¡±


    ¡°All right, I''ll bring them to wash their hands first.¡± Ellie had be very responsible ever since she


    was made a big sister.


    Jamie assisted her to take care of the three younger girls whereas Robbie headed upstairs with his


    laptop. Thetter even requested the maid to deliver some snacks to his room.


    ¡°Robbie, don''t you want to hang out and eat with us?¡± Charlotte was concerned.


    ¡°Myptop is running out of battery. I need to go back to my room and work on something,¡± Robbie


    replied briefly and then darted to his room.


    Charlotte was well aware that he was anxious about Francesco. Her heart ached when she saw him


    behaving in that way. Desperate moments call for desperate measures. I have to try whatever that


    works...


    Charlotte took over the snacks from the maid and decided to personally deliver them to Robbie.


    When she opened the door, Robbie was typing speedily on his keyboard. He heard someoneing in


    and simply responded without lifting his head, ¡°Just leave them on the table. Thanks.¡±


    Charlotte did exactly what he asked for, but she did not leave the room. Instead, she sat down quietly


    next to him.


    ¡°You may leave...¡± He stopped when he raised his head. ¡°Oh, it''s you, Mommy.¡±


    ¡°I came to bring you some snacks.¡± Charlotte gazed at him lovingly. ¡°Don''t be so stressed. Have some


    snacks before continuing your work.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Robbie saved his document, washed his hands, and returned to eat.


    ¡°Robbie, how is the lead on your aunt?¡± Charlotte brushed some hair off his forehead.


    ¡°Yes, I am. I could clearly see the clues right below my nose, but I keep getting stuck at the same spot.¡±


    Knitting his brows, Robbie vented his frustration.


    ¡°Daddy''s health is getting worse. I heard from Mr. Ben that he has only sixteen days left to live. During


    this critical period, we must locate Francesco. But first, we must find Aunt and contact Uncle Dan via


    her. Then, we''ll be able to get to the doctor. We''re running out of time...¡±


    ¡°Don''t get too worked up, Robbie,¡± Charlotteforted him, ¡°Mr. Ben and Mr. Bruce areing up with


    a solution, and so am I. This is not your burden to bear for you''re only a child. You just need to do your


    best.¡±


    Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    ¡°But I want to save daddy...¡± Robbie choked up as he thought about his father''s illness. ¡°It wasn''t easy


    for the both of you to make up. Now that your wedding is just around the corner, Jamie, Ellie, and I are


    going to have a happy family soon. I don''t want to lose daddy at this juncture, he...¡± Tears streaked his


    little face.


    ¡°Oh, Robbie!¡± Charlotte hugged him tightly. Her heart wrenched seeing him so downcast. ¡°It''s all my


    fault. If only I had detected the issue earlier and stayed in H City for the treatment instead of bringing


    Dr. Felch to Erihal... Perhaps things would be different for your daddy...¡±


    ¡°Mommy, we don''t have time toment now. We need to find a way soonest possible.¡± Robbie


    panicked. ¡°Can you try contacting Uncle Gordon and Uncle Sean?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± She nodded. ¡°I''ve been trying to get in touch with them, but...¡±


    Charlotte was in a dilemma. If I don''t reach out to them, Zachary''s life is at stake, and we''ll lose ourst


    trace of hope. If I do, I might get Danrique implicated in the process.


    ¡°Are you out of contact with them? Is someone tracking them down through themunication device


    that they are using?¡± It was a piece of cake for Robbie to see through the dilemma Charlotte was in.


    ¡°Yup.¡± She nodded. ¡°It''s been an extreme challenge to do sotely. Anyway, I''ll try my luck and make a


    trip to Mount Phoenix.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Robbie!¡± Chorlotte hugged him tightly. Her heort wrenched seeing him so downcost. ¡°It''s oll my


    foult. If only I hod detected the issue eorlier ond stoyed in H City for the treotment insteod of bringing


    Dr. Felch to Erihol... Perhops things would be different for your doddy...¡±


    ¡°Mommy, we don''t hove time to loment now. We need to find o woy soonest possible.¡± Robbie


    ponicked. ¡°Con you try contocting Uncle Gordon ond Uncle Seon?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± She nodded. ¡°I''ve been trying to get in touch with them, but...¡±


    Chorlotte wos in o dilemmo. If I don''t reoch out to them, Zochory''s life is ot stoke, ond we''ll lose our lost


    troce of hope. If I do, I might get Donrique implicoted in the process.


    ¡°Are you out of contoct with them? Is someone trocking them down through themunicotion device


    thot they ore using?¡± It wos o piece of coke for Robbie to see through the dilemmo Chorlotte wos in.


    ¡°Yup.¡± She nodded. ¡°It''s been on extreme chollenge to do so lotely. Anywoy, I''ll try my luck ond moke o


    trip to Mount Phoenix.¡±

 Chapter 1435

    Chapter 1435


    q¡°What do you n to do at Mount Phoenix?¡± Robbie waspletely baffled. ¡°Dr. Felch is no longer


    there.¡±


    ¡°I was just thinking that Dr. Felch might have some books or records of some sort left in his house,


    which could shed some light into providing a cure for the poison.¡±


    She added, ¡°Also, Hayley and the rest are quite knowledgeable in medicine. I would like to invite them


    over to check on your daddy. Whether they could heal himpletely, that''s secondary. We could


    really use their help and expertise, especially during an emergency. It''s better than just letting it be,¡±


    Charlotte shared her thoughts openly.


    ¡°All right. You go ahead and do that, Mommy.¡± Robbie nodded firmly. ¡°Rest assured that I''m with you all


    the way.¡±


    ¡°I''ll discuss with your daddy tonight.¡± She hugged him. ¡°Now, be good and finish your snacks. Don''t


    overwork yourself, okay? I''m heading downstairs.¡±


    ¡°Sure, mommy.¡±


    When she went downstairs, Zachary was already home. He was instantly surrounded by the children


    because he brought along with him a ton of snacks and a handful of beautiful dolls.


    ¡°Whoa, these are so pretty!¡± the three children sang in unison. ¡°Uncle Zachary, are these for us?¡±


    ¡°Yes, all of these are my gifts to you. Wee to our home.¡± Zachary bent down to the child''s eye level


    and patted their heads gently.


    ¡°Thank you, Uncle Zachary!¡±


    ¡°Ellie, Jamie, go and pick your favorites too. See if there''s something you''d like to eat.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine. I''m a boy. I don''t y girls'' toys and neither do I like junk food,¡± Jamie straightened his back


    and dered his stance like a man.


    ¡°Hahaha!¡± Zachary burst intoughter. ¡°I''ll y ser with youter.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, awesome!¡± Jamie nodded repeatedly.


    ¡°No way,¡± Charlotte objected to the idea. ¡°Your daddy needs to keep mepany tonight. Jamie, you


    can y with Mr. Marino.¡±


    ¡°All right. I get it. Mommyes first.¡± Being an obedient child, Jamie winked at his father and


    reminded him, ¡°Daddy, stick with Mommy. You''d better be nice to her.¡±


    ¡°Haha, you cheeky rascal!¡± he chortled while pinching his son''s face.


    These few days were perhaps the most he had everughed in his life. He felt extremely positive and


    delighted at everything.


    Seeing how happy he was, Charlotte could not help but feel a tinge of sadness.


    She was of the opinion that he was just trying to keep his spirits up, seeking joy amidst his sorrows.


    With each passing day, she was truly afraid of losing himpletely...


    ¡°What''s the matter?¡± Zachary reached out to pinch her cheek lovingly when he saw how preupied


    she was. ¡°Are you sulking because I didn''t get you any toys?¡±


    ¡°Tsk!¡± Charlotte smiled sheepishly. ¡°Howe you''re home so early today?¡± Habitually, she ran her


    arms around his.


    ¡°Because I missed you.¡± He leaned over and kissed her.


    ¡°Oh dear, this gives me goosebumps.¡± Ellie covered her eyes and scurried away.


    ¡°Hahaha...¡± Jamie chuckled and went out to y.


    ¡°How could you do that in front of the children? Hmm...¡± Before she could push him away, he acted fast


    and sealed her lips with another kiss.


    Hugging her in his arms, he lifted her head and nted yet another passionate kiss.


    Although it onlysted for several seconds, it was enough to make Charlotte''s heart skip a beat,


    especially when it happened in the living room in front of so many pairs of eyes.


    ¡°Let''s return to our room,¡± he said suggestively as he nibbled on her earlobe. ¡°I''ve got something to tell


    you...¡±


    ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡± Blushing, Charlotte nodded. ¡°I have something to discuss with you too.¡±


    With that, both of them interlocked their fingers together and strode upstairs.


    The maids and bodyguards turned green with envy. Everyone was really happy at how things had


    turned out for them.


    Back in the room, Zachary took out a stack of documents. He then passed her a pen and instructed,


    ¡°Sign them.¡±


    ¡°What are they?¡± Charlotte wanted to read first but was stopped by Zachary.


    He ced his hand on the documents and urged, ¡°Quick, sign it.¡±


    ¡°Becouse I missed you.¡± He leoned over ond kissed her.


    ¡°Oh deor, this gives me goosebumps.¡± Ellie covered her eyes ond scurried owoy.


    ¡°Hohoho...¡± Jomie chuckled ond went out to ploy.


    ¡°How could you do thot in front of the children? Hmm...¡± Before she could push him owoy, he octed fost


    ond seoled her lips with onother kiss.


    Hugging her in his orms, he lifted her heod ond plonted yet onother possionote kiss.


    Although it only losted for severol seconds, it wos enough to moke Chorlotte''s heort skip o beot,


    especiolly when it hoppened in the living room in front of so mony poirs of eyes.


    ¡°Let''s return to our room,¡± he soid suggestively os he nibbled on her eorlobe. ¡°I''ve got something to tell


    you...¡±


    N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.


    ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡± Blushing, Chorlotte nodded. ¡°I hove something to discuss with you too.¡±


    With thot, both of them interlocked their fingers together ond strode upstoirs.


    The moids ond bodyguords turned green with envy. Everyone wos reolly hoppy ot how things hod


    turned out for them.


    Bock in the room, Zochory took out o stock of documents. He then possed her o pen ond instructed,


    ¡°Sign them.¡±


    ¡°Whot ore they?¡± Chorlotte wonted to reod first but wos stopped by Zochory.


    He ploced his hond on the documents ond urged, ¡°Quick, sign it.¡±

 Chapter 1436

    Chapter 1436


    q¡°What is it? Why are you so fearful for me to read them?¡± Charlotte was amused.


    ¡°Hurry up and sign it already.¡± Zachary was getting impatient. ¡°Are you worried that I might trick you?¡±


    ¡°No, it''s not that.¡± She knew he had no malicious intention against her. So, she signed her name on the


    document as he had requested. Subsequently, Zachary handed her a stamp pad for her to affix her


    thumbprint.


    As soon as she hadpleted the signature, Zachary removed his hand on the contract. Charlotte was


    stunned when she read the title. It was a stock transfer agreement!


    Baffled, she asked, ¡°What''s this? What are you trying to do?¡±


    ¡°Are you scared that I''m selling you off?¡± he teased her while packing away the contract. ¡°Don''t worry, a


    skinny woman like you isn''t worth much. Moreover, I''m reluctant to let you go.¡±


    Then, he kissed her forehead and left the room.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Charlotte called out for him.


    ¡°To the study room. I''ll be back in a jiffy.¡± He did not even turn his head.


    All he wanted to do as soonest possible was to sort out his post-death matters, including matters


    rted to his will.


    Otherwise, he was afraid that the remaining time he had was not sufficient for him to list down the


    handover matters for such a big corporation.


    Although Charlotte did not see what was written on the papers, she was well aware of his intentions


    and purpose in doing so.


    He knows that he doesn''t have much time left. So, he''s making all the necessary arrangements within


    the limited time that he has.


    The more she thought about it, the more worked up she became. Coincidentally, Hayley called.


    ¡°Hi, Hayley,¡± Charlotte answered right away.


    ¡°Charlotte! It''s great to hear from you again. Is everything okay?¡±


    Many things had happened after Charlotte was rescued from Louis who kidnapped her. She had not


    had a proper chance to call Hayley and only had her subordinate pass a message.


    ¡°I''m fine,¡± Charlotte replied. ¡°I''m sorry for not calling you sooner, Hayley. These couple of days have


    been crazy. Nheless, did you get the message I sent via a subordinate?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I did. I was informed that you were fine, but I still wanted to verify it with you in person.¡± Hayley


    heaved a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± A fuzzy feeling rose within Charlotte. ¡°Hayley, did Dr. Felch leave behind any books


    rted to medicines? Is there anything written about curing poisons? Additionally, do you know if he


    had a way to contact Francesco?¡±


    ¡°He did leave some books behind, but I''m unsure if they are helpful to you.¡± Hayley continued, ¡°As for


    Francesco''s contact, I really have no idea. Let me go look for it. Coincidentally, I''m sorting out Dr.


    Felch''s belongingstely.¡±


    ¡°I''ll pay a visit one of these days.¡± Charlotte was feeling hopeful. ¡°Don''t chuck away his stuff, they might


    come in handy.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Hayley nodded. ¡°Be more vignt when you''re out and about. Fingers crossed nothing


    untoward will ever happen again. Sam and I are still frightened to our wits from thest incident that


    befell you.¡±


    ¡°No worries. I''ll be fine.¡± After assuring Hayley, Charlotte went to see Zachary in his study.


    Right when she was about to knock on the door, it opened. Rodney walked out and greeted her politely


    with a bow, ¡°Mrs. Nacht.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Charlotte was startled. Before she could connect the dots, Zachary''s crispughter sounded


    from the room. ¡°Haha, you''ve got a brilliant future!¡±


    Rodney courteously nodded at the duo and left.


    With her face turning scarlet, Charlotte entered the room and asked, ¡°What did he address me as?¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Nacht.¡± Gazing at her, Zachary was all smiles. ¡°People around me are aware that we''re getting


    married. There''s no turning back, Mrs. Nacht.¡±


    ¡°How did Mr. Williams find out about it when you haven''t even announced the news?¡± Charlotte''s


    beaming face had given her true feelings away.


    ¡°Well, the upper management knows it.¡± Zachary pulled her into his embrace. ¡°Wake up earlier


    tomorrow. Dress up nicely and apany me to the office.¡±


    ¡°To the office?¡± Charlotte was nervous. ¡°Why do I need to go there with you?¡±


    ¡°We''re tying the knot, so I should formally introduce you to the various departments. In addition, you


    can assist me with some work since you''re not that busy recently.¡± Zachary pinched her cheeks. ¡°You


    should learn how to share my burdens. Get it?¡±


    ¡°No worries. I''ll be fine.¡± After ossuring Hoyley, Chorlotte went to see Zochory in his study.


    Right when she wos obout to knock on the door, it opened. Rodney wolked out ond greeted her politely


    with o bow, ¡°Mrs. Nocht.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Chorlotte wos stortled. Before she could connect the dots, Zochory''s crisp loughter sounded


    from the room. ¡°Hoho, you''ve got o brilliont future!¡±


    Rodney courteously nodded ot the duo ond left.


    With her foce turning scorlet, Chorlotte entered the room ond osked, ¡°Whot did he oddress me os?¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Nocht.¡± Gozing ot her, Zochory wos oll smiles. ¡°People oround me ore owore thot we''re getting


    morried. There''s no turning bock, Mrs. Nocht.¡±


    ¡°How did Mr. Willioms find out obout it when you hoven''t even onnounced the news?¡± Chorlotte''s


    beoming foce hod given her true feelings owoy.


    ¡°Well, the upper monogement knows it.¡± Zochory pulled her into his embroce. ¡°Woke up eorlier


    tomorrow. Dress up nicely ond opony me to the office.¡±


    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°To the office?¡± Chorlotte wos nervous. ¡°Why do I need to go there with you?¡±


    ¡°We''re tying the knot, so I should formolly introduce you to the vorious deportments. In oddition, you


    con ossist me with some work since you''re not thot busy recently.¡± Zochory pinched her cheeks. ¡°You


    should leorn how to shore my burdens. Get it?¡±

 Chapter 1437

    Chapter 1437


    qDeep down, Charlotte knew that the only reason Zachary did that was to make her familiarize with the


    operations of thepany. When he was no longer around, he hoped that she could take over Nacht


    Group.


    Her heart sank at that thought. Yet, she brushed it aside and replied with a smile, ¡°Duly noted.


    However, I want to pay Mount Phoenix a visit. I missed the chance to pay my final respect to Dr.


    Felch''s thest time, and I felt really bad about it. Hence, I really wanted to go visit his grave.¡±


    ¡°You can go there next time.¡± Zachary held her hands and said, ¡°I don''t want you to leave me now.¡±


    ¡°I''ll only be gone for a day. I asked Morgan to arrange for a private jet to take me there in the morning.


    I''ll be home in the evening.¡± Charlotte pacified him, ¡°Don''t you worry. I''ll bring more people along on this


    trip. Rest assured that nothing bad will happen.¡±


    Actually, she had no intention of leaving Zachary''s side too, especially at this critical moment. Time was


    not on their side. How she wished to stay with him forever and ever!


    ¡°Okay then.¡± He gave in to her decision. ¡°Let me take over the arrangement of the private jet and get


    someone to send you over.¡±


    Charlotte agreed. ¡°Sure, I shall set off tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°All right, leave it to me.¡± He kissed her forehead. ¡°Go and spend some time with the kids. I need to


    work on a document.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± As soon as Charlotte exited the study room, the smile on her face faded. It was reced with a


    frown and a heavy heart.


    I might not gain anything from this trip to Mount Phoenix. Anyhow, I must stay hopeful. I must try my


    best and have a positive mindset even if the chance of sess is slim.


    ¡°Dinner is ready, Mrs. Nacht,¡± Hanna announced in a gentle tone.


    Charlotte was taken aback. Immediately, she responded with a question, ¡°What did you call me, Mrs.


    Rawlston?¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Nacht,¡± Hanna replied with a wide smile. ¡°You and Mr. Zachary are getting married. So, we


    should address your title correctly.¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Nacht!¡± Right then, Cain, the bodyguard reported, ¡°The private jet is all set to take off at eight


    tomorrow morning. We will return at nine at night. Is that fine?¡±


    ¡°Yes, this will do. Thank you for your help.¡± Charlotte nodded approvingly.


    ¡°I shall help you to pack your luggage, Mrs. Nacht.¡± All the maids in the house began to address her as


    such.


    Charlotte felt slightly awkward with her new title. In fact, she was feeling uneasy about the change.


    ¡°You''ll get used to it.¡± Hanna stroked her back dotingly. ¡°I shall bring the kids down for dinner.¡±


    ¡°Let me do that. The bunch of monkeys are too noisy,¡± Charlotte said casually. ¡°Could you get Zachary


    instead?¡±


    ¡°Sure, Mrs. Nacht.¡± Hanna let out a smile before heading upstairs.


    Shortly after Charlotte headed out to the garden to look for the children, she heard a sudden scream


    from Hanna. Terrified, she went back in. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Oh, nothing, Mrs. Nacht. I identally knocked over something and smashed it to pieces.¡±


    When Charlotte dashed upstairs, she found Hanna.


    ¡°Where''s Zachary?¡± She darted toward the study room, and she bumped into Ben, who was walking


    out. ¡°Mr. Nacht is getting changed. He will head down very soon.¡±


    ¡°Is everything all right with him?¡±


    Charlotte''s heart was pounding rapidly as her face turned pale. Yet, she stopped in her tracks.


    ¡°Everything''s fine,¡± Ben assured her. ¡°Why don''t you wait downstairs? We will be down in a minute.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Charlotte took a quick nce at the door and went away.


    Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    The flight of stairs felt like a never-ending winding road through the hills. She trudged through each


    step with immense difficulty.


    At that point, she felt like a big rock had knocked the breath right out of her, leaving her gasping for air.


    Something must have happened to Zachary, but Ben and Mrs. Rawlston didn''t want the children and


    me to know. So, they are covering up for him.


    A dark cloud was hanging over Charlotte''s head. She wanted to rush in and embrace Zachary so badly.


    At the same time, she knew that it would be a bitter pill for him to swallow if she did that.


    He was always a proud person; more arrogant than anyone she knew. He would never ever let her see


    him at his worst. Therefore, she could only pretend to be ignorant as a wave of sorrow enveloped her


    bleeding heart.

 Chapter 1438

    Chapter 1438


    qAfter washing their hands, the kids took their seats at the dining table. Their tiny faces lit up as they


    looked forward to devouring the sumptuous dishes on the table. However, they did not dare to make


    any move until Charlotte and Zachary were present.


    Charlotte helped out in the kitchen while waiting for Zachary toe down from upstairs.


    Pacing back and forth, she was very anxious. When she was about to check on him again, Marino


    showed up and informed her, ¡°Mrs. Nacht, Mr. Nacht asks that you go ahead with the children first.


    There''s an urgent matter which needs his attention.¡±


    Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    Hearing that, Charlotte''s trembled in fear. She knew it at once that Zachary''s condition had worsened.


    Yet, she had to maintain herposure and not make the children worry.


    I must stay calm.


    ¡°Okay, got it,¡± she said, suppressing her bad feelings. She put on a straight face and feigned calmness.


    ¡°Mrs. Rawlston, please save some for Zachary and Ben. The kids and I will eat first.¡±


    ¡°Sure, Mrs. Nacht,¡± Mrs. Rawlston choked on her words as she spoke, but she, too, tried to be


    composed.


    ¡°All right, darlings, let''s dig in,¡± Charlotte invited the little ones for dinner.


    Immediately, they started eating without hesitation.


    Ellie was concerned. ¡°Mommy, why is Daddy so busy?¡±


    ¡°Ya, can''t he work after dinner?¡± Jamie looked in the direction of the staircase. ¡°Shall I bring him some


    food?¡±


    ¡°Oh, there''s no need for that. Daddy is still working, so let''s not disturb him. Once he''s done, he will


    come down.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°Why do you have so much to ask? Just eat your food,¡± Robbie barked.


    Jamie was taken aback by the sudden reprimand. Feeling wronged, he grumbled, ¡°Why did you yell at


    me, Robbie?¡±


    ¡°Just eat your food.¡± Robbie red at him.


    ¡°You have a terrible attitude, Robbie.¡± Jamie was enraged. ¡°You''re always sullen and scolding others


    for no apparent reason. How annoying!¡±


    ¡°Oh, Jamie...¡± Right when Charlotte was about to coax him, Robbie rose to his feet and left the table.


    ¡°Look at him, Mommy!¡± Jamie went ballistic. He pointed at Robbie andined, ¡°He had a run-in


    with me out of a sudden and then stormed off. This is too much!¡±


    ¡°Don''t be so upset, Jamie.¡± Charlotteforted him with a hug. ¡°I''ll go check on Robbie. You guys


    continue with your dinner.¡±


    With that, Charlotte trotted after Robbie, only to find him by theke in the garden, all alone.


    He was furiously punching and kicking the tree bark. Though his knuckles were wounded, he had no


    intention to stop.


    Charlotte gazed at him from afar. She did not stop him nor disturb him. Tears streaked her face as she


    felt so sorry for both Zachary and Robbie.


    Jamie used Robbie of simply taking out his anger on others. Little did he know that Robbie had


    been going through a tough time, shouldering immense pressure.


    He knew that Zachary''s condition had worsened to a detrimental stage. Hence, he exhausted all


    means to look for Francesco, but to no avail. All of these unfavorable happenings hadnded him in a


    state of anxiousness and panic.


    Therefore, when faced with the immaturity of his siblings, Robbie lost control of his emotions and


    ended upshing out at Jamie.


    Charlottepletely understood how he felt and the emotional turmoil that he was going through. Her


    heart sank every time she thought about the immeasurable pressure that Robbie had to face as a child.


    ¡°Why? Why?¡± After releasing his anger, Robbie sat on the ground and started bawling his eyes out.


    Charlotte did not console him right away. She remained watchful from a distance, giving him the time


    and space he needed to regte his emotions. Perhaps, he will feel much better after this.


    After what seemed like an eternity, Robbie wiped away his tears and asked Charlotte, who appeared


    before him. ¡°Mommy, when are you going to Mount Phoenix?¡±


    ¡°First thing tomorrow morning.¡± She propped him up and bandaged his wounds with a handkerchief.


    Sobbing, she said, ¡°Robbie, I know how awful you feel about all these. I also understand that you''re


    under a lot of pressure. Though I have no idea how to make you feel better, I want you to be well.


    Leave the rest to me, will you?¡±

 Chapter 1439

    Chapter 1439


    q¡°Let''s do our best together.¡± Robbie''s voice was a little hoarse. ¡°We can put our heads together and


    think of a solution.¡±


    ¡°Robbie...¡± Charlotte felt bad for him. ¡°You''re still so young. I don''t want you to feel burdened.¡±


    ¡°I want to save Daddy.¡± Furrowing his little eyebrows, the boy maintained a stubborn expression. ¡°I''m


    sure I can solve the problem. Also, I have requested Mr. Sterk toe and help.¡±


    ¡°All right. We will think of something together.¡± Heart aching for her son, she reached out to hug him.


    ¡°Let''s go back now. I''ll help you put on some medication.¡±


    ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡± Obediently, Robbie went back inside with Charlotte. ¡°Mommy, you should check on


    Daddy and see if¡ª¡±


    ¡°He doesn''t want us to see him. Let''s not make it any more difficult for him, all right?¡± she exhorted as


    her eyes reddened.


    ¡°I understand.¡± Robbie lowered his head.


    Back in the dining room, Jamie turned his head away petntly when he saw Robbie.


    ¡°Robbie, what happened to your hand?¡± When Ellie saw that Robbie''s hand was injured, she rushed to


    his side. ¡°Oh, you''re hurt!¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± Morgan hurried over to check on him. ¡°Robbie, how did you hurt yourself?¡±


    ¡°Bring him to dress his wound,¡± Charlotte instructed.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Morgan did as she was told.


    When Jamie saw that Robbie''s hand was wounded, he could not help but worry, so he caught up to


    them and said, ¡°Robbie, let me help you.¡±


    ¡°Jamie, I''m sorry about just now. I didn''t mean to lose my temper at you.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry about it. I''m used to it.¡±


    ¡°Erm...¡±


    ¡°After all, you''re the eldest. There''s nothing I can do about you scolding me.¡±


    ¡°That sounds about right.¡±


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°Hahaha...¡±


    Given that they were still kids, they patched up their rtionship in the blink of an eye.


    Looking at both of them, Charlotte felt a surge of warmth in her heart. Even though she continued


    eating with the children, she barely had any appetite. Instead, she kept looking upstairs and wondered


    how Zachary was coping.


    Meanwhile, in the study on the second floor, Zachary was lying on the sofa. With a face as pale as a


    sheet, he seemed extremely weak.


    ¡°Raina is on her way. You should have a drink first.¡±


    Ben helped Zachary up and wanted to feed him some water.


    However, Zachary made a gesture of rejection.


    After lying down for half an hour, he had gradually recovered from the earlier shock. As a result, his


    mind began to clear.


    ¡°We can''t keep this up.¡± With red-rimmed eyes, Ben asked, ¡°Should we go to the hospital?¡±


    Too weak to speak, Zachary closed his eyes.


    A second before he copsed, thest thing he told Ben was to hide his condition from Charlotte and


    the children.


    That was the only thing that mattered to him.


    Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    In fact, he was not even hoping to survive.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht...¡±


    Looking at Zachary''s condition, Ben felt tears welling up in his eyes. If it were possible, he would dly


    suffer on his behalf.


    In the meantime, Raina arrived with her assistant in haste. However, when she entered the hall and


    saw Charlotte with the children, she slowed down and feigned a rxed manner as she said, ¡°Mrs.


    Nacht, I''m here to change the dressing for Mr. Nacht''s wound.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡± Despite feeling worried, Charlotte put up a calm front.


    ¡°All right.¡± Raina nodded before rushing upstairs with her assistant.


    ¡°Quick!¡± Marino was waiting for them by the staircase.


    The moment Raina entered the room and saw Zachary lying on the sofa, her knees buckled, but she


    forced herself to rush to his side. After examining his condition while kneeling, she gave him his


    medication.


    ¡°What medication is that? Will it be of any use?¡± Ben asked.


    ¡°I spoke to Dr. Wright before I came,¡± Raina exined in a low voice. ¡°She suggested this.¡±


    ¡°What else did she say?¡± Ben probed. ¡°Does she have any other ideas?¡±


    Raina shook her head dejectedly but said nothing else.


    After taking the medication, Zachary gradually fell asleep. His expression eased significantlypared


    to before.


    Putting a nket over him, Raina exined, ¡°Let him sleep. He will feel much better once he wakes


    up.¡±

 Chapter 1440

    Chapter 1440


    q¡°What did Dr. Wright say? Why did he go into shock suddenly?¡± Ben was extremely anxious.


    This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°She said that going into shock is considered the best-case scenario.¡± Raina sounded pessimistic. ¡°If


    not for Mr. Nacht''s strong constitution, I''m afraid...¡±


    Upon hearing that sentence, he mmed his fist against the wall in frustration.


    Boom! Along with the shaking wall, everyone''s heart sank.


    That dire circumstance weighed heavily on everyone''s minds.


    ¡°With Dr. Wright''s help, we have been trying to contact doctors from all over the world. Unfortunately,


    everyone backed out after hearing about his condition.¡± Raina could not help but sigh. ¡°I''m feeling


    equally distraught. Given the circumstances, we can''t afford to experiment with other treatments too.¡±


    ¡°Did you hear anything from Bruce?¡± Marino asked softly.


    ¡°No.¡± Ben shook his head.


    ¡°What about Ms. Lindberg?¡± Raina questioned.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg has been brainstorming ideas non-stop. However, she has lost contact with Sean and


    Gordon,¡± Ben exined. ¡°Considering that Mr. Lindberg''s enemies are hunting him down, it''s not a


    surprise that they have cut offmunications.¡±


    ¡°What are we going to do?¡± Raina''s brows were deeply furrowed.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg ns to go to Mount Phoenix tomorrow and see what she can find at Dr. Felch''s,¡±


    Marino revealed softly. ¡°I heard from Morgan that Dr. Felch left many medical books there before his


    death. Perhaps, Ms. Lindberg wants to search Dr. Felch''s study for any clues on how to contact


    Francesco.¡±


    ¡°Great, great. That''s a good idea.¡± Ben nodded repeatedly. ¡°Maybe she can discover something useful.¡±


    ¡°Mmm, I hope that''s the case.¡± Raina felt hopeful again. ¡°But we don''t have much time left. If we don''t


    find Francesco soon, it will¡ª¡±


    ¡°It''s premature to talk about that now. Anyway, you should stay here for the next few days in case


    something happens to Mr. Nacht,¡± Ben instructed. ¡°In the meantime, I''ll help him back to his room.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    When Raina came downstairs, she told Charlotte she had re-dressed Zachary''s wound and that he fell


    asleep due to his weak condition.


    Immediately, Charlotte went upstairs to check on him and found him sleeping in his bed peacefully.


    Afraid that she would feel distressed, Ben carefully exined, ¡°Mr. Nacht was just too tired. He will be


    better when he wakes up.¡±


    ¡°Stop hiding it from me. Did he pass out?¡± It sounded like there was a lump in her throat as she spoke.


    ¡°No,¡± he replied softly, ¡°he was in shock.¡±


    Closing her eyes, she swallowed the sigh that almost left her lips.


    ¡°He has been given his medication and should wake up tomorrow morning,¡± Benforted her. ¡°You


    should stay with him. I''ll take my leave first.¡±


    Charlotte nodded in response before shifting her gaze to Zachary.


    Overwhelmed by heartache and anxiety, she could not stop herself from giving Danrique another call.


    However, she was still unable to get through to him. The result was the same when she called Sean


    and Gordon.


    Holding her phone in hand, Charlotte sat by the bed with her shoulders slumped.


    At that moment, her only hopey at her trip to Mount Phoenix on the next day. Hopefully, I can find


    some valuable clues in Dr. Felch''s study...


    After wiping Zachary''s body and changing him into his pajamas, Charlotte stayed by his side quietly.


    Tears streamed down her face uncontrobly when she saw how haggard he looked.


    Stricken by remorse, she regretted not setting aside her hatred earlier, not noticing Zachary''s condition,


    and not staying in H City.


    If she had done so back then, Dr. Felch would have been able to treat Zachary. And perhaps, Zachary


    might even be cured by then.


    He would not need to be tormented by his sickness or be in critical condition.


    Consequently, she med herself for everything that had transpired.


    As she dwelled on the past, her tears fell onto Zachary''s face unknowingly.


    When she reached out to help him wipe it away, she felt a warm palm grip her hand. Then, a raspy


    voice murmured, ¡°I''m not dead yet. Don''t worry.¡±

 Chapter 1441

    Chapter 1441


    qThe moment Charlotte heard his words, she could not hold back her emotions any longer. Leaning on


    his body, she began to cry her heart out.


    Still weak, Zachary extended his hands to hug her with his eyes closed.


    He was aware that she had long known about his condition.


    This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    Nevertheless, neither of them exposed each other.


    He did not want her to worry while she, too, felt the same way. Hence, both of them hid the truth out of


    concern for each other.


    At that moment, Zachary suddenly realized that all his concerns were unnecessary. He was worried


    that Charlotte would stay by his side out of responsibility and for the children''s sake. However, he


    finally came to understand that she truly loved him.


    By then, Charlotte''s tears had drenched his cor. The sorrowful cries and warm tears of hers were the


    promations of her love for him.


    Although it broke his heart to see her that way, a warm smile graced his lips.


    That was because he suddenly felt that his life wasplete.


    He had achieved the pinnacle of his career, had adorable children, and the love of his life also loved


    him deeply. Everything he wanted was already his.


    The only regret in his life was that he could not grow old with his family.


    At that thought, he felt that it was truly such a pity.


    Charlotte sobbed for a long while before finallying to a stop. With her face still buried in his


    shoulder, her hands reached out to grab a tissue. Only after wiping off her tears did she gradually raise


    her head.


    Zachary chuckled when he saw how snotty she looked. ¡°You''re an ugly monster!¡±


    ¡°You''re the one who''s an ugly monster!¡±


    Even when she turned away to wipe her nose clean, she was still sobbing.


    ¡°Silly girl!¡± His eyes were filled with affection as he looked at her. ¡°You should take a shower.¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡±


    Momentster, Charlotte came out of the bathroom. Her long hair was in a bun, while her body was


    only wrapped in a towel. Instead of putting on clothes, she burrowed down beneath the covers and


    leaned against the man''s warm body.


    Putting his arm over her shoulder, Zachary pulled her into his embrace and pecked her on the


    forehead.


    Just like a kitten, Charlotte curled meekly in his arms. Considering that there was nothing else she


    could do, she resigned herself to staying with him. Only by feeling his heartbeat could she feel at ease.


    None of them talked, simply hugging each other and relishing the moments of serenity.


    ¡°I want you.¡± When Zachary felt her body rubbing against him, he could not help but feel aroused.


    ¡°No.¡± Charlotte was stern. ¡°You ended up this way today because we overdid itst night.¡±


    The moment she spoke, her voice began to quiver again.


    ¡°It has nothing to do with that, silly girl!¡±


    As Zachary ran his hand over her body, the wonderful sensation he felt from her wless skin excited


    him.


    ¡°Stop touching me...¡± Charlotte raised her head and kissed his chin. ¡°Go to sleep at once!¡±


    ¡°How can I fall asleep?¡± Nibbling her earlobe, he began to let his hands wander all over her soft body.


    ¡°Call me Hubby!¡±


    ¡°Hubby!¡± the obedient Charlotte muttered in a kittenish tone.


    ¡°Again!¡±


    ¡°Hubby, Hubby...¡±


    ¡°Good girl!¡± Zachary lowered his head to kiss her.


    However, Charlotte felt nervous, so she put her hand on his chest to stop him. ¡°Hubby, no. Your body


    ¡ª¡±


    ¡°Just a kiss.¡±


    Zachary gently kissed her on her forehead, eyes, cheeks, and finally, her lips, leaving his mark all over


    his body.


    Leaning closely to his chest, Charlotte immersed herself in the kisses he wasvishing her with.


    When he kissed her earlobe, he whispered, ¡°Remember this¡ªyou are mine forever. Even if I''m dead


    one day, you will still be mine.¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡± Charlotte nodded with tears in her eyes. She no longer argued with him about his condition


    and gave in to him instead. Whatever orders he issued to her, she would dly oblige, as long as it


    would make him happy.

 Chapter 1442

    Chapter 1442


    qBy the time Zachary awoke the next morning, Charlotte had already left.


    When he touched her pillow and the space beside him, inevitably, he felt deste. All of a sudden, a


    sense of emptiness crept into his heart.


    Before he knew it, he heard his phone ring. It was a message from Charlotte: Hubby, I''m boarding the


    ne now and will be back in the evening. Be a good boy and get some rest! Wait for me toe


    home!


    Her gentle words felt like a ray of sunlight that filled the void in his heart with warmth.


    Moved by her gesture, Zachary broke out into a smile. It never crossed his mind that she could behave


    so obediently.


    If only time could slow down and my life could be extended, everything would be perfect.


    With that thought in mind, Zachary supported his frail body up. He had no time to lose, as he still had to


    deal with a lot of things.


    By the time Charlotte arrived at Mount Phoenix in the afternoon, Hayley and Sam were waiting for her


    at the vige entrance. When they saw her car approach, both of them waved at her excitedly.


    After alighting from her car, Charlotte chatted with them while walking.


    Given that she had missed Dr. Felch''s memorial service, she headed to his grave to pay her respects


    first.


    When they returned home, Charlotte''s subordinates stood guard outside while Sam went to cook. In


    the meantime, Hayley led Charlotte to the study.


    Inside were old wooden shelves filled with all sorts of books. Some of the books were even


    handwritten. Other than that, there were also medicines on the shelves. Everything was neatly


    categorized.


    Hayley exined them to Charlotte one by one, hoping that she could find something useful.


    ¡°Did Dr. Felch ever talk to you about Francesco?¡± Charlotte asked while flipping through the books.


    ¡°What does he look like? How old is he? Where does he stay? Do you have his contact information?


    Any old information would be useful.¡±


    ¡°Actually, Bruce has asked me the same questions before,¡± Hayley replied. ¡°Dr. Felch seldom talked


    about him. In fact, he would be infuriated every time Francesco was brought up. Dr. Felch would call


    him a rascal, a rebel, and nothing else.¡±


    ¡°Try and think harder to see if you can remember any other clues.¡± Charlotte was persistent.


    ¡°As for his age...¡± Hayley thought hard about it. ¡°I remember now. Dr. Felch did scold Francesco for his


    desire to leave the mountain when he thought he had learned everything. Also, he berated him for


    being conceited despite being just a teenager.¡±


    Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    Counting with her hands, she added, ¡°I was taken in as Dr. Felch''s apprentice one year after Francesco


    left. At that time, I was fourteen. In other words, Francesco is probably about my age.¡±


    ¡°That can''t be!¡± Charlotte was shocked. ¡°Hayley, you''re only neen this year. Are you saying that


    Francesco is around the same age as you?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, he might be a little older.¡± Hayley scratched her head. ¡°But anyway, he is still rtively


    young.¡±


    ¡°A teenager is someone below eighteen. Even if he were eighteen then, he would only be twenty-three


    now.¡± Charlotte was baffled. ¡°Is the legendary Francesco only twenty-three? Before this, I assumed


    he''s a middle-aged or elderly man.¡±


    ¡°No, no, no.¡± Hayley shook her head repeatedly. ¡°He''s definitely a young man. When Bruce asked me


    about him, he didn''t inquire about Francesco''s age. Hence, he must have also assumed that


    Francesco''s someone much older.¡±


    ¡°This is good news. Atst, we have a lead.¡± Charlotte was brimming with excitement. ¡°Hayley, do you


    have other clues? Try thinking about it harder.¡±


    ¡°Other clues...¡± Knitting her eyebrows, Hayley continued to rack her brain. ¡°I''m afraid I really don''t have


    anything else for you.¡±


    At that moment, Sam walked in with coffee and interrupted them, ¡°There''s one notable thing about him.


    He likes to keep beasts as pets.¡±


    ¡°That''s right!¡± Hayley shuddered at that thought. ¡°When I first came here, there was a wolf in the


    backyard which belonged to Francesco. Dr. Felch instructed me to feed it, and I was frightened to


    death. In the end, he released it instead.¡±

 Chapter 1443

    Chapter 1443


    qWhen Charlotte heard their words, her mind wandered to Danrique. He, too, enjoyed keeping beasts


    as pets. No wonder he and Francesco are on such good terms.


    ¡°What else is there?¡± she asked.


    ¡°That''s all we have.¡± Hayley shook her head earnestly. ¡°Actually, Bruce asked the same questions


    when he called. I didn''t remember these two points despite racking my brains back then.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine. I''ll let him know.¡±


    With that, Charlotte quickly shared the new information with Bruce before continuing her search in Dr.


    Felch''s study.


    Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    Suddenly, she stumbled upon an old photo. In it was a figure kneeling beside a young wounded wolf.


    It was a photo taken from the side, and the photographer seemed to be standing quite far away. Also, it


    had turned yellow as if it had been submerged in water before. Hence, the already blurry figure was


    harder to discern.


    In spite of that, one could still make out the slender figure in it. He seemed to be a short-haired youth in


    his teenage years, wearing a pair of pants with camouge prints, a green t-shirt, ck rubber shoes,


    and a straw hat.


    ¡°Who is this?¡± Charlotte asked Hayley hurriedly.


    ¡°That''s Francesco,¡± thetter answered in delight. ¡°Charlotte, where did you find this?¡±


    ¡°That''s Francesco?¡± Charlotte put the photo underneath the light to get a better look. Nheless, it


    was simply too blurry to make anything out of it. Other than the slender figure, nothing else could be


    seen.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Hayley nodded. ¡°When I first came here, the photo was here in the study. However, it went


    missing after some books and medications were moved. How did you find it?¡±


    ¡°Are there any other photos?¡±


    Feeling excited, Charlotte took a picture of the photo and sent it to Ben and Bruce so that they could


    run investigations ording to the lead.


    ¡°No, that''s the only one.¡± Hayley was sure of it. ¡°Dr. Felch said that some university students took this


    photo by ident. After that, they sent the picture over to him. In fact, he mentioned that Francesco


    didn''t like taking photos.¡±


    ¡°Why do you address Francesco by his name instead of his title? Isn''t he a senior to you?¡± Charlotte


    asked while sending Bruce the information.


    ¡°Dr. Felch forbade us from doing so,¡± Hayley exined. ¡°He was upset when Francesco left this ce


    to learn modern medicine because he thought traditional medicine was all that was needed. When


    Francesco disobeyed him, their rtionship soured.¡±


    ¡°That''s right. Later on, Dr. Felch refused to acknowledge him as an apprentice anymore,¡± Sam chimed


    in as he picked something up. ¡°In recent years, Dr. Felch never mentioned him again. If it wasn''t for Mr.


    Nacht¡ª¡±


    He held his tongue at mid-sentence, worried that he would spill something.


    Knowing that they were still trying to hide the truth from her on behalf of Zachary, Charlotte sighed.


    ¡°Considering that I''m here looking for Francesco, don''t you think I already know?¡±


    ¡°Uh, that''s true.¡±


    Hayley and Sam exchanged nces the moment the realization dawned on them.


    Since both of them were not exposed to the outside world, their thought processes were rtively


    simple. Hence, they were less able to connect the dots on many issues.


    ¡°By the way,¡± Charlotte asked, changing the topic, ¡°what are your ns going forward?¡±


    ¡°We don''t have any ns at the moment. All we want to do is repair this house,¡± Sam replied. ¡°It leaks


    when it rains. Thus, I''m worried that Dr. Felch''s books will get wet.¡±


    ¡°I hope you can go back with me,¡± Charlotte requested grimly. ¡°Zachary''s condition is worsening. Since


    we have yet to find Francesco, I''m worried that¡ª¡±


    ¡°Charlotte, we would definitely help since you need us,¡± he quickly replied. ¡°Anyhow, I still hope to


    repair the house before leaving. It may take a couple of days. Is that all right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course.¡± She nodded at once. ¡°In that case, I''ll send someone to pick you two up then. As for


    today, I''ll take some of these books and the photo back with me.¡±


    ¡°No problem!¡±

 Chapter 1444

    Chapter 1444


    qIn the evening, Charlotte picked some books about poison treatments and left Mount Phoenix with the


    photo.


    The golden hue of the setting sun bathed the road down the mountain.


    After Hayley''s and Sam''s figures disappeared from the rearview mirror, she retracted her gaze and


    looked at the old photo she was holding.


    Prior to leaving, she had already sent the photo and all the relevant information she discovered to


    Bruce, hoping that the new leads would assist him in finding Francesco.


    Time waits for no man. As of then, they only had fourteen days left.


    With a heavy heart, Charlotte ordered, ¡°Drive faster so that we can get home sooner.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mrs. Nacht.¡±


    After sleeping for the entire day at home, Zachary forced himself to get up and take a shower before


    going downstairs to dine with the children.


    He thought he had recovered his strength. Unexpectedly, his legs buckled when he was going down


    the steps. If not for Ben catching him, he would have fallen down the staircase.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, I have something to report.¡±


    Pretending that he had something important to share, Ben talked as he walked down the steps with


    Zachary.


    In truth, he was using his own strength to support Zachary.


    As a result, the other subordinates and maids did not realize anything was amiss.


    The moment Zachary arrived downstairs, the children surrounded him.


    ¡°Daddy, Daddy!¡±


    ¡°Uncle Zachary, Uncle Zachary!¡±


    ¡°Hi, kids!¡± Zachary gently pushed Ben away before bending down to pick the children up. To his


    surprise, he was struck by a dizzy spell the moment he did so.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht...¡± Ben was extremely worried.


    ¡°All of you are being too noisy!¡± Robbie yelled. ¡°Return to your seats and sit down, now!¡±


    Momentarily stunned, all of them obediently went back to the dining table, albeit pouting.


    When the children were climbing back onto their chairs, Ben seized the opportunity to help Zachary to


    his seat. Then, wearing a smile on his face, he chatted with the children. ¡°Kids, did you have a good


    time at school today?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we did!¡±


    ¡°There was an exam today, and I got full marks for all the subjects.¡±


    ¡°Me too!¡±


    ¡°We learned how to sing today...¡±


    ¡°And also how to draw...¡±


    The kids recounted everything they did in school to Ben. Only Robbie did not say a word. Instead, he


    quietly brought Zachary a ss of warm water. ¡°Daddy, have some water.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Robbie.¡±


    Zachary was so weak that he could not even carry a conversation with the children.


    Hence, Ben spoke to them on purpose in an effort to distract them.


    Nheless, Robbie saw through it all.


    When he saw how lethargic his father was, he was utterly heartbroken. Even so, he kept his emotions


    to himself and could only ask, ¡°Daddy, you look really tired.¡±


    ¡°I''m fine.¡± Zachary tousled the boy''s hair. ¡°Go back to your seat. It''s time to eat.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Robbie returned to his seat.


    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    After Hanna and the maids had served thest dish, everyone began to eat.


    Not having much of an appetite, Zachary forced himself to take a few bites before preparing to head


    back upstairs. However, the instant he got to his feet, he fell.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht!¡±


    Although Ben managed to reach him in time, it was still toote. Zachary had fallen by the dining table.


    ¡°Daddy!¡±


    That was the first time Zachary failed to hold himself together and copsed in front of the children.


    In an instant, everyone fell into a state of panic.


    Ben quickly brought Zachary to his bedroom and requested Raina''s presence.


    Meanwhile, Jamie and Ellie stood by the bed. Even though their bodies were trembling as they cried,


    they covered their mouths, not daring to make a sound.


    As for Robbie, he stood by the corner and did not dare to approach. Nevertheless, tears were


    streaming down his cheeks uncontrobly.


    Back at the dining room, Hanna and the maids were disconcerted by Zachary''s unexpected condition.


    Only Danrique''s children continued eating at the table, oblivious to what was going on.


    ¡°Is Uncle Zachary sick?¡±


    ¡°Looks like it.¡±


    ¡°He definitely is.¡±


    ¡°His condition seems to be serious.¡±


    ¡°Why didn''t Aunt Charlotte get Mommy to treat him?¡±

 Chapter 1445

    Chapter 1445


    qEveryone was busy with their own work. Although Morgan and the other female bodyguards were


    watching over the trio, their attention was focused on upstairs.


    All of them were worried about Zachary. Thus, no one paid attention to the conversation between the


    three children.


    After a while, things began to settle down.


    However, that time around, even Raina broke down in tears. ¡°I really don''t know what else I can do.


    When I called Dr. Wright, she told us to prepare for the worst. I¡ª¡±


    ¡°There has to be a way.¡± Ben refused to give up. ¡°I''ll give Bruce a call right away. Earlier today, he told


    me that Ms. Lindberg had provided him with some new leads. Perhaps, just perhaps¡ª¡±


    ¡°Ben, Ms. Lindberg has returned,¡± Marino interjected to report Charlotte''s arrival.


    Ben hurried over to receive her.


    At that moment, Charlotte had just gotten out of the car. When she saw the look on the bodyguards''


    and subordinates'' faces, her heart sank, and she dashed into the house.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg!¡± Ben ran into her at the staircase.


    ¡°What happened to him?¡± she inquired anxiously.


    ¡°He fainted right after having dinner. But for now, his condition has stabilized.¡± His voice was quavering.


    ¡°H-However, at this rate, he...¡±


    Charlotte''s expression froze as she rushed into the bedroom. When she saw how frail Zachary looked


    on the bed, her body began to tremble.


    ¡°Mommy...¡±


    The children, who had been led out a while back, came back in crying when they heard that their


    mother had returned.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht fainted by the dinner table, which frightened the children,¡± Ben whispered.


    Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    Charlotte''s heart broke when she saw the children crying so hard to the point that they were even


    trembling. Squatting down to hug them, she put on a strong front and reassured, ¡°Kids, don''t cry. Daddy


    will definitely recover.¡±


    Despite the children''s desperate attempt to stop crying, they still could not hold back their sniffles.


    ¡°Mommy, is Daddy going to die?¡± Ellie could not help but ask.


    ¡°No, he isn''t,¡± Charlotte replied in a shaky voice. ¡°Daddy will definitely get better. I will save him no


    matter what.¡±


    ¡°But, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°There are no buts,¡± Robbie interrupted. With tears streaking down his cheeks, he asserted, ¡°If Mommy


    says that Daddy will recover, he definitely will. We have to have faith in Mommy!¡±


    Covering her mouth, Ellie trembled from bawling. Even so, she did not dare to make a sound.


    ¡°It''s all my fault for being too naughty. Daddy must have been so angry with me that he has fallen sick.¡±


    Jamie was filled with remorse. ¡°If I behave well, will Daddy recover?¡±


    ¡°He will, Jamie.¡± Charlotte stroked his head. Taking a deep breath, she maintained herposure and


    instructed, ¡°All right now, I have something to discuss with Mr. Ben. You should go back to your rooms.¡±


    With that, Lupine and the maids led the children away.


    Yet, as they walked, the triplets kept turning to look at her with misty eyes.


    After rising to her feet, Charlotte wiped off her tears and ordered, ¡°Mrs. Rawlston, get everyone to turn


    in for the night. Don''t worry. Everything will be fine tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mrs. Nacht.¡± Hanna went off to carry out Charlotte''s instructions.


    ¡°Marino, stand guard outside,¡± Charlottemanded.


    ¡°Yes, Mrs. Nacht.¡± Marino nodded and left.


    At that moment, only the unconscious Zachary, Raina, Ben, and Charlotte were left in the room.


    ¡°Raina, be frank with me. How much time does he still have left?¡± Charlotte inquired.


    ¡°I spoke to Dr. Wright on the phone today, and she mentioned that it doesn''t look good,¡± Raina forced


    out. ¡°Based on the earlier estimates, he only has fourteen days left. As the days go by, his condition will


    only deteriorate further.¡±


    ¡°If we still can''t find Francesco, the consequences will be dire.¡± Ben was extremely distraught. ¡°But


    now, we have run out of ideas.¡±


    ¡°I managed to find some clues.¡± Charlotte took out some of the medical books and handed them to


    Raina. ¡°Raina, why don''t you go through them quickly to see if they''re of any use?¡±


    ¡°Also, there''s this.¡± Charlotte handed the photo over to Ben. ¡°This is a picture of Francesco. Can you try


    and see what you can find out from it?¡±

 Chapter 1446

    Chapter 1446


    qWhen Ben examined the photo, he was shocked by it. ¡°That''s Francesco? This is a picture of a young


    man. In fact, he looks like a teenager.¡±


    ¡°It was taken a few years ago.¡± Doing a quick calction in her head, Charlotte added, ¡°Around seven


    to eight years ago.¡±


    ¡°Even then, he''s still very young. This means that he''s probably in his twenties now.¡± He was


    astounded. ¡°All this while, I''ve assumed that Francesco''s an old man.¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡± She nodded. ¡°Therefore, we''ve been barking up the wrong tree. Anyway, you should start


    your investigations anew. I have also sent the picture to Bruce, but you can investigate through other


    means.¡±


    ¡°I''ll get to it right away.¡± Ben then hurried away with the photo.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, as for these medical books, I need to refer them to traditional medicine specialists


    because this is not within my area of expertise.¡± Holding the books, Raina added, ¡°Also, do you mind if


    I scan these and send them to Dr. Wright so that we can look at them together?¡±


    ¡°At this juncture, such things no longer matter,¡± Charlotte replied. ¡°Anyway, get it done quickly.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡±


    After everyone had left, Charlotte looked at Zachary despondently. She then walked over to the


    bedside and pulled the covers up around him. Gently stroking his face, she vowed softly, ¡°I will


    definitely save you!¡±


    At that moment, her phone vibrated. It was Michael on the line. Holding her phone, she walked out to


    the balcony and answered the call, ¡°Hi, Michael!¡±


    ¡°Charlotte, I''m sorry. I hope I''m not bothering you.¡± Michael was gentle and caring as usual.


    ¡°It''s fine. What''s up?¡± she asked softly.


    ¡°You haven''t been replying to my messages over thest few days, so I was worried about you.


    Anyway, I just want to tell you that I''m returning to M Nation tomorrow. I wonder if you have the time to


    ¡ª¡±


    ¡°Michael, I''m sorry. I won''t be free these days. I wish you a safe journey back.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Michael sounded disappointed. ¡°In that case, please keep in touch with me. If you run into


    any problem, you can look me up anytime.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Just when Charlotte was about to end the call, she heard a voice in the background. ¡°Ms.


    Brown, you can''t go in. Ms. Brown¡ª¡±


    This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Michael, I don''t want to go back to M Nation. I want to stay here in H City to look for Hector¡ª¡±


    ¡°Helena!¡± Michael shouted. He then said to Charlotte in a low voice, ¡°Charlotte, I''ve got to go. Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Bye.¡± Charlotte frowned after ending the call.


    That was Helena''s voice just now. Despite how long it has been, she still pines for Hector. She is


    undoubtedly devoted to him. Unfortunately, it never ends well for the wicked.


    Just as she was about to re-enter the room, she caught a glimpse of the flowerpot on the balcony. It


    reminded her of how Zachary was struck by a vase at the hotel.


    Michael''s investigations revealed that a cat had identally knocked over the vase, but she remained


    unconvinced and kept feeling that something was odd about the incident. Unfortunately, she did not


    have the time to investigate further as Zachary''s condition had begun to worsen.


    In hindsight, she wondered if someone had done it out of vengeance.


    Could Helena have been that person?


    As that spection shed across her mind, Charlotte felt her chest tightening.


    If someone did it to seek vengeance, I wouldn''t let the matter slide easily. If Zachary hadn''t been hit by


    the vase, his condition wouldn''t have deteriorated so quickly. Therefore, the person who threw the vase


    is the real culprit, and I will make whoever did it pay for it!


    Holding that thought, Charlotte went to seek Ben right away. After sharing her spections with him,


    she sent him off to reinvestigate the matter.


    ¡°All right. I understand. I''ll get to it right away.¡± Ben nodded. ¡°As for the photo, I have already made


    copies of it, so I''m returning the original to you.¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡± Charlotte received it. ¡°Go now.¡±


    With that, Ben left hurriedly. Initially, she intended to return to Zachary''s room, but when she stepped


    out of the study, she suddenly saw Gamma walking out of the bedroom while hugging her doll. ¡°Aunt


    Charlotte...¡±

 Chapter 1447

    Chapter 1447


    q¡°What''s wrong, Gamma?¡± Charlotte rushed over to pick her up. ¡°It''s already sote. What aren''t you


    asleep yet?¡±


    ¡°I had a nightmare. I''m scared.¡± Gamma hugged her neck. Leaning against her, she sobbed, ¡°Aunt


    Charlotte, I miss Mommy.¡±


    ¡°Don''t cry, Gamma. I''m trying my best to find your mommy. We will be able to locate her soon,¡±


    Charlotte gentlyforted the little girl. ¡°Be a good girl, and go back to sleep now.¡±


    With that, she carried Gamma back to her room and put her on her bed. Suddenly, Gamma saw the


    picture Charlotte was holding and asked curiously, ¡°Eh, what''s that?¡±


    When Charlotte told her it was a photo, Gamma reached out to grab it. Upon taking a closer look, she


    said hesitantly, ¡°This... looks like...¡±


    All of a sudden, her eyes widened as she shouted, ¡°It''s Mommy!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Charlotte was stunned for a moment. Nonplussed, she replied, ¡°How can he be your mommy?


    This is a boy.¡±


    ¡°No, this is Mommy. It''s Mommy,¡± Gamma repeated as she stared intently at the picture.


    ¡°All right now, settle down.¡± Charlotte did not think too much about it. ¡°Be a good girl, and go to sleep.¡±


    As she spoke, she got up and tucked Gamma in. Then, when she tried to pull the photo out, thetter


    refused to let go. ¡°This is a photo of Mommy. Aunt Charlotte, can you give it to me?¡±


    ¡°Gamma, this photo is very important to me, so I can''t give it to you.¡± Charlotte gently pulled the photo


    away. ¡°All right now, time for bed!¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shush...¡± Charlotte put a finger before her lips to remind Gamma not to wake Alpha and Beta up.


    Hence, Gamma had no choice but to sleep, pouting.


    After giving her a peck on her forehead, Charlotte got up to leave. While closing the door, she gave


    Gamma a gentle wave, signaling her to go to sleep soon.


    However, Gamma was still staring intently at the photo with widened eyes. In fact, tears were already


    welling up in them.


    Holding the photo, Charlotte was about to return to the room when she saw a small figure waiting by


    the door.


    ¡°Robbie!¡± she called while striding over to his side. ¡°Why aren''t you sleeping yet?¡±


    ¡°I can''t sleep.¡± Robbie looked at her glumly. His eyes were still moist and bloodshot from crying earlier.


    ¡°Mommy, is Daddy''s condition really severe?¡±


    Charlotte hung her head as she could not find the words to exin.


    ¡°I''m really useless for not being able to find Uncle Dan.¡± Due to the overwhelming sadness, tears


    brimmed in Robbie''s eyes. ¡°If I can find him, Daddy may be saved.¡±


    Charlotte hugged him and consoled, ¡°It''s not your fault. You''re still a child, and you''ve done your best.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry. I''ll think of a way. I will definitely save Daddy.¡± Charlotte took out the photo to reassure


    him. ¡°Look, I found a picture of Francesco and shared my discoveries with Bruce. I believe he will be


    able to find a clue very soon.¡±


    ¡°What picture? Let me see.¡± Robbie examined it. ¡°Is Francesco so young? This person looks like a


    youngdy.¡±


    Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    ¡°How can it be a youngdy? He''s obviously a young man.¡± She was nonplussed. ¡°This picture was


    taken when Francesco was in his youth.¡±


    ¡°You''re wrong. It''s a girl.¡± He pointed at the photo and exined, ¡°She might have short hair and


    dresses like a boy, but Mommy, look at her shoes.¡±


    Taking a closer look, Charlotte saw a flower on top of Francesco''s sandals.


    ¡°It''s not just the sandals alone; even her frame looks like a girl''s.¡± Robbie was certain. ¡°Mommy, did you


    get the wrong photo? Or perhaps, Francesco is actually a girl?¡±

 Chapter 1448

    Chapter 1448


    qThe moment Charlotte heard Robbie''s words, she had an epiphany. Her mind was suddenly flooded


    with information.


    ¡°There''s one notable thing about him. He likes to keep beasts as pets.¡±


    ¡°Fifi is so adorable aspared to Mommy''s fierce pet eagle!¡±


    ¡°Mommy even has a leopard!¡±


    ¡°Mommy is very, very awesome.¡±


    ¡°This is Mommy. It''s Mommy.¡±


    ¡°This is a photo of Mommy. Aunt Charlotte, can you give it to me?¡±


    As those memories shed across her mind, Charlotte''s heart began to race. The next moment, she


    went back to the triplet''s room with Robbie in tow.


    Just as she was about to knock on the door, she heard the children chatting inside.


    ¡°Alpha, Beta, I saw Mommy just now.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Really? Where is she?¡±


    ¡°Quick, take us to her.¡±


    ¡°Mommy isn''t here. I just saw a photo of her.¡±


    ¡°Photo?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Aunt Charlotte has it. I wanted her to give it to me, but she refused.¡±


    ¡°In that case, let''s go and see her.¡±


    At that point, Charlotte pushed the door open hurriedly.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    The triplets were sitting on their beds, talking while holding their small nightlights. When the door


    suddenly opened, it gave them a fright. Only when they saw Charlotte did they calm down.


    ¡°Aunt Charlotte, you scared us!¡±


    ¡°Alpha, Beta, Gamma,e over and take another look. Is this really your mommy?¡±


    After switching on the light, Charlotte showed the children the photo.


    ¡°Yes, that''s Mommy!¡±


    ¡°It''s Mommy!¡±


    ¡°No, that''s Mommy when she was younger. Mommy now has long hair.¡±


    ¡°No matter what, it''s still Mommy!¡±


    ¡°Is this really your mommy?¡± Stunned, Robbie questioned anxiously, ¡°Is your mommy a doctor?¡±


    ¡°Yes, many people seek out Mommy for treatment,¡± the three children replied earnestly. ¡°Is Uncle


    Zachary sick? Aunt Charlotte, who don''t you get Mommy to treat him?¡±


    Ovee by emotion, Charlotte called out, ¡°Wait, let me get this straight!¡±


    She could not believe that the Francesco she had been looking so hard for was a woman, let alone the


    fact that she was her future cousin-inw.


    Could this be a mistake? Do I have the wrong photo? Or maybe, the kids got it wrong. No matter what,


    I can''t verify this solely based on the words of three two-and-a-half-year-old kids.


    ¡°Kids, let me ask you. What is your mommy''s name?¡± Robbie questioned further in disbelief.


    ¡°Grandma calls her Francesca.¡±


    ¡°Grandpa calls her Francesca too.¡±


    ¡°Daddy likes to call her a bad woman!¡± Gamma hissed through her teeth, mimicking Danrique.


    ¡°Francesca!¡± Stupefied, Charlotte asked for a confirmation. ¡°Could it be that your mommy is really


    Francesco?¡±


    ¡°Yeap, some people address her that way.¡± Alpha nodded earnestly. ¡°However, Grandpa and Grandma


    call her Francesca.¡±


    Even though Charlotte was thoroughly convinced, she still found it unbelievable. Hence, she called


    Hayley right away.


    The ringing tone rang for a long while before Hayley''s befuddled voice sounded. ¡°Charlotte, what is it?¡±


    It was apparent she had been sleeping when Charlotte called.


    ¡°Hayley, I have a question for you. Is Francesco male or female?¡± Charlotte asked anxiously.


    ¡°Uh...¡± Hayley took a long time to be clear-headed enough to respond. ¡°Charlotte, why are you


    asking me this all of a sudden? Can it be that he isn''t a guy? Dr. Felch used to refer to him as the


    rascal¡ª¡±


    ¡°Is there any way to verify this?¡± Charlotte asked anxiously.


    ¡°Yes, the olddy who lives near the vige entrance has seen him before. I''ll ask her first thing in the


    morning.¡±


    ¡°Please update me once you hear something.¡±


    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    After ending the call and settling the children, Charlotte went to see Ben at once. ¡°Ben, sharpen this


    photo and publicly post our search on the inte.¡±


    ¡°What? The inte?¡±


    ¡°Yes, only by doing so would she be able to see it ande to us voluntarily.¡±


    ¡°Understood, I''m on it now.¡±

 Chapter 1449

    Chapter 1449


    qThat night, Charlotte could not sleep at all, eagerly awaiting Hayley''s reply. At the same time, she was


    also hoping to hear from Ben.


    As of that moment, she was certain that Francesco was Alpha, Beta, and Gamma''s mother.


    Moreover, Francesco would likely be by Danrique''s side.


    Considering the situation at hand, finding Danrique and Francesco was an impossible task.


    Therefore, she had no other choice but to lure Francesco out with this method.


    During breakfast at six-thirty in the morning, Hayley called. ¡°Charlotte, I went to see the olddy, and


    she confirmed that Francesco is a girl! Also, she told me that Dr. Felch found Francesco at the foot of


    the mountain when she was three. He raised her as a boy and often called her a cheeky rascal.


    Therefore¡ª¡±


    ¡°What''s her name?¡± Charlotte interjected.


    ¡°Dr. Felch named her Francesca Felch. Later on, she changed it to Francesco.¡±


    It all became clear to Charlotte. ¡°I understand. Thank you, Hayley.¡±


    Upon ending the call, she could no longer contain her excitement. By then, she waspletely certain


    that Francesco was her future cousin-inw.


    Back when Francesco treated her, she was unconscious most of the time. Every time she saw


    Francesco, her face was covered, so she never knew what she looked like.


    All this while, I''ve assumed that Francesco is a short and thin man. Never did I expect Francesco to be


    a woman... After everything we''ve done, I can''t believe we got the wrong gender in the first ce. No


    wonder we couldn''t find her at all.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, I''ve already posted the notice, so people from all over the world should be looking for


    her now...¡± Ben sounded apprehensive. ¡°By doing so, would we be causing Mr. Lindberg trouble?


    Would his enemies find him because of this?¡±


    ¡°So be it,¡± Charlotte responded.


    ¡°Huh?¡± That reply left him bbergasted as he had no idea what she was up to.


    ¡°If they do find him, the Nacht family will fight by the Lindberg family''s side,¡± she dered. ¡°I''m


    confident that Danrique''s enemies are no match for thebined strength of the Nacht and Lindberg


    families.¡±


    ¡°That''s true.¡± When the realization finally struck Ben, he eximed, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, you''re brilliant!¡±


    Instead of being overcautious like a coward, Charlotte figured it was better to search for them openly. In


    the event that they did attract the attention of Danrique''s enemies, the Nachts would fight against them,


    along with the Lindbergs.


    With both families united, they would be invincible.


    Regardless of how powerful their enemies were, they had nothing to fear.


    Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    ¡°However, I have yet to discuss this with Zachary.¡± Charlotte was unsettled by the idea still. ¡°Will he be


    angry?¡±


    ¡°He won''t. As of now, you''re in charge of the Nacht family,¡± Ben reassured her with a smile. ¡°We will do


    anything you say.¡±


    As long as Zachary could be cured, they were willing to do whatever it took.


    Furthermore, they could use the opportunity to resolve the animosity between the two families. Looking


    at that matter from that viewpoint, it was a wonderful n.


    ¡°You have to monitor it closely. Let me know right away once you hear something,¡± Charlotte instructed.


    ¡°Also, pay particr attention to the triplets. Watch for any stranger who attempts to approach them.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying that Francesco woulde and see the children because she''s worried about them?¡±


    Ben quickly grasped her n.


    ¡°Yes,¡± she replied while nodding.


    A secondter, she added, ¡°She must be in hiding because she''s worried about burdening Danrique.


    But once she sees the news, I doubt she would be able to hold herself back. Since I''m searching for


    her so desperately, they could probably guess that something major must have happened. While


    Danrique can probably tell that I''m doing it for Zachary''s sake, Francesco, as a mother, will surely be


    worried about her children''s safety. Hence, she woulde for them regardless of the consequences.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Ben was deeply impressed by her. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, this tactic of yours is amazing!¡±


    Charlotte sighed and said, ¡°Now, all we need to do is wait. I hope she shows up as soon as possible,


    as we are running out of time.¡±


    ¡°What if...¡± He pondered for a moment and asked cautiously, ¡°What if she doesn''te over?¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry, I have a backup n,¡± she dered confidently. ¡°Robbie has been investigating their


    whereabouts the whole time. As long as Francesco gets in touch with us, he will be able to pinpoint her


    location.¡±

 Chapter 1450

    Chapter 1450


    q¡°That''s wonderful!¡± Ben eximed. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, you are always two steps ahead of us.¡±


    Looking at Zachary, who was lying in bed, Charlotte proimed, ¡°In the past, he has always fought


    alone. But this time, I will stand by his side and face this with him!¡±


    ¡°We''re lucky to have you here,¡± Ben remarked gratefully. ¡°Mr. Nacht has a keen eye indeed!¡±


    ¡°That goes without saying.¡± His tter made her chuckle. ¡°All right now, you should get to work while I


    stay with him.¡±


    ¡°Roger.¡±


    Charlotte, who had not slept for a night, could finally take a breather since her n was already in


    motion.


    After taking a shower and changing into her pajamas, she returned to the bedroom and found that


    Zachary was still in deep slumber.


    Lifting the sheets, she carefullyy down beside him. Although she was worried about waking him up,


    she still could not resist the urge to touch his handsome face.


    Then, she leaned closer, kissed him on his cheek, and whispered, ¡°I will definitely save you. There''s no


    doubt about it.¡±


    As if he heard her words, Zachary moved slightly.


    Putting her arms around him, she gradually fell asleep.


    Due to exhaustion, she slept so soundly that she did not even notice when Zachary was awake.


    Having woken up from a nightmare, Zachary was drenched in sweat. Instinctively, he looked to his


    side. Only when he saw Charlotte snuggling up to him did he finally calm down.


    A moment ago, he dreamt that he was in a ce that was enveloped in darkness. There, he searched


    for a ray of light or even a path to escape. Unfortunately, he found neither.


    As he continued to walk forward aimlessly, he noticed that he was standing by the edge of a precipice.


    Any misstep would cause him to fall into the abyss.


    Stopping in his tracks frantically, he dared not take another step. However, he had no idea where else


    to go either.


    Suddenly, a ray of light emerged from behind him. Just when he turned around to walk toward it, he felt


    a pair of hands pushing him, causing him to fall into the abyss.


    The excruciating pain he experienced from having all his bones shattered felt so real. It was as if he


    was not dreaming.


    Therefore, the moment he awoke, his eyes were filled with terror. Luckily, when he saw Charlotte


    beside him, he slowly recollected himself.


    With her by his side, he feared nothing.


    Putting his arm around her shoulder, he gently pulled her close. Then, he leaned forward to kiss her


    forehead. When he caught a whiff of her refreshing scent, all he felt was bliss.


    At that instant, he truly hoped that time would slow down.


    Unfortunately, time would not stop.


    Just like that, the days went by one by one.


    Francesco did not appear, neither did she contact Charlotte.


    When the global search notice was issued, it caused an uproar on the inte. Many came forward to


    provide information. Unfortunately, there was still no progress at all.


    Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    Ben and the others grew increasingly anxious while Robbie was ready at all times. The moment


    Francesco showed herself, he would pinpoint her location at once.


    Much to their disappointment, three days passed without a word from her.


    Consequently, everyone felt disheartened to the extent that they doubted themselves, wondering if they


    had gotten something wrong.


    As for Zachary, his condition had improved a lot. Therefore, he went to the office every day and held


    meetings with thepany''s upper management. He would also entrust Johann and Spencer with a


    myriad of matters.


    After all, he no longer held out any hope that he would ever recover. All he wanted to do was to make


    all the necessary arrangements in his remaining days so that Charlotte would inherit apany that


    was on a firm footing.


    At the same time, his urgency for organizing the wedding increased. At the very least, he wanted to


    give Charlotte a proper wedding before his passing.


    On that day, Lucy came forward to remind Zachary. ¡°Mr. Nacht, Gold Group is holding a banquet


    tonight to celebrate theunch of their project. Ms. Gold called just now and wanted to know if you''re


    attending.¡±


    Zachary had almost forgotten about the matter and only remembered when Lucy asked him about it.


    Nodding, he replied, ¡°Yes, have you prepared the gift I told you to?¡±

 Chapter 1451

    Chapter 1451


    q¡°It''s ready.¡± Lucy handed an exquisite-looking box to Zachary.


    ¡°Good, go make the necessary arrangements now,¡± he ordered.


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Nacht.¡±


    After she left, Zachary opened the box. Staring at the documents inside, he fell into deep thought.


    Despite being fully cognizant that he was making a risky move, he was still willing to gamble.


    Ring! Ring!


    At that moment, his phone suddenly rang. It was Nancy.


    Zachary picked up at once. ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, I''ll be seeing you tonight.¡±


    Although her voice sounded distantpared to before, there was a hint of unmistakable anticipation


    to it.


    Ever since Zachary spoke with her frankly, she had stopped bothering him.


    At the end of the day, she was a highly educated and cultureddy of a prominent family. No matter


    how deeply she loved Zachary, she would not cling to him out of desperation.


    She was well aware that clinging onto someone like Zachary would only breed resentment within him.


    As a result, she chose to give up on courting him. Even if she had to be tortured by her unrequited love


    every single night, it was better than having him loathe her.


    Although they could not be together, she still wanted him to have a good impression of her.


    Perhaps, she might still stand a chance in the future.


    ¡°See you tonight too,¡± Zachary replied.


    After ending the call, he continued to work.


    While he was upying himself with the documents, he heard the doorbell ring. However, that person


    did not announce their identity.


    ncing at the security camera live feed on theputer beside him, he was taken by surprise. After


    using the voicemand to open the door, he stood up to wee his guest. ¡°Why did youe


    over?¡±


    ¡°Hubby!¡± Charlotte entered with a smile while holding two lunch boxes in her hands. ¡°Are you hungry? I


    made you lunch. Come try it quickly.¡±


    ¡°How sweet of you!¡± Zachary watched as she took out thepartments of the lunch boxes one by


    one. When he saw the scrumptious spread, an alluring smile appeared on his face. ¡°These are all my


    favorites.¡±


    ¡°I spent the whole morning preparing them.¡± Charlotte handed him his cutlery. ¡°Go on. Try them.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± After trying every dish, he nodded with a grin. ¡°You have improved!¡±


    ¡°Haha, that''s because I have been cooking for thest few days.¡± With her chin propped in the palm of


    her hand, she felt herself swelling with bliss from watching him eat. ¡°The kids requested to have meat


    fonduest night, so we''ll be having that for dinner. I''ve instructed Mrs. Rawlston to prepare the


    ingredients.¡±


    ¡°I''ll be attending a banquet tonight,¡± Zachary casually remarked. ¡°So, I might be homete.¡±


    ¡°What banquet?¡± Charlotte furrowed her eyebrows.


    Recently, she had been worried about Zacharying to the office. Every day, she would remind Ben


    to keep a close eye on him in case something untoward happened.


    Even bringing him lunch was an excuse for her to check on him.


    Hence, she wondered why he insisted on going to a banquet.


    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°It''s organized by the Gold family,¡± Zachary answered candidly. ¡°Prior to this, Nancy has helped me. In


    return, I promised her that I would attend the banquet. Considering that they dyed the banquet on


    my ount, it would be rude for me to miss it.¡±


    Despite feeling upset, Charlotte found his exnation to be reasonable. Hence, she did not voice her


    dissatisfaction. ¡°Fine. Go ahead if that''s what you want.¡±


    ¡°Are you jealous?¡± Zachary''s eyes turned to crescents as he beamed at her.


    ¡°No.¡± She gave him the side-eye and threatened, ¡°You''d bettere home early. Or else, I''m not going


    to let you into our room.¡±


    ¡°Haha, all right.¡± Zachary chortled. ¡°I''m going there to return their favor, so I''lle home after I give


    them the gift.¡±


    ¡°Be home before nine,¡± Charlotte ordered. ¡°Remember!¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± He stroked her face affectionately before feeding her some food. ¡°You should have some too.¡±


    When they were done with lunch, Zachary brought Charlotte to attend the board meeting. There, he


    officially introduced her to everyone and announced that they would be getting married the following


    Monday.


    Thepany''s upper management was delighted by the news. Over thest few weeks, they had


    seen Zachary''s condition gradually deteriorate and were worried that he would copse at any time.


    Hence, they were happy for him when they learned about the sudden joyous news.

 Chapter 1452

    Chapter 1452


    qEven Charlotte was surprised. She was aware that Zachary was nning the wedding, but the date


    had yet to be decided. Therefore, she did not expect him to announce it at the board meeting.


    We will be married next Monday, which is the seventeenth!


    To her, it felt like a dream that was too good to be true.


    After the meeting ended, Zachary escorted Charlotte downstairs. In the elevator, he hugged her and


    whispered, ¡°Get some rest when you''re home. Don''t overwork yourself in the kitchen.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± She returned the embrace. ¡°I''ll be waiting for you toe home.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry. You won''t lose your husband.¡± Zachary kissed her on her forehead. ¡°Be a good girl now.¡±


    After Charlotte got into the car, Zachary stood at the entrance and waved at her with a smile. She, too,


    waved back at him.


    Even when the car drove off, she looked at him in the rearview mirror, feeling reluctant to part with him.


    For some reason, she felt apprehensive that something terrible would happen to him, even though he


    was just attending a banquet.


    Holding that thought, she gave Ben a call. ¡°Ben, you have to be extra vignt during tonight''s banquet.


    Nothing can happen to him.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry. I''ve got this,¡± Ben answered softly. ¡°Now that we are in a crucial period, we will all be extra


    careful.¡±


    ¡°That''s good.¡± Charlotte sighed in relief. ¡°The main reason Zachary is attending the banquet is to return


    his favor to Nancy. Once he has given her the present, he should return home without dy.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    After ending the call, Ben began to gather his men. Although Zachary would only be attending the


    banquet for a short while, Ben still decided to bring more than ten bodyguards along.


    With that, he was certain that he had all bases covered.


    In the evening, Zachary arrived at South Sea Hotel as scheduled.


    Ben was surprised that Nancy chose to hold the banquet at the Brown family''s hotel, where Zachary


    was hurt by the vase thest time.


    As the owner of the hotel, Michael was also invited to the banquet at the veryst minute.


    ¡°Ms. Gold sure is impressive,¡± Ben praised in a low voice. ¡°In just a few days, the Gold and Brown


    families have grown closer to each other. It looks like they''re about to form a partnership.¡±


    ¡°An excellent business person knows how to seize every opportunity avable.¡±


    Zachary let out a faint smile.


    Nancy is as shrewd as ever. Considering that the Brown family is growing in influence, they are a much


    better partner than the declining Laurent family.


    ¡°All right. Ms. Gold is a shrewd businesswoman indeed,¡± Ben concurred.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht!¡±


    At that moment, Nancy sauntered over with an amiable expression on her face.


    It had been a while since theyst met, and it seemed like she had lost some weight.


    That evening, she was d in a white mermaid dress that entuated her curvaceous figure.


    Combined with her stunning features, she looked dignified and mesmerizing at the same time.


    ¡°Ms. Gold, congrattions!¡± Zachary shook hands with her in a polite yet distant manner.


    ¡°I thought you wouldn''t being tonight.¡± The look Nancy gave him was as affectionate as always.


    ¡°I''m happy that I can still meet you.¡±


    Her remark made him chuckle. ¡°You''re making it sound like I''ll no longer be alive tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°No, no, no. I''m not that doctor,¡± she frantically exined. ¡°What I meant was... I still thought you hated


    me. That''s why¡ª¡±


    ¡°I owe you one, Ms. Gold, so how could I resent you?¡± Zachary interrupted before presenting her the


    gift in a chivalrous manner. ¡°I wish you sess in your first domestic project!¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Nancy received the gift as if it was a priceless treasure. ¡°Can I open it?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± He nodded with a smile.


    Just when she was about to open the box, the spotlight suddenly shone on both of them.


    On the heels of that, music started ying while the host spoke in Ustranasion. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen,


    let''s invite two of our guests of honor to lead the first dance!¡±

 Chapter 1453

    Chapter 1453


    qDespite being caught by surprise, Nancy looked at Zachary with anticipation.


    As a gentleman, thetter offered his hand to her.


    Nancy dly took it and put her arm around his waist.


    Holding each other intimately, they waltzed to the romantic music.


    As for the crowd, they made way for the beautiful pair to have the dance floor to themselves.


    Meanwhile, Ben furrowed his eyebrows as he watched them. Mr. Nacht is physically weak now, so he''s


    already drained from working in the office every day. How could she still make him dance...


    ¡°How is Mr. Nacht''s recoverying along?¡±


    At that moment, a charming voice rang out from behind him.


    Ben turned around and responded to the man cordially, ¡°Mr. Brown, Mr. Nacht is recovering well.¡±


    ¡°That''s good.¡± With an apologetic tone, Michael added, ¡°I noticed that he doesn''t look too good, so I


    thought he hasn''t fully recovered.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Brown, weren''t you supposed to have returned to M Nation?¡± Ben asked.


    ¡°I was supposed to leave yesterday. However, I received Ms. Gold''s invitation at the veryst minute,


    so I decided to stay for a couple more days.¡± As he spoke, Michael scanned the crowd as if he was


    looking for someone. ¡°Did Charlotte not attend the banquet tonight?¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg''s wedding is just around the corner, so she''s staying at home.¡±


    Knowing that Michael still had feelings for Charlotte, Ben deliberately revealed the wedding. After all, it


    would be announced to the world very soon.


    ¡°Wedding?¡± Just as expected, Michael was shocked. ¡°With who?¡±


    ¡°With Mr. Nacht, of course,¡± Ben replied with a grin. ¡°Who else could it be?¡±


    Knitting his brows, Michael did not respond. Instead, he stepped aside and took out his phone to send


    a message.


    Ben knew that the message must be directed to Charlotte.


    On the dance floor, the music continued ying.


    While Zachary and Nancy danced, the guests surrounded and watched them with muted delight.


    Staring longingly at the man, Nancy let out a gentle smile.


    Suddenly, Zachary voiced, ¡°There''s a rumor going around recently. Word has it that your elder sister is


    fighting you for the position as the heir.¡±


    ¡°Erm...¡± After being briefly stunned for a moment, she hastened to reply, ¡°Mr. Nacht, where did you hear


    that from?¡±


    ¡°I have my ways.¡± He stared intently at her. ¡°It seems like the rumor is true.¡±


    At his words, panic washed over Nancy. Nheless, she regained herposure quickly. ¡°It''s


    inevitable for a prominent family like ours to have apetition for power. Since my father is advanced


    in age, he''s prepared to hand the reins to me. My sister does have some objections, but it''s not going


    to pose a problem.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Zachary smirked. ¡°If it isn''t a problem, why isn''t your father here tonight?¡±


    ¡°I...¡± His remark unsettled Nancy. She would have easily countered thatment if it were anyone


    else. However, Zachary''s eyes were as sharp as an eagle''s, causing her to feel bare before him.


    ¡°Ms. Gold, you''ve saved my life. Therefore, if you need my help, ask away, and I will do so without


    hesitation,¡± he said thoughtfully.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Nancy was caught by surprise. ¡°If my memory serves me right, you never like to interfere in


    the affairs of others.¡±


    ¡°That''s right.¡± Zachary nodded. ¡°That''s why I want something equivalent in return.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Although she was taken aback for a moment, sheposed herself quickly.


    ¡°Why don''t we discuss this at the lounge?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Before the music was over, Nancy held Zachary''s arm as both of them headed to the lounge.


    While the guests made way for them and watched them leave, they spected behind their backs in


    hushed voices.


    Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    ¡°It seems that there''s more to Mr. Nacht and Ms. Gold''s rtionship than meets the eye.¡±


    ¡°That''s right. Mr. Nacht never liked attending banquets such as this. And yet, he has made an


    exception for Ms. Gold. It seems that there''s something going on between them.¡±


    ¡°Precisely. Mr. Nacht has been cooped up at home for most of the year, so I was surprised that he


    attended tonight''s banquet.¡±


    ¡°Are they in a rtionship?¡±


    ¡°Maybe. After all, they look like a match made in heaven.¡±

 Chapter 1454

    Chapter 1454


    qWhen Ben heard the gossip, he began to worry and quickly followed them.


    At the same time, Charlotte, who was on the phone with Michael, heard thements over the line


    too.


    ¡°Charlotte, ignore them. They must have gotten the wrong idea,¡± Michael quickly assured her. ¡°All Mr.


    Nacht did was dance with her, nothing more¡ª¡±


    ¡°Where is he?¡± she asked.


    ¡°It seems they have gone to the lounge... Hello? Hello? Charlotte?¡±


    Before Michael could finish his sentence, Charlotte had ended the call. With her phone in hand, she


    rushed out of the house. ¡°Prepare the car!¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, what''s wrong?¡±


    At that moment, Lupine and Morgan were going downstairs with the children.


    ¡°I''m on it.¡±


    Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    Reacting swiftly, Lupine ordered the car key to be brought to her as she followed after Charlotte.


    With that, both of them got into the car and sped toward South Sea Hotel.


    When Lupine saw the look on Charlotte''s face, sheforted softly, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, please calm down.


    I believe that there''s nothing going on between Mr. Nacht and Ms. Gold. After all, his body¡ª¡±


    ¡°Of course, I know there''s nothing going on between them,¡± Charlotte snapped. ¡°I''m just worried that it''s


    a trap. With his current condition, even a minor injury can be fatal.¡±


    ¡°That''s true.¡± Lupine nodded, then grumbled, ¡°What''s Ben doing? Why isn''t he keeping a close eye on


    Mr. Nacht?¡±


    ¡°It''s not his fault.¡± Thinking about it alone was enough to blow Charlotte''s fuse. ¡°If anyone is to me,


    it''s Zachary. Despite knowing how weak he is, he still insists on dancing with Nancy!¡±


    ¡°Please calm down, Ms. Lindberg.¡± Lupine hastened to pacify her. ¡°I''ll drive faster so that we can arrive


    there sooner.¡±


    ¡°Not too fast. Your gunshot wound has yet to recover fully.¡± Charlotte sighed. ¡°Men... they always make


    us worry!¡±


    ¡°Exactly!¡±


    At the same time, in the lounge at South Sea Hotel, Nancy poured a cup of coffee for Zachary and


    gently suggested, ¡°Mr. Nacht, there are no outsiders here. You can speak freely.¡±


    ¡°I''ll get to the point.¡± After scanning the room and making sure it was safe, he proposed, ¡°I would like to


    make a deal with you.¡±


    ¡°What kind of deal?¡±


    Given that important negotiations were going on in the room, Ben, Cain, and the Gold family''s


    bodyguards guarded the entrance closely. No stranger was allowed near the lounge.


    The security was so tight that it seemed nearly impossible for any ident to happen.


    In spite of that, Zachary noticed that Nancy was out of sorts after he was done telling her his proposal.


    Her face was flushed, and she seemed dazed. With her lips slightly parted, she kept fanning herself


    with her hand.


    Furrowing his eyebrows, he asked, ¡°Are you all right?¡±


    ¡°It''s hot in here...¡± Nancy kept leaning toward him. ¡°Mr. Nacht, what did you say just now? I didn''t hear it


    properly...¡±


    ¡°You don''t look fine.¡± Zachary kept his distance from her by scooting to the side. ¡°Forget it; let''s talk


    another day.¡±


    Just as he stood up to leave, Nancy pounced on him. As she wrapped her limbs around his body, her


    face came close to his.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, don''t leave.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Gold, what are you doing?¡±


    Zachary attempted to push her away, but she grabbed his wrists and pinned him down on the sofa.


    Brushing her cherry lips across his cheek, she purred in his ear, ¡°I want to be your woman.¡±


    ¡°F*ck, are you drugged?¡±


    Realizing the problem, Zachary tried to push her away. However, he quickly noticed that his body was


    falling limp.


    Instantly, he looked at the cup of coffee on the table. Could it be...


    ¡°Mr. Nacht...¡± Nancy clung tightly to him, unwilling to let go. ¡°Don''t go... Don''t leave me.¡±


    As she spoke, she tried to kiss him, but Zachary managed to dodge it and mustered the strength to


    push her way. The moment he rose to his feet to leave the room, his head spun, causing him to


    copse onto the sofa.

 Chapter 1455

    Chapter 1455


    q¡°Mr. Nacht, Mr. Nacht...¡±


    Shocked, Nancy kept shaking Zachary''s body. Unbeknownst to her, a figure stepped out from the


    closet and approached her from behind.


    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Sensing the murderous intent, Nancy turned around reflexively. Unfortunately, she was knocked


    unconscious by a club before she could get a good look at the person.


    The perpetrator was dressed as one of the hotel waitstaff and was wearing a baseball cap. Holding a


    sharp dagger in her hand, the person kicked Nancy aside before bearing down on Zachary.


    ¡°Zachary, you will pay for what you and Charlotte have done to me. It''s a shame that she isn''t here


    today. Nevertheless, I will kill you first before exacting my revenge on her!¡±


    While speaking, she raised the dagger, prepared to stab him with it.


    Suddenly, the door burst open with a bang. Following that, a dart flew into the room, which struck her


    wrist.


    ¡°Argh!¡± Screaming in agony, the assant dropped the dagger.


    Zachary, who was lying on the sofa, opened his eyes at that moment. After kicking her, he roared,


    ¡°Helena, it really is you!¡±


    With the doors open, Ben barged in with his subordinates. Behind him were the Gold family''s


    bodyguards and a shocked Michael.


    ¡°W-What''s going on?¡± Michael stared at the assant in bewilderment. ¡°Helena, what are you doing?¡±


    Before Helena could answer, Ben had seized her and grabbed the dagger away.


    Pinning her on the ground, he bellowed, ¡°I knew you were the one who threw the vase thest time, but


    I didn''t have any evidence. This time around, I''ve finally caught you red-handed!¡±


    ¡°Zachary, so you''ve set up a trap to lure me in,¡± Helena hissed. ¡°You were lucky that I didn''t kill you the


    last time!¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡± Ben stepped on her to keep her down. ¡°You''re in the face of death, yet you can''t stop


    talking.¡±


    ¡°I dare you to kill me!¡± Helena screamed as she tried to struggle free. ¡°Even if I''m arrested, I would only


    be locked up for a few days, at most. Michael will bail me out.¡±


    ¡°Helena...¡± Michael was almost driven mad by rage. ¡°So you were the one who threw the vase? Why


    did you do that?¡±


    Helena sneered. ¡°Why? Charlotte and Zachary destroyed my life and caused me to lose everything.


    And yet, you ask me why? I was imprisoned for twenty-eight months. Do you know how I lived through


    those days? Also, I was three months pregnant when that b*stard stabbed me. Because of that, I can


    no longer bear children! And all this is Charlotte''s fault! If not for her, that b*stard wouldn''t have


    survived, let alone murder me. Moreover, if Zachary hadn''t targeted our family, Hector and I wouldn''t


    have ended up this way.¡±


    ¡°Since both of them are my mortal enemies, there''s no way I can watch them live in peace. I''m going to


    drag them down to hell with me even if it''s thest thing I do!¡± she roared like a madwoman.


    With a vicious expression and venomous gaze, she looked like a beast that had gone berserk.


    ¡°Helena, everyone has to suffer the consequences of their own actions. You have to be held


    ountable for your crimes ording to thew, so stop being obdurate.¡±


    Michael walked into the room and kneeled in front of her. ¡°Listen to me. Apologize to Mr. Nacht and


    return to M Nation with me,¡± he persuaded anxiously.


    ¡°I don''t want to go back there. If I do, I will lose the opportunity to have my revenge,¡± Helena thundered


    in reply. ¡°Once we''re back there, you and your dad will lock me up and force me to receive psychiatric


    treatment. There, I won''t be able to find Hector nor exact my revenge. My life would be meaningless!¡±


    ¡°Helena...¡±


    ¡°Mr. Brown,¡± Zachary said coldly, ¡°you''re just wasting your time. She hasmitted too many crimes,


    so there''s no way she can be forgiven.¡±

 Chapter 1456

    Chapter 1456


    qMichael pleaded, ¡°Mr. Nacht, I know Helena is guilty, but she didn''t do any real damage this time. I


    beg you to let her go this one time. I swear that I will take her back to M Nation, and she will never set


    foot in H City ever again.¡±


    ¡°No real damage?¡± The word struck a nerve with Ben. ¡°Do you know that vase almost¡ª¡±


    ¡°I know, I know.¡± Michael sounded apologetic. ¡°Mr. Nacht is a distinguished person, and if anything


    were to happen to him, it would set off a chain reaction. I''m sure his injury must have caused a massive


    impact. Therefore, the Brown family will bear responsibility for all of the consequences. All I ask of you


    is to let Helena go this one time.¡±


    ¡°Bear responsibility? Can you even afford it?¡±


    Ben was livid. Nheless, he understood that Michael assumed Zachary''s injury from being hit by the


    vase was nothing serious. Since the wound had healed, Michael must have believed that the issue


    could be solved without the cost of Helena''s life.


    Little did he know that the vase almost took Zachary''s life.


    If not for the wound, they would have a lot more time to locate Francesco, and Zachary''s life would not


    be hanging by a thread.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Ms. Gold!¡±


    At that moment, Nancy had regained her consciousness. Rubbing her head, she settled down on the


    sofa. When she saw the situation before her, she quickly understood what had transpired. ¡°It looks like


    the n worked. We finally caught the perpetrator.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for helping me with the act.¡± Zachary took off his jacket and draped it over her. ¡°You should


    leave now; I''ll take care of the rest.¡±


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    ¡°All right.¡± Wearing his jacket, she stood up with the help of her subordinate. After giving Helena a cold


    hard nce, she suggested to Zachary, ¡°This person has attacked you, knocked me unconscious, and


    even conspired to harm us. You can''t let her off lightly.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry,¡± he acknowledged.


    When Nancy walked past Michael on her way out, her eyes met with his dark ones, and she stopped in


    her tracks and remarked, ¡°Mr. Brown, don''t hold it against me. All I wanted to do was to lure the


    perpetrator out.¡±


    ¡°Is that why you approached me and organized the banquet at my hotel?¡± He red at her. ¡°You used


    me!¡±


    ¡°As if you aren''t in the wrong for helping a criminal.¡± Nancy raised her chin. With a righteous tone, she


    said, ¡°If I hadn''t cooperated with Mr. Nacht to put on this show, we wouldn''t have caught the


    mastermind. Who knows what devastating consequences could have awaited us in the future.¡±


    ¡°You...¡± Despite his outrage, Michael still had his reason. ¡°It''s not wrong for you to lure the mastermind


    out, but why can''t you let me know in advance? I wouldn''t protect her if I knew the truth.¡±


    She did not believe him. ¡°That''s hard to say. Everyone has a selfish side to them.¡±


    ¡°You...¡± Michael was rendered speechless by her retort.


    ¡°Nevertheless, I would like to apologize for lying to you.¡± Inclining her head, Nancy apologized, ¡°I''m


    sorry, and I hope we can still be friends.¡±


    With that, she left the room.


    Coincidentally, Charlotte had just arrived with Lupine. When she saw Nancying out from the


    lounge with Zachary''s jacket draped around her, her face darkened.


    Nheless, she maintained herposure and asked calmly, ¡°Where''s Zachary?¡±


    ¡°Inside,¡± Nancy responded coldly and left right away.


    Although she had given up on Zachary, it did not mean that she could be friendly to Charlotte.


    ¡°Stand right there!¡± Lupine blocked her way.


    ¡°What do you think you''re doing?¡± Nancy raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°Who knows if you have done anything to Mr. Nacht?¡± Lupine snapped. ¡°Before we get to the bottom of


    this, you''re not allowed to leave.¡±


    ¡°What a joke! I insist on leaving, so what are you going to do about it?¡±


    Right after Nancy spoke, the Gold family''s bodyguards prepared to strike Lupine.


    ¡°Don''t you darey a finger on her!¡± Charlotte stepped forward to shield Lupine.


    While both sides refused to back down, Cain came out of the room. ¡°Ms. Lindberg.¡±

 Chapter 1457

    Chapter 1457


    q¡°Cain, where''s Mr. Nacht?¡± Charlotte asked anxiously.


    At that moment, a familiar figure stepped out. ¡°I''m here.¡±


    ¡°You...¡± Upon seeing how unkempt he looked, she knitted her eyebrows. Not only did he not have his


    jacket on, but the cor of his white shirt was open with two buttons missing.


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Zachary walked toward her.


    ¡°Exin to me. What is going on?¡±


    Just as she was about to re up, Michael showed up and pleaded, ¡°Charlotte, please help me


    persuade Mr. Nacht.¡±


    ¡°Michael, why are you here?¡±


    His appearance caught her off guard. However, she soon understood that there was more than met the


    eye. At once, she gave Lupine a look.


    Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    Only then did Lupine step aside, no longer blocking Nancy''s way.


    ¡°Now that everyone is here, it''s time to clear the air,¡± Nancy remarked. Displeased with Charlotte''s


    earlier actions, she turned to face her and snapped, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, next time, please get a clearer


    picture of the situation before jumping to conclusions.¡±


    With that, she left inrge strides.


    Barely grasping what was going on, Charlotte was pulled by Zachary into the private room. Just when


    she was about to question him, she was shocked by the scene that greeted her.


    Ben was restraining someone who was dressed in a strange outfit. The person kept struggling and


    hurling vulgarities at both her and Zachary.


    When Charlotte got a closer look, she eximed in shock, ¡°Helena?¡±


    ¡°She was the one who threw the vase...¡±


    Only after Zachary exined the situation briefly did she catch on. ¡°I was wondering why the banquet


    was held at this hotel. As it turned out, you were trying to lure the culprit out.¡±


    ¡°It seems that we''ve used Ms. Gold wrongly,¡± Lupine admitted awkwardly.


    ¡°I was the one who sought her help to put up this act,¡± Zachary exined. ¡°My main objective is to


    remove all the threats and obstacles that would hinder you in the future.¡±


    He had said those words in a nonchnt manner, but it made Charlotte''s heart ache.


    He wants to solve all the problems for me with whatever time he has left so that my life would be


    smooth sailing from here on.


    ¡°Charlotte, I''m going to kill you. I''m going to kill you!¡±


    Helena was still raging at them. Nheless, after being pinned on the ground by Ben''s foot for such a


    long time, she no longer had any residual strength to struggle. All she could do was hurl insults


    incessantly.


    ¡°Helena, you are beyond salvation.¡±


    Looking at Helena, Charlotte was reminded of her past misdeeds and found herself being engulfed by


    sorrow and hatred.


    ¡°Back then, you plotted against Luna for your own selfish gains. Despite being punished by thew,


    you''re still ming me for everything. To make matters worse, you even nned on harming me too.


    Even death would be too good of an ending for you!¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, we have collected all the evidence of her wrongdoings and are prepared to hand them


    over to the police,¡± Ben reported indignantly. ¡°This time, no strings can be pulled. She can never be


    bailed out and will rot in prison for the rest of her life.¡±


    ¡°No, please,¡± Michael begged. ¡°Charlotte, I know what Helena did was wrong, and I apologize to all of


    you on her behalf. Just now, I told Mr. Nacht that as long as you agree, I''ll bring her back to M Nation


    and never let her set foot in H City again. No matter what, she did not cause any significant harm this


    time around. Hence, I hope you can forgive her for my sake.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by no significant harm?¡± Charlotte thundered. ¡°Do you know she caused my


    husband¡ª¡±


    However, she held her tongue at mid-sentence because Zachary''s condition could not be revealed to


    outsiders.


    Michael continued to plead, ¡°Charlotte, please let her go this one time on ount of our friendship. I


    know that you are all angry because Mr. Nacht was hurt, but his injury has almost recovered. I can


    punish her in other ways orpensate you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Enough, Michael,¡± Charlotte interrupted him. ¡°If you still think of me as a friend, stop begging for mercy


    on her behalf. She has lost her reason. A vile and heartless person like her does not deserve to be


    forgiven.¡±

 Chapter 1458

    Chapter 1458


    qMichael could not wrap his head around Charlotte''s stance. ¡°I can understand why Zachary vows to


    seek Helena out for payback. After all, he''s not a man to be trifled with. But I can''t fathom why you''re so


    adamant as well. You were willing to forgive Luna and even lent her a hand previously, so why are you


    being hard-hearted toward Helena?¡±


    He then added sorrowfully, ¡°Do you know that she''s suffering from severe depression? If she ends up


    in prison again, she won''t be able to survive.¡±


    ¡°She only has herself to me for that! What goes aroundes around!¡± Charlotte snapped,


    overcame by her hatred toward Helena.


    She could not care less about his feelings.


    Dumbfounded by her words, Michael stared at her in incredulity. With an aching heart, he said,


    ¡°Charlotte, you''ve changed so much...¡±


    Indeed, in his eyes, she was a forgiving person who could pardon everything.


    Regardless of how Luna had ced her in hot water, she still gave her and her family a hand when


    they were in trouble. Even after Zachary had broken her heart numerous times, she was still willing to


    forgive him and even got back together with him! So why can''t she forgive Helena? After all, Helena


    hasn''t inflicted any harm on her so far. Undeniably, she has borne malice in the vase incident, but she


    did not do her wrong. Why must she insist on having her jailed?


    ¡°Michael, it doesn''t matter if you can''t get my point now. You''ll understand it one day.¡± Charlotte was


    determined to pay Helena back in her own coin.


    The next moment, she instructed firmly, ¡°Take her away!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ms. Lindberg.¡± Ben nodded and assigned his subordinates to take Helena away.


    ¡°Let go of me! Charlotte Windt! Zachary Nacht! Both of you''ll surely die a horrible death for doing this to


    me!¡± Helena roared hysterically, still struggling to break free.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Infuriated, Charlotte moved forward and pped her on the face.


    That p sent Helena into a frenzy. She lunged toward Charlotte maniacally as if she was a ferocious


    beast pouncing on its prey, but Zachary kicked her aside.


    Consequently, she fell and sprawled on the ground. Soon, blood trickled down the corner of her lips.


    ¡°Helena!¡± Michael dashed toward her to help her up before bellowing at Charlotte and Zachary, ¡°That''s


    too much!¡±


    ¡°Take her away!¡± Zachary instructed coldly, paying no heed to him.


    Cain and the other subordinates stepped forward at once to bring Helena away. Michael wanted to stop


    them, but Ben stood in his way. ¡°Mr. Brown, you should be thankful that we''re handing her over to the


    police instead of taking matters into our own hands.¡±


    Michael rebuked, ¡°Even if Helena did bear malice, she did notmit a grave mistake. With that, I''m


    sure she''ll not be charged with a serious offense. I bet you must be thinking of exacerbating her


    situation with the prominence of the Nacht family! Am I right?¡±


    Ben sneered. ¡°Pfft! Didn''t you have her prison sentence reduced by making use of the Brown family''s


    influence years ago? Surprisingly, she was only sentenced to imprisonment for two years after


    committing such a heinous deed. Wasn''t your family the one manipting everything at that time,


    huh?¡±


    ¡°You...¡± Michael was at a loss for words.


    Charlotte furrowed her brows and tried to talk him out of backing Helena up. ¡°Michael, heed my words.


    Helena can''t be left atrge, for she''s thoroughly wicked. Even though she''s your cousin, you should be


    impartial.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for your reminder!¡± Michael responded frigidly and stormed off.


    Looking at his retreating figure, Charlotte was in anguish. Even though she knew he would be


    harboring a grudge against her because of Helena, she had no choice.


    That woman''s indeed a scourge! We must get rid of her so that others won''t fall victim to her


    ruthlessness again!


    Utterly exhausted from themotion, Zachary was eager to leave.


    ¡°Come, let''s go home,¡± he said as he put his arm around Charlotte''s shoulders.


    Holding a jacket, Ben caught up to them and put it on him.


    When they left through the back door and were about to enter the car, Nancy darted toward them and


    called out, ¡°Mr. Nacht!¡±


    Zachary halted in his steps and turned back to look at her. ¡°Ms. Gold, thank you for your help tonight!¡±


    She smiled at him. ¡°Don''t mention it. I''ve just had a look at your gift. It never crossed my mind that¡ª¡±


    Zachary cut her off by saying meaningfully, ¡°You''ve saved me, so you deserve it. As for the matter I


    mentioned earlier, I hope you''ll think it through.¡±Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.

 Chapter 1459

    Chapter 1459


    qA solemn expression surfaced on Nancy''s face instantly. ¡°It''s a serious matter, so I do need some time


    to consider. Anyway, I''ll give you a reply once I''ve finalized my decision!¡±


    Zachary shot a nce at the banquet hall. ¡°I hope your banquet isn''t affected.¡±


    She smiled while shaking her head. ¡°No worries. Since we took care of everything at the back of the


    hall, the guests arepletely oblivious to what had happened moments ago. However, Mr. Brown


    seems to be enraged.¡±


    ¡°Don''t be bothered by him,¡± he replied nonchntly. ¡°I''m d to hear that you''re not affected.¡±


    ¡°I have to bear the responsibility for your previous injury as well, so I''m relieved for being able to help


    you lure out the culprit.¡± Nancy chuckled.


    ¡°It has nothing to do with you, so you don''t have to feel sorry for that. All right, I''ll be making a move


    first. See you.¡± Zachary shed her a smile and walked away.


    Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    ¡°Goodbye.¡± Nancy remained in the same spot and watched as their car sped off. Her eyes were


    gleaming with the usual affection toward the man.


    Charlotte, staring at Nancy through the rearview mirror, could not help but feel ufortable.


    ¡°Are you jealous?¡± Zachary looked at her with a gentle gaze and held her hand.


    ¡°You seem to trust Nancy a lot. Why did you take the risk to request her to act out this show with you


    when you know that she has feelings for you?¡± she asked quizzically.


    ¡°I only wish to eliminate the lurking threats for you as soon as possible. No doubt, I''d still be able to get


    to the bottom of the matter if I carry on with my investigation, but I''m running out of time.¡± His


    nonchnce sent another wave of indecipherable mixed emotions into her heart, but she could not


    utter any words.


    ¡°Nancy might be a little crafty, but she''s far from wicked. Not to mention, she''s sensible and


    considerate. If you can develop a friendship with her, you''ll surely stand to benefit from that!¡± Zachary


    added meaningfully.


    In a split second, displeasure was written all over Charlotte''s face. ¡°Friendship, huh? I''ll never develop


    one with her. You''re praising her, aren''t you? Do you mean to say that I''m insensible and


    inconsiderate?¡±


    ¡°Undoubtedly, you tend to be swayed by emotions...¡± He paused and tried to reassure her by saying,


    ¡°Don''t get me wrong...¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡± Charlotte snorted, turning her back to him.


    While smiling, Zachary patted her on the shoulder. ¡°Are you angry at me? Don''t be petty.¡±


    ¡°Since she''s better than me, go and look for her then. After all, she hasn''t given up on you!¡± she


    grumbled, sulking.


    ¡°I''m just stating the facts. When ites to business, you have a lot to learn from her.¡± He smiled


    again.


    ¡°Zachary Nacht!¡± Charlotte was about to explode with anger.


    Wrapping his arms around her, he coaxed her by mumbling gently, ¡°Don''t be angry, okay? I''m worried


    that you won''t be able to support the whole family by yourself when I''m gone. That''s why I wish to get


    you a few allies who will help you ovee the obstacles in the future. Do you get it?¡±


    ¡°Stop talking nonsense. You''ll be fine. I''ll save you by all means!¡± Charlotte stretched out her hand to


    cover his mouth instantly, for she did not want to listen to him speak so pessimistically. Anxiousness


    coursed through her body, causing tears to well up in her eyes.


    After kissing her forehead, Zachary pressed her face lightly against his chest. ¡°Silly girl... Trust me. I''ll


    never fall for anyone else. Even if I seem to be close with anyone, it''s for your sake.¡±


    She nuzzled into his chest, whining coquettishly, ¡°I don''t care! You mustn''t love anyone else except


    me!¡±


    nting kisses on her lips, he shook his head resignedly. ¡°Yes, yes. You still sound like a kid. When will


    you grow up and be more mature?¡±


    ¡°I don''t want to grow up when you''re with me,¡± she murmured, hugging his waist and listening to his


    heartbeat.


    Ben, who was at the driver''s seat, could feel his eyes turning misty. He was the only one who knew that


    everything Zachary did was for the sake of Charlotte and their family.


    Although Lupine was puzzled, she knew for a fact that Zachary was trying to convince Nancy to be


    Charlotte''s ally.


    Even so, she could not see the feasibility of his n.


    After all, the two women were love rivals.

 Chapter 1460

    Chapter 1460


    qLikewise, Charlotte could not wrap her mind around Zachary''s intentions.


    No matter what, I do not wish to cross paths with that woman anymore in the future. It would be best if


    she could vanish from my sight and never show up again!


    Nheless, seeing that he was adamant about getting it done, she relented as she did not wish to


    dispute with him about that matter. Due to his deteriorating condition, everyoneplied with his


    wishes unconditionally.


    Time flew by, and two more days had psed. Sadly, they were still unable to track down Francesco''s


    whereabouts.


    Zachary had made proper arrangements for everything rted to the corporation. In the past few days,


    both Robert and Sherlyn had been meaning to talk things out with him, hoping that he would let Louis


    off the hook.


    After being kicked out of the Gymnasium Project, they had admitted defeat and solely wished to bring


    their son back to their side.


    Ever since Ben seized Louis in Phoenix City, thetter had been held captive for ten days. As Louis


    had suffered punishments, his mental condition was worrying. Hence, Robert and Sherlyn were


    apprehensive that he might sustain a mental breakdown if he was confined for any longer.


    With snots and tears all over their faces, the couple pleaded with Zachary to grant Louis mercy and let


    him off.


    Even so, Zachary was devoid of expression as they yowled. Half an hourter, he looked at his watch


    and said cidly, ¡°I need to attend a meeting. Please excuse me.¡±


    As he spoke, he stood up to leave.


    Heart sinking, Robert went on his knees. In an ever so servile manner, he pleaded, ¡°Zachary, I know


    what you care about the most. Please ept my sincerest apology and spare my son''s life. I swear I


    will keep a close eye on him and restrain him from pestering Charlotte again.¡±


    ¡°We won''t let Louis step into H City again. Please let him off. We don''t want the money or the project


    anymore. Our only request is to bring our son back,¡± Sherlyn begged piteously.


    Zachary snapped at them coldly, ¡°You should be begging for mercy from someone else, not me.¡±


    The couple exchanged looks and knew at once what Zachary meant. Apparently, he was hinting at


    them to plead with Charlotte.


    Ben even gave them another clue, saying that Charlotte was on her way to the office for a meeting with


    Zachary.


    Without hesitation, the couple turned to plead with her upon her arrival, repeating everything they had


    mentioned to Zachary moments ago.


    Charlotte felt guilty for cing Louis in such a predicament. Things would not have turned out that way


    if she did not agree to his proposal.


    Not to mention, Louis had paid the price for his misdeeds. Since Robert and Sherlyn had swallowed


    their dignity to plead with her, she decided to be merciful and talked Zachary into letting Louis go.


    In the presence of Robert and Sherlyn, Zachary agreed to spare Louis, dering that it was all for


    Charlotte''s sake. On top of that, he advised them to discipline Louis after bringing him home. If not, he


    would never go easy on him the next time.


    After thanking them profusely, the couple picked up their son and left H City as promised.


    Still, Ben did not dare to let his guard down and asked Zachary if there was a need to assign someone


    to keep an eye on them.


    However, Zachary was convinced that they would not be able to turn the table on them as the royal


    family of F Nation was displeased with the Laurents for being kicked out of the Gymnasium Project.


    With the royal family oppressing them, the Laurent family would not have the energy to stir up trouble


    again for a few years, to say the least.


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    Ben heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing his exnation.


    The arrangement for the handover of work within the corporation waspleted by then. Zachary even


    introduced Charlotte to the employees formally so that she could gain everyone''s recognition.


    Apart from that, with Spencer and Johann at the helm, the corporation would still be in safe hands even


    if anything untoward were to happen to him. The matters in the Nacht family had also been taken care


    of.


    The only thing left to do at the moment was to locate Francesco as soon as possible.

 Chapter 1461

    Chapter 1461


    qTo their dismay, Francesco seemed to have vanished into thin air as there were no signs of her at all.


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    Charlotte did not obtain any feedback from the global search notice that she assigned Ben to issue.


    In other words, everyone had run out of solutions.


    As for Zachary, he had given up all hope long ago. The only thing on his mind at the moment was the


    preparations for the wedding ceremony. He even arranged to retake the wedding photos with the kids


    during the weekend.


    The wedding ceremony was quite different from the previous one, and it would be held at Southridge.


    Other than those from the Nacht family and the upper management of the corporation, Zachary did not


    invite any other influential figures.


    That was because he wished that his family members would be the only ones there to witness their


    love.


    Charlotte, too, quite liked the simple and low-profile wedding.


    Even their wedding photos were taken near Southridge. The whole family, including Danrique''s triplets,


    Fifi, and Little Fifi, formed quite a lineup in the forest.


    Needless to say, the unique theme suited both Zachary''s and Charlotte''s vibes perfectly.


    On the day before the wedding, Charlotte assigned Lucy to post theirtest family portrait of their big


    family of ten on social media as the official announcement of their marriage.


    In no time, it caused a global uproar.


    Theizens were all discussing the perfect, unique, and grand wedding and the grudges between the


    two families.


    Of course, some also enthusiastically discussed the six children and the two pets.


    Zachary and Charlotte paid no mind to the variousments, doubts, and spections around their


    announcement. They only wished for the ceremony to go on smoothly, thus resolving their regret for


    their iplete wedding two years ago.


    On that day, they had their marriage registered. Everything was good to go.


    Hayley and Sam came all the way from Mount Phoenix to attend the wedding ceremony. As they could


    not cure Zachary, they could only do their best to help out.


    Jeffrey, Peter, and the others reached in time to attend the wedding ceremony.


    At night, Zachary instructed Hanna to prepare a banquet to serve all their rtives and friends. He also


    seized the opportunity to express his sincerest gratitude to both Spencer and Johann, telling them that


    he might need to entrust Nacht Group to them in the future and solemnly requesting them to assist


    Charlotte and the children in protecting the Nacht family.


    Touched by his speech, Spencer and Johann broke into tears and pledged to dedicate their lives to the


    Nacht family.


    At the same time, Bruce also rushed back from Erihal to attend the wedding ceremony. Since


    Francesco was not in Erihal, Charlotte felt it would be a waste of time if he stayed there. Therefore, she


    instructed him to return as they might need his help.


    The atmosphere at Southridge and Northridge were lively as everyone celebrated the uing joyous


    event.


    Charlotte had arranged for the guests to stay over at Northridge and would head over there with


    Danrique''s tripletster at night. Zachary would then pick her up with his convoy the following morning.


    After the banquet, the maids cleaned up while Lupine and Morgan looked after the children. Bruce and


    Ben were making arrangements for the security measures and the wedding ceremony, respectively.


    In the meantime, Zachary and Charlotte were strolling in the garden. As theyid their eyes on their


    beautifully decorated home, a blissful smile appeared on their faces.


    Holding Charlotte''s hands, Zachary said, ¡°I''m finally going to marry you. This time around, I''ll make


    sure our wedding is a perfect and memorable one for you!¡±


    Charlotte wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her face on his chest. His steady heartbeat


    made her feel secure and blissful. ¡°Hubby! I strongly believe that we''ll spend the rest of our lives


    happily together. Trust me!¡±


    Zachary pulled her into his arms, caressing her hair gently. While gazing at the glittering stars in the


    sky, he whispered a prayer inwardly. God, please protect my wife, and bless her with happiness and


    peace for the rest of her life.


    At the same time, Charlotte also looked intently at the moon high up in the sky, making a wish in her


    heart. Dear God, please bless my husband with health. I''m willing to sacrifice the rest of my life for his


    recovery!


    Both of them were making a wish simultaneously, ready to sacrifice themselves for the other''s health


    and happiness.


    Nheless, no one knew if heaven could hear them and grant their wishes.

 Chapter 1462

    Chapter 1462


    qAtte night, peace and quiet returned to Southridge.


    The venue was well-decorated for the long-awaited moment, and there was an unmissable hint of


    blissfulness in the air.


    The maids were already in bed as they had to wake up early for the wedding ceremony the following


    morning.


    As for the bodyguards, they were taking their posts as scheduled.


    Lupine and Morgan brought the soundly asleep triplets back to Northridge. Reluctantly, Charlotte bid


    Zachary goodbye. ¡°Hubby, I''m going back now.¡±


    Zachary gazed at her lovingly. ¡°Go ahead then. We''ll get to see each other again tomorrow morning.


    It''s just a few hours.¡±


    ¡°But I don''t feel like parting with you now.¡± She tightened her arms around his waist.


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    Somehow, an inexplicable sense of fear surged within her, as if she had a premonition that a tragedy


    would ur.


    ¡°Then don''t go over there. Just stay the night here.¡± He stroked her long, ruffled hair as he coaxed.


    Charlotte blushed as she rejected his suggestion. ¡°No way! We still have to follow the custom. You''ll


    need to pick me up from Northridge tomorrow morning!¡±


    Zachary burst intoughter and teased her, ¡°We''ve been living together as a family anyway. There''s no


    need to go through so much trouble!¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Charlotte punched him lightly on the chest.


    Pinching her cheek affectionately, he pointed at the triplets in Lupine''s and Morgan''s arms and said,


    ¡°You''d better go back now. The three of them are already asleep. It''s getting colder at night, so they


    might catch a cold if you stay here any longer.¡±


    ¡°All right. I''ll go now.¡± Charlotte hugged him again before pulling herself away from him reluctantly.


    When she turned to look for Robbie, Jamie, and Ellie, Hanna told her they had gone to bed. Thus,


    Charlotte had no choice but to leave without them. After all, Zachary would go over to Northridge the


    following morning, and they would be reunited again.


    When Zachary sent them off, he reminded Marino and Cain to keep their guard up in Northridge.


    After the convoy from Northridge left, he turned to walk back to the house and get some sleep. All of a


    sudden, he was ovee by a wave of dizziness. Within seconds, his whole body went limp, and he


    was going to fall onto the ground. In the nick of time, he stretched out his arms to hold onto the wall,


    preventing himself from copsing.


    Ben dashed toward him to help him up. ¡°Mr. Nacht! Are you all right?¡±


    ¡°Help me in...¡± Zachary did not wish to bump into anyone else when he was in such a frail state.


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Nacht!¡± Ben was about to support him, but he lost his bnce and fell onto the ground.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht!¡± Bruce darted toward them and helped Zachary back into the room with Ben.


    ¡°I''ll give Raina a call now!¡± Ben whipped out his phone and was about to make a call, but Zachary


    raised his hand to stop him.


    Ben eximed anxiously, ¡°Mr. Nacht, but you¡ª¡±


    ¡°It''s useless,¡± Zachary murmured weakly.


    Overwhelmed by sorrow, Ben was stumped for words.


    Bruce clenched his fists, despising himself for not being able to help with anything.


    ¡°Bruce,¡± Zachary called out to him feebly.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, I''m here.¡± He moved forward at once and kneeled on one knee at Zachary''s bedside,


    awaiting his instruction.


    ¡°Bring your men to... stand guard... at Northridge... We mustn''t let an ident happen again...¡± Zachary


    was apparently bing weaker, but he was still mustering up his strength to give Bruce amand.


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Nacht. I''ll bring them over now.¡± Bruce nodded respectfully.


    He knew too well that Charlotte was devastated when the wedding ceremony was ruined two years ago


    and understood that Zachary was extra vignt because he did not wish for her to experience the pain


    again.


    Zachary yearned to present Charlotte with a perfect wedding before he breathed hisst. Hence, he


    instructed Bruce to bring along most of the subordinates to protect her in Northridge.


    ¡°Go ahead. I''ll be here.¡± Ben moved closer and crouched down next to Zachary''s bed, ready to listen to


    his instruction. ¡°Mr. Nacht, do you have any other orders?¡±


    Zachary was weak as a kitten, but he was still filled with worry. ¡°Send your men to protect Johann and


    Spencer... They''re the guardians of Nacht Group. If anything happens to them... Charlotte and the kids


    would be defenseless...¡±


    Ben reassured him, ¡°Mr. Nacht, I get it. Don''t worry. I''ve arranged for Cain, Kyle, and the others to go


    over. Everything is already taken care of.¡±

 Chapter 1463

    Chapter 1463


    q¡°Good...¡± Zachary''s voice trailed off as he nodded weakly. Gradually, he drifted into a deep sleep.


    Ben pulled the covers around him and stood at the side silently.


    His heart ached at the sight of Zachary''s wretched condition. Sharing the same sentiments as Bruce,


    he resented himself for being useless. If he could, he wished to endure the excruciating pain and


    sorrow on behalf of Zachary.


    Ring! Ring! His phone rang abruptly, snapping him out of his thoughts.


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    It was a call from Charlotte, and he answered it hastily. ¡°Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    ¡°What''s the matter? Why did Brucee over with arge group of men to guard my ce? Did


    Zachary instruct him to do so?¡± Charlotte questioned.


    Ben replied softly, ¡°It was an instruction from Mr. Nacht a while ago. He''s already asleep.¡±


    ¡°I''m fine here, so he doesn''t have to instruct Bruce to do so. In fact, I''m worried about him over there...¡±


    Somehow, she started to feel a prickle of restlessness.


    Sensing her anxiety, he tried to reassure her by exining, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, don''t worry. There are still


    quite a few of us here. Since this is an instruction from Mr. Nacht, we dare not go against him. After the


    incident two years ago, he''s traumatized and is worried that something will happen to you.¡±


    ¡°Nothing will happen to me.¡± Charlotte sounded sorrowful.


    ¡°He''ll only feel at ease if your safety is assured. Please just go along with him.¡± Ben''s voice was a bit


    deep.


    With that, she had no choice but to give in. ¡°All right. Make sure you keep an eye on him. Just leave the


    matters to Marino and the others.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ms. Lindberg. Please rest well.¡±


    Before hanging up, Charlotte reminded him again. ¡°You have to stay by his side at all times. Don''t let


    anything happen to him.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, I know what to do.¡±


    After ending the call, Beny on the sofa while keeping an eye on Zachary.


    Exhausted from being upied the past few days, he gradually dozed off.


    That night, Marino was in charge of security in Southridge.


    Because most of them were transferred to Northridge, only sixteen bodyguards were left in Southridge.


    However, some were relieved from duty, so only eight men were stationed to stand guard.


    Under normal circumstances, it would have been enough since Northridge and Southridge had been


    peaceful throughout the years.


    Even so, Marino reminded everyone not to let their guards down while standing guard. Nothing


    untoward was allowed to ur before the wedding ceremony.


    Therefore, all the bodyguards were on alert.


    Soon, it was three after midnight. The entire ce was as silent as the grave.


    Connor, one of the bodyguards, was on patrol in the garden. When he spotted a figure shing across


    one side of the swimming pool, he darted forward and yelled, ¡°Stop right there!¡±


    As the figure stopped in its tracks, Connor could make out the silhouette that appeared exceptionally


    tall under the dim light. Ah! It''s Mr. Nacht!


    He stammered apologetically, ¡°M-Mr. Nacht? I''m sorry for yelling at you. I couldn''t see clearly just now,


    and I thought that¡ª¡±


    ¡°Leave me alone!¡± An authoritative voice cut him off.


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Nacht.¡± Connor retreated hastily with his head lowered.


    However, the figure did not leave at once but sneaked into the kitchen through the back door.


    No sooner had Connor taken a few steps than he started to sense something was awry. Instinctively,


    he turned to look in the direction where the figure showed up moments ago, then the balcony of the


    master bedroom. ¡°Mr. Nacht is already asleep, isn''t he? How did he show up here?¡± he mumbled to


    himself.


    Right at that instant, Marino, who was also on patrol, made his way toward him. ¡°Connor, what''re you


    doing?¡±


    Connor moved forward hastily. ¡°Marino, guess what happened just now! I happened to see a figure


    move agilely from one side of the swimming pool. Thinking that it might be an intruder, I went after him


    at once. But then it turned out to be Mr. Nacht!¡±


    Marino reprimanded, ¡°Have you gone nuts? Mr. Nacht had gone to bed hours ago. How is it possible


    for him to appear in the garden?¡±


    ¡°I know it sounds absurd, but I''m certain that I saw him a while ago!¡± Connor emphasized.


    ¡°You must be seeing things!¡± Marino replied and was about to walk away. Suddenly, he halted in his


    tracks as a thought urred to him. ¡°Could it be that someone impersonated Mr. Nacht to sneak into


    this ce? Did you get to see his face?¡±


    Connor shook his head. ¡°No, I only saw his silhouette. But it has to be Mr. Nacht! If that person turns


    out to be an impostor, I''ve got to hand it to him. He looked so much like Mr. Nacht!¡±

 Chapter 1464

    Chapter 1464


    q¡°Continue patrolling. I''ll head upstairs to take a look.¡±


    Realizing that something was amiss, Marino rushed upstairs to check things out.


    The vi waspletely silent. Everything seemed normal, but there was an indescribable sense of


    eeriness looming in the air.


    Marino scanned his surroundings warily but did not discover anything, so he rushed upstairs and lightly


    knocked on Zachary''s door.


    Ben opened the door and asked, ¡°What''s going on?¡±


    ¡°Ben, where''s Mr. Nacht?¡± asked Marino.


    ¡°He fell asleep.¡± Ben asked softly, ¡°What exactly is going on?¡±


    ¡°Has Mr. Nacht been sleeping all this while? He didn''t go downstairs?¡± Marino''s eyes widened.


    ¡°Of course!¡± Ben frowned.


    ¡°That''s weird...¡± Marino became more uneasy. ¡°Connor mentioned that he saw Mr. Nacht in the garden


    just now. Apparently, Mr. Nacht appeared beside the swimming pool, and he moved agilely...¡±


    ¡°When did that happen?¡± Ben was utterly confused.


    ¡°Just now! Around a few minutes ago.¡±


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    Marino peeked into the room. Underneath the dim light, he could vaguely see Zachary lying on the bed


    and sleeping soundly.


    ¡°How is that possible?¡± questioned Ben softly. ¡°Mr. Nacht returned to the room at eleven tonight and


    has been asleep all along. How can he possibly appear in the garden?¡±


    ¡°I find it weird too.¡± Marino asked anxiously, ¡°Do you think that someone has sneaked in here?¡±


    ¡°Turn on the lights and search the ce,¡± instructed Ben. ¡°I''ll inform Bruce to send our men back here.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Marino was about to turn on the lights, and Ben was about to make the call when a loud crash


    sounded downstairs.


    An explosion suddenly erupted in the kitchen, sending random objects flying everywhere. Not only was


    the sound deafening, but it also caused the entire vi to tremble vigorously.


    At the same time, a zing fire spread out from the kitchen, ring in all directions and engulfing the


    dining room and living room rapidly.


    ¡°Alert everyone! Now!¡± Ben ordered at once.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Marino immediately dashed downstairs to gather everyone.


    When Ben returned to the room, Zachary was already awakened by the explosion outside. ¡°Leave with


    the kids first,¡± he quickly instructed.


    ¡°What about you, Mr. Nacht?¡±


    ¡°Go now!¡± urged Zachary.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Ben headed out to look for Robbie, Jamie, and Ellie.


    Meanwhile, all the maids and bodyguards in the house were jolted awake. Screaming in fear, they fled


    in all directions.


    Thrown into shock, Robbie and Jamie ran out of the room, shouting, ¡°Daddy, Mommy!¡±


    ¡°Robbie, Jamie, follow me quickly.¡± Ben grabbed the two children anxiously. ¡°Where''s Ellie?¡±


    ¡°She''s in her room.¡± Jamie pointed at Ellie''s room.


    ¡°Connor!¡± Ben yelled out to Connor, who was downstairs. ¡°Bring Mr. Robinson and Mr. Jamison down!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Connor rushed upstairs and took Robbie and Jamie away.


    ¡°Where''s Daddy?¡± asked Robbie worriedly.


    ¡°Don''t worry. I''ll save him after picking Ellie up.¡±


    With that, Ben went to look for Ellie.


    Meanwhile, Zachary dragged his frail body out of bed. After putting on a coat, he was about to leave


    when a figure suddenly strolled the room.


    ¡°Who''s that?¡± Alerted by the unexpected guest, he turned his head around and immediately felt a


    shiver run down his spine. ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°I''m ttered to see that you''re shocked.¡± Shrouded by the darkness, the person approached him


    gradually. A wicked grin was ying on his lips as he said, ¡°Looks like my stic surgery is so effective


    that I almost look like the real deal.¡±


    ¡°It''s you?¡± Zachary''s eyes popped in shock.


    ¡°You recognize me, huh?¡± The person smiled eerily. ¡°Did you think that I''ve died and is no longer a


    threat to you?¡±


    ¡°You are the one behind the explosion?¡± Zachary went straight to the point. ¡°What are you trying to


    do?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I''m here to retrieve everything I''ve lost!¡± The person whipped out a gun and pointed it at


    him. ¡°Since we used to be family, I''ll make this quick for you!¡±


    ¡°Have you lost your mind?¡± Zachary yelled furiously. ¡°Do you know what you are doing?¡±


    ¡°When you destroyed my family and caused me to suffer endless humiliation, did you ask yourself that


    question?¡± A look of intense hatred glinted in the person''s eyes. ¡°Zachary, I''ve waited for this day for a


    long time...¡±

 Chapter 1465

    Chapter 1465


    qImmediately after the person spoke, he pulled the trigger and was prepared to shoot.


    At that moment, Ben barged in with Ellie. ¡°Mr. Nacht!¡±


    When he opened the door and saw a silhouette that looked identical to Zachary, he froze. Ellie, too,


    stared at the person in disbelief.


    However, Ben was quickly brought to his senses and rushed forward to snatch the gun away.


    Just as he moved, he was shot.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Fear-stricken, Ellie screamed and dropped her plushie onto the ground.


    ¡°Shh...¡± The mysterious man shushed her before aiming his gun at Zachary. ¡°Die, Zachary!¡±


    At that instant, Zachary mustered thest ounce of his strength and grabbed the man''s hand. While he


    grappled with the man, he yelled, ¡°Run, Ellie!¡±


    Ellie''s legs were trembling. Rooted to the ground, she could not move at all.


    However, Little Fifi kept squawking beside her ear and repeating what Zachary had said, ¡°Run, Ellie!


    Run, Ellie!¡±


    Only then did Ellie return to her senses and sprint out hurriedly.


    By then, the entire ce was already surrounded by mes. As soon as she ran out of the room, she


    bumped into a few masked men. While she screamed in terror, those men attempted to capture her.


    At that juncture, Fifi flew in from the window and circled the masked men, driving them away from


    capturing Ellie.


    Under Little Fifi''s lead, Ellie ran down the spiral staircase.


    However, no sooner had she taken a few steps down the staircase than a masked man dashed forward


    and grabbed her from behind. Having lost her footing, the little girl tumbled down the stairs.


    Meanwhile, in the room, the mysterious man had pinned Zachary against the table. Pressing the gun


    against thetter''s head, he yelled through gritted teeth, ¡°Do you think you can still fight me? Let me tell


    you this! Everyone here will die tonight! Your wife and assets will all be mine; even your children will


    have to call me their father. I''ll rece you and be the new Mr. Nacht! Go to zes, Zachary


    Nacht!¡±


    He pulled the trigger and was about to shoot when a silver needle came flying in. It pricked his neck,


    causing him to shudder. Before he could react, his body became numb gradually.


    A petite figure flipped in through the windows and said in annoyance, ¡°I hate people who only rely on


    sneak attacks! If you''re truly capable, you should confront others openly!¡±


    The neer was fully clothed from top to bottom, wrapped in a green cape that revealed only a pair


    of bright eyes. A green snake wrapped itself around her wrist, glowing eerily in the dark.


    ¡°You...¡± The mysterious man wanted to aim the gun at the intruder but could not raise his hand.


    Clutching his neck, he could feel his body stiffening gradually.


    ¡°What about me?¡± The petite person yelled furiously, ¡°I''m here to look for my babies. Now that you''ve


    burned this house, where can I find them?¡±


    Instead of responding, the mysterious man pressed the rm in his hand.


    Soon, a few masked men barged in.


    ¡°You sly bastard!¡±


    Infuriated, the petite person immediately whipped out a red smoke bomb and threw it downward. The


    instant it came into contact with the ground, sparks flew, followed by an anesthetic gas.


    The masked men covered their noses, not daring to move forward anymore.


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    Just when the petite person was about to leave through the window, she spotted Zachary lying on the


    ground. It seemed like he was on the verge of passing out.


    Frowning, she mumbled to herself, ¡°Francesca, don''t be nosy. Don''t be nosy. Don''t be nosy!¡±


    Hardening her heart, she was about to leave when she identally spotted a photo frame beside


    Zachary.


    In the photo, Zachary and Charlotte were running in the forest hand-in-hand. Charlotte was holding her


    three children''s hands while Alpha, Beta, and Gamma were sitting on Zachary''s shoulders.


    The triplets were hugging Zachary''s head with wide grins on their faces. When the man gazed at them,


    his eyes were filled with affection and tenderness.


    Francesca''s gaze changed immediately. Without missing a beat, she helped Zachary up, flipped out of


    the window with him, and escaped.

 Chapter 1466

    Chapter 1466


    qSouthridge was in utter chaos. When the news arrived at Northridge, Charlotte and her subordinates


    rushed over to save everyone.


    However, the entire vi in Southridge was already engulfed in mes. All that remained of the


    borately decorated wedding venue was nothing but ashes.


    ¡°How did this happen?¡±


    Horrified by the scene before her eyes, Charlotte could barely stand straight.


    She charged forward like a madwoman, but Bruce and the rest held her back. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, you can''t


    enter now. The fire fighting equipment will arrive soon.¡±


    ¡°Let go of me!¡± Struggling to break free, Charlotte screamed agitatedly, ¡°Hubby! Robbie! Jamie! Ellie!¡±


    ¡°Mommy, we''re here.¡±


    With Hanna escorting them, Robbie and Jamie ran over, both wrapped in a nket. Trembling, they


    said through sobs, ¡°Daddy and Ellie are still inside. Mr. Ben, Fifi, and Little Fifi are there too...¡±


    ¡°Robbie, Jamie!¡± Charlotte hugged them tightly. ¡°Don''t be afraid. They''ll be fine! I''ll save them now.¡±


    Having said that, she charged in without hesitation.


    ¡°The protective suits are here!¡± Bruce and the rest immediately put them on.


    ¡°Where''s Marino? Did anyone see Marino?¡± asked Morgan anxiously.


    ¡°Marino went in to save the rest.¡±


    ¡°Did he wear the suit?¡±


    ¡°No... There was no time.¡±


    ¡°I''m going in to save him.¡±


    In the house, Marino was searching everywhere amid the mes. Finally, he spotted Ellie and Fifi on


    the staircase.


    Fifi suffered grievous injuries from shielding Ellie underneath its wings.


    Marino immediately carried Ellie and Fifi. While he was dashing out, a railing fell and crashed onto him.


    At the most critical moment, he protected Ellie and Fifi in his arms and tried his best to free himself


    from the railing. Dragging his injured leg behind him, he crawled out.


    However, the fire became even more intense. There were no paths ahead of him, and his surroundings


    were filled with smoke.


    Marino could barely catch his breath. His strength, too, was slowly depleting.


    Just when he was about to lose all hope, he suddenly heard Morgan''s voice. ¡°Marino! Ellie!¡±


    With much difficulty, Marino raised his head and nced over. Morgan rushed in with a few others and


    saved Marino, Fifi, and Ellie.


    Meanwhile, Charlotte, Bruce, and Lupine dashed upstairs with fireproof nkets over them.


    They found Ben lying unconsciously on the floor after being shot but did not spot Zachary anywhere.


    Bruce instructed Lupine and Charlotte to leave with Ben first, but Charlotte refused to give up. She


    frantically looked for Zachary amidst the raging mes.


    I can''t lose Zachary like this. I can''t! We''re supposed to get married today. I was about to be his


    wife! My bridal gown has already been prepared. How could this happen...


    ¡°Hubby! Hubby! Zachary,e out! Come out!¡±


    While searching everywhere, she cried out agitatedly.


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    Yet, not a single response could be heard.


    After taking in too much of the toxic smoke, her voice soon became so hoarse that she could not utter a


    single sound.


    The mes burned her hair and hands, but she ignored her injuries and continued to search for


    Zachary.


    Unfortunately, she still could not find him.


    Morning arrived three hourster.


    The sky rained over Southridge as if heaven was weeping for them.


    By the time the police and the firefighters arrived, the fire had already been doused by the rain.


    When they went into the house to search, they found Little Fifi''s corpse underneath the railing of the


    first floor.


    As for Zachary, he remained nowhere to be found.


    The investigations revealed that fire was also set off in the main bedroom on the second floor, which


    was Zachary''s room. The fire contained a potent toxin that could burn a human into ashes.


    Hence, the police deduced that Zachary might have already died, and his corpse had been burned to


    ashes.


    When everyone heard the news, they were stunned for a while before breaking out into tears.


    Charlotte''s legs turned weak. Falling to her knees, she wailed miserably, ¡°No!¡±

 Chapter 1467

    Chapter 1467


    qCharlotte''s cries sounded deste as if she was protesting against the injustice of fate.


    Everyone in the Nacht family were in tears.


    Spencer, who had rushed over, fainted as soon as he learned about the news.


    Johann fell ill upon hearing the tragedy.


    When the guests at Northridge heard about it, they were stupefied.


    The happy wedding had turned into a disaster.


    Within a night, Southridge was ruined.


    Charlotte refused to believe that Zachary was dead. He must still be alive. He must be...


    Still clinging onto some hope, she ordered her subordinates to investigate it.


    Given the Nacht family''s current situation, someone had to keep the household in order.


    No matter how devastated or heartbroken Charlotte was, she had to pull herself together and support


    the family.


    The Nacht family had suffered significant losses from the disaster. Connor perished in the fire, while


    Little Fifi was burned to death from protecting Ellie.


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    As for Ben, he had fallen into a deepa due to inhaling a lot of the toxic smoke after being shot. The


    doctor said that he did not know when Ben would regain consciousness.


    Although Ellie did not get burned under Fifi''s protection, she had tumbled down the stairs and injured


    her head. Combined with the inhtion of the smoke, she was also in aa.


    Everyone in the Nacht family was imbued with sadness, their hearts aching for the tragic disaster.


    Charlotte had no more strength to weep. Despite her agony, she had to stay strong.


    Firstly, she made arrangements for the guests and ordered her subordinate to seal off Southridge.


    Then, she requested the police to continue searching for Zachary''s whereabouts.


    At the same time, she instructed Raina to treat Ellie, Ben, and the rest of the wounded to the best of


    her abilities.


    Charlotte firmly believed that since Ben had been in Zachary''s bedroom before fainting, he should


    know where Zachary was and what happened that night.


    ording to what the surviving bodyguards described, some mysterious masked men intruded


    Southridge that night. First, they ced an explosive in the kitchen. Once it was ignited, they made use


    of the chaos andunched a surprise attack.


    The only clue Marino provided after he regained consciousness was that Connor spotted someone who


    looked simr to Zachary before the explosion. That person might be rted to the incident.


    However, the police thought the clue was too vague to be useful.


    When Charlotte heard Marino''s recount, a figure shed across her mind. Chris!


    Chris was Zara''s son and Zachary''s cousin.


    He had inherited the Nacht family''s genes. His height, physique, and demeanor resembled that of


    Zachary a lot. In terms of looks, he also bore some resemnce to Zachary.


    Ever since what happened to Zara, Chris'' shares and position in Nacht Group had been withdrawn. To


    restrain Chris, Zachary kept him under some form of control. However, he was merciful to his cousin,


    allowing thetter to live.


    Afterward, Chris left the house and broke off contact with the Nacht family.


    Evidently, he was a strong suspect.


    Charlotte immediately instructed Bruce to investigate Chris.


    Bruce passed the orders to his subordinates. At the same time, he also voiced his doubts. ¡°Mr. Broid


    has been ipetent from a young age. Other than squandering money, he only knows how to toy


    with women. He''s nothing but a frivolous yboy, so I doubt he''s capable or smart enough to do all


    these.¡±


    ¡°We can''t be too sure.¡± Charlotte frowned. ¡°Since his life was turned upside down, his personality might


    change drastically. In the past, he was ipetent because he had a high social status and wealth


    without needing to do anything. After Zara died, he had nothing left. Humiliated and mocked by others,


    he might grow to resent Zachary.¡±


    ¡°You aren''t wrong.¡± Bruce analyzed, ¡°However, Mr. Nacht merely took Chris'' shares in Nacht Group and


    stripped him of his position. His inheritance from his mother is probably sufficient for him to spend for


    the rest of his lifetime. It''s not true that he has nothing.¡±

 Chapter 1468

    Chapter 1468


    q¡°You say that because you think that what he has left is enough for him. However, his drop in status is


    like a fall from heaven to hell. That makes thingspletely different. Not everyone can handle that


    sudden change. Furthermore, his mother hadmitted so many evil deeds. I''m afraid that others


    from the Nacht family might not be kind to him. Some might even make things difficult for him, humiliate


    and scorn him. His life used to be smooth-sailing in the past, with people rushing to curry favor with


    him. When his life took such a drastic turn, he might not be able to handle it. It''s possible that his


    personality would change...¡±


    Charlotte gave a detailed analysis.


    ¡°You''re right.¡± Bruce nodded. ¡°However, I still think that he''s not capable enough¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don''t underestimate your opponent,¡± she exhorted with a frown. ¡°Chris might seem like a frivolous


    yboy, but he still carries the Nacht family''s genes. This means that he''s probably quite smart too. He


    used to be unmotivated and ipetent because he felt no pressure. However, when one is pushed to


    the wall, one''s intelligence will return. Isn''t that the same case for me too?¡±


    ¡°Um...¡± Stunned, Bruce quickly said, ¡°Okay, I''ll investigate it now.¡±


    Charlotte sighed and got ready to head to the hospital. When she turned around, she discovered


    Danrique''s triplets standing behind the door. With their heads popped out carefully, they stared at her


    with restless expressions on their faces.


    ¡°What''s wrong, Alpha, Beta, and Gamma?¡± Charlotte took a deep breath. Forcing out a smile, she


    walked over. ¡°I''ve been busytely, so I didn''t have time to apany you. I''m sorry. After I''m done


    with¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don''t be afraid, Aunt Charlotte.¡± Alpha stretched out her hand and touched Charlotte''s face gently.


    With a cute voice, she consoled Charlotte, ¡°Uncle Zachary and Ellie will definitely get better!¡±


    When Charlotte heard herforting words, she could no longer hold her tears back.


    She had been trying her best to stop herself from crying and remembering all those things, but Alpha''s


    words made her break down.


    ¡°Don''t cry, Aunt Charlotte!¡± Beta wiped the tears away from her cheeks and consoled her anxiously,


    ¡°We''ll look for Daddy and tell him to punish the evil man!¡±


    ¡°No one is allowed to bully you!¡± Gamma clenched her fists and dered furiously, ¡°We''ll protect you,


    Aunt Charlotte!¡±


    Moved, Charlotte pulled the three kids into her arms.


    She thought that they were too young to know anything, but to her surprise, they understood everything


    that was going on.


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    They knew that someone had burned Zachary''s house down, causing him to go missing, Ellie and Ben


    to be in aa, and the handsome Connor to die in the fire.


    Hence, they hade to console Charlotte.


    Charlotte''s tears kept flowing down her cheeks. However, she tried her best to keep her emotions


    under control. Forcing out a smile again, she said to the kids, ¡°All of you have grown up! You speak so


    clearly now.¡±


    ¡°Hehe!¡± As if embarrassed, the triplets scratched their heads and blushed.


    ¡°Okay, I''m going to the hospital to visit Mr. Ben and Ellie. Stay at home, and do not wander around,


    okay?¡±


    Charlotte stroked their faces.


    ¡°Okay, Aunt Charlotte.¡± The kids nodded.


    After hugging them, Charlotte wore her coat and left hastily with Lupine and the rest.


    The car drove down the hill. Halfway down, they encountered the Gold family''s car.


    ¡°Why is she here?¡±


    Lupine frowned, not wanting anyone to stir up any more trouble at such a juncture.


    Nancy hurriedly got out of the car, walked over, and knocked on the car window.


    Charlotte lowered the car window and gazed at her calmly. ¡°What''s the matter, Ms. Gold?¡±


    ¡°What happened? Mr. Nacht, he...¡± Nancy was panicking. When she mentioned Zachary''s name, her


    voice trembled. ¡°What happened to him?¡±

 Chapter 1469

    Chapter 1469


    qAfter a few seconds of silence, Charlotte said calmly, ¡°This is the Nacht family''s matter. You shouldn''t


    bother yourself over this, Ms. Gold.¡±


    ¡°That''s enough, Charlotte!¡± bellowed Nancy. ¡°Can you tell me what happened? Aren''t you two


    supposed to get married? Why was there a fire at Southridge? Why did Mr. Nacht go missing? Why¡ª¡±


    Instead of replying, Charlotte pressed the window switch silently.


    ¡°Charlotte, you¡ª¡±


    Nancy rapped on the car window angrily, trying to stop Charlotte. However, the window was already


    shut.


    Ignoring her, Charlotte waved her hand, and the car drove away directly.


    ¡°Charlotte Lindberg!¡± Behind, Nancy stomped her feet in fury.


    However, no one paid any heed to her. Charlotte''s car was already long gone.


    ¡°Ms. Gold is quite love-struck,¡± remarked Lupine.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± An unfathomable look crept into Charlotte''s eyes while she gazed at Nancy through the


    rearview mirror. ¡°Lupine, do you think that one will be smarter when in agony?¡±


    ¡°Probably.¡± Lupine stared at Charlotte worriedly. ¡°What''s wrong, Ms. Lindberg?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Charlotte cast her eyes downward and saw her phone screen flickering. Lucy was calling


    her. It looks like something is going on in thepany. Have those troublemakers appeared already?


    Charlotte answered the call without much thought. ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, those at the headquarter requested to have a board meeting immediately. They insisted


    on seeing Mr. Nacht.¡±


    ¡°What are they trying to do?¡± Charlotte frowned.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht''s schedule has been cleared for the past three days, so Mr. Sterk took his ce in the board


    meetings. As there were no updates regarding the wedding, and Mr. Spencer had fallen ill and is still


    unconscious, those at the headquarter probably realized that something bad had happened to Mr.


    Nacht. So...¡±


    ¡°Three in the afternoon.¡± Charlotte nced at her watch. ¡°I''ll attend the board meeting on time.¡±


    ¡°All right, I''ll ry the message.¡± Lucy continued, ¡°Also, some important clients have requested to meet


    Mr. Nacht. About the Gymnasium Project¡ª¡±


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    ¡°Let''s talk about it when I arrive at the office.¡± Charlotte frowned. ¡°From today onward, I''ll go to the


    office at three in the afternoon. Schedule the work then, and I''ll handle them all at once.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    After hanging up, Charlotte barely had time to catch her breath before Johann called. ¡°Charlotte, when


    are you free? We need to meet.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Sterk, I have to attend a board meeting at three. I''ll arrive half an hour earlier, so shall we meet in


    Zachary''s office?¡±


    ¡°Okay. Take care of yourself. The Nacht family is counting on you.¡±


    ¡°You too! Nacht Group and Divine Corporation depend on you.¡±


    Her utterance hit a nerve in him, and his firm voice suddenly became hoarse and shaky. After a


    moment of silence, he forced out, ¡°I-I will!¡±


    When Charlotte heard his response, tears welled up in her eyes. Having said a reply to him, she hung


    up.


    She did not want to cry anymore. If she did, her eyes would be even more swollen. Those in the


    company might realize that something was amiss if they saw her in such a state.


    Hence, she must and have to stay strong to face everything.


    Since Zachary''s survival was still unknown, the fate of the family and the corporation were in her


    hands. She must not let him down.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg...¡±


    Lupine hugged Charlotte, her heart aching for her. She yearned to console her but did not know what to


    say.


    In truth, Lupine was devastated as well. Ben was severely injured and was still in the ICU. Despite


    being his girlfriend, she could not keep himpany. That made her feel guilt-ridden.


    She had never been superstitious in the past. However, she had begun to pray every day, hoping that


    heaven would show mercy so that the disaster would end soon and everything would get better.


    ¡°Everything will be fine. It will.¡± Charlotte took a deep breath and reminded herself to pull herself


    together. ¡°Everything will get better. It definitely will.¡±

 Chapter 1470

    Chapter 1470


    qWhen they arrived at the hospital, Charlotte brought Lupine to visit Ben in the ICU first.


    After three days of emergency treatment, the doctor announced, ¡°The patient is no longer in critical


    condition. However, since he inhaled a lot of toxic fumes after being shot, his situation is quite dire. It''s


    possible that...¡±


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    ¡°What?¡± asked Lupine anxiously.


    ¡°He might never wake up,¡± continued the doctor with a frown. ¡°We''ll need to observe him for a longer


    period to be certain of his condition.¡±


    Lupine was appalled to hear that, so much so that she staggered to her feet, swaying a little.


    Charlotte quickly grabbed her and consoled, ¡°Don''t worry, there must be a solution. I''ve already asked


    Raina to invite Dr. Wright over. If there''s hope for Olivia, there''s hope for Ben too.¡±


    The overwhelming sorrow made it impossible for Lupine to say a single word. Hugging Charlotte, she


    burst into tears.


    She had always been much calmer and stronger than Morgan.


    However, she could not control her emotions anymore.


    She regretted not being nicer to Ben in the past and not spending more time with him. Instead, she


    kept bullying and ignoring him. Lupine was truly afraid that he would never wake up. In that case, there


    would be no way for her to make amends to him.


    ¡°He''ll definitely get better. Trust me!¡± Charlotte patted her back and reassured her, ¡°I''m here for you.


    Don''t be scared!¡±


    As of then, Charlotte was everyone''s pir of support.


    Unfortunately, there was no one for her to rely on.


    After visiting Ben, Charlotte went to check on Ellie.


    The doctor said Ellie''s injuries were not severe, but she sustained a minor concussion from the head


    injury. He also exined that she had yet to regain consciousness because she was heavily frightened


    and inhaled too much smoke.


    Gazing at Ellie, who was lying on the bed, Charlotte felt her heart aching terribly. Ellie was the weakest


    among the three children, so she had always been particrly protective of her.


    Yet, over the past few years, idents always befell Ellie.


    Firstly, Cynthia poisoned her, then Sharon kidnapped her and held her captive. That time around, she


    was injured in a fire.


    Remorse ate away at Charlotte. She despised herself for failing to protect her child well.


    ¡°Don''t be too worried, Ms. Lindberg. Ellie will be fine,¡± consoled Raina softly. ¡°From a medical


    perspective, she''s not in critical danger. The biggest reason why she''s still unconscious is that she was


    too traumatized. She''ll be fine two dayster.¡±


    ¡°When will Dr. Wright arrive?¡±


    Charlotte had no time or energy to be sad. All she could think of was to deal with the problem at hand.


    ¡°She''ll arrive tonight,¡± said Raina. ¡°I''ve already reached an agreement with her. She''ll be staying in H


    City for the long-term, at least until Ellie and Ben have fully recovered.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Charlotte nodded. Patting Raina''s shoulder, she said, ¡°I''ll leave everything in the hospital to


    you. Thanks in advance.¡±


    ¡°It''s what I should do.¡± When Raina spoke, she sounded like she was on the verge of tears. ¡°Although I


    can''t help you with Mr. Nacht, I can still help you with Ben, Ellie, and the rest...¡±


    ¡°Ben''s injuries are quite severe. You and Dr. Wright must treat him carefully,¡± exhorted Charlotte.


    ¡°Don''t worry,¡± Raina promised. ¡°Although Ben''s situation is quite grave, I think there''s still hope. You


    can just leave this to me and go ahead and deal with the other matters.¡±


    ¡°And Marino...¡±


    ¡°Marino''s injuries are only external. There''s no need to worry about him.¡±


    ¡°That''s good.¡±


    After settling everything in the hospital, Charlotte went to visit Spencer in Garden Vi instead of


    heading straight to the office.


    Ever since Zachary went missing, Spencer fell ill and had been bedridden for a few days.


    Although Johann also fell sick, he had forced himself to head to the office the previous day. In


    comparison, Spencer seemed to be in a worse situation.


    Charlotte had the right to helm Divine Corporation, but those in Nacht Group''s headquarters were still


    unconvinced of her abilities. Hence, she needed Spencer to take charge first.


    Those troublemakers in the board of directors were all from the headquarters.


    Therefore, Charlotte needed to get Spencer to go with her.

 Chapter 1471

    Chapter 1471


    qCharlotte had only been there once, and it was when Henry passed away.


    At that time, she hade to stir up trouble under Danrique''smand and managed to infuriate


    Zachary.


    Though the people and ce remained the same, her emotions were vastly different.


    Charlotte had already cast aside her animosity and grudges toward the Nacht family. As of then, they


    were no longer enemies but a family.


    When she entered Henry''s residence, the subordinates, bodyguards, and maids were no longer wary


    of her. Instead, they weed her respectfully and greeted, ¡°Mrs. Nacht!¡±


    ¡°Where''s Mr. Spencer?¡±


    Charlotte strode forward, disying a regal bearing with every step she took.


    Her demeanor had changed entirely¡ªshe was no longer like her weak self in the past.


    Even when she reconciled with the Lindberg family, she was not as domineering as then.


    After all, she had Danrique as her backing at that time. No matter how powerful she was, the shadow of


    her past still lingered.


    Yet, both Danrique and Zachary had gone missing.


    Charlotte was the only one left in both the Nacht and Lindberg families.


    Hence, she had to pull herself together and be the most reliable leader for everyone.


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    ¡°Mr. Spencer is waiting for you in the study,¡± replied the butler respectfully.


    Charlotte entered with Lupine and the rest. Just as she was about to step into the study, she saw


    Henry''s portrait on the wall and fell into a daze.


    His portrait had been hung there since his passing. Every day, Spencer would talk to it about the recent


    happenings in the Nacht family.


    When Spencer saw her stopping in her tracks, he quickly instructed, ¡°Take the portrait down now.¡±


    ¡°There''s no need for that.¡± Charlotte affected a calm expression and strode into the room. ¡°I should


    keep Grandpa updated too.¡±


    ¡°Did you just call Mr. Henry as...¡±


    ¡°Although the wedding ceremony did not happen, Zachary and I are legally married. Now that I''m


    officially part of the Nacht family, I ought to change the way I address him.¡±


    Charlotte sat on the sofa across from Spencer.


    ¡°Your demeanor reminds me of Mr. Zachary in the past.¡± Looking at her, Spencer could not help but


    lament, ¡°It''s a pity... Why did this happen...¡±


    At the thought of Zachary, tears streamed down his cheeks as his heart ached terribly.


    ¡°I still think that he''s alive.¡± Although Charlotte felt emotional, she remained strong. ¡°Perhaps, the


    masked men took him away, or...¡±


    ¡°Considering how ill he is, even if the masked men had brought him away, I''m afraid that the chances of


    him surviving are slim,¡± said Spencer amidst sobs. ¡°Of course, I wish that there''ll be a miracle too,


    but...¡±


    ¡°I know that it sounds impossible, but...¡± Trying her best to suppress her sorrow, she dered firmly, ¡°I


    still believe in miracles!¡±


    Spencer heaved a deep sigh and fell silent.


    At that moment, the butler served some tea.


    After taking a sip of the hot tea, Charlotte went straight to the point. ¡°I believe Mr. Sterk has contacted


    you, right? A board meeting is going to be held this afternoon.¡±


    ¡°He did call me.¡± Spencer leaned against the wheelchair weakly, already exhausted by the short


    conversation. ¡°I''ll follow you to thepany in the afternoon. However...¡±


    There, he drew out his vowels for a long time, his tone filled with misgivings and hesitation.


    Naturally, he was aware of the current situation and that Charlotte was alone without any support. At


    that moment, he had to be her backing.


    Prior to the incident, that was what Zachary kept reminding him of. Hence, he had to do a good job.


    Yet, to be honest, hecked confidence. Firstly, he did not know if Charlotte was capable enough to


    support the family. Secondly, he was unsure if she would remain with the Nacht family forever.


    After all, she was still so young. It was possible for her to remarry to someone else.


    Furthermore, the grudges between the Nacht and Lindberg families could not be dismissed just like


    that.


    If Danrique returned one day and took Charlotte away, the Nacht family''s future would be bleak.

 Chapter 1472

    Chapter 1472


    qEven if Spencer did not voice his worries, Charlotte understood them all.


    Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    Frankly, he was still slightly wary toward her. From the start, he always believed that Zachary''s illness


    would not have worsened if she had not insisted on bringing the three children and Dr. Felch back to


    Erihal.


    He had never stopped brooding over that fact.


    However, Zachary had reminded him sternly not to bring that matter up anymore.


    Hence, Spencer never mentioned it at all.


    After all, he was not Henry. Regardless of how dignified his status was in the Nacht family or how much


    Zachary respected him, he was just an old servant.


    His status and glory were all given to him by the Nacht family. He was cognizant of all that.


    Since Zachary chose Charlotte, Spencer had no right to voice any opposition.


    Even then, he dared not show any signs of his concerns.


    ¡°I know what you''re thinking about, Mr. Spencer,¡± Charlotte pointed out. ¡°There are two things that I


    think I should exin to you. Firstly, I''ll do my best to support the family. As long as I''m here, the family


    stands. Secondly, even if Zachary never returns, I''ll remain with the Nacht family until Robbie, Jamie,


    and Ellie be adults and can support everyone.¡±


    As a matter of fact, she had wondered what she should do if Zachary were never to return.


    Perhaps, when she grew old, she would spend the rest of her life alone in a tranquil ce.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg... No, Mrs. Nacht...¡± After correcting himself, Spencer said emotionally, ¡°Thank you. I


    truly thank you from the bottom of my heart!¡±


    ¡°This is what I''m supposed to do.¡± Charlotte smiled wryly. ¡°I''m not only protecting this family for


    Zachary''s sake, but also my kids''. Therefore, you have nothing to worry about!¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry. I was being petty,¡± he apologized.


    ¡°No, I understand how you feel,¡± she said sincerely. ¡°The Nacht family has nothing now, and my


    children are still young. If I ever thought of leaving, the Nacht family would be ruined. As the only elder


    remaining in the family, it''s normal for you to be concerned. Hence, I came over today to exin


    everything to you clearly and reassure you.¡±


    ¡°I''m d to hear that. It looks like Mr. Zachary made the right judgment.¡± Spencer was overwhelmed


    with emotions. ¡°Don''t worry. As long as I''m still alive, I''ll protect you to the best of my abilities.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Charlotte stood up and bowed grave thanks.


    ¡°There''s no need for that, Mrs. Nacht...¡±


    Spencer wanted to help her up, but he could not stand up.


    ¡°You have to ept it,¡± she stated with a smile. ¡°I have to settle some things, so I''ll leave now.


    Remember to be at Divine Corporation by three in the afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry.¡± Spencer saw her to the door. After watching her get into the car, he remarked, ¡°Mr.


    Zachary is right. If she weren''t around, the Nacht family would''ve been doomed!¡±


    Charlotte did not rest in the car. Instead, she continued looking through the messages on her phone.


    Later, she had to meet a few shareholders and major clients personally and reach a mutual agreement


    with them before the board meeting.


    Some of them were the shareholders of the Gymnasium Project in F Nation, Theo, and the rest.


    To save everyone''s time, they agreed to meet in a private club at the foot of the hill.


    At that moment, they were already awaiting her arrival for a long time.


    While the car drove toward the private club, Lupine searched up some information and reported, ¡°Ms.


    Lindberg, the private club is the Gold family''s property. Should we change the venue?¡±


    ¡°There''s no need for that.¡± Charlotte was unperturbed by the information.


    ¡°Ms. Gold has a good rtionship with Mr. Murphy and the rest. If she tries to stir up trouble, it''ll be


    very troublesome.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Charlotte replied coldly. ¡°We can''t avoid the inevitable. If she intends to y some dirty tricks,


    there''s no way I can get away from it. It''s better to confront her upfront!¡±

 Chapter 1473

    Chapter 1473


    qThey arrived at the private club, which seemed like it had just been opened. Charlotte had never


    heard of its existence prior to the meeting.


    Unexpectedly, the person waiting for her in the lobby was not Theo but Nancy.


    Dressed in white, the woman sipped at her tea elegantly in her seat.


    It seemed like she had been waiting for Charlotte for a long time.


    Undeterred by her presence, Charlotte walked forward, sat down, and drank tea.


    ¡°Are you finally free enough to talk to me in person, Ms. Lindberg?¡± Nancy shot her a cold nce.


    ¡°I arrived five minutes earlier to make time for you.¡±


    Charlotte continued sipping at her tea, not even sparing a single nce in Nancy''s direction.


    ¡°Hah!¡± Nancy scoffed but did not choose to dispute with her at that moment. Instead, she probed


    relentlessly, ¡°Where exactly is Mr. Nacht?¡±


    ¡°I want to know too.¡± Charlotte nced at her. ¡°If you know, please tell me.¡±


    ¡°You...¡± Although Nancy was fuming, she humbled herself to say, ¡°You''re already legally married to him.


    Now that you''re part of the Nacht family, I''m no longer a threat to you. I just want to know if he''s still


    alive. Am I not even allowed to do that?¡±


    When Charlotte heard that, her attitude softened. A moment of silence passed before she replied softly,


    ¡°He went missing...¡±


    ¡°Missing?¡± Nancy''s eyes popped in shock. ¡°How did he go missing? Weren''t you two holding a


    wedding? What happened?¡±


    ¡°A fire happened at Southridge the night before the wedding...¡± Charlotte evaded the question and gave


    a vague description of what happened that night. ¡°I''ve searched the entirety of Southridge, but I


    couldn''t find him at all. The police said that h-he has already been burned to ashes...¡±


    Nancy was stunned. ¡°That''s impossible! How can someone so powerful like Mr. Nacht die just like that?


    That''s simply impossible!¡±


    ¡°I find it impossible too.¡± Charlotte let out a pained smile. ¡°However, I just can''t find him.¡±


    ¡°Impossible... He must still be alive!¡± Nancy was extremely agitated. ¡°Perhaps, he was taken away by


    those culprits who started the fire! Maybe...¡±


    Charlotte lowered her head and continued drinking tea. She did not want to tell her that Zachary was


    suffering from a terminal illness. Even if the fire did not happen, his days would still be numbered.


    ording to Helen''s predictions, the next day would be hisst.


    If he had been taken away by the masked men, his illness would probably have rpsed by then.


    Without any treatment, he would die.


    ¡°Have you sent anyone to run investigations? Who are the culprits?¡± Nancy pressed on anxiously. ¡°Why


    don''t you tell me everything that you know? I''ll instruct someone to investigate it. As for the police, I''ll


    look for the highest-ranking officer and...¡±


    As Nancy spoke, she ordered her subordinates to contact the said person.


    Charlotte watched as she went about with her business.


    ¡°Tell me the clues, and I''ll order my subordinates to investigate what exactly happened...¡± Nancy asked


    worriedly, ¡°Also, which police officer is currently in liaison with you?¡±


    ¡°There''s no need for that. Don''t waste your effort on this futile endeavor.¡± Charlotte gazed at her calmly.


    ¡°Charlotte...¡±


    ¡°All right, time''s up.¡± Charlotte ced her cup down, stood up, and strode toward the private rooms.


    ¡°Charlotte...¡± Nancy quickly blocked her path. ¡°How can you still deal with other matters? Isn''t finding


    Mr. Nacht the most important thing now? Do you care about him or not?¡±


    ¡°I care about him more than anyone else.¡± Frowning, Charlotte stared at her. ¡°Hence, I have to settle


    his family''s business well now. I''m really busy, so you''d better stop creating more trouble for me!¡±


    Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    ¡°You...¡±


    Nancy wanted to say something, but Charlotte had already walked off briskly.


    ring at her back, Nancy gritted her teeth and said to her bodyguard, ¡°Since she doesn''t want to


    investigate it, I''ll do it myself. Contact the police right now. I want to find out the details of this case.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Ms. Gold.¡±

 Chapter 1474

    Chapter 1474


    qWhen Charlotte met Theo and the rest, she announced that she would take charge of the Gymnasium


    Project temporarily and that everything else would go ording to n.


    Theo and the rest dared not voice their doubts. After all, Nacht Group held the biggest shares. Even if


    something were to happen to Zachary, thepany would still be capable enough of operating as


    usual.


    However, they couldn''t help but worry that something else would pop up and affect the project''s


    progress.


    Charlotte announced icily, ¡°Even if something pops up, Nacht Group will take the brunt of it. We''ve


    invested more than the total of your investments, right?¡±


    Having heard that, they fell silent.


    Rick Newark, one of the shareholders, however, plucked up his courage to say, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, you


    can''t say that. The Nacht family is an affluent family, and the investment is nothing to you. However, for


    the rest of us, we''ve invested our savings into this project. If something happens, we''ll have to dere


    bankruptcy.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that''s right,¡± the others chimed in.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Charlotte arched a brow. ¡°You want to pull out? It''s not toote for that.¡±


    ¡°Well...¡± The shareholders shared a look anxiously.


    ¡°Not to that extent, of course,¡± Theo answered hastily. ¡°I don''t know what the others have in mind, but I


    will remain loyal to Nacht Group. No matter what, we''ll get through this together!¡±


    ¡°Oh? We''ll get through this together?¡± Charlotte shot Theo an arctic look. She turned to the others and


    dered, ¡°Everyone, I won''t stop you if you wish to pull out. I can ask Mr. Williams toe over to draft


    an agreement before returning your investment to you.¡±


    The other shareholders promptly voiced in unison, ¡°We''ll stick with Nacht Group and get through this


    together!¡±


    ¡°Have you made up your minds?¡± Charlotte gave them a frosty look.


    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    ¡°Yes, of course.¡± They nodded profusely.


    ¡°Since you''ve made up your minds, I''ll be frank, then.¡± Charlotte raised her brow authoritatively. ¡°This


    project has already started, so I can actually force you toply using the contract if you hesitate. But


    because you''ve known my husband for a long time, I made an exception by giving you a choice. Now


    that you''ve agreed to continue with the coboration, please give me your full cooperation. If you bring


    this topic up again in the future, I shall demandpensation as per the contract!¡±


    ¡°Yes, we understand.¡± They bobbed their heads fearfully.


    ¡°Good.¡± More of that arctic staring before Charlotte announced, ¡°I''ll be pretty busytely, so Lucy, the


    vice president of Divine Corporation, will handle this project. Please cooperate with her. I don''t want


    someone else to bother me at the slightest movement.¡±


    The men could only nod in agreement.


    ¡°I need to leave. Enjoy your meal. I''ve already paid the bill.¡±


    Charlotte rose to her feet and strode out with her eight female bodyguards trailing behind her.


    After their footsteps faded away, the shareholders heaved a collective sigh of relief.


    His heart still racing, Rick asked, ¡°I thought she''s supposed to be inadequate? Why do I find her as


    domineering as Mr. Nacht?¡±


    ¡°She''s Danrique''s sister and Mr. Nacht''s wife. How dare you say she''s inadequate?¡± Theo chided. ¡°Be


    careful of your words. She''s no pushover.¡±


    ¡°What? You were the one who told us toe!¡± Rick huffed.


    ¡°My suggestion was that we sound her out, not to protest against her,¡± Theo exined. ¡°Anyway, I''m


    going to stick until the project is done. Even if Mr. Nacht is in trouble, Nacht Group won''t fall that easily.


    Besides, I received news that Danrique is going to make aeback.¡±

 Chapter 1475

    Chapter 1475


    q¡°What? Really?¡± The others gathered around him. ¡°Didn''t Danrique''s yacht explode in the sea?¡±


    ¡°That''s just his escape n.¡±


    ¡°Then...¡±


    ¡°But that''s just a rumor. No one has confirmed it yet. But I think Danrique won''t reveal himself easily.


    Perhaps he''ll make aeback soon.¡±


    ¡°If Danrique makes aeback, Mrs. Nacht is going to be an amazing figure.¡±


    ¡°We can''t be sure about that. Both the Nacht family and the Lindberg family are still at odds. Ms.


    Lindberg got back together with Mr. Nacht when Danrique was missing. Perhaps Danrique doesn''t


    approve of their rtionship at all.¡±


    ¡°That could be possible. Perhaps Danrique wille to H City to take her with him. If that happens for


    real, the Nacht family will be doomed. No one will be able to keep the order.¡±


    ¡°Another possibility is that Danrique has nned to take over Nacht Group when Mr. Nacht is in


    trouble. After that, the Nacht family will no longer exist, and only the Lindberg family will remain


    standing.¡±


    ¡°Oh, dear. I don''t think so...¡±


    ¡°Why not? Have you forgotten what Danrique is like? He could even kill his own sibling, let alone


    Zachary. Zachary is his family''s enemy.¡±


    ¡°Well...¡±


    ¡°If that''s the case, will our investment go down the drain?¡±


    ¡°I don''t think so. It will take some time for Danrique to take over Nacht Group if he has that in mind.


    Nacht Group is a hugepany, and he can''t do that alone. We need to speed up,plete the


    project, and get our share of money before Danrique takes action.¡±


    ¡°You''re right...¡±


    The men were involved in a heated discussion. They had no idea that Lupine, who had returned to


    grab something she had left behind, had overheard their entire conversation before leaving with a grim


    expression.


    Back in the car, Lupine reported what she had heard to Charlotte. Worried, she asked, ¡°Ms. Lindberg,


    will Mr. Lindberg really object to you staying at the Nacht residence?¡±


    Charlotte said nothing. In fact, she had already expected it. However, she was too busy recently to


    dwell on it.


    Now that rumors were circting in the outside world, she had to start pondering about it.


    No matter what or who she encountered, she could forge ahead without fear. s, the mere thought of


    Danrique made her anxious.


    Danrique was the only person she feared in this world.


    If he wants to bring me back or has something else in mind, I''ll be in deep trouble.


    Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg? Ms. Lindberg!¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± Charlotte snapped back to reality.


    ¡°Let''s go to a restaurant.¡± Lupine nced at her watch. ¡°You haven''t eaten a proper meal in days.¡±


    ¡°I''ve got no appetite,¡± Charlotte answered bluntly as she rubbed her temples. ¡°It''s time to go to the


    office.¡±


    ¡°But you haven''t¡ª¡±


    ¡°Just ask the cafeteria to send a sandwich to my office.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡±


    Lupine said nothing after that, but she was worried about Charlotte.


    After the incident, she hasn''t slept for three days and four nights. She didn''t even get to eat as she had


    to keep the order and deal with various situations. No one was as upset and full of grief as her, but she


    didn''t even have the time to cry. When she gets some time alone, she''ll stare out of the window


    aimlessly.


    ¡°Hubby, where are you?¡± Charlotte muttered to herself as she stared at Rokan Hill.


    Her heart sank to the bottom of her stomach.


    She didn''t have time to think about Zachary when she was busy, but he''d upy her mind the moment


    she came to a stop.


    Even though her instincts told her that Zachary was still alive, she couldn''t help but panic at his


    disappearance.


    Today is thest day. If he was kidnapped by the masked man, he should be suffering a lot now. It''s


    hard to say whether he''ll survive the ordeal.

 Chapter 1476

    Chapter 1476


    qThe board meeting held that afternoon was a grand affair.


    The board of directors from the headquarter had arrived at H City to attend the meeting at Divine


    Corporation.


    Back when Zachary was here, he had rarely gotten them to gather here. Every time, one or two board


    members would miss the meeting due to personal reasons. However, each and every one of them was


    free this afternoon and had shown up today on level 68.


    When Johann and Spencer arrived, everyone else stood up to greet them before asking about


    Zachary''s situation.


    They both refused to answer questions and told the rest to wait for Charlotte''s arrival.


    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    In her office, Charlotte was munching on a sandwich. It was five minutes to three in the afternoon, but


    this was her first meal of the day.


    She gobbled up the sandwich without paying heed to her image.


    Her heart aching, Lupine handed Charlotte a ss of milk. ¡°Have some milk. Don''t choke on your


    food,¡± she reminded gently.


    Charlotte took the ss readily. She was about to drink the milk when Lucy knocked on the door and


    entered hastily. ¡°Ms... Mrs. Nacht, everyone has arrived. Mr. Sterk and Mr. Spencer are here. They are


    waiting for you,¡± she reported.


    ¡°It''s two minutes to three,¡± Charlotte answered after a brief nce at her watch. She resumed her


    action of drinking the milk.


    Without a word, Lucy stood aside and waited for her.


    After downing the ss of milk, Charlotte whipped out a piece of tissue and wiped her mouth. She then


    put on her coat and strode out.


    After downing the ss of milk, Charlotte whipped out a piece of tissue and wiped her mouth. She then


    put on her coat and strode out.


    One second before the clock struck three, she entered the conference room haughtily.


    The board members who hade from the headquarter were frowning as they gazed at the clock


    hanging on the wall. They held back their annoyance and waited for the so-called Mrs. Nacht to show


    up.


    After showing up before the clock struck three, Charlotte swept a cursory nce across the crowd


    before heading to the president''s seat. Overlooking everyone else, she announced in an icy but polite


    tone, ¡°Wee to Divine Corporation!¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡± a board member from the headquarter answered and gave her an imperious look. ¡°Ms.


    Lindberg, though rumor has it that Mr. Nacht has announced his marriage to you, you''re not yet


    married, right? It doesn''t seem right for you to upy that seat.¡±


    Upon her arrival, someone from the headquarter had outfoxed her.


    The rest didn''t utter a word and waited patiently for Charlotte''s reply.


    Spencer was about to say something, but Charlotte made a hand gesture. At once, Lupine mmed a


    marriage certificate on the table. ¡°Ms. Lindberg and Mr. Nacht have registered their marriage. This is


    their marriage certificate!¡±


    The board members immediately furrowed their brows at the sight of the marriage certificate.


    ¡°A marriage certificate proves nothing,¡± Kallum Nacht continued with his verbal attacks. ¡°Everyone here


    has worked hard to develop the Nacht family alongside Mr. Henry Nacht. It does not belong to you.


    Even if Mr. Nacht owns some of the shares, they are part of his pre-marital assets. That has nothing to


    do with you, Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    Lupine was livid. She was about to retort when Rodney came in to announce, ¡°Ten days ago, Mr. Nacht


    has transferred the shares he owns in Nacht Group and all his assets to Charlotte Lindberg and her


    three children.¡±


    Rodney and Lucy then showed the photocopied documents to the board members.


    The board members'' faces turned purple in rage.


    ¡°Nonsense!¡± Kallum mmed his fist on the table furiously. ¡°How could he hand thepany to


    someone who''s not a Nacht?¡±


    ¡°That''s right. How could he?¡±


    The remaining board members were worried, but they dared not step out and waited for Kallum to seek


    an answer.


    ¡°The Lindberg family has been the rival of the Nacht family for years. I won''t mention the past


    generation''s grudges. Just two years ago, Mr. Lindberg got the Sterlings and the Browns to go against


    us. Did you forget how they made things difficult for us?¡± Kallum dered furiously. ¡°Now that the


    company is run by a Lindberg, will its name change to Lindberg Group in the future?¡±

 Chapter 1477

    Chapter 1477


    q¡°Kallum, Danrique and Ms. Lindberg are different beings. You can''tpare them,¡± Spencer said


    calmly. ¡°Now, she''s Mrs. Nacht, Mr. Zachary''s wife!¡±


    ¡°So what?¡± Kallum refused to listen to him. ¡°There are plenty of women in history who have killed their


    husbands to get their husbands'' wealth!¡±


    As soon as he said that, the air in the room tensed up.


    The shareholders stared at Charlotte and Kallum fearfully.


    With her gaze lowered, Charlotte sipped on her tea without bothering to respond.


    Johann broke into a cold sweat. I can''t believe Kallum is that arrogant to defame Charlotte!


    However, he wasn''t in the right position to speak up for Charlotte. Thus, he had to remain silent as his


    heart leaped to his throat.


    ¡°Kallum, don''t go overboard!¡± Spencer retorted. ¡°Ms. Lindberg is married to Mr. Zachary. How could you


    disrespect her? Do you even respect Mr. Zachary?¡±


    ¡°Spencer, you''re too old to be aware of how dangerous the corporate world is,¡± Kallum replied with a


    frown. ¡°Look at you, trembling in your seat. You should head home and rest. Stop butting into my


    business.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Spencer went wordless with rage.


    However, Kallum didn''t even spare him another nce.


    The other board members advised, ¡°Mr. Kallum, let''s return to the topic. You can''t be rude to Mr.


    Spencer.¡±


    ¡°I was just concerned about his health,¡± came Kallum''s answer.


    ¡°I was just concerned about his health,¡± came Kallum''s answer.


    ¡°Kallum Nacht, right?¡± Charlotte finally spoke. ¡°You''re the CEO of Nacht Group''spany based in M


    Nation. As you''re three generations apart from my husband, we''re considered rtives.¡±


    ¡°You tter me,¡± Kallum uttered icily. He assumed that Charlotte wanted to butter up to him.


    However, Charlotte''s tone did a one-eighty. ¡°But as I''m your superior, I can fire you for spouting


    nonsense here.¡±


    ¡°How dare you?¡± Kallum fumed.


    ¡°Why not?¡± Charlotte lifted an eyebrow. ¡°I''m the biggest shareholder in Nacht Group. I can fire you if I


    like. What can you do about it?¡±


    ¡°You...¡± Kallum was at a loss for words.


    Johann immediately shot a look at Charlotte to remind her not to act recklessly. After all, Kallum was


    representing all thirteen board members from the headquarter.


    As expected, the other board members chimed in, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, you''re so authoritative, huh? Why


    don''t you fire us all?¡±


    ¡°That isn''t what she meant,¡± Spencer offered hastily.


    ¡°Those who disagree can leave now.¡± Instead of giving in, Charlotte gave a court order. ¡°Lucy, hand


    every board member a resignation letter. Those who wish to leave can sign the letter andplete the


    procedure now.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    Her order immediately created an uproar.


    Besides those from the headquarter, even those from Divine Corporation and other branches were


    abuzz with discussion.


    The tension in the air increased under Kallum''s incitement.


    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Some board members started reprimanding Charlotte for her arrogance. After using her of abusing


    her authority, they started to suspect her motives.


    Growing anxious, Spencer asked Johann to dissuade Charlotte.


    Rising to his feet with difficulty, Johann was about to go to Charlotte as requested when she parted her


    lips to say, ¡°Why? Do you want to resign, Mr. Sterk?¡±


    At once, everyone fell silent and gazed at her in disbelief.


    Stunned, Johann replied instinctively, ¡°Of course not.¡±


    ¡°Sit down, then.¡± Charlotte made a gesture with her hand.


    Johann immediately sank down.


    ¡°Who else wants to resign? We can go through the procedure now.¡± Charlotte gazed at them calmly.


    ¡°Don''t worry. Nacht Group will give you what you deserve. You won''t receive a cent less.¡±

 Chapter 1478

    Chapter 1478


    qJohann and Spencer gaped at Charlotte. They had no idea what she was getting at.


    Though some board members remained skeptical, they held important positions in thepany. If they


    were to leave, thepany would be in a total mess and had to stop operation.


    ¡°Charlotte Lindberg, this is too much!¡± Kallum eximed, mming on the table. He rose to his feet


    and dered, ¡°She''s messing around to destroy Nacht Group!¡±


    ¡°What will I get in return when Nacht Group is destroyed?¡± Charlotte retorted icily. ¡°Even if you refuse to


    admit it, my children are the heirs to thepany. Mr. Henry Nacht has left his shares to them.¡±


    The rest promptly calmed down at her words.


    Those who were talking earlier quietened down and gazed at her curiously, for they were unsure what


    she meant.


    ¡°You can doubt me, but I won''t allow you to doubt Henry or my husband,¡± Charlotte announced


    haughtily. ¡°I believe you know Henry''s will. Before his death, he left everything to his great-


    grandchildren, and I am their mother. That means I''m their guardian for now. My husband has also


    transferred his shares and assets to me. You should know that they are smart and capable enough to


    avoid being controlled by a woman. Why can''t you trust their decisions? Instead of seeing what I can


    do, you immediately found fault with me. What will you gain from kicking me out? If Nacht Group is in a


    mess, who will take charge? Kallum?¡±


    At her exnation, everyone swiveled around to stare at Kallum.


    At her exnation, everyone swiveled around to stare at Kallum.


    Spencer was beaming inwardly. Good job for turning the target to Kallum! She sessfully made


    everyone assume that Kallum is creating trouble because he''s ambitious enough to take over the


    president''s position.


    Kallum''s expression changed drastically as he hurriedly exined, ¡°That wasn''t what I meant! I only


    want the best for Nacht Group and the Nacht family. The Lindbergs are our enemy. I did nothing wrong


    by questioning you!¡±


    ¡°You can question me, but instigating the others isn''t the right thing to do,¡± came Charlotte''s cool


    answer. ¡°This isn''t ourpany''s anniversary. I didn''t receive any reminder in advance, but thirteen


    board members from the headquarter turned up in H City. What about your jobs? This is a clear threat.¡±


    ¡°No, don''t make things up.¡±


    ¡°You know what you did,¡± Charlotte said harshly. ¡°Everyone here is smart enough to know that.¡±


    ¡°How dare¡ª¡±


    ¡°Let me repeat myself.¡± Charlotte swung around to face the rest of the board members. ¡°Those who


    want to leave can sign on the resignation letter. I''ll approve it without further dy!¡±


    The other board members exchanged looks without saying anything.


    Some of them hung their heads low in order to avoid being named.


    In fact, none of them wanted to leave. To be a board member or upper management in Nacht


    Group was a dreame true for most of them.


    ¡°Kallum.¡± Charlotte turned to look at Kallum.


    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    ¡°Why? Are you going to force me to resign?¡± Kallum rebutted in a fit of rage. ¡°Impossible! I''ve been


    working in Nacht Group for thirty years and I deserve credit for my efforts! I won''t leave!¡±


    ¡°I''m d you''ll stay.¡± A grin appeared on Charlotte''s lips as her tone grew soft. ¡°We can still be a family


    if you stay. The outside world is waiting for something to happen to Nacht Group after Zachary went


    missing. We should work together to face our enemies together!¡±


    The tension within the room quickly dissipated.


    Besides giving Kallum an out, she also exuded warmth as though everyone here was part of the family


    facing the same problem.

 Chapter 1479

    Chapter 1479


    qSpencer was impressed by Charlotte''s actions.


    At the same time, Johann finally understood what she was getting at.


    ¡°Of course, I need to answer Kallum''s questions.¡± Charlotte''s voice was gentle now.


    ¡°First, I''d like to rify that I''m just the acting president of Nacht Group. When Zachary returns or the


    company''s operation resumes to normal, I''ll leave without taking a cent,¡± she revealed.


    The board members rxed visibly at her words.


    ¡°Second, when I''m in charge, Nacht Group will never merge with anotherpany. There''s no way it


    will be taken over by someone else, for example, my brother Danrique Lindberg!¡±


    The shareholders exhaled in relief, for that was what they were worried about.


    Danrique was famous for his ruthless actions, so they were afraid he''d take the opportunity of


    Charlotte''s position to take Nacht Group away from them.


    ¡°Third, when I''m in charge of Nacht Group, Mr. Spencer and Mr. Sterk will have to give their stamps of


    approval before I am to make any important decisions. Thus, you don''t have to worry that I''m incapable


    or being reckless.¡±


    There was no mistaking the delight on the board members'' faces.


    ¡°Note them down, Mr. Williams. Prepare an agreement, and the rest shall be our witnesses!¡± Charlotte


    ordered.


    ¡°Note them down, Mr. Williams. Prepare an agreement, and the rest shall be our witnesses!¡± Charlotte


    ordered.


    ¡°Got it, Mrs. Nacht,¡± answered Rodney with a nod.


    ¡°Anything else to object?¡± Charlotte turned to face the rest of the board members. ¡°If you do, state it


    now. We can discuss it together!¡±


    ¡°That''s it,¡± someone answered. ¡°I think this is good enough.¡±


    ¡°I have something to say.¡± Right then, Johann spoke up. ¡°Everyone, you may not know Mrs. Nacht well,


    but I have witnessed how she got together with Mr. Nacht until now. I trust her character. Though Nacht


    Group is facing a slight problem, Mr. Lindberg left a lot of money to her before his ident. She is


    operating a lucrative business, so there''s no need for her to take over Nacht Group''s mess. She


    could''ve lived a great life with her children. But why did she take the risk of taking over this hot potato?


    Part of it is for her children, but mostly it''s because she loves Mr. Nacht. Mr. Nacht left the entire family


    andpany in her hands, so we need to trust his decision. We have to help Mrs. Nacht, just as we


    helped him to develop Nacht Group!¡±


    ¡°That''s right!¡± Spencer nodded. ¡°Even if you have no trust in an outsider, you trust me, right? I''ve been


    working for Mr. Henry Nacht since I was nine, and it has been eighty years since. I don''t have any


    private assets or pursuits as I only hope to protect the Nacht family. Now, I''m sitting here because Mr.


    Henry told me to take care of Mr. Zachary before he died, and Mr. Zachary told me to protect his wife,


    just as how I protected Mr. Henry. I believe Mrs. Nacht will lead Nacht Group well. Remember, many


    outsiders are targeting us, so we can''t have an internal conflict!¡± His tone was sincere.


    ¡°You''re right. We''ll do our best to be of help,¡± the board members immediately offered.


    They were Henry''s men who trusted Spencer greatly.


    Charlotte''s words had convinced them, so they had no reason to disagree with Spencer.


    Divine Corporation''s employees were already on Charlotte''s side. The ones from other regions


    promptly agreed to support her after hearing the headquarter''s stance.


    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    Though Kallum was indignant, he couldn''t keep arguing, for that would only serve to increase the


    others'' suspicion. He had no choice but to agree to stay in his position and do his job well.

 Chapter 1480

    Chapter 1480


    qThe board meeting ended in a peaceful manner. Before leaving, Charlotte gave Kallum some


    assurance to pacify him.


    His pride restored, Kallum strode off.


    After the meeting, Johann and Spencer came to the president''s office to talk to Charlotte.


    She was busy signing some documents. ¡°Mr. Sterk, Mr. Spencer, you''re here!¡± She looked up briefly to


    greet them.


    ¡°Give us three minutes to talk to you,¡± requested Johann with a pleasant smile.


    ¡°All right. Take a seat. I''ll be with you right after I finish signing these documents.¡±


    Charlotte returned to her work, while Lupine ushered them to their seats and prepared hot tea for them.


    Lucy soon came in with more documents, but Charlotte put her pen down and pinched the bridge of her


    nose. ¡°These shall wait. I need to talk to Mr. Sterk and Mr. Spencer.¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡± Lucy got her a cup of coffee.


    Taking her seat on the couch, Charlotte shed a shy smile. ¡°I''m sorry. It''s been pretty busytely...¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Spencer said apologetically. ¡°I''ve always thought of you as a youngdy, but you changed


    my mind today.¡±


    Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    ¡°Yes. Back when I was a secretary at level 68, you were totally different,¡± Johann remarked.


    ¡°Pfft!¡± A crimson red crept up Charlotte''s cheeks. ¡°Did you drink the chip ced identally in your


    cup?¡± she joked.


    ¡°Pfft!¡± A crimson red crept up Charlotte''s cheeks. ¡°Did you drink the chip ced identally in your


    cup?¡± she joked.


    Johannughed heartily at her joke, and Spencer soon joined in.


    This was the first time they hadughed after what happened back at Southridge.


    Today, they had won the battle, and it was a good start.


    They had to deal with the internal threat first before focusing on the external threat.


    Now that the internal conflict had been resolved, they could focus on their rivals.


    ¡°Actually, I knew that all along, but I never got the chance to show it. Now that I think of it, Danrique has


    protected me too well. He taught me a lot but never gave me the chance to face difficulties alone,¡±


    Charlottemented.


    ¡°Danrique is a business whiz. He taught you well.¡± Johann gave his honest opinion.


    ¡°That was my first experience dealing with such a problem,¡± Charlotte revealed with a grin. ¡°I only used


    a basic trick and resolved the problem easily. It proves that the board members didn''t want to kick up a


    fuss. They only wanted to know my attitude and determination.¡±


    ¡°You''re right.¡± Spencer was pleased. ¡°Though they tried to put you in a tight spot, they are loyal to


    Nacht Group. After all, they used to work for Mr. Henry. Back when Mr. Henry got sick, he had


    eliminated those questionable employees. He also did a cleanup when Mr. Zachary got sick, too. The


    ones left behind don''t have any outstanding issues, including Kallum. He may be reckless and


    competitive, but there''s nothing wrong with his character. I was worried you''d unleash a killing spree,


    but you surprised me with your decision and vision. I must say I''m impressed!¡±


    Charlotte chuckled. ¡°I''m not the same now. Don''t worry. There are more surprises toe.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Thank you so much!¡± Though Spencer had a lot in mind, he could only express his


    gratitude.


    ¡°I''m here at Divine Corporation, so you don''t have to worry,¡± Johann said. ¡°Though we''ve gained their


    support, you need to be extra careful in some matters. We''ll always be here if you need us.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Charlotte nodded gratefully. ¡°Let''s work hard to ovee this obstacle.¡±


    ¡°Yes, let''s do that.¡± Spencer and Johann bobbed their heads in agreement. ¡°We''ll leave you to your


    work now.¡±


    After leaving her office, they shared a smiling look before sighing in relief.

 Chapter 1481

    Chapter 1481


    qWith Nacht Group under control, Charlotte could now rx.


    As Nacht Group was influential and had gained a foothold in the corporate world, as long as there was


    no internal chaos, they could face the outside world together. No one could cause them any harm.


    However, there might be some unpredictable changes.


    They might be stable now, but no one knew what would happen in the future.


    Just as she had told the board members earlier, there should be plenty of rivals nning to make


    things difficult for Nacht Group.


    She dared not let her guard down.


    No matter how busy Charlotte was at work, she''d head to the hospital and police station once a day.


    Every day, she''d urge the police to find out where Zachary was, but they insisted that he had perished


    in the fire.


    There was nothing else to do but to wait for Ben and Ellie to regain consciousness before they could


    get more clues.


    Ben was injured badly and wouldn''t be regaining consciousness for the time being. Hence, Ellie was


    their only hope, but she remainedatose.


    No matter how anxious Charlotte was, she had to regain herposure back at home tofort


    Jamie and Robbie. They had been wallowing in sorrow after the incident.


    This was especially so for Robbie, who locked himself in his own room and refused to see anyone.


    This was especially so for Robbie, who locked himself in his own room and refused to see anyone.


    Charlotte had wanted to give him some time to calm down, but he had been staying in his room for four


    days. Worried, she decided to knock on his door aftering home that night.


    ¡°Robbie, it''s Mommy!¡±


    Silence greeted her.


    Concerned, Charlotte continued saying, ¡°Robbie, I''ming in.¡±


    Having said that, she pushed the door open and headed in.


    To her surprise, the room was well lit. Robbie was seated before his desk with a pair of noise-canceling


    headphones covering his ears. He was typing on his keyboard furiously as though he were a


    workaholic.


    There were no signs of despair, sorrow, or even negativity, for he was busy thinking of a solution.


    Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    Charlotte felt her heart ache at the sight.


    ¡°Mommy!¡± Sensing her presence, Robbie looked up and removed his headphones hastily. ¡°Why are


    you here? Did you receive news about Daddy? How are Mr. Ben and Ellie doing?¡±


    Charlotte hugged him tight and replied in a choking voice, ¡°Daddy will return for sure. Ellie and Mr. Ben


    will also recover soon.¡±


    ¡°Mm, I know.¡± Robbie gave a firm nod as determination shone in his eyes. ¡°I''m still finding out where


    Aunt Francey is. Though there are no updates for now, I''m sure I''ll get to it. As long as I can locate Aunt


    Francey, Daddy will be saved when he gets back.¡±


    ¡°Robbie¡±¡ªCharlotte inhaled sharply before cupping his cheeks gently¡ª ¡°Mommy will take care of it.


    This is not your responsibility.¡±


    ¡°But I want to contribute,¡± Robbie insisted, his eyes bloodshot. ¡°I''ll only wallow in despair if I don''t do


    anything...¡±


    Charlotte was at a loss for words. She felt her heart aching for him.


    ¡°Mommy, don''t worry about me. I''m fine.¡± Robbie wiped her tears away softly. ¡°I know you''re busy and


    tired, but you must take good care of yourself. Don''t get sick.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± Charlotte nodded.


    ¡°Jamie and I want to hold a wake for Little Fifi. We''ve been in a daze for the past few days before


    coming to the realization that Little Fifi died to save Ellie. We''re very upset...¡± Robbie trailed off and


    burst into tears.


    His brave front had disappeared.


    Just then, Jamie walked in and flung his arms around Charlotte. He wailed, ¡°Little Fifi''s gone, Mommy.


    It''s gone for real!¡±


    It took them a few days to realize Little Fifi had left them for real.

 Chapter 1482

    Chapter 1482


    q¡°Jamie¡±¡ªCharlotte wrapped her arms around him in aforting manner¡ª ¡°Little Fifi was born the


    same year as you, and it''s seven this year. As an elderly bird, it was a courageous bird that had


    sacrificed itself to save Ellie and went to heaven earlier than expected. I believe Little Fifi will end up as


    a little angel in heaven.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± Jamie sobbed pitifully. ¡°Can we hold a wake for it?¡±


    ¡°Of course you can.¡± Charlotte bobbed her head. ¡°But I think you should wait for Ellie to wake up before


    holding the wake.¡±


    ¡°How is Ellie doing? When will she wake up?¡± Jamie asked.


    ¡°She''s not badly hurt. Little Fifi and Fifi did their best to protect her,¡± Charlotte said, trying hard to be


    optimistic. ¡°I believe she''ll regain consciousness soon. We just need to give her some time.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡± Both Jamie and Robbie nodded vehemently. ¡°Can we visit Ellie and Mr. Ben at the hospital


    tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Sure. I''ll ask Morgan to bring you there,¡± she promised while patting their heads dearly. ¡°Now, be good


    and go wash your hands. Let''s have dinner together downstairs. From today onward, you will eat your


    meals on time with the girls so they won''t be scared, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Jamie and Robbie replied in unison.


    Seeing how obedient end strong they were, she felt relieved.


    After celming them down, she went end hed fun with the girls.


    The girls hed been obedient for the pest few deys, e fer cry from their usuel creziness. They would pley


    with toys in the pleyroom quietly, wetch e certoon, or reed books without kicking up e fuss.


    Knowing thet Cherlotte wes busy deeling with e crisis, they dered not bother her end their cousins.


    When Cherlotte ceme to spend time with them, theyforted her end seid, ¡°Don''t worry, Aunt


    Cherlotte. We''re finding Deddy end Mommy. They will be here to help soon.¡±


    ¡°Thenk you, girls.¡± Cherlotte peid no heed to their words, es they were merely kids. ¡°All right, my


    derlings. I need to get beck to work. Be good end go to bed. Tomorrow, if you''re bored, esk Jede to


    epeny you to pick some grepes.¡±


    ¡°Okey, Aunt Cherlotte. You should get some rest!¡±


    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    The girls wetched Cherlotte leeve before huddling together for e discussion.


    ¡°Alphe, Bete, should we summon Mommy now?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I think it''s time. Look how upset Aunt Cherlotte is. Robbie end Jemie heve locked themselves in


    their rooms, end Ellie is hurt. I feel bed for them...¡±


    ¡°Aunt Cherlotte, Uncle Zechery, end our cousins love us. We need to do something for them.¡±


    Seeing how obedient ond strong they were, she felt relieved.


    After colming them down, she went ond hod fun with the girls.


    The girls hod been obedient for the post few doys, o for cry from their usuol croziness. They would ploy


    with toys in the ployroom quietly, wotch o cortoon, or reod books without kicking up o fuss.


    Knowing thot Chorlotte wos busy deoling with o crisis, they dored not bother her ond their cousins.


    When Chorlottee to spend time with them, theyforted her ond soid, ¡°Don''t worry, Aunt


    Chorlotte. We''re finding Doddy ond Mommy. They will be here to help soon.¡±


    ¡°Thonk you, girls.¡± Chorlotte poid no heed to their words, os they were merely kids. ¡°All right, my


    dorlings. I need to get bock to work. Be good ond go to bed. Tomorrow, if you''re bored, osk Jode to


    opony you to pick some gropes.¡±


    ¡°Okoy, Aunt Chorlotte. You should get some rest!¡±


    The girls wotched Chorlotte leove before huddling together for o discussion.


    ¡°Alpho, Beto, should we summon Mommy now?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I think it''s time. Look how upset Aunt Chorlotte is. Robbie ond Jomie hove locked themselves in


    their rooms, ond Ellie is hurt. I feel bod for them...¡±


    ¡°Aunt Chorlotte, Uncle Zochory, ond our cousins love us. We need to do something for them.¡±


    Seeing how obedient and strong they were, she felt relieved.


    After calming them down, she went and had fun with the girls.


    The girls had been obedient for the past few days, a far cry from their usual craziness. They would y


    with toys in the yroom quietly, watch a cartoon, or read books without kicking up a fuss.


    Knowing that Charlotte was busy dealing with a crisis, they dared not bother her and their cousins.


    When Charlotte came to spend time with them, theyforted her and said, ¡°Don''t worry, Aunt


    Charlotte. We''re finding Daddy and Mommy. They will be here to help soon.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, girls.¡± Charlotte paid no heed to their words, as they were merely kids. ¡°All right, my


    darlings. I need to get back to work. Be good and go to bed. Tomorrow, if you''re bored, ask Jade to


    apany you to pick some grapes.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Aunt Charlotte. You should get some rest!¡±


    The girls watched Charlotte leave before huddling together for a discussion.


    ¡°Alpha, Beta, should we summon Mommy now?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I think it''s time. Look how upset Aunt Charlotte is. Robbie and Jamie have locked themselves in


    their rooms, and Ellie is hurt. I feel bad for them...¡±


    ¡°Aunt Charlotte, Uncle Zachary, and our cousins love us. We need to do something for them.¡±


    ¡°Let''s take action tonight.¡±


    ¡°I agree.¡±


    Meanwhile, Charlotte returned to her study room and buried herself in work.


    Back when Zachary was feeling unwell, work had piled up. Now that he was missing, a lot of projects


    were waiting to start earlier than nned, so Charlotte had a lot to deal with.


    She had been working nonstop for the past few days, but work never seemed to end. However, the


    continuous work allowed her to forget the pain and be stronger.


    ¡°Mrs. Nacht...¡± Hanna knocked on the door beforeing in with a tray of food. ¡°You haven''t eaten a


    proper meal in days. Have something to eat before resuming work.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Mrs. Rawlston,¡± came Charlotte''s answer. She didn''t even bother looking up as she flipped


    through the file in her hand.


    ¡°Your health will suffer if this goes on,¡± Hanna said in a sympathetic tone. ¡°If you get sick, what about


    the children? What about your family? And what will happen to thepany?¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Charlotte put down the file and got up. Right when she stood up, her head went dizzy, and


    she copsed to the ground.


    ¡°Let''s toke oction tonight.¡±


    ¡°I ogree.¡±


    Meonwhile, Chorlotte returned to her study room ond buried herself in work.


    Bock when Zochory wos feeling unwell, work hod piled up. Now thot he wos missing, o lot of projects


    were woiting to stort eorlier thon plonned, so Chorlotte hod o lot to deol with.


    She hod been working nonstop for the post few doys, but work never seemed to end. However, the


    continuous work ollowed her to forget the poin ond be stronger.


    ¡°Mrs. Nocht...¡± Honno knocked on the door beforeing in with o troy of food. ¡°You hoven''t eoten o


    proper meol in doys. Hove something to eot before resuming work.¡±


    ¡°Thonks, Mrs. Rowlston,¡±e Chorlotte''s onswer. She didn''t even bother looking up os she flipped


    through the file in her hond.


    ¡°Your heolth will suffer if this goes on,¡± Honno soid in o sympothetic tone. ¡°If you get sick, whot obout


    the children? Whot obout your fomily? And whot will hoppen to thepony?¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Chorlotte put down the file ond got up. Right when she stood up, her heod went dizzy, ond


    she collopsed to the ground.

 Chapter 1483

    Chapter 1483


    q¡°Mrs. Nacht!¡± Hanna held her hastily. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Oh, Ms. Lindberg!¡± Lupine happened to walk in and witnessed the scene.


    She immediately led Charlotte to rest on the couch.


    ¡°Hurry, have some medicinal broth.¡± Hanna came over with the bowl of broth she had prepared. Her


    eyes turning red, she asked, ¡°Are you exhausted, or are you starving and suffering from low blood


    sugar?¡±


    ¡°Both, I suppose.¡±


    After Lupine fed Charlotte some of the medicinal broth, thetter''s cheeks turned rosy.


    ¡°Stop doing this!¡± Lupine huffed. ¡°As a human being, you need to rest! Many of us are injured. Do you


    want to add on to the list?¡±


    ¡°All right. Cut the crap,¡± Charlotte replied weakly.


    ¡°I don''t care. You have to rest tonight!¡± Lupine dered, her eyes turning red. ¡°Otherwise, I''ll inform the


    children!¡±


    ¡°You''re bold enough to threaten me now, huh?¡± Charlotte remarked, covering her heating forehead


    lazily.


    ¡°Listen to us, Mrs. Nacht. Eat something and go to bed.¡± Hanna brought something over. ¡°Here, have


    some oatmeal.¡±


    Charlotte had to give in to them and sipped on the oatmeal slowly. Underneath their watchful gazes,


    she returned to her room to take a hot shower before going to bed.


    Yes, she wes exheusted, but she wes efreid of going to bed.


    Every time she closed her eyes, the imege of Zechery struggling helplessly in the fire would pop up.


    Thet thought elone would meke her go crezy.


    ¡°Heve e good rest. You''re tired end need some sleep.¡± Lupine set beside her to keep herpeny.


    ¡°Don''t think too much end close your eyes.¡±


    Closing her eyes, Cherlotte greduelly drifted off to sleep.


    Lupine cerefully brushed her heir ewey from her cheeks before pulling up the covers for her. She then


    set eside petiently.


    Henne set down e thermos flesk end seid in e low voice, ¡°There''s some tee inside. If Mrs. Necht feels


    unwell efter weking up, she cen heve some.¡±


    ¡°Thenks, Mrs. Rewlston. You cen leeve now,¡± Lupine thenked her gretefully before sending her out.


    Exheustion ceught up to Cherlotte, end she soon fell into e deep sleep.


    Lupine covered herself in e blenket end mede herselfforteble on the couch. As she recelled the


    recent events, her heert senk in despeir. She felt utterly powerless.


    Denger is lurking ell eround, so Cherlotte is berely henging on. It''s just the beginning. If she collepses


    now, whet will heppen next?


    She wes deep in thought when her phone begen vibreting. Pulling it out, she frowned et the sight of en


    unknown number. However, she still heeded to the bethroom to enswer it. ¡°Hello?¡±


    Yes, she wos exhousted, but she wos ofroid of going to bed.


    Every time she closed her eyes, the imoge of Zochory struggling helplessly in the fire would pop up.


    Thot thought olone would moke her go crozy.


    ¡°Hove o good rest. You''re tired ond need some sleep.¡± Lupine sot beside her to keep herpony.


    ¡°Don''t think too much ond close your eyes.¡±


    Closing her eyes, Chorlotte groduolly drifted off to sleep.


    Lupine corefully brushed her hoir owoy from her cheeks before pulling up the covers for her. She then


    sot oside potiently.


    Honno set down o thermos flosk ond soid in o low voice, ¡°There''s some teo inside. If Mrs. Nocht feels


    unwell ofter woking up, she con hove some.¡±


    ¡°Thonks, Mrs. Rowlston. You con leove now,¡± Lupine thonked her grotefully before sending her out.


    Exhoustion cought up to Chorlotte, ond she soon fell into o deep sleep.


    Lupine covered herself in o blonket ond mode herselffortoble on the couch. As she recolled the


    recent events, her heort sonk in despoir. She felt utterly powerless.


    Donger is lurking oll oround, so Chorlotte is borely honging on. It''s just the beginning. If she collopses


    now, whot will hoppen next?


    She wos deep in thought when her phone begon vibroting. Pulling it out, she frowned ot the sight of on


    unknown number. However, she still heoded to the bothroom to onswer it. ¡°Hello?¡±


    Yes, she was exhausted, but she was afraid of going to bed.


    Every time she closed her eyes, the image of Zachary struggling helplessly in the fire would pop up.


    That thought alone would make her go crazy.


    ¡°Have a good rest. You''re tired and need some sleep.¡± Lupine sat beside her to keep herpany.


    ¡°Don''t think too much and close your eyes.¡±


    Closing her eyes, Charlotte gradually drifted off to sleep.


    Lupine carefully brushed her hair away from her cheeks before pulling up the covers for her. She then


    sat aside patiently.


    Hanna set down a thermos sk and said in a low voice, ¡°There''s some tea inside. If Mrs. Nacht feels


    unwell after waking up, she can have some.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Mrs. Rawlston. You can leave now,¡± Lupine thanked her gratefully before sending her out.


    Exhaustion caught up to Charlotte, and she soon fell into a deep sleep.


    Lupine covered herself in a nket and made herselffortable on the couch. As she recalled the


    recent events, her heart sank in despair. She felt utterly powerless.


    Danger is lurking all around, so Charlotte is barely hanging on. It''s just the beginning. If she copses


    now, what will happen next?


    She was deep in thought when her phone began vibrating. Pulling it out, she frowned at the sight of an


    unknown number. However, she still headed to the bathroom to answer it. ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°It''s me,¡± came a deep and cold voice.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg!¡±


    Lupine nearly jolted in fright, but she hurriedly covered her mouth and turned at her shoulder.


    After making sure Charlotte wasn''t alerted, she asked in a shaking voice, ¡°Mr. Lindberg, it''s you? A-Are


    you all right?¡±


    ¡°I''m fine,¡± came Danrique''s curt reply.


    ¡°I¡ª¡±


    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    He cut in, ¡°Listen, don''t tell Charlotte I called.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Lupine nodded.


    ¡°I have a few questions for you. Be honest with me.¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡±


    ¡°Is Zachary Nacht really dead?¡±


    ¡°Well...¡± Lupine hesitated before answering honestly, ¡°I''m not sure. After the fire, the police didn''t find


    him at the scene. They said a fire happened in the room, ignited by a poisonous substance. It


    supposedly can burn a man to ashes, so...¡±


    ¡°A poisonous substance?¡± Danrique murmured.


    ¡°Yes, that was stated by the police. They suspected that Mr. Nacht had perished in the fire, but Ms.


    Lindberg refused to buy their ount. She thinks he''s still alive.¡±


    ¡°It''s me,¡±e o deep ond cold voice.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg!¡±


    Lupine neorly jolted in fright, but she hurriedly covered her mouth ond turned ot her shoulder.


    After moking sure Chorlotte wosn''t olerted, she osked in o shoking voice, ¡°Mr. Lindberg, it''s you? A-Are


    you oll right?¡±


    ¡°I''m fine,¡±e Donrique''s curt reply.


    ¡°I¡ª¡±


    He cut in, ¡°Listen, don''t tell Chorlotte I colled.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Lupine nodded.


    ¡°I hove o few questions for you. Be honest with me.¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡±


    ¡°Is Zochory Nocht reolly deod?¡±


    ¡°Well...¡± Lupine hesitoted before onswering honestly, ¡°I''m not sure. After the fire, the police didn''t find


    him ot the scene. They soid o fire hoppened in the room, ignited by o poisonous substonce. It


    supposedly con burn o mon to oshes, so...¡±


    ¡°A poisonous substonce?¡± Donrique murmured.


    ¡°Yes, thot wos stoted by the police. They suspected thot Mr. Nocht hod perished in the fire, but Ms.


    Lindberg refused to buy their ount. She thinks he''s still olive.¡±

 Chapter 1484

    Chapter 1484


    q¡°Did Charlotte take over Nacht Group?¡± Danrique queried.


    ¡°Yes,¡± came Lupine''s honest reply. ¡°Before that incident, Mr. Nacht had transferred his shares and


    assets to Ms. Lindberg and the children. He even introduced her to the shareholders and upper


    management of Divine Corporation ahead of time. After he went missing, the headquarter had tried to


    find fault with her. There was a board meeting this afternoon to put her in a tight spot, but Ms. Lindberg


    dealt with it easily. Now, everyone has agreed to work together to get through this.¡±


    ¡°Are the children all right?¡± Danrique asked. This was his third question.


    ¡°Ellie got hurt. Jamie and Robbie were scared out of their wits. They aren''t doing well after what


    happened in their house, but the girls are fine. They were in Northridge with us when that incident


    happened.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Danrique answered. ¡°If there''s a crisis, contact Sean.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg¡ª¡± Before Lupine could say anything further, Danrique had already hung up.


    With her phone in her palm, Lupine felt excited. At least Mr. Lindberg is still alive. He''s also concerned


    about Ms. Lindberg. But what does hisst order mean?


    ¡°If there''s a crisis, contact Sean,¡± she repeated to herself.


    Thet meens we shouldn''t bother him if there isn''t e crisis. If it''s e serious issue, contect Seen. Thet


    must be it!


    At once, Lupine felt more confident. Though Mr. Lindberg hesn''t teken ection yet, et leest he is on her


    side. If Ms. Lindberg is in trouble, he''ll definitely teke ection.


    Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    She beemed, her feer ell gone.


    However, Lupine hed no idee whet hed heppened ten minutes eerlier in the pleyroom.


    The three girls huddled together end shone their fleshlights on e smertwetch before dieling e number


    with much difficulty.


    ¡°Are you sure we cen find Mommy?¡±


    ¡°Before she left, she seid we cen cell this number if we run into trouble.¡±


    ¡°But we eren''t in trouble.¡±


    ¡°Aunt Cherlotte is in trouble. We need to protect her!¡±


    ¡°You''re right.¡±


    Ring, ring...


    They weited enxiously for the cell to be enswered.


    Alphe seid, ¡°We didn''t cell her when we missed her. Will she pick up?¡±


    ¡°Mommy seid we cen''t cell her even if we miss her or cry. We cen only cell her when we''re in trouble.¡±


    ¡°Why isn''t she picking up?¡±


    ¡°Hello?¡± Suddenly, e cold voice enswered the cell.


    Thot meons we shouldn''t bother him if there isn''t o crisis. If it''s o serious issue, contoct Seon. Thot


    must be it!


    At once, Lupine felt more confident. Though Mr. Lindberg hosn''t token oction yet, ot leost he is on her


    side. If Ms. Lindberg is in trouble, he''ll definitely toke oction.


    She beomed, her feor oll gone.


    However, Lupine hod no ideo whot hod hoppened ten minutes eorlier in the ployroom.


    The three girls huddled together ond shone their floshlights on o smortwotch before dioling o number


    with much difficulty.


    ¡°Are you sure we con find Mommy?¡±


    ¡°Before she left, she soid we con coll this number if we run into trouble.¡±


    ¡°But we oren''t in trouble.¡±


    ¡°Aunt Chorlotte is in trouble. We need to protect her!¡±


    ¡°You''re right.¡±


    Ring, ring...


    They woited onxiously for the coll to be onswered.


    Alpho soid, ¡°We didn''t coll her when we missed her. Will she pick up?¡±


    ¡°Mommy soid we con''t coll her even if we miss her or cry. We con only coll her when we''re in trouble.¡±


    ¡°Why isn''t she picking up?¡±


    ¡°Hello?¡± Suddenly, o cold voice onswered the coll.


    That means we shouldn''t bother him if there isn''t a crisis. If it''s a serious issue, contact Sean. That


    must be it!


    At once, Lupine felt more confident. Though Mr. Lindberg hasn''t taken action yet, at least he is on her


    side. If Ms. Lindberg is in trouble, he''ll definitely take action.


    She beamed, her fear all gone.


    However, Lupine had no idea what had happened ten minutes earlier in the yroom.


    The three girls huddled together and shone their shlights on a smartwatch before dialing a number


    with much difficulty.


    ¡°Are you sure we can find Mommy?¡±


    ¡°Before she left, she said we can call this number if we run into trouble.¡±


    ¡°But we aren''t in trouble.¡±


    ¡°Aunt Charlotte is in trouble. We need to protect her!¡±


    ¡°You''re right.¡±


    Ring, ring...


    They waited anxiously for the call to be answered.


    Alpha said, ¡°We didn''t call her when we missed her. Will she pick up?¡±


    ¡°Mommy said we can''t call her even if we miss her or cry. We can only call her when we''re in trouble.¡±


    ¡°Why isn''t she picking up?¡±


    ¡°Hello?¡± Suddenly, a cold voice answered the call.


    ¡°Uh...¡± The children were stunned.


    ¡°Who is this?¡±


    ¡°It sounds like...¡±


    ¡°Scary Daddy?¡±


    ¡°What''s wrong, girls?¡± A hint of warmth crept into the stern voice.


    ¡°Are you our daddy?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡±


    ¡°Can you prove it?¡±


    ¡°When your mommy gets mad, she''ll act like a lion and call you by your full name¡ªAdolpha Lindberg,


    Bethany Lindberg, and Gamarra Lindberg.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it really is our daddy!¡±


    ¡°Daddy, it''s me, Alpha!¡±


    ¡°I''m Beta!¡±


    ¡°I''m Gamma!¡±


    ¡°Did Mommy leave this number to you?¡± Danrique asked.


    No one else knows this number, not even Charlotte. She''s the only exception.


    ¡°Yep. Before Mommy left, she said we can call this number if we run into trouble...¡±


    ¡°What happened? What trouble did you run into?¡± Danrique quickly asked.


    ¡°We''re fine. It''s Aunt Charlotte and Uncle Zachary who ran into trouble. And also Ellie...¡±


    The children exined what happened slowly. In the end, they implored, ¡°Daddy, can you please help


    Aunt Charlotte? We feel sad for her. Can you help her find Uncle Zachary?¡±


    ¡°Uh...¡± The children were stunned.


    ¡°Who is this?¡±


    ¡°It sounds like...¡±


    ¡°Scory Doddy?¡±


    ¡°Whot''s wrong, girls?¡± A hint of wormth crept into the stern voice.


    ¡°Are you our doddy?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡±


    ¡°Con you prove it?¡±


    ¡°When your mommy gets mod, she''ll oct like o lion ond coll you by your full nome¡ªAdolpho Lindberg,


    Bethony Lindberg, ond Gomorro Lindberg.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it reolly is our doddy!¡±


    ¡°Doddy, it''s me, Alpho!¡±


    ¡°I''m Beto!¡±


    ¡°I''m Gommo!¡±


    ¡°Did Mommy leove this number to you?¡± Donrique osked.


    No one else knows this number, not even Chorlotte. She''s the only exception.


    ¡°Yep. Before Mommy left, she soid we con coll this number if we run into trouble...¡±


    ¡°Whot hoppened? Whot trouble did you run into?¡± Donrique quickly osked.


    ¡°We''re fine. It''s Aunt Chorlotte ond Uncle Zochory who ron into trouble. And olso Ellie...¡±


    The children exploined whot hoppened slowly. In the end, they implored, ¡°Doddy, con you pleose help


    Aunt Chorlotte? We feel sod for her. Con you help her find Uncle Zochory?¡±

 Chapter 1485

    Chapter 1485


    qDanrique fell silent at their pleas. Some timeter, he asked, ¡°Uh, did Uncle Zachary treat you well?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he is awesome!¡± Alpha nodded. ¡°Uncle Zachary told us stories, prepared breakfast for us, taught


    us how to ride a horse, and even brought us to have fun in the woods!¡±


    ¡°We even took a family portrait with Uncle Zachary!¡± Beta chimed in. ¡°When we got tired, Uncle


    Zachary hoisted us up to his shoulders! He''s as tall as a mountain. We''re not afraid at all because I can


    hold on to his hair.¡±


    ¡°I held on to his ears so I wouldn''t fall down,¡± Gamma said. ¡°Even if we fall down, he''ll catch us.¡±


    ¡°Right!¡± Alpha nodded fervently. ¡°Ellie said they used to sit on Uncle Zachary''s shoulders when they


    were young. They are used to it.¡±


    ¡°Uncle Zachary''s shoulders are wide, so I won''t fall!¡± the children chattered excitedly. ¡°Uncle Zachary


    has a nice voice. He looks handsome when he tells us stories. He¡ª¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay. That''s enough!¡± Danrique interjected. ¡°Since it''s nothing, go to bed. Children need to sleep


    more to grow up to be clever adults.¡±


    Though he seemed unfazed, he felt ufortable deep down to hear his children praising his arch-


    enemy happily.


    Is Zechery Necht reelly thet greet? Cherlotte loves him, end now the girls heve been conquered.


    ¡°Deddy! Deddy, you heven''t seid yes yet!¡± The kids didn''t forget whet their mission wes. ¡°Pleese help


    Aunt Cherlotte find Uncle Zechery! Pretty pleese!¡±


    ¡°All right. Go to bed. I''ll heng up now.¡± Denrique cut the line without hesitetion.


    The children pouted unheppily in the derk es they whispered emong themselves.


    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    ¡°Wes thet e yes?¡±


    ¡°I don''t think so.¡±


    ¡°I think so.¡±


    ¡°Jeez...¡±


    Denrique stered et his phone for some time before dieling Lupine''s number.


    And thet wes how Lupine hed received his phone cell.


    Of course, she hed no idee it wes ell the girls'' doing. If it weren''t for them, Denrique wouldn''t heve


    celled her.


    Though it didn''t seem thet Denrique wes ebout to do enything, he promptly releyed his orders efter


    ending the cell with Lupine. ¡°Did you find her?¡±


    ¡°Not yet, Mr. Lindberg. Dr. Felch is nowhere to be seen efter she sneeked ewey e few deys ego. We


    cen''t contect her.¡±


    Is Zochory Nocht reolly thot greot? Chorlotte loves him, ond now the girls hove been conquered.


    ¡°Doddy! Doddy, you hoven''t soid yes yet!¡± The kids didn''t forget whot their mission wos. ¡°Pleose help


    Aunt Chorlotte find Uncle Zochory! Pretty pleose!¡±


    ¡°All right. Go to bed. I''ll hong up now.¡± Donrique cut the line without hesitotion.


    The children pouted unhoppily in the dork os they whispered omong themselves.


    ¡°Wos thot o yes?¡±


    ¡°I don''t think so.¡±


    ¡°I think so.¡±


    ¡°Jeez...¡±


    Donrique stored ot his phone for some time before dioling Lupine''s number.


    And thot wos how Lupine hod received his phone coll.


    Of course, she hod no ideo it wos oll the girls'' doing. If it weren''t for them, Donrique wouldn''t hove


    colled her.


    Though it didn''t seem thot Donrique wos obout to do onything, he promptly reloyed his orders ofter


    ending the coll with Lupine. ¡°Did you find her?¡±


    ¡°Not yet, Mr. Lindberg. Dr. Felch is nowhere to be seen ofter she sneoked owoy o few doys ogo. We


    con''t contoct her.¡±


    Is Zachary Nacht really that great? Charlotte loves him, and now the girls have been conquered.


    ¡°Daddy! Daddy, you haven''t said yes yet!¡± The kids didn''t forget what their mission was. ¡°Please help


    Aunt Charlotte find Uncle Zachary! Pretty please!¡±


    ¡°All right. Go to bed. I''ll hang up now.¡± Danrique cut the line without hesitation.


    The children pouted unhappily in the dark as they whispered among themselves.


    ¡°Was that a yes?¡±


    ¡°I don''t think so.¡±


    ¡°I think so.¡±


    ¡°Jeez...¡±


    Danrique stared at his phone for some time before dialing Lupine''s number.


    And that was how Lupine had received his phone call.


    Of course, she had no idea it was all the girls'' doing. If it weren''t for them, Danrique wouldn''t have


    called her.


    Though it didn''t seem that Danrique was about to do anything, he promptly ryed his orders after


    ending the call with Lupine. ¡°Did you find her?¡±


    ¡°Not yet, Mr. Lindberg. Dr. Felch is nowhere to be seen after she sneaked away a few days ago. We


    can''t contact her.¡±


    ¡°Did she go to the kids? I know how much she misses them...¡±


    ¡°The kids haven''t seen her until now.¡±


    ¡°Well... Go find her. You must get her toe back.¡±


    ¡°Even if I manage to find her, she may note back with me,¡± Sean muttered to himself. ¡°You know


    how stubborn Ms. Felch can be...¡±


    ¡°Just say that I need to talk to her.¡± Danrique furrowed his brows.


    ¡°But she may not listen to me.¡± Sean seemed stumped. ¡°Back when I went to her, she stabbed my


    acupuncture point and made me cry. I''ve never been humiliated in such a way.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn''t you put your guard up?¡± Danrique hissed.


    ¡°She was too quick!¡± Sean''s expression fell. ¡°She gets irritated easily and takes action when things


    aren''t going her way. Before I realized it¡ª¡±


    ¡°She gets irritated easily? Says who?¡± Danrique red at him, menace visible in his gaze.


    ¡°I-I mean... I deserve to get beaten up...¡±


    ¡°That''s right. I''m the only one who''s allowed to criticize her. No one else can say bad things about her!¡±


    ¡°Understood, Mr. Lindberg!¡±


    ¡°Did she go to the kids? I know how much she misses them...¡±


    ¡°The kids hoven''t seen her until now.¡±


    ¡°Well... Go find her. You must get her toe bock.¡±


    ¡°Even if I monoge to find her, she moy note bock with me,¡± Seon muttered to himself. ¡°You know


    how stubborn Ms. Felch con be...¡±


    ¡°Just soy thot I need to tolk to her.¡± Donrique furrowed his brows.


    ¡°But she moy not listen to me.¡± Seon seemed stumped. ¡°Bock when I went to her, she stobbed my


    ocupuncture point ond mode me cry. I''ve never been humilioted in such o woy.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn''t you put your guord up?¡± Donrique hissed.


    ¡°She wos too quick!¡± Seon''s expression fell. ¡°She gets irritoted eosily ond tokes oction when things


    oren''t going her woy. Before I reolized it¡ª¡±


    ¡°She gets irritoted eosily? Soys who?¡± Donrique glored ot him, menoce visible in his goze.


    ¡°I-I meon... I deserve to get beoten up...¡±


    ¡°Thot''s right. I''m the only one who''s ollowed to criticize her. No one else con soy bod things obout her!¡±


    ¡°Understood, Mr. Lindberg!¡±

 Chapter 1486

    Chapter 1486


    q¡°Well, what are you still standing there for?¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry, Mr. Lindberg. I''ll look for her now!¡±


    Sean immediately scurried away to look for Francesca.


    Truth be told, none of them were confident of convincing her.


    Though Francesca was petite, she was no pushover.


    Mr. Lindberg was the reason she left in a huff. Isn''t he asking us to seek death by searching for her?


    Francesca Felch is full of tricks. She''ll definitely pull pranks on us! Ugh, I really don''t want to look for


    her.


    Sean''s face scrunched up in worry at the thought, but he had no choice but to carry out Danrique''s


    order.


    I''ll have to find her no matter what, as per Mr. Lindberg''s order. When will the rain stop, though?


    Back in Northridge, the rain battered down as tree branches mmed against the windows noisily.


    Charlotte jolted awake from a nightmare. Cold sweat had formed on her forehead.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, are you all right?¡± Lupine immediately went over to her.


    ¡°I dreamt about Zachary,¡± Charlotte revealed, panting heavily. She stared at the ceiling as tears wetted


    hershes. ¡°I dreamt that he was heavily wounded and was struggling in the fire. He even told me that


    he was in pain...¡±


    Her entire being was trembling as fat tears rolled down her cheeks.


    ¡°It''s fine. Oh, it''s fine. It''s just e dreem.¡± Lupine petted her beck end offered her e cup of tee. ¡°Here,


    heve some tee to celm down.¡±


    Cherlotte refused to drink end covered her fece. She couldn''t stop the teers from streeming down her


    cheeks.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg...¡±


    As Lupine wes ebout to reveel Denrique''s secret, someone knocked on the door. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, Ms.


    Elise hes regeined consciousness.¡±


    ¡°Ellie!¡± Cherlotte got to her feet et once. ¡°We need to go to the hospitel now!¡±


    ¡°But it''s reining heevily. Should we¡ª¡±


    ¡°We need to go now. Prepere the cer,¡± Cherlotte urged. ¡°Ellie is efreid of the derk. She''ll cry if I''m not


    with her.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Lupine immedietely got to work. ¡°Weke Morgen up so she cen drive.¡±


    ¡°Okey.¡±


    In the middle of the night, they sped towerd the hospitel.


    Morgen wes beck for her shift, end she drove them to the hospitel.


    Her presence mede them feel sefe.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, don''t worry. Ellie will be fine,¡± Morgen essured. ¡°I''ve been teking cere of Ellie every dey,


    end she''s recovering swiftly.¡±


    ¡°Drive fester,¡± Cherlottemended.


    ¡°Yes, Ms. Lindberg.¡± Morgen stepped on the eleretor.


    The winding roed wes dengerous, especielly on e dey when it wes reining cets end dogs. Normel


    people wouldn''t dere to drive on such deys, but Morgen wes experienced enough to remein celm.


    ¡°It''s fine. Oh, it''s fine. It''s just o dreom.¡± Lupine potted her bock ond offered her o cup of teo. ¡°Here,


    hove some teo to colm down.¡±


    Chorlotte refused to drink ond covered her foce. She couldn''t stop the teors from streoming down her


    cheeks.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg...¡±


    As Lupine wos obout to reveol Donrique''s secret, someone knocked on the door. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, Ms.


    Eliso hos regoined consciousness.¡±


    ¡°Ellie!¡± Chorlotte got to her feet ot once. ¡°We need to go to the hospitol now!¡±


    ¡°But it''s roining heovily. Should we¡ª¡±


    ¡°We need to go now. Prepore the cor,¡± Chorlotte urged. ¡°Ellie is ofroid of the dork. She''ll cry if I''m not


    with her.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Lupine immediotely got to work. ¡°Woke Morgon up so she con drive.¡±


    ¡°Okoy.¡±


    In the middle of the night, they sped toword the hospitol.


    Morgon wos bock for her shift, ond she drove them to the hospitol.


    Her presence mode them feel sofe.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, don''t worry. Ellie will be fine,¡± Morgon ossured. ¡°I''ve been toking core of Ellie every doy,


    ond she''s recovering swiftly.¡±


    ¡°Drive foster,¡± Chorlottemonded.


    ¡°Yes, Ms. Lindberg.¡± Morgon stepped on the elerotor.


    The winding rood wos dongerous, especiolly on o doy when it wos roining cots ond dogs. Normol


    people wouldn''t dore to drive on such doys, but Morgon wos experienced enough to remoin colm.


    ¡°It''s fine. Oh, it''s fine. It''s just a dream.¡± Lupine patted her back and offered her a cup of tea. ¡°Here,


    have some tea to calm down.¡±


    Charlotte refused to drink and covered her face. She couldn''t stop the tears from streaming down her


    cheeks.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg...¡±


    As Lupine was about to reveal Danrique''s secret, someone knocked on the door. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, Ms.


    Elisa has regained consciousness.¡±


    ¡°Ellie!¡± Charlotte got to her feet at once. ¡°We need to go to the hospital now!¡±


    ¡°But it''s raining heavily. Should we¡ª¡±


    ¡°We need to go now. Prepare the car,¡± Charlotte urged. ¡°Ellie is afraid of the dark. She''ll cry if I''m not


    with her.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Lupine immediately got to work. ¡°Wake Morgan up so she can drive.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    In the middle of the night, they sped toward the hospital.


    Morgan was back for her shift, and she drove them to the hospital.


    Her presence made them feel safe.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, don''t worry. Ellie will be fine,¡± Morgan assured. ¡°I''ve been taking care of Ellie every day,


    and she''s recovering swiftly.¡±


    ¡°Drive faster,¡± Charlottemanded.


    ¡°Yes, Ms. Lindberg.¡± Morgan stepped on the elerator.


    The winding road was dangerous, especially on a day when it was raining cats and dogs. Normal


    people wouldn''t dare to drive on such days, but Morgan was experienced enough to remain calm.


    She had to control the speed to prevent slipping and falling down the cliff.


    Morgan was familiar with the road, and she was professional enough to speed up and be in control.


    When they were about to reach the foot of the hill, a ck car that didn''t switch on its headlights


    suddenly came at them. Shocked, Morgan immediately swerved out of its way.


    ¡°Damn it!¡± she cursed under her breath. ¡°If I wasn''t fast enough, we would be dead by now.¡±


    ¡°Calm down,¡± Lupine reminded with a frown.


    ¡°I know,¡± Morgan answered. She nced through the rearview mirror andmented, ¡°I can''t believe


    the driver didn''t switch on the headlights on such a treacherous hill.¡±


    ¡°Why would a car head up the hill at this hour?¡± Lupine''s frown deepened as she stared at the car


    behind them.


    ¡°There are only two vis up there, and a manor near the foot of the hill. There''s also a club at the foot.


    Who could that be?¡±


    ¡°Could it be Nancy Gold''s men?¡± Morgan guessed. ¡°She never gave up on finding Mr. Nacht.¡±


    Instead of answering her, Charlotte ordered, ¡°Go check it out.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ms. Lindberg.¡± Lupine got to work at once.


    She hod to control the speed to prevent slipping ond folling down the cliff.


    Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    Morgon wos fomilior with the rood, ond she wos professionol enough to speed up ond be in control.


    When they were obout to reoch the foot of the hill, o block cor thot didn''t switch on its heodlights


    suddenlye ot them. Shocked, Morgon immediotely swerved out of its woy.


    ¡°Domn it!¡± she cursed under her breoth. ¡°If I wosn''t fost enough, we would be deod by now.¡±


    ¡°Colm down,¡± Lupine reminded with o frown.


    ¡°I know,¡± Morgon onswered. She glonced through the reorview mirror ondmented, ¡°I con''t believe


    the driver didn''t switch on the heodlights on such o treocherous hill.¡±


    ¡°Why would o cor heod up the hill ot this hour?¡± Lupine''s frown deepened os she stored ot the cor


    behind them.


    ¡°There ore only two villos up there, ond o monor neor the foot of the hill. There''s olso o club ot the foot.


    Who could thot be?¡±


    ¡°Could it be Noncy Gold''s men?¡± Morgon guessed. ¡°She never gove up on finding Mr. Nocht.¡±


    Insteod of onswering her, Chorlotte ordered, ¡°Go check it out.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ms. Lindberg.¡± Lupine got to work ot once.

 Chapter 1487

    Chapter 1487


    qOnce they arrived at the hospital, Charlotte got down from the car in a haste. Before she reached


    Ellie''s ward, she could hear the child''s fearful cries from afar.


    Rushing in, she gave Ellie a tight hug. ¡°Ellie, don''t be afraid. Mommy''s here. I''m right here...¡±


    ¡°Mommy!¡± Ellie was shaking in her arms.


    ¡°Good girl, Ellie. You''re fine now. It''s all right. Mommy''s here. No one can hurt you.¡± Charlotte patted


    her back gently tofort her.


    Before long, Ellie finally calmed down and dozed off.


    Raina revealed in a low voice, ¡°The drug must be causing her sleepiness. She''ll be fine a couple of


    dayster.¡±


    ¡°How about her wounds?¡± Charlotte inquired. ¡°Her voice sounded hoarse.¡±


    ¡°Her throat is a little infected after she took in too much of the poisonous smoke. She''ll be fine after


    getting some rest,¡± Raina replied. ¡°There are no big issues. It''s only a mild concussion.¡±


    ¡°I think she''s traumatized,¡± Charlotte said, staring at Ellie worriedly.


    ¡°Yes, she is,¡± came Raina''s answer. ¡°I''ve arranged for some psychologists to examine her the next time


    she wakes up.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Charlotte sat beside the bed. ¡°You can leave now. I''ll keep Elliepany.¡±


    ¡°All right. I''ll go check on Ben. Call me if anything happens.¡±


    ¡°I...¡± Lupine hesiteted.


    ¡°Leeve with her. We''re fine here.¡± Cherlotte knew whet wes on her mind.


    ¡°I''ll stey with Ms. Lindberg,¡± Morgen offered. ¡°Go, Lupine.¡±


    ¡°Stey with her. Don''t leeve her elone,¡± Lupine instructed.


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Lupine left with Reine, while Morgen steyed with Cherlotte.


    Cherlotte switched off the lights, leeving behind e dim yellow light just so she could keep en eye on


    Ellie. Her heert wes overwhelmed with enguish end guilt.


    Gently, she held Ellie''s tiny hends to give her wermth.


    It wes four in the morning, end Cherlotte should be exheusted by now, but she couldn''t sleep e wink.


    Keeping Elliepeny mede her feel better.


    Time trickled by, end the sun eventuelly ceme out.


    Lupine returned to report, ¡°Our men sent beck word thet the cer belonged to the resteurent et the foot


    of the hill. There''s nothing suspicious ebout it.¡±


    ¡°Fine, then.¡± Cherlotte didn''t dwell on the metter. ¡°Prepere to heed to thepeny.¡±


    ¡°It''s still eerly. Aren''t you heeding beck to get some rest?¡± Lupine esked with concern.


    ¡°I''m fine.¡± Cherlotte''s brows knitted together. ¡°There is too much work for me to relex. I cen''t sleep well.


    I''ll rest when everythinges to en end.¡±


    ¡°I...¡± Lupine hesitoted.


    ¡°Leove with her. We''re fine here.¡± Chorlotte knew whot wos on her mind.


    ¡°I''ll stoy with Ms. Lindberg,¡± Morgon offered. ¡°Go, Lupine.¡±


    ¡°Stoy with her. Don''t leove her olone,¡± Lupine instructed.


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Lupine left with Roino, while Morgon stoyed with Chorlotte.


    Chorlotte switched off the lights, leoving behind o dim yellow light just so she could keep on eye on


    Ellie. Her heort wos overwhelmed with onguish ond guilt.


    Gently, she held Ellie''s tiny honds to give her wormth.


    It wos four in the morning, ond Chorlotte should be exhousted by now, but she couldn''t sleep o wink.


    Keeping Elliepony mode her feel better.


    Time trickled by, ond the sun eventuollye out.


    Lupine returned to report, ¡°Our men sent bock word thot the cor belonged to the restouront ot the foot


    of the hill. There''s nothing suspicious obout it.¡±


    ¡°Fine, then.¡± Chorlotte didn''t dwell on the motter. ¡°Prepore to heod to thepony.¡±


    ¡°It''s still eorly. Aren''t you heoding bock to get some rest?¡± Lupine osked with concern.


    ¡°I''m fine.¡± Chorlotte''s brows knitted together. ¡°There is too much work for me to relox. I con''t sleep well.


    I''ll rest when everythinges to on end.¡±


    ¡°I...¡± Lupine hesitated.


    ¡°Leave with her. We''re fine here.¡± Charlotte knew what was on her mind.


    ¡°I''ll stay with Ms. Lindberg,¡± Morgan offered. ¡°Go, Lupine.¡±


    ¡°Stay with her. Don''t leave her alone,¡± Lupine instructed.


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Lupine left with Raina, while Morgan stayed with Charlotte.


    Charlotte switched off the lights, leaving behind a dim yellow light just so she could keep an eye on


    Ellie. Her heart was overwhelmed with anguish and guilt.


    Gently, she held Ellie''s tiny hands to give her warmth.


    It was four in the morning, and Charlotte should be exhausted by now, but she couldn''t sleep a wink.


    Keeping Elliepany made her feel better.


    Time trickled by, and the sun eventually came out.


    Lupine returned to report, ¡°Our men sent back word that the car belonged to the restaurant at the foot


    of the hill. There''s nothing suspicious about it.¡±


    ¡°Fine, then.¡± Charlotte didn''t dwell on the matter. ¡°Prepare to head to thepany.¡±


    ¡°It''s still early. Aren''t you heading back to get some rest?¡± Lupine asked with concern.


    ¡°I''m fine.¡± Charlotte''s brows knitted together. ¡°There is too much work for me to rx. I can''t sleep well.


    I''ll rest when everythinges to an end.¡±


    ¡°But your health¡ª¡±


    ¡°Stop it,¡± Charlotte cut her off. ¡°Morgan, let''s go to my office. Lupine, stay here at the hospital.¡±


    ¡°I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ms. Lindberg,¡± Morgan answered hastily.


    Though Lupine felt uneasy, she dared not disobey Charlotte''s order.


    Her heart ached at how Charlotte was putting others before her until now.


    She knows I''m worried about Ben. That''s why she switched my shift with Morgan''s shift so I can stay in


    the hospital. Though it seems like a task, she''s actually being kind.


    Right then, Raina had arrived with the psychologists. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, I''ve made the arrangements. Once


    Ellie regains consciousness, they''ll start counseling her. Don''t worry. But during the session, it''s better


    to have someone to stay with her.¡±


    ¡°But I¡ª¡±


    Charlotte was about to exin that she was heading to work when two familiar voices rang out.


    ¡°Mommy!¡±


    Robbie and Jamie ran in with Ellie''s favorite plushie.


    ¡°We''ll keep Elliepany. You should get some rest,¡± Robbie said gently. ¡°It''s still early, so you can


    take a nap and go back to work in the afternoon.¡±


    Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    ¡°Yes, Mommy. Don''t exhaust yourself.¡± Jamie hugged her. ¡°We''ll be worried if you get sick.¡±


    ¡°But your heolth¡ª¡±


    ¡°Stop it,¡± Chorlotte cut her off. ¡°Morgon, let''s go to my office. Lupine, stoy here ot the hospitol.¡±


    ¡°I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ms. Lindberg,¡± Morgon onswered hostily.


    Though Lupine felt uneosy, she dored not disobey Chorlotte''s order.


    Her heort oched ot how Chorlotte wos putting others before her until now.


    She knows I''m worried obout Ben. Thot''s why she switched my shift with Morgon''s shift so I con stoy in


    the hospitol. Though it seems like o tosk, she''s octuolly being kind.


    Right then, Roino hod orrived with the psychologists. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, I''ve mode the orrongements. Once


    Ellie regoins consciousness, they''ll stort counseling her. Don''t worry. But during the session, it''s better


    to hove someone to stoy with her.¡±


    ¡°But I¡ª¡±


    Chorlotte wos obout to exploin thot she wos heoding to work when two fomilior voices rong out.


    ¡°Mommy!¡±


    Robbie ond Jomie ron in with Ellie''s fovorite plushie.


    ¡°We''ll keep Elliepony. You should get some rest,¡± Robbie soid gently. ¡°It''s still eorly, so you con


    toke o nop ond go bock to work in the ofternoon.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mommy. Don''t exhoust yourself.¡± Jomie hugged her. ¡°We''ll be worried if you get sick.¡±

 Chapter 1488

    Chapter 1488


    q¡°All right.¡± Charlotte nodded. ¡°Robbie, Jamie, I''ll leave Ellie with you guys.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± The boys nodded as well. ¡°Don''t worry, Mommy. We''ll take good care of Ellie.¡±


    Charlotte embraced her two children lovingly before leaving with Morgan and the rest.


    She had to deal with many matters at the corporation that day, so she could not afford to waste any


    more time. Besides, she had to press the police for an update. It had been four days since Zachary''s


    disappearance, but there was still no news about him. On top of that, the nightmare she had from the


    night before made her feel extremely unsettled.


    Charlotte had a lot on her te, be it thepany or her family. Everything was dependent on her.


    She was as busy as a bee every day, but the tasks seemed to be endless.


    Even in the car, she had to go through documents.


    Suddenly, the car came to an abrupt halt. Morgan yelled, ¡°Do they have a death wish or something?¡±


    ¡°It looks like Ms. Gold''s car.¡± Emma, sitting in the front passenger seat, remarked.


    At her utterance, Charlotte raised her head and looked ahead. Indeed, Nancy''s car was blocking the


    way, and she seemed furious.


    ¡°She''s crazy! What is she trying do?¡±


    Morgan''s hot temper remained the same. Nothing about her changed.


    At that moment, Nancy came out of her car, strode toward them, and knocked on the window.


    Charlotte pressed on the window switch. As the window lowered, she looked at her cially.


    ¡°Charlotte, you''ll suffer retribution for what you''ve done.¡± Nancy forced out those words through gritted


    teeth. ¡°You are thoroughly ck-hearted!¡±


    Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Charlotte knitted her eyebrows.


    ¡°You''re still pretending, huh?¡± Nancy sneered as she stared her down. ¡°Never mind. Your true colors


    will be exposed soon enough. Just you wait!¡±


    After shooting her a nasty look, she turned and stormed off.


    ¡°She''s crazy,¡± Morgan spat. ¡°What the heck was she even talking about?¡±


    ¡°Ignore her. Let''s go.¡± Charlotte did not want to dy further.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Morgan started the engine and drove off.


    As the car continued to head toward thepany, Charlotte had her head lowered, focused on reading


    the documents. Yet, an inexplicable sense of dread crept into her heart as she recalled Nancy''s words.


    That can''t be right. Although Nancy dislikes me, she''s not the kind of person that will make baseless


    usations. What did she mean earlier? Is there a reason behind her outburst?


    At that thought, she immediately took out her phone, nning to ask someone to investigate the


    matter. Coincidently, Lucy called her.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, something bad has happened. Please check out the news now.¡±


    ¡°What news?¡±


    While replying to her through the Bluetooth earpiece, Charlotte checked the messages on the tablet in


    which she saw the plethora of links sent by Lucy. The moment she opened them, her face turned pale.


    Evil Woman Killed Her Ex For Money.


    Fallen Heiress Took Revenge On Her Ex¡ªArson And Homicide.


    Only By Being Ruthless Can Women Secure Their Position.


    There was a multitude of weirdly worded headlines, which seemed to be insinuating something.


    Charlotte clicked in and found that the contents were all directed toward her.


    Some said that she burned down the Nacht residence and killed Zachary right before their wedding


    ceremony because she coveted the assets of the Nacht family.


    Others imed that she returned to take revenge on the Nacht family, so she seduced Zachary only to


    kill him afterward.


    Some even suggested that she conspired with her lover to kill Zachary. As of then, she had seized the


    assets of the Nacht family and even became the new president of Nacht Group.


    In short, there was a variety of rumors, and all of them suggested that Charlotte killed Zachary for the


    assets of the Nacht family.


    Some even provided evidence, analyzing the incident as if they knew the truth.


    The photo of Charlotte and Michael was even released, iming that he was her lover.


    Charlotte frowned. Everything was fine yesterday, but today, all hell is breaking loose. Who''s the one


    responsible for this?

 Chapter 1489

    Chapter 1489


    q¡°It''s preposterous!¡± Emma, too, started browsing the news on her phone. Fuming with anger, she said,


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg is doing all she can to support the Nacht family. How can they say this?¡±


    ¡°Someone must be behind all these.¡± Morgan leaned over to nce at the news and was instantly riled


    by them. ¡°Could it be Nancy Gold''s doing?¡± she suggested.


    ¡°She has to be the main suspect,¡± Emma spat. ¡°It can''t be anyone else.¡±


    ¡°I don''t think it''s her.¡± Charlotte kept her cool and analyzed the situation. ¡°If she''s the culprit, then it


    doesn''t make sense for her toe all the way to scold me.¡±


    Though she was not fond of Nancy, she felt that thetter truly loved Zachary. Nancy must be more


    concerned about his safety, so there was no need for her toplicate the situation by releasing those


    fake news.


    If it isn''t her, then who else would do such a thing? Ever since Zachary went missing, some


    conglomerate businesses have been plotting to gain control of Nacht Group. Could it be them?


    While Charlotte was deep in thought, her phone rang again. That time around, it was Johann who


    called. She immediately answered the call. ¡°Mr. Sterk.¡±


    ¡°Charlotte, the stock price is plunging.¡± Johann went straight to the point. ¡°I think there''s a need for you


    to exin the situation in a press conference. Or else, our stock price will hit rock bottom, and we''ll


    suffer massive losses.¡±


    ¡°I''ll be arriving at thepany shortly. Let''s discuss face to face there,¡± she responded decisively.


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    After ending the call, Charlotte checked the stock market. Indeed, the stock price of Nacht Group was


    crashing. Evidently, the ongoing discussions on the inte had left a profound impact.


    Moreover, the rumors suddenly emerged in the morning, with almost every well-known mediapany


    producing the same content simultaneously. Not only were the headlines eye-catching, but they were


    also spreading like wildfire. Everything seemed so organized and well-prepared.


    Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    Usually, the media dared not cross Nacht Group. However, considering the involvement of so many


    mediapanies, Charlotte had reasons to suspect that a highly influential person was pulling the


    strings.


    Then, Spencer called, and she immediately answered, ¡°Hi, Mr. Spencer.¡±


    ¡°Charlotte, you must handle the issue with great care. Find out who did this as soon as possible! Based


    on my experience, this matter will only get worse if not dealt with immediately.¡±


    ¡°I know that, Mr. Spencer. I''m dealing with it right now.¡±


    ¡°We''ve put in a lot of effort to persuade the board of directors yesterday, and yet, this happened. There


    must be someone behind this. Do you have any suspect?¡±


    ¡°I can''t think of one at the moment. I''ll investigate it.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Be quick. I''ve been receiving calls the whole day. The shareholders have been looking for me,


    so I''ll go and deal with them first.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Just as Charlotte put down the phone, Michael called. Frustrated by the endless calls, she frowned.


    ¡°Michael.¡±


    ¡°Charlotte, what''s going on? Why did I be your lover?¡±


    ¡°I''m not sure. I''m investigating it now.¡± Charlotte almost let out a sigh. ¡°Now, I can only say for sure that


    they''reing after me. You just happened to be dragged into this mess.¡±


    ¡°No, no, that''s not what I meant. I don''t mind getting involved in this. I''m not really affected since I''m all


    alone. More importantly, you''re in the center of the storm. Please be careful.¡±


    ¡°I know. I''ll deal with it. I''m sorry, Michael.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry about it. Let me know if you need my help. I''m always avable.¡±


    ¡°Mmm, got it.¡±


    Once the call ended, Charlotte massaged her temples to soothe her headache. In the meantime, they


    had arrived at thepany''s building. At the sight of their car, a group of journalists swarmed toward


    them.


    ¡°Such annoying people!¡±


    Morgan''s expression darkened.


    She wanted to chase the group away, but the security guards forestalled her and dispersed the crowd.


    Morgan immediately drove the car toward the parking lot in the basement.


    Charlotte looked at the time. It''s only nine in the morning, yet the journalists have already gathered


    here. The mastermind sure hase up with a well-formted n.

 Chapter 1490

    Chapter 1490


    qWhen Charlotte arrived on level 68, Johann, Lucy, and the upper management of Divine Corporation


    were already waiting for her.


    After a discussion with Johann, they decided to hold a press conference the next afternoon, and Lucy


    would announce the event to the public.


    However, Johann was still anxious. ¡°Judging from the situation, I think the mediapanies have been


    bribed. What if they refuse to listen to your exnation and solely condemn you? How should we deal


    with it?¡±


    ¡°Have the legal team join the press conference.¡± Charlotte came up with a decision without hesitation.


    ¡°We''ll speak with evidence. Record the attendance of all the mediapanies. Should there be any


    attempt to defame me, we''ll issue a letter of demand immediately.¡±


    ¡°That''s a great way to do it.¡± He nodded and said, ¡°I''ve sent someone to investigate the matter. Let''s


    hope we''ll find out the culprit soon enough.¡±


    ¡°Come to think of it, to be courageous enough to go against Nacht Group openly, the person behind


    this must be some formidable force.¡± A deep frown creased her forehead.


    ¡°Who can it be?¡± Johann could not wrap his head around the situation. ¡°I really can''t think of anyone.¡±


    ¡°Let''s put this aside for now. Get ready for the press conference instead.¡± Compared to him, Charlotte


    was more levelheaded. ¡°We''ll take it one step at a time.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡±


    Johann left afterward.


    Charlotte was prepared to go through the documents when Lucy came to report to her. ¡°Ms. Lindberg,


    a new rumor has been released.¡±


    ¡°What is it about?¡± Charlotte was still flipping the pages.


    Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    ¡°This time, they''ve gotten Mr. Lindberg involved. He''s used of being the mastermind of your revenge


    n...¡± Lucy said in a soft voice.


    That made Charlotte stop looking through the documents. Extending her hand, she took the tablet from


    Lucy. Rage colored her features as she scrolled through the page.


    The rumors imed that the downfall of Lindberg Corporation was due to Danrique''s mismanagement


    and that he had instructed Charlotte to target Nacht Group because hecked the resources to rebuild


    their family''s legacy.


    At the same time, they also listed out examples and pieces of evidence that showed how Lindberg


    Corporation plotted against Nacht Group in the past. The article was written in a convincing fashion,


    and one would easily believe that it was the truth.


    Fury zed up within Charlotte after she read everything.


    This is too much! It''s one thing to use me, but to drag Danrique into this! Danrique is a principled


    man. He''s not the kind of person that will covet things that don''t belong to him. Heck, he might not even


    ept them even if they were presented to him as a gift!


    ¡°This article went viral, and manyizens believe it.¡± While observing her expression, Lucy uttered


    cautiously, ¡°Now, many mediapanies are trying to get in touch with our public rtions department,


    hoping to get updates.¡±


    Charlotte was enraged, but she remained rational. Putting down the tablet, she replied calmly, ¡°We''ll


    deal with this at tomorrow''s press conference.¡±


    ¡°But...¡± Lucy looked at her worriedly. ¡°New rumors keep sprouting. If we wait till tomorrow, the stock


    price of Nacht Group may¡ª¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by new rumors?¡± Charlotte was exasperated.


    ¡°Just a minute ago, there''s another article...¡±


    Lucy''s voice trailed off, for she was too afraid to continue the sentence.


    ¡°What is it about?¡± Charlotte asked impatiently.


    ¡°L-Look at it yourself.¡± Lucy opened up a link on the tablet.


    Charlotte took over the tablet. Upon reading the content, she flew into a rage. mming her fist on the


    table, she stood up and roared, ¡°What the f*ck!¡±


    The article imed that Robbie, Jamie, and Ellie were not Zachary''s children but Danrique''s.


    Attached to the post were photos of the three children, and the author imed that they all looked like


    Danrique but not Zachary.


    However, the post omitted the rtionship between Charlotte and Danrique, giving the readers the


    wrong impression while stirring up ripples of suspense.


    Nevertheless, it was like the final nail in the coffin, thwarting Charlotte''s ns to clear her name.


    If she could not furnish any solid evidence, then the matter might be beyond salvaging.


    However, Zachary had gone missing, and Henry was dead. Even if she wanted to perform a DNA test,


    she could not find anyone to prove her children''s biological rtionship with the Nacht family.

 Chapter 1491

    Chapter 1491


    q¡°Now that new rumors are popping up every few minutes and are supported by so-called evidence,


    things might go out of hand if we wait till tomorrow,¡± Lucy said anxiously. ¡°Besides, many of the doubts


    are directed toward you, so Mr. Sterk and Mr. Spencer are in no position to speak up.¡±


    She continued exining the graveness of the situation, ¡°You''re going to face hundreds of media


    companies all alone tomorrow, all of whom are sharp-tongued. In addition, they all seem prepared and


    are set out to tarnish your reputation. I''m afraid you''ll be driven into a corner...¡±


    With her eyes downcast, Charlotte mulled over the situation.


    Lucy is right. The current situation is critical, and things will only worsen the longer we dragged on...


    ¡°Go and make the arrangements. Bring forward the press conference to today at two in the afternoon,¡±


    she ordered. ¡°No, make it at eleven in the morning!¡±


    ¡°It''s almost a quarter to ten. Eleven''s not that far off.¡± Lucy checked her watch and asked worriedly,


    ¡°The timing is good, but are you ready?¡±


    ¡°There''s nothing to prepare.¡± Charlotte frowned. ¡°No matter how much I prepare for it, I wouldn''t know


    what tricks they will throw at me. Representatives from over five hundred mediapanies will be


    attending the press conference. How can we anticipate everything?¡±


    ¡°You are right.¡± Lucy nodded. ¡°Then, shall I proceed with it now?¡±


    ¡°Please.¡± Charlotte motioned her to leave with the wave of her hand.


    ¡°Understood.¡± Lucy sprang into action.


    Having lost the mood to deal with work, Charlotte closed the folder. Instead, she walked toward the


    windows, looked at the beautiful city view below, and started sorting out her thoughts.


    She had to stay calm, eliminate all distractions, and think of a proper solution.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg!¡±


    Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    A familiar voice came to her ears.


    Charlotte turned her head. ¡°Lupine, why are you here? Didn''t I ask you to stay in the hospital?¡±


    ¡°I''ve sent Jade and Emma over.¡± Lupine hurriedly approached her. ¡°I can''t leave you alone when you''re


    facing such a huge problem!¡±


    ¡°I''m not alone. Aren''t Jade and Emma people?¡±


    Charlotte rolled her eyes at her, but her lips quirked into a smile. As Lupine had always been a reliable


    person, she felt more at ease to have her around.


    ¡°That''s not the same. I know you best, so I''m the one who''s most fit to help you.¡± Lupine looked at


    Charlotte empathetically. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, I met Lucy on my way here. She mentioned that you''re holding


    a press conference at eleven?¡±


    ¡°That''s right.¡± Charlotte nodded. ¡°There''s no time to lose. I need to deal with this immediately.¡±


    ¡°Then, I''ll have my men get ready.¡± Lupine started making calls on her phone.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Charlotte blurted out, but it soon struck her. Security would be a major concern


    since the press conference would be held on an enormous scale.


    ¡°You''re meticulous as always. I almost forget about that.¡± Charlotte massaged her temples. ¡°I''m so


    fortunate to have you here with me.¡±


    ¡°Those mediapanies are obviously puppets used to bring you down. If security is not properly dealt


    with, it will exacerbate the already dire situation.¡±


    While making calls, Lupine added, ¡°We''re short on people, but I''ll think of a way to solve this.¡±


    After everything that had happened, Southridge was ruined entirely. The remaining bodyguards of the


    Nacht family were sent to protect Ben, Ellie, Johann, and Spencer.


    Only Charlotte''s female bodyguards were avable. However, some had to stay at home to protect


    Danrique''s triplets. Obviously, there was a seriousck of manpower.


    However, the current circumstances necessitated the deployment of arge group of men.


    Stricken with worry, Lupine was hesitant to contact Gordon and Sean.


    ¡°They are too far away.¡± Charlotte knew what was on her mind. ¡°It''s of no use to ask Gordon for help


    now.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    Lupine was about to respond, but Charlotte''s ringtone cut her off. The caller was Gordon.

 Chapter 1492

    Chapter 1492


    q¡°Speak of the devil,¡± Charlotte said and answered the phone immediately.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg!¡±


    ¡°Gordon, it''s great to hear from you again.¡±


    Urgently requiring aid, she quickly asked, ¡°Are you still in Erihal? Have you made contact with


    Danrique?¡±


    ¡°Not yet,¡± Gordon replied. ¡°However, I''ve confirmed that Mr. Lindberg is still alive and is safe. Hence,


    I''ve returned to H City to protect you and the triplets.¡±


    ¡°You''re back in H City? That''s great!¡± Charlotte eximed. ¡°Your timing can''t be any better. I need help


    now!¡±


    ¡°We just arrived at the airport and are at your beck and call.¡±


    ¡°Bring your men to Nacht Group now,¡± Charlotte instructed immediately.


    ¡°Understood, I''lle over now!¡±


    ¡°No, wait...¡±


    All of a sudden, Charlotte calmed down. There are already rumors that im that I returned to the


    Nacht family for revenge under Danrique''smand. If his men are to appear by my side at this


    juncture, it''ll only raise more suspicions.


    ¡°Don''t worry about it. I brought some new faces along with me this time. No one will recognize them.¡±


    Gordon understood her concerns.


    ¡°When I met with Sean in Erihal, I had some of his men join me. Although they''ve always been


    following Mr. Lindberg, they never showed themselves in public. Therefore, no one knows who they


    are. During the press conference, I''lly low and protect you in secret. At the same time, I''ll try to find


    out the culprit who engineered this.¡±


    ¡°What a well-thought-out n,¡± Charlotte praised, delighted. ¡°Then,e here right now. I''ll send


    Lupine to receive you.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡±


    As soon as she ended the call, Lupine immediately said, ¡°That''s great. With Gordon around, we''ve


    gotten ourselves a great aid.¡±


    ¡°He sure appeared at such a good timing.¡± Charlotte was also exhrated, but she soon started casting


    doubt on Gordon''s timely arrival. ¡°Wait, it feels like he returned to H City earlier than expected because


    he foresaw I would be in trouble.¡±


    ¡°Didn''t he mention that he had originally nned to return here? It''s just a coincidence.¡±


    Charlotte shook her head. ¡°No, I don''t think it''s a coincidence but more like he had nned to return to


    protect me from the very beginning.¡±


    ¡°Maybe¡ª¡±


    ¡°Maybe Danrique found out what happened to the Nacht family and is worried about me. That''s why he


    sent Gordon to my aid,¡± Charlotte deduced. ¡°Danrique has always been like this, tough on the outside


    but soft on the inside.¡±


    ¡°You are right.¡±


    Lupine was gratified that Charlotte managed to hit the mark, even though she had not said anything.


    ¡°Let''s start prepping.¡± Charlotte shifted her focus back to the matter at hand. ncing at her watch, she


    exhorted, ¡°We can''t lose this battle. Or else, I will be disappointing Zachary.¡±


    ¡°It''s going to be fine. After all, we''re innocent,¡± Lupine consoled her. ¡°All right. I''ll go make the


    arrangements for security.¡±


    ¡°Go on.¡±


    Clutching her phone, Charlotte paced the office. It''s already ten, an hour till the press conference.


    Since Gordon would be in charge of security, she could finally heave a sigh of relief.


    She could rebut the usations the media had thrown at her and even provide evidence to the


    contrary.


    However, she had no idea what would ensue.


    While she was out in the open, the culprit remained hidden in the dark. It was impossible to be


    prepared for the lurking threats.


    Nheless, there was no point in mulling over it. She could only cross that bridge when she came to


    it.


    Charlotte sat down and continued her work. Regardless of the situation, she had to remain


    levelheaded.


    In the meantime, Lucy had informed others that the press conference was rescheduled while Lupine


    met with Gordon to settle the arrangements for security.


    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    ¡°Gordon, this is a detailed n of the building. I''ll distribute a copy to each of your men just in case.¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡± Gordon took the ns from her. Without even looking at them, he passed them to his men.


    ¡°I''ve seen it before. Everything is in my mind.¡±

 Chapter 1493

    Chapter 1493


    qBecause of Gordon''s help, Lupine and Morgan felt more assured.


    That was especially true for Lupine, for she knew Danrique must have sent Gordon over to help them


    out. Although he was sharp-tongued, he had always protected Charlotte secretly.


    An hour''s notice was sufficient to gather a huge crowd of journalists from famous mediapanies in


    H City.


    Surprisingly, everyone seemed prepared. Even those not usually in H City managed to arrive at Nacht


    Group in an hour.


    Therge conference room was filled to the brim. Both the journalists and cameramen were all waiting


    for Charlotte''s arrival eagerly.


    After putting on simple makeup, Charlotte changed into a white suit that fitted her perfectly.


    All the cameras were instantly locked on her when she entered the venue. The camera shes never


    stopped as the cameramen kept clicking the shutter.


    Charlotte sat on the main seat. No one else was seated beside her. As that matter involved only her, it


    was inapt for Spencer and Johann to attend.


    They could only watch the live stream in their office, their hearts in their mouths.


    ¡°Should we address you as Ms. Lindberg or Mrs. Nacht?¡±


    Someone from the crowd blurted the question, his tone reeking of sarcasm.


    ¡°Since we''re in thepany, call me Ms. Lindberg.¡± Charlotte raised her head and stared at the


    journalist with a sharp gaze. ¡°You''re Jayden Duncan, a journalist from H City Reports, am I right?¡±


    ¡°Uh...¡± That journalist froze, for he did not expect her to recognize him, much less know his name. Even


    though the cameraman behind him had the logo of H City Reports, his name was not written.


    At that thought, Jayden looked at his badge pass. His name was not on it either.


    ¡°If I recall correctly, yourpany was the one who released an article questioning my husband''s


    whereabouts, am I correct?¡± Charlotte continued to ask.


    She knew full well that a proper mediapany like H City Reports would not publish news baselessly.


    However, every time they did, they would usually find some glorious excuse to support their statements


    as if they were fighting for a righteous cause.


    ¡°That is correct,¡± Jayden replied, having recollected himself quickly. With his head held high, he


    continued, ¡°Not long ago, Mr. Nacht held a press conference announcing his wedding, but the media


    was not invited to the ceremony. Since then, he has been out of cirction. Now, we received news


    that Mr. Nacht died in a fire. This is utterly astonishing! Ms. Lindberg, would you like to offer an


    exnation regarding this matter?¡±


    Charlotte asked in return, ¡°Why should I exin anything to you? It''s a family affair, and you have no


    right to know.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, it sounds like you''re trying to evade the question. I take it that you''re feeling guilty?¡±


    Jayden was relentless.


    ¡°That''s right,¡± someone concurred.


    At the same time, the others started questioning Zachary''s death.


    ¡°Security of the Nacht family has always been top-notch. No matter where Mr. Nacht goes, he would be


    apanied by at least eighteen bodyguards. Why did a fire break out? Even if there was one, why is


    it that he''s the only one who died in the fire? That''s too bizarre...¡±


    ¡°Rumor has it that the fire had something to do with you, Ms. Lindberg. Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Also, why are you in charge of Nacht Group when a tragedy has befallen Mr. Nacht? Shouldn''t his


    subordinate take the helm instead?¡±


    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    ¡°Some said that Mr. Nacht transferred all his assets and shares to you before this incident. That''s even


    more bizarre. It''s like those situations where the wife insures the husband, then he dies all of a sudden,


    and all thepensations go to the wife''s pocket.¡±


    ¡°That''s right. That''s even more dramatic than a soap opera!¡±


    Charlotte had merely uttered a single sentence, but what ensued was a barrage of questions from the


    media. She had no opportunity to retort. As the unanswered questions piled up, the tension in the air


    started building.


    It did not seem like a press conference but a conference for condemnation.

 Chapter 1494

    Chapter 1494


    qInstead of retorting or disputing, Charlotte merely sneered and listened to them.


    Those from Divine Corporation were worried on her behalf.


    Spencer and Johann, who were watching the live stream in the office, were particrly nervous, afraid


    that the situation would spiral out of control should Charlotte fail to address the issue properly. After all,


    the press conference was broadcasted live and watched byizens from all over the country.


    As of then, manyizens were criticizing Charlotte, calling her cruel and foolish for confessing her guilt


    readily. Some even imed that she would reveal her true colors soon.


    All in all, she was in a very unfavorable situation.


    Yet, Charlotte continued sipping her tea calmly while waiting for them to finish what they had to say.


    After an hour, the journalists finally stopped talking. Some began to question her. ¡°Why aren''t you


    saying anything, Ms. Lindberg? Are you rendered speechless because every word we said was right on


    the money?¡±


    ¡°You''re never going to get off scot-free. Surrender yourself to the cops if you had done it,¡± another


    journalist said icily.


    An awkward silence ensued. Everyone was eagerly waiting for Charlotte to reply.


    After drinking three cups of ck tea, Charlotte gradually raised her head, swept her gaze across


    them, and asked, ¡°Done talking?¡±


    The journalists remained quiet, awaiting her response.


    ¡°Mr. Williams,¡± she called while making a gesture, and Rodney immediately came forth with his team.


    ¡°Yes, Ms. Lindberg,¡± he greeted.


    ¡°Have you noted down the things they said and identified who they are?¡± Charlotte asked calmly.


    ¡°We''ve noted everything down clearly,¡± Rodney answered while his legal team began to take their


    seats.


    All the journalists were stunned, clueless as to what was going on.


    ¡°Is there anything else you all would like to add?¡± Charlotte grinned and looked at the press. ¡°I''ll answer


    your questions once you''re done.¡±


    ¡°Uh...¡± some of the journalists stuttered, no longer daring to speak.


    They could tell that Charlotte and her legal team were ready to retaliate by filing awsuit against those


    who continued to defame her. It was no doubt that she was being serious about it.


    Those who had thrown all sorts of allegations at Charlotte earlier started panicking, wondering if their


    earlier utterances were recorded and if she would take legal actions against them.


    ¡°All right. Let the press conference begin officially, shall we?¡± Charlotte extended a hand, gesturing for


    them to speak. ¡°Who wants to go first?¡±


    However, the journalists had lost the courage to voice their queries. Instead, they all exchanged looks,


    hoping for someone to volunteer.


    ¡°No questions? Fine. I''ll answer the questions you''ve asked earlier then.¡±


    Charlotte looked around the room and identified the journalist who was the first to question her. ¡°The


    first question came from H City Frontier''s Terence Mawk. You asked me why do I own my husband''s


    assets and stock. I''ll answer you right now.¡±


    She exined, ¡°My husband and I are legally married, and our child is still young. In the event of any


    mishap, I have the right to his inheritance. I don''t have to exin the legal process, but if you''re


    interested to find out more, do your research.¡±


    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    ¡°Next, Mr. Henry had transferred his stock in Nacht Group to his three great-grandchildren, who are,


    well, obviously my children. Naturally, as their mother, that grants me the right to oversee Nacht


    Group''s operations. The board of directors had gone through several rounds of reviews and


    verifications with the corporation''s legal team before approving my appointment. There''s no way for me


    to take up this position had they rejected my appointment,¡± she added.


    Charlotte continued, ¡°I don''t understand why you journalists suddenly came to interrogate me under the


    pretext of justice. Do you think you know how Nacht Group operates better than its board of directors?


    Are you trying to imply that they were so dumb that they were all deceived by me?¡±


    Her speech rendered the members of the press speechless.


    ¡°Let''s move on to the next question.¡± She then went through every single question in sequence and


    answered them steadily.

 Chapter 1495

    Chapter 1495


    qIt took Charlotte about forty minutes to answer all the questions. After doing so, sheced her fingers


    together and asked, ¡°Are you satisfied with my answers? Let me know if you need any further


    rifications.¡±


    Everyone fell silent.


    While she was answering the questions, Rodney revealed all the legal documents and evidence to


    support her ims. He even challenged the journalists to report her to the authorities if they refused to


    believe her story.


    At the same time, Charlotte announced that she had no qualms in defending herself before the


    authorities.


    Once again, the journalists were dumbstruck.


    It was as if the ims they hurled at her had turned into a grant provocation, utterly unreasonable


    and baseless.


    As of then, the tables had turned, and Charlotte had sessfully made aeback.


    Seeing that she had solved the crisis, Spencer, Johann, and those from the upper management


    heaved a sigh of relief.


    Charlotte regarded the press coolly. ¡°I''ll ask this onest time. Are there any more questions? If yes,


    raise them now.¡±


    Yet, no one could muster the courage to respond, aware that countering her would not bode well for


    them.


    ¡°All right. Since no one intends to speak, it''s time to end this conference!¡± In an authoritative voice, she


    announced, ¡°But before that, there''s something else I would like to add.¡±


    Leaning against the chair, she scanned the press. ¡°I don''t know what I''ve done to deserve such hostility


    from all of you. You might think the things you wrote about me were just casual remarks, but have you


    thought of the damage you''ve caused to my reputation?¡±


    Charlotte continued warning the journalists in a stern voice, ¡°God is watching your every move. Think of


    your family, and be a good role model for them!¡±


    The expressions on the journalists'' faces turned grim almost instantly.


    Their arrogance subsided, and they no longer dared to repeat the allegations they had raised earlier.


    ¡°That''s all. You can leave now.¡± Knowing that she had won the confrontation, Charlotte no longer


    wished to waste her time.


    Just as she stood up to leave, someone shouted, ¡°Hold on!¡±


    She froze and looked in the direction of the voice.


    One of the journalists eximed, ¡°I''ve just received an anonymous message which ims that Mr.


    Nacht is still alive and has been sent to the hospital.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± All the journalists were shocked.


    In just a matter of seconds, the other journalists, too, received the same text message on their phones.


    Charlotte knitted her brows with a sense of foreboding.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg...¡± Rodney walked up to her and passed her his phone. ¡°I''ve also received the message.¡±


    Charlotte read the text: Zachary Nacht is still alive. He was sent to Rayson Hospital a minute ago.


    Attached to the text was a video. Upon ying it, Charlotte paled with shock.


    The man in the video did look like Zachary.


    This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Although he was injured and bandaged up, she could tell from his form and half-covered face that he


    was Zachary.


    ¡°What is going on?¡± The turn of events got all the journalists excited.


    ¡°Get the car ready. We''re going to Rayson Hospital,¡± Charlotte ordered while trying to suppress her


    emotions.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Lupine answered and went on to carry out her order.


    Having registered the information, the journalists dashed out of the room and left for Rayson Hospital,


    hoping to be the first to get thetest update about Zachary.

 Chapter 1496

    Chapter 1496


    qAs soon as news about Zachary''s condition was spread on the inte, it immediately caused an


    uproar. Zachary Nacht Is Not Dead But Severely Injured And Sent To Rayson Hospital.


    Charlotte immediately instructed Gordon to seal off the hospital and made her way there with Lupine.


    Spencer and Johann, who were also excited about the news, followed right behind them in a different


    car.


    Charlotte knew they were not the only ones heading to the hospital. Every major mediapany and


    others who received the news would also be there.


    On the way there, she tried her best to regain herposure and ordered Lupine, ¡°Seal off the hospital


    and do not allow outsiders to enter. Also, have Gordon verify if the man is actually Zachary.¡±


    ¡°I know. I''ve texted Gordon. He should know what to do.¡± Lupine could not contain her excitement.


    ¡°How great would it be if that man is Mr. Nacht!¡±


    ¡°But something doesn''t feel right to me.¡± Morgan, on the other hand, expressed her reservations about


    the news. ¡°If Mr. Nacht is still alive, why didn''t he contact Ms. Lindberg? And if someone had saved


    him, why would they take him to Rayson Hospital, which is rather far away?¡±


    ¡°It''s easy to guess. Mr. Nacht had sustained grievous injuries and was most probably unconscious.


    How do you expect him to call anyone? Besides, the person who rescued him might have just sent him


    to a random hospital,¡± Lupine analyzed.


    ¡°Then, who saved him?¡± Morgan was puzzled. ¡°Since Mr. Nacht went missing in Southridge, the


    intruders should be the ones who took him away. Why would they send him to the hospital?¡±


    ¡°Maybe he escaped from them, and then a passerby helped him?¡±


    Though Lupine sensed something fishy about it, she was still hopeful. ¡°We''ll find out once we arrive at


    the hospital.¡±


    At that moment, Morgan pointed out a critical issue. ¡°Most importantly, who was the one who sent the


    journalists that anonymous message? Could they be the same person who instigated the journalists to


    attack Ms. Lindberg?¡±


    Her query silenced Lupine, who cast an anxious look at Charlotte.


    If even Morgan the scatterbrain could raise such suspicions, Charlotte must have thought of them too.


    Seeing that she remained silent throughout, Lupine guessed that she was also mulling over it.


    In fact, all Charlotte could think of was verifying the man''s identity. Deep in her heart, she hoped that


    the man was Zachary.


    Nothing else matters as long as he''s still alive. As for the other issues, we can face and solve them


    together.


    ¡°I still feel that the whole incident is a scheme.¡± Morgan failed to notice Charlotte''s expression and


    continued, ¡°Considering that so many mediapanies suddenly bombarded Ms. Lindberg with


    allegations on the inte, it has to be premeditated. Then, toward the end of the press conference, the


    journalists received the same anonymous message at the same time. Everything must be connected.¡±


    ¡°Shush.¡± Lupine nudged her to stop her from continuing.


    Only then did Morgan catch on. Looking at the visibly troubled Charlotte through the rearview mirror,


    she hurriedly consoled her, ¡°Please ignore what I''ve said just now, Ms. Lindberg. I was merely spouting


    nonsense.¡±


    ¡°You''re right.¡± Charlotte finally spoke. ¡°But I want to believe that he''s still alive. As long as he''s alive, I''ll


    have the courage to face any obstacles.¡±


    Upon hearing that, Morgan and Lupine could feel their hearts aching for her.


    Suddenly, Lupine''s phone rang. She picked it up and looked at the screen. ¡°It''s Gordon.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Gordon?¡± she said into the phone.


    ¡°I''m at the hospital now. That man does look like Mr. Nacht.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by he does look like Mr. Nacht?¡± Lupine questioned quizzically.


    ¡°Give me the phone.¡± Charlotte took over the phone and asked eagerly, ¡°Did you see him? Is it really


    him?¡±


    ¡°It should be, but I can''t help but feel that something is amiss,¡± Gordan answered.This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 1497

    Chapter 1497


    q¡°I''m d it''s him; I''m d he''s still alive.¡±


    Charlotte was so excited that she only paid attention to the first part of his sentence. As for the second


    part, she ignored it directly.


    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°You should confirm it when you''re here.¡± Gordon did not say anything else. ¡°Also, the Gold family owns


    this hospital, and they have already strengthened the security. No one from the media or the public is


    allowed to enter. I had to think of a way to sneak in with my men. Should I go downstairs to receive


    you?¡±


    That information stunned her. ¡°The Gold family owns it? Why is he sent to the Gold family''s hospital?


    Who sent him there?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know. I''m still investigating,¡± he said softly. ¡°I think that the Gold family has prepared everything


    beforehand. The security arrangements don''t seem to be done in thest minute.¡±


    ¡°All right, I got it.¡± Charlotte regained her rationality slowly. ¡°You don''t have to pick me up. I''ll go up


    myself.¡±


    ¡°Will those from the Gold family make things difficult for you?¡± Gordon was still worried.


    ¡°She won''t dare to,¡± she replied haughtily. ¡°Even if she does, I''m not afraid of her.¡±


    ¡°All right, just contact me if anything happens,¡± said Gordon. ¡°I''ll go and investigate what exactly is


    going on.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    After ending the call, Charlotte fell into deep thought. It''s weird enough for Zachary to appear in such a


    way, but it''s even stranger that he''s in the Gold family''s hospital. Just like what Morgan said, this whole


    thing seems like a scheme. It feels like there''s a mastermind manipting everything. Who is the


    person? Why would they do that? What is their objective?


    Countless questions crossed her mind, but she was still baffled.


    ¡°I''ve already said that Nancy is a b*tch!¡± Morgan could not help but curse out loud. ¡°See, this definitely


    has something to do with her!¡±


    Lupine''s brows were tightly knitted. ¡°That''s really odd... This matter is obviously a scheme, but the


    other party isn''t nning to conceal it at all. What are they trying to do?¡±


    ¡°Let''s think on our feet.¡±


    Charlotte nced at the window. The hospital was right in front of them, and it felt like she could see


    Zachary waiting for her inside. Even if traps or danger were lurking, she had to barge in and bring him


    home.


    The two cars stopped at the entrance of the hospital. Charlotte got out of the vehicle while Spencer''s


    and Johann''s subordinates helped them out of theirs.


    ¡°Charlotte...¡± Johann walked over and asked excitedly, ¡°Is he really Mr. Nacht?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know. Let''s go in and look at him first.¡± Charlotte walked over and held Spencer''s arm. ¡°Mr.


    Spencer, you don''t have toe all the way here. I can just go in myself.¡±


    ¡°This is such an important matter! How can I not worry?¡± Spencer was very agitated. ¡°Charlotte, I keep


    thinking that there''s something amiss about this. When you enter, you must be very careful.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Okay. I''ll go in and take a look first. Both of you should take your time.¡±


    ¡°Wait for a while more. I''ve already instructed Bruce to rush over with his men.¡± Spencer was still


    worried. ¡°If something happens, at least your safety is guaranteed.¡±


    ¡°I''ll be fine. You should wait here for Bruce before entering. I''ll go in first.¡±


    Unable to wait for a second longer, Charlotte strode into the hospital briskly.


    Spencer felt a bit uneasy as he watched her go in.


    On the contrary, Johann was much calmer. ¡°Nothing bad will happen in broad daylight, especially with


    everyone watching. Regardless of what happens, we just need to trust Charlotte as usual.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any doubts, Johann?¡± Spencer felt that he was implying something.


    ¡°I think that this is a veryplicated issue.¡± Johann frowned. ¡°The other party''s probably targeting


    Charlotte. There might be worse troubles awaiting her. No matter what, I''ll always trust her, and I hope


    you do so too.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± replied Spencer firmly. ¡°She''s the leader of the Nacht family now. Who else could I trust


    other than her?¡±

 Chapter 1498

    Chapter 1498


    qJohann heaved a sigh of relief when he heard Spencer''s deration. Then, he looked over his


    shoulder, waiting for Bruce to arrive with his men.


    At that moment, it felt as if they were about to confront an impending war. Everyone was extremely


    tense as they steeled themselves for it.


    The whole time, Charlotte kept reminding herself to be calm and collected. She must not panic or act


    flustered, lest someone took advantage of it.


    However, the moment she entered the hospital, she could not help but pick up her pace. She wanted to


    meet the person as soon as possible and ascertain whether he was Zachary.


    Filled with hope, she prayed he was Zachary. Even if it was part of a huge scheme, she could not care


    less. All she hoped for was that Zachary was still alive and well.


    As long as he was alive, she did not mind any chaos or dangers that might descend upon herter.


    ¡°Stop right there!¡±


    At that moment, a few bodyguards stopped Charlotte and the rest at the hospital entrance. ¡°This private


    hospital has been sealed off. Outsiders are not allowed to enter. Please leave immediately!¡±


    ¡°How outrageous!¡± Morgan bellowed. ¡°Do you know who we are? How dare you block our path?¡±


    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    ¡°Regardless of who you are, you have to leave right now.¡± The bodyguard did not back down either.


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°This is the Gold family''s hospital, right?¡± Lupine held Morgan back and said calmly, ¡°Please tell Ms.


    Gold toe out.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Gold is busy, so she doesn''t have time to entertain you.¡± The bodyguard''s stance was firm.


    ¡°Really?¡± Charlotte''s patience had already run out. ¡°What if I insist on entering?¡±


    Remaining silent, the bodyguard made a gesture, and a few men surrounded them.


    ¡°How audacious of you!¡±


    While yelling, Morgan clenched her fists, prepared to attack.


    Unfazed, the bodyguards from the Gold family were about to retaliate when a clear voice rang out.


    ¡°Stop!¡±


    Hearing the voice, Charlotte raised her head and saw Nancy walking over with arge group of


    subordinates.


    ¡°Take a closer look. This is Ms. Lindberg, the current president of Nacht Group. How dare you bar her


    from entering?¡± chastised Nancy in a meaningful tone.


    When the bodyguards heard what their employer said, they quickly made way for Charlotte.


    Nancy shot an unreadable look at her. ¡°Ms. Lindberg,e in.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Charlotte replied curtly and strode in.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, you''ll face retribution for the misdeeds you''ve done.¡±


    Nancy walked beside Charlotte. Although her voice was very soft, it was charged with


    overbearingness.


    ¡°So?¡± Charlotte raised an eyebrow and gazed at her. ¡°What are you trying to say?¡±


    Nancy''s face was glowering. ¡°Mr. Nacht is so nice to you, yet you still tried to kill him... How vicious of


    you!¡±


    ¡°Others might believe this rumor, but are you fooled as well, Ms. Gold?¡± Charlotte found it amusing.


    ¡°Before my husband got into the ident, he told me that you''re a smart woman and that I should


    befriend you. It looks like his judgment was wrong.¡±


    ¡°You...¡± Nancy was purple with rage.


    Ignoring her, Charlotte sped up and soon left her line of sight.


    Nancy gazed at her figure with an inscrutable expression as if she was pondering something.


    ¡°Ms. Gold, do you think that the rumors are true?¡± her subordinate asked softly.


    ¡°We''ll find out after seeing Mr. Nacht.¡± A solemn look surfaced on Nancy''s face. ¡°I find it weird. Is that


    man really Mr. Nacht? Who was the person who sent him to our hospital? Why did they contact my dad


    instead of me?¡±


    ¡°This is certainly quite fishy.¡± The subordinate added, ¡°But Mr. Gold should probably know something.¡±


    ¡°I asked him, but he refused to tell me anything and even scolded me.¡± Nancy seemed to be in awe of


    her father as she spoke. ¡°Never mind. I''ll confirm if that man is Mr. Nacht first.¡±

 Chapter 1499

    Chapter 1499


    qAfter rushing for a while, Charlotte finally found the ward.


    The closer she was to it, the faster her heart rate became. Toward the end, she was almost sprinting


    into the room.


    As soon as she flung the door open and caught sight of the frail man sleeping in the bed, her heart


    skipped a beat.


    It''s him! It''s really him! He''s still alive!


    Unable to contain her excitement, she ran over and hugged him tightly. ¡°I thought I would never see


    you again...¡±


    The man on the bed opened his eyes slowly as if he was feeling suffocated by Charlotte''s tight


    embrace or because he had sensed something.


    ¡°Hubby...¡± Charlotte cupped his cheeks and eximed, ¡°Thank goodness that you''re still alive! Thank


    heavens!¡±


    The man stared at Charlotte, dazed for a moment before a gentle look crossed his eyes.


    As if he was mustering all of his strength, he raised his arms slowly and hugged Charlotte back.


    ¡°Everything''s fine now.¡± Charlotte kissed his forehead, her sorrow reced by joy. ¡°Let''s go home!¡±


    As she spoke, she was about to instruct Lupine to handle the paperwork so that they could transfer him


    to another hospital when a group of police officers entered.


    One of them said to Charlotte sternly, ¡°Are you Charlotte Lindberg? Please follow us to the police


    station to assist with our investigation.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Lupine immediately stepped forward to enquire about the situation.


    ¡°We''ve received an anonymous tip-off which used you ofmitting arson to kill Mr. Nacht.¡± The


    police''s attitude was solemn. ¡°They provided evidence which proved that you''re rted to the fire at the


    Nacht residence in Southridge. Please follow us back to aid with the investigation.¡±


    ¡°How is that possible?¡± Morgan bellowed. ¡°Mr. Nacht is Ms. Lindberg''s husband. How can she possibly


    harm him? What kind of logic is this?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Lupine concurred. ¡°This anonymous person must be framing her on purpose!¡± she then spat.


    ¡°We''ll only find out after an investigation,¡± insisted the police sternly. ¡°She''s just being asked to assist


    us in the investigation, not being charged for the crime. If you keep interfering, it''ll mean that you''re


    guilty.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Morgan lost her temper. ¡°What''s your badge number? I''m going to file a


    comint against you!¡±


    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I''m just doing my job.¡±


    ¡°You¡ª¡±


    ¡°Morgan!¡± Charlotte shouted.


    With that, Morgan had no choice but to keep quiet and retreat to the back. However, she was still


    ring at the policeman with fury zing in her eyes.


    ¡°Sir, as a good citizen, I''ll definitely assist the police with the investigation.¡± Charlotte walked over and


    asked politely, ¡°However, I need to bring my husband home first. Can I go to the police stationter?¡±


    ¡°No, you muste with us right now.¡± As if he had expected Charlotte to say that, the police officer


    refused directly. ¡°Since we haven''t figured out what''s going on, we don''t know if Mr. Nacht will be safe


    with you.¡±


    ¡°You...¡± Even Charlotte became furious. Just when she was about to fly into a rage, a haughty voice


    sounded. ¡°This is a hospital. Please do not disturb the patient''s rest.¡±


    Charlotte looked up and saw Nancy rushing over with her subordinates. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, I think you


    should cooperate with the police and stop disturbing the other patients here,¡± thetter exhorted.


    Immediately after she spoke, she spotted the man on the bed and froze. A beatter, she eximed,


    ¡°It''s really you, Mr. Nacht!¡±


    Paying no heed to those present, she ran over and hugged Zachary.


    ¡°Hey, you...¡±


    Just when Morgan was about tosh out at her, Zachary raised his arms slowly and pushed Nancy


    away.


    In a feeble voice, he said to the police officer, ¡°Sir, I think you''re mistaken. Charlotte''s my wife; she''ll


    never hurt me.¡±


    Staring at him, Charlotte grew emotional.


    His voice and tone are identical to Zachary''s. Furthermore, he''s defending me. He''s definitely my


    husband!

 Chapter 1500

    Chapter 1500


    qThe police officer hastened to ask, ¡°Mr. Nacht, do you know who started the fire?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know...¡± Although Zachary''s voice was frail, his tone was very firm. ¡°Anyway, it''s not my wife!¡±


    Having said that, he held Charlotte''s hand.


    His attitude moved her. It did not matter if everyone else doubted her as long as he trusted her.


    Nancy''s expression turned gloomy when she saw that scene. Nheless, she still stepped forward


    and said, ¡°Sir, this is a hospital. You should let the patient rest first. Besides, I don''t think Ms. Lindberg


    can escape for the time being. If you need her assistance with the investigation, you can contact her


    later.¡±


    Charlotte was surprised to hear Nancy standing up for her.


    ¡°All right then.¡± The police officer finally relented. ¡°Charlotte, pleasee to the police station within the


    next twelve hours to aid in our investigation. You must remember to do so.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Charlotte nodded.


    The police officers left hastily.


    ¡°How are you doing, Mr. Nacht?¡± Nancy expressed her concern toward Zachary. ¡°I''ll summon the doctor


    here¡ª¡±


    ¡°There''s no need for that,¡± Zachary interrupted her. ¡°Thank you for your kindness. Since my wife is here


    to pick me up, I should go home now,¡± he said politely.


    Nancy''s expression froze at his utterance. Suddenly, she felt like a fool for assuming he needed her.


    She was humiliating herself simply by standing there.This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    As for Charlotte, she was touched and d by his attitude. All her past worries and doubts were


    dispelled in an instant.


    Lupine and Morgan were delighted too. Perhaps, we were overthinking.


    ¡°Let''s go home, Wifey.¡±


    The way Zachary held Charlotte''s hand revealed how much trust and dependence he had for her.


    ¡°Yeah, let''s go home!¡±


    Charlotte hugged him before helping him up.


    Lupine and Morgan also hurried forward to support him.


    Meanwhile, Spencer and Johann had just rushed over, escorted by Bruce and his men. Like thedies,


    they were excited to see Zachary, especially Spencer.


    Tears welled up in his eyes as he repeatedly mumbled, ¡°Thank heavens! Mr. Henry must have given us


    his blessing! Mr. Zachary is finally back!¡±


    ¡°All right, let''s go back.¡±


    Afraid that more troubles would arise, Charlotte did not want to stay there any longer.


    After Bruce helped Zachary to a wheelchair, therge group apanied him out of the hospital.


    Standing at the side, Nancy watched everything silently while disappointment engulfed her.


    She thought it was fate that Zachary ended up in her family''s hospital and that the heavens were giving


    her a chance.


    Yet, all her hopes had been dashed.


    Zachary''s words and distant expression were like a dagger stabbing at her heart.


    After getting into the car, Zachary hugged Charlotte as affectionately as before. He whispered beside


    her ear, ¡°It''s great that I can still hug you like this...¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Charlotte eximed, ¡°how wonderful it is!¡±


    Cupping her cheeks, he inched over to kiss her.


    However, she gazed at him and turned her head away instinctively, avoiding his kiss.


    Dumbfounded, Zachary froze.


    Even Charlotte was shocked, not knowing why she had avoided him.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg...¡± At that moment, Morgan pushed the car door open and entered the vehicle. When she


    saw that scene, she quickly spun around. ¡°I''m sorry!¡±


    ¡°Get into the car.¡± Putting that matter aside, Charlotte urged, ¡°Go to Kindness Hospital now.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    After Lupine and Morgan got into the car, they sped off.


    ¡°There''s no need to go to the hospital.¡± Zachary was exhausted. ¡°Let''s go home.¡±


    ¡°But your injuries haven''t healed yet. And your body¡ª¡±


    He insisted firmly, ¡°I''m fine. Let''s go home!¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Charlotte could understand where he wasing from. Perhaps, he knew that his illness was


    too severe and that a trip to the hospital would be useless. Hence, he did not want to go through all that


    trouble again.

 Chapter 1501

    Chapter 1501


    qAt that thought, Charlotte could feel her heart aching terribly for him. Holding Zachary''s hand, she


    consoled, ¡°It''s fine, Hubby. I''m already thinking of a way to find Francesco. You''ll be fine soon...¡±


    The man did not reply, merely holding her hand tightly and stroking the back of her palm gently with his


    thumb.


    There seemed to be something weighing on his mind.


    ¡°Hubby, where have you been for the past few days? What happened? Can you tell me?¡± she asked


    uneasily.


    ¡°I don''t know either...¡± Zachary rubbed his temples and exined tiredly, ¡°When I was sleeping that


    night, I felt that the house was on fire. Then, someone barged in, and I fainted. When I regained


    consciousness, I saw you in the hospital.¡±


    ¡°I see...¡±


    His answer confused Charlotte. It was so vague that she learned nothing new from it.


    ¡°What exactly happened?¡± he asked in return. ¡°Why did the police say that you''re involved in this case?


    Where''s Ben?¡±


    ¡°Hubby, this is what happened...¡±


    Charlotte told him all the details of that night. However, as she did not want him to feel pressured, she


    did not tell him anything that happened after that.


    In the end, she added, ¡°Ben was shot and is still in a deepa. However, he''s not in critical condition,


    so don''t worry. Ellie isn''t severely injured, but she''s so traumatized that she locked herself up and


    refused to talk to anyone...¡±


    ¡°Why did that happen? Have you found her a doctor?¡± asked Zachary worriedly.


    This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Yeah. Raina arranged for a child psychologist to check up on Ellie. We also invited Dr. Wright to treat


    Ben...¡±


    ¡°That''s good. They''ll definitely recover after receiving treatment,¡± he said, but his questions did not stop


    there. ¡°Why did someone barge into our house? Who are those men in ck? What did the


    investigation reveal?¡±


    For some inexplicable reason, Charlotte felt that something was amiss.


    Although Ben is Zachary''s subordinate, they are as close as brothers. Yet, even after knowing that Ben


    was shot and is in aa, he dismissed it lightly. It''s the same for Ellie too. Zachary has always doted


    on the children, especially Ellie. He did appear anxious upon realizing that she was unwell, but...


    There''s something seriously weird about this.


    However, she could not put her finger on what exactly was strange.


    Charlotte felt like something was weighing down on her¡ªa strange and ufortable feeling.


    ¡°What''s wrong?¡± Zachary held her hand.


    ¡°I''m wondering who those men in ck are,¡± she replied, evading the question. ¡°Why did they start a


    fire at Southridge the night before our wedding? The security at your ce is so strict. How did they


    sneak in?¡±


    ¡°I find it weird too...¡± Zachary frowned. ¡°I''m afraid that we''ll only know the truth after Ben wakes up.¡±


    When Charlotte heard this, her doubts started to fade. This does seem like Zachary''s train of thought.


    He always identifies and realizes the critical parts of a problem quickly...


    ¡°Let''s leave this to the police.¡± Then, she changed the topic of conversation. ¡°Your health is our utmost


    priority. How are you feeling now?¡±


    ¡°These are just some superficial injuries. It''s nothing major,¡± Zachary blurted. After saying so, he


    quickly added, ¡°As for my old illness, it can''t be cured so quickly, anyway. It''s already fortunate that I''m


    still alive now.¡±


    Nothing was wrong with his statement.


    Only those in the family knew about Zachary''s terminal illness¡ªoutsiders knew nothing about it.


    His reaction was very normal.


    Charlotte suddenly felt that she was being too skeptical. Perhaps, he didn''t make any furtherments


    because he believed that Ben and Ellie would definitely recover. Or maybe his reaction is slower


    because of his condition. I''m probably overthinking...

 Chapter 1502

    Chapter 1502


    qHowever, the events that happened that day were simply too strange. Charlotte felt oddly unsettled


    the whole time, as if something major was about to happen.


    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡±


    Zachary cupped her cheeks and moved closer to kiss her again.


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Charlotte avoided him once more. ¡°You should rest for a while. We''ll be reaching home


    soon.¡±


    For some reason, her body was instinctively averse to being intimate with him.


    Logically speaking, there was nothing wrong with him. Yet, her sixth sense was telling her that


    something was amiss.


    In the past, it was true that Zachary loved to be affectionate with her regardless of the setting. However,


    he only did that in front of his subordinates. When he was with her female bodyguards, he would be


    very mindful of his behavior.


    Yet, he seemed overly eager to be affectionate with her on that day. His hand kept stroking her arm as


    if he was tempted to do something.


    ¡°Fine,¡± came Zachary''s reply before he leaned against the seat and closed his eyes.


    Charlotte scrutinized him. His face, figure, and demeanor tell me that he''s my husband, but why do I


    have such a strange feeling? Even so, I can''t pinpoint where that strangeness came from.


    Slowly, her gaze inched down from his face to his waist. To confirm whether he was Zachary, she just


    needed to look at the tattoo on his waist.


    The moment they reached home, a bunch of people surrounded them. Gazing at Zachary with snots


    and tears on her face, Hanna cried, ¡°You''re finally back, Mr. Zachary. I knew you''d definitely return!¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your concern, Mrs. Rawlston.¡± He smiled at her.


    ¡°You must be tired, Mr. Zachary. Go back to your room and rest,¡± Spencer urged, his heart throbbing


    with pain at how exhausted and weak Zachary looked.


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Spencer,¡± replied Zachary before struggling to stand up.


    Bruce immediately rushed forward to help him up.


    ¡°Where''s Charlotte?¡±


    Zachary scanned the house. She was nowhere to be seen after they got out of the car.


    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg is handling some matters,¡± exined Bruce. ¡°The children went out today and will be


    back a whileter. There are some matters that she has to settle in the office too...¡±


    ¡°Mmm,¡± responded Zachary before heading to his room upstairs with Bruce''s help.


    When they were in the room, Bruce poured Zachary a cup of hot tea, but thetter frowned and


    ordered, ¡°Get me a ss of wine.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, your condition forbids you from drinking,¡± advised Bruce.


    Displeased, Zachary raised his head and red at him.


    ¡°You really can''t drink.¡± Unlike Ben, Bruce was much more stubborn. ¡°Just bear with it for a while


    longer. After you recover, I''ll drink with you.¡±


    All of a sudden, Zachary asked, ¡°How is my condition?¡±


    ¡°The toxins in your body haven''t been eliminated yet, and your condition has be very severe.


    Have you forgotten?¡± Bruce became anxious. ¡°Furthermore, you got injured from the fire, and your


    wounds haven''t healed yet. How can you drink now?¡±


    ¡°All right, I understand.¡± Zachary grew impatient. ¡°Go out.¡±


    ¡°Rest well. I''ll excuse myself now. If you need anything, just call out for me.¡±


    With that, Bruce lowered his head and left.


    The moment the door closed, Zachary got up and poured himself a ss of wine. Leaning against the


    sofa, he sipped at it slowly.


    As he stared at the cup of hot tea on the table, he narrowed his eyes as though deep in thought.


    ¡°Hubby...¡±


    At that moment, Charlotte pushed the door open and entered.


    Zachary hastily ced the ss of wine down and grabbed the cup of tea. Unfortunately, she caught


    him red-handed. ¡°Are you secretly drinking alcohol again?¡±


    She emphasized the word ¡°again.¡±


    In the past, Zachary would drink alcohol secretly all the time. Even when his health had deteriorated to


    the worst state, he still could not restrain himself.


    In truth, Charlotte knew that he was not an alcoholic. It was just that he would be less conscious


    after drinking, which would make him feel less troubled.


    ¡°I-I just¡ª¡±


    ¡°You aren''t allowed to drink anymore.¡± Charlotte frowned and said sternly, ¡°With your current condition,


    you have to abstain.¡±

 Chapter 1503

    Chapter 1503


    q¡°I won''t die from drinking a few more sses. Even if I stop drinking, the toxins will not be cleared.¡±


    Zachary smiled wryly.


    Instantly, Charlotte''s attitude softened. She hugged him and said, ¡°Hubby, you''ll be fine. I''ll definitely


    find a way to save you, I promise.¡±


    Lifting his arm, he hugged her in return. As he caressed her waist, a subtle glint of lust shed across


    his eyes.


    All of a sudden, he pinned Charlotte to the sofa and was ready to nt a kiss on her lips.


    ¡°Hubby, you...¡± Charlotte was stunned.


    Right then, someone rapped on the door anxiously.


    At that, Zachary could only halt. With a frown marring his countenance, he asked, ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Daddy? Daddy, is that you?¡± Jamie asked eagerly.


    Robbie, too, was thrilled. ¡°It''s Daddy''s voice. It''s him!¡±


    ¡°The kids are back.¡± Charlotte pushed him aside, straightened her clothes with her hands, and went to


    open the door.


    When she saw the kids, she called out, ¡°Robbie, Jamie!¡±


    ¡°Mommy, is Daddy...¡± Before Jamie could finish asking the question, he saw Zachary standing behind


    her. Unable to contain his excitement, he immediately embraced the man and eximed, ¡°Daddy!¡±


    ¡°Daddy...¡± Robbie was about to give Zachary a hug too, but he suddenly halted in his tracks.


    He noticed Zachary''s expression was not filled with the usual joy and affection when Jamie went into


    his arms. On the contrary, the man frowned, visibly annoyed.


    However, that onlysted for a split second, for Zachary soon stered a smile to his face and


    embraced Jamie gently.


    Although Robbie felt that something was amiss, he could not quite put his fingers on it.


    ¡°Come over here, Robbie.¡± Zachary lifted his head and smiled at him.


    ¡°Daddy.¡± Robbie slowly walked over and studied the man from head to toe. ¡°Are you okay? Where have


    you been in thest few days? We were worried about you.¡±


    ¡°Something happened, but I''m home now. You don''t have to worry about me anymore.¡± Zachary rubbed


    the children''s heads in a seemingly affectionate manner.


    Somehow, Robbie felt that something was weird about Zachary. It felt as if he was interacting with a


    stranger, who did not bother to look into his eyes when he spoke.


    This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I thought I would never see you again, Daddy. I was so scared.¡± Hugging Zachary, Jamie burst into


    tears.


    ¡°But I''m back now, Jamie. Don''t cry anymore.¡± Zachary patted his back andforted him gently.


    He then softly pushed Jamie aside, but as he did so, the child''s snot dripped on his hand, and he


    instinctively frowned in response.


    Once again, Robbie was stunned to see the changes in Zachary''s expression. He had so many doubts


    in his mind.


    It was not unusual for Jamie and Ellie to identally drop their snot, tears, food crumbles on him, but


    Zachary would always smile and clean their faces with his hands.


    He might be particr with hygiene, but he was never disgusted with his children.


    ¡°What a crybaby.¡± Charlotte pulled Jamie into her arms and cleaned his tears and snot with a piece of


    tissue.


    Meanwhile, Zachary took a piece of wet towel and carefully wiped the snot from the back of his hand.


    ¡°Daddy...¡± Jamie wanted to hug him again.


    A slight crease formed between Zachary''s brows, but the man did not stop him from approaching.


    ¡°Enough, Jamie.¡± Charlotte took a nce at Zachary before turning her attention to the boy. ¡°Daddy still


    has injuries on his body. You have to be extra careful not to hurt him.¡±


    ¡°Oh... sorry, I forgot about that.¡± Jamie took a few steps back. ¡°I''m sorry, Daddy. I hope I didn''t cause


    you any pain.¡±


    ¡°I''m fine.¡± Zachary lifted a corner of his mouth. ¡°Why don''t you go out and y?¡±


    ¡°But I still want to talk to you.¡± Jamie was reluctant to leave.


    ¡°You can talk to Daddy tomorrow, okay?¡± Charlotte coaxed. ¡°Daddy had juste home from the


    hospital, and he needs to rest now.¡±


    ¡°Okay...¡± Jamie nodded and walked away.

 Chapter 1504

    Chapter 1504


    q¡°Rest well, Daddy.¡± Robbie expressed his concern to Zachary before turning his attention to Charlotte.


    ¡°Mommy, don''t forget to visit Ellie in the hospital when you''re free.¡±


    ¡°How''s Ellie?¡± Charlotte hastened to ask, ¡°Did she talk to you today?¡±


    ¡°She said she''s scared, but when I asked her what she is scared of, she cried immediately and wouldn''t


    talk clearly...¡± Robbie exined. ¡°When we left just now, she kept asking for you.¡±


    ¡°I''ll visit her at the hospitalter,¡± she said. ¡°Okay. Go back to your room now.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Robbie looked at Zachary and inclined his head as a greeting before leaving.


    ¡°What happened to Ellie?¡± Zachary asked.


    ¡°The fire incident traumatized her,¡± Charlotte answered briefly before heading to the closet. ¡°I told you


    before when we were in the car.¡±


    Zachary wanted to follow her to the closet, but his injuries hurt so bad that he had to walk over slowly.


    By the time he reached the closet, she had already changed into a fresh set of clothes.


    ¡°I''m going to the hospital now. Take a good rest at home,¡± she said while tying up her long hair.


    ¡°I''ll go with you,¡± he quickly offered. ¡°Ellie is my child too. I''m worried about her.¡±


    ¡°I know, but you''re not feeling well either, so you should rest more.¡± Charlotte cupped his face with her


    hands. ¡°Besides, there''s still a lot of work waiting for us to settle. I need you to recuperate fast so that


    you can help me out with it.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°All right, I have to go now.¡± Charlotte kissed him on his forehead and left in a hurry. ¡°Go and take a


    shower. Mrs. Rawlston will bring your meal over soon.¡±


    Zachary''s eyes darkened as he watched her leave.


    Once the sound of Charlotte''s footsteps faded, he started looking around as if studying the room. Then,


    he made his way to the bathroom.


    In the meantime, Charlotte told Morgan to stay in the house while she and Lupine brought a few maids


    to the hospital.


    Halfway down Northridge, they bumped into Gordon and his men.


    After parking the cars aside, Gordon got out of his car and asked, ¡°Have you brought that man home?¡±


    ¡°You mean Mr. Nacht?¡± Lupine took a nce at Charlotte before persuading Gordon in a gentle voice,


    ¡°Gordon, Ms. Lindberg and Mr. Nacht are now married. Regardless of the family feud in the past, we


    should show Mr. Nacht some respect now.¡±


    ¡°That''s not what I meant...¡± Gordon frowned as if he was hesitant to speak.


    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    ¡°What''s wrong?¡± Charlotte knew something was on his mind, so she suggested, ¡°Let''s talk in the car.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    After instructing all the other bodyguards to travel in another car, Lupine took the driver''s seat while


    Gordon was in the front passenger seat.


    While Lupine was driving, Gordon started voicing out his concern.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, don''t you feel there''s something weird about Mr. Nacht? He was actually awake when I


    sneaked into the ward. The moment he saw me, he was evidently shocked and panicked.¡±


    ¡°You met him?¡± Charlotte asked.


    ¡°Our eyes met for about three seconds, but his reaction was very weird,¡± he said with a frown.


    After thinking about it for a while, he analyzed, ¡°Mr. Nacht and I might have only met a few times before


    this, but from what I know, he''s a sophisticated man who''s capable of handling any situation calmly.


    Yet, when he saw me, he looked stunned. I could even sense panic in his eyes. There''s just something


    bizarre about that man.¡±


    Upon hearing that, Charlotte was silent for a moment before she asked, ¡°Did you speak to him?¡±


    ¡°Nope. When I was about to approach him, a doctor came in, so I had to sneak out through the


    window,¡± Gordon replied. ¡°Judging from the hospital''s security, they must have made preparations for


    this beforehand!¡±

 Chapter 1505

    Chapter 1505


    qGordon raised his doubt. ¡°Think about it. The hospital is a private institution for the wealthy elites, so


    there should be patients and visitors in the wards, right? But not today. There''s only one patient in the


    entire building. I believe the Gold family took in that man a long time ago. Maybe they were also rted


    to the rumors.¡±


    ¡°What is Nancy trying to do?¡± Lupine asked, exasperated.


    ¡°I don''t think Nancy has anything to do with this,¡± he deduced. ¡°ording to my initial investigations, I


    believe her father, Jesse, is the mastermind behind this set-up since he has the power to control the


    media.¡±


    That shocked her. ¡°But why would Jesse do this?¡±


    He then exined in a serious tone, ¡°Nacht Group is in a mess, and the entire organization is


    vulnerable right now. Isn''t it the best time for them to strike?¡±


    ¡°You''re right. Everyone is waiting to prey on Nacht Group, hoping to get a piece of it, but I''m surprised


    the Gold family is also a part of the rat race.¡± Lupine''s brows were tightly furrowed as she replied to


    him.


    ¡°They''re not saints, to begin with,¡± Gordon said. ¡°Jesse gained his current standing by seizing his


    rtives'' assets! Though he had managed to whitewash his dirty past over the years, it''s not difficult to


    trace back the misdeeds he hadmitted!¡±


    ¡°Are you trying to say that Jesse is engineering all these things because he wants to seize Nacht


    Group?¡± Confused, she continued, ¡°But how did he manage to control Mr. Nacht? Even if Mr. Nacht has


    fallen sick, it''s impossible to manipte someone like him. Unless Jesse has dirt on him?¡±


    ¡°That man might be an impostor!¡± Gordon made a bold guess.


    ¡°What?¡± Lupine gasped. ¡°But that man clearly is Mr. Nacht! Who else could he be?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps someone who has a strong resemnce to him?¡± Gordon looked deep into Charlotte''s eyes.


    ¡°Remember what Marino said? On the day of the incident, one of his men noticed someone in the


    garden. That person''s silhouette resembled Mr. Nacht a lot.¡±


    ¡°You''re giving me goosebumps.¡± A shiver ran down Lupine''s spine.


    All of a sudden, everyone in the car fell silent.


    Lupine dared not speak, merely taking a peep at Charlotte from the rearview mirror.


    With her head lowered, Charlotte wore a solemn expression on her face. Even her usually bright eyes


    turned dull.


    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    Lupine knew Charlotte found it hard to ept it. If the man in the house was an impostor, there was a


    strong chance that Zachary was already dead.


    Charlotte was not afraid of facing all kinds of schemes or obstacles in life, but she would lose all the


    motivation and courage to continue fighting the battle if Zachary was dead.


    In a gentle voice, Gordon said, ¡°Of course, whether or not he''s an impostor, that requires your


    judgment. Only you can tell him apart. After all, you''re the one who knows him best since you''re


    married to him.¡±


    ¡°Gordon...¡± Charlotte finally spoke. ¡°Danrique told you these, didn''t he?¡±


    ¡°Uh...¡± That took him by surprise, and he avoided her gaze.


    Charlotte continued, ¡°Without a doubt, you''re smart and observant. But it seems unlikely for you to be


    able to find out the Gold family''s background, deduce the identity of the mastermind, and infer the key


    issue from the incidents in such a short time.¡±


    She then lifted her head to look at Gordon. ¡°Unless Danrique is helping you.¡±


    Lupine and Gordon exchanged nces, not daring to speak.


    ¡°You''re aware of this too?¡± Charlotte red at Lupine. ¡°Why didn''t you tell me that you''ve made contact


    with Danrique?¡±


    ¡°Please don''t be mad at me, Ms. Lindberg,¡± Lupine exined. ¡°He''s worried about you, but he doesn''t


    want you to know about it, so I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Lindberg sent me here,¡± Gordon interrupted, deciding to be frank. ¡°I''ve been reporting all the


    incidents that happened today to Mr. Lindberg. He instantly spotted the problem and instructed


    someone to investigate the Gold family. Then, he had me tell you the findings of his investigations by


    posing them as my deductions.¡±

 Chapter 1506

    Chapter 1506


    qAfter a long moment of silence, Charlotte let out a sigh. ¡°Since even Danrique said so, then that man


    must be an impostor.¡±


    ¡°You mean you noticed that too, Ms. Lindberg?¡± Lupine was surprised.


    Charlotte frowned and said, ¡°The resemnce is uncanny. Even the way he moves and speaks is just


    like Zachary''s. But the man''s eyes¡ªthere''s something in his eyes that tells me he''s not Zachary.¡±


    She continued, ¡°I was a little conflicted at first, thinking I was being too skeptical until I saw the disgust


    on his face when Jamie''s snot dripped on him and how he had avoided having eye contact with


    Robbie. From then on, I knew something was wrong with that man.¡±


    ¡°So if he''s not Mr. Nacht... Who is he?¡± Lupine could not believe it. ¡°How can someone look exactly like


    Mr. Nacht?¡±


    ¡°It''s strange indeed.¡± Gordon then asked, ¡°Should I take him down and interrogate him?¡±


    ¡°Not now.¡± Charlotte shook her head. ¡°To be safe, let''s make a confirmation first. Before the incident,


    Zachary had experienced a certain degree of memory loss. Someone could have taken the opportunity


    to manipte him, so that may be why he''s behaving differently.¡±


    ¡°But...¡± Gordon did not know what to say. Charlotte''s hypothesis was not scientific by any means, but it


    was not totally impossible.


    Moreover, the illness that had gued Zachary before the incident was also an inexplicable one.


    ¡°I understand all the evidence shows that he''s suspicious, but I''m still hopeful. I hope that he''s Zachary.


    At least it means that he''s alive.¡± Charlotte was utterly conflicted.


    ¡°Then, please confirm his identity as soon as possible,¡± Gordon exhorted. ¡°If that man is the Gold


    family''s puppet, you''ve put yourself on the line.¡±


    ¡°Gordon''s right.¡± Lupine could not help but shudder at that thought. ¡°What if something happens to the


    kids?¡±


    ¡°How about I go back with some men now to keep an eye on him? With me around, I''m sure he


    wouldn''t dare to try anything funny,¡± Gordon suggested hurriedly.


    ¡°It''s fine.¡± Charlotte stopped him. ¡°In fact, we have to lie low if he''s not Zachary. We can use him as bait


    to help us lure out the mastermind.¡±


    ¡°So you''re saying...¡± Gordon began to understand her n.


    Charlotte deduced, ¡°I believe in Danrique''s judgment, but I also suspect that Jesse is not the only


    person involved in this n. The Gold family doesn''t know much about the Nachts, Zachary, me, and


    the kids, but that man clearly knows a lot about us. If he''s not Zachary, he''s definitely more than just an


    impostor!¡±


    ¡°Could he be the one you suspected thest time?¡± Lupine asked.


    ¡°Let''s not draw a conclusion so soon.¡± Charlotte did not want to continue with the topic anymore.


    ¡°Anyway, I''ll ascertain that man''s identity first. If he''s not Zachary, then we''ll use him to lure Jesse out.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn''t it be too risky?¡± Gordon was still concerned. ¡°You''re ying with fire. You can get the kids


    and yourself burned.¡±


    ¡°We have to move the kids to another ce.¡± Charlotte frowned. ¡°Lupine, let''s make a trip to Garden


    Vi.¡±


    ¡°All right,¡± Lupine answered and immediately did as told.


    ¡°Gordon, get down at the front and keep watch over the hospital,¡± Charlotte ordered. ¡°Those people


    know Ben and Ellie are the most important witnesses to the case. Once they recover, that man''s


    identity will be exposed. Hence, I''m worried that they will target Ben and Ellie.¡±


    ¡°Got it. I''ll take care of it.¡± Gordon nodded. ¡°But what about the girls?¡±


    ¡°I''ll make the arrangements. Don''t worry.¡± Charlotte took out her phone and called Spencer. ¡°There''s


    something I wish to discuss with you, Mr. Spencer. I''ll meet you in twenty minutes.¡±


    ¡°Sure. I''ll wait for you at the door,¡± Spencer replied.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.

 Chapter 1507

    Chapter 1507


    qCharlotte and Lupine then went to meet Spencer. Without any hesitation, Charlotte said, ¡°I need you


    to take care of the children for a while.¡±


    Spencer froze for a bit and nodded right away. ¡°Sure, no problem. When should I pick them up?¡±


    ¡°Now.¡± Charlotte looked at her watch and reminded, ¡°Go and visit Zachary and bring all five kids back.


    Tell him he needs to recuperate in peace, and you don''t want the kids to disturb him.¡±


    ¡°Is he fine with the arrangement?¡± Spencer asked.


    ¡°I''m sure he''ll be more than happy.¡± A corner of Charlotte''s mouth quirked up.


    Looking at how disgusted he was with Jamie''s snot, I''m sure the three little girls will drive him mad. I''m


    pretty sure that man would be pleased if Spencer takes the kids away.


    ¡°Happy?¡± Spencer got confused. ¡°But he loves his kids so much. He also enjoys spending time with


    your brother''s kids, doesn''t he?¡±


    ¡°That''s why I don''t want the kids to see how sick he is right now.¡± Charlotte made up an excuse, as she


    did not want to reveal too much to Spencer.


    She further exined, ¡°Zachary has always enjoyed being alone, and kids being noisy all the time


    would give him a headache. Besides, he''s not feeling well. He wouldn''t want the kids to see how weak


    he is now.¡±


    Upon hearing that, Spencer''s eyes reddened, and he could not help but let out a sigh. ¡°You''re right. I''ll


    pick the kids up right now. You could have just called me instead of making this trip. I understand how


    busy and tired you are since you''re totally in charge of the family andpany now.¡±


    ¡°I just want toe and exin to you personally to avoid any misunderstanding.¡± Charlotte then


    asked gently, ¡°Do you trust me, Mr. Spencer?¡±


    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    That question rendered Spencer speechless. ¡°The Nacht family depends on you. If I don''t trust you,


    who else can I trust?¡±


    ¡°Great.¡± Charlotte needed that assurance. ¡°No matter what happens, I need you to trust me. Please


    protect the kids during this period, and don''t worry about the rest.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Spencer panicked. ¡°You mean something bad is going to happen?¡±


    ¡°I''m afraid so.¡± Charlotte sighed. ¡°Look at all the rumors about me, and I believe this is just the


    beginning.¡±


    She paused for a moment before continuing, ¡°But don''t you worry. I''ll take care of everything. Besides,


    my brother''s men are here to help me. With their help, I''m sure I can ovee the challenges ahead.¡±


    ¡°So you did hire the man named Gordon to help you?¡± Spencer was pleased to know that. Initially, he


    had doubts about Gordon, but he was now relieved that Charlotte took the initiative to rify the matter.


    She''s doing it for the Nacht family too.


    ¡°Don''t worry, Charlotte. I trust you,¡± Spencer said in a steady voice. ¡°No matter what happens, I''m with


    you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Charlotte nodded and was ready to leave. ¡°I''ll also station Cain and Kyle here to protect


    the children''s safety. I need to rush to the hospital now. Please bring the kids back as soon as


    possible.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I''ll see to it right now.¡± After sending Charlotte off, Spencer immediately made the necessary


    arrangement to pick the children up himself.


    ¡°Why do I feel like Ms. Lindberg was insinuating something?¡± One of Spencer''s subordinates


    wondered. ¡°So many things happenedtely, and even the cops suspect her. Do you really still trust


    her?¡±


    ¡°To be honest, I had my doubts before she came. But now, yes, I trust her wholeheartedly,¡± Spencer


    said. ¡°She wouldn''t have entrusted her children and her brother''s kids to me if she''s trying to y dirty.¡±


    ¡°That''s true.¡± The subordinate nodded. ¡°She also decided to send Cain and Kyle over instead of people


    from the Lindberg family. I suppose she trusts you too.¡±


    ¡°So, you see, how can I not trust her when she trusts me first?¡± Spencer got choked a little. ¡°I can''t


    assume the worst of her anymore.¡±

 Chapter 1508

    Chapter 1508


    qCharlotte looked relieved after leaving Garden Vi. At least she did not need to worry about the


    children for now.


    ¡°Do you really think it''s safe to leave the kids with Spencer, Ms. Lindberg?¡± Lupine asked. ¡°Somehow, I


    feel he doesn''t trust youpletely.¡±


    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I''m aware of that.¡± Charlotte nodded. ¡°That''s why I want him to take care of the kids.¡±


    Lupine responded with a puzzled look but soon understood her intention. ¡°You did this to gain his


    trust?¡±


    ¡°Not only that,¡± Charlotte said. ¡°Mr. Spencer might have doubts about me, but he''s loyal to the Nachts.


    I''m sure he''ll take good care of the children.¡±


    She exined, ¡°As for the three little ones, no one would dare toy their fingers on them. After all,


    their parents are Danrique and Francesco. They would not let anyone who tries to harm their daughters


    off easily.¡±


    ¡°Moreover, Mr. Spencer is kind in nature. Even if I have a fallout with the Nachts in the future, he will


    not harm the kids,¡± she added.


    ¡°I guess you''re right.¡± Lupine nodded.


    ¡°I believe in establishing mutual trust,¡± Charlotte said. ¡°And I believe I have won him over. A storm is


    brewing right now, and his support would mean a world to me!¡±


    ¡°Yes, I could tell that he''s quite emotional too.¡± Somehow, Lupine still could not let her guard down. ¡°Do


    you think Cain and Kyle can handle the situation if anything goes south? What if Jesse or the other


    masterminds decide to target the children? Should we get Gordon to deploy more people over here?¡±


    ¡°That won''t be necessary,¡± Charlotte said with a smirk. ¡°Danrique might not be physically around his


    children, but he knows where they are. If they are in danger, trust me, he''ll emerge out of nowhere.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± A revtion hit Lupine. ¡°So you''re saying Mr. Lindberg has all this while been secretly


    protecting his little princesses?¡±


    ¡°I feel it''s all because of the three sisters that Danrique had decided to step in and help me.¡± A corner


    of Charlotte''s lips quirked up as she recalled how the three little girls had promised that they would ask


    their parents to help her.


    She did not pay much attention to what they said at that time. Bute to think of it, the three little


    ones must have contacted their father.


    Otherwise, Danrique would not have intervened in Nacht''s family and business affairs.


    He would not even care if Zachary was dead or alive.


    ¡°That''s true.¡± Lupine got all excited when she recalled their adorable faces. ¡°The three little ones are


    sweet little angels, aren''t they?¡±


    ¡°That''s because Zachary doted on them a lot, and they like him very much too.¡± Charlotte sighed. ¡°If


    only they had contacted Francesco earlier...¡±


    ¡°Don''t think about it anymore, Ms. Lindberg. Come, let''s go to the hospital,¡± Lupine suggested.


    Charlotte nodded. Suddenly, her phone rang. It was a call from Robinson. ¡°Yes, Robbie?¡±


    Robbie answered, ¡°Mommy, the three little ones got into trouble...¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°They climbed all over Daddy''s shoulder and pulled his hair. He''s hopping mad right now...¡± the boy


    reported.


    Charlotte froze and did not know how to react. She then replied with a smirk, ¡°Don''t worry, Daddy will


    not be mad at them. He''s probably having as much fun as they do. He has always enjoyed their


    companion, hasn''t he?¡±


    ¡°But this time, Daddy looks like he''s really, really angry!¡± Robinson spoke like a child, but somehow,


    Charlotte could read between the lines.


    ¡°They''re just kids. Daddy won''t mind.¡± Charlotte stated that on purpose. ¡°Oh, before I forget. Mr.


    Spencer wille and pick all of you up and bring you to Garden Vi. You''ll be staying with him for a


    while. Start packing now.¡±


    ¡°Oh? We''re going stay with Mr. Spencer?¡± Robinson paused for a moment but nodded. ¡°Okay, Mommy.


    Got it.¡±

 Chapter 1509

    Chapter 1509


    qThere was something unique between Charlotte and the boy. They could understand what they were


    trying to convey without saying it directly.


    After ending the call, Robinson tilted his head aside and looked at three little girls and the miserable-


    looking Zachary. Yet, he did not step in to ease the situation.


    One of the girls shrieked, ¡°You''re so fierce, Uncle Zachary!¡±


    ¡°You''re not nice anymore!¡±


    ¡°I don''t like you!¡±


    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    ¡°I don''t like you too!¡±


    ¡°I''ll tell Aunt Charlotte you bully us!¡±


    ¡°I''ll tell my Daddy about it!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and I''ll tell Mommy about it!¡±


    The three girls started crying after voicing out their frustration.


    Zachary kept his eyes shut and took in a deep breath. He calmed himself down and said in a gentle


    voice, ¡°Fine. It''s my fault. I shouldn''t have screamed at you. I just don''t like people crawling all over me


    and grabbing my hair.¡±


    ¡°You''ve never treated us like this in the past when we did this to you.¡± Alpha pouted with a frown.


    ¡°In the past, you would bend down and allow us to sit on your shoulders. You would remind us to grab


    tightly to your hair, ears, and cors because you were afraid that we would fall. And you would never


    yell at us!¡± Beta eximed with teary eyes.


    ¡°Today, you shouted at us and threatened to spank us. My Daddy is also a very fierce man, but he has


    never spoken to us like this before!¡±


    ¡°Yeah! Our Daddy has never hit us before!¡± Gamma clenched her fists. ¡°We shouldn''t have asked


    Daddy and Mommy to rescue you! You''re a bad guy. Bad guy!¡±


    Zachary''s mouth twitched. Her remark had rendered him speechless.


    ¡°Daddy, I must say it''s your fault this time,¡± even Jamie could not help but chime in. ¡°You used to like


    them very much and would never get mad at them. What''s wrong with you today?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Daddy.¡± Robinson looked at Zachary. ¡°If I didn''t stop you in time, you would have spanked them,


    wouldn''t you? But they''re Uncle Dan''s daughters. How could you do this to them when Uncle Dan has


    never punished them like this? Uncle Dan wille after you if you dare toy your fingers on his


    kids.¡±


    Zachary shut his eyes as if he was trying to regain hisposure. He grabbed the corner of his shirt


    and tried to calm himself down.


    ¡°Are you okay, Daddy?¡± Jamison asked when he noticed how tortured Zachary looked. ¡°You''ve never


    hit a kid before. Were you mad because you''re not feeling well recently?¡±


    ¡°I guess so.¡± Zachary tried to rx. He lifted his head to look at Jamison. ¡°I can''t control my emotions


    because I''m sick...¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry, Daddy.¡± Jamison extended his arms and embraced Zachary. ¡°Mommy will find the doctor


    who can help you recover. You''ll feel better soon.¡±


    Upon hearing what Jamison had said, Robinson went deep into thought.


    He recalled patients would often experience emotional instability, and such a condition was beyond


    their control.


    Daddy has experienced memory loss before. I suppose his condition had be worse after the fire?


    He might have forgotten how he had interacted with the girls in the past.


    Probably this is also why he thought Jamie''s snot was disgusting?


    Or maybe he behaves like this just because he''s sick and tired?


    ¡°Thanks, Jamie.¡± Zachary patted Jamison''s back and apologized, ¡°I''m so sorry. I haven''t been feeling


    welltely. You must be disappointed with how I acted, right? But don''t worry. Once I recover from the


    illness, I''ll spend time with you and y with all of you.¡±

 Chapter 1510

    Chapter 1510


    q¡°Daddy...¡± Jamie choked up. ¡°It''s all my fault for always being naughty. I''ve caused you to worry all this


    while. From now on, I will behave and take care of them. You have to focus on recuperating. I''m sure


    you will recover.¡±


    There was a minute change in Zachary''s gaze when he heard those words.


    The triplets felt even more guilty. Hanging their heads, they apologized to him one by one. ¡°We''re sorry,


    Uncle Zachary. You''re both sick and injured. We shouldn''t have bothered you.¡±


    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Mmm-hmm. We are in the wrong and won''t do it again.¡±


    ¡°Let''s y the horse-riding game when you''ve fully recovered.¡±


    ¡°Uncle Zachary, don''t be angry. We won''t tell Aunt Charlotte about it.¡±


    ¡°I won''t get Daddy to beat you too.¡±


    While the three children expressed their remorse, Robbie watched on with mixed emotions.


    Zachary chuckled as he stroked their heads. Although he wanted to say something, he was unsure of


    what he should say.


    ¡°All right now, Jamie, Alpha, Beta, Gamma, it''s time for us to go. Let''s not disrupt Daddy''s rest.¡± Robbie


    finally stepped in to defuse the situation. ¡°Daddy is sick and needs some peace.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Jamie quickly let Zachary go and carefully stood back. ¡°Daddy, you should rest well. I will look


    after them, and they won''t bother you again.¡±


    ¡°We don''t need you to watch over us. We''re good kids!¡± the triplets protested.


    ¡°Uh...¡±


    ¡°Kids!¡± At that moment, Morgan shouted from outside, ¡°Mr. Spencer is here to pick you up, soe out


    right now.¡±


    ¡°Why is Mr. Spencer here for us?¡±


    The triplets ran out at once.


    ¡°He''s taking all of you over to his ce so that Mr. Nacht can rest well at home,¡± Morgan exined with


    a smile. ¡°I have already packed your stuff. Come, let''s grab a quick bite before leaving.¡±


    ¡°Is Robbie and Jamie going with us too?¡±


    ¡°We are,¡± Robbie answered. He then turned to Zachary. ¡°Daddy, we''re staying over at Mr. Spencer''s for


    a few days. You should have a good rest at home.¡±


    ¡°Sure, you kids have fun.¡±


    Zachary wanted nothing more than that. In fact, he could barely hide his delight.


    ¡°Daddy, don''t worry about us. We''ll be back in a couple of days,¡± Jamie said, reluctant to leave.


    ¡°You should stay a few more¡ª¡± Zachary blurted but quickly rephrased his sentence. ¡°Spend more time


    with Mr. Spencer.¡±


    ¡°Mmm-hmm. Bye, Daddy!¡±


    ¡°Bye!¡±


    ¡°Bye, Uncle Zachary!¡±


    ¡°Bye!¡±


    After waving goodbye to Zachary, the children followed Morgan downstairs for their snacks.


    At the same time, Jade and the others brought the five children''s baggage downstairs and loaded them


    in the trunk.


    Standing in the corridor on the second floor, Zachary watched the children leave before letting out a


    long sigh.


    ¡°Mr. Zachary!¡±


    At that moment, Spencer was wheeled upstairs by his subordinate. Filled with concern, he reassured


    Zachary, ¡°With the kids at my ce, you can get some proper rest and enjoy some privacy with Ms.


    Lindberg. She has been working very hardtely, so you should spend more time with her.¡±


    ¡°That goes without saying.¡± Zachary was ted. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Spencer.¡±


    ¡°Don''t mention it, Mr. Zachary. As for thepany¡ª¡±


    ¡°Let''s talk about that tomorrow instead. I''m tired, so I''m heading inside to rest.¡±


    ¡°Okay, rest well then.¡±


    Spencer found it strange that Zachary seemed to be avoiding the topic.


    That''s odd... Zachary used to always care about thepany. Even if the sky''s falling, he''d still


    prioritize work. Yet, it doesn''t seem like he wants to deal with it at all. But then again, he''s sick and has


    just survived a fire. Having escaped from the jaws of death, he probably just wants some peace and


    quiet, which is understandable.


    Instead of delving deeper into the matter, Spencer left with the children. Before doing so, he exhorted


    Hanna and Bruce to take good care of Zachary.

 Chapter 1511

    Chapter 1511


    qStanding by the windows on the second floor, Zachary watched as Kyle and Cain carried the children


    one by one into the car before driving off.


    When Jamie waved at him from inside the car, he waved back with a warm and affectionate smile.


    The convoy drove away and soon disappeared from his sight.


    Heaving a sigh of relief, Zachary drew the curtains before turning around to scrutinize the room. Once


    he was certain that the coast was clear, he took out his phone to make a call.


    ¡°Hello?¡± he said into the phone.


    ¡°How is it? Did everything go as nned?¡± A deep voice sounded from the other end of the line.


    ¡°You can say that. But I was almost tortured to death by the three little Lindberg devils.¡±


    At the thought of the triplets, a frown creased his forehead.


    ¡°You must noty a finger on the Lindberg children no matter what. Regardless of what they do, you


    just have to bear with it,¡± the person on the other end of the line warned grimly.


    ¡°I know. Luckily, Spencer has taken the children away. So now, I can finally have some peace.¡±


    As he spoke, the many on the sofa leisurely and put his legs on the coffee table.


    ¡°Taken the children away?¡± The person was briefly stunned before asking solemnly, ¡°Does Charlotte


    suspect you?¡±


    The man on the sofa knitted his brows, taken aback by the question. ¡°I don''t think so...¡±


    He hesitated in his reply. In truth, he was not sure about it too.


    ¡°Regardless of whether she does or not, we have to act soon,¡± the person suggested. ¡°Charlotte isn''t a


    problem, but she has the Lindbergs by her side. Therefore, don''t underestimate them.¡±


    ¡°Do you mean Gordon?¡± The man on the sofa sounded equally solemn. ¡°He is very sharp indeed,


    merely taking a nce at me to know something was amiss.¡±


    ¡°He is Danrique''s right hand and isn''t someone to be trifled with.¡± The person on the other end of the


    line instructed at once, ¡°Follow my instructions, and take action as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Also, I heard them mention that Ellie has woken up. She saw me during the fire.¡±


    ¡°I''ll take care of it. You should just act ording to our n.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    After ending the call, ¡°Zachary¡± spun his phone around as if he was nning something.


    At that moment, a subordinate knocked on the door and reported respectfully, ¡°Mr. Nacht, Kallum is


    outside and is asking to see you.¡±


    Kallum?


    ¡°Zachary¡± raised his eyebrows and replied at once, ¡°Let him in.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Nacht.¡± The subordinate went off as instructed.


    At that moment, Bruce was coincidentally going upstairs. When he saw the subordinate going down to


    lead Kallum in, he could not help but feel puzzled. Thus, he knocked on the door and entered the room.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, when you weren''t around, Kallum instigated the board of directors at the headquarters to


    trouble Ms. Lindberg. Now that he wants to see you, I''m afraid he brings nothing but bad news.¡±


    ¡°Is he even a threat to us?¡± ¡°Zachary¡± remarked haughtily.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    ¡°I...¡± Bruce could not answer him.


    ¡°Where''s my phone?¡± ¡°Zachary¡± suddenly asked. ¡°Help me find it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Nacht.¡± Bruce found the phone quickly and handed it to him. ¡°Mr. Nacht, your old phone was


    destroyed in the fire. This is a new one, but the SIM card is the same as before.¡±


    ¡°All right. You''re dismissed.¡±


    Receiving the phone, ¡°Zachary¡± began going through its contents.


    Meanwhile, Bruce was feeling unsettled by the exchange. In the past, Zachary would always share his


    thoughts with him, but he no longer did so.


    ¡°Is there anything else?¡± ¡°Zachary¡± looked up at him.


    ¡°No, there isn''t.¡± Bruce lowered his head and left.


    Just then, the subordinate escorted Kallum in. Before thetter even got close to ¡°Zachary,¡± he


    eximed, ¡°Mr. Nacht, I finally get to see you. I''m d that you''re all right.¡±


    ¡°Uncle Kallum, it''s been a while.¡± Looking at him, ¡°Zachary¡± let out an impassive smile. ¡°Have a seat!¡±


    As the maid prepared coffee, the subordinate was ordered to wait outside.


    Seeing the scene before him, Bruce could not suppress the odd feeling in his mind.


    Mr. Nacht has always been cautious and never invited anyone for discussions in the bedroom, let alone


    an outsider like Kallum. But why did he do so today... This is really strange.

 Chapter 1512

    Chapter 1512


    qNevertheless, Bruce did not think much of it. He simply assumed that it was one of Zachary''s tactics.


    Maybe he has a motive for doing this? Is he using the carrot and stick approach with Kallum?


    The more he thought about it, the more troubled he was. Hence, he reported the situation to Charlotte,


    who had just arrived at the hospital.


    Holding her phone, Charlotte replied calmly, ¡°Perhaps, he just wants to have a good talk with Kallum.¡±


    This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Okay. Since you don''t see any issue with it, I won''t dwell on it further.¡± The earlier suspicions Bruce


    had fleed his mind. ¡°I just find that there''s something strange about Mr. Nacht ever since he returned.¡±


    ¡°Before the fire, he was experiencing memory loss due to the poison invading his brain. Hence, it''s not


    surprising for him to act strangely.¡± Charlotte did not n on telling him the truth. ¡°We have to be more


    understanding and amodative of him.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Bruce could not help but feel disheartened by her words.


    ¡°Take good care of him. I''ll handle my matters first.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    After ending the call, Charlotte frowned. She was surprised at how quickly Kallum showed up and even


    met ¡°Zachary¡± in private.


    ¡°Do you want me to capture Kallum and interrogate him?¡± Lupine knew what was going on in her mind.


    ¡°It''s fine.¡± Charlotte analyzed the situation rationally, ¡°Considering that he''s meeting Kallum at


    Northridge in front of so many others, it''s unlikely for him to do anything drastic. Or else, the conflict


    would be out in the open, and their wellid-out ns would go to waste.¡±


    ¡°In that case, what should we do?¡± Lupine asked.


    ¡°We don''t have to do anything other than wait for them to make their move.¡± Charlotte hurried into the


    ward. ¡°Ellie...¡±


    After going through therapy with the psychologist, Ellie was no longer as paranoid as before.


    Nheless, she was still constantly unsettled. When the little girl saw Charlotte, she did not jump into


    her arms excitedly like she used to. Instead, she scrutinized her intently as if to see if thetter was


    truly her mother.


    ¡°Ellie, it''s me. Don''t you recognize Mommy anymore?¡±


    When Charlotte saw the look on Ellie''s face, she was heartbroken. Pulling Ellie in to give her a tight


    hug, she consoled, ¡°Ellie, don''t be afraid. Mommy is here. No one will be able to hurt you.¡±


    However, Ellie did not speak, nor did she move. Instead, she trembled in Charlotte''s embrace as


    though she was stricken with fear.


    ¡°Ellie, what''s wrong?¡± Charlotte was overwrought. ¡°Why don''t you recognize me anymore? Huh?¡±


    Ellie remained silent. In fact, she did not even dare to look at her, lowering her head and recoiling in


    fear until she reached her bed. Hugging her pillow, she burrowed herself underneath the covers.


    ¡°Ellie...¡± Charlotte called out when she saw the covers tremble along with Ellie''s body.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg!¡±


    At that moment, Raina hurried into the room and held her back. ¡°Ellie hasn''t recovered yet. Let''s not


    rush her. Give her some time.¡±


    ¡°Why is this happening?¡± Charlotte was seized by desperation. ¡°Why doesn''t Ellie recognize me?¡±


    ¡°Let''s talk in my office.¡± Raina consoled her, ¡°Don''t worry, there are plenty of medical staff here. They


    will look after her.¡±


    ¡°Lupine, stay here,¡± Charlotte instructed.


    ¡°Yes, Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    After Charlotte followed Raina into her office, Raina invited the child psychologist to exin Ellie''s


    situation to her.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, I gave Ellie a myriad of tests and realized that she''s deeply traumatized. In fact, she is


    suspicious of those closest to her. I have reason to believe that she has been hurt or frightened by her


    family members.¡±


    ¡°Frightened by her family members?¡± Charlotte''s heart sank. ¡°How can that be? Why would anyone in


    the family hurt her?¡±


    ¡°We find it hard to believe too. Nevertheless, that''s what we have concluded from the results. In truth,


    most of the traumas suffered by children are caused by those closest to them. Ms. Lindberg, can you


    think of anyone that''s particrly suspicious?¡±


    Upon hearing the psychologist''s words, Charlotte had a strong hunch that the person who looked


    exactly like Zachary had frightened Ellie.

 Chapter 1513

    Chapter 1513


    qIf there really were someone who looked exactly like Zachary, then all their deductions would be valid.


    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    However, no one dared to say with certainty that such a doppelganger existed.


    Ultimately, deep down in everyone''s hearts, they wished that Zachary could survive.


    ¡°Her condition is quiteplicated. If we intend to help her as soon as possible, I suggest we tackle


    the source of her trauma,¡± the psychologist proposed.


    ¡°The source...¡± Knitting her brows, Charlotte fell into deep thought.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, Ms. Lindberg!¡±


    Charlotte was only brought to her senses after Raina called her a few times.


    ¡°Ellie''s condition is ratherplex. If we can''t find the cause, she''ll have no choice but to go through


    therapy gradually. As a result, it might take some time,¡± Raina exined softly.


    ¡°I understand.¡± Charlotte nodded. ¡°I''ll go apany Ellie. Thank you for your time.¡±


    After staying with Ellie for a while, Charlotte went to visit Ben before leaving with a heavy heart.


    Now that I''ve settled the children down in Mr. Spencer''s ce and the hospital''s security has been


    reinforced, the first thing I have to do now is to verify the person''s identity and determine if he''s


    Zachary. If he isn''t Zachary, I''ll have to expose him as soon as possible and nip his n in the bud. But


    if he turns out to be Zachary, then I''ll have to change my approach entirely...


    Suddenly, Lucy''s call disrupted her train of thought. She told Charlotte that another wave of rumors was


    spreading like wildfire. That time around, they imed that she was nning to confine Zachary at


    home and usurp his position since her ns of mariticide had failed.


    When the board of directors heard the rumors, they panicked and demanded to see Zachary.


    Before Charlotte could react, she received a call from Johann, which she quickly epted. ¡°Mr. Sterk!¡±


    ¡°Charlotte, has Lucy given you a call? The situation is grave. Despite our best efforts to quell it, chaos


    has resurfaced again. All the board members called me early in the morning and insisted on meeting


    Mr. Nacht. If they don''t get to see him, they will start taking countermeasures.¡±


    Johann suggested anxiously, ¡°Given the pressing situation, Spencer and I can''t hold them back, neither


    can you. The way I see it, you''d better discuss it with Mr. Nacht and get him to show up.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    Charlotte''s brows were tightly knitted. Considering the dire circumstances, she would be in big trouble if


    ¡°Zachary¡± would not align himself with her.


    ¡°Charlotte, I know Mr. Nacht isn''t in good shape, but this is a special situation. No matter what, we need


    him to speak to them, however short it is,¡± Johann voiced again.


    ¡°All right. I''ll discuss this with him when I''m back, and I''ll call you in the evening.¡±


    ¡°Sure. I''ll be waiting to hear from you.¡±


    Having ended the call, Charlotte instructed, ¡°Let''s head home.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    Their car drove toward Northridge.


    Lupine shot Charlotte a worried look. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, what should we do now?¡±


    She was cognizant of how tricky the situation was. The board of directors was waiting for Zachary to


    show himself, but the Zachary they had at their home could be an impostor.


    If Charlotte were to expose him, it would only fuel the rumors further. By then, the public would not


    believe her words but instead, use her ofing up with another scheme to seize the Nacht


    family''s assets after failing to murder Zachary. What ensued from that would probably be a barrage of


    even scarier controversies.


    However, if she decided not to reveal the impostor, she would be falling into his trap.


    In short, Charlotte was trapped between a rock and a hard ce.


    ¡°I''ve been thinking of this. If that man is an impostor, he would''ve been busted in less than twenty-four


    hours. So where did he get the courage to set up such an borate plot to challenge me?¡±


    With furrowed eyebrows and an inscrutable expression, she remarked, ¡°But now, I finally understand


    why he isn''t concerned about being exposed at all. That''s because he knows that even if I do so, the


    public might not believe me. Instead, I would fall deeper into the controversy that''s brewing.¡±

 Chapter 1514

    Chapter 1514


    q¡°Are you saying that their n wasn''t to trick you but to deceive the public and spark outrage?¡±


    The truth finally dawned on Lupine.


    ¡°They know how strong your rtionship with Mr. Nacht is and the fact that you''re an intelligent and


    sharp-witted person. Therefore, there was no way they could''ve fooled you with an impostor for long.


    ¡°Consequently, they leaked Mr. Nacht''s return to the press, announcing to the world that he isn''t dead


    and that he was sent to the hospital after suffering injuries in the fire.


    ¡°Now that they''ve spread rumors of you holding Mr. Nacht captive to seize the Nacht family assets, no


    one will believe you if you use him of being an impostor.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Charlotte''s brows remained tightly knitted.


    ¡°What do we do now?¡± Lupine was worried. ¡°What should we do? This feels like a lost cause.¡±


    ¡°Let''s verify his identity first,¡± Charlotte asserted. ¡°If he is real, everything would be worth it. Otherwise,


    we''ll y along and use the situation to our advantage.¡±


    ¡°y along?¡± Lupine was baffled as to what she meant.


    ¡°No matter what, we can''t alert them yet. All of you should treat him the same way as before and


    pretend that you know nothing.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Lupine nodded. ¡°But... will you... be in danger?¡±


    Too embarrassed to be candid, she phrased her question vaguely. She could see that ¡°Zachary¡± liked


    to be intimate with Charlotte. Even though he might not harm her for the sake of his n, he might


    somehow take advantage of her,plicating matters when the real Zachary returned.


    ¡°Don''t worry. I know what I''m doing.¡± Charlotte was not concerned at all.


    Soon, their car arrived at Northridge.


    This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Ever since the fire at Southridge, everyone had moved to Northridge. As for then, Southridge remained


    sealed.


    Initially, Spencer suggested for it to be renovated soon, but Charlotte forbade anyone from doing so.


    Firstly, it would be convenient for the police to collect evidence. Secondly, it served as a reminder for


    her to learn her lesson.


    ¡°Mrs. Nacht, you''re back!¡±


    When Hanna saw Charlotte, she rushed toward her. ¡°Mr. Nacht doesn''t seem to be feeling well, as he


    didn''t eat the food that I have prepared for him. What should I do?¡±


    ¡°Thanks for your effort, Mrs. Rawlston. What did you cook him?¡± Charlotte asked.


    ¡°His favorite beef stroganoff, vegetable broth, and some other snacks.¡± Hanna was extremely troubled.


    ¡°Thinking that his appetite wasn''t good, I boiled some medicinal broth for him. Even then, he refused to


    have any.¡±


    ¡°Cook some vegetable beef soup then. He likes that.¡± Charlotte smiled slightly. ¡°Coincidentally, I feel


    like having some too.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I''ll get right to it.¡± Hanna headed back to the kitchen and busied herself.


    After walking upstairs, Charlotte headed to the study instead of returning to the bedroom.


    Turning on herputer, she went through all sorts of folders containing the news articles Lucy had


    compiled. Some of them even had annotations made by thetter.


    When Charlotte clicked into one of the articles, she saw how ridiculous the discussions had be.


    There were all sorts of wild spections. Some even went as far as saying that she would soon be


    brought to justice.


    Just as she was reading it, the police called and urged her to assist in their investigations as soon as


    possible. Otherwise, they would have to pick her up from Northridge.


    Charlotte was about to reply when a familiar figure entered the study. The moment she looked up, their


    eyes met. His gaze was as gentle as it had always been.


    For a split second, she was shaken, thinking that he was the real Zachary.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, Ms. Lindberg...¡±


    The police officer''s voice interrupted her train of thought, pulling her back from being overwhelmed by


    her emotions. Very quickly, her rationality returned. ¡°All right. I understand. I''ll be there at six.¡±


    After ending the call, she raised her head to look at ¡°Zachary.¡± ¡°The police are urging me to assist in


    their investigations.¡±


    ¡°Ignore them.¡± ¡°Zachary¡± walked over and hugged her from behind. ¡°With me around, no one can bully


    my wife.¡±

 Chapter 1515

    Chapter 1515


    qJust as ¡°Zachary¡± spoke, he leaned in to kiss Charlotte''s ear, but she avoided it by reflex and even


    pushed him away. ¡°There''s a huge controversy brewing now. Didn''t you read the news?¡±


    ¡°Just ignore them,¡± he reassured her. ¡°They will naturally stop in a couple of days.¡±


    ¡°Stop?¡± She narrowed her eyes at him. ¡°Did you actually read the news? Given how haywire the


    spections have be, how can they stop naturally? When you were missing, an internal conflict


    urred within thepany, with the board of directors trying to remove me. After painstakingly


    suppressing them, we now have another controversy on our hands. Do you really think it will go away


    by itself if we don''t do anything about it?¡±


    ¡°I...¡± The man was taken aback at first. However, he quickly apologized, ¡°I''m sorry. It''s all my fault.¡±


    ¡°Did Kallume and see you just now?¡± she asked candidly. ¡°What did he say?¡±


    ¡°Nothing much. He came to see for himself whether I was still alive and asked me if the auditor could


    return to thepany. Also, he even said...¡±


    Looking at Charlotte meekly, ¡°Zachary¡± dared not continue his exnation.


    ¡°What else did he say?¡± Charlotte pressed on.


    ¡°He said that it''s inappropriate for ady to be at the helm and that I should return to take control,¡± he


    answered as he observed her reaction.


    ¡°He''s right.¡± Not only was Charlotte not angry, but she alsomented, ¡°In the few days in which you


    were missing, I was flooded with usations from all kinds of people. Now that you''re back, a new


    controversy has been ignited. Thest few days have been the most tiring time of my entire life. If I


    could, I really don''t want to do this. Therefore, you''d better receive treatment so that I can hand this


    mess over to you once you''ve recovered. I truly can''t be bothered anymore.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of my health, I have something to share with you,¡± ¡°Zachary¡± remarked with an earnest


    expression. ¡°These few days, I can feel my condition improving significantly, and I also feel more


    energetic. In fact, I was wondering if this incident had removed the toxins in my body by ident.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Charlotte was ted. ¡°I noticed the same about you too. Since the poison came about under


    strange circumstances, it wouldn''t be a surprise if it disappeared in an equally mysterious manner.¡±


    ¡°In that case¡ª¡±


    Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    ¡°I''ll get Raina toe over and do a blood test for you. That way, we''ll know for sure.¡±


    While speaking, Charlotte picked up her phone to make the call.


    ¡°Zachary¡± hastened to stop her. ¡°Wait, I don''t think there''s any need to do so. If she finds out that I''ve


    not healed, it might cause me unnecessary stress.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°That''s true. Why don''t you continue with the treatment Dr. Felch left behind? We can


    observe the results over a few days.¡±


    ¡°There''s no need for that. It''s not like I have any symptoms¡ª¡±


    ¡°What do you mean you don''t?¡± Charlotte grew concerned suddenly. ¡°Ever since you returned, you''ve


    been behaving strangely. In fact, many have been wondering what''s wrong with you. If you hadn''t


    intermittently lost your memory before the fire, I would have thought that you weren''t my husband.¡±


    Her words stunned ¡°Zachary¡± for a moment, and he quickly exined, ¡°Of course, I''m your husband.


    Fine, you''re right. My sickness is getting to my head. I do need to receive the treatment.¡±


    ¡°That''s the way.¡± Charlotte nodded in relief. ¡°I''ll get Hayley and Sam to do itter. Recover as soon as


    you can so that you can manage thepany again. As of now, I can barely keep it together by


    myself.¡±


    ¡°All right, I got it.¡± ¡°Zachary¡± forced himself to agree. ¡°But Kallum told me that the board of directors is


    causing trouble again. How are you nning to deal with them?¡±


    ¡°What else can I do? They don''t respect me at all. On my way home, Johann even called me to get you


    to show your face, even if it''s just to say a word or two. Therefore, receive your treatment tonight and


    follow me to thepany tomorrow morning.¡±

 Chapter 1516

    Chapter 1516


    q¡°Oh, okay.¡±


    That time around, ¡°Zachary¡± agreed to her suggestion readily.


    Knock! Knock! Suddenly, someone knocked on the door.


    ¡°Come in,¡± Charlotte answered.


    Hanna wheeled in a cart full of food, snacks, and two sets of cutlery.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, Mrs. Nacht, the vegetable beef soup is ready,¡± she dered amiably. ¡°I even prepared


    some snacks. Please try them!¡±


    ¡°No need¡ª¡±


    ¡°All right, thank you, Mrs. Rawlston,¡± Charlotte responded with a smile, cutting ¡°Zachary¡± off. ¡°Sorry for


    the trouble.¡±


    ¡°It''s no trouble at all. It pleases me to watch you two enjoy the food.¡± Hanna served them a bowl each.


    ¡°Come eat it while it''s hot. I''ll be taking my leave now.¡±


    ¡°Will do, Mrs. Rawlston.¡± After walking Hanna to the door, Charlotte faced ¡°Zachary¡± and urged, ¡°Have


    some quickly. This used to be your favorite.¡±


    ¡°I''m not hungry.¡± He frowned while staring at the soup.


    ¡°Mrs. Rawlston said that you haven''t eaten anything the entire day. How can you not be hungry?¡± She


    handed him a bowl of soup and coaxed, ¡°Be good, and have some quickly!¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Wifey!¡±


    However, even after receiving the soup, ¡°Zachary¡± kept stirring it with no intention of eating.


    When Charlotte kept staring at him while having hers, he had no choice but to force himself to do so.


    After taking two mouthfuls, he grimaced and almost retched.


    ¡°Hubby, what''s wrong? Do you have a stomachache?¡± Charlotte asked with a concerned tone. ¡°You


    don''t have to eat it if you can''t. After all, the beef soup is pretty oily. I''ll get Mrs. Rawlston to make you


    some vegetable soup instead.¡±


    ¡°Vegetable soup...¡±


    ¡°It was the same when you were sick before this. After having vegetable soup for two months, you lost


    over twenty pounds. It looks like you are having a rpse. No, I have to call Hayley and Sam over at


    once.¡±


    Just as she spoke, she quickly made the call. ¡°Hayley, I''m sending someone over to pick you and Sam


    up. By the way, Zachary has returned, but he isn''t feeling too good, so I need you to continue with the


    treatment. Just follow the same prescription Dr. Felch used to treat me. Make the necessary


    preparations, yeah?¡±


    After that, Charlotte insisted on having Hanna cook some vegetable soup and had her make it nder.


    When ¡°Zachary¡± heard her request, he could not help but grimace again.


    ¡°Hubby, you should take a shower first. The vegetable soup will be ready by the time you''re done.¡±


    With that, Charlotte began pushing him out of the room.


    ¡°Hayley and Sam are staying at the vi in Yaleview. I''ve arranged for someone to pick them up, and


    they would probably arrive only in the afternoon. Once they''re here, they will start on your treatment.


    After the treatment, you aren''t allowed to expose yourself to water. Therefore, you have to shower


    now.¡±


    ¡°I can''t touch water?¡±


    ¡°Zachary¡± was unsettled by her words. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°You''ll knowter.¡±


    Once they arrived at the bedroom, he grabbed her hand and leaned over affectionately.


    ¡°Wifey, let''s shower together. It''s been a long time since we had been intimate.¡±


    ¡°The doctor said we can''t. Have you forgotten?¡± Charlotte was stern. ¡°Thest time we did it, you had a


    nosebleed and almost fainted. I was terrified back then.¡±


    ¡°Zachary¡± looked surprised. ¡°I''m not that weak. That was before. I''m different now¡ª¡±


    ¡°Whatever it is, you''re not allowed to think about it until you''ve fully recovered.¡± Charlotte forcefully


    pushed him into the bathroom. ¡°Once you''re done showering, I''ll help you scrub your back.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    Her promise ted the man. As long as she''s willing toe into the bathroom, I would have a chance


    to...


    ¡°Cut the crap, and go shower.¡±


    The moment Charlotte closed the bathroom door, the smile on her face disappeared.


    The real Zachary had a wolf head tattoo on his waist. That was the mark she used to recognize him the


    first time. As a result, she remembered it vividly.


    Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    As of then, all she needed to do was to check if there was a tattoo on that man''s waist and if it was the


    right one. That way, she could finally verify his identity.

 Chapter 1517

    Chapter 1517


    qStanding outside the bathroom, Charlotte kept an eye on her watch. She listened to the sound of


    flowing water while waiting for the opportune time to open the door.


    As time ticked by, she finally reached the five-minute mark. She figured ¡°Zachary¡± would have


    undressed by then.


    With a towel in hand, she entered the bathroom.


    Amid the mist inside, the man looked even more towering and attractive.


    As for the wolf head tattoo on his waist, it could clearly be seen despite being partly blocked by the


    mist.


    It''s really Zachary!


    Charlotte was bewildered.


    How can this be? How can the tattoo be the same? Is he really Zachary?


    ¡°Wifey...¡±


    Suddenly, ¡°Zachary¡± turned around and reached out to hug her.


    Charlotte, who was on alert, avoided him and slipped away at once. ¡°Continue with your shower. I''ll go


    check if the vegetable soup is ready.¡±


    ¡°Wifey...¡±


    ¡°Zachary¡± grabbed her and refused to let go. He even pinned her against the wall and leaned in to kiss


    her.


    Averse to his advances, Charlotte turned her head to avoid the kiss. She thundered, ¡°Let go of me!¡±


    ¡°You''re my wife. I can kiss you whenever I want.¡±


    With a brazen attitude, the man continued to approach while restraining both her wrists.


    Failing to struggle free, Charlotte lifted her knee in desperation.


    ¡°Argh!¡±


    ¡°Zachary¡± curled up on the ground while holding his crotch. He was in so much pain that his face was


    devoid of color.


    ¡°You deserved it!¡± After pushing him aside, Charlotte stormed out.


    When she came out of the room and saw Hanna pacing around nervously, she quickly recollected


    herself and greeted, ¡°Mrs. Rawlston, what''s wrong?¡±


    ¡°I was about toe up with the vegetable soup when I heard Mr. Nacht''s cry. A-Are both of you


    fighting?¡±


    Hanna felt awkward and worried at the same time.


    ¡°We''re not fighting.¡± Charlotte received the soup. ¡°All right now, I''ll take this in. Mrs. Rawlston, you can


    get back to work.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure.¡± Hanna dared not probe further and left quickly.


    When Charlotte returned to the room, she put the bowl of vegetable soup on the coffee table and


    dered, ¡°Once you''re done showering,e over and drink your soup. You will only have vegetable


    soup three times a day and a bowl for every meal from today onward. It will be served with some side


    dishes. Once you''ve done this for two months, you won''t get a stomachache anymore.¡±


    ¡°Zachary¡± walked out of the bathroom with only a towel wrapped around his waist. He asked anxiously,


    ¡°Do you have to be so cruel?¡±


    ¡°This was what you did previously.¡± Charlotte was firm and decisive. ¡°Before this, you had soup for


    almost three months and didn''t even have any side dishes.¡±


    ¡°Hey, you¡ª¡±


    She ignored him and gave Hanna a call right away. ¡°Mrs. Rawlston, from today onward, Mr. Nacht will


    have nothing but vegetable soup. By the way, don''t serve him any wine or any other drinks. He is only


    allowed to have in water. Furthermore, please get someone to clear the mini-bar in the roomter.


    Remove all the alcoholic drinks, and only leave the bottles of mineral water behind.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mrs. Nacht,¡± Hanna agreed at once. ¡°What''s a good time for me toe?¡±


    ¡°About an hour.¡± Charlotte checked her watch. ¡°You cane once he''s done with his vegetable soup.¡±


    ¡°All right, Mrs. Nacht.¡± After ending the call, Charlotte smiled faintly at ¡°Zachary¡± and suggested


    solemnly, ¡°For the sake of your health, you have to be self-disciplined. Since you have done it before,


    I''m sure you can do it again!¡±


    ¡°Finish your soup quickly, and get yourself dressed. Mrs. Rawlston will being up with one of the


    maids to clear the mini-bar,¡± she then urged. ¡°I''m going to do some work now. Once Hayley is here, I''ll


    apany you for the treatment.¡±


    With that, she headed out of the room.


    Meanwhile, ¡°Zachary¡± stared at the vegetable soup with a pained expression. The thought of going


    through the treatmentter only served to add salt to his wounds. Nevertheless, for the sake of their


    n, he had no choice but to endure.This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 1518

    Chapter 1518


    qAfter Hayley and Sam arrived, they settled into a loft at the back.


    Charlotte had requested Raina to set up a traditional medicine treatment room there so that Hayley and


    Sam would have a ce to treat Zachary.


    Given their dutiful nature, both of them brought along all their equipment and drugs when they heard


    about Zachary''s return and Charlotte''s request to have him treated.


    The moment they arrived at the loft, they began to unpack.


    ¡°Hayley!¡±


    When Charlotte walked in, Hayley was still unpacking the needles left behind by Dr. Felch. When she


    heard the former''s voice, she hurried to greet her, ¡°Charlotte!¡±


    ¡°Thank you foring all the way here again.¡±


    After the fire at Southridge, Charlotte had sent both of them to the vi at Yaleview temporarily. That


    was because she knew Zachary would return one day, and their help would still be needed when that


    happened.


    Indeed, she was right, for Hayley and Sam were brought back just after a few days.


    ¡°It''s fine. After all, Dr. Felch sent us to take care of you,¡± Hayley replied with a giggle. ¡°Charlotte, is


    Zachary really back? See, I told you he''d be fine!¡±


    ¡°Mmm-hmm, he''s back,¡± Charlotte answered with a slight smile. ¡°However, the poison in his body has


    yet to be removed. After giving it a lot of thought, I feel that we should employ the prescription Dr. Felch


    used on me to treat him.¡±


    ¡°Charlotte, actually, we have discussed this before, but I''m worried that it won''t work.¡± Sam sounded


    concerned. ¡°After all, Dr. Felch hasn''t taught it to us before, and we haven''t given it a try either.¡±


    ¡°We have no other choice now. It''s our only hope,¡± Charlottemented in resignation. ¡°Let''s just give


    it a try.¡±


    ¡°All right then. I''ll prepare the medication.¡± Sam got to work at once.


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I''ll prepare the silver needles,¡± Hayley added. ¡°When I treated you before, I have a good grasp on how


    to use them. After that, I ran through it with Dr. Felch again, so it should turn out fine.¡±


    ¡°That''s good. You guys continue with your preparation while I bring him here.¡±


    With that, Charlotte returned to the vi to get ¡°Zachary.¡±


    At that moment, ¡°Zachary¡± was already dressed. He sat on the sofa, watching Hanna and the maids


    clear out his mini-bar with a scowl on his face.


    When he saw them take every single bottle of his wine away, he could not resist the urge to rebuke.


    Sadly, they were undeterred by him.


    Hanna even responded, ¡°Mr. Nacht, please calm down. We''re just following Mrs. Nacht''s orders. She''s


    doing all this for your own good, so you''d better behave!¡±


    That rendered ¡°Zachary¡± speechless.


    He probably had never imagined that a lofty person like himself would end up in such a state.


    This... This isn''t right.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, prior to this, you only drank vegetable soup alone for two months. Hence, you shouldn''t


    me her and should be understanding. In fact, she''s spoiling you by allowing you to have side


    dishes.¡±


    ¡°That''s right, Mr. Nacht. Mrs. Nacht suffered a lot when you weren''t around.¡±


    The two maids advised ¡°Zachary¡± as if he was an ungrateful husband who did not appreciate his wife''s


    good intentions.


    Remaining silent throughout, ¡°Zachary¡± held his head in agony.


    No, it shouldn''t be like this. Given how domineering Zachary is, everyone at home should be taking


    orders from him. Why are the maids brazen enough to lecture me? Why does everyone listen to


    Charlotte instead of me? Can it be...


    ¡°Are you done cleaning up?¡±


    At that moment, Charlotte returned.


    ¡°Mrs. Nacht, we''re done,¡± Hanna reported at once. ¡°We have taken everything other than the mineral


    water. We didn''t leave the coffee behind either.¡±


    ¡°Good job.¡± Gratified to hear that, Charlotte nodded. ¡°We''re doing this for the sake of his health, so we


    must be strict.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mrs. Nacht.¡±

 Chapter 1519

    Chapter 1519


    qWhen ¡°Zachary¡± saw Hanna and the other take away his things, he gritted his teeth and red at


    Charlotte. ¡°You''re a cruel woman!¡±


    ¡°I''m doing this for your own good.¡± Looking at the untouched bowl of vegetable soup, she frowned. ¡°If


    you don''t eat that, there won''t be anything else for you.¡±


    ¡°I refuse.¡± ¡°Zachary¡± turned his head away in defiance.


    ¡°Fine. Put on your shoes. We''re going to the loft in the backyard,¡± Charlotte urged. ¡°Hayley and Sam


    are already waiting for you.¡±


    He furrowed his brows. ¡°Must I go?¡±


    ¡°You can choose not to.¡± Charlotte did not insist. ¡°If you don''t want to be treated with traditional


    medicine, you will have to see Raina and do a full body checkup. After that, you will have to ept


    treatment with modern medicine, and¡ª¡±


    Before she could even finish her utterances, ¡°Zachary¡± was already putting on his shoes. ¡°Traditional


    medicine is a legacy of our nation. Therefore, we should believe in it.¡±


    ¡°That''s the spirit.¡±


    Breaking out into a smile, Charlotte led him to the loft in the backyard.


    Along the way, she reminded the maids and subordinates. ¡°From today onward, Mr. Nacht will be


    continuing his treatment. Therefore, all of you have to monitor him closely. He isn''t allowed to drink nor


    eat whatever he wishes to. Also, he cannot leave on his own ord. If he has any instructions, report


    them to me and get my permission first. And if anything happens, inform me immediately.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mrs. Nacht!¡±


    Everyone took orders from Charlotte as if she was the head of the household.


    Meanwhile, ¡°Zachary¡± was bbergasted by everything that had just transpired. Why does it feel like


    I''vee to the wrong ce? This ce feels more like the Lindberg residence than the Nacht


    residence.


    ¡°Stop looking around. We''re in Northridge,¡± Charlotte stated as if she knew what he was thinking.


    ¡°Although most of them are your men, they only take orders from me.¡±


    ¡°Zachary¡± was rendered speechless as a gloomy look crept into his eyes. It was as if he had a


    premonition of imminent danger.


    By the time they arrived at the loft, Hayley and Sam had prepared the herbal concoction and poured it


    into a wooden bucket. At the same time, the needles for acupuncture were also ready.


    The moment Charlotte entered with ¡°Zachary,¡± the two greeted him, ¡°Zachary, we''re d to see that


    you are fine. We were worried sick!¡±


    ¡°I''m all right. Thanks for your concern,¡± ¡°Zachary¡± answered cordially.


    ¡°Zachary, why do you look so much better than before? In fact, you look reasonably spirited.¡± Hayley


    found it strange after observing ¡°Zachary.¡± ¡°It''s as if you are not sick at all.¡±


    ¡°That''s right. Also, I feel as if your nose¡ª¡±


    ¡°That''s enough,¡± Charlotte interrupted Sam before changing the topic. ¡°After a brush with death, he has


    been reinvigorated and looks better than before. However, the poison in his body hasn''t cleared yet,


    which is why we need your help. The previous treatment Dr. Felch used on me was pretty useful.


    Hence, you should just repeat the same procedures on him this time. Anyway, you can begin now.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Charlotte,¡± Hayley replied in acknowledgment. Then, she stepped out and called out, ¡°All of you,


    come over here.¡±


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Right away.¡± A few burly men rolled up their sleeves and gradually approached ¡°Zachary.¡± ¡°Mr. Nacht,


    do you want to take it off yourself, or do you want us to help you?¡±


    ¡°W-What?¡± ¡°Zachary¡± knitted his brows. ¡°Take what off?¡±


    ¡°Your clothes,¡± Hayley replied while giggling. ¡°After that, you will have to soak yourself in the bucket for


    an hour before Sam performs acupuncture on you.¡±


    ¡°Acupuncture?¡± ¡°Zachary¡± widened his eyes in shock.


    ¡°Yes, look.¡±


    Sam took out his equipment and spread them out for him to see. In it were seventy-two needles with


    one thicker and longer than the other.


    ¡°We will stick all of them into your body so that the toxins can be excreted. By doing it once a day for


    eighty-one days, we will be able to see its results.¡±


    Terrified till his face lost all color, ¡°Zachary¡± looked at Charlotte in disbelief. ¡°Charlotte, isn''t this too


    cruel?¡±

 Chapter 1520

    Chapter 1520


    qLater on, Charlotte arrived at the police station to assist in their investigations, where she had her


    statement taken the entire night.


    Given how grave the case was, the police regarded it seriously. Consequently, they had begun their


    investigations that day and called up everyone rted to the incident to record their statement.


    So far, the evidence and leads were unfavorable to Charlotte. Nheless, she maintained her cool


    and cooperated however she could. By the time she was allowed to leave the police station with


    Lupine, it was alreadyte at night.


    Just when she was about to get in her car, she saw the Gold family''s car approach.


    Due to her frequent interactions with Zachary before that incident, Nancy was also summoned by the


    police.


    Since she was busy, it was not until then did she have the time toe in. At the same time, she


    probably never expected to run into Charlotte at such an hour.


    The moment their cars passed by each other, both of them came to a stop.


    Then, their windows were lowered, revealing two pretty faces staring at each other.


    ¡°Charlotte, if you''vemitted a crime, you''d better own up to it. There''s no way you can remain at


    large.¡± Nancy stared at Charlotte coldly.


    ¡°Ms. Gold, you should tell that to your father.¡±


    Charlotte gave her a thoughtful look.


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Nancy''s eyes widened in disbelief.


    Ignoring her, Charlotte rolled up her window and had the driver drive away.


    As for Nancy, she was unsettled by thement. With her eyebrows furrowed, she remarked


    anxiously, ¡°What did Charlotte mean by that sentence? Could it be that this has something to do with


    my dad?¡±


    ¡°That''s impossible,¡± her subordinate reassured her at once. ¡°Mr. Gold has always encouraged you to


    befriend Mr. Nacht. Why would he harm him? Moreover, the Nacht residence is secured like a fortress.


    Who else is capable of doing so other than their own men?¡±


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Nancy did not respond. Her brows remained creased as she mulled over the situation.


    In the car, Lupine asked nervously, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, why did you say those things to Nancy? Aren''t you


    worried about alerting the mastermind?¡±


    ¡°Jesse probably knew early on that I would see through the impostor,¡± Charlotte remarked frostily. ¡°If


    Nancy tells him about it, it would serve as a form of intimidation. If not, she would re-evaluate her


    perception of the entire matter.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn''t she choose to protect her father?¡± Lupine guessed.


    ¡°I, too, would like to know whose side will she be on,¡± Charlottemented as she narrowed her eyes.


    ¡°She will probably side with her father.¡± Lupine firmly believed in that possibility. ¡°After all, it isn''t just


    about their familial rtionship. It also involves both her interests and future.¡±


    ¡°Even though it might seem that way on the surface, I somehow still feel that there was some hidden


    meaning behind Zachary''s words,¡± Charlotte added thoughtfully. ¡°Maybe he wanted to hint something


    to me.¡±


    ¡°Would Nancy really betray her family for Mr. Nacht?¡± Lupine found it unbelievable. ¡°I think it''s highly


    improbable. After all, Mr. Nacht didn''t promise her anything.¡±


    ¡°That''s true.¡± Charlotte heaved a sigh. ¡°We''ll see. Just see this as an attempt to sound them out.¡±


    ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡± Lupine did not press on. Instead, she changed the topic. ¡°What about the board meeting


    tomorrow? Are you really bringing that impostor along with you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I must,¡± Charlotte affirmed. ¡°Since the board of directors forced me to bring him over, I''ll do as


    they wish. Or else, they would continue to suspect me of confining him.¡±


    ¡°However, will he stand on your side then?¡± Lupine was puzzled. ¡°What if he stands in opposition to you


    in the board meeting?¡±


    ¡°It''s still too early for him to take action.¡± Charlotte smirked. ¡°After all, the stock and assets have been


    transferred under my name. If he angers me now, how is he going to take them from me? Even if he


    wants to attack me with the directors'' help, he will need time to prepare. Therefore, he will not strike


    until he''s ready.¡±

 Chapter 1521

    Chapter 1521


    q¡°That''s right. We will y along and turn the table on them.¡± Twirling the phone in her hand, Charlotte


    smiled wryly. ¡°I never knew that I am capable of plotting and scheming. It seems that when in


    desperation, people can be forced to step up to the te.¡±


    ¡°As of now, the future of both the Lindberg and Nacht families are in your hands,¡± Lupinemented.


    ¡°Although Mr. Lindberg is protecting you from behind the scenes, he is still restrained by the fact that he


    can''t show himself. The situation at the Nacht family is even worse, whereby they are entirely relying


    on you to lead them. You have to stay strong.¡±


    ¡°I wonder where he has gone to.¡± When the thought of Zachary shed across her mind, Charlotte


    became dejected. ¡°Somehow, I can feel that he isn''t dead.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht will be fine. I''m sure he''ll return after a while,¡± Lupine consoled softly.


    ¡°No, wait...¡± Charlotte had a sudden epiphany. ¡°Since the impostor appeared at the crucial moment to


    take Zachary''s ce, they must have nned it long ago. In that case, they might have been involved


    in the fire and possibly know where Zachary is.¡±


    ¡°You''re right.¡± It dawned on Lupine. ¡°If that''s the case, should we capture the impostor and question


    him about Mr. Nacht''s whereabouts?¡±


    ¡°I''m afraid it''s not going to be that easy.¡± Knitting her eyebrows, Charlotte reminded herself. ¡°We have


    to stay calm and take one step at a time.¡±


    ¡°However, considering Mr. Nacht''s health, I''m worried that we are running out of time,¡± Lupine said with


    concern. ¡°We''d better do it as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know that.¡± Although Charlotte was overwhelmed with anxiety, she clenched her fists and


    repeatedly reminded herself. ¡°No matter what, I can''t act hastily. Calm down and think...¡±


    On the way home, she felt as if she was being tormented. Her fears further intensified when she


    realized Zachary''s disappearance had something to do with Jesse and the impostor.


    At that moment, she was extremely concerned about Zachary''s safety. Still, she knew she had to bide


    her time and not act rashly.


    After all, her enemies were hidden in the shadows. In the event of a mistake, she would lose Zachary


    forever.


    The atmosphere at home was imbued with tension, and everyone''s face seemed strained.


    It was not until Charlotte alighted from the car did the atmosphere lighten slightly. At the sight of her,


    Hanna hurried forward and said, ¡°Mrs. Nacht, you''re finally back.¡±


    ¡°Did something happen?¡± Charlotte could sense that something was amiss.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht threw a tantrum and smashed a lot of things. He even hurt someone,¡± Hanna reported


    anxiously. ¡°Only when Bruce returned did he stop. But he has locked himself up in his room and


    refuses to see anyone.¡±


    ¡°Who did he hurt? Is it serious?¡± Charlotte asked with a frown.


    ¡°It was one of the maids. She has a cut on the forehead and lost quite a lot of blood. Dr. Langhan has


    treated her wound, so it isn''t much of an issue. Still, everyone is terrified.¡±


    Hanna softly exined, ¡°Mrs. Nacht, you should go in and calm him down. Perhaps, he is thrown into a


    foul mood due to how excruciatingly painful the treatment is.¡±


    ¡°No matter how painful it is, it isn''t right for him to hurt anyone.¡± Charlotte knitted her brows tightly.


    ¡°When he went through the same treatment previously, he didn''t behave this way at all.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg.¡± At that moment, Bruce came down from upstairs. ¡°I''m d you''ve returned. Mr. Nacht''s


    temper is still ring, so you should check on him now.¡±


    Charlotte was infuriated when she saw the wound on his head. ¡°Did he hit you?¡±


    ¡°That''s not important.¡± Bruce lowered his head. ¡°His emotions are unstable now, and he refuses to


    listen to me no matter how hard I tried to persuade him. I''m afraid only you can handle him.¡±


    ¡°Everyone, listen to me,¡± Charlotte ordered. ¡°If heys a finger on any of you, restrain him and tie him


    up. Do not tolerate this bad habit of his.¡±


    Everyone was stunned by her instructions and exchanged nces. Yet, no one dared to say a word.


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, we can''t do that.¡± Bruce hastened to stop her. ¡°Mr. Nacht is the head of the household,


    which gives him the right toy a finger on us. We can''t disrespect him!¡±

 Chapter 1522

    Chapter 1522


    q¡°If I said yes, then it means yes!¡± Charlotte roared. ¡°If he can hurt you, that means he''ll do the same to


    himself! Why didn''t you think about the possibility of him hurting himself? If he does this again, pin him


    down and tie him up! Do you hear me?¡±


    The others hurriedly nodded.


    ¡°You''re right,¡± Bruce said with a gasp. ¡°I have to see him now!¡±


    ¡°You don''t have to,¡± Charlotte stopped him. ¡°I''ll go on my own. Treat your wounds and console that


    injured maid first.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Bruce then quickly went to carry out her instructions.


    When Charlotte strode up the stairs, Lupine hastily caught up to her and asked, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, will it be


    dangerous?¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry. He''s no match for me,¡± Charlotte replied.


    She had tested it out earlier in the day in the bathroom. That man was not good at fighting at all, but he


    was a man, so he was physically stronger than her. Furthermore, he was shameless. Hence, she still


    had to be cautious.


    Arriving at the room, and just as she was about to push the door open, an ashtray came flying at her.


    Charlotte nimbly stepped to the side and dodged it.


    After crashing against the wall in the corridor, the ashtray dropped to the floor with a loud thud.


    ¡°What in the world is wrong with you?¡±


    Charlotte raised her head to look at ¡°Zachary¡± in the room.


    The man''s hair was damp, and he was wearing a bathrobe. At that moment, he was gloomily sitting on


    the couch, ring at her.


    Evidently, he was fuming over what had happened in the day.


    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    He had not eaten anything for the entire day, and he had been forced to soak in a herbal bath for an


    hour. After that, he was tied up on his bed and was stuck full of needles.


    The entire Northridge had heard his screams. It was as though he was getting ughtered.


    The agony in those screams had brought tears to Hanna''s eyes and made Bruce''s heart tighten with


    worry.


    After his acupuncture session, he had passed out on his bed. But half an hour ago, he had woken up


    and begun throwing things around.


    It was then he had identally hurt the maid. When Bruce came into the room to stop him, he had hurt


    Bruce as well.


    He had just gotten rid of Bruce, but someone else had entered the room a momentter. As he threw


    an ashtray at the intruder, he wondered which fearless soul was there to annoy him further.


    A beatter, he realized it was Charlotte.


    ¡°If you''re sick, then you should be treated. This treatment n was of your own choice too. Now that it''s


    a little tough, you''re losing your temper?¡± Charlotte folded her arms as she berated him, frustrated.


    ¡°Thest treatment you underwent was way tougher than this, but you didn''t even kick up a fuss. Why


    are you so grumpy now?¡±


    ¡°Zachary¡± continued to re at her, fire about to spurt out of his eyes. However, he tamped down his


    fury and took in a deep breath before squeezing out, ¡°I don''t want to be treated anymore!¡±


    ¡°You don''t want to be treated anymore? How are you going to get better without the treatment?¡±


    Charlotte questioned. ¡°The Nacht family''s future rests on your shoulders, and yet you''re still throwing a


    tantrum at a time like this?¡±


    ¡°This treatment is useless! The more I do it, the more ufortable I feel.¡±


    ¡°Zachary¡± was frustrated as he loosened his bathrobe and spread his arms. Then, in an agitated tone,


    he said, ¡°Look at me! Look! My skin''s all burnt, and I''m covered with needle holes. I was in a way better


    state before the treatment!¡±


    The more he said, the hoarser his voice became, and he even started choking on his words as his lips


    trembled. This isn''t something anyone should undergo!


    ¡°Of course I know how difficult this is.¡± Charlotte sighed. ¡°I was on the brink of death when Zara


    poisoned me back then. This treatment was simr to mine. In fact, you''re using the same treatment as


    I did in the past.¡±


    ¡°You''re doing this on purpose!¡± fake Zachary blurted out.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Charlotte bellowed as she furrowed her brows. ¡°Zachary, you and I are married.


    Why are you still saying these things to me? Yes, the Nacht family has wronged me. I hated you, and I


    took revenge on you. However, those are all in the past. Didn''t we agree to face the future together?¡±

 Chapter 1523

    Chapter 1523


    qAfter ¡°Zachary¡± blurted out his thought about how Charlotte was taking revenge on him, he panicked,


    thinking that he had identally revealed something by saying the wrong words.


    However, Charlotte''s response made him breathe a sigh of relief.


    I''m d she didn''t notice anything. She used to bear a grudge against Zachary, so it''s nothing strange


    for her to talk about wanting to take revenge on him.


    ¡°I know you''re doing this for my sake, but this treatment is really unnecessary.¡±


    Left without a choice, ¡°Zachary¡± softened his tone and pleaded, ¡°It''s too difficult. Not only is it showing


    no results, but it''s worsening my condition.¡±


    ¡°How is that possible? I was cured because of this treatment.¡± Charlotte drew her brows together. ¡°And


    before that incident, you agreed with me about this treatment n. Why do you suddenly have a


    change of heart?¡±


    ¡°I...¡±


    For a moment, ¡°Zachary¡± could not find a good excuse.


    He knew that if he continued, he would expose himself.


    After all, the real Zachary had been diagnosed with a terminal illness, so even if his treatment was


    tormenting, he would still cooperate with the others so that he could survive.


    ¡°If... you really don''t want to do this anymore, I won''t force you to,¡± Charlotte mumbled dejectedly with a


    sigh. ¡°I can''t stand watching you getting tormented. You know what? Let''s just stop...¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± A delighted look entered fake Zachary''s eyes. ¡°Then¡ª¡±


    ¡°We''ll go to Raina,¡± Charlotte continued. ¡°While Dr. Wright is still around, we''ll ask her to perform


    another surgery and draw some blood. We should be able to stabilize your condition. Once we find


    Francesco, we''ll use a different treatment n.¡±


    ¡°Zachary¡± was dumbfounded by her words. ¡°D-Draw some blood?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We did something simr before. We''ll make an opening behind your ear and let out the bad


    blood. Then you''ll be bedbound for a month to slowly recover.¡±


    ¡°You don''t need to be so merciless, do you?¡± the fake Zachary nearly shrieked out. ¡°Didn''t you say that


    I have to go to the office tomorrow? Wouldn''t I be essentially crippled if I were to be bedbound?¡±


    His n had to be executed soon. If he were to be bedbound for a month, he would not be able to work


    on his n.


    ¡°So what do you want?¡± Charlotte asked in a helpless tone.


    At that, the fake Zachary''s mouth twitched. He was truly tormented by everything, but still, he steeled


    himself and said, ¡°Let''s just go with Dr. Felch''s treatment n.¡±


    As he said those words, he mentally prepared himself to face the end of the world.


    That was the choice he made¡ªhe had chosen the slightly better option between the two choices he


    was given.


    Although it was suffering to soak in scalding hot herbal baths and go through acupuncture sessions


    every day, he would soon be out of his misery once his n waspleted.


    On the other hand, if he chose the option of surgery, he would be crippled for a month.


    Furthermore, he might end up exposing himself. If that were to happen, the woman in front of him


    would surely skin him alive.


    ¡°You chose this yourself,¡± Charlotte quickly said. ¡°In that case, please cooperate with us during the


    treatment and stop throwing a tantrum. Also, don''t hurt others anymore. I''ve already told them to tie you


    up if you go mad again. If that really happens, things will turn awkward.¡±


    ¡°Zachary¡± was stunned into silence as a look of disbelief appeared on his face.


    ¡°All right. Rest early now,¡± was all Charlotte said before turning around to leave.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± the fake Zachary hurriedly stopped her. ¡°Aren''t you going to sleep here?¡±


    ¡°I still have a lot of work to deal with.¡± Charlotte flung his hand away before walking out of the door.


    ¡°Rest early. Good night.¡±


    ¡°Zachary¡± watched as she walked away, his brows knitted. Once her footsteps faded, he hastily locked


    his door and checked the room. Then he made a call.


    ¡°How is it?¡±


    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I was f*cking tortured to death today. They shoved me into a tub of hot herbal concoction before


    stabbing needles in me, talking about some kind of herbal concoction treatment.¡±

 Chapter 1524

    Chapter 1524


    q¡°Did Charlotte notice anything?¡± the person on the other end of the line asked.


    ¡°I''m not sure...¡± The fake Zachary frowned. ¡°It seems that she''s deliberately tormenting me, but at the


    same time, it seems that she''s not suspicious of me.¡±


    ¡°It looks like we''ve underestimated Charlotte,¡± the other person said with a sneer. ¡°This trick of blurring


    the line between reality and fake is the best.¡±


    ¡°She said she''ll be taking me to a board meeting tomorrow,¡± the fake Zachary informed. ¡°Should I try to


    get the shares back when that happens?¡±


    ¡°Not yet,¡± the other person answered. ¡°There are many steps to getting the shares back; you won''t be


    able to get them back just by saying you want it. You shouldn''t act rashly unless you''re a hundred


    percent sure that you can emerge as the winner.¡±


    ¡°Then when?¡± The fake Zachary panicked. ¡°I''m getting cooked in the pot and seventy-two needles


    stuck in me every day! Moreover, I have to do this for what seems like a century! I''m going to die from


    this!¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry. As long as you stick to my n, you''ll soon rece Zachary and take over Nacht Group.¡±


    ¡°Hurry up! I can''t wait any longer.¡±


    At that, the fake Zachary put his hand on his forehead and copsed on the couch with a loud groan.


    I thought Zachary was enjoying the time of his life with wealth and a beautiful woman by his side. I


    thought thating to the Nacht residence means getting to enjoy lording over others and the


    company of the beautiful Charlotte, but... it''s only the first day, and I''m already dying. Furthermore, that


    person''s telling me to endure it for a little longer and take it slow! The mere thought of that is terrifying.


    ¡°Did Chorlotte notice onything?¡± the person on the other end of the line osked.


    ¡°I''m not sure...¡± The foke Zochory frowned. ¡°It seems thot she''s deliberotely tormenting me, but ot the


    some time, it seems thot she''s not suspicious of me.¡±


    ¡°It looks like we''ve underestimoted Chorlotte,¡± the other person soid with o sneer. ¡°This trick of blurring


    the line between reolity ond foke is the best.¡±


    ¡°She soid she''ll be toking me to o boord meeting tomorrow,¡± the foke Zochory informed. ¡°Should I try to


    get the shores bock when thot hoppens?¡±


    ¡°Not yet,¡± the other person onswered. ¡°There ore mony steps to getting the shores bock; you won''t be


    oble to get them bock just by soying you wont it. You shouldn''t oct roshly unless you''re o hundred


    percent sure thot you con emerge os the winner.¡±


    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Then when?¡± The foke Zochory ponicked. ¡°I''m getting cooked in the pot ond seventy-two needles


    stuck in me every doy! Moreover, I hove to do this for whot seems like o century! I''m going to die from


    this!¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry. As long os you stick to my plon, you''ll soon reploce Zochory ond toke over Nocht Group.¡±


    ¡°Hurry up! I con''t woit ony longer.¡±


    At thot, the foke Zochory put his hond on his foreheod ond collopsed on the couch with o loud groon.


    I thought Zochory wos enjoying the time of his life with weolth ond o beoutiful womon by his side. I


    thought thoting to the Nocht residence meons getting to enjoy lording over others ond the


    compony of the beoutiful Chorlotte, but... it''s only the first doy, ond I''m olreody dying. Furthermore, thot


    person''s telling me to endure it for o little longer ond toke it slow! The mere thought of thot is terrifying.


    ¡°Don''t worry. It won''t be long. I wish to see the results soon too,¡± the person on the other end of the line


    consoled.


    ¡°You have to do whatever Charlotte says for the next few days. Don''t go against her wishes and don''t


    let her figure anything out. At the very least, don''t be too obvious. You have to endure this for a few


    more days. Once all the arrangements on my side are done, we''ll deal our blow.¡±


    ¡°All right, I got it.¡±


    After ending the call, the fake Zachary''s face turned tense. God, it''s going to be so hard to heed


    everything she says.


    Meanwhile, Charlotte was working in the study when her phone suddenly rang.


    It was a call from Michael.


    ¡°Michael.¡±


    ¡°Charlotte, are you free? I''d like to have a talk with you.¡±


    ¡°Michael, I''ve been really busy recently. I¡ª¡±


    ¡°I wish to talk to you about the news. Otherwise, I can''t go back to M Nation.¡±


    Michael''s tone was almost a pleading one.


    ¡°I''m sorry, Michael.¡±


    It was then Charlotte recalled that the recent news about her had involved Michael. She was sure that


    all major mediapanies had had their eyes on him. In fact, Brown Group''s shares seemed to have


    been affected by her matters as well.


    ¡°I''m fine with it, but thepany is getting affected by it. The board of directors has been pressuring


    me recently, and my dad is furious. I have to give the media and my family an exnation, so I wanted


    to discuss with you how I should deal with this.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Charlotte nced at her watch. ¡°Where are you? I''lle to you.¡±


    ¡°I''m still at South Sea Hotel.¡±


    ¡°I''lle to you now. Let''s continue this talk when we meet.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I''ll be waiting.¡±


    After the call ended, Charlotte changed and went out with Morgan.


    I was the one who ended up getting him in this mess; I should give him a proper exnation.


    What Charlotte did not expect was that the fake Zachary, who was fuming as hey on the bed, had


    received a call and rushed out. ¡°Prep the car. I''m going out to look for Charlotte now!¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Nacht just went out,¡± Bruce said. ¡°Mr. Nacht, is there anything you need? Do you want me to call


    Mrs. Nacht?¡±


    ¡°I said I''m going to find her right away, and I told you to prep the car. Did you not hear me?¡± the fake


    Zachary shouted. ¡°Are you not going to listen to me?¡±


    ¡°No, no.¡±


    Not daring to say anything else, Bruce promptly went to get the car.


    After getting into the car, Zachary''s subordinate asked, ¡°Mr. Nacht, Mrs. Nacht has driven a distance by


    now. Do you know where she is?¡±


    ¡°She''s at South Sea Hotel,¡± the fake Zachary said in an urgent tone. ¡°Hurry and go after her.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±

 Chapter 1525

    Chapter 1525


    qThe subordinate then drove to South Sea Hotel.


    Bruce, who was seated in the front passenger seat, was baffled. Why did Mrs. Nacht rush out in such a


    hurry? Why is Mr. Nacht going after her? What happened? Should I tell Mrs. Nacht about this?


    ¡°Don''t you dare think of telling her about this,¡± the fake Zachary warned furiously, having read Bruce''s


    mind. ¡°I hope you know who you''re actually loyal to.¡±


    At that, Bruce hung his head and muttered, ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±


    ¡°Zachary¡± then shot him another re before returning his focus to the road, seemingly gued by bad


    thoughts.


    Meanwhile, Charlotte had arrived at South Sea Hotel with Morgan.


    Michael had been waiting for her for quite a while. When he saw her, he swiftly walked over and


    greeted, ¡°Charlotte!¡±


    ¡°Why are you waiting here?¡±


    Charlotte frowned before turning to scan her surroundings. Fortunately, there was no one suspicious


    around.


    She quickly dragged Michael further into the building before whispering, ¡°The whole world is watching


    us now. I''m even going out with just one person and an ordinary car to avoid catching other people''s


    attention. Why are you still standing at the entrance to meet me? What if someone caught you on


    camera?¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry. The people in the hotel are all my people.¡± Unlike Charlotte, Michael was calm. ¡°How are


    things on your side, Charlotte? I heard that Mr. Nacht is back?¡±


    The subordinote then drove to South Seo Hotel.


    Bruce, who wos seoted in the front possenger seot, wos boffled. Why did Mrs. Nocht rush out in such o


    hurry? Why is Mr. Nocht going ofter her? Whot hoppened? Should I tell Mrs. Nocht obout this?


    ¡°Don''t you dore think of telling her obout this,¡± the foke Zochory worned furiously, hoving reod Bruce''s


    mind. ¡°I hope you know who you''re octuolly loyol to.¡±


    At thot, Bruce hung his heod ond muttered, ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±


    ¡°Zochory¡± then shot him onother glore before returning his focus to the rood, seemingly plogued by bod


    thoughts.


    Meonwhile, Chorlotte hod orrived ot South Seo Hotel with Morgon.


    Michoel hod been woiting for her for quite o while. When he sow her, he swiftly wolked over ond


    greeted, ¡°Chorlotte!¡±


    ¡°Why ore you woiting here?¡±


    Chorlotte frowned before turning to scon her surroundings. Fortunotely, there wos no one suspicious


    oround.


    She quickly drogged Michoel further into the building before whispering, ¡°The whole world is wotching


    us now. I''m even going out with just one person ond on ordinory cor to ovoid cotching other people''s


    ottention. Why ore you still stonding ot the entronce to meet me? Whot if someone cought you on


    comero?¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry. The people in the hotel ore oll my people.¡± Unlike Chorlotte, Michoel wos colm. ¡°How ore


    things on your side, Chorlotte? I heord thot Mr. Nocht is bock?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he''s back.¡± Charlotte nodded. ¡°Let''s go upstairs before we continue this.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Michael then led Charlotte to the restaurant. There was no one else around but them, for he


    had already cleared out the ce.


    After the manager served the exquisite desserts, he stood to the side.


    As Michael poured a cup of steaming ck tea for Charlotte, he asked, ¡°Charlotte, what''s going on?


    Why are there so many scandals spreading around? What''s going on between you and Mr. Nacht?¡±


    ¡°It''s a long story...¡± Charlotte sipped on her tea. ¡°Let''s talk about your matter first. It seems that this


    incident has affected you greatly. I took a peek at the Browns'' shares on my way here, and it seems


    that the shares have plummeted by quite a bit.¡±


    ¡°That''s correct...¡± Michael felt depressed whenever that topic was mentioned. ¡°Ever since my father fell


    ill, thepany isn''t functioning as well as it used to be. I''ve poured in my blood, sweat, and tears to


    stabilize thepany in the past two years, but thepany''s reputation, as well as our profits, have


    suffered greatly this time...¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry, Michael. I''m to me for this,¡± Charlotte muttered apologetically. ¡°This has nothing to do with


    you; I don''t know why those mediapanies wanted to drag you into this affair.¡±


    ¡°No, no, this isn''t your fault,¡± Michael said. ¡°It''s obvious that someone is setting us up. They''re nning


    to make you submit. If anyone is to me, it''s them, not you.¡±


    ¡°Still, this started because of me.¡± Charlotte furrowed her brows. ¡°How about this? I''ll rify things with


    the mediapany after tomorrow''s morning meeting.¡±


    ¡°I''m afraid your rifications won''t help with the current situation.¡± Michael sighed. ¡°There are so many


    photos and videos of us on the inte. There''s no way we can draw the line now. Moreover, no one''s


    going to believe your words because you''re directly involved in this.¡±


    ¡°Then we''ll get Zachary to rify things.¡± Charlotte had already thought about it before meeting


    Michael. ¡°Someone ought to believe in his words, right?¡±


    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    ¡°Uh...¡± Michael was taken aback by her response. ¡°His words will work, yes, but will he do it?¡±


    ¡°Leave this to me,¡± Charlotte uttered confidently. ¡°Once this blows over, I''ll find a way topensate


    Brown Group''s loss.¡±


    ¡°You make it sound as though we''re strangers!¡± Michael blurted out. ¡°None of us saw thising, and


    you''re a victim too. How can I ask you topensate for the loss? Am I a stranger to you?¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°That''s enough, Charlotte. Let''s not talk about losses anymore,¡± Michael interrupted. ¡°I just don''t want


    this thing to continue and affect thepany. Nothing else other than that really matters. Moreover,


    there is something else I''d like to talk to you about.¡±

 Chapter 1526

    Chapter 1526


    q¡°What is it?¡± Charlotte asked curiously.


    This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°It''s...¡± Michael ruminated about it before saying, ¡°It''s about Helena. I''m hoping that you can let her off


    the hook.¡±


    Those words instantly made fury pulse through Charlotte''s veins. Back then, Helena had thrown a vase


    at her. Zachary had been hit when he protected Charlotte and that was why his condition had


    worsened.


    If not for that incident, things would not have turned out this way.


    After that, Helena had even tried to set Zachary up again. Fortunately, Zachary was prepared for it. He


    had put on an act with Nancy, and they caught her red-handed.


    Charlotte abhorred her for that incident. No matter how Michael pleaded on her behalf, she was going


    to hand Helena over to the police.


    The matter was already settled, but to her surprise, Michael was pleading on Helena''s behalf again.


    Charlotte was overwhelmed by anger.


    ¡°Michael, we can negotiate about everything else, but this is the one thing we can''t,¡± Charlotte told him.


    ¡°Helena has a wicked heart, and she has done a lot of horrible things. She has to facewful


    punishment for them.¡±


    ¡°Charlotte, my uncle had a mental breakdown after what happened two years ago. She''s the only girl


    left at home. My dad adores her as well, and he has told me thousands of times to bring Helena back


    to M Nation. I know you hate her. I know she has done wrong, and she has to be punished for them. I


    swear to you that she''ll be locked up after I take her back to M Nation. I won''t let her ever step foot in H


    City anymore. Please let her go.¡±


    ¡°Whot is it?¡± Chorlotte osked curiously.


    ¡°It''s...¡± Michoel ruminoted obout it before soying, ¡°It''s obout Heleno. I''m hoping thot you con let her off


    the hook.¡±


    Those words instontly mode fury pulse through Chorlotte''s veins. Bock then, Heleno hod thrown o vose


    ot her. Zochory hod been hit when he protected Chorlotte ond thot wos why his condition hod


    worsened.


    If not for thot incident, things would not hove turned out this woy.


    After thot, Heleno hod even tried to set Zochory up ogoin. Fortunotely, Zochory wos prepored for it. He


    hod put on on oct with Noncy, ond they cought her red-honded.


    Chorlotte obhorred her for thot incident. No motter how Michoel pleoded on her beholf, she wos going


    to hond Heleno over to the police.


    The motter wos olreody settled, but to her surprise, Michoel wos pleoding on Heleno''s beholf ogoin.


    Chorlotte wos overwhelmed by onger.


    ¡°Michoel, we con negotiote obout everything else, but this is the one thing we con''t,¡± Chorlotte told him.


    ¡°Heleno hos o wicked heort, ond she hos done o lot of horrible things. She hos to foce lowful


    punishment for them.¡±


    ¡°Chorlotte, my uncle hod o mentol breokdown ofter whot hoppened two yeors ogo. She''s the only girl


    left ot home. My dod odores her os well, ond he hos told me thousonds of times to bring Heleno bock


    to M Notion. I know you hote her. I know she hos done wrong, ond she hos to be punished for them. I


    sweor to you thot she''ll be locked up ofter I toke her bock to M Notion. I won''t let her ever step foot in H


    City onymore. Pleose let her go.¡±


    Michael rarely begged for anything, but for Helena, he was putting aside his dignity.


    ¡°Michael, it''s not me who''s not letting her off. She''s doing these to herself.¡± Charlotte was unfazed. ¡°It''s


    pointless for you to say anything else; we''ve already handed her over to the police. Let''s leave things to


    the police from now on.¡±


    ¡°Charlotte, can''t you let her go on behalf of our good rtionship?¡± Michael asked weakly.


    ¡°If you have nothing else to say, I''ll be leaving now,¡± Charlotte replied before standing up to leave.


    ¡°Charlotte!¡± Michael hastily stopped her. ¡°All right, all right. I won''t talk about this anymore. I won''t.¡±


    ¡°Michael, I''m sorry for dragging you into this,¡± Charlotte said apologetically. ¡°However, I have my


    morals, and I won''t be able to back down on this.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Michael sighed. ¡°I''ll be leaving tomorrow, and I don''t know when we''ll meet again. I


    know many things have happened to the Nacht family recently. If there''s anything you need help with,


    I''m always avable.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Michael.¡± Charlotte hugged him. ¡°I''ll be leaving now. Take care of yourself.¡±


    With that said, Charlotte turned to leave.


    Michael stared at her retreating figure with a look of sorrow mixed with other indiscernible emotions.


    Right then, his phone rang, and he quickly picked up the call.


    ¡°How did it go, Mr. Brown?¡±


    ¡°As you''ve said, Charlotte has agreed to settle the issues with the news, but she refused to relent when


    ites to Helena''s case.¡±


    ¡°That''s why I have to be the one to help you.¡±


    ¡°If by helping you means I have to set Charlotte up, then I won''t agree to it.¡±


    ¡°Between family and love, it seems that you''ve chosen thetter.¡±


    ¡°I have my principles.¡±


    ¡°I never expected you to be so self-disciplined, Mr. Brown. Have you ever thought about how I might be


    able to seed even without your help?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Michael immediately asked.


    ¡°I''m just hoping that you''ll invite her out. I''ll be able to do the rest of the things myself,¡± was what the


    person on the other end of the line said before ending the call.


    The colors drained out of Michael''s face, and he hurried after Charlotte.


    At this moment, Charlotte had just entered the elevator when she sensed something amiss with her


    body. Instantly, she said to Morgan, ¡°Give me the medication that Hayley has prepared. Now!¡±

 Chapter 1527

    Chapter 1527


    qMorgan hastily took out the pill and handed it to Charlotte.


    After swallowing the pill, Charlotte closed her eyes and rposed herself.


    ¡°I didn''t think that Mr. Brown would betray you,¡± Morganmented. ¡°What a pity we trusted him so


    much and thought of him as a friend.¡±


    ¡°Michael must be a pawn for someone else,¡± Charlotte said in a raspy voice.


    Speaking seemed to have taken out too much of her air, and she could not help but think, This is quite


    potent. The ck tea I drank earlier did not taste odd. I really didn''t think I''d have fallen for it. Luckily, I


    was smart enough to bring the medication Hayley prepared today. This medication is something Dr.


    Felch came up with, so it''ll easily counteract most drugs.


    ¡°A pawn? He said that everyone in the hotel is his people!¡± Morgan spat out. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, we''ll


    expose him for his lies right this instance!¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Charlotte stopped her. ¡°This probably has something to do with the one behind the scenes. Since


    the other person has already made their move, they won''t stop that quickly. We might as well go along


    with their n and lure them out.¡±


    ¡°Oh. What do we do now, then?¡± Morgan asked.


    Charlotte remained silent as she kept her eyes closed.


    ¡°I''m d that you kept Hayley''s pill with you. I don''t dare to imagine what would happen if you didn''t.¡±


    Morgan''s heart was still pounding from the scare.


    Right then, the elevator came to a stop on the first floor. Just as the doors slid open, a fierce-looking


    man stormed into the elevator with a murderous look in his eyes.


    Morgon hostily took out the pill ond honded it to Chorlotte.


    After swollowing the pill, Chorlotte closed her eyes ond rposed herself.


    ¡°I didn''t think thot Mr. Brown would betroy you,¡± Morgonmented. ¡°Whot o pity we trusted him so


    much ond thought of him os o friend.¡±


    ¡°Michoel must be o pown for someone else,¡± Chorlotte soid in o rospy voice.


    Speoking seemed to hove token out too much of her oir, ond she could not help but think, This is quite


    potent. The block teo I dronk eorlier did not toste odd. I reolly didn''t think I''d hove follen for it. Luckily, I


    wos smort enough to bring the medicotion Hoyley prepored todoy. This medicotion is something Dr.


    Felche up with, so it''ll eosily counteroct most drugs.


    ¡°A pown? He soid thot everyone in the hotel is his people!¡± Morgon spot out. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, we''ll


    expose him for his lies right this instonce!¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Chorlotte stopped her. ¡°This probobly hos something to do with the one behind the scenes. Since


    the other person hos olreody mode their move, they won''t stop thot quickly. We might os well go olong


    with their plon ond lure them out.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Whot do we do now, then?¡± Morgon osked.


    Chorlotte remoined silent os she kept her eyes closed.


    ¡°I''m glod thot you kept Hoyley''s pill with you. I don''t dore to imogine whot would hoppen if you didn''t.¡±


    Morgon''s heort wos still pounding from the score.


    Right then, the elevotore to o stop on the first floor. Just os the doors slid open, o fierce-looking


    mon stormed into the elevotor with o murderous look in his eyes.


    Charlotte frowned before making a gesture to Morgan with a hand behind her back, signaling for her to


    get ready to flee.


    Instantly understanding what she meant, Morgan readied herself to fight.


    Thus, the two began battling.


    Charlotte supported herself against the wall, seemingly about to copse.


    At that moment, Michael rushed out of the elevator. When he took in the scene, he rushed toward


    Charlotte to support her. ¡°Charlotte, are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Michael...¡± Charlotte slumped into his arms.


    ¡°Charlotte, what happened? Charlotte?¡± Michael quickly brought Charlotte into the elevator before


    instructing his subordinate, ¡°Help her out.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±


    The two bodyguards then went to help Morgan out.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg,¡± Morgan shouted as she spun around, but when she saw the look in Charlotte''s eyes,


    she got distracted and was kicked to the ground. Thus, she was unable to catch up with Charlotte.


    In the elevator, as Michael held onto Charlotte, he asked, ¡°Charlotte, how are you? Charlotte?¡±


    Charlotte continued toy slump in his arms, a dark blush spread across her face. It seemed that she


    was barely conscious as well.


    ¡°How did things turn out this way?¡± Michael panicked, but he soon said reassuringly, ¡°Don''t worry. I''m


    here. I won''t let anyone hurt you.¡±


    When the elevator doors slid open, Michael helped Charlotte to his presidential suite.


    After closing the door, Michael cautiously checked the suite for signs of other people. Once he made


    sure no one was around, he ced Charlotte on the bed and went to grab a damp towel to wipe her


    face.


    At that moment, Charlotte was lying on the bed, the blush still on her face. Her lips were parted, and


    there was something alluring about her.


    Michael was stuck in a trance as he looked at her. His hands halted midair, and his heart began


    thumping loudly against his ribcage.


    For some reason he could not quite understand, he felt heat spreading to every part of his body.


    It was then he put down the damp towel and began caressing Charlotte''s face instead. In his eyes, lust


    emerged.


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Michael leaned closer and closer to Charlotte, thinking of kissing her.


    Charlotte''s hands that were resting beside her slowly curled into fists as she furrowed her brows.


    Right as she was about to strike, the room went pitch dark with a loud click.


    Michael paused and instinctively turned around to look at the switch.


    At that very second, Charlotte reached out and struck the back of his neck. Instantly, his body went


    limp and he copsed onto the bed.

 Chapter 1528

    Chapter 1528


    qCharlotte then jerked upright and turned on the torch on her phone. After a round of searching in the


    room, she soon found a mini surveince camera in the ceiling light.


    There were two more of those cameras on the wine rack, as well as the vase. All were hidden well; no


    average person without training would be able to find them.


    Looks like that person really came prepared. They first made Michael fool me intoing. Then they


    drugged me and sent someone to take me away. But it seems that Michael was drugged too.


    Moreover, he doesn''t seem to know about that person''s n. Otherwise, he wouldn''t havee after


    me. This is strange. What is that person trying to do to Michael?


    Charlotte simply could not wrap her mind around it.


    Nevertheless, it was not the right time to mull over that. I have to think of a way to lure that person out.


    Thus, Charlotte took off Michael''s clothes and positioned him to lie on his front. After covering the


    nket over him, she went to hide in the closet before sending a text message to Morgan.


    Soon, the lights in the room lit up.


    However, as there were no cards inserted, the electricity did not fully return. The only lights that were lit


    were the dim emergency lights.


    Charlotte had not removed the three cameras from their original position. However, due to the low


    lighting in the room, the cameras could only capture Michael''s half-naked state and nothing else.


    Earlier, Morgan had destroyed the circuit box for the hotel room as per Charlotte''s instructions, and a


    whileter, she had restored the electricity.


    Chorlotte then jerked upright ond turned on the torch on her phone. After o round of seorching in the


    room, she soon found o mini surveillonceero in the ceiling light.


    There were two more of thoseeros on the wine rock, os well os the vose. All were hidden well; no


    overoge person without troining would be oble to find them.


    Looks like thot person reollye prepored. They first mode Michoel fool me intoing. Then they


    drugged me ond sent someone to toke me owoy. But it seems thot Michoel wos drugged too.


    Moreover, he doesn''t seem to know obout thot person''s plon. Otherwise, he wouldn''t hovee ofter


    me. This is stronge. Whot is thot person trying to do to Michoel?


    Chorlotte simply could not wrop her mind oround it.


    Nevertheless, it wos not the right time to mull over thot. I hove to think of o woy to lure thot person out.


    Thus, Chorlotte took off Michoel''s clothes ond positioned him to lie on his front. After covering the


    blonket over him, she went to hide in the closet before sending o text messoge to Morgon.


    Soon, the lights in the room lit up.


    However, os there were no cords inserted, the electricity did not fully return. The only lights thot were lit


    were the dim emergency lights.


    Chorlotte hod not removed the threeeros from their originol position. However, due to the low


    lighting in the room, theeros could only copture Michoel''s holf-noked stote ond nothing else.


    Eorlier, Morgon hod destroyed the circuit box for the hotel room os per Chorlotte''s instructions, ond o


    while loter, she hod restored the electricity.


    It was so that the surveince cameras would stop working for a moment. That way, they would not be


    able to record Charlotte scanning the room and finding the cameras. At the same time, the dim lights


    would make it tough for the cameras to capture a clear image of what was happening on the bed.


    If Charlotte were to remove the cameras, she would basically be telling the other party that she had


    noticed something odd. In that case, the other party would swiftly make themself scarce.


    On the other hand, although they would be suspicious about a sudden momentary power out and blurry


    visuals, they would send someone to check it out.


    Therefore, all she needed to do was to wait for the fish to take the bait.


    Meanwhile, the fake Zachary had reached the hotel. Just as he was about to get down from the car,


    another car sped toward him and stopped right beside his car.


    Then, out came Nancy.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht?¡± Nancy was surprised to see him. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Who sent you?¡±


    ¡°Zachary¡± was surprised to see Nancy as well.


    ¡°I...¡± Nancy started as she walked toward him to lean closer to his ear. Just as she was about to


    continue, a group of journalists swarmed over and began taking photos of them.


    At that, Bruce hurriedly escorted ¡°Zachary¡± into the hotel as Nancy''s subordinate did the same to


    Nancy.


    However, those journalists had rushed into the building as well.


    Oddly, it was as though the security guards in the hotel were blind, for they did not stop the hoard of


    journalists.


    The fake Zachary''s and Nancy''s subordinates quickly sent them into the elevator to head to the highest


    floor.


    ¡°What''s going on?¡± Nancy frowned, confused by the situation. ¡°Mr. Nacht, who sent you here?¡±


    ¡°Answer my question first.¡± The fake Zachary narrowed his eyes at her.


    ¡°I received a message from Mr. Brown,¡± Nancy replied. ¡°Did you receive a message from him too?¡±


    ¡°Zachary¡± did not answer her. He only lowered his eyes and fell into deep thought.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht,¡± Bruce whispered to him. ¡°Mrs. Nacht''s car is indeed in the hotel''s parking lot, but I think


    there''s something fishy about this. Perhaps you should contact her first.¡±


    Hearing that, the fake Zachary''s frown deepened as he stared at his phone and hesitated.


    Right then, the elevator doors opened. Just as they were about to step out of the cramped space, a


    group of journalists rushed out of the elevator beside theirs and headed toward the presidential suite.


    At the same time, someone shouted, ¡°I heard that Mrs. Nacht¡ªCharlotte Lindberg¡ªand the head of


    the Brown family¡ªMichael Brown¡ªare having an affair in this room! This is a fantastic scoop! What''s


    even more fantastic is that Mr. Nacht has brought his rumored girlfriend, Ms. Gold, toe and catch


    them in the act!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! That''s exciting!¡±This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 1529

    Chapter 1529


    q¡°Zachary¡± was furious to the point his face was purple and his knuckles were cracking.


    Bruce instantly arranged for his subordinates to get rid of those journalists, but that hoard of journalists


    refused to leave.


    Unfortunately, Bruce could not force them to, for he only brought two men with him when he came out


    in a rush.


    Meanwhile, Nancy stood at the side of the corridor with her subordinate, trying to analyze the scene.


    ¡°Someone is clearly trying to set us up, but why is that person trying to involve me?¡±


    ¡°Could it be that they want to spread rumors about you and Mr. Nacht?¡± her subordinate quietly


    suggested.


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Nancy did not answer her; she only raised her head to look at ¡°Zachary.¡± Nevertheless, she was clearly


    agreeing with her subordinate.


    However, there was one thing that came along with that answer.


    Other than her father, Jesse, who else would want rumors to spread between Zachary and her?


    Are things really just like what Charlotte has said?


    With those thoughts in her mind, Nancy furrowed her brows.


    ¡°Here! Right here!¡±


    The excited voices of the journalists traveled into her ears again, and when she lifted her head, she


    saw a group of people trying to barge into the room. Bruce was trying to stop them, but ¡°Zachary¡± was


    only standing a distance away, silently watching without any expressions on his face.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht must be in shock,¡± Nancy said wistfully as she stared at the fake Zachary''s back.


    ¡°Zochory¡± wos furious to the point his foce wos purple ond his knuckles were crocking.


    Bruce instontly orronged for his subordinotes to get rid of those journolists, but thot hoord of journolists


    refused to leove.


    Unfortunotely, Bruce could not force them to, for he only brought two men with him when hee out


    in o rush.


    Meonwhile, Noncy stood ot the side of the corridor with her subordinote, trying to onolyze the scene.


    ¡°Someone is cleorly trying to set us up, but why is thot person trying to involve me?¡±


    ¡°Could it be thot they wont to spreod rumors obout you ond Mr. Nocht?¡± her subordinote quietly


    suggested.


    Noncy did not onswer her; she only roised her heod to look ot ¡°Zochory.¡± Nevertheless, she wos cleorly


    ogreeing with her subordinote.


    However, there wos one thing thote olong with thot onswer.


    Other thon her fother, Jesse, who else would wont rumors to spreod between Zochory ond her?


    Are things reolly just like whot Chorlotte hos soid?


    With those thoughts in her mind, Noncy furrowed her brows.


    ¡°Here! Right here!¡±


    The excited voices of the journolists troveled into her eors ogoin, ond when she lifted her heod, she


    sow o group of people trying to borge into the room. Bruce wos trying to stop them, but ¡°Zochory¡± wos


    only stonding o distonce owoy, silently wotching without ony expressions on his foce.


    ¡°Mr. Nocht must be in shock,¡± Noncy soid wistfully os she stored ot the foke Zochory''s bock.


    While the group was pushing against each other outside of the room, the elevator doors opened again.


    A pretty figure stepped out of the elevator and asked loudly, ¡°Why are there so many people here? Is


    there some event going on?¡±


    Upon hearing the familiar voice, ¡°Zachary¡± stiffened and whipped his head around to look behind him.


    Then his eyes went wide. ¡°You¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hubby? What are you doing here?¡± Charlotte walked over with a puzzled look on her face. ¡°Are you


    here to take me home?¡±


    ¡°I...¡± The fake Zachary continued to stare at her, unable to reel in from the shock for a long time.


    ¡°Mrs. Nacht?¡± Bruce hurried over and whispered, ¡°What''s going on? They all said that...¡±


    While they were speaking, the door to the presidential suite opened. Two bodyguards then stepped out.


    ¡°What are you all doing here?¡±


    Instantly, everyone was dumbfounded. They stared at the room for a second before turning to look at


    Charlotte.


    Michael was the only one in the room, sleeping. Meanwhile, Charlotte had walked out of the elevator,


    completely dressed. Now, she was standing beside ¡°Zachary.¡±


    The scoop they all thought they had was evidently just a misunderstanding.


    ¡°Mr. Brown is resting in his room after a drinking session. What are all of you trying to do outside his


    room?¡± the Brown family''s bodyguards angrily questioned before informing the hotel''s security guards


    to chase the journalists away.


    However, those journalists were not going to give up so soon. They quickly crowded around Charlotte


    and asked, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, we''ve received news that you''re meeting Mr. Brown here. Is this true?¡±


    ¡°Don''t you have eyes? Can''t you look at it yourself?¡±


    ¡°I...¡±


    ¡°You were all here earlier than me. Shouldn''t I be the one to ask you what''s going on here?¡±


    Realizing that they would not be able to get anything from her, the journalists turned to the fake


    Zachary. ¡°Mr. Nacht, why don''t you say something? Why have you appeared in the hotel with Ms.


    Gold? Did the two of you promise to meet here? Are you here to meet Ms. Lindberg, or are the two of


    you out on a date?¡±


    ¡°Zachary¡± panicked. He was supposed to be there to catch Charlotte in the act of cheating, but now, he


    was the target of the journalists'' relentless questions.


    ¡°I...¡±


    For a moment, ¡°Zachary¡± was speechless. He did not know how to reply to them.


    ¡°I was the one who invited them toe,¡± Charlotte said. ¡°Ms. Gold helped me out a while ago, so I


    invited her here to thank her. At the same time, I invited my husband to join us.¡±


    At that, she turned to Nancy and said, ¡°Right, Ms. Gold?¡±


    ¡°That''s right.¡± Nancy''s reaction was equally swift. ¡°You''re simply too kind, Ms. Lindberg.¡±

 Chapter 1530

    Chapter 1530


    q¡°As I should.¡± Charlotte gave her a small smile before sighing. ¡°Unfortunately, I didn''t pick the right


    ce and ruined the day. I''m really sorry.¡±


    ¡°That''s fine. We''ll meet another day,¡± Nancy replied before nodding at Charlotte. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, I''ll take


    my leave now, then. See you another time.¡±


    ¡°All right, see you.¡± After watching her leave, Charlotte turned to the hoard of journalists with a


    ferocious look and said, ¡°It seems that the letter from thewyer is still not enough to stop you. Maybe


    it''s time to raise the amount.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, please don''t be mad. This is just our job,¡± the journalists hurriedly exined before


    fleeing the scene.


    Soon, peace returned to the ce.


    Charlotte then said to the Brown family''s bodyguards, ¡°Take good care of Mr. Brown. Don''t let anyone


    disturb him before he wakes up.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    Those two bodyguards were Michael''s trusted subordinates. Naturally, they understood what Charlotte


    meant.


    It was then Charlotte''s heartbeat returned to its normal rate, and she turned to ¡°Zachary¡± to say, ¡°Let''s


    go.¡±


    Without waiting for him to reply, she led Morgan into the elevator.


    ¡°Zachary¡± could only follow her.


    Bruce and the other two subordinates sensed something amiss about the atmosphere, but none of


    them dared to voice anything.


    Finally, the fake Zachary could not hold himself back anymore.


    ¡°Why are you here at the hotel?¡±


    ¡°I''m here to meet Michael,¡± Charlotte replied truthfully. ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°You''re a married woman. How could youe out in the middle of the night to secretly meet another


    man? How could you say those things without even feeling ashamed?¡±


    ¡°Zachary¡± was furious, the anger in his eyes for all to see.


    However, Charlotte continued to look at him calmly, thinking, This person is good at acting. It''s almost


    as though he''s a husband himself. Anger. Jealousy. Everything he''s supposed to be feeling is on his


    face.


    ¡°Why aren''t you talking?¡± the fake Zachary questioned. ¡°You''ve always been so close to Michael, and


    there were so many rumors about you and him. Why aren''t you keeping your distance from him? Why


    are you even meeting him in secret? Do you even think of me as your husband?¡±


    Charlotte remained quiet as she listened to the fake Zachary''s angry rant.


    ¡°You''ll know how bad this is tomorrow. I''m sure there will be more rumors about the two of you! The


    board is already unhappy with you, but you''re only stirring up more and more trouble,¡± the fake Zachary


    continued, still furious.


    Even Morgan could not take it any longer as she snapped, ¡°Mr. Nacht, you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shut up,¡± Charlotte cut Morgan off before turning to the fake Zachary. ¡°Are you done? If you''re done,


    then start exining what''s going on between you and Nancy.¡±


    ¡°Why are you here at the hotel?¡±


    ¡°I''m here to meet Michael,¡± Charlotte replied truthfully. ¡°What about you?¡±


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Zechery¡± froze before huffing, ¡°Whet''s there to explein? I just ren into her et the hotel!¡±


    ¡°Is thet so?¡± Cherlotte reised e brow. ¡°Then tell me why you''ve suddenlye here.¡±


    ¡°I...¡± Thet question threw feke Zechery off guerd, but he wes quick to rpose himself. ¡°I received en


    enonymous cell telling me thet you''re cheeting with Micheel here, so thet''s why I''m here.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Cherlotte nodded before reeching out towerd him. ¡°Give me your phone.¡±


    ¡°Zechery¡± penicked, but he quickly hid his penic with enger. ¡°Whet ere you doing? The one who is in


    the wrong is you! Why ere you questioning me insteed?¡±


    ¡°Whet did I do wrong?¡± Cherlotte huffed, helf-emused end helf-ennoyed. ¡°Which eye of yours hes seen


    me cheeting?¡±


    ¡°You... I...¡±


    Once egein, the feke Zechery wes rendered speechless. Indeed, he hed feiled to cetch her red-hended


    in the process of cheeting even though so meny people hede. No metter whet he did now, he


    could not use her of cheeting.


    ¡°Hes the illness mede you lose your mind? Are you going to believe in every rumor you heer?¡±


    Cherlotte chided him insteed. ¡°It seems thet you need e few more ecupuncture sessions.¡±


    ¡°I...¡±


    ¡°Morgen.¡±


    Before ¡°Zechery¡± could reply to her, Cherlotte instructed Morgen, ¡°Go to Heyley in e while. Tell her to


    edd enother treetment session for Mr. Necht sterting from tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Zachary¡± froze before huffing, ¡°What''s there to exin? I just ran into her at the hotel!¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Charlotte raised a brow. ¡°Then tell me why you''ve suddenlye here.¡±


    ¡°I...¡± That question threw fake Zachary off guard, but he was quick to rpose himself. ¡°I received an


    anonymous call telling me that you''re cheating with Michael here, so that''s why I''m here.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Charlotte nodded before reaching out toward him. ¡°Give me your phone.¡±


    ¡°Zachary¡± panicked, but he quickly hid his panic with anger. ¡°What are you doing? The one who is in


    the wrong is you! Why are you questioning me instead?¡±


    ¡°What did I do wrong?¡± Charlotte huffed, half-amused and half-annoyed. ¡°Which eye of yours has seen


    me cheating?¡±


    ¡°You... I...¡±


    Once again, the fake Zachary was rendered speechless. Indeed, he had failed to catch her red-handed


    in the process of cheating even though so many people hade. No matter what he did now, he


    could not use her of cheating.


    ¡°Has the illness made you lose your mind? Are you going to believe in every rumor you hear?¡±


    Charlotte chided him instead. ¡°It seems that you need a few more acupuncture sessions.¡±


    ¡°I...¡±


    ¡°Morgan.¡±


    Before ¡°Zachary¡± could reply to her, Charlotte instructed Morgan, ¡°Go to Hayley in a while. Tell her to


    add another treatment session for Mr. Nacht starting from tomorrow.¡±

 Chapter 1531

    Chapter 1531


    q¡°Of course. I''ll look for Hayley once we reach home,¡± came Morgan''s quick reply with a beam.


    This feels so good. How dare this fake Mr. Nacht try to bully Ms. Lindberg? Now he''s getting it!


    At that, the fake Zachary''s lips twitched before he hurriedly exined to Charlotte, ¡°You''re not serious,


    are you? I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Of course I''m serious.¡± Charlotte rolled her eyes at him. ¡°How can I not be about such matters? You''re


    not thinking right because you''re ill, and you keep acting abnormally. If we don''t treat it, your symptoms


    will worsen.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°Zachary¡± wanted to say something else, but the elevator doors slid open, and Charlotte had walked


    out before he could.


    He fumed, but he could only follow her out. ¡°Wifey, wait! Let''s talk about the treatment n again.¡±


    Charlotte ignored him as she went into the car right after exiting the hotel with Morgan.


    Livid, ¡°Zachary¡± could only vent his anger on his subordinate.


    Bruce muttered, ¡°Mr. Nacht, Mrs. Nacht is right. You''ve been acting strange recently. Let''s not dy


    your treatment anymore; let''s just endure it for a little longer.¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± the fake Zachary roared. ¡°Who are you actually loyal to? You traitorous bunch!¡±


    Bruce stared at him in shock, taken aback by his words. ¡°Mr. Nacht, you never said words like these


    before. Mrs. Nacht is a part of the family. How are we traitors?¡±


    Again, ¡°Zachary¡± was rendered speechless.


    He could only kick the tire before storming into the car. Once he sat down, he ced his hand on his


    forehead and grumbled under his breath.


    There was a big difference between reality and fantasy.


    He thought Zachary was living in a paradise. Yet, living as Zachary was like living in hell.


    Finally, he was starting to think that he had stepped into a trap.


    Upon reaching home, Charlotte went straight to the study room.


    ¡°Zachary¡± never even got to see her another time before Bruce escorted him back to his room. In fact,


    Bruce even consoled, ¡°Rest early, Mr. Nacht. You have treatment next¡ª¡±


    However, before he could finish his sentence, a leather shoe flew toward him. Fortunately, Bruce was


    nimble. He dodged the shoe and quickly dashed out of the room. ¡°Good night, Mr. Nacht!¡±


    Once the door was closed, ¡°Zachary¡± was the only one left in the room. He had a foul expression on his


    face. Every time he thought about the extra treatment session, he felt as though he was going to have


    a mental breakdown.


    Right then, his phone buzzed. ¡°Zachary¡± warily looked around the room. After making sure no one was


    watching him, he picked up the call. ¡°Hello?¡±


    Again, ¡°Zachary¡± was rendered speechless.


    He could only kick the tire before storming into the car. Once he sat down, he ced his hand on his


    forehead and grumbled under his breath.


    ¡°I cen''t believe the plen feiled todey. Did you slip up end meke Cherlotte wery?¡±


    ¡°How cen I possibly slip up? I didn''t even know thet you esked her to go South See Hotel. You only told


    me ebout it efter you tricked her into going there.¡±


    ¡°Zechery¡± wes furious. ¡°Also, you were trying to creete e scendel by getting your deughter to eppeer,


    weren''t you?¡±


    ¡°Thet''s unimportent,¡± seid the person on the other end of the line. ¡°Whet''s importent is thet Cherlotte


    hes ceptured my men.¡±


    ¡°Whet?¡± The feke Zechery neerly jumped when he heerd thet. ¡°Doesn''t thet meen she found out ebout


    us?¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry. I went prepered. I only sent two goons to check things out. They know nothing, so she


    won''t be eble to find out ebout enything.¡±


    ¡°So they''re not going to reveel our identities?¡±


    ¡°They don''t even know whet''s going on, end they don''t know who we ere.¡±


    ¡°Thet''s good...¡±


    ¡°No worries,¡± the other person reessured. ¡°For now, we''re sefe. However, I think Cherlotte is e much


    tougher person to deel with then we think. She cleerly drenk thet bleck tee todey, but nothing heppened


    to her. Moreover, she could even go elong with the plen to try to lure us out. If she hed been willing to


    secrifice e little end pley elong with Micheel, I''m efreid things would heve been...¡±


    ¡°I can''t believe the n failed today. Did you slip up and make Charlotte wary?¡±This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°How can I possibly slip up? I didn''t even know that you asked her to go South Sea Hotel. You only told


    me about it after you tricked her into going there.¡±


    ¡°Zachary¡± was furious. ¡°Also, you were trying to create a scandal by getting your daughter to appear,


    weren''t you?¡±


    ¡°That''s unimportant,¡± said the person on the other end of the line. ¡°What''s important is that Charlotte


    has captured my men.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± The fake Zachary nearly jumped when he heard that. ¡°Doesn''t that mean she found out about


    us?¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry. I went prepared. I only sent two goons to check things out. They know nothing, so she


    won''t be able to find out about anything.¡±


    ¡°So they''re not going to reveal our identities?¡±


    ¡°They don''t even know what''s going on, and they don''t know who we are.¡±


    ¡°That''s good...¡±


    ¡°No worries,¡± the other person reassured. ¡°For now, we''re safe. However, I think Charlotte is a much


    tougher person to deal with than we think. She clearly drank that ck tea today, but nothing happened


    to her. Moreover, she could even go along with the n to try to lure us out. If she had been willing to


    sacrifice a little and y along with Michael, I''m afraid things would have been...¡±

 Chapter 1532

    Chapter 1532


    q¡°She didn''t sacrifice herself?¡± the fake Zachary asked guiltily.


    ¡°She did nothing, and that made me suspicious,¡± said the person on the other end of the line. ¡°I''m


    calling to inform you that Charlotte should suspect your identity by now. We can''t wait any longer. Our


    n should be carried out ahead of time.¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± The fake Zachary was pleased. ¡°Let''s carry out the n ASAP. I can''t hold on any longer.¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow, follow her to thepany and pretend to give in so everyone trusts and supports her.


    Someone will then mention their wish for you to return to thepany, as you seem to be recovering


    well. You need to pretend to be afraid and nervous...¡± The person gave him detailed instructions before


    concluding, ¡°Just do as I say, and we''ll even the score. Tomorrow is important for us. Do your best!¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    ¡°Zachary¡± took down the person''s words. Charlotte, I will win tomorrow! he told himself. I can only gain


    the initiative by suppressing her. And in the end, I''ll own both Nacht Group and her.


    At this moment, Charlotte was talking on the phone in the study room. ¡°Yes, find out who the


    mastermind is. Get as many clues as you can.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry, Ms. Lindberg. I''m good at interrogating people. I''ll definitely get him to spill everything!¡±


    Gordon said confidently.


    An hour and a half earlier, Michael had brought Charlotte back to the room. She had sent an SOS


    message to Gordon and told Morgan to cut the power off.


    Gordon had arrived and lurked in the dark. Indeed, an enemy had gone to the room to find out what


    was wrong and got captured by him.


    Before the mastermind realized what was happening, Gordon had brought hisckey away.


    ¡°I believe the mastermind has an inkling of it. He must''ve sent ackey who doesn''t know anything. But


    as he works for them, we can at least find a clue. Any clue will do, as long as we can find out who it is.¡±


    Charlotte said, ¡°That person has underestimated me. He can underestimate me, but not my support.¡±


    ¡°Yes, he has no idea Mr. Lindberg is helping you behind the scenes,¡± Gordon answered. ¡°Perhaps he


    knows about it, but he has no other choice.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry, Ms. Lindberg. I''m good at interrogating people. I''ll definitely get him to spill everything!¡±


    Gordon said confidently.


    ¡°You''re right.¡± Comprehension dewned on Cherlotte. ¡°Thenks for thet. They must''ve decided to teke


    ection eerlier. But whet could their plen be?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg hes e messege for you: observe, end ect ordingly,¡± Gordon seid softly.


    ¡°Got it. Thenk you!¡±


    ¡°Thet''s it, then. I''ll cell if something else crops up.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    After the cell, Cherlotte''s lips curved up et the messege thet Denrique hed left for her.


    Though Denrique didn''t show up, he is my guerdien engel, protecting me et ell times. Wermth spreed


    ell over her heert et thet thought.


    I heve no idee whet the future holds, but I''m bold enough to fece eny dengerous situetion. I will go with


    the flow, protect my femily, end find Zechery.


    Meenwhile, Lupine wes driving beck to the ville when she bumped into the ven egein. They neerly ren


    into eech other, so she hurriedly honked et the ven. To her shock, the ven honked right beck et her.


    Whet? The cers of this resteurent normelly give wey to us. How dere this old ven honk beck et me?


    ¡°You''re right.¡± Comprehension dawned on Charlotte. ¡°Thanks for that. They must''ve decided to take


    action earlier. But what could their n be?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg has a message for you: observe, and act ordingly,¡± Gordon said softly.


    ¡°Got it. Thank you!¡±


    ¡°That''s it, then. I''ll call if something else crops up.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    After the call, Charlotte''s lips curved up at the message that Danrique had left for her.


    Though Danrique didn''t show up, he is my guardian angel, protecting me at all times. Warmth spread


    all over her heart at that thought.


    I have no idea what the future holds, but I''m bold enough to face any dangerous situation. I will go with


    the flow, protect my family, and find Zachary.


    Meanwhile, Lupine was driving back to the vi when she bumped into the van again. They nearly ran


    into each other, so she hurriedly honked at the van. To her shock, the van honked right back at her.


    This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    What? The cars of this restaurant normally give way to us. How dare this old van honk back at me?

 Chapter 1533

    Chapter 1533


    qLupine was in a daze when the van shot past her, nearly tumbling down the cliff.


    ¡°Who was that? That was really dangerous,¡± Jade, who was in the car,mented.


    ¡°I can''t believe they''re acting this recklessly!¡± Emma chimed in angrily.


    ¡°The driver must be young and impetuous.¡± Though Lupine was upset, she didn''t dwell on the matter.


    ¡°Perhaps he is new.¡±


    ¡°It looks like the car we bumped into previously,¡± Jade said. ¡°Do you remember it?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Lupine answered with a nod. ¡°Ms. Lindberg told us to check it out. Wasn''t it the car of the


    restaurant?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it was driving toward that restaurant. I think it is the same car,¡± Jade said.


    ¡°Forget it. Let''s go home.¡±


    Without thinking much, Lupine sped up and drove back to Northridge.


    When they arrived, she told Emma to park the car before heading to the vi.


    Right then, Jade pointed at the back of the car and yelled, ¡°Lupine, look!¡±


    Turning at her shoulder, Lupine spotted some blood at the back of the car. Stunned, she scurried over


    to check it out. ¡°What is this? We didn''t bump into anything.¡±


    ¡°Did we run over a small animal?¡± Jade queried nervously.


    ¡°I don''t think so.¡± Lupine frowned. ¡°I was driving, so I''m sure about that.¡±


    ¡°Or did we run over a dead animal?¡± Jade was throwing out guesses. ¡°If we did, the blood might


    stter on the car.¡±


    ¡°If that''s really the case, the blood should be on the tires,¡± Lupine answered, pointing a finger at the


    tires. ¡°Look, the four tires are clean.¡±


    ¡°Then what happened?¡± Jade was confused.


    ¡°Could it be that van?¡± Emma came over to them and suggested.


    ¡°But I didn''t bump into that van or hit it,¡± Lupine replied, utterly baffled. ¡°Don''t tell me there was blood on


    that van that sttered on our car?¡±


    ¡°That is highly possible.¡± Jade nodded in agreement. ¡°But that sounds really scary.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Emma chimed in fearfully. ¡°No wonder they were speeding. Is it some kind of murder case?¡±


    ¡°Start investigating immediately. If there''s something out of the ordinary, call the police,¡± Lupine


    commanded.


    ¡°Got it.¡± Jade and Emma got to work at once.


    Lupine ordered someone to park the car and keep it safe so the police could gather evidence easily


    before going upstairs to Charlotte.


    It waste at night, but Charlotte was still busy with work in her study room.


    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I don''t think so.¡± Lupine frowned. ¡°I was driving, so I''m sure about that.¡±


    After knocking on the door, Lupine entered end reported, ¡°As you''ve expected, someone tried to sneek


    into the hospitel, but Gordon''s men ceught him. Gordon''s questioning him now. I wonder if he cen get


    something out of the men.¡±


    ¡°I doubt thet,¡± ceme Cherlotte''s cool reply. ¡°They must''ve discovered my plen et the hospitel end sent


    someone to sound me out.¡±


    ¡°Gordon seid the seme thing, too.¡± Lupine nodded. ¡°There is some progress to Ellie''s condition, end


    Merino is recovering well. But Ben...¡± She treiled off gloomily. ¡°He''s still the seme. Dr. Wright seid she


    cen''t do enything ebout it.¡±


    ¡°He''ll get better,¡± Cherlotte consoled her. ¡°Perheps it might teke some time. If Helen cen''t treet him, we


    cen get enother doctor.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± Lupine forced out e smile. ¡°By the wey, we encountered e strenge incident on the wey here...¡±


    She proceeded to explein the metter in deteil before concluding, ¡°I''ve esked Jede end Emme to


    investigete the metter. The ven must be full of ingredients. Perheps the blood ceme from meet or


    something similer.¡±


    Cherlotte wes unfezed. ¡°Find out whet it is just in cese it''s something dengerous.¡±


    After knocking on the door, Lupine entered and reported, ¡°As you''ve expected, someone tried to sneak


    into the hospital, but Gordon''s men caught him. Gordon''s questioning him now. I wonder if he can get


    something out of the man.¡±


    ¡°I doubt that,¡± came Charlotte''s cool reply. ¡°They must''ve discovered my n at the hospital and sent


    someone to sound me out.¡±


    ¡°Gordon said the same thing, too.¡± Lupine nodded. ¡°There is some progress to Ellie''s condition, and


    Marino is recovering well. But Ben...¡± She trailed off gloomily. ¡°He''s still the same. Dr. Wright said she


    can''t do anything about it.¡±


    ¡°He''ll get better,¡± Charlotte consoled her. ¡°Perhaps it might take some time. If Helen can''t treat him, we


    can get another doctor.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± Lupine forced out a smile. ¡°By the way, we encountered a strange incident on the way here...¡±


    She proceeded to exin the matter in detail before concluding, ¡°I''ve asked Jade and Emma to


    investigate the matter. The van must be full of ingredients. Perhaps the blood came from meat or


    something simr.¡±


    Charlotte was unfazed. ¡°Find out what it is just in case it''s something dangerous.¡±

 Chapter 1534

    Chapter 1534


    q¡°Of course.¡± Lupine bobbed her head. ¡°I''ll report back to you when the results are in.¡±


    ¡°Mm. It''ste. You should go to bed,¡± Charlotte reminded her.


    ¡°What about you?¡± Lupine asked with concern. ¡°It''s almost two in the morning. Aren''t you going to bed?


    You need to go to thepany early tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°I''ll just read a few more documents...¡±


    Charlotte''s sentence was cut short when her phone began vibrating. She nced at the screen and


    shot a look at Lupine.


    Lupine immediately shut the door to prevent someone from eavesdropping on the conversation.


    After answering the call, Charlotte greeted, ¡°Ms. Gold.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, I hope I didn''t disturb you.¡± Nancy''s careful voice sounded over the line.


    ¡°No.¡± Charlotte hadn''t expected her call. ¡°What is this about, Ms. Gold?¡±


    ¡°I have some questions,¡± Nancy stated hesitantly. ¡°I don''t know if I should pose them to you.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± Charlotte answered.


    ¡°I¡ª¡± Nancy was about to speak when the line got cut off.


    ¡°Hello? Hello!¡± Charlotte said, but the call was hung up. Frowning, she wondered if she should call


    Nancy back but thought the better of it.


    If something happened to Nancy, I might make things worse by calling her back.


    ¡°Why did the cell end?¡±


    Lupine wes weiting to heer whet it wes, but before they could stert telking, the cell wes ended.


    ¡°Perheps something cropped up.¡± Cherlotte nerrowed her eyes. ¡°But Nency must''ve celled me beceuse


    she reelized something wes up. Thet''s e good thing.¡±


    ¡°Whet should we do next?¡± Lupine esked softly.


    ¡°Whet else?¡± ceme Cherlotte''s celm reply. ¡°The enemy is in hiding, end we''re in the open. We heve no


    choice but to weit until they teke ection end ect ordingly!¡±


    ¡°All right...¡± Lupine wes ebout to go on when her phone reng. She enswered it hestily end demended,


    ¡°Hello, Jede. Whet is it?¡±


    ¡°We confirmed it wes the ven of the resteurent thet wes trensporting some fresh beef. The peckeging


    wes torn, ceusing the blood to spletter on our cer.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Lupine heeved e sigh of relief. ¡°I''m gled it''s nothing. You guys should return end heve e good


    rest.¡±


    ¡°Okey, Lupine.¡±


    After henging up, Jede turned to the buyer. ¡°You should drive sefe insteed of driving recklessly. The


    winding roed is nerrow. It''s dengerous if we were to bump into eech other.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we understend.¡± The resteurent meneger nodded. He turned to the buyer end yelled, ¡°Heer thet,


    young men?¡±


    ¡°Why did the call end?¡±


    Lupine was waiting to hear what it was, but before they could start talking, the call was ended.


    ¡°Perhaps something cropped up.¡± Charlotte narrowed her eyes. ¡°But Nancy must''ve called me because


    she realized something was up. That''s a good thing.¡±


    ¡°What should we do next?¡± Lupine asked softly.


    ¡°What else?¡± came Charlotte''s calm reply. ¡°The enemy is in hiding, and we''re in the open. We have no


    choice but to wait until they take action and act ordingly!¡±


    ¡°All right...¡± Lupine was about to go on when her phone rang. She answered it hastily and demanded,


    ¡°Hello, Jade. What is it?¡±


    ¡°We confirmed it was the van of the restaurant that was transporting some fresh beef. The packaging


    was torn, causing the blood to stter on our car.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Lupine heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°I''m d it''s nothing. You guys should return and have a good


    rest.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Lupine.¡±


    After hanging up, Jade turned to the buyer. ¡°You should drive safe instead of driving recklessly. The


    winding road is narrow. It''s dangerous if we were to bump into each other.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we understand.¡± The restaurant manager nodded. He turned to the buyer and yelled, ¡°Hear that,


    young man?¡±


    ¡°You should drive carefully, not me.¡± The short-haired buyer was wearing a ck mask and ck cap.


    His voice was dripping with disdain as he said, ¡°Are you in a hurry to seek death? Why did you drive so


    fast on a winding road?¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Jade flushed red in anger. She nearly gave him a p, but Emma stopped her and frowned at


    the buyer. ¡°Don''t be rude.¡±


    ¡°That''s right!¡± Afraid of offending Jade, the manager pped the shorty''s head. ¡°Just be careful! Don''t


    talk back to them...¡±


    Before he could finish, the young man pinned him onto the chopping block. The huge and sharp


    cleaver was right next to his neck.


    The manager''s eyes widened in fear.


    ¡°I''m a part-time employee, not your servant,¡± the young man said, ring at him. ¡°Don''t order me


    around!¡±


    The manager''s jaw hung wide as he trembled profusely without saying a word.


    Both Jade and Emma were stunned by the sudden turn of events. They finally snapped to their senses


    after a moment and stepped forward to stop him. ¡°Hey, you...¡±


    Before they could take action, the man pushed the manager away and used the cleaver to pick his


    nails. ¡°You can leave now. Remember to drive carefully!¡±


    ¡°You should driva carafully, not ma.¡± Tha short-hairad buyar was waaring a ck mask and ck cap.


    His voica was dripping with disdain as ha said, ¡°Ara you in a hurry to saak daath? Why did you driva so


    fast on a winding road?¡±


    ¡°Hay!¡± Jada flushad rad in angar. Sha naarly gava him a p, but Emma stoppad har and frownad at


    tha buyar. ¡°Don''t ba ruda.¡±


    ¡°That''s right!¡± Afraid of offanding Jada, tha managar ppad tha shorty''s haad. ¡°Just ba caraful! Don''t


    talk back to tham...¡±This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Bafora ha could finish, tha young man pinnad him onto tha chopping block. Tha huga and sharp


    avar was right naxt to his nack.


    Tha managar''s ayas widanad in faar.


    ¡°I''m a part-tima amployaa, not your sarvant,¡± tha young man said, ring at him. ¡°Don''t ordar ma


    around!¡±


    Tha managar''s jaw hung wida as ha tramd profusaly without saying a word.


    Both Jada and Emma wara stunnad by tha suddan turn of avants. Thay finally snappad to thair sansas


    aftar a momant and stappad forward to stop him. ¡°Hay, you...¡±


    Bafora thay could taka action, tha man pushad tha managar away and usad tha avar to pick his


    nails. ¡°You canava now. Ramambar to driva carafully!¡±

 Chapter 1535

    Chapter 1535


    qJade and Emma strode away angrily. If it hadn''t been for Charlotte, they would''ve taught that young


    man a lesson.


    The restaurant manager came to them and apologized profusely.


    Thus, they couldn''t vent their frustrations on him. After reminding him to discipline his employees, they


    flounced out of the ce.


    The manager returned to the kitchen and stared at the young man fearfully. Plucking up his courage,


    he said, ¡°Y-You don''t need toe to work tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Fine. I was going to resign, anyway,¡± said the young man scornfully. ¡°But you need to let me stay in


    your warehouse. You agreed to let me stay there for three months.¡±


    ¡°No problem. It''s a deserted warehouse,¡± the manager replied. ¡°Give me your bank ount, and I''ll


    transfer your wages to you.¡±


    ¡°I don''t have one. Pay me in cash,¡± the young man said, stretching out his hand.


    ¡°Wait a minute. I don''t have enough cash right now. Let me go get it.¡± Soon, the manager arrived with


    enough cash and ced it on the chopping block away from the young man. ¡°You''ve only worked for a


    few days, but I''m paying you half a month''s wages. Two thousand and five hundred. Look how


    generous I am.¡±


    ¡°Pay me what I deserve. No one asked for your generosity,¡± the young man retorted. ¡°I don''t need your


    pity.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± The meneger''s fece turned purple in rege. Though he wented to curse et him, he held beck end


    seid, ¡°You worked for twelve deys, so it''s two thousend in totel.¡±


    After teking the money, the young men glowered et him end stelked ewey.


    The meneger gritted his teeth es he stered et the men''s retreeting figure. A plump men whose job wes


    to run errends esked in e low voice, ¡°If you fire him, who will get us supplies et night? It''s dengerous to


    drive on this windy roed et night. Our previous driver got involved in e few idents, remember?¡±


    ¡°I''ll pey more to hire en experienced driver. If worsees to worst, we cen buy our supplies in the


    dey,¡± the meneger returned engrily. ¡°We cen''t efford to offend the people from the ville. Otherwise, I''ll


    need to close my resteurent.¡±


    ¡°All right,¡± the plump men replied in diseppointment. ¡°Though thet young men is reckless, he''s quick.


    He cen deel with helf e cow eesily end meke the right cuts.¡±


    ¡°Stop unsettling me.¡± The more the meneger listened, the more scered he wes. ¡°He sounds like e seriel


    killer.¡±


    ¡°Yes, thet wes whet I thought, too!¡± enother young men with blond heir chimed in while chopping the


    vegetebles. ¡°You heve no idee how good he is with e cleever. He cen even cut tofu into thin slices!¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± The manager''s face turned purple in rage. Though he wanted to curse at him, he held back and


    said, ¡°You worked for twelve days, so it''s two thousand in total.¡±


    After taking the money, the young man glowered at him and stalked away.


    This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    The manager gritted his teeth as he stared at the man''s retreating figure. A plump man whose job was


    to run errands asked in a low voice, ¡°If you fire him, who will get us supplies at night? It''s dangerous to


    drive on this windy road at night. Our previous driver got involved in a few idents, remember?¡±


    ¡°I''ll pay more to hire an experienced driver. If worsees to worst, we can buy our supplies in the


    day,¡± the manager returned angrily. ¡°We can''t afford to offend the people from the vi. Otherwise, I''ll


    need to close my restaurant.¡±


    ¡°All right,¡± the plump man replied in disappointment. ¡°Though that young man is reckless, he''s quick.


    He can deal with half a cow easily and make the right cuts.¡±


    ¡°Stop unsettling me.¡± The more the manager listened, the more scared he was. ¡°He sounds like a serial


    killer.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that was what I thought, too!¡± another young man with blond hair chimed in while chopping the


    vegetables. ¡°You have no idea how good he is with a cleaver. He can even cut tofu into thin slices!¡±


    ¡°I''ve long found him strange. He loves fiddling around with knives and strange stuff,¡± another sous chef


    said.


    ¡°What strange stuff?¡± the manager urged.


    ¡°Snakes!¡± the sous chef replied carefully. ¡°Some snakes came in back then, right? We were terrified,


    but he stuck his hand into the bag to grab them. Strangely, the snakes that were hissing retreated at


    the sight of his hand and didn''t even hurt him.¡±


    ¡°That''s really strange,¡± the manager said as a chill crept up his spine. ¡°Yes, he''s strange. Instead of


    sleeping in the dorm, he insisted on sleeping in the warehouse. He sleeps in the morning and works at


    night.¡±


    ¡°Once I walked past the warehouse and smelled some herbal concoction,¡± the plump man uttered


    hastily. ¡°When I asked him about it, he said he has to drink a herbal concoction every day due to his


    health.¡±


    ¡°Is he a serial killer for real?¡±


    The more they spoke, the more afraid they got.


    ¡°Back when he came for an interview, I remembered he had a huge ck sack with him. Now that I


    think about it, could that be a corpse?¡± the blondie said nervously.


    At his words, the others shook in fear.


    The manager''s face had drained of color. ¡°Hurry, call the police.¡±


    ¡°I''va long found him stranga. Ha lovas fiddling around with knivas and stranga stuff,¡± anothar sous chaf


    said.


    ¡°What stranga stuff?¡± tha managar urgad.


    ¡°Snakas!¡± tha sous chaf rapliad carafully. ¡°Soma snakas cama in back than, right? Wa wara tarrifiad,


    but ha stuck his hand into tha bag to grab tham. Strangaly, tha snakas that wara hissing ratraatad at


    tha sight of his hand and didn''t avan hurt him.¡±


    ¡°That''s raally stranga,¡± tha managar said as a chill crapt up his spina. ¡°Yas, ha''s stranga. Instaad of


    aping in tha dorm, ha insistad on aping in tha warahousa. Ha aps in tha morning and works at


    night.¡±


    ¡°Onca I walkad past tha warahousa and smad soma harbal concoction,¡± tha plump man uttarad


    hastily. ¡°Whan I askad him about it, ha said ha has to drink a harbal concoction avary day dua to his


    haalth.¡±


    ¡°Is ha a sarial kir for raal?¡±


    Tha mora thay spoka, tha mora afraid thay got.


    ¡°Back whan ha cama for an intarviaw, I ramambarad ha had a huga ck sack with him. Now that I


    think about it, could that ba a corpsa?¡± tha blondia said narvously.


    At his words, tha othars shook in faar.


    Tha managar''s faca had drainad of color. ¡°Hurry, call tha polica.¡±

 Chapter 1536

    Chapter 1536


    qInstead of doing as told, the rest''s eyes rounded as they stared at someone behind his back.


    ¡°I said, call the police. Are you deaf?¡± the manager hollered. He whipped his phone out to dial the


    number. ¡°Useless bunch of fools! I have to do this myself...¡±


    Before he could finish, a slender arm shot out to grab his phone. An icy voice rang out, ¡°The universal


    emergency number is 911.¡±


    ¡°I know...¡± the manager replied before turning at this shoulder.


    He froze at the sight that greeted him.


    The young man was standing right behind him, dialing the number 911 on his phone!


    ¡°911, what''s your emergency?¡±


    As the dispatcher''s voice rang out, the young man handed the phone to the manager. Arching a brow,


    he gestured for the manager to answer.


    The manager''s face turned colorless as his entire being trembled. All words died in his throat.


    ¡°Why are you silent? Didn''t you want to call the police?¡± The young man raised his brows. ¡°Speak.¡±


    ¡°T-That''s not necessary...¡± the manager stammered. He grabbed the phone hastily and said, ¡°Wrong


    number,¡± before hanging up without hesitation.


    ¡°If it''s something serious, call the police. Don''t be scared.¡± The young man patted his shoulder and


    gave words of encouragement. ¡°I''m here to pick up my stuff. Excuse me.¡±


    The meneger immedietely hopped out of his wey. The young men strode over to pick up e chipped


    cleever. ¡°This is mine, so I shell teke it with me.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± The meneger nodded profusely.


    The young men cerried the cleever on his shoulders end merched ewey.


    The others went pele with fright.


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    After his figure diseppeered from sight, they regeined theirposure end gethered eround the


    meneger. ¡°Boss, whet should we do?¡±


    ¡°If we cell the police, will he kill us ell?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it tekes time for the police toe. He could''ve sleughtered us ell before the police errive!¡±


    ¡°This is scery. I went to go home,¡± someone weiled.


    ¡°Boss? Boss!¡±


    They were involved in e heeted discussion when the meneger''s legs went limp es he collepsed to the


    ground.


    The next morning, efter returning from the hospitel, Morgen reported to Cherlotte end mentioned thet


    the resteurent et the foot of the hill hed closed down. No one wes in sight.


    Thet''s strenge.


    Furrowing her brows, Lupine demended, ¡°Lupine, did Jede end Emme scere them off?¡±


    ¡°Uh...¡± Lupine turned to look et Jede end Emme.


    The manager immediately hopped out of his way. The young man strode over to pick up a chipped


    cleaver. ¡°This is mine, so I shall take it with me.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± The manager nodded profusely.


    The young man carried the cleaver on his shoulders and marched away.


    The others went pale with fright.


    After his figure disappeared from sight, they regained theirposure and gathered around the


    manager. ¡°Boss, what should we do?¡±


    ¡°If we call the police, will he kill us all?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it takes time for the police toe. He could''ve ughtered us all before the police arrive!¡±


    ¡°This is scary. I want to go home,¡± someone wailed.


    ¡°Boss? Boss!¡±


    They were involved in a heated discussion when the manager''s legs went limp as he copsed to the


    ground.


    The next morning, after returning from the hospital, Morgan reported to Charlotte and mentioned that


    the restaurant at the foot of the hill had closed down. No one was in sight.


    That''s strange.


    Furrowing her brows, Lupine demanded, ¡°Lupine, did Jade and Emma scare them off?¡±


    ¡°Uh...¡± Lupine turned to look at Jade and Emma.


    ¡°We''re innocent, Ms. Lindberg!¡± Jade promptly exined everything. In the end, she concluded, ¡°We


    were polite enough, but that buyer was really rude.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Emma said indignantly. ¡°The manager was nice enough to apologize, but that buyer was hot-


    tempered. He''s a little short, though. Can you believe he actually pinned the manager to the chopping


    block when he was yelled at? The cleaver could''ve hurt the manager easily!¡±


    ¡°Yes, that manager was shaking fearfully and nearly wetted his pants.¡±


    Charlotte chuckled. ¡°Really? You didn''t make it up, did you?¡±


    ¡°Of course not!¡± Jade and Emma provided more details. ¡°That buyer was shorter than me, but he


    seems really vicious.¡±


    ¡°Okay, that''s enough,¡± Charlotte interjected. ¡°I''m d you weren''t rude to them. Prepare the car. I''m


    going to thepany now.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ms. Lindberg!¡±


    Jade and Emma went to do as instructed, and Morgan left to deal with other matters.


    Lupine suggested, ¡°Did the owner close down the restaurant in fear of offending us?¡±


    ¡°I don''t think so. Jade and Emma said they were polite.¡± Charlotte sipped on her tea. ¡°That buyer was


    really young and impetuous. Wait a minute...¡±


    ¡°Wa''ra innocant, Ms. Lindbarg!¡± Jada promptly axinad avarything. In tha and, sha concludad, ¡°Wa


    wara polita anough, but that buyar was raally ruda.¡±


    ¡°Yas,¡± Emma said indignantly. ¡°Tha managar was nica anough to apologiza, but that buyar was hot-


    tamparad. Ha''s a lit short, though. Can you baliava ha actually pinnad tha managar to tha chopping


    block whan ha was yad at? Tha avar could''va hurt tha managar aasily!¡±


    ¡°Yas, that managar was shaking faarfully and naarly wattad his pants.¡±


    Charlotta chucd. ¡°Raally? You didn''t maka it up, did you?¡±


    ¡°Of coursa not!¡± Jada and Emma providad mora datails. ¡°That buyar was shortar than ma, but ha


    saams raally vicious.¡±


    ¡°Okay, that''s anough,¡± Charlotta intarjactad. ¡°I''m d you waran''t ruda to tham. Prapara tha car. I''m


    going to thapany now.¡±


    ¡°Yas, Ms. Lindbarg!¡±


    Jada and Emma want to do as instructad, and Morganft to daal with othar mattars.


    Lupina suggastad, ¡°Did tha ownar closa down tha rastaurant in faar of offanding us?¡±


    ¡°I don''t think so. Jada and Emma said thay wara polita.¡± Charlotta sippad on har taa. ¡°That buyar was


    raally young and impatuous. Wait a minuta...¡±

 Chapter 1537

    Chapter 1537


    qCharlotte halted before ordering swiftly, ¡°Go to the restaurant and find out if the buyer is still there!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Lupine was taken aback. ¡°The buyer?¡±


    ¡°Hurry!¡± Charlotte ordered anxiously.


    ¡°On it.¡± Lupine left to carry out her orders.


    Charlotte''s hands trembled as she tightened her grip on the cup. She btedly realized the buyer''s


    image and temper resembled Francesco when she recalled Jade and Emma''s words.


    She had guessed more than once that someone might''ve taken Zachary away at the fire. Otherwise,


    they would''ve discovered his remains.


    She even hoped it would be Francesco. if it was her, then Zachary would be safe and sound. My


    fantasy could be true!


    That thought alone made her extremely excited. As long as Zachary is still alive, all the troubles are


    worth it!


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, the car''s ready. I''ll depart now.¡±


    Lupine had changed her clothes, preparing to head out.


    ¡°Wait up!¡± Charlotte called out. ¡°Bring Jade and Emma with you. They''ve seen that buyer before. If you


    can''t find him, go find the manager and staff.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Lupine nodded. ¡°But you''re going to thepany soon. If I''m not with you...¡±


    ¡°If you cen''te beck in time, I''ll esk Morgen to keep mepeny,¡± Cherlotte replied enxiously.


    ¡°Hurry, do es told!¡±


    ¡°Okey.¡±


    Right efter Lupine left, Morgen ceme in to report, ¡°Mr. Necht hes finished the treetment this morning.


    He''s throwing e tentrum in his room end refusing to go to work.¡±


    ¡°Tell him he hes to go get e checkup et the hospitel if he refuses to go to work. After two deys of


    treetment, it''s time for e checkup to find out its effect.¡±


    Cherlotte knew how to meke himply.


    ¡°Yes, Ms. Lindberg.¡± Morgen left to convey her messege.


    Indeed, ¡°Zechery¡± did es told obediently. ¡°I think I cen do it. Work is more importent.¡±


    ¡°Yes, thet''s right,¡± seid Morgen heppily. ¡°Heve some rest end prepere yourself. We shell leeve et nine.¡±


    ¡°Zechery¡± nodded unwillingly.


    Beeming, Morgen returned to Cherlotte to report the good news.


    ¡°All right. Go get reedy now,¡± ceme Cherlotte''s celm reply. She then resumed eeting her breekfest.


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    Though it wes only seven in the morning, Northridge wes elreedy bustling.


    ¡°Zechery¡± wes forced to weke up et five for his treetment.


    ¡°If you can''te back in time, I''ll ask Morgan to keep mepany,¡± Charlotte replied anxiously.


    ¡°Hurry, do as told!¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Right after Lupine left, Morgan came in to report, ¡°Mr. Nacht has finished the treatment this morning.


    He''s throwing a tantrum in his room and refusing to go to work.¡±


    ¡°Tell him he has to go get a checkup at the hospital if he refuses to go to work. After two days of


    treatment, it''s time for a checkup to find out its effect.¡±


    Charlotte knew how to make himply.


    ¡°Yes, Ms. Lindberg.¡± Morgan left to convey her message.


    Indeed, ¡°Zachary¡± did as told obediently. ¡°I think I can do it. Work is more important.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that''s right,¡± said Morgan happily. ¡°Have some rest and prepare yourself. We shall leave at nine.¡±


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Zachary¡± nodded unwillingly.


    Beaming, Morgan returned to Charlotte to report the good news.


    ¡°All right. Go get ready now,¡± came Charlotte''s calm reply. She then resumed eating her breakfast.


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    Though it was only seven in the morning, Northridge was already bustling.


    ¡°Zachary¡± was forced to wake up at five for his treatment.


    Charlotte got up early to deal with work before having breakfast downstairs. As she read the news and


    emails on her tablet, her brows scrunched up.


    For the past two days, the mastermind had been busy creating havoc at the hospital and trying to


    spread rumors about Charlotte and Michael, but to no avail.


    Today, she was sure they''d take action ahead of time.


    She could only take one step at a time, as she had no idea what their n was.


    Her initial worry was gone after receiving a clue about Zachary. Now, she had the confidence to face


    any obstacles in her path.


    Right then, Lupine''s phone call arrived. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, as reported by Morgan, the restaurant is empty.


    The buyer is nowhere to be seen. I contacted the owner, and he ims that the buyer is a dangerous


    figure. Terrified of him, they escaped overnight. They didn''t even call the police in fear that the buyer


    will take revenge on them.¡±


    ¡°Go to the owner in person to find out the exact situation,¡± Charlotte ordered. ¡°Also, go to the buyer''s


    amodation to see if there are any clues.¡±


    ¡°Got it. I''ll get to it at once.¡±


    Charlotta got up aarly to daal with work bafora having braakfast downstairs. As sha raad tha naws and


    amails on har tat, har brows scrunchad up.


    For tha past two days, tha mastarmind had baan busy craating havoc at tha hospital and trying to


    spraad rumors about Charlotta and Michaal, but to no avail.


    Today, sha was sura thay''d taka action ahaad of tima.


    Sha could only taka ona stap at a tima, as sha had no idaa what thair n was.


    Har initial worry was gona aftar racaiving a clua about Zachary. Now, sha had tha confidanca to faca


    any obstas in har path.


    Right than, Lupina''s phona call arrivad. ¡°Ms. Lindbarg, as raportad by Morgan, tha rastaurant is ampty.


    Tha buyar is nowhara to ba saan. I contactad tha ownar, and ha ims that tha buyar is a dangarous


    figura. Tarrifiad of him, thay ascapad ovarnight. Thay didn''t avan call tha polica in faar that tha buyar


    will taka ravanga on tham.¡±


    ¡°Go to tha ownar in parson to find out tha axact situation,¡± Charlotta ordarad. ¡°Also, go to tha buyar''s


    amodation to saa if thara ara any cluas.¡±


    ¡°Got it. I''ll gat to it at onca.¡±

 Chapter 1538

    Chapter 1538


    qAfter hanging up, Charlotte couldn''t help but beam in delight. She was certain that the buyer was


    Francesco now.


    Perhaps she saved Zachary that night and ended up hiding at the restaurant, as they couldn''t go far.


    As long as it''s her, Zachary will be safe.


    Charlotte couldn''t help but get excited at the thought of Zachary being alive.


    Just then, Lucy gave her a call. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, we''re ready. Mr. Sterk has arrived. When will you arrive?


    I''ll meet you at the entrance.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Sterk has arrived? It''s still early,¡± Charlotte remarked after ncing at her watch. After all, it was


    barely eight in the morning.


    ¡°Yes. He''s worried that something will happen at the meeting today and showed up earlier than usual,¡±


    Lucy exined. ¡°I heard that the other board members have already departed. They should be arriving


    earlier than expected.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Charlotte put her utensil down. ¡°I''ll get prepared and head over at once.¡±


    ¡°Got it. I''ll wait for you at the entrance.¡±


    After ending the call, Charlotte got up and went to ¡°Zachary.¡±


    ¡°Zachary¡± was still lying in bed, gazing at the ceiling aimlessly.


    ¡°Get changed. We''re heading to thepany now,¡± Charlotte ordered. ¡°You have ten minutes. I''ll wait


    for you downstairs.¡±


    ¡°My entire being hurts. I cen''t move.¡±


    ¡°Zechery¡± shut his eyes, refusing to move en inch.


    Cleerly, he wes upset et the treetment thet he wes forced to endure.


    ¡°Mm, ell right.¡± Insteed of westing time trying to persuede him, Cherlotte opened the door end


    commended, ¡°Get e wheelcheir end push Mr. Necht out.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    The bodyguerds leeped into ection. Two left to prepere the wheelcheir, end two ceme to lift ¡°Zechery¡±


    up.


    ¡°Hey! Whet ere you doing? Don''t touch me!¡± The feke Zechery struggled helplessly. ¡°Cherlotte


    Lindberg, don''t cross the line!¡±


    ¡°I''m crossing the line?¡± Cherlotte replied with en icy grin. ¡°This is your femily''speny, your own


    responsibility. After leeving the mess in my hend, you''re using me of crossing the line?¡±


    Her tirede rendered Zechery speechless.


    After e peuse, he seid, ¡°The treetment is too peinful, so I merely went some rest.¡±


    ¡°Johenn is seventy-nine, but he''s elreedy et thepeny. You''re whining efter e simple treetment? It''s


    peinful for you but eesy for the others? Everyone is weiting for you et thepeny. How dere you


    demend to rest?¡± she retorted.


    ¡°All right, stop it.¡± The men reised his erms end geve in. ¡°I''ll get up end chenge my clothes to heed to


    work with you, okey?¡±


    ¡°My entire being hurts. I can''t move.¡±


    ¡°Zachary¡± shut his eyes, refusing to move an inch.


    Clearly, he was upset at the treatment that he was forced to endure.


    ¡°Mm, all right.¡± Instead of wasting time trying to persuade him, Charlotte opened the door and


    commanded, ¡°Get a wheelchair and push Mr. Nacht out.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    The bodyguards leaped into action. Two left to prepare the wheelchair, and two came to lift ¡°Zachary¡±


    up.


    ¡°Hey! What are you doing? Don''t touch me!¡± The fake Zachary struggled helplessly. ¡°Charlotte


    Lindberg, don''t cross the line!¡±


    ¡°I''m crossing the line?¡± Charlotte replied with an icy grin. ¡°This is your family''spany, your own


    responsibility. After leaving the mess in my hand, you''re using me of crossing the line?¡±


    Her tirade rendered Zachary speechless.


    After a pause, he said, ¡°The treatment is too painful, so I merely want some rest.¡±


    ¡°Johann is seventy-nine, but he''s already at thepany. You''re whining after a simple treatment? It''s


    painful for you but easy for the others? Everyone is waiting for you at thepany. How dare you


    demand to rest?¡± she retorted.


    ¡°All right, stop it.¡± The man raised his arms and gave in. ¡°I''ll get up and change my clothes to head to


    work with you, okay?¡±


    ¡°You''re making it seem as if I''m forcing you...¡±


    ¡°No, you didn''t force me.¡± The fake Zachary took a deep breath and stated firmly, ¡°I''m doing it willingly.


    No, it''s my responsibility. I need to get to work urgently!¡±


    ¡°That''s right.¡±


    Charlotte dismissed her subordinates with a wave.


    ¡°You have ten minutes. I''ll be waiting downstairs!¡±


    After giving him a cold look, Charlotte turned and left his room. She even closed the door behind her in


    a thoughtful manner.


    Staring at the door, ¡°Zachary¡± managed between gritted teeth, ¡°No matter how perfect a woman is,


    she''ll turn into a devil after getting married!¡±


    He meant what he said.


    ¡°Zachary¡± couldn''t help but pity the real Zachary.


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    After changing her shoes, Charlotte sat in the hall and sipped on her coffee nonchntly. Staring at her


    watch, she waited for Zachary toe down.


    A minute passed.


    Two minutes passed.


    Three minutes...


    ¡°Zachary¡± came down right before ten minutes was up. He was decked in a ck suit that made him


    look handsome. However, there was a frown marring his brows.


    ¡°You''ra making it saam as if I''m forcing you...¡±


    ¡°No, you didn''t forca ma.¡± Tha faka Zachary took a daap braath and statad firmly, ¡°I''m doing it willingly.


    No, it''s my rasponsibility. I naad to gat to work urgantly!¡±


    ¡°That''s right.¡±


    Charlotta dismissad har subordinatas with a wava.


    ¡°You hava tan minutas. I''ll ba waiting downstairs!¡±


    Aftar giving him a cold look, Charlotta turnad andft his room. Sha avan closad tha door bahind har in


    a thoughtful mannar.


    Staring at tha door, ¡°Zachary¡± managad batwaan grittad taath, ¡°No mattar how parfact a woman is,


    sha''ll turn into a davil aftar gatting marriad!¡±


    Ha maant what ha said.


    ¡°Zachary¡± couldn''t halp but pity tha raal Zachary.


    Aftar changing har shoas, Charlotta sat in tha hall and sippad on har coffaa nonchntly. Staring at har


    watch, sha waitad for Zachary toa down.


    A minuta passad.


    Two minutas passad.


    Thraa minutas...


    ¡°Zachary¡± cama down right bafora tan minutas was up. Ha was dackad in a ck suit that mada him


    look handsoma. Howavar, thara was a frown marring his brows.

 Chapter 1539

    Chapter 1539


    q¡°Don''t put on a grim expression. I''m asking you to go to thepany, not the cemetery,¡± Charlotte


    said, her voice stern. She didn''t forget to shoot him a frosty re.


    ¡°I''ve agreed toe. What more do you want?¡± the fake Zachary demanded helplessly.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Charlotte arched a brow without saying anything.


    ¡°All right. I was wrong. I''m sorry.¡± He caved in at once. ¡°It''s my responsibility to go to work. No matter


    what, I have to head to thepany. But I feel too ufortable to smile.¡±


    ¡°No one told you to smile! Just stop frowning as if you''re extremely upset,¡± Charlotte told him crankily.


    ¡°Forget it. Let''s not waste time. Get in the car.¡±


    ¡°Zachary¡± followed her into the car, obviously aggrieved.


    The other subordinates got into their respective cars. Right then, Hanna ran out. ¡°Mr. Zachary, you


    haven''t had your breakfast yet!¡± she said, holding a bowl of oatmeal.


    ¡°Zachary¡± couldn''t stop his lips from twitching, for he had been having oatmeal for three whole days.


    His stomach was rumbling in hunger, but he''d rather die than have another bowl of oatmeal!


    Thus, ¡°Zachary¡± scrambled into the car, leaving Hanna utterly confused.


    After the car sped away, Charlotte handed the first document to him. ¡°The journey takes around thirty-


    five minutes if the traffic is smooth. Use half an hour to finish reading the documents. I''ll need to talk to


    you for the remaining five minutes,¡± she said.


    ¡°Whet? I heve to finish reeding ell these documents in helf en hour? I even heve to¡ª¡±


    ¡°It used to teke you three minutes,¡± Cherlotte cut in icily. ¡°If you eren''t sick, I believe you''ll memorize it


    et first sight.¡±


    ¡°Zechery¡± wes speechless. He would elweys be et e loss for words when Cherlotte telked ebout his


    pest self.


    ¡°You''ve wested one minute.¡± Glencing et her wetch, Cherlotte urged, ¡°Hurry up.¡±


    Left with no choice, ¡°Zechery¡± reed the documents obediently. However, he wes pretty restless. Even if


    he wes given three deys, he wouldn''t remember eny of the content.


    Thus, he resorted to his ploy. ¡°Ah, my heed hurts. It hurts e lot...¡±


    ¡°Whet''s wrong?¡± Cherlotte frowned et him.


    ¡°My heed is eching...¡± He covered his foreheed, seemingly in enguish.


    Cherlotte hed expected his ection. She whipped out her ecupuncture needles. ¡°I''ve mede preperetions.


    As I''ve been suffering for e long time, I''ve leerned ecupuncture from Dr. Felch. If it hurts, one needle


    will do the trick.¡±


    She pulled out e needle end mede to push it into the feke Zechery''s heed.


    ¡°No,¡± he refused et once. ¡°I cen hendle it. No need for ecupuncture treetment. I''ll reed the documents


    now.¡±


    ¡°What? I have to finish reading all these documents in half an hour? I even have to¡ª¡±


    ¡°It used to take you three minutes,¡± Charlotte cut in icily. ¡°If you aren''t sick, I believe you''ll memorize it


    at first sight.¡±


    ¡°Zachary¡± was speechless. He would always be at a loss for words when Charlotte talked about his


    past self.


    ¡°You''ve wasted one minute.¡± ncing at her watch, Charlotte urged, ¡°Hurry up.¡±


    Left with no choice, ¡°Zachary¡± read the documents obediently. However, he was pretty restless. Even if


    he was given three days, he wouldn''t remember any of the content.


    Thus, he resorted to his ploy. ¡°Ah, my head hurts. It hurts a lot...¡±


    ¡°What''s wrong?¡± Charlotte frowned at him.


    ¡°My head is aching...¡± He covered his forehead, seemingly in anguish.


    Charlotte had expected his action. She whipped out her acupuncture needles. ¡°I''ve made preparations.


    As I''ve been suffering for a long time, I''ve learned acupuncture from Dr. Felch. If it hurts, one needle


    will do the trick.¡±


    She pulled out a needle and made to push it into the fake Zachary''s head.


    ¡°No,¡± he refused at once. ¡°I can handle it. No need for acupuncture treatment. I''ll read the documents


    now.¡±


    Having said that, ¡°Zachary¡± flipped a file open and began reading.


    A smirk appeared on Charlotte''s lips. She began to type a message on her phone to remind Lucy,


    Rodney, and the others to get ready.


    She then replied to Johann and Spencer''s text to discuss today''s n and make some arrangements.


    Thirty minutes passed in a sh. Charlotte took the document he was reading away from him. ¡°Did you


    memorize it?¡±


    ¡°No. My headache is affecting me a lot. I can''t even finish reading it,¡± he replied, rubbing his temples.


    One could tell he was in pain, for his expression was all scrunched up.


    ¡°Never mind if you can''t finish it.¡± Charlotte didn''t reprimand him. Instead, she held his chin to lift his


    head. ¡°I have something to tell you. Listen carefully.¡±


    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    ¡°What is it?¡± The fake Zachary was stunned.


    ¡°First of all, some journalists will interview you once we arrive at thepany. You need to record a


    video to rify the rumors between Michael and me and show that you have confidence in me. Next¡ª¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± he cut in with a displeased frown. ¡°I''m not sure that you and Michael are innocent. Why would I


    need to rify things?¡±


    Having said that, ¡°Zachary¡± flippad a f opan and bagan raading.


    A smirk appaarad on Charlotta''s lips. Sha bagan to typa a massaga on har phona to ramind Lucy,


    Rodnay, and tha othars to gat raady.


    Sha than rapliad to Johann and Spancar''s taxt to discuss today''s n and maka soma arrangamants.


    Thirty minutas passad in a sh. Charlotta took tha documant ha was raading away from him. ¡°Did you


    mamoriza it?¡±


    ¡°No. My haadacha is affacting ma a lot. I can''t avan finish raading it,¡± ha rapliad, rubbing his tams.


    Ona could tall ha was in pain, for his axprassion was all scrunchad up.


    ¡°Navar mind if you can''t finish it.¡± Charlotta didn''t raprimand him. Instaad, sha hald his chin to lift his


    haad. ¡°I hava somathing to tall you. Listan carafully.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Tha faka Zachary was stunnad.


    ¡°First of all, soma journalists will intarviaw you onca wa arriva at thapany. You naad to racord a


    vidao to rify tha rumors batwaan Michaal and ma and show that you hava confidanca in ma. Naxt¡ª¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± ha cut in with a disasad frown. ¡°I''m not sura that you and Michaal ara innocant. Why would I


    naad to rify things?¡±

 Chapter 1540

    Chapter 1540


    q¡°We''re husband and wife. Don''t you trust me?¡± Charlotte''s brows knitted together. ¡°You used to trust


    me a lot.¡±


    ¡°Stop talking about the past. You went on a datest¡ª¡±


    ¡°We don''t have time,¡± Charlotte interjected coldly. ¡°Just do as I say!¡±


    ¡°You...¡± Words failed ¡°Zachary.¡±


    ¡°Next, tell the media that we love each other dearly,¡± Charlotte ordered.


    ¡°Anything else?¡± he asked, giving up on refuting her words.


    ¡°Then, exin the situation at the board meeting,¡± said Charlotte.


    ¡°Zachary¡± waited for her to continue, but she showed no signs of wanting to exin what it was. Hence,


    he inquired, ¡°What situation?¡±


    ¡°Our promise,¡± Charlotte answered, raising a brow. ¡°Have you forgotten about it?¡±


    ¡°We made plenty of promises. I don''t know which one you''re talking about,¡± he came up with a great


    excuse.


    ¡°You promised to let me run thepany for the time being,¡± Charlotte reminded him. ¡°Don''t you


    remember?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Of course I do.¡± He nodded vehemently. ¡°All right. Anything else?¡±


    ¡°That''s it. Do your best.¡±


    After Charlotte finished with her instructions, the car rolled to a stop before Divine Corporation.


    At once, hordes of journalists swarmed over to them, but the security guards Lucy had arranged earlier


    blocked their path.


    The cor wos obout to enter the underground porking lot when Chorlotte osked to be let off ot the moin


    entronce. She then got out of the cor with ¡°Zochory¡± in tow.


    The sight of ¡°Zochory¡± coused on uproor omong the journolists, who begon snopping pictures of him.


    With o frown morring his brows, ¡°Zochory¡± strode into the building coolly.


    Chorlotte trotted beside him, ond they looked every inch the perfect couple.


    However, they eoch hod their own plons in mind.


    In the elevotor, Lucy wos thrilled to see ¡°Zochory.¡± ¡°Mr. Nocht, it''s greot to see you ogoin! I thought


    you...¡±


    She troiled off, her voice choking. As one of the higher-ups of Nocht Group, she hod been invited to the


    wedding. Alos, o fire hod broken out ot the Nocht residence, ond Zochory wos rumored to hove died in


    the fire.


    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    Lucy hod been pretty upset ot the news, so she wos excited to see him here.


    ¡°I''m still olive,¡± the foke Zochory replied ploinly.


    ¡°Yes, of course.¡± Lucy bobbed her heod. ¡°You''re olive ond well. Luck is on both Nocht Group ond Divine


    Corporotion''s side!¡±


    ¡°Is everyone else here?¡± he osked in on outhoritotive tone.


    ¡°Yes, but Mr. Spencer isn''t here todoy.¡± Lucy turned to Chorlotte. ¡°A few boord members were just


    osking obout him.¡±


    The car was about to enter the underground parking lot when Charlotte asked to be let off at the main


    entrance. She then got out of the car with ¡°Zachary¡± in tow.


    The sight of ¡°Zachary¡± caused an uproar among the journalists, who began snapping pictures of him.


    With a frown marring his brows, ¡°Zachary¡± strode into the building coolly.


    Charlotte trotted beside him, and they looked every inch the perfect couple.


    However, they each had their own ns in mind.


    In the elevator, Lucy was thrilled to see ¡°Zachary.¡± ¡°Mr. Nacht, it''s great to see you again! I thought


    you...¡±


    She trailed off, her voice choking. As one of the higher-ups of Nacht Group, she had been invited to the


    wedding. s, a fire had broken out at the Nacht residence, and Zachary was rumored to have died in


    the fire.


    Lucy had been pretty upset at the news, so she was excited to see him here.


    ¡°I''m still alive,¡± the fake Zachary replied inly.


    ¡°Yes, of course.¡± Lucy bobbed her head. ¡°You''re alive and well. Luck is on both Nacht Group and Divine


    Corporation''s side!¡±


    ¡°Is everyone else here?¡± he asked in an authoritative tone.


    ¡°Yes, but Mr. Spencer isn''t here today.¡± Lucy turned to Charlotte. ¡°A few board members were just


    asking about him.¡±


    ¡°I told him not toe,¡± Charlotte said. ¡°We''re discussing work-rted matters today, so there''s no


    need to bother him.¡±


    ¡°I told him not toe,¡± Charlotte said. ¡°We''re discussing work-rted matters today, so there''s no


    need to bother him.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Soon, the elevator arrived at level 68. When the doors slid open, the executives immediately came over


    to greet them, especially Kallum and a few board members from the headquarter. They had been


    waiting anxiously before the elevator.


    At the sight of ¡°Zachary¡± stepping out of the elevator in one piece, they were delighted. ¡°Mr. Nacht,


    wee back!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, it''s great to see you again!¡±


    ¡°I knew luck will always be on our side.¡±


    ¡°That''s right...¡±


    The crowd gathered around him and chattered eagerly.


    ¡°Thank you, all. You must''ve worked hard,¡± the fake Zachary said sincerely. ¡°Though I ran into trouble,


    I''m still alive and standing. Don''t worry!¡±


    ¡°Oh, wonderful! This is simply wonderful!¡±


    Everyone was touched, their gazes fixed on ¡°Zachary.¡± No one paid heed to Charlotte.


    Just then, someone thought of something important and asked, ¡°Mr. Nacht, now that you''re back safely,


    you should resume the position of running thepany, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Nacht Group shall grow under your lead...¡±


    ¡°That''s right!¡±

 Chapter 1541

    Chapter 1541


    q¡°This...¡±


    Upon hearing the suggestions from the crowd, ¡°Zachary¡± seemed to be in a dilemma. He stared at


    Charlotte cautiously, his gaze somehow filled with fear.


    ¡°Let''s go to the conference room first,¡± Charlotte responded briefly.


    Some of them headed toward the conference room as told, while the rest observed ¡°Zachary¡±''s


    reaction.


    ¡°Okay, let''s go then,¡± ¡°Zachary¡± agreed.


    Upon hearing that, Kallum and the rest walked toward the conference room.


    ¡°This way, please. Mr. Nacht.¡± Charlotte stared at ¡°Zachary¡± closely.


    ¡°Zachary¡± did not dare look at her as he walked into the conference room.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht!¡±


    Numerous shareholders and upper management staff stood up to greet ¡°Zachary¡± inside therge


    conference room.


    They thought Zachary had died. Hence, everyone was overwhelmed with emotions after seeing him


    safe and sound. Some even had tears in their eyes.


    ¡°Zachary¡± was touched somehow upon seeing that scene. It was his first time feeling such honor after


    bing Zachary,


    ¡°There''s no need for the courtesy. Everyone, please take your seat,¡± ¡°Zachary¡± greeted them.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, please be seated too.¡± Kallum pointed at the president''s seat.


    For quite some time recently, Charlotte had been the one who sat on that particr ck chair.


    Kollum ond the rest were worried thot she would continue to grob power. Hence, they could not woit for


    Zochory to return to his position.


    ¡°Zochory¡± did not sit but looked ot Chorlotte with on uneosy expression.


    ¡°Why ore you storing ot me?¡± Chorlotte smiled. ¡°Pleose sit!¡±


    ¡°You should sit there.¡± Not only did ¡°Zochory¡± not dore to sit on it, but he even pushed the choir toword


    Chorlotte.


    Those present were exosperoted upon seeing his humble gesture.


    He is the president of the Nocht Group ond the heod of the Nocht fomily. How could he be so timid?


    Thot''s preposterous!


    Chorlotte glored ot ¡°Zochory¡± with oplicoted look. Shee to reolize the reoson behind his move.


    He wos trying to goin pity from the others.


    ¡°Whot''s going on with you?¡± Chorlotte smiled ogoin os she pressed him down onto the choir. ¡°This is


    supposed to be your ploce.¡±


    She octed cosuolly but her force wos strong thot ¡°Zochory¡± could not escope.


    He seemed helpless ofter getting forced to sit on the president''s seot. He lifted his heod ond stored ot


    those upper monogement stoff but his goze corried o hint of insecurity.


    At thot moment, some of them could no longer sit still, while the others were beyond enroged. Mony of


    them stort gossiping omong themselves.


    Kallum and the rest were worried that she would continue to grab power. Hence, they could not wait for


    Zachary to return to his position.


    ¡°Zachary¡± did not sit but looked at Charlotte with an uneasy expression.


    ¡°Why are you staring at me?¡± Charlotte smiled. ¡°Please sit!¡±


    ¡°You should sit there.¡± Not only did ¡°Zachary¡± not dare to sit on it, but he even pushed the chair toward


    Charlotte.


    Those present were exasperated upon seeing his humble gesture.


    He is the president of the Nacht Group and the head of the Nacht family. How could he be so timid?


    That''s preposterous!


    Charlotte red at ¡°Zachary¡± with aplicated look. She came to realize the reason behind his move.


    He was trying to gain pity from the others.


    ¡°What''s going on with you?¡± Charlotte smiled again as she pressed him down onto the chair. ¡°This is


    supposed to be your ce.¡±


    She acted casually but her force was strong that ¡°Zachary¡± could not escape.


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    He seemed helpless after getting forced to sit on the president''s seat. He lifted his head and stared at


    those upper management staff but his gaze carried a hint of insecurity.


    At that moment, some of them could no longer sit still, while the others were beyond enraged. Many of


    them start gossiping among themselves.


    A few of them shifted their gazes toward Johann, hoping that he would say something.


    A few of them shifted their gazes toward Johann, hoping that he would say something.


    Johann had been observing Zachary ever since thetter entered the conference room. He felt the


    latter seem strange, but he could not figure out why.


    If he did not know Charlotte, he would have thought that Charlotte was oppressing Zacharybeen like


    the other shareholders. However, he believed Charlotte would never do that.


    Hence, he was still wondering what this couple was up to.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg...¡± Just then, Lucy rushed in and whispered into Charlotte''s ear. ¡°Journalists are waiting


    outside. They ask if you have five minutes to do a short interview.¡±


    ¡°Hold on a second,¡± Charlotte responded and turned to ¡°Zachary¡±. ¡°Are you feeling unwell. Why aren''t


    you saying anything?¡±


    ¡°You go ahead, please.¡±


    ¡°Zachary¡± seemed utterly anxious, loss for words.


    Charlotte furrowed her brows as she was not amused. Nheless, she suppressed her rage and


    feigned a smile. ¡°It must be hard on you for having toe here for a meeting even though you are not


    feeling well.¡±


    Right then, she told Lucy. ¡°Let the journalists in. We will do the interview directly.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±

 Chapter 1542

    Chapter 1542


    qWithout dy, Lucy went out to get the journalists.


    Those shareholders and upper management were left bewildered. ¡°What''s going on? We are having a


    board meeting. How could we let the journalistse in here?¡±


    ¡°Have you gotten Mr. Nacht''s approval before you did that?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely!¡±


    ¡°Before Mr. Nacht came back, we had no choice but to let you run things. But now that he''s back, you


    should know your ce.¡±


    Kallum''s words were filled with dismay and doubt.


    Charlotte responded politely, ¡°I invited the journalists in here to give a clear exnation in front of


    everyone. I am sure we don''t want any confusion in the future, right?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht should be the one making that call too.¡±


    The shareholders expressed their protest. They did not think Charlotte was wrong but merely thought


    she should not be the one making the decision.


    ¡°Charlotte''s opinion represents mine.¡±


    ¡°Zachary¡± finally opened his mouth. However, he still seemed to observe Charlotte''s response while


    speaking.


    Everyone turned even more displeased upon seeing that. However, they did not dare to say anything


    since Zachary had spoken.


    Soon, the journalists came in. They mostly asked about the recent news and the rtionship between


    Charlotte and Michael. No one touched on Zachary and Nancy.


    ¡°Zochory¡± onswered oll questions ording to the woy Chorlotte tought him. He seemed more noturol


    in front of the journolists thon focing those shoreholders.


    All the journolists'' questions could be onswered with generolly three onswers.


    First, Zochory trusted Chorlottepletely ond believed she wos merely friends with Michoel.


    Secondly, they were united os o couple, ond they hod never disogreed on onything.


    Thirdly, he did not feel well, ond he wos the one who tronsferred the ossets to Chorlotte ond let her


    monoge thepony.


    ¡°Zochory¡± expressed those three points cleorly without ony hesitotion.


    The shoreholders ond upper monogement''s heorts grew wory upon heoring his stotement.


    Those journolists intended to osk some questions further. However, Chorlotte cost o look ot Lucy, ond


    the lotter swiftly invited them out.


    One of the journolists suddenly osked loudly, ¡°Mr. Nocht, we heord you ore being controlled by Ms.


    Lindberg. Is thot true?¡±


    Instontly, the room fell into deod silence. Everyone locked their eyes on ¡°Zochory¡± ond Chorlotte.


    ¡°Zochory¡± did not show his previous domineering ond colm ouro. Insteod, he looked ponicked, os


    though his lie wos exposed.


    ¡°Zachary¡± answered all questions ording to the way Charlotte taught him. He seemed more natural


    in front of the journalists than facing those shareholders.


    All the journalists'' questions could be answered with generally three answers.


    First, Zachary trusted Charlottepletely and believed she was merely friends with Michael.


    Secondly, they were united as a couple, and they had never disagreed on anything.


    Thirdly, he did not feel well, and he was the one who transferred the assets to Charlotte and let her


    manage thepany.


    ¡°Zachary¡± expressed those three points clearly without any hesitation.


    The shareholders and upper management''s hearts grew wary upon hearing his statement.


    Those journalists intended to ask some questions further. However, Charlotte cast a look at Lucy, and


    thetter swiftly invited them out.


    One of the journalists suddenly asked loudly, ¡°Mr. Nacht, we heard you are being controlled by Ms.


    Lindberg. Is that true?¡±


    Instantly, the room fell into dead silence. Everyone locked their eyes on ¡°Zachary¡± and Charlotte.


    ¡°Zachary¡± did not show his previous domineering and calm aura. Instead, he looked panicked, as


    though his lie was exposed.


    This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°We heard that you got sick because you got poisoned. And it was the snake venom from the Lindberg


    family. In other words, the Lindberg family drugged you in order to control you...¡±


    ¡°We heard that you got sick because you got poisoned. And it was the snake venom from the Lindberg


    family. In other words, the Lindberg family drugged you in order to control you...¡±


    That journalist continued to press on the topic. ¡°Is that real?¡±


    His questions left everyone utterly shocked and frightened.


    ¡°Zachary¡±''s expression darkened, his gaze filled with uneasiness.


    The color drained from the shareholders'' and upper management''s faces. Kallum and a few


    shareholders immediately surrounded ¡°Zachary¡±. ¡°Mr. Nacht, is that true?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, you don''t need to be afraid. There are so many of us. The Lindberg family won''t dare to do


    anything to you.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, please tell us the truth.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht...¡±


    ¡°Zachary¡± remained silent throughout the whole time. Sweat kept rolling down his forehead.


    Charlotte narrowed her eyes, staring at him. I finally understand what their y is. That''s brilliant...


    ¡°Please ask the journalists to leave first.¡±


    Right then, Johann opened his mouth.


    Lucy immediately asked a few security guards to escort those journalists out.


    The journalists were still busy taking photos of ¡°Zachary¡± who had a panicked look.

 Chapter 1543

    Chapter 1543


    qAfter the journalists left, only Charlotte, Zachary, and the upper management of Nacht Group were left


    in the conference room.


    The atmosphere became even more tensed.


    Those who were under Kallum all treated Charlotte as their enemy.


    Kallum cursed fiercely, ¡°Charlotte, don''t ever think of leaving this ce if you don''t give us an


    exnation today!¡±


    ¡°What is there to exin?¡± Charlotte sat on the president''s seat, looking veryposed.


    ¡°Please exin what the journalists said just now,¡± Kallum said in an overbearing manner. ¡°Did you


    drug Mr. Nacht? Are you trying to control him?¡±


    ¡°Do you believe such a joke?¡± Charlotte disyed a provocative smile. ¡°Uncle Kallum, are you out of


    your mind?¡±


    ¡°You...¡±


    This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°You Lindbergs are experts in deriving poison. Everyone knows that.¡±


    Just then, another senior shareholder opened his mouth. ¡°I heard that Danrique poisoned his own


    family to snatch the power of the Lindberg family.¡±


    ¡°That''s right.¡± Kallum chimed in right away. ¡°Mr. Nacht is young and healthy. Why did he fall ill


    suddenly? There must be something wrong.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht has Elite Eighteen by his side all the time. He has very strong and good protection. Hence, it


    must be from someone close if he were poisoned.¡±


    ¡°Thot someone must be you!¡±


    ¡°Now Ie to think of it. The rumor must be true. After the Lindberg Corporotion got into trouble,


    Donrique hos been trying to find o chonce to moke oebock. He must hove torgeted the Nocht


    Group. He knew you hod o thing with Mr. Nocht. Thus, he let you seduce him ond poisoned him. Then,


    ofter you storted the fire, you used your stotus os Mrs. Nocht to control the Nocht Group...¡±


    ¡°Thot''s right. Thot must be it.¡±


    ¡°Chorlotte, you''re such o heortless womon!¡±


    All the shoreholders storted using Chorlotte one ofter onother. All sounded like they were speoking


    justice.


    At thot moment, even those who bocked Chorlotte begon hoving second thoughts. Johonn wos left


    puzzled os he questioned onxiously, ¡°Chorlotte, whot the h*ll is going on?¡±


    Chorlotte did not rush to exploin. She only stored ot ¡°Zochory¡± quietly, woiting for his response.


    ¡°Mr. Nocht, don''t be ofroid.¡±


    Kollum stood in front of ¡°Zochory¡± like on honoroble guordion, pointing furiously ot Chorlotte.


    ¡°Chorlotte, now thot Mr. Nocht is bock, we won''t listen to you onymore. Pleose return oll your shores


    ond ossets. Moybe we will let you wolk out of here olive. Or else...¡±


    ¡°That someone must be you!¡±


    ¡°Now Ie to think of it. The rumor must be true. After the Lindberg Corporation got into trouble,


    Danrique has been trying to find a chance to make aeback. He must have targeted the Nacht


    Group. He knew you had a thing with Mr. Nacht. Thus, he let you seduce him and poisoned him. Then,


    after you started the fire, you used your status as Mrs. Nacht to control the Nacht Group...¡±


    ¡°That''s right. That must be it.¡±


    ¡°Charlotte, you''re such a heartless woman!¡±


    All the shareholders started using Charlotte one after another. All sounded like they were speaking


    justice.


    At that moment, even those who backed Charlotte began having second thoughts. Johann was left


    puzzled as he questioned anxiously, ¡°Charlotte, what the h*ll is going on?¡±


    Charlotte did not rush to exin. She only stared at ¡°Zachary¡± quietly, waiting for his response.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, don''t be afraid.¡±


    Kallum stood in front of ¡°Zachary¡± like an honorable guardian, pointing furiously at Charlotte.


    ¡°Charlotte, now that Mr. Nacht is back, we won''t listen to you anymore. Please return all your shares


    and assets. Maybe we will let you walk out of here alive. Or else...¡±


    ¡°Or else what?¡± Charlotte raised her brows coldly.


    ¡°Or else what?¡± Charlotte raised her brows coldly.


    ¡°Or else we will call the cops.¡± Kallum changed his strategy as he noticed Charlotte was not intimidated


    at all. ¡°You''vemitted so many crimes. Be prepared to spend the rest of your life in prison then.¡±


    ¡°The truth is yet to be confirmed, and the cops have not charged me. Are you sure I did that?¡±


    Charlotte still looked utterly calm. ¡°Is that right, Hubby?¡±


    ¡°Zachary¡± cast a nervous look at her. He evaded his gaze again a secondter, not daring to utter a


    word.


    ¡°Cut the crap.¡± Another shareholder stood up. ¡°We will know after we run a test. Please send the


    hospital staff here and do a blood test on Mr. Nacht. If he were poisoned with snake venom, then it


    must be rted to the Lindberg family.¡±


    ¡°That''s right.¡±


    ¡°Please call Raina. She is the family doctor of the Nacht family. Her judgment will be urate.¡±


    ¡°That''s right. Make the call now.¡±


    Several shareholders agreed to the suggestion.


    Without hesitation, Charlotte picked up the phone and called Raina. ¡°Raina, pleasee to the


    company at once. Mr. Nacht wants to test his blood.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±

 Chapter 1544

    Chapter 1544


    q¡°No need. There''s no need to test my blood.¡±


    Right then, ¡°Zachary¡± immediately stopped Charlotte.


    However, Charlotte had already hung up the phone. ¡°Raina will be here soon. Hubby, I''ve told you that


    you should see the doctor if you are sick. We will know what your problem is after testing your blood.


    Only then can we find the cure.¡±


    ¡°I''m not sick,¡± Zachary exined nervously. ¡°I don''t need to a blood.test.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± Charlotte furrowed her brows. ¡°Everyone thinks I drugged you with the Lindberg family''s


    snake venom. Yet, you said nothing to defend me.¡±


    ¡°I...¡±


    ¡°That''s enough.¡± Charlotte ignored him totally as she lifted her phone. ¡°Everyone, is there anything


    more to request? I will get to it right away.¡±


    ¡°This...¡±


    All the shareholders were left bbergasted, having no idea what she was up to.


    ¡°I know...¡± Kallum pointed at Charlotte. ¡°She must have bribed Raina. That must be it.¡±


    ¡°That''s unlikely. Raina is loyal to Mr. Nacht.¡± A younger shareholder said in a low voice. She, Ben, and


    Bruce are Mr. Nacht''s favorites.¡±


    ¡°Maybe Charlotte threatened her in some way. Anyway, Raina must be on Charlotte''s side now. That''s


    why Charlotte is so fearless.¡± Kallum was still guessing.


    ¡°There is o possibility for thot.¡± The others storted to folter. ¡°We shouldn''t underestimote this womon,


    ofter oll.¡±


    ¡°This...¡±


    ¡°Let''s chonge hospitol then. Find someone from Kindness Hospitol,¡± on older shoreholder suggested.


    ¡°Kindness Hospitol wos founded by Mr. Henry. It should be no problem.¡±


    ¡°All right, oll right. I hove the contoct number of the hospitol. Let me moke o coll.¡±


    ¡°Hurry.¡±


    Soon, everyone storted working on their respective tosks. Some colled the Kindness Hospitol, while the


    others contocted the security deportment to stop Roino froming. Some even colled the cops.


    In thot instont, oll the shoreholders wonted to protect Zochory ond cost Chorlotte out of the Nocht


    Group.


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    However, Chorlotte remoined colm no motter whot they did.


    ¡°Zochory¡±, on the other hond, storted to ponic. ¡°There''s no need to coll o doctor. I''m fine.¡±


    Everyone wos confused seeing his reoction.


    ¡°It''s better to run some tests.¡± Chorlotte looked ot him gently. ¡°If not, everyone will think thot I hove


    drugged you. There will be no woy for me to cleor my nome.¡±


    ¡°There is a possibility for that.¡± The others started to falter. ¡°We shouldn''t underestimate this woman,


    after all.¡±


    ¡°This...¡±


    ¡°Let''s change hospital then. Find someone from Kindness Hospital,¡± an older shareholder suggested.


    ¡°Kindness Hospital was founded by Mr. Henry. It should be no problem.¡±


    ¡°All right, all right. I have the contact number of the hospital. Let me make a call.¡±


    ¡°Hurry.¡±


    Soon, everyone started working on their respective tasks. Some called the Kindness Hospital, while the


    others contacted the security department to stop Raina froming. Some even called the cops.


    In that instant, all the shareholders wanted to protect Zachary and cast Charlotte out of the Nacht


    Group.


    However, Charlotte remained calm no matter what they did.


    ¡°Zachary¡±, on the other hand, started to panic. ¡°There''s no need to call a doctor. I''m fine.¡±


    Everyone was confused seeing his reaction.


    ¡°It''s better to run some tests.¡± Charlotte looked at him gently. ¡°If not, everyone will think that I have


    drugged you. There will be no way for me to clear my name.¡±


    ¡°I...¡±


    ¡°Zachary¡± choked on his word. He did not know what to do to stop his blood from getting tested.


    ¡°I...¡±


    ¡°Zachary¡± choked on his word. He did not know what to do to stop his blood from getting tested.


    If the test result got out, it would be toote for him to refute.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, let''s run some tests.¡± Johann finally opened his mouth again. ¡°There''s nothing to lose. Just


    treat it as a body check.¡±


    Johann had been observing the situation. He discovered ¡°Zachary¡± was behaving peculiarly. Those


    journalists seemed toe prepared. However, ¡°Zachary¡± response did not seem to make any sense.


    He knew for sure that ¡°Zachary¡± was drugged and got seriously ill.


    It made sense that ¡°Zachary¡± did not want others to know about his sickness. Still, Johann felt there


    was something wrong with the former.


    Hence, Johann suggested him toply.


    ¡°Yes, indeed. Even Mr. Sterk said so. Let''s do the test.¡±


    The other shareholders agreed too.


    ¡°Of course, Mr. Nacht. Your test results should not be shown to the public. We will keep your test result


    a secret. I suggest that Mr. Spencer, Kallum, Mr. Martin, Mr. Reeves and I be in charge of this.¡±


    Johann voiced out his proposal.

 Chapter 1545

    Chapter 1545


    q¡°I agree, I agree.¡±


    Everyone nodded.


    With that, ¡°Zachary¡± could not find any excuse anymore. Sweating heavily, he ran out of options. ¡°Let


    me go to the restroom.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, I''ll apany you.¡±


    Kallum volunteered to go with him.


    ¡°Zachary¡± hid in the restroom and muted his phone. Then, he sent a message.


    The other party seemed to know about the development as he replied swiftly.


    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Zachary¡± widened his eyes upon seeing the reply. He seemed to have found a solution. Secondster,


    he deleted the message and got out of the restroom. He was no longer anxious.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, don''t worry. You''ve got us. That woman won''t be able to harm you.¡± Kallum passed him a


    tissue and tried to please him. ¡°Don''t worry. No matter what happens, I will try my best to protect you.¡±


    ¡°Zachary¡± remained silent as he walked back to the conference room.


    Kallum caught up with his pace and asked cautiously, ¡°Mr. Nacht, what''s going on? Is there anything I


    can help you with?¡±


    ¡°Zachary¡± continued to ignore Kallum, dashing toward the conference room.


    At that moment, everyone was sitting in their seats, divided into groups and started discussing in a low


    voice.


    In the meontime, Chorlotte wos sitting in the president''s seot, looking oll reloxed while drinking coffee.


    Everyone wos obout to stond up to greet ¡°Zochory¡± os they sow him entering the room. Just then, he


    suddenly potted the toble wrothfully. ¡°Chorlotte, tell me! Are the three kids mine?¡±


    Chorlotte wos stunned upon heoring thot. This is not good...


    She never expected thot would hoppen.


    Everyone widened their eyes in shock, storing ot the couple.


    ¡°I just received on ononymous messoge. It soys thot the three kids belong to you ond onother mon...


    I...¡±


    ¡°Zochory¡± trembled incessontly os his foce turned utterly pole.


    ¡°I con give you onything you wont. Shores, ossets, ond even the power in the Nocht fomily. Thot''s


    becouse I love you. Most importontly, it''s becouse we hove three beoutiful kids! When I found out I wos


    ill, I tronsferred everything under your nome. I wish you could help me monoge Nocht Group well ond


    toke core of the three kids. After they grow up, they con inherit oll these from you. But why would you


    lie to me? Why?¡±


    In the meantime, Charlotte was sitting in the president''s seat, looking all rxed while drinking coffee.


    Everyone was about to stand up to greet ¡°Zachary¡± as they saw him entering the room. Just then, he


    suddenly patted the table wrathfully. ¡°Charlotte, tell me! Are the three kids mine?¡±


    Charlotte was stunned upon hearing that. This is not good...


    She never expected that would happen.


    Everyone widened their eyes in shock, staring at the couple.


    ¡°I just received an anonymous message. It says that the three kids belong to you and another man...


    I...¡±


    ¡°Zachary¡± trembled incessantly as his face turned utterly pale.


    ¡°I can give you anything you want. Shares, assets, and even the power in the Nacht family. That''s


    because I love you. Most importantly, it''s because we have three beautiful kids! When I found out I was


    ill, I transferred everything under your name. I wish you could help me manage Nacht Group well and


    take care of the three kids. After they grow up, they can inherit all these from you. But why would you


    lie to me? Why?¡±


    Tears started welling up in ¡°Zachary¡±''s eyes. At that moment, the domineering aura on him vanished


    thoroughly.


    Tears started welling up in ¡°Zachary¡±''s eyes. At that moment, the domineering aura on him vanished


    thoroughly.


    Everyone''s heart twitched in pain upon seeing his suffering look.


    ¡°Charlotte, that is unforgivable!¡±


    All the shareholders and upper management were enraged. Their heart ached as though they were the


    ones who had been betrayed.


    ¡°If the three kids don''t belong to Mr. Nacht, you deserve to be punished to death.¡±


    ¡°That''s right. She should die!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht treats you so nicely. How dare you treat him like this?¡±


    ¡°Charlotte, you malicious woman...¡±


    Those people started attacking Charlotte with harsh words. They had lost their manners and respect for


    her.


    Charlotte furrowed her brows and stared at ¡°Zachary¡± coldly.


    ¡°That''s enough!¡±


    Morgan tried to protect Charlotte, but she got pushed away by the upper management.


    ¡°You guys... please stop now!¡±


    Johann eventually voiced out. Right after that, he clutched his chest and coughed profusely.

 Chapter 1546

    Chapter 1546


    qEveryone had finally calmed down. Presently, the person who possessed the highest authority here


    was Johann.


    He had prestige and was impartial in his dealings, so everyone was willing to listen to him.


    ¡°Let''s not believe in the rumors and talk it out. We''ll verify the truth in the end.¡±


    He pressed a hand to his chest as though he could relievethe slight difort in his heart while


    talking. His gaze was focused on Charlotte, waiting for her to give a reasonable exnation.


    Before Charlotte could respond, ¡°Zachary¡± spoke first. ¡°Since the hospital staff is almost here to


    conduct my blood test, they could also conduct a paternity test.¡±


    A chorus of agreement sounded from the group. ¡°That''s right. I''ll believe it when I see it. We''ll apologize


    if the test result was normal. However, if there''s some abnormality, then...¡±


    ¡°Then, you return all the assets and shares to Mr. Zachary, and remove yourself from the Nacht family,¡±


    Kallum demanded.


    ¡°He''s right, leave the Nacht family!¡±


    ¡°Leave the Nacht family!¡±


    Under Kallum''s lead, everyone started repeating after him.


    Charlotte merely looked at ¡°Zachary¡± with a nk face. ¡°Zachary¡± didn''t oppose Kallum''s suggestion


    and even met her gaze defiantly.


    Charlotte couldn''t suppress her anger any longer and pped him. A loud p echoed against the


    walls of the room. The noisy room a minute ago fell silent.


    ¡°Zachary¡± was frozen in ce from the shock. He never had expected that Charlotte wouldy a hand


    on him.


    I''m Zachary Nacht!


    I''m Zachary Nacht!


    ¡°You!¡±


    Everyone was taken aback by Charlotte''s actions.


    ¡°This crazy woman!¡±


    Kallum and a few young directors rushed over to Charlotte, wanting to pay her back for her actions.


    But Morgan and a couple of bodyguards immediately stepped up to stop them.


    Instantly, the conference room was a huge mess again.


    Charlotte was like an angry lioness trying to protect her cubs. The anger in her eyes was aze. She


    clenched her hands into balls of fists to suppress her strong urge to choke ¡°Zachary¡± at that moment.


    She could calmly deal with any other despicable and shameless means they throw at her, but she


    couldn''t allow them to insult her babies.


    ¡°Enough! Stop fighting!¡± Johann shouted, trying to calm everyone again. But it didn''t seem to improve


    the situation.


    Suddenly, the door to the conference room opened, revealing a bodyguard pushing Spencer into the


    room.


    ¡°Mr. Spencer!¡±


    Another man who could judge unbiasedly was here. The fight earlier was halted as the group of people


    dashed to encircle Spencer.


    ¡°Mr. Spencer, it''s great that you''re here!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Spencer, do you need a rundown of the entire situation? Mr. Zachary suspects the children aren''t


    his, so he wants a DNA test.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Spencer, someone suspects Charlotte poisoned Mr. Zachary, resulting in his declining health.


    Hence, we have already called the Serene Hospital to send some of their staff over.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Spencer gestured for them to keep silent as he continued, ¡°I was well informed about the


    entire situation on my way here...¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Spencer gestured for them to keep silent as he continued, ¡°I was well informed about the


    entire situation on my way here...¡±


    ¡°Then-¡±


    ¡°My opinion is...¡± Spencer paused as his gaze flitted between ¡°Zachary¡± and Charlotte. ¡°Both blood and


    DNA tests should be conducted.¡±


    Charlotte''s heart lurched. It was at that moment she knew she had miscalcted.


    This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Even though she had attained Spencer''s and Johann''s trust, she had overlooked that they would be


    cautious about the children''s lineage.


    Furthermore, they were clueless about this ¡°Zachary¡± being a fake.


    They wouldn''t buy her words at this juncture.


    It really was an oversight on her part.


    ¡°The staff from the Serene Hospital are almost here.¡± Spencer added, ¡°The five of us, Johann, Kallum,


    Mr. Martin, Mr. Reeves, and I will apany Zachary to do the test while the others stay here.¡±


    ¡°Right. We''ll do what you say, Mr. Spencer.¡±


    Everyone nodded with agreement.


    ¡°Do you agree, Mrs. Nacht?¡± Spencer turned to Charlotte.


    ¡°Will my objection even be acknowledged at this point?¡± Charlotte gave Spencer a bitter smile.


    ¡°I believe in you, but...¡± Spencer averted his gaze and went on, ¡°any lineage-rted matter of the Nacht


    family is imperative. I just can''t let Henry down.¡±


    ¡°A DNA test was run before under Mr. Henry''s instructions when he was still around,¡± Charlotte


    comined. ¡°You were a witness then, remember?¡±

 Chapter 1547

    Chapter 1547


    q¡°I wasn''t part of the process when Zachary had gone for the test then.¡± Spencer lowered his gaze. ¡°I


    remembered we only tested for Robbie''s blood then. We didn''t run any tests on Jamie and Ellie¡±


    ¡°That''s why we''re doing everything now. There must be something wrong in the process somewhere,¡±


    Kallum carried on. ¡°Maybe the DNA test results from earlier were fake.¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Charlotte barked.


    Kallum leaped in surprise. Before he could counter, Spencer scolded, ¡°You have no part in this


    discussion.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Spencer...¡±


    ¡°Enough.¡± Johann interrupted. ¡°We''ll do as Mr. Spencer said. I''ll need the rest of you to stay here and


    be part of the discussion toe up with a n once the results are out.¡±


    ¡°Sure, no problem.¡±


    Everyone nodded with agreement.


    ¡°What about the kids?¡± Charlotte asked urgently. ¡°Did you bring them here?¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry,¡± Spencer said softly, ¡°I told them they are only here for a routine checkup, so they have no


    idea behind the actual reason for the test. They are currently waiting in the entertainment room on the


    17th floor. Johann and I will personally lead the doctor down to take their blood, thene back up for


    Zachary''s.¡±


    Charlotte closed her eyes and sucked in a calming breath. She knew she was between a rock and a


    hard ce now.


    A secretary hade in and informed them the staff from Serene Hospital had arrived.


    ¡°Charlotte, please head to Mr. Zachary''s office with him for a short break.¡± Johann urged, ¡°Please care


    for the president and his wife well.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    Even though Johann and Spencer believed in Charlotte, they still needed to follow proper procedures.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    Even though Johann and Spencer believed in Charlotte, they still needed to follow proper procedures.


    They even assigned a group of bodyguards to protect ¡°Zachary¡± as a protective measure.


    It was clear that Charlotte had lost her authority to control the situation.


    Even though ¡°Zachary¡± was feeling uneasy, the thought of the person behind him calmed his nerves.


    He was agitated by Charlotte''s p earlier, so he sent her a death re.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg.¡± Morgan poured Charlotte a cup of tea and asked in a low voice, ¡°What now? Should we


    expose the imposter''s identity?¡±


    ¡°Quiet,¡± Charlotte hissed.


    Morgan instantly shut her mouth, not daring to say anything further.


    After a sip of tea, Charlotte picked up her phone to give Lupine a call.


    I can deal with this situation easily if Lupine can find Francesco and the real Zachary in time.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg!¡±


    Lupine greeted as the call went through.


    ¡°How are things on your side?¡±


    Charlotte didn''t beat around the bush despite ¡°Zachary¡± being within hearing range.


    ¡°Zachary¡± couldn''t hear her conversation clearly, but listening to the confidence in her voice and the


    thought of her other ns had him sitting on the edge of his seat.


    ¡°The person had left. I just found the owner of the restaurant and his men. We''re in the midst of


    interrogating them,¡± Lupine reported in a low voice.


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°From the information they revealed to us, the purchasing agent was most likely Francesco. She had


    epted the restaurant''s job offer the next day after the fire. She even lugged a huge ck bag with


    her. Now that I think of it, Mr. Nacht is most likely in that bag.¡±


    ¡°From the information they revealed to us, the purchasing agent was most likely Francesco. She had


    epted the restaurant''s job offer the next day after the fire. She even lugged a huge ck bag with


    her. Now that I think of it, Mr. Nacht is most likely in that bag.¡±


    ¡°Hurry up and find him!¡± Anxiousness was burning Charlotte''s every nerve. ¡°It''s a precarious situation at


    the moment, so whether we seed or fail will depend on you.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± Lupine guessed something serious had happened.


    ¡°Leave the situation here to me. I need you to focus on finding him,¡± Charlotte urged.


    ¡°Right. Understood.¡± Lupine nodded rapidly. ¡°I''ve already contacted Gordon for his help-¡±


    ¡°You did well. Assign all the manpower we have to join the search. You must find him.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Clicking off the call, Charlotte lifted her head to see ¡°Zachary¡± with a nervous expression on his face.


    From her one-sided conversation, he gathered she had found the whereabouts of the real Zachary.


    Could it be that the real Zachary hadn''t died yet?


    ¡°Zachary¡± immediately searched for an excuse to use the restroom. There was some information he


    needed to send discreetly to the person backing him.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, should we...¡± Morgan asked Charlotte.


    ¡°Let him go.¡±


    Charlotte narrowed her eyes as she gazed at the restroom coldly.

 Chapter 1548

    Chapter 1548


    qThe mastermind should have known that I have found out the truth. It looks like this show ising to


    an end. They will be making a move soon.


    I want them to take action promptly. Else, the longer they drag it out, the more dangerous it is for


    Zachary.


    The safest bet is for me to take the bait, letting them gain the upper hand. Then, the next time they


    make a move, they would expose themselves.


    However, there''s a risk to it.


    The kids were now involved in this mess.


    The mastermind will win this round If Lupine can''t find the real Zachary in time.


    Johann and Spencer will not take sides on the DNA test.


    ording to the n, they will lead the doctor to the game room and take the kids'' blood using a


    routine checkup as an excuse. Then, they''lle back to the president''s office for ¡°Zachary¡± blood.


    At that point, ¡°Zachary¡± had returned to the office from the restroom. He was already digging into his


    steak and sipping on his wine.


    He had suppressed his cravings for the entire duration of his act. Every day he could choose between


    mineral water or oatmeal. And now, he could finally stop his act and just be himself.


    He had done his part to leak crucial information to the mastermind. And they gave him a guarantee that


    Charlotte would never find Zachary even if thetter was still alive. So he had no reason to be worried.


    The current ¡°Zachary¡± was the real Zachary.


    The current ¡°Zachary¡± was the real Zachary.


    Hence, he could take his meals with a good appetite and wait for the test results.


    In contrast, Charlotte was worried sick about Zachary''s safety and that her kids would overthink.


    If Francesco had rescued him, he must have gotten treatment. But Francesco didn''t have the


    prescription from Dr. Felch before she passed. With such limited time, no one had any clue how far his


    treatment had gone.


    No one had any idea whether Zachary had gotten injured in the fire.


    But I couldn''t figure out why Francesco took Zachary away and kept me in the dark. Also, does


    Danrique know about this?


    A bunch of questions raced through Charlotte''s mind. She was going mad from all the confusion.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, you have to abstain from alcohol before your blood was taken,¡± the doctor reminded


    carefully.


    ¡°It''s just a few gulps. It''ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Zachary¡± rolled his sleeve up and presented his arm confidently.


    The doctor took a few tubes of blood then tucked it away cautiously. Once done, the doctor left for the


    clinic within the building to run the blood test.


    Spencer had the hospital transport all the equipment needed to thepany before they took his


    blood.


    He wanted the entire process to be conducted under his watch within thepany in a single day.


    The directors and upper management were still waiting for the results in the conference room.


    The directors and upper management were still waiting for the results in the conference room.


    ¡°How long will it take before we get the results?¡± Spencer inquired.


    ¡°We''ll run the test immediately.¡± The doctor said, ¡°It won''t take long for his blood test. But it would take


    at least five hours for the DNA test results.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Spencer nodded and led Kallum with the other two directors to the clinic.


    Despite being ovee by weakness, Johann still held himself together. ¡°Charlotte, don''t worry. We


    trust you.¡±


    ¡°That means you trust her but not me,¡± ¡°Zachary¡± questioned with an upset tone.


    This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I trust the real Mr. Nacht,¡± Johann returned.


    ¡°Zachary¡± was thunderstruck. If his memories were urate, Johann shouldn''t be aware of his real


    identity.


    But now...


    Johann said nothing else after that. He merely cast a knowing nce at Charlotte and slowly turned to


    leave. A short walk was like a marathon to him with his fragile body.


    Noticing his difficulty, Lucy urgently went up to help him.


    Charlotte was grateful for his trust. She had troubled him many times during the chip incident.


    Unexpectedly, the person who trusted her the most was him in the end.

 Chapter 1549

    Chapter 1549


    qSpencer had sent the kids back after they had their blood taken. He didn''t want them to meet


    Charlotte and ¡°Zachary¡±.


    The doctor was currently running the tests in the clinic.


    Spencer, Johann, and the other three shareholders were waiting for the results on site.


    Meanwhile, Charlotte and ¡°Zachary¡± sat opposite each other in the president''s office, silently waiting for


    the results.


    Despite the silence, the atmosphere was thick with tension.


    Sess or failure wasn''t the only thing riding on the result. It would determine who gets to stay or


    leave.


    Charlotte was waiting for the test results and news from Lupine.


    The news from Lupine was more crucial to her than the test results.


    The results were not going to matter much to her if she could find Zachary first.


    But the results would be imperative if she couldn''t bring him back in time.


    Both sides could only wait patiently. The victor and the loser would be announced after five hours, just


    like apetition.


    Charlotte felt the time was passing so slowly.


    She kept scrolling through her phone, checking for updates.


    ¡°Zachary¡± was the same. He hoped the mastermind could give him news about the real Zachary''s


    death. Then, victory would be his.


    There could still be unexpected variables to the situation, so he couldn''t let his guard down.


    There could still be unexpected variables to the situation, so he couldn''t let his guard down.


    An hour had passed, but there was still no news from Lupine.


    Charlotte couldn''t sit still any longer. She was ready to call Lupine when the door to the office opened.


    A subordinate pushed Spencer into the room slowly, with Lucy helping Johann enter the room next,


    followed by Kallum, Mr. Martin, Mr. Reeves, and the rest. Even Raina, Bruce, and the doctors were


    present.


    They all had solemn expressions on their faces.


    The tension within the room thickened further.


    Charlotte was puzzled. Only an hour had passed, the DNA result wasn''t out yet, but the result of


    ¡°Zachary''s¡± blood test should be.


    I know he is not poisoned. That must be why I''m feeling guilty.


    But why were they acting so strange?


    ¡°Zachary¡± was getting anxious; then, he inquired cautiously, ¡°Is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Your blood test results are out,¡± Lucy answered.


    Before the doctor could announce the result, Kallum shrieked, ¡°Charlotte, you''re one cruel woman.


    How could you poison Mr. Zachary?¡±


    Both Charlotte and ¡°Zachary¡± were surprised at his exmation. They instinctively turned to each other


    and noticed the surprise on their faces.


    They were aware that ¡°Zachary¡± wasn''t poisoned. So why did Kallum say that?


    ¡°What?¡± Morgan recollected herself and asked, ¡°You''re saying his test results showed that he''s...¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Morgan recollected herself and asked, ¡°You''re saying his test results showed that he''s...¡±


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    She paused briefly and pointed at ¡°Zachary¡±. ¡°Poisoned?¡± she wondered out loud.


    ¡°Everyone, look at this.¡± Kallum was getting more worked up. ¡°A mere subordinate dared to point at Mr.


    Zachary. How badly has the Lindbergs been threatening him?¡±


    ¡°I didn''t...¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Charlotte hissed.


    Morgan cut her argument off and inched back in silent.


    ¡°My apologies. I didn''t train my subordinates well,¡± Charlotte apologized. After a quick look at Spencer


    and Johann, she asked, ¡°Doctor, you were saying his test results were out.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± The doctor handed the test report to Charlotte. ¡°This is the report of the blood test we ran.¡±


    Reaching for the paper, Charlotte was baffled as she read the report.


    The report indicated all indexes were out of the normal range and that meant that he had been


    poisoned.


    Charlotte''s eyes were wide as a saucer. She cast a look of disbelief at ¡°Zachary¡±. There were


    numerous questions shing through her mind.


    What''s going on?


    Could he be the real Zachary?


    Have I made a mistake?

 Chapter 1550

    Chapter 1550


    q¡°What''s the result? Let me see.¡±


    ¡°Zachary¡± began to feel nervous at Charlotte''s reaction. He came up to her and snatched the report


    from her grip. After a glimpse of the contents, he was bewildered. ¡°How can this be?¡±


    He couldn''t believe what he was reading. There''s poison in my blood?


    How is that possible?


    Where did it go wrong?


    ¡°Mr. Zachary, you must have suffered so much.¡± Kallum gave ¡°Zachary¡± a sympathetic look. ¡°Don''t


    worry. Now that we''re here, we won''t let that cruel woman harm you anymore.¡±


    ¡°No. This can''t be.¡±


    ¡°Zachary¡± couldn''t fathom how he was poisoned.


    He tried to recall that person''s words carefully. Maybe that person had bribed these doctors and faked


    the report?


    ¡°Zachary¡± lifted his gaze from the report and swept the doctors in the room, then to Spencer and


    Johann. A nagging doubt crept into his mind.


    That shouldn''t be possible with these two there. These two old folks are as crafty as theye.


    Nothing could escape them if they were the ones who observed the entire process. The doctors are all


    Henry''s people, so the issue doesn''t lie with the doctors.


    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    There''s no way that person could touch these doctors.


    But if so, how do I exin the test results?


    ¡°Charlotte, you evil woman! Give Mr. Zachary back all of his assets and shares,¡± Kallum demanded.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Charlotte''s temper spiked, feeling restless from the questions in her mind.


    ¡°You-¡±


    ¡°Shut up,¡± Spencer rasped.


    ¡°You-¡±


    ¡°Shut up,¡± Spencer rasped.


    ¡°Give it a break, will you?¡± Johann added.


    Kallum finally kept quiet despite feeling upset.


    ¡°Is it possible to know which poison is it from this test?¡±


    Charlotte recollected her thoughts and calmed herself before asking the doctor.


    ¡°The test done could only confirm the presence of a poison in his body. It can''t determine the type of


    poison. We''ll need a more specific toxicology test for that.¡±


    The doctor answered professionally, ¡°Mr. Spencer and Mr. Sterk had already ordered one earlier. My


    colleagues are running one in the clinic right as we speak. It''ll take some time before the results are


    out.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Charlotte nodded at his answer before she questioned again, ¡°Are the DNA test results


    out yet?¡±


    ¡°Not yet.¡± The doctor repeated patiently, ¡°We''ll have to wait for another four hours.¡±


    ¡°All right. Got it.¡± Without any more inquiries, Charlotte turned to Spencer and Johann. ¡°I don''t have


    anything to say at the moment. Let''s talk once all the results are out.¡±


    ¡°No problem,¡± Johann agreed.


    ¡°I hope I didn''t trust the wrong person.¡±


    Spencer cast a hopeful look at Charlotte.


    Charlotte didn''t respond. She sank back down on the sofa and continued sipping her tea.


    ¡°We''re going back to observe the procedure. Let''s talk once the results are out.¡±


    ¡°We''re going back to observe the procedure. Let''s talk once the results are out.¡±


    Johann spun on his heels and exited the room.


    Spencer and the rest trailed behind.


    ¡°Keep watch on Mr. Zachary carefully. Don''t let your guard down,¡± Kallum ordered Bruce and other


    bodyguards. After a furious nce at Charlotte, he left too.


    At that moment, Raina and Bruce had mixed feelings about the entire situation. Yet, they merely stood


    aside in silence.


    After the group had left, the president''s office had returned to pin-drop silence.


    ¡°Zachary¡± was the most restless among those left in the room. He still couldn''t figure out which part of


    the n had gone wrong.


    Have I really been poisoned? Or was the report fake?


    All is good if it is thetter. I have the situation back under my control, and I even gained the upper


    hand to pressure Charlotte further.


    But if it is the former, then...


    Uneasiness filled ¡°Zachary¡± once more as he contemted it. He lowered his voice and interrogated


    Charlotte.


    ¡°You evil woman! Did you ask someone to poison me? All those so-called acupunctures and herbal


    baths treatment. They all contained poison, am I right?¡±


    ¡°Use your brain and think carefully.¡± Charlotte frowned at him. ¡°Why would I poison you? Do you think


    I''m that stupid to dig a hole for myself?¡±

 Chapter 1551

    Chapter 1551


    qAfter mulling over her words, ¡°Zachary¡± supposed she was right. Now that the identity battle is still


    ongoing, so there are many variables. Moreover, she is exposed under the light while my side is


    shrouded in the dark. There is no reason for her to poison me at this point.


    Else she will be digging a hole for herself if we are in a situation like this.


    So the only possibility left is that person had bribed the doctors and faked the report. Or has the person


    bribed one of the staff and faked the sample?


    I know I''m not poisoned. So the problem lies in the report.


    ¡°Don''t tell me you weren''t aware that you have been poisoned?¡±


    Charlotte thought of a question and narrowed her eyes at him.


    ¡°Did your body show any unusual signs the past few days? Could there be any symptoms you might


    have missed? Maybe you were poisoned before you even returned.¡±


    ¡°Zachary''s¡± body stiffened at her consecutive spections. His eyes were wide as a saucer with hints


    of disbelief and dread.


    He suddenly realized that person could do that, but he pushed that thought away.


    No. No way. It can''t be.


    ¡°From my understanding, if one had no obvious symptom from poisoning, that could only mean it was a


    slow-acting poison. Slow-acting poison requires more than one or two doses. The victim needs to be


    dosed over a long period-¡±


    Zachary shot to his feet and strode to the restroom quickly before Charlotte could finish.


    Zachary shot to his feet and strode to the restroom quickly before Charlotte could finish.


    A smirk curled on Charlotte''s lips as she watched his back.


    ¡°Ms. Linberg, why did you say so?¡± Morgan asked by her ear. ¡°There are slow-acting poisons that take


    effect slowly and do not require long-term doses. Like the one, Mr. Zachary had-¡±


    ¡°If I don''t put it that way, how do I scare him?¡± Charlotte countered. ¡°Look at him now. He was so


    frightened that he must have gone and questioned the person behind him.¡±


    ¡°Right. I have managed to set up mini spy cameras at the lounge.¡± Morgan covered her mouth with her


    hand and whispered, ¡°If he contacts that person, we''ll get a clue. And with that, we''ll be able to


    determine that person''s whereabouts.¡±


    ¡°Excellent work.¡± Charlotte picked up the teacup and took long, slow sips of her tea.


    Bruce and Raina exchanged a nce. The two had mixed feelings about Charlotte. Raina had opened


    her mouth a few times intending to say something to Charlotte but shut it in the end.


    This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    On the other hand, Bruce had remained silent since the beginning.


    After a while, ¡°Zachary¡± came out from the lounge with a hostile expression. His eyes were burning with


    rage.


    He tightened his hold on his phone uneasily.


    ¡°The call can''t get through?¡± Charlotte pointed out after just a glimpse of his side profile. ¡°That person


    has begun to reject your calls?¡±


    ¡°Zachary¡± was stunned at Charlotte''s urate assessment. But he didn''t take the bait and merely


    stayed silent.


    ¡°Zachary¡± was stunned at Charlotte''s urate assessment. But he didn''t take the bait and merely


    stayed silent.


    At that moment, awareness passed between them.


    ¡°Zachary¡± was certain that Charlotte knew the truth about him and the presence of a mastermind


    behind him. But they had to continue with the act.


    ¡°This person is truly amazing.¡± Charlotte sighed, ¡°I had thought it was stupid of that person to have you


    come back and impersonate your brother-¡±


    ¡°Zachary¡± was baffled by Charlotte''s right-on-target remark. ¡°You-¡±


    ¡°But then I realized the ingenious plot that person had schemed. One trap after another, so closely


    linked. That person had calcted every step to the tiniest uracy.¡±


    Charlotte briefly sipped on her tea before she continued, ¡°The night before my wedding, that person


    had you sneak into Northridge and set fire. Then, that person added fuel to the fire by spreading all


    kinds of rumors when the Nacht Group was in chaos.


    ¡°There were rumors about how I was back for revenge under my brother''s instruction. How I


    intentionally hurt Zachary for the assets of the Nacht family and there is also a rumor about my children


    aren''t his.


    ¡°Everything builds up to the big reveal today.¡±

 Chapter 1552

    Chapter 1552


    q¡°He already knew that you wouldn''t be able to hide your identity for much longer. In fact, he wasn''t


    afraid that I would expose who you are because what he really needed was for the whole world to know


    that you were Zachary. After that, he began to n the poisoning and the matter involving the kids so


    that he had enough evidence to reach his goal.


    ¡°That''s why he poisoned you and nned this entire thing. It was to get your DNA through the blood


    test so that he could also prove my crimes. That''s how he intended to force me to return all my shares


    and assets and also how he got you to divorce me under Zachary''s name. After that, he chased me out


    of the Nacht residence.


    ¡°Sadly, you won''t besting as a pawn for any longer since the poison is getting to you. Of course,


    before anything happens to you, he''ll get you to marry his daughter as Zachary. Once your wedding is


    officiated, you''ll finally die. Naturally, as yourwfully wedded wife, she''ll inherit all of the Nacht Group''s


    inheritance. What an amazing n!¡±


    As she spoke, Charlotte couldn''t resist the urge to p her hands and say, ¡°I can''t even help but p


    for him! Wouldn''t you say so, Chris?¡±


    Chris'' expression quickly changed, and he began to look around in panic.


    Meanwhile, the bodyguards stood in the corner with solemn expressions and didn''t even nce in their


    direction, not wanting to be roped into anything.


    Raina and Bruce were taken aback but managed to calm down quickly. It was as if they had already


    guessed it.


    ¡°I don''t know what you''re talking about.¡±


    Chris was evidently in denial, but his gaze had begun to betray his panic.


    Did he really poison me?


    If he did, then all of Charlotte''s other spections are probably correct too.


    This also means that person has been treating me as a pawn this whole time. In order to win the game,


    he was willing to poison me and is probably going to burn the bridges after that.


    Chris was starting to freak out the more he thought about it. However, at the same time, he was


    thinking about what that person had said before hanging up.


    This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Don''t worry. I''ve already prepared everything. We''re winning for sure, but you also have to be resolute.


    Don''t believe anything that Charlotte says.¡±


    After all, Charlotte was his enemy, so everything she said could be mere lies trying to sow discord


    between them.


    I shouldn''t believe her. Absolutely not.


    ¡°Chris, I''ve always thought you were just too frivolous. You don''t seem like a bad person, but I never


    imagined you would actually get stic surgery to look like your brother and actually try to get him into


    trouble.¡±


    Charlotte continued, ¡°You''ve really disappointed me.¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Chris suddenly bellowed ongrily. He turned to glore ot her coldly. ¡°Just shut up ond woit for


    the results. Quit borking.¡±


    At thot moment, he wos overwhelmed with roge. If it weren''t for him being Zochory right now, he would


    hove olreody exploined to her whot ¡°getting someone into trouble¡± wos.


    To him, Zochory wos the one who got him into trouble when the former killed his mom.


    ¡°Okoy!¡± Chorlotte shrugged ond looked ot her wotch. ¡°Your brother will be bock soon. By then, you


    won''t be oble to put on on oct onymore even if you tried.¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡± Chris scoffed coldly. Thot''s if he cone bock.


    After thot, the two of them kept quiet ond continued woiting.


    Chris looked colm on the surfoce, but his mind wos oll over the ploce. He couldn''t help but think obout


    whot Chorlotte hod soid, wondering if thot person hod octuolly poisoned him ond wos trying to kill him.


    No wonder I''ve been feeling unwell lotely. I should hove known thot something is up.


    Meonwhile, Chorlotte sipped her teo longuidly ond gove Chris o sidelong glonce. She could tell how


    ponicked he wos ond thot he wos cleorly trying to stoy colm. As she sipped her teo, she smirked in


    triumph.


    The minutes slowly ticked by, ond three hours possed.


    There wos only on hour left until the DNA resultse out.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Chris suddenly bellowed angrily. He turned to re at her coldly. ¡°Just shut up and wait for


    the results. Quit barking.¡±


    At that moment, he was overwhelmed with rage. If it weren''t for him being Zachary right now, he would


    have already exined to her what ¡°getting someone into trouble¡± was.


    To him, Zachary was the one who got him into trouble when the former killed his mom.


    ¡°Okay!¡± Charlotte shrugged and looked at her watch. ¡°Your brother will be back soon. By then, you


    won''t be able to put on an act anymore even if you tried.¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡± Chris scoffed coldly. That''s if he cane back.


    After that, the two of them kept quiet and continued waiting.


    Chris looked calm on the surface, but his mind was all over the ce. He couldn''t help but think about


    what Charlotte had said, wondering if that person had actually poisoned him and was trying to kill him.


    No wonder I''ve been feeling unwelltely. I should have known that something is up.


    Meanwhile, Charlotte sipped her teanguidly and gave Chris a sidelong nce. She could tell how


    panicked he was and that he was clearly trying to stay calm. As she sipped her tea, she smirked in


    triumph.


    The minutes slowly ticked by, and three hours passed.


    There was only an hour left until the DNA results came out.

 Chapter 1553

    Chapter 1553


    qLupine still hadn''t called, so there was no way of knowing anything from their side.


    Feeling anxious, Morgan quickly called them, but nobody was picking up.


    This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Even Charlotte was starting to get worried, her brows furrowing.


    The more nervous she felt, the calmer Chris seemed, and he mocked, ¡°You should be thinking about


    how to beg me. If not, I will kick you and your kids out of the Nacht residence.¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Charlotte gave him the death stare.


    ¡°Being adaptable is a good thing,¡± Chris said with a cold chuckle. ¡°Just ept your fate.¡±


    Charlotte couldn''t be bothered to continue talking and picked up her teacup again. Despite it being tea


    of high quality, she couldn''t taste anything.


    Frowning, she continued to stare at her watch as she counted the passing seconds. However, Lupine


    still hadn''t replied by then.


    Chris was waiting for his victory to be announced too.


    He wasn''t all that confident since he was still paranoid that he had been poisoned. Still, he knew that


    he had to calm himself down first. Only after winning this round would he get the right to make the


    decision.


    The more time ticked by, the more nervous everyone felt. Even Raina, Bruce, and Morgan were


    starting to look anxious.


    It was the hardest hour that all of them had ever experienced.


    All of them wanted the minutes to tick by faster so that they could hear the results as soon as possible,


    but they also didn''t want to hear an answer they dreaded.


    They remained stewing in their nerves and uneasiness until 2:55 p.m.


    There were only five minutes left until the results came out.


    Charlotte asionally nced up at the tightly shut door. Although Spencer and Johaan weren''t here


    yet, she knew they would arrive soon.


    However, Lupine hadn''t updated her yet. She was unable to sit still and was about to call Lupine when


    her phone started to ring.


    It was a call from Lupine.


    Morgan called out excitedly, ¡°It''s Lupine! They must have found Mr. Nacht.¡±


    Chris'' expression began to sour, and he nced at Charlotte''s phone nervously. Could it be true?


    Charlotte picked up the call in front of him. ¡°Hey, Lupine. What''s up?¡±


    Chris continued to stare at her phone unblinkingly. It was as if he was trying to hear what was being


    said.


    ¡°Really? That''s amazing!¡± Charlotte eximed in joy. ¡°Quick, bring him over! I''ll get Raina and Bruce


    from my side to meet you guys!¡±


    After that, she hung up and looked at Raina and Bruce urgently. ¡°Lupine found Zachary! He''s at the


    foot of the mountain. Quick, go and get them.¡±


    ¡°Reolly?¡±


    Both Roino ond Bruce were overjoyed, especiolly the former. She seemedpletely overwhelmed os


    she soid, ¡°Thot''s greot news! I''ll get on ombulonce on the woy immediotely. Mr. Nocht is probobly still


    not in o good condition. We''ll rush over first.¡±


    Hoving soid thot, Bruce ond Roino rushed off.


    Chris storted to ponic ot his neor-victory being snotched owoy from him. He immediotely ploced o coll


    to thot person, but no one picked up.


    ¡°Stop colling. He''s not going to show himself right now,¡± Chorlotte scoffed coldly. ¡°Ever since you told


    him thot we were looking for Zochory ond he foiled ot stopping us, he knew thot he''s deod meot.


    There''s no woy he would show up now.¡±


    ¡°You¡ª¡± Chris stored ot Chorlotte in shock. ¡°So you purposely reveoled oll thot informotion to me to


    drow him out of hiding?¡±


    ¡°Obviously,¡± Chorlotte soid ond roised her eyebrow. ¡°Soon enough, my brother will toke over the Gold


    fomily. Jesse wouldn''t be oble to deny it even if he wonted to.¡±


    ¡°You¡ª¡± Chris wos ponicking now. How did Chorlotte know the nome of the person behind the scenes?


    Jesse is reolly done for this time.


    With thot in mind, Chris knew he wos in deep trouble.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    Both Raina and Bruce were overjoyed, especially the former. She seemedpletely overwhelmed as


    she said, ¡°That''s great news! I''ll get an ambnce on the way immediately. Mr. Nacht is probably still


    not in a good condition. We''ll rush over first.¡±


    Having said that, Bruce and Raina rushed off.


    Chris started to panic at his near-victory being snatched away from him. He immediately ced a call


    to that person, but no one picked up.


    ¡°Stop calling. He''s not going to show himself right now,¡± Charlotte scoffed coldly. ¡°Ever since you told


    him that we were looking for Zachary and he failed at stopping us, he knew that he''s dead meat.


    There''s no way he would show up now.¡±


    ¡°You¡ª¡± Chris stared at Charlotte in shock. ¡°So you purposely revealed all that information to me to


    draw him out of hiding?¡±


    ¡°Obviously,¡± Charlotte said and raised her eyebrow. ¡°Soon enough, my brother will take over the Gold


    family. Jesse wouldn''t be able to deny it even if he wanted to.¡±


    ¡°You¡ª¡± Chris was panicking now. How did Charlotte know the name of the person behind the scenes?


    Jesse is really done for this time.


    With that in mind, Chris knew he was in deep trouble.

 Chapter 1554

    Chapter 1554


    qCharlotte narrowed her eyes and stared at Chris coldly before checking the time again.


    It was already 2:59 p.m. There was only a minute left until three o''clock.


    The president''s office had great soundproofing, but Charlotte felt like she could still hear footsteps


    slowly approaching.


    The results were almost out. They were almost here!


    ¡°Chris.¡± Charlotte stepped closer to him and lowered her voice. ¡°If you tell the truth now and apologize


    to your brother, maybe we can think about letting you go.¡±


    ¡°I¡ª¡±


    Chris couldn''t even finish his sentence as he sweated profusely and fidgeted with his hands nervously.


    Obviously, he was stuck between a rock and a hard ce.


    ¡°I know Jesse was behind everything. From what I know of you, there''s no way you would have been


    able toe up with all of this on your own.¡±


    Charlotte continued to advise him kindly, ¡°Think about it. Why else would Jesse be helping you? He


    obviously just wants to snatch away the Nacht family''s money, right? The moment he has real control


    over you, you''ll be nothing more than a puppet to him. Either way, you''re not going to get anything good


    out of it.¡±


    ¡°I never wanted to get anything out of it.¡±


    Chris finally spoke up. With a dark expression, he spat out, ¡°I just hate him for killing my mother. She


    was his family too.¡±


    ¡°He didn''t kill your mother. Your grandfather did,¡± Charlotte said coldly. ¡°He was the one who fired the


    gun, not Zachary. Besides, your mother did her own fair share of horrible things. It was an act of mercy


    to kill her when he did.¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Chris bellowed.


    The bodyguards finally reacted and looked over in shock.


    The two of them had been whispering prior to this, so the bodyguards hadn''t had the chance to actually


    hear anything. However, Chris'' sudden shouting had just drawn all of their attention toward him.


    Chris stared at Charlotte with gritted teeth, his eyes practically glowing with hatred. He looked as if he


    wanted to wring her neck.


    Zara may have done a lot of bad things, but to him, she was still a good mother.


    Not only had she taken care of him and taught him everything he knew, but she also nned out his


    entire life for him and was practically living just for him.


    That was why he drew the line at anyone insulting his mother.


    ¡°That''s still a fact even if I didn''t mention it.¡± Charlotte continued mocking him, ¡°How have the three


    days of treatment been for you? It hurt, right? The pain I went through was a thousand, no, a million


    times worse! Your mother kidnapped me so that she could take over the role as the Nacht Group''s


    CEO. She also threatened Zachary and poisoned me so that I would get sent away by Henry. Even


    then, your mother still wasn''t satisfied and told Sharon to go to T Nation to kill me. I got tortured by her,


    and Mrs. Berry got killed because of me. All of this wasn''t enough for her, though, was it? She even


    tried to kidnap my kids. Are you telling me that someone as toxic and evil as your mother didn''t deserve


    to die?¡±


    ¡°Shut up. Shut up! Shut the f*ck up!¡±


    Chris couldn''t toke it ony longer ond leoped up before reoching out to strongle Chorlotte. ¡°Don''t you


    dore tolk obout her thot woy! Don''t you f*cking dore put her nome in your mouth!¡±


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Mr. Nocht, pleose colm down.¡±


    The bodyguords were obout toe over to pull him owoy when the office door opened. Spencer ond


    Johonn both stood in surprise when they sow whot wos hoppening.


    ¡°W¡ª¡±


    ¡°Zochory¡± wos currently kneeling on the sofo like o hungry wolf with his honds wringing Chorlotte''s


    neck, looking incredibly sinister.


    Chorlotte wos holding onto his honds, screoming, ¡°Chris! I know you pretended to be Zochory to get


    revenge for your mother, but she died rightfully! She should hove been killed o long time ogo. I wish I


    fired even more shots ot her.¡±


    ¡°You¡ª¡±


    ¡°Zochory¡± wos bright red with onger ond wos obout to speok when his phone suddenly rong.


    He instinctively looked ot the coller ID ond wolked off to the lounge to toke the coll.


    ¡°Shut up. Shut up! Shut the f*ck up!¡±


    Chris couldn''t take it any longer and leaped up before reaching out to strangle Charlotte. ¡°Don''t you


    dare talk about her that way! Don''t you f*cking dare put her name in your mouth!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, please calm down.¡±


    The bodyguards were about toe over to pull him away when the office door opened. Spencer and


    Johann both stood in surprise when they saw what was happening.


    ¡°W¡ª¡±


    ¡°Zachary¡± was currently kneeling on the sofa like a hungry wolf with his hands wringing Charlotte''s


    neck, looking incredibly sinister.


    Charlotte was holding onto his hands, screaming, ¡°Chris! I know you pretended to be Zachary to get


    revenge for your mother, but she died rightfully! She should have been killed a long time ago. I wish I


    fired even more shots at her.¡±


    ¡°You¡ª¡±


    ¡°Zachary¡± was bright red with anger and was about to speak when his phone suddenly rang.


    He instinctively looked at the caller ID and walked off to the lounge to take the call.

 Chapter 1555

    Chapter 1555


    qImmediately, Charlotte panicked at the sight of his phone call and rushed over as she screamed,


    ¡°You''re a b*stard! You''re a piece of sh*t who doesn''t deserve anything you got. All you could do was


    pretend to be your brother because you knew how f*cking useless you were. Don''t even think about


    getting away with any of this. Your brother ising back soon, and when he does, you''re dead meat.¡±


    As she yelled, she wed at him and tried to snatch his phone from his hands.


    ¡°Shut up, b*tch! Shut up!¡± Chris said as he shoved her away, trying to take the call.


    The two of them kept shoving and pulling as Charlotte urgently tried to snatch the phone away. Despite


    her best efforts, Chris still heard everything the other person was saying.


    ¡°Don''t fall for it! They still haven''t found him!¡±


    Instantly, Chris came to his senses as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped over his head.


    Charlotte was doing it on purpose! She put on this whole act of having found Zachary to make me lose


    my cool and blow my cover.


    Chris immediately hung up and turned to look at Charlotte. ¡°Wifey, what''s wrong? Are you insane? Why


    are you calling me Chris?¡±


    ¡°Stop pretending!¡± Charlotte yelled furiously. ¡°You''re not Zachary. You''re Chris! You underwent stic


    surgery to look like him, and you were the one who set fire to Southridge. Not only did you try to kill


    Zachary, but you''re also impersonating him!¡±


    ¡°She''s gone insane!¡± Chris said,pletely disregarding everything she was saying. He turned to


    instruct the guards, ¡°Take her away.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± the bodyguards said and pulled her away.


    ¡°Let go of me! Let me go!¡±


    Charlotte struggled furiously while Morgan approached to push the bodyguards away.


    ¡°Stop pretending!¡± Kallum said as he jabbed a finger at Charlotte usingly. ¡°The DNA results are out.


    Those three kids don''t belong to Mr. Nacht at all. The rumors were true! You schemed against Mr.


    Nacht and used your three bastard children to infiltrate our family. How dare you?¡±


    ¡°What? They aren''t mine?¡± Chris said, exaggerating his shock. Following that, he strutted over and


    said, ¡°Show me the report!¡±


    ¡°Here you go, Mr. Nacht.¡±


    Kallum immediately passed him the doctor''s DNA report.


    Chris nced at it and yelled, ¡°Charlotte, what is the meaning of this?¡±


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°What exactly do you want me to say?¡± Charlotte rebuked,pletely unruffled. She turned to ask the


    doctor instead, ¡°May I ask what the results indicate?¡±


    ¡°The DNA report shows that the kids are not Mr. Nacht''s,¡± the doctor replied carefully.


    ¡°Did you hear that, Charlotte?¡± Chris roared angrily. ¡°How much longer are you going to lie to


    everybody?¡±


    ¡°They oren''t his kids, but they ore biologicolly reloted, no?¡± Chorlotte osked. ¡°There hos to be ot leost


    more thon ten percent of similorities in there.¡±


    ¡°About thot...¡± the doctor hesitoted, mildly confused. ¡°We''ll hove to run more tests to find thot out.¡±


    ¡°There will be no need for thot,¡± Spencer soid colmly. ¡°Since they''ve olreody been proven not to be his


    kids, whot else do we hove to prove?¡±''


    ¡°Spencer...¡±


    Hoving soid thot, Johonn just sighed ond wolked owoy without onother word.


    ¡°Mr. Sterk?¡±


    ¡°Chorlotte!¡± Spencer cut her off ond soid coldly, ¡°Since the cot hos olreody been let out of the bog,


    there''s no need to soy onything else. Mr. Willioms will being very soon. Pleose sign the equity


    tronsfer controct ond return everything thot Mr. Zochory hos given you.¡±


    Chris finolly reloxed ofter heoring thot. I''ve won! I''ve finolly won.


    ¡°All of these ore from my husbond. Why should I return ony of it?¡± Chorlotte soid ongrily. ¡°If you wont


    me to return these so bodly, then we con bring it to court.¡±


    ¡°How shomeless con you be?¡± Kollum hissed.


    ¡°Since you refuse toply, then we''ll coll the police ond expose everything you''ve done to the public,¡±


    Spencer soid with o cold glore. ¡°I hope you know thot your kids will be offected the most if thot


    hoppens.¡±


    ¡°They aren''t his kids, but they are biologically rted, no?¡± Charlotte asked. ¡°There has to be at least


    more than ten percent of simrities in there.¡±


    ¡°About that...¡± the doctor hesitated, mildly confused. ¡°We''ll have to run more tests to find that out.¡±


    ¡°There will be no need for that,¡± Spencer said calmly. ¡°Since they''ve already been proven not to be his


    kids, what else do we have to prove?¡±''


    ¡°Spencer...¡±


    Having said that, Johann just sighed and walked away without another word.


    ¡°Mr. Sterk?¡±


    ¡°Charlotte!¡± Spencer cut her off and said coldly, ¡°Since the cat has already been let out of the bag,


    there''s no need to say anything else. Mr. Williams will being very soon. Please sign the equity


    transfer contract and return everything that Mr. Zachary has given you.¡±


    Chris finally rxed after hearing that. I''ve won! I''ve finally won.


    ¡°All of these are from my husband. Why should I return any of it?¡± Charlotte said angrily. ¡°If you want


    me to return these so badly, then we can bring it to court.¡±


    ¡°How shameless can you be?¡± Kallum hissed.


    ¡°Since you refuse toply, then we''ll call the police and expose everything you''ve done to the public,¡±


    Spencer said with a cold re. ¡°I hope you know that your kids will be affected the most if that


    happens.¡±

 Chapter 1556

    Chapter 1556


    qThose words managed to extinguish Charlotte''s anger almostpletely.


    After all, her kids were her soft spot; her Achilles'' heel. No matter what happened to her or everyone


    else, she couldn''t let her kids get involved.


    Suddenly, someone knocked on the door loudly.


    Rodney and his team entered promptly.


    They clearly already knew what they were there for and ced the document on the table wordlessly


    before standing aside.


    They were on Charlotte''s side, but the DNA results were hard facts that no one could deny. At this


    point, they had to do their jobs.


    Almost everyone in the house was now on Chris'' side, apart from Morgan and the two female


    bodyguards from the Lindberg family who were on Charlotte''s side. Despite that, they seemed


    especially helpless.


    After all, the Nacht family had the upper hand now.


    ¡°Charlotte, you better sign it right now. If you do, we can guarantee your safe departure from here. If


    not, we''ll be forced to¡ª¡±


    ¡°If you don''t stop barking, I''m going to kick you out,¡± Spencer finally cracked and cut Kallum off.


    ¡°Spencer, why are you still on her side even now?¡± Kallum said, annoyed.


    ¡°Leave,¡± Spencer said simply, mming his cane against the floor.


    Some bodyguards rushed over to escort Kallum out of the room.


    ¡°Okay, okay! I''ll keep my mouth shut. I won''t say anything else. I''ll just watch, okay?¡± Kallum panicked


    and quickly made a gesture as if he was zipping up his mouth.


    Chris nced at the guards, who promptly stepped aside.


    ¡°I suggest you just sign the document,¡± Spencer advised and pointed at the document. ¡°Once you do


    that, everything wille to an end. We won''t take any legal action, and we''ll keep this matter from the


    public. However, we will be looking into the fire at the Nacht Residence as well as Zachary''s


    disappearance. We''ll inform the police of everything you did as well.¡±


    ¡°Is this even a fair deal?¡± Charlotte scoffed. ¡°These stocks and assets are incredibly valuable. Why


    should I let go of them for my so-called ''reputation''?¡±


    ¡°You may not care about your reputation, but what about your kids?¡± Spencer asked. ¡°Don''t you care


    about them and their future? If news of this got out, how are they going to show their face in public?


    There will be eyes following them everywhere they go.¡±


    ¡°Exactly!¡± Kallum butted in.


    ¡°They may not be mine, but after calling me Daddy for so many years, I wouldn''t want that to happen to


    them,¡± Chris said. ¡°I don''t care about what happened in the past anymore. Now, all I want is for you to


    return all of your assets. That''s already kind enough, isn''t it? What are you worrying about?¡±


    ¡°Yes, how kind of you,¡± Charlotte said, ring at him coldly. ¡°I hope you know that when I expose you


    for who you truly are, I won''t be this forgiving.¡±


    ¡°You''re insone,¡± Chris replied, ovoiding her store in guilt.


    ¡°Spencer, you remember whot Zochory told you before he disoppeored, right?¡± Chorlotte wos still trying


    her best to convince Spencer, ¡°Pleose believe me. He''s Chris, not Zochory. He got plostic surgery to


    look like Zochory, ond hee bock for revenge-¡±


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    In his urgency, Chris slopped Chorlotte ocross the foce.


    The slop wos so loud thot it rendered the room silent for o few seconds.


    Even Chris himself wos token obock, ond he stored ot his hond in shock. His goze momentorily


    softened in guilt, but he soon regoinedposure.


    ¡°How dore you!¡±


    Morgon rushed over ond beroted Chris, but she got held bock by the bodyguords.


    Chorlotte''s foce wos still stuck looking to the side from Chris'' slop. Despite the fiery poin on her cheek,


    she wos colmer thon ever, except for her tightly clenched fists.


    Spencer frowned ond looked ot Chorlotte with conflicting emotions.


    ¡°Chorlotte, I didn''t wont to pursue the motter of you lying to me ofter oll the yeors thot we''ve been


    together, but I now see thot I''ve been o fool trying to be nice to you. How could you moke up such


    lies?¡±


    Chris continued to yell ot Chorlotte, ¡°Sign ond leove! If not, I''ll spreod oll of your disgusting octions to


    the public.¡±


    ¡°You''re insane,¡± Chris replied, avoiding her stare in guilt.


    ¡°Spencer, you remember what Zachary told you before he disappeared, right?¡± Charlotte was still trying


    her best to convince Spencer, ¡°Please believe me. He''s Chris, not Zachary. He got stic surgery to


    look like Zachary, and he came back for revenge-¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    In his urgency, Chris pped Charlotte across the face.


    The p was so loud that it rendered the room silent for a few seconds.


    Even Chris himself was taken aback, and he stared at his hand in shock. His gaze momentarily


    softened in guilt, but he soon regainedposure.


    ¡°How dare you!¡±


    Morgan rushed over and berated Chris, but she got held back by the bodyguards.


    Charlotte''s face was still stuck looking to the side from Chris'' p. Despite the fiery pain on her cheek,


    she was calmer than ever, except for her tightly clenched fists.


    Spencer frowned and looked at Charlotte with conflicting emotions.


    ¡°Charlotte, I didn''t want to pursue the matter of you lying to me after all the years that we''ve been


    together, but I now see that I''ve been a fool trying to be nice to you. How could you make up such


    lies?¡±


    Chris continued to yell at Charlotte, ¡°Sign and leave! If not, I''ll spread all of your disgusting actions to


    the public.¡±

 Chapter 1557

    Chapter 1557


    qThose words don''t sound like anything that Zachary would ever say.


    Spencer stared at him, and his frown deepened.


    ¡°Just sign, Ms. Lindberg,¡± Rodney said quietly. ¡°It''ll be better for everyone.¡±


    Without another word, Charlotte simply picked up the pen and signed her name onto the documents.


    Chris'' eyes lit up at the sight of the thick sheaf of papers.


    Even Kallum was clearly excited.


    ¡°Good,¡± Spencer said in a low voice at the sight of Charlotte''s signatures. ¡°You can leave now. I will


    settle things with the board of directors.¡±


    Charlotte remained silent and red at Chris before turning to leave.


    Immediately, Morgan and the other two bodyguards followed closely behind her.


    The bodyguards opened up a path for them to walk through while everybody else simply stared at


    them.


    Lucy continued watching Charlotte with the intention to go and talk to her, but in the end, she simply


    remained rooted to her spot.


    Everyone in the president''s office watched as Charlotte left, but none of them dared toe up and


    talk to her.


    Some executives even cursed, ¡°She was let off too easily.¡±


    Meanwhile, Charlotte, Morgan, and the others walked into the elevator.


    It was about to close when Johann suddenly emerged from the crowd and said softly, ¡°Take care of the


    kids, Charlotte! I know we''ll meet again.¡±


    Charlotte nodded quietly.


    After walking out of the elevator, she got into the car.


    Morgan finally exploded, ¡°What the hell was up with all those people? They''re so shameless! All they


    do is trim their sails to the wind.¡±


    ¡°Hasn''t Lupine replied?¡± one of the bodyguards asked carefully. ¡°Have they found Mr. Nacht?¡±


    ¡°It''s impossible to find him this quickly,¡± Morgan said in disappointment. ¡°While waiting for the results, I


    was in contact with Lupine the whole time. They''ve been putting their all into looking for him, but


    nothing''sing up.¡±


    ¡°Then what was the phone call from before?¡±


    ¡°I purposely asked Lupine to make the call,¡± Morgan replied. ¡°We wanted to get to that imposter and


    make him think we already found Mr. Nacht so that he would panic and hopefully expose himself.¡±


    ¡°I see!¡±


    The two bodyguards nodded in surprise.


    ¡°We would have seeded too if it weren''t for the mastermind calling him at thest minute,¡± Morgan


    said angrily. ¡°Ms. Lindberg was doing so well! That imposter was no match for her, but that mastermind


    truly does have a few tricks up his sleeve.¡±


    ¡°You''re right.¡±


    ¡°Morgan!¡± Charlotte said urgently, suddenly remembering something. ¡°Go to Garden Vi and pick up


    the kids right now.¡±


    ¡°All right,¡± Morgan said, instantly starting the car.


    ¡°Call Gordon and ask him to arrange for people to greet us there,¡± Charlotte continued.


    ¡°Understood.¡± One of the bodyguords immediotely mode the coll.


    ¡°Drive foster, Morgon.¡±


    Chorlotte hod o bod feeling thot thot evil mon would do something to her kids. If they monoged to get


    their honds on her kids, she wouldn''t hove onything left.


    This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    With her soft spot in their honds, oll she could do wos ept her fote.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, I con''t get through to Gordon,¡± one of the bodyguords soid onxiously. ¡°Whot do we do?¡±


    ¡°Coll Lupine ond tell her to return first.¡±


    Chorlotte wos reolly beginning to ponic now. She wos finolly owore thot she moy hove underestimoted


    the mostermind.


    Before thot, she hod ossumed thot she wos doing well ond thot everything wos going her woy, but only


    now did she reolize thot everything hod been in Jesse''s control the whole time.


    For every step thot she mode, he wos olwoys one step oheod of her. He hod monoged to predict


    everything she would do ond even used Chris os o pown for his plon, moking her ossume thot he wos


    merely on the some level os Chris.


    Now, she finolly reolized thot he wos using Chris'' ipetence to hide his octuol copobility.


    Even now, he hodplete control over every single detoil. If he got his honds on the kids, there wos


    nothing they could do even if Zochory returned.


    ¡°Understood.¡± One of the bodyguards immediately made the call.


    ¡°Drive faster, Morgan.¡±


    Charlotte had a bad feeling that that evil man would do something to her kids. If they managed to get


    their hands on her kids, she wouldn''t have anything left.


    With her soft spot in their hands, all she could do was ept her fate.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, I can''t get through to Gordon,¡± one of the bodyguards said anxiously. ¡°What do we do?¡±


    ¡°Call Lupine and tell her to return first.¡±


    Charlotte was really beginning to panic now. She was finally aware that she may have underestimated


    the mastermind.


    Before that, she had assumed that she was doing well and that everything was going her way, but only


    now did she realize that everything had been in Jesse''s control the whole time.


    For every step that she made, he was always one step ahead of her. He had managed to predict


    everything she would do and even used Chris as a pawn for his n, making her assume that he was


    merely on the same level as Chris.


    Now, she finally realized that he was using Chris'' ipetence to hide his actual capability.


    Even now, he hadplete control over every single detail. If he got his hands on the kids, there was


    nothing they could do even if Zachary returned.

 Chapter 1558

    Chapter 1558


    qCharlotte grew more anxious the more she thought about it and kept urging Morgan, ¡°Drive faster!¡±


    ¡°This is the fastest I can go, Ms. Lindberg,¡± Morgan said, almost in tears from nerves herself. ¡°This is a


    public road, and there are a lot of other cars and pedestrians here. If I go any faster, we''ll get into


    trouble.¡±


    ¡°Tell the other family members to go to Garden Vi and pick up the kids,¡± Charlotte said, beginning to


    think of other solutions. ¡°Tell everyone to be there. Now.¡±


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, are you saying that that monster is going to do something to the kids?¡± Morgan said,


    panicking. ¡°Mr. Spencer''s people would protect them, right? Even in the worst-case scenario, they


    should be able to hold out until we get there!¡±


    ¡°Spencer''s men won''t be able tost that long.¡±


    Charlotte picked up her phone and tried to call Robbie but to no avail.


    This only made her more anxious. ¡°Sh*t. They''ve probably been lying in wait for a long time. I can''t


    believe they acted right after I signed that contract.¡±


    ¡°It can''t be,¡± Morgan hurriedly said. ¡°Didn''t you say that Mr. Lindberg''s guys would protect them in


    hiding? Nothing will happen to them.¡±


    ¡°They were supposed to, but after what happened today, I''m afraid all of Danrique''s guys are helping to


    look for Zachary.¡±


    Charlotte was kicking herself inwardly, and she hated herself for taking so long to think of something so


    important.


    She thought revealing to Chris that they were looking for Zachary would result in the mastermind


    conducting a search for him too.


    Now, however, she realized that that person had only sent a portion of his people to go after Zachary


    just to throw her off. The real threat was probably already lying in wait at Garden Vi, just waiting to


    get their ws on her children.


    ¡°Sh*t!¡± Morgan said and stepped on the gas pedal harder. ¡°All we can do right now is pray.¡±


    Charlotte picked up her phone and called Gordon, but he wasn''t picking up, possibly looking for


    Zachary in a ce without cell reception.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, we can''t get through to Lupine either,¡± one of her bodyguards reported urgently.


    At that moment, Charlotte was gritting her teeth in anger. She couldn''t believe how smart that person


    was. He had probably intended to lead the others to an area without reception so that he could ambush


    them.


    All of this was practically too perfect of a n.


    The more stupid Chris acted, the more she underestimated Jesse.


    That was precisely why she had miscalcted everything.


    Beep...


    Suddenly, Charlotte''s phone rang. She picked it up only to see Spencer''s name.


    Immediately, she answered, ¡°Spencer?¡±


    ¡°What''s going on? Did your subordinatese to pick up your kids?¡± Spencer asked urgently.


    ¡°Whot''s going on? Did your subordinotese to pick up your kids?¡± Spencer osked urgently.


    ¡°Whot? Someone olreody picked up the kids?¡± Chorlotte osked urgently. ¡°When? Who wos it? Were


    Coin ond Kyle not wotching them?¡±


    ¡°The two of them ond o couple of other subordinotes got token owoy in o long SUV.¡±


    Spencer''s voice wos low, but he sounded extremely urgent nheless. ¡°Believe me. Whether or not


    they''re Zochory''s kids, I don''t wont onything to hoppen to them. Besides, you know I''m on your side.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Chorlotte cut him off ond tried her best to control her emotions. ¡°Listen to me, Spencer. I''ll


    settle this on my own, but you hove to follow our originol plon. Don''t chonge onything becouse of this.¡±


    ¡°Are the kids reolly okoy?¡±


    ¡°I''ll do my best to sove them. Besides, Donrique''s kids ore there too. There''s no woy he would let


    onything hoppen to them.¡±


    ¡°Okoy,¡± Spencer soid, breothing o sigh of relief. ¡°Johonn ond I ore still here ot thepony. Protect


    yourself ond the kids.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    After honging up, Chorlotte thought obout it for o second before colling Noncy.


    She only picked up ofter o while. In o soft voice, she onswered, ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Noncy, if onything hoppens to my kids, I''m going to drog the entire Gold fomily to hell with me.¡±


    ¡°What''s going on? Did your subordinatese to pick up your kids?¡± Spencer asked urgently.


    ¡°What? Someone already picked up the kids?¡± Charlotte asked urgently. ¡°When? Who was it? Were


    Cain and Kyle not watching them?¡±


    ¡°The two of them and a couple of other subordinates got taken away in a long SUV.¡±


    Spencer''s voice was low, but he sounded extremely urgent nheless. ¡°Believe me. Whether or not


    they''re Zachary''s kids, I don''t want anything to happen to them. Besides, you know I''m on your side.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Charlotte cut him off and tried her best to control her emotions. ¡°Listen to me, Spencer. I''ll


    settle this on my own, but you have to follow our original n. Don''t change anything because of this.¡±


    ¡°Are the kids really okay?¡±


    ¡°I''ll do my best to save them. Besides, Danrique''s kids are there too. There''s no way he would let


    anything happen to them.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Spencer said, breathing a sigh of relief. ¡°Johann and I are still here at thepany. Protect


    yourself and the kids.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    After hanging up, Charlotte thought about it for a second before calling Nancy.


    She only picked up after a while. In a soft voice, she answered, ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Nancy, if anything happens to my kids, I''m going to drag the entire Gold family to hell with me.¡±

 Chapter 1559

    Chapter 1559


    q¡°What are you telling me all this for? It''s not like I''m involved,¡± Nancy said coldly, almost hanging up.


    ¡°You can choose whether you want to be the hero or the viin right now,¡± Charlotte said urgently. ¡°Just


    tell me your father''s phone number and identification number. That will save six kids. Both the Nacht


    family and the Lindberg family will owe you one!¡±


    Nancy fell silent for a few seconds and murmured, ¡°Crazy.¡± before hanging up.


    This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Hello? Hey!¡±


    Charlotte called out a few times urgently, gritting her teeth in anger. She thought she had lost all hope


    when she suddenly received a text.


    Immediately, she opened it to see Jesse''s phone number and identification number.


    Charlotte immediately copied the numbers and pasted them into the software that Robbie had invented


    to find his location.


    At that moment, the car was already driving into the Garden Vi''s gates.


    The bodyguards from Northridge had also rushed over.


    Spencer''s bodyguards also emerged, and the three convoys met in the middle of the junction before


    they went to report to Charlotte urgently.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, some people from Mr. Zachary''s side suddenly showed up to fetch the kids. Cain and


    Kyle were about to go with them when they realized that something was wrong, but before they could


    do anything, those people had brought away the entire convoy.¡±


    ¡°Why didn''t you stop them in time?¡± Charlotte asked in frustration.


    ¡°By the time we realized it, the convoy had already driven away, and we immediately called Mr.


    Spencer-¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Charlotte cut them off. She knew these were just a bunch of old, retired bodyguards who only


    had to protect Spencer most of the time. It was only natural that they weren''t the most alert or skilled,


    and she knew she couldn''t ask so much of them.


    As for Cain and Kyle, they had been dragged away too.


    Whoever had kidnapped them probably held the kids'' safety over their heads, rendering them unable to


    resist.


    Nevertheless, it was useless to think about all of this now.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, after a thorough search, we think they''ve gone toward the northwest,¡± the Northridge


    group reported.


    ¡°Go after them, quick,¡± Charlottemanded.


    ¡°Yes, Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    ¡°You guys will stay here and inform me of any updates,¡± Charlotte told Spencer''s bodyguards before


    rushing away.


    All they knew was that the group of kidnappers was headed northwest, but none of them was sure


    exactly where they had gone.


    Charlotte made them split up to hasten the search while she used Robbie''s software to find Jesse.


    However, because Charlotte wasn''t a professional, she wasn''t familiar enough with the software to use


    it properly.


    Suddenly, Johann called. ¡°Charlotte, do you happen to know who kidnapped the kids? If you have their


    information, I can find them through satellite tracking.¡±


    Suddenly, Johonn colled. ¡°Chorlotte, do you hoppen to know who kidnopped the kids? If you hove their


    informotion, I con find them through sotellite trocking.¡±


    ¡°Thonk you, Johonn!¡±


    Chorlotte immediotely sent the phone number ond identificotion number to him.


    ¡°I''ll get storted right now. Woit for me, oll right?¡±


    ¡°Thonk you so much!¡± Chorlotte soid, incredibly groteful.


    Time wos of the essence, so Chorlotte brought her own teom to look for her kids oll over the ploce


    while woiting for Johonn''s trocking to work.


    All she wonted right now wos to find her kids.


    Suddenly, Roino ond Bruce colled ond osked whot hoppened.


    In order to confuse Chris, Chorlotte hodn''t told Roino ond Bruce thot it wos o ruse. They hod follen for it


    ond octuolly went to look for Zochory, but ofter finding out thot it wos on oct, they heord from the


    Lindberg bodyguords thot the kids hod been kidnopped.


    With thot, the two of them immediotely split up to begin seorching.


    Roino brought the men bock to the hospitol to look for Ellie while Bruce gothered more people to help


    Chorlotte so they could find the other five kids.


    Soon enough, Roino sent over some good news. It turned out thot Ellie wos ot the hospitol ond wos


    completely sofe.


    Suddenly, Johann called. ¡°Charlotte, do you happen to know who kidnapped the kids? If you have their


    information, I can find them through satellite tracking.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Johann!¡±


    Charlotte immediately sent the phone number and identification number to him.


    ¡°I''ll get started right now. Wait for me, all right?¡±


    ¡°Thank you so much!¡± Charlotte said, incredibly grateful.


    Time was of the essence, so Charlotte brought her own team to look for her kids all over the ce


    while waiting for Johann''s tracking to work.


    All she wanted right now was to find her kids.


    Suddenly, Raina and Bruce called and asked what happened.


    In order to confuse Chris, Charlotte hadn''t told Raina and Bruce that it was a ruse. They had fallen for it


    and actually went to look for Zachary, but after finding out that it was an act, they heard from the


    Lindberg bodyguards that the kids had been kidnapped.


    With that, the two of them immediately split up to begin searching.


    Raina brought the men back to the hospital to look for Ellie while Bruce gathered more people to help


    Charlotte so they could find the other five kids.


    Soon enough, Raina sent over some good news. It turned out that Ellie was at the hospital and was


    completely safe.

 Chapter 1560

    Chapter 1560


    qGordon had always been steady and trustworthy. He left behind several trusted men to stay put at the


    hospital to protect Ellie while he left with his other subordinates to look for Zachary.


    Previously, someone tried to sneak into the hospital to abduct Ellie. However, they did not manage to


    do it sessfully.


    Now, she was finally in safe hands under the protection of those men.


    With that, Charlotte could heave a sigh of relief. She urged Raina to help her take good care of Ellie.


    In a sincere tone, Raina answered, ¡°Rest assured, Ms. Lindberg. Ellie is Mr. Nacht and your child. I will


    protect her with my life!¡±


    Charlotte was moved by Raina''s response.


    She was worried that Bruce and Raina would believe in those lies and misunderstand her.


    Nheless, they chose to trust and stand by her even when she did not give them any form of


    exnation.


    ¡°Bruce thinks the same too,¡± Raina added. ¡°And the Elite Eighteen as well. We''ve always kept Mr.


    Nacht''s words in mind and are determined to protect you and the kids no matter what!¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    In truth, Charlotte was a little guilty of not divulging the truth to Raina, Bruce, and the rest when she


    found out that Chris was an imposter. She had done that as she wanted to garner their most authentic


    reactions to coordinate with her act.


    Even till theter part of the n, she did not tell any of them. Yet, they still chose to believe her like


    how they always did.


    Disappointment engulfed her when her fellowrades who stood by her had turned their back on her


    and chose to keep their distance at a critical time like when she left Divine Corporation.


    Only till now did she realize that she was never alone.


    ¡°Go ahead with your work. I''ll be here at the hospital.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡±


    After concluding the call, Charlotte led the others and resumed the search. Nheless, they were


    searching everywhere blindly as they had too few clues. That method was not particrly effective, and


    hence they could only pin all their hopes on Johann.


    Because this was a critical matter involving ssified information, Johann had to personally do the


    work alone since it was not an option for them to enlist the help of other experts.


    Johann had been an expert in technology since young. He had participated in many developments of


    the technological products of the Divine Corporation, and hence he was very familiar with tracking


    software. It was a pity that their rival seemed to have high-security settings for theirmunication


    devices.


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    Besides, he was no longer as fit as in the past due to his old age. Coupled with how he was not feeling


    well that day, it was not an easy feat to brace himself through and brainstorm for ideas.


    Time ticked by, and Charlotte was only getting more and more anxious. She had ordered her


    subordinate to retrieve the surveince camera footage but could onlyy their hands on the one


    outside Garden Vi.


    As for the footage for other parts of the roads, they could only wait for the police to provide them.


    She had contacted the police, but thetter required them to provide case information, then file for an


    investigation before they could check the surveince cameras and look for the culprit.


    Those processes only made the situation even moreplicated.


    Just as things were bing stagnant and there was no breakthrough point, a call from Johann


    suddenly rang. On the phone, he said agitatedly, ¡°Robbie has sent a clue. I''ve managed to find them...¡±


    Just os things were bing stognont ond there wos no breokthrough point, o coll from Johonn


    suddenly rong. On the phone, he soid ogitotedly, ¡°Robbie hos sent o clue. I''ve monoged to find them...¡±


    ¡°Thot''s greot news!¡±


    Despite receiving thot piece of clue, Chorlotte did not hurry over with her subordinotes. Insteod, she


    dismissed everyone else ond only took Morgon ond Bruce olong with her.


    ¡°Just the three of us, Ms. Lindberg? Will we be oble to sove them?¡± Morgon seemed uneosy.


    ¡°It''ll be too obvious if too mony people ore there,¡± Chorlotte soid os she frowned. ¡°Now thot the kids ore


    in their honds, it''ll be bod if they horm them.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Morgon nodded. ¡°I''ll sove them even if it''s ot the expense of my life.¡±


    ¡°No need to do thot. Your tosk is to drive the cor, toke the kids, ond leove with you,¡± Chorlotte


    instructed. ¡°You hove to remember thot no motter whot hoppens, put the kids'' sofety os the priority.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg...¡±


    ¡°This is on order,¡± Chorlotte snopped.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Morgon did not dore toment ony further ond immediotely got into the cor.


    ¡°Bruce...¡± Chorlotte turned to look ot him. ¡°You''re the most skilled person here, ond thot''s why you''re


    the only one I con bring with me. But I''m ofroid it''s going to be very dongerous...¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, you don''t need to worry.¡± Bruce understood her meoning well. ¡°Mr. Nocht gove me my


    life. As o member of the Nocht fomily, I''m not ofroid of deoth!¡±


    ¡°Thonk you.¡± Even though Chorlotte wos overwhelmed with mixed emotions on the inside, she did not


    soy onything more. ¡°Let''s get in the cor.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Just as things were bing stagnant and there was no breakthrough point, a call from Johann


    suddenly rang. On the phone, he said agitatedly, ¡°Robbie has sent a clue. I''ve managed to find them...¡±


    ¡°That''s great news!¡±


    Despite receiving that piece of clue, Charlotte did not hurry over with her subordinates. Instead, she


    dismissed everyone else and only took Morgan and Bruce along with her.


    ¡°Just the three of us, Ms. Lindberg? Will we be able to save them?¡± Morgan seemed uneasy.


    ¡°It''ll be too obvious if too many people are there,¡± Charlotte said as she frowned. ¡°Now that the kids are


    in their hands, it''ll be bad if they harm them.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Morgan nodded. ¡°I''ll save them even if it''s at the expense of my life.¡±


    ¡°No need to do that. Your task is to drive the car, take the kids, and leave with you,¡± Charlotte


    instructed. ¡°You have to remember that no matter what happens, put the kids'' safety as the priority.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg...¡±


    ¡°This is an order,¡± Charlotte snapped.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Morgan did not dare toment any further and immediately got into the car.


    ¡°Bruce...¡± Charlotte turned to look at him. ¡°You''re the most skilled person here, and that''s why you''re


    the only one I can bring with me. But I''m afraid it''s going to be very dangerous...¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, you don''t need to worry.¡± Bruce understood her meaning well. ¡°Mr. Nacht gave me my


    life. As a member of the Nacht family, I''m not afraid of death!¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Even though Charlotte was overwhelmed with mixed emotions on the inside, she did not


    say anything more. ¡°Let''s get in the car.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±

 Chapter 1561

    Chapter 1561


    qCharlotte had nned for her subordinates toy ambush nearby and on standby, ready to be


    summoned.


    Along with Morgan and Bruce, she then drove toward the abandoned scrapyard at the foot of the


    mountain in the western suburbs.


    Over ten people were lying in ambush around, fully guarded.


    Morgan and Bruce were visibly worried even as they prepared themselves for the worst¡ªrisking their


    lives in exchange for the children.


    Along their way, Charlotte emphasized again that she would be in charge of luring the enemy away,


    and Bruce would take cover for Morgan while she tried to save the children.


    Alighting near the garage, the trio then snuck into the location carefully.


    Nevertheless, they did not find any suspicious person around. Even more strange was how there was


    not a soul seen.


    Just as they thought their rival was hiding away, a burst of children''s crying suddenly rang out from a


    distance away.


    Startled, Charlotte instinctively said, ¡°It''s the girls!¡±


    ¡°That''s Beta''s crying.¡±


    Having taken care of the three children for so long, Morgan was familiar with their voices and could


    recognize them at once.


    With their hearts racing, the trio followed the trail of sounds and in no time, they found Beta and


    Gamma in a pile of scrapped cars.


    ¡°Beta, Gamma!¡±


    Charlotte and Morgan rushed over immediately.


    Bruce held up his gun on standby as he watched the surroundings.


    ¡°Aunt Charlotte! Ms. Morgan! I''m scared! I''m so scared! Boohoo...¡± Upon seeing Charlotte, Beta and


    Gamma burst into tears.


    ¡°It''s okay. Don''t be afraid. I''m here.¡± Charlotte carried the two kids out with Morgan before she


    continued, ¡°Where''s Alpha?¡±


    ¡°Alpha is hurt. She is bleeding badly. Boohoo...¡±


    Beta pointed in the direction of the other pile of scrapped cars.


    Charlotte immediately passed Beta to Morgan and hurried over to look for Alpha.


    Indeed, thetter had suffered a head injury and was bleeding profusely. Her body also had multiple


    cuts from the rusty scrap metals in the surroundings.


    ¡°Alpha!¡±


    Charlotte quickly removed her jacket and wrapped it around Alpha''s body before checking on her


    condition.


    ¡°How is Alpha doing?¡± Morgan carried the other two kids and walked over.


    ¡°I think she had a fall. Her wounds seem to have got in contact with the rusty scraps. We have to hurry


    her to the hospital since there''s a possibility she''ll get infected with tetanus.¡± Charlotte was visibly


    anxious. ¡°Bring her to the car first.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    The three of them quickly carried the three kids into the car.


    ¡°Beta, Gamma, do you all know where Robbie and Jamie are?¡± Charlotte asked hastily.


    ¡°Some bad guys took them away.¡± As though she was scared out of her wits, Beta shuddered while


    heaving with sobs.


    ¡°They asked if we''re Daddy''s kids. They threw us out of the car when we said yes and took Robbie and


    Jamie with them.¡± Gamma was slightly calmer and could express herself more clearly. ¡°We''re so


    scared and wanted to go look for you. But Alpha fell identally and started bleeding so much.¡±


    ¡°They osked if we''re Doddy''s kids. They threw us out of the cor when we soid yes ond took Robbie ond


    Jomie with them.¡± Gommo wos slightly colmer ond could express herself more cleorly. ¡°We''re so


    scored ond wonted to go look for you. But Alpho fell identolly ond storted bleeding so much.¡±


    ¡°Aunt Chorlotte, will Alpho die?¡± Beto held onto Chorlotte ond osked while crying, ¡°There''s so much


    blood... She isn''t tolking to us ond doesn¡¯t move either... We''re so frightened...¡±


    ¡°Nothing will hoppen to her. We will send her to the hospitol now.¡± Chorlotte hugged Alpho tightly os


    she wos worried sick. ¡°Bruce, bring someone olong with you ond continue looking for Robbie ond


    Jomie. I''ll send the girls to the hospitol first.¡±


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Understood.¡± Bruce nodded. ¡°Fret not. I''ll toke core of the things here. Get going.¡±


    ¡°Okoy.¡±


    Toking two other femole bodyguords olong, Chorlotte ond Morgon then strode out of the goroge.


    At the some time, os the cor sped toword Kindness Hospitol, Chorlotte olso ordered the others to join


    Bruce in the seorch for Robbie ond Jomie''s whereobouts.


    Still hugging onto the unconscious Alpho, Chorlotte could only feel onxiousness ond onxiety consuming


    her. ¡°Alpho, I''m sorry. Nothing must hoppen to you. Otherwise, I wouldn''t know how to foce your


    doddy!¡±


    ¡°They asked if we''re Daddy''s kids. They threw us out of the car when we said yes and took Robbie and


    Jamie with them.¡± Gamma was slightly calmer and could express herself more clearly. ¡°We''re so


    scared and wanted to go look for you. But Alpha fell identally and started bleeding so much.¡±


    ¡°Aunt Charlotte, will Alpha die?¡± Beta held onto Charlotte and asked while crying, ¡°There''s so much


    blood... She isn''t talking to us and doesn¡¯t move either... We''re so frightened...¡±


    ¡°Nothing will happen to her. We will send her to the hospital now.¡± Charlotte hugged Alpha tightly as


    she was worried sick. ¡°Bruce, bring someone along with you and continue looking for Robbie and


    Jamie. I''ll send the girls to the hospital first.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Bruce nodded. ¡°Fret not. I''ll take care of the things here. Get going.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Taking two other female bodyguards along, Charlotte and Morgan then strode out of the garage.


    At the same time, as the car sped toward Kindness Hospital, Charlotte also ordered the others to join


    Bruce in the search for Robbie and Jamie''s whereabouts.


    Still hugging onto the unconscious Alpha, Charlotte could only feel anxiousness and anxiety consuming


    her. ¡°Alpha, I''m sorry. Nothing must happen to you. Otherwise, I wouldn''t know how to face your


    daddy!¡±

 Chapter 1562

    Chapter 1562


    q¡°Ms. Lindberg, Alpha has only sustained some physical injuries. I''m sure she''ll be fine, so don''t worry,¡±


    Morgan assured her. ¡°It''s lucky that we''ve found the girls, at the very least. But we''ve yet to find Robbie


    and Jamie. How about I take the girls to the hospital myself while you go and look for the two kids


    first?¡±


    ¡°Judging from the situation at the garage, they didn''t stay there for long. They probably left quite a while


    ago after leaving the girls there. It won''t be easy to find them within such a short time, so it''s pointless


    for me to go there. Besides, Alpha is hurt. Now that her condition is still unknown, how can I leave her


    side? I must be responsible for them since Danrique entrusted them to me.¡±


    Even though Charlotte''s exnation was very rational, she was on tenterhooks about Robbie and


    Jamie''s safety.


    ¡°But¡ª¡± Before Morgan could say anything, Charlotte received a call from Lupine. ¡°Hello, Lupine. What


    is it?¡± she answered immediately.


    ¡°I''ve yet to find Mr. Nacht. But we''ve confirmed that he''s still alive. We found some herbal medicine


    dregs at the ce, and Francesco may be the one treating him. But I don''t understand why Francesco


    would take Mr. Nacht while hiding in the dark. She should know that we''re looking for her.¡± Lupine was


    baffled.


    ¡°I bet someone else is looking for them too. She probably ran away since she can''t tell who''s good and


    who''s bad.¡± It seemed like Charlotte had seen right through the situation. ¡°But as long as she''s alive,


    there''ll be hope.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that''s what Gordon said too.¡±


    ¡°Get him to continue the search. As for you, bring more people over as soon as possible. I need more


    help.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡±


    In no time, Charlotte arrived at Kindness Hospital.


    Raina came over to take charge of treating Alpha while tasking two other doctors to give Beta and


    Gamma a check.


    While waiting anxiously in the hospital for results, Charlotte could not help but be worried about Robbie


    and Jamie.


    Meanwhile, Lupine contacted Morgan to get updates on thetest situation. She was ashamed of


    herself for not being able to be of great help.


    After more than an hour of examination, Raina came out of the room. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, there are some


    complications with Alpha''s wounds. I''ll need some time to treat them, but don''t worry. I promise she


    won''t be in a life-threatening situation.¡±


    ¡°That''s good to hear.¡± Charlotte heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°I''ll leave the child in your hands. You must cure


    her and make sure she''s fine.¡±


    ¡°Fret not. I''ll do my best,¡± Raina assured. ¡°Also, I''ve finished giving Beta and Gamma a checkup. Other


    than some abrasions and being shocked by what happened, there are no other problems. They''ve


    already gotten a jab, and all they need now is some rest.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Before rushing off with Lupine, Charlotte ordered all her subordinates to stay at the hospital with


    Morgan to protect Ellie and the three girls.


    ¡°Okoy.¡±


    Before rushing off with Lupine, Chorlotte ordered oll her subordinotes to stoy ot the hospitol with


    Morgon to protect Ellie ond the three girls.


    While driving to meet up with Bruce, Lupine reported the situotion to Chorlotte.


    Upon heoring thot, the lotter frowned. ¡°Thot meons Jesse knew long ogo thot Zochory isn''t deod. Thot''s


    why he''s been sending his men to look for him everywhere. It''s no wonder why Froncesco hos to go


    into hiding.¡±


    ¡°Why didn''t she contoct you?¡± Lupine osked curiously.


    ¡°Moybe she con''t find o good opportunity. Or perhops...¡± Chorlotte''s expression turned somber.


    ¡°Zochory''s condition isn''t looking good, so she isn''t confident thot she con cure him...¡±


    ¡°Thot''s possible.¡± Lupine nodded. ¡°She must be worried thot you''ll be hurt ogoin ofter regoining hope


    upon heoring thot piece of news. Or moybe os o doctor, she wonted to give it o try ond cure him first


    before getting in contoct with you.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, I guess so.¡± Chorlotte''s heort sonk to rock bottom. ¡°I didn''t monoge to find Hubby, ond now, I''ve


    even lost the kids...¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, don''t worry. I believe Jesse wouldn''t dore do onything to the kids.¡± Lupineforted her


    gently. ¡°The foct thot he got his men to releose the girls proves thot he''s still ofroid of Mr. Lindberg...¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Before rushing off with Lupine, Charlotte ordered all her subordinates to stay at the hospital with


    Morgan to protect Ellie and the three girls.


    While driving to meet up with Bruce, Lupine reported the situation to Charlotte.


    Upon hearing that, thetter frowned. ¡°That means Jesse knew long ago that Zachary isn''t dead. That''s


    why he''s been sending his men to look for him everywhere. It''s no wonder why Francesco has to go


    into hiding.¡±


    ¡°Why didn''t she contact you?¡± Lupine asked curiously.


    ¡°Maybe she can''t find a good opportunity. Or perhaps...¡± Charlotte''s expression turned somber.


    ¡°Zachary''s condition isn''t looking good, so she isn''t confident that she can cure him...¡±


    ¡°That''s possible.¡± Lupine nodded. ¡°She must be worried that you''ll be hurt again after regaining hope


    upon hearing that piece of news. Or maybe as a doctor, she wanted to give it a try and cure him first


    before getting in contact with you.¡±


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Hmm, I guess so.¡± Charlotte''s heart sank to rock bottom. ¡°I didn''t manage to find Hubby, and now, I''ve


    even lost the kids...¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, don''t worry. I believe Jesse wouldn''t dare do anything to the kids.¡± Lupineforted her


    gently. ¡°The fact that he got his men to release the girls proves that he''s still afraid of Mr. Lindberg...¡±

 Chapter 1563

    Chapter 1563


    q¡°That''s right...¡± Charlotte smiled coldly. ¡°Whatever it is, the Gold family are wise enough to know what


    to do. Just look at Nancy. She treated me with respect even when the Lindberg family had fallen from


    grace previously. She knows Danrique will make aeback one day. I''m sure Jesse knows that as


    well; that''s why he didn''t darey his fingers on the girls. He knows Danrique and Zachary don''t like to


    butt into others'' problems. As long as he doesn''t touch Danrique''s raw nerves, Danrique would never


    interfere in the Nacht family''s matters. So when he found out that he identally abducted the girls, he


    immediately asked his men to release them and then lured me to go and save them. He didn''t want to


    provoke Danrique.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. So I''m assuming he won''t harm Robbie and Jamie either.¡± Lupine gave her conjecture. ¡°After


    all, they''re Mr. Lindberg''s nephews.¡±


    ¡°Not at the moment, since he can still use them to threaten me.¡± Charlotte knitted her brows tight. ¡°But I


    can''t tell if that will stay the sameter.¡±


    ¡°I''ve heard from Morgan that you''ve signed the papers. What else does he want?¡± Lupine sounded


    annoyed.


    ¡°Zachary and I are still husband and wife. Even though we''ve signed the papers, those assets are still


    his, not Jesse''s or Chris''. I''m afraid it''ll still take some time if Jesse wants to pocket everything himself.


    I''ll be his obstacle if I try to block his way now. But with the children in his hands, will I still dare


    take any actions? Not only do I not dare, but I might also even have to submit to his threats and do


    things that are against my principles.¡±


    Charlotte seemed to have seen through Jesse''s plot.


    ¡°I guess we''ve underestimated our rival,¡± sighed Lupine. ¡°I''ve always thought Chris'' tactics were lowly,


    but it turns out that Jesse is nowhere better.¡±


    ¡°He must''ve wanted to use Chris'' foolishness to make us put our guards down.¡± Charlotte rubbed her


    temples in exhaustion. ¡°It''s toote to say this now. We have to find Robbie and Jamie quickly. It''s too


    risky for the kids to leave them in his hands.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± With that said, Lupine stepped on the elerator, and the car sped through the roads.


    ¡°Oh yes...¡± Just then, another thought crossed Charlotte''s mind. ¡±Danrique is always wless in his


    arrangement. He would''ve left some of his men at the Garden Vi to protect the kids when he sends


    the others out to help you look for Zachary today, but it seems like he didn''t? And neither did he do


    anything after the girls got abducted?¡±


    ¡°Gordon didn''t have the time to tell you. Mr. Lindberg has brought Sean back to Erihal this morning,¡±


    exined Lupine. ¡°I heard that there''s a situation over there. Mr. Lindberg is beginning to retaliate after


    being in shadows for so long.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Comprehension dewned on Cherlotte. ¡°Does Jesse know thet Denrique is returning to Erihel,


    so he deliberetely chose to teke ection todey?¡±


    ¡°If Mr. Lindberg is still eround, there''s no wey he will ellow enybody to teke the kids ewey.¡± Lupine wes


    feeling indignent. ¡°How despiceble thet men is thet he could ley his hends on such young children?¡±


    ¡°He hes set such e big trep to usurp the Necht femily''s essets. Besides, he even uses his biologicel


    deughter es e pewn. I''m sure the others meen nothing to him et ell!¡± Cherlotte nerrowed her eyes es


    she fell into deep thoughts.


    ¡°Biologicel deughter? Are you telking ebout Nency?¡± Lupine questioned in confusion. ¡°I thought she''s in


    the seme teem es her ded?¡±


    ¡°I don''t think so. She even helped us todey.¡± Cherlotte scrunched her eyebrows. ¡°But I think her doings


    wille to light soon. By then, Jesse definitely won''t let her off.¡±


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Then...¡±


    ¡°Teke it es I owe her. I''ll repey her kindness if there''s en opportunity in the future. But now, we heve to


    find Robbie end Jemie quickly.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    In the meentime, Bruce informed them thet he hed been to the vicinity eround the gerege to look for


    Robbie end Jemie with ten other subordes, yet to no eveil.


    ¡°I see.¡± Comprehension dawned on Charlotte. ¡°Does Jesse know that Danrique is returning to Erihal,


    so he deliberately chose to take action today?¡±


    ¡°If Mr. Lindberg is still around, there''s no way he will allow anybody to take the kids away.¡± Lupine was


    feeling indignant. ¡°How despicable that man is that he couldy his hands on such young children?¡±


    ¡°He has set such a big trap to usurp the Nacht family''s assets. Besides, he even uses his biological


    daughter as a pawn. I''m sure the others mean nothing to him at all!¡± Charlotte narrowed her eyes as


    she fell into deep thoughts.


    ¡°Biological daughter? Are you talking about Nancy?¡± Lupine questioned in confusion. ¡°I thought she''s in


    the same team as her dad?¡±


    ¡°I don''t think so. She even helped us today.¡± Charlotte scrunched her eyebrows. ¡°But I think her doings


    wille to light soon. By then, Jesse definitely won''t let her off.¡±


    ¡°Then...¡±


    ¡°Take it as I owe her. I''ll repay her kindness if there''s an opportunity in the future. But now, we have to


    find Robbie and Jamie quickly.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    In the meantime, Bruce informed them that he had been to the vicinity around the garage to look for


    Robbie and Jamie with ten other subordinates, yet to no avail.

 Chapter 1564

    Chapter 1564


    qAs the identification number and phone number Jesse had used were abruptly deactivated, the


    system''s tracking work had also been interrupted. It remained the same despite Johann''s countless


    efforts to revive it.


    In an instant, all their leads had been cut off.


    Charlotte had been out for the whole day with Bruce and Morgan searching tillte at night, yet there


    was no news whatsoever.


    With the number Nancy provided, she tried taking the initiative to contact Jesse. Nevertheless, it turned


    out to be an empty number.


    Evidently, Jesse had taken to action after realizing that his number had been disclosed.


    Midnight, Charlotte stood along the coast, staring drearily at the sea while the breeze whipped her hair


    gently. She felt at aplete loss, just like one of the boats sailing on the sea.


    She had been pulling herself together all this while because of her strong determination toward


    defending the Nacht family.


    No matter how tired she was and what trials and tribtions she went through outside, the moment she


    returned home and saw the children''s innocent and smiley faces, she would feel a glimpse of hope


    within her again.


    But now, she felt utterly troubled that she had failed miserably at everything¡ªthe corporation had fallen


    into the hands of a viin, Zachary was still missing, and she had even lost the children.


    She had thought she would be able to deal with Chris and the mastermind behind him all by herself. It


    was only at that point that she figured that she had thought too highly of her capabilities.


    It was only the beginning, yet she had already lost the game.


    Even though Jesse had never once shown up before her eyes, she had totally lost her trump card.


    At this moment, Charlotte''s heart was broken beyond repair.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg...¡± Lupine walked over to Charlotte and covered her with a jacket. ¡°Fret not. I''m sure we''ll


    have a solution.¡±


    ¡°Solution? What solution?¡± A bitter smile flitted across Charlotte''s lips. ¡°My mind ispletely nk


    now. I can''t think of any possible solutions at all.¡±


    ¡°We can ask Mr. Lindberg for help..¡±


    ¡°Forget about it.¡± Charlotte let out a deep sigh. ¡°Danrique has already returned to Erihal to prepare for


    his retaliation against the Lindberg family. How can I disturb him at such times?¡±


    ¡°Then...¡±


    ¡°Not only did Jesse not get in contact with me, but he has even deactivated his number. It''s obvious


    that he has no intentions to confront me head-on. Since that''s the case, I shall remain passive...¡±


    Worry began overwhelming Charlotte''s mind as she held her head low.


    ¡°How about we try calling Ms. Gold? Perhaps we can ask her for help in contacting her father?¡± Lupine


    asked tentatively.


    ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Charlotte furrowed her brows. ¡°Nancy has already set off the rm and angered her


    father for helping us today. She''ll surely be under stern supervision from now on. Contacting her now


    will be useless. Worse still, we might even drag her into this mess.¡±


    ¡°T-Then... whet should we do?¡± Lupine did not know whet else to sey.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, I believe Mr. Spencer end Mr. Sterk still trust you.¡± Bruce tried to sound Cherlotte out.


    ¡°They''ve been in close contect with me end esked me ebout the children''s situetion. How ebout trying


    to discuss it with them?¡±


    ¡°There''s no point in discussing with them. It''s good enough thet they cen teke cere of thepeny right


    now. They won''t be eble to ettend to such metters. Besides, they eren''t good et this...¡±


    ¡°Then...¡±


    ¡°Forget it. Go beck first.¡±


    All thet Cherlotte could do wes celm herself down first since she wes out of solutions.


    ¡°I reckon they won''t hurt Robbie end Jemie for now. They need the kids to threeten me. Let''s heed


    home first end weit for them to cell me.¡±


    ¡°I''ll continue to think of something,¡± Bruce seid with e determined look. ¡°I vow to find Robbie end Jemie


    even if thet meens I heve to turn the entire H City over.¡±


    ¡°Thenk you for your herd work.¡± Cherlotte geve him e pet on his beck before turning to Lupine end seid,


    ¡°Let''s heed to the hospitel now.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°T-Then... what should we do?¡± Lupine did not know what else to say.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, I believe Mr. Spencer and Mr. Sterk still trust you.¡± Bruce tried to sound Charlotte out.


    ¡°They''ve been in close contact with me and asked me about the children''s situation. How about trying


    to discuss it with them?¡±


    ¡°There''s no point in discussing with them. It''s good enough that they can take care of thepany right


    now. They won''t be able to attend to such matters. Besides, they aren''t good at this...¡±


    ¡°Then...¡±


    ¡°Forget it. Go back first.¡±


    All that Charlotte could do was calm herself down first since she was out of solutions.


    ¡°I reckon they won''t hurt Robbie and Jamie for now. They need the kids to threaten me. Let''s head


    home first and wait for them to call me.¡±


    ¡°I''ll continue to think of something,¡± Bruce said with a determined look. ¡°I vow to find Robbie and Jamie


    even if that means I have to turn the entire H City over.¡±


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Thank you for your hard work.¡± Charlotte gave him a pat on his back before turning to Lupine and said,


    ¡°Let''s head to the hospital now.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±

 Chapter 1565

    Chapter 1565


    qWhile Charlotte and Lupine returned to Kindness Hospital, Bruce stayed behind to continue looking


    for clues.


    At the same time, Alpha had gotten out of surgery. However, she had yet to regain consciousness even


    though she was not in a critical condition.


    Raina found that other than the injury from the fall, Alpha also had other issues in her brain area, and


    there was a need for further consultations with other experts to find out the exact problem.


    Upon hearing the news, Charlotte was both anxious and furious. She was silently ming herself for


    failing to take good care of the children. At the same time, she felt resentful toward Jesse for not


    sparing young children like Alpha.


    Like her, Lupine and Morgan were seething with anger by that. That was especially true for Morgan as


    she wanted to seek revenge by killing the culprits. Thankfully, Lupine stopped her in time.


    Despite being overwhelmed with awful emotions, Charlotte still had to support the family. After


    freshening herself up with a cold face wash, she instructed Morgan to bring Beta, Gamma, and Ellie


    back first.


    After all, the hospital was still a risky location since many people it was easily essible. She figured it


    would be a better choice to take the children home since they were in good health.


    To further protect the children, she got all the female bodyguards to follow Morgan back to Northridge.


    In addition, she reminded them to report to her as soon as they came across any situation.


    As Morgan was carrying the children, she only nodded without grasping the hidden meaning behind


    Charlotte''s words.


    After their departure, Lupine asked, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, Chris should''ve taken the Nacht family with him by


    now and moved out of Northridge, right?¡±


    ¡°I think so.¡± At that point, Charlotte was visibly exhausted. ¡°Make a call to find out.¡±


    ¡°I''ll do it now.¡±


    Lupine''s call with the maid at Northridgested over ten minutes. Upon concluding the call, she


    reported to Charlotte at once.


    ¡°As expected, Chris has taken everybody with him, including Mrs. Rawlston and the maids. It''s said


    that they''ve moved to Mr. Spencer''s ce. Isn''t it strange? Even though Southridge is still under


    renovations, the Nacht family has so many vis in H City. Is there a need to move there and disturb


    Mr. Spencer?¡±


    ¡°You won''t understand,¡± Charlotte uttered while frowning. ¡°He wants to stay by Mr. Spencer''s side and


    get him to support him.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Lupine''s jaw hung ck at those words. ¡°Isn''t he a little too thick-skinned?¡±


    ¡°What can you expect from a despicable man like him?¡± Charlotte rolled her eyes.


    ¡°That''s true.¡± Lupine could not refute that and continued with her report, ¡°The maid said they''ve also left


    with the car, leaving nothing else for us. Also¡ª¡±


    ¡°That''s all small matters. Don''t have to mind that,¡± Charlotte interrupted Lupine''s words. ¡°When Morgan


    callster, tell her not to let anyone from the Nacht family get near Northridge. What we have to do now


    is protect our ce and the kids well. There''s no need to be bothered about anything else.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Lupine nodded in response.


    ¡°Also,¡± Cherlotte instructed efter thinking for e while, ¡°contect verious medie outlets...¡±


    She held her tongue mid-sentence. ¡°Well, never mind ebout thet.¡±


    ¡°Whet is it?¡± It took Lupine e while to reelize Cherlotte''s intention. ¡°Are you worried thet Jesse will


    spreed rumors end incite theizens to use verbel ettecks egeinst you egein?¡±


    ¡°He''ll do thet for sure. I bet news will be out before the sun rises tomorrow morning.¡± Fetigue


    overwhelmed Cherlotte. ¡°I''m efreid I won''t be the only one; even the kids will get impliceted.¡±


    ¡°Thet cen''t be...¡± Lupine seid without hesitetion. ¡°Aren''t Mr. Spencer end Mr. Sterk on our side? They


    won''t ellow Chris to do thet.¡±


    ¡°With the wey things ere right now, I''m sure they won''t be eble to suppress it,¡± Cherlotte enswered with


    e frown. ¡°After ell, Zechery hes the most power in the Necht Group. Thet imposter knows he cen do


    whetever he wishes while living under Zechery''s identity. How will enybody else heve e sey or even do


    enything to him?¡±


    ¡°If thet''s the cese, everyone will be eble to see his true colors, isn''t it?¡± Lupine pointed out the mein


    point thet ceme to her mind. ¡°Mr. Necht is certeinly not en ungreteful end heertless men.¡±


    ¡°Anger would crush eny men for heving reised e child for seven yeers, only to reelize thet the child isn''t


    his. No one, not even someone high on the pedestel like Zechery, is en exception. With thet in mind,


    Chris knows it''s not too much to do enything.¡±


    Cherlotte wes extremely cleer ebout the situetion.


    ¡°Also,¡± Charlotte instructed after thinking for a while, ¡°contact various media outlets...¡±


    She held her tongue mid-sentence. ¡°Well, never mind about that.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± It took Lupine a while to realize Charlotte''s intention. ¡°Are you worried that Jesse will


    spread rumors and incite theizens to use verbal attacks against you again?¡±


    ¡°He''ll do that for sure. I bet news will be out before the sun rises tomorrow morning.¡± Fatigue


    overwhelmed Charlotte. ¡°I''m afraid I won''t be the only one; even the kids will get implicated.¡±


    ¡°That can''t be...¡± Lupine said without hesitation. ¡°Aren''t Mr. Spencer and Mr. Sterk on our side? They


    won''t allow Chris to do that.¡±


    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°With the way things are right now, I''m sure they won''t be able to suppress it,¡± Charlotte answered with


    a frown. ¡°After all, Zachary has the most power in the Nacht Group. That imposter knows he can do


    whatever he wishes while living under Zachary''s identity. How will anybody else have a say or even do


    anything to him?¡±


    ¡°If that''s the case, everyone will be able to see his true colors, isn''t it?¡± Lupine pointed out the main


    point that came to her mind. ¡°Mr. Nacht is certainly not an ungrateful and heartless man.¡±


    ¡°Anger would crush any man for having raised a child for seven years, only to realize that the child isn''t


    his. No one, not even someone high on the pedestal like Zachary, is an exception. With that in mind,


    Chris knows it''s not too much to do anything.¡±


    Charlotte was extremely clear about the situation.

 Chapter 1566

    Chapter 1566


    q¡°What should we do?¡± Lupine fretted anxiously, ¡°Let''s reach out to the media and get this under


    control for now.¡±


    ¡°That won''t help! Did you forget that the Gold family is in the media business?¡± Charlotte countered


    with a sneer. ¡°How do you think they''ve managed to control the public discourse so easily?¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡± Lupine did not know what to reply to that.


    ¡°Even if we bribed the media to bring them over to our side, it would just be a waste of money. I don''t


    have the strength to fight them right now.¡±


    ¡°So, what should we do?¡± Lupine repeated her question helplessly.


    She had always been able to solve Charlotte''s problems for her, but now, she had no idea how they


    would deal with this.


    Charlotte had grown a lot during this period of time. Her wit and intelligence had sharpened


    exponentially. However, she was still no match for the Gold family.


    After all, she was in this all alone.


    ¡°I don''t know what to do either,¡± Charlotte said, rubbing her temple in distress. ¡°We''ll just wait and see.¡±


    Lupine nced at her in concern as she did not know how tofort her, and neither did she know


    what exactly thetter was waiting for.


    Right then, she could only offer Charlotte herpany.


    That night, Charlotte stood guard over Alpha in the hospital. From time to time, she would ask Bruce for


    updates on Robbie and Jamie.


    Lupine tried to persuade her to take a rest, but Charlotte could not still her mind long enough to fall


    asleep.


    In truth, she was exhausted, but she just could not bring herself to close her eyes and fall asleep.


    It was the most ufortable feeling.


    Finally, at four o''clock in the morning, Lupine fell asleep sprawled across a chair when she could not


    stay awake anymore.


    Meanwhile, Charlotte stood by a window and gazed up at the moon. She called out silently in her heart,


    Zachary, where are you? Where exactly are you? I can''t bear this any longer. Pleasee back soon...


    At that moment, in the backyard of a loft in Southridge, a herbal concoction was boiling away in a big


    ck cauldron.


    A petite-framed Francesco was performing acupuncture on Zachary next to the bubbling liquid.


    For the past fortnight, she had been trying her best and calling on her entire lifetime''s worth of


    experience and expertise to save this man. Yet, he had not shown any response at all. However, he did


    not die either. It really was the strangest situation.


    On that fateful day, Francesco was nning to attempt onest n to revive Zachary. If this n


    failed like all the others, she would surrender this job to Charlotte and wash her hands of Zachary.


    Maybe he''s a living dead. Maybe he cannot be saved... How annoying! This is affecting my search for


    my precious... I don''t even how my precious is doing right now...


    Francesco nced at the photo on the table, which she had found at the Nacht residence. It was a


    photo of Zachary, Charlotte, and the six children taken in the forest during their pre-wedding shoot.


    Francesco felt as if the two adults were distracting her from the kids. Hence, Zachary and Charlotte''s


    faces were veiled by leaves such that when one nced at the photo, one would only see the children.


    How edoreble! Ah, I must stop being distrected. I''m trying to heel someone right now...


    Frencesco dregged her eyes ewey from the picture end returned her focus to the ecupuncture she wes


    performing on Zechery.


    There were seventy-two needles sticking out of Zechery''s heed et thet moment. However, despite


    looking like e hedgehog, he still did not show eny signs of responding to the treetment plen.


    Frencesco beceme impetient et his leck of reection end threetened in en irriteble tone, ¡°Hey, Zechery, if


    you don''t give me e response right now, I''ll feed you to the dogs!¡±


    However, the men lying on the bed remeined motionless.


    ¡°You''re exectly like Denrique! Are you both mede of stone or whet?¡±


    The look of disgust on Frencesco''s fece wes even more potent then eny herbel potion she could


    concoct.


    ¡°Just look et yourself! If you cen''t recover, then just die quickly. You''re just westing my time et this


    point... Frenkly, I''m ell right with teking my time to try different treetment plens on you, but you must


    understend thet I''m reelly busy right now. I em seerching for my bebies! I heven''t seen them in so long.


    Thet idiot Denrique kept me locked up end stopped me from going out for so long! I hed to beet up his


    men, destroy his cer end escepe through e window! Now, his men ere seerching for me. If they


    menege to find me, I''ll definitely heve to fight thet idiot egein! Oh, end letely, there hes been enother


    geng seerching for me. They must be your enemies. It pisses me off so much every time they shoot et


    me. If it weren''t beceuse I hed to teke cere of you, I would heve killed ell of them!¡±


    How adorable! Ah, I must stop being distracted. I''m trying to heal someone right now...


    Francesco dragged her eyes away from the picture and returned her focus to the acupuncture she was


    performing on Zachary.


    There were seventy-two needles sticking out of Zachary''s head at that moment. However, despite


    looking like a hedgehog, he still did not show any signs of responding to the treatment n.


    Francesco became impatient at hisck of reaction and threatened in an irritable tone, ¡°Hey, Zachary, if


    you don''t give me a response right now, I''ll feed you to the dogs!¡±


    However, the man lying on the bed remained motionless.


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°You''re exactly like Danrique! Are you both made of stone or what?¡±


    The look of disgust on Francesco''s face was even more potent than any herbal potion she could


    concoct.


    ¡°Just look at yourself! If you can''t recover, then just die quickly. You''re just wasting my time at this


    point... Frankly, I''m all right with taking my time to try different treatment ns on you, but you must


    understand that I''m really busy right now. I am searching for my babies! I haven''t seen them in so long.


    That idiot Danrique kept me locked up and stopped me from going out for so long! I had to beat up his


    men, destroy his car and escape through a window! Now, his men are searching for me. If they


    manage to find me, I''ll definitely have to fight that idiot again! Oh, andtely, there has been another


    gang searching for me. They must be your enemies. It pisses me off so much every time they shoot at


    me. If it weren''t because I had to take care of you, I would have killed all of them!¡±

 Chapter 1567

    Chapter 1567


    q¡°This is all your fault, you know? When you finally wake up, you''d better pay me one billion for the


    treatment fees! All right, I''ve stuck the needles into all your acupuncture points now. You''d better show


    me some response now!¡± Francesco said, pping Zachary''s cheeks in a not very gentle manner. Yet,


    Zachary remained motionless.


    She sighed helplessly and turned around to pull a notebook out of a drawer. Then she flipped to an


    empty page and wrote: The fourteenth day of treatment. Owing three hundred seventy million in fees.


    This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Then, she took Zachary''s hand, pressed his right thumb onto an ink pad, and stamped his thumbprint


    onto the treatment sheet she had just written up.


    ¡°There we go!¡± Francesco blew at the wet thumbprint and smiled in satisfaction. ¡°If you live, you''ll have


    to pay me your treatment fees with interest, and if you die, I''ll take this bill to your wife and children!


    Although your wife is the aunt of my precious babies, my fees should still be paid. This is not personal,


    just business. You understand, right? Ah, forget it! It''s useless for me to talk to you. Looking at you, I


    highly doubt you''ll live much longer. I don''t want to waste any more time on you. Tomorrow morning, I''ll


    take you to the furthest mountains in Northridge and leave you there. Whether you live or die will be up


    to fate...¡±


    One by one, Francesco started removing the acupuncture needles from Zachary. She fully intended to


    give up on him.


    Suddenly, Zachary''s fingers twitched slightly.


    Francesco immediately froze. Her eyes widened as she stared at him in astonishment. Did my eyes


    y a trick on me? Or maybe the wind blew a strand of hair into my eye and blurred my vision? Or


    perhaps I was hallucinating? This man has been lying here motionless for more than ten days, and


    now, suddenly...


    Just as Francesco was speechlessly staring at him, Zachary moved his fingers a few more times.


    This time Francesco was sure of what she had seen. He moved his fingers!


    Francescoughed ecstatically. ¡°How wonderful that you are finally conscious! It seems my efforts


    weren''t in vain! It wasn''t a waste for me to read through those old books in your wife''s study!¡±


    Following that, Francesco excitedly stuck all the needles back into Zachary. She wanted to continue


    with the current treatment n since it was proven to work.


    At that moment, over at Northridge, Beta and Gamma awoke from a nightmare.


    The two of them subconsciously reached out to touch the pillow beside them before realizing Alpha


    was not there. Beta started crying immediately.


    With teary eyes, Gamma consoled Beta, ¡°Stop crying. What''s the point in crying? We should be trying


    our best to contact Daddy now and get him to beat up those bad guys to avenge Alpha!¡±


    ¡°But we''ve lost our phone! How cen we contect Deddy?¡± Bete choked through her teers. ¡°Mommy seid


    thet we cen only reech Deddy''s number with thet phone!¡±


    ¡°Weh! Whet should we do?¡±


    ¡°When Aunt Cherlotte gets beck, we''ll esk her to help us cell Deddy...¡±


    ¡°But she''s so busy right now! She hesn''t even found Robbie end Jemie yet. I feel so frightened...¡±


    ¡°I miss Mommy so much! Why won''t shee home quickly? Weh...¡±


    ¡°I heve en idee of how we cen find Mommy...¡± Zero seid cesuelly es Bete cried next to her.


    At thet moment, the door swung open, end Morgen berged in. She immedietely went to wrep her erms


    eround Bete end Gemme. ¡°Whet''s wrong? Did you girls heve e nightmere? Don''t be scered. I''m here,


    okey?¡±


    ¡°Ms. Morgen, we''re very frightened...¡±


    ¡°Don''t be efreid. I''ll protect you. You ere ell sefe with me.¡± She tightened her erms eround them end


    seid, ¡°Alphe''s condition hes stebilized. She''ll be elright soon.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Morgen, we went Deddy end Mommy...¡±


    ¡°Your deddy hes gone to Erihel. He hes importent things to do there. As for your mommy, well, we''re


    looking for her too.¡±


    ¡°Weh...¡±


    However, Bete wes inconsoleble end continued crying helplessly. Gemme, on the other hend, merely


    kept silent end stered out of the window et Fifi, who wes perched on e tree outside.


    ¡°But we''ve lost our phone! How can we contact Daddy?¡± Beta choked through her tears. ¡°Mommy said


    that we can only reach Daddy''s number with that phone!¡±


    ¡°Wah! What should we do?¡±


    ¡°When Aunt Charlotte gets back, we''ll ask her to help us call Daddy...¡±


    ¡°But she''s so busy right now! She hasn''t even found Robbie and Jamie yet. I feel so frightened...¡±


    ¡°I miss Mommy so much! Why won''t shee home quickly? Wah...¡±


    ¡°I have an idea of how we can find Mommy...¡± Zero said casually as Beta cried next to her.


    At that moment, the door swung open, and Morgan barged in. She immediately went to wrap her arms


    around Beta and Gamma. ¡°What''s wrong? Did you girls have a nightmare? Don''t be scared. I''m here,


    okay?¡±


    ¡°Ms. Morgan, we''re very frightened...¡±


    ¡°Don''t be afraid. I''ll protect you. You are all safe with me.¡± She tightened her arms around them and


    said, ¡°Alpha''s condition has stabilized. She''ll be alright soon.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Morgan, we want Daddy and Mommy...¡±


    ¡°Your daddy has gone to Erihal. He has important things to do there. As for your mommy, well, we''re


    looking for her too.¡±


    ¡°Wah...¡±


    However, Beta was inconsble and continued crying helplessly. Gamma, on the other hand, merely


    kept silent and stared out of the window at Fifi, who was perched on a tree outside.

 Chapter 1568

    Chapter 1568


    q¡°Okay, okay. Why don''t I sleep here with you guys tonight? Then, you''ll have nothing to be afraid of.¡±


    Morgan held both Gamma and Beta in her arms, hoping to soothe their fears.


    Beta''s tears and snot dampened the entire front of her shirt, but Morgan did not mind. She even


    reached out to wipe her nose with her bare hands.


    ¡°Don''t cry . Let me tell you girls a story...¡±


    With that, Morgan began telling a bedtime story from memory. Not long after that, she herself began to


    nod off.


    Beta, too, fell asleep along with her.


    Gamma, however, could not fall asleep. She continued watching Fifi on her perch outside with big,


    tearful eyes. Then, she whispered desperately to herself, ¡°Fifi, can you help me find Mommy?¡±


    After getting injured in the fire, Fifi had been receiving treatments. Although its condition had greatly


    improved, it still could not fly very well. Hence, it spent most of its days resting on its perch.


    Despite that, Fifi cocked its head as if it understood Gamma''s plea. It cooed twice and pecked its wings


    as if to tell Gamma that it was too injured to fly for the time being.


    As Gamma looked at Fifi''s injured wings, she sighed hopelessly. Then, she, too, fell asleep.


    It seems that my n to find Mommy will have to be put on pause for now... I wonder where''s Aunt


    Charlotte. I miss her so much...


    Over at the hospital, Charlotte did not sleep a wink at all that night.


    When she saw Raina emerge from the ward, she quickly asked, ¡°How''s the situation in there?¡±


    ¡°Everything is stable for now, but we will have to keep observing,¡± Raina replied in a tired voice. ¡°The


    major injury is the wound on the back of her head. Some rust got into the wound. So, it got a little


    complicated.¡±


    ¡°Can it heal?¡± Charlotte asked anxiously. ¡°Will there be any long-term effect?¡±


    ¡°I can''t tell for sure,¡± Raina said, sounding rather ashamed of her uncertainty. ¡°I''ll have to observe it for


    a while first.¡±


    Her reply made Charlotte''s heart even more uneasy.


    ¡°Don''t worry, Ms. Lindberg. The situation is entirely under control,¡± Raina quickly said reassuringly


    when she saw the frown on Charlotte''s face. ¡°Go home and get some rest. You''ve been up all night. I''m


    sure there are plenty of things that need your attention back home.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ms. Lindberg, you should go home,¡± Lupine echoed softly. ¡°I have arranged for a few men to


    stand guard here. Everything will be fine.¡±


    ¡°Okay, then.¡± Charlotte nodded and turned to leave. Just as she had walked two steps away, she


    suddenly recalled something. She quickly pulled Raina aside and asked, ¡°Are there any specialists in


    other hospitals that are able to treat this injury?¡±


    ¡°This type of injury is not umon. Specialists everywhere are able to treat it. The difference lies in


    their level of expertise...¡± Raina was a little puzzled by Charlotte''s question. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, why are you


    asking me this? It''s better to leave Alpha with me. I''ll attend to her personally, and I can help protect her


    too.¡±


    ¡°I''m efreid you''ll be rether helpless soon,¡± Cherlotte seid with e frown.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Reine excleimed in surprise. However, before she could esk eny further, her phone reng. She


    glenced et the celler ID end quickly picked up the cell. ¡°Mr. Necht? Yes, but over here... Yes, I


    understend.¡±


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    After henging up, Reine turned to Cherlotte with e somewhet conflicted expression. ¡°Mr. Necht hes


    esked me to go to Mr. Spencer immedietely. He elso esked me to put my tesk here in the hospitel on


    hold. He seys he hes other more importent tesks for me.¡±


    ¡°I knew it...¡±


    At thet moment, Bruce celled end seid, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, I''ve just received news thet...¡±


    He peused for e moment before he continued in e rether guilty tone, ¡°Mr. Necht hes ordered me to


    return immedietely. He does not went me to hendle the metters here enymore. I...¡±


    ¡°You go eheed,¡± Cherlotte seid simply. She hed elreedy expected this to heppen. ¡°If you find eny clues,


    let me know. I''ll seerch for Jemie end Robbie myself.¡±


    ¡°But you don''t heve enough men on your teem. If we leeve, whet will you do?¡± Bruce fretted enxiously.


    ¡°Why don''t we ignore his order? Reine end I ere definitely on your side.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Cherlotte seid immedietely. ¡°Recklessness will ruin everything! Do not sey thet!¡±


    ¡°I''m afraid you''ll be rather helpless soon,¡± Charlotte said with a frown.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Raina eximed in surprise. However, before she could ask any further, her phone rang. She


    nced at the caller ID and quickly picked up the call. ¡°Mr. Nacht? Yes, but over here... Yes, I


    understand.¡±


    After hanging up, Raina turned to Charlotte with a somewhat conflicted expression. ¡°Mr. Nacht has


    asked me to go to Mr. Spencer immediately. He also asked me to put my task here in the hospital on


    hold. He says he has other more important tasks for me.¡±


    ¡°I knew it...¡±


    At that moment, Bruce called and said, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, I''ve just received news that...¡±


    He paused for a moment before he continued in a rather guilty tone, ¡°Mr. Nacht has ordered me to


    return immediately. He does not want me to handle the matters here anymore. I...¡±


    ¡°You go ahead,¡± Charlotte said simply. She had already expected this to happen. ¡°If you find any clues,


    let me know. I''ll search for Jamie and Robbie myself.¡±


    ¡°But you don''t have enough men on your team. If we leave, what will you do?¡± Bruce fretted anxiously.


    ¡°Why don''t we ignore his order? Raina and I are definitely on your side.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Charlotte said immediately. ¡°Recklessness will ruin everything! Do not say that!¡±

 Chapter 1569

    Chapter 1569


    q¡°Oh, so you''ve already thought this through?¡± Bruce seemed somewhat relieved to hear that from


    Charlotte. ¡°Okay. I understand now.¡±


    ¡°Right now, he''s ying Mr. Nacht. The rest of you just need to stay focused on your own


    responsibilities,¡± said Charlotte, cryptically. ¡°I''ll cue you in when the time is right.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Bruce replied. ¡°But do call on us anytime should things get too hot.¡±


    ¡°Got it. I''ll let you go,¡± replied Charlotte before she hung up. Then, she turned to regard Raina. ¡°Did you


    get all that?¡±


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Yeah...¡± Raina nodded. ¡°The hospital''s mine, so they''ll take good care of Ben and Alpha even if I''m no


    longer there. I''m just worried that...¡±


    Whatever she wanted to say next need not be explicitly articted. It was apparent to Charlotte that


    the medical staff would defer to representatives from the Nacht family if any of them came by.


    ¡°Hard to say for certain.¡± Charlotte was in the opinion that there was nothing Chris and Jesse wouldn''t


    do. ¡°Do you have any other facilities to rmend?¡±


    ¡°H City''s top three hospitals are Kindness Hospital, Serene Hospital, and the other one belonging to the


    Gold family,¡± Raina said. ¡°I can''t guarantee whether the doctors will be able to treat Alpha, but Ben''s


    condition will require Dr. Wright''s personal attention...¡±


    ¡°What shall we do then?¡± That got Lupine quite worked up.


    After some thought, Raina said, ¡°Just leave him over here. I''ll try to stall things for a couple of days to


    give Alpha time to stabilize post-surgery. Then we''ll see how to take it from there. Though I may be


    from the Nacht family, my hospital isn''t under their purview as there are other shareholders and


    government officials that we would need to answer to. In view of that, the Nacht family won''t likely


    attempt anything too crazy.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Charlotte nodded. ¡°Stall a couple of days for Alpha''s condition to stabilize, and then have her


    sent home to recuperate. Hayley and Sam will still be around anyway.¡±


    ¡°That''ll work.¡± Raina nodded profusely. ¡°They are safe with me. At the very least, they haven''t proven


    themselves to be that brazen, to date. If nothing else, Alpha is Mr. Lindberg''s kid, after all.¡±


    ¡°True that.¡± Charlotte sighed. ¡°But we should still leave a few people here to keep watch.¡±


    Then, she patted Raina on the shoulder. ¡°I''ll see to these arrangements myself. You should get back to


    it.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Raina removed her mask and gloves. ¡°As Bruce put it, Ms. Lindberg, the two of us have


    absolute faith in you. Whenever you are in need, just say the word!¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡± That made Charlotte feel warm and fuzzy inside. ¡°Now hurry along.¡±


    Raina went off quickly.


    While Lupine watched her leave, she could not help but ask, ¡°I''m worried, Ms. Lindberg. Even though


    they won''t dare toy a finger on Alpha, Ben''s from the Nacht family. Wouldn''t it make things too easy


    for that imposter if he wants to get rid of him?¡±


    ¡°When the timees, we''ll take Ben with us to Northridge.¡± Charlotte was absolutely decisive. ¡°Ben''s


    currently in aa and isn''t going to be a problem for them, so I expect that they aren''t going to bother


    with him since they presently have more important things to worry about. Besides, we still have Bruce


    and Gordon we can count on.¡±


    ¡°You''re right about that...¡± Lupine let out a brief sigh of relief. ¡°I also saw a few of Bruce''s guys with Ben


    just now, and they''re all people who Bruce trusts.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Charlotte nodded. ¡°But still, we should station some of our own at the hospital, just in case.


    Gordon''s got two, but we ought to add a couple more. Go look into it.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Lupine and Charlotte set off for Northridge once everything was settled.


    En route, the manpower issue got Lupine quite concerned. ¡°Bruce and Raina are currently unavable


    to us. Out of those eighteen people we have, four will be posted at the hospital. Another four will be out


    looking for Mr. Nacht with Gordon, and the remaining eight are back home with Morgan. Should


    anything else happen, we''ll find ourselves short-handed.¡±


    ¡°This is exactly what wily old fox had in mind when he got Chris to send Bruce and Raina away. By


    preventing them from helping me, he intends to leave me helpless to react, and facilitate his own efforts


    to slowly devour the Nacht family''s wealth...¡± Charlotte seethed between gnashed teeth.

 Chapter 1570

    Chapter 1570


    q¡°This is truly despicable,¡± Lupine cussed. ¡°What should we do next?¡±


    ¡°I...¡± Charlotte was about to speak when a dozen messages came through on her phone. When she


    checked, she found that they were all links to news articles sent by Lucy.


    Reports of the three kids not being Zachary''s biological children were spreading like wildfire. Assuming


    Zachary''s identity, Chris held a press conference in which he vehemently leveled Charlotte with various


    usations and actively portrayed her as some reprehensible monster! Charlotte was shocked to say


    the least.


    He even went as far as to confirm all the rumors about Charlotte''s plots to kill her own husband and


    scheme after the Nacht Group''s wealth.


    Public opinion was now stacked against Charlotte, and even the children were not spared!


    Negative coverage of Charlotte was all over the inte, and some even went as far as to intentionally


    dig up dirt on her father and other rtives to besmirch them.


    In no time at all, the name ¡°Charlotte Lindberg¡± became synonymous with ¡°vicious woman.¡±


    Both the inte and major media outlets all derided her as the new era''s she-devil. One of the titles


    read: Unable to value a prize catch like Zachary, she had to climb thedder by hook or by crook. The


    woman is ruthlessly ambitious andpletely unconscionable!


    Charlotte was shaking all over when she gripped the phone. Although all of this was to be expected,


    she could not stomach the awfulnguage that was used by manyizens to denigrate her family and


    even her own children.


    ¡°This is too much!¡± Just listening to the things said on the news channel was enough to make Lupine


    livid. ¡°Damn that son of a gun, Chris! I wish that I could shoot him myself!¡±


    ¡°His wretched life isn''t worth anything, but we still need him alive to lure out Jesse,¡± Charlotte sneered


    under gritted teeth. ¡°Rest assured that no good woulde to him!¡±


    ¡°Ooh, this is so maddening!¡± Lupine thumped her fists against the steering wheel.


    Charlotte closed all those tabs and then exited the browser. Afterward, she looked calmly to the outside


    of the windows and exhaled, ¡°Thankfully, Robbie, Jamie, and Ellie don''t have to go to school now, and


    won''t find out what''s happening out there.¡±


    To that point, Lupine dared not continue that conversation. Without news of Robbie and Jamie


    currently, their fates right then were the most important question...


    Toot, toot¡ª


    At that moment, Lupine''s phone suddenly rang, and she hurriedly answered, ¡°Hello, Morgan!¡±


    ¡°Have you all ascended the mountain? Be careful out there.¡±


    ¡°Why? What''s up?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know which dastardly thing leaked our address in Northridge and the ce is now swarming


    with reporters. I''ve just chased some of them off but a couple of daredevils skirted around the side of


    the ridge to snoop on us. Urgh, it''s simply infuriating!¡±


    That jolted Lupine into silence as she regarded Charlotte in shock.


    Charlotte furrowed as she looked and met the former''s eyes. Indeed, there was some media convoy


    driving off the mountain and were variouslying their way.


    ¡°Damn it. This must be the doing of Chris and the others.¡± Lupine was incensed. ¡°Shameless.


    Thoroughly incorrigible. First, they kidnapped the children, then they lured the reporters to our home...¡±


    ¡°Jesse''s methods are a real eye-opener.¡± Charlotte''s eyes narrowed threateningly. ¡°All''s fair in


    competition for business, but those who would stoop as low as he does are a rare breed!¡±


    ¡°Those cars are almost upon us. What should we do?¡± Lupine looked to Charlotte. ¡°Should we try to


    avoid them?¡±


    ¡°Step on it. We''ll go straight at them!¡± Charlottemanded.


    ¡°Roger that. I''m on it!¡±


    Lupine immediately hit the elerator and sent the car hurtling directly toward the media vehicles


    coming their way from the opposite direction.


    Though this stretch of mountainous road was doublened, there were many narrow and sharp turns


    that made it extremely dangerous to navigate.


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    The cars across from them honked fervently and slowed down with urgency when Lupine''s car


    barrelled toward them without any inclination of slowing down.


    That prompted those cars to brake abruptly, causing those behind to crash into a pile.


    Before they knew it, Lupine''s car had swept past them like the wind.

 Chapter 1571

    Chapter 1571


    qThat show of strength really had its desired effect as those paparazzi were left pallid and gasping in


    relief. Rokan Hill''s a perilous ce with dangerous roads and a frequent haunt of street racers. Out of


    considerations of safety, it might be better to note back here again.


    While they were engaged in discussion, the roaring of beasts reverberated from within the wilderness,


    and several eagles started to circle in the air as well. That spooked them enough to jump into their cars


    and scoot off.


    ¡°Bunch of sickening cowards,¡± Lupine cussed as she drove.


    Charlotte stared at the skies beyond the windows at those soaring eagles. ¡°Did you hear that just


    now?¡±


    ¡°Could be some wild animals,¡± replied Lupine, seemingly unbothered. ¡°You''ll get that here sometimes.


    They probably came out in protest after being rmed by these people.¡±


    Quietly lost in thought, Charlotte merely teared up a little.


    A whileter, she picked up the phone and called Gordon to ask about his progress on Zachary.


    ¡°We were working on some leads yesterday, but nothing came of them.¡± Gordon sounded a little


    disappointed when he spoke. ¡°Goddammit. I''ve never felt this defeated in years.¡±


    ¡°I really have to hand it to this Francesco. With so many people tracking her, she could still manage to


    vanish without a trace with an unconscious man in tow. Now I can see why Sean has been telling me


    that she''s a monster and the one person in this world apart from Mr. Lindberg that you don''t want to


    mess with!¡±


    ¡°Uh...¡± Rarely had Charlotte heard Gordon having so much to say in one sitting, and alsomunicate


    with this much emotion. Even more unexpected, was for him to encounter someone who had


    impressed him for the very first time.


    ¡°Several of my men had been knocked out by her gas and hasn''te to yet,¡± Gordon continued to


    cuss away. ¡°Of course, the Gold family are doingparatively worse off on their end as nobody they


    sent after Francesco managed to get back in one piece. I think they might have been scared off, seeing


    how they seemed to have reined it in a little today.¡±


    ¡°Where are you now?¡± Charlotte asked.


    ¡°Following the leads from before had brought me to Baykeep. Right now, I''mbing through an


    abandoned warehouse,¡± Gordon replied. ¡°How are you doing over on your end, Ms. Lindberg? Are you


    short of manpower? Shall I send some people over?¡±


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    ¡°It won''t be necessary. All of you should stop looking,¡± Charlotte dered. ¡°Send your wounded


    personnel for treatment, and have the rest meet me back at Northridge.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Are we forgoing the search?¡± Gordon sounded a little surprised. ¡°Although the Gold family has


    eased it off today, that doesn''t mean that they''ve given up on finding Mr. Nacht. He and Francesco


    could still be in danger should they get to them first.¡±


    ¡°I know what I''m doing,¡± came Charlotte''s nd reply. ¡°You guys must be worn out having been at it for


    the past two days. Wrap things up and reconvene with me back here.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Seeing that Charlotte had her mind made up, Gordon desisted from pressing further and


    went on to make the necessary arrangements.


    ¡°Why have you suddenly decided to discontinue the search, Ms. Lindberg?¡± Lupine asked.


    ¡°I suspect that Francesco is right here at the ridges.¡± Charlotte narrowed her eyes and gazed at the


    wild eagles fading further and further into the horizon. ¡°Perhaps, she''s holed up somewhere


    inconspicuous and secretly administering treatment to Zachary...¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Lupine stared with eyes gawking. ¡°What led you to such a conclusion? There isn''t¡ª¡±


    ¡°Aside from Danrique, she''s the only one who can summon beasts.¡± Charlotte''s lips curled into a smile.


    ¡°I suppose she must have been annoyed by those journalists, and that''s why she sent out those


    animals to chase them off the ridges.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± replied the enlightened Lupine.


    Elsewhere, over at the backyard loft.


    Francesco scanned the skies and whistled at those eagles that promptly flew off and away from


    Southridge.

 Chapter 1572

    Chapter 1572


    q¡°sted things. Why are youing here to snoop all over the ce when I''m sofortably


    hidden? What if you were to give my position away?¡±


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    After ascertaining that those journalists had left the ridges, Francesco rxed and leaned backzily


    into the backrest. She then closed her eyes to soak in the sun before she yawned.


    ¡°This is just a taster. Next time you show up, I''ll set the snakes on you.¡±


    A little green serpent slithered off Zachary and wrapped itself around Francesco''s arm before it


    tightened itself around her wrist like a pristine jade bangle.


    ¡°I''m hungry. Go make me something to eat.¡±


    When Francesco looked askance at the little reptile around her wrist, she was songuid that she did


    not even want to lift her fingers. ¡°Bah. If only you can really adopt a human form and help me with the


    cooking.¡±


    She paused and red grudgingly at Zachary, who wasid out upon the wooden bed. ¡°It''s all your


    fault, Fugly. You''re such a dead weight that I still need to babysit you every single day! Not even


    Dummy got to enjoy this level of service from me before, so you owe me. I''d say, it wouldn''t be too


    much to ask for even if I were to demand half of your estate for saving your sorry behind!¡±


    Following that, she hurled a handful of peanuts she had within reach at Zachary. ¡°Hey, did you hear


    me? Remember to show some proper gratitude in the future, yeah?¡±


    Under the wooden bed was a smoking bundle of herbs that shrouded Zachary within a dense nket


    of scents. The needles that were embedded all over his head gave off a subtle glisten that flickered


    through the mist.


    After the ordeal he underwent in the past two weeks, he had be visibly sloven and sallow, and his


    appearance was rather tternly and also somewhat unsightly. His hand then twitched in a subtle way,


    as though responsive to Francesco''s words...


    ¡°Looks like the message got through,¡± Francesco chuckled with glee. ¡°One can never have too much


    money. Hehe. Once I''ve got lots of them, I''m going to go bury that jerk Danrique with it!¡±


    Francesco was over the moon at the prospect of being able to receive half of Zachary''s fortune and


    use it to embarrass Danrique.


    She finally decided to ditch herziness and get up to prepare sustenance.


    A sooty pot bubbled as it dangled over the fire into which she casually tossed in a fewrge femurs.


    Then, she picked up a badly chipped chopping knife and diced up a few carrots which were dropped


    into the pot as well. That was enough exertion for her as she slumped back into the recliner and


    yawned. ¡°This is so tiring! How I wish there was someone around to serve me!¡±


    She slowly but surely became ovee by drowsiness and was about to nod off.


    Meanwhile, Charlotte''s car had arrived at the intersection point of Northridge and Southridge. ¡°Shall we


    go have a look?¡± Lupine asked.


    ¡°Perhaps it might be better not to,¡± Charlotte said as her eyes fixated upon Southridge, feeling a little


    tensed up inside. ¡°I keep having the feeling that this might be where she could be hidden if that was her


    intent. After all, the most dangerous ce may very well be the safest!¡±


    ¡°Why shouldn''t we go seek her out?¡± Lupine asked, quizzically.


    ¡°There must be a reason why she did not try to look us up,¡± Charlotte said while she worked to keep


    her own emotions in check. ¡°Perhaps she prefers solitude and doesn''t like to deal with strangers. She


    might prefer to iste herself and administer treatment at her own leisure than to go back and forth


    with me. Or perhaps, she isn''t sure about Zachary''s prognosis and chose to keep things under wraps


    because she was afraid that I''d be disappointed if she couldn''t address his ailment. Regardless, I


    shan''t disturb her if she doesn''t want me to.¡±


    ¡°You may be right.¡± Lupine nodded. ¡°In that case, shall we leave and check back in again to try and


    sound things outter tonight?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Let''s head off before she discovers us,¡± Charlotte urged.


    ¡°All right.¡±


    The car then ventured onward in the direction of Northridge.


    Charlotte was profoundly moved andforted in the knowledge that Francesco could be attending to


    Zachary in the ridges.


    That would be unexpectedly fortuitous if that were true. So long as he survives, everything we have


    gone through would be worthwhile.

 Chapter 1573

    Chapter 1573


    qCharlotte and Lupine heard Morgan cursing from afar when they got home. ¡°B*stard, if you have the


    guts toe again, I''ll break your legs!¡±


    She then lifted and threw the journalist out of the backyard and gave him another kick.


    The man, who fell t on the ground, instantly crawled up and ran away.


    Lupine looked at Morgan and said, ¡°What''s with the rolled-up sleeves? Are you getting ready to fight?¡±


    ¡°I spotted a few b*stards hiding in the bushes, but I can''t seem to chase them away!¡± Morgan


    eximed in frustration.


    ¡°Get a few men to patrol that area. Don''t let them off easily,¡± Charlotte ordered.


    ¡°All right,¡± Morgan responded.


    After entering the vi with Lupine, Charlotte instructed the other bodyguards, ¡°Keep an eye on the


    surrounding in the next few days. Do not allow any outsiders to enter the vi. Gotta be extra careful


    even you shop for groceries.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    ¡°You haven''t slept for a day. Grab a bite, and sleep early, Ms. Lindberg.¡± Lupine then ordered the


    kitchen staff to prepare breakfast for Charlotte.


    Yet, Charlotte did not feel like eating. ¡°My stomach is churning, and I don''t feel like eating. You go


    around the house and see if anything needs to be done. Go and take a rest once Morganes in. I''ll


    be in my study.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Lupine nodded and started making the necessary arrangement to improve the security in the


    vi.


    At the study, Charlotte extracted the information Bruce sent earlier from her phone. She then went


    through the details to see if she could find clues on Robbie and Jamie''s whereabouts.


    A few minutester, she heard a knock on the door, followed by Gordon''s voice. ¡°It''s me, Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    ¡°Come in,¡± Charlotte said.


    Gordon entered the study and reported, ¡°I''m sorry, Ms. Lindberg. We haven''t located Mr. Nacht yet, but


    I''ve gathered some clues...¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry about him,¡± Charlotte interrupted. Someone has kidnapped Robbie and Jamie. We have to


    find them first.¡±


    ¡°What? How did it happen?¡± Gordon''s expression changed. ¡°What about the girls?¡±


    ¡°Alpha suffered some injuries, and the doctors are now treating her at the hospital. Gamma and Beta


    had some minor wounds on their body, but they''re fine.¡± Charlotte exined everything that had


    happenedst night to Gordon.


    She continued saying with a pang of guilt, ¡°It''s all my fault. I thought they were targetting Zachary and


    me. I didn''t expect them to do this to the kids. I also thought Danrique would send someone to take


    care of the kids. Who knew that he had already returned to Erihal...¡±


    ¡°No, it''s not your fault,¡± Gordon said with a frown. ¡°Why didn''t you tell me earlier? I could have gone to


    the rescue.¡±


    ¡°We were all in a difficult situation. What if Jesse''s men found Zachary and Francesco? We couldn''t


    allow that to happen too,¡± Charlotte exined, ¡°Let''s not dwell on the past anymore. At this point, we


    should focus on the kids. I''m counting on you now!¡±


    ¡°I''ll get to it right away!¡± After copying the information Bruce provided, Gordon said, ¡°I''ll take care of the


    kids. But what about Mr. Nacht?¡±


    ¡°I''ll take care of it,¡± Charlotte answered. ¡°I want you to focus on the children now.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Gordon nodded. Before stepping out of the door, he seemed to have recalled something he


    needed to tell Charlotte. He turned around and said, ¡°By the way, Ms. Lindberg, there''s something I


    wish to remind you.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± Charlotte looked at him.


    Gordon said hesitantly, ¡°Mr. Lindberg might not have feelings for her in the past, but things have


    changed after the incident. So if you manage to find Mr. Nacht, I hope you could also take care of her


    safety...¡±


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    Charlotte gave him a smile. ¡°Got it. Even if Danrique doesn''t have any feelings for her, I''ll make sure


    she''s all right. She''s the mother to the girls, after all. Besides, I''m also happy that Danrique is willing to


    give love a shot!¡±

 Chapter 1574

    Chapter 1574


    qGordon burst intoughter. ¡°That''s what we thought too. In this world, only Francesco could subdue


    Mr. Lindberg.¡±


    After making that remark, he instantly covered his mouth with his hand. ¡°Oops. I hope no one else


    heard what I said. Mr. Lindberg will punish us for badmouthing her.¡±


    Charlotte responded with augh.


    ¡°I''m gonna go now. Keep in touch.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡±


    After Gordon left, Charlotte began to think of Danrique''s rtionship with Francesca. I can''t believe


    Danrique has fallen in love with Francesca. How does she look? I can''t wait to see her in person!


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg.¡± Lupine knocked on the door and came in with a simple breakfast. ¡°Everything''s ready.


    Come and grab something to eat. You need to get some sleep after this.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Charlotte walked over to the couch and said, ¡°Come. Join me.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Lupine was taken aback by the invitation. Charlotte had always treated her and Morgan like her


    sisters, but she had never dined with Charlotte in such a manner.


    ¡°Sit.¡± Charlottes'' expression turned grim, and she ordered Lupine to sit down.


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Okay...¡± Lupine felt awkward but had no choice but to sit down and eat with Charlotte.


    ¡°You''ve worked very hard in thest couple of days.¡± Charlotte gave her a piece of chipta. ¡°You''ve


    been staying by my side all this while and didn''t get a chance to visit Ben, even though the hospital is


    just a stone''s throw away.¡±


    Charlotte might have said that in a calm voice, but deep in her heart, she felt sorry for Lupine as she


    knew how much Lupine cared for Ben.


    She also noticed Lupine had always looked in the hospital building''s direction during her free time. Yet,


    Lupine still chose to apany her and tried not to think of Ben.


    Charlotte, who had been observing Lupine all this while, could not help but feel sorry for her.


    ¡°It''s my duty to be here for you,¡± Lupine said steadily.


    ¡°Silly girl.¡± Charlotte looked at her and sighed. ¡°Let''s find out if Francesco is in Southridge tonight. Once


    we ascertained her whereabouts, we should be able to rescue both Zachary and Ben.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Lupine''s eyes sparkled with hope for a second before she expressed her concern. ¡°Dr.


    Langhan mentioned that Dr. Felch is good at treating patients who have been poisoned with traditional


    medicine. I suppose she wouldn''t have the expertise to provide a cure for Ben, right?¡±


    ¡°That''s not the case,¡± Charlotte said and shook her head. ¡°Hayley told me that Dr. Felch told Francesco


    to leave because she wanted to study modern medicine and see if she could integrate it into traditional


    medicine. At that point, Dr. Felch was not a fan of her aspiration.¡±


    ¡°But looking at the situation now, they should be fine, as Francesco is a medical professional who has


    experienced the best of both worlds,¡± Charlotte exined.


    ¡°That''s great!¡± Lupine was thrilled to hear that. ¡°Ben has been lying in bed for two weeks now, and


    there was nothing Dr. Wright could do. Let''s hope Francesco could find a cure for him.¡±


    ¡°I have faith in her.¡± Charlotte patted Lupine''s shoulder. ¡°Enjoy your breakfast now. You must be


    famished too.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Just when they were about to dig in, they heard the children''s calling out, ¡°Aunt Charlotte!¡±


    In a matter of seconds, two children barged into the study.


    ¡°Beta, Gam¡ª¡± Before Charlotte could react, the two girls hurtled over and nearly pushed her to the


    couch.


    ¡°It''s okay, girls. It''s okay. I''m here. Don''t cry.¡± Charlotteforted the two girls.


    ¡°But I''m scared...¡± Beta could hardly speak clearly. ¡°I want Mommy. Aunt Charlotte, can you help me


    find my mommy?¡±


    Gamma pouted, and tears rolled down her cheeks. ¡°I want Mommy too...¡±

 Chapter 1575

    Chapter 1575


    q¡°I''m also looking for your mommy too, sweeties. But please give me more time.¡± Charlotte did not


    want to lie to the children. ¡°I''m sure your Mommy misses you too. Perhaps, she mighte and find


    you soon.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Beta tilted her head and asked enthusiastically, ¡°Mommy wille and find us?¡±


    ¡°I''m sure she will.¡± Charlotte rubbed the back of her head. ¡°Have you two eaten your breakfast? Join


    me.¡±


    ¡°We want to eat with Ellie,¡± Gamma said. She could not help but sigh, ¡°Aunt Charlotte, you should go


    and check on Ellie. She doesn''t talk and smile like she used to anymore.¡±


    ¡°Is Ellie awake?¡± Charlotte lifted her head and asked the maid behind Gramma.


    ¡°She has just woken up, Ms. Lindberg,¡± the maid replied.


    ¡°Let''s go and see her.¡± Charlotte held Gamma and Beta''s hands and was ready to leave. She then


    turned around and said to Lupine, ¡°Stay here, finish the breakfast, and take some rest.¡±


    ¡°What about you, Ms. Lindberg?¡±


    ¡°I''ll be back shortly.¡±


    Charlotte arrived at Ellie''s room and realized she was awake. Ellie sat on the couch with her hands


    wrapping over her legs and gazed at the sun.


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    ¡°Ellie.¡± Charlotte walked over and gave her a hug, but she did not know what else to say to the troubled


    child.


    ¡°Mommy...¡± Ellie leaned against her chest and asked, ¡°Are there monsters in this world?¡±


    ¡°What? What monster?¡± Charlotte froze for a moment.


    ¡°I saw someone who looked exactly like Daddy.¡± The fearful Ellie could not help but shudder. ¡°That man


    fired a shot at Mr. Ben. He also shot Daddy and me. It''s so scary!¡±


    ¡°It''s all right now. Everything''s all right now.¡± Charlotte hugged Ellie tightly and stroked her hair.


    ¡°Mommy''s here now. No one can hurt you anymore.¡±


    ¡°Why does the man look like Daddy?¡± Ellie asked in fear, ¡°Is he a monster? Is he one of those monsters


    who will turn into a human a-and...¡± Ellie stuttered.


    ¡°That man is a bad guy, Ellie. The cops will catch him and put him in jail.¡± Charlotte continued to


    console her, ¡°Daddy loves you very much, and he''ll never hurt you!¡±


    ¡°Mommy...¡± Ellie buried her face in Charlotte''s chest and cried, ¡°That bad guy wanted to kill me, so


    Daddy fought with him and asked me to run as fast as possible. Daddy got hurt because of me...¡±


    ¡°Daddy will be fine. The doctors are treating him in the hospital. He''lle home soon,¡± Charlotte


    exined.


    Charlotte finally understood what truly bothered the little girl. Ellie could not ovee her fear because


    she thought Zachary got into trouble because of her. She could not ept it.


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Ellie got agitated. ¡°Are you telling me the truth, Mommy?¡±


    ¡°Of course! Why would Mommy lie to you?¡± Charlotte gently ran her fingers on her cheeks. ¡°Daddy will


    come home once he gets better. Believe me, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Ellie nodded. Once again, her eyes sparkled with hope.


    Charlotte went deep in thought. I have to make a trip to Southridge to find out if Francesco is treating


    Zachary at that ce.


    She would only feel more at ease if she could make sure he was safe. When she was about to return to


    her room to rest, a tiny hand grabbed the corner of her blouse. It was Gamma.


    She squatted and smiled at the little girl. ¡°Is there anything you wanna tell me?¡±


    ¡°Aunt Charlotte...¡± Gamma took a nce at the room and whispered in Charlotte''s ear. ¡°I know how we


    can find Mommy. If we manage to find her, we''ll be able to help Alpha and Ellie.¡±

 Chapter 1576

    Chapter 1576


    qCharlotte''s eyes brightened, and she immediately asked, ¡°How can we find your mommy? What do


    you have in mind?¡±


    ¡°Well...¡± Gamma pointed at the eagle and said, ¡°We''ll need Fifi''s help.¡±


    ¡°Fifi?¡± Charlotte froze for a bit before she continued, ¡°You mean your mommy canmunicate with


    animals, so that''s why you need Fifi''s help to look for her?¡±


    Gamma nodded, and her serious face reddened. ¡°We can get Fifi to look for Mommy so that Fifi can tell


    Mommy Alpha is injured. I want Mommy to know that Beta and I are living in fear too. She''ll find us if


    she knows our situation.¡±


    ¡°But how will Fifi know where your mommy is?¡± Charlotte had her doubts, as she was afraid that what


    Gamma proposed was merely based on her imagination.


    ¡°Mommy is just around us. I could feel it...¡± Gamma said with confidence as she looked out of the


    window.


    She continued, ¡°Today, I saw a few eagles flying in the sky and heard the sound of a leopard. Mommy


    must be hiding somewhere in the mountains nearby. We can tie a blood-stained cloth around Fifi''s w


    for Mommy to see. Mommy will then know Alpha got hurt...¡±


    Gamma paused for a moment and fidgeted her fingers. ¡°I''m afraid the doctors here couldn''t heal Alpha


    since she''s severely wounded. Mommy said there were many quacks out there. This was why we


    would only take medicines Mommy prepared for us...¡±


    The little girl could not help but mumble.


    Upon hearing what Gamma said, Charlotte realized Danrique and Francesco had given birth to a


    genius.


    Gamma was less than three years old, yet she was an excellent logical thinker who coulde up with


    brilliant solutions.


    In fact, Charlotte was concerned that she might alert Francesco had she made a trip to Southridge.


    She was pleased that Gamma hade up with a much better solution. We''ll get her toe and find


    us instead!


    ¡°Did you hear what I said, Aunt Charlotte?¡± Gamma gave her a serious look. ¡°Can you help me find my


    mommy?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Charlotte nodded repeatedly, but she also expressed her concern. ¡°But I think Fifi has


    injuries on its wings, and I don''t think it can fly. I''ll take a look at itter.¡±


    ¡°If Fifi can''t fly, I can still¡ª¡±


    ¡°Someone''s looking for you, Ms. Lindberg,¡± a maid interrupted.


    Charlotte turned around and responded, ¡°I''ll be down in a minute!¡±


    She then looked at Gamma and said, ¡°You were saying?¡±


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    ¡°Nothing...¡± Gamma decided not to say anything. ¡°You must be busy with your work, Aunt Charlotte. I''ll


    go and have my breakfast now.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Good girl.¡± Charlotte stroked the back of her head gently and left the room.


    Gamma looked at her back and mumbled, ¡°Mommy said I should only use my skill during emergencies


    and not reveal it to outsiders. But Aunt Charlotte is not an outsider. Should I tell her? Sigh, I''m so


    confused. Oh well, I''ll have my breakfast first.¡±


    ¡°Gamma,e quickly! The soup is delicious!¡± Beta, who was sitting at the dining table downstairs,


    called out to Gamma.


    ¡°Is it as delicious as Mommy''s snake soup?¡± Gamma asked casually.


    The color drained out of the maids'' faces when they heard that.


    S-Snake soup?


    Beta replied, ¡°Nope. Mommy''s snake soup tastes better.¡±


    ¡°If only they knew how to make snake soup. We would have asked them to go into the forest to catch a


    few snakes.¡± Gamma licked her lips, as she recalled how delicious snake soup was. ¡°I miss drinking it.¡±


    Beta, too, let out a sigh. ¡°Yeah. When do we get to taste Mommy''s cooking again? I miss her snake


    soup, roasted wolf meat, and...¡±


    The little girls'' discussion had instantly sent chills down the maids'' spines.


    Oh, God. What kind of bizarre cuisine is that!

 Chapter 1577

    Chapter 1577


    qCharlotte entered the courtyard and asked, ¡°Who''s looking for me?¡±


    The maid reported in a low voice, ¡°It''s Mrs. Rawlston. She has been standing outside the courtyard for


    some time now. She refused to leave no matter what I said.¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Rawlston?¡± Charlotte quickly ordered, ¡°Let her in quickly.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    The maids shut Hanna out because Charlotte had specifically told them not to let anyone, including the


    Nachts.


    In the end, Charlotte decided to greet Hanna herself at the door because she felt guilty for making her


    wait for so long.


    At the moment, Hanna was carrying a huge bag as she stood on tiptoes and craned her neck to see


    beyond the courtyard walls. ¡°Mrs. Nacht, Mrs. Nacht!¡± She yelled excitedly when sheid eyes on


    Charlotte.


    ¡°Mrs. Rawlston, pleasee in.¡±


    Charlotte ordered her maid to open the metal gates to let Hanna in.


    Hanna stared at Charlotte as she made her way in and smiled apologetically. Before she could even


    say a word, tears welled up in her eyes. ¡°Mrs. Nacht, I believe you no matter what other people say


    about you!¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Rawlston...¡± Charlotte was at a loss for words as she stared at Hanna.


    ¡°Mrs. Nacht, there''s something I''ve been wanting to ask you.¡±


    Hanna checked her surroundings before whispering nervously, ¡°Is Mr. Zachary really the Zachary I


    know? Something feels off about him. Has he really gone bonkers, or is he just faking it? How could he


    doubt you? Moreover, he even scolded Mr. Nacht yesterday night. I was so shocked...¡±


    Charlotte was at a loss for words. Chris, you ipetent fool. Stop getting so full of yourself. How


    could you insult Mr. Nacht in front of his servants?


    However, she totally understood why he did so. His mother, Zara, was killed by Henry himself. That


    was why Chris hated Henry so much. He must have exploded in rage after moving into Garden Vi


    since Mr. Nacht''s photos and belongings were all over the house.


    ¡°Mrs. Rawlston, what are you doing here alone?¡±


    Charlotte changed the topic and asked.


    ¡°I''m not alone.¡± Hanna sighed. ¡°Mr. Zachary sent his men to Southridge this morning to look for


    something he had lost there. Though I''m not too sure what it is. I brought some desserts that I made


    over since the kids love them so much. Mrs. Nacht, I believe that the kids belong to Mr. Zachary. I have


    no idea how the rumors started, and I''m not sure what exactly happened to Mr. Zachary, but I trust you


    wholeheartedly...¡±


    ¡°Wait, Mrs. Rawlston.¡± Charlotte cut her off. ¡°Did you just mention Southridge?¡± she asked anxiously.


    ¡°Yeah. He said it was important and sent his men to look for it. I stopped Andy at the crossroad and


    asked him to drop me here...¡±


    ¡°Morgan, Morgan,¡± Charlotte shouted in the vi''s direction. ¡°Get the car.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ms. Lindberg.¡± Morgan got on to it immediately without any questions. ¡°Which car, Ms. Lindberg?¡±


    ¡°Titanic.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    They were only left with a problematic jeep since all their cars had been confiscated not too long ago.


    Morgan had fixed it yesterday and parked it in the backyard. Who would have thought it woulde in


    handy so soon.


    ¡°What''s wrong, Mrs. Nacht?¡±


    Hanna was confused.


    ¡°Mrs. Rawlston, you should head back first. Don''t get yourself involved.¡± Charlotte instructed one of her


    female bodyguards, ¡°Send Mrs. Rawlston back to Spencer.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The female bodyguard immediately escorted Hanna out the door.


    ¡°Wait, Mrs. Nacht, please give these desserts to the kids.¡± Hanna handed Charlotte the bag. ¡°Keep it


    safe. It''s important.¡±


    ¡°Okay, thank you, Mrs. Rawlston.¡± Charlotte handed the bag over to one of her bodyguards. ¡°Take it


    inside.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Charlotte was worried that the Nachts would disrupt Francesco as they made their way to Southridge.


    Hence, she quickly headed over with a few female bodyguards in the jeep.

 Chapter 1578

    Chapter 1578


    qJust as she expected, most of the men sent by Chris were new to the role. Only two from the original


    batch of bodyguards working for the Nachts tagged along as guides.


    The car rolled to a stop in front of Southridge. Two dozen bodyguards alighted the car and made their


    way in.


    At that moment, Francesca narrowed her eyes dangerously and mumbled to the green snake in her


    hand. ¡°Sam, get the boys ready. Things are about to get heated up!¡±


    Whoosh! The bushes rustled. There was also the sound of wings pping on the roof and movements


    in the backyard.


    These were all recruited by Francesca during her time in the mountains.


    They were the ones who aided in her escape.


    The bodyguards were about to barge into the courtyard when Andy and Drew stopped them from doing


    so.


    ¡°This ce has been locked up. The police might still need toe here to look for new clues. I don''t


    think it''s a good idea for all of us to enter since we might destroy the evidence.¡±


    ¡°Why not? We''re all on the same side,¡± One of the bodyguards said coldly. ¡°It''s Charlotte''s idea to seal


    Southridge, right? We should be listening to Mr. Nacht now that he''s back.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°Move!¡±


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    They were very adamant about it. Andy and Drew were no match against them.


    Just then, a jeep burst into the scene. Morgan made a skillful drift and stopped the car in front of


    Southridge''s metal gates, effectively stopping them from going in.


    The bodyguards were stunned by her driving skills. Before they could return to their senses, Morgan


    rolled down the windows and bellowed, ¡°Assh*les. How dare you force your way in? Get lost!¡±


    Francesca couldn''t help butugh in the courtyard. I like this feistydy!


    ¡°Um...¡± The bodyguards came back to their senses and retorted. ¡°Who do you think you are? How dare


    you make such a fuss here? This ce belongs to the Nachts.¡±


    ¡°Da*n you. You must be looking for a fight.¡±


    Morgan wasted no time as she turned off the engine and was about to get down.


    ¡°Morgan!¡± Charlotte hissed.


    Morgan was left with no choice but to remain in the driver''s seat. She gritted her teeth and red at the


    bodyguards. Da*n it. Why do I always have to be the driver when there are not enough people in a


    fight?


    She had been itching to beat someone up these days.


    One of the female bodyguards opened the car door for Charlotte. She stepped out of the car and


    scanned the group of bodyguards. ¡°All of you must be new here. Don''t you know the rules?¡±


    ¡°What rules? Mr. Nacht is the rule.¡±


    The newly employed bodyguards spat at Charlotte.


    ¡°This is the Nacht residence. As a treacherous and immoral woman, you''ve been kicked out of the


    Nacht family. What right do you have... Ah...¡±


    He was cut off as something hit him in the head.


    The female bodyguard aimed a stone at his head. He almost copsed to the ground as a bump


    formed on his head.


    ¡°I''ll teach you a lesson for being so rude to Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    The two female bodyguards picked up some stones smugly from the ground and tossed it in the air


    gleefully.


    ¡°Hehe!¡±


    Francescaughed as she watched on from the courtyard. Charlotte had piqued her interest. Her


    subordinates are way more fun than Danrique''s.


    ¡°Do you really think we don''t dare toy a hand on you?¡±


    The batch of bodyguards gritted their teeth in anger. They picked up their weapons and charged at


    them.


    Charlotte led her two female bodyguards and faced the onught.


    Everyone was engaged in an intense fight outside the courtyard. Francesca craned her neck but wasn''t


    satisfied with the view. In the end, she decided to climb onto the rooftop to watch.


    ¡°Holy cow. This is interesting! Beat them up! Yes, beat the shit out of them! Watch your left! Haha! Yes,


    you got it!¡±


    By right, it would almost be impossible to spot Francesca as she was hiding in a secluded spot and


    was very far away from the fight.


    However, Charlotte could feel a pair of eyes watching her as she fought. She looked back instinctively


    and saw...

 Chapter 1579

    Chapter 1579


    qCharlotte spotted a figure shing past the vi. Even though it was just for a split second, she was


    certain that it was Francesca.


    Charlotte had heard a lot of rumors about her future sister-inw, but that was the first time she saw


    her in person.


    Although she had only managed to catch a glimpse of the woman, it was already enough for Charlotte


    to feel very excited.


    That meant that she had guessed correctly. Francesco was indeed hiding at Southridge. However, it


    was still unknown whether Zachary was being treated by Francesca.


    Francesca ran away the instant Charlotte turned around. However, she knew that Charlotte had most


    likely seen her.


    Thank goodness, it was just Charlotte.


    Francesca had heard a lot about her sister-inw as well. It seemed to her that the woman was smarter


    than she thought.


    Seeing that the fight was still going on outside, Francesca was hesitating if she should intervene when


    she heard the sound of a car engine approaching.


    She could briefly make out that the police had arrived. ording to the police, as investigations of the


    fire were still ongoing, Southridge was out of bounds, and without permission from the police, no one


    was allowed to enter.


    The new bodyguards from the Nacht family had wanted to reason with the police but were chased


    away.


    Judging by what she had heard, Francesca was quite certain that the situation outside was already


    under control. As such, there was no need for her to intervene. After instructing Sam to dismiss the


    others, the woman quickly walked toward the loft in the backyard.


    Meanwhile, Charlotte heaved a sigh of relief after the police dispersed everyone outside.


    When the others were getting into the car, Andy took the chance to whisper to Charlotte, ¡°Madam, it


    wasn''t convenient for Bruce to step in, so he had gotten the police to help instead. The situation is


    currently under control. Take care and be careful.¡±


    ¡°Yes, OK,¡± Charlotte replied and gestured for the man to leave.


    Andy immediately caught up with the rest.


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    Charlotte could feel a weight lifted off her shoulders as she watched the police escorting the Nacht


    family''s convoy away. However, a crease appeared between her brows when she turned around and


    saw the locked gates of Southridge.


    Now that Francesca is rmed, will she run away again?


    ¡°Why are those people suddenly here at Southridge?¡± Morgan asked in confusion. ¡°After the fire,


    everything important has already been moved to Spencer''s ce. What else could there be here that


    they are looking for?¡±


    ¡°Maybe they have discovered something...¡± Charlotte turned around and nced at her bodyguard. ¡°All


    right, you guys can leave first.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Morgan froze for a moment. ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°I''ll go inside and take a look. Wait for me at the intersection ahead,¡± Charlotte instructed.


    ¡°Understood.¡± Even though Morgan did not know what was going on, she could only follow the


    woman''s instructions and left with the rest.


    Charlotte waited for her bodyguards to drive off before climbing over the wall. She almost stepped on a


    snake when shended. Fortunately, she managed to avoid it due to her quick reflexes. Otherwise, she


    would have already been bitten.


    Charlotte navigated cautiously around the courtyard, hoping to find Francesca. However, there was no


    one else in the spaciouspound. The gate of the vi was also locked.


    Charlotte was aware that Francesca had a strange temperament. As such, she continued to move


    quietly and carefully to avoid disturbing the woman.


    Charlotte had also suddenly realized how huge the Nacht residence was. It took her half an hour just to


    search the courtyard.


    Francesca was really mysterious. There were no traces of her in the courtyard, not even a single


    footprint.


    Charlotte was clueless as to where the woman could be until she detected a faint smell of herbal


    concoctioning from the backyard.


    She immediately followed the smell, and indeed, she found a casserole with Chinese medicine dregs in


    the area beside the loft.


    Charlotte was barely able to contain her excitement and quickly walked toward the loft. As she did not


    want to risk offending Francesca, the woman stopped outside the door and eximed cautiously,


    ¡°Francesca!¡±


    Silence greeted her.


    Charlotte called out again, ¡°Francesca, I''m Charlotte. There''s no one else here. Everyone has already


    left. I would like to have a chat with you.¡±

 Chapter 1580

    Chapter 1580


    qThere was still no reply.


    As Charlotte did not dare to go in, she could only continue speaking outside. ¡°Francesca, I know you''re


    helping to treat my husband. Regardless of the oue, I''m very grateful to you. I only want to know


    his current condition. Also, the kids miss him...¡±


    As soon as Charlotte finished speaking, she heard the sound of a car engineing from the


    backyard. The woman''s heart skipped a beat and she rushed over immediately, only to see an old van


    driving away.


    She has escaped...


    Charlotte watched as the van drove off. She saw an eagle and a snake on the roof of the van and was


    certain that the person inside the vehicle was Francesca.


    She immediately chased after the van while shouting anxiously, ¡°Francesca! Francesca! Please don''t


    go!¡±


    However, Francesca ignored Charlottepletely and sped off.


    Charlotte could hardly believe that such an old and worn-out vehicle could travel at such a fast speed!


    Francesca''s driving skills were even more impressive than Morgan''s.


    The distance between Francesca and Charlotte was widening and there was no way Charlotte could


    catch up with the woman. Charlotte thought of chasing after Francesca in a car but she did not want to


    risk offending her future sister-inw.


    Charlotte stomped her feet in frustration. With no other choice, she returned to the loft in the backyard.


    Over there, she saw some items that Francesca did not have the time to pack, including ChineseN?velDrama.Org content.


    medicine dregs, clothes, medical gauze, and medicine containers.


    Seems like Francesca was indeed treating Zachary here.


    Just as Charlotte was deep in thought, she suddenly noticed a few words that were scribbled next to


    the flower pot. As the handwriting was almost illegible, it took the woman quite a while to make out the


    words.


    The words read: Zachary is alive. I''m treating him!


    Just that simple sentence was enough to ease Charlotte''s worries, and she cried tears of joy.


    Even though she had previously suspected that that was the case, she could not bepletely sure


    without any confirmation. With Francesco''s words, she could finally stop worrying.


    Zachary is still alive. He''s still alive...


    That''s great!


    As long as he''s still alive, there''s nothing I''m afraid of!


    However, what remained puzzling to Charlotte was that Francesco still chose to run away and did not


    want to speak to her even though the former had already dismissed everyone else.


    Charlotte understood that Francesca did not want to meet anyone. However, it was odd that thetter


    had chosen to avoid her.


    Besides, her husband was getting treated by Francesca.


    While Charlotte was still trying to figure out the reason, she suddenly heard footsteps outside.


    Immediately, her gaze sharpened as she took out her gun.


    The other party seemed to be aware that there was someone inside as well and was also on high alert.


    However, when the figure got closer, both of them were stunned.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg?¡±


    ¡°Sean? It''s you? Why are you here?¡±


    Both Charlotte and Sean were shocked to see each other. After rifying, Charlotte found out that


    Danrique had been searching for Francesca. To find her, he had sent his right-hand man, Sean, from


    Erihal.


    After hearing Sean''s exnation, Charlotte asked in confusion, ¡°Isn''t Francesca together with


    Danrique? What''s going on?¡±


    ¡°It''s a long story,¡± Sean replied. ¡°Mr. Lindberg has instructed me to take her back to Erihal. Do you


    know where she is?¡±


    ¡°She has just escaped,¡± Charlotte replied, sounding a little dejected. ¡°I couldn''t catch up with her.¡±


    ¡°Seems like I''ve got more work to do then.¡± Sean sighed and continued, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, there''s no time


    to waste. I need to continue looking for her. Please take care!¡±


    With that, Sean led his men and left from the back gate.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Charlotte called out, but Sean left quickly and did not turn back.


    Charlotte finally knew why Francesca had run away immediately after seeing her. It was because the


    woman knew that Danrique was looking for her. She was afraid that she would be taken back to Erihal


    if she had left with Charlotte.


    However, Charlotte could not understand why Francesca had to hide from Danrique.


    Didn''t they make up already?

 Chapter 1581

    Chapter 1581


    qAs Danrique''s men were searching for Francesca hastily, Sean didn''t even stop to talk to Charlotte. It


    seemed like a serious situation.


    If they found her, will they take her back to Erihal instead of letting her treat Zachary?


    Charlotte grew anxious at the thought. She turned toward the back door that Francesca had left earlier


    and furrowed her brows.


    She didn''t have enough men with her now. Even if she had help, there was no way she could get


    Francesca from Danrique. After all, he was far more capable than her.


    Do I just sit here and do nothing? Wait a minute...


    Suddenly, Charlotte recalled Gamma''s words. Looks like I have to rely on the children. Francesca is


    still nearby, so hopefully, she''ll show up if I use the children''s trick. I wonder if Fifi''s wings have


    recovered.


    Charlotte immediately headed home.


    Morgan and the rest were waiting in the street. Upon spotting her, they hurried over and asked, ¡°Ms.


    Lindberg, are you all right?¡±


    ¡°We need to get back now!¡± Charlotte urged.


    ¡°Got it.¡± Morgan immediately started the engine and drove off.


    Back home, Charlotte went straight to the courtyard to look for Fifi.


    A maid was applying ointment on Fifi''s wing. A few weeks had passed, and Fifi was recovering well,


    though notpletely.


    Charlotte felt bad for Fifi. She patted its wings and asked, ¡°Fifi, can you fly to the forest?¡±


    Fifi cooed reluctantly and pped its wing trying to fly.


    Charlotte gazed at it expectantly, but it only managed to reach the height of the branch before


    struggling and dropping to the ground.


    ¡°Fifi!¡± Charlotte dashed forward to catch it.


    Fortunately, Fifi fell into her arms and didn''t get hurt.


    ¡°I''m sorry. I won''t force you anymore.¡±


    T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    Charlotte''s heart ached for Fifi. After all, it had gotten injured while saving Ellie. Hence, she couldn''t


    bear to force it to fly.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, the doctor reminded us that Fifi''s wound needs some time to recover,¡± the maid


    revealed softly.


    ¡°I know. Take good care of it.¡±


    Charlotte handed Fifi back to them and spun on her heels to enter the house.


    As she couldn''t rely on Fifi''s help, it was time to talk to Danrique. Hopefully, he would allow Francesca


    to stay behind long enough to treat Zachary''s condition.


    It would be best if she could convince Francesca to bring Zachary back to Northridge and treat him


    here. They wouldn''t have to hide like this.


    Back in her room, Charlotte charged her phone and gave Danrique a call.


    Danrique had been out of touch for a long time, but his phone was finally switched on.


    Clearly, Erihal''s situation had changed. Danrique had taken action and was in total control of the


    situation.


    Before the call was cut, someone answered the phone. A clear voice greeted, ¡°Charlotte!¡±


    ¡°Danrique!¡± Charlotte blurted out excitedly. ¡°It''s great to hear your voice again.¡±


    It had been ages since shest heard Danrique''s voice. Though she knew he had been protecting and


    helping her in secret, they didn''t get to contact each other.


    His familiar voice gave her warmth.


    After what had happened, they had a closer rtionship now.


    ¡°Mm.¡± Danrique was indifferent, as usual. He was worried about his sister, but his tone was calm. ¡°I


    have two minutes to spare.¡±


    ¡°I''ll make it short.¡± Charlotte said swiftly, ¡°I just ran into Francesca. Danrique, can you let her bring


    Zachary back to Northridge so she can treat him here? You can bring her back to Erihal after the


    treatment ends.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± came Danrique''s firm answer. ¡°She has to return as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    Before Charlotte could say anything, Danrique ended the call.

 Chapter 1582

    Chapter 1582


    qCharlotte held her phone as resignment and helplessness overwhelmed her heart.


    Is there nothing I can do? I can only pray that Danrique fails to track Francesca down until she finishes


    treating Zachary.


    Charlotte sighed at the thought.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg!¡± Right then, Lupine came in with a bowl of medicinal broth. ¡°You didn''t sleep a wink


    since yesterday. Have some soup and go to bed.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± Charlotte leaned against the sofa in exhaustion. ¡°I told someone to send Mrs. Rawlston back


    home. Has she arrived safely?¡±


    ¡°Yes, she had arrived a while ago. I was about to report it to you,¡± Lupine answered. She took a box


    from the shelf and offered it to Charlotte. ¡°Mrs. Rawlston kept reminding me to let you open the box


    yourself. Have a look at it.¡±


    ¡°Isn''t it snacks for the kids? Why do I have to open it myself?¡±


    Charlotte was so tired she could barely move, but she still opened the box as requested.


    After opening the box, a delicate lunchbox appeared in sight. There were various delicious snacks


    inside the lunchbox. However, there was also a wooden box underneath.


    T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    Charlotte opened the box and froze in surprise.


    The box contained the stuff she left in the Nacht residence two and a half years ago, including her


    father''s will, the ck card her father left for her, the Windt residence''s house deed, and the ruby


    ne Zachary gave her among others.


    Recently, her te was so full that she had forgotten about them, but Hanna was thoughtful enough to


    keep these for her.


    Obviously, Hanna had risked her life to save these items when Southridge was on fire just to give them


    back to her.


    Perhaps someone else might think these items weren''t valuable at all, but they were meaningful to


    Charlotte.


    Two and a half years ago, Charlotte left these items under the care of Mrs. Berry. Though Henry had


    sent her to T Nation right before the wedding, Mrs. Berry brought the stuff along. s, she died in a


    horrible fashion in T Nation.


    Charlotte was poisoned and nearly died that night, so she had forgotten all about these items.


    She was deep in thought when Hanna''s call arrive. Snapping out of her train of thought, she


    immediately answered it. ¡°Mrs. Rawlston.¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Nacht, have you received the items?¡±


    Hanna''s voice was soft, so she had obviously made the call in secret.


    ¡°Yes, I have. Thank you, Mrs. Rawlston.¡±


    Charlotte was touched by the gesture. Everyone was using her of murdering her husband to get the


    Nacht family fortune. Some even imed that her children weren''t Zachary''s.


    However, Hanna never once doubted her. She trusted her without a doubt.


    ¡°You don''t have to thank me, for I''m just doing my job,¡± came Hanna''s soft answer. ¡°After that incident


    in T Nation, Mr. Zachary came home with this box and left it in my care. He told me you''ll be back one


    day. On the night before your wedding, he summoned me and informed me to give you the box three


    days after the wedding if everything goes smoothly. If something crops up, I was told to keep the box


    safe and return it to you when the timees. He told me the items are important to you, especially


    that...¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Rawlston!¡±


    Someone called Hanna''s name before she could finish her sentence. Hence, she hung up before


    revealing what the important item was.


    Charlotte gripped the phone as her heart raced in excitement. At the same time, she was also


    confused. Hanna''s words seemed to allude to the fact that Zachary had sensed trouble before their


    wedding. That was why he left the box with Hanna.


    However, she couldn''t understand why he didn''t reveal a word to her.


    Charlotte couldn''t help but wonder what item Hanna was referring to at the end of her sentence.


    She searched through the box and found the ck card her father had left her. After racking her brains,


    she recalled how she gave Jeffrey some money to invest in his factory. There should be around a


    hundred million left inside.


    Was Mrs. Rawlston talking about this ck card?

 Chapter 1583

    Chapter 1583


    qHmm, I don''t think so. There might be some money in the amount, but the item must be something


    more important for Zachary to give Mrs. Rawlston a stern reminder. Mrs. Rawlston got cut off before


    she could reveal what it was. What did she want to say?


    Charlotte turned the box inside out, but they were all her father''s and Mrs. Berry''s belongings. Besides


    that ruby ne, there was nothing special.


    She was puzzled.


    However, there wasn''t time to ponder over the matter. She had to figure out a way to save Robbie and


    Jamie. Besides that, she would have to figure out Francesca''s whereabouts.


    Charlotte kept the items carefully. She was about to text Bruce to ask for updates when another call


    arrived. It was from Lucy.


    Without hesitation, Charlotte answered the call and greeted, ¡°Hello, Lucy.¡±


    ¡°Hello, Ms. Lindberg. Are you all right?¡± Lucy asked in an apologetic tone. ¡°I wanted to greet you before


    you left yesterday, but...¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Charlotte replied pleasantly. ¡°I''m d you took the initiative to call me.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, I have no idea what happened and why Mr. Nacht did that. However, I trust you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Lucy¡ª¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, Mr. Nacht asked to hold a board meeting this morning to adjust the work allocation. I''m


    worried because he didn''t inform Mr. Sterk.¡±


    ¡°Looks like they ostracized Johann as he''s on my side.¡± Charlotte knitted her brows. ¡°They want to get


    rid of him this soon. That''s a hasty decision.¡±


    ¡°What should we do?¡± Lucy was flustered. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, what exactly is going on? Mr. Nacht is a


    completely different man now. Something feels off.¡±


    ¡°Knowing too much won''t benefit you,¡± Charlotte said with her brows furrowed up. ¡°Mr. Sterk''s position


    is at risk, so you have to protect yourself. Just do whatever they want. Let me know if something


    important happens.¡±


    ¡°But that''s betraying you, right?¡± Lucy couldn''t bring herself to do so. ¡°It feels like they are going against


    Mr. Nacht''s previous wishes. If I did as told, I will be a traitor!¡±


    ¡°No, you''re a spy,¡± Charlotte assured her. ¡°I need your help.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Lucy heaved a sigh of relief after hearing her words.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Charlotte''s mouth curved into a smile. ¡°All right, you should go back to work. Remember,


    don''t let anyone know that we''re close. Just do your job.¡±


    ¡°Got it, Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    Lucy hung up in a hurry.


    Grasping her phone with all her might, Charlotte started grimacing. That person knows I won''t give up


    easily, so he or she wants to get the Nacht family''s assets as soon as possible. I have to figure out a


    solution soon. Otherwise, the Nacht family''s assets will be at risk.


    As of now, the kids and Zachary were still missing.


    Charlotte was at a loss. She couldn''t interfere in thepany affairs too.


    After signing the agreement, Chris was now in charge of thepany. Both Spencer and Johann were


    shunned in thepany, and she couldn''t do anything to rectify that.


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    Anxiousness engulfed her heart. She wanted to figure out a solution, but her mind was a mess.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, you should stop thinking and take a break. You''ve been up for almost two days. If this


    goes on, you might break down and fall ill!¡± Morgan advised anxiously.


    Lupine chimed in, ¡°Yes, now that everything is all right, you should sleep. We need to leave once


    Gordon updates us. What if you are too tired to travel?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Charlotte was drained. ¡°I need to rest. Otherwise, my brain is too tired to figure out a solution. I


    need to regain my energy to find Robbie and Jamie.¡±

 Chapter 1584

    Chapter 1584


    qAfter helping Charlotte to bed, Morgan heaved a sigh of relief.


    T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Lupine, get some rest. I''ll keep an eye on everything here,¡± Morgan urged.


    ¡°All right.¡± Lupine nodded. ¡°Stay with Ms. Lindberg. Recently, she kept having nightmares. If there are


    any important updates, wake us up in time.¡±


    ¡°I know. Get some rest now.¡± Morgan shoved Lupine out of the room. ¡°You''ll copse if you don''t go to


    bed soon. No one will take over my shift if that happens!¡±


    Lupine forced a smile and trudged back to her room.


    Morgan told the maid to prepare some food so they would get to fill their stomachs when they woke up.


    She also arranged for someone to keep Ellie and the kidspany. Finally, she reminded the female


    bodyguards outside to be on alert. No one was allowed entry to the residence.


    After everything was settled, she returned to Charlotte''s bedroom to keep herpany.


    Charlotte was already asleep. She had been up for forty-eight hours and didn''t eat anything. After


    being stressed and experiencing a turmoil of emotions for that long, she couldn''t take it anymore.


    Morgan tucked her in carefully before going to the sofa. Then, she gazed at Charlotte as she felt sorry


    for her.


    How dare they bully Ms. Lindberg when Mr. Lindberg is in trouble? When Mr. Lindberg returns, they will


    meet their doom!


    Just then, her phone vibrated. Marino, who was at the hospital, had sent her a text.


    Marino: The international news is abuzz about the legendary Mr. Lindberg''s return to Erihal. He''s back


    with a vengeance.


    Morgan grew excited after reading the news. As long as Mr. Lindberg returns, the scums won''t dare to


    bully Ms. Lindberg!


    At the same time, Chris was reading the news on his phone in his Rolls-Royce.


    He raised his head anxiously and asked, ¡°Jesse, is this true? Is Danrique making aeback?¡±


    ¡°That might be true, but that''s only the beginning. He needs time to make aeback. For now, he''ll


    be busy with his stuff and has no time for the Nacht family''s mess,¡± Jesse answered calmly.


    He didn''t seem worried at all.


    ¡°Then will he interfere after he is done with his stuff?¡± Chris urged.


    Jesse sounded confident as he said, ¡°By then, you''ll be the real Zachary Nacht who owns Nacht Group


    and the Nacht family''s assets. He will be weak after hiseback and won''t be able to go against you.


    Besides, you''ll havepleted the divorce with his sister. There''s no reason for him to interfere in


    Nacht Group''s business.¡±


    Chris remained doubtful. ¡°You''re right. But you mistakenly abducted Danrique''s children. Will he take


    revenge?¡±


    ¡°We released them, right?¡± Jesse gave a dismissive wave. ¡°I heard Charlotte had taken them back


    home.¡±


    ¡°One kid got hurt.¡± Chris red at him. ¡°I think Danrique won''t let this slip.¡±


    ¡°It was just a superficial wound, not a serious injury,¡± Jesse sneered. ¡°Besides, so what if he demands


    an exnation? We won''t be afraid of him once we get the Nacht family''s assets.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± Jesse interjected. ¡°Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Young man, you have to take risks to


    seed. It isn''t easy to be the world''s richest man!¡±


    Chris nodded in agreement. Life was inherently risky, after all. His identity changed in the blink of an


    eye, and he was in possession of an enormous amount of wealth that his past self could never


    possess. It was normal to want to take chances.


    ¡°But there''s something that we need to deal with in advance,¡± Jesse announced suddenly. ¡°You need to


    divorce Charlotte!¡±

 Chapter 1585

    Chapter 1585


    q¡°Well...¡±


    Chris hesitated at the mention of divorce. He wanted to take revenge, but he couldn''t forget Charlotte.


    After he became the imposter, there were a few asions where he got to get closer to her. s,


    those chances always fell through the drain. As he failed to get her, the urge to conquer her became


    more overwhelming.


    He was hell-bent on making her his.


    Charlotte was stubborn and difficult. If they were to get a divorce, she would never be his.


    ¡°You need to divorce her as soon as possible,¡± Jesse stated firmly. ¡°After the divorce, the Nacht family''s


    assets will be yours, and yours alone. Otherwise, Charlotte will have an excuse to butt in. Besides,


    Danrique is about to make aeback. If you wait till he seeds, he''ll have a reason to interfere in


    the Nacht family''s business. By then, it will be hard to cut ties with them.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Chris came up with an excuse. ¡°I''ll get a divorce. However, I''m afraid Charlotte might


    disagree. You know how difficult she is.¡±


    ¡°I have a way to make her agree to the divorce,¡± Jesse told him confidently. ¡°Don''t worry. I''ll arrange


    everything. Just do as I say.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to use the children to threaten her?¡± Chris cast him a disgusted look. ¡°You''re indeed


    despicable.¡±


    ¡°We''re on the same boat.¡± Instead of getting mad, Jesse shed a grin. ¡°All is fair in war!¡±


    Knowing it was toote to regret his decision, Chris fell silent. He soon changed the topic. ¡°All right.


    You should get down here. We''re about to arrive at thepany.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Jesse put out his cigar and reminded, ¡°Do as I say. Today, you''ll have to make the adjustments


    to station our men inside thepany. Other matters can wait.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± Chris answered impatiently.


    The car rolled to a stop. Jesse got off the car with his men and entered another car.


    Jesse stared at the Gold family''s car through the window scornfully. As a member of the Nacht family,


    he was an arrogant man who had his boundaries. Jesse, on the other hand, was a despicable man


    who would even harm children just to achieve his goals.


    There is no end to his shamelessness!


    ¡°Mr. Broid,¡± his subordinate called out.


    Chris red at the man, and thetter immediately corrected himself, ¡°Mr. Nacht.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± Chris replied icily.


    ¡°Mr. Gold is an ambitious man. You need to keep your guard up,¡± his subordinate warned him in a low


    voice. ¡°If he ends up taking over in the end, you''ll...¡±


    ¡°I know that.¡± Chris''s brows scrunched up in irritation. ¡°I wonder if the report was true.¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about the poison?¡± His subordinate nodded profusely. ¡°I find that strange, too. Back in


    Divine Corporation, they found traces of poison in your blood. When you questioned Mr. Gold, he said


    Ms. Lindberg and the old man had lied to you. He brought you to the hospital for another examination,


    and the results showed you weren''t poisoned. Now that I recall the incident, the report must''ve been


    tampered with. After all, the hospital belonged to the Gold family.¡±From N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I want to test my blood again. Make an appointment at another hospital,¡± Chris ordered. ¡°Make sure no


    one finds out about it.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I''ll make the arrangements now.¡± His subordinate immediately got to work.


    By then, the car had arrived at Divine Corporation. A bunch of journalists had surrounded the car. Chris


    gathered himself and assumed Zachary''s arrogance before alighting from the car.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht! Mr. Nacht!¡±


    The journalists swarmed around him and asked earnestly, ¡°We''ve received news that you''re divorcing


    Ms. Lindberg. Is that true?¡±

 Chapter 1586

    Chapter 1586


    q¡°Mr. Nacht, if you divorce Ms. Lindberg, how will you divide your assets?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Nacht. Previously, there was a rumor saying you have transferred all your assets to Ms.


    Lindberg. If you''re going to get a divorce, will she be the new president of Nacht Group?¡±


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, are you not the biological father of the three kids?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, rumor has it that Mr. Lindberg is making aeback. Will that affect your rtionship with


    Ms. Lindberg?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, have you processed your divorce with Ms. Lindberg?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, is the divorce rted to Mr. Brown?¡±


    Chris frowned upon hearing the questions. They found out about the divorce this soon. Looks like I''ll


    have to proceed with it. Jesse is scheming enough to make me his puppet. I''mpletely under his


    control.


    He ignored the journalists and strode into the building.


    When the journalists tried to give chase, they were stopped by the security guards.


    After Chris entered the elevator, Lucy was about to inform him about his schedule when his phone


    rang. He picked it up and greeted, ¡°Hello.¡±


    ¡°I hired a secretary for you. He will arrive at Divine Corporationter. Make the necessary


    arrangements,¡± Jessemanded.


    ¡°Mm, got it.¡±


    Chris couldn''t say no, for Jesse was calling the shots. He would have to do everything Jesse wanted,


    including sacrificing his own life.


    He vowed to get rid of the man once the Nacht family''s assets belonged to him.


    ¡°I''m paving the way for the divorce. When everything''s done, you''ll have to carry out the divorce


    proceedings,¡± Jesse added. ¡°All right. You can go back to work now.¡±


    With that, he cut the line.


    Chris was annoyed. He assigned a bodyguardst night and a secretary today. All he wants is to keep


    an eye on me. I have no choice but to ept his arrangements.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, are you really going to proceed with the divorce?¡± Lucy plucked up her courage to ask, ¡°But


    you love each other. Why are you¡ª¡±


    Chris red at her. ¡°That topic is off limits.¡±


    Lucy lowered her head and fell silent. After returning to her office, she sent Charlotte a text to update


    thetter about the situation.


    Back at Northridge, Charlotte jolted awake from a nightmare. She scrambled up to shower and change


    her clothes so she could leave to find Robbie and Jamie.


    Morgan helped her and said in aforting voice, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, calm down. Gordon hasn''t sent any


    news yet. Why don''t you go back to sleep until he sends us an update?¡±


    ¡°I can''t wait here and rely on Gordon. I need to figure out something myself.¡±


    A while ago, Charlotte had dreamt about her kids being tortured. It felt like an iron shard piercing


    through her heart, so she couldn''t wait any longer.


    ¡°But you...¡± Morgan was about to say something when Charlotte''s phone rang. Thetter immediately


    answered the call. ¡°Hello, Mr. Sterk.¡±


    ¡°Charlotte, are you seriously going to divorce Mr. Nacht?¡±


    ¡°Divorce?¡± Charlotte frowned. ¡°What is going on?¡±


    ¡°There''s a rumor saying you''re going to get a divorce. Just watch the news,¡± Johann told her. ¡°The


    company''s going through a massive personnel reassignment right now. Many new strangers are being


    nted inside thepany. If this goes on, he''ll end up taking control of Nacht Group. You need to


    figure out a solution soon.¡±


    ¡°Got it. I''ll go read the files now.¡± Charlotte''s frown deepened. ¡°I''ll figure out a solution before contacting


    you and Mr. Spencer.¡±


    ¡°Someone must be spying on him, for he can''t be contacted right now. I''m at a loss. Why don''t you


    contact Mr. Lindberg and ask for his help?¡±


    As Johann had run out of ideas, he made that presumptuous request.

 Chapter 1587

    Chapter 1587


    q¡°All right. I''ll talk to Danrique.¡±


    Actually, Charlotte knew she shouldn''t be disturbing Danrique right now. However, she had to say that


    to assure Johann.


    ¡°Ah, great. With Mr. Lindberg''s help, the problem will be solved.¡± Indeed, Johann''s sounded much


    relieved. ¡°Charlotte, you must be careful. The enemy is ambitious and has set up a trap. We need to


    hurry.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry.¡±


    Charlotte said a fewforting words before hanging up. She checked Lucy''s text and confirmed that


    there was a rumor saying ¡°Zachary¡± was going to divorce her.


    There was also a rumor stating ¡°Zachary¡± did a DNA test to prove the children weren''t his. He wanted


    to get a divorce, but Charlotte refused to sign the papers shamelessly.


    Some imed she clung to Zachary to get a part of his fortune...


    The news seemed convincing enough as they even attached a few photos of ¡°Zachary¡± looking cold


    and disgusted as though he wanted to get rid of her soon.


    Furrowing her brows, Charlotte had to acknowledge that Jesse had done a good job. He plotted


    everything carefully with one trap after the other, so she didn''t have time to react.


    After driving her to leave, he did a massive personnel reassignment. He then forced them to get a


    divorce. Next, he was probably going to arrange for Zachary to marry Nancy to get the Nacht family''s


    assets.


    ¡°How contemptible!¡± Morgan roared when she heard about the divorce. ¡°Don''t agree to the divorce!


    Let''s see what they can do about it.¡±


    If Charlotte were to agree to the divorce, she would be divorcing the real Zachary.


    It would also mean she no longer had the right to interfere in the Nacht family''s business.


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I''m afraid I can''t stop the divorce even if I''m against it,¡± Charlotte stated.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Before Charlotte could answer, a text arrived on her phone. She clicked into it and saw a video of


    Robbie and Jamie being kidnapped.


    Both boys were blindfolded and tied up with their backs to each other. They were left in a dark area as


    a spotlight shone on their faces. The fear on their faces was evident.


    ¡°Robbie! Jamie!¡±


    Charlotte was all agitated after viewing the video. She wanted to call the number that had sent her the


    video, but it was a special number that couldn''t be contacted.


    Suddenly, someone started shooting them with a water gun. The boys trembled as their bodies got


    drenched and yelled, ¡°Mommy! Daddy!¡±


    ¡°Robbie, Jamie...¡±


    Charlotte felt her heart breaking at the sight. Even her hands were shaking.


    ¡°Who sent this?¡± Morgan demanded. ¡°What do they want?¡±


    As soon as she spoke, a call from an unknown number arrived. Charlotte immediately picked it up.


    ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Did you see the children?¡±


    The voice on the other end of the line was distorted, so she didn''t know who it was.


    ¡°B*stard!¡± Charlotte gritted her teeth and growled. ¡°Come at me instead of harming the kids!¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry, we won''t harm the kids,¡± the person sneered. ¡°As long as you''re willing to cooperate with


    us, they will get to go home soon.¡±


    ¡°What do you want?¡±


    Charlotte forced herself to calm down, for the enemy was about to state his or her condition.


    ¡°Easy. Divorce Zachary,¡± came the answer. ¡°Get the procedures done by tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Will you let them go after Iplete the procedures?¡± Charlotte knew things were not as simple as


    they seemed.


    ¡°Of course not.¡± She was right. The person added, ¡°I want you to do three things. Completing the


    divorce proceedings is just one of them. After you do that, I''ll let you know about the second matter.¡±


    ¡°You¡ª¡±


    ¡°Think about it,¡± the person warned. ¡°If you don''tplete the proceedings by tomorrow, you''ll receive


    a gift from your kids!¡±

 Chapter 1588

    Chapter 1588


    q¡°What will you do to them?¡± Charlotte barked angrily.


    s, the person ignored her and cut the line.


    ¡°Hello? Hello!¡±


    There was no answer.


    A wave of fury crashed through Charlotte, and she nearly broke her phone in half.


    Morgan was fuming, too. ¡°B*stard! If I find out who he is, I shall kill him!¡±


    Charlotte was on the verge of breaking down, but she had to calm down.


    Without hesitation, she saved the video. She then sent the phone number that sent her the video and


    the number that called herter to Johann so he could track the person down.


    She also sent the information to Gordon and told him to get clues from the video.


    Both Johann and Gordon flew into a fit of rage after watching the video and condemned the culprit for


    involving and kidnapping the children.


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    Charlotte had tofort them. ¡°We don''t have much time. We need to find them as soon as possible.


    You need to track them down and get clues on their whereabouts.¡±


    ¡°Charlotte, it isn''t easy to track them down through this video. I have an idea, though.¡± Johann cooled


    down quickly and suggested, ¡°I''ll install a tracking device on your phone. When the person calls you


    next time, do your best to prolong the conversation so I can track him down. However, when you talk


    with someone else on your phone, I can track that person, too. That might be risky.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine. I trust you.¡± That was the least of her worries. Charlotte would do anything to get the boys


    back. ¡°Install the device as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°I''lle over right now.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    After hanging up, Charlotte gave Gordon a call.


    Gordon had already watched the video thoroughly. He reported, ¡°The video is dark save for the


    spotlight shining on the children''s faces. I discovered nothing out of the ordinary for now. It might take


    some time to find any clue.¡±


    ¡°Hurry,¡± Charlotte urged. ¡°The longer the kids are with them, the more dangerous it will be. Besides, the


    person only gave me one day. If we can''t find the kids tomorrow, I''ll have to divorce Zachary.¡±


    ¡°I understand and I''ll do my best,¡± Gordon assured her. ¡°Don''t worry, Ms. Lindberg. They won''ty a


    hand on the kids, for they still need your cooperation.¡±


    ¡°But I''m worried for Robbie and Jamie. They are still kids...¡± Charlotte choked.


    ¡°Yes, of course. I''ll work out a solution soon,¡± Gordonforted her. ¡°Don''t worry. I''ll do my best to


    save them.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    After ending the call, Charlotte copsed into the sofa weakly. She had forced herself to stay calm


    earlier to make the arrangements and kept a lid on her emotions, but now...


    She was unable to hold back her emotions anymore.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg...¡± Morgan gazed at her helplessly, for she had no idea how tofort her.


    ¡°Please leave the room. I''d like to be alone for a while,¡± Charlotte requested.


    She slumped on the sofa and ced a palm on her forehead unhappily.


    Morgan was about to head out when someone knocked on the door hastily. Lupine pushed the door


    open and reported, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, Dr. Langhan just called. She wanted us to bring Alpha and Ben back


    immediately.¡±


    ¡°What? Why?¡± Morgan was shocked.


    ¡°Perhaps the enemy is about to take action,¡± Lupine answered anxiously. ¡°They are plotting against us.


    Worried that Ben would wake up and disrupt their n, they wanted to take action against him.¡±


    ¡°What about Marino?¡± Morgan instantly panicked.


    ¡°The same goes for Marino. He doesn''t know as much as Ben, so he might not be their first target.¡±


    Lupine urged, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, what should we do?¡±


    ¡°Lupine, we shall head to the hospital.¡± Charlotte promptly pulled herself together and ordered,


    ¡°Morgan, go get Hayley and Sam.¡±

 Chapter 1589

    Chapter 1589


    q¡°Yes,¡± Morgan answered. She pleaded, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, can you bring Marino back, too? He might not


    be important as Ben, but he''s the witness to the fire. I''m afraid the bad guys will harm him.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry. I know what to do.¡± Charlotte bobbed her head. ¡°Go get Hayley and Sam now. The


    patients need a doctor.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Morgan left to do as told.


    Before leaving, Charlotte arranged for the security of the house and told the bodyguards to put their


    guards up before leaving with Lupine and the others.


    When they arrived at the hospital, Raina was already waiting at the back door. She stepped forward to


    wee Charlotte and said anxiously, ¡°They had been urging me since a while ago. I defied their


    order, for I want to wait until you take them with you.¡±


    Lupine clenched her jaws. ¡°They are really pushing us hard.¡±


    ¡°They want to push Ms. Lindberg into a corner, so she''ll give in.¡± Raina sighed. ¡°Let''s get going. I heard


    the imposter had sent his men here. We need to leave with Ben and the rest before they arrive.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡±


    Raina had told the medical staff to bring Alpha, Ben, and Marino down. They were helped into


    Charlotte''s vehicle.


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    Marino was all right. He was still recovering, but his condition was stable and he was awake. It would


    be fine for him to recover at home.


    However, Ben was still unconscious. After his previous surgery, he was still recuperating. Thus, they


    had to be careful when handling him.


    Raina also updated them about Alpha''s condition. ¡°Alpha''s surgery was a sess, and the problem


    had been solved. She needs to go to a reliable hospital to recuperate. It''s important, so you have to


    pay extra care to it. Otherwise, it might cause someplications.¡±


    ¡°Got it. Thanks, Raina,¡± Charlotte thanked her sincerely.


    She was grateful that Raina risked everything to help and protect her at this critical moment.


    ¡°You''re wee. That''s my job.¡± Raina prompted, ¡°You should leave now. Otherwise, I won''t be able to


    justify my action when they arrive.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡±


    Charlotte left Kindness Hospital with the three patients. To avoid running into the Nacht family''s convoy,


    she told Lupine to take another route.


    They kept their fingers crossed throughout the journey, but in the end, they reached Northridge safely.


    At the same time, Morgan had brought Hayley and Sam back. They cleared up the first floor and turned


    a few rooms into makeshift clinics for the three patients.


    Hayley and Sam looked woefully at the patients. After all, they weren''t capable enough to treat them.


    Marino''s wound was superficial, but Alpha''s illness was beyond their expertise, let alone Ben''s


    condition. They were rendered helpless.


    Charlotte had to order Morgan to get a doctor to treat them at home. After all, it would be dangerous to


    leave them at other hospitals.


    Even though Morgan used her connections and offered a handsome reward, no doctors dared to take


    up her offer.


    When Charlotte was in distress, Helen contacted her and offered to move into Northridge to treat


    Alpha, Ben, and Marino.


    Delighted, Charlotte thanked her gratefully and went to wee her personally.


    However, Helen told her, ¡°You don''t have to thank me. Someone else had asked for my help.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Charlotte was surprised. ¡°Who is it?¡±


    ¡°I shall keep it a secret for now.¡± Helen sighed. ¡°Anyway, if that person hadn''t asked for my help, I


    wouldn''t have risked my life toe to you.¡±


    The Gold family and the Nacht family had informed the medical industry, so no one dared to take up


    the job.


    Charlotte was confused. I wonder who asked Helen toe and help me. He or she must be an


    influential person.

 Chapter 1590

    Chapter 1590


    qAs Helen refused to spill, Charlotte couldn''t get an answer.


    No one could change Helen''s mind, for she was a stubborn person.


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    No matter what, Charlotte was indebted that Helen offered help at this critical moment.


    Just like that, a day had passed.


    The person had warned her to start the divorce proceedings at eleven the next morning. Otherwise,


    Robbie and Jamie would be harmed.


    It was already nine at night, but Gordon still hadn''t found any clues.


    Charlotte''s hands were tied.


    She didn''t eat anything for the entire day. Though she was exhausted, she couldn''t fall asleep.


    Staring at her phone, she waited for Gordon''s updates. She also contacted Sean to see if he had found


    Francesca.


    Time ticked by, but there were no updates.


    Charlotte experienced a qualm of unease, but there was nothing she could do about it.


    Finally, her phone rang at ten-thirty at night. Instead of Gordon or Sean, it was a call from ¡°Zachary.¡±


    Charlotte fell into a daze when she saw the caller ID blinking on the screen. I wish it was the real


    Zachary calling...


    She was at her wits'' end and she was at the verge of cracking.


    After answering the call, the same voice with a different tone made her regain herposure.


    ¡°Charlotte, let''s talk.¡±


    ¡°What do you want to talk about?¡±


    ¡°Charlotte, I shall give you a chance,¡± Chris announced as though he was sparing her a chance. ¡°One


    hourter, let''s meet at Sultry Night. Remember,e here alone.¡±


    With that, he hung up.


    Charlotte''s brows snapped together as she wondered if she should head there. Shortly after, she made


    up her mind to head out.


    Maybe Chris knows where Robbie and Jamie are. I must force him to reveal their whereabouts!


    With that thought in mind, Charlotte changed her clothes and went downstairs.


    After hearing the news, Lupine offered to keep herpany.


    Charlotte rejected her offer. ¡°Chris wants me to head there alone. If youe along, he might refuse to


    spill.¡±


    ¡°But I''m worried about you. What if something happens?¡± Lupine was flustered.


    ¡°It''s fine. He won''t dare to hurt me,¡± Charlotte responded. She grabbed the car keys and left in a haste.


    Lupine thought about it and caught up to her secretly with two subordinates.


    Jade asked worriedly, ¡°Ms. Lindberg refused to let us follow her. Will she get angry when she realized


    we had followed her?¡±


    ¡°We''ll keep a distance from her so she won''t find out. If something happens, we can save her in time,¡±


    Lupine responded in a low voice.


    ¡°You''re right.¡± Jade nodded and sped up.


    Charlotte sped all the way to Sultry Night. She went to Zachary''s usual private room to see Chris there.


    Just like Zachary, he was crossing his legs and holding a cigar in his hands. He held a winess in


    another hand and squinted his eyes at Charlotte through the smoke when she came in.


    His gaze heated as he said, ¡°You''re here.¡±


    However, all Charlotte felt was disgust. She strode in and demanded icily, ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°Easy.¡± Chris gestured at a document with his hand. ¡°Sign the papers.¡±


    Charlotte nced at the document and realized it was the divorce papers.


    Clearly, they couldn''t wait until tomorrow and wanted to get rid of her tonight.


    ¡°You don''t have a choice,¡± Chris informed her. ¡°The divorce must happen. Why don''t you sign the


    papers and be my woman? I''ll save your sons and take care of you. After dealing with the


    remaining matters, I''ll bring you and the kids back to the Nacht residence.¡±

 Chapter 1591

    Chapter 1591


    qWhen Charlotte heard that, she was stunned. Never had she expected Chris to think that way.


    He wanted to divorce her using Zachary''s name before making her his secret lover.


    Wait a moment...


    Charlotte quickly caught the main point. ¡°What are you trying to solve?¡±


    ¡°That''s none of your business.¡± Chris changed the topic. ¡°Anyway, as long as you agree to be my lover,


    I''ll save your son and let both of you return to the Nacht residence.¡±


    ¡°You have a great n.¡± Charlotte smirked mockingly. ¡°Looks like you''re not dumb at all. In fact, you''re


    quite smart.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Chris raised his eyebrows.


    ¡°You''ve already discovered that Jesse is using you. He has already nted his spies in Nacht Group.


    After forcing you to divorce me, his next step will be to make you marry his daughter and then kill you.


    In the end, he''ll acquire the Nacht Group''s assets and change its name to the Gold Group...¡±


    Staring straight at Chris, Charlotte exined her hypothesis.


    ¡°That''s what you''re nning to do¡ªto escape Jesse''s clutches and stop being his puppet. Also, you


    know that my brother is going to rise to power again. Since you don''t want to offend him, you agree to


    save my sons and help us return to the Nacht residence. In doing so, you''re killing two birds with one


    stone. This is a good n for you.¡±


    ¡°You''re smart.¡± Chris did not hide it from her. ¡°You''re right about the first part. However, for the second


    part, you''re just overthinking. The reason why I returned is not to steal the Nacht Group''s assets but to


    take revenge. I''ve always viewed these materialistic conflicts with contempt. Never have I been afraid


    of offending anyone. Also, once I gain control of the Nacht Group''s assets, why would I still fear


    Danrique? I''m only helping you because I genuinely like you...¡±


    As he spoke, Chris pinched Charlotte''s chin and leaned toward her flirtatiously. ¡°I want you...¡±


    His sexy lips brushed against her cheeks gently. He moved closer to her ears, wishing to kiss her.


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Charlotte shoved him away forcefully and took a step back, utterly disgusted. ¡°You''re disgusting, Chris!¡±


    ¡°Disgusting?¡± Chris could notprehend. ¡°I have the same face, voice, and demeanor as him! Why


    do you find me disgusting? Zachary was not nice to you in the past. He lied to you, abused you,


    betrayed you, and even abandoned you during the wedding. Which of his actions is not more


    disgusting than mine?¡±


    ¡°I don''t want to waste any time discussing such nonsense with you.¡± Charlotte changed the subject.


    ¡°Tell me where my sons are. As long as you help me save them, everything''s up for negotiation.¡±


    She wanted to convince him to rescue her sons first.


    ¡°If you want me to help, shouldn''t you show some sincerity?¡± Chris decided not to waste any more


    words with her. Leaning against the sofa, he stared at her with a cold smirk. ¡°It doesn''t make sense if


    you want something without making any sacrifices.¡±


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Charlotte frowned.


    ¡°You, of course,¡± Chris teased. ¡°As long as you sign this and spend a night with me, I''ll save your sons.¡±


    ¡°You''re out of your mind!¡± Charlotte pushed him away furiously and turned around to leave.


    ¡°Don''t you want to save your sons?¡± drawled Chris. ¡°Looks like you aren''t a qualified mother. You don''t


    even care about your own sons.¡±


    Charlotte came to a swift halt. Upon remembering the video of Robbie and Jamie being bullied, her


    heart ached terribly.


    She nced at her phone. Gordon had not called yet, which meant they had not found any clues.


    Now that her children were in the opponents'' hands, their lives were constantly in danger. If she did not


    settle the divorce by tomorrow morning, the children would be harmed.

 Chapter 1592

    Chapter 1592


    qThose thoughts prevented Charlotte from taking another step away. She was extremely resistant to


    betraying Zachary and being together with another man.


    ¡°I know that you can''t let go of the past, but it''s fine. There''s no need to rush...¡± Chris strode over, sat


    Charlotte on the sofa, and poured a ss of wine for her. ¡°Have some wine and calm yourself down.¡±


    Charlotte took the ss but did not drink anything. Instead, she raised her head and asked, ¡°Have you


    asked Jesse why there are toxins in your body?¡±


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Stop pretending.¡± Chris chuckled in disdain. ¡°That''s just a n devised by you and those two old men.


    I''ve undergone a blood check at two hospitals, but the results revealed nothing extraordinary.¡±


    ¡°Now that even the Nacht family is under Jesse''s control, do you think that it''s difficult to control a few


    hospitals?¡± rebuked Charlotte mockingly. ¡°Chris, you did not inherit your mother''s intelligence after all.


    With such a simple mind, it''s no wonder that you''re treated as a pawn.¡±


    When Chris heard that, he frowned. A tinge of unease shed across his eyes.


    This poisoning incident was quite suspicious. When he was undergoing a test at Divine Corporation,


    Charlotte did not have any chance to interact with Johann and Spencer alone. It was impossible for


    them to meddle with the test report and the blood sample.


    If they wanted to do something, they could have just tampered with the DNA.


    That would secure Charlotte''s position.


    Hence, after the incident, Chris asked Jesse about the poisoning. However, Jesse insisted righteously


    that he did not poison Chris. In fact, he imed that it was part of a n devised by Charlotte and the


    two old men.


    To confirm the results, Chris went for a check-up that day with Jesse apanying him. In the end,


    the report revealed that he was not poisoned at all. Still worried, he secretly went to do another test.


    Even then, there seemed to be no problem with him.


    That was what made him feel relieved.


    Yet, after hearing what Charlotte said, Chris started to feel uneasy again.


    ¡°Can''t you tell whether or not you''re poisoned?¡± asked Charlotte. ¡°Have you been feeling ufortable


    recently? You probably have a reaction, right?¡±


    Chris thought about it carefully.


    I guess that it''s true that I''m feeling... slightly ufortable. I''ve been having headaches, and


    sometimes my heart would ache. In fact, there were times when my entire body would be in pain. I


    never had these problems in the past. Wait a moment...


    Chris quickly regained hisposure and returned to the main point. ¡°No, this isn''t the time to talk


    about that. I''ll confirm whether or not I''m poisoned on my own. Do you want to save your children?¡±


    ¡°Without a doubt. I can give you anything you want...¡± Charlotte threw the question back to him. ¡°But


    how would I know that you won''t go back on your word?¡±


    ¡°Are you in a position to negotiate with me right now?¡± Chris nced at his watch. ¡°The deadline the


    kidnappers gave you is tomorrow noon, right? If you still haven''t finished the paperwork for the divorce,


    they''ll chop off your sons'' fingers!¡±


    ¡°How dare you?¡± Charlotte became agitated immediately. She gripped Chris'' cors tightly and


    threatened, ¡°If you dare to touch my sons, I''ll kill you!¡±


    ¡°Let''s be clear with this. I''m not the one harming your sons¡ªit''s that person!¡± Chris pulled her hands


    away calmly. ¡°I''ve always been against the idea of kidnapping kids. However, there are some things


    that I cannot control.¡±


    ¡°You have a part to y in everything bad that has happened. Don''t try to disassociate yourself from it.¡±


    Charlotte red at him resentfully. ¡°You''ll face retribution for the evils you''ve done, Chris...¡±


    ¡°I''ve never believed in karma.¡± Chrisughed mockingly. ¡°If there is, Henry wouldn''t have lived to


    ny-eight years old, nor would Zachary have risen to his current position. Do you think that they''re


    innocent? Without blood being shed and people''s lives being sacrificed, do you think they could''ve


    enjoyed their current glory?¡±

 Chapter 1593

    Chapter 1593


    q¡°That''s enough.¡± Charlotte could not be bothered to continue arguing with him. She snapped in


    disgust, ¡°Anyway, if anything happens to my sons, I''ll not let you off the hook.¡±


    ¡°You don''t have to threaten me. I''m not scared.¡± Chris smirked coldly. ¡°I know that you''ve got Danrique


    supporting you, but that doesn''t scare me at all. I''m different from Zachary. He''s an ambitious man, but


    I only wish for enjoyment in life. I only want what I desire, including you!¡±


    He pressed his palm against the back of Charlotte''s head and pushed her closer to him.


    ¡°Charlotte, I know what you''re thinking. You''re trying to convince me to save your sons, but no matter


    what you say, it''s useless. It''s better if you do something more practical. As long as you be my


    woman, your worries will be mine. I''ll definitely help you save your sons...¡±


    With that, he released her and smirked. ¡°I won''t force you. You can choose yourself.¡±


    As he sipped on the wine elegantly, he added, ¡°If you still haven''t agreed before I finish this bottle of


    wine, then let''s forget it.¡±


    Charlotte frowned, feeling extremely conflicted.


    Naturally, she wanted to save her sons. She was willing to sacrifice her life for their sake.


    However, she could not bring herself to sleep with another man.


    ¡°If you aren''t brave enough, just drink more. You''ll be able to let loose once you''re tipsy,¡± persuaded


    Chris.


    Steeling herself, Charlotte drank the entire ss of wine in a single gulp.


    ¡°That''s right.¡± Chris poured another ss of wine for her. ¡°Go on. I know that you''ve been stressed


    lately, so you can rx with some wine...¡±


    After drinking a few more sses, she was starting to feel drunk.


    Looking at her flushed cheeks and dazed gaze, Chris could not help but feel aroused.


    He moved closer to her, wishing to kiss her. However, Charlotte suddenly retched and almost puked on


    him.


    Chris dodged instinctively, not noticing that Charlotte had just slipped a white pill into his cup.


    The pill dissolved upon touching the wine, soon disappearing from sight.


    Covering her hand over her mouth, Charlotte dashed to the toilet and started vomiting.


    As Chris stared at her back, he smirked mockingly. He lifted his ss and drank the wine in a single


    gulp.


    Probably because he was going to get his hands on his prey soon, the wine was extremely delicious.


    When he ced the ss down, he gestured to the bodyguards at the door.


    The two bodyguards quickly left and closed the door behind them.


    Charlotte quickly swallowed the pill from Hayley. After sshing her face with cold water, she called


    Peter.


    On her way there, she had already guessed Chris'' intentions. Hence, she called Peter.


    Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    Luckily, he was still working as the manager at Sultry Night. He was on his night shift that day, so he


    could help her out.


    ¡°How''s it going, Ms. Lindberg?¡±


    Afraid that others outside would overhear her, Charlotte kept quiet and cleared her throat instead. Peter


    immediately understood.


    ¡°Got it. I''ll make the arrangements right away.¡±


    After hanging up, Charlotte cleared her call records before staggering out in a daze.


    ¡°Are you all right?¡± Chris rushed over to her thoughtfully and passed her a bottle of water. ¡°Drink some


    water and take a breather.¡±


    ¡°Thank you...¡±


    Charlotte drank some water before slumping against the sofa weakly.


    Chris snuck a nce at her slightly open cor. Seeing how beautiful and alluring she was, he could


    not help but inch closer and stroke her face gently.


    He coaxed her, ¡°Zachary''s doomed. Even if you manage to find him, he''ll definitely be dead. It''s better if


    you snap back to reality and be together with me. Don''t worry. I don''t want any kids, so I''ll treat your


    kids like mine. As long as you stay with me, I''ll treat you well. We''ll be happy in the future...¡±


    As he spoke, he tried to kiss Charlotte.


    She did not push him away. Instead, she pressed her hand against his lips and whispered, ¡°Turn off the


    lights.¡±

 Chapter 1594

    Chapter 1594


    q¡°So you like stuff like this, huh?¡±


    Smiling flirtatiously, Chris got up and turned off the lights.


    The room was immediately engulfed in darkness. When he turned around, Charlotte was no longer on


    the sofa. He nced around but could not catch a glimpse of her.


    ¡°Haha! Are you ying hide and seek with me?¡± Chrisughed yfully. ¡°Baby, stop hiding. You''ll never


    escape me...¡±


    With that, he searched for Charlotte in the private room excitedly.


    She was hiding behind the wine cab and staring at Chris nervously. As too little time had passed,


    the effects of the medicine had not kicked in yet. Since Peter''s men had not arrived either, she had to


    dy for some time.


    ¡°Baby?¡± Chris was still searching for Charlotte in the room. In a flirtatious tone, he urged, ¡°Come out


    now... Stop hiding.¡±


    Although the private room was quite big, there was limited space. As there were barely any ces that


    were big enough to hide behind, Chris quickly arrived at the wine cab.


    Charlotte wanted to flee, but Chris grabbed her wrist and pinned her against the wall. Cupping her


    cheeks, he panted and asked, ¡°Do you still want to run away? To where?¡±


    ¡°Let go of me!¡±


    Charlotte struggled with all her might. She hated it when other men touched her.


    ¡°You''ll never run away from me.¡± Chris clutched her cheeks and forced her to face him. ¡°Charlotte,


    you''re destined to be mine!¡±


    As he spoke, he wanted to kiss her.


    However, amotion suddenly erupted outside the door. Someone was mming the door, trying to


    break in.


    Chris halted and yelled furiously, ¡°Are you dead, Carlo?¡±


    As his bodyguard did not reply, he had no choice but to release Charlotte and go over to take a look.


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    Suddenly, there was a noise at the windows. Charlotte turned around and saw Peter push a girl, who


    was wearing the same ck dress, into the room. Meanwhile, he quickly gestured to her.


    Charlotte immediately flipped out and hid behind the window.


    At the same time, Chris opened the door and realized that there were a few drunkards kicking up a fuss


    outside. His two bodyguards were being upied by them.


    The two drunk girls were knocking on the door with their heels. When he came out, they even tried to


    fall into his arms.


    ¡°Get lost!¡± Chris shoved them away in disgust and yelled at his bodyguards, ¡°Are both of you useless?¡±


    ¡°We understand, Mr. Nacht.¡±


    Soon, the two bodyguards dealt with the drunkards and returned to guard the door.


    ¡°Keep a close lookout for me.¡± Chris red at them coldly. ¡°Don''t ruin my ns.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± They lowered their heads timidly.


    As it was a special night, Chris could only bring his two most trusted subordinates instead of the other


    bodyguards. As a result, there was not enough manpower to even deal with such a minor setback.


    Chris returned to the room and locked the door again.


    He could feel himself getting restless. Blood was rushing right to his head, and he felt like his body was


    burning.


    When he turned around and saw ¡°Charlotte¡± trembling on the sofa, he could barely hold himself back.


    ¡°I''ming, Baby...¡±


    He pounced at her like a starving wolf. Kissing her wildly, he vented his lust and yearning for her.


    The girl pretended to be shy at the start but sumbed soonter.


    Passionate sounds could be heard from the room.


    After ensuring that the deed was done, Charlotte quickly left with Peter.


    Upon arriving at an empty private room, Charlotte whispered, ¡°How''s that girl? Is she reliable?¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry. She''s definitely reliable,¡± assured Peter confidently. ¡°I helped her a lot, so she owes me a


    huge favor. I also gave her a huge sum of money, so she voluntarily epted this task. Since I''ve


    exined to her the situation, she knows what to do.¡±


    ¡°That''s good.¡± Charlotte heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Keep a close eye on them. Don''t reveal any loopholes,


    or our efforts will be wasted.¡±


    ¡°I''ll keep guardter. I promise that I''ll do a good job.¡±

 Chapter 1595

    Chapter 1595


    qTo prevent anything bad from happening, Peter rushed back to monitor the situation.


    Meanwhile, Charlotte waited in the private room, hoping that the fluke would seed.


    Although it waste, it was extremely lively in Sultry Night.


    Charlotte counted down, waiting for Peter''s message.


    Finally, at four in the morning, he sent a message: Okay!


    Charlotte immediately returned to the original room. Peter, who was waiting at the window, signaled


    upon spotting her.


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    The girl climbed out of the room. With her hand on her waist, sheined, ¡°He''s too strong... We


    did it five times! He''s so exhausted that he''s fast asleep now.¡±


    ¡°Shh... Go now!¡± urged Peter softly.


    The girl snuck away hurriedly.


    Charlotte flipped into the room through the window and gestured for Peter to leave quickly.


    Although he was still worried, he did not want to hinder her ns. Hence, he closed the windows and


    left.


    The private room was pitch-dark, while it was still very lively outside.


    Chris was lying on the sofa on his side and snoring softly. He was obviously in a deep sleep.


    His clothes were strewn all across the floor, and there was a pile of rubbish at the side. A strange smell


    filled the room, revealing how passionate the night had been.


    The two bodyguards had been standing guard at the door for the entire night. Yawning tiredly, they


    comined, ¡°It''s already quiet inside. They should be done already, right? Why don''t we take turns to


    sleep?¡±


    Charlotte pulled open her cors and messed up her hair. After preparing herself, she pretended to


    barge out of the private room agitatedly.


    ¡°Um...¡± The two bodyguards were shocked. Briefly stunned, they quickly stopped her. ¡°Mr. Nacht isn''t


    awake yet, so you can''t leave.¡±


    ¡°Get lost!¡± Charlotte tried to shove them away furiously.


    ¡°I''m sorry.¡± The bodyguards still blocked Charlotte''s way, refusing to let her leave.


    While Charlotte was struggling against them, Chris was woken up in the room. In a daze, he could hear


    amotion happening outside and tried to wake himself up.


    At that moment, Lupine and Jade had just arrived. When they saw the two bodyguards blocking


    Charlotte''s way, they were furious. Rushing over, they started fighting with the bodyguards.


    Charlotte was stunned. Why are there here?


    ¡°Are you all right, Ms. Lindberg?¡±


    When Lupine and Jade noticed Charlotte''s disheveled clothes and messy hair, they were shocked.


    ¡°I...¡± Charlotte was about to speak when someone yelled from within the room, ¡°Stop!¡±


    The two bodyguards immediately froze. Taking the opportunity, Jade and Emma punched them again,


    sending them toppling onto the ground.


    ¡°How embarrassing!¡±


    Chris did not hit Jade or Emma. Instead, he scolded his bodyguards, thinking that it was too


    embarrassing for them to be defeated by women.


    The bodyguards scrambled to their feet. Although they felt indignant, they did not dare to say a word.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg...¡±


    Lupine saw that Chris was shirtless and only had a pair of pants on. When she noticed the mess in the


    room, her expression changed drastically, and a sense of foreboding rose within her.


    ¡°Why did you wake up so early, Baby?¡±


    As Chris reminisced the passionate night earlier, his gaze turned lustful again. He stretched his hand


    out to caress Charlotte''s face.


    She dodged him in disgust while shooting him a resentful re.


    ¡°Don''t look at me like that!¡± Chris gazed at her gently. ¡°Things are irreversible now. Just ept your


    fate!¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡± Lupine widened her eyes in surprise as she stared at Chris in disbelief. ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°You jerk!¡±


    A furious yell sounded. Before anyone could react, Bruce charged over and punched Chris forcefully.


    Thetter staggered backward as blood started to drip from his nose.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht...¡± The other bodyguards quickly pulled Bruce back. ¡°What are you doing, Bruce? Are you


    crazy? How dare you hit Mr. Nacht?¡±


    ¡°You b*stard! Take him down for me!¡± bellowed Chris through clenched jaws.

 Chapter 1596

    Chapter 1596


    qThe two bodyguards immediately tried to hold Bruce down, but he effortlessly repelled their attempts


    and beat them up.


    Bruce was fuming with anger. After hearing that Chris wanted to meet Charlotte at Sultry Night, he


    immediately rushed to the ce, knowing that Chris would try to coerce Charlotte by using the child as


    leverage.


    However, he was taken aback when he saw the scene upon his arrival. Consumed by anger, he felt


    indebted to Zachary. Right then, all that he wanted to do was to strangle Chris to his death.


    Charlotte was extremely nervous. Initially, she wanted to quietly settle the matter. But much to her


    dismay, Lupine and Bruce managed to find out before she could execute her n.


    The matter had since turned even moreplicated.


    Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    Besides, she could not exin herself as it would only exacerbate the issue.


    ¡°Bruce, do you have a death wish? I''ll grant your wish!¡± Chris pulled out his gun and pointed it in


    Bruce''s direction.


    At that moment, his nose was still bleeding. His eyes and face were bruised from the hit.


    Bruce had humiliated him in front of everyone, especially Charlotte, and he could not let this slide.


    ¡°Kill me if you dare.¡± Bruce wasn''t terrified by Chris'' threat. ¡°You ungrateful dog!¡±


    Chris ced his finger on the trigger, ready to fire any moment.


    ¡°Stop.¡± Charlotte ran between them to stop the matter from escting. ¡°Please, let''s just move on, for


    my sake.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, you don''t have to be afraid of him!¡± Bruce uttered agitatedly. ¡°You don''t have to make


    compromises.¡±


    ¡°Enough.¡± Charlotte frowned before saying coldly, ¡°As a bodyguard, you are way out of line. I''m your


    boss.¡±


    Bruce was stunned as he never expected Charlotte to say such things.


    ¡°Leave.¡± Charlotte gestured. ¡°Stop causing a scene here.¡±


    ¡°Get him out of here!¡± Chris impatiently ordered.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Two bodyguards immediately restrained Bruce and chased him out.


    Chris checked his watch and said to Charlotte, ¡°The bodyguard from the Gold family is arriving soon.


    Let''s have a chat first?¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Charlotte shared the same thought.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg...¡± Lupine quickly held onto her arm. She said anxiously, ¡°No matter the reason, you


    must not sacrifice yourself.¡±


    ¡°Wait for me outside.¡± Charlotte pushed her away and entered the private room with Chris.


    Lupine and Jade were enraged at the thought of Charlotte''s circumstances. Their anger turned into


    sorrow as tears started streaming down their cheeks.


    After entering the private room, Charlotte took the initiative to shut the door and switch on the lights.


    Chris picked up the shirt on the floor and wore it casually before Charlotte.


    At that moment, Charlotte was trying to recollect her thoughts. Her initial n was to settle the matter


    quietly, but Lupine and Bruce''s appearance hadplicated the matter.


    Nheless, their reaction made it look even more convincing.


    After all, the reaction from Bruce and Lupine was genuine.


    ¡°We cannot keep this matter under wraps any longer.¡± Chris wore his pants. ¡°Jesse, that sly fox, has


    been spying on us all this while. Soon enough, he will find out that I''m sleeping with you.¡±


    ¡°Are you thinking of going back on your word?¡± Charlotte''s eyebrows knitted together. ¡°If that''s the


    case, I''ll bring you down with me.¡±


    ¡°I will definitely hold up my end of the bargain.¡± Chris turned around and looked at her, and his gaze


    was flirtatious and seductive. ¡°I will fulfill my promise to you and find out where your son is. But whether


    he can be saved, that is on you.¡±


    ¡°Are you speaking the truth?¡± Charlotte was reluctant to believe him.


    ¡°Of course. Do you really think I like being controlled by that old sly fox?¡± Chris rolled his eyes at her.


    He then passed her the divorce papers. ¡°I will help you save your son, but you must sign this


    document.¡±


    Charlotte stared at the document, hesitant to oblige. Nheless, she knew very well that signing the


    document was mandatory, as everything was under the fox''s control...


    Once she signed the document, she could go on the offensive and try to secure an opportunity for


    herself.

 Chapter 1597

    Chapter 1597


    qCharlotte retrieved the document and put down her signature.


    ¡°That''s right.¡± Chris curled his arms around her waist.


    Just as he wanted to kiss her, she avoided his embrace. ¡°Chris, I hope you honor your promise. I''ll kill


    you if you don''t.¡±


    ¡°Hehe...¡± Chris looked at her in a mischievous manner. ¡°So long as you''re mine, I will have no regrets in


    life!¡±


    ¡°You''re disgusting!¡± Charlotte was exasperated.


    ¡°He and I have the same face, but why do you hate me so much? Which part of me is inferior to him?¡±


    Chris could not wrap his head around it.


    Charlotte ignored him as she turned to leave.


    ¡°Hold on!¡± Chris called out to her.


    Charlotte came to a swift halt, but her head remained looking to the front.


    ¡°In Yaleview,¡± Chris said in a low voice, ¡°This is all I know. I will try to figure out the exact location.¡±


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Yaleview?¡± Charlotte convulsed. ¡°He kidnapped my son to Yaleview? No wonder I could not find him in


    H City!¡±


    ¡°That''s the biggest chip that he has. He will hold on to it no matter what. It''s not surprising that you


    cannot find him,¡± muttered Chris sarcastically. ¡°It''s not easy to outsmart him. Be careful!¡±


    Charlotte didn''t say anything and left quickly.


    Staring at her leaving, Chris'' expression suddenly changed and he sighed, ¡°Zachary, I''m really envious


    of you...¡±


    Chris had longed for love, but he was not sessful in his quest to win her over.


    In this world, besides his mother Zara, no one treated him sincerely. Hence, his world copsed after


    his mother died.


    Before this, he had always been envious of Zachary''s impable wisdom and abilities. Not to mention


    Zachary''s wealth that he would not in his lifetime acquire. But now, he was even more envious of the


    fact that there was a woman who loved him so deeply.


    And that woman was the very same woman that he loved from the bottom of his heart.


    Hence, he was jealous.


    After leaving and getting in the car, Charlotte immediately called Gordon and told him what he gathered


    from Chris.


    Gordon had the same reaction as her. ¡°No wonder we can''t find your son even after searching high and


    low in H City. He''s in Yaleview! Ms. Lindberg, don''t worry about it. I''ll send my men immediately.¡±


    ¡°Hold on...¡± Charlotte was hesitant. ¡°I''m not sure if what Chris said was true. What if he''s lying? Can it


    be a trap?¡±


    ¡°I think he''s telling the truth,¡± replied Gordon. ¡°I reyed the video numerous time and noticed the


    sound of an operating factory in the background. There''re not many factories in H City, and I''ve


    checked them all out. Your children are not there. I''ve started to direct my search to other cities, but I


    did not expect it to be Yaleview.¡±


    ¡°But there are countless factories in Yaleview. It''ll be too time-consuming to check one by one.¡±


    Charlotte frowned. She suddenly thought of another person. ¡°Let me call Mr. Judd. He should be able


    to help as he''s familiar with the factories there.¡±


    ¡°Give me his contact and I''ll meet with him. I think the sound produced by the factory was quite special.


    Maybe he can identify it. This way, the search will be made so much easier.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡±


    Charlotte hung up the phone and called Jeffrey, who was anxious upon knowing that the children were


    kidnapped. Nheless, he agreed without hesitation to offer his help after being made aware of their


    predicament.


    Charlotte heaved a sigh of relief. All she hoped was to locate Robbie and Jamie as soon as possible.


    Once that was settled, she could focus all her attention on Chris and Jesse.

 Chapter 1598

    Chapter 1598


    q¡°Ms. Lindberg...¡±


    Lupine waited for a long time before she had the opportunity to speak to her. Before this, Charlotte was


    too upied with the arrangements to rescue the children.


    As things started to settle down, she could no longer hold her tears.


    Jade and Emma too had been withholding their tears all night long. But the moment Jade burst into


    tears, the others too followed suit.


    Instead of exining or consoling them, Charlotte chose to keep quiet and stare at them.


    Lupine noticed the aberration. She wiped her tears off and asked chokingly, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, are you


    laughing at us?¡±


    Jade and Emma stared at Charlotte worriedly. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, are you crazy?¡±


    ¡°I''m perfectly fine. You''re the crazy one.¡± Charlotte rolled her eyes.


    ¡°You guys underestimated me. I''m not a gullible person that will fall for his trap easily. I have no


    problem dealing with Chris.¡±


    ¡°Why don''t you say it earlier? We were so worried!¡± Lupine was infuriated. ¡°I even wanted to kill Chris


    just now!¡±


    ¡°That''s right! I was nning to bring him down with me!¡± Jade was angry as well.


    ¡°All right, let''s move on.¡± Charlotte smiled. ¡°I decided this at the veryst minute. Now, no matter where


    I go, I will have to bring Hayley''s medicine with me. While I was on my way to Sultry Night, I realized


    that Chris might create problems. Immediately, I called Peter and had him handle the situation. Hence,


    I did not have the chance to discuss it with you all. Nheless, I did not expect all of you to show up.


    The reaction by you and Bruce made everything look extra convincing. This way, Chris will not suspect


    anything about me.¡±


    ¡°That''s good.¡± Lupine patted herself on the chest. ¡°I thought I might have ruined your n.¡±


    ¡°No matter what, there''s progress now. I hope Gordon manages to find Jamie and Robbie,¡± Charlotte


    sighed.


    ¡°It shouldn''t be a problem. Gordon is a capable person. He should be able to do it,¡± Lupin assured.


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    At that moment, Morgan called and Lupine immediately answered, ¡°Hello!¡±


    ¡°What? I''ll be right over.¡±


    After hanging up the call, Lupine said to Charlotte, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, Alpha''s fever is not subsiding. It


    might be some sort of medicalplication. Dr. Wright says that he must be admitted immediately!¡±


    ¡°How could that be?¡± Charlotte was utterly shocked. ¡°When we brought her back, Raina said that her


    condition had stabilized!¡±


    ¡°I don''t know what happened. Morgan only exined the situation briefly.¡± Lupine''s expression turned


    solemn. ¡°Actually, Dr. Wright mentioned that although she''s skilled enough to deal with her condition,


    the equipment in the hospital is limited, which in turn limited her treatment options.¡±


    ¡°Didn''t I ask you to contact other hospitals? It may not necessarily be in H City. Other ces are fine


    too.¡± Charlotte anxiously asked, ¡°So what''s her condition now?¡±


    ¡°I prepared a list previously and contacted the hospitals in the nearby cities. But all of them refused to


    admit her. I think this must be the doing of the Gold family. Furthermore, they must have seen the news


    and wanted to avoid making enemies with the Nacht family...¡±


    Lupine was extremely concerned. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, why not we try to contact hospitals overseas? I don''t


    believe that the Gold family''s influence extends to the international level.¡±


    ¡°That''s our only way.¡± Charlotte nodded before uttering, ¡°Drive faster!¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Soon, they reached Northridge. Charlotte came down from the car and rushed toward the clinic.


    Alpha''s fever had already reached thirty-nine degrees Celcius. Beside her was a worried Morgan, who


    had been taking care of her all the while.


    Helen saw Charlotte and muttered, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, you must think of a solution quickly. If we don''t admit


    her to the hospital soon, her condition will be out of control. We can''t afford that!¡±

 Chapter 1599

    Chapter 1599


    q¡°I''ve tried contacting other hospitals. However, my effort was to no avail,¡± Lupine answered. ¡°All the


    local hospitals refused to admit her. I''m trying to contact those hospitals overseas now.¡±


    ¡°It''s no use trying to contact the hospitals overseas.¡± Helen''s eyebrows knitted together. ¡°If possible, I


    would have admitted her to my hospital. But she''s having a really high fever now, so it''s risky to travel


    long journeys.¡±


    ¡°What should we do?¡± Lupine was anxious after listening to Helen''s words.


    ¡°Can we transport the equipment and medicine here? We can treat her at home since you are a very


    skilled doctor.¡± Morgan suggested to Helen.


    ¡°Although I''m skilled, that doesn''t mean that I know everything. Some equipment needs to be operated


    by a professional.¡± Helen felt helpless. ¡°We need to think of a solution quickly.¡±


    She left after saying those words.


    Charlotte stared at Alpha, distressed and concerned with her condition. Helen is right. It would be too


    late to travel overseas to seek treatment now. To make matters worse, the local hospitals refused to


    admit him.


    She wanted to call Spencer and get his help to admit Alpha to Serene Hospital. After all, Serene


    Hospital was founded by Henry. Jesse couldn''t have exerted his influence there.


    Besides, Alpha was Danrique''s child, and Jesse dared not meddle with his affairs recklessly.


    The phone rang for a long time but Spencer did not pick up. She recalled what Johann said earlier that


    Spencer''s devices might be bugged. Well, that exins why he is not picking up the phone.


    Having left with no other options, Charlotte brought Lupine with her and drove to the Garden Vi to


    look for Spencer.


    That is our only way out.


    Morgan continued to look after Alpha, troubled by her condition.


    Meanwhile, Ellie brought Beta and Gamma to visit Alpha. The moment Beta saw Gamma, she


    immediately started crying. Trembling, she said, ¡°Alpha, I''m really worried. Please recover soon. I won''t


    snatch the milk bottle from you anymore.¡±


    ¡°Alpha, get well soon. I''ll bring you horse-riding after you recover.¡± Ellie was tearing up too. ¡°We can go


    over to the backyard to pick the grapes too. It''s riping soon!¡±


    Ellie and Beta were talking to Alpha, while Gamma merely stood there crying and staring at her.


    After a while, she left the room and ran upstairs.


    ¡°Gamma, don''t you wanna stay here with us?¡± Emma yelled.


    Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    However, Gamma did not respond. Emma brushed her worries away, thinking that Gamma was merely


    devastated by Alpha''s condition, and ran back to her room crying.


    Gamma did not go to her room. Instead, she ran to the attic and scanned her surroundings. After


    making sure that there was no one, she climbed over and opened the windows. Then, she whistled in


    the direction of the wind.


    She was soft but it sounded nice.


    Quickly, the trees outside of the vi started shaking. The birds inside flew toward her andnded on


    the windows by the attic.


    Gamma was conversing with the birds in a weirdnguage. The next second, the birds flew away. They


    did not fly back to the trees but into the depths of the forest.


    In the courtyard, the bodyguards on the lookout noticed the flock of birds in the sky. Confused, they


    uttered, ¡°What is going on? Why did the flock of birds fly toward the window by the attic just now? Now


    the flock is flying away.¡±


    ¡°Is it going to rain? It is quitemon if it''s going to rain.¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t seem like it.¡±


    ¡°Let''s not worry about it. There''s more than enough for us to worry about.¡±


    ¡°You are right. I hope Ms. Lindberg can find a hospital for Alpha. It''s so worrisome!¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    While the two were chatting, the flock of birds had already flown deep into the forest, looking for


    something...


    Gamma frowned and talked to herself, ¡°I hope the birds can find Mommy. Mommy, pleasee back!


    Alpha needs you. We need you...¡±

 Chapter 1600

    Chapter 1600


    qTears started streaming down Gamma''s cheeks. ¡°I''m stuck here! There are very few animals here. I''m


    not sure if I can find Mommy like this.¡±


    Gamma looked toward Fifi. ¡°Fifi, can you tell your friends to help me look for Mommy?¡±


    Fifi appeared to have understood her. It nodded and dashed into the sky, letting out a loud screech in


    the process.


    After a while, a few eagles started circting the sky before dispersing to the forest.


    In the courtyard, the two bodyguards started discussing again. ¡°That''s weird. Before this it was the


    birds, now it''s the eagles. What day is it?¡±


    ¡°I think it was Fifi who made that noise just now.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps it might rain soon.¡±


    Meanwhile, in the forest.


    Francesca was cooking mushroom soup. Upon hearing themotion outside, she ran out to check.


    The birds were like having a conference, chirping non-stop in a bizarre fashion. In the sky, there were


    even eagles circting and sending some signals.


    Francesca then said in shock, ¡°Something bad has happened to my baby?¡±


    She quickly ran back into the wooden house and searched frantically for her car keys. At the same


    time, she scolded Zachary, kicking his bed in the process. ¡°It''s all your fault! Because of you, I can''t visit


    my baby! Now, something bad has happened to her.¡±


    Zachary''s fingers responded with a minor twitch.


    ¡°I''m telling you, I''m going to look for my baby now. You are on your own.¡±


    Francesca stared at him while putting on her jacket. After she retrieved her car keys, she stormed off


    the ce in a hurry.


    However, she hesitated when she reached the entrance. Then, she turned around and instructed the


    wolf. ¡°Look after him. I''ll be back soon.¡±


    The wolf nodded and stood guard beside Zachary.


    Francesca left the wooden house and removed the cover from his van.


    She leaped into the car in a swift motion. Before leaving, she reminded the eagle and the snake, ¡°Don''t


    let anyonee near!¡±


    The eagle and the snake nodded in response.


    Francesca started the engine and sped away, whipping up the leaves in a swirling frenzy.


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    The old van maneuvered through the forest briskly.


    As the sound of the car started to fade, the wolf stuck out its tongue and licked Zachary''s face. Its eyes


    shimmered with a green light.


    It had been eyeing to devour him for a long time.


    Under the impression that Francesca had abandoned Zachary, the wolf thought that it could finally


    have a feast.


    The wolf was drooling in hunger and its saliva dripped on Zachary''s eyebrows.


    Meanwhile, Zachary''s fingers twitched again.


    Not longter, he opened his dry mouth. With a hoarse voice, he warned, ¡°If you dare to eat me, I''ll not


    let you off the hook...¡±


    The wolf seemed to understand what he said. It took a few steps back and waved its tail, indicating its


    obedience.


    Then, he limped and brought a ss of water for Zachary.


    Zachary opened his eyes and stared at the run-down ce. Struggling, he tried to open his mouth and


    drink the water.


    There were leaves floating on the water in the ss, and the edges of the ss were tainted with the


    wolf''s saliva.


    If it were to be the old Zachary, he would have been disgusted. However, the strong instinct for survival


    caused him to dismiss all those privileged thoughts.


    He gulped down the ss of water like a hungry beast, and his energy restored slightly.


    Squinting his eyes, he scanned the surroundings and started gathering his thoughts.

 Chapter 1601

    Chapter 1601


    qHow long have I been here?


    Subconsciously, he roughly knew that someone was treating him. Although there were some


    asional scolding, kicking on the bed, and flying objects being hurled at him, she was indeed trying to


    save his life.


    It should be the legendary Francesca Felch. I heard her addressing herself by the name.


    Despite not knowing how she found him, he was grateful that he managed to recover.


    Needless to say, Zachary felt indebted to Francesca.


    However, he could not understand why Charlotte and his family members couldn''t find him even after


    so long.


    He felt that someone was tracking Francesca down. Those people had hoped to find him through


    Francesca with malicious intent.


    Who are those people?


    If there are people tracking me down, that means something bad must have happened to my family. If


    not, these people would not have the chance to try to harm me.


    What happened back home?


    T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    How is Charlotte and the children?


    Just now Francesca said that her baby is in trouble. Who is her baby?


    She has gone out already.


    Bearing those thoughts in mind, Zachary turned his head to look for his phone to contact Charlotte.


    However, everything in the room was primitive. There was not even a single electronic gadget in there.


    Zachary also could not summon andmunicate with the animals like Francesca.


    Hence, he had no choice but to dismiss those thoughts.


    At that very moment, he only wanted to recover quickly and return home.


    The thought of being separated from Charlotte and his children made him want to stand up and leave


    immediately. Nevertheless, apart from his head and neck, the other parts of his body were stiff and


    immobile.


    However, he could feel the subtle changes urring in his body. The numbness on his head before


    this had vanished, and he also regained some rity of thoughts.


    That meant that the poison in his body was under control.


    Perhaps he could fully recover in the near future.


    I will get better. I''m sure of that.


    It started to rain outside.


    On the one hand, Zachary was overwhelmed by negative thoughts while lying on the bed. On the other


    hand, Francesa had left the forest in her old van and was racing toward Northridge.


    In the sky, a convocation of eagles followed her van at the same speed, protecting her like a convoy.


    After parking her van at the back of Northridge, she trespassed into the vi.


    It was already midnight and everyone was asleep. Only a few female bodyguards were on duty, and


    Francesca managed to slip through their watch effortlessly and into the vi.


    However, she bumped into a maid upon entering.


    She was holding a bottle of medicine and was on her way into a room. Upon seeing Francesca, she


    opened her mouth in shock and was about to scream.


    However, Francesca quickly subdued her in a split second, causing the maid to copse on the ground.


    Francesca dashed toward the maid and grabbed the tray in her hands. Then, she ced the tray


    quietly on the ground before helping the maid to lean on the wall for support. After that, she sneaked


    into the adjacent room.


    In the room, there was a man who looked familiar.


    However, his atrocious looks indicated that he suffered major injuries and had fallen into aa


    because of poison.


    In addition, the doctor that attended to him was not skilled norpetent. Even after a major surgery


    on his brain which resulted in drastic weight loss, his condition did not get better.


    Francesca initially did not want to bother him. But because he was a member of this family, she


    graciously performed some mysterious treatment on him before sneaking into the next room to find her


    child.


    ¡°Mommy!¡±


    Gamma was waiting for her by the window for quite a long time. As eagles were circting in the sky,


    she knew that her mother had arrived.


    Although her appearance was masked by a hat and a face mask, the green snake tattoo on her wrist


    was apparent.


    ¡°Gamma, my baby!¡± Francesca leaped toward her and embraced Gamma affectionately. ¡°Baby, I miss


    you so much.¡±

 Chapter 1602

    Chapter 1602


    q¡°Mommy...¡± Gamma threw herself into Francesca''s arms and started crying. ¡°Mommy, Alpha is injured,


    and her life is in danger now...¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Francesca was startled upon hearing it. The next moment, she held Gamma''s face and asked


    emotionally, ¡°How did Alpha get hurt? Who did it? Where was Aunt Charlotte? Didn''t she protect you


    all?¡±


    ¡°The bad guys kidnapped us but let us go. After that, Alpha fell and broke her leg. Besides, Robbie and


    Jamie aren''t found yet. Aunt Charlotte is always being bulliedtely...¡±


    ¡°All right, I understand.¡± Overwhelmed by anxiety, Francesca asked immediately, ¡°Where is Alpha now?


    Can you bring me there?¡±


    ¡°She''s in the medical room on the first floor.¡±


    Carrying Gamma in her arms, Francesca climbed over the window to enter the medical room and saw


    Alpha, who was unconscious.


    At that time, Morgan and two medical staff sat next to Alpha.


    However, the medical staff had fallen asleep.


    Morgan was wiping Alpha down with a wet towel. Seeing that Alpha was suffering, Morgan choked out,


    ¡°Alpha, Aunt Charlotte is finding a way to save you. She will admit you to a hospital regardless of the


    costs.¡±


    Francesca felt slightly relieved upon seeing that scene from the window. It seems that they genuinely


    care about my daughter...


    ¡°Ms. Morgan...¡± Gamma instinctively said her name.


    As soon as Morgan turned around, Francesca flung a needle and hit it at her neck. Morgan went weak


    at the knees and copsed onto the bed with the towel in her hand.


    Although Gamma hadn''t reached three years old, she wasn''t frightened or scared. She skillfully helped


    open the window and climbed over it to enter the medical room.


    Then, Francesca used a cloth to cover the medical staff''s noses, rendering them unconscious.


    Meanwhile, Gamma didn''t even spare it a nce. Instead, she locked the door, closed the windows,


    and pulled the curtain.


    After that, Francesca began to give Alpha a medical checkup.


    Half an hourter, a car pulled over outside when Francesca was still treating Alpha. Soon, Charlotte


    said, ¡°Where is Morgan? Ask her to get ready. We''ll admit Alpha to Serene Hospital tomorrow


    morning.¡±


    ¡°Morgan is in the medical room. I''ll tell her right away.¡±


    One of the female bodyguards asked, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, is Serene Hospital willing to ept Alpha?¡± Aren''t


    all hospitals controlled by the Gold and the Nacht families? It''s why none were willing to ept Alpha


    and Ben.¡±


    ¡°That''s right. Dr. Langhan used to treat Alpha but drove her out in the end.¡±


    ¡°Dr. Langhan didn''t drive Alpha out of the hospital. Instead, someone wants to harm Alpha and Ben. To


    protect them, Dr. Langhan asked us to get them back even though it meant that she disobeyed the


    order.¡±


    ¡°I''ve arranged everything,¡± Charlotte said tiredly.From N?velDrama.Org.


    Lupine interrupted, ¡°Ms. Lindberg spent a lot of time and even met Mr. Spencer in person to make it


    done. Anyway, fill the bathtub with water so that she can take a bath and rest well today. She hasn''t


    had a good rest for a few days. Besides, get some medicinal broth from the kitchen.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Meanwhile, Francesca frowned in bewilderment after overhearing the conversation. Isn''t Charlotte the


    head of the Nacht family? Why would they go up against her? Also, what the heck is the Gold family?


    Francesca loathed the schemes and conspiracies in the business world and wasn''t interested in


    reading the news. As such, she had no idea about thetest trending topics.


    Knock! Knock!


    Suddenly, someone knocked on the door gently and asked, ¡°Morgan, are you there?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Francesca tried to imitate Morgan''s voice as she responded.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg wants you to get ready because Alpha will be admitted to Serene Hospital tomorrow


    morning,¡± the female bodyguard said from the outside.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Francesca continued to give Alpha treatment after she replied.


    Feeling that something was off, the female bodyguard wanted to open the door the check it out.

 Chapter 1603

    Chapter 1603


    qThe female bodyguard was startled when Gamma opened the door. ¡°Gamma, why are you here?¡±


    Gamma lifted her head and said dejectedly, ¡°Since I couldn''t fall asleep, I came here to keep Alpha


    company. Ms. Morgan is wiping Alpha''s body. She was feeling extremely ufortable just now but


    has fallen asleep.¡±


    Since the partition blocked the bodyguard''s view, she could only see a figure who was busy taking care


    of Alpha. She instinctively thought that it was Morgan.


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    Immediately, the bodyguard said apologetically, ¡°Oh, I''m so sorry. Did I interrupt you? Gamma, do you


    want to go upstairs with me to get some rest? After all, kids shouldn''t stay upte.¡±


    ¡°It''s okay. I want to sleep here, and Ms. Morgan has agreed to it. You should get some rest now. Good


    night,¡± Gamma replied in her cute voice.


    ¡°All right, then. Good night.¡± With that, the bodyguard left the medical room.


    Before closing the door, Gamma even waved at Lupine, who happened to pass by. ¡°Lupine, thank you


    very much. Rest well.¡±


    ¡°Why hasn''t Gamma gone to bed yet?¡± Lupine was surprised.


    ¡°Gamma wants to keep Alphapany...¡± the bodyguard exined.


    At that time, Gamma had closed and locked the door before going back to her mom''s side.


    She had responded perfectly to quell the others'' suspicions. Who would have thought that a two-year-


    old kid is so good at lying? Besides, no one expected that she could act well.


    Francesca wasn''t affected by what happened outside and remainedposed as she treated Alpha.


    Deep down, she knew that Gamma could handle those people.


    Half an hourter, Francesca finally finished treating Alpha.


    Suddenly, Charlotte came closer to the medical room and said, ¡°Let me check up on Alpha.¡±


    The female bodyguard who stood outside the medical room replied, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, Gamma said Alpha


    has fallen asleep. Since you''ve been busy for many days, I think you should get some rest now.


    However, Charlotte could hardly put her mind at ease. ¡°How can I sleep well? Danrique wanted me to


    take care of the girls, but I failed him. They''re hurt because of me. I''m not a good aunt...¡±


    Upon hearing that, Francesco frowned and murmured, ¡°Well, as their aunt, you''ve indeed failed to take


    care of them.¡±


    ¡°Mommy...¡±


    The bodyguard tried tofort Charlotte. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, you don''t have to me yourself. After all,


    you''ve tried your very best. A lot happened recently, and thus you have to take the entire family upon


    yourself. Besides, Robbie and Jamie haven''t been rescued yet...¡±


    ¡°Enough. You can get some rest.¡±


    Charlotte didn''t talk much and began to turn the knob.


    Meanwhile, Francesca had finished removing the needles from Alpha''s body. After ncing at the door,


    she squatted down and whispered to Gamma. With that, she climbed over the window and left.


    Once Charlotte opened the door, she could feel a gust of wind blowing into the room from the window.


    Besides, the curtains were even swaying.


    Charlotte''s heart skipped a beat, and she quickly rushed toward the bed.


    She saw Alpha lying on the bed while Morgan and the two nurses had fallen asleep. Only Gamma was


    still awake and wiping Alpha''s hand with a wet towel.


    ¡°Gamma?¡± Charlotte gazed at Gamma in bewilderment. ¡°Are you here the whole time?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Aunt Charlotte.¡± Gamma nodded calmly.


    ¡°Did someone enter the medical room?¡± Charlotte could sense that something was amiss.


    ¡°Yes. A kitten jumped over the window just now, but I had driven it out.¡±


    Gamma didn''t even bat an eyelid when she lied.


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Charlotte believed her, for it was nothing unusual that a cat entered the medical room.


    As her doubt had faded away, Charlotte patted Morgan''s shoulder and tried to wake her up. ¡°Morgan!


    Morgan!¡±


    Nheless, Morgan was still asleep and didn''t respond to her.


    Gamma said caringly, ¡°Aunt Charlotte, please let Ms. Morgan sleep for a little longer. She is already


    exhausted after working here for the whole day. You should get some rest too. By the way, I fed Alpha


    with the pills left by Mommy just now. She seems to feel better now. I think she might get better


    tomorrow.¡±

 Chapter 1604

    Chapter 1604


    q¡°Did you say you fed Alpha with some pills your mommy left here?¡± Charlotte was shocked. ¡°My


    goodness. Gamma, you can''t feed Alpha random pills.¡±


    Worrying that Alpha''s condition could deteriorate, Charlotte immediately asked the bodyguard to get


    Helen.


    Apart from Gamma''s young age, Charlotte was worried that Alpha would have consumed some


    medicine that could worsen her condition.


    At that time, Helen had fallen asleep. Upon knowing that Gamma fed Alpha with some unknown pills,


    she rushed to the medical room and beganining in Ustranasion. ¡°Why couldn''t you guys keep


    an eye on a little girl?¡±


    Immediately, Charlotte apologized, ¡°Dr. Wright, I''m sorry to disturb you at this hour. It was indeed our


    mistake. I''ve contacted the hospital and can admit Alpha there tomorrow morning. Anyway, can you


    please check up on Alpha now? I''m worried that something bad might happen.¡±


    Helen had no choice but to perform a checkup on Alpha.


    It was already 2 a.m., and Gamma couldn''t help but yawn and rub her eyes tiredly. Lupine decided to


    bring Gamma back to the other room so that she could get some rest.


    Although Gamma had seemingly caused trouble, they knew that she did it because she was worried


    about her sister.


    When going upstairs, Lupineforted Gamma. ¡°Aunt Charlotte got impatient because she was


    worried about Alpha. Gamma, don''t be sad about it.¡±


    ¡°I understand...¡±


    After checking up on Alpha, Helen couldn''t help but exim, ¡°It''s strange! Her fever has gone down


    while her overall condition has gotten better.¡±


    Charlotte was taken aback by Helen''s words. ¡°Huh? Are you sure?¡±


    Helen hastily began to draw a blood sample from Alpha. ¡°Let me conduct a blood test for her. We''ll


    know the result soon.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Charlotte dared not go to bed and chose to wait in the medical room.


    Half an hourter, Helen rushed toward Charlotte with the test report and said excitedly, ¡° There are


    some changes in her blood. Although the indices have only improved slightly, it''s still a good start.¡±


    Charlotte was overjoyed. ¡°Great! It seems that the medicine has identally helped Alpha.¡±


    Meanwhile, Helen was also delighted. ¡°Indeed. Can you ask Gamma what pills did she feed Alpha? Are


    there any left?¡±


    ¡°Let me ask her.¡± With that, Charlotte rushed toward Gamma''s room.


    At that time, Lupine had just helped Gamma take a bath and put her to bed.


    Gamma rubbed her eyes and looked sleepy.


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    Suddenly, Charlotte barged in and grabbed Gamma''s hand. Impatiently, she asked, ¡°Gamma, you


    know what? The pills that you fed Alpha just now have worked! Alpha''s fever has gone down, while her


    blood indices have also improved! You''ve saved Alpha! How amazing!¡±


    ¡°Is it true?¡± Gamma was thrilled, for she knew that her mom''s treatment worked.


    Charlotte continued to ask hastily, ¡°Are there any extra pills that your mommy has left here?¡± It''s not


    enough to have the pills only once. She might have to continue having them, and thus¡ª¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Gamma shook her head and replied, ¡°but I think Alpha will recover soon and doesn''t have to go


    to the hospital.¡±


    A slight disappointment was written over Charlotte''s face. ¡°Really? Well, do you know what the pills


    are? Is there anybel?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Gamma shook her head again. ¡°Mommy produced the pills on her own. As such, there is neither


    abel nor a name.¡±


    Charlotte''s heart sank once again. ¡°All right... Well, get some rest. I won''t disturb you now.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Good night, Aunt Charlotte.¡± Gamma waved at her like an obedient child.


    As Charlotte was about to leave, she noticed a leaf stained with some soil on the window frame. After


    coming to her senses, she walked toward the window to close it. Suddenly, she realized that one of the


    branches of the osmanthus tree outside was out of shape.


    As a thought shed through her mind, Charlotte turned to Gamma and asked, ¡°Gamma, where did


    you get the pills?¡±


    ¡°Mommy gave the pills to me a long time ago. I''ve always kept them in my bag since then.¡±


    After responding groggily, Gamma hugged her little pillow and fell asleep.

 Chapter 1605

    Chapter 1605


    q¡°Hehe. Gamma always put her sweets in her bag. Who would have thought that she had also kept


    some life-saving pills?¡± Lupine added casually.


    After a while, Charlotte left the room quietly.


    Meanwhile, Helen was lecturing the nurses downstairs. ¡°I hire them to take care of the kid. How dare


    they sleep soundly and refuse to wake up?¡±


    Lupine happened to hear that after she came out of Gamma''s room. ¡°It''s indeed ridiculous! Should we


    get new nurses tomorrow?¡±


    Then, Charlotte ordered, ¡°Can you check if Morgan is awake?¡±


    Thinking that Charlotte was probably angry with Morgan, Lupine quickly exined, ¡°Morgan might be


    too tired because of taking care of the kids the whole day. I''ll scold herter.¡±


    ¡°Take a closer look to find out if there is a prick mark on her neck,¡± Charlotte whispered.


    Lupine was stunned. ¡°Huh? A prick mark?¡±


    ¡°Just do it.¡± Charlotte didn''t exin much to her.


    ¡°Understood.¡± After checking Morgan''s neck, Lupine reported, ¡°Yes, there is a tiny prick mark on her


    neck. Besides, she is still asleep. Nheless, the two nurses have woken up. When I asked them


    what had happened, they said they were exhausted earlier on. Hence, they leaned back in their chairs


    and fell asleep soon...¡±


    After reporting that, Lupine asked tentatively, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, could it be that someone entered the


    medical room?¡±


    Charlotte was a little riled up. ¡°I suspect that it was Francesco. She was probably here to save Alpha.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Lupine was surprised.


    ¡°I''m suspecting it but not 100% sure either.¡±


    Knock! Knock!


    When someone knocked on the door, Charlotte said, ¡°Come in!¡±


    Emma entered the room and said excitedly, ¡°After visiting Ben just now, Dr. Wright said his finger


    moved slightly...¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Lupine stared with eyes wide open. The next moment, she sprinted out of the room to visit Ben.


    Meanwhile, Helen was doing a checkup on Ben to reconfirm his health condition.


    Standing at the side, Lupine crossed her arms and waited anxiously.


    Besides, Charlotte was also observing Ben''s condition.


    After a while, Helen removed her stethoscope and announced in delight, ¡°There are signs that he''s


    waking up. Although Ben only moved one of his fingers slightly, it''s still a good sign that he''s


    recovering.¡±


    ¡°Thank God!¡± Lupine couldn''t help but cry tears of joy.


    ¡°Thank you, Dr. Wright.¡± Charlotte was also overjoyed.


    However, Helen felt slightly confused. ¡°I think something isn''t right. Logically, their condition won''t


    improve now because the efficacy of my treatment wasn''t promising. Why would their condition


    improve today all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°Thank God!¡± Lupine didn''t overthink it. She was emotional upon knowing that Ben was about to wake


    up from aa.


    ¡°Yes, God must have helped us. Alpha''s fever has gone down while Ben''s condition has gotten better.


    Wonderful!¡± Jade and Emma were delighted.


    Helen interrupted, ¡°Alpha''s fever has gone down not because of me but the pills that their mom had


    left. By the way, Ms. Lindberg, have you asked Gamma? Are there any extra pills left?¡±


    At that time, Charlotte''s lips curled into a smile. ¡°No, there are none. Nevertheless, Alpha will surely


    recover.¡±


    ¡°In that case, do we still have to bring Alpha to the hospital?¡± Jade asked.


    Charlotte instructed decisively, ¡°It''s okay. Let''s keep her here. Since Alpha''s fever has gone down,


    there''s no need to bring her to the hospital. After all, there will be many uncertainties over there.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    Helen frowned and said, ¡°However, since there is not enough medical equipment at home, I can hardly


    give them any treatment. What if Alpha has a recurrent fever?¡±


    Charlotteforted her, ¡°Keep a close watch on them. If Alpha''s fever recurs again, we''ll admit her to


    the hospital. Anyway, it''s getting colder, and you guys should go rest up.¡±


    ¡°All right. I''ll get some rest. Call me if anythinges up.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡±

 Chapter 1606

    Chapter 1606


    qAfter Helen left, Jade asked Charlotte if they ought to rece the two nurses on duty the previous


    night.


    Surprisingly, Charlotte dismissed it and told them to continue to be on duty.


    Besides, she even asked them to tell Morgan only the good news when thetter was awake.


    Jade and the rest thought Charlotte didn''t want to me Morgan for falling asleep while she was on


    duty.


    Later, Lupine apanied Charlotte to her room. She couldn''t help but ask, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, do you


    think Francesco woulde again tonight?¡±


    ¡°Not only tonight, but she might evene every night until Alpha fully recovers.¡±


    At that moment, Charlotte was sure that Francesco had treated Alpha and Ben.


    Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    ¡°Are you saying that Francesco treated Ben as well?¡± Lupine was confused.


    Immediately, Charlotte answered confidently, ¡°I think she did. Although Dr. Wright has been treating


    them for quite some time, there was virtually no progress. Hence, I think Ben''s condition has gotten


    better now because of Francesco.¡±


    Lupine felt curious. ¡°Why did Francesco save Ben? I mean, I heard that she''s unruly and not


    generous.¡±


    At that time, Charlotte was delighted. ¡°Well, Francesco could be in a good mood, or she regarded Ben


    as part of the family. Who knows? Besides, she also treated Zachary. Anyway, it''s good to know that


    she''s willing to save them.¡±


    Lupine nodded. ¡°Yes. Let''s hope she will be in a good mood from now on and save Ben.¡±


    The next moment, Charlotte reminded Lupine, ¡°If you can''t put your mind at ease, ask Beta and


    Gamma to put some sweets next to Ben''s bed.¡±


    ¡°Huh?...¡± Lupine was taken aback for a few seconds but came to her senses soon. ¡°I understand.


    Thank you, Ms. Lindberg!¡±


    With that, Lupine left Charlotte''s room with delight.


    Meanwhile, Charlotte''s lips curled into a contented smile.


    The darkest days are already over, and everything is turning for the better.


    There were some clues about the whereabouts of Robbie and Jamie. Besides, Alpha''s and Ben''s


    conditions also improved a lot.


    Now that Charlotte had witnessed Francesco''s godlike medical skills, she believed Zachary would also


    recover soon.


    As such, Charlotte finally felt rxed and heaved a sigh of relief.


    Feeling exhausted, shey on the bed and fell asleep right after a warm shower.


    Early in the morning, Charlotte was woken up by a call.


    She picked up the phone drowsily and heard a familiar voice. ¡°Darling!¡±


    Charlotte was startled for a while before she answered, ¡°Darling?¡±


    The manughed shamelessly and said, ¡°Good girl! You''ve gotten used to our rtionship quickly. Well


    done!¡±


    Charlotte instantly sobered up. ¡°Chris!¡± Are you sick?¡±


    The man deliberately replied, ¡°Yes, I''m lovesick... I got the disease because of missing you!¡±


    ¡°You''re crazy!¡± Feeling disgusted, Charlotte was about to hang up the phone.


    ¡°Don''t be so heartless. How can you be so cold-hearted since we''ve spent an intimate night together?¡±


    Chris jested.


    ¡°Piss off!¡±


    As Charlotte wanted to hang up the phone, Chris added quickly, ¡°Do you still want to know where your


    sons are?¡±


    Chris'' words changed Charlotte''s mind right away. The next moment, she asked hastily, ¡°Have you


    found any clues? Tell me now.¡±


    ¡°Tsk! Look at you. You be another person as soon as you''ve heard something valuable to you. My


    darling is too realistic,¡± Chris ridiculed.


    ¡°Cut the crap and tell me now,¡± Charlotte urged anxiously.


    However, Chris decided to keep her in suspense. ¡°Let''s talk in person. Let''s meet up at Storm Hotel at


    10 p.m. today.¡±


    ¡°You...¡± Just then, Chris hung up the phone before Charlotte could say anything.

 Chapter 1607

    Chapter 1607


    qCharlotte gritted her teeth in anger. Deep down, she med herself for underestimating Chris.


    Why would Chris risk his everything just because of one night? Besides, he knows very well how to


    deal with women.


    He will tear my dignity apart little by little and only reveal some clues until he can fully manipte me.


    By the time I can save the kids, I might have bepletely deste.


    Last night, I asked a favor of Peter at Sultry Night to get away with it.


    What should I do tonight? However, I can''t get any clues if I don''t go.


    After all, I haven''t found Robbie and Jamie yet.


    At that time, Charlotte felt an insufferable headache and couldn''t sleep anymore.


    After giving it some thought, she called Gordon to ask about thetest development.


    Gordon reported, ¡°I''ve contacted Mr. Judd. He is indeed familiar with the factories in Yaleview and has


    helped me a lot. He believes that we can prioritize seven factories to search for our targets. Hence, I''m


    getting my men ready.¡±


    ¡°Sure, tell me once you have any news. Besides, I''ll also tell you if I have any clues.¡± Charlotte felt that


    there was still hope.


    ¡°I understand. I should go back to my work now.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    After ending the call, Charlotte got out of bed tiredly and wanted to freshen herself up. Just then, she


    saw some news links sent by Lucy and decided to check them out.


    The newspapers imed that the so-called Zachary and Charlotte got a divorce and even revealed


    their divorce certificate.


    Therefore, the Nacht family and Nacht Group had nothing to do with Charlotte.


    In other words, everything would return to Zachary''s hands.


    Also, Chris told the reporters that he would manage Nacht Group diligently to create a business


    empire. Moreover, he would take rtionship matters very seriously. Even if he remarried in the future,


    he would choose a righteous girl with a clean background.


    Charlotte couldn''t help but feel amused upon seeing the news. Also, she was impressed by Jesse''s


    meticulous and intertwined ns. First, Jesse forced her to sign the divorce contract and got awyer


    toplete the necessary procedures.


    After that, he made their divorce public and taught Chris how to answer the reporters'' questions,


    hoping that he could marry the daughter of the Gold family in the future.


    Nevertheless, Charlotte wished to know whether Jesse would let Chris marry Nancy or his eldest


    daughter.


    Charlotte heard that Jesse''s eldest daughter was cunning and willing to do anything necessary to


    achieve her goals. Also, herpetition with Nancy grew increasingly intense.


    However, Charlotte didn''t have time to worry about it, for she had to find ways to rescue Robbie and


    Jamie and treat Alpha and Ben. She could focus on dealing with Jesse if they were safe and sound.


    Later, Charlotte put down her phone and wanted to freshen herself up.


    Suddenly, Johann called Charlotte and said emotionally, ¡°Charlotte, I''ve just received the news that the


    company will ask me to take a leave because I''m not feeling well. Besides, they have even hired a


    young IT guy from Koandria to take over my position. How outrageous! Since thepany''s important


    projects are in my hands, they wish tounch a coup against me!¡±


    Upon hearing that, Charlotte felt furious as well. ¡°Since they dare touch you, I''m afraid most of the


    higher-ups have been reced.¡±


    Just then, another call from Kallum came in.


    Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    Johann was infuriated. ¡°You''re right... The board members, including Kallum, were reced. Also, he


    thought that ttering the impostor would give him a way out. After he was also reced, he called me


    to request my help. I was so angry and couldn''t help but scold the hell out of him. Since I''ve also been


    reced, what can I do to help him?


    ¡°Mr. Sterk, don''t be emotional for now. Let me find a way...¡± Charlotteforted him.


    ¡°Have you contacted Danrique?¡±


    Now, Johann put all of his hope on Danrique. He believed that Charlotte was able to go up against the


    Gold family with Danrique''s help.

 Chapter 1608

    Chapter 1608


    q¡°I still cannot get him.¡±


    Charlotte had no idea how to tell Johann that Danrique was unable to help her given his current


    condition.


    She could not bear to disturb him at a crucial time like that.


    Johann sighed and said, ¡°I''m getting too anxious, and that''s why I keep urging you to contact Mr.


    Lindberg. Come to think of it, I doubt he will be able to deal with other things right now.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± agreed Charlotte. ¡°Regardless, I will try to find a way out of this...¡±


    Johann was pessimistic. ¡°The other party is very experienced. Every move he makes is perfect. None


    of us is his match. Unless the real Mr. Nacht returns, we will surely lose this battle.¡±


    ¡°I''m sure there will be a way out of this,¡± Charlotte consoled him.


    ¡°It must be quite hard on you. I shouldn''t be pressuring you when ites topany matters. Just


    focus on finding your children.¡± Johann advised her sincerely, ¡°Nothing else is more important than the


    safety of the children.¡±


    ¡°I understand...¡±


    Charlotte felt sad and was at a loss for words.


    ¡°I will hang up now. Take care of yourself,¡± said Johann before he ended the call.


    With a heavy heart, Charlotte looked up at the wedding photos that were on the wall.


    In the photos, Zachary looked at her with such tenderness. Her eyes teared up, and she mumbled,


    ¡°Hubby, where are you? Come back soon. I can''t take it any longer...¡±


    Deep within the forest, Zachary felt as if he had heard Charlotte''s call. He opened his eyes suddenly


    and shouted, ¡°Charlotte!¡±


    ¡°You are finally awake?¡± someone said in a cold and disdainful voice. ¡°If you continue to remain


    unconscious, your wife and children will continue to suffer at the hands of bullies.¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡±


    Zachary turned his head slowly and frowned when he saw a woman with a dark green-colored face


    mask.


    Francesca was cooking at the moment, and Sam was sleeping on her shoulders. When Sam heard


    Zachary speak, it nced at him before going back to sleep again.


    ¡°Your sons have been kidnapped, and your wife is being bullied by the Nacht family. You are such a


    useless man.¡± Francesca continued tosh out at him, ¡°The worst part is that my children suffered as a


    result of it too. That group of b*stards kidnapped my three babies as well and caused serious injury to


    Alpha!¡±


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    At this point, Francesca grew more and more agitated. ¡°If I find out who is behind this, I will make him


    pay!¡±


    ¡°Are you saying...¡± Zachary became flustered and wanted to turn over, but he was unable to move. He


    twisted his neck around as best as he could and asked, ¡°My sons got kidnapped? By whom?¡±


    ¡°Don''t ask stupid questions! How would I know?¡± Francesca red at him. ¡°If I knew, I would have


    gone after him already.¡±


    ¡°What exactly happened?¡± Zachary questioned her anxiously. ¡°What else do you know?¡±


    ¡°The Nacht family, along with the Gold family, bullied Charlotte,¡± said Francesca impatiently. ¡°They also


    chased away a vegetative patient, a cripple, and Alpha too. They refused to let them stay in the


    hospital. Alpha was running a fever, and Charlotte had to beg an old man named Spence or something


    like that to get her a ce in the hospital. I have long heard that none of the Nacht family are good


    people, and it turned out to be true. While you were lying around half-dead, they took the opportunity to


    bully defenseless people. What a bunch of scoundrels!¡±


    ¡°You ara finally awaka?¡± somaona said in a cold and disdainful voica. ¡°If you continua to ramain


    unconscious, your wifa and childran will continua to suffar at tha hands of bullias.¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡±


    Zachary turnad his haad slowly and frownad whan ha saw a woman with a dark graan-colorad faca


    mask.


    Francasca was cooking at tha momant, and Sam was aping on har shouldars. Whan Sam haard


    Zachary spaak, it ncad at him bafora going back to ap again.


    ¡°Your sons hava baan kidnappad, and your wifa is baing bulliad by tha Nacht family. You ara such a


    usss man.¡± Francasca continuad tosh out at him, ¡°Tha worst part is that my childran suffarad as a


    rasult of it too. That group of b*stards kidnappad my thraa babias as wall and causad sarious injury to


    Alpha!¡±


    At this point, Francasca graw mora and mora agitatad. ¡°If I find out who is bahind this, I will maka him


    pay!¡±


    ¡°Ara you saying...¡± Zachary bacama flustarad and wantad to turn ovar, but ha was una to mova. Ha


    twistad his nack around as bast as ha could and askad, ¡°My sons got kidnappad? By whom?¡±


    ¡°Don''t ask stupid quastions! How would I know?¡± Francasca rad at him. ¡°If I knaw, I would hava


    gona aftar him alraady.¡±


    ¡°What axactly happanad?¡± Zachary quastionad har anxiously. ¡°What alsa do you know?¡±


    ¡°Tha Nacht family, along with tha Gold family, bulliad Charlotta,¡± said Francasca impatiantly. ¡°Thay also


    chasad away a vagatativa patiant, a crip, and Alpha too. Thay rafusad tot tham stay in tha


    hospital. Alpha was running a favar, and Charlotta had to bag an old man namad Spanca or somathing


    lika that to gat har a ca in tha hospital. I hava long haard that nona of tha Nacht family ara good


    pao, and it turnad out to ba trua. Wh you wara lying around half-daad, thay took tha opportunity to


    bully dafansss pao. What a bunch of scoundrals!¡±


    ¡°Wait...¡±


    Zachary was trying to make sense of what Francesca was saying. Her story was not in sequence, and


    she did not even have some of the names. It was about as good as not telling him anything.


    However, after thinking long and hard about her story, he managed to figure out what was going on.


    ¡°You must be referring to the Gold family of Koandria. While I was out, they must have tried to steal


    Nacht Group''s assets. I can only assume that b*stard Chris is in cahoots with them. Together, they


    must have taken over the board of directors and chased Charlotte out of the Nacht family. After that,


    they kidnapped the children in order to threaten Charlotte. As for the vegetative patient, could it be


    Ben? He got shot because he was trying to save me. Most likely, he is alive but still in aa. As for


    the cripple, it must be either Bruce or Marino. They injured themselves while rescuing others from the


    fire.¡±


    ¡°Wait...¡±


    Zachary was trying to make sense of what Francesca was saying. Her story was not in sequence, and


    she did not even have some of the names. It was about as good as not telling him anything.

 Chapter 1609

    Chapter 1609


    q¡°It doesn''t matter what their names are. Right now, all you need to know is that your wife is being


    bullied, your sons have been kidnapped, and the assets of the Nacht family are about to be taken by


    others.¡±


    Francesca froze briefly before she yelled out, ¡°Wait a minute, that''s not right! I risked my life to save


    yours! I did everything I could to treat you so that I can charge you a sky-high treatment fee. If you


    be a poor man, how will I get my money?¡±


    ¡°That''s why you have to help me.¡± Zachary turned things around all of a sudden.


    Francesca was stupefied, and it took her a while before she could react. ¡°I have to help you? What do


    you mean?¡±


    ¡°You can only receive your treatment fee if you help me,¡± said Zachary. ¡°That way, you can also reunite


    with your babies sooner! Am I right, Dr. Francesco?¡±


    ¡°How did you know I am Francesco?¡± Francesca looked a little surprised.


    ¡°I am not only aware that you are Francesco but that you are also Danrique''s wife and the mother of


    Alpha, Beta, and Gamma!¡±


    Although Zachary was feeling very weak at the moment, even struggling to speak, he was still as


    domineering and wise as ever.


    ¡°Don''t talk rubbish! I''m not the wife of that jerk. I am not rted to him in any way.¡± Francesca sounded


    angry and flustered. ¡°But, how do you know about any of these?¡±


    ¡°You said earlier on that your babies were tangled up in this, and Alpha was hurt. That''s obvious


    enough.¡±


    Zachary frowned slightly, feeling like he was talking to someone of lower intelligence.


    This Francesco looks quite intelligent, but in reality, her intelligence is not any higher than that of


    Charlotte.


    ¡°That still doesn''t seem right. Everyone thinks that I am an elderly man. Almost no one knows about my


    real identity. How did you find out? It took Charlotte a long time and a visit to Dr. Felch to find out more.


    In the end, my babies were the ones who revealed clues about my identity. It was only then that


    Charlotte knew the truth. So, how did you figure all of these out so quickly?¡±


    Francesca seemed annoyed. She could not believe that it took Zachary such a short amount of time to


    figure out her real identity. At the same time, she began to question her own intelligence.


    She could not help but feel resentful for that.


    Zachary was speechless. He shut his eyes, calmed himself down, and said, ¡°This is not important. The


    most important thing right now is you helping me.¡±


    ¡°Why should I help you?¡±


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    Francesca sounded adamant and even threw a mushroom at Zachary''s head.


    ¡°You have to help me if you want to receive your special treatment fee.¡± Zachary tried his best to be


    patient with her. ¡°Once you have received the treatment fee, you can take your babies to your favorite


    ce and live in seclusion!¡±


    Zachary frownad slightly, faaling lika ha was talking to somaona of lowar intalliganca.


    This Francasco looks quita intalligant, but in raality, har intalliganca is not any highar than that of


    Charlotta.


    ¡°That still doasn''t saam right. Evaryona thinks that I am an aldarly man. Almost no ona knows about my


    raal idantity. How did you find out? It took Charlotta a long tima and a visit to Dr. Falch to find out mora.


    In tha and, my babias wara tha onas who ravad cluas about my idantity. It was only than that


    Charlotta knaw tha truth. So, how did you figura all of thasa out so quickly?¡±


    Francasca saamad annoyad. Sha could not baliava that it took Zachary such a short amount of tima to


    figura out har raal idantity. At tha sama tima, sha bagan to quastion har own intalliganca.


    Sha could not halp but faal rasantful for that.


    Zachary was spaacss. Ha shut his ayas, calmad himsalf down, and said, ¡°This is not important. Tha


    most important thing right now is you halping ma.¡±


    ¡°Why should I halp you?¡±


    Francasca soundad adamant and avan thraw a mushroom at Zachary''s haad.


    ¡°You hava to halp ma if you want to racaiva your spacial traatmant faa.¡± Zachary triad his bast to ba


    patiant with har. ¡°Onca you hava racaivad tha traatmant faa, you can taka your babias to your favorita


    ca and liva in saclusion!¡±


    ¡°You...¡± Francesca was even more shocked than before. ¡°How did you know...¡±


    ¡°Judging from the look of this ce, I can tell that you are not a materialistic person. You asked for so


    much money because you want to leave it for your children. Besides, my condition is a burden to you.


    You could have taken me to my wife. It would have been much easier for you to provide me with


    treatment under her protection. Instead, you chose to take me with you and go into hiding. That''s


    because you don''t want Danrique to find you through her. It''s very clear that you want to keep your


    distance from the Lindberg family. You want to take your children away and lead your own life.¡± Zachary


    analyzed her situation in detail. ¡°Am I right?¡±


    ¡°They said you are intelligent. Looks like they are right...¡± Francesca narrowed her eyes and red at


    Zachary unhappily. ¡°Well then. How should I go about helping you?¡±


    ¡°Find me a mobile phone and aputer,¡± instructed Zachary. ¡°After that, cure me as soon as


    possible!¡±


    ¡°The first two are easy.¡± Francesca turned her attention back to her pot. ¡°As for your treatment, I have


    hit a bottleneck and failed to achieve a breakthrough. I might have to make a trip to Phoenix City and


    look for Dr. Felch after all.¡±


    ¡°You...¡± Francesca was even more shocked than before. ¡°How did you know...¡±

 Chapter 1610

    Chapter 1610


    q¡°Dr. Felch has passed away,¡± said Zachary softly. ¡°Did you not know?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Francesca was dumbstruck. ¡°Is that true? When did that happen?¡±


    ¡°Two months ago...¡± Zachary told her what had transpired briefly, ¡°He passed away in H City. Charlotte


    and I sent him off and even went to Mount Phoenix to perform thest rites for him.¡±


    Francesca widened her eyes in shock and disbelief. ¡°Dr. Felch is gone? He''s actually dead?¡±


    ¡°My condolences.¡± Zachary realized that Francesca still cared about Dr. Felch. Once a teacher, always


    a teacher. Dr. Felch had brought her up and taught her everything he had ever learned in this lifetime.


    Kindness like this could never be erased with time.


    ¡°He didn''t contact me even when he was about to pass away.¡± Francesca looked down and appeared


    upset. ¡°Does he still me me?¡±


    Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    ¡°I doubt so...¡± Zachary remembered what happened before Dr. Felch passed on. ¡°Before he left, he


    gave me a prescription and told me to look for you. He said you are the only one in this world who can


    save me.¡±


    Francesca was surprised. ¡°Did he really say that?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Zachary nodded. ¡°That''s the reason why I have been sending people out to look for you. The


    thing is, we thought we were looking for a middle-aged man.¡±


    ¡°So, what did he mean when he said that?¡± Francesca frowned and asked. ¡°He has never approved of


    me¡ª¡±


    ¡°Dr. Felch was indebted to Charlotte''s father. That was why he did everything he could to treat


    Charlotte and the children. Moreover, since he doted on Charlotte, he was very nice to me as well.


    Before he passed away, the poison in my body had already prated my bones. My condition was


    getting serious. He gave everything he could to write down a prescription. Unfortunately, he no longer


    had the energy to carry out the treatment for me. That''s why he told me to look for you. In my opinion,


    that basically means that he is approving of your medical skills and you as a person as well.¡±


    Zachary meant every single word he had just said.


    Francesca was touched. ¡°Back when I wanted to learn modern medicine, Dr. Felch gave me a tongue


    lashing. He said that I had forgotten my roots and that traditional medicine was the best in the world of


    medicine. As long as I was willing to focus and study intensively, I would be a very good doctor.


    But, I believed firmly that if we canbine the best of both worlds and master them, then we can


    achieve true greatness. Unfortunately, both of us disagreed with one another, and neither of us could


    convince the other person. In the end, we parted ways. I remember the day I left. It was pouring


    heavily, and Dr. Felch refused to let me take anything out of the house. I had no choice but to leave in


    the rain. He warned me not to mention his name should I encounter any issues in the future. I swore I


    would return as the best doctor in the world. I wanted to prove myself to him. Yet before I could go


    back, he has already...¡±


    ¡°Dr. Falch was indabtad to Charlotta''s fathar. That was why ha did avarything ha could to traat


    Charlotta and tha childran. Moraovar, sinca ha dotad on Charlotta, ha was vary nica to ma as wall.


    Bafora ha passad away, tha poison in my body had alraady panatratad my bonas. My condition was


    gatting sarious. Ha gava avarything ha could to writa down a prascription. Unfortunataly, ha no longar


    had tha anargy to carry out tha traatmant for ma. That''s why ha told ma to look for you. In my opinion,


    that basically maans that ha is approving of your madical skills and you as a parson as wall.¡±


    Zachary maant avary sin word ha had just said.


    Francasca was touchad. ¡°Back whan I wantad toarn modarn madicina, Dr. Falch gava ma a tongua


    lashing. Ha said that I had forgottan my roots and that traditional madicina was tha bast in tha world of


    madicina. As long as I was willing to focus and study intansivaly, I would ba a vary good doctor.


    But, I baliavad firmly that if wa canbina tha bast of both worlds and mastar tham, than wa can


    achiava trua graatnass. Unfortunataly, both of us disagraad with ona anothar, and naithar of us could


    convinca tha othar parson. In tha and, wa partad ways. I ramambar tha day Ift. It was pouring


    haavily, and Dr. Falch rafusad tot ma taka anything out of tha housa. I had no choica but toava in


    tha rain. Ha warnad ma not to mantion his nama should I ancountar any issuas in tha futura. I swora I


    would raturn as tha bast doctor in tha world. I wantad to prova mysalf to him. Yat bafora I could go


    back, ha has alraady...¡±


    Here, Francesca sighed. ¡°I don''t know if he has ever thought about me after that. I wonder, when he


    thought of me, was he still angry with me, or was he pleased with me?¡±


    ¡°Of course, he was pleased,¡± Zacharyforted her. ¡°If not, he wouldn''t have asked me to look for


    you.¡±


    ¡°That''s true.¡± Francesca smiled bitterly. ¡°Enough of that. Let''s return to the main topic. Where is the


    prescription?¡±


    ¡°It''s with Ben,¡± Zachary said with certainty. ¡°When you go tonight, check if the vegetative patient is Ben.


    If it''s true, then make him well again. You will be able to find the prescription afterward.¡±


    Francesca raised her eyebrows. ¡°How did you know I will be going there tonight?¡±


    ¡°Alpha is ill. No matter how impressive your medical skills are, there is no way you can cure her in a


    few days'' time. Even if she is cured, you will still want to see your child.¡±


    Pausing, Zachary continued in an exasperated tone, ¡°Dr. Francesco, I''m feeling very weak right now


    and find it hard to talk. Please stop asking unnecessary questions.¡±


    Here, Francesca sighed. ¡°I don''t know if he has ever thought about me after that. I wonder, when he


    thought of me, was he still angry with me, or was he pleased with me?¡±

 Chapter 1611

    Chapter 1611


    q¡°Are you saying that I am talking sh*t?¡±


    This time, Francesca reacted very quickly as she stared at him fiercely.


    ¡°Of course not. Every single word you said is of utmost importance.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    Zachary''s survival instincts were very strong. He was only able to move his head right now, so his very


    survival was dependent on Francesca''s mood.


    I won''t dare to offend her.


    ¡°Hmph! You are not that stupid after all!¡±


    Francesca rolled her eyes at him and scooped the food out of the pot.


    She had prepared another dish for herself as well.


    ¡°I thought we are discussing about curing my illness. Why are you eating?¡±


    Zachary frowned. The mood of this woman shifts so fast. One minute she is immersed in sorrow, and


    the very next moment, she starts eating.


    ¡°I will only have the energy to treat you once I am full.¡±


    While Francesca was eating, she crushed an apple with her hand and squeezed the juice into a ss.


    Once the ss was full, she sipped the juice and enjoyed her meat at the same time.


    Once in a while, she would throw a few pieces of meat and bones for the limping aged wolf next to her.


    As for the eagle and python, she would leave them to hunt for their own food.


    Zachary saw her savoring the food with such relish that he started to feel hungry. He asked, ¡°Any food


    for me?¡±


    ¡°You still can''t move right now, so you can only consume a liquid diet.¡±


    Charlotte pushed the ss of juice to him.


    ¡°That''s mine?¡± Zachary looked at the leftover apple juice and could not help but frown. ¡°I feel that I''m


    down to all skin and bones, and I should be eating some solid food.¡±


    ¡°After you eat, you will poop. Who is going to clean up for you?¡± snapped Francesca. ¡°Before you can


    take care of yourself, this is all you''re allowed to consume.¡±


    Zachary was taken aback. ¡°I will get hungry, won''t I?¡±


    ¡°But you won''t starve to death.¡± Francesca continued to enjoy her meat.


    ¡°Your service is below par. I''m afraid I will have to scale back on your treatment fee,¡± said Zachary


    grumpily.


    ¡°Scale back?¡±


    At the mention of money, Francesca''s eyes turned ice-cold. She reached out for the cleaver next to her


    and threw it. Therge knife stabbed into a wooden board beside Zachary''s neck, the tip of the knife


    only a millimeter away from cutting him.


    Zachary''s eyes widened in shock. He did not even dare to breathe.


    Francesca removed a notebook from her pocket and walked up to him. She opened the book up and


    ced it in front of his eyes with her finger pointing at the page.


    ¡°Look carefully. This is what you owe me for the treatment. Your handprint is on it. If you deny it, I will


    chop you up right now!¡±


    ¡°You still can''t mova right now, so you can only consuma a liquid diat.¡±


    Charlotta pushad tha ss of juica to him.


    ¡°That''s mina?¡± Zachary lookad at thaftovar ap juica and could not halp but frown. ¡°I faal that I''m


    down to all skin and bonas, and I should ba aating soma solid food.¡±


    ¡°Aftar you aat, you will poop. Who is going to an up for you?¡± snappad Francasca. ¡°Bafora you can


    taka cara of yoursalf, this is all you''ra allowad to consuma.¡±


    Zachary was takan aback. ¡°I will gat hungry, won''t I?¡±


    ¡°But you won''t starva to daath.¡± Francasca continuad to anjoy har maat.


    ¡°Your sarvica is balow par. I''m afraid I will hava to sc back on your traatmant faa,¡± said Zachary


    grumpily.


    ¡°Sc back?¡±


    At tha mantion of monay, Francasca''s ayas turnad ica-cold. Sha raachad out for tha avar naxt to har


    and thraw it. Tharga knifa stabbad into a woodan board basida Zachary''s nack, tha tip of tha knifa


    only a millimatar away from cutting him.


    Zachary''s ayas widanad in shock. Ha did not avan dara to braatha.


    Francasca ramovad a notabook from har pockat and walkad up to him. Sha opanad tha book up and


    cad it in front of his ayas with har fingar pointing at tha paga.


    ¡°Look carafully. This is what you owa ma for tha traatmant. Your handprint is on it. If you dany it, I will


    chop you up right now!¡±


    Zachary squinted his eyes and eximed in disbelief, ¡°What? Eight hundred million? Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Am I sure? There''s no mistake here. In fact, I have yet to add in the charges for the past few days.¡±


    With that, she took out a pen and started to write in the notebook.


    As she was writing, she uttered, ¡°I still have to include thepensation for my psychological trauma,


    physical danger, security fees, and also for the help that I will be rendering this time around. All in all, it


    will cost you half of your inheritance!¡±


    Pfft! Zachary nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. ¡°I have never heard of any doctor who wants half of


    her patient''s inheritance. You are too much!¡±


    ¡°Why? You don''t want to pay?¡± An evil smile appeared on Francesca''s face. ¡°It''s fine if you aren''t willing


    to pay. Anyway, my wolf hasn''t had its fill yet.¡±


    The limping wolf perked up when it heard that and started to make its way over to Zachary.


    ¡°Fine, fine. I''ll pay.¡±


    Zachary gave in immediately. Nothing mattered most at the moment other than his life.


    ¡°That''s right.¡± Francesca smiled smugly. ¡°All right. I will go out and find aputer and phone for you.


    Stay here and finish your juice. If you die of hunger, who am I supposed to collect my fee from?¡±


    Zachary squinted his eyes and eximed in disbelief, ¡°What? Eight hundred million? Are you sure?¡±

 Chapter 1612

    Chapter 1612


    qFrancesca walked off, and Zachary was left all alone on the wooden bed. At the thought of the


    perilous situation back home, he was worried sick. He could not wait to get back home right away.


    Unfortunately, he was not able to move. Even the simple act of drinking his juice was an issue.


    Francesca had ced the juice in a ss instead of a wooden bowl like the one that the wolf was


    eating out of.


    Zachary tried to lift his neck to drink the juice, but his neck was so stiff that he could not do it.


    The only thing he could do at that moment was to engage the help of the old wolf sitting beside him.


    The elderly wolf eyed him coldly. It was as if it was saying, ¡°Go on. Beg me!¡±


    Zachary frowned and gritted his teeth. ¡°I am a powerful man, after all. In order to live, I don''t mind


    bowing to Francesco. Now, you want me to beg a wolf as well? I would rather starve to death.¡±


    With that, he resolutely turned his head away.


    The old wolf strolled over slowly before sticking its tongue into the ss. It started to lick the juice and


    even seemed to enjoy it.


    ¡°You!¡± Zachary was so furious. ¡°You are as bad as your master!¡±


    The animal seemed to understand his words. It looked up and bared its teeth at Zachary. It looked as if


    it wanted to devour the human.


    ¡°Oh gosh...¡± Zachary immediately changed his tone. ¡°No, no. I mean, you are just as adorable as your


    master. Adorable!¡±


    It was only then that the murderous look in the wolf''s eyes disappeared gradually. With a turn of its


    head, it stalked away slowly.


    Zachary looked at what little remained of the juice with contempt and wished that such miserable days


    would be over soon.


    He missed Charlotte and the children terribly and wanted to get back to them as soon as possible.


    Charlotte fell asleep and had a nightmare. In it, she saw Robbie and Jamie being bullied by others.


    She was heartbroken and instantly sent Gordon a message, hoping to get a response soon.


    Gordon replied that the search was still ongoing.


    Charlotte was very worried. She felt that she could no longer sit around and do nothing. The following


    day, she intended to take a few subordinates with her to Yaleview.


    As for now, she had to get ready to see Chris.


    Perhaps, there might be some clues from his side.


    At that thought, Charlotte got up and started to get ready. She even brought Hayley''s pills along with


    her.


    Just as she was about to leave the house, Lupine came up to her and asked, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, where are


    you going? I will go with you.¡±


    ¡°There''s no need for that.¡± Charlotte felt that it was best for her to go alone. If others were with her, it


    might affect her ns.


    It was only than that tha murdarous look in tha wolf''s ayas disappaarad gradually. With a turn of its


    haad, it stalkad away slowly.


    Zachary lookad at what lit ramainad of tha juica with contampt and wishad that such misara days


    would ba ovar soon.


    Ha missad Charlotta and tha childran tarribly and wantad to gat back to tham as soon as possi.


    Charlotta fall aap and had a nightmara. In it, sha saw Robbia and Jamia baing bulliad by othars.


    Sha was haartbrokan and instantly sant Gordon a massaga, hoping to gat a rasponsa soon.


    Gordon rapliad that tha saarch was still ongoing.


    Charlotta was vary worriad. Sha falt that sha could no longar sit around and do nothing. Tha following


    day, sha intandad to taka a faw subordinatas with har to Yviaw.


    As for now, sha had to gat raady to saa Chris.


    Parhaps, thara might ba soma cluas from his sida.


    At that thought, Charlotta got up and startad to gat raady. Sha avan brought Hay''s pills along with


    har.


    Just as sha was about toava tha housa, Lupina cama up to har and askad, ¡°Ms. Lindbarg, whara ara


    you going? I will go with you.¡±


    ¡°Thara''s no naad for that.¡± Charlotta falt that it was bast for har to go alona. If othars wara with har, it


    might affact har ns.


    ¡°I don''t feel at ease if you go alone.¡± Lupine said worriedly, ¡°What if something happens like the other


    day?¡±


    ¡°Nothing happened the other day.¡± Charlotte smiled. ¡°I''m fine now, aren''t I?¡±


    ¡°Peter was there to help you the other day. That was why your n went smoothly. But, today...¡± Lupine


    must have guessed that she wanted to go and see Chris that day. ¡°That Chris is an a*shole! He is an


    evil-hearted person and will definitely try to get fresh with you. If anything goes wrong this time...¡±


    The more Lupine thought about it, the more worried she became. ¡°If something untoward really


    happens, how am I supposed to answer to Mr. Nacht?¡±


    Looking at her anxious face, Charlotte said, ¡°Why don''t we do this instead? You take two bodyguards


    with you and wait for me near the hotel. If anything goes wrong, I will message you, and you will be


    able to get to me in time.¡±


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°All right. I will get going at once.¡±


    Lupine immediately went to get the others ready.


    Charlotte drove herself to Storm Hotel to meet Chris.


    She was fully prepared to do anything to find out the whereabouts of Robbie and Jamie.


    It was already the third day since the children had been kidnapped. She could not imagine the torture


    they had to go through for the past three days.


    She could not wait any longer.


    ¡°I don''t feel at ease if you go alone.¡± Lupine said worriedly, ¡°What if something happens like the other


    day?¡±

 Chapter 1613

    Chapter 1613


    qIt was ten minutes to ten when Charlotte arrived at Storm Hotel. Just then, her phone rang.


    She looked at the caller ID and was shaken. If only it really was her hubby, Zachary, she would be so


    d. Unfortunately...


    Although she was in conflict, Charlotte still decided to answer the call. ¡°Hello!¡±


    ¡°Are you here yet?¡±


    It was a familiar voice, but it was not the same person.


    Charlotte answered coldly, ¡°I''m at the underground parking lot.¡±


    Chris was very happy when he heard that. ¡°I will be waiting for you in the room.¡±


    Charlotte ended the call without saying anything in response.


    The thought of facing that disgusting man irked her. She wondered what tricks he had up his sleeves


    this time.


    Peter was not here to lend her a hand, and this was not Sultry Night. All she had was Hayley''s pills.


    Charlotte ran her fingers around the small box in her pocket, took a deep breath, and opened the car


    door.


    Her phone vibrated as she was stepping out of the car. Charlotte took one look at the caller ID and


    went back into the car to answer the call. ¡°Hello!¡±


    ¡°It''s me.¡± Nancy''s low voice sounded wary.


    ¡°Nancy?¡± Charlotte was very surprised to hear from her.


    ¡°Charlotte, there''s something I want to ask you. Please answer me truthfully.¡± Nancy asked her in a


    hushed tone, ¡°Is this Zachary the real one?¡±


    ¡°He...¡±


    Charlotte was about to answer her question when the line got cut off. She said ¡°hello¡± a few times, but


    there was no response.


    When she tried calling back, no one answered the phone. She was contemting whether to send a


    message, but she was worried that the phone might end up in Jesse''s hands again. That would


    definitely cause Nancy some trouble.


    Hence, she stopped calling back. If Nancy has doubts about the authenticity of the current ¡°Zachary,¡±


    I''m sure she must have sensed something off. She''ll probably find a chance to call me again if she


    wants some answers.


    Charlotte deleted the call logs and got off the car.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, Mr. Nacht is waiting for you.¡±


    She was approached by four bodyguards who then spoke to her politely.


    Looking at the four unfamiliar bodyguards, Charlotte noticed that they were foreigners who spoke fluent


    Ustranasion. They belonged to neither the Nacht family nor the Gold family.


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    Chris must have hired them behind Jesse''s back so that he could do whatever he wanted.


    Charlotte took one look at her phone, said nothing, and followed them.


    ording to the GPS, Lupine and Jade were hiding in the office building next to the hotel. Should


    anything happen to her, they would be able to get to her in no time.


    The presidential suite was the ce where Charlotte and Zachary had their first night of intimacy. After


    that, he brought her there on a frequent basis. Charlotte did not expect Chris to meet her there.


    ¡°Ha...¡±


    Charlotta was about to answar har quastion whan tha lina got cut off. Sha said ¡°hallo¡± a faw timas, but


    thara was no rasponsa.


    Whan sha triad calling back, no ona answarad tha phona. Sha was contamting whathar to sand a


    massaga, but sha was worriad that tha phona might and up in Jassa''s hands again. That would


    dafinitaly causa Nancy soma trou.


    Hanca, sha stoppad calling back. If Nancy has doubts about tha authanticity of tha currant ¡°Zachary,¡±


    I''m sura sha must hava sansad somathing off. Sha''ll probably find a chanca to call ma again if sha


    wants soma answars.


    Charlotta dtad tha call logs and got off tha car.


    ¡°Ms. Lindbarg, Mr. Nacht is waiting for you.¡±


    Sha was approachad by four bodyguards who than spoka to har politaly.


    Looking at tha four unfamiliar bodyguards, Charlotta noticad that thay wara foraignars who spoka fluant


    Ustranasion. Thay balongad to naithar tha Nacht family nor tha Gold family.


    Chris must hava hirad tham bahind Jassa''s back so that ha could do whatavar ha wantad.


    Charlotta took ona look at har phona, said nothing, and followad tham.


    ording to tha GPS, Lupina and Jada wara hiding in tha offica building naxt to tha hotal. Should


    anything happan to har, thay would ba a to gat to har in no tima.


    Tha prasidantial suita was tha ca whara Charlotta and Zachary had thair first night of intimacy. Aftar


    that, ha brought har thara on a fraquant basis. Charlotta did not axpact Chris to maat har thara.


    Looking at the room number, Charlotte frowned.


    One of the bodyguards was about to knock on the door when Chris opened it all of a sudden and pulled


    Charlotte in impatiently.


    Charlotte swept his hand off in disgust and demanded angrily, ¡°What are you trying to do?¡±


    ¡°What? What do you mean?¡±


    Chris shut the door and leaned over for a kiss.


    Charlotte avoided him and took a step back. ring at him, she asked, ¡°What are you trying to do?¡±


    ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk.¡± Chris grinned at her and said, ¡°My wild little kitty is still as fierce as ever. Wasst night


    not to your satisfaction?¡±


    Charlotte furrowed her brows. Every time she heard him talk that way, she felt disgusted.


    ¡°Fine, fine. Don''t be angry,¡± coaxed Chris gently. ¡°Look at what I have prepared for you.¡±


    Charlotte turned around and saw champagne-colored roses all over the suite. There was even a heart


    made out of rose petals on the bed, and right in the middle of it was an exquisite-looking jewelry box.


    ¡°Come and take a look!¡± Chris pulled Charlotte to the side of the bed and picked up the jewelry box.


    ¡°I''m sure you will like it!¡±


    Looking at the room number, Charlotte frowned.


    One of the bodyguards was about to knock on the door when Chris opened it all of a sudden and pulled


    Charlotte in impatiently.

 Chapter 1614

    Chapter 1614


    qCharlotte refused to ept the box. ¡°I''m not interested. I just want to find out the whereabouts of my


    children. For every day that goes by without their return, I am unable to be at ease.¡±


    Chris looked at her in anguish and reached out to caress her face. ¡°I understand. Dark circles are


    appearing around your eyes. You have not been sleeping well for the past few days, have you?¡±


    Charlotte took a step back to avoid his hand. ¡°Help me get my children back first. I will not agree to


    anything until my children are back safely.¡±


    ¡°Are you telling me that if I rescue your children, you will be my woman? Am I right?¡± Chris looked


    at her gleefully.


    Charlotte looked down and dared not meet his eyes. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°But, if you don''t be my woman, why should I help you save your children? You are contradicting


    yourself!¡±


    ¡°Butst night, we already...¡±


    Charlotte could not bear to finish the sentence and stopped halfway.


    ¡°That''s right. We already did itst night, and that''s an undeniable fact. What''s the point of you being so


    reserved right now? Let yourself go and focus on being my woman.¡±


    Chris was unaplished in every other aspect, but he sure had a way with women.


    ¡°When you be my woman, then your problems will be mine to bear too. I will help to save your


    children.¡±


    Charlotte was speechless.


    She had finally realized that it would be impossible to convince him as far as such matters were


    concerned.


    Chris was like a hungry wild dog. He would have to be fed before he would give any benefits to


    anyone.


    ¡°Fine. Don''t be angry.¡± Chris touched her face and continued to coax her, ¡°I have prepared a few bottles


    of wine. Let''s have some. Last night, you had quite a bit too, which was why you were able to let loose.


    Today, you should drink more. Then, you will be morefortable.¡±


    With that, he picked up two sses of wine and gave one to Charlotte.


    Charlotte epted the wine and finished it in one go.


    ¡°Good girl!¡± Chris smiled with satisfaction and finished his wine in one go as well. Next, he poured


    another round for both of them and clinked sses with Charlotte.


    ¡°Since I am already here and can''t run away, why don''t you tell me where my children are?¡±


    Charlotte did not drink her wine this time around and waited for Chris to reveal some clues instead.


    ¡°Open it and you will know.¡± Chris pointed to the jewelry box.


    Charlotte did not quite believe him, but she opened the box nevertheless. There was a stack of photos


    inside.


    T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    She took a closer look and saw that they were photos of Robbie and Jamie being kidnapped. Her heart


    skipped a beat before she asked in a hurry, ¡°Where did you get these?¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry about that. Either way, we should be able to locate them based on the photos.¡± Chris said


    meaningfully, ¡°You may pass the photos to your bodyguards and get them to check it out.¡±


    Charlotte immediately took pictures of the photos and sent them to Gordon so that he could try to find


    some leads.


    ¡°See? I didn''t lie to you, did I?¡± Chris shed her a wholehearted smile. ¡°I told you that you would like


    this present!¡±


    Charlotte looked up and stared at him furiously. ¡°Chris! If you can obtain these photos, it goes to show


    that you know where my sons are. Why don''t you just tell me directly?¡±


    ¡°You''re right, I do know. But if I tell you their location, will you stille and meet me in the future?¡±


    ¡°You!¡± Charlotte flushed with anger.


    ¡°If only you hadn''t been so stubborn and refused to be with me, I might have told you their location a


    long time ago. You would have your sons with you by now.¡±


    Chris sat on the sofa and tantly raked his gaze across her body.


    ¡°Charlotte, it''s still not toote now. Show me how passionate and sincere you are, and I will tell you


    their location tonight. Actually, I am a simple man. As long as you treat me genuinely, I will not let you


    down!¡±

 Chapter 1615

    Chapter 1615


    qYou are such a revolting person!


    Charlotte had nearly said that out loud, but she did not.


    In truth, her children would notst any longer.


    They were too young to go through a trauma like that.


    For the past few days, Charlotte would recall the video where they were being hit by the water guns


    whenever she closed her eyes. That day, she had even dreamt of them being bitten by a mastiff, and


    their bodies were covered in blood.


    Her heart still ached so terribly till now, and she found it hard to breathe.


    She had to rescue them as soon as possible.


    ¡°People always say that mothers are willing to do anything for their children. But by the looks of it, you


    don''t seem to love your sons at all.¡±


    Chris continued to provoke her, ¡°They have already been kidnapped for three days. Every day, they


    suffer unspeakable abuse. How can you still be hesitating here? Shouldn''t you humble yourself and be


    nice to me? You should know that you are already mine. Even if you keep mepany for a few more


    days, nothing will happen to you. The same cannot be said of your sons. Perhaps, certain body parts of


    theirs are already being chopped off as we speak...¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± Charlotte finally lost it and yelled out loud. ¡°Chris, if anything happens to my sons, I won''t let


    you off!¡±


    Chris shrugged his shoulders and put on an innocent look. ¡°I''m not the one who kidnapped them. I''m


    trying to help you, and yet, you are still ming me. Fine. Since you hate me so much, then I shall


    make a move.¡±


    With that, he got up and was about to leave.


    ¡°Wait.¡± Charlotte quickly stopped him.


    Chris paused in his tracks but did not turn back. ¡°Yes? Is there anything else?¡±


    Charlotte looked at the way he was trying to y hard to get, and repulsion coursed through her.


    However, for the sake of her children, she said, ¡°After tonight, you have to give me the detailed


    location.¡±


    Her initial n was to spike the wine as she was talking. However, she realized that there were mirrors


    around the wine cab, so Chris was able to see her every move.


    As such, she had no choice but to abort her mission.


    Chris turned around and looked at her affectionately. ¡°As long as you behave yourself, it won''t be a


    problem. As you know, all I want is you!¡±


    Charlotte walked into the bathroom feeling depressed. ¡°I will go and take a shower...¡±


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    Exuberant and unable to contain his joy, Chris eximed, ¡°That''s a good girl! Make it quick! I''ll wait for


    you.¡±


    With that, he excitedly removed his clothes.


    Charlotte looked at her reflection in the bathroom mirror and felt extremely humiliated.


    However, right now, she had no other options.


    There was no one she could find as a recement, and there was no way for her to slip the pill into his


    drink.


    What should I do? Do I really have to...


    At that moment, Charlotte''s heart was pounding furiously. It was too torturous for her.


    Chris shouted, ¡°Charlotte, I''ming in to shower with you. Open up!¡±


    She held tightly onto the washbasin and ignored him.


    Her mind was spinning rapidly, trying to think of a strategy.


    Just then, the door knob turned.


    ¡°Charlotte!¡± Chris was about toe in.


    Charlotte was going to lock the bathroom door when all of a sudden, someone was knocking rapidly on


    their room door. The person was speaking in Ustranasion.


    Since she was in the bathroom, she was unable to hear clearly.


    Chris was instantly on the alert as he walked over to open the door. ¡°What did you say?¡±


    His bodyguard said in a panic, ¡°Someone from the Gold family is here. They are already downstairs.¡±


    ¡°Who is it? Is it Jesse?¡± Chris sounded flustered.


    ¡°It''s the Gold family''s car...¡±


    ¡°Watch the elevator. Don''t let theme here.¡±


    After that, Chris returned to the room hastily and knocked on the bathroom door. ¡°Charlotte! Charlotte!¡±


    Charlotte immediately wet herself with water and pretended to be showering. She then opened the


    door and asked, ¡°What''s wrong? I was in the middle of a shower.¡±


    Looking at her tantalizingly wet body, Chris felt a powerful sensation course through his body. For a


    moment, he forgot about everything.


    However, he regained his senses very soon and said, ¡°Someone from the Gold family is here! Get out


    of here!¡±

 Chapter 1616

    Chapter 1616


    qCharlotte appeared stunned. ¡°But... How about the location that you promised to give me?¡±


    Chris was growing anxious by the minute and pushed Charlotte out of the room. ¡°I will give it to you


    next time. You leave first. If they see you, there will be trouble.¡±


    Charlotte knew what he was afraid of and deliberately refused to leave. ¡°What kind of trouble? In any


    case, we can both die together!¡±


    ¡°Charlotte...¡±


    ¡°Tell me the exact address where my sons are being held captive, and I will leave,¡± threatened


    Charlotte as she sat down on the sofa. ¡°Otherwise, I am not leaving.¡±


    ¡°You!¡± Chris was about to die of anger. ¡°If anything bad happens to me, you will suffer as well. Think


    about it. If Jesse sees you here right now, he will surely send someone to kill your sons.¡±


    Hearing that, Charlotte''s expression changed, but she calmed down soon enough. ¡°He won''t dare to. If


    he kills my children, he will lose his trump card.¡±


    Chris sneered, ¡°He can always kill one and keep the other one alive. As long as he has one of them,


    you will have no choice but to dance along to his tune.¡±


    ¡°You...¡± Charlotte was rendered speechless, so she had no choice but to get up.


    ¡°Quick!¡± Chris was about to open the door when they heard the panicky voice of his bodyguard. ¡°Mr.


    Gold, you cannot go in there. Mr. Gold¡ª¡±


    Chris'' face fell, and he pulled Charlotte back immediately. In a hushed voice, he said, ¡°Hide in the


    bathroom! Hurry!¡±


    Charlotte gave him a nasty re before doing as she was told.


    The moment Chris finished putting on his clothes, the door was kicked open by someone.


    Chris jumped with fright. However, a warm smile appeared on his face very quickly. ¡°Mr. Gold, what are


    you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Why? Are you hoping that I won''te here?¡±


    Jesse walked in and scanned the room with his sharp eyes.


    In the bathroom, Charlotte was pressed against the door as she eavesdropped. This was the first time


    she was in such close proximity to Jesse. It was a pity that they were separated by a wall, and she


    could not see what he looked like.


    Nheless, Jesse spoke very fluent Chanaean, and he sounded very assertive.


    ¡°Why would I...¡± Chris burst intoughter and greeted, ¡°Ms. Gold, you''re here too?¡±


    T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    Charlotte was slightly startled. Ms. Gold? Nancy? Or could it be...?


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, long time no see.¡±


    She could hear a familiar voice. The voice sounded as gentle and elegant as ever.


    It was Nancy.


    Charlotte, who was in the bathroom, was a little puzzled. Not too long ago, Nancy had just phoned her.


    She did not expect Nancy to show up so soon with her father to meet ¡°Zachary.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Since thest time we parted ways at the hospital, we have not met one another.¡±


    When Chris was talking to Nancy, it was obvious that he was controlling his voice to sound more like


    Zachary.


    Nancy asked in concern, ¡°Are you feeling better?¡±


    ¡°I''m much better now. Thank you for asking, Ms. Gold,¡± replied Chris politely.


    ¡°We are old friends. There''s no need to thank me.¡± Nancy might sound gentle, but she seemed to be


    feeling him out. ¡°But, Mr. Nacht, you seem so much better than before the fire. Back then, you were


    very ill. But now, you seem to have made a full recovery?¡±


    Chris responded casually, ¡°I have yet to recover fully. I''m still in the midst of my treatment. However, it''s


    true that I am in a better condition than before.¡±


    ¡°That''s great.¡± Nancy nodded and smiled. ¡°Thest time when we were dancing the tango at South Sea


    Hotel, I felt that you weren''t doing too well.¡±


    Charlotte could tell that Nancy was trying to test Chris because Zachary and she had danced a waltz,


    not a tango at the South Sea Hotel back then.


    Chris seemed to be well prepared and did not fall for it. ¡°Did Ms. Gold remember wrongly? We danced


    a waltz then.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes...¡± Nancy seemed surprised.


    ¡°Thanks to you, I was able to catch the culprit who smashed me with the vase...¡±


    Chris seemed to know everything like the back of his hand and failed to take the bait!

 Chapter 1617

    Chapter 1617


    q¡°Yes... I didn''t expect you to remember.¡±


    Nancy was taken aback and thought that perhaps, she might have been worrying too much. She dared


    not suspect ¡°Zachary¡± anymore.


    Chris gave a light chuckle. ¡°Of course, I remembered. I remember all the tiny details of my time with


    you, Ms. Gold.¡±


    There was no response from Nancy, and the ambiance was getting a little awkward.


    In the bathroom, Charlotte frowned. Maybe Jesse tipped Chris off in advance?


    But, why would he want to help Chris lie to his own daughter?


    Just then, Jesse cleared his throat and said, ¡°I have something else to attend to. Please excuse me.


    The two of you can take your time and chat.¡±


    Nancy seemed to feel uneasy. ¡°Daddy¡ª¡±


    ¡°Be good.¡± Jesse sounded persistent. ¡°Mr. Nacht is now divorced, and he is avable. Both the Gold


    and Nacht families will be working together in business very soon. The two of you should get to know


    each other and be good friends.¡±


    Chris continued immediately after Jesse, ¡°Mr. Gold is right. Ms. Gold, we are old friends. There''s no


    need to be so formal.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht is right.¡± There was no more protest from Nancy again.


    ¡°Have a nice chat.¡±


    Jesse nced at his daughter before giving Chris a meaningful look. After that, he left.


    Very soon, Charlotte heard the sound of the door closing.


    She knew then that Jesse had left.


    He had brought his daughter here on purpose. On one hand, he wanted to see if Chris was behaving


    himself and catch him in the act if he was not. On the other hand, he wanted to present Nancy to Chris


    so as to unite the two families.


    Money was all this father ever cared about.


    For the sake of power and wealth, he did not mind sacrificing his own daughter.


    ¡°Have a seat, Ms. Gold.¡±


    After Jesse left, Chris heaved a sigh of relief. He poured a ss of wine for Nancy and one for himself


    too.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, you are still in the process of recovery. Try not to drink so much.¡±


    Nancy''s concern showed that she had no more worries about the identity of the man before her.


    ¡°I don''t usually drink much, but recently, I have been in a bad mood,¡± said Chris before he pretended to


    sigh in misery. ¡°Lots of things have happened in the family...¡±


    ¡°I heard.¡± Nancy asked cautiously, ¡°Is it true that Charlotte''s children aren''t yours? Perhaps, there is a


    mistake?¡±


    When Charlotte heard that, she felt warmth in her heart. She did not expect Nancy to believe her.


    Chris said angrily, ¡°I''m hoping that it was a mistake, but the truth is right there. I have no choice but to


    ept it.¡±


    Nancy probed further, ¡°Could there have been any mistakes during the testing process? Somehow, I


    find this a little¡ª¡±


    ¡°The process was overseen by Mr. Sterk and Mr. Spencer themselves. There can be no mistake,¡± Chris


    cut her off and pretended to be upset. ¡°Let''s not talk about all these anymore. It''s pointless.¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Nancy then changed the topic. ¡°So, have you and Ms. Lindberg really parted ways?¡±


    ¡°The divorce procedure is alreadypleted. What do you think?¡±


    As Chris was talking, he nced at the bathroom. He knew very well that Charlotte could hear


    everything, but given the current circumstances, he had no other choice.


    He was well aware that old fox, Jesse, had not really left. Most likely, he was keeping an eye on their


    room.


    For all he knew, Jesse could have ced a listening device on his daughter, and he was


    eavesdropping on their conversation right now.


    ¡°I see.¡± To her own surprise, Nancy was not jumping for joy when she heard that. Instead, she was


    feeling aplicated mix of emotions. ¡°I really thought that the two of you were truly in love with one


    another.¡±


    ¡°We were, but she betrayed me and tried to harm me. How can I continue to love her?¡±


    Chris said those words through gritted teeth. He was worried that Charlotte might dash out of the


    bathroom at any moment.


    However, Charlotte was not that impulsive. She just felt that this man was such a hypocrite.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 1618

    Chapter 1618


    q¡°That''s true.¡± Nancy sighed and consoled him, ¡°Men must always learn to realize their mistakes and


    return to the right path before it''s toote.¡±


    Chris said nothing and continued to drink his wine.


    At that moment, he could only do this to hide his feelings. If not, he might say the wrong things and end


    up offending both women.


    ¡°Don''t drink so much,¡± Nancy advised gently. ¡°Your body isn''t up to it yet.¡±


    ¡°My body is fine...¡± Chrisughed bitterly. ¡°Ms. Gold,e and drink with me.¡±


    ¡°This...¡±


    Initially, Nancy had some reservations, but after looking at his crestfallen face, she felt sorry for him and


    picked up her wine ss.


    The two of them drank and chatted away. Before they knew it, they had already finished two bottles of


    wine.


    Chris usually had a high alcohol tolerance, so a little wine should not be an issue to him. However, for


    some strange reason, he felt his entire body begin to burn and get restless.


    When he looked at Nancy, he felt the urge of a man.


    As for Nancy, she only had three or four sses of wine. That should not affect her too greatly.


    However, her breathing started to be erratic, and her eyes zed over. She nced at Chris


    passionately and whispered, ¡°Mr. Nacht, Mr. Nacht...¡±


    ¡°Ssh... Don''t call me Mr. Nacht.¡±Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    Chris moved nearer to her until their bodies were touching. He then put his arms around her and ran


    his lips across her burning forehead.


    Nancy looked at the ¡°Zachary¡± before her. This was the man that she had been in love with for so many


    years, and waves of emotions surged forth. Completely under his spell, she put her hands around his


    neck and kissed him passionately.


    Chris could not take it anymore. He pressed his body onto Nancy and became bolder.


    In the bathroom, Charlotte heard some strange sounds and started to blush.


    She knew Chris was despicable, but she did not think that Nancy would give in so soon.


    It was only a couple bottles of red wine. How did things turn out this way?


    Charlotte frowned because she felt conflicted. She wondered if she should go out and put a stop to


    things.


    Then again, no one should get involved with such matters.


    However, Nancy had helped her in the past. She could not just sit around and watch the other woman


    get lied to and tricked.


    At that thought, Charlotte was prepared to go out of the bathroom, but just as she pushed the door


    open, a huge hand covered her mouth.


    She caught a strong whiff of a stinging smell and saw a cold face in front of her. In the next moment,


    she crumpled limply to the ground.


    That man carried her to the balcony. Meanwhile, the couple on the couch was so engrossed in their


    passionate act that they did not notice anything.


    The scarred man hauled Charlotte onto his shoulders and climbed over to the next room. Throwing her


    on the floor, he then said, ¡°Mr. Gold, I''ve brought the woman.¡±


    Jesse was smoking a cigar on the sofa. He looked at the unconscious Charlotte and sneered, ¡°You are


    not experienced enough to be a match for me!¡±


    The scarred man reported, ¡°Ms. Nancy and Chris have already...¡±


    ¡°Very good.¡± Jesse smiled smugly. ¡°Once their rtionship is confirmed, they will be able to get married


    soon. When that happens... Hehe...¡±


    The few bodyguards behind him said, ¡°Congrattions, Mr. Gold!¡±


    The scarred man asked, ¡°So, what should we do with her? Should we kill her?¡±


    ¡°All of you can have her.¡± Jesse blew out a ring of smoke and got up to leave.


    ¡°Thank you, Mr. Gold!¡±


    The lecherous men surrounded Charlotte and were about to remove her clothes.


    Suddenly, Charlotte''s phone vibrated and fell onto the floor. The caller ID indicated that it was from


    Danrique.


    ¡°Right now, even your brother won''t be able to save you!¡±


    One of the men kicked the phone away.


    ¡°Hold on.¡± Jesse changed his mind and said, ¡°Let go¡ª¡±


    Before he could finish his sentence, Charlotte suddenly opened her eyes and kicked the man who was


    about to pounce on her. At the same time, she snatched his gun from his waist and yelled angrily, ¡°Get


    away from me!¡±

 Chapter 1619

    Chapter 1619


    qEveryone was taken aback because they thought Charlotte had been rendered unconscious. They did


    not expect her to wake up all of a sudden, react with such agility, and even manage to snatch a gun.


    ¡°Looks like I have underestimated you.¡±


    She heard an icy voice that had a hint of admiration in it.


    ¡°We finally meet, Mr. Gold.¡±


    Charlotte turned to look at Jesse, who was sitting on the sofa. Her eyes shone with pure hatred.


    The man looked younger than she had expected. He was obviously in his fifties, but he looked like he


    was only forty years of age.


    He was a short man without any outstanding features. However, there was a piercing coldness in his


    eyes.


    ¡°Interesting!¡± Jesse was quite calm and even gave her a cheeky grin. ¡°This is more fun.¡±


    ¡°I don''t think you can afford to have fun.¡± Charlotte stared at him in fury. ¡°Release my sons now, and I


    will let you die in one piece. Otherwise...¡±


    ¡°Otherwise, what do you intend to do?¡± Jesse raised his eyebrows and sneered, ¡°Are you able to kill


    me?¡±


    Just as he finished speaking, his seven subordinates pointed their guns at Charlotte. The scarred man


    even took a step closer to her.


    ¡°You think I don''t dare to kill you?¡±


    Charlotte pointed the gun at Jesse and cocked it.


    The seven subordinates cocked their guns as well.


    If Charlotte dared to shoot, then she would be ridden with bullets too.


    ¡°Do it!¡± Jesse challenged her. ¡°If you dare to hurt me even a little bit, I promise you that your sons will


    die horribly!¡±


    ¡°You!¡± Charlotte seethed.


    Jesse smiled at her and said, ¡°I don''t want to do anything to you as of now. Before I change my mind,


    put the gun down and leave here quietly. I will then pretend that none of this happened!¡±


    He made it sound like a generous offer, as if he was giving her a chance.


    Charlotte said nothing and kept the gun pointed at him.


    She was aware that he was right. At that moment, there was no way she could hurt him. Aside from


    being outnumbered, there was the possibility that she might miss her target. Even if she did seed,


    both Robbie and Jamie would still be in danger.


    Hence, she had no choice but to put the gun down and leave quietly.


    However, she refused to ept things as they were!


    ¡°I''m going to count to ten! If you don''t leave, then don''t me me for what I''ll do!¡±


    Jesse blew out some smoke and started counting.


    ¡°Ten!¡±


    ¡°Nine!¡±


    ¡°Eight!¡±


    ¡°Seven!¡±


    ¡°Six...¡±


    At the count of six, Jesse''s phone rang all of a sudden. He paused and answered his phone with some


    hesitation.


    One word from the caller was enough to cause Jesse''s expression to change drastically.


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    He responded immediately, ¡°Mr. Lindberg, I think there is some misunderstanding. Don''t worry. I''m


    aware of the rules of the underworld.¡±


    The caller ended the call. Jesse immediately gestured with his hand. All his men moved aside and


    cleared the path for Charlotte.


    ¡°Was that Danrique who called you?¡±


    Charlotte was very surprised. She did not expect Danrique to contact Jesse personally at this crucial


    moment.


    How did he know that I was captured by Jesse?


    Was he trying to ensure my safety with that phone call earlier on?


    Jesse looked up at Charlotte and said, ¡°I''m only interested in money and not killing people. As long as


    you y along with me, your sons will be safe. If you get in my way of getting rich, then it will be a


    different story.¡±


    ¡°You...¡±


    Jesse gestured at her. ¡°Go.¡±


    One of the bodyguards opened the door for Charlotte to leave.


    She picked up her phone and left in a huff. At the door, she nced at the room next door and


    questioned Jesse, ¡°Why are you setting your own daughter up?¡±


    ¡°I''m trying to help her.¡±


    Jesse sounded so righteous.


    Although he did not borate further, Charlotte understood that he wanted Nancy to marry ¡°Zachary¡±


    and be Mrs. Nacht. In the future, she would then be able to inherit all of the Nacht family''s


    inheritance by right.

 Chapter 1620

    Chapter 1620


    q¡°It''s obviously a fake.¡± Charlotte was emotional. ¡°You can still stop it now!¡±


    ¡°Please mind your own business!¡±


    Jesse shot a stern look at her. He made a gesture, and his subordinate closed the door.


    Charlotte remembered Nancy had helped her before. She wanted to go to the next room to stop it, but


    the scarred guy blocked her. ¡°If you interrupt again, I will not be nice to you.¡±


    ¡°You guys...¡± When Charlotte was about to speak, indulging sounds came from inside the room.


    Charlotte''s heart fell with a thud.


    She knew it was toote.


    ¡°Leave now.¡± The scarred man pushed her into the lift.


    She still wanted to struggle, but the bodyguards of the Gold family were guarding the room. She knew


    there was nothing she could do.


    Charlotte''s face turned utterly pale, getting out of the lift and into the car.


    Even though she did nothing, she felt a great deal of guilt.


    She felt it was her responsibility that Nancy got cheated on.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg...¡±


    Just then, a familiar voice came to her ears.


    She lifted her head and saw Lupine knocking anxiously at her car window. Thetter brought her men


    with her.


    Charlotte immediately unlocked the car and let Lupine in.


    ¡°Are you all right? I''ve been calling you, but the calls couldn''t go through. You scared us to death,¡±


    Lupine asked anxiously.


    ¡°I''m fine.¡± Charlotte furrowed her brows. ¡°Let''s go back first.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Lupine drove the car, while Jade and Emma drove the other vehicle. With that, they left the


    hotel at once.


    On the way, Charlotte asked, ¡°Were that you who told Danrique about my matter?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg asked, so I told him...¡± Lupine looked somehow uneasy. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, are you ming


    me? I think the current situation is beyond you. That''s why...¡±


    ¡°I don''t want to trouble Danrique.¡± Charlotte frowned. ¡°But never mind since you have already told him.¡±


    ¡°Are you okay? What happened just now? I was worried about you.¡± Lupine continued to press on the


    topic. ¡°I disguised as a cleaner and found Chris'' room. I heard some strange noises, and I thought...¡±


    ¡°It wasn''t me. It was Nancy,¡± Charlotte uttered briefly.


    ¡°Seriously?¡± Lupine was left in awe. ¡°Oh my God. Do you mean Ms. Gold and Chris...¡±


    ¡°I feel guilty about it, and I wanted to stop it.¡± Charlotte med herself. ¡°But I fell unconscious after


    getting out of the bathroom. If I didn''t consume the medicine that Hayley gave me earlier, I wouldn''t be


    waking up so soon...¡±


    ¡°That was close.¡± Lupine paled in fright. ¡°But you are all right, aren''t you?¡±


    ¡°I''m fine.¡± Charlotte let out a sigh. ¡°But Nancy...¡±From N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°That is not your fault.¡± Lupine frowned. ¡°Think about it. You also drank that drink, but you were fine. It


    meant the drink was not drugged. So it was her problem if she became like that after drinking it...¡±


    ¡°Maybe it was drugged when Jesse went there?¡± Charlotte was still analyzing. ¡°Even though it was not


    drugged, she was cheated. She thought he was the real Zachary.¡±


    ¡°Then it''s her problem too.¡± Lupine held her head high. ¡°She knows you are the one that Mr. Nacht


    loves. Why does she keep entangling with him? Now that she ended up in the hands of the wrong man,


    she should me no one but herself.¡±


    ¡°This...¡± Charlotte was rendered speechless.


    ¡°Plus, you tried your best to stop it, but her father insisted on sending her to Chris. So it''s none of your


    business. Please stop ming yourself.¡±


    Lupine continued tofort Charlotte. ¡°Let''s take care of ourselves first.¡±


    ¡°I...¡± Before Charlotte could speak, her phone vibrated. She immediately answered it as she saw it was


    from Gordon. ¡°Hello!¡±


    ¡°I found it.¡± Gordon''s anxious voice came from the other side. ¡°I''ve rescued Jamie, but they took


    Robbie...¡±

 Chapter 1621

    Chapter 1621


    qCharlotte froze on the spot. A secondter, she questioned emotionally, ¡°How could it be? Why didn''t


    you rescue both of them at once?¡±


    ¡°By the time we went there ording to the clue in the picture, the opponents were already alerted,


    and they evacuated with the kids.


    We kept chasing them. But we did not dare to do much, considering the kids'' safety. In the end, Jamie


    jumped out of the car. That was why we managed to rescue him. But Robbie was taken...¡±


    Gordon borated what happened.


    ¡°Did you say Jamie jumped out of the car?¡± Charlotte''s heart skipped a beat. ¡°Is he all right?¡±


    ¡°He jumped into the woods. He got some scratches, but it was not serious,¡± Gordon replied. ¡°My men


    are escorting Jamie back now, and I will continue to chase Robbie.¡±


    ¡°I''ll be there right away...¡±


    Hanging up the phone, Charlotte immediately asked Lupine to drive toward Gordon.


    Lupine keptforting her. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, don''t worry. It is a good thing to be able to rescue one of


    them. Now that Gordon is still on a trail. I believe Robbie will be rescued soon.¡±


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Charlotte tried hard to recollect herself. ¡°I intended to go to Yaleview to find them. I didn''t expect


    Gordon to find their base as soon as he got the clue.¡±


    ¡°So the clues are useful after all,¡± Lupine uttered.


    ¡°It meant they were getting close initially. The clue on the picture increased their effectiveness.¡±


    Charlotte furrowed her brows tightly.


    ¡°But Jesse is not an easy opponent. He must have known what Chris revealed to me after seeing me at


    the hotel. That was why he must have contacted his subordinates to relocate Robbie and Jamie...¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Lupine came to the realization. ¡°But, how did he know Chris is meeting you at the hotel?¡±


    ¡°Chris thought he was able to go unnoticed, but it turned out everything was under Jesse''s control,¡±


    Charlotte continued to analyze.


    ¡°He was still able to reveal some information to me, but I am afraid not anymore. Jesse will definitely


    keep a close eye on him from now on. Jesse will make him marry Nancy as soon as possible...¡±


    ¡°Then he has no value to us anymore.¡± Lupine disyed a despicable look. ¡°Even though he


    resembles Mr. Nacht, his brain and soul are too low-leveled.¡±


    ¡°Danrique approached Jesse tonight. Jesse must have put on his alert. He will be acting fast to prevent


    troubles.¡±


    The more Charlotte analyzed the situation, the more uneasy she felt.


    ¡°But Robbie is still in his hands. I can''t do anything. Thepany can''t get involved too. So will we


    watch the Nacht Group fall into his hands?¡±


    ¡°That''s a shame.¡± Lupine still gripped onto a hope. ¡°Will Mr. Lindberg help?¡±


    ¡°Danrique is good at ruling and managing, but he doesn''t know much about corporate warfare. Not to


    mention, he is upied with his own business. And even if he wants to help, it would be difficult.¡±


    Charlotte let out a long sigh. ¡°Thus, our priority is still to rescue Robbie first.¡±


    ¡°Then, let''s focus on saving Robbie.¡± Lupine sighed. ¡°It would be great if Ben could wake up earlier. He


    will be a lot of help in business.¡±


    ¡°By the way, what time is it now?¡± Charlotte nced at her watch. It was already one in the morning. ¡°I


    wonder if Francesco has arrived.¡±


    ¡°Should we ask?¡± Lupine responded.


    ¡°Don''t scare her.¡± Charlotte furrowed her brows. ¡°Let''s try calling Morgan''s phone.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Lupine dialed Morgan''s number right away, but no one answered for a long while.


    ¡°It looks like she has arrived.¡± Charlotte heaved a sigh of relief. The next second, something came to


    her mind. ¡°By the way, is the prescription that Dr. Felch left behind with Ben?¡±

 Chapter 1622

    Chapter 1622


    q¡°It''s in my room,¡± Lupine responded swiftly. ¡°Before Ben got into trouble, he had it with him all the time.


    I discovered it when I was changing his clothes in the hospital. I was worried it might be lost, so I kept it


    in my cab.¡±


    ¡°D*mn. I only remember it now.¡± Charlotte patted her head. ¡°I should have thought of it sooner.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Lupine was stunned momentarily beforeing to a realization. ¡°Do you mean Francesco is


    after the prescription?¡±


    ¡°She has been treating Zachary for over twenty days now, but she has not sent him back yet. I bet she


    ran into someplications in the treatment. Dr. Felch''s prescription might be the key. So maybe she


    is looking for it,¡± Charlotte predicted.


    T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Then, I will return the prescription to Ben tonight,¡± Lupine said. ¡°You said that she wille these few


    days, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Charlotte nodded. ¡°Alpha has not yet recovered. I''m sure Francesco wille.¡±


    ¡°Great. We still have a chance then.¡± Lupine felt relieved. ¡°I''ve received Gordon''s location. His men are


    sending Jamie back to Northridge. They are still within Yaleview.¡±


    ¡°Please drive faster then.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    As dawn approached, Charlotte met Gordon''s subordinate at the border of Yaleview and H City.


    Jamie had fallen asleep due to shock and some injuries.


    Charlotte''s heart twitched in pain seeing Jamie''s wounds. She hugged him tightly as tears rolled down


    her cheeks.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, we''ve checked his body. He caught a cold and is having a high fever. And there are


    some small wounds on him. Everything else is fine, but still, we need to send him to the hospital as


    soon as possible,¡± the bodyguard reported.


    ¡°Ask Helen to get ready. We are going back now,¡± Charlotte instructed Lupine.


    ¡°Okay.¡± After making a call to Helen, Lupine turned to Charlotte. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, Dr. Wright said she is


    not an expert in treating children. We should call Dr. Langhan.¡±


    ¡°I''m afraid Raina might not be avable at this hour.¡±


    Charlotte hesitated but eventually called Raina.


    The call got through quickly. ¡°Ms. Lindberg?¡±


    ¡°Raina, we have just rescued Jamie. He has a fever. Could you pleasee over and take a look? Is it


    convenient for you?¡± Charlotte bit her lips and asked.


    ¡°Is Jamie back? That''s great.¡± Raina was overjoyed. ¡°I''ve been worrying about this these few days.


    Unfortunately, I couldn''t help much as I was under surveince. However, there should be no problem


    for me to treat him. Where are you guys now?¡±


    ¡°On the way back to Northridge...¡±


    ¡°I''ll be there in an hour. Please describe his symptoms for me then.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    When Charlotte brought Jamie back to Northridge, Raina had waited there for quite a while. Upon


    seeing their car, she ran out of the forest with the medical kit in her hand. ¡°Ms. Lindberg!¡±


    ¡°Dr. Langhan...¡± Lupine opened the car and let Raina in.


    Right away, Raina opened her medical kit and checked Jamie. ¡°It is not a big deal. It is just fever and


    some small wounds. We will do other tests after we reach home.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Thanks a lot.¡± Charlotte felt a little guilty after seeing Raina slimmed down a lot. ¡°You came here


    secretly, right? If they find out, it will be big trouble for you.¡±


    ¡°Don''t bother about that. The priority is Jamie,¡± Raina uttered. ¡°Bruce is being locked up now. If I don''t


    help out, you will be alone.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Charlotte was extremely grateful.


    ¡°Don''t sweat it. We are family,¡± Raina asked anxiously, ¡°by the way, where''s Robbie?¡±


    ¡°We have not rescued her yet...¡± Charlotte''s heart twitched in pain. ¡°We only managed to rescue


    Jamie.¡±

 Chapter 1623

    Chapter 1623


    q¡°I hope Robbie is fine.¡± Raina frowned tightly. ¡°I''ve been trying to ask around. But they put their guard


    up against me like I am some kind of criminal.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Charlotte nodded. ¡°I appreciate your effort.¡±


    At that moment, the car arrived at Northridge. Helen came with her nurses and brought Jamie to the


    clinic. Raina started treating him while the nurses helped her.


    Morgan heard that Jamie was back, and she immediately came over to check it out.


    Lupine was confused to see Morgan full of energy. ¡°Didn''t you take care of Alphast night?¡±


    ¡°I let Laura to take care of her. I noticed some movements outside, and I had been patrolling in the


    courtyard,¡± Morgan replied.


    ¡°Did anything happen?¡± Lupine immediately asked.


    ¡°No. Only Fifi kept making noise,¡± Morgan said.


    Lupine cast a nce at Charlotte. Thetter made an excuse. ¡°Morgan, please stay here. Let me check


    on Alpha. Lupine, pleasee with me.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    The two came out of the examination room and went to another clinic to see Alpha.


    As they approached, they heard a hoarse voice. ¡°Mommy, Mommy. I want Mommy...¡±


    Charlotte got emotional and barged in the door. As expected, Alpha had woken up.


    Helen was checking Alpha''s body.


    ¡°Alpha!¡± Charlotte stepped forward to hug Alpha.


    ¡°Aunt Charlotte...¡± Alpha still looked weak, but it was better than before. ¡°Aunt Charlotte, my head


    hurts.¡±


    ¡°You will recover soon, Alpha.¡± Charlotte kissed Alpha''s forehead. ¡°Now that you''ve woken, you will be


    able to y with Beta, Gamma, and Ellie after a few days.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± With that in mind, Alpha''s lips curled into a genuine smile. ¡°That''s great!¡±


    ¡°Alpha, Alpha...¡±


    Ellie, Beta, and Gamma, who had heard the news ran in excitedly. ¡°Wow, Alpha has woken up. That''s


    so great!¡±


    The three kids surrounded Alpha and kept chatting.


    ¡°Alpha, you''re finally awake. I''ve kept a lot of candies for you.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    ¡°Alpha, I went to pluck some grapes yesterday. Let me make you grape juiceter.¡±


    ¡°Alpha, I have made you a small purse!¡±


    ¡°Thanks Ellie. Thanks Gamma and Beta...¡±


    Alpha''s eyes started beaming with tears as she felt their warmth. ¡°You guys are so nice to me. We can


    y together after I recover.¡±


    ¡°That''s right...¡±


    Those kids surrounded Alpha happily.


    Charlotte walked to a corner and observed the surroundings.


    Everything seemed normal in the room. Nheless, she felt Francesco must haveest night. Or


    else Alpha would not be waking up so soon.


    Helen walked out and spoke in Ustranasion. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, the two nurses, fell asleep against night.


    That''s irresponsible. I don''t think you should continue to hire them. Please consider my suggestion.¡±


    ¡°Got it, thank you.¡±


    Charlotte did not seem to be pissed at all. Instead, she felt somehow d, knowing that Francesco had


    come the previous night.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, I want to go visit Ben.¡± Lupine could no longer wait.


    ¡°I''ll go with you.¡±


    Charlotte reminded the nurses to take care of the kids. Then, she went to Ben''s ce with Lupine.


    Helen followed them and exined the situation to them, ¡°I''ve checked him this morning and it''s better


    than yesterday. Based on current improvement, he should be regaining consciousness before long.¡±


    ¡°Really? That''s great.¡± Lupine was overjoyed.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, since you have an expert here, I don''t need to stay, do I?¡± Helen suddenly said.

 Chapter 1624

    Chapter 1624


    q¡°Um...¡± Charlotte was stunned momentarily. She signaled Lupine to close the door.


    Lupine went to close the door and guarded by it.


    ¡°Dr. Wright, why did you say that?¡± Only then did Charlotte start to talk to Helen.


    ¡°Even though I am confident with my skill, I am aware of my level.¡± Helen disyed a bitter smile. ¡°Ben


    has been sick for so long, and he has also gone through surgery. But there had been no improvement.


    Why did he improve these few days suddenly? And for Alpha, I have been out of solutions due to


    lacking medical equipment. But she also recovered after two nights. It was hardly a coincidence that


    the two of them improved simultaneously. Some genius doctor must have been involved.¡±


    ¡°This...¡± Charlotte did not want Helen to know about Francesco, but she knew anyone would have


    noticed something was peculiar.


    Hesitating for a while, she uttered, ¡°Actually, that''s not important. Danrique invited you here to cure


    Alpha. Now that Alpha has recovered, your mission is aplished!¡±


    ¡°How did you know Danrique invited me?''


    Helen was startled as she had never revealed anything about it.


    ¡°Who else would be able to invite you if it wasn''t him?¡± Charlotte smiled. ¡°After all, the two families had


    given the ultimatum. No one dared to get involved. You wouldn''t dare toe here without Danrique''s


    protection.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Helen sighed silently. ¡°Not to mention the expensive medical fee, it was indeed dangerous.


    But with Mr. Lindberg at my back, I don''t have to be afraid of those people.¡±


    ¡°That''s right.¡± Charlotte heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Since Danrique was the one who sent you, you need to


    do your job. I will exin to him about everything else.¡±


    ¡°Was it Francesco?¡± Helen suddenly asked.


    Charlotte was dumbstruck by that. She did not expect Helen to know about that.


    ¡°It looks like it then.¡± Helen was overwhelmed with excitement. ¡°Let me be frank with you. Money is not


    important to me. The reason that I epted this case was not only because of Mr. Lindberg. Most


    importantly, I wanted to meet the legendary Dr. Francesco.¡±


    ¡°This...¡±


    ¡°You don''t have to worry. I won''t say anything to anyone, including Mr. Lindberg,¡± Helen uttered


    enthusiastically. ¡°If he makes me go back to M Nation earlier, I will miss the chance to meet Dr.


    Francesco.¡±


    ¡°That''s good to know.¡±


    Charlotte could finally rx. She knew Helen was a straightforward person as she was not into fame


    and wealth but knowledge. Most importantly, she did not like to cheat or scheme. Hence, Charlotte


    knew thetter was speaking the truth.


    ¡°Then...¡± Before Helen could speak, her phone rang. Her face paled in fright after answering the call.


    ¡°What? I''ll be right there.¡±


    Hanging up the phone, Helen told Charlotte, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, I need to take a leave.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Charlotte questioned.


    ¡°My good friend, Ms. Gold, got into trouble. I need to get over there right away.¡± Helen panicked. ¡°Don''t


    worry. I am aware of your rtionship with the Gold family. I promise I won''t reveal anything.¡±


    ¡°They don''t know that you are helping us, do they?¡± Charlotte asked with concerns.


    ¡°No.¡± Helen shook her head. ¡°Of course, they don''t. I will be in trouble too if this gets out. Don''t worry. I


    know what to do.¡±


    ¡°Then please go there now.¡± Charlotte furrowed her brows. ¡°Ms. Gold needs you now.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Helen nodded and went to pack her stuff.


    Charlotte asked her men to escort Helen down the mountain. She even gave Helen a car with a clean


    license te.


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    Lupine was worried. ¡°Will Dr. Wright reveal anything?¡±


    ¡°Nope. She is a smart person.¡± Charlotte sounded confident.

 Chapter 1625

    Chapter 1625


    q¡°I wonder what happened to Nancy.¡± Lupine was curious. ¡°Wasn''t she with Chris? Did she discover


    something and regret it after that?¡±


    Charlotte turned silent for a while and then sighed. ¡°She must be desperate about getting sold by her


    father.¡±


    Lupine let out a deep sigh too.


    ¡°All right. Please apany Ben. And don''t forget about the prescription.¡± Charlotte reminded with a


    low voice. ¡°I''ll go check on Jamie.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Charlotte went back to her room and took a shower. After getting changed, she went to the first floor to


    see Jamie.


    Jamie was on a drip, and Raina was treating his wounds.


    Ellie hugged her white stuffed alpaca, standing in a corner and staring at Jamie. Her eyes were


    brimmed with tears.


    She used her hand to cover her mouth, worrying that her crying sound might disturb Jamie.


    ¡°Ellie!¡± Charlotte hugged Ellie tightly andforted her. ¡°Don''t be afraid. Jamie will be fine.¡±


    ¡°Mommy...¡± Ellie jumped into Charlotte''s embrace. Her tears could not stop flowing. ¡°What about


    Robbie? Will he be back?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Uncle Gordon will bring him back soon.¡± Charlotte wiped the tears off Ellie''s face. ¡°Our


    family will be united soon.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Ellie nodded despite still crying profusely.


    Charlotte let Jade take Ellie outside. Then, she walked toward the bed and whispered to Raina, ¡°How is


    he doing?¡±


    ¡°His wounds are not serious, but the severe cold has caused pneumonia.¡± Raina frowned. ¡°Fortunately,


    he has been practicing martial arts, and he is strong. Otherwise, it will be more serious...¡±


    Raina paused for a while and changed the topic. ¡°The medical equipment here is enough. I will bring


    some medicine hereter.¡±


    However, Charlotte lost her calm after hearing those words. Jamie has the best health among the three


    kids because he knows martial arts. But Robbie...


    They should be treated the same way after getting kidnapped. Now that Jamie is already so seriously


    ill, Robbie will definitely be worse...


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, please calm down.¡± Raina noticed Charlotte''s concerns. ¡°I''ve just received a call from


    Bruce. He got out with a few men, and he is no longer under the control of those people. He''s heading


    toward Gordon right now and will help him find Robbie.¡±


    ¡°That''s great.¡± Morgan immediately chimed in. ¡°Gordon has been working non-stop for over a week


    now, so he must be exhausted and he couldn''t do much alone too. However, the trail won''t go cold with


    Bruce''s help.¡±


    ¡°Bruce brought along Mr. Nacht''s Elite Eighteen with him. That will be a great help,¡± Raina uttered. ¡°But


    Chris will be more impudent if they are not around.¡±


    ¡°The most important thing now is to rescue Robbie.¡± Charlotte hesitated and got confused. ¡°But, how


    did Bruce escape and even bring eighteen men with him?¡±


    ¡°I''m not sure about that.¡± Raina felt strange too. ¡°I was shocked when I received the call just now. He


    even told me that we didn''t need to listen to that imposter anymore!¡±


    ¡°Does he intend to fall out with them?¡± Morgan was shocked.


    ¡°That''s right! We''re going after them directly!¡±


    Just then, a voice rang out. Marino walked in, carrying a crutch.


    ¡°Marino, why are you here?¡± Morgan immediately walked over to support him.


    Marino patted Morgan''s hand while turning toward Charlotte. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, my legs have improved a


    lot. I want to go and meet Bruce.¡±


    T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°No way. Your injury has not yet recovered,¡± Morgan immediately responded.


    ¡°It''s almost there. Even if I can''t fight, I still can drive. It''s the left leg anyway,¡± Marino said impatiently.


    ¡°I''ve been lying down for so long, so I need to do something.¡±

 Chapter 1626

    Chapter 1626


    qSince Marino insisted, Morgan had no choice but to support him.


    ¡°Marino, pleasee with me then.¡± Raina was in the middle of packing her stuff. ¡°I still need to go to


    the hospital to get some medicine. I was worried those bunch of bast*rds might stop me. With you by


    my side, things will be easier.¡±


    ¡°No problem. I''ll drive.¡± Marino sounded utterly confident. ¡°They won''t be able to catch up.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Raina was delighted. She felt the Nacht family had started to revive again.


    ¡°Thank you, guys.¡±


    Charlotte personally escorted Raina and Marino out. She wanted to send her men to help them, but


    Bruce had already sent a car to pick Raina up.


    Raina said goodbye to Charlotte and left immediately with Marino.


    Charlotte stared at the car until it went really far while pondering for a long while.


    Just then, Lupine rushed down and passed theptop to Charlotte. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, please watch the


    news now.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Charlotte was stunned after ncing at theptop screen. There was a rumor saying the


    current ¡°Zachary¡± was a fake.


    The post even attached photos and various materials of Chris'' stic surgery in Koandria. The stic


    surgery hospital belonged to the Gold family. It also said that Chris and Jesse wanted to snatch the


    Nacht Group''s assets.


    The information seemed well-founded, and the evidence was sufficient. It spread very fast and had


    gotten to every corner of the country.


    Even though the rumor was spread mainly by influencers and ordinaryizens, it had caused an


    enormous uproar.


    ¡°Someone is helping us.¡± Lupine was surprised. ¡°Could it be Mr. Lindberg?¡±


    ¡°It should be him.¡± Charlotte was pleased. ¡°That was why Bruce managed to escape with eighteen


    men. Even Raina had a fallout with Chris. Danrique must be behing all this.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    ¡°That''s fantastic.¡± Lupine smiled. ¡°Finally, the tides have changed.¡±


    ¡°But this rumor needs time to take effect. The Gold family and Chris still have the chance.¡± Charlotte


    did not dare to let down her guard. ¡°We still have to rescue Robbie as soon as possible. If not, we will


    still be at a disadvantage.¡±


    ¡°Bruce has gone to help. I''m sure we can rescue him,¡± Lupineforted. ¡°Please go and get some


    rest. You need to take care of yourself.¡±


    ¡°I''ll apany Jamie.¡± Charlotte''s heart was filled with guilt as she stared at Jamie, who was asleep.


    ¡°Look at him. He''s still frowning even when sleeping. He must be in great fear...¡±


    ¡°It seems like he is sleep talking.¡± Lupine noticed Jamie''s lips were moving.


    Charlotte immediately leaned toward Jamie''s mouth. ¡°Daddy, Daddy...¡±


    Meanwhile, Zachary felt he heard Jamie''s voice calling him deep in the woods. He woke up in shock.


    His forehead was sweating, and his gaze filled with fright.


    He dreamt that Robbie and Jamie were running desperately. Some bad guys were chasing them, and


    starving beasts surrounded them. In a state of panic, Jamie fell off the cliff.


    ¡°Did you have a nightmare?¡±


    Francesca leaned against the bamboo chair, eating roast pork while rxing. The pork was so


    delicious that she licked her fingers.


    Zachary did not respond to her. He lifted his head with difficulty and stared at theputer in front of


    him. ¡°Please continue to help me with theputer.¡±


    ¡°Let''s rest for a while.¡± Francesca seemed irritated. ¡°I''ve helped you for hours. I could barely catch a


    breath.¡±


    ¡°This situation is critical now. The Nacht family''s assets will be snatched, and my son is not yet


    rescued. We don''t have time to rest.¡± Zachary was anxious. ¡°Please hurry...¡±


    ¡°Hey, stop ordering me around.¡± Francesca was utterly displeased. ¡°Do it yourself if you can.¡±


    ¡°You...¡± Zachary was beyond exasperated. He would not plead with her if he could lift his hand.

 Chapter 1627

    Chapter 1627


    qZachary had no choice but to swallow his rage and humble himself. ¡°I can''t move right now. I need


    your help. Could you please lend a hand?¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Francesca''s lips curled into a satisfied smile. ¡°Be patient. I will help you after I finish my pork.¡±


    Zachary was rendered speechless. Is eating so important to her?


    She had helped him with the hospital for around an hour. Then, she said she wanted to grab some


    food. After he woke up from his nap, she was still eating.


    Is she nning to eat until sunset?


    Zachary stared at theputer helplessly. It was right in front of him, but he could not touch it.


    He tried hard to lift his hands but was in vain.


    The only part of his body that could move right now was his brain.


    He sweated desperately but failed to achieve anything.


    ¡°All right, all right. Let me help you.¡±


    Francesca finally finished eating. She washed her hands and walked over to theputer.


    ¡°Hurry. Please open my email and key in the password...¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The one I mentioned just now.¡±


    ¡°That was hours ago. Do you think I still remember it?¡±


    ¡°The password is...¡±


    ¡°Please slow down. The password is so long. I can''t remember it.¡±


    ¡°Are you a goldfish? How long does your memoryst?¡±


    ¡°I won''t help you if you continue to speak like that.¡±


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    ¡°Fine. I will speak slowly.¡±


    ¡°Say it letter by letter.¡±


    ¡°Okay...¡±


    ¡°By the way, I will charge this separately. It''s different from the medical fee. I will write it down in the


    ount bookter.¡±


    ¡°You will be getting half of my assets. Is this necessary?¡±


    ¡°You should give me more than half then.¡±


    ¡°That''s nonsense!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. It seems like I am more capable than you.¡±


    Zachary bit his lip and whispered. ¡°You''ll pay for this...¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. I say you''re brilliant...¡±


    ¡°Holy sh*t. Your password is too long. I keyed it wrongly again. That''s frustrating...¡±


    ¡°Please find the prescription tonight when you go to Northridge. It will save us a lot of troubles if you


    cure me earlier.¡±


    ¡°Do you think I don''t want to cure you? I''ve searched throughout his body, but I found nothing.¡±


    ¡°Maybe Lupine kept it. They probably noticed you were there, but they didn''t think of this. I guess the


    prescription will be with Ben tonight. Please try to look for it again.¡±


    ¡°What a bunch ofplicated humans.¡±


    ¡°Things won''t beplicated if you send me back to Northridge.¡±


    ¡°Not in a million years. If I send you back, what about my share of the assets? The Nacht Group


    belongs to others now. Are you still able to pay me?¡±


    ¡°Exactly. Hurry along, then.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. I feel that all the assets should belong to me!¡±


    Zachary was lost for words. How could it all belong to you?


    ¡°Please repeat the password! Hurry!¡±


    ¡°Please focus. There are only fourteen letters. Howe you can''t get it right?¡±


    ¡°Are you ming me?¡± Francesca narrowed her eyes.


    ¡°No.¡± Zachary immediately switched his tone. ¡°I''m ming myself for not exining it well to you.¡±


    ¡°Remember. Letter by letter. Slow down, please.¡±


    ¡°If you key in too slowly, the system will stop recognizing it. It''s the anti-theft settings.¡±


    ¡°This is troublesome.¡±


    Zachary was beyond exasperated. Only if I could move... Only if her brain is at least elementary school


    level... Only if...

 Chapter 1628

    Chapter 1628


    qAs Zachary was suffering at his end, Charlotte was staring at the news on the inte.


    The previous rumor was advantageous to them. However, an hour ago, someone started deleting all


    posts that doubted Chris'' identity.


    Before long, almost all rted posts were deleted.


    Lupine sighed. ¡°The Gold family is indeed the boss of media. They get hold of the public opinion so


    quickly.¡±


    ¡°That''s one of the reasons.¡± Charlotte furrowed her brows tightly. ¡°I notice the party that posted the


    rumor also stopped their move. It wasn''t Danrique. He never gives up halfway.¡±


    ¡°If it wasn''t him who could it then?¡± Lupine could not wrap her head around it.


    ¡°I have no idea. Maybe it''s Mr. Sterk or Mr. Spencer''s men,¡± Charlotte guessed. ¡°But they have limited


    ability, or maybe they were threatened by the Gold family.¡±


    ¡°Then what should we do? Do we need to do something?¡± Lupine asked immediately.


    ¡°Robbie is in their hands. I can''t do anything.¡± Charlotte continued to read the emails. ¡°I hope Gordon


    and Bruce rescue Robbie as soon as possible. I predict the Gold family might make a move earlier than


    expected...¡±


    Just then, her phone rang. It was Johann, and he sounded anxious.


    ¡°I received a call early in the morning that asked me to go to thepany for the board meeting. I


    thought there was good news. But I''ve just found out that Mr. Nacht wanted to include Jesse as a board


    member.


    ¡°What?¡± Charlotte widened her eyes in startle. She predicted the Gold family would make a move but


    did not expect it to be so soon.


    ¡°If Jesse joins the board members, the Nacht Group might need to change its name then.¡± Johann


    sounded desperate.


    ¡°I''ve been calling Spencer but he didn''t answer. Charlotte, please think of something.¡±


    ¡°Oh no, give me some time...¡± Charlotte rubbed her forehead. ¡°What time is the board meeting?¡±


    ¡°Three in the afternoon,¡± Johann responded right away. ¡°Now it''s already two. There''s only one hour


    left.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Sterk, I''m hanging up now. Call youter.¡±


    ¡°Okay! I will wait for your good news!¡± Johann still held on to a dim hope. ¡°Charlotte, we''re counting on


    you now. You are the Nacht Group''sst hope...¡±


    Charlotte felt great pressure but she had to see this through.


    ¡°I understand...¡±


    Hanging up the phone, Charlotte''s mind went nk. She did not know what to do at all.


    ¡°Why don''t we call Mr. Lindberg?¡± Lupine asked tentatively.


    ¡°Danrique is not good at this kind of problem. If he could help, he would have contacted me already.¡±


    Charlotte was helpless. ¡°When I was in dangerst night, Danrique showed up and helped. That was


    because he could beat Jesse in terms of martial arts. But he has no advantage in business.¡±


    ¡°What shall we do then?¡± Lupine began to panic.


    Charlotte scrolled through the documents from the bookshelf nervously as her mind pondered. Right


    then, she suddenly thought of something.


    She remembered Hanna had given her a box previously. Hanna emphasized that there was something


    important in the box, and Zachary insisted on giving it to her.


    Back then, Hanna has insinuated something. Could it be that there is something inside that can help


    me?


    With that in mind, Charlotte immediately asked Lupine to bring that box. They poured everything onto


    the table and scanned through them.


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    Besides some relics, there were the real estate certificates of the two vis, a ruby ne, and a


    small inconspicuous envelope.


    Charlotte opened up the envelope and froze on the spot.

 Chapter 1629

    Chapter 1629


    q¡°Since I wronged Charlotte Windt two years ago, I will give half of my daily ie to her as


    compensation starting today. I swear to heaven that I will keep this promise till the end of time!¡±


    It was a ¡°debt repayment contract¡± written by Charlotte long ago. There was a date below, along with


    Zachary''s signature and fingerprint.


    Back then, Charlotte bit Zachary''s finger and made that fingerprint with his blood.


    She thought Zachary was a gigolo at Sultry Night, so she forced him to pay the debt by selling his body.


    Charlotte looked at the contract and realized it did not mention Zachary''s upation and did not limit


    the ie.


    Plus, even though they agreed that the contract shouldst for three months, the expiry date was not


    mentioned anywhere.


    In other words, Zachary was obligated to give half of his ie to Charlotte based on this contract.


    Could that be what Zachary meant?


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    Charlotte could not suppress her excitement as she immediately called Rodney.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, this is...¡± Lupine did not understand.


    Soon, the call went through, and Charlotte immediately questioned, ¡°Is the kind of contract signed by


    hand and with a fingerprint on it legal? ¡°


    ¡°Usually, it has to pass the appraisal and audit. But if other instructions are attached, there is no need


    for the appraisal and audit,¡± Rodney answered professionally.


    ¡°I don''t think there is any instruction. How long will the appraisal and audit take?¡± Charlotte pressed on.


    ¡°What do you mean no instruction?¡± Rodney suddenly said, ¡°The statement is with me all this while.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Charlotte was stunned.


    ¡°The board meeting is at three. Now it''s already two-twenty. You should get ready to depart.¡± Rodney


    smiled. ¡°I will wait for you at thepany.¡±


    Upon hearing that, Charlotte came to a realization. It turned out Zachary had had a backup n for her


    all along.


    He was worried that all parties would try to seize the assets after he was gone. Even if he transferred


    everything to Charlotte, they would still use all kinds of conspiracy to go after her.


    Hence, he hid a card up his sleeves.


    This debt repayment contract, which was a joke at the time, seemed to have no legal benefit. But it


    would be effective with a statement made by thewyer.


    Zachary knew it had to be used during a critical moment.


    Thus, he let two inconspicuous parties, Hanna and Rodney, keep the two documents separately.


    No matter how brilliant Jesse was, he would never expect them to have such a trump card.


    Overwhelmed with excitement, Charlotte packed the contract and instructed Lupine to get ready. With


    that, she rushed to her room to take a shower and got ready to head toward Divine Corporation.


    Lupine wanted to bring some men with them, but Charlotte wanted to keep more men in the house.


    She feared Jesse might go after her kids again.


    As such, Charlotte only brought Lupine and Emma with her.


    On the way, Charlotte''s phone rang again. Johann called to ask about the development, and she


    replied briefly, ¡°I''m on my way!¡±


    ¡°Are youing here? Did you manage toe out with something?¡± Johann was utterly concerned.


    ¡°Of course, I did,¡± Charlotte said. ¡°But I am afraid they might stop me from going there.¡±


    ¡°Leave it to me,¡± Johann responded right away. ¡°I still have some power after staying in thepany


    for many years.¡±


    ¡°All right. See youter then.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Ending the call, Charlotte pondered for a while and sent a message to Helen: How is it going on your


    end?


    ¡°I''m afraid I''ll need to take a few more days off. Ms. Gold...¡± Helen replied with a voice message.

 Chapter 1630

    Chapter 1630


    q¡°What''s wrong with her?¡± probed Charlotte anxiously. ¡°I''m friends with her, so I genuinely wish to know


    how she''s doing. What exactly happened to her?¡±


    ¡°She...¡± Helen hesitated for a while but did not say anything. ¡°This concerns her private matters, so it''s


    not appropriate for me to reveal anything.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°Is that Charlotte?¡±


    Suddenly, a weak voice sounded from the phone.


    ¡°Yes, Ms. Gold,¡± replied Helen.


    ¡°Pass me the phone.¡± Nancy asked for the phone.


    Helen passed the phone to her. After that, Charlotte could hear the door closing.


    ¡°Ms. Gold?¡± Charlotte felt very uneasy.


    ¡°Charlotte...¡± Although Nancy was extremely weak, her voice was charged with hatred. ¡°I''ve never done


    anything to let you down. In fact, I''ve even helped you. Why must you sabotage me like this?¡±


    Stunned, Charlotte quickly asked, ¡°Ms. Gold, did you misunderstand something?¡±


    ¡°Misunderstand?¡± Nancy was extremely agitated. ¡°Do you dare to im that you weren''t at Storm Hotel


    last night? That you weren''t in that b*stard''s room?¡±


    ¡°I...¡± For a moment, Charlotte did not know how to reply.


    ¡°You know that he''s a fake, so why didn''t you tell me?¡± interrogated Nancy furiously. ¡°Why didn''t you


    stop him when he was about to assault me? Why did you watch me get lied to and humiliated? Why?¡±


    With that, she burst into tears. Losing control over herself, she kept repeating, ¡°Why? Why... Why!¡±


    Charlotte was filled with pity and guilt when she heard Nancy''s cries.


    After thetter calmed down slightly, Charlotte exined, ¡°Ms. Gold, I was in the toilet back then. When


    I heard your voice and his, I wanted to rush out to stop him. However, the moment I left, someone


    covered my nose with chloroform, and I became unconscious. After that...¡±


    ¡°Stop finding excuses,¡± interrupted Nancy. Her voice was filled with resentment as she bellowed, ¡°If you


    were really knocked out, you wouldn''t have left the hotel unscathed. Since you managed to escape,


    you had a chance to save me too. But you didn''t! Were you delighted to see me being abused by that


    b*stard? Were you snickering behind my back? Were you secretly pleased that you''ve gotten rid of a


    love rival and that no one willpete against you for the real Zachary?¡±


    Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    ¡°I''m not...¡±


    ¡°Charlotte Windt!¡± Nancy did not give her a chance to exin. ¡°I''ll remember this grudge forever.¡±


    ¡°Nancy...¡±


    Charlotte wanted to say something else, but Nancy hung up directly.


    Sighing in exasperation, she gripped the phone solemnly.


    Lupine protested indignantly, ¡°Why is she ming you? What does this have anything to do with you?


    Isn''t it obvious that her father and Chris are the ones who sabotaged her? If she is that capable, she


    should seek revenge on them!¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, it feels better to transfer her hatred to an arch-enemy,¡± said Charlotte as she smirked bitterly.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, why did you even make this call?¡± Lupine could not understand it. ¡°You could''ve ignored


    her. After all, this is none of your business.¡±


    ¡°I just want to know how she''s doing,¡± exined Charlotte with a frown. ¡°Now, Jesse is going to join


    Nacht Group''s board of directors. His next step is to announce the marriage between the Nacht and


    Gold families. Judging from Nancy''s current condition, she probably discovered Chris'' true identity,


    which was why she chose to end herself. Although she managed to survive, she probably won''t


    abandon her pride and marry him.¡±


    ¡°Does this mean that the Gold family''s n is going to be cast aside?¡± asked Lupine hurriedly.


    ¡°Not necessarily.¡± Charlotte shook her head. ¡°Someone like Jesse will resort to any means possible to


    reach his goal. He might force her or make his eldest daughter marry Chris. Anyway, he''ll definitely not


    give up on this important opportunity.¡±

 Chapter 1631

    Chapter 1631


    qAfter a brief pause, Charlotte continued, ¡°However, considering Nancy''s current state, the wedding will


    have to be dyed. This is a good chance for us.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Lupine heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Well, Nancy only has her father and Chris to me for her


    ident. How can she me you? You don''t have to feel guilty.¡±


    ¡°I do feel guilty, but I''ve done my best,¡± said Charlotte with a frown. She nced at her watch and


    urged, ¡°Drive faster! We''re running out of time.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Lupine mmed her foot on the elerator.


    At five past three, their car finally arrived at Divine Corporation.


    As expected, a group of unfamiliar bodyguards quickly blocked Charlotte''s way.


    Johann wanted to wee her personally. However, as he was under the control of the Gold family, he


    could not leave the conference room.


    Charlotte was about to barge in forcefully when Raina, Marino, Spencer, and the rest rushed over.


    Eight bodyguards, who used to be Zachary''s elite bodyguards, followed them intimidatingly.


    The security guards from Divine Corporation did not dare to stop them anymore.


    T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    Charlotte and Bruce were escorted into the building by the huge group. When she entered the elevator,


    she asked hurriedly, ¡°How did youe out, Mr. Spencer?¡±


    ¡°Bruce sent someone to infiltrate Garden Vi and sneak me out. Then, Raina and her subordinates


    picked me up.¡±


    Spencer continued agitatedly, ¡°That b*stard pretended to be Mr. Zachary! He chased you out of the


    Nacht residence, kidnapped the kids, and even joined forces with outsiders to usurp Nacht Group! He


    created utter chaos! What a madman!¡±


    ¡°It''s pointless to insult him now,¡± said Charlotte, frowning. ¡°Chris has already brought Jesse to the


    board of directors meeting. We must stop them, or trouble awaits us.¡±


    ¡°The important thing is to prove that the man is Chris, not Mr. Zachary,¡± urged Spencer. ¡°As long as we


    prove that, he''ll have no decision-making power.¡±


    ¡°That''s tough.¡± Charlotte smiled bitterly. ¡°Now that Henry''s gone, there are no other direct family


    members in the Nacht family. Distant rtives cannot prove anything. Even if we have a DNA test, it''ll


    be useless if everyone thinks that the child is not actually his.¡±


    ¡°Can we prove his identity using other instances?¡± reminded Raina. ¡°He waspletely clueless about


    Mr. Zachary''s previous projects and knowledge.¡±


    ¡°Zachary was severely ill before that ident. He could''ve excused himself by saying that the illness


    made him forget everything...¡±


    Charlotte rejected that suggestion again.


    ¡°Then...¡± Everyone was panicking.


    ¡°There''s only one solution left.¡± Charlotte frowned. ¡°Although it''s not a good method, we can recoup


    some losses and dy for time.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± asked Spencer anxiously.


    At that moment, the elevator doors opened. Charlotte walked out directly without saying anything.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg...¡±


    Rodney had been waiting outside all this while. As he was just a nobody to Chris, no one really noticed


    him.


    Hence, no one stopped him from entering.


    ¡°Mr. Williams!¡± Charlotte rushed forward. ¡°Where''s the statement?¡±


    ¡°Here.¡± Rodney passed an envelope to her.


    Charlotte opened it and took a look. It was a statement that had been personally written by Zachary.


    The message was brief yet concise.


    As he owed too much to Charlotte, he had signed a debt repayment contract with her two years ago.


    With effect from that date, fifty percent of his ie would be given to her.


    His identity card and a notarized document were attached to the contract.


    Charlotte''s eyes turned red when she saw the contract. A turmoil of emotions washed over her.


    She had never thought that this contract, which was initially meant as a joke, would be a lifesaver.


    Everything that Zachary had said to her, including this harmless joke, had been fulfilled.

 Chapter 1632

    Chapter 1632


    qCharlotte and Zachary had gone through all sorts of things over the past few years. They had their


    own share of suspicion, arguments, hatred, and misunderstandings.


    However, Zachary would protect her like a guardian angel whenever something happened to her.


    Even at thest moment of his life, he still strived to pave the future for her, going to all means possible


    to protect her.


    Although he was not with her, his love still shielded her from every danger and crisis like a pair of


    strong wings.


    ¡°Before Mr. Nacht got into an ident, he entrusted this to me. He told me to take this out if you came


    to me on your own ord,¡± exined Rodney. ¡°Actually, I wanted to remind you about this when I saw


    how anxious you were. However, since I was scared that outsiders would deliberately sabotage you if


    they found out, I kept everything to myself.¡±


    ¡°It''s alright. This is the best timing.¡±


    Holding the two envelopes, Charlotte strode into the conference room with her back straight.


    Rodney and Lupine walked beside her while Raina pushed Spencer in closely behind.


    Meanwhile, Marino and the other bodyguards escorted them from the back.


    Everyone exuded a confident aura, all of them certain of their victory.


    Chris'' bodyguards rushed forward to stop them. However, not showing them any courtesy at all, Marino


    and the rest shoved them aside and confronted them head-on.


    Both parties started arguing heatedly at the entrance of the conference room.


    They were moments away from breaking out into a fight when Lucy opened the door from within.


    When the board of directors saw Charlotte with the rest, they were stunned. Upon spotting Spencer,


    they quickly surrounded him.


    ¡°You''re finally here, Mr. Spencer.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Spencer, Mr. Nacht wants that man from the Gold family to join the board of directors. Do


    something about it!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Spencer, you must take charge of this.¡±


    Everyone ced their hopes on Spencer.


    However, he did not say anything and merely looked at Charlotte, waiting for her to speak.


    Everyone immediately understood that he was not in charge this time¡ªit was Charlotte!


    Someone chimed in, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, please try to convince Mr. Nacht...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Ms. Lindberg. How can that man from the Gold family join the Nacht Group''s board of directors?


    Mr. Nacht is being foolish.¡±


    Mixed feelings rushed through Charlotte when she heard that. When Zachary went missing and when


    she became the president, everyone was doubtful about her.


    To dispel their suspicions, she made three promises and instructed Rodney to jot them down. These


    promises were written in a contract, which was witnessed by all of the shareholders.


    She had followed those promises strictly. Now that this so-called Zachary was admitting an outsider to


    the board of directors, especially since the person was the problematic Jesse, they were naturally


    reluctant. However, due to his dominance, they did not dare to voice their objections.


    Uponparing the two, everyone realized how genuine and sincere Charlotte was.


    ¡°Mr. Spencer... Mr. Spencer!¡±


    Kallum was the most dramatic. He was on the verge of tears as he pounced toward Spencer,


    comining emotionally,


    ¡°Please get a hold of Mr. Nacht! I don''t know how he managed to be brainwashed by the Gold family.


    Not only did he change the staff, but he is now nning to let Mr. Gold join the board of directors. This


    is ridiculous! Doesn''t this mean that the Nacht Group will belong to the Gold family now? How can this


    be allowed?¡±


    ¡°Do you finally realize how serious this is?¡± Spencer red at him furiously. ¡°When Charlotte was trying


    her best to protect Nacht Group, you deliberately put her in a tough spot. You helped the outsiders bully


    her like a traitor!¡±


    ¡°I didn''t...¡±


    ¡°This isn''t the time to talk about this. What''s more important is the matter at hand.¡± Charlotte nced at


    the crowd and frowned. ¡°Where''s Johann?¡±


    ¡°Johann was so angry at Mr. Nacht that he was sent to the clinic to rest,¡± exined Lucy with reddened


    eyes. ¡°Mr. Nacht, Mr. Gold, and their legal teams are still discussing in the lounge.¡±


    Immediately after she spoke, the door of the lounge in the conference room opened. Chris and Jesse


    sauntered out arrogantly.N?velDrama.Org content.

 Chapter 1633

    Chapter 1633


    qWhen Marino saw Chris, he widened his eyes in surprise and cursed nervously, ¡°What the f*ck! They


    look the same!¡±


    ¡°That''s how he managed to trick so many people.¡± Raina frowned.


    When Chris and Jesse walked out, everyone retreated to the side. The board of directors stared at


    them uneasily.


    However, both of them looked at Charlotte with a cold smirk as if they were going to emerge


    victoriously.


    Chris asked directly, ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    Looking at how shameless he was, Charlotte felt exceptionally furious. However, she kept her cool and


    said, ¡°Well, the board of directors reconvened today. I object to letting any outsiders join the board.¡±


    ¡°Hah!¡± Jesse scoffed as if he had just heard a hrious joke.


    ¡°You object? Who are you to object?¡±


    Christ gazed at her mockingly.


    ¡°I''ve already taken back your shares and assets. Now, you have absolutely no say in the Nacht Group


    and Divine Corporation. When ites to private matters, we''re already divorced, so you have no right


    to interfere in my life.¡±


    Upon hearing that, the board of directors broke out into cold sweat on behalf of Charlotte.


    Everyone stared at Charlotte intently, not knowing how she would retaliate.


    ¡°Really?¡± Charlotte smirked. Her gaze swept across the legal team behind Jesse as she instructed


    Rodney, ¡°Summon our legal team over. Let''s settle the score together.¡±


    ¡°Settle the score? What score?¡± Chris raised his eyebrow.


    Even Jesse narrowed his eyes, not knowing what trick Charlotte had up her sleeve.


    ¡°Yes, Ms. Lindberg.¡± Rodney carried out her orders right away.


    Although Rodney alone was enough to handle this clear contract, it was better for them to call for more


    back-up since the Gold family''s legal team was present.


    Everyone became excited when they saw that Charlotte had a n. They waited eagerly, hoping to see


    her oppose Jesse.


    Jesse shot a nce at Chris, who immediately insisted, ¡°Charlotte, you''re no longer part of Nacht


    Group, so you have no right to participate in the board of directors conference. Please leave!¡±


    As he spoke, he made a gesture. ¡°Send her out!¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± The bodyguards hurried forward, wanting to chase Charlotte away.


    T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    However, Raina, Marino, and the other bodyguards quickly shielded her.


    ¡°What are you doing? How dare you?¡± bellowed Chris furiously, using his identity as Zachary.


    The bodyguards could not help but feel intimidated. After all, Chris'' face, voice, and domineering aura


    were identical to Zachary''s.


    ¡°Is it because you feel guilty?¡±


    Spencer finally spoke. He shot Chris an icy look and demanded furiously, ¡°Since Charlotte said that she


    wants to settle the score, just let her do it in front of everyone else! Why are you panicking?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Spencer...¡± Chris frowned unhappily. ¡°I already said that you should rest at home since you''re sick.


    You''re already so old. Whye all the way here and meddle in this?¡±


    ¡°Before Mr. Henry left, he entrusted the Nacht family to me so I could protect the family. I cannot just


    stand idly by,¡± roared Spencer agitatedly. ¡°Nacht Group has been established with the hard work of the


    board of directors and Mr. Henry. Now that you want an outsider to join the board, have you asked if


    everyone agrees to it?¡±


    ¡°Exactly...¡± agreed Kallum softly.


    When Chris shot him a sharp re, he immediately lowered his head and stopped talking.


    ¡°I am the head of Nacht Group. Naturally, I have my own reasons for doing this.¡± Chris could not be


    bothered to talk to them. ¡°Don''t trouble yourself over this, Mr. Spencer.¡±


    With that, he instructed, ¡°Bring Mr. Spencer back to rest.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Nacht.¡± The bodyguards walked forward to push Spencer''s wheelchair away.


    ¡°Who dares?¡± Charlotte suddenly spoke icily.


    ¡°Who are you to issuemands here?¡± yelled Chris with a frown. ¡°Leave now!¡±


    ¡°Because I''m the secondrgest shareholder of the Nacht Group,¡± dered Charlotte arrogantly. ¡°Oh,


    wait. I might even have more shares than you!¡±

 Chapter 1634

    Chapter 1634


    qAfter being briefly stunned, Chrisughed mockingly.


    ¡°Are you out of your mind, Charlotte? I''ve already taken back the shares and assets I transferred to you


    previously. What shares do you have left? What do you mean when you said that you''re the second-


    largest shareholder and have more shares than me? I think that you''re delusional.¡±


    ¡°I''m not delusional. We''ll find out after thewyers finish looking at the ounts.¡±


    Ignoring him, Charlotte sat down on the president''s seat.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± snapped Chris unhappily. ¡°Get up!¡±


    ¡°Why are you so anxious, Mr. Broid?¡± asked Charlotte with an icy smirk. ¡°Are you afraid that I''ll expose


    your true identity?¡±


    ¡°You''re crazy! I don''t know what you''re talking about.¡± Since Chris had ample practice, he did not reveal


    any signs of guilt. ¡°Leave now, or don''t me me for not showing you any courtesy.¡±


    Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    ¡°What would you do, then?¡± Charlotte threw the question back to him.


    ¡°Somone,e here right now!¡± Chris could not be bothered to continue talking to Charlotte. Hence,


    he directly instructed someone to chase her out.


    Now that Chris had changed the bodyguards in thepany to his own subordinates, more than ten


    bodyguards surrounded them after he issued themand.


    When Marino and the rest tried to stop them, they did not retreat.


    Both parties were at a stalemate. Just moments before a fight broke out, Rodney and the legal team


    rushed over with Johann.


    ¡°Everyone, stop!¡± roared Johann as he smashed a cup on the floor.


    The conference room fell silent in an instant.


    ¡°Since the legal team is present, why don''t we let them exin everything clearly?¡± Johann nced at


    Chris meaningfully and asked, ¡°Or is it because you''re feeling guilty?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about, Johann?¡± Frowning, Chris asked unhappily, ¡°Are you helping the outsiders


    now?¡±


    ¡°When you kicked Charlotte out of Nacht Group, I followed your instructions impartially,¡± asserted


    Johann matter-of-factly. ¡°When you demanded to have a blood and DNA test, she cooperated. Yet, now


    that she''s requesting for thewyers to settle the score, why are you acting like a tyrant? Why are you


    resorting to violence and chasing her away? Why would you act so furiously if you''re not guilty?¡±


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°Johann is right.¡± Spencer chimed in. ¡°With so many people here, the ounts can''t be faked. What


    are you scared of?¡±


    ¡°Both of you have be so foolish.¡±


    Since Chris could not rebuke them, he could only grit his teeth in a fury.


    The more he acted like this, the more the board of directors found him to be strange. Someone


    suddenlymented, ¡°I feel like Mr. Nacht has changed. He''spletely different from his past self.


    Could it be that the rumors are real?¡±


    ¡°What rumors?¡±


    ¡°Didn''t you hear? People are specting that Mr. Nacht is not the actual Mr. Nacht. Instead, he''s


    actually impersonated by Chris, who went to get stic surgery.¡±


    ¡°Oh my God! Is that true?¡±


    ¡°That''s actually possible. The current Mr. Nacht doesn''t know how to do anything except to throw his


    weight around...¡±


    ¡°Yeah! No wonder his personality changed so much after the ident. I never expected it to be


    because...¡±


    ¡°His personality is really like Mr. Broid''s.¡±


    As the board of directors discussed amongst themselves, the situation changed.


    Everyone was starting to side with Charlotte. Since Chris had not experienced this before, he started to


    panic and sought Jesse''s help.


    Frowning, Jesse shot a look at him. Chris immediately changed his attitude. ¡°I just remembered how


    Charlotte tricked me. Furthermore, I was furious at how she insisted on barging in and kicking up a


    fuss, even though she is an outsider.¡±


    When he said that, the board of directors was starting to be convinced again.


    ¡°Since Johann and Mr. Spencer wish to see Charlotte settle the score, let''s let her do it.¡± Smiling coldly,


    Chris remarked, ¡°I want to see what she can get out of it.¡±


    Everyone turned their gazes toward Charlotte.


    She took out the contract and statement. cing it on the table, she announced, ¡°Mr. Rodney, please


    check with the Divine Corporation''s legal team if these two contracts are legitimate.¡±

 Chapter 1635

    Chapter 1635


    q¡°Agreement?¡± Chris leaned over at once. ¡°What agreement?¡±


    Marino and the others quickly stepped forward to shield Charlotte, stopping Chris'' approach.


    After Rodney and the legal team from Divine Corporation examined the two agreements, they dered


    excitedly, ¡°These two agreements were indeed left behind by Mr. Nacht. Not only is his signature on it,


    but his thumbprint also. Based on the agreement, Mr. Nacht has to unconditionally give half of his


    ie to Charlotte Windt, also known as Charlotte Lindberg, from this particr date¡ª¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Before Rodney could finish, Chris sprang up from his chair and snapped, ¡°Have you made a mistake?


    These documents must have been forged, as I never wrote them before.¡±


    ¡°Of course you didn''t. You''re not Zachary at all.¡± Charlotte stared coldly at him. ¡°You''re Chris Broid!¡±


    ¡°You''re nuts!¡± Chris exploded. ¡°If you continue hurling wild usations, I''ll sue you for defamation.¡±


    ¡°Does thepany have old copies of Zachary''s signature and thumbprint? All of you can verify it.¡±


    Charlotte dered loudly, ¡°Also, I remember Zachary would go for a medical check-up every year.


    Thus, thepany likely has a copy of his bloodwork.¡±


    Charlotte pointed at the debt repayment agreement signed by Zachary. ¡°As for the thumbprint, it was


    sealed with his own blood. Hence, you can use it forparison.¡±


    Raina was delighted to hear the news. ¡°That''s right. There''s a sample of Mr. Nacht''s blood in the


    hospital. I can make a medicalparison right away.¡±


    ¡°You have coborated with Charlotte to betray me. How can we trust you after this?¡± Chris retorted.


    ¡°Everyone, Charlotte has bribed my subordinates and even convinced Johann and Mr. Spencer to go


    against me. Therefore, you shouldn''t believe her at all.¡±


    At that moment, the board of directors were having heated discussions among themselves and didn''t


    know who to trust.


    Logically speaking, Charlotte was right. However, their sentimentality held them back from concluding


    that Zachary had betrayed thepany''s interest. After all, the person in front of them was clearly


    Zachary, and the idea of an impostor who went through stic surgery was simply too oundish for


    them to believe.


    Consequently, they were at a loss as to what to do next.


    ¡°I didn''t expect Nacht Group to act so carelessly despite being arge conglomerate.¡±


    At that moment, Jessemented skeptically, ¡°Given the massive assets involved, how can two


    pieces of paper justify taking half of them away? If that''s possible, wouldn''t I be able to do the same by


    forging another copy?¡±


    ¡°You...¡± Charlotte seethed.


    ¡°Nowadays, even humans can be cloned, let alone signatures or thumbprints,¡± Jesse sneered.


    ¡°Consequently, demanding to have half the assets with just two pieces of paper is just ludicrous.¡±


    ¡°He does have a point.¡± Some of the directors began to waver.


    Meanwhile, Kallum looked around, unsure of whose side to take.


    ¡°When I intended to invest in thepany, you barred me from joining the board with the excuse that


    I''m an outsider. But what about her? Isn''t she an outsider too?¡±


    Jesse pointed at Charlotte. ¡°Her children aren''t Zachary''s, while the Lindbergs are the Nachts'' arch-


    enemies. What good does it do all of you if she takes away half the assets and plunders Nacht Group?¡±


    ¡°Well...¡±


    Stunned, all of them had a sudden realization.


    ¡°Her words do make sense. In contrast to Charlotte trying to take a portion of the assets away, Jesse is


    trying to join the board by investing in thepany. Comparatively, Charlotte is the more ruthless of


    the two.¡±


    ¡°I''m not trying to take away any of the funds,¡± Charlotte rified at once. ¡°I will use the money Zachary


    gives me to reinvest in thepany''s stock. That way, I''ll be one of Nacht Group''s shareholders.¡±


    ¡°Do you see it now?¡± Jesse sneered. ¡°That''s her true ambition on disy. At the end of the day, she


    wants to usurp the Nacht family''s assets and take over Nacht Group.¡±


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    ¡°You...¡± Given how cunning and persuasive Jesse was, Charlotte couldn''t stop him from controlling the


    narrative.

 Chapter 1636

    Chapter 1636


    q¡°Exactly,¡± Chris added. ¡°Don''t fall into her trap, everyone. She is holding a grudge against me for


    kicking her out of thepany. After all, her children aren''t mine. And now, she has even caused my


    subordinates to turn on me so that she can seize the Nacht family''s assets.¡±


    ¡°Chris, you really are a shameless b*stard!¡± Lupine couldn''t help but curse.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Chris snapped back arrogantly.


    ¡°Since everyone finds the agreement suspicious, let''s just get it verified.¡± Charlotte was already


    prepared. ¡°If you don''t trust Raina, we''ll get doctors from Serene Hospital to conduct the verification.¡±


    ¡°The staff at Serene Hospital are, obviously, in your pocket too,¡± Chris countered at once. ¡°After all,


    Spencer is now on your side after being bought by you.¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡± Jesse red at him.


    He really is an idiot. How can he doubt Spencer at a time like this?


    Given that more than half of the board members were groomed by Spencer, they naturally trusted him


    unconditionally.


    Unaware of that fact, Chris was puzzled as to what he did wrong.


    ¡°The agreement is genuine.¡± Holding the document up, Rodney showed it to everyone. ¡°This debt


    repayment agreement was written two years ago by Mr. Nacht for Ms. Lindberg. As for the


    supplementary agreement, Mr. Nacht himself handed it to me before his ident.¡±


    He continued, ¡°At that point in time, the eightwyers from Divine Corporation and I were present. All of


    us watched Mr. Nacht draft the supplementary agreement in person. In fact, he even engaged a public


    notary to bear witness to it. Consequently, the authenticity of the agreement has been put beyond


    doubt.¡±


    Finally, Rodney added, ¡°The four public notaries present that day are right outside. If you need further


    evidence, we can get them toe in here.¡±


    Chris was shocked by the revtion. Even though he wasn''t familiar withmercial hostilities, he


    was cognizant that eightwyers and four public notaries were more than enough to attest to the


    authenticity of the agreements.


    Suddenly, Jesse''s expression drastically changed. After ring at Charlotte with murderous intent, he


    turned and left.


    ¡°Mr. Gold? Mr. Gold...¡± Panicking, Chris ran after him and asked softly, ¡°You''re leaving? What am I


    going to do?¡±


    ¡°Zachary sure is a shrewd man indeed,¡± Jesse murmured under his breath with gritted teeth. ¡°I didn''t


    expect him to leave a trump card behind in his absence!¡±


    ¡°Does this mean there''s nothing we can do to change it?¡± Chris grew anxious. ¡°In that case, I¡ª¡±


    ¡°The boat has sailed,¡± Jesse seethed through his teeth. ¡°Now, you should just shut up!¡±


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    ¡°In that case¡ª¡± Just before Chris could say anything, Jesse had left in a huff.


    Furrowing his brows, Chris didn''t know what to do. After pondering Jesse''s intentions, he figured that


    thew was on Charlotte''s side. Hence, he had no choice but to allow Charlotte her stated share of


    Zachary''s assets.


    Nevertheless, considering that Nacht Group had been established for more than a century, he figured


    that it would not be a big deal to give her just two and a half years'' worth of profits.


    Feeling a sense of relief, he returned to the conference room and held his forehead with his hand. With


    a grimacing expression, hemented, ¡°Well, after that terrible bout of sickness, I can barely remember


    anything anymore.¡±


    Now that the agreement had been proven to be genuine, he had no choice but to me it on his poor


    memory.


    ¡°Perhaps, I was blinded back then to have made such a stupid decision,¡± Chris fumed.


    ¡°Do you mean that you''re no longer doubting the authenticity of the agreement?¡± Rodney probed.


    ¡°To be safe, let''s get the public notaries toe in here and verify it,¡± Spencer suggested. ¡°Given the


    gravity of the situation, I wish for everyone''s patience as we clear the ounts.¡±

 Chapter 1637

    Chapter 1637


    q¡°Of course, that goes without saying,¡± said the board as they expressed their support.


    Considering that their future was tied to the fate of Nacht Group, they too wanted the matter to be


    quickly resolved.


    Now that Jesse had left in anger, they were curious as to how much Charlotte would get based on the


    agreement.


    Moreover, they continued to wonder if her intentions were selfish or if she was truly working for the


    sake of the Nacht family.


    ¡°Lucy, get the guys from the ounting department here,¡± Johann instructed.


    ¡°Right away.¡± Then, Lucy called for Divine Corporation''s ounting team at once.


    After rifying the details of the agreement, the ountants began to calcte how much profit was


    due to Zachary over the period of two years and nine months.


    Thus, more than ten of them began going through the ounts inside the conference room.


    Meanwhile, the members of the board waited anxiously for the results.


    Sitting by the side, Chris felt unsettled and kept checking his watch with his brows furrowed.


    As the hours passed by, the ountants continued churning the numbers.


    Soon, sweat began to bead down Chris'' forehead. Given that they had yet to arrive at how much


    Zachary had made over thest two years, it was obviously going to be a sum so colossal that it would


    exceed all expectations.


    Simultaneously, the other shareholders grew anxious when they too began to sense the same.


    Kallum couldn''t help but ask, ¡°Mr. Spencer, would Nacht Group experience liquidity problems after


    giving her the money?¡±


    Spencer simply rolled his eyes in response.


    Based on the agreement, Charlotte was entitled to leave with the money. Moreover, given the situation,


    Nacht Group would likely experience cash flow problems if she chose to do that.


    After all, the amount was so massive that a team of more than ten ountants together with eight


    lawyers weren''t able to determine it after two hours.


    ¡°Although we managed to chase away a circling vulture, we still have to contend with a preying wolf


    here,¡± one of the directorsmented with a sigh.


    At that moment, many of them were concerned that Charlotte would leave with the assets and


    destabilize the foundations of Nacht Group.


    ¡°Do you now realize how bad this is?¡± Chris sneered. ¡°Letting Mr. Gold join the board would have been


    great for everyone''s interest, but none of you would listen. Instead, you insisted on letting Charlotte


    take her share. So, who''s to me now?¡±


    ¡°Weren''t you the one who signed the agreement?¡± Johann rebutted. ¡°Also, do we need to remind you


    that she''s your ex-wife? If not for you, we wouldn''t even be having this problem.¡±


    Chris was stumped.


    Given that he was masquerading as Zachary, he had no choice but to ept the me. In the end, he


    ended up humiliating himself with his ownints.


    Feeling disgruntled, Chris no longer said another word. At that moment, he realized that Jesse''s


    instruction for him to shut up was the correct one.


    After all, whatever he said would only make things worse.


    Lost in thought, he received a call from Jesse. After walking to a corner, he answered, ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Any updates? Have theye up with the amount? How much is it?¡± Jesse anxiously wanted to know


    the answer.


    T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°They''re still tabting it.¡±


    Looking at the ountants, Chris knitted his brows tightly.


    Each of them had aputer and two phones to call the banks. Although two and a half hours had


    passed, they still weren''t close to being done.


    ¡°They''re still going at it?¡± Jesse grew nervous. ¡°I got someone to investigate just now and discovered


    that most of Divine Corporation''s profits were concentrated in thest two years. As for Nacht Group,


    they too experienced record profits during the same period. Therefore...¡±


    ¡°Are you saying¡ª¡±


    ¡°Based on the calctions in the agreement, Charlotte may get a massive sum of money. If the


    company is unable to fork out so much cash, it has to convert them into shares instead. In other words,


    she may end up bing Nacht Group''s secondrgest shareholder, maybe even surpassing you!¡±

 Chapter 1638

    Chapter 1638


    q¡°What?¡± Chris eximed in shock.


    When Charlotte had told him the same earlier, he assumed that she was only trying to scare him. Since


    Jesse had repeated the im, he realized that she might have been telling the truth.


    Unable to take the blow, he regretted divorcing her.


    If we hadn''t divorced, the money wouldn''t be included in the matrimonial assets. At the very least, I''d


    still have a share in it. But given the current situation, Charlotte will be given a huge sum of money. In


    fact, she will own arge chunk of thepany too. Therefore, not only would my scheme have failed,


    but everything I had invested in it would have been for naught.


    ¡°Stay calm and bear with it,¡± Jesse consoled Chris. ¡°Don''t forget that we still have a trump card in our


    hand. I heard that he is the smartest of all Zachary''s kids and will be the heir to the family fortune. As


    long as we have him, Charlotte wouldn''t dare do anything reckless.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that''s right.¡±


    Realizing that they still had a trump card, Chris heaved a sigh of relief.


    Although he viewed Jesse''s actions with disdain, he had no choice but to obey thetter still. After all,


    there was no way he could control the situation without Jesse''s help.


    ¡°Hang in there and send me the figure once it''s out.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡±


    After ending the call, Chris turned around and saw that the ountants were still working on it even


    though the three-hour mark had passed.


    At the same time, some of the elderly shareholders were so exhausted that they leaned on the sofa to


    rest.


    As for Kallum and the others, they stared at the ountants and waited anxiously for the result.


    Meanwhile, Charlotte calmly monitored her phone for any calls. If Gordon and Bruce were able to


    rescue Robbie before the figure was tabted, her counterattack would beplete.


    However, if they didn''t, she still had to proceed cautiously.


    As time ticked by, her phone remained silent, causing her to be tormented by anxiety.


    Even though everyone present had an agenda of their own, the waiting process simply felt tortuous.


    Half an hourter, the ountants were almost done and were close toing up with the final figure.


    Hence, everyone surrounded them in anticipation of the results.


    When Charlotte saw that there weren''t any updates on her phone, she gave Lupine a look.


    As a result, Lupine went out at once to make a call.


    ¡°The result is out!¡±


    One of the ountants handed the report to Johann.


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    The moment he saw it, his expression drastically changed even though he was mentally prepared for a


    huge figure. Unexpectedly, the final sum had blown past all his expectations.


    ¡°How much is it?¡± Kallum couldn''t resist leaning over and asking.


    ¡°Be patient!¡± Spencer shoved him aside with his cane.


    ¡°How much is it?¡± Chris was equally desperate to know. ¡°Give me the report.¡±


    Without saying a word, Johann handed it over.


    When Chris finally saw the figure, he felt his knees buckle, and he slumped into a chair. ¡°Is there some


    sort of mistake? How can Zachary''s ie in two years eight months and three days be so much?¡±


    In his desperation, he referred to Zachary in the third person instead of himself.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht owns most of the shares in Divine Corporation and some of that of Nacht Group. After


    taking everything into consideration, this is how much his profit is for the entire period and has nothing


    to do with thepany''s public finances,¡± Rodney exined earnestly.


    ¡°Also, all the data and details are stored on theputer, and we have verified them with the banks


    involved. Given that the public notaries have monitored the entire process, they can directly investigate


    any disputes that are arises.¡±


    The ountant''s reply rendered Chris speechless.


    ¡°I''m sorry, Mr. Nacht. Didn''t you sign the agreement yourself? Why do you keep bringing Zachary up?


    Aren''t you him?¡± Kallum questioned when he sensed that something was amiss.


    ¡°Shut up,¡± Chris thundered. ¡°Since when is it your turn to speak?¡±

 Chapter 1639

    Chapter 1639


    q¡°You...¡± Kallum''s face turned red in anger.


    Just when Chris was about to re his temper after seeing the figure on the report, he suddenly


    received a message from Jesse on his phone.


    Jesse: Stay calm, and go along with the procedure. I have a n to make Charlotte return everything


    that she took.


    After reading the message, Chris'' concerns were eased.


    Throwing the report toward Charlotte, he feigned generosity and dered, ¡°Since I have personally


    signed it, I will then honor my word and give you what you deserve. After taking the money, please


    leave at once.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht,¡± Johann interrupted. ¡°I''m afraid thepany can''t afford to take out such a huge sum of


    cash.¡±


    ¡°What? Why¡ª¡±


    Chris held his tongue right when he was about to ask a question.


    He quickly recalled that most of thepany''s cash was tied up in sustaining its liquidity and


    investments. Therefore, withdrawing such a huge sum on such short notice would sever thepany''s


    cash flow cycle.


    ¡°Based on the agreement, the funds need to be paid on time,¡± Charlotte asserted coldly. ¡°If I''m not paid


    in cash in three days'' time, I will take its value in the stock. Or else, I''ll see you in court!¡±


    ¡°You...¡± Chris seethed. As an impostor, he obviously didn''t dare go to court.


    If Charlotte were to initiate awsuit and get the police and courts involved, it would spell trouble for


    him.


    ¡°Given the current situation, she will have to be paid in stock,¡± Spencer concluded. ¡°Can you please


    calcte how much of thepany''s shares she will receive?¡±


    The ountant started tabting again.


    Despite the disgruntled voices from the board, no one dared to go against Spencer and Johann as they


    protected Charlotte.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, if thepany''s cash flow is disrupted, both Divine Corporation and even Nacht Group


    would fail to function. As a result, we will have to pay Ms. Lindberg in stock unless you can reimburse


    her with cash from your personal ounts,¡± Johann made his stance clear.


    ¡°There''s no way I can afford that amount from my ount,¡± Chris rejected the idea right away. ¡°Fine,


    we''ll pay her in stock instead. How much will it be?¡±


    Arriving at an answer, the ountant concluded, ¡°Mr. Nacht, based on my calctions, you will have to


    hand over twenty percent of your stake in Nacht Group to Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Chris'' face lost all color. ¡°I have a forty percent stake in Nacht Group. If I hand twenty over to


    her, wouldn''t that make her equal to me?¡±


    ¡°You should be counting your blessings instead, as it could''ve been worse.¡± Charlotte stared icily at


    him.


    ¡°There''s one other thing.¡± Rodney brought out a will and dered, ¡°This is Old Mr. Nacht''s will.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    ¡°Old Mr. Nacht''s will?¡±


    When they heard Rodney, the entire board crowded over excitedly.


    ¡°In it, he has dered that all his assets will be left to the three children upon his death. If anything


    were to happen to the children, the assets would then be transferred to GJ Foundation. No one will get


    a single penny, including their parents or rtives. Before they are of legal age, Mr. Nacht will take


    custody of the assets. By the time they reach twenty years of age, they will require both Mr. Nacht and


    Mr. Spencer''s consent before the assets can be transferred to their name. However, until that happens,


    no one, including Mr. Nacht and Mr. Spencer, is allowed to touch the assets.¡±


    After a brief pause, Rodney handed a copy of the will to Johann.


    Having gone through it, Johann handed it to Chris. ¡°Do you want to have a look?¡±


    ¡°What''s the meaning of this?¡± Chris took a while to regain his senses. ¡°He left everything to the three


    children and nothing for me?¡±


    When he said that, Chris meant himself and not Zachary.


    He found it incredulous that his grandpa didn''t leave anything to him at all.


    ¡°Even if the children are not Nachts or mine, do the assets still go to them?¡± Chris pressed on, not


    wanting to give in.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Rodney nodded with conviction.

 Chapter 1640

    Chapter 1640


    qStunned, Chris stared nkly at the will and was lost for words.


    Racking his brains desperately, he realized that he would only have a twenty percent stake in Nacht


    Group after giving away twenty to Charlotte and not receiving anything from Henry as his inheritance.


    Furthermore, he would be relegated to the same position as Charlotte in thepany at twenty


    percent.


    Consequently, all his decisions would require Charlotte''s consent.


    For example, his n to get Jesse onto the board would now need her permission.


    Therefore, he felt as if he had lost the advantage his identity gave him.


    Just when he had run out of ideas, his secretary, Jean, reminded him from behind, ¡°Mr. Nacht, for this


    exchange, you don''t necessarily have to use the shares of Nacht Group. Instead, you can rece


    some of it with Divine Corporation.¡±


    Chris'' eyes lit up the moment he heard her. He replied excitedly, ¡°That''s right! I only owe her about a


    few hundred billion, right? I''ll just give her a ten percent stake in Nacht Group and pay off the rest with


    shares in Divine Corporation.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, we have already done the math.¡± The ounted showed him a table. ¡°Divine Corporation''s


    market capitalization is only one-tenth of Nacht Group. In other words, even if you hand over your


    entire stake in Divine Corporation, you still have to give Ms. Lindberg a ten percent stake in Nacht


    Group.¡±


    Unable toprehend the situation, Chris was bewildered. ¡°Are you sure you didn''t make a mistake?


    It''s only two years'' worth of profits. How can it be equal to an entire stake in Divine Corporation?¡±All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    ¡°There''s no mistake,¡± the ountant replied with certainty. ¡°Ever since its establishment, Divine


    Corporation has always been investing. It wasn''t until thest three years that they began to turn a


    profit. As for the agreement you signed with Ms. Lindberg, it rtes exactly to these three years.¡±


    After a brief pause, the ountant added, ¡°As for your share in the profits from Nacht Group over the


    last three years, this is how much it is.¡±


    Almost choking on himself, Chris was so infuriated that he was utterly stumped.


    ¡°So, which proposal do you prefer?¡± Rodney carefully inquired. ¡°Do you want to give Ms. Lindberg the


    whole of Divine Corporation and ten percent of Nacht Group, or do you want to give her twenty percent


    of Nacht Group instead?¡±


    ¡°Let me think about it.¡±


    Feeling as if he had his mind blown, Chris didn''t know what he should do.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, given the magnitude of the matter, you will need more time to consider it. Why don''t you


    give your answerter?¡± Jean reminded softly.


    ¡°Right.¡± Chris quickly regained his senses. ¡°I''ll think about it and decideter.¡±


    Subsequently, Rodney and the rest turned to Charlotte and waited for her response.


    ¡°How long more do you need?¡± Charlotte demanded. ¡°The board of directors has been stuck here for


    many hours. Are you expecting them to spend the night in the conference room?¡±


    ¡°Given that everyone is here, you had better make the decision,¡± Johann urged.


    ¡°That''s right. Everyone is waiting for you,¡± Spencer reiterated.


    ¡°Half an hour,¡± Chris fumed. ¡°I''ll need to use the washroom first. We''ll talk again when I''m back.¡±


    With that, he turned and left with Jean and a few bodyguards following behind him.


    ¡°The washroom is nothing but an excuse. He is obviously trying to discuss the situation with Mr. Gold,¡±


    Lucy ranted. ¡°What''s wrong with Mr. Nacht now? Why does he need to seek Mr. Gold''s permission for


    everything he does?¡±


    ¡°I noticed it too. During the meeting, he seemed to be directed by Mr. Gold.¡±


    A few of the younger members of senior management remarked with concern, ¡°Mr. Nacht seems to be


    behaving strangely ever since he returned.¡±


    ¡°Even his habits have changed,¡± another secretarymented. ¡°He isn''t focused on work and doesn''t


    go through his documents properly. Instead, he delegates them to that new secretary, Jean, and signs


    them upon her instructions. Other than that, he ys games in his office all day long.¡±

 Chapter 1641

    Chapter 1641


    q¡°In that case, can he really be¡ª¡±


    Kallum could sense the doubt growing. ¡°That seems unlikely. Even if he has gone through stic


    surgery, there''s no way he can look exactly the same, not to mention he sounds the same too.¡±


    Spencer shot Kallum a re but didn''t say a word.


    Subsequently, Johann pulled Spencer aside to discuss the situation.


    Meanwhile, many of the other directors felt unsettled and began gossiping amongst themselves.


    ¡°I don''t understand what the situation is. Despite having divorced Mr. Nacht, Ms. Lindberg insists on


    getting her stake in Nacht Group. In the future, will thepany be controlled by the Lindbergs?¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, it will either be the Lindbergs or the Golds. Nacht Group is finished.¡±


    ¡°No matter what, I''m not optimistic at all.¡±


    ¡°What should we do then?¡±


    ¡°What can we do? Ourbined stake is less than ten percent. Hence, we have no right to say


    anything. Our only option is to resign ourselves to fate.¡±


    ¡°From my perspective, Mr. Spencer and Mr. Sterk seem to be on Ms. Lindberg''s side. Hence, I think we


    should trust the two of them.¡±


    ¡°You''re right. They have yet to bepromised.¡±


    ¡°Given that Mr. Nacht himself ispromised, how can we be sure both of them aren''t?¡±


    ¡°Well...¡±


    ¡°Forget it. We''ll just have to take it one step at a time.¡±


    Feeling uneasy, many in the conference room began to specte.


    Meanwhile, Lupine rushed back into the room, holding her phone.


    ¡°Any news?¡± Charlotte asked anxiously.


    Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    ¡°They almost rescued him, but he was moved again.¡± Lupine let out a sigh. ¡°Also, Gordon was hurt


    during the mission.¡±


    ¡°How did that happen?¡± Charlotte was filled with desperation.


    ¡°Given that Robbie is Jesse''s trump card, he would definitely not let him escape easily. In fact, Jesse


    has even increased the security around him. Now that we have lost track of where they have taken


    Robbie, we will need to start investigating from scratch.¡±


    Lupine''s expression was grim.


    ¡°Get them to take care of those who are injured first,¡± Charlotte calmly replied.


    ¡°I already told them that.¡± Lupine nodded. ¡°Gordon was careless due to his exhaustion. After all, he had


    spent thest ten days tracking them down and barely slept. Nevertheless, Bruce mentioned that his


    injuries weren''t serious. Therefore, he will be fine.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Despite feeling her heart sink, Charlotte put up a strong front. ¡°Tell them that their safety


    comes first in their quest to locate Robbie.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will!¡±


    Looking out at the drizzle outside the window, Charlotte''s worries weighed on her.


    Even though she had won a decisive victory in the boardroom, her hands were still tied due to Robbie


    being held hostage by Jesse.


    Therefore, even if she got the shares today, she might have to cough them back out tomorrow.


    No, I can''t just sit idly by.


    At that moment, the conference fell silent when someone shouted, ¡°Mr. Nacht is back!¡±


    Turning around, Charlotte saw Chris, Jean, and their subordinates swagger back into the room.


    Evidently, they were more arrogant than before.


    ¡°So, have you decided?¡± Johann asked.


    ¡°I have,¡± Chris replied resolutely. ¡°I''ll give her a twenty percent stake in Nacht Group.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Johann smiled slightly. ¡°It looks like you still have some smarts.¡±


    Even though Johann didn''t borate, everyone present knew that Divine Corporation was crucial to


    Nacht Group''s operations even though its market capitalization wasn''t that high.


    After all, in the information age, Divine Corporation''s IT products were at the forefront of the industry.


    As long as they still had control of thepany, they could restructure and sell it for ten-fold its current


    price.


    ¡°Since it has been decided, let''splete the transaction at once,¡± Spencer dered.


    ¡°All right.¡± The legal team and ounting department got to work right away.


    Sitting with his leg crossed, Chris took a sip of his coffee. The panic he felt earlier was now reced


    with victorious confidence.


    From his expression, Charlotte was cognizant that Jesse must havee up with another diabolical


    n that involved Robbie.

 Chapter 1642

    Chapter 1642


    qNo matter how fast the legal and ounting teams worked, they would need at least a few days to


    carve out the shares for Charlotte.


    Moreover, this so-called Zachary no longer had the legal authority to make any decisions during the


    transition period, including nominating Jesse to the board of directors.


    Even though Charlotte had emerged victorious from the battle, the shareholders of Nacht Group only


    felt that one predator was reced by another.


    In fact, it felt like a bigger loss to them.


    After all, they still felt insecure over not knowing whether Charlotte was a friend or foe.


    ¡°Are you satisfied now?¡±


    After signing the stock carve-out agreement, Chris shot Spencer and Johann a re before storming


    out.


    ¡°I''m taking my leave too. I''ll see all of you in three days.¡±


    Having bid a cordial farewell to the board, Charlotte exchanged nces with Spencer and Johann and


    left hurriedly.


    Behind her, Lupine and Emma followed quickly.


    Just before the elevator doors closed, Charlotte rushed forward and caught the door.


    ¡°What do you want? Are you here to gloat?¡± Chris red at her. ¡°Don''t count your chickens before they


    hatch. Sooner orter, you''ll have to cough the stocks back out.¡±


    Striding gracefully into the elevator, Charlotte remarked thoughtfully, ¡°Regardless of whether I have to


    return it, it will never be yours.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Chris snapped.


    ¡°Haven''t you seen the doctor?¡± Charlotte brushed her finger lightly across his face before pinching his


    chin. She exined sympathetically, ¡°Haven''t you noticed the greenish line on your forehead?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Chris touched his forehead nervously by reflex.


    ¡°You should have it examined in the hospital,¡± Charlotte snorted. ¡°Thest thing you want is to keep


    helping the one who betrayed you.¡±


    ¡°Stop trying to sow discord.¡± Chris expressed his disbelief while trying hard to stay calm.


    ¡°What a shame.¡± Charlotte shook her head with a smirk. ¡°Just you wait. Soon, he will be forcing you to


    marry his daughter.¡±


    At that moment, the elevator doors opened, and Charlotte left abruptly.


    Watching her disappear from his sight, Chris furrowed his brows. After entering his car, he scrutinized


    his face in the mirror with concern. ¡°Is there a greenish line on my forehead?¡±


    ¡°Well...¡± His two subordinates exchanged nces and didn''t dare reply.


    ¡°Tell me the truth. Is it there or not?¡± Chris bellowed.


    One of them looked over and widened his eyes in surprise. ¡°It seems there is.¡±


    Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    The other subordinate leaned over to look. ¡°Yes, it does look like it.¡±


    ¡°Turn on the light. Quick!¡±


    Panicking, Chris used the front passenger seat mirror to take a closer look.


    Indeed, he saw a faint greenish line right in the center of his forehead.


    Stunned by the sight, Chris recalled the results of the blood test and the fact that Jesse had roofied him


    into sleeping with his daughter.


    Subsequently, Jesse forced him into getting him appointed onto Nacht Group''s board the very next


    morning.


    The next step...


    Ring!


    At that moment, he was jolted back to his senses by his phone. Checking it, he narrowed his gaze


    when he saw that it was Jesse. He answered, ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Twenty percent of Nacht Group is a big loss indeed.¡±


    Jesse''s tone was both furious and usatory. ¡°Didn''t I tell you to find out what else Charlotte has up


    her sleeve? Where did the agreemente from? How can you not know about it?¡±


    ¡°Jesse, how dare you f*cking lecture me like I''m a kid? If you''re so smart, why didn''t you find out for


    yourself?¡±


    Chris couldn''t tolerate it any longer.


    ¡°Cut the crap.¡± Jesse was furious. ¡°Come over now. We have a wedding to discuss.¡±


    ¡°What f*cking wedding are you talking about?¡± Chris questioned immediately.


    ¡°The wedding between you and my daughter, of course.¡± Jesse threatened, ¡°Given that you have taken


    her virginity, are you trying to shirk your responsibility now?¡±

 Chapter 1643

    Chapter 1643


    qSuddenly, Chris had an epiphany. ¡°Jesse, that''s a wonderful n you have going for you. You were


    the one who drugged me and got me to sleep with your daughter so that I would marry her. And after


    making her my heir, you intend to kill me so that she would inherit Nacht Group, isn''t it?¡±


    ¡°What''s wrong with you?¡± Jesse thundered. ¡°What did Charlotte say to you? Let me remind you that


    she''s just sowing discord between us. You had better not be such a fool¡ª¡±


    Before Jesse could finish, Chris ended the call and ordered, ¡°Drive. We''re going to Faike.¡±


    ¡°Huh? We''re going to Faike now? But it''s three hundred kilometers away.¡±


    His subordinates were surprised by the sudden decision to travel there.


    ¡°Just do it!¡± Chris snapped.


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± the subordinate acknowledged.


    At that moment, Chris was filled with anxiety, as his priority was to find out if he had been poisoned.


    Since all the hospitals in H City were under Jesse''s control, he nned to get himself examined


    somewhere else, which yed into Charlotte''s hands.


    Meanwhile, Charlotte received a call from Raina.


    ¡°Just as you predicted, Chris has gotten on the highway and is driving toward Faike.¡±


    ¡°It seems my words are working as they should.¡± Charlotte narrowed her eyes slightly.


    ¡°I''ll get in touch with the hospital in Faike.¡±


    ¡°There''s no need to,¡± Charlotte interrupted. ¡°He won''t get there.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Just when Raina put the question across, the answer dawned upon her right away. ¡°Are you


    saying that Jesse will stop him?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Charlotte sneered. ¡°Given how formidable he is, he must be watching Chris from the shadows.¡±


    ¡°What about your n?¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry. I have achieved my objective as long as Chris'' suspicion is aroused.¡±


    ¡°In that case, what should we do now?¡±


    ¡°Find Robbie and rescue him as soon as possible. Once we do that, I can go against Jesse without


    holding back.¡±


    ¡°Should I meet up with Bruce?¡±


    ¡°No, you should keep watch at home on my behalf while I travel to Yaleview.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? You''re needed both at home and at thepany.¡±


    ¡°The share transfer will take three days time. During this period, nothing is more important than saving


    Robbie. Hence, take care of things at home for me, all right?¡±


    ¡°All right.¡±


    ¡°Given that Garden Vi has been taken over by Chris, Mr. Spencer can no longer return. Hence, you


    will have to settle him into Northridge. Consequently, the security of Northridge is now paramount. Do


    you understand?¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    After ending the call, Charlotte took a deep breath and looked out at the zing sunset outside the


    window. The burden she felt in her heart weighed heavily on her.


    Even though she was exhausted, she still needed to hurry toward Yaleview.


    While traveling on the highway there, Charlotte received news that Chris'' car had been stopped by the


    Gold family, and he was subsequently led away.


    As a result, she smiled contemptuously to herself, for she knew that Chris was unable to escape Jesse


    given the fool that he was.


    Nheless, with Chris'' suspicion now aroused, Jesse''s n would be impeded, especially with


    Nancy''s resistance.


    With Jesse distracted by the two of them, Charlotte intended to use the opportunity to rescue Robbie.


    After ncing at her watch, Charlotte ordered, ¡°Drive faster.¡±


    Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    ¡°Right away.¡±


    As her car sped toward Yaleview, the Gold family''s convoy passed her by from the opposite direction.


    From her window, Charlotte could see Chris having a heated argument with Jesse inside.


    ¡°Stopining and shut up,¡± Jesse exploded at Chris. He then asked his subordinate, ¡°Was that the


    Lindbergs'' car that just passed us by?¡±


    ¡°It looks like it, Mr. Gold,¡± the subordinate replied.


    ¡°It seems she is heading to Yaleview to rescue her son.¡± Smirking, Jesse turned to Chris. ¡°Did you see


    that? By sowing discord between us, Charlotte is trying to use you to distract me so that she can save


    her son.¡±

 Chapter 1644

    Chapter 1644


    q¡°I don''t deny the truth in that,¡± Chris answered coldly. ¡°However, didn''t you drug me to sleep with your


    daughter so that you could force me to marry her?¡±


    ¡°That''s my way of tightening our coboration,¡± Jesse asserted. ¡°Within this partnership, neither of us


    can do without the other. If either one of us leaves, the n will fall apart. Given how intertwined our


    interests are, it''s natural that we should close ranks to prevent any future problems. As for what


    Charlotte told you, there''s no need for you to worry at all. Given how massive Nacht Group is, there''s


    no way I can take over it alone, even if I wanted to. Since it''s in my long-term interest for you to be in


    charge, why would I kill the goose thatys the golden egg? It would be stupid of me to do so, don''t you


    think?¡±


    Jesse''s words sounded extremely persuasive. Finally, he added, ¡°Besides, what''s wrong with my


    daughter? She''s both beautiful and talented. In fact, she''s not inferior to Charlotte in any way. Don''t


    forget that Charlotte is a sullied woman who has given birth to three children. As for my daughter, she


    never even had a boyfriend before.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, she is sublime.¡±


    Relishing the pleasure he felt during the night with Nancy, he couldn''t help but feel the urge to want


    more. Although he had slept with many different women before, none of them were as demure and


    stunning as she was.


    Suddenly, something urred to him. ¡°However, it seems that she knows my true identity and hates


    me to the core.¡±


    ¡°You don''t have to worry about that. Let me handle it.¡± Jesse was filled with confidence. ¡°In my family, I


    have the final say.¡±


    ¡°All right then.¡± Chris didn''t say more as he finally relented. Nevertheless, his concerns had yet to be


    ayed. After all, he still felt out of sorts and assumed that he was poisoned. Hence, he endeavored to


    get himself examined when he had the opportunity.


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    After a few hours, Charlotte finally arrived in Yaleview and met up with Brucete at night.


    At that moment, Gordon was being treated in hospital for his injuries. As for his men, they were drained


    after spending a long period of time tracking Robbie down. As a result, Bruce had taken over the


    search for Robbie.


    Once Charlotte had arrived and understood the situation, she joined them in their search immediately.


    Meanwhile, she had gotten Lupine to keep in touch with Morgan, so they were constantly updated on


    the situation at Northridge.


    Lupine reported, ¡°Morgan told me that Francesco dropped by tonight again. Also, she has taken Dr.


    Felch''s prescription from Ben.¡±


    ¡°Really? That''s wonderful news.¡± Charlotte was ecstatic. ¡°Is she still there?¡±


    ¡°She just left as it''s already three in the morning.¡± Lupine continued to rte the details of what


    happened, ¡°She treated Alpha first before going to see Ben... After she was gone, Morgan noticed that


    she had taken Ben''s prescription with her.¡±


    ¡°That''s good. That''s really good.¡± Charlotte heaved a sigh of relief as she stared into space. She added


    in relief, ¡°Now that she has taken it, there will be hope for Zachary...¡±


    ¡°What is this crap? Is this prescription left behind by Dr. Felch?¡±


    Meanwhile, inside the forest, Francesca knitted her brows as she studied the prescription under the


    dim light of an oilmp.


    ¡°What''s wrong?¡± Zachary asked anxiously. ¡°Did you take the wrong one?¡±


    ¡°It should be the right one, but...¡± Francesca showed him the prescription. ¡°It''s covered in blood, so I


    can barely see a thing.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Zachary''s heart sank when he saw it. ¡°Ben''s blood must have stained it when he was shot.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It was still sealed within the envelope, as Charlotte didn''t open it to check.¡±


    As Francesca threw the prescription aside, she remarked unsympathetically, ¡°It seems that fate wants


    you dead. You had better resign yourself to it!¡±


    Zachary was stumped. ¡°Come on, Dr. Felch, d-don''t you want your exorbitant medical fees anymore?¡±

 Chapter 1645

    Chapter 1645


    q¡°Of course I want it.¡± As if struck by a sudden thought, Francesca added, ¡°By the way, how am I going


    to get paid if you end up dead? Charlotte does not look too safe in her current predicament. I don''t


    think she would be able to pay me and take care of herself simultaneously. Even if I went to her, what


    will happen if I get caught by Danrique?¡±


    ¡°That is why you must treat me to get paid,¡± Zachary said at once. ¡°The prescription is written on


    greaseproof paper. All you need to do to reveal what''s written on it is to wipe it down with some iodine.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right.¡± Francesca picked up the prescription for a closer look. ¡°An additional ten million for that


    service!¡±


    Zachary''s eyes widened in shock. ¡°Rob a bank, why don''t you?¡±


    ¡°Don''t be ridiculous.¡± Francesca rolled her eyes. ¡°It''s double the work for half the payout.¡±


    Zachary was struck dumb. I am actually her cash cow.


    ¡°It''s a lot of work, you know,¡± Francesca whined. ¡°I specialize in herbal concoctions. The medicine you


    require forces me to descend the mountain and into the hospitals. And there is the risk of running into


    Danrique and his men. They might capture me and take me away.¡±


    Zachary shut his eyes with defeat. ¡°Ten million it is. Just get it done.¡±


    With a triumphant smile, she nipped his thumb and pressed a bloody thumbprint onto her checkbook.


    Zachary gazed forlornly at the patch on his thumb. ¡°At this rate, the entire Nacht fortune will be yours


    by the end of the week.¡±


    Francesca grinned broadly. ¡°Rightfully earned, if I may say so myself.¡±


    After she had packed her bags and descended the mountain, Zachary was left alone once again in the


    wooden hut. He gazed at his own frozen body in despair.


    After much persuasion, he had gotten Francesca to help him with hisputer for a short while that


    afternoon before sheined of tiredness and refused to aid him any further. With his own


    immobility, he was afraid that he would not be able to aplish much, given the rate of his progress.


    If it had been a higher-end phone, Zachary would have been able to carry out the necessary functions


    with voicemand. However, Francesca had gotten him the cheapest model she could find.


    He was stunned when she first presented it before him. Having asked her why she did not pay more for


    a better model, she reasoned that there was no need for a phone with multiple features since they


    already had aputer.


    Zachary stared morosely at the outdated phone, which was just out of reach.


    I''ll only be able to use it when I regain the function in my fingers.


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    Francesca drove her broken-down van down the mountain and chose the first private clinic she saw.


    Having procured the medical supplies, Francesca was preparing to leave when she saw a familiar


    silhouette.


    ¡°Does this clinic have the necessary equipment?¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry, Mr. Nacht. This clinic belongs to a good friend of mine. Besides, Mr. Gold wouldn''t notice


    such a small establishment. We''ll just be taking a blood sample, and then we''ll be out of here.¡±


    ¡°You''re right.¡±


    Chris pulled down his mask and gazed about cautiously. Evidently satisfied that he was not being


    followed, he strode in with unnatural haste.


    He did not notice a girl with a slight frame watching him from the bend of the corridor.


    ¡°He looks like just the guy I picked up,¡± Francesca murmured to herself.


    She recalled that Zachary once mentioned that there was a high possibility of somebody impersonating


    him to collude with someone named Mr. Gold to steal his family''s wealth.


    He must be that lookalike!


    At the thought of Alpha''s injury sustained from the kidnapping carried out by the men before her,


    Francesca''s eyes glinted with cold malice.

 Chapter 1646

    Chapter 1646


    qUnder the concealment of his subordinates, Chris went up to the second floor of the clinic. The


    medical superintendent himself escorted him to have his blood drawn.


    Chris gazed about nervously, still wary about being followed.


    There''s nobody from the Gold family around here. The boys are right; the Golds wouldn''t pay attention


    to such a small establishment.


    For some reason, even that logical reassurance did not do much to quell the fear in his heart.


    ¡°Have a seat, Mr. Nacht.¡±


    The superintendent of the clinic brought Chris to a private ward. ¡°I''ll have a doctor over immediately to


    run the test for you. Please wait a moment.¡±


    Chris grunted in acknowledgment before helping himself to a ss of water.


    His subordinates did not let their guard down the entire time. They examined the other patrons of the


    clinic closely. Upon ascertaining that there were no suspicious characters in the vicinity, they


    surrounded Chris where he sat to shield him from view.


    As Francesca was about to make a move from outside, her snake appeared and hissed frantically.


    ¡°D*mn it,¡± she whispered to herself, the color draining from her face. ¡°He''s here.¡±


    As she sprinted out of the building with great haste, the superintendent returned with a small group of


    medical staff as they headed back to Chris'' ward.


    Francesca made a gesture to the snake, who slithered surreptitiously into the cor of one of the


    nurses.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, we will begin by drawing a sample of your blood,¡± the superintendent announced politely. ¡°If


    you would roll up your sleeve, please.¡±


    Chris grunted as heplied.


    As the nurse was in the process of handing over sterilized equipment, she felt a sudden chill at the


    back of her neck. Having reached back and felt nothing, she thought no more of it.


    As they were drawing blood, Chris suddenly felt a sharp pain in his ankle. In a panic, he drew up his


    trouser leg and found nothing there.


    The small prickle vanished as suddenly as it came.


    ¡°What is it, sir?¡± the superintendent asked with concern.


    ¡°Your clinic is filthy,¡± Chris said with a frown. ¡°I got bitten by an insect.¡±


    ¡°My sincerest apologies, sir. We will be sure to sterilize the area next time before you arrive.¡±


    ¡°Don''t bother. There wouldn''t be a next time.¡±


    Once the results of the toxicology report are out, I wouldn''t have toe back to this godforsaken


    ce ever again.


    Francesca emerged from the clinic and lifted a casual hand to allow her snake tond squarely on her


    wrist.


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    She smirked with satisfaction at the sight of the smear of blood by the side of the snake''s mouth before


    gazing up at the familiar silhouette by the window on the second floor. ¡°You will pay dearly forying a


    finger on my darling.¡±


    As her van left from the back alley of the clinic, Sean, who had been lying in wait, sped up but found


    himself soon shaken off.


    ¡°This d*mn woman is a handful,¡± he growled as he swung the steering wheel ferociously. ¡°It took so


    much effort to locate her, and now we''ve lost her again!¡±


    ¡°Be careful, Sean. Mr. Lindberg will have your tongue for that.¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sean.¡±


    After Chris had his blood drawn, he did not leave immediately. Instead, he remained in the ward as he


    awaited the results.


    I will not have a peaceful night''s sleep if I don''t obtain the results firsthand.


    He was so anxious that he had even sent two of his men to keep an eye on the medical staff in charge


    of his toxicology report.


    The superintendent arrived with a tray. ¡°Have some tea while you wait, Mr. Nacht.¡±


    Chris grimaced from the first sip. ¡°Why is it so bitter?¡±


    ¡°It is possible that my tea is subpar, Mr. Nacht. I can send for some-¡±


    ¡°No need for that,¡± Chris cut across irritably.


    For some reason, the sense of unease he felt was bing greater by the minute.


    The results of the blood test will be out any moment now. I hope Jesse didn''t actually poison me.


    He was suddenly interrupted by a phone call. Pulling a face at the realization that it was Jesse himself,


    he picked up. ¡°Hello?¡±

 Chapter 1647

    Chapter 1647


    q¡°Where are you?¡± Jesse asked abruptly.


    Chris scowled. He did not enjoy having his movements being controlled to such a degree. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Come over at once,¡± Jesse ordered. ¡°We have some matters to discuss.¡±


    ¡°If this is about the marriage, forget it,¡± Chris retorted tly. ¡°You''ve seen how opposed your daughter


    was to the idea. You should hear the things she said to me.¡±


    ¡°You will find her more agreeable,¡± Jesse assured him. ¡°I''ve managed to convince her.¡±


    ¡°Fine. I''ll drop by tonight.¡±


    Chris knew that the time was not yet ripe to offend Jesse as he still needed thetter''s help to handle


    matters over at Nacht Group.


    He recalled back in his youth when his mother had always pushed him to study business in the hopes


    that he, Chris, would be a highly aplished businessman like Zachary. Chris had always been


    resistant to that idea as he found the subject dull.


    I should have listened to her. Due to myck of expertise in business, I''m currently forced to rely on


    somebody else''s and have be their pawn in my own quest. If I knew how to do business, I would


    have been able to exact my vengeance and take down Nacht Group on my own.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht,¡± the superintendent said, interrupting Chris'' reverie. ¡°The result is out.¡±


    ¡°Let me see.¡± Chris snatched the report and squinted at it. ¡°What does it mean?¡±


    ¡°Everything in your blood is normal, sir,¡± replied the superintendent with a smile. ¡°You haven''t been


    poisoned!¡±


    ¡°Not poisoned?¡± he repeated, sounding uncertain.


    Could it be that Charlotte had lied to me? Jesse did not poison me after all?


    ¡°That''s right, sir. Everything appears to be normal.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Chris demanded, still feeling uneasy.


    The superintendent nodded. ¡°Yes, sir. There is almost an impossible margin for error for this test. If it


    would appease you, we can conduct the test again just to be safe.¡±


    ¡°There''s no need for that.¡±


    Without another word, Chris pocketed the results as he got to his feet with the superintendent escorting


    him all the way to the door.


    Chris was still feeling confused when he got into the car. ¡°It looks like I have been ming Jesse for


    nothing. He did not poison me after all. Charlotte is the one who has been instigating us.¡±


    His subordinates heaved a sigh of relief at the good news. ¡°It''s good that you''re fine, Mr. Broid. Even if


    she''s pulling the strings, you should still be wary of Mr. Gold. For him to allow you to marry his daughter


    must mean that he intends to acquire the wealth of the Nacht family for himself.¡±


    ¡°Of course he is. I wasn''t born yesterday.¡± Chris rubbed his temples. ¡°That''s strange. My head is


    starting to ache.¡±


    ¡°We''ve been up drinking a lottely. Let''s call it an early night tonight, shall we?¡±


    ¡°You''re probably right.¡±


    ¡°Where to, boss?¡±Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    ¡°To the Gold residence.¡±


    ¡°Roger that.¡±


    At that very moment at the Gold residence, Jesse stood with his arms folded while ring at Nancy


    severely. ¡°I''ll give you three minutes to think about it. If you''re not going to marry Zachary, I''ll have your


    sister marry him instead. She''s more willing than you are.¡±


    ¡°That''s not Zachary Nacht. That''s Chris Broid.¡± Nancy was visibly upset. Just the thought of the


    doppelganger lying to her to get her into bed filled her with disgust.


    Having harbored an unrequited love for Zachary since her youth, she had carefully saved herself for


    the only man she truly loved.


    I can''t believe a lookalike tricked me into giving up my virginity!


    ¡°I don''t see a difference,¡± her father said impatiently. ¡°They look and sound alike. Even their status is


    the same.¡±


    ¡°They''re not the same!¡± Nancy cried, near tears with exasperation. ¡°He will never rece Zachary!¡±


    ¡°I''ve grown tired of arguing with you, youngdy. Are you going to marry him or not?¡±


    ¡°I won''t,¡± Nancy cried stubbornly. ¡°I never want to see him again in my life!¡±

 Chapter 1648

    Chapter 1648


    q¡°You''ve bedded him,¡± Jesse said coldly. ¡°I will not have a grandchild out of wedlock! Marry him and


    remain my legitimate heir. If you don''t, you''re getting nothing. Think hard about it.¡±


    At that, Jesse raised his wrist to consult his watch. ¡°Two minutes left for you to consider. If you decide


    that you won''t cooperate, I''ll have your sister take your ce instead.¡±


    Nancy red at her father without speaking, knowing full well that nothing she said would have been


    able to reverse his decision.


    She knew, too, that her father was quite capable of carrying out his threat if she refused to marry Chris.


    I would never be able to recover from that. If my sister takes my ce as the favored daughter, I would


    be kicked out of the Gold residence. By then, given my dependence upon Daddy''s wealth, I would be


    truly left with nothing!


    ¡°Ten seconds to go,¡± Jesse called. ¡°Nine, eight, seven...¡±


    ¡°I''ll do it.¡±


    ¡°That''s my girl.¡± Jesse smiled. The harshness in his tone gave way to a gentler tone. ¡°You know that


    you''re my beloved daughter, Nancy. I wish you nothing but happiness. Though Chris is a fool, he is


    easy to control. Didn''t you wish to marry Zachary? Chris is the new and improved version as he''s docile


    and obedient. You will be Mrs. Nacht once you marry him, and Charlotte wouldn''t be a match for


    you. Rest assured. I''ll pave the way for you. All you have to do is to take care of business in the Gold


    family. When we surpass the Lindberg family and Nacht family to be the most powerful business


    family in Aploth, I will die a happy man.¡±


    ¡°I understand, Daddy.¡±


    Nancy forced a smile though her heart remained numb. She had once heard how vicious her father


    could be to achieving his goals, but she had never believed it.


    They were right after all.


    She also recalled Charlotte mentioning once before that her father was conspiring with Chris to steal all


    of the Nacht family''s wealth, going as far as to start the fire at the Nacht residence. She did not believe


    a word of it.


    It''s all true after all. Is Zachary really dead?


    Back in the woods of Rokan Hill, Zachary stretched out his fingers to reach for his phone to no avail.


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    Suddenly, the noise of an engine suggested Francesca''s return. A series of hurried steps followed by


    the sound of the door being kicked open further confirmed that notion.


    Despite her diminutive stature, she moved about very noisily.


    Francesca threw the bag of medicinal products onto the ground. In no apparent haste to prepare the


    medicine, she nudged Zachary with her foot. ¡°Guess who I ran into at the clinic?¡± she asked excitedly.


    ¡°Now isn''t the time to be discussing this!¡± Zachary stared at her, aghast. ¡°I''ve paid ten million for your


    services! Shouldn''t you be at least sterilizing the equipment?¡±


    ¡°That can wait.¡± Francesca''s curiosity was overwhelming. ¡°I saw that guy who looks just like you.¡±


    ¡°Chris?¡± Zachary said, sitting upright at once. ¡°Why was he at the clinic?¡±


    ¡°He was conducting a blood test to see if he was poisoned,¡± Francesca said excitedly. ¡°I had a look,


    and he wasn''t poisoned. But I gave him a little nip for good measure.¡±


    ¡°What are you...¡± Comprehension suddenly dawned on Zachary''s face. ¡°Did you poison him?¡±


    ¡°I had my snake give him a bite. The toxic will manifest itself tonight.¡± Francesca grinned evilly. ¡°I''ve


    exacted vengeance on your behalf. Pay up!¡±


    ¡°Hang on a minute.¡± Zachary''s mind was a whirl with the unexpected development. ¡°He wasn''t


    poisoned, but he thought he was. Charlotte must have instigated matters between them to turn Chris


    against Jesse. Your snake couldn''t have bit him at a better time!¡±

 Chapter 1649

    Chapter 1649


    q¡°I didn''t understand a word of that,¡± Francesca said impatiently. ¡°My snake bit him while he was in the


    middle of drawing blood. As the poison did not enter into the bloodstream right away, I assume that it


    wouldn''t show up in his toxicology report.¡±


    ¡°That''s not important.¡± Zachary waved a hand impatiently. ¡°Didn''t you say that the symptoms will


    appear tonight? Will he die?¡±


    ¡°No, he wouldn''t. As members of the medical profession, we have a code of conduct to save lives, not


    end them. Otherwise, I would have done away with him the day your house was set on fire. Eliminate


    loose ends, you know.¡±


    ¡°What will the symptoms be?¡± Zachary persisted.


    ¡°It''ll look like the flu at first, then as it gets worse, it''ll...¡± Francesca''s eyes narrowed with suspicion all of


    a sudden. ¡°Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°Help me dial a number, will you?¡±


    ¡°Pay me first!¡±


    In Yaleview, Charlotte frowned as she pressed the phone to her ear. ¡°What? Chris took a blood test,


    you say?¡±


    ¡°That''s right,¡± Raina replied. ¡°I had him watched closely. The report came back clean.¡±


    ¡°Of course, it would.¡± Charlotte began to panic. ¡°It was a ploy between me, Spencer, and Johann to


    falsify his report to see how he would react if he thought he had been poisoned. It''s the only way that


    Spencer would be able to see that he''s a fraud. I did that to drive a wedge between him and Jesse.


    Last night I had even left a smudge of green dye on his brow and made him think it was a symptom of


    his poisoning. He was frightened enough to head straight for the hospital in Faike to get tested, but


    Jesse stopped him. It didn''t take long for him to try again, only a day after.¡±


    ¡°So that''s what happened,¡± Raina said. ¡°I had thought that Jesse really did poison him.¡±


    ¡°I''m sure that Jesse would have already found out by now that Chris went and got himself tested. He


    must have let him go to let Chris see for himself. My instigation has failed, it seems.¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily,¡± Raina said mysteriously. ¡°What if he really is poisoned?¡±


    Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Charlotte asked dubiously.


    ¡°Somebody ran into him at the clinic,¡± Raina said carefully, ¡°and had their snake give him a little nip,


    so...¡±


    ¡°Could that be Francesco?¡± Charlotte asked, shocked.


    Raina merely coughed in response.


    ¡°Has Francesco contacted you?¡± Charlotte demanded.


    ¡°I''m sorry, Ms. Lindberg. I''m not at liberty to say. All I can tell you is that things are looking better. Rest


    assured.¡±


    ¡°Could it be Zac-¡±


    ¡°I have another iing call, Ms. Lindberg. We''ll talkter.¡±


    Before Charlotte couldplete her question, Raina had already hung up on her.


    Charlotte thought hard about the news she had just heard. Francesca is too proud to have contacted


    Raina to inform her. It is more likely that Zachary was the one to have ordered the call to be made.


    At that thought, her heart leaped with joy.


    Zachary must be feeling a lot better to have been able to make that call. He''ll be home very soon.


    Without dy, Charlotte began to analyze the next stage of the n. Now that Chris has been


    poisoned by Francesco, the poison would set in soon enough. I should poke at their already tense


    rtionship.


    Cheered up by that thought, Charlotte sent Chris a text: The toxins will start acting up tonight. Be


    warned.

 Chapter 1650

    Chapter 1650


    q¡°Crazy b*tch!¡±


    Chris had just stepped into the Gold residence when he received the text. He was so irritated by it that


    he deleted it immediately.


    ¡°Wee, Mr. Nacht!¡±


    He must be beginning to believe the lie he is telling so often to be calling me Mr. Nacht in his own


    home!


    ¡°Apologies for keeping you waiting, Mr. Gold.¡± Chris strode over as he rearranged his expression to


    something more amicable. ¡°It''s been a hectic couple of days. Now that I''m finally here, we are going to


    get drunk.¡±


    Jesse was in high spirits. ¡°Hah, good man! I have a couple of reds that I know you will enjoy.¡± He


    turned to a servant. ¡°Have Ms. Nancye down here.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± The servant set off at once.


    ¡°Is she...¡± Chris'' voice trailed off uncertainly. Nancy''s reaction had been a strong one that morning


    when she found out that he was a fraud.


    ¡°Don''t worry. I''ve spoken to her.¡± Jesse wiggled his eyebrows, looking pleased with himself. ¡°My


    daughters are very obedient.¡±


    ¡°Oh, good to hear. I-¡± Chris was suddenly interrupted by a sneeze. Without thinking much of it, he


    rubbed his nose and continued speaking.


    Soon, he realized that he was beginning to exhibit flu-like symptoms. His joints ached, and he felt


    feverish.


    ¡°Could it be that you have caught a cold?¡± Jesse asked with concern.


    ¡°I might have...¡±


    Chris suddenly recalled Charlotte''s text and felt uneasy. With some difficulty, he pulled himself together


    by reminding himself of the tests he had done.


    ¡°Nancy.¡± Jesse beckoned at her when she appeared. ¡°Sit next to Mr. Nacht.¡±


    Chris raised his eyes at the sound of his host''s voice and gazed at her with desire.


    Though Nancy felt revulsed by the gaze, she suppressed her emotions in preparation to take her seat


    when Chris sneezed again.


    Nancy grimaced in disgust before leaning away from him.


    ¡°You should get yourself checked out,¡± Jesse suggested. ¡°It wouldn''t do to put it off. You might end up


    feeling worse.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, you''re right,¡± Chris said absently.


    ¡°Didn''t you go to a clinic today?¡± Nancy suddenly asked. ¡°Why didn''t you see a doctor for your cold?¡±


    Jesse frowned at her as though she had said something she should not have.


    Chris was startled. ¡°How did you know that I went to a clinic?¡±


    ¡°Weren''t you harboring a suspicion that Daddy had poisoned you?¡± Nancy asked with a sardonic smile.


    ¡°Turns out the report proved that you''ve been overthinking, hasn''t it?¡±


    ¡°Hold your tongue, Nancy,¡± her father said sharply.


    Nancy fell silent and sipped her wine.


    ¡°Did you have me followed?¡± Chris turned his furious gaze on Jesse.


    ¡°I was only trying to ensure your safety,¡± Jesse said as a matter of fact. ¡°Now that the Lindberg family


    and the Nacht family have their eyes on you, I was worried that they might-¡±


    Without waiting for the older man to finish his sentence, Chris turned and stormed out.


    Jesse did not attempt to stop him. Instead, he red at his daughter. ¡°What are you trying to do?¡±


    ¡°I didn''t do anything.¡± Nancy took another sip of wine. ¡°I just hated the thought of him suspecting you


    that I couldn''t help throwing in a jab at him.¡±


    ¡°Don''t you know that that would only make him more suspicious?¡± Jesse shouted. ¡°He will suspect that


    the toxicology report had been falsified!¡±


    ¡°Why would a suspicious little ferret be of use to you?'' Nancy demanded.


    ¡°Hold your tongue!¡± Jesse roared. ¡°I know how little you think of him. But you will marry him one way or


    another!¡±


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    At that, he turned and left his daughter alone in the room.


    Chris was feeling more sickly by the minute in the car. ¡°Should we head to the hospital to get that


    checked?¡± his men asked apprehensively at the sight of him in the middle of a sneezing fit.


    ¡°It''s just a cold...¡± he croaked.


    Once again, Chris felt the sense of unease in his stomach brewing at the thought of Charlotte''s


    ominous text. ¡°If Jesse did have me followed,¡± he murmured to himself, ¡°that means that there''s a


    possibility of the results of my toxicology report to be falsified.¡±

 Chapter 1651

    Chapter 1651


    q¡°What do we do next?¡±


    ¡°We''ll head to Faike at once.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Broid.¡±


    Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    Thoroughly rmed for his life by that point, Chris headed for Faike through the night to get himself


    tested again in another hospital.


    Jesse''s scouts soon ryed that information to him. ¡°Let him go,¡± he said with cold disdain. ¡°Let him


    figure it out the hard way. Keep a close eye on things. The results must not be tampered with.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Gold.¡±


    News of Chris'' movements soon reached Charlotte as well, who grinned upon hearing that. ¡°He is


    already suspicious and paranoid. He''ll be determined to find a problem even if there isn''t one.¡±


    ¡°It looks like they will be starting a feud soon!¡± Lupine said excitedly. ¡°Our priority now is to rescue


    Robbie. Once we do, we would be able to take down Jesse.¡±


    ¡°We would,¡± Charlotte said absently. At the thought of Robbie, she felt her stomach tightening with


    worry again. Robbie still could not be found after being missing for two weeks despite the enormous


    manpower devoted to that endeavor.


    ¡°Don''t I have my hands full from dealing with you? Now you want me to rescue your kid as well?¡±


    Back in the forest, Francesca was livid at Zachary''stest proposition. ¡°What would happen to you if I


    leave you here and go off searching for your son?¡±


    ¡°My life doesn''t matter as much as his. Rescue him first.¡±


    Zachary had just spoken to Raina on the phone and discovered that Robbie was still missing. Restless


    with anxiety, he asked Francesca if she would help rescue Robbie.


    ¡°I am a doctor, not a bodyguard,¡± said Francesca curtly as she tended to his wound. ¡°My specialty is to


    heal. Have your bodyguards go on that scavenging mission for you.¡±


    ¡°Gordon and Bruce have been at it for half a month to no avail,¡± replied Zachary in a panic. ¡°I''m worried


    sick that something might have happened to him!¡±


    After an effort to steady his breath, he continued, ¡°I know you''re a doctor, but you''re no ordinary doctor,


    are you? You have all the animals at yourmand. I''m sure they would return with some useful


    information if you sent them out. I will be willing to pay you whatever you ask.¡±


    Francesca rolled her eyes. ¡°You already owe me so much that my checkbook has run out of space. I''m


    not even sure if you can even pay me whatever you owe. Besides, I can onlymand the animals in


    this forest. Didn''t you say that your son had been abducted to another city? My dominion does not


    extend there.¡±


    ¡°But-¡±


    ¡°Enough grumbling like an olddy,¡± she cut across him as she began to study the prescription closely.


    ¡°Dr. Felch is still sharp as a tack for his age. What a brilliantbination and concise use of herbs.¡±


    ¡°Dr. Felch-¡±


    ¡°Enough,¡± Francesca repeated. Her gaze lingered on the photo of the six children on her table.


    Gamma had once told me that the other children had been good to her.


    ¡°I''ll see what I can do to help rescue the kid,¡± she said bluntly before rummaging for a


    telmunication device and dialing a number.


    Almost immediately, a cold voice answered. ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°It''s me,¡± Francesca replied shortly.


    ¡°Where the hell have you been, you stupid b*tch?¡±


    Danrique''s deafening shout came from the other end and rattled Francesca''s eardrums.


    Zachary was stunned. Is that really Danrique? It sure sounds like him. It''s so weird to hear him being


    so foul-mouthed despite his usual cool demeanor that nothing seemed able to disconcert.


    ¡°Be more civilized,¡± Francesca reprimanded coolly in the face of Danrique''s rage. ¡°I''m the mother of


    your children. If I''m a b*tch, what does that make you?¡±


    ¡°You-¡±


    ¡°Shh!¡± Francesca interrupted him. ¡°Listen, Robbie has been kidnapped. Send someone to look for him.¡±


    Danrique was taken aback. ¡°Are you sending me on a mission?¡±

 Chapter 1652

    Chapter 1652


    q¡°Interpret it however you like,¡± Francesca replied carelessly. ¡°As long as it gets done. I do not want my


    darling to be upset.¡±


    ¡°Francesca-¡±


    ¡°Can you get it done within three days?¡± Francesca was not even listening to Danrique when she


    turned to study a torn calendar next to her. ¡°Just in time. Three days more until Alpha ispletely


    cured. He would be able to see Robbie then.¡±


    ¡°You vicious b-¡±


    ¡°Get it done! I''m hanging up.¡±


    After unceremoniously ending the call, Francesca took the SIM card out and cut it into pieces to


    prevent Danrique from tracking her.


    ¡°Does that ease your worry?¡± Francesca rolled her eyes at him before continuing sympathetically, ¡°You


    don''t have to pay for searching for your kid. I think of him as one of my own.¡±


    ¡°You do have a heart, after all.¡±


    Zachary realized that though his caretaker was greedy and mischievous, she had a soft spot for the


    people she truly cared for.


    I have never seen anyone speak to Danrique in this manner, though.


    ¡°Enough mushy talk.¡± Francesca toted a massive syringe as she grabbed Zachary''s pants. ¡°Time for


    your jab!¡±


    ¡°Hey, what are you doing?¡± Zachary shouted in a panic.


    ¡°What are you yelling for?¡± Francesca said with a disapproving scowl. ¡°Do you really think I''ve yet to


    see your buttocks the entire time you''ve been unconscious?¡±


    ¡°You-¡±


    ¡°I''m a doctor. All buttocks look the same to me! I do not discriminate.¡±


    Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    As she spoke, Francesca roughly yanked Zachary''s pants down in one swift motion and jabbed the


    needle ferociously into his right buttock cheek.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Zachary screamed as shame and pain engulfed him at the same time.


    As soon I get better, I will skin this devil of a woman alive! If word of this ever gets out, I''ll never hear


    the end of it! Best of all, I would be able to save a fortune on her fees.


    ¡°Hey, your pain receptors are back! That means that your body is recovering. I used to jab you in your


    buttocks all the time before, but you''d never realized. Oh, you should see the state of your ass. It looks


    more like a wasp''s nest.¡±


    Zachary stared at the ceiling in numb disbelief. She will never set foot out of Rokan Hill alive!


    ¡°What''s going on with your eyes? You look fit to kill.¡± Francesca chuckled jeeringly. ¡°Are you thinking of


    killing me? Don''t be ridiculous. Even if you''repletely well again, you won''t stand a chance against


    me. Besides, I''ll send you back when you''re partially better.¡±


    ¡°So you can read minds now?¡± Zachary red at her. ¡°No wonder Danrique is so obedient.¡±


    ¡°Don''t you dare mention his name to me,¡± Francesca growled as she yanked the needle out fiercely.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Zachary screamed in anguish again.


    I must have been out for such a long time that my body is especially sensitive all over. She is really


    rough.


    ¡°All done,¡± Francesca said as she busied herself with the clean-up. ¡°Now, we''ll brew the herbal


    concoction and begin the acupuncture session. I wonder if the sc*mbag has sent his men to look for


    your kid.¡±


    ¡°Sean, are youing over?¡± Charlotte said at once when she received the unexpected call back at


    Yaleview. ¡°Help me rescue Robbie? Danrique sent you, you say? All right, I''ll send you the location


    now.¡±


    Charlotte was overjoyed to hear that two of Danrique''s most capable men were assigned to the


    mission.


    Gordon is an excellent marksman, while Sean is a talented sleuth. With their help, Robbie would be


    back in our arms very soon.


    ¡°I knew that Mr. Lindberg wouldn''t stand by and watch us suffer,¡± Lupine said gratefully when the call


    had ended. ¡°With Sean here, Robbie will be back with us in no time at all.¡±


    ¡°I must send him a text to thank him.¡±

 Chapter 1653

    Chapter 1653


    qCharlotte was about to send Danrique a text when thetter called. ¡°I''d heard, Danrique,¡± she said,


    picking up at once. ¡°Thank you!¡±


    ¡°There''s no need to thank me.¡± Danrique sounded as aloof as ever. ¡°When this business with the


    Nachts is resolved, you are to return to Erihal at once.¡±


    ¡°Danrique-¡±


    ¡°One more thing,¡± Danrique interrupted, with zero regards for Charlotte''s protests. ¡°When Francesca


    shows herself, capture her at once. Don''t let her get away. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°What''s going on between you and Francesca, Danrique?¡± Charlotte asked after an initially startled


    pause.


    ¡°None of your business. Get it done!¡± Danrique echoed Francesca at the mention of her name before


    hanging up.


    Charlotte gazed at her phone dejectedly.


    Soon, Sean called her again. ¡°Ms. Lindberg, I am not toe over to you, after all. If you would hand


    over all of the leads you have, I shall begin my investigation. I''ll let you know if I find anything.¡±


    ¡°All right, I''ll have Lupine forward it to you,¡± Charlotte answered as she gestured at her bodyguard, who


    nodded andplied immediately.


    ¡°By the way, Sean,¡± Charlotte said, seized by a sudden thought. ¡°Is Danrique hurt?¡±


    ¡°How you did you know that?¡± Sean asked at once.


    ¡°He really is, isn''t he?¡± Charlotte eximed. ¡°No wonder he was so anxious to locate Francesco! Is it


    serious?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly, although that''s not true. Actually, it''s nothing to worry about.¡±


    Sean sounded conflicted as he was not sure what he was allowed to reveal. ¡°The point is,¡± he


    concluded after much hesitation, ¡°that Mr. Lindberg needs Francesco urgently. Once she shows


    herself, you must inform me. I shall take her back to Erihal.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Charlotte shifted guiltily. ¡°I was thinking of having her treat Zachary, but I did not expect


    Danrique to get injured at the same time. That was selfish of me.¡±


    ¡°Not at all,¡± Sean said quickly. ¡°Mr. Nacht had been in graver danger. It was the right thing to do to have


    Francesco treat him first. Besides, Mr. Lindberg''s predicament is not particrly life-threatening. It''s


    just-¡±


    ¡°Just what?¡± Charlotte asked at once.


    ¡°I can''t say,¡± Sean replied with a nervous cough.


    Charlotte did not pursue the matter further at his extreme reluctance to discuss the subject. ¡°Thank you


    in advance for all of your efforts to rescue my son.¡±


    ¡°No matter. We''re a family.¡±


    After hanging up, Charlotte hastened to meet Bruce to alter their ns after learning of the new


    developments from Sean.


    After Lupine had forwarded the information as was requested, she returned to report to Charlotte.


    ¡°Sean is going to follow another trail of evidence. Also, we have word that Chris has left for Faike.¡±


    ¡°It looks like my instigation worked. Now that the venom is working its way into his body, he will be so


    ufortable that he''s going to need a second opinion.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like what he would do.¡± Lupine heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Everything is going ording to


    n.¡±


    The knot in Charlotte''s brows began to loosen. Suddenly, there was a call from Johann. ¡°What is it, Mr.


    Sterk? It''s ratherte.¡±


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    ¡°I''d just received word that Jesse is meeting with the major shareholders to buy their shares at a


    premium.¡±


    ¡°Nacht Group''s shares?¡± repeated Charlotte, surprised. ¡°They are in the minority, aren''t they?¡±


    ¡°Though that''s true,¡± replied Johann anxiously, ¡°Thirty of them adds up to a total of ten percent between


    them. Along with the twenty percent in Chris'' hands, they already have enough to topple you.¡±


    ¡°No wonder he didn''t leavest night. He wanted me to get the shares without a hitch. Jesse is a wily


    old fox. I will try to persuade our shareholders not to sell to him, but it doesn''t look too optimistic.¡±

 Chapter 1654

    Chapter 1654


    q¡°Yeah. With how unstable Nacht Group is right now, they won''t even trust me and Chris. It is perfectly


    understandable that they would want to sell off their shares to stay away from trouble,¡± Charlotte said.


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    ¡°Yes, exactly...¡± Johann let out a sigh as he continued, ¡°All I can do is try my best to convince them. You


    try and figure something out as well.¡±


    ¡°You and Mr. Spencer both have shares on hand, right?¡± Charlotte asked when she suddenly thought


    of something.


    ¡°Spencer doesn''t, but I have five percent. Even so, we''ll still lose if they manage to purchase that ten


    percent,¡± Johann replied.


    ¡°Understood. I''ll think of something.¡±


    ¡°Let''s just focus on rescuing the child first. Everything can wait until the child is safe.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    After hanging up the phone, Charlotte furrowed her brows as she thought to herself.


    Da*n... Just when I thought I finally have things under control at thepany, more trouble arises...


    Well, I don''t have time to worry about that now. I have to first save Robbie.


    ¡°It''s about to rain, and that will greatly hinder the investigation... I wonder how Robbie is doing right


    now...¡± Lupine began to worry when she saw the weather outside. ¡°By the way, I just got off the phone


    with Sean earlier. He said Mr. Lindberg has ordered him to rescue Robbie within three days, so he has


    mobilized all of the men to search for Robbie. I''m sure it won''t be long before they find something.¡±


    ¡°That''s great! I hope we''ll hear some good news soon!¡± Charlotte eximed happily.


    After a whole night of raining heavily, the sky was finally clear the next morning.


    Charlotte spent the entire night looking for Robbie, so she didn''t sleep a wink. She was about to take a


    nap when she got a call from Lucy.


    ¡°That guy has called for another board meeting tomorrow at three in the afternoon, Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    ¡°What does he want?¡± Charlotte asked in confusion.


    Chris should''ve received the report of his analysis by now. If he has been poisoned, he should go


    confront Jesse directly about it. Why would he call for a board meeting?


    ¡°We just received word about it, so I''m not sure about that. All the directors are preparing toe over.


    Mr. Sterk asked me to inform you.¡±


    ¡°Okay, got it.¡±


    Charlotte was feeling a little uneasy after hanging up the phone. Her train of thoughts was interrupted


    when Raina''s call came in all of a sudden. ¡°Jesse has Chris under his control.¡±


    ¡°So soon? Did it happen right after he got hisb report?¡± Charlotte asked.


    ¡°I believe so. Although Jesse didn''t stop him from getting tested in Faike, he had someone tail him


    the whole time. Chris was livid after he received the report. He got taken away by men from the Gold


    family before he could do anything,¡± Raina replied.


    ¡°Looks like I really overestimated him...¡± Charlotte eximed in disappointment.


    I thought Chris would at least be able to put up a fight against Jesse after finding out about his


    poisoning, but he ended up getting captured immediately after... I bet Jesse forced him into calling for


    this board meeting too!


    ¡°What should we do, Ms. Lindberg?¡± Raina asked.


    ¡°Chris must''ve fallen out with Jesse now that he knows he has been poisoned. Even if he can''t do


    much at the moment, he can at least cause Jesse some problems, and that will be beneficial to us.


    Jesse no longer has full control over Chris like before. I''m sure Chris will expedite the execution of his


    n, so all we have to do is wait and see. Something is bound to happen in the afternoon!¡± Charlotte


    deduced.


    ¡°Do we have to do anything?¡± Raina asked.


    ¡°What we have to do is stop the directors from selling their shares to Jesse. Of course, we also have to


    rescue Robbie...¡±


    ¡°Understood. I''ll see if Mr. Sterk and Mr. Spencer need help with anything.¡±


    ¡°All right, thanks.¡±


    After hanging up the phone, Charlotte checked the time and saw that there were still thirty-eight hours


    left until three o¡¯clock in the afternoon tomorrow.


    The situation is unfavorable for Jesse right now. I''ve taken twenty percent of the shares, and Chris is


    no longer loyal to him. With his n falling apart, this board meeting tomorrow will be our final


    showdown!

 Chapter 1655

    Chapter 1655


    qRobbie isn''t rescued yet, and I have to return to H City tomorrow morning. That means Danrique''s


    n won''t work because I''d have to rescue Robbie before three in the afternoon tomorrow, and failure


    to do so will result in me losing this battle!


    With that in mind, Charlotte grew incredibly anxious and gave Sean a call to exin the situation.


    Although a little troubled, Sean said, ¡°Mr. Lindberg has ordered me to rescue Robbie within three days,


    so you''re basically requesting for things to be preponed by a day. It''s going to be quite difficult, but I''ll


    try my best to get it done.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. I''ll see if I can stall for more time,¡± Charlotte replied.


    ¡°All right.¡±


    Charlotte contacted Johann and Spencer immediately after getting off the phone. The two of them were


    trying their best to convince the directors to not sell off their shares.


    Charlotte asked if they could try to postpone the board meeting, and they both said it would be very


    hard as she hadn''t cashed out her shares. Even if she did, it would still take some time to be verified


    and validated.


    As such, ¡°Zachary¡± was the one who called the shots in Nacht Group at the moment.


    Even though his power had been limited due to the changes in his shares, it was still within his power


    to call for a board meeting.


    Charlotte was shocked to find out that she could only hope for Sean to rescue Robbie as soon as


    possible.


    She began checking the news after hanging up and saw that the Gold family had hosted a press


    conference to announce Zachary and Nancy''s wedding.


    ¡°Zachary¡± even confirmed that news on camera in front of all the journalists.


    Looks like Jesse is getting impatient. He might even have Chris and Nancy register their marriage


    before the board meeting... Though it is technically Chris who will be getting married, he is still


    pretending to be Zachary at the moment. Unfortunately, there''s nothing I can do to stop all of this from


    happening unless I save Robbie...


    Charlotte frowned in displeasure at the thought of that.


    Suddenly, Lupine came rushing in and said excitedly, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, I''ve just gotten a call from Morgan.


    He told me that Ben is awake.¡±


    ¡°Really? So soon?¡± Charlotte eximed in shock.


    ¡°Yeah! I didn''t think he''d wake up so soon either! He''s still very weak at the moment, but he was able to


    wave his hand and talk to me on video call earlier!¡± Lupine was so happy that she nearly cried tears of


    joy.


    Charlotte gave her a pat on the shoulder. ¡°This is great! You should head back right away. It is times


    like these that he needs you the most.¡±


    ¡°No way! What will you do if I''m gone?¡± Lupine asked worriedly.


    ¡°I''ve got Emma to look after me, remember? You should hurry up and get a move on. Use this


    opportunity to ask Ben what happened before he lost consciousness. Talk to the police and find out if


    we can file awsuit against Chris with Ben''s testimony.¡±


    ¡°Understood. I''ll be on my way now.¡±


    Lupine was so excited that she bolted right out of the room after saying that, much to Charlotte''s relief.


    Everything is ready now. All that''s left is to rescue Robbie, and we will be good to go. I wonder how


    things are with Zachary... Ben was able to wake up so quickly thanks to Francesco''s help, so what


    about him? Has he recovered as well?


    ¡°Dr. Felch''s prescription really is effective! He is able to move his arm in just one day of medication!¡±


    Francesca eximed happily when she saw that Zachary was able to move his arm.


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    ¡°My body doesn''t feel as stiff as it was before!¡± Zachary said excitedly. It took him a lot of effort just to


    make very slight movements, but it was enough to give him hope.


    Francesca nodded in satisfaction at her achievement. ¡°Very well then. We''ll increase the dosage


    tonight. Who knows, you might be able to lift your entire arm up by tomorrow!¡±


    ¡°Help me up. I''ll see if I can sit upright.¡±


    Zachary had grown sick and tired of lying down all the time.

 Chapter 1656

    Chapter 1656


    q¡°I don''t think that''ll be happening so soon. Don''t rush it,¡± Francesca said while preparing the medicine.


    ¡°At least let me try...¡± Zachary insisted.


    ¡°All right.¡±


    Francesca wasted no time arguing and pushed Zachary up violently with her foot.


    ¡°Hey! Can''t you be a little gentler... Argh!¡±


    Zachary fell back down on the bed before he could even finish his sentence. The pain was so intense


    that he was gasping for air.


    ¡°I told you. It won''t be happening so soon.¡± Francesca ignored his protests and carried on preparing the


    medicine.


    ¡°How does someone so hot-tempered like you be a doctor?¡± Zachary eximed in anger and


    frustration as hey on the bed.


    ¡°I''m no ordinary doctor.¡± Francesca wasn''t bothered by his insults in the slightest.


    Realizing that it was pointless to depend on her, Zachary tried to get up on his own instead. However,


    his body was so stiff and weak that he couldn''t even sit upright.


    After several attempts, Zachary was finally able to make some progress, only to fall back down again.


    Even so, he didn''t give up and kept on trying as hard as he could.


    Right when he was about to fall down again, Zachary felt something furry catching him from behind.


    He turned around in shock and saw that it was that disabled old wolf.


    The old wolf then leaned against his back and helped push him up with its body.


    Zachary quickly tried to sit upright with this newfound assistance but to no avail. Thankfully, it didn''t hurt


    as much when he fell backward as he had the soft body of the old wolf to cushion his fall.


    Even so, Zachary refused to give up and mustered all of his strength as he tried again.


    This time, he was finally able to sit upright. Although he was still rather unstable and could fall over


    anytime, it was still a significant progress for him.


    ¡°I did it! I managed to sit upright!¡± Zachary shouted excitedly.


    Francesca turned around and froze in surprise when she saw what had happened. ¡°My goodness!


    What an impressive disy of determination!¡± she eximed after regaining herposure seconds


    later.


    Zachary was panting heavily and sweating all over, but he refused to give up. ¡°Increase the dosage. I


    have to return to the office and attend that board meeting tomorrow!¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow? But you haven''t recovered from your illness! Wouldn''t everyone find out about it if you


    return so soon? I won''t be going to Northridge with you, so how will you continue with your treatment?¡±


    Francesca asked in shock.


    ¡°I can''t afford to wait any longer or thepany will be destroyed! You won''t be able to get your


    payment if I go bankrupt!¡± Zachary was hell-bent on heading back.


    ¡°Then you must go and protect your wealth!¡± Francesca responded quickly.


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    ¡°You will have toe with me when I return to the office tomorrow. Maybe you can do a disguise so


    people won''t find out about your identity,¡± Zachary said.


    Francesca rolled her eyes at him. ¡°I don''t care if people find out. I just don''t want the Lindberg family to


    come after me, that''s all.¡±


    Zachary knew what she was concerned about. ¡°I won''t let Danrique''s men take you away from me. You


    have my word on that.¡±


    ¡°Your word? How are you able to guarantee anything when you''re paralyzed below your waist? Are you


    even capable of going against Danrique in your current state?¡± Francesca asked with a chuckle.


    ¡°I may not be able to beat him in a fistfight, but I have the upper hand when ites to schemes and


    strategies.¡±


    In order to test her, Zachary added, ¡°Besides, H City is my territory!¡±


    Francesca grew displeased the moment she heard that. ¡°Pfft! You have no idea what Danrique is


    capable of! Do you really think he''s as dumb as you make him out to be? He''s a very smart man!¡± she


    snapped back at him with a stern look on her face.


    Zachary''s lips curled into a smile. ¡°Seems to me you don''t hate him all that much. So, it''s okay for you


    to yell at him, but you won''t let anyone else underestimate him?¡±


    Francesca arched an eyebrow at him. ¡°Of course! He''s the father of my child!¡±

 Chapter 1657

    Chapter 1657


    qZachary''s tone grew serious as he said, ¡°Do you want to go back to him or not? You don''t have to


    fight him like this if it''s just a petty argument. A couple should understand and tolerate each other-¡±


    Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    ¡°What do you know? Look, I can''t afford to let the Lindberg family capture me.¡± Francesca got irritated


    when he brought that up.


    ¡°All right, then.¡± Zachary didn''t bother trying to persuade her any further when he saw how stubborn


    she was. ¡°Don''t worry. My life is in your hands, so you can rest assured that I won''t let anyone take you


    away.¡±


    ¡°I''ll think about it... Now, lie down so I can apply the medicine for you. I still need to go see Alphater


    tonight.¡± Francesca avoided his question.


    ¡°Did you see my wife and kids when you visited Alpha?¡±


    Zachary really missed Charlotte and his children.


    ¡°I heard Charlotte''s voice on the first night, but she wasn''t home for the next few days. Jamie has been


    sick ever since he was rescued, so I took a look at him. His condition isn''t serious though. He''ll be fine


    with regr treatment, so I didn''t get involved. Ellie hangs out with Beta and Gamma every day. She


    loves her sisters very much, so I like her,¡± Francesca replied while applying the medicine.


    Zachary felt relieved when he heard that. ¡°Charlotte probably knew you wereing and avoided you


    on purpose. I bet she''s out there searching for Robbie right now...¡±


    ¡°Oh, now that you mentioned it, this reminds me...¡± Francesca paused what she was doing and asked


    seriously, ¡°Your eldest son hasn''t been found. Would people threaten you with that at the board


    meeting tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°No one can threaten me!¡± Zachary replied with a domineering look in his eyes.


    ¡°Men...¡± Francesca pouted in disdain and continued to apply the medicine as she asked, ¡°By the way,


    does Charlotte listen to you or her brother?¡±


    Zachary knew exactly what she was worried about. ¡°Me, of course! Rx, I call the shots in our family!¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Francesca mumbled as she thought to herself.


    Should I go to Nacht Group with Zachary tomorrow? I won''t get my money back if I don''t, but what if I


    end up getting caught? I don''t even know if Zachary''s words can be trusted, but he does seem like the


    man of the house with this domineering attitude of his. He should be able to protect me if the Lindberg


    family tries to take me away, right?


    Zachary saw right through her thoughts and reassured her confidently, ¡°Quit worrying, will you? I won''t


    let anyone take you away, especially before you heal me! I mean, what am I going to do without you?¡±


    Francesca nodded. ¡°I suppose you''re right. Okay, I''ll go with you, but you must pay me after you take


    care of things tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°That''s like half of my worth you''re talking about! I can''t just wire the money over to you! There are


    procedures that we need to go through-¡±


    ¡°I don''t care! I want the money! You will give it to me, or this deal is off!¡± Francesca cut him off


    aggressively.


    ¡°Okay, okay! I''ll give it to you!¡± Zachary gave in immediately.


    ¡°That''s more like it!¡± Francesca replied with a smile before rummaging through her stuff.


    ¡°What are you looking for? You haven''t finished applying the medicine!¡± Zachary asked with a frown.


    ¡°A bag!¡±


    ¡°What for?¡±


    ¡°To store the money, obviously!¡±


    It was at that moment that Zachary realized Francesca had no idea how much money she would be


    getting.


    How much does she think half of my worth is? A few billion? Even if it is just a couple of billion, it''d


    take more than a few bags to store them! Well, given the fact that she can''t count past a hundred


    without the use of a calctor, I suppose I shouldn''t expect her to know how much a billion even looks


    like! Maybe I can just give her a few million and be done with it...


    That thought put a wide grin on Zachary''s face.

 Chapter 1658

    Chapter 1658


    qAfter finding herself three huge bags, Francesca checked them carefully for holes for fear of the


    money falling out.


    She then ced the bags into the van and dusted her hands off with a huge grin on her face.


    ¡°Once I get my hands on that money, I''ll take my kids and go somewhere far away...¡± Francesca


    mumbled to herself as she looked back at the wooden hut.


    As long as I don''t treat Zachary fully, he will forever be under my control! He''ll have no choice but to


    protect me from Danrique! Hehe, I''m so smart!


    The smile on her face grew wider at the thought of that.


    Unbeknownst to Francesca, Zachary was staring coldly at her through the window of the wooden hut.


    She must''vee up with some kind of scheme if she has that cunning smile on her face! I wonder if


    Charlotte has managed to find Robbie...


    Zachary was snapped out of his train of thoughts when his phone began to ring. Seeing as it was a call


    from Raina, he reached his stiff arm out to grab the phone and answer the call.


    ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht!¡±


    After reporting to him in detail about the current situation, Raina added, ¡°Chris has announced his


    marriage with Nancy to the public in your name. I believe they will get the registration done tomorrow


    morning. On top of that, almost half the directors have sold their shares to Jesse. ording to Mr.


    Williams'' calctions, he now has seven percent of thepany''s shares. I just don''t get it. He can''t


    do anything with just seven percent! I mean, Chris'' shares don''t belong to him¡±


    ¡°If Chris transfers all of his shares over to Jesse, he will own twenty-seven of thepany''s shares


    and be a major shareholder of Nacht Group.¡±


    Zachary had seen right through it all.


    ¡°Huh? Are you serious? Ms. Lindberg whipped out a contract that she signed with you, but it needs to


    be validated by thepany''s ountants and authenticated by the people from the notary office. It''ll


    take two to three days before the shares can be transferred over to her. Even if Chris transfers his


    shares over to Jesse today, he still wouldn''t be able to get it done in time!¡± Raina eximed in shock.


    ¡°Today? You have really underestimated Jesse, Raina. I bet he has already started the transfer on the


    same day as Charlotte!¡± Zachary replied with a sneer.


    ¡°Wouldn''t Chris object to it?¡±


    Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    ¡°How would he when his life is in Jesse''s hands? All Jesse has to do is get the paperwork ready and


    force him to sign it today for the authentication process.¡±


    That was when Raina truly understood the severity of the situation. ¡°Oh, my god! I feel bad for Mr. Sterk


    and Mr. Spencer! They approached the directors one by one and begged them not to sell their shares


    over to Jesse, but their efforts were all in vain! What should we do now, Mr. Nacht? Shall I inform Ms.


    Lindberg about this immediately?¡±


    ¡°That won''t be necessary. Let her search for Robbie in peace. Leave thepany affairs to me.¡±


    ¡°But you''re-¡±


    ¡°Stop arguing with me. How is Ben?¡±


    ¡°Oh, right... Ben has woken up half an hour ago, but he doesn''t seem to be in good condition.¡±


    ¡°Can he talk?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he can. It takes him a lot of effort, but he can express himself clearly.¡±


    ¡°Very good. Try to get the others to leave so I can give Ben a call.¡±


    ¡°Understood, I''ll see to it right away!¡±


    Zachary then hung up the phone and went into deep thought. One by one, my traps are beingid out.


    All that''s left is that one person...


    He punched a number into his phone after hesitating for a bit, but there was no answer.


    The person answered the call after Zachary dialed the number a second time, and an impatient voice


    could be heard on the other line. ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°It''s me.¡±


    Nancy froze in shock when she heard his voice. She then turned around to look at the door of the study


    room.


    I saw Father''s men drag Chris in there an hour ago! There''s no way he could give me a call! On top of


    that, Chris doesn''t have a deep and unique voice like this!

 Chapter 1659

    Chapter 1659


    qAll it took was a few seconds for Nancy to recognize him as the real Zachary.


    ¡°You...¡±


    She nced about her surroundings and forcefully suppressed her excitement as she asked calmly,


    ¡°A-Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°I''m doing very well, Nancy. In fact, I''m calling to tell you that you can execute that n of ours.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°Just do it however you like and don''t worry about anything else.¡±


    ¡°I''ll think about it...¡±


    ¡°Yes, you think long and hard about this, Nancy. This could very well be yourst chance to decide your


    future, after all. Bye now!¡± Zachary hung up after saying that.


    Nancy was staring at her phone with a conflicted feeling in her heart when a loud noise came from the


    study room all of a sudden.


    Bang!


    What followed next was the sound of a man crying out in pain.


    Nancy knew her father was using violence to make Chrispromise.


    This is the most critical moment, and Father is running out of time. He has to take away everything he


    can from Nacht Group during the board meeting tomorrow. He''ll get nothing once Zachary returns and


    Danrique intervenes, so he has to get everything prepared by tonight. Even I am a part of his n...


    Her train of thoughts was interrupted when one of Jesse''s subordinates came out of the study room


    and said, ¡°Ms. Nancy, Mr. Gold would like to see you.¡±


    Nancy felt terrified when she saw the bloodstains on the subordinate''s leather shoes.


    Father rarely resorts to violence in the house. Thest time it happened was ten years ago when he


    killed Mother in front of me and my sister... I know that the same fate will befall me if I don''t follow his


    orders, but I also know that I''ll remain his puppet for the rest of my life if I do... He will have full control


    over me and make me sleep with any guy he wants. He doesn''t care about my feelings at all.


    The thought of that got her legs all weak and shaky as she stood up.


    ¡°Ms. Nancy?¡± the subordinate called out to her again, snapping her back to reality.


    Nancy then quickly regained herposure and followed the subordinate into the study room.


    She had just arrived at the door when she froze in shock.


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    There were two corpses lying on the ground. Those were Chris'' loyal subordinates, and they had both


    suffered incredibly gruesome deaths.


    Although Chris waspletely unharmed, he was trembling uncontrobly as hey weakly on the


    floor. His eyes were wide open with fear, and his body was all covered in their blood.


    Unable to stand the gory sight in front of her, Nancy lowered her head and closed her eyes.


    ¡°What are you doing standing at the door, Nancy? Come on in! Hurry up!¡± Jesse called out to her in


    Koandrian as he sat on the sofa and puffed away on a cigar.


    His voice sounded gentle like a loving father addressing his daughter affectionately, but all Nancy felt


    was a shiver down her spine when she heard it. She was so scared that she didn''t even dare look at


    him as she cautiously entered the room.


    ¡°We head out at half-past eight tomorrow. You two will get your marriage registered at the Civil Affairs


    Bureau at nine. There will be journalists waiting for us there. I assume you two know how to handle


    them, yes?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Father,¡± Nancy replied with a nod like an obedient pet.


    ¡°Y-You give me the antidote first... I''ve already signed the share transfer agreement, so why haven''t


    you given me the antidote?¡± Chris clenched his teeth as he tried to negotiate for his life.


    ¡°Are you stupid? I told you, I didn''t poison you! That whole poisoning thing was just Charlotte''s scheme


    to pit us against each other!¡± Jesse shouted angrily.


    ¡°That''s impossible! My test results show that I have been poisoned, and my symptoms are worsening


    with each passing second!¡± Chris argued.


    ¡°Like I said, you just caught a cold! How many times are you going to have me repeat myself? Even if I


    were to poison a mere puppet like you, I would''ve done so...¡±

 Chapter 1660

    Chapter 1660


    qWhat Jesse said was actually true, but Chris wouldn''t believe him at that point.


    His symptoms and difort were worsening, and the toxicology report from the hospital in Faike


    had confirmed the poisoning.


    To make matters worse, Jesse''s men grabbed him and brought him over before he could even confront


    Jesse about it.


    After a brief confrontation, Jesse exined his side of the story and demanded that Chris sign the


    share transfer agreement. When Chris refused to do so, Jesse shot his subordinates dead right in front


    of him.


    Chris was still struggling toe to terms with what had just happened.


    I know Jesse is greedy and ruthless, but I didn''t expect him to just resort to violence like this! How can I


    even believe a single word he says?


    ¡°Sign it, and you can live your life peacefully as the ''Mr. Nacht'' you are pretending to be. If you don''t...¡±


    Jesse pointed at the two corpses on the floor with his toe as he continued with an icy-cold look in his


    eyes, ¡°Well, you know what will happen.¡±


    Chris gritted his teeth as he red at Jesse. The look in his eyes was filled with a fit of burning anger,


    and his knuckles were cracking from how tightly he was clenching his fists.


    However, he held himself back fromshing out because he knew he was no match for Jesse at the


    time.


    If I don''t sign these papers, I won''t even be walking out of this study room alive...


    With that in mind, Chris forcefully suppressed his anger and picked up the pen with his bloodstained


    hand. He then signed the name ¡°Zachary Nacht¡± on the share transfer agreement.


    ¡°Well done! Looks like the six months of training did pay off, after all! Your signature is exactly like


    Zachary''s!¡± Jesse eximed with a smile.


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    Chris simply kept quiet and continued ring at him angrily.


    Jesse then turned toward Nancy and said, ¡°Go get your husband cleaned up, Nancy. He''ll be staying


    over tonight.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Daddy.¡± Nancy replied with a nod before telling Chris coldly, ¡°Come on, let''s go.¡±


    A look of guilt filled Chris'' eyes as he stared at the two corpses one final time before leaving with


    Nancy.


    The subordinates and maids standing guard outside weren''t surprised at all when they saw Chris all


    covered in blood. Instead, they all seemed so used to it that even the housekeepers simply shot him a


    quick nce before getting back to work.


    This showed just how often such incidents have taken ce in the Gold family.


    After bringing Chris into her room, Nancy had the servants help clean him up and get him a fresh


    change of clothes. She then sat down on the sofa to have a drink while she tried to process her


    conflicting emotions.


    Like aputer, her mind was rapidly analyzing the oues of both choices, weighing the pros and


    cons of each choice to determine the ideal one.


    ¡°Get the f*ck out!¡±


    Chris was fuming with anger when he stormed out of the bathroom.


    The maids quickly backed away, leaving Chris and Nancy alone in the room.


    Chris then grabbed himself a ss of wine and slowly made his way toward Nancy.


    Sensing a dangerous vibe from him, Nancy stood up and prepared to leave.


    However, Chris was quicker and pounced on her like a wild beast.


    ¡°Your father wants you to marry me so you can inherit my property once I die from my poisoning! Well,


    guess what? I''m no f*cking pushover! Even if I am going to die, I''m taking you with me!¡± he shouted


    through clenched teeth as he pinned her down on the sofa.


    The next thing she knew, he was squeezing her throat with all his might.


    Nancy coughed and sputtered while desperately struggling to break free, but she was no match for a


    big, strong man like him.


    Right as she was about to suffocate to death, her iling hands managed to get a hold of something.


    She then grabbed it tightly and smashed it against Chris'' head.

 Chapter 1661

    Chapter 1661


    qFollowing the loud thud, blood began to stream out of Chris'' wound.


    Chris let out a loud shriek as he copsed from the sofa.


    Immediately, Nancy seized this opportunity to crawl up and escape. She tried to open the door, only to


    find that it''d been locked from the outside.


    ¡°Who''s outside?¡± Nancy pounded her fists against the door. ¡°Open the door this instance!¡± she


    demanded.


    ¡°Ms. Nancy, Mr. Gold instructed for you and Mr. Nacht to retire early tonight.¡± Outside, the maid spun


    on her heel and left.


    ¡°Open the door!¡± Nancy screamed angrily. Yet, no one heeded her cries.


    ¡°You b*tch. How dare you hit me?¡± At the same time, Chris managed to regain his bearings.


    Although he still had one hand pressed against his bloodied forehead, Chris grabbed Nancy''s hair and


    wrenched thetter away from the door. Before she could react, he tossed her to the bed and stripped


    off her clothes.


    ¡°Let me go! Let go of me!¡± Nancy screamed hysterically. Despite her best efforts to resist Chris, she


    was no match for his brute force.


    In the blink of an eye, Chris managed to overwhelm her. Repeatedly, he pounded roughly into her with


    the sole intent of revenge.


    Chris'' erratic movements were akin to that of a wild beast. ¡°Your father locked you in this room with me


    because he wanted me to have you. Do you understand?¡± he hissed lowly in her ear.


    In Chris'' eyes, Nancy had be a scapegoat for the anger he harbored toward Jesse. The more he


    thought about it, the angrier he got. As the fury consumed Chris, he could barely restrain his urge to


    murder Nancy.


    Pinned under him, Nancy had sobbed to the point where her entire body was trembling. Toward the


    end, the fight drained out of her. nkly, she stared at the ceiling and simplyid there like a puppet


    with its strings cut, letting Chris do as he pleased with her limp body.


    Nevertheless, the helpless look in her eyes was gradually reced with one of hatred and fury.


    I hate Chris, my father, and Charlotte. Screw everyone who hurt me!


    At the same time, Charlotte sneezed a few times. For some reason, she felt a feeling of unease.


    Nevertheless, she brushed it off. I need to find Robbie as soon as possible.


    In an attempt to locate Robbie quicker, Bruce and Sean split up to traverse different paths while


    Charlotte tagged along with Bruce. They all hoped to find Robbie by three o''clock tomorrow afternoon.


    Yet, the continuous heavy downpour thwarted their ns.


    The rain made traveling difficult and further dyed their journey.


    As time continued to pass, the sun soon emerged from the horizon.


    Once again, Bruce emerged empty-handed. After a final search through thest warehouse, they


    returned in disappointment.


    After missing several nights of sleep, Charlotte was so exhausted that she nearly fainted when she


    reached the car.


    Immediately, Bruce instructed Emma and two of his subordinates to bring Charlotte home for a good


    night''s rest. After all, she needed to preside over the board meeting tomorrow afternoon.


    Despite Bruce''s advice, Charlotte refused his help and insisted on staying in Yaleview. She was


    determined to find Robbie no matter what.


    In the end, Bruce gave in to Charlotte''s stubbornness and allowed Emma to send her to a nearby hotel


    instead.


    Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    After a hot shower, Charlotte copsed on the bed and instantly fell into a deep slumber.


    Emma''s heart ached to see Charlotte in such a worn-out state. Just as Emma moved to rest on the


    sofa, Charlotte''s phone began to ring from the bathroom. Quickly, she picked it up.


    ¡°Hello, Lupine,¡± Emma greeted.


    ¡°Where''s Ms. Lindberg?¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg was so weary that she''d fallen asleep.¡±


    ¡°I see. Don''t disturb her sleep then. Earlier, I led Ben to the police station. Someone has already


    handled the board''s matters, so she doesn''t have to worry about it anymore. She can focus all of her


    efforts on finding Robbie. Please pass this information on to Ms. Lindberg when she wakes up,¡± Lupine


    said in a rush.


    ¡°Okay. I got it.¡± Emma nodded.


    ¡°Take good care of her, all right?¡± With that, Lupine hung up.


    With the phone in hand, Emma returned to the bedroom and prepared to keep watch over Charlotte. At


    that moment, someone knocked on the door.


    Hurriedly, Emma rushed to open the door. With a hushed voice, she asked, ¡°What''s the matter?¡±


    ¡°We found a lead. Robbie is no longer in Yaleview; they''ve smuggled him to H City. We are going to set


    off right now. What about the both of you?¡± Andy asked hurriedly.


    ¡°We-¡±

 Chapter 1662

    Chapter 1662


    q¡°I''ll set off once I change my clothes.¡± Before Emma could reply, Charlotte had woken up from her


    slumber. Thetter was already on her feet.


    ¡°You go ahead. We will follow right behind,¡± Charlotte instructed.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Immediately, Andy spun on his heel and left to carry out Charlotte''s orders.


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, why don''t you sleep for a little longer?¡± Emma couldn''t bear to see Charlotte in such a


    state. ¡°You are-¡±


    ¡°I''ll be fine,¡± Charlotte interjected as she changed her clothes. Once she got dressed, she made her


    way to the bathroom to freshen up.


    Left with no choice, Emma followed along, hot on Charlotte''s heels.


    It didn''t take long for them to set off after Bruce''s convoy in their own car.


    Along the journey, Charlotte called Bruce to gain more rification on the situation. It turned out that


    Bruce and his team managed to discover this lead through their own investigations. They''d also sent


    this information to Sean for further verification. At the same time, Bruce instructed his men to make


    haste toward H City as well.


    Bruce''s n is a solid one. If the lead ends up at a dead end, Sean can investigate further. Now that


    we have men on both sides, we can effectively cover more ground and prevent potential slip-ups.


    Besides, I needed to return to H City anyway.


    Despite repeated urges from Emma to take a rest, Charlotte could not sleep a wink.


    It''s already eight-thirty in the morning. If my assumptions are urate, Chris and Nancy must have


    already registered their marriage at the Civil Affairs Bureau. The other directors must also be on their


    way back to H City to attend the board meeting this afternoon. I wonder how things are going on back


    with Spencer and Sterk...


    Since Charlotte spent yesterday night upied with finding Robbie, she''d overlooked this important


    matter. In haste, she called Sterk and inquired about the shares.


    ¡°Jesse already got his hands on eight percent of the shares. Also, Chris, that b*stard, transferred


    twenty percent of his shares to Jesse too. Right now, Jesse is in possession of twenty-eight of the


    company''s shares. He''s Nacht Group''s majority shareholder...¡± Sterk uttered, his voice choked with


    tears. ¡°They will announce this new share ownership in the uing meeting this afternoon. Charlotte,


    we''re going to lose.¡±


    ¡°No, we haven''t lost yet,¡± Charlotte dered determinedly. ¡°We still have time on our side. As long as I


    find Robbie, we can bring Ben to the police station and expose Chris'' true identity. Once we unearth the


    truth, the documents he signed will be void.¡±


    ¡°I hope you''ll find Robbie soon!¡± Simrly, Sterk clung to this sliver of hope. ¡°Nevertheless, the child''s


    safety should be of top priority.¡±


    ¡°I got it.¡± Charlotte hung up, looking very depressed. Quickly, Emma informed Charlotte of the news


    she''d received from Lupine earlier.


    At that, Charlotte knitted her brows together. ¡°Lupine said that someone from thepany will handle


    it? Who is it?¡±


    Since Chorlotte spent yesterdoy night upied with finding Robbie, she''d overlooked this importont


    motter. In hoste, she colled Sterk ond inquired obout the shores.


    ¡°Jesse olreody got his honds on eight percent of the shores. Also, Chris, thot b*stord, tronsferred


    twenty percent of his shores to Jesse too. Right now, Jesse is in possession of twenty-eight of the


    compony''s shores. He''s Nocht Group''s mojority shoreholder...¡± Sterk uttered, his voice choked with


    teors. ¡°They will onnounce this new shore ownership in the uing meeting this ofternoon. Chorlotte,


    we''re going to lose.¡±


    ¡°No, we hoven''t lost yet,¡± Chorlotte declored determinedly. ¡°We still hove time on our side. As long os I


    find Robbie, we con bring Ben to the police stotion ond expose Chris'' true identity. Once we uneorth the


    truth, the documents he signed will be void.¡±


    ¡°I hope you''ll find Robbie soon!¡± Similorly, Sterk clung to this sliver of hope. ¡°Nevertheless, the child''s


    sofety should be of top priority.¡±


    ¡°I got it.¡± Chorlotte hung up, looking very depressed. Quickly, Emmo informed Chorlotte of the news


    she''d received from Lupine eorlier.


    At thot, Chorlotte knitted her brows together. ¡°Lupine soid thot someone from thepony will hondle


    it? Who is it?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know. I didn''t ask about it.¡±


    ¡°It''d be useless even if we brought Ben to the police. Theck of evidence on our side will only alert our


    enemies. Who told her to do that?¡± Charlotte questioned once again.


    ¡°I have no idea.¡±


    This new information only served to worsen Charlotte''s worries. Right away, she called Lupine. Yet, the


    latter did not pick up her calls.


    In the end, Charlotte decided to drop the matter. Lupine has always been very meticulous in her work.


    She must have anticipated that I would worry. Hence, she called me this morning. Maybe Zachary is


    the one who''s guiding her in this matter.


    Besides, it would be futile for Charlotte to worry about thepany. Right now, Robbie was her only


    chance at turning things around.


    She breathed out a long sigh as she nced out the window. Outside, the rain continued to pour on.


    Please let me find Robbie as soon as possible. At the same time, Charlotte prayed for Zachary''s return.


    I could really use his support right now.


    Back in the forest, Francesca was roused from her slumber by a loud thud. Blearily, she opened her


    eyes and noticed Zachary still practicing his sit-ups.


    Though the wolf tried to help Zachary to his feet, he merely pushed it away. ¡°Don''t help me. I need to


    do this myself!¡±


    Obediently, it moved aside but continued to watch Zachary with its teeth bared. The wolf would step


    forward several times, only to retreat when it remembered Zachary''s warning.

 Chapter 1663

    Chapter 1663


    qAfter the countless repetitions of sit-ups, Zachary''s entire back had turned red and sweaty.


    Nheless, he showed no signs of stopping.


    ¡°Didn''t you already seed? Why are you still training?¡± Francesca yawned and rubbed her eyes


    tiredly.


    ¡°The corporate war is a battle of stamina. Copsing after a short while means that I''m admitting


    defeat. Even if I''m confined to a wheelchair, I need to maintain an elegant sitting posture,¡± Zachary


    replied while gritting his teeth.


    Zachary''s steely determination left Francesca impressed. ¡°You remind me of my husband.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± A look of surprise flitted across Zachary''s face. ¡°Danrique? How are we simr?¡±


    ¡°In the past, he suffered a grave injury to his leg. As a result, he nearly lost his ability to stand. Yet, he


    refused to give up and trained endlessly to regain his mobility. Earlier, you sounded just like him...¡±


    Francescamented softly.


    ¡°Do you miss him?¡± Zachary chuckled.


    ¡°Have you lost your mind? I don''t!¡± Francesca''s face turned bright red. ¡°Stop spouting nonsense, or I''ll


    beat you up!¡±


    The corners of Zachary''s mouth twitched, but he remained silent.


    Francesca red at him as she moved to prepare breakfast. ¡°It''s still early; you can sleep for a bit


    more. Remember to take your medication after breakfast, all right?¡±


    ¡°It''s gettingte.¡± Zachary nced at the owl-shaped clock hung on the wall. ¡°I still need two hours to


    get myself cleaned up.¡±


    ¡°Cleaned up?¡± Francesca echoed in confusion.


    ¡°I can''t exactly go to work like this, right?¡± Zachary gestured at himself as he spoke.


    His beard and hair were disheveled. Furthermore, dirt coated his entire body from head to toe. Overall,


    Zachary resembled a beggar rather than a businessman.


    ¡°What are you going to do? You want me to buy some clothes for you?¡± The coldness in Francesca''s


    voice revealed how displease she was.


    ¡°Let''s head to Southridge at twelve.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    All of a sudden, their conversation was interrupted by Zachary''s phone. Upon noticing that Raina had


    called him, he quickly took the call. ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, everything has been arranged ording to n. Should I head over to pick you up?¡± Raina


    asked.


    ¡°There''s no need for that. We will head there ourselves. Make sure to keep our arrival a secret.¡±


    ¡°Does this include Ms. Lindberg''s arrival as well?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Zachary confirmed.


    ¡°Okay, I got it.¡±


    After the call, Zachary returned to his exercises. Burning with curiosity, Francesca asked, ¡°Why aren''t


    you contacting your wife? Aren''t you afraid that she might get worried?¡±


    ¡°I''m nning to surprise her,¡± Zachary replied in a serious tone.


    His reply earned him a scoff from Francesca. ¡°You men are so melodramatic.¡±


    Zachary merely ignored Francesca as he continued to keep an eye on the clock. Since it''s already


    nine, Nancy and Chris must already be at the Civil Affairs Bureau.


    ¡°Cleoned up?¡± Froncesco echoed in confusion.


    ¡°I con''t exoctly go to work like this, right?¡± Zochory gestured ot himself os he spoke.


    His beord ond hoir were disheveled. Furthermore, dirt cooted his entire body from heod to toe. Overoll,


    Zochory resembled o beggor rother thon o businessmon.


    ¡°Whot ore you going to do? You wont me to buy some clothes for you?¡± The coldness in Froncesco''s


    voice reveoled how displeose she wos.


    ¡°Let''s heod to Southridge ot twelve.¡±


    ¡°Okoy.¡±


    All of o sudden, their conversotion wos interrupted by Zochory''s phone. Upon noticing thot Roino hod


    colled him, he quickly took the coll. ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nocht, everything hos been orronged ording to plon. Should I heod over to pick you up?¡± Roino


    osked.


    ¡°There''s no need for thot. We will heod there ourselves. Moke sure to keep our orrivol o secret.¡±


    ¡°Does this include Ms. Lindberg''s orrivol os well?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Zochory confirmed.


    ¡°Okoy, I got it.¡±


    After the coll, Zochory returned to his exercises. Burning with curiosity, Froncesco osked, ¡°Why oren''t


    you contocting your wife? Aren''t you ofroid thot she might get worried?¡±


    ¡°I''m plonning to surprise her,¡± Zochory replied in o serious tone.


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    His reply eorned him o scoff from Froncesco. ¡°You men ore so melodromotic.¡±


    Zochory merely ignored Froncesco os he continued to keep on eye on the clock. Since it''s olreody


    nine, Noncy ond Chris must olreody be ot the Civil Affoirs Bureou.


    Just as he''d expected, Charlotte received a news link from Lucy. While masquerading as Zachary,


    Chris officiated his marriage with Nancy at the Civil Affairs Bureau and publicized it to the media.


    In the picture, Nancy looked stunning. Her exquisite makeup made her appear much more graceful and


    highlighted her brilliant smile. On the other hand, it was the first time anyone saw Chris with a hat


    perched on his head. Nheless, he still appeared incredibly dashing.


    The picture-perfect couple even kissed, painting a loving image of their marriage to the public.


    Despite knowing that the man was Chris, the picture still made Charlotte feel uneasy. Quickly, she


    exited the link and closed the image.


    A short momentter, Lucy sent her another link regarding thepany''s shares. Apparently, the Gold


    family has been pushing for Rodney to hasten the share exchange process. It meant that Charlotte and


    Jesse''s respective shares would be presented to the board of directors this afternoon.


    A crease formed between Charlotte''s brows. If I fail to find a countermeasure by three this afternoon,


    Nacht Group will fall under Jesse''s ownership.


    All of a sudden, arge truck hurtled toward their car.


    Hastily, Emma yanked the steering wheel aside to swerve clear of the truck. However, the truck


    responded suit and continued to elerate toward them.

 Chapter 1664

    Chapter 1664


    qBang! The truck hit Charlotte''s car forcefully.


    The car overturned a few times before crashing into the guard rail on the bridge. When it finally came to


    a stop, half the car was hanging off the bridge and seemed like it was going to fall off anytime...


    The airbag in the car was deployed when Charlotte''s head knocked against the windscreen and started


    bleeding.


    Covering her wound with one hand, Charlotte nudged Emma with the other. ¡°Emma, Emma...¡±


    However, Emma, whose face was covered in blood, did not respond. She sprawled over the steering


    wheel, unconscious.


    Charlotte unbuckled her seat belt, wanting to get out of the car. However, she realized that the car was


    hanging off the bridge and any slight movement inside the car would cause the car to shake vigorously


    and lose its bnce...


    In order for the car to regain some bnce, Charlotte pulled Emma backward such that she was


    leaning against the seat of the car. After that, she unbuckled her own seat belt and climbed out of the


    car window cautiously.


    Right after shended on the ground, the car started plunging. Charlotte immediately grabbed the car


    door and put one foot against the guard rail to prevent the car from sliding downward...


    Using all her might, the woman gritted her teeth and yelled anxiously, ¡°Emma, Emma, wake up! Please


    wake up...¡±


    In her current position, it was impossible for Charlotte to reach into the car to save Emma. The only


    way for the other woman to survive was for her to wake up and climb out of the window herself.


    Otherwise, there was no way she would survive once the car fell off the bridge.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg...¡±


    Emma finally regained consciousness. She turned toward Charlotte and looked at her weakly.


    ¡°Emma, get out now! Hurry!¡± Charlotte urged anxiously.


    Her hands were trembling and she was unable to hold on any longer.


    Using her remaining strength, Emma unbuckled her seat belt and tried to get out of the car. However,


    as the car door on her side was severely deformed from the crash, she was unable to open it.


    ¡°Get out through the window!¡± Charlotte reminded loudly.


    Emma swept away the ss shards from the car window using her elbow and tried to climb out with


    much difficulty...


    Just then, a few tall and strong-built men in ck were seen approaching Charlotte with murderous


    looks on their faces...


    ¡°Are you guys sent by Jesse?¡±


    At that moment, Charlotte could choose to let go of the car and fight those men. However, if she did


    that, Emma would surely lose her life. However, if she did not let go, both of them would die...


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, just ignore me and leave!¡± Emma shouted weakly.


    However, Charlotte continued grabbing onto the car door, refusing to let go. After all, Emma had been


    through thick and thin with her, and she would never leave her in the lurch at such a critical moment.


    Those few men in ck struck Charlotte once they charged over.


    Charlotte sent a kick toward one of the men, knocking him to the ground.


    Very quickly, another few men surrounded her, and she was losing control of the situation.


    Those men tried to pry her hands off the car forcefully in order to take her away, but Charlotte was


    holding on to the car door with her life, refusing to let go...


    Emmo finolly regoined consciousness. She turned toword Chorlotte ond looked ot her weokly.


    ¡°Emmo, get out now! Hurry!¡± Chorlotte urged onxiously.


    Her honds were trembling ond she wos unoble to hold on ony longer.


    Using her remoining strength, Emmo unbuckled her seot belt ond tried to get out of the cor. However,


    os the cor door on her side wos severely deformed from the crosh, she wos unoble to open it.


    ¡°Get out through the window!¡± Chorlotte reminded loudly.


    Emmo swept owoy the gloss shords from the cor window using her elbow ond tried to climb out with


    much difficulty...


    Just then, o few toll ond strong-built men in block were seen opprooching Chorlotte with murderous


    looks on their foces...


    ¡°Are you guys sent by Jesse?¡±


    At thot moment, Chorlotte could choose to let go of the cor ond fight those men. However, if she did


    thot, Emmo would surely lose her life. However, if she did not let go, both of them would die...


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, just ignore me ond leove!¡± Emmo shouted weokly.


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    However, Chorlotte continued grobbing onto the cor door, refusing to let go. After oll, Emmo hod been


    through thick ond thin with her, ond she would never leove her in the lurch ot such o criticol moment.


    Those few men in block struck Chorlotte once they chorged over.


    Chorlotte sent o kick toword one of the men, knocking him to the ground.


    Very quickly, onother few men surrounded her, ond she wos losing control of the situotion.


    Those men tried to pry her honds off the cor forcefully in order to toke her owoy, but Chorlotte wos


    holding on to the cor door with her life, refusing to let go...


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg...¡± Emma broke down and burst into tears. ¡°Let go now! Please let go!¡±


    ¡°Get out of there now!¡± Charlotte simply would not give up. No matter what, she was determined to


    save Emma.


    However, those men in ck were making things difficult for her by kicking her hands, forcing her to let


    go...


    Just when Charlotte was unable to take it anymore, a car sped over at the most critical moment.


    Bruce and a few other people dashed out of the car and started battling those men in ck at once. At


    the same time, they managed to save both Charlotte and Emma.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, are you all right?¡± Bruce helped Charlotte up.


    ¡°Why are you here? Shouldn''t you be saving Robbie?¡±


    When Charlotte saw Bruce, her first thought was that the man might not be able to save her son in time


    if he was there to save her.


    ¡°I sent Marino and some of the other guys over. I couldn''t reach you through your phone and was


    worried that something might have happened to you. That''s why I decided to take two men along with


    me ande back to help you.¡±


    Right after Bruce escorted Charlotte to the car, hundreds of assassins gushed out from the huge truck.


    They were all armed with weapons and charging at Charlotte and Bruce in a threatening manner...


    ¡°Get Ms. Lindberg out of here first.¡±


    Bruce handed Charlotte over to his subordinates and was prepared to meet those assassins head-on.


    ¡°Bruce!¡± Charlotte called out. However, the man had already disappeared into the crowd. No matter


    how skilled he was at fighting, it was impossible for him to win against those people...

 Chapter 1665

    Chapter 1665


    q¡°Call the police now!¡± Charlotte quickly reminded.


    Just when Andy took out his phone and was about to inform the police, the assassins started charging


    toward them...


    An intense war broke out instantly.


    Bruce and Charlotte only had five people on their side. Among the five, two were injured. They were no


    match at all against the other party, who had more than a hundred of them.


    Charlotte was in despair and felt extremely hopeless. Are we all going to die here today?


    Before she could think any further, someone suddenly attacked her from behind and hacked at her


    shoulder with a chopper. The woman fell to the ground at once,nding on one knee...


    Charlotte was already covered with blood and looked like she was going to copse at any moment...


    In the nick of time, a few silver cars raced toward them, knocking over the few assassins who were


    attacking Charlotte before stopping in front of the woman.


    A dozen of men in white got out of the car after that and joined in the battle.


    Charlotte lifted her head with much difficulty and spotted a tall figure walking toward her. With rays of


    sunlight casting a warm glow upon his face, Charlotte felt as if the man was like God who had just


    descended to save mankind...


    As the man reached out a hand to her, Charlotte looked at him, stunned. ¡°Danrique!¡± she eximed


    and started to wonder if she was dreaming.


    ¡°Get on your feet!¡±


    Even though Danrique spoke in a frosty tone and had a cold expression on his face, Charlotte was


    exceptionally moved...


    The situation reminded her of two years ago when she was in a life-and-death situation. Back then, it


    was also Danrique who appeared at the most critical moment, rescuing her from harm.


    He had done it once again...


    Charlotte took Danrique''s hand and propped herself up with his support. However, due to her serious


    injuries, she felt light-headed and her entire body was swaying as though she could fall at any moment.


    Just then, an assassin charged over again, trying to sneak an attack on the pair.


    Danrique pulled Charlotte into his arms immediately and darted out a hard kick that sent that assassin


    flying thirty over feet away. That assassinnded hard on the top of the truck before falling onto the


    ground.


    ¡°Get it done quickly!¡± Danrique ordered coldly after scanning the surroundings.


    ¡°Understand!¡±


    The bodyguards from the Lindberg family were all extremely skilled inbat and were able to keep


    the situation under control very quickly. It did not take long before the enemies were forced to back


    away.


    Some of the assassins hurriedly hopped into the truck when they sensed that the situation was not in


    their favor, preparing to escape.


    Danrique took out his gun and fired a few shots at the truck tires which exploded instantly.


    As such, those assassins were all trapped in the truck and had no means of escape.


    Just then, the sound of police sirens could be heard not far away¡ªthe police were arriving.


    Danrique shoved Charlotte into the car and tossed her a phone before informing her in a solemn tone,


    ¡°Your kid isn''t in H City. Sean had already gone to rescue him. He''ll be in touch with you ten minutes


    later!¡±


    ¡°Danrique...¡±


    ¡°You should go back first,¡± Danrique said after ncing at his watch.


    He hod done it once ogoin...


    Chorlotte took Donrique''s hond ond propped herself up with his support. However, due to her serious


    injuries, she felt light-heoded ond her entire body wos swoying os though she could foll ot ony moment.


    Just then, on ossossin chorged over ogoin, trying to sneok on ottock on the poir.


    Donrique pulled Chorlotte into his orms immediotely ond dorted out o hord kick thot sent thot ossossin


    flying thirty over feet owoy. Thot ossossin londed hord on the top of the truck before folling onto the


    ground.


    ¡°Get it done quickly!¡± Donrique ordered coldly ofter sconning the surroundings.


    ¡°Understond!¡±


    The bodyguords from the Lindberg fomily were oll extremely skilled inbot ond were oble to keep


    the situotion under control very quickly. It did not toke long before the enemies were forced to bock


    owoy.


    Some of the ossossins hurriedly hopped into the truck when they sensed thot the situotion wos not in


    their fovor, preporing to escope.


    Donrique took out his gun ond fired o few shots ot the truck tires which exploded instontly.


    As such, those ossossins were oll tropped in the truck ond hod no meons of escope.


    Just then, the sound of police sirens could be heord not for owoy¡ªthe police were orriving.


    Donrique shoved Chorlotte into the cor ond tossed her o phone before informing her in o solemn tone,


    ¡°Your kid isn''t in H City. Seon hod olreody gone to rescue him. He''ll be in touch with you ten minutes


    loter!¡±


    ¡°Donrique...¡±


    ¡°You should go bock first,¡± Donrique soid ofter gloncing ot his wotch.


    After he finished speaking, the man turned around and got into his car, leaving hastily with his men...


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, we''re going to the hospital now.¡±


    ¡°Let Andy send Emma to the hospital. Let''s go to Divine Corporation directly,¡± Charlotte instructed


    decisively.


    ¡°But how about your injuries...¡±


    ¡°That''s enough.¡± Charlotte was starting to panic. ¡°It''s almost three. We''re not going to make it!¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Bruce did not dare to say another word. After instructing Andy to take his car and drive Emma


    to the hospital, Bruce and one of his other subordinates apanied Charlotte to Divine Corporation


    in another car that belonged to the Lindberg family.


    ¡°The Gold family must have released fake news and lured us into an ambush!¡± Bruce recalled, feeling


    rather emotional. ¡°I have to admit that Sean is indeed better than me at this.¡±


    ¡°Danrique and his men had all gone through hellish military training. In terms ofbat skills, they are


    definitely second to none. However, in terms of business, they have a lot to learn from Zachary.¡±


    Charlotte sighed in relief and said, ¡°Thank goodness Sean wasn''t deceived.¡±


    ¡°From what Mr. Lindberg said just now, does it mean that Sean will be rescuing Robbie?¡± Bruce asked


    anxiously.


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    ¡°He should be done soon!¡±


    Charlotte stared at her watch while waiting for Sean''s call.


    The phone finally rang ten minutester.


    ¡°Sean...¡±


    ¡°Mommy...¡±


    When Charlotte heard that voice, she froze for a moment before tears of joy brimmed in her eyes.


    ¡°Robbie...¡±

 Chapter 1666

    Chapter 1666


    q¡°Mommy, I''m fine. Don''t worry.¡± Robbie reassured Charlotte weakly in a hoarse voice.


    ¡°Robbie, Mommy has failed you...¡± Charlotte was no longer able to control her emotions and burst into


    tears.


    ¡°Mommy, please don''t say that...¡± Robbie started crying as well. ¡°I''m fine. I''m with Uncle Sean now. I''ll


    be home soon.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Charlotte took a deep inhale before saying, ¡°Pass the phone to Uncle Sean.¡±


    Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    ¡°OK...¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg!¡±


    ¡°Please help me take care of Robbie and send him to the hospital.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry. I know what to do,¡± Sean replied before continuing, ¡°You should quickly head over to the


    company. I''ll handle things here.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡±


    After hanging up the phone, Charlotte wiped off her tears. Looking up at Bruce, she instructed, ¡°Speed


    up. We need to be at thepany as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    The silver Aston Martin sped away on the road.


    The time then was already two-thirty. They had just driven past the borders of Yaleview and were still a


    long distance away from H City.


    Charlotte was worried that they might not make it in time for the board meeting at three. She tried to


    call Lucy but her calls were not getting through.


    The woman frowned and tried to call Johann, but she was unable to reach him as well.


    Then, she tried calling Spencer, but the call failed to get through again.


    Charlotte was extremely worried, wondering if Jesse had taken control of the situation at thepany.


    She tried calling the other shareholders of thepany as well but to no avail.


    She had even tried to call the president''s office, but no one answered the phone as well.


    Charlotte started panicking and instructed her subordinates at once, ¡°Try to contact someone from


    Nacht Group. Anyone is fine, even the security guard. I just need to know what''s going on at Divine


    Corporation.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± The subordinate went off as instructed.


    After some thought, Charlotte dialed Lupine''s number. Even though the call went through, no one


    answered...


    The woman found it extremely strange that she seemed to have lost contact with everyone suddenly.


    What''s going on with them?


    Charlotte was feeling extremely unsettled...


    Meanwhile, at Divine Corporation, Lucy was giving out instructions in a fluster. ¡°Deal with it


    immediately. Why is thepany''swork suddenly down? All themunication devices are not


    working. We can''t ess the inte and can''t even make any calls. This is so strange!¡±


    ¡°We are working on the issue. We''ve also informed thework operator toe over to check.¡±


    ¡°Get them to hurry. The board meeting is starting soon.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    After she finished delivering her instructions, Lucy hurried over to Johann''s office and informed him


    about the situation. ¡°Don''t worry, it should be settled soon,¡± she reassured the man.


    ¡°There must be a mole in ourpany...¡± Johann said with a frown. He was sure that someone must


    have tampered with thework system for such a thing to happen at such a crucial moment.


    ¡°Get an ordinary-looking employee to call Ms. Lindberg outside the building,¡± Johann ordered


    decisively. ¡°Hurry!¡±


    She hod even tried to coll the president''s office, but no one onswered the phone os well.


    Chorlotte storted ponicking ond instructed her subordinotes ot once, ¡°Try to contoct someone from


    Nocht Group. Anyone is fine, even the security guord. I just need to know whot''s going on ot Divine


    Corporotion.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± The subordinote went off os instructed.


    After some thought, Chorlotte dioled Lupine''s number. Even though the coll went through, no one


    onswered...


    The womon found it extremely stronge thot she seemed to hove lost contoct with everyone suddenly.


    Whot''s going on with them?


    Chorlotte wos feeling extremely unsettled...


    Meonwhile, ot Divine Corporotion, Lucy wos giving out instructions in o fluster. ¡°Deol with it


    immediotely. Why is thepony''swork suddenly down? All themunicotion devices ore not


    working. We con''t ess the inte ond con''t even moke ony colls. This is so stronge!¡±


    ¡°We ore working on the issue. We''ve olso informed thework operotor toe over to check.¡±


    ¡°Get them to hurry. The boord meeting is storting soon.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    After she finished delivering her instructions, Lucy hurried over to Johonn''s office ond informed him


    obout the situotion. ¡°Don''t worry, it should be settled soon,¡± she reossured the mon.


    ¡°There must be o mole in ourpony...¡± Johonn soid with o frown. He wos sure thot someone must


    hove tompered with thework system for such o thing to hoppen ot such o cruciol moment.


    ¡°Get on ordinory-looking employee to coll Ms. Lindberg outside the building,¡± Johonn ordered


    decisively. ¡°Hurry!¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Lucy sprang into action at once.


    Johann nced at his watch and noticed that it was almost time for the board meeting. ¡°Check if Mr.


    Spencer is here,¡± the man instructed his subordinate who was standing next to him.


    ¡°I''ve already sent someone downstairs to receive him half an hour ago...¡±


    ¡°Check again to see if he''s here,¡± Johann urged. ¡°Don''t wait at the underground parking lot. Meet him at


    the entrance of the building instead. Also, see if you are able to make calls.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± The subordinate immediately got going.


    ¡°Also, the rest of you, take a look and see which of the board members have not arrived yet,¡± Johann


    instructed his other subordinates.


    ¡°We checked just a moment ago. There is only you and Mr. Spencer left. The rest of the board


    members have all arrived. Kallum was thest one to reach three minutes ago. All of them are waiting


    inside the conference room right now... However, Mr. Nacht isn''t here yet...¡±


    Before he could finish his sentence, the subordinate was interrupted by Lucy, who had entered the


    office urgently. ¡°Umm... Chris and Mr. Gold are here. Nancy is here with them as well.¡±


    ¡°What about Spencer?¡± Johann asked at once.


    ¡°He isn''t here yet,¡± Lucy replied, frowning. ¡°I have gotten someone to go outside the building to make a


    call to his assistant. We should receive the news very soon.¡±


    ¡°Could something have happened?¡± Johann''s expression turned grim. ¡°I wasn''t able to reach Charlotte


    since one hour ago...¡±

 Chapter 1667

    Chapter 1667


    q¡°What should we do now?¡± Lucy said, feeling frustrated and depressed. ¡°Is ourpany really going


    to...¡±


    Before she could finish speaking, the office door was pushed open, and Chris and Jesse strode in


    cockily.


    Jesse, who was puffing on a cigar, plopped himself down on the sofa and shot a look at Chris.


    ¡°Mr. Sterk, the meeting is starting soon. Shall we have a chat first?¡± Chris asked coldly.


    ¡°What do you want to talk about?¡± Johann red at him and asked. ¡°Chris,¡± the man replied.


    ¡°Huh!¡±


    Chris was no longer making efforts to conceal his identity and said directly, ¡°You know very well that the


    current situation is not in your favor. Charlotte is also finished. There''s no point in you holding on. Why


    don''t you sell the five percent shares of thepany you are holding to us? We''ll give you a good


    price...¡±


    ¡°Over my dead body!¡± Johann shot a fierce re at the man and scolded, ¡°Who do you think you are?


    Don''t you dare get any ideas about me. Let me tell you, no matter how much you offer, I will never sell


    my shares to you.¡±


    ¡°Thepany is going to change its name soon. What''s the point of you staying here?¡± Jesse blew out


    a circle of smoke and looked at Johann with a warm smile on his face. ¡°Isn''t it better for you to take the


    money and retirefortably?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Johann froze for a second before pointing at Jesse and questioning Chris in an


    agitated manner, ¡°You... Have you sold your shares to him?¡±


    Chris lowered his head and did not reply.


    In fact, that was not his original intention. At first, he had only joined forces with Jesse to make use of


    Jesse to get his revenge. Even though he did agree that he would reward the man for helping him, he


    did not expect Jesse to be that ambitious...


    Even more unexpectedly, Chris found himself being entirely under Jesse''s control and waspletely


    defenseless against the man.


    ¡°You bast*rd!¡±


    Johann was trembling with rage and raised his hand to p Chris.


    However, before he could do that, Jesse''s subordinate caught his wrist and pushed him away coldly.


    Johann lost his bnce and nearly fell to the floor, but Lucy steadied him in the nick of time.


    ¡°He is now my son-inw. Other than me, no one has the right to discipline him.¡± Jesse fixed a cold


    gaze on Johann and said, ¡°If you are willing to sell your shares to us now, I''ll give you a good price.


    Don''t force me to do it the hard way.¡±


    ¡°Scram! Get lost right now!¡± Johann bellowed furiously while pointing at the door.


    ¡°What a stubborn old buggar.¡±


    Jesse narrowed his eyes and red at Johann frostily.


    Two of his subordinates immediately walked toward the old man with murderous intent in their eyes.


    ¡°What are you guys doing?¡± Lucy widened her eyes in shock.


    Chris could not bear to watch the situation anymore and reminded Jesse softly, ¡°Mr. Sterk is a founding


    member of Nacht Group and is in charge of all technological matters. Without him, Nacht Group might


    suffer huge losses...¡±


    Chris lowered his heod ond did not reply.


    In foct, thot wos not his originol intention. At first, he hod only joined forces with Jesse to moke use of


    Jesse to get his revenge. Even though he did ogree thot he would reword the mon for helping him, he


    did not expect Jesse to be thot ombitious...


    Even more unexpectedly, Chris found himself being entirely under Jesse''s control ond wospletely


    defenseless ogoinst the mon.


    ¡°You bost*rd!¡±


    Johonn wos trembling with roge ond roised his hond to slop Chris.


    However, before he could do thot, Jesse''s subordinote cought his wrist ond pushed him owoy coldly.


    Johonn lost his bolonce ond neorly fell to the floor, but Lucy steodied him in the nick of time.


    ¡°He is now my son-in-low. Other thon me, no one hos the right to discipline him.¡± Jesse fixed o cold


    goze on Johonn ond soid, ¡°If you ore willing to sell your shores to us now, I''ll give you o good price.


    Don''t force me to do it the hord woy.¡±


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    ¡°Scrom! Get lost right now!¡± Johonn bellowed furiously while pointing ot the door.


    ¡°Whot o stubborn old buggor.¡±


    Jesse norrowed his eyes ond glored ot Johonn frostily.


    Two of his subordinotes immediotely wolked toword the old mon with murderous intent in their eyes.


    ¡°Whot ore you guys doing?¡± Lucy widened her eyes in shock.


    Chris could not beor to wotch the situotion onymore ond reminded Jesse softly, ¡°Mr. Sterk is o founding


    member of Nocht Group ond is in chorge of oll technologicol motters. Without him, Nocht Group might


    suffer huge losses...¡±


    ¡°Do you really think I''m intending to manage Nacht Group?¡± Jesse sneered and continued, ¡°I would


    rather sell it.¡±


    ¡°You...¡± Chris widened his eyes in shock. It was then that he realized that Jesse was just after money.


    After taking over Nacht Group, he would sell it immediately, exchanging it for cash.


    ¡°Old git, I guess we will have to do it the hard way then!¡±


    Immediately, those two subordinates grabbed Johann forcefully.


    Seeing that those people were going to take action on Johann, Lucy eximed, ¡°This is too much! Do


    you guys really think that you can do as you wish?¡±


    The woman tried to stop them but was being pushed to the ground instead.


    Just then, the door suddenly swung open and someone said coldly, ¡°Stop it right now!¡±


    Everyone looked up toward where the voice wasing from and was stunned...


    Who''s this shorty?


    It was a woman dressed in office wear, looking like a secretary. Her face could not be seen as she was


    wearing a mask. However, her spirited big eyes stood out...


    ¡°Get out of here!¡±


    Just when the bodyguard who was standing next to the door tried to shove the woman away, he started


    having a convulsion before he could even touch her. Secondster, he copsed to the ground in


    pain...

 Chapter 1668

    Chapter 1668


    qThe crowd''s jaws dropped as they stared dazedly at the burly bodyguard lying on the ground, then


    shifted their gaze to the girl.


    ¡°I didn''t touch him.¡± The girl lifted both of her hands in surrender and said innocently, ¡°I came in to


    inform everyone that the meeting is about to start.¡± With that, she whirled around and left.


    Everyone was confused by the sudden arrival and departure of the girl.


    At that moment, Kallum and a few directors came in looking for Johann. Their steps faltered when they


    spotted Jesse and ¡°Zachary¡± in the room with Johann being held by two bodyguards.


    One of the directors snapped out of his daze and threatened, ¡°Let Mr. Sterk go, or I''ll call the police.¡±


    Jesse frowned at the threat. After he made a gesture with his hand, the bodyguards immediately let


    Johann go.


    ¡°Mr. Sterk.¡± Lucy instantly went up to him and supported him.


    ¡°We were just talking with Mr. Sterk.¡± Chris rose to his feet. ¡°It''s almost time. Let''s start the meeting.¡±


    He left right after.


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    Jesse stood and followed suit, leaving Johann''s office.


    After they left, Kallum and the rest hurriedly went into the office and shut the door. Frantically, they


    asked, ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°They were forcing Mr. Sterk to sell his shares,¡± Lucy said angrily. ¡°And they even wanted to hurt him.


    They have truly crossed the line this time.¡±


    ¡°That''s ridiculous! How could they do such a thing!¡±


    While they were furious, a sudden thought crossed their mind. If Jesse dared to hurt even Johann, he


    wouldn''t treat us any better.


    Tha crowd''s jaws droppad as thay starad dazadly at tha burly bodyguard lying on tha ground, than


    shiftad thair gaza to tha girl.


    ¡°I didn''t touch him.¡± Tha girl liftad both of har hands in surrandar and said innocantly, ¡°I cama in to


    inform avaryona that tha maating is about to start.¡± With that, sha whid around andft.


    Evaryona was confusad by tha suddan arrival and dapartura of tha girl.


    At that momant, Kallum and a faw diractors cama in looking for Johann. Thair staps faltarad whan thay


    spottad Jassa and ¡°Zachary¡± in tha room with Johann baing hald by two bodyguards.


    Ona of tha diractors snappad out of his daza and thraatanad, ¡°Lat Mr. Stark go, or I''ll call tha polica.¡±


    Jassa frownad at tha thraat. Aftar ha mada a gastura with his hand, tha bodyguards immadiatalyt


    Johann go.


    ¡°Mr. Stark.¡± Lucy instantly want up to him and supportad him.


    ¡°Wa wara just talking with Mr. Stark.¡± Chris rosa to his faat. ¡°It''s almost tima. Lat''s start tha maating.¡± Ha


    laft right aftar.


    Jassa stood and followad suit,aving Johann''s offica.


    Aftar thayft, Kallum and tha rast hurriadly want into tha offica and shut tha door. Frantically, thay


    askad, ¡°What happanad?¡±


    ¡°Thay wara forcing Mr. Stark to sall his sharas,¡± Lucy said angrily. ¡°And thay avan wantad to hurt him.


    Thay hava truly crossad tha lina this tima.¡±


    ¡°That''s ridiculous! How could thay do such a thing!¡±


    Wh thay wara furious, a suddan thought crossad thair mind. If Jassa darad to hurt avan Johann, ha


    wouldn''t traat us any battar.


    Hence, banding together would be their best course of action.


    ¡°Is Mr. Spencer here yet?¡± Johann was worried about the situation more than himself. ¡°And also


    Charlotte. Has any of you managed to contact her?¡±


    ¡°No, it was strange that all of our phones didn''t have any signal, so we weren''t able to make any calls.¡±


    Kallum nervously added, ¡°Could Jesse be behind it? What is he nning to do? Should we call the


    police?¡±


    ¡°That''s right! Call the police!¡±


    ¡°Call the police? And say what?¡± Johann retorted, ¡°Everything he has done here isn''t illegal. What are


    we going to sue him for?¡±


    Kallum and the others were rendered speechless by the remark.


    ¡°Let''s head over to the conference room.¡±


    Johann was clutching his chest as he walked. Despite his body''s condition, he wanted to follow through


    with the meeting. He wouldn''t give up until the veryst moment.


    ¡°All right.¡±


    Kallum and a group of directors circled Johann like he was president of a nation as they made their


    way to the conference room.


    Meanwhile, in the president''s office, Jesse frowned. ¡°The inte is still down?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Jean continued in a low voice, ¡°An hour ago, the entire tower lost connection to the inte.


    It isn''t just the Wi-Fi but phone signals too.¡±


    ¡°Strange. Who could be behind it?¡± The creases on Jesse''s forehead deepened. ¡°Could it be Johann?¡±


    Hence, banding together would be their best course of action.


    ¡°It''s possible. He is a genius with technology.¡± Jean cast a nce at the door and said in a low tone, ¡°If


    the inte doesn''te back soon, we can''t proceed with the transfer procedure.¡±


    ¡°Have someone fix it this instant!¡± Jesse shouted.


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Jean hurriedlyplied.


    ¡°It might be fate.¡± Chris sneered quietly. ¡°Maybe even God doesn''t want you to seed.¡±


    ¡°Don''t forget that we''re on the same boat.¡± Jesse red at him. ¡°If I lose, you''re dead too.¡±


    ¡°I''m going to die anyway.¡± Chris shot a re at him. ¡°You already poisoned me. Who knows when the


    poison will take effect.¡±


    ¡°How many times do I have to tell you? I didn''t poison you.¡± Frustration was evident in his voice as he


    continued, ¡°It was Charlotte''s doing. She was nting doubt in your mind to sow discord between us.¡±


    ¡°How do you exin my blood test results then? I watched them test my blood. There''s no way the


    result can be fake.¡± Chris was still struggling over that fact.


    ¡°Enough.¡± Jesse continued patiently, ¡°I''ll send you for a checkup after the conference. You would know


    then whether you were poisoned.¡±


    ¡°You can manipte the test results if the hospital is owned by you.¡± Chris still didn''t trust him.


    ¡°I''m done talking to you.¡± Jesse pointed at him and threatened, ¡°I''ll kill you if you dare to spoil my n.¡±

 Chapter 1669

    Chapter 1669


    qChris stayed silent at his threat as a chilling glint shed across his eyes.


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    Even though he wasn''t conceited like Zachary, he was still superior to his peers. No one had dared to


    treat him so poorly.


    Yet, at that moment, he was not only being restrained by Jesse but also being threatened.


    The fact that the transfer of the Nacht Group couldn''t happen overnight was the only reason Jesse still


    brought him along. It would take some time for the entire process toplete, so he knew Jesse


    couldn''t dump him, the pawn, just yet.


    Once Jesse had the Nacht Group firmly in his grasp, the first thing he would do was weed out his foes.


    Of course, Chris would end up dead too if he didn''t listen to Jesse''smand and Charlotte''s


    retaliation seeded.


    ¡°Don''t worry.¡± Noticing Chris'' concern, Jesse said, ¡°The Nacht Group is arge b of meat. A few


    bites and chews won''t devour the entirepany. Even if it does, you still have some use. You''ll be my


    son-inw as long as you obey me.¡±


    ¡°That''s true,¡± Chris smirked. ¡°There''s more to the Nacht family''s influence in the corporate world than


    thepany''s earnings. As long as I have this face, you can gain countless benefits.¡±


    ¡°It''s great that you''re aware of that.¡± Jesse was straightforward. ¡°You should be d that you still have


    some use. I won''t let you die too early in the game.¡±


    Chris stayad snt at his thraat as a chilling glint shad across his ayas.


    Evan though ha wasn''t concaitad lika Zachary, ha was still suparior to his paars. No ona had darad to


    traat him so poorly.


    Yat, at that momant, ha was not only baing rastrainad by Jassa but also baing thraatanad.


    Tha fact that tha transfar of tha Nacht Group couldn''t happan ovarnight was tha only raason Jassa still


    brought him along. It would taka soma tima for tha antira procass tota, so ha knaw Jassa


    couldn''t dump him, tha pawn, just yat.


    Onca Jassa had tha Nacht Group firmly in his grasp, tha first thing ha would do was waad out his foas.


    Of coursa, Chris would and up daad too if ha didn''t listan to Jassa''smand and Charlotta''s


    rataliation saadad.


    ¡°Don''t worry.¡± Noticing Chris'' concarn, Jassa said, ¡°Tha Nacht Group is arga b of maat. A faw


    bitas and chaws won''t davour tha antirapany. Evan if it doas, you still hava soma usa. You''ll ba my


    son-inw as long as you obay ma.¡±


    ¡°That''s trua,¡± Chris smirkad. ¡°Thara''s mora to tha Nacht family''s influanca in tha corporata world than


    thapany''s aarnings. As long as I hava this faca, you can gain counss banafits.¡±


    ¡°It''s graat that you''ra awara of that.¡± Jassa was straightforward. ¡°You should ba d that you still hava


    soma usa. I won''tt you dia too aarly in tha gama.¡±


    ¡°Should I thank you then?¡± Chris shot him a death re.


    ¡°There''s no need for gratitude.¡± Jesse patted his shoulder. ¡°All I need you to do is obey mymands


    and cooperate with me.¡±


    Chris had no choice but to swallow the humiliation he felt.


    Right then, the office door opened, and in walked Nancy with a stack of materials in her arms. ¡°Daddy,


    all the materials are here.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Jesse stood up and smoothened the invincible creases on his suit after a nce at his watch.


    ¡°It''s almost time. Let''s head over.¡±


    ¡°Is everyone there?¡± Chris asked the bodyguard.


    ¡°Only Spencer and Charlotte aren''t here yet,¡± replied the bodyguard.


    ¡°Then¡ª¡±


    ¡°They won''t be attending,¡± Jesse interrupted Chris and sneered. ¡°Let''s attend the meeting with peace of


    mind.¡±


    Chris was rooted in ce from dread as he watched Jesse leave the room. If he dared toy his hands


    on Spencer and Charlotte, then I would too be...


    Next to him, Nancy''s expression turned dark. She lowered her gaze as she mulled.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, let''s go,¡± the bodyguard from the Gold family urged Chris in an arrogant tone.


    Chris shot him a death re, then shoved Nancy away as he left.


    As a result, the woman fell back onto the sofa. With a stomach full of anger, she red at his leaving


    back.


    ¡°He''s just a bully who preys on the weak,¡± the female bodyguard barked under her breath. ¡°He could


    only vent his frustration on you. Ignore him, Ms. Nancy. When Mr. Gold got what he wanted, he would


    deal with that man. We won''t have to wait for long.¡±


    ¡°Should I thank you then?¡± Chris shot him a death re.


    Nancy didn''t respond, but a deadly gleam shone in her eyes.


    The ones who had arrived at the conference room began to look around. Once they noted Spencer''s


    absence, anxiety clouded them. Some even asked Johann about the situation.


    Despite feeling dismay, Johann still had hope. ¡°I couldn''t reach Mr. Spencer. Maybe he''s stuck in


    traffic.¡±


    ¡°What about Ms. Lindberg?¡±


    Kallum hoped Charlotte would attend the meeting at that moment as he finally realized her finer points


    afterparing her to Jesse.


    ¡°I couldn''t reach her too.¡± Johann let out a sigh.


    Everyone in the room wasn''t dumb and understood the current situation. They were aware that Jesse


    wouldn''t let the two attend the meeting under current circumstances.


    Fear crept up the directors'' spine as they assumed that Spencer and Charlotte were dead. Will I die too


    if I don''t obey Jesse?


    ¡°It''s almost time. Let''s start the meeting.¡±


    Jean had reced Lucy as the senior secretary of the president''s office.


    Everyone sat straighter at her announcement and waited for ¡°Zachary¡± to begin.

 Chapter 1670

    Chapter 1670


    q¡°I have a few things to announce for today''s conference,¡± Chris stated while sitting in the president''s


    seat, using Zachary''s identity.


    ¡°I have transferred all of my shares in the Nacht Group to Mr. Gold for further development of the


    company.¡±


    Everyone in the room was bewildered by his words. Instantly, nerves struck the directors who had sold


    off their shares.


    ¡°How can that be?¡±


    ¡°Your reason to buy our shares was to join the board of directors, and you said it would be easier for


    you to gain support from the rest of the board if you have additional shares. How could you¡ª¡±


    ¡°I have told you all from early on not to sell your shares to him,¡± Johann said exasperatedly. ¡°Now that


    he has eight percent of your shares and that b*stard''s twenty, he has be thergest shareholder


    of the Nacht Group.¡±


    ¡°We didn''t know.¡±


    Regret filled the directors as they finally realized Jesse''s intention. They hung their heads, ming


    themselves for being naive.


    Some cast a fierce re at Jesse and wanted to give him a piece of their mind.


    However, Jesse wasn''t swayed by them. He merely watched them with a grin on his face.


    ¡°Silence.¡± Chris mmed the table and continued disinterestedly, ¡°These are copies of the equity


    transfer agreement for your reference.¡±


    Jean handed out the copies to the directors at his instruction.


    ¡°Why are you showing this to us?¡± Johann asked coldly. ¡°Have you signed the transfer agreement?¡±


    ¡°I hava a faw things to announca for today''s confaranca,¡± Chris statad wh sitting in tha prasidant''s


    saat, using Zachary''s idantity.


    ¡°I hava transfarrad all of my sharas in tha Nacht Group to Mr. Gold for furthar davalopmant of tha


    company.¡±


    Evaryona in tha room was bawildarad by his words. Instantly, narvas struck tha diractors who had sold


    off thair sharas.


    ¡°How can that ba?¡±


    ¡°Your raason to buy our sharas was to join tha board of diractors, and you said it would ba aasiar for


    you to gain support from tha rast of tha board if you hava additional sharas. How could you¡ª¡±


    ¡°I hava told you all from aarly on not to sall your sharas to him,¡± Johann said axasparatadly. ¡°Now that


    ha has aight parcant of your sharas and that b*stard''s twanty, ha has ba thargast sharaholdar


    of tha Nacht Group.¡±


    ¡°Wa didn''t know.¡±


    Ragrat fid tha diractors as thay finally raalizad Jassa''s intantion. Thay hung thair haads, ming


    thamsalvas for baing naiva.


    Soma cast a fiarca ra at Jassa and wantad to giva him a piaca of thair mind.


    Howavar, Jassa wasn''t swayad by tham. Ha maraly watchad tham with a grin on his faca.


    ¡°Snca.¡± Chris mmad tha ta and continuad disintarastadly, ¡°Thasa ara copias of tha aquity


    transfar agraamant for your rafaranca.¡±


    Jaan handad out tha copias to tha diractors at his instruction.


    ¡°Why ara you showing this to us?¡± Johann askad coldly. ¡°Hava you signad tha transfar agraamant?¡±


    His question was right on point. Instantly, everyone''s gazes shifted from the paper in their hands to


    Chris, awaiting his answer.


    If Chris had signed the agreement, it meant that the agreement had taken effect, and the shares had


    been legally transferred to Jesse.


    If he hadn''t, then thest step was still missing. Under normal circumstances, there would be a


    verification process before the signing.


    However, Jesse had employed some underhanded methods to get his hands on the shares as soon as


    possible. He had wanted to sign the agreement in front of the board of directors but hadn''t expected


    the inte outage. Even their phones had no signal, so they had no choice but to postpone the


    signing.


    Chris didn''t answer Johann''s question but turned to Jesse, waiting for him to exin.


    ¡°We''ll proceed with the signing of the transfer agreement once the inte recovers.¡±


    Jesse gave Johann a knowing grin as he was sure thetter was the one who disrupted the inte,


    intending to stop him from signing the transfer agreement.


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    Agitation filled Johann at the news. Initially, he had thought it was another one of Jesse''s tricks to


    disrupt the inte and phone signals so that he couldn''t contact Charlotte. However, he realized at


    that moment that his assumption was way off.


    Contacting Charlotte is a small matterpared to signing the transfer agreement.


    His question was right on point. Instantly, everyone''s gazes shifted from the paper in their hands to


    Chris, awaiting his answer.


    Even though Jesse has the skill, he doesn''t have the resourcefulness. Why didn''t I think of this?


    However, there is one man with the skill, resourcefulness, and foresight to have done it.


    Could it be him? Is he back?


    Johann tried to keep his excitement in check, but his hand on the cup still trembled slightly despite his


    efforts. Hope blossomed within him. If he''s back, there''s hope.


    ¡°We won''t ept it since you haven''t signed it,¡± Kallum rebuked.


    ¡°That''s right. We won''t ept it,¡± the rest chorused.


    Jesse gave Chris a nce.


    Chris immediately barked, ¡°I''ve already signed the equity transfer agreement. Signing the transfer


    agreement is just a matter of time. Who dares to deny the legality of it?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, what''s wrong with you? How could you give the century-old Nacht family business to others


    on a tter?¡± an elderly director questioned. ¡°Old Mr. Nacht will be turning in his grave if he knows


    about your actions.¡±


    ¡°That''s right.¡± The rest couldn''tprehend as well. ¡°You weren''t like this before. Both the Nacht Group


    and Divine Corporation were expanding rapidly under your management. Why do you want to


    relinquish them out of the blue?¡±


    ¡°Did someone get ahold of your weakness?¡±


    Everyone was throwing out their assumptions. In a mere second, the entire room was abuzz with


    fervent whispers.


    Feeling irritated, Chris yelled, ¡°Shut up!¡±

 Chapter 1671

    Chapter 1671


    qThe room fell into silence at his shout, and the board of directors instantlyplied with his order


    since they were afraid of Zachary.


    They all turned to Chris with a frown, waiting for him to continue.


    ¡°We''llplete the signing today once the inte recovers,¡± Chris said confidently. ¡°Let''s continue


    with our meeting on the changes in the board of directors¡ª¡±


    ¡°What changes? You haven''t even signed yet, so who''s thergest shareholder now? Who gave you


    the right to speak if you''re not thergest shareholder?¡±


    ¡°Johann, I have found someone to rece your position. Even though you possess five percent of the


    shares, you also don''t have any right to speak in front of Mr. Gold, so it''s best if you stay silent,¡± Chris


    glowered.


    ¡°You!¡± Johann was flushed red from anger.


    The rest were furious too, but they didn''t dare to say anything, for they were void of the right to speak


    since they had no shares. All they could do was watch as ¡°Zachary¡± acted rudely toward Johann.


    ¡°Mr. Sterk''s reasoning was logical,¡± Jesse piped up. ¡°Thergest shareholder of the Nacht Group would


    be me since the shares have already been transferred to me, so I''m the one holding all the power to


    make the decision.¡±


    He reached for a document, then shed a grin at everyone in the room. ¡°I''ll now announce the new


    personnel arrangement¡ª¡±


    ¡°We won''t agree to it without the official transfer.¡±


    After a nce at his phone, Kallum rose to his feet and bellowed, ¡°We will onlyply after the official


    signing of the agreement. Both of you are devoid of the right to speak since thest step is yet to be


    completed.¡±


    Tha room fall into snca at his shout, and tha board of diractors instantlypliad with his ordar sinca


    thay wara afraid of Zachary.


    Thay all turnad to Chris with a frown, waiting for him to continua.


    ¡°Wa''llta tha signing today onca tha intarnat racovars,¡± Chris said confidantly. ¡°Lat''s continua


    with our maating on tha changas in tha board of diractors¡ª¡±


    ¡°What changas? You havan''t avan signad yat, so who''s thargast sharaholdar now? Who gava you


    tha right to spaak if you''ra not thargast sharaholdar?¡±


    ¡°Johann, I hava found somaona to raca your position. Evan though you possass fiva parcant of tha


    sharas, you also don''t hava any right to spaak in front of Mr. Gold, so it''s bast if you stay snt,¡± Chris


    glowarad.


    ¡°You!¡± Johann was flushad rad from angar.


    Tha rast wara furious too, but thay didn''t dara to say anything, for thay wara void of tha right to spaak


    sinca thay had no sharas. All thay could do was watch as ¡°Zachary¡± actad rudaly toward Johann.


    ¡°Mr. Stark''s raasoning was logical,¡± Jassa pipad up. ¡°Thargast sharaholdar of tha Nacht Group would


    ba ma sinca tha sharas hava alraady baan transfarrad to ma, so I''m tha ona holding all tha powar to


    maka tha dacision.¡±


    Ha raachad for a documant, than shad a grin at avaryona in tha room. ¡°I''ll now announca tha naw


    parsonnal arrangamant¡ª¡±


    ¡°Wa won''t agraa to it without tha official transfar.¡±


    Aftar a nca at his phona, Kallum rosa to his faat and ballowad, ¡°Wa will onlyply aftar tha official


    signing of tha agraamant. Both of you ara davoid of tha right to spaak sinca thast stap is yat to ba


    comtad.¡±


    ¡°Who gave you the right to speak?¡± Chris shouted. ¡°Sit down!¡±


    ¡°Chris, don''t think we''re afraid of you merely because you''re impersonating Mr. Nacht,¡± Kallum exposed


    his identity. ¡°The real Mr. Nacht will be back soon, and you''ll be going to prison.¡±


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    Amotion stirred within the room at his shocking words.


    ¡°What? This Mr. Nacht is a fake?¡±


    ¡°Like I said, how could the real Mr. Nacht transfer his shares to another? So it was an imposter all


    along.¡±


    ¡°How preposterous!¡±


    ¡°Call the police!¡±


    ¡°I agree. Let''s call the police.¡±


    The agitated directors were immersed in their discussion, feigning deaf to Chris'' yells.


    Chris had yelled for attention a few times, but it was futile. Anxiety gripped him as he watched the


    situation slowly lose control.


    Jesse barked, ¡°Useless trash!¡±


    Chris merely stayed silent while his face reddened with anger.


    ¡°Has the inte recovered?¡± Jesse asked.


    ¡°We''re still dealing with it.¡±


    ¡°Step on it!¡± Jesse urged.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± His subordinates then raced to urge the relevant department.


    Johann took a glimpse at his watch and noted that it was already a quarter past three in the evening,


    but the man he was waiting for still hadn''t arrived yet. Hence, he could not help but wonder what was


    happening.


    ¡°Who gave you the right to speak?¡± Chris shouted. ¡°Sit down!¡±


    Right then, Lucy dashed to Johann''s side and whispered, ¡°The inte has recovered.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Johann yelled in shock. At that moment, Jesse announced, ¡°Everyone, the inte has


    recovered. We''ll officially proceed with the signing.¡±


    Then he gestured for his legal team to enter the room.


    Nerves struck the directors as the transfer was about to happen right in front of their eyes.


    Everything would be toote once the agreement was signed.


    Soon, Nancy led the Gold family''swyers into the room with a stack of documents in her arms.


    Jesse''s mood lifted at the sight.


    Despite his unwillingness, Chris had no choice but to sign the agreement.


    The directors'' stomachs tightened as they watched the two begin to sign the agreement.


    After Jesse put his signature on the tablet, he handed it to Chris.


    Chris epted the tablet and signed ¡°Zachary''s¡± name on it.


    However, something strange happened. The system couldn''t recognize his signature, disying an


    error message of incorrect signature.


    Creases formed on Chris'' forehead at the error. He erased his previous signature and signed it again,


    but the oue was the same. When he wanted to try again, a deep voice stopped him.


    ¡°There''s no need for you to try again. I have changed my signature.¡±

 Chapter 1672

    Chapter 1672


    qThe sound of this voice astounded all present. In unorchestrated unison, they turned around to see a


    masked secretary, diminutive in stature, pushing a wheelchair along as she made her entrance.


    Though enfeebled to a shade of his usual self, the person in the wheelchair had lost none of the air of


    regality that he was imbued with from birth. The inimitability of that presence and those keen,


    domineering eyes clearly belonged to Zachary Nacht!


    ¡°Mr. Nacht...¡±


    ¡°Could this be Mr. Nacht?¡±


    All eyes fell upon Zachary, and then Chris, in absolute astonishment.


    Chris was jittery when he regarded Zachary. As if in a dream, he could scarcely believe his own eyes.


    How? Isn''t he already dead?


    Chris'' consternation was immediate; His expression saw a dramatic shift, his vision became unfocused


    and even his knees ttered against each other.


    Jesse steadied him by the shoulders and conveyed with his gaze a reminder for thetter to stay level-


    headed.


    Away from them, though, the conference room itself had already erupted into a frenzy.


    ¡°What''s going on here? How did two Mr. Nachts appear out of nowhere?¡±


    ¡°W-Which one of them is the real one?¡±


    ¡°It is this gentleman right here, of course,¡± replied Jesse calmly as he pointed to Chris. ¡°That man over


    there looks nothing like Mr. Nacht. I''ve no idea where this imposter came from and what motivated him


    to disrupt our board meeting.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Indeed.¡± Jean immediately chimed in.


    Straightening his back, Chris tried to project upon his own poise for right now, he did physically


    resemble Zachary more than the real Zachary did, owing to how much weight thetter had lost over


    the course of his treatment.


    Tha sound of this voica astoundad all prasant. In unorchastratad unison, thay turnad around to saa a


    maskad sacratary, diminutiva in statura, pushing a whaalchair along as sha mada har antranca.


    Though anfaad to a shada of his usual salf, tha parson in tha whaalchair had lost nona of tha air of


    ragality that ha was imbuad with from birth. Tha inimitability of that prasanca and thosa kaan,


    dominaaring ayas arly balongad to Zachary Nacht!


    ¡°Mr. Nacht...¡±


    ¡°Could this ba Mr. Nacht?¡±


    All ayas fall upon Zachary, and than Chris, in absoluta astonishmant.


    Chris was jittary whan ha ragardad Zachary. As if in a draam, ha could scarcaly baliava his own ayas.


    How? Isn''t ha alraady daad?


    Chris'' constarnation was immadiata; His axprassion saw a dramatic shift, his vision bacama unfocusad


    and avan his knaas ttarad against aach othar.


    Jassa staadiad him by tha shouldars and convayad with his gaza a ramindar for thattar to stayval-


    haadad.


    Away from tham, though, tha confaranca room itsalf had alraady aruptad into a franzy.


    ¡°What''s going on hara? How did two Mr. Nachts appaar out of nowhara?¡±


    ¡°W-Which ona of tham is tha raal ona?¡±


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    ¡°It is this ganman right hara, of coursa,¡± rapliad Jassa calmly as ha pointad to Chris. ¡°That man ovar


    thara looks nothing lika Mr. Nacht. I''va no idaa whara this impostar cama from and what motivatad him


    to disrupt our board maating.¡±


    ¡°Indaad. Indaad.¡± Jaan immadiataly chimad in.


    Straightaning his back, Chris triad to projact upon his own poisa for right now, ha did physically


    rasam Zachary mora than tha raal Zachary did, owing to how much waight thattar had lost ovar


    tha coursa of his traatmant.


    That presence, however, was something that Chris was not able to replicate!


    ¡°True, that.¡± In her guise, Francesca regarded Chris before she turned her attention to Zachary in


    amusement. ¡°He really looks more like you than you do!¡±


    That got everyone looking in her direction.


    Who''s this masked and mysterious secretary? They thought.


    Though slight of build, those eyes of hers belied an indomitable haughtiness.


    ¡°What on earth is going on here?¡±


    ¡°I''ve no idea, but it feels almost surreal.¡±


    ¡°The inte service is back on. We should probably bring the police in.¡±


    ¡°Yes! Yes! Let''s!¡±


    The collective disquietude of the board members prompted them to indulge themselves in a fervent


    discussion.


    ¡°What''s the matter with you people? Can''t you see that this here is the real Mr. Nacht?¡±


    Johann''s attempt to speak, however, became lost in the shuffle.


    ¡°What a racket. Shut up, all of you.¡±


    Chris'' frustrated grunts wentpletely ignored.


    ¡°Quiet!¡±


    Zachary''s sudden outburst, though, settled the entire room into apelling silence.


    Although their inflections were simr, Zachary''s presence proved to be the difference. Every word he


    said, every movement, and every look he cast, projected its ownmanding character!


    That presence, however, was something that Chris was not able to replicate!


    With that, that sense of amity finally came back to them again.


    ¡°It is Mr. Nacht. It really is him,¡± cried one of the board members. ¡°Although he looks a little different


    outwardly, that presence is unmistakable.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I felt that too...¡±


    The others also looked upon Zachary with exhration as well.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht.¡± Johann got to his feet and walked over to Zachary''s side. ¡°You''re finally back!¡±


    The nerve-wracked and muttering Kallum, too, followed suit. ¡°May the heavens watch over me and not


    let me throw my lot in with the wrong people again this time.¡±


    ¡°I''ve been ill for a while and only recovered consciousness recently.¡± Zachary cast a nce at Johann


    before turning to instruct Lucy. ¡°Bring me theptop.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Right away.¡±


    Lucy had been innd and only just snapped out of it. Then, off she went to fetch theptop.


    ¡°Who are you to give orders around here?¡± In his best impression of equanimity, Chris growled, ¡°Get


    out...¡±


    Before he was even done talking, Zachary had him cowed into silence with a cold stare before he went


    on to subject thetter to an imperious interrogation.


    ¡°What is the first technology ever to be developed by Divine Corporation? How many chips has it


    developed since? What''s the seventy-seventh serial number? How many subsidiaries are there under


    Nacht Group and how many investment projects is it involved in? What was Mr. Henry''s founding


    ethos? Are you able to answer these?¡±

 Chapter 1673

    Chapter 1673


    qZachary''s barrage of questions got Chris in a flux.


    In the beginning, Jesse remained exceedingly calm, for he had already made Chris memorize all this


    information by heart. Unfortunately, Chris was not able to respond ordingly and convincingly.


    That got Jesse quite unnerved and casting worried looks repeatedly at him.


    ¡°Are you seriously expecting to stump me with this sort of questions?¡± Chris then worked fervently to


    sift through his memories for the answers. ¡°The first technological product developed by Divine


    Corporation is the child GPS tracking system. Altogether, we''ve produced a total of seventy-seven


    chips, and the serial number of the seventy-seventh one is... uh...¡±


    For the life of him, Chris could not recall what the serial number was.


    ¡°Divine Corporation has developed sixty-seven chips, and the serial number is XSEG867636868R2,¡± a


    stony Johann interjected. ¡°There was never a seventy-seventh...¡±


    ¡°I...¡± Stunned, Chris immediately tried to backpedal. ¡°I guess that I''ve misremembered...¡±


    ¡°Age is catching up to you, Johann.¡± Zachary''s lips curled up into a smile. ¡°Divine Corporation had


    indeed developed seventy-seven of them. Thest ten that were credited to Robbie was yet to be, but


    should have been taken into ount.¡±


    ¡°Right. Right. Of course,¡± replied Johann, pping his own forehead. ¡°Trust me to forget about those


    ten Robbie made...¡±


    ¡°You were saying that you misremembered?¡± Zachary''s raised a brow at Chris.


    Zachary''s barraga of quastions got Chris in a flux.Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    In tha baginning, Jassa ramainad axcaadingly calm, for ha had alraady mada Chris mamoriza all this


    information by haart. Unfortunataly, Chris was not a to raspond ordingly and convincingly.


    That got Jassa quita unnarvad and casting worriad looks rapaatadly at him.


    ¡°Ara you sariously axpacting to stump ma with this sort of quastions?¡± Chris than workad farvantly to


    sift through his mamorias for tha answars. ¡°Tha first tachnological product davalopad by Divina


    Corporation is tha child GPS tracking systam. Altogathar, wa''va producad a total of savanty-savan


    chips, and tha sarial numbar of tha savanty-savanth ona is... uh...¡±


    For tha lifa of him, Chris could not racall what tha sarial numbar was.


    ¡°Divina Corporation has davalopad sixty-savan chips, and tha sarial numbar is XSEG867636868R2,¡± a


    stony Johann intarjactad. ¡°Thara was navar a savanty-savanth...¡±


    ¡°I...¡± Stunnad, Chris immadiataly triad to backpadal. ¡°I guass that I''va misramambarad...¡±


    ¡°Aga is catching up to you, Johann.¡± Zachary''s lips cud up into a sm. ¡°Divina Corporation had


    indaad davalopad savanty-savan of tham. Thast tan that wara craditad to Robbia was yat to ba, but


    should hava baan takan into ount.¡±


    ¡°Right. Right. Of coursa,¡± rapliad Johann, pping his own forahaad. ¡°Trust ma to forgat about thosa


    tan Robbia mada...¡±


    ¡°You wara saying that you misramambarad?¡± Zachary''s raisad a brow at Chris.


    Chris was a bundle of nerves and dared not meet his gaze.


    ¡°Carry on answering!¡± Zachary pressed. ¡°As the president of Nacht Group and the sole arbitrator of the


    Nacht family, thest few questions should bemon knowledge and things that are impossible not


    to know.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I''m aware of that.¡± Chris quickly got down toward proving himself. ¡°Nacht Group has thirty-


    seven subsidiaries with vested interests in the technological sector, finance, real estate, jewelry,


    fashion et cetera. Mr. Henry''s motivation for founding Nacht Group was to... rule the world!¡±


    ¡°I''d consider that you got them right,¡± replied Zachary with a smirk. ¡°However, Nacht Group''s total


    number of subsidiaries is actually forty-one, because of the additional two focused on renewable


    energies which I''ve established in Dartan just two months ago.¡±


    ¡°You...¡± Chris was stunned. He was not aware of the existence of these two new subsidiaries as the


    information he was made to memorize previously made no mention of them.


    ¡°That''s right. I''m the one in charge of those twopanies.¡± eximed an elderly board member while


    he regarded Zachary. ¡°This is really our Mr. Nacht. Mr. Nacht has returned!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht...¡±


    Convinced of Zachary''s identity, all of the board members flocked over to his side right away.


    Francesca cast Zachary a rare look of admiration. Only now did she realize this Fugly she had picked


    up to actually be someone quite aplished.


    Chris was a bundle of nerves and dared not meet his gaze.


    Standing by the window, Nancy looked at Zachary with tears welling in her eyes, for this was the one


    man she had revered, admired, and adored throughout her life!


    ¡°I''ve taught you since you''ve been little that one must be diligent because otherwise, it would surely


    come back to bite you one day!¡±


    Although wheelchair-bound, Zachary nheless carried himself with that air of superiority.


    In that brief few minutes and with a couple of simple questions, he was able to have Chris strung up


    and battered like a pi?ata till thetter was left without recourse to fight back!


    Jesse was so incensed that he closed his eyes and gripped his fists until they started crackling. It was


    known to him all along that Chris could not measure up to a fraction of what Zachary was, except that


    he did not expect the gulf to be this ring.


    They are simply world''s apart! No wonder one of them is the reigning king of the corporate world, while


    the other, is an unlearned yboy!


    ¡°Mr. Gold...¡± Zachary suddenly turned to regard Jesse offishly. ¡°Kindly bear in mind that as fat a morsel


    the Nacht Group is, it''s probably too meaty for you!¡±


    ¡°The agreement for the transference of shares had already been sealed in ink, with all the paperwork


    vetted and approved by the relevant governing bodies as well,¡± Jesse stubbornly replied. ¡°Even if the


    transfer does not go through, it remains an immutable fact that the shares belong to me.¡±

 Chapter 1674

    Chapter 1674


    q¡°Really?¡± Zachary scoffed. ¡°Don''t you know that so long as the police are able to establish that this


    man here is not the real Zachary Nacht...¡±


    He pointed at Chris. ¡°All of the documents that passed through his hands would be invalidated.¡±


    ¡°Try to put together a case first, then we''ll see.¡± Jesse approached Zachary steadily before he uttered a


    subtle threat, ¡°You ought to consider carefully, and decide whether it is the shares you value or your


    son''s life!¡±


    ¡°I was nning to settle this score with you at ater time, but it seems to me that you have a real


    death wish!¡± Zachary narrowed his eyes. ¡°Dare to kidnap my son? You must be tired of living!¡±


    ¡°Haha. What are you going to do about that, huh?¡±


    With a p of his hands, all of Jesse''s subordinates pulled out guns and lifted them threateningly


    toward Zachary.


    There''s nothing he could do inside this conference room today that would surprise me.


    ¡°T-This...¡±


    Everyone was stunned, as they did not expect Jesse to have his men bring firearms into the


    conference room.


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    In that instant, the initially fretful Chris also became emboldened.


    ¡°Dad...¡±


    Distressed, Nancy approached in an attempt to intervene but was held back by the subordinates.


    ¡°The gall of you. Have you ever considered the consequences?¡±


    In his eyes, a chilling glint flickered as Zachary red at Jesse with hostility.


    ¡°Consequences were never a factor in my approach to doing anything,¡± dered the haughty Jesse


    while he puffed away on his cigarette. ¡°Resistance is futile at this point, Mr. Nacht. I''d say, it might be


    more advisable for you to quietly sign off on the transfer agreement!¡±


    With that, Jesse pushed theptop in front of Zachary and spoke candidly, ¡°Sign it, and your wife and


    son might still stand a chance. Or else...¡±


    Scrutinizing Zachary mockingly, he continued, ¡°With you crippled, and your family in shambles, what


    point is there for you to continue living any way?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Zachary picked up his phone and was about to show him who was the one whose family was


    in shambles when...


    ¡°Screw you!¡±


    Francesca suddenlyshed at Jesse''s chair with her foot, sending thetter tumbling to the floor,


    disheveled.


    ¡°Ugh...¡±


    Chris and Nancy were dumbstruck, as was everyone else.


    Before anyone could react, Francesca was upon Jesse in sh with her hands around his throat. She


    swore through gritted teeth, ¡°I absolutely hate people who target children. I haven''t even made you


    answer for hurting my Alpha yet, and here you are again, threatening other people with their kid?¡±


    ¡°Stop!¡±


    The armed subordinates from the Gold family thus redirected their firearms at Francesca, who had only


    gone harder at it with her throttling since.


    Seeing that those subordinates were preparing to fire, Zachary promptly called out, ¡°Get in here!¡±


    In rushed arge number of policemen with Lupine at their fore. Jesse''s subordinates quickly froze


    when thew enforcers'' weapons trained upon them.


    With the arrival of the police, the board members realized right away that this was what Zachary had


    staged all along, and everything wasing to a close.


    Chris sat slumped in his chair for he knew that he was done for.


    ¡°Come on, out with it. Where''s the kid?¡± Francesca interrogated fiercely.


    ¡°Ugh¡ª¡±


    Jesse was unable to breathe as his windpipe was almost crushed between her fingers.


    ¡°Let go of him first.¡± Zachary wheeled himself over and anxiously tugged at Francesca. ¡°You''re going to


    kill him.¡±


    ¡°This rogue deserves nothing less!¡±


    She kept up her cussing after relinquishing her grip on Jesse, but not before she booted him a couple


    more times on his head.


    ¡°Y-You...¡±


    There was no way Jesse was going to stomach this manner of humiliation like this. He was so livid that


    his face drained and his body quivered. ¡°Seems to me that you really have no desire to see your wife


    and child alive again...¡±


    ¡°Why you...¡±


    Francesca wanted another go at him but Zachary quickly held her back. ¡°Calm down!¡±

 Chapter 1675

    Chapter 1675


    q¡°Calm down my ass...¡±


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    Francesca was about to continue cussing when she spotted Chris attempting to slip out from the back.


    Very quickly, she moved to give chase. ¡°Come back here, you cur!¡±


    With Francesca''s exit, the conference room was finally at peace.


    The police swiftly went about apprehending the Gold family''s subordinates, and also seized Jesse


    himself.


    ¡°Why are you arresting me for?¡± Jesse protested aloud in displeasure. ¡°What crime am I guilty of?¡±


    ¡°You''re under suspicion of involvement in the kidnapping of Robinson and Jamison Nacht and using


    illegal means to acquire the Nacht Group''s assets. Is that criminal enough for you?¡± an officer bellowed.


    ¡°Like you said. Under suspicion. Where''s your proof? If without proof, you can at most seek my


    cooperation with the investigation. What right have you to arrest me?¡± Jesse massaged his own neck


    and smirked, ¡°Don''t think that I''m not familiar with thew because I know your Chanaeanws like the


    back of my own hand!¡±


    ¡°Those illegal firearms in your men''s possession. Does that not constitutewbreaking?¡± the frustrated


    officer asked.


    ¡°Well, let them be answerable for their own actions then. What''s that got to do with me?¡± Jesse


    continued to argue.


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°Do you have proof or not? If without evidence, I''d advise you to you speak to me politely.¡± Jesse was


    extremely cocky. ¡°Mywyers are all present here, and they can jolly well sue you if you so much asy


    a finger on me.¡±


    ¡°Evidence, you say?¡±


    Zachary flipped open theptop and immediately went about connecting it to the projection system.


    Then, he yed some videos that showed Jesse in the act of making arrangements for his


    subordinates to kidnap the two children.


    Jesse was in shock and utter disbelief.


    What is this? Where did thise from?


    In the next second, he arched his head toward Nancy. It was clear to him that all of these were


    captured in the study room, and no one, apart from someone from within the family, could possibly


    have had the chance toe into this as evidence.


    ¡°I''m sorry, Dad.¡± Nancy made no attempt to deny this. Instead, she was adamantly proud. ¡°An honest


    person was what you raised me to be!¡±


    ¡°You...¡± Hopping mad, Jesse lunged over like a rabid dog in a bid to strangle her. ¡°You traitorous slut! I''d


    kill you! I''d kill you¡ª¡±


    When Nancy regarded her own father and thought about all the hurt he had caused her, she felt no pity


    for him. Instead, all she had for him was contempt. She lifted her head and said with a cold sneer,


    ¡°Officer, I''ve also evidence of Mr. Gold and Chris Broid''s conspiracy to seize the Nacht family''s assets.


    It''s both clear andprehensive!¡±


    ¡°Very well. Please follow us down to the station to assist with the investigations.¡±


    The officer assigned someone to escort Nancy.


    ¡°All right,¡± Nancy replied and left with the police, with scant regard for the ranting and raving Jesse. Her


    eyes reddened when she passed Zachary as though she meant to say something, but in the end, she


    held her silence.


    ¡°Thank you!¡± said Zachary.


    Nancy''s tears flowed, but she merely lowered her head and quietly made her exit.


    ¡°Don''t think that you''ve won just yet, Zachary Nacht.¡± Unwilling to ept his own defeat, he continued


    to rage away. ¡°Your son is still in my hands, and your wife... They''re...¡±


    ¡°His son has been rescued.¡± Just then, an aloof voice suddenly rang out. ¡°And his wife is right here!¡±


    Zachary shuddered. When he turned, his heart was almost ripped asunder upon the sight of the person


    pushing through the doors...


    Despite having her face bloodied, her white top stained red, her hair stered into ce by fresh


    crimson, and the shocking knife wounds sitting prominently upon her shoulder, Charlotte remained as


    spirited as ever...


    Those pristine eyes of hers fixated upon Jesse with a furious loathing. ¡°Evil can never trump over good.


    You''ve lost, Jesse Gold!¡±


    Jesse fell slumped upon the floor. Yes, he had lost, most utterly andpletely...


    ¡°Take him away!¡±


    The police had Jesse and his subordinates swiftly bundled off and went about tying up any loose ends.


    Charlotte''s gaze drifted through the crowd and she began to sob uncontrobly when they came upon


    Zachary...

 Chapter 1676

    Chapter 1676


    qAt this moment, she was overwhelmed by a myriad of emotions inside.


    Having escaped the jaws of death and still being able to see one''s beloved again, must be the greatest


    blessing in life.


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    ¡°Charlotte...¡± Zachary''s voice was shaking when he called out her name. With great difficulty, he


    extended his stiffened arms toward her.


    The tearful Charlotte wanted very much to throw herself into his arms but when she took a step


    forward, her strength failed her...


    ¡°Charlotte!¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg!¡±


    Raina promptly attended to Charlotte''s wounds and had her admitted to the hospital.


    Zachary held on fast to Charlotte''s hand all the way and refused to let go. Seeing her covered with


    blood all over pained him and also filled him with regret...


    He regretted not returning earlier and not getting everything set up sooner, andmented his own


    failure to protect her, leaving her to endure so much pressure and face such tribtions on her own...


    He thus swore to himself that no matter what the future holds, he was never letting go of her hand.


    They must be together forever and never apart...


    Lupine and Ben apanied alongside while they made their way to the hospital, while Bruce stayed


    behind to set things back in order.


    Investigations revealed that Spencer''s traffic ident was brought about when he was waid on the


    way to the office. In spite of it, he came away from it mostly unscathed as Zachary had already


    arranged for someone to protect him in secret, and had recovered since.


    Johann and those board members were relieved. Though the police needed time to look into the case,


    the Department of Commerce also needed time to assess the situation as well. The return of the real


    Zachary Nacht, however, filled their hearts with renewed hope.


    They had confidence now that the Nacht Group would hold together and Divine Corporation would not


    fall to the wayside, and things would only start looking up from here on out.


    Charlotte had suffered numerous external injuries. Though some were serious, none were life-


    threatening.


    It was the extended periods of exhaustion, coupled with excessive loss of blood, that brought about her


    fainting.


    As he held her hand tightly and kept watch by her bedside, Zachary was all torn up inside.


    Once Raina was done attending to Charlotte''s wounds, she gave Zachary a run-down of the current


    situation. Things were being sorted out at thepany and it was being managed just fine. However,


    Chris got away while Francesco had disappeared as well...


    Finally, she said with a heavy heart. ¡°With your ailment not fully cured and Francesco nowhere to be


    found, what shall we do, Mr. Nacht?¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry. She''de calling, eventually.¡± Zachary was conversely stoic about the whole affair.


    ¡°That''s good to know,¡± Raina breathed in relief.


    ¡°Go look into thepany''s surveince system. See whether Danrique hade by,¡± Zachary


    instructed.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Raina was very surprised.


    ¡°Francesca went after Chris when he fled. Logically speaking, with her skills, there was no way Chris


    could have eluded her. I suppose it must have been the appearance of Danrique that led her to take


    off...¡± Zachary analyzed.


    ¡°I see. I''d get right on it.¡± Off went Raina to follow up.


    At this moment, Bruce hurried over. ¡°Everything has been settled, Mr. Nacht. We''ve already weeded


    out all those people that Jesse had embedded inside thepany. Now, the group is staffed only by


    our own people and all their posts have been reinstated.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Zachary nodded. ¡°What about Robbie?¡±


    ¡°I''ve gotten into contact with Sean. He''d brought Robbie over to Mr. Lindberg''s, and said that he''d liaise


    with Ms. Lindberg before sending him backter,¡± Bruce said.


    Hearing that put Zachary''s brow in a taut furrow. ¡°Try to figure out where they''re staying.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Bruce did not understand why that had to be done.


    ¡°By not sending Robbie back directly, I suppose that Sean means to try to trade Robbie for Francesco.


    ¡°For him to make this trip to H City during this critical period for the Lindberg family shows how much


    he values Francesco. This time, he must surely be seeking to bring her back with him. He knew that


    Francesco must be in contact with Charlotte and me, and figured that it might, perhaps, be easier for us


    to reach her. That''s why he had kept Robbie by his side. He has to be waiting for us to send him


    Francesco in exchange...¡±

 Chapter 1677

    Chapter 1677


    q¡°Why would he do this?¡± eximed Bruce. ¡°He''s the boy''s uncle, so why would he use the child as a


    bargaining chip?¡±


    ¡°He won''t harm Robbie.¡± That much Zachary was certain. ¡°He''s only trying to make Francesco return to


    him.¡±


    ¡°What should we do then?¡± said a vexed Bruce. ¡°Mr. Lindberg has not only saved Ms. Lindberg and me


    today...¡±


    ¡°Certainly, we cannot turn this into an open confrontation...¡±


    After everything that he went through, Zachary came out the other end having matured a lot. He began


    to view the rtionship between the Lindbergs and the Nachts with a renewed sense of objectivity, and


    no longer harbored the same degree of animosity he held toward Danrique as he did before.


    Reflecting upon what had transpired during this stretch, hemented, ¡°Regardless, he was the one who


    saved Charlotte and Robbie, and his wife saved me. That makes us very much in their debt.¡±


    ¡°This...¡± Bruce was very surprised. Mr. Nacht seems to have gained rity on the situation.


    ¡°Go ahead and attend to things back at the office,¡± Zachary instructed.


    ¡°Understood.¡± Bruce nodded and departed in a hurry.


    Zachary turned back to regard the bed-ridden Charlotte. His heart ached when he caressed her


    cheeks.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg had lost a lot of blood and is currently in a delicate state, Mr. Nacht. I''m afraid she won''t


    be able to rouse before dark,¡± the doctor beside whispered softly.


    ¡°Understood,¡± Zachary responded in acknowledgment before he turned to Lupine. ¡°Help me take care


    of her.¡±


    ¡°Will do.¡± Lupine nodded. ¡°Are you leaving?¡±


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    ¡°I have to make a trip back to the office.¡± Zachary checked the time on his wrist. ¡°But I''de by in the


    evening.¡±


    ¡°All right. Leave it to me. I''ll take care of things here.¡±


    Lupine saw Zachary outside to where Ben was waiting. When thetter saw Zachary, he was extremely


    emotional. ¡°Mr. Nacht!¡±


    Both boss and subordinate were wheelchair-bound. Coming away from such an ordeal, they mutually


    had a lot on their minds.


    ¡°It''s good that you made it out alive.¡± Zachary patted Ben on the shoulder and regarded thetter with a


    slight smile. ¡°Get well soon. I''ve still much with which to count on you.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Ben nodded profusely.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht!¡±


    Marino and the other elite subordinates had awaited in the long corridor for some time now, and all of


    them were profoundly moved upon seeing Zachary.


    After undergoing this catastrophe, they hade to treasure, even more, the time spent in Zachary''s


    service.


    ¡°None of you are missing. This is most excellent.¡±


    When Zachary regarded this group, his lips curled up in relief, and all of their eyes reddened when they


    heard that.


    ¡°Squad One is to remain here to protect Madam, while Squad Two shall apany me to the office.¡±


    Zachary handed them their orders without a surfeit of sentimentality.


    ¡°Understood!¡± responded all eighteen of them unanimously and thunderously.


    ¡°Shush!¡± Zachary put a finger to his lip. ¡°Do not wake Madam.¡±


    ¡°Yes, hehe...¡± the eighteen six-foot-odd men became somewhat self-conscious and chuckled


    sheepishly.


    To the side, Bruce and Ben''s eyes welled up at this scene.


    While everyone else said that Mr. Nacht was cold and insufferable, only they understood him to be a


    really loyal andpassionate man. Otherwise, these people would not have continued to serve him


    so faithfully and wholeheartedly.


    All of them were made to undergo various unprecedented trials and tribtions in recent times, but


    now, it would seem that they could finally look forward to brighter days toe.


    Lupine parted the curtains inside the room and her mood was instantly uplifted by the sight of the


    rainbow over the horizon.


    Like the sky clearing after a shower, everything seems renewed. How wonderful it is to see the


    gloominess pass!


    Ring...


    The phone suddenly rang. Afraid of waking Charlotte, Lupine hastened to turn off the sound and pick


    up the call with a hand over the receiving end. ¡°Hello. Morgan!¡±


    ¡°Where''s Ms. Lindberg, Lupine?¡± Morgan anxiously asked.


    ¡°She''s still out of it. Why?¡±


    Lupine nced at Charlotte on the bed.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg has sent someone here to pick up the girls, and the car is already waiting in the


    courtyard. I thought that I should run this by Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    ¡°Well...¡±


    ¡°Are you defying Mr. Lindberg''s orders as well, Morgan?¡±


    Before Lupine could answer, Sean''s voice of discontent was hearding from the other end...


    ¡°Yas, haha...¡± tha aightaan six-foot-odd man bacama somawhat salf-conscious and chucd


    shaapishly.


    To tha sida, Bruca and Ban''s ayas wad up at this scana.


    Wh avaryona alsa said that Mr. Nacht was cold and insuffara, only thay undarstood him to ba a


    raally loyal andpassionata man. Otharwisa, thasa pao would not hava continuad to sarva him


    so faithfully and whhaartadly.


    All of tham wara mada to undargo various unpracadantad trials and tribtions in racant timas, but


    now, it would saam that thay could finally look forward to brightar days toa.


    Lupina partad tha curtains insida tha room and har mood was instantly upliftad by tha sight of tha


    rainbow ovar tha horizon.


    Lika tha sky aring aftar a showar, avarything saams ranawad. How wondarful it is to saa tha


    gloominass pass!


    Ring...


    Tha phona suddanly rang. Afraid of waking Charlotta, Lupina hastanad to turn off tha sound and pick


    up tha call with a hand ovar tha racaiving and. ¡°Hallo. Morgan!¡±


    ¡°Whara''s Ms. Lindbarg, Lupina?¡± Morgan anxiously askad.


    ¡°Sha''s still out of it. Why?¡±


    Lupina ncad at Charlotta on tha bad.


    ¡°Mr. Lindbarg has sant somaona hara to pick up tha girls, and tha car is alraady waiting in tha


    courtyard. I thought that I should run this by Ms. Lindbarg.¡±


    ¡°Wall...¡±


    ¡°Ara you dafying Mr. Lindbarg''s ordars as wall, Morgan?¡±


    Bafora Lupina could answar, Saan''s voica of discontant was haarding from tha othar and...

 Chapter 1678

    Chapter 1678


    q¡°That''s not what I mean, Sean,¡± exined Morgan hurriedly. ¡°I just want to inform Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg is injured, so let her recover,¡± asserted Sean firmly. ¡°Mr. Lindberg is still waiting for me to


    bring the kids back.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Naturally, Morgan did not dare to say anything else. She quickly hung up and brought Sean to the girls.


    At the hospital, Lupine called out, ¡°Hello? Hello?¡± She anxiously tried to call back. However, she


    remembered that Sean had already reached Northridge and Morgan definitely would not dare to defy


    Danrique''s orders.


    Hence, she called Zachary to inform him.


    ¡°Danrique probably wants to lure Francesca back using the kids...¡± guessed Zachary calmly. ¡°Since he


    wants to take back his own kids, I have no right to stop him.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but...¡±


    As Lupine had overheard Zachary''s conversation with Bruce earlier, she knew that Danrique was doing


    that to make Francesco return. However, if Francesco went back so quickly, Zachary''s illness would not


    be cured.


    If Charlotte is awake, she''ll feel anxious...


    ¡°You''re from the Lindberg family, so don''t be distracted by other thoughts.¡±


    With that, Zachary hung up.


    Still gripping the phone, Lupine felt extremely conflicted. She knew that Zachary was reminding her not


    to defy her duty and to always remember her identity.


    Otherwise, she might bebelled as a traitor...


    Naturally, she did not dare to betray Danrique. While she did not want Charlotte to be sad, she also


    hoped that Ben could get treated too.


    However, Zachary''s words served as a reminder to her. If she was overly concerned about this, she


    might invite trouble to herself...


    Upon that thought, Lupine took a deep breath.


    Soon, Morgan called and said anxiously, ¡°Sean took the girls away. When I asked Robbie when they''ll


    be back, he said that he''ll talk to Ms. Lindberg directly after she wakes up. What should we do?¡±


    ¡°If Mr. Lindberg wants to take the girls back, we have no choice either..¡± replied Lupine. ¡°Ms. Lindberg


    is still unconscious, so let''s wait till she wakes up. Meanwhile, you should take good care of Jamie and


    Ellie.¡±


    ¡°Okay, then.¡± Morgan sighed. ¡°How are things going with the Nacht family? Marino hasn''t been replying


    to my messages today. I''m worried about him.¡±


    ¡°Jesse has already been arrested by the police and Chris ran away. Bruce is dealing with the remaining


    problems now. Everything''s under control...¡±


    ¡°That''s good!¡± Morgan heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Is Mr. Zachary back?¡±


    ¡°He''s back...¡±


    ¡°Great!¡±


    When Morgan was talking to Lupine, a figure suddenly barged in from the windows. Morgan spun


    around warily. However, before she could say anything, she felt a huge knife pressing precariously


    against her neck.


    Shocked, she stared at the short girl in front of her and blurted, ¡°Fran...¡±


    Francesca gestured her to remain silent.


    ¡°I''ll stop talking to you now, Lupine. I''ll go look at Jamie and Ellie.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    After hanging up the call, Morgan craned her neck carefully and greeted with respect, ¡°Mrs. Lindberg,


    spare me!¡±


    Although she had always been working for Charlotte, she knew how deeply Danrique loved Francesca.


    It was better if she did not offend her future employer.


    ¡°Why are you calling me that?¡± Francesca frowned unhappily. ¡°Who''s Mrs. Lindberg?¡±


    ¡°You''re Mr. Lindberg''s wife. We wouldn''t dare to offend you,¡± said Morgan appeasingly. ¡°Mrs. Lindberg,


    if you have any orders, just tell me. There''s no need to resort to weapons. Haha...¡±


    ¡°Where are my kids?¡± asked Francesca with a frown. ¡°I searched the entire ce but couldn''t find


    them. Where have they gone?¡±


    ¡°Just around ten minutes earlier, Sean took them away,¡± replied Morgan carefully. ¡°You know Sean,


    right? He''s Mr. Lindberg''s right-hand man.¡±


    Whan Morgan was talking to Lupina, a figura suddanly bargad in from tha windows. Morgan spun


    around warily. Howavar, bafora sha could say anything, sha falt a huga knifa prassing pracariously


    against har nack.


    Shockad, sha starad at tha short girl in front of har and blurtad, ¡°Fran...¡±


    Francasca gasturad har to ramain snt.


    ¡°I''ll stop talking to you now, Lupina. I''ll go look at Jamia and Ellia.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Aftar hanging up tha call, Morgan cranad har nack carafully and graatad with raspact, ¡°Mrs. Lindbarg,


    spara ma!¡±


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    Although sha had always baan working for Charlotta, sha knaw how daaply Danriqua lovad Francasca.


    It was battar if sha did not offand har futura amployar.


    ¡°Why ara you calling ma that?¡± Francasca frownad unhappily. ¡°Who''s Mrs. Lindbarg?¡±


    ¡°You''ra Mr. Lindbarg''s wifa. Wa wouldn''t dara to offand you,¡± said Morgan appaasingly. ¡°Mrs. Lindbarg,


    if you hava any ordars, just tall ma. Thara''s no naad to rasort to waapons. Haha...¡±


    ¡°Whara ara my kids?¡± askad Francasca with a frown. ¡°I saarchad tha antira ca but couldn''t find


    tham. Whara hava thay gona?¡±


    ¡°Just around tan minutas aarliar, Saan took tham away,¡± rapliad Morgan carafully. ¡°You know Saan,


    right? Ha''s Mr. Lindbarg''s right-hand man.¡±

 Chapter 1679

    Chapter 1679


    q¡°What do you mean? Did that jerk, Danrique, ask someone to take my kids away?¡± eximed


    Francesca in surprise, almost alerting the bodyguards outside.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg probably asked him to pick the kids up.¡±


    Morgan nced at Francesca timidly. She was probably the only one who dared to call Danrique a jerk.


    ¡°How dare he?¡± Fury surged within Francesca. ¡°What is their address?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know, Mrs. Lindberg,¡± replied Morgan carefully.


    ¡°If even you don''t know, who''d know?¡± Francesca started feeling anxious. ¡°Where''s Charlotte?¡±


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg is injured. She''s in the hospital and still hasn''t woken up,¡± replied Morgan.


    ¡°What about Zachary?¡± demanded Francesca again.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht is probably at the office...¡± said Morgan weakly. ¡°Don''t panic, Mrs. Lindberg. Alpha, Beta,


    and Gamma are Mr. Lindberg''s children. He won''t hurt them. Mrs. Lindberg... Mrs. Lindberg!¡±


    Before Morgan couldplete her sentence, Francesca flipped out of the window and ran away.


    When Morgan rushed to the window, she felt something cold and withdrew her hands in shock. It was a


    green snake with its tongue sticking out, looking extremely terrifying.


    However, the snake did not bite her. Soon, it fell onto Francesca''s shoulder and slithered into her cape.


    Francesca passed through the forest rapidly, her destination unknown.


    On the tree, Fifi pped its wings and cawed, causing the birds in the forest to disperse.


    Morgan felt uneasy. Afraid that Francesca would go looking for Charlotte, she grabbed her phone to


    call Lupine. However, Lupine called her first.


    ¡°What''s going on? Your voice sounded weird just now. What happened?¡±


    ¡°Francesco came,¡± exined Morgan hurriedly. ¡°After knowing that Mr. Lindberg''s subordinate has


    taken the girls away, she''s furious. I don''t know if she''d seek trouble with Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    ¡°She won''t do that, right? Francesco seems quite reasonable to me.¡± Although that was what Lupine


    said, she still closed the windows immediately. ¡°But it''s better to be careful.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Take good care of Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    After hanging up the call, Lupine sent a message to Zachary. She informed him that Francesca had just


    visited Northridge and was furious after finding out that Danrique had taken the girls away.


    When Zachary read the message, the car had just driven into Divine Corporation. Lucy and the security


    guards immediately weed him with the security guards. They helped him open the door and push


    the wheelchair.


    In the lift, Lucy and the other upper management officials were informing Zachary about thepany''s


    restructuring.


    Zachary quickly proposed the suggestion for thepany''s restructuring and told them to reject all


    media interviews until the restructuring was done.


    Although Johann was already old and feeling unwell, he still remained in thepany to handle the


    affairs.


    Zachary felt extremely guilty when he saw how Johann was forcing himself to carry on. He immediately


    took over his responsibilities and managed thepany''s affairs.


    Once Zachary started working, everything was much more efficient. The upper management and the


    board of directors could not help but exim at how the real Zachary was so different from the


    imposter, even though they looked identical.


    No one else could rece his confidence, decisiveness, and ability to handle everything!


    N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    Just when Zachary was busy with work in the office, Lucy brought his phone over to him. ¡°Mr. Nacht,


    it''s a call from Ms. Gold.¡±


    ¡°Tell her toe directly.¡± Zachary did not even raise his head.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Lucy ryed the message.


    Soon, Nancy arrived with two female bodyguards. She was holding a thick pile of documents.


    After preparing coffee, Lucy left with the others.


    Zachary finally raised his head and looked at Nancy. ¡°Have a seat.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Nancy sat opposite him. When her gazended on him, she could not tear her eyes away anymore.


    When they met in the conference room earlier, he was too busy to mind her. Only now could they meet


    properly.


    Although she had been looking at a face that was identical to his, she could only feel admiration when


    looking at the real Zachary.


    However, everything had since changed. It was impossible to return to the past.


    Zachary falt axtramaly guilty whan ha saw how Johann was forcing himsalf to carry on. Ha immadiataly


    took ovar his rasponsibilitias and managad thapany''s affairs.


    Onca Zachary startad working, avarything was much mora afficiant. Tha uppar managamant and tha


    board of diractors could not halp but axim at how tha raal Zachary was so diffarant from tha


    impostar, avan though thay lookad idantical.


    No ona alsa could raca his confidanca, dacisivanass, and ability to han avarything!


    Just whan Zachary was busy with work in tha offica, Lucy brought his phona ovar to him. ¡°Mr. Nacht,


    it''s a call from Ms. Gold.¡±


    ¡°Tall har toa diractly.¡± Zachary did not avan raisa his haad.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Lucy ryad tha massaga.


    Soon, Nancy arrivad with two fam bodyguards. Sha was holding a thick p of documants.


    Aftar praparing coffaa, Lucyft with tha othars.


    Zachary finally raisad his haad and lookad at Nancy. ¡°Hava a saat.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Nancy sat opposita him. Whan har gazandad on him, sha could not taar har ayas away anymora.


    Whan thay mat in tha confaranca room aarliar, ha was too busy to mind har. Only now could thay maat


    proparly.


    Although sha had baan looking at a faca that was idantical to his, sha could only faal admiration whan


    looking at tha raal Zachary.


    Howavar, avarything had sinca changad. It was impossi to raturn to tha past.

 Chapter 1680

    Chapter 1680


    q¡°Have you finished leaving your testimony at the police station?¡± asked Zachary with a smile.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Nancy nodded and said calmly, ¡°For that four hours, I said everything I could and provided all


    the evidence possible. Mywyer told me that after these questions are confirmed, it''ll be impossible for


    my father to get out of jail anymore.¡±


    ¡°Do you regret it?¡± asked Zachary.


    ¡°I don''t.¡± Nancy smirked mockingly. ¡°Looking at how pathetic he is, I felt extremely satisfied... I''m


    nning to go back to Salinsburgh to pay my respects to my mother. If she learns about this in heaven,


    she''ll definitely be delighted.¡±


    When Zachary heard that, he fell silent. He could imagine what had happened to Nancy during this


    period of time. She must have hated her father so much that she would react in this manner...


    Actually, he expected all these.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, will you still fulfill your promise?¡± asked Nancy softly.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Zachary smiled. ¡°I said that if your father touches the Nacht Group and you help me


    use your father, I will not touch the Gold family. In fact, I''ll help you rise to power!¡±


    ¡°Actually, now that my father is gone, I''ll definitely inherit his role. My sister can never defeat me.¡±


    Nancy grinned. ¡°However, I just need you to promise that you''ll not touch the Gold family.¡±


    ¡°I''m a man of my word,¡± promised Zachary.


    ¡°In that case, thank you.¡± Nancy lowered her head and thanked him. Immediately afterward, she


    mumbled,¡± Oh, right... Um...¡±


    She hesitated, unable to say what was on her mind.


    ¡°What do you want to say?¡± Zachary raised his head and looked at her.


    ¡°I haven''t married Chris yet. We reached a mutual agreement that we''ll just put up an act, so we didn''t


    actually register our marriage. Hence, I didn''t infringe on your legal rights.¡±


    Nancy hesitated before saying that. On her way there, she kept wondering if she should test Zachary


    using the marriage and see if there was still a possibility between them.


    However, after she met him, she realized that he did not love her at all. Thus, she suppressed her urge


    to even test him out.


    She started to understand that some people were not fated to be hers.


    No matter how hard she tried, she would never get them.


    Hence, she decided to preserve thest remnants of her pride instead.


    ¡°Actually, since Chris is an imposter, the marriage will not be effective legally even if you have


    registered it,¡± exined Zachary calmly. ¡°Of course, it''s better if it''s not registered. It''ll save us the


    hassle of going through so many procedures.¡±


    ¡°So, you''re going to marry Charlotte, right?¡±


    Nancy still asked the question. She really wanted to know how deeply he loved Charlotte.


    ¡°Of course,¡± replied Zachary unhesitatingly. ¡°I''ll give her a perfect wedding and a happy future.¡±


    ¡°Congrattions!¡± Nancy squeezed out those two words through her sobs. Then, she got up and left


    with her head bowed.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± replied Zachary politely. He watched her leave before continuing to review the documents.


    When Nancy reached the door, she turned around and nced at Zachary, who had resumed work.


    She said again, ¡°I have another request.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡± Zachary raised his head and looked at her.


    ¡°Can you leave Chris to me?¡±


    When Nancy said that, her eyes were filled with hatred. She would never spare the man who destroyed


    her entire life.


    ¡°He''s from the Nacht family, so I have to deal with him personally,¡± said Zachary calmly. ¡°I''m sorry, but I


    can''t agree to that.¡±


    Although Nancy was disappointed, she did not say anything and left.


    After Zachary finished dealing with thest contract, he saw that it was getting dark outside. Hence, he


    stopped working and headed to the hospital.


    Bruce and the rest were apanying him. The car had just left the underground carpark when an


    eagle''s shriek sounded from outside. He raised his head and looked out of the window, knowing that


    she hade.


    ¡°Of coursa,¡± rapliad Zachary unhasitatingly. ¡°I''ll giva har a parfact wadding and a happy futura.¡±


    ¡°Congrattions!¡± Nancy squaazad out thosa two words through har sobs. Than, sha got up andft


    with har haad bowad.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± rapliad Zachary politaly. Ha watchad harava bafora continuing to raviaw tha documants.


    Whan Nancy raachad tha door, sha turnad around and ncad at Zachary, who had rasumad work.


    Sha said again, ¡°I hava anothar raquast.¡±


    ¡°Go ahaad.¡± Zachary raisad his haad and lookad at har.


    ¡°Can youava Chris to ma?¡±


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    Whan Nancy said that, har ayas wara fid with hatrad. Sha would navar spara tha man who dastroyad


    har antira lifa.


    ¡°Ha''s from tha Nacht family, so I hava to daal with him parsonally,¡± said Zachary calmly. ¡°I''m sorry, but I


    can''t agraa to that.¡±


    Although Nancy was disappointad, sha did not say anything andft.


    Aftar Zachary finishad daaling with thast contract, ha saw that it was gatting dark outsida. Hanca, ha


    stoppad working and haadad to tha hospital.


    Bruca and tha rast wara apanying him. Tha car had justft tha undarground carpark whan an


    aa''s shriak soundad from outsida. Ha raisad his haad and lookad out of tha window, knowing that


    sha hada.

 Chapter 1681

    Chapter 1681


    q¡°What''s that sound?¡±


    The security guards at the entrance were taken aback. This is the city center! How can there be


    animals?


    ¡°It sounds like an eagle!¡±


    Everyone was scared when they heard it. After all, weird things had been happening in the Nacht


    Group.


    ¡°Just drive,¡±manded Zachary calmly.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Marino continued driving.


    Bruce whispered, ¡°Is Francesco here?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Zachary nodded and instructed, ¡°Prepare five million in cash and catch up with meter.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Bruce got out of the car and drove to the bank with two other subordinates.


    While Marino was about to drive, a bald eagle suddenly flew through the car windows and crashed


    against the steering wheel.


    Taken aback, Marino subconsciously mmed his foot on the brake and chased the bald eagle away.


    However, in the next second, a petite figure climbed into the car and sat beside Zachary. She raised


    her hand and pressed a knife against his neck. ¡°Mr. Nacht, only a short while has passed and you''ve


    already forgotten about me.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn''t dare to,¡± Zachary smirked. ¡°You''re my savior. How can I possibly forget about you?¡±


    ¡°Where''s my money?¡± yelled Francesca furiously. ¡°If I don''t demand it from you, don''t you know how to


    give it to me on your own initiative?¡±


    ¡°How is that possible?¡± replied Zachary, still patient. ¡°I need some time to prepare such a huge sum of


    money. After all, the bank is already closed now.¡±


    Francesca nced at the dark sky outside and thought that he was right. However, she immediately


    became wary. ¡°When are you giving the money to me?¡±


    ¡°I''ve already asked my subordinates to withdraw it. They''ll meet with uster with the money soon.¡±


    Zachary stared at her with a smile. ¡°Don''t worry! I''ll definitely give you the money I owe you.¡±


    ¡°That''s how it''s supposed to be.¡± Francesca kept her knife before snapping angrily, ¡°Danrique, that jerk,


    took my kids away. You must be responsible for getting them back.¡±


    ¡°Um...¡± Zachary frowned. ¡°You''re putting me in a tough spot. It''s not easy to snatch someone back from


    Danrique''s hands.¡±


    ¡°I don''t care.¡± Francesca directly chose the hard way. ¡°If you don''t get my kids back, I won''t cure your


    illness. Just be paralyzed forever.¡±


    Zachary was speechless. He knew that she would resort to such a move.


    ¡°I''ll give you one day,¡± ordered Francesca. ¡°I must see my kids tomorrow at this exact timing!¡±


    ¡°All right, I''ll think of a way.¡± Zachary had no choice but to try dying it. ¡°However, one day is too


    short. Please give me more time, Dr. Felch.¡±


    ¡°You don''t understand! If we drag it out for too long, that jerk will find me.¡± When Francesca spoke, she


    nced outside the car window warily with an anxious expression. ¡°He''s crazy! To capture me, he


    doesn''t care about hispany anymore and even came all the way to H City...¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry. If I''m here, he can''t find you.¡± Zachary smiled. ¡°I''ve already arranged a ce for you to


    stay for the time being. After I get the kids back, I''ll reunite them with you.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Francesca was overjoyed. ¡°You aren''t lying to me, right?¡±


    ¡°My life is in your hands. Would I dare to lie to you?¡± Zachary threw the question back to her.


    ¡°You''re right.¡± Francesca nodded confidently. ¡°Give me the money first. I''ll only be in the mood to cure


    you after I see the money.¡±


    ¡°I''m preparing it now. It''ll be given to you right away.¡±


    Zachary felt a headache. Why do all women love money that much? Back then, Charlotte was like this


    too. To force me to earn money, she resorted to all sorts of methods...


    The fleet of cars stopped at the foot of Rokan Hill.


    N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    Bruce had brought the five million in cash over. They were ced neatly in silver cases.


    Francesca opened the cases and counted the money seriously. However, she soon scratched her


    head, feeling troubled. ¡°There''s too much money. I can''t count them properly! How troublesome...¡±


    She turned around and yelled at Zachary, ¡°You didn''t lie to me, right? Is this half of your assets?¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry. If I''m hara, ha can''t find you.¡± Zachary smd. ¡°I''va alraady arrangad a ca for you to


    stay for tha tima baing. Aftar I gat tha kids back, I''ll raunita tham with you.¡±


    ¡°Raally?¡± Francasca was ovarjoyad. ¡°You aran''t lying to ma, right?¡±


    ¡°My lifa is in your hands. Would I dara to lia to you?¡± Zachary thraw tha quastion back to har.


    ¡°You''ra right.¡± Francasca noddad confidantly. ¡°Giva ma tha monay first. I''ll only ba in tha mood to cura


    you aftar I saa tha monay.¡±


    ¡°I''m praparing it now. It''ll ba givan to you right away.¡±


    Zachary falt a haadacha. Why do all woman lova monay that much? Back than, Charlotta was lika this


    too. To forca ma to aarn monay, sha rasortad to all sorts of mathods...


    Tha at of cars stoppad at tha foot of Rokan Hill.


    Bruca had brought tha fiva million in cash ovar. Thay wara cad naatly in silvar casas.


    Francasca opanad tha casas and countad tha monay sariously. Howavar, sha soon scratchad har


    haad, faaling troud. ¡°Thara''s too much monay. I can''t count tham proparly! How trousoma...¡±


    Sha turnad around and yad at Zachary, ¡°You didn''t lia to ma, right? Is this half of your assats?¡±

 Chapter 1682

    Chapter 1682


    q¡°You''ll know after you count it.¡± Zachary did not answer her question directly. ¡°If it''s not enough, I''ll ask


    someone to withdraw more money.¡±


    ¡°I can''t be bothered to count. Just give it to me!¡± When Francesca saw that there was so much money,


    she was overjoyed. ¡°So much money! It''s enough for me and my kids to spend for the next few


    decades. Hahaha!¡±


    When Zachary saw how happy she was, he smiled too.


    It was hard to imagine how such a cold man like Danrique managed to fall for this cheeky woman.


    ¡°All these money are mine! Mine!¡±


    Francesca hugged the cases tightly. However, she was unable to carry all of them herself.


    ¡°Yeah, they''re all yours. No one will be snatching them away from you.¡± Zachary stared at her with a


    smile. ¡°I''m giving you that car too. You can put the money in the car and leave with him.¡±


    Zachary pointed at Bruce. ¡°He''ll arrange a ce for you to stay.¡±


    ¡°Really? This car is for me?¡± Staring at the newest Aston Martin, Francesca raised her eyebrows in


    delight. ¡°This car looks really nice, just that it''s a bit too small. I like big cars.¡±


    ¡°Just use it first. When the chance arises, you can go to my garage and pick whichever car you like.¡±


    Zachary wanted to go to the hospital right away. ¡°I need to go to the hospital now. Have a good rest


    after you go back. If anything happens, call me. Also, stop scaring people with your bald eagle. Bruce,


    give her my new number.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Nacht.¡± Bruce nodded. ¡°This way please, Ms. Felch!¡±All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    ¡°That''s such a weird way to address me!¡± Francesca rolled her eyes. ¡°Call me Francesco, or Master


    Felch!¡±


    Bruce was speechless. This legendary deviless is even harder to deal with than Ms. Lindberg.


    Francesca carried all her money and tossed them into the Aston Martin. Then, she eagerly started the


    engine and drove away.


    Bruce barely had time to close the car door and was almost flung out of the car. Luckily, he reacted


    quickly and got into the car.


    Watching them leave, Zachary instructed, ¡°Let''s go!¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Marino drove to the hospital. On the way there, he could not help but ask, ¡°Mr. Nacht, are you


    nning to let Francesco stay at Southridge?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Zachary nodded. ¡°I''m nning to let her stay there for the time being. If it''s just for a short


    while, Danrique probably won''t realize it.¡±


    ¡°It might not be easy to get the kids back from him,¡± said Marino carefully. ¡°I heard from Marino that


    he''s injured and is waiting for Francesco to treat him.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Zachary was surprised. He did not expect that at all.


    ¡°However, Bruce saw Mr. Lindberg today and said that he looked fine. It doesn''t seem like he''s injured.¡±


    Marino was puzzled. ¡°Could it be an internal injury?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps...¡±


    Zachary mulled over it. If Danrique was seriously injured, this issue might be hard to deal with.


    ording to my circumstances, I''ll need at least a month of treatment before I can recover. Danrique


    will never let Francesco stay in H City for so long.


    Just thinking about it gave Zachary a headache. Everything else in the world was much easier than


    snatching something away from Danrique.


    However, Zachary knew that Charlotte might need to intervene in this.


    After all, Danrique would show a bit more courtesy to his sister.


    He''s probably still a bit resentful toward me, his brother-inw.


    ¡°What should we do?¡± asked Marino softly. ¡°Why don''t I ask Morgan if she has any good suggestions?¡±


    ¡°You don''t need to worry about this.¡± Zachary rolled his eyes. ¡°Just focus on recuperating.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Marino did not dare to say anything else.


    ¡°Drive faster!¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    By then, it was already night and the streets of H City were bustling.


    However, Zachary was in no mood to admire the night scenery. All he wanted was to reach the hospital


    and meet Charlotte as soon as possible.


    He hoped that when she woke up, she would see him first.


    In fact, he hoped that every day in the future, she would see him first every time she woke up.


    ¡°Parhaps...¡±


    Zachary mud ovar it. If Danriqua was sariously injurad, this issua might ba hard to daal with.


    ording to my circumstancas, I''ll naad atast a month of traatmant bafora I can racovar. Danriqua


    will navart Francasco stay in H City for so long.


    Just thinking about it gava Zachary a haadacha. Evarything alsa in tha world was much aasiar than


    snatching somathing away from Danriqua.


    Howavar, Zachary knaw that Charlotta might naad to intarvana in this.


    Aftar all, Danriqua would show a bit mora courtasy to his sistar.


    Ha''s probably still a bit rasantful toward ma, his brothar-inw.


    ¡°What should wa do?¡± askad Marino softly. ¡°Why don''t I ask Morgan if sha has any good suggastions?¡±


    ¡°You don''t naad to worry about this.¡± Zachary rod his ayas. ¡°Just focus on racuparating.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Marino did not dara to say anything alsa.


    ¡°Driva fastar!¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    By than, it was alraady night and tha straats of H City wara bustling.


    Howavar, Zachary was in no mood to admira tha night scanary. All ha wantad was to raach tha hospital


    and maat Charlotta as soon as possi.


    Ha hopad that whan sha woka up, sha would saa him first.


    In fact, ha hopad that avary day in tha futura, sha would saa him first avary tima sha woka up.

 Chapter 1683

    Chapter 1683


    qIn truth, Zachary was still weak and felt terrible after struggling for an entire day.


    In spite of that, all he cared about was rushing to the hospital to see Charlotte.


    Raina and Lupine were keeping watch outside the ward. The moment they saw Zachary, they


    approached him and greeted, ¡°Mr. Nacht!¡±


    ¡°Mmm-hmm,¡± Zachary grunted in acknowledgment. When he saw that Charlotte was still unconscious,


    he couldn''t help but furrow his brows. ¡°Hasn''t she awoken yet?¡±


    ¡°No, she''s still in a deep sleep.¡± Lupine gave Charlotte a sympathetic look. ¡°She must be exhausted.


    After all, it''s been a long time since she had managed to get some proper rest.¡±


    ¡°That''s right. When you weren''t around, Ms. Lindberg struggled alone to keep everything together,¡±


    Raina added. ¡°During this period of time, she had been under intense pressure from both work and


    family. On top of that, she still had to search for you. She has really been through a lot.¡±


    Zachary was filled with guilt when he heard their words. ¡°It''s all my fault. I''ll never let her go through


    that ever again.¡±


    ¡°It''s good to have you back.¡± With that, Lupine withdrew from the room quietly.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, we''ll be at the door. Call us if you need anything.¡± Raina exited together with Lupine.


    After rolling his wheelchair up to the bed, Zachary reached out to stroke Charlotte''s face and hair.


    She was still in a deep sleep. Her shoulders were bandaged with thick gauze while her body was


    covered with the thick smell of medicine. At the same time, she was put on a drip with a needle


    inserted into the back of her hand.


    He could imagine the massive burden she had to shoulder in his ce.


    It had drained every bit of her energy, causing her to remain unconscious.


    Consequently, he was filled with guilt and remorse.


    As a man, it was his duty to protect the woman he loved. Unfortunately, he had always ended up


    hurting her and forcing her to bear his burden.


    Every time he wanted to give her the perfect wedding, something had to happen to foil his ns.


    As a result, both weddings failed toe to pass.


    This time, he made a promise to himself to never let her get hurt again.


    After pondering upon the matter, Zachary sprawled down on the bed out of exhaustion. Holding


    Charlotte''s hand, he gradually drifted into sleep.


    Due to how weak he still was, he slept so soundly that he didn''t even realize that Charlotte had


    awoken.


    Waking up in a daze, Charlotte wanted to call for Lupine. However, she was stunned the moment she


    realized Zachary was by her side.


    Just a moment ago, she was having a nightmare. In it, she found herself at the edge of a cliff. Right


    when she was about to fall, a pair of hands grabbed her tightly and pulled her back.


    It was then that she realized that it was Zachary who grabbed her.


    Even though she wasn''t as emotional as she expected herself to be, tears began to well up in her eyes.


    At that instant, Charlotte was a sea of calm. Looking quietly at Zachary and how he held her hand


    tightly, she was gradually filled with a sense of security.


    At that instant, Charlotte was a sea of calm. Looking quietly at Zachary and how he held her hand


    tightly, she was gradually filled with a sense of security.


    She had always believed that he wasn''t dead and had faith that he would return one day.


    Evidently, her hopes had finallye true.


    All she needed him to do was to stay by her side and hold her hand. That alone was enough to fill her


    with bliss.


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    If it was possible, she wanted time to stop so that she could continue enjoying the beautiful moment.


    Sensing something, Zachary moved slightly before raising his head. With his narrowed eyes, he stared


    at Charlotte in surprise.


    A long time passed before he finally regained his senses and heaved a sigh of relief. He gently


    eximed, ¡°You''re awake!¡±


    ¡°Mmm-hmm, I am.¡±


    Just like an old loving couple, both of them greeted each other calmly. Nevertheless, their hearts were


    filled with raging emotions.


    Leaning toward her, Zachary hugged Charlotte tightly.


    She buried her face in his neck and choked, ¡°You''re finally back!¡±


    ¡°I am. I''m back.¡± Zachary tousled her hair. Kissing her ear, he whispered, ¡°Wifey, going forward, just


    leave everything to me!¡±


    ¡°I should have done it a long time ago. Being the head of the family is just too tiring for me.¡±


    As tears gushed out of Charlotte''s eyes, all the frustrations and bitterness she was holding back were


    vented along with them.

 Chapter 1684

    Chapter 1684


    qWhen Zachary wasn''t around, Charlotte would be unfazed by whatever obstacles she faced, just like


    a strong, brave, and independent woman.


    She would never waver against whatever came her way.


    But in front of Zachary, she would suddenly turn into a submissive woman, nuzzling herself coquettishly


    in his arms.


    Evidently, that was what love would do to a person.


    ¡°I appreciate what you have done,¡± Zachary whispered softly to her. ¡°From now on, I''ll take


    responsibility for everything. All you need to do is to focus on your recovery and eat well. After that, you


    should bear a few more kids for me.¡±


    ¡°Pfft!¡± Charlotte burst intoughter. ¡°More kids? We already have six of them at home. At the rate we''re


    going, we''ll end up with a ser team.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, wouldn''t that be great?¡±


    ¡°I''m not going to do it. You do it if you want them so much.¡±


    ¡°I''m open to that idea. I''ll do some research and see if there''s any new technology that''ll allow a man to


    give birth.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, in that case, let''s have a few more.¡±


    ¡°Don''t forget that you have to work hard and get me pregnant first.¡±


    ¡°Pfft! You...¡±


    While both of them whispered sweet nothings to each other, Lupine and Ben exchanged smiling


    nces outside. They were both touched and relieved over what they heard.


    The day they had been looking forward to for such a long time was finally here.


    ¡°Let me take over. Both of you should get some rest,¡± Marino suggested to Lupine.


    ¡°Appreciate it,¡± Lupine thanked him and pushed Ben back to his ward. ¡°I suppose this is the happy


    ending everyone has been waiting for?¡±


    ¡°There''s still a lot of loose ends to tie up.¡± Furrowing his brows, Ben analyzed, ¡°Mr. Nacht is still


    physically weak and needs some time to recuperate. Also, Mr. Lindberg might not allow Francesco to


    stay behind.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg has never been so anxious about anything before. To havee to H City at such a


    crucial time to see Francesco, she must really be very important to him. Also, I heard that he has


    gotten himself hurt, that''s the most important part.¡±


    Pausing for a moment, Lupine frowned. ¡°Come to think of it. This truly is a problem.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Everything else can be dealt with other than this.¡±


    Ben let out a sigh.


    ¡°Perhaps, Ms. Lindberg can solve it?¡± Lupine held out some hope. ¡°Having rushed to save her today,


    Mr. Lindberg obviously still cares a lot about her.¡±


    ¡°Given how serious the matter is, I''m afraid the bond of the two siblings might not be enough.¡± Ben


    wasn''t as optimistic. ¡°Besides, he needs Francesco to treat his injuries. Hence, Ms. Lindberg is not in


    the position to refuse.¡±


    ¡°That''s true.¡± Lupine''s expression turned grim. ¡°In that case, what are we going to do?¡±


    ¡°Considering that Mr. Nacht has recovered a lot, it will now depend on whether Hayley and Sam can


    carry out Francesco''s treatment. Just like how it was with Dr. Felch, they would need to treat with


    acupuncture and a concoction of medicine every day.¡±


    ¡°That might work too.¡±


    ¡°That might work too.¡±


    ¡°Nevertheless, I don''t think it''s going to be that easy,¡± Benmented grimly. ¡°Marino told me earlier


    that Francesco went to see Mr. Nacht and requested him to bring the children back.¡±


    ¡°Oh? How is that possible?¡± Lupine couldn''t believe it. ¡°The children belong to Mr. Lindberg. How can


    Mr. Nacht take them from him? Setting aside the question of whether it''s possible, this doesn''t appear


    to even make sense.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that''s why it''s such a pickle.¡±


    While both of them were discussing softly, Zachary was hugging Charlotte to sleep inside the ward.


    ¡°Sleep for a while longer. You must be tired.¡±


    ¡°Has Robbiee home?¡± She was still concerned about her son.


    ¡°You will see him very soon.¡± Zachary didn''t want her to worry.


    ¡°Is Danrique keeping Robbie by his side?¡± Charlotte quickly saw through the situation. ¡°Is he nning


    to exchange Robbie for Francesco?¡±


    ¡°Erm...¡±


    ¡°Has Danrique also taken the girls along with him?¡± Charlotte continued specting. ¡°He must have


    used the treatment to threaten you into getting the children for him. Am I right?¡±

 Chapter 1685

    Chapter 1685


    q¡°Since when did my wife suddenly be so smart?¡± Zachary was filled with surprise.


    He had nned to let her sleep and discuss it when she awoke the next day.


    I can''t believe she managed to guess it all.


    ¡°It appears that I do understand Danrique.¡± Charlotte smiled wryly. ¡°Just when I thought the worst is


    over, we are now faced with new difficulties.¡±


    ¡°Actually, it isn''t thatplex.¡± Zachary''s lips widened. ¡°It might turn out to be a blessing in disguise.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Charlotte was confused. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°When you look at them, don''t they remind you of us?¡± Zachary threw the question back at her.


    ¡°Thinking back, both of us were at each other throats, with neither willing to back down.¡±


    ¡°Mmm-hmm, it does seem that way.¡± Charlotte nodded. ¡°But, this sister-inw of mine seems to be a lot


    more troublesome.¡±


    ¡°Even though she appears to be troublesome, she might in essence not be.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°She''s someone simple and easily fulfilled. All we need to do is think of it from a different perspective.¡±


    ¡°What are you trying to say? I don''t understand you at all.¡± Charlotte grew anxious. ¡°Danrique has


    helped me this time and even rescued Robbie. You had better not go against him.¡±


    ¡°He''s my brother-inw. Why would I want to challenge him? On the contrary, I want to get on his good


    side.¡±


    ¡°Huh...¡± Charlotte waspletely baffled.


    ¡°Just listen to me...¡±


    While both of them were hatching a n, Francesca, who had arrived at Southridge, settled into a


    guest room Bruce had prepared.


    Even though the exterior still looked like a residual burnt frame, the guest rooms on the second floor


    had been restored to their original state.


    Furthermore, the kitchen was also repaired and could already be used.


    Bruce gave Francesca a tour of the house and instructed her on all she needed to know for her daily


    necessities.


    ¡°The fridge has been filled with all kinds of food and should be enough tost you a week. If you''re


    short of it, I''ll send more in two days'' time. Also, everything in the rooms, including the clothes, was


    specifically bought for you. The room has a TV and aputer connected to the inte. However,


    you have to be careful not to be noticed when you go online. One more thing¡ª¡±


    ¡°Enough. Stop being so naggy,¡± Francesca interrupted Bruce impatiently and waved him away. ¡°Go


    away now!¡±


    ¡°All right then.¡± Without another word, Bruce handed her a new phone. ¡°This contains Mr. Nacht, Ms.


    Lindberg, and my number. If there''s anything¡ª¡±


    Before he could finish, Bruce held his tongue when he saw the frown on Francesca''s face. ¡°Fine. I''m


    leaving now.¡±


    With that, Bruce hurriedly left for Northridge.


    With that, Bruce hurriedly left for Northridge.


    After checking the surroundings to make sure the coast was clear, Francesca quickly carried the


    money from the car into her room. After dropping them onto the ground, she threw them into the air and


    burst intoughter.


    ¡°I''m rich! I''m rich! Hehe!¡±


    Just as she counted the money, she repeatedly lost count, and there was no way she could count them


    all.


    Finally, she decided to give up counting and stuffed the money back into the boxes. Subsequently, she


    attempted to hide them all over the room.


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    However, after examining the room, she realized there was nowhere she could hide the money except


    underneath the bed.


    After that, she blew a whistle into the air to summon the bald eagle. When it arrived, it perched itself by


    the window and waited for her instructions.


    ¡°Keep an eye on the money, and don''t let anyone steal them. Do you understand?¡± Francesca ordered


    the eagle as she pointed to the money.


    The eagle cooed in acknowledgment.


    Just when Francesca wanted to slip out of the window, it urred to her that a single eagle wasn''t


    enough to guard the money. She let out a strange and melodious cry at the forest outside. In the blink


    of an eye, more than ten snakes appeared.


    ¡°Keep an eye on the money. I''m going out to find my van.¡±

 Chapter 1686

    Chapter 1686


    qThe group of snakes raised their heads and nodded at her. After that, they surrounded the money and


    stood guard by it.


    Heaving a sigh of relief, Francesca swiftly slipped out of the window.


    Meanwhile, Bruce was hiding in a tree nearby, watching her with his binocrs. ¡°Why doesn''t she use


    the stairs?¡±


    When he noticed a cold stareing in his direction, he lowered his binocrs and quickly left.


    Instead of driving out, Francesca walked into the nearby forest to look for her dpidated old van.


    When she found it, she drove it back into Southridge''spound.


    Subsequently, she brought out a lot of strange items from the van and stuffed them into a backpack.


    After that, she carried the backpack and brought arge gunny sack back into the vi.


    ¡°Hehe, with this backpack, I''m no longer afraid of anything.¡±


    After cing the backpack down beside her, Francesca opened the gunny sack and filled it with the


    money she had.


    Having exerted a lot of effort, she was finally done. She had filled two gunny sacks that weighed a


    hundred pounds in total.


    She then took a break to catch her breath before putting the sacks beside her bed. Subsequently, she


    let herself drop onto the bed with outstretched limbs.


    Even though she was tired, the thought of Danrique taking her children away reinvigorated her. When


    she further recalled how he had treated her, the rage she felt gushed into her head. She seethed,


    ¡°Danrique, you assh*le. For looking down on me, I''m going to use all this money to destroy you, hmph!¡±


    Meanwhile, when Danrique sneezed a few times inside the car, he furrowed his brows. ¡°That d*mn


    woman must be cursing me behind my back again.¡±


    ¡°I suppose Ms. Felch will be getting in touch soon?¡± Sean probed. ¡°Now that we have the children, she


    must be worried sick.¡±


    ¡°She''s a crafty woman still.¡± Danrique gritted his teeth the moment he thought of her. ¡°After setting me


    up to that extent, is there anything she isn''t capable of?¡±


    ¡°Hmm...¡± Sean lowered his head and didn''t dare say a word.


    ¡°Perhaps, she might use Zachary''s treatment to force him into fighting me for the children.¡± Danrique


    sneered with his brows raised, ¡°If Zachary dares to get on my nerves, I''ll teach him a lesson he''ll never


    forget!¡±


    ¡°But he''s your brother-inw. I think it''s better to thrash it out¡ª¡±


    Before Sean could finish, Danrique shot him a re to shut him up.


    By the time their car arrived at the beachfront vi, it was already getting dark.


    Just when Danrique got out of the car, he heard the children''s cries. ¡°I want Mommy, I want Mommy...¡±


    ¡°I want Aunt Charlotte, I want Aunt Charlotte...¡±


    ¡°I want Aunt Charlotte, I want Aunt Charlotte...¡±


    ¡°I want Ms. Morgan, I want Ms. Morgan...¡±


    Danrique frowned in response. These three rascals, did their mommy send them here to torment me?


    I''m surprised they are moring for their mommy, aunt, and Morgan but not me?


    ¡°Kids, please stop crying. Your daddy is about toe home.¡±


    Obviously, the maids had failed to coax the children.


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    Disobeying her, the trio was running wild in the living room.


    Before long, the maids'' legs had tired out, and they were still unable to catch the children.


    One by one, theyined in frustration.


    ¡°Stop messing around!¡± Danrique thundered the moment he strode in. The children stopped in their


    tracks and turned to look at him in unison.


    ¡°Uhh...¡±


    The three girls looked at Danrique with their eyes wide open, as if they were looking at a monster.


    Sniffling, Alpha covered her mouth and asked softly, ¡°Is that Daddy?¡±


    ¡°He should be.¡± Beta leaned over and whispered, ¡°Considering how fearsome he looks, it has to be


    him!¡±


    ¡°How can you not recognize Daddy?¡± Gamma knitted her brows in displeasure. ¡°Even though we


    haven''t seen him in more than three months, Daddy is the only person who can look so fierce and cold


    in this entire world!¡±

 Chapter 1687

    Chapter 1687


    qUpon hearing Gamma''sments, Danrique''s frown deepened.


    Having not seen each other for three months, it seemed that the children didn''t recognize him anymore.


    Moreover, their impression of him was fierce and cold.


    Daughters are supposed to love their dads more. But, what''s with the sarcastic attitude of these three


    rascals? Their words were so scathing that they pierced his heart.


    ¡°You, who are you?¡±


    Alpha took a step forward and gave Danrique a fearful stare.


    ¡°Are you our daddy?¡±


    Beta leaned over and observed him carefully.


    ¡°Fierce-looking daddy, where''s my mommy?¡± Gamma asked directly, as she was confident of her own


    judgment.


    ¡°Your mommy ising home soon.¡±


    When Danrique approached them, the children recoiled in fear.


    ¡°I''m your daddy.¡±


    Danrique stared at them with furrowed brows. Ever since he was young, he was left alone overseas


    and never felt the warmth of a family. As a result, he had no idea how to interact with kids at all.


    Faced with the three of them, he was at his wit''s end.


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    This was also the reason why he left them in Charlotte''s care when the incident happened.


    Having seen how well Charlotte raised her own children, he figured that it was easier for his children to


    bond with Charlotte instead.


    Just as expected, they liked their aunt but not their daddy.


    ¡°I want Mommy!¡±


    Alpha pouted as tears began to gush out.


    ¡°I want Mommy too and also Aunt Charlotte.¡±


    Beta''s eyes had also reddened. Holding her bunny in her hand, she kept her guard up, worried that


    Danrique woulde any closer.


    ¡°Why did you bring us here?¡± Gamma questioned. ¡°I want to return to Aunt Charlotte''s house.¡±


    Danrique had a grim look on his face, for he was unable tomunicate with them at all. In fact, it


    seemed more difficult to talk to them than the beasts.


    As Gamma was the bravest of the trio, she ordered in a domineering tone, ¡°Give Aunt Charlotte a call,


    and get her to pick us up from here.¡±


    ¡°Aunt Charlotte can''te to pick you up now,¡± Danrique dered sternly. ¡°For the time being, you will


    have to stay here¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, No, No! We don''t want to stay here!¡±


    Before Danrique could finish, the children were already bawling.


    Their crisp voices reverberated in every corner of the vi.


    Shutting his eyes tightly, Danrique felt as if his eardrums were about to be shattered. Despite the rage


    that swelled within him, he knew he couldn''t let his temper re.


    All he could do was suppress his frustration and patiently coax, ¡°Stop crying now, Mommy will soon be


    ¡ª¡±


    The children ignored him and continued wailing at the top of their lungs.


    With their heads raised, they sounded like three ring trumpets.


    With their heads raised, they sounded like three ring trumpets.


    Hearing their piercing cries, Danrique could feel his brain ringing. Holding onto his forehead, he headed


    upstairs and ordered, ¡°Get them to stop.¡±


    ¡°Right away!¡± Sean acknowledged before trying to pacify the children. ¡°Kids, please stop crying...¡±


    ¡°My princesses, don''t cry anymore. How about I give you some sweets?¡±


    ¡°Look, this is your new toy...¡±


    ¡°Please don''t cry, little princesses...¡±


    Despite the servant''s attempts, no one was able to mollify them.


    At that moment, a small figure appeared along the second-floor corridor. Subsequently, a loud voice


    rang out toward the ground floor. ¡°Stop crying!¡±


    Almost immediately, the trio stopped their bawling and looked up at the stairs. ¡°Robbie!¡±


    Even though Robbie was still pale from his injuries and had a drip connected to his hand, he was still


    able to maintain his poise.


    ¡°Robbie!¡±


    The moment they saw him, the children rushed up the stairs. Surrounding him, they began to chatter


    incessantly.


    ¡°Robbie, why are you here?¡±


    ¡°Oh, Robbie, are you sick? Are you injured? Is everything all right?¡±


    ¡°Robbie, Aunt Charlotte has been worried sick about you and searched for you all over. Are you doing


    okay?¡±

 Chapter 1688

    Chapter 1688


    q¡°I know. I''m fine¡± Just like an adult, Robbie replied with a serious tone. ¡°Be good and don''t make a


    fuss, all right?¡±


    ¡°Okay, we understand.¡±


    The trio nodded at once.


    ¡°Go and y now.¡± Robbie gestured with his chin. ¡°And keep your voices down.¡±


    ¡°Got it, Robbie.¡±


    Just as they spoke, the girls covered their mouths, worried that they would disturb Robbie with their


    loud voices.


    After the maids led the children downstairs, everyone heaved a sigh of relief when peace returned to


    the house.


    While Robbie was about to return to his room, he noticed Danrique giving him a look of approval from


    the end of the corridor.


    ¡°Uncle Dan, shall we talk?¡±


    Robbie had something to discuss with him.


    Breaking into a smile, Danrique ushered the boy into the study.


    In response, Robbie followed him in.


    Inside, a nurse carefully ced a piece of gauze over the indwelling needle on the back of Robbie''s


    hand before leaving.


    At the same time, a maid prepared some coffee and waited by the door.


    ¡°How''s your injuries?¡±


    Drinking his coffee, Danrique gave Robbie a gentle look.


    Robbie''s head was bandaged with blood faintly oozing out of his wound. His left wrist was dislocated


    while his legs were covered withcerations.


    On top of that, he had a bad cold. It was probably caused by the insufficient rest during his kidnap.


    Nevertheless, Jesse didn''t harm him given how important he was as a hostage. Most of his wounds


    were incurred in the process of his escape.


    ¡°It''s just a scratch. There''s nothing to worry about.¡±


    Despite being a seven-year-old, Robbie was as mature and steady as an adult.


    ¡°What would you like to discuss?¡± Danrique didn''t like beating around the bush.


    ¡°Why are you keeping me here?¡± Robbie saw through him at once. ¡°Are you trying to get my parents to


    exchange Aunt Francey for me?¡±


    ¡°Aunt Francey?¡± Danrique raised his brow in surprise. The address sounded foreign yet familiar to him.


    ¡°The girls'' mommy.¡± Robbie was aware of what was truly going on. ¡°Is that right, Uncle Dan?¡±


    ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡± Danrique nodded as he replied candidly, ¡°I need to take her back.¡±


    ¡°Threats don''t work in rtionships.¡± Robbie frowned. ¡°They will only end up causing more


    resentment.¡±


    ¡°Kid, are you telling me what to do?¡± Danrique was amused by his answer.


    ¡°No matter what, this isn''t going to work.¡± Robbie couldn''t be bothered to borate. ¡°That being said,


    I''m cognizant that you won''t hurt me. Furthermore, my daddy will definitely think of a way to rescue


    me.¡±


    The moment he finished, Robbie got to his feet and bowed at Danrique. After that, he swaggered out of


    the study.


    Danrique cracked a faint smile as he watched Robbie''s leaving silhouette.


    Sean couldn''t help but exim, ¡°The kid holds great potential,¡±


    N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    Sean couldn''t help but exim, ¡°The kid holds great potential,¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Danrique sighed. ¡°Wouldn''t it be great if he was my son?¡±


    ¡°A nephew is a part of your family too,¡± Seanforted him at once. ¡°Besides, you already have three


    cute little princesses.¡±


    ¡°More like three little witches instead, just like their mom.¡±


    Danrique felt exasperated the moment he thought about them. In truth, he didn''t particrly favor boys.


    It was just that he didn''t know how tomunicate with children.


    Considering that Robbie had the presence of mind of an adult, Danrique had no trouble interacting with


    him. In fact, he felt that Robbie was easier to talk to than an ordinary person.


    Unfortunately for him, not all children were like Robbie.


    ¡°Girls will always be more cheerful and cute,¡± Sean remarked with a smile. ¡°Also, they''re still children


    now. Once they grow up, they''ll be a lot more reserved.¡±


    ¡°I definitely hope so.¡±


    After Danrique returned to his bedroom, he turned on the shower and stood underneath it. When he


    lowered his head to look at his sleeping ¡°beast,¡± he gritted his teeth as a cold glint shed in his eye.


    The thought of Francesca had caused a raging fire within him to torment his heart.


    I''m not sure when she will be back, but I will definitely make her pay for the pain and humiliation she


    has wrought upon me.

 Chapter 1689

    Chapter 1689


    qThe next morning, it was a clear day with the sun shining brightly in the sky.


    Charlotte, who was in a joyful mood, squinted her eyes at the sunlight when she pushed open the


    window.


    Now that her problems had disappeared, her mood was as cheery as the sky.


    ¡°You''re up?¡± Zachary''snguid voice sounded from behind her.


    Charlotte beamed when she turned around and saw his face.


    Once upon a time, she had dreamt of waking up together with him. And now, this dream had finally


    come true.


    Despite the simplicity of the scene, it was the epitome of bliss.


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    ¡°Come over here and give me a hug!¡± Zachary reached out his hands.


    Charlotte walked over and nuzzled her face in his neck, taking in the scent his body was emitting.


    In contrast to the past, a strong scent of traditional medicine emanated from his body. It was a side


    effect of the long-term treatment he had undergone. Nheless, she liked the smell, for it brought her


    a soothing sensation.


    ¡°Does your wound still hurt?¡±


    Zachary kissed her shoulder sympathetically. Given how stiff her arm was, it was evident that her


    wound was really deep.


    ¡°No, it doesn''t.¡± Charlotte snuggled up to him in an attempt to tighten her hug on him. However, she


    was unable to raise her hand due to the pain from her wound.


    ¡°Don''t move.¡± Zachary flipped himself over and carefully ced her down. Supporting himself with one


    hand, hey on his side and gave her a gentle look. ¡°You should continue to rest. I need to go to the


    office.¡±


    ¡°But your condition is worse than mine. You should continue to receive treatment.¡± Charlotte held up his


    face and suggested in a concerned tone, ¡°Let me deal with the affairs at thepany, while you go


    and see Francesco at once.¡±


    ¡°I''ll definitely go see her since I need to be treated every day. At the same time, I''ll have to deal with


    work too. After all, I can''t just let you shoulder the burden alone.¡±


    Zachary pinched her cheeks lightly. ¡°You should just rest well and spend time with the children when


    you''re free. As for everything else, there''s no need for you to worry.


    ¡°What about Robbie?¡± Charlotte still felt uneasy.


    ¡°I''m going to see your brother today.¡± Zachary got up and put on his clothes.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Charlotte grew anxious at once. ¡°You''re going to meet with Danrique? Are you going to talk to


    him about Robbie?¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry, I won''t get into a conflict with him.¡± Zachary kissed her on the forehead. ¡°Not only is he my


    brother-inw, but he is also the savior of our entire family. I''m well aware of what it means to be


    grateful.¡±


    Charlotte was shocked to hear Zachary''s words. All this while, he had always been aloof and saw


    Danrique as his enemy. But now, his attitude had changed entirely.


    ¡°Aftering back from the dead, I''ve learned to be more flexible.¡± Zachary was aware of what was


    going through her mind. ¡°Sometimes, we have to make peace with ourselves and others likewise.¡±


    ¡°Looks like you''re all grown up now.¡± Charlotte beamed with pride as she gave him a hug.


    ¡°You haven''t given it a try yet. So how do you know it''s all grown up?¡± Zachary teased her while biting


    her lip.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Charlotte was puzzled initially. By the time she realized what he was alluding to, she pounded


    his chest coquettishly. ¡°You pervert!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha...¡±


    After leaving the hospital, Zachary headed straight for the office.


    He had to resolve some matters first before going to see Francesco for treatment.


    When Johann gave Zachary a call to talk about work, he was ted to learn that Zachary was on his


    way to the office. At the same time, he expressed his concern, ¡°You''re still recuperating, so don''t tire


    yourself out.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry. I know my limits,¡± Zachary reassured him. ¡°Get Lucy to sort out the important documents


    for me to deal with. I need to leave at four today.¡±


    ¡°Very well, I''ll arrange it right away.¡±


    ¡°Mmm-hmm.¡±


    After ending the call, Zachary called the police. He learned from them that Nancy had provided


    sufficient evidence and the police had begun charging Jesse with numerous crimes.

 Chapter 1690

    Chapter 1690


    qAt the same time, the police had also confirmed that Chris had masqueraded as Zachary.


    Consequently, they had issued a warrant for his arrest.


    On top of that, they reminded Zachary to inform them of any new leads he had on Chris, to which he


    readily agreed.


    Subsequently, Zachary wanted to return Nacht Group to its original form by clearing out all the


    obstacles that had been put in there. His main objective was to put thepany back on its initial path.


    When he arrived at the office, Johann, Lucy, Spencer, and all the other board members were already


    waiting for him.


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    After announcing the updates from the police, Zachary returned the shares that Jesse had


    unscrupulously purchased to the respective board members.


    Ecstatic over the news, the members of the board thanked him gratefully.


    Zachary''s decision further cemented their respect and trust for him. Even though he had always been a


    demanding boss, his actions demonstrated his capability and how much he valued their loyalty.


    Given that Zachary was never a sentimental person, he gave a short speech before leading Spencer


    and Johann back to the president''s office.


    Meanwhile, Spencer was apologizing incessantly, as he felt guilty for failing to protect Nacht Group. At


    the crucial moment, he made no impact at all.


    Zachary consoled him, ¡°Mr. Spencer, I''m just d that you made it through the episode unharmed.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Zachary¡ª¡±


    ¡°I''m aware of everything that happened.¡± Zachary gave him a slight smile. ¡°You have already done your


    best. For that, both Charlotte and I are eternally grateful.¡±


    ¡°Hearing Charlotte''s name just intensifies my guilt.¡±


    Spencer recalled the time when Charlotte had just taken over Nacht Group. Back then, he even


    suspected that she was trying to take over thepany for her own selfish gains.


    It wasn''t until she convinced him with her sincerity that his concerns were ayed.


    Thinking back about the incident caused him to me himself even more.


    ¡°That''s all in the past now. It no longer matters.¡± Smiling slightly, Zachary added in a tactful tone,


    ¡°Nheless, I hope that you can trust her unconditionally going forward. Of course, it would be even


    better if you could express your regret when you see her.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. That goes without saying.¡± Spencer nodded in acknowledgment.


    ¡°Since you''re not feeling well, you should go home early to rest,¡± Zacharyforted him. ¡°Once I have


    gotten everything back on track and Charlotte has recovered, we will visit you with the kids.¡±


    ¡°All right then.¡± Touched by Zachary''s words, Spencer nodded repeatedly.


    After getting Lucy to escort Spencer out, Zachary stood up and bowed deeply at Johann.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Turning pale in shock, Johann quickly helped him up.


    ¡°Ever since my ident, your faith in Charlotte never wavered regardless of what happened. In fact,


    you gave your all against Jesse despite the odds you faced. In return for that kind of loyalty, bowing to


    thank you is the least I can do.¡±


    Giving Johann a thoughtful look, Zachary added sincerely, ¡°Without you, thepany wouldn''t have


    survived till my return.¡±


    Johann couldn''t help but feel touched by Zachary''s words.


    Teary-eyed, he replied, ¡°When I made a mistake in my research back then, you were the only one who


    believed in me when I was forsaken by everyone else. Despite Mr. Henry''s objections, you even spent


    a fortune to hire me and appointed me to the most honorable position on the board. Moreover, you


    even gave me a stake in Nacht Group. Even though I had always been in conflict with you over the


    affairs of thepany, I never doubted your capability, charisma, and the fact that you''re a good boss


    that values loyalty.


    ¡°After you gave me the responsibility of watching over thepany and your children, there was no


    way I was going to let you down. Besides, I watched Charlotte grow into her own person.


    Consequently, I trust her as much as I trust you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you! Thank you so much!¡± Zachary expressed his gratitude from the bottom of his heart.


    Considering that he wasn''t one for sappy words, those two words carried the weight of his sincerity.


    ¡°I should thank you too.¡± Johannmented, ¡°To havee back from the dead, you didn''t waste our


    effort at all!¡±

 Chapter 1691

    Chapter 1691


    qAfter baring their souls to each other, Zachary and Johann''s bonds were further strengthened.


    Having survived many trials and tribtions together, Zachary and his subordinates deepened the


    camaraderie and loyalty they shared.


    Ever since Henry established Nacht Group, Zachary had managed to prevent thepany from falling


    into the hands of others despite the crises it faced throughout the decades.


    Consequently, he had not failed those who came before him.


    In the afternoon, Zachary held a board meeting to streamline all operational matters. He then


    announced that thepany would return to its normal functions the very next day.


    pping enthusiastically with tears in their eyes, the board members swore to follow Zachary to death


    and never abandon him.


    After nodding with a slight smile, Zachary instructed Bruce to wheel him out of the room.


    When he checked his phone, he realized he had a missed call from Francesco.


    If I don''t see her now, she will probably hunt me down with her beasts.


    After Zachary got into the car, Bruce reported anxiously, ¡°Ms. Felch gave me a call and threatened to


    lose her temper if she doesn''t see you by sundown.¡±


    ¡°Haha...¡± Zacharyughed. ¡°In that case, you had better step on it. If we''rete, she might end up


    burning Rokan Hill down.¡±


    ¡°I can''t believe how bad her temper is. In contrast to her, I now feel that Ms. Lindberg is kind and


    gentle,¡± Brucemented anxiously.


    ¡°Isn''t that obvious?¡± Zachary shot him a re. ¡°Even without beingpared to the devilish woman,


    Charlotte is inherently a kind and gentle soul.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, of course.¡± Bruce nodded before urging Marino to drive faster.


    Halfway through the journey, Marino suddenly remarked, ¡°Someone''s tailing us.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Zachary raised his gaze at the rearview mirror. ¡°They''re the Lindberg family''s men.¡±


    ¡°Are they following us in order to find Francesco?¡± Bruce furrowed his brows. ¡°Considering they are


    family, it would be unwise to be in open conflict.¡±


    ¡°Pull up in front,¡± Zachary ordered.


    ¡°Right away.¡± Marino slowed the car down to a stop.


    ¡°What''s going on? Have we been noticed?¡± Sean''s subordinate asked.


    ¡°Looks like it,¡± Sean responded with a frown. ¡°But since Mr. Nacht has stopped his car instead of trying


    to lose us, he probably wants to talk.¡±


    ¡°In that case...¡±


    ¡°Drive over then.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡±


    Their silver Maybach came to a stop behind Zachary''s ck Rolls-Royce.


    After alighting from the car, Sean took the initiative to greet Zachary, ¡°Mr. Nacht, it''s been a while.¡±


    ¡°Tell Mr. Lindberg that I''ll see him tonight at ten to talk,¡± Zachary suggested with a smile. ¡°Before that,


    tell him to give me some time.¡±


    ¡°Erm...¡± Sean pondered a moment before replying in a conflicted tone, ¡°Please wait for a moment while


    I check with him.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    Zachary signaled him to go ahead.


    Sean moved to the side and gave Danrique a call to convey Zachary''s message.


    After a momentary silence, Danrique answered, ¡°Back off then.¡±


    ¡°Right away.¡± Sean hurried back to Zachary. ¡°Mr. Nacht, Mr. Lindberg will see you at ten.¡±


    ¡°I''ll be there.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Sean swiftly left with his men.


    Once their car was nowhere in sight, Zachary ordered Marino to continue their drive to Rokan Hill.


    ¡°It seems Mr. Lindberg is open to negotiations this time,¡± Bruce spected. ¡°Has he set aside his bias


    due to Ms. Lindberg and the children?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Zachary smirked. ¡°It''s because of Francesco.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Bruce was puzzled.


    ¡°Do you think he doesn''t know that Francesco is at Southridge?¡± Zachary asked with his eyebrow


    raised. ¡°Given that we''re heading to Rokan Hill, it''s not difficult for him to guess where Francesco is. I''m


    guessing that instead of a confrontation, he wants to persuade her to return in a more subtle manner.¡±

 Chapter 1692

    Chapter 1692


    q¡°I see.¡± The thought didn''t ur to Bruce.


    ¡°It appears that Danrique really cares about Francesco.¡± Zachary widened his lips into a smile.


    ¡°Perhaps, something good mighte out of this.¡±


    ¡°Erm...¡± Bruce attempted to say something but held his tongue in fear.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Zachary raised his eyebrow curiously.


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    ¡°Ahem...¡± Bruce cleared his throat and meekly remarked, ¡°Given how bad-tempered that witch is,


    marrying her is the equivalent of bringing a timebomb home. In the event he gets on her nerves, there


    will never be peace at home. Therefore, I wonder if Mr. Lindberg has thought this through?¡±


    ¡°No wonder Ben and Marino have girlfriends, while you don''t.¡± Zachary rolled his eyes at Bruce.


    ¡°Considering the way you think, there''s no way any girl will fall for you.¡±


    ¡°Uhh...¡± Bruce was still clueless.


    ¡°Someone like Mr. Lindberg loves a difficult challenge. Hence, any ordinary girl doesn''t pique his


    interest at all,¡± Zachary exined. ¡°Only Francesca is capable of capturing his heart.¡±


    ¡°Fine. Love is truly something beyond myprehension.¡± Bruce found it hard to understand. ¡°It just


    feels like you''re going around in search of pain.¡±


    Zachary burst intoughter upon hearing Bruce''s response. ¡°The way you put it does seem to make


    sense.¡±


    After all, couples who care a lot about each other would always end up torturing one another in conflict.


    In fact, life would be more peaceful without such passion. However, isn''t that the sign of having met


    one''s true love?


    Suddenly, an Aston Martin sped past them from the opposing direction on their way up the hill.


    Bruce recognized Francesca in it at once. Just when he was about to say something, the car


    screeched to a halt and backed up toward them.


    As both cars wound down their windows, Zachary turned his head to look out the window. At the same


    time, Francesca stuck her head out and scowled. ¡°Have you finally remembered toe? And here I


    was, thinking that you were dead.¡±


    ¡°Dr. Felch, considering all the effort you have put in to revive me, I won''t allow myself to die that easily.¡±


    Zachary looked at her with a vibrant smile. ¡°I was just dyed by work. Besides, didn''t I make it here


    before sundown?¡±


    ¡°I''m d you still know what''s good for you!¡± Francesca red at him. After that, she stretched her


    neck to check inside Zachary''s car. ¡°Where are my children?¡±


    ¡°Have you forgotten how difficult it is to get them back from Danrique?¡± Zachary sounded frustrated on


    purpose. ¡°Besides, didn''t I tell you that I needed some time?¡±


    ¡°How long?¡± Having a memory equivalent to that of a goldfish, Francesca had forgotten Zachary''s


    words from two days ago.


    ¡°Since we haven''t started today''s treatment, let''s go back up and get it done. After that, I''m going to


    meet with Danrique.¡± Zachary nced at his watch. ¡°I have an appointment with him at ten.¡±


    ¡°All right!¡± Francesca was overjoyed by the answer. ¡°Follow me then.¡±


    With that, the Aston Martin swung around and sped back up the hill.


    Even though Marino tried his best to follow her, he simply couldn''t keep up.


    ¡°Slow down, Mr. Nacht is still injured, remember?¡± Feeling irritated, Bruce admonished him, ¡°We''re not


    in a race.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Marino slowed down into a steady drive. Nevertheless, he couldn''t resistmenting, ¡°I didn''t


    expect Francesco to be such an amazing driver. In fact, she''s more skillful than Morgan and me!¡±


    ¡°Isn''t that obvious?¡± Zachary sneered. ¡°Her skills are on par with Danrique, who was the one who


    trained Morgan.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Marino was shocked. ¡°I heard from Morgan that Mr. Lindberg has mad driving skills even


    though he seldom drives. If Francesco is really as good as him, I''m definitely ashamed of my own


    skills.¡±


    ¡°That witch possesses many other outstanding talents. It''s just that she''s a little off in her head.¡±


    Zachary had gotten to understand Francesco better. ¡°Well, God is fair. No one is truly perfect.¡±


    ¡°She''s already someone exceptional,¡± Bruce eximed. ¡°There aren''t many guys in this world that can


    stand up to her.¡±


    ¡°Mmm-hmm. It''s best not to get on her nerves. Even Mr. Lindberg''s men are afraid of her.¡±

 Chapter 1693

    Chapter 1693


    qAfter getting up the mountain, they quietly went back to Southridge.


    Zachary began his treatment while Bruce, Marino, and others apanied him. They were anxious


    when Francesco pierced his body with needles and released some blood.


    Everyone only saw Zachary when he returned with his recovered body, but none of them knew the


    amount of suffering he had endured.


    The torture was inhumane. It wasn''t something anyone could endure. It was as if he walked through


    into gates of hell and dragged his scarred and bloodstained body out, one step at a time.


    The treatmentsted for an hour and a half. Although Zachary was sweating from the pain, he didn''t


    make a sound. He remained calm and courageous.


    Francesco treated him casually with ease, as though her patient wasn''t a living being but a lifeless


    object.


    Her hand movements were skilled and a little aggressive, not knowing how to be gentle.


    Bruce got anxious as he watched. He couldn''t hold it in any longer and said, ¡°Dr. Felch, please be


    gentle. Please be gentler!¡±


    When he said it the first time, Francesco frowned. After hearing it for the second time, she got angry


    and said, ¡°You''re so noisy. Get out!¡±


    Bruce was startled. He didn''t dare to let out another sound.


    Marino hurriedly limped out and hid behind the door to peek.


    At half past seven, the treatment finally ended.


    Francesco dragged the unconscious Zachary to immerse him in a tub of medicine. Then, she dusted


    her hands and went out. Before leaving, she told Bruce, ¡°After half an hour, get him out of the tub and


    wipe him dry. Then he may leave.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Understood.¡±


    Bruce hurriedly nodded. He was terrified of Francesco, afraid that he might get on her nerves again.


    Francesco leaped out the window and ate an apple on the hammock.


    She never yed with electronics, nor did she watch TV. Her only hobbies were sleeping, eating, and


    talking to small animals.


    At this moment, many birds flew over to her side to eat the apple core she had discarded.


    At the same time, she had a great time chatting with the birds.


    Soon, an hour passed.


    Zachary seemed to have had a vague dream. When he woke up, he couldn''t remember any of it. All he


    saw when he opened his eyes were the busy figures of Bruce and Marino.


    ¡°What time is it?¡±


    Zachary''s voice was frail and hoarse. At that time, his body felt numb and weak.


    After such extensive treatment, he no longer felt any pain. However, he felt like he wasn''t in his own


    body.


    ¡°It''s half-past eight, Mr. Zachary.¡± Bruce''s eyes were pooling with tears. His heart ached after watching


    him being tortured. ¡°Have some rest. I''ll change your clothes.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Then, Zachary closed his eyes and instructed, ¡°Put me in that ck suit. I have to look grand in


    front of Danrique.¡±


    ¡°As you wish.¡± Bruce was devastated that Zachary was still thinking about work at this time. However,


    he could only obey his wishes.


    N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    ¡°I''ll sleep for half an hour. Remember to wake me up.¡±


    Zachary was exhausted and his mind was nk.


    ¡°Don''t worry. You can sleep at ease.¡±


    Bruce changed Zachary''s clothes, covered him in a nket, and stood by him.


    ¡°How long will Nr. Zachary''s treatmentst? This is really tormenting,¡± Marino asked anxiously.


    ¡°What will happen to the treatment if Danrique took Francesco away?¡±


    ¡°That''s why we have to negotiate tonight,¡± Bruce frowned and said, ¡°We must let Francescoplete


    Zachary''s treatment before she leaves no matter what.¡±


    ¡°Right...¡± Marino nodded repeatedly.


    After half an hour, Bruce was reluctant to wake up Zachary. He wanted to let him sleep for ten more


    minutes. However, Zachary woke up by himself and said with his squinted eyes, ¡°What time is it?¡±


    ¡°It''s nine o''clock, Mr. Zachary.¡± Bruce gently responded.


    Zachary always had a good sense of time and wanted to be punctual. ¡°Help me up. Today''s negotiation


    is very important. We cannot bete.¡±


    ¡°Right away.¡± Bruce helped Zachary up and helped him to his wheelchair with Marino. He helped him


    put on his coat and pushed the wheelchair out.


    ¡°Where''s Francesco?¡± Zachary turned his head toward the courtyard.


    ¡°She was in the courtyard just now, but she''s gone already.¡± Marino turned his head and nced at the


    courtyard. ¡°Maybe she went to y in the forest.¡±

 Chapter 1694

    Chapter 1694


    q¡°We''ll leave now. Let''s not wait for her.¡±


    Zachary was still exhausted and weak. He wasn''t in his optimal condition.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Bruce helped him up to the car and covered him with a nket. ¡°Mr. Zachary, you have some


    rest. It''ll be a while before we get there.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Zachary nodded andy on his back with his eyes closed.


    When Marino got in the car, he instructed the subordinates in the two cars behind them, ¡°Mr. Zachary


    needs some rest. I will be driving slowly. After we got down the mountain, one of you will drive in front.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡±


    They drove down the mountain steadily.


    Bruce looked at the GPS, estimated the route and time of arrival, and whispered to Marino. ¡°Gently pick


    up some speed after we got down the mountain. Otherwise, we''ll bete.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Marino nodded and nced at the rearview mirror to check if the two cars followed behind.


    However, he noticed a few mysterious birds circling above their convoy.


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    They seemed to have followed them a long way.


    Marino chose to ignore it. He assumed those were Francesco''s birds which were only following them


    because they got familiar with Zachary after his long treatment and would disappear after they left the


    mountain.


    Sure enough, as soon as the car left the mountain, the birds disappeared.


    Marino didn''t think much into it. He sped up and drove toward their destination.


    Zachary was asleep for the entire journey and slowly woke up when the car was about to arrive at the


    Lindberg residence.


    Initially, Bruce wanted to wake Zachary up, but he had already woken up. After all, those years of living


    in intense stress had made him sensitive to his surroundings.


    ¡°Are we there?¡±


    Zachary squinted and looked at the guards standing vigntly outside.


    Although people alwayspared the Lindberg family with the Nacht family, both families were vastly


    different.


    The founding of the Lindberg family began with Old Lady Lindberg, who was also Charlotte''s great-


    grandmother. She was once a prominent general of Erihal. After leaving the army, she began to


    develop their first family business, which was dealing with firearms.


    In other words, the Lindberg family made their fortune in the firearm business. With the changes of the


    times, they switched their business model to be a legit business. However, the Lindberg family


    members had adopted a ruthless nature.


    They managed both theirpanies and families under the military system.


    Even the vi where they temporarily lived was built like a castle, protected by Erihal guards in


    camouge with stern looks and prating gazes.


    Anyone who was generally unfamiliar with the Lindberg family would be frightened.


    Such as Marino, who tightened his hands on the steering wheel.


    ¡°Calm down.¡± Zachary noticed Marino''s anxiousness. ¡°Even if Danrique found out about you and


    Morgan, he won''t do anything to you. He''ll be upied by other important stuff. He''s a busy man after


    all.¡±


    ¡°Yes... yes.¡± Marino responded twice. He tensed his body and took a deep breath to adjust his mental


    state.


    ¡°What a loser.¡± Bruce smacked him on the back of his head. ¡°Why bother going after a woman if you''re


    such a coward? Why are you so afraid?¡±


    Marino didn''t dare to speak. He looked aggrieved.


    ¡°That''s enough.¡± Zachary became more and more lenient. He would have punched him long ago


    before, but he could understand Marino''s concern.


    Marino wasn''t afraid of Danrique. He feared that he would be separated from Morgan.


    After going through so much, his rtionship with Morgan became thicker than blood. He couldn''t bear


    the thought of losing her.


    As a blinding beam of light shone from the front of the car, Marino slowed down and stopped.


    A group of people walked over in an orderly manner. They had weapons in their hand as a precaution.


    Bruce frowned and was about to lose his temper. However, Zachary made a gesture to stop him.


    Hence, he could only hold back his anger and get down of the car to state their purpose.


    ¡°My name is Bruce. Mr. Zachary has made an appointment to meet Mr. Lindberg at ten o''clock!¡±

 Chapter 1695

    Chapter 1695


    qSomeone walked out from the blinding lights, which turned out to be Gordon. After noticing Zachary in


    the car, he hurriedly asked his subordinates to step aside and said respectfully, ¡°Wee, Mr.


    Zachary.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Bruce was relieved. It seemed that Danrique really wanted to negotiate with Zachary and


    didn''t intend to assert dominance.


    They drove the car in and stopped at the gate of the castle. Bruce helped Zachary out of the car and


    into his wheelchair. Then he pushed his wheelchair and walked in.


    Marino and the other subordinated followed closely behind.


    The subordinate from another car shed the car key in his hand.


    He looked back to the car with a strange feeling that the trunk was not tightly closed. He wanted to


    check, but Zachary and the others had already gone in. Thus, he couldn''t help but follow them into the


    castle.


    The Nacht residence was painted in cold colors, while the Lindberg residence was mainly white, which


    looked even more distant and pure at the same time.


    Sean came out to greet Zachary politely, ¡°Good evening, Mr. Zachary. Mr. Lindberg is in the backyard.


    This way, please.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Zachary smiled. He was well aware of Danrique''s intentions for inviting him to meet in the


    backyard.


    As expected, as soon as the backyard door opened, Marino and the other subordinates were stunned.


    They stopped their steps at the same time as if they were petrified. Not a single one of them dared to


    move an inch.


    The courtyard appeared serene and elegant with shoots of green bamboo and a small pond reflecting


    the bright crescent moon. There was a long ivory table beside the pond.


    Danrique was dressed in white. He was brewing a pot of tea elegantly by the table.


    There were two leopards with snow-white fur next to him, a strong-looking tiger was drinking by the


    pond, and two eagles staring at Zachary with piercing gazes from a wall not far away.


    Bruce frowned unhappily. He knew that Danrique was using the animals to intimidate Zachary. It


    seemed more like a punishment than a negotiation.


    This is preposterous!


    However, Zachary remained calm. He smiled and took the initiative to greet Danrique. ¡°Long time no


    see!¡±


    Danrique looked up and stared at Zachary coldly. He suppressed his discontented emotions and made


    a polite gesture. ¡°Wee!¡±


    Bruce pushed Zachary to the table opposite Danrique and stood next to him.


    Although Marino, Connor, and others were a little nervous, they have been through a lot. They quickly


    regained theirposure and stood aside silently.


    The showdown between the two bosses made the atmosphere seem frigid.


    Danrique kept brewing his tea with his head down. His skills were good, and his hands were white and


    slender, far more beautiful than a woman''s hands.


    Zachary didn''t utter a word. He looked at his hands and admired his tea brewing skills.


    After Danrique was done brewing tea, he poured a cup and pushed it toward Zachary. Then, he raised


    his head to size him up. ¡°You must be really lucky to stay alive!¡±


    Zachary took a sip of tea and smiled, ¡°Yes. Thanks to Dr. Felch.¡±


    As he mentioned Francesco, Danrique frowned, and a cold sensation shed across his eyes. ¡°Where


    is she?¡±


    ¡°She''s staying on the mountain for a while,¡± Zachary bluntly said, ¡°I was just there for my treatment


    before I came here.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    ¡°She''s quite attentive.¡± There was a tone of sourness in his voice.


    ¡°Not all heroes wear capes.¡±


    Zachary smiled. He knew he had taken control of the situation. Danrique tried to intimidate him, but he


    knew his weaknesses.


    ¡°At the brink of death, you even left Nacht Group''s mess to Charlotte, causing her to endure so much


    pressure all by herself. Can you even call yourself a man?¡±


    Danrique no amateur either. He immediately regained dominion.


    ¡°My bad.¡± Unlike his past arrogant self, Zachary had changed and admitted his mistake. ¡°I thought I had


    already paved the way and wanted to leave everything to her so she could live in peace with her child. I


    didn''t expect there would be so many unseen threats.¡±

 Chapter 1696

    Chapter 1696


    qDanrique was a little surprised. Zachary always had been an arrogant person, and Danrique never


    took him seriously. No matter what, Zachary was indeed a prominent figure in the corporate world.


    However, the once insufferable man actually took the initiative to bow his head and confess his


    mistakes.


    It was truly surprising.


    ¡°Fortunately, everything has been resolved. I will clean up the rest by myself. I won''t make Charlotte


    worry anymore!¡±


    Zachary raised his teacup and smiled at Danrique. ¡°Can I have more tea, my dear brother-inw?¡±


    ¡°Don''t call me that. It sounds awful.¡±


    Danrique frowned. His expressions were cold and arrogant. At the same time, he gracefully lifted the


    teapot and refilled Zachary''s teacup.


    ¡°Haha!¡± Zachary kept calm and smiled gently. Then, he asked with a concerned look, ¡°How''s the


    situation at Lindberg Corporation?¡±


    ¡°Everything is going ording to n,¡± Danrique blurted and was taken aback. He wasn''t supposed to


    respond to Zachary''s question. However, he involuntarily answered him.


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    It was probably because Zachary unknowingly broke the ice between them, making them seem like a


    family discussing family matters.


    ¡°That''s good.¡± Zachary nodded. ¡°If there is anything you need me to do-¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Danrique interrupted him coldly to establish a distance with Zachary. ¡°We don''t need an outsider


    to intervene in the Lindberg family matters.¡±


    As he spoke, the air immediately became frigid and tensed.


    Bruce, who was waiting by the side, looked at Zachary anxiously. Zachary had already put his pride


    aside, but Danrique was still treating him arrogantly. He was worried that Zachary might get angry.


    ¡°You have misunderstood!¡± But Zachary didn''t get angry. Instead, he smiled and said, ¡°Now that Nacht


    Group''s shares and assets belong to Charlotte, Nacht Group is under her control. She''s not considered


    an outsider if she were to help Lindberg Corporation, right?¡±


    Danrique was startled. He raised his head and stared deeply at Zachary''s eyes, trying to see through


    his motives.


    ¡°When you were poisoned, you transferred your assets to Charlotte to protect the Nacht Group and


    your children''s inheritance. Don''t you n to take it back now that you''ve returned?¡±


    ¡°We''re a married couple, so it doesn''t matter,¡± Zachary smiled and said, ¡°It is only right for my wife to


    help her family.¡±


    Danrique was rendered speechless for a moment. He didn''t know what to say. Zachary''s words were


    simply too cheesy. He had the impression that Zachary wanted to enchant him with beautiful words so


    that he would let Robbie go.


    But after thinking about it, he realized that there was no need for Zachary to do this. After all, he


    wouldn''t hurt Robbie or detain him forever.


    If Charlotte ever came crying for her child back, he wouldply with her wishes. After all, he was her


    brother, and he wouldn''t be this cruel to his sister.


    However, he still couldn''t grasp what Zachary was trying to achieve.


    Suddenly, Danrique had a realization. He said coldly, ¡°Did you put away your pride and deliberately


    tried to please me so you could have Francesco to continue to treat you?¡±


    ¡°Haha!¡±


    Zachary suddenlyughed as if he heard something funny.


    ¡°What are youughing about?¡± Danrique frowned.


    Zachary slowly took a sip of tea and fidgeted with the teacup. Then, he said amusingly, ¡°You speak as if


    you have control over Francesco.¡±


    ¡°You!¡± Danrique was suddenly rendered speechless by his words.


    ¡°Francesco is domineering and unruly by nature. It''s not easy to bring her to heel,¡± Zachary smirked


    and said, ¡°To deal with her, you have to coax her. Brutish methods won''t work!¡±


    ¡°Nonsense!¡± Danrique red at Zachary. ¡°As if you understand her very well.¡±

 Chapter 1697

    Chapter 1697


    q¡°It''s not that I understand her. I just learned from my experience.¡±


    Zachary spoke in a remorseful tone.


    ¡°I used to be like you. I didn''t know how to think outside the box. I resolved everything with force and


    caused a lot of trouble for Charlotte. Now that I have experienced countless setbacks, I finally


    understand that there is nothing to be ashamed of for a man to bow down to the woman he loves!¡±


    ¡°You don''t understand.¡± Danrique frowned. ¡°She''s heartless. She only thinks of money and the children.


    Oh, and winning too. She''ll evenmit unscrupulous methods just to win!¡±


    As he spoke, he got so irritated that he almost crushed the teacup in his hand.


    ¡°Well...¡± Zachary thought about it and agreed. Francesca was indeed not an ordinary woman, and he


    shouldn''t deal with her like how he would with ordinary women.


    However, persuading Danrique was his goal. After giving it some thought, he approached it from a


    different perspective. ¡°That''s not it. She also thinks of you!¡±


    Zachary''s words were a little corny, but he had no choice. He had to let go of his integrity first if he


    wanted to go for the appeasement approach.


    ¡°What?¡± Danrique stopped moving his hand and looked at him. As expected, Zachary''s strategy


    worked.


    ¡°I identally mentioned you when I was talking to her. I was questioning your business methods in


    front of her. However, she immediately disagreed and said that you''re actually a very smart person


    despite your cold demeanor.¡±


    Zachary told Danrique everything about the conversation he had with Francesco during hisst


    treatment.


    ¡°Is this for real?¡± Danrique suddenly became interested. ¡°She said I am smart?¡±


    ¡°Not only that,¡± Zachary knew that his tactic would work on him and immediately added, ¡°She also said


    that you''re good-looking!¡±


    His words weren''t unconscionable. Francesco did address Zachary as Fugly every day. She also once


    muttered, ¡°Compared to you, that frigid man is more handsome and charming!¡±


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    Zachary repeated the sentence to Danrique, and he had goosebumps all over his body. However,


    Danrique was delighted to hear it. He smiled without knowing it. ¡°Did she really say that?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Zachary nodded earnestly. ¡°During my treatment period, she would mention you at least eight or


    ten times a day. I almost got sick of hearing her constantly talking about you.¡±


    Danrique''s grim expression suddenly turned into a radiant smile.


    ¡°Thus, she does think of you.¡± Zachary returned to the topic, ¡°If youmunicate with her face to face


    in a different approach, you might be able to reconcile with her.¡±


    ¡°I can''tmunicate with her.¡±


    As soon as he thought ofmunicating with Francesca, his head started to ache. They would argue


    whenever they had a conversation, and the argument would turn into a fistfight. There was never a


    peaceful moment between them.


    ¡°Maybe you''re both toopetitive. Try to change your attitude next time.¡±


    ¡°That''s enough.¡± Danrique interrupted him coldly. ¡°I don''t need you to teach me.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Zachary shrugged. ¡°I don''t have much experience, so I can''t really teach you. You can always


    try to understand her through other means.¡±


    ¡°There''s nothing to understand about her,¡± Danrique said adamantly, ¡°In my opinion, a woman should


    be chained and restricted from going anywhere. If she''s disobedient, then tie her up until she listens!¡±


    Now, Zachary had nothing to say. He suddenly realized that Danrique and Francesca were very simr.


    They were both extremely stubborn and not easily convinced.


    ¡°In short, if you want your son back, bring Francesco to see me.¡± Danrique has had enough of Zachary.


    ¡°I don''t have the time to wait. I must see her before this time tomorrow!¡±

 Chapter 1698

    Chapter 1698


    q¡°No problem.¡± Zachary delightfully agreed. ¡°At this time tomorrow, Charlotte and I will bring Francesco


    to see you. However, getting her to stay here will depend on you.¡±


    Zachary nned to trick Francesca into meeting Danrique with Charlotte. Then have Charlotte and


    their children assist in persuading them to reconcile, bringing their family together.


    ¡°Very well!¡± Danrique smiled gratifyingly. ¡°See you tomorrow!¡±


    ¡°See you tomorrow!¡± Zachary put down his teacup and prepared to leave.


    Suddenly, Danrique called out to him again, ¡°Zachary!¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± Zachary raised his head and looked at him.


    ¡°Are you sure you can give Charlotte happiness?¡± Danrique asked sternly.


    ¡°Definitely. I''m sure of it!¡± Zachary replied firmly, ¡°I will protect her with my life!¡±


    ¡°You''d better keep your words,¡± Danrique warned Zachary, ¡°If you ever wrong Charlotte again, I won''t


    forgive you!¡±


    ¡°Sure. You may check on us at any time.¡± Zachary humbly affirmed.


    After hearing that, Danrique could no longer make things difficult for Zachary. He had no choice but to


    wave his hand helplessly, indicating that he could leave.


    Bruce came and grabbed Zachary''s wheelchair, preparing to leave.


    At this moment, a siren suddenly red outside, and the Lindberg family''s subordinates were on high


    alert. A group of well-trained bodyguards immediately marched to the source of the siren.


    Bruce stopped his steps and exchanged nces with Marino and the others.


    They immediately guarded Zachary closely.


    ¡°No need to worry.¡± Zachary was weirdly calm. ¡°This is the Lindberg residence. There''s no way the


    intruder could get in. However,¡± he paused and narrowed his eyes before continuing, ¡°why would there


    be an intruder? Moreover at this time?¡±


    ¡°Zachary Nacht! You insolent fool!¡±


    Danrique roared, and more than a dozen subordinates immediately pointed their guns at Zachary and


    his subordinates. At the same time, another group of people came in and tightly surrounded them.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Bruce shouted angrily.


    ¡°Shush.¡± Zachary frowned.


    ¡°Aye.¡± Bruce immediately lowered his head and stepped aside.


    Danrique stomped over. He no longer had his friendly demeanor. Instead, he looked murderous. ¡°How


    dare you send someone to intrude this ce? Did you n to secretly take Robbie away while I''m not


    paying attention?¡±


    That day, no one else came to the castle except for his subordinates in the three cars, and the


    bodyguards didn''t check their vehicles.


    If anyone were to intrude, it would be someone from the Nacht family.


    Moreover, the siren came from the vi where the children stayed. Hence, Danrique''s first assumption


    was that Zachary caused a distraction and sent someone to take Robbie away.


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    ¡°I''m not that despicable.¡± Zachary calmly looked at him. ¡°I think there''s some misunderstanding!¡±


    ¡°Misunderstanding or not, we will find out soon.¡±


    Danrique gave him a cold stare, then sat boldly on the chair.


    Naturally, Zachary and his men could no longer leave. They could only wait quietly.


    The Lindberg family''s bodyguards didn''t take long to capture and bring in the intruder. However,


    everyone was stunned when they saw the intruder''s face.


    ¡°It''s you?¡±


    Zachary was dumbfounded. He looked at the embarrassed Francesca, who was dressed in ck.


    She seemed to have fallen into a puddle. Her clothes were thoroughly drenched, and there was even


    an unpleasant odor. At that moment, she red at Danrique.


    ¡°It''s really you!¡± Danrique red back at her. ¡°You must have colluded with each other! One of you


    distracts my attention while the other steals the child! Right?¡±


    ¡°We didn''t-¡±


    ¡°Who in their right mind would collude with this ugly bast*rd?¡± Before Zachary could rify, Francesca


    angrily interrupted, ¡°I snuck into the trunk of his car and sneaked in with him.¡±


    Zachary shrugged at Danrique to imply... See? I''m innocent.


    ¡°Ugly bast*rd?¡± Danrique nced at Zachary, and the anger in his eyes subsided. However, his tone


    remained unchangingly scornful. ¡°Francesca Felch, do you think this is your backyard where you can


    juste and go as you please?¡±

 Chapter 1699

    Chapter 1699


    q¡°Obviously,¡± Francesca mocked Danrique openly. ¡°I cane and go as I please. The security


    system in your ce is sh*t.¡±


    ¡°Why you little...¡±


    ¡°Did you level them up though?¡± Francesca demanded. ¡°What is up with all these infrared sensors?


    And this pool filled with crocodiles? What if I slip and fall into it? They could have eaten me!¡±


    ¡°Hey, I thought you''re the Queen of Beasts,¡± Zachary piped up.


    ¡°If they''re on thend, yeah. Not aquatic creatures.¡± Francesca shot him a nasty re and patted her


    clothes angrily. ¡°Godda*mit. Now my clothes are soiled. Ew, they smell.¡±


    ¡°And that''s why I leveled up the security system and added the beasts you''re scared of. So you won''t


    trash the ce.¡± Danrique was delighted to see her looking so messy, and he even grinned


    mischievously. ¡°Now you have nowhere to run.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    He gave hismand, and a few female bodyguards surrounded Francesca.


    ¡°Don''t you even dare!¡± Francesca growled ferally. She was about to give the bodyguards a piece of her


    mind, but instead, they pinned her down and took her backpack away.


    ¡°Hey, that''s mine! Give it back to me!¡± Francesca tried to snatch her backpack back, but the


    bodyguards were already leaving with it.


    ¡°Let''s see if you can pull any tricks without that backpack of yours, Dora.¡± Danrique sneered, and he


    inched closer toward Francesca.


    ¡°Why you little...¡± Francesca gnashed her teeth in fury. The Art of War at it again. Know your enemy


    and yourself, and you won''t lose any battle. I''ve been at odds with this idiot for years. Now he knows


    everything I have up my sleeve. He knows I keep all my tools and meds in the backpack. I can''t do


    anything without that.


    She lost all the items she brought with her back at the crocodile pool. Even her snake was nowhere to


    be found. Now she was just a helpless girl who could do nothing against Danrique, but she refused to


    give up without a fight. She looked around, and to her delight, she noticed two panthers, a tiger, and


    two eagles in the courtyard.


    She whistled to them, trying to wake them up so they could fight for her, but Danrique dashed that hope


    immediately. ¡°Just give up. They''re deaf. They can''t hear you.¡±


    Danrique knew this would happen. He spent many nightsing up with the perfect n to catch


    Francesca, and he knew she had no way out once she walked right into his trap.


    ¡°Danrique, you b*stard!¡± Francesca howled. Darn. Now I have no way out for real.


    ¡°Oh, I know that very well.¡± Danrique yanked Francesca''s wrist and pinned her against the tree. ¡°You''re


    going nowhere until you heal me,¡± he hissed quietly.


    ¡°Ah, so that''s why you wanted to capture me? Why didn''t you say so?¡± Francesca smirked at him, and


    the look in her eyes annoyed Danrique. She raised her voice, ¡°I bet they still don''t know that your


    condition is alread-¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Danrique covered her mouth. He didn''t want her to speak any further.


    Francesca wanted to shout, but all she could muster was a muffled whimper. She iled her legs and


    tried to kick Danrique, so he picked her up and put her on his shoulder, then he spanked her.


    ¡°Danrique, you b*stard! You son of a b*tch! I''ll kill you! I''ll kill you!¡± Francesca shrieked maniacally, and


    her voice broke.


    Zachary was getting a migraine from all the shouting, so he quickly calmed them down, ¡°Look, we don''t


    have to be so rude about this.¡±


    ¡°Mind your own business!¡± Danrique growled. ¡°Sean, see our guest out!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Sean quickly sent Zachary out. ¡°Mr. Nacht, I''ll lead the way.¡±


    ¡°Hey, wait,¡± Zachary said. ¡°I brought her to you, so can I take Robbie back with me?¡±


    Zachary looked at Danrique.


    Danrique gesticted to Sean, and Sean quickly asked his men to take Robbie here while he sent


    Zachary off.


    ¡°Zachary you b*stard! You''d better bust me out of here or you''re dead!¡± Francesca was starting to feel


    terrified, as Zachary was her only hope of escape. If he left, she''d truly be alone.

 Chapter 1700

    Chapter 1700


    q¡°Sorry, Dr. Felch. I can''t do anything here, much less save you.¡± Zachary shrugged, and then he


    smiled. ¡°You guys are a couple. You''ll sort this out soon enough.¡±


    ¡°I am not his wife!¡± Francesca was obviously enraged by Zachary''s remark. ¡°Zachary, you fool! Bust me


    out of here right now or you''ll just die rotting!¡±


    ¡°Send him out!¡± Danrique lost interest in the argument, and he was about to leave with Francesca.


    Suddenly, someone in the courtyard screamed, ¡°Oh my god! It''s Mommy! That''s Mommy right there!¡±


    ¡°Mommy! Mommy!¡±


    Danrique looked back and saw Robbie and the other kidsing into the front yard. The kids were


    really excited to see Francesca, and they quickly ran up to her.


    ¡°Kids!¡± Francesca iled her legs around again when she saw her kids. ¡°Put me down now!¡±


    Danrique frowned, but he put her down nheless.


    ¡°Mommy!¡± The kids pounced at Francesca, and the impact made her fall back to the ground.


    Danrique reflexively tried to hold her, but Francesca didn''t seem to feel any pain at all. She rubbed her


    butt and yed with the kids happily. A frown dotted his forehead, and Danrique pulled his hand back.


    ¡°I''ve missed you, girls!¡± Francesca held the kids and slobbered all over them.


    The kids were also hugging and kissing her as well. Theyy in her embrace, refusing to leave.


    Danrique was envious of the love between Francesca and the kids, for nobody had treated him with


    that kind of love before.


    ¡°Mommy, Mommy, we''ve missed you so much!¡± The kids held her tightly, and they started sobbing all of


    a sudden, their eyes filled with tears.


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    ¡°I''ve missed you too, kids.¡± Francesca was tearing up as well. She was a petite woman, but she held


    the kids tightly in her arms.


    Danrique gazed at her. She only shows this side of her in front of the kids.


    ¡°Ahem.¡± Zachary coughed a few times to draw attention to himself. ¡°Alpha, Beta, Gamma. Uncle


    Zachary is here, you know.¡±


    The kids shifted their attention to him. They were surprised at first, but when they snapped out of it,


    Alpha and Beta got so excited, they almost pounced at him. ¡°Uncle Zachary!¡±


    ¡°Hold it!¡± Gamma stopped her siblings and stared at Zachary warily. ¡°Someone impersonated our uncle


    before, and that guy''s a viin. He yelled at us. You might be an impostor too.¡±


    Zachary quickly brought up the kids'' favorite stuff, ¡°Alpha likes seedless grapes as well as the grilled


    mutton and demi-ce ribs Mrs. Rawlston makes. Beta loves meat and hot cross bunnies. You always


    get into a fight with Jamie because of that. Gamma loves snake soup, and the snake must be freshly


    caught by Marino.¡± He paused for a moment. ¡°I think I got all that right, correct?¡±


    ¡°Yep, yep!¡± The kids knew that was the real Zachary, so they left their mother''s embrace and pounced


    at their uncle. ¡°You''re finally back! We''ve missed you!¡±


    ¡°And we''ve missed you too, Robbie, Jamie, Ellie, and Aunt Charlotte!¡±


    ¡°Hey, what''s wrong with your leg, Uncle Zachary? I know, Mommy can help you with that! She''s super


    great at this kind of stuff.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the concern, kids.¡± Zachary patted the kids'' heads lovingly, and for the first time in a while,


    a gentle smile curled his lips.


    Danrique had mixed feelings about the scene. The kids didn''t even recognize him, but they showered


    all their love on Zachary the moment they saw him.

 Chapter 1701

    Chapter 1701


    qIt was obvious that Zachary had been nice to the children. Kids are simple and innocent beings. The


    girls could see who was genuinely nice to them. Some people could fake being nice for a while, but it


    wasn''t easy to fake being nice for three months. That was especially the case for Zachary. He was a


    proud man, so he wouldn''t spend time pretending to be nice.


    That was why they knew their uncle was truly nice to them, and they were happy to hang out with


    Zachary.


    ¡°Mommy, Mommy, you have to help Uncle Zachary.¡± Alpha held Francesca''s hand, and she pleaded,


    ¡°Uncle Zachary''s ill. Aunt Charlotte and their kids are really worried about him. We''re worried about him


    too.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    ¡°Yeah, Mommy. You have to help Uncle Zachary.¡± Beta tilted her head, and she sounded like she was


    in a hurry. ¡°Once Uncle Zachary is all better, he can take us to the vineyard again, and he can teach us


    all about horseback riding. Oh, and he can y a lot of fun games with us too.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah!¡± Gamma nodded too. She added, ¡°Uncle Zachary is super nice to us.¡±


    Francesca was surprised that her kids would be so adamant in asking her to help Zachary out. She


    only stepped in back then because Zachary was nice to the kids, and now she knew she didn''t make


    the wrong choice. But now''s not the time to be grateful to him. Now it''s the time to bust myself out of


    this ce.


    Francesca pretended to look all sad, and she tried her best to tear up. ¡°I want to help your Uncle


    Zachary too, but...¡± She looked up at Danrique fearfully. ¡°But your daddy won''t let me!¡± she said, her


    voice trembling with terror.


    Danrique frowned, but before he could do anything about it, the girls charged at him. They held his leg


    and punched him as hard as they could. ¡°You''re a viin, Daddy! You''re a big meanie!¡±


    ¡°Why did you do that, Daddy? Uncle Zachary''s so nice to us! Why''d you stop Mommy from saving


    him?¡±


    ¡°Can you stop this, Daddy? If you won''t stop this, we''ll be going back with Uncle Zachary and stop


    talking to you for good! And Mommy''sing as well!¡± Gamma put her hands on her hips angrily.


    Francesca''s eyes lit up. Nice one, Gamma! She stood up and feigned anger. ¡°That''s right! Gratitude is


    a virtue! Uncle Zachary''s been so nice to you, and now that he''s in trouble, we can''t just stand by and


    watch!¡± She took the kids and went up to Zachary. ¡°We''re leaving with your Uncle Zachary right now,


    kids!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah!¡± The kids nodded. They shot their father a nasty re and took Zachary''s side


    immediately.


    Danrique''s face was red with anger, and the mes of fury red within his eyes. He red at


    Francesca, then he gave Zachary a look that said, You know what to do.


    Zachary was amused. He shrugged helplessly, as if he was saying, I didn''t do anything, Danrique. She


    came up with this stratagem and dragged me into this. You can''t me me for it.


    Danrique arched an eyebrow coldly. He wouldn''t give up, and he shot Zachary another look that said, I


    do not care. You are already involved in this matter. The ball is in your court now, soe up with


    something, or else.


    Zachary wanted to scream, but he knew it would not work, so he decided to y along with Danrique in


    the end. He said gently, ¡°You got it all wrong kids. This is a misunderstanding between your Mom and


    Dad. Your father didn''t stop your mother from helping me. He just misses her too much, so he wants


    her to stay with him.¡±


    ¡°Zachary Nacht! You little...¡± Francesca felt like banging her head against a wall. If the kids weren''t


    there, she would have snapped Zachary''s neck because of his betrayal.


    ¡°But what about your condition, Uncle Zachary?¡± Alpha held Zachary''s hand innocently. ¡°Why don''t you


    stay with us too? This way, Mommy can stay with Daddy and do something about your condition.¡±


    Beta nodded quickly. ¡°Yeah, yeah! Auntie Charlotte can take her kids over and stay with us too! We''ll


    wee them dly.¡±

 Chapter 1702

    Chapter 1702


    q¡°Sure. I''ll bring this up with her ande back tomorrow.¡± Zachary patted their heads and looked at


    Francesca. ¡°Dr. Felch, I''lle back tomorrow for another session of treatment.¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow?¡± Francesca wanted to protest, but when she noticed the look Zachary was giving her, she


    swallowed her words reluctantly.


    ¡°Uncle Zachary, will you take Aunt Charlotte, Robbie, and Ellie here tomorrow?¡± Alpha asked seriously.


    ¡°You won''t leave after tomorrow, right?¡±


    ¡°Uncle Zachary, take Fifi here with you as well. It''s been a while since I saw it. I wonder if it''s feeling all


    better now,¡± Beta quickly added. ¡°Oh, and bring Mrs. Rawlston with you too. I miss her hot cross


    bunnies.¡±


    ¡°Oh, if that is the case, then can you stay here for the night, Robbie?¡± Gamma asked.


    ¡°Um...¡±


    ¡°I''m going back to Erihal on the day after tomorrow,¡± Danrique quashed the kids'' hopes and dreams.


    ¡°All of you and your mother areing with me.¡±


    ¡°No! I never said I''m going with you!¡± Francesca wouldn''t stand for it. ¡°I am not leaving, and so are the


    kids!¡±


    ¡°Francesca Felch!¡± Danrique frowned at her, his patience finally running out.


    ¡°Don''t re at me like that! I said I am not leaving and that is¡ª¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Zachary stepped in as the mediator once more. ¡°We''ll talk about this together. I''ll bring


    Charlotte and the kids with me tomorrow.¡±


    It was a simple suggestion, but it relieved the tension and brought everyone closer. The argument was


    about to turn into a full-blown crisis, but Zachary turned it into a small argument.


    ¡°Very well then,¡± Danrique agreed for once. ¡°We shall meet tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°See you tomorrow.¡± Zachary smiled at him, and he shot Francesca a look that said, Do not worry. I will


    not leave you alone.


    ¡°Don''t forget to bring Aunt Charlotte and your kids here tomorrow, Uncle Zachary.¡±


    ¡°When are you going to be here tomorrow, Uncle Zachary? We''ll wait for you.¡±


    ¡°You don''t have to worry about anything, Uncle Zachary. We''ll keep you safe from Daddy''s evil jaws.¡±


    The kids huddled around Zachary and would not stop talking to him. Zachary smiled and patted their


    heads gently before he said goodbye.


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    Francesca was starting to worry, seeing as he was about to leave. ¡°Hey, you''d better be here


    tomorrow.¡±


    Danrique held her wrist and pulled her into his embrace. He shot her a warning re filled with anger.


    Hey, I am right here, and you''re asking another man toe over? Are you asking for trouble, woman?


    Francesca did not even look at him, so she didn''t notice the look he was giving her.


    After Zachary let go of the girls, he went to see his son.


    Robbie had been standing at the side, watching everything in silence. He might be young, but he was


    mature and wise beyond his age.


    Robbie looked slightly gaunt, and Zachary had mixed feelings about the matter. However, he said


    nothing about it. All he did was extend a hand to his son.


    Robbie came up to him. ¡°Daddy,¡± he greeted Zachary, his voice cracked and shaking, his eyes filled


    with tears.


    ¡°Let''s go home.¡± Zachary gave him a tight hug and said nothing else. He was worried he might lose the


    tenuous grip on his emotions if he did. Even so, that simple sentence was enough to show his love for


    his son.


    Robbie leaned on his father''s shoulder, and he shed a tear. He could finally drop the tough boy act and


    be a child in front of his father. Everyone was touched by the scene, including Danrique.


    As he saw Zachary off, he thought to himself, Why does everyone tend to trust Zachary and rely on him


    to solve their problems? Charlotte puts her faith in him, and so do his kids. Even Francesca and these


    d*mn girls trust him more than they trust me. What does he have that I don''t?

 Chapter 1703

    Chapter 1703


    qDanrique thought, Why am I always alone? My sister is scared of me, and my wife and kids don''t like


    me at all. Nobody would ce their faith in me, nor would they rely on me. Did I do something wrong?


    The more he thought about it, the more crestfallen Danrique became.


    ¡°Come with me, kids.¡±


    Francesca''s voice snapped him out of it. He looked at her, and she was already taking the kids into the


    house. There wasn''t a hint of awkwardness around her, and she acted like she owned the ce.


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    Danrique rolled his eyes and followed them back. ¡°Open the gates. Send Mr. Nacht and his family off.¡±


    Sean went to send Zachary off as per his employer''s orders. When Zachary was about to get into his


    car, Sean bent over and told him gratefully, ¡°Thank you for your help tonight, Mr. Nacht. Pleasee


    tomorrow!¡±


    It sounded like a simple sendoff, but Zachary knew it was more than that. Sean knew his employer very


    well. The situation in Erihal was precarious, so to speak. However, Danrique still dropped everything


    and came to H City just to see Francesca.


    Danrique and Francesca were both stubborn characters. If there were no mediators to ease the tension


    between them, Danrique would obstinately keep on fighting Francesca. However, even if Danrique


    were toe out on top and take Francesca back to Erihal by force, she wouldn''t stay there for long.


    Sean could see Francesca messing up the whole family in just two days after she was taken back, and


    he shivered in fear. The Lindberg family won''t have peace anymore if this keeps up.


    However, Zachary''s appearance showed Sean a guiding light. A ray of hope. He thought Zachary was


    arrogant and filled with hubris just like Danrique, but after what happened, he knew that his initial


    impression of Zachary was wrong. He was a smart, patient, and flexible man. He could calm a tense


    situation down without much effort.


    ¡°Of course, Sean.¡± Zachary nodded at him with a smile.


    ¡°See you tomorrow, Mr. Nacht.¡± Sean waved his hand gratefully and saw the convoy off.


    After they left the Lindberg residence, Robbie asked, ¡°Do we really have toe here tomorrow,


    Daddy? Uncle Dan and Aunt Francey are both really stubborn people. It''ll be tough for you to convince


    them.¡±


    ¡°That is true.¡± Zachary nodded.


    ¡°So why are youing then?¡± Robbie looked at him, confused.


    ¡°Just paying my debt to them.¡± Zachary smiled. ¡°Personalities are hard to change, but everything is


    possible with love.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I don''t understand what you just said.¡± Love and rtionships were beyond what Robbie could


    understand.


    ¡°You don''t have to understand any of this. Just be a happy kid like you should be.¡± Zachary patted his


    son''s arm. The sight of a syringe embedded in it saddened him. ¡°I just want you to grow up happily.¡±


    ¡°I am fine though.¡± Robbie looked up at Zachary. ¡°How''s your treatment going, Daddy? Will it...¡± He


    didn''t even finish the sentence. Every time this conversation was brought up, even Robbie¡ªwho was


    always stoic¡ªwould start to panic. He was worried his father might leave him again.


    ¡°I had a brush with death, and that was a really close call.¡± Zachary knew what he was worried about,


    so he assured, ¡°I''ll live on to see you kids grow up and have your own families.¡±


    ¡°Daddy!¡± Robbie choked, and he started shedding tears as he hugged his father once more. All his


    stoic attitude and mature behavior melted away into the air at that moment.


    He was nothing but a simple child around his father.


    Zachary looked at him lovingly and patted the boy''s back. I have to keep him and the family safe.


    Suddenly, the car skidded to a halt. Zachary thought they had a problem at hand, and he went on high


    alert. ¡°What''s going on?¡±


    ¡°I-It''s Ms. Lindberg.¡± Marino quickly stopped the car.


    Bruce was about to go out and see what was going on, but Charlotte had already gotten out of the car


    and came right up with the kids.


    ¡°Daddy! Robbie!¡±

 Chapter 1704

    Chapter 1704


    q¡°Mommy!¡± Robbie quickly got out of the car and pounced at his mother.


    ¡°Be careful, boy! Your mother is injured!¡± Zachary called out after him, but he couldn''t stop Robbie from


    hugging his mother.


    Charlotte pulled on her wound a little, but she didn''t care about that. She hugged Robbie and cried her


    heart out. ¡°I''ve missed you, sweetheart. Are you hurt?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but not much, really.¡±


    The injuries were serious for children, but Robbie thought he couldn''t let his mother worry about him,


    for he was a man.


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    ¡°You should get that looked at. Dr. Langhan will patch you right up.¡± Charlotte held his face and


    sobbed. ¡°This is all my fault. I should have been more careful.¡±


    ¡°No, it''s not, Mommy. It''s not your fault at all,¡± Robbie quickly reassured his mother, and he tried to wipe


    her tears off.


    ¡°Robbie!¡± Jamie whipped out a small package and unwrapped it, eventually revealing a hot cross


    bunny in it. It was still steaming hot too. ¡°I brought this for you. Here, take it.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Jamie!¡± Robbie took the hot cross bunnies and smiled happily. ¡°It''s been days since I had this.


    I miss it so much. We managed to survive in that dungeon because we thought about food all the time.


    We promised we''d have a hundred hot cross bunnies when we get home!¡±


    Jamie looked at Robbie tearfully. ¡°Thanks for saving me, Robbie. You could have escaped first, but you


    gave that chance to me.¡±


    ¡°You dummy!¡± Robbie knocked his forehead. ¡°I''m your big bro.¡± He huffed. ¡°It''s my duty to keep you


    safe.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    Ellie couldn''t hold it in anymore, so she hugged Robbie and started crying. ¡°I was so worried. I thought I


    won''t see you ever again.¡±


    ¡°You''re a dummy too. I''m here, aren''t I?¡± Robbie patted her back gently. ¡°I still have to keep you


    dummies safe, so I will be fine.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and me too!¡± Jamie quickly quipped. ¡°I''m a guy. Robbie and I are gonna keep you safe, Ellie!¡±


    ¡°You kids are so sweet!¡± Charlotte was touched that the kids were finally reunited.


    Bruce pushed Zachary over to see his family. It had been a day since Zachary came back, but it was


    his first time seeing Jamie and Ellie again.


    ¡°Daddy!¡± The kids pounced at him, and they were talking gibberish out of excitement. Then, they


    started crying.


    ¡°It''s good to see you too, kids.¡± Zachary held his children lovingly. It''s good to be alive for I get to see


    them again.


    ¡°Alright, you''re still not well. Get in the car.¡± Charlotte ushered the kids into the car and followed


    Zachary back to his car.


    They had a lot to say after getting reunited. The kids wouldn''t stop talking, and they were being noisy,


    but Zachary and Charlotte didn''t find it annoying. They thought it was sweet.


    A short whileter, the kids drifted to sleep. It had been a long day for them as well. Robbie and Jamie


    were injured and unwell, so they got exhausted easily. Ellie had always been weak, and the long night


    had taken a toll on her. They leaned back against the seat and slept soundly.


    Charlotte covered them with a nket, kissed them lovingly, and leaned her head against Zachary''s


    chest. They held hands, fingers interlocked.


    ¡°What brought you here at this hour, Wifey?¡± Zachary smiled at her. ¡°Are you worried that I might fail to


    convince your brother?¡±


    ¡°I was worried you guys might get into a fight.¡± The thought of that possibility still made her shiver.


    ¡°That''s why I brought the kids with me. I thought they could serve as a cushion, but I ran into your car


    before I could even get there.¡±


    ¡°If your brother really wanted to make things hard for me, he won''t stop even if you were there.¡±


    Zachary smiled. ¡°Besides, you should have more faith in me.¡±

 Chapter 1705

    Chapter 1705


    q¡°I do. I just do not trust Danrique.¡± Charlotte frowned. ¡°He has a short fuse. A really short one. And his


    temper is explosive to boot. He doesn''t care about anyone or anything if he gets mad. I heard


    Francesca ran away after she injured him, so I was worried he might push all that anger onto you.¡±


    ¡°You do not know your brother at all, and you''re his sister.¡± Zachary shook his head and smiled drily.


    ¡°Danrique didn''t spend all that time trying to catch Francesca just to treat his condition.¡±


    ¡°Why did he capture her then?¡± Charlotte asked. ¡°Wait, is it really...¡±


    ¡°Yes, love of course. Love.¡± Zachary pinched her cheek. ¡°You''re really slow, aren''t you?¡±


    ¡°Fine. I did suspect that love might be a possibility. Danrique probably feels something for Francesca,


    but I have no idea how deep that feeling goes.¡± Charlotte postted.


    ¡°I just think he doesn''t care about anyone or anything. Not even his kids. He doesn''t seem to love his


    kids, unlike you.¡±


    ¡°No. He does love his kids.¡± Zachary saw through Danrique easily. ¡°But he just doesn''t know how to


    show his love. Take it slow. This is going to be a slow burn.¡±


    ¡°You have a point, Hubby.¡± Charlotte nodded. ¡°Oh, and how''d you convince Danrique to let Robbie go


    anyway?¡±


    ¡°I did not. Francesca gave herself in, so I took the chance to take our boy back.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry?¡±


    ¡°Alright, so here''s how it went...¡± Zachary told Charlotte everything about the event that happened a


    while ago.


    But when he was done, Charlotte seemed restless. ¡°You want to take us to him tomorrow? Did I hear


    that right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I have one goal for the negotiation tomorrow: to settle the score between Francesca and


    Danrique.¡±


    ¡°You want them to reach an understanding?¡± Charlotte was even more confused at that point.


    ¡°You''ll understand eventually.¡±


    They kept talking about the events that happened and the meeting they would have to attend the next


    day. Eventually, they got back to Northridge.


    Lupine and Morgan came out with the other bodyguards to take the children in, then Raina checked


    Robbie''s injury and fed him some medicine for his condition.


    N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    After they settled the children down, Zachary and Charlotte went back to their bedroom. Zachary was


    feeling better after going through a healing session and getting reunited with his family. He could move


    his arms now, and turning around became a lot easier.


    Alright. I can hug Charlotte again while I sleep.


    Charlottey in his embrace and held his cheek as she gazed at him gently.


    ¡°Have I gotten ugly or something?¡± Zachary huddled closer and gave her a gentle kiss. It was their first


    kiss in a while, and it lit the mes of desire that were buried deep within them.


    Things were starting to get hot and heavy, and Zachary tried to pin Charlotte down, but the moment he


    made a move, he tore his wound open, and the pain seared.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Charlotte quickly held him.


    ¡°I am fine.¡± Zachary stopped moving and hey back down helplessly. ¡°Great. Now I know how


    Danrique felt.¡±


    ¡°I beg your pardon?¡± Charlotte, for at least the second time in a night, was confused. ¡°Why did you


    bring Danrique up again?¡±


    ¡°Do you know what happened to him exactly?¡± Thinking about that alone was amusing to Zachary.


    ¡°Francesca can be ruthless when she wants to. She probably did something to Danrique Jr. and made


    Danrique impotent.¡±


    ¡°Oh my god.¡± Charlotte almost spat her water out. ¡°Are you for real?¡±


    ¡°If you''ve noticed, Sean never did talk about Danrique''s condition in detail. And when Francesca was


    caught yesterday, she kept bringing Danrique''s wiener up. I noticed Danrique getting red in the face,


    and it wasn''t really a hot night.¡±


    Zachary felt gleeful about it. ¡°He''s sorely humiliated. That''s one reason he wanted to catch Francesca.¡±


    ¡°Wow. I can''t believe you''re gossiping about them.¡± Charlotte was delightfully amused. ¡°And I nearly


    believed you when you said Danrique wanted to catch her because he loved her.¡±


    ¡°There''s a fine line between love and hate, you know.¡±


    Charlotte giggled.


    ¡°Speaking about that, I pity Zachary Jr. It''s been some time since he got any action, but he can''t do


    anything even when you''re right here.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry. You''ll be fine in no time.¡±

 Chapter 1706

    Chapter 1706


    qThey slept in each other''s embrace that night. Even though Zachary couldn''t do anything because of


    his injury, they were content that they could sleep in each other''s arms.


    The kids woke up early next morning, and like the kids they were, they switched the chaos mode on.


    Hanna kept telling them, ¡°Be quiet, children. You don''t want to wake your parents up this early.¡±


    Jamie and Ellie quickly covered their mouth and tiptoed downstairs. ¡°I think we should see Robbie. He


    didn''te backst night. Did he sleep in the clinic?¡±


    ¡°He did, yes.¡±


    Jamie and Robbie went down to see Robbie. When they came to his ward, he was already awake and


    washing himself up.


    The kids went and had their breakfast, then they talked about having a walk in the park. The sun was


    shining, the birds were chirping, and the days were once again peaceful.


    Hanna looked at them lovingly and wiped a tear off the corner of her eye. ¡°It''s so nice to see all of you


    safe and sound.¡±


    ¡°Yes. We''ve made it through the ordeal, and now everyone''s reunited.¡±


    Morgan was happy about it as well, and she woke up early to help take care of the kids. It was quieter


    after the girls were gone, but since Robbie and Jamie were back, the family had united again.


    ¡°Morning, Hubby.¡± Charlotte stretched her arms and hugged Zachary tightly, taking in his scent.


    ¡°Morning.¡± Zachary held Charlotte''s hand, and he kissed her gently.


    She moved around in his arms, and it lit a fire within him. He whispered silently, ¡°I want to get some


    action. What should I do?¡±


    Charlotte giggled. ¡°Then, you''ll have to wait. You can''t move, as you''re hurt.¡±


    ¡°I can''t move, but you can.¡± Zachary put Charlotte on him. ¡°Now be a dear and give me some, will


    you?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know how to do this.¡± Charlotte was red with embarrassment.


    ¡°I''ll teach you then.¡±


    The fire was lit, and it spread through the sheets quickly. The bed started rocking back and forth like a


    boat on the sea.


    Morgan chased away all the maids, making sure nobody was around. ¡°You don''t have to do anything


    here. Leave this ce. Do not disturb Mr. Nacht and Ms. Lindberg. Let them sleep in.¡±


    ¡°Yes, madam.¡±


    Everyone went downstairs as per Morgan''s orders. Morgan and Lupine looked at each other, then the


    former went downstairs to y with the kids, while Lupine stayed back. Alright. We''re getting a happy


    ending now. She was happy about how things were turning out.


    She was worried that Zachary''s treatment would be affected if Francesca were to return to Erihal, but


    Gordon told her that the talk went well, and they had already arranged another sessionter in the


    night.


    Lupine heaved a sigh of relief. If the Nachts and Lindbergs can settle their matters, then Morgan and I


    can settle our stuff too.


    She was immersed in her thoughts, but then her underling came over and broke her train of thoughts.


    ¡°A man called Peter wishes to see Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    ¡°Peter?¡± Lupine paused for a moment. ¡°I''ll take a look.¡±


    Lupine went out to see if it was Peter, and there he was. Since he couldn''t get through to Charlotte, he


    came straight to her house, as there was an emergency needing her attention.


    Lupine invited him into the house and treated him as a guest. She served him breakfast and told him to


    wait for a minute.


    Zachary and Charlotte came down at around nine, and they were surprised to see Peter. Peter too was


    dumbfounded when he saw Zachary. ¡°What is this?¡±


    ¡°Why? Cat got your tongue?¡± Zachary arched his eyebrow.


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    ¡°This is the real Mr. Nacht.¡± Charlotte smiled at Peter. ¡°The one with mest time was Chris. I told you


    about it.¡±


    ¡°That you did.¡± Peter nodded. ¡°They just look too alike, so I got confused.¡±


    ¡°Do you need anything from me?¡± Charlotte asked quickly.


    ¡°Well...¡± Peter looked like he had something to say, but it was private.

 Chapter 1707

    Chapter 1707


    q¡°I''ll head to thepany first.¡± Zachary kissed the back of Charlotte''s hand and told Bruce to push


    him away. He hugged his kids outside and said goodbye, then he got into the car.


    Charlotte knew Zachary was trying to give her some space, and she was wondering why Peter was


    being so secretive. What kind of matter will it be?


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    She took Peter to the study room and made some tea for him. ¡°What happened? Did something


    happen to Olivia?¡± she asked.


    ¡°No, no,¡± Peter answered hastily. ¡°Um, well, do you still remember Queenie?¡±


    ¡°No, I don''t. Who is she?¡± Charlotte shook her head.


    ¡°Well, she was the girl you wanted me to hire. You know, to stand in for you during sex with Chris,¡±


    Peter exined clearly, as he was starting to get nervous.


    ¡°Oh, I remember her now.¡± Charlotte nodded. ¡°So what about her?¡±


    ¡°She, well...¡± Peter frowned. He hesitated for a while, then he said the truth, ¡°She''s diagnosed with


    AIDS.¡±


    ¡°What did you just say?¡± Charlotte''s eyes widened. She was in shock for a long while, then she asked,


    ¡°When did this happen?¡±


    ¡°She''s only diagnosed with it yesterday. Poor girl.¡± Peter heaved a long, sad sigh. ¡°She''s probably


    infected when she was acting as an escort for an overseas client.¡±


    ¡°Hold it for a minute,¡± Charlotte stopped him. ¡°You''re saying that she''s already a carrier when she was


    standing in for me back when she dated Chris?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Peter nodded solemnly. ¡°I got the news at around five this morning. I tried to call you, but I


    couldn''t get through, so here I am.¡±


    He was frustrated but also feeling guilty. ¡°I am really sorry, Ms. Lindberg. I have no idea about this at


    all. I wouldn''t have hired Queenie if I had known she has AIDS. We were in a hurry that night, so I had


    no time to screen the candidates.¡±


    ¡°You are not to me for this.¡± A frown furrowed Charlotte''s brows. ¡°The point is, Chris stayed at the


    residence for quite a while after that one nightstand. It''ll be a disaster if the disease was transmitted.


    And besides...¡±


    Charlotte was reminded of Nancy. Chris must have had sex with Nancy. She might be infected as well.


    ¡°That is exactly what I was thinking too.¡± Peter was finally panicking. ¡°This can turn into a full-blown


    disaster, and I couldn''t bring this up around Mr. Nacht. Ms. Lindberg, I suggest that you and your family


    get checked. Just to be sure. And please talk about this to Mr. Nacht. Talk about it long and deep. Tell


    him what happened.¡±


    Peter had known Zachary for many years, and he knew the kind of person Zachary was. He didn''t want


    to cause a misunderstanding and raise another conflict between Zachary and Charlotte.


    ¡°I''ll tell him about this. Don''t worry about it.¡± Charlotte wasn''t worried. In fact, she assured Peter, ¡°He''s a


    lot different than he used to be. His temper isn''t as short as it was, so don''t be scared.¡±


    ¡°I see. That is good to hear.¡± Peter nodded furiously. ¡°Tell me if you need my help.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡± Charlotte nodded and gave him a check. ¡°You should quit your job at Sultry Night and find a


    respectable field of work to support yourself. Maybe you can open up a business. Oh, give Queenie


    some money, but use your ount for that transaction. Help her and her family out.¡±


    ¡°You don''t have to give me any money, Ms. Lindberg. You''ve given me enough.¡±


    ¡°Just take it.¡± Charlotte stuffed the check in his hand. ¡°It''s not a lot of money anyway. Half of it belongs


    to Queenie. The other half is your reward.¡±


    ¡°Very well then.¡± Peter took the money from her. ¡°Olivia is doing fely. She''s starting to regain her


    consciousness. Dr. Wright said she might wake up soon. It''s all thanks to you, Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    ¡°That is great news.¡±

 Chapter 1708

    Chapter 1708


    qAfter Peter took his leave, Charlotte sent someone to look into Queenie''s case. It was confirmed that


    she contracted AIDS, and she was undergoing treatment in a hospital.


    She had an elderly mother and a young daughter at home, and the situation wasn''t looking good for


    them. After Charlotte knew about Queenie''s condition, she regretted not giving Peter more money. She


    was about to call him back so she can issue another check, but then she got news that Peter gave all


    the money to Queenie.


    Charlotte didn''t talk about it, but she thought it was a considerate move from Peter. Olivia found a good


    boyfriend. Peter might be working in a shady line of work, but he''s kind andpassionate.


    Charlotte told Raina to contact the hospital Queenie was receiving treatment. Raina''s hospital would


    cover all of Queenie''s treatment costs. She even donated some money to Queenie''s mother and child


    anonymously.


    After she was done, she told Raina to check everyone''s blood, including Spencer and his men. The


    chances of them getting infected were slim, but it was never zero.


    Zachary was working while all of this was happening. Bruce suddenly hurried over and hesitated for a


    moment, then he said, ¡°Mr. Nacht, I have news for you, but...¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Zachary asked without even looking at him.


    Bruce hesitated for a moment, then he said, ¡°Um, Raina called me earlier. She told me to get Andy and


    the guys checked. A blood test, to be specific.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Zachary finally looked up at him. ¡°Did she say why?¡±


    ¡°It''s Ms. Lindberg''s orders.¡± Bruce had mixed feelings about it. Back then, he stumbled upon Charlotte


    coming out of Chris'' room, her clothes messy. And he even overheard their conversation.


    That matter had been frustrating him for a long time now, and he med himself for keeping it a secret


    from Zachary. He med himself for failing to protect Charlotte.


    He was about to bring the secret with him to the grave, but now that Raina was telling him to get a


    blood test done, he knew it must be about AIDS. If Chris is diagnosed with AIDS, then Ms. Lindberg


    might be a carrier as well.


    The more he thought about it, the more restless he became. He wondered if he should tell Zachary


    about it. If he kept it a secret, he would be betraying Zachary, but if he told him the truth, he would be


    betraying Charlotte.


    They had just gotten reunited after going through so many challenges. If they were to break up again


    because of this, it would be bad.


    ¡°What are you hiding from me?¡± Zachary saw through Bruce easily.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht...¡± Bruce was in a dilemma. He was struggling with himself, wondering if he should tell


    Zachary the truth.


    ¡°Tell me!¡± Zachary suddenly roared.


    Bruce quickly knelt before him. ¡°Mr. Nacht, please cease your anger. I... I...¡± he stammered. When


    Bruce looked up again, he saw the me of anger ring within Zachary''s eyes.


    He looked down nervously and told him about what he saw, though he felt guilty about it. He only had


    limited information about the whole matter. All he knew was that Chris booted Charlotte out of the


    company after he impersonated Zachary, and Nancy kidnapped Robbie and Jamie to ckmail


    Charlotte.


    Charlotte was in a disadvantageous position, and she had to y by their rules. Chris eventually used


    the kids to lure Charlotte to Sultry Night, and then Bruce bumped into Charlotteing out of Chris''


    room.


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    Bruce was wracked with guilt after he was done talking about the events he saw. ¡°I failed you, Mr.


    Nacht. I have failed to protect Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    Zachary didn''t fly into a rage after he heard what happened. He stared down, and he was immersed in


    his thoughts. I know Charlotte. If she did have sex with Chris, she would have been embarrassed and


    nervous when she was facing him alone, but she didn''t. Instead, she was calm.


    Also, this blood test stuff only happened after Peter came. He must have something to do with this.


    Maybe he struck a deal with Charlotte or something, and they did a switcheroo.

 Chapter 1709

    Chapter 1709


    qBut this is just a guess. Charlotte was in a dire situation back then, and Nancy held the children


    hostage. It''s possible that she was forced to do something she didn''t want to. However...


    ¡°Mr. Nacht.¡± Bruce observed Zachary carefully, but he was also terrified at the same time. ¡°Please do


    not me Ms. Lindberg for this. She didn''t want it either.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean ''she didn''t want it''?¡± Zachary barked.


    Bruce looked down quickly and remained motionless.


    Charlotte came in right at that moment. She saw Bruce kneeling before Zachary, and she heard what


    Zachary said. She knew what was going right away, and the smile on her face was reced by a


    solemn look.


    ¡°Leave us,¡± Zachary told Bruce.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Bruce got up from the ground. When he saw Charlotte, he med himself all over again for


    telling Zachary about it. He wanted to apologize to her, but he couldn''t bring himself to do that.


    ¡°Get your men tested,¡± Zachary said.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Bruce left quietly, leaving Zachary and Charlotte alone in the office.


    They looked at each other, and Charlotte had mixed feelings about the matter. She understood why


    Zachary was angry, but she was also sad that he didn''t trust her.


    ¡°Don''t look at me like that.¡± Zachary put his pen down and looked at her. ¡°Come here.¡±


    ¡°I''d rather not,¡± Charlotte snapped. ¡°I don''t want you to get infected.¡±


    ¡°By what?¡± Zachary looked at her in amusement. ¡°Insanity?¡±


    ¡°You''re the one who''s crazy.¡± Charlotte shot him a furious re.


    ¡°Hey, keep ring at me and your eyeballs are going to fall out.¡± Zachary smiled. ¡°Look at yourself.


    You''re just like what you used to be when you worked as a secretary.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    ¡°Zachary, you b*stard!¡± Charlotte darted over to him and thumped his chest. The pain made him go red,


    and he kept coughing.


    ¡°Are you alright, Hubby? I-I didn''t think I''ve hit you that hard, right?¡± Shocked, Charlotte quickly


    checked up on him.


    Zachary pulled her into his embrace right away. Charlotte gasped in surprise as she fell on hisp. She


    tried to get up right away, but Zachary held her down firmly. ¡°Don''t move. It''ll hurt me a lot if you do.¡±


    ¡°Let me go then!¡± Charlotte was starting to panic.


    ¡°No. I''m not letting you go ever.¡± Zachary buried his face in her chest. ¡°You''re my wife. Why should I let


    you go?¡±


    ¡°Aren''t you afraid that you might get infected by AIDS?¡± Charlotte knew why he misunderstood her, but


    she was also angry at the same time. The duality of man at work again.


    ¡°AIDS? What AIDS?¡± Zachary red at her coldly. ¡°You''re my precious wife. There''s no way you have


    AIDS.¡±


    ¡°You can stop the act now.¡± Charlotte teared up. ¡°Bruce told you, didn''t he? That night back at Sultry


    Night, Chris...¡±


    ¡°Don''t bring that piece of trash up.¡± Zachary was infuriated. ¡°I thought I''d show him mercy, but now I


    see there''s no need for that.¡±


    ¡°Zachary.¡± Charlotte frowned. ¡°You believe it?¡±


    ¡°Believe what?¡± Zachary asked. ¡°That you and Peter pulled off a switcheroo?¡±


    Charlotte froze up for a moment. ¡°H-How''d you know? Did Peter tell you about it?¡±


    ¡°No. He''s loyal to you and you only.¡± Zachary smiled. ¡°But a switcheroo is an easy thing to figure out.


    Only a fool like Bruce would think that what he saw was the real deal.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you knew?¡± Charlotte got even more annoyed after knowing that. ¡°Why''d you ask Bruce that


    question then?¡±


    ¡°Because he''s a fool. He thought you walked right into that trap because you were forced to, but I know


    you aren''t a fool like him.¡±

 Chapter 1710

    Chapter 1710


    qZachary looked so proud as he said that, and Charlotte chuckled. She pinched his cheek and tried to


    scare him, ¡°And how''d you know I am not putting on an act with Peter to lie to you? What if Chris


    actually got his hands on me? I might have to lie to you to keep myself safe.¡±


    ¡°Even if something did happen to you, then it''s still my fault.¡± Zachary''s nonchnce was suddenly


    reced by a solemn attitude. ¡°As a guy, anger and fury would be my first reaction. I would kill Chris


    right away, but then I thought that you''re the real victim in this situation. I''m guilty of failing to keep you


    safe. I let you face everything yourself, and that''s the consequence of my actions.¡±


    ¡°You''re saying that if Chris actually got his hands on me and infected me with AIDS, you will...¡±


    ¡°I will face it with you ande up with a solution.¡± Zachary held her head and gazed at her


    affectionately.


    ¡°Well, I don''t believe you!¡± Charlotte was touched, but she was still angry at the same time. Duality of


    man at work once again. She said, ¡°You''re saying this so I won''t get mad at you! Hmph!¡±


    Zachary didn''t waste his time exining. He held her hand up and chomped down on her arm.


    She screamed in pain. ¡°What are you doing? That hurts a lot! I''m bleeding!¡±


    Zachary finally stopped and licked the blood that was flowing from her wound, then he held her chin


    and made her look at him. ¡°Do you trust me now?¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Charlotte paused for a moment, then she realized what he was getting at. ¡°A-Are you


    mad?¡± If I am infected, Zachary will be dragging himself down with me now that he did this!


    ¡°What if I am infected?¡± Charlotte was panicking, and she was angry at Zachary for endangering


    himself. ¡°He might have failed at getting his hands on me, but we dide in contact a lot. I could have


    been infected through other means.¡±


    ¡°Then, we''ll get infected together and get treated.¡± Zachary looked calm. ¡°AIDS isn''t necessarily a


    death sentence now. As long as we have money, we can survive. We can face this together.¡±


    ¡°Zachary, you...¡± Charlotte pulled his cheeks angrily. ¡°Are you stupid? At least one of us has to be


    healthy. Who''s going to look after the kids if we''re both sick?¡±


    ¡°Danrique, obviously. We can toss the responsibility on him. He can take care of six kids easily,¡±


    Zachary answered easily. ¡°They''re a family anyway.¡±


    ¡°Zachary, you little...¡± Charlotte couldn''t even make aplete sentence. She was furious about


    Zachary''s attitude.


    ¡°Hey, that''s a good idea, right? I can just pay for their food and be done with it,¡± Zachary teased. ¡°Then,


    I''ll send Mrs. Rawlston over to make hot cross bunnies for them every day.¡±


    Charlotte started crying halfway through. She held him tightly, and she couldn''t even say how touched


    she was.


    ¡°You dummy.¡± Zachary patted her back gently. ¡°Don''t cry. You have me with you. I''ll keep you safe from


    anything.¡±


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    Charlotte finally broke into a smile, and she blew a snot bubble.


    ¡°Oh my, oh my. What an unsightly woman you are,¡± Zacharyughed at her while wiping her tears and


    snot away.


    ¡°You''re such a bully! Stop teasing me!¡± Charlotte wasughing and crying at the same time. She held


    Zachary''s face and wiped her tears and snot on him. ¡°This is what you get forughing at me!¡±


    ¡°Hey, you got it in my mouth, woman!¡±


    They got into a yful fight, and the argument earlier was forgotten.


    Bruce slowly closed the door and heaved a long sigh of relief. ¡°I had the scare of my life. I thought


    someone woulde out dead.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I am so touched.¡± Emma wiped her tears off. ¡°Mr. Nacht is such a great man.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I''m nice too.¡± Bruce had a mncholic look on his face. ¡°But nobody ever said that I''m a great


    man.¡±


    ¡°Because you''re dumb as a rock.¡± Emma rolled her eyes.


    ¡°Well, um...¡±

 Chapter 1711

    Chapter 1711


    qEveryone in the Nacht residence had their blood tested. Everyone from the master, underlings,


    bodyguards, and maids. They got their result on the same day. Everything was fine.


    However, the incubation period for AIDS was long. The real results might onlye out a few months


    down the line. Charlotte told everyone to be extra careful in the meantime so they won''t infect anyone


    else. Then she told Raina to send her staff over to check up on them regrly.


    She also told everyone to keep the thing about the blood test a secret. ¡°Never in any situation can you


    talk about it.¡±


    Zachary disagreed. ¡°Why not? We shouldn''t keep it a secret. In fact, we should leak it out.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Why''d you say that?¡± Charlotte asked, then she realized what he had in mind. ¡°Oh, you want


    Chris to find out about this so he would go to the hospital?¡±


    ¡°The green snake''s venom is just like flu. It''s not lethal, and he will heal eventually. He won''t die even if


    he gets no treatment. We don''t know where he''s hiding, and he''s too careful, so we have toe up


    with a way to lure him out.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah!¡± Charlotte was excited. ¡°I''ll get someone to spread the news right away!¡±


    ¡°Leave it to Bruce. You stay at home.¡± Zachary didn''t want her to worry. ¡°Get prepared. We''re seeing


    Danrique tonight, and we need to prepare some gifts.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Well, that''s even more of a headache. ¡°What kind of gifts should I get? I don''t think Danrique


    needs anything.¡±


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    ¡°Then give them to Francesca and her kids.¡± Zachary pinched her cheeks. ¡°You know what they like,


    right?¡±


    ¡°I do, yeah, but what about Francesca then?¡±


    Charlotte had only met Francesca once, and she didn''t know much about her.


    ¡°Anything expensive and valuable item will do.¡± Zachary smiled.


    ¡°I see.¡± Charlotte nodded and went back home to make the arrangements.


    ¡°Slow down. You''re not in any hurry. You''re injured too,¡± Zachary reminded her gently.


    Charlotte waved him down and left in a hurry.


    Zachary sent her off and went back to work, then he noticed he had seven missed calls. All of them


    were from Nancy. He was about to call her back, but she called him again. He took the call


    immediately. ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, this is urgent. Can we meet up?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Come to my office-¡±


    ¡°No, I''m not going to yourpany. Let''s meet up outside.¡±


    ¡°Fine. How does the restaurant across thepany sound?¡±


    ¡°Fine by me. Be there in ten.¡±


    ¡°See you then.¡± Zachary hung up, and he frowned. He had a guess why Nancy was seeing him, and he


    knew he must be the one to settle things with her. He took Bruce with him to the restaurant, and he


    called Charlotte while he was on the way there. ¡°Just ignore Nancy on whatever she does. I will deal


    with her.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I called her though. I wanted to ask her out and make things clear with her.¡±


    ¡°You can''t make things clear with her. She''s too emotional about this. She won''t be convinced by you.¡±


    ¡°What should I do then?¡±


    ¡°Leave it to me,¡± Zachary said adamantly. ¡°Just stay back and take care of the kids.¡±


    ¡°Very well then. Be careful.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡± Zachary hung up and asked Bruce, ¡°Have you found out everything about the girl?¡±


    ¡°Yes. They''re sending the deets over to me. Bruce was holding his tablet, and someone was sending a


    file over.


    When they came to tinum Caf¨¦, the first thing they saw was a group of Nancy''s men. She was the


    head of the Gold family, so it was normal for her to bring a dozen bodyguards around.


    However, she covered her head with a veil, and she was wearing sunsses to up the mystery factor.


    When she saw Zachary, she quickly stood up to wee him. She was rather excited. ¡°Mr. Nacht!¡±


    ¡°Sit.¡± Zachary looked calm. He gesticted to his underlings. All of them left while Bruce stayed


    behind.

 Chapter 1712

    Chapter 1712


    qNancy followed suit. She sent all herckeys away, save for her two most trusted lieutenants.


    ¡°What do you need, Ms. Gold?¡± Zachary cut to the chase right away.


    ¡°I heard about Chris.¡± Nancy looked agitated. ¡°Is he really down with AIDS?¡±


    ¡°And how''d you find out about that?¡± Zachary frowned. I didn''t even tell anyone about that. How did


    Nancy know? Who told her?


    ¡°So it''s true.¡± Nancy''s hands were trembling with rage. ¡°That animal!¡±


    ¡°It''s unconfirmed yet,¡± Zachary answered calmly. ¡°All we know is that one of the women he had sex with


    is diagnosed with AIDS. We have no idea if he''s infected.¡±


    ¡°But the chances are high.¡± Nancy was about to have a breakdown. ¡°What should I do then?¡±


    ¡°Don''t scare yourself. It''s unconfirmed yet,¡± Zachary assured her calmly. ¡°You should have gotten your


    blood checked before you came, right?¡±


    ¡°I did, but nothing would show even if I were infected.¡± Nancy was like a cat on hot bricks. Then she


    hissed, ¡°Chris is an animal! He has ruined my life! I''m going to haunt him forever! And Charlotte as


    well!¡±


    Nancy''s eyes glinted with cold malice. ¡°She did this to me!¡±


    ¡°And what does this have to do with her?¡± Zachary frowned.


    N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    ¡°When Chris... deceived me that night, she was standing right there, but she didn''t stop him. All she did


    was watch as he defiled me. She is a vile and wicked woman. Now, do you think she has nothing to do


    with this?¡±


    Nancy was trembling with anger as she spoke. ¡°I was about to let this slide for your sake, but now I


    found out that she got a woman to sleep with Chris, and that woman''s diagnosed with AIDS! She''s


    doing this to me on purpose!¡±


    ¡°You think too highly of yourself,¡± Zachary answered solemnly. ¡°Charlotte was in a dire situation back


    then. She had to face your father, Chris, and her enemies in thepany. She had no time for you.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht-¡±


    ¡°Let me finish,¡± Zachary interrupted seriously. ¡°You were not a threat to her. You have never been a


    threat to her, nor will you ever be. In fact, you helped her before, so she has no reason to drag you into


    this. She only hired that woman to sleep with Chris to protect herself, and she didn''t know that the


    woman has AIDS. In fact, Peter only found out about that this morning.¡±


    Zachary paused for a moment, then he squinted at Nancy coldly. ¡°Back to my question. How''d you


    know about this? Have you been following Peter? Did you abduct and torture him until he told you


    about it?¡±


    Nancy averted her gaze and chose to keep quiet about it.


    ¡°Let him go right now,¡± Zachary told her imperiously. ¡°Or I will teach you a lesson.¡±


    ¡°Peter''s a tough cookie to crack. He wouldn''t tell me anything about Charlotte. I only found out about


    the matter because his men told me about it. I know he''s your friend, so I didn''t do anything to him.¡±


    Nancy exined angrily, ¡°But Mr. Nacht, I am your friend as well. When you were in trouble, I helped


    your wife in secret. I exposed my father because of you, but you don''t seem to think of me as your


    friend.¡±


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Zachary didn''t say much, and he frowned at her.


    ¡°Charlotte and Chris did this to me, and you expect me to let it slide?¡± Nancy hissed.


    ¡°For thest time, your father and Chris did this to you. Charlotte has nothing to do with this.¡± Zachary


    was finally getting impatient, and he warned, ¡°As long as I am here, nobody cany a finger on her.¡±

 Chapter 1713

    Chapter 1713


    qNancy lost all hope after hearing that. When she came to the restaurant earlier, she thought Zachary


    would at leastpensate for her loss, but after he gave her that warning, she knew that her life was


    worth less than a strand of Charlotte''s hair.¡±


    He wouldn''t care even if she was defiled by Chris, nor would he care if she had AIDS. All he cared


    about was Charlotte. He only cares about her.


    ¡°I know you won''t listen to anything I have to say.¡± Zachary slowed down and advised, ¡°As your friend, I


    advise you to calm down and get checked. Once the results are out, face it calmly and handle it with


    finesse.¡± Zachary gesticted, and Bruce pushed him out.


    Nancy remained in her seat and saw him off quietly, but the mes of hatred red within her eyes.


    She thought it was unfair that Zachary didn''t care about her. What does Charlotte have that I don''t?


    Why does everyone love her? Why can she monopolize Zachary? I did nothing wrong, but this is what I


    get? This isn''t so fair!


    This is so unfair!


    Zachary came back to his car, but he was still frowning. He knew that someone like Nancy would never


    ept this truth. AIDS had an incubation period that could go on for months. The results weren''t out


    yet, so nobody knew if Chris were infected, and by extension, Nancy as well. However, it was thatck


    of confirmation that could drive people insane.


    Nancy lost all hope after hearing that. When she came to the restaurant earlier, she thought Zachary


    would at leastpensate for her loss, but after he gave her that warning, she knew that her life was


    worth less than a strand of Charlotte''s hair.¡±


    Nancy''s mind and soul would be tortured, and she could do extreme things under that kind of pressure.


    Nancy''s mind and soul would be tortured, and she could do extreme things under that kind of pressure.


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht, should we get someone to keep an eye on Peter?¡± Bruce asked quietly.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Zachary nodded. ¡°Send someone to protect him.¡±


    ¡°I understand, sir.¡± Bruce quickly made the arrangements.


    Zachary looked up at the overcast sky, and he had a solemn look on his face. He hoped Nancy would


    take his advice and handle the matter calmly, but he wasn''t sure if she would. All he could do was


    advise. Some things had to be done alone, and it was her choice whether she wanted to lock herself up


    in a cage.


    Zachary looked at the time. It was sometime past four, so he was about to return to thepany to


    continue with work, but then an unidentified number gave him a call.


    He took it curiously, and a cheeky voice said, ¡°It''s ya girl!¡±


    ¡°Dr. Felch?¡± Zachary recognized her voice immediately.


    ¡°It''s time for your session. Don''t drag it on, or you''ll kill yourself. My tools and meds are on the


    mountain, so meet up with me there. I''ll treat you there, and we''ll go to that b*stard''s house tonight.¡±


    ¡°What did you call him?¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry. It''s Danrique.¡± Francesca switched her attitude immediately.


    ¡°So you want me to travel to Southridge?¡± Zachary was curious. Danrique could have asked his guys to


    take Francesca''s stuff over. Why did she tell me to meet up with her at Southridge? And she said I''d be


    dead if I dragged this on.


    I mean, I can''t drag it on for too long, but a couple of hours should be fine, so why does Francesca


    sound like she''s in a hurry?


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. You''re going to die if you keep this up. Get to Southridge right now. You have to get


    treated before sunset, or your wife''s going to be a ''widow'' soon.¡±


    ¡°Um, okay. I see,¡± Zachary answered reflexively.


    ¡°Hurry up and see you at Southridge. Oh, at half-past five.¡± Francesca hung up right after that.


    Zachary told Marino to head toward Southridge. Charlotte texted him while he was on his way. She


    said that she had prepared the gifts. ''So when are we going to go to Danrique''s ce?''


    Zachary was about to text her back, then realization struck him.

 Chapter 1714

    Chapter 1714


    qWait. Francesca can''t be trying to pull something, can she? She slipped into my car''s trunkst night


    when nobody was watching and infiltrated Danrique''s ce.


    All she had was her backpack. Nothing else. In other words, her money is still at Southridge. She loves


    money more than her life. She would never give that kind of wealth up.


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    She can''t be using my treatment as a pretext so she cane to Southridge and run with her money,


    right? Wait, she can actually do that. She must be trying to pull that off. And she actually made that call


    right in front of Danrique to mask her motive?


    Zachary was both amused and annoyed at the same time. Man, Francesca''s going to drag me into a


    deeper hole at this rate. If she manages to escape tonight, Danrique''s going to kill me.


    Zachary told Bruce, ¡°Take your men to Southridge and surround the ce. Do not let Francesca


    escape.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Bruce paused for a moment, then he nodded. ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°Remember, make sure you hide well and do not alert her. If she tries to escape, get in her way. Try to


    drag it out until Danrique''s there.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Bruce switched cars and took his men up Southridge. He even called for some


    reinforcements in case he didn''t have enough men.


    Wait. Francesca can''t be trying to pull something, can she? She slipped into my car''s trunkst night


    when nobody was watching and infiltrated Danrique''s ce.


    Marino wanted to keep up with him, but Zachary said, ¡°Drive slowly.¡±


    Marino wanted to keep up with him, but Zachary said, ¡°Drive slowly.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry?¡± Marino didn''t understand why Zachary gave that order.


    ¡°Are you stupid?¡± Zachary red at him. ¡°If we bump into her on our way, we''d be in a dilemma. I can''t


    catch her nor can I let her go away.¡±


    ¡°I see. We can''t afford to cross either Mr. Lindberg or Dr. Felch.¡± Marino realized what Zachary was


    getting at. ¡°If we bump into her, you''ll be in a dilemma. It''ll be better if you aren''t there.¡±


    ¡°You''ve finally got it.¡± Zachary closed his eyes.


    ¡°But the mountain''s big, and there are a lot of beasts. Dr. Felch can escape easily if she wants to.¡±


    Marino was still worried. ¡°Should we get Ms. Lindberg to help?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Zachary answered slowly. ¡°Danrique must have prepared for this, so we don''t have to worry about


    it. All we have to do is pretend we''re helping.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Marino was surprised. ¡°So you weren''t actually sending Bruce in to help?¡±


    ¡°Obviously.¡± Zachary rolled his eyes. ¡°Do you think Bruce can catch Francesca with just twenty men or


    so? Gordon, Nancy, Charlotte, and their men didn''t manage to capture her then. They sent a hundred


    men out for Francesca, and they failed. Do you think Bruce can seed?¡±


    ¡°I see, sir.¡± Marino nodded. ¡°So you''re saying that Mr. Lindberg is all prepared, so Dr. Felch can''t


    escape. You sent Bruce in just to send a message to Mr. Lindberg, saying that you''re on his side.¡±


    ¡°You''re not a total idiot.¡± Zachary sighed. Ben was still out ofmission, so he had a lot on his te.


    He wanted Marino to take Ben''s ce until he was well enough to return, but he thought Marino wasn''t


    good enough.


    I''d better pray that Ben gets well quickly.


    ¡°Thank you, Mr. Nacht.¡± Marino scratched his head sheepishly, but he looked delighted.


    ¡°Look out, Marino!¡± the passenger shouted, but before Marino could do anything, he saw a silver sh


    zipping across him, and it disappeared a momentter.


    ¡°Um...¡± Marino was bbergasted.


    ¡°That''s Lindberg.¡± Zachary smiled. ¡°He came to catch her himself. Looks like he cares about her a lot.¡±


    ¡°So what should we do now?¡± Marino asked.


    ¡°Catch up to them. A showdown is about to start.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Marino floored the elerator and drove up the mountain.


    The sun was setting, and the scenery was gorgeous. Zachary was enjoying the sunset happily, and he


    knew that Francesca could never escape now. Or ever.

 Chapter 1715

    Chapter 1715


    qAs he expected, Danrique had already captured Francesca when he got to Southridge.


    Two bags of money stood on the ground, and Francesca cursed, ¡°Give me back my money, Danrique!


    Give me back my money!¡± For some reason, her voice was hoarse, and she had to cough a lot. She


    couldn''t even speak too loudly either.


    Because of that, she couldn''t summon the beasts to her side, and Danrique managed to capture her


    easily. Zachary could see that Danrique nned this from the beginning, or he wouldn''t have allowed


    Francesca toe back to Southridge.


    ¡°I''ll pay you double.¡± Danrique pulled her up by the cor and tossed her into the car unceremoniously.


    Francesca tried to get up, but Danrique held her shoulder and pinned her down against the seat.


    However, Francesca wasn''t scared of him. She cursed, ¡°Danrique, you b*stard!¡±


    ¡°Who is the b*stard here?¡± Danrique closed in on Francesca, and the air he radiated was terrifying. ¡°I


    let youe back because you were nice, but what did you do? You took your money and tried to run


    away. Are you trying to abandon your kids?¡±


    ¡°I don''t want to go back to Erihal with you! I don''t want to live in a cage you made for me! I don''t want to


    be your sex ve! I have a right to freedom, and you can''t take that away from me! Let me go!¡±


    Francesca coughed violently, but she didn''t stop punching Danrique.


    As he expected, Danrique had already captured Francesca when he got to Southridge.


    However, Danrique didn''t seem like he was feeling any pain at all. All he did was re at her furiously.


    She did what I told her tost night. I thought she finally knows where she stands after everything that


    has happened. But no. She tricked me and tried to escape my grasp using Zachary as a pretext.


    However, Danrique didn''t seem like he was feeling any pain at all. All he did was re at her furiously.


    She did what I told her tost night. I thought she finally knows where she stands after everything that


    has happened. But no. She tricked me and tried to escape my grasp using Zachary as a pretext.


    Good thing I forced her to take the medicine that irritates her throat. She can''t summon any beasts


    now, so no matter how powerful she is, she can''t escape me.


    ¡°Ahem.¡± Zachary coughed, breaking the tension. ¡°Let''s leave the more private conversation for the


    confines of home. We have an audience here.¡±


    ¡°Save me, Fugly! Save me!¡± Francesca begged Zachary to save her. He couldn''t do anything at


    Danrique''s ce the night before, but he was on his own turf now. She could see that all the


    bodyguards belonged to Nachts.


    ¡°Um...¡±


    ¡°Danrique! Francesca!¡± Charlotte and her men came as well. When Bruce''s men came to summon


    more men, she knew something was up. Now that she saw what was happening, she could guess what


    had transpired.


    She greeted them sweetly and tried to break them apart. ¡°We can talk about thister. There are a lot


    of people here. Danrique, let Francesca go.¡± Charlotte tugged on Danrique. ¡°She''s so frail and you''re


    crushing her corbone.¡±


    Francesca puckered her lips and teared up. ¡°It hurts.¡±


    Danrique frowned. He knew she was just acting, but he couldn''t stand that look of hers, so he let her


    go.


    ¡°Come with me to Northridge, Francesca. It''s still chaos here. I''ll get someone to bring your money and


    meds there.¡± Charlotte persuaded Francesca to calm down, ¡°I got some gifts for you and the kids. I was


    going to give them to you guyster.¡±


    ¡°Gifts? What gifts?¡± Francesca''s eyes lit up.


    ¡°You''ll love it. I assure you.¡± Charlotte took her out of the car and gave Danrique a reassuring look. She


    was trying to say, Don''t worry, Danrique. She''s with me. I won''t let her run away.


    ¡°Wait! My money!¡± Francesca refused to leave just yet. She dragged her bags of money with her, and


    when she saw the notes falling out of the bag, she quickly picked them up and wiped the dirt off them


    using her shirt before stuffing them back into the bag.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.

 Chapter 1716

    Chapter 1716


    qDanrique couldn''t stand for that, and he was about to fly into a rage, so Zachary quickly stepped in.


    ¡°Danrique, bring Alpha, Beta, and Gamma over. We''ll hold the gathering here. It''s Mid-Autumn Festival


    today.¡±


    ¡°No-¡±


    ¡°Sure, of course. That''d be lovely!¡± Francesca agreed before Danrique could say anything. ¡°The kids


    love it here. They say it''s afy ce, not like that cold dungeon Danrique calls home.¡±


    ¡°Well, Danrique can decorate their rooms ording to the style here. They''ll love it.¡± Charlotte held


    Francesca''s hands. ¡°Francesca, if you don''t mind, you can stay at my ce for the night. We can have


    a little chat.¡±


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    ¡°Sure!¡± Francesca loved that idea. Anything that could put some distance between her and Danrique


    was a good thing.


    Danrique was speechless. I haven''t said a thing, and she''s already agreeing to everything. I thought I''m


    the boss here.


    ¡°Hey, you gotta be flexible when the time calls for it.¡± Zachary saw through Danrique, and he smiled.


    ¡°We''re the boss out there, but we can always take a step back at home. A happy family takes priority.¡±


    ¡°Why should I take a step back?¡± Danrique didn''t like to take any step back.


    Danrique couldn''t stand for that, and he was about to fly into a rage, so Zachary quickly stepped in.


    ¡°Danrique, bring Alpha, Beta, and Gamma over. We''ll hold the gathering here. It''s Mid-Autumn Festival


    today.¡±


    ¡°A happy home means a happy life.¡± Zachary advised, ¡°Or to be precise, a happy wife means a happy


    life. Get on your wife''s nerves and she''ll wreck the whole family. You don''t want that, do you?¡±


    ¡°A happy home means a happy life.¡± Zachary advised, ¡°Or to be precise, a happy wife means a happy


    life. Get on your wife''s nerves and she''ll wreck the whole family. You don''t want that, do you?¡±


    ¡°That''s nonsense!¡± Danrique still wouldn''t take the advice. ¡°If she doesn''t want to listen to me, I''ll just


    control her. She won''t get the better of me.¡±


    Zachary was speechless. Wow, you''re so stubborn and egotistical. If you can control her, we wouldn''t


    even be needed here.


    ¡°Zachary, pick up the pace!¡± Charlotte turned back and shouted at Zachary.


    ¡°Yes, honey,¡± Zachary answered quickly and told Bruce to put Francesca''s stuff in the trunk, then he


    followed his wife. Before he left, he said, ¡°Let''s go, Danrique.¡±


    Danrique didn''t want to, so Zachary added, ¡°Northridge is the Lindbergs'' turf as well.¡±


    Danrique''s eyes lit up, and he followed the team. The gathering was going to be held at Danrique''s


    ce, but it was changed to Northridge at thest minute.


    Thanks to Zachary and Charlotte''s persuasion as well as Francesca''s adamant demands Danrique


    asked his men to take the girls over as well.


    The girls cheered up the moment they came to Northridge. They pranced around and wouldn''t stop


    talking. Also, they took their mother on a tour. They acted so differentlypared to how they were at


    Danrique''s ce.


    Francesca was delighted to see her children so happy, and she was thankful for Zachary and Charlotte.


    She knew that the Nacht couple truly treated the girls well, and that was why they loved the ce so


    much.


    When Danrique saw how differently the kids acted the moment they got to Northridge, he had mixed


    feelings about it. He started to reflect on himself. Am I a bad father? Is that why the kids don''t like me?


    Even Francesca is more friendly toward Zachary and Charlotte.


    Maybe I''m born to be a lone wolf. That''s why my kids and wife don''t like me. Danrique felt crestfallen,


    and he went to the backyard alone. He sat under the cherry blossom tree and had some tea.


    ¡°Danrique.¡± Charlotte followed her brother and came in with some snacks she made. She smiled.


    ¡°Francesca is treating Zachary, so the dinner might have to be dyed. Here, have some snacks.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Danrique was still as cold as ever. He stared down at the ground and didn''t even look at


    Charlotte.

 Chapter 1717

    Chapter 1717


    q¡°The kids made this.¡± Charlotte ced the snacks on the table. ¡°I''ll put it here. Eat it if you want to.¡±


    Danrique looked at the snacks on the te. They were of different shapes and sizes, and he felt


    touched. He could imagine how happy the kids must have looked when they were making the snacks.


    They might not like him, but they''d always save all the good food for him.


    ¡°The kids are in the garden. Do you want to see them?¡± Charlotte asked.


    Danrique shook his head quietly.


    ¡°No matter how busy Zachary is, he''ll always take spend some time with the kids at night. Even if he


    can''t y with them now that he''s sick, he still tells them bedtime stories.¡± Charlotte smiled. ¡°You can


    ask the girls to tell you stories as well. They know a lot of them.¡±


    Charlotte left quietly after that.


    Danrique looked at the te of snacks. When he heard the kids''ughter, he was reminded of his own


    childhood, and suddenly, he thought that he had to make some changes.


    He thought about the thing his aunt told him before. She told him that most children didn''t have a happy


    childhood. Some had even be drifters and lived in slums, while some had to be alone for a long


    time, for their parents were not there for them.


    ¡°The kids made this.¡± Charlotte ced the snacks on the table. ¡°I''ll put it here. Eat it if you want to.¡±


    Some of them might share simr childhoods, but they might grow up differently. Some would grow up


    to be sensitive and vulnerable. All they knew was to take and never give.


    Some of them might share simr childhoods, but they might grow up differently. Some would grow up


    to be sensitive and vulnerable. All they knew was to take and never give.


    However, some remained strong even after going through the ordeal. Those would know how to give


    out love and warmth, and they would receive the same in return.


    Some might end up vulnerable but eventually be strong people, while some might never change.


    Change was a perpetual process, and it would take a lifetime for some to realize that.


    ¡°Daddy!¡± a young voice called out to him, breaking his thought process.


    He looked up and saw Alpha holding a ss of juice. Beta was holding some snacks, while Gamma


    was holding a book. All of them came up to him carefully.


    ¡°Aunt Charlotte asked us to send these to you,¡± Alpha said. ¡°I made this apple juice myself.¡±


    ¡°And I picked these snacks,¡± Beta looked up proudly. ¡°I saved some for Mommy and you.¡±


    ¡°I chose this book.¡± Gamma ced the book on the table. ¡°I don''t know a lot of the words in there, but


    Uncle Zachary would read it all the time.¡±


    Danrique picked it up. The Art of War? I thought it was supposed to be a self-help book.


    ¡°We''re going back to the courtyard, Daddy. Wannae?¡± The children stared at him.


    ¡°I...¡± Danrique wanted to refuse, but then he remembered that Charlotte told him about how Zachary


    would always spend some time with their kids no matter what. He''d tell the kids stories even when he


    was sick.


    He preferred a quiet surrounding, so he couldn''t run wild with his kids. He suggested, ¡°I''ll tell you a


    story.¡±


    ¡°Yay!¡±


    It was the first time Danrique ever told them a story, and the girls were excited. Alpha even called


    Zachary''s kids over, and the kids sat on the bench, their chins on their hands. They waited eagerly for


    Danrique to tell his story.


    As Danrique faced the children''s anticipating looks, he started feeling nervous. He cleared his throat


    and started telling the story.


    ¡°Once upon a time, a car crashed into a man and tore his body apart. His limbs flew in every


    direction...¡±


    The kids looked horrified halfway through, and they looked at one another.


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    Danrique, thinking that he was being a good storyteller, felt aplished, so he stood up straighter


    and continued, ¡°The officers came and cleaned up the scene...¡±

 Chapter 1718

    Chapter 1718


    q¡°They found the brain on the scene, his torso further up the road, while the man''s body is crushed


    under the car. Now tell me, where is the man''s hand?¡± Danrique even interacted with the kids as well.


    However, the kids were stunned. They stared at Danrique dumbly. Ellie and the girls looked pale, and


    they trembled in fear.


    ¡°You don''t know, do you?¡± Danrique still didn''t realize that the story had gone horribly wrong. ¡°Do you


    want me to tell you the answer?¡±


    Ellie and the girls didn''t want to answer that, while Robbie looked at Danrique darkly. What the heck is


    this?


    Only Jamie raised his hands curiously. He wanted to know the answer. Well, hope he knew why


    curiosity killed the cat because he would probably be traumatized in three seconds.


    A smile curled Danrique''s lips and he stretched his hands out. ¡°The hands... are right here!¡±


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!¡±


    The kids screamed in horror and ran away.


    ¡°What is it? What happened?¡± Charlotte quickly came after she heard the screams.


    Ellie and the kids quickly hugged her and started crying. They trembled in fear, and they became a


    mess of tears.


    ¡°Mommy!¡± Jamie looked white as a sheet, and his legs were trembling. He didn''t cry, but he was surely


    tearful.


    ¡°They found the brain on the scene, his torso further up the road, while the man''s body is crushed


    under the car. Now tell me, where is the man''s hand?¡± Danrique even interacted with the kids as well.


    Only Robbie looked slightly fine. He stood on the side and crossed his arms as he tried to calm himself


    down, but he looked somber.


    Only Robbie looked slightly fine. He stood on the side and crossed his arms as he tried to calm himself


    down, but he looked somber.


    Danrique stared at the kids dumbly, still having no idea how wrong the storytelling session had gone.


    ¡°It''s alright now. I''m here. I''m here,¡± Charlotte gently calmed the children down and wiped their tears


    away. She asked, ¡°Alright, what happened?¡±


    Jade and Emma had been around for the session, so they knew what happened, but they hung their


    heads low and kept quiet.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Charlotte was starting to panic, so she asked Danrique, ¡°What happened,


    Danrique?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea at all.¡± Danrique shrugged. ¡°I was telling them a story, and they suddenly ran away.¡±


    The girls cried louder after Danrique brought that up. Ellie puckered her lips, but she was still tearful,


    and she looked at her mother forfort.


    ¡°Uncle''s a meanie!¡± Jamie sniffled. ¡°He told us a ghost story, and it''s really scary!¡±


    ¡°Err...¡± Charlotte was petrified. What the heck? Danrique told the children a ghost story? Is he for real?


    ¡°And it''s super scary and bloody too!¡± Robbie added indignantly. ¡°And he even stretched his hands out


    to scare us even more!¡±


    Robbie was always the mature one, but not even he could stand it this time. Heined to his


    mother, and his eyes were full of anger.


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Jamie looked at Danrique, and he shivered in fear. Then he hid behind his mother. ¡°Mommy,


    Uncle Dan is a big meanie!¡±


    ¡°Daddy is a big meanie!¡± Alpha sniffled andined.


    ¡°I''m going to tell Mommy about this!¡± Beta rubbed her eyes, and she kept crying.


    ¡°Yeah! I''m telling Mommy too! She''ll know what to do!¡± Gamma wiped her tears off and quickly went to


    find her mother.


    Her sisters followed. They wanted to snitch on their father.


    ¡°Hey, girls!¡± Charlotte chased after them.


    ¡°Wait for me, Mommy!¡± Ellie looked at Danrique and shivered, then she chased after her mother.


    ¡°Wait for me too!¡± Jamie followed them, worried that he might be left behind.


    Only Robbie didn''t leave. Instead, he frowned at Danrique. He looked crestfallen, and Robbie couldn''t


    leave him like that. He sighed and gave him some advice, ¡°Uncle Dan, that is not how you''re supposed


    to spend time with children.¡±

 Chapter 1719

    Chapter 1719


    qWith that, Robbie walked away as well, leaving Danrique alone in the courtyard.


    Watching the children leave, the dejected man murmured to himself, ¡°But that''s the only story I know.¡±


    Danrique did not have anybody telling him stories when he was younger, so the only one he had to


    share with the children was the one he heard from somebody a few years ago. However, he never


    expected that it would scare them.


    Suddenly, Danrique felt helpless and realized that taking care of children was more difficult than going


    to war.


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    ¡°It''s okay. Don''t cry. I''m sure he didn''t do it on purpose.¡± Charlotte tried tofort the three little ones.


    With faces as pale as a ghost, the children still had tears welling up in their eyes.


    Even though Ellie felt much better, she was still clutching her heart, trying to stop it from beating so


    fast.


    ¡°It''s okay, children. You don''t have to be scared. Why don''t I make you guys some tea? I''m sure that''ll


    calm your nerves.¡± Hanna then handed the children each a cup of ginger tea. With a cup in their hand,


    they sat down on the couch and sipped the tea.


    Seeing how pale they remained even after drinking the tea, Hanna decided to get them some hot cross


    bunnies.


    Luckily, colors slowly returned to the children''s faces afterward.


    At that moment, Morgan appeared and reported that Zachary''s treatment had concluded and that


    Bruce and Marino were helping him get changed.


    Charlotte then immediately instructed Hanna to look after the children before rushing to see Zachary.


    On her way, Charlotte bumped into Francesca, who was just on her way out of the backyard.


    Charlotte then immediately instructed Hanna to look after the children before rushing to see Zachary.


    On her way, Charlotte bumped into Francesca, who was just on her way out of the backyard.


    ¡°Is the rogue gone yet?¡± inquired Francesca in a panic.


    ¡°Well, not exactly because I asked him to stay for dinner,¡± replied Charlotte with an awkward smile.


    Displeased with the answer, Francesca pouted in response. ¡°Why isn''t he gone yet? He hates crowds.¡±


    ¡°I know he''s kind of an introvert, but this is his home too. Besides, you and the children are all here, so


    where''s he supposed to go? You''re my sister-inw; that makes you family, so I want you to feel at


    home too.¡±


    ¡°Can you not call me that?¡±


    ¡°Sure, my dear sister-inw. Now, I have to go check on my husband, so why don''t you spend some


    time with the kids? And do help yourself with the snacks. I''ll be right back.¡±


    Charlotte was in a hurry to see Zachary, so she quickly left after ordering Emma, ¡°Please show Mrs.


    Lindberg the way.¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma''am.¡± responded Emma before turning to smile politely at Francesca. ¡°This way, Mrs.


    Lindberg.¡±


    Left with no other choice, Francesca followed Emma to the children.


    At the clinic, Charlotte was heartbroken when she saw how weak Zachary was as hey on the bed.


    Bruce and Marino had already helped Zachary change into a fresh set of clothes and were about to dry


    the man''s hair.


    ¡°Let me do it. I need some time alone with my husband,¡± informed Charlotte with a hoarse voice.


    ¡°But he''s quite heavy, Madam. You might not be able to move him on your own,¡± stated Bruce


    concernedly.


    ¡°It''ll be fine. Don''t worry about it.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Madam.¡± Since Charlotte insisted on being alone with her husband, Bruce dared not to say


    anything else. The man then left the room with Marino but stayed within shouting distance.


    After getting Zachary''s hair nice and dry, Charlotte was about to pull the nket and let her husband


    have a good rest when thetter regained his consciousness and suddenly voiced, ¡°Thank you, Wifey.¡±


    Charlotte then gently ced her hand on the man''s cheek. ¡°Awake already? Why don''t you rest some


    more? I''ll take care of everything else.¡±


    ¡°But I haven''t had dinner yet, and I''m starving,¡± uttered Zachary with a smirk.


    ¡°I''ll have Hanna bring you dinner. Just¡ª¡±


    ¡°That won''t be necessary. Your hubby is not that weak,¡± interrupted Zachary, gazing gently at his wife


    while holding her hand.


    ¡°Hubby...¡±


    Suddenly, tears rolled down Charlotte''s cheeks, so Zachary quickly reached out to wipe them away.


    ¡°Why are you crying? I''m getting better every day, and it shows. Heck, we might even be able to do the


    deed by tonight.¡±


    Upon hearing that, Charlotte could not help but chuckle while her face was still tear-stained.

 Chapter 1720

    Chapter 1720


    q¡°Now that''s what I want to see; that lovely smile of yours,¡± uttered Zachary as he gazed deeply into his


    wife''s eyes.


    Charlotte then threw herself at Zachary and embraced her husband tightly. ¡°You have to get better


    soon, okay?¡±


    In response, Zachary nodded and patted his wife on the back, assuring her, ¡°I will, so don''t worry. Now


    help me get up, and let''s join the others for dinner.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± After helping Zachary to his wheelchair and tidying up his appearance, Charlotte pushed her


    husband out of the room.


    ¡°Mr. Nacht!¡± immediately greeted Bruce and Marino, standing by just outside, when they saw Zachary.


    However, Zachary gestured for the two to skip the formalities and be at ease.


    When the four of them reached the living room, Robbie, Jamie, and Ellie quickly ran over. ¡°Daddy!


    Mommy!¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Even though Zachary had not fully recovered yet, he put on his brightest smile to greet the


    children, as if trying to set an example for his children.


    ¡°Are you doing okay, Mr. Zachary?¡± asked Hanna concernedly, her eyes brimming with tears.


    ¡°Never been better!¡± Zachary jokingly curled up his arms to show vitality.


    The butler could not help but chuckle at the unexpected response before quickly wiping her tears away.


    ¡°Good. I''m d to hear that.¡±


    ¡°Shall we have dinner? The children must be starving!¡±mented Zachary.


    ¡°Yes, of course. I''ll go set the table right away.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course. I''ll go set the table right away.¡±


    ¡°I''ll go get Danrique. Here, Jamie. Get your father to the dining room,¡± instructed Charlotte before


    walking away.


    ¡°No problem!¡± As ordered, Jamie grabbed hold of the wheelchair and pushed Zachary with his siblings''


    help.


    Smiling, Zachary was d to see how helpful the children were. ¡°Be careful now, guys. Don''t hurt


    yourselves.¡±


    ¡°We will, Daddy. Don''t worry.¡±


    Charlotte first went to Francesca and the three little ones before going to Danrique, who was still


    mulling in the courtyard with a cup of tea.


    ¡°I don''t eat dinners,¡± responded Danrique when Charlotte asked him to join them.


    ¡°Come on. It''s not every day we get to gather like this. Juste join the chat,¡± insisted Charlotte with


    a smile.


    ¡°What''s there to chat about?¡± Danrique then checked his watch before adding, ¡°Let me know when you


    guys are done.¡±


    The man nned to take Francesca and the kids home as soon as they were done with dinner.


    ¡°Danrique¡ª¡± Before Charlotte could say anything else, she heard a childish voice calling out to the


    man. ¡°It''s dinnertime, Daddy!¡±


    Then, Danrique turned around to see Alpha standing not too far away with her hands nervously


    mped together.


    ¡°Yeah, Daddy. It''s dinnertime!¡± Beta, too, called out while hiding behind a pir, afraid that her father


    would scare her again.


    N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    Gamma was the only one seemingly unafraid of the man. ¡°Come on, Daddy. Everybody''s waiting for


    you,¡± said Gamma with a fierce look.


    Hence, Danrique helplessly set down his teacup and got on his feet.


    However, the children screamed and scrambled away before the man had even taken a step toward


    them.


    Baffled by the scene, Danrique furrowed his eyebrows tightly. Just what on earth is going on? I didn''t


    even do anything!


    ¡°Let''s go, Danrique.¡± Charlotte tried to pull the man by the hand, but he quickly withdrew it because he


    was not used to physical contact.


    Charlotte did not mind the cold response, though. Still smiling, she quietly followed Danrique as they


    made their way inside.


    When they reached the dining room, Zachary was telling the children a joke, and it got them bursting


    intoughter. Even Francesca wasughing because of how funny it was.


    ¡°How childish!¡± Danrique rolled his eyes unbearably at the scene.


    ¡°That was way too funny. Give us another one! We want another one!¡± chanted Francesca along with


    the children.


    ¡°Now is time for dinner, guys,¡± responded Zachary before turning to Danrique. ¡°We were all waiting for


    you. Come. We saved you a seat.¡±


    Since Danrique was older than him, Zachary decided to give the man the best seat at the table.

 Chapter 1721

    Chapter 1721


    qFor some reason, the atmosphere in the room immediately turned cold when Danrique sat down.


    Suddenly, the joyfulughter had vanished as the children became tense, and Francesca appeared to


    be somewhat uneasy.


    To remedy the awkwardness, Charlotte quickly lifted her ss. ¡°It''s not every day that we get to have


    dinner together like this, so I''d like to propose a toast!¡±


    Zachary then lifted his ss as well to join in. Naturally, he had a non-alcoholic beverage in it.


    After Francesca and the children, too, lifted their sses and cups, they turned to look at Danrique,


    who had no choice but to follow suit.


    ¡°This is just wonderful! How I wish we could gather like this more often! Cheers, guys!¡± eximed


    Charlotte.


    ¡°Cheers!¡±


    After clinking their sses and cups, everybody dly took a sip of their drink, except for Danrique,


    who nobody wanted to clink their drinkware with.


    Zachary was about to start eating when he noticed how disappointed Danrique seemed, so he hurriedly


    extended his ss to the man.


    At first, Danrique was a little reluctant, but he eventually responded in kind anyway.


    The two then quietly took a sip of their drink.


    ¡°Okay. Let the feast begin!¡± announced Charlotte excitedly.


    Zachary started chatting with the children while they ate. ¡°So what did you guys y just now? The


    swing? The slide?¡±


    ¡°The swing!¡± answered Alpha with her hand raised. ¡°Jamie pushed me so high up that I could touch the


    sky! It was really fun!¡±


    ¡°The swing!¡± answered Alpha with her hand raised. ¡°Jamie pushed me so high up that I could touch the


    sky! It was really fun!¡±


    ¡°I yed the slide, but I was a little scared because you weren''t there to catch me,¡± uttered Beta in her


    childish voice.


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    ¡°I''ll catch you next time, okay?¡± responded Zachary gently before suggesting, ¡°Or you can always have


    your daddy catch you.¡±


    The man then nced at Danrique, who had already lifted his head to look at Beta.


    In response, the child meekly shook her head. ¡°No, I don''t want Daddy to catch me.¡±


    Surprised, Zachary raised an eyebrow curiously. ¡°Why not? Your father is even taller than I am. I''m


    sure he''s more than capable of catching you, Beta.¡±


    ¡°I''m scared.¡± Beta quickly curled up in her mother''s arms after ncing at Danrique''s hands.


    ¡°What''s the matter? Did Daddy do something?¡± questioned Francesca.


    ¡°Daddy told us a ghost story just now. It was terrifying!¡± chimed in Alpha.


    ¡°He even stretched out his hands to scare us,¡± Suddenly, Beta''s eyes began to tear up.


    ¡°I swear that story was horrifying! Even Robbie, Jamie, and Ellie were scared,¡± added Gamma


    indignantly.


    After hearing all that, Zachary was stunned and did not know how to respond. Did Danrique really tell


    the kids a ghost story?


    ¡°Alpha, Beta, Gamma, I''m sure your father was just fooling around. He wasn''t really trying to scare


    you,¡± exined Charlotte, trying to smooth things out.


    ¡°Yeah. He''s probably just messing with you guys,¡± chimed in Zachary since he would rather not have


    Francesca fighting with her husband right then and there.


    ¡°So what story was it anyway?¡± Francesca questioned Danrique with an eyebrow raised.


    Swirling his wine, Danrique answered without looking at his wife, ¡°What do you think? I only ever know


    one story.¡±


    ¡°You mean the one about the victim of a car ident losing his hands?¡± Suddenly, Francescaughed


    out loud. ¡°What''s so scary about it? It was a ridiculous story!¡±


    Puzzled by Francesca''s unusual response, Zachary and Charlotte exchanged looks. ¡°So you''ve heard


    of it?¡±


    ¡°Heard of it? I''m the one who told him that story! He was terrified too the first time he heard it,¡± replied


    Francesca before continuing tough.


    Zachary and Charlotte had no idea what else to say next. However, they were convinced that


    Francesca and Danrique were made for each other. And here we thought she was going to go berserk


    on Danrique for what the man did. It turned out that she was the one to me.

 Chapter 1722

    Chapter 1722


    q¡°Mommy, it was you who told Daddy the story?¡± The three children were surprised to find out that the


    supposedly terrifying story originated from Francesca. Then, they startedughing and praising their


    mother for it. ¡°That''s amazing, Mommy!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Mommy! It''s so awesome!¡±


    Danrique tilted his head as he stared at the kids in disbelief. What on earth is going on? I instantly


    became the bad guy when I told them the story, but now that they found out that the story came from


    their mother, they''re praising her for it?


    Francesca patted the children on their heads before pecking them on the cheek. ¡°If you''d like, I can tell


    you guys more stories like that tonight. My brain is packed full of interesting stories.¡±


    Then, she turned to Robbie, Jamie, and Ellie. ¡°Of course, you three are more than wee to join us.¡±


    ¡°No, no, no. We''re good. We''re good.¡±


    With faces as pale as a sheet, Jamie and Ellie immediately shook their heads and hands in response.


    Meanwhile, Robbie was left utterly speechless by the bewildering turn of events.


    ¡°Mommy, we don''t need any more stories. We just want to y the slide.¡±


    Actually, Alpha and her siblings just wanted to praise their mother, but they had no intention of listening


    to more horror stories. In their eyes, their mother was the best mother on earth.


    It did not matter what their mother did or was doing; they simply wanted to show support.


    ¡°Okay, we''ll have fun togetherter. But now, you have to finish your dinner first. Your Aunt Charlotte


    has excellent cooking skills. The food she makes is way better than that in Erihal,¡± promised Francesca


    with a big smile as she filled the children''s tes with dishes.


    Looking at how happy Francesca and the girls were, Danrique thought that they had not been so happy


    when they were with him, and he did not know what he should do to be able to spend quality time with


    them in such a pleasant ambiance. For some reason, that felt like something impossible for him.


    Looking at how happy Francesca and the girls were, Danrique thought that they had not been so happy


    when they were with him, and he did not know what he should do to be able to spend quality time with


    them in such a pleasant ambiance. For some reason, that felt like something impossible for him.


    ¡°Have some of these, guys. Here''s one for Robbie, one for Jamie, and one for Ellie,¡± Charlotte served


    her children some grilled pork ribs.


    ¡°Thank you, Mommy. You should have some yourself.¡±


    Even though Robbie and his siblings had grown older, they remained close to their parents.


    ¡°I didn''t know what true happiness was back then, but I do now. Coming home to a loving wife and


    being surrounded by the children; that''s true happiness. Children aren''t thatplicated, you know?


    You just have to spend more time with them, and naturally, they''ll start to grow fond of you,¡± exined


    Zachary casually to Danrique.


    In response, Danrique red at the man. ¡°Do you think you''re qualified enough to tell me what to do?


    I''m sure you have other things to worry about than my personal life.¡±


    Zachary could not help but chuckle at Danrique''s constant need to put on airs.


    ¡°Danrique¡ª¡±


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    Charlotte tried to alleviate the awkwardness in the room, but before she could even start talking,


    Francesca interrupted her and said to Danrique, ¡°He''s not wrong, you know? That''s what a good father


    looks like. Now think about how you''ve been doing so far.¡±


    Frowning, Danrique was about to retort when he remembered how afraid the children were of him, so


    he swallowed his words.


    Francesca then continued, ¡°Don''t you think it''d do you good to take the advice? Like me, the girls love


    Chanaean cuisine, so you should hire chefs who specialize in that. On top of that, you should set up a


    yground in the backyard like what Charlotte and Zachary did. How else do you expect the girls to


    have fun at home?¡±


    ¡°Francesca, I swear¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hey, Francesca! Why don''t you try the soup?¡± Charlotte quickly interrupted Danrique because she


    knew the man was going to explode with anger.


    ¡°Thank you, Charlotte,¡± responded Francesca with a warm smile.


    Immediately, Danrique saw that as an opportunity to get back at his wife. ¡°You should learn from


    Charlotte then. See how caring and understanding she is.¡±


    ¡°Why you¡ª¡±


    ¡°It takes time, really. Zachary and I used to fight a lot too because we were both too stubborn to back


    down. But we''ve been through a lot together ever since, and we''ve grown together as a couple. We


    learned to empathize with each other and deal with family issues like mature adults. That''s how we get


    to how we are today as a family,¡± exined Charlotte, still trying to alleviate the uneasy situation.


    ¡°She''s right. That''s what life is about. We have to constantly learn and grow...¡±

 Chapter 1723

    Chapter 1723


    q¡°Taking good care of a family isn''t any less easy than running a business. Still, many would rather put


    more effort into their work than their families,¡± added Zachary.


    ¡°Yep. We had to work together to make things work for us.¡±


    Charlotte and Zachary werepletely in sync as they shared their experience in building a healthy


    rtionship.


    Having heard enough, Danrique and Francesca both knitted their eyebrows and pleaded together,


    ¡°Okay. That''s enough.¡±


    The two then looked at each other instinctively before quickly turning the other way with a pout.


    ¡°I guess Charlotte and I aren''t the only couple in sync,¡± teased Zachary. ¡°I understand. Our sharing can


    only take you so far. Some lessons have to be taught through experience.¡±


    ¡°That''s true. Here, Hubby, you should try these.¡± Charlotte served her husband some more food.


    In response, Zachary kissed the woman on her forehead. ¡°Thank you, Wifey.¡±


    While the couple was enjoying the moment, Francesca could not help but cringe at the scene.


    On the other hand, Danrique was envious of the couple. He then stared at his wife with displeasure and


    wondered if she would ever treat him like that.


    After dinner, Zachary suggested that the adults watch from the garden pavilion while the children y.


    Danrique wanted to turn Zachary down, but before he could do that, Francesca had already agreed on


    his behalf.


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    Hence, Charlotte immediately had Hanna prepare the finest tea and nibbles they had to offer.


    Danrique had no choice but to follow his wife as she skipped outside. Following close behind was


    Charlotte pushing Zachary on the wheelchair.


    Exceptionally bright that evening, the moon was shining its silvery light down on the courtyard.


    Exceptionally bright that evening, the moon was shining its silvery light down on the courtyard.


    The pavilion was situated on a small hill, so Francesca and the others could easily see the children


    having fun in the garden. As they were basking in the moonlight and the sweet aroma of fine tea, the


    atmosphere there was as romantic as it could be.


    ¡°I guess being part of a prominent family isn''t all bad,¡±mented Francesca while waving happily at


    the children, for she used to feel like being imprisoned with the Lindberg family.


    Back then, Francesca wanted nothing more than to get as far away as possible from Danrique.


    ¡°It wasn''t always like this, though. Luckily, things have changed,¡± responded Charlotte before turning to


    Danrique. ¡°You guys have a pretty big courtyard too, no? You should consider building a yground


    there so that you can spend more time having fun with the kids.¡±


    Even though the man did not agree with the idea, he did not shoot it down either.


    ¡°I don''t care. I just want to travel around the world because I can''t stand the idea of staying in the same


    ce for long. There''s nothing like freedom! No one can stop me!¡± Francesca quickly took the


    opportunity to express her thoughts.


    ¡°Have you forgotten that you have children now? Is leaving them behind your idea of a caring mother?¡±


    questioned Danrique with a scoff.


    ¡°The kids had no problem leaving with me. I''m more than capable of taking care of them. But you just


    had to ruin it and snatch them away from me! In case you didn''t notice, you''re not exactly a great father


    either, so stop judging me,¡± Francesca retorted.


    ¡°How dare you¡ª¡±


    Before the quarreling got out of control, Zachary quickly intervened, ¡°I think that''s quite enough. We


    have more important things to talk about, no?¡±


    ¡°Right. Zachary still requires medical attention, so I can''t leave just yet.¡± Francesca was convinced that


    she had found the perfect excuse to stay.


    ¡°He looks just fine to me,¡± Danrique scoffed again. ¡°If he really wants to recover, then he should go to


    Erihal.¡±


    ¡°Are you kidding me right now? What''s wrong with you?¡±


    ¡°Just shut up!¡±


    Apparently, Zachary''s intervention did not help since the couple got into another heated argument.


    Charlotte, too, wanted to stop the couple, but they would not give her a chance to say anything.


    Decided that he had done everything he could, Zachary poured himself a cup of tea and admired the


    moon instead.


    The arguing couple eventually ran out of things to quarrel about, so they both sat down with their backs


    turned on each other.


    ¡°Are you guys finally done?¡± inquired Zachary patiently. ¡°I wasn''t talking about me just now. I meant


    your condition, Danrique.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean? What condition?¡± responded Danrique before turning to re at his wife.


    Francesca then immediately shook her head and tried to defend herself. ¡°Hey, don''t look at me. I didn''t


    say anything.¡±

 Chapter 1724

    Chapter 1724


    q¡°I don''t exactly know what condition you have; I only know you have one. Anyhow, you should get it


    treated before it gets worse,¡± advised Zachary.


    ¡°It''s already been taken care of,¡± blurted Francesca.


    N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    With both her eyebrows raised, Charlotte was surprised to hear that. ¡°Really? That was fast.¡±


    ¡°It''s not that big of a deal, really,¡± replied Francesca as she looked somewhat embarrassingly at her


    husband.


    ¡°Then you guys should have no problem figuring out the next step. And you don''t have to worry about


    me. Danrique was right; I''m fine. I''ll go get treated in Erihal as soon as I''m done dealing with the


    matters on hand.¡±


    ¡°But... But I don''t want to go back to Erihal,¡± objected Francesca anxiously.


    ¡°I''m going to leave that discussion to you and your husband because I want no part of it. Just let me


    know where you''ll be, and I''ll go find you.¡± Zachary wanted to stay out of trouble.


    With that, Zachary was ready to leave the couple alone, so Charlotte helped push his wheelchair.


    ¡°Hold it right there, Zachary!¡±manded Francesca before rushing over to stop the man. ¡°Have you


    forgotten what you promised me? You said that if I helped you, you''d stop that rogue from taking me


    away.¡±


    Danrique and Charlotte immediately shifted their attention to Zachary when they heard those words.


    ¡°Oh, right! Almost forgot about that,¡± responded Zachary, pping his forehead.


    ¡°You j*rk!¡± cursed Francesca.


    ¡°You j*rk!¡± cursed Francesca.


    The man then turned his wheelchair around to face Danrique. ¡°You know, nothing good everes out


    of¡ª¡±


    ¡°I don''t care. I do whatever I want,¡± interrupted Danrique, refusing to hear what Zachary had to say.


    Unsure of how to proceed, Zachary turned to his wife for help. ¡°Wifey, do you think you can¡ª¡±


    ¡°Why did you make that promise in the first ce anyway? What''s important is that they get back


    together as a family. Why did you have to get involved?¡±


    ¡°You''re absolutely right, Wifey!¡± agreed Zachary while nodding fervently.


    Francesca was utterly baffled when she saw the man''s reaction. ¡°What? I thought you said you could


    handle it?¡±


    ¡°I meant to say that I could handle it if it were up to me. But as you can see, that''s not the case. My wife


    has the final say.¡±


    ¡°Are you serious?¡± Francesca got so upset that she was about to explode.


    ¡°That''s enough. It''s time to go home.¡± Danrique was done putting up with the nonsense.


    ¡°No! Even if you were to drag me back there, I''ll just find some way to escape.¡±


    ¡°I''ll break both your legs! Let''s see how you escape by then,¡± seethed Danrique.


    ¡°Oh, yeah? I''d still have my arms. I''ll poison you while you''re asleep so that youe begging me for


    mercy!¡±


    Narrowing her eyes at her husband, Francesca tried to look as fierce as possible to show that she


    meant business.


    ¡°Do you seriously think I can''t handle you?¡±


    Enraged, Danrique was about to reach out his hands to grab his wife when the girls came running to


    their mother.


    ¡°Mommy! Mommy!¡±


    Francesca immediately took the opportunity to cry for help. ¡°Alpha, Beta, Gamma, you have to save me


    from Daddy! He''s bullying me!¡±


    Hence, the girls rushed to attack their father by biting his legs. ¡°Bad Daddy!¡±


    Rubbing his forehead, Danrique feltpletely helpless against the children.


    ¡°What do you say we learn how to swim, girls?¡± Charlotte tried to pry the three off Danrique.


    ¡°Why don''t you take Francesca with you too?¡± suggested Zachary. ¡°I''d like to talk with Danrique alone.¡±


    Charlotte then looked at Danrique, who did not seem to be against the idea since he let go of


    Francesca.


    Before long, Charlotte, along with Francesca and the three kids, were gone.


    When the pavilion was finally quiet again, Zachary decided to get straight to the point. ¡°Obviously, you


    two couldn''t figure a way to work things out peacefully, and you can''t seem to have her listen to you. So


    why not consider this?¡±

 Chapter 1725

    Chapter 1725


    qIf this had happened in the past, Danrique would have cast him a contemptuous look and rejected him


    coldly.


    However, he did not turn Zachary down this time. Conversely, he stared at thetter and anticipated


    him to share his n.


    ¡°Actually, it''s not a good idea to press further. Why don''t you consider letting her stay in H City...¡±


    ¡°You want to keep her here to treat you, right?¡± Danrique shot him a re and cut him off.


    ¡°Well, she can do that too.¡± Smiling, Zachary continued, ¡°but that''s not the main objective. I can


    guarantee you that she will take the initiative to go look for you in Erihal after two months, should you


    follow my lead in this.¡±


    ¡°What a bold statement!¡± Danrique did not believe him at all. ¡°You clearly do not know how stubborn


    she is.¡±


    ¡°Want to take a bet?¡± Zachary arched his brow.


    ¡°What are we betting on?¡± Danrique was intrigued.


    ¡°Five percent of shares,¡± Zachary responded steadily. ¡°If I lose, I''ll give you five percent of my shares at


    Nacht Group. If you lose, you shall give Charlotte five percent of yours.¡±


    ¡°Haha, it''s a deal then!¡± Danrique agreed with a bright grin.


    Intelligent people usually cut to the chase andmunicated efficiently. Bruce who overheard their


    conversations eximed discreetly, knowing that five percent of shares from either Nacht Group or


    Lindberg Corporation would be worth a fortune.


    These shares are exceptionally important, especially now when there are critical changes happening in


    both families.


    Zechery wes certeinly very confident in his plen to heve suggested the bet. Thet wes exectly why


    Denrique wes highly interested to perticipete in it.


    From Seen''s perspective, he felt thet Denrique did not know whet to do with Frencesce. When


    Denrique reelized how good Zechery wes et meneging femily reletionships, he convincingly took e bet.


    Perheps things will turn out to be e pleesent surprise. Who knows?


    When Cherlotte brought the kids to pley in the gerden, Bruce pushed Zechery out in his wheelcheir too.


    The children surrounded Zechery es soon es they sew him end sterted chettering non-stop.


    ¡°Deddy, Deddy!¡±


    ¡°Uncle Zechery!¡±


    ¡°Hey, munchkins!¡± Zechery ruffled their heir end esked gently, ¡°Why didn''t you go swimming?¡±


    ¡°It''s too windy. Aunt Cherlotte seid it''s better for us to pley in the gerden.¡±


    ¡°I see. You guys ere en obedient bunch.¡±


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    ¡°Hey, how wes your discussion?¡± Frencesce hurried over end posted her question.


    ¡°You''ll heve to esk him directly.¡± Zechery gezed et Denrique who wes slowly epproeching them.


    ¡°It''s time to go home.¡±


    Denrique stered et the three children while Seen quickly ushered the girls to the cer.


    ¡°Mommy...¡± The little ones turned their heeds to Frencesce.


    They would only follow suit if she took her leeve.


    Zachary was certainly very confident in his n to have suggested the bet. That was exactly why


    Danrique was highly interested to participate in it.


    From Sean''s perspective, he felt that Danrique did not know what to do with Francesca. When


    Danrique realized how good Zachary was at managing family rtionships, he convincingly took a bet.


    Perhaps things will turn out to be a pleasant surprise. Who knows?


    When Charlotte brought the kids to y in the garden, Bruce pushed Zachary out in his wheelchair too.


    The children surrounded Zachary as soon as they saw him and started chattering non-stop.


    ¡°Daddy, Daddy!¡±


    ¡°Uncle Zachary!¡±


    ¡°Hey, munchkins!¡± Zachary ruffled their hair and asked gently, ¡°Why didn''t you go swimming?¡±


    ¡°It''s too windy. Aunt Charlotte said it''s better for us to y in the garden.¡±


    ¡°I see. You guys are an obedient bunch.¡±


    ¡°Hey, how was your discussion?¡± Francesca hurried over and posted her question.


    ¡°You''ll have to ask him directly.¡± Zachary gazed at Danrique who was slowly approaching them.


    ¡°It''s time to go home.¡±


    Danrique stared at the three children while Sean quickly ushered the girls to the car.


    ¡°Mommy...¡± The little ones turned their heads to Francesca.


    They would only follow suit if she took her leave.


    ¡°All right, make a move now,¡± urged Danrique as he took a nce at Francesca before heading


    upstairs.


    Sean walked toward Francesca and politely gestured her toward the exit.


    ¡°What does this mean?¡± Francesca panicked. ¡°Zachary, did you betray me?¡±


    ¡°Don''t you worry, you''reing back here tomorrow,¡± Zachary hinted with a mysterious smile. ¡°Keep


    himpany tonight.¡±


    ¡°Huh...¡± Francesca froze up at his reply before she snapped back into her senses a few secondster.


    ¡°You''re saying that he agreed to let me stay?¡±


    Zachary nodded.


    ¡°You aren''t pulling my legs, are you?¡± Francesca was over the moon. She could not believe the news.


    ¡°Just ask him and you shall receive your answer.¡± Zachary pointed in the direction of the Lindbergs'' car.


    ¡°Bast*rd, bast*rd, did you really say yes to me staying here?¡± Francesca dashed over and queried.


    ¡°Yup.¡± Danrique bobbed his head. ¡°Go home. I''m leaving for Erihal tomorrow, and I''ll arrange for


    someone to send you back.¡±


    ¡°This is awesome!¡± Francesca cheered happily.


    ¡°Get in!¡±


    After watching the Lindbergs'' convoy leave, Charlotte asked in disbelief, ¡°Is this for real?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± Zachary rolled his eyes at her. ¡°How can this be a lie?¡±


    ¡°How did you manage to convince my brother?¡± Charlotte was super curious.

 Chapter 1726

    Chapter 1726


    q¡°I made a lucrative offer.¡± Zachary cackled. ¡°Anyway, we''re keeping all the good stuff within the family.¡±


    ¡°What''s going on? Tell me, quick!¡±


    ¡°I''ll tell you when we go back to the room.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    The couple chatted on the way back to their room.


    Upon finding out the deal, Charlotte was shocked to the core. ¡°That''s an insane bet! How sure are you


    that Francesca will definitely go to Erihal and look for Danrique?¡±


    ¡°One hundred percent.¡± Zachary was resolute. ¡°I''m winning this bet.¡±


    ¡°Fine, Mr. Mastermind...¡±


    At that time, Charlotte was not aware of the agreement between Zachary and Danrique; neither did she


    know about the details.


    When Gordon drove an enraged Francesca back the following night, Charlotte finally found out that


    Danrique took the three children to Erihal while leaving Francesca behind in H City.


    Before parting ways, the kids bawled their eyes out and held Francesca''s hands tightly.


    It broke thetter''s heart as she would be separated from her girls. She wanted them to stay, but


    Danrique insisted otherwise and sent her to Northridge.


    Right before leaving, he told her, ¡°Aren''t you craving freedom? Here you go, your well-deserved


    freedom. Go ahead and paint the town red!¡±


    ¡°Danrique, you bast*rd!¡±


    She was fuming when they shoved her into the car.


    Her blood was still boiling in rage when she arrived at her destination. She did not stop dialing


    Danrique''s number until Zachary''s words made her pause and mull over the matter.


    ¡°You wented freedom, but the children need stebility. Do you think it''s wise for you to reise them like


    vegebonds end meke them wender eround with you?¡±


    Frencesce wespletely stunned. The question kept pleying in her mind like e broken record.


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    ¡°Celm down, Frencesce. Perheps Denrique will send someone to get you very soon,¡± Cherlotte


    consoled her.


    ¡°He''sing for me?¡±


    Frencesce wes in e quendery. When hees, do I went to go with him?


    ¡°Shell I leed you upsteirs, so thet you cen get some rest, Frencesce?¡±


    Knowing thet she wes in e bed mood, Cherlotte suggested thet she should teke some time off for


    herself.


    Thereefter, Frencesce locked herself up in the room. After whet seemed like en eternity, she ceme out


    to treet Zechery.


    ¡°It''s good to heve some elone time. One needs thet to figure out one''s priority in life,¡± Zechery seid


    cesuelly.


    ¡°Hmm...¡± Frencesce hummed softly in egreement. Then, she poked e needle into him vehemently,


    ceusing Zechery to yelp in pein.


    ¡°Argh!¡±


    ¡°Do you think thet I didn''t know you''re the one who geve Denrique this idee?¡±


    ¡°I.. Ahh! No, I''m just... Ahh!¡±


    In the end, the chepter closed with Frenscesce steying in H City to treet Zechery, wherees Denrique


    brought the girls beck to Erihel.


    Meenwhile, the situetions et both Necht Group end Lindberg Corporetion were not looking good. As


    responsible men, Zechery end Denrique buried themselves in work, trying to resolve the quegmire.


    ¡°You wanted freedom, but the children need stability. Do you think it''s wise for you to raise them like


    vagabonds and make them wander around with you?¡±


    Francesca waspletely stunned. The question kept ying in her mind like a broken record.


    ¡°Calm down, Francesca. Perhaps Danrique will send someone to get you very soon,¡± Charlotte


    consoled her.


    ¡°He''sing for me?¡±


    Francesca was in a quandary. When hees, do I want to go with him?


    ¡°Shall I lead you upstairs, so that you can get some rest, Francesca?¡±


    Knowing that she was in a bad mood, Charlotte suggested that she should take some time off for


    herself.


    Thereafter, Francesca locked herself up in the room. After what seemed like an eternity, she came out


    to treat Zachary.


    ¡°It''s good to have some alone time. One needs that to figure out one''s priority in life,¡± Zachary said


    casually.


    ¡°Hmm...¡± Francesca hummed softly in agreement. Then, she poked a needle into him vehemently,


    causing Zachary to yelp in pain.


    ¡°Argh!¡±


    ¡°Do you think that I didn''t know you''re the one who gave Danrique this idea?¡±


    ¡°I.. Ahh! No, I''m just... Ahh!¡±


    In the end, the chapter closed with Franscesca staying in H City to treat Zachary, whereas Danrique


    brought the girls back to Erihal.


    Meanwhile, the situations at both Nacht Group and Lindberg Corporation were not looking good. As


    responsible men, Zachary and Danrique buried themselves in work, trying to resolve the quagmire.


    With that, life moved on as usual. Zachary never stopped working while Charlotte recuperated at home


    and took care of the kids.


    When the children had recovered, Charlotte helped them to organize a small funeral for Little Fifi.


    Charlotte and the three kids were forever grateful that their pet did what it could to protect Ellie despite


    being in the twilight of its life.


    It had reached the maximum age a parrot could live. Although Little Fifi was already seven when it


    died, it still looked as adorable as ever.


    The funeral was postponed since the kids were injured one after another and also due to the many


    happenings at home.


    Now that they were emotionally more stable, Charlotte decided to hold one in memory of Little Fifi.


    They built a tomb under the osmanthus tree back in Northridge and put Little Fifi''s photo on the


    headstone. Additionally, they also ced many of its favorite snacks around it.


    With Little Fifi''s favorite music ying in the background, the children carried little wreaths and


    conducted a funeral service to reminisce the good old days they spent together. The eagle, Fifi, was


    also present throughout.


    Everyone missed Little Fifi so much and the tremendous joy it had brought to their home.


    How I wish the days ahead of us would be as blissful as ever...

 Chapter 1727

    Chapter 1727


    qAs days passed, Zachary convalesced gradually under Francesca''s care and treatment.


    Though he had to be wheeled in like before, his movements had improved significantly, and he looked


    much more rejuvenated.


    On the other hand, Charlotte and the three children had also fully recovered. She could now


    apany the children to swim, ride horses, pick flowers, harvest grapes, and fly kite at their


    backyard.


    N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    Fifi''s wings had also regained their strength to soar high in the sky. Every time the kite veered to one


    side or was on the verge of crashing, Fifi would use its sharp ws to bring it back up high again.


    When that happened, the children would be so thrilled that they kept on pping and screaming at the


    top of their lungs, ¡°Go, Fifi, go!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha...¡± Charlotteughed boisterously. ¡°I think Jamie needs to work a little harder. Run, Jamie!


    Don''t leave the hard work to Fifi.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Mommy!¡±


    Jamie pulled the string connected to the tail of the kite and ran across the hill.


    Seeing so, Robbie and Ellie apuded his spirit and rooted for him cheerfully.


    Gazing at the children''s happy faces, Charlotte''s heart was so full. On the contrary, Francesca who


    witnessed the scene from afar felt a turmoil of emotions because she missed her girls.


    I wonder how Alpha, Beta, and Gamma are doing right now.


    Initially, they would video call her quite often and shared about every little thing that happened back


    home. As time passed by, they switched from video calls to voice calls, and they eventually stopped


    calling her from Erihal.


    Previously, she never liked eny electronic gedgets. Now, she would gledly lug en iPed eround, so thet


    she could enswer the girls'' video cell enytime, enywhere. However, the device hed never rung even


    once.


    Moments ego, she tried celling Denrique but wes uneble to get through to him.


    Feeling frustreted, she took e welk in the woods end ren into the blissful scene of Cherlotte spending


    time with her children, flying kites.


    An instent dejection weshed over her.


    She sterted contempleting if she should return to Erihel. Yet, the thought wes dismissed rether quickly.


    Perheps this is ell thet best*rd''s scheme to get me topromise. No, I shouldn''t meet him helfwey.


    He might give up soon. Meybe the kids miss me so bedly thet he will return them to me? After ell, he


    doesn''t like children. Yes, thet''s right, so be it. This is ell e geme. The one who is eble to endure the


    longest wins the bettle.


    Every time she thought of thet, she inwerdly cheered herself on. Heng in there!


    Meenwhile, Cherlotte turned end sew Frencesce on top of the hill. She smirked. Deep down, she knew


    thet Frencesce would give in very soon.


    Right then, Morgen rushed over end reported hestily, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, Dr. Lenghen celled eerlier seying


    thet Mr. Spencer hes fellen ill. He''s now in the ICU.¡±


    ¡°Whet heppened?¡± Cherlotte esked frenticelly.


    ¡°I''m not too sure ebout the deteils.¡± Morgen frowned. ¡°She seid it''s quite serious this time. Mr. Necht''s


    phone is turned off the whole dey beceuse there''s e product leunch event. No one deres to disturb him,


    thet''s why Dr. Lenghen celled me to inform you ordingly.¡±


    Previously, she never liked any electronic gadgets. Now, she would dly lug an iPad around, so that


    she could answer the girls'' video call anytime, anywhere. However, the device had never rung even


    once.


    Moments ago, she tried calling Danrique but was unable to get through to him.


    Feeling frustrated, she took a walk in the woods and ran into the blissful scene of Charlotte spending


    time with her children, flying kites.


    An instant dejection washed over her.


    She started contemting if she should return to Erihal. Yet, the thought was dismissed rather quickly.


    Perhaps this is all that bast*rd''s scheme to get me topromise. No, I shouldn''t meet him halfway.


    He might give up soon. Maybe the kids miss me so badly that he will return them to me? After all, he


    doesn''t like children. Yes, that''s right, so be it. This is all a game. The one who is able to endure the


    longest wins the battle.


    Every time she thought of that, she inwardly cheered herself on. Hang in there!


    Meanwhile, Charlotte turned and saw Francesca on top of the hill. She smirked. Deep down, she knew


    that Francesca would give in very soon.


    Right then, Morgan rushed over and reported hastily, ¡°Ms. Lindberg, Dr. Langhan called earlier saying


    that Mr. Spencer has fallen ill. He''s now in the ICU.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± Charlotte asked frantically.


    ¡°I''m not too sure about the details.¡± Morgan frowned. ¡°She said it''s quite serious this time. Mr. Nacht''s


    phone is turned off the whole day because there''s a productunch event. No one dares to disturb him,


    that''s why Dr. Langhan called me to inform you ordingly.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Subsequently, Charlotte instructed Emma and Jade to take care of the children while she made her


    way to the hospital with Morgan.


    During the journey, Lupine called and asked in trepidation if they needed more hands since Chris had


    escaped. She was worried that something bad would happen.


    Charlotte could not be bothered about Chris and responded that four people were sufficient to do the


    job. She then ordered Lupine to stay back and protect the children.


    With that, Lupine dropped the topic.


    When Charlotte arrived at Serene Hospital, Raina was already waiting at the entrance, ready to give


    her a full update.


    ¡°Actually, Mr. Spencer''s health started deteriorating after Old Mr. Nacht passed away. He has been


    depending heavily on the wheelchair to get around. With the overwhelming pressure and multiple


    issues unfolding at thepany, he''s been quite stressed out, and that has certainly affected him


    adversely.¡±


    After a slight pause, she continued, ¡°Last night, he suddenly had a heart attack and was immediately


    rushed to Serene Hospital. Upon carrying out a thorough check-up, the doctor realized the severity of


    his health problem and contacted Ben and I at once.


    ¡°However, Ben was with Mr. Nacht dealing with the productunch event. I couldn''t get him on the line


    anymore. Considering Mr. Spencer''s condition, I thought I''d better report to you.¡±

 Chapter 1728

    Chapter 1728


    q¡°What did the doctor say?¡±


    As Zachary''s wife cum able aide, it was natural for Charlotte to manage all household matters when he


    had his te full.


    ¡°Not good.¡± Raina''s forehead creased even more. ¡°Otherwise, I wouldn''t have disturbed you.¡±


    ¡°Let''s go have a look at him.¡±


    Charlotte hurried into the ICU and was met by the doctor-in-charge. Thetter greeted her, ¡°Ms.


    Lindberg.¡±


    ¡°How is he?¡± Charlotte was extremely worried.


    ¡°Things aren''t going too well for Mr. Spencer...¡±


    The doctor went on to exin his health condition. Charlotte listened to him attentively without noticing


    a pair of eyes were watching her from the corner of the hallway...


    ¡°That''s the current update. I''m afraid he only has a couple more days to live,¡± the doctor announced.


    ¡°Oh my...¡± Charlotte sighed and then turned to give Morgan an instruction. ¡°Get someone to notify Mr.


    Nacht now.¡±


    ¡°Duly noted.¡± Morgan left to carry out her duty.


    ¡°May I go in and see him?¡± Charlotte asked the doctor.


    ¡°For sure.¡± He nodded. ¡°Let me lead you to change into the istion gown first.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    After getting herself changed, Charlotte entered Spencer''s ward.


    It had only been half a month since shest saw him, but she could not really recognize Spencer. He


    looked as thin as a rake and extremely frail. Hey on the bed with his eyes half-opened. His gaze was


    fixated on the entrance as if he was waiting for someone.


    ¡°Mr. Spencer.¡± Cherlotte leened forwerd end uttered softly, ¡°Zechery is busy with e product leunch


    event letely. I''ve sent someone to notify him. Don''t worry, he will be here in e jiffy.¡±


    Upon heering the lest line, Spencer blinked his eyes. Lo end behold, he wented to see Zechery just


    once more.


    ¡°Rest well.¡±


    Cherlotte tucked him in end steyed by his side.


    N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    Although Spencer wes just e butler, he wes elweys held in high regerd by others. He hed served three


    generetions of the Nechts, worked herd, end performed greet feets for the femily.


    When Zechery wes in trouble, Spencer stood by Cherlotte end essisted her in resolving thepeny


    crisis.


    Recelling his good deeds, Cherlotte vowed to be Spencer''s guerdien engel until Zechery''s errivel. She


    wes efreid thet Spencer would bid ferewell forever es e lonely old men, without heving eny loved ones


    by his side.


    After e while, he fell esleep.


    Cherlotte requested Morgen to cell upon e few of Spencer''s subordes to interrogete them. ¡°When


    Mr. Necht end I peid Mr. Spencer e visit recently, he wes perfectly well. Why did things get so bed ell of


    e sudden? And none of you seid e thing?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, everything seemed fine until lest night... He hed e heert etteck. We were ell ceught by surprise


    end quickly celled the embulence...¡±


    A few of the senior subordes got increesingly worried end regurgiteted everything they knew.


    ¡°Mr. Spencer.¡± Charlotte leaned forward and uttered softly, ¡°Zachary is busy with a productunch


    eventtely. I''ve sent someone to notify him. Don''t worry, he will be here in a jiffy.¡±


    Upon hearing thest line, Spencer blinked his eyes. Lo and behold, he wanted to see Zachary just


    once more.


    ¡°Rest well.¡±


    Charlotte tucked him in and stayed by his side.


    Although Spencer was just a butler, he was always held in high regard by others. He had served three


    generations of the Nachts, worked hard, and performed great feats for the family.


    When Zachary was in trouble, Spencer stood by Charlotte and assisted her in resolving thepany


    crisis.


    Recalling his good deeds, Charlotte vowed to be Spencer''s guardian angel until Zachary''s arrival. She


    was afraid that Spencer would bid farewell forever as a lonely old man, without having any loved ones


    by his side.


    After a while, he fell asleep.


    Charlotte requested Morgan to call upon a few of Spencer''s subordinates to interrogate them. ¡°When


    Mr. Nacht and I paid Mr. Spencer a visit recently, he was perfectly well. Why did things get so bad all of


    a sudden? And none of you said a thing?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, everything seemed fine untilst night... He had a heart attack. We were all caught by surprise


    and quickly called the ambnce...¡±


    A few of the senior subordinates got increasingly worried and regurgitated everything they knew.


    Charlotte simply stopped asking, reckoning that they knew nothing more than what was already


    shared. She would scare them off if she were to pursue further. Hence, she let them go and stayed


    quietly by Spencer''s side.


    Soon, it was night fall.


    Morgan entered the ward and reported discreetly, ¡°Mr. Nacht is having a closed-door conference at the


    lab with a team of researchers. No one is allowed to interrupt him at the moment. Ben is inside theb


    too, whereas Bruce is outside. Emma has informed Bruce about this. We''re hoping that Mr. Nacht will


    be out as soon as possible, then Bruce can tell him about Mr. Spencer immediately.¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± Charlotte acknowledged. ¡°Send someone to examine Mr. Spencer''s house. Check if anyone


    suspicious came byst night or anything unusual happened. Act on this without further dy.¡±


    ¡°Noted,¡± replied Morgan.


    Though the chance was slim, Charlotte insisted on checking Spencer''s house thoroughly just in case


    there were any clues left behind.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg, it''s getting reallyte. Please take a rest at the lounge that we''ve prepared for you and


    have a simple dinner,¡± urged Raina.


    ¡°All right, I''ll go take a quick shower. Keep me if anything happens.¡±


    Charlotte did not get a chance to freshen up after ying with the children at the hillside. She was


    drenched in sweat when she rushed to the hospital. Thus, she wanted to make herselffortable.


    ¡°Sure, don''t worry.¡±

 Chapter 1729

    Chapter 1729


    qCharlotte proceeded to the lounge where Jade had prepared a clean set of clothes for her.


    After reminding Jade of a few things, she entered the bathroom and turned on the water heater.


    Right when she was about to remove her clothes, she caught a silhouette shing across the mirror.


    On instinct, she turned her head and shouted, ¡°Who''s that?¡±


    Charlotte was stunned when she saw who it was. ¡°Chris?¡±


    ¡°That was fast.¡± With a pistol in his hand, Chris approached her slowly. ¡°How can you be so sure that


    it''s me and not Zachary when we look absolutely identical?¡±


    ¡°You''re not worthy topare yourself to him!¡± Charlotte red at him. ¡°Why are you here? Do you


    have anything to do with Mr. Spencer''s sudden copse?¡±


    ¡°If that stupid old geezer didn''t fall sick, how will I have a chance to get close to you?¡± He smirked


    smugly. ¡°It''s been a while. Do you miss me?¡±


    ¡°Disgusting!¡± Charlotte furrowed her brows. ¡°Repent and turn yourself in now. That''s your only lifeline.¡±


    ¡°Lifeline?¡± Chris''s expression changed when he heard the word. Grief and destion were written all


    over his face. ¡°Can I still save myself when I''m diagnosed with AIDS?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Charlotte widened her eyes in shock. It took her a while to recover from it. ¡°You... Are you sure


    you got it? Did you check properly?¡±


    Though the diseese trensmission risk wes very high, it wes not elweys e hundred percent confirmed


    cese. Before this, Cherlotte thought thet Chris might get lucky to be tested negetive, but who knew...


    ¡°You''re so evil, Cherlotte!¡± He stered deggers et her. ¡°How dere you fooled me into sleeping with your


    substitute who hes AIDS? Are you heppy now thet I''ve contrected this deedly diseese?¡±


    ¡°Thet wesn''t my intention,¡± she expleined hestily. ¡°I didn''t know thet the girl hes AIDS...¡±


    ¡°You didn''t know? How is thet possible?¡± Chris questioned her through his gritted teeth. ¡°You hed it ell


    plenned out end schemed this episode with Peter. I never once hed the heert to ley e finger on you, but


    you... You did this to me! You ere full of melice end spite!¡±


    ¡°No, I didn''t...¡±


    ¡°Shut up! I will dreg you to h*ll with me!¡± Chris closed in on her. ¡°I''m doomed, end I won''t let you live


    either.¡±


    With thet, he prowled on her with the pistol.


    Cherlotte swiftly grebbed the shower end spreyed the hot weter et his eyes, ceusing his vision to


    be blurry, end subconsciously covered his eyes with his hends.


    Seizing the opportunity, Cherlotte pushed him ewey end scurried out of the bethroom. Unfortely, he


    got hold of her heir end pulled her beck in.


    ¡°Ah!¡± she screemed in pein end struggled to escepe his grip. Then, Chris reised the pistol end eimed it


    et her heed.


    Though the disease transmission risk was very high, it was not always a hundred percent confirmed


    case. Before this, Charlotte thought that Chris might get lucky to be tested negative, but who knew...


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    ¡°You''re so evil, Charlotte!¡± He stared daggers at her. ¡°How dare you fooled me into sleeping with your


    substitute who has AIDS? Are you happy now that I''ve contracted this deadly disease?¡±


    ¡°That wasn''t my intention,¡± she exined hastily. ¡°I didn''t know that the girl has AIDS...¡±


    ¡°You didn''t know? How is that possible?¡± Chris questioned her through his gritted teeth. ¡°You had it all


    nned out and schemed this episode with Peter. I never once had the heart toy a finger on you, but


    you... You did this to me! You are full of malice and spite!¡±


    ¡°No, I didn''t...¡±


    ¡°Shut up! I will drag you to h*ll with me!¡± Chris closed in on her. ¡°I''m doomed, and I won''t let you live


    either.¡±


    With that, he prowled on her with the pistol.


    Charlotte swiftly grabbed the shower and sprayed the hot water at his eyes, causing his vision to


    be blurry, and subconsciously covered his eyes with his hands.


    Seizing the opportunity, Charlotte pushed him away and scurried out of the bathroom. Unfortunately, he


    got hold of her hair and pulled her back in.


    ¡°Ah!¡± she screamed in pain and struggled to escape his grip. Then, Chris raised the pistol and aimed it


    at her head.


    At that critical moment, Charlotte kicked his crotch, resulting in him ducking down with his arm hanging


    mid-air.


    Shended another kick on him before pushing the door open. She clutched onto thest strand of


    hope and tried her best to escape, but a figure appeared behind her and covered her mouth.


    Horror-stricken, she saw a pair of familiar eyes staring into hers just seconds before she was knocked


    out.


    Chris dashed out of the bathroom with his pistol, wanting to chase after Charlotte. Suddenly, someone


    pointed a gun at his head. Panic surged through him as he widened his eyes to see who that person


    was. ¡°It''s you?¡±


    Without saying a word, the person hit him harshly with the gun handle. Within moments, the person''s


    subordinates took Chris and Charlotte away.


    Everything happened at lightning speed.


    When Jade returned from the ward, she heard the sound of running water from the bathroom.


    Assuming that Charlotte was still showering, she did not think much about it.


    Right then, Emma walked in with a hot drink. Her guard was up when she saw a few strands of hair on


    the doorknob. Instantly, she picked up her weapon and kicked the door open...

 Chapter 1730

    Chapter 1730


    qThere was no one inside the lounge. Emma darted into the bathroom, only to realize that it was also


    vacant.


    She scanned around and noticed that the amenities were strewn across the bathroom floor, as though


    a fight had broken out.


    Getting all worked up, she shouted, ¡°Jade, tell Ms. Morgan that Ms. Lindberg is in trouble.¡±


    ¡°What''s wrong?¡± Jade asked while calling Morgan on the phone.


    Meanwhile, a group of mysterious individuals who disguised themselves as medical staff abducted


    Charlotte and Chris to the rooftop on the thirty-third floor.


    ¡°Ms. Gold, shall we throw them off the building?¡± one of the subordinates asked.


    ¡°No need.¡± Nancy narrowed her eyes and let out an evil smile. ¡°Aren''t we letting them off too easily if


    that''s the way they are to die?¡±


    ¡°Then... What should we do?¡±


    ¡°Feed Chris all of those pills.¡±


    ¡°Noted.¡±


    Subsequently, the subordinate took a handful of blue pills, shoved them down Chris'' throat, and forced


    him to gulp gallons of water.


    ¡°Excellent.¡± As Nancy gazed at Chris, she recalled everything he did to her. A zing fury med within


    her as a deep hatred seized her entire being.


    She stepped on Chris'' face mercilessly and dered her revenge word by word, ¡°For all the pain


    you''ve brought upon me, Chris, I am going to return them back to you in multiple folds tonight.¡±


    Shortly after, she turned to Charlotte and sneered, ¡°However, before I do just that, I have a superb


    present for you.¡±


    She gestured for e femele bodyguerd to move Cherlotte end chuck her beside Chris. She even


    removed Cherlotte''s jecket.


    ¡°When will the pills teke effect?¡± Nency esked coldly.


    ¡°Usuelly, it tekes ebout helf en hour. Since he consumed e lerge quentity of it, I believe the effects will


    kick in sooner then expected.¡±


    As the suborde spoke, Chris wes seen slightly ewekened. He held his heed in his erms, looking


    extremely ewful.


    Nency nudged him with her foot end scoffed, ¡°Heve e jolly good time, you two.¡±


    Then, she stepped on Cherlotte''s knees hershly, ceusing the letter to erch her body in egony.


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    Seeing thet Cherlotte wes ebout to weke up, Nency left swiftly with her subordes. She left one


    behind end instructed, ¡°Keep en eye on them end report to me if something heppens.¡±


    ¡°Noted!¡±


    ¡°Go check if Zechery hes set off.¡±


    ¡°We''ve just received en updete thet Mr. Necht hes left Divine Corporetion for the hospitel. I guess he


    will reech in helf en hour.¡±


    ¡°Awesome! Helf en hour, huh? It''s elmost time. I wonder whet''s Zechery''s reection when he witnesses


    Chris heving sex with Cherlotte. Let''s see if he still wents this women then. Hehehe!¡±


    Greduelly, Cherlotte regeined consciousness end opened her bleery eyes. Feeling e little dezed, she


    noticed herself lying down in en open spece with nothing eround her.


    She gestured for a female bodyguard to move Charlotte and chuck her beside Chris. She even


    removed Charlotte''s jacket.


    ¡°When will the pills take effect?¡± Nancy asked coldly.


    ¡°Usually, it takes about half an hour. Since he consumed arge quantity of it, I believe the effects will


    kick in sooner than expected.¡±


    As the subordinate spoke, Chris was seen slightly awakened. He held his head in his arms, looking


    extremely awful.


    Nancy nudged him with her foot and scoffed, ¡°Have a jolly good time, you two.¡±


    Then, she stepped on Charlotte''s knees harshly, causing thetter to arch her body in agony.


    Seeing that Charlotte was about to wake up, Nancy left swiftly with her subordinates. She left one


    behind and instructed, ¡°Keep an eye on them and report to me if something happens.¡±


    ¡°Noted!¡±


    ¡°Go check if Zachary has set off.¡±


    ¡°We''ve just received an update that Mr. Nacht has left Divine Corporation for the hospital. I guess he


    will reach in half an hour.¡±


    ¡°Awesome! Half an hour, huh? It''s almost time. I wonder what''s Zachary''s reaction when he witnesses


    Chris having sex with Charlotte. Let''s see if he still wants this woman then. Hahaha!¡±


    Gradually, Charlotte regained consciousness and opened her bleary eyes. Feeling a little dazed, she


    noticed herself lying down in an open space with nothing around her.


    Hang on!


    She seemed to see a familiar figure propping himself up beside her, holding his head, and giving her a


    puzzled look.


    ¡°Chris!¡±


    Charlotte stiffened for a bit before remembering all that had happened earlier.


    I was getting ready to take a shower when Chris ambushed me. We fought, and I left the bathroom.


    Suddenly, another person knocked me out. I''m already here when I got up. Were those Chris''


    subordinates?


    Realizing that she had no time to wrap her head around this, she tried to get up and run but convulsed


    unwittingly due to the racking sensationing from her knees.


    ¡°Charlotte...¡±


    Chris was right behind her, breathing rapidly and panting heavily. Slowly, he inched toward her.


    Charlotte turned to take a nce at him and sensed that something was off. His face was flushing red,


    veins bulging out of his neck, and he stared at her with a sultry gaze. He looked exactly like a horny


    beast!


    As he approached her, he started removing his clothes.


    ¡°Don''te near me!¡± yelled Charlotte.


    In her desperation, she used all her might to get up, wanting to run away so badly, but to no avail. Her


    injured knees were so weak that she would fall after taking one step forward.

 Chapter 1731

    Chapter 1731


    qChris was like an aggressive animal, ready to devour her. He pounced on her and pinned her against


    the floor while tearing her clothes apart.


    ¡°No!¡± Charlotte struggled to defend herself. ¡°Chris, wake up, wake up...¡±


    She knew that he was drugged and hadpletely lost his rationale as a consequence. With the


    strength that he had just shown, it was even more impossible for her to escape his clutches.


    Yet, she was hopeful that she could talk him out of it.


    In reality, nothing worked¡ªnot her desperate cries for help, nor her resistance.


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    As Chris ripped her blouse, all the buttons popped, revealing her bust, heaving as she panted.


    At that sight, he jumped on her at once. When he was about to kiss her, she raised her leg, kicked him,


    and sent him sprawling on the floor.


    With that, Charlotte''s wounded knees became even more painful. She could no longer stand up now.


    Yet, she crawled frantically, trying her best to escape him.


    Soon, he prowled on her again and wanted to possess her.


    ¡°No, Chris, no! Don''t do this. Wake up... You''re not a bad guy. No, don''t do it...¡± She had no more


    strength to fight him. All that she could do was keep pleading.


    Her words seemed to knock some sense into him.


    Confused, he stopped what he was doing and covered his head with both hands. ¡°Go away, leave


    now...¡± he bellowed.


    It was such a pain for him to battle against his evil desires when his rationale was extremely weak.


    Chris was about to go crazy. He could not control his urge any longer because of the number of pills he


    had taken.


    Charlotte kept crawling forward until she reached the elevator. As long as I shut this door, Chris won''t


    be able to get me.


    It was so close yet so far. She was literally a few steps away from the elevator when the door shut tight


    in front of her. Bang!


    She was in absolute stupefaction, staring at the door in disbelief. Then, she realized that someone was


    actually watching them from behind the door.


    The person waited till the veryst moment to shut her one and only lifeline!


    It suddenly dawned on her that it was all a trap. The person who knocked her out and brought her to


    the rooftop was not one of Chris'' men.


    As a matter of fact, that vicious person is someone who views both Chris and me as enemies.


    ¡°Argh!¡±


    Chris continued to growl and yell in pain. He could not tolerate the torment anymore.


    Charlotte anxiously got up from the floor, groping the wall to support her weight.


    Scared to her wits, she said, ¡°Get a grip, Chris. I''m sure Zachary is on his way here now. If you do


    anything to me, you''re going to die an ugly death.¡±


    ¡°Argh... Argh!¡± Like a zombie, Chris closed in on her. ¡°Am I not suffering enough? Do I not look horrible


    now?¡±


    ¡°You can still get treated. Not all AIDS patients will die...¡± Charlotte continued, ¡°I really didn''t know that


    the girl was infected. All I wanted to do back then was to protect myself.¡±


    Listen, this isn''t the time for you to take revenge on me. Someone intentionally set us up. Don''t fall into


    the trap.¡±


    Without saying a word, Chris made a lunge for Charlotte. He pushed her against the wall and started


    reaching for her bra.


    In the nick of time, the door to the stairwell broke open with a loud bang.


    Morgan and Emma barged in. They froze for a split second before snapping back into their senses and


    got ready to rescue Charlotte.


    Chris sped Charlotte''s throat and held her hostage. He dragged her to the edge of the rooftop and


    roared angrily, ¡°Don''te near me. If you take another step closer, I''ll jump off the building with her.¡±


    Morgan and Emma stood rooted to the spot and dared not move an inch.


    ¡°Calm down, Mr. Broid. Please release Ms. Lindberg, and we can talk about your needs. Whatever your


    requests are, we''ll satisfy them,¡± persuaded Morgan.

 Chapter 1732

    Chapter 1732


    qChris could not even think straight as the side effects of the pills had fully kicked in. His rationale had


    left himpletely. Grunting, he had a vice-like grip on Charlotte''s throat while holding his head with


    another arm.


    If we were on a t ground, I could shrug him off, but we''re standing on the edge of the rooftop... Chris


    even has one foot off the ground. If we weren''t careful, any tiny distraction now could cost us our lives!


    Therefore, Charlotte dared not act rashly. Simrly, Morgan and Emma had to be more cautious and


    think twice before taking any actions. This was because Chris was holding Charlotte captive, and he


    was also an AIDS patient.


    If anything happens to Chris, his blood might get onto those around him and risk others being infected


    with AIDS.


    Morgan and Emma were quite a distance from him, so they should be safe. Unfortunately for Charlotte,


    she was right next to Chris. With both of them having open wounds on their bodies, the risk of


    transmission was high.


    At that thought, thedies did not dare to take any chances.


    ¡°Stay calm, Chris. We know a legendary doctor who can cure any disease. She has even saved Mr.


    Nacht''s life. Perhaps she can do the same for you. Let Ms. Lindberg go, and we''ll help you.¡±


    Morgan looked Chris in the eye and approached him slowly. At the same time, she signaled Emma.


    Upon catching the cue, Emma whipped out her buzzing phone and went elsewhere to answer it.


    When Charlotte went missing, they searched for her high and low; at the same time, they reported the


    incident to Ben and Bruce.


    Zachary was on his way to the hospital. He called because he was so worried about Charlotte.


    ¡°Hello, Mr. Nacht.¡±


    ¡°Where is she?¡± Zachary cut to the chase.


    ¡°At the rooftop. Ms. Lindberg...¡±


    ¡°Argh!¡±


    Before Emma could say more, Morgan''s sharp cry was heard.


    Chris was in a daze and nearly fell off the building with Charlotte.


    Scared ghost-white, Morgan shouted furiously, ¡°Are you out of your mind, Chris? Go ahead if you want


    to end your own life, but leave Ms. Lindberg alone.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha...¡± Chris broke outughing. ¡°I''m going to get myself a goodpany even if I die!¡±


    ¡°Pull yourself together, Chris....¡±


    Charlotte''s knees were severely wounded, causing her to wobble. Being dragged around by Chris, she


    tried to stay as still as possible.


    ¡°You''re still young with a bright future. Let me go, and I''ll make arrangements for you to get treated...¡±


    Charlotte convinced him out of desperation.


    ¡°Get treatment? What if it doesn''t work out?¡± Feeling dejected, Chris shut his eyes. ¡°Even if I''m cured,


    I''d still have to spend the rest of my life in jail. What''s the point?¡±


    N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    ¡°Chris...¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± he cut her off. Narrowing his eyes at her, he cast her a lustful gaze. ¡°So long as we die


    together, I''ll have no regrets in life.¡±


    ¡°No, I...¡±


    ¡°Chris!¡± When Charlotte wanted to say further, Emma strode across with her phone and interrupted the


    conversation anxiously, ¡°Mr. Nacht wants to speak to you.¡±


    Emma then turned on the video function on her phone and showed Chris the screen. Zachary was in


    the car, having ants in his pants.


    He yelled loudly, ¡°Whatever you want, Chris, I can give them all to you, including Nacht Group. Just


    release Charlotte now!¡±


    ¡°You''re willing to hand the entire Nacht Group to me? Wow, I didn''t know you love her so much.¡± Chris


    grinned hideously like a drunk. ¡°Well, the more you love her, the more I want her to go to h*ll with me...¡±


    ¡°Chris!¡±


    ¡°Zachary, keep your darn Nacht Group and die a lonely death!¡±


    With that, Chris held Charlotte and jumped off the building.


    ¡°Ahhh...¡± Morgan and Emma shouted fearfully.


    Luckily, Morgan was quick to react. She dashed across like a sh and got hold of Charlotte''s arm.


    ¡°Ms. Lindberg!¡±


    Chucking her phone aside, Emma ran over and helped Morgan pull Charlotte up.


    However, the stubborn Chris still hang on to Charlotte. Morgan and Emma persevered in pulling


    Charlotte up with all the strength they could muster, but the result was disappointing.

 Chapter 1733

    Chapter 1733


    q¡°Bast*rd!¡± Morgan went ballistic. ¡°Let go of her!¡±


    ¡°Haha...¡± A slight smile crept up on Chris'' face. ¡°Let''s die together.¡±


    As he spoke, white foam was seen spewing out of his mouth. Gradually, his arm became weaker and


    his grip loosen. Within moments, his body started to fall.


    ¡°Chris!¡± As a reflex action, Charlotte shouted in shock and grabbed his hand tighter.


    At first, Chris shut his eyes anticipating his fall. Little did he know that a hand would stretch out to save


    him.


    His head snapped up with his eyes wide open to stare at Charlotte.


    The moonlight beamed on her face, and she looked just as gorgeous and pristine as the first time he


    met her. A tiny version of his disheveled self could be seen reflected in her clear, bright eyes.


    Gradually, his eyes softened. The murderous intent in him was reced with grief and woe.


    He started questioning himself and how his life ended up in this state.


    ¡°Hold on tight, Chris!¡±


    Charlotte''s mind turned nk. She had no extra energy to think about anything else besides surviving


    this tragedy together with Chris.


    ¡°Let him go, Ms. Lindberg. We can''t hold on much longer!¡± Morgan panicked.


    Yet, Charlotte refused to let go of Chris. Clenching her teeth, she uttered, ¡°Don''t loosen your grip. Hold


    on to me!¡±


    Seeing how resolute she was in saving him, a conflicting smile appeared on Chris'' face. In a hoarse


    voice, hemented, ¡°How nice would it be if I had known you first...¡±


    Upon saying so, he used hisst ounce of energy and flung her hand away.


    ¡°No! Don''t be silly, Chris!¡± Charlotte tried to stop him. ¡°I can save you, trust me...¡±


    ¡°It''s Nancy Gold!¡±


    After spitting out the name, Chris wriggled his hand off Charlotte''s grip, stretched out both arms, and


    went into a free fall...


    ¡°No!¡± Charlotte screamed hopelessly, ¡°Chris!¡±


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    The man''s lips curled into an attractive smile, just like how he presented himself to her on the very first


    day they met¡ªcool and carefree.


    He was once a pure and kind-hearted guy. Though many regarded him as an unruly wild horse, he was


    serious about Charlotte.


    Nobody knew when his life started going downhill. Perhaps, he was clueless about it too and would


    remain so forever.


    Charlotte bawled her eyes in anguish. She could not ept the fact that there was no way for her to


    turn things around for Chris.


    Meanwhile, Zachary just arrived at the hospital. Before he could park the car properly, something


    smashed into the roof of his Rolls-Royce with a loud thud. As a result, the top part of the car was


    completely sunken and scared the living daylights out of Marino and Ben.


    After a long pause, Ben muttered, ¡°It''s Mr. Broid!¡±


    Sitting at the back of the car, Zachary froze when he heard the news.


    Instantly, snapshots of the happy ying moments he shared with Chris shed across his mind.


    He recalled their younger days when Chris would keep himpany when Henry punished him. ¡°Oh


    well, I''ll kneel with you, for I''ve got nothing better to do, anyway. Hehe!¡±


    He thought about the times Chris ran his arm across his shoulders and addressed him affectionately as


    his big brother.


    He remembered how good, innocent and easy-going Chris was, especially his smiles, and the way he


    admired Zachary.


    Closing his eyes, Zachary felt as though a ruthless arm was ripping his heart apart.


    He had never wanted this ending for Chris. At most, he only thought about bringing him to justice.


    His heart wrenched as he witnessed the death of his own cousin. The pain of losing a family member


    was unbearable.


    ¡°Go check on Ms. Lindberg,¡± Benmanded.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

 Chapter 1734

    Chapter 1734


    qJade ran over and helped Morgan pull Charlotte up.


    Slumping on the floor, Charlotte cried hysterically.


    Morgan wanted to give her a hug, but was rejected. ¡°Stay away from me!¡±


    Considering how she was entangled with Chris and had body contact with him, she was fearful that she


    might have contracted the disease through his open wounds and did not want to risk spreading it to the


    bodyguards.


    Tears streaked Morgan''s face as she removed her jacket and ced it over Charlotte to keep her


    warm.


    In just a while, Bruce rushed over to the scene with Raina and the others. Without further ado, Raina''s


    assistants put on the istion gown for Charlotte, lifted her to the wheelchair, and sent her straight to


    run a battery of tests.


    The subordinates brought Zachary upstairs and updated him with every single detail.


    He kept his head low and remained silent until the moment he saw Charlotte at the istion room.


    ¡°I''m here. Don''t worry.¡± Zachary curled his lips and wanted to hug her.


    ¡°Don''te any closer...¡± cried Charlotte while shaking her head vigorously.


    She was afraid that he would be infected too.


    Zachary wheeled himself over and insisted on embracing her. He stroked her hair gently and said, ¡°I


    have told you this before¡ªin sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part.¡±


    Charlotte almost drown in her own tears and threw herself at him.


    The tragedy had impacted her greatly. Though she loathed Chris when he burnt down Southridge and


    pretended to be Zachary, she still felt very sorry and heartbroken that he had to die.


    She always thought that he had a kind nature, but he was blinded by hatred and manipted by Jesse.


    All of these lured him to take a wrong path.


    ¡°Just rest and don''t think too much. I need to settle a couple of things.¡±


    Zachary knew that it was not an ident. Someone must be crafting a devious n behind the scenes.


    ¡°Chris uttered a name before he died...¡± Charlotte sobbed. ¡°He said...¡±


    ¡°It''s Nancy Gold!¡±


    Before Charlotte could finish her sentence, Zachary did it for her. A cold glint shed across his dark


    eyes.


    As clever as he was, he connected all the dots based on what he had heard thus far and revealed the


    suspect.


    He was so frustrated with himself for not hardening his heart earlier to destroy Nancy. As a result, he


    gave her a chance to stir up trouble.


    It''s time now to clean the mess once and for all.


    Charlotte was taken aback at how fast Zachary could guess the real mastermind without her saying


    anything.


    ¡°Listen to me and take a good rest.¡±


    He stroked her face dotingly and left the room. Upon shutting the door behind him, he ordered Lupine


    and Raina to take good care of Charlotte.


    ¡°Noted, Mr. Nacht, rest assured that we will do just that.¡± Thedies nodded their heads continuously.


    ¡°Increase the number of bodyguards and strengthen the security here. I won''t allow the slightest


    misfortune to take ce again,¡± he instructed Bruce.


    ¡°Understood.¡± Bruce nodded. ¡°The arrangements are done.¡±


    ¡°Youe with me,¡± Zachary told Ben.


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    The hospital gave Zachary a temporary room to work on what he needed to do.


    First, he stated solemnly, ¡°Hold a grand funeral for Chris as a member of the Nacht family.¡±


    ¡°Noted,¡± acknowledged Ben.


    N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    ¡°Then...¡± Zachary''s eyes turned icy-cold suddenly. ¡°Ry my order to attack Gold Group at all costs.¡±


    ¡°Aye.¡± Ben started coordinating his tasks.


    ¡°Make sure it''s done swiftly, professionally, and thoroughly.¡± The evil glint in his eyes would easily


    shudder anyone. ¡°I want Gold Group to be totally wiped out of the industry in merely one week.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡± Ben knitted his brows.


    It had been a long while since Zachary was this vicious. Ever since he met Charlotte, the way he


    managed affairs became gentler and more considerate.


    No matter what challenges he faced in the business world, he would normally resolve them in an


    amicable manner.


    However, Nancy had crossed the line this time.


    Hence, he would never be a gentleman or show her any mercy. No more.


    Nancy rang Zachary as soon as Ben hadmunicated his order. Without hesitating, Zachary blocked


    her call and intentionally cut off ties with her.

 Chapter 1735

    Chapter 1735


    qThe Gold Group''s stock price took a dip in the next three days. Not only were their investments


    stymied by a bottleneck, but a few of their mega-projects were also canceled.


    Nancy tried everything she could to salvage the situation but to no avail.


    Knowing that these were all works by Nacht Group, she contacted Zachary and even tried looking for


    him at Divine Corporation, but Zachary refused to meet her.


    On the fifth day, Gold Group''s share price had plunged to its lowest on record. All the projects were put


    on hold. Investors started retreating, and the capital chain began to rupture.


    The bank had issued the final warning to get them to clear their debts. Otherwise, Gold Group would


    have to dere bankruptcy.


    The Gold family put the me on Nancy''s ipetence. They started pointing fingers at Nancy, who


    had only assumed Gold Group''s president position for not more than twenty days, for causing all the


    problems.


    There was nothing Nancy could do, as things had gotten out of control, and she had no clue how to


    resolve the problem.


    Nevertheless, she knew Zachary had total control over the fate of herpany.


    Only Zachary could solve all the problems he created.


    Nancy waited at Divine Corporation for a few days, hoping to get a chance to talk to Zachary, but he did


    not appear. Left with no choice, she decided to wait for him at the entrance of the hospital where


    Charlotte was.


    Even though he didn''t show up at thepany, I''m sure he''lle to the hospital!


    She heard Spencer was already at thest moment of his life, and a few Nacht Group directors,


    including Johann, would be at the hospital tonight.


    She was right. Zachary finally appeared.


    She immediately got down from her car and tapped on his window. ¡°Can we have a word, Mr. Nacht?


    Please, just ten minutes will do.¡±


    ¡°There''s nothing to talk about.¡± Zachary ignored her.


    After the car pulled up, his men helped him to his wheelchair, and he was about to enter the hospital.


    ¡°Please give me another chance, Mr. Nacht. Please...¡± Nancy begged desperately.


    Zachary continued to ignore her. His bodyguards then prevented her and her subordinates from


    walking up to Zachary.


    Just when Zachary was about to leave, Nancy drew out a dagger and ced it on her neck out of


    desperation. She bellowed, ¡°Zachary Nacht, you''ve done everything to destroy me, and now I''ll take my


    own life before your eyes!¡±


    The uproar started drawing attention from the crowd around the hospital.


    Not only did Nancy look haggard, but she was also emotionally drained. Tears rolled down her cheeks,


    and she questioned Zachary, ¡°I lent you a hand when you needed help. I betrayed my father to help


    you rescue your son, and my father even beat me up because of that. To strengthen the position of


    yourpany, you reported my father to the authorities. This is how you repay my kindness? Why did


    you do this to me?¡± she said between sobs as if she was the pitiable victim.


    She had also insinuated that Zachary was an ungrateful man who had turned his back against his


    benefactor.


    The crowd, who did not know the truth, started pointing fingers at Zachary and calling him an ingrate.


    To Zachary, Nancy was nothing more than aughing stock.


    Ben stepped in and said, ¡°You know what you have done, Ms. Gold. Now that yourpany is in


    trouble, you should do something about it instead of making an awful din here.¡±


    ¡°Do something about it? What else can I do?¡± Nancy exploded with rage. ¡°Nacht Group kept


    oppressing us, and in just five days, Gold Group haspletely fallen apart.¡±


    She continuedmented, ¡°I''ve done so much for you, yet this is how you treat me? Where''s your


    conscience, Zachary?¡±


    N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    Instead of continuing with the argument, Zachary pointed at the roof of the building and said icily, ¡°You


    should have thought of the consequences when you pushed Chris down from the roof five days ago!¡±

 Chapter 1736

    Chapter 1736


    qNancy froze for a moment before regaining herposure. ¡°I don''t know what you''re talking about.


    Chris is dead? I have nothing to do with his death.¡±


    ¡°Tell that to the cops.¡±


    Zachary did not want to waste his breath talking to her anymore. He gestured for Marino to wheel him


    into the hospital.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Nancy ran up to stop him. ¡°You promised you''d not do anything to Gold Group!¡±


    ¡°I did, and I''d kept my promise.¡± Zachary gave her an icy stare. ¡°Otherwise, Gold Group would have


    been long gone because of the things your father did.¡±


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°But why did you take it out on us now?¡± Nancy was appalled. ¡°Is it because of Chris? He set your


    house on fire and almost killed you. He deserved to die!¡±


    ¡°He should be punished by thews for what he had done. You didn''t have the right to kill him!¡± Zachary


    gritted his teeth. ¡°Besides, you even attempted to harm Charlotte. I warned you not toy a finger on


    her, but you refused to listen.¡±


    ¡°No, I didn''t¡ª¡±


    Zachary cut her off. ¡°Enough. I don''t want to hear it anymore. Your subordinates had told me all the bad


    things you had done, and I''d given all the evidence to the cops. Be prepared to rot in jail.¡±


    ¡°What...¡±


    Nancy was stunned. Not only does Zachary want to destroy mypany and cause me to lose


    everything, but he even wants to put me behind bars?


    She copsed to the ground and held on to the dagger tightly. She refused to give in. ¡°Charlotte did me


    wrong first! I only paid back what she''d done to me. What have I done wrong? Why must you get rid of


    me?¡±


    ¡°What did she do to you?¡± Zachary roared. ¡°Your father set you up with Chris. You should hate him for


    it. Charlotte had nothing to do with it.¡±


    ¡°She was in the room at that time, and she witnessed everything, but she didn''t even bother to rescue


    me!¡± Nancy burst into tears. ¡°Before this, she even arranged for an HIV carrier to have sex with Chris.


    She was the mastermind!¡±


    ¡°You came up with these ridiculous conspiracy theories because you''re full of vicious thoughts.¡±


    Zachary had enough of her. ¡°I know the truth. Charlotte had never thought of harming you. You''re the


    stubborn one who chose to believe your own story!¡±


    ¡°No, that''s not true. That''s not true!¡± Nancy broke down and held Zachary''s hand. She continued


    pleading, ¡°You must believe me. She did that on purpose. She really did that on purpose...¡±


    ¡°I''m only willing to talk to you right now because you''ve helped me in the past. But if you still refuse to


    ept the truth, there''s nothing more I could say.¡±


    Zachary then flung her hand away.


    ¡°No!¡± Nancy eximed in desperation. When he was about to leave, she roared, ¡°If this is how you


    want to y the game, let''s die together!¡±


    She raised the dagger and stabbed in his direction.


    A murderous glint shed across Zachary''s eyes, but he remained calm.


    When Nancy was about to stick the dagger into his heart, she froze right there.


    Tears started rolling down her cheeks, and her hands could not stop shaking. She did not have the


    courage to stab him.


    Feeling hopeless, Nancy copsed to the ground, covered her face with her hands, and cried her lungs


    out.


    Bruce, who was standing beside her, kept his de away and wheeled Zachary away.


    Nancy would have been dead had she stuck the dagger an inch closer to Zachary''s heart!


    ¡°I hate you, Zachary. I hate you...¡±


    Nancymented desperately. It was as if she wanted the world to know how ill-fated her life was.


    Yet, Zachary did not bother to turn around to look at her. He ordered in a deep voice, ¡°Inform the cops.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±

 Chapter 1737

    Chapter 1737


    qCharlotte stood by the window in her ward and watched the drama unfold. She knitted her brows and


    was deep in thought.


    Chris is dead, and Nancy will soon be put behind bars. This marks the end of all our problems, and we


    can finally put our grudges behind us. Zachary and I can finally live a peaceful life after this.


    But somehow, she was not as relieved as she thought she would be. The turn of events had an


    unsettling effect on her.


    Her father used to warn her that the world of business was a battlefield. A careless mistake would


    cause one to sink into a boundless quicksand.


    So true. Everyone aims to be the number one. People constantly want to suck up to influential figures


    even though they have already owned so many things. And it''s the endless greed and desire that


    would lead to their downfall.


    ¡°Charlotte!¡± Zachary''s voice emerged from behind and interrupted her thoughts.


    She came back to her senses. Bruce pushed Zachary into the ward in a wheelchair and then helped


    him sit on the couch. Bruce then left and closed the door.


    Charlotte walked over and leaned against Zachary''s chest when he extended his arms.


    N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    ¡°Did you see what happened?¡± Zachary cupped her face with his hands and asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Charlotte nodded.


    Zachary said, ¡°Gold Group has long been known for devouring otherpanies'' assets, and it has


    committed a lot of crimes in Koandria. Gold Group is like a malignant tumor in the business world.¡±


    He continued, ¡°Of course, how the cops in Koandria n to deal with their criminal acts has nothing to


    do with me. But since Nancy had the guts to kill Chris andy her finger on you, I''ll not let her have her


    way. However, I''ve changed the way I handle things. I oppressed Gold Group merely to expose their


    crimes, gather evidence for the international cops, and inform their investors about the situation.


    Likewise, I''ve also adopted a simr approach in dealing with Nancy.¡±


    Zachary continued exining, ¡°Everyone should pay the price for their action. The same rule applies to


    Nancy!¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Charlotte nodded and wrapped her hands around his neck. ¡°I want this to end as soon


    as possible so that we can live in peace after this.¡±


    ¡°It''s all over now.¡± Zachary patted her back. ¡°I''ve solved all the problems at Nacht Group, and


    everything is on the right track. All the other itsy-bitsy issues have also been taken care of.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    Charlotte was worried that she might get infected, as she and Chris had wounds on their body the other


    day. If his blood entered her body through her wound, there was a high chance that she had been


    infected.


    The recent blood test might not show she was infected, but the viraltency couldst for at least two to


    three months.


    She dared not take any chances.


    ¡°Don''t be silly. You''ll be fine.¡± Zachary gave her a peck on the forehead. ¡°Even if anything bad happens,


    I''ll be here with you.¡±


    ¡°How about the kids?¡± Charlotte had not seen the children for days, and she missed them. ¡°Did they


    ask about me?¡±


    ¡°Of course they did. I told them you''re sick and are currently receiving treatment at the hospital.¡±


    Zachary then cupped her face and said, ¡°We can ovee this together. Believe me. Stay positive,


    okay?¡±


    He continued, ¡°You see, Nancy went nuts even when she wasn''t sure she was infected. She allowed


    her fear and hatred to get to her and eventually did all kinds of crazy things. Let''s calm down and


    ovee this rationally. Don''t let negativity get the better of us.¡±


    ¡°All right, Hubby.¡± She nodded and hugged Zachary tight.


    To Charlotte, the man before her was like a mighty shield that sheltered her from the thunderstorm.


    Having him by her side made her feel safe and calm.

 Chapter 1738

    Chapter 1738


    qThree dayster, Zachary attended Chris''s funeral and made sure he had a proper burial.


    The police arrested Nancy and charged her with attempted murder.


    Gold Group''s evil deeds were finally exposed for all to see after everything they had done and they


    became a hot topic in Koandria.


    After a few days, Gold Group dered bankruptcy and disappeared from the world ofmerce.


    Rumor had it that the Golds offended Zachary. Hence, it was only a matter of time before they dered


    bankruptcy, while others thought they were doomed for provoking Zachary.


    Only insiders knew how kind Zachary had been. Everything he had done was legal. Gold Group


    dered bankruptcy in such a short time because of the evil deeds they had done and their many


    scandals.


    In a nutshell, Nacht Group regained its title as thergest and most valuablepany in Koandria after


    kicking Gold Group out of the picture.


    Nobody dared underestimate the Nacht family nor try to takeover Natch Group.


    Life finally returned to normal. Zachary brought Charlotte home to recuperate after she recovered from


    her injuries.


    Charlotte would apany her kids at home or go horse riding and hiking with Francesca from time to


    time. It was a carefree life for her.


    As for Zachary, he would spend long hours at work while receiving treatment.


    Days flew by.


    After one month, Zachary wasn''t bounded to his wheelchair anymore and could take care of himself.


    The only thing was that he needed to continue with his treatment since he was still moving slowly.


    On the other hand, Francesca was growing restless.


    She wanted to return to Erihal as soon as possible after seeing the news. Danrique told the media he


    was looking for a partner, someone who could be a gentle and loving mother to his three daughters.


    Francesca shot up from the chair upon seeing the news. B*stard. What is the meaning of this? I''m still


    around for my darling children. How could he seek a new mother for them? Francesca was fuming


    mad.


    ¡°Um...¡± Charlotteughed when she saw how agitated Francesca was. ¡°Francesca, calm down. The


    media might be spouting nonsense.¡±


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    ¡°Nonsense?¡± Francesca calmed down immediately. ¡°That''s a possibility...¡±


    ¡°How is that possible?¡± Zachary cut her off. ¡°My dearest brother-inw is a cold and ruthless man. Who


    would dare spout nonsense about his scandals?¡± Zachary said matter-of-factly.


    ¡°You have a point.¡± Her heart tightened. ¡°Does that mean he''s really looking for a new mother for my


    kids?¡±


    ¡°There''s no way he would do that. Danrique only has eyes for...¡±


    ¡°Why wouldn''t he?¡± Zachary cut Charlotte off as he continued to scare Francesca. ¡°You rejected him


    and didn''t want to go home with him. Are you expecting him to stay single forever? Moreover, even if


    he doesn''t marry, his kids still need a mother.¡±


    ¡°I''m still around. How could he do that?¡± Francesca panicked. ¡°This won''t do. I need to return to Erihal


    immediately. My kids must not call another woman Mommy.¡±


    With that, she was about to head upstairs to pack her bags.


    ¡°Wait a minute, Francesca.¡± Charlotte grabbed her arm. ¡°We still don''t know the details. Don''t panic.


    Moreover, Zachary is still recovering from...¡±


    ¡°He''s almost recovered now. He just needs to continue with his acupuncture treatment and take his


    medicine every day. Any doctor would be able to do it.¡±


    Francesca felt antsy and wanted to return home as soon as possible. She couldn''t care less about


    Zachary at the moment.


    ¡°How about I ask Hayley and Sam toe over? Can you teach them how to do it, Francesca?¡±


    Charlotte asked as she followed behind. ¡°They''re Dr. Felch''s apprentices and also your juniors.¡±


    ¡°Those dim-witted brats...¡± Francesca blurted. ¡°Okay, sure. I don''t need to stick around if they know


    how to do it.¡±


    ¡°Then, I''ll send someone to pick them up right this instance.¡± Charlotte was overjoyed.


    ¡°Hurry up. I''m going back to Erihaltest tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±

 Chapter 1739

    Chapter 1739


    qCharlotte immediately instructed Morgan to pick Hayley and Sam up. She knew Francesca was going


    to return to Erihal sooner orter.


    Even though Zachary''s condition had stabilized, he still needed to receive treatment. She would need


    someone to follow up with Zachary''s condition after Francesca leaves, just in case his health worsens.


    After everything was taken care of, Charlotte returned to the dining room and found Zachary leisurely


    sipping his coffee.


    ¡°What''s wrong with you? I was trying to clear up Francesca''s and Danrique''s misunderstanding, but


    you kept fanning the mes...¡± she reprimanded, feeling displeased.


    ¡°How is Danrique''s n going to work if I don''t do that?¡± Zachary arched a brow.


    ¡°You...¡± Charlotte was stunned. ¡°Oh, this is your bloody idea? You asked Danrique to provoke her on


    purpose to get her to return home?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by a bad idea?¡± Zachary rolled his eyes. ¡°This is brilliant. She''s already packing


    her bags.¡±


    ¡°But you still need treatment.¡± Charlotte was losing herposure. ¡°What am I going to do if something


    happens to you?¡±


    ¡°Nothing''s going to happen.¡± Zachary was very confident. ¡°My condition has stabilized. Hayley and


    Sam would be able to handle my medication and acupuncture therapy. We don''t need to waste


    Francesca''s time.¡±


    ¡°I''ve already instructed Morgan to pick them up.¡± Charlotte agreed with him after some thought. ¡°I do


    wish to see them reunited.¡±


    ¡°I think they still have a long way to go,¡± Zachary said as if he had seen it all. ¡°Both of them are


    stubborn as hell.¡±


    ¡°It''s a process they must go through...¡± Charlotte smiled bitterly.


    ¡°Charlotte! Charlotte!¡± Just then, Francesca shouted frantically. ¡°Come up here. I need some help with


    theputer.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    ¡°Coming!¡±


    Charlotte quickly made her way upstairs and saw Francesca working with aptop.


    She knew how to use these electronic products even though she wasn''t tech-savvy.


    ¡°What happened, Francesca?¡± Charlotte asked.


    ¡°I logged into my inte banking ount to check on my savings, but there''s only five million.


    Something must be wrong.¡±


    Francesca was dumbfounded as she stared at her savings ount.


    ¡°Didn''t you put in five million?¡± Charlotte was puzzled. ¡°How much did you put in there?¡±


    Francesca brought two sacks of money to the bank the other day with a bright smile. She even offered


    to help but was rejected by Francesca.


    Charlotte asked where she got so much money out of curiosity. Francesca told her that it was from her


    medical fees.


    She told Charlotte that her enemies were constantly on her trail. It would be easy for her enemies to


    track her down if she epted money transfers.


    However, things were different now since Danrique had taken care of her enemies. She didn''t need to


    worry anymore as she happily put all her money into the bank.


    ¡°The total amount was... was...¡±


    Francesca was speechless. She didn''t know exactly how much she had put in.


    ¡°Yes?¡± Charlotte stared at her, dumbfounded. ¡°You don''t know how much money you have?¡±


    ¡°Your husband said this is half of his wealth. I didn''t even count...¡± Francesca was infuriated. ¡°There


    should at least be eight to ten billion. Why are there only five million?¡±


    ¡°Um...¡± Charlotte was stunned. She suddenly realized that Zachary might probably have taken


    advantage of Francesca.


    ¡°Charlotte, how wealthy is your husband?¡± Francesca went straight to the point and asked. ¡°Don''t you


    dare lie to me! I was the one who saved him. He promised me he would give me half of his wealth as


    my medical fees.¡±


    ¡°Err...¡± Charlotte was at a loss for words. ¡°Why don''t you ask him for yourself?¡±

 Chapter 1740

    Chapter 1740


    q¡°He must have lied to me! He is such a liar!¡±


    Francesca was fuming mad. She had handed the two sacks of money over to the bankers and let them


    count while she talked to her kids over the phone.


    After that, she took her ATM card and left. She didn''t even bother to ask how much she had.


    Francesca didn''t realize she was paid peanuts up till this day.


    I thought something was wrong with the inte banking system just now. But now that I think about it,


    I must have been deceived by Zachary.


    ¡°Zachary Nacht!¡±


    Francesca ran down furiously to get even with Zachary. However, Zachary''s Rolls-Royce had sped off


    by the time she reaches the porch.


    She stomped her feet in anger and cursed through gritted teeth. ¡°You''re a big fat liar!¡±


    ¡°Calm down, Francesca. Tell me what''s going on. I''ll deal with it.¡±


    Charlotte chased after her and coaxed.


    ¡°Oh, right. His wealth is shared with you since you''re a couple. You can deal with it...¡±


    Francesca led her upstairs and said vehemently.


    ¡°I''m being reasonable here. Let me show you the medical bills. I''ve recorded it all down everytime I


    treat your husband when he was on his death bed. He even stamped it with his thumbprint. This is the


    money that saved his life. He can''t just take advantage of me like that.¡±


    ¡°That''s right. I won''t let that happen. I''ll pay you the money.¡±


    Charlotte said airily. However, she was stunned when she saw the bill. ¡°F-Fourteen billion?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Francesca pointed at the bill and exined each item to her. ¡°These are his medical fees.


    These are the fees I charged for saving his life. These are...¡±


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    ¡°I couldn''t be bothered to keep track anymore toward the end and suggested that he pay with half his


    wealth. He agreed but only gave me five million. He even lied to me. This is totally uneptable!¡±


    Francesca added.


    ¡°You''re right. He shouldn''t have done that. I apologize on his behalf.¡± Charlotte felt that it was a sticky


    situation. ¡°But I don''t have that much money right now, Francesca. How about I give you part of it first.


    I''ll deal with him when he returns.¡±


    ¡°I am right about you, Charlotte. You''re a reasonable woman, unlike your husband and your brother.¡±


    Francesca grabbed Charlotte''s hand and said excitedly, ¡°This is my bank ount''s number. You can


    transfer it to me.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Charlotte transferred the three billion she had on hand to Charlotte''s ount and even threw in


    some jewelry.


    ¡°Francesca, this ruby ne is worth one billion. This ck diamond bracelet is worth 80 million. I


    have yet to appraise the Heart of the Ocean, but it''s probably worth a few billion. You can have it first...¡±


    ¡°Charlotte, you''re such a darling. I love you so much!¡±


    Francesca wrapped her arms around Charlotte excitedly and kissed her on the cheek.


    ¡°Francesca, these jewelries are worth a lot of money. Their value might even appreciate in the future.


    You must take good care of it and don''t lose it.¡±


    Charlotte held onto Francesca''s hand and said solemnly, ¡°Also, I will send someone to escort you back


    to Erihal. You must work things out with Danrique once you meet him...¡±


    ¡°Okay. I promise you.¡±


    Francesca was overjoyed. She held on to the jewelry and asked, ¡°Charlotte, how much is the pink


    diamond ring you gave me when we first met worth?¡±


    ¡°70 million at the moment...¡±


    ¡°70 million?¡± Francesca smiled happily. ¡°Then all these add up to more than ten billion.¡±


    ¡°You can say so.¡± Charlotte nodded. ¡°It''s a lot of money. Take good care of it.¡±


    ¡°Haha. I''m rich now. Danrique won''t dare look down on me ever again. Haha. I''ll rub it into him if he


    ever dares look down on me again.¡±


    Charlotte was speechless.

 Chapter 1741

    Chapter 1741


    qFrancesca was over the moon after receiving Charlotte''s payment. She even greeted Hayley and


    Sam with a smile when they arrived that afternoon.


    Hayley and Sam were overjoyed when they met the legendary Francesco. Their eyes shone with


    admiration when they met her.


    Francesca was very friendly with them. After all, they were all Dr. Felch''s apprentices even though they


    had never met before. She treated them as if they were her siblings.


    Francesca taught them everything and even asked Bruce to act as a patient. She exined every


    single detail of the acupuncture treatment to them.


    Hayley jolted everything down in her notebook while Sam did a hands-on practice.


    After that, Francesca taught them how to prepare Zachary''s medication. She taught them everything in


    great detail but only said it once since it was all very simple to her.


    She would rebuke Sam whenever he asked further questions. ¡°Dr. Felch would never go into so much


    detail when he taught me. I learned everything just by watching him...¡±


    After hearing that, Sam immediately shut his mouth and dared not ask any more questions.


    Francesca''s attitude softened when she saw Sam quivering and Hayley lowering her head meekly. ¡°I''ll


    repeat. Listen carefully and remember everything I say!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Francesca!¡±


    Just like that, it took Francesca one day to teach Hayley and Sam everything. She retired to her room


    to pack her bags that night and left for Erihal in a private jet the next morning.


    Charlotte sent her off at the airport and gave her three presents for her three kids.


    Francesca opened the box and saw three jade pendants. Her eye lit up. ¡°This must worth a lot too.¡±


    ¡°I don''t know how much it is worth, but it''s the thought that counts. Robbie, Jamie, and Ellie also have


    one each. I''ve also prepared gifts for Alpha, Beta, and Gamma. I hope to see all six of them grow up to


    be healthy and happy.¡±


    Charlotte was extremely sincere.


    ¡°Thank you, Charlotte...¡± Francesca wrapped her arms around Charlotte. ¡°I finally know why that


    bast*rd husband of mine treats you so well.¡±


    Francesca wasn''t very good at conveying her thoughts, but she considered Charlotte a warm and


    thoughtful girl. She was popr among her friends because she treated everyone with sincerity.


    ¡°Francesca, you''re going to spend more than ten hours on the private jet to fly from H City to Erihal.


    You can use this time to figure out what you want to do with your life from here on...¡±


    Charlotte patted the back of her hand and reminded her gently.


    ¡°Yeah...¡± Francesca had been giving it some thought as well. She had always wanted freedom.


    However, she felt as if something was missing now that Danrique no longer cared for her nor pursue


    her.


    She felt as if freedom meant nothing to her without her kids by her side.


    However, she wouldn''t be able to take it if she had to return to her old life of being imprisoned in


    Danrique''s castle.


    She felt conflicted.


    Nheless, she learned some valuable lessons after spending some time with Charlotte and Zachary.


    Communication and tolerance were key in maintaining a healthy rtionship.


    I shouldpromise and be more considerate towards Danrique. This might be the only way for us to


    live together.


    ¡°A lot of love is not being reciprocated in this world. You are blessed to meet someone you love and


    loves you in return. However, it can be hard to get along with one another from time to time. After all,


    no one is born for you alone. You need to get in tune with one another, build tolerance with one


    another, and show some empathy. That''s the only way to make this rtionshipst. It might be a long


    and grueling journey, but it will be worth it in the end.¡±


    Charlotte advised earnestly.


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    Francesca didn''t have a very good grasp of her advice. Nheless, she decided she would talk to


    Danrique once she gets back home.

 Chapter 1742

    Chapter 1742


    qCharlotte returned home after seeing Francesca off to find Zachary sipping on his coffee with an open


    newspaper in his hands.


    ring up instinctively, she stomped toward him. ¡°Why did you lie to Francesca, Zachary?¡±


    He folded the newspaper and smiled pleasantly at her in response. ¡°You''re home, Wifey. Have some


    breakfast.¡±


    Charlotte wrenched his ear. ¡°Answer me.¡±


    ¡°I will after you make yourselffortable.¡± Zachary coaxed her patiently despite the pain. ¡°Have you


    seen her ledger?¡±


    ¡°I did.¡± Charlotte maintained her frosty re. ¡°Though what she did was over the line, you were the one


    to have agreed to it with your thumbprint. Don''t make promises you can''t keep!¡±


    ¡°I was so ill that I did not even know what I was agreeing to,¡± he protested indignantly. ¡°All I remember


    was my thumb being nipped for blood whenever she charged me for something. You can imagine how


    much I''ve been taken advantage of.¡±


    ¡°When I regained consciousness,¡± he added fearfully, ¡°she threatened to have her wolves devour me if


    I did not agree to her exorbitant sum.¡±


    Charlotte''s anger abated momentarily. ¡°That does sound like her. She''s definitely capable of something


    like that.¡±


    As if suddenly recalling that she was in the middle of chastising him, her brow hardened again. ¡°Be that


    as it may, you owe her your life. If you didn''t find the terms agreeable, you should have discussed them


    with her instead of manipting her with the five million!¡±


    ¡°I did no such thing,¡± Zachary replied calmly. ¡°As all of the resources of Nacht Group are currently


    under your name, I''m left with only ten million or so by Rodney''s estimate. Her fee alone is exactly half


    that amount.¡±


    ¡°You!¡± Charlotte blurted, too angry to speak. ¡°You businessmen are all the same! Cunning and


    deceitful!¡±


    Zachary burst outughing as he gave her an affectionate squeeze. ¡°I don''t really intend on defaulting,


    you know. I was only teasing you.¡±


    Charlotte waved her hand resignedly. ¡°There''s no need for that anymore. I''d just given her the three


    hundred million I have on hand on top of a bunch of jewelry which amounts to a billion and a half, give


    or take. Since she considers herself wellpensated for her troubles, I think we''ll call the matter


    resolved.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Zachary eximed as his eyes widened with shock. ¡°Why didn''t you tell me before handing


    over that kind of money?¡±


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    Charlotte rolled her eyes. ¡°What else could I do? You were the one to have promised something before


    running away when things began to look bad. As your wife, it is my duty, unpleasant as it is, to take on


    your debt. Besides, it is to my future sister-inw you owe money. I''m trying to wee her to the


    family, not drive her away from it!¡±


    ¡°Give her money instead of the jewelry I bought you!¡± Zachary protested. ¡°They carry sentimental


    value. I would have just paid her if I knew you were going to do something like this. I was going to,


    anyway.¡±


    ¡°I can''t be asking her to hand everything back, can I? I made up for the bnce with the jewelry. At


    least it''s still within the family!¡±


    Zachary did not say more on the matter as awful as he felt about it.


    If I knew that was going to happen, I would have paid Francesca the money in the first ce. Charlotte


    wouldn''t have had to appease her by giving away all her sentimental jewelry if I did.


    ¡°Never do something like this again,¡± said Charlotte severely. ¡°Especially to Danrique and Francesca. I


    always have to be the one to clean up your mess!¡±


    ¡°I''ll try not to,¡± replied Zachary meekly, sumbing to his wife''s irate re.


    As big of an expense it had incurred to orchestrate, he considered it a win to have Francesca return to


    Danrique''s side since it also meant that Zachary had won five percent of Lindberg Corporation''s


    shares.


    If my silly wife finds out about it, is she going to give it all back?

 Chapter 1743

    Chapter 1743


    qSure enough, Charlotte received a call from Sean seven dayster who informed her that Danrique


    intended to transfer some shares in Lindberg Corporation to her and to have her return at once to


    attend to the paperwork.


    Charlotte was most surprised as it was not the first time he had transferred some shares to her. When


    thepany ran into trouble, he had taken back the shares to prevent her involvement.


    Fueled by curiosity over Danrique''s uncharacteristic gesture, she pressed for answers to why he might


    do such a thing. Sean revealed that some of them were her mother''s shares, which rightfully belonged


    to Charlotte. The rest had been the winnings of a bet ced between Zachary and Danrique.


    Furious at the news, she demanded details but Sean remained reticent by merely reiterating his


    reminder for her to attend to the share transfer paperwork.


    After assuring him that she would get around to it, Charlotte called Zachary as soon as Sean departed.


    Seeing no way around her blunt questions, Zachary admitted to the wager.


    Charlotte lost her temper and yelled at him.


    Zachary gave a wry smile at her tirade. ¡°You misunderstood my intentions, Wifey. I ced the bet to


    propel Danrique into action.¡±


    ¡°He''s like a brother to me!¡± she snapped. ¡°How could you stand to make a dime on the pretext of


    helping him?¡±


    ¡°If I had lost, I would still be a man of my word by honoring the terms of the wager.¡±


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°It''s under your name now,¡± exined Zachary patiently. ¡°We would be in a better position to provide


    assistance if Lindberg Corporation runs into trouble in the future. Isn''t that neat?¡±


    Charlotte''s eyes widened. ¡°I did hear that they have some unresolved issues. As a result of this wager,


    I would be able to show up as a shareholder and see if there''s anything we can do to help.¡±


    ¡°Lindberg Corporation is in urgent need of equity.¡± Zachary had already done his homework. ¡°Do what


    you do best, shareholder. Bring them some money!¡±


    ¡°But I have none!¡± Charlotte argued. ¡°I''d given it all to Francesca.¡±


    ¡°No, you didn''t. We still have some money! I''ll make all the arrangements for you. You are to depart for


    Erihal tomorrow. Once you get there, I''ll walk you through the next step.¡±


    ¡°I can''t wait!¡±


    That afternoon, Ben showed Rodney into the house for Charlotte''s signature on a document. She was


    aware that it pertained to the transfer ofpany funds.


    Her fountain pen fell through her trembling fingers to the floor with a tter at the sight of the number.


    ¡°Is it all for me? Can Nacht Group manage without this sum?¡±


    ¡°I don''t actually know, Madam,¡± Ben smiled assuringly. ¡°Mr. Nacht was the one to have made the


    necessary arrangements. I''m sure he has everything under control.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Nacht has instructed us to apany you on your trip back to Erihal and to assist you wherever


    you might need,¡± Rodney added. ¡°I hope you don''t mind the pleasure of ourpany, Mrs. Nacht.¡±


    ¡°You''reing along too?¡±


    Ben nodded. ¡°Of course! Mr. Nacht left instructions for us to appear before your family with as much


    pomp as possible.¡±


    ¡°Nobody will dare to underestimate me with Danrique there!¡± Charlotteughed. ¡°I''m sure that it''s


    common knowledge who my husband is.¡±


    ¡°I''m sure they do, Mrs. Nacht.¡±


    After guiding Charlotte through the rest of the paperwork and making some vague ns for their trip, it


    was close to midnight when they finally departed.


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    Charlotte remained behind to straighten out her files and keep the childrenpany before heading up


    to her bedroom. Before she stepped foot into the bathroom, Zachary appeared. ¡°Mind if I hop in with


    you?¡±


    ¡°Hubby!¡± Charlotte squealed before turning around to embrace him with her cheek pressed on his


    chest. ¡°I owe you a thank you.¡±


    ¡°Oh? For what?¡± Zachary asked as he kissed the top of her head.


    ¡°It was after calling you this afternoon and saying all those mean things when I realized how carefully


    thought out your n was,¡± Charlotte admitted sheepishly. ¡°You must have known that you would win


    the wager with Danrique before you made it, didn''t you? It was all for a legitimate way to help Lindberg


    Corporation.¡±


    Zachary pinched her cheek affectionately. ¡°Nonsense! I''m all in the business of making money. Didn''t


    you once call me a cunning businessman?¡±

 Chapter 1744

    Chapter 1744


    qCharlotte pouted. ¡°I said no such thing. There was no way you could have moved such arge


    amount of money in a day. Before you made that bet, you must have already begun the process of


    transferring. You knew that Danrique is too proud to ept help even when he needs it, which is why


    you''d found a way to sneak me in as a shareholder and use Nacht Group''s funds to save Lindberg


    Corporation. Did I get that right?¡± she asked as she twisted his ear.


    Taking no notice of the pain, Zachary merely smiled as he helped her remove her coat.


    ¡°I''m asking you a question!¡± she pressed on indignantly.


    ¡°To the shower!¡± Zachary dered after giving her cheek a kiss.


    Charlotte''s next question was stifled by Zachary''s lips upon hers.


    Hot like a me enveloping her, they rendered breathing and squirming impossible. The only thing left


    for her to do was to meekly ept the domineering disy of passion.


    Though Zachary was unwilling to discuss it, Charlotte understood the pains he had gone through for


    her. Though it looked as though he did it to set Danrique and Francesca up, he had also managed to


    put them in a position to help Lindberg Corporation.


    Best of all, it did not embarrass Danrique and it did not make me feel obligated. We basically managed


    to do what we always wanted to with the aid of a corporate shroud. Not only did Zachary go through all


    the time and trouble, not to mention considerable resources to put this together, but he also had to


    endure my vicious tongue!


    Zachary had matured a lot from the barrage of incidents raining misfortune down upon him and his


    family. Instead of disying dominance and insistence for things to be done his way, he grew to learn


    more subtle solutions and began to view business as an art of warfare. As an indirect result, his temper


    had also grown more mellow. It was a pleasant change for Charlotte and the children because adopting


    this temperament was a paradigm shift in the dynamics of their family as it anchored them with stability


    that was never there before.


    With the abundance of loving support behind her, Charlotte felt as if she was filled with the confidence


    to be able to take on anything.


    After a night of frolicking, the sunlight had already shone through the window by the time Charlotte


    woke up to an empty room. Instinctively, she rose and walked to the windowsill. Throwing open the


    curtains, she watched Zachary and the children ying together in the garden.


    Robbie, Jamie, and Ellie hid behind their father as he stood with his arms spread to face the mock


    wrath of Fifi.


    Spurred on by the children''s screams, Fifi spread its wings and dived excitedly.


    The children remained as safe as they could be behind his broad back. Fifi could not even peck at the


    children no matter how hard it tried.


    Not only were the children not afraid, but they were also hardly able to stand upright fromughing too


    hard.


    The mid-morning sun shone down upon them and immortalized the memory in a warm sepia glow into


    Charlotte''s consciousness.


    Her lips parted in a sigh of contentment, the sunniness of the day reflected in her mood. She watched


    the children, still as a statue, until Lupine''s voice roused her out of her reverie. ¡°Everything has been


    prepared, Ms. Lindberg.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. We''ll leave in half an hour.¡±


    That''s right. I''m going back to Erihal today.


    Charlotte went downstairs after getting dressed. Coincidentally, Zachary was leading the children back


    in to wash up for breakfast at the same time. ¡°Mommy! Mommy!¡± the children squealed as they flocked


    around her. ¡°Daddy told us you''re returning to Erihal! Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Yes, my dears. I have some business to attend to. It''ll only be a few days!¡± Charlotte squatted down to


    give each child a kiss and a hug. ¡°Listen to your father while I''m gone, will you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mommy,¡± the children chorused.


    ¡°Have some breakfast before you leave.¡± Zachary nced at his watch. ¡°You still have time.¡±


    ¡°I don''t think I will. I''ll just grab a quick bite at the airport.¡± Charlotte saved herst hug for him. ¡°I''m


    leaving the house to you, Hubby. Try not to burn it down while I''m gone!¡±


    ¡°I won''t, Wifey. The house and the kids are in safe hands.¡± Zachary pecked her on the forehead before


    turning to address somebody behind Charlotte. ¡°Take good care of my wife!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡±


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    She whipped around at the volume of the response and was shocked to find an entourage of around


    twenty people sharing her flight. Aside from twowyers, two ountants, two high-ranking executives


    of Nacht Group, and a team of bodyguards, there seemed to be at least one representative from every


    conceivable department.


    Charlotte groaned. ¡°Is there really a need for such a spectacle?¡±

 Chapter 1745

    Chapter 1745


    ¡°You are the wife of Zachary Nacht,¡± he dered as he returned her hug. ¡°No spectacle is too grand for


    you. Besides, you are the secondrgest shareholder in Lindberg Corporation! An entourage this size


    is still not big enough for your worth.¡±


    Charlotte snorted before doing a double-take. ¡°Secondrgest?¡± she asked, confused. ¡°How much


    exactly did Danrique give me?¡±


    ¡°Twenty-five percent, I heard,¡± Zachary sighed. ¡°My wife is now the richest woman in the world!¡±


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    ¡°Rubbish!¡± Charlotte eximed, hardly daring to believe it.


    Zachary rubbed her cheeks. ¡°Twenty-five percent of Lindberg Corporation, fifty-five of Nacht Group,


    and that''s not mentioning me working endlessly to bolster your coffer. Name me another woman in the


    world of equal wealth to you at this very moment.¡±


    ¡°Twenty-five?¡± Charlotte repeated in a daze. ¡°Danrique gave me twenty-five percent, you say?¡±


    Zachary nodded patiently. ¡°Yes, my dear. Twenty-five percent. The best part is that your shares are


    permanently yours now. Danrique had only granted you temporary ownership of the shares the first


    time you went home, which could be taken away at any time. This time, nobody will have a say in what


    you do with them.¡±


    Charlotte was visibly nervous. ¡°Twenty percent was left to me by my mother, I understand that. What I


    don''t understand is how I ended up with the remainder as a result of your wager?¡±


    ¡°You are my wife. Who else is it going to?¡± Zachary rolled his eyes at her. ¡°I''m actually looking forward


    to you bing richer so that I can finally retire. When I do, I''ll be looking to you to feed me!¡±


    Charlotte failed to stifle augh. ¡°No pressure, right?¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry,¡± Zachary reassured her with a peck on her forehead. ¡°Danrique and I have your back. Get


    it done quickly in Erihal, will you? The wedding will be held on the ninth.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Charlotte gasped. ¡°I''m getting married on the ninth? How is this the first time I''m hearing about


    this?¡±


    ¡°Well, I''m telling you now, aren''t I? I''ve got it all under control, don''t you worry.¡±


    ¡°It''s my wedding!¡± she protested. ¡°Shouldn''t the bride be at least informed of the date of her own


    wedding ahead of everybody else?¡±


    ¡°I didn''t broadcast it to avoid any unwanted attention if that''s any constion.¡± Zachary stroked her hair.


    ¡°Off you go, then. You are to return on the third.¡±


    ¡°Isn''t that cutting it close? Today''s already the thirtieth...¡±


    ¡°Do as I say!¡± Zachary said sharply before turning to Ben. ¡°Keep things moving as nned,


    understand?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Nacht!¡±


    Charlotte knew that she wouldn''t be able to win the argument. Without further ado, she bid the children


    farewell before getting into the car obediently.


    She saw from the rearview mirror as the car drove off that Zachary was waving at her. ¡°It looks as


    though I am in charge but he is actually the one pulling the strings!¡±


    Marino smiled. ¡°Mr. Nacht only does it to protect you, Madam.¡±


    ¡°He does!¡± Morgan chimed in eagerly. ¡°Mr. Nacht always has your best interests at heart.¡±


    ¡°Five days is plenty of time, Mrs. Nacht,¡± Ben saidfortingly. ¡°Mr. Nacht spoke to Mr. Lindberg


    several times on the phone and has made all the arrangements ahead of time. All you have to do is just


    follow through with the procedures.¡±


    ¡°That''s right. I''d heard Sean said that his side was good to go as well,¡± Lupine added.


    ¡°I''m beginning to suspect that you two are only here to butter me up.¡± Charlotte cuffed Lupine and


    Morgan lightly. ¡°What else did he instruct you to say?¡±


    Charlotte patted the back of Lupine and Morgan''s heads. ¡°I guessed the reason he sent you two along


    is for your marriage proposals as well?¡±

 Chapter 1746

    Chapter 1746


    Lupine and Morgan blushed as their charade fell apart while Marino gave an ufortable


    grin.


    N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    Ben was the most outspoken. ¡°Yes, there was that idea. I must thank you and Mr. Nacht for the


    help you gave me.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry, I will make sure Danrique is aware of this.¡±


    Everything ising together atst! I''m so happy for my girls.


    As Charlotte boarded the private jet headed for Erihal, Zachary busied himself with the wedding


    preparations.


    This time, to avoid unsolicited attention, he did not make the announcement. All he wanted was


    to get married in peace.


    News of Spencer''s death arrived from the hospital just as Charlotte boarded.


    Zachary made frequent visits throughout the butler''s stay in the hospital. He had even brought


    the children along during the most recent visit which was on the night before.


    Spencer had smiled in contentment at the sight of the children, aware that it might be hisst.


    Zachary was devastated. He had hoped that Spencer would have been able to hold on at least until his


    wedding.


    After notifying Charlotte of the news, he made arrangements for a quiet funeral.


    Aside from members of the Nacht family, only the inner circle of Nacht Group executives was present.


    Johannmented Spencer''s untimely death during the service, feeling particrly morose as they were


    of a simr age with him being in his twilight years as well. The numerous upheavals within the


    company had severely weakened him. Under Zachary''s strict orders, he had been forced to take a step


    back frompany affairs to recuperate.


    Johann had expressed a wish to spend hisst years with his daughter''s family after attending


    Zachary''s wedding, a decision that had earned the respect and blessing of the groom.


    During the period of his recuperation, Johann managed to regain his strength from his mandatory


    vacation. He had even developed the habit of seeing Robbie at least once a day to engage in


    conversations regarding technological research and passed on everything he knew to the child.


    Zachary was deeply appreciative to Johann for that.


    Robbie was a fast learner. Despite being only seven years of age, he kept up with thepany''s


    progress easily. Harder problems were generally referred to him by employees who were unable to


    solve them on their own.


    With everything progressing ording to n, it did not look as if anything could go wrong.


    That morning, Lucy came over with a report as soon as Zachary arrived at his office. ¡°Mr. Nacht, the


    cops have some news.¡±


    Zachary took a closer look at the contents of the file to discover that Jesse had been formally charged.


    His involvement in arge number of criminal activities including the kidnapping of Ellie by Sharon to T


    Nation had been proven.


    Zachary had been under the impression that Chris was Sharon''s secret benefactor. He did not expect it


    to be Jesse and was shocked to learn how early the plot had been put in motion.


    After a thorough investigation by the cops, other crimesmitted by Jesse were beginning toe to


    light. As of that morning, the list of his crimes with solid evidence had filled an entire page with more


    under investigation.


    With sufficient proof to detain him, he had been handed over to the court to await trial.


    Nancy too had been charged with a multitude of crimes. Due to the high possibility of her


    contracting AIDS, she was subjected to medical treatment. Her trial had been postponed by


    three months until she recovered.


    Zachary''s brows creased with worry after scanning through the documents. ¡°Send a softcopy


    of everything to Mrs. Nacht,¡± he instructed Lucy.


    ¡°Already did, Mr. Nacht,¡± replied Lucy briskly before handing him another folder. ¡°This contains


    the information regarding all of Gold Group''s partners.¡±


    ¡°There''s no need to look at those.¡± Zachary did not even nce up.


    ¡°There is a page that might be of interest to you,¡± Lucy prompted gently. ¡°It pertains to the


    Brown family.¡±


    Zachary started in surprise before examining the folder more closely. Indeed, Michael did work


    together with the Golds once. Because of Gold Group''s bankruptcy, the Brown family suffered


    great losses as well.


    Zachary read the document intently and discovered that the Browns and Golds had a legitimate


    partnership. It appeared that their project had been picking up steam, scheduled to begin two


    months ago.


    Michael does have connections to the Gold family! He must have been working with them as


    early as my first encounter with Nancy at South Sea Hotel where I was attacked.

 Chapter 1747

    Chapter 1747


    Zachary had no interest in the exact manner their partnership had begun, nor what other


    projects the duo hadunched together.


    His only goal was to rify whether or not Michael''s dealings with the Gold family pertained to


    him.


    Zachary ced the folder back onto the table and summoned Bruce to investigate.


    Just as Bruce was about to depart after receiving his orders, the secretary returned with the


    news of a Mr. Brown requesting an audience with Zachary.


    Bruce switched the focus of the monitor to the surveince camera overlooking the reception.


    Sure enough, Michael was standing in wait.


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    Zachary ordered for Michael to be shown up at his office.


    ¡°Should I proceed with the investigation, Sir?¡± Bruce asked.


    Zachary nodded. ¡°Definitely. Inform me the second you find something.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Nacht.¡± Bruce departed smartly.


    Not long after that, Michael was ushered up into Zachary''s office. He appeared nervous and unsettled.


    Zachary, on the other hand, was much more at ease as he gestured boisterously to the seats.


    After reappearing with a cup of coffee for the guest, Lucy retreated tactfully into the shadows of the


    room.


    ¡°To what do I owe the pleasure, Mr. Brown?¡± Zachary cut right to the chase.


    Michael hesitated. ¡°I was supposed to speak to Charlotte about this but she is currently abroad. She


    told me to speak to you instead.¡±


    ¡°You might as well be honest with me. She''ll fill me in anyway.¡± Zachary nced at his watch. ¡°I have


    another meeting soon. You have ten minutes.¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry to have disturbed you.¡± It became evident to Michael that his appearance might have been


    rather sudden. ¡°I only wish to rify myself.¡±


    Zachary nodded encouragingly. ¡°Feel free to speak your mind.¡±


    ¡°I have had business dealings with Gold Group, it''s true, but I was not aware of their true intentions of


    toppling Nacht Group. I put myself in touch with Ms. Gold when I found out. I didn''t expect her to run


    into trouble as well.¡±


    Michael drew a deep breath before continuing. ¡°As for the incident with Helena, I did think that you and


    Charlotte were harsh to her. Jesse instigated the situation bying to me, and with some provocative


    words to force me to pitch the business proposal to Charlotte. Once I realized his ulterior motive, I cut


    off ties with them immediately. I''d wanted to pull out my investment with them but it was toote. I am a


    victim of the Gold family''s actions too, Mr. Nacht, just as much as you. I apologize for my actions and


    wish to impress upon you that I did not know that they were being done to your detriment. I am also


    thankful that I didn''t let it get out of hand. I came to you today because it was the right thing to do, not


    because I feared your retribution. I knew that you would at least conduct your own investigation to


    ascertain my involvement with the Golds before jumping to conclusions.¡±


    ¡°I only hope that my long-standing friendship with Charlotte would not be damaged by a


    misunderstanding,¡± Michael continued. ¡°I need to rify things with you to the best of my ability and


    make sure you understand what transpired. Though I can''t im to be morally superior than most, I


    would never dream of harming my friends.¡±


    Michael paused to draw breath again.


    ¡°What''s more, I''d realize recently that you had been seriously ill when Helena assaulted you


    with the vase. It must have almost imed your life! No wonder Charlotte was so upset by it


    that she refused to let Helena off the hook. I''d thought that it was unreasonable to demand


    Helena''s head the way she did since it must have been merely a bruise. I was the one who was


    unreasonable. For that, and many other things, I would like to offer my sincerest apologies.¡±


    Michael stood up and sank into a deep bow.


    ¡°Thank you for saying all of that,¡± Zachary said with a gracious smile. ¡°Charlotte has always


    spoken highly of you. I hope that the friendship between the both of you blossoms into


    something that stands the test of time.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Mr. Nacht.¡± Michael appeared thoroughly surprised.


    ¡°You must have lost a lot in the fiasco with Gold Group. Let me know if there''s anything I could


    do to help.¡±


    ¡°That would be too much to ask of you.¡± Michael hastened to decline. ¡°I just came here today to


    rify things. I must say, it''s a great burden off my chest to see you well and happy. I''ve taken


    up enough of your time, Mr. Nacht. Enjoy the rest of your day!¡±


    ¡°Goodbye, Mr. Brown.¡±

 Chapter 1748

    Chapter 1748


    Not long after his departure, Bruce returned with news confirming Michael''s attestation.


    Having almost been a pawn of Jesse''s, Michael withdrew his involvement just in time when he


    realized what he was about to step into.


    Originally intending to end their partnership, Michael found himself dragged further into it by


    Jesse, resulting in huge financial losses on his part.


    I hope he takes this as a very expensive lesson not to be repeated again.


    Michael also let his emotions dictate his downfall. Having borne Zachary and Charlotte some


    resentment on behalf of Helena, he had allowed Jesse to manipte him.


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    There is always the darkest time when a man must choose the more difficult but ultimately


    correct decision.


    Satisfied by the amount of proof gathered, Zachary did not deem it worthwhile to pursue


    Michael''s involvement anymore. Contrary to what he had offered out of politeness, he was not


    going to offer thetter financial aid.


    Everybody should bear the cost of their mistakes. The cost of Michael''s mistake happens to be thirty-


    billion in damages.


    As his afternoon was freed up, Zachary took the opportunity to conduct a video call with Charlotte.


    At that moment over at Xendale, Erihal, Charlotte was perusing some documents in the office with a


    thick leopard-print coat around her shoulders.


    Around her sat a group of executives of Lindberg Corporation, all of whom watched her every move


    with apprehension.


    Zachary smiled with satisfaction. The amount of money she brought back with her has managed to


    secure respect from her family''s employees!


    ¡°I have some matters to attend to, Hubby,¡± she said rather stiffly in the presence of her subordinates.


    ¡°I''ll call you when I get back tonight!¡±


    ¡°Don''t let me bother you, dear.¡±


    After hanging up, Zachary read the report Ben had sent him via text.


    Ms. Lindberg spent her first day in Xendale conducting a meeting with the executives of Lindberg


    Corporation. Mr. Lindberg and his staff were trying toe up with a solution to the financial constraint


    when Ms. Lindberg promptly announced that she had arrived with enough equity to tide thepany


    over. Every eye was wide with shock when they saw the number. Even Mr. Lindberg was taken aback.


    Having not expected Ms. Lindberg toe prepared with that amount on hand, he pulled her aside to


    ask her where it came from. Ms. Lindberg told him that it came from you and showed him the approval


    letter with your signature. Mr. Lindberg appeared calm but he was visibly still reeling from the shock. All


    in all, Ms. Lindberg established her position within thepany by the end of that day. Nobody else


    dared question her again after that. Mr. Lindberg had been attending to personal matters over the past


    two days and handed thepany over to Ms. Lindberg. She rose to the asion admirably...


    The rest were words of ttery that sounded just usible enough.


    Zachary smiled as his eyes twinkled with pride. What a capable wife I have!


    All that was left to do was to have the wedding.


    At that moment in H City, Erihal, Charlotte was busy running a meeting.


    As she was delegating some essential tasks to the executives, Lupine rushed in to whisper out


    of Danrique''s earshot. ¡°Ms. Felch escaped again!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Charlotte frowned. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°I''m not sure,¡± Lupine muttered worriedly, ¡°but I heard this time she ran with the child. Mr.


    Lindberg is livid. He has sent someone to go after her.¡±


    ¡°I wonder when they will be able to put their differences aside and reconcile,¡± Charlotte sighed.


    ¡°Forget it, it''s out of our hands. Let''s carry on with the meeting. This is Danrique''s problem, we


    shouldn''t get involved.¡±


    The meeting continued for several more minutes before a deafening screech and a momentary


    eclipse announced the arrival of an entire convocation of eagles.


    The executives were visibly frightened. ¡°It''s her again! She''s back!¡± they cried.

 Chapter 1749

    Chapter 1749


    Charlotte dropped her documents and made her way over to the window to marvel at the awe-


    inspiring view. Could Francesca be here to look for me?


    ¡°Meeting adjourned!¡± Danrique said in a cold voice.


    The executives almost trampled over one another in their haste to leave the office.


    ¡°Danrique...¡±


    ¡°I knew it!¡± He gritted his teeth in consternation. ¡°I know she wouldn''t be able to let go of her


    money, so I locked her bank cards, ID, and jewelry away in a safe downstairs. She took the


    bait!¡±


    Charlotte was bbergasted. Francesca is not here for me after all! She''s here for her money.


    ¡°Get back,¡± Danrique ordered before pulling open his drawer to reveal a safe painted entirely in


    gold. ¡°You have no business being here.¡±


    I''m confident that she would not be able to escape with the safe without me noticing. If she''s


    going to try anyway, things might get dangerous for Charlotte.


    ¡°We can talk about it, Danrique,¡± Charlotte pleaded.


    Danrique merely pped his hands impatiently.


    Charlotte did not need to be told twice. Beckoning at Lupine and Morgan, the trio left hurriedly.


    Charlotte turned to take onest look at the safe when they were at the door.


    There was a photograph attached to the side of the safe. In that photograph, Danrique''s head was


    tilted with a cold expression on his face. Francesca wore a red wig and leaned close to him.


    Both of them had their lips locked though they did not look like they were kissing.


    Their encounter must have been secretly captured as they appeared taken aback in the picture. It must


    have been the only photographic proof of their intimacy in existence.


    It was obvious how much Danrique valued that photograph by holding on to it all that time.


    At that moment, it was ironically attached to the safe which served to lure and deceive Francesca.


    Charlotte could not resist herself. ¡°How did you meet her, Danrique?¡±


    ¡°What''s it to you? Scram.¡±


    Danrique had made preparations for a fight to the death with Francesca and was not pleased to see


    Charlotte dawdling in the vicinity.


    Charlotte pointed at the photograph on the safe. ¡°Was that photograph of the both of you taken in


    secret when you first met?¡±


    Danrique''s brusque remark was stifled when his gaze fell upon it as if he had forgotten its existence.


    As he gazed lingered on the photograph, the anger in his eyes seemed to soften as aplex mix of


    emotions welled up from within him.


    ¡°The sess of all rtionships worth having is based onmunication, Danrique,¡± she said gently


    before departing. ¡°It''s no use being more headstrong than she is in the hopes of forcing her into


    conformity. You need to appeal to the beautiful past you both share and remind her of that.¡±


    Outside, the elevators were crammed full of panic-stricken employees as if the devil herself hade


    to im their souls.


    Morgan sighed. ¡°What do you think it was that the future Mrs. Lindberg might have done? Why is


    everyone so afraid of her?¡±


    ¡°We should leave,¡± Lupine said hastily. ¡°I don''t think it''s wise to be here when whatever Mr. Lindberg


    has nned for her gets set in motion.¡±


    ¡°She''s right,¡± Charlotte agreed as she eyed the crowded elevators, opting instead to use the stairs.


    ¡°Let''s not get involved.¡±


    ¡°You''re right, Charlotte. Let''s go.¡±


    The words were no sooner out of her mouth when several tawny eagles nearly collided with them.


    Lupine and Morgan pinned Charlotte against the wall out of harm''s way.


    Before the trio managed to regain their footing, a dark shadow shed before their eyes as her


    enraged voice echoed menacingly through the stairwell.


    ¡°How dare you steal from me, you b*stard? I''m going to kill you!¡±


    Charlotte gulped. ¡°Run for it!¡±


    nked by her convocation, Francesca burst into Danrique''s office.


    N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    Swiveling around in his armchair of ck leather, he regarded her with a haughty expression as


    he toyed with the fountain pen in his fingers.


    ¡°Scoundrel!¡± she continued in a rage. ¡°Rouge! I will-¡±


    Before she could hurl more insults, a familiar voice red from the overhead speakers.


    ¡°I, Francesca, hereby swear to repay Danrique for saving my life even if it means marrying him.


    May God smite me if I go back on the promise!¡±


    As the final syble of her recorded voice echoed throughout the room, a terrifying crash of


    thunder exploded outside the window like a divine reminder. Francesca shuddered before


    composing herself.


    ¡°Remember your promise, woman! Those were your words!¡± Danrique stood up and


    approached her. ¡°In case you need a little reminder...¡±


    Francesca kept her eyes fixed on his as the speaker red her vow again, her mind casting


    back to many years before.

 Chapter 1750

    Chapter 1750


    Like any other night, darkness descended four years ago upon the city to reveal the true


    splendor of the casinos of Lightspring.


    Casino Inferno was the most popr casino in the city ofte. As was the custom of the


    establishment, an opening ceremony preceded the gambling.


    There were excited whispers amongst the patrons gathered there that that night was going to


    be more memorable than others.


    Upon the stage, the red curtains rose slowly at the appointed hour.


    A group of salivating men had been crowding below the stage well ahead of time for their


    favorite non-gambling attraction the casino had to offer.


    The owner of Casino Inferno was in the business of auctioning young women and had a good


    supply of rare beauties.


    Before the auction began, the men in the audience were already giving in to their primal


    instincts.


    With agonizing showmanship, the curtains finally rose high enough to reveal arge, ornate


    cage.


    White sash spilled out through the bars from within the cage and fluttered with the breeze as if


    beckoning the hearts of men toward greater sin.


    ¡°Start the auction! Start the auction!¡± chanted the men, maddened with lust.


    Their fever was so contagious that it had tangibly raised the ambient temperature of the room,


    infecting even disinterested patrons with their enthusiasm.


    When the curtains were fully raised, the cage was revealed to be filled with red motifs with a


    scantily d young woman of exceptional beauty curled up on the bed of petals in deep sleep.


    Her jet-ck hair spilled out of the cage. As the men stared, stupefied with wonder, a breeze sent its


    scent wafting through the air.


    The woman had a mesmerizing face. She was d in a long white dress that was scarcely thick


    enough to even keep her warm in the sweaty, humid air on the stage. In fact, her dress made her look


    like an angel who had mistakenly fallen into Casino Inferno.


    The crowd fell deathly silent as every eye was fixed on her with quivering anticipation.


    The private room on the second floor contained a patron whose amber eyes were fixed upon the


    woman in the cage with a regal haughtiness as if he controlled her fate in his hands.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, please ept this gift as a token of my gratitude,¡± the owner of Casino Inferno simpered.


    Danrique was d in a white shirt. In the casino filled with debauchery and sin, his garment stood out


    as a beacon of purity and salvation.


    ¡°When''s the show starting?¡±


    ¡°Time is of the essence! One of us could be spending time with this beauty instead of standing around


    waiting like idiots!¡±


    ¡°Can''t wait any longer, mate?¡±


    ¡°Obviously not. I''m rock hard just looking at her.¡±


    ¡°Hah, good man! Keep it steady!¡±


    The men below the stage burst into boisterousughter.


    The host walked on stage. ¡°Silence, please! The auction is about to begin.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we know,¡± shouted the men impatiently. ¡°Start the bidding!¡±


    ¡°Without further ado, the bidding starts at one million. Let the auction begin!¡±


    ¡°Two million!¡±


    ¡°Three million!¡±


    ¡°Five million!¡±


    With such a prize at stake, the auction went by fiercely as the bidders made their intent clear.


    Danrique averted his gaze, losing interest. She obviously isn''t Aunt Isabe''s daughter.


    Having little interest in games like that, he was about to stand up and leave when a shout came


    from the stage. ¡°She''s awake!¡±


    Danrique nced across and found the woman in the cage to be stirring. Her trembling fingers


    were the first to twitch.


    ¡°Ten million!¡± roared a sonorous voice belonging to arge man, startling the crowd into


    complete silence.


    Several secondster, the hall was abuzz with spection.


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    ¡°Ten million going once, ten million going twice, sold!¡±


    The usher banged the gavel at the final word.


    ¡°Aiden''s going to have a good time tonight!¡±


    The men below the stage disyed jealousy and admiration. Many were whistling and making


    lewd remarks.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Aiden said as his eyes gleamed. ¡°A good time indeed.¡±


    The woman in the cage got up slowly to her feet. With one hand supporting her head, another


    held on to the bars of the cage as she swayed dangerously on the spot.


    Francesca squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to organize the fragmented memories


    swimming around her mind''s eye.

 Chapter 1751

    Chapter 1751


    Though she kept getting glimpses of an explosion and seemed to remember passing out a lot,


    she was too disoriented to arrange them into a sequence that made sense.


    As she strained to remember, her head throbbed painfully.


    Aiden was beside himself with glee. Unable to contain himself any longer, he reached out with a


    greedy hand. ¡°Come here.¡±


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    As his hand neared her bosom, Francesca''s eyes suddenly flung wide open. Her bright eyes


    glinted murderously as she caught hold of the man''s wrist and gave a vicious twist.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Aiden screamed. Despite wriggling for all his might, Francesca afforded him no such


    opportunity for escape.


    With nimble haste, she wrapped the silver chain between her hands around his wrist and


    heaved him over her shoulder to bring therge man falling onto the floor with an earth-


    shattering crash.


    As Aiden writhed in pain on the ground, the men below the stage were bbergasted at the


    unexpected strength and ferocity of so frail a girl.


    As creatures craving novelty, they developed an intense interest in the wild woman who had


    demolished all stereotypes of her gender within the span of several seconds. Some of them had


    even begun wolf-whistling again.


    ¡°Hah! The night hasn''t even begun and you''re already tapping out, Aiden!¡±


    ¡°I like them beautiful and wild. Start the bidding for her again if Aiden''s not up for it!¡±


    Francesca gave her throbbing head a little shake as she gazed at the men below the stage through the


    cage bars. Her vision was beginning to regain its sharpness, though there were more questions than


    answers she had at the moment.


    ¡°What am I doing here? What is this ce?''


    The back of her head seared with sudden sharpness. She reached out to touch it gingerly and found


    fresh blood on her fingertips.


    Even the sight of blood was unable to help her recall what had transpired.


    How did I get hurt? What''s my name?


    As soon as the thought crossed her mind, her heart gave a leap of horror as she realized that she


    could not even remember who she was.


    ¡°How dare youy a finger on me, b*tch!¡± Aiden stumbled to his feet and lunged at Francesca from


    behind.


    Her eyes narrowed as she swung a devastating kick out to meet his face with a sickening crunch. After


    crumpling to the floor in a heap, therge man moved no more.


    ¡°What''s his problem?¡± Francesca shouted as she stepped on Aiden''s body on the way out of the cage


    before realizing that her ankles had been locked together as well.


    The chains upon her wrists and ankles bore many tiny bells which tinkered at her every gesture.


    Though pleasant, it was severely impractical for stealth.


    Her eyes swept the audience before falling onto the host. ¡°Who did this?¡± she demanded, raising a


    hand to disy the padlocked shackles on her wrists.


    The host made a gesture. Tworge men appeared from the back of the stage and made their way


    closer to her, sneering at the slight woman before them.


    The men on the stage below grew anxious for Francesca.


    Aiden was not trained for physical confrontation like the bodyguards of Casino Inferno''s employees


    were. At that moment, even one of them looked too much for the frail woman to handle.


    The poor girl. Both the guards are going to manhandle her.


    Francesca did not disy the slightest hint of fear. Even more impressively, she strode forward


    to meet her opponents.


    Limping as a result of her injury, her gaze remained steady and severe.


    I''ll show them! Women are not to be trifled with!


    Seized by a sudden impulse, Danrique feltpelled to stay and see the fight through. Turning


    back around, he returned to his seat on the red leather armchair and joined the rest of the


    patrons to spectate the battle below.


    Having attained sess at an early age, he had been desensitized toward many things. The


    unorthodox actions of the woman in the cage sparked his interest.


    Francesca raised her chin haughtily as she beckoned with a menacing finger.


    The man on the left leered at her chest before lunging at her with his arms outstretched.


    Francesca sidestepped to the opposite direction from whence he came and deftly snatched the


    dagger on his hip before swiping downward.

 Chapter 1752

    Chapter 1752


    As the sound of fabric tearing sounded, A split was formed on the pants of the man in ck,


    and floral-patterned underwear peeked through the wide hole.


    ¡°Hahaha!¡±


    The crowd below the stage roared withughter at the sight of the bodyguard getting pranked


    by a woman.


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    ¡°What a useless piece of trash!¡± A mocking smile appeared on Francesca''s face. Then, she


    tried to break open the chain on her hand with the dagger but frowned as her attempts were


    unsessful.


    Not daring to underestimate his opponent anymore, the furious man swung his fist toward


    Francesca.


    She deftly avoided his attack, then moved behind him and gave him a stab, fooling him just like


    a game of cat and mouse.


    Even after a long time, the man failed toy a finger on her. On the other hand, he found himself


    getting more and more injuries as time went on. It was no doubt why he was growing more


    irritated.


    The gamblers below the stage vehemently booed as they were full of despise toward the tall


    and muscr bodyguard for not being able to defeat a weak woman.


    The emcee hastily shot a look at another man in ck.


    Without hesitation, the other man in ck stepped forward to offer his help, and the two


    surrounded Francesca.


    Remainingposed, Francesca nimbly climbed to the top of the cage and waved the dagger in the


    air.


    Upon sensing the imminent danger, one of the men managed to dodge the dagger sessfully while


    the other man was, unfortunately, stabbed.


    Blood sttered on her face, but she did not even bat an eysh. Instead, she took the opportunity to


    grab the gun on the man''s waist and took aim at the emcee. ¡°Pass me the key.¡±


    The emcee furrowed his brows and waved his hand in the air again.


    Five bodyguards strode up the stage and charged toward Francesca menacingly.


    Narrowing her eyes dangerously, she fired a shot toward the emcee without hesitation.


    Bang!


    ¡°Ahh!¡±


    The bullet hit the emcee on his right calf, and at once, he lost his bnce and fell on one knee before


    Francesca.


    ¡°Oh, my God!¡± The crowd flew into an uproar.


    They figured that things had gotten out of control. No one had dared to stir trouble at Casino Inferno


    since the mysterious boss behind it had massive powers.


    This woman is obviously here to create trouble for being so fearless to fire a bullet at the emcee.


    ¡°Give me the key!¡± Francesca held onto the gun and inched toward the emcee.


    Following that, the five bodyguards pulled out their guns and aimed at her. Despite that, she had no


    fear and arrogantly uttered, ¡°Is the boss behind Casino Inferno so useless? All the bodyguards he hired


    are all losers! They can''t even win against a woman like me!¡±


    She nced at the row of bodyguards behind the emcee and raised her brows. ¡°Why don''t you all


    come at me at once?¡±


    ¡°What an insolent brat!¡± A stern voice that was burning in rage boomed from the corridor on the second


    floor.


    Francesca turned toward the voice but swept her gaze passed the person speaking andnded on


    Danrique instead.


    The man was seated on a deep red-colored leather chair in an exceptionally condescending posture.


    He was exuding an overwhelming haughtiness and arrogance from tip to toe, almost as if he was God


    that many greatly revered.


    A sense of familiarity hit Francesca while she was still in a daze. I think I''ve seen that guy


    somewhere...


    However, nothing came to her mind except a sharp, intense pain in the back of her head. She


    shook her head and gathered her thoughts before turning to Danrique for a confrontation. ¡°So,


    you''re the mysterious boss behind Casino Inferno? Ask your men to hand me the key and send


    me out of this ce with due respect. Otherwise...¡±


    She pointed the gun at Danrique. ¡°I''ll start shooting and hope for the best!¡±


    A deadly silence filled the atmosphere as the crowd was in astonishment.


    Even though they had no idea who Danrique was, they knew he was not someone to be trifled


    with, given how he could sit in that private room and the fact that even the casino''s owner had


    to lower himself to serve the man like how a servant would.


    Moreover, that intense and domineering aura he was exuding was enough to leave everyone in


    fear and trepidation. There was an exception, though, and that was none other than Francesca.


    That woman is certainly not afraid of death!


    Despite Francesca''s threat, Danrique did not even spare her a nce. It was almost as though


    she was not talking to him.


    The sharp, crescent-shaped dagger felt so full of murderous intent as it remained spiraling in


    Francesca''s palm.


    ¡°Insolence! How dare you talk to Mr. Lindberg with that tone? Take her down!¡±

 Chapter 1753

    Chapter 1753


    The boss of Casino Inferno began to panic by the turns of events. He had captured Francesca


    for auction that night to butter Danrique up but did not expect things to y up this way.


    How did things be like this? I might not live to see tomorrow if I angered Mr. Lindberg!


    The five bodyguards approached Francesca, attempting to seize her.


    Without hesitation, she pulled the trigger and fired a shot at Danrique.


    The crowd widened their eyes in disbelief as they watched the bullet whiz through the air.


    It was as though time hade to a standstill, and the air abruptly froze.


    At that very moment, a silver glint swooshed through the air.


    Following a loud thud and subsequently an agonizing scream, blood was sttered all over the


    ce.


    Stumped, Francesca stumbled a few steps back while grasping her injured hand. She was so


    stunned beyond words that her jaws went ck at how the gun was hacked into two and the


    crescent-shaped dagger was stuck on the silver cage.


    At the same time that she fired the shot, a crescent-shaped dagger came flying in her direction,


    slicing through the bullet to interrupt its momentum and cleaving the pistol in her grip into two.


    She had sustained a cut on her hand as a result.


    What the hell? Did that really just happen?


    As much as Francesca could not believe her eyes, the dagger and the gun were shreds of evidence to


    prove what had happened moments ago.


    Her eyes had not yed tricks on her, and neither was that a hallucination.


    Francesca directed her gaze toward Danrique. But this time, she was in awe. Who exactly is this guy?


    How did he manage to have such impressive skills?


    Finishing the wine in his ss in one gulp, Danrique looked up and remarked, ¡°You should be secretly


    relieved that you looked like a clown. Otherwise, I would have aimed for your neck instead of the gun!¡±


    His frosty voice did not have a tinge of warmth in it.


    A line formed between Francesca''s brows as she instinctively clenched her fists tight.


    ¡°You''ve overestimated yourself!¡± The owner of Casino Inferno mocked with augh. ¡°Are you trying to


    embarrass yourself in front of Mr. Lindberg with those useless moves? Get her!¡±


    Two men in ck went up to her and grabbed her by her shoulders.


    Just when she wanted to retaliate, one of the men stepped on the chain cuffed on her legs, leaving her


    unable to budge.


    Several other men stomped up and surrounded her. Francesca could not help but frown since she


    figured there was no way for her to escape at this point.


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    ¡°I''ve spent a fortune on you. Even if you''re wild and unruly, I must make you mine tonight!¡± Aiden


    walked up the stage with a dozen of his bodyguards, who all had guns in their hands.


    Francesca was breaking out in cold sweat. Just when those men in ck were about to hand her over


    to Aiden, she frantically looked up at Danrique.


    Unfortunately, the man had already stood up and walked away. Seeing that he was about to disappear


    from her vision, she suddenly yelled, ¡°Save me!¡±


    Immediately, Danrique stopped and turned around, throwing her a disdainful look. ¡°Give me a reason.¡±


    ¡°I''ll go over and tell you.¡±


    Francesca freed herself from the grip of the bodyguards escorting her, forcefully retrieved the dagger


    stuck on the cage, and walked barefooted toward Danrique.


    Seeing how Danrique had no objections to her actions, no one dared to stop her.


    Aiden was reluctant and frustrated about the situation but was apprehensive of saying anything more.


    The thin white veil wrapped around her billowed in coordination with her pace, revealing her fair


    and silky smooth thighs. She was like a budding blossom emanating an alluring and


    intoxicating scent.


    Along her way up, she had attracted the attention of every man present.


    Yet, Danrique remainedpletely indifferent, seemingly unaffected at all.


    The crowd was waiting to watch on in amusement. They were in anticipation of what tactics


    Francesca would use to convince Danrique since anyone could see that the man had no


    lecherous intents.


    Upon meeting the man, Francesca reached her hand out as she said, ¡°Your dagger.¡±


    Looking at her up close, it suddenly urred to Danrique that she looked somewhat familiar.


    While the man was seemingly still in his thoughts, Francesca held the dagger and pressed it


    against his groin.


    Her eyes were glowing with arrogance and satisfaction as she cocked her eyebrows.


    Danrique''s lips twitched as he threw a cial re toward Francesca. As a surge of adrenaline


    rushed up to his brain, his frozen heart which had been voided by feelings for many years,


    suddenly sensed an intense pang of astonishment.


    It was the first time in his life that he felt that he had made a blunder.

 Chapter 1754

    Chapter 1754


    Francesca let out a wicked grin. ¡°Your dagger is so sharp that it could even slice a gun into two.


    I wonder what your manhood is made of?¡±


    ¡°How dare you!¡± A deadly glint appeared in Danrique''s amber pupils as he balled his hands into


    fists, his knuckles cracking.


    Luckily, both of them had their back facing the main hall, blocking the gamblers from the view.


    Nevertheless, Danrique''s subordinates that were standing close to the two had seen everything.


    Disbelief was written all over their faces as they gawped at the scene before them.


    Their almighty superior, Danrique Lindberg, who had unmatched phenomenal power in the


    business world, and whose presence alone was enough to leave everyone in fear, had fallen


    prey to a woman in a spectacrly miserable fashion.


    When Danrique threw his subordinates a bone-chilling re, they immediately shifted their


    sights away, so terrified they did not even dare to breathe.


    ¡°Didn''t you ask me to give you a reason?¡± Francesca brazenly raised her brow.


    Indeed, the ce where she was aiming the dagger was her reason.


    Even if she might not stand a chance to hurt the man given how skillful he was, she reckoned it


    would still bring him shame and demoralization if the others saw the scene.


    ¡°You''re dead meat, you hear me?¡± Fury was burning in Danrique''s eyes.


    If one''s eyes could kill someone, Francesca would have long been reduced to ashes.


    ¡°I''ll drag you along if I have to die!¡±


    And with that, Francesca managed to escape from the situation sessfully.


    Danrique shot her daggers before he took her and treaded out of Casino Inferno.


    Having spent so much money to bid for Francesca, Aiden was undoubtedly unwilling to concede


    defeat. Nheless, there was nothing he could do except watch them stride out.


    After all, no one could afford to get on the bad books of that mysterious man in white.


    Outside, the sky was drizzling, and a devastating cold permeated the atmosphere.


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    It was so chilly Francesca could not help but sneeze. Her body was shivering in the cold as there was


    not enough clothing to keep her warm.


    With her eyes on the bustling roads, she bid goodbye and leaned into an oing sports car.


    Squeezing herself into the driver''s seat and taking over the steering wheel, she stepped on the


    elerator and sped off without hesitation.


    When Danrique attempted to chase after her, a deafening st sounded from inside the casino. The


    shattered pieces from the explosion scattered in all directions. Simultaneously, a siren from a car


    resonated through the air.


    The noises were ridiculously thunderous and ear-shattering.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, it''s an ambush! They must being for us!¡±


    ¡°Let''s leave now!¡± By the time Danrique slowed his racing mind down and turned around, Francesca


    was long since gone.


    Gritting his teeth in anger, hemanded, ¡°Darn that g*ddamned woman! I must find her! Run a


    citywide search to look for her!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    On the other side, after speeding through over ten kilometers of road, Francesca jumped out of the


    sports car and scurried off into the streets like a wisp of vapor.


    After that sudden episode, the sports car''s owner was shell-shocked. He had merely decelerated while


    passing by the casino, yet an unknown, petite figure took the opportunity and jumped in without


    warning. Even more absurd was how she had taken charge of the car and whizzed it through the roads


    like a bolt of lightning.


    Before he had time to react, she had stomped on the brakes impulsively and vanished from sight.


    Puzzlement swamped him the entire time, and therefore he did not take a good look at Francesca''s


    face.


    Everything urred so quickly that he thought that his mind had wandered off to a mysterious illusion


    for a short while.


    How did the car bring me to an entirely new ce within seconds? How amazing.


    After getting herself a new set of clothing at the mall, Francesca headed to the washroom to


    change. Upon seeing her reflection in the mirror, she nearly jumped with fright, as if she had


    seen a ghost.


    ¡°What the f*ck. I look like this?¡±


    Francesca pulled off the wig from her head and those fake-looking false eyshes. She


    freshened herself up with the cold tap water and changed into new clothes.


    She took another look at her appearance in the mirror. Mmm, so much better.


    Her current style resembled that of a handsome, energized teenager with a unisex casual outfit,


    charming short hair, and a cap on her head.


    In contrast to her morous and captivating style earlier, she looked like apletely different


    person.


    Making her way out of the mall, Francesca ran into that group of bodyguards from earlier. They


    were moving around in an orderly manner, and it was easy to tell that they were well-trained.


    They maneuvered among the crowd, seemingly looking for someone.


    Francesca peeked at the photo in their hand.


    Isn''t that me? Huh... I guess they''re looking for me.

 Chapter 1755

    Chapter 1755


    Francesca pulled her cap lower and calmly walked past the bodyguards, who did not spare her a


    nce as they had all their attention on the beautiful women in the crowd.


    As soon as she waltzed out of the mall, she saw a silver Pagani right in front.


    Inside the car was none other than the man in white whom she had threatened earlier.


    With the windows wound halfway down, all that was within her vision was the man''s darkened yet


    charming gaze and a bone-chilling glint in his amber pupils.


    In that instance, it felt like every molecule in the air had frozen on the spot.


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    Francesca pursed her lips, and as she walked off, the corners lifted into a scornful smirk.


    I bet that guy must be so mad!


    Inside the car, Danrique was fiddling with the crescent-shaped dagger between his fingers as he


    narrowed his eyes while carefully recounting the face he had seen earlier.


    Have I seen her somewhere before? But where exactly? Why can''t I seem to recall anything?


    Sessfully avoiding being tracked down, Francesca hopped into a taxi and was about to leave when


    she felt a sharp pain in the back of her head.


    A wave of dizziness followed thereupon that she quickly held onto her head.


    Pieces of memory regarding an explosion shed across her mind once again. She vividly recalled how


    she had lost her consciousness after something crashed onto her from the back.


    At that instance, she had a sudden revtion that she must have lost her memory because of the


    injury.


    ¡°Where are you heading?¡± the driver asked in Ustranasion.


    ¡°The hospital.¡±


    After arriving at the hospital, it took her some effort before she could find a surgeon.


    ¡°The hospital.¡±


    After arriving at the hospital, it took her some effort before she could find a surgeon.


    Francesca illustrated her issue in Ustranasion, and the doctor told her to go for an X-ray before they


    proceed with a diagnosis.


    Reckoned that it was too much of a trouble, she grabbed the knife, gritted her teeth, and slit open her


    wound to retrieve the metal chip with forceps.


    ¡°Oh, my God!¡± The people present were scared witless by the gruesome sight before their eyes.


    The surgeon and several nurses hurriedly stopped Francesca, snatched the tool from her hand, and


    got someone to call for the security.


    Rendered speechless, Francesca freed herself from their grip, grabbed a bag of medical tools, and ran


    outside.


    She had wanted to look for a quiet spot to stitch up her wound, but because the hospital''s guard had


    followed behind her at full speed, she had no choice but to flee the scene.


    Throughout this, she had a question running through her mind. Her instincts told her that she was


    naturally born with a ir for medicine.


    It was so that she had a sense of familiarity and confidence that rose within her when she saw the


    medical equipment and tools. It almost felt like she was acting on her reflex while believing that she


    could solve the problem by herself.


    She could even skillfully grab a scalpel to cut open the wound on the back of her head and use forceps


    to remove the metal piece stuck in it.


    Unfortunately, the others had thought she was insane and even called the security guards to chase


    after her.


    What a bunch of brainless fools...


    Running out from the back of the hospital, Francesca was ready to jump into a taxi when a beam of


    silver lights shone in her direction.


    Following that, several ck jeeps rushed toward her like freed horses.


    Shocked, Francesca hastily backed away.


    Upon a closer look, she realized that the silver re wasing from that same Pagani she had seen


    earlier.


    The ck jeeps surrounded the silver Pagani, and in no time, a fierce gun battle ensued between the


    two parties.


    Nheless, Francesca could not be bothered about it, as all she was concerned about was running


    for her life.


    Just as she took a detour in an attempt to get herself out of the situation, the silver Pagani sped toward


    her like a gust of wind.


    As the car hood thrust Francesca into the air, all she could feel was an intense collision against her. In


    the next second, her whole body crashed through the windscreen andnded right inside the car.


    Appearing within her line of sight was that man in white from earlier, staring at her icily. Then, her vision


    faded, and she fell unconscious.


    Danrique pushed Francesca away from his embrace and yanked the steering wheel to swerve the car


    endlessly.


    The Pagani made a skillful drift, leaped off the ground, rolled over the roof of a jeep, and flew into the


    air.


    A split secondter, itnded back on the ground steadily, and with a speedy swerve, it disappeared


    from the scene.

 Chapter 1756

    Chapter 1756


    Ouch... It hurts... It hurts so much...


    Francesca felt her head throbbing in pain and her body so sore as if it would crumble at the


    slightest bit.


    A conversation in hushed voices rang in her ears.


    Even though she could not make out what the voices were talking about, her strong


    consciousness forced her to stay awake.


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    Gradually opening her eyes, Francesca realized she was lying in a room painted in a cool color


    theme. Beside her bed stood a medical staff, who asked in Ustranasion upon seeing her


    regaining consciousness, ¡°You''re finally awake. How are you feeling?¡±


    ¡°Where am I?¡± Francesca tried to sit up but found that she barely had any strength to move.


    She was experiencing a splitting headache and excruciating pain throughout her whole body.


    ¡°This is the Lindberg residence,¡± the nurse answered. ¡°Do you remember what happened?¡±


    Hearing the nurse''s question, Francesca began racking her brain to recall the series of events


    from earlier.


    I escaped from the hospital, ran into a gun battle outside, and a silver Pagani came crashing


    toward me. I lost my footing and fell straight into the car... The person inside was the man in


    white...


    That was all that she could remember before she had subsequently fallen unconscious.


    ¡°You jumped into Mr. Lindberg''s car, so he brought you home.¡± The nurse yed down her exnation.


    ¡°Dr. Henderson has treated your wound. All you have to do now is to get some rest to recuperate.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by jumping into his car?¡± Francesca snapped in frustration, her brows scrunched.


    ¡°He was the one who hit me with his car as I was walking out of the hospital! He bumped me with the


    car hood, and I fell into his car because I lost my bnce. He''s the one who''s at fault here!¡±


    ¡°Um...¡± The nurse was beyond stunned at how Francesca dared to make those remarks.


    ¡°Um...¡± The nurse was beyond stunned at how Francesca dared to make those remarks.


    ¡°Where''s the perpetrator? Ask him over; we need to have a proper discussion aboutpensation


    matters.¡± Despite her weakened state, Francesca was unyielding.


    ¡°Do you have any idea who Mr. Lindberg is?¡±


    ¡°I don''t care who he is.¡± Francesca was fuming with rage. ¡°No matter who he is, he has to apologize


    andpensate for hurting me!¡±


    ¡°Um...¡± The nurse was dumbfounded.


    Right then, Danrique happened to overhear the conversation as he was passing by the room. He


    stopped in his tracks and strode in.


    The room was dimly lit and was made apparent by the stark contrast of the brightly lit corridors outside.


    The man stood at the door, and under the contrasting rays, he resembled an angel from hell¡ªa


    paradoxical representation of both good and evil.


    Lifting her gaze to look at the man, Francesca was dazzled for a split second.


    There was an inexplicable sense of familiarity when she first saw him at Casino Inferno, and it was


    made more intense at this point.


    I''m sure I''ve seen him somewhere... But where is it?


    Nothing came up her mind nheless.


    ¡°You''re quite full of yourself, huh?¡± Danrique stood by the door as he threw her a cold re.


    He looked like a ferocious beast¡ªindifferent and arrogant on the outside, yet carved deep within his


    bones was a grim and murderous vibe.


    ¡°Aren''t you suppose to show some regret for causing injury to a mere innocent passerby like me?¡±


    Francesca showed no weakness and looked straight into his eyes. Yet, that did notst for too


    long.


    Crap. Will he recognize that I''m the one who made a fool out of him at Casino Inferno? If he


    does, then not only will he notpensate and apologize, but he might even settle scores with


    me.


    Danrique only stared grimly at her and turned to leave without uttering a single word.


    As he walked out of the room, he turned to his subordinate beside him and left him an order.


    ¡°Hey...¡± Francesca wanted to stop him, but the subordinate approached and tore a nk check


    before passing it to her. ¡°Here, decide how muchpensation is sufficient and fill it in


    yourself.¡±


    ¡°Uh...¡± She hurriedly epted the check from him. ¡°What''s the maximum limit?¡±


    ¡°Ten million.¡± Sean lifted the corners of his lips slightly.


    ¡°Hehe...¡± Francesca was delighted to hear those words. ¡°It''s good to see that you guys are


    steady and straightforward!¡±


    ¡°Since your injuries are quite serious, have some good rest here first,¡± Sean reminded. ¡°I''ll


    transfer you to the best hospital in Summerbankter to see if you''re still curable.¡±


    Francesca was taken aback. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±

 Chapter 1757

    Chapter 1757


    ¡°Your brain...¡± Sean was hesitant with his words as he looked at her sympathetically. ¡°Well,


    you''re still young; there are always chances.¡±


    Finishing his words, the man hurried out of the room.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Confused, Francesca turned to the nurse and asked, ¡°What is he talking about?¡±


    The nurse was in a dilemma and pondered for a long while before she spoke. ¡°I was afraid that


    it''ll be too huge a news for you, so I didn''t tell you. But I didn''t expect Mr. Lowe to...¡±


    ¡°Stop dragging me on. What is it exactly?¡± Francesca grew anxious.


    ¡°The doctor said there''s a metal chip pressing on your nerves in your brain. You might...¡± The


    nurse looked at her with pity. ¡°You might not live long. And even if you could, you might


    be slow-witted.¡±


    The truth left Francesca at a loss for words. ¡°Which quack doctor made those ims?¡±


    ¡°Dr. Henderson is the best surgeon in M Nation,¡± the nurse replied. ¡°He''s also Mr. Lindberg''s


    personal doctor.¡±


    ¡°Has he done a scan for me?¡± Francesca could not be bothered to refute what the nurse had


    said.


    ¡°Yes.¡± The nurse then brought them over.


    Upon a closer look at the scans, Francesca was finally convinced that the im regarding the metal


    chip pressing on the nerves of her brain was indeed true.


    Firmly believing that her condition was not as severe before, she deduced that the impact from the car


    crash had shifted the metal chip to a riskier position.


    No doubt it''s tricky. But it''s still curable. All that I have to say is that Dr. Henderson isn''t as capable as


    others assumed him to be.


    No doubt it''s tricky. But it''s still curable. All that I have to say is that Dr. Henderson isn''t as capable as


    others assumed him to be.


    Following that, she looked through a few other scans. D*mn. Not only am I hurt in my brain, but I also


    have a fracture on my left arm and a broken rib too.


    It was at that very moment Francesca figured that even the highest amount on that check would not be


    enough to make up for her losses.


    ¡°Dr. Henderson said that he''ll get you a stic surgeon after the injuries on your face have recovered.¡±


    The nurse uttered carefully, ¡°Don''t worry too much. Medical technology is so advanced these days. I''m


    sure the doctors will be able to help you regain your looks.¡±


    ¡°What''s wrong with my face?¡±


    Francesca lifted her hands to touch her face, only to find that she had bandages wrapped tightly


    around her face, mimicking a mummy.


    No wonder that guy and his subordinate didn''t recognize me.


    ¡°You got scratched by the windscreen when you fell into the car. Your face was covered in blood when


    you first arrived, and upon treatment, we found two deep cuts sitting on your face,¡± the nurse softly


    exined. ¡°But that''s not an issue. As long as there''s money, that''s not a big problem. The main thing


    is your brain...¡±


    ¡°That''s enough.¡± Francesca cut the nurse off from continuing and red at the check. ¡°This check won''t


    be enough given that I''m so badly injured. Ask that jerk toe over when he''s back.¡±


    ¡°Err...¡± The nurse was overwhelmed by puzzlement. In logical senses, any normal being would be in


    panic and despair upon knowledge of how severe their condition was.


    However, Francesca did not cry or make a ruckus. On the contrary, she was soposed that she


    could think aboutpensation matters.


    T-Thisdy...


    ¡°Did you hear me?¡± Francesca furrowed her brows.


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    ¡°Huh... Oh, yes. I heard you.¡± The nurse nodded profusely. She initially paid no heed to


    Francesca as thetter was only a stranger they had saved along the way. Nheless, the


    immense dominance of the woman had seemingly put control over her, and she had


    unknowingly turned extremely obedient to Francesca.


    ¡°Bring me my medical report,¡± Francesca instructed. ¡°And also the treatment n.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± The nurse did as she was told.


    Looking carefully through the reports, Francesca ordered, ¡°Get Dr. Henderson here now!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± The nurse froze once more. ¡°Now?¡±


    ¡°Yes, now. Immediately,¡± Francesca urged. ¡°Also, remove this useless drip from me.¡±


    ¡°Uhh, okay...¡± Even though the nurse did not know the purpose of her instructions, she still did


    as she was told.


    Nevertheless, George came up with an excuse saying that he was busy and had no time. In


    truth, he had no high regard for a small fry like Francesca.


    Hence, he did not turn up.

 Chapter 1758

    Chapter 1758


    Eventually, Francesca decided to prepare her own prescription and instructed the nurse to get


    her the necessary medication before beginning treatment.


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    Of course, the nurse had inquired about Sean''s opinions and only did as instructed when the


    latter gave her his permission.


    It only took several days for Francesca''s injuries to recuperate, and by then, she could get off


    the bed and walk stably.


    The nurse was surprised by her speedy recovery and even asked if she was a doctor.


    Francesca did not answer the question and only requested her to prepare some water so that


    she could take a good bath.


    After all, she felt ufortable and unnerved for not getting to bathe for days because of her


    injuries.


    The nurse was in the bathroom preparing a tub of warm water when her high-pitched screams


    reverberated through the ce.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Francesca walked in with a limp.


    ¡°Snake... There''s a snake...¡± The nurse shivered violently, her face as white as a sheet. Fear


    gripped her heart as she glued her eyes to the green snake slithering in the bathtub.


    Seeing that, Francesca was not frightened and instead broke into a wide smile. ¡°What a pretty


    green snake!¡±


    ¡°I-Is the snake venomous?¡± The nurse stumbled backward in fear.


    ¡°It¡¯s a green viper, so yes, it''s venomous. But since it¡¯s still a snakelet, its venom is less potent.¡±


    Francesca hobbled over and ran her slender hand across the warm water toward the green snake in


    the bathtub.


    Strangely enough, the snake was unrmed by her action and instead gently twined its body around


    her wrist. It looked just like a jade bracelet, glimmering under the lights.


    ¡°Oh, my God!¡± The nurse stared at her in shock. ¡°A-Aren''t you scared?¡±


    ¡°Oh, my God!¡± The nurse stared at her in shock. ¡°A-Aren''t you scared?¡±


    ¡°What is there to be scared of?¡± Francesca gently ran her fingers over the green snake and chuckled.


    ¡°This little one is so adorable!¡±


    ¡°I''m afraid this might not be an ordinary snake. Mr. Lindberg might have raised it...¡± the nurse said. ¡°You


    might die if it bites you.¡±


    ¡°What? That guy raises snakes?¡± Francesca appeared excited upon hearing the nurse''s words.


    ¡°Um...¡± The nurse did not dare to reveal more and nervously ran out. ¡°I''ll get out first. Take your time to


    bath. And be careful not to let water touch your wounds.¡±


    Unbothered by the nurse''s reminder, Francesca took off her bathrobe and sat in the bathtub for a soak.


    She had her injured leg propped along the edges of the bathtub while she thered soap on her body


    with one hand and yed with the snake with the other.


    Despite their first encounter, the reptile seemed to hit it off well with Francesca. Instead of shying away


    or even biting her, it behaved unusually docile and gentle, almost as if it was having fun and enjoying


    its time with the human.


    Being overly immersed in ying with the snake, Francesca did not notice a slender figure casually


    walking in from outside.


    A shadow cast in from outside since the bathroom door was left ajar.


    Only then did Francescae around and have her guard up. She raised her gaze to meet with a pair


    of icy eyes.


    The man instinctively swept his gaze downward to her busty chest. He seemed slightly astonished at


    first but quickly looked away.


    ¡°You...¡± Francesca only snapped back to her senses a few secondster before wrapping her arms


    around her chest as she screamed, ¡°Ahh!¡±


    Danrique shut his eyes tight and blew a whistle into the air.


    Following that, the snake slithered away from Francesca''s arm.


    Bending down slightly, Danrique reached his hand out toward the snake, and it obediently


    slithered to his palm, staying there.


    ¡°I''m here to look for this little one.¡± He turned to leave after leaving thatment.


    ¡°You b*stard!¡±


    Francesca mmed her hand against the water in the bathtub angrily.


    Water sshed onto Danrique''s pants, but he remained unfazed and strode out emotionlessly.


    Seething with anger, Francesca turned to look at the mirror hanging on the wall.


    Now that I''m in short hair and half of my face is covered in bandages, that jerk surely can''t


    recognize me. But even so, he still wants to peek at me taking a bath? What a sicko!


    ¡°Hey, are you all right?¡± The nurse rushed over and looked at Francesca, baffled.


    ¡°Why didn''t you lock the door?¡± Francesca sounded awfully hostile. ¡°That guy just saw


    everything!¡±


    ¡°No one here has the habit of locking doors.¡± The nurse put on a bitter smile. ¡°Hurry and finish


    your bath. Mr. Lindberg is requesting your presence.¡±

 Chapter 1759

    Chapter 1759


    After finishing her bath and treating her wounds, Francesca followed the nurse to the study room.


    As she pushed open the door, glistening rays of sunlight showered in.


    Enclosing the room was a ss partition in ce of a brick wall, showcasing the bamboo forest facing


    it. The lush green bamboo leaves swayed harmoniously as the cool breeze swept past them. The


    picturesque scenery rendered the study room fresh and elegant.


    Sunlight beamed through the bamboo forest and soaked through the ss wall.


    The warmth that seeped in with the rays made the atmosphere tranquil and soothing.


    Sitting on a wooden chair against the ss wall, Danrique was engrossed in vetting the documents on


    the tablet. The magnolias beside him were in their bloom season, and a fresh floral scent permeated


    the entire room.


    The man''s cold yet handsome face was made more prominent under the natural lighting. Lying on his


    high nose bridge was a pair of silver-rimmed sses. His quiet and meek appearance was so


    mesmerizing yet suffocating.


    Attracted to the breathtaking sight before her, Francesca paused in her pace and stared at the man,


    unable to reel in from the shock for a long time.


    ¡°Come on in,¡± Sean uttered.


    With the nurse''s help, Francesca limped in.


    The nurse steadied her to the sofa that Sean had directed them to before quietly retreating to one side.


    Acting under Danrique''s instructions, Sean said to Francesca, ¡°We''ve asked you over to share the


    subsequent course of actions with you. For starters, now that your condition has stabilized, from


    tomorrow onward, I''ll arrange for your admission into the best hospital in Summerbank for treatment.


    Second, the check that I passed you earlier will be considered aspensation for causing harm to


    you. After your admission tomorrow, we''ll call it even. Third¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hold on,¡± Francesca interrupted Sean abruptly. ¡°That sum isn''t enough.¡±


    ¡°Hold on,¡± Francesca interrupted Sean abruptly. ¡°That sum isn''t enough.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Sean was a little startled. ¡°The maximum limit is ten million. And you''re telling me that''s still not


    enough?¡±


    ¡°I initially thought I merely sustained physical injuries and that sum was, for the most part, more than


    enough. But now that I found out I''m disfigured, and might even be a dimwit, ten million obviously


    isn''t sufficient.¡± Francesca soundedpletely justified.


    ¡°Miss, I''d advise you to not be too greedy.¡± Sean knitted his brows at her. ¡°We''re paying for your


    medical bills too. That ten million is solely apensation to you.¡±


    ¡°What kind of bullsh*t is that? I couldn''t care less about being admitted to a hospital. I''m more than


    capable of treating myself.¡± Francesca had contempt written all over her face. ¡°Transfer me the medical


    fees. I''ll take care of myself!¡±


    ¡°What an insolent brat!¡± A booming voice sounded all of a sudden.


    Shifting her gaze upward, Francesca saw a foreign doctor standing at the door, taking a slight bow as


    he greeted Danrique.


    ¡°Dr. Henderson, this way please,¡± Sean greeted.


    As George walked in, he shot a re at Francesca.


    Instead of paying attention to him, she had her eyes fixed on the four other medical staff carrying


    medical bags standing outside.


    She shifted her gaze back to Danrique.


    Hmm... now that I''m looking at him, I can see that although he''s standing up straight and moves agilely,


    hisplexion seems a little pale. Could it be...


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, we have everything prepared,¡± George courteously said to Danrique.


    ¡°Mmm,¡± Danrique sneaked a cold nce at Francesca before turning to Sean andmanded, ¡°Do as


    you deem fit.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Following that, Sean turned to Francesca. ¡°You can negotiate any terms you have with me.


    Let''s head outside first.¡±


    Upon hearing that, the nurse rushed forward to assist Francesca.


    At the same time, George had made his way behind the study desk and did a check on Danrique''s


    wounds. ¡°Seems like your wound has deteriorated. I''m afraid the poison is too deadly. Mr. Lindberg, I


    think it''s better to head to the hospital.¡±


    ¡°Didn''t you say you can handle it?¡±


    Danrique''s voice was like an icy de, so sharp and threatening that it could stab anyone.


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°How much do you charge for each home visit, Dr. Henderson?¡± Suddenly, Francesca faltered in her


    steps and turned to question the man. ¡°You can''t even handle such a small issue? Why don''t I do it


    instead?¡±


    ¡°Err...¡±


    Everyone swept their gazes at her intently.


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    Simrly, Sean looked at her like she was crazy and frowned. ¡°Stop fooling around. Let''s head out.¡±


    ¡°Who are you? How dare you be so audacious to utter such a bold im before Mr. Lindberg?¡± George


    growled.


    Meanwhile, Danrique slowly shifted his abysmal pair of eyes to Francesca and sized her up skeptically.

 Chapter 1760

    Chapter 1760


    Without another word, Francesca limped over and examined Danrique''s wound. ¡°You''ve been


    poisoned,¡± she said without a hint of doubt.


    ¡°Duh,¡± George scoffed. ¡°That''s what I said.¡±


    Francesca''s slender hand brushed against Danrique''s back beforending on his waist injury. Upon


    taking a closer look, she then came to a conclusion.


    ¡°Your wound''s already inmed, but I can still see that it was caused by a snake bite. It''s not just any


    ordinary snake either; it''s one that''s been biochemically refined by having its venom merged with other


    microbes, which makes its venom different from usual.¡±


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    Sean''s expression turned grave. ¡°How can you tell?¡±


    Danrique''s eyes narrowed. No one except for Sean and a few other confidants was supposed to know


    this.


    ¡°Can you tell, Dr. Henderson?¡±


    Instead of answering Sean, Francesca turned to George with a raised brow.


    ¡°I...¡± There was evidently a look of panic in George''s eyes.


    ¡°In modern medicine, attempting to treat this will cause just as much damage to the body. You''ll have to


    rely on traditional medicine instead,¡± Francesca deduced. ¡°Whether you believe me or not, that''s up to


    you.¡±


    With that, she started limping away.


    The nurse was dumbfounded but quickly followed closely behind her.


    ¡°She''s obviously bluffing! Don''t believe what she says, Mr. Lindberg,¡± George remarked in


    exasperation. ¡°I''ve never heard of traditional medicine being able to treat poison.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn''t say that,¡± Sean refuted calmly. ¡°After searching for numerous well-known doctors for the


    past few days, I came to learn about a Chanaean doctor specializing in treating venoms. I even heard


    that he was the one who had cured Danontand''s prince and also the richest man in Dartan.¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about the miracle doctor known as Francesco?¡± George asked anxiously. ¡°I''ve met his


    mentor once, but the old man is so mysterious that no one ever really knows where he is or if he''s even


    still alive.¡±


    Francesca, who had just arrived at the door, rolled her eyes as she heard that. Who says he''s dead?


    ¡°Please trust me, Mr. Lindberg. I''ll definitely cure you,¡± George assured. ¡°It''s just that modern medicine


    does require the use of some equipment, so we''ll have to go to the hospital.¡±


    Suddenly, Danrique spoke. ¡°You.¡±


    The woman who was just about to walk out the door stopped in her tracks, turned around, and gazed at


    him coldly. ¡°Me?¡±


    ¡°How confident are you?¡± Danrique asked, cutting straight to the chase.


    ¡°Ny-nine percent,¡± Francesca answered firmly. ¡°But I''ll require your cooperation, of course.¡±


    ¡°How long will it take?¡±


    ¡°That depends on how well you can tolerate the drugs and whether there are any other issues. If you


    want to keep that part of your body, it''ll take about ten to fourteen days. If you''re fine with digging that


    chunk out, it''ll be faster.¡±


    ¡°Uhh...¡±


    Sean was bbergasted. This was his first time hearing that removing part of one''s body was required


    for treatment. On top of that, he couldn''t believe how calm this blond woman was when talking to his


    boss.


    Even the nurse broke out in a cold sweat.


    ¡°That''s nonsense!¡± George took this opportunity to object. ¡°This is pure nonsense, Mr. Lindberg. Don''t


    believe her!¡±


    ¡°I''ll have you die a miserable death if you dare lie to me,¡± Danrique warned Francesca.


    ¡°Why would I lie to you? I want the money, you know?¡± The woman rolled her eyes. ¡°Anyway, let''s


    discuss my payment first, shall we? No money, no talk. And I won''t do it if you pay me a single cent


    less.¡±


    ¡°Money is no issue here.¡± Danrique made a gesture with his hand.


    Sean handed Francesca a check. ¡°This is your deposit. You''ll be paid the remainder after the


    treatment.¡±


    ¡°Don''t make things difficult for me.¡± Francesca refused to ept the check. ¡°I don''t have the time to


    drop by the bank either. So just transfer the money directly into my ount.¡±


    She wrote down her bank ount details and gave the note to Sean.


    ¡°You''re Chanaean?¡± Sean could tell from the ount number.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Francesca replied coolly. ¡°We can begin once I receive the money, but you''ll have to follow


    my instructions. I''ll also need you to prepare a few things.¡±


    ¡°Do whatever she says,¡± Danrique ordered, receiving a nod from Sean.


    ¡°Also...¡± Francesca pointed at George. ¡°I don''t want to see him again.¡±


    ¡°Uhhh...¡±

 Chapter 1761

    Chapter 1761


    George''s face turned pale in anger, but just as he was about to speak, Danrique gave a signal,


    indicating Sean to drag the doctor away.


    ¡°Wait! Listen to me, Mr. Lindberg...¡±


    George tried to exin himself but to no avail, and his voice quickly faded from earshot.


    ¡°Are you happy now?¡± Danrique gazed at Francesca.


    ¡°Very,¡± the woman responded with a smile. ¡°By the way, the treatment''s going to cost you a hundred


    million. You don''t have a problem with that, do you?¡±


    ¡°Not at all,¡± Danrique answered readily. ¡°But if I''m not better in half a month, I''m going to take your life.¡±


    He sounded calm, but there was something chilling about his voice.


    ¡°A hundred million or my life?¡± Not only was Francesca not afraid, but she even beamed smugly. ¡°I


    guess my life''s worth that much, huh?¡±


    Danrique merely stared at her while remaining silent.


    This was the first time a woman didn''t fear him one bit.


    Or rather, the second.


    The first woman was the one who had used a knife against him back at Casino Inferno.


    Interesting.


    ¡°Just to be safe, give me my one-hundred-million check first. It''s not like I can run away while I''m here,


    anyway.¡±


    Having already lost his patience, Danrique frowned as he emanated a frosty aura.


    ¡°Leave it to me.¡± Sean quickly stepped forward. ¡°Let''s talk outside. By the way, what''s your name?¡±


    ¡°I''m...¡± Frencesce pondered for e moment. ¡°I''m Mester Felch.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Seen thought he hed misheerd. ¡°How do you spell thet?¡±


    ¡°F-E-L-C-H.¡±


    The men wes speechless.


    Still, he hended Frencesce the check before returning to the study room.


    He then served Denrique some tee es the letter went through some documents. ¡°Cen we reelly trust


    her, Mr. Lindberg?¡±


    ¡°For her to be eble to menege my injury in such e short time end with such limited resources, she hes


    to be skilled. On top of thet, she''s not even efreid of Sem.¡±


    Denrique hed been observing Frencesce the whole time. The nurse he hed pleced beside her would


    report the women''s every move.


    I thought she wes just slightly cepeble, but from the wey she pleyed with Sem, she''s definitely not en


    everege Joe.


    ¡°Thet''s e surprise.¡± Seen wes visibly stunned too. ¡°Sem''s been bethed in toxins ell its life end is


    covered in poison. Even we wouldn''t dere go neer it.¡±


    ¡°Wetch her closely,¡± Denrique instructed.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    Seen prepered the medicinel ingredients es requested by Frencesce.


    ¡°These won''t do,¡± the women remerked with e frown. ¡°They''re ell crude herbs thet heve been filtered.


    They won''t be effective.¡±


    ¡°I''m...¡± Francesca pondered for a moment. ¡°I''m Master Felch.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Sean thought he had misheard. ¡°How do you spell that?¡±


    ¡°F-E-L-C-H.¡±


    The man was speechless.


    Still, he handed Francesca the check before returning to the study room.


    He then served Danrique some tea as thetter went through some documents. ¡°Can we really trust


    her, Mr. Lindberg?¡±


    ¡°For her to be able to manage my injury in such a short time and with such limited resources, she has


    to be skilled. On top of that, she''s not even afraid of Sam.¡±


    Danrique had been observing Francesca the whole time. The nurse he had ced beside her would


    report the woman''s every move.


    I thought she was just slightly capable, but from the way she yed with Sam, she''s definitely not an


    average Joe.


    ¡°That''s a surprise.¡± Sean was visibly stunned too. ¡°Sam''s been bathed in toxins all its life and is


    covered in poison. Even we wouldn''t dare go near it.¡±


    ¡°Watch her closely,¡± Danrique instructed.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    Sean prepared the medicinal ingredients as requested by Francesca.


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°These won''t do,¡± the woman remarked with a frown. ¡°They''re all crude herbs that have been filtered.


    They won''t be effective.¡±


    ¡°I''ll keep looking¡ª¡±


    ¡°It''s fine,¡± Francesca decided. ¡°These herbal concoctions are hard toe by in the first ce, let


    alone high-grade ones. You also didn''t manage to prepare everything on the list I gave you. Just one


    missing ingredient makes a world of difference.¡±


    ¡°What should I do, then?¡± Sean asked in a panic.


    ¡°It''d be best if we could go to Chanaea. That''s the only ce we can get high-quality herbs.¡±


    ¡°But we can''t leave yet. Mr. Lindberg still has some matters to take care of,¡± Sean replied helplessly.


    ¡°How about I get someone to send the herbs over from Chanaea?¡±


    ¡°That could work if you manage to get the quality I''m looking for, but time is of the essence.¡± Francesca


    nced at the calendar. ¡°The longer we wait, his condition will be worse. Also, his wound is near


    his kidneys. So, I won''t be responsible if anything happens to his manly functions.¡±


    ¡°Uhh...¡±


    A pale-faced Sean quickly reported to Danrique, who grew just as worried.


    ¡°Get someone to send the herbs over right away.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    In just a few days, Francesca went from being just an injured woman to Danrique''s personal doctor.


    Now, everyone would greet her no matter where she went. ¡°Good day, Master Felch!¡±

 Chapter 1762

    Chapter 1762


    After hearing people call her that so often, Francesca suddenly realized something. I think I''m starting


    to realize who I am.


    When the doctor, George Henderson, had mentioned Francesco and surmised that his mentor might


    have already died, the woman was filled with rage and silently cursed at George.


    Then, when Sean asked for her name, she hastily called herself Master Felch.


    It seemed like she subconsciously knew that herst name was Felch and that she had some sort of


    connection with the person known as Francesco.


    Who could Francesco be? Are we rted?


    At the thought of this, Francesca grew excited.


    One day, she so happened to overhear Sean instructing some underlings to look for Francesco. ¡°Try


    searching for him in Chanaea,¡± she suggested. ¡°Given how skilled Francesco is in traditional medicine,


    he has to be Chanaean.¡±


    ¡°That''s what I thought too. We''ve already sent our men to look over there.¡± Sean nodded. ¡°Don''t worry.


    Even if we manage to find Francesco, you''ll still get to keep your money.¡±


    ¡°d to hear that.¡±


    Francesca grinned. If they manage to find Francesco, I''ll be able to figure out who I am.


    Then, I can go home.


    The herbal concoctions Sean had ordered arrived three dayster.


    Francesca instructed him to boil the ingredients for four hours before pouring everything into a bathtub


    for Danrique to soak himself in. She would then go over and perform acupuncture on thetter.


    Seen immedietely did es told.


    Meenwhile, Frencesce prepered her tools, brought out her new medicel kit, end sterilized the


    ecupuncture needles.


    Seen personelly ceme over when he wes done prepering. ¡°Everything''s reedy, Mester Felch.¡±


    ¡°Okey. Let''s go.¡±


    Frencesce hed thought thet Denrique would be soeking in the bethtub in his own room.


    However, she wes led to e hot spring by the gerden insteed, end she couldn''t help but freeze et the


    sight before her.


    Steem rose ebove the hot spring filled with the herbel concoction, with megnolies ell eround.


    Meenwhile, Denrique set inside the hot spring with his eyes closed. His bere body eppeered e little


    slender, but he still hed very toned muscles end even en elluring six-peck.


    The moonlight shone down on his tenned skin, meking him look like en ebsolute mesterpiece. Beeds of


    sweet dripped down his gorgeous fece end into the pool of herbel concoction.


    It wes e dreemy, picturesque, end romentic sight to behold.


    The view wes stunning, end so wes the men.


    There wes no denying thet Denrique hed e cherming fece¡ªeven more so then some women out there.


    Moreover, the wey he set there quietly mede him look especielly ceptiveting.


    Feeling her heert rece, Frencesce inedvertently kept her geze on the men''s body end gulped.


    Stop! Don''t stere et him like thet! You''re e women of honor, not e shemeless lecher!


    Sean immediately did as told.


    Meanwhile, Francesca prepared her tools, brought out her new medical kit, and sterilized the


    acupuncture needles.


    Sean personally came over when he was done preparing. ¡°Everything''s ready, Master Felch.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Let''s go.¡±


    Francesca had thought that Danrique would be soaking in the bathtub in his own room.


    However, she was led to a hot spring by the garden instead, and she couldn''t help but freeze at the


    sight before her.


    Steam rose above the hot spring filled with the herbal concoction, with magnolias all around.


    Meanwhile, Danrique sat inside the hot spring with his eyes closed. His bare body appeared a little


    slender, but he still had very toned muscles and even an alluring six-pack.


    The moonlight shone down on his tanned skin, making him look like an absolute masterpiece. Beads of


    sweat dripped down his gorgeous face and into the pool of herbal concoction.


    It was a dreamy, picturesque, and romantic sight to behold.


    The view was stunning, and so was the man.


    There was no denying that Danrique had a charming face¡ªeven more so than some women out there.


    Moreover, the way he sat there quietly made him look especially captivating.


    Feeling her heart race, Francesca inadvertently kept her gaze on the man''s body and gulped.


    Stop! Don''t stare at him like that! You''re a woman of honor, not a shameless lecher!


    ¡°Master Felch? Master Felch!¡±


    Francesca finally snapped back to reality after hearing Sean call out to her several times. She then


    hurriedly retracted her gaze and coughed in an attempt to ease the awkwardness.


    ¡°Can you begin now?¡±


    Sean couldn''t help but worry when he noticed the strange look in her eyes. She''s not actually a con


    artist, is she?


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    ¡°Yes,¡± Francesca answered before opening up her medical kit and taking out the acupuncture needles.


    Then, she walked toward Danrique and stopped right behind him.


    ¡°Try anything funny and you''re dead.¡±


    Danrique''s low and airy voice sounded extraordinarily enticing on this still night.


    Not only did Francesca remain as calm as ever, but she even added shamelessly, ¡°Don''t worry. I


    couldn''t bear to kill you even if I wanted to.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Danrique''s eyebrows furrowed.


    ¡°What I mean is, you''re my cash cow! How could I bear to kill you?¡± the woman exined frantically.


    Danrique stopped responding. Having had zero experience with women, he naturally didn''t think much


    of her words.


    ¡°I''m going to start now. Rx. It won''t hurt.¡±


    Francesca began the treatment, and before long, Danrique''s head and shoulders were filled with


    needles.


    ¡°Now, turn this way. I have to stick one into your waist,¡± she instructed while grabbing another needle.

 Chapter 1763

    Chapter 1763


    qWith his eyes closed, Danrique turned around slowly and leaned his chest against the edge of the hot


    spring, revealing his broad shoulders and back along with his waist and half of his rear.


    Francesca stilled at the sight.


    The man''s tanned body was the epitome of masculinity and seduction, especially in this misty


    atmosphere with dim lighting.


    Francesca couldn''t help but blush as her heart pounded wildly against her chest.


    She quicklyposed herself and focused on the acupuncture treatment.


    However, she couldn''t proceed with Danrique''s lower halfpletely submerged. ¡°Could you climb up


    a little? I can''t reach your waist.¡±


    Danrique didn''t respond at all. It turned out he had dozed off.


    Hence, Francesca could only lower her own body. With one hand on the ground, she reached forward


    to position a needle on Danrique''s waist.


    Suddenly, her hand slipped, and she fell right into the hot spring.


    Ssh! The loud noise instantly jolted Danrique awake.


    He opened his eyes and frowned in displeasure before turning his head.


    There, he saw the reckless woman sshing about in the water, her hands iling as though she was


    desperately searching for a lifeline.


    ¡°H-Help!¡± she blurted amidst muffled screams.


    Danrique turned around and leaned back into the edge while gazing at her, his eyes full of contempt.


    The weter isn''t even thet deep, but she''s here penicking like this insteed of trying to stend on her feet?


    Even if she cen''t swim, how much of en idiot cen she be?


    The hot spring wes less then 1.4 meters tell, so Frencesce would heve been eble to stend up just fine


    even if she were e little shorter.


    Gurgle...


    The women slowly sunk to the bottom of the hot spring, e reft of bubbles rising ebove her.


    A teunting smirk pleyed on Denrique''s lips es he wetched the struggling women with en icy geze.


    If this idiot ectuelly drowns in here, thet''d be e first in history.


    Growing weery with eech struggle, Frencesce reeched out to him.


    A few seconds leter, Denrique couldn''t stend the sight eny longer end finelly decided to give her e


    hend.


    But just es he epproeched the women, she suddenly grebbed onto him end pulled herself over to him.


    Before he could even respond, he felt e peir of soft lips pressing egeinst his cold ones.


    Denrique froze instently end just stood there.


    Her lips felt so delicete¡ªlike e flower thet hed just blossomed.


    Furthermore, the women''s soft body pressing egeinst his chest geve him e feeling he hed never felt


    before. She elso hed her slender erms wrepped eround his neck tightly, indiceting how terrified she


    wes of felling beck into the weter.


    The water isn''t even that deep, but she''s here panicking like this instead of trying to stand on her feet?


    Even if she can''t swim, how much of an idiot can she be?


    The hot spring was less than 1.4 meters tall, so Francesca would have been able to stand up just fine


    even if she were a little shorter.


    Gurgle...


    The woman slowly sunk to the bottom of the hot spring, a raft of bubbles rising above her.


    A taunting smirk yed on Danrique''s lips as he watched the struggling woman with an icy gaze.


    If this idiot actually drowns in here, that''d be a first in history.


    Growing weary with each struggle, Francesca reached out to him.


    A few secondster, Danrique couldn''t stand the sight any longer and finally decided to give her a


    hand.


    But just as he approached the woman, she suddenly grabbed onto him and pulled herself over to him.


    Before he could even respond, he felt a pair of soft lips pressing against his cold ones.


    Danrique froze instantly and just stood there.


    Her lips felt so delicate¡ªlike a flower that had just blossomed.


    Furthermore, the woman''s soft body pressing against his chest gave him a feeling he had never felt


    before. She also had her slender arms wrapped around his neck tightly, indicating how terrified she


    was of falling back into the water.


    Everything happened so quickly that Danrique didn''t know what to do.


    The unfamiliar feeling caused him to stiffen. It was like an electric current had suddenly entered his


    body and was now coursing through his bloodstream.


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    His once tranquil heart was now beating frantically as though it had just been given life.


    ¡°Phew!¡±


    After a long while, Francesca finally calmed herself and opened her eyes, only to see an incredibly


    dashing face right in front of her.


    Those amber eyes looked especially enchanting under the moonlight.


    They appeared to be filled with shock, though.


    She stared at Danrique in horror, her mind turning nk.


    ¡°Oh, my God!¡± Sean suddenly eximed. ¡°W-What on earth...¡±


    Danrique finally returned to his senses and violently shoved Francesca away, sending her to the other


    side of the hot spring and back into the water.


    ¡°Help me! Help...¡±


    Once again, the woman cried for help.


    Unfortunately, Danrique''s momentarypse of kindness was gone. He merely shot her a re before


    getting out of the hot spring. Then, he wrapped himself with a towel and stormed away.

 Chapter 1764

    Chapter 1764


    q¡°Mr. Lindberg!¡±


    Noticing something off about Danrique''s expression, Sean quickly followed him, but not before giving a


    female subordinate his order. ¡°Get her out of there. Make sure she doesn''t die.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The woman hurriedly went to rescue Francesca.


    Meanwhile, Danrique removed all the needles from his body and returned to his room in a fury. He then


    put on his bathrobe, sat on the couch, and sipped on a ss of cold wine.


    His eyes continued to burn with rage. That d*mned woman! How dare she...


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    Gordon rushed over and was just about to report to Danrique when Sean stopped him.


    Sean then leaned over to describe what had just happened, causing Gordon to pale in shock. ¡°What?


    That was Mr. Lindberg''s first kiss¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shhhh!¡± Sean hastily covered the other man''s mouth. ¡°You have a death wish or something?¡±


    Upon realizing he had said something out of line, Gordon scanned his surroundings nervously. Did he


    hear me? No? Okay. Guess I''m safe.


    Sean let go and gritted his teeth. ¡°I leave Mr. Lindberg for just one moment, and that woman makes a


    move on him,¡± he remarked softly. ¡°It''s no wonder I''ve been having this strange feeling about her. I


    thought she was only after the money or that she was sent by our enemies to spy on us, but I never


    thought...¡±


    ¡°D*mn! I can''t believe a tomboy like her tried to seduce Mr. Lindberg!¡± Gordon raged. ¡°And more


    importantly, she actually seeded?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg''s never been eround women, so there ere rumors seying he''s into men. Meybe thet''s why


    she wes the perfect cendidete to epproech Mr. Lindberg,¡± Seen lemented. ¡°It''s ell my feult. Why did I


    welk ewey? I should''ve kept en eye on her.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Gordon grew increesingly confused. ¡°The point is thet her fece is so ruined thet she''s kept it


    wrepped ell this while. No one knows whet she even looks like! So, why did Mr. Lindberg still...¡±


    ¡°Meybe it''s beceuse he''s never ectuelly been with e women. So when one finelly tries to meke e move


    on him, I guess he just...¡± Seen pondered. ¡°Well, Mr. Lindberg''s twenty-seven, but he''s never even


    touched e women''s hend. So I cen kind of understend why this heppened.¡±


    Gordon wesn''t heving it. ¡°Thet tomboy is full of tricks. She cen''t stey. I''m going to kick her out now.¡±


    ¡°Weit.¡± Seen quickly stopped him. ¡°Mr. Lindberg hesn''t been cured yet. Besides, I wes there when it


    heppened. He looked like he enjoyed it, but I''m not sure whet he wes thinking. Whet if he celms down


    end esks for thet women only to leern thet you''ve thrown her out?¡±


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Good point.¡± Gordon hed elweys been more resh, unlike the meticulous Seen. ¡°Whet should we do,


    then?¡±


    ¡°Let''s just weit end see whet Mr. Lindberg hes to sey.¡± Seen couldn''t help but worry es he stered et the


    tightly shut door. ¡°Poor Mr. Lindberg. He''s probebly feeling depressed now efter getting his first kiss


    robbed by thet tomboy.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg''s never been around women, so there are rumors saying he''s into men. Maybe that''s why


    she was the perfect candidate to approach Mr. Lindberg,¡± Seanmented. ¡°It''s all my fault. Why did I


    walk away? I should''ve kept an eye on her.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Gordon grew increasingly confused. ¡°The point is that her face is so ruined that she''s kept it


    wrapped all this while. No one knows what she even looks like! So, why did Mr. Lindberg still...¡±


    ¡°Maybe it''s because he''s never actually been with a woman. So when one finally tries to make a move


    on him, I guess he just...¡± Sean pondered. ¡°Well, Mr. Lindberg''s twenty-seven, but he''s never even


    touched a woman''s hand. So I can kind of understand why this happened.¡±


    Gordon wasn''t having it. ¡°That tomboy is full of tricks. She can''t stay. I''m going to kick her out now.¡±


    ¡°Wait.¡± Sean quickly stopped him. ¡°Mr. Lindberg hasn''t been cured yet. Besides, I was there when it


    happened. He looked like he enjoyed it, but I''m not sure what he was thinking. What if he calms down


    and asks for that woman only to learn that you''ve thrown her out?¡±


    ¡°Good point.¡± Gordon had always been more rash, unlike the meticulous Sean. ¡°What should we do,


    then?¡±


    ¡°Let''s just wait and see what Mr. Lindberg has to say.¡± Sean couldn''t help but worry as he stared at the


    tightly shut door. ¡°Poor Mr. Lindberg. He''s probably feeling depressed now after getting his first kiss


    robbed by that tomboy.¡±


    ¡°Seriously. I can''t believe this!¡± Gordon fumed.


    Meanwhile, the female subordinate carried an unconscious Francesca into the building.


    After a series of struggles, the bandages on Francesca''s face hade loose, and a small part of her


    face could now be seen.


    Her body waspletely soaked, and the outline of her charming figure was now clear as day.


    Regardless, all the men kept their gazes low, not daring to sneak a peek at her.


    In any case, their boss was now considered to have touched her, so nobody dared to even let their


    eyes wander.


    Before long, the female subordinate brought Francesca back to her room so the nurses and maids


    could take care of her. ¡°She''s unconscious. Should we get a doctor to see her?¡± the subordinate asked.


    ¡°Why should we? Isn''t she a doctor herself?¡± Gordon snapped.


    Sean, on the other hand, was more rational. ¡°That doesn''t mean she can treat herself. Get a female


    doctor to tend to her.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± The female subordinate immediately did as instructed.


    ¡°Did she seriously pass out after choking on some hot spring water?¡± Gordon was dumbstruck. ¡°Is she


    that afraid of water?¡±

 Chapter 1765

    Chapter 1765


    qWhile in a half-conscious state, Francesca felt someone removing the bandages on her face, causing


    her to jolt awake and grab onto the unknown person''s hand. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    The female doctor jumped in fright before exining, ¡°I just wanted to check for injuries on your face.¡±


    ¡°There''s no need for that.¡±


    Francesca didn''t want anyone to see her face and risk having her identity exposed.


    ¡°All right, then.¡± The doctor didn''t insist. ¡°I heard you''re a doctor too, and a really good one at that.¡±


    Francesca remained silent and sat herself up on the bed.


    Ever since she was young, there was nothing she feared¡ªexcept for water.


    She felt terrible after falling into the hot spring and swallowing so much of that herbal concoction.


    ¡°The injury on the back of your head is a little problematic. You should take care of that as soon as


    possible, or things could get real bad,¡± the doctor reminded. ¡°You can''t perform the surgery on yourself


    no matter how skilled you are. So you''ll have to let someone else do it.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Francesca turned to her. ¡°Are you saying you can do it?¡±


    ¡°I had a look at your X-ray.¡± The doctor took out an X-ray film and pointed at the visible metal piece. ¡°It''s


    already pressing against a nerve. There''s definitely going to be some risk.¡±


    ¡°How confident are you?¡± Francesca gazed at her.


    ¡°Fifty percent.¡±


    Francesca rolled her eyes.


    ¡°Mester Felch, this is Dr. Helen Wright, M Netion''s best neurologist,¡± the nurse hurriedly chimed in.


    ¡°She just so heppened to be in Summerbenk for e trip, end Mr. Lowe went out of his wey to bring her


    over so she could teke e look et you.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lowe only told me thet you neerly drowned, but efter exemining you thoroughly, I noticed e few


    other issues. Thet''s why I''m kindly reminding you to get treeted es quickly es you cen, or the


    consequences will be unimegineble.¡±


    Helen geve e stern reminder before welking ewey with her medicel kit.


    When she errived et the door, she turned to Frencesce once egein. ¡°Oh, by the wey, ere you


    ecqueinted with the mirecle doctor Frencesco?¡±


    ¡°No. Why?¡±


    ¡°I wes just curious.¡± Helen gezed et her suspiciously. ¡°I heve zero confidence in treeting Mr. Lindberg,


    but he seys thet you do.¡±


    ¡°Why, of course.¡± Frencesce reised her chin proudly.


    ¡°Well, I''m looking forwerd to it then.¡±


    Helen stered et her intently before turning to leeve.


    Seen wes elreedy weiting outside. ¡°How is she?¡±


    ¡°Nothing serious from the little hot spring incident, but the metel chip in the beck of her heed hes begun


    pressing on one of her nerves. She''ll heve to treet it before things get worse. Also, from the quick


    conversetion we just hed, I cen''t reelly tell how skillful she is es e doctor. But...¡±


    Helen peused for e moment before continuing, ¡°She looks reelly young. She''s probebly not even


    twenty, is she? How cepeble could someone her ege be? As fer es I know, treditionel medicine requires


    yeers of extensive prectice end experience. Her ege doesn''t quite meke sense in this cese.¡±


    ¡°Master Felch, this is Dr. Helen Wright, M Nation''s best neurologist,¡± the nurse hurriedly chimed in.


    ¡°She just so happened to be in Summerbank for a trip, and Mr. Lowe went out of his way to bring her


    over so she could take a look at you.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lowe only told me that you nearly drowned, but after examining you thoroughly, I noticed a few


    other issues. That''s why I''m kindly reminding you to get treated as quickly as you can, or the


    consequences will be unimaginable.¡±


    Helen gave a stern reminder before walking away with her medical kit.


    When she arrived at the door, she turned to Francesca once again. ¡°Oh, by the way, are you


    acquainted with the miracle doctor Francesco?¡±


    ¡°No. Why?¡±


    ¡°I was just curious.¡± Helen gazed at her suspiciously. ¡°I have zero confidence in treating Mr. Lindberg,


    but he says that you do.¡±


    ¡°Why, of course.¡± Francesca raised her chin proudly.


    ¡°Well, I''m looking forward to it then.¡±


    Helen stared at her intently before turning to leave.


    Sean was already waiting outside. ¡°How is she?¡±


    ¡°Nothing serious from the little hot spring incident, but the metal chip in the back of her head has begun


    pressing on one of her nerves. She''ll have to treat it before things get worse. Also, from the quick


    conversation we just had, I can''t really tell how skillful she is as a doctor. But...¡±


    Helen paused for a moment before continuing, ¡°She looks really young. She''s probably not even


    twenty, is she? How capable could someone her age be? As far as I know, traditional medicine requires


    years of extensive practice and experience. Her age doesn''t quite make sense in this case.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I understand.¡±


    Sean''s brows creased. Looks like she really is a con artist.


    Helen nodded politely before hurrying away.


    Back in the room, Francesca clutched at her chest, unable to resist the nauseous sensation she was


    feeling. ¡°Just how much bathwater did I drinkst night? I still feel like throwing up.¡±


    ¡°Pfft!¡± The nurse couldn''t stifle herugh. ¡°Why are you calling it bathwater? Isn''t it a herbal concoction


    that you told them to prepare?¡±


    ¡°Well, he soaked his entire body in there, including his bum. How can I not call it bathwater?¡±


    At the thought of that, Francesca dashed into the bathroom and began to retch over the toilet.


    ¡°Are you okay, Master Felch?¡±


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    The nurse followed her and patted her on the back.


    At the same time, Sean headed to the study room to report to Danrique everything he had just been


    told.


    Danrique kept his gaze low as he sipped on his tea.


    After a long while, he finally spoke. ¡°Throw her out!¡±


    ¡°Umm....¡± Sean froze momentarily. ¡°Then, what about the poison?¡±


    ¡°I''ll take care of it myself.¡±

 Chapter 1766

    Chapter 1766


    qGiven how skilled Danrique was at refining poison, he naturally knew how to cure it too.


    He wasn''t especially knowledgeable in it, though.


    However, after watching how that tomboy did it, he seemed to have gotten the basics down.


    Even if it doesn''t work, this poison isn''t all that serious, anyway.


    Now that word''s gotten out, I know we''ll be able to find that miracle doctor soon.


    As for the despicable tomboy who stole my first kiss, I never wanted to see her again.


    Not even for another minute.


    ¡°How about we give it another try? We''ve already gotten all the ingredients, anyway. Maybe we should


    give it a few more days, and the poison will be¡ª¡±


    Danrique cut Sean off with a death re.


    ¡°Throw her out. Right now.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Sean dared not say anything more.


    Just as Francesca had exited the bathroom and was about to lie in bed, the door suddenly flew open. A


    few female subordinates then barged in and began to drag her out of the room.


    ¡°Hey! What''s going on?¡±


    The women paid no heed to her screams and continued to drag her all the way outside the building


    before tossing her out.


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    Francesca quickly got up to her feet only to find herself standing in front of a green metal gate. She had


    been locked out.


    She stared at the gate in utter confusion.


    Then, Seen eppeered end hended her two checks through the reilings. ¡°This ispensetion for the


    cer ident. You cen receive treetment et the hospitel. Just drop my neme, end Dr. Helen Wright will


    personelly see to you.¡±


    ¡°Whet on eerth is going on?¡± Frencesce stered et him,pletely bewildered. ¡°Doesn''t thet scum...¡±


    She quickly chenged her words. ¡°Doesn''t Mr. Lindberg need my help treeting him?¡±


    ¡°Not enymore.¡± Seen glered et her. ¡°You don''t heve en ID, nor do we even know where you''re from.


    How cen we be sure thet you cen ectuelly cure the poison? Whetever would we do if you end up


    endengering him insteed?¡±


    ¡°You¡ª¡±


    ¡°You should go,¡± edvised Seen. ¡°You''ll still be eble to heil e ceb before the sun goes down. It''ll be


    dengerous efter thet.¡±


    With thet, Seen turned end left.


    ¡°Weit!¡± Frencesce celled out to him.


    ¡°Is there enything else?¡± Seen gezed et her frostily.


    ¡°I need some money for the ceb.¡± The women extended en erm towerd him.


    Seen wes et e loss for words. And here I thought she wes going to beg me for mercy, but ell she wents


    is money.N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    Well, thet''s understendeble. She hes nothing but two checks on her. She won''t be eble to teke e ceb


    beck to the city without eny cesh.


    Thus, Seen hended her e steck of cesh end bid her goodbye.


    Frencesce put the money into her pocket end left.


    Then, Sean appeared and handed her two checks through the railings. ¡°This ispensation for the


    car ident. You can receive treatment at the hospital. Just drop my name, and Dr. Helen Wright will


    personally see to you.¡±


    ¡°What on earth is going on?¡± Francesca stared at him,pletely bewildered. ¡°Doesn''t that scum...¡±


    She quickly changed her words. ¡°Doesn''t Mr. Lindberg need my help treating him?¡±


    ¡°Not anymore.¡± Sean red at her. ¡°You don''t have an ID, nor do we even know where you''re from.


    How can we be sure that you can actually cure the poison? Whatever would we do if you end up


    endangering him instead?¡±


    ¡°You¡ª¡±


    ¡°You should go,¡± advised Sean. ¡°You''ll still be able to hail a cab before the sun goes down. It''ll be


    dangerous after that.¡±


    With that, Sean turned and left.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Francesca called out to him.


    ¡°Is there anything else?¡± Sean gazed at her frostily.


    ¡°I need some money for the cab.¡± The woman extended an arm toward him.


    Sean was at a loss for words. And here I thought she was going to beg me for mercy, but all she wants


    is money.


    Well, that''s understandable. She has nothing but two checks on her. She won''t be able to take a cab


    back to the city without any cash.


    Thus, Sean handed her a stack of cash and bid her goodbye.


    Francesca put the money into her pocket and left.


    Dressed in a casual outfit with a robe draped over her, a face full of bandages, and a pair of slippers on


    her feet, she looked just like a refugee right then.


    After walking a few steps, Francesca gazed up at the balcony of the master bedroom on the first floor.


    The open curtains fluttered with the wind, but there was no one standing there watching her leave with


    a reluctant expression.


    What am I even thinking? Stuff like that only happens in romance movies, not in real life.


    ¡°Ugh, that heartless scumbag!¡±


    Disappointed, Francesca left in a huff.


    You stole my first kiss justst night, and now you''re kicking me out?


    What an awful excuse for a human being! I''d like to see what you can do about the poison without me!


    Just you wait! You''ll definitely be sorry.


    As Francesca headed down the mountain, she suddenly heard a bird''s cry.


    Upon looking up, she saw a dark object plummeting down the sky andnding inside the forest.


    She ran over and discovered a wounded eagle that seemed to be guarding something beneath it.


    As she tried to take a look at the bird''s injury, it immediately raised its ws against her.


    Francesca took a step back and instinctively cooed at the creature, causing it to settle down.

 Chapter 1767

    Chapter 1767


    qUpon closer inspection, Francesca realized that the bird was an adult female bald eagle.


    The creature had fractured its wings, and there was blood all over its body from having its neck bitten.


    Even so, its eyes remained sharp and fierce.


    Right underneath it was a clutch of eggs.


    The bird was protecting its children with its life.


    Seeing that, Francesca immediately moved the bald eagle and its eggs to a safe ce before


    searching the forest for herbs. After smashing up the ingredients, she then applied them to the bird''s


    wounds.


    To prevent other animals from attacking the mother and its children, Francesca decided to stay in the


    forest to watch over them and head down the mountain only after the eagle had recovered.


    Three days flew by just like that.


    Francesca spent all her time with the eagle¡ªsleeping on top of trees, eating wild fruits, and drinking


    dewdrops from nts.


    Her white robe had since turned ck from all the dirt, making her resemble a beggar.


    The eagle was now feeling much better. While its wings still hadn''t healedpletely, it could now


    protect its children.


    ¡°I have to go after this,¡± said Francesca as she tore a piece of her robe to wrap the eagle''s injury with.


    ¡°You look so majestic, and you have such beautiful feathers. Could you actually be a queen bird?¡±


    As though it could understand her, the eagle nodded and let out a cry.


    ¡°Really?¡± Francesca grew excited. ¡°What''s your name? Wait. I suppose you don''t have one. Let me


    give you one, then.¡±


    After pondering for a moment while stroking the eagle''s head, she made up her mind. ¡°You shall


    henceforth be named Snowy!¡±


    She then pointed to the eggs. ¡°I''ll name your children when they hatch too. I hope we''ll meet again


    someday!¡±


    Snowy leaned against her, brushing its head against her face as a sign of gratitude.


    ¡°Good girl. You should hurry up and take the kids back to your husband.¡±


    Francesca gave Snowy a hug before leaving the forest.


    Soon, she spotted a silver Maybach at the roadside.


    Dusk had fallen by then, and she would probably only arrive at the bottom of the mountain by midnight.


    Wild animals weren''t a concern to her; the dark, however...


    At the thought of this, Francesca quickly made her way over to the car and hid inside the trunk.


    ¡°Why is Mr. Lindberg suddenly asking to use a different car?¡±


    The voice of a curious bodyguard could be heard.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg''s been experiencing pain in his waist. The Pagani is too low to the ground. He feels


    ufortable sitting inside it.¡±


    Francesca instantly recognized Sean''s voice.


    Of course his waist would be in pain! That''s where he was injured. If he doesn''t do something about the


    poison, it won''t just spread; the entire wound''s going to start rotting too.


    Well, that''s what he gets for being such a know-it-all and choosing not to believe me. He even threw


    me out!


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Gordon''s found the miracle doctor, so Mr. Lindberg''s nning to meet him at the hotel. Anyway, just


    hurry up and change cars.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°Be careful, Mr. Lindberg.¡±


    Francesca felt the car sink slightly. It seemed that Danrique had gotten in.


    Soon, the car began to move.


    Francesca could still hear Sean''s voice. ¡°Have some water, Mr. Lindberg.¡±


    Danrique remained silent.


    Even while inside the trunk of the car, Francesca could feel the man''s bone-chilling presence.


    ¡°We''ll get to meet the legendary Francesco soon. It''s definitely him this time,¡± Sean assured carefully.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    Danrique''s calm voice gave off an icy aura.


    ¡°I...¡± Sean dared not answer.


    ¡°Find out what happened to that tomboy,¡± Danrique suddenly ordered.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Sean was visibly taken aback, but he quickly collected himself. ¡°Of course, sir. I''ll let Gordon


    know right away.¡±


    ¡°Aside from that, tell him to go to Casino Inferno and find out everything about the woman who made


    fun of me that day.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    Something dawned on Francesca when she heard those words.


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    That''s right. I woke up at Casino Inferno, so the people there might know who I am. I might even have


    left my ID there.

 Chapter 1768

    Chapter 1768


    qThe car drove down the mountain and headed for the city.


    There was no saying how long they had been driving because Francesca was dozing off by the time


    the car finally stopped.


    It was extremely quiet there. There was even an echo when Sean talked to the others, and Francesca


    deduced they were in a parking lot.


    She shoved a corner of her shirt at the lock on the trunk to prevent it from locking properly.


    After that, she waited until the men had left, and she could no longer hear their footsteps.


    Certain that the coast was clear, she slipped out of there right away and was going to flee the ce.


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    That was when the elevator door suddenly opened. Danrique and the others had doubled back.


    Francesca jumped in surprise and hurried to the other side of another car to hide.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg''s coat is inside the car. Go and retrieve it.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    As Sean was giving his orders, his eyes took a quick scan of the surroundings. He soon noticed


    something at the side of a jeep.


    There, beside one of the car''s tires, was the corner of a shirt.


    He signaled the others right away.


    Two subordinates crept to the side slowly.


    ¡°Is it really her, Mr. Lindberg?¡± asked Sean softly and curiously.


    Danrique didn''t reply. He narrowed his eyes and red in the direction where Francesca was hiding at.


    Still behind the jeep, Francesca waited for quite some time. Her n was to escape after the other had


    left with the coat.


    She was going to sneak a peek when she heard something behind her.


    Her instinct prompted her to turn around, but by then, someone had already grabbed her shoulder and


    pinned her down as though she was an animal.


    ¡°It is her, Mr. Lindberg!¡±


    The men treated Francesca as though she was a thief and dragged her to Danrique.


    She didn''t struggle orin. Instead, she red at him.


    ¡°Why were you hiding there?¡± demanded Danrique coldly.


    ¡°It''s dark out, and it''ll take me forever to walk all the way down the mountain. That''s why I decided to


    hitch a ride,¡± answered Francesca with a straight face on.


    Danrique was speechless.


    His subordinates were so amused that they almostughed aloud.


    ¡°Wait, so you never left? How did you end up like this?¡± asked Danrique curiously.


    ¡°I can''t believe you have the audacity to ask that question,¡± replied Francesca. She sniffed a little and


    pretended to be pitiful. ¡°You guys chased me out for no reason, and I didn''t have anywhere to go, so I


    ended up living in the forest for a few days. The only reason I decided to leave the mountain was


    because I was too hungry.¡±


    ¡°This...¡± murmured Sean. He felt a little guilty.


    ¡°If you don''t have anywhere else to go, why didn''t you go home?¡± asked Danrique as he scrutinized


    her. ¡°Also, you have a lot of cash on you, don''t you? You could have gone to a hotel.¡±


    ¡°I don''t remember where my home is. Heck, I don''t even know what my name is because I have


    amnesia,¡± replied Francesca. Her expression suggested that she was telling the truth.


    ¡°Is that so?¡± asked Danrique. He obviously didn''t believe in a word she said.


    Sean inched over and whispered, ¡°Dr. Wright mentioned that there is a possibility that her condition


    would lead to amnesia.¡±


    Danrique didn''t respond to that. He simply turned around and went into the elevator.


    Sean and the others followed quickly. Naturally, they brought Francesca along.


    Everyone made it to the presidential suite on the top floor. Danrique sat on the sofa and gestured to the


    bathroom. In a domineering tone, he ordered, ¡°Go clean yourself up.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± replied Francesca. She walked to the bathroom with bare feet.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, are we still going to Casino Inferno now that she''s here?¡± asked Sean softly.


    ¡°Yes,¡± replied Danrique right away. ¡°Send Gordon over to check things out. See if her identity cards or


    papers are there. I want to know where she is from.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied Sean, who went to ry the message to Gordon.


    In the bathroom, Francesca looked in the mirror and saw the two of them talking. That was when she


    discovered she could read lips.


    I guess Danrique still doesn''t believe me. That''s the only reason he''d send his men to investigate the


    matter regarding my identity. It doesn''t matter, though. I want to know who I am, too.


    It didn''t take long before a subordinate came over with a team of doctors. The doctors were then led to


    the living room inside the hotel.


    The team of three greeted Danrique politely before revealing the elderly doctor they had with them. In


    Ustranasion, they said, ¡°This is the renowned doctor, Dr. Francesco.¡±

 Chapter 1769

    Chapter 1769


    qFrancesca had finished showering by then. She wrapped herself up in a towel and exited just as the


    men were making the introductions.


    She didn''t hurry over when she heard that. Instead, she sat in front of the dressing table and checked


    her own injuries.


    The cut on her face was healing nicely, but the scar remained. Since the bandage was too dirty to be


    used, she tossed it before she showered. I need to find something to conceal my face again.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Just then, a voice sounded from behind her.


    Francesca grabbed a towel to cover her face right away, terrified that Danrique might recognize her. ¡°I-I


    just finished showering and am going to blow dry my hair now.¡±


    ¡°Pack up and follow me.¡±


    Danrique had always been a man of few words.


    ¡°Okay, got it.¡±


    Francesca grabbed a face mask from the drawer and put it on immediately. After that, she got up and


    walked over to Danrique.


    ¡°May I take a look at your injury, sir?¡±


    The elderly doctor looked like a man in his seventies. With a full head of white hair and beard, he


    somewhat resembled a deity. His get-up also made him look like a wise wizard.


    ¡°What did he say? Can you trante for me?¡± asked Danrique to test Francesca deliberately.


    ¡°Oh, he asked if he could see your injury,¡± replied Francesca instinctively. As soon as she finished


    speaking, she frowned in confusion. ¡°Don''t you know Chanaean?¡±


    Danrique ignored her. Instead, he shot a look at Sean, who fished out a photo and gave it to the doctor.


    The photo was of Danrique''s injury, and it was taken that morning.


    The elderly doctor put on his sses and examined the photo closely. It took him some time before he


    said, ¡°Given the state of the injury, it looks like you have been poisoned. I''m not sure what kind of


    poison it is, though. I''ll have to examine the injury and collect some samples to run some tests.¡±


    Francesca tranted the message. Without waiting for Danrique to respond, she immediately replied,


    ¡°There''s no need to run any tests. It''s snake venom mixed with live bacteria. How do you think we


    should treat the condition?¡±


    ¡°We can''t just rush in like that, youngdy,¡± replied the elderly man slowly as he stroked his beard. ¡°We


    have to be careful, so it''s best to run the tests first and be certain of everything before treating the


    condition.¡±


    Getting more annoyed by the doctor''s slow response, Francesca demanded, ¡°And how will you go


    about treating his condition? Tell me every single step involved.¡±


    ¡°Youngdy, you''re obviously clueless about medicine. How am I supposed to answer that without first


    seeing the test result?¡± replied the doctor in distaste.


    ¡°I...¡±


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Do you know how to perform acupuncture?¡± asked Danrique all of a sudden in Chanaean.


    ¡°Y-Yes,¡± replied the doctor right away. ¡°I have been a doctor for years, and acupuncture is like child''s


    y to me.¡±


    ¡°So, does that mean you know all about human acupuncture points?¡± asked Danrique.


    ¡°Of course. I know everything there is to know,¡± replied the doctor as he nodded.


    ¡°Test him,¡± ordered Danrique while pointing at the doctor. ¡°He can stay if he proves he knows both.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied Sean. He hurried off to carry out his tasks.


    Francesca was dumbstruck. Is this for real? Danrique is actually going to keep that doctor around? The


    doctor didn''t even say anything useful, and everything he said earlier could easily be a lie.


    ¡°Please follow me along.¡±


    Sean led the doctor and his team away.


    Back in the room, Danrique waved his hand to dismiss the rest of his subordinates.


    ¡°Hey, that guy definitely isn''t the renowned doctor, Francesco,¡± shared Francesca hurriedly, and in a


    worried tone. ¡°He''s a fake, and they''re just trying to con you out of your money. Trust me, they¡ª¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± said Danrique, cutting her words short. ¡°I just need him to be well-versed in acupuncture.¡±


    Francesca was confused. ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡±


    ¡°We''ll treat my condition using your method. You''ll be themand, and he''ll administer the treatment,¡±


    replied Danrique as he gazed at her coldly. ¡°Got it?¡±


    ¡°Uh...¡±


    Francesca finally understood what was going on. He doesn''t want me to touch him, so he got that other


    doctor over to administer the treatment.

 Chapter 1770

    Chapter 1770


    qA sense of indignation welled up in Francesca at Danrique''s words.


    She could feel the anger boiling within her. What is that supposed to mean? He makes me sound like a


    pervert! It''s as though I would take advantage of him.


    ¡°W-What is the meaning of this?¡± demanded Francesca, furious.


    ¡°What do you think it means?¡± refuted Danrique. He red over and pointed out, ¡°Remember how you


    went all the way into the hot spring just to administer the treatment? You even...¡±


    Danrique couldn''t finish that sentence. He was furious when he recalled how she had stolen his first


    kiss.


    ¡°T-That was... I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Enough,¡± said Danrique to cut her words short. ¡°From now on, you will behave and treat my condition


    without trying anything funny.¡±


    ¡°What? How am I the one who didn''t behave?¡± argued Francesca. ¡°I told you to lean in closer, but you


    stayed there like a dummy. That''s why I had no choice but to lean in to administer the treatment and


    why I identally slip¡ª¡±


    ¡°And you somehow identally fell on me?¡± asked Danrique. He interrupted her once more and was


    cruel when he added, ¡°Don''t even think about seducing me. I will never be interested in a tomboy like


    you!¡±


    ¡°Excuse me? You''re the one that''s somehow masculine and feminine at the same time,¡± growled


    Francesca, who was on the verge of losing her temper.


    ¡°Shut up and leave,¡± demanded Danrique. He was too tired to continue arguing with her.


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°All right,e on then, Master Felch,¡± said Sean. He had hurried over to ease the tension. ¡°Don''t be


    angry. Let''s stay calm and head out for now. I got you a private room.¡±


    As he spoke, he gestured for two bodyguards to escort her out of the ce.


    Francesca was still fuming when she left, but she soon realized that there was nowhere she could go.


    After all, she had no idea who she was. Gah, I have nothing to do anyway, so I might as well just focus


    on treating his condition and earning that money. Come on, Francesca, you can do it. Just think of the


    money.


    ¡°Master Felch, this is your room. I''ve already sent someone to get you some clean clothes. Please rest


    here in the meantime. We''ll be heading back tomorrow.¡±


    As Sean spoke, two maids showed up with said clean clothes.


    ¡°They will be responsible for taking care of you. Please feel free to ask them for anything.¡±


    With that, Sean was going to leave when Francesca stopped him. ¡°Wait.¡±


    ¡°Hmm? What is it?¡± he asked, pausing and turning around to look at her.


    ¡°I want to head outter and might be backte. Is that okay?¡± asked Francesca.


    ¡°Of course it is. Do you need a car?¡± asked Sean while smiling.


    ¡°There''s no need for that. I can get a cab,¡± replied Francesca before she made her request directly.


    ¡°Just don''t send anyone to follow me.¡±


    ¡°Uh, well...¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry, the pay is too good, so I won''t sneak away,¡± said Francesca, who knew exactly what Sean


    was thinking. ¡°I''ll be back before the sun rises.¡±


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    ¡°Okay,¡± replied Sean after he thought about it. He handed her a phone and said, ¡°My number is saved


    in there, and you can call me whenever you want. Naturally, it''ll also allow me to contact you.¡±


    ¡°There isn''t any tracker in here, right?¡± asked Francesca as she examined the phone she just received.


    ¡°Uhm...¡±


    Sean was dumbstruck by her question. Must she be that direct?


    ¡°I guess that''s a yes. Don''t bother ying tricks like that. There''s nothing you can do if I actually want


    to flee,¡± she said arrogantly before tossing the phone back to Sean.


    After that, she returned to her room to change her clothes.


    ¡°My, my, she may be young, but she sure is arrogant.¡±


    Gordon happened to be there, so he saw everything.


    ¡°What are you doing here? Aren''t you supposed to be at Casino Inferno?¡± asked Sean, frowning.


    ¡°I just got back,¡± answered Gordon in a soft voice. ¡°They don''t know who our mysterious Master Felch


    is, either. Turns out, it was some human traffickers that sent her to the casino.


    ¡°They imed they found her by the beach. She was already wounded then, and our guess is that her


    wounds are rted to the yacht explosion from some time ago.¡±

 Chapter 1771

    Chapter 1771


    q¡°Send some more men over,¡± ordered Sean softly. ¡°Mr. Lindberg seems to care a lot about this girl.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it''s because he wants to get back at her for the kiss?¡± asked Gordon while smiling.


    ¡°That''s one of the reasons,¡± replied Sean. He shot a look at Francesca''s room before lowering his voice


    and saying, ¡°My guess is that she is the person Mr. Lindberg has been looking for...¡±


    ¡°Wait, are you saying that she''s Mr. Lindberg''s aunt''s daughter?¡± asked Gordon as his eyes bulged in


    surprise.


    ¡°No, I think she''s the other one.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see...¡±


    Back in the room, Danrique leaned against the sofazily and rested his head on one hand. He had a


    pocket watch in his other hand, and in there was a photo of a young woman in her teens.


    She was a little thin and had long, dark hair. Her innocent eyes shone brightly while a cheerful smile lit


    up her face.


    That photo was from seven years ago. Danrique was in trouble at the time when he met her. To him,


    she was his angel and also his first love.


    Back then, he was being chased by assassins and was gravely wounded. She was the one who


    rescued him.


    Running from their assants, they dashed into a photo booth to hide. She got curious and took the


    photo that had since been ced inside Danrique''s pocket watch.


    Danrique had kept that pocket watch and that photo with him for seven years.


    When he first met the woman at Casino Inferno, he thought she looked familiar, but he couldn''t quite


    put a finger on it.


    He had been thinking about her for the past few days and realized that she might be the girl in the


    photo.


    It had been seven years, so naturally, she had grown up and looked different. That being said, the


    woman''s facial features and her bright eyes were rather simr to that of the girl in the photo.


    Not to mention that arrogant and unrestrained style is a perfect match as well.


    The only problem was that the woman had make-up on that day, so he couldn''t be sure if she and the


    girl in the photo were one and the same.


    Danrique hadn''t just been searching for his Aunt Isabe''s daughter all these years. He had been


    looking for the girl in the photo as well.


    Problem was that he knew nothing about her, except that she was an expert in medicine. Since there


    was virtually no clue to go on, it was extremely difficult to locate her.


    The silver lining was that he left her a token of his love. If the woman had that item with her, then it


    would prove that she and the girl are one and the same.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, I have some news to report,¡± said Gordon after he knocked on the door.


    ¡°Come in,¡± replied Danrique while putting his pocket watch away.


    Gordon entered the room and had his head down as he made his report. ¡°I''ve searched every inch of


    Casino Inferno, but the woman''s identity cards are nowhere to be found. The employees there said


    they bought her from a bunch of human traffickers.


    ¡°When I found those human traffickers, they said they found her on the beach.


    ¡°She was already wounded at the time, and her wounds suggested that she might be connected to the


    yacht explosion from some time ago.¡±


    ¡°Figure out who owned that yacht. I want all the details,¡± said Danrique.


    ¡°We''ve already started working on that,¡± replied Gordon. ¡°My men are looking for the ce the woman


    went after she fled. We actually found the car she stole earlier, but the owner is scared witless and


    knows nothing.¡±


    ¡°Call the local police forces to gain ess to the surveince camera,¡± ordered Danrique immediately.


    ¡°I''ve already called them. It might take some time...¡±


    ¡°Then head over there in person. Right. This. Instant!¡± demanded Danrique as he frowned angrily.


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied Gordon. He ran out to work on the task right away. Getting in the elevator, he saw


    Francesca rushing over to get in as well.


    ¡°Hold the door!¡±


    One of the subordinates pressed the button right away to wait for her.


    ¡°Dr. Felch, where are you going?¡±


    Gordon didn''t feel right calling her Master Felch, so he had been addressing her as Dr. Felch instead.


    ¡°I have some errands to run. What about you guys?¡± asked Francesca. She was wearing a baseball


    cap and a ck mask. Coupled with the casual outfit she was dressed in, she looked just like a guy.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°We''re heading out to run some errands as well,¡± answered Gordon with a smile. ¡°Should we prep a car


    for you?¡±


    ¡°No, but thank you for offering,¡± replied Francesca politely.


    The elevator door opened, and Francesca strode out of there. Behind her, Gordon lowered his voice


    and instructed, ¡°I''ll drop by the police station. You boys go back to Casino Inferno. See if we missed


    anything. Maybe you''ll end up finding clues about the woman.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±

 Chapter 1772

    Chapter 1772


    qFrancesca frowned when she overheard that. D*mn, they still haven''t given up on searching for me,


    huh? I bet they''ll feel really stupid if they ever find out that the woman they''re looking for is right beside


    them. That being said... I can''t believe how petty that guy is. All I did was use him a little to escape that


    stupid ce. I didn''t even hurt him. Must he keep chasing me like that? Urgh! What do I do now?


    Francesca knew that if she went to Casino Inferno again and bumped into those men, they would most


    likely recognize her.


    She thought long and hard before she hailed a cab to go to a crowded street where stalls were


    abundant. There, she bought a mini-skirt and put on a wig and some make-up. She slipped back to


    Casino Inferno after that.


    She stashed her other outfit in a backpack so that it would be easier for her to change back into it.


    The hotdy disguise she had on at the moment waspletely different from the sexy woman she


    was a few days ago. It also differed from her usual self, so it was unlikely that the other men would


    recognize her.


    The incident from that night didn''t slow business down for Casino Inferno. It made business even better


    instead.


    The night had just fallen, but the ce was already packed.


    The opening show for the night featured a blonde dancing beside a stripper pole. The men were so


    excited that they whistled at her and danced to the music.


    Francesca snuck past the crowd and slipped backstage before making her way to the model''s fitting


    room.


    Beautifuldies were changing their outfits and sharing juicy gossip at the time.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    ¡°Is it just me, or are there fewer auctions these days? It''s all just dancing and performing.¡±


    ¡°Well, a few days ago, a girl from C Nation made a mess at the casino, so the owner no longer has the


    guts to sell random woman.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense. It''d be bad if another skilled fighter shows up and offends the VIPs here.¡±


    ¡°Exactly! That woman didn''t just piss the owner and the clients off. She also offended a mysterious


    guest. We''re lucky that the guy didn''te after us for it. If he had, Casino Inferno would be closed


    down.¡±


    ¡°You know, that woman really is something else. I was witnessing everything from the side, and my


    heart almost jumped out of my chest from all the excitement.¡±


    ¡°She is powerful. I mean, she can fight, has good instincts, and is gutsy. My gosh, she''s my idol.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, I look up to her too.¡±


    Francesca listened to the others talking about her and was a little ttered to hear all that.


    She was about to head over and ask them some questions when two burly bodyguards showed up with


    the owner. They were there to talk to the girls as well.


    Francesca hid behind the closet right away and listened closely.


    ¡°She was already unconscious when we met her, and we never got to talk to her, so we don''t know


    much about her.¡±


    ¡°Who helped her change her clothes that day?¡±


    ¡°I did, but she wasn''t wearing anything unusual. She had a patient''s outfit on and didn''t have any


    essories.¡±


    ¡°A patient''s outfit... So, she came directly from the hospital?¡± asked one of the bodyguards after


    hearing that.


    ¡°Yes,¡± replied the owner anxiously. ¡°She didn''t have any papers on her when my men brought her over.


    That was why I felt safe auctioning her off. I never imagined that she would attack Mr. Lindberg...¡±


    ¡°Who brought her over from the hospital? And which hospital are we talking about here? Go get the


    guy over right now!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    The owner left with the bodyguards after that.


    Francesca was going to leave when she overheard what the other twodies whispered to one another.


    ¡°Oh, that girl is doomed. She pissed off a VIP, so she''ll probably be dead soon.¡±


    ¡°Why didn''t you tell them the truth earlier?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I know you took something that belonged to that woman.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? When have I ever¡ª¡±


    ¡°Stop pretending. I caught you stealing. Seriously, these are not the kind of people you can afford to


    mess with. Don''t risk your life for some petty gains. It''s not worth it, so just hand it over.¡±


    ¡°I...¡±


    Thedy with a head of red hair hesitated, so her friend continued by saying, ¡°I know you need the


    money, but that item isn''t worth much anyway and can''t be sold. Worse still, others will find it once you


    sell it off. Aren''t you scared that you''ll die a terrible death?¡±

 Chapter 1773

    Chapter 1773


    q¡°All right, that''s enough. Stop scaring me.¡±


    Thedy with the red hair was frightened. She nervously retrieved a ne from her bag and looked


    longingly at it before shoving it back into her bag. After that, she ran out to chase after the Lindberg


    family''s bodyguards.


    Francesca followed her immediately. She took advantage of the crowd present and bumped into that


    red-haireddy.


    ¡°Ah,¡± yelped thedy as she was almost knocked to the floor.


    With her head down low, Francesca murmured an apology before rushing off.


    ¡°Hurry. Things will be bad if they leave before you catch up to them,¡± said the red-haireddy''s friend.


    The two of them ran out the doors and saw how the bodyguards were getting into their cars. The red-


    haireddy quickly opened her bag to retrieve the ne, only to realize that it was gone. In its ce


    was a stack of cash.


    Her eyes bulged in surprise, and she stood there, stunned.


    ¡°What''s wrong?¡±


    ¡°T-The ne... it''s gone.¡±


    ¡°What? Are you serious? Look through your bag again. Toss everything out.¡±


    ¡°It''s not here. It''s definitely gone. What do I do now? What do I do?¡± said thedy, who was on the


    verge of crying after searching her bag for a while.


    ¡°Okay, calm down. Let''s go back to our fitting room and check there. If we can''t find it, we''ll just pretend


    you never stole it.¡±


    ¡°Marrisa, you can''t tell anyone about this. If you do, they''ll kill me.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry. I won''t. We''re besties, after all.¡±


    Listening to thedies'' conversation from the secluded corner she was hiding in, Francesca only sighed


    a breath of relief when she saw them heading back in.


    Good, I don''t think I got them in any trouble.


    She waited until everybody was gone before she fished the ne out and examined it. The


    ne had a cross as a pendant, and it looked familiar.


    She was certain that it belonged to her.


    She was about to put it on when she thought of something. Wait, won''t this reveal my identity? I better


    put it away for now.


    Francesca didn''t think much of it and put it in her bag before she left Casino Inferno.


    At the same time, the bodyguards who had left suddenly doubled back.


    Turned out, Danrique had dropped by, and his men were there to protect him. He strode over.


    Francesca''s heart skipped a beat. I''ll be in so much trouble if he recognizes me.


    She had no choice but to go back into the casino.


    Meanwhile, the red-haireddy and her friend were looking for Francesca.


    ¡°It has to be thatdy with the long, ck hair. She bumped into me earlier, and I think she must have


    stolen the ne then.¡±


    ¡°You''re right. It must be her.¡±


    ¡°We have to find her as quickly as possible. If those men find out what happened before we do that,


    they''ll kill me.¡±


    ¡°Calm down. I''ll search for thedy with you.¡±


    It was then that Francesa realized she had gotten herself into an ¡°out of the frying pan and into the fire¡±


    kind of situation.


    She started to panic. D*mn it! what do I do now?


    It took her some time, but she eventually found a small warehouse behind her. She snuck in right away.


    The warehouse was filled with costumes and gadgets for the performance on stage. There were


    masks,ces, wings, and others.


    Francesca grabbed a random red skirt and changed her wig into a blond one before putting on a ck-


    laced mask. After that, she put all her things in another bag and strolled right out of there.


    ¡°That''s strange. Where is she? She should be around here somewhere, right?¡±


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    ¡°Do you think maybe she''s one of the new girls the casino hired? Maybe she overheard our


    conversation and knew that the ne was priceless, so she stole it.¡±


    ¡°Should we ask the owner about this?¡±


    ¡°No, asking him about it would only expose you as the thief who stole the ne in the first ce.


    We should just look for it ourselves.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    The twodies were so busy looking for the Aplothdy with long, ck hair that they didn''t even


    recognize Francesca when she walked right by them.


    Seeing that her n worked, Francesca sped up and was going to leave via the front door when a


    familiar voice sounded behind her. ¡°Stop.¡±


    It was Danrique.


    Francesca froze and frowned. Shit...

 Chapter 1774

    Chapter 1774


    qHe won''t recognize me, will he?


    Francesca could hear a series of footsteps and knew that Danrique was approaching her.


    He walked slowly, but for some unknown reason, every step echoed with power.


    Francesca couldn''t help panicking a little. Did he already figure out who I am? Is he going to expose


    me right here and now? Will he exact his revenge immediately after?


    She looked at the long corridor in front of her and instinctively clenched her fists.


    What are the chances of me sessfully fleeing?


    ¡°You dropped something.¡±


    Danrique''s voice was emotionless, without a hint of warmth or hostility.


    Francesca was slightly taken aback. She turned around and saw the lipstick he was holding.


    That''s mine.


    She had bought that lipstick earlier that day because she needed it to disguise herself.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Francesca epted the lipstick and left the scene right away.


    Danrique stared at her and narrowed his eyes.


    Aplicated glow shone in them.


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg...¡±


    Sean approached slowly while paying close attention to his boss.


    Danrique waved his hand and issued an order.


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Meanwhile, Francesca had snuck into the casino, moving past the crowd before leaving the ce.


    She wanted to be out of there as soon as possible, but a drunkard got in her way when she was in the


    lobby. ¡°Hey beautiful,e and have a drink with me.¡±


    ¡°F*ck off!¡± growled Francesca angrily, nning on circling around him and leaving.


    Unfortunately, the drunkard would not relent. ¡°How dare you talk to me like that? You''re nothing but a


    stripper, and I''m loaded.¡±


    As he spoke, he took a stack of cash out and was about to shove them in her bra.


    Fuming, Francesca kicked at the man.


    Bang! The drunkard was sent flying before crashing into a table, frightening all the gamblers there.


    ¡°Y-You...¡±


    The drunkard had his hand on his stomach and was in so much pain that he wanted to cuss.


    Unfortunately, that same pain made it impossible for him to talk.


    ¡°Who the hell is making a ruckus here?¡±


    It didn''t take long before a group of bodyguards surrounded the ce.


    After the previous incident, Casino Inferno had strengthened its security, and they had since hired


    many skilled fighters to keep the ce safe.


    They likely would have never guessed that the person who made a mess back then was the same


    person who was currently making a scene.


    Francesca frowned. All she wanted to do was to leave quickly because things would be bad if Danrique


    caught her there.


    ¡°How dare you assault a client? Come with me.¡±


    Two bodyguards stepped over to take her away.


    Francesca responded by breaking a bodyguard''s nose before running away.


    ¡°Stop!¡±


    The other bodyguards chased after her immediately and tried to have her surrounded.


    Francesca ended up fighting them. Given her skills, it would not be a problem for her to fight a few guys


    simultaneously. However, there were quite a few bodyguards there, and they were more skilled than


    the previous ones she beat up.


    To make matters worse, her injuries still hadn''t recovered, so she was at a disadvantage soon after.


    Two bodyguards were about to apprehend her when someone sent them flying with a kick.


    Bang! The loud noise came after the two bodyguardsnded heavily on a table that was over ten


    meters away. Silence ensued as everyone was stunned by the scene.


    Francesca lost her bnce and almost fell, but someone with strong arms supported her shoulders


    before that could happen.


    She turned around to see who it was and was immediately dumbfounded. Danrique!


    The man tilted his head down to stare at her. Since he was thirty centimeters taller than her, he was


    practically looming over her.


    Dazed, Francesca continued to stare at the man before her. The way he moves, the position we''re in,


    the look on his face... why does everything feel so familiar?


    ¡°You imbeciles, back off!¡± roared the owner of Casino Inferno angrily. ¡°You useless pieces of trash. How


    dare you idiots attack Mr. Lindberg?¡±


    Only then did the bodyguards realize that they had offended a VIP. They quickly bowed and


    apologized.


    Danrique had his men clear the ce out and disperse the crowd after that.


    Finally snapping back to her senses, Francesca lowered her head and murmured her thanks before


    she made to leave.

 Chapter 1775

    Chapter 1775


    qImmediately, Danrique pulled her back and stared into her eyes. ¡°It''s you?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Francesca instinctively blurted out.


    However, she regretted the moment she opened her mouth.


    Danrique''s eyes widened at her voice, and he reached out his hand to remove her mask.


    In response, Francesca attempted to duck, but Danrique moved faster than she did.


    Before she knew it, he had ripped off her mask.


    Looking at her face, Danrique froze. Although her smoky makeup made her seem almost


    unrecognizable, he could tell that she was thedy who held him hostage that night.


    ¡°It is you!¡±


    Even the boss at Casino Inferno recognized her. When he saw her fighting with the bodyguards earlier,


    it reminded him of thedy from that day. He drew parallels from the moves she used.


    Flustered, Francesca hurriedly tried to escape.


    Unfortunately, Danrique grabbed her backpack to stop her from leaving.


    The force tore open her bag, and its contents spilled all over the floor.


    At that sight, Francesca quickly bent down to retrieve them.


    Yet, Danrique was one step ahead of Francesca, and he managed to snatch the gold ne from


    her.


    As the cold metal cross slid through her fingers, Francesca screeched, ¡°Give it back to me!¡±


    She desperately tried to reach for the item but to no avail as Danrique extended his right arm and held


    it above his head to move it out of her reach.


    Given their difference in height, there was no way she could reach the ne.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    At that moment, Sean reached down to pick up the clothes scattered on the floor.


    Afraid that it would expose her identity, Francesca frantically grabbed her clothes and fled.


    ¡°Hey, don''t leave,¡± Sean called out, attempting to stop her. However, Danrique interrupted, ¡°Don''t scare


    her.¡±


    ¡°Should I get our men to follow her?¡± Sean asked.


    ¡°It''s not necessary,¡± Danrique muttered while eyeing the ne he held. His gaze softened as he


    continued, ¡°It''s her.¡±


    Meanwhile, Francesca ran out of Casino Inferno and hopped into a taxi.


    When she finally got in the car, she pressed her hands to her chest to calm herself down.


    Francesca felt more confused than ever when she recalled the earlier events.


    Why did Danrique help me? If he noticed that I was the one who held him hostage that night, shouldn''t


    he be angry? Wouldn''t he want to lock me up and teach me a lesson? If he wanted to punish me, he


    would not have given me a chance to flee. But I managed to escape, and he did nothing to stop me.


    Besides, why did he have to take the ne? Is it valuable? Even so, he is evidently wealthy, given


    that he could easily fork out a hundred million for medical fees, so why would he be hung up on a


    ne? Please don''t tell me that he took it on purpose so that I would return for it. It must have a


    significant meaning. Perhaps, it contains clues to my identity. If so, I must take it back, though I will


    have to use another identity.


    ¡°Where are you heading to?¡± the driver asked.


    ¡°Oh, I¡ª¡± Francesca finally regained her senses and randomly thought of a ce. ¡°You can drop me at


    the nearest public toilet.¡±


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    Annoyed, the driver rolled his eyes at her via the rearview mirror before stopping his car at a park


    nearby.


    Then, Francesca grabbed her bag of clothes and headed for the public toilet in the middle of the park.


    After she washed her face and got changed, she took another taxi back to the hotel.


    However, the ce was heavily guarded by bodyguards hired by the Lindberg family. They surrounded


    the area to prevent any outsiders from entering.


    Initially, they even stopped Francesca at the door. Luckily, one of the security guards recognized her


    and subsequently allowed her in.


    When she walked into the hotel, she overheard the Lindberg family''s bodyguards instructing the hotel


    security guards to stop any other outsiders from going into the building.


    It made her more curious. Who the hell is Danrique? All this fuss makes him seem like the president.


    No matter where I go, there are always so many people protecting him. That being said, there are a lot


    of people going after him. At Casino Inferno that day, someone even nted a bomb to kill him. I


    should keep my distance from him. Otherwise, I may die anytime. It''s best to give him the cure as soon


    as possible and leave after I get my hands on the money.


    Once Francesca went back to her room, she carefully treated her wound. She had suffered severe


    injuries due to the car ident. After the ordeal she went through earlier, her wounds had split open


    again.

 Chapter 1776

    Chapter 1776


    qShe had locked her door before she tended to her wounds.


    Luckily, the Lindberg family had medical kits with them at all times.


    Although it only contained essential medicine, it was still enough to deal with Francesca''s injuries.


    Soon, Francesca finished cleaning her wounds. However, she suddenly felt a sharp pain at the back of


    her head.


    Closing her eyes, she cradled her head. Enduring the pain, she popped a painkiller into her mouth.


    I guess I can''t hold out any longer. I should undergo the surgery to get that metal out of my brain soon.


    While she considered her options, she heard a flurry of footsteps outside. A subordinate politely


    greeted, ¡°Mr. Lindberg.¡±


    Hearing that, Francesca knew Danrique had arrived.


    Since he took her ne, she had to take it back before she left.


    In the end, she fell asleep on the bed.


    Meanwhile, in the room beside hers, Danrique received a call from Gordon. Thetter reported, ¡°Mr.


    Lindberg, I checked on thedy who left Casino Inferno earlier. She got into a car and headed for Maze


    Hospital.¡±


    ¡°Maze Hospital?¡±


    As Danrique thought about it, he narrowed his eyes. That day, he had been chased down by assassins


    near Maze Hospital too. Then, he crashed into a tomboy, injuring her.


    ¡°Yes, I am right in front of the hospital, trying to investigate further.¡±


    Bang! As soon as Gordon finished, Danrique heard a loud noiseing from the parking lot. Police


    sirens filled the air shortly after, disrupting the silent night.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg.¡± At that moment, Ben frantically knocked on Danrique''s door. ¡°There is an attack!¡±


    ¡°Let''s leave,¡± Danrique instructed firmly.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, what about me?¡± Gordon questioned.


    ¡°Come back here first to deal with the Mafia.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Lindberg,¡± Gordon acknowledged.


    After putting on his jacket and grabbing his gun, Danrique left the room. Arge group of bodyguards


    surrounded him as they hurriedly headed to the back door.


    ¡°What''s wrong?¡±


    Francesca walked out of her room barefooted, still in her pajamas. Despite so, she did not forget to put


    on her mask. Staring at the chaotic scene before her, she widened her eyes in confusion.


    ¡°Someoneunched an attack. We have to leave now,¡± Sean stated before grabbing Francesca''s hand


    to drag her along with them.


    ¡°Wait a moment. I forgot to put on my shoes.¡±


    Without sparing a look at her, Sean insisted, ¡°We don''t have time for that.¡±


    Amid the chaos, Francesca followed the men out of the hotel, who then shoved her into a car parked


    outside.


    Looking at the roaring mes, Francesca could not help but frown. ¡°Who the hell are you? Why are


    there people chasing after you no matter where you go? Isn''t it dangerous for whoever follows you?¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Danrique growled.


    ¡°I¡ª¡±


    Francesca wanted to continue but was interrupted by a dozen jeeps surrounding them. They drew


    down their windows and started firing shots at their car.


    Without a choice, Ben quickly drove the car and sped toward the back door.


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    At the same time, a few of their bodyguards guarding outside also tried to stop the attackers.


    In the end, they shook off all but two of the jeeps.


    However, besides Francesca, there were only three other people in the car¡ªDanrique, Sean, and Ben


    in the driver''s seat.


    Things were not looking good for them as they were outnumbered by their enemies.


    Sean held onto his gun in preparation for any attack.


    On the other hand, Danrique seemed unusually calm. He nced outside before ordering Ben, ¡°Turn to


    the right. Speed up and hit them!¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    Given the circumstances, Francesca did not dare to speak anymore. Her heart pounded as she prayed


    to get to safety as soon as possible.


    It did not take long for the car to leave the hotel and continue its journey on the road.


    Despite so, another modified vehicle in ck continued to chase after them while aiming to shoot their


    tires.


    ¡°I guess the pastor wants you dead, seeing how he coborated with the Mafia toe after you,¡±


    Sean seethed.


    ¡°Obviously! I offended him big time, so why would he let me off?¡± Danrique still lookedposed as he


    spoke, ¡°We are in their territory, and there is no need for us to face them head-on. After we sign the


    contract tomorrow, we shall retaliate.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Lindberg!¡±

 Chapter 1777

    Chapter 1777


    qBen gripped the steering wheel tightly and floored the elerator, hoping to dodge the attacks.


    Unfortunately, the Mafia continued to follow them.


    When their car reached the highway, a convoy suddenly appeared. It formed a line before their car and


    attempted to intercept them.


    ¡°They sent so many people to ambush us!¡±


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    Sean anxiously dialed Gordon''s number to ask for backup.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg...¡± Ben broke out in cold sweat.


    ¡°Hit them!¡± Danrique decisively ordered.


    Unexpectedly, Francesca said the same thing at the same time.


    ¡°But if we hit them, we¡ª¡±


    ¡°Get out of my way!¡±


    Frowning, Danrique was about to climb into the driver''s seat. Yet, someone else beat him to it.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Since Ben did not react, Francesca pushed him away and squeezed into the front seat.


    Given her petite size, it was not difficult for her to take over the driver''s seat. On the other hand, Ben


    was forced to press himself against Sean''s body.


    ¡°Move aside now. It isn''t a game,¡± Sean yelled at Francesca.


    ¡°You don''t know what you are dealing with!¡±


    Danrique frowned and wanted to pull Francesca away.


    At that moment, the car sped up, and its front wheels lifted from the ground. With that, the vehicle


    bnced on its hind wheels as it raced forward.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Ben could not help but shriek.


    Even Sean widened his eyes as he watched the scene unfold in disbelief.


    Danrique was slightly rmed, and he looked at thedy in the driver''s seat with an unfathomable


    expression.


    Outside, the people in the convoy was at a loss.


    They thought they could stop Danrique if they formed a line to block his car. Little did they expect that


    the vehicle would speed up and head for them like a wrecking ball.


    Boom!


    Before they knew it, the silver Maybachnded on the ground swiftly after breaking through the barrier


    and spun around, as though Danrique and the rest were dering their victory to them.


    With a smirk, Francesca stuck out her thumb at their pursuers and turned it downwards before she


    sped off.


    The convoy wanted to continue their chase. However, they had to turn their cars around first. By the


    time they did that, the Maybach was already out of their sight.


    It was as though the Maybach traveled at the speed of light as it disappeared silently into the night.


    Soon, they shook off their pursuers.


    Minutes had passed, but Ben was still staring at Francesca in shock.


    Sean was also in disbelief. ¡°W-Who the heck are you?¡±


    It was the same question on Danrique''s mind too.


    ¡°I don''t know either,¡± Francesca casually answered. ¡°If you know anything about my background,


    remember to tell me.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Ben gave her a puzzled look.


    ¡°I almost forgot you lost your memories.¡±


    After Sean managed to regain hisposure, he climbed into the backseat.


    ¡°I''m impressed by your driving skills,¡± Danrique finally spoke. He sounded calm and emotionless.


    There was only a slight change in his gaze when he looked at Francesca.


    ¡°It''s all right.¡± Then, Francesca narrowed her eyes and nced at the rearview mirror. ¡°Ugh, they are


    back!¡±


    Instantly, Sean and Ben held up their guns and prepared to shoot.


    At the same time, Francesca stepped on the elerator and prepared to shake them off when she


    noticed oil leaking from the hind wheels.


    Their car probably got shot during the pursuit. Luckily, it was a good car, and it could still hold up


    temporarily. Given the urgency earlier, they did not notice it.


    However, now that the oil tank was leaking, it was unlikely that they could travel for a long distance.


    Francesca made a quick decision and started to drive up the mountain.


    ¡°What are you trying to do?¡± Sean questioned.


    ¡°There are only a few of us, and two of our wheels are down. Do you think we can get rid of them on


    the highway?¡±


    ¡°If we can''t escape from them on the highway, how would we do that on a mountain?¡± Ben was more


    confused than ever.


    ¡°We can do it.¡± Confidently, Francesca continued to exin, ¡°They have yet toplete the


    construction of the road on this mountain, and there are no lights here. If I turn off our headlights, they


    will find it hard to follow us.¡±


    ¡°If you turn off the headlights, how will you drive?¡± Sean cautiously pointed out.


    ¡°You can''t do it, but I can.¡±

 Chapter 1778

    Chapter 1778


    qFrancesca swiftly switched off the headlights and sped up the road to the mountain.


    It seemed like she had night vision that could see the road ahead in the dark.


    Although it was a narrow path, she could still control the steering wheel well enough that they did not


    veer off course.


    Admittedly, Sean was impressed, and Ben also watched her with admiration.


    On the other hand, Danrique observed her calmly and asked casually, ¡°There is only one way up the


    mountain. Even if you turn off the headlights, they will follow us up the same route. In the end, they will


    catch up with us too.¡±


    ¡°Wait, so we can only go up and down this mountain using one road?¡± Sean asked in a panic.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Francesca nodded. ¡°That''s why we''re not taking the usual route.¡±


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    As she spoke, she swerved the car into a forest.


    ¡°Hey, what are you doing?¡± Sean raised his voice. ¡°The forest is full of trees. We will not be able to


    drive far before wee to a stop.¡±


    ¡°Well, it''s better to stop here than to meet them on the road.¡± With a grin, Francesca stated, ¡°They will


    never realize that we drove into the forest.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    Sean wanted to protest, but Danrique raised his hand to stop him.


    While driving through the woods, Francesca crushed the bushes and flowers on the forest floor. She


    could even drive the car through the small gaps between the trees.


    She was quick on her feet and could estimate the distance between the trees. Judging from the width


    of the space, she masterfully weaved through the trees.


    Like that, she managed to drive a long way from the main road.


    She finally pulled the car to a stop when she could no longer drive between the trees.


    It was not long before they heard several cars driving up the mountain and passing them.


    In the silent night, one could hear those engines clearly on the empty mountain.


    Ecstatic, Ben eximed, ¡°Since they are driving up the mountain, I don''t think they woulde for us


    here. Should we wait for them to move further from us before we get off the mountain?¡±


    ¡°I think they will have men guarding at the foot of the mountain,¡± Seanmented.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Francesca agreed. ¡°Therefore, we have to find another path to leave.¡±


    ¡°I¡ª¡± Sean shifted his gaze to Danrique.


    However, Danrique did not oppose Francesca''s suggestion. Instead, he stared at her nkly. ¡°This is a


    forest. Aren''t you scared of poisonous snakes lurking around here?¡±


    ¡°Why should I be afraid when none of you are?¡±


    To Francesca, women and men were equals.


    The four of them then pushed open the doors and prepared to leave.


    Noticing that Francesca was barefooted, Sean reminded, ¡°The ground is uneven with plenty of stones


    and debris. It''s easy for you to get hurt without shoes.¡±


    ¡°It''s all right. I''m used to walking on such roads,¡± Francesca retorted before skipping deeper into the


    woods.


    Although she lost her memory, some things still came naturally to her.


    A riot of emotions brewed in Danrique''s eyes as he watched her walk away happily.


    Thedy in his memory was no different. She would walk into the woods barefooted too.


    Although she looked thin and vulnerable from behind, she seemed like a butterfly dancing in the air as


    she hopped around.


    Besides, thedy was also medically skilled, and to Danrique, they shared plenty of simrities.


    The only difference was their appearance. Danrique remembered how beautiful thedy was, and she


    was nothing like the tomboy before him.


    Shaking those thoughts away, Danrique quickly started walking forward.


    Meanwhile, Sean quietly followed behind him. What''s wrong with Mr. Lindberg tonight? He usually


    takes control of the situation around him. Yet, he allowed that crazy woman to run amok.


    ¡°What is that?¡±


    Suddenly, Ben stopped in his tracks and pointed at something in front of him.


    ¡°It''s a wolf!¡± Sean replied.


    ¡°No.¡± Francesca slowly added, ¡°It''s a pack of wolves.¡±

 Chapter 1779

    Chapter 1779


    qBen turned to scan the area again and spotted several pairs of green eyes.


    Terrified, his face turned pale, and he frantically whipped out his gun as he jumped before Danrique


    and eximed, ¡°Mr. Lindberg, you should leave first!¡±


    Francesca could not help but scoff at how Danrique still required a young bodyguard to protect him.


    ¡°Aren''t you scared?¡± Unfazed, Danrique studied Francesca''s reaction.


    ¡°What is there to be scared of?¡± Francesca looked at the pack of wolves like she was part of them. ¡°We


    are all living things.¡±


    Slowly, the wolves approached them. With green eyes glowing in the dark, they exuded a murderous


    aura.


    Ben held onto his gun and stated, ¡°Mr. Lindberg, you should leave with Dr. Felch.¡±


    ¡°No need for that.¡± Danrique shrugged. ¡°I can take the time to try¡ª¡±


    Before he could finish his sentence, Francesca had started walking toward the wolves.


    ¡°Hey, what are you doing?¡± Ben shouted in rm.


    However, Francesca showed no signs of slowing down. She continued to walk forward, closing the gap


    between those ferocious animals and herself.


    Gritting her teeth, she raised her chin and let out a low growl.


    Immediately, those wolves turned their attention to her. They looked intimidated as they stopped in their


    tracks. Even the murderous look in their eyes had dissipated.


    Even so, Francesca continued to walk to them. In response, the pack of wolves slowly retreated before


    they turned to run off.


    Taken aback by her actions, Ben fervently rubbed his eyes in disbelief.


    Sean was equally shocked. Seeing how the wolves scampered away, he stared at Francesca before


    turning to Danrique. ¡°Mr. Lindberg...¡±


    Once again, Danrique narrowed his eyes with an unreadable expression.


    He spent over ten years trying to tame wild animals and only barely managed tomunicate with


    them recently. However, those creatures were domesticated. He tried to tame a poisonous snake on


    one asion and identally injured himself.


    The pack of wolves gave him the perfect opportunity to try out his skills and test whether he could


    communicate with them. Little did he expect that Francesca had beaten him to it.


    How did she manage to chase them away?


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    Danrique pondered.


    At this point, he became more convinced that this woman was not a simple person.


    ¡°Okay, it''s all right now.¡± Francesca pped her hands and uttered, ¡°Let''s go!¡±


    ¡°Master Felch!¡± The young bodyguard tried to catch up with her. Filled with respect for her, he probed,


    ¡°How did you do that?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know either.¡± Francesca casually used a stick to clear the path before them. ¡°I thought they


    looked familiar to me. It felt like they were my distant rtives.¡±


    ¡°What? Your distant rtives?¡±


    ¡°Yes. They aren''t local wolves!¡±


    ¡°Pfft!¡± Sean could not help but burst outughing. ¡°Master Felch, you are a joker!¡±


    Trailing behind her, Danrique kept stealing nces at Francesca. He could not help but wonder if she


    would fear other wild beasts.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    Suddenly, Francesca screamed and jumped up in fear. In seconds, she climbed up a tree like a


    monkey and clung to the trunk for her life.


    ¡°What''s wrong?¡± the bodyguard asked anxiously.


    ¡°There is a rat!¡± Francesca cried.


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    All three men were puzzled as they could not believe that she was scared of rats but not wolves.


    Hearing the distress in her voice, Ben and Sean stomped on several rats and kicked them away.


    The two of them were busy getting rid of the rats when Danrique widened his eyes and stared at


    Francesca''s head. ¡°Don''t move!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Francesca froze and stared back at him.


    ¡°Uh...¡±


    The other two men turned around to look at what had happened too. The moment they did that, their


    faces turned pale, and they instinctively pulled out their guns and pointed them above her head.


    Right then, Francesca looked up cautiously. It turned out that there was a python thicker than her arm


    coiled around the thick tree trunk, hissing from time to time as it approached her slowly.


    ¡°Master Felch, don''t move!¡± Sean called out and prepared to shoot.


    But Danrique quickly stopped him because Francesca had already reached out her hand to pet the


    snake. She gently stroked its scales and cooed, ¡°Be good.¡±

 Chapter 1780

    Chapter 1780


    qSean and the bodyguards were stunned.


    They couldn''t believe Francesca neither feared the pack of wolves nor the python.


    After she let out a strange sound, the python slithered down from the tree.


    Terrified by its approach, the bodyguards jumped back. However, the python didn''t attack them.


    Instead, it cleared out all the rats in front before gradually disappearing again.


    After heaving a sigh of relief, Francesca jumped down from the tree. Unexpectedly, she stepped on a


    rock and cut herself, causing a sharp pain to shoot through her leg and blood to ooze out of the wound.


    ¡°Argh!¡± she screamed before copsing into Danrique''s arms.


    As he looked at her with a frown, his eyes were devoid of warmth. After pushing her aside


    emotionlessly, he ordered his bodyguard, ¡°Give her your shoes.¡±


    ¡°Right away.¡± The bodyguard took off his shoes and put them in front of Francesca.


    ¡°There''s no need¡ª¡±


    ¡°Put them on!¡±


    Just when Francesca wanted to refuse, Danrique barked, ¡°I don''t want to be stuck here until dawn.¡±


    With that, he continued walking ahead with Sean following closely behind.


    ¡°Master Felch, please put them on quickly,¡± the bodyguard carefully suggested. ¡°Or else, shall I carry


    you on my back?¡±


    ¡°It''s fine.¡±


    Given that Francesca wanted to leave the ce as soon as possible, she put on the shoes as


    instructed.


    As the shoes were too big rtive to the size of her feet, she felt like a child wearing adult shoes


    without permission. The only way she could walk was by dragging them around as if they were


    slippers.


    ¡°Be careful!¡± While escorting Francesca, the bodyguard was filled with admiration for her. ¡°Master


    Felch, my name is Sloan. If there''s anything you need, just go ahead and tell me.¡±


    ¡°Haha, alright.¡±


    After replying with a smile, Francesca hurried after Danrique.


    He walked so quickly that she was forced to run just to catch up.


    Given howte it was, the forest began to fill with sounds of all sorts of animals.


    Sean reminded, ¡°Hurry up, or else we''ll lose you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Sloan followed behind closely.


    Due to Francesca''s small frame and the fact that she was wearing oversized shoes, she couldn''t move


    fast and kept falling behind. Whenever she did so, Sloan would stop to wait for her.


    Meanwhile, Danrique didn''t slow down, as if he didn''t care about her well-being at all.


    As for Sean, he continued to stick close to Danrique.


    Staring at their backs, Francesca scowled, ¡°You ungrateful jerks! Have you forgotten how I saved you


    just now?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg just wants to leave this ce as quickly as possible. Why don''t I carry you instead?¡±


    Having traveled for a while, Sloan''s feet were filled with cuts and bruises from walking barefooted.


    Nheless, he didn''t feel any pain at all while he continued to protect Francesca.


    ¡°Good idea.¡± Francesca returned his shoes to him. ¡°That way, you won''t get hurt anymore.¡±


    After putting on his shoes, Sloan carried Francesca on his back and quickly caught up with Danrique


    and Sean.


    When Sean nced at them, he didn''t say a word as he picked up his pace behind Danrique.


    Suddenly, thetter stopped in his tracks and gestured for everyone to be silent.


    Halting at his signal, Sean and Sloan didn''t even dare breathe.


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    Francesca scanned the surroundings andmented, ¡°They have caught up with us.¡±


    ¡°From the sound of the footsteps, there aren''t many of them.¡± With furrowed brows, Danrique ordered,


    ¡°Let''s split up and move.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, Sloan and I will distract them, while you leave together with Dr. Felch,¡± Sean suggested.


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Sloan put Francesca down.


    ¡°Will the two of you be fine?¡± She was unsettled. ¡°Since you don''t know how to summon beasts and


    have limited bullets left, you''ll be in danger when attacked.¡±


    ¡°Our lives belong to Mr. Lindberg. In life and death situations, his safety is all that matters.¡± Sean was


    resolute in his reply.


    ¡°That''s right¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Danrique interrupted them and made a decisive decision. ¡°Both of you should go on ahead.


    Stay on the east side and you can make your way down the hill.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg...¡±


    Just when Sean wanted to remonstrate, Danrique added, ¡°Only by leaving the hill will your GPS tracker


    send a signal.¡±


    At that moment, Sean realized that was the only way Gordon could pick up their signal and lead the


    main group to their rescue.

 Chapter 1781

    Chapter 1781


    q¡°Mr. Lindberg, what about you?¡± Sloan grew anxious. ¡°The Mafia has sent all of its members to


    capture you. Despite how powerful you are, you¡ª¡±


    When Sloan saw the icy re Danrique shot at him, he bit his tongue as his face turned pale.


    ''Why don''t we let Sloan lead Dr. Felch away? He has a GPS tracker too. Once he leaves this hill,


    Gordon will be able to locate them.¡±


    ¡°Stop wasting time. The three of you should leave right now!¡± Danrique urged impatiently.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg...¡±


    Just when he wanted to persuade Danrique further, Sean swallowed his words when he saw the


    resolute look in Danrique''s eyes. Not daring to say another word, he gave Francesca a pleading look.


    ¡°Both of you should go. I''ll stay back with him.¡± Francesca patted her chest and dered, ¡°Don''t worry.


    With me around, nothing will happen to him.¡±


    Danrique rolled his eyes at her. She''s talking as if she''s the one protecting me.


    Whatever it was, Sean felt relieved that Francesca volunteered to stay behind. With that, he and Sloan


    continued their journey forward.


    Not in a hurry to take action, Danrique leaped agilely onto a tree. On it, he leaned against its trunk and


    closed his eyes to rest.


    ¡°Hey, are you abandoning me?¡± Francesca felt indignant. ¡°That''s so unchivalrous of you.¡±


    Danrique ignored her.


    Mimicking Danrique, Francesca took a few steps back and tried to jump up the tree. Unfortunately, she


    failed to do so due to how clumsy she was.


    In the end, she climbed up the tree like a monkey instead. After settling on the branch next to him, she


    held her chin with her hand and observed him curiously.


    Even under dire circumstances, Danrique could maintain his elegant demeanor. As the moonlight


    shone on his face, the gentle hue that illuminated his features made him look like an angel walking


    amongst men. It was truly a sight to behold.


    How can such a handsome man exist in this world?


    Francesca felt as if she would never feel tired of staring at him.


    ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Danrique asked in an icy tone as he knitted his brows at her.


    ¡°How did you know I was looking at you when your eyes were obviously closed?¡± Francesca waved her


    hand in front of his eyes.


    Grabbing her hand suddenly, Danrique gave her a piercing stare and warned, ¡°Didn''t I tell you before


    that other than making money, you had better not have any other funny ideas?¡±


    ¡°Wha...¡± Just when Francesca wanted to rebut him, she suddenly felt as if teasing him would be a lot of


    fun. Hence, he changed her tact. ¡°Do you know that it''s impossible not to have any dirty thoughts


    considering how handsome you are?¡±


    Stumped, Danrique gave her a curious look as if he weren''t sure of what he had just heard.


    N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    Is she teasing me?


    ¡°Furthermore, I have noticed that not only are you good-looking, but you also have a kind heart.¡±


    At the sight of how dumbstruck he looked, Francesca''s cheekiness grew. She reached out her hand to


    lift his chin. ¡°Isn''t it a shame to miss out on such a perfect man like you?¡±


    ¡°that''s shameless of you!¡±


    Danrique pped her hand away in annoyance. Coincidentally, he revealed the ne with a ck


    cross that he was wearing around his neck.


    The moment Francesca caught a glimpse of it, she wiped the cheeky look off her face and gradually


    leaned in. ¡°What''s this? Ah...¡±


    Before she could finish, Danrique had pushed her down.


    After falling down from the tree, she crashed into some bushes and shocked the birds that were


    sleeping within them.


    ¡°You b*stard, why did you push me?¡±


    Holding onto her hips, Francesca felt an excruciating pain emanate throughout her body.


    With his face filled with contempt, Danrique even felt that he had been humiliated.


    Can it be that I was sending her the wrong signals? This audaciousdy thinks she can have her way


    with me. Not only did she tease me but also touched me with her hand, damn it.

 Chapter 1782

    Chapter 1782


    qJust when Francesca wanted to climb back up the tree, she suddenly heard a sound from afar.


    Holding her breath, she pricked her ears to listen to the footsteps in the distance.


    As the main troop was getting close, she could tell from the sound they made that there were a lot of


    them.


    Hence, Danrique jumped down from the tree and ran in a different direction with Francesca in tow.


    She was cognizant that he was doing so to distract the enemy from catching up with Sean and Sloan.


    Meanwhile, Danrique ran so fast that he looked like a cheetah darting through the forest.


    Even though Francesca was inherently agile, she felt she was a weakling whenpared to him.


    Soon, she just couldn''t run anymore. Flinging his hand aside, she bent down and panted heavily to


    catch her breath.


    ¡°We have to go!¡± Danrique urged with a frown.


    ¡°I can''t run anymore. I just can''t,¡± Francesca replied breathlessly.


    ¡°You''re such a pain.¡±


    When Danrique saw the approaching troops, he carried Francesca on his shoulders and continued


    running.


    Despite being given a fright, Francesca didn''t resist. After all, their enemies were close by and weren''t


    short of bullets. If they didn''t continue to flee, they would soon be dead.


    Francesca could hear the wind blow past her ears when he picked up his pace.


    Despite carrying a full-grown adult on his back, Danrique didn''t seem to be out of breath at all.


    It was a testament to his amazing speed and stamina.


    However, after running for a certain distance, he came to a stop. He was worried that their enemies


    didn''t notice him and continued to pursue Sean instead.


    ¡°Put me down.¡±


    When Francesca struggled for a while, Danrique threw her onto the ground.


    ¡°Ouch!¡± Francesca yelled in agony. The moment she got back to her feet, she thundered, ¡°B*stard¡ª¡±


    Before she could finish, Danrique covered her mouth.


    Narrowing his gaze, he stared intently at the direction they hade from. He then looked at his feet to


    feel the tremors in the ground.


    The pursuers are here and are getting closer.


    ¡°Get up the tree.¡±


    Danrique took off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves. Drawing his gun, he prepared for battle.


    ¡°Can you fend them off alone?¡±


    Francesca couldn''t help but worry, for she surmised their enemies numbered in the hundreds.


    It was impossible for him to take them all out regardless of how good he was.


    ¡°Stop wasting time.¡± Danrique was already annoyed.


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    Without another word, Francesca climbed up the tree and hid amongst its thick foliage.


    Since she was dressed in ck, it was extremely difficult for anyone to notice her presence in the


    darkness.


    As a result, she was rtively safe in her hiding spot.


    Unfortunately, it was extremely dangerous for Danrique who was ready to make a stand below.


    Why doesn''t he hide or even run?


    In the beginning, Francesca didn''t get it at all. Nevertheless, the answer quickly dawned upon her. If


    they continued to flee, the enemy would maintain pursuit. However, with her as a burden, they could


    only get so far before their pursuers caught up.


    In fact, if their enemies didn''t find him, they might end up splitting up to search for Sean instead.


    Since a battle couldn''t be avoided, Danrique might as well face it early on.


    At that instant, Francesca could feel that beneath his heartless expression was a heart of gold.


    When it came down to it, he would shoulder the burden of protecting those by his side. Even for his


    subordinates, he wouldn''t let them sacrifice themselves unnecessarily. In fact, he actually bothered to


    protect me, a doctor he had met by chance.


    While she was lost in her thoughts, the footsteps from afar began to gradually approach.


    With no intention to hide, Danrique stood there waiting for the enemy. As the moonlight shone through


    the gaps of the leaves, they illuminated his face with a gentle light, making him look like a god who had


    descended from the heavens.


    Frowning at him, Francesca couldn''t bear to see him make such a sacrifice.


    Just when she hesitated over whether she should fight by his side, a gunshot suddenly broke the


    silence of the night, disrupting the peace of the entire forest.

 Chapter 1783

    Chapter 1783


    qThe next moment, therge group emerged from the mist and came swarming over.


    Feeling her heart sink, Francesca watched them with a frown.


    There were hundreds of members of the Mafia who were all armed with a weapon each. The moment


    they saw Danrique, their leader signaled for all of them to stop.


    Despite the fact that Danrique was alone, they were still fearful of walking into a trap.


    As a result, they approached him warily while holding tightly onto their guns.


    Meanwhile, Danrique was unfazed as he swept his gaze across the men as if he weren''t the one that


    they were looking to kill.


    The Mafia''s leader spoke in Ustranasion, ¡°Mr. Lindberg, the pastor wants you to be captured alive. As


    long as you give yourself up without a fight, we will not make things difficult for you.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Danrique broke into a smirk. ¡°As of now, it isn''t clear who it is that will be captured without


    a fight.¡±


    ¡°Erm...¡± Stumped, the leader of the Mafia added coldly, ¡°I''m surprised that you can still be feisty under


    such dire circumstances. Now that your subordinates can''t make it here in time, you are all alone.


    Regardless of how powerful you are, there''s no way you can beat us.¡±


    ¡°Haha...¡± Danrique burst into deviousughter, as if they were nothing but ignorant insects.


    Consequently, his reaction unsettled the members of the Mafia further.


    One of them asked their leader softly, ¡°Boss, can this be a trap?¡±


    ¡°That''s right. I heard the Lindbergs have many battle-hardened bodyguards under them. How can it be


    that he is alone?¡±


    ¡°Given that the Lindbergs are a famous warrior family, there''s no way we can defeat them that easily.


    Therefore, is he trying to lure us into a trap?¡±


    The situation perturbed many members of the Mafia. Despite facing Danrique with a force that


    numbered more than a hundred, none of them dared to attack him.


    In fact, their leader was stricken with fear just by looking at Danrique. After all, he had seen for himself


    what Danrique was capable of at Casino Inferno. Thus, he was cognizant that thetter wasn''t a


    normal human being at all.


    Why is he keeping such a low profile today? Can it really be a trap?


    The leader instructed softly, ¡°Go around and check if there''s an ambush.¡±


    ¡°Yes, boss.¡± His subordinates did as they were told.


    At that moment, Francesca knitted her brows while watching from amongst the trees. She didn''t


    understand what Danrique was trying to do.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, please put down your gun ande with us.¡±


    The leader aimed his gun at Danrique. Despite the uneasiness he felt, he was sure that they could still


    deal with an ambush due to their overwhelming numbers.


    That was where he derived his courage from.


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    Unexpectedly, Danrique didn''t resist. Hanging his gun by his finger, he gradually walked up to them


    with a smile.


    His calm and cooperativeness unsettled the leader and his subordinates instead.


    Upon the leader''s hand signal, his men pointed their guns at Danrique, worried about the tricks he may


    pull out of his sleeve.


    Meanwhile, hidden in the trees, Francesca was filled with anxiety.


    Is he really going to surrender? What if he gets captured? Who''s going to pay for his hundred million


    medical fees?


    Just when she was lost in thought, she suddenly heard an agonizing scream.


    The next moment, the leader was captured by Danrique. Thetter had one arm around his neck and


    the other pointing a gun at the leader''s head. He thundered, ¡°Back off!¡±


    Everyone was dumbstruck by the sudden turn of events, for they had their guns pointed at Danrique all


    the time and didn''t realize when he held their leader hostage.


    His movements were so swift that they had missed it the moment they blinked.


    Everyone was stunned by Danrique''s threat.


    N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, there''s no point in holding me hostage. With so many of us around, there''s no escape for


    you.¡±


    Regaining his senses, the leader tried his best to put up a strong front.


    ¡°You''re mistaken.¡± Danrique''s eyes glistened as he looked out toward the horizon. ¡°I have no ns to


    flee.¡±

 Chapter 1784

    Chapter 1784


    q¡°You...¡± The leader couldn''t believe his ears. ¡°Can it be that this is your n all along?¡±


    Smirking, Danrique replied coldly. ¡°The pastor has been trying to use you to destroy me all this while.


    Thus, I have no choice but to eradicate all of you for my own good.¡±


    ¡°You have got to be kidding me, right?¡± The leader''s eyes darted around and didn''t see any


    reinforcements. ¡°Do you think you alone can annihte all of us?¡±


    ¡°Do you truly believe that I''m alone?¡±


    Just as he spoke with a mysterious tone, he blew a long and strange whistle in the forest''s direction.


    Thus, the members of the Mafia were terrified, thinking that Danrique was summoning his


    subordinates.


    Nevertheless, their leader pretended to stay calm. ¡°Don''t be afraid. Even if he receives reinforcements,


    they will not outnumber us.¡±


    Unfortunately, his words fell on deaf ears, as he was being held hostage by Danrique.


    Without their leader, the men began to waver.


    Meanwhile, Francesca scanned the surroundings, for she was curious to know if Sean had managed to


    return with backup.


    At that moment, footsteps rang out through the forest.


    And then, countless green eyes emerged in the darkness and began approaching them.


    ¡°This...¡±


    ¡°Wolves! They''re wolves!¡±


    Everyone widened their eyes in shock as they looked ahead of them.


    Just like stars that dotted the sky, the green eyes sparkled with menacing hostility.


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    When Francesca saw the wolves, she gawked. He actually summoned wolves? How can he even do


    that?


    She thought back to when the wolves first appeared. Danrique seemed unmoved back then. In the end,


    she felt smug about herself, thinking that she was the one who chased the wolves away.


    But recalling the event now, she realized the wolves weren''t there because of her.


    Instead...


    ¡°Oh my God!¡±


    Terrified by the sight, the members of the Mafia retreated in panic.


    ¡°Don''t be afraid, we have guns,¡± the leader reassured his men. ¡°Fire at¡ª¡±


    Before he could finish, the wolves pounced on the members of the Mafia at Danrique''s signal.


    ¡°Argh!¡±


    All of a sudden, agonizing wails and gunshots filled the air.


    Stricken by panic, the Mafia began shooting randomly but was still no match for the ferocity of the


    hungry wolves.


    Given that the wolves had always been the apex predators in the forest, their attacks were


    unimaginably vicious, a testament to their bloodthirsty instinct.


    As fear spread throughout the men, they were in no condition to fight the wolves anymore.


    Watching in horror, their leader had already lost the will to fight.


    As for Francesca, she was dumbfounded by what she had witnessed.


    Even though she too could summon beasts, she had never seen such a gory scene before.


    A short whileter, gunshots rang out from another corner of the forest. It heralded the arrival of Sean,


    Gordon, and the rest of the Lindberg family bodyguards. Also, they were apanied by a huge group


    of police officers.


    By then, the Mafia had suffered countless casualties.


    Upon seeing what had happened, the bewildered police pulled out their guns vigntly.


    Meanwhile, Danrique dispersed the wolves when he was certain that the battle was won. After handing


    over the Mafia leader to the police, he turned and left.


    Having taken a few steps, something urred to him. He instructed Sean, ¡°She''s on the tree.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Lindberg!¡± Sean hurried over to get Francesca. ¡°Dr. Felch, you cane down now!¡±


    When Francesca jumped down from the tree, she almost sprained her foot. Fortunately, Sloan caught


    her in time. ¡°Master Felch, are you alright?¡±


    Francesca didn''t reply. Instead, she turned to look at Danrique.


    As dawn broke, his towering bigger exuded an aura of lonely pride.


    When the morning rays shone upon his face, he had the look of a triumphant hero.


    After all, he had single-handedly subdued hundreds of members of the Mafia without wasting a single


    bullet.


    In fact, it wouldn''t be an overstatement to call him the God of War.


    No wonder everyone trembles in fear at his name.


    At that moment, Francesca realized that despite his gentle appearance, Danrique was exponentially


    stronger and more terrifying than she ever imagined.

 Chapter 1785

    Chapter 1785


    qAfter Danrique left the scene, Gordon handed him a white towel which he used to methodically wipe


    the blood off his hands. Then, he ordered sternly, ¡°Take them all away.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Lindberg.¡± Gordon went off to help the police tie up loose ends.


    Meanwhile, Sean had led Francesca to rejoin Danrique and followed him ahead.


    At the break of dawn, they had left the forest and arrived at a field.


    There, Francesca was shocked by the sight that greeted her.


    A few helicopters were parked on the field. At the same time, they were nked by two rows of jeeps.


    At that moment, Danrique''s subordinates had made two lines and were waiting respectfully for him.


    Walking ahead amidst the sunrise, he exuded an air of dignified nobility.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg!¡± everyone greeted Danrique with a bow.


    The vigor and spirit they disyed felt especially invigorating in the morning.


    Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    Consequently, it dawned upon Francesca that the leader of the Mafia was right. Everything that


    happened the night before went ording to Danrique''s n.


    He had expected the Mafia to attack. Hence, he lured them out to a secluded area on the outskirts of


    the city.


    Francesca had even assumed that she had saved him with her amazing driving skills. In truth, his men


    had already prepared everything.


    They were waiting for all the Mafia''s troops to appear so that they can be wiped out in one fell swoop.


    ¡°Dr. Felch, Dr. Felch,¡± Sean called out.


    Only then did Francesca regain her senses. ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°It''s time to get in.¡± Sean held the car door for her.


    ¡°What about him?¡± Francesca watched as Danrique got into the helicopter. ¡°Isn''t he going home?¡±


    ¡°There''s something he needs to do and he will be back in the evening,¡± Sean replied.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Francesca grunted and got into the car.


    After Sean and Sloan joined her inside, they drove down the hill.


    Behind them, the helicopter gradually took off, whipping up the leaves from the ground in a maelstrom.


    Francesca opened the car window and stuck her head out. Then, she squinted her eyes and looked


    toward the sky.


    She saw Danrique sitting inside the helicopter, looking extremely cool in his sunsses.


    As she stared intently at him, she had a faint feeling of d¨¦j¨¤ vu.


    In that scene, he was also sitting in the helicopter, while she was looking up from the forest and


    gradually watching him leave.


    No. I have just gotten to know him. There''s no way we shared that experience before. My swooning


    must cloud my judgment over him.


    Francesca then collected her thoughts and stopped dwelling upon the matter.


    As their card sped along the uneven road. The beautiful scenery on both sides of the route was a feast


    for the eyes indeed.


    Francesca had nned to sleep. However, she was so captivated by the stunning view that shey by


    the window and admired it instead.


    ¡°Dr. Felch, thank you for what you''ve donest night. Nevertheless, there''s something I must tell you.¡±


    After passing her a bottle of water, Sean reminded with a smile, ¡°With regards to the things that you


    have seen, my advice is for you to keep them to yourself. Don''t ask about them, for knowing too much


    doesn''t do you any good¡ª¡±


    ¡°Isn''t that obvious?¡± Francesca interrupted. ¡°I have no interest in those matters. However, after saving


    all of youst night, shouldn''t I be paid something as appreciation?¡±


    ¡°Erm...¡± Sean was stunned. He had never met a girl that was so direct and money-minded at the same


    time.


    However, Mr. Lindberg is right. Problems that money can solve aren''t difficult problems at all.


    ¡°I don''t see any problems with the fee. I''ll check with Mr. Lindberg on thatter.¡±


    ¡°A few tens of millions should suffice.¡± Francesca waved her hand as if she was easy to negotiate with.


    ¡°Since all of us are so chummy now, there''s no need to be particr about this.¡±


    ¡°Erm...¡± Sean was rendered speechless.


    ¡°By the way,¡± Francesca asked, as she could no longer hold back her curiosity, ¡°does that dude know


    how to summon wolves?¡±


    ¡°Dr. Felch, you can address him as Mr. Lindberg, just like us,¡± Sean sternly reminded.


    ¡°But I''m not his subordinate,¡± Francesca casually remarked.


    ¡°Since he pays you, he is considered your employer.¡± Sean''s point was reasonable.

 Chapter 1786

    Chapter 1786


    q¡°Whatever!¡± Francesca rolled her eyes at him.


    ¡°I think it is best if you don''t stick your nose into these affairs. Like I said, knowing too much won''t do


    you any good,¡± Sean reminded her.


    Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    ¡°Ugh! You''re so long-winded! I didn''t think guys could nag so much!¡± Francesca eximed.


    ¡°I...¡±


    ¡°I know that, okay? I don''t need you teaching me what to do. The fact that he''s keeping so many wild


    animals in his courtyard suggests that he''s nning to tame them through scientific methods. He is


    indeed a very talented and calm person, but he has very little experience when ites to taming


    animals. It''s obvious that it was his first attempt at summoning the wolf pack earlier...¡± Francesca


    deduced.


    ¡°How did you know?¡±


    Francesca rolled her eyes at him again. ¡°I was raised by wolves, duh!¡±


    Those words had barely left her mouth when she froze in shock.


    Wait... I remember that I was raised by wolves? I may have lost my memories, but I get shbacks


    from my subconscious every once in a while. Most of them are just instincts that were deeply rooted in


    my mind though...


    ¡°Oh, I see... So that''s why you''re able tomunicate with animals...¡± Sean was just as shocked.


    ¡°You''re amazing, Master Felch!¡± Sloan eximed with a look of admiration.


    Francesca shed him a smile and continued asking Sean, ¡°By the way, that stunt he pulled was far


    too dangerous. What if he fails to summon the wolves? Wouldn''t he end up dead?¡±


    ¡°We think it''s dangerous too. It''s a good thing he did it sessfully this time, and we were lucky that


    Gordon rushed over in time too. Things would''ve turned ugly by the time Sloan and I make our way out


    of the forest and send our location signal!¡± Sean said with a guilty expression.


    Francesca smiled. ¡°It was really risky, but at least we won. Sometimes, bravery is key to achieving


    victory in times of danger. Fortune favors the brave, after all! I think he must''ve set everything up in


    advance...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I just found out that he deliberately had Gordon investigate something else so that Mafia would


    drop its guard...¡± Sean paused mid-sentence before continuing in a nonchnt tone, ¡°Anyway, Mr.


    Lindberg had Gordon gather the men and tracked us through our location signal.¡±


    ¡°Wait, I thought there was no signal in the forest? How did Gordon know where we were?¡± Francesca


    asked curiously.


    ¡°Gordon was aware of us making our way up the mountain. He was rushing over toward us from the


    opposite direction. He did lose our signal when we entered the forest, though. While Mr. Lindberg


    asked us to go down the mountain and get our signal out to Gordon, he had already signaled Gordon


    through some other method,¡± Sean exined.


    ¡°What method would that be?¡± Francesca pressed on.


    ¡°That''s something you don''t have to know.¡± Sean didn''t want to provide her with too much information.


    ¡°Did he attach tracking devices to the animals? No, that can''t be right. The animals didn''t leave the


    forest... What about on the birds, then? The birds could get the signal out if they fly high enough!¡±


    Francesca racked her brain trying to figure it out.


    ¡°But the signal would be lost if the birds get too high up in the sky!¡± Sean replied with a chuckle.


    ¡°How did he do it, then? Looks like I''ve still got a lot to learn... Solving problems through traditional


    methods alone isn''t going to cut it...¡± Francesca said.


    ¡°I think you should just focus on treating Mr. Lindberg for now. His treatment has been dyed for


    many days now, and his wound is starting to get inmed,¡± Sean reminded her.


    ¡°And whose fault was it for kicking me out, huh?¡± Francesca shot him a sarcastic look.


    ¡°Well...¡± Sean found himself at a loss for words.


    ¡°Whatever... I can start the treatment tonight.¡±


    Having taken an interest in Danrique, Francesca was eager to get him treated so she could ask him


    how he got the signal out.

 Chapter 1787

    Chapter 1787


    qAfter returning to the Lindberg family castle, Francesca prepared the herbal concoction and had the


    medical staff brew it in preparation for Danrique''s treatmentter that night.


    She then took a hot shower in her room, blew her hair dry, and treated her wounds before taking a nap.


    Francesca never seemed to have issues with eating and sleeping, regardless of what she had been


    through.


    I''ll have to get that ck and gold ne back...


    She thought to herself as she slowly drifted off to sleep.


    Francesca was jolted awaketer on by the sound of thunder outside her window.


    After rubbing her eyes sleepily, she turned over to the other side and was about to carry on sleeping


    when someone knocked on the door. ¡°Are you awake, Dr. Felch?¡±


    ¡°Nope!¡± Francesca mumbled in response.


    She clearly just responded to me, and yet she says she isn''t awake?


    The maid snickered in amusement at the thought of that. She then knocked on the door again as she


    said, ¡°Mr. Lindberg has returned. Sean asks you to prepare for his treatment, so please¡ª¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    Francesca reluctantly climbed out of bed and changed her clothes before dragging herself out of the


    room.


    ¡°It was raining heavily, so Mr. Lindberg will be taking the herbal bath in his room tonight,¡± Sean


    exined.


    ¡°Whatever, just fetch me my medical kit and silver needles,¡± Francesca mumbled while yawning.


    ¡°Everything has already been prepared for you. Mr. Lindberg is inside his room at the moment. We


    should head over now.¡±


    ¡°Let''s go.¡±


    Francesca then followed Sean into Danrique''s room.


    The room was incredibly spacious and required them to go through a study room before arriving at his


    bed.


    On the side, she could see a cab used for storing his wine and liquor.


    His huge, white bed looked spotless and neat. The only items he had on his nightstand were an rm


    clock and an old book.


    The tidiness and cleanliness of the room reflected his simplicity and discipline, which matched his


    personality very well.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg is in the bathroom. Please wait a moment.¡±


    Sean then made his way toward the bathroom door and knocked on the door as he said, ¡°Mr.


    Lindberg? Dr. Felch is here to see you.¡±


    After getting a response from Danrique, Sean cautiously opened the door and motioned at Francesca


    to go in. ¡°After you, Dr. Felch!¡±


    ¡°I thought I was supposed to just instruct the doctor in acupuncture? Where is he?¡± Francesca asked


    curiously.


    ¡°The doctor ran away in fear after the chaosst night, so you''ll have to treat Mr. Lindberg in the


    meantime. We''ll have him continue the treatment after we bring him back here,¡± Sean exined softly.


    N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    ¡°All right... I guess it can''t be helped, then...¡± Francesca mumbled reluctantly as she made her way into


    the bathroom.


    Danrique had his eyes closed as hey in the huge, round bathtub. He was naked from the waist up


    and only had a towel wrapped around his waist.


    The steam inside the bathroom made his amazing figure look even sexier than usual. He had an


    exhausted look on his handsome face, and the frown between his brows suggested that he was in


    deep thought.


    ¡°Dr. Felch is here, Mr. Lindberg.¡±


    Sean frowned when he noticed how Francesca was staring at Danrique.


    Looks like I was right about her lusting over Mr. Lindberg''s body! She sure has some guts...


    ¡°Okay.¡± Danrique slowly opened his eyes and shifted his gaze toward Francesca as he continued, ¡°Are


    you done staring?¡±


    ¡°I need to get a good look to assess your condition, okay? Now, sit up straight so I can examine the


    wound on your waist!¡± Francesca retorted.


    Danrique frowned in displeasure and reluctance, but did as told anyway.


    Francesca leaned in to have a closer look and furrowed her brows when she saw the state of his


    wound. ¡°It''s starting to fester. We''ll have to operate on it.¡±


    Sean grew anxious when he heard that. ¡°What? But you said some bandages and acupuncture would


    suffice!¡±


    Do you not see how badly it is festering now? The wound was about the size of an egg before, but now


    it''s as huge as a palm! If we don''t do something about this, the pus will enter the body and affect the


    internal organs... No, that might have already started happening!¡±

 Chapter 1788

    Chapter 1788


    q¡°What should we do?¡± Sean asked worriedly.


    ¡°Fetch me the de!¡± Francesca urged.


    ¡°I...¡±


    ¡°Here, you can use this.¡± Danrique handed her his crescent-shaped dagger as he continued, ¡°Don''t


    worry. Just do whatever it is you need to do.¡±


    He was so casual about it even though it was him who would be operated upon.


    Francesca got to her feet. ¡°I''ll go prepare the anesthesia.¡±


    ¡°No need for that. Just get it over with as quickly as possible!¡± Danrique was getting a little impatient.


    ¡°It''s going to be very painful. I will have to cut off all the necrotic tissue in the area¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shut up! Just do as I said!¡± Danrique shouted while closing his eyes.


    ¡°Very well. You asked for it.¡±


    Francesca then sat down beside the bathtub and began carving the necrotic flesh off Danrique''s wound


    while Sean watched on in horror.


    Upon stealing a nce at Danrique, Francesca noticed that he was only frowning slightly and didn''t


    seem to be in pain at all.


    The blood flowing out of the wound slowly dripped into the bathtub and stained the herbal concoction


    dark red.


    On top of that, the bathroom was also filled with the scent of the herbal concoction and the stench of


    blood.


    Because Francesca was very decisive with her cuts, it didn''t take her long to remove all of the necrotic


    tissue. ¡°All right, I''ll go wait outside. Put your pants back on ande on out. I''ll treat your wound for


    you.¡±


    She then washed her hands and left the bathroom.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg! Are you okay? Does it hurt?¡± Sean quickly closed the door and helped Danrique up.


    ¡°I''m fine,¡± Danrique replied calmly while climbing out of the bathtub.


    After wiping the herbal concoction off his body, he put on his pants and walked out of the bathroom.


    As the wound was still bleeding, his white pants were soon stained red.


    ¡°Here, sit down!¡± Francesca ordered as she continued preparing the bandages and medication.


    Danrique sat down on the sofa and began wiping his hair with the towel.


    Sean came over and handed him a ss of water, but he refused it and said, ¡°I want vodka on the


    rocks!¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°Let him have it. This next step is going to hurt a lot, so the booze will help numb some of the pain,¡±


    Francesca said while disinfecting a silver needle.


    ¡°Dr. Felch, should we give him some painkillers or something?¡± Sean asked anxiously as he poured


    Danrique a ss of vodka.


    Francesca nced at Danrique. ¡°Do you want any?¡±


    ¡°That won''t be necessary,¡± Danrique replied while sipping on the vodka.


    ¡°I sure hope you''re as tough as you sound. What you felt earlier in the bathroom was just the tip of the


    iceberg. The real agonizing pain begins when I apply the medicationter. You''d better prepare yourself


    for it!¡± Francesca said with a smile.


    Danrique red at her in annoyance. ¡°You talk too much, you know that?¡±


    Francesca simply arched an eyebrow at him as she grabbed her medical kit and knelt down in front of


    him.


    ¡°I''m going to apply the medication now, so brace yourself.¡±


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Stop talking so much... Mmph...¡±


    Danrique was halfway through his sentence when he groaned in pain and started trembling all over.


    D*mn, she''s right! The pain I felt earlier is nothingpared to this! It feels like someone is drilling at


    my heart with an electric drill!


    Danrique thought to himself with his fists tightly clenched.


    He was in so much pain that his entire body tensed up, his veins bulged from his forehead, and his


    eyes became bloodshot.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg! Be gentle, Dr. Felch!¡± Sean was starting to panic.


    ¡°I can''t.¡±


    Francesca had gotten so used to life and death that she waspletely unfazed.


    She quickly finished applying the medication and began bandaging Danrique''s wound.


    Due to therge size of the wound, Francesca had no choice but to kneel in front of him and loop the


    bandage around his waist.


    Not used to having a woman get so close to him, Danrique frowned deeply and remained as still as a


    statue.


    Despite the excruciating pain he was experiencing, he kept his gaze fixated on her to make sure she


    didn''t take advantage of him.

 Chapter 1789

    Chapter 1789


    qBecause Francesca waspletely focused on treating him, she didn''t seem to notice that tiny detail.


    Soon, the bandaging of the wound wasplete.


    Francesca put on a pair oftex gloves and began the acupuncture procedure.


    ¡°He may have a fever thates and goes several times tonight, so he''ll need someone to watch over


    him and monitor his body temperature. It mustn''t go past a hundred and two, okay? Let me know if it''s


    about to exceed that temperature.¡±


    ¡°You can''t leave tonight, Dr. Felch. We may have people watching over him, but summoning you every


    time his temperature goes up is far too troublesome. How about you just stay here instead?¡±


    Francesca kept quiet until she was done with the acupuncture procedure. ¡°Maybe you should ask him if


    he wants me to stay. He was frowning so hard when I bandaged his wound that his eyebrows nearly


    ended up in knots. Honestly, he made it look like I was trying to rape him or something.¡±


    ¡°Uh...¡± Sean was at a loss for words.


    Danrique was sweating so much from the pain that he couldn''t even be bothered to argue with her.


    ¡°Well? Do you want your life or your virginity?¡± Francesca teased him.


    ¡°Get lost!¡± Danrique shouted angrily through clenched teeth.


    ¡°See? He asked me to get lost, so I have no choice but to do so. Keep an eye on his temperature, and


    summon me if it goes too high,¡± Francesca said while she took her gloves off and walked away.


    ¡°You...¡±


    Sean was left speechless by her behavior.


    What... She has got to be the most difficult doctor I have ever seen! We''re paying her a huge sum of


    money for this treatment, and yet she acts like she owns this ce?


    After returning to her room, Francesca had a little snack and went back to sleep. She was really tired


    after going an entire night without rest.


    She had just fallen asleep when a knocking was heard on the door. ¡°Dr. Felch! Dr. Felch!¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± she asked sleepily.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg is having a fever! Mr. Lowe requests your presence immediately! Pleasee quick!¡±


    shouted the female medical staff.


    Although reluctant, Francesca had no choice but to get out of bed after she was woken up. She rubbed


    her eyes as she got dressed and dragged her exhausted body into the room next door.


    The light was off in the room, and it was only illuminated by an orange-coloredmp on the wall.


    The warm lighting from themp cast a gentle glow over the room and added some warmth to its cold


    color theme.


    N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    Danrique was lying on the bed and appeared to be unconscious.


    Sean and Gordon could be seen standing on the side with worried looks on their faces.


    Two medical staff were kneeling beside the bed and wiping Danrique''s sweat off with warm towels.


    ¡°What''s his temperature?¡± Francesca asked as she made her way over.


    ¡°A hundred and one degrees, Dr. Felch! Please take a look at him!¡± Sean replied.


    Seon wos left speechless by her behovior.


    Whot... She hos got to be the most difficult doctor I hove ever seen! We''re poying her o huge sum of


    money for this treotment, ond yet she octs like she owns this ploce?


    After returning to her room, Froncesco hod o little snock ond went bock to sleep. She wos reolly tired


    ofter going on entire night without rest.


    She hod just follen osleep when o knocking wos heord on the door. ¡°Dr. Felch! Dr. Felch!¡±


    ¡°Whot is it?¡± she osked sleepily.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg is hoving o fever! Mr. Lowe requests your presence immediotely! Pleosee quick!¡±


    shouted the femole medicol stoff.


    Although reluctont, Froncesco hod no choice but to get out of bed ofter she wos woken up. She rubbed


    her eyes os she got dressed ond drogged her exhousted body into the room next door.


    The light wos off in the room, ond it wos only illuminoted by on oronge-colored lomp on the woll.


    The worm lighting from the lomp cost o gentle glow over the room ond odded some wormth to its cold


    color theme.


    Donrique wos lying on the bed ond oppeored to be unconscious.


    Seon ond Gordon could be seen stonding on the side with worried looks on their foces.


    Two medicol stoff were kneeling beside the bed ond wiping Donrique''s sweot off with worm towels.


    ¡°Whot''s his temperoture?¡± Froncesco osked os she mode her woy over.


    ¡°A hundred ond one degrees, Dr. Felch! Pleose toke o look ot him!¡± Seon replied.


    Francesca yawned. ¡°Didn''t I say to only summon me if it reaches a hundred and two degrees? It''s still


    too early now!¡±


    ¡°But, Dr. Felch...¡± Sean was about to say something further, but Gordon got so mad that he cut him off,


    ¡°Dr. Felch, we paid you a huge sum of money to look after Mr. Lindberg! How could you behave so


    unprofessionally?¡±


    Instead of getting mad at him, Francesca simply shot him a nce as she exined patiently, ¡°When


    kids have fevers, we try to reduce their body temperature through physical means unless it goes past a


    certain level where medication is necessary.¡±


    She then sat downzily on the sofa and continued, ¡°My fever medication has some side effects, so I


    won''t administer it unless absolutely necessary.¡±


    ¡°Even so, you should stay here instead of going back to sleep in the room!¡± Gordon shouted angrily.


    ¡°That''s enough, Gordon. Dr. Felch, you may not be aware of Mr. Lindberg''s identity, but his safety will


    affect the fate of an entire family and an organization. We really can''t afford to have anything go wrong


    with his treatment.¡±


    Francesca frowned slightly. ¡°This has nothing to do with his identity. Being a doctor, I will do everything


    I can to save him even if he''s just an ordinary person.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    Not wanting to waste any more time and energy talking to them, Francesca cut them off, ¡°Fine, I''ll stay


    here tonight, so you guys can leave.¡±

 Chapter 1790

    Chapter 1790


    q¡°I don''t think that''s a good idea...¡±


    ¡°We''ll be in the study room. Just call out to us if anything happens.¡±


    Gordon was a lot more blunt with his words, whereas Sean was smarter and knew how to best go


    about it.


    Naturally, they didn''t want to leave Francesca alone in the room with Danrique as his safety was their


    ultimate priority.


    Francesca, on the other hand, was a mysterious person that they still knew nothing about.


    There was no telling what ulterior motives she could be having.


    However, Sean knew she would only give in to persuasion and not coercion, so he decided to use a


    softer approach.


    ¡°Whatever, you guys can do as you wish.¡±


    Francesca didn''t seem to care and continued sleeping on the sofa.


    ¡°Hey! How could you¡ª¡±


    Gordon was about to yell at her again, but Sean quickly dragged him away before he could say


    anything further.


    Sean also got the other maids to exit the room, leaving only a single medical staff to clean up the wet


    towels and monitor Danrique''s temperature.


    ¡°Let me know when his temperature reaches a hundred and two degrees...¡± Francesca mumbledzily


    as shey downfortably on the sofa.


    ¡°Yes, Master Felch,¡± the medical staff replied politely.


    Francesca was extremely tired as she didn''t get much sleep while nursing Snowy back to health a few


    days ago, and she had gone through an entire night without sleepst night as well.


    As such, all she wanted at the moment was to get a good night''s sleep.


    The female medical staff continued to reduce Danrique''s temperature with a wet towel while taking his


    temperature every thirty minutes.


    Meanwhile, Gordon was watching everything from the study room. His face was all red from anxiety


    when he saw Francesca just sleeping there on the sofa.


    ¡°Sit down, will you? Stop pacing about like some trapped animal. Kerrie said his temperature hasn''t


    gotten past a hundred and two degrees, so his condition isn''t as serious as we thought. We should just


    wait here patiently,¡± Sean said calmly.


    ¡°We spent so much money hiring her, and yet she''s acting like she owns the d*mned ce...¡± Gordon


    ranted angrily.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg trusts her, so we have no choice...¡±


    Having worked with Danrique for a long time, Sean understood him very well.


    He didn''t like Francesca either, but he had faith in her medical knowledge and skills.


    Gordon simply let out a huge sigh and said nothing further after that.


    Time continued to tick by, and it was soon three in the morning.


    ¡°Master Felch, Mr. Lindberg''s temperature has reached a hundred and two degrees!¡± Kerrie shouted in


    shock all of a sudden.


    ¡°What''s going on?¡±


    Sean and Gordon came rushing over immediately, but Francesca was still sleeping on the sofa.


    ¡°Hey, Dr. Felch! Dr. Felch!¡± Sean called out to her.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Francesca rubbed her eyes in annoyance as she sat up straight.


    ¡°Master Felch, Mr. Lindberg''s temperature has reached a hundred and two!¡± Kerrie repeated herself


    while holding the thermometer up to Francesca''s face.


    Francesca narrowed her eyes as she took a closer look at the thermometer. Secondster, she


    became wide awake and ran over to touch Danrique''s forehead. She even reached her hand into his


    shirt and touched his chest just to make sure.


    Meonwhile, Gordon wos wotching everything from the study room. His foce wos oll red from onxiety


    when he sow Froncesco just sleeping there on the sofo.


    ¡°Sit down, will you? Stop pocing obout like some tropped onimol. Kerrie soid his temperoture hosn''t


    gotten post o hundred ond two degrees, so his condition isn''t os serious os we thought. We should just


    woit here potiently,¡± Seon soid colmly.


    ¡°We spent so much money hiring her, ond yet she''s octing like she owns the d*mned ploce...¡± Gordon


    ronted ongrily.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg trusts her, so we hove no choice...¡±


    Hoving worked with Donrique for o long time, Seon understood him very well.


    He didn''t like Froncesco either, but he hod foith in her medicol knowledge ond skills.


    Gordon simply let out o huge sigh ond soid nothing further ofter thot.


    Time continued to tick by, ond it wos soon three in the morning.


    ¡°Moster Felch, Mr. Lindberg''s temperoture hos reoched o hundred ond two degrees!¡± Kerrie shouted in


    shock oll of o sudden.


    ¡°Whot''s going on?¡±


    Seon ond Gordone rushing over immediotely, but Froncesco wos still sleeping on the sofo.


    ¡°Hey, Dr. Felch! Dr. Felch!¡± Seon colled out to her.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Froncesco rubbed her eyes in onnoyonce os she sot up stroight.


    ¡°Moster Felch, Mr. Lindberg''s temperoture hos reoched o hundred ond two!¡± Kerrie repeoted herself


    while holding the thermometer up to Froncesco''s foce.


    Froncesco norrowed her eyes os she took o closer look ot the thermometer. Seconds loter, she


    be wide owoke ond ron over to touch Donrique''s foreheod. She even reoched her hond into his


    shirt ond touched his chest just to moke sure.


    Yup, he really is burning up...


    ¡°Prepare a ss of warm water!¡± Francesca ordered.


    N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    ¡°Coming right up!¡± Kerrie was about to go get the water, but Sean was faster.


    ¡°I''ll get it! You stay here and help Dr. Felch out!¡± he shouted while pouring a ss of warm water.


    Francesca then ced a ck-colored pill into Danrique''s mouth and tried to wash it down with some


    water, but he wouldn''t drink it no matter what.


    ¡°Shall we wake Mr. Lindberg up?¡± Gordon asked anxiously from the side.


    ¡°He''s sleeping like a log right now, so waking him up won''t be possible.¡±


    Francesca continued to feed Danrique the water, but he just wouldn''t swallow it.


    Getting desperate, she pinched his nose and fed him the water orally instead.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    Sean, Gordon, and Kerrie were all stunned by what they had just witnessed.


    Their eyes were wide with shock, and they had disbelief written all over their faces.


    That kiss continued for over a minute before Francesca finally got Danrique to swallow the pill.


    Feeling relieved when she saw his throat moving, Francesca filled her mouth with water again and


    forcefully fed it to Danrique a second time.


    After that, she wiped the corner of her mouth with her sleeve and licked her lips like she just had a


    snack.

 Chapter 1791

    Chapter 1791


    qGordon was outraged when he saw that. He wanted to scold her and sue her for it, but Sean dragged


    him aside before he could say anything.


    ¡°She already stole Mr. Lindberg''s first kiss at the hot spring. This is the second time!¡± Sean said.


    ¡°Was he not mad at her?¡± Gordon protested angrily.


    ¡°He was. That''s why I kicked her out the next day, but then... Well, you know the rest.¡± Sean shrugged


    helplessly.


    ¡°I bet Mr. Lindberg got seduced by her because he has never been with women. Looks like we''ll have


    to get him some experience in that field!¡± Gordon said with his fists clenched.


    ¡°Hey, don''t go doing anything crazy now!¡± Sean shouted with his eyes wide.


    ¡°Let''s not talk about this for now. Everything can wait until Mr. Lindberg wakes up,¡± Gordon said.


    ¡°Yeah. His treatment takes priority right now.¡± Sean nodded.


    ¡°His fever has subsided.¡± Kerrie held the thermometer up for them to see after taking Danrique''s


    temperature.


    ¡°Oh, that''s good to hear!¡±


    Both of them breathed sighs of relief upon hearing that. Looks like Dr. Felch does have some skill, after


    all!


    Francesca''s eyes lit up when she noticed the ck and gold cross ne underneath the pillow. She


    was racking her brain trying to get it back, but it seemed luck was on her side this time. ¡°You guys can


    go get some rest. I''ll take care of things here.¡±


    Gordon objected to it right away. ¡°No, we have to stay here and watch over Mr. Lindberg. If anything


    happens¡ª¡±


    Francesca cut him off, ¡°Nothing is going to happen to him. The medication will keep his fever from


    burning up again. Even if his temperature doesn''t go down by itself, it won''t exceed a hundred and two


    degrees because I''ll bring it down through physical means.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    Francesca frowned. ¡°Geez, you''re so annoying! Mr. Lindberg needs some peace and quiet!¡±


    Sean quickly stepped forward to defuse the situation. ¡°Let''s go wait in the study room, then. That way,


    we won''t disturb Mr. Lindberg, and you can just call out to us if anything happens.¡±


    They won''t be able to see anything from the study room, so it should be fine.


    With that in mind, Francesca replied, ¡°Sure thing. You should get some rest too, Kerrie. Just leave me


    with some wet towels and a pot of warm water.¡±


    ¡°But...¡± Kerrie shed Sean an uncertain look.


    ¡°Go on, then.¡± Sean nodded at her.


    Having received her orders, Kerrie then prepared the stuff as told and left the room.


    Francesca checked Danrique''s temperature one more time before lying down on the sofa. ¡°Well? What


    are you guys still standing here for?¡±


    ¡°You''d better make sure to keep a close eye on Mr. Lindberg''s temperature, you hear?¡± Gordon


    instructed worriedly.


    ¡°Oh, I''m a lot more worried about his well-being than you guys are! I know you guys will kill me if


    anything happens to him,¡± Francesca repliedzily while yawning.


    Froncesco cut him off, ¡°Nothing is going to hoppen to him. The medicotion will keep his fever from


    burning up ogoin. Even if his temperoture doesn''t go down by itself, it won''t exceed o hundred ond two


    degrees becouse I''ll bring it down through physicol meons.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    Froncesco frowned. ¡°Geez, you''re so onnoying! Mr. Lindberg needs some peoce ond quiet!¡±


    Seon quickly stepped forword to defuse the situotion. ¡°Let''s go woit in the study room, then. Thot woy,


    we won''t disturb Mr. Lindberg, ond you con just coll out to us if onything hoppens.¡±


    They won''t be oble to see onything from the study room, so it should be fine.


    With thot in mind, Froncesco replied, ¡°Sure thing. You should get some rest too, Kerrie. Just leove me


    with some wet towels ond o pot of worm woter.¡±


    ¡°But...¡± Kerrie floshed Seon on uncertoin look.


    ¡°Go on, then.¡± Seon nodded ot her.


    Hoving received her orders, Kerrie then prepored the stuff os told ond left the room.


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    Froncesco checked Donrique''s temperoture one more time before lying down on the sofo. ¡°Well? Whot


    ore you guys still stonding here for?¡±


    ¡°You''d better moke sure to keep o close eye on Mr. Lindberg''s temperoture, you heor?¡± Gordon


    instructed worriedly.


    ¡°Oh, I''m o lot more worried obout his well-being thon you guys ore! I know you guys will kill me if


    onything hoppens to him,¡± Froncesco replied lozily while yowning.


    With no other choice, Sean and Gordon could only retreat to the study room and continue observing


    from there.


    ¡°Don''t worry. It''ll be fine. She knows her life is on the line here, so she''ll definitely take good care of Mr.


    Lindberg,¡± Sean reassured him.


    ¡°That may be true, but her life is nothingpared to Mr. Lindberg''s! She could die a hundred times


    over and it still wouldn''t be enough! Have you forgotten about the suicidal assassin who tried to take


    his life before? The assassin would rather die than expose the mastermind behind the operation!¡±


    Gordon protested angrily.


    ¡°She doesn''t strike me as an assassin, though. I doubt an assassin would be that obsessed with


    money, possess superb driving skills, and be able to tame animals like her.¡±


    ¡°That''s hard to say. We should still be extra careful.¡±


    ¡°You got that right!¡±


    Francesca could hear them talking softly in the study room, but she wasn''t in the least bit interested in


    what they were saying. All she cared about was getting her hands on that ne.


    She was waiting for them to fall asleep on the sofa so she could make her move, but an hour had


    passed with both of them still on high alert.


    Unable to wait any longer, Francesca got up and took the ne while checking Danrique''s


    temperature. She was about to stuff it into her pocket when someone grabbed hold of her arm.

 Chapter 1792

    Chapter 1792


    qFrancesca tensed up from the shock and turned around, only to see that Danrique had woken up.


    ¡°I-I was just...¡±


    She desperately tried to exin herself, but Danrique cut her off, ¡°Water...¡±


    Feeling relieved that he didn''t realize what she did, Francesca quickly put the ne back and


    poured him a ss of water.


    ¡°Is Mr. Lindberg awake?¡± Gordon asked when he came in and saw her feeding him some water.


    ¡°He has regained a bit of consciousness, but still quite groggy at the moment,¡± Francesca replied while


    eyeing the ne.


    Good thing I didn''t take it with me, or these guys would surely notice and think I''m trying to steal from


    Danrique! Oh, well... I''ll just have to try again some other time...


    ¡°Is he still having a fever?¡± Gordon asked worriedly.


    ¡°It won''t subside so soon. I think it''ll be morning before it goes down,¡± Francesca said after cing her


    hand on Danrique''s forehead.


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    Gordon stared at Danrique with a pained look on his face. ¡°This is the first time I''ve seen Mr. Lindberg


    fall sick in so many years. I used to think he was ridiculously strong and tough.¡±


    ¡°Everyone falls sick at some point. Still, he got sick because he was bitten by his own pet snake, so he


    kind of brought this upon himself,¡± Francesca mentioned casually.


    Gordon got furious when he heard that. ¡°How could you say that? What do you mean he brought this


    upon himself?¡±


    ¡°Why would he keep a venomous snake as a pet? I bet he was trying to poison someone with its


    venom, wasn''t he?¡± Francesca snapped back at him.


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°Also, it wasn''t exactly very nice of him to keep the beasts with the intention of using them like tools.¡±


    Francesca felt extremely conflicted when she recalled Danrique chasing the Mafia off with the wolves.


    Although it was fine to summon the wolves for self-defense, the sight of the bodies lying everywhere


    still shook her to the core.


    ¡°What do you know? Mr. Lindberg only kept those beasts as pets because¡ª¡±


    ¡°Gordon! The sun is going to be up soon. You should get some rest,¡± Sean cut him off and tried to


    change the topic.


    Gordon shot Francesca a furious re, but turned around and left anyway.


    ¡°Thank you for the hard work, Dr. Felch. You don''t mind if I stay here and watch over Mr. Lindberg, do


    you?¡± Unlike Gordon, Sean had always been calm and collected in his mannerisms.


    ¡°Of course not. Make sure to keep a close eye on his temperature, then. Remember to let me know if it


    goes up again.¡± Francesca ced the ss of water down and yawned as shey downzily on the


    sofa.


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    Sean then sat down beside the bed and looked after Danrique while Francesca tried to get some


    shuteye.


    However, she couldn''t seem to fall asleep after going through such an eventful night.


    As Francescay there staring silently at Danrique, she suddenly realized that he looked a little familiar.


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°Also, it wosn''t exoctly very nice of him to keep the beosts with the intention of using them like tools.¡±


    Froncesco felt extremely conflicted when she recolled Donrique chosing the Mofio off with the wolves.


    Although it wos fine to summon the wolves for self-defense, the sight of the bodies lying everywhere


    still shook her to the core.


    ¡°Whot do you know? Mr. Lindberg only kept those beosts os pets becouse¡ª¡±


    ¡°Gordon! The sun is going to be up soon. You should get some rest,¡± Seon cut him off ond tried to


    chonge the topic.


    Gordon shot Froncesco o furious glore, but turned oround ond left onywoy.


    ¡°Thonk you for the hord work, Dr. Felch. You don''t mind if I stoy here ond wotch over Mr. Lindberg, do


    you?¡± Unlike Gordon, Seon hod olwoys been colm ond collected in his monnerisms.


    ¡°Of course not. Moke sure to keep o close eye on his temperoture, then. Remember to let me know if it


    goes up ogoin.¡± Froncesco ploced the gloss of woter down ond yowned os she loy down lozily on the


    sofo.


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    Seon then sot down beside the bed ond looked ofter Donrique while Froncesco tried to get some


    shuteye.


    However, she couldn''t seem to foll osleep ofter going through such on eventful night.


    As Froncesco loy there storing silently ot Donrique, she suddenly reolized thot he looked o little fomilior.


    That was something she had felt ever since she met him for the first time at Casino Inferno, but she


    couldn''t remember where she had seen him before.


    ¡°Why aren''t you sleeping, Dr. Felch?¡± Sean asked softly.


    ¡°I can''t fall asleep. By the way, have you guys been to Zarain before?¡± Francesca asked.


    ¡°Of course we have. We go there every year,¡± Sean replied.


    ¡°You guys have business there?¡± Francesca pressed on.


    ¡°We have yet to enter Zarain''s market, so we don''t have any business there. We just follow Mr.


    Lindberg whenever he makes personal trips there to take care of some private affairs,¡± Sean said


    casually.


    They were actually there to look for someone.


    While being pursued by his enemies in Zarain seven years ago, Danrique came across a girl who was


    as sweet as an angel.


    After getting himself to safety, he started having his men look for her.


    Six months ago, he went looking for his cousin twice in Zarain after hearing that his aunt''s daughter


    might still be alive.


    ¡°What kind of private affairs are we talking about here?¡± Francesca asked.


    Sean stared at her. ¡°I''m not at liberty to disclose that. You seem to be awfully interested in Mr.


    Lindberg''s affairs, Dr. Felch.¡±


    ¡°I was just curious, that''s all.¡±


    Francesca stopped asking any further when she knew she wouldn''t get the answers she wanted.

 Chapter 1793

    Chapter 1793


    qBeing the alert man he was, Sean felt something off about this woman.


    Yet, he couldn''t quite put his finger on what it was.


    Casting his thoughts aside, he returned to Danrique, only to find thetter sweating profusely. ¡°Dr.


    Felch! Come take a look. What''s wrong with Mr. Lindberg? Why is he sweating so much?¡±


    Francesca nced over. ¡°It means his fever''s starting to subside,¡± she said nonchntly. ¡°Give him a


    wipe and change the sheets.¡±


    ¡°Thank goodness.¡± Overjoyed, Sean hurriedly summoned someone over.


    ¡°Why do you have to get someone else to do this? Can''t you do it yourself?¡± Francesca asked, curious.


    ¡°I have to get the nurse to wipe Mr. Lindberg down and change his clothes. Mr. Lindberg doesn''t like


    other men touching him,¡± Sean exined.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Francesca nodded. ¡°So he''s not gay.¡±


    ¡°Ugh...¡± Sean stilled briefly. Did she think he was gay?


    ¡°Well, now that his temperature''s lowering, there''s not much else I need to do.¡±


    Francesca yawned and rubbed her eyes.


    But just as the woman began to leave, Danrique suddenly let out a murmur. ¡°Cece...¡±


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    Francesca stopped in her tracks and felt her chest tighten.


    That sounds so familiar and intimate. It''s as if...


    A mix of emotions swirled within her as she turned around to face Danrique.


    ¡°Hello, Master Felch.¡±


    At that very moment, two nurses and maids walked in and greeted Francesca before tending to


    Danrique and changing his sheets.


    ¡°Use a hot towel. Mr. Lindberg''s sweating a lot,¡± Sean instructed on the side. ¡°Be careful not to touch


    his wound. Give him a bathrobe instead of clothes.¡±


    Everyone began to get busy and left Francesca alone.


    The woman nced at Danrique once more before leaving.


    Yet, she couldn''t stop pondering over why that nickname gave her such a strange feeling.


    Who on earth is Cece?


    Francesca''s head hurt as she returned to her room, and she went to sleep after having some breakfast


    sent over by a maid.


    It wasn''t long until she drifted off and began to dream.


    Inside the dream, there was a youngdy in a white dress running barefoot on a field.


    She had a radiant smile, and the sounds of herughter resonated across the field as birds and


    butterflies fluttered around her.


    Standing not far off was a tall figure who seemed to be watching the woman with his lips curved


    upward.


    The sun rays bathed down on him, making him look divine.


    She sped toward him, hoping to catch a glimpse of his face.


    ¡°Hello, Moster Felch.¡±


    At thot very moment, two nurses ond moids wolked in ond greeted Froncesco before tending to


    Donrique ond chonging his sheets.


    ¡°Use o hot towel. Mr. Lindberg''s sweoting o lot,¡± Seon instructed on the side. ¡°Be coreful not to touch


    his wound. Give him o bothrobe insteod of clothes.¡±


    Everyone begon to get busy ond left Froncesco olone.


    The womon glonced ot Donrique once more before leoving.


    Yet, she couldn''t stop pondering over why thot nicknome gove her such o stronge feeling.


    Who on eorth is Cece?


    Froncesco''s heod hurt os she returned to her room, ond she went to sleep ofter hoving some breokfost


    sent over by o moid.


    It wosn''t long until she drifted off ond begon to dreom.


    Inside the dreom, there wos o young lody in o white dress running borefoot on o field.


    She hod o rodiont smile, ond the sounds of her loughter resonoted ocross the field os birds ond


    butterflies fluttered oround her.


    Stonding not for off wos o toll figure who seemed to be wotching the womon with his lips curved


    upword.


    The sun roys bothed down on him, moking him look divine.


    She sped toword him, hoping to cotch o glimpse of his foce.


    Yet, the dazzling sun seemed to mask his appearance, and she just couldn''t see him clearly.


    She wanted to reach him, but no matter how hard she ran, it felt as though she wasn''t moving at all,


    and he remained as far away as ever.


    The same scenario yed out for a long while.


    Francesca eventually woke up and tried to recall her dream. The scene of a man and a woman


    enjoying their time together felt like fragments of her own memory.


    She tried even harder to recollect her past but only ended up aggravating the injury in the back of her


    head.


    Turning pale from the pain, she closed her eyes.


    I have to wrap things up here ASAP and get a doctor to treat me.


    As she was lost in thought, a knock came on the door. ¡°Master Felch!¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg has woken up. Mr. Lowe wants you to drop by,¡± Kerrie said carefully.


    ¡°Okay. I''ming.¡±


    Francesca felt slightly irritated at the thought of how difficult her client was. I could barely sleepst


    night, and now, I can''t even get some shut-eye?


    Then again, it''s not like I have a choice. He''s paying me so much.


    Francesca reluctantly got out of bed and washed up before dragging her feet back to Danrique''s room.

 Chapter 1794

    Chapter 1794


    q¡°But Mr. Lindberg, you''ve had a fever all night, and you look really pale right now. How about we take


    care of this another time?¡±


    ¡°He''s right, Sir. You should get some rest for now - ¡°


    ¡°Silence!¡±


    Francesca heard Danrique chiding Sean and Gordon as soon as she entered.


    The maids and nurses stood nearby with their heads low, not daring to utter a word.


    ¡°Help me get dressed,¡± ordered Danrique as he attempted to leave his bed.


    The nurses quickly helped him down while the maids brought his clothes over.


    Sean and Gordon were extremely worried, but none of them dared defy him.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Only Francesca had the courage to speak, and she did it boldly. ¡°You just had


    surgery and suffered a feverst night, and now you''re heading out? I can''t guarantee you won''t get an


    infection from your wound.¡±


    Danrique turned to her with a darkened gaze. ¡°What makes you think you can talk to me like that?¡± he


    asked frostily.


    ¡°I know you''re a somebody. But I''m a doctor, and I treat all patients equally!¡± Francesca refuted with her


    head held high.


    Danrique red at her questioningly, his brows furrowing. You''re saying I''m no different from all your


    other patients?


    ¡°Why are you looking at me like that?¡± Feeling oppressed, Francesca looked away. ¡°It''s true that you''re


    taking a huge risk by going out in this state. Is there really anything more important than your own life?¡±


    Ignoring her, Danrique turned around and lifted his arms so the nurses could help him get dressed.


    ¡°Take her with us. Don''t forget the medical kit,¡± he ordered Sean.


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Lindberg.¡± Sean nodded immediately before turning to Francesca. ¡°You should go get ready,


    Dr. Felch.¡±


    Francesca was at loss for words. She knew she wasn''t going to have it easy, considering he was


    paying her a hundred million.


    They left without even having lunch.


    Taking various factors into consideration - such as her patient possibly having another fever or other


    injuries - Francesca brought along a bunch of medication and tools, as well as her pouch of needles.


    This time, they used a Rolls-Royce limousine to cater to Danrique''s injury.


    Sean, Francesca, and Kerrie sat inside the vehicle with Danrique.


    Despite how grave his injury was, Danrique looked rather well as he leaned against the sofa to read a


    document.


    Meanwhile, Francesca began to doze off.


    Sean couldn''t resist poking fun at her. ¡°Dr. Felch, is it me, or are you always falling asleep whenever


    you''re not working?¡±


    Ignoring her, Donrique turned oround ond lifted his orms so the nurses could help him get dressed.


    ¡°Toke her with us. Don''t forget the medicol kit,¡± he ordered Seon.


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Lindberg.¡± Seon nodded immediotely before turning to Froncesco. ¡°You should go get reody,


    Dr. Felch.¡±


    Froncesco wos ot loss for words. She knew she wosn''t going to hove it eosy, considering he wos


    poying her o hundred million.


    They left without even hoving lunch.


    Toking vorious foctors into considerotion - such os her potient possibly hoving onother fever or other


    injuries - Froncesco brought olong o bunch of medicotion ond tools, os well os her pouch of needles.


    This time, they used o Rolls-Royce limousine to coter to Donrique''s injury.


    Seon, Froncesco, ond Kerrie sot inside the vehicle with Donrique.


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    Despite how grove his injury wos, Donrique looked rother well os he leoned ogoinst the sofo to reod o


    document.


    Meonwhile, Froncesco begon to doze off.


    Seon couldn''t resist poking fun ot her. ¡°Dr. Felch, is it me, or ore you olwoys folling osleep whenever


    you''re not working?¡±


    ¡°It''s important to rest...¡± Feeling ufortable while remaining seated upright, the womany herself


    down as she spoke in a daze. ¡°I''m going to take a nap. Don''t talk to me unless it''s urgent.¡±


    With that, she quickly fell into a slumber and even began to snore a little.


    Sean couldn''t help but chuckle. ¡°What a simpledy. There''s no way I''d believe she''s actually up to


    something - unless she''s that good at acting.¡±


    Danrique merely nced at her before continuing to read his document.


    Soon, a wave of pain took over him, causing him to break out in a cold sweat.


    Sean immediately noticed that. ¡°What''s wrong, Mr. Lindberg? Dr. Felch! Wake up!¡±


    Francesca jolted up in annoyance. ¡°What is it now?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg''s not well. Come take a look at him.¡±


    ¡°Well, that''s no surprise. Look at how serious that injury is.¡±


    After checking on Danrique, Francesca snatched his document away. ¡°Stop looking at these. You need


    to rest.¡±


    ¡°How dare you!¡± Danrique frowned.


    ¡°There''s no use ring at me like that. You have to lie down now, or you''ll get another fever.¡±


    While speaking, the woman took a bottle of herbal concoction that she had long prepared out of the


    medical kit. ¡°Drink this.¡±

 Chapter 1795

    Chapter 1795


    q¡°You - ¡°


    ¡°Just do it. Come, now.¡± Francesca began to coax the man as though she was talking to a child. ¡°Take


    a nap after drinking this. You won''t be able to do anything if you get another fever.¡±


    Hearing that, Danrique grabbed the concoction and began to drink it in one go. Suddenly, his brows


    furrowed intensely, and he wanted to spit the medicine out.


    Francesca hurriedly covered his mouth and lifted his head, forcing him to swallow the concoction.


    ¡°Ugh...¡±


    Sean was dumbfounded at the sight. I''ve never met someone who dared do such a thing to Mr.


    Lindberg!


    How reckless could this woman be?


    Does she not fear death?


    As expected, Danrique shoved the woman away furiously, and the force caused her to stagger back


    and crash into the sofa. ¡°Hey! What was that for?¡±


    Her face had turned pale due to her head''s injury.


    ¡°Stay away from me,¡± Danrique warned while pointing a finger at her.


    ¡°Are you insane? I wouldn''t even bother with you if you weren''t my patient.¡±


    This guy is crazy! He''s like a bomb that explodes at any time!


    Looks like I should make him beg me to treat him the next time.


    ¡°Shut your mouth.¡± Danrique was in so much pain that he didn''t want to argue with her. He was so


    annoyed by how she couldn''t stop talking.


    Not wanting anything to do with him either, Francesca leaned back into the sofa to continue resting.


    Then, Sean handed Danrique a ss of warm water along with a piece of candy. ¡°Here you go, Mr.


    Lindberg.¡±


    Danrique downed the entire ss before popping the candy in his mouth. In an instant, the creases


    between his eyebrows disappeared.


    ¡°You''re afraid of bitter food?¡± Francesca was amused. ¡°You don''t fear death, but this is how you''re like


    when you have to take something bitter?¡±


    Danrique red at her.


    ¡°Cut it out, Dr. Felch,¡± Sean whispered.


    With that, Francesca made a face at Danrique before resuming her nap.


    Sean observed his boss'' expression, wondering if the herbal concoction helped.


    Expectedly, anything Francesca gave him was effective. Danrique appeared much better than before.


    He looked tired, though, so he cupped his forehead with one hand and rested on the sofa.


    Sean sighed with relief and remained by his side.


    After God knows how long, Francesca woke up just in time to see the car enter a manor. She rubbed


    her eyes and sat up to gaze at the beautiful scenery outside.


    They had arrived at an Epean-style castle, where the walls of the courtyard were full of roses, and


    every nt had been trimmed meticulously. There were also guards surrounding every corner of the


    building.


    Then, Seon honded Donrique o gloss of worm woter olong with o piece of condy. ¡°Here you go, Mr.


    Lindberg.¡±


    Donrique downed the entire gloss before popping the condy in his mouth. In on instont, the creoses


    between his eyebrows disoppeored.


    ¡°You''re ofroid of bitter food?¡± Froncesco wos omused. ¡°You don''t feor deoth, but this is how you''re like


    when you hove to toke something bitter?¡±


    Donrique glored ot her.


    ¡°Cut it out, Dr. Felch,¡± Seon whispered.


    With thot, Froncesco mode o foce ot Donrique before resuming her nop.


    Seon observed his boss'' expression, wondering if the herbol concoction helped.


    Expectedly, onything Froncesco gove him wos effective. Donrique oppeored much better thon before.


    He looked tired, though, so he cupped his foreheod with one hond ond rested on the sofo.


    Seon sighed with relief ond remoined by his side.


    After God knows how long, Froncesco woke up just in time to see the cor enter o monor. She rubbed


    her eyes ond sot up to goze ot the beoutiful scenery outside.


    They hod orrived ot on Epeon-style costle, where the wolls of the courtyord were full of roses, ond


    every plont hod been trimmed meticulously. There were olso guords surrounding every corner of the


    building.


    Francesca couldn''t help but find this ce rather familiar.


    It feels like I''ve been here or at least somewhere simr to this.


    A squad came forward to wee them as soon as the vehicle stopped. The man in the lead was


    dressed extravagantly and spoke to Danrique with the utmost respect.


    After a few exchanges of words, Danrique walked into the castle with his subordinates.


    Francesca was about to tag along when Sean instructed two female guards to take her to the guest


    room at the back of the castle.


    The one who had weed Danrique was the attending butler, Robin, and he couldn''t help but freeze


    upon seeing Francesca. ¡°Who is that young man wearing a mask?¡± he asked cautiously.


    ¡°That''s Mr. Lindberg''s personal doctor,¡± answered Sean.


    ¡°Doctor?¡± Robin lowered his head.


    N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    ¡°What''s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it''s nothing,¡± the man replied with a smile. ¡°I believe you''re aware that His Highness hasn''t gotten


    much better. We''ve searched for countless renowned doctors to treat his legs, but nothing has worked


    so far. How skillful is this personal doctor, if I may ask?¡±


    ¡°She''s only good at traditional medicine and doesn''t know much else,¡± Sean exined. ¡°But from what I


    see, I don''t think she has much experience, given how young she is.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Robin looked slightly dejected.

 Chapter 1796

    Chapter 1796


    q¡°Didn''t William hire a famous doctor before?¡± asked Danrique.


    ¡°His Highness was poisoned three months ago and fell gravely ill. After a great deal of effort, we finally


    managed to hire a renowned doctor from Zarain. She was incredible. In two months, not only did she


    cure His Highness, but she also mentioned that there was a possibility of his legs making a recovery.


    After that, she had to return to Zarain to find some herbs, so His Highness arranged for her to take the


    royal cruise. And yet...¡±


    Robin sighed.


    ¡°Are you talking about the cruise incident that happened a while ago in Lightspring?¡± Sean asked in


    shock.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Robin nodded. ¡°To avoid spection, we had the media announce that the explosion had


    urred inside a business cruise. It was actually the royal Danontand cruise.¡±


    Sean turned to Danrique with aplicated look on his face.


    Danrique fell into thought for a moment before suddenly asking, ¡°Did the doctor William hired so


    happen to be Francesco?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± the butler answered softly. ¡°Mr. Lindberg, please keep this - ¡°


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Robin!¡±


    A charming voice suddenly interrupted Robin.


    ¡°Good day, Your Highness,¡± Robin immediately greeted after walking over.


    A young man looking to be in his twenties showed up in a wheelchair. He looked slightly frail, and there


    seemed to be a hint of mncholy in his blue eyes. His face looked rather pale, too.


    Even so, none of that could mask the man''s gorgeous face - or his noble presence.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg!¡± William nodded. ¡°It''s been a while.¡±


    ¡°Long time no see, William.¡± Danrique smiled faintly.


    ¡°I should have been the one visiting you, but given the state I''m in, it''s unfortunate that I had to make


    youe over instead,¡± the former said apologetically.


    ¡°Don''t say that. We''re friends, aren''t we?¡± Danrique was never a huge fan of pleasantries. ¡°Shall we


    head in?¡±


    ¡°Of course! This way.¡±


    The man entered the castle, enjoying some coffee while discussing matters regarding a coboration.


    ¡°Are you not feeling well, Mr. Lindberg?¡± William asked, having noticed something off about Danrique.


    ¡°Just a small injury,¡± thetter responded casually.


    William frowned. ¡°You don''t look too good. It''s not actually a small injury, is it? Why don''t you get some


    rest for now? We can talk when you feel better.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine,¡± Danrique refuted while taking out the document he had read earlier. ¡°I''ve gone through this


    and signed it.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡±


    Robin took the document and gave it to William with both hands.


    William then penned his signature on the paper and embedded the royal Danontand seal without even


    going through the contents.


    Even so, none of thot could mosk the mon''s gorgeous foce - or his noble presence.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg!¡± Williom nodded. ¡°It''s been o while.¡±


    ¡°Long time no see, Williom.¡± Donrique smiled fointly.


    ¡°I should hove been the one visiting you, but given the stote I''m in, it''s unfortunote thot I hod to moke


    youe over insteod,¡± the former soid opologeticolly.


    ¡°Don''t soy thot. We''re friends, oren''t we?¡± Donrique wos never o huge fon of pleosontries. ¡°Sholl we


    heod in?¡±


    ¡°Of course! This woy.¡±


    The mon entered the costle, enjoying some coffee while discussing motters regording o colloborotion.


    ¡°Are you not feeling well, Mr. Lindberg?¡± Williom osked, hoving noticed something off obout Donrique.


    ¡°Just o smoll injury,¡± the lotter responded cosuolly.


    Williom frowned. ¡°You don''t look too good. It''s not octuolly o smoll injury, is it? Why don''t you get some


    rest for now? We con tolk when you feel better.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine,¡± Donrique refuted while toking out the document he hod reod eorlier. ¡°I''ve gone through this


    ond signed it.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡±


    Robin took the document ond gove it to Williom with both honds.


    Williom then penned his signoture on the poper ond embedded the royol Donontond seol without even


    going through the contents.


    ¡°You''re not going to read it?¡± Danrique raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°We''re friends who''ve worked with each other for years. Can''t I trust you?¡± William smiled. ¡°I always


    make a buck whenever you''re involved!¡±


    Danrique let out a rare chuckle. ¡°Thank you for your trust.¡±


    ¡°I''ll be sure to aid you in your goals to take over the Epean market,¡± William said earnestly. ¡°It''s about


    time we kick Pastor off his high horse!¡±


    ¡°Have a good rest. We have an important show tomorrow night.¡±


    With a smirk, Danrique prepared to leave.


    ¡°Are you not joining the banquet?¡± asked William.


    ¡°I just want to get some rest,¡± Danrique replied without looking back.


    ¡°I understand. Take good care of Mr. Lindberg and his employees, Robin.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡±


    Robin personally led the way. ¡°This way, please, Mr. Lindberg.¡±


    Danrique took off his coat as soon as he entered his room, his entire back now covered in sweat.


    He''s sweating like this again? The fever must havee back.


    Sean hurriedly instructed someone to look for Francesca.


    At this very moment, the woman had juste out of the shower and was drying her hair while in a


    bathrobe.


    Before she could even put her bedroom slippers on, Kerrie came barging in, and the former hastily


    wore her mask.

 Chapter 1797

    Chapter 1797


    q¡°Come with me, Master Felch. Hurry!¡±


    Kerrie anxiously dragged Francesca along.


    ¡°What? Hey! Wait...¡±


    Francesca was immediately brought to the room next door.


    At this very moment, Danrique was seated on the sofa with his back facing her, loosening the buttons


    on his shirt one by one.


    Sean ced a bag of ice against his boss'' forehead, and he called out to Francesca upon seeing her.


    ¡°Dr. Felch! Come over. Mr. Lindberg''s having another fever.¡±


    Francesca walked over, knelt in front of Danrique, and began to examine his wound.


    Danrique stopped unbuttoning his shirt and stared at her with creased brows.


    The woman was dressed in nothing but a bathrobe, and her hair was still wet. Water droplets could be


    seen trailing down her neck.


    The sight of it all seemed rather suggestive.


    Danrique quickly averted his gaze. ¡°Why aren''t you wearing any clothes?¡± he demanded.


    Francesca froze momentarily and wasn''t sure how to respond. ¡°Who says I''m not wearing any clothes?


    Am I not in a bathrobe?¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry, Mr. Lindberg. I was so frantic that I dragged Master Felch over like this,¡± Kerrie exined.


    ¡°Go back to your room and put some clothes - argh!¡±


    Before Danrique could finish, Francesca ripped off the bandages covering his wound. The sudden pain


    caused him to yelp and stiffen.


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°You!¡±


    The man gritted his teeth. I''m going to kill her!


    ¡°I''m trying to treat you, not throw myself at you. Don''t get the wrong idea,¡± Francesca remarked bluntly


    without even looking up.


    She kept her gaze on the man''s injury and redressed it.


    Fury burned in Danrique''s eyes as his face reddened with anger.


    Sean sighed internally as he watched the ordeal. Mr. Lindberg''s always been level-headed, but he


    seems to be losing his temper a lot recently. I''ll have to admit this woman really has some guts.


    She manages to p*ss Mr. Lindberg off every day, but he hasn''t done anything to get rid of her yet.


    The wound was quickly redressed, and Francesca stood up to touch Danrique''s forehead. ¡°You do


    have a fever. Wipe your body with a hot towel, then go to sleep. I''ll get your medication.¡±


    With that, she returned to her room.


    Two maids quickly followed her.


    Kerrie was about to give Danrique''s body a wipe when thetter took the hot towel from her. ¡°I''ll do it


    myself. Get out.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± Kerrie meekly did as told.


    Francesca was puzzled to see her leave the room. ¡°Why aren''t you tending to him?¡±


    ¡°He didn''t let me,¡± Kerrie answered in a hushed tone.


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    The woman nced at the room and lowered her voice even more. ¡°Mr. Lindberg doesn''t like girls


    touching him.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Francesca''s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°But it''s always the maids tending to him back on the


    mountains.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but all six of them are women over fifty who''ve raised him since he was a child. The other maids


    aren''t allowed to enter his room,¡± Kerrie exined.


    ¡°Ugh...¡±


    Francesca was taken aback. I never expected him to have such rules. It''s no wonder he''s always so


    wary of me.


    What if he''s actually...


    Her lips twitching, Francesca hastily returned to her room to prepare Danrique''s medication.


    Meanwhile, in Danrique''s own room, Sean handed his boss another towel andmented, ¡°Mr.


    Lindberg, I think there really is something weird about Dr. Felch.¡±


    ¡°You think so too?¡± Danrique looked up at him.


    ¡°It''s like she''s always deliberately getting on your nerves. Do you think she''s scheming something - like


    what we always see on TV?¡± Sean surmised. ¡°You know, like how the girl keeps provoking the guy just


    to stir him up and make him remember her. Then, the guy eventually falls for her. This seems to be a


    legitimate effect, psychologically speaking.¡±

 Chapter 1798

    Chapter 1798


    qDanrique fell into silence as he heard that. ¡°It does seem that way,¡± he murmured, his brows creasing.


    ¡°Then...¡±


    ¡°That d*mned woman.¡±


    The man clenched his teeth in rage, but his wound began to hurt just as he was about to say anything


    more.


    ¡°It''s fine as long as you''re aware of what she''s like. Don''t be fooled,¡± Sean remarked with concern.


    ¡°You''ve never dated anyone before, after all, so it''s possible you might fall for her schemes.¡±


    ¡°Kick her out once I''ve recovered.¡± Danrique frowned. ¡°Also, get Gordon to keep looking into


    Francesco''s whereabouts.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir,¡± Sean replied with a nod. ¡°I''ll get some information from Robin since he''s been looking for the


    same person.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Danrique answered before slumping into the sofa.


    Just then, Robin knocked on the door and entered with a few attendants and a cart full of food.


    ¡°Good evening, Mr. Lindberg. It''s time for dinner,¡± said Robin politely. ¡°His Highness has specifically


    hired a Chanaean chef to prepare you your favorite dishes.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Sean hastily weed them.


    Not feeling much of an appetite, Danrique greeted Robin casually before heading into his bedroom to


    rest.


    ¡°Since Mr. Lindberg isn''t feeling well, I''ll take my leave now.¡±


    Robin spoke to Sean briefly before getting ready to leave, with thetter escorting him.


    Then, Francesca so happened to return with the concoction she had made, and her eyes met Robin''s.


    Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    After a quick nce, the woman thought nothing of their encounter. Robin, on the other hand, stared at


    her in shock and couldn''t keep cast his gaze away.


    Francesca nodded at him before making her way around them and entering the room.


    Just as Sean was about to follow her, Robin quickly grabbed hold of him. ¡°Sean.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Why does this doctor always have her mask on?¡± Robin couldn''t contain his curiosity. ¡°I first thought


    she was a young man, but now that I''ve taken a closer look, it seems she''s a woman. What is her


    name?¡±


    Seanughed. ¡°You just asked me so many questions at a time. Where should I begin? Anyway, why


    do you seem so interested in Mr. Lindberg''s personal doctor?¡±


    ¡°She looks a lot like someone I know...¡± Robin trailed off.


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°Like...¡± Robin paused briefly. ¡°Like the daughter of a distant rtive.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°Don''t just stand there!¡± Robin pestered. ¡°Answer my questions.¡±


    ¡°She got into a car ident and injured her face. I guess she''s wearing a mask because she doesn''t


    want anyone to see what her face looks like now. We don''t know her name either. She only refers to


    herself as Dr. Felch,¡± Sean answered briefly.


    ¡°Felch?¡± Robin''s gaze fell, as though he was pondering over something.


    ¡°Why? Is your rtive''sst name Felch, too?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Robin shook his head. ¡°All right, I shan''t take up any more of your time. I have to return to His


    Highness.¡±


    ¡°Wait! There''s something I need to talk to you about, too.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    As the two continued talking outside, Francesca noted the splendid meal before her. ¡°Wow! These are


    all my favorites,¡± she eximed with twinkling eyes.


    ¡°If you want it, you can have it,¡± Danrique responded disdainfully. ¡°Give me my medication.¡±


    ¡°You''ll have to eat something before drinking this. It''s not good to take your medication on an empty


    stomach.¡± Francesca ced the medication on the table. ¡°It''s still boiling hot, so why don''t you eat


    first?¡±


    Danrique was a little hungry, to begin with, so he sat at the dining table and prepared to eat.


    Francesca reached for a bun, pulled her mask down, and was about to take a bite.


    Suddenly, Danrique nced up at her.


    The woman swiftly turned away and shoved the entire bun in her mouth. She then her mask back in


    ce and chewed on her food slowly.


    ¡°Why do you keep wearing a mask? Are you afraid of people seeing what you look like?¡±


    Danrique gazed at her suspiciously. He had a feeling that this woman had a secret that could not be


    told.

 Chapter 1799

    Chapter 1799


    q¡°I hurt my face, and the scar hasn''t gone away. I don''t want to frighten you with my ugliness.¡±


    Francesca then came up with a great excuse. ¡°It''s all your fault. You crashed into me and ruined my


    face, but you didn''tpensate me very much.¡±


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    Upon hearing the woman bring up money matters again, Danrique immediately lost interest in the


    subject. He didn''t even want to know what she could be scheming.


    I''m not going to bother looking into something like this - or someone like her.


    Thus, he ate a little before turning his attention to the medication.


    From the scent alone, he knew the concoction was bitter and frowned deeply while holding the bowl.


    ¡°Chug it down. Good luck!¡±


    Despite not looking at him, Francesca knew he was hesitating.


    She was currently swiping some of the food with her back facing him. While eating, she kept one hand


    hovered over her chin to be able to pull her mask up at any time.


    Danrique took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Then, he downed the entire bowl of medication in


    one fell swoop.


    The man nearly threw up after swallowing some of the liquid, but he subconsciously did what


    Francesca had done to him before - covering his own mouth and continuing to swallow every drop of


    the concoction.


    When he was done, he wiped his mouth with a piece of tissue and scoured the whole area for some


    candy.


    ¡°Here!¡± Francesca handed him a piece of candy that had been unwrapped.


    She already had her mask on by now.


    Danrique shoved the candy into his mouth andy in bed. ¡°What are you still doing here?¡± he asked


    upon noticing that the woman didn''t seem to want to leave.


    ¡°I have to be on night watch. What if you be feverish again?¡± Francesca answered while


    rummaging through her medical kit.


    ¡°Sean!¡± Danrique called out, tantly ignoring her.


    ¡°Oh!¡± Sean hurriedly walked in. ¡°Yes, Mr. Lindberg?¡±


    ¡°You''re on night watch.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Sir.¡± Sean cast Francesca a nce before standing next to his boss.


    The woman fell speechless. I was only thinking of using this chance to grab the ne, but this man


    is way too alert!


    No, he may not only be making sure I don''t steal anything.


    He probably wants to make sure I don''t take advantage of him either.


    The woman fumed at the thought of this, and she red at the fellow lying in bed.


    ¡°Will Mr. Lindberg''s temperature spike again, Dr. Felch?¡± Sean asked softly.


    ¡°There''s no telling.¡± Knowing that she was unable to do anything tonight, Francesca got up to leave.


    ¡°Watch over him. Call me if his temperature reaches a hundred and two degrees.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Sean shook his head in contempt as he watched her leave. She really was trying to hit on


    Mr. Lindberg! But she gave up just because I''m here.


    Francesca returned to her room and was about to blow-dry her hair when a knock came on her door.


    ¡°Good evening, Dr. Felch. I''m here to serve you your dinner,¡± greeted Robin with a smile as the woman


    opened the door.


    Behind him were two maids pushing a cart.


    ¡°Perfect timing! I haven''t had my fill.¡±


    Francesca let them in without a second thought, and the maids ced all the dishes on the dining


    table.


    Meanwhile, Robin sized her up. ¡°Dr. Felch, I heard about your medical prowess and was wondering if


    you could perhaps conduct a diagnosis on His Highness.¡±


    ¡°His Highness?¡± Francesca was stunned. ¡°You''re royalty? Which country?¡±


    ¡°His Highness is the prince of Danontand,¡± Robin answered with aplicated look in his eyes. ¡°Do


    you know him?¡±


    ¡°How could I ever?¡± Francesca blurted. ¡°What happened to him?¡±


    ¡°His Highness injured both his legs while horse-riding as a child. He remains in a wheelchair to this


    day.¡± Robin observed the woman''s reaction. ¡°We once hired a well-known doctor from Zarain, and she


    had said it was possible to cure him.¡±


    ¡°Well, since that''s what she had said, you should ask her to do it,¡± Francesca responded and began to


    eat. ¡°It''s not easy treating a long-term illness.¡±


    ¡°Could you help take a look at His Highness? We''ll pay you whatever amount you want,¡± Robin


    continued to probe.


    ¡°Really?¡± Francesca''s eyes lit up at the mention of payment. ¡°Well, then, how about ten million as a


    deposit?¡±

 Chapter 1800

    Chapter 1800


    q¡°Already on it,¡± Robin remarked with a smile as he passed her a check with both his hands. ¡°Your


    voice, tone, and manner of speaking - they all resemble the miracle doctor so much.¡±


    ¡°Really? What''s her name?¡±


    Francesca couldn''t help but grin as she saw the check.


    Then, she folded it and kept it away gently, not forgetting to give her pocket a little pat as though


    worried she would lose the slip of paper.


    ¡°It''s Francesco from Zarain,¡± Robin answered while gazing deeply into her eyes.


    The woman was visibly surprised to hear that. ¡°But isn''t Francesco an old dude?¡±


    ¡°Uhh...¡±


    Robin was too stunned to speak for a moment.


    ¡°How do I resemble him at all?¡± asked Francesca as she continued to eat.


    ¡°In any case, could you pleasee and have a look at His Highness when you''ve finished your


    dinner?¡±


    Refusing to give up, Robin walked over in an attempt to nce at her face.


    ¡°Of course. I''ve epted your payment, after all.¡± The woman put her mask back on immediately. ¡°Give


    me a moment. I''ll head out after getting dressed.¡±


    ¡°Certainly. I''ll be waiting for you outside.¡± Robin bowed.


    ¡°Do you need any assistance getting dressed, Dr. Felch?¡± the two maids asked politely.


    ¡°There''s no need for that. I''ll do it myself. I might take half an hour, though. I need to dry my hair.¡±


    ¡°That''s not a problem. Please take your time.¡±


    The maids lowered their heads before leaving.


    Francesca found the whole situation rather odd. Why are they so courteous with me? Aren''t they


    royalty?


    And it seemed like the butler kept trying to look at my face.


    Logically speaking, I''m just a regr doctor, and Robin looks like he''s on apletely different level of


    authority. Even Sean talks to him politely. Why is he being so polite with me, then?


    He''s theplete opposite of my patient.


    Maybe the prince is so ill that they desperately need my help.


    Nothing thinking much else, Francesca ate a little more and began to blow dry her hair.


    Suddenly, the pain in the back of her head returned, and it felt as though she was being struck hard


    with a hammer.


    The woman hurriedly ate a painkiller, changed into her clothes, and exited her room with a medical


    bag.


    ¡°This way, Dr. Felch.¡±


    Robin gestured at Francesca as soon as he saw her.


    Before leaving, Francesca spoke to Kerrie about her temporary absence. ¡°Could you let Sean know? I''ll


    be back real soon.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Kerrie then reported to Sean right away.


    ¡°I understand. You may leave.¡±


    That was all Sean had said, although there was now a strange look in his eyes.


    Prior to this, he had tried to obtain information on Francesco from Robin, but thetter would constantly


    evade the subject and provide little to no indicators. Instead, he wouldn''t stop asking about Master


    Felch.


    This is strange.


    Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    I''d understand if he doesn''t want to talk about other things, but aren''t Mr. Lindberg and William close


    pals who''ve worked together for many years? Why is Robin being so secretive about a mere doctor?


    And why does he seem so interested in Master Felch?


    Danrique fell asleep shortly after taking his medication.


    Sean checked his temperature and was relieved to see that his boss'' condition had stabilized.


    Robin and Master Felch should be on their way to see Prince William now. But judging from Master


    Felch''s half-baked medical skills, how would she ever be able to cure the prince''s legs?


    They''re about to be disappointed.


    ¡°Dr. Felch has arrived, Your Highness,¡± reported Robin while standing outside the study.


    ¡°Come in.¡±


    William''s voice sounded especially crisp and melodious.


    Robin led Francesca into the room, and a sense of familiarity instantly hit the woman as her eyes fell


    on the man in the wheelchair.


    ¡°Francesca?¡±


    William called out her name in astonishment.


    Francesca froze briefly and stared at him.


    This name... It sounds so familiar and loving.


    ¡°Is it really you, Francesca?¡± The man wheeled himself over and took her by the hand excitedly. ¡°They


    all said you died in the cruise explosion, so I came all the way here from Danontand just to find you...¡±

 Chapter 1801

    Chapter 1801


    qIt took Francesca a while to snap out of a daze. She hastily retracted her hand and took a few steps


    back. ¡°Did you not summon me to examine you?¡±


    William gazed at her in shock upon hearing that.


    ¡°From your tone, you sound like you''re looking for your girlfriend rather than a doctor,¡± Francesca


    remarked skeptically. ¡°Have you gotten the wrong person?¡±


    ¡°Francesca...¡± William was stupefied. ¡°Are you okay? It''s me - William!¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± the woman responded in amusement. ¡°You''re the prince of Danontand. I''m just a regr


    doctor, not your girlfriend. You must have mistaken me for someone else.¡±


    ¡°No...¡±


    ¡°Your Highness, let me exin.¡± Robin quickly leaned toward William''s ear. ¡°ording to Sean Lowe,


    Dr. Felch was hit by a car and lost her memory after injuring her head.¡±


    ¡°She lost her memory?¡± William turned to Francesca, looking doubtful. ¡°Did she really?¡±


    ¡°It seems to be true. Sean even had Dr. Helen Wright run some tests on her. A metal chip pressing


    against a nerve in her head resulted in her amnesia. But Your Highness, thisdy has never been seen


    without a mask. Are you sure she''s really the miracle doctor Francesco?¡±


    ¡°It''s her.¡± William was absolutely confident. ¡°Her eyes are unlike anyone else''s. Even her short hair, her


    voice, and her behavior...¡±


    ¡°We should still verify her identity.¡±


    ¡°All right, that''s enough,¡± Francesca cut them off impatiently. ¡°Since I''m not needed as a doctor, I''ll be


    leaving now.¡±


    While speaking, she took the check out of her pocket and returned it to Robin. ¡°I''m giving this back.¡±


    ¡°Wait, Dr. Felch!¡± the butler eximed. ¡°Now that you''re here, could you give His Highness a check-up


    anyway?¡±


    ¡°Please.¡± William nced at her deeply.


    ¡°All right.¡±


    Francesca kept the check back in her pocket and knelt down to examine William''s legs closely.


    She also used some needles during the process before getting Robin to bring over some of William''s


    recent X-ray films.


    Finally, she concluded, ¡°It''s not that you can''t recover, but there isn''t much of a guarantee either. We


    can only hope and give it a go.¡±


    ¡°It''s her. It really is her!¡±


    William couldn''t contain his joy. To him, learning that the woman standing before him was Francesco


    was something more worth celebrating than the fact that he could perhaps walk on his own two feet


    again.


    ¡°Indeed, it''s her!¡± Robin was just as ted.


    The way she examined His Highness - the procedures, actions, and even her words - everything was


    the same as what Francesco had said before!


    ¡°Huh?¡± Francesca stared at them in puzzlement. ¡°Were you testing me?¡±


    ¡°Don''t be mad, Francesca. Take a look at this.¡±


    William took out a pocket watch, opened it, and handed it to Francesca.


    The woman nced at it and was instantly floored.


    Inside the pocket watch was a photograph of a woman standing in a field of sunflowers, and right


    behind her was William in his wheelchair, staring at her ever-so-gently.


    ¡°This...¡± Francesca blinked before leaning closer to inspect the girl in the photograph. Then, she turned


    to face William. ¡°This is me?¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡± William gazed at her tenderly.


    The woman removed her mask and inspected herself in the mirror. Despite now having two faint scars


    on her face, she looked exactly like thedy in the photograph.


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°It really is you, Francesca.¡±


    Finally getting a clear view of her face, William tugged on her hand exuberantly once again. ¡°I knew


    you''d be okay... I just knew it.¡±


    ¡°So... I''m Francesco!¡± the woman couldn''t help but exim. ¡°I really am Francesco!¡±

 Chapter 1802

    Chapter 1802


    qFrancesca felt a tremor in her heart at this very moment.


    So, I''m actually such legendary person? No way!


    And that Lindberg guy is still searching everywhere for Francesco, not knowing she''s been the one


    treating him all this while!


    Wait. I should''ve charged him even more!


    ¡°Francesca...¡±


    William''s voice brought the woman back to Earth.


    While she hadn''t regained her memories, Francesca was now convinced of her own identity. Even so,


    she still couldn''t quite get used to the way the Danontand prince looked at her.


    ¡°You''re not actually... in love with me, are you, Your Highness?¡± she asked sheepishly.


    William stiffened momentarily before bursting intoughter. ¡°That''s exactly what you said when I


    confessed my love for you on the night before you left!¡±


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    ¡°Indeed, it was.¡± Robin beamed while nodding. ¡°Back then, His Highness was so embarrassed that he


    couldn''t stop fumbling for words. Then, youpletely threw him off by asking him the same question


    you just did.¡±


    William''s face reddened slightly, but he continued to gaze at Francesca lovingly.


    Yet, the woman didn''t seem fazed at all. Instead, she furrowed her brows. ¡°I don''t remember you, nor


    do I feel anything unusual, so I''m guessing I only saw you as a friend and never had feelings for you.¡±


    Both William and Robin were bbergasted to hear that.


    On the night William had dered his love for Francesca, she had received a mysterious phone call


    and rushed straight back to her room before giving him a response.


    After she had left, William continued to wait for her reply, only to not hear from her again.


    He then heard about the cruise explosion incident a few dayster and frantically rushed over to


    Lightspring despite his family''s objections.


    Yet, to think that after having finally found her, she had not changed one bit.


    ¡°Uhh...¡± Francesca scratched her head and began awkwardly. ¡°Sorry, but I''ve never been one to think a


    lot, and I always say what''s on my mind.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine,¡± William assured. ¡°You''ve lost your memories and can''t remember anything that''s happened


    between us, so I''m just a stranger to you right now. It''s only normal for you to think of me this way. I


    understand.¡±


    ¡°But - ¡°


    ¡°Yes, he''s right! Wepletely understand,¡± Robin chimed in. ¡°But don''t worry. We have all the time in


    the world. You''ll think differently when you get better.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Francesca frowned again. ¡°I''m pretty sure that even if I''ve lost my memories, I''d have felt


    something if I truly did love someone. But I just don''t feel that way about you - ¡°


    ¡°Come now, Dr. Felch,¡± Robin hastily cut her off. ¡°Let''s leave this aside for now and talk about your


    health instead. Allow me to arrange for Dr. Wright to treat you at once.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine.¡± Francesca turned the offer down. ¡°She''s only fifty percent confident. I can''t take that risk.¡±


    ¡°But it''s not like you can cure yourself.¡± William was especially concerned for the woman.


    ¡°I have someone in mind, and I think he''d be able to help me.¡± Francesca pondered for a moment.


    ¡°Anyway, I''ll deal with this on my own.¡±


    ¡°But - ¡°


    ¡°There''s something else I need your help with,¡± the woman added sternly.


    ¡°Just say the word.¡± William nodded right away. ¡°I''ll do anything to help.¡±


    ¡°Please don''t tell Danrique Lindberg and his men about my true identity along with my rtionship with


    you,¡± Francesca requested frankly. ¡°Can you do that?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Robin was visibly puzzled.


    ¡°No reason in particr. I just don''t want them to know.¡± She couldn''te up with an excuse at all.


    ¡°Okay, I understand.¡± William nodded without any hesitation again before turning to Robin. ¡°Do as she


    says.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡±

 Chapter 1803

    Chapter 1803


    q¡°I shall leave first if there''s nothing else.¡±


    Francesca grabbed her medical bag and turned to leave.


    ¡°Francesca...¡± William called out, hoping that she wouldn''t leave so soon. ¡°Can you stay a little longer?¡±


    ¡°I can''t. Danrique is having a fever, and I need to go back and check up on him,¡± Francesca replied


    directly before continuing, ¡°Oh, regarding your leg, it can be treated, but I need to think of a way. I will


    let you know once I think of something.¡±


    After the woman finished speaking, she returned the check to Robin and said, ¡°You can pay me after


    treatment starts.¡±


    ¡°It''s all right, Dr. Felch. You can take the money first. If you need any more help, please feel free to let


    me know...¡±


    ¡°I won''t ept anything I''ve not earned.¡±


    Francesca shoved the check back into the man''s hand and left without a backward nce.


    William could not help but feel slightly disappointed as he watched the woman walk away.


    Noticing that, Robin quickly tried tofort the man. ¡°Your Highness, please don''t worry. Francesco...


    No, Dr. Felch is only behaving this way because she has lost her memory. When she recovers, she will


    treat you as well as she didst time.¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡± William nodded and said, ¡°You''re right. I''m sure she will...¡±


    ¡°However, we would still have to ount to Mr. Lindberg,¡± Robin said awkwardly. ¡°Earlier on, Sean kept


    asking me about Francesco''s whereabouts, but I''ve followed your instructions and tried to avoid the


    topic. I could feel that he is starting to get suspicious. After all, given your rtionship with Mr.


    Lindberg, there''s no need for us to avoid discussing it. Will they think that we are harboring ulterior


    motives?¡±


    ¡°I don''t think so, since there''s no conflict of interest between us,¡± William replied with a smile. ¡°Most


    likely, they are trying to find Francesca to treat Danrique, but they are unaware that Dr. Felch is actually


    Francesca. Besides, given that Francesca is already treating Danrique, his condition is not going to


    worsen. As such, it''s unlikely that any conflict would arise between us because of this.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense.¡± Robin nodded before continuing, ¡°Then, if Sean asks me about it again, I''ll just tell


    him that Dr. Felch has exceptional medical skills, and with her treating Mr. Lindberg, there''s nothing


    they have to worry about.¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡± William nodded. ¡°Francesca has always liked keeping a low profile. She doesn''t like people


    finding out her true identity. As such, when she was getting rid of the poison for me previously, she had


    already made me promise not to divulge her secret.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. After all, the lives of many big shots are in her hands. Sometimes, when the enemies of those


    important people have no means ofying their hands on them, they might target Dr. Felch instead,


    such as the cruise ship incident...¡±


    Robin had a serious look on his face as he spoke.


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    ¡°Those people wereing after me in the first ce. They thought that if they killed Francesca, no


    one would be able to treat me, and I would be wheelchair bound for the rest of my life. If that


    happened, I wouldn''t be able to seed to the throne.¡±


    At that thought, William''s gaze turned cold. ¡°Since young, I''ve stayed a low profile and tried my best to


    put up with them. However, they are still not willing to let me off.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, it''s like what Madam said, problems won''t go away just because we keep trying to avoid


    them. One would only be able to protect themselves and their family if they are strong enough to do


    so,¡± Robin reminded softly.


    ¡°That''s right.¡± William nodded firmly. ¡°I need to be stronger, so that I can protect Francesca. I will


    let those people know that I''m not someone they can easily take advantage of!¡±


    ¡°Hence, getting Mr. Lindberg on our side is our best choice...¡± Robin steered back to the earlier topic.


    ¡°We must never offend him.¡±


    ¡°I know. I will give him an exnation personally tomorrow,¡± William nodded before turning to look at


    the door and said, ¡°I wonder when Francesca would remember me...¡±


    After Francesca returned to her room and was about to rest, Kerrie showed up, looking for her. ¡°Dr.


    Felch, Mr. Lindberg''s fever has already reached a hundred and one.¡±


    ¡°Get my medical kit ready.¡±


    Francesca arrived at Danrique''s room at once. After taking his temperature, she fed him some


    medicine...


    After a series of procedures, Francesca asked Sean in a straightforward manner, ¡°What chemicals did


    you guys feed the snake with? It''s causing the poison to act unpredictably.¡±


    ¡°I can''t exin it clearly to you right now. I can show you the form when we get back.¡± With a solemn


    expression on his face, Sean asked, ¡°What''s his condition now? It is very serious?¡±

 Chapter 1804

    Chapter 1804


    q¡°It''s moreplicated than I thought.¡± Noticing how pale Danrique looked, a crease appeared


    between Francesca''s brows. ¡°I''ve underestimated the poison. It keeps mutating in the body.¡±


    ¡°What? How did that happen?¡± Sean was shocked to hear that, and the color drained from his face.


    ¡°What should we do then?¡±


    ¡°We have to go back as soon as possible,¡± Francesca replied decisively. ¡°Do you still have the snake


    that bit him?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡± Sean nodded and continued, ¡°We''ve locked it up in theb.¡±


    ¡°Lab?¡± Francesca''s expression changed drastically when she heard that. ¡°Are you experimenting on


    animals?¡±


    ¡°Regarding this matter, it''s difficult for me to exin it to you right now,¡± Sean replied vaguely, clearly


    trying to avoid answering. ¡°Besides, I can''t let you in on the details, so please don''t ask any further.¡±


    ¡°Fine. I don''t wish to waste time talking as well,¡± Francesca replied coldly. ¡°Anyway, we should go back


    as soon as possible. Otherwise, his condition would continue to worsen. By then, not even the gods


    would be able to save him, not to mention me.¡±


    ¡°But why didn''t you mention this earlier?¡± Sean was starting to panic. ¡°If we had known it earlier...¡±


    ¡°We shouldn''t be discussing hypothetical scenarios now,¡± Francesca replied, feeling a flicker of


    irritation. ¡°I''m a doctor, not God. I can''t predict everything. Even though I know that the poison is from a


    biochemically refined animal. I wouldn''t know that it would start mutating. That''s beyond the expertise


    of a medical doctor.¡±


    After hearing what the woman said, Sean knew that he couldn''t me her as there was nothing she


    could have done as well. However, he was currently in a difficult position. ¡°There''s a very important


    function tomorrow evening where Mr. Lindberg and His Highness are supposed to attend together. As


    such, I''m afraid that Mr. Lindberg wouldn''t agree to going back now.¡±


    ¡°Is his life more important or is attending that f*cking function more important?¡± Francesca was so


    furious that she started cursing. ¡°We have to go back now! Immediately! Prepare the car right away and


    go back to the mountain. I will need to analyze theposition of the snake''s blood and develop the


    antidote after that. All these take time. We can''t afford to dy any further.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    Sean was in a fluster and did not know what to do.


    ¡°We''ll go back tomorrow night.¡±


    Suddenly, a weak voice rang out...


    Sean turned around and quickly rushed over when he realized that it was Danrique who was speaking.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, you''re awake?¡±


    ¡°You''ve heard everything?¡± Francesca looked at the man and asked, frowning, ¡°Do you know how


    serious this is?¡±


    ¡°I know...¡± Danrique replied, opening his eyes slowly. ¡°One day wouldn''t make too much of a difference.


    I''m not going to die because of that.¡±


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°Even if something bad really happens to me, it would be your fault for not performing your duty as a


    doctor well,¡± Danrique added before the woman could reply.


    Burning with anger, Francesca hurled the towel which she was holding at Danrique and scolded, ¡°You


    *sshole! Don''t me me if you die!¡±


    When the towelnded on Danrique''s face, everyone in the room was shocked. With their eyes


    widened in disbelief, all of them fixed their gazes on Francesca.


    This woman not only dared to talk back at Mr. Lindberg, she had even... attacked him?


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg...¡±


    Sean froze in horror before he quickly rushed up to the man and removed the towel on his face.


    With a grim expression on his face, Danrique gritted his teeth and bellowed, ¡°Throw this woman...¡±


    ¡°It''s best that you throw me out right now.¡± Francesca interrupted arrogantly before continuing, ¡°If I


    leave, you won''t survive past the next three days. It''s up to you whether you believe it or not.¡±


    ¡°You...¡±


    A fresh swell of rage rose in Danrique. He sat up at once and grabbed the gun next to his pillow with


    the intention to kill.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, please calm down! Calm down!¡± Sean stopped him at once and said while panicking, ¡°It


    won''t do you any good killing her! We need her to save your life! So please, calm down!¡±


    ¡°At least there''s someone here who has a clear mind.¡±


    Before Francesca turned to leave, she shot a cold re at the men and said resolutely, ¡°If you''re not


    willing to go back now, don''t call me tonight. Even if you are dying you shouldn''t call me too. You can


    just suffer all you want!¡±


    ¡°Ummm...¡±


    ¡°You''re such a bit*h!¡±


    Extremely furious, Danrique''s hand shook while he held the gun. He wanted to kill her so badly at that


    moment.


    Francesca walked away proudly without a backward nce while scolding, ¡°Such a stupid man! Serves


    you right to die!¡±Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.

 Chapter 1805

    Chapter 1805


    qBeads of cold sweat had already umted on Sean''s forehead. He could hardly believe how


    presumptuous the woman was, just because of her unparalleled medical skills...


    He wondered if she had actually considered the possibility of Danrique taking revenge on her after he


    recovered.


    After all, Danrique was well-known for being a cruel and ruthless man who would not hesitate to kill


    another person.


    Sean snuck a nce at Danrique, and an ominous feeling arose in his heart. It was obvious that


    Danrique was fuming mad. In fact, he was so angry that his face had already turned purple!


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, please calm down,¡± Kerrie said cautiously.


    ¡°Try and get some medicine from Dr. Felch that can help to temporarily suppress Mr. Lindberg''s


    fever...¡± Sean instructed the nurse.


    ¡°Understood,¡± Kerrie replied before she ran to look Francesca.


    In the dimly-lit room, Danrique was lying on the bed with one hand on his forehead, feeling extremely


    frustrated. Due to his high fever, the man was looking pale and his entire body was heating up...


    Sean handed him a ss of water but Danrique knocked it to the ground. ¡°Get lost!¡±


    Sean cleaned up the broken ss quietly, not daring to make a sound, for fear of triggering the man.


    Meanwhile, in the next room, Kerrie was pleading with Francesca earnestly. ¡°Dr. Felch, I beg you to


    think of a way to help Mr. Lindberg. He is in so much agony because of his sickness. Besides, he still


    has to attend tomorrow evening''s function...¡±Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°You should be persuading him instead of me.¡± Francesca was speechless. ¡°He''s life is already in


    danger given how sick he is. Not only is he not cooperating with my treatment, he''s still thinking about


    attending that silly function? It''s clear that he''s retarded.¡±


    ¡°This...¡±


    ¡°You have no idea what''s going on.¡±


    Just then, an angry voice sounded.


    Francesca turned to look and saw that it was Gordon. A crease appeared between her brows as she


    growled, ¡°How did youe in?¡±


    ¡°Sorry. The door isn''t locked, and I happened to hear your conversation so I let myself in,¡± Gordon


    apologized politely before saying indignantly, ¡°Mr. Lindberg had spent three years trying to establish a


    firm foothold in the European market. After much effort, he has finally aplished that, but our rivals


    kept trying to destroy us. Tomorrow is the day where he would be facing his rival head-on. If he doesn''t


    show up, it would mean that he has chosen to back out. If that happened, our three years'' worth of


    hard work would go down the drain. Besides, there are also business partners whom Mr. Lindberg has


    to answer to. Countless people depend on him for a living. As such, he can''t quit. The only way for him


    is to march forward fearlessly. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°Nope, I don''t understand.¡± Francesca was simply not interested in violence, dirty ys and snatching


    territories. ¡°I only know that we only get to live once!¡±


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°That''s enough,¡± Francesca interrupted the man as she was getting annoyed by his incessant rambling.


    ¡°I''ll have to do my job since you''ve already paid me. I will do what I''m supposed to do. Let me see if I


    can give you something that canst him until tomorrow night.¡±


    ¡°You''d better do it,¡± Gordon warned sternly. ¡°If anything bad happens to Mr. Lindberg, you''ll be dead!¡±


    ¡°Are you threatening me now?¡±


    Francesca stared at the man coldly, narrowing her eyes.


    Gordon let out a snort before he stomped away. He did not have Sean''s patience and would not


    attempt to reason with the doctor...


    If anything bad happened to Mr. Lindberg, he would not hesitate to kill.


    Francesca was nearly suffocating on her fury. If not for her duty as a doctor, she would definitely have


    red up and walked away...


    ¡°Dr. Felch, please don''t be angry. Mr. Gordon can be very blunt sometimes,¡± Kerrie quickly said, trying


    to defuse the situation. ¡°However, what he said was true. If something bad happens to Mr. Lindberg,


    not only you, even people like me wouldn''t be able to leave M Nation alive.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Francesca blurted out but realized the answer to her own question just secondster. ¡°Oh, if


    something happens to him, his rival wouldn''t let his people live.¡±


    ¡°Yup, yup. That''s right...¡± Kerrie nodded vigorously.


    ¡°What kind of person is Danrique exactly? Why would hee to M Nation to snatch other people''s


    territories?¡± Francesca asked, puzzled.


    ¡°We are from Erihal. Mr. Lindberg said that Erihal''s market is too small. As such, he had started to work


    on the European market three years back... I''m not sure of the details, but I know that Mr. Lindberg is a


    proper business man while on the other hand, that Pastor is an evil man.¡±

 Chapter 1806

    Chapter 1806


    q¡°Haha...¡± Francesca let out a mockingughter before saying, ¡°Isn''t it natural in the business arena for


    the strong to dominate the weak? No one is really good or bad, isn''t it?¡±


    ¡°Ummm...¡±


    ¡°All right, you may leave now.¡± Francesca did not wish to continue the conversation any further. ¡°I don''t


    care if he is a saint or a devil. As long as I''m paid, I have to do my job to save him.¡±


    ¡°OK then. I''ll wait outside. Please feel free to let me know if you need anything.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Even though Francesca was feeling annoyed, as a doctor, she owed a duty of care to her patient. As


    such, she started to analyze Danrique''s condition, trying toe up with a suitable prescription for him.


    About an hourter, she passed the new prescription to Kerrie and asked her to prepare the medicine


    before heading over to Danrique''s room.


    Meanwhile, both Sean and Gordon were watching over Danrique.


    The man had a dim expression on his face and had slipped out of consciousness once again.


    Gordon was having a discussion with Sean on whether they should get Helen over to take a look at


    Danrique as he did not trust Francesca''s abilities. Besides, he was also put off by the woman''s


    arrogant attitude.


    However, Sean was of the opinion that other doctors would not be able to handle Danrique''s condition.


    Besides, Francesca was personally appointed by Danrique himself. As such, she should be able to find


    a cure for the poison...


    After all, Danrique himself also knew a thing or two about poisons.


    Just when the two men were in the midst of their discussion, Francesca walked in.


    ¡°You... Why didn''t you knock?¡± Gordon asked, frowning.


    ¡°Since I''m the doctor, this room is where I work. Do I have to knock before entering my own office?¡±


    Francesca said, soundingpletely justified. ¡°On the other hand, it''s such a disgrace for grown men


    like you two to be gossiping about others behind their backs.¡±


    ¡°Please don''t misunderstand,¡± Sean exined at once. ¡°We''re just discussing Mr. Lindberg''s


    condition...¡±


    ¡°All right, that''s enough,¡± Francesca interrupted the man impatiently and said, ¡°Prepare a hot towel.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Sean acted on her instructions at once.


    Francesca walked toward the bed and felt Danrique''s forehead. She realized that the man''s fever had


    not subsided, and he was literally burning...


    Even though the two maids beside Danrique were helping to ce ice packs on him, it waspletely


    useless.


    ¡°Step aside,¡± Francesca instructed, not wanting them to get in the way.


    As such, the maids quickly retreated to one side of the room.


    Francesca lifted Danrique''s nket and started applying acupuncture on him.


    Gordon, who was watching by the side, was feeling uneasy about what the woman was doing.


    However, even though he did not agree with that method of treatment, there was no other better option.


    ¡°Open the windows,¡± Francesca instructed while administering the treatment.


    The maids looked toward Sean and only proceeded to open the windows after getting a nod of


    approval from the man.


    Afterpleting the treatment, dark red blood started oozing out from the tissues surrounding


    Danrique''s wound.


    Francesca took over the hot towel which Sean had prepared and started wiping the blood off


    Danrique...


    A whileter, Kerrie brought over the herbal concoction that she had prepared ording to


    Francesca''s prescription.


    After the medicine cooled, Francesca fed it to Danrique personally.


    However, just like before, Danrique was unable to swallow, and the medicine flowed out of his mouth...


    Just when everyone was panicking, Francesca removed her mask and took a big gulp of the medicine


    before feeding it to Danrique with her mouth.


    N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    It had shocked everyone when she did that the previous time. However, this time, no one reacted as


    they were already used to it.


    Sean could vaguely see half of Francesca''s face and suddenly found her rather familiar...


    Previously, when she took off her mask to feed Danrique, they were all standing behind her, and she


    had put on her mask immediately after she finished feeding him the medicine. Besides, the lighting of


    the room was dim. As such, it was natural that no one was able to see the doctor''s face clearly.


    However, as Sean was currently standing across the woman, he could see a bit of her face...


    But the lighting in the room was still dark, and Francesca''s mouth was filled with medicine. As such, it


    was impossible to make out her features or deduce anything from that...


    Besides, all Sean could think about at that moment was Danrique. As such, he did not give too much


    thought to it.


    After she finished feeding Danrique, Francesca pulled up her mask and touched the man''s forehead


    again before telling the rest, ¡°All of you can leave. I''ll watch over him.¡±


    ¡°All right. We will do the usual. Gordon and I will be in the living room. Just shout for us if you need


    anything.¡±


    Sean was worried about leaving the woman there alone.


    ¡°Yup.¡± Francesca simply answered before continuing, ¡°Clean up the area and just leave the warm water


    here. The rest of you may leave now.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±

 Chapter 1807

    Chapter 1807


    qOne of the maids replied with a yes subconsciously. Taken aback by her own reflex, the maid toss a


    timid look at Sean.


    With a gesture from Sean, the maids quickly prepared everything and brought in some warm water


    ording to Francesca wishes. They then left with a quick bow.


    While the maids busied themselves, Gordon frowned before leaving silently for the living room and took


    a seat there.


    Sean waited till the maids left to have a private word with Francesca. Before long, he too went into the


    living room to wait.


    Unable to help himself, Gordon made a snide remark. ¡°At this rate, she might as well be half the owner


    of this ce.¡±


    Sean cleared his throat a little in response. ¡°She definitely disys such a manner. It''s no wonder the


    maids and medical staff are terrified of her.¡±


    ¡°In other words, she''s been spoiled.¡± Gordon shook his head, displeased. ¡°You tolerate her too much.¡±


    ¡°How is it my fault?¡± argued Sean, feeling slightly aggrieved. ¡°She''s not even afraid of Mr. Lindberg


    himself. What makes you think I have any say?¡±


    ¡°Speaking of which...¡± Gordon''s frown deepened. ¡°Mr. Lindberg couldn''t have fallen for her, could he?


    Otherwise, why would he be so tolerant of her?¡±


    ¡°I think it''s a bit off as well...¡± Sean turned his gaze upward as he thought out loud. ¡°Mr. Lindberg truly


    did show her special patience. Even though he''s angry, he would always calm down at the most


    important moment.¡±


    ¡°When ites to romantic rtionships, Mr. Lindberg is way too na?ve...¡± Gordon could not help but


    feel worried for Danrique. ¡°This is really dangerous. He could easily be fooled. Once he''s recovered,


    we must bring him out to experience the cruel reality of this world...¡±


    ¡°Let''s continue this conversation only after he''s recovered.¡±


    Throughout the entire time, Sean stood next to the curtains and kept his neck stretched as he tried to


    peek inside the room.


    After Francesca had took Danrique''s temperature and tuck him in, she took a seat on the rug next to


    the bed and yed ¡°Angry Birds¡± on an iPad.


    Even though she had lowered the volume, it could still be heard.


    Sean sighed in exasperation. There they were, worrying their heads off while the doctor could not even


    be bothered.


    ¡°She, she...¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright.¡±


    Just as Gordon was about to lose his temper at Francesca, Sean quickly interfered. ¡°Just let her y.


    He had taken his medications and the injection. It is probably safe to assume that his condition is stable


    for now.¡±


    ¡°This is preposterous!¡± Gordon was on the edge of exploding in fury.


    ¡°Stay calm,¡± said Sean, to himself as much as it was to Gordon. ¡°I''ll go in and ask about his condition


    again after half an hour,¡± reassured Sean.


    ¡°Fine...¡±Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    Both Sean and Gordon paced around the living room restlessly in subdued anxiousness.


    After what felt like forever, half an hour finally passed. Gordon immediately urged Sean to inquire about


    the situation.


    However, the sight that awaited him upon entering the room left him at a loss for words.


    Francesca had gotten tired from gaming and had fallen asleep leaning against the bed.


    Perhaps because she was cold, she had pulled a part of Danrique''s nket over herself as well.


    Meanwhile, Danrique''s arm dangled from the bed, coincidentally brushing her cheek.


    The atmosphere surrounding the two seemed a little romantic.


    Annoyance coursed through Sean''s veins. He wanted to scold Francesca for not being professional,


    but just as he was about to speak, he swallowed his words.


    He did not want to wake Danrique.


    With a sigh, Sean made his way to the bedside and used a digital thermometer to take Danrique''s


    temperature. Upon noticing Danrique''s fever dropped, Sean breathed a sigh of relief.


    ¡°How is it?¡±


    Impatient, Gordon went inside to ask.


    ¡°Shh!¡± Sean hushed, reminding Gordon to keep his voice low.


    At the sight of Francesca sleeping by the bedside, Gordon''s rage suddenly spiked. Aware of Gordon''s


    anger, Sean quickly pulled the former away.


    ¡°His fever has dropped.¡±


    ¡°Really? That''s good... but, that woman...¡±


    ¡°Forget about it. Just turn a blind eye.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°Patience. We''ll discuss about everything else after Mr. Lindberg recovers.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Gordon finally relented.


    Meanwhile, Francesca was dreaming. It was once again regarding a beaming young woman with a


    young man whose face was blurred.


    That time, the two of them were holding hands and running in a field.


    As the sun dipped below the horizon, its warm gentle rays reflected the lucky and joyful smiles on their


    faces...

 Chapter 1808

    Chapter 1808


    q¡°Cece...¡±


    Out of the blue, a familiar voice called out.


    It was as though there was a telepathic connection, Francesca woke up abruptly and raised her head


    to look at Danrique with her eyes still half-closed. Complicated emotions swirled in her heart.


    This beautiful face really does look familiar...


    All of a sudden, a strange yet familiar feeling rose to her chest.


    ¡°Is Mr. Lindberg awake?¡±


    Gordon''s voice broke the romantic atmosphere.


    Francesca snapped out of her daze and retracted her gaze before pushing herself off the floor.


    ¡°How''s Mr. Lindberg?¡± Gordon asked anxiously. ¡°I thought I heard him speak just now?¡±


    Francesca did not reply immediately. Instead, she ced the back of her hand on Danrique''s forehead


    to assess his temperature. ¡°His fever is gone.¡±


    ¡°That''s great.¡± Both Gordon and Sean felt a weight being lifted off their shoulders.


    Francesca then turned her gaze to the clock on the wall, noticing that it was already seven thirty in the


    morning. ¡°I''ll go take a nap. You guys can help him clean his body with warm water, and prepare some


    broth for him when he awakes.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I''ll have someone on it immediately.¡±


    With that being said, Sean quickly went around to give orders.


    ¡°Would Mr. Lindberg''s fever spike again?¡± Gordon pressed on.


    ¡°That remains unknown.¡± Francesca yawned. ¡°The virus wille and go. Not to mention, viruses


    mutate. No one can predict what will happen next.¡±


    ¡°Hey, you...¡± Before Gordon could say anything else, Francesca had dragged her exhausted body out


    of the room.


    Gordon was utterly furious. ¡°Why are you always so against her?¡± Seeing Gordon''s reaction, Sean


    asked.


    ¡°Just look at her attitude!¡± snapped Gordon.


    ¡°She''s telling the truth, and the truth is often ugly.¡± Out of the two, Sean was obviously moreposed


    and open-minded. ¡°We''re so used to the precious doctors beating around the bush that her brutal


    honestyes off a bit too strong.¡±


    Sean''s reasoning managed to shut Gordon up. After all, it did make sense.


    ¡°Alright, enough. Let''s take care of Mr. Lindberg first.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± agreed Gordon.


    In the meantime, Francesca truly had been worn out. The moment she reached her room, she


    copsed onto her bed right away.


    Just then, she recalled that she had once again forgotten the ne.


    Guess I''ll have to wait till next time.


    However, since she had found out that her identity was Francesco, the ne no longer seemed to


    hold the same weight as it did before.


    But what else have I forgotten?


    As the thoughts flowed in her mind, Francesca drifted into a slumber.


    Once again, she had a dream. Or rather, she had a nightmare. In the nightmare, a crowd of angry


    people were after her life.


    Suddenly, a huge force fell on the back of her head. After that, she could remember nothing...


    The back of her head began to ache in response.


    Francesca jolted awake. She gasped for air and kept her eyes fixed on the ceiling. Her heart was still


    pounding against her ribcage.


    She had been having that dream repeatedly for some time now.


    And every time she woke up from the dream, there would be a sharp and unbearable pain at the back


    of her head.


    Deep in her soul, she knew that the incident had something to do with her memory loss.


    However, she could not ce her finger on the reason people wanted to kill her. Wasn''t she just a


    doctor living a peaceful and undisturbed life?


    Just as she was lost in thoughts, a knock came from her door. Following suit, the voice of a maid called


    out. ¡°Dr. Felch, His Highness has invited you for lunch!¡±


    Francesca rolled over to sit up. Eyeing the clock on the wall with narrowed eyes, she realized it was


    already noon.


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    ¡°Be there in a minute.¡±


    Just in time. I''d love to find out more about the past.


    ¡°Alright, I''ll be waiting for you out here,¡± replied the maid respectfully.


    After freshening up and changing into a suitable outfit, Francesca put on a mask and exited the room


    while yawning.


    ¡°This way!¡± Four maids were waiting outside her door to wee her.


    Francesca tailed behindzily. Once in a while, she would rub her eyes and yawn,pletely out of


    ce in the luxurious atmosphere.


    Passing through a long hallway, they reached a grand hall. From afar, Francesca could already see


    Prince William seated in front of a long table with two people standing behind him, waiting to be of


    service.


    As for the maids, they were busy serving the scrumptious food onto the table.


    The mere sight of it all made Francesca drool. Just as she was about to make her way there, a familiar


    voice sounded from behind her. ¡°What is she doing here?¡±

 Chapter 1809

    Chapter 1809


    qFrancesca shuddered before turning around.


    Danrique was dressed in a white suit. His crisp look could outshine all the princes in fairytales by ten


    thousand times.


    Francesca''s heart began to race.


    Damn it.


    Why must this man be so good looking?


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg!¡± With a smile, William exined, ¡°Dr. Felch helped me with a medical diagnosisst


    night and is one of my guests, which is why I have invited Dr. Felch for lunch with us!¡±


    ¡°So you can earn double?¡± Danrique cocked an eyebrow at her.


    ¡°Not like it''s stopping me from taking care of your illness.¡± Francesca rolled her eyes in response. ¡°Plus,


    I just gave him a diagnosis. I have yet to actually start the treatment.¡±


    ¡°Haha.¡± William chuckled. ¡°Mr. Lindberg is just messing with you. We''re good friends. He wouldn''t be


    bothered by this, right Mr. Lindberg?¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡± Danrique uttered a half-hearted response before passing from behind Francesca to take a seat


    beside William.


    ¡°This way, Dr. Felch!¡± Robin instantly stepped forward to greet Francesca.


    Francesca took a seat opposite the two men. While arranging the napkins on the table, she kept her


    gaze on Danrique. ¡°Even though your fever has subsided, your condition is still unstable. After you''ve


    finished your business tonight, it is advisable for you to return as soon as possible...¡±


    ¡°Stop nagging.¡± Danrique cut her off.


    ¡°I''m not finished,¡± asserted Francesca. ¡°You''re not to drink, not to take any seafood...¡±


    Before she could finish, Danrique had picked up the wine ss next to him and took a giant gulp.


    ¡°Hey, you...¡± Francesca began to object.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± With annoyance written all over his face, Danrique shot her a re.


    Francesca was rendered speechless. Soon, she found her voice and huffed. ¡°If your fever acts up


    again, it''s none of my business.¡±


    The way the two of them argued was like an old married couple.


    Taking in the situation, William felt a bit uneasy. Even so, he maintained a charming smile on his face.


    ¡°All doctors want the best for their patients. Mr. Lindberg, it would be for your good if you would listen to


    the advice.¡±


    ¡°Since when have you be so annoying as well?¡± Danrique gave William a side-eye.


    William chuckled lightly before changing the subject. ¡°Dig in, everyone! I had asked the kitchen to


    prepare a Ferropene feast! Hope you''ll enjoy it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    Francesca was lifting up her ss for a sip of juice when she suddenly realized her mask was still on. If


    she took of her mask, Danrique would see her face.


    On the other hand, she would not be able to eat anything with her mask on her face.


    Francesca looked around. At the moment, William and Danrique were talking to each other in another


    language in low tones. Neither of them had noticed her.


    As for the other guests, they were upied with their own conversations as well.


    Francesca did a brief evaluation of her situation. As of then, she did not even wash her face. Her hair


    was short, and she was wearing a unisex outfit, a stark contrast to how she looked when she dressed


    as a dancer. Perhaps Danrique wouldn''t be able to recognize me?


    Hence, she pulled the mask down to her chin, lowered her head and began eating.


    Throughout the entire time, Sean was standing behind Danrique. At first, his attention was fully on the


    latter.


    As he was handing the phone to Danrique, however, he identally scanned the opposite side. It was


    then when he noticed Francesca acting a little weird.


    She had kept her head so low, as if she was afraid someone would see her face.


    He had seen her face the night before. It seemed to be absent of any obvious scars, and she definitely


    was not disfigured as they had hypothesized.


    So what is she hiding?


    Just as the thought shed across Sean''s mind, Danrique voice suddenly called out. ¡°What are you


    doing?¡±


    His voice took everyone by surprise, attracting their attention. Everyone then followed his gaze toward


    Francesca.


    In response, Francesca immediately pulled the mask back onto her face. All the while still chewing the


    steak in her mouth.


    Danrique narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing her with an unreadable expression. Odd. She has a really


    familiar face with her mask off...


    ¡°I''m done. Please enjoy the rest of the meal.¡±


    Francesca stood up abruptly and was about to leave.


    Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    ¡°Aye, Fran...¡± Aware that he almost let her real name slipped, William managed to stop himself in time.


    ¡°Leaving so soon, Dr. Felch?¡±


    ¡°I didn''t have enough restst night. I''d like to take a nap.¡±


    Conjuring up an excuse, Francesca got ready to leave.

 Chapter 1810

    Chapter 1810


    q¡°Dr. Felch,¡± interrupted Sean as he quickly stood in her path.. ¡°Sorry but we would have to trouble you


    once again. Please pack your stuff. We''ll be departing for somewhere else in an hour.¡±


    ¡°What''s going on? Francesca''s brows knitted together. ¡°Am I supposed to follow you to the banquet?¡±


    Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    ¡°That''s right.¡± Sean nodded. ¡°Mr. Lindberg''s condition is still unstable. We''re worried that some


    complications might happen on our journey there. Therefore, you would need toe with us.¡±


    Francesca got a bit frustrated at the request. But for the sake of money, she agreed begrudgingly.


    ¡°Noted.¡±


    With that, she turned and left promptly.


    Sean shot a nce and Kerrie, along with two female bodyguards, quickly followed behind Francesca.


    ¡°Dr. Felch is quite skilled in her medical expertise.¡± Staring at Francesca''s diminishing silhouette,


    William could not help but advised, ¡°It''s not every day we meet a miracle doctor. Shouldn''t we be a bit


    kinder to her?¡±


    ¡°If I hadn''t been kind to her, she would have died long ago.¡± Danrique gritted his teeth at the thought of


    the woman.


    ¡°Uh...¡±


    William recalled the first time Francesca arrived at the pce. Even back then, she was not any


    different, doing whatever she pleased. At first, people were astounded and tried to get her to change


    her ways. As time went by, people started getting scared of her and did not have much of a choice but


    to conform to her desires.


    ¡°Your Highness,¡± began Robin. ¡°I''ve selected a huge group of people to go with us tonight. Would you


    like to examine...¡±


    ¡°No need,¡± interrupted Danrique. ¡°Our safety does not depend on the amount of people going with us.¡±


    ¡°That''s correct.¡± William smiled. ¡°With Mr. Lindberg with us, what is there to fear?¡±


    ¡°Tonight might be a trap. Pastor wouldn''t let this opportunity go to waste,¡±mented Robin worriedly.


    ¡°So what if it''s a trap?¡± Sean spoke up in ce of Danrique. ¡°We shall go with the flow. In this world,


    there has yet to be a person that causes trouble when Mr. Lindberg''s around.¡±


    ¡°That''s true.¡± Robin nodded fervently.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, I''ve heard of something.¡± After a moment of consideration, William announced gravely.


    ¡°ording to rumors, Pastor has been making his way to Zarain in secret to meet Zachary Nacht from


    Nacht Group. Word has it that he is nning to recruit Zachary against us. Don''t know how true this


    information is.¡±


    ¡°In Epea and Adrune, Nacht Group is a powerful force. They always carry a sense of pride and keep


    their business legit and clean. They would not bother stepping down from the pedestal and get involved


    with Pastor''s business. Not to mention that Zachary has just started the business in Zarain not long


    ago. He would be upied with developing the business for the time being and would most likely not


    give Pastor the time of the day.¡± Danrique noted lightly.


    ¡°I heard that the Nachts and the Lindbergs are nemesis and have been fighting each other for decades


    now. Pastor probably has heard of the news as well, which prompted him to go to Zachary. Would


    Zachary join forces with him to take out Lindberg Corporation?¡± William refused to drop the subject.


    ¡°Firstly, the Nachts'' business and ours are not inpetition. They focus mainly on science and


    technology while our business is on biomedicine. There is no reason for either party to interfere with


    the other''s business. Secondly, even if Zachary were to join forces with Pastor against me, I still won''t


    be afraid. I''ll just take it as having another rival. That''ll make the story more interesting!¡±


    Danrique was extremely calm regarding the whole issue. Clearly, he did not think much about the


    rumor.


    On the contrary, William was still concerned. While he did not doubt Danrique''s power and skills, he


    was aware that the feud within the Lindberg family eleven years ago had severely diminished their


    capabilities.


    Even in terms of finances and business, the Lindbergs were far from the Nachts.


    If Zachary truly were to form an alliance with Pastor, their business would surely get into trouble.


    ¡°Don''t worry. I''ll handle everything.¡± Knowing what was going on in William''s mind, Danrique reassured.


    ¡°My apologies, Mr. Lindberg...¡± Guilt crept into William''s heart. ¡°It''s not that I don''t believe you. It''s just


    that my abilities are limited. Working with you has taken everything I have. If this investment were to go


    south, I will never be able to financially recover from it.¡±

 Chapter 1811

    Chapter 1811


    q¡°Then think this through carefully. The banquet hasn''t started, so it''s not toote to change your mind,¡±


    said Danrique who was running out of patience.


    ¡°Uhm... T-That is not what I meant,¡± replied William hurriedly to exin himself.


    ¡°The bigger the risk, the greater the reward. That is how the world worked. Nothing on Earthes for


    free or without risks,¡± said Danrique calmly.


    ¡°Yes, I understand that...¡±


    Danrique put his ss of red wine down and stood up to leave before Prince William could finish


    speaking.


    ¡°Danrique,¡± said William quickly to stop the guy. ¡°Okay, I admit it. I am a little worried, but that is only


    because we are friends. That is why I spoke that directly to you. However, that doesn''t mean that I will


    give up on this coboration. It''s as you said. Every rewardes with risks, and I know that well. That


    is why it never crossed my mind to back out...¡±


    ¡°Oh, it''s fine,¡± replied Danrique as he checked his watch. ¡°You have one more hour to think about it and


    decide.¡±


    After saying that, he turned around and left.


    N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    William''s gaze was filled with anxiety as he stared at Danrique''s back.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg''s temper is really something else,¡± said Robin, who couldn''t help but sigh a little. ¡°You


    simply voiced out your concerns. I can''t believe he is angry just for that.¡±


    ¡°Oh, shut up,¡± scolded William sternly.


    Robin tilted her head down right away and stopped talking.


    ¡°Danrique has always been a weird guy, and it is my fault for choosing the wrong words,¡± said William.


    He regretted his words endlessly. ¡°The Laurent family from F Nation had been trying to get on his good


    side all this time. Yet, he chose to coborate with me. I should''ve treasured this opportunity and


    shouldn''t have worried too much.¡±


    ¡°But it''s only natural that you voice out your concerns,¡± refuted Robin. He was heartbroken for his


    master at the time. ¡°The two of you have equal stakes, and you are only thinking about the mutual


    benefit, as I''m sure he does too.¡±


    ¡°He is notoriously proud and hates it when others question his capabilities. He especially hates it when


    otherspare him against Zachary Nacht,¡± said William. The guy was still feeling bad about what had


    happened. ¡°I should make a mental note and be more careful in the future.¡±


    ¡°Don''t put so much pressure on yourself. You''ve already aplished a lot.¡±


    Robin couldn''t help feeling sad when he saw his employer ming himself like that.


    ¡°Go set everything up. We''ll leave in an hour,¡± instructed William.


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied Robin. He was going to prepare everything right away when...


    ¡°By the way,¡± called out William all of a sudden. ¡°See if you can make it so that Francesca and I take


    the same car.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Francesca restedzily on the sofa and munched on an apple.


    Two maids were inside the room at the time, and they were packing her things up for her. The nurse,


    Kerrie, was examining the medical kit. She repeatedly checked the list to ensure that she won''t forget


    anything.


    Everything was ready soon after Francesca finished her apple, and the subordinate stationed outside


    the room reminded them of the time.


    In the end, Francesca had no choice but to get up, put on her shoes and coat, then followed everybody


    out of the room.


    They walked past the long corridor, down the spiral stairs, and past the majestic hall before they


    reached the castle''s entrance. By then, a convoy was already waiting for them.


    Danrique brought Sean along and was sitting in the Rolls-Royce. Francesca was about to get into the


    car when Robin suddenly showed up to say, ¡°Dr. Felch, Prince William would like to invite you to travel


    in our car.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± said Francesca as she instinctively turned to Danrique.


    ¡°I''ve already talked to Mr. Lindberg about this,¡± replied Robin while grinning. ¡°Prince William''s leg is


    aching a little, so we would like to ask you to examine his condition.¡±


    Francesca didn''t know why, but she was suddenly upset. Still, she got into William''s car.


    The cars'' engines were fired up soon after, and the entire convoy moved slowly toward the road.


    Danrique leaned against his seat and read some documents on his tablet.


    Sean thought about it for a bit beforementing, ¡°You know, it''s strange. I get the feeling that they are


    especially interested in Dr. Felch.¡±


    ¡°Huh? How so?¡± asked Danrique calmly.


    ¡°After you passed out yesterday, Robin came to me and kept asking about Dr. Felch. Now, he has


    invited the good doctor over to examine Prince William.¡±


    ¡°What''s so strange about that?¡± asked Danrique who didn''t think much of it.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, you really aren''t interested in the good doctor, are you?¡± asked Sean. He sighed before


    adding, ¡°If that isn''t the case, you would definitely have noticed that something is off since you have


    great observational skills.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± asked Danrique as he shifted his gaze to Sean.

 Chapter 1812

    Chapter 1812


    q¡°Well, think about it. Master Felch really is just a regr doctor, and all she did was diagnose Prince


    William''s condition. She didn''t even administer any treatment, so why would he get out of his way to


    invite her to a meal?


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Moreover, his gaze kept lingering on her when they ate. He even put in a good word for her when the


    meal was nearing its end.


    ¡°And then there''s the part where his illness is a long-term issue. It cannot be cured right away.


    ¡°He also consulted her and obtained her medical advice yesterday, so why is heining about his


    leg and inviting her over yet again? What could she actually do to help?


    ¡°That is obviously just an excuse to get her there and to spend some time with her.¡±


    Danrique nodded after he heard Sean''s rational analysis. After that, he said, ¡°That does seem to be the


    case, but why would William do all that?¡±


    ¡°Well...¡± murmured Sean. He couldn''t quite figure that out at that moment.


    ¡°Would his actions cause any trouble or inconveniences for us?¡± asked Danrique again.


    ¡°That doesn''t seem possible,¡± answered Sean before he shook his head. ¡°She is a doctor, and there is


    no problem with her examining Prince William so long as it won''t affect your treatment.¡±


    ¡°Then there you have it,¡± replied Danrique before he turned his attention back to the document he had


    with him.


    Sean understood what Danrique was saying, even though thetter didn''t really say much. So


    basically, he''s saying there''s no need to bother, so long as it won''t affect us.


    Danrique''s calm response and nonchnt attitude allowed Sean to sigh a breath of relief. I guess that


    means Mr. Lindberg isn''t into that doctor... That''s good news.


    ¡°By the way, have you learned anything about her?¡± asked Danrique. He suddenly thought about that,


    so he asked the question while messing with the ne he had on.


    ¡°Ah, I was just about to update you on the matter,¡± replied Sean hurriedly. ¡°I''ve found the surveince


    footage from Maze Hospital, but thedy never showed up there.


    ¡°My men also located the vehicle she stole and examined the footage of the camera installed in the car.


    We learned that she went to a shopping mall after she left Casino Inferno.


    ¡°We highlighted the time and period she was in the mall, so I''ve already sent some men to retrieve the


    relevant surveince footage. They are examining it frame by frame, and we believe that we will find


    her soon.¡±


    ¡°Investigate the matter in person,¡± ordered Danrique.


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied Gordon while having his head down.


    ¡°I''m guessing you wish to find her before returning to Erihal, right?¡± asked Sean who could tell what


    Danrique was thinking. ¡°That way, you''d be able to take her there with you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± answered Danrique. His lips curved into a smile. ¡°That is the most important task at hand, and I


    want this done as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± replied Gordon who worked on the matter right away.


    ¡°No, the most important task at hand is to find an antidote for the poison and cure you,¡± said Sean. He


    was feeling a little uneasy at the time, so he reminded, ¡°That is crucial. We won''t be able to rx as


    long as that poison remains within you...¡±


    ¡°Stop nagging,¡± grumbled Danrique while frowning.


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied Sean. He tilted his head down and stopped talking.


    ¡°I hope we find the cure soon. That way, we can chase that arrogant doctor away,¡±mented Gordon


    all of a sudden. ¡°That woman is just too annoying and is relentless. She keeps taking advantage of Mr.


    Lindberg.¡±


    No one spoke for a moment there.


    Danrique was slightly taken aback as well. He turned his attention to Gordon and demanded, ¡°What are


    you talking about? What did she do?¡±


    ¡°Uh...¡±


    Gordon panicked immediately after. Shoot! I forgot that Mr. Lindberg was unconscious the two times


    she fed him the medicine with her mouth. He is unaware of any of that.


    Sean frowned and red at Gordon. The former then cursed internally. Keep your mouth shut, you


    busybody. Everything is fine as long as Mr. Lindberg is unaware of it all. Now that he''s discovered the


    truth, things will be ridiculously bad.


    ¡°What the hell happened? Tell me!¡± demanded Danrique in a scary tone after he put the tablet away.


    ¡°Please calm down, Mr. Lindberg,¡± replied Sean quickly. ¡°She didn''t really take advantage of you. Dr.


    Felch was just worried...¡±


    ¡°Err... Yes, that is exactly it. Here''s how it all went down.¡±


    Gordon was rather insensitive, so he shared the whole story. He even ended everything with a deadly


    sentence. ¡°You couldn''t swallow the medicine, and it was an emergency, so Dr. Felch had no choice...¡±


    By then, Danrique''s expression had already be scarier than the ominous lightning in the dark


    clouds. His eyes glowed with so much fury that they seemed vicious.


    Even if Danrique regarded the incident at the hot spring as an ident, even if he believed that she


    was careless when she fell into his arms and kissed him, essentially stealing his first kiss...


    Then how the hell does she exin what happened the next two times? She''s definitely after me and


    has malicious intentions!

 Chapter 1813

    Chapter 1813


    qInside the Lincoln limousine behind the Rolls-Royce, Francesca sneezed twice. She rubbed her nose


    a little and frowned. ¡°Is someone cursing me?¡±


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± asked William in a concerned tone.


    ¡°Oh, I''m fine,¡± replied Francesca. ¡°By the way, why did you ask me over?¡±


    ¡°I want to spend some time with you,¡± answered William. His gaze was warm when he added,


    ¡°Francesca, I will go to Zarain with you once Danrique is cured.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it won''t help, even if you follow me along,¡± replied Francesca without thinking much about


    anything. ¡°It''ll take aprehensive medical n to treat your leg, and there is nothing I can do to cure


    it soon.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± said William while nodding. ¡°Thing is, I''m not following you to Zarain for my own sake. I am


    doing it because I worry about the injury in your head. What if something were to happen during your


    travel? Or if...¡±


    ¡°Oh, there''s no need for that,¡± interrupted Francesca right away. ¡°I enjoy being alone and will find it


    irritating if anyone were to tag along.¡±


    She had always been straightforward and had never worried about being polite.


    N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    ¡°Still, I worry. Remember what happened thest time when you took a cruise home? You got into


    some trouble on the way,¡± reminded William. His eyes shone with worry when he looked at her. ¡°I am


    the one who hired you, so I am responsible for your safety. Besides...¡±


    ¡°You are so naggy,¡±ined Francesca. She was losing her patience by then.


    William had no choice but to change the topic in response. ¡°Okay, fine. Let''s not talk about this. You


    didn''t get to eat much during lunch, so I had my people prepare some of your favorite dishes. Try it.¡±


    As he spoke, he had his subordinate hand them the tray of lunch.


    Francesca''s eyes glowed with glee as soon as she saw the food. She took her mask off and started


    eating right away.


    I don''t need to hide myself... at least not in front of Prince William, anyway.


    William stared lovingly at her the entire time. As she ate, he would do misceneous things for her,


    such as pouring her a ss of water or handing her a piece of tissue.


    Francesca didn''t hold back and was as barbaric as a person could get. She didn''t care about her


    reputation at all.


    After her meal, Francesca rubbed her bloated tummy in satisfaction and leanedzily against her seat.


    ¡°I''m gonna take a nap now. Don''t wake me up, okay?¡±


    ¡°Sleep well.¡±


    William waved his hand and had a maid hurry over to help Francesca lower the backrest of her seat.


    The maid even draped a nket over Francesca after that.


    ¡°I just realized something. You are a lot nicer than that idiot.¡±


    Francesca turned around and began snoring away momentster.


    William was delighted. Her words were, in a way, suggesting that she enjoyed hispany.


    Robin smiled and sighed. ¡°Dr. Felch is just as blunt as she has always been.¡±


    ¡°That''s how unique she is.¡±


    William leaned against his seat and stared quietly. It was as though he were admiring an exquisite


    painting in the museum.


    ¡°That''s true. Dr. Felch is nothing like the pretentious heiresses who enjoy putting on a show,¡± replied


    Robin who knew exactly what his employer was thinking. ¡°She is innocent and would say and do what


    she means. There are no political games or tricks with her.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I don''t need to keep my guard up when I''m with her, nor do I need to worry about anything. It''s


    so liberating and rxing. She is the only one who can make me feel this way,¡± replied William before


    he sighed deeply.


    ¡°You know, Ma''am likes her, too,¡± shared Robin while smiling. ¡°In fact, Ma''am once imed that she


    would consider letting you marry her if she cures your leg.¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t matter if I am cured. She is still the only woman I will marry,¡± dered William.


    He kept staring lovingly at Francesca. A glimmer of determination glowed in his eyes when he dered


    his love earlier.


    ¡°But Ma''am said...¡±


    ¡°Enough,¡± interrupted William. ¡°I will choose my own bride.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied Robin. He didn''t have the guts to say anything else.


    The car kept moving forward, and Francesca was sound asleep. It took the cars about two hours to


    reach a private property and to stop in front of the vi inside the aforementioned property.


    The maid tried to wake Francesca up, but thetter was still tired, so she simply turned around and


    continued sleeping.


    That move prompted the nket draped over her to fall onto the floor. William rolled his wheelchair


    over, picked the nket up for her, then stroked her back gently.


    He did all that instinctively and out of habit, but that day, he sensed someone looking at him. Hence, he


    turned around.


    That was when he saw Danrique standing outside and ring evilly at them with narrowed eyes.

 Chapter 1814

    Chapter 1814


    q¡°Mr. Lindberg,¡± greeted Robin politely. ¡°Dr. Felch fell asleep on the way. Please go ahead without us.


    We''ll catch up soon.¡±


    Danrique didn''t reply. He simply turned around and left.


    ¡°Wake her up,¡± instructed Sean softly. ¡°Mr. Lindberg''s fever hasn''t subsided, so she has to examine his


    conditionter.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I will have the maid send her there right away,¡± replied Robin while nodding.


    Sean ran to catch up to Danrique after that.


    Behind them, Robin lowered her voice and turned to William. ¡°Your highness, it seems Mr. Lindberg is


    upset.¡±


    ¡°That''s just how he is. I don''t think he''s angry at anyone,¡± replied William. He didn''t care much about it,


    but he woke Francesca up, anyway. ¡°Francesca. Francesca...¡±


    Francesca woke up, but she was still groggy when she rubbed her eyes. Her voice was a little thick.


    ¡°Are we there?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we are,¡± replied William while looking warmly at her.


    Francesca sat up and put on her mask. After that, she started putting on her shoes to get out of the car.


    ¡°Francesca, don''t leave the room unless there is an emergency, okay? Also, if possible, please don''t


    attend the banquet tonight,¡± reminded William sternly.


    ¡°Huh? Why? What is this ce?¡± asked Francesca curiously.


    ¡°We''re in the manor of an M Nation official. He is acting as the middleman, and that is why we''re


    meeting here.


    ¡°Danrique will negotiate with the Pastor at the banquet. The official will be there as the middleman, so


    thetter won''t go as far as making a scene in public. However, there is no saying what will happen


    behind the scenes.


    ¡°Danrique and I have plenty of bodyguards around us, but I''m worried about you.¡±


    William then gave her a summary of what he thought. ¡°No one knows who you are at the moment, but


    things will be bad for you if that information is leaked.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I understand.¡±


    Francesca still hadn''t regained her memories, but she understood how dire the situation was.


    It would be ridiculously difficult to attack Danrique and William, but the same could not be said for her.


    She was an easy target, and if she died, Danrique''s poison will eventually take his life, while William''s


    leg will never recover.


    That meant that anyone who wanted to destroy Danrique and William could achieve their goals simply


    by going after her.


    ¡°Oh, and there''s one other thing,¡± said William as he handed Francesca a piece of paper. ¡°Anthony has


    been looking for you, so you should call him as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Anthony?¡± Francesca was stunned to hear that name. It sounds so familiar.


    ¡°Call him, and you''ll know exactly who he is. You''ll also learn who you are.¡±


    William prayed that she could regain her memory soon and remember everything about them.


    ¡°Okay, thanks.¡±


    Francesca epted the piece of paper, finished putting on her shoes, then hopped out of the car.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg is waiting for you, Dr. Felch. Please follow me.¡±


    Kerrie and two other bodyguards had been waiting for Francesca outside.


    Francesca readjusted her mask before entering the vi with them.


    Behind her, Robin and her subordinates helped William out of the car. The person in charge of the vi


    had shown up to greet them warmly by then.


    Francesca followed the path she was led and walked to the third floor. The first thing she did was to


    settle down in the guest bedroom, then she went to the master bedroom, located right next to her room.


    Danrique was right inside.


    He was sitting on the sofa and reading some documents at the time.


    The lighting in that room made him look even more intimidating than usual.


    ¡°Dr. Felch is here, Mr. Lindberg,¡± reported Sean.


    ¡°What is his temperature?¡± asked Francesca as she worked on her medical kit.


    ¡°We just checked. It''s a hundred degrees,¡± replied Sean in a worried tone. ¡°The banquet will begin in


    two hours. Is there any way to make his fever go away quicker?¡±


    Francesca didn''t reply. She simply walked to Danrique and put her hand on his forehead to check his


    temperature. He was so hot that it was frightening.


    Danrique pped her hand away immediately and warned, ¡°Do not touch me.¡±


    ¡°What the hell?¡±ined Francesca while frowning, ¡°How am I supposed to determine your


    temperature and treat you without touching you?¡±


    ¡°Use a thermograph.¡±


    Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    Danrique had a scowl on his face. The only reason he refrained fromining about the way she


    fed him his medicine was because he still needed her.


    But that doesn''t mean I will condone her getting too close to me.


    ¡°Crazy idiot,¡± murmured Francesca.


    She picked up the thermograph and pointed it at his forehead to check his temperature. The way she


    moved and the way she spoke was rude.


    ¡°Take off your clothes. We''re changing your medication.¡±

 Chapter 1815

    Chapter 1815


    qDanrique frowned. Without any prior warning, he reached out to grab her throat and pushed her onto


    the table. He warned, ¡°Let me make this perfectly clear to you. You are just the doctor. I am the one


    who spent a fortune to hire you, and you are not to boss me around!¡±


    ¡°You j*rk. Let go of me.¡±


    N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    Francesca struggled angrily, but that only made Danrique tighten his grip on her.


    She was on the verge of suffocating, and for a moment there, she felt as though she sensed death


    nearing her. Her hands gripped his wrists weakly. No matter what she tried, she simply couldn''t break


    free.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, please calm down. We need Dr. Felch to continue treating you, so please let her off


    easy. Don''t be angry.¡±


    Danrique was still burning with rage, but he let Francesca go. His voice sounded evil when he warned,


    ¡°Remember who you are. Do not cross me again!¡±


    ¡°You...¡± Francesca coughed.


    A bloody scratch showed up on her neck, and she was in so much pain that she was coughing


    nonstop. Her throat had also gone dry, and her voice was coarse.


    She was tempted to kill him, but she obviously wasn''t strong enough to fight against him.


    That doesn''t matter, though. Revenge is a dish best served cold, so just you wait!


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg is in a bad mood, Dr. Felch, so please forgive him for this. Let''s focus on administering


    the treatment for now,¡± requested Sean quickly and nervously.


    Francesca red at Danrique before administering the treatment.


    That being said, she was deliberately being harsh. She didn''t even warn him before she pped the


    medicine, which would sting him greatly, onto his body.


    The pain was so intense that Danrique stiffened. He gritted his teeth and red. If looks could kill,


    Francesca would be pushing the daisies by then.


    She didn''t bother arguing with him, though. She simply moved on to bandage him up in the worst way.


    That was when she realized that Danrique had been wearing her ne the entire time...


    Huh, that is strange. Why is he wearing someone else''s ne? It''s not like him to do something like


    this.


    Francesca sensed Danrique monitoring her, so she quickly diverted her attention back to the task at


    hand.


    She bandaged him up without really paying attention to the details, then tossed the pills onto the table


    before instructing, ¡°Add hot water, then have him drink it. Check his temperature again in an hour. It''d


    be great if his fever goes away by then, but if not... Well, there''s nothing I can do about it, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Dr. Felch...¡±


    ¡°I will warn you onest time. Go back if you want him to survive this,¡± said Francesca sternly, ¡°His


    condition is still deteriorating, and it can be deadly.¡±


    ¡°Understood. We''ll go back as soon as we finish conducting our business tonight.¡±


    Sean nodded endlessly.


    Francesca shot a look at Danrique before leaving without looking back.


    Inside her room, Francesca locked the door and examined every inch. She didn''t fish out the phone


    Sean gave her earlier until she was certain that there weren''t any bugs there. After that, she readied


    herself to call Anthony.


    She started keying the number in. Who is he? And why is his name so familiar?


    ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Are you...?¡±


    ¡°Oh, my sweet, sweet Francesca. You''re finally back. You scared the living hell out of us, you know?¡±


    The voice on the other end of the line sounded familiar, and its owner seemed excited.


    ¡°Anthony?¡± said Francesca without thinking. There were many memories that were still out of her


    reach, but she instinctively knew that the guy was on her side.


    ¡°What the hell? You don''t recognize my voice?¡±ined Anthony. He sounded a little hurt. ¡°It''s only


    been a month. How could you have already forgotten all about me?¡±


    ¡°Something happened to me, and my head suffered an injury,¡± replied Francesca, ¡°Who are you to


    me?¡±


    Silence. Anthony was so surprised that he was stunned. ¡°Are you kidding me? You don''t even


    remember me anymore? I mean, Prince William warned me that you have amnesia after getting into an


    ident, but how can you just up and forget about me like that?¡±


    ¡°Quit yapping and answer my question,¡± growled Francesca impatiently.


    ¡°I am your friend, your manager, your supervisor...¡±


    Anthony told Francesca their story after that. He was the first friend Francesca made after she left the


    mountains, and they stuck by each other through thick and thin. They were even in life and death


    situations before, and that strengthened their bonds.


    They eventually went to M Nation where Francesca studied medicine while Anthony studied business


    management and economics.


    After they graduated, Anthony helped her manage her finances and the orphanages.

 Chapter 1816

    Chapter 1816


    q¡°Orphanages?¡±


    Francesca suddenly stiffened. She suddenly recalled how she made it her mission to give every orphan


    a home...


    That was why she built countless orphanages all around the world.


    ¡°Yeah, you''ve built one hundred and eighteen orphanages so far. The annual expenses are high, so


    you went around treating the sick and asking for a sizeable medical fee every time. You did all that for


    the kids.


    ¡°A few months ago, one of the orphanages was hit by a natural disaster. All sorts of issues rose, and a


    small fortune was needed. That was why you epted the case to cure Prince William. Who would''ve


    thought that you''d get into an ident on your way back...¡±


    ¡°Ah, everything makes sense now. No wonder I care so much about money, yet am instinctively frugal.¡±


    Realization hit Francesca. Her desire for money had been etched into her bones. That was why she


    wanted to make money whenever the opportunity presented itself.


    She had always found it strange because she knew nothing about spending money.


    There were even times when she weirded herself out. She didn''t know why she bothered making all


    that money, but now, everything was clear.


    ¡°You are an orphan, so you don''t want other kids to suffer the same fate you did. Hence, when you are


    eighteen, you set up the Lovely Care Foundation. Slowly but surely, the organization started building


    orphanages all around the world.


    ¡°You have been busy working as a doctor and making money all these years, so Ms. La, Mr. Lincoln,


    and I have been managing the organization and the orphanages for you.¡±


    Those names sounded familiar to Francesca, and as she listened, her mind showed her the kind faces


    of her friends.


    ¡°Did that help? Can you recall any of that?¡± asked Anthony.


    ¡°Yes, I remember something. Oh, by the way, are we broke right now?¡± asked Francesca when she


    came back around. ¡°Tell me your bank ount. I will send you the money when I am free.¡±


    ¡°Weren''t you in an ident? How are do you still have money on you?¡± asked Anthony in a surprised


    tone.


    ¡°I may have lost my memories, but I have not forgotten how to earn money,¡± bragged Francesca. ¡°I


    have a two million cheque with me now and will have a billion in M Nation''s currency in a few days.¡±


    ¡°Oh my gosh, you are incredible,¡± replied Anthony in astonishment. ¡°That money might not be enough,


    though. Some orphanages are hit by natural disasters and have to be rebuilt. There are also a few


    ces where viral infections have broken out. We need to move the kids somewhere else.¡±


    ¡°How much do we need? Do I have any savings?¡± asked Francesca immediately.


    ¡°The money in your bank ount is running low, but you have a safe deposit box in S Nation. Inside it


    are some rare treasures, famous paintings, and valuable pieces of jewelry inside. They are gifts from


    the rich patients you treated in the past.


    ¡°The items in there would amount to a sizeable fortune. Before you got into the ident, you said that


    you will go to S Nation to retrieve some of the items there. You were going to sell them, then deposit


    the money into the organization''s ount. The safe deposit box has a specialized key. Only the


    pendant of the ne you have with you can open it.¡±


    ¡°Uh...¡±


    Francesca was stunned. Shoot! I didn''t know the ne was that important.


    ¡°Francesca, keep that ne safe, okay? Do not lose it. If you do, you will not be able to open the


    safe deposit box. Your life savings are in there. Every penny you made is locked inside.¡±


    ¡°How much is there?¡± asked Francesca nervously. ¡°Does it amount to one billion in M Nation''s


    currency?¡±


    ¡°Oh, there is so much more in there,¡± answered Anthony firmly. ¡°That is why, no matter what happens,


    you must not lose it, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay, got it.¡±


    Francesca narrowed her eyes. She was so angry that she gritted her teeth. D*mn it. No wonder that


    j*rk Danrique wanted that ne. It is so much more valuable than I realize... D*mn it!


    ¡°Where are you now, Francesca? Maybe it''s best if I meet up with you. Are you in Lightspring or


    Summerbank?¡± asked Anthony nervously.


    ¡°I was in Lightspring earlier, but I''m in Summerbank now,¡± replied Francesca as she checked the GPS


    on her phone. ¡°It''d probably be better if you stay away, though. Let me settle the issue at hand for now.


    I will contact you again in a few days.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°Okay, it''s settled. Bye.¡±N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    Francesca hung up immediately after. I swear I will retrieve that ne as soon as possible...

 Chapter 1817

    Chapter 1817


    qWhile Francesca was still trying to figure out a way to get back the ne, she heard someone


    walking over and calling her name.


    She immediately put on a mask and opened to door to take a look.


    Danrique had changed into a white suit and walked in her direction, looking all suave and debonair.


    Gordon and the rest followed right behind him. They were all dressed up for the banquet.


    Sean walked up to Francesca and whispered, ¡°Dr. Felch, Mr. Lindberg has a mild fever, and his wound


    still hurts. I''ll need you to change into a fresh pair of clothes ande with us just in case something


    goes wrong.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Francesca pointed at herself. ¡°You mean I must go to the banquet?¡±


    She remembered Prince William told her to stay in her room and not run around, as danger might lurk


    in the banquet.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Sean nodded. ¡°Please get changed as soon as possible. Kerrie wille and take you to the


    banquet.¡±


    ¡°All right. I''ll go change.¡±


    Francesca was never afraid of danger. In fact, she thought it might be a good opportunity for her to


    snatch back the ne amidst the chaos.


    I wouldn''t arouse Danrique''s suspicion should the banquet be chaotic.


    ¡°This is what you''ll be wearing for the evening, Dr. Felch.¡± Kerrie and two maids came into Francesca''s


    room with an evening gown.


    ¡°What the hell is this? I''ll wear my dress.¡± Francesca knitted her brows after seeing that elegant and


    borate evening gown. ¡°I''ll get changed right now. Don''t forget to bring along the medical kit.¡±


    ¡°But...¡± Kerrie turned to Sean for help.


    ¡°Do as she say!¡± Sean ordered.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    After putting on her dress, Francesca wore a new ck mask and departed to the banquet with Kerrie


    and two bodyguards.


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    d in a ck dress and a ck mask, she looked like a mysterious woman whose attire did not seem


    to match the banquet''s theme.


    All the waiters would give her a weird stare when she walked past them.


    But she just ignored their stares and walked straight on.


    When Francesca wasing down from the spiral stairs, she bumped into Prince William.


    Prince William was surprised to see her there. ¡°Fran... Dr. Felch, what are you doing here?¡±


    Prince William had to watch his tone since the Lindbergs were around. But deep in his heart, he


    wanted to know why Francesca did not stay in her room. I thought I told you to stay in your room. Why


    did youe to the banquet?


    ¡°Your Highness, Mr. Lindberg is not feeling well, and he needs Dr. Felch to take care of him,¡± Kerrie


    exined.


    ¡°Oh, yes. I''ll go and take a look at him now.¡± Francesca then caught up with Sean.


    Prince William frowned and ordered his men in a deep voice, ¡°Send someone to protect Francesca in


    secret.¡±


    ¡°All right, Your Highness,¡± Robin responded.


    After a short walk on thewn, they arrived at the main hall of another vi where the banquet was


    taking ce.


    All the guests held a wine ss and greeted each other while waiting for the host to arrive.


    Sean and Francesca entered the vi through a side door. He then brought her to a lounge where


    Danrique was taking a break.


    Feeling frustrated, Danrique, who had tossed his coat aside, sat on the couch and unbuttoned his shirt.


    His expression looked gloomy as he still had a mild fever.


    While Gordon was busy getting someone to adjust the temperature of the aircon, a maid stood beside


    Danrique and cooled him down with a fan.


    ¡°Water, Sir.¡± The maid then offered him a ss of water.


    Francesca could not keep her eyes from Danrique''s neck, as she could somewhat see the ne.


    ¡°Sir!¡± The maid once again offered him a ss of water.


    Danrique, who had gulped down several sses of water, got a little annoyed. He stared at Francesca


    and asked, ¡°Is your treatment effective? Howe I still feel ill?¡±


    ¡°Now you''re ming me?¡± Francesca voiced her dissatisfaction. ¡°The treatment would have gone well


    had you cooperated with me.¡±


    ¡°How long more do I have to go through this treatment?¡± the man asked impatiently.


    ¡°It depends on your condition,¡± Francesca answered icily. ¡°I''ll have to take a look at the snake when I


    get back and extract its blood sample to run anotherb test.¡±


    ¡°I''ll kill you if you can''t heal me in seven days!¡± Danrique warned.

 Chapter 1818

    Chapter 1818


    q¡°How could you threaten me like this?¡± Fury surged through Francesca.


    ¡°Ehm...¡± Prince William, who coincidentally entered the lounge, froze for a moment when he overheard


    their conversation. Worry was written all over his face.


    ¡°Your Highness.¡± Sean immediately greeted Prince William and gestured for Kerrie to do something.


    ¡°Have some water, Dr. Felch.¡± Kerrie tried defusing the tension by giving Francesca a ss of iced


    lemon water.


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    Francesca was about to explode with rage, but she suppressed her anger to avoid a confrontation with


    Danrique.


    ¡°You look mad. What''s wrong?¡± Prince William took a nce at Danrique and asked.


    ¡°I''m all right.¡± Danrique tugged his cor and continued drinking his iced water.


    ¡°You look pale. Are you still having a fever?¡± Prince William showed his concern.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg doesn''t feel well because his body temperature fluctuates throughout the day,¡± Sean


    exined. ¡°We would appreciate it if you could assist us when we need help at the banquetter, Your


    Highness.¡±


    ¡°I''m sure Mr. Lindberg can handle the situation well. He''s a steady man,¡± Prince William said modestly.


    ¡°Besides, he should be in the limelight. I shouldn''t steal his thunder.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°Remove your shirt right now. I''ll perform acupuncture on you.¡±


    Francesca noticed Danrique did not look well. It seems the venom could cause a person to be


    agitated. It might even turn the victim into someone aggressive.


    Danrique finally cooperated with Francesca instead of giving her a hard time. He also felt thattely, he


    had been emotionally unstable.


    Francesca started sticking needles into his body once he stripped his shirt to his waist.


    Sweat droplets gradually slid down his chest and dripped on the white shirt.


    ¡°They''ve arrived, Sir,¡± one of Danrique''s subordinates came into the lounge and announced.


    Prince William''s expression turned grim. He gently clutched his pants, looking a little nervous.


    ¡°There''s no need to rush!¡± Danrique shut his eyes and tried to regain hisposure.


    ¡°You can leave in five minutes.¡± Francesca took a nce at her watch afterpleting the acupuncture


    session.


    Every second of the five-minute wait was unbearable for them as they were afraid of offending that


    special someone.


    All of a sudden, someone knocked on the door. Sean went to open the door and saw Gary standing


    outside. ¡°Mr. Anderson!¡±


    Gary said in a soft voice, ¡°Pastor is here. Edward would like to invite Mr. Lindberg and Prince William


    over.¡±


    ¡°We''ll be right there in a minute,¡± Sean replied with a smile.


    ¡°All right.¡± Gary then took a nce at the lounge and reminded Sean, ¡°Don''t make Pastor wait for too


    long. He has a notoriously bad temper.¡±


    Sean looked at Danrique and read his signals. He then said to Gary calmly, ¡°Mr. Lindberg is not


    particrly good-tempered either. He doesn''t like people to rush him.¡±


    Sean''s reply rendered Gary speechless.


    Sean tried to defuse the tension by saying, ¡°We''ll be there in a while.¡±


    ¡°All right. I''ll wait outside then.¡± Gary lowered his head and stepped out of the lounge.


    Francesca removed the needles five minutester. She then touched Danrique''s forehead with her


    hand and noticed that his body temperature had finally returned to normal.


    After washing his face and changing into new pair of clothes, he stepped out of the lounge with his


    entourage.


    Robin pushed Prince William in his wheelchair and followed right behind. When Prince William walked


    past Francesca, he reminded her. ¡°Stay here and rest. Don''t go anywhere.¡±


    Francesca kept mum but nodded her head.


    Now that everyone was gone, the lounge instantly became quiet. Only Kerrie stayed back to


    apany Francesca.


    A few female bodyguards were also guarding the lounge by the door.


    Now that Danrique was away, Francesca felt less uptight. She leaned on the couch carefreely and


    munched on an apple.


    But soon, she noticed something was amiss.


    Something seemed to have jolted the birds in the trees, causing them to take flight.


    She also heard a weird sound from upstairs and felt a vibration on the ceiling.


    ¡°What are you looking at, Master Felch?¡± Kerrie asked out of curiosity.


    ¡°Shush,¡± Francesca warned Kerrie to keep quiet. She looked up, stared at the ceiling, and squinted.


    ¡°Did you feel it? Someone''s walking upstairs.¡±


    ¡°Of course, there are people up there. It''s a hall,¡± Kerrie did not understand why Francesca was being


    so paranoid.


    ¡°No,¡± Francesca shook her head and whispered. ¡°I could tell it''s a group of men, and they are now


    surrounding a room.¡±

 Chapter 1819

    Chapter 1819


    q¡°What?¡± The color drained out of Kerrie''s face. ¡°Are they Pastor''s men?¡±


    ¡°No, wait a second.¡± She paused for a bit before continuing, ¡°How did you manage to hear the


    footsteps?¡±


    ¡°I have no time to exin to you now.¡± Francesca urged Kerrie, ¡°Get someone to tell Danrique that


    there''s an ambush here.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Kerrie then immediately told one of the bodyguards from the Lindberg family.


    The bodyguard was a little skeptical. After all, all of Lindberg''s bodyguards had gone through special


    training, and none of them noticed anything suspicious around the building. Besides, they were not


    supposed to leave the lounge since Danrique had ordered them to station there to protect Francesca.


    ¡°What are you waiting for? Go!¡± Kerrie urged. ¡°You gotta trust Master Felch. She knows what''s going


    on.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    Before the bodyguard could react, they heard a gunshot from downstairs. A few foreign assassins


    arrived and surrounded the bodyguards from the Lindberg family.


    Kerrie''s eyes widened in shock. She then turned around to look at Francesca.


    Francesca rolled her eyes. She did not know what else to say.


    They should have heeded my warning. There''s nothing we can do now. Even if these bodyguards had


    believed my words, they wouldn''t have been able to reach Danrique in time anyway. Oh, well.


    It''s obvious that they have set up this banquet to trap Danrique.


    But somehow, Francesca felt Danrique was not the kind of person who would fall into the enemy''s trap


    so easily.


    Meanwhile, in the hall upstairs, a corner of Danrique''s lips quirked up when he heard amotion. ¡°So


    this is what your negotiation is all about?¡±


    ¡°I have no hand in this, Mr. Lindberg,¡± Edward immediately exined. He then questioned Pastor,


    ¡°Pastor, how could you do this? We agreed to have an open discussion, yet you did this to us? Now


    you''ve put me in a difficult position!¡±


    ¡°It has nothing to do with you.¡±


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    Pastor was about fifty years old. He was a man with a small body frame and a pair of sunken eyes.


    A hard glint shed across as he shot daggers at Danrique. ¡°All this while, you''ve been doing well in


    Erihal, yet you chose to venture into M Nation. You''ve disrupted my business and caused mypany


    to be in the red. Tell me, how should I settle this score with you?¡±


    Danrique responded steadily, ¡°It''s a healthypetition. How can you me me just because you fail


    to keep up with your business?¡±


    Pastor let out a mirthlessugh. ¡°You''re really as stubborn as a mule, aren''t you?¡±


    A group of bodyguards in ck suits barged into the room and pointed their guns at Danrique.


    The only two bodyguards around Danrique were Sean and Sloan. Even Prince William only had four


    men by his side.


    Yet, Pastor had dozens of men with him. Clearly, he had the upper hand.


    Prince William''s expression turned grim. He questioned Edward, ¡°This is not what we signed up for, Mr.


    Leigh!¡±


    ¡°Pastor...¡±


    ¡°Prince William.¡± Pastor interrupted Edward and gave Prince William a condescending look. ¡°I


    understand you''re working closely with Danrique, but I''ll not harm you because I respect your father.¡±


    ¡°You!¡±


    ¡°Pastor, you''ve gone overboard.¡± Edward knitted his brows. ¡°You''re at my ce. If anything bad


    happens to Mr. Lindberg, I''ll be held ountable!¡±


    Pastor sneered, ¡°Calm down. The Lindberg family had long been exterminated. Even the shareholders


    in Lindberg Corporation are a bunch of scheming and deceptive folks who can''t wait for Danrique to


    die. You''re ountable to no one!¡±


    Danrique lowered his eyes and went deep in thought. What Pastor said is right.


    Should anything bad happens to Prince William, the royal family from Danontand would not let Pastor


    off so easily. That''s why Pastor doesn''t dare toy his finger on him.


    But if I''m dead, people from Lindberg Corporation would definitely jump for joy.


    How pathetic.


    ¡°Am I right, Mr. Lindberg?¡± Pastor gave Danrique a sarcastic look. ¡°No one cares about your life and


    death. In other words, your death would not bring us any trouble.¡±

 Chapter 1820

    Chapter 1820


    q¡°Really? Who said so?¡± Suddenly, a clear voice emerged from a distance, breaking the tension in the


    room. ¡°Who says no one cares about him? I care!¡±


    Upon hearing that, Danrique''s eyes lit up instantly. It''s her.


    Prince William shuddered. He turned around and saw Francesca entering the room in a ck dress


    and a mask.


    As she was walking into the room, two men in ck pointed their guns at her back.


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Sean was at a loss for words. Francesca sounded so confident that he thought she hade to their


    rescue after taking down Pastor''s bodyguards. But apparently, she was also held at gunpoint.


    ¡°Master Felch...¡± Sloan could not help but worry for Francesca.


    ¡°You''re nothing but a small fry. Who do you think you are?¡± Pastor looked down on Francesca. ¡°I hate


    people who bite off more than they could chew!¡±


    He then gestured for his bodyguards to aim their guns at her.


    ¡°No, wait!¡± Prince William panicked.


    ¡°You seem nervous, Your Highness.¡± Pastor was intrigued by his reaction. ¡°Is she your woman?¡±


    Prince William did not know how to answer his question. He turned to Danrique and said, ¡°Save her,


    Danrique.¡±


    ¡°He''s right.¡± Danrique knitted his brows. ¡°I hate people who bite off more than they could chew too.¡±


    ¡°Danrique...¡± Prince William got even more frantic.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Francesca gave Danrique a sullen re. ¡°How could you say that? I came here to


    rescue you!¡±


    Danrique looked at her as if he was looking at a lunatic. You? Rescue me? Are you kidding me?


    ¡°For the record, I''m only doing it for the money.¡± Francesca gritted her teeth.


    ¡°What did you say, Master Felch?¡± Kerrie did not catch her words.


    ¡°Tell your men to put down their guns.¡± Francesca warned Pastor. ¡°Quick. Do it before I lose my


    patience.¡±


    Pastorughed sarcastically. ¡°Who on earth is this clown? Where did shee from?¡±


    To him, Francesca was nothing but a clown. Who does this woman think she is? How dare she


    challenge me? She''s asking for death.


    ¡°Francesca...¡± Prince William panicked. ¡°Stop it!¡±


    ¡°Kill her!¡± Pastor ordered as he had run out of patience.


    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡± One of his men then ced his finger on the trigger and was ready to fire a shot at her.


    Danrique''s eyes narrowed. When he was about to make his move, a tiny green thing suddenly crawled


    onto the man''s hand.


    The man took a closer look at it and was shocked to find that it was a green snake.


    He tried to get rid of the snake, but the limbless reptile had bitten his wrist.


    He could no longer move!


    The gun fell onto the ground, and his arm started to turn numb.


    He grabbed his right arm with his left hand and shrieked in fear. ¡°What''s going on?¡±


    Everyone, including Danrique, was stunned by the turn of events.


    What is this green snake doing here? It''s supposed to be in theb! And the snake seems to listen to


    hermand. How?


    Pastor froze for a bit. He then ordered his other subordinates to take her down. ¡°Kill her! Quick!¡±


    Before Pastor couldplete his sentence, the green snake glided over and wrapped around his neck


    tightly, suffocating the man.


    All his subordinates dared not act impulsively. They went up and tried to remove the snake. ¡°Pastor...¡±


    ¡°Go ahead and touch it if you want a quick death,¡± Francesca said calmly. ¡°If the snake bites him on the


    neck, he''ll die right away!¡±


    Everyone was stunned. No one dared to look down on Francesca anymore.


    Prince William, Edward, Robin, the other bodyguards, and assassins looked at the woman in disbelief.


    On the other hand, Sean and Sloan were not as shocked because they knew what Francesca could do.

 Chapter 1821

    Chapter 1821


    qThe assassin pointed the gun at Francesca, warning sternly, ¡°Tell that thing to get off right now or I''ll


    kill you!¡±


    ¡°Put down your gun now,¡± Francesca retaliated in an unhurried manner, raising her brow. ¡°If not, your


    leader is going to die.¡±


    ¡°You¡ª¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    Before the assassin could speak, the green snake bit into Pastor''s neck, causing thetter to scream in


    agony. In the blink of an eye, his face flushed.


    The assassin put down his gun hurriedly, not daring to threaten Francesca anymore.


    As for the other assassins, they were shocked and at a loss for what to do.


    ¡°If anything happens to me, none of you will be leaving here alive. Ah!¡± Pastor shouted.


    N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    He was quite incredible for being able to warn Francesca even while being in so much pain.


    Thinking Francesca was one of Danrique''s subordinates, Edward quickly advised, ¡°Mr. Lindberg, we


    can talk this out¡ª¡±


    ¡°She''s not one of my men. I can''t control her.¡± Danrique shrugged, looking as though there was nothing


    he could do.


    ¡°All the people out there are Pastor''s men.¡± Edward panicked, and he persuaded, ¡°If something


    happens to him, we''re all going to suffer.¡±


    Francesca frowned. Just as she was about to speak, Danrique suddenly pped. The windows opened


    and a group of bodyguards leaped in from the windows, aiming their guns at Pastor''s assassin.


    Everything happened in a sh. Before the assassins coulde to their senses, they were already


    restrained.


    At the same time, the door opened, and the other bodyguards of the Lindberg family rushed in.


    Meanwhile, all the assassins had crashed to the ground.


    ¡°You¡ª¡± Pastor was shocked by the scene before him. ¡°So, you were prepared.¡±


    ¡°It''s always best to be on one''s guard,¡± Danrique said inly. ¡°If you talk nicely, I''ll do the same. Since


    you chose to take action, I can''t just do nothing, can I?¡±


    ¡°Edward¡ª¡± When Pastor was about to speak, he crashed onto the sofa in pain.


    ¡°Looks like I, the middleman, have be a joke.¡± Edward smiled bitterly and said in a pleading tone,


    ¡°Now that things havee to this point, I just hope you guys don''t ughter each other in my territory


    for my sake.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg...¡± William reminded softly. ¡°We''re still at Summerbank...¡±


    His words were very suggestive, but only several important people understood them. What he was


    trying to say was that Pastor was not alone; he had other hidden forces that were backing him.


    Those forces had great authority in M Nation. If they were to kill Pastor there that day, it might be


    difficult for them to leave Summerbank.


    ¡°Edward, I''m sure you''ve witnessed Pastor''s attitude,¡± Danrique said calmly. ¡°He was the one who


    disrespected us first. I was just trying to protect myself. So, this result is what he brought upon himself.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I agree,¡± Edward nodded.


    ¡°Since this negotiation is unsessful, then we shall do things based on our abilities in the future. May


    the winner take it all. That''s all, then.¡± Danrique got to his feet and got ready to leave.


    ¡°Wait.¡± Edward quickly stood up. Pointing at the tiny green snake on Pastor''s neck, he said, ¡°That


    thing...¡±


    ¡°Francesca!¡± William shot her a look, frowning.


    ¡°Sam!¡± Francesca called out as she extended her arm. The snake slithered onto the carpet, crawled up


    Francesca''s body, and curled itself around her arm like an emerald bracelet.


    ¡°Pastor!¡±


    Several assassins quickly went forward to help him up, while the others pointed their guns at


    Francesca.


    Immediately, the Lindberg family''s bodyguards aimed their guns at them. ¡°Don''t you dare touch Master


    Felch!¡±


    ¡°Master Felch is one of us. How dare you offend her?¡± Sloan added.


    At that moment, Francesca had a powerful status in the hearts of the Lindberg family''s bodyguards.


    They would not hesitate to protect her without needing to wait for Danrique''s instructions.


    ¡°I hate people who overestimate their abilities the most.¡± Francesca threw Pastor''s words back at him.


    ¡°Remember this. Don''t you ever underestimate anyone.¡±


    With that, she turned around and left.

 Chapter 1822

    Chapter 1822


    qThey got into the vehicle to leave the manor.


    Naturally, Francesca got into Danrique''s car. Behind her, William called out, ¡°D-Dr. Felch...¡±


    Francesca turned at her shoulder. ¡°Mm?¡±


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I...¡± William parted his lips before changing his mind. ¡°Take care!¡±


    ¡°I need some time to figure out the treatment n for your leg. I''ll contact you when it''s ready,¡±


    Francesca exined. After shing him onest grin, she entered the car.


    William looked away reluctantly before realizing Danrique was ring at him. He immediately said,


    ¡°Danrique, goodbye!¡±


    ¡°Goodbye!¡± Danrique replied icily before wounding the window up.


    The convoy drove away slowly.


    Sean nced at William''s convoy through the rearview mirror and said solemnly, ¡°Pastor didn''t send


    anyone after us. To y it safe, I reminded Prince William to leave M Nation as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Mm,¡± Danrique grunted in reply. He seemed to be deep in thought.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, when are we leaving?¡± Sean asked carefully.


    ¡°Find her.¡± Danrique looked away.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Sean knew what Danrique''s greatest regret was. He has been looking for the girl all over the years.


    Now that we finally get a clue, he won''t give up easily.


    ¡°Who are you talking about?¡± Francesca asked curiously. ¡°Francesco?¡±


    She thought Danrique wanted to find Francesco.


    ¡°You''re Francesco, right?¡±


    Suddenly, Danrique''s gaze fell on her. A riot of emotions glinted in his eyes.


    Francesca jolted in fright. It took her a few seconds to find her voice. ¡°Who told you that?¡±


    ¡°Looks like I got it right.¡± Danrique arched a brow. ¡°You hid yourself well!¡±


    ¡°Dr. Felch is the legendary Francesco?¡± Sean could barely hide his shock. ¡°No wonder Robin kept


    asking about you after your first meeting. I asked about Francesco, but he refused to divulge anything.


    Prince William paid a lot of attention to you, too. I thought he liked you, but now I realized that''s


    because you''re Francesco!¡±


    ¡°That was how you guessed it?¡± Francesca asked with her brows raised.


    ¡°A while ago, William called you ''Francesca'' twice,¡± Danrique added. ¡°It was just a guess, but your


    reaction proved that I am right.¡±


    ¡°I didn''t mean to keep it a secret from you. I don''t remember anything,¡± Francesca revealed honestly.


    ¡°Prince William recognized me and told me about my past. That was how I found out I was Francesco.¡±


    ¡°Oh, we''ve been searching for you high and low, but turns out you were with us!¡± Sean was delighted.


    ¡°There''s hope for Mr. Lindberg!¡±


    ¡°You don''t trust my medical skills, right?¡± Francesca retorted icily. ¡°Didn''t you kick me out?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that was a misunderstanding,¡± Sean hastily exined. ¡°I was a fool.¡±


    ¡°Forget about it. Let''s stop talking about the past.¡± Francesca gave a dismissive wave. ¡°We should


    discuss the medical fee. Now that my identity is different, shouldn''t you pay me extra?¡±


    ¡°Well, about that...¡± Sean cast Danrique an awkward look.


    ¡°You asked for a hundred million in M Nation''s currency. Wasn''t that enough?¡± Danrique''s brows


    snapped together. ¡°Don''t be too greedy.¡±


    ¡°If I didn''t save you today, you''d be¡ª¡±


    ¡°I was fully prepared even if you didn''t take action,¡± Danrique interjected calmly. ¡°I wanted to ask you a


    question, though. Why is my little green snake with you?¡±


    ¡°I found it hiding in your luggage,¡± Francesca revealed smugly. ¡°After ying with it for a while, it


    slithered into my pocket obediently.¡±


    ¡°The snake is extremely venomous. You aren''t afraid of it?¡± Sean got curious. ¡°Besides, why did it listen


    to you obediently?¡±


    ¡°I was born with the ability to tame animals,¡± Francesca replied proudly.


    She lifted her arm, and the snake curled around her wrist.

 Chapter 1823

    Chapter 1823


    qDanrique gazed at her with an unreadable expression. ¡°If you''re that good, the cut on your face


    should be healed by now, right? Why are you still wearing a mask?¡±


    Francesca was no pushover. She immediately argued, ¡°Many people are looking for me. If they know


    what I look like, my whereabouts would be exposed. Isn''t that dangerous?¡±


    ¡°Dr. Felch, we understand your concern. However, we''re not ordinary people. There''s no way we''ll


    expose your privacy,¡± Sean exined.


    ¡°I can''t be sure about that.¡± Francesca rolled her eyes. ¡°Better safe than sorry, right?¡±


    ¡°Fine. You''re right.¡±


    Danrique epted her exnation.


    Francesco is indeed capable. Besides her medical skills, she also has many other skills. As she is hot-


    tempered, she must''ve offended many people. Even I can''t help imagining how I''ll teach her a lesson


    after she treated my poison.


    N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    Thus, he could understand why she made so many enemies and refused to show her face to the


    public.


    ¡°You''ve found me. Why aren''t you in a hurry to leave?¡± Francesca asked. ¡°Sam had bitten Pastor, so he


    should be barely alive. He won''t let the matter slip.¡±


    ¡°I need to find someone,¡± Danrique answered as he caressed his ck cross ne hanging before


    his chest.


    ¡°I saved you today. Shouldn''t you reward me?¡±


    Francesca''s gaze was attracted by his ne and forgot to ask who he was looking for.


    ¡°What do you want?¡±


    Despite finding her greedy, Danrique knew he had to thank her for helping him. If everything were to go


    ording to his n, he would have to waste a few bullets.


    ¡°I want this...¡± Francesca pointed at his ne.


    Danrique frowned and red at her icily.


    Wariness, fury, impatience, disgust and disdain brewed in his gaze.


    ¡°Why? Am I not allowed to ask for that?¡± Francesca was bemused.


    Does he know the origin of the ne?


    ¡°Dr. Felch!¡± Sean stopped her and tried to persuade her to change her mind. ¡°You can have anything


    except for Mr. Lindberg!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Francesca''s confusion heightened.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg is a dignified and influential person. How could you covet him boldly? T-That''s not right,¡±


    Sean stuttered.


    He was being reserved instead of being direct.


    ¡°Oh...¡±


    Comprehension dawned on Francesca. They thought I want Danrique. But all I want is that ne!


    ¡°I don''t want him. I want¡ª¡±


    ¡°You also can''t get his body!¡± Sean pulled her aside and said anxiously, ¡°Please stop making


    unreasonable demands! Mr. Lindberg has remained celibate for years. He isn''t one who would have


    one night stands.¡±


    Francesca was utterly speechless. What kind of person do they think I am? A shameless phnderer


    who has set her eyes on Danrique''s looks? How could he assume I wanted his body?


    ¡°You''re shameless!¡± That was what Danrique assumed, too. He promptly shot her an eye-roll.


    ¡°I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Dr. Felch... No, Dr. Francesco,¡± Gordon chimed in. ¡°We have many male bodyguards working at


    Lindberg Corporation. They are over one hundred and eighty five centimeters tall and muscr. Their


    looks vary, but I can summon them so you can take your pick!¡±


    ¡°Yes, that''s right.¡± Sean nodded profusely in agreement. ¡°As long as you stop coveting Mr. Lindberg,


    you can pick whoever you want.¡±


    He even pushed Sloan to the front and said, ¡°Sloan is a great choice. He''s neen years old, young


    and handsome. You can consider him.¡±


    ¡°Dr. Felch...¡± Sloan took one look at Francesca and lowered his head as his cheeks flushed red.

 Chapter 1824

    Chapter 1824


    qFrancesca was lost for words. What did I do? Why do they think I''m a female pervert? They thought I


    wanted to sleep with Danrique and offered Sloan as a sacrifice.


    ¡°Dr. Felch, if he isn''t to your liking, I shall summon the otherster...¡± Sean offered earnestly, for he


    wanted to solve the problem for his employer.


    ¡°No need.¡± Francesca''s expression darkened as she dered coolly, ¡°I want Mr. Lindberg. No one else


    can take his ce!¡±


    They took me for a pervert, so I shall make it the truth! Otherwise, I would''ve been wrongly used for


    nothing.


    Everyone gazed at her in shock.


    Oh, what a brazen woman. She''s being shamelessly open with her feelings and does whatever she


    wants...


    ¡°Hey!¡± Danrique''s face flushed a dark red in anger.


    ¡°Dr. Felch, Mr. Lindberg is in love with someone else. You can''t force him to like you,¡± Sean replied in


    exasperation.


    ¡°I don''t care. I want him!¡± Francesca demanded.


    She was inwardly pleased to see Danrique''s upset face and even reached out to pinch his chin. ¡°You''re


    a hunk, huh?¡±


    ¡°Scram!¡± Danrique pped her hand away and red at her in disgust. ¡°If youy a hand on me again,


    I shall chop your hand off!¡±


    ¡°My hand in exchange for your life. It''s a bargain,¡± Francesca replied cheerfully instead of getting mad


    at his rude reply.


    Her words were pretty easy to understand¡ªif he were to chop her arm off, no one else could treat his


    condition.


    That was why she said it was a bargain to get his life in exchange for her arm.


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    Danrique was close to blowing his top, but Francesca grinned and told him, ¡°Bear with me until you get


    cured. No, even if I managed to cure you, you can''t touch me. What if you get sick in the future? You''ll


    still have to ask for my help.¡±


    ¡°Someone!¡± Danrique barked impatiently. ¡°Seal her lips!¡±


    ¡°Uh...¡± Sean and Gordon shared a look instead of taking action.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg...¡± Sloan wanted to defend her, but changed his mind and swallowed his words.


    ¡°All right. I shall stop talking. Will that suffice?¡± Francesca shut her mouth and raised her hands to


    surrender.


    The odds are against me, and a wise man knew when to back down.


    Danrique gestured at her in a warning manner before leaning into his seat and shut his eyes.


    He was feeling unwell, but she kept annoying him.


    As he couldn''t outwit her, he had no choice but to do it the hard way.


    Francesca knew him well enough, so she didn''t confront him head-on. However, she''d only give in after


    making him utterly furious.


    It seemed like he was the winner, but the real winner was none other than Francesca.


    She had him on a leash, but he didn''t even realize that.


    The journey back home took over three hours by car.


    Danrique''s condition worsened, for his temperature kept rising and dropping.


    Sean asked Francesca to figure out a solution as soon as possible.


    Hearing that, Francesca touched Danrique''s forehead, ¡°Taking medicine won''t do him any help. We


    need to return to the mountain so I cane out with a new treatment n.¡±


    ¡°But Mr. Lindberg is feeling unwell. Don''t you have any medicine to relieve his condition?¡± Sean urged.


    ¡°No,¡± came Francesca''s calm answer. ¡°Don''t worry, he won''t die.¡±


    ¡°You...¡± Gordon fumed. ¡°Dr. Felch, this is too much.¡±


    ¡°You can take over my position any time!¡± Francesca shrugged nonchntly.


    Gordon was dumbfounded and couldn''t find any response.


    ¡°All right, stop arguing so Mr. Lindberg can rest in a quiet environment,¡± Sean cut in.


    He then told the driver to speed up.


    The car increased its speed and sped all the way to the mountain. To save time, Sean sent someone to


    theb to find the snake that bit Danrique.


    Kerrie applied an ice pack to Danrique''s forehead to cool him down.


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    In a daze, Danrique muttered, ¡°Cece...¡±


    This time, Francesca heard the name clearly. Her heart skipped a beat, and an indescribable feeling


    overwhelmed her heart.

 Chapter 1825

    Chapter 1825


    qBack on the mountain, Francesca drew the snake''s blood to run tests so she could decide on the final


    treatment n.


    Sean remained by Danrique''s side.


    Feeling anxious, Gordon kepting to Francesca to urge her.


    At two in the morning, Francesca finally prepared the new medicine and fed it to Danrique at once. She


    also changed his dressing.


    After everything was done, Francesca was drained of energy. She ordered, ¡°Wipe his body and change


    his clothes.¡±


    With that said, she turned to return to her room.


    ¡°Dr. Felch, you can''t leave!¡± Gordon stopped her from leaving. ¡°What if Mr. Lindberg gets a recurring


    fever?¡±


    ¡°I''ll take a shower ande back here,¡± Francesca told him wearily. ¡°Tonight''s critical, so I''ll stay with


    him. Prepare a nket for me on the sofa.¡±


    ¡°Got it. I''ll do that now.¡± Gordon bobbed his head.


    Francesca went back to her room to take a shower. However, the ring pain from the wound behind


    her head reminded her that she couldn''t stay for long.


    I have to cure Danrique as soon as possible and then leave with the money. Hmm, who is that ¡°Cece¡±


    he keeps mumbling in his sleep, though? Why do I feel odd every time I hear this name?


    s, the more she pondered over it, the more her head ached.


    Holding the back of her head, Francesca told herself to stop pondering over the matter.


    After blow-drying her hair and changing into a fresh outfit, she walked into the neighboring room.


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    At once, Sean greeted her. ¡°Dr. Felch, Mr. Lindberg is still running a temperature and showing no signs


    of cooling down.¡±


    ¡°He took the medicine half an hour ago. Don''t worry.¡± Francesca yawned and flopped onto the sofa


    lazily. ¡°I''ll take a nap. If he''s still running a temperature an hourter, wake me up.¡±


    ¡°Can you even sleep here?¡± Gordon nced at the crowded and brightly lit room with a frown.


    Francesca hugged a pillow and rolled over to face the sofa. Soon, she began snoring.


    ¡°I''ve got to hand it to her,¡± Gordon muttered under his breath and shook his head.


    ¡°Turn off the overhead light,¡± Sean ordered.


    The maid immediately did as told and only left the wallmp on. Bathed in dim light, the room was now


    suitable for sleeping.


    Sean dismissed the others and only left two medical staff behind.


    He and Gordon stood aside silently to keep watch over Danrique.


    An hour soon passed. Kerrie took Danrique''s temperature and reported excitedly, ¡°His temperature has


    dropped from thirty-nine degrees Celsius to thirty-eight degrees Celsius!¡±


    ¡°He''s still having a fever,¡± Gordon remarked with a frown. He immediately woke Francesca up. ¡°Dr.


    Felch? Dr. Felch!¡±


    Francesca muttered sleepily, ¡°What happened? Didn''t his temperature decrease?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it decreased, but he''s still having a fever at a hundred,¡± Gordon reported.


    ¡°Great. Continue observing him,¡± Francesca responded.


    She rolled over and went back to sleep.


    Yet another hour passed. Kerrie took Danrique''s temperature again and discovered his temperature


    was back to normal. Delighted, she announced, ¡°His fever subsided! Mr. Lindberg''s fever subsided!¡±


    Sean and Gordon hurried over to take a look. Indeed, Danrique''s current body temperature was ny-


    seven. He was back to normal.


    ¡°That''s fantastic!¡± They beamed happily.


    ¡°His fever has subsided?¡± Right then, Francesca''s voice rang out. She got to her feet and came over to


    Danrique. Rubbing her eyes, she yawned and felt Danrique''s forehead. ¡°Mm. He''s okay now!¡±


    ¡°Will ite back?¡± Sean asked worriedly.


    ¡°I can''t be sure about that.¡± Francesca nced at the ne on Danrique''s neck. ¡°I''ll keep watch


    here, so you can get some rest.¡±


    ¡°We''ll keep youpany,¡± Gordon said. ¡°We can''t let our guard down at this critical moment.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Sean nodded. ¡°Kerrie, you should get some rest.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Lowe.¡±


    Kerrie lowered her head and retreated. She hadn''t slept for a few days and was exhausted.


    ¡°Go to the study room instead of standing here like door guardians,¡± Francesca said and returned to


    the sofa. ¡°I''ll take a nap and then take his temperatureter.¡±

 Chapter 1826

    Chapter 1826


    qBoth Sean and Gordon knew Francesca hated crowds, so they went to the study room obediently.


    After spending some time with her, they had grown to trust her.


    Besides, they didn''t get to sleep for they had to keep watch on Danrique every night. Feeling drained,


    they sat on the sofa and soon fell asleep.


    Sound asleep, they started snoring lightly.


    Francesca''s eyes snapped open instantly as she shed a smug grin.


    After making sure they were sound asleep, she got up and went to the bed to get Danrique''s ne.


    However, the ne was really thick, so she couldn''t pull it off. She dared not tugged at it forcefully,


    for the rest would know it was her doing if she were to leave a mark on Danrique''s neck.


    Francesca turned at her shoulder, and both bodyguards were sleeping soundly. They didn''t even stir.


    She inched nearer hastily and used both hands to remove the ne.


    She was about to seed when Danrique suddenly rolled over and pinned her underneath his body.


    Francesca''s eyes widened in shock and instinctively tried to shove him away. s, his body was as


    firm as an iron wall. He also had one leg over her body, and she couldn''t push him away.


    After trying to remove herself to no avail, Francesca reached out for the ne again.


    Right then, Danrique opened his eyes abruptly.


    Under the dim light, his amber eyes sparkled as he red at her. It felt like she was being watched by a


    beast that was woken up rudely.


    Francesca was lying in his arms on her side, and her hands were stretched out toward him. Her lips


    were puckered as she was feeling nervous.


    It didn''t seem that she was trying to steal his ne. Instead, it looked like she was holding his face


    and trying to kiss him sneakily.


    ¡°Er...¡±


    Sean, who had woken up from themotion, had the same thought when he spotted them.


    ¡°Ungrateful Wretch!¡± Danrique kicked Francesca away.


    His kick was so forceful that Francesca tumbled down the bed. She held her butt and rolled around on


    the ground in pain.


    After a few seconds, Sean snapped back to reality and went over to help her up. ¡°Dr. Felch, are you all


    right?¡±


    ¡°B*stard!¡± Francesca held her waist and stood up, her expression contorted in anguish. ¡°Why did you


    kick me?¡±


    ¡°Drag her out,¡± Danrique gave an order curtly, for he was done putting up with her nonsense. ¡°She shall


    stay three meters away from me!¡±


    ¡°Uh.¡± Briefly stunned, Sean grunted in acknowledgment. ¡°All right.¡±


    Carefully, he gestured Francesca toward the door.


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Francesca shot him a nasty look and spun on her heels before stalking away.


    Sean followed behind her and escorted her out.


    Outside the room, Francesca rubbed her sore butt and cursed, ¡°B*stard, how could he kick me?¡±


    ¡°Well...¡± Sean touched his nose awkwardly. ¡°Mr. Lindberg won''t cave even if you climb into his bed. Dr.


    Felch, you should give up.¡±


    Francesca''s eyes bulged in disbelief. ¡°What do you mean by climb into bed? I...¡±


    Before she could finish, Sean turned and returned to the room.


    Francesca was left alone in the corridor.


    To say her emotions right then wereplicated was an understatement.


    She reflected, Did I do anything wrong? Why do they think that way? A pity that I didn''t manage to get


    the ne.


    Now that Danrique had ordered for her to stay at least three meters away from him, it would be


    incredibly hard for her to get the ne.


    Ugh, how annoying!


    Feeling frustrated, Francesca went back to her room and fell back into her bed.


    Shortly after, she fell asleep.


    As a carefree and heartless person, she wouldn''t spend too much time pondering over a matter.


    After all, she was sure that everything would work itself out.


    In the room next to hers, Danrique couldn''t fall asleep. I''ve never met any woman as shameless as her.


    She kepting closer to try to take advantage of me. First, she took my first kiss from me. She even


    climbed into my bed earlier to try to have sex with me! How shameless of her!

 Chapter 1827

    Chapter 1827


    q¡°Mr. Lindberg, your fever has subsided. When you recoverpletely, we can kick her out,¡± Gordon


    assured him carefully.


    ¡°I''ve sent someone to contact that elderly doctor. He''ll do his best to bring the good doctor here as soon


    as possible. We can ask that doctor to treat you using acupuncture and feed you your medicine while


    Dr. Felch watches from aside,¡± Sean reported.


    He had already started making the arrangements.


    ¡°Get out,¡± Danrique ordered in irritation.


    ¡°But¡ª¡± Gordon was about to protest when Sean stopped him. ¡°All right. We shall excuse ourselves


    now.¡±


    After shutting the door behind them, Gordon asked in a low voice, ¡°What was that? We can''t leave Mr.


    Lindberg alone in his room. What if he gets a fever again?¡±


    ¡°If Mr. Lindberg feels unwell, he''ll summon us,¡± came Sean''s answer. ¡°He wants to be alone now, so


    let''s not disturb him.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Gordon nodded. ¡°Our priority is to find that girl. After finding her, Mr. Lindberg will return to


    Erihal.¡±


    ¡°That''s right. After today''s events, Pastor won''t give up. He might take action soon, so we need to leave


    as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Mm. I''ll go dig for more clues regarding the girl.¡±


    Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Gordon was about to leave when his phone rang. It was a call from Robin. ¡°Gordon, we''ve been


    ambushed by Pastor''s men.¡±


    ¡°Where are you?¡±


    ¡°I''ve sent you the address. Please send backup.¡±


    ¡°I''ll be there right away.¡±


    Gordon promptly gathered his men to help them out.


    Sean reminded him, ¡°Bring more men and be careful. Don''t expose our whereabouts.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Gordon left in a haste.


    It began to pour outside.


    Strangely, Sean felt uneasy. I wish Mr. Lindberg can leave M Nation soon and return to Erihal.


    Otherwise, his presence is inevitably going to spark a bloodbath.


    Francesca was sleeping so soundly that she didn''t realize her phone was vibrating. Anthony gave her a


    few calls, but she didn''t answer them.


    The next morning, Francesca was woken up rudely by someone knocking on her door urgently. ¡°Dr.


    Felch? Dr. Felch, wake up!¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Francesca snapped.


    I didn''t get to sleep well for the past few days!


    ¡°Dr. Felch, Prince William was shot. He''s in a dangerous situation, so please take a look at him!¡± the


    maid urged.


    Francesca jolted awake at once. She scrambled out of bed and open the door hastily without even


    putting her slippers on. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Prince William was attacked when he was heading to the airportst night. Mr. Gordon rushed there to


    save them, but Prince William has been shot...¡±


    The maid led her to the guest room while exining the entire situation.


    ¡°Where was he shot? Is it life-threatening?¡±


    As Francesca spoke, Danrique stepped out of the room.


    Their gazes met. Danrique immediately looked away coolly.


    Francesca rolled her eyes and hurried into the guest room.


    William was lying in bed weakly, his face pale from losing too much blood. His white suit was stained


    red by his blood.


    ¡°Your Highness, hang on. Dr. Felch will be here soon,¡± Robinforted him anxiously.


    ¡°Dr. Felch, hurry!¡± After spotting her, Sean dragged her to the bed. ¡°Prince William was shot, and the


    bullet is still inside his body.¡±


    ¡°Get out of my way.¡±


    Francesca immediately checked William''s wound and realized the bullet was inches away from his


    heart.


    Her brows scrunched up as she ordered, ¡°Get me my medical kit.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Kerrie brought over the medical kit as told.


    Francesca put on gloves and used a pair of sterilized scissors to cut William''s clothes open. She was


    prepared to remove the bullet for him.


    At the same time, she said, ¡°He''s losing too much blood, so we''ll have to get him to the hospital to get a


    blood transfusion.¡±


    ¡°He can''t go to the hospital now,¡± Sean answered hastily. ¡°Pastor''s men are looking for us.¡±

 Chapter 1828

    Chapter 1828


    q¡°There is ack of medical equipment here. If he doesn''t get any blood transfusion, he''ll die.¡±


    Francesca''s frown deepened. ¡°Who will take responsibility if something happens to him?¡±


    ¡°Well...¡± Sean turned to Danrique to get an answer.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, nothing can happen to His Highness!¡± Robin chimed in fretfully.


    ¡°William''s badly injured. If we bring him to the hospital now and run into another ambush, that will only


    serve to worsen his situation.¡± Danrique made up his mind. ¡°What equipment do you need? I''ll ask my


    men to get it right now.¡±


    ¡°That isn''t enough. I also need blood,¡± Francesca responded briskly. ¡°I''ll prepare a list. You''ll have to


    get the things prepared within four hours, or the consequences would be horrible.¡±


    ¡°I''ll get to it right away,¡± Gordon promised.


    Francesca scribbled down a list of things she needed swiftly and handed it to Gordon.


    Gordon strode out to get the things needed. Robin followed after him and said, ¡°Mr. Gordon, please do


    your best.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry. I''ll be back with the equipment and blood in time,¡± came Gordon''s answer.


    He then left hastily with his men.


    Francesca tended to William''s wound and stopped the bleeding. She stayed beside him all the while.


    ¡°Francesca...¡± William mumbled her name weakly and reached out to her.


    Francesca took his hand, and he promptly fell unconscious.


    Danrique''s brows snapped together at the sight. Strangely, he felt difort prickling in his heart.


    I thought she is only intimate with me. Turns out she does that to every man!


    ¡°You can leave. There''s no need for all of you to remain here,¡± Francesca said softly.


    Sean dismissed the rest and left two medical staff to be of help.


    Robin and two subordinates stood watch beside William.


    Danrique sank into the sofa. He wasn''t about to leave, for William was injured because of him. He


    couldn''t stay out of the matter.


    Sean offered Danrique a nket. ¡°Mr. Lindberg, you''ve just recovered, so you need to rest well.¡±


    Danrique propped his head on his arm and started dozing off.


    Everyone was worried sick about William, but Danrique was unfazed. Perhaps he trusted Francesca''s


    skills, or perhaps he trusted that William would get lucky.


    Francesca remained beside the bed and kept Williampany.


    All she could do now was wait, for the equipment and blood weren''t here yet.


    William held her hand tightly as though that was the only way he''d feel safe.


    Francesca didn''t resist his touch. She didn''t remember her past, but William felt familiar to her. She


    couldn''t stop herself from getting nervous after learning he got hurt.


    However, the sight merely increased Danrique''s disgust for her. Looks like she wants a handsome,


    rich, and powerful man instead of me. She has no loyalty in rtionships whatsoever, and I''ll never like


    her.


    He caressed the ck and gold cross ne around his neck and thought of Cece. Cece''s the


    best...


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Gordon was efficient enough to get everything done before the time was up. He also brought along a


    surgeon and a few dependable medical staff.


    Francesca began operating on William, and the rest retreated from the room.


    After Danrique returned to his room, Gordon came to report to him. ¡°Mr. Lindberg, we received an


    update that Pastor fell into aa after the snake bit him. His men are looking for us now. The force


    behind him has also taken action. They have set up traps all over the city. Summerbank is unsafe now.


    Should we leave as soon as possible?¡±


    Danrique pondered silently for a moment before giving a curt nod. ¡°When William''s condition stabilizes,


    we shall leave.¡±


    Despite wanting to stay behind to find the girl, he had to consider the big picture.


    William was seriously injured, so his situation would worsen if they were ambushed by the enemy.


    I need time to find out the force behind Pastor before nning my next move. It''s dangerous to go


    against them right now.

 Chapter 1829

    Chapter 1829


    q¡°Got it. I''ll make the arrangements at once.¡± Gordon quickly went to make the necessary


    arrangements.


    ¡°Tell Sean to do that,¡± Danriquemanded. ¡°You should try to dig for more clues regarding that girl.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Gordon hurried off to carry out his orders.


    Danrique refused to give up. I searched for seven whole years in Zarain, but she was nowhere to be


    seen. I can''t believe I bumped into her in Lightspring. s, I didn''t recognize her, and we went on


    separate ways. I don''t want to miss this opportunity. I hope I can find her and bring her back to Erihal


    before my departure.


    For the next two days, Gordon kept searching for that girl.


    Sean had arranged for a private jet to bring them back to Erihal. They could depart anytime as long as


    William''s condition was stable.


    Two days of treatmentter, William''s condition finally improved. He wasn''t in a precarious situation


    anymore, but he was still unconscious no thanks to his serious wound.


    The force behind Pastor had mobilized its men to find Danrique and William.


    Of course, William had been dragged into the mess. As they failed to find Danrique, they thought of


    capturing William to force Danrique to show himself.


    That was why they attacked William and shot him that day.


    For the greater good, Danrique decided to return to Erihal.


    Of course, that was a huge risk, too. The force behind Pastor had assigned its men to keep watch on


    the airport. Once Danrique showed up, they would mobilize all men to capture him.


    Hence, Danrique nned to split up.


    That morning, Danrique ordered Gordon to escort William and his men to the airport. To protect William


    and to prevent his condition from getting worse, he told Francesca to keep thempany.


    Francesca was feeling anxious as she hadn''t gotten the ne yet. Thus, she wanted to confront


    Danrique before leaving.


    Danrique was changing his pants when someone suddenly barged into his room.


    Turning at his shoulder, he spotted Francesca and immediately pulled his pants up. He staggered in his


    haste and nearly tripped on his feet.


    Francesca spun around hastily. With her back to him, she exined, ¡°I''m sorry. I had no idea you were


    changing your pants.¡±


    ¡°Are you even a woman?¡± Danrique flushed with anger.


    ¡°Yeah, in the flesh,¡± Francesca answered with a straight face.


    ¡°You''re nuts,¡± Danrique red at her and put on his pants swiftly. ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    ¡°After I saved you previously, you promised to reward me, but you didn''t do that yet.¡± Francesca went


    straight to the topic. ¡°Now that we''re going on separate ways, shouldn''t you reward me now?¡±


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Danrique asked.


    ¡°This.¡± Francesca pointed at the ne around his neck and added, ¡°Don''t take it wrongly. I don''t


    want you. What I want is this ne.¡±


    Without a word, Danrique looked at the gold and ck cross ne. He then raised his head to cast


    her a puzzled look. ¡°So this is what you want?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Francesca replied proudly. ¡°I wanted this from the very beginning, but you kept


    misunderstanding my intentions.¡±


    ¡°Why would you want this?¡±


    Danrique found her request strange, for he had gifted this ne to Cece. There was nothing


    extraordinary about it.


    This greedy and shameless woman should be asking for money. Why is she interested in this


    ne?


    ¡°Nothing. I like collecting nes, and yours seem unique. That''s why I want to get it,¡± Francesca


    made up an excuse.


    She dared not say too much so Danrique wouldn''t recognize that she was the person who held him as


    a hostage back at Casino Inferno.


    That was the most humiliating moment of his life. If he knew that she was behind that, he would never


    let her go easily.


    ¡°I can''t give it to you.¡±


    Despite knowing something was wrong with her exnation, Danrique didn''t feel like guessing her


    motives.


    To be exact, he didn''t connect this greedy, shameless, and annoying tomboy with his beloved Cece.

 Chapter 1830

    Chapter 1830


    q¡°Why?¡± Francesca was flustered. ¡°It''s just a ne. It isn''t even expensive.¡±


    ¡°You''re noisy,¡± Danrique said curtly. He was too tired to continue arguing with her. ¡°Get out now.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Francesca huffed.


    Right then, Sean knocked on the door and came in to report to Danrique. He saw Francesca inside and


    his employer wearing just a pair of pants, his shirt nowhere in sight. Utterly rattled, he spun on his heels


    to flee the scene.


    ¡°Come back!¡± Danrique demanded.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Sean came to a halt and turned over cautiously. He stood rooted to the spot as awkwardness


    engulfed his entire being.


    ¡°Pay her the medical fee,¡± Danrique ordered.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Sean instantly offered the check to Francesca. ¡°I''ve prepared the check for you. Here you go.¡±


    Francesca epted the check. The sight of the amount made her beam in delight. ¡°Besides this, what


    about the reward I should get after saving you?¡± she inquired.


    Hmm, what excuse should I conjure to get the ne back?


    ¡°I...¡± Sean shifted his gaze to Danrique.


    ¡°I don''t owe you one,¡± Danrique said in exasperation. ¡°If it wasn''t for you, William wouldn''t have gotten


    shot, and things wouldn''t be thisplicated. How dare you ask for a reward?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Francesca was confused. ¡°Are you being ungrateful?¡±


    ¡°The snake bit Pastor, and he has one foot in the grave. As he is in possession of important


    information, the force behind him is doing their best to capture Mr. Lindberg and Prince William,¡± Sean


    exined.


    ¡°Is that even my fault?¡± Francesca was dumbfounded. ¡°If I didn''t take action, you would''ve been


    controlled by Pastor. Even if you had a n and killed all the assassins out there, his men were inside


    the room...¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg could take care of those minor figures easily,¡± Sean revealed with a grin. ¡°Even if you


    didn''t take action, we were certain of our win!¡±


    ¡°Do you mean I made things worse?¡±


    Comprehension dawned on Francesca. If I didn''t butt in, everything will still be under Danrique''s


    control. He would''ve cowered Pastor into submission without hurting the man. That way, the force


    behind Pastor would show themselves. After getting bitten, Pastor is on the brink of death. Things had


    gotten out of control.


    Sean let out a cough. He didn''t dare to offend Francesca and had to be tactful. ¡°Anyway, you were kind


    enough to offer help.¡±


    N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    ¡°Wait a minute.¡± Something urred to Francesca. ¡°The force behind Pastor is going after you to get


    the antidote to save him. Will you hand me to them when wend in danger?¡±


    ¡°You''re thinking too much,¡± Danrique hissed in displeasure. ¡°If I have a dog, I won''t leave it behind!¡±


    ¡°Great.¡± Francesca heaved a sigh of relief before btedly realizing the underlying meaning of his


    words. ¡°You''re the dog!¡± she retorted.


    ¡°No matter what, Prince William was dragged into the mess because of Mr. Lindberg. We need to send


    him home to Danontand safely.¡±


    Sean gave another check to Francesca.


    ¡°Thanks for your help. Mr. Lindberg''s poison had been expelled, and his wound is recovering well.


    Please take good care of Prince William and make sure he recovers before you leave. This is your


    reward for treating him.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Francesca took the check and asked uneasily, ¡°Is this goodbye for us?¡±


    ¡°See you never!¡± Danrique announced before striding into the bathroom.


    A wave of fury crashed through Francesca. Is he that eager to get rid of me? See me never?


    ¡°Dr. Felch, we''re running out of time. Let''s not dy any further, shall we? I''ll see you out,¡± Sean urged


    and gestured for her to leave.


    A deep line appeared between Francesca''s brows as she gazed at the bathroom. Inwardly, she felt


    really agitated. In ordinary circumstances, she would''ve kicked the door to the bathroom open to get


    the ne from him.


    However, after getting the ne, she wouldn''t be able to escape.


    As Pastor''s men were searching for them, she was most probably their target too. If I were to leave


    alone, I''ll be in danger. Forget it. The odds are against me, and a wise man knows when to back down.


    There will be more chances for me to get it back in the future.

 Chapter 1831

    Chapter 1831


    qFrancesca got into a car among William''s convoy, and Gordon escorted them to the airport.


    After two days of receiving treatment, William finally regained consciousness. He was still weak, but he


    was in a good mood as Francesca was keeping himpany. Thus, his condition was improving


    steadily.


    Before the convoy left, Danrique came to bid goodbye to them. William was gazing at Francesca


    gently, and Francesca was wiping his sweat off using a warm towel. She paid no heed to his gentle


    gaze.


    They seem intimate...


    ¡°Your Highness, Mr. Lindberg is here,¡± Robin reported in a low voice.


    William snapped back to reality and turned to look out of the window. ¡°Are you leaving with us?¡±


    ¡°You should leave without me.¡±


    After ncing at Francesca, Danrique gave some orders to Gordon in a soft voice before turning to


    leave.


    ¡°Take care,¡± William said feebly.


    Danrique waved without bothering to turn.


    As the engines roared to life, Danrique thought, I should feel rxed after sending that nemesis off. But


    why do I feel somewhat disappointed? No, this must be an illusion.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg,¡± Sean called out and opened the door to the car.


    Danrique got into his car. This time, he upied the driver''s seat.


    He would be distracting Pastor''s men so William and the rest could reach the airport safely.


    Sean took the passenger''s seat while Sloan and two other subordinates sat behind them. They were all


    armed, prepared to face their enemies.


    With the three men in tow, Danrique drove in the opposite direction.


    There were ten cars tailing William''s convoy stealthily to protect them.


    Through the window, Francesca spotted a silver glint disappearing from sight. She knew Danrique and


    the rest had also departed.


    Her forehead creased as indescribable emotions welled up in her heart.


    After spending some time with Danrique, she grew to realize that his cool demeanor masked his kind


    heart underneath.


    Previously, when they ran into Mafia''s trap, he told Sean and Sloan to head down the mountain to send


    a signal and get help, but in fact, his n was to stay behind and get rid of those men.


    To make sure William got to leave safely, he assigned his men to protect William and went to distract


    Pastor''s men with only three men by his side.


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    No one knew that Danrique Lindberg, who was rumored to be vicious and ruthless, was actually an


    honorable man.


    ¡°Francesca,¡± William called gently. ¡°May I know what is in your mind?¡±


    ¡°It''s nothing.¡± Francesca shed a smile. ¡°Get some rest. We''ll arrive at the airport soon.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± William gazed at her hesitantly.


    Francesca scrolled through her phone in her seat.


    For the past few days, she was bus treating William and didn''t have time to go through her phone. Now


    that she was about to leave, she wanted to see if Anthony had sent her any texts or called her.


    Her phone battery was t, so she plugged it to the charger and started nodding off with her phone in


    her hand.


    William signaled the maid, who quickly took a nket and draped it over Francesca.


    Francesca soon fell asleep. She slept soundly and didn''t stir.


    William gazed at her tenderly.


    Robin and his other subordinates kept their guards up nervously.


    They knew Pastor''s men had set traps all over to capture William. Once they left the mountain, his men


    would discover them soon.


    Indeed, they ran into an ambush after their car arrived at the foot of the mountain.


    Gordon immediately told the driver to speed up before informing the other bodyguards to intercept the


    attackers.


    Right then, the convoy was in a state of panic. The drivers alternated between speeding up and hitting


    the brakes.


    Everyone was worried about each other. Robin and a subordinate kept an eye on William, worried that


    the sudden attack would affect his wound.


    Francesca drew the curtains and looked out. There were a lot of enemies, and it seemed like a tough


    battle.


    Fortunately, Gordon was a capable leader. Under his instructions, the Lindberg family''s bodyguards


    managed to stop the assassins.


    He then joined William, and they continued on their journey to the airport.

 Chapter 1832

    Chapter 1832


    qOn their way there, they were ambushed again.


    This time, the concrete truck rushed toward them like an untethered horse.


    ¡°Turn right to avoid it! Hurry!¡± Gordon bellowed.


    The bodyguard who was driving hastily turned the steering wheel to dodge it, but the rear of the


    concrete truck still mmed into the car. Spinning out of control, the car crashed against the guardrail.


    Bang! came the thunderous noise. The hood of the car was dented inward.


    The one in the front passenger seat flew out, and Gordon immediately took his gun and went down


    from the car to fight against the attackers.


    The bodyguards pried open the door to rescue William and Francesca. They then went into another


    car. At the same time, Gordon brought his subordinates to defend them against the assassins.


    It was then Francesca saw that the attackers came in arge group, and they were all heavily armed.


    ¡°Danrique''s not in the car!¡± one of the assassins cried out.


    ¡°Capture Prince William and the masked youth beside him!¡± another shouted.


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    All of them rushed toward them.


    Just as Gordon and his men were about to falter, a silver light rushed toward them.


    When the window wound down, Danrique gave them a thumbs-down as he supported himself with the


    other hand on the window. It was a gesture saying that they were too weak.


    ¡°It''s Danrique!¡±


    ¡°Catch him!¡±


    Immediately, everyone swarmed toward Danrique.


    In seconds, few were around Francesca and William.


    Thus, Gordon instantly led the bodyguards to escort William and Francesca away from the scene.


    ¡°Will he be fine?¡± Francesca asked, her brows drawing together.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg can handle it. He should be fine,¡± Robin replied. ¡°Let''s hurry to the airport. Perhaps Mr.


    Lindberg wille and meet us there soon.¡±


    ¡°Right...¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    Just as William was about to say something, Francesca cut him off. ¡°Those people are holding onto


    heavy weaponry. If they''re really after Danrique''s life, his nimbleness won''t help him at all.¡±


    ¡°But there''s nothing we can do even if we were to stay,¡± Robin weakly pointed out. ¡°In fact, we''ll be a


    burden.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry. Mr. Lindberg has ns of his own,¡± Gordon told them. He then urged, ¡°Drive now!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    The fleet of cars sped off toward the airport.


    Francesca stared out of the window the entire time, distracted. She had never felt that way before.N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    Technically, she did not even know Danrique that well. They were not close, and sometimes, she even


    found him annoying.


    However, when she thought about how he might be in danger, she became anxious.


    As a matter of fact, there was an urge that told her to get down from the car to save him.


    Those emotions she was experiencing did not escape William''s notice.


    Although he said nothing about it, his eyes dimmed.


    Just as Francesca was lost in her thoughts, something vibrated. Subconsciously, she reached out to


    touch her pocket and realized it was her phone.


    She had charged her phone on the car earlier, and when she rushed down the car a moment ago, she


    had grabbed it and kept it in her pocket.


    Upon lifting her phone, she realized that it was a call from Anthony.


    Immediately, she epted the call. ¡°Anthony.¡±


    ¡°Where are you?¡± Anthony anxiously asked.


    ¡°What''s the matter?¡± Francesca asked, frowning.


    ¡°The charity is urging us for the money. If we don''t send them the money soon, the children''s homes


    with issues will be closing down. I''ve been trying to contact you for days, but I somehow can''t get


    through to you.¡±


    ¡°How much do you need?¡± Francesca queried.


    ¡°Seven hundred million in M Nation''s currency.¡±


    ¡°Try to buy us a few more days'' time. I''ll think of a way to resolve this.¡±


    ¡°What way? Hurry and bring the ne to S Nation. I''ll be waiting for you here.¡±


    ¡°I got it. Give me a few days'' time.¡±


    Francesca then ended the call. She lifted her head and asked Gordon, ¡°Will it be safe for us to go to


    the airport now?¡±


    ¡°The airport is just up ahead, and we''ll be reaching soon. All the arrangements have been made, and


    Mr. Lindberg has led them away. It''s unlikely that they''lle after us anymore.¡±


    ¡°Good. Stop the car there, and you''ll leave first.¡±

 Chapter 1833

    Chapter 1833


    q¡°Francesca, what are you trying to do?¡± William panicked.


    ¡°Dr. Felch, it''s dangerous for you to leave the car at a time like this,¡± Gordon anxiously pointed out.


    ¡°Stop fooling around and leave with us.¡±


    ¡°I have to go back to Danrique,¡± Francesca told them in a determined voice. ¡°Stop the car now and give


    me your phone.¡±


    As she spoke, she rose to her feet and snatched Gordon''s phone from him.


    Francesca knew that their phones were custom made, so they had tracking systems that would allow


    her to locate the person she was trying to find.


    Only with the phone would she be able to find Danrique as quickly as possible.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Gordon froze for a second before trying to snatch his phone back. ¡°Give it back


    to me!¡±


    However, Francesca had decided not to waste any more time with him. In the next second, she opened


    the car door.


    ¡°Francesca!¡±


    ¡°Look out!¡±


    Gordon hastily mmed his foot on the brakes.


    Francesca leaped down from the car before quickly stopping the car behind hers. ¡°Get down!¡±


    Taken aback by her actions, the few bodyguards obeyed and quickly got down from the car.


    Francesca then kicked the driving bodyguard down from the car and sped off.


    ¡°Francesca!¡±


    ¡°Dr. Felch!¡±


    William tried to go after her despite his injuries, but unfortunately, he could not stop Francesca at all.


    ¡°Why is Dr. Felch in such haste?¡± Gordon was panicking, but then, a thought popped into his hand. His


    panic turned into a current of warmth that seeped into his heart. ¡°Still, she''s loyal. She''s diving headfirst


    into danger to save Mr. Lindberg!¡±


    Hearing that, William''s expression darkened even more.


    ¡°Why don''t we go to the airport first?¡± Robin worriedly suggested. ¡°His Highness is grievously injured,


    and Mr. Lindberg has put himself in grave danger so that we can escape. We can''t let his good


    intentions go to waste like this.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Let''s get in the car.¡±


    Gordon was going to heed Danrique''s order and make sure that William return safely.


    Nevertheless, William was in distress. ¡°Francesca''s just a girl. She''ll be in great danger if she runs back


    to save him. Gordon, we''re already at the airport, so hurry back to help her out!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg has instructed me to send you back to Danontand before I can leave,¡± Gordon exined.


    ¡°Once you''re in the ne, we''ll head back to Mr. Lindberg, so be at ease.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    William had yet to finish his sentence, but Robin knew that William was much more worried about


    Francesca, not Danrique.


    Meanwhile, Francesca was speeding down the road. At the same time, she had turned on the tracking


    system on Gordon''s phone, and soon, she found Danrique''s location.


    Right then, her phone vibrated. Once she epted the call, she threw her phone to the side and


    impatiently said, ¡°What now?¡±


    ¡°Are you in some kind of danger? Please don''t risk yourself! If things can''t work out, I''ll think of a way


    myself to get the money...¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Francesca snapped. ¡°How can you be so naggy despite being a man?¡±


    ¡°No, no. I''m scared that you''ll start robbing people for those kids. That won''t be good. We shouldn''t do


    illegal things.¡±


    Francesca was speechless at that. A beatter, she said, ¡°Does that sound like something I''d do?¡±


    ¡°I''m not sure. You look like you won''t have any problem doing anything.¡±


    ¡°If there''s nothing else you want to say, I''m going to end the call.¡± Francesca did not want to waste her


    breath on him anymore.


    ¡°Wait! I have something else I need to tell you!¡±


    Right as Anthony was about to continue, Francesca ended the call. The only thought in her head at that


    moment was the thought of rescuing Danrique and getting back the ne.


    As she drove, she continued checking the tracking system on the phone.


    I''m getting closer and closer. Good.


    Finally, when the two dots were about to ovep with each other, Francesca saw the silver car on the


    top of the hill.


    At that moment, dozens of ck modified cars were surrounding Danrique''s car. Danrique would have


    trouble escaping even if he was a god of war.


    Francesca slowed down. After all, she might not be able to save him even if she were to speed over to


    him. Thus, she had toe up with a n.

 Chapter 1834

    Chapter 1834


    qFrancesca found a bomb in the car. She then connected it to the car''s engine before driving the car


    over to the other cars.


    At that moment, Danrique''s silver Maybach waspletely surrounded. It was simply impossible for


    him to escape.


    A group of people on the opposing side hade down from their cars. They were all ready to capture


    Danrique alive.


    Sean and Sloan were both defending Danrique with all their might. One of his subordinates was


    injured, and that man wasying slumped by the side of the car. Nevertheless, he still had a gun in his


    hands as he continued guarding Danrique.


    Despite the situation, Danrique still looked unfazed. He was slowly loading the gun in his hands.


    ¡°Danrique Lindberg, you won''t be able to escape from this ce even if you''re some kind of god, so


    why don''t you just give up?¡± the leading assassin suggested.


    ¡°Who should I start with first?¡±


    Danrique raised a brow and began staring at the group of people.


    ¡°Stubborn even on the verge of your demise.¡±


    With a wave from the leading assassin, the dozens of assassins then charged toward Danrique and his


    men with machetes.


    Danrique, Sean, and the others calmly took them on, but soon, they were starting to weaken.


    Right then, a ck jeep flew toward them like a pouncing beast.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    The assassins were frightened. Before they coulde back to their senses, the ck jeep crashed


    into their convoy. Then, a figure jumped out of the car.


    In the next second, the car exploded in a loud bang.


    The explosion was a major one, and it sent the surrounding cars flying.


    Through the fiery mes, Danrique saw a familiar figure. His eyes widened. Why is she here?


    ¡°Why are you still standing there in a daze? Hurry and leave!¡±


    Francesca grabbed Danrique and began fleeing the scene in the opposite direction of the assassins.


    Meanwhile, Sean and Sloan helped the injured subordinate and followed closely behind.


    The assassins tried to go after them, but the initial explosion triggered even more explosions as the


    cars around it detonated.


    Most of the assassins were killed. Those who managed to react in time and escape were more


    preupied with preserving their lives instead of going after Danrique.


    Soon, Danrique and the others were out of danger. They reached a small town and settled down in a


    motel.


    Francesca went to the nearby pharmacy to buy antiseptic and medication. Once she treated the injured


    man''s wounds, she washed her hands and slumped onto the couch.


    After a tired sigh, she groaned, ¡°This is so tiring. It isn''t worth the amount you''re paying me!¡±


    ¡°Dr. Felch, why did youe back?¡± Sloan asked, agitated.


    ¡°It''s because I realized you have no one to back you up. I''m scared that you''ll all die here, so I came


    back to save you all,¡± Francesca muttered nonchntly.


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    ¡°Dr. Felch, you''re such a nice person!¡± Sloan cried out as tears welled in his eyes.


    ¡°Dr. Felch, you''ve saved us again.¡± Mylo, one of Danrique''s subordinates was moved by her actions as


    well. ¡°Thank you so much!¡±


    ¡°I didn''t make things worse this time, did I?¡± Francesca raised a brow and sneered.


    ¡°No, no...¡± Sean bashfully mumbled. ¡°Still, you didn''t need toe back. It''s too dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Sean, your leg''s bleeding!¡± Mylo suddenly yelled.


    ¡°It''s just a superficial wound,¡± Sean quickly replied. ¡°It''s nothing.¡±


    ¡°Let me have a look at it.¡± Francesca gestured to him with a tilt of her chin.


    Sean then pulled up the hem of his pants. When Francesca''s eyesnded on his leg, she noticed that


    his calf was injured, and blood was streaming down his leg.


    ¡°Why didn''t you say anything about this earlier?¡± Francesca sighed. ¡°Hurry up and sit down.¡±


    She then started treating Sean''s wound.


    The entire time, Danrique sat by the window, using his phone. By the time Sean''s wound was treated,


    he was done with his arrangements, and he raised his head to look at them.


    ¡°Dr. Felch, thank you!¡±


    Three of his subordinates were all thankful for Francesca''s help.


    Sloan, especially, was even looking at her with admiration and respect.


    That was something he had never been on the receiving end of from Sloan.


    Danrique rolled his eyes, deciding that it was time for him to teach them a lesson. They must not have


    interacted with any women in the past. Now that they''ve encountered one, they''re head over heels for


    her.

 Chapter 1835

    Chapter 1835


    q¡°All right.¡± Francesca took off her gloves and tiredlyy back on the couch. She then turned her head


    to the side to look at Danrique. ¡°What about you? Are you hurt?¡±


    ¡°What do you want?¡±


    Danrique was giving her a suspicious look.


    This woman risked her life for us, but there''s no way it''s because she has a crush on me... She must


    have ulterior motives.


    ¡°I told you¡ªI want this.¡±


    Francesca pointed at the ck and gold cross ne around his neck.


    ¡°Uh...¡±


    This time, Sean and the others did not misunderstand the situation again. Instead, they were taken


    aback.


    ¡°I told you I can''t give you this.¡± Danrique narrowed his eyes at her in confusion. ¡°But I''m curious. Why


    do you want this?¡±


    ¡°No reason.¡± Francesca then impatiently asked, ¡°Are you going to give it to me or not?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Just as that word left Danrique''s mouth, Francesca whipped out a gun and pointed it at his head before


    hissing, ¡°This is so annoying. You just have to make me use force!¡±


    Sean and the others froze for a few seconds before they, too, took out their guns to point them at


    Francesca.


    No matter how much they were grateful for Francesca''s help, they were still loyal to their employer at


    the end of the day.


    Sloan hastily cried out, ¡°Dr. Felch, please put your gun down now! Don''t do this!¡±


    ¡°You b*stards, I''ve just saved your life earlier, but now you''re repaying my kindness with cruelty?¡±


    Francesca gritted out as she red at Sloan, Mylo, and Sean.


    ¡°I''m sorry. We''re thankful that you''ve saved us, but protecting Mr. Lindberg is our duty.¡±


    At that moment, Mylo felt helpless.


    ¡°That''s why you should put down your guns,¡± Francesca said as she removed the safety. ¡°Otherwise,


    I''m going to blow his head off!¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± Danrique''s subordinates were all frightened out of their wits.


    Sean attempted to persuade her otherwise again. ¡°Dr. Felch, let''s have a talk instead. Don''t do


    anything... rash.¡±


    Just as thest word was out of his mouth, a sound of a gunshot rang out.


    The bullet whizzed past Danrique''s hair and buried itself into the wall beside him with an explosion of


    sparks.


    Everyone was stunned, and their eyes widened into saucers as they looked at Francesca in disbelief.


    She actually fired the gun?


    ¡°Dr. Felch, are you serious?¡±


    Sean could not believe what he just saw.


    Meanwhile, although Danrique was not shocked by the gunshot, his expression was already darker


    than the night.


    A cold glint shed past his amber eyes, and he shot Francesca a death re. ¡°You must have a death


    wish!¡±


    ¡°I just want the ne.¡± Francesca knitted her brows and extended her hand toward him. She then


    impatiently urged, ¡°Hurry up and give me the ne.¡±


    Right then, sounds of footsteps came from the outside. The motel owner had brought men up when he


    heard the gunshot, and he was even telling his employees, ¡°Call the cops quickly!¡±


    ¡°The cops will be here soon, the people behind Pastor will being soon. Hand over the ne


    now, and we''ll go separate ways from now on,¡± Francesca prompted. ¡°Hurry up.¡±


    ¡°What if I refuse?¡± Danrique questioned, unfazed.


    ¡°You''re such a pain in the *ss!¡±


    Irked, Francesca reached over to snatch the ne off him.


    However, Danrique frowned and swiftly grabbed her wrist before snatching her gun away from her.


    Then, he pressed it against her forehead and said, ¡°Ungrateful Wretch, how dare you threaten me? Are


    you tired of being in this world?¡±


    ¡°Ugh.¡±


    Francesca stiffened.


    How did he snatch the gun from me? I never even realized it until it was toote. He was so quick!


    Wait, no. This isn''t the right time to be thinking about this.


    ¡°Hey, don''t do anything silly,¡± Francesca hurriedly pleaded. ¡°This ne is originally...¡±


    Before she could finish her sentence, the sounds of police siren came from the outside.


    In the next second, the motel owner barged into the room with an air gun and a few police officers with


    him.


    Sloan stepped forward to exin the situation to them, but at that moment, Sean noticed the group of


    people behind the officers. Promptly, he shouted, ¡°They''re Pastor''s men!¡±


    Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    Danrique instantly kept away the gun and brought Francesca away from the room while Sean and the


    others followed him.

 Chapter 1836

    Chapter 1836


    qThe quiet state of the town was disrupted by the sudden gunshot, and the people on the street let out


    screams of terror before they began running for cover.


    Right then, a group of people darted out of the motel, running after Danrique and his group with guns in


    their hands.


    By then, Francesca was no longer thinking about snatching the ne. After all, saving her own life


    took priority in the situation.


    The few of them stole a car and tried to drive out of the town, but a few ck modified cars soon


    blocked their way. Clearly, the other party was determined to capture Danrique.


    Nevertheless, Danrique gripped the steering wheel tightly, mmed his foot on the elerator, and


    drove straight at them.


    One of the cars instinctively dodged Danrique''s car. With a wless drift, the car''s left wheels lifted into


    the air, and Danrique drove them through the gap.


    Bang!


    The rearview mirror of the car was sent flying, and it was a close shave. They managed to escape the


    barricade.


    Francesca sighed in relief. Just as she was about to speak, Sean suddenly yelled, ¡°Oh my god!¡±


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    At that, Francesca raised her head to look out of the window. A line of cars had formed a wall in front of


    them, blocking their escape route.


    At the same time, more cars wereing from behind them.


    ¡°F*ck, I wouldn''t havee back if I knew this was going to happen,¡± Francesca grumbled.


    ¡°Are you regretting it?¡±


    Danrique was still calm and collected as always. After he coldly nced at the row of cars in front of


    them, he then looked at his watch.


    ¡°Extremely,¡± Francesca huffed. ¡°I risked my life and came back to you, and you repaid my kindness


    with cruelty. Now, you''re getting me involved in your issues...¡±


    ¡°Answer me. Why do you want this ne?¡± Danrique questioned. ¡°If you give me a satisfactory


    answer, I''ll give you another hundred million.¡±


    ¡°Then will you give me the ne?¡± Francesca quickly asked.


    ¡°No,¡± came Danrique''s reply without any hesitation.


    ¡°Is that ordinary ne that important? Why are you so stubbornly holding onto it?¡± Francesca was


    absolutely baffled. ¡°Answer me. If you give me a satisfactory answer, I won''t keep asking you for it


    anymore.¡±


    At that, Danrique shot her an icy look and fell silent.


    ¡°The ne is the keepsake Mr. Lindberg gave to his first love, so it''s very important to him,¡± Sean


    blurted out.


    He did not think that matter was anything embarrassing.


    ¡°His first love?¡±


    Francesca tensed up, and the image of the scene in her dream appeared in her mind.


    Could it be that...


    ¡°Dr. Felch, why are you so adamant about getting the ne?¡± Sean was equally curious about that


    as well. ¡°Could it be that you¡ª¡±


    Bang!


    The sound of a gunshot interrupted Sean''s speech.


    Then, a tall andrge middle-aged man stepped forward from the convoy and spoke in Ustranasion,


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, let''s talk.¡±


    Danrique nced at his watch again, and he went down from the car.


    ¡°Hey, don''t get out! It''s dangerous!¡±


    Francesca tried to stop him, but he was already gone.


    Sean, Sloan, and Mylo had gotten down from the car as well to stand behind Danrique. They were all


    holding up their guns, ready to protect him.


    Francesca was at a loss for words as she stared at the group of stubborn men.


    What do I do now?


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, you''re indeed a man with a regal demeanor!¡±


    The leading middle-aged man did not seem like an assassin. Instead, he seemed more like a


    businessman. There was no trace of hostility in his eyes when he looked at Danrique; they seemed to


    shine with approval instead.


    ¡°You''ve wasted no bullets in taking down over a hundred members of the Mafia by yourself. Now, to


    save Prince William, you''ve managed to avoid the capture of hundreds of assassins. You''re truly brave,


    smart, and loyal. Impressive!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Roth, what are you trying to say?¡± Danrique tly asked.


    ¡°You know me?¡± The middle-aged man was astonished.


    ¡°I know the four men behind Pastor like the back of my hand.¡± Danrique curled his lips. ¡°If anything


    happens to me, everything about the four of you will go public. Feel free to make a guess as to what


    will happen after that.¡±


    Roth paled. ¡°You''re impressive. No wonder you''re still soposed. It''s because you have an ace up


    your sleeve!¡±

 Chapter 1837

    Chapter 1837


    q¡°A phnthropist on the surface but the mastermind of an underground organization in the shadows.


    I''m certain the media will eat up every single detail about you.¡±


    Danrique elegantly leaned against the hood of the car as he toyed with the gold intricate gun in his


    hands.


    It was as if he was the puppet master of the entire show.


    ¡°Hahaha!¡± Nevertheless, Roth burst outughing instead of getting angry. ¡°I did say a long time ago


    that you''re more suitable to be our partner than Pastor!¡±


    ¡°Oh, please,¡± Danrique rejected. ¡°I wouldn''t want to stoop to your level!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, do you have any terms? Why don''t you tell me about them, and let''s have a talk.¡±


    Roth then raised a brow and proceeded to stare at him.


    When Francesca saw the scene, she blinked, dumbstruck.


    Aren''t they supposed to be having the upper hand in this situation? They have over a hundred armed


    men with them, and they can unload all their bullets on us any time they want. In this case, the middle-


    aged man should be taunting Danrique. He should be asking him to prostrate before him. Why is he


    pleading with Danrique? Every time Danrique looks like he''s about to fall, he somehow always


    manages to turn the tides and emerge as the victor. What kind of demon is he?


    ¡°I''m just a businessman who wants to do business peacefully. Nothing else concerns me,¡± Danrique


    nomittally replied, folding his arms. ¡°Our sess in the corporate world is dependent on our skills.


    I''m not in your way, so don''t be in my way either. That''s all.¡±


    ¡°That''s true.¡± Roth nodded in agreement. He then uttered, ¡°What Pastor has done is shameful. He''s


    failed to subdue you with his own capabilities, so he''s using our names to go against you. We''re furious


    about this. After a discussion, we''ve decided not to intervene in the grievances between you and


    Pastor, and we won''t be intervening in your business in Epea and Adrune. From now on, we''ll both be


    co-existing peacefully and treating each other with nothing but respect. How does that sound?¡±


    ¡°That''s right.¡± Danrique grinned. ¡°You should''ve said this a long time ago, and everything would''ve been


    fine.¡±


    ¡°However,¡± Roth suddenly started. ¡°You know that Pastor has important information about us, so we


    can''t just let him die like this. In other words, we have to save his life. So... please hand over the


    antidote.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Roth, you must have watched too many of Zarain''s action movies. You should look for a doctor if


    he was bitten by a venomous snake. What kind of antidote can we possibly have?¡±


    When Danrique was speaking, Francesca was sweating buckets in the car. She finally realized that the


    group of people was after her.


    Danrique had a card up his sleeve that he could use against them, and that was why they did not dare


    toy a finger on him. However, it was a different case for her.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, you''re smart, but don''t treat me as a fool,¡± Roth wistfully said. ¡°Clearly, the snake that bit


    Pastor was not a normal venomous snake. It was a specially raised venomous snake, and ordinary


    doctors can''t treat its bites. You were searching for a renowned doctor back then because you were


    bitten by the snake you raised. However, you''repletely fine now. Therefore, you must have the


    antidote.¡±


    ¡°I truly do not have the antidote, but I can tell you a way of treating it.¡± Danrique had chosen to buy


    time. ¡°With that way, Pastor won''t die.¡±Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    ¡°Okay, I trust you.¡± Roth gave him a small smile. ¡°After all, you''re going to continue doing business


    here. We''re going to have more interaction with each other, so we should help each other out.¡±


    ¡°That''s right.¡± Danrique shrugged. ¡°All is well, so can you let us go now?¡±


    ¡°One more thing.¡± Roth''s gaze drifted away from Danrique andnded on his car. ¡°That youth has to


    stay.¡±


    Francesca shuddered.


    Oh no, oh no. I really shouldn''t havee back.


    ¡°That person''s just an ordinaryd,¡± Danrique replied.


    ¡°It doesn''t matter who that youth is,¡± Roth said with a smile. ¡°That youth has let out the snake that bit


    Pastor, so we have to give Pastor and the people on his side an answer to the case.¡±

 Chapter 1838

    Chapter 1838


    qHearing that sent chills down Francesca''s spine.


    Will Danrique hand me over? After all, the negotiation is going well. Not only are they not going after


    him anymore, but they''re also not going to interrupt his business here in the future. As a matter of fact,


    they''re going to restrict Pastor from crossing Danrique again. Danrique has an upper hand now. As


    long as he hands me over, the market in Epea and Adrune will be his... Anyone would make the right


    choice at a time like this.


    Unsurprisingly, Danrique fell silent.


    Three seconds... Ten seconds... Twenty seconds went by, and he still did not speak.


    Oh no, oh no. I''m doomed. This ungrateful b*stard''s going to hand me over!


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg¡ª¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Danrique finally said.


    Francesca''s heart lurched, and she balled her hands into fists. At that moment, she desperately wanted


    to dart over and strangle him to death.


    ¡°A wise man indeed, Mr. Lindberg.¡±


    ¡°Please hand Pastor over first,¡± Danrique said, his words a sudden turn of events. ¡°He has been


    provoking and taunting me again and again. How am I supposed to answer to the people on my side if I


    don''t tear him from limb to limb?¡±


    ¡°You¡ª¡± Roth was rendered speechless.


    ¡°She''s mine.¡± Danrique pointed at Francesca. ¡°When I''m in danger, the youthes for me. They''re


    such loyal dogs, so how can I leave them be? That''ll be too cruel of me.¡±


    You''re the dog! Your entire family''s the dogs!


    Francesca was furiously gritting her teeth, but soon, she realized that he was protecting her.


    In other words, she should squeeze out a tear or two in gratitude.


    ¡°Since it''s just a dog, why are you so protective of him?¡± Roth fumed. ¡°Is that dog more important than


    the entire Epea and Adrune market?¡±


    ¡°That youth''s mine.¡± Danrique raised a brow. ¡°I can call them a dog, but you can''t!¡±


    ¡°You¡ª¡±


    ¡°That''s enough.¡± Danrique had run out of patience. ¡°Since you don''t seem like you''re sincere in this,


    there''s no point in continuing our conversation anymore.¡±


    With that said, he nced at his watch. ¡°Return and tell the other three that they will have to show me


    their sincerity if they want to have a harmonious rtionship with me. Don''t assume that you can


    manipte anyone just because this is your territory. Four-plus-one, and yet, you still can''t do anything


    to me. If you really make me angry, I''ll toss aside my business and drag you to hell with me. Let''s see


    who''s going to suffer more!¡±


    ¡°You¡ª¡± Roth''s face was purple from rage as his body shook. ¡°Quit your arrogant act and open your


    eyes to the situation. You''re on the losing side. With just one order from me, you and your men are


    going to be ridden with bullet holes!¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Danrique''s lips curled. ¡°Why don''t you look up and find out who will be the one ridden with


    bullet holes?¡±


    Just as his words left his mouth, a loud droning noise came from a distance away.


    When Roth lifted his head, he saw dozens of helicopters heading toward him. Right then, he spotted


    the golden L symbol on the helicopters.


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    Immediately, the group of people panicked.


    Even Francesca, who was in the car, was dumbstruck by the sight.


    It was then she realized that Danrique always had an ace up his sleeve. No one could ever restrain


    him, and he was never in any danger. All he wanted to do was to lure out the man in the shadows.


    Danrique knew that the other party would not kill him, and that was why he had no fear even when he


    was surrounded back then. He was just waiting for Roth toe out and negotiate with him.


    On the other hand, she, the foolish woman, hade to his rescue, thinking that he would thank her


    and reward her for her actions.


    Francesca finally realized that, to them, she was nothing but a reckless idiot.


    Sean, Sloan, and Mylo only felt admiration and gratitude toward her because of her bravery.


    She was sure that, unlike them, Danrique must think of her as a fool.

 Chapter 1839

    Chapter 1839


    q¡°Still sticking around?¡± Danrique taunted with a grin. ¡°Are you really waiting to experience a shower of


    bullets? You''ll be getting a package deal of a shocking piece of global news. That''s a good deal, isn''t


    it?¡±


    ¡°You¡ª¡±


    The colors drained from Roth''s face as he trembled.


    That was the first failure in his life, and it was one in which his pride was trampled on by his opponent.


    ¡°Young man, don''t get too conceited! We''ll meet again next time!¡±


    With that said, Roth stormed away with his men.


    Francesca let out a sigh of relief, thinking, Thank god I managed to survive this.


    Sloan then walked over to open the car door and asked with a smile, ¡°Dr. Felch, are you fine? Don''t be


    scared. We''re safe now.¡±


    Francesca came down from the car and red at Danrique. ¡°Why didn''t you tell me that you still have


    an ace up your sleeve? You made mee back to save you and nearly died in the car explosion!¡±


    ¡°You only have yourself to me for your stupidity,¡± Danrique retorted.


    ¡°You¡ª¡±


    Francesca''s expression darkened, and she wished she could strangle him then and there.


    Right then, the droning noise came closer and closer to them as a helicopter flew over. As the


    helicopter hovered over their heads, it swept up a strong gust of wind.


    Francesca squinted and looked up.


    Gordon and the others were in the helicopter. As it turned out, they hade prepared. No wonder


    Gordon was so calm and was even trying to stop me froming back.


    One of the helicopters then descended before they let down a few ropes.


    ¡°Give me the ne!¡±


    Knowing that they were going to leave, Francesca shot out her arm to snatch the ne from


    Danrique.


    With a quick turn, Danrique nimbly avoided her grab. Then, he leaped and grabbed the rope from the


    helicopter before swiftly climbing up.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Francesca anxiously shouted.


    Unfortunately, Danrique never turned around. He only said, ¡°See you never!¡±


    The helicopter soon brought Danrique away.


    Sean left in the same way.


    ¡°B*stards!¡± Francesca shrieked, stomping her foot.


    ¡°Dr. Felch, let us escort you to Danontand.¡± Sloan looked at Francesca, chuckling. ¡°Mr. Lindberg has


    instructed us to send you to Danontand to meet up with Prince William.¡±


    ¡°William''s already in a stable condition. You can look for any professional doctors now; you don''t need


    me anymore.¡±


    Francesca''s eyes were still fixed on the horizon, staring in the direction Danrique had left.


    B*stard, I''m going to find you and get that ne back.


    But I don''t have it now, so I can''t use that money in S Nation. I only have a little over a hundred million


    with me. That''s not enough.


    ¡°Dr. Felch,¡± Sloan called out a few times before Francesca snapped back to her senses. She then said,


    ¡°Go after your team. You don''t need to escort me.¡±


    ¡°How can I do that? Mr. Lindberg said¡ª¡±


    Sloan was about to say something else when Francesca jumped into the car and drove off.


    ¡°Dr. Felch! Dr. Felch!¡±


    Sloan could only run after her.


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    Nevertheless, she stuck her head out of the window and said, ¡°Until next time!¡±


    Then, she mmed her foot on the elerator and disappeared into the horizon in seconds.


    Sloan slowed down before staring at the spot Francesca disappeared from, the disappointment visible


    in his eyes.


    ¡°Sloan, let''s go. We have to catch up with the rest of them and meet with Mr. Lindberg.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    With every three steps Sloan took, he turned back once. He was hoping that he would be able to see


    Francesca again, but Francesca was long gone. It was almost as if she never appeared.


    Francesca drove straight to the airport before taking a ne to S Nation.


    Before she boarded the ne, she called Anthony and told him to wait for her at the airport.


    Her memories of Anthony, the charity, La, Lincoln, and the children were slowlying back to her.


    Still, there were bits and pieces of her memories that she still needed time to recall.


    Although she did not have enough money, she still needed to head to S Nation to deal with the charity''s


    issue.


    Once that was done, she would then undergo surgery to remove the metal pieces in her head.


    I can''t dy this anymore. My headaches are more frequent and intense recently.

 Chapter 1840

    Chapter 1840


    qHalf a monthter...


    Francesca had met Anthony at S Nation and used the hundred and twenty million medical fund to


    temporarily solve the charity''s issue.


    However, some of the children''s homes needed renovation, and some needed to relocate. Therefore,


    they still needed arge amount of funding.


    Francesca had to get the ne back as soon as possible to solve all those issues once and for all.


    Still, it was no easy feat to get close to Danrique.


    Just as she was racking her brain for ideas, Francesca received a call from William.


    William told her that his condition was stable and that he was nning to take a trip to Zarain. Hence,


    he asked her whether or not she was there.


    Francesca immediately told him she was not. William expressed his disappointment at that. Right then,


    Robin''s voice sounded out from the other end of the line.


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Your Highness, we''ve just received a call from Sean that they''re nning to head to Zarain''s H City


    tonight.¡±


    ¡°Tonight?¡± William asked. ¡°That soon?¡±


    ¡°I heard that he has certain things to deal with.¡±


    ¡°Let''s leave tonight to meet him there then.¡±


    ¡°Understood. I''ll inform Sean about your decision.¡±


    Just as William said that, he asked Francesca, ¡°Francesca, where are you? Why don''t Ie to you


    once I''m done with my matters?¡±


    ¡°It''s fine. I''m about to head to Zarain,¡± Francesca quickly said.


    The opportunity had shown itself. If she met with William, then she would be able to meet with


    Danrique.


    ¡°That''s great!¡±


    ¡°You should make arrangements for your affairs first. Once I''m there, I''ll call you again.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    After the call ended, Francesca instantly made arrangements for her trip back to Zarain.


    Anthony was worried sick about her condition, and he reminded her, ¡°Francesca, although the


    children''s home''s matters are important, you have to take care of yourself first. You''ve suffered such a


    grievous injury, it''s best that you undergo the surgery first.¡±


    ¡°This is a good chance. They''re in Zarain, and William''s there. I''ll be able to get close to Danrique


    again. If I miss this chance, I don''t know when else I''ll be able to get that ne back.¡±


    Francesca was packing her bag while talking to Anthony.


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°Don''t be so naggy,¡± Francesca cut him off. ¡°Book the earliest flight avable to H City.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Anthony went to work on it immediately. ¡°I''lle with you so that we''ll be able to take care


    of each other. Moreover, I want to keep an eye on you. Once you get the ne back, you have to


    go for the surgery right away.¡±


    ¡°It''s not that I don''t want to undergo surgery but that I don''t know which surgeon to go for,¡± Francesca


    muttered as she held her head. ¡°It feels like I know someone suitable for the job, but I just can''t


    remember who that is.¡±


    ¡°Could it be that it''s your master, Dr. Felch?¡±


    Perhaps Anthony was the one who knew Francesca best.


    ¡°My master...¡± Francesca froze as a familiar figure shed past her mind. At the same time, a kind


    voice rang in her head, ¡°Ce, we have to have a good foundation of medical knowledge before we can


    begin treating others...¡±


    ¡°Francesca. Francesca!¡±


    Anthony had to call her a few times before Francesca returned to her senses. She then frowned and


    said, ¡°I now remember my master, but I can''t remember where he''s at.¡±


    Before she could finish her sentence, a pang of intense pain came from the back of her head. Instantly,


    Francesca held her head and paled drastically.


    ¡°Let''s talk about this after retrieving the ne. I can only deal with my personal matters in peace


    after settling the children''s home''s issues.¡±


    Didn''t you tell me that Dr. Felch''s in Phoenix City? Do you want me to ask him toe?¡± Anthony was


    still worried.


    ¡°Phoenix City is such a big ce, so how are you going to find him?¡± Francesca huffed. ¡°Moreover, I


    recall that my master''s upset with me. I''m afraid he''d be unhappy if you were to ask him toe to


    me.¡±


    ¡°Then...¡±


    ¡°You don''t need to bother yourself with this. I have my own ns,¡± Francesca interrupted. ¡°Book the


    flight tickets first so that we can go back to H City as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°All right, I got it.¡±


    Anthony went to do as she asked.

 Chapter 1841

    Chapter 1841


    qH City was a ce Francesca knew like the back of her hand.


    The first city she had gone to after going down the mountain had been H City.


    Although she had lost most of her memories from the explosion, a sense of familiarity still washed over


    her when she went back to H City.


    Still, that did not mean she could recall most of her memories.


    Once they were out of the airport, Francesca and Anthony took a cab to the hotel.


    Anthony then pointed at the infrastructure outside and said to Francesca, ¡°Francesca, look. That''s


    Storm Hotel¡ªthe ce we''ll be staying at tonight. You liked this hotel in the past. Although it''s in the


    middle of the city, it''s the eye of the storm, and it has convenient transportation systems nearby. The


    tallest building over there is the Nacht family''s Divine Corporation. I heard that it''s the first branch


    company that Zachary Nacht established in Zarain''s market. It specializes in technology, and it''s quite


    impressive. The white building opposite it is the Windt Corporation''s office. Although it''s not as almighty


    as Divine Corporation, it''s still quite famous. The CEO of Windt Corporation, Richard Nacht, is the


    richest man in H City. Back when the medical school rejected your admission, he was the one who told


    them to take you in. Do you still remember that?¡±


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    Francesca could vaguely recall a little about those things, but none of those memories were in detail.


    ¡°Richard''s a good man, and he has done many good things in his life,¡± the driver chimed in. ¡°He has


    donated to children''s homes and nursing homes, and he even funded the construction of various


    schools. As a matter of fact, my nephew is working as a security guard in hispany. Oh, right. It''s


    his daughter''s engagement today. The ceremony is grand, and my nephew even went to the event to


    help out.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? That''s good to hear.¡±


    Anthony recalled Francesca''s benefactor, Richard, well. He then smiled and said to her, ¡°Francesca,


    why don''t we send him a congrattory gift?¡±


    ¡°Let''s not.¡± Francesca shook her head. ¡°Maybe he doesn''t even remember us. Let''s not disrupt the


    ceremony abruptly.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Anthony nodded. He then asked, ¡°Whose son is she marrying?¡±


    ¡°The Sterling family''s son,¡± the driver replied. ¡°I heard that the families are of equal status, and the two


    of them are really good childhood friends.¡±


    ¡°I''m envious...¡±


    Anthony then hooked his arm around Francesca''s shoulders and teased, ¡°Francesca, when are we


    going to get married too?¡±


    Like Francesca, Anthony was a genius orphan¡ªhe could pick up any skills after one mere try. At that


    moment, he held two PhDs in business management and economics. Although he had apany to


    run, he was also managing the charity for Francesca.


    He had a baby face, but he was handsome as well. Moreover, his eyes were bright, and he always


    gave others a feeling that he was an extroverted, cheerful person.


    ¡°Did you lose your marbles?¡± Francesca red at him. ¡°We''re good friends. How can we possibly get


    married?¡±


    ¡°Um...¡± Anthony was evidently disappointed, but in the next second, he beganughing boisterously.


    ¡°Right. You haven''t matured enough yet.¡±


    Francesca ignored him and continued messaging William. William and the others were only going to


    reach at night, but it was only four in the evening. Therefore, Francesca still had a few hours more to


    spare.


    ¡°Francesca, why don''t I meet Danrique on your behalf? I''ll tell him that the ne is ours, and I''ll ask


    him to return it to me,¡± Anthony suggested. ¡°He''s the CEO of Lindberg Corporation. I''m sure he''s a


    reasonable man who won''t forcefully hold onto someone else''s belongings.¡±


    ¡°The thing is that the ne is the keepsake he gave to his first girlfriend. It''s special to him,¡±


    Francesca replied, frowning. ¡°But that doesn''t make sense. That ne is clearly mine, so how can


    that be a keepsake between him and his first girlfriend?¡±


    Could it be that he has made a mistake, or could it be that I''ve forgotten something? If he hasn''t made


    a mistake, then... I''m his first girlfriend? What?

 Chapter 1842

    Chapter 1842


    q¡°How is that possible?¡± Anthony eximed, quickly dispelling her thoughts. ¡°We''ve always been


    together, and we talk about everything under the sun. How could I possibly not know if you''ve got a


    lover?¡±


    ¡°Uh...¡± Francesca nodded in agreement and said, ¡°Well, maybe I knew him before I knew you?¡±


    ¡°You were only sixteen when I became friends with you. Back then, you were constantly working on the


    mountain, while he''s been working in Erihal. So, how did you guys get to know each other and even fall


    in love?¡± stated Anthony, analyzing the situation rationally. ¡°Besides, even if you knew Danrique, you


    can''t possibly be his first love. Both of you are of different worlds, to begin with.¡±


    ¡°That''s right.¡± After giving it some thought, Francesca, too, found it quite impossible. She and Danrique


    were indeed two different people. Be it their identity, social status, family background, or even their


    character, there was a major contrast between them.


    ¡°Maybe I should talk to him.¡± Anthony was worried about letting Francesca face him again. ¡°I''ll just


    make the situation clear and retrieve the ne. Let''s not make thingsplicated.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Francesca nodded. ¡°Don''t let him know about our rtionship. Just try it out using only your


    name. It''ll make things easier for me if you can get it back.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡±


    Soon, both of them settled down at the hotel. Francesca stayed in the hotel to get some rest while


    Anthony contacted Danrique right away.


    That night, Francesca was awakened by a phone call. It was from William. Still feeling groggy, she


    answered, ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Francesca, I''ve just got off the ne. Where are you? I''ll go over to your ce.¡± He sounded rather


    excited.


    ¡°I''m sleeping at a hotel.¡± Francesca yawned. ¡°Meet meter...¡±


    ¡°Okay. You carry on sleeping then. Come see me once you''re awake, okay?¡± William sensed she was


    still sleepy and did not want to interrupt her rest.


    ¡°Okay.¡± After ending the call, she squinted her eyes for a while to make herself sober up. Then, she


    gave Anthony a call. ¡°How did it go?¡±


    ¡°I contacted Danrique''s subordinate, Sean. But he rejected my request to meet Danrique right away


    without even waiting for me to finish. He even blocked my number.¡± Anthony was annoyed. ¡°Looks like


    these so-called important people are really arrogant. They don''t even bother giving any chances to


    people they don''t know.¡±


    ¡°I knew it.¡± Francesca smiled. ¡°It''s okay. I''ll deal with it on my own. You should go back to the hotel and


    get some rest.¡±


    ¡°But won''t it be dangerous if you go there alone? Maybe I should go with you¡ª¡±


    Before Anthony could finish, Francesca hung up and called William. ¡°Where are you meeting up with


    Danrique?¡±


    ¡°I''ve just received a call from him saying he''s got some matters to deal with tonight. So, he won''t be


    meeting me. Francesca, where are you? I''ll go to you¡ª¡±


    ¡°He''s got matters? What kind of matters?¡± Francesca interrupted William. She then demanded, ¡°Do you


    know where''s he going?¡±


    William, who was on the other end of the call, fell silent. After some time, he finally asked softly, ¡°You


    didn''t return to H City to see me. You''re here to meet him, aren''t you?¡±


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    ¡°Exactly. I need to talk to him about some matters,¡± she admitted unhesitatingly. ¡°Do you know his


    whereabouts?¡±


    Silence resounded through the speakers, but it did not take long for William to answer, ¡°All I know is


    that he''ll be going to Sultry Night around ten o''clock.¡±


    ¡°Sultry Night?¡± Francesca did not know what kind of ce that was.


    ¡°It''s H City''s most famous bar,¡± William exined.


    ¡°Oh. I see. Thank you!¡± Francesca thanked him and ended the call right away.


    She nced at the time, realizing it was nine o''clock at night. Hence, she quickly got off the bed,


    washed up, got changed, and put on her mask, getting ready to head to Sultry Night to look for


    Danrique.


    When she thought further about it, she recalled how Danrique was already suspicious of her when she


    went to see him directly to get the ne. However, they were faced with a precarious situation at


    that time, and he did not have the time or energy to look into the reason.


    If she were to ask it from him again, he would definitely get to the bottom of the matter. Perhaps he


    would even remove her mask to find out what she looked like.

 Chapter 1843

    Chapter 1843


    qAt the thought of that, Francesca took a cab and made her way to a street near Sultry Night. She


    bought some equipment and dressed herself up, disguising as one of the seductive women at Casino


    Inferno before entering the bar.


    Sultry Night was crowded with people and deafening heavy metal music filled the air. The ce was


    livelier than Casino Inferno.


    As Francesca searched for Danrique among the sea of people, she noticed a man dressed in a suit


    was leading a group of male models that were wearing face masks, walking toward the section of


    private rooms.


    The group of men chatted as they walked. They mentioned something about an honorable guest who


    hade to the bar that night and was choosing a male model in the VIP room.


    It was her first time at the bar, so she did not know what a VIP room was. Despite that, when she heard


    the words ¡°honorable guest,¡± she wondered if it was Danrique.


    Hence, she followed the group of male models into the private room section.


    Along the way, she passed by a luxurious VVIP room, and she saw the suited man guiding the male


    models into the room.


    Francesca leaned over and took a nce; two women sitting on the sofa came into view.


    One of them was gorgeous, fair-skinned, and dressed in a white skirt. No doubt, everyone''s eyes would


    light up at the sight of her. However, she was drunk and was lying on the sofa muttering nonsense.


    The other woman was dressed in a yellow skirt and looked rather pretty. Yet, she was way out of the


    white-skirt woman''s league.


    At that moment, she was tugging at the woman dressed in a white skirt, consoling, ¡°Don''t be sad.


    Hector is on the way¡ª¡±


    ¡°I won''t forgive him even if hees. What nonsense is this?¡± The woman in the white dress was


    enraged. ¡°His parents announced the engagement was called off, while he said nothing...¡±


    ¡°Calm down. That''s how men are. They just don''t know how to appreciate things. This time, our


    purpose is to make him angry and nervous. Look, these are all the male models I''ve hired. Go ahead


    and pick one. Once Hector is here and sees another man pursuing you, he''ll definitely panic.¡±


    Francesca rolled her eyes as she watched the scene. That woman in the yellow skirt is obviously


    setting the white-skirt woman up. But thetter is quite stupid as well. I can''t believe she actually fell for


    such a cheap trick.


    When she was about to go in and expose the yellow-skirt woman, a familiar figure passed her by. It


    was Danrique. Seeing that, she hurried after him.


    Once Danrique, Sean, and the others entered the private room, Gordon brought a group of men and


    guarded the outside. Francesca was about to enter before the security guard of the bar stopped her.


    ¡°This is the VIP room. No outsiders are allowed.¡±


    ¡°I''m looking for¡ª¡± Francesca paused halfway and rephrased her sentence. ¡°I''m looking for that man


    who entered earlier. He''s my friend.¡±


    ¡°Who are you, ma''am? How are you associated with the honored guest?¡± The security guard showed


    no respect for her.


    At that time, Francesca was dressed in a redce dress and had delicate makeup, which was precisely


    the look of a dancer at Sultry Night. Naturally, she did not look like she was someone of high status.


    Francesca wanted to charge in there, but a few more bodyguards came over and threw her out.


    Infuriated, Francesca gritted her teeth. However, she had no choice. Danrique was too vignt, and the


    security around the area was too strict. There was no way she could get close to him.


    She had no choice but to think of other options.


    Meanwhile, Danrique was meeting a middle-aged man in the private room.


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    Thetter''s gaze was alert and filled with wisdom. ¡°Mr. Lindberg, I know you''re both rich and powerful,


    but the country''s market is being controlledpletely by Zachary. I''m afraid no one is able to take it


    away from him. Besides, my business is encountering some issues. How am I supposed to help you


    when I can''t even protect myself?¡±


    Danrique merely sipped his wine in silence.


    ¡°I heard you''re venturing into Epea and Adrune''s markets. Why don''t you put your effort in there for the


    uing years? I bet the markets there will be enough for you to earn for the next four to five years.


    It''s still not toote to consider entering our country''s market after the foundation there is stable,¡± the


    middle-aged man uttered those words half-heartedly. With that, he got up and excused himself. ¡°I might


    have said too much today. Of course, if you think my words don''t make sense, you can ignore them. I''m


    sorry. I still have other matters to deal with at home. I''ll be leaving now.¡±

 Chapter 1844

    Chapter 1844


    qAt that, the middle-aged man prepared to leave.


    ¡°Please hold on!¡± It was rare for Danrique to use the word ¡°please¡± with such great respect.


    The middle-aged man stopped in his tracks, lowering his head with a conflicted expression.


    Danrique put his ss down and stared at him. ¡°I know the Nacht family is attacking you. As long as


    you give me the word, I''ll definitely help you.¡±


    Astonished, the middle-aged man lifted his gaze from the ground and looked at Danrique. ¡°You¡ª¡±


    ¡°You''re the man Aunt Isabe loved in the past. Now that you''re facing some trouble, I can definitely


    help you,¡± Danrique said seriously. ¡°But I hope you can tell me if she has a daughter. And if she does,


    where is her daughter?¡±


    ¡°How do you know about your aunt''s rtionship with me?¡± Richard was shocked. ¡°This has always


    been a secret. Only a handful of people on earth know about this.¡±


    ¡°I received the items left by Aunt Isabe not long ago,¡± Danrique said grimly. ¡°She passed away due to


    an illness many years ago. She even quietly spent her final days by the sea to not make us worry.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Richard froze and widened his eyes in disbelief. ¡°You''re saying Isabe''s dead?¡±


    For years, he had been constantly searching for her. He never expected to hear such news.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Danrique looked extremely upset at the mention of the matter. ¡°I rushed over right after receiving


    the news, but I still did not get to see her for thest time. I could only handle her funeral and bring her


    ashes back to Xendale.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Isabe...¡± Richard could not bring himself to believe that the wife he had been searching for was


    no longer on earth.


    For many years, he had been facing everything with determination and bravery no matter what the


    matter was. That was because he had been hanging on to the hope of finding his beloved wife and


    reuniting the family.


    It was like a faith that kept him going on.


    However, at that moment, his faith was crushedpletely.


    ¡°One of the items Aunt Isabe left was a picture of her holding a baby. She was dressed like a girl. For


    the past few years, I''ve been searching for the child.¡±


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    ¡°It''s true that Isabe and I dated, but it onlysted for a while,¡± Richard said sadly. ¡°I''ve let her down. I


    didn''t have the ability to protect her. That''s why she chose to leave...¡±


    ¡°She left, probably because she did not want to put you in trouble.¡± Surprisingly, Danrique understood


    the situation well. ¡°Back then, the Nacht family was in chaos. Harrison had just died, and the Nacht


    family was looking for her to get revenge. That was why she chose to disappear.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Richard looked as though he was slightly relieved. ¡°That means she doesn''t hate me¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yes, she doesn''t,¡± Danrique said with confidence. Softly, he continued, ¡°Aunt Isabe left me a letter.


    She said you''re the best man on earth and that I should help you out if you''re in danger.¡±


    He said those words with the utmost respect. Clearly, Isabe had expressed her deep feelings for


    Richard through the letter.


    ¡°Thank you, thank you,¡± Richard choked. His eyes were red, and he did not dare to look at Danrique.


    ¡°You still haven''t answered my question. Does Aunt Isabe have a daughter?¡± Danrique asked again.


    ¡°Is that the child you had with Aunt Isabe?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Richard denied at once. ¡°Isabe was only with me for three months. How could she possibly be


    pregnant with my child? I do have a daughter, but she''s born of my other girlfriend.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Danrique did not want to ask further when he saw how firm Richard''s attitude was. Instead, he


    took out a ck card and wrote his phone number on it before handing it to thetter. ¡°This is my


    phone number. Please call me if you''re in danger or if you need anything.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Richard took the card, gave Danrique a grateful look, and left the room.


    Meanwhile, Danrique watched him leave with aplicated expression.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, should we look into Mr. Windt''s daughter?¡± Sean whispered.

 Chapter 1845

    Chapter 1845


    q¡°No.¡± Danrique shook his head. ¡°Whether his daughter is Aunt Isabe''s, I should respect their


    decision. If he wants to let his daughter return, he''ll naturally contact me. If he doesn''t want to, then


    there''s no need for me to force him. Besides, the Lindberg family is facing a crisis. With enemies


    attacking from every corner, returning to our family might not be a good thing, either.¡±


    ¡°That''s true.¡± Sean nodded. ¡°It''s not toote to bring Ms. Lindberg back once you get rid of the threat


    and control Lindberg Corporationpletely.¡±


    Remaining silent, Danrique lifted his ss and swirled the wine gently.


    Meanwhile, Gordon quietly escorted Richard out from the back exit.


    As soon as Richard got into the car, he put away the ck card carefully and looked at Jeffrey, saying,


    ¡°Jeffery, take me to the mausoleum!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Windt, why would you want to go to the mausoleum at this hour?¡±


    ¡°I have to put one more thing in the box I left for Charlotte.¡±


    Meanwhile, at Sultry Night, Francesca realized there was no point in forcing her way in. Besides, she


    was at a bar. There was nothing or no one she could summon. Just as she was raking her brains to


    think of an excuse, Danrique walked out of the building.


    Sean and the other subordinates followed closely behind, watching out for the surroundings carefully.


    They were not worried about dangerous incidents. They were doing that mainly because Danrique was


    particr about hygiene. He believed the people there were dirty and did not like to be touched.


    The reason Danrique chose to meet Richard there was that thetter was watched closely by the Nacht


    family. It might be easy for them to spy on Richard at other locations, while Sultry Night was a chaotic


    ce that made it easy to avoid suspicion.


    When they walked past a private room, a few women almost stumbled into Danrique, who frowned with


    a look of disgust.


    The subordinates quickly pulled them away and escorted Danrique to leave from the back exit.


    Francesca hurried after them, but Danrique was surrounded by his subordinates, who protected him


    with care. It was impossible for her to get close to him.


    Right then, a loud gunshot could be heard from behind them, breaking the noisy atmosphere.


    The surrounding people instantly screamed, and they started running for cover.


    Stuck in the middle of the crowd, Francesca was pushed forward involuntarily.


    Danrique turned around and scanned the area briefly before shooting Sean a look.


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    Understanding Danrique''s intention, Sean immediately instructed Sloan and Mylo to check out the


    situation.


    As the crowd was walking out of Sultry Night, Danrique suddenly spotted a familiar face among the


    crowd. It''s her?


    He paused in his tracks and stared at Francesca.


    She, too, lifted her gaze and looked at him. As they locked gazes, their eyes glinted withplex


    emotions.


    Francesca panicked. I''m not wearing any masks today. Could he have recognized me? Will he take


    revenge on me?


    Francesca felt extremely uneasy, but running away was not the solution at that moment. She still had to


    face him and take the ne back.


    While she was deep in her thoughts, someone knocked her down. Immediately, the messy crowd came


    running in her direction, almost stepping on her.


    At that moment, a tall, slender silhouette rushed toward her in the blink of an eye and picked her up.


    When she cast her gaze at her savior, an unbelievably handsome face came into view. His clear eyes


    sparkled brightly as if they had stars in them.


    They were gazing at her.


    ¡°You¡ª¡± Before Francesca could speak, another gunshot rang in the air.


    With Francesca still in his arms, Danrique marched off. His chest wasrge and warm. She could even


    hear his clear and powerful heartbeat.


    At that moment, she could not help but feel puzzled. With his personality, shouldn''t he be dragging me


    away forcefully and then take revenge on me for holding him hostage previously? Why is he still


    carrying me so gently?


    ¡°Are you all right?¡± Danrique''s voice traveled into her ears, pulling her back into reality. She broke free


    from him frantically and stretched out her arm toward him. ¡°The ne is mine. Give it back!¡±


    Danrique merely stared at her without saying anything.


    ¡°I had no choice but to hold you hostage back then. I didn''t hurt you, didn''t I?¡± Francesca was


    beginning to panic. ¡°Okay, what about this? If you want to hit or scold me, I''ll let you do it. But once


    you''re done taking revenge, you must return the ne to me, okay?¡±

 Chapter 1846

    Chapter 1846


    q¡°You don''t remember me?¡± Danrique gazed at her. If she was really Cece, she should remember him.


    Seven years might have passed, but his face did not change much. Hence, she should be able to


    recognize him instantly.


    She, on the other hand, had transformed from a fourteen-year-old teenager to a twenty-one-year-old


    woman. Her entire body had gone through major changes, which was why Danrique had a hard time


    determining if it was her.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Francesca blurted. ¡°You''re the guy who was held hostage by me at a casino in


    Lightspring.¡±


    ¡°Look at me.¡± Danrique lifted her chin so she could look at his face. ¡°Look carefully. Apart from that time


    at Casino Inferno, what else do you remember?¡±


    Francesca''s heart skipped a beat. Did he already figure out who I am? If he knows I''m Francesco, will


    he think I was ying him?


    ¡°Do you remember anything?¡± When he noticed her gaze that was lost in thought, he thought she had


    remembered the incidents from seven years ago.


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    ¡°I¡ª¡± Francesca looked around in panic. Suddenly, she tiptoed and inched closer to him affectionately.


    Seeing that, Danrique lowered his head, wanting to hear her clearly.


    Panting slightly, Francesca''s red lips moved, and she said softly into his ears, ¡°I remember it now. I


    think we... We met before somewhere...¡±


    As she spoke, her arms reached slowly for his neck.


    ¡°Yes. Seven years ago...¡± Just as Danrique was about to talk about the matters from seven years ago,


    Francesca suddenly removed the ne and fled.


    Danrique did not stop her. Instead, he just frowned while watching her in silence.


    s, before she could run far, Francesca was stopped by a few bodyguards.


    Seeing that, she quickly changed her direction and started running to her left. Yet, she was blocked by


    several bodyguards again.


    Simrly, Sean and several bodyguards surrounded her on the right.


    She was surrounded by Danrique''s men.


    There was really no way to escape.


    Moreover, she could not summon the creatures to help her at that location.


    Even if she were to put up a fight, she was not a match for them.


    If there were only a few of them, she could still fight them. However, there were over ten men, and all of


    them were trained fighters. In the end, she was still dragged back to Danrique''s spot.


    With his arms crossed in front of his chest, Danrique eyed her calmly.


    Francesca said meekly, ¡°I just wanted to take back what''s mine.¡±


    ¡°You really don''t remember me?¡± Danrique looked right into her eyes.


    ¡°What?¡± Francesca was confused by his question. What does he mean by that?


    ¡°Is this ne really yours?¡± Danrique changed his method of questioning.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Francesca answered confidently. ¡°I''ve always been wearing it. Who could it belong to if not


    me?¡±


    ¡°Prove it.¡± Danrique approached her gradually.


    ¡°You still want proof?¡± Francesca was rendered speechless. ¡°The ne dropped out of my bag back


    in Casino Inferno. You saw it with your own eyes, didn''t you?¡±


    Seeing Danrique keeping silent, she pointed at the ne in her hand and said, ¡°This ne has a


    secret feature. Do you know how to use it?¡±


    ¡°What secret feature?¡±


    Francesca fiddled with the ne. She then pressed on the diamond in the middle of the cross,


    which shot out a red beam. To her surprise, Danrique''s phone rang right after that.


    With widened eyes, Francesca watched everything unfold with confusion and shock.


    Why does the cross have amunication device hidden in it? And why does it contact Danrique


    straightaway?


    Suddenly, she recalled Sean''s words. He said the ne was the one Danrique gave to his first love.


    Could I really be his first love?


    ¡°Cece!¡± Danrique was extremely emotional. ¡°It''s really you!¡±


    ¡°I...¡± Francesca was too stunned to move when he hugged her tightly. She felt his strong arms around


    her as he called out softly into her ears, ¡°Cece...¡±


    Right then, images shed in her mind, just like the ones in her dream.


    She starteding to a realization¡ªperhaps they really had a pure and innocent rtionship back


    then.

 Chapter 1847

    Chapter 1847


    qWhen Francesca was still lost in her thoughts, another gunshot sounded from afar, followed by a


    subordinate reporting, ¡°Mr. Lindberg, something happened.¡±


    Danrique furrowed his brows and shot Gordon a look.


    Seeing that, Gordon quickly led the crowd away from the scene.


    ¡°Cece,e with me.¡± Danrique pulled her into the car.


    ¡°No...¡± Francesca wanted to break free from his grip. ¡°I still have some matters to deal with.¡±


    Before she could finish, Danrique pushed her into the car.


    The engine was revved up, and they fled from the scene.


    Not long after, a few ck, modified cars could be seen tailing them.


    Sean reported, ¡°It looks like the Nacht family''s car.¡±


    ¡°Zachary?¡± Danrique narrowed his eyes coldly.


    ¡°I''m not sure.¡± Sean frowned. ¡°The person in the car doesn''t seem to be Zachary''s subordinates, Bruce


    and Ben. I''ve never seen them before.¡±


    ¡°Maybe they don''t want us to recognize them?¡± a subordinate suggested.


    ¡°How can we not when the Nacht family''s convoys are easy to identify?¡± Sean said. ¡°Besides, H City is


    Zachary''s territory. If it''s not his men, then who could it be?¡±


    ¡°Great.¡± Danrique narrowed his eyes while ring at the car behind them. ¡°I haven''t even gone looking


    for him, and he''s here already.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, Zarain has strictws. It''s best if we don''t start a fight here. Should we retreat for now?¡±


    Sean advised carefully.


    Danrique raised his brow. ¡°What are you afraid of? Let''s go against them.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Sean did not dare to argue.


    Shortly after, both parties entered a violent race.


    Soon, the Lindberg family''s car had caused the Nacht family''s cars to overturnpletely on the


    viaduct.


    Two modified cars collided into the railing, causing a massive traffic ident.


    Some passersby called the police, and the Lindberg family''s convoy left before the authorities came.


    Along the way, the bodyguard who was driving the car cheered, ¡°I heard the Nacht family''s bodyguards


    are quite incredible with amazing driving skills. Looks like they''re not so legendary after all.¡±


    ¡°That''s weird.¡± Sean was puzzled. ¡°Logically, the Nacht family shouldn''t be so weak. Could they not be


    Zachary''s men?¡±


    ¡°Let''s go back first.¡± Danrique was absolutely not concerned about the incident earlier. He only had


    eyes for Francesca at that moment.


    ¡°Send me back to Storm Hotel.¡± Francesca did not want to go back with him. ¡°My boyfriend is still


    waiting for me there.¡±


    Danrique was shocked. ¡°Boyfriend?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Francesca said. All she wanted at that moment was to break free from him. ¡°We haven''t


    contacted each other for so long. It''s natural for me to have found a boyfriend.¡±


    Earlier, she heard him utter the words ¡°seven years ago¡± faintly. On top of that, he was still a teenager


    in her memories. Thus, she was sure that they had lost contact for quite some time.


    Despite that, her words struck Danrique like a lightning, and his body froze.


    He could not believe the innocent first love, the woman he had been thinking of every day, actually told


    him she had a boyfriend in such a casual manner.


    So, all these years I''ve been waiting was nothing but a joke?


    ¡°Forget it. Just drop me there. I''ll take a cab home.¡± Francesca noticed his odd expression. Hence, she


    wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible before he lost his temper.


    ¡°Uh...¡± The bodyguard who was driving looked at Danrique through the rearview mirror.


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    ¡°Go to Storm Hotel,¡± Danrique ordered.


    ¡°All right.¡±


    ¡°You''re sending me back?¡± Francesca eyed him uneasily.


    ¡°Do you really have a boyfriend?¡± Danrique turned to look at her.


    ¡°Yes. We''re getting married soon,¡± Francesca answered seriously. ¡°He''s the one who''s been taking


    care of me all these years.¡±


    ¡°But we promised each other that I''d marry you once you''re older¡ª¡±


    ¡°That''s just a simple joke made when we were kids. How can it be taken seriously?¡± Francesca


    interjected emotionlessly. ¡°We''re from different worlds. We don''t suit each other.¡±


    Danrique felt as though a pail of cold water was poured onto his head, dashing all his hopes. It was his


    first time having such a feeling.

 Chapter 1848

    Chapter 1848


    qSince he was a child, he never got involved in other romantic rtionships.


    For the past twenty-seven years, the closest he got to a girl was seven years ago, when he held


    Francesca''s hand.


    To him, Francesca was his first love, the only person he cared for, and the only rtionship in his


    lifetime.


    He had been holding on to that belief, spending all his time and effort looking for her in hopes of giving


    her a happy life.


    Now that he had found her, there were no traces of warmth in her gaze. Instead, there was only


    suspicion, uneasiness, nervousness, and caution.


    Worst of all, she told him she had a boyfriend, and that they did not suit each other as they were of


    different worlds.


    On top of that, she even said their promise was just a child''s joke that could not be taken seriously.


    He could not believe his ears.


    Is this real? Or did I hear it wrongly? Or did I make a mistake? Perhaps this girl in front of me is not my


    Cece. But she''s got the exact scar just like Cece''s. And she knows the secret of the ne. She


    should be...


    ¡°Why are you staring at me like that?¡± Francesca shifted aside. ¡°Don''t tell me this is unrequited love?¡±


    ¡°Are you really Cece?¡± Danrique still could not ept the truth. ¡°Where did we first meet?¡±


    ¡°I don''t remember,¡± Francesca answered casually. ¡°The mountain, I think.¡±


    Danrique was stunned. Her answer was right, but her casual tone clearly showed she did not care


    about the past anymore.


    ¡°I''m sorry,¡± Francescaforted, noticing his dejected looks. ¡°I was still young back then. I didn''t know


    what love was. I''m afraid the promises I made back then can''t be counted...¡±


    After pausing for a while, she lifted the ne and asked carefully, ¡°Since you''ve already given me


    this ne, you won''t take it back, right?¡±


    ¡°It''s yours once I''ve given it to you.¡± Danrique suppressed the mixed emotions within himself, trying his


    best to appear calm. ¡°Leave that man and return to my side!¡±


    ¡°Uh...¡± Francesca was dumbfounded. Really?


    As far as she remembered, Danrique was an arrogant person who was extremely particr about


    things. She could not help but wonder if he could really ept the woman he loved to return to him,


    even if she had dated other men.


    ¡°He didn''t take good care of you.¡± Danrique did his best to suppress the hostility in his voice. ¡°He let


    you wander around ces like illegal casinos. And now, he got you in such a state.¡±


    As he said that, he scrutinized her, immediately noticing her slightly exposed thighs and the ample


    bosom beneath her V-neck shirt. He quickly shifted his gaze, and his expression darkened once again.


    ¡°It''s a long story.¡± Francesca did not know where to begin. Hence, she could only act like she did not


    care. ¡°Basically, I won''t leave him. In fact, we''re getting married soon.¡±


    ¡°Then, call off the wedding¡ª¡±


    ¡°How can I do that¡ª¡±


    ¡°I''ll deal with the consequences,¡± Danrique interrupted. He then ordered firmly, ¡°Give him a call right


    now and tell him to wait at the hotel. I''ll talk to him personally.¡±


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    Francesca was baffled. She thought Danrique would give up and throw her out of the car with the


    ne when she said she had a boyfriend. She even thought he would curse her with resentment,


    saying he never wanted to see her again.


    That way, she could finally free herself from him.


    Never did she expect him to make such a move.


    Oh no. I''m doomed. This won''t do it. Maybe my story isn''t believable enough.


    Francesca took a deep breath, mustered her courage, and said, ¡°Actually, he''s not just an ordinary


    boyfriend. We''ve been living together for two years now. You know what living together means, right?


    You know, the kind that sleeps together every night¡ª¡±


    Before she could finish, Danrique grabbed her face with force.


    His handsome face suddenly leaned closer, his eyes filled burning with hostility. With his jaws


    clenched, he hissed, ¡°Looks like I''ve got to kill him.¡±


    ¡°Uh...¡± Francesca''s mind was buzzing, and she said frantically, ¡°No. You must not hurt him.¡±


    As soon as she said that, the car came to a stop, and the subordinate reported, ¡°Mr. Lindberg, we''ve


    arrived.¡±

 Chapter 1849

    Chapter 1849


    qWhen the door opened, Danrique let go and exited the car coldly.


    Francesca got off the vehicle on the other side. She tried to escape, but her path was quickly blocked


    by a few of his subordinates.


    She furrowed her eyebrows and was wondering what to do when suddenly, a familiar voice entered her


    ear. ¡°You''re finally back.¡±


    It prompted her to turn back subconsciously. Anthony walked out of the hotel toward her. ¡°You didn''t


    ept any calls or reply to any text. I was getting very worried.¡±


    ¡°Anthony...¡± Before she could say anything substantial, Sean controlled Anthony.


    ¡°Hey, you all...¡± Anthony wanted to say something, but he was cut off by Sean''s cold gaze.


    ¡°That''s him?¡± Danrique pointed at Anthony and asked Francesca.


    ¡°Don''t you do anything to him.¡± Francesca rushed forward, pushed Sean away, and kept Anthony


    behind her back.


    ¡°W-What''s going on?¡± Anthony asked in a low voice.


    ¡°Shut up and don''t say a word.¡± She didn''t want the lie to be exposed.


    Danrique didn''t say anything and simply shot a nce.


    A few of his subordinates stepped forward and tried to drag Anthony to the car.


    He resisted, but he was no match for them.


    Francesca quickly begged Danrique for mercy. ¡°Please, don''t touch him.¡±


    ¡°If he doesn''t have the ability to protect you, then he doesn''t deserve to have you.¡± Danrique looked


    really calm, but there was a bone-chilling look in his eyes.


    ¡°This is my matter. What does it have to do with you...¡± Before she could finish, his subordinates had


    stuffed Anthony into the car.


    ¡°What are you doing? Let me go...¡± Anthony yapped anxiously.


    Suddenly, he received a punch to his nose, causing him to bleed instantly.


    He held his nose as he entered a daze.


    ¡°Stop!¡± Francesca pushed the subordinate, who threw the punch, away and punched him back. ¡°How


    dare you hit him?¡±


    Even though that subordinate was hit, he didn''t have the nerve to say anything.


    Danrique furrowed his eyebrows with disdain and gestured.


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    A few other subordinates pulled Francesca away immediately while the rest continued to drag Anthony


    into the car.


    ¡°Hey, what are you all doing?¡± She was getting concerned.


    ¡°A quick pain is better than a prolonged one. If he dies, you''ll feel awful for a while. But if you stay with


    him, you''ll suffer for the rest of your life.¡± Danrique spoke righteously, as though he was getting rid of a


    public threat.


    ¡°You...¡± Before she could say another word, the car''s engine had already been started, and the vehicle


    was prepared to leave.


    Anthony continued to struggle inside the car and got a few punches as a result.


    Francesca was extremely worried as she shouted, ¡°You can''t touch him!¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Danrique looked at her coldly.


    ¡°Because... Because I''m pregnant with his child!¡± she revealed.


    It was as though the air froze for a moment. Everyone was stunned as they looked at her


    dumbfoundedly. Then, they slowly and carefully turned their attention to Danrique.


    At that moment, his face was as dark as a ck hole, and the look in his eyes was as cold as a winter''s


    night. He spoke every word slowly and firmly. ¡°What did you say?¡±


    ¡°I said I''m pregnant with his child.¡± Francesca decided to go all out on the lie. ¡°When I was alone for all


    these years, he was the one taking care of me. We were already living together. I got pregnant, and


    we''re preparing to marry each other next month. I know you''re powerful and rich, Mr. Lindberg, and I


    can''t afford to mess with you. However, there are so many pretty and pure women in this world. Why do


    you keep bothering me?¡±


    ¡°Bothering you?¡± Danrique reacted to that phrase very poorly.


    He couldn''t believe she said he was bothering her when he held nothing but love for her.


    ¡°That''s right.¡± Francesca panicked as she continued, ¡°Back then, when we first met, we were still kids!


    How would I know what love is? Who''ll actually cling to promises made when they''re little? I also didn''t


    know you treated it that seriously and never forgot about it. In any case, what I have with my boyfriend


    is love. I want to marry him and give birth to his child. So please, don''t bother me anymore and let me


    go...¡±

 Chapter 1850

    Chapter 1850


    qThere was a sense of helplessness and even pleading in her voice.


    Everyone who heard that thought it was simply Danrique''s one-sided love and that it was all in his


    head, yet he still clung to Francesca like there was no tomorrow.


    Danrique suffered a great blow. The expression on his face became extremely dark, as though it was


    covered by ck clouds that preceded a violent storm.


    He had never suffered such emotional damage before. It felt as if his heart was stabbed by something


    and that it was bleeding out.


    At that moment, he felt like he was a joke.


    All the infatuation and perseverance he experienced and went through were just a big, fat joke.


    Francesca felt a little guilty when she saw him like that. Maybe I overdid it a little...


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    While she had forgotten what happened in the past, her heart ached faintly when she saw him being


    that upset. Maybe, when I was young, I really did love him wholeheartedly?


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg...¡± Sean was very worried.


    He had followed his employer for ten years and not once did he see his employer acting like that


    before.


    Danrique didn''t say anything and coldly gestured.


    Sean promptly ryed an order to release Anthony.


    Anthony was beaten ck and blue as he climbed out of the car with a disheveled look. He hid behind


    Francesca weakly, as though he was an aggrieved daughter-inw while she was a brave, dependable


    man protecting her lover.


    Danrique stared deeply at Francesca onest time silently before heading back into the car.


    The convoy swiftly left and disappeared from their sights.


    She finally let out a sigh of relief and looked at the ne in her hand. ¡°I''ve finally gotten it back.


    From now on, he probably won''t disturb me anymore.¡±


    ¡°So he''s the legendary Mr. Lindberg?¡± Anthony asked fearfully. ¡°He was full of murderous intent and


    very scary.¡±


    ¡°Mhm. Let''s head upstairs first.¡± Francesca walked toward the hotel while he followed behind. ¡°Hey, you


    said you wanted to marry me. Is that true?¡±


    She rolled her eyes at him and quickened her steps instead of replying to him.


    ¡°You also said you''re pregnant with my child. Hehe, I think I can turn that into reality¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± She cut him off coldly. ¡°I only said that to get rid of him. We''re going back to S Nation tonight.


    Go make the arrangements.¡±


    ¡°You''re that rush?¡± Anthony walked faster to keep up with her. ¡°Didn''t you want to undergo an operation


    with¡ª¡±


    ¡°We don''t have time.¡± Her eyebrows furrowed. ¡°We need to leave this ce fast to avoid getting into


    more trouble.¡±


    ¡°Ah? Why?¡± He didn''t understand.


    ¡°What if hees back to seek revenge on me after he patched up his wounded ego?¡± She sounded


    annoyed. ¡°He thinks the world is his oyster. I bet he had never experienced such grievance before. I


    hurt him through and through.¡±


    ¡°That''s true. He looked like he was about to eat someone.¡± Anthony shivered when he thought about


    Danrique''s look.


    He felt lucky he was still alive.


    Both of them returned to their rooms and began packing their things in preparation for leaving.


    Concurrently, Danrique was still staying silent with a foul expression in the car.


    Sean had never seen his employer acting like that before, and that made him pretty uneasy. He wanted


    tofort Danrique, but he wasn''t sure what to say because he didn''t really have any experience in


    that department.


    At that moment, Danrique''s phone began to vibrate. However, it didn''t seem like he noticed it at all as


    he sat unmovingly.


    Sean didn''t have the nerve to say anything. Soon, his phone rang, and he answered it. ¡°Hello?¡±


    His expression changed drastically after the person on the other end told him something. After replying,


    he turned to Danrique and reported, ¡°There''s a situation at thepany, Mr. Lindberg.¡±


    It was then that Danrique returned to his senses and picked up his phone to read the document.


    He quickly ryed an order in a deep voice, ¡°Go back to Erihal!¡±


    ¡°Roger.¡±


    Francesca and Anthony called for a taxi and hurried to the airport. On their way there, William called


    her. ¡°Are you free now, Francesca? Let''s meet up.¡±

 Chapter 1851

    Chapter 1851


    q¡°I''m heading to the airport right now.¡± Francesca asked, ¡°What''s up?¡±


    ¡°Why are you going to the airport at this time?¡± William asked hastily. ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°I have things I need to take care of in S Nation,¡± she replied. ¡°Do you need something from me?¡±


    ¡°It''s nothing. I just want to meet you.¡± He sounded disappointed. ¡°Have you met with Mr. Lindberg?¡±


    ¡°I did,¡± she answered. ¡°I have things to do, so I''ll hang up the phone now. Please remember to keep my


    secret. Goodbye.¡±


    Then she hung up the phone.


    ¡°He still hasn''t given up on you yet?¡± Anthony sounded envious. ¡°Both of you don''t live in the same


    world. It''s impossible for him to stay with you...¡±


    ¡°You keep saying no one lives in the same world as I am. How many worlds do you think are there on


    this?¡± Francesca rolled her eyes at him.


    ¡°Ugh...¡± He felt even more uneasy when he heard that. ¡°Does this mean you like him?¡±


    ¡°You talk too much.¡± She nced at the watch on her wrist and urged the driver to go faster.


    While her flight was a little over nine in the morning, she still wanted to arrive at the airport as soon as


    possible.


    For some reason, she couldn''t stop feeling uneasy. Danrique''s cold expression and the bruised look in


    his eyes kept appearing in her mind.


    She felt like she had done something wrong, which fueled her desire to leave the city as soon as


    possible.


    ¡°Breaking news. Richard Windt, CEO of the Windt Corporation, was found dead at the bottom of his


    company''s building this morning. His daughter, Charlotte Windt, was at Sultry Nightst night...¡± The


    radio broadcast inside the taxi was reporting morning news.


    When Anthony heard that, he was shocked. ¡°What? I didn''t hear that wrong, did I?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Windt really did that? Is that really him?¡± Francesca was shocked too.


    ¡°How can this be? He was fine yesterday, and his daughter had just gotten engaged. Why would he do


    that this morning?¡± Disbelief was written all over his face.


    ¡°Life really is unpredictable.¡± The taxi driver sighed. ¡°Who could''ve thought that the richest man in the


    city would jump off a building?¡±


    ¡°Why isn''t there more about the news? Can you make it go back?¡± Anthony asked anxiously.


    ¡°The news had been reported several times in the morning already.¡± The taxi driver changed the radio


    channel. The same news was being reported there too.


    He spected, ¡°I heard that the engagement was called offst night. He probably jumped because he


    was too embarrassed or something.¡±


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    ¡°Impossible,¡± Anthony spoke firmly. ¡°An ambitious man like him won''t do something that foolish over


    such a small matter.¡±


    ¡°That I don''t know.¡± The taxi driver continued, ¡°The news also said that after the engagement was


    called off, the daughter of Mr. Windt went to Sultry Night to fool around with gigolos. It was a pretty big


    mess. Maybe Mr. Windt felt so humiliated that he jumped?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know if that''s true or not, but even assuming that it is, I doubt Mr. Windt jumped because of it.¡±


    Anthony sounded a little livid. ¡°Right now, all negative news about the incident can''t be trusted.


    Someone must''ve been trying to smear Mr. Windt''s name.¡±


    Francesca stayed silent.


    ¡°My impression of Mr. Windt is that he''s aposed, strong-willed, and optimistic man. There''s no way


    he''ll do it.¡± Anthony furrowed his eyebrows. ¡°Maybe he was killed by someone?¡±


    ¡°It''s hard to tell when ites to the business sector,¡± the driver replied.


    Francesca broke her silence and reminded, ¡°He''s gone now, and there''s nothing we can do about that.


    You should check if her daughter needs anything. If she does, help her out in secret.¡±


    ¡°Sure, I''ll ask my friends to keep an eye out.¡± Anthony nodded.


    ¡°Go do it yourself.¡±


    ¡°But we''re going to S Nation right now.¡±


    ¡°The trip to S Nation will only take a few days. After our business is taken care of, you''lle back to H


    City and see what assistance you can provide Mr. Windt''s daughter.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough. They''ll probably be busy taking care of his funeral for the next few days, so they''ll be too


    upied to care about anything else. After it''s over, problems will begin to pop up.¡±


    ¡°Mhm. Help her in secret. Don''t do it publicly.¡±


    ¡°Roger.¡±

 Chapter 1852

    Chapter 1852


    qThey soon arrived at the airport. Once they passed through the security check, they arrived at the


    boarding gate.


    Anthony gave Francesca a bottle of water and couldn''t help butment, ¡°Say, since you''re so rich


    now, why do you still act thrifty? All our flights have been in the economy ss. I can''t even stretch my


    legs!¡±


    ¡°But I could.¡± She was reading a medical document.


    ¡°That''s because you''re short. I''m one hundred and eighty centimeters tall, you know. My legs cry out in


    pain every time we sit in an economy-ss seat,¡± he mumbled.


    ¡°You can upgrade your seat, but you''ll have to do it out of your own pocket.¡± Francesca rolled her eyes


    at him. ¡°Also, I''m one hundred and sixty-two centimeters tall. That''s not short.¡±


    ¡°Right, right. You''re not short, you''re just dainty.¡± Anthony immediately tried to tter her. ¡°I''m not going


    to upgrade my seat. I wanna sit with you.¡±


    She ignored him and continued to read the document.


    He was very bored, so he decided to do his work. As he did, he checked out the news on Windt


    Corporation and found out that thepany had had a very big problem in the recent months.


    Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    After checking the numbers, hemented, ¡°Seems like a powerful force really is messing with Windt


    Corporation.¡±


    ¡°What is done cannot be undone. There''s nothing we can change.¡± Francesca seemed calm. ¡°The only


    thing we can do now is to give his daughter a helping hand when she needs it.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Anthony nodded. ¡°You''ve already seen through life and death being a doctor. Have you seen


    through the worldly matters now too?¡±


    ¡°When I was young, I thought as long as I''m powerful enough, I can control everything. However, in


    reality, some things can''t be controlled even with power...¡± She couldn''t help but sigh.


    ¡°You''re still thinking about that?¡± He looked at her with a pained expression. ¡°You did your best. The


    final results have nothing to do with you.¡±


    ¡°If I wasn''t arrogant, perhaps that child would''ve still been alive.¡± She felt pretty gloomy when she


    recalled that.


    A few years ago, when she just became a doctor, she once treated a patient. It was a six-year-old girl.


    The child''s father went through a lot of effort so she could have an operation. However, ultimately, due


    to a few reasons, the operation failed, and the child passed away.


    It impacted Francesca a lot because before that, she thought there was nothing she couldn''t do.


    She arrogantly swore to the patient''s father that the operation would seed.


    The father trusted herpletely, so much so that he even started to prepare his child''s birthday party.


    However, the child died at the operation table.


    The father was plunged into despair. He hated her to the bone and swore to make her pay the price.


    After that happened, she cut herself off from the outside world and stopped performing her duties as a


    doctor for a year until she received William''s invitation to go to Danontand.


    ¡°You were neen at the time. It''s only natural that you aren''t experienced enough...¡± Anthony


    consoled.


    ¡°Let''s not talk about it anymore.¡± She changed the topic and headed to the restroom.


    She wanted to wash her face to readjust her mood.


    Bang!


    Suddenly, a muffled sound was heard. Something zipped past her head and hit the wall behind her.


    When she turned back, she saw it was a bullet.


    She quickly realized someone was using a gun with a silencer. There''s a gunfight in the airport?


    Before she could dwell on it, a battle had ensued.


    Two groups of people were engaged in a violent gunfight, and she was unintentionally stuck in-


    between.


    When she raised her head, she saw Danrique''s men among the chaos.


    So, it was likely that someone was ambushing him, and his people were fighting back.


    Why am I so unlucky to havee across him again? She did her best to flee the scene as quickly as


    possible.


    At that moment, she suddenly saw the slim, tall figure on the other side. The narrowed eyes on his


    handsome face were fixated on her...


    ¡°Die, Danrique!¡± Suddenly, someone shouted from behind and fired their gun at Danrique.

 Chapter 1853

    Chapter 1853


    qFrancesca dodged subconsciously. However, something suddenly hit her leg, causing her to fall into


    Danrique''s embrace.


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    The bullet that was fired hit squarely on her back.


    ¡°No!!!¡± Anthony shouted agitatedly.


    As for Danrique, he hugged her in his embrace,pletely stunned. His mind had turned nk...


    ¡°Ouch...¡± It was the first time she was shot. Now I know what it feels like to be hit by a bullet as a


    doctor.


    It didn''t hit her vital organ, so she didn''t pass out immediately, but she could clearly feel the devastating


    pain spreading throughout her entire body.


    ¡°Don''t be scared. I''m here.¡± Danrique hugged her tightly as he roared, ¡°Call an ambnce!¡±


    ¡°Roger.¡± Sean immediately called for an ambnce.


    Gordon swiftly took out the hostile gunmen.


    Soon, the police arrived to control the situation.


    Danrique carried Francesca into a car. Anthony wanted to follow them, but the bodyguards stopped


    him.


    ¡°Anthony...¡± She stretched her hand toward Anthony, so Danrique had no choice but to let Anthony get


    in.


    Anthony stared at the injured Francesca as his face turned pale. ¡°Don''t worry, we''re going to the


    hospital right now. You''re going to be fine.¡±


    ¡°Take this...¡± She used her trembling blood-stained hand to grab the cross ne from her pocket


    and handed it to him. ¡°Go to S Nation!¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°Go!¡± Her tone soundedmanding.


    ¡°Ok, I got it.¡± He grabbed the ne and looked at Danrique uneasily. ¡°Please take good care of her.¡±


    ¡°Scram!¡± Danrique kicked him out of the car. ¡°Drive!¡±


    ¡°Roger.¡±


    After Anthony was kicked out, hended awkwardly on the ground before he aggrievedly crawled up


    and watched the car leave.


    He was extremely worried about Francesca, but he couldn''t disobey her either, so he headed to S


    Nation to take care of the matter with the orphanage first.


    At the same time, Francesca had passed out because she lost a massive amount of blood.


    Danrique sent her to H City''s hospital to receive treatment there.


    The doctors swiftly started saving her. Thankfully, the bullet didn''t hit her vital organs, so she wasn''t in


    any critical danger.


    However, Danrique was furious. He ordered Gordon to figure out who did it so he could tear that guy


    into pieces.


    Gordon immediately set out to investigate.


    Sean, on the other hand, carefully reminded that they were all in Zarain at the moment. Thew was


    strict in the country, so they couldn''t do anything too drastic.


    Danrique ordered coldly, ¡°Then just take him to Erihal and kill him there.¡±


    ¡°Roger!¡± Sean quickly lowered his head.


    ¡°Cece sacrificed herself to save me. I won''t let anything happen to her.¡± Danrique gripped her hand


    tightly as he stared at her pale face.


    He felt touched and guilty.


    Sean was stunned. Uh, she sacrificed herself to save you? Did you not notice what actually happened?


    I''m pretty sure she identally stumbled into your embrace and unintentionally took a bullet for you.


    Of course, he wasn''t going to say that.


    All Danrique could think of at the moment was Francesca. If he revealed the truth then and there,


    Danrique would probably strangle him in a fit of embarrassment.


    ¡°It''s all because of me.¡± Danrique stared at the unconscious Francesca and spoke with guilt. ¡°She


    intentionally found a man to piss me off, and I actually fell for it. I should''ve known that she didn''t forget


    about me. She told me that she was going to marry me after she grew up.¡±


    ¡°Uhm, Mr. Lindberg...¡± Sean couldn''t keep quiet anymore and reminded, ¡°Didn''t she say that she''s


    pregnant?¡±


    ¡°The doctor checked her. She''s not pregnant.¡± Danrique''s expression darkened as he said seriously,


    ¡°She''s probably avoiding me, which was why she made up that lie. And yet, at that moment, she still


    protected me out of instinct. She loves me. I just know it...¡±


    Sean was speechless. He has a one-track mind when ites to love.

 Chapter 1854

    Chapter 1854


    qWhen Francesca woke up, she realized she was in a white room.


    All the decorations in the room were mainly white with a touch of other in colors. It looked refreshing


    and romantic.


    Just as she was still observing the room with a nk mind, a few maids suddenly entered the room and


    greeted her politely. ¡°You''re awake, Ms. Cece.¡±


    Francesca was dumbfounded. Ms. Cece?


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    ¡°Greetings. My name is Norah, the stewardess of this castle. Mr. Lindberg had asked us to take good


    care of you. How are you feeling right now? Does your wound still hurt? I''ve already asked someone to


    call the doctor.¡± A foreign middle-aged woman with a warm smile approached the bed Francesca was


    lying on.


    While she was a foreigner, she could speak pretty fluent Chanaean.


    ¡°Where am I?¡± Francesca tried to sit up forcefully.


    Two maids swiftly rushed toward her to help her up.


    ¡°This is the Lindberg residence in Xendale, Erihal,¡± Norah exined with a smile. ¡°It''s also Mr.


    Lindberg''s home.¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡± Francesca was shocked. Danrique brought me to his home in Erihal? Oh no, oh no. There''s no


    way I can''t escape now.


    At that moment, the door was pushed open. A few female doctors entered the room. They first bowed


    at her politely before examining her wound.


    Francesca was in so much pain that she couldn''t move properly, so all she could do was to let them


    examine her. Have they found out about the injury at the back of my brain? Did Danrique know my true


    identity? I guess I''ll know soon enough...


    After a while, she let out a sigh of relief in her mind. No, I wasn''t found out. If I was, then they would''ve


    known my true identity. And if they did, then they wouldn''t be calling me Ms. Cece. Still, I suppose that


    isn''t weird, since they''re just normal doctors. They''re only concerned about treating the gunshot wound


    on my back. It''s unlikely they''ll notice the metal hidden inside my noggin. It''s good that they don''t know,


    otherwise, Danrique will just think I''m lying to him and ying him. Still, I told him I''m pregnant, so why


    did he bring me back to his home? Even if he doesn''t mind I have a boyfriend right now, does he really


    not mind that I''m pregnant?


    ¡°We''re going to change your bandages now, Ms. Cece. It''ll hurt, but it''ll be quick. Please bear with us...¡±


    The doctor''s Chanaean wasn''t great, but it was understandable.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Francescay down and waited for them to treat her wound.


    The doctors were already very gentle with their movements, but when they applied the ointments, it still


    caused a little bit of pain. When Francesca let out a small groan of pain, a roar was heard from outside


    of the door. ¡°Be gentler!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Lindberg!¡±


    The female doctors were shaking in their boots and treated the wound even more gently.


    Francesca turned her head back and saw Danrique standing at the door, looking at her with furrowed


    eyebrows. There was worry and anxiety on his face.


    It made her a little confused. What''s going on with this guy? Did he figure out I was lying to him? Did he


    intentionally bring me here to punish me? Or is he still on his one-track mind thinking that I''m his first


    love from when he was young and that he wanted to stay with me even when I''m carrying another


    person''s child?


    After the ointments were applied and the bandages were changed, the doctors left.


    Norah covered Francesca with a nket and stood aside.


    Only then did Danrique walk in. He asked softly, ¡°Does it still hurt?¡±


    ¡°Ugh...¡± Francesca was feeling a little uncertain as she replied weakly, ¡°It''s fine.¡±


    ¡°It''ll be better after a couple of days. A gunshot wound usually only hurts for three days. It''ll stop hurting


    after three days.¡± His voice still sounded like usual, but there was a tinge of caution in his tone.


    ¡°I see,¡± she replied before asking, ¡°Why did you bring me back to your home?¡±


    ¡°You''re hurt because of me, so I''m going to take responsibility for that,¡± Danrique said seriously. ¡°I''ll


    protect you and take care of you from now on!¡±


    She was stunned for a second before she quickly exined, ¡°Is there any misunderstandings? Actually,


    I¡ª¡±


    Before she could finish, she suddenly heard a loud banging from the outside.


    She was shocked by that. He furrowed his eyebrows and eximed, ¡°Didn''t I tell you to drag him


    further away before killing him? You''re scaring Cece.¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry, Mr. Lindberg.¡±

 Chapter 1855

    Chapter 1855


    qFrancesca was stunned. She looked out of the window with a dumbfounded expression. W-What''s


    going on?


    ¡°The man who shot you had just been executed, Ms. Cece,¡± Sean informed politely. ¡°Do you want to


    take a look?¡±


    ¡°Uh, there''s no need for that.¡± She shook her head.


    ¡°No need to worry.¡± He smiled and exined, ¡°This is Erihal. Nobles in Erihal have the right to possess


    weapons and kill people.¡±


    She stared at him as she was certain that there was a hidden meaning behind the lines.


    It seemed like he was reminding her that if she pissed off Danrique, she might not be able to leave the


    building alive...


    ¡°No need to be scared.¡± Danrique looked at her gently. ¡°I won''t let anyone hurt you!¡±


    ¡°Uh, about that...¡± She wanted to tell him that she didn''t block to bullet for him on purpose.


    It was just her being unlucky enough to fall into his embrace moments before the hostile gunmen fired


    at him.


    She decided not to tell him that because being alive was far more important than setting the record


    straight.


    Since he was taking care of her at that moment, she was going to recover first before finding an


    opportunity to escape.


    ¡°Just rest, all right?¡± Danrique said before leaving.


    She stared at his back speechlessly. This guy looks tall, big, and handsome, yet he has a one-track


    mind. How can he think I that I used my body to block a bullet for him? Is he delusional?


    ¡°You seem quite familiar, Ms. Cece. Have we met somewhere before?¡± Sean stared at her deeply.


    He couldn''t shake the feeling that she looked really familiar, but he couldn''t recall where he saw her.


    ¡°No, I don''t think we''ve met before,¡± Francesca denied.


    If Danrique knew she was Francesco, he might think she was ying him.


    Additionally, once he knew her true identity, she might really be unable to escape.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Sean didn''t have the nerve to ask her any more questions or even look at her any further.


    He lowered his head and left.


    Francescay on the bed; her brain was a mess. I didn''t wear a mask before when I was posing as a


    dancer. There was only a wig disguising my appearance. Now that I''m not wearing any makeup or


    wigs, there''s no doubt I resemble Francesco now. Hell, even Sean''s getting suspicious. It''ll only be a


    matter of time before Danrique figures out who I am, even with his love-obsessed mind. So, I need to


    figure out how to leave this ce as soon as possible.


    Luckily, he was pretty busy for the next few days. She rarely saw him, which meant she could


    recuperate in peace.


    All the maids and bodyguards treated her with great respect, as though she had be thedy of the


    castle.


    Francesca was toozy to exin herself. She only wanted her wound to recover as soon as possible


    so she could book it out of the ce.


    Five days passed in a blink of an eye. Her wound had recovered a lot, so much so that she could walk


    freely. That day, she asked for a phone from a maid and called Anthony.


    ¡°Hello? It''s me!¡±


    ¡°Oh god! Francesca! Are you all right? I was worried sick about you!¡± He sounded exaggerated.


    ¡°I''m not dead yet. There''s no need to shout.¡± She asked coldly, ¡°So, did you open the box? Has the


    issue with the orphanage been dealt with yet?¡±


    ¡°I did open it and sold a couple of things inside in an auction. The money is in my possession. Right


    now, Mr. Lincoln and Ms. La are taking care of the orphanage. Still, I suspect that there''s going to be


    a problem with the foundation. I''ll tell you more about it in detail once you return...¡±


    ¡°The foundation is definitely funneling my money into their pockets. In fact, they might be deliberately


    creating problems to extract funds. Investigate the matter in secret first. I''ll take care of it once Ie


    back.¡±


    ¡°So you knew about it already...¡±


    ¡°Of course I knew! Do you think I''m stupid?¡±


    ¡°Where are you right now? When are youing back?¡±


    ¡°We''ll see... I''ll hang up now!¡±


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    ¡°Wait.¡± Anthony quickly stopped her. ¡°I have something I need to report. It''s about the Windt family.¡±

 Chapter 1856

    Chapter 1856


    q¡°What is it?¡± Francesca asked.


    ¡°An informant in H City told me that Mr. Windt''s daughter brought a sapphire ne to the ck


    market for auction. It was right around the time I just took care of the orphanage, so I went back to H


    City overnight. The people in the ck market had determined that it was a priceless sapphire


    ne. Since it came from F Nation''s royalty, it''ll sell for at least fifty million based on market price. If


    it''s auctioned instead, then the price will go way higher. I''ve already asked those people to contact Ms.


    Windt, so she''s making her way here now. I''ll be meeting her soon. What price should I offer?¡±


    ¡°Around one million,¡± Francesca informed.


    ¡°Eh? Isn''t one million way too little?¡± Anthony felt bad. ¡°I know what you''re thinking. Giving an


    orphaned, helpless girl too much money will only attract danger to her. But don''t you think we should


    give her a little more?¡±


    ¡°Adversity makes one stronger, whereasfort makes one weaker,¡± Francesca replied tly. ¡°At this


    time, if she receives too much money, she may easily give up on any desire to improve her situation. In


    contrast, if she only receives a little bit of money, she''ll be able to livefortably, but there''ll also be


    enough pressure on her to make her strive for the better.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± He was very obedient.


    ¡°Protect the ne and return it to her in the future,¡± she ordered.


    ¡°I know. You always repay a debt of gratitude in secret.¡± There was a tinge of teasing in his voice,


    though there was admiration, too. ¡°Say, how are you so mature, even though you''re still pretty young?¡±


    ¡°I''m not going to talk to you any further. My head''s hurting.¡± She directly hung up the phone andy on


    the bed while holding her head.


    Recently, she had been feeling really tired and bing forgetful. She would forget where she ced


    a thing just a minute ago.


    She knew that the metal inside the back of her brain was seriously affecting her health. If she didn''t


    undergo that operation as soon as possible, the consequences would be disastrous.


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    Therefore, she decided to tell Danrique that she was leaving tonight. If he refused to listen, she would


    have to show her hand.


    Just as she was thinking, Norah''s voice was heard from the outside. ¡°There''s going to be guests


    tonight. You lot should go to the kitchen to help out.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡°As for the rest of you, go decorate the living room.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Norah was assigning work to the maids while the doctor entered Francesca''s room after knocking on


    the door. She informed politely, ¡°It''s time for your medicine, Ms. Cece.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Francesca stood up to take her medicine.


    She noticed that there was little difference in modern medicine''s prescription when it came to treating


    external wounds. Thus, she didn''t ask any questions and did as the doctor asked.


    ¡°Ms. Cece...¡± At that moment, Norah entered the room with a couple of young maids holding a couple


    of pretty dresses. ¡°There will be guests today. Do you want to dress yourself up? I''ve arranged a make-


    up artist and stylist for you. These dresses¡ª¡±


    ¡°No need.¡± Francesca yawned. ¡°I don''t like wearing weird clothing, nor do I like wearing make-up and


    high heels...¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Norah quickly sent the maids out of the room. ¡°Ms. Lindberg said everything shall be done to


    your liking.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Francesca thanked, took her medicine, and went back to her bed.


    ¡°Do you want to take a walk, Ms. Cece?¡± Norah asked carefully. ¡°You''ve been staying inside your room


    for days. It must be boring.¡±


    ¡°No need...¡± Francesca was going to reject the suggestion, but she quickly found the idea to be a good


    one.


    After all, she would have a chance to understand theyout of the ce better to make her escape in


    the middle of the night smoother.


    When she thought about that, she quickly changed her tune. ¡°Sure. I''ll go for a walk and get some sun.¡±


    ¡°All right. I''ll hold you.¡± Norah quickly helped Francesca up.


    A maid helped her put on a coat before they all went downstairs.


    ¡°I don''t need this many people to follow me. I can walk by myself.¡± Francesca wasn''t used to being


    treated like that. ¡°Just find someone to lead the way. The rest can leave.¡±


    Norah dismissed the other maids and apanied Francesca on a walk in the garden.


    She wanted to help Francesca walk, but Francesca walked faster than she did.

 Chapter 1857

    Chapter 1857


    qIt was the first time Francesca walked out of the castle after arriving there five days ago. It was then


    she recalled Xendale was a ce set in perpetual winter.


    There was pure white everywhere. When the sunlight hit the snow, it was as though the ground was


    coated with ayer of silvery light. It looked incredibly beautiful.


    Francesca followed Norah for more than an hour, yet she still hadn''t seen the castle''s exit. She couldn''t


    help but ask, ¡°Where''s the exit?¡±


    ¡°About three kilometers at the front from here.¡± Norah smiled. ¡°The castle is quite big. Do you want me


    to arrange a car to drive you around?¡±


    ¡°No need...¡± Francesca nced at the tight security.


    Guards were basically littered everywhere. There was no way she was going to sneak out there.


    After all, the entire ce was so big that she literally couldn''t see the borders of it. Not to mention there


    were soldiers with guns everywhere. It would take a miracle for her to escape.


    Besides, even if she did sneak out, she knew nothing about thend. There was no way she could


    escape the country.


    Therefore, the best chance she got was to negotiate with Danrique.


    Just as she was deep in thought, the sound of a car was suddenly heard in the distance. Norah


    eximed happily, ¡°Mr. Lindberg has returned!¡±


    When Francesca turned toward the sound, she saw a convoy slowly approaching the castle.


    ¡°Let''s head inside, Ms. Cece. We''re going to prepare the banquet to wee the guests now.¡± Norah


    smiled. ¡°We never had guests at the castle before. You''re technically the first guest here.¡±


    ¡°I guess that means Danrique doesn''t have good interpersonal rtionships...¡± Francescamented


    casually. ¡°All right. I''ll go back on my own. You can leave now.¡±


    Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    ¡°That won''t do, Ms. Cece. I need to send you back first.¡± Norah spoke politely.


    ¡°No, no need for that. I''ll just walk around and go back by myself,¡± Francesca said before she rapidly


    headed toward the backyard.


    Norah was worried Francesca was going to get hurt, so she sent two bodyguards to follow Francesca.


    Francesca strolled toward the backyard and continued on forward until she saw something that made


    her jaw drop.


    There was a forest in front of her, and there were lots of dangerous animals inside.


    There were tigers, lions, leopards, eagles, cobras, etc...


    It would seem like Danrique had a habit of researching animals. However, what was the purpose


    behind the research?


    Just as she was thinking about that, a gentle voice abruptly came from behind her. ¡°Don''t be scared...¡±


    Francesca was stunned before she turned her head back. Danrique was standing underneath a big


    tree in white attire. He looked even more handsome and cold as the white snow reflected on his face.


    ¡°They won''t hurt you.¡± He smiled at her gently.


    Just as he was walking toward her, a soft voice entered their ears.


    Soon, a woman showed up and hugged his arm.


    Francesca was taken aback for a second; she sized the stranger up. The woman was slim and tall. Her


    skin was as white as snow. She was a typical Erihal beauty with a noble aura. When her eyes met with


    Francesca''s, a hostile look appeared.


    ¡°I was looking for you everywhere, Danrique, but I had a feeling you might be here.¡± The woman


    nced at Francesca before speaking in a coquettish and gentle tone. ¡°It''s so cold here...¡±


    Before she could finish, he removed his hand coldly, walked straight toward Francesca, and left while


    holding her hand.


    The woman was left disappointed at where she stood, yet she didn''t have the guts to say anything.


    ¡°Eva.¡± At that moment, a tall and burly middle-aged man with a sharp look approached her.


    ¡°Uncle Donald...¡± The woman stepped toward him and pointed at Francesca. ¡°That woman...¡±


    ¡°I heard about her. She blocked a bullet for him, and so he brought her back here to treat her wound.¡±


    The man stared at Danrique and said in a low voice, ¡°A skinny and short woman like her isn''t attractive.


    He won''t like her. Even if he does, you need to make him yours. Remember, don''t act arrogant and


    pampered in front of him. A high and mighty man like him doesn''t have the patience to coax a woman.¡±

 Chapter 1858

    Chapter 1858


    q¡°Yes, Uncle Donald.¡± Eva nodded.


    ¡°Let''s go in.¡± The man brought her into the hall.


    Francesca nced back. She could tell the man was up to no good, and it was obvious that the woman


    was gunning for Danrique. That''s actually good. If someone''s bothering him, then he won''t have time to


    bother me. This way, he''ll probably let me leave soon.


    As she was still mulling it over, Norah greeted Danrique. ¡°Mr. Lindberg!¡±


    ¡°Let''s rest upstairs first,¡± Danrique informed softly. ¡°We''lle back down when it''s time for dinner.¡±


    ¡°You have guests to attend to. I won''t disturb you any further.¡± Francesca had no intention of getting


    involved in his messy business.


    ¡°You''ll need to meet them sooner orter,¡± he uttered with a serious expression. ¡°No need to be afraid.


    I''m here.¡±


    She was dumbfounded. What does he mean by that?


    ¡°I''ll help you upstairs, Ms. Cece.¡± Norah approached and held onto her.


    That caused Francesca to snap out of her thoughts and stop thinking about what he said.


    When she returned to her room, Francescay down on the couchzily again.


    Norah served her a cup of hot beverage. Francesca took a sip before going to sleep.


    After Norah covered her with a nket, she informed the maids to take care of her before leaving


    quietly.


    Sean guided Donald and Eva to the study room downstairs. ¡°Mr. Lindberg is currently changing. He''ll


    join you two soon. For now, please wait in the study room.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Donald looked around the building and sighed. ¡°It really ispletely different from how it


    looked eleven years ago. Everything''s changed.¡±


    ¡°The castle underwent a renovation. Naturally, it''ll look different,¡± Sean exined. ¡°After all, the current


    owner of the castle is Mr. Lindberg!¡±


    ¡°That''s true.¡± Donald nodded with a smile. ¡°Danrique is an aplished young man. He''ll surpass the


    older generation.¡±


    ¡°Please head inside, Mr. Donald.¡± Sean led the two guests into the study room.


    Norah entered the room with maids to serve coffee and red wine.


    ¡°Can I take a look around here?¡± Eva asked politely.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Sean made a gesture before a maid immediately showed Eva around the room.


    Even though it was called a study room, it was actually more like a library. The round high-rise design


    exuded a mysterious and quaint Epean aura.


    Eva was looking around while Sean and Donald chatted with each other. Their conversation touched


    on their loyalty toward Danrique and their denial of the rumors from the outside world.


    Sean smiled along, though he knew what was going on in his heart.


    Ever since Danrique poisoned the Lindberg family in a single night and took control of Lindberg


    Corporation eleven years ago, he had only one rtive left, Donald.


    Of course, there were other more distant rtives, but they were in no position to affect Danrique.


    Donald had a lot of power in thepany and the family. It wasn''t a well-guarded secret that he had


    been persuading the branch families to join him in secret.


    Additionally, Lindberg Corporation wasn''t inherited by a single family. The majority of the stocks were


    split between three major families, which made it difficult to manage thepany.


    That was why Danrique wanted to expand into the Epea and Adrune market. If he could add more of


    his own chips to the table, he would be able topete with other factions vying for thepany''s


    control.


    Lindberg Corporation might seem peaceful on the surface, but it was quite the opposite beneath the


    facade.


    Since Danrique had sessfully expanded into the Epea and Adrune market, Donald immediately


    decided to visit with his niece to get on Danrique''s good side.


    If Donald couldn''t get rid of Danrique, then all he needed to do was to make Danrique his ally.


    That was the principle he lived by to survive.


    He hoped he could show his good faith to Danrique through that method.


    Creak!


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    At that moment, the door to the study room opened.


    Danrique walked into the room in afortable and rxing white suit.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg!¡± Sean greeted his employer.


    Eva hastily let down the book in her hand and gracefully approached him. ¡°Danrique!¡±


    ¡°I don''t like you calling me that,¡± Danrique said coldly.


    Eva was shocked by his cold attitude. She stayed silent fearfully and looked at Donald meekly.


    ¡°Danrique is right.¡± Donald went along with what Danrique wanted. ¡°I think you should call him Mr.


    Lindberg like the others.¡±

 Chapter 1859

    Chapter 1859


    q¡°Mr. Lindberg!¡± Eva carefully called Danrique that.


    It was then she realized her enthusiastic and coquettish facade was ineffective. In fact, it would only


    make him dislike her more.


    Danrique nodded politely and asked Donald a question. ¡°Why are you here, Uncle Donald?¡±


    Donaldughed. ¡°Eva just returned from F Nation, and I wanted to introduce her to you. Right now,


    she''s an international model and she knows how to speak threenguages fluently. Since you two are


    young, I thought you two might be friends¡ª¡±


    ¡°That''s nice.¡± Danrique cut him off and said inly, ¡°If thepany''s marketing department needs a


    model, I''ll consider coborating with you.¡±


    Eva''s expression froze with awkwardness.


    ¡°That''s a good joke, Danrique.¡± Donald went along with the flow. ¡°Eva''s father is a famous jeweler, and


    he just signed a coboration contract with Victoria''s Secret. Her family isn''tcking any money. She''s


    neen years old this year, and she never had a boyfriend before. She''s pure and innocent. Since


    you''re single right now, I thought I could introduce her to you so you two can know each other¡ª¡±


    ¡°Okay, we''ve known each other now.¡± Danrique nodded and spoke with a straight face. ¡°If you need


    anything else in the future, you can find Sean.¡±


    He then stood up and said, ¡°Dinner''s ready. Let''s eat.¡±


    Eva had no idea how to respond to that. She could only look at Donald restlessly.


    Donald promptly stood up and smiled. ¡°Thank you for treating us.¡±


    ¡°Let''s go.¡±


    They all exited the study room and arrived at the dining room. The maids had already prepared avish


    feast.


    Danrique asked, ¡°Where''s Cece?¡±


    ¡°Mdm. Norah had gone upstairs to bring her down,¡± the maid replied politely.


    Francesca was yawning and rubbing her eyes inside the room. ¡°I''m not going to join them. I don''t know


    the guests. It''s just going to be awkward.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg had ordered that you must join them for dinner downstairs.¡± Norah pleaded anxiously,


    ¡°Please, Ms. Cece. Don''t make things difficult for us.¡±


    Francesca didn''t have the heart to say no after seeing how anxious Norah was. So, she changed into


    another outfit before going downstairs.


    The sound of piano could be heard ying inside the dining room. There were dozens of delicious


    dishes on the table.


    Danrique sat in the main seat talking about business matters with Donald in Erihalean.


    Eva listened to the conversation obediently at the side as she stared at Danrique with admiration.


    There was an irresistible charm about Danrique that deeply attracted her.


    Sadly, he never once looked at her. However, when Francesca arrived, he immediately stood up and


    pulled out a chair for her. He even thoughtfullyid out a napkin for her.


    Eva was dumbfounded when she saw that.


    Donald stared at Francesca deeply before asking with a smile, ¡°And this is?¡±


    ¡°She''s Cece,¡± Danrique introduced inly. ¡°My fianc¨¦e.¡±


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Pfft!


    Francesca almost spat out the water she drank. Thankfully, she managed to cover her mouth in time.


    However, that caused her to cough relentlessly as she choked on the water. What''s going on? Why am


    I suddenly his fianc¨¦e? No one told me about this.


    Donald was befuddled. He never expected Danrique to have a fianc¨¦e already, and that Danrique


    would tell him about her that straightforwardly.


    Eva was shocked and stunned as well.


    Donald was able to recover quickly from that shocking revtion and greeted Francesca with a smile.


    ¡°Nice to meet you!¡±


    Francesca smiled awkwardly before leaning toward Danrique and asking in Chanaean, ¡°When did I


    be your fianc¨¦e? Why didn''t I know about this?¡±


    ¡°It''s only a matter of time,¡± Danrique replied matter-of-factly.


    She was speechless. This hole of misunderstanding is going deeper and deeper. Looks like I have to


    escape this ce soon or else I really will be forced to marry him. I don''t want to get married. Giving


    birth to a child is scary...

 Chapter 1860

    Chapter 1860


    q¡°How should I address you then?¡± Donald turned to ask Francesca casually.


    ¡°I...¡± thetter was at a loss for words.


    Danrique introduced her right away, ¡°You can address her as Ms. Cece. After she fully recovers, I''ll


    start preparing for our wedding. I''ll notify everyone again after the date is set.¡±


    Francesca was thunderstruck. What? Am I hearing things? Did he just mention about our wedding?


    Even though we''d known each other during our teenage days, we''d not met each other for ages! Now


    that we''ve only reunited for barely a few days, he''s already thinking of marrying me? My goodness! Has


    he gone nuts?


    Donald smiled jubntly. ¡°What great news! Congrattions!¡±


    Next, he turned toward Eva. ¡°Eva, congratte Mr. Lindberg now!¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± Thetter was momentarily stunned before she finally forced a tight-lipped smile. ¡°Mr. Lindberg,


    congrattions!¡±


    ¡°Thank you! Let''s dig in,¡± Danrique replied indifferently.


    Shortly after, the few of them chatted jovially while enjoying their meals. Donald asked Francesca


    affably, ¡°Ms. Cece, you''re from Zarain, aren''t you?¡±


    ¡°Ah! Yes,¡± Francesca, who was cutting the steak, replied courteously.


    In the meantime, she could not help feeling awkward and could barely wait for the session to end.


    ¡°What do your parents do?¡± Donald asked again.


    Paying no heed to his question, Francesca told Danrique, ¡°I''m done. Enjoy your meal.¡±


    The next moment, she stood up and was about to leave.


    The moment Danrique made a gesture, Norah moved forward to help Francesca up toward the stairs.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg...¡± Eva lifted her winess, thinking of clinking sses with Danrique. However, she


    somehow identally sshed the ss of red wine onto herself. Startled, she yelped and stood up


    hastily.


    Donald frowned and reprimanded, ¡°What''s the matter with you? Why''re you so careless?¡±


    ¡°Go and clean yourself up then,¡± Danrique stated cidly.


    The next moment, Sean assigned a maid to bring her upstairs.


    Eva quickened her pace to catch up with Francesca, who was going up the stairs, and apologized in


    Ustranasion, ¡°Ms. Cece! I''m sorry about my impulsiveness in the backyard just now!¡±


    ¡°It''s all right,¡± Francesca replied casually.


    ¡°My dress is dirty. Can I get myself cleaned up in your room?¡± Eva asked eagerly, putting on her


    brightest smile. Evidently, she was trying to butter Francesca up.


    ¡°There''re plenty of guest rooms. Why do you have to go to my room?¡± Francesca cut to the chase.


    ¡°Ehm...¡± Blushed crimson, Eva could not utter any words.


    ¡°Ms. Eva, I''ll get someone to take you to the guest room then.¡± Norah tried to rectify the situation at


    once.


    shing thetter with a smile, Eva thanked her sincerely, ¡°Thank you.¡±N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    After that, she turned to pester Francesca, ¡°Mr. Lindberg is usually upied and might not be able to


    keep youpany all the time. I bet you must be feeling bored in this castle. I can apany you to


    explore Xendale. There''re a lot of interesting tourist spots here...¡±


    An inexplicit glint shed across Francesca''s eye as something came to her. She turned to look at Eva,


    ¡°Oh, is that so?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± Thetter was over the moon at Francesca''s response and uttered excitedly, ¡°I grew up in


    Xendale, so I know well about all the interesting ces here and eateries serving delicious food. I can


    bring you to go skiing and look at the snow leopards and auroras. If you are a food lover, I can take you


    to savor a wide variety of sumptuous food and even take you to parties...¡±


    ¡°That''s great! Come to my room to get changed then. We can even have a chat there,¡± Francesca


    stated friendlily, a stark contrast to her indifference a while ago.


    ¡°Okay!¡± Eva responded blissfully.


    At the dining table, Donald''s lips curved into a smile at the sight of the two young women who seemed


    to get along well. He lifted his winess to give Danrique a toast. ¡°Danrique, you know that I''ll always


    take your side, don''t you? Despite anything, we''ll be family members forever...¡±


    Needless to say, Danrique disliked wasting time bbering hypocritically with Donald. Nheless, he


    had to y along with thetter as the other three great forces were eyeing their corporation at the


    moment. Thus, he had no choice but to join hands with Donald to battle against their foes.


    nking sses with him, Danrique stated subtly, ¡°Uncle Donald, I feel relieved when you say so.


    We''re the only two left from the direct bloodline of the Lindberg family. Hence, we''re now in the same


    boat and should be in unity for our family''s prominence!¡±


    Donald nodded and reassured him, ¡°You''re right. Don''t worry. Regardless of any decision you make, I''ll


    always support you!¡±

 Chapter 1861

    Chapter 1861


    qNorah assigned the maid to bring a beautiful gown for Eva to get changed. It was initially prepared for


    Francesca, but surprisingly it fitted Eva perfectly.


    Somehow, the long dress transformed into a middle-length one for Eva as she was a lot taller than


    Francesca. Thus, she looked exceptionally gorgeous with her slender legs revealed.


    In the meantime, Francesca was lying idly on the sofa while munching an apple. Gazing at Eva''s tall


    and slender figure, she gasped admiringly, ¡°Ah! That''s what an international model should look like!


    Look at your pair of stunning legs!¡±


    ¡°Haha! You''re adorable too,¡± Eva blurted out before adding sheepishly, ¡°You look pretty too!¡±


    Francesca only shed her a faint smile without uttering any words. She had been leading a simple life


    all the while and scarcely spent time on daily grooming.


    Nheless, she was highly confident in herself. After all, she was well aware that she possessed


    other capabilities over the others.


    Hmph! This Ms. Eva is apparently good at ttering others. I can easily see through her insincere smile


    and countenance. She''s obviously not as innocent as she seems and can never be the type of a


    sincere friend! Anyway, Francesca did not bother about that as she was not interested in building a


    friendship with Eva. Her ulterior motive was to leave the ce with thetter''s help.


    Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    ¡°Ms. Cece, how did you get to know Danrique?¡± Eva questioned. She started addressing Danrique with


    his name again when he was not around.


    ¡°I can''t recall it,¡± Francesca replied cidly, shrugging her shoulders.


    Eva''s eyes widened in disbelief. ¡°Huh? How could you forget about such an important matter?¡±


    Nevertheless, Francesca continued to munch on her apple without any response.


    Looking into the mirror, Eva scrutinized Francesca''s reflection discreetly and mumbled wittingly, ¡°I''ve


    fallen for Danrique ever since I set my eyes on him during a banquet five years ago...¡±


    Before she could finish her words, Francesca mocked, ¡°You''re undoubtedly mature for your age. You


    were still underage five years ago, weren''t you?¡±


    ¡°Ehm...¡± Eva was rendered speechless at her mockery.


    ¡°When do you n to bring me out?¡± Francesca cut the crap. That was what she minded most at the


    moment.


    ¡°Whenever you like!¡± Eva stered a smile on her face.


    ¡°Let''s go now. I''ll get changed first.¡± Francesca sat up on the sofa and tossed the apple core into the


    bin nearby.


    Eva was astounded, but she restrained herself from asking further. ¡°Okay! I''ll wait for you downstairs.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Francesca responded and sent the maid away. After getting changed, she found her bag in the


    wardrobe.


    That was the one she was carrying when she was previously shot. She could not resist heaving a sigh


    of relief after catching sight of her identification card and phone in it. With that, she presumed Danrique


    did not spot those items. Otherwise, he would have known about her exact identity.


    After taking out the other unnecessary items from the bag, she changed into a ck dress and put on a


    pair of Dr. Martens boots taken out from the wardrobe.


    When she was descending the stairster, she overheard Eva asking Danrique warily, ¡°Dan... Ehm...


    Mr. Lindberg, Cece requested me to bring her out. Is that all right?¡±


    ¡°Bring her out? For what?¡± Danrique asked quizzically with knitted brows.


    ¡°She mentioned that she''s bored stiff here and requested me to bring her out to get some fresh air. I


    thought I''d better let you know about it first,¡± Eva exined, smiling sweetly.


    Donald chuckled. ¡°It''s a good idea for both of you to go sightseeing. After all, Danrique is always


    upied and can''t apany her. I bet she must be bored in the castle. Eva, Ms. Cece is not only our


    honored guest but also your future cousin-inw. You must entertain her well, okay?¡±


    ¡°Uncle Donald, I got it.¡± Eva nodded and caught sight of Francesca descending the stairs. She rose at


    once and advanced toward her, ¡°Ah! Cece, you''re ready!¡±


    ¡°Yeah! Let''s go!¡± Francesca urged Eva.


    She could scarcely wait to step out at once. When I''m in townter, I''ll grab the opportunity to rush to


    the airport and leave this country!


    Danrique rose to his feet and stated casually, ¡°You''re still not well. Let me apany you.¡±


    Francesca replied hastily, ¡°It''s all right. We n to go shopping. You''ll be bored tagging us along.


    Anyway, we won''t be long and will be back soon.¡±


    ¡°Danrique, don''t worry. I''ll take great care of Cece,¡± Eva reassured him coquettishly as she wrapped


    her arm around Francesca''s shoulders. It was as though they were close friends who had known each


    other for ages.

 Chapter 1862

    Chapter 1862


    qEva was almost six feet tall, and she was even on a pair of three-inch heels. Thus, Francesca looked


    like a kid alongside her due to their extreme height difference.


    Francesca could not help rolling her eyes at Eva''s antiques as she dragged her away with her.


    Meanwhile, Danrique dared not let his guard down and shot Sean a nce.


    A quick-witted Sean assigned his men to trail behind the two youngdies at once.


    ¡°Danrique, don''t worry. Just let the youngdies go out for some fun. Since Ms. Cece is your fianc¨¦e,


    Eva will surely serve her well.¡± Donald appeased him jokingly.


    ¡°Hmm!¡± Danrique hummed and continued to enjoy his meal.


    Swirling the wine in his ss, Donald continued to chat with him. ¡°Oh yeah! Danrique, have you heard


    about the overwhelming news that Mr. Windt from H City killed himself by jumping off the building?¡±


    His words caught Danrique, who was cutting steak, off guard. Thetter looked up at him in an instant


    and gasped, ¡°What did you say?¡±


    ¡°It happened a few days ago, and the news had gone viral in Zarain at once. But somehow, it''s being


    suppressed at the moment. I happened to know about it earlier from my friend in Zarain,¡± Donald


    exined nonchntly as if he was mentioning something irrelevant to him.


    Momentster, he added, ¡°How sad! We''d ever considered coborating with him before that, hadn''t


    we? After all, H City is the core of Zarain, and Windt Corporation is deemed the dominator of the


    market in H City. Looks like we''ve to look for a new coborator...¡±


    Danrique paid no attention to what Donald was saying. In a split second, he lost his appetite. After


    putting down his cutleries, he told Donald, ¡°I''ve to excuse myself to settle something. Enjoy yourself.¡±


    Donald put his winess down at once and stood up. ¡°Then I''d better don''t interrupt you any longer. I''m


    going off now. You go ahead and settle your matter.¡±


    ¡°Okay! See you.¡± Danrique rose and strode off toward his study.


    When he assigned Sean to investigate if Donald''s news was urate, thetter exined tactfully,


    ¡°We heard about the news a few days ago. Gordon was about to update you at that time, but you''re not


    in the mood as Ms. Cece was shot.¡±


    ¡°Is there any information?¡± Danrique questioned, furrowing his brows.


    Sean handed the tablet to him and updated warily, ¡°There was already a funeral for Richard Windt. It''s


    confirmed that he hadmitted suicide. But he was obviously set up by the others. Apparently, the


    Nacht family was the mastermind manipting in the dark...¡±


    ¡°Is the Nacht family seeking vengeance against the Windt family because of my aunt?¡± Danrique asked


    grimly with a flicker of sheer frigidness in his eyes.


    Sean replied cautiously, ¡°We''re still clueless about that. But it seems that''s not the case. Otherwise,


    they''ll not let Mr. Windt''s daughter off.¡±


    ¡°How''s his daughter at the moment?¡± Danrique questioned again.


    Sean replied respectfully, ¡°She''s safe at the moment. A faithful housekeeper has taken her to the


    countryside. Mr. Lindberg, do you think we''ve to bring her back after double-confirming her identity?¡±


    Danrique shook his head. ¡°Leave it first. Since she''s safe at the moment and is leading a peaceful life,


    I''d better don''t interrupt her. Most importantly, I need to get the matter of Lindberg Corporation resolved


    soonest possible. I''ll see what I can do about her after that.¡±


    ¡°I got it.¡± Sean nodded solemnly.


    ¡°Remind Gordon to keep an eye on Eva and Cece. We mustn''t let anything happen to Cece again,¡± he


    instructed Sean.


    ¡°I''ve already assigned Sloan and Mylo to trail behind them. I''ll notify Gordon now.¡± Secondster, Sean


    uttered hesitantly, ¡°Mr. Lindberg, there''s something that I''m not sure if I should say...¡±


    Danrique glowered at him and snapped, ¡°If you''re unsure about it, zip your mouth. Get out now if


    there''s nothing else.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± Sean left right away with his head lowered. Nevertheless, he could not help feeling a surge


    of inexplicit uneasiness from within him.


    ¡°Sean, are you looking for me?¡± In the meantime, Gordon advanced toward him hurriedly.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg assigned you to keep an eye on Ms. Cece to prevent anything from befalling her.¡± Sean


    ryed Danrique''s message to him.


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Okay, I''ll go down.¡± Gordon turned and was about to stride off. Even so, Sean grabbed hold of his arm


    and asked curiously, ¡°Did you sense anything awry about Ms. Cece?¡±


    ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡± Gordon asked in bafflement.


    Sean pointed out grimly, ¡°I feel she looks a bit simr to someone, in terms of appearance, the way she


    talks, temperament...¡±


    ¡°Who''s that?¡± Gordon cut him off desperately.


    After scanning the surroundings alertly, Sean leaned closer to Gordon and whispered, ¡°Dr. Felch!¡±

 Chapter 1863

    Chapter 1863


    qDumbfounded, Gordon yelled out, ¡°How''s that possible?¡±


    Sean warned him, ¡°Shh! Lower your voice.¡±


    Perplexed, Gordon asked in bafflement, ¡°To me, that''s impossible! How could Dr. Felch and Ms. Cece


    turn out to be the same person?¡±


    ¡°Initially, I never thought of linking them together. Ms. Cece looked alluring whenever we bumped into


    her a few times previously. However, she did not look like her usual self when she was shot this round.


    Don''t you feel that she has a resemnce to Dr. Felch with her short hair and unisex outfit? They are


    about the same height, and their voice sounds simr. Ah! Did you notice the simrity when they talk?


    Both are very blunt...¡±


    ¡°Enough of that!¡± Gordon cut him off and refuted impatiently, ¡°Her height ismon among Chanean


    women generally. As for her hairstyle, she''s obviously wearing a wig in the nightclub previously. Who


    knows, she might be having short hair all this while? After all, she could have cut her long hair short


    anytime before this. Thus, I don''t sense anything amiss from that. Anyway, I haven''t really observed


    how she talks and her voice. I''ll take note to have an observationter. Anyway, I''ve to get going now. If


    anything happens to her, I''ll be in deep water!¡±


    ¡°Okay, you go ahead!¡± Sean was moreid-back than Gordon. He even felt that there would not be an


    issue if Cece turned out to be Francesca. To him, Francesco''s reputation and social status were


    intimidating enough. I don''t think anyone dares to take the risk ofying a finger on her. Anyway, as


    long as Mr. Lindberg is happy, other things are unimportant! I don''t think she''s able to y any tricks


    when we''re keeping an eye on her too!


    On the other hand, Francesca looked out of the car window along the way, observing the surroundings.


    ¡°My goodness! I''d never expected that this ce could be so spacious! It takes at least half an hour for


    the car to be out of the castle!¡±


    There was an abrupt change in Eva''s countenance. Wearing a look of utter disdain, she scoffed, ¡°The


    Lindberg family is deemed the most prominent family in Erihal. Cece, how about you? Which family are


    you from? Is your family involved in the business or political sector?¡±


    ¡°I''m from an ordinary, humble family. To be honest, I never intend to cross paths with anyone from the


    Lindberg family. But what can I do since Danrique insists on marrying me?¡± Francescamented


    resignedly.


    ¡°You...¡± Eva turned crimson with fury and could not utter any words to retort.


    ¡°How about you help to talk him into letting me go? I really hope he''ll stop being stubborn and have a


    new target.¡± Francesca looked at her solemnly.


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    Unable to tamp down her simmering fury, Eva fumed, ¡°You''re a typical hypocrite! If you didn''t seduce


    him, do you think he''ll marry you? He has been single throughout these years and is never closely


    acquainted with any woman. But now he''s thinking of marrying you out of the blue! How''s that


    possible?¡±


    Francesca wailed exaggeratively, ¡°Well, I''m not willing to marry him. How about you find a way to help


    me?¡±


    Huh? Eva was utterly speechless. Initially, she thought Francesca was putting on a show. But she looks


    as if she means it! No way! I mustn''t believe her words. How''s it possible that there''s any woman not


    willing to marry Danrique! I bet there isn''t any woman who could resist the charm of such a perfect


    man! Hmph! I''m sure she''s trying to sound me out! I mustn''t fall into her trap!


    All of a sudden, Eva felt a shiver down her spine. She had been putting on a show in the face of


    Francesca all the while, thinking of fooling her. Unexpectedly, she got all fired up by thetter''s words


    and unknowingly revealed her true thoughts! Good gracious! She''s seemingly no ordinary woman and


    not someone easy to deal with. I mustn''t let my guard down!


    At the thought of it, Eva took a deep breath to regain herposure. Secondster, she forced a smile


    and joked, ¡°Cece, you must be pulling my legs. It''s every woman''s dream to marry Danrique. How''s it


    possible that you''re not yearning to do so? Since I''m the one bringing you out, I''m responsible for


    sending you back safely. If not, I''ll surely face his wrath!¡±


    Francesca rolled her eyes and snorted in Chanaean, ¡°Pfft! What a cowardly woman!¡±


    ¡°Huh? What did you say?¡± Eva was puzzled.


    Francesca smiled ambiguously. ¡°Nothing. Where are you nning to bring me to?¡±

 Chapter 1864

    Chapter 1864


    qFrancesca knew there was no way Eva would help her escape. It seems like I''ll have to find a chance


    to escape.


    ¡°At this hour, the ski resort has closed, the snow leopards are asleep, and it''s too far to see the aurora.


    Should we just go to a bar?¡± Eva asked tentatively.


    ¡°That''s great!¡± Francesca smiled and nodded. ¡°I love bars.¡±


    ¡°That''s good to hear. I was worried that you might not like it.¡±


    A wicked gleam shone in Eva''s eyes when she shot the bodyguard a nce.


    Seeing that, the bodyguard immediately whipped out his phone and sent a text.


    ¡°How far is the airport from the bar?¡± Francesca asked directly.


    ¡°It''s not that far. It should be half an hour of car ride away.¡± Eva was curious, so she asked, ¡°Why did


    you ask?¡±


    ¡°Didn''t I say I don''t want to get married?¡± Francesca had no intention of hiding her n. ¡°I''m going to try


    to escapeter, and you can just let me get away on purpose. That way, no one''s going to snatch


    Danrique away!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Eva was bewildered. What''s with this weirdo? She''s so unpredictable! It''s as if her mind doesn''t


    work the same as a normal person''s. What on earth is she thinking about? She said Danrique was all


    over her just now, right? Why is she suddenly talking about escaping? Why is she asking me to let her


    slip away purposefully? What''s going on?


    Eva''s mind was in a whirl as she tried to figure Francesca out.


    ¡°What''s the matter with you?¡± Francesca waved her hand before her and asked, ¡°Are you having a


    headache or something?¡±


    With a frustrated look on her face, Eva kept mum and ced a hand over her forehead.


    At the same time, she was continuously trying to remind herself to keep her cool. I can''t panic now! I


    have to act ording to the n. Wait! Does Uncle Donald even know what kind of wicked girl she is?


    ¡°Are you not feeling well?¡± Francesca asked curiously.


    ¡°Why don''t you rest for a bit?¡± Eva was hoping that she''d shut up because she had no idea how to deal


    with her. ¡°We still have half an hour before we arrive at the bar.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± With a disappointed look on her face, Francesca sighed and uttered, ¡°I thought you were really in


    love with Danrique! You''re rather weak, it seems. How boring!¡±


    The corners of Eva''s lips twitched, and she was rendered speechless. How I wish I can just send her


    away! In fact, the farther, the better! Only then, she''d stop showing up before us.


    However, she dared not to do that because she felt as though Francesca was setting her up for


    something, and she didn''t want to get tricked by her.


    ¡°Do you have a charger?¡± Francesca ignored what Eva said and asked for a charger so she could


    charge her phone.


    She needed to charge her phone so that she could find her way to the airport afterward.


    Eva frowned and texted Donald to tell him everything that Francesca had told her. She was in need of


    guidance from him.


    After a few minutes, Donald replied: It seems like we''ve underestimated her, and she''s not as dull as


    we thought. She was definitely sounding you out just now. She was hoping that you''d slip up. If you fall


    for her trick and send her away, Danrique''s men will be after you right away. By then, I''d get in trouble


    as well. For such a young girl like her, I doubt she''s that smart. There must be someone else telling her


    what to do. Perhaps someone has sent her to approach Danrique on purpose, so make sure you don''t


    fall for any of her tricks. Judging by the situation, we have to cancel our n for tonight. In the


    meantime, try to find out more about her. Bring her around to have some fun before bringing her back.


    Remember to send her home in one piece, okay? Otherwise, we''d be doomed.


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    To which Eva replied: Yes, Uncle Donald!


    After replying to Donald, Eva gazed at Francesca and looked at her with aplicated expression.


    As for Francesca, she was already looking for a way to get to the airport on her phone. Luckily, it''s not


    that far away. When the time is right, I''ll just hail a taxi to go to the airport and buy myself a ticket to fly


    out of Xendale as soon as possible. Any country will do, at this point. Once I''m there, I''ll get a visa to


    return to Zarain. Yes! That''s what I''m going to do.


    Eva grew anxious when she saw the excitement on Francesca''s face. If she can manage to get on


    Danrique''s good side, I''m pretty sure she''s a smart and capable woman. It seems like I''ll have to be


    extra wary of her and not fall for her tricks and games.

 Chapter 1865

    Chapter 1865


    qSoon, the car arrived at the liveliest bar in Xendale.


    The owner of the bar, along with a few of his men, were weing them at the entrance respectfully.


    When Eva got out of the car, she was acting arrogantly. It was as if her presence was a blessing


    bestowed upon the ce they went to.


    Behind Eva, seven bodyguards appeared from the car. Besides, there were another two bodyguards


    coming out of the car that Eva and Francesca were in. In total, there were nine bodyguards escorting


    thedies into the bar.


    The bar was bustling and noisy. Besides, the lights there were so dazzling and bright that people there


    could hardly keep their eyes open. Not only that, the bar had deafening heavy metal music ying.


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    In the middle of the dancefloor and on the stage, there were sexy girls dancing wildly to the music.


    Youngsters could also be seen having the time of their lives.


    Since most of the people there were from Epea and Adrune, Francesca, with a petite figure, looked like


    a fish out of water being there.


    ¡°Hey, little one!¡± one of the drunk men called out and whistled at Francesca.


    Francesca threw him a nce and ignored him. She then followed Eva toward a table in the center of


    the bar to enjoy the lively scene.


    In order to please Eva, the bar owner served them various types of exquisite alcoholic drinks.


    Eva conversed with the bar owner in Erihalean and sent him away shortly after. She then gave a ss


    of cocktail to Francesca and said, ¡°Have a taste! This is ming Sex.¡±


    ¡°Is it nice?¡± Francesca took the ss and had a sip. When she realized she liked it, she immediately


    downed the whole ss. ¡°Yes. Not too shabby!¡±


    ¡°It seems like you have a high alcohol tolerance.¡± Eva smiled and handed her another ss of blue-


    colored cocktail and said, ¡°This is called¡ª¡±


    Francesca interrupted, ¡°I don''t care what it''s called. I''ll just drink it!¡± Francesca took the ss and


    cheered with her. ¡°Cheers!¡±


    ¡°Cheers!¡± Eva was overjoyed when she saw Francesca downing the cocktail. She then followed suit


    and finished hers in one go.


    ¡°This one is a bit bitter.¡± Francesca had some fruits and took another two sses of the first cocktail


    they had. She gave one to Eva and said, ¡°This is nicer.¡±


    At that moment, Eva was stunned. Her n was to get Francesca drunk so that she could look into her


    background. Why is she acting like she''s the host instead? I''m supposed to get her drunk!


    ¡°What''s the matter?¡± Francesca shed a smile. ¡°Aren''t we surrounded by your men? Why are you


    scared when I''m not?¡±


    ¡°What''s there to be afraid about?¡± Eva took the drink and gulped it down.


    Seeing that, Francesca followed suit.


    After a few sses, Eva was starting to feel tipsy. However, she hadn''t forgotten to investigate


    Francesca. ¡°Hey! Who sent you?¡±


    ¡°You''re sent by Donald, right?¡± Francesca threw the question back at her. ¡°Did he send you to


    investigate me before chasing me away so that you can approach Danrique and make him yours?¡±


    ¡°What...¡± Eva was puzzled. ¡°I asked you first! I was asking¡ª¡±


    Before Eva could finish her sentence, Francesca uttered, ¡°Since you don''t look like a bad person, why


    don''t you just continue your career as a model?¡± Francesca poured her half a ss of wine and


    continued, ¡°Danrique is cold-hearted, and he''s also a pervert. Who knows? Maybe he has some weird


    kinks as well. I doubt he''s easy to deal with¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shut up! You''re not allowed to talk bad about Danrique!¡± Eva was pissed off. ¡°Danrique is the best man


    on earth. He''s the best...¡±


    In response, Francesca rolled her eyes and ignored her. She then nced at all nine of the bodyguards


    as she tried to n her escape.


    ¡°Tell me honestly. Who sent you here to seduce Danrique?¡± Eva was inebriated at that point when she


    leaned in and asked, ¡°Which of the three big families sent you? Is it the Nacht family?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I was sent by the Nacht family.¡± Francesca was fooling around with Eva as she didn''t believe


    Donald had the balls to mess with the Nacht family.


    Shock was written all over Eva''s face. ¡°M-Mr. Nacht set you?¡±


    ¡°That''s right. That''s him.¡± Francesca continued clinking her ss with Eva and said, ¡°Come! Let''s


    continue drinking!¡±


    Eva took a sip and immediately puked all over Francesca.

 Chapter 1866

    Chapter 1866


    qWith a disgusted expression on her face, Francesca eximed, ¡°That''s disgusting!¡±


    She then said to the bodyguard, ¡°Look after her while I go to the washroom.¡±


    With that, she stood up and left.


    ¡°Hey, Ms. Cece!¡± Two of the bodyguards went after her.


    Francesca immediately picked up her pace, hoping that she could lose them.


    Right then, the drunk man from before whistled at her again.


    Francesca responded with a wink this time around. Excited, the man walked toward her unsteadily.


    The bodyguards then stopped the man from getting close to Francesca.


    Although they were Eva''s bodyguards, they knew not to becent because of Francesca''s


    rtionship with Danrique.


    The drunk man was infuriated, and he scolded in Ustranasion, ¡°Buzz off! Don''t be such busybodies!¡±


    Hearing that, one of the bodyguardsnded a punch on the drunk man and sent him crashing to the


    floor.


    When the drunk man''s friends saw what the bodyguard did, they all rushed toward the bodyguards and


    fought with them.


    As the situation descended intoplete chaos, Francesca quickly made her way out of there through


    the back entrance. While running, she took off her filthy coat and washed her hands with a bottle of


    water.


    Francesca was over the moon when she finally made her way out of the bar because she didn''t expect


    things to go so smoothly. Anxiously, she hailed herself a taxi.


    When a taxi arrived in front of her, she opened the door and was about to hop in.


    Right at that moment, a few military jeeps were seen speeding toward the taxi before surrounding it.


    Soon after, more than twenty men dressed in ck got out of the jeeps and started pointing their guns


    at the taxi driver.


    The taxi driver was scared shitless. He raised his hands into the air in fear and uttered in Erihalean, ¡°I-I


    haven''t done anything wrong...¡±


    ¡°What the fuck?¡± Francesca frowned. I knew it wasn''t going to be that easy!


    Indeed, Danrique had already gotten people to follow them earlier on.


    Unlike Eva, Gordon and his men were harder to deal with.


    ¡°Ms. Cece, we''re here to bring you back.¡± Gordon opened the car door and politely gestured for her to


    get into the jeep.


    Realizing that there was no way she could escape, Francesca had no choice but to get into the car as


    instructed.


    Since they were in the city, there weren''t any animals she could summon, nor did she have any


    weapons with her. Even if she could somehow drive toward the airport with her excellent driving skills,


    she still wouldn''t be able to fly out of the country.


    After all, it was Danrique''s territory.


    ¡°Please, Ms. Cece!¡± After getting Francesca into the car, Gordon instructed his subordinates, ¡°Go


    check on Ms. Eva.¡±


    ¡°Noted!¡± Two of his subordinates went into the bar to check on the situation in there.


    They didn''t go there to see if Eva was all right. Instead, they wanted to know why did Francesca


    escape. They were wondering if Eva was bullying her.


    Francesca''s expression was grim as she sat in the car. Even if I can escape from the castle, it''s going


    to be tough trying to escape Danrique''s grasp.


    Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    Indeed, he''d even sent his men to follow her when she went out with Eva.


    Not only did his men know Xendale like the back of their hands, but they''d also gone through gruesome


    training. It''d be impossible to leave Xendale without them knowing about it.


    However, she wasn''t ready to throw in the towel. I''ll look for a better opportunity next time!


    Upon arriving home, Norah was seen waiting for her anxiously at the entrance. When she saw


    Francesca getting out of the car, she rushed toward her and put a coat around her. ¡°Are you okay, Ms.


    Cece? Are you hurt?¡±


    ¡°I''m fine,¡± Francesca answered. I doubt Eva will be okay, though. Besides, I bet she''s going to suffer


    after all the alcohol she drank. That girl is such a simpleton to think that she could get me drunk. In fact,


    Francesca had be immune to alcohol due to her upbringing.


    ¡°Ms. Cece, Mr. Lindberg is waiting for you in the study room,¡± Sean approached her and said politely.


    ¡°Please head over there once you''re done washing up, okay?¡±


    ¡°What does he want from me at this hour?¡± Francesca never liked being ordered around.


    ¡°Since Mr. Lindberg is looking for you, I''m sure there must be a reason for it.¡± Sean then continued in a


    joking manner, ¡°Ms. Cece, your straightforwardness reminds me of an old friend!¡±


    ¡°Who might that be?¡± Francesca asked casually.


    ¡°Francesco,¡± Sean answered and observed her reaction.

 Chapter 1867

    Chapter 1867


    qAlthough Francesca was shocked to hear that, she remained calm and collected. ¡°I''ve heard of that


    person before. She''s quite something, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. She''s also a young girl.¡± Sean chuckled and added, ¡°In fact, she looks like you.¡±


    ¡°So?¡± Francesca raised her brows.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Sean hesitated for a moment and continued, ¡°I didn''t mean anything by that. I was just¡ª¡±


    ¡°Okay. I''ll go over in a while.¡± Francesca headed into her room. It seems like I have to be more careful


    not to expose myself before departing. If Danrique finds out I''m Francesco, he''s going to know I''ve


    been stringing him along. By then, it''ll be even harder for me to escape once he starts to get wary of


    me.


    ¡°Have you been drinking, Ms. Cece? Are you all right? Did you get bullied?¡± Norah was sizing


    Francesca up worriedly.


    ¡°I''m fine.¡± Francesca could feel that Norah''s concerns toward her were sincere. This is rather heart-


    warming.


    ¡°Mdm. Norah, the bath is ready,¡± a maid said while standing at the entrance to the bathroom.


    ¡°Let me bathe you. I need to see if you were hurt.¡± Norah was looking after Francesca like she was a


    child.


    ¡°I''m fine, really.¡± Francesca smiled. ¡°I can bathe myself. In the meantime, you guys can help me


    prepare my clothes.¡±


    As she was saying that, she went into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. After that, she hid


    her backpack inside a partition in the bathroom.


    Danrique had never searched her backpack before because he''d always trusted her.


    However, he was bound to watch her closely after her attempt to escape. What if he searches my


    backpack and investigates my real identity? After that, he''s going to keep all my travel documents.


    When that happens, I won''t be able to go anywhere. Hence, I must keep my travel documents safe.


    Francesca was scrolling through her phone while soaking in the bathtub.


    Apart from two missed calls from Anthony, she''d also received two text messages which read: Call


    back when you see this!


    Since she was worried that her phone might be tapped, they''d agreed to contact each other through


    that method to avoid important messages getting leaked.


    She''d also received a few missed calls and a few text messages from William.


    Why did you switch off your phone, Francesca? Did something happen to you?


    Francesca, what happened? I''m worried about you. Please call me back when you see this.


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Where are you, Francesca?


    Although those text messages didn''t reveal anything important, Danrique would still find out about her


    identity if he were to see them.


    After giving it some thought, she decided to call William.


    ¡°You''ve finally called, Francesca! I was worried sick!¡± William said.


    ¡°William, I won''t be able to contact you for a while. Stop sending me text messages, and I''ll call you


    again in due time, okay?¡±


    ¡°Where are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Are you okay, Ms. Cece?¡± Norah suddenly asked from outside the bathroom.


    ¡°I''m hanging up now. Remember not to text me,¡± Francesca quickly answered on the phone.


    With that, she hung up.


    After that, she faced the door and uttered, ¡°I''m fine. I''m still bathing.¡±


    ¡°All right. I''ll wait for you by the door, okay? Let me know if you need anything.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Thank you.¡±


    Francesca then deleted William''s contact on her phone. Okay. It should be fine now. I''ll be able to use


    my phone in the open after this.


    After she was done with her bath, Francesca got ready and followed Norah to the study room on the


    second floor.


    When the door was pushed open, they saw that the lights in the room were somewhat dim.


    While wearing a pair of silver-rimmed sses, Danrique was sitting elegantly on the sofa as he read


    through some documents.


    Upon hearing them entering the room, he immediately raised his gaze toward her. Unlike his usual


    gentle gaze in the past, he was looking at her with a conflicted and stern expression.


    Norah ced a ss of warm water and a ss of warm milk in front of Francesca before leaving


    silently. ¡°I shall leave now, Mr. Lindberg.¡±


    Sean also left the room after bowing respectfully.

 Chapter 1868

    Chapter 1868


    qFrancesca reclined casually on the sofa as she sipped on a cup of warm milk.


    She acted no different no matter where she was. She would stand and sitnguidly. She would rather


    lie down instead of sitting and sit instead of standing, if she had a choice.


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    She had no care as to how people see her. She just did whatever wasfortable.


    Danrique narrowed his eyes as he watched her. His eyes gleamed as if many thoughts were racing


    across his mind.


    After a long silence, he finally spoke. ¡°Did you take alcohol?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I did,¡± Francesca admitted.


    ¡°Eva pushed you to take them?¡± Danrique inquired.


    ¡°No, I took them willingly.¡±


    Francesca didn''t want to shift the me onto others. Even though Eva did intend to make her drunk,


    her attempt failed. Francesca was the one who made the other drunk.


    ¡°You want to leave me?¡± Danrique questioned.


    Francesca didn''t respond to his question. Her mind was churning up a way to answer him.


    Will he be furious if I told him the truth? Will he break my leg, lock me in the basement and torture me?


    Well, at least that''s how romance novels always go. Those alpha CEOs always resort to such


    measures. I recalled there was a novel I read before in which the male lead had locked the female lead


    in an animal cage as punishment, causing a mastiff to hurt the female lead. How psychotic!


    The scary thought had Francesca giving Danrique a strange look.


    ¡°Answer me,¡± Danrique demanded with a frown.


    ¡°Why did you intend to marry me?¡± Francesca refused to answer and asked instead. ¡°Was it because I


    identally took a bullet for you?¡±


    ¡°identally?¡± Danrique had only caught that one word in her question.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Francesca didn''t want to lie to him. ¡°I''m not a saint or a femme fatale. Why would I take a


    bullet for a man? Moreover, I don''t even know you that well-¡±


    ¡°You don''t know me well?¡± Danrique''s expression darkened at her words. ¡°Seven years ago-¡±


    ¡°I''ve already forgotten what happened seven years ago.¡±


    Francesca cut him off and said seriously, ¡°I''m not trying to be courteous here. I''m telling you the truth. I


    was still young then, so I didn''t know what love was.


    ¡°It was an odd coincidence that I took the bullet for you. Something hit my foot, causing me to lose my


    bnce and identally fall into your arms, then I got shot.¡±


    I shouldn''t lie to him. Even though it''s cruel, I have to tell him the truth. It''s better than leaving him


    clueless.


    ¡°Fine. Let''s say what you just said is true. You taking the bullet for me was idental, and you had


    forgotten about what happened seven years ago.¡±


    Danrique nodded his head as though he had no problem epting that.


    ¡°That''s right.¡±


    Francesca was ecstatic. This stubborn man had finally thought things through.


    ¡°But...¡± Suddenly, Danrique made a turn. ¡°The world is so huge, and we still meet each other after all


    this time. Also, you saved my life.


    ¡°It might be an ident or an odd coincidence, but it doesn''t change the fact that an unbreakable bond


    binds us together.¡±


    ¡°Erm...¡±


    Francesca was stunned at his conclusion. Her smart mouth that could win every argument was wide


    open with no wordsing out.


    She even thought Danrique''s remark kind of, somewhat, sort of made sense.


    ¡°God wanted us to be together, and we can''t go against His will.¡±


    Danrique added, with great emphasis, ¡°You and I are destined to be together. You can''t run away.¡±


    ¡°You believe in destiny?¡± Francesca was staring dumbfoundedly at him.


    ¡°I do believe in it sometimes.¡± Danrique set down the document in his hands, got up from his seat, and


    walked over to her.


    ¡°You-¡±


    Francesca was about to say something when Danrique loomed closer to her. His huge body was like a


    cage, closing her in. He was gazing at her with a beast-like gleam shining in his eyes.


    That handsome face was inches away from hers, so she could see the sincerity of his feelings


    gleaming brightly at the surface of his amber eyes.

 Chapter 1869

    Chapter 1869


    qFrancesca was feeling nervous all of a sudden and was avoiding his gaze. She stammered, ¡°W-What


    do you think you''re doing?¡±


    Danrique held her chin and drew nearer until she could feel his breath on her face. The atmosphere


    was getting hot and heavy.


    His lips gently brushed her forehead, trailing down to between her brows. Then it slowly traced to her


    eyes, her nose, her cheeks. Every kiss was gentle like a feather.


    Francesca''s heart began pounding so loudly that it was about to break free of her chest.


    Strangely, she could''ve pushed him away, but didn''t want to.


    When his lips finallynded on her lips, their bodies stiffened as though a flicker of electric shock had


    passed through them.


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    A blurry memory shed across Francesca''s mind. It was a young boy identally kissing a young girl.


    The ident had shocked them, leaving them frozen like statues.


    A pure kiss had bounded two young hearts together.


    This moment felt like that. The memory seemed far away but familiar.


    Danrique was getting worked up as his breath became shorter and heavier. He cupped Francesca''s


    face with his hands, wanting to deepen the kiss.


    However, rapid and consecutive knocks came from the door, disrupting the magical moment.


    Francesca snapped out of her daze and frantically pushed Danrique away.


    Feeling awkward, Danrique turned his back to her to organize his feelings. Once he got his emotions


    under control, he asked, ¡°What''s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, I have something to report.¡±


    ¡°Give me a minute.¡±


    Danrique looked over his shoulder at Francesca and said, ¡°Rest well and stop thinking so much.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Francesca muttered with blushed cheeks. After shooting him another nce, she hurriedly left.


    Gordon bumped right into Francesca upon opening the door. He was shocked to see the shy look on


    her face.


    Francesca dashed back to her room and flung herself onto her bed. She stacked her hands over her


    chest where her heart was. What is happening?


    I have no dating experience and no interest in romance, so why couldn''t I push Danrique away when


    he was so close to me?


    His closeness even felt familiar. W-What is going on here? I must have too much of a drink. I''m sure it''s


    the alcohol acting up.


    Wait, no. That''s not right. I can handle alcohol. It doesn''t affect me much, so why did that happen?


    Francesca hugged her pillow closer, tossing and turning at the confusing thoughts before she slowly fell


    asleep.


    Meanwhile, Danrique was ring at Gordon ferociously in the study room. ¡°I don''t care if the world is


    ending, but don''t knock on my door when I''m alone with Cece.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Gordon lowered his head nervously.


    ¡°Now speak.¡±


    Danrique was still thinking about the kiss earlier. Even though it was light, it was enough to get me


    worked up.


    ¡°I just received news that the Pastor had woken up. The situation with M Nation had stabilized. Mr.


    Roth had called, requesting a meeting with you.¡±


    ¡°Tell him I can''t make it this week. If he wants to meet me, he has toe to Xendale. Otherwise, he''ll


    have to wait until my trip to Summerbank next month,¡± Danrique replied coldly.


    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± Gordon immediately obliged Danrique''s instructions.


    Sean came into the study with a document in hand. He greeted Gordon briefly as he passed him before


    handing the document over to Danrique. ¡°Mr. Lindberg, this document is urgent.¡±


    Danrique reached for the document and simply set it on his desk. He didn''t have the mood to analyze it


    at that moment. Instead, he asked, ¡°Sean, were you in a romantic rtionship before?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Sean was taken aback by the sudden switch of the topic and quickly recovered after a few


    seconds. He answered awkwardly, ¡°I-I wasn''t.¡±


    ¡°Did Gordon have any?¡± Danrique followed up with another question.


    ¡°I only knew he used to like a girl one-sidedly when he was younger, but it ended before it even


    started.¡± Sean chuckled. ¡°I don''t think that counts as being in a romantic rtionship.¡±


    ¡°Who has had one before then?¡± Danrique asked persistently.


    ¡°Erm...¡± Sean was baffled and replied cautiously, ¡°I don''t know. Should I gather everyone and ask


    around?¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡± Danrique waved his hand to dismiss him. ¡°Come see me when you have answers.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±

 Chapter 1870

    Chapter 1870


    qSean had gathered all the bodyguards for a meeting. It was quite a sight to have over a hundred bulky


    men squeezed into a room.


    Their expressions were somber, and the atmosphere was tense.


    It was their first time to have a meeting after working for Danrique for so many years.


    They assumed something serious must have happened for the need to gather everyone and


    spected the enemy was strong and tough to handle.


    However, all of them were bewildered when Sean gave them their mission.


    ¡°Why are you all just standing there? I just asked you a question.¡± Sean mmed his hand onto the


    desk and repeated, ¡°Those who had been in a romantic rtionship before, raise your hands.¡±


    Everyone in the room was exchanging nces, thinking they must have heard it wrong.


    So he gathered everyone just to ask about our dating history?


    ¡°Sean...¡± Sloan asked hesitantly, ¡°Will we get fired if we had one?¡±


    ¡°I never had a girlfriend.¡± A few bodyguards rified immediately, hearing Sloan''s question.


    ¡°Rest assured. There''s no punishment.¡± Sean hurriedly exined when he saw the dread on their


    faces. ¡°But you''ll be heavily rewarded if you had one.¡±


    He couldn''t tell them Danrique was asking for advice. It was too humiliating, so he had to find an


    excuse.


    All the bodyguards finally released a relieved breath at Sean''s reassurance.


    ¡°It seems like none of you had a girlfriend before.¡± Sean observed none of the men had raised their


    hands and said disappointedly, ¡°That''s it. Dismissed.¡±


    ¡°I-¡±


    Suddenly, Mylo reluctantly raised his hand. ¡°I had a girlfriend before.¡±


    ¡°Come over here quickly!¡±


    Hope reignited in Sean''s heart. There''s finally one.


    Sean dismissed the others and led Mylo to Danrique.


    Mylo was a bundle of nerves on the way there. ¡°What do I need to do, Sean?¡±


    ¡°Just ry your experience to Mr. Lindberg. That''s it.¡± Sean gave a few ps on his back and


    reassured him. ¡°Don''t worry. Mr. Lindberg only wants advice.¡±


    ¡°A-Advice?¡± Mylo was dumbstruck.


    Seeing no one was around, Sean whispered, ¡°You saw it too, right? Mr. Lindberg had found his first


    love and nned to marry her, but their rtionship was not progressing well. He didn''t have any


    experience in a romantic rtionship, so he just wanted to ask what he should do next.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    ¡°Share your experience with Mr. Lindberg and teach him some tricks. That''s all. You don''t have to do


    anything else.¡±


    Sean reminded, ¡°If your advice is useful, Mr. Lindberg will put you in an important position.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Mylo was excited and felt a sense of responsibility at the same time. ¡°I''ll make sure to tell him


    everything.¡±


    ¡°Oh right. How many rtionships were you in?¡± Sean asked as he knocked on the door to Danrique''s


    study.


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Once. It was before my enlistment. She was my neighbor-¡±


    ¡°Before your enlistment?¡± Sean was stunned. ¡°How old were you then?¡±


    ¡°I enlisted when I was sixteen.¡±


    Sean was speechless. All his effort had gone down the drain. He thought he''d found someone


    experienced, but Mylo turned out to be inexperienced as well.


    These young bodyguards of the Lindberg family were either recruited from the military or trained in


    Lindberg residence since they were young.


    Mylo enlisted when he was sixteen, and the Lindberg family had recruited him at eighteen for his


    outstanding marksmanship. He had been with the Lindberg family for five years. That means he hadn''t


    dated anyone for the past five years.


    Over a hundred of these bodyguards, yet none had any dating experience, just like their employer.


    Pity rose within Sean at that thought.


    Suddenly, Sean realized the severity of the issue. If the enemy uses a honey trap, all these men will fall


    for it.


    ¡°Come in!¡± Danrique called from the room.


    Sean instantly led Mylo into the room.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg,¡± Mylo greeted.


    Danrique lifted his gaze at the neer and frowned. ¡°Just one?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Sean exhaled a disappointing sigh. ¡°Out of a hundred bodyguards only Mylo have experience


    once. I''ve asked every one of them.¡±


    Sean didn''t inform Danrique that Mylo''s rtionship happened when Mylo was in his teens. Otherwise,


    he would receive a harsh admonishment.

 Chapter 1871

    Chapter 1871


    qNo matter what, Mylo had a girlfriend before. Maybe it wasn''t a bad rtionship, and he had some


    good experience.


    ¡°How should I make a woman fall in love with me?¡±


    Danrique was eager to know the answer to that question.


    ¡°This...¡± Mylo mulled over it briefly and answered honestly, ¡°You have to be good-looking. Women like


    handsome men.¡±


    Danrique scanned his features in the mirror and nodded his head with satisfaction. Okay, I have that.


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Secondly, you need to be romantic.¡± Mylo continued, ¡°Women love receiving presents, such as flowers


    and jewelry. You need to create a romantic atmosphere too, like bringing her to dinner at a beautiful


    setting.¡±


    Danrique''s eyes brightened at the suggestion and ordered Sean, ¡°Note it down.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± Sean immediately wrote it down in his notebook.


    ¡°Thirdly, all women love heroes. They want men to save them when they''re in a dangerous situation.


    ¡°I saved my girlfriend from a group of hooligans. She was so touched by my rescue that she willingly


    ran into my embrace.¡±


    Mylo ruffled his head shyly.


    Danrique gestured at Sean to take note on it.


    Sean recorded Mylo''s advice word for word in his notebook.


    ¡°Is there anything else?¡± Danrique questioned.


    ¡°There''s one more, and this is the most important one.¡± Mylo was hesitant to say it. ¡°I''m not sure if I


    should say it.¡±


    ¡°Say it,¡± Danrique demanded.


    ¡°Um...¡± Mylo''s face blushed red as he felt more nervous.


    ¡°There are only men here. There isn''t anything that you can''t say here.¡± Sean urged, ¡°Spit it out.¡±


    ¡°You need to have a strong sex ability.¡± Mylo continued warily, ¡°Men have to take the lead in sex. If


    they''re skilled, they''ll get women falling for them easily.


    ¡°Women will only have sex for love at the start, but they''ll love you for the sex in the end. A sexual


    rtionship is like a rope. The tighter you twist it, the harder it is to unwind it. So you need to always be


    close to her and provide her with perfect sexual experiences.¡±


    Feeling embarrassed, Sean coughed dryly into his fist at Mylo''s advice. ¡°I thought you said you had


    your rtionship when you were a teen. How do you know all these?¡±


    ¡°I was young then, so naturally, I didn''t know anything about rtionships. However, I''m an adult now,


    and I frequently watch movies on the inte. That''s how I know all these. On some asions, I would


    head to the bar with Sloan during the holidays to gain some experience.¡±


    Mylo noticed he was straying from the topic, so he swiftly exined, ¡°Mr. Lindberg, we''re only there for


    a beer and some chit-chat with thedies. We had never revealed anything rted to the Lindberg


    family.¡±


    ¡°How do you gain experience at the bar?¡±


    Danrique knew they wouldn''t betray him, so he wasn''t worried about them revealing any secrets. He


    cared more about how to gain experience quickly.


    ¡°You can see how the men flirt with the women at the bar. Talking to some pretty women can give you


    an insight as to what women like and dislike.¡±


    Mylo got more excited as he spoke. ¡°Anyhow, having only the theory isn''t going to help you in a


    romantic rtionship. You need to have experience.¡±


    Danrique listened to him attentively and agreed with his viewpoint.


    ¡°All right.¡± Sean had noted down everything. ¡°Is there anything else?¡±


    ¡°I don''t think so.¡± Mylo pondered briefly and replied hesitantly, ¡°I only know that much.¡±


    ¡°Think about it after you get back. If you have more advice, report it to me,¡± Danrique instructed.


    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±


    Mylo felt like he had just received an important mission.


    ¡°You''re dismissed,¡± Sean said.


    Mylo saluted Danrique and left.


    ¡°Prepare ording to Mylo''s advice,¡± Danrique ordered Sean.


    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± Seanplied and asked, ¡°But what kind of flowers does Ms. Cece like?¡±

 Chapter 1872

    Chapter 1872


    q¡°Find me some of everything, jewelry, nes, you know, and the like. Find out what girls like, buy


    everything.¡±


    She''s going to see how much she means to me when she wakes up tomorrow morning!


    The study fell silent as Sean left at once to make the necessary arrangements.


    Without wasting a second, Danrique began entering a series of search queries with his tablet.


    What''s a girl''s favorite gift?


    How to capture a girl''s heart.


    How to fall in love?


    The Art of Love.


    To Danrique''s astonishment, there were so many sources of information on the Inte that the input of


    those stupid bodyguards waspletely unnecessary.


    Taking great care to organize his findings, Danrique jotted them down in a notebook forter use.


    His curiosity not satiated, he began searching again. How to kiss.


    Conscious that he was about to tread into unknown territory, Danrique waited nervously for the page to


    load with the resemnce of a child facing an exam.


    The search engine returned a fascinating array of techniques supplemented by video tutorials.


    Danrique opened a link and found that it was a couple about to demonstrate and exin the art of


    kissing.


    With the ardor of a curious student, he studied the video earnestly and carefully.


    Before he could prepare for it, Francesca''s figure appeared in his mind and caused an involuntary


    blush that preceded the quickening of his pulse. Undeterred, he persevered and moved on to the all-


    important question with increased boldness.


    After disying a series of harrowing pop-up advertisements, his tablet promptly disyed an


    unresponsive blue screen as its final act of defiance and horror at the depravity of its master.


    Danrique stared at his device in amazement. After several more tries, he still could not resurrect it.


    It was only then that Danrique recalled that he had had especially strong firewalls installed to bolster


    the cybersecurity of his home in order to prevent the invasion of hackers. Once an unsafe webpage


    was opened, the system would automatically shut down.


    Turns out that this system has been put in ce to exert control over me.


    Embarrassed yet stony-faced, Danrique summoned Sean and gave him two tasks. The first was to deal


    with the firewall problem in such a way that nobody would ever find out about it. The second was to find


    him some adult films for his self-proimed academic purposes.


    Sean gazed at Danrique incredulously upon hearing the second mission.


    Is he serious?


    ¡°As soon as possible,¡± Danrique repeated urgently. ¡°Also, keep that a secret as well. Nobody is to


    know.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± Sean strode away quickly to hide his scandalized expression. Why did I have to be a trusted


    confidant of his? Now I''m handling all of these embarrassing errands and not a soul toin to!


    As he had never had a girlfriend, Sean, too, was clueless as to where to begin executing his


    employer''s request. He did not even know what adult film meant.


    Danrique retired to his chambers while Sean searched with increasing desperation for those on his


    mobile phone. Due to not even knowing what to search for, he found himself frustratedly empty-handed


    after hours of aimless browsing.


    Near tears in despair, Sean enlisted the help of Mylo and Sloan again.


    ¡°What can we do for you, Sean?¡± Mylo asked with hushed excitement as if he had be Sean''s


    secret informant.


    ¡°I''ve never actually been in a rtionship, Sean,¡± said Sloan cautiously, worried about his secrets


    coming to light. ¡°I''m not sure if I would be of much help.¡±


    ¡°I have an urgent task for you boys, but you need to keep it a secret.¡±


    Sean lowered his voice as if he was setting up a very rigorous and dangerous mission.


    ¡°Go ahead, Sean.¡± Mylo and Sloan waited solemnly.


    ¡°Er...¡± Sean hesitated before gritting his teeth resignedly and blurting, ¡°Find me some adult films.¡±


    Sloan and Mylo exchanged a bbergasted nce. ¡°What''s an adult film?¡± Sloan asked loudly.


    ¡°Idiot! Don''t you remember?¡± Mylo lowered his voice, ¡°That thing I showed you.¡±


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    Sloan blushed suddenly, which was all the confirmation Sean needed.


    ¡°Since you''ve seen it, I''m sure you have a collection, don''t you?¡± he said at once. ¡°Hurry up and send it


    to me.¡±


    ¡°You got us, Sean.¡± Mylo scratched his head embarrassedly, ¡°I have several gigabytes of material,


    though. What kind would you like, Sean?¡±


    ¡°We''ll start with a few simple ones for virgins first.¡±

 Chapter 1873

    Chapter 1873


    q¡°Are you still a virgin, Sean?¡± Mylo''s eyes widened with shock. ¡°No way!¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± Sean shouted as he flushed crimson. ¡°Enough chattering and send it to me quickly!¡±


    Mylo nodded fervently. ¡°I''ll search through my collection for something you asked for and have it sent to


    you as soon as I can.¡±


    ¡°The ones you gave me seem to be what Sean needs, don''t they?¡± Sloan asked sheepishly. ¡°Here,


    Sean. I have a copy in my phone.¡±


    Sean was so mortified to the point that he was at that point contemting starting a new life abroad at


    a ce where no one knew his shame.


    Danrique was toweling his hair dry after a shower when he received a message on his phone. He


    picked it up and saw that it was a video clip sent by Sean.


    In his haste to his phone, he had forgotten to proceed with caution when his phone which had been on


    maximum volume suddenly shrieked with a pair of the most awful sounds Danrique had ever heard.


    He was so frightened that he threw his phone across the room from him as if it were a grenade.


    The screams bounced off the walls and echoed throughout the house. Horrified, Danrique dived to


    retrieve his phone and turned off the sound. Heaving a sigh of relief, he continued to peruse the muted


    video.


    While he was studying the writhing characters, Danrique suddenly widened his eyes unblinkingly.


    Is this even possible?


    Not daring to watch another second, Danrique skipped ahead as he tried to look for something more


    wholesome.


    His quest failing miserably, Danrique gave up soon after and started another one.


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    This time, there was an introductory plot. Danrique shifted a little straighter in the hopes of learning


    something useful.


    Quickly growing weary about the ridiculously shallow plot between the young and attractive couple,


    Danrique turned off the second video as well.


    After serious consideration of the matter, he decided against spending his time just sabotaging his self-


    esteem.


    I''ll learn something more useful from innocent romance novels. At least there are detailed instructions


    on how to fall in love and how to kiss.


    With a newfound determination at hand, Danrique summoned Sean for another task. What she needs


    to see is the pureness of my intentions toward her. For that, I need to learn the art and science of love.


    Other things can wait.


    Sean received his instructions through the call. Though embarrassed beyond belief, he maintained his


    stoic professionalism and summoned Mylo.


    ¡°This is what I''m after. Gather all you can and send it to me as soon as possible.¡±


    After hanging up the phone, Mylo called Sloan. ¡°Sean has an assignment for you,¡± he said seriously,


    ¡°find some romantic films and send them to me.¡±


    ¡°I have some of those,¡± Sloan replied eagerly. ¡°Novels of that genre too, if you like. They''re really well


    written.¡±


    ¡°Great, send them all to me.¡±


    ¡°Already on it.¡±


    Through a series of secretive forwarding, the romantic films and novels Danrique asked for eventually


    reached him.


    Leaning on his elbow, he reached over to turn on the bedsidemp to locate his silver-rimmed sses.


    Grabbing a pen and notebook ready, he began to note as he read.


    Like any other craft, love can be mastered through hard work and setting realistic goals.


    Sean sighed at the lightsing from the crack beneath Danrique''s door. ¡°Love channels can


    consumes a man''s entire being.¡±


    ¡°This proves that Mr. Lindberg is quite serious about this Ms. Cece.¡± Gordon was optimistic. ¡°It''s about


    time, too. Mr. Lindberg has never felt the warmth of a family since he was a child. With the appearance


    of such a lovely girl who makes him happy, he won''t have to spend the future alone.¡±


    ¡°I hope so,¡± Sean said wistfully, though with the slightest hint of doubt in his eyes about Ms. Cece.


    Francesca was greeted by the smell of flowers when she woke up the following morning. As she got up


    and sniffed hopefully around, she noticed that there was nothing unusual in the room. The fragrance of


    flowers seems to being from outside.


    Her mounting curiosity getting the better of her, Francesca put on her coat and opened the door only to


    be rooted to the spot in absolute shock.


    Everywhere in sight, from along the corridor, through the banisters of the spiral staircase, to across the


    tables of the living room, flowers of every variety included, but not limited to, roses, lilies, carnations,


    sunflowers, and gypsoph, adorned every logistically sound surface.


    Francesca pinched herself absently. This sight truly is a dream.

 Chapter 1874

    Chapter 1874


    qFlowers were very rare in a city like Xendale which snowed all year round.


    It was no easy feat to procure so many flowers overnight, and even harder to arrange them within that


    span.


    Francesca gazed about the castle in ecstasy which looked like it was rejuvenated overnight.


    Having grown up in the mountains, Francesca had a soft spot for flowers. From as young as she could


    remember, she seemed to have a special affinity with flowers, nts, and small animals.


    When she first arrived, the castle existed within a spectrum of only blue and grey.


    The dazzling embellishment of flowers turned it into a warm and romantic ce.


    Even the servants were affected. Their newfound joy was a pleasant change from their cautious and


    formal demeanors. Every one of them wore bright smiles on their faces that morning as if in anticipation


    of a major celebration.


    ¡°Do you like it?¡± A familiar voice came from behind.


    Francesca turned and saw Danriqueing out of his room. He looked immactely beautiful d


    wholly in white. The gentle smile across his lips was the icing on the cake.


    ¡°Did you do all of this?¡± Francesca asked happily.


    ¡°Guilty.¡± Danrique was delighted at her smile. ¡°I bought other gifts too. I hope you like them.¡±


    ¡°What else did you get me?¡± Francesca asked curiously.


    ¡°You''ll find outter.¡± Danrique smiled mysteriously and brushed a strand of hair away from her ear so


    that she did not miss his whisper. ¡°I''ll wait for you downstairs.¡±


    His hot breath washing over the delicate skin of her ears sent a delicious current down her spine.


    With a great shuddering breath, Francesca felt her whole body turning prematurely sore.


    Before she could react, he brushed her shoulder and went downstairs without another backward nce


    at her.


    Francesca was rooted to the spot.


    What''s gotten into him? Since when did he behave like this?


    Meanwhile, Danrique smirked at the tangible proof of Francesca''s nervousness. The skills from the


    romance novels are being put to good use!


    Francesca rubbed her tingling ears and returned to her bedroom and pondered Danrique''s strange


    behavior as she fell onto the couch.


    At that moment, there came a knock on the door followed by Norah''s voice. ¡°May wee in, Ms.


    Cece?¡±


    Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    ¡°You may!¡± Francesca respondedzily.


    Norah pushed the door and led a dozen maids into Francesca''s chambers, each holding an exquisite


    gift box in her hand.


    Francesca gazed at them nkly for several seconds before shaking her head in astonishment.


    ¡°What''s this for?¡±


    ¡°These are gifts prepared by Mr. Lindberg for you, Ms. Cece.¡± Norah smiled and gestured.


    As one, the maids stood in a line before Francesca and opened the box in their hands for her


    inspection.


    Francesca rolled off the couch to get a closer look. Upon recognizing what they were, her eyes bulged


    excitedly.


    A sparkling array of priceless jewelry which included ruby nes, sapphire rings, and diamond


    nes glinted before her beady eyes.


    Francesca stretched out her trembling hands and touched them one by one. ¡°Are all these for me?¡± she


    asked excitedly.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Norah answered with a smile. ¡°Mr. Lindberg had them prepared for you.¡±


    ¡°Oh my god!¡± Francesca was overjoyed and whispered to herself in Chanaean, ¡°I wouldn''t have run


    away if I knew he''s this generous!¡±


    Norah didn''t understand her. ¡°I beg your pardon, Ms. Cece? What did you say?¡±


    ¡°I said,¡± she repeated loudly and slowly, ¡°I like it very much. Please thank him for me.¡± Slightly


    incoherent with excitement, Francesca shook herself. ¡°Please set the gifts down, everyone. It looks so


    tiring.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ms. Cece.¡± Norah gestured at the maids who promptly ced all jewelry on the bed before


    bowing and retreating.


    ¡°Let me do your hair today, Ms. Cece,¡± Norah offered. ¡°Mr. Lindberg is awaiting your presence at the


    breakfast table.¡±


    ¡°No need,¡± Francesca said at once. ¡°I can manage. You may leave.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ms. Cece. I''ll be right outside if you need me.¡±

 Chapter 1875

    Chapter 1875


    qFrancesca threw himself on the bed as soon as the room was empty once again and let the jewels fall


    through her trembling fingers. ¡°I''m going to be rich!¡±


    The number of precious jewels on her bed at that instant was almostparable to all the wealth she


    possessed in the world.


    Danrique is far richer than I thought. Could I possibly achieve my dream of achieving financial freedom


    and traveling the world by the age of thirty ahead of schedule?


    Francesca was beginning to growfortable with the idea of having somebody as tolerable as


    Danrique who was willing to pamper her all her life.


    In fact, she mused, it wasn''t a bad life at all.


    I could just stay here.


    Francesca was about to sumb to temptation when she roused herself with a fierce little shake of her


    head. No! Not like this like this. If I stay, I''ll have to get married and have children. Having a baby really


    hurts. Worst of all, I''ll be chained for life after having a child. It''ll be toote for me to leave then.


    Being used to a free life, Francesca felt suffocated at the very thought of being tied down. Preferring to


    take her own orders, she hated being involved in arge family filled with schemers and politics.


    With the exception of medicine, Francesca did not enjoy exerting her mind much for any other cause.


    She could not see herself engaged in a never-ending mind game with people whose names she could


    not remember anyway.


    Donald and Eva have shown themselves over the past couple of days. I wonder what other surprises


    lie in wait?


    At that gloomy thought, Francesca reced the jewelry back into their boxes once more.


    The only wage I can ept is the one I toiled for.


    Though she charged exorbitant amounts in medical fees, with a myriad of expenses cunningly tacked


    on, Francesca justified her ie as rightfully earned.


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    This feels different. Danrique gave them to be because he wants to establish a rtionship with me.


    Since I don''t n on staying, it wouldn''t feel right to ept.


    The door creaked open while she was lost in thought.


    Danrique strode in gracefully and gazed at her tenderly. ¡°Do you like them?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± Francesca sat up from the bed, her eyes never leaving the jewelry. ¡°I really do.¡±


    ¡°I''m d you do.¡± Danrique smiled warmly. ¡°Pick something to wear to the banquet tonight.¡±


    Francesca''s mouth hung open. ¡°You''re taking me to a banquet?¡±


    Danrique nodded. ¡°Don''t worry, nobody will dare pick on you with me around.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Francesca pushed the jewelry away from her a little too quickly. ¡°I can''t ept them.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± Danrique looked at her suspiciously.


    ¡°I didn''t work for them,¡± Francesca answered bluntly. ¡°Though it is very well received, I can''t ept


    such expensive gifts from you.¡±


    ¡°Why not? You are my fianc¨¦e.¡± Danrique frowned as a thought urred to him. ¡°I knew it. You hate


    them.¡±


    ¡°No, I do like them! So much.¡± Francesca cast another reluctant gaze at the jewelry. ¡°But I can''t marry


    you.¡±


    ¡°Who said anything about marriage?¡± Danrique shrugged. ¡°ept it if you like it, or throw it away if you


    don''t.¡±


    Francesca seemed to be undergoing an intense mental struggle, which her frequent gazes at the


    jewelry did not help.


    Danrique noticed her hesitance. Without warning, he grabbed the jewelry and threw them out the


    window.


    ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Francesca howled as she hurried over to the window and peered down. The jewelry


    had already fallen out of sight into the denseyer of snow that covered the castle grounds.


    In her panic, she leaped out of the window.

 Chapter 1876

    Chapter 1876


    qDanrique dashed forward a moment toote, only managing to grasp at the thin air her arm used to


    be moments before. By the time he realized what had happened, Francesca was already soaring out of


    the window with her arms outstretched.


    Danrique was about to follow suit when he found to her relief that she hadnded safely and was busy


    rummaging for missing jewelry in the snow.


    Although her bedroom was only situated on the second floor, it was still forty feet above the ground.


    Inexplicably, it did not even seem like a superhuman feat to her.


    Under the increasingly heavy snowfall, Francesca brushed the snowkes off of her shoulders


    impatiently. Despite being d in only a thin gauze skirt, the cold did not seem important enough to


    pause her search.


    Even more suspiciously, the sprightly movements with which she plodded atop the snow barefooted


    were most unlike that of a frail woman in convalescence.


    Danrique squinted his eyes and looked at her, his eyes flickering with a spark of recognition. What a


    familiar looking back.


    ¡°Oh, Ms. Cece!¡± Norah appeared anxiously with a coat at the ready. ¡°Aren''t you a little underdressed?


    What are you looking for out here by yourself? Come in, you''re going to catch a cold.¡±


    ¡°I''m looking for the jewels your idiotic master has thrown out of the window,¡± Francesca blurted aloud in


    her anxiety. ¡°I couldn''t find them anywhere.¡±


    Her voice rang clearly up the castle walls and reached Danrique''s ears who frowned at the unttering


    title.


    ¡°Come in quickly, please. I''ll have someone look for it for you. We will find every single gemstone there


    is.¡±


    Norah draped the coat over Francesca''s shoulders. ¡°It''s freezing today. We must warm you up and


    ensure that you''ll be fit enough to attend the banquet with Mr. Lindberg tonight.¡±


    ¡°What banquet? I''m not going anywhere!¡± Francesca retorted, her mind upied with nothing else but


    the lost jewelry.


    The glint of a topaz caught Francesca''s eye. She pounced and extracted a beautiful topaz ne


    from a mound of snow. Slipping it carefully into her pocket, she resumed her search.


    Norah had no choice but to summon several bodyguards to join in the treasure hunt.


    With the additional pairs of hands, most of the lost gems were recovered swiftly.


    After the men swore that there was none left to be found, Francesca counted her loot and found seven


    pieces. However, the total number of items that had been flung out of the window by Danrique


    remained unknown to her as they had been contained in tworge boxes.


    Cradling the jewelry as if they were fragile, she dashed back upstairs for another tally.


    After ordering the bodyguards to resume their search in the snow, Norah escorted Francesca back to


    the castle.


    Two maids immediately came over with more coats and nkets to drape over her cold body.


    Francesca was about to head up the stairs when Danrique descended gracefully. ¡°Why did you throw


    them out, you lunatic?¡± she asked angrily.


    ¡°I told you that you''re free to throw it out if you don''t like them.¡±


    Danrique could not be indifferent, as if it was not something worth mentioning.


    ¡°It was through my efforts to have recovered them,¡± Francesca said quickly as she clutched the jewelry


    against her chest, for fear of being robbed by him again. ¡°They''re mine now.¡±


    Danrique nodded. ¡°Sure.¡±


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Francesca threw onest suspicious re at him before disappearing upstairs to count her loot and


    found everything else ounted for except for a ruby ring.


    In her panic, Francesca was about to dive out of the window again when Norah hurriedly grabbed her.


    ¡°The walls are exceptionally high, Ms. Cece. You''ll hurt yourself.¡±


    ¡°I won''t! I did it earli-¡±


    Francesca stopped herself just in time. She was just beginning to realize how reckless she had been


    by defying all expectations of a frail woman with a gunshot wound by leaping out of the window without


    a second thought.


    Danrique might have noticed something amiss.


    ¡°Please, Ms. Cece,¡± bleated Norah earnestly. Change out of these wet clothes and go have breakfast


    with Mr. Lindberg. Leave the ruby ring to me.¡±


    ¡°I think Mr. Lindberg seems a little angry,¡± she added with a wink. ¡°You should coax him.¡±


    Francesca was speechless with indignation. ¡°On what grounds? He threw the things, didn''t he?¡±


    ¡°I-¡±


    ¡°Forget it, Norah,¡± Francesca cut across tly. ¡°I''m going back out for the ring.


    Francesca stowed the jewelry away safely, put on her boots and coat, and went back out to the cold for


    the remainder.


    Finders, keepers.

 Chapter 1877

    Chapter 1877


    qDanrique was at that moment sipping his coffee at the dining table. Expecting her to join him at the


    table at the sight of Francesca descending the stairs, he was most displeased to see her running out


    into the cold again.


    Norah jogged in Francesca''s determined wake as she fretted. ¡°Be careful, Ms. Cece! There''s a chilly


    gale today.¡±


    Francesca did not look back. A secondter, she disappeared into the dense curtain of freshly falling


    snow.


    Danrique was aghast at the tant disy of stubbornness.


    I did everything right. Despite giving her flowers and jewels, she was not even moved to tears like the


    films depicted! It seems she doesn''t even like jewelry. Right, I almost forgot that she''s an unusual one.


    Thews ofmon sense don''t apply to her.


    ¡°We''re runningte, Sir.¡± Gordon appeared with an update. ¡°You have an important meeting at ten


    o''clock where the three families will be in attendance.¡±


    Danrique set his mug down and strode out while pulling his coat over himself.


    Gordon and the others followed at a respectful distance.


    Danrique walked out of the main hall and was about to get into the car where the chauffeur was waiting


    when he paused to watch Francesca who remained on the prowl for something under the lighthouse


    not far from where he stood.


    Norah was still fussing over her. ¡°You''re going to catch a cold if you don''t put on a coat, Ms. Cece.¡±


    Francesca ignored her. Equipped with a stick, she used it as a shovel to brush aside the increasingly


    thickyer of snow.


    ¡°Didn''t you boys already find everything?¡± Danrique asked the bodyguard stationed next to him.


    ¡°What''s she doing?¡±


    ¡°It seems that there is still a ruby ring that has not been recovered, Sir,¡± the bodyguard responded


    smartly.


    Danrique was too irritated to feel concerned anymore. Just as he was about to get into the car, a maid


    suddenly screamed. ¡°Look!¡±


    Danrique whipped around at the sound and spotted a small white squirrel holding the coveted ruby as it


    stood on an overhead branch.


    Apparently confusing it for an acorn, it gnawed at it a few times before realizing that it was inedible. At


    aplete loss, it merely stared nkly at the ruby.


    ¡°So that''s where it''s been all along!¡± Francesca eximed as she extended a hand toward the squirrel.


    ¡°Come here, little one!¡±


    ¡°It won''t understand you, Ms. Cece,¡± Norah exined patiently, quite convinced that Francesca had lost


    it. Not to worry, Ms. Cece, I''ll have someone to catch it.¡±


    Norah was about to summon somebody when the squirrel hopped onto her shoulders at her whistle as


    it held the ruby ring out with both paws like an offering.


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    With a triumphant cheer, Francesca took the ruby ring and gently stroked the squirrel''s head. ¡°You are


    such a stunning creature!¡±


    White squirrels were rare, only native to cold regions like Xendale. The one that Francesca had


    befriended must have been out on a foraging mission when it had mistaken the ruby ring for food.


    ¡°Bring some pine nuts for him,¡± Francesca ordered.


    ¡°Yes, Ms. Cece.¡± A maid immediately went to fetch some.


    Danrique''s eyes glinted strangely at the spectacle.


    ¡°I didn''t know Ms. Cece has such a gift with animals,¡± Sean said wistfully.


    ¡°It''s just a squirrel,¡± Danrique said dismissively before entering the car and found himself interrupted yet


    again.


    Francesca approached him with the white squirrel on her shoulder and the ruby ring on her finger.


    Despite having his eyes fixed on her, Francesca did not meet Danrique''s gaze.


    His resentment brewing at her insolence, he retracted his gaze before getting into the car.


    At that very moment, Gordon hurried over with two boxes in his arms. ¡°This is the custom-made jewelry


    you asked for, Mr. Lindberg. And here are several sets of jewelry from the auction which will be


    delivered over in a couple of days, ording to the auction house..¡±


    Jewelry?


    Francesca''s eyes lit up at the mention of the magic word. ¡°What is this?¡± she leaned closer and sniffed


    the air hopefully.


    ¡°It''s customized jewelry that Mr. Lindberg had made for you, Ms. Cece.¡±


    Gordon opened the case to reveal a gleaming diamond ne nestled within.


    The main stone, at least thirty-six carats, was surrounded by smaller diamonds all around. Their


    multifaceted brilliance dazzled like stars in the sky under the nd wintry sun.


    Francesca''s eyes bulged. Despite her impressive collection, she stillcked a diamond ne.


    Especially one as gorgeous as that. I wonder how much it''s worth?


    ¡°I knew Ms. Cece would like it,¡± Gordon said happily.


    ¡°Return it,¡± Danrique snapped.

 Chapter 1878

    Chapter 1878


    q¡°Ah?¡± Stunned, Gordon muttered, ¡°Mr. Lindberg, this...¡±


    Equally shocked, Francesca asked, ¡°W-Why?¡±


    ¡°I thought you didn''t like jewelry?¡± Danrique shot her a cold re before adding, ¡°You tried to reject it


    several times this morning. Since you don''t like it, why force you to ept it?¡±


    ¡°I-I...¡±


    Francesca badly wanted to say that she liked the gift, yet she could not bring herself to utter those


    words.


    A furious Danrique entered the car instead of waiting for her to reply.


    Meanwhile, Gordon remained frozen to the spot in indecision.


    Sean whispered in his ear, ¡°Just follow his orders and return the jewelry.¡±


    After that, Sean followed Danrique into the car.


    Gordon could only close the jewelry box and address one of the bodyguards, Mylo, ¡°You know what to


    do with it?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Mylo lowered his head and acknowledged Gordon''s orders. ¡°I''ll return the item right away.¡±


    As he spoke, Mylo lifted the box and left with several people in tow.


    Francesca stared at the box longingly.


    It''s fine. I already got seven sets of jewelry. Losing this one ne isn''t a big deal. We shouldn''t be


    too greedy, after all.


    Gordonmented, ¡°What a shame! That ne was Moon River''s Heart. It''s one-of-a-kind, and Mr.


    Lindberg pulled a lot of strings to buy it. It''s worth three hundred million!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Francesca''s eyes widened in astonishment as she eximed, ¡°Did you just say that the


    ne was worth three hundred million? What currency is that? M Nation''s?¡±


    ¡°Of course! Returning it now is such a waste of betrothal money.¡±


    Francesca was rendered speechless.


    Three hundred million in M Nation''s currency?


    She suddenly asked, ¡°T-Then, how much were the other jewelry worth?¡±


    She was so agitated that her words came out as stutters.


    ¡°The seven sets of jewelry are worth over ny millionbined, just shy of a hundred million. Mr.


    Lindberg bought those directly from jewelry retailers. Moon River''s Heart was an exception. It belonged


    to the collection of one of Mr. Lindberg''s business associates, who only sold it to Mr. Lindberg because


    he personally asked to buy it,¡± said Gordon.


    Francesca''s legs gave out, and she almost fell t on the floor.


    ¡°What''s wrong, Ms. Cece? Norah hurried forward to help her to her feet and muttered, ¡°Is the weather


    too cold for your knees? Come on! Let''s go inside.¡±


    Francesca''s lips trembled. She felt as though she could cry.


    Without a word, she allowed Norah to help her into the house.


    Gordon asked worriedly, ¡°Should we get you checked out by a doctor?¡±


    His question met with Francesca''s silence.


    The woman was presently stewing silently in regret.


    Why? Why did Danrique pretend it was no big deal when he gave me the jewelry? Why did I have to


    reject his gift? Why couldn''t I just receive it happily? All that talk about wages from toil is b*llcr*p! A gift


    is a gift; I didn''t steal or rob for it. Why can''t I receive it? I can''t live off of dignity alone. Urgh! I won''t be


    this stupid again!


    The more she thought about it, the more Francesca regretted her earlier actions. Morose and furious,


    she could not even stomach breakfast and sprawled dejectedly across her bed once she returned to


    her room.


    Mistakenly believing that she had caught a cold, Norah prepared some warm fruit tea and even


    summoned a doctor to check on Francesca.


    Francesca eventually asked them all to leave her alone.


    She wanted to reflect on her poor decisions and figure out what was going on in her dumb, self-


    sabotaging brain.


    When Norah delivered lunch to the room at noon, she asked cautiously, ¡°How are you feeling, Ms.


    Cece? Do you feel unwell anywhere? Would you like to take any medicine?¡±


    ¡°I''m fine.¡± Francesca began to feel her hunger, and she got off the bed to eat.


    ¡°That''s great to hear.¡± Norah heaved a sigh of relief before continuing, ¡°After lunch, you should select a


    gown and some jewelry for the banquet tonight. We''re setting off at five in the evening.¡±


    ¡°What banquet? I''m not going.¡± Francesca was utterly disinterested.


    Norah coaxed her as though she was a petnt kid. ¡°Mr. Lindberg rarely attends banquets, and he


    wants to bring you along. It''s your first public appearance, and it''s really important. Please don''t be


    stubborn.¡±


    ¡°I...¡±


    Francesca was about to argue with Norah when a light bulb shed in her mind. I can''t spend my days


    trapped in this castle forever. Perhaps I''ll have a chance to escape by attending this banquet outside.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 1879

    Chapter 1879


    qAs the thought of a potential opportunity to escape crossed her mind, Francesca replied to Norah,


    ¡°Anything''s fine with me. You can pick any gown or jewelry.¡±


    ¡°That''s great. I''ll arrange for a stylist right away.¡± With that, Norah scurried off to get in touch with other


    household staff.


    Francesca gobbled up the delicious lunch before preparing to take a nap. She mumbled, ¡°I want to


    sleep for a bit. Wake me up a littleter.¡±


    ¡°Sure. I''ll wake you up at three. You still need to shower and do makeup and get dressed for the


    banquet.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Francesca flipped over and hugged a pillow, falling asleep quickly.


    Norah shook her head and smiled to herself. She reminded the maids to move around quietly so they


    would not disturb Francesca.


    A short whileter, Francesca''s phone began vibrating under her pillow. She fumbled for it annoyedly


    and saw that it was a call from Anthony. She answered it, and he asked, ¡°Where are you, Francesca?¡±


    ¡°What''s up?¡± Francesca growled softly.


    ¡°I''m worried about those metal pieces in your brain, so I''m calling to remind you to go for surgery soon.


    You''re a doctor, and you know better than anyone else how serious the situation is. You can''t dy it


    any further.¡±


    Francesca replied tly, ¡°I know.¡±


    She woke up fully after Anthony''s call. Francesca hardly considered the metal pieces aplex issue,


    and she would have easily operated on someone else afflicted with the condition.


    s, she did not have eyes on the back of her head. Attempting to operate on the back of her head


    was unrealistic.


    The back of her head no longer throbbed in pain over the past two days, though it was more an


    indication of problems instead of improvement.


    As a doctor, she always prioritized the health of her patients, yet she always put her own well-being on


    the back burner.


    If not for Anthony''s timely reminder, she might have forgotten all about the metal pieces in her brain.


    Absorbed in her thoughts, she remained silent for a good long while, prompting Anthony to call out,


    ¡°Hello? Hello?¡±


    Francesca jolted back to reality and said, ¡°I know it''s urgent. I''ll try to get it done as soon as I can.¡±


    ¡°Did Danrique bring you to Erihal?¡± Anthony suddenly sounded anxious as he demanded, ¡°Did he lock


    you up or something? I''ll try my best to get you out of there.¡±


    Francesca hurriedly cut off his line of thought and said, ¡°What n can you think of? I can settle my


    matters here. Just focus on managing the orphanage.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    She interrupted, ¡°That''s enough. Let''s drop the topic.¡±


    Francesca hung up on him and rubbed her temples, which throbbed in frustration.


    I have to think of a way to get out of here soon. Will I have an opportunity during the banquetter?


    Wait no, Danrique is escorting me there. Why would he let me escape right under his nose? Plus,


    these banquets are always tightly guarded. I should drop the idea instead of banking on false hope.


    Still, I could get to know new people at these banquets. Maybe someone like Eva could bring me away


    from the castle. Then, I''ll have a better shot at escaping. That has got to be better than sitting around


    idly! This castle is practically imprable; no one can make it out of here. Any chance of escaping


    can only be outside its walls.


    Someone knocked on her room door as Francesca mulled over her escape n. ¡°Are you awake, Ms.


    Cece?¡±


    ¡°I am. You maye in.¡±


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    Francesca yawned and crawled out of bed.


    Norah entered her room with a few maids and stylists, ready to assist her during her bath and styling.


    The number of staff gave Francesca a headache. She dered, ¡°Don''t trouble yourselves. A simple


    styling will do.¡±


    ¡°But-¡±


    ¡°I''ll take a bath now. You guys wait outside.¡±


    After that, Francesca headed straight into the bathroom and took a quick shower. Then, she came out


    in a bathrobe, her hair piled up on her head in a towel.


    The stylists immediately stepped forward to dry her hair and apply skincare products to her face.


    Francesca leaned against the chair and nodded off. She was still drowsy after Anthony''s call


    interrupted her much-needed nap.


    She closed her eyes and allowed the stylists to fix up her face as they pleased. Still, she reminded,


    ¡°Don''t go too heavy on the makeup; keep it simple. You have half an hour to finish up.¡±


    ¡°Half an hour?¡±


    The stylists were bbergasted. One of them sputtered, ¡°That''s hardly enough time, Ms. Cece.¡±


    ¡°Shall I take over then?¡± Francesca deadpanned and yawned.


    ¡°Erm...¡± The stylists looked to Norah for instruction.


    Norah hastily dered, ¡°Mr. Lindberg has made it clear that we must follow Ms. Cece''s wishes. If she


    wants simple, that''s what we''ll give her.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡±

 Chapter 1880

    Chapter 1880


    qFrancesca got ready in the blink of an eye.


    She was all dolled up in an asymmetrical white dress and her hair was light and bouncy. Her light, fresh


    makeup look made her look just like a little fairy.


    A few of the make-up artists started marveling at her lively beauty.


    Even Francesca herself couldn''t really recognize herself in the mirror.


    She had dressed herself up before, even to the extent of wearing dresses and wigs, but she had never


    seen herself look this exquisite before.


    The makeup look was simple and the hairdo was simply neat and subtle, yet there was a certain


    cadence to it that she had never seen before.


    The wild child who had scurried around in the forest was now a strikingly pretty fairy. She was almost


    unbelievably beautiful.


    ¡°You''re gorgeous!¡±


    A bunch of stylists and maids began to sing her praises.


    ¡°Look! Just a little bit of touching up and you''re already gorgeous,¡± Norah said gleefully. ¡°Mr. Lindberg


    will be very happy to see you.¡±


    ¡°I don''t care if he''s happy or not. My happiness is more important right now.¡±


    Francesca looked down at her three-inch heels and stood up, wobbling as she did so. ¡°For example,


    these shoes are making me really unhappy right now. I can''t even stand properly in them, let alone


    walk.¡±


    ¡°We prepared a lot of shoes for you that will go with this dress. Feel free to choose your favorite ones!¡±


    The stylists immediately brought out pair after pair of shoes and ced them in front of her.


    She looked at them and frowned. ¡°They''re all high heels!¡±


    ¡°There are some of them that are just two-inch heels.¡±


    The stylists brought the shorter heels to Francesca, but she still shook her head.


    ¡°I can''t wear any of these,¡± she said.


    ¡°But...¡± the stylists all trailed off as they looked at each other, not daring to say what hade to mind.


    Norah had to step in and exin, ¡°Ms. Cece, everyone in Erihal is quite tall. You''re already quite small


    and petitepared to the rest of us, and you might look like a child if you don''t wear heels-¡±


    ¡°I can''t even walk in these.¡±


    Francesca kicked off the heels on her feet and copsed onto the sofa. ¡°Find a pair of ts for me,


    please. If not, you''ll just have to tell Danrique that I couldn''t make it.¡±


    ¡°Then-¡± The stylists all turned to look at Norah in confusion.


    She sighed and said, ¡°Listen to Ms. Cece.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    The stylists immediately went to look for a pair of ts and finally managed to get someone from the


    company to send some over.


    They hadn''t prepared any themselves since every woman would be wearing expensive high heels at


    such an event. They hadn''t ever heard of someone showing up wearing ts to a banquet.


    Francesca was truly the first.


    Luckily, they had enough time to waste. Simply deciding on a pair alone took more than an hour.


    The stylistpany sent over a few dozen pairs of ts and the stylists immediately began helping


    Francesca try them on.


    Soon enough, she decided on a pair of pristine white ts and asked for a pair of socks as well. She


    nodded in approval after stomping her feet a bit. Much better!


    ¡°I''ll go with these.¡±


    ¡°Um...¡±


    The stylists just stared in shock. They couldn''t help but feel like itcked style and wanted to say


    something, but Francesca was already strutting out with her ts on.


    ¡°Is the car ready? Let''s get a move on! The sooner we get this over with, the sooner I cane back


    and sleep.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Cece! Your jacket!¡±


    Norah chased after her and ced Francesca''s jacket over her.


    Gordon and the other subordinates had already prepared the car and were waiting for them downstairs.


    They were absolutely taken aback at the sight of Francesca all dolled up.


    A slight touch of makeup and proper styling hadpletely changed her from head to toe. She looked


    the same, but upon a closer nce, she seemedpletely different.


    ¡°Please enter, Ms. Cece.¡±


    Gordon opened the door himself for Francesca to enter the car.


    She walked in and immediately closed her eyes to take a nap on thefortable seats.


    ¡°The car ride will be about forty minutes, so feel free to rest on the way,¡± Gordon said with a smile. ¡°Mr.


    Lindberg will go to the banquet from thepany and meet us outside the castle.¡±


    ¡°What is this banquet for, anyway?¡± Francesca asked nonchntly.


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°It''s the birthday party that the other three great families are throwing for Mr. Lindberg,¡± Gordon replied.

 Chapter 1881

    Chapter 1881


    q¡°Birthday party?¡± Francesca sat up straighter in surprise. ¡°Is it Danrique''s birthday today?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is.¡± Gordon nodded.


    ¡°That''s weird. Why are other people preparing his birthday celebration instead of his family?¡±


    Francesca asked in confusion. ¡°What''s that about?¡±


    ¡°Well...¡± Gordon trailed off as he thought about it for a second. ¡°You''re going to be part of the


    Lindberg family eventually, so I had better let you know about the four great families first.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    Francesca was already intrigued. She really wanted to know why exactly the Lindberg family would


    have such immense control along with the other three great families. How could these four families be


    more influential than the royal family?


    Gordon began telling her everything.


    ¡°There are four great families: The Harringtons, the Yarrows, the Atkinson, and, of course, the


    Lindbergs. A hundred years ago, the four families founded the Lindberg Corporation.


    ¡°Thispany really took off and eventually became highly renowned because of the cooperation


    between the four great families, as well as the skillful management by the Lindberg ancestors.


    ¡°However, after Old Lady Lindberg passed away, the Lindberg Corporation higher-ups stopped getting


    along. Once Mr. Lindberg took over at a young age, the four great families began to split apart.


    ¡°The Harrington, Yarrow, and Atkinson families refused to be led by the Lindbergs and constantly


    plotted how to get a bigger portion of the shares. They wanted to be on the same level as the


    Lindbergs, and at one point even that wasn''t enough. They wanted to overthrow the Lindbergs and


    take over thepany.¡±


    Gordon suddenly paused and said seriously, ¡°They definitely have an ulterior motive for nning this


    banquet. Of course, they wouldn''t dare to do anything major, but they certainly didn''t have the best


    intentions. With this in mind, please stick closely to Mr. Lindberg and don''t lose sight of him.¡±


    ¡°Well, if this is the case, then why did he want me there?¡± Francesca asked, now ufortable with


    the prospect of her attending. ¡°What if they''ll target me from now on?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg will protect you,¡± Gordon said with a chuckle. ¡°Don''t worry. No matter how sinister they


    may seem, all they''re after is money. They wouldn''t dare get on Mr. Lindberg''s bad side, and they


    definitely won''t bother you.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Francesca pursed her lips. ¡°Danrique is too arrogant sometimes. It''s always better to


    be safe than sorry.¡±


    ¡°But-¡±


    ¡°It''s okay. I got it.¡±


    Francesca couldn''t be bothered to say more. It wasn''t as if she was actually going to get married to


    Danrique. She was simply ast-minute cover-up, so those people probably wouldn''t waste too much


    effort on her anyway.


    Gordon didn''t say anything else.


    Francescay against the headrest and closed her eyes to take a nap. However, the moment she


    began to fall asleep, they arrived at their destination.


    One of the subordinates opened the door for her. The moment she stepped out, two female


    bodyguards reached out to help her, but she was already standing on the ground steadily. Compared to


    the other female guests, she was extremelyfortable and self-sufficient.


    ¡°That''s quite the crowd.¡±


    She nced at the flurry of expensive cars parked all around.


    Some extravagantly dressed people were already waiting to greet others by the sidewalk.


    Francesca was still zoned out looking at the people around her when she heard a few cars


    approaching. She turned to see some silver cars pull up and the bodyguards immediately rushed over.


    The doors opened and a pair of long legs stepped out, followed by the most perfect man she had ever


    seen. To put the cherry on top, he was currently walking toward her.


    Francesca''s jaw almost dropped in shock. Danrique was dressed in a white suit, and he looked like he


    had just walked out of a painting. He was breathtakingly handsome.


    ¡°What are you looking at?¡±


    Danrique reached out and caressed her head softly. Their height difference made it seem like he was


    an adult teasing a child.


    ¡°You look great,¡± Francesca said as she looked up at him admiringly.


    Danrique smiled and reached out a hand to her.


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    She hesitated, but couldn''t hold herself back from putting her hand in his. He naturally intertwined their


    fingers together and held her hand tightly.


    Almost instantaneously, she felt a surge of warmth rush up her arm and into her heart.


    Her heartbeat began to speed up and her pretty little face began to redden.


    Danrique couldn''t help but feel his heart pump a little faster at the sight of her embarrassed and shy


    expression. He leaned down to kiss her on the forehead and walked with her hand-in-hand to the


    pce.

 Chapter 1882

    Chapter 1882


    q¡°Mr. Lindberg!¡±


    A bunch of people dressed to the nines walked toward Danrique and greeted him in Erihalean.


    Francesca hadn''t known a lick of Erihalean when she first came, so all she had picked up were a


    couple of phrases from living in the castle for the past few days.


    By the sound of it, she realized that these were the right-hand men of the Harrington, Yarrow, and


    Atkinson families.


    They were still treating him with a lot of respect and Francesca couldn''t really tell that anything was up.


    Feuds between families were alwaysplicated, though, and Francesca couldn''t be bothered to think


    about it.


    She wouldn''t have had to think about it if she hadn''t sensed that they kept ncing over at her, as if


    trying to figure out where she came from.


    Danrique didn''t introduce her to them, and they didn''t ask either. They simply continued chatting until


    they reached the pce.


    The pce was practically shimmering with gold and bright lights. The opalescent diamond chandeliers


    glittered and the music flowed gently among therge hall. It created an elegant, romantic atmosphere


    along with the soft chatter from the well-dressed guests.


    It was quite the grand sight.


    However, the moment Danrique walked into the hall with Francesca, everyone turned to look and


    bowed at them.


    Two middle-aged men walked over and greeted Danrique enthusiastically.


    Francesca didn''t really understand, but she managed to catch that they were the heads of the Yarrow


    and Atkinson families.


    They weren''t as humble as the right-hand men from before, but they were enthusiastic and friendly, as


    if they were a pair of uncles who were proud of their sessful nephew. They even asked about


    Francesca.


    Danrique ced an arm around her shoulder and said, ¡°This is my fianc¨¦e, Cece.¡±


    ¡°Fianc¨¦e?¡±


    The Yarrow and Atkinson families were both extremely shocked and their expressions became almost


    theatrical.


    ¡°Wow! The two of them were busy picking out suitable candidates for you. To think that you''ve already


    got a fianc¨¦e!¡±


    Francesca looked up at the sound of a casual voice and saw a tall, handsome man.


    He looked to be about thirty to forty years old and his eyes were extremely deep-set. His features were


    chiseled like that of a Roman bust and he had a dangerous aura radiating from his gaze despite the


    fake smile on his lips.


    The fake smile remained as he looked Francesca up and down.


    She wasn''t scared in the slightest. On the contrary, she stared back with a raised eyebrow, looking for


    all the world as if she was ready to challenge him.


    After all, she had already seen a countless number of carnivorous beasts in the wild. Why would she


    be afraid of any human being?


    She wasn''t even afraid of Danrique, so she certainly wouldn''t be afraid of him.


    ¡°We were nning to announce it soon. What''s the rush, anyway?¡±


    Danrique brought Francesca in closer to his embrace as he spoke and stared at the other man coldly.


    ¡°Hello, Harrier.¡±


    ¡°Where did you find your little girlfriend, Danrique?¡± Harrier finally looked away from Francesca and at


    Danrique instead. ¡°She''s pretty cute.¡±


    Danrique frowned.


    Kevin immediately spoke up to get rid of the tension. ¡°Harrier, you know Danrique doesn''t appreciate


    jokes like that. You should know better as an elder.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Gerard said. ¡°Since Danrique already has a fianc¨¦e, we-¡±


    ¡°Come on, Mr. Atkinson, you already brought your daughter to the banquet. He has to at least take a


    look, doesn''t he?¡± Harrier said with an ambiguous smile. ¡°And you too, Mr. Yarrow. You may not have a


    daughter, but I heard that you brought your niece here to be part of the line-up. How could we simply


    cancel such an extravagant pageant for the one and only Danrique Lindberg?¡±


    ¡°Harrier!¡±


    Danrique was already on the verge of losing his temper.


    ¡°Danrique, everyone got this ready just for you. You can''t just chase them away now, right? Just take a


    look. I''m sure this future missus won''t mind, right?¡±


    Harrier soundedpletely nonchnt, as if he were trying to coddle Danrique.


    It would have been hard to get angry at him without a concrete reason.


    Danrique was about to speak when Francesca opened her mouth. ¡°Sure! I''d love to see them.¡±


    Everyone turned to look at her. She may have been petite, but her eyes gleamed and she seemed


    completely at ease in such a difficult situation.N?velDrama.Org holds this content.

 Chapter 1883

    Chapter 1883


    qDanrique looked at Francesca deeply and gestured nonchntly.


    Essentially, he was saying to let them do whatever his fianc¨¦e wanted.


    Harrier looked at Francesca meaningfully before pping his hands twice. The music immediately


    stopped and the chattering guests retreated knowingly.


    The curtains raised up and the stage lit up brightly.


    Kevin and Gerald started to bring Danrique to his seat.


    Everyone else only dared to sit down after Danrique and the other three great families had been


    seated.


    Only then did Donalde over to greet them.


    Danrique finally replied to someone for the first time that night and even invited him to sit down with


    them.


    Only then did Francesca realize that he had always been there. Even though he was a shareholder of


    thepany as well as a member of the Lindberg family, he still ranked below the three great families.


    He was only able to sit down after Danrique and the other three great families sat down.


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    This only served to show how seriously Erihal took its hierarchy.


    Francesca nced over but failed to catch a glimpse of Eva. She wondered if she was about to take


    part in the selection as well.


    Still, Francesca didn''t know what everyone meant by ''selection''. Was he supposed to select a girlfriend,


    a fianc¨¦e, or was Erihal simply a country wherein he was allowed to get married to more than one


    woman?


    She was in the midst of her thoughts when the lights dimmed and the music smoothly switched from a


    gentle, romantic piano piece to a ssy jazz number.


    Some dancers dressed in sexy tight dresses began dancing to a seductive jazz choreography. Every


    single movement, expression and gaze was meant to unleash their most alluring self.


    The three great families never stopped staring at Danrique for his reaction.


    Danrique, however, wasn''t the least bit interested in them. He simply stared at the performance with a


    cold stare as he sipped his wine.


    Francesca, on the other hand, widened her eyes and admired the performers boldly. In Chanaean, she


    marveled, ¡°Wow! Erihaldies have great assets. Not only are their hips curvy, but their chests are too


    and their legs are so long!¡±


    ¡°Pft-¡± Danrique almost spat out his drink.


    What is up with this woman? The others were trying to get him to choose another wife, and yet she was


    simply admiring the performances.


    ¡°Check out the bodies on those girls!¡±


    She continued watching excitedly with a bright smile on her face. It was starting to seem as if these


    performances were meant for her and not Danrique.


    Both the Yarrow and Atkinson families were staring in surprise while Harrier simply continued observing


    them with a hard-to-read smirk on his face.


    As for Donald, he nced at Francesca and turned to apologize to Danrique.


    ¡°I''m sorry, Danrique. Yesterday, Eva brought Ms. Cece out but she ended up getting drunk herself and


    didn''t manage to take good care of Ms. Cece. I''ve already sternly reprimanded her earlier today and


    also punished those bodyguards.¡±


    Here, he paused and turned to apologize to Francesca. ¡°Ms. Cece, I wish to apologize on behalf of


    Eva''s irresponsibility. I can''t let this just pass as a senior of the family. Please give me a time and date


    so that I can treat you and Danrique properly this time.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry about it. Eva was great-¡±


    Francesca didn''t get to finish her sentence as a loud round of apuse washed over her voice.


    The jazz choreography had finished and a Latin dance performance was now going onstage.


    The cheerful music lit up the atmosphere, but Danrique seemedpletely unaffected. He even began


    entertaining the idea of leaving.


    Francesca, however, continued to watch enthusiastically and pped along to the rhythm of the music.


    Danrique smiled at the sight of her happiness. So she likes to watch these performances, he mused.


    Gerard and Kevin nced at each other and signaled for the butler to arrange to cut the performances


    short and push the real purpose of the show forward.


    Harrier just smirked coldly as he continued observing everything quietly.


    Soon enough, the Latin choreography finished as well.


    The lights switched from the exciting shing lights from before to a soft but bright glow of spotlights


    directed right at a white piano in the center of the stage. Ady dressed in a floor-length champagne


    gold gown walked toward it gracefully and sat down before beginning to y.


    The woman was tall and slender, and her features were delicate and breathtakingly beautiful. Even the


    way she lifted her fingers screamed elegance and riches. She was obviously from a well-off family.

 Chapter 1884

    Chapter 1884


    q¡°Danrique, that''s your Uncle Atkinson''s daughter, Hazel.¡±


    Kevin began to introduce her hurriedly. ¡°She just returned from her studies in M Nation. She has two


    PhDs and is fluent in fivenguages. She''s extremely skilled in many areas.¡±


    ¡°Do you remember Hazel, Danrique?¡± Gerard said with a chuckle. ¡°You used to turn down the other


    kids who came to y with you, but you would always talk to Hazel.¡±


    ¡°I vaguely remember that, yes.¡±


    Danrique looked toward the stage and his cold, indifferent stare became one of admiration.


    Francesca began to feel a little bit unhappy. Before this, when Eva tried to flirt with Danrique, he hadn''t


    even looked at her.


    However, he seemed to feel differently toward this Hazel girl.


    ¡°Hazel just got back, so I wanted to get her into thepany as soon as possible,¡± Gerard said. ¡°I only


    have one daughter, after all. She''s going to take over my ce in thepany one day. What do you


    think about that?¡±


    ¡°It''s your position. You can decide what you want to do with it,¡± Danrique exined mildly.


    ¡°Well, it''s courtesy to run it by you first.¡± Gerard looked at his daughter with a proud gaze. ¡°Hazel is truly


    the apple of my eye. Apart from work, I do wish she would have a proper home to go to one day.


    Perhaps a family of her own.¡±


    Suddenly, he paused as if he had just remembered something and turned to look at Francesca with an


    awkward smile. ¡°Ah, I forgot that you already have a fianc¨¦e. Just forget I said anything.¡±


    Francesca hadn''t even wrapped her head around whatever Gerard had just said, but at the sight of his


    stare and his reaction, she could get a hint.


    He obviously wanted to set his daughter up with Danrique.


    ¡°Hazel is a fine young woman. She''ll find her Romeo one day.¡±


    Danrique''s answer didn''t seem simply courteous or polite. Instead, it seemed as if he was being


    genuine.


    ¡°Has Danrique and Ms. Cece already gotten engaged?¡± Kevin asked. ¡°I hadn''t even heard about you


    two beforehand, much less the fact that she''s now your fianc¨¦e.¡±


    Kevin smiled at Francesca. In his head, he was thinking, She can''t even understand me, so it doesn''t


    matter.


    ¡°Yes. Don''t let any random person take advantage of you,¡± Harrier cut in. ¡°You just took over the Epea


    and Adrune market, so they probably hate your guts. That pastor might already have begunying


    down his trap.¡±


    ¡°You''re really quite full of rubbish today,¡± Danrique said coldly as he red at Harrier with a stare full of


    knives.


    Harrier shrugged, finally falling silent.


    The sound of the piano finally drifted to a close. Once the song finished, Hazel took a graceful bow and


    began walking toward Danrique.


    The spotlight shone on her and everyone in the room turned to stare.


    ¡°Hello, L. It''s been awhile. Do you remember me?¡±


    Hazel automatically greeted Danrique in her honey-like voice.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Danrique said with a slight smile. ¡°Nice to finally see you again.¡±


    Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    ¡°Yes, it is.¡±


    Hazel stared at him admiringly and was about to speak when she spotted Francesca next to him.


    ¡°This is...?¡±


    ¡°This is my fianc¨¦e.¡± Danrique put an arm around Francesca and introduced her in Ustranasion. ¡°Her


    name is Cece.¡±


    Francesca''s heart surged with warmth and she smiled graciously.


    ¡°Ah.¡± Hazel was stunned. She hadn''t known about Danrique''s fianc¨¦e at all.


    ¡°Cece, this is Hazel. She''s Mr. Atkinson''s daughter,¡± Danrique introduced in Ustranasion.


    ¡°Ah, hello!¡± Francesca greeted Hazel.


    ¡°Hello,¡± Hazel hurriedly replied, reaching out to shake Francesca''s hand.


    Francesca wasn''t used to such a greeting, but she followed along nheless.


    She couldn''t help but nce at Hazel and look her up and down, from her pretty face to her chest,


    waist and legs.


    Then, she looked down at her own unassuming slopes.


    She used to think she had quite a decent figure, but here in Erihal, she looked like a malnourished kid.

 Chapter 1885

    Chapter 1885


    qFrancesca couldn''t help but feel threatened. She had heard that men all likeddies with full, sexy


    figures. Could Danrique be the same?


    She turned to look at him, and he happened to be staring at her as well. ¡°Are you hungry? Do you want


    to get a bite to eat in the lounge?¡±


    ¡°That sounds great.¡±


    Francesca was starting to want to leave. She was beginning to feel the stares of countless people just


    focused on her, and she didn''t like it.


    Danrique gestured subtly and two female bodyguards showed up to bring Francesca away.


    Francesca turned around after a few steps only to see Hazel sitting in what had been Francesca''s seat,


    elegantly having a conversation with Danrique.


    She frowned, feeling her heart clench a little bit. Did Danrique just want to get me away so he could talk


    to other women?


    ¡°Cece!¡±


    Suddenly, a cheerful voice snapped her out of her thoughts.


    She looked at and saw Eva.


    Eva was dressed rather subtly today. She was in a palevender gown and had been sipping wine with


    a few other socialites in the corner. All this time, she hadn''t dared to go near Danrique.


    After all, the three great families were here. She wasn''t important enough to steal the spotlight.


    ¡°Hi!¡± Francesca said before asking teasingly, ¡°Why aren''t you going to talk to Danrique?¡±


    ¡°Ahem!¡± Eva cleared her throat awkwardly. ¡°Anyway, I''m sorry for getting drunk yesterday and not


    taking better care of you.¡±


    ¡°That''s alright,¡± Francesca said with a chuckle. ¡°I''m going to rest in the lounge. Do you want to follow


    me?¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Eva said excitedly.


    The two of them arrived at the lounge, where the caterers had alreadyid out a table of exquisite


    dishes.


    Francesca started eating the moment she sat down, not caring about her supposed elegant image in


    the least.


    Eva couldn''t help but stare in surprise. ¡°Cece, who exactly are you?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Francesca raised an eyebrow in confusion.


    ¡°Well, I-¡± Eva stuttered, not knowing if she should be honest.


    ¡°You must be wondering, if I''m from some important organization who put me through rigorous training


    for this role, then why don''t I have the elegance or manners to show for it? But it I''m not, howe I


    still seem like such a handful to pick with?¡±


    This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Francesca was right on the money.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Eva nodded.


    ¡°Well,¡± Francesca giggled and ced a pastry onto Eva''s te. ¡°What''s the name of that pianistdy


    again?¡±


    ¡°Her name is Hazel,¡± Eva replied. ¡°She''s Mr. Atkinson''s only daughter, and he spent a lot of time


    shaping and perfecting her into the ideal woman. She did well despite those expectations and is


    extremely skilled and talented. In fact, she''s the top pick for all three great families.¡±


    ¡°Pick? Picked for what?¡± Francesca frowned.


    ¡°About that...¡± Eva trailed off hesitatingly.


    ¡°Are men allowed to have more than one wife here in Erihal?¡±


    ¡°No. We''re strictly monogamous,¡± Eva rushed to rify. ¡°The men in Erihal may be intimidating, but


    women aren''t taken lightly either.¡±


    ¡°That''s weird.¡± Francesca said in confusion. ¡°Danrique already told them he had a fianc¨¦e, so why are


    they trying to push a girlfriend onto him?¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry for being straightforward,¡± Eva said as she looked down on the ground. ¡°But you and


    Danrique haven''t gotten married yet. You also don''t have any important background- actually, they can''t


    even figure out where you came from. They couldn''t care less about you.¡±


    ¡°Oh. That makes sense.¡± Francesca nodded.


    Eva sighed. ¡°That''s why you have to be careful.¡±


    With a curious frown, Francesca asked, ¡°Careful about what?¡±


    Eva looked at her, a little bit lost for words. ¡°You don''t understand, do you? Think about it. If they want


    to reach Danrique, they have to get rid of you first.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± Francesca''s eyes widened. ¡°That also makes sense!¡±


    Eva suddenly thought of something and hurriedly tossed the pastry away. ¡°Crap, these pastries


    wouldn''t have been poisoned, would they?¡±


    ¡°Probably not,¡± Francesca said as she continued munching away. ¡°The pastries are fine. The fruit tea,


    however, is not.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Eva widened her eyes in shock. ¡°Are you serious? Don''t mess with me!¡±

 Chapter 1886

    Chapter 1886


    q¡°Did you drink it?¡± Francesca was still eating.


    Eva held the cup of fruit tea and gave Francesca a helpless look.


    ¡°You''ll be fine, don''t worry.¡± Francesca then took a sip of the tea.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Eva was stunned. Didn''t she say there''s poison in the fruit tea? Why did she drink it?


    While Eva was working out the logic in her mind, she started feeling dizzy. She cupped her head with


    her hands and panicked. ¡°M-My head is spinning. Is it because of the poison?¡±


    ¡°Go on, and take a little nap. You''ll be fine.¡± Francesca continued taking another sip of the fruit tea as if


    she was not bothered.


    ¡°Help-¡±


    The color drained out of Eva''s face. She wanted to run out to get help, but the moment she stood up,


    she instantly copsed onto the couch.


    ¡°You poor thing. I must have frightened you.¡±


    After taking a nce at Eva, Francesca turned around to check the surroundings. There was dead


    silence outside the room. It looks like someone had distracted the two female bodyguards.


    She was determined to find out the culprit who tried to poison her.


    Francesca pped her hands and lolled on the couch. She then shut her eyes and pretended to fall


    asleep.


    Secondster, someone opened the door and entered the room.


    ¡°Quick.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡±


    Someone walked up to Francesca.


    Francesca could feel danger approaching. She opened her eyes and saw a woman standing in front of


    her.


    The woman dressing as a maid was about to inject her with a syringe.


    Upon noticing the hard glint in Francesca''s eyes, the maid froze and did not know what to do.


    She was surprised that Francesca was wide awake.


    Another maid, who seemed to be more alert, immediately stepped up and pinned Francesca to the


    couch. She then turned to her partner and said, ¡°Quick!¡±


    The maid was ready to jab Francesca with the syringe.


    Francesca immediately lifted her leg and kicked the maid. She then grabbed the other maid''s shoulders


    and shoved her to the back, causing the maid to copse onto the coffee table.


    ¡°You-¡±


    The two maids'' faces turned pallid. They looked at Francesca in disbelief and were taken aback by how


    strong the petite woman was.


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Francesca smirked and looked up at them with a cold look.


    When the two maids were about to take her down, Francesca looked out of the room and yelled,


    ¡°Help-¡±


    Her reaction caught the two maids off guard. They had no choice but to flee from the window.


    At the same time, two bodyguards then barged into the room.


    One of the bodyguards ran after the two maids, while the other walked up to Francesca to check on


    her. ¡°Are you all right, Ms. Cece?¡±


    ¡°My head is spinning-¡± Francesca massaged her temples. She acted as if she was vulnerable.


    Soon, Danrique walked in and noticed how frail Francesca looked. His expression turned grim and


    ordered, ¡°Find them, and bring them back alive!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡± Gordon immediately instructed his subordinates to look for the two maids.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    Kevin and Gerard rushed over and were shocked to see Francesca like this.


    On the contrary, Harrier remained calm. ¡°Are you all right? Shall we call a doctor?¡±


    ¡°Eva-¡± Donald walked up to Eva when he noticed she was lying unconscious on the couch. ¡°What''s


    going on?¡±


    ¡°I want all of you to get to the bottom of this.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±


    Danrique scanned the room and noticed the coffee table was shoved out of its original position. After


    studying the mess on the carpet for a few seconds, he turned around and asked Francesca, ¡°Are you


    all right?¡±


    ¡°I''m fine.¡± Francesca looked like she had jumped out of her skin.


    Danrique kept mum. He carried her in his arms and walked out of the room.


    Francesca leaned on his chest as if she had found a haven.


    After leaving the room, she bumped into Hazel, who looked bewildered.


    When their gaze met, Francesca could see the jealousy in her eyes. Nheless, Hazel did not give


    out any otherplicated emotions.


    I don''t think she''s the one behind this.


    Who is the mastermind then? That few men?


    Men are indeed vicious and cunning creatures.

 Chapter 1887

    Chapter 1887


    qWhen Danrique passed through the hall, he saw there were still a few well-dressed aristocraticdies


    who were waiting for their turn. Aside from Hazel, the three great families also nned to introduce a


    few moredies to Danrique.


    The families didn''t expect the banquet to go wrong before thedies could show up.


    At that moment, there was no one else but Francesca in his eyes.


    Upon getting into the car, he examined her. ¡°Are you all right?¡±


    ¡°My head''s spinning...¡± Francesca weaklyy in her seat.


    ¡°Call Dr. Killian,¡± Danrique ordered.


    ¡°No need!¡± She stopped him. ¡°I''m just a little frightened. That''s all. I''ll be fine once I sleep.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± He stared at her clear eyes.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± She nodded.


    Danrique gestured for his subordinate to drive. ¡°Very well.¡±


    At that moment, Kevin and Nathan rushed over to their location to see them off.


    ¡°I''m sorry for tonight, Danrique. I promise you, we''ll investigate the matter and give you an exnation


    of what happened to your birthday banquet,¡± Kevin apologized regretfully.


    ¡°That''s right. We''ll investigate it thoroughly,¡± Nathan added.


    ¡°No need,¡± Danrique replied coldly. ¡°My people will handle it.¡±


    ¡°That...¡±


    ¡°I''m leaving. Goodbye.¡± Danrique waved before the car left.


    At that moment, Francesca shifted her line of sight to the outside of the window. She saw Hazel


    standing at the side of the road staring at them with a disappointed expression.


    Danrique nced at her for a second before looking away. As he did, his eyes met with Francesca''s


    sharp look.


    His eyebrows furrowed. ¡°Why are you looking at me like that?¡±


    ¡°Do you like Hazel?¡± Francesca stared at him coldly.


    ¡°No. I like you,¡± he answered swiftly.


    She narrowed her eyes and questioned, ¡°Then why do you keep stringing her along?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± His Chanaean wasn''t good enough to understand it.


    ¡°It''s...¡± She wanted to exin, but she changed her mind when the words arrived on her lips. ¡°In any


    case, it''s a problem.¡±


    Instead of answering, he asked, ¡°Do you remember how we first met back then?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± She couldn''t recall.


    ¡°Don''t remember?¡± He stared at her profoundly. ¡°How about the city? Do you remember which city it


    is?¡±


    ¡°Didn''t we meet on a mountain?¡± Francesca replied casually, ¡°It''s been a long time. Who would''ve


    remembered?¡±


    There was a subtle change in Danrique''s look when he heard that. Ultimately, he chose to stay silent.


    She was quite annoyed he refused to answer her question about Hazel truthfully, so she turned her


    head away and ignored him.


    They didn''t say a word to each other on the way back.


    Upon arriving home, he wanted to carry her down from the car, but she got off by herself and headed


    straight into the castle.


    He furrowed his eyebrows as he stared at her back and ordered, ¡°Go investigate.¡±


    ¡°Roger!¡± Sean replied. He was smart, so of course, he knew what Danrique was thinking.


    Francesca was still huffing slightly when she returned to her room. Soon after, she returned to her


    senses. Wait, why am I angry? I''m just pretending to be his fianc¨¦e. It''s not real. He can love whoever


    he wants. Besides, I''ll be leaving sooner orter...


    When her train of thought ended there, she crawled up and put all the delicate jewelry in the jewelry


    box into a bag.


    Then she retrieved her backpack from the ceiling of the restroom and shoved the jewelry bag into the


    backpack. I have to find a way to leave here as soon as possible. No more dys...


    Inside the study, Danrique was drinking a cup of cold wine. He stared at the old photo on his pocket


    watch. Then, he superimposed Cece''s image on Francesca''s appearance in his mind. Both of them


    should be the same person, so why didn''t she remember? Additionally, her eyes were no longer simple


    and pure, like back then. The current her has a sharp look, knows how to disguise herself, and even


    scheme... Is she really Cece?Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 1888

    Chapter 1888


    qIn the middle of the night, Gordon reported, ¡°Eva''s drink was drugged. That was why she fell into a


    coma. The two servants responsible had been caught. One of them ran into a truck when escaping.


    She''s currently in aa due to her severe injury. The other took a pill and stopped breathing. Both of


    them were willing to die in order to protect the mastermind. Also, the test results of the poison in the


    syringe came back. It''s a type of poison that can control a person''s mind. They probably tried to inject it


    into Ms. Cece but failed. Thankfully, our people reacted fast and immediately rushed in to prevent that.


    Otherwise, it would be troublesome.¡±


    ¡°No, our people were sent away. They didn''t make it in time,¡± Sean informed as he observed


    Danrique''s expression carefully. ¡°I saw the marks on the carpet. The coffee table was smashed, and


    there were traces of blood on it. Perhaps there was already a fight in the room before she went in...¡±


    ¡°That''s strange.¡± Gordon furrowed his eyebrows. ¡°There were only Ms. Cece and Eva inside the room.


    If Eva fainted, who was doing the fighting?¡±


    Sean silently stared at Danrique.


    ¡°Ms. Cece didn''t faint, but with how weak she was, she shouldn''t be...¡± Gordon was stunned when he


    said that. ¡°Oh yeah, Ms. Cece also consumed the drugged drink, but she''s fine. What is going on


    here?¡±


    ¡°It would appear Ms. Cece isn''t an ordinary person.¡± Sean sighed meaningfully.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Gordon was confused.


    ¡°There''s a circus show tomorrow night, right?¡± Danrique abruptly brought it up. ¡°Book a few seats for


    us.¡±


    ¡°Roger.¡± Gordon was going to leave to do that, but Danrique stopped him.


    ¡°Call Mylo here.¡±


    ¡°Roger.¡± Gordon promptly brought Mylo into the room. Mylo was pretty excited because at that


    moment, as he stood in front of Danrique, he felt as though he was more important than any other


    bodyguards.


    He bowed politely upon arriving in the study room. ¡°Mr. Lindberg!¡±


    Danrique asked, ¡°What does one mean by ''stringing someone along?''¡°


    ¡°Uhm...¡± Mylo thought about it and replied seriously, ¡°It means a man and a woman have a vague


    rtionship that is not exposed.¡±


    ¡°If your girlfriend said you''re stringing another woman along and looked unhappy, what does that


    mean?¡±


    ¡°It''s a good thing.¡± Mylo quickly added, ¡°It means she''s jealous.¡±


    ¡°Jealous?¡± Danrique expression looked better. ¡°So that''s what it means...¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. If a woman is jealous of a man, it means she has started to like him. It''s a good sign. In fact,


    one should make their partner jealous a lot during the initial stage of a rtionship to stimte her


    possessiveness!¡±


    Danrique nodded, even though he didn''t fully understand it. ¡°Seems like that is the case. You can leave


    now.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Francesca didn''t at all sleep well. She had a dream where Danrique married Hazel while she was


    watching from afar. She wanted to stop it, but something was preventing her from moving.


    It made her panic. She tried to shout at him, but no voice leaped out of her throat.


    She watched him and Hazel exchange their vows and wedding rings. Right as he was about to kiss


    Hazel, she got so angry that she woke up.


    When she opened her eyes, a ball of rage was still burning in her heart. Why do I have a reaction like


    this? Even if Danrique does love Hazel, why does it matter to me? I never wanted to stay with him, and


    I have to leave this ce eventually... Wait, is it because I was seduced by his good looks and fell in


    love with him without noticing?This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 1889

    Chapter 1889


    qWhen that thought crossed Francesca''s mind, she shuddered. No! I can''t make that mistake right


    now! I have already made up my mind to never marry, never give birth to a child, and never be bound


    to anyone by a vow. I don''t want to be kept in this castle, this luxurious cage. That''s why I mustn''t be


    moved by Danrique. I need to leave as soon as possible.


    She took in a deep breath and kept reminding herself to find an opportunity to escape.


    Danrique had already left for hispany when she woke up.


    Upon washing herself and finishing her breakfast, a doctor came to check her wound and change her


    medicine.


    After resting for a few more days, her wounds had more or less recovered. The doctors were surprised


    by how quickly her wound healed.


    She also felt that her injury recovered really quickly. However, the metal pieces in her brain were still


    lodged in there, which was a problem.


    ¡°Are you feeling difort anywhere else, Ms. Cece? Mr. Lindberg asked me to give you a full-body


    examination. If there are other problems, we can take care of them together,¡± Killian asked politely.


    ¡°No,¡± Francesca immediately replied. ¡°I''m feeling quite well. I don''t need a check-up.¡±


    ¡°Your wound may be healing, but you aren''t looking any better. I''m afraid there are still issues affecting


    your health. It will be for the best if you go through the examination and receive early treatment¡ª¡±


    ¡°I said I don''t need it.¡± She cut him off. ¡°I know my own body.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡± Killian lowered his head.


    She was a little ticked off. Has Danrique started to suspect my identity? Is that why he intentionally sent


    this doctor to test me?


    It was then Norah walked in with a smile. ¡°Mr. Lindberg is taking you to a circuster, Ms. Cece. You


    should get prepared. You''ll be leaving in an hour.¡±


    ¡°A circus?¡± Francesca was excited. ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°In Xendale Theater.¡± Norahughed. ¡°It''s where the biggest performances are held.¡±


    ¡°Is the theater in the middle of the city?¡± Francesca asked.


    ¡°It''s on the southern side, near the airport...¡± Norah continued to introduce the specialty of the circus.


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Naturally, Francesca wasn''t interested in that as she nned her escape route. There''s going to be a


    lot of people in the theater, and I bet I can make use of the animals there. It''s near the airport too! I feel


    like this is the best opportunity the heavens had given me. I mustn''t waste it.


    ¡°Ms. Cece. Ms. Cece...¡± Norah''s voice interrupted Francesca''s line of thought. Thetter returned to her


    senses. ¡°Mhm?¡±


    ¡°I''ll ask someone to help you get dressed,¡± Norah informed caringly.


    ¡°No need. I''m just going to a circus, not a banquet.¡± Francesca waved her hand. ¡°I can take care of


    myself. You lot head out first and help me prepare some snacks to eat in the car.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡± Norah nodded and headed out.


    Once there was only Francesca left in the room, she locked the door. She wanted to change into a


    casual outfit, but she soon realized her wardrobe was filled with pretty dresses. Even clothing meant to


    be worn in the house were dresses.


    She picked a white, long dress and a white coat. Then, she wore a pair of boots and put on her


    backpack.


    Inside the backpack were her documents and the jewelry Danrique gifted her. I have to escape


    sessfully tonight.


    When she arrived on the ground floor, Norah had already prepared the snacks.


    Francesca entered the car and used her phone''s GPS to find the shortest path to escape from the


    theater to the airport.


    After a while, shepleted her escape preparation. All that was left was the escape itself.


    The car promptly left the castle and headed to the theater.


    There were only Sloan and Mylo in the car. However, there was an additional car in the front and back


    of the one she was sitting in. Therefore, escape wouldn''t be easy.


    Even if she managed to do that, they would chase after her quickly. It was still difficult to leave Xendale,


    so she nned toe up with another idea upon arriving at the theater.

 Chapter 1890

    Chapter 1890


    qOnce the car went into the theater, Sloan, Mylo, and the other subordinates escorted her into the


    building.


    Danrique had already arrived in the VIP lounge. He was currently chatting with Donald and Harrier


    about work. Sitting quietly at the side were Hazel and Eva. Both of them were staring at Danrique with


    admiration.


    Francesca was stunned. She thought it was just going to be her and him, yet he brought so many


    people with him, including Hazel.


    ¡°Cece...¡± Eva greeted enthusiastically when she saw Francesca.


    As the saying went, the enemy of my enemy was my friend. Compared to Francesca, Hazel was the


    greater threat in Eva''s eyes.


    If Hazel married Danrique and united the two families, then there was nothing Donald could do.


    However, Francesca was a nobody, so Donald could still get rid of her.


    Of course, in Eva''s mind, if she could use Francesca to approach Danrique, that would be for the best.


    ¡°Greetings, Ms. Cece!¡± Hazel stood up and greeted. Unlike Eva''s enthusiastic greeting, hers was more


    polite andposed.


    ¡°Greetings!¡± Francesca politely replied to both of them before sitting on a nearby couch.


    Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    Eva approached her and whispered next to her gossipingly, ¡°Are you all right, Cece? I heard someone


    attempted to kill youst night. I was freaked out when I woke up. What exactly happened?¡±


    ¡°I''m not so sure myself. Your uncle had probably told you the story.¡± Francesca looked at her with a


    half-smile. ¡°In any case, someone is trying to hurt me. You should be careful and keep your distance


    from me, just in case.¡±


    ¡°Ugh...¡± Eva was a little scared when she heard that. ¡°I think so too. I met you twice, and both times I


    got into trouble.¡±


    ¡°You made yourself drunk the first time. That doesn''t have anything to do with me. However, I did


    involve you in the messst night. Thankfully, we''re both unhurt.¡±


    ¡°Do you know who hurt you?¡±


    ¡°No idea.¡± Francesca turned to Danrique. ¡°He''s probably investigating it.¡±


    At that moment, Danrique was listening to Donald''s report.


    Harrier was enjoying his wine elegantly. When he saw Francesca had arrived, he smiled at her warmly


    and even raised his wine cup to greet her.


    Francesca stared at him deeply and asked, ¡°Who''s that guy?¡±


    ¡°The master of one of the four great families, Mr. Harrington.¡± Eva covered her mouth and spoke at a


    low volume. ¡°In the four great families, the Lindberg family sits at the top spot while the Harrington


    family sits on the second. His father passed away when he was young, so he''s the only member of his


    family. Right now, he''s in control of the Harrington family. The share he held in Lindberg Corporation is


    twenty percent, which makes him the second-biggest shareholder in thepany...¡±


    ¡°He doesn''t like Danrique?¡± Francesca didn''t beat around the bush.


    ¡°Shh!¡± Eva swiftly reminded, ¡°Keep your voice down.¡±


    She nced at Harrier timidly and lowered her voice. ¡°Mr. Harrington is ten years older than Mr.


    Lindberg. Eleven years ago, when the incident at the Lindberg residence urred, Mr. Lindberg was


    still young. The shareholders in thepany suggested making Mr. Harrington the CEO of the


    corporation. However, Mr. Lindberg, who was only sixteen that year, forcefully snatched that position


    away, angering Mr. Harrington as a result. Both of them butt heads against each other ever since. Mr.


    Harrington never stopped giving Mr. Lindberg a hard time, but Mr. Lindberg always solved any


    problems thrown at him with no issue. It enraged Mr. Harrington because it meant he couldn''t get any


    dirt on Mr. Lindberg. While both of them appeared to be getting along with each other on the surface,


    they were actually battling against each other to the death underneath. This is something everyone


    knows about.¡±


    ¡°Since Danrique is the CEO, thus making the Lindberg family the most powerful one in Lindberg


    Corporation, can''t he just keep Harrier in line?¡± Francesca asked in a small voice too. ¡°It seems like the


    others are afraid of him.¡±


    ¡°While Mr. Harrington possesses fewer sharespared to Mr. Lindberg, he has more supporters on


    his side. Both the Atkinson and Yarrow family are on his side, so even Mr. Lindberg has to mind what


    he does and can''t just burn his bridges with Mr. Harrington.¡± Eva uttered carefully, ¡°In any case, you


    must never mess with this guy. Also, he''s super perverted and super crafty. Be careful around him.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Francesca nced at Harrier and requested, ¡°Since it''s still early, how about we take a walk


    outside?¡±

 Chapter 1891

    Chapter 1891


    q¡°Let''s ask Mr. Lindberg.¡± Eva turned to Danrique.


    She wanted to say something, but she was afraid of cutting him off.


    ¡°Are you bored, Ms. Cece?¡± Surprisingly, Hazel took the initiative to ask Francesca about it.


    She stood up and approached them with a smile. ¡°There''s still half an hour before the show starts. I


    can apany you two for a walk.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good to me,¡± Francesca epted.


    The three women stepped out of the lounge and strolled down the theater''s corridor.


    A dozen of bodyguards followed behind them.


    ¡°I heard that Ms. Cece is from Zarain.¡± Hazel started a friendly chat with Francesca. ¡°My mother is from


    Zarain, too. I like it there. I visit the country once every year...¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Francesca was looking around, searching for a spot to escape.


    ¡°What do you do, Ms. Cece?¡± Hazel asked again. ¡°My specialty is business management, though I also


    have some interest in arts. What about¡ª¡±


    ¡°I don''t have any specialty,¡± Francesca replied inly. ¡°I do have some interest in jewelry and real


    estate, though.¡±


    Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    ¡°That''s pretty good.¡± Hazel was surprised. ¡°So you studied jewelry and architectural design?¡±


    ¡°No, I just want to turn them into money,¡± Francesca answered casually.


    Eva snorted. I''ve seen just how entric Francesca can be. You''ll never guess what she''ll say next,


    Hazel. Her mind is different from normal people''s.


    As expected, Hazel was taken aback by the answer. Still, she asked, ¡°So you''re in the business


    sector?¡±


    ¡°No, no, no.¡± Francesca shook her head. ¡°I don''t know how to do business. I just want to make money!¡±


    Eva couldn''t hold back any longer andughed.


    Soon, Hazel''s expression darkened for a split second, because she felt she was made fun of. But, she


    quickly returned to her usual graceful self and smiled. ¡°You''re so funny, Ms. Cece.¡±


    ¡°Hehe!¡±


    Francesca turned around to see the path not too far from her and saw a bunch of actors walking onto


    the stage. It would appear the show was starting.


    A few actors were pushing cages with protective covers on them. The low growling of beasts could be


    heard from within.


    An idea suddenly popped into her mind.


    ¡°What are you looking at, Ms. Cece?¡± Hazel followed Francesca''s line of sight.


    ¡°It''s nothing.¡± Francesca looked away. ¡°I''m going to the restroom.¡±


    ¡°There''s one in the lounge¡ª¡± Just as Eva suggested it, Francesca had already entered the restroom in


    the corridor.


    So, she followed Francesca in.


    ¡°I''ll wait for you two outside,¡± Hazel said and waited.


    ¡°What do you think about Hazel?¡± Francesca asked after Eva joined her.


    ¡°She''s pretty good. She had always been the top student ever since she was a kid. No one can stop


    talking about how great she is. She''s also pretty prideful and never once took me seriously. I don''t talk


    with her much, so I don''t know her personality...¡± Eva''s answer was pretty to the point. ¡°However,


    because she''s the direct descendant of one of the three great families, everyone will do their best to


    make her marry Danrique!¡±


    ¡°How, though?¡± Francesca found it funny. ¡°Danrique doesn''t like her. It doesn''t matter how excellent


    she is.¡±


    ¡°That''s hard to say.¡± Eva nced at the door and lowered her voice. ¡°In recent years, the four great


    families'' rtionship had been shattered pretty badly. If Danrique marries her, then that rtionship will


    be restored, and peace will return. If he doesn''t, that means he wants sole control of everything. In that


    case, the other three great families will work together to go against Danrique.¡±


    ¡°That''s soplicated.¡± Francesca washed her hands. ¡°Where does your uncle stand?¡±


    ¡°Uhm...¡± Eva was taken aback for a second before replying, ¡°My uncle''s family name is Lindberg, so of


    course, he''s going to side with Danrique.¡±


    ¡°Your uncle taught you to say that, right?¡± Francesca smirked. ¡°I think he''s just going to watch the fight


    unfold before siding with the winner.¡±

 Chapter 1892

    Chapter 1892


    q¡°That''s...¡± Eva felt awkward. She didn''t know what to say to that.


    Even though they had only met a few times, Francesca already hadplete control over her. There


    was no way for her to disguise herself in front of Francesca.


    ¡°Everyone only cares about their personal benefits when ites to a power struggle. Situations like


    that don''t leave room for rtionships orradery,¡± Francescamented seriously. ¡°Doing business


    is like fighting on a battlefield, where the strong prey on the weak. Reality is very cruel, so if there''s a


    chance to avoid getting involved, why not choose that option?¡±


    ¡°Uhm...¡± Eva was still struggling to understand what that meant when Francesca was already on her


    way into the restroom cubicle. She shook her head, ignored what Francesca said, and touched up her


    makeup by using the mirror in the restroom.


    Many yearster, she would recall their conversation today and regretted it for not taking Francesca''s


    word to heart.


    Francesca was sitting on the toilet as she tried to summon the animals. She failed even after multiple


    attempts, likely because the distance was too great.


    It made her a little sad because she intentionally went to the restroom to summon the animals to help


    her escape. I guess this isn''t going to work. Time for another n.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    Suddenly, she heard a screaming from the outside.


    It stunned her for a second before she rushed out to check what was going on.


    It turned out there was a bug crawling on the mirror. Eva was so freaked out by it that she screamed.


    Francesca grabbed the bug and shoved it into her pocket.


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    At that moment, the restroom door burst open. Two female bodyguards rushed in with their guns,


    prepared to fight against whatever caused Eva screamed.


    They sighed when they saw it was just a bug.


    One of the bodyguards squashed the bug and escorted Francesca and Eva out.


    ¡°What happened¡ª¡± Before Hazel could finish her sentence, Gordon had already rushed over to them


    with bodyguards.


    A sigh of relief escaped his mouth when he saw Francesca was fine.


    The entire process, from Eva screaming to Gordon arriving, onlysted for a minute.


    That made Francesca realize she couldn''t escape if she didn''t have help.


    All of Danrique''s subordinates had gone through hellish training, and so all of them had very sharp


    senses.


    After what happenedst night, they became even more alert.


    If someone wanted to hurt her, they wouldn''t find an opportunity to do so. It also meant she wouldn''t be


    able to escape easily.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Danrique walked out of the lounge and asked.


    ¡°False rm,¡± Gordon reported.


    Danrique nced at Eva silently before extending his hand toward Francesca.


    Francesca naturally extended her hand toward him and let him grab it before walking away with him.


    She could feel Hazel''s disappointment and jealousy when she passed her by.


    ¡°Are you all right, Hazel?¡± Harrier asked warmly.


    Hazel shook her head and walked with him behind Danrique.


    Donald scolded Eva. ¡°What''s the matter with you? It''s just a bug. Do you have to scream?¡±


    ¡°I''m afraid of bugs, Uncle Donald...¡± Eva exined aggrievedly.


    Donald red at her coldly before catching up with the group.


    Eva followed behind silently and aggrievedly.


    They arrived on the second floor of the theater. It had a direct view of the stage. There was also a long


    table there with lots of delicious food sitting on top of it.


    Danrique brought Francesca to the middle seat. Harrier, Hazel, Donald, and Eva sat by the couple''s


    side.


    Just as they were seated, a couple of beautifuldies joined them and politely greeted Danrique and


    Harrier.


    Danrique furrowed his eyebrows and stared at Harrier coldly. ¡°You arranged this?¡±


    ¡°What''s the point of watching a performance without beautifuldies around?¡± Harrier smiled and


    gestured for thedies to take a seat.


    Danrique was unhappy about it, but he didn''t say anything.


    Francesca was fine with it because she didn''t care.


    She kept examining her surrounding as she drank wine. There are so many bodyguards at the back.


    They''re directly blocking the entrance, too. This is a sticky situation...

 Chapter 1893

    Chapter 1893


    qMusic started to y in the theater. The prelude to the show was a few clowns performing a couple of


    pretty neat tricks. It brought the audience''s emotions in the direction they wanted for the real show that


    would being up soon.


    Harrier watched the show as he chatted with Hazel about work.


    When Hazel expressed her thoughts, her new ideas attracted Danrique''s attention. The three of them


    started talking about work again.


    Donald wanted to join a few times but failed because his line of thinking was different from theirs.


    It made him feel exasperated, but there was nothing he could do. So, he changed course and


    enthusiastically greeted Francesca instead. He even introduced her to the history of the circus.


    She wasn''t at all interested in that as she stared at the audience below with furrowed eyebrows.


    It was her assumption that Danrique booked the entire ce. That way, she could summon the animals


    to escape.


    However, with so many people around, she couldn''t do that. Otherwise, she''d be risking hurting


    innocent people.


    So, that idea wasn''t going to work.


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Perhaps she really wouldn''t be able to escape today?


    ¡°All right, all right, let''s stop here.¡± Harrier smiled. ¡°I think you should spend time with your fianc¨¦e,


    Danrique. Look at how bored she is right now.¡±


    ¡°Are you hungry?¡± Danrique had no experience in wooing women, so he grabbed a small piece of rib


    for her. ¡°Eat.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Francesca grabbed the rib and dug into the it.


    ¡°There''s fork and knife here, Cece,¡± Eva reminded in a small voice.


    ¡°It''s quite convenient eating it like this.¡± Francesca didn''t care. She even licked her finger.


    The otherdies were shocked by her unsightly behavior when they saw that.


    They wondered which mountain vige she had crawled out of.


    Danrique tenderly wiped the stain on her face away. There wasn''t at all any disdain in his eyes, only


    love.


    Hazel saw that and lowered her head disappointingly. She raised her cup and drank her wine.


    Eva, on the other hand, was jealous.


    Harrier swirled his cup as a mysterious smirk appeared on his face.


    At that moment, the clowns left, and the light turned dark. The music started to sound mysterious.


    A few metal rings of fire had descended upon the big stage.


    Two beast tamers walked out of backstage with eight lions.


    The lions roared, causing a wave of screams from the audience.


    Francesca felt ufortable when she saw that. The lion, as the king of all animals, should be living a


    free life in the jungle instead of being tortured and tamed by humans to perform stupid shows on the


    stage. This is against thew of nature...


    The music intensified as the beast tamers swung their whips and the lions jumped through the hoops.


    ps were heard from the audience.


    Hazel, Eva, and the otherdies pped too.


    Francesca didn''t react to it at all. She simply lowered her head and continued to eat, despite already


    losing her appetite.


    ¡°What''s wrong?¡± Danrique asked caringly. ¡°You don''t like the show?¡±


    ¡°Why does a circus have a thing like this?¡± Francesca asked coldly.


    He stared deeply and profoundly at her.


    ¡°Humans are the kings of the world. It''s only natural that the strong tames and forces the weak to obey


    their will.¡± Harrier smiled. ¡°Isn''t that right, Danrique?¡±


    ¡°That''s right,¡± Danrique replied inly. ¡°The strong dominate the weak! It''s the same for people!¡±


    That sentence sounded light and faint, as though it didn''t leave a trace, yet it also felt oppressive.


    The wine cup in Harrier''s hand shook slightly as he narrowed his eyes.


    It was obvious that Danrique was saying he was the strong while Harrier, the weak, could only ever


    obey him.


    ¡°That''s so narrow-minded.¡± Francesca couldn''t agree with the idea. ¡°I think the strong have a


    responsibility to use their strength to protect the weak!¡±


    When Danrique heard that, he was taken aback. Seven years ago, fourteen-year-old Cece said the


    same thing to him.

 Chapter 1894

    Chapter 1894


    q¡°I didn''t think you have such a wonderful idea, Francesca!¡± Harrier raised his cup toward Francesca


    for a toast. ¡°I was being too shallow. To you, Francesca!¡±


    Francesca raised her cup too and emptied it before standing up. ¡°I need to go to the restroom.¡±


    ¡°I''ll go with you.¡± Eva followed her.


    A few female bodyguards from the Lindberg family also followed.


    Aplicated look was present in Danrique''s eyes as he stared at her back.


    The performance on the stage continued. The lions returned backstage before the elephants showed


    up.


    Francesca, of course, didn''t want a group of people following her and preventing her escape. I need to


    find a way to get them off of me.


    ¡°Are you feeling unhappy, Cece?¡± Evaforted in a low voice. ¡°Is it because of Hazel? Don''t worry,


    the one Danrique like is you.¡±


    ¡°Eva.¡± Francesca suddenly cut her off. ¡°I think I''m having my period. Can you grab some sanitary pads


    for me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course. Wait for me. I''ll be right back.¡± Eva then quickly left.


    She didn''t notice Francesca attached something to her dress.


    After Eva left, Francesca jumped onto the basin and ced her lit lighter below the fire sensor.


    Then she jumped down, hid behind the door, and counted. One... Five... Ten...


    ¡°Ah!¡± As expected, Eva''s scream was heard. ¡°There''s something in my skirt!¡±


    Two bodyguards immediately went to check up on her.


    At the same time, the fire sensor went off, luring the other two bodyguards into the restroom.


    Francesca took the opportunity to slip away.


    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    When the bodyguards realized what was going on, she was already gone like the wind.


    ¡°Where''s Ms. Cece?¡±


    ¡°Find her now!¡±


    Both of them searched through all the cubicles and didn''t find her. One of them quickly headed back to


    Gordon to report on the situation.


    Concurrently, Francesca had already run through the corridor and prepared to go downstairs. When


    she saw a few bodyguards headed her way, she quickly hid in a nearby utility room.


    After the bodyguards left, she swiftly bolted out and continued her escape.


    She already researched her escape path, which was why her escape had been pretty sessful.


    After a few twists and turns, she was finally out of the theater. She wanted to jump in joy, but she knew


    she wasn''t out of the woods yet and quickly stopped a taxi.


    Suddenly, two blinding lights were aimed in her direction, temporarily forcing her to close her eyes.


    She raised her hand to block her eyes instinctively. Before she could react, a familiar voice was heard


    next to her. ¡°Where are you going, Cece...¡±


    Francesca was shocked. When she reopened her eyes, she saw Danrique walking toward her from the


    light''s direction. He appeared as though was an all-powerful god in control of everything.


    Behind him was a group of subordinates staring at her calmly. So, he''s in control all this time, huh? He


    knew I wanted to escape, so he tested me on purpose. Fine. I guess this means I don''t need to hide


    anymore.


    Francesca went straight to the point. ¡°I''m not your puppet or ve, Danrique. I have my own life and


    job. You can''t keep me here.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Danrique nodded. ¡°I''ll send you wherever you want to go if you marry me first.¡±


    She widened her eyes in disbelief. ¡°Has your brain turned into goo? Why would I want to marry you?¡±


    ¡°You''re destined to be my wife.¡± The look in his eyes is firm. ¡°It''s fate!¡±


    ¡°What the f*ck are you talking about...¡± Francesca couldn''t hold back anymore. ¡°I''m not going to marry


    you and I am going to leave now.¡±


    She tried to jump into a car, but his subordinates stopped her.


    ¡°There are so many people who want to marry you, so why are you bloody obsessed with me?¡±


    Francesca was infuriated beyond her limits. ¡°You should know there''s no point in a rtionship if it''s


    forced¡ªHey, what are you doing? Hey!¡±


    Before she could finish, Danrique pushed her into his car.

 Chapter 1895

    Chapter 1895


    q¡°Let go of me! Let me go right now!¡± Francesca struggled furiously. ¡°You''re kidnapping and


    imprisoning me, Danrique! This is illegal!¡±


    Danrique ignored her and strapped her to the seat before ordering his subordinate to drive.


    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    And so the bodyguard drove away quickly.


    The bystanders who saw that were shocked.


    Eva''s eyes widened in disbelief and bewilderment. ¡°I can''t believe she was telling the truth when she


    said Mr. Lindberg is forcing her to marry him! I thought she''s just trying to piss me off!¡±


    ¡°This is interesting.¡± Harrier smirked maliciously as he stared at the departing convoy.


    ¡°Who is that girl?¡± Donald uttered absentmindedly before returning to his senses. ¡°All right, Eva. Time


    to go home.¡±


    Just as Eva was about to enter his car, Hazel suddenly approached her and smiled. ¡°It''s been a while,


    Eva. How about we go and grab a drink together?¡±


    Eva was shocked. She had never taken me seriously before, yet she''s inviting me for a drink now?


    ¡°Go, just go.¡± Donald smiled. ¡°Both of you are young women, so you should socialize with each other.¡±


    He even gently nudged Eva.


    ¡°Then I''ll be leaving now, Uncle Donald.¡± Eva knew what he was thinking.


    As Francesca said, Donald was indeed standing at the sideline, waiting to pick a side that would benefit


    him the most.


    Hazel invited Eva to enter her own car. Donald bade goodbye to Harrier before leaving in a hurry.


    After Harrier got into his car, he ordered, ¡°Investigate that girl''s background. I want to know every bit of


    detail about her.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Francesca still tried to escape on the way back, but she couldn''t win against Danrique.


    He directly hugged her in his embrace to restrict her movements. All she could do was re at him with


    fury.


    ¡°It''s pointless ring at me. You''re not running away.¡± Danrique held her chin and questioned in


    confusion, ¡°I thought I''m treating you nice enough. Why can''t you stay by my side obediently?¡±


    ¡°I don''t want to!¡± She was furious. ¡°Let go of me!¡±


    ¡°Stop messing around. Be a good girl.¡± He gently caressed her head and coaxed her tenderly, ¡°I''ll give


    you anything you want.¡±


    ¡°I want my freedom!¡±


    ¡°You can have it after marrying me. You can go and y wherever you want and whenever you want...¡±


    Francesca was speechless. I''m starting to wonder if he even understands the humannguage. I told


    him I want to leave, yet he still keeps trying to bind me to him through marriage. There''s no point in


    reasoning with him, it seems. I need to find a way to escape, but after what happened, he''ll probably


    keep an even closer eye on me. It''ll be really difficult for me to escape.


    Her train of thought ended when the driver reported, ¡°There''s a convoy heading toward our castle, Mr.


    Lindberg.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Danrique raised his eyebrow. ¡°Who is it?¡±


    ¡°Let me see.¡± Sean stared through the window and informed, ¡°It''s Prince William''s convoy.¡±


    A glimmer of hope was reflected in Francesca''s eyes. William is here! I''m saved! I really hope he can


    bring me away from this godforsaken ce!


    The two convoys stopped in front of the castle.


    When she exited the car, she finally saw William and his butler, Robin.


    Since they were old friends, the moment their eyes met each other, she shot him a look, telling him to


    not reveal her identity.


    William got the message and quickly shifted his line of sight away before greeting Danrique. ¡°I hope I''m


    not disturbing you with my sudden visit.¡±


    ¡°Not at all.¡± Danrique raised the edge of his lips slightly. ¡°It''s quite cold in Xendale. You should''ve told


    me you''reing beforehand so I can send someone to pick you up.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, there''s no need for that.¡± William smiled. ¡°I have to admit, your castle is pretty big. If I didn''t


    meet you in time, I think my driver''s going to get lost.¡±

 Chapter 1896

    Chapter 1896


    q¡°Let''s go in first.¡± Danrique gestured them to head inside.


    His subordinates quickly opened the door to wee William in.


    Danrique was holding Francesca in front of him.


    ¡°This is...¡± Robin pretended to not know who she was.


    ¡°This is Mr. Lindberg''s fianc¨¦e, Ms. Cece,¡± Sean introduced enthusiastically.


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Ms. Cece!¡± Robin nodded.


    Theplicated look in William''s eyes quickly calmed down as he asked with a smile, ¡°I can''t believe


    you got yourself a fianc¨¦e in just a half month since west met.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Danrique nodded. ¡°You''re right on time, actually. Perhaps you''ll be able to make it for our


    wedding.¡±


    ¡°Wedding?¡± William was shocked. ¡°You''re getting married?¡±


    ¡°That''s right.¡± Danrique gently held Francesca up. ¡°We''re going to start the preparation in the next few


    days!¡±


    ¡°Who''s going to marry you?¡± Francesca shot a re at him before escaping from his grip and walking


    upstairs.


    William''s expression looked better as he watched her leave. Looks like I made it in time indeed.


    ¡°Women, am I right?¡± Not only was Danrique not angry, but he also said, ¡°They don''t always say what


    they mean.¡±


    That gave William pause, and he became slightly depressed again. I suppose it''s not impossible for


    couples to act like that when they''re fighting. Back in M Nation, she did pay close attention to Danrique.


    Not only that, she chased after him once he learned he was in H City. I still can''t tell for sure if she likes


    him or not...


    ¡°You must be tired making your way here, William. You should rest early today. We''ll have breakfast


    together tomorrow.¡± Danrique turned to Sean. ¡°Please take care of His Highness and his subordinates.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Mr. Lindberg.¡±


    Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    Danrique headed upstairs while Sean did as his employer asked.


    Just as William was tiredly heading to his room to clean himself, Francesca called him. ¡°William...¡±


    Instead of saying anything in a hurry, he shot a nce at Robin first.


    Robin politely sent Sean out before closing the door. Only then did William answered. ¡°Which room are


    you in right now, Francesca?¡±


    ¡°The one next to Danrique''s. What about you?¡±


    ¡°I''m right next to you, then.¡±


    ¡°I''ll be right there.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡ª¡± Before he could finish, Francesca had already hung up the phone and headed out of the


    window of her room.


    Then she tip-toed over to William''s room. Robin quickly opened the window and let her in.


    ¡°It''s so cold outside! The walls arepletely frozen. It was very slippery too. I almost fell...¡± She


    breathed in deeply uponnding in the room.


    ¡°Is your hand all right? Let me take a look.¡± William noticed there was a cut on her hand and pulled it


    toward him gently. ¡°It''s frostbite.¡±


    ¡°It''s nothing serious.¡± She removed her hand and asked urgently, ¡°How are you here, William?¡±


    ¡°I heard Norah''s voice when you called me that day, so I thought you must be at Danrique''s ce and


    decided to check it out myself.¡± He stared at her deeply. ¡°Can you tell me what happened? Why did you


    come here with him? Why did you suddenly be his fianc¨¦e?¡±


    ¡°It''s a long story.¡± She wasn''t sure how to exin it to him. ¡°In any case, I don''t want to marry him, and I


    want to leave, but I can''t. Can you help me?¡±


    ¡°Of course¡ª¡±


    ¡°Please think this through carefully, Your Highness,¡± Robin reminded. ¡°You know what kind of person


    Mr. Lindberg is. If you offend him, there will be dire consequences, especially one that concern


    coborations with hispany.¡±


    Francesca didn''t realize that point until she heard it. ¡°That''s true. I can''t drag you down.¡±


    ¡°You talk too much,¡± William reprimanded Robin before turning to her. ¡°I''ll help you, Francesca, but you


    need to tell me exactly what happened. This way, I''ll know how to start.¡±

 Chapter 1897

    Chapter 1897


    qFrancesca had no choice but to tell William everything.


    ¡°I don''t remember anything from seven years ago. Taking the bullet for him this time was a coincidence.


    It wasn''t intentional on my side. He was opinionated and fancied himself into thinking I saved him out of


    love. With that in mind, he kept insisting that I marry him. I tried to escape several times but failed.¡±


    William''s expression turned solemn. ¡°I heard he had a girlfriend who was his first love and been


    searching for her all these years. I even helped him ask around. I never expected that person to be


    you.¡±


    ¡°That is not important. We can''t take childhood incidents seriously.¡± Francesca frowned. ¡°But I can''t


    trouble you with this. With his temper, you might have to bear the brunt if you continue to get involved


    with me.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Dr. Felch, we can''t involve His Highness in this matter-¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± William interrupted Robin and shot a death re at him. Once Robin got his point, William


    turned to Francesca and asked, ¡°Is he still unaware of your true identity?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know.¡± Francesca shook her head. ¡°I''m afraid once he knows about it, he''ll think I''m making a


    fool out of him. The matter will escte by that point. Well, I did keep the issue under wraps back when


    I was in M Nation.¡±


    ¡°Then does he know about the injury to your head?¡± William pointed out the obvious. ¡°I suppose you


    haven''t undergone any procedure for it.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± She considered William a close friend, so she told him the truth. ¡°After I left M Nation, I went to S


    Nation for some business, then I traveled to H City, so the surgery was postponed again and again.¡±


    ¡°You have to do the surgery as soon as possible or the consequences will be dire.¡± William offered


    gravely, ¡°I''ll think of a way for you to leave, then ask Helen to do the procedure for you.¡±


    ¡°You''ll have to leave first and we''ll continue the topic after.¡± The creases on Francesca''s forehead


    deepened. ¡°Won''t this matter implicate you? Once Danrique finds out you''re the one who takes me


    away, will he direct his anger toward you?¡±


    ¡°He won''t do anything to me. Perhaps just some yelling.¡± William looked at her with gentleness in his


    eyes. ¡°The important thing is, are you sure you don''t want to marry him?¡±


    ¡°Both L and Zachary were voted as the men young women wanted to marry the most. Both of them are


    young, handsome, rich, and have a clean te with thedies. With a perfect guy being so loyal to you,


    can you truly let go?¡±


    ¡°All of those things have nothing to do with me.¡± Francesca said with impatience, ¡°I don''t want to get


    married. I don''t care who it is.¡±


    ¡°You just don''t want to marry him, or you don''t want to get married?¡± William asked.


    ¡°I don''t want to get married.¡± Francesca answered without hesitation, ¡°I have things I want to do.


    Rtionships are too troublesome.¡±


    ¡°All right. As expected of Francesco.¡±


    A resigned smile tugged on the corners of William''s lips.


    At that moment, someone knocked on the door, and Norah asked through the door, ¡°Your Highness, I


    made some tonic for you. Can Ie in?¡±


    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    William cast a nce at Robin to handle Norah.


    ¡°Return to your room and rest for now. Once I''ve arranged everything, I''ll text you,¡± William whispered


    to Francesca.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Francesca nodded her head and went out via the window.


    Even though the wind and snow had stopped, the external wall and window ledge was still encrusted


    with frost, so they were slippery, causing her to almost lose her grip and footing.


    It was a good thing she was agile and managed to grab onto the window ledge at thest minute. She


    expended all her energy on scalding the wall back to her room.


    Once her feet touched the solid floor, she let out a long exhale but gasped the next minute.


    A figure was sitting on the sofa in the corner, holding a ss of wine and staring pointedly at her in the


    dark.


    There was no reproach or anger in his gaze. He was calm and looking at her with resignation and


    adoration as though his kitten had snuck out for a stroll.


    ¡°Have fun scalding the wall?¡±


    His tone was calm and casual as though he was inquiring about a minor issue.

 Chapter 1898

    Chapter 1898


    q¡°Erm...¡± Guilt clenched Francesca''s stomach as she reluctantly asked, ¡°W-When did youe?¡±


    ¡°Fifteen minutes ago.¡±


    Danrique dropped his gaze to look at the wine in his ss.


    ¡°I...¡±


    Francesca tried to think of an excuse, but couldn''te up with one. She knew she couldn''t involve


    William, so she lied, ¡°The room was too stuffy. I just wanted to get some fresh air.¡±


    ¡°Next time, if you want to go anywhere or do anything, go through the door and not through the window.


    It will be a shame if you fall and be the snow leopards'' food.¡±


    Danrique set his ss on the table and got up to leave.


    Mixed feelings stirred within Francesca as she watched him leave.


    Fifteen minutes ago, she had just gone out through the window. That meant Danrique had been sitting


    there for fifteen minutes, silently waiting for her return.


    With his character, he should demand her to spill her whereabouts and what she did in that period. Yet


    he didn''t ask anything. Could it be that he knows where I went? But he didn''t say anything. What


    exactly is he thinking?


    The more he acted out of character, the more uneasiness Francesca felt.


    Sounds of door knocking next door pulled her out of her thoughts. She heard the door open and


    Robin''s respectful greeting. ¡°Mr. Lindberg.¡±


    ¡°Is William asleep?¡±


    Danrique strode right into William''s room.


    Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    ¡°No, pleasee in, Mr. Lindberg.¡±


    Panic flood Robin''s chest at Danrique''s sudden visitation.


    The uneasiness grew within Francesca. Has Danrique gone to find fault with William?


    I''m not afraid of anything, but I don''t want to implicate anyone. Yet, I can''t ask them now, or I might as


    well be admitting to Danrique that I was there!


    Meanwhile, William was sitting on the sofa, sipping on the tonic Norah brought.


    When he saw Danrique, he asked with a smile, ¡°L, you''re not asleep yet?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Danrique''s gaze swung to the window and noticed it was shut with the curtains pulled close. It might


    seem like there was no trace, but there was a small stain on the pristine white carpet.


    Withoutmenting about the stain, he took a seat on the sofa and asked straightforwardly, ¡°William,


    why are you here this time?¡±


    ¡°Roth and Edward had each met with me separately back in M Nation, saying they had something to


    discuss. I postponed their meeting and insisted to wait for you, but they persisted and even wanted to


    visit me at my ce. I didn''t want to invite any troubles, so I came to find you.¡±


    William was telling the truth. He was aware Danrique was the decision-maker in their coboration, so


    he wouldn''t simply make any decision without discussing it with Danrique first.


    However, Edward and Roth kept wanting to bribe him and use him to take down Danrique.


    Not wanting to offend both sides, William came up with an excuse and came to Erihal to meet with


    Danrique.


    He proved his loyalty and sincerity to Danrique and also avoided trouble at the same time.


    ¡°They were too impatient.¡± Danrique reached for the ss of wine in Robin''s hand, gently swirling the


    red liquid. ¡°It''s good that you''re staying here for a while. You can attend my wedding.¡±


    ¡°You really want to get married?¡± William asked softly. ¡°As the figure of authority of the Lindberg family,


    your marriage is a matter of great importance.


    ¡°Every faction wants to ally with the Lindberg family through marriage. I heard it wasn''t just the three


    major families, but even the bureaucrats of Erihal wanted to marry their daughters to you.


    ¡°Have you thought things through? Are you sure you want to marry Ms. Cece?¡±


    ¡°Of course, she is the only woman I want to marry.¡± Danrique was sure and firm. ¡°A true man expands


    his empire through his wits and fists, not marriage.¡±


    ¡°You''re right but reality is cruel-¡±


    ¡°William.¡± Danrique cut William off and insinuated, ¡°You''re born a royalty. It''s not a surprise that you


    have such thoughts.


    ¡°However, I''m different from you. The reason I work so hard to stand on top of the world is so that I can


    live my life however I want.


    ¡°If a powerful man turned his love life into a bargaining chip for power, that''s ipetence.¡±

 Chapter 1899

    Chapter 1899


    qWilliam was shocked by Danrique''s words.


    Being born into the royalty, everyone around me had always told me to focus on benefits and the big


    picture and that my feelings were inconsequential.


    Putting aside friendships and romantic rtionships, even family members are stepping stones to a


    higher status.


    In my world, everything is for the sake of a higher status, including myself. I never had my own


    consciousness and freedom. All of my thoughts are based on obtaining more benefit for my family.


    Everyone around me are aligned and heading toward the same goal. Maybe that was why I was


    attracted to Francesca''s carefreeness.


    She was living my dream life and doing everything I wanted but couldn''t do. She was so bright. I


    thought not many could be like her in this world, living life however she wanted.


    Yet now I realized Danrique could do the same too. Francesca is unrestrained and untethered to


    anything, but Danrique carries the entire fate of the Lindberg family on his shoulders.


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Having the control of an extensive corporation at the tips of Danrique''s fingers, even the slightest


    movement could bring about severe repercussions. There should be more restrains and ties around his


    neck than mine, but his beliefs of gaining freedom by standing at the peak were stunning to me.


    Soon, William recollected his thoughts and sighed, ¡°I''m impressed that you have such thoughts, but the


    reality is cruel-¡±


    ¡°That is just an excuse of the weak. The powerful have every control of their fates,¡± Danrique scoffed.


    ¡°L, I know you''re powerful. So powerful that others fear you. You tore down every obstacle in your path


    when you were sixteen and became the authoritative figure of the Lindberg family. Not many others in


    this world have such strong capabilities.


    ¡°However, the world is huge, and many others in this world are on par or even better than you. No


    matter how powerful you are, there''ll be something that you can''t control. Besides, staying by your side


    with the three major families joining hands to target you is dangerous.


    ¡°Choosing to get married at this time is very risky. It isn''t just your status that''ll be affected, but even


    Ms. Cece will be implicated.¡±


    William continued to advise, ¡°I suggest you reconsider your decision. Even if you truly want to marry


    her, you still have to settle the problems at hand first and wait for the situation to stabilize.¡±


    ¡°You can''t wait in matters rted to your feelings. You''ll have to grasp onto them tightly if you like


    them.¡±


    Danrique didn''t agree with William''s point of view and was even slightly displeased by it.


    ¡°When a man is at the top of the world, he must possess the ability to retain that control. I don''t think


    my marriage will affect my power or status, but I can solve them if they do.


    ¡°As for Cece''s safety, I''m sure I can protect my own woman just fine. You don''t have to worry about


    that.¡±


    Hisst sentence was dripping with a chilling sense of threat.


    Robin, who was standing on the side, shuddered at the warning and turned to William worriedly.


    William was taken aback briefly before smiling bitterly. ¡°All right then, I guess I crossed a line.¡±


    ¡°Rest well.¡±


    Danrique ced his wine ss down and got up to leave. He paused as he remembered something


    when he reached the door. Looking over his shoulder, he said, ¡°Xendale is very cold, so remember to


    shut your window tight.¡±


    ¡°Yes, thank you for your reminder, Mr. Lindberg.¡±


    Robin bowed almost ny degrees downward as he thanked Danrique profusely, but sweat had


    dotted his entire forehead.


    Danrique cast onest nce at William before striding out of the room.


    Robin stood by the door, watching Danrique go down the hallway to his room, then quickly retracted his


    gaze and shut the door urgently. ¡°Your Highness, do you think Mr. Lindberg could''ve known?¡± Robin


    asked nervously.


    William didn''t respond. Instead, he picked up his phone to give Francesca a call.


    ¡°Francesca.¡±


    ¡°Did Danrique trouble you?¡±


    ¡°No, he left after we exchanged a few conversations.¡±


    ¡°That''s good.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry and rest well, but let''s not move around too much these two days. We don''t want to court


    his anger.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±

 Chapter 1900

    Chapter 1900


    qThe second William ended the call, Robin asked worriedly, ¡°Your Highness, do you think Mr. Lindberg


    knows about it? I think he was implying something with hisst sentence.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± William nodded his head. ¡°I think he knows about it.¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡± Robin began to panic. ¡°What exactly does he know? Does he know about Ms. Felching


    over to your room tonight? Or did he find out about your rtionship with her? Or has he known about


    her real identity?¡±


    William wasn''t in a hurry to answer. He gulped down the entire ss of wine and said with a bitter


    smile, ¡°Francesca is too naive.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Robin was confused. He didn''t understand what William was referring to. Despite his urgency to


    get the answer, he didn''t dare to push further.


    ¡°With L''s brain and intuitive, there''s nothing that can escape his notice.¡± William sighed. ¡°I''m naive too


    to think I can hide my n to take Francesca away from him even temporarily.¡±


    ¡°I think it''s best not to take the risk.¡± Robin hurriedly reminded, ¡°Our words aren''t weighty enough


    among the royals, so we''ve been on the receiving ends of cold shoulders. L is the only way for you to


    turn your fate around. If you offend him, you''re burning your boat.¡±


    ¡°But I can''t just watch Francesca wallowing in distress.¡± William was hesitant. ¡°If it wasn''t for her, I


    couldn''t live till this day.¡±


    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    ¡°Your Highness, think from another angle.¡± Robin tried to dissuade him. ¡°It''s a good thing Mr. Lindberg


    wants to marry her and harbored sincere feelings for her. It isn''t something bad. We should just do


    them the favor.


    ¡°If you take Ms. Felch away at this crucial time, you''ll be snatching someone''s true love away. You''ll be


    in the wrong if this matter spreads, and your name will be dragged through the mud. You''ll even offend


    L.


    ¡°There aren''t any big misunderstandings between Ms. Felch and Mr. Lindberg. If she doesn''t want to


    marry him, she can just tell Mr. Lindberg the truth about her identity, then find an excuse to head to M


    Nation for her treatment. Isn''t that her chance to run away? You don''t need to get involved at all.¡±


    ¡°You''re right.¡±


    William didn''t ept Robin''s earlier arguments, but hisst remark struck him. Suddenly, his eyes lit up


    as an idea formed in his head.


    It''s almost impossible to take Francesca away from under Danrique''s nose, but it''s an entirely different


    scenario if Danrique agrees to let her go.


    ¡°It''s great that you''ve thought things through, Your Highness.¡±


    Robin assumed William had given up and released a sigh of relief.


    After much thought, Francesca felt that she shouldn''t drag William into her matter.


    She understood there was no way William could take her away under Danrique''s watchful gaze.


    In the end, she decided to depend on herself.


    But how am I supposed to leave? I''m a queen in the forest. I''m sure no one can catch me there, but


    this is a foreign country and I''m in a cold castle. I can''t find the window of opportunity-


    Her phone''s vibration snapped her out of her train of thoughts. It was a call from Anthony.


    Francesca connected the call immediately, ¡°Hi!¡±


    ¡°How are you, Francesca? Still trapped in Xendale?¡±


    ¡°How do you know?¡±


    The minute the question was out of her mouth, Francesca smacked herself on her forehead. Danrique


    took me away from Anthony, so of course, Anthony would know I was with Danrique. Danrique''sir is


    in Xendale. It''s an obvious connection.


    ¡°Never have I tried so hard to think of a way to get closer to Danrique, but I couldn''t think of anything. I


    can''t help you with this, but I have an idea.¡±


    ¡°What idea?¡± Francesca asked urgently.


    ¡°Honey trap!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Since he likes you and wants to marry you, you might as well y along with it. Once he lets his guard


    down, you can then find an opportunity to escape.¡±


    ¡°How am I supposed to y along? Agree to marry him and then ditch him at the altar?¡±


    ¡°Even though this is the worst possible n, it''s a n nheless.¡± Anthony didn''t have a choice too.


    ¡°As long as he lets his guard down, you''ll have a chance to escape.¡±

 Chapter 1901

    Chapter 1901


    q¡°You oversimplified matters. Danrique isn''t easy to deal with at all. I didn''t agree to marry him from the


    beginning, but he still did ording to his liking. He''s now preparing for the wedding and even


    announced to others that we''re getting married. Whether I agree or not doesn''t matter.¡±


    ¡°Then you should change your attitude by listening to him more and be gentler. Find a way to meet him


    outside privately, knock him unconscious, then make your great escape.¡±


    Anthony patiently taught her bit by bit.


    ¡°You''re like an empty canvas in terms of rtionships. You have zero experience, so remember to bring


    your phone with you at all times and call me if you encounter an opportunity. Or text me. I''ll tell you


    what to do.¡±


    ¡°All right. I''ll try.¡±


    Francesca sighed. I can''t believe a little daredevil like me will have to resort to using a honey trap one


    day.


    ¡°I''m sending you a couple of video clips, watch them and learn the ropes on seduction.¡±


    Anthony''s fingers were busy tapping on the keyboard as he sent Francesca the necessary materials.


    ¡°Among all the techniques in manipting feelings, Pickup artists (PUA) are the best in the field, but


    I''m not sure if they''ll work against powerful men like Danrique, and I don''t dare to teach you too much.¡±


    ¡°Stop talking nonsense and send everything to me. I''ll apply whichever is necessary.¡±


    ¡°Okay then.¡± Anthony sent a whole stack of materials to her. ¡°Francesca, try not to put yourself on the


    line. All these methods only need you to wink, hold his hand, and even hug him at most. Never let him


    take advantage of you.¡±


    ¡°I got it. You talk so much.¡±


    After hanging up the call, Francescay on the bed and skimmed through all the materials she just


    received. Her brain was strange in the sense that she could memorize every word if she put her heart


    to it.


    However, if it was something she was unwilling to learn, she would be repulsed and wouldn''t even take


    a look.


    Anthony was considerate and even categorized all the materials into two main categories.


    One was the method of seducing men, including ying hard to get.


    Two was a Pickup artist''s method of manipting emotions.


    Francesca was studying her phone intently and would sigh every now and then. I didn''t expect there to


    be so much knowledge in dealing with men.


    If I learned everything here, I should be able to deal with Danrique. He''ll listen to my every word like a


    command and I can walk myself out of here.


    Francesca was still researching on ways to deal with Danrique while Danrique was also searching for


    information on how to capture a woman''s heart in the master bedroom next door.


    One of the clips said men needed to first conquer women''s bodies before capturing their hearts. If a


    woman wasn''t repulsed by a man''s closeness, it meant she had feelings for him.


    A woman would form attachment and feelings from intimacy over a long period. After a while, the


    woman wouldn''t be able to leave the man they were attached to.


    Once the woman had a baby, she would never leave.


    Danrique was feeling slightly restless reading that part. So there''s such a method, I should''ve tried it


    earlier.


    I remembered Francesca didn''t struggle thest time I kissed her. Instead, she was all nervous and


    shy. Well, it looks like I have a ce in her heart. I''m sure that must be it.


    Danrique was getting excited at his thought and was eager to head over next door and demonstrate a


    forceful kiss from an alpha man.


    However, on second thought, he felt it was best not to act rashly.


    In the next room, Francesca felt her eyelids flutter as she read the materials, and soon she was lulled


    into dreand.


    In her dreams, she used every method in the book to seduce Danrique, and he had his arms wrapped


    around her so tightly. His lips were kissing hers passionately.


    She was beginning to feel her cheeks heat and her heart racing in her dream. Nervousness and panic


    filled her chest.


    It feels so real. I almost can''t differentiate between dream and reality.


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    Despite being in dreand, she still remembered her mission. Hurry up and lose consciousness!


    Once he loses consciousness I can make my escape.


    However, Danrique still hadn''t lost consciousness until the very minute she woke up. Instead, he was


    deepening his kiss.

 Chapter 1902

    Chapter 1902


    qThe next morning, Francesca woke up with her face all red and an inexplicable feeling in her chest.


    It felt as if her heart was numb and tingling from being shocked by electricity.


    That''s strange... Why would I have such a strange dream? Even if it is because of the files I was


    reading before bed, I should have dreamt of how I could control him and get out of here! Why did it turn


    into a wet dream instead?


    Francesca blushed even harder at the thought of that as she hugged her pillow and stared nkly into


    space.


    Her train of thoughts was interrupted when someone knocked on the door and asked, ¡°Are you awake,


    Ms. Cece?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am. Come in,¡± Francesca replied while stretchingzily.


    Norah came in momentster with a few maids and a bunch of new clothes.


    Francesca narrowed her eyes and stared at the maids as she asked, ¡°Why am I being given more


    clothes again? I haven''t even finished trying on the ones in the closet!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg has prepared some clothes that are morefortable. You''ll be picking out a bridal gown


    and essories today, so you''ll be quite busy,¡± Norah replied with a smile.


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Francesca froze. ¡°Huh... Are you serious?¡±


    ¡°The wedding has been announced internally. Mr. Lindberg headed over to the office really early today.


    From what I''ve heard, he''s going to announce your wedding during the board meeting!¡± Norah had a


    bright smile on her face and seemed to be in a great mood.


    Francesca, on the other hand, frowned upon hearing that. She didn''t really care when Danrique told


    her about it, but she began to panic when she saw how serious he was.


    I won''t ever be able to escape if word gets out about our marriage! It''s a good thing that he''s only


    announcing it with my fake identity. Nobody knows that I''m Francesco!


    ¡°Ms. Cece? Ms. Cece?¡± Norah called out to her a few times.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Francesca looked up at her after snapping out of her daze.


    ¡°Could you tell me about your registered address, your family''s address, and the situation in your


    family? Mr. Lindberg wanted me to ask you this so he could arrange for someone to bring your family


    over!¡± Norah asked with a smile.


    ¡°I''m an orphan, so I have no family,¡± Francesca replied.


    ¡°Oh, um...¡± Norah paused in surprise before shing her a sympathetic look as she said, ¡°That''s all


    right, Ms. Cece. We''ll be your family from now on.¡±


    Francesca felt a little touched when she heard that. ¡°Thanks!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg has no family too, so it''s nice that you two will have each other.¡±


    Norah patted her on the hand as she continued, ¡°Mr. Lindberg has been left to survive in the streets all


    by himself since he was born. Ms. Isabe only found him when he was ten and brought him home.


    The Lindberg residence was quite a lively ce at the time. There were a lot of people living in the


    castle, but then... Everyone started fighting over the position of heir of the family. Fortunately for Mr.


    Lindberg, Ms. Isabe was there to protect him. She also had someone teach him the skills necessary


    for survival. When Ms. Isabe was no longer able to protect him, those people grew increasingly bold


    and used all sorts of underhanded means to get at him. They were so cruel that even I couldn''t bear to


    watch. Sigh... To think that the great Lindberg family would go so far just to take out a sixteen-year-old


    boy...¡±


    Norah''s eyes reddened at the mention of that, and she quickly tried to change the topic.


    ¡°I was in charge of looking after Ms. Isabe at first, but she wanted me to take care of Mr. Lindberg


    instead. I''ve watched him grow up, so I know just how rough his life has been. Outsiders may see him


    as a capable and all-powerful man, but he will forever remain a child in my eyes. Because he rarely


    speaks or shows emotion, othersbel him as being cold and merciless. I think he only turned out like


    that in order to protect himself and this family. Ms. Isabe once told him that he had to protect this


    family and get rid of those evil parasites. She said even the closest of family members and rtives


    can be the worst enemies. Mr. Lindberg heeded her instructions and hasmitted his all into


    protecting this family. When Ms. Isabe was gone, Mr. Lindberg lost his only remaining family member


    and hasn''t smiled ever since. It wasn''t until you came into his life that he finally started smiling again.


    Ms. Cece, I really hope that you and Mr. Lindberg can live happily together.¡±

 Chapter 1903

    Chapter 1903


    qFrancesca felt her heart starting to waver after hearing that. She didn''t know much about Danrique''s


    past, and all she heard were rumors of him being a cruel and heartless man who would use any


    underhanded means to get his way.


    She also heard that he murdered the entire Lindberg family in a single night and walked out of the


    castle covered in blood, all for the sake of bing the heir.


    Everyone imed that he was like the devil in the flesh, and his name alone struck fear in the hearts of


    those who heard it.


    That was one of the reasons why Francesca had desperately wanted to escape this ce.


    However, hearing Norah''s side of the story caused her to start viewing Danrique in a different light.


    ¡°I''m sorry, Ms. Cece. Did I annoy you with my rambling?¡± Norah apologized when she saw her go quiet.


    ¡°Oh, not at all! You can carry on with your duties now that I''m out of bed!¡± Francesca replied with a


    smile.


    ¡°All right. I''ll go make you some breakfast,¡± Norah said and left in a hurry after that.


    Francesca then washed up and got changed before heading downstairs for breakfast. To her surprise,


    she saw William reading the newspaper in the dining room while Robin stood behind him.


    Judging by how the maids were being so respectful toward him, Francesca figured it wasn''t the first


    time he had visited the castle.


    ¡°Good morning, William!¡± she greeted him as she came down the stairs.


    She then quickly nced at the maids around them, and let out a sigh of relief when she saw no


    response from them.


    ¡°Good morning, Ms. Cece! Did you sleep well?¡± William asked calmly.


    ¡°Quite well, actually.¡±


    A maid came over and poured Francesca a ss of warm milk as she sat down at the table.


    ¡°Drinking milk is good for your health,¡± William said with a smile.


    Francesca ignored him and simply carried on eating.


    Suddenly, Mylo came in and said, ¡°The car is ready, Ms. Cece.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Where are we going?¡± Francesca asked.


    ¡°I told you just now, didn''t I? Mr. Lindberg has arranged for you to pick out the bridal gown and


    essories today. Have you forgotten already?¡± Norah exined.


    ¡°Oh...¡± Francesca was a little reluctant, but gave in after recalling Anthony''s suggestion. ¡°We''ll head out


    after breakfast, then.¡±


    ¡°Very well. I''ll go fetch your coat!¡±


    Feeling overjoyed, Norah had someone bring Francesca''s coat and boots downstairs.


    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    ¡°Pick out a bridal gown? Has their marriage been confirmed?¡± William asked anxiously with a slight


    frown.


    ¡°Yes. Mr. Lindberg is going to announce it during the board meeting today,¡± Mylo replied.


    William shot Francesca a conflicted look after hearing that. Francesca could tell that he had something


    to say, but the words seemed to be stuck in his throat.


    ¡°Once he has decided on something, it is pretty much set in stone.¡± Francesca hinted as she ced


    her utensils down. ¡°I''m full. Let''s go.¡±


    ¡°Here, don''t forget to put your coat on, Ms. Cece. It''s really cold outside,¡± Norah reminded her while


    draping the coat over her shoulders.


    ¡°Got it. Thanks, Mdm. Norah!¡± Francesca replied with a smile before getting into the car with a few of


    her bodyguards.


    Having lost all appetite after watching her leave, William stopped eating and requested to return to his


    room.


    ¡°Your Highness, Mr. Lindberg has mentioned that you may feel free to use the study room and dining


    room downstairs. You may also consider going out to get some fresh air if you feel bored,¡± Norah said


    respectfully.


    ¡°Thank you, Mdm. Norah. For now, I''d like to get some rest in my room,¡± William replied politely before


    having Robin wheel him back to his room.


    ¡°Your Highness, it has been confirmed that Mr. Lindberg and Ms. Felch are going to get married. He will


    be announcing it during the board meetingter, so I believe it is best that you leave it be, Your


    Highness.¡±


    ¡°I fear that Francesca will be targeted by politicians as well as those from the three families. Danrique''s


    marriage will affect the future of Lindberg Corporation. Now that he''s nning on marrying a woman of


    unknown origin, people are bound to get some funny ideas and try to stop him,¡± William said with a


    solemn expression.

 Chapter 1904

    Chapter 1904


    q¡°Mr. Lindberg will keep her safe. Erihal is his territory, and those around him are highly-trained elites.


    No one will be able to cause Ms. Felch any harm. Your Highness, I suggest we just attend their


    wedding and avoid getting ourselves involved any further,¡± Robin replied.


    William fell silent for a while before saying in a deep voice, ¡°I won''t interfere as long as Francesca is all


    right. If anything happens to her, I will take her away.¡±


    Robin let out a deep sigh and didn''t dare say anything further.


    There''s no changing Prince William''s mind once he decides on something... I just hope that Mr.


    Lindberg and Ms. Felch''s wedding will go smoothly. If it doesn''t, I hope she''ll at least be able to leave


    on her own. Prince William really can''t be getting involved in this any further...


    Francesca''s head started hurting really badly all of a sudden while she was in the car.


    It felt like someone was hammering on her skull in an attempt to crack it wide open.


    She held her head with one hand and closed her eyes as she endured the pain.


    Being a doctor, she knew that her condition was getting worse with each passing day. The metal


    fragments were pressing against the nerve endings of her brain, so she needed to have them removed


    surgically as soon as possible.


    ¡°What''s wrong, Ms. Cece? Are you feeling unwell?¡± Sloan asked from the passenger seat when he saw


    her in pain.


    Francesca kept quiet and continued holding her head with one hand while massaging it with the other.


    ¡°Ms. Cece?¡±


    Sloan was about to follow up with another question, but paused when he noticed how familiar she


    looked. If I recall, Dr. Felch used to do that too whenever she had a headache...


    ¡°What is it?¡± Mylo asked.


    ¡°I think Ms. Cece is feeling a little under the weather. Stop the car by the side of the road so she can


    get some rest!¡± Sloan replied anxiously.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Mylo then pulled over by the roadside as he continued, ¡°Watch after Ms. Cece while I go buy


    her a cup of coffee.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Sloan waited till Mylo had disappeared from sight before turning toward Francesca. ¡°A-Are


    you Dr. Felch?¡± he asked cautiously.


    Francesca froze and looked up at him through her blurry vision.


    Her response alone provided Sloan with the answer to his question. ¡°So, you really are Dr. Felch! I had


    a feeling you two looked simr! You may be dressed differently, but your voice and the way you speak


    are the same! Oh, and you have the same eyes too!¡±


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Don''t tell anyone,¡± Francesca whispered.


    ¡°I won''t. Dr. Felch, have you not recovered from your brain injury? Does Mr. Lindberg know about this?


    How about we get you to a hospital?¡± Sloan asked anxiously.


    Francesca shook her head. ¡°There''s no need for that. Just act like you don''t know anything, got it?¡±


    Sloan wasn''t really sure what was going on, but he nodded anyway. ¡°Got it...¡±


    He was about to say something further when Mylo returned with the hot coffee. ¡°Here you go, Ms.


    Cece. Have a hot cup of coffee.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Feeling a lot better after resting for a bit, Francesca took the coffee over and leaned against


    her seat as she said, ¡°Let''s get moving.¡±


    ¡°You still seem a little unwell, Ms. Cece. Shall we take you to a hospital before we head over?¡± Mylo


    asked worriedly as he started the car.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Francesca nced at the rearview mirror and saw two other cars following closely behind.


    Those are Danrique''s men assigned to keep me safe... He''d probably arrive very soon if I''m going to try


    out the bridal gown. Given how he always has a huge group of men around him, it would be incredibly


    difficult to make a run for it. The hospital will be quite crowded, so I might have a better chance at


    escaping. These bodyguards can''t follow me into the examination room, so that should provide me with


    an opening to make my escape.


    It wasn''t long before they arrived outside a hospital.


    After escorting Francesca inside with Sloan and the others, Mylo was about to give the hospital a call


    when Francesca stopped him.


    ¡°No need to cause such a huge scene over a quick trip to the doctor''s office. It''ll be too much trouble.¡±


    ¡°I suppose you''re right. Mr. Lindberg has instructed us to maintain a low profile now that you two are


    about to get married. I''ll get a doctor to attend to you immediately, okay?¡± Mylo said while putting the


    phone away.


    ¡°Okay.¡±

 Chapter 1905

    Chapter 1905


    qSince Mylo had mentioned that she had a headache, the doctor was only nning on performing a


    CT scan at first. However, Francesca told the doctor, ¡°Apart from headaches, I''ve also been having


    stomachaches and gastric painstely. In fact, I''m hurting pretty much everywhere...¡±


    ¡°In that case, I''ll perform aplete physical examination.¡±


    The doctor didn''t dare waste another second and quickly carried out a thorough physical examination.


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Francesca had assumed she would have a chance to make her escape then, but Mylo and the other


    bodyguards followed her closely the whole time. Not only did their actions eliminate all chances of her


    escaping, but they were also making the medical staff incredibly nervous.


    ¡°It''s just a physical examination, you guys! There''s no need to cause such a huge scene!¡± Francesca


    deliberately eximed in displeasure.


    ¡°We''re simply worried about your safety, Ms. Cece. I''ve already informed Mr. Lindberg, so he''s on his


    way here now,¡± Mylo exined.


    Francesca froze in shock. ¡°What? He''sing over?¡±


    ¡°That''s right. Mr. Lindberg was going to meet you at the bridal shop, but he came rushing over the


    moment he heard you were unwell,¡± Mylo replied with a straight face.


    Oh, no... I have to get out of here before Danrique arrives, or I won''t be able to escape!


    With that in mind, Francesca asked, ¡°How much longer until he gets here?¡±


    ¡°The office is a little far away from here. He has only just left the building, so it''d take about half an hour


    or so. Don''t worry. Mr. Lindberg is really concerned about you, so he''ll try to get here as quickly as


    possible,¡± Mylo replied.


    Right as Francesca was hoping for him to arriveter, the doctor arranged for her to be examined by a


    gynecologist.


    Fortunately for her, the bodyguards assigned to her that day were all male.


    Noticing her golden opportunity, Francesca quickly told them, ¡°You guys can just wait outside for me.


    This shouldn''t take long.¡±


    ¡°All right. Just call out to us if anything happens, and we''ll be with you immediately,¡± Mylo reminded her.


    ¡°Like I said, this is just a physical examination. The doctor''s not going to hurt me or anything, so what


    could possibly happen?¡± Francesca protested in displeasure.


    Not wanting to anger the future wife of his boss, Mylo shed her an apologetic smile and said, ¡°Of


    course, Ms. Cece. Here, I''ll hold on to your bag and coat for you.¡±


    ¡°No need. I can hold on to them myself.¡±


    Francesca then entered the examination room with the nurses after that.


    While waiting in the corridor outside, Mylo whispered at Sloan, ¡°Hey, don''t you feel like there''s


    something off about Ms. Cece today?¡±


    ¡°No, I don''t. What''s the matter?¡± Sloan asked in confusion.


    Mylo frowned as he exined, ¡°She was just having a headache earlier, so a CT scan would''ve


    sufficed. But then, she suddenly says she''s hurting everywhere and insists on getting aplete


    physical examination. I feel like she''s trying to stall for time...¡±


    ¡°Stall for time? Why would she do that?¡± Sloan asked.


    Mylo''s expression changed instantly. ¡°Maybe she''s trying to escape? She did try to escape twice


    before, but failed in both of her attempts. I think we should check on her!¡±


    He was about to enter the examination room, but Sloan quickly stopped him and said, ¡°Can''t you read


    the sign? Men aren''t allowed in there!¡±


    ¡°What if Ms. Cece escapes, though? How will we exin it to Mr. Lindberg? We''d be done for if he gets


    mad!¡± Mylo eximed anxiously.


    ¡°Things would get even worse if we end up making Ms. Cece mad!¡± Sloan snapped back at him.


    ¡°But...¡± Mylo was at a loss.


    ¡°I''ll go check on things, so you wait here for my return. We don''t want to cause a huge scene and end


    up offending Ms. Cece as a result. You know how mad Mr. Lindberg can get if that happens, don''t


    you?¡± Sloan suggested.


    Mylo nodded. ¡°You''re right. Hurry up, then! We have to make sure that everything is okay!¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    Sloan then made his way over to the examination room and knocked on the door. ¡°Ms. Cece?¡±


    Having knocked out the nurses inside the examination room, Francesca was about to escape through


    the window when she heard Sloan''s voiceing from outside the door.

 Chapter 1906

    Chapter 1906


    q¡°What is it?¡± she responded.


    ¡°N-Nothing! Just making sure you''re okay, that''s all!¡± Sloan replied cautiously.


    ¡°I''m fine! There''s just a little problem with the examination, so it''s taking a bit longer than usual. Stop


    rushing me!¡± Francesca came up with an excuse on the fly to stall for more time.


    ¡°Got it!¡± Sloan didn''t think much about it.


    ¡°Men aren''t allowed in here, so go wait outside!¡± Francesca added.


    ¡°All right.¡±


    As Sloan walked down the corridor, Francesca vaulted out the window of the seventh floor and began


    climbing down the pipe.


    Sloan had barely taken a few steps when he too, felt something was amiss.


    Hold on... I only heard Ms. Cece''s voice in there. I didn''t hear any of the nurses or doctors at all! We


    may have been trying to keep a low profile, but the medical staff are still aware of our background and


    fear us deeply. Under normal circumstances, they would definitely have said something when I


    checked on her earlier! Something is definitely wrong here!


    With that in mind, Sloan returned to the examination room and knocked on the door again. ¡°Ms. Cece?¡±


    This time, there was no response at all.


    ¡°Ms. Cece? Ms. Cece!¡± he called out to her two more times, but there was still no response.


    Feeling anxious, Sloan wanted to push the door open to have a look. However, the thought of


    potentially walking in on an inappropriate moment and angering Francesca stopped him from doing so.


    After a brief moment of hesitation, he ran into the empty room next to it and looked out the window.


    His eyes went wide in horror when he saw Francesca reaching the bottom of the pipe outside.


    Francesca happened to look in his direction when he was about to call out to her, and the two of them


    maintained eye contact for a few seconds.


    Before he could even react, she made a shushing motion at him and quickly hailed herself a cab.


    Sloan was so shocked that he simply stood there and watched the cab speed off into the distance. It


    took him quite a while to regain hisposure, and he began to panic as the realization hit him.


    His mission was to serve Danrique with unconditional loyalty, and yet he instinctively chose to betray


    him by helping Francesca.


    While he couldn''t understand why Francesca wanted to escape, he knew she must''ve had her reasons


    for doing so.


    As such, he wanted to help her out regardless of what her reasons were.


    Even so, he still felt a strong sense of guilt and fear from betraying his employer.


    ¡°Sloan? What are you doing here?¡± Mylo''s voice could be hearding from behind.


    Sloan panicked a little when he heard Mylo''s voiceing from behind, but he was able to quickly


    calm himself down before turning around. ¡°I was just trying to make sure that everything is okay in the


    examination room next door,¡± he replied calmly.


    ¡°You knocked on the door, right? Was there no response?¡± Mylo pressed on.


    ¡°I did. Ms. Cece said the examination is still ongoing, and that it would take a bit more time. She also


    told us to stop rushing her and wait outside,¡± Sloan answered honestly.


    Mylo let out a sigh of relief upon hearing that. ¡°Oh, okay... I''m just d everything is all right.¡±


    ¡°I decided to check on the room from over here because I was still a little worried, but I didn''t find


    anything wrong either,¡± Sloan added while closing the window.


    He even made sure to nce at the road and saw that the cab was far away before turning around.


    ¡°All right, then. Let''s hurry up and wait outside. Mr. Lindberg will be arriving soon,¡± Mylo reminded him.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Sloan nodded and left the room with him.


    Meanwhile, the cab that Francesca took had left the streets near the hospital and was headed straight


    for the airport.


    Suddenly, she spotted a convoy of fancy cars headed in their direction on the oppositene, and the


    one in front was none other than Danrique''s car.


    In her state of panic, Francesca quickly hid herself in the back seat for fear of being seen.


    Her heart was racing as the cab passed right by the convoy.


    It wasn''t until she nced in the rearview mirror and saw the convoy get farther away that she


    breathed a sigh of relief.


    Phew! I''ve finally managed to escape!


    Meanwhile, inside a silver Rolls-Royce, Sean gave Mylo a call and said, ¡°There might be an ambush,


    so be careful! Do everything you can to ensure Ms. Cece''s safety! Don''t let your guard down even for a


    second!¡±


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Understood!¡±

 Chapter 1907

    Chapter 1907


    qAfter hanging up the phone, Sean turned toward Danrique and said, ¡°Don''t worry, Mr. Lindberg. There


    are so many of us with Ms. Cece, so I''m sure she''ll be fine. Besides, we''re almost at the hospital.¡±


    ¡°Those old b*stards... How dare they object to my marriage! They have no say over my personal


    affairs!¡± Danrique muttered with a gloomy expression.


    ¡°We didn''t take this into consideration due to ourck of experience, but Old Lady Lindberg objected


    too when the Nacht family''s only son courted Ms. Isabe back then. The fact that Ms. Isabe ended


    up marrying an ordinary guy goes to show that the Lindberg family doesn''t believe in marriages of


    convenience. As such, they expect mutual consent in your marriage as well. The shareholders, on the


    other hand, believe that your marriage will have a direct impact on the future of Lindberg Corporation.


    That''s why they want you to either pick one of the daughters from the three prominent families, or


    marry someone with a political background. The bottom line is, they expect you to marry a woman with


    an impressive family background instead of some ordinary civilian.¡±


    ¡°So what if she''s an ordinary civilian? I don''t need to rely on my woman financially, so why should her


    family background even matter?¡± Danrique protested angrily.


    ¡°Her family background is one thing, but her mysterious origin is quite another. M Nation has set its


    sights on us now, so they''re worried that Ms. Cece might be a spy sent to gather information on us.


    Honestly, I''d say their concerns are quite justified,¡± Sean exined cautiously.


    ¡°Utterly ridiculous! How is that even possible?¡± Danrique didn''t even know what else to say anymore.


    ¡°I don''t think it''s possible either, but it is true that we haven''t been able to find any information on Ms.


    Cece''s identity...¡±


    Sean stopped himself mid-sentence and continued after a brief pause, ¡°Given how powerful the


    Lindberg family is, there is no secret that we cannot uncover. And yet, Ms. Cece is aplete mystery


    to us.¡±


    ¡°There''s nothing wrong with her. I don''t care what others say about her, okay? I will be the one to


    decide who I marry,¡± Danrique replied.


    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± Sean lowered his head and kept quiet after that.


    ¡°Have more men stationed around Cece. I fear they may try to harm her, especially that b*stard Harrier.


    He has always wanted to get some dirt on me, but never seeded in doing so. There''s no way he''d


    just sit by idly now that a golden opportunity has presented itself!¡± Danrique ordered.


    ¡°Understood!¡± Sean nodded. ¡°The hospital is just up ahead. We''ll be able to see Ms. Cece soon.¡±


    Meanwhile, Francesca had just arrived at the airport. She quickly got off the cab and began rushing


    toward the check-in counter.


    As it turned out, she had already purchased the air tickets via her mobile phone along the way. Her


    n was toy low in Erihal for a few days and return to the country as soon as her visa was approved.


    However, she was stopped by a group of men in ck before she could even enter the airport.


    Realizing that they didn''t exactly have kind intentions, Francesca turned around and began running


    back to the cab.


    The men in ck immediately drew their guns and gave chase. After knocking a few of them out, she


    was about to hop in the cab and flee the area. However, the cab driver was so scared of getting into


    trouble that he floored the elerator and sped off.


    Francesca tried to hail another passing cab, but the men jabbed a gun at her head and shoved her into


    the back seat of their car.


    ¡°What are you guys doing? Mmph...¡±


    The next thing she knew, her mouth had been stuffed with a rag, and one of the men hit her on the


    back of the head with his gun.


    Bam!


    Blood sttered all over her Francesca''s face as she slumped weakly against the seat.


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°She''s not dead, is she?¡± asked one of the men with a frown.


    ¡°Please, it''ll take much more than a little whack to kill her! Now, hurry up and stop the bleeding! Boss


    wants her alive!¡± replied the man leading the group.


    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡±


    Francesca''s face and clothes had been stained red by her blood as sheypletely motionless in


    her seat.


    One of the men in ck tried applying pressure to her wound to prevent her from losing too much


    blood.


    Little did they know, that blow to her head hadnded right on her existing wound, and the bleeding


    wouldn''t stop.

 Chapter 1908

    Chapter 1908


    qUpon arrival at the hospital, Danrique was about to head upstairs when Mylo and the others came


    running in a state of panic. ¡°Ms. Cece is missing, Mr. Lindberg!¡±


    Danrique tensed up upon hearing that. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Where did she go?¡± Sean asked anxiously.


    ¡°We believe she knocked the medical staff unconscious and escaped through the window!¡± Mylo


    replied.


    ¡°Have you guys tried looking for her?¡± Sean pressed on.


    ¡°We''ve searched the entire hospital, but she''s nowhere to be found. She had us wait outside while she


    was having a physical examination, and we didn''t dare go inside, so¡ª¡±


    ¡°You useless piece of trash!¡± Danrique shouted furiously.


    ¡°We''re sorry, Mr. Lindberg! Please punish us as you see fit!¡± Mylo and the others said in unison as they


    went down on one knee.


    ¡°Now isn''t the time for this! Our main priority is finding Ms. Cece! Go check the hospital''s security


    camera footage and see which direction she went in!¡± Sean urged him.


    ¡°Sloan is already on it!¡±


    Those words had barely left Mylo''s mouth when Sloan came running over with the security camera


    footage saved on his phone.


    ¡°Ms. Cece is most likely headed for the airport. I''ve had someone contact the cab driver, so we should


    have some information soon!¡± he said.


    ¡°We''re going to the airport!¡± Sean gave the order decisively.


    ¡°Roger!¡± Mylo nodded and rushed over to the airport with his team.


    ¡°Contact the airport and have them dy all flights by two hours!¡± Danrique instructed before getting


    into the car.


    ¡°Right away, Mr. Lindberg! Don''t worry; Ms. Cece hasn''t been gone for long. Even if she manages to


    make it past security, she can''t have boarded her flight just yet. We''ll be able to make it in time!¡± Sean


    reassured him.


    ¡°Contact the airport and check if she has boarded the flight,¡± Danrique ordered.


    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡± Sean was about to make the call when he paused and said, ¡°But, we don''t even know Ms.


    Cece''s real name. How will we check?¡±


    Danrique simply kept quiet and made a call on his phone while Sean watched on curiously from the


    side.


    The call got through momentster, and a familiar voice could be heard on the other line. ¡°Hello, Mr.


    Lindberg!¡±


    ¡°William, what''s Cece''s real name?¡±


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    ¡°Huh?¡± William was so shocked that he didn''t even know what to say.


    ¡°Tell me!¡± Danrique urged him impatiently.


    ¡°B-But she''s your fianc¨¦e, isn''t she? H-How would I know her name?¡±


    ¡°Drop the act, William! What''s Francesco''s real name? Tell me!¡± Danrique shouted coldly.


    William froze upon hearing that. Huh... So, he already knows who Francesca is...


    ¡°William!¡±


    ¡°Her name is Francesca!¡±


    ¡°Spell it out for me!¡±


    ¡°F-R-A-N-C-E-S-C-A!¡±


    Danrique hung up the phone immediately after William finished his sentence. ¡°Check it right now!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡± Sean immediately started calling the airport.


    ¡°Drive faster!¡± Danrique urged the driver while anxiously ncing at his watch.


    After getting off the phone, Sean turned toward Danrique and asked cautiously, ¡°You knew about her


    being Dr. Felch?¡±


    ¡°How could I not when the signs are so obvious? Actually, she wasn''t really trying to hide it or anything.


    I simply haven''t been able to associate both of her identities together, that''s all.¡±


    Sean nodded in agreement. ¡°Yeah, you''re right. Her voice, that look in her eyes, and even her


    mannerisms match that of Dr. Felch''s perfectly.¡±


    ¡°Hold on... I once told you to have the airport inform me if they spot any Chanaeans leaving Xendale!


    Why haven''t I heard from them at all? Do they not have any information on her?¡± Danrique asked as he


    suddenly recalled something.


    That was when Sean realized something was wrong as well. ¡°No, Sir. I just contacted the airport a few


    minutes ago. ording to them, they haven''t seen any Chanaean passengers check into their flights at


    all.¡±


    The look on Danrique''s face changed instantly. ¡°Could it be that something happened to her before she


    entered the airport? Hurry up and get the security camera footage from the airport entrance!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡±

 Chapter 1909

    Chapter 1909


    qWhen Sean was about to get in touch with the rted department, he received a call from Gordon.


    Thetter''s apprehensive voice sounded from the other end of the line. ¡°We''ve just tracked down the


    cab that Ms. Cece took earlier. ording to the driver, she was taken away by a group of men in ck


    right after she got off it.¡±


    In a split second, Danrique knitted his brows. Even though he seemed to be nonchnt as ever, there


    was a glint of unmissable anxiousness in his eyes.


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    ¡°Who are those men?¡± Sean asked hastily.


    ¡°ording to the driver, those men in ck were seemingly well-trained, and they were all holding


    guns. I''ve requested someone to help retrieve the footage of the surveince camera at the airport


    entrance. However, nothing could be captured as the surveince camera was damaged. At the


    moment, our men are trying to locate the cars parked by the roadside when Ms. Cece was abducted.


    I''m wondering if we''ll be able to obtain any clues from the dashcam footage of the particr vehicles,¡±


    Gordon responded somberly.


    Danrique snatched Sean''s phone and instructed grimly, ¡°Mobilize all your men for a search! You must


    leave no stones unturned to track her down!¡±


    ¡°Noted, Mr. Lindberg!¡± Gordon replied respectfully. Knowing they were racing against time, he wasted


    no time carrying out his task.


    At the sight of Danrique on pins and needles, Sean tried to put him at ease by reassuring him, ¡°Mr.


    Lindberg, don''t worry. I bet they must have abducted Dr. Felch to threaten you. Thus, I''m sure they


    won''t easilyy a finger on her. Apart from that, she''s gifted with incredible aptitude. Who knows, she''ll


    be able to escape at any time...¡±


    Nheless, Danrique cut him off. ¡°Her aptitude only works in specific circumstances. She''s unable to


    summon the beasts on the road. Not to mention, there''s an injury inside her brain!¡±


    Prevailed by sheer apprehension that intensified as time psed, he instructed solemnly, ¡°Get in touch


    with the military now!¡±


    ¡°I''m afraid it''ll stir up turmoil in the political sector if we do so. Mr. Lindberg, we''re now in a precarious


    state, encircled by enemies. If you alert the military because of your private matter, the others will


    surely bombard you with oppressive mockery!¡± Sean reminded him without a second thought.


    ¡°Shut up! Just do as I say!¡± Danrique bellowed in exasperation.


    Sean did not dare to go against his will. He had no choice but stutter, ¡°N-Noted!¡±


    Right that instant, Sloan, who was driving, apologized guiltily, ¡°Mr. Lindberg, I''m sorry. It''s my fault...¡±


    ¡°Were you the one who released her?¡± Danrique snapped coldly with utter frigidness in his eyes.


    ¡°I discovered it when Dr. Felch tried to flee, but I chose not to say anything...¡± Sloan elucidated warily.


    After a pause, he tried to speak up for himself. ¡°She''d saved my life before, so I don''t have the heart to


    expose it. I guessed she must have insisted on leaving due to a valid reason. Thus, I...¡±


    ¡°D*mn it! How could you have the audacity to betray Mr. Lindberg!¡± Sean fumed, blowing a fuse.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, please forgive me for acting foolishly,¡± Sloan apologized shamefully, casting his eyes


    down.


    ¡°I''ll settle the score with you after we get hometer!¡± Danrique shot him a menacing glower and


    snatched Sean''s phone. ¡°Give me your phone! I''ll contact them myself!¡±


    The next moment, he called the military, requesting them to dispatch the search and rescue team right


    away. On top of that, he demanded that they send a military helicopter to track Fransesca down


    throughout the city.


    Initially, the military members thought something had urred. Even though they wereter perplexed


    after knowing he was looking for his fianc¨¦e, they did as requested. After all, they did not dare to get on


    Danrique''s nerves at the moment.


    Sean felt a surge of uneasiness from within himself. He was well aware that Danrique had been deeply


    in love with Francesca. However, he had only realized thetter''s devotion to her was far beyond his


    imagination.


    Deep down, he kept his fingers crossed, hoping that Francesca would be sound and safe. If anything


    happened to her, he foresaw Danrique would go berserk and turn Xendale into a living hell!


    On the other hand, Francesca was awakened by the stabbing pain in her head. Her hair was drenched


    in blood and stuck onto her neck like a secondyer of skin. She felt nauseous as the stench of blood


    rushed into her nostrils.


    Shortly after, realization dawned on her that she was inside a car moving shakily on a treacherous path


    leading up a hill.


    There were reverberations of birds chirping outside the car along the way. The sunlight prated the


    car window, casting an array of shadows.


    Francesca opened her eyes slowly and caught sight of the dense forest outside the window.


    Her lips contorted into a smirk as she started to see a ray of hope. Pfft! Once we are into the forest,


    there will be a twist in the situation!

 Chapter 1910

    Chapter 1910


    qIn the meantime, the car was still heading uphill on the treacherous path.


    Francesca came to her senses gradually as the car moved bumpily. Even though she was still enduring


    the throbbing pain from her wound, she started regaining her usualposure.


    A man in ck was talking on the phone in Erihalean.


    Even so, Francesca could only roughly catch what he said. We''ll reach there soon? She''s not dead?


    Hmph! The mastermind manipting in the dark seems to be waiting for me on the hill! Fine, I''m


    curious to know who that despicable person is!


    The car continued to move on and finally pulled to a halt after quite a long time. A few men in ck got


    off it andmunicated in Erihalean for a short while. After that, they opened the door and carried


    Francesca down.


    Due to the blood loss, she could not muster up any energy to retaliate. However, she still had a clear


    head.


    While being carried upside down by one of the men over his shoulder, she could make out uncountable


    cars parked in the surroundings. Apart from that, there were more men in ck standing guard here


    and there. Evidently, they were all well-trained and a stark contrast to the usual hooligans. She had a


    hunch they were bodyguards from one of the prominent families or corporations. Hmm! The


    mastermind abducting me must be a bigwig from Erihal!


    Later, someone broke Francesca''s reverie by carrying her into a cabin and throwing her onto the floor.


    ¡°Be careful! She''s Mr. Lindberg''s fianc¨¦e. If she''s hurt, all of you will be doomed!¡± An authoritative voice


    sounded abruptly.


    The few men in ck lowered their heads and apologized, ¡°Noted, sir.¡±


    Francesca''s head was in a spin, but she could still roughly have a grasp of the situation.


    Hmph! This man with an authoritative voice must be their head! She wanted to catch a glimpse of the


    man''s face, but she could not move as her energy was drained.


    ¡°Search her body to see if she has an identification card with her!¡± the head instructed.


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± One of the men in ck snatched Francesca''s bag from her and shook everything out on the


    floor. He spotted her passport soon and handed it to their head.


    Thetter took it over and was about to flip through it. All of a sudden, someone squealed, ¡°Snake!¡±


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    The headshed out at his subordinate. ¡°Why did you make such a big fuss!¡±


    ¡°T-there are a lot of snakes!¡± another man stammered.


    The authoritative head finally looked up and was rooted to the ground.


    In a blink of an eye, countless snakes showed up and wriggled toward them.


    There were various types of snakes hissing at them with petrifying murderous intent. Some were


    obviously venomous ones of the rare species.


    ¡°What on earth is happening?¡± the head grunted.


    The next second, a venomous snake charged at him with a swoosh and plunged its fangs into his wrist.


    ¡°Argh!¡± He let out a blood-churning yowl and dropped the passport onto the floor.


    When he was about to pick it up, the other venomous snakes started charging at him and his


    subordinates again.


    The men in ck tried to chase the venomous snakes away by all means. Some even started firing at


    the ferocious reptiles.


    It was an absolute mess in the cabin.


    Soon, someone took out the torches from somewhere to scare off the venomous snakes. Within


    seconds, the reptiles still hissing moments ago dispersed out of the cabin.


    ¡°Argh! My goodness!¡± When the men were about to heave a sigh of relief, a mind-boggling shriek


    sounded outside the cabin. It was followed by a series of ear-splitting gunshots.


    Gripping his wounded wrist, the head instructed, ¡°Go out and have a look!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± One of the bodyguards nodded respectfully and was about to open the door. Nevertheless,


    the wooden door was flung open by something with a powerful knock.


    Everyone''s eyes widened in disbelief when they looked in the same direction. The so-called something


    turned out to be a big ck bear!


    There were a few other ck bears following it closely behind. It was as though a mafia gang exuding


    an intimidating aura was strutting into the cabin.


    ¡°W-What the heck... Argh!¡± Before the man standing guard outside the door could finish his words, he


    was thrown effortlessly by the leading bear onto the car and copsed clumsily on the ground.


    Another bodyguard pulled out his gun and aimed at the big ck bear. Nheless, he ended up lying


    motionlessly on the ground after being pped by the beast the next second.


    Bang!


    The other bodyguards aimed at the bear and fired concurrently, sending it into a frenzy. After letting out


    a bellow of rage, it dashed into the cabin to strike against them.

 Chapter 1911

    Chapter 1911


    qAll the other men in ck were about to dart into the cabin to give theirrades a hand. Right that


    instant, someone pointed at the sky and shrilled, ¡°My goodness! What''s that?¡±


    All the other men in ck lifted their heads instinctively. They were thunderstruck by the sky darkened


    by a soar of eagles! They loomed over the men in ck like an air force battling against their mortal


    enemies.


    The men squealed at the top of their lungs as they fired frantically, but they were iparable to the


    eagles that outnumbered them outrageously.


    A series of gunshots resounded to every corner of the hill.


    Coincidentally, Danrique had reached the foot of the hill. Startled by the gunshots, his face turned


    ashen.


    Without hesitation, he sped off up the hilltop at a mind-blowing speed with his outstanding driving skill.


    In a blink of an eye, his car was nowhere to be seen. His convoy trailing behind his car a while ago


    could not catch up with him.


    Gordon instructed the others cidly, ¡°Stay calm and head toward the hilltop.¡±


    ¡°Noted,¡± the other drivers responded respectfully.


    Preupied with the possibility that Francesca might have met her tragic fate, Danrique''s heart was in


    his mouth. He stepped on the elerator to reach the hilltop soonest possible. The moment he caught


    sight of the cabin, he was utterly speechless at the overwhelming chaos.


    A badly damaged jeep was stuck on a big tree. Meanwhile, a few men in ck were lying motionless


    on the ground carpeted with feathers. On top of that, the cabin''s door was wide open, and the roof was


    gone.


    Panic-stricken, Danrique shrieked, ¡°Cece!¡±


    He jumped off the car at once and dashed into the cabin. Again, he was taken aback by the unsightly


    mess there. Apart from a few lifeless snakes, there were animal furs and ghastly pools of blood on the


    floor.


    Nevertheless, there was no sign of anyone there. Francesca seemed to have vanished into thin air with


    them too.


    ¡°Cece! Cece!¡± Danrique called out her name as he continued searching every corner of the cabin for


    her but to no avail.


    Like a cat on hot bricks, he switched to search for her in the forest.


    Shortly after, Sean and Gordon arrived with the others. After being momentarily dumbfounded by the


    absolute mess, they started tracking down Francesca without wasting time.


    As the hours passed by, the sky became darker gradually. However, there was still no sign of


    Francesca at sunset.


    Gordon assigned his men to bring the few severely injured men in ck with them. Furthermore, he


    collected other potential clues that he believed would be helpful to them in tracing Francesca''s


    whereabouts.


    Meanwhile, Sean approached Danrique and tried to appease him warily. ¡°Mr. Lindberg, don''t worry. I''m


    convinced that Dr. Felch will be all right. My gut instinct tells me all these animals were summoned by


    her earlier. Perhaps, they had rescued her!¡±


    Even so, Danrique only stared into the distance with inexplicitplex emotions in his eyes without


    uttering any words.


    At that very moment, the fiery redness of the sunset bathed the entire sky, shrouding the whole forest


    with a red veil.


    It was a breathtaking view, but Danrique was not in the mood to admire it.


    After what seemed like an eternity, he finally opened his mouth. ¡°Let Gordon leave with all the others.¡±


    Sean was bbergasted. ¡°Huh? Mr. Lindberg, aren''t you looking for Dr. Felch? She should be still in the


    hills. I have a feeling she is not very far away.¡±


    ¡°She has been hiding from me. Thus, I''m sure she won''t show up when the others are around. Just


    bring along a few quick-witted ones to back me up. Let the others retreat,¡± Danrique stated cidly as


    he smoothened his clothes.


    ¡°Noted.¡± Sean nodded solemnly and proceeded with the arrangement.


    At the same time, Gordon rushed over and reported, ¡°Mr. Lindberg, we spotted Ms. Cece''s bag and


    this...¡±


    He handed a blood-stained bag and passport to Danrique.


    Thetter''s eyes lit up the moment he caught sight of Francesca''s name on the passport. Ha! My


    instinct is proven right!


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    Later, he opened her bag intuitively. Other than identification documents, there was a big bag of jewelry


    given by him.


    Catching sight of the bag of jewelry, Danrique''s mouth lifted into a triumphant smile. ¡°She''s indeed


    fantasizing about money. Hmph! She didn''t even forget to bring this bag of goody along when running


    away from me!¡±


    Sean suggested hastily, ¡°Since Dr. Felch''s identification documents and jewelry are still here, I''m sure


    she''ll be back to retrieve them. Mr. Lindberg, do you think we need to assign a few men to wait for her


    here?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! Get a few men to stand guard here.¡± Danrique nodded.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, noted.¡± Sean arranged for a few men to stand guard around the cabin immediately.


    Danrique continued to track Francesca down with him and the other bodyguards. On the other hand,


    Gordon led the others to retreat as instructed by his boss.

 Chapter 1912

    Chapter 1912


    qThe sound of water dripping, the rustling of the leaves as animals moved among the bushes, and the


    unique sounds from unknown bugs blended in as background music for the quiet night. The enchanting


    melody of nature sounded near Francesca''s ear, waking her up. As she slowly came to her senses, the


    agonizing pain was really unbearable to her.


    What she had been through earlier was beyond description.


    When the men in ck were caught off guard in the cabin, she grabbed the opportunity to request the


    ck bear to take her away.


    Thus, it carried her on the shoulder and left. However, it stumbled along the way. Inevitably, her head


    knocked on the cabin''s door, the trunk, and the stone wall. Subsequently, her wound opened up and


    started bleeding again.


    In the end, the big ck bear finally took her back to the cave and threw her violently on the floor. She


    only let out a yowl before drifting into unconsciousness.


    It took her a few hours to regain consciousness again.


    By the time she was awake again, night had fallen.


    It was pitch ck in the cave. The few ck bears were sleeping soundly beside the rocks and


    exhaling breathes of pungent stench.


    Francesca tried to move, only to find that her entire body was stiff. Numbed by the tormenting pain, she


    could not even lift her head.


    She parted her lips and tried to call out to the bear feebly.


    After quite a while, one of the bears eventually woke up and fed her some water with a piece of leaf.


    Even though the beast was not gentle enough, it had at least helped moisten her dry throat.


    When she was able to speak again, she requested the bear to help her search for her bag at once.


    Nheless, it did not manage to find her bag even after searching high and low in the cave for a long


    time.


    Finally, something came to her mind and she realized her bag was still in the cabin. Thus, she


    commanded the ck bear to help her retrieve it.


    Other than the identification documents and the jewelry, there was medicine inside the bag.


    Not to mention, it was chilly on the hill, and she was severely injured. My life will be in danger if I don''t


    take the medicine in time!


    Secondster, the big ck bear stepped out of the cave to look for her bag asmanded.


    Lying on the ground, the excruciating pain was numbing Francesca''s senses. She realized even if the


    bear was able to retrieve her bag, themon medicine in her bag might not be able to cure her


    wounds.


    She had lost a lot of blood after her wound opened up earlier and bled profusely. As she started to


    have a fever, she had a feeling that there was inmmation in her wound. No way! I must leave this


    ce at once! Otherwise, my life will be in danger!


    Time flew by as her mind ran wild uncontrobly.


    Before the ck bear was back, Francesca was ovee by another wave of drowsiness. She had no


    choice but to keep reminding herself. You must stay awake! Don''t fall asleep! If not, you won''t be able


    to wake up anymore!


    She suddenly felt itchy all over her body, as if some unknown bugs were biting her. In fact, there were


    countless of them!


    She was not afraid of ferocious beasts and various types of animals. Notwithstanding, her blood ran


    cold whenever she thought about the rats and bugs.


    The thought gave her goosebumps instantly, suffocating her with intense repulsion and fear, both


    mentally and physically.


    She presumed the bugs were drawn toward the blood stench of her body. Hence, she shook her body


    frantically to shrug the bugs off, but in vain.


    Screech! A mysterious chattering sound rang out as she waited to get over it with bated breath. Next,


    she felt something furry moving agilely on her body.


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    One of them even crawled along her thigh and abdomen before moving up to her breast!


    When she mustered up the courage to take a closer look, it scared the wits out of her. Oh my! It''s a rat!


    Having an emotional breakdown, Francesca was on the brink of tears. However, she fought to refrain


    from bursting into tears¡ªshe could only whimper helplessly.


    In the meantime, Sloan shone his shlight in the direction of the cave. ¡°Mr. Lindberg, there seems to


    be a cave over there.¡±


    Hearing that, Danrique advanced toward the cave at once and spotted the bears'' footprints outside the


    cave. Hence, they lowered the brightness of their shlights right away before moving toward the cave


    slowly.


    Under the dim light, he could make out two bears sleeping soundly in the cave. Surprisingly, Francesca


    was lying next to them!


    Sloan was about to dash into the cave and called out, ¡°Dr. F...¡±


    Even so, a whip-smart Danrique stood in his way with a kick, gesturing to him to zip his mouth.

 Chapter 1913

    Chapter 1913


    qSloan quickly shut his mouth and didn''t dare to utter another word.


    Danrique stood at the cave entrance and squinted to observe the situation inside.


    Sob...


    He heard Francesca''s sobbing voice. It seemed like she was crying.


    It was the first time she felt lost and hopeless because more and more rats were crawling over her


    body, and she was about to go crazy.


    At that moment, all she could do was wish for someone to save her.


    As long as someone, anyone, could take her out of that ce, she would be grateful.


    Danrique made a gesture, and Sean aimed a tranquilizer gun at the two ck bears.


    Soon after, the two bears dropped their heads and slept soundly.


    However, Danrique didn''t rush inside. Instead, he gestured at his men.


    Sean immediately spoke while pretending to sound casual, ¡°Mr. Lindberg, we have been looking from


    evening tillte at night, but there were still no signs of Ms. Cece. She might not even be on the


    mountain at all. Could she have been taken away?¡±


    ¡°That''s right, Mr. Lindberg. Why don''t we get off the mountain first?¡± Mylo cleverly chimed in.


    ¡°Huh? Ms. Cece is¡ª¡±


    Before Sloan could speak, Mylo covered his mouth and stopped him from uttering another word.


    Sloan was an honest man. He didn''t understand what Danrique meant by that. All he wanted was to go


    in and save Francesca.


    Mylo was afraid that he would cause trouble, so he refused to let him speak any further.


    When Francesca heard their voices from within the cave, she was overjoyed. She wanted to call out to


    them, but she hesitated.


    Someone finally came to rescue her, and it was Danrique.


    However, if Danrique brought her back, she wouldn''t be able to escape again.


    Moreover, he might have already known about her true identity. One could only imagine what he would


    do to her.


    ¡°Okay. Let''s go down the mountain,¡± Danrique deliberately said.


    As the group prepared to leave, Sloan held on to a boulder next to him and tugged at Mylo''s hand,


    refusing to leave. He made a whimpering sound, trying to remind Danrique that Francesca was in the


    cave.


    Mylo was rendered speechless by Sloan''s dense nature. If he ruined Danrique''s n, his fate would be


    uncertain when they returned.


    Sean made a gesture, and the two other bodyguards helped Mylo drag Sloan away.


    ¡°Don''t go. I''m here...¡±


    As expected, Francesca became anxious and shouted.


    However, she was severely injured, and her voice was weak.


    She was afraid the people outside the cave couldn''t hear her and wanted to get up in a hurry. But her


    stiff and numb body didn''t allow her to do so. She couldn''t even move a muscle.


    Hence, she struggled to pick up a stone with her hand and threw it toward the cave entrance.


    Thump!


    Suddenly, the sound of footsteps outside the cave stopped. ¡°What''s that sound?¡± Sean asked.


    ¡°There seem to be someone in the cave,¡± Mylo chimed in.


    ¡°No,¡± said Danrique, ¡°It must have been the wind.¡±


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    ¡°That''s right!¡± Sean immediately responded, ¡°If Mr. Lindberg said it''s the wind, it is the wind.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Mylo quickly replied.


    Sob... sob...


    Sloan whimpered and was about to cry, but Mylo kept his mouth covered. The two other bodyguards


    held on to his shoulders to prevent him from moving, or he would have rushed into the cave long ago.


    ¡°Let''s go!¡± Danrique instructed, and the group continued forward.


    Francesca shed tears when she saw them leaving before her eyes. She was shaking from all the panic.


    She mustered all her strength and shouted, ¡°I''m here... I''m in here...¡±


    But her voice was weak and no one paid her any attention.


    ¡°Help...¡± She became even more terrified as they moved further away.


    Still, none of them seemed to hear her.


    As their figures were about to disappear from the cave entrance, Francesca shouted, ¡°Danrique!¡±


    This time, Danrique finally halted his tracks. ¡°Did someone call out my name?¡±


    ¡°Seems like it!¡± Sean was very implicit, ¡°If my ears served me right, it does sound like Ms. Cece''s


    voice.¡±


    ¡°It seems to havee from the cave,¡± Mylo added.


    Sean took a nce at Mylo and admired his limitless potential.

 Chapter 1914

    Chapter 1914


    qIn the end, Danrique turned around and walked into the cave.


    Sean and Mylo followed closely behind him with shlights.


    Sloan and the other two bodyguards went in after them. The two stopped holding him but signaled him


    not to speak.


    Sloan covered his mouth with his hand, not daring to make a sound.


    The shlight illuminated the inside of the cave like rays of hope prating the darkness.


    When Francesca raised her head and saw Danrique''s tall and slender figure, she suddenly had the


    urge to cry.


    She was finally saved!


    ¡°So that''s where you were.¡±


    Danrique was calm and cold. There was no sign of excitement, worries or sadness on his expression at


    all.


    He stood before Francesca and looked down at her as if looking at a frail creature.


    ¡°Dr. Felch!¡±


    Sloan rushed over in a hurry. He wanted to drive away the rats and ants on Francesca, but Mylo


    tripped him and he fell to the ground.


    He tried to get up, but the two bodyguards stopped him by stepping on his back.


    Sloan was the most slow-witted of the bunch, and they couldn''t afford to let him ruin Mr. Lindberg''s


    ns.


    ¡°Save me...¡±


    Francesca struggled to reach out to Danrique for help.


    However, Danrique remained indifferent. He sighed, ¡°I''ve been so kind to you. Why are you thinking of


    running away all the time?¡±


    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    ¡°Take me with you. Take me away...¡±


    Francesca had no intention of discussing the matter with him. Many mice, ants, and various bugs were


    crawling all over her body.


    The insects got into her ears, and the mice crept all over her body.


    She was already on the brink of losing her sanity. Hence, she wouldn''t be in the mood to exin herself


    to Danrique.


    ¡°Why should I take you with me? You won''t even marry me.¡±


    Danrique squatted down, picked up a mouse on its tail with two fingers, and dangled it in front of


    Francesca as he spoke.


    ¡°Argh!¡±


    Francesca closed her eyes at the unsightly scene.


    ¡°Aren''t you adept at manipting animals?¡± Danrique looked at her with an amusing expression. ¡°So


    why are you afraid of mice?¡±


    ¡°Rogue!¡±


    Francesca was so angry that she wanted to shout at him. But Danrique brought the mouse even closer


    to her face, and its whiskers almost touched her face.


    ¡°You dare to raise your voice even when you''re stuck in this situation, huh?¡± Danrique smirked and said


    smugly, ¡°You should beg me.¡±


    ¡°Why you...¡± Francesca got so livid that she couldn''t speak.


    ¡°Well, this is a beautiful cave. It''s warm in the winter and cool in the summer. There are even pets as


    company. If you lie here for half a month, you''ll get used to these mice. You might even eat them alive


    to survive.¡± Danrique felt gratified at her frightened face.


    ¡°You...¡± Francesca was about to cry. ¡°W-What exactly do you want?¡±


    ¡°I want you to beg me.¡± Danrique finally said it. ¡°Beg me, and I''ll take you away!¡±


    ¡°Why you...¡±


    ¡°Come on. My patience is limited!¡± Danrique refused to give up his long-awaited opportunity. ¡°Do you


    want to see a doctor downhill or remain here as mice food? You decide!¡±


    ¡°Go to hell.¡±


    Francesca was infuriated and was about to summon animals to attack Danrique. But if she drove them


    away, she would lose herst hope for survival.


    ¡°How stubborn!¡± Danrique stood up and said, ¡°Since she doesn''t want us to save her, what are we


    waiting for? Let''s go.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± Sean and Mylo quickly followed behind.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg¡ª¡±


    Before Sloan could speak, the two bodyguards dragged him outside.


    Poor Sloan, who wholeheartedly wanted to save Francesca, was still shouting anxiously, ¡°Mr. Lindberg,


    please save Dr. Felch. Mr. Lindberg¡ª¡±


    Danrique remain unfazed. He simply turned around and left.


    Francesca looked at his retreating back, distressed. Before his figure disappeared from the cave, she


    yelled, ¡°I''m begging you... Save me...¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Danrique finally stopped and turned around to look at her. ¡°What did you say?¡±

 Chapter 1915

    Chapter 1915


    q¡°I¡ª¡± Francesca gritted her teeth and said humiliatingly, ¡°I beg you. Please save me.¡±


    She was in a disadvantageous situation. It would be wise for her to do as Danrique said.


    As long as she survived, it would never be toote for revenge.


    At that moment, countless thoughts shed through her mind.


    It would be best for her to stay alive for now.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Danrique walked to her and looked at her condescendingly. ¡°You should have do that from the


    start.¡±


    ¡°You...¡± Francesca was beyond enraged. ¡°Now, will you take me away?¡±


    ¡°Not yet.¡± Danrique crouched and smiled at her. ¡°How will you repay me for saving you?¡±


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Francesca was about to explode with anger. She had to repay him even after begging.


    ¡°How about this,¡± Danrique crouched and continued, ¡°Vow that you will marry me, and I will take you


    away right now!¡±


    ¡°Go to hell.¡± Francesca erupted. ¡°You can kill me but I will not be humiliated. I''d rather die here than


    beg you.¡±


    ¡°Very well!¡± Danrique nodded with a smile. ¡°You have some spine!¡±


    Having said that, he was about to leave with his men.


    ¡°Rogue! I dare you to kill me right now! Otherwise, I wille back for you! Just wait and see!¡±


    Francesca was so angry that she was gritting her teeth when she was cursing him. At that moment,


    she didn''t sound weak at all.


    Danrique ignored her and continued to step out of the cave.


    ¡°I will snap your limbs, skin you, and cut you up into a thousand pieces! Argh!¡±


    Before Francesca finished her swearing, she began to scream.


    Suddenly, a mouse got into her clothes and climbed up her skirt.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Francesca shrieked in horror. ¡°Save me! Save me! Rogue!¡±


    ¡°Will you make your vows?¡± Danrique looked back at her.


    ¡°Yes. I vow! I vow!¡± Francesca was already crying. ¡°Save me!¡±


    Danrique strolled toward her and reached out to grab the mouse. Then, he kicked the mouse away.


    ¡°There''s more. There''s more.¡±


    Francesca trembled as she looked at the mouse in front of her chest.


    Danrique frowned, kicked the mouse away, and shouted displeasingly, ¡°Get lost! I haven''t even got to


    touch her!¡±


    Boohoo... Francesca''s tears fell down her cheek. ¡°Rogue, I was wrong. Please save me.¡±


    ¡°Vow.¡± Danrique wouldn''t budge. ¡°I will save you after you swear upon it!¡±


    ¡°You!¡±


    Francesca rolled her eyes. However, she held back her anger, gritted her teeth, and squeezed her


    vows from her mouth, saying, ¡°I, Francesca... hereby vow to repay Danrique for saving my life... even if


    it means marrying him. May God smite me if I go back on my word!¡±


    ¡°Wait.¡±


    Danrique took out his phone and turned on his camera. ¡°Repeat it. Say it loud and clear!¡±


    ¡°You!¡±


    Francesca was seething in rage, but she had no choice but to hold back her anger and repeat it again.


    ¡°I, Francesca, hereby vow to repay Danrique for saving my life even if it means marrying him. May God


    smite me if I go back on my word!¡±


    ¡°Well done!¡±


    Danrique recorded her oath with his phone, took a picture of her embarrassing appearance, and


    threatened her.


    ¡°If you go back on your word, I will make this video public. Then, the world will see that the legendary


    Francesco couldn''t keep her promise!¡±


    ¡°You win!¡±


    Francesca no longer had the strength to speak. Her body was as weak as a kitten.


    ¡°Is Kate not here yet?¡± Danrique asked with a frown.


    ¡°I gave her our location when we found the cave. She should be on her way here. I have already sent


    someone to pick her up,¡± Sean exined.


    ¡°Leave us for now!¡± Danrique ordered.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Sean quickly led the other subordinates away.


    ¡°What else do you want? Hey, Rogue. What are you¡ª¡±

 Chapter 1916

    Chapter 1916


    qDanrique removed Francesca''s clothes and got rid of the ants and rats on her body. Subsequently, he


    wrapped her up with his jacket and carried her petite figure out of the cave.


    At that very moment, Francesca was feeling woozy, and her head throbbed with pain. A pungent


    stench of blood from her neck slowly filled the air.


    As they exited the cave, they were greeted by a gust of cold wind. It sobered Francesca up a little.


    She clenched Danrique''s cor and muttered weakly, ¡°My backpack and passport... They''re left in the


    wooden house...¡±


    ¡°I got them.¡±


    As he spoke, a jeep pulled over on the slope and picked both of them up.


    Kate treated Francesca''s wounds and bandaged them ordingly. Afterward, the jeep drove them


    down.


    The sun was already breaking through the horizon by the time they got to the foot of the mountain.


    The morning twilight was as refreshing as a beacon of hope.


    Lowering his head to gaze at Francesca who was sleeping soundly in his arms, Danrique had never


    been so delighted before.


    When she''s not fussing, she''s like a docile and obedient child.


    Although she was stinky andpletely disheveled with dirt and blood stained all over her body, he did


    not mind that at all. Conversely, he even brushed away the loose strands on her forehead.


    If only time could stand still for us to stay like this forever...


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg!¡± Sloan called out anxiously as a thought urred to him all of a sudden. ¡°Dr. Felch hurt


    the back of her head before. If I''m not mistaken, it was quite serious. I wonder if her new wounds would


    trigger her old injury.¡±


    Sean recalled something upon hearing that. ¡°Oh, that''s right. I remember seeing the X-ray images.


    Back then, Dr. Wright did a check-up on her and discovered multiple metal chips pressing on the


    nerves of her brain. As a result, she lost her memory.¡±


    ¡°If that''s the case, it''s going to be a challenge.¡± Kate added, ¡°Let''s do a scan on Ms. Cece as soon as


    we get to the hospital.¡±


    ¡°Notify M Nation to call upon Helen now,¡± Danrique instructed decisively. ¡°Arrange for the hospital to


    perform a thorough check-up and follow-up treatment.¡±


    ¡°Noted.¡± Immediately, Kate made a phone call to convey the order.


    Thereafter, the convoy set off steadily for the hospital.


    When they arrived, Danrique carried Francesca down personally, and they were met by a team of


    medical officers who had been patiently waiting at the entrance, on standby.


    The medical superintendent and his team of experts hurried over to offer their care and concern.


    However, Danrique ignored them all and made his way through the entrance.


    Kate trailed behind him, exining Francesca''s condition to the doctors. Soon, the hospital put her


    through an urgent MRI scan.


    After running through a battery of tests, the medical experts and specialists had a discussion to


    research the most ideal treatment n for Francesca.


    The next morning, they finally had an action n.


    Kate brought along the X-ray images to report the updates to Danrique. The situation was more or less


    simr to what Helen found out earlier. The im regarding the metal chips pressing on the nerves of


    Francesca''s brain was indeed true, and surgery was inevitable because her life was at stake.


    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    However, no one dared to handle the case because it involved a high-risk operation. Kate and the other


    experts at the hospital were not confident to guarantee much sess.


    None of them could afford to bear the consequences should the surgery fail.


    Instantly, Danrique asked for Helen, who was already on her way to the hospital. She should arrive in a


    few hours'' time.


    Since Danrique insisted on staying at the hospital to keep Francescapany, Sean made


    arrangements with the housekeeper to deliver them some change of clothes.


    Right then, Gordon dashed over and reported, ¡°Mr. Lindberg, the three prominent families are looking


    for you high and low. They said that there''s an important meeting for you to attend this morning.¡±


    ¡°Reschedule it to the afternoon.¡± Danrique was rather annoyed.


    ¡°I told them that, but...¡±


    Before Gordon could finish his sentence, a familiar voice rang in their ears, ¡°I''m afraid the decision isn''t


    yours to make, Danrique, for the vice president ising over today.¡±

 Chapter 1917

    Chapter 1917


    qDanrique knitted his brows when he heard that voice. He turned around and saw Harrier slowly


    walking toward him. ¡°How did you know that I''m here?¡± Danrique shot him a cold re and questioned.


    ¡°When there''s a will, there''s a way.¡± Harrier grinned. ¡°The entirepany is looking for you, and they


    needed a representative to be the bad guy. Who else could it be besides myself?¡±


    ¡°The three of you could easily join hands and chair the meeting,¡± Danrique said curtly. ¡°I''ll catch up


    when I can.¡± He did not want to borate further.


    ¡°Fine.¡± Harrier smiled, not wanting to argue with him. ¡°You''re the one in charge, whatever you say,


    goes. I''m just a messenger for all the shareholders. All right, my duty is done.¡±


    ¡°Leave then,¡± Danrique urged impolitely.


    ¡°Okay!¡± Harrier shrugged and walked away. A few stepster, he turned around and asked, ¡°By the


    way, is everything all right with Ms. Cece?¡±


    Danrique said nothing. He merely narrowed his eyes and stared daggers at Harrier, who then caught


    the hint and left with a pursed lips.


    When he had finally disappeared, Sean asked under his breath, ¡°Could it be him?¡±


    Everything that had happened throughout the day was clearly carefully orchestrated by someone. The


    other party followed Francesca all the way and abducted her as soon as she got off the car.


    In addition, they were fully armed and even destroyed the surveince cameras at the entrance to the


    airport in advance. The clues suggested that it was not an act of one person only.


    ¡°I''m not sure.¡± Danrique frowned. ¡°If it was him, he wouldn''t have the courage toe see me in public.


    Then again, I doubt there''s anyone else who is so bold and ambitious to do such a thing.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, Gordon is investigating the case. We might be able to get more information once the few


    guys are awakened,¡± Seanforted him. ¡°Mr. Lindberg, are you sure you don''t want to attend the


    meeting? Don''t worry about Ms. Felch since the doctors are with her.¡±


    ¡°I''ll decide when Helen is here to confirm the treatment n.¡± Danrique checked the time. ¡°Go and call


    her again.¡±


    ¡°Noted.¡± Right then, another subordinate rushed in and reported, ¡°Mr. Lindberg, Prince William is here.¡±


    ¡°Usher him into a room downstairs and wait for me there.¡± Danrique gestured.


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Linderberg.¡±


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Shortly after Danrique got himself changed, he made his way to the room next door and found an


    anxious William there.


    ¡°How is she?¡± thetter queried immediately and wheeled himself closer to Danrique.


    ¡°You knew her identity already?¡± Danrique answered with a question.


    ¡°Yes.¡± William came clean with him. ¡°I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to hide it from you. It''s just that the


    situation was a bit tricky. Once her identity is exposed, I''m afraid it will invite a lot of troubles.¡±


    ¡°Telling me about it doesn''t count as exposing her identity unnecessarily.¡± Danrique looked right into his


    eyes.


    ¡°You''re right.¡± William nodded. ¡°However, she doesn''t want you to find out about that. Hence, I have to


    help my friend keep a secret.¡±


    ¡°Friend?¡± Danrique asked mockingly. ¡°Well, she''s my fianc¨¦e!¡±


    He purposely included the term to subtly remind and warn William who Francesca was.


    Stunned, William quickly exined himself, ¡°You know that I don''t have many friends except for you


    and Francesca. I don''t harbor any ulterior motives. Francesca is a friend, and she will always remain a


    friend.¡±


    His words soothed Danrique. The icy aura in his eyes gradually dissipated...


    ¡°How is she?¡± William asked again.


    ¡°Nothing too serious.¡± Danrique gave him aconic reply. ¡°She might need a brain surgery. Anyway, I''m


    still waiting for Helen to get here.¡±


    ¡°I doubt Helen is able to solve her problem.¡± William furrowed his brows and continued, ¡°It''s ironic that


    a miracle doctor like Francesca can''t heal herself...¡±


    ¡°Helen is of no help?¡±


    At that point, Danrique finally realized the severity of the problem. Though he was the one who hit


    Francesca with a car, Sean was the person who cleaned up the mess and settled everything on his


    behalf. Therefore, Danrique had very little knowledge about the details.

 Chapter 1918

    Chapter 1918


    q¡°I suggest dying the matter until Francesca is awakened,¡± William proposed. ¡°Perhaps, she has her


    own solution.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Danrique headed toward the door and instructed Sean, ¡°Escort His Highness back.¡±


    ¡°Duly noted.¡± Sean immediately approached William and ushered him reverently, ¡°Your Highness, this


    way, please.¡±


    William wanted to say something as he gazed at Danrique''s back profile, but held himself back in the


    end.


    He wanted to take a peek at Francesca. Unfortunately, with Danrique''s imposing and domineering


    attitude on full disy, the former would never grant him that request of his.


    In the past, William thought that Danrique would only draw a line between friends and enemies in


    business. Now, it seemed like he acted the same in rtionships too.


    After escorting William out of the hospital, Sean directed two cars to send him off. He watched the


    convoy leave the hospitalpound before returning.


    Robin withdrew his gaze from the rearview mirror and said cautiously, ¡°Your Highness, the Mr. Lindberg


    that I know will never leave any room for Your Highness to get near to Dr. Felch. Shall we go home?¡±


    ¡°Let''s wait for a while more.¡± William lowered his eyes, seemingly in deep thoughts. ¡°Just wait for a few


    more days.¡±


    Sigh...


    Robin dared not say more, but he was fretting deep down.


    The kidnapping incident reveals just how much Francesca means to Danrique. It''s way beyond what


    we''ve expected. The moment he found out about it, he engaged the military and used its resources to


    locate her without considering the impact of his actions. He even went to the jungle and saved her


    personally. Now, he willfully neglects his business and insists on staying by her side at the hospital. He


    has never valued and focused so much on one single person in his life. This is definitely a first. As


    such, it''s impossible for Danrique to give others a chance to covet his woman, not even Prince William.


    Unfortunately, William refused to give up, making Robin very worried. A fight might break out between


    Prince William and Danrique, resulting in them both bing archenemies...


    ¡°Don''t you worry, for I know what I''m doing.¡± William could read Robin''s mind. ¡°My only wish is for her


    to be well. That''s it.¡± He smiled.


    Robin felt slightly relieved upon hearing his words.


    When it stopped snowing in the morning, Helen finally arrived at the hospital.


    After retrieving thetest X-ray images and examination report, she started checking on Francesca''s


    wounds. At that time, she was oblivious to Francesca''s real identity.


    The only thing she knew was that Francesca pretended to be a guy in M Nation thest time they met.


    After a detailed check, Helen said solemnly, ¡°I can perform a surgery on her, but the risk is


    exceptionally high with only twenty percent of sess rate.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Sean gasped. ¡°Twenty percent? Didn''t you say it''s fifty-fifty back in M Nation?¡±


    ¡°Yes, there was a fifty percent chance because her condition then was not as serious as now. But


    currently, she has a brain injury too. I studied the X-ray images just now and noticed that the metal


    chips arepletely pressing on her nerves. In addition, there''s evidence of infection on her wounds


    as they are covered with pus. I''m not too positive about this surgery...¡±


    Helen''s expression grave. Momentster, she added, ¡°If we want a hundred percent survival rate for a


    risky surgery as such, there''s only one person who could do it - the legendary miracle doctor,


    Francesco. Rumor has it that her techniques and skills are impable with a hair-splitting mentality.¡±


    ¡°Um...¡± Sean took a deep breath. Gosh, how could the amazing Francesco operate on herself? This is


    close to impossible.


    ¡°Besides Francesco, do you know any other miracle doctor on the same par as her?¡± Danrique who


    had been keeping silent finally spoke.


    ¡°Hmm... Not that I know of.¡± Helen looked extremely concerned. ¡°Mr. Lindberg, I urge that you contact


    Francesco soonest possible. Thisdy''s condition can''t drag on like this any longer, or else her life will


    be at stake.¡±


    When Danrique heard that, a conflicted look crossed his face. He felt so sorry for her.


    It''s all my fault. I overlooked the fact that any dy in denying her a well-deserved treatment could


    cause her condition to deteriorate. How could I even threaten her on purpose when we were trapped


    inside the cave?ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

 Chapter 1919

    Chapter 1919


    q¡°Then, what else can be done?¡± asked Sean anxiously.


    ¡°I can clean her wounds now to stabilize her condition. There''s no problem with that.¡± Helen said grimly,


    ¡°However, that won''t be able to buy you a lot of time. The priority is still to get Francesco. It''s better for


    you to work on that right away.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Sean nodded. ¡°Please help to treat Ms. Felch''s wounds first.¡±


    With that, Helen attended to Francesca at once.


    Danrique exited the ward and gave amand to his subordinates. ¡°Go all out and look for the best


    doctors in the world. I don''t believe that there''s only one miracle doctor.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Lindberg!¡± Gordon hurried off to carry out his task.


    Danrique''s phone had since rang multiple times, but he could not be bothered to pick up any calls. He


    was too distracted by that one thought that kept on ying in his mind - how could he save Francesca?


    In the evening, Francesca woke up with a terrible headache. Her whole body was aching too. When


    she opened her bleary eyes, a familiar handsome face appeared in front of her.


    Surprised, she shut her eyes close.


    Darn it! Is there no way for me to escape him?


    ¡°You''re awake!¡±


    Seeing so, Danrique pressed the emergency bell to call for a doctor.


    ¡°Would you like some water?¡± he offered gently.


    Francesca''s eyes remained closed. She did not want to engage in a conversation with him.


    She could vividly remember everything that happened inside the cave. Thus, she was filled with deep


    hatred toward him and wished for nothing more than to strangle him to death.


    Too bad she was so badly injured that her exhausted body could not move a muscle.


    Therefore, she chose to ignore him totally.


    ¡°What''s the matter? Why aren''t you saying anything?¡± Danrique leaned forward and stroked her face.


    Francesca did not want to entertain him at all. Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of her rolling eyeballs


    and knew that she was pretending to sleep. At that instant, he forcefully opened her eye lids and yelled,


    ¡°Look at me!¡±


    ¡°D*mn you, b*stard! Argh!¡± cursed Francesca.


    Just as she had finished reprimanding him, the ring pain from the wound behind her head throbbed


    intensely and caused her face to pale drastically.


    ¡°Keep that energy to take care of yourself first instead of scolding people.¡± Danrique''s forehead


    creased. ¡°Can''t you just behave?¡± He was angry and heartbroken at the same time.


    ¡°You...¡± Francesca got all worked up, but she was too weak tosh out on him.


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    A few secondster, a team of doctors strode into the ward to check on Francesca.


    ¡°Be gentle, and don''t hurt her,¡± reminded Danrique while observing from afar.


    ¡°Sure thing, Mr. Lindberg.¡±


    Hiss!


    ¡°I told you all to be gentle!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Lindberg.¡±


    Francesca was at a loss for words. The nurses are just doing their job. Can he stop shouting each time


    I draw a sharp breath? His rage is making them trembling in fear.


    Thankfully, Norah came forward and appeased the situation. Otherwise, it would have been unbearable


    for the poor nurses. She also brought along Francesca''s favorite Chanaean cuisine.


    Afterward, Norah waited on Francesca during lunch along with two other housekeepers.


    Danrique noticed the food andmented with displeasure, ¡°Why is the portion so small? It''s so in


    too. Hurry up and order her some beef and seafood.¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry, Mr. Lindberg, a patient should avoid those food.¡± She exined, ¡°Ms. Cece is injured. So,


    her diet has to change to something light.¡±


    ¡°Err...¡± Danrique shifted his gaze to Sean upon realizing that he had no knowledge in this area. The


    latter nodded as a response.


    ¡°Okay then. She shall be consuming a light diet these few days. Mdm. Norah, please help to deliver her


    some healthy meals every day.¡±


    ¡°I will, Mr. Lindberg. Don''t worry.¡± Norah nodded as she grinned. Then, she spoke softly, ¡°Um... Mr.


    Donald has been waiting for you at home for the entire day. Basically, he''s just wondering when you are


    coming home?¡±


    ¡°Now,¡± Danrique said after ncing at his watch. Subsequently, he gave his men a stern warning.


    ¡°Deploy more people to station here and ensure her safety always.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Lindberg.¡± Sean went off to make the necessary arrangements as requested.


    Danrique waited for Francesca to finish eating. Then, he said, ¡°I''m leaving in a bit, but I''ll return as soon


    as I''m done with work. Take a good rest.¡±


    ¡°Get lost!¡±


    Francesca rolled her eyes and blurted the words through gritted teeth.

 Chapter 1920

    Chapter 1920


    qUnexpectedly, Danrique did not get upset. After giving some orders to the doctor and reminding Sean


    to wait for Gordon to return before ending his shift, he left the ward.


    Later on, Sean needed to go consult the doctor. So, he gave Mylo and Sloan a stern warning. ¡°Take


    good care of Ms. Felch, and don''t let anything untoward happen to her if you want to live to see another


    day.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay. Don''t worry, Sean.¡± Mylo nodded fervently. ¡°I''ll protect Ms. Felch with all my life.¡±


    Sean then fixated his gaze on Sloan who was tiptoeing to peep on Francesca from outside the ward.


    Mylo smacked Sloan''s back. Uponing to his senses, Sloan promised at once, ¡°Rest assured that I


    won''t make any more mistakes, Sean. Anyhow, Dr. Felch is severely injured. She can''t go anywhere,


    can she?¡±


    Indeed, he''s right about thest part of the sentence.


    Sean rolled his eyes at him before leaving to see Helen.


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    In the evening, Norah wiped Francesca down and served her a ss of warm milk. ¡°Rest well, Ms.


    Cece. I''ll bring you breakfast first thing in the morning.¡± She was reluctant to leave her side.


    ¡°Thank you, Mdm. Norah.¡± Francesca watched her exit the ward.


    Then, she turned to the two medical staff who were guarding the ward after cleaning it up.


    ¡°Feel free to leave too. I''m going to get some shut-eye.¡±


    Right before she snoozed, she was interrupted by the knocking on the door. ¡°Ms. Cece, may Ie


    in?¡±


    It was Sean.


    ¡°Sure.¡± Francesca was having a slight headache.


    Sean walked in with a couple of documents in his hands, followed by a cautious Sloan.


    ¡°Ms. Cece.. Oh no, I should address you as Dr. Felch.¡±


    Sean was not used to the change of terms because Francesca waspletely a different person when


    she was Dr. Felch.


    Back then, she was always the one chasing after Mr. Lindberg. She even stole kisses from him, and he


    would detest her presence. Now, it''s the total opposite. He''s the one begging and pleading for her to


    marry him.


    ¡°The cat is out of the bag, eh?¡± Francesca felt so helpless. ¡°Tell me, what is it?¡±


    ¡°There are two things that I need to report to you,¡± uttered Sean as he reached for her backpack. ¡°This


    belongs to you. There are jewelry, documents, and some medication. Everything should be here. Could


    you check if anything is missing, please?¡±


    ¡°Bring it over and let me have a look at it.¡± Francesca appeared excited when she heard that.


    Sean obliged and whipped out one item after another to show her.


    Upon examining that everything was there, Francesca heaved a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Thank God nothing is missing.¡± Sean grinned before continuing, ¡°I''ll take this home for you...¡±


    Francesca cut him off and said, ¡°Just leave it here. I feel safer when it''s all under my nose.¡±


    ¡°Err... Sure.¡± Sean smiled wryly.


    Then, he ced the backpack in the cupboard next to her bed.


    ¡°There''s one more thing...¡± Sean ryed what he knew, ¡°Regarding your illness, we''ve consulted Dr.


    Wright. However, she''s not too keen to handle the operation herself as she only has about twenty


    percent of confidence to get it right. So, she wants us to look for Francesco, the miracle doctor, soonest


    possible to heal your sickness.¡±


    ¡°Rubbish!¡± Francesca''s wounds hurt so much that she couldn''t speak.


    ¡°Yes, I know.¡± Sean nodded vigorously. ¡°I''m aware that you are Francesco herself, but doctors don''t


    treat themselves. So, no matter how excellent your skills are, it''s impossible for you to perform a


    surgery on yourself. Then again, your condition right now is very risky. We can''t afford to drag it any


    longer. Therefore, I want to ask if you know of any other miracle doctors, or perhaps a senior or junior


    of yours of simr caliber? Maybe your master?¡±


    It suddenly dawned on Francesca that her life was at stake. She fell silent and mulled it over for a


    moment.


    I guess the only person who could save me is none other than my master. Considering that I disobeyed


    him in the past and cut off ties with him for so many years after being adamant that I should leave the


    mountains, I''m really doubtful if he would be willing to lend a hand. Who knows if I''m able to locate him


    in the first ce? Ugh, that stubborn old man. I wonder how long he is going to lecture me this time...

 Chapter 1921

    Chapter 1921


    qAnother crucial point is that intracranial surgery is a modern medical procedure. Since Dr. Felch is a


    traditional medicine practitioner, he has no clue about modern medicine. Although he knows how to


    perform the surgery, he might not do it.


    When Francesca was still deep in her thoughts, Sean asked, ¡°Mr. Lindberg had already told us to look


    all over the world for a good surgeon to operate on you. However, we haven''t yet found a doctor better


    than you. Dr. Wright said we can''t dy it because your life might be in danger. That''s why I''m asking


    you if you know any doctor that we can get in contact with.¡±


    ¡°No. I don''t.¡± Francesca didn''t want them to find her mentor. Not only did she not want them to disturb


    the elderly, but she also didn''t know if he could actually treat her.


    Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°All right, then,¡± Sean answered helplessly. ¡°We''ll think of something else. Since there are so many


    doctors in the world, we''ll surely be able to find someone good.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Francesca uttered politely.


    ¡°I''ll make a move now. Rest well.¡± Sean bowed before leaving in a hurry.


    Francesca''s gaze darkened when she thought about her condition. Since Helen had lowered the


    sess rate by more than half, it seems like my condition has worsened. I''m in need of surgery, and


    my time is running out.


    If someone else was the patient, she was quite confident she could treat the injury. However, she was


    the patient. She wasn''t able to operate on herself, considering that she had to operate on the back of


    her head.


    Right then, she recalled the one time she''d made a mistake in the past. At that time, my confidence


    was high before I operated on that six-year-old girl. In the end, I failed, and the girl died.


    Francesca was traumatized by that mistake of hers. Now, something simr is happening to me. Is this


    karma?


    While she was still deep in thought, she heard a vibrating sounding from inside her backpack.


    Francesca snapped out of her daze and stretched her body to retrieve the phone from her backpack.


    Her phone''s battery had gone from full to almost t. Before the phone died, Francesca quickly


    answered it. ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Francesca! You''ve finally picked up! I thought something had happened to you! I was so scared¡ª¡±


    ¡°What is it? Spill it.¡± Francesca was annoyed because she thought Anthony was such a nag.


    ¡°I''ve arrived at Xendale, and I''ve brought Ms. La along.¡± Anthony went straight to the point. ¡°We''ve


    come to rescue you.¡±


    Francesca was stunned. She quickly whispered with her mouth covered, ¡°Anthony, what did you do?


    Why did you bring Ms. La to Xendale?¡±


    ¡°Give me the phone.¡± A familiar voice rang out from the phone. ¡°Francesca, why are you treating me


    like an outsider? Why didn''t you tell me when something''s up?¡±


    ¡°No. It''s not like that¡ª¡±


    ¡°If Anthony didn''t tell me about it, I''d still be in the dark!¡± La was enraged. ¡°When you were little, I''ve


    already told you that no matter how capable a person is, there''s still a limit. When the timees,


    you''ll need support from loved ones.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Yes.¡± It was rare for Francesca to be so obedient in a conversation. ¡°But Ms. La, I can deal


    with this myself. You can just¡ª¡±


    ¡°If you could do that, you would''ve solved it by now.¡± La was getting anxious. ¡°I''ve heard. Danrique is


    a cold-faced jerk, and he''s hard to deal with, right? Don''t worry. If I can get in, I''ll be able to get you


    out.¡±


    ¡°Well¡ª¡±


    ¡°You better answer me now. Where are you?¡± La queried.


    ¡°I''m at the hospital.¡± Francesca was unwilling to get her involved. ¡°However, there are a lot of people


    guarding this ce. You can''te here.¡±


    ¡°Francesca¡ª¡±


    ¡°Ms. La, my phone is dying soon¡ª¡±


    Before Francesca could finish her sentence, her phone died.


    Instead of charging her phone, she threw her phone back into her bag. She theny on the bed and


    sighed helplessly. Anthony is making a blunder. How could he bring Ms. La to Xendale? This matter


    was straightforward at first, but it has beplicated now.

 Chapter 1922

    Chapter 1922


    qAlthough Ms. La can disguise herself well, she''s injured now. Besides, Danrique is watching


    closely. It would be a daunting task to get me away from the Lindberg residence. In addition, Danrique


    is cold, ruthless, and vicious. If he catches them, they would be in trouble. Francesca got a headache


    from thinking about it.


    Perhaps it was due to the injury, so she fell asleep unknowingly.


    Meanwhile, Danrique had arrived at the castle where Donald had been waiting for him for a long time.


    When he saw Danrique, Donald quickly stood up and greeted, ¡°Danrique, you''ve finally returned!¡±


    ¡°What is it, Uncle Donald?¡± Danrique took off his coat and changed his boots before heading toward


    the study room.


    ¡°When Mr. Adams came to thepany today, he seems to have fallen for Hazel,¡± Donald uttered


    anxiously. ¡°That''s¡ª¡±


    ¡°That''s good news!¡± Danrique interrupted. ¡°Congratte them on my behalf.¡±


    ¡°Umm...¡± Donald was stunned momentarily. ¡°Danrique, are you joking? Mr. Adams has been vying for


    Lindberg Corporation''s assets. If he were to marry Hazel and unite the three great families, the


    Lindberg family will be left standing alone. When that happens, they might gang up on us.¡±


    Danrique went silent after hearing that. Although he was decisive andpetent, he was rather


    clueless in dealing with schemes and conspiracies concerning familial matters.


    He knew Frank well, but he had never taken him seriously. After all, they had never offended each


    other, and they never stood in each other''s way.


    Danrique was supposed to be there to entertain Frank''s inspection, but he was caught up by what


    happened with Francesca.


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    Although it was slightly inappropriate, he thought it would be fine, since the other three great families


    were hosting the conference.


    However, he didn''t expect something like that to happen during the conference. Mr. Adams has fallen


    for Hazel? Uncle Donald is right, though. If Mr. Adams were to have a marriage arrangement with the


    Atkinson family, the three great families will link up with Mr. Adams. When that happens, the Lindberg


    family will get singled out. The three great families had never been fond of having me at the helm, and


    they had been trying to kick me out. However, they are no match for me. Things might change if they


    have Mr. Adams backing them.


    ¡°Most importantly, the president is getting old, so Mr. Adams is most probably going to be the


    sessor. When that happens, we won''t be able to turn the tide,¡± Donald advised anxiously. ¡°Danrique,


    I know you''re a proud man, and you''ve never been a fan of arranged marriages. You have your own


    ideas, and you''re assertive. Besides, you even have a girl you like. No one has a problem with that.


    However, you bear the fate of the Lindberg family on your shoulders, and you are in charge of the


    future of the Lindberg family. At this moment, you shouldn''t act rashly.¡±


    ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± Danrique furrowed his brows. ¡°Speak your mind.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Since you''ve said so, I shall not beat around the bush.¡± Donald then uttered in a serious tone,


    ¡°Danrique, we can''t let Mr. Adams marry Hazel. When both their families joined hands, the Lindberg


    family is doomed. Everyone knows Hazel is into you. If you were to act now, she will definitely choose


    you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Act now? What do you mean?¡± Danrique interrupted.


    ¡°Well, marry Hazel,¡± Donald answered quickly. ¡°If you don''t marry her, Mr. Adams is going to marry her.


    Since Hazel is the only girl avable in the four great families, she''s very sought-after.¡±


    ¡°I''m marrying Cece,¡± Danrique answered firmly. ¡°I''m not going to change my mind.¡±


    Donald sighed, and he became frantic. ¡°Even though you like Cece, that doesn''t mean you have to


    marry her. You can just keep her in the castle. Isn''t that the same?¡±


    Upon hearing that, Danrique knitted his brows, and he looked annoyed.


    ¡°As the heir of the Lindberg family and the person in charge of Lindberg Corporation, you have the


    responsibility to do the right thing. You can''t do as you wish¡ª¡±

 Chapter 1923

    Chapter 1923


    qWhen Donald was still trying to convince him, Danrique was getting very annoyed. ¡°This is my


    personal matter, so I''ll decide what''s best for myself. You don''t have to be bothered by it, Uncle


    Donald.¡± Danrique then proceeded to send Donald away by saying, ¡°It''s gettingte. You should go


    home and rest.¡±


    With that, he gestured for Donald to leave. Seeing that, Danrique''s subordinates immediately


    approached Donald to send him out.


    Although Donald was fuming, he said patiently, ¡°Danrique, I know you''re an arrogant man. All these


    years, you''ve been doing things your way, and we''ve never stopped you. However, this concerns the


    Lindberg family, so I hope you can think about it thoroughly.¡±


    After saying that, Donald left feeling helpless.


    With his head lowered, Danrique sat on the couch and sipped his tea in silence. There seemed to be


    something weighing on his mind.


    Right then, Norah delivered him dinner and uttered caringly, ¡°Mr. Lindberg, you haven''t eaten anything


    all day. Have some food, okay?¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Danrique nced at the dishes on the table, but he had no appetite at all.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg!¡± At that moment, Sean rushed in and gestured for everyone to leave.


    Silence fell, and only Danrique and Sean were left in the room.


    Sean uttered softly, ¡°When I was on my way here, Gordon had told me about what happened at the


    company. I''ve looked into the matter. In fact, Mr. Adams had already contacted the Atkinson family


    secretively prior to this. Besides, he had long been interested in Ms. Atkinson. He had only taken the


    opportunity to announce it to everyone at the conference today.¡±


    ¡°It seems like he did that on purpose to get my attention.¡± Danrique grinned.


    ¡°I don''t understand. If Mr. Adams wants to unite the three great families, why doesn''t he just do it


    secretively? Why would he alert you?¡± Sean asked curiously.


    ¡°Why wouldn''t he?¡± Danrique chuckled coldly and added, ¡°If he gets to choose, he would rather have


    me as his ally. After all, the three great families are still no match for me if they were to link up. If I don''t


    give in, they''d rather risk everything they have to take me down.¡±


    ¡°What should we do now, then?¡± Sean was getting uneasy. ¡°When Donald came to look for you, did he


    want you to arrange a marriage with the Atkinson family? If you do that, at least the three great families


    would still be on our side, and Lindberg Corporation wouldn''t get dissolved. Otherwise, Lindberg


    Corporation might crumble if Mr. Adams ends up being in control in the future. When that happens,


    Donald might be in trouble as well. Now that he''s on the same boat as us, he does have a point. If Mr.


    Adams were to marry Hazel, things might not turn out great for us.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I know.¡± Danrique nodded. ¡°However, I can''t marry her.¡±


    ¡°Yes. But...¡± Sean didn''t dare to finish his sentence because he was well aware of Danrique''s temper.


    Once he had decided on something, no one would be able to change his mind.


    ¡°I would be a coward if I have to sacrifice my feelings and body in exchange for power and status.¡±


    Danrique knew what Sean was about to say, so he gave him his answer right away.


    ¡°Still, the current situation isn''t favorable to us,¡± Sean uttered cautiously. ¡°We''re now facing internal


    turmoil as well as external threats. Although everything might seem manageable now, the


    consequences might be catastrophic when something bad happens.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. I''ll talk to Mr. Adams¡ª¡±Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    Suddenly, Danrique''s phone rang, and it was Hazel on the other end of the phone call.


    Surprised, he picked up the phone. ¡°Hazel?¡±


    ¡°It''s me, Mr. Lindberg,¡± Hazel uttered in her soft and sweet voice. ¡°Can we meet? I''m parked right


    outside your castle.¡±


    ¡°I''ll get them to let you through.¡± Danrique shot Sean a nce.


    Sean immediately ryed his order before asking Danrique, ¡°Mr. Lindberg, should I go and get her?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Danrique answered coldly.


    ¡°All right, then.¡± Sean didn''t dare to say another word, but he was feeling somewhat helpless. Now that


    Hazel is a key person, why can''t Mr. Lindberg treat her nicer? If this goes on, how is he going to win


    against those scheming families?

 Chapter 1924

    Chapter 1924


    qHazel arrived shortly after.


    When Danrique''s subordinates came to inform him, he showed no sign of attending to her. Instead, he


    remained seated and continued eating his dinner.


    Sean went out to greet Hazel. After exchanging some pleasantries, he brought Hazel to the study


    room.


    When Hazel saw that Danrique was still having his dinner, she asked worriedly, ¡°Are you just having


    your dinner now, Mr. Lindberg? You''ve had a busy day, haven''t you?¡±


    Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Danrique continued eating.


    Hazel sat down and waited for him obediently.


    Nearby, the maid was making tea.


    Sean proceeded to have a chat with Hazel. He was so humorous that he had gotten her tough


    boisterously.


    Soon, Danrique was done with his dinner. He wiped his mouth with a napkin elegantly before shifting


    his gaze toward her. ¡°How was it? How was your first day at thepany? Are you getting the hang of


    it?¡±


    ¡°It was quite nice.¡± Hazel shed a smile. ¡°It''s such a shame I didn''t get to see you.¡±


    Since it was Hazel''s first day, she had gotten prepared, and she was eager to see Danrique. To her


    surprise, Danrique wasn''t there, and she had met Frank instead.


    ¡°No need for that,¡± Danrique said tly. ¡°Why have youe to see me?¡±


    ¡°Well...¡± Hazel nced at Sean awkwardly.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, I''ll leave you two alone.¡± Sean took the hint and left.


    Only Danrique and Hazel were left in the room. Under the dimmed lights, Hazel looked even prettier.


    She looked at Danrique with her gentle gaze and said, ¡°My dad doesn''t know I''m here. I-I...¡±


    She was hesitant to speak, and she looked nervous.


    Even a fool could understand the meaning between her lines.


    However, Danrique was in no mood to beat around the bush. He asked directly, ¡°Does your father want


    you to marry Mr. Adams? What about you? What do you think?¡±


    ¡°I don''t want that, obviously.¡± Hazel had no choice but to speak frankly with him. ¡°I-I wanted to know


    what you think about it.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Danrique acted clueless.


    ¡°Do you want me to marry Mr. Adams?¡± Hazel bit her lip and looked at him nervously.


    ¡°I don''t,¡± Danrique answered firmly.


    ¡°Really?¡± Hazel was ted. ¡°I knew¡ª¡±


    ¡°If Mr. Adams ends up marrying you, he''ll unite the three great families and gang up on the Lindberg


    family. You know that, right?¡± Danrique put on a serious face and exined, ¡°Hence, he''s just doing it


    for financial gains. Although I don''t want you to marry him, this is your personal matter. I won''t


    intervene, so you''ll have to make your own decision.¡±


    His words got Hazel to freeze for a while. When she finally regained herposure, she looked


    disappointed and dissatisfied. ¡°You don''t want me to marry Mr. Adams because you don''t want him to


    get financial gains?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Danrique nodded. ¡°Of course, as a friend, I would want you to have a happy marriage instead of


    marrying for the interests of the family.¡±


    ¡°Am I your friend?¡± Hope was suddenly reignited in Hazel. What a luxury it is to be regarded as a friend


    by someone as cold and distant as Danrique!


    ¡°Yes.¡± Danrique nodded. ¡°When you were little, Aunt Isabe loved you.¡±


    Hazel was disheartened when she heard that. Talking to him is like being on a roller coaster ride!


    Indeed, when he told her not to marry Frank, she thought that was because he was reluctant to let go


    of her. However, heter told her it was because he didn''t want her to get married for others'' financial


    gains. When he said she was her friend, she was ted because she thought she still had a chance to


    be with him. To her dismay, he ended up saying that it was because his aunt liked her.


    Hence, he only considered her as a friend because of his aunt.


    ¡°Aunt Isabe even taught you piano lessons, right? Every time I see you ying the piano, I would


    think of her!¡± Danrique eximed.


    Hazel felt her heart drop into the abyss. He would always stare at me whenever I yed the piano. I


    thought he liked how I looked when I do that! Prior to that, she thought he was fond of her. Only then


    did she find out that wasn''t the case.

 Chapter 1925

    Chapter 1925


    qLike what my dad said, he really has no feelings for me at all. Hazel was in a turmoil of emotions.


    However, she had been taught how to control her emotions ever since she was little. Afterposing


    herself, she smiled and said, ¡°Back then, I was still little, and I would always hurry toward her whenever


    she was ying the piano. When she knew I liked it, she taught me right away. Frankly, she was the


    one who got me started!¡±


    ¡°I figured.¡± Danrique nodded. ¡°Aunt Isabe wanted to teach me as well, but too bad I had never


    understood music.¡±


    ¡°Do you miss her?¡± Hazel nced at him gently. ¡°I miss her as well. If possible, I''d like to visit her grave


    with you.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I''ll bring you along the next time I go there.¡± Danrique''s tone softened when he said, ¡°About your


    marriage, I think you ought to think it through. If you like Mr. Adams, you should marry him, and I''ll wish


    you all the best. However, if it''s for your family''s sake, you''ll have to proceed with caution!¡±


    With that, Danrique nced at his watch and asked, ¡°Is there anything else?¡±


    ¡°I...¡± Hazel had gone there with plenty to talk about with him, but she was at a loss for words upon


    getting asked.


    Since he had already hinted to her to leave, she had no choice but to stand up and leave.


    Her purpose for the visit was to spend some time with him and convince him to consider having a


    rtionship with her.


    She didn''t care if it was for the sake of her family or just for the sake of the bigger picture. All she


    wanted was to be his woman, and she was willing to do anything in her powers to make that happen.


    However, he didn''t give her a chance to express her feelings.


    ¡°All right, then. I''ll go now.¡± Hazel knew there was no way she could convince him if he had no interest


    in talking about it.


    Indeed, rtionships weren''t to be forced.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Danrique nodded and called out, ¡°Sean!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg.¡± Sean hurried in.


    ¡°See the guest out,¡± Danrique ordered.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Sean walked up to Hazel and uttered politely, ¡°Ms. Atkinson, this way, please!¡±


    Hazel curtsied to Danrique and left with Sean.


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    When Hazel walked out of the study room, disappointment was written all over her face.


    Seanforted her, ¡°Mr. Lindberg is just cold and indifferent by nature, and he''s not good with


    rtionships. Please forgive him, Ms. Atkinson!¡±


    ¡°Well, that''s not the case when Ms. Cece is concerned.¡± Hazel couldn''t hide her jealousy. ¡°For her, he


    could even miss such an important conference.¡±


    ¡°He wasn''t left with much of a choice. Mr. Cece was seriously injured, and her situation was dire. Mr.


    Lindberg had to stay at the hospital to apany her.¡± Sean smiled.


    ¡°I''ve heard. Did Ms. Cece get kidnapped?¡± Hazel asked worriedly. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°We''re still investigating the matter.¡± Sean changed the topic and said, ¡°It''s windy outside. Get in the car


    first, okay, Ms. Atkinson?¡±


    With that, Sean opened the car door for Hazel to get in.


    ¡°Sean, help me convince Mr. Lindberg, will you?¡± Hazel continued earnestly, ¡°We''re people with a lot on


    our shoulders. We ought to think of the bigger picture!¡±


    ¡°You''re right, Ms. Atkinson.¡± Sean nodded. ¡°I think so, too.¡±


    ¡°Besides, I''m willing topromise.¡± Suddenly, she was hinting at a deeper meaning to her words


    when she said, ¡°I know how egoistic Mr. Lindberg can be. If he wants something, he''ll make sure he


    gets it. I won''t stop him from doing that. All I want is a formal identity.¡±


    Her intentions were loud and clear. As long as Danrique was willing to marry her, she wouldn''t mind


    having Francesca around. Even if Francesca were to live in the castle, she wouldn''t mind it either.


    ¡°Umm...¡± Sean froze momentarily. ¡°You''re so kind, Ms. Atkinson. I''ll definitely ry your message to Mr.


    Lindberg!¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Hazel slightly raised her brows and said, ¡°If I end up as thedy of the house in the future,


    I''ll do my best to repay you!¡±

 Chapter 1926

    Chapter 1926


    q¡°Haha! I''ll have to thank you in advance, Ms. Atkinson!¡± Seanughed and closed the car door for her.


    He only went back in after watching her convoy leave.


    ¡°How was it?¡± Gordon walked up to Sean and asked softly, ¡°What did Ms. Atkinson talk to you about for


    so long?¡±


    ¡°She asked me to convince Mr. Lindberg. Also, she said she''s willing topromise as long as he


    ends up marrying her.¡± Sean proceeded to tell Gordon everything Hazel had told him.


    ¡°What? She said that?¡± Gordon was shocked. ¡°She''s so kind and generous.¡±


    Sean analyzed out loud, ¡°Well, she''s a girl from a prominent family, so she had been taught this


    concept ever since she was little. The moment Ms. Atkinson turned six, she was frequently sent to the


    Lindberg residence to spend time with the family. Hence, they had been saving her for Mr. Lindberg. In


    order to make their family stronger, the Atkinson family was willing to sacrifice anything. Besides, Ms.


    Atkinson likes Mr. Lindberg. Since every girl yearns for strong and capable men, she''s not losing out on


    anything if she were to end up together with Mr. Lindberg. In addition, girls from prominent families are


    into power and status, so they had long abandoned the concept of love. They are after personal gains


    and titles. Mr. Lindberg, however, is still a simple and pure person when ites to rtionships.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Gordon nodded. ¡°There aren''t many people left who are simple and pure like Mr. Lindberg.¡±


    Sean heaved a sigh. ¡°Although that''s true, Mr. Lindberg is facing threats from every direction at the


    moment. If he insists on doing things his way, he''ll have to face the consequences in the future.¡±


    ¡°That''s right,¡± Gordon agreed. ¡°The Nacht family hasn''t acted yet. Once they do, things are bound to


    get dicey.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg knows that as well. That''s why he wanted to settle our internal affairs before the Nacht


    family act. However, who would''ve thought Mr. Adams would show up out of nowhere? Besides, Ms.


    Felch''s appearance had severely messed up Mr. Lindberg''s ns,¡± Sean said softly because he was


    afraid that Danrique would hear him. Mr. Lindberg is a protective person. He can scold her all he wants,


    but he can''t tolerate people talking badly about Francesca.


    ¡°I felt it, too,¡± Gordon whispered. ¡°Before this, Mr. Lindberg was fearless and ruthless because he had


    no liabilities. Now that he has a weakness, someone might end up using it against him.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Sean nodded. ¡°What happened today is just the beginning. No one knows what''sing up


    next.¡±


    ¡°What should we do now, then?¡± Gordon asked solemnly.


    ¡°What else can we do?¡± Sean retorted. ¡°It''s not like we can convince Mr. Lindberg otherwise. Also, who


    can tell him to do something he doesn''t want to?¡±


    ¡°Things are going to get worse if Hazel really ends up marrying Mr. Adams.¡± Gordon was growing


    anxious. ¡°Why don''t you try to convince Mr. Lindberg?¡±


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Forget about it. Not only will I fail, but I''ll also get scolded.¡± Sean rejected the idea unhesitatingly.


    ¡°Sometimes, he has to learn it on his own. We should let Mr. Lindberg figure it out.¡±


    ¡°Okay, then.¡± Gordon didn''tment further. ¡°I''ll get going now.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± When Sean was about to head upstairs, he saw Danrique had changed, and he was heading


    down the stairs. ¡°Mr. Lindberg? Where are you going at this hour?¡± Sean asked.


    ¡°I''m going to the hospital to keep Cecepany.¡± As Danrique was walking down the stairs, he


    ordered, ¡°Get the car ready.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± His subordinates went to fetch the car.


    Sean quickly followed him from behind. ¡°Since it''s already sote, Ms. Felch is most probably asleep


    now. You still have to go to work early tomorrow morning, Mr. Lindberg. Why don''t you rest¡ª¡±


    ¡°You''re full of rubbish,¡± Danrique interrupted and headed out.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, I''lle with you, then.¡± Sean hurried after him.


    ¡°That won''t be necessary.¡± Danrique got into the car.


    Sean couldn''t help but let out a sigh when he watched the car leave. It seems like Mr. Lindberg has


    fallen in love.

 Chapter 1927

    Chapter 1927


    qThe security was tight in the corridor of the hospital. Not only were there bodyguards everywhere, but


    medical staff and maids were also seen standing by.


    When they saw Danrique, they all lowered their heads to bow at him in unison.


    Danrique merely gestured at them before walking into the ward.


    At that moment, Francesca was deep asleep in the hospital bed, and she didn''t even notice it when


    Danrique went into the ward.


    The light in the room was very dim, and it shone on Francesca''s face, making her seem particrly


    calm.


    Danrique took off his coat and sat on the sofa beside the bed. With his hands under his chin, he sat


    there and watched her in silence. Seven years ago, she was only fourteen. Indeed, she has grown up


    now. Although her appearance has changed a little, she still looks the same as before. It''s just that now


    her hair is longer, and she looks pure and elegant in that white gown. However, she now has a wild and


    uninhibited temperament. I wonder what she has been through all these years. She has a different


    demeanor now. Also, why does she need to hide her identity? Why doesn''t she want to acknowledge


    me? His mind was filled with a myriad of questions.


    Just as he was deep in his thoughts, Francesca suddenly shuddered and woke up from a nightmare.


    ¡°What''s wrong?¡± Danrique quickly approached her and asked.


    Francesca only regained her senses after a long while. As she was staring at him nkly, she frowned


    and asked, ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°I came to keep youpany.¡± Danrique used his sleeves to wipe off the beads of cold sweat on her


    forehead. ¡°Are you all right? Do you want me to get the doctor?¡±


    ¡°There''s no need for that.¡± Francesca pursed her lips and uttered, ¡°I want some water.¡±


    Danrique took a bottle of water and fed her. Since he had never taken care of somebody before, he


    opened the bottle and shoved it into her mouth. She ended up choking herself and coughing profusely.


    Danrique hurriedly took a tissue and wiped her mouth before frantically patting her chest.


    Francesca was coughing so hard that she could barely catch a breath. She then pointed at her back


    instead.


    Danrique held her up aggressively and started hitting her back.


    Francesca was getting breathless, and she looked awful. In the end, Danrique had no choice but to call


    out, ¡°Somebody,e here!¡±


    Two nurses rushed in at once. ¡°Mr. Lindberg?¡±


    ¡°Have a look at her. Why is she coughing?¡± Danrique looked like a fish out of water.


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    The nurses quickly attended to Francesca. Soon, she calmed down and breathed heavily while lying in


    bed.


    The two nurses were taking care of her, and Danrique wanted to help. When Francesca saw that, she


    put up her hand to stop him. I almost died from choking, and I wish to stay alive for a few more years!


    Seeing that, Danrique had to stand down and not intervene.


    After a long time, Francesca finally caught her breath. The nurse fed her some water again, but she


    was fed gently this time around.


    After drinking a few mouthfuls of water, she felt a lot better.


    ¡°Are you hungry? I can get someone to get you food.¡± Danrique realized he was too rough prior to that,


    and he wanted to make it up to her.


    ¡°A little.¡± Francesca was famished. She had only had Norah''s oatmeal in the morning, and she hadn''t


    eaten anything since.


    ¡°I''ll get them to get you food right away.¡± Danrique immediately ordered his bodyguards to get them


    supper, and he also told them to be quick.


    After giving them his order, he quickly went back inside the ward. ¡°I''ve already told them to get food.


    They''ll be back soon.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Thank you.¡± Francesca was touched when she saw how attentive he was. ¡°You don''t have to


    take care of me. Since I have so many nurses and maids here, they''ll be able to look after me.¡±


    ¡°It''s not the same,¡± Danrique uttered in a serious tone. ¡°I want to take care of you myself.¡±


    He had no idea how to talk to the opposite sex, so he was clueless about sweet-talking. All he could


    say to her was that he wanted to take care of her.


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Francesca closed her eyes to rest.


    Danrique gestured at the nurses to get them to leave. He then sat on the sofa and asked softly, ¡°By the


    way, I have a few questions for you.¡±

 Chapter 1928

    Chapter 1928


    q¡°Go ahead.¡± Francesca turned toward him.


    ¡°Why do you not want to acknowledge me?¡± Danrique asked directly. ¡°Back then, you knew I was


    looking for you in M Nation. Why did you keep hiding your identity?¡±


    ¡°I''ve suffered an injury to my head back then, and I''ve lost my memory,¡± Francesca answered truthfully.


    ¡°I didn''t know I was the person you were looking for.¡±


    ¡°Since you don''t remember, then why did you want to find that ne so badly?¡±


    ¡°Well...¡± Francesca didn''t want to tell him the ne was the key to her safe. ¡°That ne is very


    important to me.¡±


    Danrique was thrilled when he heard that. Since she cares about the ne so much, that means


    she cares about me, too.


    ¡°What else do you want to know?¡± Francesca asked.


    ¡°After you''ve arrived in Xendale, why did you not want to reveal your identity?¡±


    ¡°I didn''t dare to tell you because I was afraid that you might think I''ve lied to you in M Nation. Besides


    ¡ª¡±


    Francesca froze for a while before telling him the bleak reality. ¡°I''ll never marry you, so sooner orter,


    I''m going to escape. If you were to find out about my real identity, I''ll never be able to leave.¡±


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Why don''t you want to marry me?¡± Danrique was bewildered. ¡°Do you know how many women in the


    world are eager to marry me?¡±


    ¡°You should marry them, then,¡± Francesca uttered. ¡°I''m not the right woman for you.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± Danrique was getting anxious. ¡°We''re each other''s first crush, no? Now that we''ve met


    again in a foreignnd, don''t you think this is fate? How could you not be the right woman for me?¡±


    ¡°I''ve told you about this a lot of times before.¡± Francesca''s patience was running thin. ¡°I''m not getting


    married, okay? You should find someone else.¡±


    ¡°It''s all right. Perhaps you just don''t want to get married now, but I think that''ll change.¡± Danrique was


    unwilling to give up. ¡°Now, we''ll focus on getting you well first. We''ll talk about the rest in the future.¡±


    ¡°I¡ª¡±


    Francesca was about to say something, but she was interrupted by a knock on the door. The


    subordinates said, ¡°Mr. Lindberg, supper is here!¡±


    ¡°Come in,¡± Danrique uttered.


    Those two subordinates gently opened the door. Behind them, a chef and a few waiters were seen


    pushing two carts into the ward.


    After bowing at Danrique politely, theyid out all the sumptuous food on the dining table.


    It took them half an hour toy out all the luxurious dishes on a rectangr dining table in the ward.


    Francesca was dumbstruck when she saw the whole table of dishes. I just wanted a few quick bites! Is


    he crazy? What did he do this for?


    Danrique dismissed the others with a wave.


    ¡°What would you like to eat first? I''ll feed you.¡± Danrique pointed at the dishes on the table.


    Francesca let out a deep sigh after taking a nce at the food. Meat and seafood? These are all


    luxurious dishes! However, I can''t even have any of them.


    ¡°I remember hearing that you should eat something light, am I right?¡± Danrique looked around and


    brought a bowl of seafood oatmeal for her. ¡°You can eat oatmeal, right?¡±


    Words eluded Francesca. I have a wound, so I''m not supposed to eat seafood. Doesn''t he know that?


    It''s general knowledge!


    ¡°How about steak?¡± Danrique offered her another dish.


    ¡°No. Forget about it.¡± Francesca closed her eyes. ¡°Give the food to the bodyguards. I''m tired, and I


    want to sleep.¡±


    ¡°Didn''t you say you were hungry?¡± Danrique was feeling somewhat helpless. Women are such a


    hassle! They just can''t make up their minds! Despite his thoughts, he patiently told the others to bring


    the food away.


    After cleaning up, he washed his hands and went into bed to lie down next to Francesca.


    ¡°Hey! What are you doing?¡± If she wasn''t heavily injured, Francesca would''ve already jumped out of the


    bed.

 Chapter 1929

    Chapter 1929


    q¡°Rest now,¡± instructed Danrique matter-of-factly. Lying beside her and propping his head with his arm,


    he gazed at her gently.


    ¡°When I fell sick, you climbed into my bed and kept mepany just like this...¡±


    ¡°I simply wanted to get my ne back.¡± Francesca stared at him warily. ¡°Did you misunderstand


    anything?¡±


    ¡°No...¡± Danrique moved closer to her. ¡°You even kissed me.¡±


    ¡°I...¡±


    Before Francesca could say anything, Danrique''s cold lips touched on her forehead.


    His gentle kissesnded on her brows, eyes, cheeks and finally, her lips.


    Francesca was stunned. Her heart started pounding rapidly as her mind turned nk. For some


    reason, she did not have the urge to push him away.


    Is it because I''m injured and can''t move my arm?


    ¡°See, you still like me.¡±


    Danrique remembered clearly what the book said¡ªif a girl did not refuse a guy''s intimate acts, it meant


    that she liked him.


    A girl''s body was very honest.


    ¡°Danrique... Mmm...¡±


    Just when Francesca was about to speak, Danrique kissed her lips. His passionate kiss took her by


    storm, stealing her breath away.


    Her heart pounded quickly and her body tensed. Widening her eyes, she stared at him in shock.


    Feeling his bodily reaction, she wanted to push him away but could not move at all.


    One of her arms was pinned beneath his body, while a needle was stuck to her other arm. It was so


    numb with pain that she could only ce it over his shoulder. She could not exert any force at all.


    However, to Danrique, her actions were simply in sync with him. It meant that she liked him and could


    not control her actions¡ªher true feelings were overflowing.


    Danrique became even more engrossed in the kiss. Blood surged through his body as he felt a


    primitive urge to pull Francesca into his embrace and be one with her.


    He was already trying his best to control himself but he still identally hurt Francesca.


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    Francesca was in such pain that she trembled uncontrobly. Her tears were almost streaming down


    her cheeks.


    Panicking, Danrique quickly let her go and moved aside. He called for the doctor in a flustered manner.


    ¡°It''s fine.¡± Francesca quickly stopped him. ¡°It''s just the needle poking me. It''s no big deal.¡±


    Only then did Danrique realize that the needle had pierced her skin, causing her to bleed. He quickly


    summoned the nurse over to tend to her wound.


    After taking out the needle and treating the wound, the nurse left quietly.


    This time, Danrique did not dare to sleep on the bed anymore. He sat on the sofa at the side and


    stared at her silently.


    After a long while, he said softly, ¡°I didn''t do it on purpose.¡±


    ¡°You scum!¡± Francesca red at him furiously. ¡°Don''t touch me in the future!¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Without thinking it through, Danrique blurted, ¡°I thought that you enjoyed it earlier...¡±


    ¡°I didn''t!¡± rebuked Francesca angrily. ¡°I didn''t manage to react...¡±


    ¡°But you didn''t push me away.¡± Danrique pursed his lips, reminiscing the earlier kiss. His cheeks turned


    red. ¡°Obviously, you liked it.¡±


    ¡°I didn''t!¡± rebutted Francesca firmly. ¡°I couldn''t shove you away because I''m injured!¡±


    ¡°I don''t believe you,¡± interrupted Danrique. ¡°You liked it!¡±


    Francesca was at a loss for words.


    ¡°When we were at the hot spring in Summerbank, you kissed me first. That was my first kiss. You also


    fed me the medicine and crawled into my bed...¡±


    Danrique started listing out the times when Francesca acted intimately with him. The more he spoke,


    the more delighted and confident he became. ¡°You like me, but you''re refusing to admit it!¡±Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 1930

    Chapter 1930


    q¡°I already said that I don''t...¡±


    ¡°All right. Facts are facts. It''s useless even if you refuse to admit it.¡± Without giving Francesca a chance


    to speak, Danrique concluded, ¡°I won''t touch you tonight. Just sleep.¡±


    Francesca was speechless. He''s so narcissistic!


    Danrique stood up again and moved closer.


    ¡°What do you want to do now?¡± Francesca immediately became nervous.


    Without saying anything, Danrique tucked her in and flicked away the hair on her forehead. Then, he


    sat on the sofa and gazed at her gently, propping his chin with his hand. ¡°Sleep!¡±


    ¡°Aren''t you leaving?¡± For some reason, Francesca felt nervous.


    ¡°I''ll keep youpany here.¡± Danrique leaned against the sofazily and ced his feet on the


    hospital bed. Patting her shoulder with a foot, he repeated, ¡°Sleep!¡±


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Francesca turned her head and stared at his foot in shock.


    Although his foot isn''t smelly and in fact, looks quite nice, why is he patting my shoulder with it?


    ¡°I''m coaxing you to sleep,¡± replied Danrique matter-of-factly. ¡°If I pat you, you''ll fall asleep quickly.¡±


    ¡°With your foot?¡± Francesca stared at him in astonishment.


    Without replying to her, Danrique closed his eyes and rested.


    Francesca did not know what to say. This man is so odd! Everything he does is different from a normal


    person.


    However, she could not be bothered to argue anymore. She was exhausted and wanted to rest.


    Her stomach suddenly grumbled. Stroking her stomach gently, she thought about Norah''s oatmeal and


    nced at the clock on the wall. There were still eight more hours to go before Norah woulde.


    Francesca sighed quietly. Turning around and looking at Danrique, who was falling asleep, she felt


    conflicted.


    When he forced her to take the vow on the hill, she was filled with hatred and wished for nothing more


    than to strangle him.


    However, after arriving at the hospital, she heard what Sean said to him. Even though he was so busy,


    he cast everything aside and kept herpany. He even got Helen over from M Nation.


    After finishing his work, he returned to take care of her again. Although he was bad at everything else,


    she could tell how nervous and concerned he was from his sincerity.


    She would be lying if she said that she felt nothing at all. In fact, she realized that she was not repulsed


    by his intimacy.


    When he hugged and kissed her, she did not find that disgusting. Instead, she would feel nervous, shy,


    and uneasy.


    As she had never dated before, she did not know if she liked him.


    However, she did not seem so anxious to leave like before.


    Upon that thought, Francesca was startled. No! This can''t do! I''m determined to leave! Don''t be stupid!


    The colder and decisive she was, the better it would be. Otherwise, they would just be entangled with


    each other even more.


    Just when all those wild thoughts were flying across Francesca''s mind, Danrique''s foot stopped


    moving. When she turned around to look at him, she realized that he had fallen asleep.


    He leaned against the sofa and slept quietly.


    Even though he looked so casual, he was still so handsome. It was like he had juste straight out of


    a painting.


    As Francesca stared at him silently, memories emerged in her mind.


    They were scenes of a young girl and guy holding hands and running in the hills. Bright smiles were


    stered over their faces as a loving atmosphere enveloped them.


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    She did not know if it was because she had suffered a blow to her head, but she seemed to have


    recalled some things. She could almost be certain that she and Danrique had shared a beautiful


    rtionship before.


    Seven years had passed and she could not quite remember anymore. However, it was like he had


    never forgotten the promise¡ªhe had been looking for her constantly.


    Inparison, she seemed heartless.


    Upon that thought, Francesca felt a bit conflicted.

 Chapter 1931

    Chapter 1931


    qWhen Francesca woke up the next morning, Danrique had already gone missing.


    A sense of disappointment engulfed her as she stared at the empty sofa beside the bed in a daze.


    After a long while, someone knocked on the door. Only then did she snap out of her senses.


    Helen had brought the medical staff over to check on Francesca.


    Lying on the bedzily, she let them conduct all sorts of checks on her.


    Inspecting the back of Francesca''s head, Helen teased, ¡°Do you still remember me?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. We met at Summerbank.¡±


    Francesca had a deep impression of Helen. She thought that Helen''s modern medicine skills were very


    impressive, and she seemed to respect traditional medicine a lot.


    At the same time, she was very responsible and had a strong personality as well. This was unlike other


    doctors, who would act all servile because of Danrique''s status.


    Hence, Francesca had a good impression of her.


    ¡°If you were willing to do the surgery back then, it would have a higher sess rate than now.¡±


    Helen looked at her injury and could not help but feel pity.


    ¡°Life and death are all up to fate!¡± said Francesca nonchntly, as if she did not care at all.


    ¡°In Zarain, there''s a saying that your body is a blessing from your parents,¡± said Helen seriously. ¡°If you


    don''t treasure your body, how can you answer to your parents?¡±


    ¡°I don''t have parents,¡± replied Francesca casually. However, she said that, Dr. Felch''s image appeared


    in her mind.


    She had been thinking about some people and things for the past two days. Now that Dr. Felch''s image


    appeared in her mind so clearly, she remembered her fight with him when she left the mountain and


    could not help but feel guilty.


    Dr. Felch had a gentle and benevolent personality. He rarely got angry, but when she left that day, he


    was raging with fury. It was his first time saying such harsh words.


    He said that she did not need toe back if she left. In addition, he even warned her against saying


    that she was his disciple as he would find it embarrassing.


    Because of what he said, she no longer contacted Dr. Felch.


    Five years had passed since she left. Over those five years, she had experienced quite a lot of


    hardships. However, she kept reminding herself that she shall be famous and prove herself to Dr.


    Felch.


    Unfortunately, before she could aplish anything much, her life was already in danger.


    If she returned so pitifully like that, Dr. Felch would probably scold her.


    ¡°I''m going to change your bandages. It''s going to hurt a bit, so hang in there,¡± reminded Helen softly.


    ¡°Okay,¡± replied Francesca. With the nurse''s help, she flipped over to the other side andy on the bed


    while hugging a pillow.


    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    Helen started to rebandage the back of her head.


    Biting her lips, Francesca endured the pain and made no noises.


    Soon, Helen skillfully changed the bandage and said in a troubled tone, ¡°We cannot keep dying this.


    We must quickly get into contact with Francesco.¡±


    ¡°What''s up?¡± replied Francesca subconsciously before correcting herself. ¡°What?¡±


    With her reputation, everyone thought that she was the only one who could do such a challenging


    surgery.


    They did not know that Dr. Felch was even more skilled in medicine.


    ¡°I''m done, so I''ll leave now.¡± After leaving some more instructions, Helen left.


    The medical staff packed their items and helped Francesca flip back around. However, she said, ¡°It''s


    okay. I''ll just lie like this. It''sfortable.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Without saying anything else, the medical staff grabbed their equipment and left.


    At that moment, a medical staff suddenly asked, ¡°Why aren''t you going yet?¡±


    ¡°I''ll clean the toilet before leaving,¡± replied another medical staff.


    When Francesca heard that voice, she could not help but feel shocked.


    ¡°Okay. Thank you, then.¡±


    The other medical staff left. One of them even eximed softly, ¡°The newbie is so diligent. She even


    offered to clean the toilet.¡±


    ¡°Yeah! She''s not in charge of that, right?¡±


    ¡°Maybe she wants to get closer to the big shots, build a rtionship, and earn some tips?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps.¡±

 Chapter 1932

    Chapter 1932


    qThe medical staff were all speaking in Ustranasion. Knowing that Francesca could not understand


    Erihalean, he specially arranged for Ustranasion-speaking medical staff to take care of her.


    Listening to their conversation, Francesca raised her head and stared at the chubby medical staff who


    was cleaning the trash. Her back was facing Francesca as she bent down and tidied the items.


    As Francesca could not see her face, she did not know how she looked like.


    She heard the sound of the door closing as all of the medical staff left.


    Only then did the fat medical staff straighten herself. She turned around and looked at Francesca,


    revealing a mischievous smile.


    ¡°Ms. La!¡± blurted Francesca.


    ¡°Shh...¡± La quickly shushed her and told her to lower her volume.


    ¡°How did you infiltrate this ce?¡± Francesca suppressed her excitement. ¡°Where''s Anthony?¡±


    ¡°He''s useless, so I got him to wait for me at a ce.¡± La walked to the bed and said softly, ¡°Since a


    new batch of nurses has just transferred to the hospital two days ago, I yed some tricks and


    managed to infiltrate this ce.¡±


    ¡°Haha! You''re amazing, Ms. La!¡±


    Francesca was delighted. No matter what, it was always heartwarming to meet one''s rtives.


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    La rushed over to hug Francesca. ¡°You poor child! How did you get yourself so injured? Did that


    Danrique b*stard bully you? I''ll teach him a lesson!¡±


    ¡°It''s a long story,¡± exined Francesca, trying to downy the severity of the issue. ¡°I injured myself


    identally. It''s not his fault...¡±


    The ferry explosion was the main reason why she got injured. However, after his car crashed into her


    and she got kidnapped the previous day, her injury worsened.


    He would have to take a great deal of responsibility for that.


    However, she did not want La to find out. Otherwise, considering La''s fiery temper, she might do


    something.


    ¡°Are you dating him?¡± asked La excitedly. ¡°Anthony said that he''s quite handsome. Is it true?¡±


    ¡°Well...¡± Francesca was amused. ¡°He''s handsome, but he''s also very annoying. About dating... He


    wants to date me, but I don''t.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± La''s expression was filled with curiosity.


    ¡°You know, I have a lot of things that I haven''t finished,¡± exined Francesca exasperatedly. ¡°I like to


    be free too. I hate being restrained.¡±


    ¡°That''s true.¡± La nodded. ¡°You grew up in the mountains and only entered society at sixteen years


    old. Since you love this huge world and have such ambitious dreams, you shouldn''t be stuck in a single


    ce.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Francesca smiled bitterly. ¡°Anyway, I can''t live beyond thirty years old. Won''t I be ruining others''


    life if I marry?¡±


    ¡°That''s not a certainty. After treating yourself, isn''t your illness under control now? Machines can''t even


    detect anything wrong.¡± La gazed at Francesca, her heart aching.


    ¡°It''s under control now, but no one can be sure that it won''t rpse in the future,¡± said Francesca with a


    sigh.


    ¡°I regained some of my memories over the past few days. Dr. Felch said that if I stayed in the


    mountains, he would treat me every day and I can live for a few years more. However, if I insist on


    leaving the mountain, I will not live beyond thirty years old.¡±


    ¡°No, that won''t happen!¡± La shook her head anxiously. ¡°I believe that we can control our fates. Given


    how excellent your medical skills are, you can definitely cure yourself. Definitely!¡±


    ¡°Our lives and deaths...¡± Francesca''s lips curved into a bitter smile. ¡°Are dictated by heaven.¡±


    ¡°Francesca, you aren''t usually such a pessimistic person. You should be strong, optimistic, and


    enthusiastic!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I didn''t use to fear death. But for some reason,tely...¡± Francesca cast her gaze downward and


    whispered, ¡°I''m feeling scared.¡±


    When she said that, Danrique''s handsome face shed across her mind. The deeper in love he was,


    the more uneasy she felt.


    She did not like death and farewell, so she had never fallen in love.


    If she did not fall in love, her heart would not ache.

 Chapter 1933

    Chapter 1933


    qLa could read Francesca''s mind. Hugging her again, La said, ¡°Don''t be afraid! We''re here for


    you. The three of us will always be your family.¡±


    After Francesca left the mountains, she got to know Anthony, La, and Lincoln.


    The four of them had gone through all sorts of hardships and life-or-death situations. In the end, they


    became a family despite not having any biological ties.


    Over the past few years, Francesca had grown significantly with their help.


    They helped her establish the Lovely Care orphanage. From the first branch to a hundred and eighteen


    branches, the orphanage kept expanding to give all orphans in the world a home.


    For the past few years, Anthony had been managing the finances, while La managed the home.


    Lincoln was also busy earning money to fund the orphanage.


    The four of them had been working well together until Francesca got into this ident.


    Knock! Knock! Knock!


    At that moment, someone knocked on the door and Norah''s voice sounded. ¡°Ms. Cece, I''m sending


    some food over. Can I enter?¡±


    ¡°Pleasee in!¡±


    When Francesca spoke, she exchanged a look with La, who quickly left to clean the ce up.


    Norah entered the door with two other maids. Shey out a nutritious breakfast on the table and said to


    Francesca with a smile, ¡°I made your favorite pastries. You''ve already eaten oatmealst night, so I


    prepared some chicken soup this time. Have a try!¡±


    ¡°Quick, give me a spoon!¡± Francesca''s eyes lit up as she stared at the bowl of chicken soup.


    ¡°Haha! Slow down. There''s plenty.¡± Norah raised the hospital bed and passed a spoon to Francesca. ¡°I


    prepared some side dishes for you too.¡±


    ¡°Wow! It''s delicious!¡± Francesca ate happily, her cheeks bulging with food.


    Kerrie ced a pillow behind Francesca''s back and asked happily, ¡°Do you still remember me, Dr.


    Felch?¡±


    Francesca turned around. ¡°Oh, it''s you.¡±


    Kerrie was the nurse taking care of Francesca when she was back at Summerbank. Back then, Kerrie


    had witnessed how skilled Francesca was in medicine. To her surprise, Francesca became her female


    boss now.


    ¡°Yeah! Haha!¡± replied Kerrie with augh. ¡°When Mr. Lindberg saw that I took good care of you back


    then, he praised me for my nursing skills and asked Mr. Lowe to send me here to take care of you.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg really takes good care of you. He even hired a few more chefs from Zarain at home.¡±


    Norah grinned widely. ¡°He even instructed the rest to build a shed and grow some fresh flowers, saying


    that it''s better for the house to have some flowers.¡±


    ¡°Um...¡±


    Francesca did not know what to say after hearing that.


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Although Danrique was doing so much for her, all she wanted to do was to escape. It made her seem


    quite ungrateful.


    ¡°Ms. Cece, why aren''t you eating?¡± asked Norah in concern. ¡°Are you not liking the soup? There''s other


    food too! Have a bite of these dumplings.¡±


    ¡°Okay! Thank you, Mdm. Norah.¡± Even though Francesca was thanking her, she was thinking that she


    needed to leave as soon as possible. Otherwise, she would not have the chance to escape in the


    future.


    While she was thinking, La walked out of the toilet while disguised as a medical staff. Francesca


    nced at her and told Norah, ¡°Mdm. Norah, I''m a bit tired and would like to rest.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Norah quickly instructed the maids to keep the cutlery. ¡°Ms. Cece, since today''s breakfast


    wasn''t to your liking, I''ll go back and cook it again for you.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine...¡± Francesca felt guilty. ¡°Bye, Mdm. Norah!¡±


    ¡°Bye, Ms. Cece.¡± Norah left with the maids.


    Only Kerrie was left behind in the room. However, she did not intend on leaving and was cleaning the


    table attentively.


    Narrowing her eyes, La crept toward her with a handkerchief.


    Francesca nced at La for a while before closing her eyes and pretending to be asleep.


    ¡°You can leave now. I can take over here.¡±


    Before Kerrie could finish her sentence, La covered her face with a handkerchief. Stunned, Kerrie


    swayed and her eyes lost focus.

 Chapter 1934

    Chapter 1934


    q¡°Go and guard the door,¡± La ordered in a low voice.


    ¡°Understood.¡± Kerrie turned docile all of a sudden. She slowly walked over to the door and stood guard


    there like a statue.


    La immediately opened the window, upon which a gust of cold wind hit her in the face. Phew!


    Fortunately, it''s only the seventh floor here!


    Then, she pressed the watch on her wrist. In no time, a familiar voice drifted out. ¡°Ms. La!¡±


    ¡°We''re moving now.¡±


    ¡°I''ll make the arrangements right away!¡±


    After ringing the rm, La hurried over to Francesco and deftly removed the needle from the back of


    her hand. She draped a coat over thetter before helping her to the window. ¡°Can you make it?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Francesca strugglingly held on to the window sill to support herself while La dropped the rope


    down. Subsequently, she grabbed onto the rope and got ready to jump down.


    Knock, knock! At that precise moment, a knock suddenly sounded from outside the door.


    Stunned for a moment, Francesca reflexively nced back over her shoulder.


    ¡°Ms. Felch, Mr. Lindberg asked us to drive you back. We''ll depart in an hour. Is that agreeable to you?¡±


    It was Sean''s voice.


    At that, Francesca had no choice but to respond to him first. ¡°Go back? My injury hasn''t healed yet, but


    I''m to go straight back to the castle?¡±


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    If I go back to the castle, it''ll be difficult if I want to escape again!


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg said you''re notfortable staying at the hospital, so he had someone build a clinic in


    the castle. Dr. Wright will also be moving into the castle with her medical teamter,¡± Sean exined


    respectfully through the door.


    Upon hearing that, Francesca felt a touch perturbed.


    It turned out that Danrique made so many arrangements for me quietly. With me leaving now, he''ll


    definitely fly into a rage, no?


    ¡°If you want to leaveter, that''s fine as well. You have the final say,¡± Sean added.


    All of a sudden, Francesca hesitated and was no longer as decisive as before.


    Clocking her expression, La whispered, ¡°Why don''t you reconsider it? I can tell that he cares about


    you quite a bit.¡±


    ¡°The more he cares about me, the more I''ve got to distance myself.¡±


    Francesca swiftly steeled her resolve. She clutched the rope tightly, deciding to still jump.


    Just then, La''s watch started vibrating. She instantly answered the call. On the other end of the


    phone, Anthony shouted anxiously, ¡°Crap! Ms. La, I''ve been-¡±


    Before he had finished speaking, a screeching sound drifted out of the watch.


    On the heels of that, the line was cut off.


    Aware that things had gone awry, La hastily yanked Francesca back.


    The moment Francesca had her feet on the ground, she urgently instructed before she was even


    steady on her feet, ¡°Hurry up and remove themunication device! Quick!¡±


    La responded very quickly, stripping the watch at once and tossing it into the toilet bowl in the


    washroom before flushing it away.


    At the same time, a series of frantic knocking rang out outside the ward. ¡°I''ming in, Ms. Felch!¡±


    Right after that, Sean smashed the door and barged in.


    Knocked to the ground, Kerrie gasped in pain as she clutched her forehead.


    Meanwhile, Francesca had already shut the window as fast as she could. She copsed onto the bed


    and pretended as though nothing had ever happened.


    Sean swept his gaze over Francesca at lightning speed, his pupils constricting a fraction when he


    noticed that she had put on her jacket. Then, his gaze drifted over to the window and Kerrie on the


    ground before stilling in the washroom.


    Hmm, there''s sound from in there...


    With his eyes narrowed into slits dangerously, he strode toward the washroom.


    At that exact moment, La came out of the washroom in a nurse''s outfit, looking all calm and


    unruffled. That aside, she was even holding a mop in her hand. ¡°Everything is done,¡± she reported in


    fluent Erihalean.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Sean eyed her warily.


    ¡°I''m the new medical staff,¡± La replied.


    ¡°A medical staff?¡± Sean''s gaze was colored with suspicion and scrutiny.


    ¡°W-What''s wrong? Did I do something wrong?¡± La wore an apprehensive expression.


    ¡°It was me who told her to clean the washroom. Is something the problem?¡± Francesca spoke out of the


    blue.


    ¡°No, I''m just worried about your safety, Ms. Felch,¡± Sean answered respectfully before turning to Kerrie.


    ¡°Were you in the room all along?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Lowe.¡± Kerrie had already returned to normal by then.

 Chapter 1935

    Chapter 1935


    q¡°Did anything happen?¡± Sean continued asking.


    ¡°No. I''ve been keeping Ms. Felchpany all along. Sometimeter, there was a series of knocks


    outside. I was about to open the door when you knocked me to the ground.¡± Kerrie had a lost


    expression on her face.


    Hearing that, Sean finally dispelled his worry. He didn''t only transfer Kerrie back to take care of


    Francesca but also to keep an eye on her.


    After all, she was exceedingly important to Danrique. If she were to make a run for it again like


    yesterday and cause a series of kidnappings, things would be troublesome.


    ¡°I''m d everything is fine!¡± Sean bowed at Francesca before continuing, ¡°In that case, please excuse


    me. Rest for a bit, Dr. Felch. I''ll have someonee over to help you change.¡±


    While saying that, he left the ward.


    La breathed a sigh of relief before exchanging a look with Francesca.


    Francesca frowned, feeling a tad resentful.


    ¡°I''ll help you change, Ms. Felch.¡±


    Kerrie came over to help Francesca change.


    Meanwhile, La acted as though she was leaving, but her eyes remained fixated on Francesca.


    Left with no other choice, Francesca could only put on a show and fib, ¡°Madam, you do a good job


    cleaning. Why don''t you stay back and take care of me?¡±


    In response, La rolled her eyes.


    Good Lord! She can''t even lie! Is there anyone who would ask someone to stay and take care of her


    because the person does a good job cleaning? She should''ve at least used a better excuse!


    ¡°There are already many maids in the house, Ms. Felch. Besides, Mr. Lindberg doesn''t like to employ


    strangers. For that reason, every employee needs to undergo multiple rounds of screening,¡± Kerrie


    reminded softly.


    ¡°So what? I just want to employ her!¡± Francesca feigned a chagrined expression.


    ¡°Yes, of course.¡± Kerrie naturally didn''t dare toment further.


    ¡°It''s fine as long as you''re happy!¡±


    Just then, a rich and sonorous voice split the air. Francesca looked up, only to be greeted by the sight


    of Danrique.


    He probably came over just after his morning meeting at the office, for he was still wearing a crisp white


    suit.


    ¡°How handsome!¡±


    La promptly fell into a trance with stars in her eyes. Her previously fevered determination to save


    Francesca from doom was nowhere to be seen. Instead, she was gripped by the desire to marry off the


    latter to the man right then and there.


    ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    Francesca scrutinized Danrique. It''s just ten o''clock now, and he has just left this morning. Considering


    the journey, he likely didn''t even stay in the office for an hour, huh?


    ¡°To bring you home!¡±


    Stepping forward, Danrique draped his jacket over her before scooping her up and striding out.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, everything is ready!¡± Sean reported as he hastened over.


    ¡°Got it,¡± Danrique replied cidly. Then, he added, ¡°Bring that elderly woman along.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Sean was wholly taken aback. What''s happening here? Mr. Lindberg never takes in anyone


    whose identity is unknown. Why does he suddenly want to bring this peculiar medical staff back?


    ¡°Ms. Felch specifically asked for her,¡± Kerrie murmured before quickly chasing after the couple.


    At once, Sean''s brows furrowed, and realization dawned upon him. There must be something off about


    this medical staff!


    However, since Danrique had spoken, he didn''t dare ask any questions. He could only order his


    subordinates to bring La back to the castle as well.


    La swiftly trotted over and rified solemnly, ¡°Handsome, I''m only sixty-three years old, so I''m not all


    that old. Can you please don''t refer to me as an elderly woman?¡±


    Following that, silence ensued.


    Sean was utterly dumbstruck, but still, he politely replied, ¡°Sure, madam!¡±


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    ¡°Heh! This is much better!¡±


    Over the moon, La followed behind Sloan and headed to the castle with all the enthusiasm in the


    world.


    She was really curious to know what exactly the castle of such a handsome prince looked like.


    When Danrique stuffed Francesca into the car, she caught sight of a familiar figure.


    Anthony had been caught, all tied up with his mouth taped shut. Right then, someone hoisted him up


    and tossed him into the trunk.


    He probably took a beating, for bruises marred his face. There was even blood staining the corners of


    his mouth.


    Verily, he appeared pathetic and pitiful.


    ¡°Uh, what''s going on there?¡±


    ¡°Your ex-boyfriend wanted to save you, but he was caught by my men. How delusional!¡± Danrique


    sneered derisively.

 Chapter 1936

    Chapter 1936


    qWords eluded Francesca. She had long since known that Danrique was a formidable opponent.


    Although La managed to sneak in, and Anthony backed them up outside, she still couldn''t escape


    the fate of being caught.


    Argh! This is bad, with everyone having been made! Anthony has been detained, and even Ms. La is


    now being brought back to the castle. It''ll be practically impossible for me to do a runner in the future!


    Oh well! Could it be that this is my destiny? But then, Ms. La is still fine. On the other hand, things


    aren''t looking too good for Anthony.


    At that thought, Francesca hastily urged, ¡°Hurry up and let him go!¡±


    ¡°Why, are you feeling anguished on his behalf? Is such a piece of trash worthy of your regard?¡±


    Danrique frowned in displeasure.


    ¡°I just don''t want to drag him into the mess. He had good intentions and didn''t cause any harm, so


    hurry up and let him go.¡± Truth be told, Francesca was worried that Anthony would die at the man''s


    hands.


    ¡°I can do that, but only after we get married.¡± Danrique''s tone was extremely firm, with no room for


    negotiation.


    ¡°He''s no more than an irrelevant person!¡± Panicked, Francesca threatened, ¡°So, are you releasing him?


    If not, don''t even think of getting married!¡±


    s, Danrique wasn''t intimidated at all. Instead, he scoffed, ¡°You don''t want to get married? Then, I''ll


    cut off his fingers, one at a day. When all his fingers are severed, I''ll move on to his hand before


    proceeding with his legs. All this will continue until you agree to marry me!¡±


    ¡°How dare you?¡± Francesca instantly blew her top.


    ¡°You can try me. You''re my woman, so I naturally won''t lift a hand against you. As for those around you,


    however, I can make any promises.¡± Danrique merely smirked.


    His voice was mild, but it carried a bone-deep chill.


    As Francesca stared into his cold eyes, she knew that he was indeed capable of doing so. Thus, she


    faltered slightly. It looks like I can''t go head to head with him. Instead, I''ll have to employ a strategy of


    some sort.


    ¡°Oh yes, Norah informed me that you hadn''t much appetite this morning? I hired eight Zarain chefs for


    the eight major cuisines in Zarain. Each chef brought six assistants with them. All of them went through


    multiple rounds of assessment, so their cooking skills are superb. You can order whatever you want


    when we arrive home!¡±


    Danrique then changed the subject to ease the atmosphere.


    Hearing that, Francesca was rendered speechless. ¡°Can I eat that much when I''ve only got one


    mouth? Yet, you actually hired chefs for all eight major cuisines? Did you think you were gathering the


    Seven Dragon Balls?¡±


    ¡°What''s that?¡± Danrique didn''t understand the meaning of Seven Dragon Balls.


    ¡°Danrique, you don''t need to be so good to me.¡±


    Francesca was at an utter loss for words. At the same time, she was also rather helpless. The more


    meticulous care he showed her, the greater her pressure.


    ¡°You''re my woman, so I want to be good to you,¡± Danrique countered matter-of-factly, looking all


    serious.


    At that, Francesca didn''t know how else she should refute that.


    ¡°Do you like the Seven Dragon Balls?¡± Danrique inquired further.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Francesca was still in a daze then.


    Danrique picked up his phone right away and made a call to Gordon. ¡°Find me the Seven Dragon Balls


    immediately!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


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    After hanging up the phone, Danrique turned to Francesca, only to see that she was gaping at him with


    astonishment written all over her face.


    ¡°I''ll give you whatever you want. When we arrive home, rest and recuperate well. I''ve already found a


    doctor who can perform the operation on you and sent my men to seek him out!¡± Danrique pinched her


    cheek, his movements tender and loving.


    ¡°Who is that?¡± Francesca was very surprised. There''s actually some miracle doctor in this world


    unbeknownst to me?


    ¡°He also has the family name of Felch and is a veteran in traditional medicine. Rumor has it that his


    medical skills are ster, and he can also perform surgery. However, he lives in seclusion. I''ve already


    sent people to seek him out.¡±


    Danrique made it sound simple, but Francesca still managed to discern the identity of the person he


    was referring to.


    Whoa! He actually managed to find my master! In that case, he must have expended tremendous


    effort. Otherwise, he couldn''t have possibly managed to determine his whereabouts.


    ¡°What''s wrong? Don''t worry. I mobilized all my resources, so we''ll definitely be able to find him in the


    shortest time,¡± Danrique consoled gently upon clocking her thoughtful look.

 Chapter 1937

    Chapter 1937


    qAs Francesca stared at Danrique''s handsome countenance, she gradually perceived a problem.


    In the past, she assumed that he was just like an iceberg, indifferent to matters of the heart. Besides,


    she even felt that he merely had some fighting skills but wasn''t much of a strategist. But from the look


    of things then, that wasn''t the case.


    Behind his seemingly nonchnt attitude, everything was actually in the palm of his hands.


    Take the past, for instance. It was clear as day that there were plenty of contradictory things about her,


    but he never investigated or interrogated her. In fact, he didn''t even look at her documents. Later, he


    still remained unfazed despite having discovered her identity.


    All that continued until she gave away the game herself and exposed her identity.


    And at present, he caught Anthony effortlessly and used thetter to threaten her.


    She suddenly realized that she was already entirely in his control.


    Hmm, this man is truly unfathomable. It feels that I might not be his match, so I''ve got to escape this


    quicksand as soon as possible. Wait a moment! Could it be that he''s also aware of Ms. La''s identity?


    That thought shed across her mind, and she couldn''t help the panic rising within her.


    While her mind wandered, the car drove into the castle.


    Pointing at the snowy scenery outside the car window, Danrique said to her, ¡°This ce of mine is vast.


    After we get married in the future, you can bring your family over to live here. It''s fine whether you want


    to give them a castle or live together as long as you''re happy.¡±


    Francesca gazed out the car window, but she wasn''t in the mood to admire all the castles. Instead, her


    attention was riveted on the jeep convoys and professional bodyguards who could be mobilized


    anytime.


    There were over a hundred bodyguards in such a huge castle, with Danrique being their only master.


    Everyone''s attention was on the man, while thetter''s attention was wholly on Francesca.


    Out of the blue, realization dawned upon Francesca that Danrique''s every single word contained an


    implicit meaning.


    Oh, God! He''s clearly telling me this: Look, this ce is heavily guarded and you want to make a break


    for it? It''ll be practically impossible!


    In the past, she thought that his thinking was as simple as hers, but only then did she realize that she


    was the one who was truly simple-minded.


    Subsequently, the convoy came to a stop in front of the gates of Danrique Castle.


    Danrique alighted from the car first before he circled over and carried Francesca.


    Francesca then spotted a bodyguard hoisting Anthony up before heading to the animal training ground.


    Struggling relentlessly, Anthony made muffled sounds, his gaze teeming with horror.


    He was afraid that he would be tossed to the tigers.


    ¡°What are you nning to do to him?¡± Francesca hastily asked Danrique.


    ¡°Don''t worry. I''m merely locking him up. I won''t have him die since he still has some use right now,¡±


    Danrique answered evenly.


    ¡°How dare...¡±


    Francesca almost dered war against him in her impulsiveness, but La threw her a look, so she


    could only suppress her wrath for the time being.


    ¡°You''re home, Mr. Lindberg, Ms. Cece! I just brewed some soup, so it''s perfect for you, Ms. Cece!¡±


    Norah came out and greeted them enthusiastically.


    ¡°That''s good. It so happens that I''m hungry as well.¡±


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    Danrique carried Francesca upstairs to her room and ced her on the bed. After doing so, he


    convenientlyy down beside her.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Francesca promptly inched to the side.


    ¡°Hah! Don''t forget that you were the one who took the initiative to climb into my bed in the past and


    tried to approach me in various ways!¡± Amusement inundated Danrique at her wariness.


    ¡°I didn''t-¡±


    Before Francesca had finished speaking, Danrique bit her lip.


    His kiss was bumbling and unskilled. It was no different from a beast gnawing on its prey, carrying a


    hint of aggression.


    Francesca wanted to push him away, but her handscked strength, and she couldn''t budge him in the


    least.


    Strangely enough, every time he kissed her, her body tingled. Her entire body would go limp, and her


    brain would stop functioning.


    Shortly put, she would melt underneath him like ice cream.


    Danrique''s kiss went increasingly deeper. Turning sideways, he pinned her down. His hand traveled


    upward from her waist until they came into contact with her ample bosom, upon which he couldn''t resist


    applying force.


    ¡°Mmph!¡±


    Francesca''s eyes abruptly sprang open, and she bit him hard.


    Danrique instinctively pulled away when he sensed blood pervading his mouth, bringing along an


    intense coppery taste.


    He licked his lips, feeling a tad unsatisfied. Nheless, he still backed off.

 Chapter 1938

    Chapter 1938


    qGetting to his feet, Danrique straightened his clothes, his movements as elegant as ever. However,


    the words he then casually uttered carried a beast-like possessiveness.


    ¡°I''m going to devour you when you''ve recovered!¡±


    His Adam''s apple bobbed slightly with suppressed desire.


    ¡°Buzz off!¡± Francesca roared furiously.


    Pulling the covers over her, Danrique shed her a faint smile before spinning on his heels and leaving.


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    Just then, La disguised as medical staff, entered the room with Norah to deliver the soup. Danrique


    nced at her but said nothing, heading straight for the study room.


    Later, Sean went to Danrique to render his report. In the end, he cautiously reminded, ¡°Mr. Lindberg, I


    can''t shake off the feeling that there''s something strange about that medical staff.¡±


    In response, Danrique arched a brow. ¡°Oh? What about her?¡±


    ¡°When I went to look for Ms. Felch this morning...¡±


    Sean proceeded to tell the man everything that had happened in the hospital in detail.


    After listening to it all, Danrique remarked blithely, ¡°Didn''t Kerrie say that nothing happened?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but-¡±


    ¡°Cece asked for her personally, so what if there''s something off about her? It doesn''t matter as long as


    Cece is happy.¡± Danrique''s voice was detached.


    ¡°But that elderly woman might not be an ordinary person.¡±


    By then, Danrique frowned, a touch impatient. ¡°So what? Why am I employing the lot of you? Is it not to


    resolve problems? What use are you if you can''t even handle an elderly woman?¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Sean hurriedly lowered his head, not daring to speak further.


    He knew full well that La and the unfortunate ex-boyfriend were probably in cahoots with Francesca.


    Initially, he wanted to caution Danrique, but he ended up being lectured by the man instead.


    Danrique went out again after lunch. Before leaving, he said to Sean, ¡°Leave a few smart ones to keep


    guard at the castle.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Sean immediately made the arrangements. Naturally, he knew that his employer didn''t


    want Francesca to escape.


    Right then, Sloan delivered Francesca''s bag to her room.


    Francesca quickly dismissed everyone else and made up an excuse to have La stay.


    The instant La opened Francesca''s bag and beheld the gems inside, her eyes glittered with


    excitement. ¡°Whoa! He''s really generous and treats you amazingly well! Most importantly, he''s even so


    handsome! You should just yield, Francesca!¡±


    ¡°What are you saying, Ms. La? Are you not worried at all when Anthony has been captured?¡±


    Francesca was sprawled on the bed with helplessness etched across her features.


    Contrarily, La wore an expression of disdain. ¡°Why should I be worried? Danrique won''t kill him. At


    most, he''ll keep him locked up to ckmail you. Furthermore, he''s dumb, so he can''t grow without


    being taught a lesson.¡±


    ¡°But I don''t want to stay here.¡± Casting her eyes around the luxurious yet cold room, Francesca couldn''t


    helpmenting, ¡°It''s as though I''m a bird in a gilded cage with no freedom to speak of.¡±


    Likewise, La echoed, ¡°Well, that''s true. It''s cold without a shred of warmth.¡±


    ¡°I want to go home. I miss the children. Also, I wonder what has be of the pets I keep.¡± Francesca


    cradled her forehead with a troubled look on her face.


    ¡°You call them pets when they''reposed of an eagle, wolf, and leopard?¡± La teased.


    In response, Francesca rolled her eyes. ¡°They''re incredibly adorable! Anyway, I want to leave!¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry, for with me here, I''ll get you out for sure! Be good, take your meals properly, and


    recuperate well. When the right timees, I''ll definitely figure out a way!¡± La coaxed.


    ¡°How are you going to do that when ourmunication device is gone? Besides, Anthony is in their


    hands.¡± Francesca''s brows were creased deeply.


    ¡°Hey, have you forgotten my former profession? I was a special forces agent for M Nation. I''ve


    experienced all kinds of situations!¡± La quirked a brow at her with all the smugness in the world.


    ¡°That''s true.¡± A wealth of relief suffused Francesca.


    ¡°But Francesca, you still have to learn to refine and use poison. It''s not to harm others but to save


    yourself at the critical moment.¡±

 Chapter 1939

    Chapter 1939


    qLa continued earnestly, ¡°I know you''re benevolent as a doctor and are reluctant to refine poison.


    But consider this¡ªpoison and antidote are both tools. At times, an antidote can be used to harm


    others, and in the same manner, poison can be used to save lives!¡±


    ¡°Okay, I got it,¡± Francesca replied sely without saying anything further.


    She still remembered her master''s teaching that their mission as doctors was to save lives. As such,


    they couldn''t refine poison.


    For that reason, she didn''t practice any other skills apart from summoning beasts and driving skills


    throughout the years.


    La used to be a special forces agent, so she had long since urged Francesca to refine some poison


    for self-defense bybining medicine with chemistry, but thetter had never agreed.


    ¡°Oh well, you''ve always been so stubborn.¡±


    Knowing that Francesca was reluctant to do so, she didn''t continue persuading her. Instead, she


    changed the subject. ¡°Rest for a bit. I''ll go and check out the situation and get a feel of the grounds.¡±


    ¡°Don''t wander around, Ms. La! Anthony has already been seized, so it''ll be worse if they also see


    through you and lock you up!¡± Francesca hastily objected.


    Chortling, La countered, ¡°Haha, what a silly girl! Do you really think that block of ice doesn''t know


    that there''s something off about me?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Francesca was entirely dumbfounded.


    ¡°Battle-hardened people like them are all shrewd, and their eyes are prating.¡± Sneering, La


    continued, ¡°They likely knew long ago that I''m in cahoots with you. Otherwise, such a coincidence isn''t


    quite usible. Anthony was caught, and you brought me home when you didn''t even know my


    background?¡±


    ¡°They are aware? Then, why didn''t Danrique say anything?¡± Francesca questioned urgently.


    A knowing smile bloomed on La''s face. ¡°Probably because he''s sufficiently conceited. He thinks that


    I can''t do any damage, albeit there''s something fishy about me. He has a lot of men working for him, so


    why would he be afraid of an elderlydy like me?¡±


    ¡°That''s indeed him to a tee.¡± Realization dawned upon Francesca.


    ¡°You''re very smart and take everything into consideration. Nothing can escape your eyes. However,


    you''re simple-minded and disinclined toward scheming.¡±


    Patting her on the back of her hand, La continued, ¡°Just continue being an innocent girl. I''ll protect


    you!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Ms. La!¡± Francesca was very much grateful.


    ¡°All right, hurry up and rest. I''m going to check things out.¡±


    After leaving some instructions, La left in a hurry.


    Francescay on the bed to rest, but La''s words earlier lingered in her mind, and she brooded over


    them.


    In truth, considering her understanding of medication, it would be a piece of cake if she wanted to


    develop some poison for self-defense.


    However, she kept her master''s teachings in mind, so she didn''t do so all these years. But then, the


    circumstances are unique now, so perhaps I can really use it if there''s such a need.


    Norah arranged a single guestroom for La.


    The maids were all surprised, baffled as to why the new medical staff was given special treatment.


    To that, Norah''s response was that La was the only medical staff Francesca appointed personally.


    Hence, special arrangements were made for her.


    Hearing that, the maids didn''t dare have any further objections. After all, Francesca currently wielded


    all the power in the castle.


    As La enjoyed special treatment in the castle, it was all the more convenient for her to move around


    freely. Using various excuses, she started roaming the castle. In a single day, she familiarized herself


    with the passages in Danrique Castle.


    In the next few days, Francesca recuperated at home. All she did was eat and sleep every day. Helen


    came to check on her three times daily, but she could only help doctor the wound and stabilize her


    condition. The rest would have to wait until the miracle doctor came and performed the operation.


    Danrique, on the other hand, went out early and came homete. When he left in the mornings,


    Francesca would still be sleeping. Thus, he would gaze at her quietly at the side of her bed and peck


    her on the forehead before leaving.


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    And when he came home at night, she would be asleep. He would stealthilyy down sideways beside


    her and look at her quietly with his head propped against a hand. Then, he would furtively kiss her until


    she woke up.


    In fact, he was just like a naughty boy who got his way.

 Chapter 1940

    Chapter 1940


    qFor the first three days, Francesca would censure Danrique in a groggy voice and shove him away


    furiously.


    Later, she merely frowned when she saw him upon opening her eyes.


    When a week had passed, she could tell that he was home the instant she got a whiff of his smell.


    She neither pushed him away nor reproached him, merely continued sleeping with the pillow in her


    arms and allowed him free rein to nuzzle against her neck gently. When her senses tingled, she would


    then bury her head into the pillow shyly.


    Their rtionship grew increasingly closer although they didn''t take things further.


    Nheless, Francesca was no longer averse to Danrique''s intimacy.


    To Danrique, that was wonderful progress.


    He felt that she would agree to marry him if things continued developing in that direction.


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    Nevertheless, her operation took precedence at present. Everything else came after curing her.


    s, he was still searching for the rumored Dr. Felch in Zarain. To that very day, there weren''t any


    useful leads.


    One day, Sean abruptly queried on a whim, ¡°Ms. Felch, that doctor also has the family name of Fletch.


    Is there a possibility that the two of you... are acquainted?¡±


    ¡°Nope!¡± Francesca replied resolutely.


    She didn''t want to meet the man there. Conversely, she wanted to leave that ce and figure out a way


    to cure herself.


    Recently, she developed a new treatment regimen that might be effective.


    ¡°Never mind, then.¡± Sean dispelled his suspicion, feeling that she probably wouldn''t lie if she were


    acquainted with Dr. Felch.


    After all, no one wanted to die.


    Anyhow, Francesca had started using some medication directly nowadays, so her external injury


    recovered at a rapid pace. By then, she could basically move freely like the average person. The only


    thing was that the metal shards in her brain still existed like a ticking time bomb.


    Therefore, an operation was vital.


    Helen had been reminding Danrique to make haste and locate Dr. Felch as soon as possible, but they


    were still helpless then.


    On that particr night, Francesca started having a headache again. Utterly distressed at the sight of


    her agonized expression, Danrique instantly decided to head to Zarain personally to search for Dr.


    Felch.


    The moment Francesca heard that, she proposed to go with him at once.


    As long as I return to Zarain, I can escape! Otherwise, even Spiderman himself wouldn''t be able to get


    out of here despite his capabilities!


    That was the conclusion La drew after exploring for a week.


    ¡°You''ve still got a brain injury, so it won''t be good for you to travel so far.¡±


    Danrique eyed Francesca in concern.


    ¡°What''s the problem with doing so? I''m no fragile ss and can move around freely! Furthermore, my


    condition doesn''t permit any further dys. I''ve got to undergo an operation as soon as possible!¡±


    Francesca promptly riposted.


    If we find Dr. Felch in Zarain and can arrange for an operation right away, that would save a lot of time.


    Following that thought, Danrique nodded. ¡°That makes sense. But then, I''ve got to think upon it.¡±


    At that, Francesca panicked. ¡°What else do you need to think about? There''s nothing to consider when


    it''s such a simple concept!¡±


    ¡°I''ve made arrangements for a private jet tomorrow afternoon. If your performance is good tonight, I''ll


    bring you along.¡±


    Danrique was very casual when he said that, but his words contained a hidden meaning. Right after


    saying that, he walked away.


    ¡°Huh? What performance?¡± Francesca inquired, swiftly chasing after him.


    ¡°Think about it yourself.¡±


    Leaving those four words in his wake, Danrique strode out of the room on his long legs.


    ¡°Hey! Hey!¡± Francesca hollered at him twice, but he left without a backward nce. At that turn of


    events, she was so livid that she almost burst a blood vessel. ¡°What a lunatic to leave in the middle of a


    conversation!¡±


    ¡°That''s known as ying hard to get. You''re too na?ve.¡± La had a knowing look on her face.


    Upon hearing that, Francesca hurriedly tugged at her and asked for guidance. ¡°What do you mean?


    What does he want?¡±


    ¡°Needless to say, he wants that...¡± Then, La scrutinized her, asking, ¡°Girl, is your virginity still intact?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Of course, it''s intact!¡± Francesca flushed bright red in a sh.

 Chapter 1941

    Chapter 1941


    q¡°I noticed that he has been visiting your room every night, and you never once objected. I thought that


    the two of you have already done it.¡± Chuckling, La elucidated, ¡°Since your virginity is still intact, it''s


    clear as day that he wants that.¡±


    ¡°How shameless, despicable, and reprehensible of him!¡± Francesca gritted her teeth and cursed


    Danrique out, flying off her handle.


    What a vile b*stard! How dare he use such a thing to ckmail me?


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°What''s there to be mad about?¡± Tugging at her, La lectured in a low voice, ¡°Let me tell you that


    when ites to dealing with men, you''ve got tame them with love.¡±


    ¡°W-What?¡± Francesca couldn''t quite understand that.


    ¡°Listen as I teach you slowly.¡±


    La closed the room door and sat cross-legged on the sofa before she started educating Francesca


    solemnly.


    Outside, Danrique had no sooner reached the study room than Gordon came and reported, ¡°Mr.


    Lindberg, the private jet for tomorrow has been arranged. However, Mr. Adams'' assistant just called


    and said there''s a banquet tonight. He insisted upon your attendance!¡±


    Just after he had finished saying that, a knock sounded from outside, and a subordinate reported, ¡°Mr.


    Lindberg, Donald''s car is now outside the castle.¡±


    Danrique frowned, knowing that the man came for no other reason than that matter.


    A few days ago, Frank went to Lindberg Corporation to conduct an inspection, but Danrique didn''t go


    over. Later, Frank took a fancy to Hazel. Logically speaking, it was a considerable threat to Danrique,


    and he should take the initiative to contact Frank.


    However, he didn''t do so.


    Right then, Frank hosted a banquet and even specifically requested Danrique''s presence. If he didn''t


    show up again, that would mean that he wanted to go against the man directly.


    The significance of that was great.


    Thus, Donald probably knew something about it and promptly came over to advise Danrique.


    ¡°That old geezer is really irritating.¡±


    A touch annoyed, Danrique lifted his hand and nced at his watch.


    It''s already four o''clock in the afternoon now. Could it be that Mr. Adams is aware that I''m going to


    Zarain, so he hosted a banquet out of the blue to settle everything before I leave?


    ¡°Should I allow him entry?¡± Sean queried softly.


    Danrique made a gesture, upon which Sean quickly ordered, ¡°Invite Mr. Donald in.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Mere moments after Danrique allowed Donald entry, the three prominent families phoned him one after


    another. They all said the same thing, convinced that there must be something explosive that Frank


    suddenly invited them to a banquet and insisted that Danrique consider the bigger picture by attending


    the banquet.


    Danrique was irked to hear that, but he also knew that he really had to go this time.


    After hanging up the phone, he turned his gaze to the gold invitation Frank had someone deliver over. It


    read: Please attend with a femalepanion, Mr. Lindberg.


    Attend with a femalepanion...


    The corners of Danrique''s mouth lifted, and he instantly instructed, ¡°Go and make the necessary


    arrangements. I want to bring Cece along.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Shocked, Sean hastily warned, ¡°You''ve got to think twice, Mr. Lindberg! It''s evident that


    Frank''s purpose in hosting a banquet this time is to feel you out. Your best choice is to attend with Ms.


    Atkinson. That can prevent a ton of troubles. If you really don''t want to do so, it''s also good for you to


    make an appearance alone. But if you bring Ms. Felch along at this time, that would make it clear-¡±


    ¡°That would make it clear that I won''t marry Hazel.¡± Finishing the man''s utterance on his behalf,


    Danrique dered bluntly, ¡°If Mr. Adams wants to marry her, he''s free to do so. It has nothing to do with


    me.¡±


    Sean was so anxious that he had broken out in a cold sweat. ¡°But consequently, Mr. Adams can then


    openly win over the three prominent families. Our foundation isn''t firm now, so you shouldn''t act


    rashly-¡±


    ¡°That''s enough.¡± Cutting off the man''s words, Danrique ordered firmly, ¡°Do as I ordered.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg-¡±


    ¡°Go!¡± Danrique''s brows knitted together, for he was already rather chagrined.


    Sean didn''t dare protest further, so he could only relent and execute his orders.


    Meanwhile, Donald hurriedly entered the castle downstairs with Hazel behind him.


    As soon as the two of them came in, they demanded frantically, ¡°Where''s Mr. Lindberg?¡±


    ¡°He''s in his study room on the second floor.¡±

 Chapter 1942

    Chapter 1942


    qDonald rushed up the stairs, but behind him, Hazel halted in her tracks.


    Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    She overheard Norah ordering the maids to prepare the evening gowns and the stylists to dress


    Francesca up.


    Something urred to her, and her expression changed drastically. She seemed flustered.


    ¡°Ms. Atkinson!¡±


    Suddenly, Sean''s voice cut her thoughts short. She came back around and schooled her expression


    into a calm one before meeting Sean''s gaze. ¡°Yes, Sean?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg is waiting for you in the study room. This way, please.¡±


    Sean gestured for Donald and Hazel to follow him upstairs.


    They walked past Francesca''s room. The maids were showing Francesca the evening gowns, and she


    seemed shocked. ¡°What''s going on? Why do I have to pick one?¡± she asked.


    ¡°You''ll be Mr. Lindberg''s partner for the banquet tonight.¡±


    Hearing that, Hazel froze momentarily. Surprised, Donald demanded, ¡°What''s going on? Is Mr.


    Lindberg bringing her to Mr. Adams'' banquet?¡±


    ¡°Well...¡± Sean seemed stumped. Instead of answering the question, he knocked on the door of the


    study room and pushed it open. ¡°This way, please.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Donald, I believe you need to talk to Mr. Lindberg in private.¡± Hazel suddenly spoke up. ¡°I''ll leave


    you to it ande back when you''re done.¡±


    Donald nced at her and immediately put two and two together. ¡°Yes, that''s right. I shall talk to


    Danrique in private.¡±


    ¡°Sure. Come on in.¡±


    Before Sean led Donald into the study, he asked a maid to bring Hazel to a guest room.


    However, Hazel went to Francesca''s room without hesitation and knocked on the door. ¡°Can Ie


    in?¡±


    Francesca recognized Hazel''s voice instantly, for thetter was always calm and elegant.


    ¡°Pleasee in!¡±


    Francesca was lounging on the sofa, sipping on her drinkzily.


    The maids were disying a bunch ofvish evening gowns before her.


    Hazel took one look at the dresses before turning to Francesca. A conflicted look shed across her


    eyes and disappeared quickly. shing a warm smile, she said, ¡°Long time no see, Ms. Cece. I heard


    you were injured. How are you feeling?¡±


    ¡°I''m doing well.¡± Francesca smiled at her. ¡°Have a seat.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Hazel upied the sofa across from her. The maid served her coffee and left them to


    their own devices.


    ¡°Why? Do you have something to say?¡± Francesca hated it when people tried to beat around the bush.


    ¡°The evening gowns are gorgeous.¡± Hazel nced at the dozens of evening gowns hanging on the


    rack. Jealousy overwhelmed her heart when she realized they were all custom-made. ¡°I''ve been


    wanting to preorder them, but Mr. Lindberg reserved them for you before I could do so.¡±


    ¡°They''re just clothes. Do you like them? Feel free to choose and take anything you like,¡± Francesca


    replied nonchntly.


    Her nonchnce merely served to increase Hazel''s fury. Fortunately, Hazel was trained since young to


    keep her emotions in check.


    Otherwise, she would''ve jolted up from her seat furiously.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg had these made for you specially. I don''t think you should give them to others easily,¡±


    Hazel responded gently. However, her gaze was prating and oppressing.


    ¡°He gave these to me, so they are now mine. I have the right to toss them away if I want to.¡±


    Francesca despised schemes, but that didn''t mean she would allow someone else to bully her.


    Hazel''s hostility was evident, but Francesca was no pushover.


    ¡°Ha!¡± Hazel let out a low chuckle.


    She took a sip of her coffee to conceal her anger. Afterposing herself, she shed a smile. ¡°Is Mr.


    Lindberg bringing you to tonight''s banquet?¡±


    ¡°I guess so. That was what they told me,¡± Francesca responded indifferently as she sipped on her tea.


    She acted as though the matter was of no importance to her.


    ¡°Do you know what the banquet is about?¡± Hazel red at her.


    ¡°What is it about?¡± Francesca was wiping her lips with a napkinzily.


    ¡°The banquet is held by Mr. Adams,¡± Hazel revealed solemnly. ¡°It concerns the future of Lindberg


    Corporation and the four great families! It will also determine Mr. Lindberg''s power and influence!¡±

 Chapter 1943

    Chapter 1943


    q¡°Oh? Is it that important?¡± Francesca nodded, but she didn''t seem to understand it.


    ¡°Yes, it''s extremely important.¡± Despite her smile, Hazel was stern. ¡°If the banquet falls through, Mr.


    Adams will most probably rope the three families to go against Mr. Lindberg!¡±


    ¡°That soundsplicated.¡± Francesca raised her brows. ¡°Do you mean that the banquet will fall


    through if I show up?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Hazel''s answer was firm. ¡°Lindberg Corporation has no choice but to coborate with the four


    great families. That way, we can be amunity of interests. Among the four great families, my family


    is the only family with a daughter. Thus, my rtionship with Mr. Lindberg is important-¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Francesca seemed confused. ¡°So?¡±


    Hazel froze. Did I not make myself clear enough? Is she really confused, or is she putting up an act?


    ¡°Oh, I got it.¡± Francesca pondered briefly before stating solemnly, ¡°You''re saying that I''ll affect


    Danrique''s future if I stay by his side? And that it will be better if you''re his partner?¡±


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I''m d you understand-¡±


    ¡°But you shouldn''t be telling me that,¡± Francesca interjected with a stumped expression. ¡°He refuses to


    let me leave, and I''m pretty frustrated, too. You should tell him to release me for the sake of his family''s


    interests.¡±


    After a pause, she added, ¡°I think I told you this when we first met.¡±


    ¡°There''s no need to remind me of that.¡± Despite her anger, Hazel remained graceful. ¡°I can''t stop Mr.


    Lindberg, but you can make a smart decision.¡±


    ¡°I don''t know what you''re talking about.¡± Francesca furrowed her brows as though she was confused.


    ¡°If Mr. Adams enters a marriage of convenience with the Atkinson family, it would spell trouble for the


    Lindberg family and Mr. Lindberg,¡± Hazel snapped impatiently. ¡°I''ve made myself clear. If you love Mr.


    Lindberg, you should be considerate. If you don''t love him, then leave him as soon as possible so you


    won''t be dragged into this mess.¡±


    ¡°If you''re that important, then why don''t you make the decision yourself?¡± Francesca shot her an


    amused grin. ¡°Your marriage is important, and you are considerate to Danrique. Why don''t you marry


    him yourself? Why bother telling me all those nonsense?¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Hazel fumed, but she couldn''t find any words to retort.


    ¡°Oh, you came to persuade me to leave because Danrique refused to marry you, huh?¡± Tiny, almost


    imperceptible crinkles formed around Francesca''s eyes. ¡°That doesn''t sound right. You''re an eligible


    bachelorette and can help him secure his position. Why did he refuse to marry you?¡±


    Breathless with anger, Hazel couldn''t do anything as the color drained from her face.


    ¡°Ah, forget it. That''s tooplicated for me to understand.¡± Francesca yawnedzily. ¡°It doesn''t


    concern me, anyway. Instead ofing to me, you should go to Danrique. I''m going to bed now and


    won''t see you out.¡±


    Heaving in fury, Hazel spun on her heels and strode away.


    Inside the study room, Danrique listened to Donald''s nags before saying calmly, ¡°I''ll attend the banquet,


    but there''s no need for Hazel to be my partner. I''ll bring Cece with me.¡±


    ¡°You...¡± Donald was almost choking on his rage. ¡°Are you doing this on purpose? You know what the


    consequences will be. Why are you still-¡±


    ¡°Uncle Donald,¡± Danrique cut in coolly. ¡°Don''t worry. I won''t let someone else take over Lindberg


    Corporation or let anything happen to the Lindberg family. You should stay out of my business.¡±


    ¡°But-¡±


    Before Donald could say anything else, someone knocked on the door. Sean then led Hazel into the


    study room.


    Hazel took one look at Donald''s expression and sensed the tension in the air. She promptly realized


    that the discussion didn''t go well.


    Her gaze dimmed, but she swiftly pulled herself together and shed a smile. ¡°Since Mr. Lindberg has


    already made up his mind, we should respect his decision.¡±

 Chapter 1944

    Chapter 1944


    q¡°Huh?¡± Donald blurted out. He thought he was hearing things and stared at Hazel incredulously.


    ¡°Hazel is a sensible woman,¡± Danrique said as he smirked. ¡°You should go back home and prepare for


    tonight.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Hazel bobbed her head cheerfully before turning to leave.


    She didn''t utter a word to persuade Danrique to change his mind despiteing to a consensus with


    Donald earlier.


    Shocked, Donald watched as Hazel strode away. He had no idea what was going on. Is she trying to


    make me the bad guy? Did she pull outst minute so she could be the nice guy? Or does she have


    another n? Or did Danrique''s action break her heart, and she decided to give up on him?


    Donald couldn''t wrap his head around it. He could never understand how the mind of a woman worked,


    for they were always so unpredictable.


    ¡°Mr. Donald, should I see you off?¡± Sean broke the silence duly.


    Donald heaved out a sigh before trudging out after him.


    Halfway down the stairs, he couldn''t stop himself from asking, ¡°Sean, what do you and Gordon think


    about this matter?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Donald, you''ve got to be kidding. We''re Mr. Lindberg''s subordinates. We can''tment on the


    matter,¡± Sean replied humbly.


    ¡°You can drop the formalities before me,¡± Donald said hastily. ¡°Isabe trained you both, and you''re a


    few years older than Danrique. As you''re more mature, you can see the big picture and make decisions


    for the greater good. We''re one family, so just speak your mind.¡±


    ¡°All right, I shall be frank with you.¡± Sean''s lips curled up slightly as he said, ¡°Of course, we want


    nothing but the best for Lindberg Corporation. We hope that the Lindberg family can always be in


    control of Lindberg Corporation.¡±


    ¡°That''s right. You''ll have to talk some sense into-¡±


    ¡°But...¡± Sean cut in before Donald could finish. ¡°We believe in Mr. Lindberg. He has his own reasons for


    making that decision. We know he isn''t a reckless person, so I hope you can trust him, too.¡±


    ¡°Uh...¡± Sean was rendered speechless. He assumed he could convince Sean to persuade Danrique to


    change his mind. s, he had failed miserably.


    ¡°Forget it.¡± Shaking his head despondently, Donald got into his vehicle.


    ¡°Goodbye, Mr. Donald.¡±


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    Sean waited for the car to disappear from sight before he turned and entered the house.


    Gordon came over to him at once. ¡°Is Mr. Lindberg going to bring Ms. Cece to the banquet?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Sean responded with a nod.


    ¡°When Ms. Atkinson left earlier, she seemed calm, but her gaze was eerily frosty.¡± Gordon was worried.


    ¡°If Mr. Adams ends up in a marriage of convenience with the Atkinson family, what should we do?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know.¡± Sean shed a helpless smile. ¡°But we need to be loyal to Mr. Lindberg. No matter what


    his decision would be, we''ll have to support him.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Gordon nodded profusely. ¡°Forget it. We don''t understand theirplicated power struggle,


    anyway. Mr. Lindberg is free to make his own choices. If he creates trouble, we can clean his mess up.¡±


    ¡°That''s right.¡± Sean patted his shoulder. ¡°I''ll go to Mr. Lindberg now.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± Gordon went back to work.


    Back in the study room, Danrique was talking on the phone. His voice was deep as he said


    indifferently, ¡°Mm. Looks like I was right. That''s great. Good night.¡±


    After ending the call, he lifted his head to look at Sean. ¡°Have they all left?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Sean took one step forward and asked, ¡°Ms. Felch is dolling up. When shall we depart?''


    ¡°Six.¡± Danrique nced at his watch. ¡°Did Donald talk to you?¡±


    ¡°He wanted me to advise you, but I shut him up before he could finish,¡± Sean revealed cheerfully. ¡°I


    believe he''s cursing me in his car right now.¡±


    ¡°You aren''t going to persuade me to change my mind?¡± Danrique arched a brow.


    ¡°I wanted to, but I dared not take action.¡± Sean''s lips curled up in resignation. ¡°I chatted briefly with


    Gordon, and we came to a consensus that we don''t understand the power struggle. There''s no need


    for us to understand it, anyway. Just like your feelings for Ms. Felch. We agree that you can do


    anything you like as long as you are happy. If something crops up, we can clean the mess together.¡±

 Chapter 1945

    Chapter 1945


    q¡°Ha!¡± Danrique snorted. ¡°You''re making it sound like you two are noble beings.¡±


    ¡°No, we dare not think that way,¡± Sean exined hastily.


    ¡°Enough.¡± Danrique interrupted him and ordered, ¡°Prepare a gift for me.¡±


    ¡°A gift?¡± Sean''s interest was piqued.


    Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Danrique pondered over it and added, ¡°The more expensive, the better. It''s for a woman.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Sean left to carry out his order.


    When Danrique arrived at Francesca''s room, she was lounging on the sofa and ying a game on her


    tablet.


    The make-up artist was putting the finishing touches on her makeup, and the hairstylist was busy


    getting her hair done. The maids were serving her dinner.


    ¡°There will be food served at the banquet hall,¡± Danrique remarked as he leaned against the door.


    His affectionate gazended on her.


    ¡°The food served at the banquet hall won''t be filling at all.¡± Francesca didn''t even bother to lift her head.


    ¡°Besides, I''ll have to act elegantly there; so, it''s morefortable to eat at home.¡±


    ¡°Mm. Eat up, then.¡± Danrique was about to leave when Francesca stopped him.


    ¡°Wait a minute,¡± she called out.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Danrique halted in his tracks and turned at his shoulder.


    ¡°I want to talk to you.¡± Francesca met his gaze.


    ¡°Okay!¡± Danrique was delighted, for this was the first time she had requested to talk to him.


    He made a gesture, and Norah immediately told the make-up artist and stylists to leave the room.


    When they were both left alone, Francesca asked directly, ¡°Why are you bringing me to the banquet


    instead of Hazel Atkinson?¡±


    ¡°You''re my fianc¨¦e, and she''s not.¡± Danrique rolled his eyes.


    ¡°But I heard that the banquet is important and will affect the future of Lindberg Corporation. If I show


    up, it might bring trouble to you.¡± Francesca didn''t bother mincing her words. ¡°Even so, you won''t


    change your mind about me being your partner for the night?¡±


    ¡°Who told you that?¡± Danrique raised an eyebrow. ¡°Hazel?¡±


    ¡°That isn''t important,¡± Francesca brushed it off.


    She wasn''t someone who liked to tattle on someone else.


    ¡°You shouldn''t be fretting over that.¡± Danrique joined her on the sofa. ¡°You just have to dress up and


    stay by my side at all times.¡±


    ¡°I don''t know the power struggle between the influential families well, but I know you went to Epea to


    grab a share of the market to increase your influence and prove yourself. It wouldn''t be worth it to


    sacrifice all your previous efforts just because of me,¡± Francesca stated solemnly.


    That was the first time she ever had a serious conversation with Danrique. She never wanted to affect


    his future.


    Hearing her words, Danrique shed an alluring smile. He came over to her and sat on the edge of the


    dressing table. Pinching her chin, he forced her to look at him. ¡°Looks like you''ve fallen in love with


    me,¡± he remarked.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Francesca''s eyes widened in disbelief.


    What was that? I was talking about hispany, but why did he suddenly change the topic?


    ¡°You''re being considerate about my reputation because you fell in love with me!¡± Danrique dered.


    He inched nearer and gave her a kiss on the lips.


    ¡°No...¡± Before Francesca could exin herself, she was interrupted by a knock on the door. ¡°Mr.


    Lindberg, it''s almost time.¡±


    ¡°I''ll spare you this once.¡± Danrique licked his lips, obviously unsatisfied by that swift kiss. ¡°I''ll go get


    changed. You cane downstairs after you filled your stomach. There''s no need to hurry.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Francesca responded. She watched as he left her room with quick strides.


    After he left, La showed up with the excuse of delivering some fruit tea to Francesca. ¡°The banquet


    is a good chance for us to escape.¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡± Francesca blurted out. ¡°The banquet is going to be held at the Adams residence. The


    ce should be heavily guarded. How are we going to make our escape?¡±


    ¡°I don''t think the Adams residence will be as heavily guarded as this house. Everyone keeps an eye on


    you here, but it won''t be the same there. Besides, the security guards there aren''t familiar with you, so


    it will be pretty easy for us to sneak out.¡±

 Chapter 1946

    Chapter 1946


    qLa was confident as she added, ¡°You just have to find a way to bring me along with you to the


    banquet.¡±


    ¡°I don''t think there will be any problems with that,¡± Francesca remarked. Her gaze dropped before she


    continued, ¡°But Anthony is still in the castle. What would happen to him if we just leave like this?¡±


    ¡°The person you like doesn''t have such a horrible personality, right?¡± La inquired, a smile on her


    face. ¡°I don''t think he''d use Anthony to threaten us if he''s a decent person.¡±


    Francesca fell silent upon hearing La''s words.


    She knew that Danrique would not do so. However, for some unknown reason, she did not feel like


    carrying out the n.


    ¡°Do you no longer want to leave, Francesca?¡± La asked. She could tell that Francesca was hesitant.


    ¡°We could stay, and you could get married to him in peace.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Francesca shook her head frantically. ¡°I have to leave. I must leave!¡±


    La sighed. ¡°Take your time, Francesca. Make your decision after giving it some serious


    consideration.¡±


    With that, La silently went to the side and started tidying up.


    Francesca, on the other hand, experienced a flood of conflicting emotions as she sat on the sofa,


    hugging her knees.


    After spending time with Danrique, she acknowledged that she did feel something for him. However,


    she had too many worries and still had a lot to do.


    She felt as though she were a bird trapped in a gold cage while she was there. Therefore, she had to


    leave.


    As time passed, a knock was heard, followed by Norah''s voice. ¡°May Ie in, Ms. Cece?¡±


    ¡°Pleasee in,¡± Francesca responded.


    Norah had brought a maid with her and was ready to clean up. However, she realized that the food on


    the table was untouched.


    Concerned, she asked, ¡°Are you feeling unwell, Ms. Cece?¡±


    Before Francesca could say anything, La had replied in her stead, ¡°She has been experiencing


    stomach ache today. But fear not; I''ve already given her some medication.¡±


    ¡°Should we call a doctor?¡± Norah asked quickly.


    ¡°No. It''s just a minute problem,¡± Francesca replied before ncing at La. ¡°You shoulde with me


    later, Ms. La. And bring along the medicine.¡±


    Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    ¡°Very well. I''ll get ready for it right now, ¡°La answered as she hurriedly returned to the room to


    prepare.


    Norah then reported the happenings to Danrique, who had just finished changing and was in the


    process of putting on his shoes. Meanwhile, Sean stood next to him, holding his jacket.


    Sean felt something off when he heard Norah telling them about how Francesca had an upset stomach


    and wanted to bring along the new, elderly medical staff.


    Danrique, on the other hand, questioned nothing as he immediately agreed.


    As a result, Sean refrained from saying anything else. He merely instructed Kerrie to apany them


    and even arranged for more female bodyguards to be on duty.


    The snow had stopped falling when they were out. However, the snowy nket that enveloped the


    ground somehow illuminated the night.


    Francesca entered the car with her coat wrapped around her, and the image of that was nothing short


    of adorable.


    Danrique nudged the top of her head with his chin as he embraced her close to him. Oddly, he felt


    content despite no exchange of words.


    The sight of Danrique''srger frame engulfing Francesca''s tinier one was endearing.


    Francesca no longer resisted Danrique''s affections and was snuggling close to him like a docile kitten.


    Meanwhile, La could not help but feel mixed emotions as she witnessed the scene.


    The journey proceeded in silence.


    After a while, the convoy arrived at the presidential pce.


    Francesca gazed out the window to assess the situation. The ce was heavily guarded, as


    anticipated. However, after experiencing the formidable security of the Lindberg residence, she was


    unfazed by anything.


    Frank''s desire to take over Lindberg Corporation was understandable, given that thepany itself


    was quite striking.


    After a nce at La, Francesca knew that the former had memorized the route and was ready.


    ¡°What''s on your mind? You seem to be in a daze,¡± Danrique stated as he gently grabbed Francesca''s


    chin to get her to look at him.


    ¡°I was wondering whether this banquet tonight was a trap,¡± Francesca replied, a sense of unease


    creeping into her heart.

 Chapter 1947

    Chapter 1947


    q¡°What if it is a trap?¡± Danrique retorted arrogantly. ¡°There''s nothing in this world that could restrain


    me.¡±


    He spoke in an airy manner. However, the confidence behind his words did not go unnoticed.


    Immediately, Francesca felt more at ease. Danrique had a point¡ªhe was an excellent fighter; it would


    be difficult to trap him.


    On top of that, Erihal was Danrique''s territory. Even Frank was powerless against him.


    ¡°You don''t have to worry too much. I''m here,¡± Danrique said as he ruffled Francesca''s hair and pinched


    her cheeks, his eyes filled with affection.


    Francesca was no longer resisting his affection at that point. Instead, she grew ustomed to it.


    However, she remained staring out of the window as there seemed to be something weighing on her


    mind.


    The car finally stopped outside the presidential pce, where members of the three great families were


    waiting for Danrique by the entrance.


    Oliver, the butler of the presidential pce, came forward to open the car door and greeted Danrique


    respectfully, ¡°Wee, Mr. Lindberg!¡±


    Danrique got out of the car and nodded in return.


    Francesca then got out of the other side of the car. Oliver was not shocked upon seeing her and


    instead greeted her with due respect.


    He was clearly aware that Danrique intended to bring her along.


    Francesca instinctively extended her hand and ced it in Danrique''s as he reached out his hand


    before following him to wee the others.


    Despite still wearing her favorite sneakers that night, Francesca did not look bad. Instead, paired with


    the elegant gown, she somehow looked like an enchanting fairy.


    In addition, many people thought shecked manners and would struggle to adjust to the setting. But to


    their amazement, she acted with grace.


    She was confident and natural without losing her charm!


    Even Sean and Gordon were taken aback by Francesca''s poise and began to view her differently.


    After entering the castle, Francesca realized that William, too, was present.


    Nevertheless, Donald, who was usually the life of the party, was absent.


    In a way, it was understandable given that William was still a prince despite his tense rtionship with


    the king. Therefore, it was only appropriate for Frank to extend an invitation to William to the banquet


    after learning about thetter''s presence in Xendale.


    Donald did not deserve a spot at Frank''s banquet, even though he was frequently invited to events


    thrown by the four great families.


    He could not attend even if he really wanted to. Thus, he had nervously gone to see Danrique earlier


    on. Unfortunately, Danrique ignored him.


    Ever since Francesca''s identity had been brought to light, William had left Danrique Castle and went to


    the other castles without keeping in touch with her.


    His gaze was all on Francesca as it was a rare opportunity for him to see her.


    However, he had no courage to start a conversation.


    Francesca, on the other hand, did not hold back as she took the initiative to greet him. ¡±William!¡±


    ¡°Francesca,¡± William murmured gently, looking at Danrique with unease. However, he was immediately


    relieved when he noticed that thetter''s face showed no traces of displeasure.


    ¡°Do you know Ms. Cece, Prince William?¡± Harrier finally inquired after a period of silent observation.


    William said nothing in return. Francesca, on the other hand, was upfront about it. ¡°Yes, we are


    acquainted. Do you have a problem with that?¡±


    ¡°No. Not at all. It''s an honor to be acquainted with you, Ms. Cece,¡± Harrier exined humorously.


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Francesca eximed. She gave his wrist a fleeting nce before averting her gaze and


    following Danrique inside the castle.


    The three great families immediately followed suit, with Robin pushing William along.


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Danrique and William exchanged a few words. He even asked thetter if he was used to the climate in


    Xendale. It seemed that the two were still good friends.


    Francesca scanned the area and caught no sight of Hazel; only her father, Gerard, was there. He was


    walking alongside Kevin and Harrier.


    Is the marriage between Mr. Adams and Hazel actually happening tonight? If so, won''t Danrique''s


    status be affected?


    Francesca could not help but feel slightly unsettled by the thought.


    ¡°Danrique!¡± A deep voice called out just as Francesca was deep in thought.


    She lifted her head and saw a well-dressed middle-aged man striding over. This must be Frank.


    Frank was tall and looked rather ordinary. Despite the kindness in his eyes, the underlying gleam of


    shrewdness did not go unnoticed.

 Chapter 1948

    Chapter 1948


    q¡°Mr. Adams!¡± Danrique shook hands with the man and introduced Francesca, who was standing next


    to him. ¡°She''s Cece, my fianc¨¦e.¡±


    Frank wasn''t surprised to hear that at all. Instead, he teased yfully, ¡°Your fianc¨¦e is pretty! We''ve


    been worried about your future, but it looks like you''ve already found yourself a significant other.¡±


    ¡°Sorry. I should''ve told you guys sooner.¡± Danrique smiled.


    ¡°Haha. I''m slightly older than you, so I''m like your big brother. You know, I love to worry about my


    younger siblings.¡± Frank patted Danrique on the shoulder intimately like they were truly blood brothers.


    Danrique lifted the corners of his lips and shed a polite smile.


    ¡°Wee, Cece!¡±


    Frank stretched out his hand toward Francesca, who shook his hand while observing it, making sure


    there was no wound on it.


    ¡°Everyone, please.¡±


    Frank weed everyone into the castle.


    There were colorful lights and romantic music ying in the castle.


    The nobles and aristocrats who were dressed in formal outfits were chatting quietly with each other.


    Upon seeing Frank enter with Danrique and the members of the three great families, they immediately


    approached and greeted Danrique enthusiastically.


    Danrique, who usually disliked attending banquets like this, was especially cooperative that day. He


    greeted each and every one of them courteously and even introduced Francesca to them.


    Francesca linked arms with Danrique and felt inexplicably uneasy. She never intended to marry


    Danrique, but thetter still introduced her to everyone.


    Would people think of me as Danrique''s fianc¨¦e when they see me in the future?


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg!¡±


    Just as Francesca''s thoughts were running wild, a melodious voice rang out.


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Francesca lifted her head and saw Hazel strolling over in a gorgeous silver gown.


    She was slender and tall with an air of elegance, and coupled with the gown she was wearing, she


    exuded the natural aura of a noble.


    Frank reached his hand out to the woman, who ced her hand in his without hesitation. The two of


    them didn''t look like a good match at all.


    Francesca sighed inwardly. I don''t know how old Frank is, but he looks a lot older than Hazel. He


    doesn''t look handsome, too. In terms of appearance, Hazel is way out of Frank''s league. It''s okay if


    Hazel admires his capability, but if she''s only with him for the money...


    Francesca had always thought that ambitions were like quicksand. When a person''s ambitions were


    too wild, he or she would be swallowed whole by them.


    ¡°Hazel!¡± Danrique greeted Hazel courteously.


    ¡°We''ve been waiting for your arrival. You''re finally here.¡±


    Hazel smiled at Danrique and greeted Francesca, ¡°Ms. Cece, good evening!¡±


    ¡°Good evening!¡±


    Francesca could clearly feel Hazel''s hostility. Not even her elegant smile could hide that.


    ¡°Hazel, please bring Ms. Cece to the back hall to get some rest. I''ll have a chat with Danrique,¡± said


    Frank while holding Hazel''s shoulder intimately.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Hazel lifted her hand and gestured for Francesca to follow her.


    Francesca nced at Danrique before leaving with Hazel.


    Afterward, Sean shot the two female bodyguards a look, and they immediately followed Francesca.


    Meanwhile, La and Kerrie were about to go with them too but were stopped by people in the castle.


    Oliver sent someone to bring them to the side hall and even exined to them that everyone was only


    allowed to bring two subordinates with them during the banquet. The rest would all be sent to the side


    hall.


    Even Danrique brought only Sean and Gordon with him.


    Therefore, there were only two female bodyguards apanying Francesca.


    La had an ominous feeling about it. However, she had no choice but to obey the banquet''s


    arrangements.


    As Hazel led Francesca to the back hall, she ran into her father, Gerard, on the way. The two chatted


    for a bit, and Francesca waited at the side.


    At that moment, Harrier came over to chat with Gerard. One of the waiters bumped into him by


    ident and caused the wine in his hand to spill all over Francesca.

 Chapter 1949

    Chapter 1949


    q¡°I''m sorry!¡± Harrier apologized right away and turned to reprimand the waiter, ¡°What are you doing?


    Are you blind?¡±


    The waiter bowed and apologized incessantly, ¡°I''m sorry, I''m sorry...¡±


    ¡°It''s okay,¡± said Francesca, not wanting to make things hard for the waiter.


    Upon seeing the scene unfold, Hazel and Gerard immediately went over to handle the situation.


    A subordinate of the Atkinson family took out his handkerchief and handed it to Francesca, who


    happened to notice a bruise on the former''s left hand.


    That was, apparently, a bite wound from a snake.


    Francesca''s pupils constricted as a cold gleam shed past her eyes.


    It turned out that the person behind her kidnapping was Gerard Atkinson.


    That day at the cabin in the mountains, the head of the kidnappers was bitten by the poisonous snake


    that she had summoned. Although that was a long time ago, it would surely leave a scar.


    Therefore, she had been on the lookout for someone who had a bite wound on their hand.


    Initially, she had thought it was Harrier, but to her surprise, it was Gerard instead.


    Needless to say, a big shot like Gerard would never take matters into his own hands when it came to


    committing such a crime. He would, of course, send his most trusted assistant.


    ¡°Let''s go to the back hall, shall we? I''ll get someone to bring you a few more gowns for you to choose,¡±


    said Hazel, sounding like the matriarch of the ce.


    ¡°That won''t be necessary. I''ll just clean the gown.¡±


    Francesca nced at that subordinate before following Hazel to the lounge in the back hall.


    The two female bodyguards of the Lindberg family, Heidi and Samantha, trailed behind them.


    Francesca went to the washroom to try cleaning the wine stains on her gown, but after failing to do so,


    she decided to wait on the sofa in the lounge for Hazel''s subordinates to bring her a new gown.


    ¡°I''ll keep Ms. Cecepany. The rest of you, please step out.¡±


    Hazel sent her subordinates away before turning to look at Heidi and Samantha.


    The two bodyguards nced at Francesca and only left after receiving a nod from thetter. They


    didn''t go far. Instead, they stood guard by the door.


    Hazel talked on the phone for a while and said to Francesca, ¡°We''ve taken care of the waiter who


    bumped into you just now.¡±


    Francesca exined, ¡°The waiter didn''t bump into me. He bumped into Harrier, and the wine in


    Harrier''s hand ended up spilling on me.¡±


    Hazel twirled the wine ss in her hand. ¡°How it happened didn''t matter. The point is, you were


    offended. The audacity of him to offend Mr. Lindberg''s fianc¨¦e! What a heinous act.¡±


    Knowing that she wouldn''t be able to talk sense into the woman, Francesca stopped arguing with her


    about it and asked, ¡°How did you guys take care of the matter?¡±


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Hazel spoke casually. ¡°We put him in jail, of course. What a useless prick for making such a mistake


    during an important banquet.¡±


    Hearing that, Francesca lifted her head and looked at Hazel in utter disbelief.


    She thought that thetter was just arrogant by nature, but she didn''t expect thetter to be so evil and


    ruthless.


    Perhaps to people like her, the petty lives of waiters weren''t worth anything at all.


    Such an arbitrary and imperious concept was deeply rooted in her nature, causing her to show that


    idealism in front of Francesca without reservation.


    Francesca felt immensely ufortable, but she knew she couldn''t reason with Hazel about this.


    ¡°Care for some wine?¡± Hazel handed Francesca a ss of red wine.


    Francesca took the wine ss and savored the rich and pleasant scent of alcohol. After taking a sip,


    she praised, ¡°This wine is good!¡±


    ¡°Oh? Do you have wine-tasting skills? Or are you just being ostentatious?¡± Hazel curled her lips into a


    smile.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Francesca raised her eyebrows.


    ¡°Actually, those who are qualified to be waiters here have good family backgrounds and high-


    degree educations. Even their height and appearances are taken into meticulous consideration...¡±


    Twirling her wine ss, Hazel remarked meaningfully, ¡°When they came here, they had dreams and


    ambitions. However, once they made a mistake, things would be different.¡±


    Pausing for a while, she continued, ¡°Mr. Lindberg is currently interested in you because you''re like a


    breath of fresh air for him, and he''s willing to give you anything. But who knows what will happen in the


    future? How long would he stay interested in you? Without support from your family''s status, I''m afraid


    that not long after this, you''d end up like that waiter. Oh, you might even end up worse than him since


    you''ve always been the abandoned wife of a wealthy family.¡±

 Chapter 1950

    Chapter 1950


    q¡°Abandoned wife?¡±


    Francesca couldn''t help but chuckle when she heard the unfamiliar phrase.


    ¡°In this world, all kinds of rtionships are based on equal exchange, including love. Now, you used


    your young and charming appearance in exchange for Danrique''s love for you, but all this will expire


    one day. Once you begin to decline, everything will change, and there''s no way you''d still get to enjoy


    his love. If I were you, I could at least get along with him peacefully due to my family background. But


    as for you, you''d end up getting abandoned since you do not have any backing. Perhaps you''d die, or


    perhaps you''d be put in jail and live a life worse than death. It''s also possible that you''d be given as a


    gift to some other man...¡±


    ¡°Are you done?¡± Annoyed, Francesca interrupted her, ¡°I thought you''ve chosen Mr. Adams as your


    man. Why do you still concern yourself with our rtionship?¡±


    ¡°It''s not toote if you choose to back out now. Or else¡ª¡± Hazel put her wine ss down and closed in


    on Francesca, attempting to threaten her.


    However, before she could finish her sentence, the sound of knocking on the door interrupted her.


    Then, Gerard''s voice came from outside. ¡°Hazel, pleasee out.¡±


    Hazel shot Francesca a cold re before getting up to head out.


    When Hazel opened the door, Francesca caught a glimpse of Gerard standing outside while wearing a


    grim expression. Moreover, he was staring at Hazel with a stern look in his eyes.


    Francesca had a rough understanding of what was going on. Gerard wanted Hazel to marry Frank, but


    Hazel was still in love with Danrique, which led her to pressure Francesca into giving up.


    Noticing what his daughter had in mind, Gerard came in time to stop her.


    Francesca was pretty sure that was the case.


    As for the reason that Gerard sent someone to kidnap her previously was probably to create an


    opportunity for his daughter to pursue Danrique. Frank hadn''t offered them an olive branch at that time,


    after all.


    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    They ced their focus on Danrique, thinking that once Francesca was out of the picture, Hazel would


    be able to marry the man.


    If that was true, Gerard might also be the one who sent someone to knock Francesca and Eva


    unconscious during the banquetst time.


    Does Danrique know about all this?


    Just as Francesca was mulling over her thoughts, there was once again a knock on the door. Someone


    had brought gowns over for Francesca to choose from.


    Francesca randomly chose one and was about to send them away when one of the maids asked her


    with a strange voice, ¡°Miss, would you like me to help you change into the gown?¡±


    Francesca lifted her eyes to nce at the maid and reacted almost immediately. ¡°Okay. You can stay.


    The others may leave.¡±


    ¡°Noted.¡±


    The other maids heeded her words and left the room.


    The maid locked the door and said to Francesca in a strained voice, ¡°It''s me!¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Francesca sized La up before teasing her, ¡°Ms. La, it''s amazing that you don''t look weird


    at all when disguised as a young maid in her thirties.¡±


    ¡°Why of course. I''m pretty by nature.¡±


    La twisted her hips and posedcently, obviously pleased with herself.


    ¡°How did you get in? There are a lot of rules and regtions here, and it''s so heavily guarded...¡±


    Francesca asked curiously.


    ¡°I just happen to have an idea.¡± La walked toward the window and observed the situation outside.


    ¡°Francesca, I''ve found a way to get you out of here. Just say the word, and I''ll bring you out.¡±


    ¡°H-How are you going to get me out?¡±


    Francesca felt inexplicably uneasy at that moment, causing her to stutter nervously.


    ¡°One of the noblewomen had an asthma attack just now due to something she ate. The castle''s private


    doctor examined her condition just now, and she needs to be sent to the hospital. The ambnce


    should be here any minute, so we could disguise as paramedics and blend in to hop onto the


    ambnce,¡± exined La.


    She then continued in a hushed voice, ¡°The point is, have you thought it through? Do you want to leave


    or not?¡±


    ¡°I...¡± Francesca was a little hesitant.

 Chapter 1951

    Chapter 1951


    qLa added, ¡°When I sneaked into here, I surveyed the situation and found out that the number of


    armed guards is increasing silently. It''s pretty obvious that this banquet is just a huge trap. I reckon that


    the vice president is currently negotiating with Danrique, and if Danrique doesn''t agree with his


    conditions, he will kill him.¡±


    After Francesca heard that, her expression darkened instantly. At the same time,plicated emotions


    swarmed within her.


    ¡°Or should we stay for the time being?¡± La asked tentatively.


    ¡°Yes, I think we should stay. He saved my life, so I can''t possibly abandon him at times like this,¡±


    replied Francesca immediately.


    ¡°I knew it.¡± La smiled wryly and shook her head. ¡°If this happened before, I would be d to know


    that you''ve had a clear grasp on your feelings. But now, I would like to advise you to be extra careful.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Francesca looked at La in confusion.


    ¡°Initially, the sole problem that you and Danrique shared was rtionship issues, but now that political


    battles are involved, things would get superplicated. Have you thought of the consequences?¡±


    La frowned as she stared intently at Francesca.


    Hearing what La had said, Francesca''s expression turned solemn. She knew the meaning behind


    La''s words.


    If she were from a distinguished family, she would have strong backing to support her. That way, at


    least, she wouldn''t end up too miserably.


    On the other hand, if she were an ordinary woman who didn''t have anything to worry about, the worst


    that could happen to her was that her safety would be affected. She could still escape with La''s help.


    However, unfortunately, she didn''t have a distinguished family background, nor was she an ordinary


    woman. She was given the title ¡°miracle doctor¡± and was at the same time the owner of more than a


    hundred orphanages.


    If people in the political world knew about her true situation, her master and all the orphanages would


    be affected.


    The battle between political rights was usually unscrupulous, and it was never something that ordinary


    people like them could afford to get involved with.


    ¡°Maybe Danrique thinks he''s capable enough to protect you, so he brought you here with him without


    qualms. But what about the people who are rted to you? If things are exposed, would he really be


    able to protect them, too? Even if he did his best to protect them, there would still be times when he''s


    unable to do so. I know about the feelings you have for him, but I have to remind you before it''s too


    late. Please be extra cautious,¡± advised La earnestly.


    Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    As Francesca listened to La''s advice, the light in her eyes gradually dimmed and was reced by


    frustration and hesitation. Absentmindedly, she mumbled to herself, ¡°Actually, I won''t be able to help


    him much even if I stay. Maybe he''s already prepared for this to happen. If I leave, I won''t cause him


    too much trouble.¡±


    Subsequently, she made up her mind. ¡°Let''s go!¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± questioned La softly.


    ¡°Yes, I''m sure. I have to grasp this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and get as far away from trouble as


    possible.¡± Francesca nodded fervently.


    ¡°All right. I''ll make the arrangements. Make sure your phone is on and keep in touch,¡± reminded La.


    ¡°Phone? Do you have a phone with you?¡±


    Francesca remembered that all hermunication equipment had been destroyed.


    ¡°I got myself one just now.¡± La took a refurbished mobile phone out of her pocket and showed it to


    Francesca. ¡°Wait for my signal.¡±


    As a former secret agent, it was a walk in the park for her to get her hands on a refurbished mobile


    phone.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Francesca watched as La exited the room before walking toward the window to look outside,


    keeping an eye on what was going on.


    An ambnce came pulling up from a distance away. It looks like Ms. La is right. I must hurry up


    and dress up as a paramedic, so I can hop into the ambnce. But Heidi and Samantha are standing


    guard outside. I can''t leave this ce...


    Just then, a voice came from outside. ¡°We''re here to send Ms. Cece some medicine.¡±


    Right after that, the door opened, and La, who was disguised as a paramedic, came walking in with


    Kerrie behind her.


    Francesca and La exchanged looks, and the former quickly understood thetter''s ns.

 Chapter 1952

    Chapter 1952


    qAfter closing the door, La drugged Kerrie at once.


    The focus in Kerrie''s eyes faded away as she began removing her clothes.


    Without hesitation, Francesca changed into Kerrie''s outfit and allowed La to dress her up as Kerrie.


    Then, La helped Kerrie put on Francesca''s gown and left her sleeping on the sofa before the two of


    them exited the room.


    ¡°Would people notice?¡± Francesca was worried.


    La urged, ¡°We don''t have time to think about that now. The ambnce is already here. Hurry up. By


    the time they found out about Kerrie, we''d already left the presidential pce with the ambnce.¡±


    ¡°Okay then.¡±


    Francesca said nothing else and followed La out of the room.


    At that time, Heidi and Samantha were still guarding the door. They didn''t suspect anything when La


    and ¡°Kerrie¡± came walking out.


    Samantha even turned to make sure ¡°Francesca¡± was still lying on the couchzily like she always did.


    However, due to the angle, all she could see were her legs and the hem of her gown.


    Francesca trailed behind La in a calm demeanor. After all, that was not the first time she had done


    something like that. Besides, La''s disguising skills were perfect. Though they didn''t have much time


    to touch up on the details, it was still enough to deceive the eyes of the average person.


    The duo reached the corner of the long corridor and was about to head out from another corridor when


    suddenly, Hazel and the others came walking toward them.ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    Panicking, Francesca instinctively lowered her head.


    La, on the other hand, remained calm as she led Francesca past them.


    All of a sudden, Hazel called out to them, ¡°Wait.¡±


    The two of them could only stop in their tracks. Maintaining herposure, La lifted her head and


    smiled at Hazel. ¡°Can I help you, Ms. Atkinson?¡±


    ¡°Who is she?¡± Hazel stared at Francesca, who was disguised as Kerrie.


    ¡°She''s Kerrie, the nurse of the Lindberg family. She was just transferred back here from M Nation,¡±


    introduced La, sounding as normal as possible.


    ¡°A nurse? Can she speak Erihalean?¡± Hazel fixed her eyes on Francesca.


    ¡°No. Ms. Cece can''t speak Erihalean, too. That''s why we transferred Kerrie back to look after her,¡±


    La exined.


    ¡°I see.¡± Hazel gave Francesca onest stare before looking away and saying politely, ¡°Don''t mind me,


    I''m just curious. Please, carry on.¡±


    ¡°Well then, please excuse us.¡± La bowed courteously and left with Francesca.


    Though Francesca didn''t say a word throughout the whole exchange, she looked quiteposed.


    However, she still sensed that Hazel seemed to have noticed something.


    ¡°Don''t worry. She''s dying to see you leave. Even if she notices something, she won''t say anything,¡±


    whispered La.


    Francesca pondered about it and agreed with La. Indeed, her departure was great news to Hazel,


    so thetter would never expose her.


    Meanwhile, Hazel approached the lounge and saw Heidi knocking on the door from a distance away.


    ¡°Ms. Cece? Is everything all right in there? Ms. Cece?¡±


    What answered her wasplete silence. Both Heidi and Samantha exchanged a nce and were


    about to push the door open when Hazel called out, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Ms. Atkinson, Ms. Cece has been in there for a long time, and there isn''t any noise. We''re worried, so


    we wanted to go in and have a look,¡± Heidi exined.


    Hazel grinned. ¡°She''s probably asleep. She''s always sleepy, isn''t she? I was thinking of checking on


    her too, but now it seems we should just let her rest. Don''t disturb her.¡±


    Upon finishing her sentence, she asked two of her subordinates to stay behind and ordered them, ¡°I''m


    going to the main hall to find Mr. Adams and Mr. Lindberg. The two of you stay here, and if there''s


    anything, notify me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ms. Atkinson.¡±


    Before leaving in a hurry, Hazel nodded at Heidi and Samantha as a sign of goodbye.


    The two bodyguards had no choice but to wait outside since Hazel had said so.


    In the meantime, Francesca and La finally reached the back hall and were about to leave when


    Francesca caught a glimpse of Danrique through a window by ident.


    He was sitting elegantly on the sofa with his side profile facing the window as he listened to what Frank


    was saying. His bodynguage showed an obvious sign of annoyance, and there was concealed anger


    within his eyes.

 Chapter 1953

    Chapter 1953


    qEven from afar, Francesca could feel that his patience was running thin, and he was close to


    exploding with anger.


    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    For some reason, she felt an urge to go over to his side and help him.


    At that very moment, Danrique seemed to have sensed something and turned to look in Francesca''s


    direction.


    The woman turned away reflexively to avoid meeting his eyes.


    ¡°Let''s go!¡±


    La dragged her toward the parking lot.


    Along the way, Francesca could feel that something was off. A short distance away, an array of soldiers


    were dispatched to block every single exit and entrance surreptitiously.


    There were also some bodyguards who were dressed in in outfits entering the castle and


    approaching the conference room that Danrique was in.


    ¡°Wait. What is going on?¡± Francesca stopped in her tracks and asked anxiously, ¡°Is Mr. Adams trying to


    threaten Danrique?¡±


    ¡°Probably. Judging by the current situation, I''m afraid Danrique won''t be able to leave this ce if he


    doesn''t agree to Mr. Adams'' conditions. We have to leave right away to avoid getting into trouble,¡±


    La answered in a hushed voice.


    ¡°But...¡±


    Knowing what Francesca was thinking, La dismissed her idea. ¡°Francesca, listen to me. You''re not a


    savior. You''re too powerless to change anything.¡±


    Francesca lowered her eyes and knew what La said made sense. She''s right. We''re not in the


    jungle. I can''t do anything...


    La patted Francesca''s shoulder. ¡°He''ll be fine. Profit is always the aim of power struggles. All the


    resources of Lindberg Corporation are now under Danrique''s control. No one would dare to touch him. I


    suppose they''re just threatening him to sign some kind of contract.¡±


    ¡°But Danrique''s temper won''t allow him to give in. He''ll confront Mr. Adams and fight with him head-on.


    The battle is unavoidable.¡± Francesca seemed to have predicted what would happen afterward.


    La reminded in a serious manner, ¡°So what if he does? It''s none of your business. If you stay, you


    would have to face such incidents at any time in the future. You would have to live a terrifying life where


    you''re always on tenterhooks. Would you be able to ept that?¡±


    Once again, Francesca fell silent.


    ¡°That''s enough. Stop thinking about it. Let''s go.¡±


    La dragged Francesca away, and the two of them went to the parking lot. At that moment, a group of


    people was surrounding the wealthy woman who had an asthma attack.


    One of the noblemen questioned in irritation, ¡°Where''s the doctor? How can the doctor not be around


    when something as serious as this had happened?¡±


    ¡°We have no idea either. He went in with us just now, but he was gone when we came back out.¡±


    ¡°This is outrageous! How is the hospital still operating?¡±


    ¡°Um...¡±


    ¡°Excuse me! Please make way! The doctor is here.¡± La immediately squeezed into the crowd with


    Francesca in tow.


    La patted Francesca''s shoulder. ¡°He''ll be fine. Profit is always the aim of power struggles. All the


    resources of Lindberg Corporation are now under Danrique''s control. No one would dare to touch him. I


    suppose they''re just threatening him to sign some kind of contract.¡±


    Right away, the aristocrats made way for them to pass.


    Francesca performed emergency treatment on the woman without dy while the medical staff


    watched in total befuddlement. This isn''t our doctor.


    However, they knew they were at the presidential pce, and everyone around held prominent status.


    Even a mere subordinate might have an important identity.


    Assuming that Francesca was the family doctor of some wealthy family, they didn''t stop her from doing


    her job.


    The woman''s condition stabilized soon after Francesca treated her. At this point, everyone around


    acknowledged her skills and stopped doubting her.


    ¡°The patient has consumed something she''s allergic to and thus triggered an asthma attack. Her


    condition is only temporarily stable, and she needs to be sent to the hospital right now! Hurry and carry


    her onto the ambnce,¡± urged Francesca.


    ¡°Okay.¡± The medical staff lifted the stretcher and moved the woman onto the ambnce while


    Francesca and La took the opportunity and followed suit.


    The ambnce slowly departed, and Francesca looked out the window withplicated emotions


    surging within her.


    Am I really leaving? That''s what I''ve always dreamed of, but now that I really am leaving, I feel


    reluctant. I can''t stop thinking of Danrique.

 Chapter 1954

    Chapter 1954


    qIn the conference room of the castle, Danrique looked out the window for a long time before retracting


    his gaze.


    He had noticed a familiar figure.


    She eventually wants to leave. Even though I have risked everything to be with her, she still chooses to


    abandon me.


    Danrique heard that one could not force another person to feel love for the other party but didn''t


    understand that back then. However, heprehended its meaning now.


    ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    No matter what I do, it would be futile since she doesn''t love me. Her heart would not get wavered, nor


    would she be moved. This woman could even walk out on me like that. She neither cares about my


    feeling nor the consequences.


    As these thoughts went through his mind, a trace of anger bubbled up in Danrique''s heart. His hand


    that was holding the cup started trembling.


    ¡°You better think it through, Danrique. After all, there''s a limit to your power. If you let me be a


    shareholder in Lindberg Corporation, I can provide you with tremendous resources while we work in


    unity in the future. It would be such a beneficial deal to you...¡± Frank tried to convince him earnestly.


    ¡°Beneficial?¡±


    Danrique had remained silent while watching the man put on an act with the other three great families


    before having to hear him beat around the bush. He couldn''t tolerate it any longer now.


    ¡°Do you mean it would be beneficial to you instead?¡± Danrique''s voice sounded as if it had gotten


    soaked in an icy abyss.


    Following that, the surrounding air temperature dropped. Everyone wanted to hold their breath and


    watch the situation unfold cautiously.


    The smile on Frank''s face stiffened. Nevertheless, the man quickly reverted to his tranquil state. He


    grinned while looking at Danrique. ¡°What do you mean by this...¡±


    ¡°Lindberg Corporation is operating just fine. We don''tck finances and resources. Also, we do not


    need new shareholders. So what right do you have to get a share of thepany?¡±


    Danrique didn''t want to waste more time talking to the man and even forsook his basic manners.


    A ball of rage was burning in his heart, waning out his patience.


    ¡°Danrique, how could you speak to Mr. Adams like that?¡± Gerard hurriedly stopped him. ¡°Even though


    Lindberg Corporation doesn''tck anything, having Mr. Adams join us would help bring in more


    resources.¡±


    ¡°That''s right...¡±


    ¡°How so?¡± Danrique directly snapped. ¡°I have all the resources that he has. So why must there be


    another person taking part in the share allocation? Relying solely on the title of a vice president to


    invest butcking the financial resources to do so? Isn''t that robbery?¡±


    ¡°Danrique, you''ve gone too far!¡±


    Gloominess shadowed Frank''s face, and his eyes no longer showed traces of warmth.


    Harrier let out a dry cough while drinking alcohol without saying a word.


    The anxious Gerard was the first one to speak. ¡°Danrique, your words are truly too outrageous.¡±


    ¡°I agree...¡± Kevin also chimed in.


    ¡°Fine.¡± Danrique raised his brows and chuckled coldly. ¡°Then why don''t the three of you divide your


    shares with him?¡±


    The smile on Frank''s face stiffened. Nevertheless, the man quickly reverted to his tranquil state. He


    grinned while looking at Danrique. ¡°What do you mean by this...¡±


    ¡°Um...¡± Kevin''s and Gerard''s expressions fluctuated upon hearing that.


    ¡°I''m not involved in this.¡± Harrier hurriedly spoke up.


    After that, he nced at Frank, whose face flushed with anger. Hence, he immediately added, ¡°I''m a


    minor shareholder who doesn''t qualify to make any decisions. Danrique, you are the major


    shareholder, so I''ll listen to you. However, I wouldn''t object to Mr. Adams joining us too. Isn''t it a


    blessing to earn money together?¡±


    Danrique nced at Harrier.


    This fellow is pretty clever for trying not to offend either side.


    On the other hand, it was apparent that Kevin and Gerard were on Frank''s side.


    ¡°I''ll concede since you refuse,¡± Frank replied with a sneer. ¡°However, I''d received reports stating you


    vited thew in M Nation. Not only are peopleining to me, but they also reported this to the


    relevant departments. I have to give them an exnation concerning this matter. Therefore, please go


    with the people from the military to undergo an investigation.¡±


    Frank had put the excuse across in a justified manner as if it was the truth.


    In reality, it was a threat in disguise.


    Kevin and Gerard stared sheepishly at Danrique. An apprehensive look appeared on their face as the


    two men felt extremely uneasy deep down.


    On the contrary, Harrier seemed rtively calm. He only observed the situation in silence.


    Danrique smiled mockingly. He sat on the sofa and gave Frank a chilly look. ¡°Mr. Adams, you are using


    your position to get even!¡±

 Chapter 1955

    Chapter 1955


    q¡°I''m just doing what I am supposed to do!¡± Frank defended himself confidently. ¡°Pastor had listed out


    pieces of evidence of your crime and submitted them to the Ministry of Law, the military, and seven


    other relevant departments. He even handed a copy to Mr. President. I was also very helpless


    regarding this matter. Nevertheless, I got to handle it impartially. Otherwise, I wouldn''t be able to


    exin it to them. Of course, if you would only be more open-minded and let me be one of the


    shareholders of Lindberg Corporation, I''ll regard your case as a family matter and personally handle it


    for you. If not, you have no choice but to cooperate with the investigation!¡±


    Frank''s speech sounded so shameless that even Harrier couldn''t help but purse his lips before


    revealing a sarcastic smile.


    Sean became outraged. He clenched his fist so tightly that it let out a cracking noise.


    Danrique said nothing. He only narrowed his eyes and stared daggers at Frank.


    ¡°How is it? Do you want to reconsider?¡±


    Frank didn''t want to burn all bridges with Danrique and even intended to give the man another chance.


    Despite that, Danrique didn''t appreciate his gestures at all. He straightforwardly said, ¡°The one who


    should reconsider is you. If you insist on doing things your way, I''m afraid you''ll wallow in regret!¡±


    ¡°Haha...¡±


    Frankughed in ridicule and immediately pped his hands. After that, dozens of soldiers armed with


    weapons came in from outside.


    The officer leading the troop walked directly to Danrique and said politely, ¡°Mr. Lindberg, pleasee


    with me!¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡±


    Danrique narrowed his eyes in a sinister way while ring at Frank coldly.


    At the same time, the ambnce Francesca was in was about to drive out of the presidential pce''s


    main entrance. The woman looked out of the window and spotted several military vehicles approaching


    the residence from not far away.


    Francesca had an ill sense of foreboding. She could not figure out why Frank had dispatched so many


    subordinates.


    ¡°My Lord, you had guessed correctly. Mr. Adams wanted to deal with Mr. Lindberg. I''m afraid something


    bad might have happened to him...¡±


    The aristocrat''s subordinate suddenly spoke in Erihalean.


    Although Francesca could only understand a little, she managed to grasp the meaning behind those


    words.


    The aristocrat gave his subordinate a stern look. Thetter quickly shut his mouth, not daring to say


    more.


    While their vehicle was still heading out, a series of loud explosions abruptly sounded from within the


    castle. Francesca, who jumped in rm, hurriedly turned her head around to look.


    Themotion came from the direction of the banquet hall.


    ¡°My goodness...¡± The subordinate got scared senseless and continued speaking in Erihalean. ¡°Does


    Mr. Adams intend to kill people? Since his scheme to seize the family property failed, he wanted to take


    people''s lives. How brutal.¡±


    ¡°It''s hard to tell...¡± The aristocrat spoke in a low voice. ¡°They received reports stating Mr. Lindberg


    nned to travel to H City in Zarain, possibly to join hands with the Nacht family.¡±


    Once the Lindberg family and the Nacht family coborated, the other three great families would get


    cast aside. The ambitious Frank also regarded this as a fatal threat.


    Danrique narrowed his eyes in a sinister way while ring at Frank coldly.


    Therefore, it was possible for him to strike first.


    Francesca couldn''t understand the conversation and whispered to La, ¡°What are they saying?¡±


    La''s countenance became slightly grave. She hesitated for a moment before tranting it to her in


    Chanaean. After that, she added, ¡°It turns out that Mr. Adams thought Danrique went to H City to join


    forces with the Nacht family to deal with them. That was why he rushed to take action tonight...¡±


    ¡°It was all because of me.¡± Francesca''s mind was in shambles. ¡°Actually, Danrique wanted to bring me


    there to receive treatment. He didn''t n to look for the Nacht family at all.¡±


    ¡°What a twist of events...¡± La felt a wave of guilt wash over her as well.


    ¡°Hey, what are you talking about?¡± The subordinate could not understand Chanaean.


    ¡°It''s nothing-¡±


    ¡°Stop the car.¡±


    Before La could finish her sentence, Francesca yelled in Ustranasion again, ¡°Hurry up and stop the


    car.¡±Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Francesca, what are you doing?¡± La quickly tried to dissuade her. ¡°It wasn''t easy for us to get out.


    You''re only seeking death if you turn back now...¡±


    ¡°He''s in trouble because of me. I mustn''t leave him in the lurch!¡± Francesca was absolutely firm this


    time. ¡°I would regret it for life if anything bad happens to him!¡±


    ¡°However...¡±


    ¡°La, you should leave first. You don''t have to follow me anymore.¡±


    With that said, Francesca immediately opened the car door and jumped out of the vehicle.

 Chapter 1956

    Chapter 1956


    q¡°Francesca, Francesca...¡± La called out, leaning against the window.


    However, Francesca ran away without looking back.


    In the car, the nobleman and his subordinate were dumbfounded.


    Looking at how agile Francesca was, they finally realized that she was not just an ordinary doctor.


    Francesca leaped down from the car and climbed up to a military vehicle in a nimble manner and


    followed it back to the castle.


    Meanwhile, a fierce fight had begun in the castle.


    Frank was well aware of Danrique''s aloof and arrogant temperament, but he did not expect thetter to


    be so hard to deal with.


    Not only that Danrique had fallen out with him on the spot, but he even brought his men to fight against


    those from the military.


    Besides, Danrique had even blown up his banquet hall.


    Frank felt greatly humiliated by that.


    Initially, Frank had warned Danrique by bringing up the matter involving Hazel, trying to pressure him.


    Yet, Danrique had remained unfazed and even brought his fianc¨¦e to the banquet.


    Frank had tried to oppress Danrique with his power in an attempt to assert dominance and make the


    latter give in. However, he had not expected Danrique to fight back.


    Now, everyone who was present at the banquet would know how the vice president had set up a trap to


    repress Danrique on purpose, forcing thetter to retaliate.Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    The consequences would be dire if the news reached the public.


    Frank immediately told his subordinates to keep the guests calm. At the same time, he brought some


    men along to go after Danrique personally.


    Hazel heard about themotion and rushed over to inquire, ¡°Mr. Adams, what''s wrong? How did


    everything turn out like this?¡±


    ¡°Danrique is too arrogant! He didn''t even take me seriously at all. I must teach him a good lesson


    today!¡± Frank eximed furiously.


    ¡°Don''t do this...¡± Hazel persuaded anxiously. ¡°I was the cause of this matter. Let me talk to him.¡±


    Hazel still thought Frank and Danrique had fallen out with each other because of her.


    In fact, Frank had not mentioned anything about her. If Danrique did not care about Hazel, it was


    pointless to take Hazel as the pawn.


    ¡°Get out of my way!¡± Frank paid no heed to Hazel and stormed out with his men.


    ¡°Mr. Adams-¡± Hazel wanted to go forward and stop him, but Gerard grabbed her and said, ¡°Don''t get


    yourself involved. Since the situation has be like this, there''s nothing you can do to turn things


    around.¡±


    ¡°I caused this to happen. How can I just do nothing?¡±


    Hazel struggled, trying to walk out. Gerard could not be bothered to exin further and instructed his


    subordinates to take Hazel away.


    Kevin came forward and asked in trepidation, ¡°I bet it''s not going to be easy to put an end to such a big


    ruckus.¡±


    The consequences would be dire if the news reached the public.


    ¡°I really didn''t expect Danrique to be this stubborn! I was thinking if Mr. Adams'' move could force


    Danrique to back down. I certainly didn''t expect...¡± Gerard was flustered, too.


    ¡°You two have gone too far this round.¡± Harrier scoffed, ¡°No matter who''s the winner, non of you will


    benefit from this. Besides, you''ve made the wrong bet. Frank is no match for Mr. Lindberg!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Gerard was baffled. ¡°Did you get something wrong here? This is the vice president''s turf, and


    there are so many soldiers out there. Frank will definitely take Danrique down. It''s just that he might


    have trouble dealing with the public''sments!¡±


    ¡°Exactly!¡± Kevin concurred as he always did.


    ¡°Just wait and see!¡± After leaving behind those words, Harrier headed out to watch the fight.


    ¡°What did he mean?¡± Gerard asked anxiously.


    ¡°He was just exaggerating the matter to scare everyone. Just ignore him.¡± Kevin was unbothered. ¡°But


    this guy is too much. Isn''t he supposed to take our side?¡±


    ¡°I think he''s a cunning person. He''s trying not to offend either side, and he will side with anyone who


    takes the upper hand,¡± Gerard stated apathetically.


    ¡°Once Mr. Adams is done dealing with Danrique, we will take him down. By that time, there will be one


    less person to split the shares of Lindberg Corporation!¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±

 Chapter 1957

    Chapter 1957


    qThe two hid behind the hall, and at the same time, there was a fierce fight happening outside.


    Frank was fuming with rage. I''ve dispatched so many of them from the military here, yet we can''t even


    fight Danrique and his subordinates.


    First, they blew up the banquet hall, and now they blew up another two military vehicles.


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Everyone was scared out of their wits.


    Oliver hurriedly came over to report that they could no longer keep the guests under control. If they


    were to keep the situation going, what happened that day would soon reach the public.


    Frank had always wanted to arrest Danrique alive, so his subordinates were exceptionally cautious


    when they made their moves.


    However, everything had escted into a big mess. Frank could not care less anymore and instructed


    his men to take Danrique down within half an hour, and it did not matter if they captured him dead or


    alive.


    Oliver was dumbstruck when he heard that. He hastily reminded, ¡°If Danrique really die here, it''d be


    hard for us to exin...¡±


    ¡°Exin? Who should we exin to?¡± Frank responded with a taunting sneer. ¡°The three great families


    have taken my side. All the Lindbergs are gone, and the inexperienced Donald is the only member left.


    That useless loser only knows to kneel and wag his tail pitifully in front of me!¡±


    ¡°This...¡± After giving Frank''s words some thought, Oliver agreed with his saying too. Although the


    Lindberg family was extremely wealthy, the members were not united. Once Danrique was gone,


    Lindberg Corporation would fall apart and into Frank''s hand.


    ¡°It''s such a waste of Danrique''s capabilities,¡± Frankmented. ¡°Even the three great families and


    Donald all together are nothingpared to Danrique. That''s the reason why I''ve tried every way


    possible to take him in. But he isn''t biddable, so he can''t me me for doing this!¡±


    ¡°But Mr. President... Even if the others don''t pursue this matter, he will definitely ask about it,¡± Oliver


    reminded cautiously.


    ¡°He''s merely a silly old bugger who will step down sooner orter. Why would I be afraid of him?¡±


    A cold glint flitted across Frank''s eyes. He seemed ambitious, and he did not take anyone seriously at


    all.


    Oliver wanted to say something, but he held his tongue in the end. He knew he could not persuade


    Frank, so he could only let him be.


    The military advanced their moves and aimed at Danrique. The sound of gunshots went on and on


    outside.


    Frank stood right in front of the banquet hall that had been blown up as he watched the scene coldly.


    A determined look filled his gaze.


    ¡°Go get someone to switch on all the lights. I''m going to witness Danrique die right before me with my


    own eyes!¡±


    Frank was already imagining the scene when he had Danrique under his thumb.


    Oliver immediately rushed to make the instruction.


    Soon, the inside and outside of the castle were illuminated. Even the starry night sky was


    overshadowed as though it was daytime.


    There was a great disparity in terms of the number of people on both sides. Moreover, it was Frank''s


    turf. Hence, Danrique''s men were soon defeated.


    Danrique, Sean, Gordon, Sloan, Mylo, and the others were trapped in the parking lot outside the


    banquet hall.


    ¡°But Mr. President... Even if the others don''t pursue this matter, he will definitely ask about it,¡± Oliver


    reminded cautiously.


    The military men, who were heavily armed, surrounded thempletely. There were even military


    combat vehicles around the encirclement.


    They had tightly surrounded Danrique and his men.


    Under such circumstances, it was almost impossible for Danrique and his men to escape no matter


    how skillful they were.


    ¡°Danrique Lindberg!¡± Frank took a loudspeaker and called out to Danrique in a domineering manner,


    ¡°You broke thews, killed the innocents, and invaded others'' properties in M Nation. The M Nation''s


    business council had reported you to seven departments. As the vice president, I advised you to


    cooperate with us in the investigation. However, you didn''t only speak rudely to me but also blew up my


    banquet hall. It shows that you''re disregarding the rules andws. How brazen! Drop your weapons


    now and cooperate with us. That way, I can still spare your life. If not, I''ll have to take you down on the


    spot.¡±


    Frank''s statement sounded as if he was doing the right thing by eliminating a threat to keep the public


    safe.


    The people who were unaware of the real situation would see Frank as a man with integrity.


    Only Sean and the others were clear about everything. They were seething with anger after they heard


    his words.


    ¡°D*mn it! What a pretentious man!¡± Gordon cursed furiously. ¡°Mr. Lindberg has gone to M Nation to


    expand his business. What did Frank mean by invading others'' properties? They''ve been trying to harm


    us, and we were just defending ourselves.¡±

 Chapter 1958

    Chapter 1958


    q¡°That''s right!¡± Enraged, Sean added, ¡°As the vice president of Erihal, this b*stard didn''t even side with


    his people. Instead, he used us of killing the innocents and breaking thews!¡±


    ¡°He will find all kinds of reasons to use us!¡± Danrique seemed rather calm. ¡°Well, he''s just trying to


    use me of something to justify his action.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, we will keep you covered, and you can escape first.¡± Sloan held the gun, doing his best


    to protect Danrique.


    ¡°Don''t worry. None of us will be left behind!¡± Danrique stated indifferently. He then pushed them away


    and stormed forward.


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    The military officer who took the lead yelled, ¡°Stay right there!¡±


    Danrique did not stop moving but continued to walk forward.


    ¡°We''re going to shoot if youe any closer!¡± the man threatened, holding the gun. The rest of the


    soldiers aimed their guns at Danrique.


    Sean, Gordon, and Sean instantly strode forward to protect him.


    The situation was extremely dire at the moment. Danrique would get shot at any time soon.


    All the elites, guests, and the three great families were all watching the scene. They were so worried


    that they could feel their chest tightening.


    Kevin and Gerard held their breath, not daring to even blink their eyes.


    Harrier narrowed his eyes as he red at Danrique. He then mumbled, ¡°Danrique, don''t let me down. I


    don''t believe that you will get defeated so easily!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Adams, do you really want to kill him?¡± Oliver reminded uneasily, ¡°Please think twice. The


    economy in Erihal is looking grim now. Lindberg Corporation is the one sustaining it, and thepany


    depends on Mr. Lindberg. If he dies, then-¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Frank cut Oliver off and replied coldly, ¡°I refuse to believe that we can''t get another person


    like Danrique in Erihal when our country is full of talents. Even if we can''t find one, we can always train


    one. I can even hire someone from abroad.¡±


    ¡°Ahh...¡± Seeing that Frank had made up his mind, Oliver knew it was pointless for him to continue


    persuading, so he did notment further.


    Right then, Hazel, who had escaped from the back hall, hurried over with bare feet. Tugging at Frank,


    she pleaded, ¡°Mr. Adams, please let Mr. Lindberg go. I''m willing to do anything if you can let him off.¡±


    Furrowing his brows, Frank made a gesture nonchntly.


    His subordinates came forward and pulled Hazel away.


    Hazel was still struggling and begging, ¡°Mr. Adams. Mr. Adams...¡±


    ¡°Silence!¡± Frank looked annoyed. ¡°You stand right here and watch how I end Danrique to make sure


    you won''t have any other thoughts in mind in the future.¡±


    ¡°You...¡±


    Hazel widened her eyes in shock. At that moment, she finally realized marrying her was just an excuse


    made up by Frank. His ultimate and real motive was to take over the Lindberg family''s properties and


    force Danrique to work for him.


    ¡°Mr. Adams, do you really want to kill him?¡± Oliver reminded uneasily, ¡°Please think twice. The


    economy in Erihal is looking grim now. Lindberg Corporation is the one sustaining it, and thepany


    depends on Mr. Lindberg. If he dies, then-¡±


    Since he had failed to persuade Danrique, he decided to go hard on him.


    However, Danrique did not buy Frank''s method and ended up rebelling. Hence, Frank decided to get


    rid of Dantiquepletely.


    ¡°Move!¡± Frank made a gesture.


    The military officer received his instruction and raised his hand, wanting to make hismand.


    ¡°Danrique Lindberg, don''t be this arrogant in your next life!¡±


    Frank curled his lips into a smirk. A determined look filled his eyes.


    Danrique squinted his eyes and looked at the sky.


    Just when the people were about to fire, a military truck sped toward the crowd like an untethered


    horse.


    It moved as fast as lightning.


    Before the people could react, the truck had broken through the encirclement.


    ¡°What''s that?¡± Oliver eximed abruptly.


    Frank took a clearer look, and his brows settled into a frown. ¡°What the hell is that? Drop your guns!¡±


    In the blink of an eye, Francesca had already moved to the top of the truck from her seat.


    She removed the tarp on the truck, revealing a full truck of explosives. She pointed at the explosives


    with the gun in her hand and said indifferently, ¡°All these explosives are enough to blow up the entire


    presidential pce. You can try firing if you don''t believe me!¡±

 Chapter 1959

    Chapter 1959


    qThat arrogant posture, imposing way of talking, and the sense of unruliness in her gaze. Everything


    about that woman was exceptionally familiar.


    ¡°Dr. Felch! It''s Dr. Felch!¡± Sloan was the first to call out. He was so excited that he choked up, and his


    eyes turned red. At that moment, he was staring his goddess and idol with admiration.


    ¡°It''s Ms. Cece...¡±


    Startled, Gordon and Mylo looked at Francesca in disbelief.


    ¡°It''s really her! She came back!¡±


    Sean already knew that Francesca had run away but Danrique did not stop her. He wanted to see if


    she would leave for real.


    When he witnessed how she had pretended to be Kerrie to get into the ambnce and left, he was


    utterly disappointed.


    Just when Danrique thought that was the end of their rtionship, she actually returned, and that was


    certainly not something he had expected.


    Danrique cast his gaze upon Francesca with his brows furrowed. There was aplicated look in his


    eyes.


    This woman is wearing the nurse uniform, and her makeup is all smudged. Her face is dirty, and she


    looks like a mess right now... Besides, she even put on a blonde hair wig. Those who stood further


    away will not be able to tell who she is.


    Only Danrique and his trusted aides could tell at a nce that she was Francesca.


    At the same time, Francesca was not in a mood to greet them, for she was thinking hard of a solution


    to resolve the situation.


    ¡°Hahaha...¡± The military officer burst intoughter. ¡°Are you kidding me? Do you think you can blow up


    the entire presidential pce with these explosives? You''re such a fool!¡±


    Francesca did not say a word. She merely fired a shot toward the sky.


    Bang! An indoor garden somewhere nearby exploded. The shed was blown uppletely, and the


    surroundingnd was wiped out.


    The relentless zes were burning, and thick smoke filled the ce.


    Everyone was startled, and even Frank was dumbfounded.


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    ¡°This... What happened?¡± The military officer stared wide-eyed at the scene.


    ¡°Of course, this truck of explosives aren''t enough to blow up the entire presidential pce.¡±


    Francesca pointed the gun at the military officer and said arrogantly, ¡°I''ve ced bombs at every corner


    of the presidential pce. My subordinates are all waiting. As soon as they receive my instruction, they


    will detonate the bombs.¡±


    As she spoke, she turned to look at Frank, who was standing at the door of the ruined banquet hall,


    and bellowed, ¡°Mr. Adams, let''s make a guess if your spot will be the next to get blown up.¡±


    As those words fell, the guests trapped in the banquet hall were terrified. They grew anxious and said


    to Frank, ¡°Mr. Adams, you can''t disregard our safety.¡±


    ¡°Yes. It''s just a personal grudge between you and Mr. Lindberg. There''s no need to drag us along with


    you.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha...¡± The military officer burst intoughter. ¡°Are you kidding me? Do you think you can blow up


    the entire presidential pce with these explosives? You''re such a fool!¡±


    ¡°I know, right?¡±


    ¡°What personal grudge do you mean?¡± Oliver swiftly exined, ¡°Mr. Lindberg broke thew, and Mr.


    Adams is just carrying out his duty to handle the matter impartially.¡±


    ¡°Stop pretending! We''re not fools,¡± a guest called out in rage. ¡°Anyone can tell what''s going on.


    However, we don''t want to get involved in something that has nothing to do with us. You can fight and


    kill each other as you wish, but please let us leave safely.¡±


    ¡°Right! Let us go first.¡±


    The guests were panicking, and they were all moring. Frank felt his head hurt from the noises.


    He wore a long face as fury surged within him. In fact, it was a banquet with an ulterior motive. Hence,


    all the people he had invited were those who had always sided with him.


    He thought those people would not leak any secrets even if there were any unforeseen circumstances.


    Now, those people were turning their backs on him when the situation had taken a turn for the worse.


    They were certainly trying to have it both ways.


    Meanwhile, Harrier was watching the scene from afar. His lips curled into a cold grin. Frank surely


    couldn''t figure out why his usual supporters would change their stance now.


    The reason was simply. Danrique was too powerful.

 Chapter 1960

    Chapter 1960


    qThey all knew Danrique was not someone easy to deal with. If they could not kill him tonight, they


    would have to bear the consequences if he were to seek revenge in the future.


    As such, they had been watching from the sidelines. As soon as they realized there was a chance for


    Danrique to turn the table, they would immediately change their stance or even side with Danrique.


    More importantly, their lives were threatened. In an instant, all of them fell into a state of panic and


    were at a loss.


    ¡°I''m not that patient to waste my time here with you.¡± Francesca pointed the gun at Frank. She ordered


    arrogantly, ¡°I will count to ten. You''d better tell these b*stards to get out of my way. Otherwise, I''m not


    going to hold back!¡±


    ¡°Nice one, Dr. Felch!¡± Sloan felt the urge to apud Francesca.


    ¡°Ms. Felch is my idol!¡± Mylo was agitated too. Previously, Frank''s men had gone too far to go against


    them. Hence, Mylo was very pleased to see what Francesca was doing to Frank.


    ¡°She''s truly something. I''m starting to admire Ms. Felch.¡± Gordon felt his blood boiling. It was as though


    he felt Francesca was the most impressive woman in the world.


    ¡°A friend in need is a friend indeed...¡± Sean could not helpmenting, for he could understand how


    Danrique felt at that moment.


    Danrique looked up at Francesca without saying a word. He wore a faint smile. There was her


    reflection in his bright eyes.


    ¡°I don''t believe that you actually have the ability to ce bombs in every corner of my ce!¡± Frank


    saw through Francesca''s trick. ¡°I bet you only ced one or two at the most to scare me, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Francesca grinned as she shot toward the sky twice.


    N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    Bang! Bang! The deafening noise rang out, and the warehouses that kept the weaponry and food


    exploded at the same time. Following the loud explosion, the menacing mes lit up the sky in an


    instant.


    Thick plumes of smoke spread all over the ce.


    Within seconds, everyone was shrouded by the smoke.


    All of them were stunned, including the military officer and soldiers. They panicked and stared at


    Francesca in disbelief as they stepped backward subconsciously.


    The guests in the banquet hall were shocked, too. They could no longer hold themselves back and


    rushed toward Frank, tugging at him and asking him to let them go.


    Kevin and Gerard were flustered, too. Not knowing what to do next, both of them blurted out, ¡°We''re


    doomed! We''re doomed for real!¡±


    ¡°I was right! Danrique isn''t someone who is easy to deal with.¡±


    Harrier had always been the mostposed person among all. Narrowing his eyes to slits, he shot a


    cold re at Francesca as hemented, ¡°I finally know why Danrique is willing to do anything to marry


    that woman who looks rather in!¡±


    ¡°I don''t believe that you actually have the ability to ce bombs in every corner of my ce!¡± Frank


    saw through Francesca''s trick. ¡°I bet you only ced one or two at the most to scare me, right?¡±


    He kept the remaining thought to himself, but deep down, he was well aware that Francesca had more


    than just these skills to offer.


    She is young andes from an ordinary background. Also, she is so used to encountering all kinds of


    situations. Hence, she''s able to stayposed no matter who or what she''s facing. And now, she


    could even appear out of nowhere at a critical moment like this to save Danrique from danger. Any


    socialites from rich families can''tpare to a woman like her! In truth, even if all the socialites were to


    come together, they''re nothingpared to her, let alone Hazel. No wonder Danrique, who has always


    been prideful, will be so fond of her! He has found a treasure, indeed!


    William, who had remained unmoving in a corner, lowered his gaze. A bitter smile crept over his face.


    He had witnessed everything and seen how strong and invincible Danrique was. Besides, he had seen


    how caring and faithful Francesca was.


    Suddenly, he was really jealous of Danriquehe. He has power, ability, and Francesca.


    It was chaos in the banquet hall. Frank still refused to give in. Since the situation had escted to that


    state, he would be doomed if he were to let Danrique go.

 Chapter 1961

    Chapter 1961


    qFeeling annoyed, Frank freed himself from those guests'' grasp. He grabbed the gun and rushed


    toward Danrique, wanting to kill him.


    Right then, a helicopter flew by from a distance away. It was silver in color with a symbol of a gold


    snake. The people on board were the designated army for the president.


    Oliver immediately pulled Frank and said nervously, ¡°The president here. We can''t act recklessly.¡±


    Frank shifted his gaze to the helicopter in the sky and then to Danrique.


    Meanwhile, Danrique was staring at him with a gaze that was full of mockery. He uttered coldly, ¡°You


    have lost!¡±


    Frank stopped in his tracks. At that moment, he finally realized that the banquet tonight was not a trap


    he had set up for Danrique but the other way round.


    Danrique had deliberately caused a huge ruckus with the intention to trigger Frank. With that, he could


    gather the evidence of the crimes Frank hadmitted and end himpletely at once.


    ¡°This is such an impressive scheme!¡±


    As William watched the scene with his eyes narrowed, it finally hit him that he had underestimated


    Danrique.


    He always thought Danrique was merely skillful but arrogant and less experienced in the power y.


    Now, he finally knew that Danrique could easily keep everything within his control and turn things in his


    favor. No one coulde close to Danrique''s confidence and arrogance.


    ¡°He''s amazing!¡± Harrier was all excited. He felt a sense of fear he had not had in the past when he


    looked at Danrique again.


    Back then, when Harrier had gone against Danrique, Isabe''s aides had helped thetter resolve the


    matter. Thus, Harrier and Danrique had not had the chance to fight each other head-on.


    All these years, Harrier had only seen Danrique''s skills in the business field and fighting but not his


    ability in the power y. Finally, he got to witness it.


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    Impressive. He knows how to ce his cards right!


    Other than his fianc¨¦e''s appearance which was out of his expectation, every single thing was going


    ording to Danrique''s n.


    Frank, the vice president who was ambitious and an expert in the power y, was defeated by


    Danrique as soon as he made his move, and there was no room for Frank to even fight back.


    Be it now or in the future, Frank could never turn things around.


    ¡°Harrier, have you figured out the situation? What exactly is going on now?¡± Gerard asked anxiously.


    ¡°Why would the president''s army rush here at this time? Could it be...¡±


    As soon as he said that, Gerard widened his eyes. ¡°Could it be that Danrique had already made an


    agreement with Mr. President to trigger Frank and take him down without him realizing?¡±


    ¡°You finally catch on to the situation.¡± Harrier sneered. ¡°That''s why I keep telling you not to fight against


    Mr. Lindberg because you wouldn''t even know when yourst breath will be.¡±


    Upon hearing that, Gerard felt his legs weaken, and he almost slumped to the ground.


    Kevin hastily held him up and said, ¡°Quick! Think of a solution! If not both our families will be doomed.¡±


    ¡°How do you expect me to think of a solution? I''ve given my all this round. I-I...¡± Gerard was on the


    verge of tears. ¡°Oh no, what should we do?¡±


    ¡°There''s still a trump card.¡± Kevin cast his gaze upon Hazel.


    Right then, Hazel stood rooted to the spot and stared nkly at the sky. As though everything had


    finally clicked into ce in her mind, she recalled what Danrique had said to her.


    He told her that if she was fond of Frank, he would not stop her from marrying him. However, there was


    no need for that marriage if she only did it for the sake of her family''s benefit.


    Hazel finally understood that Danrique had long seen through everything.


    He was strong and capable enough to fight against any forces. He did not have to sacrifice the person


    he loved for the sake of his family, and he did it.


    Unfortunately, she did not get to understand that earlier.


    ¡°Oh, right! Your daughter can still save you.¡± Harrier let out a taunting chuckle. ¡°Considering that Hazel


    still tried to beg Frank to let Mr. Lindberg off even at the most critical moment, Mr. Lindberg will


    definitely return the favor!¡±


    Gerard heaved a sigh of relief as soon as he heard that remark. Thank God! There''s still a way out...

 Chapter 1962

    Chapter 1962


    qSoon, Frank was subdued.


    Aside from the helicopter hovering in mid-air, the president had also arranged for other troops to be


    stationed outside the castle.


    Once he had given his order, the soldiers stormed the castle to subdue Frank''s men.


    Instantly, the guests testified for Danrique. They said that Frank framed Danrique and tried to silence


    him when the former failed to seize the Lindberg family''s assets.


    In conclusion, the president, who never liked Frank in the first ce, seized the opportunity to take the


    latter down.


    Meanwhile, Danrique ced his arm around Francesca and led her and his trusted subordinates out.


    Then, he drove his car out of the presidential pce.


    ¡°Did I do all of that for nothing again?¡± Francesca muttered as she looked out of the car window. Both


    sides of the road were lined with soldiers with their backs straight. The soldiers were saluting the


    Lindberg family''s convoy.


    Francesca was a bit frustrated. She recalled how she had saved Danrique twice in M Nation, but she


    eventually discovered that her husband was already well-prepared to fight the situation.


    Things were still the same this time.


    She gave up her chance at escaping and risked her life to save Danrique. After doing so much for him,


    she even thought she would be a real heroine finally.


    In the end, Francesca found out that Danrique was capable of saving himself, even if she did note


    back for him!


    In fact, everything was part of his n, except for her!


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg kept us in the dark this time.¡± Gordon felt wronged. ¡°I wasn''t even aware of his n.¡±


    ¡°Same here. I wasn''t aware of it, either.¡± Sean sighed. ¡°I was so worried and didn''t have a good night''s


    sleep.¡±


    ¡°Me too,¡± Sloan and Mylo uttered in unison.


    ¡°I''ll meet the president alone,¡± Danrique said ndly, ¡°Frank is very observant and will notice that


    something''s amiss if you give yourselves away.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    ¡°All right.¡± The subordinates dared not object to Danrique''s decision.


    However, Francesca had something to say about that. ¡°I should have known not toe back for you!


    Hmph, it wasn''t easy for me to escape!¡±


    ¡°Still thinking of escaping?¡± Danrique pinched her petite face and inched forward dominantly. ¡°Where


    do you want to run to? Huh?¡±


    ¡°I...¡± Francesca was about to answer when Danrique kissed her on her lips.


    The rest of the men looked away immediately and refused to watch them.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Francesca was rather embarrassed and blushed.


    ¡°Did you really hide a bomb in every corner of the presidential pce?¡± Danrique asked as he cupped


    her face, ¡°You can''t be that fast.¡±


    ¡°There are only three of them, and they have all exploded.¡± Francesca raised her eyebrows smugly.


    ¡°Hahaha, I see.¡± Everybody elseughed when they heard her response.


    ¡°Looks like Frank was right. You used the three bombs to cause chaos and make those guests


    pressure Frank...¡± Sean was in awe. ¡°What a power move!¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Gordon asked excitedly, ¡°Ms. Felch, how did you nt those bombs? And who did you get to


    detonate them?¡±


    ¡°Could it be that medical staff member?¡± Sean was curious, too.


    ¡°Of course not. Lay...¡± Francesca nearly mentioned that La had already left the presidential pce,


    but she bit her tongue at thest minute.


    She exined, ¡°nting the bombs isn''t hard. I came back with a military vehicle, but I didn''t expect it


    to head inside the armory. Soon, I nted the bombs in the indoor garden and the granary. Moreover, I


    only needed to install a detonator inside the armory. Besides, there were a lot of hunting dogs in the


    castle. I summoned them to trigger the detonator...¡±


    ¡°So, your assistants were those hunting dogs?¡± Sloan was all excited. ¡°You''re amazing, Dr. Felch!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I look up to you,¡± Mylo said earnestly, ¡°You''re my goddess! My idol!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, you''re my idol, too...¡±


    The group of subordinates expressed their admiration and respect for Francesca. Mylo, in particr,


    kept buttering her up.


    The men had never behaved that way toward Danrique before.

 Chapter 1963

    Chapter 1963


    qNevertheless, Danrique was not angry. He merely regarded Francesca with a smile, and his gaze was


    filled with pride.


    Although he did not say it out loud, he felt really pleased. See, that''s my woman!


    The constant ttery started to make Francesca feel cocky. Snuggling in Danrique''s arms, she giggled


    non-stop and forgot about her n to escape.


    When the car returned to the Lindberg residence, she was struck by a sudden realization. Oh no, I''m


    back in this cage! It would be impossible to escape now!


    Beep! Beep!


    Suddenly, Danrique''s phone buzzed. He nced at his phone''s screen and answered the call. ¡°Hi!¡±


    The person on the other end of the line said something, and a crease appeared between Danrique''s


    eyebrows. After a moment''s silence, he muttered coldly, ¡°Mr. President, I''m going to H City to settle


    some personal matters. The members of the Nacht family and the Lindberg family are sworn enemies,


    so how could both families form an alliance?¡±


    The president was different from Frank. He was amiable and spoke in a calm tone. Moreover, he kept


    persuading Danrique.


    As a result, it was impossible for Danrique to be angry at the president. Still, he refused topromise.


    ¡°I''ll head there for sure. If anything else arises, we''ll talk about it again once I''m back!¡±


    The president did not give up. ¡°Danrique, the issue has be the talk of the town. Frank is a force to


    be reckoned with. Although we have dirt on him, it''ll be very difficult for me to take him down on my own


    if you don''t attend the trial. This is a crucial moment, and you mustn''t be absent. Can''t you hold off your


    personal matters for two more days? If you really must attend to them, you can assign someone to do it


    for you. I can also send someone over to help you. Plus, I can even seek help from Zarain. As long as


    you stay, the other matters can be settled easily...¡±


    Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    The president''s words sounded like a plea, and Danrique found it hard to reject him.


    He frowned and felt troubled.


    ¡°Take care of the important matters,¡± Francesca said.


    She might not understand Erihalean, but she was aware of what was going on.


    Right now, Frank''s trial was an urgent issue. The only person who could make Danrique answer the


    phone and feel troubled was the president.


    ¡°Just let me spend a few days alone, and don''t be so clingy. I''ll return to H City myself. Perhaps, I might


    even locate that famous doctor.¡± Francesca eyed Danrique, as if she did not want him to bother her.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, I can apany Ms. Felch on her return. Don''t worry. We''ll take good care of her!¡±


    Gordon said hastily.


    ¡°That is, we''ll head back first, and you cane over once you''ve settled your business,¡± Francesca


    added, ¡°Don''t dy it because of me. Otherwise, I would be the one to me.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Danrique finally gave in and promised the president that he would attend the trial. He told


    Francesca, ¡°I''lle over after I send Francesca off at the airport tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Great, I''ll wait for you.¡± The president was overjoyed. ¡°Please send my regards to Ms. Cece and


    express my gratitude!¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Once the call had ended, Danrique pinched Francesca''s chin and warned her sternly, ¡°We''ll get you


    treated, and don''t ever think of running away again. Got it?¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± Francesca replied. As soon as she answered him, she was stunned by her own reaction. She


    did not expect herself to be so decisive.


    Do I really want to stay? But if I don''t leave, I''ll have to marry him.


    As she thought of that, Francesca felt mncholic, and her head started to hurt again.


    Back at the castle, Danrique carried Francesca back to her room and reminded Norah to look after her.


    Then, he went to his study room.


    He still had some unfinished business to sort out. Apart from Frank, he also had to deal with the other


    three families.


    Norah instructed a maid to run a bath for Francesca and help thetter to bathe and change her


    clothes. After having dinner in her room, Francescay on the bed and fell into a deep sleep.


    She was too exhausted and wanted to sleep when La phoned up. ¡°Francesca, how are you?¡±


    ¡°I''m fine. Where are you, La?¡± Francesca woke up.

 Chapter 1964

    Chapter 1964


    q¡°I''m still in Xendale. Good to know you''re okay. I was worried sick.¡± La heaved a sigh of relief and


    said, ¡°I saw a major explosion at the presidential pce, andter, some new military vehicles entered


    the area. There were even helicopters, and it looked like a war was going on. It was so scary.¡±


    ¡°It''s all settled now,¡± Francesca whispered, ¡°Apparently, Danrique was already well-prepared.¡±


    ¡°He''s even calmer than I imagined.¡± La sighed. ¡°When I saw the helicopters, I knew everything was


    within his control. Even if you don''t go back for him, he''ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Right...¡± Francesca smiled bitterly. ¡°I risk my life all the time, but I always end up doing that for


    nothing!¡±


    ¡°Well, you can''t put it that way.¡± La chuckled. ¡°At least, you know what you want...¡±


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    ¡°What I want?¡± Francesca was taken aback.


    ¡°You''ve fallen in love with him. Don''t you know that?¡± La sighed. ¡°Francesca, you can''t ignore my


    prior advice to you. Do whatever you want. I just want you to be happy!¡±


    Francesca was touched by La''s words.


    ¡°Francesca, you should head back to H City as soon as possible and look for your master to perform


    surgery on you. We can talk about other thingster. You can''t put this matter off anymore, do you


    understand?¡± La advised solemnly.


    ¡°Understood.¡± Francesca nodded. ¡°Right, there''s also Anthony. I''ll look for Gordon at once and make


    them release Anthony. Where should Anthony look for you?¡±


    ¡°Bliss Hotel!¡±


    ¡°Noted.¡±


    After ending the call, Francesca looked for Gordon and told him to release Anthony.


    Gordon did not even ask any questions. He merely ordered someone to take care of the matter.


    On the contrary, Francesca was curious. ¡°You didn''t even hesitate over this. Aren''t you worried that


    Danrique would berate you?¡±


    ¡°Before Mr. Lindberg went out, he had already told us to follow your orders,¡± Gordon answered with a


    grin, ¡°That includes releasing your ex-boyfriend!¡±


    ¡°Pfft!¡± Francesca was not sure if she shouldugh or cry at that remark. ¡°Fine, release him immediately


    and send him to...¡±


    ¡°Bliss Hotel. I know,¡± Gordon interrupted.


    ¡°How did you know?¡± Francesca was puzzled. Are they also aware of La''s hiding ce?


    ¡°Hehe...¡± Gordon chuckled sheepishly and lowered his head. ¡°I''ll send him there personally. Don''t


    worry.¡±


    Following that, he hurried away.


    Francesca watched as Gordon left. Conflicting emotions welled up inside her. It seemed like Danrique


    had already known that La was her aplice. Does this mean he''s also aware of Anthony''s


    identity? Has he discovered the truth about Lovely Care Foundation and the orphanage as well?


    An anxious Francesca returned to her room while various thoughts raced across her mind.


    She had to admit that she had a slight change of heart.


    Initially, Francesca had firmly believed that she would never get married in this lifetime and never be


    tied down by someone else. She wanted to devote her life to fulfilling her personal missions.


    Yet, she suddenly realized that she was reluctant to leave Danrique.


    Francesca was used to his closeness and seeing him every morning.


    When he was in danger, she would panic and feel anxious. Furthermore, she would risk her life to save


    him.


    La''s words made her reconsider her rtionship with Danrique.


    I think I''ve fallen in love with him for real...


    As these thoughts crowded her mind, Francescay on the bed and drifted into sleep.


    While she was sleeping, she sensed someone kissing her.


    The tender kissnded on her forehead and spread across her eyes, cheeks, lips, and neck. The


    kisses traveled down her body, and they felt warm.


    Francesca knew from the familiar scent that Danrique was back.


    He had seemed to consume some liquor that night. The strong smell of liquor drifted in the air as he


    breathed, carrying with it the mes of passion as if he was trying to ignite her.

 Chapter 1965

    Chapter 1965


    qFrancesca opened her heavy eyelids and saw Danrique.


    He was kissing her and unbuttoning his shirt. His enamored expression seemed charming yet terrifying.


    Francesca pushed his shoulders away nervously. She was about to speak when he slid a hand under


    her dress.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Francesca shrieked, and her eyes went wide. Her entire body stiffened, and she tried pushing him


    away frantically. However, a series of warm, passionate kisses began to rain on her.


    She was caught off guard!


    At first, Francesca wanted to resist Danrique''s advances, but her body slumped under his weight like a


    puddle of water. There was simply no chance of fighting back.


    N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    The mes of passion burnt like wild fire...


    Beads of sweat had formed on Danrique''s forehead, and the dropletsnded on Francesca''s body.


    Francesca shut her eyes nervously and bit her lip, refusing to look at him.


    Danrique was about to take things further when a car''s rm went off outside. Next, all of the cars''


    rms rang as if something had triggered them. The noise was deafening.


    Francesca snapped out of her daze and shoved Danrique away frantically.


    The unexpectedmotion had spoiled Danrique''s mood. He put on his pants and went to the window


    to have a look. Instantly, his expression sank.


    He picked up his shirt and wore it as he walked outside.


    When he opened the door, one of his subordinates came forward to report, ¡°Mr. Lindberg, it''s Anthony!¡±


    ¡°Where is he?¡± Danrique asked firmly.


    ¡°We''ve captured him,¡± the subordinate replied with a lowered head.


    ¡°Bring him in.¡± Danrique headed downstairs.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    When Francesca overheard the conversation, she quickly got dressed and headed outside.


    Anthony got beaten up again. He curled up like a helpless little rabbit and looked extremely pitiful.


    Danrique''s blood boiled at the sight of Anthony, and he was about to kick him when a panicky


    Francesca cried, ¡°Stop it!¡±


    Although Danrique was furious, he withheld his force and kicked Anthony to the ground.


    Francesca ran forward and helped Anthony up anxiously. She was rmed when she saw the blood on


    his face. ¡°Anthony, why are you...¡±


    She turned around and asked, ¡°Who hit you?¡±


    Mylo walked forward meekly. ¡°I''m sorry, Dr. Felch. It was me!¡±


    ¡°Why did you hit him?¡± Francesca red at Mylo angrily and turned to regard Gordon. ¡°Didn''t you say


    that you would send him to Bliss Hotel personally?¡±


    ¡°It was like this, Ms. Felch,¡± Gordon exined hastily, ¡°Two hours ago, I said I would take him away, but


    he refused toe with me. He told me his injuries were serious, and he would die along the way.


    Thus, he needed to see a doctor. I got a doctor to examine him and bring him inside the car, but he


    used the opportunity to escape. He hit the cars to create a disturbance...¡±


    ¡°Anthony,¡± Francesca asked him with a frown, ¡°why didn''t you leave? What are you trying to do?¡±


    ¡°I''m not leaving you behind!¡± Anthony grabbed Francesca''s hand tightly. His gaze was steady and


    unwavering, even though he had been beaten up.


    Anthony was touched by his own righteous and loyal expression.


    It was as if Francesca was a captive, and he had rather die with her than leave her behind.


    Francesca was at a total loss for words.


    ¡°Have you got a death wish?¡± Danrique stared at Anthony''s hand and bellowed, ¡°I''ll grant you your


    wish!¡±


    ¡°Danrique...¡±


    ¡°Gordon!¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Cut off that bast*rd''s hand!¡± Danrique pointed at the hand used to hold Francesca''s hand.


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Anthony went pale, but he stood in front of Francesca and cried, ¡°Cut off my hand if you want to, but


    don''t touch her...¡±


    ¡°Youe here!¡± Gordon dragged Anthony over and shoved him to the ground.


    A few subordinates stepped on Anthony''s limbs to prevent him from moving. Gordon raised his de


    and was about to lower it when Francesca roared, ¡°Stop it! Back down at once!¡±

 Chapter 1966

    Chapter 1966


    qNobody else dared to make a move. The subordinates turned their attention to Danrique.


    Danrique''s brows were locked in a tight frown. He was about to speak when Francesca red at him


    furiously. ¡°What? My words don''t count, do they?¡±


    Danrique was fuming with rage, but he clenched his teeth and nodded. ¡°They do!¡±


    ¡°Release him!¡± Francesca yelled.


    Gordon and the others retreated.


    Anthonyy on the ground like an overturned tortoise and stared at Francesca nkly.


    What happened? Why has Francesca seemed to be the master of this ce?


    ¡°Get the medical kit,¡± Francesca instructed Kerrie.


    Kerrie looked at Danrique timidly.


    Danrique did not answer. Sean made a gesture with his hand and Kerrie said hastily, ¡°Yes.¡± Then, she


    hurried to grab the medical kit.


    Francesca tended to Anthony''s wounds in Danrique''s presence.


    Her movements seemed rather intimate.


    The mes of wrath were about to ooze from Danrique as he stared at Anthony intently.


    Anthony nced at him meekly and looked away once more. He was shuddering in fear.


    Sweat trickled down his forehead continuously and blended with his blood.


    ¡°Why are you sweating so much?¡± Francesca wiped his sweat with a wet towel.


    Danrique tightened his grip around his cup. Smash! It was then crushed into pieces.


    Anthony was so frightened by the sound that he nearly passed out.


    Francesca frowned and red at Danrique. ¡°Go back to your room.¡±


    Danrique cocked his head and stared at her in disbelief. How dare she boss me around?


    ¡°I told you to go back to your room.¡± Francesca gave him a kick. ¡°I''lle over in a while.¡±


    Her tone had softened when she uttered thest sentence.


    Despite Danrique''s displeasure, he still did as he was told.


    Before he left, he gave onest bone-chilling stare at Anthony, causing thetter to shiver in fright.


    After tending to Anthony''s wounds, Francesca whispered, ¡°All right, I''ll assign someone to take you to


    Bliss Hotel so that you can meet La. Be good, and don''t cause a ruckus again.¡±


    ¡°Aren''t youing with me, Francesca?¡± Anthony held her hand, fearing that he would never see her


    again.


    ¡°I...¡± Francesca pondered over it and answered firmly, ¡°I''m not leaving. Don''t you worry about me.¡±


    ¡°As for the medical treatment...¡±


    ¡°We''ll fly to H City tomorrow to take care of it,¡± Francesca interrupted him and said enigmatically,


    ¡°Focus on your work, and don''t worry about anything else.¡±


    What I really mean is that you take care of matters at the orphanage, and stop interfering with my


    business.


    ¡°Does this mean you want to be with him?¡± Anthony scanned his surroundings weakly when he uttered


    that.


    Numerous pairs of eyes were on himmunicating a nonverbal cue... If you dare to coax thedy of


    our house into leaving, we''ll skin you alive.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Francesca nodded and spoke with a grin. ¡°I''m thedy of the house now. Didn''t you realize


    this? They obey me.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    ¡°Looks like it...¡±


    Anthony did realize it. Aside from the subordinates, even the terrifying Danrique listened to her.


    It looked like Francesca had scaled the ranks.


    From the looks of it, she would not be taken advantage of, no matter where she went. After all, she had


    managed to tame Danrique!


    ¡°Go, then.¡± Francesca patted his shoulder and reminded Gordon, ¡°Make sure he reaches the hotel


    safely. If anything happens to him, I''ll hold you responsible.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ms. Felch,¡± Gordon replied with his head lowered. He respected Francesca just as much as he


    respected Danrique.


    ¡°You''ve got to protect yourself. If you''re bullied, or if you break up with him, do tell me about it...¡±


    Anthony spoke.


    ¡°Nobody dares to bully Ms. Felch. Let''s go.¡± Gordon grabbed Anthony and pushed him into the car. He


    feared Anthony would say something to anger Danrique.


    Once Anthony was in the car, he put his head out of the window and cried, ¡°Francesca, don''t forget to


    get the surgery done as soon as possible. Once it''s over, let me know...¡±


    ¡°You talk too much!¡± Gordon rolled his eyes. ¡°No wonder you always get beaten up!¡±

 Chapter 1967

    Chapter 1967


    qFrancesca stood at the doorway and watched as Gordon''s car cruised away.


    At least, with Anthony gone, a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.


    Norah had prepared supper, and she asked Francesca whether she would like to have it in her room or


    the dining room. Francesca felt difort in her stomach, so she thanked Norah before heading


    upstairs.


    As soon as she entered her room and closed the door, a pair of strong arms wrapped around her from


    behind her back.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Francesca was startled. She was about to look back when Danrique kissed her from behind. He


    even pinned her against the wall to prevent her from resisting his advances.


    ¡°Mmm... Mmm...¡± Francesca could not move a muscle, so she let herself be ravaged by Danrique''s


    kisses.


    Like a dominant beast that would stop at nothing to capture its prey, he wanted to devour her that night.


    Francesca struggled for a while before she stopped moving. She snuggled limply in Danrique''s arms


    and allowed him to do whatever he wanted with her.


    Danrique imitated the moves he learned from adult films and lifted her dress. He was about to advance


    when he discovered something and stopped moving.


    ¡°What... What''s this?¡± Danrique put Francesca down quickly and turned her over. ¡°Are you hurt?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Francesca stared at him nkly.


    ¡°Why is there blood on your butt?¡±


    Danrique raised his hands. When he ran his hands over her earlier, he ended up touching blood.


    ¡°Uh...¡± Francesca blushed violently and ran to the bathroom.


    ¡°Cece, are you okay?¡± Danrique rushed forward to ask her, ¡°Should I get a doctor?¡±


    ¡°No need!¡±


    Francesca wished the earth would open up and swallow her. A moment ago, she had already felt


    unwell, and she wanted to examine herself when she entered her room. However, as soon as she had


    shut the door, Danrique hugged and smooched her.


    He''s so clueless! He thinks I''m hurt.


    In fact, Francesca was on her period.


    ¡°Cece, Cece...¡± Danrique was panic-stricken. ¡°Are you all right?¡±


    Bleeding from the butt is a major issue. Did she get shot when she saved me? Or is she injured?


    Whatever it is, she must see a doctor.


    Francesca was annoyed by Danrique''s constant cries of concern. There was no sanitary pad inside the


    bathroom, so she had to open the door.


    ¡°How are you?¡± Danrique pulled her closer to examine her. ¡°Have you been shot?¡±


    ¡°Of course not!¡± Francesca was amused by his reaction. ¡°It''s just that time of the month...¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Danrique had never interacted with women since his teenage years, so he did not understand women


    at all.


    Nheless, he still had somemon sense. He regained hisposure after noticing Francesca''s


    look of embarrassment. ¡°Oh, I get it.¡±


    ¡°Get Mdm. Norah over,¡± Francesca cried, ¡°Quickly!¡±


    Danrique ordered a maid to summon Norah.


    Norah brought two maids over, for she assumed they were required to make the bed. As they walked,


    she whispered, ¡°That was fast, but it''s no surprise as it''s Mr. Lindberg''s first time. He''s inexperienced,


    after all. Don''t make any remarks about him, you hear me?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± the two maids replied cautiously.


    The three women entered the bedroom and were about to make the bed when they realized how clean


    and tidy it was.


    ¡°She''s in the bathroom,¡± Danrique muttered before heading out.


    Norah was shocked. ¡°Oh, dear. Did Mr. Lindberg hurt Ms. Cece because he was too inexperienced and


    rough?¡±


    She rushed into the bathroom and found Francesca sitting on the toilet bowl and staring into space.


    When she saw Norah, Francesca said, ¡°Mdm. Norah, I''m on my period. Please get some sanitary pads


    for me!¡±


    ¡°Uh...¡± Norah and the two maids were stunned.


    ¡°Quick, quick! Get them ready!¡± Soon, Norah snapped back to her senses and urged the maids to get


    the items ready. ¡°Also, tell the cooks to prepare something nourishing.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    After that, the maids hurried outside.


    N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    ¡°Ms. Cece, I''ll run a bath for you. Take a hot bath, and the items will be ready once you''re done,¡± Norah


    said.


    ¡°Thank you, Mdm. Norah.¡±


    After running the bath, Norah exited the bathroom and shook her head disappointedly. ¡°Poor Mr.


    Lindberg. He hasn''t even lost his virginity yet...¡±

 Chapter 1968

    Chapter 1968


    qFrancesca took another shower before she slipped herself into a set of clean andfortable


    sleepwear. After she drank the warm soup Norah had prepared for her, she went on to nestle herself


    snuggly into the bed, ready to turn in for the night. That was when the door crept open.


    Good grief. Here hees again!


    ¡°Don''t you already know that I''m on the rag?¡±


    Sitting up swiftly, Francesca aimed a pillow at him.


    The projectile was snatched out of the air. cing it underneath his own head, Danrique thenid


    himself down next to her in the same fluid sequence. Following that, he reached out to reel her petite


    frame into his arms so that he may cradle her like a kitten.


    ¡°Leave me alone!¡±


    Francesca struggled in exasperation as she feared he would be unable to keep his own primal urges in


    check.


    ¡°I just want to cuddle, that''s all,¡± whispered Danrique into her ears as he yfully pinched her behind


    with his huge mitt. ¡°But no guarantees if you are going to keep up with your squirming like this.¡±


    Upon hearing that, Francesca settled herself down and docilely submitted herself to his embracing.


    ¡°Does your abdomen hurt?¡±


    Reaching his warm hand inside of her clothes, he gently massaged her belly in a way that felt oddly


    soothing for her.


    ¡°Not anymore.¡±


    Francesca raised her dainty head to regard him. His well-defined features appeared especially


    charming when illuminated by the mellow light cast against the duskiness of the room. Those amber


    eyes of his sparkled gloriously even in the darkness.


    A rising impulse to kiss him caused her to purse her lips.


    ¡°Francesca Felch!¡± Oblivious to her sentiments, he continued to hail her softly under his breath. ¡°It''s a


    lovely name, but I still prefer to call you Cece!¡±


    ¡°How did I used to address you?¡±


    Though unable to recall some of the subtleties from their past, she could still remember that they had


    indeed shared a delightful first love together.


    Those fragments came back to her quite often, sans some of the details which had eluded her.


    ¡°You were so rude back then!¡± scoffed Danrique, rolling his eyes. ¡°Calling me ''hey you'' whenever you


    saw me.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha. Yeah. That does seem like something I''d say,¡± said Francesca with augh. ¡°In that case,


    why did you call me Cece then?¡±


    ¡°Cause that''s what you said your name was when I asked!¡± replied Danrique, nudging her on the nose.


    ¡°That doesn''t...¡± Francesca narrowed her eyes in concentration. ¡°Cece does sound familiar, but I don''t


    think that''s my name.¡±


    ¡°Enough of that.¡±


    Unbothered by such trivialities, Danrique leaned in to suck on her tender lips.


    ¡°Mmph...¡±


    Eyes widening in astonishment, Francesca resisted with both hands on his shoulders, petrified by the


    thought of what else he might do.


    Danrique''s kiss only grew in intensity while his scintiting presence and fiery passion threatened to


    dissolve her.


    In her anxiety, tension mounted throughout Francesca''s body, prompting her to pound hard upon his


    back with both fists.


    His body, however, was tough as steel and impervious to the resistance she was putting up.


    He finally relinquished his hold on her a whileter with a final peck on the chin. ¡°Rx. We''re just


    going to kiss, and nothing else...¡±


    ¡°But...¡± Sob.


    Unable to resist his ardor, the strength all over her body had already deserted Francesca. She could


    only endure it silently with her eyes shut.


    As those two hearts mirrored the purity of one another, the night was as pristine as water. Outside,


    florets of snow drifted down into the castle until the entire ce was transformed into a picturesque


    whiteness.


    Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    Having been tormented for an undetermined amount of time, Francesca was being pushed to the brink


    until Danrique reluctantly let go of her. Then, he shot onto his feet and dashed into the bathroom.


    Hugging the pillow in bewilderment, Francesca stared at the bathroom door. She had no idea what was


    going through his mind.


    A whileter, Danrique came back out exuding a chilliness, with beads of wetness about him not


    completed toweled dry.


    ¡°Did you just go in for a bath? Heavens. Was that a cold shower you took?¡±


    Francesca could sense that he was frigid as an ice cube and got so upset with him that she pounded


    on his chest. ¡°Aren''t you worried about catching a chill?¡±


    ¡°I''d have you to me for that!¡± Danrique then pulled her in and buried her head into his own chest.


    ¡°Let''s sleep!¡±


    ¡°You''re so annoying!¡±

 Chapter 1969

    Chapter 1969


    qUnsure if it was because she had Danrique''s arms around her, Francesca felt exceptionally secure


    and thus slept very well that night.


    Undisturbed by dreams, she rested all the way till she roused on her own at dawn.


    Feelingpletely invigorated, Francesca habitually stretched her back and let out a yawn. Then, she


    flipped her body around like an indolent little feline.


    That was when she discovered the absence of the person next to her.


    When she opened her eyes, she realized that he was really gone, and as far as she could tell, the


    water in the bathroom was not running either.


    ¡°Danrique! Danrique Lindberg!¡± Francesca called. ¡°Are you here, you rogue?¡±


    That yielded no reply.


    Okay. I suppose he must have gotten out of bed early.


    She could sense that he had not managed to sleep well the night before. Although he hardly moved,


    his body felt stiff and tensed against hers, as though he was unable to rx.


    Conversely, she had slept quite soundly herself; it was as though his presence had a hypnotic effect on


    her.


    In a jolly fine mood, Francesca hopped out of bed to freshen up. At that moment, someone came


    knocking at her door. Norah''s voice emanated from the other side. ¡°May Ie in, Ms. Cece?¡±


    ¡°Please enter!¡±


    In the midst of brushing her teeth, Francesca''s mouth was bubbling with froth.


    Enter Norah at the lead of two maids to tidy the room and also to bring Francesca some ginger tea to


    warm her belly with.


    ¡°Pleasee downstairs after you have finished your drink, Ms. Cece. Mr. Lindberg is waiting to have


    breakfast together with you.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Getting her own attire in order, Francesca then went along with Norah.


    Seated prim and proper inside the dining room, Danrique was helping himself to some breakfast. On


    the table was a generous spread of offerings in the Chanaean style, all of them Francesca''s favorites.


    ¡°Good morning!¡±


    With a pep in her step, Francesca bounded into the dining room and sat down to eat, almost childlike in


    her exuberance.


    ¡°Morning!¡± Danrique regarded her smilingly and with affection in his eyes. ¡°There''s no rush. It''s not a


    contest.¡±


    ¡°This is so good. That one too...¡± Francesca stuffed her mouth and spoke while she ate. ¡°Come to think


    of it; I think I haven''t had anything to eatst night.¡±


    ¡°Haha...¡± Danrique could not stifle augh. ¡°That must have been hard on you!¡±


    Rolling her eyes at him, Francesca resumed with her feasting.


    Elegantly sipping away at his tea, Danrique looked rather pleased while he watched her eat, as though


    it was enjoyable for him to do so.


    ¡°Ms. Atkinson has requested an audience, Mr. Lindberg!¡± at that moment, a subordinate approached to


    report.


    ¡°Tell her that I''m busy right now.¡± Danrique took a nce at his watch. ¡°Have here back in the


    evening instead.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Off the subordinate went to ry his message.


    N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    Come back in the evening...


    Those words jutted against Francesca''s throat like fish bones, and she found them hard to swallow.


    Having lost her appetite, she ced down her utensils, wiped clean the corner of her lips, and red at


    Danrique.


    ¡°Huh? Are you done already?¡± Danrique''s brows perked at her.


    ¡°nning to hook up with someone else while I''m away?¡± Francesca looked askance as she called him


    out. ¡°You got it all worked out, haven''t you?¡±


    ¡°Umm...¡± Stunned at first, Danrique subsequently broke into a boisterous guffaw. ¡°Is this jealousy I''m


    seeing from you?¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡± Francesca shot him a look as she set herself upright and looked to storm off.


    Danrique immediately reached out to grab ahold of her before he instructed his subordinate, ¡°Tell her


    not toe over at night either, and send Sean over to inform her of my decision in the afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± The subordinate then promptly went out after her.


    ¡°Happy now?¡± said Danrique, looking gleefully at Francesca.


    Sitting back down, Francesca then became self-conscious of her own overreaction. Considering that he


    would not have said what he did in front of her otherwise, it urred to her that it might be more


    probable that Danrique had no interest in Hazel whatsoever.


    Perhaps it might be work rted?


    The thought of that made her change her tone. ¡°Actually, that was not what I meant. You''re just going to


    meet with her to talk business. I get that.¡±


    ¡°What business has she and I have to discuss?¡± said Danrique casually. ¡°She''s in no position to talk


    business with me, to begin with.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean that it''s personal, then?¡± asked Francesca in displeasure.

 Chapter 1970

    Chapter 1970


    q¡°I guess so,¡± Danrique answered casually.


    Francesca''s expression darkened again, her lips curled.


    ¡°Try this...¡± Danrique ced a slice of angel food cake on her te. ¡°It''s made by the new chef.¡±


    Francesca had lost her appetite. Just as she was about to speak, a subordinate reported again, ¡°Mr.


    Lindberg, the private jet is ready.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Danrique responded before turning to Francesca. ¡°After you get to H City, be good and don''t go


    anywhere. Gordon will find Dr. Felch. By the time he finds the doctor, I should be done with the matters


    here and go there.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Francesca felt reluctant to be apart from him. ¡°You should attend to the matters. Don''t worry


    about me. Actually, I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, you have a call from the president...¡±


    Francesca was about to tell Danrique that she was actually Dr. Felch''s apprentice, but just then, Sean


    came in hurriedly with a phone in his hand.


    Danrique took over the phone and answered it. ¡°Mr. President, I will go to the airport immediately. Yes,


    we''ll reach at ten o''clock. What''s the hurry? Sure, I''ll do it as soon as possible.¡±


    After ending the call, Danrique nced at his watch while speaking to Francesca unhurriedly. ¡°You


    should eat more. We''re not rushing.¡±


    ¡°Nah, I''m fine. Let''s go.¡±


    Francesca knew that he still had many important things to attend to. The issue with Frank was


    complicated, so Danrique had to settle every aspect of it. Besides, he also needed to deal with the


    three great families.


    At a time like this, she didn''t want to distract him.


    ¡°Okay. I''ve arranged for the chef to board the ne with you so that you won''t be hungry while you''re


    on the way there.¡±


    Danrique kissed her on the forehead before instructing the subordinates to get ready.


    Norah took Francesca''s backpack from upstairs. Francesca checked it, finding her jewelry and identity


    document inside.


    Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    When Danrique saw her checking the jewelry, he couldn''t help but chuckle and say, ¡°Look at you. You


    can get half of my property as my wife. Those are nothing.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I think you''re right.¡± Realization struck Francesca instantly. ¡°Then how many properties do you


    own?¡±


    ¡°I can''t give you an answer now. I didn''t calcte them.¡± He thought about it seriously. ¡°But you buying


    jewelry every day won''t be a problem to me.¡±


    ¡°I can buy jewelry that costs over one hundred million every day?¡± Francesca widened her eyes in


    shock. ¡°Just how much money do you have?¡±


    ¡°I earn money every day.¡± Danrique suddenly realized something as he continued, ¡°But if you''re really


    driven to spend, I''ll have to work all the time...¡±


    ¡°We''ll have children to look after us when we get old. They''ll be our provider at that time,¡± Francesca


    blurted out.


    ¡°That works.¡± Danrique raised his eyebrows. ¡°Then you have to bear more sons for me to inherit my


    assets.¡±


    ¡°Why sons?¡± she inquired curiously.


    ¡°In Erihal, only sons inherit the family fortune,¡± Danrique replied with a serious expression. ¡°Otherwise,


    with my aunt''s ability back then, she would have been the head of the family and would not have been


    ostracized by others.¡±


    ¡°Oh, really?¡± Francesca was indignant. ¡°By the way, property acquired before marriage is not


    considered separate property in Erihal, am I right?¡±


    Danrique nodded. ¡°Legally married wives in Erihal have high status!¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Francesca was ted with the revtion, suddenly feeling that it was not a bad thing to


    marry Danrique.


    ¡°Think about it.¡± He stroked her hair dotingly. ¡°Once you''re healed, marry me and be Mrs.


    Lindberg. You''ll be a major shareholder of Lindberg Corporation like me.¡±


    ¡°Haha! That sounds good...¡±


    Thrilled, Francesca started imagining her life after being a major shareholder of Lindberg Corporation.


    By then, she would establish a foundation. With that, she would no longer be worried about funds for


    her orphanages.


    Seeing that she was on cloud nine, Danrique suddenly thought of a way. I probably can make it happen


    if I work on this.

 Chapter 1971

    Chapter 1971


    qWhile they were on the way to the airport, Danrique held Francesca in his arms with a heavy heart.


    Even though he knew they were going to be apart from one another for only a few days, he felt uneasy


    for some reason.


    On the other hand, Francesca was quite nonchnt. She was nning to get some nice food and


    invite her old friends to hang out after reaching H City, not worrying about Danrique at all, and neither


    did she think about when they would be able to reunite.


    Danrique said once again, ¡°I''ll get to you right after I settle the things here. Wait for me!¡±


    ¡°There''s no hurry. Just focus on your matters.¡± Francesca did not dwell on that.


    Upon hearing her response, he was dejected. Stupid woman, won''t you miss me?


    Before they knew it, they had reached the airport apron.


    By the time they got out of the car, it had stopped snowing. The airport staff was done making


    preparations, and Sean was having a word with them while loading the luggage onto the ne.


    After folding Francesca''s cors, Danrique cupped her face and spoke gently. ¡°Stay put, and wait for


    me. Okay?¡±


    His simple words were filled with deep affection and also acted as a reminder for her.


    He was never one who liked to talk a lot, but he had been reminding her of the same thing a few times


    that day.


    ¡°I got it!¡±


    Francesca stood on her tip-toe and pecked him on the lips.


    Danrique was stunned as a wave of exhration washed over him. That was the first time she took the


    initiative to kiss him. Just as he was about to kiss her back excitedly, she dashed away.


    Like a rabbit, she leaped up the stairs, heading toward the entrance of the aircraft. Only then did she


    turn around and wave her hands. ¡°You should get back!¡±


    Gazing at her with boundless affection, Danrique pursed his lips and recalled the kiss just now. Warmth


    and happiness surged within him.


    ¡°They are so sweet! I''m jealous!¡±


    While Sean was envious, he also felt happy for Danrique. All of Mr. Lindberg''s perseverance has finally


    paid off.


    With her cheeks flushed, Francesca boarded the ne and looked outside the window.


    Danrique was still standing by the car, not willing to leave.


    Looking at one another through the ne window, the couple waved goodbye. As reluctance filled her


    heart, she was finally clear that he was the man she loved.


    Meanwhile, Danrique couldn''t help but feel anxious. Perhaps he was worried that Francesca would run


    away or that there would be trouble.


    He reminded Gordon again and again, ¡°You need to protect her well. Nothing can happen to her.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, don''t worry. I swear on my life I''ll keep her safe,¡± Gordon promised confidently.


    ¡°Keep a close eye on her. Don''t let her escape,¡± Danrique added.


    ¡°Haha. Yes, Mr. Lindberg. Don''t worry.¡±


    Gordon bowed to Danrique respectfully before boarding the ne with the subordinates.


    Reluctantly, Danrique entered the car. Sean teased, ¡°Mr. Lindberg, it''s my first time seeing you speak


    so much.¡±


    Even when Danrique was dealing with work matters, he would always be brief and concise. However,


    that day, he gave simr reminders over and over again.


    Now, he was still feeling restless.


    He was even starting to regret his decision to agree with the president to stay behind. I should have


    apanied Francesca to H City and handled the other stuff after her surgery is over. We''ve been


    through a lot to be together. It wasn''t easy for us to meet, and it wasn''t for her to open up to me and fall


    in love with me, either. Yet, we''re now separated.


    He even had a sense of foreboding that their separation this time would be forever.


    N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    As the thought shed across Danrique''s mind, he felt more anxious, his brows furrowed.


    When Sean saw him frowning, the former reassured, ¡°Mr. Lindberg, don''t worry. Everything will be fine.


    Zarain is governed by statew, so it''s much safer than Erihal. Gordon has brought many people with


    him. I''m sure they can keep Ms. Felch safe and sound. Besides, she is very capable. She''s the one


    who saves you every time you''re in danger. What could happen to her?¡±


    ¡°Because she is capable, I''m worried that Gordon can''t keep a close eye on her.¡± Danrique sighed.


    ¡°Maybe I''m overthinking. She won''t run away, will she?¡±


    ¡°She won''t. I can feel that she''s fallen in love with you.¡±

 Chapter 1972

    Chapter 1972


    qUpon hearing what Sean said, he recalled how Francesca risked herself to rescue himst night, their


    intimate momentst night, and their parting kiss just now.


    Danrique''s heart slowly calmed down as he convinced himself to have faith in her and not overthink


    things.


    Meanwhile, Francesca was spacing out on her seat. Not moments ago, she was being carefree and


    didn''t feel the mncholy of their parting. She didn''t even think of hugging him before her departure.


    However, now that she was alone, she felt empty within.


    All she could think of was his figure, his handsome face, as well as his warm hug, and his strong arms.


    She didn''t think much of his presence when she had him, but she felt a sense of dejection now that she


    no longer had him around.


    So this is how it feels to like someone.


    ¡°Would you like to have something to eat, Ms. Felch?¡±


    A familiar voice came through.


    Francesca was surprised to see Sloan when she raised her head. ¡°You''re here too, Sloan!¡±


    ¡°Yes. Mr. Lindberg had mee with Gordon as your escort.¡±


    Every time Sloan saw Francesca, he would get all starry-eyed, his gaze full of admiration.


    ¡°Haha, that''s great.¡± Francesca huffed augh. ¡°Does this mean Mylo is staying in Xendale alongside


    Sean?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Mylo was highly regarded, so sir wanted him around.¡±


    ¡°Hm, you ain''t half bad yourself. Do your best.¡± Francesca smiled at him.


    ¡°Tee-hee...¡± Sloan scratched his head shyly while blushing slightly.


    ¡°Ms. Felch, would you like to get some rest in the room? The flight will take fourteen hours,¡± asked


    Gordon with concern.


    ¡°Okay. I''ll take a nap. Get me when we''re about to arrive at our destination.¡±


    Perhaps because Francesca was on her period, she was feeling a little lethargic.


    All the while, Gordon kept an eye on the situation on board throughout their flight. Although there was


    only a slim chance of anything going wrong, he still exercised caution.


    After all, he was well aware of just how important Francesca was to Danrique, so he was determined to


    keep her safe at all costs.


    The private jet soared through the clouds and arrived at H City in Zarain after a fourteen-hour flight.


    The staff from the local branch came to fetch them. Gordon escorted Francesca onto the car that drove


    them to a vi near South Sea.


    Francesca admired the view along the way, feeling freshened up and rxed. Compared to other


    countries, she liked Zarain the most, especially H City.


    The city was abundant, technologically advanced, yet warm nheless. It was a ce filled with


    memories.


    The huge LED screens on the highrises that lined up along the road were ying advertisements for


    technology products by Divine Corporation. It was evident that the industry under the Nacht family was


    prospering in Zarain.


    On the contrary, there was no longer a trace left of Windt Corporation, which was once the top-ranking


    corporation in H City. Just like a ship that went missing in the ocean, there was nothing left to prove


    that it once existed.


    However, advertisements by the Sterling family and the Brown family still showed up asionally.


    Although they weren''t as eye-catching as Divine Corporation''s advertisements, it was an indication that


    the two families still had a seat at the table.


    Within a little more than a month, the market at H City had undergone a dramatic upheaval.


    The same could be said of life, for sudden storms would bring about unpredictable changes.


    As Francesca was feeling wistful while her mind ran rampant, her phone rang, which she picked up


    immediately. ¡°Hello.¡±


    ¡°Have you arrived?¡± Danrique''s voice was kind and gentle.


    ¡°Mm, I just arrived and am in the car.¡± Simrly, Francesca no longer disyed her previous aloofness


    and rowdiness. Instead, she sounded demure. ¡°How did you know my phone number?¡±


    ¡°One learns whatever one wishes to know,¡± Danrique stated with pride. ¡°Why didn''t you inform me of


    your arrival? Do you no longer wish to be the major shareholder of Lindberg Corporation?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha!¡± Francesca burst intoughter. ¡°I want it! Of course, I want it!¡±


    ¡°Make sure you call and text me every day. Do you understand?¡± Danrique sounded as if he were


    giving orders and making requests.


    Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    ¡°Tee-hee! Sure.¡±


    Francesca blushed a little. So this is how romantic rtionships are...

 Chapter 1973

    Chapter 1973


    q¡°Danrique! Danrique! Mr. President is awaiting your reply.¡± Over the phone, a voice could be heard


    calling out to Danrique.


    N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    ¡°Are you still working? Isn''t it already midnight at Xendale?¡± asked Francesca.


    ¡°Mm,¡± answered Danrique. ¡°It should be evening at H City. Get rested after you arrive. I have a


    meeting.¡±


    ¡°I will. Go back to work,¡± Francesca said quickly.


    ¡°Kiss¡ª¡±


    Danrique was initially nning to request a kiss from her, but she hung up before he could finish his


    sentence.


    All he could do was heave a sigh. That woman. She sure is heartless.


    Meanwhile, Francesca was leaning against the back of her seat with her phone in hand as she got all


    giddy. I never knew being in a romantic rtionship felt so nice. There is someone whose mind I''m


    always on and vice versa...


    She had never felt such bliss and sweetness before.


    ¡°I''ve never seen Mr. Lindberg care so much about another person despite having been working with


    him for so many years,¡± Gordon eximed with utmost sincerity. ¡°You''re the first person to get him to


    do that, Ms. Felch!¡±


    ¡°I will also be thest!¡± Francesca blurted out before being stunned by her own words.


    The fact that I''m having such thoughts and starting to grow desires to im him as my own means I''ve


    definitely fallen for him...


    When they arrived at the vi, they found everything to be exquisite.


    Danrique''s style had always been that of exquisiteness, simplicity, andfort. He never was after


    luxury and mor, and all of his dwellings reflected his taste.


    Francesca liked the ce. She could get a view of the sea from the balcony in her room.


    It was evening. The brilliant rays of the setting sun shone on the ocean, its waves shimmering with


    breathtaking beauty.


    After Gordon and the other subordinates had settled down, they came to report back to Francesca.


    ¡°Ms. Felch, I will be heading to Phoenix City while Sloan and the remaining eight of them will stay to


    protect you. Do you perhaps have any other orders?¡±


    Phoenix City? thought Francesca. It seems they''ve actually discovered my master''s base, but I wonder


    if they''ll be able to make him budge.


    She had hesitated if she should inform Gordon of her rtionship with Dr. Felch, but eventually decided


    against it. Master might feel more reluctant if I revealed our rtionship. It would be better if Gordon


    visited him as a stranger. Master might juste to H City if he deems Gordon sincere enough. After


    all, Phoenix City isn''t too far away from H City, and Master had some close acquaintances staying here.


    Besides, he''s a kind doctor despite his obstinance.


    ¡°Indeed. The doctor we found lives in Phoenix City, but we''re still investigating the exact location of his


    dwelling, so I need to bring my men along,¡± replied Gordon.


    ¡°Doctors like him tend to live in seclusion on mountains. You can give that a try,¡± Francesca offered him


    a tip.


    ¡°You''re right. I''ll look into it immediately.¡± Gordon seemed to have gotten a grasp of something. ¡°I''ll be


    heading off now. Get Sloan to run any errands that you might have.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Go on.¡± Francesca nodded.


    Gordon left in a hurry, but Francesca stopped him as she recalled something. ¡°Hold on...¡±


    Gordon stopped in his tracks and turned around to look at her. ¡°Do you have any other orders, Ms.


    Felch?¡±


    ¡°Don''t tell the doctor who I am if you do get to meet him. Don''t tell him my name and past either. Just


    inform him of my age and injury,¡± Francesca instructed solemnly.


    ¡°Got it.¡± Gordon nodded. ¡°Mr. Lindberg had said the same thing. After all, you have a unique status


    now, so it would be better to keep a low profile when ites to these things.¡±


    ¡°Mm. You can leave now.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Gordon left with his men.


    The thought that she would soon be meeting her master again made Francesca feel both expectant


    and uneasy.


    While she wished to see her master and gain his approval, she was also worried that he might


    recognize her and still harbor a grudge against her. She wouldn''t know how to face him if that was the


    case.

 Chapter 1974

    Chapter 1974


    qJust when Francesca was in deep thought while rxing in her recliner, her phone vibrated once


    more. It was La trying to reach her. In a haste, she answered the call. ¡°Ms. La!¡±


    ¡°Are you back in H City already, Francesca?¡± When La was speaking, Anthony''s voice could also be


    heard rather faintly on the other end of the line. ¡°Let me talk to her. Give me the phone¡ª¡±


    La bellowed right away, ¡°Zip it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I just reached,¡± replied Francesca with a grin. ¡°I''m at the beach. It''s so beautiful here...¡±


    ¡°Have you contacted your master? When''s your surgery?¡±


    N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    As always, La cut straight to the subject.


    ¡°Gordon will sort that out for me. I told him the clues, so I suppose he''d find out soon enough.¡±


    ¡°Soon enough? He ought to get it done at once.¡± Anxious, La added, ¡°I''ve got wind that you-know-


    who was released from prison already.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Francesca''s visage did a one-eighty at the news. ¡°Wasn''t he sentenced to life imprisonment?


    How did he get out so suddenly?¡±


    ¡°Only God knows how... His organization is still in power, after all,¡± said La in a deep voice. ¡°That


    person''s a highly dangerous lunatic. He''ll definitely seek you out to have his revenge. You''d better keep


    your guard up!¡±


    Francesca was stumped for words upon hearing that.


    ¡°Hey, Francesca! Are you listening to me?¡± questioned La ever so nervously.


    ¡°The Lindberg family has your back for now, so I''m not that worried. This is a critical juncture, so you


    make sure to dismiss any thought of escaping again. Don''t fret. Continue your daily activities under


    their protection. When Dr. Felch arrives, you can then undergo the treatment. Your recuperationes


    first. Everything else can wait, you hear?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I understand.¡± Francesca heaved a sigh. ¡°Even so, I''m the one responsible for that kid''s life...¡±


    ¡°Don''t think of it that way. It was an ident,¡± consoled La hurriedly.


    ¡°Every human in this world makes mistakes. Doctors are humans, too. Wait, no... Technically, it wasn''t


    your mistake anyway. You told him before that the surgery''s rate of sess was eighty percent. That


    means there''s still a twenty percent probability of failure. You''re not at fault just because the surgery


    failed. Not even the best surgeons could guarantee a hundred percent survival rate.¡±


    Francesca covered her forehead. A stinging pang of sadness overwhelmed her heart.


    ¡°If only she hadn''t handed me the candy, she wouldn''t have been shot. It was all my fault that she got


    hurt in the first ce. I''ve given her my word to cure her wound, yet I failed in the end. All I could do


    was watch her breathe herst in front of me. I... That child''s so young and adorable. Her smile''s so


    sweet and innocent. I''m the reason she lost her life...¡±


    Panic-stricken, La quickly exined, ¡°You really should stop thinking like this. It was all purely an


    ident. If you weren''t injured in the first ce, hardly anyone in this world couldy a hand on you.


    That said, if you ever pitied that lunatic, you yourself would be in great danger...¡±


    ¡°But... He''s gotten into that state due to his daughter''s death.¡± Francesca let out a long sigh before


    continuing, ¡°Maybe... Maybe I should lend him a hand!¡±


    Flying off the handle, La fumed, ¡°Are you nuts? You need toe to your senses! He''s always been


    a killer, and he''s been the target of vengeance all along. If you weren''t there that day, Candice would


    still end up getting hurt one way or another. For you to have bumped into her and helped her was


    simply coincidental. In return, she gifted you candy but then got shot in the process.¡±


    She paused for a bit before adding, ¡°I understand your guilt and your yearning to save her life. Failing


    the surgery was also an ident, and it has nothing to do with you. That guy turned himself crazy


    because of Candice''s passing and went on to im thirteen lives at the hospital. You would''ve been


    gone with the wind as well had you not been fast enough to escape.¡±


    ¡°Stop... Just stop talking...¡±


    ¡°I insist to!¡± La wanted Francesca to face the hard truth. ¡°That kid''s really innocent, I know. I, too,


    feel so sorry for her. But, no matter what, it wasn''t your fault, so don''t even think about being a saint!¡±

 Chapter 1975

    Chapter 1975


    qLa went on, ¡°As for that insane fellow, he''s already on a killing spree. He''s got his mind set on you


    that you were the root of his daughter''s mishap, so he''d never let you off the hook. The likes of him


    wouldn''t be of sound mind. If you run into him somehow, don''t waver!¡±


    She stopped to ponder before going on, ¡°If you cave in, you''ll be the one who''ll suffer in his stead. What


    would be of Danrique if you were dead? Ever thought of that? And what should we all do by then? How


    about the children? As long as that person is alive, he''ll always be out for blood¡ª¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay! I hear you,¡± interrupted Francesca. She felt that her head was about to crack from all the


    pain, so she blurted out, ¡°I''m having a migraine right now. I''ll talk to youter...¡±


    ¡°All right, I won''t disturb you anymore.¡± La''s heart ached for Francesca. ¡°Get proper rest and


    remember my words...¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    After hanging up the phone, Francesca held her throbbing head as shey on the recliner, trying to


    sleep her worries away. Still, sleep eluded her as the scene where Candice got injured popped right


    back into her head once more.


    That past event fired into her mind all of a sudden like a bullet, making her life a living hell.


    As she ced her palm on her head, she struggled to make her way back into the bedroom before


    retrieving the medical kit and opening it up. She fished out the acupuncture needle and used it on


    herself so that she could fall into a deep slumber and escape her messy thoughts.


    Little did she know that there had been someone in the vi next to her home peeping at her every


    move via a pair of binocrs.


    Meanwhile, La and Anthony just got back home in S Nation. They were still on pins and needles,


    dwelling on the matter regarding Francesca.


    ¡°Why won''t you let me have a word with her?¡± Anthony was displeased because he didn''t get to speak


    to Francesca on the phone earlier.


    ¡°You son of a¡ªare you a moron? Do you think we''re interested in listening to your nonsense at a time


    like this?¡±


    La smacked the back of Anthony''s head with all her might as she spoke. She exerted so much force


    that thetter dropped to the floor from the impact.


    Anthony climbed back up to his feet pathetically. His cheeks flushed red like a tomato, hollering,


    ¡°Danrique always smacked me like this. And now, you, too, followed suit. I''d rather you guys just beat


    me to death.¡±


    ¡°I''ll throw you out the door if I hear one more wording out of your bloody mouth.¡±


    Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    La wasn''t in a good mood that day, so naturally, she would throw a fit.


    Feeling indignant, Anthony pouted and held back his tears. He then pulled himself together and


    cautiously uttered, ¡°I also wished to show her some concern and talk some sense into her...¡±


    ¡°What kind of sense could you possibly offer? You''re full of nonsense yourself. Would you ever have


    anything useful to say?¡±


    A glint of disdain shed across La''s eyes as she looked down on Anthony as usual.


    ¡°You!¡± A wave of anger erupted like a volcano within Anthony''s heart. ¡°Why do you keep treating me


    this way since I was a kid? Do I really mean nothing to you?¡±


    ¡°Enough. Save it.¡± La was annoyed. ¡°Go video call Mr. Lincoln and tell him to get his butt here at


    once. I need to discuss with him a n to deal with all this. That maniac isn''t a normal being. He''s one


    of those elite assassins, and he''s even backed by the world''s top assassin organization. If he really got


    to Francesca, she''d be in grave danger.¡±


    ¡°I''m on it.¡± With that, Anthony hastily went off to do her bidding.


    Lighting a cigarette, La sat on the balcony and puffed to her heart''s content. She then jogged down


    memoryne to that fateful scene two years ago. Her heart sank to her stomach.


    Out of the blue, a bold idea came to her mind. If I tell Danrique everything and let him protect


    Francesca, wouldn''t it be better?


    However, she perished the thought almost immediately.


    That would make sense, for Danrique might seem to be true to Francesca, but nothing was certain


    when it came to rtionships and feelings. If things were to take a turn for the worst in the future, he


    would only have gotten dirt on her.


    I''d rather not take a risk like that... Bah! Forget it. I''ll just handle it myself.


    At the thought of that, La began running a background check on a direct flight to H City. She was


    contemting making a trip there personally. Even so, she had to first wait for that old man to return for


    a discussion.


    In a sh, Anthony rushed back to report to La after ending the video call. ¡°Mr. Lincoln is on his way


    back right now as we speak. He''ll arrive tonight.¡±


    ¡°That old geezer is always so tardy like a tortoise!¡± La went through the roof again. ¡°Go book us


    three tickets to H City. We''d better have another string to our bow!¡±


    ¡°All right!¡±

 Chapter 1976

    Chapter 1976


    qAnthony was about to book the ne ticket when the phone rang. It was Lincoln calling to inform


    Anthony that there was an explosion at the orphanage.


    Shocked to the core, Anthony quickly ryed the news to La, and she instantly drove over with him.


    Fortunately, none of the children were injured. Only two of the staff members were wounded, and they


    had been sent to the hospital for treatment.


    The local police hade and were investigating the incident.


    Later, La received more and more calls, informing her that there were also incidents happening at


    other orphanages such as food poisoning and the intrusion of a psychiatric patient to harm the children.


    What was more outrageous was that there was a truck plowing into one of the orphanages.


    Upon hearing the news, she was anxious like a cat on hot bricks. Immediately, La, Lincoln, and


    Anthony parted ways to check on the orphanages and deal with the subsequent matters.


    N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    Several hourster, the three of them exchanged information through a video call. So far, there were no


    child casualties. Although the staff members were wounded, their injuries were not life-threatening.


    Hence, they felt relieved despite the awful incidents.


    Without a trace of uncertainty, Lincoln concluded, ¡°This is an organized and premeditated disruption,


    aiming to threaten us. I think this is rted to that lunatic.¡±


    ¡°But how did he know that these orphanages belong to Francesca as well as their addresses?¡± La


    queried hurriedly. ¡°Francesca has been doing a good job keeping them under wraps. He only met us


    once back then. I don''t think he would know all of these.¡±


    ¡°Riz Corporation has infiltrated all corners of the world. They have a professional intelligence agency


    with the ability to surpass the FBI. Therefore, it''s not difficult for them to investigate a person.¡± Lincoln


    started to analyze the situation logically. ¡°Luckily, Francesca heeds our advice and has not disclosed


    her identity and the information regarding the orphanages. It''s somewhat difficult for them to check, so


    there are only four orphanages in S Nation affected, and the others are fine for the time being.¡±


    ¡°So they''ve only gotten their hands on a part of Francesca''s information and there are still some they


    haven''t obtained?¡± La asked.


    ¡°Probably.¡± Lincoln nodded. ¡°Besides, it''s possible that the other party issued a warning to distract us


    so that we won''t focus on intervening in Francesca''s matters.¡±


    ¡°This also serves as a warning to us.¡± La''s words wereced with solemnity. ¡°There are no child


    casualties in the explosion this time, but if he is provoked, we might not be as lucky.¡±


    ¡°That''s right, so we can''t leave. The orphanages need our protection.¡± Lincoln had simr thoughts as


    well. ¡°Besides, if we go to H City, we might not be of help.¡±


    ¡°What about Francesca then? Are we going to not care about her?¡± Anthony panicked.


    ¡°She has the Lindberg family protecting her now, so she is safe.¡± Lincoln was clear-headed. ¡°Even if we


    go, we can''t do anything for her. Moreover, the orphanages are what she cares about the most. If she


    knows that we insist on meeting up with her while the orphanages are facing trouble, she will me


    us.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°I''ll give her a call and ask for her opinion.¡±


    La was ready to quit the video call to give Francesca a call when Lincoln stopped her.


    ¡°Wait,¡± he said. ¡°Let''s not tell her about this first. Judging from her personality, I''m sure that she will give


    up on the surgery to rush back here if she knows about the incidents.¡±


    ¡°You''re right...¡± La was a bit uneasy. ¡°What should we do then? She''s all alone, and I''m worried for


    her.¡±


    ¡°Call her tomorrow. You need to tell her not to leave the protection of the Lindberg family. As long as


    she stays put, she''ll be fine,¡± Lincoln reminded.


    ¡°I''ve told her about it today, but I''m still feeling unsettled.¡± Worry was written all over La''s face. ¡°With


    the protection of the Lindberg family, that lunatic can''t get near to her. But what if the people of Riz


    Corporation help him?¡±


    Riz Corporation was a top-notch assassin organization. The people from the Lindberg family might not


    be able to fend them off.

 Chapter 1977

    Chapter 1977


    q¡°You''re overthinking.¡± Lincoln replied firmly, ¡°Riz Corporation is very powerful, but they won''t offend


    the Lindberg family.¡±


    ¡°Why did Riz Corporation help that lunatic to check Francesca''s identity then?¡± La questioned. ¡°Do


    they know the Lindberg family is watching over Francesca? Her rtionship with Danrique has not


    been disclosed, and the Lindberg family has always been keeping a low profile. They rarely make any


    public appearance...¡±


    ¡°One encounter is enough for them to know about it,¡± a logical Lincoln replied. ¡°Once Riz Corporation


    know Francesca has the backing of Danrique, they won''t intervene in this matter, making it a personal


    grudge of that lunatic. That lunatic is all alone, so he can''t hurt Francesca. What I''m worried about is


    that she''d escaped again impulsively and showed him mercy due to her guilt for Candice.¡±


    ¡°I need to remind her again.¡± La was a tad fretful.


    ¡°Wait until tomorrow. She''s probably asleep now,¡± Lincoln responded. ¡°I''m done with the things here. I


    will head back as soon as possible. Tell us about Francesca and Danrique. If he is serious about their


    rtionship, then I think it''s good for them to be a couple.¡±


    ¡°Nah, how could a person like him know how to love? I think he''s just ying around, craving a sense


    of novelty...¡± Anthony quickly replied. ¡°Besides, he is also dangerous. He crashed into Francesca with


    his car in M Nation, and she was shot because of him...¡±


    ¡°Oh, really?¡± Lincoln asked.


    ¡°I think so, but I don''t know about the details...¡±


    ¡°I know he''s really dangerous. He''s not someone suitable for Francesca, and she doesn''t like him.


    She''s always been thinking about escaping. Danrique''s keeping her under house arrest...¡±


    ¡°All right. Let''s talk more about this when we meet.¡±


    With that, Lincoln and La ended the video call.


    Unsettled, Anthony handled the pressing matters on hand and hurriedly rushed back home to see


    Lincoln.


    The former felt there was a need for him to tell Lincoln and La about every mistreatment Danrique


    had inflicted on Francesca. Besides, he wanted to rush to H City to keep Francesca safe.


    Currently, Francesca was fast asleep, not noticing that a figure had sneaked into the vi.


    As agile as a monkey, that person jumped over the wall of the yard before he leaped and reached the


    balcony on the second floor. Just as he was about to barge into Francesca''s room, a cold voice came


    from downstairs. ¡°Who''s there?¡±


    With that, several beams of bright light shone onto the person as two bodyguards went after him swiftly.


    Realizing that he had been discovered before he could take action, he had no choice but to leave.


    The two bodyguards chased after him instantly, and the female bodyguard, Samantha, quickly rushed


    into the room to check on Francesca. Upon seeing that she was sleeping peacefully, the two


    bodyguards heaved a sigh of relief.


    Nevertheless, the vignt bodyguards did not leave the room anymore. One of them kept careful watch


    for possible danger on the balcony while the other one stood guard behind the door of the room.


    Half an hourter, the subordinates who chased after the suspicious person came back to report to


    Sloan. ¡°Sloan, that person escaped.¡±


    ¡°Check the surveince footage, and see who it was,¡± Sloan ordered.


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡°As for the others, be on full alert and keep your guard up. Protect Ms. Felch.¡±


    ¡°Noted.¡±


    After making those arrangements, Sloan reported that night''s condition to Sean and Gordon.


    The three of them exchanged information through a voice call. Gordon was puzzled when he got to


    know of the incident. ¡°This is weird. Who on earth wanted to attack Ms. Felch? Could it be someone


    sent by Frank or the three great families?¡±


    ¡°If it was them, they wouldn''t just send one person.¡± Sean was calm and collected. ¡°Was it Ms. Felch''s


    enemy?¡±


    N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    ¡°How could Ms. Felch have any enemies?¡± Gordon found it odd. ¡°She''s just a doctor, and her identity


    has always been well-concealed.¡±


    ¡°Right...¡±


    ¡°Sloan, keep Ms. Felch safe. I''ll send a few people there,¡± Sean said.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    After hanging up the phone, Sloan arranged for more people to scan the surroundings of the vi,


    ensuring their defense was foolproof.

 Chapter 1978

    Chapter 1978


    qFrancesca slept soundly, utterly oblivious to what had happened the previous night.


    She fell into a daze when she saw Heidi and Samantha in the room by the time she woke up the next


    morning.


    Heidi immediately exined, ¡°Ms. Felch, someone attempted to intrude into your roomst night but


    was discovered by Sloan in time. We are afraid something bad might happen to you, so we decided to


    stand guard in your room. We hope we did not interrupt your rest time.¡±


    ¡°That''s all right...¡± Francesca had yet to wrap her mind around the whole incident. ¡°Are you telling me


    that someone barged into my room? Who is that?¡±


    ¡°Judging from his silhouette, the culprit appears to be a man. We are still investigating for further


    details. Sloan ordered his men to chase after the culprit at once but to no avail.¡±


    Francesca frowned upon hearing those words. Could it be that person?


    Knock! Knock!


    At that moment, someone knocked on the door. Kerrie, leading the maid, entered to help Francesca get


    washed up and dressed.


    As Heidi and Samantha exited the room, Francesca expressed her gratitude and reminded them to rest


    well.


    After Francesca finished washing up, she had her breakfast on the balcony. By ident, she found a


    piece of candy underneath the recliner.


    She picked up the candy and saw the familiar wrapping. Her face darkened instantaneously as


    memories from two years ago flooded her mind.


    Francesca and La had just gotten off the ne at the airport in Tayhaven and were heading toward


    the exit. Suddenly, they saw a little girl crying outside the restroom.


    The little girl had a cute appearance. As a result of the hysterical cry, her face flushed, and she


    experienced difficulty breathing, seemingly unable to catch her breath.


    Francesca immediately gave the child the appropriate medication. After the little girl''s condition


    stabilized, Francesca asked, ¡°Hello, why are you here alone? Where are your daddy and mommy?¡±


    ¡°I don''t have a mommy. Daddy is bringing me home, but I went to the restroom earlier and can''t find


    him now. Boohoo...¡±


    The little girl seemed to be slightly afraid as her petite body trembled.


    ¡°Don''t be scared. I''ll bring you to search for your daddy.¡±


    Francesca was nning to bring the little girl to the airport staff. They''ve only taken a few steps when a


    man''s voice suddenly rang from behind them. ¡°Candice!¡±


    ¡°Daddy!¡± The little girl ran in that man''s direction in excitement.


    He lifted the little girl and carried her with one hand while staring at Francesca cautiously.


    Francesca''s first impression when she saw that man was that his eyes were filled with intense malice.


    ¡°Daddy, I had an asthma attack earlier, and thisdy saved me. She was even going to help me look for


    you,¡± Candice hurriedly exined.


    ¡°Is that so?¡± The murderous intent in that man''s eyes gradually faded. He left the scene with his


    daughter after he thanked Francesca.


    ¡°He''s so weird.¡±


    Francesca gazed at his leaving figure from behind, thinking that he was a peculiar man. On the other


    hand, the little girl, Candice, was very cute and obedient. She waved her hand at Francesca while


    regarding Francesca with a pair ofrge, innocent eyes and a sincere look.


    La said in an undertone, ¡°This man is very dangerous. We must stay away from him.¡±


    ¡°Dangerous?¡± Francesca was curious.


    ¡°That''s right.¡± La wore a solemn expression. ¡°If I am not mistaken, judging by his malevolent aura


    and heightened senses, he should be a professional assassin.¡±


    ¡°Why would a professional assassin have such an adorable child?¡± Francesca knitted her brows. ¡°Is


    that little girl really his child? What if he kidnapped her?¡±


    ¡°The child is reliant on him and shows affection toward him. Moreover, he appears to care for the girl


    genuinely, and he is protective of the girl. I suppose they are biologically rted...¡± La sighed. ¡°An


    ouw like him should not have children. Sooner orter, something unfortunate will befall the little girl


    if she continues to follow him around.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps he will quit his uwful upation for the child.¡± Francesca could not bear to imagine


    Candice''s fate.


    N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    ¡°That upation is like a bottomless abyss. Once he meddles in the business, there''s no turning back.


    Did you notice how vignt he behaved just now? I think someone may be following him,¡± La


    borated.


    ¡°I hope the little girl will stay unharmed.¡± Francesca prayed for Candice''s safety.


    ¡°We can only hope so.¡±

 Chapter 1979

    Chapter 1979


    qFrancesca and La exited the airport and were about to get into a cab.


    At that moment, a childish voice sounded. ¡°Hello!¡±


    Francesca turned around and saw Candice sitting obediently on a stone block with a rag doll in her


    arms.


    ¡°Hello, we meet again!¡± Francesca greeted the little girl.


    ¡°My name is Candice. What about yours?¡± Candice beamed at her.


    ¡°I''m Francesca Felch.¡± Francesca returned the smile. ¡°Where''s your daddy?¡±


    ¡°Daddy went to drive the car here. He told me to wait for him here,¡± Candice replied obediently.


    Francesca exchanged nces with La as they sensed something was wrong.


    If Candice''s father had really gone to drive the car over, he should have brought Candice along.


    Moreover, Candice was waiting beside the taxi passageway, which prohibited the entry of private


    vehicles. They wondered why he left Candice there to wait for him and if he was in trouble.


    ¡°The car is here. Let''s go.¡±


    La did not wish to invite trouble to themselves, so she dragged Francesca along to get in the cab.


    ¡°Are you leaving, Francesca?¡± Candice gazed at Francesca longingly.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Francesca pitied Candice as she gazed at thetter sitting alone on the stone block. ¡°Candice,


    will you feel scared waiting for your daddy here by yourself?¡±


    Candice nodded. Her eyes reddened the next second.


    Francesca''s heart ached slightly when she saw Candice''s pitiable look, so she decided to stay. ¡°Don''t


    be afraid. I''ll be here to apany you.¡±


    ¡°Really? Thank you, Francesca.¡±


    Candice was overjoyed. She hurriedly jogged forward and held Francesca''s hand.


    ¡°Francesca!¡± La tried to persuade Francesca otherwise.


    ¡°It''s all right, Ms. La. I''m just going to keep this little girlpany for a little while. We''ll get into the


    cab and leave as soon as her father returns,¡± Francesca whispered.


    La felt helpless. She had no other choice but to wait together.


    Candice introduced her rag doll to Francesca and told Francesca she had some delicious candy, but


    the candy was kept in her father''s pocket. She expressed her desire to share the candy with Francesca


    when her father returned to pick her up.


    Francesca thanked her cheerily. At the sight of Candice''s cascading hair which was drenched in sweat,


    Francesca crouched down to braid the little girl''s hair and yanked off the ribbon on her own clothes to


    tie the little girl''s hair.


    Candice took out a small mirror to examine the braids. Then, a bright and charming smile spread


    across her face.


    She had not braided her hair ever since she left her home.


    Francesca and Candice continued to chat happily.


    Meanwhile, La scanned her surroundings but failed to spot Candice''s father anywhere.


    Nothing extraordinary happened near the crowded entrance of the airport, yet she felt a sense of


    foreboding.


    Just then, a voice rang out. ¡°Candice!¡±


    ¡°Daddy!¡± Candice turned around and saw her father advancing hastily in her direction. She said to


    Francesca happily, ¡°Francesca, my daddy is back!¡±


    ¡°That''s great.¡± Francesca stood up and said to that man solemnly, ¡°Mister, she''s still very young. Please


    do not leave her alone because it is very dangerous.¡±


    He merely nced at her in silence before grabbing Candice''s hand and leaving with her.


    ¡°You...¡±


    Francesca was about to mention something else, but she noticed something was odd about that man''s


    right arm. Although he tucked his hand in the pocket in an attempt to conceal his condition, the fresh


    blood slowly oozing through the fabric had exposed his injuries.


    ¡°Don''t be nosy. Let''s go!¡±


    La noticed the wound as well and quickly dragged Francesca away.


    Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    At that moment, Francesca realized the presence of a few men in ck outfits wearing ck face


    masks among the crowd. They were hurrying in Candice''s father''s direction with one hand hidden in


    their sleeves.


    She turned around, wanting to warn him.


    Right then, Candice suddenly broke free from holding her father''s hand. She turned on her heels and


    ran toward Francesca while holding some candy. ¡°Francesca, this is for you!¡±


    ¡°Candice...¡±


    He hastily stepped forward to pull Candice back, but he was toote.


    Bang! Bang! Bang!


    Gunshots rang all of a sudden. All the shots were aimed at Candice''s father.


    Candice, the pitiful little girl, identally took a shot in her father''s stead. Her petite figure fell to the


    floor as shey in a pool of blood.

 Chapter 1980

    Chapter 1980


    q¡°Candice!¡±


    The man went on a killing spree while in a crazed state, fending off the men in ck alone.


    Francesca immediately rushed over to hold Candice. When she realized there was still hope for the


    child, she stopped the bleeding and gave Candice first-aid right away.


    When the man finished off all of the men in ck who were after him, he held Francesca at gunpoint,


    intending for her to keep Candicepany on the way to the afterworld.


    Just when La was about to retaliate, Francesca interrupted, ¡°There''s still hope to save Candice. I''m


    a doctor, so I''m confident about saving her. We need to go to the hospital now.¡±


    ¡°Is that true?¡±


    The man had assumed that Candice was beyond saving, but Francesca''s words reignited a spark of


    hope within him. Immediately hailing a taxi, he and Francesca rushed Candice to the hospital.


    After that, Francesca operated on Candice.


    Candice had lost a lot of blood, and she had a rare blood type that the hospital had not stocked up on,


    so La had to usher the hospital staff to arrange for some to be delivered.


    All the while, the man waited around inside the operating room and even pointed a gun at the medical


    superintendent, threatening to kill everybody, including Francesca, if something happened to Candice.


    The operation should have gone smoothly until Francesca discovered that not only did Candice have


    asthma but she had also had her heart operated on. The gunshot had triggered a heart attack, so


    Candice was in critical condition.


    Moreover, the blood wasn''t delivered on time. Coupled with various other reasons, the operation was a


    failure.


    In the end, Francesca couldn''t save Candice.


    N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    Before Candice drew herst breath, she held onto the candy that she had intended to give to


    Francesca. It wasn''t until her heart stopped that she released her grip, and the candy dropped onto the


    floor.


    At that moment, Francesca broke down.


    The child''s father held Francesca while interrogating her in a frenzy, ¡°Didn''t you say you can save


    Candice? Didn''t you promise she would be all right? Why didn''t the operation work? Why? She


    wouldn''t have been shot in the first ce if she wasn''t trying to deliver you the candy. The operation


    wouldn''t have failed if you truly were an exceptional doctor. This is all because of you! It''s your fault!¡±


    Francesca was unable to refute him, so she could only endure his rage in passive silence.


    After that, the man went on a rampage and began ughtering the doctors and nurses in the operating


    room.


    He even attempted to kill Francesca so that she could keep Candicepany on the way to the


    afterworld.


    However, La injured his arm and fled the scene alongside Francesca.


    The hospital staff had called the police, but the man had managed to take thirteen lives before the


    police could arrive. After that, he was subdued by the police, arrested, and sent to jail.


    Thus, it was Francesca who had organized Candice''s funeral.


    After she finished handling everything, she even visited the man in the jail. She came to know that his


    name was Chrono and that he was the world''s top assassin who hailed from Rodunst.


    Chrono had led the life of a wanderer but had, by then, wished to go into hiding and live in seclusion


    alongside Candice. However, his enemies weren''t willing to let him off the hook. Therefore, they


    tracked him down wherever he went, and he had been trying to escape from them while protecting


    Candice.


    When they were at the airport, he killed two people who were tracking him down when Candice went to


    the restroom. Then, he brought her away in haste, only to bump into the same bunch of people at the


    exit. Not wanting to drag Candice into the ensuing mess, he told her to wait on a stone block.


    He returned in search of her after killing off the men discreetly, only to bump into Francesca again. All


    he wanted was to leave with Candice as soon as possible, but Candice got the idea of sharing her


    candy with Francesca, so she wrenched herself from his arms to run back to Francesca.


    At that moment, Chrono''s enemies caught up and fired their guns at him, leading to the tragedy.


    Feeling guilty, Francesca apologized while sitting opposite him behind the ss panel in the prison.


    Candice might not have suffered such a fate if she hadn''t tried to give me some candy.


    Moreover, she couldn''t figure out the reason the operation failed when she was certain she could save


    Candice. Although she wished to know what kind of operation Candice had undergone for her heart,


    she had missed out on the opportunity to do so.


    She had gone to the police station to retrieve Candice''s body after the incident, but the police had


    already cremated her body. Thus, she could only hold the funeral with Candice''s ashes before handing


    the address and information of her grave to Chrono at the jail.

 Chapter 1981

    Chapter 1981


    qChrono wasn''t appreciative of Francesca''s kindness. Instead, he stared at her grimly while issuing a


    threat. ¡°Candice is lonely in heaven. Since she likes you so much, I will make sure to send you to


    heaven to keep herpany when I get out of jail!¡±


    Francesca ignored his threat, for he had been sentenced to life imprisonment.


    However, Candice''s death dealt her a huge blow. She even began questioning her own medical skills.


    Thus, she spent the following two years closed off and stopped practicing medicine.


    It wasn''t until Prince William found her, repeatedly asked to meet her, and invited her out, coupled with


    the fact that the foundation was short of funds and the orphanage needed a huge sum of money, that


    she left for Danontand.


    She thought that would be the end of things, so she didn''t foresee Chrono getting out of jail so soon


    and tracking her down.


    ¡°Ms. Felch! Ms. Felch! Ms. Felch!¡±


    Kerrie''s voice interrupted Francesca''s thoughts, causing thetter to snap back to reality. As she


    tightened her grip around the piece of candy, she raised her head to look at Kerrie. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°You seem pale. Are you okay?¡±


    Kerrie looked at her with concern.


    ¡°I''m fine.¡± Francesca shook her head. ¡°You should continue with your chores. I can have breakfast on


    my own.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Kerrie led the maids away.


    After that, Francesca stared at the hearty breakfast but didn''t have the appetite to enjoy it. The sea


    breeze blew past as she was leaning on the recliner. While staring at the candy, she was reminded of


    Candice, who had passed away. The emotions she felt were indescribablyplicated.


    She didn''t even notice when her phone on the nightstand was vibrating.


    Throughout the day, Francesca locked herself in the room, not feeling like going anywhere. She slept


    after eating, without even checking her phone.


    Danrique had called her twice, to neither of which she responded, nor did she reply to his texts.


    He was deeply affected by her actions,cking the drive to do anything, nor did he have the appetite to


    stomach anything.


    At night, he called Sloan after finishing all of his tasks.


    Sloan was taken aback upon receiving his call, nearly dropping his phone before he answered the call


    in a panic. ¡°Hello, Mr. Lindberg!¡±


    ¡°What''s Francesca doing?¡± Danrique inquired directly.


    ¡°Um, she''s...¡±


    Sloan lifted his head to check on the balcony on the second floor. Francesca was leaning on the


    recliner, spacing out as she stared at the ocean. She had been lying there for an entire day.


    ¡°Ms. Felch is spacing out on the balcony,¡± replied Sloan immediately. ¡°I''ll go get her¡ª¡±


    ¡°No need. Make sure to keep her safe,¡± Danrique interjected aloofly.


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Lindberg.¡±


    Danrique hung up as soon as Sloan said that. Even after knowing that the call had ended, Sloan was


    still feeling nervous, for he had a feeling that Danrique sounded as if he were angry.


    He wondered if he should inform Francesca about it, but he decided against it upon recalling that


    Danrique had told him that it would be unnecessary.


    Francesca remained on the balcony until midnight before retiring to her room for the night. There were


    a few missed calls on her phone, two of which were from Danrique, while the rest were from La and


    Anthony.


    She called La right away, which thetter picked up quickly.


    Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    ¡°Francesca!¡±


    ¡°What is it, Ms. La?¡±


    ¡°It''s all good. I was just worried about you. You didn''t pick up when I called you, so I thought something


    had happened to you.¡±


    ¡°I left my phone in the bedroom, so I didn''t hear it ringing.¡±


    ¡°It''s good that you''re all right. You gave me a shock.¡± La heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Francesca, did that


    guy show up?¡±


    ¡°I think so. He sneaked into the vist night, but nothing serious happened.¡±


    ¡°It seems like the bodyguards of the Lindberg family are skilled,¡± said La dly. ¡°Francesca, be


    obedient and don''t leave the vi that is under the Lindbergs'' protection. Keep that in mind!¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Francesca was well aware that she would be in danger if she left at that point, for Chrono


    would be after her as soon as she left the vi.


    Although she was an exceptionally skilled driver and could summon animals, those skills only worked


    under specific conditions.


    Moreover, she had never killed a human, so she would never be able tond a fatal strike. On the


    contrary, Chrono was a professional assassin who killed humans for a living.

 Chapter 1982

    Chapter 1982


    q¡°Also, I would like to know the details about you and Danrique. Does he really love you? Is he really


    serious about marrying you?¡±


    Francesca didn''t feel like continuing this conversation. ¡°I guess so... But now''s not the time to talk about


    this. If there''s a chance, I would like to talk to Chrono on the phone. I still think Candice''s condition was


    a little weird¡ª¡±


    La cut her short immediately. ¡°Don''t be silly, Francesca. That person is crazy. There''s something


    wrong with his mind, and you can''t talk sense into a crazy person. Don''t try to save someone who is


    mentally ill. Some diseases are just incurable, and you have to learn to ept that. No matter how


    powerful you think you are, there are just some things you can''t do. No one is almighty enough to solve


    everything.¡±


    ¡°I know you''re right, but Candice''s death has left me trauma.¡± Francesca sighed.


    ¡°Francesca¡ª¡±


    ¡°All right, Ms. La. I''m just thinking out loud here. I know my limits, so you don''t have to worry about


    me. I''ll be fine because so many people are protecting me,¡± said Francesca, changing the subject.


    ¡°Okay then. Stay safe. Call me every day to let me know you''re fine.¡± La dropped the topic, knowing


    what she said wouldn''t make any difference.


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    After ending the call, Francesca looked at the dark sky outside and wondered if Chrono woulde


    again that night, or if he would contact her through some special way.


    If he would, she would still like to have a proper chat with him.


    Right then, Heidi and Samantha knocked on the door and entered. After inspecting the ce to ensure


    Francesca''s safety, they nned to stand guard in the room like how they did the previous night, but


    Francesca sent them away.


    The duo was concerned, but they respected Francesca''s decision. In the end, they chose not to disturb


    her and stood guard outside the room.


    Francesca switched off the main lights on purpose and left the wallmp on as she waited for Chrono


    to contact her.


    As expected, her phone received a call from an unknown number soon after that. She nced outside


    and answered the call. ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°I have to give it to you for having the Lindberg family to back you up.¡±


    Chrono was fluent in speaking Ustranasion, and his voice was hoarse and deep, bringing with it a tinge


    of chillness.


    ¡°You camest night. Are you thinking of taking revenge on me?¡± asked Francesca without beating


    around the bush.


    ¡°You have quite the self-awareness. Don''t think you''re safe under the Lindberg family''s protection. Just


    you wait. I''lle at you soon,¡± uttered Chrono ferociously.


    ¡°There''s something I want to ask you about.¡± Francesca tried talking sense into the man.


    ¡°Yes?¡± Chrono was confused.


    ¡°Had Candice undergone a heart surgery before?¡± Francesca queried.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± At the mention of Candice''s name, Chrono became agitated.


    ¡°Candice''s main cause of death was the trigger of her heart problem coupled with excessive loss of


    blood. When she was shot, the bullet didn''t hit her vital organs. She died because¡ª¡±


    ¡°Stop finding excuses for your mistake! You were ipetent, and you failed to save her. Now, for fear


    that I would take revenge on you, you came up with these lousy excuses, hoping I''d let you go, right?¡±


    Chrono interrupted her furiously.


    N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    ¡°I just want to make sure¡ª¡±


    ¡°Make sure about what? Can you revive Candice? If it hadn''t been for you, Candice wouldn''t have


    died!¡± Chrono bellowed in rage.


    Francesca countered with a question, ¡°You''re just saying that to make yourself feel better, right? If you


    were an ordinary father instead of an assassin, no one would''ve chased after you just to kill you, and


    Candice would''ve lived a happy and healthy life.¡±


    ¡°You...¡±


    She continued coldly, ¡°You put all the me on me just to relieve yourself from the guilt. All this


    happened because of you. You''re responsible for your daughter''s death. Even if I didn''t appear that


    day, how long do you think you could protect Candice?¡±

 Chapter 1983

    Chapter 1983


    q¡°That''s enough! Shut up!¡± Chrono was enraged.


    ¡°No, it''s not enough. An ouw like you shouldn''t have children in the first ce. Even if you have a


    child, you shouldn''t have brought your child with you. You were the one who caused Candice''s death,


    and now you''re ming it on me and the paramedics. They are innocent. Thirteen lives were taken by


    you just like that. You think you''re avenging Candice, but have you ever thought if she really wanted


    you to do this? She''d hate you if she knew you killed so many people for her sake¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shut up! Shut up right now!¡± Chrono howled in distress, and a gunshot reverberated outside, tearing


    the silence of the night.


    Right after that, the call ended.


    Sloan immediately sent someone to check out the situation and informed the police.


    Francesca looked down at her phone withplex emotions.


    Initially, she only wanted to talk to him, but the man was too adamant in insisting that she was the one


    who had caused Candice''s death. She then reprimanded him out of irritation and ended up causing him


    to fly into a rage.


    A top assassin like him excelled at hiding, and he would not easily expose his whereabouts, which


    made it difficult for the Lindbergs to track him down.


    Now that Chrono had lost hisposure and fired a gunshot, revealing his current location, Sloan


    immediately took action and called the police.


    Even if they failed to capture him this time, he wouldn''t be able to approach her within a short period of


    time.


    Therefore, that was probably considered an unexpected gain.


    Francesca''s head began hurting again. She put her phone down, wrapped both her hands around her


    head, andy down, waiting for the pain to subside.


    Her phone was vibrating, but she was in so much pain that she could not bother to check.


    A whileter, her phone went out of battery and switched off automatically.


    After all, a lot of calls came in that day, and she didn''t charge her phone.


    Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    Meanwhile, in Xendale, Danrique listened to the busy signal over the phone and gritted his teeth in


    anger. The audacity of this woman to ignore my calls and texts! Fine! Since she ignores me, I won''t


    bother about her either!


    The more Danrique thought about it, the more his anger brewed. Irked, he threw his phone away.


    ¡°Could it be that something happened?¡±


    Sean immediately gave Sloan a call, getting information from thetter that there was a gunshot nearby


    where Francesca was at. It was probably the person who hadunched a sneak attack the night


    before. Sloan had sent someone to track the person down.


    Sean asked if Francesca was all right, and the former was relieved to hear from Sloan that she was


    fine. Moreover, Sloan also told him that they had sent someone to protect her at all times, and he


    asked Sean to reassure Danrique.


    After giving Sloan a few more reminders, Sean hung up the phone and cautiously tried to console


    Danrique. ¡°Mr. Lindberg, as you know, there was a gunshot nearby the vi. I suppose Ms. Felch is just


    frightened. She''ll probably contact youter.¡±


    Danrique scoffed. ¡°Frightened? She isn''t scared of anything. Why would she be frightened by a


    gunshot?¡±


    ¡°Um...¡± Sean didn''t know how to answer that.


    ¡°Perhaps she pretended to be gentle and docile so I would allow her to return to the country alone.


    That way, she could grasp the opportunity to escape... Otherwise, why has she been ignoring me since


    she reached H City?¡± Danrique felt that something was wrong.


    ¡°Please don''t overthink. Maybe that''s not the case.¡±


    ¡°Why is that not the case? I read it in books all the time. The first few months are the honeymoon


    period, and couples will act all lovey-dovey with each other and are basically inseparable. Especially


    women, they would cling onto men like bubble gum. But look at how she behaves now. Not only does


    she not cling onto me, but she also ignores me...¡±


    Danrique became increasingly flustered with the current situation.


    ¡°Once we settle everything here, we can just go to H City earlier. I think everything will be settled in a


    few days'' time,¡±forted Sean.


    ¡°Why should we go there? She wouldn''t even answer my calls! Send more men there to keep an eye


    on her. Don''t let her escape,¡± uttered Danrique indignantly.


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    ¡°From now on, I''ll ignore her too. Unless something serious happens to her, don''t mention her at all. I''m


    going to wait for her toe and apologize to me.¡±


    Still annoyed, Danrique had a grim expression on his face.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    Sean nodded but sighed inwardly. Yeah, right. You won''t be able to ignore her for long. I bet you''d


    contact her within three days.

 Chapter 1984

    Chapter 1984


    qThe vi with an ocean view was peaceful after the gunshot incident from the night before.


    Francesca spent three days in peace and tranquility. There weren''t any calls from unknown numbers,


    nor was there any intruder who invaded the vi in the middle of the night, let alone gunshots.


    Even so, Sloan still didn''t let his guard down.


    Moreover, the guards sent by Sean had arrived, reinforcing the security of the vi.


    Francesca stayed indoors for three consecutive days and got slightly restless after seeing that peace


    was restored.


    She asked Sloan about Gordon''s progress.


    Sloan told her, ¡°Gordon has already found out that Dr. Felch is on Mount Phoenix. He brought his team


    to go and search for Dr. Felch yesterday, and he''ll probably find him and bring him here soon.¡±


    Francesca was overjoyed upon hearing the good news. ¡°I didn''t expect Gordon to be so efficient! Since


    he has already found Mount Phoenix, I bet he''ll find Dr. Felch soon. However, we''re not sure if Dr.


    Felch would be willing to go with him. You guys are so rough with your ways. Don''t tell me Gordon''s


    going to tie him up and bring him here.¡±


    Sloanughed. ¡°Haha! That''s a possibility. That''s what Gordon told me before this. If the doctor


    wouldn''t agree toe with him, he''d tie the doctor up and bring him here against his will.¡±


    Francesca berated, ¡°No! He can''t disrespect Dr. Felch!¡±


    ¡°Um...¡± Sloan was stunned. He was just kidding, and he didn''t expect Francesca to be so worked up.


    ¡°Go and give Gordon a call. Ry my message and tell him that he must respect Dr. Felch. If he


    refuses toe, just try to reason with him and persuade him nicely. Don''t ever disrespect the elderly


    man. Although Dr. Felch is a miracle doctor, he''s quite old and suffers from all sorts of ailments. If


    Gordon''s too rough and he ends up hurting Dr. Felch, I''ll never forgive him!¡± uttered Francesca in


    exasperation.


    ¡°Okay, okay. I''ll go and inform Gordon right away.¡±


    Sloan was about to walk away and give Gordon a call when a realization hit him. He stopped in his


    tracks and asked Francesca in puzzlement, ¡°Ms. Felch, how do you know Dr. Felch is suffering from


    various ailments?¡±


    ¡°Erm...¡± Francesca choked on her words for a while before finding an excuse. ¡°Well, he''s an old man


    after all! Old people are prone to all kinds of diseases. Dr. Felch may be a miracle doctor, but he''s still


    old, and he can''t escape from thews of nature, right?¡±


    Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    Sloan nodded. ¡°You''re right! I''ll go give Gordon a call.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    After Francesca watched as Sloan left, she patted herself on the chest guiltily. It helps that this guy is


    stupid and he admires me, so he didn''t think much about it. Otherwise, he''s going to find out about my


    rtionship with Dr. Felch. But if Dr. Felch is really brought here, my identity would probably be


    exposed. No matter how hard I try, I won''t be able to outsmart that old man. He may be old, but he''s


    sharp.


    The mere thought of that caused Francesca annoyance. She then remembered Candice''s incident and


    would really like to consult her master about the surgery. That was only if the old man was still willing to


    talk to her.


    To this day, she still didn''t understand why the surgery had failed.


    That horrifying incident dealt her a huge blow and caused her to question her own medical skills.


    Also, she felt guilty for Candice''s death.


    The happening was like a thorn that was stuck in her heart. At the same time, it was like a puzzle that


    was waiting for her to solve.


    Just as she was lost in her thoughts, her phone rang, and it was a call from Anthony.


    Francesca answered the phone immediately. ¡°Anthony!¡±


    ¡°Francesca! Are you all right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to go and find you, but Ms. La confiscated my passport and forbade me from leaving. She


    told me that I wouldn''t be able to help much even if I went to you and that I would cause you trouble


    instead. I''m so worried about you, and I miss you so much.¡±


    ¡°Ms. La is right. You should just take care of the orphanage instead ofing here and messing


    things up.¡±


    ¡°Fine. I knew you would say that.¡± Anthony heaved a sigh and continued, ¡°I''m calling to tell you


    something.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Francesca asked casually.


    ¡°Mr. Lincoln has gone to Erihal. He wants to check Danrique out and make sure he''s a reliable man.


    So, let me ask you, are you really going to marry Danrique?¡±

 Chapter 1985

    Chapter 1985


    qFrancesca was speechless.


    Why did Mr. Lincoln go all the way to Erihal just to investigate Danrique at this point of time?


    However, she had to admit that she had forgotten all about Danrique recently, as she had been


    preupied with Candice and Chrono''s matters.


    ¡°Francesca? Francesca...¡± Anthony called her name twice and continued, ¡°I''m not trying to interfere


    with your decision, but I want to remind you to think it through. Did you see the news recently?¡±


    ¡°What news?¡± asked Francesca.


    Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    ¡°International news. Mostly Erihal''s local news, of course. Various media tforms have been


    spreading the news about Danrique, and I suppose you will hear about it in Zarain. You should check it


    out,¡± reminded Anthony.


    ¡°Danrique''s made the headlines?¡±


    Francesca hurriedly went to grab her tablet. She seldom used electronic products, as she disliked


    using them, but sometimes she didn''t really have a choice.


    As she switched on the tablet to look up news about Danrique, she mumbled to herself, ¡°Did Danrique


    publicize our marriage to the media? How could he do that? I haven''t even agreed to it yet.¡±


    The moment she finished her sentence, she froze.


    Danrique was indeed all over the news and headlines, but it was not because he made their marriage


    public. Instead, he was all over the news because of his love affair with Hazel.


    The news articles described everything vividly. Furthermore, there were even ambiguous photos taken


    of the duo.


    There were photos of the two of them attending a banquet. In one of the photos, Hazel was holding


    Danrique''s arm and looking up at him lovingly.


    Besides, there were photos of them having dinner together. Danrique even gave her a ride.


    As if those weren''t outrageous enough, there was even one photo of them sitting intimately beside a


    fountain. Perhaps because Hazel had gotten her shirt wet, Danrique had taken off his jacket and was


    draping it over her shoulder.


    In all those photos, only Danrique''s side profile or back was seen, and the image was blurry. However,


    Hazel''s face was clear.


    The news spread like wildfire, and almost everyone knew about it. Besides, the media even propagated


    them as childhood sweethearts who had grown up together and even disseminated the idea that they


    were about to get married soon.


    To make things worse, some self-media wrote romance fictions with Danrique and Hazel as the main


    characters. Along with the photos that portrayed them as a match made in heaven, a lot ofizens


    were envious of their rtionship.


    Currently, almost everyone around the globe was giving the couple their blessings.


    As Francesca read the news, she felt like her brain was about to explode out of fury. A surge of burning


    anger rushed up her head, causing her to lose her mind.


    How dare you, Danrique Lindberg? He was so loving and affectionate to me before we parted, but only


    a few days after I left, he began hooking up with another woman? Before this, he lookedpletely


    uninterested in Hazel when I was around. Was that all an act?


    Anthony could sense Francesca''s fury even though he was on the other end of the line, and he


    questioned cautiously, ¡°Francesca... Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I''m okay. Why wouldn''t I be okay? I didn''t agree to marry him, after all. Thank god I didn''t marry


    him.¡± She spoke through gritted teeth and hoped she could fly to Xendale right now and snap


    Danrique''s neck.


    ¡°Yeah, you''re lucky you didn''t marry him. It''s still not toote for you to get out of this mess. All in all,


    you can''t be with a man like him. I''ve already seen thising since a long time ago. A man who has a


    noble status and an honorable identity like him will never be loyal to only one woman. I''ve seen things


    like this happen way too many times before. Once you''ve recovered, Ms. La and I will go pick you


    up in H City, and when the timees, you must cut all ties with that Danrique guy. Oh, and another


    thing, you must stay put within the Lindberg family''s protection. Ms. La told me that the crazy guy


    would be observing you secretly, so it''d be dangerous if you were all alone. Hello? Francesca? Hello?¡±


    Before Anthony could finish his words, Francesca hung up on him and called Danrique.


    The phone rang for a long time, but no one picked up.


    Francesca called again but to no avail. After three attempts, she boiled with rage.

 Chapter 1986

    Chapter 1986


    qFrancesca paced about in the house. She was so furious that she nearly broke her phone.


    Half an hourter, Danrique had not called her back. Soon, another hour passed, but she still had not


    received his call.


    She kept her gaze on the phone, turned on the notification, and continued to wait for his call.


    A few hours had passed, but there was still no iing call on her phone.


    Francesca was on the brink of losing her mind and was about to get Sean''s number from Sloan. Out of


    the blue, her phone rang, and it was Danrique.


    Seeing that, she epted the call without hesitation, ¡°Hello!¡±


    ¡°Yes? Anything?¡±


    His tone sounded cold and distant.


    His voice sparked a fire in Francesca. With that, she bellowed, ¡°Danrique, what do you mean?¡±


    Meanwhile, Danrique was signing some documents. Because of that, he ced his phone on the table


    and put Francesca on speaker. As she screamed on the other side of the phone, her ear-piercing voice


    almost hurt his eardrums. ¡°Why are you so angry? Who got on your nerves?¡±


    ¡°I saw the news! You bettere out with an exnation right now!¡±


    At that moment, Francesca wished for nothing more than to grab him by the neck to interrogate him.


    Her aggressive tone instantly irked Danrique. Aloofly, he replied, ¡°What''s with your attitude? Are you


    trying to interrogate me?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? Do I not have the right to question you?¡±


    While poking herputer screen, Francesca could not help but curse endlessly.


    ¡°You bast*rd! It was you who shamelessly said that you wanted to marry me. You were the one who


    pursued me persistently. I''ve only been gone for several days. How dare you have an affair with


    another woman while I was away?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by pursuing you persistently? Why do you make it sound like you''re reluctant?¡±


    Danrique could feel anger pouring through. He continued, ¡°It was you who took away my first kiss and


    climbed into my bed. You have also used two identities to approach me, took a bullet for me, and even


    neglected your own life to save mine!¡±


    ¡°Well, maybe I was blind! There, happy now?¡±


    N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    Francesca roared in fury and hung up the call directly.


    ¡°D*mn! How dare she hang up on me?¡± At that instant, Danrique was about to burst from rage.


    ¡°That bast*rd! How shameless, despicable, and reprehensible of him!¡±


    Gritted her teeth in anger, Francesca could feel a fresh swell of rage in her. Soon after, she identally


    saw one of the photos on the news. In that photo, Hazel was wearing the Moon River''s Heart.


    That ne was worth hundreds of millions.


    As a matter of fact, Danrique bought that ne for her. However, she tried to act all high and mighty


    by rejecting him. The fact that Danrique returned that ne back to the store right after she rejected


    it filled Francesca with immense regret.


    I thought he has returned the ne. Why is it on Hazel''s neck?


    As she read carefully, she saw the caption below the report that read: Danrique Lindberg Gifted ¡°Moon


    River''s Heart¡± To Hazel At The Ball And Put It On For Her...


    Reading that, Francesca got so furious and was about to lose her mind. Just then, Danrique called her


    again, and she picked up her phone.


    ¡°I call to tell you that you cannot hang up on me. It should be me...¡±


    ¡°Danrique! You shameless, despicable bast*rd! Go to hell!¡±


    After spewing some insults on the phone, Francesca hung up the call again.


    Hearing that, Danrique was utterly dumbfounded. D*mn! She hung up on me again! Not only that,


    everyone here overheard how she yelled at me!


    In the room, Sean broke out into cold sweat, and the other subordinates were also shivering in fear.


    Meanwhile, sitting on the sofa, Kevin could barely believe what he had just heard. It was his first time


    seeing Danrique getting scolded by someone. What surprised him the most was that he did not even


    stand a chance to retort.


    The arrogant Harrier, too, felt deeply unsettled by the conversation earlier. He then ran his hand over


    his nose awkwardly and walked out carefully.

 Chapter 1987

    Chapter 1987


    qSeething in rage, Danrique grabbed his phone to call Francesca again.


    However, his call were being rejected straightaway.


    He continued calling her, but the call was rejected again.


    Danrique tried again, only to discover that her phone had been turned off.


    That d*mned woman.


    As anger spread through him, he threw his phone against the wall. With that, the phone smashed onto


    the floor and shattered upon that impact.


    Seeing that, the bodyguards in the house dared not breathe loudly.


    ¡°Danrique, since you''re busy today, I think I shall make a move. Goodbye,¡± Kevin said fearfully.


    With that said, he scurried out of the room, afraid of getting beaten up if he was not fast enough.


    Meanwhile, the bodyguards in the room became anxious. They kept their heads low, not daring to


    breathe loudly.


    Sean then summoned up his courage, approached him, andforted, ¡°Mr. Lindberg, calm down. I


    think Ms. Felch is probably jealous after reading the news. That''s why she...¡±


    ¡°So it''s okay for her to point a finger at me andmand me? Is it right to hang up on me and insult


    me insolently because she''s jealous?¡± Danrique questioned furiously.


    Hearing that, Sean lowered his head and kept mum.


    I''m innocent. It wasn''t me who scolded you and hung up on you. Why are youshing out at me? I dare


    you to scold Ms. Felch instead.


    ¡°What more, she was the one who rejected my call and ignored my texts first! Why can''t she call me


    when she can contact her ex-boyfriend earlier? I can''t believe that she turned around and med me


    instead,¡± Danrique bellowed in exasperation.


    Danrique knew all about that because he had previously instructed Kerrie to report her every moves to


    him, including the people whom she had contacted.


    Knowing that Francesca called him after talking on the phone with Anthony, Danrique could feel a wave


    of fury crash through him.


    ¡°Yes, you''re right. Don''t be angry,¡± Sean continued gingerly, ¡°There must be a misunderstanding.


    Maybe Ms. Felch was...¡±


    ¡°What? What are you trying to say?¡± Danrique refused to take Sean''s advice. He roared, ¡°The truth is


    that she still has feelings for her ex. Hence, she''s trying to find fault with me so that she can break up


    with me!¡±


    Danrique was about to explode with rage as soon as he uttered thest sentence. ¡°Yes. I must be right.


    She wants to break up with me!¡±


    He gritted his teeth in anger. ¡°So she wants to run away? No way!¡±


    Shortly after, he instructed, ¡°Go and order someone to watch after her. Do not let her go anywhere. I''ll


    fly to H City tomorrow and see what is she up to!¡±


    It drove him so mad that he flipped the coffee table.


    ¡°Got it. I''ll convey your instruction ordingly.¡±


    Grabbing the opportunity, Sean made a phone call and fled the scene immediately.


    Meanwhile, Danrique was still in a fit of rage. As he stayed in the study room, he radiated an eerie


    sense of aloofness.


    Noticing that, all the others outside the room were too frightened to go near him.


    Subsequently, Sean called Sloan to ask about the situation on the other side.


    Sloan responded anxiously, ¡°Ms. Felch hit the ceiling and threw away theptop and her phone into the


    swimming pool from upstairs. I''m asking someone to get them out of the pool now.¡±


    ¡°It seems like both of them are angry at each other. It''s impossible for anyone of them to surrender yet.


    Well, there''s nothing we can do. Let''s be careful for the moment,¡± Sean said helplessly.


    ¡°What happened, Sean? Why are they quarreling? They were still very much in love with each other a


    few days ago before their separation,¡± Sloan asked in puzzlement.


    ¡°I think Ms. Felch must have read the news and confronted Mr. Lindberg about it. At the same time, it


    seems like Mr. Lindberg has some misunderstanding about her too. That''s why they''re fighting with


    each other.¡±


    Sean continued his exnation, ¡°We shouldn''t interfere in this. Right now, you just have to remember


    to protect her well and ensure her safety. Do not let her run away, okay?¡±


    N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    ¡°Noted.¡± Sloan nodded vigorously.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg mentioned that he will fly to H City tomorrow. I don''t know whether he''s serious about it or


    not. After all, there are still many pending works for him to settle here. Given the circumstances, there


    was no way for Mr. Lindberg to leave. However, he might be hot-headed to want to go there as well.


    Whatever it is, you must keep an eye on Ms. Felch. Do not mess this up. I''ll contact Gordon to ask


    about his situation there now.¡±


    ¡°Okay, got it!¡±

 Chapter 1988

    Chapter 1988


    qFrancesca was boiling with fury, and she felt like hurling the things in sight. However, everything was


    expensive, and she could only put them back on the shelves.


    I have to calm down.


    She paced back and forth in the room and reminded herself to stay calm andposed. To be furious


    would be to punish herself for someone else''s mistakes.


    N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    However, she could not get the image of the photos of Danrique and Hazel getting intimate out of her


    mind. She grew more and more furious by the second.


    Francesca so wished she could fly back immediately and tear Danrique into a million pieces.


    ¡°Ms. Felch, please calm down,¡± Kerrie articted carefully. ¡°There has surely been a


    misunderstanding. Mr. Lindberg is a very loyal man. Besides, he likes you a lot. I doubt that he will


    have a change of heart...¡±


    ¡°Don''t try and talk him out of this. The truth is right in front of us,¡± Francesca bellowed. ¡°Besides, when I


    called to ask just now, he did not deny it and even threw a tantrum at me...¡±


    ¡°I...¡± Kerrie did not utter another word. After all, she dared not badmouth Danrique, and she knew


    nothing about the love and hate affair between a man and a woman.


    ¡°Ms. Felch, don''t get all worked up. Mr. Lindberg ising here in just a few days. You guys could talk


    it out by then,¡± Sloan also chimed in.


    ¡°What is heing here for?¡± Francesca was even more furious after listening to Sloan. ¡°Is he here to


    show off how lovey-dovey he is with Hazel? Or is he here to quarrel with me for hanging up on him?¡±


    Sloan was rendered speechless.


    ¡°All right, both of you may leave now.¡± Francesca did not wish to take out her frustration on them and


    said, ¡°Let me be alone for a moment!¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Kerrie mumbled as she scurried out of the room, afraid of being the victim of her anger.


    ¡°Ms. Felch, don''t be angry. I believe that Mr. Lindberg is not that kind of man. Let me go and find out


    more from others so that I can report to you,¡± Sloan said.


    He seemed to still care about Francesca. He turned around to look for more information after he was


    done.


    Francesca drank multiple bottles of water, but it still did not manage to calm her down. Shey on the


    sofa and cursed at Danrique.


    She would give anything to break things off with Danrique for good right then.


    Then, she got up to pack her things as she got ready to leave.


    However, just after she opened the door, she was greeted by the sight of two bodyguards guarding her


    door. They immediately lowered their heads and greeted her, ¡°Ms. Felch!¡±


    They hurriedly trailed behind Francesca when they noticed that she was heading out, and they followed


    her wherever she went.


    As soon as she quickened her pace, they followed up swiftly and quickened their pace in sync.


    Just when she was about to step out of the vi, the two bodyguards stopped her in her tracks. The


    other bodyguard guarding the vi entrance stopped her as well. ¡° Sorry, Ms. Felch. Mr. Lindberg has


    ordered to not let you step out of the vi before he''s here.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Francesca asked with furrowed brows.


    ¡°It''s dangerous out there. Mr. Lindberg is only looking out for your safety,¡± the bodyguard exined.


    ¡°What if I insist?¡± Francesca was getting irritated. ¡°Do you guys think you could stop me?¡±


    ¡°Um...¡±


    The bodyguards were flustered. After all, they had all witnessed Francesca''s seemingly magical


    prowess. Even though she might not seem like a threat, ordinary people were no match for her


    extraordinary skills.


    Besides, she was the futuredy of the house. Hence, they dared not offend her.


    ¡°What''s the matter?¡±


    Sloan rushed over right then.


    The bodyguards reported the situation in hand to him right away.


    Sloan immediately coaxed her, ¡°Ms. Felch, it is really not advisable for you to go out right now. What do


    we do if anything happens to you?¡±


    His words led Francesca to think about La''s warning. She told me not to get out of the Lindberg


    residence, at least not out of their protection anyway. Otherwise, it''s going to be very dangerous if


    Chrono manages to locate me...


    Even though she felt indignant, she knew better than to risk her own safety. In the end, she relented


    and said in a huff, ¡°Forget it. I don''t want to put you guys in a difficult position.¡±


    Then, she headed back inside.


    Just when she was back in her room, Sloan presented Francesca with a new phone as he said in a


    small voice, ¡°I''ve installed the SIM card for you. Please do not get angry anymore. I''ve asked around,


    and it seems like the rumors are spread by the Atkinson family. Mr. Lindberg is really mad as well.


    Please believe in Mr. Lindberg. I''ve been working with him for many years, and I could say with


    certainty that he is not a disloyal man...¡±

 Chapter 1989

    Chapter 1989


    qFrancesca finally calmed down at Sloan''s sincere demeanor.


    On second thought, Francesca realized that Sloan had a point. Danrique was a stubborn and hard-


    headed man. One woman was more than he could handle. Hence, why would he trouble himself to


    look for another one?


    Could there really be a misunderstanding?


    However, it was most likely true that he gifted Hazel Moon River''s Heart.


    Francesca fidgeted uneasily at the thought.


    She then decided it was not a good time to be throwing a tantrum. I''d better wait for Gordon to bring Dr.


    Felch down from the mountain and undergo the surgery first.


    Feeling a weight lifted off her chest, shey on the bedfortably.


    Even though Sloan had put a SIM card in her phone, she did not turn on her phone.


    Is he going to call me if I turn on my phone now? He is a man with few words, but he''s oddly good at


    arguing, the type to never concede defeat.


    Then, she set her phone aside and decided to just leave it as it was.


    However, she was afraid that La might not be able to contact her and would be worried.


    Hence, she turned on her phone in the end.


    She was even thinking that if Danrique were to call, she would block his phone number so that he


    wouldn''t be able to bother her.


    Nheless, hours passed by, and still, he did not call. There was not a single text from him either.


    To her surprise, La was the one who called.


    Francesca hurriedly answered it. ¡°Ms. La!¡±


    ¡°Are you all right? You did not leave the Lindberg residence, right?¡± La asked anxiously.


    ¡°Yes, I''m still here,¡± Francesca smiled bitterly. ¡°How did you know that Anthony called me?¡±


    ¡°That brat needs to be taught a lesson,¡± she chided. ¡°I''ve asked him to not tell you, but obviously he


    had paid no heed to my words and gone on to tell you. Francesca, if you truly like Danrique and want to


    be together with him, you have to be mentally prepared for more of such gossip to surface in the future.


    Even if he is a loyal man, women will just flock to him and causing rumors to fly around. They''re just


    trying their luck with him. You have to toughen up and be prepared for what maye. Don''t simply


    throw your tantrums at him without substantial evidence.¡±


    ¡°I finally understand the reason you were so against me dating him,¡± Francescamented.


    La was a wise woman, and she had weathered many storms to be able to see things from a clear


    perspective.


    ¡°Francesca, you are smart, but youck experience in life.¡±


    La then continued in a solemn tone, ¡°Lincoln and I will help you out in this. Your priority right now


    should be to prepare and focus on your uing treatment. Don''t dy your ns because of


    anyone. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Francesca nodded. ¡°Thank you, Ms. La. Also, do convey my gratitude to Mr. Lincoln


    as well.¡±


    She had lost her parents when she was a child. Dr. Felch had raised her and taught her basic skills to


    survive. However, she knew little about everything else.


    Francesca was a smart girl and had innate talent. However, she was young, and her life was just


    starting; hence, shecked experience in a lot of things.


    She was grateful that she had someone like Lincoln and La to guide her along the way.


    Without them, she would not have been able to survive.


    ¡°You silly girl. We are a family. Why are you saying thanks? Do remember my words and focus on your


    uing surgery. Do you understand?¡± La repeated.


    ¡°Yes, I understand,¡± Francesca replied seriously.


    ¡°The surgery has to be carried out as soon as possible. You can''t dy it any longer. If the Lindbergs


    have not yet found Dr. Felch, why don''t you just be upfront with them? I''m sure that he will forgive you if


    you apologize sincerely.¡±


    ¡°I think they''re going to be able to locate him soon. I''ll ask aroundter.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    Francesca was following up closely on the matter as well. The thing was, Dr. Felch was unwilling to get


    off the mountain, and Gordon''s hard-headed attitude had scared him off.

 Chapter 1990

    Chapter 1990


    qAfter ending the call, Francesca looked for Sloan and asked about Gordon''s progress.


    N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    Sloan told Francesca that he was about to report to her that Gordon had already found Dr. Felch.


    However, Dr. Felch refused to leave the mountain. Now, Gordon was trying his best to persuade him.


    After Francesca heard that, she felt both excited and uneasy.


    They found Dr. Felch. Will hee down from the mountain? What if Gordon reveals my identity by


    mistake?


    Upon that thought, Francesca hurriedly asked Sloan to call Gordon. She wanted to remind him


    personally.


    So, Sloan quickly called Gordon on his phone.


    It took a while for the call to be connected. ¡°Hello!¡±


    ¡°Gordon, Ms. Felch wants to have a word with you.¡±


    Then, Sloan handed his phone over to Francesca.


    Gordon greeted her, ¡°Ms. Fel¡ª¡± However, Francesca cut him off and said, ¡°Is there anyone beside


    you?¡±


    ¡°I''m at Dr. Felch''s house now,¡± he responded.


    ¡°Go to the backyard. Don''t let anyone hear you,¡± Francesca said immediately.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Gordon went to the backyard with his phone. ¡°Ms. Felch, there''s no one around now. Please go


    ahead.¡±


    Francesca asked reluctantly, ¡°So, you saw Dr. Felch?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Gordon reported. He continued, ¡°I''m trying my utmost to persuade him to leave the mountain.


    However, Dr. Felch is adamant about staying put. Also, he said that he hadn''t performed an operation


    in many years, so I should look for someone else.¡±


    ¡°Did you tell him about my identity?¡±


    Again, Francesca cut him off and asked anxiously.


    ¡°I only told him the patient is Mr. Lindberg''s fianc¨¦e. As per your instruction, I told him about your


    condition and age. And that there''s no medical record. I didn''t tell him anything else other than these.¡±


    Gordon became vignt and nced at the cabin.


    ¡°Did you tell him my name?¡± Francesca asked.


    ¡°No.¡± Gordon shook his head.


    ¡°That''s great.¡± Francesca breathed a sigh of relief and reminded him, ¡°When you call next time, don''t


    refer to me as Ms. Felch. Just say, Ms. Cece. All right?¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Gordon nodded. ¡°Previously, I only called you when I was inside the car. I don''t think Dr.


    Felch knows that you both share the same surname.¡±


    ¡°That''s great to know. Well done.¡± Finally, Francesca felt at ease. Then, she reminded him, ¡°All right.


    Go and persuade him again. Don''t negotiate with him but tell him saving a life is of boundless


    beneficence. And that Ms. Cece got injured while she was saving someone else. She''s only twenty-one


    years old. She''s so young. It''s a shame for her to lose her life just like that. Ask him to show her mercy.¡±


    ¡°Um, is that what I should say?¡±


    Although Gordon was only a subordinate, he only followed orders from Danrique. He was only polite to


    others but never submitted to anyone other than Danrique.


    Now that he needed to beg an elderly that humbly, he felt slightly ufortable. Besides, he was


    hesitant to describe his futuredy of the house so pathetically.


    ¡°Also, you have to be more respectful to Dr. Felch than to Danrique,¡± Francesca emphasized solemnly.


    ¡°Think of him as Danrique''s father. Now, do you know how to deal with him?¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡± Gordon was dumbfounded.


    ¡°What? Just do as I say!¡±


    Francesca ordered domineeringly.


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Since it was an order, Gordon didn''t dare to go against it. Before he left, Danrique told him to treat


    Francesca like his boss. Also, he had to listen to her instruction as long as it didn''t cause conflict for


    him.


    ¡°I''ll be waiting for your good news!¡±


    With that, Francesca hung up the phone.


    Gordon walked back into the cabin with his phone in his hand. He behaved like apletely different


    person from before. Previously, Gordon negotiated with an insistent attitude. But now, he acted


    respectfully and bowed ny degrees to Dr. Felch.


    He said, ¡°Dr. Felch, I''m sorry for my impertinence. I am here to apologize to you. Mydy of the house


    had just given me a good round of scolding. She''s a doctor too. She got injured while saving someone.


    However, doctors can''t heal themselves.¡±


    After half an hour, Francesca received a call from Gordon.


    Gordon sounded ecstatic on the other end of the phone. ¡°Dr. Felch had agreed. Finally! We''re leaving


    the mountain tomorrow afternoon!¡±


    ¡°That''s great!¡±

 Chapter 1991

    Chapter 1991


    qGordon delivered the good news to Sean and sighed in amazement. ¡°Ms. Felch is amazing. She


    taught me how to persuade Dr. Felch, and it worked instantly.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Sean asked curiously. ¡°What did she say?¡±


    Then, Gordon told Sean everything that had happened. Halfway through, he paused and realized


    something.


    He said, ¡°Wait. How does Ms. Felch know that Dr. Felch has a backyard in his house? She told me to


    go to the backyard to speak to her on the phone. Besides, she seemed to know Dr. Felch very well


    from her words.¡±


    ¡°She doesn''t just know him but respects him,¡± Sean said analytically. ¡°Seems like they had known each


    other from before. But, if they knew each other, why didn''t Ms. Felch say so? We are doing this to save


    her life.¡±


    ¡°I know, right?¡± Gordon was confused. ¡°Now that I think of it, when we had just arrived at H City, and


    while I was on my way to find Dr. Felch, Ms. Felch reminded me that a genius doctor like Dr. Felch


    usually lives in seclusion in the mountains. I didn''t think much of it and searched the mountains just like


    she said back then. Soon, I found him.¡±


    ¡°Well, this means Ms. Felch''s reminder was of use.¡± Sean quickly concluded. ¡°It seems like Ms. Felch


    does know Dr. Felch. Maybe they have a special rtionship, and she doesn''t want others to know


    about it.¡±


    ¡°Yup, yup. That''s right.¡± Gordon nodded vigorously. He continued, ¡°Ms. Felch reminded me repeatedly


    not to let Dr. Felch find out about her identity. And that I can''t even mention her name. But, Dr. Felch is


    going to treat her soon. How is she supposed to hide this?¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry about that. Ms. Felch will give you the instructions.¡± Sean smiled. ¡°Since she''s so worried


    about that, she''ll naturally find a way. You only need to cooperate with her.¡±


    ¡°Mmm. That''s true.¡± Gordon eximed, ¡°You''re more meticulous than I am. No wonder Mr. Lindberg


    prefers to have you than by his side.¡±


    ¡°Haha! Don''t be sarcastic.¡± Seanughed.


    By the way, when will Mr. Lindberg being?¡± Gordon asked impatiently. ¡°I heard from Sloan that Ms.


    Felch was feeling restless for the past two days. She was emotionally stable too.¡±


    ¡°The two of them still haven''t reconciled after their fight,¡± Sean said. ¡°But now that you have


    sessfully persuaded Dr. Felch, he''ll be there soon. Although Mr. Lindberg is mad at Ms. Felch, he''s


    still concerned about her.¡±


    ¡°Well, then you should go and report to him now. I''ll arrange for a private jet.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    After Sean hung up the phone, he went straight to find Danrique to report the situation in detail.


    ¡°Arrange for a private jet now. I''m leaving for H City,¡± Danrique immediately ordered after he heard


    about the situation.


    ¡°Now?¡± Sean swiftly reminded, ¡°Sir, have you forgotten that Mr. President is visiting thepany this


    afternoon for an inspection? The three great families, as well as Donald, went there early to do the


    preparations.¡±


    ¡°I totally forgot about it.¡±


    Danrique nced at his watch, and it showed nine-thirty in the morning. He was handling some work at


    home that day, so he wasn''t in a hurry to go to thepany.


    ¡°What time is the conference in the afternoon?¡±


    ¡°Three o''clock.¡± Sean continued, ¡°It''s estimated to end a little past four. Then, it''ll take around forty


    minutes for us to travel to the airport from thepany. Should I arrange for a private jet at six thirty?¡±


    Danrique frowned. ¡°That means I have to wait for another seven hours.¡±


    ¡°Previously, you were absent when Frank went to inspect thepany. In the end, it caused a series of


    incidents. This time, Mr. President ising. Mr. Lindberg, you can''t be absent again.¡±


    Sean reassured Danrique, ¡°It''ll take some time for Gordon to escort Dr. Felch to H City. Also, the


    hospital needs time to make arrangements for the surgery. We should be able to reach there in time.¡±


    ¡°All right. Try to shorten the time as much as possible,¡± Danrique ordered. ¡°Tell Gordon to prepare


    everything first, but wait for me to arrive before they proceed with the surgery.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Then, Sean hurriedly reminded Gordon what to do and proceeded to arrange for a


    private jet for that evening.

 Chapter 1992

    Chapter 1992


    qMeanwhile, it was midnight at H City.


    Francesca had been tossing and turning all night after she knew that Gordon was going to escort Dr.


    Felch to H City at daybreak.


    The thought of meeting her master again made Francesca both excited and nervous. After all, she


    hadn''t met him for more than five years. So, she was curious as to how he was doing.


    Francesca thought of her rebelliousness and stubbornness back then, which broke her master''s heart.


    Therefore, she felt nervous and wasn''t sure how he would react when he saw her. And if he would


    punish her or walk away as soon as he saw her.


    Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    At the thought of that, Francesca couldn''t help but feel restless.


    As Francesca got lost in her thoughts, her phone buzzed suddenly. She looked at her phone and saw


    the notification that she had just received a few texts from an unknown number. Francesca was paled


    with shock as soon as she saw the text.


    Attached to the text was a video of an explosion that happened at an orphanage. In the video, the


    orphanage was in a mess, and many staff members and children were injured. The children stood


    barefoot on the field while crying in fear.


    All three consecutive texts were regarding the orphanage in S Nation an hour ago.


    Francesca dialed La''s number promptly. However, to her dismay, La was unreachable. Then, she


    dialed Lincoln''s number, but the line was busy. So, she had no choice but to call Anthony. After a long


    while, the phone finally got connected.


    ¡°Yes, Francesca.¡±


    ¡°Anthony, what happened to the orphanage?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, how did you know something happened to the orphanage?¡± Anthony blurted out. Then, he


    immediately changed his words after realizing he had said something he shouldn''t have. ¡°It''s nothing.


    Nothing worth mentioning. Don''t worry about it.¡±


    ¡°There was an explosion! So many people got injured, but you''re telling me it''s nothing worth


    mentioning?¡± Francesca was furious. ¡°Tell me the truth now.¡±


    ¡°I-¡± Anthony was flustered. ¡°How did you know about the explosion? Who told you that?¡±


    ¡°I saw the video.¡± Francesca panicked. ¡°So, something happened to orphanage 001, orphanage 002,


    and orphanage 003?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Anthony saw no point in keeping Francesca in the dark since she could even tell the numbers of the


    orphanages where the explosion happened. Since he couldn''t hide it any longer, he decided to tell the


    truth.


    ¡°An explosion happened at these three orphanages again tonight. Some employees and children got


    injured. They were all sent to the hospital. So, you shouldn''t worry too much.¡±


    ¡°Again?¡± Francesca got caught off guard by this word. ¡°You mean there was an explosion before this?¡±


    ¡°Um...¡±


    ¡°Stop stuttering. Just spill it out.¡± Francesca roared furiously.


    ¡°Well, an explosion happened a few days ago. But only a few social workers got injured. The children


    were unscathed. However, this time round-¡±


    Anthony paused for a moment before he whispered, ¡°From these three orphanages, seven children got


    injured while one of them was in a rather serious condition. Ms. La is at the hospital now.¡±


    ¡°How could this be?¡± Francesca sounded emotional. ¡°Why didn''t you tell me something bad


    happened?¡±


    ¡°Ms. La and Mr. Lincoln stopped me from telling you. They said it must be Chrono''s doing and that


    his motive is to stop us from interfering in your affairs. So, we all stayed in S Nation and dared not


    leave. Only Mr. Lincoln went to M Nation but came back the next day. We thought the nutcase wouldn''t


    cause any trouble to the orphanage again. However, tonight-¡±


    While Anthony was exining, Francesca''s phone received another call. It was an unknown number.


    ¡°Just a moment, Anthony.¡± Francesca stopped him.


    Then, she connected the call to the unknown number. ¡°Hello!¡±


    ¡°The Lindberg family can protect you. But can they protect your orphanage?¡±


    Chrono''s voice came through the phone with a tinge of eerie chill.


    ¡°You lunatic!¡± Francesca roared emotionally. ¡°The children are innocent. How can you do this to them?¡±


    ¡°You''re right. The children are innocent,¡± Chrono said nonchntly. ¡°And so is Candice. She wouldn''t


    have died if it weren''t for you!¡±

 Chapter 1993

    Chapter 1993


    q¡°What exactly do you want?¡±


    Knowing that she wouldn''t be able to talk sense into him, Francesca asked Chrono frankly about his


    purpose.


    ¡°I told you, I want you to pay for Candice''s death!¡±


    Chrono enunciated every single word clearly with murderous intent.


    ¡°The police are ipetent. There are several hidden bombs in the orphanage, but they have not


    found them. I can''t guarantee there won''t be another explosion if I''m in a bad mood. By then, it will not


    just be another few kids getting injured.¡±


    ¡°You are crazy! You lunatic!¡±


    Francesca yelled agitatedly and almost jumped out the bed.


    ¡°It''s all thanks to you.¡± Chrono remained unfazed. ¡°I wouldn''t turn out this way if Candice were alive.


    She must be so lonely in heaven all by herself. I''m sure she wants some children to apany her.


    Also, not to forget, a good friend like you.¡±


    ¡°You-¡±


    ¡°Come meet me now. Otherwise, I can''t guarantee what will happen next. Remember toe alone


    and not to bring anyone with you. I''ll kill a child if you bring one person with you.¡±


    Chrono finished his sentence calmly and hung up the phone.


    Mixed feelings stirred within Francesca as she listened to the disconnect tone.


    She knew Chrono would do anything to avenge Candice. He was capable of causing an explosion at


    the orphanages in S Nation even though he was at H City. It was evident that he had an aplice


    and that they hade prepared.


    Francesca was worried about the safety of the children at the orphanage if she didn''tpromise.


    However, she would be in danger once she left the vi, away from the protection of the Lindberg


    family.


    But now, the safety of the children at the orphanage clouded her mind.


    At the thought of that, Francesca immediately changed her clothes and jumped out of the balcony.


    After Chrono revealed his whereabouts and caused the police to track him down previously, he had not


    appeared nearby.


    Nheless, Sloan and the other bodyguards were still very cautious. However, since Gordon was


    going to escort Dr. Felch down the mountain today, Sloan sent a few people to the hospital to prepare


    for the operation. Therefore, the vi was understaffed.


    N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    Although she did not have other extraordinary skills, Francesca was exceptional in climbing over the


    wall. Soon, she escaped the bodyguard''s vision and slipped out of the vi.


    After she ran a kilometer away from the vi, she screened through her surroundings. However,


    Chrono was nowhere in sight. Then, she realized he had told her to meet him but didn''t tell her where.


    Francesca was uncertain where to go next.


    Just then, her phone vibrated. She thought it was from Chrono, so she immediately picked up the


    phone. ¡°Hello!¡±


    ¡°It''s me, Francesca.¡± La''s voice rang out from the phone with a hint of urgency. She continued, ¡°Are


    you all right? Did you stay put at the vi?¡±


    ¡°I-¡± Francesca didn''t want to lie to La, but she also didn''t want to get scolded by thetter. Thus, she


    changed the topic. ¡°Ms. La, something happened to the orphanage, right? How are the children


    doing?¡±


    ¡°Lacy from orphanage 003 is seriously injured. She''s still in the emergency room now. The rest of the


    children are doing fine.¡±


    La went straight to the point. ¡°It must be Anthony who told you about this, right? He really can''t keep


    a secret.¡±


    ¡°You should tell me everything. Or else, I''ll be worried.¡±


    ¡°Listen to me, Francesca. Chrono did all of this to take revenge on you. Do not ever be fooled by him.


    Never leave the protection of the Lindberg family.¡±


    ¡°Ms. La, I-¡±


    Before Francesca could finish her sentence, a gunshot suddenly sounded, directly hitting her phone.


    Francesca''s ears went numb from the sound of the gunshot, and her right hand''s purlicue was grazed


    by the bullet. Then, blood started dripping down the floor.


    Reflexively, she looked in the direction in which the gunshot came. At a distance, she could see a car.


    The person sitting inside was Chrono.


    He was like a wolf in the dark as he shot her with a piercing re.


    There was a gun in his hand. Then, he motioned condescendingly for Francesca to get into his car.

 Chapter 1994

    Chapter 1994


    qFrancesca knew that it was toote. Unless she and Chrono came to a mutual understanding, or


    either one of them died, there was no way to end his vengeance.


    It was either that or the children in the orphanage would be living in danger...


    Besides that, La and Lincoln would also be affected.


    Thus, she had to put on a brave front right now.


    Thinking of all that, Francesca went over to the car.


    ¡°You really aren''t afraid of death, are you?¡±


    Chrono took a nce at her. He started his car and started moving forward.


    N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    ¡°I don''t want to die, and I can''t let you hurt those children.¡± Francesca was extremely calm. ¡°If you want


    to vent your anger, take it out on me. Don''t go after them.¡±


    ¡°Haha. You really are a saint.¡± Chronoughed. ¡°I''m curious. Why do you want to get involved with the


    orphanage?¡±


    ¡°Because I was an orphan myself. I want to do something for those children who don''t have parents,¡±


    Francesca answered simply. ¡°That''s it.¡±


    ¡°Those words sound familiar.¡± Chronoughed mockingly. ¡°My adoptive father once said that to us too.


    However, he ended up training all of us into killers to do his bidding! None of us will ever escape him for


    the rest of our lives...¡±


    Hearing that, Francesca''s heart couldn''t help but shudder. She never realized that Chrono was forced


    to be a killer. He wanted to retire with Candice but the organization went after him.


    ¡°Of all the orphanages I''ve seen, none of them were truly doing good,¡± Chrono said tly. ¡°They were


    either raising criminals or selling organs...¡±


    ¡°Mine aren''t.¡± Francesca felt defensive.


    ¡°It doesn''t matter. I''m not some do-gooder. I have no interest in knowing whether your orphanage has


    issues or not,¡± Chrono replied. ¡°I just want to take revenge for Candice.¡±


    ¡°If revenge is what you want, thene at me.¡± Francesca red at him. ¡°Those children are as


    innocent as Candice. You shouldn''t do anything to them.¡±


    ¡°How dare you say her name?¡± Hearing her name, Chrono''s eyes turned fierce. ¡°If it wasn''t for you,


    nothing would have happened to her.¡±


    ¡°Even without me, the tragedy would have still happened.¡± Francesca knew that that would trigger him,


    but she said it anyway. ¡°You already have so many enemies. Perhaps you can escape them now, but


    how long can you run for?¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Chrono shouted in rage. ¡°You are the one who dragged her down. Do you call yourself a


    doctor? You said you could save her, but what happened in the end?¡±


    ¡°The bullet was never meant to be deathly. Logically, I could have saved her.¡± Recalling the incident,


    Francesca''s heart still ached. ¡°I never expected that Candice had a heart problem. She might have had


    heart surgery before that. After she got shot, her heart stopped beating. That was why...¡±


    ¡°You''re just looking for excuses,¡± Chrono growled. ¡°Candice had never gone through any surgery. She


    didn''t...¡±


    Halfway through his sentence, he paused as though he had recalled something. Yet, he didn''t seem too


    sure.


    ¡°Candice definitely has heart problems. I can''t be sure if she''s gone through surgery or not. When


    everything happened, time was of the essence. I didn''t have the time to look into it deeper. I wanted to


    check on her after that, but the police had already...¡±


    Francesca did not finish her sentence. She changed the subject and said, ¡°Either way, I am partly


    responsible for what happened. I feel very guilty. If you want to hate me, there''s nothing I can say.


    However, those children are innocent.¡±


    ¡°In that case, you should pay with your life.¡±


    Chrono grabbed the steering wheel as he spoke coldly.


    ¡°I am not afraid of death, but I still have a lot to do. Thus, I can''t die right now.¡± Francesca was still as


    composed as ever. ¡°In a few years, when I''m near death, I will go to Baykeep and pay respects to


    Candice. If you still want to kill me then, I won''t resist.¡±


    ¨¢nyway, she wasn''t going to live past the age of thirty. By that time, she could be buried together with


    Candice. Just as Chrono said, she could go to heaven and keep Candicepany...

 Chapter 1995

    Chapter 1995


    q¡°How ridiculous.¡± This all sounded likeplete nonsense to Chrono. ¡°Do you really think I will fall for


    such an absurd excuse?¡±


    ¡°You can''t kill me now,¡± Francesca responded. ¡°I suggest you stop being so deluded.¡±


    ¡°Is that right?¡±


    Chrono took a nce into his rear view mirror. There was a silver car following him from behind. He


    knew that that was someone from the Lindberg family.


    It seemed like he had long anticipated that. Hence, he remained calm. There was no sign of panic on


    his face.


    ¡°You think those few people are enough to save you from my grasp?¡± Chronoughed mockingly.


    ¡°Even if they catch up to me, I can still kill you first!¡±


    ¡°Seeing that you are Candice''s father, I am warning you to stop being stubborn and turn back while you


    can.¡±


    Francesca stared at him with a frown.


    ¡°Haha. You speak as though you are doing me a huge favor and sparing my life.¡± Chrono found it


    funny. ¡°Don''t forget that you are under my control now.¡±


    Francesca stared into the rear view mirror. Calmly, she said, ¡°You can''t escape!¡±


    Chrono ignored her. He stepped down on the gas pedal and charged ahead...


    Francesca grabbed onto the armrest to steady herself.


    In her heart, she couldn''t help but admire Chrono''s driving skills. His marksmanship was even better.


    Otherwise, his earlier shot wouldn''t have been as simple as just knocking her phone out of her hand


    and leaving her with only a scratch.


    A man like him was really dangerous.


    The car sped along the road toward the airport. Out of curiosity, Francesca asked, ¡°What are you going


    to do?¡±


    ¡°Taking you to Baykeep.¡± Chrono took another look at the rear view mirror. He said in a cool tone, ¡°I


    want to kill you in front of Candice''s grave. I will use your fresh blood tomemorate her.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure that''s what she would want?¡±


    Francesca speechless. Oh, no. Chrono has lost his mind...


    Chrono ignored her. He stubbornly felt that as long as he killed Francesca in front of Candice''s grave,


    that would be equivalent to serving justice on Candice''s behalf. That way, he would finallyplete his


    mission.


    No matter what anyone said or how they said it, nothing could shake his determination.


    Unfortunately, she couldn''t touch him then. Otherwise, the orphanage would have another explosion...


    Although her call with La earlier had gotten cut off, she should have heard gun sounds. La was


    sure to call her again. If her calls couldn''t get through, La would have known that something was


    wrong.


    Considering La''s professional instinct, she would immediately contact the Lindberg family first. At


    the same time, she would realize that Chrono had most likely used the orphanage to threaten


    Francesca...N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    Thus, Francesca just needed to give La a little more time. She was confident that thetter would


    find the bomb.


    The only thing Francesca had to do now was to deal with Chrono.


    The car continued forward to the airport. Behind them, Sloan and the other subordinates followed


    closely. However, their driving skills were iparable to Chrono''s. Thus, they just couldn''t catch up to


    him. In fact, the distance between them was getting further and further...


    Sloan immediately made a phone call to Squad One and told them to use another route to cut Chrono


    off. He also called Gordon to report the situation.


    However, Gordon''s phone was turned off. It was only then that Sloan recalled Gordon had just gotten


    on a ne at Phoenix City.


    Sloan decided to dial Sean''s number. However, it did not go through either.


    He was in a panic. Since there was no one to ask for help, he had no choice but to handle things


    himself. Hence, he prayed silently. Please don''t let anything happen to Ms. Felch. Otherwise, I''m


    doomed!


    Chrono went at full speed. It didn''t take long for the car to reach the airport. He yanked Francesca off


    the car and dragged her to the departure hall.


    ¡°I can''t get on the ne without any documentation.¡±


    Francesca was trying to find an excuse to stall time.


    Chrono ignored her. He dragged her into the male restroom. Some of the men inside got so shocked


    that they couldn''t pee.


    ¡°Get out!¡± Chrono roared.


    The men all ran out in fear. One of them wanted to go up to Chrono and argue. However, after seeing


    his fierce expression, the man''s face quickly turned to fear. Like the others, he ran out in a panic.


    Chrono kicked open one of the cubicle doors. He took a ziplock bag out of the tanks. Inside, it was the


    documentation for him and Francesca.

 Chapter 1996

    Chapter 1996


    q¡°I see you came prepared.¡±


    Francesca was shocked. Chrono had falsified her documents and hidden them in the airport. As soon


    as he caught her, he could take her back to Baykeep.


    ¡°Be good and listen to me. Otherwise, you know what will happen!¡± Chrono growled in a threatening


    tone.


    With that, he dragged her back out.


    Francesca did not dare to resist him. After all, she was not sure if the orphanage was safe yet.


    La and Lincoln were both trained in the secret service. They had an acute sense of observation.


    Despite that, Chrono managed to nt a bomb right under their noses. Obviously, Chrono and his


    gang were not going to be easy to deal with.


    Francesca had long heard that Chrono was part of Riz Corporation. The leader of it all, Darcel Nacht,


    ran a dark underworld that no one had been able to touch thus far.


    No one in this world posed any sort of threat to him.


    Thus, Francesca did not dare to act recklessly.


    Chrono guided Francesca through all the procedures. After passing through security, they headed to


    the boarding gate...


    Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    Francesca was very cooperative the entire time and she did not resist. Right before boarding the ne,


    she made an excuse and told him she needed to use the washroom. Actually, she wanted to borrow


    someone''s phone to call La.


    She needed to ascertain whether the orphanage was still in immediate danger.


    However, Chrono would not allow it. He squeezed her shoulder and said, ¡°We''re already boarding.


    There''s a washroom on the ne.¡±


    ¡°I need to go right now,¡± Francesca whined loudly. ¡°Would you prefer if I wet my pants?¡±


    When everyone around heard her, they turned to look over.


    Several airport employees also turned their attention toward Francesca and Chrono.


    Chrono frowned. He red at her and said in a low voice, ¡°What do you think you''re doing? Don''t y


    games with me.¡±


    ¡°I just want to use the washroom.¡±


    Francesca''s voice was loud so that she could purposely attract attention.


    ¡°Stop messing with me.¡±


    Chrono''s eyes were zing with fire. His patience was near zero.


    ¡°I will be done really soon. I promise it won''t take long.¡±


    Francesca looked ahead of her. The employees were already prepared to wee passengers on


    board. People with business ss tickets were beginning to line up.


    ¡°Enough with your nonsense!¡±


    Chrono dragged her over to check her boarding pass.


    They were first-ss passengers, so they didn''t need to queue.


    Everyone around them was staring at them. Even the airport employees found the situation strange.


    However, since the two of them had documentation, the employees didn''t ask any questions.


    Chrono and Francesca got their boarding passes checked. As they were walking along the path to the


    ne, a familiar voice sounded from behind. ¡°Ms. Felch!¡±


    Francesca turned her head back to look. Sloan was rushing over with two bodyguards...


    ¡°Sloan!¡±


    Francesca was pleasantly surprised. It was as though she had just seen her savior.


    Chrono immediately tugged at Francesca to get on the ne. She struggled as hard as she could.


    Sloan and the others also rushed up to stop him...


    Suddenly, Chrono took out a pistol from his sleeve and aimed it at Sloan.


    Francesca immediately shoved him, causing his bullet to miss.


    Regardless, the gun sound startled everyone around. All the other passengers were frightened and


    started to run. Some also called the police.


    Sloan went up with his man and started fighting against Chrono.


    Francesca took advantage of that time to escape. However, Chrono was no ordinary man. He had


    other weapons hidden on his body. It didn''t take him long to defeat Sloan and the bodyguards. Soon,


    he chased after Francesca to capture her again.


    Two airport security guards ran over. They shouted, ¡°Stop right there!¡±


    Unfortunately, they didn''t have any guns. The only weapon they carried was a stun baton.


    Chrono was unfazed. He kicked both the guards to the side. Then, he grabbed onto Francesca''s


    shoulder and roughly yanked her back toward him.


    Francesca''s shoulder was already injured. With his rough handling, she shouted out in pain.


    Sloan and the others came over to the rescue. However, Chrono pointed the gun at Francesca''s head.


    In a rage, he shouted, ¡°If you guyse any closer, I will kill her!¡±


    No one dared to go any closer...


    ¡°Calm down. What do you want? Tell us. We will give you anything. Don''t hurt Ms. Felch!¡± said Sloan


    anxiously.


    ¡°Back down, all of you!¡±


    Chrono didn''t want to waste his breath. He held Francesca in a chokehold and moved toward the


    ne.


    Sloan and the bodyguards slowly followed behind him. No one else dared to move.


    The airport employees were stupefied. Some people even called the police in secret. However, the


    police could not get there in time anyway.

 Chapter 1997

    Chapter 1997


    qChrono dragged Francesca onto the ne. All the other passengers were shocked and they


    screamed. Even the crew was pale from fear.


    ¡°Take off as scheduled. Hurry up!¡± Chrono shouted.


    ¡°Sir, if you keep this up, we won''t dare to take off,¡± stammered one of the sky marshals. ¡°The police will


    be here soon. You''d better...¡±


    Before the sky marshal could finish speaking, he was shocked by Chrono''s dark gaze.


    ¡°If you have some sort of personal issue to settle, why don''t you go down and deal with it?¡± suggested


    one of the passengers cautiously. ¡°Don''t drag us into this...¡±


    ¡°That''s right!¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Chrono shot the sky marshal in his thigh. ¡°Take off right now or I will kill you.¡±


    The sky marshal fell to the floor, screaming in pain.


    Everyone else was also screaming in fear.


    Immediately, the cabin was into chaos.


    The chief steward hurriedly ran off to notify the pilot. Hearing that, the pilot had no choice but to get


    ready for take-off.


    ¡°Don''t you feel bad for Candice when you''re taking all these innocent people''s lives?¡±


    Francesca stared at the injured sky marshal, then she took a look around at the frightened passengers.


    Some of them were children who were curled up in their mothers''ps. They were trembling from fear.


    Not a single one of them dared to make a sound.


    ¡°Stop talking!¡± Chrono pressed her down onto a seat. ¡°I''m warning you. You''d better be good.


    Otherwise, those children at the orphanage will be buried alongside you.¡±


    Francesca narrowed her eyes and stared at him coldly.


    Her fists were gripped so tightly that her knuckles made cracking noise. She resisted the urge to fight


    back.


    If Chrono could get a gun past security check, it was very likely that he could remotely ask his partners


    in S Nation to blow up the orphanage.


    Right then, she had no way of contacting La. Thus, she did not dare to make any reckless moves.


    One of the air stewards stared at Chrono carefully. He exchanged several nces with his colleagues.


    It seemed like they were thinking of using this opportunity to subdue him.


    Chrono was only carrying a small gun. They figured there probably would not be that many bullets


    inside. Thus, the risk wasn''t that big.


    ¡°Don''t think that I only have one gun so I won''t be a big threat to you guys.¡±


    Chrono seemed to have read their minds. He took out a bag from hisp. Inside it was all sorts of parts.


    With a few moves, he assembled a bomb.


    With a sinister smile, he said, ¡°This bomb is enough to blow up this entire ne. If I go down, you''re all


    coming with me!¡±


    The air steward''s expression changed drastically. He did not dare to move anymore.


    The other passengers did not even dare to breathe too loudly.


    The pilot had no choice but to take off. It started taxiing along the runway.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    Francesca frowned and she was all panicked. Do I really have to follow Chrono back to Baykeep?


    Of course, she could always run after she got there. La would probably have found all the bombs


    during the duration of their flight. Hence, the children in the orphanage would probably be out of danger


    by then...


    However, doing so also meant that Francesca would be missing her surgery.


    It wasn''t easy for her master toe all the way. He would not necessarily wait for her at H City.


    Francesca felt the ne speed up on the runway. The anxiousness in her heart was growing more


    intense.


    Chrono had his eyes narrowed. In his mind, as long as the ne could sessfully reach Baykeep,


    Francesca would be trapped in his grasp forever.


    However, just as the ne was about to take off, it suddenly stopped again.


    All the passengers were very confused as they looked outside the windows. They wondered if the


    police had arrived or maybe the pilot was nning to go against Chrono.


    Everyone was very worried.


    ¡°What''s going on?¡± Chrono questioned loudly. ¡°Why has the ne stopped? Do you guys not want to


    live?¡±


    As he spoke, he raised his gun and headed straight for the cockpit.


    ¡°You can''t go in there...¡±


    An air stewardess wanted to stop him, but he just shoved her to the ground.


    Chrono rushed into the cockpit to threaten the pilot. When he saw what was before him, he was


    stunned.


    Opposite the ne was a silver private jet. It looked like a majestic eagle!


    ¡°This ne just came over. It stopped right in front of us, so there''s no way for us to take off,¡± exined


    the pilot.


    Chrono squinted to take a closer look. Suddenly, his face drained of all color. ¡°That... That''s the


    Lindberg family''s private jet!¡±

 Chapter 1998

    Chapter 1998


    q¡°What?¡± the pilot asked in bewilderment.


    ¡°Circumvent it and take off from the adjacent runway. Hurry!¡± Chrono barked out the order swiftly.


    ¡°Huh?¡± The pilot was dumbfounded. ¡°That''s impossible.¡±


    ¡°Why? Just do it!¡± Chrono pressed the pistol against his head.


    The pilot could only do what he was told, but as he was about to switch runways, the silver private jet


    glided in their direction, threatening to crash into them.


    The ne couldn''t be steered away in time, and the expression on the pilot''s face resembled a deer


    caught in headlights.


    Chrono knew he was no match for Danrique and immediately pivoted on his heels to hold Francesca


    hostage.


    Meanwhile, the chief steward had opened the door to release Francesca when Chrono was


    preupied. He wouldn''t have any incentive to stay on the ne that way.


    However, as soon as the ne door opened, other passengers rushed out in a frenzy and blocked the


    exit.


    Francesca couldn''t make it out and was caught by Chrono.


    ¡°Get out of the way!¡± He fired a single shot at the crowd.


    Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    One passenger was hit and copsed on the ground, fresh blood pouring from the gunshot wound.


    The others screamed in terror, huddling in a corner and afraid to make one wrong move.


    ¡°Don''t shoot!¡± Francesca stopped him.


    Chrono ignored her and forcefully hauled her off the ne to beat a hasty retreat.


    He was obstructed after a few feet by a human wall of the Lindberg family''s bodyguards.


    Without releasing Francesca, he turned around to escape in another direction but stopped in his tracks.


    A line of men in ck moved aside to allow Danrique, who was wearing a white shirt, to pass. He


    carried no weapons except for Sam, which snaked around his arm like a burnished jade bracelet.


    The snake straightened its upper body, its forked tongue continuously flicking and hissing while its


    reptilian eyes were pinned on Chrono menacingly.


    ¡°Sam!¡± Francesca shouted instinctively.


    Danrique rolled his eyes. I traveled thousands of miles to save you, and you only have eyes for Sam?


    It slithered around Danrique''s arm in excitement as if it had heard her call.


    Francesca pulled her gaze from Sam to Danrique, and she was blown away.


    Perhaps it was his tall stature or the warm rays of the morning sun washing over him, but he looked


    absolutely stunning. His gaze was stern and arrogant, as though he towered over all living things on


    earth.


    ¡°Danrique Lindberg?¡± Panic shone in Chrono''s eyes, despite his usual calm andposed demeanor.


    The higher-ups had repeatedly warned him not to provoke Danrique, but he ignored them and


    remarked that Danrique was merely fooling around with Francesca. How could an egomaniac have real


    feelings for someone else?


    Now he finally realized that he had messed with the wrong person.


    ¡°This is between her and me. It''s none of your business!¡± Chrono stood his ground.


    ¡°You and her?¡± Danrique narrowed his eyes ominously. ¡°Don''t you know she''s my chick?¡±


    Chrono shot a nce at Francesca before his gaze darted back to Danrique, suspicion shing behind


    his eyes.


    ¡°Do you have a death wish?¡± Danrique''s brows gathered in a frown, a murderous aura emanating from


    him.


    ¡°I wouldn''t mind taking you down with me!¡± Chrono''s Chanaean was limited, so he switched to


    Jetroinian and held up a makeshift bomb, ready to face death unflinchingly.


    He wasn''t afraid to die. The only thing he feared was dying while Francesca lived.


    He let out a series of menacing chuckles. ¡°I''m taking you to meet Candice now!¡±


    ¡°She''s in heaven. You''re going to hell,¡± Francesca shouted coldly with a frown.


    ¡°No matter what happens, I''ll drag you down with me,¡± he dered, ¡°those orphans will be buried with


    you too.¡±


    Francesca''s face fell at his words, and she asked in a panic, ¡°Where are the bombs in the orphanage-¡±

 Chapter 1999

    Chapter 1999


    qBefore she could finish, Chrono yanked on the safety clip of the bomb.


    Sam vaulted from Danrique''s arm and sank its fangs into Chrono''s hand.


    There was a sharp pain, and Chrono loosened his fingers, dropping the bomb before Danrique kicked it


    away from them.


    A loud bang resounded, and the bomb detonated without injuring anyone.


    Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    However, the explosion rattled Francesca, and it felt like a de of agony was splitting her head. Blood


    started to trickle out of her ears.


    Chrono moved to seize her again, but Danrique mped his hand around Chrono''s neck in a


    chokehold, snarling, ¡°How dare you touch a hair on her? I''ll send you straight to hell myself!¡±


    Chrono could only groan, and his eyes nearly rolled back in his head.


    Noticing that Danrique was almost choking the life out of him, Francesca remembered the bomb in the


    orphanage and immediately stopped Danrique. ¡°Stop it!¡±


    Danrique released Chrono, who slumped to the ground. Sam wound itself around his neck and gave


    him another vicious bite.


    A shrill scream pierced the air as he fumbled wildly to rip Sam away.


    ¡°Tell me where the bomb is in the orphanage,¡± Francesca demanded.


    Chrono drew out a small pistol and took aim at her head.


    ¡°Careful!¡± Danrique jerked her aside, and the bullet struck him in the arm, blood sttering everywhere.


    Sean and his men moved to grab Chrono, but he swung the pistol to aim at them, causing them to


    recoil instinctively.


    He seized the window of opportunity and fled.


    Sean and his men were hot on his heels, with the police not far behind them.


    Danrique immediately led Francesca into a car and left the scene.


    Her headache had sharpened to an unbearable degree in the car, but she clutched his sleeve and


    urged anxiously, ¡°You have to find Chrono and the bomb in the orphanage...¡±


    Immediately, Danrique gave Ben instructions tob the ce.


    At that moment, he realized that she did have a weak spot too.


    Gordon called with an update that Dr. Felch had arrived at the notable Kindness Hospital in H City.


    Everything was in order and he would be ready to perform the surgery after taking a short rest.


    Danrique immediately turned the car around and drove to Kindness Hospital.


    When they were a few minutes away from the hospital, Sean reported his findings at the orphanage,


    ¡°Ms. Felch founded hundreds of orphanages and contributed to the Lovely Care Foundation. Three of


    her S Nation orphanages were blown up, most likely by Chrono.¡±


    Danrique was taken aback. He always thought Francesca was a mere doctor and that her avarice was


    a woman''s nature. Now he knew she had done it for the orphanages.


    Those orphans were her Achilles'' heel.


    ¡°I''m still investigating the feud between Chrono and Ms. Felch. The S Nation police have located the


    bomb hidden in the orphanage with the help of two supervisors half an hour ago.¡±


    Sean sighed. ¡°So Ms. Felch was in danger because of those kids.¡±


    ¡°At least she''s fine now.¡± Danrique''s gaze softened as he looked down at Francesca in his arms. ¡°Get


    in contact with S Nation and have them keep an eye on the orphanages. Send a few of our more savvy


    men to surreptitiously stand guard.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Sean was about to leave when he thought of something and added, ¡°Right, Mr. Lindberg,


    remember how I mentioned that Ms. Felch seems to have a history with Dr. Felch? She seems


    particrly disinclined to Dr. Felch discovering her identity.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Danrique ordered Sloan, ¡°Get me Gordon.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    Danrique carried Francesca into the operating theater, where Helen did a cursory examination and


    cleaned her wounds.


    He observed from the doorway with a frown knitting his brows when Gordon rushed over. ¡°Mr.


    Lindberg.¡±


    ¡°Where''s Dr. Felch?¡± Danrique asked.

 Chapter 2000

    Chapter 2000


    q¡°Still resting,¡± Gordon answered quietly. ¡°He said he only closes up surgeries and leaves the rest to


    others. Thus, I contacted Dr. Wright to be on standby. A female doctor would be more appropriate to


    tend to Ms. Felch.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Danrique nodded. ¡°Cece does not want her face to be seen by anyone. Ry the instruction to


    Helen.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Gordon was stunned for a moment but quickly recovered and nodded hastily. ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    Gordon informed Helen, and despite her confusion, she did as told. After all, she had epted a


    handsome amount of money from them.


    She asked Gordon and Danrique to leave the room when the surgery was about to begin, but Danrique


    was unwilling to leave. Hence, he had someone put up a screen and sat behind it.


    Soon, the room was cleared, leaving Gordon and two female bodyguards standing behind Danrique,


    awaiting orders.


    Helen prepped everything, and an elderly man with white hair entered the room slowly with the help of


    a young man.


    Danrique caught a fleeting glimpse of the elderly through the carved screen. Despite his advanced


    years, he was sprightly and dressed in traditional garb, exuding a saintly air.


    N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    His appearance resembled that of the quack traditional medicine doctor Danrique had hired in


    Summerbank, casting doubt on whether he was a chatan incapable of performing surgery.


    Helen too had simr doubts.


    She stilled after noticing Dr. Felch and questioned in Ustranasion, ¡°Doctor, this is an extremelyplex


    surgery. Even I''m not confident in my skills. Are you certain that you can pull it off?¡±


    Another female doctor tranted her question and regarded Dr. Felch with a skeptical look.


    Dr. Felch took no offense and replied lightly, ¡°I''m not entirely certain. I have declined to perform this


    surgery, but you pressured me to do it.¡±


    ¡°Uh...¡± The female doctor was aghast.


    Helen pressed the female doctor to trante what he said, and a look of shock came across her face.


    ¡°Goodness, are you kidding? This is a person''s life on the line, not to mention Ms. Felch is Mr.


    Lindberg''s fianc¨¦e.¡±


    The female doctor was about to trante for Helen when Dr. Felch interrupted, ¡°What did you call her?


    Ms. Felch?¡±


    Dr. Felch''smand of Ustranasion wasn''t fluent, but he had treated a few foreign patients and


    understood simple words. He had clearly heard Helen addressing the patient as Ms. Felch.


    The female doctor interpreted Dr. Felch''s question to Helen.


    ¡°Ah, about that-¡± Helen was about to answer when she suddenly remembered Gordon telling her not to


    let anyone know Francesca''s name and face, so she backtracked. ¡°We''re running out of time. Let''s


    perform the surgery first.¡±


    She paused before continuing, ¡°Are you sure, Dr. Felch? If this surgery fails, the consequence will be


    dire.¡±


    ¡°Dr. Felch, Dr. Wright said-¡±


    ¡°We have to try. I haven''t performed surgery in years.¡± Before the female doctor could finish, Dr. Felch


    put on his reading sses, rolled up his sleeves, snapped on a pair of gloves, and lifted a scalpel to


    commence the surgery.


    Helen saw Dr. Felch needing reading sses for surgery and dissolved into hysterics, repeating, ¡°Oh,


    my God. Oh, my God.¡±


    The female doctor hurried to the screen to consult Danrique''s opinion.


    A frown marred his forehead, and his expression was troubled as he had reservations about Dr. Felch''s


    skills.


    ¡°Ms. Felch mentioned that only Dr. Felch could treat her illness. We shouldn''t be too concerned.¡±


    Gordon opened a text on his phone and showed it to Danrique.


    Francesca had indeed sent it to Gordon, and the timestamp indicated that it was deliveredst night.


    That meant she had sent the text before Chrono abducted her.


    Danrique said, ¡°I trust Dr. Felch. Give him all reins over the surgery.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

 Chapter 2001

    Chapter 2001


    qRelief flowed over the doctors at Danrique''s words, and Helen moved to give the spot of the lead


    surgeon to Dr. Felch.


    Dr. Felch looked at the short-haired, unconscious girl on the bed, and his eyes clouded with emotions.


    Without further ado, he examined the wound and the X-ray images on the screens before starting.


    Helen and the rest of the staff assisted him at his side.


    Dr. Felch didn''t utter a single sound or raise his head throughout the two-hour procedure. He finally


    finished removing all the metal shrapnel from the wound and did a final examination before cleaning


    and closing up the wound in one fell swoop.


    Helen could not help but express her admiration after the surgery. ¡°Dr. Felch, you have superb skills.


    You didn''t have to look to know where the shrapnels were, and you removed them immactely. Your


    control and strength were wless even when a fragment was pressing on a nerve below her brain.


    There was simply no room for error.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that was amazing!¡± the other doctors praised, and the female doctor tranted what Helen said to


    Dr. Felch.


    He removed his mask and said ndly, ¡°No need to trante. Save the adtion and take good care


    of the patient.¡±


    His gaze was drawn to Francesca on the bed, the stormy look returning to his eyes. He wasn''t even


    aware when Sam called out for him.


    ¡°Dr. Felch... Dr. Felch... Dr. Felch!¡± He only snapped out of his reverie after Sam repeated his name


    several times. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°We should leave now,¡± Sam reminded politely.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Dr. Felch removed his mask absentmindedly, his gaze flicking to the screen, and he asked,


    ¡°The person behind the screen, could you step out for a word?¡±


    Meanwhile, Danrique was donning an istion gown before going to Francesca. His hands stilled when


    he heard Dr. Felch, and he motioned for Gordon and the bodyguards to keep an eye on Francesca.


    He said, ¡°After you, Dr. Felch.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    Gordon mentioned that Francesca insisted Danrique treat him with respect as a father figure. Danrique


    had dismissed that request with a ¡°Nonsense,¡± but now that he was in Dr. Felch''s presence, Danrique


    found himself regarding him with deference.


    Sam assisted Dr. Felch out of the room, and Danrique followed suit.


    Although it was their first meeting, there was a peculiar sense of familiarity, as if they had met


    somewhere before.


    They both took a moment to size each other up before recognition lit up their eyes.


    ¡°It''s you?¡±


    ¡°It''s you!¡±


    Memories from seven years ago rose unbidden in their mind, and surprise twinkled in their eyes.


    Francesca had saved Danrique seven years ago, and he had spent half a month convalescing in the


    mountains and met Dr. Felch briefly.


    She pointed to Dr. Felch''s silhouette at the time and remarked that he was the only loved one she had


    in the world.


    Dr. Felch was aware that she had saved someone and that they had developed feelings for each other.


    However, Francesca was still young, and Dr. Felch strongly opposed their budding love and limited her


    interaction with the outside world. He told her to keep her identity private and not reveal her true name


    to anyone.


    Thus, Danrique was kept in the dark about Francesca''s situation, but Dr. Felch remembered him.


    Danrique had changed since seven years ago, so Dr. Felch spoke in an incredulous tone, despite


    being able to recognize him.


    Danrique was convinced that Dr. Felch was Francesca''s only loved one.


    ¡°I didn''t understand why she believed you were the only person who could treat her, but now-¡±


    ¡°Good, good, this is good!¡± Dr. Felch cut him off and eximed vehemently before taking his leave with


    his head bowed, as though he had nothing to say or ask and was contented.

 Chapter 2002

    Chapter 2002


    qAplicated expression shed across Danrique''s eyes as he stared at Dr. Felch''s back as he


    walked further away.


    Gordon rushed over and asked in a low voice, ¡°Mr. Lindberg, could he be Ms. Felch''s¡ª¡±


    ¡°He is her master,¡± Danrique replied. He had already guessed the man''s identity.


    Despite her young age, Francesca possesses incredible medical skills. Therefore, she must have been


    under the tutge of an expert. That person is Dr. Felch. He isn''t just Francesca''s master, he is also


    her only loved one left in the world.


    Gordon finally had a grasp of the situation. ¡±I see. Should we go after him?¡±


    Shaking his head, Danrique said, ¡°That won''t be necessary. Both of them seem to be avoiding each


    other. Perhaps it''s not the time for them to be reunited yet.¡±


    Gordon nodded in agreement. ¡°That''s right. Maybe Ms. Felch wants to achieve something in her life


    before she goes back to see her master. As for Dr. Felch, perhaps he''s waiting for a better opportunity


    for their reunion.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you''re right. Send someone to protect Dr. Felch. When Cece''s condition is stable, I''ll personally


    send him back,¡± Danrique instructed.


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Dr. Felch walked slowly down a long corridor for several minutes.


    Seeing Dr. Felch''splicated expression, Sam thought he was exhausted. Sam carefully supported


    him and suggested, ¡±Dr. Felch, we should return to the hotel early and rest.¡±


    ¡°No. We should head back to Phoenix City,¡± Dr. Felch said in a hoarse voice.


    There was a tinge of sadness in his voice.


    Sam was taken aback by the suggestion. ¡°We''re leaving now? We haven''t settled our medical fees yet.


    Ah, Dr. Felch, why are your eyes bloodshot?¡±


    ¡°Something got into my eyes because of the wind,¡± answered Dr. Felch.


    He fell silent afterward.


    ¡°It''s quite windy in H City. After all, we''re by the sea,¡± Sam muttered.


    In the ward, Helen was examining Francesca''s condition. With a look of delight, she announced, ¡°The


    operation was a sess. She will be under observation for another twenty-four hours. Everything will


    be fine if there are noplications.¡±


    ¡°That''s wonderful!¡±


    The team of medical staff was overjoyed. Furthermore, some people whispered about seeking advice


    from Dr. Felch.


    The ward plunged into silence the moment Danrique returned. Everyone immediately stepped aside.


    After listening to Helen''s update in Ustranasion, Danrique instantly felt relieved. Sitting by the bedside,


    he held Francesca''s hand and quietly apanied her.


    Soon, Sloan brought the news that Dr. Felch wanted to leave to return to Phoenix City as soon as


    possible.


    ¡°Ask Dr. Felch to stay for another twenty-four hours. He can leave after the observation period is over,¡±


    Danrique instructed.


    Sloan immediately went to ry the message.


    Time ticked by as everyone waited for the doctor''s update anxiously.


    Danrique stayed at the hospital until noon the following day. Francesca''s condition had improved after a


    day.


    ¡°She''s no longer in danger. She will be back to normal after recuperating for the next few months,¡±


    exined Helen.


    Upon hearing the doctor''s words, Danrique finally let out a sigh of relief. He instructed Gordon and the


    others to protect Francesca. Then, he brought Sean to visit Dr. Felch at Garden Vi.


    Nevertheless, Dr. Felch had already packed his luggage and was determined to leave. Furthermore, he


    made it clear that he refused to meet with Danrique by asking the bodyguards to inform him not to visit


    him.


    The bodyguards did not dare to stop him nor show disrespect. Hence, they hurriedly called Sean to


    report the situation.


    Danrique smirked upon hearing Sean''s exnation. ¡°He''s so stubborn. They''re indeed a family.¡±


    Smiling, Sean said, ¡°We''re almost there. It''s right in front. The private jet is ready. I heard Dr. Felch has


    also brought his dog. Mylo is currently discussing with the airport management to allow the dog to


    board the jet.¡±


    ¡°Remember to fulfill Dr. Felch''s every wish,¡± Danrique ordered.


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    At that moment, a car drove up on the other side. After poking his head out of the car window, Sean


    informed, ¡°That''s the car escorting Dr. Felch to the airport.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Danrique gestured for his subordinates to open the car door.


    N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    Just when Danrique was ready to send off Dr. Felch on the roadside, the barking of a dog could be


    hearding out from the other car.


    ¡°Be quiet, Cece!¡± Dr. Felch growled, seemingly displeased.


    Danrique tensed up upon hearing that. What on earth is going on?

 Chapter 2003

    Chapter 2003


    qPfft!


    Sean could not hold himself back and burst intoughter.


    Upon receiving Danrique''s death re, Sean lowered his head, not daring to breathe out loud.


    Danrique''s expression darkened at once. The Cece I had longed for seven years was a dog! A freaking


    dog!


    He was seething with rage at that moment.


    Francesca, how dare you fool me like that?


    Memories from seven years ago shed across Danrique''s mind. When he was being chased by his


    enemies, he fled to the mountains and was rescued by a youngdy. She hid Danrique in the cabin


    where she took a respite from herding. Moreover, she also treated him and served him meals every


    day.


    Danrique developed an innocent crush on the youngdy after they spent half a month together.


    However, she refused to tell him her name at first. One day, she told him after being annoyed by his


    pestering. ¡°My name is Cece!¡±


    Nevertheless, Danrique did not have time to ask more questions as his enemies were breathing down


    his neck. To prevent dragging Cece into the matter, he fled in a hurry.


    s, the two of them had lost contact since then. Nevertheless, Danrique still held on to that name


    dearly in his heart after many years had passed.


    After getting himself to safety, he sent people back to Mount Wisteria to search for Cece. Unfortunately,


    all the efforts to locate her were in vain.


    Perhaps Francesca and Dr. Felch moved to Mount Phoenix back then. Or maybe they were only


    temporarily staying in Mount Wisteria and that was why we couldn''t find them. However, the most


    important right now is...


    Looking at the dog, Danrique felt a sense of familiarity.


    The brown dog has a missing ear on one side. It''s wearing a bell around the neck. Isn''t it the same dog


    Francesca had seven years ago? I can''t believe the puppy is all grown up now.


    When Danrique asked Francesca for her name that time, she smirked and looked at the dog beside


    her. ¡°I''m Cece,¡± she uttered. The dog also wagged its tail at her.


    Back then, he did not think much besides as Cece was a beautiful name.


    N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    After thinking about it, Danrique felt like he had been tricked.


    Da*n it!


    A vortex of anger swirled inside Danrique. Nevertheless, there was nothing he could do at that


    moment. I can''t possibly drag Francesca out of the hospital bed and punish her, can I?


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, Dr. Felch is getting off,¡± Sean reminded him from the side.


    Snapping back to reality, Danrique raised his head and looked at Dr. Felch, who was getting out of the


    car. He was followed by Sam while holding the dog, Cece.


    Cece bared its teeth and barked at Danrique. Upon receiving his stern re, the dog became


    frightened and hastily hid behind Sam, wagging its tail timidly in silence.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, you don''t have to do this. She''s still in the hospital. You should stay by her side,¡± said Dr.


    Felch.


    ¡°It''s fine. She''s no longer in danger. I came here because I wanted to tell you the news personally. She


    asked me to treat you with the same respect as my father. Therefore, I have to see you off in person,¡±


    Danrique said politely.


    Danrique also had a rtive whom he respected, Isabe. He could understand Francesca''s feelings


    toward Dr. Felch.


    As a result, he had to do that on Francesca''s behalf.


    ¡°All right.¡±


    Dr. Felch nodded without saying much. Before leaving, he added, ¡°I''m d you''re here. Now, go back


    and stay with her.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Nodding, Danrique helped him get into the car.


    After sitting down, Dr. Felch added, ¡°She''s weak. So, you must take care of her!¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry. I will take good care of her.¡±


    Danrique did not mull over Dr. Felch''s words. He thought thetter was merely talking about


    Francesca''s poor health after her operation.


    ¡°Goodbye!¡±


    ¡°Take care, Dr. Felch,¡± Danrique uttered loudly.


    Looking up at Danrique, Dr. Felch slightly moved his hand that was holding the cane. His worried gaze


    brightened up at once.

 Chapter 2004

    Chapter 2004


    qThe car drove slowly in the direction of the airport.


    Ever since meeting Danrique, the dog, Cece, quiet down, lying meekly on the back seat without


    moving, but its tail wagging all the time.


    ¡°Have some hot tea, Dr. Felch.¡± Sam handed the thermos of brewed tea to Dr. Felch. ¡°You seem to


    have something on your mind?¡±


    The old man let out a deep sigh. ¡°In the past, I always wanted to keep her on the mountain, thinking


    that was the best protection for her. Yet now, I discovered that everyone has their own destiny, and


    everything has been pre-arranged...¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Sam scratched his head as a sign that he did not understand.


    ¡°That guy is not bad!¡±


    Dr. Felch mumbled to himself again. He looked at the clear sky outside the window as a smile


    appeared on his face, carrying the warmth of an old father.


    Francesca was still unconscious when Danrique returned to the hospital. Helen told him that someone


    with that kind of head injury would be unconscious for a long time, so he needed to wait patiently.


    However, before she woke up, it was best to remain in the hospital to prevent any emergencies and


    complications due to untimely treatment.


    Hence, Danrique told someone to set up a small bed in the ward and bring his clothes over.


    For the next three days, he stayed with Francesca in the hospital. Despite not knowing how to take


    care of others, he stayed in the ward every day and never left. He merely wiped her face with a hot


    towel at most and didn''t dare to do the same for her body as he would get all nervous and blush.


    That night, Danrique sat on the sofa chair next to the hospital bed, reading emails on his tablet and


    handling official business while Sean and Heidi waited by the door.


    Sean brought him a deskmp. ¡°The light is too dark and is bad for your eyes, Mr. Lindberg. It''s better


    to use themp.¡±


    Danrique could have just switched on the lights. However, he felt that it would disturb Francesca, as


    she could not sleep with the lights on. Otherwise, she would not sleep well.


    For that reason, he only left the emergency lights on and worked in the dark.


    Sean could not bear to see that, so he brought themp over.


    ¡°Take it away!¡±


    Danrique frowned.


    ¡°Thismplight isn''t strong, and the tone is warm, so it won''t hurt Ms. Felch''s eyes,¡± Sean replied softly.


    ¡°I said take it away.¡± Danrique sounded displeased.


    ¡°Understood.¡± Sean did not dare toment further and hurriedly took the deskmp away.


    Danrique put down his tablet and rubbed his tired eyes before turning to look at Francesca, who was


    lying on the hospital bed. He gently held her hand and said softly, ¡°How can you sleep so much? It''s


    been three days, and you still haven''t woken up...¡±


    However, Francesca waspletely still and seemed to still be in a deep sleep.


    Danrique leaned forward and kissed her forehead. While gently stroking the hair on her forehead and


    looking at her delicate and beautiful face, he recalled many past events.


    As the thoughts flowed in his mind, he rested his head beside her and drifted off to sleep.


    Sean draped a jacket over Danrique before leaving quietly with Heidi.


    The room plunged into silence. Under the dim light in the room, Francesca moved slightly, as though


    she was struggling...


    It was as if there was a dark force that intended to drag her to the abyss of hell, but at that moment, a


    pair of slim and slender hands grabbed her hand in time, pulling her into the light.


    After a long time, she woke up with a jolt and was touched when she saw the familiar figure next to her.


    It''s him, Danrique! The hand that pulled me out of the abyss and saved me from misery in the dream


    was his!


    Even in his sleep, he still held her hand tightly. The temperature from his palm carried a kind of


    beautiful warmth. She looked at him quietly, recalling many past events.


    ¡°It was you who saved me?¡±


    ¡°That''s right. I''m your savior!¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    ¡°Don''t mention it! But you must be grateful to me!¡±


    In actuality, she had just acquired some medical knowledge back then and had nowhere to put it to


    use. Since she happened to find an injured person, she could just experiment on him.


    Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    Master doesn''t allow me to treat extremelyplex and serious medical conditions. Meanwhile, this


    person happens to be badly injured and looks like he''s about to die...


    What a greatb rat!

 Chapter 2005

    Chapter 2005


    qFor the next half month, Francesca experimented with various treatments on Danrique, such as


    acupuncture, applying poultices, and feeding him her self-created medicine.


    Although her wound-dressing was messy and rough, and she hurt him each time she applied the


    medication, he gritted his teeth and did not say a word.


    There were even two asions when he passed out from the pain.


    She was so frightened that she scrambled to perform acupuncture on him to wake him up. Despite


    turning pale from the pain and sweating profusely, he still said to her gratefully, ¡°You saved me again.


    Thank you!¡±


    ¡°You''re most wee...¡±


    Francesca was wondering how to conjure up an excuse to exin the situation, but he did not think


    much about it at all and even thanked her.


    She instantly breathed a sigh of relief and continued to torment him without getting distracted.


    He was truly obedient and took whatever medicine I gave him. No matter how bitter they were, he


    didn''t even frown. After each dose, he would thank me with a very pleasant voice. He was the perfect


    lab rat!


    To let him stay longer, Francesca even stole her master''s clothes for him to wear and brought him


    delicious food from her master...


    All she wanted was for him to remain there so that she could keep using him as ab rat.


    After all, I still have many medical questions that I haven''t turned into practice. For example, if a person


    were stabbed forty-nine times, but every one of them avoided any vital organs, would that person die?


    There''s also my new research on cosmetology. After soaking for ny-one days, would a woman


    be shapely? Umm, although it''s a bit cruel to use him for this experiment, what choice do I have?


    He''s my onlyb rat...


    At that time, the fourteen-year-old Francesca''s head was full of little tricks.


    N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    However, in the eyes of Danrique, they were all filled with warmth and care, for he never had such


    close contact with a female, and no one had ever taken care of him and saved him with such sincerity


    except Isabe.


    Coupled with the first awakening of love among youths, Danrique began to develop a different kind of


    feeling for Francesca.


    Of course, the budding period of his love was a littlete.


    On the other hand, although Francesca was innocent and ignorant, it was also her first time having


    such intimate contact with the opposite sex. On top of that, she found herb rat extremely good-


    looking, so, she also liked to interact with him.


    Previously, due to memory loss, Francesca had forgotten these details, but after the surgery, she


    remembered everything.


    She suddenly felt that she seemed a little cruel, as shepletely took Danrique as a test product,


    materializing the curiosity and excitement she had about medicine for the first time onto him regardless


    of whether he was in pain or not.


    Of course, in line with the mission of saving lives and helping the wounded, she also treated him with


    good intentions. Otherwise, he would not have recovered so quickly.


    It''s just that the process was a little rough, that''s all.


    The innocent Danrique, on the other hand, regarded her as the pure and unsullied love of his life,


    remembering everything she had said. He could not forget her throughout those seven years and kept


    sending people to look for her painstakingly.


    He even kept bringing up the name ¡°Cece¡±!


    Probably, when he sent someone to look for her during the past seven years, he also told his


    subordinates that ¡°Cece¡± was his first love and the most important girl in his life.


    However, he has no idea that Cece is actually a little brown dog I raised with half of its ear missing...


    The thought of it made Francesca burst into aughter fit, which then pulled the wound.


    Danrique woke up at once. He looked up at Francesca, stunned at first, before approaching and patting


    her chest. ¡°Are you all right? I''ll call the doctor.¡±


    Just as he was about to call someone, she quickly stopped him. ¡°I''m fine.¡±

 Chapter 2006

    Chapter 2006


    q¡°How can you be fine? I saw you twitching just now!¡± Danrique switched on the wallmp, held


    Francesca''s face, and carefully scrutinized her. ¡°Could it be that the surgery had damaged your brain?¡±


    ¡°The one with the brain damage is you.¡± Francesca did not know whether tough or cry. ¡°I was


    laughing, okay?¡±


    He was puzzled. ¡°Laughing? About what?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡± At that moment, Francesca still did not dare to tell him about the origins of the name ¡°Cece¡±.


    Instead, she demanded frantically, ¡°Oh, right! Give me my phone!¡±


    ¡°The bomb in the orphanage has been defused, and the children are fine.¡± Danrique told her the result


    directly, ¡°Sean has told Ms. La that we''re fine!¡±


    ¡°You¡ª¡±


    ¡°One hundred and eighteen orphanages.¡± He looked at her with admiration. ¡°You''re very capable,


    Francesca.¡±


    ¡°I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry. I''ve sent someone to protect them. From now on, no one can touch those children.¡±


    Danrique did not give her a chance to speak at all.


    Francesca stared at him dumbfoundedly. It took a long time before she came back to her senses and


    said softly, ¡°Thank you!¡±


    ¡°You''re wee!¡± He grinned. ¡°Is there anything else you want to ask?¡±


    ¡°I...¡± After some thought, Francesca hastily asked, ¡°Who did my surgery?¡±


    ¡°It''s...¡± Originally, Danrique wanted to tell her that it was her master. However, at the thought that she


    must have her own reasons for not wanting the old man to know her identity, he changed his mind and


    replied, ¡°It''s that Dr. Felch.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Francesca immediately panicked. She hurriedly grabbed his hand and shot him another


    question. ¡°Then wouldn''t he have seen my face?¡±


    ¡°No. You were lying face-down on the operating bed since the surgery was on the back of your head,


    so the old man didn''t get a chance to see what you look like,¡± Danrique exined rationally.


    ¡°Good. That''s good...¡±


    Francesca heaved a long sigh of relief. When my master performs surgery, others will prepare


    everything. He only does the main surgery, so it''s not surprising that he didn''t see my face. I haven''t cut


    my hair in the past few months, and my originally short hair is now at shoulder length, My body shape


    and appearance have changed a bitpared to a few years ago, so surely he didn''t recognize me.


    As these thoughts went through her mind, she breathed a sigh of relief. However, she quickly inquired


    anxiously, ¡°Has Ma... Dr. Felch left?¡±


    ¡°A long time ago.¡± Danrique deliberately said, ¡°He demanded to go back right after the surgery. I told


    Sean to ask him to wait until you''re no longer in danger before leaving. Sean begged for a long time


    before he finally gave in.¡±


    Hearing that, Francesca blurted out, ¡°The old man doesn''t like the hustle and bustle of the city. There''s


    no need to force¡ª¡±


    ¡°Huh? How did you know that?¡± he deliberately asked.


    ¡°Most old people are like that.¡± Francesca quickly came up with an excuse. ¡°Besides, the old man is a


    miracle doctor. Hence, he requires a high degree of concentration to perform the surgery, so that


    means he doesn''t like to be disturbed.¡±


    ¡°That''s true.¡± Danrique nodded.


    ¡°Did you send Dr. Felch back properly? You didn''t just ignore him after the surgery, right?¡± She was still


    worried that they hadn''t treated her master with respect.


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Knowing that the old man doesn''t like noise, I''ve specially arranged for him to stay in Garden Vi in


    the suburbs. You must know that this treatment is only avable to Old Mr. Nacht. In addition, I''ve also


    arranged for the Lindberg family''s private jet to send him off when he leaves. The old man, his young


    apprentice, and the mongrel he brought are well taken care of.¡±


    Danrique intentionally emphasized the word ¡°mongrel¡± while also raising a brow at Francesca, wanting


    to see if he could detect a trace of guilt and self-reproach on her face.


    Cough! Cough!


    Sure enough, she avoided his eyes, and her expression was a tad awkward before she asked


    cautiously, ¡°The old man also brought the dog?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It''s always by his side like a precious treasure.¡± Danrique deliberately eximed, ¡°By the way,


    that mongrel has the same name as you. It''s also called Cece!¡±


    Pfft!


    Francesca nearly choked on her saliva.

 Chapter 2007

    Chapter 2007


    q¡°Don''t be agitated.¡± Danrique quickly patted her heart andforted her, ¡°There''s nothing wrong with


    having the same name as a dog. If you don''t like it, I''ll rename the newborn mastiff, Cece! A mastiff is a


    much better breed than a mongrel!¡±


    ¡°There''s no need for that!¡± Francesca''s smile was very stiff.


    ¡°No, I can''t name it Cece.¡± Danrique narrowed his eyes and said seriously, ¡°I should call it Frannie. Yes.


    It''s decided then!¡±


    ¡°Wait, Danrique¡ª¡±


    ¡°Come!¡±


    Before Francesca could stop him, Danrique called Sean over.


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Lindberg.¡±


    ¡°Isn''t there a female newborn mastiff that hasn''t been named yet?¡± Danrique instructed seriously, ¡°From


    now on, call her Frannie!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    From then on, the Lindberg family had a mastiff named Frannie, with ck fur, and was a menace and


    savage since it was a puppy.


    It was very much like Francesca...


    However, thetter could not object to it. After all, it was she who messed with Danrique in the first


    ce back then.


    Now that he was taking revenge in that manner, she could only relent to it.


    Francesca could not get used to living in the hospital and wanted to be discharged early, so Danrique


    told Sean to ask Helen about it.


    The doctor replied that it was fine for Francesca to be discharged since her wound was healing well as


    long as she could tag along and take care of her after that.


    Sean cast a knowing look at Helen. She clearly wants to continue earning high medical fees. Are


    doctors so greedy for money?


    Danrique, on the other hand, did not think much about it and readily agreed.


    Hence, Helen immediately brought her assistant, prepared her medical kit and equipment, and left the


    hospital with them.


    When they returned to the seaside vi, Kerrie and a maid went to assist Francesca in taking a shower.


    Thetter inadvertently saw through the mirror that the hair on the back of her head was gone, leaving


    a bald patch.


    ¡°Ahh!¡±


    A scream of horror came from the bathroom.


    Danrique rushed in, thinking that something had happened to her.


    However, as soon as he saw Francesca standing in front of the floor-length mirror with Kerrie holding a


    mirror behind her, he immediately understood what was going on.


    ¡°How can the surgery be done without shaving your head?¡±


    For some reason, seeing the defeated and angry expression on her face made him feel good. It was a


    sense of pleasure from exacting revenge.


    ¡°Even so, I can''t have a bald spot!¡± Francesca was on the brink of going ballistic. ¡°To make things


    worse, I am half-bald!¡±


    ¡°It''s not as though I mind it.¡±


    Danrique ruffled the hair on her forehead.


    ¡°Get out!¡±


    After pushing him out, Francesca told Kerrie to get a shaver and shaved all her hair right after.


    Being half-bald is too ugly. I''d rather shave everything off!


    Hence, the woman that stepped out of the bathroom after showering waspletely bald.


    Danrique was sitting on the sofa drinking tea and reading some documents. He looked up upon hearing


    footsteps and promptly spit out all his tea, followed by a coughing fit.


    ¡°What''s the matter? Do I look hideous?¡±


    Francesca somehow started to care about her image.


    ¡°No. It''s very cute.¡±


    For some reason, seeing her new look, Danrique did not mind it at all. On the contrary, he found it very


    cute.


    Francesca covered her face with her hands as she burst into tears. ¡°Get out. Don''t look at me. Don''t


    see me before my hair grows out.¡±


    Kerrie and another nurse helped her to lie down on the bed. Despite feeling weak and not being able to


    move much at present, Francesca still covered her face with a pillow.


    ¡°Is everything done?¡±


    Danrique did not respond to Francesca''s words. Instead, he said to the two female nurses, ¡°You may


    leave. now¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± The nurses did as told.


    ¡°Why did you tell them to leave. What about you¡ª¡±


    Before she could finish, he came over andy down beside her. He then reached out and carefully


    wrapped his arms around her shoulders before pulling her into his embrace.


    N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    ¡°A person must be truly attractive to pull off a bald look!¡±


    ¡°Do you not think it''s ugly?¡±


    Francesca buried her face in the nape of his neck and refused to look up.


    ¡°It''s quite nice.¡±


    Danrique was a little tired, and he was falling asleep while talking.


    I have been looking after her in the hospital for the past few days and haven''t been resting well every


    night...

 Chapter 2008

    Chapter 2008


    qFrancesca raised her head and looked at his handsome features. Her gaze shifted to his injured arm


    once more, and she couldn''t help but feel a little touched.


    At that moment, she suddenly recalled how he had previously disregarded his own safety and well-


    being just to save her.


    Furthermore, Kerrie had been continuously telling her about what had gone on in the outside world


    while she was still in aatose state.


    From the day she had her surgery til that day, he had never left her side for even a single moment.


    Through it all, he stayed next to her the entire time and ceaselessly cared for her.


    That was especially touching for Francesca, especially since she knew he was the kind of man who


    lorded over everyone else and always had others at his beck and call to do his bidding. The fact that he


    had gone on to learn how to care for her spoke volumes about the man. Not only did he learn how to


    wipe down her arms and face, but he had also diligently fed her her medication and even picked up


    snippets of medical knowledge so he could care for her better in the future.


    Aside from that, Danrique had also personally escorted Dr. Felch when thetter was out and about.


    That was because Francesca had once mentioned that he needed to treat Dr. Felch with the utmost


    respect fitting for someone of his stature.


    Item by item, Kerrie slowly told Francesca all these in detail to keep her up to date on the happenings


    while she had been dead to the world.


    As Francesca took all the information in, she couldn''t help but feel touched by Danrique and how he


    had quietly expended an immense amount of effort in caring for her and looking out for her.


    Through his actions, she could truly pick up on the depth and sincerity of the affection he had for her.


    That said, she was still confused by a single point. She wondered if Danrique would find out about her


    rtionship with Dr. Felch since he had learned that Dr. Felch''s dog was named Cece. Did Dr. Felch


    not recognize me?


    At that thought, Francesca couldn''t help but feel a tinge of unease creep over her.


    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± asked Danrique suddenly in his coarse and low voice.


    She couldn''t stop herself and ultimately decided to reveal the truth. ¡°Actually, I''m Dr. Felch''s apprentice.


    When I was about three years old, he rescued me from the wilderness where I had been living amongst


    a pack of wolves. Since then, he had raised me up and imparted his medical knowledge to me. Aside


    from that, he also taught me how I should behave and carry myself as a decent human being. That''s


    why he''s more than just a mentor to me, but also my father.¡±


    Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    ¡°Yes, I know that. You are indebted to him!¡± said Danrique as he shut his eyes and seemed to be able


    to sense her emotions.


    She asked lightly, ¡°Did he recognize me?¡±


    ¡°Did you hope for that to happen?¡± he countered as he opened his eyes and looked at her gently once


    more.


    She gave the matter some thought before she nodded slightly and replied, ¡°I hope not! I have nothing


    to my name currently, and I''m full of injuries. I''m afraid that he''ll get worried and anxious about me if he


    suddenly recognizes me while I''m in this state. I''m sure he''ll be overwhelmed with stress and guilt...¡±


    At that, she trailed off for a moment before she added, ¡°Although he can be a little fierce and


    domineering, not to mention extremely strict, he''s actually extremely soft-hearted. If he knew that I''ve


    gotten injured, I''m afraid he''ll put it all on himself and me himself for allowing me to leave the


    mountains.¡±


    Danrique couldn''t help but feel moved upon hearing those words. Immediately, his thoughts went to


    Isabe. Much like how Francesca had just described, Isabe was also the sort who was extremely


    soft-hearted despite her fierce exterior. Although she had always treated him strictly when raising him,


    she never ceased to worry about him behind his back.


    Danrique decided to tell a white lie to ede to Francesca''s wishes. He asked, ¡°You must have been


    very young when you left the mountains, weren''t you? Now that you''re much older, I''m sure you look


    significantly different from how you used to back then. How can he recognize you that easily just by


    looking at the back of your head? Furthermore, he''s quite advanced in his years so I''m sure his


    eyesight isn''t that great.¡±


    At that, Francesca chuckled lightly and eximed, ¡°You''re right! That makes sense.¡±


    As she sighed in relief, he took in the scene and couldn''t help but smile wryly as he stated, ¡°When we


    get married, let''s head back to the mountains together to pay him a visit!¡±


    Without hesitation, she grunted in acknowledgment and nodded her head vigorously. After a short


    pause, she countered, ¡°Hang on... Who said I''ll be marrying you?¡±


    ¡°How can you be so heartless and ungrateful? I''ve been treating you so kindly, and I''ve spent so much


    money on you all this time. How could you not agree to marry me? If that''s the case, then you have to


    return all the money I spent,¡± retorted Danrique while pretending to be angry.


    He was already fully aware of what her weakness was.


    She frowned in displeasure and scoffed as she replied, ¡°Fine. I''ll pay up if that''s what you want. Name


    your price.¡±


    ¡°By a conservative estimate, I''m guessing it should be more than three billion. I''ve had mywyer keep


    track of all these expenses. Don''t worry, I won''t charge you more than you should pay me,¡± replied


    Danrique casually.


    ¡°What? What did you say? I didn''t spend that much of your money in the first ce! How did it get to


    three billion?¡± eximed Francesca in shock.


    ¡°Well... Just the medical bills alone already cost about one hundred million. If we ount for the other


    expense, such as the one hundred million for Henry, and the fees for Helen''s team...¡± exined


    Danrique.


    She quickly cut in and asked, ¡°Wait, what? He''s not the greedy sort of person. Why would he suddenly


    want one hundred million from you?¡±


    ¡°Well, he wasn''t willing toe over. That was why I had no choice but to use an exorbitantly huge


    amount of money to lure him over. Finally, he proposed that we donate the amount due for the medical


    treatment to one of the schools located on a mountain. I''ve already gotten Sean to work on that,¡±


    replied Danrique calmly.

 Chapter 2009

    Chapter 2009


    q¡°All right, that''s indeed his style. What about the remaining sum of money?¡± she probed.


    ¡°I won''t cover the amount due for the misceneous fees and items. Let''s talk about therger items


    instead. I flew over to care for you, which then affected my business operations. That alone incurred a


    loss of about two billion. As for the remainder, that''s mypensation for caring for you all this time,¡±


    Danrique borated.


    ¡°You...¡± began Francesca, but she trailed off mid-sentence, speechless.


    ¡°It all makes sense logically and I have a case as well. I''ve had mywyer record everything and list the


    items fully on a document. Since you don''t want to marry me, you''ll have to pay for all this. However, if


    you do agree, then all this expenditure can be chalked up as our daily household expenses and we can


    wipe the te. Furthermore, you''ll stand to receive half of whatever ie I make in the future. You''ll


    be so rich that you won''t be able to put a number on it no matter how hard you try,¡± he stated.


    N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    The more I listen to this, the more it seems like it would be a good choice to marry him. It really seems


    like a good deal.


    As she mused over this issue, Francesca''s heart and mind started to tilt in favor of Danrique.


    He astutely picked up that cue and decided to ply on it. As such, he added, ¡°That''s not all. In the future,


    Dr. Felch can feel free to donate as much as he wants wherever he wishes. No restrictions at all!¡±


    She couldn''t help but smile broadly upon hearing that, and eximed, ¡°Ah! I''m sure he''ll be overjoyed if


    he knew about this! He''s donated all the money he has received from providing medical services all


    this while.¡±


    ¡°That''s right! All in your name too!¡± stated Danrique in a gentle tone all of a sudden.


    ¡°What?¡± she eximed as her eyes widened in shock. She was clearly unaware of that particr


    snippet of information.


    ¡°Sean specifically looked into the funds Dr. Felch listed. Based on thetter''s instructions, he always


    made sure to make the donations in your name whenever he did that,¡± exined Danrique.


    He lightly added, ¡°Sean found that matter to be rather curious, so he decided to enquire with the


    management staff of the funds. That was how he found out that the money had always been donated in


    your name the entire time. The staff also added that they had previously asked why your name was


    being used and pegged to these donations. The only reply they got was that he wanted to do some


    good for the world and in the name of his primary apprentice. Dr. Felch also mentioned that things


    rarely went ording to n for his apprentice, so he wanted to do what he could for the world in the


    hopes of umting good merit for his apprentice. Ultimately, he hoped that that kid''s journey


    moving forward would be smooth sailing.¡±


    No sooner had the words fallen from Danrique''s lips did the tears started streaming down Francesca''s


    face. She dove into his warm embrace and started bawling so hard that she was shaking.


    He lightly patted her on the back and tried to soothe her as gently as he could. Although he was


    typically a man of few words, he realized he seemed to have spoken too much that day. However, he


    knew that this was primarily because he had been touched by the depth of emotion and the strength of


    the rtionship that Francesca and Dr. Felch shared.


    Furthermore, he had recently been thinking of Isabe quite a fair bit. Simrly, his aunt used to make


    ns for him and tried to pave the way forward for him wherever possible. That was the reason why he


    could strive forward and achieve all that he had without facing too many challenges.


    ¡°Don''t you see now? You get to enjoy an abundance of benefits and opportunities if you marry me. Not


    to mention, he acknowledges me as well,¡± dered Danrique out of the blue in an attempt to change


    the subject and lighten the atmosphere.


    ¡°Really? Are you sure about that? You''re always behaving like you don''t care a shit about anything. I''m


    sure he doesn''t like you at all,¡± remarked Francesca as she was surprised.


    ¡°I was extremely respectful to him. Not only did I personally escort him to the ne, but I also saw that


    dog he keeps with him. It has grown to be ratherrge now. I don''t think the name Cece suits it much


    anymore,¡± he replied.


    That particrment elicited a small chuckle from Francesca.


    Danrique deftly brought the topic of marriage around once more and asked, ¡°That being said, are you


    agreeing to marry me? Remember that you''ll have to pay up if you don''t want to proceed with the


    marriage. On the other hand, if you do agree, you''ll be rolling in cash...¡±


    ¡°All right then! I''ll ept my fate. Let''s get married,¡± stated Francesca as she sighed deeply, almost as


    if that was something she found extremely frustrating.


    ¡°Listen to that tone. You don''t seem very willing,¡±mented Danrique as he yfully spanked her on


    her buttock.


    At that, she suddenly thought of something and hurriedly asked, ¡°Hang on... You haven''t exined the


    matter between you and Hazel. What are all the rumors and gossip about? What about the photos of


    both of you behaving intimately together? Not to mention Moon River''s Heart...¡±


    ¡°Ah, look at the time. Let''s head to bed. We can talk about this tomorrow!¡± he eximed in reply in an


    obvious attempt to change the subject.


    ¡°You...¡± She was about to burst into a tirade when the sound of knocking suddenly carried over from the


    door. That was swiftly followed by an update from Sean, who said, ¡°I have something to report, Mr.


    Lindberg.¡±


    Danrique frowned and carefully rescinded his arm from where it had been casually wrapped around


    Francesca''s neck. He rose to his feet and put on his clothes as he instructed, ¡°Head to bed first. I''ll go


    take a look.¡±


    She didn''t probe much and only grunted in acknowledgment as she watched him stride toward the


    door. As he walked, he suddenly stopped mid-stride and turned to look at her before he stated,


    ¡°Remember this! You''ve already agreed!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± replied Francesca on reflex. However, she swiftly pouted and added, ¡°Go.¡±

 Chapter 2010

    Chapter 2010


    qOnly then did Danrique leave with relief. After he closed the door, his face immediately darkened. ¡°Did


    Frank run away?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, your predictions are so urate,¡± Sean eximed.


    ¡°I just received the news, and I was so shocked.¡±


    ¡°It must be M Nation.¡± Danrique headed toward the study room as he spoke. ¡°Those people who are


    backing Pastor just won''t give up.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Sean nodded. ¡°After the previous incident, Pastor''s influence has been diminished. However,


    they''re still using him. Now, they''re even trying to get Frank to join them. It seems like they''re up to


    something.¡±


    In response, Danrique snorted contemptuously.


    Seanmented, ¡°It''s difficult topete for the market in Epea and Adrune. Mr. Lindberg, should we...¡±


    ¡°We''ve already started. How could we retreat now? No matter whates our way, we''ll have to think


    of ways to ovee it,¡± Danrique stated coldly.


    With a nod, Sean responded, ¡°All right. What should we do now?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. I''m sure Mr. President is more anxious about this than we are. Let us leave the matter to him.


    We''re just businessmen, and we''ll do what businessmen have to do.¡±


    Sean immediately understood what he meant. ¡°I get it. In the meantime, if Mr. President wants to meet


    you, I''ll find an excuse to turn him down.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Danrique nodded with satisfaction. ¡°How are things with the three great families?¡±


    ¡°Harrier and Kevin are behaving better recently,¡± Sean answered in a low voice. ¡°The Atkinson family is


    still eager to make a move. Perhaps, they think that there''s an opportunity they can take advantage of


    since they seeded in making a scandal about youst time.¡±


    Danrique narrowed his eyes, a dangerous glint shing across them. ¡°Gerard is so impenitent. Let


    them be. The more mistakes they make, the better.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    ¡°Okay. They might be more reckless if we don''t control them, though. Will that affect you and Ms.


    Felch?¡±


    Danrique was unbothered. ¡°Francesca is not an unreasonable woman. Besides, I didn''t do anything,


    anyway. If we want to expose the three families'' evil intentions, we have to encourage them to make


    mistakes.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡°We have to visit M Nation soon. The mess there needs to be cleaned up.¡±


    ¡°All right. I''ll arrange it right away.¡±


    After that, Danrique stayed in the study room to do some more work before returning to his room at one


    in the morning.


    Francesca had already fallen asleep. It seemed that she was feeling a bit embarrassed about her


    newly-shaved head as she hid under the nket, looking like a kitten.


    Seeing how adorable she was, Danrique was a bit tempted. However, at the thought that she was still


    heavily injured, he decided to sleep on the sofa for fear of hurting her wounds.


    He used to be very picky about the location and environment when he slept, but after keeping watch at


    the hospital for a while, he slowly got used to it. Moreover, he was always exhausted, so he would


    sleep soundly even on the sofa.


    Soon, Danrique drifted off.


    Francesca woke up in the middle of the night. Groggily, she reached for the pillow beside her, only to


    find that Danrique was not around. Nevertheless, the sight of Danrique sleeping on the sofa moved her


    and wiped away the slight disappointment she just felt.


    He used to be an arrogant man who would feel vited if someone else touched his bed.


    Yet, he gave up his bed for her and even slept on the sofa to avoid disturbing her.


    Why is he such an idiot?


    Feeling touched, Francesca lifted the nket off her and struggled out of bed.


    She walked toward the sofa slowly with the intention of apanying him, but after taking a few steps,


    her body couldn''t take it anymore. Her knees went weak, and her body slumped forward.


    Just in time, a strong and muscr arm caught her.


    ¡°What are you trying to do in the middle of the night?¡±


    Danrique carried her and ced her on the bed gently. In a swift motion, he leaned over her with his


    arms beside her shoulders. Even so, he made sure not to keep them too close to her so he wouldn''t


    hurt her.


    His handsome face was right in front of her eyes.

 Chapter 2011

    Chapter 2011


    qFrancesca''s heart was about to jump out of her chest. With widened eyes, she uttered, ¡°You-¡±


    Before she could say anything more, Danrique sealed her lips with his. The kiss started off


    passionately but soon turned into a sweet and gentle one.


    As Francesca melted into the kiss, her breathing started to quicken.


    However, Danrique did not take it further. When he thought of the severe injury on the back of her


    head, he tore away from her. Wiping her lips, he said softly, ¡°Go to sleep now.¡±


    With that, he got up to leave.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    ¡°To the study room.¡±


    Without even turning back, Danrique exited the room.


    He was already starting to feel aroused. If he stayed, he would feel ufortable trying to suppress


    himself. After all, he couldn''t touch her at this time.


    Watching his leaving figure, Francesca felt dejected.


    He probably left because he finds me ugly with my bald head. This can''t do. I have toe up with a


    medicine that helps speedy hair growth so I can grow my hair back soon!


    As her mind wandered, she slowly fell asleep.


    That night, Danrique was in her dreams. He embraced her and kissed her, and his hot breath felt as


    vivid as ever.


    In return, she clung to him, biting his ears and shoulders like a naughty little kitten.


    When Francesca woke up, her face was flushed with embarrassment.


    As she was unprepared before, she was always against the idea of getting married. Now, she was


    certain that she was ready for it.


    It was not for the sake of getting money or allowing Dr. Felch to donate whenever he wanted to.


    It was because she had truly fallen in love with him.


    Perhaps, her feelings had long been hiding in the deepest part of her heart. Now that she was slowly


    healing, those beautiful memories gradually surfaced in her mind and triggered an avnche of


    emotions.


    Regardless of the reason, she badly wanted to count the money he had.


    Just the thought of it made her ecstatic.


    She couldn''t wait to get married and live a happy life with Danrique.


    Would a hundredputers be enough? If we exchanged them for money, would the money fill up the


    entire house? Oh, right. I can ask for help from Ms. La, Mr. Lincoln, and Anthony. We''ll be one family


    in the future, so I have to introduce them to Danrique soon. There''s Dr. Felch, too. When I recover fully,


    I''ll pick a date and bring Danrique to Mount Phoenix. I''ll apologize to Dr. Felch sincerely and ask for his


    forgiveness. I hope he''ll agree to be the witness to our wedding.


    With that, Francesca started to n the wedding in her head. Our wedding should be held in Chanaean


    style here in Chanaea. It would be great if we have it in H City. Maybe we can have another ceremony


    in Xendale, too. I will have my wedding photoshoot by the beach and another in Xendale if I want. And


    I''m going to let the children in the orphanage attend the wedding and be my flower girls and flower


    boys. The scene of thousands of children there would be fantastic!


    The children will be delighted, too. They always called me Aunt Francesca before, and now, they''ll


    have an Uncle Danrique. With a dad protecting them, they won''t have to be afraid anymore. Oh, should


    we have children? It hurts to give birth, though. Plus, I can''t give birth to a baby with this weak body of


    mine. My life could be threatened. But if I don''t give birth, the Lindberg family will be left with no


    offspring. Danrique wouldn''t be happy about it, would he?


    At that, Francesca started to worry. On second thought, she realized she would die before she reached


    her thirties anyway. I guess I can die after I give birth to a child. At least I can leave Danrique a


    companion. Maybe the child can help protect Danrique in my ce when he or she grows up! Okay,


    that''s it. I''m going to bear Danrique a child.


    Francesca felt utterly determined at that moment. When she imagined her life in theing future, her


    mind was filled with sweet and happy scenes.

 Chapter 2012

    Chapter 2012


    qWhen Francesca woke up early the following day, the sunlight had already prated through the


    floor-to-ceiling window and thin curtains, warming the room slightly.


    Rubbing her eyes, Francesca nced at the clock on the wall. She did not expect to have slept so


    long, for it was already nine o''clock.


    ¡°Kerrie!¡± Francesca called out. Immediately, Kerrie and two other maids came inside to help her wash


    up.


    A momentter, Helen also entered to check on her wounds.


    Although Francesca did not keep her eyes off the doorway, there was no sight of Danrique.


    Perhaps it was because they just became a couple, for Francesca seemed like a teenager in love. All


    she could think about was Danrique, wishing for him to be there when she woke up.


    Therefore, she was disappointed when she did not see him.


    ¡°Ms. Felch, would you like to take breakfast in your room or downstairs?¡± Kerrie asked politely.


    ¡°Where is Danrique?¡± Francesca could not help but ask.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg went out early in the morning,¡± Kerrie answered. ¡°He told us to take good care of you


    before leaving.¡±


    ¡°Where did he go? Did he say when would he being back?¡± Francesca continued to ask.


    ¡°Uhm...¡± Kerrie shook her head. ¡°He didn''t mention anything about it.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Although Francesca felt upset, she knew she had to be understanding as Danrique might


    have something to settle.


    ¡°Ms. Felch, your wounds are recovering well. As a suggestion, you can go downstairs to sunbathe and


    take in some fresh air. It would be beneficial for your health,¡± Helen suggested.


    ¡°All right,¡± Francesca answered. ¡°I''ll go to the garden to have my breakfast.¡±


    ¡°Sure. I''ll arrange for it right now.¡±


    The weather that day was just right. It was around twenty or so degrees, and it was rather pleasant.


    It was not windy in the morning, so Francesca felt very rxed as she sunbath and listened to the


    waves while taking her breakfast in the garden.


    The maid carried a tray of scrumptious food to her where all the dishes were her favorite.


    Since Francesca''s physique was still rtively weak, she could not move around as she liked. It was


    especially the case for her head and neck, which could only remain stiff; as a result, she could only lie


    on the recliner all the time.


    When the maid wanted to feed her breakfast, she rejected, ¡°It''s fine. I can eat it myself.¡±


    She disliked being waited on like that. Besides, as a doctor, she knew the pain was just a feeling. She


    could still move around, but her body was stiff because the brain had been sending pain signals to the


    body parts affected.


    If she was determined enough, she could control her brain and thus her body.


    Francesca tried to eat breakfast on her own. Although her movements were clumsy, it was still a


    sessful attempt.


    Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    Everyone around her was impressed by her determination. Standing far away, Helen could not help but


    praise, ¡°Ms. Felch isn''t any ordinary person.¡±


    ¡°I heard she''s a doctor too,¡± her assistant whispered.


    ¡°I knew that when I was in M Nation.¡± Helen did not ce it to heart. ¡°Rumors had it that she had cured


    Mr. Lindberg''s snake venom. Although traditional medicine is great at flushing poisons, it could not be


    compared to modern medicine in other aspects such as surgery.¡±


    ¡°Most importantly, no one can bepared to Dr. Wright in medical skills,¡± her assistant eximed.


    ¡°Don''t go overboard.¡± Helen furrowed her eyebrows in contempt. ¡°Dr. Felch''s medical skills are way


    better than mine. Even if we do not consider his modern medical knowledge, his surgical skills are top-


    notch too.¡±


    ¡°Besides Dr. Felch¡ª¡±


    ¡°There''s still Francesco,¡± Helen muttered. ¡°Let''s forget about Dr. Felch. He''s so old, after all. It doesn''t


    make sense topare myself to him. If I have a chance, though, I would love to meet with Francesco


    and see what kind of person she is! She''s always so mysterious.¡±


    ¡°Francesco''s medical skills are superb, though. Judging from that, I think she isn''t young anymore.¡±


    ¡°I heard she is skilled in modern and traditional medicine, a rare well-rounded genius in the medical


    field. I hope there''s a chance for me to challenge her.¡±


    ¡°You''re still young. Perhaps you could surpass Francesco once you finish polishing your skills this


    year.¡±


    ¡°Hopefully!¡±

 Chapter 2013

    Chapter 2013


    qFrancesca had been holed up in the house for the entire day, causing her to feel extremely bored.


    She could not do anything but lie down to sleep, even needing people to serve her food.


    Although she wanted to stroll on the beach, two medical staff and a bunch of maids would follow


    behind despite it being a private beach. Therefore, she decided against the thought of going there.


    Thankfully, time flew by, and it was alreadyte evening.


    Francesca was reading a medical book while lying on the sofa, ncing at the wall clock from time to


    time. Although it was already nine o ''clock, Danrique was still not back. Plus, he did not send her a text


    message or give her a phone call for the entire day,


    What''s there in H City for him to busy himself until now? Did he perhaps return to Erihal?


    While she was thinking of that, footsteps could be heard in the distance, followed by the maids''


    greetings. ¡°Mr. Lindberg is back!¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Danrique had be more approachabletely and began to respond to the maids'' greetings.


    Back then, he was always aloof and emitting a cold aura, causing everyone to be afraid of him.


    Recently, the maids had secretly discussed how approachable he had be.


    When Francesca heard the noise outside, she quickly ced her book down and pretended to sleep.


    When Danrique pushed open the door, he took off his jacket and flung it to the bed. Then, he started to


    unbutton his shirt while approaching Francesca.


    Francesca felt nervous when she heard the footsteps getting nearer and nearer. While hugging the


    pillow, she continued to fake sleep.


    With her eyes closed, she could feel his presence as he sat beside her and his warm palm caressing


    her cheek.


    She felt a bit nervous when she thought of the kissst night. Would he...


    Before she could respond, Danrique leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead before moving


    down her eyes.


    Francesca squeezed her eyes shut and held her breath, not daring to move.


    She had already decided not to push him away if he were to continue.


    However, Danrique stopped short when he came to her ears. Biting her earlobes, he said, ¡°Quit


    pretending to sleep!¡±


    N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    After getting exposed, Francesca opened her eyes with a blushing face. ¡°How do you know I was not


    asleep?¡±


    ¡°How can you fool me with the tactic of yours?¡± Danrique pinched her cheeks, her gaze was filled with


    adoration.


    ¡°What did you do today?¡± Francesca snuggled into his embrace. Without her noticing it, her voice had


    softened when it came to him.


    ¡°I settled some matters,¡± Danrique replied without going into the details. ¡°I''ll need to fly to M Nation first


    thing in the morning.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Francesca was taken aback. ¡°Why?¡±


    She did not expect him to leave so soon when they had just gotten into a rtionship.


    ¡°I have some matters to attend to,¡± Danrique answered without thinking. ¡°I have ced it aside long


    enough, so I must return immediately.¡±


    ¡°Okay, then.¡± Francesca figured it was reasonable. ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°All right. Good girl!¡± Danrique kissed her forehead before he got up and left.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± she blurted out.


    ¡°Why? Do you want me to stay?¡± Danrique shot a half-smile at her.


    ¡°No way!¡± Francesca quickly denied it with a blushing face. ¡°I''m just asking.¡±


    ¡°I''m going to the study room. You should get some sleep. I''ll see you at breakfast tomorrow.¡± Danrique


    left after changing his clothes.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Francesca felt disappointed when looking at his leaving figure.


    He has been suddenly so busy these past two days, and he even needs to go to M Nation tomorrow.


    Why do I feel like he''s not as affectionate as before? He always hugged me to sleep no matter how


    tired he was back then. However, he''s sleeping in the guest room now.


    Francesca picked up her phone and wanted to search for some dating tips. At that moment, La


    suddenly called her. ¡°Ms. La!¡± Francesca greeted after picking up the call.


    ¡°Oh, my dear girl! You''ve finally picked up! I was getting anxious.¡±


    ¡°Didn''t Danrique already send someone to tell you that I''m fine? That''s why I thought of getting in touch


    with you when my injuries get better.¡±


    ¡°They did. However, I will only feel at ease when I get to talk to you,¡± La answered anxiously. ¡°Are


    you okay? How are you feeling? Is the surgery sessful?¡±

 Chapter 2014

    Chapter 2014


    q¡°It was pretty sessful. Otherwise, I wouldn''t be talking to you right now.¡± Francesca chuckled. ¡°Are


    things well on your side? I saw the text where you mentioned that things are fine at the orphanage, and


    Lacy is no longer in danger, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± La replied, ¡°I spoke to you the other day, and I told you not to head outside. However, you


    avoided the subject and kept asking me about the orphanage, so I sensed that something was amiss.


    Later, I heard gunshots, and the call was cut off. I couldn''t contact you again, so I knew something bad


    had happened. I was really anxious at that time, and I thought of contacting Danrique to save you and


    getting Mr. Lincoln to contact the police of H City...¡±


    La continued, ¡°However, Mr. Lincoln reminded me that you''ve always been an intelligent and


    cautious person. Thus, you couldn''t have been duped by Chrono so easily, unless you were threatened


    by him. However, he doesn''t have a hold on you apart from the orphanage. You were far away from


    Chrono, so he couldn''t use something else to manipte you unless he had nted a bomb inside the


    orphanage... Therefore, we spent two continuous nights scouring the orphanage in order to locate the


    bomb, so that you wouldn''t be threatened by Chrono...¡±


    La got emotional as she talked about what had urred on that day. ¡°However, the bomb had been


    hidden in a secure location, and we couldn''t find it. Mr. Lincoln contacted the police, and they helped us


    to look for it. After a while, we managed to find it. I contacted you immediately, but no one answered.


    Later, a bodyguard from the Lindberg residence phoned me. I was surprised and also rather emotional.


    Although your identity is exposed, at least, the issue is finally settled...¡±


    She paused, then added, ¡°Now, Lacy''s no longer in critical condition and will remain in the hospital for


    observation. The police are keeping an eye on the orphanage and have increased the number of


    patrols around the area. We''re very safe, so you don''t have to worry about us.¡±


    ¡°Good to know that you''re okay.¡± Francesca frowned. ¡°Chrono''s escaped, but he was bitten by Sam, so


    he can''t do anything drastic for a while. Still, if he survives, I''m afraid he wouldn''t let me go. Currently,


    I''m under the protection of the Lindberg family. Since he can''t get close to me, I fear he might target the


    orphanage again.¡±


    ¡°We''ve beefed up our security since this incident,¡± La assured her, ¡°Mr. Lincoln has recruited a few


    more bodyguards. They will work two shifts every day and take turns to protect the children. Don''t


    worry.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Francesca nodded. ¡°Once I''ve recovered, I''ll pay you a visit. If anything happens, you must tell


    me.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± La replied, ¡°Now, I have something to discuss with you.¡±


    ¡°Shoot.¡±


    Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    ¡°Earlier, Mr. Lincoln and I believed that the people of Riz Corporation wouldn''t interfere in matters


    between you and Chrono. After all, you have Danrique behind your back. However, after this incident,


    we aren''t so sure about that now.¡±


    She continued, ¡°If he could enter the orphanage undetected and nt a bomb there, he must be a top


    assassin. Chrono''s aplice must also be from Riz Corporation. At this point, we don''t know if he


    only has one aplice or more. Anyhow, the problem is even moreplicated than we thought. Mr.


    Lincoln is also trying to contact Darcel Nacht, the head of Riz Corporation, to see if he can negotiate


    with him and ask the organization to stop meddling in this affair...¡±


    ¡°This is quite tricky,¡± Francesca said hastily, ¡°The head of Riz Corporation is a domineering fellow and


    never interacts with the outside world. Nobody has been able to contact him, either. Even if we do, he''s


    not an easy person to negotiate with. Hence, I think it''s best that Mr. Lincoln doesn''t waste his effort on


    him.¡±


    ¡°We''ll just give it a try,¡± La said, ¡°Francesca, it''s great news that your surgery is sessful. Now, you


    must focus on getting a proper recovery. Once you''ve recovered, nobody can harm you.¡±


    ¡°I know, Ms. La...¡±


    ¡°We won''t interfere in your marriage to Danrique. We''ll always support you, regardless of your decision.


    Once you''ve made a decision, just let us know.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Thank you, Ms. La...¡±

 Chapter 2015

    Chapter 2015


    qAfter hanging up, Francesca pondered over what La had said. If Riz Corporation helps Chrono to


    get his revenge, I won''t be able to escape their clutches...


    Riz Corporation was a powerful organization and had branches in every country. It employed numerous


    assassins, and every one of them was highly skilled and possessed all sorts of abilities.


    Francesca already had a hard time dealing with Chrono. If thetter had more aplices, she would


    be in big trouble.


    Moreover, she had to deal with him alone, for she could not bring harm to La and the orphans.


    N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    As she thought of that, Francesca began to feel glum. She had been so engrossed in spending time


    with Danrique that she had forgotten about such an important issue.


    Therefore, she must recover quickly and return to S Nation.


    That night, Francesca did not have a peaceful slumber. She kept having nightmares.


    When she woke up the next morning, she was drenched in sweat. She looked out of the window and


    realized that it was still somewhat dark outside. In fact, it was hardly seven o''clock.


    Nevertheless, Francesca could not fall asleep again. Danrique had to leave that morning, so she


    decided to get up and apany him for breakfast.


    As she was about to get out of bed, Kerrie''s soft voice resounded from outside the room. ¡°Ms. Felch,


    are you awake?¡±


    ¡°Yes,e in,¡± Francesca answered.


    Kerrie brought two maids with her to assist Francesca with washing up and getting dressed. After that,


    they helped her down the stairs to have breakfast.


    Danrique was already seated in the dining room, and a cup of ck coffee was ced in front of him.


    Danrique was holding a newspaper in his hands, but he was answering a phone call via a bluetooth


    earpiece and saying something in Erihalean.


    Francesca did not understand it and asked Kerrie, ¡°What is he talking about?¡±


    ¡°I think it''s a phone call from Mr. President. He''s asking when Mr. Lindberg would head back. Mr.


    Lindberg said he would head to M Nation first...¡± Kerrie tranted the words.


    ¡°I see.¡± Francesca did not say much, but deep down, she knew Danrique had gotten himself involved in


    a major crisis.


    Francesca came to the dining room. Danrique ended the call and got up to adjust Francesca''s seat for


    her. He ced a napkin on herp and asked tenderly, ¡°Did you sleep wellst night?¡±


    ¡°It was fine.¡± Francesca noticed the passport and documents beside his hand. A car was already


    waiting for him outside, and the subordinates were busy loading the car with luggage. Obviously,


    Danrique was about to leave.


    ¡°What do you want to eat?¡± Danrique did not seem to be in a hurry, and he even brought some food for


    Francesca.


    ¡°Are you going to leave?¡± Francesca wished he would stay.


    ¡°It''s all right. I''ll have breakfast with you.¡± Danrique brought her a ss of milk. ¡°While I''m away, take


    good care of yourself. Once I''ve settled my matters, I''lle back to pick you up, and we''ll return to


    Erihal together.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Francesca figured that he would only be preupied for a few days and would not take too


    long. Thus, she said in an understanding manner, ¡°They are waiting for you. Go.¡±


    ¡°Don''t you miss me?¡± Danrique pinched her cheek.


    ¡°What''s there to miss?¡± Francesca replied stubbornly, ¡°It''s not like you aren''ting back.¡±


    ¡°You''ve got a point.¡± Danrique set his cutlery down and got up to put on his coat. ¡°I''ll get going now.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Francesca looked at him longingly.


    Sean came over to take Danrique''s documents and phone. After bidding farewell to Francesca, he


    went out with Danrique.


    Kerrie wanted to help Francesca up, but thetter refused her assistance. She did not like goodbyes,


    so she decided to let Danrique leave quietly.


    Before Danrique got into his car, he turned around and stared at Francesca through the ss window.


    He had assumed she would send him off and kiss him goodbye or something, but she did not do


    anything.


    He felt disappointed, so he lowered his head and got into his car silently.


    When the car cruised away, Danrique even stared at the rear view mirror. Still, Francesca was sitting in


    the dining room and enjoying her breakfast, seemingly unaffected by his departure.


    Danrique was a bit upset and sighed. ¡°What a heartless woman!¡±


    ¡°Haha...¡± Seanughed. ¡°I can tell Ms. Felch doesn''t want you to leave, but she''s probably


    inexperienced and has a different way of expressing her feelings.¡±


    Danrique heaved a long sigh. He felt that Francesca had much more to learn about dating and


    romance than he did. She waspletely inexperienced.

 Chapter 2016

    Chapter 2016


    qWhen Francesca heard the car outside, she could not help but turn to look.


    The woman had to slowly move her entire body since she could not turn her neck because of the


    severe injury.


    Hence, she missed Danrique''s car.


    Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    The vehicle was already gone when she finally managed to turn around.


    At that point, Francesca was filled with utter regret because she did not get to kiss the man goodbye or


    even hug him. The two had parted without a proper farewell.


    Why did I have to be so proud? It''s toote for me to regret it now. Frances felt terrible when she


    thought about the way she acted.


    ¡°Don''t worry, Ms. Felch. Mr. Lindberg will be back very soon.¡± Having served Francesca for so long,


    Kerrie could immediately tell what was going through the woman''s mind.


    ¡°I don''t care when he''ll be back. I''m better off without him anyway.¡± Francesca continued with her


    pretense.


    ¡°Aren''t you going to miss Mr. Lindberg?¡± inquired Kerrie with a smile.


    ¡°Of course not!¡± Instead of eating her oatmeal, Francesca stirred it so much that she nearly spilled all of


    it.


    ¡°Okay, let''s forget about him and focus on your recovery,¡± suggested Kerrie with another smile. ¡°You


    should try this soup, Ms. Felch. It''s delicious!¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    In the following days, Francesca wanted to recuperate in peace, so she came up with an excuse to


    send Helen and the others away while promising to keep paying them as usual.


    Helen was a respectable physician. Even though she loved money, she would not ept it for doing


    nothing.


    Hence, the woman told Gordon that she only needed to be paid for the services rendered. No more, no


    less.


    Having confirmed Francesca was okay with that, Gordon paid Helen her due and sent her and the


    others to the airport.


    After the medical team left, Francesca then had people ready the clinic and some medicinal herbs for


    her because she wished to treat herself.


    Besides getting herself to recover sooner, the woman needed to prepare an ointment that could help


    her hair grow back quickly since she did not intend on staying bald.


    Confident that Francesca''s form would be an instant worldwide hit, Kerrie excitedly suggested


    that the woman had it patented and marketed for sale. After all, most people in this modern age have


    hair loss issues because they think too much. This invention couldn''t be timelier!


    However, Francesca did not want her simple form to go public or appear on the market. In her


    opinion, those who went bald should stay that way so people could tell how smart they were.


    After letting out a chuckle, Kerriemented on how unique Francesca''s way of thinking was and


    mused that that was probably what made her a genius.


    Francesca did not respond to the woman since she simply wanted to stay out of the spotlight,


    especially when Chrono and Riz Corporation were keeping a close eye on her. I better keep a low


    profile and focus on my recovery.


    Just like that, ten days passed in a sh.


    Even though Francesca''s wound was almostpletely healed, she dared not use the hair growth


    form just yet. Otherwise, the injured spot would remain bald.


    The time Kerrie spent with Francesca had taught her a lot.


    Despite her poor aptitude and slowprehension, Kerrie eventually became capable enough to help


    Francesca.


    In the beginning, she had no idea what Francesca was talking about when the woman threw scientific


    names of medicinal herbs at her. Even after Francesca had taught her the names, Kerrie just could not


    seem to remember them.


    Francesca got so annoyed that she scolded Kerrie and warned that the woman would remain a nurse


    with such performance.


    All Kerrie could do then was apologize profusely.


    Francesca, too, apologized when she realized that she had been too hard on the nurse, who reminded


    her of her old self.


    Unlike Kerrie, Francesca could absorb almost all the knowledge her mentor had to pass down.


    However, there were still times when she would fail toprehend her mentor''s teachings, warranting


    her a harsh scolding much like the one she had given Kerrie.


    Francesca felt terrible then, but after she became a mentor herself, she realized that her teacher simply


    wanted her to be sessful.

 Chapter 2017

    Chapter 2017


    qEven after ten days, Danrique still had not returned. The man seemed quite busy. At first, he would


    call Francesca every day because he missed her, even though it was only for a few minutes.


    After a while, Danrique just stopped calling.


    Francesca forced herself to ignore the man, but that onlysted for two days before she started


    sending him messages.


    The woman tried to convince herself that Danrique only ignored her messages because he was busy


    dealing with urgent matters and that he would contact her as soon as he had the time.


    However, she still had not heard from the man even after another two days.


    That was when Francesca began to get anxious. Worried that something might have happened to


    Danrique, she reached out to Gordon to confirm the situation.


    Gordon then assured Francesca that Danrique was busy but fine and that the man would contact her in


    a few days. Danrique also wanted Gordon to remind the woman to stop worrying about him and focus


    on her recovery instead.


    Francesca immediately grew angry when she heard all that, so she had Gordon ask Danrique why the


    man had time to contact his subordinate but not her.


    ¡°If there''s nothing else, I''ll take my leave, Ms. Felch.¡± Gordon was not a sensitive man, so he had no


    idea that Francesca was upset.


    ¡°Sure. You may leave,¡± responded Francesca.


    However, the woman would call for Gordon once again before long. Bored, Francesca was going


    through the news while lying on the sofa when she came across an article about Hazel visiting a


    branch of Lindberg Corporation in Summerbank, M Nation.


    Hazel kept a high profile by having the media take photos of her attending local banquets and meeting


    with local politicians and wealthy businessmen. The press even hailed her as a capable


    businesswoman of the new generation and someone worthy of Danrique.


    Francesca became upset again after seeing the news, so she immediately summoned Gordon back to


    ask if the article was true.


    As a straightforward person, Gordon did not think twice before informing Francesca that Hazel had


    indeed gone to Summerbank to visit the branch and that the press was responsible for thement on


    Hazel''spatibility with Danrique.


    ¡°So Danrique''s in Summerbank too?¡± questioned Francesca, who was already boiling with anger.


    ¡°Yes,¡± replied Gordon with a nod almost immediately.


    With a stony expression, Francesca instantly threw her tablet out the window and into the swimming


    pool without another word. The device made a sshing sound when it plunged into the body of water.


    ¡°Uh...¡± Gordon was stunned when he finally realized that Francesca was mad, so he quickly added,


    ¡°You mustn''t misunderstand, Ms. Felch. Even though Mr. Lindberg and Ms. Atkinson arrived in


    Summerbank on the same day, it wasn''t nned.¡±


    ¡°They arrived in Summerbank on the same day?¡± At that point, Francesca got even more upset. ¡°I


    never should''ve trusted him. I thought he went there for work, but it turns out that he only did it for


    Hazel.¡±


    ¡°No, no, that''s not it.¡±


    ¡°Shut up and get out!¡± Furious, Francesca refused to listen to anyone.


    The woman was convinced that Danrique and Hazel were dating in Summerbank, and the more she


    thought about it, the angrier she got.


    Francesca decided to call Danrique. The call went through but was outright declined, which served only


    to add fuel to the fire. Is that b*stard refusing to answer my call because he''s with Hazel now?


    The woman then texted Danrique: Return my call immediately!


    N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    Francesca was so furious that she could not wait for another second longer.


    Before long, Danrique did as requested. ¡°What''s wrong? Did something happen?¡± inquired the man in


    an anxious tone because he was worried.


    ¡°Are you with Hazel now?¡± questioned Francesca straightforwardly.


    Danrique kept quiet in response as if wondering why the woman would throw such a question at him.


    Francesca almost second-guessed herself and was about to mention the news article when she


    suddenly heard the sweet voice of a woman.


    ¡°Danrique, I''m done changing. Let''s go!¡±

 Chapter 2018

    Chapter 2018


    qThat''s Hazel''s voice! Francesca grew so enraged that her hand began to shake as she clenched her


    phone. Like a bomb, the woman was ready to explode. ¡°Danrique Lindberg!¡±


    The shout was so loud that it almost deafened Danrique. With his eyebrows furrowed, the man was


    about to exin himself when he was distracted by a noise outside.


    ¡°You better have a good exnation for that. Otherwise, I''ll¡ª¡± Before Francesca could finish her


    sentence, the call ended.


    The woman stared at her phone with widened eyes because she could not believe what had just


    happened. Did he just hang up on me? At a moment like this? This means he must be guilty of seeing


    that woman!


    Francesca''s heart hurt even more when she thought about how Danrique had hugged and kissed her


    before leaving. The man had even proposed to her romantically.


    Suddenly, everything seemed like a big fat joke to her. How naive and stupid can I be? Why did I


    believe his words?


    When Francesca felt as though she was on the brink of losing her mind, she felt a sharp pain from the


    wound behind her head.


    The woman then reminded herself to stay calm as she leaned back on the sofa while holding her head.


    Francesca tried to convince herself that it was all just a misunderstanding. Maybe it''s not what I think;


    maybe Hazel''s trying to gain attention by fabricating a scandal; maybe it''s just a part of Danrique''s


    marketing strategy. I have to believe that he won''t cheat on me.


    With that thought in mind, Francesca suppressed her emotions and tried calling Danrique again. This


    time, her call was outright declined. When she tried again, all she could hear on the phone was a busy


    tone.


    Obviously, her phone number had been cklisted.


    Wonderful! Francesca''s face turned as grim as a graveyard as she mocked herself for trying to defend


    Danrique.


    After tossing her reasoning out the window, the woman wanted nothing more than to fly over to


    Summerbank to strangle both Danrique and Hazel.


    Just when Francesca was about to go crazy, her phone suddenly rang.


    She hurriedly answered the call, thinking it was Danrique on the other end of the line. ¡°Danrique, you


    ¡ª¡±


    ¡°It''s me, Francesca,¡± informed La. ¡°Is this a good time? Can I talk to you?¡±


    ¡°Sure, Ms. La.¡± Francesca did not want to worry La, so she did her best to control her emotions.


    N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    ¡°How''s your recovery?¡±


    Even though La sounded calm, Francesca could immediately tell that something was wrong. ¡°I''m


    much better now; I can move around without any trouble. What''s wrong, Ms. La? Did something


    happen at the orphanage?¡±


    ¡°Lacy is suffering fromplications, and it doesn''t look good. There was nothing the hospital could do


    to help, so I had no choice but to call you,¡± revealed La anxiously.


    ¡°Just hang on. I''ll be right over.¡± Francesca immediately began to collect her credentials.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± inquired La worriedly. ¡°I know I shouldn''t have called you, but Lacy is hanging by a


    thread. You''re the only one who can save the child.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine. I''ll be back as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Wait! You should have the Lindbergs'' men escort you. Since Chrono and the others are still targeting


    you, it''s not a good idea for you to travel alone,¡± reminded La.


    ¡°Don''t worry about me; I know what to do. I''m hanging up now.¡±


    After ending the phone call, Francesca was ready to do as suggested. However, she changed her mind


    when she remembered how Danrique betrayed her.


    Besides that, Francesca was sure that she had recovered enough to defend herself should Chrono


    come looking for trouble.


    The woman then booked a flight and quickly packed her bags before heading downstairs.


    ¡°Ms. Felch, are you... going somewhere?¡±


    ¡°I''m going back to S Nation. Tell Danrique that he and I are over and that I don''t want to see him again.


    Goodbye!¡± uttered Francesca while putting on her sunsses.

 Chapter 2019

    Chapter 2019


    q¡°What?¡±


    Everyone inside the house was stumped as they simply could not wrap their heads around the


    situation. Why is Ms. Felch suddenly making an announcement that they''re breaking up? Weren''t they


    getting along just fine earlier on?


    Francesca ignored them and started to make her way out.


    N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    Sloan hastened to intercept her. ¡°Don''t be so rash, Ms. Felch. Surely, things can be talked over


    amicably. Have we done something wrong? Kindly berate us if we did, but please do not get mad.¡±


    ¡°This has nothing to do with you guys.¡± Francesca''s brow creased up. ¡°It''s that b*stard Danrique. He''s


    been unfaithful to me, and that is why I''m done with him. Just tell him that I said that if he asks.¡±


    Considering her personality, she was not the type who would bother to exin too much. She,


    however, did not want to cause Sloan and Kerrie to get into trouble.


    ¡°There has to be some kind of misunderstanding here. Mr. Lindberg isn''t that sort of man,¡± Sloan


    protested. ¡°Did you hear about that from some news report you have seen? You can''t trust those as


    they are mostly sensationalistic...¡±


    ¡°I went to ask him directly because I did not trust the news, but there was a woman''s voiceing from


    his end of the phone...¡± Francesca was positively livid. ¡°Forget it. It''s too embarrassing, so I don''t want


    to talk about it anymore. Regardless, do not try to stop me, or else don''t me me for being uncivil.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Felch...¡±


    ¡°Out of my way!¡± Francesca roared.


    ¡°You''ve yet to recover from your injuries, so it''s dangerous for you to go out at this time... M-Ms.


    Felch...¡±


    There was no chance that Sloan would be able to impede Francesca.


    Kerrie got so worked up that she was stamping her feet. ¡°What now? What should we do? Mr. Lindberg


    is going to be so upset with us if Ms. Felch were to leave!¡±


    ¡°Where''s Gordon?¡± Sloan anxiously asked.


    ¡°He left a couple of minutes ago,¡± a jittery Kerrie exined. ¡°He seems to be quite busy. After Ms. Felch


    called him inside to ask some questions, he left in a hurry.¡±


    Bereft of options, Sloan could only call on Gordon. He was, however, unable to get through to thetter


    over the phone.


    As an alternative, he called Sean instead but had no luck there either.


    As such, Sloan had no choice but to go after Francesca himself first. By then, she had already reached


    the parking lot where two bodyguards were fervently trying to talk her around.


    From a distance, Sloan came running. He thought that they would be able to stop her, but a sudden


    kick from Francesca sent one of the bodyguards flying.


    With the other one in a state of shock and unable to react in time, Francesca hopped right into a red


    Lamborghini, started it up, and sped away.


    ¡°Close the gates!¡± Sloan yelled.


    The bodyguards manning the iron gates immediately moved to shut it, but that was not going to deter


    Francesca.


    Performing a drift, she directed her vehicle over to another car and drove right onto the roof. With the


    momentum created, she went soaring over the walls of thepound.


    ¡°Jesus Christ!¡±


    Leading some men out in pursuit on wheels, a panicky Sloan found that both Francesca and her car


    had already vanished from sight by the time he got beyond the gates.


    Without a clue as to where Francesca could have gone, he could only split the search party into two


    groups. One would head into the city, while he himself would lead another handful of people in the


    direction of the airport.


    At the same time, he instructed Kerrie to continue to try to get in touch with Gordon or Sean.


    Over at Summerbank, Danrique had just finished off the ambushing team of assassins and was about


    to guide Hazel and the others away from the banquet hall.


    It was evening time in Summerbank, and the light of the crimson sun had illuminated the horizon in a


    gorgeous hue.


    Recalling Danrique''s dashing ways earlier when engaging his foes despite being outnumbered ten to


    one had Hazel''s heart pounding wildly. Her big, doe eyes regarded Danrique with deep affection and


    were on the verge of tearing up.


    ¡°The market here hasn''t stabilized yet, and I''m being besieged from all sides. Why would your father


    send you here for an inspection tour despite knowing how dangerous it is?¡±


    Danrique had his hands on the steering wheel and his eyes focused to the fore. He did not even cast a


    nce in Hazel''s way.


    ¡°Initially, Harrier was supposed to be here, but he got held back at thest minute. After conferring with


    each other, Father and Mr. Yarrow decided to allow me toe here instead.¡±


    Hazel''s voice was filled with the same adoration as it always had, and her bodynguage unreservedly


    revealed her admiration and reverence for Danrique.


    ¡°Your sense of timing is simply impable.¡± Danrique shot her a look. ¡°Fancy arriving and running into


    me at the airport at the exact same time the way you did.¡±

 Chapter 2020

    Chapter 2020


    qHazel fell silent briefly before she replied softly. ¡°Actually, it was my father who tracked down your


    whereabouts and purposefully scheduled my arrival to coincide with yours. His goal was to create an


    opportunity for me to spend more time with you. ording to them, it''d be easier for two individuals to


    develop feelings for each other when alone with each other in a foreign setting.¡±


    Once she got those words off her chest, Hazel bit down on her lip, an expression of unease and


    nervousness on her face.


    ¡°I''ve already forgone demanding ountability for the fabrication of those scandalous reports from


    before...¡±


    Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    Though Danrique only said it halfway, his message was already apparent.


    ¡°I know that this has all been extremely troubling for you, but I feel quite helpless too since this was


    what my father and Mr. Yarrow insisted. They are both quite stubborn and won''t quit until they get what


    they want, so it''s not really a bad thing that I''m ying along. This would make them give up sooner,


    no?¡±


    Hazel''s tone reflected her own feelings about theck of control over her circumstances. She paused


    and added, ¡°Having grown up alongside you, I know what you''re like. Once you''ve decided on


    something, nobody can ever hope to change your mind. That holds true both in your professional as


    well as your love life. That is why I''ve never believed that you may ever develop feelings for me. I just


    want to continue to quietly support you and always be there for you whenever you need me.¡±


    Her words were so touching and conveyed in such a heartfelt manner that Danrique was unable to


    bring himself to find fault with her.


    Even though they ran into each other at the airport, they had both kept to their own schedules those


    past couple of days, and she had not gotten in his way at all.


    Making that visit to Summerbank so high-profile was also a deliberate act on Danrique''s part.


    It was he who had instructed the three great families to fly a representative over for an inspection, and


    it was also he who wanted the media to be all over that representative. The purpose of that was to


    send a message to those who were backing Pastor that he, Danrique Lindberg, had his mind set on


    taking over that city.


    What came unexpectedly to him was that, of all the people, the three great families had decided that


    they would nominate Hazel.


    Considering that she was currently in the process of taking over Gerard''s position, Hazel''s presence


    was justifiable. However, it had also led to some scandals that profoundly angered Francesca.


    Thetter had behaved like a raging mastiff when they conversed over the phone. As the assassins


    were charging at him when he was about to exin himself, he had no choice but to hang up to deal


    with them first.


    Alone after being separated from the group, unarmed, and confronted with an overwhelming number of


    hostiles during that time, he and Hazel sought refuge in the shadows. Francesca''s incessant calls,


    however, kept giving his position away, time and again.


    As he needed to be on standby for Sean''s iing call, he was unable to switch off his phone. Hence,


    he could only temporarily block her number.


    I suppose that Francesca must be throwing a fit at home, but it can''t be helped. I can only offer her a


    proper exnation after the situation at hand has been sorted out.


    ¡°It was fortunate that you were around tonight, or things might have gotten really ugly for me.¡±


    Hazel did her best to try to ease the mood.


    At the banquet earlier that night, she had been harassed by several wealthy businessmen from M


    Nation. They even knocked a ss of champagne over onto her, drenching her gown and causing her


    to get cut by fragments of shattered ss.


    Just as she was in a most wretched state and at a loss for what to do, Danrique showed up and took


    her to the lounge to get changed and have her wounds cleaned up.


    His gentlemanly mannerisms and considerate care throughout had left her profoundly moved.


    ¡°It was nothing, so don''t mention it,¡± said Danrique nonchntly. ¡°I''ll dly help even if you''re just an


    ordinary friend. Besides, you''re here as a representative of Lindberg Corporation. If you don''t look


    good, we don''t look good.¡±


    The sense of distance those words projected left Hazel a little disconcerted, but not daring to voice that


    out, she could only softly reply with, ¡°Yes. I understand.¡±


    ¡°My participation at the banquet was also prearranged,¡± Danrique further exined. ¡°I wasn''t there


    expressly to help you!¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I know that.¡± Hazel bowed her head meekly.


    ¡°This ce is fraught with danger. There could be hordes of assassins after me every single day and all


    manner of local tycoons looking to make things difficult for Lindberg Corporation. You should not have


    come here in the first ce!¡±


    Danrique had originally wanted Harrier with him. Firstly, it was to dere his own position to those


    behind Pastor, and secondly, to humble Harrier.


    Harrier, however, was extremely cunning. Not only had he fashioned himself an excuse to get away,


    but he had also sessfully managed to cajole Gerard into sending Hazel in his ce.


    In his eagerness to hook his daughter up with Danrique, Gerard had unexpectedly fallen for Harrier''s


    scheming.

 Chapter 2021

    Chapter 2021


    q¡°Actually, I know what Harrier is up to.¡± Hazel smiled wryly. ¡°My dad can''t see it, but I can. On the


    surface, he makes it seem like he''s working together with the Yarrow and the Atkinson families. Behind


    the scenes, however, he has beening up with his own schemes. When the three families work


    together, he will do his best to get benefits out of it. However, he will let the other two families take all


    the risks. He alwayses up with glorious excuses and makes it seem like he''s sacrificing himself to


    help others. This time was a perfect example. My dad is so grateful to him and was thanking Harrier for


    giving me the chance toe on this inspection.¡±


    ¡°If you knew all that, why did you still want toe?¡± Danrique questioned.


    ¡°Is it okay if I speak my mind?¡± Hazel asked cautiously.


    ¡°Go on.¡± Danrique was rather impressed by her honesty.


    ¡°The main reason is that I want to spend more alone time with you,¡± Hazel answered directly. ¡°Besides,


    among our generation, I think you''re the most capable person among the three great families. Mr.


    Yarrow''s son is a spoiled brat and is not interested in running the family business. Although Harrier is


    slightly more capable, he''s too greedy and ambitious. He''s always trying to take advantage of the


    people close to him. However, he doesn''t have what it takes to fight against outsiders. A person like


    him won''t achieve great things. I don''t want to be like him and focus on schemes and plots. Instead, I


    want to see the outside world and broaden my horizon. If the three great families continue to prosper, I


    believe in my capability of carrying the Atkinson family forward. Even if something were to go wrong


    with the three great families in the future, I could still uphold the Atkinson family on my own!¡±


    Danrique was stunned when he heard that. At the same time, his opinion of Hazel changed slightly.


    N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    Compared to the others in the three great families, she seems to have a clearer mind and the required


    fighting spirit! In fact, she knows there''s a possibility I might destroy the three great families in the


    future. I don''t sense a hint of resentment in her tone. Instead, she was just brutally honest. I think she


    knows that it''s only natural in the business arena for the strong to dominate the weak.


    Although nothing was certain, Hazel was willing to work hard in enriching her rtionships and


    strengthening her family. ¡°Therefore, please don''t hate me, Mr. Lindberg.¡± Then, she added, ¡°I''m


    working hard, but I won''t force anything upon you. Also, I''m not going toe up with schemes behind


    your back. I just hope that I can be there whenever you need me!¡±


    ¡°You sound very sincere,¡± Danrique replied indifferently. ¡°For now, I don''t think you were involved in


    helping your dad kidnap Cece and drugging her in the banquet hall.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Hazel was taken aback, and she quickly answered, ¡°No way! Although my dad wants me to


    get close to you, he''s not capable of doing such a thing.¡±


    Danrique nced at her coldly and kept mum.


    ¡°Please trust me. My dad never did such a thing. He has always been the most cowardly in the three


    great families. How could he possibly have the courage to kidnap someone close to you?¡±


    Danrique narrowed his eyes when he heard that. She has a point.


    Danrique sent her home and went back to his vi. Sean and the others rushed back at once, and they


    were relieved to see him unharmed.


    Right before any of them could say a word, Danrique ordered, ¡°Re-investigate Cece''s kidnapping


    case.¡±


    ¡°Noted, Mr. Lindberg.¡± Sean nced at him sheepishly and said, ¡°There''s something else I need to


    report to you. Please don''t get angry, okay?¡±


    ¡°Speak!¡± Danrique had just had a long night, and he was drinking his tea gracefully.


    ¡°Ms. Felch has run off!¡±


    Spurt!

 Chapter 2022

    Chapter 2022


    qDanrique spat out his mouthful of hot tea and began to cough badly.


    Sean patted his back andforted him, ¡°Don''t worry, okay? I think she''s fine and¡ª¡±


    ¡°What happened? Why did she run away so suddenly?¡± While talking, Danrique picked up his phone


    and rang Francesca.


    ¡°Well, you would know, wouldn''t you?¡± Sean replied weakly. ¡°Kerrie told me you had an argument with


    her, and she left because of that.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Danrique was rendered speechless. We had an argument, all right. All I need to do is just


    exin myself, no? Why did she need to run away? What''s with this woman?


    While he was still angry, he heard the automated reply through the phone, ¡°The number you have


    dialed is unavable.¡±


    He then furrowed his brows and questioned, ¡°Where did she go? When did she leave?¡±


    ¡°Exactly four hours and ten minutes ago,¡± Sean answered. ¡°Sloan said she kicked a bodyguard away


    and took a Lamborghini. After that, she went sailing over the walls and sped off. Sloan thought she


    could be going to the airport, so he sent people there. However, she had driven to a nearby city to


    catch a flight. Sloan is sure of it because he found the Lamborghini there. She''s now on a flight toward


    S Nation.¡±


    Danrique was utterly baffled. What she has done is even more courageous than any of the men here! I


    love it! Still, did she really need to do that? It''s not like I''ve done something unforgivable, right? I hung


    up on her, and that''s all I did! Did she need to kick my bodyguard, steal a car, drive to another city, and


    board a flight to S Nation? What is she going to do next time when we''re married? Is she going to leaveN?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    every time we have an argument? I have enough bodyguards for her to kick down all she wants, and I


    also have a lot of cars for her to use. However, I doubt my heart can take it!


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, would you like to send Gordon and Sloan to S Nation to look for her?¡± Sean asked


    tentatively. ¡°I doubt Ms. Felch would want toe back, though.¡±


    ¡°Let Gordon continue with his mission. After all, that matter is rather important,¡± Danrique ordered


    firmly. ¡°Send Sloan to S Nation to keep an eye on her from afar. Don''t disturb her or let her realize his


    presence.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I got it.¡± Sean then left to ry the message.


    Danrique tried to call Francesca again, but he was still getting the same response. Could she still be on


    the ne now?


    After thinking it through, he texted: Call me back when you see this!


    Danrique never liked exining himself. A couple should just trust each other. Furthermore, I''ve never


    wronged her or done anything to betray her trust. Why must she always get jealous and doubt me?


    She must change that attitude of hers.


    Achoo!


    Francesca sneezed a couple of times on the flight. I bet Danrique is talking bad about me right now.


    When she recalled his actions, she gritted her teeth in anger.


    While Francesca was fuming, she suddenly noticed the young woman next to her crying. The woman


    had finished all her tissues but was still sobbing inconsbly.


    ¡°Are you all right?¡± Francesca gave her some tissues andforted her. ¡°Bad things are bound to


    happen in life. Cheer up, okay?¡±


    ¡°That scumbag! He tricked my feelings and ran away with my money. He left me with nothing except for


    his child...¡± The young woman held her stomach and cried even more fiercely.


    ¡°What?¡± Francesca reacted dramatically. ¡°He ran away with your money? How much money are you


    talking about?¡±


    ¡°Around three hundred thousand. My parents gave me the money to pay for my school fees and living


    expenses. I gave everything to him. My parents still think I''m in school. I don''t even know what I''m


    supposed to say to them when I get back...¡± The young woman was crying her heart out. With a hand


    over her stomach, she added, ¡°When I first got pregnant, he told me he was going to marry me.


    However, he kept stalling. Now that my pregnancy is showing, he ran off. What am I supposed to do


    now?¡±


    Francesca was taken aback when she heard that. Men and rtionships are scary. They''ll trick our


    feelings and steal our money!

 Chapter 2023

    Chapter 2023


    qWhile crying, the young woman said, ¡°Don''t be like me, okay? Don''t trust men, so you won''t get


    tricked by them. Men are all cheaters. At first, they''ll say all the nice things. But once they get you, they


    won''t cherish you.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like...¡± Danrique popped up in Francesca''s mind right away. At first, he was nice to me.


    After I agreed to marry him, however, he changed.


    ¡°Also, don''t ever spend money on a man. Otherwise, they''ll start taking you for granted.¡±


    ¡°No. That won''t happen.¡± Francesca held her backpack tightly and dered, ¡°He can cheat my feelings,


    but I''ll never let him take my money!¡±


    The jewelry Danrique had given to her was in the bag, and she had been keeping it close to her.


    When she was going through the security check earlier, the authorities had asked her to show her proof


    of purchase and a certificate for the jewelry. She didn''t have the receipt, but she had the certificate with


    her. They had detained her for quite a while before agreeing to let her through. I''ve already wasted so


    much time and energy on Danrique, but at least I got jewelry in return. Otherwise, I would suffer such a


    great loss.


    ¡°Yes. That''s right. You have to keep your money safe.¡± The young woman then looked around and


    leaned toward Francesca to whisper, ¡°You have to safeguard your purity too!¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡± Francesca froze momentarily. Danrique has already hugged, touched, and kissed me. Does that


    count as losing my purity?


    ¡°You seem quite young. You haven''t done that with him yet, have you?¡± the other woman asked.


    ¡°I''m not sure.¡± In a nervous tone, Francesca said, ¡°I''ve slept with him...¡±


    ¡°You''ve lost your virginity, then!¡± With an angry expression, the young woman sighed and continued, ¡°It


    seems like you''ve already been tricked by a man! However, it''s good that you still have your money


    with you. Trust me, okay? Men are trash. Once you''ve given them your attention, they''ll start mentally


    abusing you by ignoring you, your phone calls, and your texts!¡±


    ¡°You''re right!¡± The more Francesca thought about it, the angrier she got. Every man is the same!


    Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    ¡°If they don''t have a use for you, they''ll dump you as soon as possible. If they still see value in you,


    they''ll soone apologizing to you and asking for forgiveness. Besides that, they''ll find a way to get


    you back...¡± The young woman kept telling Francesca about the various ways trashy men acted and all


    their tricks.


    Francesca was listening intently to her theories.


    ¡°When he seeks you out, just ignore him. Otherwise, once you''ve forgiven him once, you''ll have to


    forgive him for the rest of your life! No matter what you guys are arguing about now, I''m sure you will


    argue about the same thing over and over again in the future.¡± The young woman was so focused on


    giving advice that she had forgotten about how sad she was.


    She thought she had met a person in as much distress as she was, so she felt less sad. Besides, she


    was even feeling a sense of aplishment from being able to pass on her knowledge and


    experience.


    ¡°What should I do, then?¡± Francesca believed her so much that she was treating the other female as


    her mentor in rtionships.


    ¡°Don''t cave in,¡± the young woman answered. ¡°No matter how much he exins himself and how he


    begs, ignore him. He''s just lying to you.¡±


    After pausing for a while, she went on to ask, ¡°By the way, why did you break up with him?¡±


    ¡°H-He was on a business trip and the woman he has a scandal with had also gone to the same ce


    for a business trip. When I called him, I could hear her voice in the background.¡±


    ¡°That''s it, then!¡± The other woman smacked her own thigh and uttered agitatedly, ¡°You''ve been


    betrayed! You''ve definitely been cheated on! There''s something going on between him and that


    woman, for sure. He must have gone behind your back to meet up with her.¡±


    Upon hearing that, Francesca became infuriated again. I''m so tempted to go to M Nation and kill


    Danrique right now! How dare he cheat on me?


    ¡°Once a cheater, always a cheater. You''ll see. If you forgive him once, you''ll have to keep forgiving him


    for the same mistake for the rest of your life,¡± the woman said knowingly. ¡°I''ve dated eight men before! I


    know them like the back of my hand!¡±

 Chapter 2024

    Chapter 2024


    q¡°You''re right!¡± Deep down, Francesca had already decided to not forgive Danrique.


    ¡°Let me tell you what you should do next.¡± The young woman held Francesca''s hand and said, ¡°First,


    you need to switch off your phone and stay off the radar¡ª¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Francesca interrupted her speech. ¡°Why should I do all that when I''ve already broken up with


    him?¡± she asked in a puzzled tone.


    ¡°You''ve broken up with him, but you still need to punish him, no?¡± came the reply. ¡°He lied to you, hurt


    you, and made you sad. Don''t you think he deserves a punishment?¡±


    ¡°W-Well...¡±


    ¡°If he doesn''t get punished for his mistakes, he''ll surely continue on and hurt other girls!¡±


    ¡°You''re right! Okay. What should I do after I go off the radar?¡± Francesca was utterly impressed by the


    advice. I need to learn a thing or two from this love guru!


    ¡°You have to go off the radar because after a man breaks up with you, he''ll soon start to regret his


    actions. After that, he''ll feel insecure and panicked, thinking that you''ve gotten yourself a new


    boyfriend. If you don''t let him contact you, he''ll grow anxious and go insane. We need to make him lose


    his way and go crazy over you.¡± The more the young woman talked, the more excited she got. ¡°Now,


    you have the upper hand, and you''re the one making decisions.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Francesca nodded vigorously. ¡°What''s next?¡±


    ¡°If he misses you or feels as if you mean a lot to him, he''ll surely look for you again. Then¡ª¡± The


    woman suddenly stopped giving advice and started putting on an act. ¡°I''m tired. My baby is kicking me,


    and I can''t keep going. When you get to the point I was telling you about, call me and ask me. I''ll leave


    you my contact details.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Francesca noted down her contact details and asked, ¡°Is your home in S Nation?¡±


    ¡°Yes. If you need help with anything in the future, drop me a message, and we can go out for coffee.¡±


    The girl put on a friendly expression and continued, ¡°However, it''s kind of tiring giving free advice, you


    know? Especially when I''m pregnant...¡±


    With that, she rubbed her stomach and acted sad. ¡°That guy ran away with my money, and I''m now left


    with nothing. I don''t even know if my parents will take me in. If they don''t want me anymore, I won''t


    even have money to give birth to my child.¡±


    ¡°Are things going to get so bad?¡± Francesca felt bad for her, and at the same time, she felt


    embarrassed for taking her advice for free. Hence, she quickly took out her purse and gave the other


    female all the cash she had. ¡°Treat this as a fee for your advice!¡±


    ¡°W-Wow... I shouldn''t...¡± The woman was pleasantly surprised. ¡°You''re giving me tens of thousands...¡±


    ¡°Just take it, okay?¡± Francesca uttered casually, ¡°That''s nothing. I still have plenty.¡±


    ¡°Okay, then! Thank you!¡± The young woman''s attitude changed dramatically because she thought she


    had just bumped into a rich client. ¡°Miss, just look for me whenever you need anything in the future,


    okay? I''ll be ready to advise you. If you''re free, I can even tell you about all the things I''ve gone through


    with those eight ex-boyfriends.¡±


    ¡°That won''t be necessary,¡± Francesca quickly answered. ¡°I''ll look for you again if I run into any further


    rtionship issues.¡±


    ¡°Sure! You can call me anytime!¡± The young woman was nodding happily. Looks like I''ve just found a


    benefactor! It''s so easy to make money off of this fool. With her help, I don''t have to worry about my


    hospital bills anymore.From N?velDrama.Org.


    Francesca smiled when she saw how happy the other woman looked.


    After exchanging names and contact details, the two of them chatted happily for the rest of the flight.


    Soon, the ne arrived at S Nation, and they parted ways after exiting the airport.


    Anthony had driven a shy yellow sports car to pick up Francesca. The moment he saw her, he


    asked, ¡°Francesca, did you break up with Danrique already?¡±

 Chapter 2025

    Chapter 2025


    qFrancesca rolled her eyes and snapped, ¡°That''s none of your business!¡±


    Anthony grinned cheekily and leaned closer. ¡°I''m just concerned about you. Where''s your luggage?¡±


    Tossing her backpack at him, she said, ¡°There are valuables inside. Take good care of it.¡±


    ¡°What is it? Whoa! Where did you get all this jewelry?¡± His eyes lit up as soon as he opened the


    backpack.


    ¡°They''re a gift from that b*stard.¡± The mere thought of Danrique made her blood boil.


    Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    The light in Anthony''s eyes died instantly. Then, he said arrogantly, ¡°What''s so great about that? I''ll buy


    some for you in the future too. So what if he''s rolling in money? He''s promiscuous and unfaithful, and


    his feelings for you aren''t genuine¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shut up! You talk too much!¡± Francesca growled in a low voice, frowning.


    Not daring to utter another word, he hurriedly opened the car door and protected her head as she got


    into the car.


    Francesca scanned the surroundings carefully but did not spot anyone suspicious.


    Then, Anthony started the engine and drove off. He even put some music on as he drove at a leisurely


    pace on the wide road.


    Nheless, she was still a little on edge and dared not let her guard down, only breathing a tiny sigh


    of relief when they reached the deserted highway. She asked Anthony, ¡°Where are Ms. La and Mr.


    Lincoln now?¡±


    He replied, ¡°Mr. Lincoln is at the foundation, and Ms. La is at the orphanage. She has been at the


    hospital the past few days and only returned to the orphanage today because something came up.¡±


    ¡°It''s nothing serious, is it?¡± she asked.


    ¡°It''s nothing serious.¡±


    ¡°In that case, head straight to the hospital,¡± Francesca said decisively. ¡°Contact the hospital. I want to


    know the details of Lacy''s condition.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Anthony got in touch with the hospital as he drove. When thetter learned that Francesca was on the


    way over, they said they would immediately inform Lacy''s attending doctor to await her arrival.


    La called while they were still on their way to check if Francesca hadnded, and thetter told her


    that she had already arrived some time ago. After assuring La that everything was fine, Francesca


    also mentioned that she was heading straight to the hospital.


    La said she still had some business to attend to at the orphanage and would meet up with


    Francesca at the hospitalter. The older woman also kept reminding Francesca that she and Anthony


    had to be careful.


    After hanging up, Francesca mused with a relieved sigh, ¡°It looks like Chrono still hasn''t recovered after


    getting bitten by Sam and doesn''t have the strength to get up to anything. His aplices probably


    won''t dare to strike alone either.¡±


    Anthony nodded. ¡°That seems to be so. It''s been quite quiet here, and there''s been nothing much over


    at the orphanage. The only issue is Lacy''s illness.¡±


    ¡°Ms. La only mentioned that Lacy''s condition has worsened, but she didn''t give any specifics. Do


    you know what happened?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Previously, when there was an explosion at the orphanage, a piece of metal got lodged in Lacy''s body.


    Although there was damage to her spleen when they operated on her to remove the piece of metal, her


    condition was stable. But for some reason,plications suddenly started arising over thest couple


    of days,¡± he exined.


    ¡°Who did the surgery? Were the person''s skills up to par?¡± she pressed hurriedly.


    ¡°I heard that it was S Nation''s best surgeon. Lacy''s condition wasn''t thatplicated at the time, so a


    surgeon would''ve been able to handle it. Nobody expected things to take a turn after so long. That


    doctor was also extremely shocked,¡± Anthony replied, continuing to ry what had happened to


    Francesca as he drove.


    Francesca could not help feeling uneasy. It stands to reason that even if there were such


    complications, they would''ve cropped up during the observation period. But in Lacy''s case, it has been


    quite some time. She should be fine by now. Why is it suddenly urring now? Could it be that they


    didn''t remove all the remnants of that piece of metal during the operation? Or are there any other


    hidden injuries or conditions they didn''t detect at the time? However, the chances of that are very slim.


    After all, those surgeons are the best in their field. They couldn''t possiblyck such professionalism...


    But if that''s not the problem, then what is?

 Chapter 2026

    Chapter 2026


    qSoon, they arrived safely at the hospital. Matthias, Lacy''s attending doctor, was already waiting in his


    office.


    Anthony apanied Francesca to meet him.


    Matthias took out Lacy''s various medical test reports and treatment ns, then proceeded to exin


    thetter''s condition in detail.


    Francesca went through them meticulously. For the time being, I don''t see where he made any


    mistakes. He did indeed adhere to the usual treatment n, and the test results at the time show that


    Lacy didn''t sustain any other injuries. How strange. Since there were no other injuries and the surgery


    was a sess, why are there stillplications?


    Matthias was also baffled. He even said, ¡°I''ve been keeping a close eye on the child''s condition, and


    she was doing fine. I went abroad a few days ago, and when I returned, I heard she was starting to run


    a recurring fever.¡±


    He exined everything seriously and responsibly, showing no signs of dubious behavior.


    After carefully reading the medical reports and relevant test results, Francesca went to the ward to see


    Lacy.


    Lacy was running such a high fever that she slipped in and out of dazed wakefulness and


    unconsciousness.


    She''s only six years old, yet she''s now painfully thin.


    Francesca examined Lacy thoroughly, took a few samples again to run some tests, then started the


    treatment.


    Meanwhile, Matthias personally led a few other medical staff to provide assistance.


    Everything progressed smoothly, and Anthony remained outside the ward, waiting for Francesca.


    Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    La arrived halfway through. After learning that Francesca was treating Lacy, she did not go in since


    she did not want to disrupt them. She merely said to Anthony, ¡°There are still some matters I need to


    attend to back at the orphanage, so I''ll have to leave in a while. You should stay here and wait for


    Francesca. Don''t step away, and call me if anything happens.¡±


    Anthony nodded. ¡°Okay, got it. What''s going on today? Why are you and Mr. Lincoln so busy?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lincoln found out that there has been corruption in the foundation. On top of that, the staff involved


    are trying to flee. That''s why he had to rush over there immediately. Meanwhile, I watched the


    surveince footage and noticed a figure in ck sneaking into the orphanagest night. I''m worried


    Chrono or his aplices havee to nt explosives again, so I''ve been looking into that with the


    police,¡± La exined.


    Anthony was shocked. ¡°Oh my god! That has to be investigated carefully. It''ll be bad if there''s another


    explosion...¡±


    La replied with a grave expression, ¡°Indeed. That''s why I dare not dy. If it were before, I''d


    definitely stay by Francesca''s side after her return. However, there''s no helping that today. I also can''t


    seem to shake off this uneasiness. Things have been peaceful here recently, but why have so many


    things suddenly happened simultaneously as soon as she returns?¡±


    ¡°You don''t mean to say that Chrono is behind all this, do you? Could they be trying to distract you and


    Mr. Lincoln so that they can get at Francesca?¡± Anthony asked, his face turning deathly pale in an


    instant.


    La frowned as she responded, ¡°We can''t rule out that possibility. That''s why I asked you to stay and


    keep watch over her. We can''t let anything go wrong.¡±


    ¡°It should be fine. We''re at the hospital, and with so many people around¡ª¡±


    La cut in impatiently, ¡°Cut the nonsense. Why don''t you try telling that to a professional murderer? I


    know you can''t fight and won''t be able to do much, but you can at least sound the rm, can''t you? I''ve


    already sent over some bodyguards. They should be here soon. But before that, you should stand


    guard right here. Don''t go running off. Even if you need to use the restroom, hold it in!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. Of course. I understand.¡±


    He saw La off until the elevator, then went back to stand outside the operating theater immediately.


    It''s been more than three hours.


    Anthony gazed at the indicator light outside the operating theater. He could not help feeling worried and


    wondering what the situation was like inside.


    Francesca just had surgery herself and hasn''t fully recovered yet, then had to go on a ne for more


    than ten hours. She must be feeling exhausted as it is after the long flight, but she had to rush to the


    hospital to perform surgery as soon as she got off the ne. She hasn''t even taken a sip of water. I


    wonder if her body will be able to hold up...


    Just as all those negative thoughts raced through his mind, his phone suddenly rang. A nurse rushed


    over at once and reminded, ¡°Sir, you can''t answer the phone here.¡±

 Chapter 2027

    Chapter 2027


    q¡°I''m sorry. I''ll take the call in the stairwell.¡±


    Seeing that the call was from Lincoln, Anthony could not let it go unanswered.


    Fortunately, the stairwell was nearby, only several meters away.


    He stood in the stairwell, leaving the door ajar so he could still see the entrance to the operating


    theater.


    Using his foot to prop the door open, he answered the call using his Bluetooth earpiece. ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Anthony, do you keep a copy of the foundation''s ounts from all these years? Send me an electronic


    copy at once,¡± Lincoln said, his tone urgent.


    ¡°I do. I''ll send it to you right away.¡±


    Anthony lowered his head to search for the document on his phone, failing to notice that a figure in


    white had seized the chance to slip into the operating theater while he was distracted.


    ¡°Ms. Felch, are you saying that Lacy was poisoned?¡±


    Inside the operating theater, Matthias was staring at Francesca in shock.


    That was what Francesca concluded after conducting a series of examinations and injury analyses.


    ¡°Yes. Lacy''s condition had already stabilized, but someone poisoned her wound, causing this sudden


    illness.¡±


    ¡°That can''t be! Lacy has been at our hospital all this time. There are nurses watching over her every


    day, so how could she get poisoned? Who would do that to a child?¡± Matthias eximed in utter


    disbelief.


    He had no idea that Francesca was the legendary Francesco. Anthony had only told the hospital she


    was a professional surgeon and presented various certificates.


    On top of that, Lacy was one of the children at the orphanage. That was why the hospital had allowed


    Francesca to operate on Lacy.


    In a calm tone, Francesca answered, ¡°I don''t have the answer to those questions. We can only let the


    police investigate. I''m going to treat Lacy now. Could you please ask Anthony to bring my bag here,


    then help me prepare some medicine?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Just as one of the nurses was about to go out and look for Anthony, she suddenly noticed a figure


    wearing a white coat, mask, and spectacles at the doors. The person was staring at Francesca


    menacingly.


    There was no nametag on the person''s chest, and the nurse had no idea when the person had


    entered.


    ¡°Are you a doctor? May I know who you are?¡± the nurse asked subconsciously.


    Everyone turned around when they heard her voice. At that moment, that doctor suddenly whipped out


    a gun with a silencer and fired once directly at the nurse''s chest.


    The nurse copsed to the floor immediately.


    ¡°Ahh¡ª¡±


    Before the other nurses could cry out, the person fired multiple consecutive shots at them, each killing


    its target. They did not even have time to struggle before they stopped breathing.


    Matthias'' eyes widened in fear as he stood rooted to the spot.


    The attacker was about to shoot Matthias when Francesca suddenly grabbed a scalpel and flung it at


    the assassin.


    The scalpel cut the stranger''s hand, and the person''s arm lowered. However, the gun did not fall to the


    floor.


    Francesca snatched up a pair of scissors at once and prepared to stab the person again.


    s, the attacker raised the gun again and trained it on Francesca''s head. ¡°I''d like to see whether your


    scissors are faster than my bullet.¡±


    It was a woman''s voice.


    ¡°You''re not Chrono.¡±


    Francesca frowned as she fixed her gaze on the woman. Thetter looked about the same height as


    Chrono. Although her face could not be seen clearly because of her hat, mask, and spectacles, her


    voice and tone seemed to indicate that she was from Jetroina, just like Chrono.


    ¡°Follow me!¡± the womanmanded sharply.


    N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    Realization dawned on Francesca. ¡°You''re his aplice? What do you want?¡±


    Furious, the woman growled in a low voice, ¡°I told you to follow me!¡±


    ¡°You can''t escape. This is S Nation, not Jetroina. Chrono doesn''t know what he''s doing, and it won''t


    end well for you either if you help him,¡± Francesca said coldly.


    The woman ignored Francesca and shifted her aim, pointing the gun directly at Lacy on the hospital


    bed.


    Francesca immediately rushed to stand in front of Lacy. ¡°No! The person you''re after is me. Don''t harm


    the innocent.¡±


    ¡°In that case, get up and follow me while wheeling the kid.¡±


    The woman spoke Ustranasion fluently, and her tone was firm.

 Chapter 2028

    Chapter 2028


    q¡°It''s enough if I follow you. Why do I need to bring the child?¡±


    Francesca dared not provoke the woman any further. After all, thetter was wielding a gun in her


    hand. But even though Francesca did not fear death, she could not let Lacy and Matthias get involved.


    Those nurses died a horrible death just now. There''s no way I can drag more innocent people into this.


    Without uttering a single word, the woman immediately fired the gun at Matthias'' leg.


    ¡°Arghhh!¡±


    He tumbled to the floor, writhing in pain.


    ¡°Shut up! If you make any more noise, I''ll kill you!¡± the woman barked.


    Matthias immediately covered his mouth tightly with his bloodied hands, not daring to make a sound


    further.


    When Francesca saw the extent of the woman''s cruelty, she could not help thinking that the former was


    even more daring than Chrono. Clearly, she''s not someone to mess with. If I continue to resist, the


    consequences will be dire. I can only appease her first, then think of something after leaving the


    hospital.


    She said hurriedly, ¡°Very well. I''ll follow you. However, Lacy can''t go. She''s in very critical condition


    now. If she doesn''t have the venttor¡ª¡±


    Bang!


    ¡°Arghhh!¡±


    Before she could finish her sentence, the woman shot at Matthias again. He let out an agonized cry,


    then copsed to the ground and fainted.


    Francesca was dumbfounded. ¡°You...¡±


    Pointing her gun at Lacy, the woman said, ¡°If you spout any more nonsense, I''ll kill that kid. So, are you


    coming or not?¡±


    Hence, Francesca had no choice but to unhook Lacy from the machines, hang an oxygen bag on the


    hospital bed, and wheel the bedbound girl toward the doors.


    The woman walked behind Francesca with the gun concealed inside her sleeve. She warned in a low


    voice, ¡°No tricks. Otherwise, I''ll kill you.¡±


    Francesca remained silent. She opened the doors to the operating theater and wheeled Lacy out.


    ¡°Francesca, why have youe out?¡±


    Just then, Anthony walked over after taking the call. He saw Francesca pushing the hospital bed out


    with Lacy on it, a doctor following behind.


    Feeling the gun pressed against the small of her back, Francesca had no choice but to make up an


    excuse to mislead Anthony. ¡°I''m taking Lacy upstairs to do some tests. You can just wait here.¡±


    ¡°I''ll go with you.¡± Anthony was about to step forward and push the bed when the doctor stopped him


    immediately.


    Anthony was puzzled.


    ¡°I''m going to operate on Lacyter. Go to the car and get my bag. Also, ask Ms. La to bring the


    surgical kit I keep at home. I''m used to using my own,¡± said Francesca.


    ¡°I''ll get someone to send it over at once. However, are you sure you can do it alone¡ª¡±


    ¡°What''s with all this chatter? Move out of the way.¡±


    Shoving Anthony aside, Francesca quickly wheeled the hospital bed away.


    The doctor followed her with one hand helping to push the hospital bed and the other still inside a


    sleeve.


    Although Anthony sensed something amiss, he could not quite put his finger on it.


    As he hesitated, Francesca and the others had already entered the elevator.


    At that moment, the four bodyguards La had sent walked out from another elevator. They spotted


    Anthony immediately and hurried over to meet him.


    Anthony was about to instruct them to go and get the surgical kit when La called to ask whether the


    bodyguards were there already.


    N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    ¡°They''re here. However, Francesca just took Lacy upstairs. She asked me to bring her bag and wanted


    someone to go and get her surgical kit from home. She said she''s used to using that set,¡± Anthony


    said, exining what had happened.


    La was somewhat dumbfounded. ¡°She always brings them with her, so it''s not at home. Did she


    really say that to you?¡±


    ¡°Yes... She and a doctor wheeled Lacy out. She appeared impatient when I spoke to her...¡±


    La immediately knew that something was not right. ¡°A doctor? The nurses should be the ones who


    wheel the hospital bed. Go and check the operating theater.¡±


    Anthony pushed open the doors to the operating theater at once and was shocked at the scene before


    him. Several nursesy dead from gunshot wounds, and Matthias had gotten shot in both legs. It was


    unclear whether he was dead or alive.


    ¡°Go and follow Francesca at once! Quick!¡±

 Chapter 2029

    Chapter 2029


    qAnthony instantly brought the bodyguards to look for Francesca. It was then he realized the gravity of


    the situation.


    ¡°Don''t hang up. Put on your Bluetooth earpiece and stay on the call. I''lle right away.¡±


    As expected of an ex-special forces agent, La was exceptionally efficient.


    Furthermore, Anthony was just someone who studied economics and business management. Although


    he had picked up some things from La and Lincoln, he was not talented in that field. Therefore, he


    would have a much slower reaction time.


    At that moment, he was overwhelmed by guilt¡ªhe hated himself for not noticing the oddness earlier. If


    anything were to happen to Francesca, he would despise himself for the rest of his life.


    In the meantime, Francesca, Lacy, and the Jetroinian assassin disguised as a doctor stepped out of the


    elevator, about to head to the parking lot at the back.


    Right then, an excited voice traveled into their ears. ¡°Francesca! We meet again!¡±


    At the same time, a young woman in a floral dress stood in Francesca''s way.


    When Francesca lifted her head, she realized it was Monica, the young woman she met on the ne


    who was premaritally pregnant.


    When Monica saw Francesca, she eximed, ¡°Francesca, I''ve purchased a maternity checkup


    package deal at this hospital with the money you''ve given to me! Thank you!¡±


    However, the assassin was staring intently at Francesca. She was giving Francesca looks that signaled


    her to cut the conversation short and stop wasting time.


    ¡°No problems.¡± Francesca pried away Monica''s hands before coldly saying, ¡°I have something to attend


    to, so let''s chat another time.¡±


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    With that, she began pushing the hospital bed again.


    ¡°Um...¡± When Monica spotted Lacy on the bed, she abruptly cried out, ¡°This child isn''t yours, right?¡±


    Francesca rolled her eyes, speechless.


    ¡°Oh my god, I thought you were from a rich family to have been so generous. I never knew that your life


    was this tough too...¡± Monica choked out. ¡°No. I can''t take your money!¡±


    At that, she took out a stack of cash from her bag and shoved it into Francesca''s hands.


    ¡°It''s fine,¡± Francesca dismissed.


    She did not want to get the other woman involved, but Monica refused to let her go.


    The two of them kept pushing and pulling each other, and the assassin was about to go mad from


    impatience. Hence, she shoved Monica aside and began towing Francesca away.


    Yet, Monica fell to the ground and began shouting in agony as she held her stomach. ¡°Ow, that hurts so


    much! You''re a doctor! How can you shove a pregnant woman? I''m going to sue you!¡±


    Her shouts attracted the attention of the people around them.


    Almost immediately, a group of patients and their family members surrounded them and stopped them


    in their tracks.


    Francesca tried to walk over to help Monica up, but the assassin grabbed her hand again and warned


    in a quiet voice, ¡°Don''t you dare try anything.¡±


    Thus, Francesca had no choice but to keep pushing the hospital bed to leave.


    At the same time, the assassin said to the crowd around them, ¡°Coming through. Coming through.¡±


    ¡°My stomach hurts! It hurts!¡± Monica continued crying out. In fact, she even mbered to her feet to


    grab the bed to stop Francesca and the assassin from leaving.


    ¡°How dare you leave after knocking me over? Don''t you dare leave!¡±


    ¡°Cut it out!¡± Francesca quietly said, not wanting to get Monica involved.


    ¡°You were the ones who pushed me to the floor, yet not only do you not want to bear responsibility for


    this, but you''re even asking me to cut it out? I''ve only been pregnant for three months! My pregnancy


    isn''t stable yet! It hurts really bad right now, and you have to take responsibility for this!¡±


    Monica continued to yell as she grabbed the bed rails with one hand and Francesca with the other.


    ¡°You¡ª¡±


    Just as Francesca was about to say something, the assassin suddenly spoke. ¡°All right, I''ll take


    responsibility for this. My money''s in my car, soe with me. I''llpensate you.¡±


    Francesca turned pale upon hearing that. The assassin''s trying to trick Monica over to kill her!


    ¡°Do you think I''m an idiot?¡± Monica shouted. ¡°You''re trying to trick me to a quiet corner so that you can


    beat me up before fleeing. This is a hospital, and you''re a doctor here! Let''s settle everything here!¡±

 Chapter 2030

    Chapter 2030


    qBy then, the assassin had lost all patience. She sneered and said, ¡°Fine, I''ll settle it now.¡±


    With that, she pulled Monica over and pressed a gun against her body.


    Surprisingly, Monica seemed fearless. As a matter of fact, she even screeched, ¡°What is this? Is that a


    gun? Help! Help me! Someone''s trying to kill me!¡±


    Everyone around them was astounded.


    Enraged, the assassin cocked her gun to kill Monica, but Monica counterattacked with a high kick.


    The assassin stumbled back from the kick, and she gasped. ¡°You''re in this line of work too!¡±


    ¡°You''re smart!¡± Monica cried out as she swung a fist at her. Simultaneously, she said to Francesca,


    ¡°Leave now!¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Francesca uttered before wheeling Lacy toward the elevator.


    ¡°Stop right there!¡±


    The assassin tried to shoot Francesca, but Monica forced the assassin to confront her instead.


    However, as Francesca had injured the assassin''s hand with the scalpel earlier, and Monica had kicked


    her as well, her hand was too weak to fire an urate shot.


    In the meantime, Francesca tried to push Lacy into the elevator, but the people from the earlier crowd


    were running everywhere like headless chickens. They had filled up the elevator, and Francesca could


    not enter with the bed at all.


    All she could do was anxiously try to get to the other elevators.


    Meanwhile, Monica was still fighting against the assassin. Although she seemed like a skilled


    combatant, the assassin had a gun. Not long after, she was shot in the shoulder.


    ¡°Monica!¡±


    N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    Francesca wanted to run over to help Monica, but she could not leave Lacy alone.


    Once the assassin shot Monica and forced her to move back, she trained her gun on Francesca. ¡°Die,


    b*tch!¡±


    With that said, she pulled the trigger.


    Right as the bullet was slicing through the air toward Francesca, someone lunged over to shield her.


    ¡°Argh!¡± came Anthony''s cry of agony.


    Francesca snapped back to her senses and yelled, ¡°Anthony!¡±


    While the assassin was registering the sudden turn of events, Monica pounced toward her to fight her


    again.


    The four bodyguards that Anthony had brought with him jumped into action. One went to help Anthony,


    another to guard Francesca, and the remaining two left to deal with the assassin.


    At that moment, police sirens sounded outside. The police had arrived.


    The assassin was forced to go up against three people, and she could noty a finger on Francesca at


    all. Thus, she had no choice but to flee through the back door.


    Francesca hurried over to Anthony anxiously. It was then she realized he was only hurt in his arm¡ªit


    was not a fatal wound.


    Nevertheless, it was Anthony''s first time getting shot. His face was pale, and he kept yelping in pain.


    Francesca instantly asked some people to help him and Monica to a doctor while she escorted Lacy


    back with two bodyguards.


    Soon, La arrived with her men. When she found out that Francesca and La were fine¡ªthat only


    Anthony was hurt¡ªshe heaved a sigh of relief.


    In the end, the case closed with the deaths of four nurses and police intervention. The hospital also no


    longer allowed Francesca to treat Lacy there anymore.


    Therefore, Francesca had no choice but to take Lacy, Anthony, and Monica home.


    To be honest, Francesca had a clinic at home; it was just that she did not have a better range of


    medical equipment and medicine than at the hospital.


    Thus, La sent her men to purchase more medical equipment and medicine while Francesca


    prepared to operate on Lacy the next day.


    That night, Francesca took out the bullets for Monica and Anthony before treating their wounds.


    ¡°Thank you!¡± It seemed like Monica was used to it, for she never made a sound the entire time even


    though she had been shot in the shoulder. On the other hand, Anthony kept yelling.


    ¡°I should leave now.¡± Monica stood up.


    ¡°Who sent you here?¡± Francesca asked without beating around the bush.


    ¡°Francesca, what are you talking about? I''m just a pregnantdy who happened to meet you,¡± Monica


    said with a smile.


    ¡°You''re not pregnant,¡± Francesca interrupted. ¡°I took your pulse when I gave you the money on the


    ne. I''ve known since then.¡±


    ¡°But you still... pretended to fall for it?¡± Monica whispered in shock.


    ¡°I thought you were someone Danrique sent to protect me from the shadows, so I went along with it.


    But now that I think about it, you clearly aren''t,¡± Francesca deduced confidently. ¡°His subordinates are


    the same as him¡ªstraightforward. They''d never beat around the bush like what you''re doing now.¡±

 Chapter 2031

    Chapter 2031


    q¡°You''re intelligent, Ms. Felch.¡± Monica chuckled. ¡°His Highness was right.¡±


    ¡°You''re one of William''s men?¡±


    Francesca was astonished. It had been a long time since she contacted William. Thest time she saw


    him was when she was up against Frank at Xendale.


    She never thought that William would have sent someone to protect her from the shadows.


    ¡°Somewhat,¡± Monica replied. ¡°I''m actually an Interpol officer, but I''m under Prince William''s instructions


    to protect you. His Highness said that you might be upset if you knew about my identity, so I thought of


    a different way to approach you instead. I thought I''d fooled you, but it seems like you''ve known that I


    was lying since the start.¡±


    ¡°Regardless of everything, thank you.¡± Francesca was truly grateful for her assistance. ¡°My gratitude is


    to William too.¡±


    ¡°I think you should thank him yourself,¡± Monica said with a smile. ¡°His Highness has been waiting for


    you the whole time.¡±


    ¡°William''s in S Nation?¡± Francesca gasped.


    ¡°Yes. He came at the same time, but he took a different private jet.¡± Monica lowered her head


    respectfully. ¡°He should be contacting you at ater time. I''ll be taking my leave now. Goodbye.¡±


    Monica left.


    As Anthony stared at her retreating figure, he muttered, ¡°I would''ve never guessed that she''s an


    Interpol officer by her young looks.¡±


    ¡°She''s much more impressive than you.¡± La smacked Anthony''s head and berated, ¡°You don''t even


    know how to guard someone. What can you even do?¡±


    ¡°Ms. La, why are you still chiding me when I''m already hurt?¡± Anthony mumbled miserably as he


    pouted.


    ¡°If not for the fact that you''re hurt, I would''ve beaten you up!¡± La shot him a re. ¡°You''re so


    infuriating. If not for Ms. Monica this time, the consequences would have been unimaginable!¡±


    Anthony grinned and leaned against La as he sang, ¡°Yes, yes. Everything''s my fault. I''ll be the


    personification of a headache and never leave her alone ever again.¡±


    ¡°Shoo.¡± La kicked him. ¡°Settle thepensation matters with the hospital. I want to have a talk with


    Francesca.¡±


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I''m hurt, but you''re still asking me to go?¡± Anthony began toin, but when he saw the vicious


    look in La''s eyes, he quickly changed his mind. ¡°Yes, I''ll go. I''ll go right away!¡±


    Once Anthony was gone, the clinic fell silent.


    La sat down beside Francesca and patted the back of her hand as she consoled, ¡°Don''t feel guilty


    about this. This has nothing to do with you.¡±


    La knew Francesca best. Even though the younger woman seemed carefree, she had a soft, kind


    heart.


    Therefore, Francesca would surely be gued with guilt and self-me for how the nurses died


    because of her.


    ¡°Sometimes, I wonder if being kind is wrong.¡±


    Francesca had been doing a lot of thinkingtely. If she had not been a busybody back then and


    insisted on waiting with Candice, the little girl would not have given her candies. Perhaps she would not


    have died then.


    If Candice did not die, Chrono would not have killed thirteen medical staff, and his partner would not


    have killed the four nurses.


    Matthias, Anthony, and Monica would not have been hurt.


    Her nosiness was the origin of the entire thing.


    ¡°There are many things in this world that cannot be exined with words. Everything''s destined to be,¡±


    Lamented.


    Francesca did not speak, but she warned herself in her mind, Francesca Felch. You mustn''t stick your


    nose into anybody''s business from now on. You mustn''t!


    That was the principle she lived by for the next four years. Only when she met a man called Zachary


    Nacht four yearster did she finally go against it.


    ¡°Francesca, after everything that''s happened... Do you want to reconsider my suggestion?¡± La


    asked in a solemn tone.


    ¡°You''re a skilled doctor, and you''re a fantastic driver. However, these won''t protect you and the people


    you want to protect. You canbine your medical knowledge with biology and chemistry to develop


    both medicine and poison. They''re not to hurt others; they''re to protect you. Lincoln and I are getting


    older. One day, we won''t be able to protect you anymore, so you have to learn to protect yourself.¡±

 Chapter 2032

    Chapter 2032


    qThis time, Francesca listened to La''s words.


    Truthfully, she had been mulling over her decision ever since Chrono attacked her at H City.


    Francesca was petite and physically weak. Although she was fit and could go up against several


    ordinary people, it would be challenging for her to hold her ground against professionals like Chrono.


    She had the ability to summon beasts, but beasts were not present in the many ces she frequented.


    In other words, she would not be able to use her ability in many situations.


    Hence, it was imperative for her to change herself.


    While she was ruminating about that, her phone rang. After ncing at the caller ID, she quickly picked


    up the call. ¡°William!¡±


    ¡°Francesca, when will you be free? Can we meet?¡±


    William''s voice was still as gentle and pleasant to the ears as always.


    As Francesca looked through the ss door to gaze at Lacy, who was in the opposite ward, she


    squeezed out, ¡°It isn''t convenient for me to stray far from Lacy with her current condition. What about


    this? Come to me. I''ll send you the address.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡±


    After ending the call, Francesca sent the address to William.


    However, La was worried. ¡°Is this Prince William someone reliable? It''s best that no one knows


    about our location.¡±


    ¡°La, William''s my good friend, and he''s a good man. He''s very nice to me, so everything''s going to


    be fine. To be safe, I''ve actually sent him the address of a caf¨¦ two kilometers away from here. If


    anything happens at home, I''ll be able to rush back,¡± Francesca said as she packed away her things.


    ¡°I''m going up for a shower first. I''m covered in blood and grime.¡±


    ¡°All right, go on.¡± La helped her up. ¡°I''ll get someone to go with youter.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine. I can go by myself. My car keys are in the room, right?¡±


    ¡°They''re in your drawer.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Thanks, Ms. La. Please watch over Lacy for me and call me if anything happens.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Francesca then went back to her room and took a quick shower. After changing into a set of casual


    clothes, she put on her cap, took her car keys, and hurried to meet William.


    Just as Francesca left, Anthony came down the stairs and asked La, ¡°La, where''s Francesca


    going?¡±


    ¡°Out to settle some things. She won''t be far.¡± Then, La red at him. ¡°Aren''t you supposed to be


    going to the hospital? Why are you still here?¡±


    ¡°I''ve just uploaded some information to Mr. Lincoln. I''ll be leaving now.¡± Frowning, he added, ¡°Is


    Francesca really fine leaving by herself? Ms. La, why didn''t you send someone to go with her?¡±


    ¡°She has my weapon in the car, and she has gone out to meet someone she knows. Furthermore,


    she''s not meeting the guy far from us, and I have ess to all the surveince cameras on her way


    there, La exined. Then, her tone turned frigid as she questioned, ¡°Do I need you to tell me what I


    should do?¡±


    ¡°Of course not, of course not. Sorry,¡± Anthony quickly apologized before leaving with his bodyguards.


    In the meantime, Francesca sped down the path in an old pickup. Soon, she reached Caf¨¦ Grape.


    Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    The reason the shop was named that was that the owner had a dog named Grape.


    ¡°Ms. Felch, you''re here!¡± the owner greeted Francesca.


    Francesca often came to buy bread and coffee. Both she and La werezy people who did not


    bother preparing food for themselves. Therefore, if Lincoln and Anthony were not at home, no one


    would cook, and the two women would head out to buy food.


    The coffee at the caf¨¦ was nothing special, but their toast was to die for.


    ¡°Hey, Mister.¡±


    Francesca could not remember his name, so she always just called him ¡°Mister.¡± Twirling her car keys,


    she then stepped into the establishment. Just as she sat down, two luxury cars drove over.


    The owner ced a ss of ice coffee in front of Francesca and gave her a few breadsticks. At the


    same time, he arched a brow and asked, ¡°Those cars aren''t here for you, are they?¡±


    ¡°Maybe they are.¡± Francesca took a sip of the ck coffee before nearly choking on its bitterness.


    ¡°Your coffee is as tough to drink as usual, huh?¡±


    Right then, Robin wheeled William into the caf¨¦. Four towering bodyguards followed them in, and a few


    more guarded the door.

 Chapter 2033

    Chapter 2033


    q¡°It seems like they''re really here for you.¡± The caf¨¦ owner turned to greet them, ¡°Hi, what would you


    like to drink?¡±


    ¡°A few cups of coffee will be fine. Please stay outside for a while.¡±


    Robin handed a wad of cash to the owner.


    The owner nced at the cash but did not move to take it. Instead, he turned to look at Francesca.


    Francesca nodded.


    It was then he took the money and put on his denim cap. Whistling as he walked out, he added, ¡°There


    are canned drinks on the countertop. Help yourself to them.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Robin said before closing the door. Then, he bowed to Francesca. ¡°Greetings, Ms. Felch.¡±


    ¡°It''s been a while, Robin.¡±


    Though Francesca greeted him as well, her eyes were fixed on William.


    It had only been a little over a month, but William seemed ghastly pale. It was as if he had gone


    through a severe bout of illness, for he had lost much weight. In fact, even his eyes seemed sunken.


    ¡°William, you...¡±


    ¡°The condition of His Highness'' legs has worsened,¡± Robin grimly exined. ¡°I don''t know if it''s


    because he was in the cold at Xendale or not, but after he went back, his legs began aching and


    swelling. Even his lumbar region is having issues now¡ª¡±


    ¡°Robin!¡± William cut him off. ¡°You''re talking too much.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Robin hastily hung his head and fell silent.


    William then looked at Francesca and smiled at her. ¡°Francesca, have you done your surgery?¡±


    ¡°I have.¡± Francesca took off her cap to reveal her bald head. ¡°Look!¡±


    A chuckle burst out of William. His spirit lifted every time he saw her, and he would find himself


    rxing. The gloomy clouds that had hung over his head for the past few days dissipated in an instant.


    ¡°I''ll get some drinks.¡±


    Robin then pushed William to the side of the table before heading to the counter to get some


    beverages. What he was trying to do was to give the two some privacy.


    ¡°William, have you consulted anyone about your legs?¡± Francesca asked, concerned about it.


    ¡°I have. They''re a famous traditional medicine practitioner too, and they''ve done acupuncture for me.


    However, it doesn''t seem to have much effect.¡± A bitter smile crept upon William''s lips. Nevertheless,


    he changed the topic and asked, ¡°This isn''t important; what''s important is you. Monica has told me


    about what happened today. Who attacked you? Was she from Erihal?¡±


    ¡°No. It''s more of a personal grudge; it has nothing to do with Erihal,¡± Francesca corrected. ¡°I''m d to


    have Monica''s help this time. I thought Danrique sent her at first. I didn''t expect her to be working for


    you instead.¡±


    ¡°I was worried about you and scared that something might happen to you. I don''t have any capable


    women bodyguards by my side, so I hired Monica. She can hold herself well in a fight and is quite


    reliable. I hope she was of help to you.¡±


    William continued to gaze gently at her.


    ¡°But how did you know that I was flying from H City to S Nation at that time?¡±


    Francesca was curious. Under Danrique''s protection, her whereabouts should have been kept


    confidential. Yet, Monica and William had known where she was.


    ¡°I went to H City after Frank''s case. I''ve been looking for Dr. Felch too, for I wanted to consult him


    about my legs. However, Iter found out that Gordon had invited him elsewhere. I''m guessing that


    they must have gotten Dr. Felch to operate on you. Hence, I decided to wait patiently at H City, thinking


    that I''d be able to consult Dr. Felch after your operation. However, not long after Dr. Felch returned to


    the mountain, he fell ill. Thus, I had no choice but to return to H City first...¡±


    ¡°What? My master''s ill?¡± Francesca urgently asked. ¡°What''s going on?¡±


    ¡°I''m not sure about the details, but his apprentice said that he fell ill and told me not to disturb him.


    That''s why the only thing I could do was leave my contact details and lead my men back down the


    mountain. I then went back to H City, thinking of visiting you, but I was afraid that Mr. Lindberg would


    be upset. So, I could only call Gordon and ask him about your condition. I think I heard you throw


    things in an angry outburst, so I guessed that you''d be angrily running back to S Nation soon. I was


    worried that something might happen to you, so I asked Monica to keep a close eye on you and to


    protect you from the shadows.¡±


    A pauseter, William added, ¡°Monica''s an Interpol officer. It was easy for her to get the details of your


    departure from the country after a brief talk with the people at the airport.¡±Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.

 Chapter 2034

    Chapter 2034


    qAfter another pause, William continued, ¡°At first, Monica wanted to contact you, but I know the kind of


    person you are¡ªyou won''t ept my arrangements¡ªso I asked her to approach you in a different


    way. And... she ended up with a strange n to fool you.¡±


    ¡°I got it,¡± Francesca replied with a softugh. ¡°I never thought that you''d understand me so well¡ªthat


    you know I''d run back to S Nation after hearing me lose my temper. You knew that I wouldn''t like


    someone tailing me around, so you got Monica to protect me in a different way.¡±


    As she spoke, she could not help but think, If only that dummy Danrique knows me this well too.


    Sadly... it seems like he never knows what''s going on in my head. He only knows how to treat me


    aggressively.


    Seemingly knowing what Francesca was worried about, William added, ¡°By the way, I don''t think Dr.


    Felch''s condition is severe. I was on the mountain for a few days and saw his apprentice and a young


    lady brewing herbal concoctions every day. However, they spoke light-heartedly, so I guess that it''s


    only amon cold. Otherwise, they would have been panicking.¡±


    ¡°That''s good to know.¡±


    Francesca sighed in relief. It was then she realized she had identally let slip her rtionship with


    her master earlier.


    Fortunately, it was William, so there was no harm in letting him know.


    ¡°Do you still have anything difficult to resolve?¡± William continued asking. ¡°Who''s the one after you? Do


    you need me to intervene in this?¡±


    ¡°It''s fine. I can deal with this myself,¡± Francesca answered, not wanting to trouble William. ¡°Let me have


    a look at your legs.¡±


    With that, she crouched down to check his condition. The moment she caught sight of them, she


    drastically paled. ¡°Why are they like this?¡±


    ¡°What''s wrong?¡± Robin was on his way back with two sses of fruit tea when he heard her. Instantly,


    he panicked and asked, ¡°What''s wrong with His Highness'' legs?¡±


    ¡°You''re right in that it''s much worse than before.¡± Francesca checked William''s back with a grave look.


    ¡°His lumbar region isn''t the only thing affected. There''s something wrong with his vertebra too.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Robin blurted out. ¡°Dr. Felch, please save His Highness! Please!¡±


    ¡°Something''s not right.¡± Francesca furrowed her brows. ¡°You were poisoned back then, and when I


    treated you for that, your legs were in much better condition. Moreover, your lumbar region and


    vertebrae were only slightly strained from the constant pressure, but now...¡±


    All content is ? N0velDrama.Org.


    Francesca trailed off, seemingly lost in her thoughts.


    ¡°Francesca, why don''t you speak your mind?¡± William urged. ¡°Could it be that I''ve been poisoned


    again?¡±


    ¡°For now, I don''t see any signs of poisoning,¡± Francesca told him. ¡°However, you''ll still need to do a


    test. What about this? Head to the hospital to do a full-body check-up with blood tests tomorrow. Then,


    come to me with the results.¡±


    ¡°Of course, of course. I''ll work on it once we''re back.¡± Robin nodded fervently.


    ¡°You mustn''t let anyone know about this,¡± Francesca reminded.


    ¡°I understand.¡± Robin was a smart man, and he knew exactly what Francesca was trying to tell him.


    ¡°I have to go back now. Lacy''s quite ill, and I have to check on her,¡± she said as she fixed her worried


    gaze on William. ¡°It''s best that you do your checkup earlier tomorrow. Once you''re done, call me. We''ll


    meet here again.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± William smiled and bobbed his head. ¡°See you tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°See you tomorrow.¡±


    Francesca watched him for a little longer before turning to leave.


    As Robin watched Francesca leave, he could not help but ask, ¡°Your Highness, why won''t you tell Ms.


    Felch the truth? Someone''s out to hurt you, and we''ve already done a checkup.¡±


    ¡°If she finds out about it herself, she''ll be even more concerned.¡± William''s gaze never left Francesca.


    ¡°If you ask for the name of a good person, that name would be Francesca Felch.¡±

 Chapter 2035

    Chapter 2035


    q¡°The only one who can save you now is Dr. Felch. However, I highly doubt you''ll have a chance with


    her, Your Highness. Please don''t let your emotions cloud your judgment,¡± Robin warned with a sigh.


    ¡°Is it because of Mr. Lindberg?¡± William retorted, clearly refusing to call it quits. ¡°I know I can''tpete


    with him now, but if I fully recover someday and inherit the throne, things will be different...¡±


    ¡°If you became king, you''d have even less say in your marriage,¡± Robin reminded. ¡°You''d be expected


    to marry a woman who can help secure your throne.¡±


    William suddenly recalled Danrique''s words and felt his heart burn with hope. ¡°Mr. Lindberg was right.


    Only when we''ve hit rock bottom will we do whatever it takes to reach the peak. After all, we want to be


    our authentic selves!¡±


    ¡°W-Well¡ª¡±


    ¡°If I have to stay in the dark for the rest of my life, then so be it,¡± William interrupted. ¡°But if I ever get


    the chance to be king and stand on top of the world, I''ll definitely marry the woman I love!¡±


    Original content from N?velDrama.Org.


    The prince was full of hope, which was the one thing that had helped him through the longest, darkest


    days of his life and kept him going.


    As such, Robin couldn''t bear to persuade him otherwise, nor did he want to dash his hopes.


    Before Francesca entered William''s life, he hade close to resigning himself to his fate. Her


    appearance, however, quickly became his beacon of light. No matter how much effort it might take to


    win her over, William knew it''d all be worth it.


    More importantly, he finally found a goal to strive toward, a purpose to live for, and the motivation to


    carry on.


    Meanwhile, Francesca had returned home, but she couldn''t stop thinking about William''s condition.


    She was fairly certain that someone had harmed the prince, and even though the signs of poisoning


    weren''t visible yet, she knew a thorough checkup the next day would definitely confirm her suspicions.


    She had previously heard Robin talk about how sinister and scheming the royal family was, and she''d


    never forget William''s paleness and mncholy expression when she first met him.


    In fact, the first time he smiled was when Francesca took him out for some much-needed sun. They


    had rescued an injured bird, and as he watched the bird spread its wings to fly away, a smile finally


    crept across his face.


    He had even mentioned how much he wished he could fly free like the birds in the sky.


    From that moment on, Francesca decided she''d do everything in her power to heal the prince''s legs.


    s, sheter became so bogged down in other matters that she hadn''t had a chance to research a


    cure. William''s leg condition, on the other hand, continued to worsen, which made Francesca even


    more guilt-ridden.


    Just then, there was a knock at the door. ¡°Francesca, Mr. Lincoln is back!¡±


    ¡°I''ll be right down,¡± Francesca replied before putting on a jacket and rushing downstairs.


    Lincoln was busy all year round and was only home for a few days each month. Every time he was


    back, he would, without fail, gather everyone for a meeting.


    As it turned out, Lincoln and La used to be special forces agents. Upon their retirement, they


    roamed the world and stayed unmarried and childless for the rest of their lives.


    Later, they met Francesca and Anthony by chance, and after having gone through a life-and-death


    situation together, they quickly became a family forged in fire.


    It wasn''t long before the four of them founded the Lovely Care orphanage, but due to their limited


    funds, they had no choice but to entrust the orphanage to a foundation.


    Unfortunately, that was also the main reason for Lincoln to call a meeting that night. ¡°The foundation is


    rotten to the core!¡± he grumbled. ¡°Almost everyone in upper management was embezzling money,


    which includes the funds that Francesca had transferred previously. I rushed therest night to detain


    those scumbags and forced them to sign the release form for Lovely Care orphanage. Thankfully, I also


    managed to get them to return the money they stole from Francesca. Now that that''s over, we''ll either


    have to find a new foundation for the orphanage or start one ourselves. However, if we go with the


    latter, the funds required will undoubtedly be an astronomical sum...¡±


    With that, the three of them promptly turned to look at Francesca. It had always been her dream to


    build an orphanage, and since she was also the main financial backer, it was only natural for her to be


    the decision maker.

 Chapter 2036

    Chapter 2036


    q¡°How much would it take to set up a foundation?¡± Francesca asked bluntly.


    She had never been good with the concept of money, and ount keeping always gave her massive


    headaches. Because of that, she''d never beat around the bush when discussing finance-rted


    matters.


    ¡°Um, about that...¡± Anthony mumbled before handing the calctor to her.


    Francesca stared at the string of numbers and began counting the number of digits. Oh, my goodness,


    there are at least ten digits. Argh! My head hurts just from looking at it.


    ¡°Okay, that''s enough. I''m getting cross-eyed from all the numbers,¡± she grumbled. ¡°How much more do


    we need?¡±


    ¡°A lot,¡± Lincoln replied. ¡°The truth is, our current financial strength is far from enough to start our own


    foundation. I''ve also been looking around to see if we can find a more suitable and reliable foundation.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. There''s no need to pile so much pressure on ourselves. It''d be easier to find another


    foundation,¡± La uttered. ¡°Besides, we don''t have to rush this. The money we recovered is enough to


    tide us over for a while.¡±


    ¡°How long would that be, though?¡± Francesca asked anxiously.


    Since she didn''t have an answer to that, La quickly turned to Anthony.


    ¡°Twenty-five days,¡± thetter replied as he showed them the bill.


    ¡°Sell my jewelry. I heard it''s worth a hundred million,¡± Francesca said nonchntly. ¡°Once I''ve


    completed Lacy''s operation, I''ll begin treatment on William''s legs. I think I''ll be able to earn quite a bit


    from him.¡±


    Upon hearing that, La furrowed her brows. ¡°But didn''t you say that Prince William''s condition is very


    tricky? Furthermore, his safety will affect the power struggle within Danontand''s royal family. It''s best


    not to get yourself involved in that.¡±


    ¡°That''s right,¡± Lincoln chimed in. ¡°Dragging politics into this will onlyplicate things further. Turn it


    down if you can. We don''t need the prince''s money.¡±


    When Francesca heard that, she suddenly recalled how her master had also avoided treating William.


    Understanding dawned on her.


    He, too, had told her before not to save any political figures or to get involved in their matters.


    At the time, she couldn''t quite understand why. To her, they were all humans, so why shouldn''t she


    save them?


    s, her master didn''t exin further and only told her to do as he said.


    Francesca hadn''t dwelled on it then, but now that she had given it some thought, she finally understood


    her master''s well-intentioned advice.


    ¡°Think back on how you got into trouble on that yacht in M Nation,¡± Anthony sternly reminded. ¡°That


    group of people wanted to kill you so you wouldn''t have a chance to treat Prince William. They knew


    that as long as the prince remained uncured, he wouldn''t be able to fight for the throne.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you''ve finally wised up,¡± La teased as she pulled Anthony''s ear, only to have thetter respond


    with a goofy grin.


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    After pondering for a while, Francesca finally spoke up. ¡°I understand the concerns, but William''s my


    friend. I met him earlier, and it was clear that his condition has worsened. It has gotten to the point


    where his lumbar region and spine are affected too. Not only do those in the royal family want him out


    of the race for the throne, but they also want him dead! If I stood by and did nothing in his hour of need,


    I''d be going against my principles and a doctor''s oath!¡±


    As soon as they heard that, Lincoln and La exchanged silent nces. They, too, used to be young


    and impulsive and would always go to the ends of the world for their friends.


    Their reckless actions ended up costing them a lot, but despite that, they never regretted a single thing.


    After all, that was the power of youth!


    Besides, Francesca was only twenty-one years old. She needed to experience life for herself, be it


    good or bad, and feel the array of emotions thaty in store for her.


    They could pave the way for her and steer her away from making wrong turns, but they couldn''t pull her


    along right to the end. If they did, life would be meaningless!


    Seeing as how neither Lincoln nor La said a word, Anthony knew better than to raise his objections.


    ¡°All right. Go ahead and do whatever you want. If anything happens, we''ll shoulder the responsibility


    with you.¡±


    In a rare turn of events, La turned to him and praised, ¡°Well done, kid. You sure are quick-witted


    today.¡±


    ¡°Yes, and you even stole my line,¡± Lincoln added as he tousled Anthony''s hair affectionately.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Francesca replied, feeling all warm and fuzzy inside.


    She had a family protecting her and navigating her through life''s challenges, so what was there to be


    afraid of?


    Thanks to them, she had the courage to be herself!

 Chapter 2037

    Chapter 2037


    qNot long after, Lincoln brought up yet another question. ¡°By the way, Francesca, do you remember


    what La said about developing poison and hidden weapons for self-defense? Since we''re still


    healthy and agile, we can help you with it. Otherwise, you won''t be able to protect yourself if you run


    into any dangers again.¡±


    In the past, Francesca had always stuck to her master''s teachings of not making poison, but with how


    things were going, she knew it was time for a change.


    I was told not to leave the mountain or learn modern medicine, yet I did them anyway. I''ve also already


    gone against my master''s advice by treating a royal family member, so what difference would it make if


    I vited another one of his rules?


    Having made up her mind, Francesca replied, ¡°Okay. I''ll start preparing for it after Lacy''s operation.¡±


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Good,¡± Lincoln said, nodding in relief as he grabbed a leather bag from the shelf and handed it to her.


    ¡°Here''s your most treasured possession. I found it for you.¡±


    ¡°You found it?¡±


    ted, Francesca tore into the leather bag and found herself staring at arge knife.


    As it turned out, the knife was the only item she had taken with her from Mount Phoenix.


    There was also the word ¡°Fran¡± engraved on the de, which, interestingly enough, was how her name


    came about.


    When Francesca was younger and went up the mountain alone to pick herbs, her master had given her


    the knife for self-defense. That way, if she ran into wild animals, she''d be able to protect herself.


    However, since Francesca was capable of summoning beasts, she hardly saw the need to use the


    knife as a weapon. Instead, she realized she could use it to chop down trees and thorns in her way and


    even smash rocks with it!


    Kids who grew up in the mountains didn''t have the privilege of having toys, so to her, the knife was her


    only ything.


    She loved it so much that she brought it wherever she went.


    Unfortunately, when Francesca moved a few months ago, the kids at the orphanage took her knife


    away to y with, and she couldn''t find it despite searching high and low. She had already given up on


    it, but who knew Lincoln would get it back for her?


    ¡°Happy now?¡± La asked as she gazed fondly at Francesca. ¡°You''ve finally gotten your toy back.¡±


    ¡°Haha! I''m overjoyed!¡± thetter eximed. ¡°Seeing it is like seeing my master again!¡±


    As a matter of fact, she''d always recall her master''s words of encouragement every time she saw the


    knife. ¡°Francesca, you''re a blessed and gifted child, and there''s nothing that can stump you. Give your


    best! I''ll always be protecting and rooting for you!¡±


    Therefore, whenever she ran into difficulties, she''d picture her master near her, which gave her the


    strength to keep going.


    A whileter, Lincoln pped his hands, signaling the end of their meeting. ¡°All right. That''ll be it for


    today. Run along and have a good rest.¡±


    Since La still had ounts to settle with Lincoln, Anthony left with Francesca to collect her jewelry.


    He''d sell them the next day and use the money to fund the orphanages for the time being.


    As the two of them made their way up the stairs, Anthony suddenly asked, ¡°Say, has Danrique called


    you?¡±


    ¡°I blocked his number,¡± Francesca snapped back.


    Danrique had also blocked her number previously, and that memory only made her boil with rage.


    Her initial n had been to turn off her phone and cut off all contact with him, but knowing that Anthony


    and the others might need to reach her any time, she decided against it and blocked his number


    instead.


    When Danrique tried calling her on Sean''s phone, she blocked Sean''s number too.


    From then on, she rejected calls from all unknown numbers, which exined why her phone had been


    so silent recently.


    Anthony cleared his throat as he hesitated to speak up.


    ¡°What do you want to say?¡± Francesca muttered.


    ¡°They called me and asked if you were safe. Once I gave a simple reply, they hung up...¡±


    ¡°Who called you? Was it Danrique?¡±


    Anthony narrowed his eyes. ¡°No. It was his subordinate. He sounded a little sinister, and even though


    he didn''t say much, I felt like he was threatening me.¡±


    Upon hearing that, Francesca immediately knew who the mystery caller was. ¡°It was Sean, wasn''t it?¡±


    ¡°Yes! That''s him!¡± Anthony replied. ¡°He told me his name as soon as I picked up the call. What an


    arrogant prick.¡±


    ¡°Ignore him.¡±


    Despite those words, Francesca had to admit she felt rather upset. Why hasn''t Danrique called to


    exin himself? He doesn''t care about me at all, does he?

 Chapter 2038

    Chapter 2038


    q¡°Yes, just ignore him,¡± Anthony chimed in. ¡°That Danrique isn''t sincere at all. He hasn''t even bothered


    to call you to apologize, so don''t go easy on him and forgive him so soon.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Francesca muttered before tossing her bag of jewelry to him. ¡°Now, get lost!¡±


    ¡°D*mn... Can''t you be a little gentler?¡±


    ¡°Scram!¡±


    ¡°Okay! Okay!¡±


    After Anthony had left, Francescay on the couch to y with her phone. However, when she saw the


    list of blocked numbers, she began to ask herself if she should finally unblock Danrique.


    Monica was right about teaching him a lesson. Otherwise, he''d never make a clean break with Hazel.


    Then again, if I don''t unblock his number, how could he call to rify things to me? Well, I suppose I


    should do it. That''ll give him a chance to exin himself and beg for forgiveness!


    With that, Francesca immediately unblocked both Danrique''s and Sean''s numbers.


    Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    Before she went for her shower, though, she intentionally put her phone on silent and tossed it aside.


    Even if he calls, I won''t answer it. I want that a*shole to feel anxious and panicky. Yep! That''s it!


    It didn''t take long before Francesca finished her shower. Uponing out of the bathroom, her gaze


    fell straight on the phone''s ck screen as she wondered if anyone had called.


    I''m sure he must have called, but who cares? He can continue panicking!


    The next second, she sat in front of the dressing table and began applying medication to herself.


    However, even as she did, she couldn''t help but notice that her phone was dead silent.


    He must have gotten mad when I didn''t pick up his calls earlier. Fine, I think I''ve punished him enough.


    Let''s see what he has to say now.


    Francesca promptly got up to retrieve her phone, but when she unlocked it, she realized she hadn''t


    gotten a single call.


    Needless to say, she was stunned.


    My goodness! Does Danrique not know I''ve unblocked him? Or does he think he''s still blocked, so he


    didn''t bother to call? Oh no, how should I let him know?


    Just then, the phone suddenly rang. Francesca''s anxiety quickly melted away as she stared excitedly


    at the screen. s, her happiness was short-lived when she saw it was Sean calling her.


    Argh! Why isn''t it Danrique? Then again, he might be using Sean''s phone to test me.


    At the thought of that, Francesca gulped and rposed herself before taking the call. ¡°Hello.¡±


    ¡°Oh, thank heavens! I finally got through to you, Ms. Felch,¡± Sean eximed. ¡°Are you all right? Where


    are you now?¡±


    ¡°I''m very well,¡± Francesca said coldly. ¡°As for my whereabouts, I don''t think there''s a need to let you


    know.¡±


    ¡°W-Well...¡± Sean stammered before looking at Danrique timidly.


    Even though thetter''s eyes were ming with rage, he managed to restrain himself and made a


    gesture.


    ¡°Don''t be mad, Ms. Felch. The incident from before was just a misunderstanding. Mr. Lindberg¡ª¡±


    ¡°No need to exin to me. I don''t feel like hearing it,¡± Francesca interrupted. ¡°Is there anything else?


    Otherwise, I''ll hang up now.¡±


    ¡°Please don''t be like that, Ms. Felch. Mr. Lindberg is very worried about you¡ª¡±


    Unfortunately, before Sean could finish his words, Francesca had already hung up the phone.


    What a useless man! Can''t he exin things himself instead of getting his subordinate to do so? He


    isn''t sincere at all!


    Meanwhile, Danrique was just as furious as she was. ¡°I''ve had enough of that ungrateful wretch and


    her foul temper! Since she loves being angry, I''ll let her be! Don''t call her again. I don''t care anymore!¡±


    ¡°Calm down, Mr. Lindberg...¡±


    ¡°Also, why did you sound so timid earlier?¡± Danrique scolded. ¡°You said I was worried about her and


    made it sound like I was begging her! I didn''t do anything wrong, for goodness'' sake!¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°What''s the point of keeping you around if you don''t even know how to speak up? Get out of my sight!¡±

 Chapter 2039

    Chapter 2039


    qSean felt aggrieved. Danrique could only take it out on him since he could not vent his frustration on


    anyone else. I still got a scolding from Mr. Lindberg even though I was cautious with my every action.


    He''s been finding fault in everything I do today.


    Judging from the current situation, he believed it would be unlikely for Danrique and Francesca to


    mend their rtionship anytime soon. Mr. Lindberg will continue to throw a fit and test everyone''s


    patience.


    He flinched at that thought and instantly gave Sloan a call.


    ¡°Sean!¡±


    ¡°Have you managed to find Ms. Felch yet?¡±


    ¡°Not yet. We went to the hospital Ms. Felch visited earlier, but the hospital didn''t have her address.


    However, we should be able to locate her soon since I''ve just gotten the address to the orphanage.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg wants you to protect Ms. Felch, but she mustn''t know you''re observing her. Keep an eye


    on her and update me from time to time.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    After ending the call, Sean scrolled through the news on his phone. Stories about Hazel were all over


    the inte.


    The media even widely reported the incident that happened to Hazel at the banquet and coupled it with


    a few misleading photos, iming that Danrique had rescued a damsel in distress. Oh, great. Ms.


    Felch is going to flip if shees across these news stories. But since Mr. Lindberg is nning to wipe


    out the three great families, he has no choice but toy low and not act impulsively for now!


    ¡°Son of a b*tch! Go to hell!¡± Francesca roared when she scrolled through the news site.


    She exploded with rage when she read the news story on how Danrique rescued Hazel and saw how


    intimate they were in the photos.


    Initially, she thought she had misunderstood Danrique, but now it seemed she had not been wrong. It''s


    like he doesn''t care that I''ve run away! Shouldn''t he put his work aside and fly to S Nation to exin to


    me personally? He could have at least given me a call! Not only did he not do that, but he''s still not


    distancing himself from Hazel either!


    It had not been long since their first misunderstanding, and yet another intimate photo of him and Hazel


    had popped up on the inte again.


    This only proves how unimportant I am to him and how little he respects me. It was stupid and gullible


    of me to assume that he was serious about our rtionship. The feelings he said he has for me are all


    fake!


    The more Francesca thought of it, the more flustered she grew. In a fit of anger, she lifted her tablet


    and tossed it out the window, but upon realizing the device was hers, she leaped forward and caught it


    in a swift move. Phew, thank God.


    Francesca held the tablet close, patting her chest while heaving a sigh of relief.


    ¡°What are you doing, Francesca? Juggling?¡±


    Original content from N?velDrama.Org.


    Anthony, who was ying a game on his phone while lying on a recliner on the balcony, was amazed


    by Francesca''s agility when she leaped forward and caught the tablet.


    ¡°It''s none of your business!¡± Francesca red at him before returning to her room.


    ¡°You must have read the news again, right?¡± Anthony asked suddenly.


    A vortex of anger swirled inside Francesca, and she tossed the tablet in Anthony''s direction.


    ¡°F*ck!¡± Anthony managed to dodge the tablet. Thankfully, the device did not break into pieces as it hit


    his chair before falling onto the carpet. Anthony picked it up and eximed, ¡°Hey! It''s your tablet. You


    bought it with your money!¡±


    Francesca got so annoyed that she drew the curtains and gave him the cold shoulder.


    Anthony shook his head and continued ying with his phone while lying on the recliner. Suddenly, he


    heard a knock on the door.


    ¡°I''ming in!¡± La opened the door and came in with a te of fruits.


    ¡°Oh,e on, Ms. La. Couldn''t you at least wait for me to respond before entering? I''m a man now,


    mind you.¡± Anthony looked at La with a pair of puppy eyes.


    ¡°Stop acting shy. You''ve been with us since you were seven. We even know the number of moles you


    have on your butt!¡± La rolled her eyes at him.


    ¡°But I''m a man now. A grown man!¡± Anthony sighed and gave in. ¡°Forget it. Take a seat, Ms. La. I''ll


    get you a ss of water.¡±


    ¡°That won''t be necessary.¡± La sat on the couch, crossed her legs, and gestured for the young man to


    take a seat. ¡°Come here and sit quietly. There''s something I need to tell you.¡±

 Chapter 2040

    Chapter 2040


    qUpon noticing how serious La was, Anthony walked over, drew the curtains, and sat opposite her.


    ¡°Why are you acting so secretive? What is it?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lincoln has shortlisted a few foundations and ns to embark on a field trip to inspect them, so


    he''ll be away during this period. Meanwhile, I have to keep an eye on the orphanage to prevent Chrono


    and his men fromying their fingers on the children. That means you have to take care of Francesca.¡±


    ¡°Sure. No problem!¡± Anthony agreed without hesitation as he had always wished he could stay by


    Francesca''s side and protect her all day.


    ¡°Hold on. Let me finish.¡± La gave him another side-eye before continuing, ¡°Listen carefully. I have


    two missions for you, and you must aplish them.¡±


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    Anthony pricked up his ears. ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°First, you need to find out Prince William''s character. You''ll also need to investigate the people around


    him to see if they have ulterior motives. Secondly, should Danrique''s mene to look for Francesca,


    you must inform me before making any decision. I want to meet them personally.¡± It was not difficult to


    tell that La was serious about these two missions.


    ¡°I''ll have no problem aplishing the first mission, but the second mission¡ªis that necessary?¡±


    Anthony pouted to express his dismay.


    He continued, ¡°That dude says he wants to marry Francesca, yet he''s constantly involved in scandals.


    He didn''t even bother toe to S Nation to look for her personally. This means he doesn''t even care


    about Francesca. Why do you still want to meet him?¡±


    ¡°You know nothing. Just shut up and do as I say.¡± La was running out of patience.


    ¡°Fine.¡± Anthony was reluctant but dared not go against La''s instructions.


    ¡°Here, take this.¡± La gave him an exquisite silver gun. ¡°This wille in handy should emergencies


    happen.¡±


    ¡°But I''m not good with guns,¡± Anthony said sheepishly while retrieving the gun. ¡°Besides, I''ve not killed


    anyone before. I''m scared...¡±


    ¡°Didn''t you say you''re a man?¡± La shot daggers at him. ¡°Have you not learned a thing or two after


    living with us for so many years?¡±


    ¡°Give the young man a break.¡± Suddenly, Lincoln walked in and defended Anthony. ¡°He''s good with


    computers, not guns. Why do you keep forcing him to do things he''s ufortable with?¡±


    ¡°How dare you me me? It''s all your fault since you''re the one who pampered him.¡± La looked up


    at Lincoln with a scowl. ¡°You two have fun talking. I''m going back to my room now.¡±


    Before leaving, La pointed at Anthony and said, ¡°Remember what I said!¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± Anthony responded reluctantly.


    ¡°I understand you need to obey La and protect Francesca, but I want you to take good care of


    yourself too.¡± Lincoln expressed his care more affectionately.


    He gently patted Anthony''s injured arm and said, ¡°Look at you. What if the bullet had hit your body or


    brain instead of your arm? Have you thought of the consequences?¡±


    ¡°That didn''t cross my mind at all. When I saw Francesca was in trouble, I knew I had to rescue her. It


    was purely instinctual!¡± Anthony responded with a smile.


    ¡°There are many ways to rescue a person. You don''t have to use yourself as a human shield.¡± Lincoln


    looked at him while knitting his brows. ¡°Francesca is a living being, and you''re a living being too. You


    two are my family, and I wouldn''t want to see anything bad happen to either of you.¡±


    ¡°It''s different. Francesca¡¯s life is more precious than mine,¡± Anthony blurted out with a chuckle.


    ¡°Don''t you dare say that,¡± Lincoln growled in a deep voice. ¡°You two are equally important. It''s your duty


    to protect her, but you must watch out for yourself too!¡±


    Anthony was stunned for a bit as he had rarely seen such a serious expression on Lincoln''s face.


    Eventually, the young man nodded repeatedly and said, ¡°All right, all right. Got it.¡±


    Before leaving, Lincoln gave him another pat on his shoulder.


    When he was about to step out of the door, he turned around, looked at Anthony, and reminded him,


    ¡°The gun that La gave you is a custom-made weapon. Carry it with you at all times to protect


    yourself and Francesca.¡±


    ¡°Got it, Mr. Lincoln!¡±

 Chapter 2041

    Chapter 2041


    qThe next day, Anthony worked hard to gather all the herbs, equipment, and blood supply that


    Francesca needed for the surgery.


    In the evening, Francesca started operating on Lacy.


    Anthony and La helped her from aside.


    Around three hourster, she wrapped up the surgery.


    Removing her surgical mask, Francesca wiped her sweat away and announced, ¡°She''ll need to be


    monitored for twenty-four hours. If nothing out of the ordinary happens, she''ll be safe.¡±


    ¡°We can take turns to do that, so you should get some rest,¡± La urged.


    ¡°I''ll take a shower. I need to meet William soon.¡± Francesca hurried away.


    Anthony wanted to go after her, but La stopped him. ¡°Not today. We need to keep an eye on Lacy.


    Besides, Francesca won''t let you follow her.¡±


    ¡°All right. Next time, then.¡±


    After taking a shower, Francesca drove her truck to Caf¨¦ Grape.


    The owner was walking his dog nearby. When he spotted her, he waved at her from afar. ¡°The hunk is


    waiting for you inside.¡±


    Francesca waved at him in return. She parked her truck at the entrance and walked into the caf¨¦.


    Robin brought his own coffee beans today. He ground them and brewed a few cups of fragrant coffee.


    The entire area smelled really nice.


    ¡°My exhaustion disappears the minute I smell the coffee,¡± Francescamented.


    She took a deep breath and felt her entire being rx.


    ¡°You must be tired today.¡± William gazed at her tenderly. ¡°Your eyes are bloodshot.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I''m exhausted. The surgerysted for five hours.¡± Francesca massaged her brows. ¡°I''m sorry


    you have to wait for me.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine. I knew you were busy today and cameter than usual.¡± William offered her a warm towel.


    ¡°Put this on your eyes. You''ll feel better.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Francesca took the warm towel and ced it over her dry eyes. At once, her exhaustion


    faded away slightly.


    ¡°Prepare some food for her,¡± William ordered Robin. ¡°Some simple pasta will do. Make sure it''s not


    seasoned heavily. Hurry up!¡±


    ¡°Yes. I''ll get to it right away,¡± Robin responded.


    Curious, Francesca asked with her eyes shut. ¡°Can Robin prepare pasta now?¡±


    ¡°It''s easy, so I got him to learn it.¡± William chuckled. ¡°You didn''t have dinner yet, right? Your stomach


    must be feeling ufortable. Don''t drink coffee. Here, have some warm water now. You can drink the


    coffee after eating some food.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± After Francesca was done with her eyes, there was already a ss of warm water in front of her.


    She finished it in one gulp and felt her stomach warm up.


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    Soon, Robin came over with a bowl of pasta bolognese. shing a shy smile, he exined, ¡°Every


    Ustranasion chef has tomatoes and minced beef in their fridges. I used eggs and flour to make the


    pasta myself. There is no other vegetable, but I hope you''ll like it.¡±


    ¡°It''s good enough.¡± Francesca took a bite and praised, ¡°It''s delicious! Thanks, Robin.¡±


    ¡°I''m d you like it,¡± Robin replied cheerfully and went to stand behind William.


    Francesca was starving. She didn''t have lunch as she had to be with Lacy the entire day. Busy with the


    checkups and preparation, she didn''t even get to drink any water.


    Thus, the pasta was a lifesaver.


    William gazed at her tenderly and waited until she finished her dinner. He then offered her a piece of


    tissue silently.


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Francesca wiped her lips clean.


    William noticed she was sweating and told Robin, ¡°Lower the temperature of the air conditioner by two


    degrees Celsius. You can increase it back to normal half an hourter.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Robin immediately did as told.


    Francesca wiped her sweat away andmented, ¡°William, you''re gentle, attentive, and thoughtful.


    You''re the perfect man every woman wants!¡±


    William chuckled gaily and sighed. ¡°But you don''t like me...¡±


    ¡°Mm? What was that?¡± Francesca didn''t hear him clearly.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± came William''s gentle answer. ¡°You''ve filled your stomach, so it''s time to drink the coffee


    now.¡±

 Chapter 2042

    Chapter 2042


    q¡°Mm.¡± Francesca sipped on the coffee and praised, ¡°This is delicious!¡±


    Adoration shed across William''s eyes. ¡°Remember, since you''re not used to drinking coffee regrly,


    you need to drink some warm water and fill your stomach before drinking coffee. Otherwise, it might be


    harmful to the stomach.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Francesca bobbed her head. ¡°Did you do the checkup today?¡±


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Robin handed the medical reports to Francesca.


    Francesca read everything and frowned. ¡°I was right. You''ve been poisoned. How could they be this


    cruel? They want you dead!¡±


    ¡°I''m used to it.¡± William was unruffled. ¡°I was only five when they first tried to kill me.¡±


    ¡°When you were five?¡± Francesca grew emotional. ¡°They are nothing but beasts!¡±


    ¡°I was born a healthy baby but had to rely on the wheelchair to get around after that,¡± William revealed


    with a bitter smile. ¡°I thought they would spare my life, but six months ago, they took action against me


    again.¡±


    ¡°By poisoning you?¡± Francesca huffed. ¡°You''re no longer a threat to them. Why won''t they give up?¡±


    ¡°I wasn''t a threat to them previously.¡± William exhaled sharply. ¡°I''ve kept a low profile over the years so I


    wouldn''t attract any trouble. Six months ago, I couldn''t help but express my opinions during an


    important conference. The King, His Majesty,vished praises on me, so those people started targeting


    me again.¡±


    Robin added, ¡°They used all sorts of despicable means to try to harm His Highness. s, he''s too


    weak and doesn''t have anyone to rely on. We couldn''t confront them, so we had to wander around and


    dared not head home.¡±


    He got so emotional that his eyes turned red.


    ¡°Robin, stop talking,¡± William chided in displeasure.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Robin replied hastily. He lowered his head and moved aside.


    ¡°Don''t worry. I''ll treat your condition!¡± Francesca felt terrible for William, too. ¡°You''ll get to walk and


    return after recoveringpletely and give the b*stards the shock of their lives!¡±


    William snorted inughter. ¡°You always make meugh.¡±


    Francesca scratched her head shyly. ¡°Heh, I was a little rough. Sorry for that.¡±


    She didn''t think twice about being rough in front of someone else, but William was an elegant and


    polite gentleman. She couldn''t stop blushing after realizing she had uttered crude words in front of him.


    ¡°Francesca, you should head home and get some rest.¡± William was thoughtful as usual. ¡°I''m not in a


    hurry. You don''t want to overwork yourself, do you? You haven''t recoveredpletely yet.¡±


    ¡°I can''t start treating you tonight.¡± Francesca nced at her watch. ¡°I need more time to treat you


    slowly.¡±


    ¡°Does His Highness have to move into your hospital?¡± Robin chimed in.


    ¡°I don''t have a hospital,¡± Francesca told him as she furrowed her brows. ¡°I set up a temporary clinic


    today to operate on Lacy. There are only basic medical facilities and equipment, and it isn''t that big.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine. We can ask our subordinates to stay somewhere else,¡± Robin suggested hastily. ¡°Ms. Felch,


    to be honest, those people are searching for His Highness, and we can''t really remain in a hospital for


    too long. Uh, can you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don''t make things difficult for Francesca!¡± William snapped.


    ¡°It''s fine. Robin is really thoughtful.¡± Francesca pondered over the matter. ¡°I don''t live alone, so I need


    to discuss with them. I''ll call you tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°No need for that. I don''t want to trouble you,¡± William rejected her outright. ¡°I can buy a vi nearby


    and build a clinic inside. You can stop by every day. But you''ll have to let us know what medical


    equipment and medicine you need.¡±

 Chapter 2043

    Chapter 2043


    q¡°That sounds good.¡± Francesca nodded in agreement. ¡°I can buy the necessary medical equipment


    and medicine as I have the connections. Besides, your enemies won''t find out where you are if I''m the


    one who makes the purchase.¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± William shed a smile and shot her a curt nod. ¡°Thank you, Francesca.¡±


    ¡°How much does the equipment cost? I can transfer one hundred million in M Nation''s currency to you


    first. Is that enough?¡± Robin asked politely.


    ¡°Of course. It can even cover the medical fees. Oh, no. It''s too much!¡± Francesca was flustered. ¡°We''re


    friends, so I can''t take that much money from you. Besides, you''ve got it hard.¡±


    William chuckled in amusement. ¡°You love money, right? Why are you this polite?¡±


    ¡°Well...¡± Francesca blushed. ¡°I love money, but I only make money in the right way. We''re good friends,


    and you''ve helped me many times. I can''t overcharge you.¡±


    It was just an excuse. Truth be told, Francesca couldn''t bring herself to take William''s money. He was a


    prince but had never been taken seriously. Thus, he had lived in the dark all the while. At this juncture,


    his cousins were trying to kill him. As a result, he couldn''t even head back home.


    Obviously, he wasn''t a rich guy.


    Francesca was willing to treat him for free if he didn''t have any money.


    ¡°I might look weak to you, but I have made plenty of money using my secret identity. You don''t have to


    worry that I cannot afford it,¡± William told her cheerfully. ¡°I''ll transfer the money to you so you can buy


    the necessary equipment and medicine. If you refuse to take it, I''ll feel bad to trouble you.¡±


    ¡°Do you really have that much money?¡± Francesca asked incredulously. ¡°Are you giving me all the


    money you have?¡±


    ¡°Of course not!¡± William shook his head and shed a resigned smile. ¡°Do I look that useless? Why


    don''t you help us to buy the vi that we''re going to stay in? I won''t give you more money for that.¡±


    Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    ¡°That sounds great.¡± Francesca had no qualms anymore. ¡°I''ll buy a few cars so you can use them.¡±


    ¡°We have our own cars, so you don''t have to do that,¡± Robin chimed in with a grin. ¡°Thank you for


    helping us.¡±


    ¡°No worries. I''m making money from you, so it''s no trouble.¡± Francesca broke into a vibrant smile.


    It feels like I''m doing something good besides making some money. That''s amazing!


    William rxed when he saw her smile. ¡°You should head home and get some rest.¡±


    She looks greedy, but she''s gentle, kind, and thoughtful. That was why I racked my brains to make her


    ept the medical fee.


    ¡°I''ll go home now. Tomorrow, I''ll make the arrangements and call you.¡± Francesca put on her hat and


    reminded him, ¡°I believe the preparations will be done within a week, and the treatment will begin a


    weekter. Rest well and make sure you''re always in a good mood.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± William nodded. ¡°Robin, see Francesca to the door.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡±


    Outside, Robin made sure William wasn''t looking before he tugged on Francesca''s sleeves and


    whispered, ¡°Dr. Felch, please get a bigger vi with a yard and good environment. I can transfer more if


    the money isn''t enough. His Highness often stays at home, so he might feel depressed if the ce is


    small.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Francesca nodded vehemently. ¡°Don''t worry, I know what to do. That''s a lot of money,


    so it''s certainly enough. Besides, properties in the countryside aren''t that expensive.¡±


    ¡°Thank you so much!¡± Robin thanked her gratefully. ¡°Also, there''s no need to buy any furniture. His


    Highness prefers using custom-made furniture, so I''ll make the arrangements.¡±


    ¡°Sure, no problem.¡±

 Chapter 2044

    Chapter 2044


    qBack home, Anthony sidled up to ask, ¡°So? Did you agree to treat that prince?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Francesca received a text and clicked on it. At once, she beamed. ¡°Oh, that''s fast. I''ve already


    received the money.¡±


    ¡°What money? How much?¡± Anthony nced at her phone. ¡°What the f*ck? This is a lot! Did the prince


    give you this much money?¡±


    ¡°Mm. For the medical fee and other stuff,¡± came Francesca''s answer. Her lips curved as she asked, ¡°I


    remember a luxurious vi is put up for sale around seven kilometers away from us. Has it been sold?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. It''s big and expensive. No one in their right mind would buy it,¡± Anthony replied. He then


    demanded, ¡°What do you mean by other stuff? Did you agree to other conditions?¡±


    ¡°I agreed to help buy a property for him and set up a clinic inside so he can receive treatment for the


    long run.¡± Francesca instructed, ¡°I''ll go and view the vi tomorrow. Help me buy the medical


    equipment. We need to do this as soon as possible and start treating him.¡±


    ¡°I''lle with you. I can call to order the medical equipment you need but I won''t let you view the vi


    alone.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± Francesca responded carelessly. ¡°If you don''t have to go to the medical equipment


    company, then stay at home and keep an eye on Lacy. We''re busy and short of staff.¡±


    Anthony tried to protest. ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°All right, then. It''s decided,¡± Francesca cut in, her tone allowing no room for negotiation.


    She then hurried up the stairs.


    Anthony felt helpless as he couldn''t refute Francesca. He went to La andined to her.


    ¡°Yes, Francesca shouldn''t view the house alone. However, we need help at home too.¡± Snapping her


    brows together, La ordered, ¡°Stay at home and keep an eye on Lacy. I''ll ask Francesca to take the


    bodyguard with her.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°That''s enough.¡± La knew what Anthony was thinking about. ¡°When the vi and medical equipment


    are ready, Prince William will move in. You can follow Francesca there every day to find out more about


    him.¡±


    ¡°All right, then.¡± Anthony nodded. ¡°It should take at least six months to cure him.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± La gave him an encouraging pat on the shoulders. ¡°You need to consider the bigger picture


    instead of acting recklessly.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    Back in her room, Francesca wrote out a list of the medical equipment she needed and sent it to


    Anthony so he could buy them.


    She then took a shower. After stepping out of the bathroom, she nced at her phone, which remained


    silent. No one else contacted her besides the texts she received from Anthony.


    Danrique didn''t call or send any texts. Even Sean didn''t contact her at all.


    Disappointment overwhelmed her heart. It looks like the b*stard is indeed a hypocrite. He gave me his


    word but did otherwise.


    She was deep in thought when Anthony knocked on her door. ¡°Can Ie in?¡±


    ¡°Come on in.¡± Francesca ced her phone aside.


    Anthony brought along a cup of warm milk, a bowl of soup, and some sliced apples. ¡°You didn''t eat


    anything today, so I brought some food.¡±


    ¡°I ate something earlier.¡± Francesca nced at the tray. ¡°Leave the milk. You can finish the rest.¡±


    ¡°Did you eat with the prince?¡± Anthony asked. There was a tinge of jealousy in his voice.


    Francesca couldn''t be bothered to waste time with him. ¡°Anything else?¡±


    ¡°Here you go.¡± Anthony proffered a stack of paper. ¡°I got the information about the vi and printed it


    out. There is a contact number, so you can call it before going there tomorrow. There might be no one


    there, and your trip might be in vain.¡±


    ¡°You''re quite helpful.¡± Francesca took the papers from him. ¡°Thanks!¡±


    ¡°Sleep early. I''ll leave now.¡± Anthony spun on his heels to leave. At the door, he turned over his


    shoulder and flushed. ¡°By the way, remember to put on your clothes properly when you''re alone in a


    room with a man. You don''t want to lure me intomitting a crime, do you?¡±Original content from N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 2045

    Chapter 2045


    q¡°Uh...¡± Shocked, Francesca lowered her head to stare at her outfit.


    She was wearing a spaghetti strap and shorts. How will this lure him intomitting a crime?


    ¡°Look at you. You are blessed with fair skin and have an ample bosom. How could you wear so little


    clothes? Luckily, you''re with me. What if you''re with someone else¡ª¡±


    ¡°Scram!¡± Francesca grabbed a pillow and tossed it to him.


    Anthony mmed the door shut and fled the scene.


    All content is ? N0velDrama.Org.


    Francesca was breathless with anger. To her, Anthony was unisex, so she didn''t bother about her


    attire. How dare he say that to me? That''s preposterous!


    Feeling drained, Francesca returned to her bed to sleep. However, she couldn''t help but nce at her


    phone repeatedly. Still no news from Danrique, huh? Good. That''s great! Forget him. I shall pretend


    that I''ve never met him. It''s no big deal.


    Francesca switched her phone to silent mode and ced it aside. Rolling to one side, she hugged a


    pillow and fell asleep.


    At the same time, Danrique was working in his car. It was the afternoon in M Nation. After he read the


    file, Sean came to report to him, ¡°Ms. Atkinson haspleted her inspection today. ording to her


    schedule, she''ll be boarding the ne back to Xendale tonight.¡±


    ¡°Mm,¡± Danrique grunted in acknowledgment and continued reading the following file.


    ¡°Gordon has contacted Riz Corporation. They imed that Emperor isn''t meeting anyone recently. We


    need to schedule an appointment and wait for our turn,¡± Sean reported carefully as he was afraid of


    invoking Danrique''s wrath.


    ¡°He''s quite arrogant, huh?¡± Danrique''s lips curved. ¡°I heard that Emperor isn''t even eighteen years old


    yet. Where the hell does he get his confidence?¡±


    ¡°Uh...¡± Sean could barely hide his shock. ¡°Seriously? Riz Corporation has been around since thest


    century and is the most prominent evil organization in the world. In recent years, it has conquered all


    the other organizations. I have always thought Emperor is an old man.¡±


    ¡°The previous leader''s name was Priest. He was an old man. Emperor is the godson of his apprentice,


    Cadel. Back then, the Four Overlords rebelled against Priest. Emperor was only a nine-year-old child,


    but he managed to kill Priest and called himself ''Emperor''. The Four Overlords then made him their


    new leader. Emperor is indeed a genius. He''s capable and has divine-like ruling power. After eding


    the position, he conquered the other evil organizations and expanded Riz Corporation to a bigger


    scale. We shouldn''t underestimate it now. However, that doesn''t mean it can do whatever it like,¡±


    Danrique concluded in displeasure.


    No one in the world could make Danrique make an appointment and wait, not even Zachary and the


    President.


    He''s so arrogant despite his young age!


    ¡°He''s indeed arrogant, but we shouldn''t offend Riz Corporation.¡± Lowering his voice, Sean reminded, ¡°I


    remembered someone told me that Emperor''s father is a Lindberg too. He must be rted to our


    family.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Danrique was surprised. ¡°Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Emperor''s father is a cousin of an olddy in our family.¡±


    ¡°That''s too far stretched. How many generations apart is that?¡± Danrique rolled his eyes. His lips


    curved up as he added, ¡°But it also shows how amazing the Lindberg family''s DNA is!¡±


    ¡°You''re right!¡±


    ¡°Did she call you?¡±


    They were chatting amiably when Danrique''s expression turned stern without warning.


    ¡°She?¡± Sean was taken aback. ¡°Oh, do you mean Ms. Felch? No.¡±


    ¡°What a stubborn woman.¡± Danrique''s expression turned dark. ¡°Forget it. I won''t call her. If she refuses


    to change, she''ll get worse in the future.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, don''t do that,¡± Sean advised softly. ¡°Men should be patient with women.¡±

 Chapter 2046

    Chapter 2046


    qSeven dayster, Francesca sessfully bought the vi for William and set up a clinic on the first


    floor. She then purchased the medical equipment and set them up inside.


    Robin moved the furniture and electrical appliances he bought a while ago into the vi. The new


    house was ready after he purchased some decorative ornaments.


    William was in a jovial mood as he got out of his car and looked at his new house.


    He knew he would only spend a few months here and return to Danontand after recoveringpletely.


    However, the next few months were the most important time of his life.


    Francesca would be with him, which would be his life''s turning point.


    He entered the house in his wheelchair but wanted to walk out with his legs!


    ¡°Rest well and settle down. I''lle here tomorrow morning to begin the treatment,¡± Francesca told


    him.


    She was delighted at the thought of treating William so he could walk again. It would be a breakthrough


    for her in the medical field, too.


    Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    ¡°You''ve worked hard all day, so go home and rest well. See you tomorrow!¡±


    ¡°See you tomorrow!¡±


    Francesca left William with Robin and left in a haste.


    Robin nced at Francesca''s car and blurted out, ¡°Your Highness, why didn''t you chat more with Dr.


    Felch? Every time she shows up, you''ll ask her to head home to get more rest instead of asking her to


    stay.¡±


    ¡°She worked hard these few days. Besides, she just went through surgery, and her head is still


    wounded. She needs more rest,¡± William exined briefly. ¡°She''s also not talking to Danrique, so I


    shouldn''t disturb her.¡±


    ¡°They aren''t talking, so it''s the perfect chance for you to step in!¡± Robin eximed. ¡°You shouldn''t be a


    gentleman if you want to win her heart.¡±


    ¡°It''s against my principles to take advantage of the situation. I believe Francesca admires these


    qualities of mine. If I be someone like that, she won''t be friends with me anymore.¡±


    William knew his ce well.


    ¡°All right, then.¡± Robin then changed the topic. ¡°There''s a garden behind the vi. I''ll take you there.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    Francesca hurried back home and changed her clothes before she went to Lacy.


    Lacy had already woken up for the day. She was weak but could speak. ¡°Francesca!¡±


    Delighted, Francesca took Lacy''s hand. ¡°Lacy, you must recover soon. Let''s go fly a kite after you


    recover.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Tears swam in Lacy''s eyes. She looked forward to her future.


    ¡°Good girl. Don''t worry for I''m here. No one can bully you.¡± Cupping her cheeks, Francesca said gently,


    ¡°You just have to stay at home and focus on getting better. Don''t think too much, get it?¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Lacy nodded tearfully.


    Francesca stayed with her momentarily before leaving to talk to La. ¡°La, I think Lacy has


    something weighing on her mind. Do you think we should find her a psychologist?¡±


    ¡°Orphans who live in orphanages are more mature than their peers. She only came to our orphanage


    last year and suffered a lot out there. She must be afraid after that ordeal. I n to ask her friends from


    the orphanage toe and visit her. They can also spend time with her. There''s no need to hire a


    psychologist. Lacy hasn''t really gotten used to her new life at the orphanage, so she needs some time.¡±


    La was considerate enough to think in Lacy''s shoes.


    ¡°Sounds great. Thank you.¡± Francesca reminded her, ¡°Chrono and his gang have stayed low. Perhaps


    Monica did help us out. William told me Interpol has been going after Chrono, so they won''t dare to


    show themselves for the time being.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that should be it.¡± La nodded. ¡°I''ve received the news too. However, we can''t lower our guards.


    You need to be careful.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±

 Chapter 2047

    Chapter 2047


    qLife was busy but fulfilling, and everything was progressing smoothly.


    Danrique was the only exception.


    It had been seven days since hest contacted Francesca.


    He didn''t call or send her any message.


    Even Sean didn''t contact her.


    Francesca would fiddle with her phone every night before she went to bed. She even checked the


    blocked numbers to make sure she didn''t forget to unblock Danrique''s number. Soon, she suspected


    that something was wrong with her phone.


    s, she was just imagining things.


    He didn''t contact her because he didn''t want to.


    Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    There was no other reason!


    Francesca read a saying on the Inte: Perhaps he doesn''t love you that much...


    She thought that it described their story perfectly.


    Francesca''s heart ached at that thought.


    She kept reminding herself to ignore that b*stard and think of the whole thing as a dream.


    I wanted to escape and avoid him, and now my dream hase true. There''s no need to be sad. Well,


    this is the end!


    Francesca changed Danrique''s name on her phone to ¡°The End.¡± She also changed his profile picture


    to one of a dog consuming shit.


    It took her ages before she found the perfect picture!


    Every time she saw the name and photo, fury would overwhelm her heart. Feeling pleased, she would


    then curse inwardly, Danrique, have this!


    It was callous and vulgar, but it was the true Francesca.


    Taking a few deep breaths, she balled her fists up and cheered herself up. Francesca, cheer up. Forget


    the scum and start anew!


    Suddenly, her phone rang.


    The caller ID was ¡°The End,¡± and the profile picture was a dog consuming shit.


    Shocked, Francesca thought she saw things. It took her a while before she regained herposure.


    Answering the phone, she greeted icily, ¡°Hello, who is this?¡±


    ¡°Did you delete my phone number?¡±


    Before making the call, Danrique reminded himself to stay calm and control his emotions. He was


    mature and should act like a gentleman.


    s, his temper erupted right after he heard her voice.


    Francesca pretended they were strangers. ¡°Oh, Mr. Lindberg. What is this about?¡±


    ¡°Francesca Felch!¡± Danrique snapped.


    He was about to lose his cool.


    ¡°If there''s nothing, I''ll hang up now,¡± Francesca said deliberately.


    ¡°Don''t you dare hang up!¡± Danrique growled. ¡°You ungrateful woman, did you forget your husband just


    after a few days? Do you have a death wish? I finally finished work and gave you a call, but this is how


    you treat me? Apologize now, and I might consider forgiving you. Otherwise...¡± He trailed off in a


    warning tone.


    Silence ensued.


    Danrique moved his phone away from his ear and nced at the screen to realize that the call had


    been disconnected a while ago. Gosh, did she just hang up on me?


    He had wasted his time yelling at nothing!


    Infuriated, Danrique soothed himself by patting his chest. He used to be calm and unfazed, but that


    woman managed to invoke his wrath every other day.


    ¡°Er...¡± Sean shot him a helpless look and was about to sneak away.


    ¡°Stand right there!¡± Danrique vented his anger on Sean. ¡°Why didn''t you stop me just now?¡±


    ¡°I-I dare not do so...¡±


    ¡°Why wouldn''t you dare? You had the guts to persuade me to call her and arrange for a private jet to S


    Nation. What else can''t you do?¡± Danrique barked furiously.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Sean gaped incredulously. ¡°Didn''t you ask me if it''s right to call Ms. Felch? I told you there''s no


    harm in trying. You also told me to arrange for the private jet...¡±


    He trailed off after seeing Danrique''s menacing look and corrected himself. ¡°I shouldn''t have done that.


    It was all my fault!¡±

 Chapter 2048

    Chapter 2048


    qFrancesca was angry too. Despite waiting so long for his phone call, the first thing he did upon calling


    her was to ce me. He did not appear apologetic at all.


    She hung up abruptly, not intending to entertain him.


    I am not one of his men. Who does he think he is to yell at me?


    Francesca received a text message amidst her reverie. Initially thinking that Danrique had sent it, she


    unlocked her phone and discovered it was sent by William instead.


    Thank you!


    The two simple words meant a lot to a man of few words like him.


    Aplicated emotionprising of tenderness, pity, and a sense of responsibility welled up within


    Francesca.


    She silently vowed to cure William''s legs so he could stand once more to find the life that belonged to


    him.


    Danrique did not call again that night. Francesca, too, could not be bothered to deal with him. She


    tucked herself in early after a shower.


    She was going to examine Lacy''s injury the following morning before rushing to William''s to give him


    treatment.


    A stubborn andplicated disease had afflicted his legs for years. Francesca could not guarantee a


    complete cure with her current medical skills, which necessitated her to invest vast amounts of


    research into developing a new treatment n.


    La and Lincoln had also been pushing her to invent defensive poisons and concealed weapons.


    Though confident that Chrono and his friends would not show up again in a hurry, it was still no


    guarantee when they would.


    Francesca spent two hours every day on the research of those two items, so she had no time to deal


    with Danrique.


    Dating is affecting the speed with which I could strike back. I''m not going to waste my time like that!


    As her mind wandered, Francesca fell asleep.


    In M Nation, on the other hand, Danrique was having trouble sleeping.


    ¡°Shall we take off as scheduled, Mr. Lindberg?¡± Sean asked tentatively.


    Though the original n was to fly to S Nation, he did not know whether to take off or not in light of his


    employer''s quarrel with his wife.


    Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    Sean was initially too afraid to ask, but the airport required an answer. He was forced to bear the risk of


    getting an answer from Danrique.


    ¡°Any word from Sloan?¡±


    Instead of answering, Danrique posed a question of his own.


    ¡°Er...¡±


    Sean was stuck in a difficult situation. There was news, but not something he dared tell Danrique


    about.


    ¡°Tell me!¡± Danrique red coldly at him.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Sean did not dare conceal it any longer and showed Danrique the information Sloan had


    sent. ¡°Ms. Felch appears to be treating Prince William, Mr. Lindberg.¡±


    Danrique took the tablet for a closer look and found all sorts of photographs and videos.


    The first photograph was of Francesca wheeling William in the yard of a white mansion as they


    engaged in a conversation andughed.


    The second photograph showed Francesca squatting before him like she was massaging his legs.


    William was gazing at her in such a manner that affirmed their intimacy.


    The third photograph was Francesca descending from a shabby pickup truck with Robin wheeling


    William to receive her. The pair shared a look and a smile as she handed William a gift.


    The fourth photograph was Francesca lying back on a deck chair in the courtyard like she was asleep.


    William was adjusting her scarf, with another hand touching her face.


    His hand appeared to be touching Francesca''s cheek, judging by the angle of the photograph.


    A burning rage rushed into Danrique''s head and seared his logic.


    Resisting the urge to break the tablet, he continued looking at the photos.


    There were also several short videos. The first clip was shot surreptitiously from a window of a room


    where Francesca and William were in. Francesca leaned over as if to kiss him with one hand on his


    face as hey in bed.


    The second clip was worse... William was sitting naked in a tub with Francesca seated on the edge


    touching his legs.


    Danrique couldn''t bear with it any longer when it came to the third clip and promptly hurled the tablet to


    the ground.

 Chapter 2049

    Chapter 2049


    qThe tablet smashed against the wall with a bang and fell to the floor, where it shattered into pieces.


    Sean was so frightened that he did not dare to say anything. He stood against the walls and lowered


    his head.


    The air felt as if it had solidified. The room was as silent as the grave.


    The subordinates who stood guard outside could sense the chill in the house. Their foreheads were


    drenched in sweat, and they did not dare make a sound.


    ¡°Cancel the flight to S Nation. We''re returning to Xendale,¡± Danrique said after a long silence.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Sean did not dare ask further and instead hastened to make the arrangements.


    Knowing Danrique, he would have flown directly to S Nation to rify matters face to face before


    dealing with Prince William and Francesca¡ªone is a friend while the other is his fianc¨¦e.


    Sean did not understand why Danrique did not do that but opted to return to Xendale instead.


    Could he have given up on Ms. Felch?


    As he pondered upon that possibility, Danrique''s phone rang. His eyes closed dangerously upon a


    single nce at the screen and picked up after a moment''s silence, cing it on speaker mode.


    ¡°Is this a good time, L?¡±


    William''s voice sounded.


    Sean was stunned. He did not expect the prince to take the initiative to call. Is this an act of


    provocation?


    ¡°Yes.¡± Danrique''s voice sounded at ease as if he was not aware of anything.


    ¡°I am in S Nation,¡± William dered abruptly. ¡°I am here to get Francesca to heal my legs.¡±


    ¡°Are you?¡± Danrique answered coolly.


    ¡°I have been thinking of ways to get in touch with this Dr. Felch to seek his help in healing me. In order


    to gain his approval, I have waited on Mount Phoenix throughout repeated visits, yet he rejected me.


    Then, he shut me out with the im of being ill. That is why I could only beg Frannie for help.¡±


    The prince sounded very earnest, with touches of humility and despair in his plea.


    Sean''s heart twinged with pity upon hearing that. He finally understood the photos and videos must


    have been taken when Francesca was treating William. It''s probably a misunderstanding.


    ¡°So?¡± Danrique was visibly unmoved.


    ¡°I have inadvertently discovered that your men were sneaking close to my home today and deduced


    that you sent them to keep Frannie safe from the shadows.


    ¡°I worry that it would cause a misunderstanding if they sent you updates, so I thought I would better call


    to rify matters.


    ¡°Nothing is going on between Frannie and me. She is only treating my disease, with nothing between


    us thus far.¡±


    ¡°Thus far?¡± Danrique did not register anything else but that phrase.


    ¡°As she is currently your fianc¨¦e, I will not harbor any inappropriate thoughts,¡± William was good with


    his exnation.


    ¡°Now?¡± Danrique understood his meaning at once. William is telling me that he would court Francesca


    if she weren''t my fianc¨¦e. He is just couldn''t do that now.


    ¡°Frannie is a decent girl. I hope you won''t misunderstand her,¡± William added. ¡°The care she provides


    me is only in fulfillment of her obligation as a doctor.¡±


    ¡°You seem to be very thoughtful.¡± Danrique''s eyes narrowed dangerously.


    ¡°Of course. I do not want any misunderstandings to affect our friendship,¡± William said. ¡°You are a


    smart man. You wouldn''t overthink it, right?¡±


    ¡°Right!¡± With a coldugh, Danrique hung up brusquely.


    Sean could feel a chill running down his spine. It appeared that he had underestimated William, who


    had an eye for detail in covering loose ends.


    Original content from N?velDrama.Org.


    He specifically called to have the first say in exining the situation. Whatever Danrique do next would


    appear petty.


    At the same time, William had an implicit message in his call¡ªhe had nothing going on with Francesca


    at the moment; she was merely providing him medical treatment. Whatever updates the subordinates


    of the Lindberg family sent would also be a misunderstanding.


    However, once Francesca was no longer Danrique''s fianc¨¦e, he was going to court her openly.

 Chapter 2050

    Chapter 2050


    qThough his words sounded like a disimer, how William handled the whole thing was a tactful one.


    Now Danrique would not know which course of action to pursue next. Knowing his temper, however, he


    would not let this slide easily.


    After a long silence, Danrique looked like he had thought things through. ¡°Prepare to leave for the


    airport,¡± he ordered coldly.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    Not daring to dy a second longer, Sean arranged for their journey to the airport at once.


    They were actually supposed to return to Erihal. Well, Mr. Lindberg had spent so much time stabilizing


    the market over here, but there were a lot more to handle over at Erihal.


    The president called several times each day to urge Danrique to return, but thetter purposefully


    dyed three more days because he wanted to drop by S Nation to bring Francesca home.


    However, they encounter the matter with the prince right before taking off.


    Sean knew Danrique very well, he knew it was already difficult enough for Danrique to take the


    initiative to call Francesca. However, they would begin quarreling before they could say much. To make


    matters worse, Danrique then saw the rumors between her and William.


    It must have been difficult for him to control the impulse to rush over and stab Prince William.


    Sean and everyone else were all alert and treading on thin ice. We would better watch our back.


    Danrique did not say a word. He did not even take any action against the nder involving Francesca,


    nor did he make anyments.


    After boarding, Danrique settled down to deal with his documents before retiring for a nap. Throughout


    the whole time, he remained silent.


    Sean felt rather uneasy. Danrique throwing a tantrum and taking action was his typical response.


    However, it spelled danger if he did not say a word or do anything.


    After getting off the ne, Sean found an opportunity to call Sloan behind Danrique''s back. ¡°Mr.


    Lindberg knows about Ms. Felch and is very angry. The consequences are dire. You must quickly find


    the opportunity to talk to Ms. Felch. It would be best to convince her to give Mr. Lindberg a call to sweet


    talk him.¡±


    ¡°Er...¡± Sloan''s scalp tingled unpleasantly at those words. ¡°It''s not easy to get Ms. Felch to sweet talk,


    Sean.¡±


    ¡°I''m letting you handle it because it''s not an easy task. How will you prove your persuasive skills


    otherwise?¡± Sean said encouragingly. ¡°I really value you, Sloan. Besides, Ms. Felch and you are very


    close; hence, only you can aplish this.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Ms. Felch and I are close?¡±


    Sloan did not hear anything else other than that.


    ¡°That''s right. Why else were you sent to protect her?¡± Sean was stroking his ego. ¡°You have faced life


    and death with her in the forest. She is much closer to youpared to the other bodyguards. Talk to


    her. She will listen.¡±


    ¡°All right. I''ll look for Ms. Felch tonight.¡±


    ¡°All the best! We''re counting on you!¡±


    Sean sighed after hanging up. Having gone through many life and death situations over the years with


    Danrique, he had the confidence to solve any problem that came their way.


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    However, Sean had to admit that any issues regarding Danrique''s love life were the toughest challenge


    for him.


    He found it exceedingly tricky because Francesca''s thought processes were usually againstmon


    sense and could not be easily understood and predicted like other issues.


    It was already past nine at night when Francesca emerged from William''s vi.


    Gazing at her shabby pickup truck, she put on some country music and pulled out to the road where


    not another soul was in sight. She felt rather rxed.


    Danrique''s face asionally shed across her mind and made her heart twinge painfully, but she


    would regain herposure quickly.


    Women destined for great aplishments must not be tethered by emotions.


    Suddenly, a car drove toward her direction from the opposite direction and blocked her path.


    Francesca stopped her car and raised her eyebrows. Who is this blind idiot who dares to block my


    path? Is he seeking death?


    Just then, Sloan led a bodyguard down the car and bowed respectfully at her. ¡°Ms. Felch!¡±


    ¡°Sloan?¡± Francesca was stunned. ¡°It''s you!¡±


    ¡°We''ve been here for a while. We just didn''t dare bother you,¡± Sloan exined. ¡°Is this a good time?


    Can we talk?¡±

 Chapter 2051

    Chapter 2051


    qFrancesca nced at her watch. ¡°Ten minutes.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Sloan followed Francesca to her car. ¡°Mr. Lindberg sent us to protect you, Ms. Felch,¡± he


    added nervously.


    Francesca nodded. ¡°Hmm. And?¡±


    ¡°A man in ck intended to assault you two nights ago but we beat him.¡±


    Sloan spoke as if he was making a report to Sean.


    ¡°So it was you who have been helping me from the shadows! I''ve been wondering why it has been so


    peacefultely. It appears that Chrono and his friends did not leave S Nation.¡± Realization dawned on


    Francesca.


    Sloan nodded. ¡°That''s right. That is why you must be careful and watch out for your safety.¡±


    ¡°I will, thank you,¡± Francesca said. ¡°Did Danrique not summon you back?¡±


    ¡°He didn''t,¡± Sloan answered seriously. ¡°We have been following you since the day you left and only


    found your whereabouts after several days of digging.¡±


    Francesca''s expression hardened. ¡°Who asked you to investigate me? Danrique?¡±


    ¡°Not at all!¡± Sloan exined hastily. ¡°Sean had us protect you from the shadows, but we did not know


    where you are, so we just¡ª¡±


    ¡°All right,¡± Francesca interrupted him. ¡°Your mission isplete. You may return now.¡±


    ¡°No, we have not received the order to return,¡± Sloan protested solemnly. ¡°Besides, our mission is not


    complete.¡±


    ¡°What mission?¡± Francesca asked casually.


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    ¡°To... protect you.¡± Almost letting slip something secretive, Sloan changed tact at the critical moment.


    ¡°Please don''t be angry with Mr. Lindberg, Ms. Felch. He seems to care for you very much.¡±


    ¡°If he cared for me, he wouldn''t have interminable ties with that Hazel.¡± Francesca grew angry at that


    thought. ¡°If he cared for me, he would have flown to me long ago to exin instead of sending you to


    be his messengers.¡±


    ¡°No, it''s not like that¡ª¡±


    ¡°Enough.¡± Francesca did not wish to speak further with Sloan. ¡°Bring these men back to Xendale. Stop


    wasting your time here.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Felch¡ª¡±


    ¡°Get out of the car.¡± Francesca curtly chased him away.


    Sloan did not dare to argue with her so he got off the car grumpily.


    Then, Francesca added, ¡°If Danrique asks, tell him I forced you to return. He wouldn''t me you then.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Felch¡ª¡±


    Sloan was about to say something else but Francesca sped away, leaving him to sigh helplessly while


    looking at the departing silhouette of her truck.


    The bodyguard beside Sloan could not resist but remark, ¡°Didn''t Sean ask you to convince Ms. Felch to


    apologize to Mr. Lindberg, Sloan? Howe you were kicked out after saying barely two sentences?¡±


    Sloan appeared morose. ¡°I can fight onmand, but it is exceedingly difficult for me to convince


    women, especially Ms. Felch.¡±


    ¡°Err...¡± The bodyguard seemed to pity him. Having learned her temper after following and protecting


    Francesca for a while, they knew their mission was more difficult than fighting.


    Francesca nced at Sloan and hispanion through her rearview mirror and felt rather frustrated.


    What does it mean for Danrique to send Sloan instead of exining himself in person? Did he do


    something he''s not supposed to and dare not face me? Or does he not care about me at all? I suppose


    it is both.


    Finding her anger grow the more she thought about it, Francesca made a silent vow to never speak to


    Danrique again.


    Spurred by that thought, she added Danrique''s number to her blocked list along with Sean''s.


    After parking the car upon reaching home, Francesca nned to visit Lacy when La beckoned at


    her. ¡°Lacy is asleep. See her tomorrow morning instead. Come to my room. I would like a chat with


    you.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Let me change out of these first.¡±


    Francesca returned to her room to change into her home clothes before returning downstairs.


    ¡°Has Danrique contacted you?¡± La asked bluntly as soon as she brought out the tea.

 Chapter 2052

    Chapter 2052


    q¡°He called. We fought.¡± Francesca felt rather ufortable when she thought of theirst


    conversation. ¡°He did not want to apologize properly and has his mene and persuade me. There


    was not a shred of sincerity in him.¡±


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    ¡°What do you n to do?¡± La asked.


    ¡°n?¡± Francesca was stumped by the question as she never considered it.


    ¡°Over the years, I have taught you many things. The only I did not teach you was how to deal with love.


    I had thought that you were still young, and it was still early. Before I was ready for it, you have turned


    twenty-one and already dating.¡±


    La felt a little regretfultely and she was determined to pass on to Francesca everything she had


    learned throughout her life.


    ¡°Such a matter should take its own course.¡± Francesca did not mind.


    ¡°You are right to let it run its course, but knowing some principles will save you from many hassles.¡±


    La then straightened up. ¡°You must first know what your heart wants, Francesca. Do you like


    Danrique or not? Do you know for sure that you want to be with him?¡±


    ¡°I like him.¡±


    Francesca answered the first question without hesitation. However, she faltered at the second


    question.


    ¡°I have decided to be with him after mustering all my courage, but now he has unsevered ties with


    another woman. I have no way of being sure.¡±


    ¡°There are many uncertainties in the world,¡± La said gravely. ¡°There is a saying in Zarain: God is


    always one step ahead of men. That is why we must learn to be strong and brave in the face of


    change.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Francesca listened attentively, though she could not empathize at that moment as it was


    something she had not yet experienced.


    ¡°Whether it is about feelings or some other matter, the first thing we face is making a choice to take the


    right path, then trudging forward bravely.


    ¡°Instead of allowing the slightest pitfall to get in the way, you must think of a solution in the face of


    difficulty. At the same time, defend yourself from the threat posed by other people.


    ¡°Of course, if you are certain that the path is wrong, you must turn back before it''s toote and stem the


    damage.¡±


    After expounding upon some principles to Francesca, La paused before asking a question.


    ¡°So, have you made up your mind that you want to give up on Danrique?¡±


    ¡°Give up on him?¡± Francesca was taken aback. Though she was still angry at him, she had not thought


    of actually giving up.


    If you won''t give up, then give him a chance to exin himself or ask him in person. Don''t hold it in,¡±


    La chided severely. ¡°People may change. Treasure the time you have together.¡±


    Francesca was indignant. ¡°He has not appreciated me at all! Despite being the one bugging me to get


    married, he got himself tangled with another woman. He chased me away and has not given me any


    exnation ore to me.¡±


    ¡°That is his fault. You just do your part. Even if you don''t end up together, you wouldn''t have any


    regrets.¡± La smiled. ¡°If you lose this rtionship due to stubbornness, you willment this loss when


    you look back upon it.¡±


    Francesca fell silent at those words. Perhaps I should give Danrique a chance to exin and hear him


    out properly.


    ¡°One more thing,¡± La said solemnly. ¡°Though I disapprove of your treatment of Prince William, you


    told me he is your friend you cannot leave to him die. Hence, you have my support.


    ¡°However, if you want to be with Danrique, you must keep a distance from Prince William, or things will


    be difficult to deal with if misunderstandings arise.¡±


    ¡°William and I are just friends,¡± Francesca exined.


    ¡°You think of him as your friend. What about him?¡± La argued. ¡°Though I have never met him, his


    intention is clear when I see you return with exquisite Chanaean snacks and a bunch of flowers daily.¡±

 Chapter 2053

    Chapter 2053


    q¡°Those flowers are all from his garden, and he only made the food because he was too free.¡±


    Francesca was still brushing it off.


    ¡°He''s a fallen prince, and yet he has so many assets to his name. His parents died when he was very


    young, and he has health issues. Most importantly, his cousins had been trying to set him up and kill


    him, but he still managed to leave unscathed. Besides, he even has dealings with Lindberg


    Corporation. He''s definitely not a simple man, all right!¡±


    ¡°How did you know he has dealings with Lindberg Corporation? Also, how did you know he has


    assets?¡± Francesca was confused. Have I ever brought all that up with Ms. La? When I got affected


    and got injured back then, Ms. La found out about the family issues William was facing. However, I


    don''t think I''ve ever told her anything else.


    ¡°One of them is in Erihal, while the other one is in M Nation. Danrique is such an arrogant man, so why


    would these two men have any interaction with each other if they aren''t working together? Besides,


    Prince William just casually paid you one hundred million for the medical fee, right? He''s a man on the


    run. If he coulde up with so much money, he must have a lot of assets,¡± La answered.


    Upon hearing that, Francesca fell into deep thought.


    ¡°You''re a smart person, and you always let your guards down with your friends. It''s a good trait to have,


    but it could also give you trouble.¡± La advised, ¡°Prince William is sincere toward you, so you ended


    up seeing him as a friend. However, he''s a man with aplicated background, so a lot of things aren''t


    up to him to decide. Even if he were to keep treating you sincerely, he won''t be able to prevent you


    from getting dragged into his personal matters. Hence, you should keep a distance from him!¡±


    ¡°That wouldn''t happen, right? We''re just friends.¡± Francesca thought La was merely overthinking.


    ¡°Danrique is a dangerous man as well, but he had never caused me trouble.¡±


    ¡°Initially, we were worried about him as well, and that was why Lincoln went to Xendale. There, he


    noticed that Danrique was a simple man. He took over Lindberg Corporation when he was still young,


    so he has a lot on his shoulders. If he were to ept the president''s offer to link up with him by a


    marriage back then, he would be able to enjoy life now. Instead, he''s still busy trying to prate the


    Epean market.¡± La sounded like she was very impressed with Danrique.


    All content is ? N0velDrama.Org.


    ¡°What? The president wanted to make alliances with him through a marriage?¡± Francesca was


    dumbfounded. ¡°I didn''t know about that.¡±


    ¡°The president''s daughter is of the same age as Danrique, and she had always liked him. The


    president brought it up with Danrique personally, but Danrique rejected his offer because he already


    had someone else in mind. Some of the subordinates of Erihal''s president were Lincoln''s friends.


    Hence, he found out about it shortly after he arrived in Xendale.¡± La thenughed and continued, ¡°I


    guess he meant you when he said he has someone else in mind.¡±


    ¡°It seems like he''s in great demand...¡± Francesca pursed her lips. Why do so many people want to


    marry him?


    ¡°That''s not important now. The president''s daughter got married earlyst year. She married a wealthy


    businessman from Dartan. What I''m trying to say is Danrique may have his shorings, but I know


    he only has you in his heart. Besides, he would rather work harder in life thanpromise. That shows


    that he''s a man with principles. Moreover, he chose to be with you and announced the marriage to the


    public without knowing your real identity. Doesn''t that show his determination? This man is worth-¡±


    ¡°Is he really that good?¡± Francesca mumbled.


    ¡°Only you would know.¡± La rolled her eyes at Francesca before advising, ¡°On the other hand, I


    hardly see a w in Prince William. He''s perfect. He''s so wless that it makes me feel uneasy.


    Obviously, he has never hurt you, so I''m not going to badmouth him. Judging by how resilient he is, I


    feel that he''s a man who''s very set in his way. It seems like he''s been willing to sacrifice everything for


    something he believes in. One day, you could end up being the person he sacrifices.¡±

 Chapter 2054

    Chapter 2054


    q¡°We''re just friends. Why would he sacrifice me?¡± Francesca brushed her off. ¡°Ms. La, you''re


    overthinking. However, I''ll listen to you and keep a distance from him.¡±


    ¡°That''s good, then.¡± La nodded and urged, ¡°From tomorrow onward, bring Anthony along when you


    give William treatment. Just let him follow you, and he can be just your helper. As long as there''s


    someone else there, others will have nothing to say.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I understand.¡± Francesca agreed to it in a heartbeat.


    ¡°Also, talk it out with Danrique. Even if you want to break up with him, talk it out, and you guys can go


    your separate ways peacefully. If you want to get back together with him, then reconcile with him,


    okay? You''re going to strain the rtionship if you keep giving him the cold shoulder. He could be a


    scary man to deal with if he were to fight back. Hence, no matter what you decide to do, just patch


    things up so that there won''t be trouble in the future,¡± La reminded again.


    ¡°All right.¡± Francesca pouted because she felt aggrieved. ¡°If I knew, I shouldn''t have gotten into a


    rtionship. Before this, I could do whatever I wanted. Now, I have to watch what I do. Uh, this is really


    suffocating.¡±


    ¡°Well, you don''t have a choice because your fianc¨¦ is Danrique Lindberg.¡± Laughed. ¡°However,


    even without him, it''s about time you learn to be more mature. After all, you''re representing the


    orphanage. Your words and actions will have an effect on the kids.¡±


    ¡°I''ve actually been thinking about that...¡± Francesca then asked, ¡°Is it possible to transfer the orphanage


    to you guys? I''ll pull out, but I''ll still give you guys money every year. That way, the orphanage won''t be


    affected if I get into trouble.¡±


    ¡°You''ll forever be connected to us. Transferring the ownership to us won''t make a difference.¡± La


    ruffled Francesca''s hair and said, ¡°You''ll get worried if it gets transferred to an outsider, right?


    Therefore, you have to stay tough and move on.¡±


    ¡°All right, then. I''ll go upstairs now,¡± Francesca answered.


    ¡°Okay.¡± La''s expression turned solemn as she watched her leave.


    Right then, Lincoln knocked on the door and entered the room. ¡°So? Did you tell her about it?¡±


    ¡°I couldn''t...¡± La heaved a sigh and said, ¡°I''ve watched her grow up all these years, and I''ve already


    considered her my daughter. I couldn''t bear to tell her I''m leaving.¡±


    All content is ? N0velDrama.Org.


    ¡°You don''t have a choice, do you?¡± Lincoln felt rather sad as well. ¡°Things aren''t looking good now, so


    we have no choice but to leave.¡±


    ¡°I don''t get it. We''ve already been under the radar for so many years. How did we get exposed again?¡±


    La was baffled. ¡°Could it be that someone had exposed us on purpose?¡±


    ¡°I''ve thought about that possibility as well.¡± Lincoln frowned. ¡°Could it be Chrono?¡±


    ¡°It''s possible.¡± La was angered. ¡°If not him, who else would have a reason to do so?¡±


    Lincoln analyzed and uttered, ¡°The thing is that Riz Corporation''s intelligence department is


    comparable to the FBI. It''s possible that they were investigating Francesca, so they ended up


    investigating us too. In order to exact his revenge on Francesca, Chrono purposely exposed our


    identities to our nemesis. I really can''t think of any other possibilities.¡±


    ¡°It must''ve been him then.¡± La gritted her teeth and added, ¡°If I knew this was going to happen, I


    should''ve steeled myself and killed that maniac back then.¡±


    ¡°There''s no point in talking about that now.¡± Lincoln sighed. ¡°Now, you need to quickly convince


    Francesca to get back together with Danrique. We need him to protect her. Otherwise, Francesca is


    going to be in danger after we leave.¡±


    ¡°I''ve already said so much, so I hope it worked.¡± La was still feeling uneasy about it. ¡°However,


    Danrique has a bad temper, you know? I heard that he''s still messing around with a daughter from the


    four great families. Is he really sincere toward Francesca?¡±


    ¡°Well, it seems like that''s the case now. Who would know what''s going to happen in the future, right?


    We should just deal with what''s in front of us now.¡±


    At that point, Lincoln''s attitude was rather optimistic. ¡°It''s unfortunate that Francesca had agreed to


    treat Prince William, and she can''t just take off at this crucial moment. Otherwise, things will be a lot


    easier if she could just go to Xendale.¡±

 Chapter 2055

    Chapter 2055


    q¡°At this moment, things are still under control. If we dy, more and more of our enemies will arrive.


    By then, Francesca might get dragged into it.¡± La was getting worried. ¡°With Chrono, it''s already


    hard enough to deal with. If more of them arrive, we''re doomed. Those enemies of ours aren''t easy to


    handle.¡±


    ¡°Luckily for us, the orphanage and the foundation aren''t under our names. Once we leave, they won''t


    get affected.¡± Lincoln patted her shoulder and said, ¡°Don''t worry, okay? Anthony will still be here after


    we leave. He''ll take care of Francesca.¡±


    ¡°I''ll be grateful as long as he doesn''t cause more trouble.¡± La rolled her eyes. ¡°I''ve alreadye up


    with an excuse to have him following Francesca around. Therefore, he won''t be alone, and it''ll be safer


    for him.¡±


    ¡°You''re thoughtful with your arrangements, aren''t you?¡± Lincoln smiled helplessly. ¡°If they stay together,


    they can look after each other.¡±


    ¡°I''m thinking if we should contact Danrique ourselves.¡± La was hesitant. ¡°Maybe we should get him


    toe to fetch Francesca. Otherwise, I''m still going to be worried.¡±


    ¡°We shouldn''t do that,¡± Lincoln answered. ¡°After all, Francesca isn''t married to him yet, so he doesn''t


    have the responsibility to do so. Besides, if he really cares about Francesca, he''lle here himself.


    We don''t need to ask him toe. If he doesn''t show up, that means he doesn''t care about Francesca


    that much. If we were to look for him, we''ll be aughingstock. In fact, we won''t be helping


    Francesca if we do that.¡±


    ¡°You''re right.¡± La nodded.


    ¡°We''ll leave first thing in the morning tomorrow and lure our enemies away. That way, Francesca


    wouldn''t be in so much danger. As for Chrono and his associates, I don''t think you should worry too


    much. I heard that Danrique had secretly asked people to protect Francesca. Furthermore, Prince


    William is rather capable too. With him around, nothing''s going to happen to Francesca.¡±


    ¡°I''ve just told Francesca to keep a distance from William.¡± La frowned. ¡°I think that man is


    dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Well, at least he''s okay now. Let''s just take things as theye, okay?¡±


    After going back to her room, Francesca showered and got into her bed to scroll through her phone.


    She was contemting whether to call Danrique.


    With her temper, she knew she wasn''t going to forgive him if he didn''t take the initiative to look for her


    and exin himself. However, Ms. La is right. I shouldn''t be so petnt when ites to


    rtionships. I should give him a chance to exin himself so that I wouldn''t regret it in the future.


    With that in mind, Francesca rang Danrique, but she couldn''t get to him.


    Just like that, she got angry at him again. Fine! Danrique, you''ve blocked my call, haven''t you?


    Infuriated, she texted him: Danrique, go to hell! I never want to see you again!


    After checking the time, she realized that it was almost nighttime in Summerbank. Who knows?


    Danrique might be with Hazel now!


    The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. Suddenly, her phone rang, and she thought


    Danrique was calling her. She picked up the phone immediately and fumed, ¡°B*stard! Why are you


    calling me back? Go to hell!¡±


    After she yelled out that sentence, she was getting no response from the other end of the phone call.


    When she was about to hang up, she heard a gentle voice saying, ¡°It seems like the cookies weren''t


    good, huh? Did they make you angry?¡±


    Francesca was stumped. ¡°William?¡±


    All content is ? N0velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Calm down, okay?¡± William''s voice was so gentle and soothing. ¡°I''ve made some mushroom soup for


    you. I''m at the caf¨¦ now!¡±


    ¡°It''s already sote, though,¡± Francesca answered sheepishly. ¡°I am already in bed.¡±


    ¡°Didn''t you say you wanted mushroom soup?¡± William smiled. ¡°I''ve asked the others to look for the


    ingredients, you know? It took me two hours to make it.¡±

 Chapter 2056

    Chapter 2056


    q¡°Oh, I didn''t mean it.¡± During dinner, Francesca suddenly thought about the mushroom soup Dr. Felch


    used to make, so she just mentioned it. She never thought William would take it so seriously and make


    her a bowl of mushroom soup.


    ¡°I don''t know if the soup I made is better than the one Dr. Felch made.¡± William smiled. ¡°Why don''t you


    give it a taste and let me know?¡±


    ¡°Well...¡± Francesca missed the mushroom soup Dr. Felch made, so she agreed to meet him. ¡°Okay. I''ll


    go over now.¡±


    ¡°I''ll be waiting for you!¡±


    Francesca changed and went down quietly before driving to the caf¨¦.


    When she left, Lincoln and La were having a discussion downstairs, and they both saw Francesca


    going out. When they exchanged nces with each other, La sighed and said, ¡°She''s all grown up


    now, and she just won''t listen.¡±


    ¡°I guess she''s going to see Prince William.¡± Lincoln was calm. ¡°She can''t go far with that lousy car.¡±


    Right then, Anthony rushed toward them anxiously. ¡°Ms. La! Francesca has gone out! I''ll chase after


    her now!¡±


    ¡°Come back here!¡±


    William was already sitting by the entrance of the caf¨¦ when Francesca arrived.


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    It was a starry night that night, and the moon was pretty.


    ¡°William!¡± With the car key in her hand, Francesca walked toward him gleefully.


    ¡°I''m sorry I woke you up.¡± William smiled at her. His blue eyes seemed even brighter that night.


    ¡°It''s all right. I wasn''t asleep yet.¡± Francesca noticed that there were some flowers on the table.


    When she was little, she used to pluck the flowers at a flower field nearby Dr. Felch''s house.


    Dr. Felch scolded her, but he ended up buying over the flower field. He then brought some fresh


    flowers to her and said, ¡°Frances, if you want something, make sure you work for it. You can''t steal,


    okay?¡±


    ¡°All right!¡± Francesca answered.


    Dr. Felch was a man of few words. Francesca was only four back then, so she didn''t quite understand


    what he meant.


    After she grew up, she realized that she had to earn the things she wanted in life instead of stealing.


    ¡°Give it a taste!¡± William pulled a chair for her.


    Francesca sat down and saw the bowl of mushroom soup. That looks exactly like the one Dr. Felch


    used to make!


    She was eager to taste it, so she nodded vigorously. ¡°Yes! It''s delicious, and it''s very simr to the one


    Dr. Felch made.¡±


    ¡°Ha! It seems like I still need to improve on it!¡± Propping his chin up with a hand, William looked at her


    with a smile on his face.


    Francesca was over the moon, and she was drinking the mushroom soup so quickly that it was as if


    she was starving.


    Somewhere nearby, Sloan and the others saw everything, and they were all frowning.


    Next to Sloan, his subordinate was taking photos and sending them to Sean.


    Sloan then said, ¡°Stop sending those photos. If you keep sending them, those two aren''t ever going


    back to each other. Also, we won''t be able to go back.¡±


    ¡°What should we do, then?¡± The subordinate asked worriedly. ¡°I want to go back to Xendale.¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡±


    Everyone wanted to head home, and none of them wanted to stay there. We''re taking photos of people


    secretively every day like we''re a bunch of paparazzi.


    Right as Sloan was on the verge of losing his mind, Francesca''s phone vibrated. When she saw it was


    Gordon calling her, she answered it unhesitatingly.


    ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Did you block my number?¡± Danrique asked coldly.


    ¡°Yes. What''s wrong with that?¡± After saying that, Francesca recalled what La said to her, so she


    composed herself and added, ¡°Didn''t you also block¡ª¡±


    ¡°Your fruit tea is ready, Your Highness!¡± Suddenly, Robin came out with some fruit tea.


    William quickly gestured for him to keep quiet, but it was already toote.

 Chapter 2057

    Chapter 2057


    q¡°Are you with William right now?¡±


    Danrique''s tone changed immediately.


    Though she felt timid inwardly, Francesca decided to stick with it after ncing at William quickly.


    ¡°Yeah, why?¡±


    ¡°You realize that the time right now on your side is one o''clock in the morning, do you?¡± Danrique''s


    voice sounded like the sharp wind in the winter through the phone. ¡°Francesca, you cklisted me on


    your phone and hung out with a mante at night. Splendid. You did well!¡±


    ¡°That''s not it, I-¡±


    As she wanted to exin further, the phone was immediately hung up by Danrique. It happened so fast


    that Francesca, still holding her phone, was left dumbfounded. ¡°Da*n it. He hung me up.¡±


    ¡°You just had to stir up trouble,¡± William sternly scolded Robin while seeing this.


    ¡°This is all my fault.¡± Robin hurriedly lowered his head before apologizing, ¡°I''m deeply sorry for what


    happened, Ms. Felch.¡±


    ¡°No, this is not your problem. He''s just being mean, that''s all.¡± Francesca, however, was not bothered


    by what happened. ¡°All right then, let''s not be affected by him and continue our meal, shall we?¡±


    ¡°Frannie, you think I should give L a call and exin it to him?¡± William asked gently, ¡°He must have


    the wrong idea after learning that you''re with me when it''ste at night.¡±


    ¡°And what if he did misinterpret something? Why do I care?¡± Francescained before she said,


    ¡°He didn''t exin anything about his entanglement with Hazel either.¡±


    ¡°Hazel''s love for him is just unrequited. L doesn''t even like her to begin with.¡± William smiled. ¡°But I


    could tell that he''s really into you.¡±


    ¡°And if he did love me so much as you said, he would be here by now. He wouldn''t wait for so long.¡±


    The more Francesca thought of it, the angrier she got. ¡°It''s been nine days since I''m back in S Nation,


    and I still don''t see any actions from him!¡±


    ¡°About this...¡±


    ¡°Forget it. That''s enough. Thank you for the delicious food. Please excuse me for now,¡± said


    Francesca, who had lost all her appetite.


    ¡°Okay. You should get more rest. It''s veryte now.¡± while sitting in his wheelchair, William sent her out


    and said, ¡°Since I know you''re angry, I won''t be saying anything else, but do give L a call once you''re


    feeling better.¡±


    ¡°No. I won''t!¡± Francesca sulked. ¡°He can do whatever he wants, and I don''t care!¡±


    ¡°This-¡±


    ¡°See you!¡±


    With that said, Francesca sped off in her car and left.


    As for William, he stayed at the same ce as he watched thedy driving further away. When the car


    was no longer in sight, he turned around and said, ¡°We should get going too.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    When Francesca got home, she parked her car outside of thepound in fear that she would wake


    La and the others. Just as she snuck into the house and was about to head upstairs, a voice she


    could never forget sounded behind her, ¡°You''re back.¡±


    ¡°Ms. La!¡±


    Francesca turned around right away and looked right back at La timidly.


    ¡°Go and take a bath.¡± La had a pillow in her arms as she went up the stairs. ¡°I''ll be sleeping with you


    tonight.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Francesca was caught off guard by what she said. Back when they were still living in the


    rundown house, she always struggled to fall asleep because of her fear of mice. As a result, La


    would always hug Francesca in her arms and pat Francesca to sleep.


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    When she got older, however, she started getting used to sleeping alone.


    Besides, the house was so massive and clean that there were no more mice.


    ¡°There will be a heavy thunderstorm tonight. I''m scared.¡± La gave her a reason that definitely was


    not convincing at all.


    ¡°Okay...¡±


    Francesca was a little speechless, but there was no way she could turn La down.


    After her bath, Francesca returned to the room in her pajamas. La was lying on the bed with an eye


    mask on and the rabbit pillow in her arms.


    Thinking that La was asleep, Francesca carefully got into the bed, only to hear La asking, ¡°Are


    you sleepy?¡±


    ¡°Not really.¡± Francesca was startled for a second. ¡°Ms. La, you''re not asleep?¡±


    ¡°I was waiting for you.¡± the pitch of La''s voice appeared much lower than usual in the silent night.


    ¡°Frannie, Mr. Lincoln, and I will be away for some time, so make sure you and Anthony take good care


    of yourselves.¡±


    ¡°You''ll be away? To where? Is it about the foundations?¡± Francesca hurriedly asked.

 Chapter 2058

    Chapter 2058


    q¡°Yes,¡± La replied, ¡°We have to be very serious when selecting the foundation. There must be no


    mistakes, which is why we will go together. Promise me that you''ll take good care of yourselves when


    we''re not around.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Got it.¡±


    The absent-minded Francesca did not dwell on this matter and asked, ¡°So when are youing


    back?¡±


    ¡°I can''t give you an exact answer now.¡± La avoided the question and continued, ¡°We''ll be getting in


    touch with dozens of them, and that will take quite some time.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Francesca nodded. ¡°Anyway, there''s nothing much going on in the orphanage right now, and


    with Lacy getting better by the day, you don''t have to be too worried.¡±


    ¡°Frannie...¡± La mumbled. There was so much that she wanted to tell Francesca, but she found


    herself lost for words. In the end, she said, ¡°You should give Danrique a call tomorrow and talk to him


    nicely.¡±


    ¡°Nope. We''re through!¡± Francesca exined what happened to La and added, ¡°Did you know how


    unreasonable he acted? He hung up on me before I could exin! I''m so mad!¡±


    La immediately questioned Francesca, ¡°You were the same, weren''t you? You scolded Danrique and


    hung up on him as soon as you heard anotherdy''s voice in the call. Then, you booked a flight and


    flew back to S Nation. Did you know that you were equally unreasonable back then?¡±


    ¡°Um...¡± Francesca found herself speechless upon La''s words.


    ¡°Now you know what it feels like to be wrongfully used, don''t you?¡± La returned her with a smile.


    ¡°When you were with Prince William, you chatted and happily had a bowl of mushroom soup together.Original content from N?velDrama.Org.


    You think you are above board because you know what you''re doing. Then what about Danrique? How


    did you know something shady is going between him and that girl?¡±


    ¡°That''s not how it works. Hazel loves him, and she wants to marry him,¡± Francesca hurriedly exined


    herself, ¡°William, he-¡±


    ¡°Then, how did you know Prince William doesn''t have feelings for you?¡± La asked again, ¡°If he did


    not have any feelings for you, why would he be making you mushroom soup? There''s no reason for


    him to make you snacks and gift you flowers every day.¡±


    The question hurled by La entirely left Francesca choked.


    ¡°Frannie, we must not have a double standard in any way.¡± La pointed out. ¡°Think about it carefully.


    If Danrique did have something going on with that girl, he wouldn''t answer that call. He could''ve


    ignored the call and pretended he didn''t hear it as he was busy. If a man cheats on you, there''s no way


    he would expose himself easily. The only reason you noticed it so easily was because it was a trap set


    up by someone instead of a misunderstanding. The same goes for whatever happened tonight.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Francesca was stunned. However, it did not take her too long to get a hold of


    what La meant. ¡°Ms. La, you''re telling me Hazel did that on purpose? So that I''d be angry at


    Danrique? You''re saying William also pulled the same trick on Danrique?¡±


    ¡°What I said are just my assumptions. They may not necessarily be the truth. However, you should


    learn to put yourself in Danrique''s shoes. Why can''t he hang up on you when you did the same to him


    just because of a misunderstanding?¡±


    Francesca was speechless.


    ¡°This is the first time the both of you fall in love, which means you''re going to act childish asionally


    because youck the experience. However, if you wish to stay together, you must learn to appreciate


    him. Instead of keeping it to yourself, you should talk things out with him whenever there is a


    misunderstanding.¡±


    La continued to reason with Francesca.


    Meanwhile, Francesca, who was listening carefully, quickly stopped giving any response minutester.


    ¡°Frannie. Frannie?¡±


    Upon noticing no responseing from the youngdy, La waved her hand right above Francesca''s


    face, and she quickly found out that the youngdy had already fallen asleep, to which La sighed,


    ¡°This girl is hopeless!¡±


    At the same time, little did Francesca know that those were the parting words from La.


    She thought La and Mr. Lincoln would be back a couple of dayster or even half a month or so, just


    as usual. In truth, however, it took about a few years for them to be reunited again.

 Chapter 2059

    Chapter 2059


    qWhen Francesca woke up the following morning, La was nowhere in sight.


    Initially, Francesca was not bothered as she thought La had returned to her room. However, just as


    she was getting changed, Anthony came barging in while he shouted, ¡°Francesca, this is bad-¡±


    Anthony quickly found himself choking on his word, for he ran into a half-naked Francesca. The scene


    had him turning around immediately, and with a nervous tone, he said, ¡°I-I didn''t mean it!¡±


    ¡°Remember to knock next time.¡± On the other hand, Francesca took her time putting on her shirt and


    jeans. ¡°What happened? Why are you so nervous?¡±


    ¡°Ms. La and Mr. Lincoln are gone,¡± Anthony replied hurriedly, ¡°I went to see Mr. Lincoln this morning,


    but he''s not around. Then there''s also Ms. La! Both of them are gone. They both left in a jeep.¡±


    ¡°They have something they need to attend to.¡± Francesca replied casually, ¡°Why are you acting like it''s


    a big deal?¡±


    ¡°No. That''s not it! The door to the armory in Mr. Lincoln was opened!¡±


    Upon hearing this, Francesca stiffened up for a second before she put up a serious expression. ¡°What


    did you say?¡±


    At the same time, she was also walking toward the door while Anthony followed. His tone was anxious


    as he said, ¡°Something is wrong with them and I''m sure of that. Mr. Lincoln gave me a morning lesson


    every day and acted like he was making a funeral arrangement for himself. Moreover, Ms. La also


    stopped scolding me for some reason. She even cooked a big meal for me yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Get to the point,¡± the impatient Francesca said sternly.


    ¡°I think they''re gone because of something else. They might not return, or Mr. Lincoln wouldn''t open the


    armory. It''s been a long time since theyy their fingers on those weapons,¡± Anthony finally voiced his


    opinion after being reprimanded.


    Meanwhile, as Anthony continued his long-winded talk, Francesca was already in Lincoln''s room. The


    armory door was locked, but a color pattern was gone from the rainbow marking imprinted on the lock.


    When Lincoln designed that armory, he once said he hoped he would never have to open it again, for


    that meant that they would be able to live peacefully for the rest of their lives alongside La.


    And in case there was a need to open it, he wished there would be a limit to how many times he would


    open it.


    Hence, he made a rainbow marking and imprinted it on the armory''s lock, which signified that the door


    could only be opened seven times. Each time the door was opened, one of the seven color patterns


    from the rainbow marking would be gone.


    Long ago, when they first got here, they were often harassed by the local mobs. The mobs looking for


    trouble had also injured the orphanage''s employees and children.


    Hence, out of anger, La and Lincoln opened the door to the armory three times and had the local


    mobs entirely removed from their roots.


    Later, they opened it up again during Chrono''s revenge to retrieve some self-defense weapons against


    Chrono and his men.


    By right, after all these incidents, there should be only three more color patterns on the rainbow


    markings, but there are just two of them right now, which means that the armory was opened once


    again by them the night before or in the morning.Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    Seeing the disappeared color from the rainbow marking and recalling everything La said to her,


    Francesca finally understood everything. She eventually learned why the straightforward and decisive


    La tried to talk sense into her and why she slept with Francesca. Those were all La''s farewell


    messages.


    Yet, there she was,pletely unaware of anything.


    In an instant, overwhelming guilt swallowed Francesca. She hurriedly dialed La''s number, only to


    discover that she had already switched off her phone. Unable to reach La, Francesca immediately


    called Lincoln, and it was the same. His phone was switched off, just like La''s.


    Francesca was anxious, and she immediately grabbed the car keys from Lincoln''s table. As she was


    about to leave to chase after La and Lincoln, she heard Anthony shouting, ¡°Wait!¡±


    ¡°What now?¡± Francesca replied impatiently.


    ¡°There''s a letter here.¡±


    Anthony pulled a letter out from the bottom of a vase and delivered it to Francesca. It was a letter


    written to Francesca.


    The youngdy immediately opened the letter, filled with familiar handwriting. The words were all


    written with love and care, just like La''s tonest night.


    Dear Frannie, Lincoln and I are already gone when you see this letter. Many enemies are on the hunt


    for us now that our cover is blown. Therefore, we decided to leave before we drag you into this mess.

 Chapter 2060

    Chapter 2060


    qYou don''t have to worry about us, and please don''te looking for us. It''s just the two of us now, so


    we shouldn''t be having any problem protecting ourselves. In fact, it is you that I''m worried about. Now


    that you need to take care of the orphanage, you must learn how to be even more independent


    and stronger. As for the foundations, you can cast this matter aside and ignore it first. Lincoln has


    already transferred his lifetime savings into Lovely Care''s ount. With the addition of your money


    back then, you should be able to keep the orphanage operating for some time. Frannie, you''re a


    grown-up now, which means it is time for you to be truly independent.


    I believe that even without us, you''d be able to take good care of the orphanage and yourself. As for


    the weapon and drugs, you must keep on crafting them and use them wisely as you need them to


    defend yourself. You must also practice your skills and techniques daily to keep yourself in your best


    form, or you will not be able to protect yourself if there''s any danger.


    Anthony, you cheeky rascal, I know you''re reading this letter too. Remember, as the elder brother,


    make sure that you take good care of Frannie, the orphanage, and yourself when we''re gone. Do you


    understand? All right. I got to go. Lincoln is urging me already. He always says that I''m long-winded,


    and here I thought I could keep my cool and unique traits by staying single. I''ve never thought I would


    be such a naggy olddy before you guys. Hehehe. Please don''t be sad. Just look at it as if we''re


    on a trip. If we''re lucky, we''ll see each other in no time!


    The ending of the letter read: Love you always, Ms. La.


    At the end of the letter, La even drew a smiley with some punctuation. She had imprinted her


    optimism onto that piece of paper and, most importantly, on Frannie''s heart.


    Tears started rolling down Francesca''s cheeks as she read the letter. However, instead of sobbing,


    Francesca smiled. ¡°What''s wrong with Ms. La? Acting so emotional all of a sudden. If she''s just on a


    trip, she''d be back in no time!¡±


    ¡°But I''m very worried about them.¡±


    Unlike Francesca, who remained strong at heart, Anthony was visibly shaken. ¡°They had the guts to


    charge into the gangster''s headquarters and wiped them out with only a couple of guns in hand. To


    think that they are forced to go on the run quietly, it''s obvious that the situation is very dangerous.¡±


    Francesca, however, did not say anything. Instead, she quietly locked the armory and kept La''s


    letter carefully.


    ¡°Francesca, do you think we should go and look for them? They are no longer in their best form


    because of their age. I''m afraid that something...¡± Anthony asked in a worried manner.


    ¡°And I''m not worried at all? But what can we do even if we manage to find them? We''ll only be a


    burden to them,¡± Francesca pretended to be sheer-willed as she continued, ¡°Besides, what about the


    orphanage and the kids? What will we do about them if we''re gone as well?¡±


    ¡°Ummm...¡± Anthony found himself lost for words.


    ¡°Ms. La left us this letter and confessed what happened so I won''t be reckless when making


    decisions.¡±


    What Francesca said made sense, but she said it in a sobbing voice.


    Anthony, too, knew that Francesca was worried for La and Lincoln, but with the orphanage being her


    responsibility, there was no way she could push it aside. Thus, the only thing she could do was be


    responsible for the orphanage and move on.


    Perhaps, La''s decision to confess the truth was precisely that.


    But again, if La did not tell them honestly, Francesca would be worried, which would cause her to try


    her best to unveil the truth, and that would be risky.From N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°All right. Cheer up, and let''s get to work.¡± Francesca took in a deep breath before cheering herself and


    Anthony up. ¡°Now that Ms. La and Mr. Lincoln are gone, you''ll have to manage the orphanage on


    your own, so you''d better get going.¡±


    ¡°But Ms. La wanted me to go to William''s with you.¡± Anthony clearly remembered his duty.


    ¡°I won''t be at William''s ce for too long because Ms. La and Mr. Lincoln are not here. I''m also


    worried that the orphanage would be a target of Chrono and his men.¡± Francesca frowned.


    ¡°So, do you want toe to the orphanage with me?¡± Anthony hurriedly asked.


    ¡°No. I can''t show my face around the orphanage. At least not for now, or they''d be bold enough to


    make a move there, or it''d endanger the kids.¡± Francesca put up a serious expression as she said, ¡°I''ll


    be making more weapons and poison in these few days. The orphanage will be counting on you for


    now.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Anthony nodded. ¡°Then, I''ll go and get you when you leave William''s ce. It is an order from


    Ms. La.¡±

 Chapter 2061

    Chapter 2061


    qNothing major happened in the next few days.


    Francesca would start her training routine, refine poison, and make weapons in the morning, and she


    would go over to William''s at about three or four in the afternoon.


    In the past, she would stay back to enjoy tea and discuss medicine after treating William, but now she


    would alwayse and go in haste.


    Whenever William asked if something had happened in her family, Francesca would always say there


    were urgent matters to attend to in the orphanage.


    William would not ask further, but he would always be overwhelmed with mixed reactions when


    Anthony picked her up at the courtyard.


    ¡°Anthony is such a nuisance. Ms. Felch always leaves in a hurry whenever she receives his call in the


    evening. She didn''t even have time to enjoy a cup of tea.¡± Robin could tell what was on William''s mind.


    ¡°Anthony and Francesca are childhood friends, and they''re like siblings. Anthony is just worried about


    her,¡± William said calmly.


    ¡°Siblings? The bodyguards in the Nacht residence told me he was Dr. Felch''s ex-boyfriend, though.¡±


    Robin was a little confused.


    ¡°I guess Francesca used Anthony as an excuse to reject Danrique.¡± William grinned. ¡°She''s not into


    Anthony for sure.¡±


    ¡°I guess so.¡± Robin agreed. ¡°There''s nothing extraordinary about Anthony. He''s definitely no match for


    you, Your Highness. I''m sure Ms. Felch wouldn''t fall in love with someone like him.¡±


    William hummed in agreement. It was unusual for him to agree with Robin''s thoughts. He then added,


    ¡°Humans are attracted to power and prestige by nature. There''s no exception!¡±


    ¡°Yes. Besides Danrique, no one else is on par with you, Your Highness,¡± Robin said with a sigh.


    ¡°Speaking of Danrique, he seems to beying low these days.¡± William raised his suspicion. ¡°Why


    hasn''t he gotten in touch with Francesca? He didn''t evene to look for her. What is he busy with?¡±


    ¡°Has he given up on her?¡± Robin took a wild guess. ¡°An arrogant man like him will not give in to love


    easily.¡±


    ¡°I don''t think he''ll give up so easily,¡± William deduced. ¡°No doubt an arrogant man will not fall in love


    easily, but once he does, he''ll not concede defeat.¡±


    ¡°Why didn''t hee and look for Ms. Felch then?¡± Robin could not work out the logic. ¡°She has been


    back to S Nation for nearly twenty days, yet he''s still nowhere to be seen. If you were in his shoes, I''m


    sure you would havee after Ms. Felch in no time.¡±


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    ¡°That''s because I don''t have other things to do.¡± William chuckled. ¡°Danrique had just dealt with Frank,


    so he definitely has a million things to settle. At this critical moment, I suppose his business and career


    would be his priority.¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess he''s not that into Ms. Felch,¡± Robin opined.


    William hummed in agreement. ¡°I wouldn''t have done this to Francesca if I were him.¡±


    ¡°He''s not that into you. I wouldn''t have done this to you if I were him,¡± Anthony also uttered the exact


    words while driving.


    Anthony made that remark because Sloan came to bid Francesca farewell as he would be returning to


    Xendale.


    After wishing Sloan a safe flight, Francesca left in Anthony''s car.


    Anthony felt Danrique''s approach was insincere. He was the one who upset Francesca, yet he refused


    toe and apologize to her personally. To make things worse, the subordinate he sent to talk to


    Francesca had to return to the country in a hurry just because he needed him. What does Danrique


    take Francesca for?


    That was why Anthony expressed his frustration.


    On the other hand, Francesca looked calm. She said, ¡°I''ll just pretend nothing had happened. I didn''t


    lose anything anyway.¡±


    ¡°You didn''t lose anything?¡± Anthony read between the lines. ¡°Does that mean you two have not...¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡± Francesca red at him.


    ¡°Oh, okay. That''s good to know.¡± Anthony was pleased to hear that.


    Francesca kept mum and looked outside the window. Though she looked calm, deep in her heart, she


    was overwhelmed withplicated emotions. The fact that Danrique summoned Sloan back to the


    country means he''s giving up on me. I guess he''s just not that into me.

 Chapter 2062

    Chapter 2062


    qInitially, Francesca took La''s advice to heart and nned to call Danrique, but before she could


    initiate the conversation, it seemed he had given up on her.


    Francesca could not help but feel dejected and hated herself for being vulnerable.


    She kept reminding herself not to think of Danrique anymore. It''s time to cut ties with that man. I don''t


    want to have anything to do with him anymore!


    ¡°Sloan, why does Ms. Felch look so calm? Is she not mad?¡± a bodyguard asked out of curiosity.


    He was observing Francesca from the rear-view mirror while waiting in a car nearby.


    ¡°Ms. Felch is not an expressive person,¡± Sloan said with a wry smile. ¡°She''s used to putting up a tough


    front.¡±


    ¡°What should we do now? Should we retreat?¡± the bodyguard asked.


    ¡°Let''s retreat and wait for those two to appear!¡±


    ¡°All right. Got it!¡±


    After leaving the area with the bodyguard, Sloan called Sean. The call connected within seconds.


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    ¡°Sean, we just met Ms. Felch. We''re retreating now.¡±


    ¡°Hide properly. Show yourself again when Chrono and his men appear.¡± Sean ordered. ¡°By the way, did


    you nt the listening devices properly? Ms. Felch didn''t notice anything amiss, right?¡±


    ¡°I nted the devices in Anthony''s car and shoes. I also managed to track his phone. Everything


    should be fine,¡± Sloan said. ¡°But I dare not put those things around Ms. Felch.¡±


    ¡°Anthony? Who''s that?¡± Sean froze for a bit, but the name soon rang a bell. ¡°Her ex-boyfriend?¡±


    ¡°Yes. That''s him,¡± Sloan answered. ¡°He drives Ms. Felch to everywhere she wants to go, and I also


    think they''re staying together. They''re as close as a family.¡±


    Sloan''s observation instantly rendered Sean speechless.


    Sean gradually nced at Danrique and noticed his expression had turned grim. Before this, there was


    Prince William, and now, someone named Anthony emerged. Not only does he act as her driver, but


    they''re also living together. I didn''t expect Francesca to be such a yer!


    Sloan continued, ¡°I wonder if they''re siblings¡ª¡±


    ¡°Let''s just go with the n,¡± Sean interrupted and diverted Sloan''s attention as he was afraid thetter


    might say something that would further agitate Danrique.


    ¡°Chrono and his men dared not appear because you guys were protecting Ms. Felch in secret. Now


    that you''re in hiding, I''m sure they''ll show up soon. Once you have taken them down, bring Ms. Felch


    back to Xendale.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    After ending the call, Sean cautiously turned his attention to Danrique. ¡°Calm down, Mr. Lindberg. I


    think it''s all just a misunderstanding...¡±


    ¡°Misunderstanding? What misunderstanding?¡± Danrique scoffed. ¡°You mean her rtionship with


    William is a misunderstanding? Or do you mean her rtionship with Anthony?¡±


    Sean was at a loss for words. ¡°Um... I just think that Ms. Felch is not that kind of person...¡±


    ¡°She spends time with a man in the middle of the night and lives with her ex-boyfriend. So tell me, what


    kind of person she is then?¡± Danrique could not contain his anger anymore. ¡°That ungrateful wretch!


    She''s gonna get it from me when I see her!¡±


    Sean gasped and decided to keep mum as he had no idea how tofort Danrique.


    ¡°If I were not caught up with the mess here, I would have flown there personally to teach her a lesson.¡±


    Danrique was like a cat on a hot tin roof. How he wished he could fly over to S Nation to meet


    Francesca.


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    ¡°Now is not the time to leave, Mr. Lindberg. You have to focus on bringing Frank and the three great


    families down!¡±


    Sean continued to assure Danrique, ¡°Gordon had departed for S Nation an hour ago. Once he gets rid


    of Chrono and his men, he''ll bring Ms. Felch home.¡±


    ¡°Tell Gordon to bring her back by all means!¡± Danrique ordered assertively.


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Sean immediately passed the message to Gordon.

 Chapter 2063

    Chapter 2063


    qNothing went wrong in the next couple of days, but somehow, Francesca was worried about the


    orphanage as she had an inkling that something unpleasant was about to happen.


    She would patrol the area at midnight before returning to her house to rest.


    That was why she could not sleep well every night. She would look listless every time she visited


    William.


    Original content from N?velDrama.Org.


    William was worried about her and would check on her to see if she needed assistance, but she would


    always say she was overwhelmed with work and not exin in detail.


    When Francesca was about to go to sleep one particr night, she felt an inexplicable burden in her


    heart.


    When she was about to call the orphanage, she received a call. ¡°Hello there. Long time no see!¡±


    ¡°Chrono?¡± Francesca could not help but shudder upon hearing his voice. He''s not dead.


    ¡°Surprise, surprise.¡± Chrono chuckled. ¡°Did you think I was dead? Oh, dear. I''m sorry to disappoint


    you.¡±


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Francesca asked icily.


    ¡°What can I do to you when you''re under so many people''s protection?¡± Chrono sneered sarcastically.


    ¡°But I want you to listen to an explosion.¡±


    Suddenly, a deafening bang emerged on the other end of the phone!


    Francesca was thunderstruck. She quickened her pace, walked to the window, and saw fire and


    billowing smoke from a distance. Shoot, it''s the orphanage!


    ¡°What do you think? Does it sound good?¡± Chrono let out a mirthlessugh. ¡°Do you want to hear


    more?¡±


    ¡°You''re crazy! You''re crazy!¡± Francesca roared in agitation. ¡°Leave the kids alone! Come after me if you


    dare!¡±


    ¡°I wanted to, but there are too many people protecting you. There''s nothing I could do.¡± Chrono


    smirked. ¡°By the way, how far are the other two orphanages from your ce? Will you be able to hear


    the explosion?¡±


    ¡°Don''t you dare¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oh, someone''s panicking now.¡± Chrono chuckled. ¡°If you don''t want that to happen, bring your


    passport,e to the airport, and look for me.¡±


    ¡°I''ming over now. Stop attacking the orphanage.¡± Francesca could not contain her frustration.


    ¡°Those kids are innocent. They''re as innocent as Candice¡ª¡±


    Chrono interrupted her, ¡°Cut the crap. If I don''t see you in half an hour, I''ll send all the children to


    heaven to y with Candice.¡±


    ¡°You¡ª¡± Before Francesca could say anything, Chrono had hung up on her.


    She had no time to think of her next move. After grabbing a few pairs of clothes and stuffing her


    passport and wallet into her bag, she grabbed her car keys and ran downstairs.


    When she walked past theb, she remembered something La had said. She ran to theb,


    grabbed a handful of drugs and secret weapons, and stuffed them into her bag before leaving.


    Anthony, who was only in a pair of casual shorts with floral patterns, dashed out and asked, ¡°What''s


    wrong? Something happened to the orphanage?¡±


    ¡°Get to the orphanage. Quick!¡± Francesca urged him while starting the car engine.


    ¡°Where are you g¡ª¡± Before Anthony could finish his question, Francesca got into the car and sped off.


    He rushed back to his room to change and brought a few bodyguards to the orphanage.


    Before leaving, he stuffed La''s minigun into his pocket in a panic.


    While driving, he received a call from the orphanage and learned that the explosion happened in a car


    park near the building. The st was so loud that the children were all crying and screaming in fear.


    The caretakers had lodged a police report right after the incident.


    When Anthony asked if there were any casualties, they said the children could feel the impact but were


    all unhurt because the explosion was quite a distance away.


    Upon hearing that, he heaved a sigh of relief and instructed the caretakers to protect the children.


    Before ending the call, he told them he would be there in no time.


    Anthony then dialed Francesca''s number but to no avail. He had no choice but to send her a text


    message: The explosion was at a car park. The children are safe!

 Chapter 2064

    Chapter 2064


    qFrancesca''s ce was quite some distance away from the airport, so she had to speed down the road


    the entire journey. Only then would she be able to make it to the airport in under thirty minutes.


    I have to hurry, or that lunatic, Chrono, might do something crazy.


    Francesca thought about the explosion at the orphanage and felt her heart aching.


    She was moving out of the way of a truck when Anthony called her. Hence, she didn''t pick up. It wasn''t


    until she was on the highway and things were much calmer that she finally returned his call.


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    ¡°Where are you?¡±


    It was noisy on Anthony''s side, and she could hear children crying.


    ¡°I''m at the airport. How are things at the orphanage? Are there any casualties? Is anybody hurt?¡±


    Francesca''s heart clenched as she spoke,


    ¡°The explosion happened in the parking lot near the orphanage. It didn''t take ce in the orphanage


    itself, and a few kids fell out of their bunk beds because they were scared. Other than that, no one was


    injured.¡±


    ¡°The parking lot?¡± asked Francesca. She was temporarily stunned. ¡°Then the kids are all okay?¡±


    Francesca sighed a breath of relief. Thank the heavens that Chrono isn''t a total monster and didn''t


    actually go after the kids.


    Still, I bet that little conscience he has will fade away if I didn''t show up at the airport on time.


    ¡°Where are you now? Come here quick,¡± said Anthony in a worried tone. ¡°Chrono must be trying to


    force your hand by threatening the kids'' safety...¡±


    The line was cut off before he could finish talking.


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    Francesca didn''t pay much attention to that. She assumed that it was because he was too busy and


    identally hit the button that ended the call. It was also possible that the signal was poor, so she


    wasn''t overly worried.


    She simply grabbed her bag and her phone, then hurried into the airport.


    The departure hall was filled with tourists at the time, but Chrono was nowhere to be found.


    Francesca was confused and was just starting to wonder what was going on when she suddenly


    sensed a hostile aura closing in on her. She turned around immediately.


    A woman in an all-ck outfit, a cap, and a face mask was standing right behind her. The former had a


    pair of eyes that glowed with menace.


    Francesca narrowed her eyes a little to scan the person in front of her. She looked into her opponent''s


    eyes. ¡°It''s you?¡±


    She is Chrono''s ally, the assassin who faked being a doctor when we met at the hospital.


    ¡°Nice. You have great observational skills,¡± said the assassin, who smiled soon after. ¡°Here. We got


    your ne ticket ready. Let''s go.¡±


    She was going to force Francesca to check in for departure right away.


    ¡°Where is Chrono? Why isn''t he here?¡± demanded Francesca. She could somewhat sense that


    something was off.


    ¡°Why does that matter? I, alone, am enough to aplish this mission,¡± replied the assassin before


    she shoved Francesca a little. ¡°Go check in right now.¡±


    ¡°No, that''s not right,¡± murmured Francesca while scanning the assassin suspiciously. ¡°The two of you...


    You''re not trying to lure me out of the way, are you?¡±


    The glow in the assassin''s eyes shifted a little, and Francesca got what that meant right away. ¡°So your


    target has always been...¡±


    Francesca turned pale. She ran toward the parking lot immediately.


    The assassin quickly chased after her.


    The two of them made it all the way to the parking lot before the assassin fired a bullet that dug deep


    into the ground beside Francesca''s foot. ¡°Hold it right there.¡±


    Francesca was about to retaliate when a group of men suddenly emerged from the shadows and


    fought the assassin.


    It took Francesca some time to recognize those men. Turned out that her saviors were Sloan and his


    men. Ah, so they never left.


    She didn''t have much time to wonder what was going on though, so she got into her car and sped


    away a momentter.


    ¡°Ms. Felch!¡±


    Sloan called out to Francesca, but she never even turned back. She kept her foot on the gas.


    Sloan and his men apprehended the assassin soon enough and rendered her unconscious. He had the


    bodyguards take her away and brought two men with him when he got into the car to chase after


    Francesca.


    ¡°Gordon and the others aren''t here yet. Do we have enough men with us?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know. Let''s cross that bridge when we get there.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    While driving to the orphanage, Francesca called Anthony''s number, but she simply couldn''t get the


    line through.


    She called the orphanage''s employees after that, but their phones were unreachable as well.


    Panic coursed through her veins and burned her heart. She stomped on the gas pedal and was driving


    so fast that the car almost flew in the air when she hit the speed bumps.


    A bad feeling crept up on her. Chrono isn''t going to do something even crueler, is he?


    She was still panicking and overthinking the situation when someone called her. It was William.


    Francesca picked up the call right away. ¡°William!¡±


    ¡°Francesca, is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Something bad might be unfolding at the orphanage, William. I''m on my way now, but can you...?¡±


    ¡°I''ll send my men over right away.¡±

 Chapter 2065

    Chapter 2065


    qWilliam didn''t ask any questions or waste any time. He sent his men to the orphanage immediately.


    After that, he called Monica and had her meet up with Francesca at the orphanage as quickly as


    possible.


    Francesca didn''t want to get William involved in the matter, but it was an emergency. She had no


    choice and could only ask for his help.


    The car zipped down the road. Every single part of Francesca wished that she could be at the


    orphanage right away.


    It was the middle of the night, so there was no traffic. Unfortunately, the distance between the two


    locations was simply too great. It didn''t matter how fast the car traveled. It would still take her some


    time to get there.


    Time trickled by one second after another. It felt as though an eternity had passed before Francesca


    finally reached the orphanage.


    The car swerved beautifully as though it were driven by a racer, but it stopped right at the entrance of


    the orphanage.


    Francesca jumped out of the car. When she saw what was in front of her, she was dumbfounded.


    A few police cars were parked right in front of the entrance, and the police officers had their guns


    pointed at the door. Everyone seemed to be on high alert, even though the ce was strangely quiet.


    Just before Francesca reached the ce, the police officers used a loudspeaker and tried to negotiate.


    All they got in return was a rude statement. ¡°Stop talking. If I hear another word out of you, I will kill one


    of the kids here.¡±


    The police officers turned off the loudspeaker right away and stopped talking entirely.


    After that, Chrono replied, ¡°Everyone is to remain quiet now. We''ll wait for Francesca Felch to show up.


    I want to talk to her.¡±


    No one dared to say another word. The only thing they could do was wait outside the orphanage.


    A police officer checked out the surrounding area and tried to sneak in, but a gunshot came when he


    got too close. The kids'' panicked screams filled the air soon after.


    No one dared to try anything else after that. Monica also showed up to remind them that the orphanage


    had security cameras everywhere. Chrono could see everything.


    If they tried anything at all, it was likely the guy would go on a murder rampage.


    That was why everyone was quietly waiting for Francesca to show up.


    ¡°Ms. Felch!¡± said Monica when she saw Francesca. She hurried over and nervously reported, ¡°Chrono


    set up a lot of bombs in the orphanage and is holding all the kids as hostages.¡±


    Francesca had suspected that was the case, but actually hearing the news from Monica still hit her


    hard. ¡°That freaking lunatic!¡±


    ¡°Calm down, Ms. Felch,¡± replied Monica as she held Francesca back.


    ¡°We''re strategizing now, Ms. Felch. Do you have the blueprints for the orphanage''s interior?¡± asked one


    of William''s subordinates.


    ¡°There''s no point. There''s nothing you can do, even if you manage to sneak in. He''s holding over a


    hundred kids and the employees as hostages!¡± replied Francesca.


    She massaged her head a little to force herself to calm down. ¡°I''m the one Chrono wants, so he won''t


    hurt the kids so long as he has me.¡±


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    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    The others had more to say, but the door to the orphanage opened at that moment. A creepy and deep


    voice echoed. ¡°Francesca Felch. You''re finally here.¡±


    His voice was especially eerie on that dark, quiet night.


    ¡°Chrono, I''m the one you want. Let the kids go!¡±


    Francesca ran toward the door.


    ¡°Killing you will be too merciful,¡± said Chrono. He grinned evilly. ¡°I want you to have a taste of the


    sorrow you condemned me into.¡±


    ¡°What do you want?¡± demanded Francesca nervously. ¡°Don''t act recklessly, or...¡±


    She never got to finish her sentence. A few kids walked out of the orphanage slowly and fearfully.


    When they saw Francesca there, they cried loudly.


    ¡°Save me, please!¡±


    ¡°Kids...¡±


    Francesca wanted to run to the kids and rescue them, but she noticed that every single one of them


    had a bomb strapped onto them.


    She stopped in her tracks and roared angrily at Chrono, ¡±You freaking lunatic! What do you want from


    me?¡±


    ¡°Get on your knees,¡±manded Chrono mercilessly.


    ¡°You¡ª¡±


    Francesca was about to protest when a loud bang filled the air. The bullet zipped right past the top of a


    kid''s head. It scared the kid so much that he fell onto the floor and cried fearfully.

 Chapter 2066

    Chapter 2066


    q¡°You are so noisy,¡±ined Chrono. He pointed his gun at one of the kids'' heads and demanded,


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    ¡°Don''t cry, Kenny,¡± cooed Francesca quickly. ¡°Be a good boy now and be brave. I will protect everyone.


    Let''s y a game of hero versus viins, okay? I will rescue everyone, and all of you will be my


    assistants. Deal?¡±


    The kids wiped their tears away after hearing what Francesca said. They pouted and nodded in


    agreement despite still sobbing.


    ¡°Chrono, don''t hurt the kids. I will do whatever you want.¡±


    After consoling the kids, Francesca went down on one knee.


    ¡°Ms. Felch!¡± shouted Monica in surprise.


    ¡°That''s better,¡± said Chrono. He finally smiled in satisfaction. ¡°Now, you are to repent. Confess your sin


    to everybody. Let them know what you''ve done.¡±


    Francesca tilted her head up to look at the orphanage. The dim, flickering lights created an illusion,


    making it look as though Chrono was somehow both present and absent at the same time. He looked


    just like a demon.


    Those creepy, narrow eyes glowed with the insanity and hatred that had been carved into his very


    bones.


    With hatred burning in her, Francesca said word for word, ¡°My first mistake is to butt in on a matter that


    does not concern me. I shouldn''t have stayed and kept Candicepany when I saw her sitting there


    all alone and waiting for you. If I hadn''t done that, she wouldn''t have gotten hurt for sending me some


    candy...¡±


    ¡°Those are useless details,¡±ined Chrono in dissatisfaction. ¡°Get to the good parts!¡±


    ¡°My second mistake is that I was overconfident and believed that I could actually save her. I thought


    that my medical skills were good enough to aplish that, and my judgment was blinded by my


    eagerness to save a life. At the time, you were behaving irrationally, so I had to calm you down,


    though...


    ¡°My third mistake is that I should''ve stopped when I found out that, during the surgery, Candice was


    born with a weak heart and had undergone surgery before. I should''ve told you everything and let you


    make all the decisions. That would absolve me of all responsibilities, but I pushed forward and worked


    as hard as I can to save her instead...¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± roared Chrono. He couldn''t bear to continue to listen to any of that anymore. ¡°Why are you


    still finding excuses?¡±


    He went on, ¡°Let me tell you exactly what your sins are. Firstly, you truly shouldn''t have butted in. You


    shouldn''t pretend to be a nice person. If you never did that, Candice wouldn''t have gotten shot while


    trying to deliver you some candy. Your second mistake is that you lied despite having poor medical


    skills. You imed that you could save Candice, but you couldn''t. You even gave all sorts of excuses


    afterward to shift the me to someone else. If you hadn''t lied, I would''ve found a better doctor for my


    daughter, and she would still be alive!¡±


    Monica felt exasperated when she heard what the guy said. ¡°You think her medical skills arecking?


    Do you even know who she is?¡±


    ¡°Monica,¡± said Francesca to cut Monica''s words short. The former didn''t want her true identity to be


    exposed. ¡°Chrono, there is no point in saying anything else anymore. You won''t listen to what I say


    anyway, and I am too tired to keep exining the situation. Just tell me what you want.¡±


    Francesca had tons of words to say and so much to refute. For starters, Chrono imed that he


    could''ve found some other doctor, but Francesca was certain that no other doctor could save Candice.


    There was even a good chance that they''d lose her before they even had the opportunity to rescue her.


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    Unfortunately, there was no point in making a rational argument.


    Chrono wouldn''t listen to reason anymore, and Francesca didn''t want to relive Candice''s death over


    and over again. It broke her heart every time she had to recall what happened.


    ¡°I want you to watch these kids die right in front of you!¡±


    Chrono didn''t want to waste his breath talking to Francesca anymore, either. He pointed his gun at one


    kid and was going to fire.


    ¡°No!¡±


    Francesca screamed and ran over as fast as she could.


    Bang!


    A gunshot rang out, and crimson red blood spilled.


    Francesca''s shoulder got hit, and blood was oozing out of her wound. Despite that, she hugged the kid


    tightly to protect her.


    ¡°Ah! Francesca!¡±


    Frightened, the little girl in Francesca''s arms bawled.


    ¡°Ms. Felch...¡±


    Monica was drowning in worry, but Chrono was still holding a bunch of kids hostage, so there was no


    way for them to fight him. They couldn''t make any reckless moves, either.


    The police were panicking as well, but there was nothing they could do.

 Chapter 2067

    Chapter 2067


    q¡°You''re crazy. Crazy!¡± Anthony shouted in anger.


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    He tried to protect the kids earlier and passed out after he was badly beaten up by Chrono. The


    gunshot woke him up, and the first thing he saw was Francesca bleeding.


    A few other employees were in the lobby, and they witnessed Francesca being shot. It scared them so


    much that they turned pale, and tears gathered in their eyes. Unfortunately, they were still too afraid to


    say anything.


    They still had to consider the safety of dozens of kids who had bombs strapped to them, after all.


    If Chrono got mad, he could press the button and detonate all the bombs strapped to the kids, blowing


    them up.


    ¡°How selfless of you,¡± said Chrono. It seemed he was delighted to see Francesca being hurt. The joy in


    his eyes was practically overflowing. ¡°I''d like to see just how many bullets you can take before you die.¡±


    As he spoke, he pointed his gun at another kid.


    ¡°Ah, Francesca!¡±


    The other kid bawled.


    ¡°No!¡±


    Bang!


    The gun went off once more, and Francesca dashed over again to protect the kid in her arms.


    That shot hit her leg, causing her to fall to the ground. She could no longer stand.


    Two bullets had torn through Francesca''s flesh, and blood had tainted her white shirt. The pain was so


    intense that she was drenched in sweat and her entire body trembled but still, she gritted her teeth and


    held herself together.


    ¡°Francesca...¡±


    ¡°Ms. Felch!¡±


    ¡°Francesca!¡±


    The kids bawled.


    Anthony, who was anxious, ran toward the exit.


    Monica and the others were overwhelmed with worry as well, but there was nothing they could do.


    The police panicked too, but they couldn''t make any reckless moves because it might endanger the


    kids.


    ¡°Aw, you really are selfless,¡±mented Chrono sarcastically. Francesca''s wound made him excited.


    ¡°You truly are a good person. I guess that means I misunderstood you and that you actually care about


    these kids.¡±


    ¡°Just kill me!¡±


    Francesca gritted her teeth and red at Chrono.


    ¡°Kill you? With a single gunshot? That would be the easy way out,¡± said Chrono as he sneered. ¡°What


    kind of father would I be if I let you off the hook so easily?¡±


    ¡°You¡ª¡±


    Francesca was about to speak when Chrono lifted his gun once more and aimed it at another kid. He


    sounded amused when he said, ¡°There are five kids here. I wonder if you can take a shot for every


    single one of them.¡±


    Subsequently, he held his forehead, acting as though he was troubled. ¡°Ah, but wait. There are dozens


    more kids in there, so hang in there. You can''t die, not yet.¡±


    ¡°Kill me however you like. Just let the kids go!¡±


    Francesca was still holding herself together and was trying to keep herself conscious. She wanted to


    keep the kids safe and was willing to sacrifice her life for theirs.


    ¡°Let the kids go? Well, their freedom really depends on you now, doesn''t it?¡± said Chrono as he grinned


    evilly. ¡°On to the next kid, then.¡±


    ¡°You¡ª¡±


    Bang!


    Francesca was about to speak when Chrono fired his gun again. She moved almost entirely out of her


    instinct, but her leg and shoulder were wounded, so she was not as agile and was a tad too slow.


    Francesca fell right onto the ground, but she wasn''t bothered about her wounds at all.


    At first, she thought that the kid was wounded, but sheter heard the other kids screaming in terror,


    ¡°Ah, Anthony!¡±


    Francesca''s heart skipped a beat. When she shifted her gaze, she saw Anthony lying in a pool of


    blood. He had used every bit of his energy to throw himself at the kids and shield them. Unfortunately,


    the bullet hit his gut.


    ¡°Anthony!¡± shrieked Francesca. She crawled to him hurriedly and put her hands on his wound right


    away. ¡°Hold on. Just hold on.¡±


    Chrono''s aim was impable. He didn''t want Francesca to die so easily, so the two bullets from earlier


    only got her shoulder and foot. The third bullet, however, tore through Anthony''s gut, and that was life-


    threatening.


    Francesca panicked immediately. She quickly opened her bag to get the bandage to stop Anthony''s


    bleeding. That was when her eyes caught sight of something interesting.


    ¡°My, my, how touching.¡±


    Chrono saw how much Francesca cared about Anthony, and that made him even happier. ¡°Now you


    know how I feel! I want you to watch as everyone you care about die one by one.¡±

 Chapter 2068

    Chapter 2068


    q¡°I shouldn''t have saved you.¡±


    Regret filled Francesca as Anthony panted and battled for his life. The truth was that Danrique could''ve


    killed Chrono back at H City.


    She was the one who felt sorry for what had happened to Candice, and she was the one who thought


    that Chrono had already set the bombs up in the orphanage. She thought he could blow the orphanage


    up whenever he wanted, and that was why she stopped Danrique. That, in turn, allowed Chrono to


    escape.


    Her hesitation had led to everything that was currently unfolding.


    At that moment, any shred of guilt or pity Francesca felt for Chrono had died. She harbored nothing but


    hatred and anger for the lunatic standing in front of her.


    ¡°Too bad you can''t turn back time,¡±mented Chrono. He had his fun, and he was not in the mood to


    drag the show on. He fished his remote out and said, ¡°Now die. You and these kids will perish today,


    and every one of you will keep my Candicepany in the afterlife. She will be thrilled.¡±


    As he spoke, his finger moved toward the button.


    Just before disaster struck, Francesca suddenly threw some silvery powder at Chrono.


    He reacted quickly and pointed his gun at her, but he hadn''t had a chance to pull the trigger before a


    loud bang came. The powder on him ignited and burned him with intense mes.


    Those mes spread out extremely fast. It looked as though a fiery beast had swallowed him in an


    instant.


    Initially, Chrono was surprised when he saw the fire on him. That surprise soon turned to agony, and he


    screamed while rolling on the floor to try to put out the fire.


    Unfortunately, his efforts were for naught. The mes burned brighter as time passed.


    When Chrono realized he was done for, he dashed toward the kids.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    The kids were so scared that they screamed and ran away.


    ¡°Monica!¡± shouted Francesca.


    That was when Monica finally came around. She led William''s bodyguard and ran toward the kids to


    protect them. The police officers were going to do the same.


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    However, a loud explosion came from the field outside, frightening the police officers. They stopped


    moving right away.


    Francesca looked over and realized that Chrono was still holding the remote.


    It had about ten buttons on it, and that meant that he could detonate different bombs in different


    locations.


    Chrono was in so much pain that he subconsciously pressed the number zero on the remote, triggering


    the bomb in the field. The consequences would be disastrous if he were to press any other buttons.


    ¡°Francesca Felch, I will drag you down to hell with me!¡± bellowed Chrono.


    His voice carried a hint of insanity, and it was clear he was going to press all the buttons at once.


    Francesca panicked and ran to him, but the bullet in her leg caused her to fall once more. She widened


    her eyes in horror as she thought it was the end for them.


    Just then, a silver glow zipped past her, and Chrono screamed at the very next second. Blood spewed


    everywhere, and the remote fell to the ground along with a severed hand.


    ¡°No!¡± Francesca shrieked with fear overflowing in her voice. If that remote were to fall onto the floor, the


    buttons might be triggered, and the bombs would go off.


    Just then, a white figure showed up out of nowhere. The figure moved as quickly as lightning and


    caught the remote before it fell.


    Before Francesca could even register what had happened, she heard a familiar voice. ¡°Go to hell!¡±


    Danrique kicked Chrono onto the floor and mercilessly stepped on his head. ¡°How dare youy your


    hands on my woman? You''ll burn in hell for that!¡±


    Chrono was still engulfed in mes at the time, so it looked as though Danrique was stepping on a ball


    of fire.


    ¡°You¡ª¡±


    Before Chrono could finish speaking, Danrique kicked him and sent him flying.


    Chrono''s body shattered the window and fell into the pond right outside.


    Strangely enough, the water didn''t extinguish the fire. It made the fire burn even brighter instead, and


    the water in the pond began bubbling. Soon, Chrono''s figure stopped moving.


    Francesca stared at the smoke that rose from the pond and could finally heave a sigh of relief.


    That crazy man is finally dead.


    ¡°You are so freaking stupid!¡±


    An angry voice came. At the very next second, Francesca felt her body being lifted into the air. She


    hadn''t even registered what was happening before she was pulled into a warm embrace.


    She lifted her head and saw a familiar and handsome face in front of her. The man''s eyes burned with


    fury, though. ¡°Must you always go against me?¡±

 Chapter 2069

    Chapter 2069


    qDanrique''s words were mean, and his tone was filled with disappointment, but Francesca could see


    the worry in his eyes. It melted her heart instantly.


    She couldn''t hold herself together any longer, so she nestled her head on his chest weakly.


    ¡°Everything is okay now. I''m here.¡±


    Danrique''s heart softened. He couldn''t bring himself to reprimand her anymore, so all he did was stroke


    her head gently.


    It was as though he was telling her that he could and would hold the weight of the entire world up to


    keep her safe.


    Francesca immediately showed her vulnerable side. The strong front she had been putting up fell apart


    at that exact moment.


    That was when she suddenly thought of something important. ¡°Those bombs, and Anthony, and the


    kids...¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry. I will make sure everything is okay,¡± promised Danrique as he marched away with


    Francesca in his arms. He didn''t even turn back when he instructed, ¡°Get everything settled. I want


    everyone, except Chrono, to be fine.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Anthony and the other injured employees were sent to the hospital in time.


    Gordon was a bomb disposal expert, so all the hidden bombs in the orphanage were removed quickly.


    The kids were all transferred to another orphanage while Sloan and the others went with the cops to


    deal with the aftermath. Everyone got busy, and in a way, everything had finallye to an end.


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    Heavy rain fell that day, and itsted until the next morning.


    Francesca woke up from her nightmare. When she opened her eyes and saw Danrique''s tender smile,


    she asked, ¡°How is Anthony? And how are the kids? Is everybody okay?¡±


    Danrique frowned. Dissatisfaction glowed in his eyes, but he didn''t get mad. Instead, he gave her an


    honest answer. ¡°A few kids were hurt, but it was nothing serious. That other guy might be in a bit of


    danger, though. He''s in the ICU now.¡±


    ¡°I think his organ might''ve been hit. I have to go and see him...¡±


    Francesca struggled to get out of bed, but Danrique pushed her down to stop her from doing so.


    ¡°You''re severely wounded and are in no shape to heal anyone. I''ve already told Sean to get Helen


    here.¡±


    ¡°She won''t be able to make it in time,¡± replied Francesca. She was worried sick and panicking. ¡°His


    condition is critical, and his life will be threatened if we drag this on...¡±


    As she spoke, she forced herself to sit up. She wanted to get out of bed, but the wound on her leg was


    so severe that she fell right onto the ground.


    Danrique sat there and stared at her emotionlessly without uttering a word.


    Francesca put her weight on the bed and tried to get up once more. Unfortunately, she fell again as


    soon as she got back on her feet.


    ¡°Is he really that important?¡± demanded Danrique.


    ¡°He''s of utmost importance to me. In a way, he is like my family, and he only got hurt because of me.


    That is why I must save him,¡± said Francesca.


    Danrique didn''t say anything else. He simply got up, picked her up, and plopped her down in a


    wheelchair before pushing her out of the door.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg!¡±


    Sean and the other subordinates hurried to them right away.


    ¡°Get the doctor in charge toe to meet us right now. We''ll discuss the n to save Anthony,¡± said


    Danrique.


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied Sean before he went away to carry out the order.


    Danrique pushed Francesca to the ICU. The medical superintendent and the doctors were already


    waiting for her there. They were quick to exin the situation to Francesca.


    Francesca frowned deeply. ¡°What? The bullet is still in him?¡±


    ¡°The bullet is inside one of his major organs. It''s risky to remove it, and we don''t...¡±


    ¡°Prep for surgery right now. I''ll do it,¡± said Francesca without even a second of hesitation. ¡°And get


    more blood bags ready. Hurry!¡±


    ¡°But...¡± said the doctor who nervously nced at Danrique.


    ¡°Just do as she said,¡± ordered Danrique.


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    The medical superintendent left quickly to arrange everything. The doctor in charge, however, was a


    little unsure of that arrangement. ¡°Ms. Felch, your shoulder is injured. Can you even hold the scalpel


    steadily?¡±


    The truth was that Francesca couldn''t even walk at that moment and had to rely on the wheelchair. Her


    entire right arm was also in a cast.


    Hence, there was no way she could hold a scalpel.


    ¡°I might not be able to use my right hand, but I''ve still got my left hand,¡± replied Francesca. She


    frowned as she turned her gaze to Anthony, who was still lying on the bed. ¡°You trust me to do this,


    don''t you?¡±


    Anthony stayed there without moving a muscle. It was as though he was agreeing with that statement


    and saying he trusted her.

 Chapter 2070

    Chapter 2070


    qAs the operation required a high degree of precision, it would be difficult for other doctors to do a good


    job even if they gave it their all.


    However, Francesca was currently injured. She couldn''t lift her right hand and could only hold the


    scalpel with her left hand. Worse still, her grip slipped on the scalpel when the nurse handed it to her,


    and it fell to the ground.


    All the medical staff around her were stunned. They all gaped at her.


    The attending doctor, Matthias, couldn''t help urging, ¡°A life is at stake here, Ms. Felch. This is no joke.¡±


    ¡°I never joke around with a life.¡± Francesca took the scalpel once more. ¡°Let''s begin!¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    The doctors didn''t dare advise her further but did their best to assist her.


    To their amazement, Francesca seemingly became a different person once the operationmenced,


    despite her severe injury. She became confident and focused.


    That aside, she was exceedingly resolute when she operated, showing nary a hint of hesitance.


    Conversely, the other few doctors had their hearts lodged in their throats. After all, not only was the


    bullet embedded in an internal organ, but it even involved the aorta. Thus, a single misstep would put


    the patient''s life in danger.


    Nheless, Francesca removed the bullet with great speed and precision before proceeding to the


    next step.


    Three hourster, Danrique was sitting on the sofa in Francesca''s ward, replying to emails, when Sean


    hurried in and reported, ¡°The operation has concluded, Mr. Lindberg. It was very sessful!¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± Danrique replied cidly.


    ¡°The doctors are all praising Ms. Felch''s medical skills to the skies. They''re saying that she''s superb!


    Indeed, she''s incredible! How phenomenal!¡± Sean was rather emotional.


    ¡°Get the private jet ready to return to Xendale tonight.¡± Danrique nced at his watch.


    At that, surprise inundated Sean. ¡°Tonight? What about Ms. Felch, then?¡±


    ¡°She''s naturally going back with us. We''ll take off before eight o''clock,¡± Danrique stated firmly.


    ¡°Understood.¡± Sean didn''t dare question the man anymore. Instead, he immediately went about the


    preparations.


    Danrique continued scanning through his documents. A whileter, Kerrie wheeled Francesca back to


    the ward. Behind them trailed a few female medical staff.


    Upon entering the ward, they all bowed to Danrique. ¡°Mr. Lindberg!¡±


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    ¡°You''re done with the operation?¡± Danrique lifted his eyes and looked at Francesca.


    ¡°Yeah. I''d like to take a bath.¡± Verily, Francesca was feeling pretty tired.


    ¡°There''s an injury on you, Ms. Felch, and you can''t get it wet. I''ll wipe you down instead.¡±


    With a gesture from Kerrie, two of the female medical staff quickly went to prepare some hot water.


    ¡°You''re all dismissed,¡± Danrique interjected.


    ¡°Understood.¡± The medical staff hastily left with their heads hung low.


    ¡°Why did you dismiss them?¡± Francesca questioned with a frown.


    ¡°It''s just wiping you down, no? I can do it, too.¡±


    Carrying her to the sofa, Danrique reached out to strip her clothes off.


    s, Francesca instinctively backed away. ¡°Stop. Have them do it instead.¡±


    ¡°I''ve seen it all anyway. Stay still, for I''m not going to take responsibility if you pull on your wound.¡±


    Despite her apprehension, Francesca no longer dared to move.


    While unfastening her buttons, Danrique grumbled, ¡°How troublesome! Why are there so many


    buttons?¡±


    In response, Francesca rolled her eyes. Danrique initially sat on the sofa, but he had no choice but to


    lean over at that moment and loom over her like a hulking beast.


    As the two people who hadn''t seen each other in a long time came face to face at such a close


    distance, the atmosphere suddenly became charged.


    Danrique stared at her, a fire gradually sparking in his gaze. Subsequently, his handsome face drew


    increasingly closer to her.


    Francesca froze right then and there, moving nary a muscle. Holding her breath, she eyed him


    nervously. ¡°W-What do you want? Mmph!¡±


    Before she had finished speaking, Danrique had already captured her lips.


    She was wholly stunned, her eyes going wide in disbelief. Just as she was going to stretch her hands


    out to push him away, the man pulled back.


    ¡°You reek of disinfectant!¡±


    Argh! He even has disdain written all over his face!


    ¡°How dare you! I just came out from the operating theater!¡± Francesca''s face flushed bright red from


    fury.


    ¡°Hurry up and wash up!¡± Danrique continued divesting her of clothes.

 Chapter 2071

    Chapter 2071


    qHurting all over, Francesca didn''t dare move a muscle, allowing Danrique to do as he pleased to her.


    The man stripped her down to her undergarments before wiping her down with a hot towel. As he did


    so, he asked, ¡°Did anyone else touch you while I''m away?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Francesca was momentarily taken aback. When realization dawned upon her, she promptly


    saw red. ¡°You''re such a b*stard, Danrique!¡±


    While she spoke, she tried shoving him away. ¡°Buzz off! Don''t touch me!¡±


    Danrique grabbed her hand, so she wanted to shake him off. Amidst their scuffle, one of them


    identally touched her wound. At once, such excruciating agony flooded her that she broke out in a


    cold sweat. Even her face drained of all color.


    Livid, Danriquembasted, ¡°I told you to stay still, but you just wouldn''t listen! Let me have a look at it!¡±


    ¡°It''s none of your business!¡± Francesca stood her ground obstinately. At that precise moment, a knock


    abruptly sounded from outside, and someone reported, ¡°Prince William is here, Mr. Lindberg.¡±


    As soon as Francesca heard that, she stopped struggling. She swung her head over and pinned her


    gaze on the door.


    As Danrique clocked her reaction, chagrin swamped him. Grasping her chin, he warned, ¡°You''re mine!¡±


    Then, he instructed the man outside, ¡°Have him wait for a while.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


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    Following that, silence reverted outside.


    Francesca tried propping herself up to a sitting position, but Danrique pinned her down on the sofa.


    ¡°Stay still.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing? I want to get dressed,¡± Francesca hissed.


    Danrique said nothing and merely wiped her down silently with the hot towel. After doing so, he clothed


    her in a cotton maxi dress that was clean and loose and carried her over to the bed before calling out to


    the help outside, ¡°Kerrie!¡±


    ¡°Coming!¡± Kerrie pushed open the door and entered with a few medical staff. They straightened the


    room. This time, William was allowed entry.


    Robin wheeled William in.


    William''s gaze fell on Francesca right away, the look in his eyes brimming with concern and worry.


    Seeing that she was fine, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. He lifted his head and greeted Danrique,


    ¡°It''s fortunate that you arrived in time this time, Mr. Lindberg. Otherwise, the consequences would''ve


    been disastrous.¡±


    That remark made it sound as though Francesca was his family, and he was there to thank Danrique.


    Frowning, Danrique riposted icily, ¡°Who''d save my woman if not me?¡±


    William was startled for a moment, chuckling awkwardly without responding to that. Instead, he turned


    to Francesca. ¡°Monica said everything has been sorted out at the orphanage, and the children are all


    fine. It''s the silver lining in this whole fiasco.¡±


    Again, those words of his made it clear that he considered himself part of all this, cing himself on the


    same front as her.


    ¡°Yeah, it was a narrow escape. I''ve also got to thank you this time for having Monica and the


    bodyguards rush over in advance. They were a great help at the critical moment.¡± Francesca regarded


    him with a smile on her face.


    William gazed at her tenderly. ¡°Don''t be a stranger with me. How''s your injury? Is it serious?¡±


    ¡°It''s no big deal.¡± Francesca stole a peek at Danrique, only to notice that his brows were knitted


    together, his expression frightfully grim. She immediately changed the subject. ¡°Oh yes, I can''t treat you


    in the next two days, William. You must take your meds timely, and I''ll go over when I''ve recovered.¡±


    Cutting her off, Danrique interjected mildly, ¡°There''s no such opportunity anymore. We''re going back to


    Xendale tonight.¡±


    ¡°We?¡± Francesca was stupefied.


    ¡°I''ve already sent some men to guard the orphanage, so everything will be fine. Also, I arranged for


    Helen to take care of your ex here. Therefore, you can rest easy.¡±


    Danrique felt that his arrangements were perfect, impable even.


    However, Francesca was still furious. ¡°I''m utterly grateful that you saved me and the orphanage, but I


    can''t return to Xendale with you.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Danrique frowned with displeasure.


    ¡°I''ve still got a ton of things to do. With such a dire incident having befallen the orphanage, it isn''t


    enough to merely send some men to keep guard. Besides, there''s Anthony. I want to treat him


    personally. Furthermore, I''ve also got to treat William''s leg in person.¡± Francesca wasn''t in the mood to


    expound at length.

 Chapter 2072

    Chapter 2072


    q¡°So, you considered everyone, but not me.¡±


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    Danrique stared at Francesca coldly.


    ¡°You don''t need me to take care of you! Go back by yourself if you want to do so!¡± Francesca huffed.


    ¡°Francesca Felch! What do you mean by that?¡± Danrique''s expression turned frightfully dark.


    Nheless, Francesca didn''t back down. ¡°Stop asking the obvious! I''ve got my own things to do. I''m


    not your pet, so what right do you have to arrange my life for me?¡±


    Danrique remained silent, merely eyeballing her frostily. He was seemingly conveying his


    dissatisfaction with the look in his eyes.


    ¡°Ahem, ahem.¡± A tad awkward, William changed the subject. ¡°In that case, take good care of yourself,


    Francesca. Why don''t we go out and talk, Mr. Lindberg?¡±


    ¡°Let''s just talk here. There''s no outsider here, so feel free to speak your mind.¡± Sitting on the sofa,


    Danrique acted as though he was the lord and master there.


    ¡°That''s true.¡± William cast a look at Francesca. Seeing that she voiced no objection, he went straight to


    the point. ¡°Francesca has been treating my leg these days. Although it hasn''t been long, there''s already


    been some significant improvement, so I hope she can continue treating me.¡±


    Pausing, he looked at Francesca once more. ¡°Is that okay, Francesca?¡±


    ¡°Of course! I vowed to heal your leg, and I never do anything halfway. It''s my responsibility!¡± Francesca


    had a great sense of responsibility.


    ¡°I''m d to hear that.¡± Relief suffused William.


    ¡°What''s there to be d about?¡± Danrique was on the verge of losing his temper and snapped, ¡°Then,


    is it considered doing things halfway when you fled in the middle of dating me, Francesca?¡±


    Francesca was at a momentary loss for words.


    William wasn''t in the position toment on that. He merely gazed at Francesca expectantly as


    though hoping she would say something.


    ¡°I''ll settle the issue with the orphanage for you. If you''re still worried about merely sending men over to


    keep guard, relocate the orphanage to Xendale. Likewise, transfer your ex to a hospital there. Is this to


    your satisfaction?¡±


    Danrique proposed a solution right away.


    William was somewhat staggered. From his understanding of the man, it was indeed a mega


    concession on his part to suggest that.


    That made it clear as day that he cared about Francesca greatly.


    Francesca was simrly surprised. She had never expected Danrique to utter such a remark. After


    deliberating for a while, she replied, ¡°Forget about relocating the orphanage. The children are already


    ustomed to living here, so they wouldn''t be able to adapt if they had to move to Xendale out of the


    blue.¡±


    ¡°What do you want, then?¡±


    Danrique''s patience was already running thin. He felt that he had already shown her immense patience


    and sincerity. If she were to decline again, it''d definitely be because of William!


    William fixated his eyes on Francesca as well, eagerly awaiting her answer.


    ¡°I''ll go to Xendale to look for you when I''ve settled everything. Or you cane over to visit me if


    you''re free. Let''s maintain a long-distance rtionship first. I''ll go over when everything here has been


    resolved,¡± Francesca concluded after pondering for a long time.


    At her words, William''s gaze dimmed. He previously harbored a shred of hope within him, wondering


    whether she was refusing to return to Xendale with Danrique because of him.


    He reckoned that perhaps she no longer wanted to maintain her rtionship with the man.


    Regretfully, it was obvious from her words that she still wanted to continue dating Danrique.


    It was just because of the responsibility on her shoulders that she couldn''t leave.


    s, Danrique wasn''t pleased in the least. Instead, he was infuriated. ¡°Resolved? When will you be


    able to resolve everything? Give me a specific time.¡±


    Francesca nced at William''s leg before answering, ¡°I''ll go over as soon as William''s leg heals. It''ll


    require about another three months.¡±


    In a sh, Danrique flew into a rage. ¡°Sure enough, it''s because of him! At the end of the day, I''m of no


    importance to you at all. The orphanage, your ex, and William are all more important than me!¡±

 Chapter 2073

    Chapter 2073


    qFrancesca was stunned upon hearing that, not quite sure how to refute it for a moment.


    Meanwhile, William cleared his throat and spoke softly. ¡°Talk nicely, Mr. Lindberg. Don''t throw a tantrum


    at a woman.¡±


    ¡°What has it got to do with you when I''m talking to my woman? Get out of here!¡± Danrique roared.


    Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    At his bellow, embarrassment crept onto William''s features. Nheless, he said nothing. He merely


    looked at Francesca and gestured for Robin to wheel him out.


    After bowing to Danrique, Robin wheeled William out.


    ¡°What''s gotten into you? If you''re mad, direct it at me! Why did you vent it on William?¡± Francesca


    reproached Danrique furiously.


    ¡°Why, are you distressed because I chastised him?¡± The fury within Danrique zed even hotter.


    ¡°Are you sick in the head?¡± Francesca''s explosive temper reared its head as well.


    Shooting her a re, Danrique spun on his heels and stalked off.


    As Francesca glowered at his back, her blood boiled.


    Initially, I was really thankful and touched that he appeared when I was in danger after we hadn''t seen


    each other for such a long time. But he then arbitrarily arranged my life for me all of a sudden. Then, he


    even started throwing a fit. I have no idea which wires in his brain got crossed!


    Knock, knock! Just then, Kerrie knocked on the door and came in. ¡°You must be hungry, yes, Ms.


    Felch? I''ve prepared dinner for you. Try some and see whether you like it.¡±


    At the sight of Kerrie, a sense of warmth washed over Francesca. ¡°Thank you. Why are you here, too?¡±


    ¡°I came with Gordon. Mr. Lindberg arranged for him toe over and deal with Chrono first. He said


    he''d bring you back to Xendale after the threat had been eliminated. Afraid that you''d be unused to the


    travel, he sent me along to take care of you.¡±


    As Kerrie arranged the meal on the table, she added, ¡°He treats you well, Ms. Felch. He''s the kind of


    person who doesn''t bother about trivial matters, but he considers everything for you. Most importantly,


    he actually had something crucial to settle, but he was so worried about you that he couldn''t help flying


    over to look for you secretly. It''s only because his private jet arrived half an hourter than ours that he


    made it over in time to save you.¡±


    After hearing all that, Francesca fell silent.


    He never once mentioned all this. Anyhow, I could tell that Sloan and the others rushed out to deal with


    things immediately when Chrono''s aplice was tracking me at the airport. That makes it clear that


    they''ve been protecting me furtively. Thus, they only imed to leave back then as a deliberate bait to


    lure Chrono and his aplice out.


    ¡°I''ll help you up to eat, Ms. Felch.¡± Kerrie helped her up to a sitting position and set up the table for her.


    ¡°What would you like to eat first?¡±


    ¡°Never mind. I''d like to sleep for a bit.¡± Francesca hadn''t much appetite right then.


    ¡°In that case, I''ll step out first. Call me anytime if you need anything. I''ll be right outside the door.¡±


    Kerrie bowed to her before leaving the room.


    Lying on the bed, Francesca reflected on Danrique''s gentleness and thoughtfulness in the past. Then,


    she thought about how he always came to save her like a knight in shining armor at every critical


    moment. Unbidden, she felt touched.


    Although he''s pretty domineering and aggressive, besides being a little too full of himself, all he does is


    ultimately for my good. As such, I shouldmunicate nicely with him instead of sulking.


    At that thought, she called out to Kerrie, ¡°Please ask Danrique toe over.¡±


    ¡°Understood. I''ll go and tell Mr. Lindberg right this instant.¡±


    A little more than an hour passed before Danrique strolled in leisurely. ¡°What is it?¡± he asked coldly.


    ¡°I''d like to talk with you. Come and sit over here,¡± Francesca urged in a gentle voice.


    When Danrique noticed that she had softened her attitude, his expression eased slightly. But still, he


    maintained his aloof persona. ¡°What do you want to talk about?¡±


    ¡°It''s not because of anyone else that I can''t return to Xendale with you at the moment. It''s entirely


    because of my responsibility. The orphanage is my responsibility. The same goes for Anthony and


    William. I can''t abandon them at this time and run off to date. That isn''t fitting behavior for someone


    with a sense of responsibility,¡± Francesca exined.

 Chapter 2074

    Chapter 2074


    q¡°I''ve alreadye up with a solution.¡±


    ¡°I know. I''m aware that you put your all into considering me. But some things aren''t as simple as you


    think.¡±


    Remaining patient, Francesca continued exining, ¡°Firstly, the children grew up in S Nation since


    young, so they''re already used to the life andnguage here. It''d be difficult for them to adapt if they


    were suddenly asked to go to Erihal now. Besides, Anthony had just had an operation. For that reason,


    he''s not fit for long-distance travel. Then, there''s William. I''ve already epted his money. For his


    treatment, he bought a house and medical equipment here, even going as far as establishing an


    infirmary. I can''t just leave with a single word at this time.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying you can''t leave because you epted his money? It''s not because of some other


    reason?¡± That was the only point Danrique caught.


    ¡°Of course. He''s my friend, so I can''t sit idly by. But our rtionship is purely tonic,¡± Francesca


    rified.


    All at once, Danrique''s furrowed brows smoothed out. ¡°Really? Then, give me an exnation as to why


    you were still with him in the middle of the night when I phoned you back then.¡±


    ¡°He came to deliver some food to me, so I went out to meet him. After eating, I went home. I don''t think


    there''s any need for you to doubt me because of that. I can''t even handle one boyfriend, which is you.


    Where would I have the energy to cheat on you?¡± Verily, Francesca was a touch exasperated.


    In response, Danrique eyed her disdainfully. ¡°Well, that''s true. Considering your simple-mindedness,


    you''re entirely guileless. Hence, you probably don''t have such deviousness.¡±


    In truth, the fact that she acknowledged him as her boyfriend had him over the moon. Consequently,


    his attitude softened as well.


    Francesca nned to exin everything to him in one go. ¡°As for Anthony, he''s not my boyfriend. He''s


    my buddy and family. We were once in life and death situations together. Later, we lived together like a


    family. He usually helps me manage the orphanage. That''s all.¡±


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    Upon hearing that, Danrique was even happier. ¡°I see. I just knew that your taste can''t be that bad!¡±


    Francesca rolled her eyes at him. ¡°Don''t look down on him, okay? Many girls like him.¡±


    ¡°I don''t care about that. Anyway, you can only like me alone.¡± Walking over to the bed, Danrique leaned


    over and asked, ¡°You''ve got to take responsibility for them, but do you not need to do the same for


    me?¡±


    Francesca''s face flushed bright red. Every time he drew close to her, she would grow nervous. ¡°I... Do


    you still need that when you''re already a grown-up?¡±


    ¡°Am I? Hmm?¡±


    Without any warning, Danrique captured her lips.


    Francesca was wholly stumped, falling into a trance. By the time she gathered her wits about her, the


    man had already deepened the kiss and explored every inch of her mouth.


    She pushed at him lightly, but she couldn''t budge him at all.


    His kiss swept her up like a hurricane, carrying a sense of domineering possessiveness.


    As she endured the passionate kiss passively, all reason gradually faded away.


    Just when she instinctively reached out to hug him, he stopped. He didn''t continue ravishing her but


    lifted his head to stare at her.


    Intense desire brewed in his noble and rare amber eyes, but he forcibly restrained himself and gazed at


    her with longing in his eyes.


    A faint blush stained Francesca''s face. Her eyes were closed, and her eyshes fluttered lightly in her


    apprehension and anxiousness.


    Her adorable expression hit Danrique square in the chest.


    He reached out and cradled her face, brushing his thumb lightly against her lips, his eyes brimming


    with tenderness.


    Opening her eyes slowly, Francesca looked at him nervously. It was as though her eyes could speak.


    ¡°Are you really not going back with me?¡± Danrique inquired softly.


    ¡°Let me finish everything here first. Then, I''ll definitely go to Xendale and look for you.¡± Grasping his


    hands, Francesca asserted solemnly, ¡°Wait for me!¡±

 Chapter 2075

    Chapter 2075


    qIn a sh, Francesca''s words had Danrique''s heart melting.


    The man who appeared cold-blooded and ruthless was easily won over by her words.


    In reality, it wasn¡¯t her words that won him over. Instead, he was defeated by her tenderness.


    As Danrique gazed into Francesca''s limpid and vibrant eyes at the sincere affection within them, his


    heart softened at longst.


    He reached out and hugged her, pressing her face into his chest. Then, he sighed helplessly. ¡°What am


    I to do with you?¡±


    Hugging him around the waist, Francesca coaxed gently, ¡°Three months will pass in the blink of an eye.


    Don''t you have a lot of work as well? Let''s take this time to finish all our work. When everything is done,


    we can then be together without any distractions.¡±


    Danrique didn''t argue further. ¡°Okay, then. But you must remember that you belong to me.¡±


    At that, Francesca was torn betweenughing and crying. ¡°Don''t worry, for you alone are enough for


    me. I don''t have the time and energy to deal with someone else.¡±


    ¡°This is more like it. Even if someone pursues you, you''ve got to keep your distance from him, okay?¡±


    Danrique pinched her cheek.


    ¡°Even if the king himself pursues me, I''ll never entertain him. My boyfriend is Danrique Lindberg. Who


    canpare to him?¡±


    Francesca tilted her head to the side with a smug expression on her face.


    ¡°Haha!¡± Danrique couldn''t help chuckling. He pinched her face, his eyes teeming with indulgence. ¡°I''ve


    got to go to the airport in another two hours. Keep mepany as I rest for a bit!¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Francesca shifted to the side, freeing up half of the bed.


    Subsequently, Danrique took off his jacket andy down beside her. Reaching out, he hugged her and


    kissed her forehead tenderly.


    Francescay beside him, nestling in his arms like a docile kitten.


    The two of them embraced each other like that, cuddling together with their bodies stered together.


    A romantic atmosphere hung in the room, peaceful and pleasant.


    Outside, Sean had his ear stered to the door and listened for a long time. When he didn''t hear any


    mor or things shattering in the room, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.


    ¡°They''ve made up?¡± Gordon asked in a whisper.


    ¡°Likely yes. Gosh, we really have it difficult. The two of them are dating, but we''re the ones who are


    exhausted.¡± Sean heaved a sigh.


    Meanwhile, Kerrie giggled. ¡°Hehe! Sure enough, your method is effective! Everything you teach me to


    say to Ms. Felch works every time!¡±


    In response, Sean advised, ¡°Smarten up in the future. Learn to say all that without having me to teach


    you. Do you understand?¡±


    All content is ? N0velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Yes, yes!¡± Kerrie nodded fervently.


    Just then, Sean''s phone vibrated. The instant he glimpsed the caller ID, he hastily walked to the side


    and answered the call. ¡°Hello, Mr. President...¡±


    A few minutester, he returned with his phone in hand. Frowning, he said to Gordon, ¡°The president is


    urging Mr. Lindberg to go back. We might need to take off earlier.¡±


    ¡°Everything has been arranged. The ne is already waiting at the airport. As for Mr. Lindberg, go and


    inform him about this yourself,¡± Gordon replied in a low voice.


    ¡°You''re always leaving me with the difficult tasks.¡± Sean was exasperated, but still, he bit the bullet and


    knocked on the room door. ¡°Mr. Lindberg,¡± he called out cautiously.


    There was no response from within the room.


    As he was struggling to decide whether to call out to Danrique again, the man finally answered, ¡°You''re


    dismissed.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Sean swiftly zipped his mouth and stepped to the side.


    ncing at his phone that was vibrating relentlessly on the table, Danrique knew that the president


    was hurrying him to return. He then shifted his gaze back to Francesca, who had just fallen asleep in


    his arms. Reluctantly kissing her on the forehead, he carefully got out of bed and dressed. After that,


    he walked away with his phone in hand.


    When he reached the door, he nced back over his shoulder for a final look. He was very much


    reluctant to part with her, but he still walked out resolutely and closed the door behind him.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg!¡±


    Sean, Gordon, and the others stepped forward at once.


    ¡°Stay here, Gordon. Wait until everything here has been settled before you return,¡± Danrique ordered.


    ¡°Understood.¡± Gordon nodded.


    In the next moment, Danrique pointed at Kerrie. ¡°You, too. Take care of her around the clock.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Mr. Lindberg!¡±

 Chapter 2076

    Chapter 2076


    qWhen Francesca woke up, Kerrie informed her that Danrique had already left. The man departed


    three hours ago, and the ne had already taken off.


    Disappointment deluged Francesca.


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    His smell and warmth remain on the pillow beside me, but he left just like that without even a word to


    me. I initially thought that it''d be nothing to go about our own affairs and see each other again in a few


    months. However, he had just left, and I''m already feeling empty. We hadn''t seen each other for almost


    a month, and our meeting this time was a special circumstance. We only managed to spend a few


    hours together. How fleeting! Then, he left again. I don''t even know when we can meet again. I never


    knew it''s going to be so saddening and disheartening to part with someone you love.


    ¡°Are you hungry, Ms. Felch? Would you like to eat something now?¡± Kerrie queried in concern.


    ¡°No, it''s okay,¡± Francesca replied on reflex. Subsequently, something urred to her, and she asked,


    ¡°Oh yes, why didn''t you leave with them?¡±


    Smiling, Kerrie exined, ¡°Mr. Lindberg had me stay to take care of you. Gordon is also staying. He''s


    only going back after everything has been settled.¡±


    ¡°I see!¡± A sense of warmth suffused Francesca.


    Danrique looks cold and indifferent without a romantic bone in him, but he always considers everything


    for me, even things that never cross my mind... No, that''s not right!


    She suddenly recalled something.


    He didn''t exin things about Hazel! I actually forgot to ask about such a major matter! Yet, he didn''t


    take the initiative to bring it up either. How despicable!


    Meanwhile, Danrique was busy going through all the documents on the ne.


    The president hurried him repeatedly, so he had no choice but to go to the airport an hour earlier and


    rush back to Xendale overnight.


    If it were anyone else who secretly left at such a critical juncture, the president would certainly go off


    the deep end. But since it was him, the president could only coax and persuade him amicably.


    At the thought that Francesca would be busy for another three months, he decided to seize the time to


    resolve the civil strife issue.


    Hopefully, everything will return to normal after three months. Then, Francesca and I can also have our


    wedding as scheduled.


    Likewise, Francesca harbored the same hope. She wanted to settle everything at hand within three


    months, sorting out the orphanage. At that time, La and Lincoln would probably be back already.


    She wished to bring Danrique to meet them and prepare for the wedding.


    After the incident this time, she realized that she still loved the man.


    The moment sheid eyes on him, all her resentment vanished into thin air. All arguments and conflicts


    were also forgotten. All of a sudden, she transformed from an almighty amazon to a weak woman who


    only wanted to snuggle in his arms.


    At that instant, she was filled with trust and reliance toward him.


    Therefore, she finally realized her feelings. She knew for sure that she loved him.


    In the days to follow, the two of them were both busy with their respective affairs.


    While recuperating, Francesca treated Anthony and William. That aside, she went to the orphanage


    every day to visit the children. Her life was busy yet fulfilling.


    Danrique, on the other hand, rushed back to Xendale and suppressed Frank so that he couldn''t rise


    from the ashes. However, someone helped Frank flee to M Nation, so he was still a threat on the


    horizon.


    The president had already sent someone over to capture him. As for the rest of it, Danrique didn''t want


    to be involved anymore.


    He started restructuring the three great families. Out of the blue, the Atkinson family began reining


    themselves in. That went doubly for the Yarrow and Harrington families. They were all afraid that


    Danrique would catch them doing something illegal.


    s, that made it difficult for Danrique to make a move against them. He could only demote the


    positions of the three great families'' cronies as a warning.


    After dealing with all that, he focused on conquering the Epea and Adrune markets. He had already


    gotten his hands on them in the past, but Pastor and the gang were stirring up trouble, sabotaging


    things repeatedly in the dark.


    Right then, he spent half of the month in Summerbank and Lightspring. As for the other half of the


    month, he stayed in Xendale. But no matter how busy he was, he still phoned Francesca daily.


    They both made a promise to make preparations for their wedding upon meeting again three months


    later.

 Chapter 2077

    Chapter 2077


    qA month had passed in a blink of an eye.


    Francesca''s injuries had nearly healedpletely. Anthony had already been discharged from the


    hospital but was still recuperating in his in-house clinic due to the severity of his injuries.


    Francesca had hired a few medical staff to care for him at home and had Kerrie manage them.


    Meanwhile, she kept herself busy at home, the orphanage, and William''s house.


    After a period of treatment, William''s leg had almost fully recovered. The problem in his lumbar


    vertebrae had eased significantly. Even though he still couldn''t stand on his feet, they were not as


    numb as before. He even felt some sensation in them.


    However, Francesca''s treatment of William had reached a bottleneck stage. She couldn''t find a


    breakthrough. If I continue treating him with this method, his legs won''t make any more significant


    improvement. They''ll only remain at this stage.


    Thus, Francesca nned to halt his treatment temporarily while she searched for a breakthrough by


    flipping through medical books.


    William asked, ¡°Then, does that mean you won''t being here as ofte?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I won''t being over for a while.¡± Francesca''s gaze was glued to the man''s X-ray films as she


    spoke, ¡°Let''s talkter after I find a new treatment n. Just rest well at home and take your


    medication on time. I''ll have Kerriee over to conduct acupuncture on you every day to stabilize


    your condition.¡±


    William stayed silent at her remark. The disappointment was clear as day in his eyes.


    ¡°Can the nurse do it properly?¡± Robin noticed William''s disappointment and asked carefully, ¡°How about


    we head over to the caf¨¦ every day and you conduct acupuncture there? That can save a bit of your


    time.¡±


    ¡°For Prince William''s case, it only requires the insertion of needles at two acupoints. It''s simple and


    doesn''t need any advanced skills.¡± Francesca didn''t think deeper about their suggestion. ¡°Even though


    Kerrie''s medical skills aren''t that good, her basic skills are fine.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I''ll do my best.¡± Kerrie nodded. ¡°Please rest assured, Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°Then¡ª¡±


    Original content from N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°All right. The orphanage will reopen today, so I have to rush there.¡± Francesca checked the time on


    her watch. ¡°Stay here for observation, Kerrie. You can leave after you finish His Highness'' acupuncture


    treatment at six in the evening.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ms. Felch.¡±


    Francesca left for the front door in a hurry, and Robin wheeled William to see her off.


    Kerrie followed behind them and reminded, ¡°Remember to take your medicine, Ms. Felch.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right.¡±


    Francesca''s injuries hadn''tpletely recovered, so she still needed to take her medication, but she


    kept forgetting about it. She would only remember to take them at Kerrie''s daily reminder.


    She got into the car and fired up the engine while her other hand rifled through her purse for her pills.


    She poured out a tablet and swallowed it without any water. After the pill slid down her throat, she


    waved goodbye at the trio, then pulled away from the house.


    Kerrie watched as Francesca drove away and uttered, ¡°Mr. Lindberg ordered me to take good care of


    Ms. Felch and to remind her to take her medication. I''m worried she''ll forget to take it without me by her


    side.¡±


    ¡°I didn''t expect Mr. Lindberg to be so meticulous,¡± Robin replied.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg doesn''t care about other people or things, but he''s especially caring toward Ms. Felch.


    They have a lovely rtionship. They need to video call each other every night...¡±


    Kerrie continued to b about how lovely Danrique''s and Francesca''s rtionship was.


    Robin caught the forlorn expression on William''s face and urgently interrupted Kerrie. ¡°Okay, Kerrie.


    We''ve already prepared your meal. You may have it now ande backter when it''s time for His


    Highness'' acupuncture treatment.¡±


    ¡°All right. Sorry for the trouble.¡±


    Kerrie nodded with a smile.


    Robin had a maid lead Kerrie to the dining room and ordered another maid to prepare a guest room for


    Kerrie to rest. Once he was done with the arrangements, he wheeled William back to his room.


    On the way back, William was silent. His expression crestfallen.


    ¡°After the orphanage''s explosion and Mr. Lindberg''s visit, Ms. Felch wasn''t as friendly to you as before.


    It almost seemed as if she was keeping her distance from you.¡±


    Robin finally addressed the elephant in the room after holding it in for so long.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± William nodded. ¡°I thought Francesca would be disappointed with Danrique''s arrogance and


    unsociable traits. I didn''t expect her to continue liking him.¡±


    ¡°I didn''t expect Mr. Lindberg to be so meticulous,¡± Robin replied.

 Chapter 2078

    Chapter 2078


    q¡°Mr. Lindberg had Gordon stay here to protect the orphanage and arranged for Kerrie to follow Ms.


    Felch. It might sound like he''s taking care of her, but he''s actually monitoring her.¡±


    William didn''t know how to reply to Robin''s spection.


    ¡°Kerrie would babble nonstop about what a lovely rtionship Mr. Lindberg and Ms. Felch shared every


    time she came over. She would also bring up the pair''s promise to meet up in October for their


    wedding. She was obviously telling those to us on purpose.¡±


    ¡°She is Danrique''s subordinate, so treat her politely,¡± William ordered.


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡± Robin didn''t dare toment any further.


    ¡°October...¡± William nced at the calendar hanging on the wall. ¡°There are two more months left!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it''s still a long way to go. Who knows what will happen within these two months.¡± Robin added, ¡°I


    heard the daughter of Erihal''s president had divorced recently and arrived at Xendale a few days ago.


    Since she had always admired Mr. Lindberg, who knows if something will happen¡ª¡±


    ¡°Danrique isn''t that kind of person.¡± Robin''s biased remark didn''t trigger William to lose his sense.


    Instead, William responded logically, ¡°He''s not a man who changes his mind easily about the decision


    he makes.¡±


    ¡°That''s true.¡±


    ¡°Ask Francesca. How long will my treatment be on halt? If it''s too long, we can make a trip back to


    Danontand first,¡± William demanded.


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness. I''ll make a call to Ms. Felch immediately.¡± Robin dialed Francesca''s number and


    soon got a reply. ¡°Ms. Felch said the soonest would be a week. She wasn''t sure about thetest.¡±


    ¡°Then, let''s head back to sort out some affairs first.¡± William ordered, ¡°Make the arrangements now.¡±


    ¡°But the acupuncture session¡ª¡±


    ¡°Acupuncture is easy. I had the condition for so long that I knew a bit about it myself.¡± William continued


    impassively, ¡°Ask Kerrie to leave her bag of needles here. We''ll bring that along with the medicine


    Francesca prescribed to me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡±


    After Robin made all the arrangements, he had someone send Kerrie back, then left for the airport.


    When Kerrie reached home, she mumbled, ¡°Strange. How could they leave just like that? Was it


    because they don''t want me to help His Highness with acupuncture?¡±


    ¡°What are you mumbling about?¡±


    Francesca''s voice came from behind Kerrie.


    ¡°Why are you back so early, Ms. Felch?¡± Kerrie urgently approached her. ¡°Prince William had left. Do


    you know about it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they decided to take a trip back to Danontand since Prince William''s treatment is currently on


    halt.¡± Francesca was riffling through her medicine box when she continued, ¡°There''s a sick child at the


    orphanage, so I''m only here to get some medicine.¡±


    ¡°I''ll go with you.¡± Kerrie hurriedly went to help.


    ¡°It''s fine. Stay here and look after Anthony. He wants to have some soup today, so please make some


    for him.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡±


    Francesca left in a hurry after she had taken the necessary medication with her.


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    Kerrie stayed back to take care of Anthony and informed Sean about William''s departure.


    Sean merely answered, ¡°Take good care of Ms. Felch. Report back if anything else happens.¡±


    ¡°Will do.¡±


    Subsequently, Sean ryed the information to Danrique and expressed his opinion. ¡°The royal family


    of Danontand is a mess at the moment. Prince William''s cousins are all searching for him. Won''t it be


    too dangerous for him if he goes back now?¡±


    ¡°William is more capable than you think. He has his own ns if he''s going back at this time.¡± Danrique


    continued casually, ¡°His cousins might cause a lot of fuss, but they might not win William in a fight.¡±


    ¡°I only know that Prince William had started apany under his name and has a lot of businesses


    outside. His parents left this world early. Even though he had the old king of Danontand''s love when he


    was younger, the old king is aging by the day. He''s busy dealing with the nation''s affairs and doesn''t


    have the time to care for Prince William. Prince William might have inherited his father''s title, but he


    doesn''t have any power or authority behind his title due to his disability. If his cousins continue targeting


    him¡ª¡±


    Sean paused briefly before continuing, ¡°Judging from the current situation, it doesn''t look like he can


    win the power struggle against his cousins.¡±


    ¡°Let''s wait and see then.¡±


    Danrique dropped his gaze back to his work at hand after thatment. I''m confident in my judgment,


    but at the same time, I don''t care whether William will emerge as the winner.


    Sean merely answered, ¡°Take good care of Ms. Felch. Report back if anything else happens.¡±

 Chapter 2079

    Chapter 2079


    qThe next few days were the usual busy, fulfilling, and peaceful days.


    Ever since Chrono died, Francesca was no longer under threat. Gordon brought Sloan and the rest


    over to the orphanage and stood guard there. They returned to Xendale on the day the orphanage


    reopened.


    The children in the orphanage had recovered from the trauma after over a month-long of counseling.


    Life at the orphanage had returned to normal.


    Francesca would visit the children every day. Relieved to see the bright smiles on their faces,


    Francesca started her research on William''s new treatment n. She also began developing new


    concealed weapons and psychedelics at home.


    Ms. La had emphasized the importance of concealed weapons and drugs numerous times, but I had


    a lot of deterrents back then, so I didn''t focus on that. However, after Chrono''s incident, I realized the


    importance of it. Even though I have self-defense skills and can deal with a few people, I''m still at a


    disadvantage when dealing with professional assassins.


    Beast summoning requires preconditions, so I can''t use it anytime I want. If I don''t have any other


    skills, it''ll be difficult for me to protect the children at the orphanage. I discovered the spontaneous


    combustion powder by ident when I was trying to stop Anthony''s bleeding. It surprisingly came in


    handy at a crucial moment. Without it, the consequences would''ve been deadly. Ever since that


    incident, I finally realized the importance of concealed weapons and drugs. Luckily, making weaponry


    and drugs is a cakewalk for me. I already have a lot of inventions, but I don''t have the chance to test


    them out yet.


    Anthony was sipping on his soup when a loud st came from the backyard. He jolted upright, reached


    for his crutch frantically, and staggered as quickly as he could to the explosion site. ¡°Oh, Francesca!¡±


    ¡°Ms. Felch!¡± Kerrie urgently raced to the backyard too.


    Dark billowing clouds of smoke seeped through every crack of theboratory. There was even a fire


    burning in a corner. Anthony opened the door and wanted to enter, but the raging ze stopped him at


    the threshold.


    Panic filled him as he hurriedly asked Kerrie to call the fire department.


    At that moment, a petite figure walked out of theboratory with soot stains all over her face. Only her


    clear, bright eyes were clear of the stain. The hair on her head stood up and pointed in every direction.


    ¡°The strength of this Marshmallow Bomb is truly amazing. Luckily, I wore the protective vest I


    designed.¡±


    Anthony was stunned by the whole incident. ¡°What the heck?¡±


    ¡°Ms. Felch, are you working on a new experiment?¡± Kerrie, on the other hand, immediately knew what


    Francesca was doing. ¡°Are you all right?¡±


    ¡°I''m fine.¡± Francesca let out a sigh. ¡°Please prepare a bath for me. I need one.¡±


    ¡°Sure. I''ll prepare it now.¡± Kerrie left to carry out the order.


    ¡°Don''t enter. There are toxins in there.¡± Francesca shut the door to theboratory.


    ¡°You''re contradicting yourself.¡± Comprehension dawned on Anthony. ¡°You tested the weapons you


    designed against the protective vest you made. Which is stronger?¡±


    ¡°The protective vest.¡± Francesca patted the dust and soot off the protective vest she wore. ¡°No weapon


    can pierce through it, and fire can''t burn it too.¡±


    ¡°I think that bomb is quite powerful as well. It caused such a huge explosion.¡± Anthony trailed after her.


    ¡°Teach me how to make it when you have the time. I can protect myself the next time I get into danger.¡±


    ¡°Let me test it out first.¡± Francesca waved her hand. ¡°Improper usage of these will cause serious


    consequences.¡±


    ¡°You have to be careful then.¡± Anthony looked at her with concern.


    Francesca went upstairs for a bath. She took more than an hour to clean herself up. Standing in front of


    the full-length mirror, she checked herself out and noticed her bangs had curled up from the extreme


    heat from the st.


    She shaved her head for her surgery before. Now that her hair had grown, albeit still short, she looked


    refreshing and more feminine than when she was bald.


    She checked herself in the mirror onest time and nned to have dinner before reading up on some


    medical books and pharmacopeia toe up with a new treatment n for William. When she had just


    reclined on the sofa, Danrique video called her.


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    Francesca picked up the call instantly. ¡°Hey, meanie.¡±


    ¡°Don''t you have a nicer nickname for me?¡±


    Danrique looked gentlemanly and elegant with silver-rimmed sses on his nose. He set down the


    documents in his hands on the desk and focused on his conversation with Francesca while sipping on


    some coffee.


    ¡°This nickname suits you well.¡± Francesca giggled. ¡°You''ve finished your work early today, huh?¡±


    ¡°I think that bomb is quite powerful as well. It caused such a huge explosion.¡± Anthony trailed after her.


    ¡°Teach me how to make it when you have the time. I can protect myself the next time I get into danger.¡±

 Chapter 2080

    Chapter 2080


    q¡°I still have a stack here.¡± Danrique pointed at the mountain of documents at the side.


    All content is ? N0velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Why are you calling me so early then?¡± Francescay on her stomach on the sofa and rested her chin


    on her palm. ¡°Look, my hair is longer now.¡±


    ¡°I see that.¡± The look in Danrique''s eyes became tender. ¡°Did you curl your hair?¡±


    ¡°Haha!¡± Francesca burst out inughter. ¡°This is not from curling. This was the aftermath of a fire from


    an experiment I did today.¡±


    ¡°It looks good. I see your boobs are bigger, too.¡± Danrique stared at her lovingly.


    ¡°Um...¡± Francesca looked down at her breast as heat crept up her cheeks. ¡°How could they grow bigger


    when I''ve already reached full maturity as an adult? This is an angle problem.¡±


    ¡°Oh? So lying on your belly can make your boobs look bigger.¡± His gaze turned suggestive.


    ¡°Is the size that important? Big or small, they''re just two mounts on the chest, that''s all.¡± Francesca


    picked up a cushion from the side and covered her chest with it, blocking them from his assessing


    gaze. ¡°Are you done looking?¡±


    ¡°If it''s big, you can breastfeed your child after delivery.¡± Danrique discussed somberly, ¡°If it''s t, you


    might starve the child.¡±


    ¡°You have nomon sense. Having big breasts doesn''t guarantee they''ll produce milk. Milk


    production has nothing to do with the size of the breast.¡±


    ¡°Okay. You''re right.¡± Danrique instantly raised both his hands up in a surrender gesture. ¡°This is not


    important. If you can''t produce milk, we''ll hire a nanny.¡±


    They had been video-calling each other every night for over a month. He knew her character well. If


    she encountered an academic issue, she would debate until he agreed with her. She might even flip


    through her books on the spot to prove him wrong.


    Danrique would usuallypromise to avoid wasting time on academic issues and would rather spend


    more time on exchanging sweet nothings with her.


    ¡°The nutrient in the current form milk is adequate.¡± Francesca was in a good mood after Danrique


    agreed with her viewpoint. ¡°Do you miss me, meanie?¡±


    ¡°I miss you. How are things going at your side? Can you finallye over now?¡±


    Danrique gently stroked Francesca''s face on the screen.


    ¡°Anthony''s condition had stabilized, and the orphanage has reopened, but I''ve run into a brick wall with


    William''s treatment. I''m going through medical books every day to research a new treatment n.¡±


    Francesca updated him on her recent ongoing. Suddenly, she heard a voice from the other end. ¡°Mr.


    Lindberg, Ms. Atkinson requested to see you.¡±


    Danrique nced down at his watch and said, ¡°Let her wait.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°I''m still at the office. I have to deal with something now. Talk to youter,¡± Danrique exined.


    ¡°You haven''t exined to me aboutst time, yet you guys are meeting again.¡± Francesca''s temper


    red at Danrique''s nonchnce.


    ¡°It''s work-rted. What do you mean by meeting again?¡± Danrique wasn''t nning to exin himself.


    ¡°If you''re worried, thene over and have a look for yourself.¡±


    ¡°You¡ª¡±


    ¡°I''m hanging up. I have things to tend to. Be good.¡±


    Danrique ended the call.


    Anger gripped Francesca at his half-hearted exnation. However, she didn''t call him again and


    quarrel with him likest time. She merely sulked.


    If I can''t treat William''s leg, does that mean I can''t go to Xendale as scheduled?


    Will Danrique get angry? I don''t think Hazel has given up on him. Even if Danrique is firm, can he


    continue to resist temptation? Maybe I should make a trip to Xendale. Even if I can''t move there


    permanently, I should at least visit him.


    Her phone vibrated suddenly, pulling her thoughts back. Seeing it was a call from William, Francesca


    picked up immediately. ¡°Hi, William.¡±


    ¡°Are you doing well, Francesca?¡±


    William''s gentle voice carrying a friendly greeting came from the other end.


    ¡°I''m doing good, William. How''s your leg?¡± Francesca asked.


    ¡°They were fine before but felt numb recently. I don''t know if it''s due to the rain,¡± William said gently.


    ¡°Numb?¡± Francesca bolted upright at the news. ¡°Did you continue the acupuncture treatment and take


    your medication on time?¡±


    ¡°I did.¡±


    ¡°It''s work-rted. What do you mean by meeting again?¡± Danrique wasn''t nning to exin himself.


    ¡°If you''re worried, thene over and have a look for yourself.¡±

 Chapter 2081

    Chapter 2081


    q¡°Yes!¡± William sighed in sadness and said, ¡°Maybe it was destined by God that I would never be able


    to stand up for the rest of my life.¡±


    All content is ? N0velDrama.Org.


    ¡°No. I''ll definitely think of something,¡± Francesca quickly answered. ¡°Start a video call with me now. I


    want to have a look at your legs.¡±


    William started a video call with her. Prior to that, he had a sensation in his legs, and he could feel pain.


    Besides that, he would have a reaction when someone was to tap his knee. However, it had returned to


    the state before the treatment.


    He couldn''t feel a thing in his legs, and it was as if he was wearing prosthetic ones.


    Francesca was worried. If this goes on, all the efforts before this would be in vain.


    ¡°Take your medicine, Your Highness.¡± Suddenly, Robin walked in to give William a ss of water and a


    capsule.


    When William was about to eat the capsule, Francesca yelled, ¡°Wait!¡±


    William froze and turned toward her. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Are you taking painkillers?¡± Francesca stared at the capsule William was holding in his hand. ¡°Are you


    feeling pain in other parts of your body, or are you just taking it for your legs?¡±


    ¡°I-I''m taking it for a headache.¡± William''s eyes lit up.


    ¡°Take some medicine for the headache, then. Why are you taking painkillers?¡± Francesca was


    bing more rmed. ¡°Are you feeling pain in other parts of your body? Is your lumbar spine


    hurting?¡±


    William kept mum, but Robin couldn''t hold himself back anymore. He dropped to his knees and said,


    ¡°Your Highness, even if you''re going to punish me, I need to say this.¡±


    He then turned toward the screen and uttered, ¡°Ms. Felch, His Highness has been feeling pain in his


    waist for days now. We don''t know what''s going on. Basically, his condition has returned to its original


    state. Actually, it''s even worse than that now!¡±


    ¡°How dare you, Robin!¡± William fumed. ¡°Stop talking nonsense!¡±


    ¡°Your Highness¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± William stopped Robin from saying anything further. Left without a choice, Robin lowered his


    head and retreated to the side.


    ¡°Francesca, don''t worry about me, okay? I''m fine.¡± William shed a gentle smile at Francesca.


    ¡°When are youing back?¡± Francesca knew William didn''t want her to worry about him, which was


    why he hid his worsening condition. I have the responsibility to fix his condition.


    ¡°I''m stuck in Danontand, and I don''t think I''ll be able to go back anytime soon.¡± William''s expression


    turned solemn, and he added, ¡°It was my parents'' death anniversaries two days ago. I came back to


    pay my respects, but my cousins had alreadyid their traps for me.¡±


    ¡°This is outrageous!¡± Francesca was infuriated. ¡°You''re not even going to snatch the throne from them!


    Why don''t they just let you be?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea.¡± William smiled wryly. ¡°Perhaps they''ll only be happy once I''m dead.¡±


    ¡°William, get a grip on yourself!¡± Francesca froze for a while and uttered hurriedly, ¡°I''ll go to Danontand


    to give you treatment.¡±


    ¡°Are you serious? You woulde here?¡± William was over the moon. However, he got worried again,


    and he said, ¡°No. I don''t want to drag you into anything.¡±


    ¡°That might not be a problem,¡± Robin chimed in. ¡°Isn''t the king looking for a doctor for you, Your


    Highness? Ms. Felch should just pretend to be your doctor. That way, those people aren''t going to


    harm her. After all, Ms. Felch had been hiding her identity when she was treating you before this.


    Those people won''t know who she is.¡±


    ¡°That might work.¡± William was hesitating. ¡°However, wouldn''t Mr. Lindberg be upset?¡±


    ¡°It''s not going to be a problem. He''s not that petty,¡± Francesca immediately answered. ¡°I still remember


    that you have a treatment room in your house, and it has all the medical tools I need. I''ll give you a list


    of medicines I need, okay? Help me get them. I''m going over to you tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Francesca!¡±


    ¡°I''m going to cure you. I promise you!¡±


    ¡°I have no idea.¡± William smiled wryly. ¡°Perhaps they''ll only be happy once I''m dead.¡±

 Chapter 2082

    Chapter 2082


    qAfter booking her flight to Danontand that night, Francesca waited for Danrique to call her.


    At that time, it waste at night in S Nation, and it was evening time where Danrique was.


    Logically speaking, he was supposed to call her after dealing with Hazel. However, he didn''t do that.


    Francesca was sad and slightly angry.


    Initially, Francesca nned to tell Danrique about her trip to Danontand on the phone because she


    didn''t want him to get angry without knowing why she had to go there. Since he''s not calling me to


    exin his rtionship with Hazel, I''m not going to tell him about the trip. After all, it''s also his


    responsibility to keep this rtionship going!


    The next morning during breakfast, Francesca told Anthony about her trip to Danontand. She also


    reminded Anthony to take his medication on time and visit the orphanage.


    Anthony frowned and asked, ¡°Why are you going to Danontand at this time? Are you going to look for


    Prince William?¡±


    ¡°His sickness is acting up again, and his condition is worse than before. Since he''s stuck there, I''m


    going to him,¡± Francesca exined.


    ¡°Is there such a coincidence?¡± Anthony was unconvinced. ¡°Is he just looking for an excuse to get you to


    go over to him?¡±


    ¡°Exactly! Why are you going to Danontand all of a sudden? Does Mr. Lindberg know about it?¡± Kerrie


    asked anxiously.


    ¡°I haven''t told him yet.¡± Francesca drank her milk and said, ¡°Regardless, I think he''s going to know


    about it soon.¡±


    Francesca spoke about it during breakfast so that Kerrie would hear about it.


    She knew Kerrie had been reporting her activities to Sean.


    ¡°I dislike Danrique, but I dislike Prince William even more.¡± Anthony frowned. ¡°I keep feeling like he''s


    trouble.¡±


    ¡°He''s so pretentious,¡± Kerrie blurted.


    ¡°Enough!¡± Francesca was fuming when she scolded, ¡°Don''t talk about my friend like that!¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry, Ms. Felch,¡± Kerrie quickly apologized.


    The Lindberg family''s rules were very strict, and she had always been careful with her words and


    behavior. Nevertheless, she had been with Francesca for too long, so she gradually forgot how to


    behave herself.


    Anthony merely looked at Francesca sheepishly and kept mum.


    ¡°I''ll pack up and go to the airport.¡± Francesca put the utensils aside and reminded, ¡°Kerrie, look after


    Anthony while I''m away.¡±


    ¡°What? Are you not bringing me along, Ms. Felch?¡± Kerrie was getting anxious. ¡°Mr. Lindberg said I


    should always protect you.¡±


    ¡°I have work to do there, and you''ll be a disturbance.¡± Francesca was getting impatient. ¡°Stay here and


    look after Anthony. That''s what you need to help me with.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°No buts! Just do as I say!¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Kerrie didn''t dare to utter another word.


    Francesca then went upstairs to pack. After helping Anthony back to his room to rest, Kerrie went back


    to her room to call Sean.


    The phone rang for a long time, but no one picked up. It''s three something in the morning in Xendale.


    Is Sean sleeping?


    Half an hourter, Sean still hadn''t replied, so Kerrie was overwhelmed with anxiety.


    By then, Francesca was done packing, and she had gone downstairs to bid Anthony goodbye. After


    that, she was going to drive to the airport.


    Anthony was worried about her, so he reminded her, ¡°Take care of yourself, okay? Call me if you need


    anything.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Francesca merely waved without turning back. With that, she got into her car and sped off.


    When Kerrie rushed out of her room, Francesca had already left. Anxious, she quickly called Sean


    again.


    This time around, he picked up. Kerrie told Sean that Francesca was going to Danontand, and she


    asked, ¡°Ms. Felch had already gone to the airport. What should I do?¡±


    ¡°You''re not going to catch up to her if you go after her now. Even if you could, there''s no point if Ms.


    Felch isn''t bringing you to Danontand.¡±


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°W-What should I do, then?¡±


    ¡°I''ll report this to Mr. Lindberg. He''ll decide what to do,¡± Sean answered.


    ¡°All right.¡± Kerrie didn''t dare to utter another word.

 Chapter 2083

    Chapter 2083


    qSean arrived outside Danrique''s room and was about to knock on the door. Right then, he


    remembered how busy Danrique had been as he was dealing with work. He hadn''t slept in three days,


    and he had finally fallen asleep tonight. I shouldn''t wake him up, right?


    With that in mind, he retracted his hand. Since he can''t change a thing about it anymore, I should just


    wait for him to wake up and report the situation to him.


    Just like that, he waited for four hours.


    When Danrique woke up in the morning, he went downstairs for breakfast.


    With a teacup in his hand, he froze momentarily when Sean told him about the situation. With a frown,


    he asked, ¡°When did this happen?¡±


    ¡°Four hours ago,¡± Sean answered sheepishly. ¡°I thought you''d been busy these few days and could


    finally sleep. Hence, I didn''t want to wake you up. After all, there was nothing you could do at that


    point.¡±


    ¡°Who gave you the right to make such decisions on your own?¡± Danrique mmed the teacup on the


    table and fumed, ¡°You''re getting bolder, aren''t you?¡±


    ¡°Calm down, Mr. Lindberg.¡± Sean lowered his head and fell silent.


    Danrique whipped out his phone and called Francesca.


    However, he couldn''t get through to her. She''s still on the ne, isn''t she? Fine! When I asked her to


    come to Erihal, she told me she was busy and that she needed to take care of someone and the


    orphanage. However, she could just pack up and leave for another man. It seems like I don''t mean


    anything to her at all.


    The more Danrique thought about it, the more his anger brewed. He then swept all the things on the


    table to the ground angrily.


    The bodyguards and the maids were frightened, and they all retreated to the side to avoid getting into


    trouble.


    After a long while, Danrique regained hisposure and ordered calmly, ¡°Go and find out what''s going


    on with William.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Sean knew what Danrique wanted to find out, so he quickly ryed the message to Gordon.


    Danrique then calmly left the dining room and instructed tly, ¡°Get the car ready. I''m going to the


    office.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Lindberg.¡±


    Mylo quickly got people to send the car over. After that, he pulled Sean to the side and asked, ¡°Sean,


    what do you think is going on with Mr. Lindberg? Judging by his usual personality, he should be getting


    on a ne as soon as possible to meet up with Ms. Felch, no? Why is he so calm now?¡±


    Sean gave aconic reply by saying, ¡°Perhaps he''s nning on doing something else.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Mylo didn''t understand what he meant.


    Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    ¡°Cut the cr*p and get on with your duties,¡± Sean urged.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Danrique went straight to the office without doing anything about the matter.


    However, he had a stern expression throughout the day, and his cold temperament was giving


    everyone chills.


    A bad feeling rose from within Sloan as he witnessed Danrique''s behavior. He then secretly gave


    Francesca a phone call.


    It took a while for the call to be connected. ¡°Hello!¡±


    ¡°Ms. Felch?¡± Sloan heard an announcementing from an airport, so he asked, ¡°Are you... in


    Danontand already?¡±


    ¡°Even you know about it? The news traveled rather fast, didn''t it?¡± Francesca rolled her eyes. I knew it!


    Danrique told Kerrie to be by my side so that she could watch me.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg threw a huge tantrum, and he had even scolded Sean.¡± Sloan covered his mouth and


    whispered, ¡°Ms. Felch, quickly give Mr. Lindberg a call and give him an exnation, okay?¡±


    ¡°What is there to exin?¡± Francesca couldn''t be bothered. ¡°It''s not like he''s exining things to me.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°Is he doing anything about it?¡± Francesca asked curiously. After Danrique found out about it, would he


    fly to Danontand right away, or would he call me and lecture me?


    ¡°All that I know is that Mr. Lindberg had thrown a huge tantrum.¡± Obviously, Sloan wasn''t going to tell


    her that Danrique had ordered someone to investigate William.


    ¡°Where is he now? Is he at home or at the office?¡± Francesca asked.


    ¡°He''s at the office,¡± Sloan whispered. ¡°His expression had been grim all day long, and we''re all getting


    anxious.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry. He''s not going to do anything to you guys. All right. I need to get to work now. Thank you


    for the update, Sloan,¡± Francesca answered.


    It took a while for the call to be connected. ¡°Hello!¡±

 Chapter 2084

    Chapter 2084


    qAfter hanging up the phone, Francesca checked her call log and saw a missed call from Danrique.


    She missed the call because she was still on the ne. He didn''t even leave me a text.


    Francesca was contemting whether to call him back. He didn''t exin anything to me about his


    meeting with Hazel. Why should I exin anything to him?


    Upon that thought, Francesca kept her phone and walked out of the airport with her luggage.


    ¡°Are you Ms. Felch?¡± Suddenly, a few suited men stopped Francesca in her tracks and said, ¡°His


    Majesty sent us. Pleasee with us.¡±


    Before Francesca arrived, William had already told the king about her. The king then sent her an


    invitation, so she went to Danontand as a doctor for William.


    Hence, it was normal for the king to send men over to fetch her.


    However, Francesca sensed something amiss. Before she could ask them anything, those men had


    surrounded her, and they were rushing for her to get to their car.


    Francesca immediately knew something was up. She wouldn''t get into their car, and she said, ¡°Prince


    William said he was going to send people here to fetch me. I''d better give him a call first.¡±


    ¡°That''s not necessary. Please hop in.¡± One of the bodyguards was pushing Francesca into the car.


    Francesca furrowed her brows, and she was about to fight back. Right at that moment, a familiar voice


    sounded. ¡°Dr. Felch!¡±


    She turned toward the voice and saw Robin. He was apanied by a few pce guards and an old


    military officer.


    Robin bowed and smiled before saying, ¡°Everyone, this is the doctor His Majesty had invited over for


    His Highness. I''ll bring her to His Highness right away to save you guys the trouble.¡±


    He was extremely humble and courteous to those bodyguards.


    Those bodyguards didn''t want to cause a scene in public. However, they had their orders, so they said,


    ¡°We''re just obeying orders from¡ª¡±


    ¡°Orders? Whose orders?¡± The old military officer stepped forward and asked sternly, ¡°Did His Majesty


    order you guys to bring this doctor back to the pce? Why didn''t I hear anything about it? Should I


    call to seek a confirmation?¡±


    Those bodyguards'' expressions changed immediately when they saw the military officer. After they


    bowed, they hastily left with their heads hung low.


    Robin heaved a sigh of relief and bowed to the old military officer. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Faulkner!¡±


    ¡°His Majesty is a busy man, so he wouldn''t have the time to pay attention to trivial matters like this.


    Who knew that someone would take advantage of the situation? Fortunately, you found me in the nick


    of time. Otherwise, Prince William''s treatment would''ve gotten dyed. That would be bad,¡± Ss


    Faulkner uttered in a helpless tone.


    She turned toword the voice ond sow Robin. He wos oponied by o few poloce guords ond on old


    militory officer.


    Robin bowed ond smiled before soying, ¡°Everyone, this is the doctor His Mojesty hod invited over for


    His Highness. I''ll bring her to His Highness right owoy to sove you guys the trouble.¡±


    He wos extremely humble ond courteous to those bodyguords.


    Those bodyguords didn''t wont to couse o scene in public. However, they hod their orders, so they soid,


    ¡°We''re just obeying orders from¡ª¡±


    ¡°Orders? Whose orders?¡± The old militory officer stepped forword ond osked sternly, ¡°Did His Mojesty


    order you guys to bring this doctor bock to the poloce? Why didn''t I heor onything obout it? Should I


    coll to seek o confirmotion?¡±


    Those bodyguords'' expressions chonged immediotely when they sow the militory officer. After they


    bowed, they hostily left with their heods hung low.


    Robin heoved o sigh of relief ond bowed to the old militory officer. ¡°Thonk you, Mr. Foulkner!¡±


    ¡°His Mojesty is o busy mon, so he wouldn''t hove the time to poy ottention to triviol motters like this.


    Who knew thot someone would toke odvontoge of the situotion? Fortunotely, you found me in the nick


    of time. Otherwise, Prince Williom''s treotment would''ve gotten deloyed. Thot would be bod,¡± Silos


    Foulkner uttered in o helpless tone.


    ¡°You''re right. Luckily, you''re here.¡± Robin heaved a sigh.


    ¡°His Majesty had been worried about His Highness'' health.¡± Ss patted his shoulder. ¡°Nheless,


    His Majesty is of age, so there are a lot of things he can''t oversee.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    Original content from N?velDrama.Org.


    After a brief small talk, Ss left with his subordinates. Before he left, he threw a nce at Francesca.


    ¡°I''m sorry for the trouble you had to go through, Ms. Felch. Let''s get into the car.¡± Robin didn''t wish to


    invite trouble to themselves, so he quickly dragged Francesca into the car.


    ¡°It seems like there are still a lot of conflicts in the pce.¡± Francesca checked the rearview mirror and


    noticed that they were being tailed.


    ¡°Quick! Let''s leave!¡± Robin urged. After that, he uttered helplessly, ¡°These people just won''t quit!¡±


    ¡°Let me.¡± Francesca switched seats with the driver and said, ¡°Set the destination.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± The driver quickly set the destination on the GPS navigator in the car.


    Francesca started the car and floored the elerator.


    The driver lost his bnce and almost smashed into the windshield. At the back, Robin fell off his seat,


    and he was frightened.


    Francesca was unfazed. She drove fast through the traffic and arrived at William''s castle in no time.

 Chapter 2085

    Chapter 2085


    qRobin and the two bodyguards descended the car on wobbly feet, their faces pale.


    William was already waiting at the door for Francesca. Initially stunned by the sight, heughed a


    secondter. ¡°Hah! Did Francesca drive?¡±


    Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    ¡°Somebody was following us. We had to shake them off quickly.¡±


    Francesca got out of the car and threw her key at a subordinate.


    ¡°Ms. Felch''s driving was sublime.¡±


    Robin finally regained hisposure and eximed to himself.


    ¡°Haha! You are old, Robin,¡± William teased with a smile before a bout of coughing overtook him.


    ¡°Your Highness!¡± Robin stepped forward at once to pat his back.


    ¡°Why are you so pale, William?¡± Francesca walked closer to examine William''s condition and reached


    out to feel his forehead. ¡°You have a fever.¡±


    ¡°It''s been a week, and this has been going on since the third day aftering back. My body


    temperature keeps fluctuating but never seems to drop back down.¡±


    ¡°It all depends on you now, Ms. Felch,¡± Robin said anxiously.


    ¡°Hush.¡± William frowned at Robin before gazing tenderly at Francesca. ¡°It''s not as serious as he says,


    Frannie. It''s only a mild fever, and it might be the fluctuating weather to which I have not grown


    ustomed.¡±


    ¡°Get inside first. I''ll examine you.¡±


    Francesca wheeled William indoors while Robin gestured at the servants to bring Francesca''s luggage


    and backpack in their wake.


    Bodyguards and pce folk filled both sides of the castle. All of them bowed at Francesca upon her


    entry as if she were the castle''s savior¡ªthe goddess who would decide their fate.


    After all, a devastating fate awaited them if William died.


    Once in the royal chambers, Francesca washed her hands before thoroughly examining William.


    She drew a conclusion after over an hour. ¡°You have been poisoned again!¡±


    Robin was shocked. ¡°Huh? How could that be? We have been exceedingly careful this time. We have


    tested all food and drinks before His Highness'' consumption.¡±


    ¡°This speaks volumes of the skill of our enemy in administering the poison.¡± Francesca took out a vial


    of medicine from her backpack and handed it to Robin. ¡°Three times a day, before meals. We''ll use the


    first one now.¡±


    ¡°At once.¡± Robin dashed off to fetch water for William.


    William did not feel any different after taking the medicine. ¡°Is it that serious, Frannie?¡± he asked


    Francesca.


    ¡°The enemy intends to kill you. What do you think?¡± Francesca retorted. ¡°The one who administered


    the poison is an expert.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± William urged.


    ¡°You have exhibited symptoms within several days. It shows that it''s not a slow-acting poison. However,


    it is not killing you outright. The enemy must be controlling the dosage to have you die by poisoning at


    an opportune moment.¡±


    Bodyguords ond poloce folk filled both sides of the costle. All of them bowed ot Froncesco upon her


    entry os if she were the costle''s sovior¡ªthe goddess who would decide their fote.


    After oll, o devostoting fote owoited them if Williom died.


    Once in the royol chombers, Froncesco woshed her honds before thoroughly exomining Williom.


    She drew o conclusion ofter over on hour. ¡°You hove been poisoned ogoin!¡±


    Robin wos shocked. ¡°Huh? How could thot be? We hove been exceedingly coreful this time. We hove


    tested oll food ond drinks before His Highness'' consumption.¡±


    ¡°This speoks volumes of the skill of our enemy in odministering the poison.¡± Froncesco took out o viol


    of medicine from her bockpock ond honded it to Robin. ¡°Three times o doy, before meols. We''ll use the


    first one now.¡±


    ¡°At once.¡± Robin doshed off to fetch woter for Williom.


    Williom did not feel ony different ofter toking the medicine. ¡°Is it thot serious, Fronnie?¡± he osked


    Froncesco.


    ¡°The enemy intends to kill you. Whot do you think?¡± Froncesco retorted. ¡°The one who odministered


    the poison is on expert.¡±


    ¡°Whot do you meon?¡± Williom urged.


    ¡°You hove exhibited symptoms within severol doys. It shows thot it''s not o slow-octing poison. However,


    it is not killing you outright. The enemy must be controlling the dosoge to hove you die by poisoning ot


    on opportune moment.¡±


    Francesca studied the markings on the needle and provided an assertive analysis.


    ¡°How despicable!¡± Robin was enraged. ¡°Our prince does not fight nor conquer; he wants only to lead a


    quiet life. Why are we harassed to such a degree?¡±


    ¡°It''s no usementing now. The first order of business is to track down the origin of this poison as soon


    as possible.¡± Francesca gazed over the surroundings before addressing William, ¡°You need to clean


    your castle up, William.¡±


    ¡°As you say.¡± William nodded and raised his voice. ¡°Everybody, adhere to Ms. Felch''s arrangements!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± chorused Robin and the group of subordinates and servants in unison.


    After obtaining William''s permission, Francesca ordered decisively, ¡°Man all the entry and exit points,


    Robin. Nobody shall pass through within the next twelve hours. And nobody is allowed to have contact


    with the outside world.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ms. Felch.¡± Robin conveyed the order.


    ¡°Solve the problem at the source,¡± Francesca added to Robin as she nced at her watch. ¡°Have


    everybody gather at the door an hour from now. I will conduct an examination then.¡±

 Chapter 2086

    Chapter 2086


    q¡°Yes, Ms. Felch.¡± Robin left at once to execute her orders.


    ¡°Now, I wish to examine the master tap of your water source, the tap in your room, and the storage


    room.¡± Francesca picked up her backpack.


    ¡°I''lle with you.¡±


    William made a gesture, and a servant stepped forth at once to wheel him to apany Francesca in


    her investigation.


    ¡°Are you suspecting somebody of poisoning the water source, Frannie?¡± William asked.


    ¡°You should have already guessed that you''ve been poisoned and had quietly conducted an


    investigation,¡± Francesca inferred.


    ¡°You are so clever.¡± William sighed.


    ¡°Through your prior investigation, it''s in that the kitchen and everywhere else contained nothing out


    of the ordinary. If that''s the case, the problem lies in the dark,¡± Francesca surmised. ¡°Aside from the


    water source and the storage room, I can''t think of anywhere else.¡±


    ¡°We have considered the water source actually,¡± William said. ¡°Everybody in the castle drink from the


    same source I do. How would they be fine if the water source is contaminated?¡±


    ¡°How do you know they are fine?¡± Francesca argued.


    William was taken aback. The servants began to panic.


    ¡°All of your brows are unnaturally dark,¡± Francesca dered gravely. ¡°That is a symptom of mild


    poisoning. The poison showed upon your brow because of the nature of your constitution and your


    consumption of medication. That exins why your reaction is more visible. To be blunt, if I came over


    in another few months, I''m afraid that not a single living thing would be left in this castle. It will have


    be a ghost town!¡±


    At those words, everybody turned pale with fright.


    ¡°How vicious of them!¡±


    William shook with anger. Usually calm and assertive, he could not control his emotions at that


    moment.


    ¡°Fortunately, it''s not toote.¡±


    Francesca then examined the water source and discovered something. The poison was subtle and


    difficult to trace but would be fatal after a long and gradual umtion within the body.


    William''s bodily reaction to it appeared quickly, firstly because he was a yearlong invalid of a weak


    constitution and secondly because he had been consuming Francesca''s medicine.


    The reaction arose because the medicine shed with the poison.


    It was also due to the reaction''s speed that precautions could be taken on time.


    Otherwise, William would only exhibit symptoms several monthster like the others. By then,


    Francesca would not be able to do anything, no matter how prodigious her medical skills were.


    Before apanying Francesca to investigate the storage room, William had somebody turn off the


    water supply. She looked around closely and found a box of sealed essential oils.


    She had somebody open it, then personally examine a sample with a silver needle, only to discover


    something wrong with the bottle of oil.


    At those words, everybody turned pole with fright.


    ¡°How vicious of them!¡±


    Williom shook with onger. Usuolly colm ond ossertive, he could not control his emotions ot thot


    moment.


    ¡°Fortunotely, it''s not too lote.¡±


    Froncesco then exomined the woter source ond discovered something. The poison wos subtle ond


    difficult to troce but would be fotol ofter o long ond groduol umulotion within the body.


    Williom''s bodily reoction to it oppeored quickly, firstly becouse he wos o yeorlong involid of o weok


    constitution ond secondly becouse he hod been consuming Froncesco''s medicine.


    The reoction orose becouse the medicine closhed with the poison.


    It wos olso due to the reoction''s speed thot precoutions could be token on time.


    Otherwise, Williom would only exhibit symptoms severol months loter like the others. By then,


    Froncesco would not be oble to do onything, no motter how prodigious her medicol skills were.


    Before oponying Froncesco to investigote the storoge room, Williom hod somebody turn off the


    woter supply. She looked oround closely ond found o box of seoled essentiol oils.


    She hod somebody open it, then personolly exomine o somple with o silver needle, only to discover


    something wrong with the bottle of oil.


    ¡°These essential oils are specially for my use,¡± William exined. ¡°As I suffer from insomnia, I require


    lavender to induce sleep. I have been ordering them from an old friend, and he probably wouldn''t harm


    me...¡±


    ¡°I don''t know who it is that is harming you. The bottom line is that there is something wrong with the


    essential oils.¡± She was sure as she went on, ¡°I am only responsible for identifying thingsced with


    poison. As for the person who did it, you need to figure that out yourself.¡±


    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°Understood.¡± William nodded.


    At that moment, a servant came to report that the crowd had gathered at the door in wait.


    Francesca and William headed toward the door. ¡°Have there been any neers to the castle of


    late?¡±


    ¡°No, it''s always been the loyal servants left by my parents,¡± Williammented. ¡°Only some close


    bodyguards around me were hired two years ago. The rest have been around for a while. I don''t think


    they would harm me.¡±


    ¡°I hope so. But man''s motives remain unfathomable.¡±


    Francesca did not say much else as she followed William to the entrance.


    Bodyguards, soldiers, maids, and servants who totaled up to seventy to eighty stood in a neat row at


    the entrance to await Francesca''s interrogation.


    The bodyguards and the soldiers appeared rtively calm as they were used to significant events.


    On the other hand, the servants and the maids stood shivering in nervousness and fear.

 Chapter 2087

    Chapter 2087


    qWilliam and Robin were both curious as to how Francesca might opt to approach that.


    Though aware of how remarkable her medical expertise was, they were surprised that she also knew


    how to oversee an interrogation.


    Francesca looked those people over before she dered with finality, ¡°You''re all in the clear and may


    leave now.¡±


    Everyone was stunned to hear that.


    The maids exchanged befuddled looks amongst themselves, and even the bodyguards and soldiers


    were quite confounded. None of them were unable toprehend how Francesca managed to arrive


    at that conclusion. Could it be that the answer was written on all of our faces?


    On Robin''s face was a look of bafflement as well. ¡°Are you saying that you are letting them go, Ms.


    Felch?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. You are all dismissed. Go on back to your posts.¡± Francesca pped her hands.


    Looking toward William who nodded in assent, Robin could only follow through ordingly and


    disperse them.


    ¡°What are we to do next?¡± Robin asked Francesca respectfully.


    ¡°That is for the two of you to decide.¡± Francesca then turned to William. ¡°Now that we have found the


    proof, would you like to invite Federico over? Shall we let him have a look at the evidence so that we


    could find the real culprit and set things right for you?¡±


    ¡°It wouldn''t help.¡± William put on a bitter smile. ¡°In spite of having identified the problem, we still haven''t


    found the perpetrator, and even if we did, it''ll be pointless if we aren''t able to ferret out whoever is


    behind all of this.¡±


    ¡°Then what do you intend to do about it? Keep allowing yourself to get pushed around?¡± Francesca


    asked.


    ¡°I won''t. I know what I''m doing. Since they won''t let me off even if I stayed away, I might as well take


    the fight straight to them,¡± replied William in a low voice, narrowing his eyes.


    ¡°That''s the spirit,¡± Francesca said encouragingly. ¡°Even though we don''t want to hurt others, we can''t


    let them walk all over us either. Otherwise, the people around you will wind up suffering as well.¡±


    ¡°You''re right about that.¡± William nodded firmly. ¡°I won''t be a sitting duck, but I have to consider this


    matter at length.¡±


    ¡°Take your time and think it over.¡± Francesca kept it brief. ¡°I''d advise you to gather the evidence and


    resolve the issue with the water as soon as possible. And...¡±


    Francesca then looked toward Robin. ¡°We still have eleven hours. You may want to keep an eye on the


    sluice gate to see if anyone shows up there or makes any attempt to establish contact with outsiders.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Only then did Robine to the realization that what Francesca did previously was merely a


    strategical retreat to lure the mole into the open.


    ¡°I don''t think that there is a spy among us,¡± William said with a frown. ¡°Since the water source could just


    as likely have been poisoned from the outside, it might not have been done by one of our own.¡±


    ¡°I have no doubt that the poisoning has been done by someone from the outside, yes.¡± Francesca


    nodded. ¡°But they must have had a coborator on the inside passing on information to them. How else


    would they have found out about my arrival in Danontand and showed up at the airport to intercept


    me?¡±


    ¡°I won''t. I know whot I''m doing. Since they won''t let me off even if I stoyed owoy, I might os well toke


    the fight stroight to them,¡± replied Williom in o low voice, norrowing his eyes.


    ¡°Thot''s the spirit,¡± Froncesco soid encourogingly. ¡°Even though we don''t wont to hurt others, we con''t


    let them wolk oll over us either. Otherwise, the people oround you will wind up suffering os well.¡±


    ¡°You''re right obout thot.¡± Williom nodded firmly. ¡°I won''t be o sitting duck, but I hove to consider this


    motter ot length.¡±


    ¡°Toke your time ond think it over.¡± Froncesco kept it brief. ¡°I''d odvise you to gother the evidence ond


    resolve the issue with the woter os soon os possible. And...¡±


    Froncesco then looked toword Robin. ¡°We still hove eleven hours. You moy wont to keep on eye on the


    sluice gote to see if onyone shows up there or mokes ony ottempt to estoblish contoct with outsiders.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Only then did Robine to the reolizotion thot whot Froncesco did previously wos merely o


    strotegicol retreot to lure the mole into the open.


    ¡°I don''t think thot there is o spy omong us,¡± Williom soid with o frown. ¡°Since the woter source could just


    os likely hove been poisoned from the outside, it might not hove been done by one of our own.¡±


    ¡°I hove no doubt thot the poisoning hos been done by someone from the outside, yes.¡± Froncesco


    nodded. ¡°But they must hove hod o colloborotor on the inside possing on informotion to them. How else


    would they hove found out obout my orrivol in Donontond ond showed up ot the oirport to intercept


    me?¡±


    ¡°You''ve got a point there.¡± William concurred with a nod.


    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°Could they have gotten the information from within the pce?¡± Robin suggested. ¡°Then again, the


    pce was merely aware that we''ve brought in a doctor. Only our own people knew about the flight


    information.¡±


    ¡°You guys ought to understand these things better than I do, so why do you still need me to remind you


    of this?¡± Francesca sighed and shook her head. ¡°No wonder you''re getting picked on to this extent,


    William.¡±


    ¡°You''re right, Francesca. I need to be a lot smarter going forward,¡± William replied with a smile.


    ¡°All right. I''m going back to my room to rest up. Work this out between yourselves and get a new water


    source as soon as possible. Otherwise, we''re going to start having problems addressing our basic


    needs. I''ll still need to shower and eat, you know.¡±


    Francesca yawned and made her way toward the stairs.


    ¡°Ms. Felch...¡± Robin promptly called out.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Francesca stopped and turned around to face him.


    ¡°Uh...¡± Robin had something he wanted to find out but was too apprehensive about asking. Hence, he


    could only nce meekly at William.


    ¡°You said that the others were all poisoned, so would you be able to prescribe them some medicine?¡±


    William spoke up on their behalf as he understood what was on Robin''s and the other subordinates''


    minds.


    ¡°That, I am aware of, but I haven''t brought enough medicine along. We can discuss this again in a


    couple of days,¡± Francesca replied casually. ¡°A mild case of poisoning isn''t going to kill them.¡±

 Chapter 2088

    Chapter 2088


    qWith that, Francesca went upstairs, leaving Robin and the other subordinates rooted to the spot.


    If they were already nervous before, hearing what Francesca said only served topound their


    unease.


    She herself stated that they had all been poisoned, but her reaction puzzled them to no end. It was as


    though they merely caught something as trivial as fever or a cold.


    ¡°I know Francesca. She''s got a good heart, so she won''t let anything happen to you all,¡± William said


    reassuringly.


    ¡°Right. Of course.¡± Robin nodded profusely in agreement. ¡°Don''t worry. Ms. Felch isn''t going to ignore


    us since she''s already aware that we''ve been poisoned.¡±


    ¡°Understood...¡± The subordinates were finally able to rx.


    ¡°For the time being, don''t let the rest of them know about the poisoning, lest everyone panics,¡± Robin


    instructed. ¡°Keep a close eye on the water source and the storage room tonight, and watch out for any


    suspicious characters.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Once he had made the necessary arrangements, Robin wheeled William back to the room.


    After he closed the door behind him, Robin opened a bottle of mineral water and passed it along to


    William. Then, he asked in rtive unease, ¡°I didn''t expect Ms. Felch to be this sharp. Do you think she


    would be able to expose our secret?¡±


    ¡°What secret? What is there to expose?¡±


    William red at Robin coldly in a manner that was a stark contrast with his usually gentle demeanor.


    ¡°Uh...¡± Robin hesitated, then hastily bowed his head. ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°Someone did try to poison us, and there is genuinely a problem with the water supply. We didn''t try to


    deceive Francesca in this regard,¡± cautioned William sternly. ¡°It''s just that this problem was known to


    me much earlier.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Of course.¡± Robin wiped the sweat off his brow as he nodded. ¡°Since we aren''t able to deal with


    the poison, we''d sooner orter need to summon Ms. Felch. It''s just that things would be different if she


    were to uncover the problem herself. But It just urred to me that Ms. Felch may be much smarter


    than I had anticipated, and she''s quite the character too. I''m concerned that she''d get upset and quit on


    us if she were to sense something amiss...¡±


    ¡°Firstly, I believe that Francesca is not only a responsible person but also apassionate one. She


    wouldn''t leave us in the lurch even if she does get mad at us. Secondly, only you and I are in the know


    about this, so no one would find out so long as you don''t speak of it. Besides, I wasn''t seeking to harm


    anyone. I just found out about the problem with the water source much earlier but chose not to give


    anything away in order to lure the culprit out, that''s all.¡± William spoke resolutely and unapologetically.


    ¡°Yes. You''re right about that.¡± That helped calm Robin down somewhat. ¡°But what''s our next step?¡±


    ¡°Did Ss see Francesca at the airport today?¡± William asked.


    ¡°He did, and he looked at Ms. Felch quite meaningfully before he left. I''m sure he would look into Ms.


    Felch''s background when he returned, and ought to have found out that she''s the legendary doctor


    Francesco by now,¡± Robin said. He was meticulous.


    ¡°Someone did try to poison us, ond there is genuinely o problem with the woter supply. We didn''t try to


    deceive Froncesco in this regord,¡± coutioned Williom sternly. ¡°It''s just thot this problem wos known to


    me much eorlier.¡±


    All content is ? N0velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Yes. Of course.¡± Robin wiped the sweot off his brow os he nodded. ¡°Since we oren''t oble to deol with


    the poison, we''d sooner or loter need to summon Ms. Felch. It''s just thot things would be different if she


    were to uncover the problem herself. But It just urred to me thot Ms. Felch moy be much smorter


    thon I hod onticipoted, ond she''s quite the chorocter too. I''m concerned thot she''d get upset ond quit on


    us if she were to sense something omiss...¡±


    ¡°Firstly, I believe thot Froncesco is not only o responsible person but olso opossionote one. She


    wouldn''t leove us in the lurch even if she does get mod ot us. Secondly, only you ond I ore in the know


    obout this, so no one would find out so long os you don''t speok of it. Besides, I wosn''t seeking to horm


    onyone. I just found out obout the problem with the woter source much eorlier but chose not to give


    onything owoy in order to lure the culprit out, thot''s oll.¡± Williom spoke resolutely ond unopologeticolly.


    ¡°Yes. You''re right obout thot.¡± Thot helped colm Robin down somewhot. ¡°But whot''s our next step?¡±


    ¡°Did Silos see Froncesco ot the oirport todoy?¡± Williom osked.


    ¡°He did, ond he looked ot Ms. Felch quite meoningfully before he left. I''m sure he would look into Ms.


    Felch''s bockground when he returned, ond ought to hove found out thot she''s the legendory doctor


    Froncesco by now,¡± Robin soid. He wos meticulous.


    ¡°Get in touch with Ss and let him know that Francesca has discovered the problem with the water


    source,¡± William instructed in a low voice. ¡°Be sure to emphasize the seriousness of the situation and to


    highlight that all eighty-three people in the castle had been poisoned alongside me. Francesca also


    said all eighty-over of the people living inside this castle would have perished had she arrived a few


    monthste, and this castle could easily have been turned into a graveyard. We must have His Majesty


    be the judge of such a horrific act!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    It was at that moment William''s true intentions became evident to Robin.


    When William realized that he had been poisoned a few days back, he quickly took Robin with him to


    investigate the water source. They were able to uncover the underlying issue fairly quickly.


    Back then, Robin was enraged and wanted to inform Federico about it right away, but the oddly calm


    William talked him out of doing so.


    Afterward, William even got him to partake in an act to lure Francesca over.


    Robin had thought William''s intentions were to let Francesca uncover the truth for herself so that she


    might empathize with him and, perhaps, develop feelings for him as a result.


    It was only now that Robin realized that the prince who he served was more judicious and farsighted


    than he had previously imagined.

 Chapter 2089

    Chapter 2089


    q¡°A single decision separates victory and defeat,¡± said a solemn William with eyes narrowed. ¡°All these


    years, we had endured countless acts of cruelty, humiliation, and intrigue from them. This shall decide


    whether we''ll be able to turn our fortunes around for ourselves!¡±


    ¡°Rest assured, Your Highness. I know what to say.¡± Robin nodded firmly. ¡°I don''t think we should try to


    discuss this over the phone. Instead, I should hurry over to the pce to exin the situation to Ss in


    person tonight, then request for an audience with His Majesty himself.¡±


    ¡°Let''s not get too far ahead of ourselves. We''ll need to approach this with intentionality.¡± William


    narrowed his eyes and dissected the situation in detail. ¡°It isn''t the first time that the other factions


    within the family tried to harm me, so do you really think His Majesty is still oblivious to it after so many


    years? He definitely knows about it but being advanced in age, going all out to suppress those


    heartless beasts would likelye to him at a great personal cost, so he may have thought an isted


    and useless cripple like me is not worth the effort. Hence, we must find the right opportunity if we were


    to convince His Majesty to take action against them. This here is exactly what we need.¡±


    He continued, ¡°It is therefore imperative that we bring this matter to light through someone else''s hand


    before attempting to take it up with His Majesty. It has to be done by a figure who is recognized and


    respected globally. Out of fear that word might spread and damage the royal family''s reputation and


    without the option of silencing this person, he would be forced to investigate the matter.¡±


    ¡°This is what makes Ms. Felch the perfect candidate.¡± Robin realized. ¡°Not only is the miracle doctor


    Francesco highly regarded in the field of medicine internationally, but she''s also Mr. Lindberg''s fianc¨¦e.


    Neither His Majesty nor the rest of them would darey a finger on her or simply dismiss any of the


    things she says...¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡± William''s eyes evoked a sliver of contrite. ¡°Francesca would surely end up hating me should


    she uncover the truth one day, but I have no choice...¡±


    ¡°Don''t be so hard on yourself,¡± Robin said in constion. ¡°Actually, this matter won''t cause Ms. Felch


    any harm. As the reputation of the royal family is at stake, no one would likely dare to breathe a word of


    it. Her cover will thus remain intact. On top of it, you''d tried everything you could to convince Ss to


    apany me to the airport to receive her for her protection. Now, her safety is further assured since


    she will be staying close to you all this time. Even if they wanted to seek revenge on her afterward, her


    rtionship with Mr. Lindberg as his fianc¨¦e would likely make them think twice.¡±


    ¡°That being said, the fact remains that I have deceived her.¡± William let out a helpless sigh. ¡°We won''t


    be able to keep this from her for long and with Danrique''s personality, he''d probably find his way here


    very soon. As such, we must seek to resolve this quickly.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Robin nodded profusely. ¡°But what concerns me the most is the influence wielded by the other


    wives. Even if His Majesty were to investigate, would he opt to simply make a show of it before finding


    a few scapegoats to take the fall?¡±


    ¡°This is whot mokes Ms. Felch the perfect condidote.¡± Robin reolized. ¡°Not only is the mirocle doctor


    Froncesco highly regorded in the field of medicine internotionolly, but she''s olso Mr. Lindberg''s fionc¨¦e.


    Neither His Mojesty nor the rest of them would dore loy o finger on her or simply dismiss ony of the


    things she soys...¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡± Williom''s eyes evoked o sliver of contrite. ¡°Froncesco would surely end up hoting me should


    she uncover the truth one doy, but I hove no choice...¡±


    ¡°Don''t be so hord on yourself,¡± Robin soid in consolotion. ¡°Actuolly, this motter won''t couse Ms. Felch


    ony horm. As the reputotion of the royol fomily is ot stoke, no one would likely dore to breothe o word of


    it. Her cover will thus remoin intoct. On top of it, you''d tried everything you could to convince Silos to


    opony me to the oirport to receive her for her protection. Now, her sofety is further ossured since


    she will be stoying close to you oll this time. Even if they wonted to seek revenge on her ofterword, her


    relotionship with Mr. Lindberg os his fionc¨¦e would likely moke them think twice.¡±


    ¡°Thot being soid, the foct remoins thot I hove deceived her.¡± Williom let out o helpless sigh. ¡°We won''t


    be oble to keep this from her for long ond with Donrique''s personolity, he''d probobly find his woy here


    very soon. As such, we must seek to resolve this quickly.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Robin nodded profusely. ¡°But whot concerns me the most is the influence wielded by the other


    wives. Even if His Mojesty were to investigote, would he opt to simply moke o show of it before finding


    o few scopegoots to toke the foll?¡±


    ¡°We haven''t been preparing for this all these years for nothing,¡± said William with a frown. ¡°So long as


    he is willing to look into it, we''d be able to seize the chance to roll out all the evidence we''ve gathered


    over the years, and make them public if need be. That way, His Majesty would have no choice but to


    respond decisively!¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Robin gasped. ¡°So, you''ve already had this all nned out all along. Why didn''t you tell me


    about them sooner? I was worried.¡±


    ¡°Francesca is too clever and would be suspicious if you were to give off any telltale signs. That


    was why I kept this even from you,¡± William exined. ¡°But things are different now. Everyone knows


    about the poisoning incident, so it would be justifiable even if you were to bring it to His Majesty''s


    attention thiste at night.¡±


    ¡°Then why did you insist that it was useless to report this to His Majesty when Ms. Felch suggested it


    just now?¡± Robin remained somewhat confused.


    ¡°In Francesca''s opinion, I had always been a good-natured and meek fellow. If I were to order you to


    report the incident, when the other families are ruined in the future, she''d think that I''m vicious. Hence, I


    needed her to encourage me to go ahead with it. That way, she wouldn''t me me for whateveres


    next,¡± William exined impassively.Original content from N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 2090

    Chapter 2090


    q¡°I see.¡± Realization dawned on Robin. ¡°You sure are meticulous, but I believe Ms. Felch is a


    reasonable person. She will not me you for what you''ve done. Those people were plotting to harm


    you. Anyone with a right mind would retaliate.¡±


    ¡°You might be right, but people will always sympathize with the weak, especially doctors.¡± William was


    certain about what he had just said. ¡°Francesca might be on my side now, but when she hears the


    piteous wails of those families in the future, she might waver...¡±


    A bitter smile formed on William''s lips as he spoke. ¡°Just like my beloved grandpa. Does he really not


    know how my parents died?¡±


    He knows. Nevertheless, when the other families begged and pleaded for mercy, his heart softened,


    and he decided not to punish them as they were his flesh and blood. After all, those who died can


    never be revived, but those who are alive have to continue living. As ironic as it is, it''s part of human


    nature.


    William raised his head and looked out the window, staring at the countless stars shining in the vast


    night sky. Mixed emotions filled his gaze.


    Great sorrow was written on his face as he remembered something grievous.


    Soon, however, the sorrow was reced by a chilling sense of hatred.


    Twenty years had passed. When he was five, he had been pushed off a horse by his cousin and was


    trampled on the ground by the horse, which resulted in him being severely injured and crippled. After


    the incident, he had overheard that it was all a scheme.


    The only way topletely destroy thest hope of William''s family was to kill off everyone in the


    household. They had wanted William dead.


    Fortunately, he did not lose his life. Instead, he became disabled.


    Because of that, they had spared his life.


    However, ever since that incident, William knew that the sole reason he was still alive was to take


    revenge.


    William had always kept a low profile, but recently, he had intentionally revealed to the public that the


    company he had founded had made it to the list of wealthiestpanies to make his enemies feel


    threatened.


    Following that, he returned to Danontand to pay respects to histe parents when his treatment came


    to a temporary halt.


    He did that to give his enemies an opportunity to strike.


    All content is ? N0velDrama.Org.


    Nevertheless, William met Federico upon return, his grandfather whom he had not seen in a long time.


    Federico was proud to learn that thepany William had founded obtained such brilliant


    achievements and had hinted to everyone in the extended family that they were to live peacefully with


    one another.


    Therefore, they did not dare to harm William grantly, but rather in secret.


    That gave William the perfect chance to turn things around.


    After all, he had Francesca as his trump card in hand.


    ¡°Rest assured, Your Highness. I will get the job done.¡±


    Robin had grown up with William''s father and had witnessed every tear and everyughter in the


    household. He was also with William every step of the way when thetter crawled his way to the top.


    It was truly a journey filled with blood, sweat, and tears.


    From the bottom of his heart, Robin hoped that William could get the revenge he so righteously


    deserved.


    Fortunotely, he did not lose his life. Insteod, he be disobled.


    Becouse of thot, they hod spored his life.


    However, ever since thot incident, Williom knew thot the sole reoson he wos still olive wos to toke


    revenge.


    Williom hod olwoys kept o low profile, but recently, he hod intentionolly reveoled to the public thot the


    compony he hod founded hod mode it to the list of weolthiestponies to moke his enemies feel


    threotened.


    Following thot, he returned to Donontond to poy respects to his lote porents when his treotmente


    to o temporory holt.


    He did thot to give his enemies on opportunity to strike.


    Nevertheless, Williom met Federico upon return, his grondfother whom he hod not seen in o long time.


    Federico wos proud to leorn thot thepony Williom hod founded obtoined such brilliont


    ochievements ond hod hinted to everyone in the extended fomily thot they were to live peocefully with


    one onother.


    Therefore, they did not dore to horm Williom flogrontly, but rother in secret.


    Thot gove Williom the perfect chonce to turn things oround.


    After oll, he hod Froncesco os his trump cord in hond.


    ¡°Rest ossured, Your Highness. I will get the job done.¡±


    Robin hod grown up with Williom''s fother ond hod witnessed every teor ond every loughter in the


    household. He wos olso with Williom every step of the woy when the lotter crowled his woy to the top.


    It wos truly o journey filled with blood, sweot, ond teors.


    From the bottom of his heort, Robin hoped thot Williom could get the revenge he so righteously


    deserved.


    Wheeling his wheelchair to the side of the window, William narrowed his eyes as he stared at the


    people outside. ¡°Those lot has been staring at us for a while now. If you leave now, you would most


    likely be murdered before you even made it to the pce.¡±


    ¡°I owe my life to your father, Your Highness. If I have to sacrifice myself for the sake of your revenge, it


    would not be counted as a loss!¡±


    Robin had decided to risk it all.


    ¡°You''re not going to die. If you die, who''s going to help me?¡± After a moment of pondering, William took


    out his phone and scrolled through his contacts. ¡°I''ll give His Majesty a call right now. He should ask


    Ss to pick you up.¡±


    ¡°Would His Majesty agree?¡± Robin was a little concerned.


    ¡°Ever since I became disabled when I was five, I have borne the humiliation until now. For twenty


    years, I have never asked him for anything. I did not even speak a word about those who bullied me.


    Right now, I''m only requesting that you go meet him in my ce. It would only be polite to ept such


    a request.¡±


    William was full of confidence.


    ¡°This is the first favor you''ve ever asked from His Majesty, and you''re using it on me? Don''t you think


    it''s a waste, Your Highness?¡± Robin asked quickly.


    ¡°I told you, a single decision separates victory and defeat. Right now, you are the key that will


    determine the oue. I need to make sure that you stay safe.¡±


    With that being said, William dialed Federico''s number.


    Within seconds, Federico answered the call, sounding pleasantly surprised. ¡°William? You haven''t


    called me in so long.¡±

 Chapter 2091

    Chapter 2091


    q¡°You''re right, Grandpa.¡± William''s voice sounded weak over the phone.


    ¡°What''s wrong? Are you sick? Your voice sounds different,¡± Federico inquired out of concern.


    William did not speak as he brewed his emotions.


    Robin stood aside and watched as William clenched his fists so tightly that his veins popped out, his


    eyes bloodshot. He got so anxious that he thought his heart was about to jump out of his throat.


    Holding back tears, William swallowed the lump in his throat. After a long moment of silence, he


    choked out through clenched teeth, ¡°I''m just a cripple whose death will not be missed, but please,


    Grandpa, protect the eighty-three lives in my house!¡±


    Tears streamed down Robin''s face when he heard what William had said.


    Whether or not William''s emotions were genuine or faked, what he said was true. That simple sentence


    held the weight of twenty years'' worth of humiliation and grief he had suffered.


    Anyone who knew what had happened would be moved to the core.


    Half an hourter, Robin and two servants snuck out from the back of the castle. By then, Ss had


    already been waiting for them along with the other men sent by Federico.


    Outside the pce, someone witnessed everything. Just as the person was about to strike, they were


    stopped by theirrade. ¡°Are you blind? Those people work for His Majesty!¡±


    Inside the castle, William sat by the window, staring at the car as it sped off into the night until it


    vanished out of sight. A victorious smile soon formed on his lips.


    He knew that the first part of his n had seeded.


    With Francesca as his trump card, he would win for sure.


    Meanwhile, Francesca returned to her room. The moment she stepped foot inside, she immediately


    whipped out her phone to see if she had any new missed calls from Danrique.


    To her surprise, there was none.


    There was only one missed call from him before she boarded the ne.


    Just as she was contemting whether or not she should return his call, a few maids came into her


    room to prepare a milk bath for her.


    They also brought her freshly-made dinner. All the dishes on the tray were her favorite. One nce at


    the food was enough to let her know that William had cooked it for her himself.


    Just then, her phone began to vibrate. Francesca rushed forward to pick it up but was a little bit


    disappointed when she found out it was Anthony on the line.


    ¡°Francesca, I''ve sent you a lot of messages. You didn''t reply to any of them. Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°I''ve been busy. I''ve just gotten some time to myself a couple of minutes ago.¡±


    ¡°Good to know you''re fine.¡± Anthony heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Is Prince William really sick?¡±


    ¡°Duh.¡± Francesca tutted, displeased at the question.


    ¡°He''s actually sick?¡± Anthony was surprised. ¡°Okay then, ignore my question. However, I do advise that


    you give your fianc¨¦ a clear exnation. Don''t cause any misunderstandings.¡±


    ¡°Did the sun rise from the West today?¡± Francesca was taken aback. ¡°Since when are you on


    Danrique''s side?¡±


    ¡°Even though I despise him, I have to admit that he has always been the one to save you whenever


    you get into trouble no matter what. Even Chrono and his gang were taken care of by Danrique.¡±


    Meonwhile, Froncesco returned to her room. The moment she stepped foot inside, she immediotely


    whipped out her phone to see if she hod ony new missed colls from Donrique.


    To her surprise, there wos none.


    There wos only one missed coll from him before she boorded the plone.


    Just os she wos contemploting whether or not she should return his coll, o few moidse into her


    room to prepore o milk both for her.


    They olso brought her freshly-mode dinner. All the dishes on the troy were her fovorite. One glonce ot


    the food wos enough to let her know thot Williom hod cooked it for her himself.


    Just then, her phone begon to vibrote. Froncesco rushed forword to pick it up but wos o little bit


    disoppointed when she found out it wos Anthony on the line.


    ¡°Froncesco, I''ve sent you o lot of messoges. You didn''t reply to ony of them. Are you okoy?¡±


    ¡°I''ve been busy. I''ve just gotten some time to myself o couple of minutes ogo.¡±


    ¡°Good to know you''re fine.¡± Anthony heoved o sigh of relief. ¡°Is Prince Williom reolly sick?¡±


    ¡°Duh.¡± Froncesco tutted, displeosed ot the question.


    ¡°He''s octuolly sick?¡± Anthony wos surprised. ¡°Okoy then, ignore my question. However, I do odvise thot


    you give your fionc¨¦ o cleor explonotion. Don''t couse ony misunderstondings.¡±


    ¡°Did the sun rise from the West todoy?¡± Froncesco wos token obock. ¡°Since when ore you on


    Donrique''s side?¡±


    ¡°Even though I despise him, I hove to odmit thot he hos olwoys been the one to sove you whenever


    you get into trouble no motter whot. Even Chrono ond his gong were token core of by Donrique.¡±


    Anthony dropped his usual carefree manner and told Francesca seriously, ¡°A man''s actions are enough


    to tell whether or not he''s serious about you. On the contrary, Prince William had only ever caused


    more trouble for you. Have you forgotten the time that an explosion happened on the cruise ship,


    causing you to almost die? Not to mention the metal pieces embedded into the back of your brain¡ª¡±


    ¡°That''s not his fault.¡± Francesca was beginning to feel annoyed by Anthony''s nagging. ¡°If there''s


    nothing else, I''ll hang up now.¡±


    Anthony sighed. ¡°I knew you wouldn''t listen...¡±


    He hung up the phone in exasperation.


    Dismissing the maids, Francesca immediately called Danrique.


    The phone rang for a long time, but no one picked up. Just as Francesca was starting to feel puzzled,


    her call was cut off.


    She widened her eyes, dumbfounded by what was going on.


    Danrique, that b*stard! How dare he hang up my call?


    She immediately dialed his number again. Once again, her call was cut off almost instantly.


    Francesca was livid. She stared at her phone in disbelief, furious that Danrique had the gall to hang up


    on her twice in a row.Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    Fine! Ignore me all you like! What''s the big deal?


    Switching her phone to silent mode, she tossed her phone aside and went to the bathroom for the milk


    bath.


    Wrath consumed her mind when she recalled Danrique''s attitude. Annoyed, she raised her hand to rub


    her face. The mild fragrance of the milk bath calmed her nerves slightly. Just then, she noticed the tap


    on top of the bathtub.


    Out of the blue, an idea popped into her head.

 Chapter 2092

    Chapter 2092


    qIt had only been half an hour since she had found out that the water source had been tampered with.


    How is it possible that the maids have already prepared a milk bath for me so quickly?


    The maids had even prepared a water dispenser by the basin as well as a pail of clean water for her to


    brush up.


    Furthermore, the water sources had all been cut off for the time being. Not only would it be a hassle to


    clean oneself, but cooking and drinking would be a huge issue as well. Yet, no one in the castle


    seemed to be panicking. Everything was still running like clockwork.


    Something''s amiss.


    Francesca found it odd, but she was unwilling to suspect William.


    Perhaps it''s because they have been so used to being targeted that they have a backup n for


    everything. That way, they will most likely be more at ease...


    At that thought, Francesca could not help but feel bad for them. She quickly got rid of the lingering


    suspicions.


    Once she had freshened up, she returned to the bedroom and pick her phone up. Still no calls nor


    messages from Danrique.


    From the looks of it, he truly was angry.


    Francesca was speechless. Too tired to exin the situation to him, she decided to just go to bed with


    the phone still on silent.


    The seemingly peaceful night was far from so.


    In the middle of the night, a sudden bolt of thunder jolted Francesca awake. Narrowing her eyes, she


    gazed out the window. Bolts of thunder followed shes of lightning as the howling wind caused the


    trees to sway from side to side. The rustling leaves on the quivering branches looked like a monster in


    the dark.


    Despite the chaos outside the window, she was not in the least afraid. She simply covered her ears,


    rolled over, and continued to sleep.


    When she fell asleep once again, she did not wake up till the next morning.


    All of a sudden, somebody called out from outside the door, ¡°Ms. Felch, Ms. Felch...¡±


    Original content from N?velDrama.Org.


    Irritated that she was awakened from her slumber, Francesca hugged her pillow as she mumbledzily,


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°The results are out...¡± the man behind the door answered meekly.


    Francesca''s eyes immediately snapped open as she hurried out of bed. ¡°Give me a moment.¡±


    She rushed into the bathroom to freshen up as quickly as possible and changed. Pulling her hair up


    into a ponytail, she opened the door. ¡°What''s the situation?¡±


    ¡°No one went to the main water tank, but someone sneaked into the storeroom to get rid of the


    evidence. We have already caught the person.¡±


    ¡°Lead the way.¡±


    Francesca followed the subordinate into the basement.


    William and a few of his trusted advisors were conducting an interrogation. A young boy was kneeling


    on the ground with both his hands tied up. His mouth was sealed by a piece of tape as he lowered his


    head, his body trembling in fear.


    ¡°Didn''t you say everyone here has been working here for a long time, and the only young ones are your


    bodyguards?¡± Francesca observed the boy carefully. ¡°Who''s this?¡±


    ¡°Ms. Felch, this is Marc. He''s Mr. Murray''s¡ªthe gardener''s¡ªnephew. Because Mr. Murray is sick, he


    has been taking over his uncle''s job and has been in the castle for three months now. He looks quite


    honest. No one would have thought that he would be bribed...¡± one of the subordinates answered.


    ¡°Mmmph!¡±


    When Marc heard that, he widened his eyes and shook his head nonstop. However, with his mouth


    taped, he could not get a single word out.


    Doubt crept into Francesca''s heart as she looked at the boy''s clear eyes. She found it hard to believe


    that he was the spy. With a step forward, she ripped the tape off of his mouth. ¡°What do you have to


    say for yourself?¡±


    The boy quickly exined himself but spoke in an unusual tongue. A foreignnguage echoed in the


    room. Francesca could not understand a single word. Without a choice, she turned to William. ¡°What


    did he say?¡±


    William shook his head as well before turning to look at one of his subordinates.


    ¡°He''s still denying it. He said that he had been tricked. That was why he had helped transport the


    essential oils into the castle,¡± one of the subordinates exined.


    ¡°He only transported the essential oils? Then who was the informant?¡± Francesca asked.


    ¡°Him as well,¡± the subordinate answered immediately.


    ¡°That doesn''t seem right.¡± Francesca was perplexed. ¡°He doesn''t even know how to speak the


    language of Danontand nor thenguages of the neighboring countries. How could he have been the


    informant?¡±


    ¡°It''s true that he can''t speak nor write thenguage very well. That''s why he took photos on his phone


    and conveyed the information via messages.¡±


    The subordinate took out an old phone that had been smashed and handed it to Francesca. ¡°Here.


    This is his phone.¡±


    Francesca had never been tech-savvy. She could use the newest gadgets that most people were


    using, but the phone she had been handed was an old model. Its functions were also fully in the


    language of Danontand. Thus, she could not make heads or tails out of it.


    The subordinate opened the phone''s gallery and showed her the photos. There were a lot of photos of


    the ins and outs of the castle, including a photo that showed Francesca arriving at the castle.

 Chapter 2093

    Chapter 2093


    qEven though the evidence seemed solid, Francesca still felt something amiss.


    However, that was not something she should interfere with. Therefore, she could only suggest to


    William, ¡°William, you should investigate further. Don''t me an innocent person.¡±


    Original content from N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Don''t worry.¡± William nodded his head before hemanded, ¡°Lock him up for now. We''ll deal with


    him after we found out the truth.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡± One of the subordinates immediately dragged Marc away.


    A maid wheeled William out of the basement as well while Francesca followed beside him, thoughts


    running wild in her mind.


    After taking a few steps, she turned around to look at Marc, who was still sobbing and wailing as


    though he was trying to exin.


    As she took note of the scene, she could not help but tell William, ¡°Look at the way he''s crying. He


    seems genuine. I don''t think he''s the spy.¡±


    ¡°You''re too kind, Ms. Felch. How many people in this world will admit that they''ve done something bad?


    Everyone will im to be innocent,¡± one of William''s subordinates chimed in.


    ¡°Don''t worry, Francesca. I''ll ask Robin to investigate further.¡± On the other hand, William appeared to


    be a lot more open-minded. ¡°Speaking of Robin, where is he? Why hasn''t he gotten here yet?


    Someone go and get him, please.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡± A man immediately hurried off to find Robin.


    William and Francesca chatted lightly as they made their way to the dining room. Just as they sat


    down, a subordinate rushed toward them to report, ¡°Your Highness, Mr. Robin is missing! There''s a


    letter on his desk.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± William immediately epted the letter and began reading. His face paled instantly in shock.


    ¡°Robin has taken actions on his own without consulting me.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± Francesca inquired curiously.


    ¡°He had gone to the pce in the middle of the night to report the findingsst night to His Majesty...¡±


    William''s face turned solemn. ¡°I must have been too kind to him! How dare he do something so


    reckless?¡±


    Francesca said with annoyance, ¡°I don''t think he made a mistake. It has already gotten to this point.


    Are you still going to sit around and do nothing? At this rate, all eighty or more people in this castle will


    die along with you!¡±


    ¡°I know that, but...¡± William frowned. A troubled look appeared on his face. ¡°I don''t want to drag you into


    this...¡±


    Francesca blinked as she caught on fast.


    Indeed, she was the one who had discovered the problem. Even if Robin avoided mentioning her name


    when reporting the incident, Federico would still obtain the information through interrogation.


    If Robin were to convince the king by credentials, her identity would be revealed.


    ¡°Even though I don''t want my identity to be revealed, I''m willing to allow that if it means giving you


    justice,¡± Francesca stated nonchntly. ¡°Besides, His Majesty will not publicize such private matters.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, the public would not know about it, but my rtives will.¡± William''s frown deepened as his


    voice was filled with worry. ¡°I''m afraid that they will harm you. You staying under my roof right now


    might protect you from harm for the time being, but they might take revenge on you after all of this. Just


    likest time. They did not even hesitate to bomb the cruise ship just to prevent you from healing my


    legs.¡±


    ¡°Well, I''m still alive, aren''t I?¡± Francesca wasn''t the least bit concerned. ¡°It''s not the first time I have


    enemies. What''s one more?¡±


    ¡°Francesca...¡±


    ¡°Things have alreadye to this point, so stop hesitating. We''ll cross the bridge when we get there,¡±


    Francescaforted William. ¡°Someone is targeting you. You can''t keep tolerating them. I know you''re


    gentle and kind, but you need to protect yourself and the people around you!¡±


    ¡°You''re right...¡± William was touched and grateful at the same time. ¡°Thank you, Francesca!¡±


    ¡°We''re friends, aren''t we? You''ve been kind to me too.¡± Francesca shed him a smile. ¡°All right, that''s


    enough. Let''s have breakfast. I''m starving!¡±


    All of a sudden, William asked, ¡°Francesca, does Danrique know that you''re here?¡±


    ¡°He probably does. Don''t mind him. Once I''ve settled the issue here, I''ll exin everything to him,¡±


    replied Francesca casually.

 Chapter 2094

    Chapter 2094


    qGuiltced William''s face as he apologized, ¡°I''m extremely sorry, Francesca... You two seem to


    always fight because of me.¡±


    ¡°That has nothing to do with you. He''s just petty.¡± Francesca huffed out of irritation. ¡°The two of us are


    just friends and nothing else. Plus, I''m taking care of you because I''m treating you as a patient with no


    ulterior motives. Yet, he still doesn''t trust me.¡±


    A hint of disappointment shed across William''s eyes as he heard what Francesca had said. He was


    right to think that Francesca had no feelings for him but only viewed him as a patient and a friend.


    However, his lips quickly curled upward into a smile. He turned to look at Francesca. ¡°I suppose his


    emotions just got the best of him. He cares a lot about you, so sometimes, he overreacts.¡±


    Francesca did not respond but merely ate her breakfast.


    ¡°Francesca...¡± William looked at her with mixed emotions in his eyes. A hesitant look appeared on his


    face.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Francesca could tell something was bothering him.


    ¡°Nothing. Enjoy your breakfast! The shrimp dumplings are not bad today. Give it a taste.¡± William


    quickly changed the subject.


    Francesca was on edge. ¡°Just spit it out. You''re a grown adult, so act like one.¡±


    ¡°I just wanted to say that... if you''re involved in this incident, there is a possibility that Danrique will be


    involved too.¡± William looked concerned. ¡°It''ll be the end if he''s dragged into this as well.¡±


    ¡°What? How would he be involved?¡± Francesca was lost.


    ¡°Once Robin reports that you have detected poison in my castle, His Majesty''s first reaction will be to


    investigate your background. Even though your identity would be a good credential, it might not be


    enough to get rid of his bias toward my rtives, unless...¡±


    ¡°Unless they find out I''m Danrique''s fianc¨¦e?¡± Francesca finally understood.


    William felt regretful. ¡°I''m worried that Robin would reveal that detail. I had hesitated to report it to His


    Majesty because I was afraid that it would get you and Danrique involved. I shouldn''t have invited you


    here.¡± He sighed.


    For a moment, Francesca fell silent and frowned. ¡°It''s no big deal if I''m involved in this situation. After


    all, I''m a doctor and am here to give you a check-up. Detecting poison can be considered part of my


    job as well. There wouldn''t be much difference even if my identity is revealed. However, it''s not the best


    scenario if Danrique is involved. He''s in a difficult position in Erihal. Dangers surround him at every


    turn. Even though he is capable and calm, I''ve never done anything for him, and I do not wish to bring


    him more burden just because I''m his fianc¨¦e.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± William nodded profusely. ¡°I''m worried too. Let''s just hope Robin did not mention


    anything about him.¡±


    Francesca''s expression turned solemn. ¡°I hope so too. But even if he does, it''s understandable. After


    all, this case had affected more than eighty people. Or perhaps, he only mentions Danrique to protect


    me.¡±


    William nodded in agreement. ¡°Perhaps. If he doesn''t say that you''re Danrique''s fianc¨¦e, His Majesty


    might actually interrogate you. My rtives would probably harm you the first chance they got as well.


    However, these are all just my spections. Robin might not mention anything. In fact, he might not


    even be able to see His Majesty.¡±Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    ¡°What? Why?¡± She was taken aback. Her expression changed drastically as realization dawned on her.


    ¡°Are you saying that your cousins might target Robin?¡±


    ¡°That''s what I''m worried about.¡± William''s eyebrows knitted together. ¡°In the letter, he said that he had


    left at four in the morning. It''s already eight, and there''s still no news from him. I''ve even called Ss


    but no one picked up. I''m really worried that¡ª¡±


    Just then, the noise of a car engine traveled from outside. Soon, someone rushed in and reported,


    ¡°Your Highness, Mr. Robin is back.¡±


    ¡°Quick! Bring me there!¡±


    Francesca tagged along beside William. When they reached the entrance, they saw a few men


    carrying Robin out of a car.


    Robin had been shot in the abdomen. Fresh blood covered his entire body as his face was pale. His


    breath was so weak that it was barely palpable.


    Francesca immediately rushed forward to stop his bleeding and ordered people to carry him to the


    clinic.

 Chapter 2095

    Chapter 2095


    qAfter more than an hour''s worth of emergency rescue, Robin was no longer in danger.


    Francesca took off her gloves andmanded the medical staff, ¡°Keep an eye on him. Call me


    immediately if there are any changes.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Dr. Felch.¡±


    When she stepped out of the clinic, she immediately came face to face with a solemn William. Furious,


    sheined, ¡°Those people are outrageous! How dare they hurt someone in the open? And in


    broad daylight?¡±


    William lowered his head in silence.


    ¡°Was the driver of the car one of your employees?¡± asked Francesca.


    ¡°Ss''. Not mine.¡± William''s deep voice sounded as he parted his lips. ¡°They were attacked on the way


    back.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean Robin managed to get to the pce and report everything to His Majesty?¡± inquired


    Francesca.


    ¡°Mm-hmm.¡± William nodded. ¡°When you were saving Robin, the driver had reported the situation to me.


    Robin left the pce after sunrise. On the way back, he was shot. Good thing the driver''s driving skills


    were impable, if not...¡±


    He paused and let out another deep sigh as guilt weighed on his chest. ¡°I''m so useless. As a prince, I


    can''t even protect the people around me.¡±


    ¡°Since they are this ruthless, you should stop ying nice!¡± Francesca was indignant. ¡°Those people


    are positively abominable!¡±


    William once again fell silent. A solemn look was written all over his face.


    ¡°William, did you hear what I said?¡± Francesca was beginning to feel exasperated. ¡°Those people have


    already bullied you to this extent. Can you grow a backbone?¡±


    ¡°Francesca...¡± William finally raised his head and spoke softly. ¡°Go pack your things. I''ll ask someone to


    send you to the airport.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Francesca was beyond confused.


    ¡°I can''t get you involved.¡± William took a deep breath. ¡°You''re right, they''ve gone too far. If I still don''t


    retaliate, all eighty or more people in this castle will suffer. I can''t sit by and do nothing anymore. I must


    fight back. But before that, I need to send you away¡ª¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Francesca was speechless. ¡°Robin is still unconscious from his injuries.


    The poison in all of you has yet to be eliminated. The treatment for your legs hasn''t evenmenced


    yet. How can I leave at a time like this?¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Francesca immediately cut William off, displeased. ¡°Can you stop nagging? I''m already here,


    and I''m already in the middle of this mess. You''re nning to send me away now? Those people would


    have already known my identity. They will also know that I''m the one who found out that the water


    sources have been poisoned. Do you think they''ll let me off the hook? They would most likely still go


    after me and my life. I might as well take them on here and now.¡±


    ¡°It''s all my fault. I dragged you into this.¡± William was extremely guilty. ¡°If I knew this would happen, I


    wouldn''t have let youe here.¡±


    ¡°Stop talking nonsense,¡± Francesca snapped. ¡°The priority right now is to settle the matter.¡±


    ¡°You''re right.¡± William nodded. ¡°I have already sent a text to His Majesty. He should contact me once


    he''s done with his work. But, Francesca, are you sure you don''t want to leave? I don''t want you to be


    involved in all the confrontation.¡±


    Francesca sneered. ¡°I''m not afraid to be involved. In fact, I can''t wait to meet those people. I want to


    see who are the people brave enough to act so atrociously.¡±


    William hastily said, ¡°This has nothing to do with you. Don''t get involved in this. You''re just a doctor.


    Just carry out your responsibilities to the fullest. Don''t worry about other things.¡±


    Just as he finished his sentence, a subordinate came in with a phone in his hand. ¡°Your Highness, His


    Majesty is calling.¡±


    William immediately took the phone and wheeled himself to the window. ¡°Grandpa... Yes. Robin has


    returned...¡±


    Original content from N?velDrama.Org.


    William was cautious as he spoke on the phone. His tone sounded timid when he conversed with


    Federico, and he didn''t even dare to tell Federico about the fact that Robin was almost killed.


    Francesca was getting increasingly frustrated as she took it all in. He''s such a coward!

 Chapter 2096

    Chapter 2096


    q¡°He''s asking to see me?¡± Francesca was slightly bewildered. ¡°Does he want to interrogate me?¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± William responded instantly. ¡°He knows your identity and did not suspect you at all. He


    just wanted to know more about the situation in detail.¡±


    ¡°Then ask him toe here himself,¡± Francesca answered without thinking. ¡°Come here and see the


    water sources for himself. Take a look at the people in the castle for himself. He can even bring his own


    medical team to examine.¡±


    ¡°Uh... But...¡± William widened his eyes.


    ¡°You don''t dare to tell him that? Allow me.¡± She snatched the phone away from his hand and began


    speaking to Federico on the other end. ¡°Your Majesty, I suppose you''ve heard everything I just said?¡±


    On the other end of the line, Federico remained silent for a few seconds before replying, ¡°You really do


    live up to your name, Francesco. Such a character!¡±


    ¡°I''m merely speaking the truth,¡± Francesca replied casually. ¡°There''s no point for me to go to the


    pce. If you believe in me, there''s no need for me to go there. If you don''t believe in me, then what''s


    the point if I go? Why don''t you send your team here to see for yourselves?¡±


    ¡°Francesca...¡± William warned.


    ¡°Do you know who you''re talking to?¡±


    Federico seemed friendly, but his tone was stern. Apparently, Francesca''s attitude had offended him,


    and he began exerting his authority.


    ¡°I talk to everybody like this.¡± Francesca was unfazed. ¡°Everyone''s human. Besides, I''m not one of your


    citizens. My respect toward you is because you''re the grandfather of my friend, William.¡±


    Francesca''s words made the atmosphere even more tense.


    When Federico fell silent, William quickly began, ¡°Francesca...¡±


    ¡°What? I''m not wrong.¡±


    ¡°Good. Very good.¡± Federico suddenly burst intoughter. ¡°Someone as stubborn and straightforward


    as you is unlikely to lie. I''ll go visit.¡±


    ¡°All right. We''ll be waiting for your visit,¡± responded Francesca.


    She then tossed the phone to William.


    William almost failed to catch the phone. His face paled as he grabbed the phone before quickly


    apologizing to Federico, ¡°I''m so sorry, Grandpa. Francesca has always been straightforward. I


    apologize on her behalf if she had offended you.¡±


    ¡°She''s a lot like Danrique,¡± Federicomented. ¡°No wonder they''re a couple!¡±


    When William heard that, he paused for a while before saying, ¡°Yes...¡±


    Federico said meaningfully, ¡°It''s a good thing to befriend Danrique. I''ll be busy these two days. I''ll visit


    after that.¡±


    ¡°Sure. You''re always weed.¡± Once the call ended, William raised his head to look at Francesca, his


    eyes shining with gratitude. ¡°Thank you, Francesca!¡±


    ¡°Why are you thanking me?¡± Francesca was looking at her phone. She still didn''t receive a call or a text


    from Danrique. Looks like he really is mad and is giving me the cold shoulder.


    ¡°If you hadn''t asked His Majesty toe over, I would have never been brave enough to request such


    a thing...¡± William could not help butugh self-deprecatingly. ¡°He had always been so high and mighty.


    It''s quite hard to convince him to do things. I can''t believe that he agreed to this so easily.¡±


    ¡°Isn''t that a good thing?¡± asked Francesca. ¡°You should put your foot down if it''s necessary. Otherwise,


    you''re always going to be bullied.¡±


    ¡°You''re absolutely right.¡± William concurred with a nod.


    ¡°Oh yeah, did Robin tell His Majesty everything that has happened here? Does His Majesty believe


    him?¡±


    His face turned solemn. ¡°Yep. But His Majesty did not tackle the topic head-on. He just mentioned that


    he wants to meet you. I think he''s still considering.¡±


    Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    ¡°Considering what?¡± Francesca was confused. ¡°Considering whether or not he was telling the truth?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± William smiled bitterly as he shook his head. ¡°I think he believes that it''s true. He''s considering


    the price that has to be paid for dealing with this issue, and whether or not it''s worth paying.¡±

 Chapter 2097

    Chapter 2097


    qFrancesca did not understand, nor did she want to understand. ¡°I don''t get it. This is a headache. You


    royals and yourplicated family feud.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that''s why I''m jealous of you. You can be carefree; you can always be yourself.¡±


    That sentence came from the bottom of William''s heart. If he had the choice, he would rather be


    someone like Francesca, who was genuine.


    Unfortunately, one could not choose who they were born as.


    Francesca was busy scribbling down the prescription of medications and had not paid attention to what


    William was saying.


    ¡°Ask someone to buy these medications inrge quantities from pharmacies.¡± Francesca handed the


    prescriptions to William. ¡°By the time His Majesty arrived to examine the situation, I would start the


    treatment for everyone in the castle.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± William passed the prescription to the subordinate beside him and advised, ¡°Keep it low-key.


    Don''t let anyone find out.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡± With that, the subordinate headed off.


    ¡°You sure are miserable for a prince...¡± Francesca could not help but sigh. ¡°You have to sneak around


    even just to buy medications. If you still don''t fight back, you wouldn''t be able to stay in Danontand


    much longer.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± William heaved a deep sigh. ¡°I can drop everything here and leave, but what will happen to


    them? Their census and archive are all in the pce. Their whole lives would be spent here. They used


    to work for my parents, and then they started working for me. They have spent a great deal of their


    lives within these castle walls. If I leave, they''ll have no one else.¡±


    Francesca encouraged, ¡°It''s good that you cane to that conclusion. We all have our roles and


    responsibilities in this world. Because of our responsibilities, we have to muster up the courage. We


    cannot let others bully us.¡±


    He nodded firmly. ¡°You''re right. After this incident, I finally understand this principle. I won''t let you down


    again.¡±


    ¡°All the best!¡± Francesca patted his shoulder. ¡°Let''s go to your room. I''ll take a look at your legs.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Francesca inspected William''s legs and started giving him medication and acupuncture. After a series


    of treatments, she broke the silence. ¡°Good thing the problem is discovered on time, so there''s still a


    chance of healing. However, because of this issue, the treatment is going to take longer than what we


    initially nned.¡±


    ¡°I''m fine with that. After all, I''ve been crippled for twenty years. I''m just worried that it''ll affect you.


    You''ve already spent so much time here, causing you to be separated from Danrique. If this continues,


    he might get angry...¡±


    ¡°Then let him be,¡± Francesca retorted stubbornly. ¡°If he likes getting mad, I can''t do anything about it.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°Done.¡± Francesca interrupted him and changed the subject. ¡°For the next few days, let your legs rest


    and stock up on the medications. You have more than eighty people in your castle. We''ll need arge


    supply of antidotes. Not to mention that I''m not very familiar with the medications in your country, so I


    would need to run some tests first. All that will take time, so it will help if you can prepare everything as


    soon as possible. At the same time, it would be helpful if you can get me some crude medicine from


    Zarain, just in case.¡±


    William nodded. ¡°Noted. I will personally supervise the whole process. Don''t worry, Francesca.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I''ll go rest in my room. Call me if there''s anything.¡±


    Francesca quickly left. In reality, her phone was running low on battery. She wanted to return to her


    room so that she could charge her phone and call Danrique.


    She had never been one to cave regarding rtionships. However, she had been dragged into


    William''s mess, and it was very likely that Danrique would be too.


    She believed that she had the responsibility to exin to him what was going on.


    After taking a sip of water, she charged her phone and began to dial Danrique''s number.


    However, no one picked up even after a long while.


    Francesca found it odd. ording to the time zone differences, it should only be nine in the evening in


    Xendale. Danrique should still be working at that time. Why isn''t he picking up the call?


    Even if he was mad at her when she had called him twice the night before, his anger should have


    dissipated by now. I''ve already taken the initiative to call him. Why is he still not picking up?Original content from N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 2098

    Chapter 2098


    qNow that she thought about it, they had not contacted one another for two days.


    They did not speak to each other since the night before she arrived at Danontand until that moment.


    Francesca took the initiative to call him, but he did not pick up the phone.


    She did not know if he was mad at her or if there were other reasons. Anyway, she felt ill at ease.


    After contemting briefly, she dialed Sean''s number.


    The call finally connected after a long while. ¡°Ms. Felch!¡±


    ¡°Where''s Danrique?¡±


    Francesca heard the sound of music and the voices of people engaged in conversations. It seemed to


    her Danrique was not busy, nor was he angry at her. He appeared to be enjoying his life.


    ¡°There''s a banquet tonight. Mr. Lindberg is speaking to Mr. President and...¡± Sean gazed at Danrique,


    who was chatting with the president and the president''s daughter, and chose his words wisely to avoid


    raising an unnecessary conflict. ¡°And a few of his old acquaintances.¡±


    ¡°Ask him to return my call when he''s done with his work.¡±


    Despite feeling slightly jittery, Francesca understood Danrique''s need to socialize at times.


    ¡°All right, Ms. Felch. I''ll be sure to ry your message to Mr. Lindberg.¡±


    Francesca went to prepare the medications after hanging up the call. Everyone inside the castle had


    been poisoned except for her, not to mention the casualties. As a doctor, she had to carry out her


    responsibilities.


    William stayed beside Robin inside the clinic the entire time. His subordinates and maids were touched


    by his thoughtfulness. One of them could not help but say, ¡°Your Highness, you''re so kind to us. You''re


    risking your life to weather this predicament with us!¡±


    ¡°You all stayed loyal to me and did not abandon me. Naturally, I have to be responsible and see to your


    survival. Don''t worry. I will not allow anyone to be harmed as long as I''m here,¡± William uttered


    earnestly.


    ¡°Your Highness...¡± A few female maids started crying because William''spassion moved them.


    ¡°Your Highness, Mr. Robin is awake!¡± one of the subordinates eximed.


    Original content from N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°That''s great.¡± William immediately pushed his wheelchair forward.


    ¡°Your Highness, should we call Ms. Felch over?¡±


    ¡°That''s not needed. Francesca has been busy the whole day, so let her get some rest. Since Robin has


    woken up, that means he''s fine.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The subordinates fell silent and retreated aside.


    A maid hurriedly prepared a bucket of warm water to wipe Robin''s body while a medical staff fed him


    some water.


    After some time, Robin gradually came to his senses. He opened his eyes and looked weakly at


    William.


    ¡°I''m d that you''re fine.¡± William patted the back of Robin''s hand in gratification.


    Robin opened his mouth and spoke in a hoarse and diminished voice. ¡°Your Highness. I finally lived up


    to your expectation¡ª¡±


    William interjected Robin, ¡°You''ve worked hard.¡± Then, he said to his subordinates and maids, ¡°You all


    can leave now.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± They backed out of the room afterward.


    William and Robin were left inside the room alone.


    William picked up a hot towel and wiped Robin''s hand. He then leaned forward and said in an


    undertone, ¡°Robin, rest well and speak less.¡±


    Robin was slightly taken aback before nodding slightly to indicate he understood William''s intention.


    ¡°Go ahead and sleep. I''ll stay here to keep youpany.¡± William sat beside Robin and smiled at the


    latter. ¡°Get well soon. Your presence is necessary to keep this vast castle running.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Your Highness...¡±


    Robin was touched.


    William sat beside Robin quietly. As thetter fell asleep, the tenderness in William''s eyes gradually


    dissipated too.


    He was well aware that someone in a weakened state would have a fuzzy mind, so they would not be


    able to think properly before saying anything. Therefore, he must not allow Robin to let slip any


    information at that moment.


    Francesca is so smart. What if she senses something is off after listening to Robin''s words?


    Knock! Knock!


    At that instant, someone knocked on the door. Without waiting for William''s response, Francesca


    pushed the door open and entered. ¡°I heard Robin is awake? I''m here to check on him.¡±


    ¡°He woke up a few moments ago but dozed off again.¡± William beamed at her. ¡°You should rest


    properly after working the whole day.¡±


    ¡°I need to carry out my duties as a doctor.¡± She stepped forward to examine Robin. ¡°His condition is


    stable. He should be able to regain consciousness tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°That''s great.¡±

 Chapter 2099

    Chapter 2099


    q¡°That''s great.¡± William let out a long sigh. ¡°Robin risked his life to meet His Majesty for my sake. If


    something bad happens to him, I''ll never forgive myself.¡±


    ¡°He''s fine. Stop ming yourself.¡± Francesca patted his shoulder. ¡°Go and rest earlier. Now¡ª¡±


    The phone in her pocket vibrated before she could finish the rest of her sentence. She quickly


    answered the call and walked away. ¡°Hello. Do you finally remember me? I thought you were dead.¡±


    Listening to the tone of her voice, William immediately figured out the identity of the person on the other


    end of the call. When he saw Francesca walking away in a hurry, the lights in his eyes dimmed.


    Francesca hastened upstairs while holding the phone, growling, ¡°Why didn''t you pick up the phone


    when I called you earlier?¡±


    Danrique asked, ¡°Why are you calling me when you already went all the way to Danontand to take care


    of another man? I told you toe to Xendale, but you were reluctant. The next moment, you traveled


    to Danontand. I do wonder who is actually your boyfriend?¡±


    ¡°I came to Danontand to treat a disease. This is my professional obligation¡ª¡±


    ¡°All right, then. I''m sick too. I want you toe over at once to treat my illness,¡± Danrique interrupted


    her.


    ¡°What happened to you?¡± she hastily asked.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Danrique''s tone softened a little after sensing that she still cared about him.


    Only then did Francesca realize he was deliberately teasing her. ¡°You''re crazy. Why are you pretending


    to be sick when you''re fine? William is really ill at the moment¡ª¡±


    Danrique was at the limit of his patience. ¡°William, William, William. All you care about is William!¡±


    ¡°No. That''s not¡ª¡±


    Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    ¡°Just be with him if you like him so much. Goodbye!¡± Danrique did not wish to listen to any more of her


    exnations.


    ¡°What do you mean, Danrique?¡± Francesca snapped at once.


    ¡°You don''t understand what I''m saying? You have your medical-rted goals to realize, children at the


    orphanage to take care of, and so many other male friends. Since I mean nothing to you, we should


    just break up.¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡± She thought she had misheard him.


    ¡°Am I not making myself clear?¡± Danrique repeated his words and enunciated, ¡°I said we should break


    up! I wish you all the happiness in the world, Francesca. Goodbye!¡±


    ¡°D*mn you¡ª¡±


    The call ended just as she was about to speak.


    Silence ensued after the beeping sound ended.


    Francesca held her phone and stood rooted to the spot in a daze.


    What''s going on? Are my ears ying tricks on me, or did I remember wrongly? Did Danrique say he


    wants to break up with me? No. This is impossible. From the beginning, he has been pursuing me,


    scheming to marry me, and trying his best to stay by my side. No matter the tantrum I threw or how


    unreasonable I behaved, he had always tolerated me. But now... he''s breaking up with me?


    Francesca''s hands shook in agitation. She anxiously dialed Danrique''s phone number, but no one


    picked up after the phone rang for some time.


    She called again, and this time, the call was cut off.


    Francesca noticed the line was busy when she attempted to contact him again.


    Evidently, he had blocked her number.


    She was dumbfounded as her mind became utterly chaotic.


    Why is this happening? No matter my outburst or conniption in the past, Danrique has never mentioned


    breaking up with me, regardless of how angry he might be. But this time... I did not do anything wrong,


    right? I came to Danontand to give treatment to these patients, so why is he so furious? Also, I wanted


    to discuss this matter with him that day, but he went to meet Hazel without informing me, so I did not


    talk to him about this because I was displeased. It is not as if Imitted a terrible sin. I don''t


    understand why he is breaking up with me.


    Pandemonium reigned in Francesca''s mind as she slumped into the couch with her hand still wrapped


    around her phone.


    She had always been arrogant and confident, but at that moment, she was devastated and at a


    complete loss following the unexpected turns of events.

 Chapter 2100

    Chapter 2100


    qThat night, Francescay on the bed, repeatedly tossing and turning in her bed, unable to fall asleep.


    She could not fathom Danrique''s sudden request to break up with her.


    He had always epted and tolerated me whenever I did as I pleased in the past, so why can''t he put


    up with me now? Is he falling for someone else, or did he misunderstand my rtionship with William?


    Francesca''s thoughts were a tangled mess. She wanted to rify that matter with Danrique, but her


    calls would not connect. In the end, she tried sending him a message: B*stard, you better exin


    further. What did I do wrong? Why are you breaking up with me?¡±


    However, after typing that message, she changed her mind. Thus, she immediately deleted and


    amended thest part of the text: Fine. If a breakup is what you want, then so be it. I hope you''ll be


    happy!


    She sent the message afterward but regretted it instantaneously.


    Francesca hurriedly tapped on her screen to recall the message, but that function was unavable for


    short message service.


    She covered her forehead in frustration, despising herself for putting on a tough front.


    However, it was toote for her to take back her words or say anything to justify her statement now.


    Difort churned within Francesca''s chest as she was at aplete loss. If La had been there,


    Francesca could have discussed that matter with her, but now, there was no one around to talk to her.


    Francesca was losing herposure in the face of a problem she was utterly inexperienced in


    handling.


    At that moment, her phone rang. Assuming that it was Danrique calling, Francesca hurriedly picked up


    the call. ¡°Hello!¡±


    ¡°Ms. Felch, it''s me, Monica.¡±


    ¡°Oh. It''s you.¡± Francesca was slightly disappointed.


    ¡°I heard you''re in Danontand. Coincidentally, I''m in the country too. Please let me know if you need my


    assistance.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Thank you,¡± Francesca replied halfheartedly.


    ¡°What happened to you? Why do you sound a little upset? Am I interrupting you?¡± Monica asked


    concernedly.


    ¡°No...¡± Francesca yearned to express her feelings and doubts at that moment, so she could not help


    but ask, ¡°Monica, I have a question for you.¡±


    ¡°Please, go on,¡± Monica swiftly responded.


    ¡°If a man suddenly suggested breaking up with a woman. What could be the reason?¡±


    ¡°Is there any conflict between the two people, or perhaps a misunderstanding?¡±


    ¡°There is a minor conflict, but not something very significant. There''s also a slight misunderstanding,


    but that man would not listen to the girl''s exnation. He demanded a breakup withoutmunicating


    with her properly. And now, the girl is baffled.¡±


    ¡°If that man suddenly wanted a breakup, perhaps he already has another option.¡±


    Francesca panicked after hearing that. ¡°What? Do you mean he''s seeing another woman?¡±


    ¡°If there is no major conflict between the couple, that may be a probable reason. Why else would he


    request for a breakup?¡± Monica questioned Francesca.


    Francesca was immediately reminded of Hazel upon listening to those words. She recalled the


    previous ambiguous interaction between Danrique and Hazel, not to mention how he had never


    exined that matter to her.


    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    Anger surged within Francesca at once as she felt she was being cheated.


    Monica uttered tactfully, ¡°This is just my spection. I suppose only the people concerned would know


    what has actually happened. Why are you asking this all of a sudden, Ms. Felch? Are you referring to


    yourself¡ª¡±


    ¡°No. I saw this scene from a television show.¡± Francesca quickly switched the topic of conversation.


    ¡°It''s gettingte, Monica. You should rest earlier.¡±


    ¡°All right. Goodnight.¡±


    Francesca remained furious after hanging up the phone. She wanted to contact Danrique and demand


    an exnation from him, but her pride would not allow her to do so.


    She texted him earlier and he did not reply either.


    Perhaps he has already decided to ignore me and draw the line between us so that he can be together


    with Hazel.


    Francesca''s wrath intensified as she dwelled further on that matter. She wanted to fly to Xendale


    immediately, seize Danrique, and interrogate him before tearing him apart.


    But I can''t leave now... Hold on.


    Francesca thought of a possibility. Is Danrique deliberately provoking me so that I will go to Xendale to


    look for him?

 Chapter 2101

    Chapter 2101


    qFrancesca recalled the moments she shared with Danrique. She was certain he was not someone


    who would easily suggest a breakup.


    Thus, she reckoned he was just trying to goad her into going to Xendale because he missed her too


    much.


    Francesca felt a little guilty at that thought. She decided to meet up with Danrique as soon as possible


    after she dealt with the matters on William''s end.


    Her mood brightened up after she made that decision. Subsequently, she switched off the lights and


    drifted into a slumber.


    ¡°Ms. Felch just turned off the lights,¡± a maid reported to William at the clinic downstairs.


    William uttered hoarsely, ¡°She''s only going to sleep at four in the morning. It seems like she''s in


    distress.¡±


    The maid added in an undertone, ¡°Ms. Felch seemed to be talking on the phone just now, and she


    sounded agitated. She was conversing in Ustranasion earlier.¡±


    William nodded. ¡°Okay. All right. You should go and rest now.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡± The maid bowed and left the room.


    William leaned against the couch while pensively gazing out of the window.


    After a while, his phone finally vibrated. He hastily answered the call. ¡°How was it?¡±


    ¡°Ms. Felch asked me about matters rted to a breakup,¡± Monica reported.


    ¡°Breakup?¡±


    ¡°That''s right. She inquired about the possible reason for a man''s sudden request to break up with a


    woman.¡±


    Monica recounted her conversation with Francesca in detail to William.


    William furrowed his brows after listening to Monica''s ount. ¡°Francesca said L broke up with her?¡±


    ¡°Ms. Felch did not specify anyone''s name. Instead, she told me she was describing a scene from a


    television show, but it was obvious that she was talking about her rtionship with Mr. Lindberg.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I got it. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Your Highness, I have you to thank for my current achievements. Please feel free to let me know


    should you require my assistance.¡±


    ¡°I will seek your help one day.¡±


    ¡°I''m willing to do anything for you, Your Highness.¡±


    After hanging up the call, William looked at Robin, who was lying in bed, and muttered, ¡°Why did L


    suddenly express his wish to break up with Francesca? What is he trying to do?¡±


    Then, William widened his eyes in astonishment as a thought popped into his mind. ¡°Don''t tell me...¡±


    Early the next morning, Francesca checked her phone right after she woke up.


    She was crestfallen when she noticed Danrique didn''t call or send her any message.


    It seems like he''s determined to force me to go to Xendale. He may not take the initiative to contact me


    if I do not go. Still, the situation here on William''s end is grave. I cannot just abandon my obligations


    here.


    Just as her head began to hurt, her phone suddenly rang. She promptly picked up the device and was


    utterly dispirited to see Anthony''s name on the caller ID instead of Danrique''s.


    Francesca answered the call in annoyance, ¡°Hello.¡±


    ¡°Did you see the news, Francesca?¡± Anthony anxiously asked.


    ¡°What news?¡± She rubbed her eyes.


    ¡°Danrique is getting engaged. You need to hurry up and check out the news,¡± he said at once.


    ¡°What?¡± Francesca was momentarily dazed before she added with delight, ¡°Did he say all those things


    yesterday to force me into marrying him?¡±


    Having just woken up, she thought Danrique was getting engaged with her.


    Anthony grew impatient. ¡°What are you talking about? Do you know Danrique is getting engaged with


    Hazel?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± All traces of Francesca''s sleepiness vanished instantaneously as she shot upright on her bed.


    ¡°With Hazel?¡±


    Anthony said, ¡°Take a look at the news yourself. Francesca, did you quarrel with Danrique? Why is he


    suddenly getting engaged to another woman? How long do you n to stay in Danontand? The two of


    you should meet up as soon as possible and have a proper discussion.¡±


    ¡°I¡ª¡±


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    Someone knocked on the door just as she was about to speak. The next second, William''s voice


    sounded, ¡°Are you awake, Francesca?¡±


    ¡°Just a moment,¡± Francesca replied. Then, she said to Anthony, ¡°Anthony, I''ll talk to youter. William is


    looking for me.¡±


    With that, she hung up the phone.

 Chapter 2102

    Chapter 2102


    qAfter waking up and putting on her clothes, Francesca walked over and opened the door. ¡°Good


    morning, William!¡±


    ¡°Francesca, did I wake you?¡±


    William looked at her with a conflicted expression.


    ¡°No, I was already awake.¡± Francesca noticed the paleness on William''s face and the fact that his eyes


    were bloodshot. ¡°Did you not sleep the entire night?¡±


    ¡°I was worried about Robin, so I had been staying by his side,¡± William replied with a smile. ¡°He woke


    up at six and looks a lot better. He''s having his breakfast now.¡±


    ¡°I''m d to hear that. I''ll go overter.¡± Francesca yawned. ¡°I''m going to shower first.¡±


    ¡°Francesca,¡± William called out to her.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± She turned her head around to look at him.


    ¡°Are... you all right?¡± William''s eyes were filled with concern.


    ¡°I''m fine. Why wouldn''t I be?¡± Francesca chuckled. ¡°All right now, I''m going to wash up.¡±


    With that, she closed the door.


    Left alone in the room, she wiped the smile off her face, then anxiously took out her phone to check the


    news.


    Just as expected, the announcement of Danrique''s engagement to Hazel filled the headlines. Almost


    every media outlet was publicizing the matter.


    Tagged to the headline was a loving picture. In it, Danrique was sharply dressed in a ck suit. As he


    stood in the shadows, the y of light entuated the mystery of his chiseled features.


    As for Hazel, she was wearing a white gown with a mermaid tail that highlighted her sensuous figure,


    and the white veil draped over her low-hung ponytail brought out the elegant aura within her.


    Despite the simplicity of the picture, it very much resembled a wedding photo.


    In addition, Hazel was shing a blissful smile in the picture. Although Danrique''s expression was


    hidden in the shadows, the contrast between one''s warmth and the other''s frostiness made them look


    like the perfect couple.


    At the sight of the picture and the writeups that described how loving those two were, Francesca could


    feel rage being ignited within her.


    As the pictures from the previous incident were taken without permission, she still believed that it was


    nothing but gossip. However, she somehow felt that this time was different.


    All content is ? N0velDrama.Org.


    They seem to be posing deliberately in the photo. Also,pared to the previous incident where only


    certain media outlets reported the news, every major outlet is doing so this time. Even the official


    spokesperson of Erihal shared the news. From the looks of it, Danrique is serious this time.


    Francesca then remembered Monica''s words from before. If a man proposes to break up suddenly, it


    must be because there''s someone else. It looks like Monica is right. Danrique must have broken up


    with me because he got together with Hazel. And yet, I foolishly believed that he was forcing me to go


    see him. How deluded can I be? It now turns out that his heart has been stolen by someone else. He


    clearly dumped me to marry Hazel.


    The more Francesca thought about it, the more emotional she became. She even felt the urge to fly to


    Xendale and confront Danrique about it.


    No, what''s the point of asking? I should just shoot him in the head!


    Meanwhile, at the clinic downstairs, William¡ªwith an increasingly grim expression¡ªwas still reading


    the news.


    ¡°What''s wrong?¡±


    Robin, who had just taken his medication, dismissed everyone else when he noticed the change in


    William''s expression.


    After the medical staff and subordinates left, only the two of them remained in the room.


    ¡°Danrique has announced his engagement to Hazel,¡± William revealed in a deep voice. ¡°It''s all over the


    news now.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Robin''s eyes widened in shock. ¡°Does that mean Ms. Felch is no longer Mr. Lindberg''s


    fianc¨¦e? In that case, wouldn''t our n be¡ª¡±


    Before he could finish, he was interrupted by the look in William''s eye. Peering out the window warily,


    he lowered his voice and asked, ¡°Does Ms. Felch know about this?¡±

 Chapter 2103

    Chapter 2103


    q¡°She probably does,¡± William answered in a grim tone. ¡°It was justst night that Danrique broke up


    with her, and this morning, he has already announced his engagement to Hazel. Everything is


    happening too fast!¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Robin was filled with doubt. ¡°I thought Mr. Lindberg has deep feelings for Ms. Felch. He did so


    much for her previously, so why would he break up with her all of a sudden? Besides, if he really likes


    Hazel, they would have already gotten together from the very beginning. Why did he only agree to it


    now? Considering his character, is his hand being forced by the circumstances? What''s really going


    on?¡±


    ¡°I''m afraid he''s trying to corner me.¡± William''s brows furrowed. ¡°It''s obvious to him that I''m using his


    name to achieve my goals. That''s why he has struck back at me this way. To be honest, I can''t deny


    how ruthless his methods are!¡±


    ¡°I don''t think he would go that far.¡± Robin still found it unbelievable. ¡°If Danrique noticed something, he


    could''ve used some other way to stop us. There''s no need to sacrifice his rtionship with Ms. Felch,


    and to even marry Hazel? He doesn''t strike me as someone whose decisions are driven by his


    emotions.¡±


    ¡°I still don''t know what he has hidden up his sleeve, but it''s certainly directed at me.¡± William''s brows


    were still tightly knitted. ¡°I have underestimated his decisiveness by assuming that I could strike before


    he realized it. I was hoping to just apologize once the matter was resolved. It never crossed my mind


    that he was one step ahead of me¡ªhe was already investigating me when Francesca was in


    Danontand and had formted his countermeasures. And now, his n has taken me by surprise.¡±


    ¡°She probably does,¡± William answered in a grim tone. ¡°It was justst night that Danrique broke up


    with her, and this morning, he has already announced his engagement to Hazel. Everything is


    happening too fast!¡±


    ¡°Danrique is such a ruthless man,¡± Robinmented with a frown. ¡°All we did was just borrow his


    influence, nothing more, but he counterattacks as if he''s going to kill us!¡±


    ¡°He wouldn''t be Danrique if he wasn''t ruthless.¡± William let out a sigh. ¡°Besides, I was the one who


    offended him first, so I can''tin about him striking back at me.¡±


    ¡°What should we do now?¡± Robin looked at him anxiously. ¡°After putting in so much effort and with


    victory within our grasp, we can''t just give up now, can we?¡±


    ¡°I''m working on it,¡± William responded with a grave expression. ¡°Do you remember what I told you in


    the morning?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± Robin nodded repeatedly. ¡°Don''t worry. I know what to say. As for Ms. Felch¡ª¡±


    Before Robin could finish, a frantic knock was heard at the door. ¡°Your Highness, Your Highness, Mr.


    Faulkner is here.¡±


    Stunned by the news, Robin gave William a nervous look. ¡°Why is Ss here now?¡±


    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°His Majesty has probably sent him after reading the news.¡± William''s expression changed. ¡°Danrique''s


    move is a truly decisive one. Just when we were cruising toward victory, his sudden maneuver derailed


    our n.¡±


    ¡°Exactly...¡± Robin was filled with anxiety. ¡°ording to the original n, His Majesty is due to visit our


    castle to investigate the water source and arrest the ones responsible. Unfortunately, our n¡ª


    previously on track¡ªhas now been thrown into disarray in a single day. Say, do you think His Majesty


    will change his mind about pursuing the matter?¡±


    ¡°He will not only let the poisoning incident slide but also start to doubt our intentions.¡± William''s eyes


    narrowed. ¡°In fact, he''ll begin to suspect that I framed those people and faked Francesca''s rtionship


    with Danrique just to leverage Danrique''s name for my own objectives.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Robin''s eyes widened in disbelief. ¡°If that''s true, wouldn''t our n be¡ª¡±


    ¡°There wouldn''t be much of a n left,¡± William interrupted him. ¡°I should be counting my blessings if


    he didn''t charge me with lying and scheming.¡±


    ¡°What should we do now?¡± Robin was stricken by panic.


    ¡°The only thing we can do now is to hope.¡± William furrowed his brows. ¡°We have to hope that Danrique


    and Francesca''s bond isn''t strong enough to withstand this.¡±

 Chapter 2104

    Chapter 2104


    qEven though Robin didn''tprehend the meaning behind William''s words, he knew that they had no


    choice but to take the risk.


    Knock! Knock!


    Right then, there came a knock on the door. A subordinate came in and reported, ¡°Your Highness, Mr.


    Faulkner has arrived.¡±


    ¡°Come in.¡± William and Robin exchanged nces.


    The subordinate opened the door, and Ss strode into the room.


    After bowing to William, he said straightforwardly, ¡°Your Highness, His Majesty has instructed me to


    take you and Dr. Felch to the pce.¡±


    The words triggered a drastic change in Robin''s expression, but William¡ªwho managed to remain


    calm¡ªreplied with a faint smile, ¡°I''m ready to go at any time upon His Majesty''s summons. As for


    Francesca, let me talk to¡ª¡±


    Halfway through his reply, Francesca swung the door opened and entered. She was dressed in a white


    coat and holding a medical kit in her hand.


    Original content from N?velDrama.Org.


    Surprised by the sight of Ss, she turned toward William.


    ¡°Francesca, let me introduce you.¡± After briefly introducing one to the other, William added, ¡°Francesca,


    His Majesty has sent Ss to take us to the pce.¡±


    ¡°Isn''t heing over tomorrow?¡± Francesca asked directly. ¡°Why are we going over now?¡±


    ¡°About that¡ª¡±


    ¡°Dr. Felch.¡± William was about to exin when Ss stepped forward. ¡°His Majesty has learned of your


    impressive medical skills and is filled with admiration. He would like to invite you to the pce and he


    hopes that you''ll grant him the honor.¡±


    Even though Robin didn''tprehend the meaning behind William''s words, he knew that they had no


    choice but to take the risk.


    As one of the king''s close aides, Ss had shown Francesca great respect by the graciousness he had


    disyed.


    Unfortunately, it failed to work on her. ¡°I don''t like to be a guest. If His Majesty has any questions, he


    cane here himself and ask them.¡±


    ¡°Francesca...¡±


    ¡°Dr. Felch.¡± This time, the solemness in Ss'' voice deepened. ¡°You''re probably unaware because of


    your youth. His Majesty''s invitation and the fact that he has sent me is an unprecedented disy of


    sincerity. Please don''t put me and His Highness in a difficult position.¡±


    ¡°Me putting you in a difficult position?¡± Francesca asked curiously. ¡°I''m here to provide medical


    treatment and I have notmitted any crimes, so why does the king insist on seeing me? And how


    does me not seeing him put you in a difficult position?¡±


    ¡°Dr. Felch¡ª¡±


    ¡°Mr. Faulkner,¡± William interjected before Ss could say anything further. ¡°Francesca is a good friend


    of mine and also my savior. All this while, she hates to be restricted and doesn''t enjoy socializing in


    political circles. Since she doesn''t feel like going to the pce, let''s not pressure her into it. As for


    Grandpa, I''ll exin it to him myself.¡±


    ¡°Your Highness¡ª¡±


    Ss was about to say something when William bowed to him. ¡°Please.¡±


    Given William''s response, Ss couldn''t bring himself to press the matter any further. He let out a deep


    sigh and said, ¡°All right. I''ll wait for you outside, then.¡±


    With that, he strode out of the room.


    Francesca¡ªwho was already in a foul mood¡ªwas further annoyed by the drama. However, the


    miserable look on William''s face triggered mixed emotions within her that led her to apologize. ¡°William,


    I''m sorry. I don''t want to make things difficult for you, but I really don''t feel like going to the pce.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine if you don''t want to go. It has nothing to do with you anyway.¡± William was always gentle with


    Francesca. ¡°I already feel bad for getting you involved. Whatever it is, I''ll deal with it myself. I don''t want


    to ce any burden on you.¡±


    ¡°But how are you going to exin yourself at the pce?¡± Francesca was concerned about him.


    ¡°It''s no big deal. I''ll take care of it.¡± William patted her on the shoulder. ¡°All right, I''ll be off now. I don''t


    want to keep Ss waiting. Anyway, don''t push yourself today. Once you have examined Robin, you


    should get some rest.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Francesca nodded before watching William leave.


    Robin let out a sorrowful sigh. ¡°I thought we could turn things around smoothly, but it seems we are


    finished.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by finished?¡± Francesca asked curiously.


    ¡°It''s my fault. It''s all my fault,¡± Robin continued to me himself. ¡°I shouldn''t have appealed to His


    Majesty and revealed your identity. More importantly, I shouldn''thave exposed Mr. Lindberg and your


    rtionship.


    ¡±

 Chapter 2105

    Chapter 2105


    q¡°What are you babbling about?¡± Francesca could not wrap her head around his words. ¡°I understand if


    you revealed my true identity, as the king wouldn''t believe you if I were an ordinary doctor. But why did


    you bring up my rtionship with Danrique?¡±


    ¡°I didn''t n on mentioning it at first. But when His Majesty learned that you were Francesco, the


    miracle doctor, he insisted on seeing you. He wanted you to personally describe how you tested the


    poison and to show evidence of it. At the same time, he nned to send experts from the pce to


    validate your work...


    ¡°I remembered that before your arrival, His Highness had instructed me not to get you involved in


    politics no matter what. He said that you didn''t like socializing or showing yourself in public, let alone


    mingling with the royal and political circles of the nation.


    ¡°So, in a moment of desperation, I mentioned you were Danrique''s fianc¨¦e, hoping that His Majesty


    would change his mind. That way, he would show you more respect, or at the very least, not put you in


    a difficult spot by validating your work.¡±


    After rting what happened in a single breath, the weakened Robin took a deep breath and


    continued, ¡°Just as expected, His Majesty''s attitude toward you changed the moment he heard that you


    were Mr. Lindberg''s fianc¨¦e. Although he still wants to see you, it''s from the perspective of a guest


    instead of trying to interrogate you. Back then, I thought I had done the right thing, but I didn''t expect


    that...¡±


    ¡°What are you babbling about?¡± Francesca could not wrap her head around his words. ¡°I understand if


    you revealed my true identity, as the king wouldn''t believe you if I were an ordinary doctor. But why did


    you bring up my rtionship with Danrique?¡±


    Robin sighed.


    At that moment, Francesca finally understood. ¡°That Danrique would announce his engagement to


    Hazel, causing the king to think that William and you were lying. That''s why that old man invited William


    and me to the pce.¡±


    ¡°That''s right.¡± Robin let out another deep sigh. ¡°I didn''t expect it too. And now, I''m afraid His Majesty will


    not only not investigate the matter about the poisoning but also hold His Highness and me ountable


    for lying.¡±


    Pausing briefly, Robin asked cautiously, ¡°Ms. Felch, what in the world is going on? What happened


    between you and Mr. Lindberg?¡±


    Instead of replying, Francesca dropped her medical kit and turned around to pursue William.


    ¡°Ms. Felch, Ms. Felch!¡±


    Despite his shouts, Robin failed to stop her. As he watched Francesca''s running silhouette disappear,


    the look in his eyes quickly changed.


    He knew that they were currently put at a disadvantage. Nevertheless, they still had a chance of turning


    things around if Francesca were to side with them.


    Francesca wanted to reach the car before it left so that she could travel to the pce together with


    William.


    Amidst William''s shock, Ss invited her into the car.


    Once they were on the road, William asked, ¡°Francesca, what''s going on? Didn''t we agree that I''ll deal


    with it alone? Why did you change your mind ande along?¡±


    ¡°I can''t allow you to face this alone.¡± Francesca was resolute. ¡°Since I''m the one who detected the


    poison, I''m ready to answer the king if that''s what he wants. It''s better to rify the matter in person


    than to have the old man asking for me continuously.¡±


    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    Ss cleared his throat at the sound of Francesca''s words. ¡°Ms. Felch, please don''t speak this way to


    His Majesty at the pce.¡±


    ¡°How, then, should I speak?¡± Francesca retorted. ¡°I''m not a criminal. Why should I lower myself in front


    of him?¡±


    ¡°Um...¡±


    ¡°All right, all right.¡± William quickly defused the situation. ¡°Mr. Faulkner, even though Francesca is


    headstrong, she''s still someone well-mannered and respects the elderly. His Majesty is my grandfather.


    She knows what''s appropriate.¡±


    Having heard William''s response, Ss didn''t say anything further.


    After all, it was a smartment that not only defended Francesca but also eased the tension in the


    air.


    Francesca, too, kept mum. Looking out the window with Danrique in her thoughts, she felt the knot in


    her heart. All she wanted to do was to resolve the matter at hand so that she could fly to Xendale and


    confront Danrique about the truth.

 Chapter 2106

    Chapter 2106


    qMeanwhile, Danrique had just learned that Francesca was heading to the pce with William.


    Consumed by rage, he smashed his phone. ¡°That foolish woman!¡±


    I have already threatened her with a breakup. And yet, instead ofpromising, she ends up


    protecting William. Is she just stupid, or does she love William instead of me?


    All content is ? N0velDrama.Org.


    The more Danrique thought about it, the angrier he became.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, calm down,¡± Sean consoled him. ¡°I think Ms. Felch is either too kind or na?ve. That''s why


    she is being manipted by Prince William. Soon, the truth will find its way to her.¡±


    ¡°That''s not being na?ve. It''s pure stupidity!¡± Danrique exploded in anger. ¡°This time, I must teach her a


    lesson so that she learns once and for all how insidious men can be!¡±


    ¡°But...¡± Sean decided to swallow his words instead.


    ¡°What do you want to say?¡± Danrique saw through him. ¡°You think I''m being too cruel to William?¡±


    ¡°Prince William''seback will only benefit us. He''s one of our partners after all. Once he seeds as


    king, the future of our coboration will be bright. On the other hand, if one of his cousins ascends the


    throne, we will lose one of our key interest groups. Since we have just expanded to the Epean market,


    it would be in our interest to broaden ourwork and gain a foothold instead.¡±


    At that moment, Sean¡ªworried about angering Danrique¡ªpaused to observe his reaction.


    Meanwhile, Danrique had just learned that Francesca was heading to the pce with William.


    Consumed by rage, he smashed his phone. ¡°That foolish woman!¡±


    ¡°Continue.¡± Danrique gestured.


    ¡°I know you''re angry, mostly because Prince William has used Ms. Felch and taken advantage of your


    identity to achieve his objectives. So all you want to do now is to put him in his ce. That, I can


    understand. But I feel that there''s no benefit in us destroying him. Not only would we lose a partner, but


    we might also end up antagonizing Ms. Felch.¡±


    Danrique, brimming with emotions, eximed, ¡°Are you saying that Francesca will have a fallout with


    me because of William? After all that I''ve done, can''t that foolish woman see what''s going on?¡±


    ¡°With Ms. Felch''s intelligence and wisdom, I''m sure she''ll figure out sooner orter. But...¡± Sean


    pondered for a fleeting moment. ¡°Mr. Lindberg, you have neglected an important point¡ªMs. Felch is


    still a doctor!¡±


    ¡°So what if she is?¡± Danrique was truly clueless.


    ¡°As a doctor, she''s born with an inherent sense of justice,¡± Sean analyzed. ¡°Besides, aren''t Prince


    William''s enemies real? I''m sure someone has really poisoned him and the inhabitants of the castle.


    Now that she''s trapped in Danontand, she will want to hold the perpetrator ountable no matter what.


    Even if she knows that Prince William is using her, I''m afraid she''ll understand his motivations. After all,


    he''s carrying the burden of a blood feud and has the blood of eighty men on his hands.


    ¡°Compared to the heavy responsibilities on his shoulders, his maniption of her is nothing at all. Long


    story short, Ms. Felch has nothing to lose. She might get disappointed in Prince William, but she would


    never have a fallout with him over it. As for you, insisting on teaching Prince William a lesson is the


    same as squashing any hope of justice for the eighty lives lost in his castle. Therefore, how do you


    think it looks through the lens of morality?¡±


    Sean''s words cause Danrique to fall into deep thought. Despite seeing the logic in it, he still felt


    indignant. ¡°Am I really not that important to herpared to William?¡±


    ¡°No, Ms. Felch is fiercely loyal. She''s someone who wears her heart on her sleeve. Hence, her feelings


    for you are true. As for Prince William, she sees him as a friend at most and sympathizes with him.


    Nheless, she has high expectations of you because of her love for you. That''s in contrast to an


    ordinary friend from whom she doesn''t expect anything at all.¡±


    After finishing his soliloquy in a single breath, Sean advised, ¡°Didn''t you say that Prince William would


    call you tonight and beg you for mercy? I think it''s a good opportunity for you to consider whether to


    give him another chance.¡±

 Chapter 2107

    Chapter 2107


    qAfter a momentary silence, Danrique replied tly, ¡°That will depend on his performance.¡±


    ¡°As of now, you''re hisst hope. In order to exact revenge and make aeback, he''ll definitely agree


    to any of your conditions,¡± Sean said.


    ¡°Yes. That includes Francesca too,¡± Danrique sneered. ¡°Perhaps she might plead on his behalf in order


    to help him out.¡±


    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°Uh...¡±


    Sean didn''t dare toment any further, as he could sense that everything seemed to be falling into


    ce for Danrique, including leveraging this opportunity to take out the Atkinson family.


    As long as Francesca didn''t make any further mistakes, they would be the ultimate winner in the end.


    Unfortunately, all that his employer cared about was Francesca.


    Meanwhile, Francesca could feel her ears burning. Feeling as if someone was talking about her, she


    checked her phone but didn''t see any notifications on it.


    Nevertheless, she had no time to be distracted, for they had arrived at the pce.


    Dressed in her white robe and wearing custom-made medical spectacles, Francesca looked


    inexplicably attractive with her messy hair, which she didn''t have time tob in the morning.


    Her carefree appearance made her stick out like a sore thumb within the opulent decorations of the


    pce.


    ¡°Dr. Felch, this way please,¡± Ss invited.


    Following William from behind, Francesca strode into the inner halls confidently.


    After a momentary silence, Danrique replied tly, ¡°That will depend on his performance.¡±


    As he hadn''t been there in a long time, William scanned the surroundings with his narrowed eyes and


    lamented, ¡°It''s been ten years since Ist came here.¡±


    ¡°That''s right. You were still a teenager back then,¡± Ss recalled. ¡°It was His Majesty''s birthday then,


    and you came to attend the banquet.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± William shed a self-deprecating smile. ¡°That was the time I embarrassed myself by rolling


    down the staircase. While everyone wasughing at me, only Grandpa reached out to help me up.¡±


    ¡°It wasn''t your fault. Someone sabotaged you.¡± Ss couldn''t help but feel his heart ache at the mention


    of the topic. ¡°In His Majesty''s absence, they used the opportunity to goad you into standing up. Despite


    knowing that your legs were crippled, they insisted on forcing you to get on your feet. When you failed


    to do so, they grabbed you up from your wheelchair and let go, causing you to fall down the staircase.¡±


    Recalling the past enraged Ss. ¡°They truly are b*stards for taking advantage of their parents'' position


    to bully you. After that, the few nobles even dismissed the matter as just children fooling around.¡±


    ¡°They really were children. All of them were younger than me.¡± The calm William broke into a faint


    smile as if he was unaffected by the past. ¡°Those who were older simply stood aside and abetted them


    withoutying a finger on me.¡±


    ¡°Ever since that incident, His Majesty has never asked you toe back to the pce. Not because


    he''s ostracizing you, but because he doesn''t want to see you being bullied,¡± Ss said with a sigh.


    ¡°Your Highness, His Majesty cares about you. It''s just that... there are plenty of considerations holding


    him back.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± William gave a bitter smile before raising his head to look out at the greenwn. ¡°Francesca,


    look, I used to go horse riding there... and that''s also where I fell.¡±


    His words elicited a sympathetic squeeze in Francesca''s heart. ¡°The same blood flows through all of


    your veins. Why do they have to treat you this way?¡±


    ¡°My father is the eldest, so he will most likely seed the throne...¡± William said meaningfully before


    changing the topic. ¡°It seems that there are other guests today.¡±


    When he saw the luxury sedans parked nearby, his eyes dimmed.


    ¡°His Majesty has invited a few other families¡ªyour cousins,¡± Ss said softly. ¡°Don''t worry. His Majesty


    won''t put you in a difficult position.¡±


    William simply responded with silence.


    ¡°Actually, I''m looking forward to meet them.¡±


    Francesca''s knuckles cracked as she clenched her fists.


    After hearing William rte the stories from his childhood, she was filled with rage. She felt the urge to


    seek justice on his behalf.

 Chapter 2108

    Chapter 2108


    qInside the inner hall, it was surprisingly warm, just like a luxurious home that didn''t lose its sense of


    familiarity.


    Hanging off the wall was a huge family portrait with many members of the family inside. Sitting in the


    middle was Federico, who was surrounded by his children and grandchildren.


    From the picture, Francesca spotted the young William, who looked exactly the same as he was now.


    However, he wasn''t paralyzed then and still had a sparkle in his eyes.


    His clear and crystal-blue eyes glistened vibrantly, just like the stars in the night sky.


    He was leaning against Federico''s knees with a face that was filled with innocence. Anyone who saw


    him couldn''t deny the happiness he was exuding then.


    After all, his healthy parents were standing by the side in the picture.


    ¡°When I was young, I couldn''t wait to grow up.¡± William sighed. ¡°How foolish of me!¡±


    ¡°One has to grow up sooner orter.¡±


    All of a sudden, a sonorous voice rang out from behind them. When Francesca turned around and was


    greeted by the sight of Federico, she realized that he looked just as warm and kind as he was on the


    television.


    ¡°Your Majesty.¡± William bowed respectfully.


    As for Francesca, she nodded at him out of courtesy.


    ¡°Wee, Dr. Felch.¡± Federico looked at Francesca intently before shifting his attention to William.


    ¡°William, you can dispense with the pleasantries. Just call me Grandpa as you have always done so in


    the past.¡±


    Inside the inner hall, it was surprisingly warm, just like a luxurious home that didn''t lose its sense of


    familiarity.


    ¡°Yes, Grandpa.¡± William nodded.


    ¡°Please, have a seat.¡± Federico ushered them.


    Without any hesitation, Francesca settled down on the sofa.


    Subsequently, the pce attendants served some snacks and Epean tea before moving to the side.


    As for Ss, he stood quietly behind Federico with his head lowered.


    ¡°Yesterday morning, Robin came to the pce with a report. Thus, I would like to verify it with you


    now.¡±


    Original content from N?velDrama.Org.


    At Federico''s cue, a middle-aged woman who looked like a secretary came forward with a recording


    pen. After bowing at Federico and William, she began to y it.


    The recording contained Robin''s report to Federico. He first informed Federico of how William''s illness


    acted up again before going on about how thetter had invited an exceptionally skilled doctor to the


    castle to treat him.


    After diagnosing that he had been poisoned, the doctor followed the trails and discovered that the


    water source at the castle had been spiked, together with William''s essential oils.


    Robin had even brought samples of the poisoned water and essential oils to be validated.


    Throughout the entire process, Robin exined everything clearly. Never in his report did he mention


    who the suspect was or how much William had been humiliated over the years.


    During the exchange, Federico had a few questions for him but didn''t reveal his thoughts. In the end,


    he instructed Robin to bring the doctor to the pce so that he could question her.


    However, it was then that Robin began to panic and became evasive.


    Unfortunately, his reaction ended up raising Federico''s suspicions instead. It was under those


    circumstances that he mentioned Francesca''s identity.


    Up till then, everything was consistent with what Robin had told them, and there were no problems.


    However, toward the end, Federico began to focus on Danrique and Francesca''s rtionship.


    Despite all that Robin had said earlier, Federico barely made ament. It wasn''t until Robin had


    mentioned that Francesca was Danrique''s fianc¨¦e that he probed further to know if the information was


    true and if Danrique had openly admitted the fact.


    Robin responded in the affirmative and even told him some stories about Danrique and Francesca.


    After delving into the matter in detail and verifying that Danrique was serious about Francesca to the


    extent of getting married, Federico finally eased up. Subsequently, he told Robin that he would


    personally contact William to inform him of his decision with regard to the matter.


    Having heard the entire exchange, the clueless Francesca realized theplex rtionships that were


    involved. Compared to the political machinations against William, Federico seemed to care more about


    her rtionship with Danrique.

 Chapter 2109

    Chapter 2109


    qIn other words, Federico was more concerned aboutmercial opportunities and buildingworks


    than William and the eighty lives in his castle.


    When the sad truth finally dawned upon her, Francesca''s pity for William intensified.


    Suddenly, she could understand why William had been suffering in silence all this while. It wasn''t


    because he was an ipetent coward, but because he knew that even if he fought for what he


    wanted, it was simply pointless.


    Even now, he couldn''t even initiate an investigation despite having lost the lives of eighty men in the


    castle.


    What made things worse was that his only hopey in her rtionship with Danrique.


    How absurd was this?


    More importantly, the fact that Federico could brazenly yback the conversation in front of William


    and Francesca meant that he didn''t see any problem with it at all.


    At that instant, Francesca finally understood why her mentor had repeatedly emphasized that she


    shouldn''t get involved with politicians and members of royal families.


    At the end of the recording, Federico got straight to the point. ¡°William, was it your intention to send


    Robin to see me?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± William answered softly. ¡°But I''ll take responsibility for everything he said.¡±


    ¡°Good, that should be the way.¡± Federico smiled faintly. ¡°In that case, did you also order him to lie?¡±


    ¡°Robin didn''t lie,¡± William quickly said. ¡°It''s true that the water source at the castle was poisoned


    together with my essential oils...¡±


    In other words, Federico was more concerned aboutmercial opportunities and buildingworks


    than William and the eighty lives in his castle.


    ¡°And is Dr. Felch''s identity also true?¡± Federico questioned directly.


    Stunned, William gave Francesca a conflicted look, not knowing what to say.


    ¡°Your Majesty, and which of my identities are you asking about?¡± Francesca threw the question back at


    him. ¡°Is it the one where I''m Francesco or the one where I''m Danrique''s fianc¨¦e?¡±


    All content is ? N0velDrama.Org.


    Francesca didn''t sound as if she was speaking to a king at all. Instead, it was as if she was fearlessly


    arguing with amon man with no intention of backing down.


    The gravitas in her voice intimidated Federico to the extent he needed a few seconds to recover from


    the shock. ¡°Barely anything was publicly known about Francesco before this morning. Also, details of


    Mr. Lindberg''s fianc¨¦e were scarce until now...¡±


    There was a certain weightiness to his words.


    After all, Francesco''s identity had been such a tightly kept secret that even a king wasn''t able to verify


    it. Previously, Federico didn''t have any doubts because he didn''t find it important at all.


    What he was truly concerned with was Francesca''s rtionship with Danrique.


    However, the proud Francesca was incensed by his words. ¡°What does whether I''m Danrique''s fianc¨¦e


    have anything to do with this matter?¡±


    ¡°Francesca...¡± William quickly held her hand. ¡°Calm down. Let''s discuss this civilly.¡±


    ¡°Am I wrong?¡± Francesca''s temper red. ¡°Your Majesty, please answer my question!¡±


    ¡°Insolence!¡± Ss bellowed. ¡°Don''t be rude to His Majesty.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine.¡± Unexpectedly, Federico didn''t mind Francesca''s attitude. Instead, hemented with a


    smile, ¡°From the way you speak and behave, you''re really simr to Danrique.¡±


    ¡°Why would I want to be simr to that b*stard?¡± Francesca blurted.


    ¡°Francesca...¡± William panicked.


    Noticing the nervous look on William''s face, Francesca dialed down her ferocity and rephrased, ¡°Your


    Majesty, the water source at William''s castle was poisoned, resulting in the deaths of eighty men. From


    an official perspective, you should seek justice for them. And on a personal level, you, as William''s


    grandfather, should all the more protect and stand up for him. At such a crucial moment, you must


    order the matter to be thoroughly investigated and the perpetrator to be severely punished instead of


    dwelling on unrted matters.¡±


    ¡°With regards to the matter, you can rest assured that I''ll thoroughly investigate it.¡± Federico broke into


    a slight smile. ¡°If someone has really tried to poison William and the men in his castle, they''ll definitely


    feel my wrath. However, I still can''t allow an outsider to manipte William to achieve his secret


    objective.¡±

 Chapter 2110

    Chapter 2110


    qFederico''s words carried heavy and shocking implications.


    The atmosphere immediately grew tense.


    Even the carefree Francesca froze in shock. She instinctively looked at William as an outrageous


    thought crossed her mind. Could it be true?


    Meanwhile, William raised his head and met the king''s gaze. He dered firmly, ¡°Your Majesty, I have


    nothing to hide nor the courage to manipte others, especially L!¡±


    William could not have answered Federico''s question more openly than that.


    The king narrowed his eyes and stared at William. ¡°Then tell me. Did Robin lie?¡±


    Complex emotions filled the king''s gaze.


    William replied honestly, ¡°Based on the recording I heard, Robin had said nothing but the truth.¡±


    ¡°Is it?¡± Federico began to doubt himself.


    ¡°Why don''t I answer you instead? We''re basically talking about my status as someone''s fianc¨¦e.¡±


    Francesca continued impatiently, ¡°I was still Danrique''s fianc¨¦e before four this morning, but that is no


    longer the case as we have split up. Then, the media reported on Danrique and Hazel''s engagement.


    Simple as that.¡±


    ¡°Erm...¡± Stunned, Ss muttered, ¡°That sounds so childish.¡±


    All content is ? N0velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Why did you break up so suddenly? Was it because of me?¡± asked William softly.


    ¡°It has nothing to do with you. Danrique just went crazy.¡± Furious, Francesca added, ¡°Robin wasn''t


    lying, and nor was William. Though I didn''t want to be involved in this or drag Danrique into this mess,


    things have spiraled to the point where I feel I must exin everything clearly.¡±


    Federico''s words carried heavy and shocking implications.


    Francescaunched into a lengthy exnation. ¡°Firstly, I''m not lying about the multiple poisoning


    attempts on William just because we''re close friends. There''s definitely poison in the castle''s water


    source and the essential oil he was given. He and the eighty-three residents in the castle have all been


    poisoned; no one can deny that. I may not understand yourplicated rtionships with one another


    or anyone''s reasons for pulling such schemes, but I do know that the perpetrator deserves punishment.


    That''s the enduringw in any country of any era. So why have the facts be something to be


    covered up when it reaches your ears, Your Majesty?¡±


    She continued, ¡°Are you suspecting William of poisoning himself for the sake of sabotaging someone


    else? Has the harm and humiliation he suffered all these years been nothing but an act? Did he injure


    both his legs tond himself in a wheelchair?¡±


    Her argument had been delivered with a demanding aura, which instantly steamrolled over the king.


    Federico suddenly looked away as though fearful of meeting William''s gaze.


    Indeed, no one could dispute the facts.


    I can''t fault William for borrowing Danrique''s reputation to make an usation. Someone had


    sabotaged him first, and he deserves to fight back.


    William knew he had little authority in the royal family. No one would bat an eyelid if all the upants in


    his castle perished. Sadly, not even the king would have seen fit to punish his other grandchildren for


    harming him.


    That was why William needed to find other ways to convince the king.


    s, Federico seemed to think otherwise.


    He clearly believed William had no support and nowhere to turn. Moreover, William wasn''t qualified to


    inherit the throne.


    That was why he chose to sacrifice William.


    ¡°Francesca...¡±


    ¡°Let me finish.¡± Francesca cut off William and said, ¡°He''s your flesh and blood. I don''t understand why


    you must mistreat him so. Is it because both his parents are dead? Is it because his legs are crippled?


    Is that why you find him worthless?¡±


    ¡°You!¡± Federico sputtered with rage. ¡°This is outrageous!¡±


    Undeterred, Francesca said, ¡°You know better than anyone else that talent-wise and character-wise,


    William is the best candidate for the throne. You''re merely giving up on him because of his impaired


    legs. Well, let me tell you now that it''s possible to cure his legs! One day, he will stand before you and


    prove that no one can defeat him!¡±

 Chapter 2111

    Chapter 2111


    qFrancesca pleaded William''s case fiercely and passionately.


    The prince stared at his friend, his eyes reddening inadvertently with grateful tears.


    He had struggled silently for twenty years, and Francesca had just pointed out every bit of injustice he


    had suffered to the king that day.


    He never imagined someone in this world could understand him as wholly as Francesca did at that


    moment.


    William was even more surprised that someone would fearlessly stand up for him despite his obviously


    disadvantaged situation.


    He stared at Francesca as though she were the only shining beacon of hope in his bleak life.


    She had given him hope and the determination to stand on his feet again. He felt reinvigorated to


    challenge the mounting obstacles in his life.


    Normally, Ss would have told Francesca off for her outburst, and Federico would have ordered some


    soldiers to drag her out of the room for her impudence.


    To everyone''s surprise, none of that happened.


    Instead, Ss froze in shock, tearing up as he shot William a pitiful look.


    Even Federico lowered his head and fell into silence. Sometimeter, he asked, ¡°Can his legs truly be


    cured?¡±


    ¡°I swear on my life,¡± vowed Francesca.


    She wanted to try her best for William and defend her medical skills.


    ¡°Good, good.¡± Federico nodded and addressed Ss, ¡°Please send her back first.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± Ss stepped forward and said, ¡°This way, Dr. Felch.¡±


    Francesca shot William a worried look.


    He reassured her with a tender gaze, ¡°Go. I''ll be back soon. Don''t worry.¡±


    ¡°Call me if there''s any danger.¡±


    Then, Francesca shot the king a meaningful stare before leaving.


    Federico was stunned by her behavior. ¡°T-This! Is she threatening me?¡±


    William chuckled before he could help himself. ¡°I''ve never seen you like this before.¡±


    ¡°Thisdy is impudent! Utterly so!¡± Federico bristled with fury as he added, ¡°I was too kind to her. I


    should''ve sent her off to prison and taught her a lesson.¡±


    Smiling, William defended his friend. ¡°She has always been like this; even L is frightened of her. But


    she''s fiercely loyal to her friends and an extremely skilled doctor to boot!¡±


    ¡°Is she really Francesco?¡± The king was still doubtful of her identity.


    ¡°In the flesh! I would never lie to you about this, Your Majesty!¡± William answered somberly.


    The king''s hesitation was evident as hemented, ¡°She looks very young to possess such superb


    medical skills. Robin says she saved L in the past, which is why they affirmed their feelings for each


    other at a young age.¡±


    William nodded and exined, ¡°It''s true. They lost contact after that, and L looked for her for seven


    years.¡±


    ¡°If he has such strong feelings for her, how could they split up so suddenly? And how could L turn


    around and be engaged to someone else?¡± Federico stared at his grandson and questioned,


    ¡°Could it be because of you?¡±


    William lowered his head in silence.


    Federico suddenly approached him and advised, ¡°I said something to your father once, and it''s about


    time I shared that message with you. An empire will always be more important than a woman.¡±


    Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    William shuddered and stared at the king in disbelief.


    Is he implying that he''s giving me the opportunity to control an empire?


    ¡°How long will it take to cure your legs?¡± Federico pointed at William''s legs.


    ¡°About three months. There will be several months of physical therapy after that...¡±


    Federico cut him off and asked, ¡°Does that mean you will stand in about half a year?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± William nodded determinedly, though he felt slightly guilty about keeping his grandfather''s hopes


    up. Still, Francesca had won him a precious opportunity to fight for the throne, and he would do


    everything in his might to make it happen.

 Chapter 2112

    Chapter 2112


    q¡°Very well.¡± Federico nodded. ¡°The girl is right. In terms of character, you''re thousands of times better


    than your cousins. You''ve managed to live until now in an environment like this, and you''ve managed to


    make thepany you''ve started up to one of the top hundredpanies. Furthermore, you were


    capable of working with someone impressive like Danrique. That alone is proof of your capability. If you


    buck up, you''ll naturally be the best heir for the throne.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Grandpa.¡±


    ¡°Don''t be in such a haste to thank me,¡± Federico cut him off. ¡°I have a task for you. I''ll only consider you


    for the role if you canplete it.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Please feel free to ask anything from me.¡±


    Ss personally sent Francesca back. When they turned around the corner of the corridor, they


    encountered a few handsome young men walking toward them.


    Ss lowered his head as a gesture of respect toward them, and the few young men did the same in


    return.


    In contrast, Francesca remained stony-faced. She nced at them with cold eyes, knowing that these


    were the few cousins who often bullied William.


    All of them seemed ordinary, but there was something exceptionally cruel in their blood.


    If not for the fact that she did not want to involve William in this, she would have doled out severe


    punishment for them.


    ¡°Is this the miraculous doctor that William hired?¡±


    The princes were all looking at Francesca with evil eyes. In fact, one of them was even looking at her in


    contempt.


    Francesca tightened her fists. Just as she was about to lose control of herself and punch them, Ss


    hastily urged the few princes to leave.


    The young men even turned around to gesture provocatively at Francesca.


    Without hesitation, Francesca took off her shoe and flung it at them.


    Thump! The shoe hit two of the young men''s heads.


    The princes were dumbfounded, for no one had dared to treat them in this way before.


    Right as the two princes who were hit were about to kick up a fuss, the rest stopped the two. ¡°This is


    His Majesty''s ce. Have you lost your mind?¡±


    Hearing that, they had no choice but to fume in their spots. On the other hand, Francesca sneered and


    left.


    The look of shock never left Ss'' face as he quickly sent Francesca out of the pce.


    After entering the car, Ss observed Francesca, who was in the backseat, through the rearview mirror.


    He was baffled. She looks normal, so where did she get that aggressive and fearless demeanor from?


    In the meantime, Francesca was huffing in anger as she looked at her phone. Danrique had yet to reply


    to her, and she could not help but think, Is the b*stard for real this time? He''s not going to marry Hazel,


    is he?


    Right in the middle of her contemtion, Sean called, and Francesca picked up the call right away.


    ¡°Hey, Sean.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Felch, you''re... fine, right?¡± Sean tentatively asked.


    Danrique knew that Francesca had followed William to the pce; he was worried something bad


    would happen if Francesca ticked the king off with her temper.


    Furthermore, they would have a dy in receiving new information about the situation in the pce, so


    Danrique had gotten Sean to call her.


    ¡°My heart''s still beating,¡± Francesca growled out. ¡°Did Danrique make you call me?¡±


    ¡°I...¡± Sean cast a helpless look at Danrique.


    Danrique shook his head, so Sean had no choice but to say, ¡°I was the one who wanted to call you.


    Didn''t you call me earlier? I was just wondering if you had something urgent to tell me¡ª¡±


    ¡°You can shut up now,¡± Francesca snapped. ¡°I''m going to talk, and you''re going to listen.¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma''am.¡± Sean dared not say anything else.


    ¡°Tell that b*stard Danrique that I''ll be rifying everything in person at Xendale once I''m done settling


    these matters at William''s side. If he still wants to break up, I won''t insist the rtionship continue.


    However, before we meet up, he''d better stay faithful, or else I''ll castrate him!¡±


    With that, Francesca ended the call.


    Ss'' eyes were wide with shock as his jaw dropped.


    He had figured out that the one who called Francesca was Danrique''s subordinate, Sean. After


    snapping at Sean, Francesca changed her target to Danrique and threatened him.


    Ss could not believe his ears; he could not believe that the infamous devil, Danrique Lindberg, was


    getting threatened by Francesca.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

 Chapter 2113

    Chapter 2113


    q¡°Go to hell, b*stard!¡± Francesca gritted out.


    Nevertheless, rage continued to boil in her, and she beganposing a message to Danrique. As she


    typed, she cursed, ¡°Douchebag, you''d better remember to refrain from all sex even if it kills you; you


    have to wait until I''m back and done talking to you. If you dare to cheat on me, I''m going to ughter


    you!¡±


    All content is ? N0velDrama.Org.


    Ss could not help but shudder as he listened to her swearing.


    She''s terrifying! But she seems young, so she''s probably just a feral girl. What are the chances she''s


    someone who can deal with Mr. Lindberg?


    Just as those thoughts crossed his mind, a truck abruptly appeared on its way toward them. The driver


    could not turn in time, and right as their car was about to collide with it, Francesca pounced at the


    driver''s seat. She reached out her hands and swiftly turned the steering wheel as she bellowed, ¡°Don''t


    step on the brake; step on the elerator!¡±


    The driver did as he was told. In the next second, the car swayed to the side and went on two wheels


    as it narrowly sped through the gap between the truck and the guardrail.


    The car continued to drive nted on one side for a few more minutes before itnded back on four


    wheels.


    The driver was scared senseless.


    However, Francesca calmly patted his shoulders and said, ¡°Calm down and drive slowly.¡±


    Then, she casually leaned back in her seat and continued typing out her message to curse at


    Danrique.


    It had been a harrowing and thrilling moment, but to Francesca, it was as if the moment was just a


    trivial experience.


    Ss was stiff against his seat with a colorless face as he grabbed his chest and held his breath.


    A long whileter, he came back to his senses and tentatively asked, ¡°Dr. Felch, you were


    unbelievable. Do you know how to drive?¡±


    ¡°Spot on, Captain Obvious,¡± Francesca replied.


    Ss did not dare to ask her any more questions, but in his mind, he secretlybeled the young woman


    as someoneplicated.


    Simultaneously, at the pce, William was telling Federico, ¡°You can consider Francesca as someone


    simple who has nothing against the world. But you can also consider her as someoneplicated. She


    has extraordinary medical knowledge and various marvelous skills, so she''s not someone to be easily


    crossed. Moreover, she saved the lives of many prominent figures. If something happens to her, I''m


    afraid there will be many people taking revenge for her.¡±


    ¡°Aren''t you bold with your words?¡± Federico sneered in disdain. ¡°How capable can a twenty-year-old


    girl be? And you say that many prominent figures will take revenge for her? I''d like to know who those


    people are!¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty¡ª¡±


    ¡°That''s enough,¡± Federico icily cut him off. ¡°I''m not asking you to do anything to her right now; I''m only


    asking you to keep her in the castle and stop her from leaving. Why are you overthinking the matter?¡±


    ¡°Francesca''s rtionship with Danrique has recently deteriorated. She''ll soon be on her way to


    Xendale, and I won''t be able to stop her,¡± William exined. ¡°However, I''m certain that she''ll return to


    treat me once she''s done settling her matter with Danrique.¡±


    ¡°You mustn''t let her go,¡± the old king uttered without beating around the bush. ¡°Don''t you understand


    that you can''t let her meet Danrique?¡±


    William froze. He had sensed something amiss earlier, but it was only at that moment he realized what


    Federico was trying to tell him.


    He blurted out, ¡°Why?¡±


    Nevertheless, he realized something in the next second. ¡°Grandpa, did someonee to look for


    you?¡±


    Federico sipped his tea in silence.


    His silence made William''s heart lurch. All of a sudden, he realized how naive he had been.


    Federico had been the king for decades, and there was no doubt he was an observant, smart man. The


    old man knew about his matters all along, but he never once intervened. Hence, how could he have


    abruptly sobered up after Francesca''s words?


    The truth was that, Federico had known about Francesca and Danrique''s matter before they came to


    meet him.


    Federico was not the one who looked into these matters; someone told him about them. At the same


    time, they had struck a deal with Federico to get Federico''s assistance in certain matters.


    One of those matters would be for William to think of a way to keep Francesca in the castle for half a


    year.

 Chapter 2114

    Chapter 2114


    qMany things could happen if he did not allow her to leave the castle.


    William could use his illness to make Francesca stay by his side but not for long.


    Besides, Francesca and Danrique had reached an agreement back then, so that was why she was not


    in a hurry to leave. However, judging by the current situation, William could only lock her in the castle if


    he wanted her to stay.


    Danrique used their engagement as an excuse to get Francesca to go back because he wanted to


    meet her as soon as possible.


    Deep in William''s heart, he understood the consequence his action might cause. Danrique would


    definitely be offended if I were to pull a trick on her to stop her from leaving.


    ¡°Don''t worry about that,¡± Federico said icily. ¡°Your cousins are still waiting outside. Make up your mind.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty...¡±


    Federico interrupted as he had run out of patience. ¡°Even if you disagree with the n, I still have other


    ns in mind to stop her from leaving. I can always hand the task to your cousins, and I''m sure they''ll


    be more than willing to ept it.¡±


    William''s expression turned grim instantly. He knew Federico was capable of doing many things.


    Likewise, he knew his cousins were all despicable, vicious, and cunning men who would resort to all


    sorts of dirty tricks. Should that happen, Francesca would be in trouble.


    ¡°William...¡± Federico patted his shoulder gently and advised him patiently, ¡°You''re an all-rounder, but


    you''re just too indecisive like your father because you care too much for people you have feelings for.


    This attribute of yours will hinder you from bing a formidable king.¡±


    After a short pause, Federico continued, ¡°I''m not just testing you, but I''m also trying to guide you to


    attain your goal and to be a decisive person! William, I hope you understand my intention.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do...¡± William nodded. ¡°But Your Majesty, I''m afraid we''ll offend Danrique if we do that...¡±


    ¡°Of course, we would not do anything that will step on his toes,¡± Federico said with a smirk. ¡°We''re just


    helping him get rid of a stumbling block. What do young people know about love anyway? Soon, he''ll


    forget about this Dr. Felch and fall in love with another woman.¡±


    ¡°Another woman?¡± William seemed to have read between the lines. ¡°Did you meet with someone from


    Erihal? Is it the president?¡±


    It was clear that the president of Erihal wanted Danrique to marry his daughter. That was why he came


    to M Nation to get Federico''s help to stop Francesca from returning to Erihal.


    William knew what his grandfather had in mind. He knew Federico would not have agreed to take the


    risk if the Atkinson family was the one who approached him.


    Since the president of Erihal was the one who sought his help, Federico knew he would benefit greatly


    had he managed to do the president a favor. Moreover, Federico was also a traditionalist who believed


    a man should marry a woman with simr family background.


    That was why Federico did not believe Danrique was in love with Francesca. It probably is just puppy


    love. Perhaps, Danrique is merely trying to relive his teenage dream. Once he loses interest in that


    woman, he''ll forget about her.


    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    That was also why he was not afraid of offending Danrique. In fact, he felt getting rid of an ordinary girl


    was just nothing to write home about.


    Yet, William begged to differ. He knew Danrique was serious about Francesca and would not give her


    up easily.


    He had not done anything that had crossed the line because he knew he was still no match for


    Danrique.


    ¡°You''re getting on my nerves, William.¡± Federico had lost all his patience. ¡°Stop questioning my motive.


    Just do as I say.¡±


    ¡°But Grandpa, Francesca is my friend...¡±


    ¡°Friend?¡± Federico responded with a cold snort. ¡°Friends are meant to be betrayed!¡±


    William froze for a minute as he could not believe his ears.

 Chapter 2115

    Chapter 2115


    q¡°Besides, I could tell you have feelings for Dr. Felch, right? I''m sure you''ll be d if you get to keep


    her in the country.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°Stop acting like a naggy wench.¡± Federico did not want to waste his energy on William anymore. ¡°If


    you want me to investigate the contamination of the water source, then do as I say. Otherwise, I''ll turn a


    blind eye to that incident. And I''ll still get your cousins to do the job on your behalf. If this happens, trust


    me, you''ll not get anything out of it.¡±


    Federico''s warning sounded like a threat.


    William knew he had no choice but to resign to his fate. ¡°All right, Grandpa. I''ll heed your advice.¡±


    ¡°That''s more like it,¡± Federico responded with a smile of satisfaction. ¡°Everything I''m doing now is for


    your own good. After all, you''re my sessor and will take over my position in the future. Besides, your


    leg will only recover in another half a year. Isn''t it great to have her take care of you?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± William decided to y along and not refute Federico.


    ¡°You can leave now.¡± Federico gestured for him to go. ¡°Go back and take a rest.¡±


    William froze for a moment. ¡°But they''re already here, aren''t they?¡±


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    He thought Federico would reprimand his cousins in front of him and investigate the poisoning of the


    water source. But he asked me to leave, so...


    ¡°It takes time to sort things out,¡± Federico exined. ¡°I''ll keep my promise and look into it, so don''t


    worry. Have faith in your grandpa, okay?¡±


    William could only keep mum after getting Federico''s reassurance. He nodded and said, ¡°All right. Got


    it.¡±


    Federico then gestured for a subordinate toe in and wheel William out.


    Before leaving, William heard his cousins greeting Federico. ¡°Grandpa, we miss you!¡±


    Federico responded with augh. ¡°Come,e. We have top-grade red wine to go with tonight''s


    dinner.¡±


    Listening to his affectionateughter and observing how they exchanged pleasantries made William


    question if Federico would fulfill his promise and investigate them for the water contamination issue.


    What a happy family.


    William felt a prickling pain in his heart. As a breeze brushed through his face when he looked to the


    sky, he seemed to havee to his senses.


    Federico was an old, sly fox who used the throne as bait to get him to betray his friend.


    The so-called investigation and session n were nothing but just empty promises.


    In the end, Federico would get a few scapegoats to take the me to appease William.


    Federico could also easily exclude him from the session n with the reason that William was not


    qualified and not suitable to ascend to the throne. How ironic. How naive of me to believe all the


    promises he made.


    William thought Federico would feel a pang of guilt after listening to what Francesca said. He thought


    Federico would be willing to groom him to be the next king because he finally saw potential in


    him.


    At that moment, William finally realized he was nothing but a pawn.


    Federico might have taken William back, but this did not change the fact that he still regarded thetter


    as a useless pawn¡ªa pawn that would always be at his disposal.


    After leaving the hall, William narrowed his eyes, looked up at the gloomy sky, and realized it was


    about to rain. The overcast weather was exactly the reflection of his feelings.


    William lowered his eyes and remained silent while waiting for the subordinate to carry him to the car.


    A downpour ensued while he was on his way back.


    William looked into the rear-view mirror and noticed a few luxury cars behind and the subordinates


    standing around them. He also saw the smug looks on the subordinates'' faces.


    After ncing at the castle amidst the misty rain, he realized how stony-hearted and inhuman that


    ce was and was disgusted by it.


    William clenched his fists. One day, I''ll stand on my own feet and enter the castle with my head held


    high while trampling on their blood.

 Chapter 2116

    Chapter 2116


    qFrancesca returned to William''s castle and saw Robin sitting in the wheelchair weakly, telling the


    subordinates what to do. Enraged, Francesca scolded, ¡°Robin, don''t you know you''re heavily injured?


    Why are you up? Don''t you want to live?¡±


    ¡°Ms. Felch...¡± Robin was panting heavily. ¡°They went out to get the medicine, but they couldn''t find any.


    I got worried, so I got up to tell them what to do.¡±


    ¡°What? Those medicines are verymon. Why couldn''t they find any?¡± Francesca asked in a puzzled


    tone. ¡°In fact, they can be found in any drugstore. In Zarain, those medicines can even be found


    online!¡±


    ¡°Ms. Felch, we''ve spent the past two days trying to buy those medicines. However, everyone said


    those medicines are all sold out.¡±


    ¡°They aren''t sold out. Those sellers just don''t want to sell them to us. I saw some of the shops have it,


    but when we asked the owners about it, they immediately put the medicines away.¡±


    While describing what they had encountered, the subordinates were all getting anxious.


    ¡°Someone must''ve instructed them to not sell to us.¡±


    ¡°Those people just want us to die!¡±


    The subordinates were outraged.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Robin roared. ¡°Stop being so dejected! We''ll find a way.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± The subordinates dared not say anything further.


    ¡°You guys may leave. I''ll discuss it with His Highness when hees back,¡± Robin ordered.


    ¡°Yes.¡± The subordinates left.


    After they left, Robin pressed against his wounds. At that moment, he was breaking out in a cold sweat,


    and he looked like he was about to die.


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    Francesca quickly got someone to bring Robin into the ward. After tending to his wounds and putting


    him on a drip, she uttered, ¡°Rest well, okay? I''ll talk to William about the medicinester.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Ms. Felch¡ª¡± Robin fainted before he could finish his sentence.


    Francesca felt terrible when she saw the state Robin was in and how worried the others looked. I don''t


    get it. What atrocity did Williammit? Why do these people want him dead so badly? Why do they


    want the people in his castle to die as well?


    Right then, a subordinate announced, ¡°His Highness is back!¡±


    Shortly after, a subordinate was seen pushing William in.


    William''s clothes and hair were drenched due to the rain, but he was unfazed. He asked about Robin


    the moment he arrived at the scene.


    Francesca told him what happened and uttered softly, ¡°I''ve already examined him. He should be fine


    now. Let''s talk outside, okay? We should let him rest.¡±


    ¡°Go have a shower and get changed. We''ll meet in the study room,¡± William said thoughtfully.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Francesca didn''t spare the matter further thought and went straight to her room.


    When she was showering, Francesca recalled what had happened that day. At the same time, she felt


    something amiss when she thought about what Federico said.


    After mulling over it for a while, she suddenly realized something. Well... Maybe, just maybe, William


    has an ulterior motive when he came to look for me. Besides, there''s a possibility he''s trying to take


    advantage of my rtionship with Danrique to get Federico''s attention. Also, Robin might not have


    been acting on his own when he reported to Federico. That could be William''s order. These are rather


    obvious. It''s just that I''ve never doubted William because I trusted him.


    In addition, Francesca had always been simple-minded and never had disputes with others. Hence,


    she was never willing to think badly about others.


    However, she wasn''t stupid.


    Upon some pondering, she could tell what was going on.

 Chapter 2117

    Chapter 2117


    qFrancesca wasn''t pleased when she figured out the truth. William had taken advantage of our


    friendship and my sincerity. I trusted him, and I was sincerely trying to help him. Despite what others


    had said about him, I''ve never doubted him. However, he had lied to me and used me. Still, why do I


    not hate him now that I know the truth? Instead, I feel bad for him. He''s a prince and a victim. Not only


    did he have to endure being oppressed and schemed against for twenty years, but the lives of over


    eighty people in the castle are also at risk. He had been bullied, and he couldn''t even defend himself.


    He even had to use Danrique to get a chance to have the matter investigated. The person who''s


    supposed to uphold justice is his own family member.


    Francesca felt very sorry for William. I think everyone will feel sorry for him. After all, he''s not doing this


    for himself. He''s responsible for the lives of over eighty people. If I were in his shoes, I would definitely


    tell my friends the truth and get them to help me instead of lying to them. That''s where we''re different.


    However, I didn''t have to go through what he had gone through. I can''t judge him, but I feel for him.


    That aside, could it be that Federico had thought things through? Will he look into the matter, or was he


    just acting? Furthermore, William looked troubled when he came back just now. Will he tell me the truth


    when we meet in the study roomter?


    With a concerned mind, Francesca got dressed and went to the study room.


    When she arrived there, William had already changed into a clean set of casual wear, and he was


    sitting quietly on the sofa. However, he seemed like he had caught a cold because his legs were


    covered up with a rug, and he was holding a cup of coffee in his hands.


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    With his head lowered, he seemed troubled.


    In fact, he appeared rather lonely.


    ¡°William?¡± Francesca called his name softly.


    William didn''t hear her, and he was still in a daze.


    The maid next to him uttered softly, ¡°Your Highness, Ms. Felch is here.¡±


    William returned to his senses and raised his gaze toward Francesca. ¡°Hey, Francesca!¡±


    ¡°Hi.¡± Francesca sat on the sofa opposite him. Seeing how troubled he looked, she couldn''t help but


    ask, ¡°Is Federico not going to investigate the matter?¡±


    ¡°It''s not that.¡± William shed a half-smile.


    ¡°What is it, then?¡± Francesca asked in a puzzled tone.


    William fell into deep thought for some time before saying, ¡°Have you eaten? Let''s eat.¡±


    With that, he gestured for the maids to serve dinner.


    ¡°Leave us,¡± William uttered.


    ¡°Yes.¡± All the maids left the room.


    William then gestured to the subordinates standing by the door. Seeing that, they left as well.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Francesca was growing anxious.


    William didn''t know how to express himself, so he merely lowered his head and started eating.


    Francesca then asked anxiously, ¡°Is Federico going to investigate the matter or not? Is he angry


    because you and Robin had lied to him? Or is he¡ª¡±


    William interrupted her speech and answered, ¡°He said he''ll look into it. However, he needs time.¡±


    ¡°How much time does he need?¡±


    ¡°He didn''t say.¡± William shook his head.


    ¡°It seems like he''s just dragging the time.¡± Francesca was enraged. ¡°In the end, he''s just going to forget


    about the matter.¡±


    William kept silent and drank his soup.


    ¡°Why aren''t you saying anything? What happened?¡± Francesca asked.


    William put his utensils aside and wiped his mouth with a napkin. After staring at Francesca for a while,


    he said, ¡°I need to ask you a few questions first, Francesca.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Francesca was stumped. Aren''t we talking about him? Why does he want to ask me


    questions?


    ¡°I need your answers before deciding what to do.¡± William took a deep breath and asked sternly, ¡°Do


    you like Danrique?¡±


    That was the first time he had addressed Danrique by his name. Before that, he would only address


    him as L.


    When he addressed Danrique that way, it sounded distant.

 Chapter 2118

    Chapter 2118


    q¡°Of course, I do,¡± Francesca answered unhesitatingly. ¡°Why are you asking me that all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°I want to know how deeply are you in love with Danrique. Do you still like him now that you know he''s


    about to get engaged to someone else?¡±


    ¡°He''s just angry at me. He''s pissed off because instead of going to him, I''vee to Danontand.


    Hence, he''s doing that just to piss me off and get me to find him in Xendale.¡± Francesca then uttered


    frankly, ¡°Although I fight and argue with him, I''ve never thought about breaking up with him.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± William shed a faint smile and said, ¡°L is rich, handsome, and a good fighter. He''s a perfect


    man. I bet he is every woman''s dream.¡±


    ¡°All those qualities of his don''t matter to me.¡± Francesca shook her head. ¡°Even if he bes poor,


    ugly, and defenseless, I''ll still like him.¡±


    That was the first time she had said those words because no one had ever asked her those questions.


    Now, I know what I truly want for myself. I''m deeply in love with Danrique. If I were to marry someone, it


    has to be him. Otherwise, I would rather remain single.


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    ¡°Is that so?¡± William shot a conflicted look at Francesca. ¡°I envy L so much...¡±


    Indeed, William was utterly jealous of Danrique. Not only does he have Francesca as his girlfriend, but


    he''s also a strong fighter. Besides, his aunt is always protecting him and helping him. On the other


    hand, I have nothing. What if I had a body like his and someone helping me in life? Will my life be


    different? Will I have met Francesca? Will Francesca love me as much as she loves Danrique?


    ¡°You''ll find someone.¡± Francesca smiled andforted him, ¡°You''re also an impressive man. You''ll


    surely find someone you truly like.¡±


    ¡°There''s no other woman in the world who''s better than you.¡± William stared at Francesca with an


    emotional gaze.


    ¡°How could that be? There are so many women prettier and kinder than me¡ª¡±


    ¡°Francesca.¡± William interrupted her speech and asked, ¡°What if I tell you I like you? Will you give me a


    chance?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Francesca was stupefied because that had never crossed her mind. No matter how many


    people had told her about it, she never thought William would be into her. Is he for real?


    ¡°I''m serious.¡± William then confessed his feelings to her. ¡°In fact, I''ve already fallen for you when you


    came to my castle to treat me for the first time. Otherwise, why would I risk my life to look for you? After


    that¡ª¡±


    Francesca quickly cut him off and said, ¡°William, we''re friends.¡±


    With that sentence, she had revealed her stance.


    She had only ever considered him a friend and nothing more.


    ¡°You guys have broken up, right?¡± William was still holding on to a sliver of hope inside. ¡°Will I ever


    stand a chance?¡±


    ¡°I don''t think we''ve broken up. He''s just throwing a tantrum, and everything will be all right when we


    meet each other,¡± Francesca uttered confidently. ¡°Besides, even if I have broken up with him, I would


    rather stay single for the rest of my life.¡±


    With that, she had killed all his hopes and dreams.


    William wanted to say something in response, but he merely sighed and said, ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°You''ve already wasted so much time talking about something else. Can we go back to the topic at


    hand?¡± Francesca asked anxiously. ¡°What on earth happened?¡±

 Chapter 2119

    Chapter 2119


    qWilliam thought about it for a while before saying, ¡°I''ve thought about it for a long time, but I still can''t


    figure out how to tell you.¡±


    Francesca kept mum and waited.


    William then lowered his head and took a deep breath. ¡°Francesca, I''m sorry. I''ve lied to you. From the


    beginning, I knew I have been poisoned, and I knew the problem came from the water supply. I tricked


    you intoing here. There are two reasons why I''ve done so. Firstly, you''re the only person who can


    save us from the poison and cure my leg. Secondly, you can see how His Majesty doesn''t even care


    about whether I live or die. Even if everyone in the castle were to die because of the poison, he''ll just


    brush me off when I tell him about it. Nothing good wille out of it. Although I don''t care if I live or


    die, I can''t let others die with me. Hence, I got you to investigate the water supply so that Federico


    would pay attention to it. After that, I wanted to use your name to prove the matter.¡±


    William paused and lowered his head shamefully before adding, ¡°I know I''m shameless and


    despicable. However, I had no choice.¡±


    ¡°Did you get Robin to report to Federico? Did you tell him to reveal my rtionship with Danrique?¡±


    Francesca queried.


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    ¡°Yes.¡± William nodded. ¡°I''ve nned it all out. I''ve used you and lied to you.¡±


    With that, he hung his head low and dared not look Francesca in the eyes.


    To his surprise, Francesca wasn''t angry at all. In fact, she didn''t seem displeased. In a calm tone, she


    said, ¡°I have guessed that much. I''m angry, but I understand why you''ve done that. You have the lives


    of so many people on your shoulders.¡±


    ¡°Are you not ming me?¡± William was taken aback.


    ¡°Not really.¡± Francesca seemed rather calm. ¡°As a friend, I''m quite pissed off. You could''ve just told me


    you needed help. Why did you have to lie to me? As a doctor, however, I understand that you were just


    trying to save their lives. If I were in your shoes, I would also do the same thing to save my orphanage.


    Therefore, I understand how you feel. However, unlike you, I would tell my friends the truth instead of


    lying.¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry. I was wrong,¡± William apologized with his head hung low. ¡°I didn''t know things would get so


    complicated. I thought I would burden you if I had told you the truth from the beginning. Besides, if L


    knows the truth, he wouldn''t let youe to Danontand. With your status, I thought I could get


    everything sorted out. I''ve nned to apologize to you and L once everything is settled. However, who


    would''ve known something else would happen?¡± William sighed.


    ¡°You didn''t expect me to break up with Danrique at this crucial moment, right? At the same time, the


    media had even announced his engagement with Hazel.¡± As soon as Francesca finished talking, she


    suddenly realized something. Could it be that Danrique was aware of William''s n, so he had


    purposely tried to trouble William?


    Although she had that in mind, she didn''t voice it out. Instead, she asked William again, ¡°Why are you


    only telling me the truth now? Did Federico say something to you?¡±


    Francesca was smart enough to know that William wouldn''t talk about romance when there were so


    many things happening. He had been beating around the bush. There must be something else he''s not


    saying.


    After giving it a lot of thought, William finally revealed, ¡°Federico promised me he will look into the


    matter. However, he has a request.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Francesca asked.


    ¡°H-He wants me to keep you in the castle for at least six months.¡± William raised his gaze toward


    Francesca and decided to tell the truth.

 Chapter 2120

    Chapter 2120


    qFrancesca was stunned for a while before she returned to her senses. ¡°Why?¡±


    Federico''s actions utterly befuddled her. I thought we were supposed to deal with William''s castle,


    where he and his eighty-three subordinates were poisoned. So why am I suddenly brought into focus?


    Not only that, I''m forced to stay in the castle for half a year?


    ¡°I was very confused too.¡± William frowned with a serious expression. ¡°I kept telling him that you''re a


    free woman and you have the ability not to be restrained. After that, I even stopped beating around the


    bush. I said that your medical skills are impressive and you have plenty of incredible talents. Many


    important and influential figures'' lives were saved because of you, so if anything happens to you, those


    people won''t just sit by and watch. However, that wasn''t enough to convince Federico. He insisted on


    executing his decision. Not only did he use the investigation of the poisoning incident to threaten me,


    but he also said something even nastier...¡±


    ¡°What did he say?¡± Francesca asked.


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    ¡°He said...¡± His eyebrows furrowed even more tightly with a darkened expression. ¡°If I refuse to agree


    to his request, he''ll ask my cousins to do it instead.¡±


    ¡°He''s asking them to lock me up? Huh, do they even have the capability to do that?¡± Her fury red as


    she gritted her teeth. ¡°That old bat! I thought he understood when I saw the guilt on his face after I said


    those things. I thought he regretted his actions and would be willing to investigate the matter properly to


    ensure you get the justice you deserve. To my surprise, he had other ns!¡±


    ¡°I thought so...¡± A bitter smile was visible on William''s face. ¡°Well, I was too na?ve.¡±


    ¡°This doesn''t seem right...¡± Francesca was still confused. ¡°Why does Federico want me to stay in


    Danontand? What is his goal?¡±


    ¡°Initially, I was confused too. However, after I did some digging myself, I got the answer.¡± He frowned. ¡°I


    think someone approached him to cooperate with him and asked him to force you to stay here,


    preventing you from meeting L.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± Francesca was anxious. ¡°Is it Hazel?¡±


    ¡°Probably not. The Atkinson family isn''t that powerful,¡± he theorized. ¡°Based on what I know about


    Federico, whoever''s working with him is probably someone of a simr status to him. Either that or


    someone''s offering him an extremely beneficial offer. Those two reasons are the only ones I can see


    him working with that other person.¡±


    ¡°I don''t understand...¡± Matters like those greatly irritated Francesca, who was unwilling to spend more


    time thinking about them. ¡°But why is that person doing this? Why does that person refuse to let me


    leave Danontand and meet Danrique? What are they getting out of this arrangement?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know the details.¡± William sighed. ¡°I really shouldn''t have gotten you involved. At first, it was just


    the poisoning incident at my castle, but now you''re getting locked up... If things continue in this


    trajectory, it''ll only get moreplicated. I thought about it for a long time before I eventually decided to


    tell you the truth. You should leave before they start taking action and notice anything.¡±


    When he finished his sentence, he turned to the outside and shouted, ¡°Someone¡ª¡±


    ¡°Wait.¡± Francesca promptly stopped him. ¡°What are you going to do if I leave? What''s going to happen


    to the people in the castle? I can''t just stand by and do nothing.¡±


    ¡°You aren''t responsible for our lives.¡± William''s voice was calm. ¡°I''ll find a way to save them. Worst-case


    scenario, I''ll sway public opinion to apply pressure on Federico to force him to hire a doctor. As long as


    he agrees to save them, I''m willing to stop investigating the poisoning incident for the moment.¡±


    ¡°Why are you always so weak, William?¡± That enraged her. ¡°Do you think they''ll let you go just because


    you don''t look into the matter? They''re trying to kill you! What do you mean by getting a doctor to save


    your people? Right now, you can''t even buy medicine outside! If I leave, all of you will die here really


    quickly. Don''t you know that?¡±

 Chapter 2121

    Chapter 2121


    qWilliam lowered his head and uttered in a sorrowful voice, ¡°I know, I know.¡±


    Of course, he knew but he had no other choice.


    It didn''t matter when he would die¡ªthe end wasing for him, regardless.


    However, he believed he should at least make a gamble.


    Before, he ced all his hope on Federico. He wished there was still kindness in the old king and that


    he would be given another chance once he saw his good qualities.


    After what happened today, his hope was dashed. Is it because I was discarded for so long that


    Federico has wholly ignored my value? He didn''t even bother to pretend...


    Federico''s contemptuous attitude made William give up on their familial rtionship.


    At that moment, he would rather bet on Francesca and Danrique.


    He hoped they would be willing to give him a hand, either out of love or friendship.


    Perhaps, it would be a far more effective strategy than getting Federico''s affection.


    ¡°Since you know, then fight against your fate till the bitter end,¡± Francesca uttered righteously. ¡°Don''t


    worry, I won''t stand by and let you all die. That''s not something a doctor will do.¡±


    ¡°But have you thought about L? If you don''t go back in time, what will you do if he gets engaged with


    someone else?¡± William reminded.


    ¡°If he changes his mind that quickly, then there''s nothing for me to be sad about. If he''s going to marry


    someone because we didn''t meet each other for half a year, then that means he has never truly loved


    me.¡±


    ¡°I''m not judging your rtionship with L. I''m just saying that there are things that can''t be prevented.¡±


    Once again, he reminded with a serious tone. ¡°Do you know how many influential and powerful people


    are doing their best to marry their daughters off to him? When you''re not around, they''ll create all sorts


    of opportunities to make that happen. Not only that, but those women will also use various seduction


    techniques to get their hands on him. If he falls for one of their traps and that woman is backed with


    prestigious status, he''s not getting out of that sticky situation. When that happens, there''ll be nothing


    you can do.¡±


    It hurt Francesca''s head when she heard that. ¡°Isn''t he just a man? Is all this really necessary?¡±


    ¡°L isn''t an ordinary man,¡± William answered in a serious tone. ¡°He represents the various resources of


    the world''s top business families. He also has so much money that no one can finish spending it over


    the course of several lifetimes. Even I, a prince, is only a side character in front of him. You''re usually


    pretty carefree, so you may not see how precious and important he is. However, others may not think


    the same way¡ª¡±


    ¡°All right, I get it.¡± She cut him off. ¡°I know he''s excellent and awesome. However, there''s nothing I can


    do if he really changes his mind. Besides, he never forgot about me in our seven years apart. Why are


    you suddenly repeating those rumors?¡±


    ¡°His foundation wasn''t stable in the past. Things are different now...¡± William exined. ¡°He had


    expanded into the Epean market and stabilized his foundation. Not only that, he got rid of Frank. Now,


    the three great families won''t dare to have any ideas about him. Even the president will need to treat


    him politely. Currently, he''s standing at the apex of the world. Many people look up to him, but many


    others also want to be his ally, including my grandfather!¡±


    ¡°All right. He''s that impressive and popr, huh?¡± Francesca chuckled self-deprecatingly. ¡°So what? In


    my eyes, he''s just Danrique. His status and identity have nothing to do with me. I''m going to call him


    and tell him about my current situation. If he truly loves me, he''ll wait half a year for me.¡±


    Without dy, she pulled out her phone and prepared to call Danrique.


    ¡°Frannie!¡± William quickly stopped her. ¡°Don''t be stupid! If you tell him you''re staying here with me for


    half a year, your rtionship with him will be screwed.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± She still didn''t understand.


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    ¡°There''s no way a prideful man like him will allow you to ignore him again and again. Not only that,


    you''re doing it for another man.¡± Panic was heard in his voice. ¡°More importantly, if you don''t leave now,


    you''ll probably never going to leave here.¡±

 Chapter 2122

    Chapter 2122


    q¡°I won''t be able to leave?¡± Francesca was momentarily stunned when she heard that. ¡°Why?¡± she


    asked a momentter.


    ¡°Don''t you understand?¡± William was overwhelmed with panic. ¡°You know so many secrets about the


    royal family. If not for the fact that you''re Danrique''s girlfriend, you would have already been killed.¡±


    When Francesca heard that, she widened her eyes in disbelief.


    Indeed, that had never crossed her mind, and she suddenly realized how naive she was.


    She had assumed that she would be trapped there for half a year at most, and after curing the people


    in the castle, she could concentrate on treating William''s leg.


    After everything was settled, she would leave and reunite with Danrique.


    However, Francesca was beginning to realize that the situation was far moreplicated than she had


    imagined.


    During those six months, not only would there be a lot of women from prestigious families vying to be


    Danrique''s woman, she might also lose her life if she was no longer Danrique''s fianc¨¦e.


    If I get killed, what would happen to Anthony? What would happen to Ms. La and Lincoln? How


    about the orphanage?


    ¡°I can''t die.¡± Francesca snapped out of her thoughts and eximed, ¡°I need to stay alive!¡±


    ¡°You finally understand what''s going on.¡± William sighed before continuing, ¡°Francesca, you should


    leave before it''s toote. Leave Danontand tonight and look for L in Erihal...¡±


    ¡°But I can''t leave you guys alone.¡± Francesca put her hand to her forehead in frustration and said, ¡°Let


    me try to think of a better solution.¡±


    ¡°Francesca, just listen to me,¡± William started panicking again. ¡°You should head to Erihal and look for


    L first. When you see him, tell him all about what''s happening here. Also, I need you to convey my


    message to him...¡±


    ¡°What message?¡± Francesca asked subconsciously.


    ¡°Tell him that I need his help. If he''s willing to help me this time, I''ll do anything to repay him!¡± William


    enunciated each word clearly.


    ¡°Oh!¡± Francesca did not think much about it and merely nodded. ¡°You mean, you want me to leave first


    and get Danrique toe and rescue you? That sounds like a good n too...¡±


    The woman was only considering whether she should leave or not and did not ponder over William''s


    words. ¡°But, will Federico make things difficult for you if I leave?¡±


    ¡°That''s why you need to do that without anyone noticing,¡± William quickly replied before continuing, ¡°I


    will get someone to prepare some fake identification documents for you. You should disguise yourself


    before I get my men to send you to the airport.¡±


    ¡°Seems like you''ve already gotten everything nned out...¡± Only then did Francesca realize what was


    going on. ¡°Sure, I''ll do as you say. I''ll go upstairs and get changed now.¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute,¡± William stopped her and reminded, ¡°Ignore any situations you might encounter along


    the way and just focus on leaving this ce. If you hear any rumors in Xendale, don''t pay attention to


    them. Your priority is to meet L. You have to do anything you can to see him. When you meet him, don''t


    throw any tantrums or start any arguments...¡±


    The man took a pause before changing the way he spoke. In a more direct manner, he said, ¡°What I


    mean is, no matter what, don''t break up with him. You have to continue being his fianc¨¦e. It is even


    better if you can marry him right away and make it public. I''m not trying to make use of you by saying


    all these, but this is the only way to keep you safe and also not affect the orphanage.¡±


    ¡°Is it really that serious?¡± Francesca was slightly confused. ¡°Is knowing those secrets about the royal


    family serious enough to get me killed? And even affecting the orphanage?¡±


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    ¡°The prestige of the royal family cannot be vited. Given your reputation as the miracle doctor, what


    you say holds a lot of weight. If you leak out their secrets, the royal family''s honor would be tainted.


    Besides, you were rather rude to the king and princes that day at the pce. Do you think they would


    let you off?¡± William said seriously before continuing, ¡°Also, you said that you love L very much and that


    he''s the only man you would ever marry. If that''s the case, it''s not worth it throwing a fit over small


    matters. By staying together, not only will you be able to be with the man you love, but both you and the


    orphanage will also be protected. Don''t you think that''s a win-win solution?¡±

 Chapter 2123

    Chapter 2123


    qAs William''s words made a lot of sense, Francesca nodded firmly and replied, ¡°You''re right. I know


    what to do!¡±


    ¡°Go on, then. Stay safe!¡± William urged.


    ¡°Wait for me.¡± Francesca hurried off, and without looking back, she said, ¡°I''lle back with Danrique


    to get you!¡±


    ¡°Sure, I''ll be waiting...¡±


    William sat on the sofa while watching Francesca''s departing figure quietly. Aplicated glint shed


    in his eyes...


    After the door was shut, William lowered his head dejectedly. He knew that by sending Francesca


    away, it meant that he would lose her forever.


    He was the one who convinced the woman to leave and told her to stay together with Danrique no


    matter what.


    He had personally sent the woman he loved to another man...


    He would be lying if he said that he was not sad.


    In fact, William did not want Francesca to go. He had considered letting her stay and treat him.


    Perhaps, she might develop feelings for him after spending half a year together...


    They could think of other solutions after that.


    However, he was still rational enough to know that if he did not make use of the current opportunity, he


    might never be able to turn things around in the future...


    He had been humiliated for the past two decades, and that was his only chance to turn the tables


    around and regain his dignity.


    As such, he was hoping that he had made the right decision by pinning all his hopes on Francesca and


    Danrique.


    ¡°Your Highness, Monica is already waiting at the gate,¡± William''s subordinate reported.


    ¡°All right.¡± William nodded and said, ¡°Push me out.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    When Monica saw William approaching, she hurried over and greeted, ¡°Your Highness!¡±


    ¡°Make sure that Francesca gets to Erihal safely and reunites with L,¡± William reminded again.


    ¡°Don''t worry. I''ll make sure she gets there safely,¡± Monica promised.


    ¡°Monica?¡± Francesca spotted the woman instantly as she walked downstairs carrying her bag. ¡°Why


    are you here?¡±


    ¡°I''m getting her to escort you back,¡± William said softly before continuing, ¡°It''s gettingte. You should


    get going.¡±


    ¡°OK,¡± Francesca replied as she hurried toward the car.


    ¡°Francesca...¡± William called out to her suddenly.


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Francesca turned to look at the man.


    ¡°Remember what I told you. Don''t quarrel with L,¡± William reminded once more. ¡°Also, you must convey


    my exact message to L.¡±


    ¡°I got it,¡± Francesca answered before getting into the car. Right after she sat down, she tried to recall


    what the exact message William wanted her to tell Danrique was.


    ¡°Let''s go,¡± Monica urged the driver.


    With that, the driver sped off into the night.


    Monica passed some items to Francesca, including a cap, her fake identification documents, and a


    flight ticket. ¡°I''m worried that Federico would get people to stop you at the customs, so I got you a new


    identity. I hope this would help us board the ne smoothly.¡±


    ¡°Do you think anyone would intercept us on the way to the airport?¡± Francesca asked while looking out


    of the window.


    ¡°I don''t think so,¡± Monica replied softly before continuing, ¡°This is my official vehicle. I''m currently


    carrying out a mission as M Nation''s FBI agent...¡±


    ¡°But they can intercept us on other pretexts.¡±


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    Right after Francesca finished her sentence, a few ck modified cars could be seen tailing them. The


    corners of the woman''s lips curled up into a smile before she said, ¡°See that? I''m right.¡±


    ¡°Why are those people so annoying?¡± Monica frowned as she continued, ¡°I can''t believe they have


    been guarding outside the castle all this while.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. They were not going to give us a chance to escape...¡± Francesca sneered before saying, ¡°But it


    seems like there are only three cars. Aren''t they supposed to have more people?¡±


    ¡°His Highness had arranged for another vehicle to drive out from the back gate at the same time we


    left, to serve as a distraction. I think the rest of them had gone after that car instead. That''s why there


    are only three cars tailing us.¡±


    Monica remained calm as she said to the driver, ¡°Speed up.¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡±


    ¡°Let me drive...¡±


    Francesca swapped seats with the driver without waiting for him to reply. The next moment, she turned


    the steering wheel and floored the elerator.


    Before her pursuers could react, the car had already disappeared in sight.


    Where did they go? Was I seeing things just now? The men in the car were shocked.

 Chapter 2124

    Chapter 2124


    qSoon, Francesca and Monica reached the airport. They checked in at the counter hastily and got on


    the ne sessfully.


    When the ne took off gradually, Francesca gazed at the night view of the busy city out of the


    window. At that very moment, she felt a rush of inexplicit emotion surging from within her.


    Will Danrique be startled to see meter? Will he be happy to see me? Is he going to have an


    engagement with Hazel? Could it be he intends to make me jealous? Or perhaps it''s his way to


    suppress William? Didn''t William mention that I might hear rumors or encounter some hardships in


    Xendale? What could it be?


    Surprisingly, she began to have anticipation.


    Meanwhile, Robin, who had just woken up in the castle, was riled up after knowing what William had


    done. ¡°Your Highness, how could you do so? Don''t you know you''ll only put yourself in deep waters by


    doing so? What if Ms. Felch doesn''te back again? I reckon Mr. Lindberg will keep her by his side


    and never let here to Danontand again. If that happens, who''ll be the one to help expel the poison


    from everyone''s body? How about your treatment?¡±


    Regardless, William had cooled his head off. ¡°I''d thought about that before. That''s why I''m having a bet


    on how much Francesca cherishes our friendship and minds her responsibility as a doctor. Most


    importantly, I''m also betting on Danrique''s devotion toward her.¡±


    He was fully aware that Danrique was not the type of man who would be bothered by trivial matters.


    Notwithstanding, he presumed if thetter really loved Francesca, he would most probably grant her


    wish if she insisted on going back. In other words, he might evene along with her to fulfill her wish.


    Needless to say, it wouldn''t do him any harm by doing so.


    However, there was still a possibility that things might go the other way around. Since Danrique was


    not a man of good temper, he might disregard Francesca''s feelings and pay no heed to the matter.


    Inevitably, the risk of the bet is a bit high.


    Robin was a bundle of nerves. ¡°It could be riskier than betting on His Majesty''s conscientiousness. At


    least, His Majesty is still your grandpa. Regardless of anything, he is still mindful of your safety and the


    royal family''s reputation. Even if he doesn''t feel like investigating further, he won''t let you suffer without


    batting an eyelid. Nheless, if he finds out you went against his will by letting go of Ms. Felch, he''ll


    surely blow a fuse. By then, he might¡ª¡±


    Robin''s voice trailed off as he dared not finish his words.


    William snickered. ¡°You''ve overestimated his conscientiousness. If he were a conscientious man, he


    wouldn''t disregard me throughout these twenty years. Apart from that, he wouldn''t turn a blind eye to


    my parents'' death and my leg injury. He wouldn''t exploit the doping issue to threaten me into helping


    him to achieve his target either. In his eyes, I''m just a worthless, abandoned grandson. My existence


    means nothing to him.¡±


    ¡°Your Highness...¡± Hearing that, Robin was bereft of speech.


    He was clueless about what William had been through in the castle earlier that day. Nevertheless, he


    could imagine that thetter must have been through mind-blowing and humiliating moments till he had


    given up all hope on his grandfather.


    Subsequently, he would rather pin his hope on the other two people who were not blood-rted to him


    instead of anticipating that Federico would help him.


    ¡°I trust Francesca. She won''t let us suffer without doing anything and leave us behind. I''m convinced


    that she''ll be back.¡±


    ¡°How about Mr. Lindberg?¡± Robin queried softly.


    William was rendered speechless. No doubt, he was sure as h*ll that Francesca would be responsible


    for him and everyone else in the castle, but he barely had any confidence in Danrique.


    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    He was not convinced that Danrique would be willing to help him. At the same time, he wondered if the


    latter would do something extreme. Thus, he was not at ease.


    Robin let out a deep sigh. ¡°It''s no point to overthink now. Let''s just bet on it.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± William smiled bitterly. ¡°Unequivocally, fate is just like a bet at times. If I can''t twist the situation


    this round, I would rather meet my end. After all, it''s meaningless to live on if that''s the case. If I have


    the chance to stand up again, I''ll surely walk into the castle again and tell everyone that I''m back!¡±

 Chapter 2125

    Chapter 2125


    qRight that instant, William could not resist thinking about Danrique.


    He had heard how the others described the overwhelming scene many years ago. At that time, sixteen-


    year-old Danrique wiped out the Lindberg family overnight, annihting anyone who dared to stand in


    his way.


    His white shirt was drenched in blood. It was as though his amber eyes were covered in blood as well.


    That was how he emerged as the new patriarch of the Lindberg family. Since then, his omnipotence


    was known to everyone.


    Sooner orter, I''ll be like him too!


    Knock! Knock!


    All of a sudden, William''s subordinate knocked on the door hurriedly and reported, ¡°Your Highness, Mr.


    Faulkner is here.¡±


    ¡°Please let him in,¡± William responded.


    The subordinate hesitated. ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°Tell me!¡± William instructed him.


    The subordinate replied apprehensively, ¡°Mr. Faulkner leads a group of military officers, iming they


    are here to escort you to the pce. They are already at the entrance of the castle.¡±


    ¡°That''s too much! Your Highness, are they thinking of arresting you?¡± Robin was on pins and needles.


    ¡°Yeah, I guess so.¡± William shed him a smile. ¡°Don''t worry. I''ll only be away for a short stay with my


    grandpa and will be back soon.¡±


    ¡°Your Highness...¡±


    ¡°If Francesca calls, keep this information from her temporarily till you hear about the official news on


    their wedding. Do you get it?¡± William reminded him solemnly.


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    ¡°I got it.¡± Robin nodded as his eyes were red with tears.


    With that, William gestured to the subordinate to push his wheelchair out of the castle.


    At the same time, Ss waited outside with the military officers. He stopped them from barging into the


    castle out of his respect for William.


    He could not help sympathizing with William and tried to talk him out into changing his mind. ¡°Your


    Highness, why are you putting yourself in a tight spot? Don''t you know you''ll only put yourself in a


    precarious position by going against His Majesty''s will?¡±


    William''s lips curled up. ¡°It''s because I don''t wish to betray my friend. Mr. Faulkner, thanks for your


    concern.¡±


    Hearing that, Ss heaved a deep sigh.


    Momentster, a few military officers stepped forward to handcuff William.


    Ssshed out at them. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°We''re doing so as instructed by His Majesty...¡±


    ¡°His Majesty only instructed us to escort Prince William back to the pce for a short stay. What the


    heck are you doing? His Highness doesn''t have any strength and can''t even walk. How could you think


    of handcuffing him?¡± Ss thundered again.


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Faulkner.¡± The military officers saluted Ss before pushing William''s wheelchair out.


    ¡°Your Highness...¡± A servant helped Robin out after they left. Thetter choked up and knelt on one


    knee to plead with Ss, ¡°Mr. Faulkner, please take good care of His Highness. He''s weak...¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Ss patted his shoulder and shed him a reassuring look before he turned to leave.


    William cast his head down and remained silent when he was carried onto the military vehicle in his


    wheelchair. As the rain was still pouring, his clothes and hair were drenched. His face was pale as a


    sheet.


    William gazed at the castle via the rearview mirror as the military vehicle drove away from it gradually.


    He felt the throbbing pain in his heart when he caught sight of the servants gazing at his retreating


    figure in the rain silently.


    There were about ny of them, and all were fixing their gazes on him in silence.


    After going through endless suppression and humiliation for twenty years, they were used to epting


    everything silently. Undeniably, they had no choice but to bear with it regardless of what they


    encountered.


    They shared the same fate as the gloomy castle that was gradually forgotten by others. Sadly, their


    prince could only lead a lonely and sorrowful life despite his identity as a descendant of the royal family.


    ...


    Once Danrique was back in Xendale and got down from his car, a few maids hurried over to take his


    jacket from him.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, dinner is ready,¡± Norah greeted him with a smile.


    Danrique only hummed before he headed upstairs to his study room in haste.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, you seem to be upiedtely. Aftering back from the office, you still have to settle


    work matters here.¡± Sean brought Danrique a few copies of documents that needed his signature


    urgently.


    ¡°Did she make any calls?¡± Danrique was very concerned about that.


    Sean replied warily, ¡°Do you mean Ms. Felch? No, she didn''t.¡±


    ¡°How about William?¡± Danrique asked again without lifting his head while signing a document.


    ¡°He didn''t either. However, I received news that he has been taken to the pce. If I''m not mistaken,


    the military officers took him away on the spot in a military vehicle.¡±

 Chapter 2126

    Chapter 2126


    qWhen Danrique heard that, he stopped whatever he was doing. Instead, he narrowed his eyes and


    seemed to be thinking...


    Very soon, he picked up his phone and dialed Francesca''s number.


    The line was busy.


    ¡°Do you think something has happened to Ms. Felch?¡± asked Sean anxiously.


    ¡°It''s either that, or she has returned to S Nation, or it could be something else...¡± Danrique gave his


    order. ¡°Find out what happened.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Sean got to work immediately.


    Danrique tried calling Francesca again, but the line was still busy. All of a sudden, he recalled that


    Francesca had blocked his number a while ago.


    Danrique called her again using another phone, only to discover that her phone had been turned off.


    It appeared that she might be on the ne though he had no idea if she was heading back to S Nation


    or Xendale.


    I think she should be flying to Xendale...


    Sean passed the information to Gordon and got him to find out more about Francesca''s situation. He


    even reminded Gordon, ¡°Mr. Lindberg is very anxious. Try your best to locate Ms. Felch as soon as you


    can.¡±


    ¡°I''ll get to it right away.¡± Gordon immediately made the necessary arrangement and asked in confusion,


    ¡°Why does Mr. Lindberg feel that Ms. Felch may be in trouble or that she has traveled somewhere else


    after he finds out that Prince William has been taken to the pce?¡±


    ¡°With Ms. Felch''s help, Prince William found out about the poisoning incident in the castle. He then


    used Ms. Felch''s rtionship with Mr. Lindberg and pressured Federico to investigate the incident. But,


    Mr. Lindberg refuses to cooperate. Federico immediately summoned Prince William and Ms. Felch to


    the pce. A few hourster, Federico captured Prince William and took him back to the pce. Under


    these circumstances, there can only be two possibilities. The first one is that Ms. Felch has offended


    Federico. The other one is that she has escaped.¡±


    After a pause, Sean smiled and asked, ¡°Which scenario do you think is more usible?¡±


    Gordon was very decisive in his reply. ¡°I think Ms. Felch must have offended Federico. As a result, she


    ran away. Given her temper, I''m surprised that she didn''t beat Federico up!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha!¡± Sean burst outughing. ¡°That''s true. Then again, since she has left safely before William


    was taken back to the castle, that would mean that Ms. Felch did not lose her temper. If you ask me, I


    think she has run away.¡±


    Gordon was curious. ¡°Do you think she has flown back to S Nation or Xendale?¡±


    ¡°That''s something I want to know too,¡± replied Sean with a wry smile. ¡°I guess Mr. Lindberg is even


    more eager to find out.¡±


    ¡°Let us have a bet.¡± Gordon rubbed his palms and was very enthusiastic. ¡°I bet you that Ms. Felch has


    flown to S Nation. Given her foul temper, she will never take the initiative toe to Xendale.¡±


    ¡°I think she is flying back to Xendale,¡± said Sean with utter confidence. ¡°You have no idea how anxious


    she is after Mr. Lindberg announces his engagement...¡±


    Gordon could not wait to finalize their bet. ¡°Stop wasting time. If I win the bet, I want your gun that''s


    made of pure gold.¡±


    ¡°I knew you have been eyeing that gun of mine for a long time...¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg is biased. He only gives it to you and not me.¡±


    ¡°And, what if you lose?¡±


    ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°If you lose the bet, then you will have to promise me something. I will let you know the detailster on


    once I have given it some thought.¡±


    ¡°Deal!¡±


    With that, the two men ced their bets on Francesca''s final destination.


    Back in the study room, Danrique began to feel restless. Originally, he was reading his documents, but


    he was not in the mood to do it anymore.


    He was worried about Francesca''s safety and wondered what had happened to her.


    After waiting for more than ten minutes, no one came to report to him, so Danrique yelled, ¡°Men!¡±


    Sean rushed in. ¡°Mr. Lindberg, Gordon has already arranged for someone to see to it.¡±


    Danrique instructed, ¡°Contact the immigration department of Xendale and find out if there''s any news of


    Francesca entering Xendale.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Sean got to it right away and reported, ¡°For the time being, there''s no news. Maybe, there


    has been a dy, or perhaps¡ª¡±


    ¡°Get them to keep an eye on this and report to you the moment they receive any information.¡±


    Danrique did not want to hear about other possibilities. He hoped that Francesca would fly to Xendale


    and look for him.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.

 Chapter 2127

    Chapter 2127


    q¡°Yes, sir.¡± Sean then went on to pass the instruction down.


    There was also news from Gordon''s end after a series of investigations. ¡°Mr. Lindberg, there is no


    record of Ms. Felch entering S Nation too.¡±


    ¡°If she didn''t go to S Nation or Xendale, could something terrible have happened to her?¡±


    Danrique frowned.


    ¡°I don''t think so,¡± Sean quickly consoled him. ¡°That Federico is a very cautious person. Even if Ms.


    Felch has offended him, he would have discussed it with you before doing anything to her.¡±


    Gordon nodded in agreement. ¡°That''s right. Furthermore, Ms. Felch is a skilled fighter. Most people


    won''t be able to hurt her. Perhaps, she had run away, but she has yet to make it to the airport. Or she


    might have put on a disguise and left the country as another person. That''s why we can''t locate her.¡±


    ¡°It''s possible,¡± said Danrique. He then instructed, ¡°Get our informant in M Nation to keep a close watch


    on that side and inform us if there''s any news. At the same time, keep an eye on the immigration.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


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    There was no way Danrique could sleep that night.


    He tried calling Francesca''s number several times but to no avail. The line could not go through. When


    he used another phone to contact her, it indicated that her phone had been switched off.


    He was very worried...


    In fact, he was feeling regretful and felt that he should not have agitated her using such an extreme


    method in a fit of anger.


    Meanwhile, Francesca was deep in her sleep on the ne.


    Monica, on the other hand, had not shut her eyes and had been on high alert.


    Whether Francesca could reunite with Danrique very much depended on Prince William''s ability to turn


    things around. Therefore, Monica dared not let her guard down.


    Looking at Francesca who was sleeping peacefully, she could not help but sigh. ¡°What a carefree and


    bold girl...¡±


    After more than ten hours of flight, they finally arrived at Xendale.


    Only when the ne was descending did Francesca wake up in a daze. She looked out of the window


    and saw the fluffy white clouds. All of a sudden, she remembered something and asked in a hurry,


    ¡°Monica, do you have any clothes with you? I don''t have anything.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry. I have prepared some clothes for you,¡± said Monica with a smile. ¡°The weather is so


    different here. His Highness is worried that it may be too cold for you, so he has already instructed me


    to prepare everything for you.¡±


    ¡°That''s good then.¡± Francesca patted her chest before continuing, ¡°I''m afraid of the cold, and I am


    wearing ayer of clothes. If I get down like this, I will freeze to death.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry. I''m here.¡±


    Everything went on smoothly. The two women disembarked from the ne with everyone else and


    were going to collect their baggage before heading to the changing room.


    Just then, Monica felt something amiss when she saw a group of people approaching them. She


    immediately pushed Francesca aside and told her, ¡°Ms. Felch, you go ahead first¡ª¡±


    Before she could finish her sentence, those men started firing at them.


    Thankfully, Francesca was quick, and the bullets missed her. Unfortunately, Monica''s arm was injured.


    Monica rammed the baggage trolley at those attackers before grabbing Francesca and started running.


    However, not long after, some men were chasing after them.


    Monica had no choice but to let Francesca leave first. She stayed to cover her.


    Just as Francesca was leaving, Monica took another bullet in her leg. Francesca turned back to save


    Monica. At the same time, she fired a drug at them.


    Red smoke began to spread, and there were mes everywhere.


    Those attackers had no choice but to retreat.


    The tourists around them were frightened by their fight. Their screams rang out everywhere, and they


    ran for their lives.


    Francesca carried Monica with her, and both women managed to escape. When they arrived at the car


    park, they stopped a car and wanted to leave. Just then, the doors of a few cars opened, and groups of


    men pointed their guns at them.


    Francesca raised her brows and questioned them, ¡°Who the hell are you guys?¡±


    Those tall men looked like they were from Erihal. They were all wearing masks on their faces and


    dressed in ck. It was impossible to see their faces.


    Without a single word, they went forward and wanted to grab Francesca. At that instant, a silver convoy


    sped toward them like a sh of lightning.


    Someone shouted in Erihalean, ¡°Mr. Lindberg is here. Let''s go!¡±

 Chapter 2128

    Chapter 2128


    qBefore Monica could process what was happening, that group of men had already fled the scene.


    The silver convoy formed a semi-circle, protecting them like a guardian descended from heaven.


    When the car doors opened, several men got out and lined up in front of the cars. ¡°Ms. Felch,¡± they


    greeted in unison.


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    Seeing each familiar face, Francescaughed. ¡°Gordon, Sloan, Mylo...¡±


    Her sentence trailed off when she saw Danrique standing in the line. Surprise crossed her face.


    Danrique''s long legs stepped out of the car. Dressed in a white shirt, he looked delectable. However,


    his gaze was as cold as the freezing weather.


    ¡°So this is the legendary Mr. Lindberg?¡±


    Monica stared at Danrique in a daze.


    I''ve heard that Mr. Lindberg has an unrivaled good look and exuded an aura of a god, striking fear in


    everyone''s heart. So, it''s true. That rumor isn''t an exaggeration. I thought Prince William was the most


    handsome man in this world until I met Mr. Lindberg. Only now do I realize the meaning of wless


    perfection.


    ¡°That''s him,¡± Francesca replied coldly. Her voice edged with anger and resentment as she cussed,


    ¡°B*stard!¡±


    ¡°Without this b*stard saving you, you''ll be freezing your butt off in some street in Xendale.¡± There was


    no warmth in Danrique''s voice. It was cold as ice andced with arrogance. ¡°Come here.¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡± Francesca turned her face away from him, ignoring his demand.


    ¡°Come on, let''s get in the car. My blood is about to freeze.¡± Monica had thrown courtesy out of the


    window and limped over to the car while dragging her injured leg. ¡°Thank you for the timely rescue. I''m


    Monica, a friend of Ms. Felch.¡±


    ¡°This way please, Ms. Monica.¡±


    Mylo led her over to one of the cars at the back.


    ¡°Hey, Monica...¡±


    Francesca didn''t expect Monica''s will to be that frail. I can''t keep up the act if she gets in the car of her


    own ord.


    ¡°Get in.¡± Danrique red at Francesca before getting in the car. ¡°Let''s discuss any issues you have


    back home.¡±


    Hisst sentence proved to be useful as Francesca''s heart softened. With a bite on her lip, she


    followed him to his car dejectedly.


    ¡°This way please, Ms. Felch.¡±


    Sean opened the door for her and shot a triumphant nce at Gordon. I win!


    Gordon pursed his lips. Dissatisfaction filled his eyes.


    I didn''t expect the arrogant Ms. Felch woulde to Mr. Lindberg of her own ord. It looks like all


    women are the same when they''re in love. They don''t mean what they say.


    The convoy drove in the direction of the Lindberg residence.


    Sean had turned up the heater in the car, but Francesca still felt chilly. She didn''t get a chance to


    retrieve her luggage after getting off the ne due to the men pursuing her, so she was still dressed in


    thin clothing.


    She even lost a shoe when she was running for her life earlier.


    I think my foot has frostbite after running so much in the freezing cold.


    Danrique raked his cold, assessing gaze up and down Francesca, then frowned with displeasure at her


    obvious difort. He was silent throughout the entire observation.


    Francesca had taken off the other shoe she had on and was rubbing her frostbitten foot with the other.


    Her hands were rubbing her arms to warm up herself. She looked pitiful and helpless.


    Sean, who was sitting in the passenger seat, silently turned up the heater. He didn''t dare to utter a


    single word nor retrieve a coat for Francesca. He merely studied Danrique''s expression from the


    rearview mirror.


    It was terrifyingly cold.


    However, Danrique''s stony expression didn''t hold long. He took off his coat in the end, threw it in


    Francesca''s direction, and itnded on herp. ¡°Isn''t Danontand nice? What are you doing here in


    Xendale?¡± he asked cynically.


    ¡°I didn''t want toe.¡± Francesca red at him.


    ¡°Then, don''te.¡± Danrique added, ¡°It''s not toote to fly back now.¡±


    ¡°You¡ª¡± Anger rolled through Francesca at his remark. However, she forcibly controlled her temper and


    suppressed her wrath when she recalled William''s advice¡ªdon''t be difficult and don''t fight with him.

 Chapter 2129

    Chapter 2129


    qHer concession softened Danrique''s heart. He grabbed onto her ankle, ced her feet on hisp, and


    even used his warm hands to warm up her feet.


    His actions had broken the ice between them.


    Tears filled Francesca''s eyes as she pouted her lips.


    ¡°Silly Girl!¡± Danrique''s heart ached for her, yet he was frustrated with her. He pulled her against his


    chest and reprimanded, ¡°Why did you run off to Danontand without discussing it with me?¡±


    Francesca pouted, feeling aggrieved. She didn''t respond as more tears filled her eyes.


    ¡°Does it hurt?¡± Danrique couldn''t bear to scold her. He gently rubbed her feet with his hands and tucked


    her hair behind her ear. ¡°Your hair is this long already?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Francesca nodded with acknowledgment. ¡°You said you like long hair, so I didn''t cut it...¡± her


    voice broke into a sob.


    Danrique''s heart was crushed at the fragility in her tone.


    He cupped her face and leaned down to kiss her. ¡°All right, don''t cry. Everything is fine now that you''re


    back.¡±


    Sean rolled his eyes at the passenger seat. Mr. Lindberg sure is easy to coax. All it takes is one


    sentence in a soft, pleading voice to soothe his ruffled feather. He kept saying he would punish


    Francesca and give her a severe scolding to teach her a lesson before. I suppose he has forgotten all


    about that. All that''s left in his mind and heart are heartache for her.


    ¡°It''s cold,¡± sheined.


    Francesca curled up her cold, trembling body against him like a kitten.


    Danrique tightened his arms around her and pressed her face deeper into his chest. ¡°You won''t feel


    cold like this,¡± he said with a kiss on her forehead.


    ¡°Mm-hmm.¡± Safety and warmth filled Francesca''s chest, smelling his familiar scent. Something warm


    surged within her and warmed up her body immediately.


    ¡°Silly Girl!¡± Danrique hugged her even tighter. ¡°Tell me everything next time. Don''t act recklessly. Got


    it?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Francesca nodded obediently. Suddenly, Danrique''s ringing phone cut through the sweet


    atmosphere. Feeling frustrated, he took out and was about to hang up the call when Francesca saw the


    name shing across the screen¡ªit was Hazel.


    The softness in her heart earlier hardened instantly, and rage stirred within her. She snatched his


    phone, rolled down the window, and tossed it through the opening.


    Everything happened within seconds.


    It was so fast that Danrique didn''t even realize what was happening.


    ¡°You¡ª¡±


    ¡°I almost forgot.¡±


    Francesca broke free from his embrace and scoot back to her side with a straight back. Her


    dependence and cuteness earlier had gone up in smoke. Even her eyes that were brimming with tears


    earlier had a fierce glint in them.


    ¡°You''re marrying Hazel. Why did youe looking for me?¡±


    Her tone, posture, and attitude were those of a wife interrogating a husband.


    Danrique rolled his eyes and coldly demanded, ¡°Roll up the window!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Sloan immediately wound up the window.


    Sean nced in the rearview mirror and instantly lowered his head, trying to shrink himself in his seat.


    ¡°What is this attitude of yours?¡± Danrique looked at Francesca with a frown. ¡°You haven''t even


    exined to me what was going on between you and William.¡±


    ¡°Nothing is going on between William and I. Nothing at all.¡± Francesca used, ¡°You, on the other


    hand, had even taken wedding photos, and news of your engagement has spread. Exin that to me.


    What''s going on?¡±


    ¡°You first.¡± Danrique wasn''t moved by her usations. ¡°You were the one who left for Danontand first.¡±


    ¡°I went to Danontand to treat my patient. Do you think I''m a yer like you?¡± Francesca''s temper red


    the more she spoke. ¡°As for you, you never break off your rtionship with Hazel. Now that news of


    your engagement with her has spread, you''d better exin to me.¡±Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.

 Chapter 2130

    Chapter 2130


    qDanrique merely frowned at her demand and stayed silent. His face was ck.


    He had no intention tomunicate nor had the attitude to want to solve the problem.


    ¡°Danrique¡ª¡±


    ¡°Let''s talk after we get home.¡±


    Danrique ended the conversation with that sentence.


    Even though Francesca was furious, she didn''t want to argue with Danrique in front of Sean and Sloan.


    Fine! We''ll talk when we get home.


    She pulled Danrique''s coat tighter,pletely covering herself, and curled up in her seat. Her face was


    turned toward the window, unwilling to look at him.


    Danrique was speechless at her sudden change. This woman changes her attitude faster than how I


    flip through a book. She was acting cutely in my embrace a minute ago and started throwing a tantrum


    the next. It''s like they are two different people. Also, she''s way too good at ying the victim. She was


    the one who flew to Danontand to meet with William and didn''t exin her actions to me. Yet, she''s


    interrogating my rtionship with Hazel. What is this?


    Meanwhile, rage pulsed through Francesca''s veins. I wouldn''t havee to Xendale if it wasn''t for


    Danrique''s involvement in William''s matter. The reason I went to Danontand was to treat my patient.


    Yet here he was, getting entangled with Hazel again. She''s even calling him now, yet he still doesn''t


    even want to exin. He is acting as though I don''t have any right to ask him about his affairs while he


    has every right to ask about mine. What is this? He is such a hypocrite!


    The two continued to simmer in anger all the way back to the castle.


    After getting out of the car, Monica shouted from afar, ¡°Ms. Felch!¡±


    Francesca hurried over to her. Danrique''s big long coat wrapped her body like a bedsheet. The bottom


    of the coat was dragging along the ground as she walked, but that was the least of her concern.


    ¡°What''s wrong? Does your wound hurt? I''ll treat it immediately once we''re inside,¡± Francesca asked


    with concern.


    ¡°My injuries aren''t serious, but...¡± Monica cast a skittish nce at Danrique before leaning in to whisper


    at Francesca''s ear. ¡°I gave His Highness a call earlier, but the line didn''t go through, so I called Robin


    to inform him about our safe arrival at Xendale and our meeting with Mr. Lindberg. Robin asked me to


    take care of you and didn''t say anything else. When I asked him about His Highness'' condition, he


    changed the topic. I''m worried if something has happened to His Highness.¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡± Francesca''s expression turned grave. ¡°I left in such haste. Federico might me my sudden


    departure on him.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Monica panicked. ¡°What should we do then? What if you beg Mr. Lindberg...¡±


    ¡°I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Francesca Felch!¡± Danrique ordered, ¡°Go inside!¡±


    Francesca looked over her shoulder to shoot a vicious re at him but still followed him inside. She


    even gestured to Monica that everything would be fine.


    ¡°Ms. Monica, I''ve arranged for another doctor to treat your wound. Come this way, please.¡± Mylo was in


    charge of Monica''s welfare, so he led her to the other wing.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Francesca trailed after Danrique into the castle. Norah and the rest went up to wee Francesca


    warmly. ¡°You''re back, Ms. Felch! That''s great! We all missed you!¡±


    ¡°I miss you guys too, Mdm. Norah.¡±


    Francesca greeted them with a smile as though she was thedy of the house who had just returned


    after a trip.


    ¡°I''ve already run you a bath. Please head upstairs for a nice warm bath, and we''ll bring the food up to


    you in a while.¡±


    Norah was well aware of Francesca''s habits. Francesca would always take a bath the first thing she


    got home, then have a meal in her bedroom in her pajama. That was the happiest moment for


    Francesca.


    ¡°Thank you, Mdm. Norah and everyone.¡±


    ¡°You''re wee, Ms. Felch! It''s good to have you home!¡±


    The household staff loved Francesca as Danrique''s mood would be better with her there. As a result,


    their life would be much better too.


    The cold castle felt like home with her presence.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.

 Chapter 2131

    Chapter 2131


    qThe corners of Danrique''s lips quirked up as he watched Francesca chatting friendly with the


    household staff.


    He liked watching her blending into his life and chatting away happily in the house.


    ¡°I''ll head up first.¡±


    ¡°Go on.¡±


    Francesca limped up the stairs slowly with her injured leg and the tail of Danrique''s coat dragging


    behind her.


    Danrique had already reached the upper part of the stairs and intentionally slowed down to wait for her.


    However, she still couldn''t keep up.


    With a frown, he halted his steps and reached his hand out to her.


    Francesca pursed her lips and red at him. Despite that, she still put her hand in his after she caught


    up to him. With a slight tug from him, he lifted her into his arms.


    The long coat slipped onto the stairs, but his steps didn''t falter. He carried her up the stairs toward her


    room.


    ¡°You haven''t exin.¡±


    Francesca''s heart pounded upon seeing the closeup of his handsome face, but she reminded herself to


    keep her wits with her.


    I have to know what''s going on between him and Hazel this time.


    Danrique ignored her question and carried her into her room. With a kick to the bathroom door, the


    door mmed open, and he threw her into the water-filled bathtub.


    Plop!


    Water sshed everywhere.


    Francesca grasped onto the rim of the bathtub tightly like a lifeline. She sucked in mouthful after


    mouthful of air into her lungs once her head was out of the water.


    Danrique started unbuttoning his shirt while staring at her.


    ¡°Danrique, you b*stard!¡±


    Francesca finally caught her breath and pped the water in the tub.


    ¡°If I''m a b*stard, then what are you?¡±


    Danrique tossed his shirt to the side and started on his pants.


    ¡°You¡ª¡± Francesca was about to cuss him out when she noticed he was taking off his pants. ¡°What are


    you doing?¡± she eximed with surprise.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± After his pants fell to the floor, he stepped into the tub.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Francesca covered her eyes with her hands and turned her back to him. ¡°Y-You don''te any


    closer¡ª¡±


    Before she could finish her sentence, Danrique had held onto her nape, turned her around and pressed


    his lips harshly against her soft ones.


    Francesca''s eyes widened with shock. She tried to struggle, but he had her confined to a corner of the


    bathtub. He grabbed onto her wrists and held them above her head against the wall.


    His fervent kiss was like a storm battling her, making her lose her head.


    Soon, thoughts of breaking free were thrown out of her mind. Her body trembled in his embrace as


    passion engulfed her like a tidal wave.


    Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    The temperature in the bathroom began to rise. The passion they had for each other overwhelmed


    them. Their desire couldn''t be suppressed any longer and burned wildly inside them.


    Right before he entered her body, Danrique held her face as he panted. ¡°Are you scared?¡±


    Francesca''s tiny body continued to tremble. Panic filled her clear, big eyes, yet she wrapped her arms


    around his waist and pulled him toward her.


    ¡°It''ll hurt, so bear with the pain for a bit.¡±


    Danrique nipped on her ear as he lowered his hips. He was like a beast gnawing at her.


    Francesca''s body arced from the pain. Tears flowed from her eyes as she bit down hard on his


    shoulder. Her arms circled his waist tightly and her nails nearly broke his skin.


    Danrique was satisfied with her response. He slowed down his movement as he kissed her.


    At that moment, the two had be one. The estrangement between them was gone.


    Francesca thought she would be repelled and would be scared when she fantasized about this


    happening. She thought she would reject the idea but was surprised to learn that she was willing to


    submit herself to the man she loved.


    Tenderness stirred within Danrique when he felt how pure and innocent she was. He didn''t dare to


    move too rashly. Instead, he was very gentle with her.


    Snowkes fluttered outside the window as though they were dancing, cheering for their beautiful love.


    After a long while, Francesca tiredly slumped against Danrique''s chest and slowly drifted to sleep like a


    soft kitten.

 Chapter 2132

    Chapter 2132


    qDanrique gazed tenderly at the sleeping woman in his arms. When he realized how different she


    looked from her usual fierce and arrogant self, he couldn''t help but chuckle.


    After kissing her on her forehead, he promptly wrapped a towel around her and carried her to bed.


    Francesca instinctively rolled under the covers, where she curled into a ball and went back to sleep.


    Even when Danrique grabbed a hairdryer to dry her hair, she barely roused as she snuggled up to him


    and rested her head on hisp.


    Just like that, Danrique ran his slender fingers gently through her hair until he had gotten itpletely


    dry.


    After a quick clean-up, hey on his side next to Francesca and watched her quietly.


    However, he soon found it impossible to resist her cuteness and leaned in to trail kisses down her


    forehead to her cheeks.


    Then, he gently bit her lips until she woke up.


    Despite still being in a daze, Francesca moaned and instinctively cuddled the man as her hand began


    to roam over his body. ¡°You scoundrel!¡±


    Needless to say, Danrique was more than pleased with her response. Without further ado, he cupped


    her face and kissed her passionately.


    Soon, things turned passionate between them, and grunts of ecstasy rang out from the room.


    Upon hearing those unmistakable sounds of lovemaking, the maids who hade to deliver meals for


    the second time blushed and quickly retreated.


    Norah, on the other hand, beamed with delight when she saw their reaction. ¡°Are they still at it?¡±


    The maids nodded shyly.


    ¡°Hahaha! Oh, that''s wonderful!¡± Norah eximed while pping her hands. ¡°That means we can look


    forward to having little princes and princesses next year! Haha!¡±


    Before long, the other maids had also joined in the cheering andughing.


    Sean and Gordon exchanged nces, and there was no doubt they were feeling just as happy for


    Danrique.


    Sloan, however, was the only one who remained sullen.


    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°Hey, Sloan, what''s the matter with you?¡± Mylo whispered as he pulled the man aside. ¡°Do you still


    have feelings for Ms. Felch? I suggest you get over her and move on. Otherwise, you''llnd yourself in


    hot water!¡±


    ¡°No, no,¡± Sloan mumbled. ¡°Why would I have impure thoughts about Ms. Felch? She''s my savior and


    also Mr. Lindberg''s woman. I have nothing but respect and admiration for her. It''s just...¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Mylo probed.


    ¡°I''m just worried,¡± Sloan replied as he looked toward the master bedroom. ¡°Mr. Lindberg''s so big while


    Ms. Felch''s so petite. What if she can''t take it?¡±


    After hearing that, Mylo instantly smacked the back of Sloan''s head. ¡°Shut up! Don''t say nonsense like


    that again!¡±


    ¡°Okay...¡± thetter whined as he hung his head in shame. ¡°But Ms. Felch will be happy, won''t she?¡±


    ¡°Of course! Mr. Lindberg is an elite among men, but despite having women from all over the world


    throwing themselves at him, he only has eyes for Ms. Felch! We should be happy for her for being so


    blessed.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Felch is just as amazing!¡± Sloan retorted, looking slightly miffed. ¡°She''s the best girl in the world


    and every man''s dream wife, but she only loves Mr. Lindberg. He''s mighty blessed too!¡±


    ¡°Will you just shut up?¡± Mylo scolded as he pulled Sloan''s ear. ¡°Where does your loyalty lie exactly?


    Don''t forget you work for Mr. Lindberg!¡±


    With that, Sloan once again lowered his head and said nothing more. My only wish is for Ms. Felch to


    live happily ever after. What''s wrong with that?


    Upstairs, the couple continued going at it until evening, when Francesca finally fell asleep on


    Danrique''s chest.


    The sight of a petite woman lyingfortably on a big, muscr body was, without a doubt, beautiful.


    Not only was Francesca rising and falling with Danrique''s breathing, but she could also hear his strong


    and steady heartbeat


    In return, thetter wrapped his arms tightly around her in a warm and loving embrace.


    They were undeniably in love, and they were happy.

 Chapter 2133

    Chapter 2133


    qAll of a sudden, Francesca shuddered as a nightmare jolted her awake.


    She was struggling to get out of bed when Danrique quickly pulled her back with a hug. ¡°What''s the


    matter?¡±


    ¡°I think something''s happened to William,¡± Francesca blurted. ¡°Monica told me earlier that¡ª¡±


    s, an annoyed Danrique cupped her face and interrupted, ¡°Shoosh! You''re not allowed to think of


    other men when you''re with me.¡±


    ¡°That''s not it. I¡ª¡±


    Before Francesca could finish her words, Danrique kissed her hard, thinking that''d be the best way to


    shut her up. No matter how much she struggled, thetter refused to let her go.


    Just then, they heard a loud rap at the bedroom door. ¡°Mr. Lindberg, I have something urgent to report,¡±


    Sean shouted.


    Knowing how dangerous it was to disturb Danrique at that moment, the poor man couldn''t stop


    sweating bullets.


    Francesca quickly used the opportunity to push Danrique away and re at him. ¡°We''ve already done


    it four times, and my body is about to fall apart. Do you really still want more?¡±


    ¡°Fine. I''ll let you off this time,¡± Danrique said as he yfully bit her earlobe and got out of bed. ¡°Stay in


    the room. Don''t wander about.¡±


    After a quick shower, he changed into a fresh set of clothes and hurriedly left the room.


    Francesca made a face at the retreating figure before getting out of bed to take a shower too.


    It wasn''t long before she realized there were traces of him all over her body and how sore and painful


    she was. My goodness. It feels like my body has been taken apart and pieced together again!


    However, as soon as Francesca recalled how intimate she and Danrique had been, she couldn''t help


    but turn crimson.


    When she heard some noise outside the bathroom, she thought thetter had returned and hastily


    stuck her head out to check. To her surprise, it was Norah who had brought two maids along to clean


    the room.


    Upon seeing Francesca peeping at them, Norah burst intoughter. ¡°We''re here on Mr. Lindberg''s


    orders, Ms. Felch. Please, carry on with your shower. We''ll be done cleaning by the time you''re out.¡±


    Still as red as a tomato, Francesca quickly ducked back into the bathroom and continued with her


    shower.


    Sure enough, the sounds outside died down after a while, and Norah''s voice rang out. ¡°We''ve finished


    cleaning up, Ms. Felch. I''ve left your clothes on the sofa. You can take a rest after your shower. We''ll


    bring you your dinner immediately.¡±


    ¡°All right. Thank you, Mdm. Norah,¡± Francesca replied, albeit still somewhat embarrassed.


    Once she was certain Norah had left, she wrapped herself in a towel and walked out of the bathroom.


    As expected, the room was spick and span, and even the bedsheets and pillowcases were all reced.


    A set of casual attire in Francesca''s size was also neatly ced on the sofa, right next to her backpack.


    Francesca quickly got dressed and took out her phone from the backpack to call William.


    However, when she realized his phone was off, she decided to call Robin instead.


    After a long while, thetter finally picked up the phone. ¡°Ms. Felch!¡±


    ¡°Robin, where''s William? Why can''t I get through to him?¡±


    ¡°His Highness is currently resting. He isn''t feeling too well...¡±


    Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    ¡°It''s been more than twenty hours since we left! Does he have to rest for that long?¡± Francesca asked


    anxiously. ¡°Has something happened to him?¡±


    ¡°No. He''s all right...¡±


    ¡°Robin.¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry, Ms. Felch, but my wound''s hurting. I''ll talk to youter.¡±


    With that, Robin hung up before Francesca could say anything else. He knew he couldn''t fool her, nor


    did he know how to lie to her. As much as he hated it, pushing her away was his only option.


    Unfortunately, Francesca had more or less figured out what was going on.


    If I''m not wrong, William must have been taken away by his grandfather''s men. After all, I ran off with


    the secrets of Danontand''s royal family. There''s no way Federico would let him off.


    Just then, Danrique opened the door and strode into the room. When he noticed Francesca holding her


    phone and looking incredibly worried, he couldn''t help but furrow his brows. ¡°Why do you care so much


    about him?¡±


    ¡°He''s my friend, and besides, I''m partly responsible for this matter,¡± Francesca exined. ¡°You''vee


    at the right time. I have something to discuss with you.¡±


    ¡°So do I,¡± Danrique replied tly. ¡°But you should have your dinner first. We can talk after.¡±


    Eager to settle the matter as soon as possible, Francesca insisted, ¡°I think it''s better if we talked first.


    Otherwise, I won''t have any mood to eat.¡±


    ¡°I''m worried you won''t have an appetite left after you''ve said your piece...¡±

 Chapter 2134

    Chapter 2134


    qLeft without a choice, Danrique walked to the sofa and sat down beside Francesca. ¡°But if I don''t let


    you speak now, I doubt you''d have the mood to do anything else. Fine. Speak your mind, then.¡±


    ¡°Okay, but first, what did you want to tell me?¡± Francesca asked as she eyed the man uneasily.


    Danrique raised his chin haughtily. ¡°You first.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to marry Hazel?¡± Francesca suddenly snapped as she clenched her fists. ¡°If you dare


    do that, I''ll kill you!¡±


    Upon hearing that, Danrique burst outughing.


    The next second, Francescaunched herself at him and cupped his face. ¡°You have to take


    responsibility for what you''ve done to me! You''re not allowed to have a change of heart, and you''re also


    not allowed to dump me!¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± Danrique said with a nod. ¡°I won''t have a change of heart, and I won''t dump you either!¡±


    ¡°Then¡ª¡±


    ¡°I won''t marry any other women, nor will I touch them,¡± he added as he pinched Francesca''s chin and


    gazed fondly at her. ¡°You''ve always been the only one for me, and that will never change. Now, will you


    rest easy?¡±


    Atst, a satisfied grin crept across Francesca''s face. ¡°Yes.¡±


    Danrique kissed her forehead and added, ¡°Go on, then.¡±


    ¡°Okay, so here''s what happened...¡±? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    Francesca began by sharing the entire story from her point of view and how it all started when William


    first called her.


    It was half an hourter when she finally finished giving the rundown. To her credit, not only did she


    remain objective the whole time, but she also made sure not to share her own emotions or opinions


    about the matter.


    Then, she capped it all off by mimicking what William had told her to ry to Danrique. ¡°Tell him that I


    need his help. If he''s willing to help me this time, I''ll do anything to repay him!¡±


    After having heard everything, Danrique narrowed his eyes and smirked. ¡°Did he really say that?¡±


    ¡°I repeated his message word for word! He was very solemn when he said it, so I remembered it


    clearly.¡±


    Danrique merely grunted in acknowledgment and nodded, not saying anything more.


    Needless to say, Francesca was dumbfounded. ¡°That''s it? Is there nothing else you want to add?¡±


    ¡°Why aren''t you angry after the way William has taken advantage of you and deceived you?¡± Danrique


    finally asked.


    ¡°I was pretty mad at him in the beginning,¡± Francesca said while pouting in annoyance. ¡°But after


    thinking about his situation, I began to understand him a little better. I''ve always known William''s life


    was tough, but I only truly experienced it for myself this time round. Can you imagine how vicious his


    enemies must be to poison more than eighty people in his castle? Not only do they want him dead, but


    they also refuse to go easy on those working for him. And despite being a prince, William has never


    dared to use those plotting to kill him because he knows his own father would never uphold justice


    for him. That''s why he had to rely on me to uncover the truth and give him a chance to appeal. Of


    course, he shouldn''t have dragged you into this mess, but he''s at his wits'' end!¡±


    Now that her speech was over, it was clear that Francesca felt a great deal of pity for William.


    ¡°Are you sure there are absolutely no romantic feelings between you and him?¡± Danrique queried. ¡°Not


    even a tiny bit?¡±


    ¡°I swear there aren''t any! You''re the only man I have feelings for.¡±


    ¡°Haha! You''ve finally said it!¡± Danrique eximed with a chuckle.


    That was the first time she had been so open about her feelings toward him, and even though it might


    not seem much to her, it sure meant a great deal to him.


    Thanks to her words of assurance, Danrique finally felt at ease and could focus on what he needed to


    do.

 Chapter 2135

    Chapter 2135


    q¡°What?¡± Francesca still did not understand what he meant. ¡°Do you have nothing else to ask me?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Danrique shook his head. ¡°All right, let''s eat then.¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± Francesca hurriedly stopped him. ¡°Didn''t you say that you have something to tell me just now?¡±


    ¡°What I wanted to say was...¡± Danrique held her chin and gazed into her eyes. ¡°Let''s get married!¡±


    Francesca froze and blurted out, ¡°What? When?¡±


    ¡°As soon as possible,¡± Danrique muttered as he brushed his thumb across her lips. ¡°I want to marry


    you. What about you? Do you want to marry me?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± came her instant reply.


    A pleased smile grew on Danrique''s lips. Then, he held the back of her head and kissed her


    passionately.


    Francesca, who was sitting on hisp, cupped his face and enthusiastically responded to his kiss.


    Right in the middle of their fiery kissing, someone knocked on the door again. ¡°Sir, Mr. Donald is here.¡±


    Danrique had no choice but to let Francesca go. As he wiped the stain on her lips, he gently told her,


    ¡°Dig in first. I''ll be back in a moment.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Francesca nodded obediently before watching him leave.


    Only after the door closed behind him did she recall that she had yet to plead with him about William''s


    matter. He had yet to tell her whether or not he would save William.


    My, I keep losing myself in his charm. He always ends up taking control of the situation and making me


    forget about important matters. Well, he''s busy right now, so I can''t disturb him. I should eat first.


    Francesca was genuinely hungry, for she had not eaten for the entire day. Upon seeing the delectable


    dishes on the table, she could not help but gobble up as quickly as she could.


    In the middle of her meal, her phone rang again. It was from Monica. Hastily, she picked up the call and


    put it on speakers. ¡°Hey, Monica.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Felch, are you in the middle of something?¡±


    ¡°No, I''m just eating.¡±


    ¡°I see. Is it convenient for you to have a talk?¡±


    ¡°Sure. I''m alone in the room while he''s in the study,¡± Francesca said, knowing what Monica wanted to


    ask. ¡°What''s the matter? Is it about William?¡±


    ¡°I tried to contact His Highness again, but I still can''t reach him. Robin isn''t picking up my calls either.


    I''ve asked my colleagues to look into the matter, and I think the king''s men might have taken him


    away.¡±


    ¡°I''m the one who got him into this,¡± Francesca whispered in regret. She had lost her appetite thinking


    about what happened to William.


    ¡°Ms. Felch, the only one who can save His Highness is Mr. Lindberg. Can you please ask for his help?¡±


    Monica pleaded anxiously. ¡°It''ll be easy for Mr. Lindberg to rescue His Highness, and it won''te at a


    price for him...¡±


    ¡°I''ll find an opportunity to tell him about this,¡± Francesca promptly consoled. ¡°Calm down. I''ll make the


    arrangements, so just be at ease and make sure you heal up.¡±


    ¡°Okay...¡± Monica muttered. ¡°I''ll wait for your good news. Please feel free toe to me if you need me


    for anything.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± After ending the call, Francesca continued to wait in the room. However, there was still no


    sign of Danrique even after an hour. Right then, a familiar voice came from outside. ¡°Sean, say


    something to Danrique. How can he be so stubborn?¡±


    ¡°Haha. Mr. Lindberg must havee to a decision of his own,¡± Sean said with a chuckle. ¡°Don''t


    worry...¡±


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    ¡°This isn''t the same! This is an invitation from the president¡ª¡±


    Donald halted mid-sentence because Francesca had stepped out of the room.


    His eyes widened almostically at Francesca with disbelief written all over his face. ¡°W-What¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hello,¡± Francesca greeted politely before turning to Sean. ¡°Is he done?¡±


    ¡°Ms. Felch, Mr. Lindberg is still working through the documents,¡± Sean replied. ¡°Let me lead you to


    him.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine. You can escort the guest out instead. I''ll look for him myself.¡±


    With that, Francesca strode toward the study barefooted.

 Chapter 2136

    Chapter 2136


    q¡°W-When did she return?¡± asked Donald urgently as he pulled Sean to the side.


    ¡°This morning,¡± answered Sean with a smile. ¡°Mr. Lindberg went to the airport personally to pick her


    up.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± said Donald. He was practically dumbfounded. ¡°Didn''t they break up? Also, Danrique had


    already implicitly admitted to the rumors rted to the Atkinson family, hadn''t he? There''s also the


    matter regarding Federico...¡±


    ¡°Those are Mr. Lindberg''s personal matters, so I really don''t know much about them,¡± said Sean to


    interrupt the guy. He smiled. ¡°Mr. Donald, please allow me to escort you back.¡±


    ¡°But what is going on here?¡± demanded Donald who was on edge. ¡°Danrique isn''t going to marry that


    woman, is he? Is she the reason he kept turning down the president''s offer down?¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± replied Sean nonchntly.


    ¡°Come on!¡± said Donald. He was utterly stunned. ¡°Why would he be that stubborn? What could he


    possibly see in her? That woman isn''t even that hot, and...¡±


    ¡°Hush,¡± said someone quickly to cut Donald''s words short. After that, she reminded him. ¡°Mr. Lindberg


    cares deeply about Ms. Felch, so he will be upset if he overhears what you said.¡±


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    ¡°Well, I...¡±


    Donald was so angry that he was going insane. Unfortunately, all he could do was walk away in


    exasperation.


    ¡°Goodbye, Mr. Donald.¡±


    Sean stared at the guy''s back and resisted the urge tough aloud. He is so blinded by his desire to


    keep his power intact that he worries too much.


    He''s not Mr. Lindberg''s father, so there is nothing he can do. In fact, I bet he''d be just as helpless, even


    if he were the father.


    Mr. Lindberg has always been proud and will never allow anyone to dissuade him after he makes a


    decision. Not even the angels above can stop him from marrying Ms. Felch if that is what he wants.


    Hence, someone as powerless as Mr. Donald definitely can''t do anything about it.


    Knock! Knock!


    Francesca knocked on the door politely, but she didn''t wait for a reply before she entered Danrique''s


    study room.


    ¡°Are you done eating?¡±


    Danrique didn''t even need to look to know who it was.


    ¡°How did you know it was me?¡±


    Francesca made her way to the side of the table and sat on the ck sofa that was ced in front of


    Danrique. She put her legs on the chair at the side and turned it as though she were a child.


    ¡°No one else would dare to enter without my permission,¡± replied Danrique. He shifted his gaze and


    saw what Francesca was doing. He couldn''t help smiling at that. ¡°I guess I''ll have to build an


    amusement park within thepound someday.¡±


    ¡°Yes, please. This ce is huge, and you can totally fit an amusement park in here.¡±


    Francesca giggled like an innocent and carefree kid.


    She didn''t quite know why, but she would always feel like a kid whenever she was with him.


    ¡°Then you will have to bear me lots of children. That way, there will be others to y with you,¡± said


    Danrique.


    He leaned against the backseat and stared lovingly at her.


    ¡°Well...¡± said Francesca. She thought about the physical state of her body, and that got the glow in her


    eyes to shift. She recovered quickly though and smiled soon after. ¡°We''ll let fate decides.¡±


    ¡°We don''t need fate for that,¡± replied Danrique. He rolled his eyes and pointed out, ¡°My family has tons


    of triplets. It''s in our DNA. All I need is to get you pregnant once, and we''ll have more kids than we can


    handle.¡±


    ¡°Triplets?¡± murmured Francesca. She stopped ying with the chair and hovered over Danrique''s


    desk. Curious, she asked, ¡°If that''s the case, then why don''t you have any siblings?¡±


    ¡°I have siblings, but they passed away,¡± replied Danrique calmly. ¡°My mom actually gave birth to


    triplets, but I''m the only survivor. Someone killed my siblings shortly after they were born.¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡±


    Francesca felt her heart aching. She never knew that Danrique had suffered through so much.


    ¡°My aunt, my dad, and myte uncle were triplets as well, but they didn''t live for long, either.¡±


    The mere mention of that past got a self-mocking grin on Danrique''s lips. ¡°There''s actually an old


    wives¡¯ tale that said members of the Lindberg family are fated to die young, but the truth has nothing to


    do with heaven or hell. The internal conflict within the family is the real reason we keep dying.


    ¡°Everything is fine now, though. I''ve killed the rest of them, so I have the final say.¡±


    Danrique kept his tone even when he told Francesca that story. It was almost as though he was


    sharing a small fact about his family.

 Chapter 2137

    Chapter 2137


    qFrancesca was stunned and kept her eyes on him.


    They had known each other for quite some time, but she had never seen that side of him before.


    He never talked about his family, either. They slept together, and that must''ve changed things. Perhaps


    that was why he was finally willing to let her in his heart and why he no longer felt the need to hide


    anything from her.


    ¡°What''s wrong? Are you scared?¡± asked Danrique as he shifted his gaze to Francesca.


    ¡°No,¡± replied Francesca as she shook her head. ¡°I think that, deep down, you are a kind man who will


    not kill for no reason. You definitely won''t hurt anyone who didn''t have iting.¡±


    That was what she truly believed in.


    Francesca recalled what had happened when they had just met. Everyone was lost in the forest in


    Lightspring at the time. Danrique had Sean and Sloan run first while he stayed back to buy them more


    time.


    Someone as powerful as Danrique would always have subordinates who would die to protect him.


    Yet, Danrique protected his men and demanded that they leave.


    That wasn''t the only time something like that happened, either. There were several other encounters


    where Danrique had put others'' safety over his own.


    He might seem cruel and unloving on the surface, but the truth was that he cared for the people around


    him deeply. That was why he could inspire loyalty among his men.


    Francesca didn''t think that a man as honorable as Danrique would kill an innocent person.


    ¡°Everyone calls me a bloodthirsty demon, and here you are, iming that I am kind,¡± said Danrique.


    ¡°You really are too innocent. You know that, right?¡±


    ¡°Nope, I don''t know that at all,¡± insisted Francesca while pouting in annoyance. ¡°I trust my instincts, and


    I know a good man when I see one.¡±


    When Danrique saw how cute she looked, his lips curved into a sexy grin. He waved at her. ¡°Come


    here.¡±


    While barefoot, Francesca crawled onto the desk like a cat.


    Danrique dragged her into his embrace right away and had her sit on hisp. He kept his arm around


    her waist and used his free hand to pinch her chin to force her to look into his eyes.


    ¡°What if I were to tell you that I wanted to kill those people? What would you think of me then?¡±


    ¡°What would I think?¡± said Francesca. ¡°You are mine, so naturally, I will trust you. You must have your


    reasons for wanting to kill them.¡±


    ¡°That''s true,¡± replied Danrique as he nodded. ¡°Theyced the wine with poison and tried to kill me. All I


    did was return the favor.¡±


    ¡°You...¡±


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    ¡°I switched the wine sses,¡± said Danrique calmly. ¡°They ended up drinking the very poison they got


    me. When they realized what was going on, they sent assassins after me, so I killed all of them.¡±


    It didn''t look as though he were talking about a dark past when he spoke in such a casual manner. It


    was almost as if he were telling someone else''s story.


    Francesca''s heart broke when she heard that.


    Danrique kept everything simple and never cried over the injustice done to him, but anyone could


    imagine how difficult the situation was for a sixteen-year-old boy. His family failed to poison him, so


    they sent their subordinate to assassinate him...


    Every crime hemitted was only done to protect himself.


    If he hadn''t retaliated, he and all those who protected him would''ve died.


    Heartbroken, Francesca hugged him to offer somefort.


    She knew that he was in pain and was sad. At the end of the day, he was only human and was being


    chased after by his family... There was no way that wouldn''t hurt.


    The only problem was that he was too good at hiding his emotions and pretending to be strong. At the


    same time, he was also good at letting go.


    That was why he never bothered exining anything to others and would simply let them assume that


    he was a bloodthirsty monster.


    It seemed Danrique Lindberg never needed anybody else''s approval... except the woman he loved.


    ¡°Did I scare you?¡± asked Danrique while caressing her face.


    ¡°No,¡± answered Francesca. All she felt was heartache for him, and he could see that in her eyes.


    ¡°I shouldn''t have told you any of this,¡± murmured Danrique before he nted a kiss on her head.


    ¡°Those memories juste flooding into my head suddenly because...¡±


    ¡°Because of William?¡± asked Francesca softly.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± replied Danrique while nodding. ¡°In a way, his situation is simr to the one I was in when I was


    younger. However, there is a slight difference though.


    ¡°I had my Aunt Isabe protecting me, and I was physically fit. That makes my past self luckier than


    him.


    ¡°The other difference is that I have only ever turned to my Aunt Isabe for help. I never turned to


    anyone else or owe any favors. I certainly never took advantage of or con others...¡±

 Chapter 2138

    Chapter 2138


    qHearing that, Francesca couldn''t put up an argument. Danrique was right. His strength was that he


    refused to bow down to others, regardless of how powerless he was. He would always tap into his


    inner strength and find a way to solve his problems.


    William, however, depended heavily on others to help him.


    But that was understandable, though.


    After all, Danrique had his aunt on his side despite having to fight at a young age. She helped him and


    prepared him for his future. He was also physically fit and could throw a punch, should the situation


    demand it.


    William, however, had absolutely nothing.


    Naturally, those were just external factors. The most important part was also the most obvious one.


    Even if William were physically fit, he still wouldn''t be as strong as Danrique.


    The two men were fundamentally different.


    Danrique was inhumanly strong and incredibly persistent. Those qualities were something only a


    handful of people had.


    That was why he became the man he was, and why William remained helpless.


    At the end of the day, the two men were on different levels.


    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    Francesca knew that very well.


    The problem was that she couldn''t bear to watch William get into trouble. He had faith in her and had


    put over eighty people''s lives, including his, in her hands.


    She couldn''t let them die just like that. She simply couldn''t...


    ¡°Are you here to ask me to help William?¡± asked Danrique. Finally, he got to the point.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± replied Francesca. She cut to the chase as well. ¡°It''s just as you guessed. I only returned to


    Xendale to deal with this matter.¡±


    Danrique frowned deeply upon hearing those words. ¡°I thought you came back for me.¡±


    ¡°I miss you too, but...¡±


    Danrique pushed Francesca away before she could finish speaking.


    After that, he turned around and continued reading his documents. He refused to even look at her.


    ¡°Danrique,¡± murmured Francesca as she poked his muscr shoulder with her finger. ¡°Are you mad?¡±


    Danrique ignored her and kept working away.


    The lighting in the room made him look even more distant.


    Francesca suddenly felt wronged. She didn''t even know what went wrong. They had just begun talking


    about the matter, and he was suddenly mad.


    She didn''t know what her mistakes were.


    ¡°Stop working for now. Let''s talk about this,¡± requested Francesca as she swayed his arm. ¡°This thing


    with William...¡±


    ¡°Ugh, William this and William that. All you care about is that guy,¡± roared Danrique angrily. He couldn''t


    hold his anger in anymore. ¡°You wouldn''t evene to Xendale to talk to me if it weren''t for him, huh?¡±


    ¡°That''s not true. I...¡±


    ¡°You just said that you are back for him!¡± Danrique pointed out what she said earlier.


    ¡°I... Ah!¡± All the twists and turns had confused her so much that she didn''t even know how to exin


    the situation. In the end, she simply said, ¡°Ugh, let''s not dwell on that part anymore, okay? The point is


    that you are the only one who can help William now.¡±


    Danrique didn''t reply. He simply red at her.


    ¡°Okay, let me just rify something. Will you be affected if you help him?¡± asked Francesca sternly.


    ¡°Will it cause you any trouble at all?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± answered Danrique directly.


    ¡°Then, help him,¡± requested Francesca urgently. ¡°Over eighty lives are depending on you, and saving


    one can earn you a lifetime of luck. The good karma you''ll get from this will...¡±


    ¡°I don''t need good karma or luck,¡± replied Danrique. He flung her hand away. ¡°I havemitted


    countless sins in my life, so nothing good wille to me, even if I were to save their lives.¡±


    ¡°But William has already promised that he will take you as his boss and do whatever you want in the


    future if you help him,¡± said Francesca. She was panicking a little.


    ¡°Oh, puh-lease. There are countless people out there who would love to have me as their boss, so I


    don''t need William to do that for me,¡± smirked Danrique.


    ¡°You...¡± said Francesca. His counter had left her utterly speechless, and for a moment there, she didn''t


    know what to say to convince him to help. In the end, she decided to be unreasonable. ¡°Gah, I don''t


    care. You must save them, or I''ll...¡±


    ¡°You''ll what?¡± taunted Danrique as he raised his brows at her.


    ¡°I''ll refuse to marry you.¡±


    Francesca couldn''t think of anything, so she said those words to mess with him.

 Chapter 2139

    Chapter 2139


    q¡°Oh, is that so?¡± said Danrique. He became even angrier after hearing what she said. ¡°So you won''t


    marry me unless I save him, huh? Does that mean you have only agreed to marry me for his sake?


    You came back to me for his sake, so did you also sleep with me to help him?¡±


    ¡°You!¡± She was stunned for a second there, but she soon became so angry that she turned into a


    shade of red. ¡°Danrique Lindberg, you a*shole. Go to hell!¡±


    After yelling all that, she grabbed a pen from the desk and threw it at him before leaving in a puff.


    Danrique red at her back. He was just as angry and was fuming.


    ¡°What''s wrong, Mr. Lindberg? Did you two get into a fight?¡± asked Sean cautiously as he opened the


    door and entered the room.


    ¡°Isn''t that freaking obvious?¡± said Danrique angrily.


    ¡°Right,¡± replied Sean. He quickly exined himself. ¡°I saw Ms. Felch leaving earlier in a puff. She was


    so angry that she didn''t even notice me greeting her.¡±


    ¡°That stupid woman,¡± grumbled Danrique. The mere mention of her got him fuming again.


    ¡°Isn''t everything fine just earlier? How did the two of you get into another fight?¡± asked Sean who


    simply didn''t understand what was going on.


    ¡°I honestly don''t know what goes on in that mind of her. There are times when she is so sweet and


    cute, and the way she behaved suggested that her love for me is real. Yet, the moment everything is


    good, she starts talking nonstop about William. All she thinks about is how to rescue him,¡±ined


    Danrique while fuming. ¡°She destroyed whatever romance there was in the air.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Felch is a doctor and takes others'' wellbeing seriously,¡± said Sean carefully to calm Danrique


    down. ¡°I think her feelings for Prince William are tonic. I bet she just wants to save him because she


    is kind and wants to keep her promise.¡±


    Danrique didn''t reply. He simply narrowed his eyes and put on a face that suggested that he was


    thinking about something.


    ¡°You know, I think Prince William is taking advantage of those qualities of hers. He knows how kind she


    is, and that is why he asked her toe to Xendale to seek your help,¡± said Sean. ¡°Still, that decision


    is yours to make, Mr. Lindberg. What do you think? Should we help him?¡±


    ¡°That is not the freaking point,¡± replied Danrique in a hostile tone. ¡°The issue at hand is the mysterious


    person who went to the king and told him to keep Francesca there in Danontand. Who is the person?


    Why doesn''t he want her to spend time with me?¡±


    ¡°Huh? I didn''t even know something like that happened,¡± replied Sean in a surprised tone. ¡°Could the


    Atkinson family be the culprit?¡±


    ¡°That is not possible,¡± replied Danrique firmly. ¡°I met the king before. That old man is old-fashion and


    takes social status very seriously. As far as he is concerned, only those he deemed as equal have the


    right to negotiate with him. The Atkinson family definitely doesn''t have what it takes to do that.¡±


    ¡°Are you suggesting...?¡±


    ¡°I have a suspect in mind, but I can''t be certain just yet,¡± replied Danrique calmly. ¡°There is no need to


    figure that out for now, though. The culprit will show up eventually.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied Sean. He received the implicit message right away. ¡°Still, Prince William shared


    such an important secret with Ms. Felch and confessed that he was conning her. He even sent her


    back to Xendale. What do you think he is nning?¡±


    ¡°Obviously, he is trying to get me on his side,¡± replied Danrique before he scoffed. ¡°He had Francesca


    send me a message and ask for my help. If I were to aid him in the time of need, he will bow down to


    me and be my subordinate.¡±


    Danrique paused for a moment before waving his arms in exasperation. ¡°And he did a freaking good


    job at it.¡±


    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°Huh? Oh!¡± said Sean. He finally got what was going on. ¡°Prince William deliberately lowered his


    stance and sent Ms. Felch back to Xendale in person to show you his loyalty and desire to be a part of


    your empire. He even shared a secret that important as a sign of loyalty.¡±


    ¡°You caught up quickly. Guess you''re not a total idiot,¡±mended Danrique as he nced


    approvingly. A momentter, he sneered. ¡°That prince is willing to give up the woman he loves to save


    himself. He truly is a man of ambition.¡±


    ¡°That''s true. He definitely has the persistence and the determination to make it big,¡± agreed Sean as he


    nodded.

 Chapter 2140

    Chapter 2140


    q¡°He''s smart and persistent, and I admire that. However, a capable man would fight his battle on his


    own. What kind of man would try to con others like this?¡±


    At the end of the day, Danrique was still furious about that and looked down on William for pulling that


    stunt.


    ¡°He is also maniptive and sly,¡± said Sean before he shook his head and grinned. ¡°Do you notice that


    Ms. Felch isn''t mad at him even though he lied to her? My guess is that he knew that his secret was


    about to be exposed, so he confessed before that could happen. He also pretended to be doing


    everything for Ms. Felch''s sake and sent her away to keep her safe.¡±


    ¡°Everything he doeses with an ulterior motive. Only that idiot would buy his lies. How stupid can


    she be?¡±mented Danrique while shaking his head in exasperation.


    ¡°Well, what do you think?¡± asked Sean cautiously. ¡°Ms. Felch firmly believes him and has shouldered


    the responsibility of helping him. Will you save him?¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡± asked Danrique.


    ¡°Well, given the current situation, it''s impossible to abandon them,¡± replied Sean while sharing his


    analysis. ¡°Ms. Felch has witnessed Prince William and over eighty of his servants being poisoned. As


    far as she is concerned, she is one of them. Therefore, it is her duty to save them.


    ¡°If you refuse to help them at a time like this, she will likely develop a distaste for you, and that will, in


    turn, cause a rift in your rtionship with her. Moreover, Prince William already set up a trap for you.¡±


    ¡°Are you referring to the mysterious man who is trying to get between Francesca and me?¡± asked


    Danrique. His eyes glowed a little differently when he murmured, ¡°I have a pretty good idea who that


    is.¡±


    ¡°However, you need to go to Danontand to gather some evidence, right?¡± said Sean. He had already


    discovered the truth. ¡°Prince William shared that secret with Ms. Felch because he wanted to leave


    things hanging. That man has a mean and scheming little mind.¡±


    ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    ¡°That''s true,¡± replied Danrique while nodding. ¡°That doesn''t matter, though. There are countless other


    ways to investigate the matter. That person tried to get between us once and will try again since the


    first attempt failed.¡±


    ¡°That''s true. That means that Prince William is gambling with his life here,¡± said Sean. It seemed he


    had seen through all of William''s tricks. ¡°He is banking on Ms. Felch''s sense of justice and your love for


    her.¡±


    Everyone knew that Francesca would not abandon the eighty-over lives in the castle. That meant that if


    Danrique actually ignore them and his decision resulted in the death of William and everyone else in


    that castle... His rtionship with Francesca would definitelye to an end.


    Danrique was well aware of that, and that was why he hesitated.


    ¡°It''s not that bad to rescue him, anyway,¡± said Sean while trying to convince Danrique. ¡°The king is


    probably waiting for you to decide as well. If you do, it''s possible that Prince William will actually turn


    the table.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± replied Danrique. He sneered and pointed out, ¡°None of his useless heirs have what it


    takes to be associated with someone as powerful as I am. If William actually manages to get me on his


    side, he will definitely be the best choice as the next in line to the throne.¡±


    ¡°That''s true. If you get involved, then the poison will be meaningless and the rescue will be inevitable.


    That is why Prince William is counting on you to turn the situation around.¡±


    It seemed Sean was rather excited and eager to learn what Danrique would do.


    Simr to William and Federico, Sean was also holding his breath and waiting.


    ¡°It''s actually okay to save him, right?¡± asked Sean. He could tell that Danrique was swaying. ¡°I mean...


    if William bes the king in the future, we will have a strong ally on our side.¡±


    ¡°That is unlikely,¡± replied Danrique before he sneered. ¡°He is weak and in trouble now, so it''s only


    natural that he behaves. That weakness will fade away once he is king, and there''s a good chance he


    won''t even thank us for our help when he is in power.


    ¡°He has been bullied his entire life. Men like that will go through drastic changes once they reach the


    top. It is highly possible that the first thing they do after they gain power is to eliminate all those who


    had seen his darker side. He would also kill everyone who had witnessed his weaker side.¡±


    ¡°That...¡± said Sean. Before he could stop himself, he said, ¡°No way! That won''t happen, right? I mean,


    you didn''t turn out that way...¡±


    As soon as he finished speaking, he lowered his head apologetically and said, ¡°Sorry. I shouldn''t have


    said that.¡±

 Chapter 2141

    Chapter 2141


    q¡°There''s only one Danrique Lindberg in this world,¡± Danrique questioned, ¡°When I was at rock bottom,


    I bowed to no one. I did not resort to lying, betraying, or exploiting anyone...¡±


    ¡°Fair enough.¡± Sean gave the matter a thought, and he grew solemn. ¡°I''m afraid Prince William is not


    the same. He knows he cannot turn the tides all by himself, so he''s trying all he can to get near Ms.


    Felch, hoping that he can butter up with you in this way to achieve his goals.¡±


    ¡°Which is why he''s beyond saving.¡± Danrique narrowed his eyes and concluded.


    ¡°What about Ms. Felch?¡±


    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°She''s my woman. She should put herself in my shoes and think from my point of view.¡± Chagrin


    swamped Danrique. ¡°She''s being unreasonable when she asked me to save William. There are many


    things that I would happily oblige if she wanted, but not this. This is unjust and wrong.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°That''s enough.¡± Danrique shut down the opinions of the others as soon as he made up his mind. ¡°If


    she truly loves me, she should know I have my reasons. If she left me because I didn''t save William, it


    means that her love for me does note from the bottom of her heart. I don''t need that kind of love!¡±


    Those wordsing from him were steely, yet he could still feel his heart skip a beat when the words


    rolled off his tongue.


    In fact, he had never thought of breaking up with Francesca, but fury consumed him whenever he


    thought of Francesca''s determination to save William.


    On the other hand, Sean dared not speak anymore upon seeing Danrique determined attitude. Hence,


    he tentatively suggested, ¡°Mr. Lindberg, I think you shouldmunicate with Ms. Felch properly to


    avoid any misunderstanding.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Danrique hummed. ¡°Her orphanage is looking for a foundation, right? I want you to gather


    some information regarding that.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir. It will be on your table by tomorrow.¡±


    Danrique gave the matter some thought. Francesca cared deeply for the orphanage. If I got rid of the


    problem faced by the orphanage, she wouldn''t get angry at me for not helping William, would she?¡±


    Though he had never liked noisy chattering kids and hypocritic charitable acts, he would still do it


    because of her.


    I hope she understand my reasons.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, are you not going to rest?¡± Sean filled up Danrique''s cup with more tea.


    ¡°She''s still angry, so I''ll wait until she calms herself down. I don''t need another fight with her.¡± Danrique


    continued going through the files.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Sean noticed the changes in Danrique almost immediately. After all, from his point of view,


    Danrique was no longer the prideful and indifferent man he used to be. He learned how to take the


    initiative tomunicate and put himself in others'' shoes. In fact, he had changed a lot.


    Unfortunately, Francesca was unaware of all that.


    She was back in the room, angry and frustrated.


    That piece of sh*t! How dare he use me of marrying him and having s*x with him for William''s sake!


    He jumped at me like a beast. I didn''t resist and gave him all of me because I love him. How could he


    think of me in such a filthy way? Da*n it! Why is he not trying to save those people? Didn''t he say he


    wouldn''t be in any loss even if he saved William? That''s eighty over lives we''re talking about! Are they


    nothing at all to him?


    Needless to say, Francesca was perplexed.


    At that moment, her phone started vibrating. She quickly found her phone on the couch and answered


    the call, ¡°Monica.¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry, Ms. Felch. I hope I''m not disturbing you.¡±


    ¡°That''s all right. It''s just me alone in the room right now.¡±


    ¡°I wanted to visit, but they said I shouldn''t be bothering you, especially when I''m still injured, so...¡±


    Though Monica''s way of conveying her message was rather implicit, she was trying to tell Francesca


    that the Lindberg family didn''t want her to meet Francesca.


    ¡°You should rest well, and not run around as you please.¡± Francesca was not bothered by the


    message. ¡°What about your injuries? Is the doctor good?¡±


    ¡°I''m fine. I''m just worried about His Highness.¡±

 Chapter 2142

    Chapter 2142


    q¡°I''ve already talked to Danrique about this, and we got into a shouting match.¡± Francesca sounded a


    little depressed and crestfallen. ¡°He''s perfect in every aspect, except for his stubbornness. I think I may


    need more time tomunicate and exin the situation to him.¡±


    ¡°Yes. We should do that.¡± Monica hurriedly agreed. ¡°We mustn''t push too hard. We should take it slow


    so we wouldn''t anger Mr. Lindberg. I was inconsiderate when I urged you back then.¡±


    ¡°That was not your fault. I was in a hurry too.¡± Francesca consoled.


    ¡°Yes. We need to find another way. We should be patient.¡± Monica resorted to another method. ¡°You


    shouldn''t talk to him about this for the moment. Instead, you should spend more time with him after


    being separated from him for too long. Please don''t let this matter spoil your mood.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Francesca failed toprehend the sudden changes in Monica''s attitude.


    ¡°Please listen to me. There''s no need to push too hard. Please don''t get into a heated argument again


    because of this matter,¡± Monica said, ¡°Spend more time with Mr. Lindberg. Ms. Felch, you could bring it


    up with him again once he''s in a good mood. I''ll guide you on what to say by then.¡±


    Hearing that, a moment of realization hit Francesca. She realized that there were more reasons why


    Monica escorted her back. Aside from keeping her safe, Monica was also trying to keep an eye on her


    and guide her into asking for help from Danrique.


    Francesca did not know whose idea this was. Either way, she felt rather annoyed.


    On second thought, Francesca reckoned that it was normal. After all, William was on the brink of losing


    his life, which made it reasonable that he did what he did. As for Monica, it was no surprise that she


    was in such a hurry when she was someone William trained and nurtured.


    Francesca just didn''t like the method they used.


    ¡°Ms. Felch?¡± Monica hurriedly called, ¡°Are you all right?¡±


    ¡°I''m fine.¡± Francesca snapped out of it and replied, ¡°Rest well. I''ll visit you tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°I''ll be fine. Don''t worry about me. Just spend more time with Mr. Lindberg.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I''ll see you tomorrow.¡± With that, Francesca hung up the phone.


    She held herself responsible for Monica''s injuries. Hence, she decided to have a look at Monica''s


    injuries for herself tomorrow, fearing that the doctors were not capable enough to treat her well.


    At the same time, Francesca hated to be spied on.


    For that reason, she felt that there was a need for her to make things clear with Monica.


    It was only at that moment did Francesca feel the pressure on her shoulders. For the first time, she


    realized that she needed more than just knowledge and medical skills to save lives.


    If she were powerful and influential enough, she could save them all by herself without having to go


    through all the trouble.


    Now, if she wanted to save William and those in his castle, she would''ve to ask for Danrique''s help.


    Unfortunately, Danrique was a tough nut to crack.


    ¡°Are you still angry?¡± A familiar voice came through. Francesca jolted back to her senses upon hearing


    the voice and saw Danrique walking into the room.


    He was making his way toward Francesca. As he strode toward her, he slowly unbuttoned his shirt.


    There was lust filling his gaze.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Francesca hurriedly got up from the bed and red at him while huffing in


    frustration. ¡°Don''t you do anything stupid! I''m telling you! You already had me a couple of times today.


    H-Hey...¡± Before she could finish, Danrique had already pressed himself on her.


    He pressed himself on her like a beast, restricting her movements while reaching his hand into her


    skirt.


    ¡°D*mn you-¡± Before she had finished speaking, Danrique had already captured her lips.


    Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    The fiery hot kisses came charging like a raging typhoon, catching Francesca off guard.


    She put up a fight, but slowly gave up and sumbed to the man''s fiery hot body.


    The silhouettes of the two clinging to each other on the bed could be seen on the walls. It was a wild


    and passionate night.


    The temperature in the room began rising as if there was a zing fireball burning within the room.

 Chapter 2143

    Chapter 2143


    qAfter the wild and passionate night, Danrique held Francesca in his arms as he slept soundly.


    Francesca curled up her body against him like a kitten while shooting him a re.


    He''s so annoying! How could he fall asleep just after having s*x with me? Jeez!


    His weight on her started growing unbearable. She turned around immediately, and just as she was


    about to get away from Danrique, she was pulled back into his embrace before he locked his arms and


    leg on her, restricting her movements.


    She couldn''t move anymore.


    With no choices left, shey down helplessly on the bed and stared at the beautiful snowy scene


    outside the window in exasperation.


    Yet, the snoringing from Danrique seemed to possess some magical effect that had her drifting


    into the dreand shortly after.


    That night, they both had a good sleep.


    Francesca woke up in the morning the following day. She heard the water running in the bathroom. She


    immediately knew Danrique was taking a shower, so she didn''t pay much attention. Instead, she turned


    around and wrapped her arms around a pillow before sleeping again.


    Danrique got out shortly after. He wrapped a towel around his body and rubbed his hair with a towel.


    ¡°Come. Have breakfast with me.¡±


    Francesca stretched a little with the pillow still in her arms before pouting and ring at Danrique.


    ¡°Apologize!¡±


    ¡°Hmmm?¡± Danrique was taken back by surprise. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Apologize for all the mean words you hurled at me.¡± Francesca rubbed her beautiful legs against


    Danrique''s.


    ¡°What did I say?¡± Danrique, however, did not remember anything at all.


    ¡°You...¡± Francesca sprang up from the bed and went into a frenzied state. ¡°You said I married you for


    William''s sake and used me of having s*x with you because I''m doing it all for him. Do you know


    how insulting those words were?¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± It all came back to Danrique. ¡°Are you?¡±


    ¡°Of course not!¡± Francesca stood on the bed with her hands on her hips as she bellowed, ¡°I, Francesca


    Felch, am not shaken by poverty, nor will I be subdued by force! What''s that called again? Bah!


    Anyway, I will never do something I hate to reach my goals, let alone something important like marriage


    and rtionship!¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± Danrique hummed and headed straight toward the wardrobe without paying much attention to her


    reply.


    Yet, the corners of Danrique''s lips quirked up as he turned around.


    He was satisfied and happy with the answer he received.


    ¡°Hey! Did you hear me?¡± Francesca roared furiously.


    Danrique did not budge, and he continued changing his clothes.


    Seeing this, Francesca''s anger burned even stronger, leading to her charging into the wardrobe and


    yelling, ¡°Hey, rogue! Talk to me!¡±


    ¡°I heard you,¡± Danrique replied indifferently, ¡°Go and clean yourself up. I''m waiting for you to have


    breakfast.¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡± Francesca was furious. It felt like she was throwing punches into the air. She tried her best to


    reason with him, but his reply was cold and unresponsive.


    She was aggrieved. That feeling was awful.


    ¡°Okay. That''s enough.¡± Danrique found her pouting face rather funny. He carried her up and ced her


    on the rack so that she could look him straight in the eyes on the same level. ¡°From now onwards, your


    heart, mind, and body belong only to me and me alone. Understood?¡±


    ¡°What? Why does it sound so perverted...¡± Francesca''s cheeks flushed instantly in response.


    ¡°Just tell me that you know.¡± Danrique grasped her chin and made her look him in the eyes.


    ¡°I know.¡± Just as the words rolled off her tongue, she hurriedly added, ¡°Wait a minute. What about the


    kids in the orphanage? There''s also Anthony, Ms. La, and Mr. Lincoln...¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay.¡± Danrique interrupted. ¡°That''s enough.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Francesca pouted. ¡°What about you? Are your heart, mind, and body also mine and mine


    alone?¡±


    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°Of course. It had always been that way.¡± Danrique captured her lips again. ¡°I kind of want to have a


    taste of you again. What should we do? Hmmm?¡±

 Chapter 2144

    Chapter 2144


    q¡°Stop!¡± Francesca inched backward and avoided him. ¡°I''m about to crumble.¡±


    ¡°Fine. I''ll let it off easily this time.¡± Danrique carried her down from the rack and patted her butt. ¡°Go


    clean yourself up. I''ll wait for you.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Francesca ran into the bathroom.


    Danrique watched her from the back. The corners of his lips quirked up at how cute Francesca was.


    He loved their lives right now. They were spending time together, fooling around with each other


    happily. Though there would be heated arguments at times, most of the time was filled with pure


    happiness and sweetness.


    I wish we could continue living blissfully and harmoniously every day forever, but...


    Strangely, Danrique felt a sense of uneasiness.


    Meanwhile, Francesca was brushing her teeth while her phone vibrated. She checked on it and


    hurriedly picked up the call when she realized it was a call from Anthony. ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Francesca, where are you?¡±


    ¡°Xendale, why?¡±


    ¡°With Danrique?¡±


    ¡°That''s right.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Anthony heaved a sigh of relief.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Francesca asked.


    ¡°It''s about Ms. La and Mr. Lincoln. They would secretly get in touch with me every three days, but


    they stopped calling about a week ago this time. I''m worried.¡±


    ¡°Why didn''t you tell me they would get in touch with you!¡± Francesca was furious. ¡°When was thest


    time you talked to them?¡±


    ¡°Before you flew to Danontand,¡± Anthony replied, ¡°They were still in H City back then, but I don''t know


    where they are now after they cut off theirmunication with me.¡±


    ¡°Give me their contact. I''ll try.¡±


    ¡°Will that affect you in any way?¡± Anthony hesitated. ¡°Ms. La told me not to tell you...¡±


    ¡°Hurry up!¡± Francesca yelled.


    ¡°Fine.¡± Anthony hurriedly sent the information to Francesca because he dared not anger her.


    Upon receiving the information, Francesca instantly tried to get in touch with Ms. La, only to find that


    the call wouldn''t go through and the satellite couldn''t pinpoint their location.


    Just as Francesca was panicking, Danrique, who was done changing his clothes, approached her.


    ¡°What''s the matter?¡±


    ¡°We lost contact with Ms. La and Mr. Lincoln. I''m worried about them,¡± Francesca then told Danrique


    what she had learned from Anthony.


    ¡°Don''t worry. I''ll get someone to look into it.¡± Danrique immediately sent the information about the two


    to Sean using Francesca''s phone.


    ¡°They are the ones who kept me safe throughout the years, but there''s nothing I could do when their


    enemies are hunting them down.¡± Guilt was eating her alive. ¡°They''re fine, right?¡±


    ¡°They should be.¡± Danrique was calm. ¡°Let''s have breakfast. Maybe there will be news about them


    after breakfast.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Knowing that Danrique''s men were capable and efficient, Francesca acknowledged that she


    should give them some time. Besides, there was no point pushing them too hard.


    The two then went downstairs to have their breakfast, and Francesca asked Mylo about Monica''s


    condition.


    Mylo quickly updated Francesca. It turned out that Monica was shot in her leg, but the bullet missed the


    vital spots. A bullet also grazed her on her arm in the meantime, but the injuries were all taken care of


    by the doctors.


    Hearing that, Francesca was much more rxed. She also told Danrique that she wanted to visit


    Monica after breakfast.


    ¡°Didn''t Mylo tell you she''s fine? The doctors will take care of her, so there''s nothing to be worried


    about.¡±


    ¡°But she''s injured because of me, so it''s my responsibility to see to it that she''s doing well. Besides,


    she also escorted me back to Xendale.¡±


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    ¡°You''re always worried about something, aren''t you?¡± Danrique was left voiceless. ¡°Fine. Do whatever


    you want.¡±


    Francesca rolled her eyes at him. After making up her mind to visit Monica, she reminded, ¡°Remember


    to call me if you have any news.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Danrique reached out a hand to her.


    Francesca stuttered for a second before walking up to him. She gave him a warm hug and kissed him


    on his forehead before leaving.


    She had never felt that before, but now, she realized Danrique was just like a little boy who needed her


    attention.

 Chapter 2145

    Chapter 2145


    qFrancesca was rather outspoken, uncouth, and often overlooked small details, but she was slowly


    learning to change.


    Danrique was delighted with her transformation. Though she may seem heartless sometime, he was


    d to witness the changes she had made.


    It indicates that I matter to her if nothing else.


    Francesca arrived at the clinic at the back of the castle, where a doctor was examining Monica''s injury.


    ¡°Monica!¡±


    ¡°Ms. Felch!¡±


    Monica was thrilled to see Francesca and sat up from her bed immediately. ¡°I''m fine now. There''s no


    need to trouble you.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Felch¡ª¡±


    ¡°I''m sure you''re busy. Leave things here to me,¡± Francesca said courteously to the doctor. ¡°Thank you


    for your trouble!¡±


    ¡°No problem. We''ll leave then.¡±


    The doctor bowed to Francesca before gesturing to his assistant to depart as he slung his medical kit


    over his back.


    Francesca examined Monica''s injury and nced at the medication prescribed by the doctor. Upon


    finding them too basic, she added a homemade remedy to the list. ¡°Keep taking what the doctor


    prescribed, and take the one I''m giving you. It won''t be a sh.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Ms. Felch.¡±


    Monica''s injury did not bother her. She was most anxious to discuss William, but she did not dare say


    much as there were others behind Francesca.


    She only spoke after Francesca dismissed her people and shut the door. ¡°How are things with you and


    Mr. Lindberg, Ms. Felch?¡±


    ¡°We are good,¡± Francesca answered. ¡°I''m thinking of a solution regarding William''s situation. I


    promised to return for his rescue, and I will. Rest assured.¡±


    Her concise words dispelled Monica''s worries, who suddenly did not know what to say.


    After recovering from her momentary surprise, she hastened to exin herself. ¡°That''s not what I


    mean, Ms. Felch. I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Focus on getting better. Look for Mdm. Norah, if you need anything. Or you coulde to me directly,¡±


    Francesca said bluntly. ¡°There are some matters I need to attend to. I''ll see you soon.¡±


    She rose to leave as she spoke.


    Monica watched Francesca''s departing back sullenly.


    Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    I underestimated Francesca, thinking that she is dumb. Now I know she knows everything. She''s just


    more innocent and does not like to scheme. It appears that Francesca does not like me watching her.


    She didn''te to visit me today. Instead, she came to make one thing clear¡ªshe is not a pushover.


    Danrique was about to enter his car when Francesca arrived at the front of the pce. He stopped in


    his tracks to wait for her when he saw hering. ¡°That was quick.¡±


    ¡°I just sent Monica some medicine and that did not take long.¡± Francesca hastened her stride to catch


    up. ¡°Are you going back to the office?¡±


    ¡°I am.¡± Danrique brushed off the snow in her hair. ¡°It''s cold outside. Wait at home, and I''ll pick you up in


    the afternoon.¡±


    ¡°What are you picking me up for?¡± Francesca asked curiously.


    ¡°I''m taking you to a banquet tonight.¡± Danrique touched her cheek. ¡°My woman must make a public


    debut sooner orter, no?¡±


    Francesca giggled. ¡°You''re cheeky.¡±


    Danrique kissed her on the forehead. ¡°Be good and go back in. It''s cold out here.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡± Francesca wrapped her coat around her and headed inside but turned back every few steps to


    watch Danrique enter the car and only looked away after the vehicle left before entering the house


    huddled from the cold.


    Danrique watched her from the rearview mirror and smiled seductively.


    Initially, he was under the impression that she did not love him very much, but he had finally felt her


    love.


    He thought about how she climbed onto him like a kitten, wrapped her arms around his neck, and


    leaned obediently against his chest.


    His thoughts wandered over to how she had trotted to him earlier with a silly smile and how she gazed


    at his departure and looked back every few steps.


    Every tiny detail of her gestures are filled with love.

 Chapter 2146

    Chapter 2146


    qThe sweetness welled up from within Danrique''s chest and filled him with bliss.


    At that moment, he felt that he and Francesca could be happy forever.


    Upon entering the house, Francesca went to see Gordon and ask about La and Lincoln.


    He reported that it was still under investigation and that he needed more time before assuring her that


    he would report it to her as soon as there was something to report.


    Francesca nced at the time. It had been exactly an hour and ten minutes since Danrique had


    assigned him to investigate. She could not help feeling worried. ¡°I remember you were very efficient


    back then to trace even the mostplicated matter within an hour. It''s taking you longer this time.


    Could something have happened to La and Lincoln?¡±


    ¡°Not at all. Please don''t overthink,¡± Gordon said hastily. ¡°It''s mostly because I''m not fully aware of their


    situation. Besides, they''re now in H City, which is not our turf. That is why I need time.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Francesca heaved a sigh of relief at his words. ¡°That''s good news. Keep digging, and let


    me know if you find anything.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡± Gordon nodded eagerly. ¡°Don''t worry.¡±


    Francesca did not spare the matter further thought. She just went up the stairs.


    Seeing that, Gordon returned to the home office immediately and gave Danrique a call. ¡°Mr. Lindberg!¡±


    ¡°How are things?¡± Danrique was still driving.


    ¡°I''d just received word that the two of them are being hunted by Riz Corporation. One of them was


    captured, while the other escaped with grievous injuries. Their current whereabouts are unknown,¡±


    Gordon reported quietly. ¡°Ms. Felch came to ask me earlier, and I gave her a vague answer. I dare not


    tell her the truth.¡±


    ¡°Don''t tell her yet,¡± Danrique instructed. ¡°Rescue the injured one who had escaped and contact Riz


    Corporation at the same time to keep the other alive.¡±


    Gordon hesitated.


    ¡°Those two used to be agents from M Nation, Mr. Lindberg,¡± Sean cautioned gingerly. ¡°I don''t know


    their grudge against Riz Corporation, and I don''t think it''s wise for us to intervene.¡±


    ¡°Rescue them first!¡± Danrique growled, irritated.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Gordon did not dare say much else and carried out his orders immediately.


    Sean, too, did not say anything more. His hands sped involuntarily together, and his brow creased.


    Despite Lindberg Corporation''s status and Danrique''s foothold, they faced threats internally and


    outside. It would not serve them well to pick a fight with Riz Corporation at a time like that.


    ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    We would be picking a fight with the most powerful enemy in the world. Everybody, except for Mr.


    Lindberg, gives Riz Corporation a wide berth.


    Sean harbored many worries, but he also knew Danrique could not be convinced against whatever he


    set his mind to.


    His only option was to remain silent.


    Francesca returned to her bedroom and gave Anthony a call to ask about the matter of La and


    Lincoln.


    Anthony told her that they were persecuted by their enemies and had been running for their lives. They


    tried to do away with their enemies, who seemed to multiply in number. The pair was then forced to


    escape abroad.


    They spoke of hiding in the mountains during thest time they corresponded. However, they could no


    longer be reached. Though they might have indeed gone to the mountains where there was no


    reception, something might have happened to them and prevented them from making contact with the


    outside world.


    Francesca felt a spark of hope after hearing all of that. Perhaps, they did go up a mountain and are cut


    off from all mobile phone signals. The reception on Mount Phoenix, where the old man lives, is terrible.


    Francesca spent the entire afternoon waiting at home. Her mind was filled with all kinds of guesses.


    Gordon came with a report at three in the afternoon. ¡°We still could not locate the two elders, Ms.


    Felch. I don''t know if they had gone to a ce without reception. We might need a little more time.¡±


    ¡°That is indeed a possibility,¡± Francesca said quickly. ¡°They were talking about hiding out in the


    mountains.¡±


    ¡°That must be it,¡± Gordon said at once. ¡°I have arranged for a search party in Zarain, and we will get


    some clues sooner orter. Don''t worry.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡±

 Chapter 2147

    Chapter 2147


    qFrancesca was slightly relieved. I would be happy for La and Lincoln if they managed to hide in the


    mountains.


    ¡°It''s gettingte. You should get ready, Ms. Felch. Mr. Lindberg will pick you up at five o''clock,¡± Gordon


    announced as he nced at his watch. ¡°The styling team is already waiting downstairs.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Francesca was taken aback. ¡°What styling team? Picking me up to go where?¡±


    ¡°There''s a banquet tonight,¡± Gordon reminded her. ¡°Mr. Lindberg said he was going to bring you. Did


    you forget?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I think I did,¡± Francesca recalled upon second thought.


    ¡°I will bathe and dress you, Ms. Felch.¡±


    Norah led several maids up the stairs and escorted Francesca back to her bedroom.


    ¡°Do I have to go?¡± Francesca was somewhat averse. ¡°I don''t like attending banquets.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg has made the arrangements. He would not be pleased if you don''t go,¡± Norah said with a


    chuckle. ¡°You can''t escape socializing once you be Mrs. Lindberg.¡±


    Francesca was still declining when a familiar voice sounded. ¡°I am a friend of Ms. Felch!¡±


    Francesca turned around and saw Monica standing outside, holding on to the door for support. Several


    maids blocked her.


    ¡°Monica!¡± Francesca stood up at once to greet her. ¡°Let her in.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ms. Felch.¡± The maids bowed and stood aside.


    Monica limped in. ¡°I''m sorry, Ms. Felch,¡± she said apologetically. ¡°Am I bothering you?¡±


    ¡°No, I''m not doing anything anyway. I was just about to head in for a shower.¡±


    Though Francesca did not like Monica pushing her to deal with William''s matter, she could understand


    thetter. Hence, she treated her as a friend.


    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    Monica rescued me three times, anyway.


    ¡°Let me keep youpany.¡± Monica took her hand.


    ¡°All right.¡± Francesca dismissed the rest and entered the bathroom with Monica. ¡°Do you have


    something to say to me, Monica?¡±


    up ¡°Nothing much. I just want to say that you should attend the banquet,¡± Monica said casually. ¡°Think


    about it. Many women out there already have their sights set on Mr. Lindberg. If you don''t show up to


    im your ce, they will think they stand a chance.


    ¡°Hazel, especially. She even started the rumor that she was engaged to Mr. Lindberg. If you, the official


    girlfriend, don''t show yourself, everybody will think that she is Mr. Lindberg''s fianc¨¦e.¡±


    ¡°That''s a good point.¡± Francesca frowned. ¡°However, matters like that frustrate me. I think men should


    have some awareness. Danrique ought to take the initiative to rify things to the press.¡±


    ¡°Isn''t he doing exactly that? He is taking you to the banquet and announcing to the public that you are


    his fianc¨¦e to clear rumors,¡± Monica said at once. ¡°You see, he wants to make a statement, and it will


    put him in a difficult spot if you don''t go.¡±


    ¡°You''re right.¡± Frencesce nodded. ¡°All right, then. I''ll go.¡±


    ¡°Thet''s more like it. Could Ie with you, by the wey?¡± Monice esked tentetively. ¡°I cen protect you if


    enything heppens.¡±


    ¡°It''s not e problem to me, but your leg is injured.¡± Frencesce stered et Monice''s leg.


    ¡°It''s not e serious injury, enywey. I''ll just teke some peinkillers,¡± Monice seid hestily. ¡°His Highness


    essigned me to protect you, end I must fulfill my duty to the best of my ebility. Besides, I''m bored


    steying in the room elone. Think of it es teking me out to see the world.¡±


    ¡°All right, then.¡± Frencesce could not teke her negging. ¡°I''ll heve somebody prepere e dress thet will


    cover your leg, end you''reing with me.¡±


    Delighted, Monice nodded eegerly.


    After their mekeup wes done two hours leter, Frencesce brought Monice down the steirs.


    Denrique hed just returned end wes on the phone in the hell.


    Seen end the others bowed to Frencesce end greeted her when she errived. Though they looked


    surprised to see Monice in her erm, they did not sey much.


    ¡°You''re right.¡± Francesca nodded. ¡°All right, then. I''ll go.¡±


    ¡°That''s more like it. Could Ie with you, by the way?¡± Monica asked tentatively. ¡°I can protect you if


    anything happens.¡±


    ¡°It''s not a problem to me, but your leg is injured.¡± Francesca stared at Monica''s leg.


    ¡°It''s not a serious injury, anyway. I''ll just take some painkillers,¡± Monica said hastily. ¡°His Highness


    assigned me to protect you, and I must fulfill my duty to the best of my ability. Besides, I''m bored


    staying in the room alone. Think of it as taking me out to see the world.¡±


    ¡°All right, then.¡± Francesca could not take her nagging. ¡°I''ll have somebody prepare a dress that will


    cover your leg, and you''reing with me.¡±


    Delighted, Monica nodded eagerly.


    After their makeup was done two hourster, Francesca brought Monica down the stairs.


    Danrique had just returned and was on the phone in the hall.


    Sean and the others bowed to Francesca and greeted her when she arrived. Though they looked


    surprised to see Monica in her arm, they did not say much.

 Chapter 2148

    Chapter 2148


    qDanrique turned around to look at Francesca and frowned involuntarily.


    She was d in a white, short gown and looked as adorable as a fairy, but her makeup was overly


    simple.


    On the other hand, Monica wore a grand, champagne-colored long gown and looked regal and elegant.


    As Monica''s leg was injured, Francesca helped her down the stairs.


    It looks like Monica is the mistress and Francesca is her subordinate instead.


    ¡°When did you return?¡± Francesca helped Monica steady herself before turning to face Danrique in a


    happy mood.


    ¡°Several minutes ago.¡±


    Danrique caressed her hair as he spoke, which hung carelessly as hair spray was not yet applied. It


    looked natural though itcked refinement.


    ¡°Monica wants toe as well. I''d promise to bring her along.¡±


    Francesca told Danrique bluntly instead of seeking his approval.


    ¡°She cane, but she must get changed.¡± Danrique nced at Monica before shooting a meaningful


    look at Sean.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Sean hastened to make the arrangements. ¡°Take Ms. Monica up to change, Mylo.¡±


    ¡°Why me again?¡± Mylo grumbled under his breath as he marched toward Monica. ¡°This way, please,


    Ms. Monica.¡±


    ¡°This dress is pretty. I picked it out for her.¡± Francesca felt that it was unnecessary. ¡°It''s to cover her


    injured leg. Besides, she looks good in it.¡±


    Danrique said nothing. Instead, he hugged her and pulled her out the door.


    The pair entered the car, which drove off swiftly. ¡°Wait a minute,¡± Francesca said in a panic, ¡°Monica


    isn''t here.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Monica will take the car behind,¡± Sean exined. ¡°Are you hungry, Ms. Felch? You can have


    something to eat first.¡±


    ¡°There is food?¡± Francesca''s attention was drawn away in an instant.


    ¡°Some snacks.¡±


    Danrique stroked her head indulgently before producing an exquisite box and opening it to reveal an


    array of cakes that emitted an enticing fragrance.


    ¡°Wow, what are these?¡± Francesca picked up a piece to sample and turned ecstatic. ¡°It''s delicious!¡±


    ¡°I''m d you like it.¡± Danrique was pleased with how happy she looked.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg heard about a new Chanaean bakery in the city and had specifically gone and bought


    some since he knew you are fond of them,¡± Sean exined with a smile. ¡°The banquet tonight will also


    be¡ª¡±


    ¡°You talk too much.¡±


    Danrique silenced him with a re.


    ¡°What about the banquet tonight?¡± Francesca sensed that there was more to Sean''s words.


    ¡°Nothing. You''ll know when we get there.¡± Danrique wiped the crumbs off the corners of her lips. ¡°Eat


    slowly. You won''t have to share them with anybody.¡±


    Francesca nodded with a smile. ¡°It''s delicious. Try some!¡±


    ¡°I don''t have a sweet tooth. You enjoy it.¡± Danrique smiled at her. ¡°I''m happy just watching you eat.¡±


    Francesca giggled before picking out another piece as Danrique watched silently beside her with a


    smile on his lips.


    Francesca had eaten half the box of pastries when the car pulled up at its destination. She touched her


    belly, gazed out the window, and froze. ¡°Is this the presidential pce?¡±


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    ¡°Mmm.¡± Danrique nodded. ¡°It''s a banquet thrown by the president. You''ll run into some old friends


    tonight and make new ones.¡±


    ¡°Er...¡±


    Francesca instinctively recalled thest banquet in Frank''s house and had a bad premonition.


    ¡°Nothing bad will happen tonight.¡± Danrique knew what troubled her. ¡°But you should still stay close to


    me and not run amok. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Francesca nodded. ¡°Monica will be there too. She''ll protect me as well.¡±


    ¡°If something like this happens again, discuss it with me first before making your own decisions,¡±


    Danrique reminded her. ¡°Actually, she shouldn''t being to an event like this.¡±

 Chapter 2149

    Chapter 2149


    q¡°Then why didn''t you say no?¡±


    It was beginning to dawn upon Francesca that she had made a mistake. If I knew we were attending


    the president''s banquet, I would have asked Danrique before giving Monica an answer.


    Though ignorant of most social norms, she understood what it meant not to put Danrique in trouble.


    Danrique pinched her cheek. ¡°Since you''ve already promised her, you would no longer have authority


    at home if I overruled your decision. Even if you made the wrong call, I must respect it since you''ve


    made up your mind. I''ll help you clean up the mess if things do not go as nned.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Danrique...¡±


    Those words touched Francesca. She had never once thought that Danrique could be so sensitive,


    responsible, and thoughtful.


    ¡°There''s no need to ce your safety in somebody else''s hands.¡± Danrique caressed her head. ¡°Aside


    from protecting yourself, I should be the only person you could trust wholly.¡±


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    ¡°Hmm.¡± Francesca nodded solemnly, feeling very moved.


    Danrique did not say anything else. He reached out to pull her into his embrace and kiss her tenderly


    on the forehead.


    ¡°Is my outfit today too simple? They said I looked too in without essories. Will it embarrass you?¡±


    Francesca began to feel insecure. She was always stuck in her ways and had never considered his


    feelings.


    In spite of that, he was always thinking of her. She suddenly felt bad...


    Danrique did not mind. ¡°Not at all. Just dressfortably.¡± ¡°My woman should never amodate


    others. You just need to do what suits you.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn''t others think that I have embarrassed you, then?¡± Francesca was still not assured. ¡°Will I


    be an eyesore to them?¡±


    ¡°I''ll dig out the eyes of those who think that you''re an eyesore,¡± Danrique growled. ¡°Besides, my


    reputation is the one at stake. What''s it to them even if I have decided to do that?¡±


    Francesca giggled before leaning over to give Danrique a fierce kiss, who held the back of her head


    and reciprocated in a domineering manner.


    Then, the couple kissed passionately.


    At that moment, they felt that they would be together forever.


    The car stopped at the entrance of the presidential pce. A bodyguard marched over to open the


    door for Danrique and Francesca.


    A group ofvishly dressed people rushed over before freezing in surprise at the sight of Francesca.


    ¡°Good evening!¡± Francesca smiled.


    She knew everybody before her. They were all from the three great families. Donald was also there but


    without Eva.


    ¡°Er...¡±


    Gerard and Kevin froze in shock when they saw Francesca.


    Harrier, on the other hand, was very calm. He beamed and took the initiative to greet her as if they


    were old friends. ¡°It''s been a long time, Ms. Cece!¡±


    ¡°Long time no see,¡± Francesca responded with a smile.


    ¡°That''s true...¡±


    Gerard and Kevin regained theirposure atst. They smiled awkwardly, not knowing where to


    begin.


    On the other hand, Hazel, who stood at the back of the crowd, greeted Francesca generously. ¡°It''s such


    a delight to see you, Ms. Cece!¡±


    Francesca shot a half-amused nce at Danrique. ¡°I''m happy to see you too.¡±


    Hazel smiled and said nothing more.


    ¡°Let''s go inside, then,¡± Donald called. ¡°We shouldn''t keep the president waiting.¡±


    ¡°That''s right. Let''s go inside.¡±


    The crowd was just about to file back into the pce when a sonorous voice boomed. ¡°You''re just in


    time, Danrique! I was about toe out earlier to receive you, but I was interrupted by a call!¡±


    Francesca looked up. She had seen the president on TV and thought he looked kinder in appearance


    than Frank. He wore a sincere smile.

 Chapter 2150

    Chapter 2150


    q¡°Mr. President, you don''t have toe out to greet me personally!¡± Danrique shook hands with the


    president.


    ¡°Of course, I have to! You''re here to attend the dinner. As the host, I shoulde to greet you in


    person!¡± The presidentughed and turned his attention to Francesca. ¡°Who is this beautifuldy?¡±


    ¡°She''s my fianc¨¦e, Cece.¡±


    Danrique had never disclosed Francesca''s actual name to outsiders as he did not want to reveal her


    identity as Francesco. Hence, he had been calling her ¡°Cece¡± in front of others.


    ¡°Fianc¨¦e?¡± The president took a nce at Hazel and quickly resumed his smile. ¡°Oh, Danrique! You


    have a fianc¨¦e! Congrattions!¡±


    The conversation sounded familiar to Francesca. It reminded her of her first visit to Frank''s residence


    to attend a banquet. At the banquet, Frank seemed to have said the same thing.


    Everyone was shocked too when they saw her.


    ¡°Yes, for a long time!¡± Danrique put his arm around Francesca and said generously, ¡°She was the one


    who came back to save me in a car full of bombs at Frank''s residencest time!¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see!¡± The president was shocked and looked at Francesca with admiration. ¡°I''ve heard about that


    incident. Ms. Cece is indeed a hero!¡±


    ¡°You have ttered me,¡± replied Francesca with a polite smile.


    ¡°No, no, no. You''re actually our savior!¡± The president looked very excited. ¡°If it was not for your heroic


    actions that day, we wouldn''t have the peaceful days we have now, right?¡±


    ¡°That''s right!¡±


    After Donald took the lead, everyone else echoed.


    ¡°I knew that the girl Danrique has a crush on must be very different, but I didn''t expect her to be so


    unique!¡± the president had been praising Francesca continuously.


    ¡°Please stopplimenting her. She''s blushing now. Hahaha!¡± Danrique cuddled Francesca lovingly.


    ¡°Hahaha...¡± The presidentughed. ¡°Come on. Let''s go chat inside the house!


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    As he said that, the president made a gesture and walked side by side with Danrique. They chatted as


    they walked.


    The three great families followed closely, with Donald and the subordinates behind them.


    When they arrived at the main hall, the firstdy had prepared a premium dinner for them. She greeted


    everyone enthusiastically and arrange for thedies to be seated first.


    The president, Danrique, and other men sat around in the living room on the other side, chatting.


    Hazel, being the head of the Atkinson family, also sat among the men.


    The president introduced Francesca to the firstdy when they came in just now. Therefore, the first


    lady treated her with exceptionally good hospitality.


    However, Francesca''s attention was all on Danrique. She saw that Danrique sat on the sofa gracefully


    with his legs crossed. There was a ss of wine in his hand. He was shaking the ss lightly and


    listening to the president.


    Everyone else was sitting upright as though they were in a ssroom, except for Danrique.


    Danrique sat casually and even gave Francesca a gentle look while listening to the president.


    Francesca exchanged gazes with him and smiled. She then looked away and entertained the firstdy


    in a polite manner.


    Although the atmosphere was a little serious and boring, Francesca was slowly getting used to it.


    However, she did not expect that they had no intention to start the dinner even after chatting for more


    than an hour.


    She was already a little hungry, and she was almost clueless about what to say to the firstdy


    anymore. Left with no choice, she could only nce at Danrique earnestly.


    However, Danrique was talking then, and everyone else was listening intently to him with a serious


    look, including the president.


    Of course, he did not have time to pay attention to Francesca.


    She turned to look elsewhere and found that Gordon and the rest were in the side hall on the other


    side. She tried to look for Monica in the crowd.


    At that moment, a girl in a ck suit waved to Francesca. She looked closely. Oh! It''s Monica!

 Chapter 2151

    Chapter 2151


    qMonica was dressed in a ck suit and looked tiny among the men, but at the same time looked


    smart.


    Looking at such a scene, Francesca found it quite funny.


    Why did Danrique not allow Monica to wear a gown but force her to wear a bodyguard''s uniform


    instead? Is he worried that she will overshadow me? He''s kind of cute sometimes.


    Fortunately, Monica did not mind it at all. She waved to Francesca with a smile.


    Mylo pulled her hand and reminded her to take care of her manners. She then quickly turned around.


    Francesca retracted her gaze too. Just when she thought she still had to wait for a long time, Danrique


    suddenly said, ¡°Okay, I think thedies are hungry now. Let''s have dinner!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! My bad! I''ve been talking with you guys and have neglected Ms. Cece.¡± The president knew


    Danrique was worried that Francesca would be starving already. He hurriedly invited everyone to the


    table.


    Danrique walked over and sat beside Francesca, holding her hand under the table.


    Francesca smiled and looked at him with eyes full of love.


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    Danrique kissed her forehead and asked dotingly, ¡°Are you hungry?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Francesca nodded honestly.


    Danrique giggled and hurriedly cut the steak for her. ¡°You can eat now.¡±


    At the same time, the president raised his ss to give a toast to everyone. When he saw Danrique


    cutting steak for Francesca, he quickly put down the wine ss and waited until Danrique fed


    Francesca a mouthful of steak. Then, the president raised his ss again and said, ¡°Wee!¡±


    The others raised their sses too and downed their drinks in one go.


    ¡°This is nothing but a family dinner. Just make yourself at home and don''t bother about the


    formalities...¡± said the president.


    Everyone finally began to enjoy their meal.


    On the other hand, Francesca had already eaten several mouthfuls of steak. She suddenly realized


    that her behavior was a little rude and quickly stopped eating. However, Danrique gently fed her.


    Francesca immediately felt that she was not being rude after all.


    Seeing the scene, the president and the firstdy exchanged gazes with meaningful looks.


    Everyone was enjoying the meal.


    The men''s topics at the table were all about international affairs.


    Thedies were carefully taking care of their other half, including the firstdy. The firstdy had been


    observing every move of the president and handed him things he needed from time to time.


    Francesca was an exception. She was just busy eating.


    Danrique would even pass her drinks and cut the steak for her.


    Hazel saw all these actions in her eyes, but she acted calmly and gracefully, unmoved in the slightest.


    Hazel''s reaction was a little iprehensible to Francesca. Does this woman really have nothing to do


    with Danrique? Even if there''s nothing, shouldn''t she be a little jealous? Why is she so calm?


    Francesca did not understand, but she could not be bothered anymore.


    Since Danrique treated her so well now and even introduced her to so many people, she had no


    reason not to believe him.


    It was a very long meal. Everyone else took their own sweet time to enjoy the food and chat with each


    other.


    However, Francesca finished her food very quickly. She was not interested to stay at the dining table


    and listen to their nonsense.


    She felt restless on her seat.


    Noticing her uneasiness, Danrique whispered in her ear, ¡°Let''s go for a walk.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Francesca quickly pushed away her chair and left the table quietly.


    Noticing that, the firstdy quickly got up and asked, ¡°Ms. Cece, do you need anything?¡±


    ¡°I...¡±


    ¡°She needs to use the restroom,¡± Danrique answered on her behalf.


    ¡°Let me take you there.¡± The firstdy was about to walk toward Francesca.


    ¡°Uh, it''s okay. I can go myself...¡± Francesca hurriedly rejected her offer.


    Danrique smiled and said to the firstdy, ¡°No problem, Cece is used to being carefree and


    unrestrained. Just let her go by herself.¡±

 Chapter 2152

    Chapter 2152


    q¡°Yes, I won''t get lost.¡± Francesca nodded vigorously.


    ¡°All right then.¡± The firstdy did not insist anymore. She made a gesture and instructed a maid to lead


    Francesca to the restroom.


    Francesca turned and smiled at Danrique. Then, she took her handbag and followed the maid to the


    restroom.


    The ce was huge. They took a long corridor before arriving at the restroom.


    If it was not for the maid to lead the way, Francesca would really get lost.


    However, she did not really want to go to the restroom. After entering, she put on lipstick in front of the


    mirror, and then took out her phone to reply to some messages.


    Her phone kept vibrating when she was eating just now. She wanted to check her phone so badly, but it


    seemed rude to look at her phone on that asion, so she bore with it.


    There were a few text messages from Monica on the phone:


    Ms. Felch, are you in yet? I''m at the back.


    Ms. Felch, I saw you.


    Ms. Felch, just take care of yourself and don''t worry about me. I''m fine with the bodyguards'' team


    here...¡±


    I didn''t expect it to be this kind of family dinner. I thought it would be a banquet. The presidential pce


    is so huge and luxurious. It is exquisite and heavily guarded. It seems that you don''t need my


    protection here at all. I think I worry too much. Haha...


    Francesca felt the same way as Monica. She used to attend that kind of open banquet where there


    were a lot of people, and it was very easy to get into danger.


    In contrast, tonight''s dinner seemed a lot quieter.


    There were not many guests, and there were only a few bodyguards and maids. The people were all


    separated, leaving the event in an orderly manner, which made it hard to have any hidden crisis.


    Francesca also felt that she thought too much.


    Just when Francesca was typing a message to reply to Monica, a greeting suddenly came from


    outside. ¡°Ms. Atkinson!¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Hazel responded briefly and walked in gracefully.


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    Francesca raised her head and looked at Hazel in the mirror. She was dressed in a tight-fitting dress in


    gold which showed her nice body figure and highlighted her elegant temperament.


    Besides, she was much taller than Francesca. Francesca felt a sense of oppression standing in front of


    Hazel.


    ¡°I''m here to look for you. Shall we talk?¡± Hazel shed a smile at Francesca.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Francesca turned to look at her. ¡°What do you want to talk about?¡±


    ¡°I really like Mr. Lindberg and want to marry him. However, I did not use any underhanded means to


    approach him nor announce any engagement news...¡± Hazel said bluntly, ¡°The rumors that you have


    seen have nothing to do with me.¡±


    ¡°Oh, really?¡± Francesca looked at her with a sincere look and was a little puzzled. ¡°Who would that be if


    it wasn''t you? Who would be so free to create scandals for others?¡±


    ¡°This is a littleplicated. You won''t understand even if I exin it,¡± Hazel blurted out. Then, she


    quickly exined further, ¡°Mr. Lindberg said you''re a very na?ve person, and you''ve never been a part


    of a battle for power. So you may not understand...¡±


    In fact, Francesca did not care about that at all. ¡°I guess that''s right. I really don''t understand, and I


    don''t need to understand. Actually, you don''t have to tell me about all this. If there''s anything, you can


    talk to Danrique directly. I trust him.¡±


    Hazel chuckled. ¡°You''re indeed a na?ve woman!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Francesca was dumbfounded by her words.


    Hazel smirked. ¡°Nothing. I just think that since you''re so naive, I''m afraid it is difficult for you to protect


    yourself...¡±


    ¡°That''s no concern of yours.¡±


    Francesca could not be bothered to talk to her. She washed her hands and prepared to leave.


    Before Francesca left, Hazel added, ¡°Actually, it''s good to be a doctor who''s free and easy. There''s


    really no need to get involved in such aplicated political battle...¡±


    Francesca was a little touched by her words. She used to think the same way back then, so she always


    avoided Danrique. However, she chose to follow her feelings in the end when he became


    unavoidable...

 Chapter 2153

    Chapter 2153


    qFacing her love rival, Francesca still brought out her ws. Raising a finely plucked brow, she said


    coldly, ¡°I''m certain this has nothing to do with you. On top of that, how did you know I was a doctor?¡±


    ¡°There are no true secrets in the world,¡± replied Hazel sardonically. ¡°The truth will eventually reveal


    itself.¡±


    Having said that, she turned on her heel and left.


    Francesca could infer that there was a tacit implication in Hazel''s words, but she could not quite put her


    finger on it.


    She also couldn''t be bothered.


    After wiping her hands dry, Francesca left the restroom.


    That maid had disappeared despite saying she would wait for Francesca.


    Francesca was rendered speechless and decided to walk back by retracing her steps. Scarcely had


    she moved a few steps when she could hear someone crying.


    She paused. Curiosity soon got the better of her as she followed the direction of the sounds.


    This led her to a room where people were talking. ¡°Diana, be good. Danrique brought his fianc¨¦e over


    today. That''s why your father wouldn''t let you out. It''ll be awkward otherwise.¡±


    ¡°What fianc¨¦e? Danrique''s fianc¨¦e should be me!¡±


    The young woman spoke fluent Ustranasion. Francesca heard every word and was taken aback.


    Who is this woman? Hazel has just left. Do I have yet another love rival? On top of that, why does she


    sound so familiar?


    ¡°Stop causing a scene, all right?¡± A woman could be heard sighing in agitation. ¡°You''ve been married


    once already. What makes you think Danrique will still be interested in you?¡±


    ¡°Back then, you all forced me into a marriage I didn''t want! Do you know how unhappy I was? It''s all


    your fault!¡± The younger woman was quite angry. ¡°It was not easy to get a divorce. Now that I want to


    take charge of my own happiness, you''re all intent on stopping me!¡±


    ¡°We''re not trying to stop you. We also hope that you can be together with Danrique. But he doesn''t like


    you! He''s in love with someone else...¡±


    ¡°It''s not true! It''s not!¡± The young woman sounded very agitated this time. ¡°Danrique likes me! Thest


    few times we met, he even smiled at me!¡±


    ¡°That was out of politeness! Won''t you snap out of it?¡±


    ¡°No! He likes me! He bought me gifts!¡±


    ¡°That''s because of your father. The gifts were an act of courtesy.¡±


    ¡°I don''t believe you! You''re lying to¡ª¡±


    ¡°All right, that''s enough!¡± the older woman interjected. In a grave tone, she went on, ¡°You can''t go out


    tonight. After the banquet, your father will exin things to you in person. Just go back to your room


    and stop causing a scene!¡±


    ¡°I want to see Danrique!¡±


    ¡°Why are you so stubborn?¡± The older woman tutted and groaned in annoyance. ¡°You two,e here!¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma''am.¡± Two female bodyguards could be heard responding.


    ¡°Bring her back to her room!¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Mom, how could you do this to me!¡±


    ¡°Stop shouting!¡± Frantically, the mother cupped a hand over her daughter''s mouth. ¡°Listen to me. Be


    quiet and be a good girl.¡±


    Francesca immediately hid behind a wall.


    The door to the room opened, and the older woman hurriedly came out. Two female bodyguards trailed


    behind her, forcefully tugging a beautiful younger woman with them.


    Francesca peeked out and vaguely saw them from behind.


    The young woman was not tall, but she had a decent figure. She would have been pretty. However,


    something about her psyche and behavior seemed a little off.


    She was very agitated and did not stop struggling throughout.


    The older woman gestured once, and a few more female bodyguards rushed over to help before they


    finally managed to take the struggling woman away.


    The older woman wiped away the tears on her face and turned around.


    Francesca was very shocked. Isn''t that the firstdy?


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    The woman did not notice Francesca at all. She smoothed out the wrinkles on her clothing and hurried


    back into the hall.


    In the end, Francesca was the only one left in the corridor.


    She mulled over her thoughts for a bit beforeing to a gradual realization. As it turned out, the


    president''s daughter had also fallen for Danrique. She seemed to have been married before but was


    now divorced, so she likely wanted to pick up where she left off with Danrique.


    Her parents must have wanted to set her up with Danrique, hence the banquet.


    They never imagined that Danrique would have attended with his fianc¨¦e. Thus, they had to keep their


    daughter locked away to prevent her from causing a scene and embarrassing them.

 Chapter 2154

    Chapter 2154


    qThe presidential couple seemed quite reasonable. Upon knowing that Danrique had brought his


    fianc¨¦e along, they held their daughter back from creating trouble.


    The poor woman, on the other hand, must have suffered from some kind of shock, given how mentally


    unstable she seemed.


    That being said, the family seemed rtively reasonable.


    Upon thinking about this, Francesca cared little. She turned on her heel and walked toward the hall as


    well.


    By then, the banquet had already ended. The president suggested that they go to the hunting grounds,


    which was met with the approval and anticipation of the men in attendance.


    ¡°I''m not going. But please, carry on without me.¡±


    Danrique looked at Francesca, who had just entered. She was holding her skirt up as she walked over,


    her face seemingly clueless and dazed. Danrique found this adorable.


    ¡°Danrique, it''s only nine! Why don''t you stay for a bit?¡± asked Harrier with a smile. ¡°Besides, Cece is


    here too. You can keep herpany. She must be so bored, cooped up in the castle all day.¡±


    ¡°What''s going on?¡± Francesca had caught wind of the conversation.


    ¡°Do you want to go hunting on the hunting grounds, Cece?¡± asked the president warmly.


    ¡°No thanks.¡±


    Francesca did not like hunting animals. However, she realized she could not change anything and


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    ¡°Then we won''t go hunting. Let''s head to the basement parlor and y some board games!¡± The


    president smiled and continued, ¡°There are some simple games there we can y. The women can


    also join in then.¡±


    ¡°That''s right, Cece! I''ve asked the kitchen to prepare some Chanaean snacks and tea. You have not


    sampled them yet!¡± chimed the firstdy warmly.


    The presidential couple had all their attention centered on Francesca, intending on following her


    wishes. Thus, the rest looked at her face expectantly.


    At that moment, no matter how arrogant a person Francesca was, she would have still felt somewhat


    embarrassed. Besides, Danrique still needed to be on good terms with them, so she had to get along


    with high society eventually.


    Thinking of this, Francesca turned to look at Danrique. He, too, returned her gaze, as if questioning her


    intent.


    ¡°Very well then.¡± Having seen that Danrique was not insisting on leaving, she thought that he did have


    the desire to stay after all. She then said, ¡°Thank you, Mr. President, Ma''am.¡±


    ¡°That''s splendid!¡± Harrier pped happily. ¡°I can show off my card skills to Danrique tonight!¡±


    ¡°Didn''t you lose enough thest time?¡± quipped Kevin.


    ¡°You''re talking as if you''ve never lost,¡± retorted Harrier, rolling his eyes.


    ¡°Haha!¡± The president was all smiles. ¡°I didn''t realize that Danrique was skilled at ying cards too!¡±


    ¡°He''s got a photographic memory. It helps him remember where the cards are!¡± chortled Gerard. ¡°We


    three constantly lose terribly to him!¡±


    ¡°Then I must see this for myself!¡±


    Having said that, the president ushered everyone to the basement.


    The firstdy was also ushering the female guests to the basement. From the corner of her eye,


    Francesca noticed that the bodyguards remained in the hall. Apart from Sean, nobody else followed.


    Monica then waved at her from afar.


    Francesca felt a little embarrassed. Monica had specifically asked her if she coulde along, but she


    ended up staying with the other bodyguards. It was as if she barely participated.


    The group of people filed into the basement. The men started to gather around a table to y cards


    while conversations about both banal and important things began to flow.


    Francesca thought that the game was just a distraction since they were actually discussing crucial


    matters.


    The president seemed genial, but his sharp eyes did not miss anything. He was carefully observing


    everyone''s words and deeds.


    He seemed to be assessing everyone''s capabilities while he had the chance.


    Danrique did not say much, but he was concise. Everyone present was observing his demeanor,


    including the president himself.


    Where the women gathered, everyone seemed to have their own agendas. Everyone was carefully


    currying favor with the firstdy, yet at the same time, they dared not offend Francesca. Instead, they


    observed her every move in secret.


    This time, Sean did not join the men at the table. Instead, he stayed to chat with the women, leaving


    them dazzled by his impable eloquence.

 Chapter 2155

    Chapter 2155


    qFrancesca found it difficult to fit into this environment. She decided to find a quiet corner and busied


    herself with ying darts alone.


    ¡°Not a bad technique!¡±


    Just then, a voice came from behind her. Francesca turned around and saw that it was Harrier who


    spoke.


    He held a ss of wine and gracefully strolled over, eyeing the darts on the board. With a smile, he


    said, ¡°You''ve hit a number of tens. You''ve got some skill, Ms. Cece!¡±


    ¡°It''s all right.¡±


    Francesca nced at Danrique. He was betting against the president under the watchful eyes of


    everyone else. It was quite a tense and heated round.


    As such, Danrique wasn''t paying attention to her.


    ¡°I heard Prince William mention that you''re loyal to your friends and quite skilled too. I''m d I got to


    see this today.¡±


    Harrier stood about a meter away with a smile etched on his face, speaking in a hushed tone.


    Francesca was slightly taken aback. She turned around and asked, ¡°You know William?¡±


    ¡°Prince William''s conglomerate had worked with Lindberg Corporation before. There have been


    business dealings, and he even attended Mr. Adams''s banquet. Have you forgotten?¡±


    Harrier smiled gently at her.


    ¡°Oh, you appear to be right.¡±


    Upon hearing him bring up the subject of William, Francesca could not help but feel guilty. She thought


    of how she initially came to Xendale to rally soldiers to save him, but she was so focused on her


    rtionship with Danrique that this matter soon slipped through the cracks of her mind.


    She wondered how he was at the moment.


    ¡°I''ve heard that Prince William was captured and is being held at the pce. His situation is unclear...¡±


    Harrier inched closer to Francesca and sighed. ¡°It''s a shame. He''s a good prince and an exemry


    person...¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by his situation is unclear?¡± asked Francesca, clearly shocked by the revtion.


    ¡°Think about it.¡± Harrier brought the ss to his lips and murmured, ¡°Prince William''s cousins have


    always wanted him dead. This is the perfect opportunity to do so. Why wouldn''t they act?¡±


    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    Harrier took another sip and continued, ¡°I heard something else. Before he was ced under house


    arrest, he went to plead his case before King Federico. However, old wounds run deep. I think they


    have venom deep in their hearts. I fear that Prince William won''t live past Christmas.¡±


    Hearing this, Francesca trembled. Christmas was a mere seven days away...


    She had truly not considered this at all. Now that Harrier had brought this up, she suddenly realized


    that the longer she tarried here, the closer William inched toward danger.


    ¡°Mr. Harrington!¡± Just then, Sean suddenly walked over. ¡°Mr. Lindberg has summoned you.¡±


    Harrier immediately stepped back, bowed toward Francesca, then hurried back to the cards table.


    In a low voice, Sean asked, ¡°Ms. Felch, is everything all right? Did he behave indecently?¡±


    ¡°I''m fine.¡± Francesca turned to look at Danrique. He returned her gaze, and she beamed at him before


    turning to look at Sean again. ¡°I''m going to the restroom. You go ahead and have fun. There''s no need


    to worry about me.¡±


    ¡°I''ll ask Monica to apany you then.¡±


    Sean was not too keen on Francesca going alone, so he went upstairs to fetch Monica.


    As Francesca made her way to the restroom, thoughts of William weighed heavily on her mind. I have


    to find a way to save him, but how can I manage this alone? I can''t possibly pull this off by myself. Also,


    how am I going to convince Danrique?


    She was deep in thought when suddenly, a figure emerged from the storage room in the restroom.


    Francesca was startled. When she turned around, she found herself face to face with a beautiful young


    woman.


    She had milky white skin, beautiful features, and a pair of bright eyes. Her beauty was so surreal that


    she could have walked out of an oil painting.


    Dressed in resplendent clothing, she seemed quite frantic as her hair was ruffled. Nervously, she


    apologized to Francesca, saying, ¡°I''m sorry! I''m so sorry! I did not mean to frighten you. I was worried


    Mom would find me, so I hid here.¡±


    Francesca gave the woman a once over, thinking that she looked like the person she had seen outside


    the banquet hall. Is this the president''s daughter?

 Chapter 2156

    Chapter 2156


    q¡°Are you here to attend the banquet?¡± A pair of lovely eyes were affixed onto Francesca as the


    woman asked again, ¡°Have you seen Danrique?¡±


    ¡°Uh...¡± Francesca sputtered. ¡°Y-yes!¡±


    ¡°Is he outside?¡± The woman frantically pointed toward the door.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Francesca nodded. ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°I''m going to see him.¡± The woman lifted her skirt and was about to run out. Just then, the door to the


    restroom opened, and a tall, slender figure blocked the entryway. ¡°Ms. Riker!¡±


    ¡°Hazel!¡± The woman held Hazel''s hands and happily said, ¡°Bring me to Danrique! Isn''t he outside?¡±


    ¡°He is outside, but...¡± Hazel stopped herself from saying anything further. With a pointed look at


    Francesca, she gently went on, ¡°Be good and stay here. I''ll bring your mother over.¡±


    ¡°No! I don''t want to see Mom! I want to see Danrique!¡±


    The woman immediately became agitated again, wanting to burst into the hall to seek out Danrique.


    However, Hazel held her in a vice-like grip and refused to let her out. Hurriedly, she said, ¡°Ms. Riker, be


    good and stop causing a scene. Otherwise, your parents will be displeased.¡±


    ¡°Let go! Let go of me!¡±


    The president''s daughter pushed and struggled with all her might before finally bing enraged.


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    ¡°I remember now! You were constantlypeting with me over Danrique! You did awful things and


    tried to sabotage our rtionship! If not for you, I would not have ruined my rtionship with Danrique,


    nor would I have married that wretched man!¡±


    ¡°It''s not that...¡± Hazel was about to exin, but the other woman suddenly gave Hazel a hard p. ¡°I


    said, let go!¡±


    The sound of the p reverberated through the corridor, and a red mark soon appeared on Hazel''s


    pale skin. Soon, her cheek turned red, but she simply tilted her head aside and refused to fight back,


    managing to keep her cool.


    ¡°Ms. Riker, please calm down! I''m going to fetch your mother!¡±


    Having said this, she looked at Francesca, pushed the unstable woman into the restroom, and hurried


    away after closing the door.


    A clicking sound could be heard from the other side of the door, indicating it had either been locked or


    barred. With all her might, the woman pushed and tugged in vain, but the door did not budge.


    However, this series of actions, which onlysted a minute or two, had happened very quickly.


    Seeing how fast Hazel acted, one could tell that Hazel was used to doing such things.


    ¡°Let me out! Let me out!¡±


    In her agitation, the woman started banging against the door while screaming, ¡°Hazel Atkinson! You


    vile, shameless, coward! Back then, you were the one who locked Steve and me in the same room!


    You set me up! It was you!¡±


    Francesca looked upon all this in astonishment, her mindpletely nk.


    From what she could infer, this woman and Hazel both liked Danrique back then.


    In order to have Danrique to herself, Hazel yed a dirty trick to have this woman and another man


    locked in the same room. Perhaps this resulted in the woman losing her virginity and being separated


    from Danrique, and she was then married off to Dartan.


    However, the marriage did not work out, and she came back.


    If this was true, then Hazel was truly a terrifying person. This woman was simply a poor victim of


    Hazel''s schemes.


    However, there was something Francesca did not understand. As the president''s daughter, her status


    was much higher than that of Hazel. How could Hazel do such things to her and get away with it?


    On the other hand, it was not impossible. Hazel was deeply maniptive, while this woman seemed


    quite innocent. It could be that she was indeed framed.


    Even so, if this woman was telling the truth, why did the president and firstdy not deal with Hazel? In


    fact, they seemed to get along quite amiably.


    As such, the finer details of the situation remained unclear.


    As Francesca pondered this, the woman suddenly slumped to the ground, crying in despair.


    Francesca felt so sorry for the woman in this state that she could not help but want tofort her.


    However, the woman suddenly took out a de and sliced a part of her hand.

 Chapter 2157

    Chapter 2157


    qFrancesca was instantly scared out of her wits and rushed over to stop her.


    However, the woman''s actions were quicker as she shed at her wrist.


    In a split second, Francesca grabbed the woman''s hand, wrestled the knife away from her, and ripped


    off part of her dress to bandage the cut.


    ¡°Let go! Let go of me!¡±


    The woman was struggling so hard that the de cut Francesca''s hand. Even so, Francesca could not


    be bothered about it as she tried to hold the woman down so she could treat the wound.


    ¡°Diana...¡±


    Just then, frantic voices were heard from outside the door. ¡°Hurry up! Open the door!¡±


    Very quickly, someone opened the door of the restroom.


    Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    When they saw what had happened, they were shocked.


    The firstdy came in with a shout, asking her subordinates to subdue her daughter before frantically


    asking if Francesca was okay.


    This confused Francesca. Shouldn''t the firstdy be more concerned about her daughter? Why does


    she seem more worried about me instead?


    ¡°Let go of me. Let me go! Mom!¡±


    The woman was kicking and screaming for dear life, but suddenly, a man''s voice could be heard


    yelling, ¡°What the zes is happening here? Take her away!¡±


    It was the president.


    His reaction seemed to be out of anger rather than pity toward his own daughter.


    Very quickly, the anger dissipated to concern as he shifted his gaze to Francesca. ¡°Ms. Cece, are you


    all right?¡±


    Francesca shook her head, her expression wary.


    Just then, a pair of hands reached out from behind to hug her. Subconsciously, she turned around, only


    toe face to face with Danrique''s gentle expression. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°I...¡±


    ¡°Danrique! Danrique...¡±


    Francesca barely had time to speak when the woman wrenched herself free from the maids and lunged


    at Danrique. Her hands were soaked with blood as she reached up to gently touch his face.


    ¡°Danrique...¡±


    ¡°Seize her!¡±


    At the president''s orders, a few bodyguards stepped forward to promptly drag the woman away. She


    seemed like she wanted to scream, but she was then gagged.


    Suddenly, silence befell the scene.


    Francesca stared nkly at the woman, her eyes full of astonishment.


    ¡°I apologize for causing you distress, Ms. Cece.¡± The firstdy did not excuse herself to pacify her


    daughter but instead tried to calm Francesca down. ¡°I''ve sent for a doctor. He''ll be here soon to take


    care of your wound. Are you all right?¡±


    ¡°I''m fine, Ma''am.¡± Francesca returned to her senses and immediately said, ¡°There''s no need for a


    doctor. I can take care of myself. You should see to Ms. Riker instead.¡±


    ¡°I...¡±


    ¡°Go on,¡± said the president.


    The firstdy nodded at both Francesca and Danrique before leaving with an entourage.


    ¡°I want her watched!¡± hissed the president, his expression full of fury.


    When he turned around, the anger was reced by warmth and remorse. ¡°You have my most heartfelt


    apology, Ms. Cece, Danrique. It must have been distressing.¡±


    ¡°It''s a small matter.¡± Danrique held onto Francesca and said, ¡°Why does Diana''s condition seem to be


    worsening? I think she should see a specialist.¡±


    ¡°You''re right. She was fine all this time. Two days ago, however...¡± The president let out a deep sigh,


    and his expression turned grave. ¡°How did a simple banquet turn out this way?¡±


    ¡°It''s understandable. She is family, after all,¡± said Danrique warmly. ¡°We''ll make our way home first. I


    think you should see to Diana. She needs urgent care.¡±


    ¡°Her mother is with her now, so it will be all right.¡± The president let out another sigh and said, ¡°Let me


    escort you out.¡±


    It was only as they left that Francesca realized the guests from the three great families, Hazel included,


    had not shown up. She reckoned that they had stayed in the recreation room to avoid seeing Diana in


    her current state and also to save the dignities of the presidential couple.


    When the president brought Danrique past the recreation room, the guests then came over as if


    nothing had happened, still discussing the card game from earlier.


    Hazel was also unusually calm, as if the incident earlier had nothing to do with her.


    This made Francesca feel very afraid. Are the upper sses such cold-blooded and unfeeling people?

 Chapter 2158

    Chapter 2158


    qFrancesca felt uneasy up until she got in the car. It was only when Danrique tended to her injury that


    she came back to her senses.


    ¡°When you encounter something like this, don''t just throw yourself into it,¡± said Danrique unhappily. ¡°Did


    the Chrono incident teach you nothing? Why do you like being a busybody?¡±


    Having heard this, Francesca trembled, thinking of what had happened with Chrono and Candice.


    It had brought upon her much trouble.


    She still had lingering fears whenever she thought about it.


    ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    Francesca had constantly been reminding herself not to stick her nose where it did not belong, but


    every time someone was in danger, she could not resist the urge to help.


    Like with what happened earlier¡ªshe had never considered howplicated the issue was.


    Diana had slit her wrist in front of her. As a doctor, how could Francesca stand idly by?


    ¡°Scared out of your wits?¡± asked Danrique as he gently pinched Francesca''s cheek.


    ¡°Not quite.¡± Francesca came back to her senses again. ¡°That woman... Did she like you before?¡±


    ¡°I guess so,¡± replied Danrique mildly.


    ¡°And then she married someone else?¡± Francesca continued. ¡°But is now divorced?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Danrique nodded and said, ¡°Not too long ago, the firstdy brought her back from Dartan. After


    coming back, however, her psyche seemed to be abnormal. I heard that she did not have a good life


    and that things wereplicated there.¡±


    After a pause, Danrique said, ¡°It''s nothing to do with you, however. There''s no need to dwell on it.¡±


    ¡°I''d assumed that the person who put me under house arrest after bribing King Federico was the


    president himself,¡± Francesca blurted out. ¡°I guess it''s not him.¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡± Danriqueughed. ¡°So you were thinking about this all this while? I''ve underestimated you.¡±


    ¡°I''m not an idiot,¡± said Francesca, rolling her eyes. ¡°I''m just not fond of ying games of intrigue. I know


    what''s happening, all right? William had mentioned that the King only socializes with people that befit


    his station. Since the three great families are not quite of the same rank, the only person who could


    possibly have a connection with both you and the King was the president.¡±


    Francesca paused briefly before continuing to speak. ¡°Since you brought me to the banquet, I''ve been


    quietly observing everyone. Given how the presidential couple is so genial, I think that your status must


    be higher than that of the president himself. As such, I thought the president wanted to win you over by


    betrothing his daughter to you, so he bribed the king to keep me in Danontand. But seeing the current


    state of his daughter dispelled my concerns.¡±


    Danrique nodded and hummed in response. ¡°I arrived at the same conclusion you did after mulling over


    this. Tonight was, in fact, meant for recon.¡±


    ¡°You thought the same?¡± said Francesca hurriedly. ¡°I mean, Diana is already like this, so surely they


    wouldn''t dare to wed you two even if they wanted to? Based on their behavior today, I think they had no


    such intentions at all.¡±


    ¡°I think that was their intention initially.¡± Danrique had nothing else to say on this.


    ¡°I guess you''re taking this with a grain of salt.¡± Francesca did not understand. ¡°Unless you think


    something else was up?¡±


    ¡°I''m just used to having reservations.¡± Danrique smiled mildly and said, ¡°A lot of things don''t really


    reveal themselves until the very end.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Francesca still did not understand.


    ¡°Don''t fret.¡± Danrique reached over to pat her on the head. ¡°You can just be your happy, jovial self by


    my side. I''ll take care of the rest.¡±


    ¡°But I have other questions.¡± Francesca thought of what Diana had said earlier and asked, ¡°What does


    Diana''s marriage have to do with Hazel?¡±


    ¡°Diana is the president''s daughter, which means her status is not average. What right does Hazel have


    to interfere with her marriage?¡± retorted Danrique. ¡°That being said, Hazel was in M Nation studying


    when Diana married. She only came back to attend the ceremony.¡±


    ¡°But I heard Diana say¡ª¡±


    ¡°Things between women areplicated. You should not get involved.¡± Danrique immediately cut short


    was Francesca was about to say. ¡°Also, Hazel Atkinson is not that bad!¡±

 Chapter 2159

    Chapter 2159


    qFrancesca had processed everything Danrique said earlier, except for thatst bit. She refused to


    hear a word of it. On top of that, she was disgusted.


    From the moment Francesca and Hazel met, thetter had behaved like a leech,tching onto them


    and following them like a shadow that refused to depart.


    Moreover, Francesca had personally heard what Diana had to say about Hazel. How could Danrique


    still defend Hazel in good faith, saying that she was not that bad?


    This made Francesca feel ill.


    She also thought that Danrique was protecting Hazel.


    ¡°How is your injury? Let me take a look.¡±


    Danrique reached over to look at Francesca''s injury, but Francesca immediately retracted her hand like


    a scalded cat. With a huff, she turned around to ignore him.


    Stunned, he asked, ¡°What is it? Are you angry at me now?¡±


    Is this not obvious enough?


    Displeasure is written all over my face now. Why does he still need to ask?


    This, of course, made Francesca angrier.


    ¡°You were fine before. Why are you suddenly angry at me now? What did I do wrong?¡± Danrique was


    confused.


    Francesca remained silent. She appeared to be seething, like a ticking time bomb that was about to


    explode.


    Danrique was rendered speechless and kicked the passenger seat ahead of him.


    At that, Sean, who had been afraid to speak this whole time, had to step in for his employer. ¡°Err, Ms.


    Felch, I don''t think that''s what Mr. Lindberg meant. Please don''t misunderstand.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Then what did he mean?¡± demanded Francesca angrily.


    ¡°Yes. What was it then?¡±


    Danrique still did not understand what it was he said to have upset Francesca like this.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg was only trying to say that Ms. Atkinson was likely not involved in certain matters.


    Besides, it''s not likely that she''d dare to cause a scene in front of Mr. Lindberg or have ill intentions


    toward you. He was not praising her.¡±


    Sean had understood it from the start, but it was a shame that his dull employer had not realized it.


    As such, realization finally dawned upon Danrique as to why Francesca was angry.


    Immediately, he pointed at Sean and said, ¡°He''s right.¡±


    ¡°You...¡± Francesca was truly at her wits'' end.


    Does that mean that every time we fight, someone else has to listen and interpret it for him? Is he


    completely incapable of understanding me andmunicating with me properly? Does he need an


    underling for this, of all things?


    Francesca huffed. No wonder he had Sean call and exin when we were previously giving each other


    the silent treatment. He didn''t even bother to apologize to me in person!


    ¡°You''re still mad?¡±


    Danrique was puzzled and kicked Sean''s seat again.


    ¡°Ms. Felch.¡± Sean naturally understood what was happening and continued to exin, ¡°Mr. Lindberg


    has never been in love. This is his first experience of being in a rtionship. As such, certain things are


    quite foreign to him. I hope you understand.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Yes.¡± Danrique immediately nodded.


    Francesca let out a deep sigh and massaged her throbbing temples. She truly had no words to reply to


    that.


    This rtionship is such a pain.


    ¡°Ms. Felch, please stop being angry. Mr. Lindberg is¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Francesca was tired of hearing this.


    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Sean immediately fell silent, not daring to speak further.


    ¡°You''ve said too much.¡± Danrique kicked Sean''s seat once more and reached over to touch


    Francesca''s shoulder. ¡°It''s all right. Don''t be mad anymore.¡±


    Sean was rendered speechless. What on earth? Why is he making it look like I''m the one who angered


    Ms. Felch?


    After roughly half an hour in the car, they finally reached the castle.


    When they got out of the car, Monica finally had the chance to approach Francesca. ¡°Ms. Felch, are


    you all right?¡±


    ¡°I''m fine,¡± said Francesca guiltily. ¡°I''m so sorry about today. I brought you over, but you didn''t even get


    to have fun. All you could do was linger with the other men.¡±


    ¡°It''s all right; this is no different from what I normally do,¡± replied Monica with a smile. ¡°Is your hand


    better? I heard you got injured.

 Chapter 2160

    Chapter 2160


    q¡°A small matter.¡± Francesca waved her heavily bandaged hand.


    ¡°As long as you''re safe. You gave me quite a fright!¡± tittered Monica as she patted her chest. ¡°Maybe


    you should rest early. I won''t disturb you anymore.¡±


    Having said that, she rushed off to the other courtyard.


    Francesca watched her retreating back, thinking of how carefully Monica treated her to get in her good


    books. She could not help but feel guilty.


    Monica was actually a member of Interpol. There was no need for her to pay too much attention to


    William''s affairs.


    Out of camaraderie and concern for William, however, she was urging Francesca to take action sooner.


    However, Danrique had made arrangements to have her sleep in a different courtyard, not allowing her


    to sleep in the same area. He even made her dress like a bodyguard.


    This series of actions served as a warning to Monica, telling her not to intervene.


    Francesca thought of what Harrier had said to her earlier. When she dwelled on William''s current


    condition, she became even more distressed.


    Even if Harrier had ill-intentions, there was truth to this matter.


    If anything happened to William, Francesca could not live with herself.


    ¡°What is it? Are you still mad?¡± Danrique had noticed how morose she looked and assumed that


    Francesca was still upset over the Hazel incident.


    ¡°I...¡± Francesca looked up to gaze at Danrique. ¡°I wish to have a chat with you.¡±


    Seeing how grave her expression was, Danrique knew what she was about to say. With an arched


    brow, he asked, ¡°Is it about William?¡±


    Francesca nodded.


    Danrique could not be bothered to have this conversation and turned around to enter the bathroom.


    ¡°Danrique...¡±


    Francesca called out to him but received no response in return. All she could do was lie on the couch


    and wait for him to finish bathing.


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    After a while, Danrique finally emerged from the bathroom d in nothing but his towel. His hair was


    still dripping wet.


    Francesca saw that the window wasn''t shut and that Danrique was not properly dressed. Worried he


    would catch a cold, she brought him a bathrobe to cover himself with and went to shut the window.


    This was an act of kindness and warmth, which should have incited simr feelings. However, the


    opposite happened instead. ¡°You''re usually carefree and unbothered about people. Are you now taking


    care of me for William''s sake?¡± asked Danrique icily.


    Francesca was rendered speechless. ¡°Danrique Lindberg, did the water go into your brain when you


    took your shower?¡±


    Danrique arched a brow and looked at her coldly.


    ¡°What are you looking at me like that for?¡± Francesca was incensed. ¡°I''m taking care of you out of


    concern, and you have to ruin it by speaking like this? Fine. I won''t give a d*mn about you anymore!¡±


    Danrique could not be bothered to deal with the outburst. He had been so patient all this while, coaxing


    her, coddling her... Yet all she could think about was William.


    This upset Danrique greatly.


    After blow-drying his hair, hey on the bed to read.


    Francesca was still sulking on the sofa and ring at him. Upon noticing that he was ignoring her, her


    temper only worsened.


    If she were to act as she normally did, they would have a massive argument that resulted in screaming


    and one leaving the room after mming the door. Thinking about how they were now together,


    Francesca resolved to be better atmunicating with him.


    Thinking of La''s advice to her, Francesca suppressed her anger and entered the bathroom to take a


    shower.


    Danrique heard the sound of the door closing and looked up. Her temper had improved somewhat, but


    he thought that it was for no other reason than William.


    Is she going to behave just to plead her case?


    The more he thought of this, the more irked Danrique became. He then decided to turn off the nightlight


    and go to sleep.


    When Francesca came out of the bathroom, she noticed that the lights were out and that Danrique was


    fast asleep. His back was facing her, as if he was hell-bent on ignoring her.


    This brought her anger to new heights.


    She had tried very hard to control her emotions and talk to him nicely. Not only did he not cajole her,


    but he also became arrogant and cold.


    What''s with his attitude?

 Chapter 2161

    Chapter 2161


    qFrancesca changed into a set of pajamas, crawled into bed, and turned off the lights to sleep.


    Fine! Since he''s ignoring me, I''ll do the same to him. Hmph!


    They slept on their sides, their backs facing each other as they were still mad at one another.


    For some reason, they felt as if they were miles apart, even though they were sharing the same bed.


    Francesca was still angry, but she soon dozed off without realizing it.


    However, Danrique was having trouble falling asleep. Having taken the next step in their rtionship,


    he, at that very moment, desperately wanted to get close to Francesca. After all, they were currently


    sleeping in the same bed. It was incredibly difficult for him to resist the temptation.


    Two hourster, Danrique carefully moved backward, wanting to be closer to Francesca.


    To his surprise, he could not feel her back, even when he had moved so much.


    Hence, he inched backward again, but it made no difference.


    Unable to suppress his curiosity, he turned around, only to find her sleeping on the edge of the bed.


    What on earth? She''s going to fall.


    In the end, he reached out an arm and pretended to sound cold, saying, ¡°Come here!¡±


    No response came.


    Noting that, he poked her arm with his finger. Even so, there was still no response.


    When he moved closer to take a look at her, he discovered she had already fallen asleep.


    His blood boiled, and anger rippled in him.


    How dare she? I''m having trouble sleeping because I''m angry, but here she is, sleeping soundly like a


    log. What a heartless woman!


    At that moment, Danrique had no intention of coaxing her anymore. He reached out and pulled her into


    his embrace, leaning over to kiss her.


    ¡°Mmph!¡±


    Francesca, who was immediately awakened by the kiss, squinted and struggled to free herself from


    him.


    Unfortunately, Danrique had locked her in his embrace, pinning her down with one leg so that she was


    immobilized.


    Francesca had no choice but to endure his barbaric actions driven by his desires.


    His kiss carried a hint of punishment. It was no different from a beast gnawing on its prey, almost


    suffocating her.


    After a prolonged kiss, he finally let her go and watched in amusement as she frantically tried to catch


    her breath.


    ¡°Danrique, you¡ª¡± Just as Francesca had finally recollected herself and was about to scold him, he


    turned over, pinned her under him, and continued to ravage her.


    No matter how hard Francesca struggled, she could not break free. She pounded hard on his back and


    even pushed his chest. Still, she could not shove him away.


    Soon, all her reasoning gradually faded under his warm breath and wild kisses.


    The tension in the room rose to its peak while their bodies intertwined like beasts in a ferocious fight.


    Uncontroble moans filled every inch of the room.


    That night, Danrique was not as gentle and careful with Francesca as the night before. He was more


    violent, doing whatever he wanted to her.


    He did not release her until she cried and begged him when she could not endure it anymore.


    Hugging her tightly from the back, he nted kisses on her shoulder and fell asleep.


    Francesca, too, fell asleep within seconds due to exhaustion.


    However, she instantly fell into a series of nightmares. One of them was a nightmare about William and


    the people in the castle. In her dreams, they had died and turned into vengeful souls who had returned


    to take her life.


    The nightmare was so frightening that she shuddered and awoke from her sleep. She was still


    trembling and drenched in a cold sweat even when she had awakened.


    ¡°What''s wrong?¡± Danrique woke up. Sensing something was amiss with her, he quickly asked, ¡°Did you


    have a nightmare?¡±


    Francesca did not answer, still shocked by the horrifying images that were reying in her mind.


    Grabbing her shoulder, Danrique turned her around and pressed his forehead against hers, reassuring


    her gently, ¡°Don''t be scared. I''m here.¡±


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    Francesca could feel the warmth and strength in his grip, but when she recalled the dream, she could


    not help but ask, ¡°Can you please help him? For me?¡±


    The pleasant atmosphere was instantly ruined by her words, which was like a bucket of cold water


    poured onto Danrique. He felt as if his heart had frozen over.


    Turning around, he left the bed, got dressed, and said coldly with his back facing her, ¡°I really hate how


    you''re thinking about other men while lying in my arms.¡±

 Chapter 2162

    Chapter 2162


    q¡°Danrique...¡± Francesca was going to exin herself when he straight up walked out of the room.


    In the end, Francesca was left staring at the tightly shut door. She felt extremely helpless when she


    recalled his cold and angry reaction.


    In the past, she felt she had control over every situation and could excel at many things. Recently,


    however, she had been feeling increasingly helpless over many issues.


    Take rescuing William, for example. She had to rely on Danrique just for that matter.


    Convincing Danrique was the biggest problem.


    She had thought of every possible solution and weighed the importance of that matter before reasoning


    with him. She even kept her temper in check while humbling herself to beg him. Sadly, everything she


    did was fruitless.


    And now, she had even infuriated him.


    She did not know what to do.


    Sighing, she hugged a pillow and stared nkly at the scenery outside that was covered in snow.


    The spot on the bed beside her was still warm, and his scent still lingered in the air.


    It was true that Danrique cared for and loved her very much. He had even done so much for her.


    However, he would not give in the slightest bit when it came to rescuing William.


    Danrique once said rescuing William won''t affect him, nor will it cause anyplications. So, why isn''t


    he willing to help? William is his friend, too.


    Francescay in bed, unable to fall back to sleep. Suddenly, she felt her phone vibrating, and she


    picked it up to check the notifications.


    They were messages from Monica. Some of them were sent when Francesca and Danrique were


    entangled with each other earlier.


    Since she could not fall asleep, Francesca decided to read them one by one.


    Monica: Ms. Felch, I''ve received news that the b*stards have secretly poisoned Prince William. He was


    sent to the hospital yesterday and is currently in terrible condition.


    Monica: I''m sorry, Ms. Felch. I know I shouldn''t be disturbing you at this hour. I know I shouldn''t be


    hurrying you because the more I do it, the more annoyed Mr. Lindberg will be. But His Highness''


    condition is very unstable! I''m really worried...


    Monica: Ms. Felch, I''ve received another update. Robin and the others are stuck in the castle. No one''s


    allowed to enter or leave. They''re not allowed to buy necessities, either. The amount of food stored in


    the castle is extremely limited. Besides, the water source is poisoned. If this goes on, they''re going to


    die...


    Monica: These people are really heartless animals! I can''t believe they used the excuse of looking into


    the water source to lock over eighty people in the castle. They can''t do anything to counterattack. If we


    don''t help them, the consequences are going to be horrible.


    Monica: I know this matter is putting you in a difficult spot, and I know you''re in an awkward position,


    but you''re the only one who can save them now. We''re talking about human lives here. There are over


    eighty of them. We can''t just ignore this...


    Monica: You''re their only hope, Ms. Felch!


    After reading all the messages, Francesca felt a heavy feeling in her heart. While she was thinking of a


    way to talk to Danrique about it, she received another text from Monica.


    It read: Ms. Felch, I''m going to personally beg Mr. Lindberg.


    Before Francesca could even process the meaning of the message, a gunshot sounded outside.


    Francesca jumped in rm and hurried to the window to look.


    It turned out that Monica wanted to enter the front hall but was stopped by the bodyguard. Hence, she


    sneaked out in the middle of the night, wanting to enter the study room through the windows.


    Unfortunately, Gordon found her and fired a shot.


    Monica was hit and fell onto a pile of snow from the second floor.


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    Blood gushed out of her wound, staining the white snow.


    A group of bodyguards armed with guns instantly surrounded her, ready to take down the intruder.


    ¡°Monica! Stop! Don''t shoot her!¡± Francesca yelled.


    Hearing that, Gordon quickly gave orders to the other bodyguards. Removing Monica''s cloak, he could


    not help but frown when he recognized who she was. ¡°It''s you?¡±


    Francesca flew down the stairs and helped Monica up, making sure thetter was safe before scolding


    Gordon, ¡°Don''t you know who she is? Why did you fire your gun?¡±

 Chapter 2163

    Chapter 2163


    q¡°I''m sorry, Ms. Felch. We didn''t recognize her earlier. Besides, there''s no reason for us not to shoot


    when someone suddenly crawls up the wall outside Mr. Lindberg''s study room at this hour,¡± Gordon


    exined in a hurry.


    ¡°You¡ª¡±


    ¡°It''s not their fault, Ms. Felch. Please don''t me them,¡± Monica advised.


    ¡°Come on. Let''s go in and get your wound cleaned first.¡± Francesca hurriedly helped Monica into the


    building, but thetter insisted on seeing Danrique.


    ¡°Please, just let me see Mr. Lindberg. There''s a favor I need to ask of him personally.¡±


    Gordon said, ¡°You can just talk to me. I''ll help you pass the message to Mr. Lindberg.¡±


    ¡°No. I need to ask him in person...¡± Panicking, Monica tugged at Francesca''s hand and pleaded,


    ¡°Please, Ms. Felch. I''m begging you.¡±


    ¡°Monica...¡± Francesca wanted to dissuade Monica. Before she could even do that, thetter fell to her


    knees with a thump, ignoring the wound on her leg. ¡°I''m begging you. Please let me see Mr. Lindberg!¡±


    ¡°Get up quickly. Your leg''s wounded. You''ll be crippled if you kneel like this,¡± Francesca ordered


    anxiously.


    ¡°Then so be it. I''m willing to sacrifice my legs for His Highness'' well-being if that''s possible. I''ll even


    sacrifice my life,¡± Monica said, tears spilling from her eyes.


    Hearing Monica''s words and seeing her in such a state moved Francesca. Unable to refuse the former,


    she could only promise, ¡°All right. I''ll take you to see him once I''ve bandaged you up.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Felch¡ª¡±


    ¡°Surely I have the right to do so?¡± Francesca cut Gordon off, leading Monica into the front hall.


    Gordon did not dare to stop her despite knowing the situation would anger Danrique. Given no choice,


    he could only send someone to report the situation to Danrique.


    Meanwhile, Francesca cleaned Monica''s wound, helped thetter into a wheelchair, and pushed her to


    the study room on the second floor.


    At that time, Sean was guarding the door. He did not stop Francesca from entering; he probably knew


    she wasing. He merely nced at Monica and lowered his head to open the door.


    Danrique, who was reading some documents at the table, did not look up even when he heard the door


    opening. He kept working away.


    Feeling slightly nervous, Monica nced at Francesca before speaking carefully. ¡°I''m sorry for


    disturbing you at this hour, Mr. Lindberg.¡±


    Suddenly, Danrique looked up from the documents and cast Francesca a meaningful gaze.


    Francesca said defiantly, ¡°She just wants to see you briefly. Can''t she talk to you face to face?¡±


    Danrique red at Francesca and questioned Monica, ¡°I only let you recuperate here because of her.


    And now, you''ve sneaked out of the side pce in the middle of the night and tried to break into my


    study room. Are you courting death?¡±


    Monica lowered her head and apologized, ¡°I''m sorry for offending you. I won''t me you if you want to


    punish or even kill me, but please save Prince William.¡±


    ¡°As far as I know, you''re not working for William. Interpol isn''t something anyone can join. You should


    cherish the bright future you have ahead of you.¡± Danrique leaned back in the chair, ring coldly at


    Monica.


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    With her head hung low, Monica said, ¡°My current achievements are all thanks to Prince William.


    Besides, he was the one who saved me. That''s why I''m willing to do anything for him.¡±


    ¡°How touching.¡± Danrique shot Francesca a thoughtful look.


    Francesca was so touched by Monica''s words that she kept her gaze on thetter, not noticing


    Danrique staring at her.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, you''re the only one who can save His Highness now. Please¡ª¡±


    Danrique interrupted coldly, ¡°Even Francesca failed to convince me. What makes you think you can?¡±


    Monica was rendered speechless.


    Francesca, however, was enraged. She snapped, ¡°Danrique, you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Enough. I need to carry on with my work. Take them out.¡± Danrique did not want to talk to them


    anymore.


    ¡°Understood.¡± Sean stepped into the study room and gestured for thedies to leave. ¡°This way, Ms.


    Felch.¡±

 Chapter 2164

    Chapter 2164


    qKnowing there was no point talking to Danrique at that moment, Francesca tugged at Monica to leave.


    However, thetter shouted in panic, ¡°Mr. Lindberg, please! I''m begging you! Please help Prince


    William!¡±


    s, Danrique only continued studying the documents, unmoved by her pleas.


    ¡°Ms. Flech, please talk to Mr. Lindberg. Please...¡± Monica implored anxiously, grabbing Francesca''s


    hand.


    ¡°I''ve been asking him every day. It''s no use. Come on, get some rest first. I''ll think of something else,¡±


    Francesca said softly.


    Still holding Francesca''s hand, Monica said anxiously, ¡°But Prince William doesn''t have much time left.


    If things get dyed any further, he''ll die.¡±


    ¡°Monica¡ª¡±


    Before Francesca could say anything, Monica suddenly slumped to the ground from her wheelchair


    and begged emotionally, ¡°Mr. Lindberg, I''m begging you. Please...¡±


    ¡°Monica...¡±


    ¡°Ms. Monica, why are you doing this to yourself?¡± Sean rushed forward to help her up.


    Regardless, Monica refused to leave. She clung to the doorframe, crying, ¡°Prince William was harmed


    by those heartless people! He''s been transferred to the hospital, but the castle''s now on lockdown.


    There are about eighty people in there, and they''re all poisoned. No one can leave or even enter the


    castle. All they can do is just wait for death to knock on their doors. Mr. Lindberg, Prince William has


    always viewed you as his good friend. He''s in trouble now. All I''m asking is for you to make a trip to


    Danontand. This will all be solved if you go there. Please! You can take this as an act of kindness. I''ll


    do anything you want as long as you save him.¡±


    Francesca was moved by Monica''s speech, but Danrique was still unfazed. ¡°Everyone has their own


    fate. I have no right to interfere with them.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg...¡±


    ¡°Take her out,¡± Danrique ordered impatiently.


    Sean hurried forward and lifted Monica into the wheelchair. Thetter was still pleading, but Sean


    pushed her out without any dy.


    Francesca watched the scene withplex emotions.


    She could not understand why Danrique was being so heartless. At the same time, she had no right to


    scold him.


    There were no rules in the world where one must help another. Wronging them for not helping would be


    an act of guilt-tripping.


    Thus, Francesca could not me him.


    Even so, she could not ignore William''s plight, which left her all the more conflicted.


    ¡°Are you mad at me?¡± Danrique cast her a cold re.


    ¡°No.¡± With that, she walked out without saying anything else.


    Danrique stared at her back, his expression turning grim. Whenever she argued with him, he would act


    adamantly. However, he would get worried when she kept quiet.


    The truth was, he did not think there was anything wrong with his decision, but making her unhappy left


    him feeling uneasy.


    Things between them were quite awkward at that point, and Danrique did not know how to resolve it.


    Hence, he decided to not return to the room.


    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    Meanwhile, Francesca returned to the room and fell back into the bed, pondering the matter in silence.


    She felt extremely lost. What should I do?


    Just then, her phone vibrated again. It was a call from Monica.


    Seeing Monica''s name on the screen then made Francesca feel pressured. She held her head, not


    wanting to look at the phone. However, her guilt got the better of her, and she answered the call, ¡°Yes,


    Monica?¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry, Ms. Felch. I was too reckless just now. I shouldn''t have done that. Did I put you in a difficult


    position?¡±


    ¡°No...¡±


    ¡°I know I shouldn''t have troubled you, but I''m really worried about Prince William.¡±


    ¡°It''s okay.¡±


    ¡°I''m so stupid. I shouldn''t have gone looking for Mr. Lindberg. I don''t have anything to bargain with him,


    nor do I have the skills to convince him. I only made him more annoyed.¡± Monica took a deep breath


    and recollected herself, saying chokingly, ¡°Ms. Felch, I can see that Mr. Lindberg really loves you.


    You''re the only one who can save Prince William now. Please. Please think of another way.¡±


    Francesca sighed. ¡°I really don''t know what else I can do. I can''t convince Danrique anymore. Anyway,


    I''ve decided to go back to Danontand tomorrow to rescue William.¡±

 Chapter 2165

    Chapter 2165


    qMonica was stunned by those words. It took her some time to return to her senses. ¡°You''re going


    alone?¡±


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    Francesca felt utterly helpless. ¡°Yes. You may not know Danrique that well, but no one can make him


    change his mind. Not even I. Besides, he''s always suspected that there''s something going on between


    William and me. Danrique''s extremely bothered by it, so there''s no way he''ll help William. But you''re


    right. William is in terrible danger. I''m afraid he doesn''t have much time left if I don''t take any action.


    So, I''ve decided to return to Danontand tomorrow ande up with a n to rescue William. By the


    way, did you get any information from your people? Send them to me.¡±


    Monica said hurriedly, ¡°I''ll go with you. I have all the information here. In fact, I have more. Besides, two


    is better than one.¡±


    ¡°But your leg is injured. There''s no use in you going back. On the contrary, I''ll even have to take care of


    you. Why don''t you just stay here and recuperate? The bodyguards won''t hurt you as long as you don''t


    mess with Danrique.¡±


    ¡°No way. I have to go back with you. Don''t worry; I won''t be a burden to you. I might be injured, but I


    can at least provide you with information. Besides, my partner is still in Danontand, and I have some


    connections who will surely be of help.¡±


    ¡°All right, then. Pack your things. We''re leaving in a while.¡± Francesca got up to look for her travel


    documents.


    ¡°Will Mr. Lindberg let you go?¡± Monica sounded a little worried.


    ¡°I''m free to go wherever I want. He can''t stop me!¡± Francesca dered.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    A voice suddenly came from behind her.


    Francesca jumped in shock. By the time she turned around, Danrique was already standing in the


    room, staring at her with a sharp gaze under the dim lights.


    He looked like a raging beast.


    ¡°Monica, I''ll call youter.¡± Francesca hung up and reprimanded him, ¡°Why are you eavesdropping?¡±


    ¡°This is my room. There''s nothing wrong with me listening to the conversations in my room. What''s


    this? Are you really going to Danontand to carry out a rescue mission?¡± Danrique sat on the sofa,


    gazing at her nonchntly.


    ¡°Since you''re not willing to help, then I have no choice but to do it myself. Tsk. Where''s my backpack,


    anyway?¡± Francesca continued fumbling through the drawers.


    ¡°Did you even ask me?¡± Anger was surging within Danrique, but he did his best to suppress it.


    ¡°What do I need to ask?¡± responded Francesca, still looking around for her things and paying little


    attention to him.


    Seeing that, Danrique pulled her over, causing her to stumble and fall into his embrace. Just as she


    was about to move, Danrique locked his arms around her. He ced one hand around her waist while


    the other held her chin, forcing her to look at him. ¡°Look at me, Francesca!¡±


    Francesca, who was forced to look at him, noticed the fury in his eyes. Even so, he was doing his best


    to control his emotions.


    ¡°Tell me. What am I to you?¡± he hissed.


    ¡°I...¡± Francesca was stumped by the question. She did not understand why he was asking such a


    question at a time like that.


    ¡°Answer me!¡±


    Danrique was so furious that he pinched her chin harder, causing her pain.


    ¡°Let me go. It hurts...¡± Francesca shoved him away angrily.


    Danrique gritted his teeth. ¡°Oh, so you know what pain feels like? Remember how you wanted to stay


    at S Nation because of the orphanage, Anthony, and even the two elders back then? Sure, I can


    understand all that, but you and I are officially dating each other now. Yet, you still want to fly to


    Danontand to save William. What exactly am I to you? You prioritize all those nonsensical people, but


    what about me? What am I to you?¡±

 Chapter 2166

    Chapter 2166


    q¡°Danrique, I have a lot of things to deal with right now. I don''t have the time or the energy to think


    about all this. Let me go this instant. I have to go to Danontand. I promise I''ll definitelye back to


    you once I''m done with everything.¡± Francesca was starting to get frustrated.


    All she could think of at that moment was to rescue the people in the castle. Naturally, she had not


    considered Danrique''s feelings.


    Her reaction left Danrique more frustrated. ¡°So, William is more important than me? You''d rather rescue


    him yourself after failing to get my help?¡±


    Francesca had officially lost her patience. ¡°What else am I supposed to do? I can''t possibly sit back and


    do nothing! I''ve done everything I could to beg you, but you still refused. Of course, I have no choice


    but to do it myself.¡±


    With that, she shoved Danrique away and continued searching for her backpack. This time, she finally


    found it. As she dug through its insides, she found all her traveling documents, including her purse.


    She heaved a sigh of relief. After sending Monica a text, she started to get changed.


    ¡°You can''t do anything without me. Besides, you''ll only be getting yourself killed if you go there,¡±


    Danrique uttered coldly, looking at her busy figure.


    Sadly, Francesca ignored his words. She changed into a set of suitable clothing and put on her socks.


    ¡°Get someone to send us to the airport.¡±


    ¡°Francesca...¡± Danrique was on the verge of exploding with fury. ¡°Did you not hear what I said?¡±


    Francesca raised her head and looked him in the eyes. ¡°I heard you. You said I can''t do anything


    without you and that I''ll only get myself killed if I went there. Well, I don''t think there''s anything I can do


    about that. After all, I always keep my promises.¡±


    With that, she picked up her backpack and her coat and walked toward the door.


    Danrique bellowed, ¡°Francesca! If you step out of this room, then it''ll be over between us!¡±


    Francesca halted in her tracks. Even her hand that was pulling the door handle froze. After several


    seconds of silence, she murmured, ¡°If I die, please find yourself another woman. I''d hate to waste your


    time.¡±


    As soon as she finished speaking, she swung the door open and marched off.


    ¡°Y-You...¡±


    Danrique could not believe his eyes. She left. She actually left!


    He had taken a gamble. In the end, he still lost.


    In truth, Danrique was totally capable of locking Francesca in the house, not letting her leave or have


    any contact with the outside world. He could even send Monica away and prevent anyone or anything


    rted to William from getting in between him and Francesca.


    However, he did not do so because he wanted to know what she truly wanted to do.


    Although he had said those unkind words about Francesca constantly putting others before him, he still


    chose to believe in her feelings for him.


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    Thus, he did nothing to interfere with the situation''s development.


    He wanted to know what she would do if she followed her heart.


    And now, the truth had proven him to be overconfident, for Francesca had chosen to leave.


    In fact, she walked away without turning around, even after he said those words.


    Even worse, she told him to find another woman because she did not want to waste his time.


    The image of her retreating figure and the words she said kept reying in Danrique''s mind. How


    indifferent of her...


    At that moment, he was filled with intense disappointment as if a pail of ice-cold water had been


    dumped onto him.


    So, I was the one who was too naive and childish. Perhaps her purpose foring back this time was


    to ask me to save William. And maybe all that affection she gave me for the past few days was for


    William''s sake.


    The more Danrique thought about it, the angrier and more bitter he felt.


    Knock! Knock!


    Right then, several knocks sounded on the door. Sean reported nervously, ¡°Mr. Lindberg, Ms. Felch


    wants to leave with Monica, and she ordered us to prepare her a car. I''ve ordered some men to stop


    her beforeing up here to report to you.¡±


    ¡°Make her¡ª¡± Before Danrique could finish, the rumbling sound of an engine could be heard from the


    outside, followed by the sound of a car speeding away.


    Danrique immediately hurried to the balcony to have a look. It turned out that Francesca had stolen a


    car and driven off with Monica.


    She drove so fast that the car vanished from his sight in the blink of an eye.

 Chapter 2167

    Chapter 2167


    q¡°I''ll get someone to chase after them.¡±


    Sean was about to give the order when Danrique responded, ¡°No.¡±


    Sean was stunned. ¡°Huh? Mr. Lindberg¡ª¡±


    ¡°There''s no point making her stay when she''s set her heart on leaving. Let her go if that''s what she


    wants. She''ll definitelye back to me for help once she''s in trouble.¡± Danrique seemed oddly calm.


    ¡°Should we send someone to protect her in secret, then?¡± Sean asked softly.


    ¡°No.¡± Danrique was determined to teach Francesca a lesson. He uttered through gritted teeth, ¡°Since


    she can be so fearless for William''s sake, then we shall let her see what it truly means to be digging


    her own grave.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Noting Danrique''s eyes that were glinting with hostility, Sean hurriedly left the room with his


    head lowered.


    Meanwhile, Danrique did not move away from the window. He kept his gaze fixed on the direction


    Francesca had left for a long time.


    Intense disappointment was the only thing he felt at that moment.


    Francesca had crushed his passionate love for her.


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    He could not help but imagine what Francesca was feeling at that moment. She must be cheering over


    the fact that she escaped sessfully. Very well. I shall grant her wish. Go on, Francesca. I''d like to


    see if you can rescue William without my help.


    Francesca sped all the way to the airport, not daring to slow down for fear of someone catching up with


    them.


    However, even when they had arrived at the airport,pleted the procedures, and gone to the


    departure hall, Danrique''s men were nowhere to be seen.


    Monica looked around uneasily, whispering, ¡°Will Mr. Lindberg send someone to follow us? Are they


    going to attack us before we board the ne?¡±


    Francesca nced at her ticket, looking rather calm. ¡°No. He didn''t send anyone after us, which means


    he''s well and truly mad this time.¡±


    Monica froze for a second. She then said frustratedly, ¡°I don''t understand. Why isn''t Mr. Lindberg willing


    to help Prince William? Saving Prince William won''t do him any harm. I''m sure the prince will definitely


    return the favor when he inherits the crown in the future.¡±


    Francesca sighed. ¡°He must have his reasons, though I don''t understand it either.¡±


    ¡°You actually understand him quite well. It''s a pity that no one understands Prince William.¡± Monica


    sighed.


    ¡°You do.¡± Francesca stared intently at Monica. ¡°It''s rare to have a confidant who''s willing to do anything


    for us in this life. He''s a lucky man.¡±


    In a panic, Monica stammered, ¡°N-No... Prince William is an extremely prestigious person, while I''m


    just a in nobody.¡±


    Francesca smiled. ¡°You''re not in. Look at you. You''re good-looking and have be a senior


    Interpol detective at such a young age. Most importantly, you have sincere feelings for him. That alone


    is a rare trait.¡±


    ¡°Please don''t get me wrong, Ms. Felch. All I have for Prince William is admiration and gratitude¡ª¡±


    Francesca interjected, ¡°That''s not important. You don''t have to exin it to me. Then again, I have to


    tell you this. I only see William as a friend whom I need to help. That''s all.¡±


    ¡°I know. The person you love is Mr. Lindberg. But with his temper, I''m afraid the rtionship between


    you two might not go well...¡± Monica said in a low voice.


    When she finished her sentence, she hurriedly rified, ¡°Uh... That''s just my opinion. Please don''t think


    too much about it.¡±


    Francesca let out a sigh. ¡°That has crossed my mind, too. I''ve always been a carefree person. I have


    my dreams and responsibilities, but he hopes I can give up on all that and stay by his side...¡±


    After a brief pause, she added to console herself, ¡°Oh, whatever. I''ll just go with the flow.¡±


    ¡°I think it''s time we board the ne.¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    With that, they boarded the ne heading back to Danontand.


    The truth was, they knew this was a dangerous trip. In fact, they might not be able to do anything and


    even fall into the opponent''s hands. Even so, they were willing to go all out for William''s sake.

 Chapter 2168

    Chapter 2168


    qDanrique had trouble falling asleep the entire night. Whenever he recalled the scene of Francesca


    leaving without looking back, a stabbing pain shot through his heart.


    It was onlyst night when they were having an intimate moment on that very bed. He could still


    remember the way she curled up like a docile kitten and shivered in his embrace.


    No matter how hard he tried, he could not shake away the memory of how cute she looked.


    I don''t understand. She seems to like me a lot and looks happy when we''re together. But why does she


    behave like an entirely different person when William is mentioned? She keeps saying she''s doing it


    because she feels responsible and wants to keep her promise. She''s just a kid. Why would she be


    responsible for a man¡ªa prince, to be more specific¡ªand even his family? And that nonsense about


    friendship. I really can''t wrap my head around it. As if any kind of purely tonic rtionship can exist


    between a man and a woman. What utter nonsense!


    He could not understand, nor did he want to understand what was going on.


    All he believed was that Francesca did not love him enough, for she had left him for another man.


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    She knew going to Danontand was no different from challenging death, yet she still chose to leave. Her


    last words for Danrique, telling him to find another woman because she did not want to waste his time,


    were like an insult to him.


    Fine. If she''s going to be this stubborn, then I shall let her learn this lesson the hard way. She''s a


    stubborn idiot who won''t give up until she realizes it''s hopeless. I''m going to make sure she learns her


    lesson this time.


    Back then, Francesca had always traveled without any worries. She could even sleep soundly when


    she escaped Danontand with pursuers chasing after her the entire journey.


    This time, however, she could not fall asleep.


    She kept staring out of the window, her mind upied with thoughts of Danrique.


    In the past, she coulde and go whenever she wanted, even if they got into a fight and broke up.


    Even if it was thetter scenario, she could continue being stubborn or stand her ground.


    However, their rtionship had progressed to another stage, and their feelings for each other had


    deepened.


    Deep down, she did not want to leave.


    To be honest, she was hesitant the moment she stepped out of the room. She wished Danrique would


    stop her, and they could then talk things through properly.


    Sadly, he did not do that.


    All he did was warn and threaten her.


    Threats were absolutely useless on Francesca, who had a stubborn character. Hence, hearing those


    ruthless words only made her leave without looking back.


    In truth, she was actually feeling a little reluctant when she stole the car and left with Monica. And when


    she stared at the reflection of the master bedroom windows through the rearview mirror, hesitance


    crept into her heart.


    However, Francesca did not see his silhouette there, and with Monica urging her on, the former had no


    choice but to m on the gas pedal.


    There was no turning back the moment they left in the car.


    Since she had decided to walk down that path, all she could do was march forward bravely.


    And now, Francesca could not bear to have other thoughts. All she wanted was to rescue William as


    soon as possible. Once she was done with William''s matters, she would return and have a proper talk


    with Danrique. If, and only if, she were still alive at that point.


    At that thought, Francesca took a deep breath.


    As she turned around, she found Monica sound asleep beside her.


    Monica had been worried about William the entire day, but she soon fell asleep after taking some pills


    for the wounds on her legs.


    After putting a nket over Monica, Francesca leaned back in the chair and stared nkly into space.


    Her mind was still filled with thoughts about Danrique. Hence, she forced herself to dismiss them and


    started analyzing William''s situation,ing up with ns to resolve it.


    This is actually quite difficult. Even if I managed to rescue William, what am I going to do about those in


    the castle? I can''t possibly take them all with me. Looks like there are only two ways to go about this


    matter. Either I rescue William and ignore the others in the castle, or sacrifice William and rescue them.


    All those thoughts made Francesca realize how limited her capabilities were.

 Chapter 2169

    Chapter 2169


    qFrancesca was not an expert ating up with strategies.


    The only thing she was good at was treating patients.


    She felt that dealing with this matter was a strenuous task, and she did not even know what the right


    move was.


    Just then, she thought of La.


    If La and Lincoln were there, they could teach and help Francesca analyze the situation.


    Unfortunately, they had gone deep into the mountains to live in seclusion.


    Francesca had no idea how they were doing now.


    Just like that, Francesca endured the flight that was over ten hours with her mind full ofplicated


    thoughts.


    The moment she got off the ne, she turned on her phone to check if Danrique had called her.


    Sadly, he had not called or texted.


    Even Sean and Gordon had not called her.


    Francesca felt a little disappointed. Looks like Danrique is really mad this time. I don''t think he''ll talk to


    me anymore. Does this mean we''ve broken up?


    Letting out a sigh, she was about to put away her phone when Anthony called. She answered right


    away. ¡°Hey, Anthony.¡±


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    ¡°Francesca, did you hear anything from Ms. La and Mr. Lincoln?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Didn''t you say they were going to live in seclusion in the mountains? I checked with Gordon


    yesterday, and he told me their phones had been out of service. Maybe they went somewhere really


    remote¡ª¡±


    ¡°They definitely talked about going to live in seclusion in the mountains, but I''ve just received news that


    they were being pursued by people from Riz Corporation. Mr. Lincoln has been captured, but Ms. La


    got away. No one knows where she is now.¡±


    ¡°What? How did this happen?¡± Francesca was shocked.


    Pausing momentarily, she murmured to herself, ¡°Gordon didn''t tell me about this. Did he not find out


    about it, or did he purposely hide it from me?¡±


    Hearing her words, Anthony responded, ¡°It could be the former. After all, Riz Corporation has tight


    security. It''s almost impossible to get any information about them, so it''s only normal that Gordon didn''t


    find out about it. I have a few leads because I''ve always been in contact with them. Why don''t you try


    asking Gordon again? Ask him if he can help us find Ms. La.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I''ll call him now¡ª¡±


    ¡°Aren''t you at Danrique''s? Why do you need to make a call?¡± Anthony was puzzled.


    ¡°I¡ª¡± Francesca was about to answer when a Danontese announcement rang out. Anthony immediately


    realized where she was. ¡°Don''t tell me you''ve gone to Danontand.¡±


    ¡°I have.¡± Francesca knew she could not keep it from him anymore.


    ¡°Oh my goodness. Have you lost your mind? You''re not a god! You can''t save everyone. It''s already


    good enough that you can manage the orphanage well and help Ms. La and Mr. Lincoln. Why do


    you have to make yourself responsible for Prince William? Surely Ms. La has warned you about how


    Francesca cut him off, ¡°All right. All right. That''s enough. I know all that, but things have already


    progressed to this stage. I''m stuck in a very difficult position, you know. William and his people in the


    castle were poisoned. I can''t just let them die.¡±


    Anthony was filled with panic. ¡°You can''t save them all. Go back to Danrique''s now and stop getting


    involved in this matter.¡±


    ¡°I''m already involved, and there''s no backing out now. Anyway, I''m going to hang up. I''ll give Gordon a


    call to ask about Ms. La''s situation.¡± Francesca sighed.


    ¡°Ugh, are you trying to make me worried sick¡ª¡±


    ¡°Bye.¡±


    With that, Francesca ended the call. When she was about to call Gordon, she started to question


    herself. I broke up with Danrique. Isn''t it a little inappropriate for me to call his subordinate?


    However, since it was an urgent matter, Francesca could not be bothered to think so much.


    She quickly dialed Gordon''s number. It did not take long for the call to be connected.

 Chapter 2170

    Chapter 2170


    qFrancesca went straight to the point, asking Gordon about La and Lincoln''s situation.


    Gordon hesitated for a moment before admitting, ¡°I actually knew about it already, but I feared you''d get


    worried. That''s why I didn''t tell you.¡±


    Francesca was livid. ¡°You... This isn''t a small matter! How could you keep it from me?¡±


    Gordon responded hurriedly, ¡°Please don''t panic. I actually informed Mr. Lindberg the second I found


    out about it, and he ordered me to send someone to rescue them. Anyway, I''ve already sent some men


    to Zarain. They should be able to rescue one of them soon. As for the other one, we''re already


    negotiating with Riz Corporation.¡±


    Francesca let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Really? That''s good to know.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry. I''m in charge of this. I promise to handle it well. Anyway, I''ve got to hang up. Mr. Lindberg


    is looking for me,¡± Gordon said softly.


    ¡°Okay. Thank you.¡± Francesca wanted to ask about Danrique, but Gordon had hung up before she


    could even open her mouth.


    Sighing, she put away her phone and rushed to the restroom to look for Monica.


    Monica had trouble moving around due to her injury. Hence, she had to rely on a wheelchair.


    After disguising themselves, Francesca pushed Monica out of the restroom and picked up their


    suitcases in a hurry. Soon, thetter''s partner came to fetch them.


    It was only after they got into the car and departed from the airport that they could finally heave a sigh


    of relief.


    ¡°I wasn''t expecting things to go so smoothly. I thought they''d be stopping us at the airport.¡± Monica


    patted her chest.


    ¡°It was a sudden decision to return to Danontand. Maybe they haven''t heard about it yet. I bet the


    people from Erihal don''t even know I''m gone,¡± Francesca deduced.


    Monica nodded vehemently. ¡°Right. People typically wouldn''t dare to spy on Mr. Lindberg''s ce, nor


    would they be able to. Since those animals don''t know we''ve returned, we should seize the opportunity


    and take action as soon as possible.¡±


    Francesca bobbed her head. ¡°You''re right. First, we need to meet William. Do you guys know where he


    is?¡±


    Monica''s partner, Dominic Hoffman, answered, ¡°We found him already. He''s in the royal hospital.


    Security there is extremely strict, so I''m afraid we won''t be able to sneak in easily.¡±


    ¡°Do you have the building''s blueprint?¡± Francesca asked urgently.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Dominic pulled out the hospital''s blueprint and exined, ¡°I''m guessing Prince William was


    assigned to the orthopedic inpatient department. Apparently, he had a rpse and can''t even sit up


    straight. He can only be treated in bed now.¡±


    ¡°Those b*stards! It must be their doing,¡± Monica spat furiously.


    ¡°Let''s go to the hospital. I''ll slip in to see William first,¡± Francesca ordered promptly.


    Monica offered, ¡°I''lle with you. We can watch out for each other''s backs.¡±


    Francesca did not refuse, for she knew Monica only wanted to help save lives. ¡°All right. You''ll disguise


    as the patient, and I''ll disguise as the doctor.¡±


    ¡°The necessary outfits and tools are in the car. Go ahead and get changed now. I''ll be waiting outside if


    there''s anything you need.¡± Dominic had prepared everything they possibly needed.


    ¡°This dude is not bad.¡± Francesca eyed him.


    ¡°Thank you, Dominic.¡± Monica was beyond grateful.


    Dominic shed her a grin. ¡°Don''t mention it. We''re partners, after all. You should take care of yourself.


    I can''t believe you injured both legs when you''ve only left for a few days.¡±


    ¡°I know. Don''t worry.¡±


    With that, Francesca and Monica changed into their outfits in the car and sessfully sneaked into the


    hospital.


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    Monica could speak Danontese. Since she was an Interpol agent, she was used to situations like that,


    which allowed her to put on a perfect act.


    It was extremely helpful for their mission.


    It did not take long for them to find the inpatient building William was at. However, there were many


    officers guarding the area. It was practically impossible for outsiders to enter it.


    As the two women were feeling anxious, a senior officer stepped out and asked the guards if the doctor


    sent by Federico had arrived, to which the guards said no.


    Just then, Francesca and Monica exchanged a look of understanding. Immediately, Monica swerved


    the wheels of her wheelchair to hide in the corner while Francesca grabbed a medical kit and walked


    over, introducing herself as the doctor sent by the king.

 Chapter 2171

    Chapter 2171


    qThose officers asked her to show her identification document.


    Francesca said directly, ¡°My identification document has been taken away by Mr. Faulkner. He said that


    His Highness has been suffering from heart-wrenching pain in his waist and now has a recurring high


    fever. His Majesty is worried about His Highness, so I was asked to hurry over. Mr. Faulkner will arrive


    soon.¡±


    ¡°That''s right. His Highness is indeed having those symptoms now,¡± a senior officer hurriedly remarked.


    After hearing Francesca mention Ss'' name and correctly identifying the symptoms, those guards no


    longer stopped her and let her in.


    As such, Francesca carried the medical kit with her and entered the ce, followed by the senior


    officer.


    On their way to their destination, the senior officer couldn''t help but sigh. ¡°s, how deste for a


    dignified prince like him to suffer like this.¡±


    ¡°When I checked on His Highnessst time, he was still able to sit, and his waist was just fine. How did


    things turn out like this?¡± Francesca asked in a hushed tone.


    ¡°God knows.¡± The senior officer shook his head and heaved a sigh again. ¡°Probably only they


    themselves know the hidden truth behind this.¡±


    ¡°Are you Mr. Faulkner''s subordinate?¡±


    Seeing that the senior officer was full of sympathy for William, Francesca figured that the officer was


    not a subordinate of William''s cousins.


    ¡°Yes.¡± The senior officer nodded. ¡°Mr. Faulkner sent me here to take care of His Highness, but His


    Highness'' condition has be increasingly serious since the onset of the disease. Now, His


    Highness is paralyzed in bed, and the doctors in the hospital can''t do anything about it. Besides that,


    he refuses to eat or drink anything. It seems that he has lost confidence in life. His Majesty was afraid


    that something bad would happen to him, so His Majesty invited a doctor from outside to check on His


    Highness. s, I think you are too young, so you probably have little experience. I guess His Majesty''s


    just putting on a show...¡±


    The senior officer whispered thatst sentence, afraid that somebody else might overhear it, but


    Francesca still heard it clearly.


    No wonder... Even an old servant has his heart go out to William. William''s current fate is indeed


    pitiful... I guess King Federico actually knows how William became like this, but he didn''t protect


    William or even hold the culprit ountable. He merely sent people to bring William to the hospital to


    sustain his life. On the surface, it looks as though he still cares about William, but in fact, he just wants


    to leave a positive impression by acting loving and kind... The truth is, he doesn''t care about William at


    all. William probably knows this as well, so he''s lost all hope in life and given up on trying to survive. If I


    were to arrive a few dayster, I''m afraid I really won''t be able to see him anymore.


    Francesca couldn''t help but feel guilty as the thought crossed her mind.


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    The two walked through a tree-lined path and soon came to a small building.


    There were soldiers guarding every inch of the ce, making it appear to be heavily guarded. They


    might look as though they were protecting William, but in fact, they were actually monitoring him.


    Francesca followed the senior officer to the outside of the ward and was about to enter when there was


    a loud bang, followed by William''s weak voice yelling, ¡°Get out!¡±


    He didn''t want to see anyone, nor did he intend to eat. He simply didn''t want to live anymore as he had


    given up on himself.


    The maid didn''t persuade him either. She just packed up and left silently.


    Sighing, the senior officer pushed open the door and went in. ¡°Your Highness, you can''t continue being


    like this. You''re still young...¡±


    ¡°Get out. All of you get out...¡±


    William was about to lose his temper, but when he saw Francesca, he was stunned.


    ¡°Your Highness, this is the doctor that His Majesty has hired for you. I heard that treating your condition


    with traditional medicine is very effective. Since His Majesty specifically asked for her toe, you


    must cooperate with the treatment...¡± the senior officer advised sincerely and earnestly.


    ¡°All right. All of you should leave the room. I want to give His Highness an acupuncture session.¡±


    Francesca came forward with a medical kit. She checked on William first, then started the acupuncture


    session for him.


    William gazed at her as waves of emotions washed over him. At that very moment, Francesca was the


    only hope in his life...

 Chapter 2172

    Chapter 2172


    qSeeing that William didn''t resist the treatment this time and even cooperated very well, the senior


    officer couldn''t help but feel very surprised. He quickly dismissed the other nurses and stood at the side


    to watch Francesca performing acupuncture on William.


    About half an hourter, Francesca was done inserting the needles and turned back to speak to the


    senior officer. ¡°I need His Highness'' medical reports and some medications. Please help me to prepare


    those things.¡±


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    ¡°You can write the prescription, and I''ll get someone else to prepare them right away.¡± The senior officer


    was on cloud nine. ¡°You seem to have some skills. I''ll be sure to inform Mr. Faulkner for him to reward


    you handsomely.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Francesca simply wrote a prescription and handed it to the senior officer.


    The senior officer took it to the door and told his subordinates to prepare it, but he had no intention of


    leaving.


    Francesca exchanged a meaningful look with William.


    William then opened his mouth and said, ¡°Marcus, I''m hungry.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± The senior officer, Marcus, was stunned for a moment, then couldn''t help but be overjoyed.


    ¡°Your Highness, are you finally willing to eat? That''s great! I''ll ask them to prepare the food right away.¡±


    ¡°I want to eat food from outside.¡± William''s voice was weak and hoarse, with a hint of sadness. ¡°The


    food in this hospital is inedible.¡±


    Marcus let out a sigh. ¡°I''m sorry to hear that, Your Highness. I''ll ask someone to buy food from outside.¡±


    ¡°You should go and get it yourself to prevent those guards from knowing about this. It might bring


    unnecessary trouble,¡± William pleaded. ¡°I''m sorry to trouble you. If I can survive, I will definitely repay


    your kindness in the future!¡±


    ¡°Your Highness, don''t say so...¡± Pity was written all over Marcus'' face as he looked at William. ¡°As a


    prince, you should have been living a life of abundance...¡± Halfway through his words, he sighed deeply


    and changed what he was about to say. ¡°I''ll go and prepare it for you.¡±


    As he spoke, he left in a hurry, but as he walked out of the room, he cautiously told the people outside,


    ¡°Watch the surroundings carefully. Don''t let anything happen.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    The door was closed, and only William and Francesca were left in the room.


    She hurriedly locked the door and asked William in a low voice, ¡°William, how did you be like


    this?¡±


    ¡°They poisoned me.¡± After replying to her, William quickly inquired, ¡°Francesca, did youe here


    alone? Or with L?¡±


    ¡°I came with Monica.¡± Francesca felt a little ashamed. ¡°I couldn''t convince Danrique, and he refused to


    come...¡±


    ¡°I had expected that.¡± William wore a bitter smile. Right after that, he continued urgently, ¡°Since he


    won''te, you shouldn''t be involved in this matter anymore. Hurry up and get away from this ce.


    It''s very dangerous here.¡±


    ¡°No, I want to bring you out of here.¡± Francesca helped William to get up.


    ¡°Don''t be foolish.¡± He quickly stopped her. ¡°You can''t save me. There are guards everywhere outside,


    and we can''t get out at all. Even if we somehow escape the hospital, we won''t be able to leave


    Danontand.¡±


    ¡°What should we do then?¡± Francesca was getting anxious. ¡°We can''t just wait for our death here.¡±


    ¡°Federico won''t let me die for the time being.¡± William sneered, ¡°Danontand''s finances are tight. My


    company''s assets can help him a lot, so isn''t he trying to save me now?¡±


    ¡°Uh...¡± It was only thenprehension dawned on her. ¡°Federico is really saving you?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± William chuckled self-deprecatingly. ¡°Otherwise, why would he send me to the hospital?


    He doesn''t want me to get better, but he doesn''t want me to die either, so my current half-dead state is


    perfect for him.¡±


    ¡°What now?¡± Francesca couldn''t figure out theplicated situation and rtionships between them.


    She asked, ¡°Should I save Robin and the others first?¡±


    ¡°What happened to Robin and the others?¡± William asked, feeling concerned.


    ¡°You don''t know yet?¡± Francesca was dumbfounded for a moment before sighing. ¡°That''s right. You''ve


    been locked up in here and lost contact with the outside world for a long time, so it''s normal that you''re


    unaware of what happened.¡±


    ¡°So what happened?¡± he asked anxiously.


    ¡°William Castle has been sealed off, and no one can enter or leave the castle. Furthermore, no food


    and water is allowed to be delivered to the people inside, and their water and electricity have been cut


    off. The eighty-over people in your castle are currently in a very dangerous situation...¡±

 Chapter 2173

    Chapter 2173


    qHearing those words, William was in shock. ¡°What did you say? How could that happen?¡±


    ¡°Maybe they sealed off the castle in the name of holding an investigation.¡± Francesca said in a low


    voice, ¡°I don''t know the specifics either, as Monica was the one who got the news.¡±


    William was instantly riled up by the words. ¡°It seems that His Majesty has entrusted the investigation


    to those b*stards. He knows that they want to kill me, yet he still put them in charge of this!¡±


    ¡°Now is not the time to talk about this. You need to make a decision now. Should I rescue you or not?¡±


    Francesca nced at her watch. ¡°I''ve been in here for more than forty minutes. If I dy any longer,


    I''m afraid that someone will find out...¡±


    He quickly calmed down and replied, ¡°I can''t go out. If I do, they''ll be in an even more dangerous


    situation.¡±


    ¡°What should we do now?¡±


    She nced out the window and noticed several guards rushing over. Knowing they must have


    discovered something, she hurriedly urged, ¡°Quick! They''reing.¡±


    ¡°Frannie, go and find Robin with Monica. He knows what to do,¡± William uttered immediately. ¡°If you


    have to choose between me and them, save them first!¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Without further ado, Francesca took the medical kit and leaped out of the window.


    Just as she left, those guards kicked open the door to William''s room in the next second, pointing their


    guns inside. Seeing that no one else was there, they swiftly began to search around.


    With an emotionless expression, Williamy on the bed in silence.


    The guards didn''t find the person they were looking for, so they went to the window to check again, but


    Francesca was long gone. They failed to notice any traces as well. Thus, they could only leave in a


    huff.


    During the whole process, they didn''t even spare William a nce. It was as though he was deceased.


    At that moment, Marcus returned as well. After being informed that the doctor was a fake, he was


    startled and hurriedly pushed open the door to check, only to see William still lying on the bed intact.


    Marcus was relieved.


    The guards told the senior officer a few words, then left.


    Meanwhile, Williamy on the hospital bed, staring at the ceiling with a cold, menacing look in his eyes.


    Now even the guards don''t take me seriously, and my dignity is not worth mentioning at all. The king


    knows that those people want to kill me, yet he still asked them to seal off my castle in the name of


    investigating the poisoning incident,pletely disregarding the lives of the people inside the castle.


    As for myself, I''m forced to stay here in this pathetic state, all for the king''s reputation.


    William felt that he was too naive in the past, believing that Federico had a trace of affection for him


    and thinking that as long as he became more and more outstanding and had enough trump cards, he


    could bring those people down.


    It was only now William understood that Federico stood on the same side as those people. There was


    no way the king would punish them for him, the discarded child.


    But even if he doesn''t punish them, he doesn''t have to force me to the edge of the cliff, right? I''m also


    rted to him by blood. Why does he have to be so cruel? I don''t get it... I really don''t.


    Francesca sessfully escaped and reunited with Monica.


    When Monica saw that she had returned alone, the former asked, ¡°What happened? Where is His


    Highness?¡±


    ¡°William didn''te with me. He asked us to find Robin,¡± Francesca replied. ¡°Get in the car first. Those


    guards have already sensed something wrong and are still looking for me.¡±


    ¡°Why is His Highness refusing to leave? We came here to save him, after all,¡± Monica questioned,


    pressing for an answer anxiously.


    Francesca didn''t say anything and pushed her into Dominic''s car.


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    Only after the car began driving did Francesca answer. ¡°If we save him now, the people in the castle


    will be doomed. Also, even if we can take him out of the hospital, it will be difficult for us to leave


    Danontand.¡±


    ¡°But we can''t leave him in the hospital either!¡± Anxiety filled Monica. ¡°You should have rescued him first,


    and we''ll figure out what to doter.¡±


    Francesca''s brows furrowed. ¡°Did you hear me or not? If he''s rescued now, then Robin and those


    people in the castle will die! If those people die because of him, do you think William will still want to


    live?¡±


    ¡°I...¡± Monica was at a loss for words.

 Chapter 2174

    Chapter 2174


    q¡°I know you''re worried about William, but now you have to see the bigger picture.¡± Francesca''s tone


    softened as she persuaded in a gentle voice, ¡°He asked us to find Robin, saying that Robin knows what


    to do next.¡±


    ¡°The castle is closed, and there are soldiers stationed outside. It won''t be easy to sneak in,¡± Dominic


    stated faintly. ¡°It will take some time, but I will think of a way.¡±


    Monica hurriedly said, ¡°Dominic, we''re counting on you. You must find a way to get us in.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Dominic looked at Monica through the rearview mirror. ¡°Let''s go back now. You guys should


    have a rest.¡±


    Dominic took them back to a small vi in the suburbs first.


    Francesca changed the dressing for Monica, tended to the wound, and headed back to her room.


    There were a few messages on her phone, which were sent by Anthony, persuading her to leave


    William''s business alone because the matter was nothing but trouble and was even more troublesome


    than Chrono.


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    Staring at those messages, she didn''t know how to reply to him.


    Now, she also realized the gravity of the matter.


    As she recalled the past events, she remembered that La and the others hadn''t agreed with her


    giving treatment for William''s legs back then. They had said that once she was involved in the matter,


    she would have a lot of troubles ahead of her.


    However, at that time, she did not think much about it. All she knew was that William was her friend, so


    she could not sit back and do nothing when he was in need of help.


    Who would have thought that a simple treatment would now cause her to be involved in the battle


    between the royal family member and also affect so many lives?


    The responsibility she bore on her shoulders was snowballing.


    She felt that she was caught between a rock and a hard ce. Despite knowing that the road ahead


    was getting more and more dangerous, she couldn''t back down.


    After all, she had already been dragged into the mess. Not only William but also those eighty people in


    the castle were waiting for her to save them.


    At a time like this, I can''t flee out of fear!


    However, as she thought of La and Lincoln, who were also in danger, her worries intensified. They


    had been protecting her all these years, but she couldn''t even do anything when they were in a


    dangerous situation.


    Besides, before they left, they had told her to keep an eye on the orphanage. However, she had been


    as busy as a bee, dealing with matters outside all the time. Everything rted to the orphanage was


    left to Anthony, and she had done nothing.


    When they were facing issues in the foundation previously, Anthony had calcted that with all her


    remaining money and the money Lincoln transferred over, that could onlyst them for two months.


    It''s been over a month. My finances are another huge problem as well...


    Thinking of those things, Francesca had a splitting headache and ended up staying up all night, so she


    took some medications to let herself sleep.


    She didn''t know how long she had slept when Monica woke her up. ¡°Ms. Felch! Ms. Felch!¡±


    Francesca was sleeping soundly, and being woken up by someone made her feel a little grumpy.


    ¡°What''s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Dominic has figured out a way. We can make a move now,¡± Monica said anxiously. ¡°Get up quickly.¡±


    Francesca got up from the bed, ready to change her clothes.


    Monica handed her a set of clothes. ¡°Put this on. Now that no one in the castle can enter or leave, only


    by disguising as a bodyguard can you sneak in. I''ll drive tonight while you and Dominic sneak in


    together.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Francesca put on the clothes and went out with Dominic and Monica.


    On their way there, Monica told Dominic, ¡°Think of a way to find Robin first and give him my


    customizedmunication device so that we can contact him in the future.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry. I know.¡± Dominic nodded, but he still had some concerns. ¡°Maybe I should sneak in on my


    own. Ms. Felch has a tiny figure. I''m worried that she might get recognized.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine. I''m familiar with theyout of the castle. Let''s act ordingly to the situation,¡± Francesca


    uttered. ¡°I need to see Robin in person to know their exact situation.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Felch, take care of yourself.¡± Monica handed her a gun. ¡°If anything happens to you, you can use


    this to protect yourself.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±

 Chapter 2175

    Chapter 2175


    qThe three of them drove to the forest near William Castle. Then, Dominic and Francesca got out of the


    car and sneaked into the castle through the backdoor.


    At that moment, they heard two guards chatting. ¡°Let''s have a smoke.¡±


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    ¡°How could we smoke on duty? We''re doomed if we get caught.¡±


    ¡°What are you so scared about? The people in the castle don''t know how to fight back at all. They don''t


    even dare to leave just because they are prohibited from doing so. Look, nothing happened even after


    so many days. It''s pointless for us to guard this ce.¡±


    ¡°You''re right. These people are used to being oppressed, so they act like caged birds. Even their


    master, Prince William, is merely a pawn to others. We don''t even know if he''s still alive.¡±


    ¡°Right. What else can they do when their master is in that state?¡±


    ¡°How much longer do you think we''ll have to stay here?¡±


    ¡°It won''t be long. Their water source is poisoned, and they have no food. They won''t be able to hold on


    for long.¡±


    ¡°It''s already the seventh day today. I wonder if they''re still alive.¡±


    ¡°There''s some food left in there, so I don''t think they''ll die in seven days. However, I heard all of them


    have been poisoned, so they probably have little time left.¡±


    ¡°Okay. So we only need to hang on for a few more days before we get to go back.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Come on, have a smoke.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, dude.¡±


    Francesca felt her heart sink when she heard the guards'' conversation.


    Indeed, the people in the castle were pure and kind. Having been oppressed for so many years, they


    had grown numb to it and lost the courage to fight back. They could only leave everything to fate.


    Their only hope was that someone would appear and save them from their misery.


    Francesca would never forget the way everyone looked at her like a savior when she came to the


    castle thest time.


    ¡°This way!¡±


    Dominic led Francesca into the castle through the kitchen.


    When they saw the scene before them, they were dumbfounded.


    The castle, which used to be luxurious and magnificent, looked like a refugee camp at the moment.


    It was dark, save for the faint light from a few flickering candles.


    Everyone had gathered in the living room and the staircase as if they were waiting for the end of the


    world.


    They looked weak, worn-out, and terribly ill.


    Even when they sensed someone enter the castle, they barely reacted. Only a few turned their heads


    sluggishly toward the sound of footsteps.


    That was until someone recognized Francesca. ¡°Ms. Felch?¡±


    At that instant, everyone stirred and looked at Francesca.


    When they confirmed that it was indeed her, a spark of hope gleamed in their eyes.


    ¡°Ms. Felch, it''s really you?¡±


    ¡°Ms. Felch is back. She hase back to save us!¡±


    ¡°Ms. Felch...¡±


    The big group approached Francesca and looked at her in excitement.


    Some maids covered their faces as they wept, but they didn''t dare to make a sound.


    Tears welled up in Francesca''s eyes instantly. She looked at them emotionally as mixed feelings filled


    her.


    ¡°Ms. Felch, His Highness¡ª¡±


    A maid spoke up frantically, but Dominic hushed her and raised a finger to his lips. ¡°Keep your voice


    low, or they''ll catch us.¡±


    The maid hurriedly put her hands over her mouth and stayed quiet.


    ¡°I met His Highness today, and he''s doing fine. Don''t worry,¡± Francesca said in a soft voice.


    ¡°Thank goodness! Thank goodness!¡±


    Upon hearing that William was still alive, the people cheered up and finally regained the will to live.


    Francesca scanned through the living room and noticed that Robin was nowhere to be seen. ¡°Where''s


    Robin?¡± she asked.


    ¡°After you left, no one could treat Mr. Robin. He stopped taking medication after finishing the ones you


    gave him. Since yesterday, he started having a high fever. He''s lying in the room right now. When I fed


    him some water earlier, he was still mumbling His Highness'' name,¡± an older maid choked out.


    ¡°Bring me to him.¡±

 Chapter 2176

    Chapter 2176


    q¡°Okay.¡±


    The maid took a candle and led Francesca to Robin''s room.


    The entire castle felt grim.


    There was no water, no electricity, and no gas. During the day, they only had water, bread, and biscuits


    to fill themselves. At night, they could only keep themselves warm with candles.


    However, food and water in the castle were scarce now, so they had gone through the past seven days


    with barely-filled stomachs.


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    The week was toughest for the injured ones.


    In fact, Robin''s wounds started getting inmed after he finished the medicine.


    Thankfully, Francesca was prepared with a backpack full of supplies.


    Upon seeing the unconscious Robin on the bed, she fed him some medicine and cleaned his wound.


    Meanwhile, Dominic distributed the food and water in his backpack to the others as he reminded them,


    ¡°We could only bring so much since we didn''t want to attract attention. Share this among yourselves


    first. We''ll find a way soon.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Thank you.¡±


    They were all very grateful. To them, food and medicine were not the only things Francesca and


    Dominic brought; the two also gave them hope.


    Francesca asked for some wet towels to apply to Robin''s skin. After treating him with acupuncture, she


    gave out the medicine in her backpack to the others. She had brought limited supplies that were only


    enough to temporarily suppress the poison in them. Nevertheless, it was good enough considering their


    circumstances.


    The group then started telling her about the things that had happened in the past few days.


    After Francesca escaped, William was taken away. Before Robin could think of a way to leave the


    castle, it was locked down.


    Then, someone arrived and announced that Charlie would take over the investigation of the poisoning.


    As it was suspected that the staff in the castle had something to do with the incident, the castle was


    closed off. No one was allowed to enter or leave.


    When they heard the orders, everyone was shocked.


    They all knew Charlie was the cousin who loved to bully William. As a matter of fact, William even


    suspected the former to be the culprit. It was ridiculous that the suspect was put in charge to look into


    the matter.


    Sure enough, Charlie soon ordered the water, electricity, and gas to be cut off. He even stationed


    guards to surround the castle and prohibited anyone from entering and leaving the ce. The people


    trapped inside were left to fend for themselves without any delivery of food and water from outside.


    Initially, Robin wanted to call someone for help, only to find out that allmunication channels were


    disconnected. They were totally isted from the outside world.


    That was how the people in the castle ended up in this state. They kept waiting for someone to rescue


    them, but as days passed by, Robin eventually copsed. With that, they also lost all hope.


    Hearing these, Francesca was infuriated. She could not believe how cruel and inhumane those people


    were.


    Just then, Robin moved. Francesca hurriedly approached him to check on him. He was slowly gaining


    consciousness, and after Dominic asked someone to feed him some water, he finally woke up.


    When he saw Francesca, he was exhrated. ¡°Ms. Felch, you''re finally back. We have hope now. We


    have hope now!¡±


    ¡°Please calm down, Robin. Take this medicine first.¡±


    Francesca fed him some medicine again and made him drink more water.


    Soon, Robin seemed much better. He turned his head to the group of people as if looking for someone.


    ¡°Who are you looking for?¡± Dominic asked.


    ¡°You are?¡±


    ¡°He is Monica''s partner,¡± Francesca introduced.


    ¡°Oh, you''re Dominic. I didn''t recognize you.¡± Robin shed him a smile before looking at Francesca,


    asking anxiously, ¡°Ms. Felch, didn''t Mr. Lindberg''s men escort you here?¡±


    He was under the assumption that Francesca hade back to Danontand with Danrique. It was


    possible that Danrique was unwilling toe because of his distinguished status, but his men should


    at least be around.


    However, Robin failed to find anyone from the Lindberg family.


    Francesca knew what he was thinking. She exined, ¡°No. I returned to Danontand with Monica.


    Danrique refused to help me.¡±


    Robin''s face fell at those words. He lowered his head and heaved a deep sigh.

 Chapter 2177

    Chapter 2177


    qDominic knew that the uing conversation would be heavy, so he asked everyone else to leave


    before standing guard outside the door.


    Francescaforted Robin, saying, ¡°It''s fine. Although he didn''te, I''m here. I''ll do my best to help


    you guys.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Felch, I know you value friendships deeply, but this is not something you can handle,¡± said Robin


    sadly. ¡°His Highness took a big risk back then to send you away so that you could bring help. Now, you


    returned alone. Not only was the great opportunity wasted, but you''ll also be putting yourself in danger


    again.¡±


    This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I have no choice. I couldn''t persuade him,¡± Francesca responded helplessly. ¡°Let''s talk about what we


    should do first. I met William today.¡±


    Robin''s eyes lit up. ¡°You met His Highness? How is he?¡±


    ¡°He''s very weak, but I gave him medication and treated him with acupuncture. He should be able to


    hang on for a few more days. I nned to save him, but he wouldn''t leave. He told me toe to you,


    iming that you''ll know what to do next.¡±


    Instead of easing Robin, Francesca''s words weighed him down. After a long silence, he sighed. ¡°Is


    there really no way out now?¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Francesca questioned back.


    Robin sighed again. Then, he uttered, ¡°It seems like we have to go all out.¡±


    The next day, every international media outlet started reporting a particrly shocking piece of news.


    William Castle in Danontand had been locked down with its water, electricity, and gas cut off. Eighty-


    four people were confined inside with no food supply, unable to leave. Now, they were all on the brink


    of death.


    The news, aided by photos of the devastating situation inside the castle, soon shook the whole world.


    At that moment, Francesca was lying on the couch in Monica''s house, looking at the newspaper and


    the article on her phone.


    She couldn''t help but exim, ¡°How smart of you, Monica! You found so many media outlets in such a


    short time. Aside from Danontand''s local media, almost every major media outlet in other countries is


    reporting this. With so many people talking about this, Federico will probably release the people in the


    castle, right?¡±


    ¡°I''m not that optimistic. I''m actually worried that this will harm them instead,¡± Monica admitted with a


    frown.


    ¡°We''re not yet done,¡± Dominic chimed in as he walked over. He had just gotten off the phone with


    someone. ¡°I just sent the group photo of the eighty-four people in there to the media. They''ll be posting


    it soon.¡±


    ¡°Group photo?¡± Monica froze for a while before realization dawned upon her. ¡°Oh, right! We need a


    group photo. If anyone from the photo ends up dying, it will be Prince Charlie''s fault.¡±


    ¡°I have tons of materials. We''ll release a little bit every day. Robin is indeed incredible to havee up


    with such an impressive scheme,¡± Dominic praised.


    Francesca raised her brow and remarked, ¡°It''s not Robin, but William. William probably hatched this


    n a long time ago and told Robin to go with it when there''s no other way.¡±


    Monica nodded. ¡°She''s right. It''s likely that His Highness nned this long ago. When he asked me to


    take you away, I tried to persuade him. He told me that he had left himself a way out and has a solution


    for any situation that arises.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, Prince William is a man with foresight,¡± Dominic stated meaningfully. ¡°However, what we have


    to consider now is moving somewhere else.¡±


    ¡°Moving somewhere else?¡± Monica was confused.


    All of a sudden, Francesca felt a murderous intenting for them. She dashed into the room instantly


    and grabbed her backpack.


    Bang! Bang! Bang!


    Gunshots rang outside, and countless bullets prated the room door.


    With her backpack on her, Francesca jumped out of the window, followed by Dominic and Monica.


    The three of themnded safely and made a run for it.

 Chapter 2178

    Chapter 2178


    qThe trio began their journey of escape.


    That night, Monica was given a harsh warning by her superior. She was suspended from work and


    forbidden from meddling in matters concerning the royal family of Danontand. Moreover, they cut off


    hermunication with the media.


    Fortunately, Dominic''s involvement in the incident had yet to be discovered. He was merely warned to


    refrain from joining Monica''s ruckus. In response, he used the excuse of investigating some other


    cases and got away with it.


    So far, all the information from Robin was with Dominic. Thetter could still contact the media.


    Although the media had been sternly warned by the FBI and the royal family of Danontand, this could


    not stop their ambition to get their hands on breaking news. Though they agreed to behave, they


    continued to give updates on the news.


    As a result, the n was still in effect.


    However, this meant that Francesca, Monica, and Dominic had to live like fugitives.


    Since they still had to look for the right time to save William and the people in the castle, they didn''t


    leave Danontand.


    Being within the scope of the search, they had to be constantly on the run while looking over their


    shoulders.


    Seven days passed by in the blink of an eye.


    News about the Danontand royal family was snowballing as it made its way around the world.


    Someone even flew a drone over William Castle to find out what was going on.


    The report about the castle being on lockdown was soon proven to be true, so the public''s reaction got


    even more heated.


    The issue continued to escte to the point that Federico was dragged into it.


    People started to dig up dirt on him. Aside from that, they found out the truth behind the tragic death of


    William''s parents and the fact that he was crippled after falling off a horse.


    Federico was therefore left with no choice but to open up William Castle and resume its electricity and


    gas services. The castle was also provided with food, daily necessities, and a new water supply.


    He made the local media record and publicize this entire process and released an exnation as to


    why the castle was previously closed off.


    With that, Robin and the eighty-three others regained their freedom.


    Due to his illness, William remained in the hospital. Federico used his medical treatment as an excuse


    to keep him under control.


    It was then that Francesca could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Their struggles and effort to save the


    people in the castle weren''t in vain, after all.


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    Now that the enemy knew Francesca and Monica were up to something, they set up heavy security


    around the hospital, making it difficult to sneak in again.


    Moreover, they were now in hot pursuit of the trio. The three fled nonstop every day. At times, they


    couldn''t even get three hours of sleep in a day. To make things worse, Monica''s wound had reopened.


    The three of them were utterly exhausted.


    On one particr night, Dominic finally managed to find a room in a countryside inn. While Francesca


    and Monica took showers and rested, he refueled their car and guarded the door.


    Francesca treated Monica''s wound and was about to give thetter some medicine when she noticed


    there was none left. She called Dominic, who immediately set out for a pharmacy. Before he left, he


    reminded them to be careful.


    Fatigued and injured, Monica soon fell asleep.


    On the other hand, Francesca was worried that someone woulde for them, so she didn''t dare to


    sleep at all. She could only lie on the sofa and scroll through her phone while it was charging.


    It was her eighth day in Danontand, but Danrique never called or even messaged her.


    Only Gordon sent her a text, informing her that his subordinates had found La and settled her down


    in a hospital in Zarain. He told Francesca not to worry as he had ordered his men to watch over her.


    As for Lincoln, he was still negotiating with the people from Riz Corporation. It was a hard task that


    would require time, but Riz Corporation likely wouldn''t do anything to Lincoln since they were aware of


    his connection to Danrique.


    Francesca simply sent Gordon a ¡°thanks¡± in reply and said nothing else.


    She knew very well how difficult it was to snatch someone from Riz Corporation''s hands.

 Chapter 2179

    Chapter 2179


    qAlthough Danrique has already gained a foothold with his high and powerful position, he still has a lot


    to worry about. No one in their right mind would dare get on Riz Corporation''s bad side at a time like


    this, but he did it for my sake anyway. I know Danrique did it even though nobody told me about it, but I


    don''t understand why he hasn''t called even though I''ve been here for so long. Is he not worried about


    me at all? Or is he fed up with me because of this and ns to break up with me? But why would he


    help me save Ms. La and Mr. Lincoln if he ns on breaking up with me?


    Francesca was snapped out of her train of thought when her phone started vibrating. She immediately


    answered the phone and called out, ¡°Talk to me, Anthony!¡±


    ¡°Ms. La contacted me. She has been rescued! It was probably someone from the Lindberg family


    who rescued her.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I just saw the message from Gordon. ording to him, Ms. La was hospitalized earlier, and


    Mr. Lincoln''s issue is being taken care of. This is probably the only good news I''ve receivedtely.


    Danrique has been a great help this time, so I''ll be sure to return the favor someday,¡± Francesca


    whispered.


    ¡°Yeah. Danrique is always helping you out during critical moments. Prince William, on the other hand,


    only gets you in trouble all the time.¡±


    Anthony got mad just thinking about it. ¡°I''ve been trying to reach you for the past few days, but your


    phone was switched off or out of coverage area. What have you been up to? I was worried sick!¡±


    Francesca let out a wry chuckle. ¡°I was running for my life! Is there anything else you want to tell me? If


    not, I''ll be hanging up now¡ª¡±


    Francesca let out a wry chuckle. ¡°I was running for my life! Is there anything else you want to tell me? If


    not, I''ll be hanging up now¡ª¡±Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    Anthony was quick to cut her off, ¡°Yes, there is one more thing!¡±


    ¡°Hmm? Is the orphanage running low on funds? If so, I''ll figure something out.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that has been taken care of. A newly established foundation donated a huge sum of money to us,


    so the orphanage is able to resume its normal operation. They also said they will transfer money to us


    every month from now on.¡±


    Francesca was overjoyed. ¡°What? Seriously? Which foundation is that? Did Mr. Lincoln contact them or


    something?¡±


    ¡°Like our orphanage, it''s called ''Lovely Care Foundation.'' I looked it up earlier. Apparently, Lindberg


    Corporation got it registered in S Nation ten days ago. As of now, the Lovely Care Foundation has only


    been making transactions to our orphanage,¡± Anthony exined.


    Francesca froze after hearing that.


    What? I had no idea Danrique did this much for me! I can''t believe he had someone set up a


    foundation in S Nation while I was in Xendale ten days ago! On top of that, he even named it after my


    orphanage!


    ¡°Wait, you didn''t know that?¡± Anthony asked.


    ¡°No, I didn''t. He never told me about it,¡± Francesca replied with a guilty look on her face.


    ¡°There''s one more thing. I was having some difficulty managing the orphanage on my own after you


    left. There was some trouble at the orphanages in a few other areas a couple of days ago. I was about


    to head over to take care of things, but then I got a call from the staff. They told me that the problems


    had all been resolved. Still feeling worried, I decided to go have a look anyway. That was when I found


    out someone had been protecting our orphanages in secret. The police and medical institutions would


    rush to their aid the moment something bad happened. After doing a bit of digging, I found out that the


    ones protecting us were subsidiaries of Lindberg Corporation. Just like how we have orphanages all


    over the world, they have branches across the globe too. Our orphanages are safe as long as they


    have a branch office in the same region. I''ve been trying to tell you about this throughout the past few


    days, but I couldn''t reach you. I didn''t like Danrique before because I heard some nasty rumors about


    him. I used to think he was a cold-blooded guy, but it seems he really cares about you. I mean, just


    look at what he has done for you,¡± Anthony added.

 Chapter 2180

    Chapter 2180


    qFrancesca felt incredibly conflicted after hearing all that.


    I was wondering what happened to the problems at the orphanages a few days ago. Turns out, he has


    been taking care of it all for me in secret... I don''t think I''ve ever done anything for him, though. If


    anything, I''ve only been causing him trouble. I even hurt his feelings while trying to save William!


    ¡°You should thank him. I''m not trying to side with him or anything, but he did save Ms. La and take


    care of the problems at the orphanages. Besides, Kerrie has been nagging me about it every day,¡±


    Anthony stated.


    ¡°Heh... Got it. You take care now,¡± Francesca replied with a chuckle and hung up the phone.


    After contemting for a bit if she should give Danrique a call, she decided to go through with it and


    punched in his number.


    It did not take long before the call got through. ¡°Hello?¡±


    Danrique''s voice sounded a little anxious and worried.


    Unsure of what to say, Francesca went with a somewhat awkward conversation starter. ¡°W-What are


    you doing right now?¡±


    ¡°I''m in the car.¡±


    Thinking Francesca was in danger and needed help, Danrique panicked a little when he got her call.


    He breathed a sigh of relief after hearing her tone of voice and realizing she was fine. ¡°Well? How does


    it feel to be on the run?¡± he asked coldly.


    ¡°How did you know I was on the run?¡± Francesca asked.


    ¡°How did you know I was on the run?¡± Francesca asked.


    Danrique let out a sarcastic snicker as he replied, ¡°Of course I do. The royal family of Danontand isn''t


    going to let you off the hook after everything you''ve done.¡±


    ¡°Then why didn''t youe rescue me? Aren''t you worried about my safety?¡± Francesca asked in


    displeasure.


    ¡°I told you not to go, but you insisted on going anyway. You were so brave and determined to save his


    life. How could I stop you from risking your life for such a noble cause?¡±


    ¡°Danrique...¡±


    The more Danrique thought about it, the angrier he got. ¡°Well? You ignored my advice and went over,


    so why would you be calling me now? You should go ask William for help instead!¡±


    ¡°You...¡± Francesca was about to say something when a gunshot rang out in the background. The next


    thing she knew, her window had been shattered by a bullet. She immediately rushed to Monica''s side


    and shook her shoulders. ¡°Hey, Monica! Wake up!¡±


    ¡°Francesca? Where are you right now? Send me your address¡ª¡±


    Danrique was cut off by the sound of an explosion in the background, and the line went dead after that.


    This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.


    The look on his face instantly grew icy-cold as he ordered, ¡°Find out where she is and send someone


    over to save her! Hurry!¡±


    ¡°Right away, Mr. Lindberg!¡± Gordon replied with a nod and proceeded to carry out his duties.


    Francesca grabbed Monica by the hand and jumped out of the motel window. A few secondster, the


    entire motel exploded into millions of pieces. Monica screamed when some of the debris got on her


    body.


    Despite being severely wounded as well, Francesca forced herself on her feet and rushed over to help


    Monica up.


    Suddenly, dozens of military vehicles came speeding over and pulled up next to them. Francesca was


    struggling to keep her eyes open in the face of the blinding headlights when the men stepped out of the


    cars and pointed their guns at her.


    ¡°There you are, you little b*tch! This is for what you did to me!¡± a man shouted coldly as he shot


    Francesca in the leg.


    Bam!


    Francesca fell to the ground and dropped her backpack as a result.


    A tall guy then walked up to her and stomped on her hand with his ck leather shoes. ¡°You''re


    Francesca, right?¡± People say you''re a miracle doctor or something. Let''s see you treat this wound!¡± he


    uttered while pointing a gun at her head.


    ¡°You mustn''t kill her! She''s Mr. Lindberg''s fianc¨¦e! He will hunt you down if you kill her!¡± Monica


    screamed in panic.

 Chapter 2181

    Chapter 2181


    q¡°Is that so?¡± The man lifted Francesca''s chin with the tip of his shoe as he continued, ¡°Mr. Lindberg''s


    fianc¨¦e, huh? Is that what you told the king? Do you really think I''d believe that crap?¡±


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    Upon getting a closer look at his face, Francesca realized he was one of the princes she had seen at


    the pce the other day.


    With a disdainful look on his face, the man cocked the hammer of the gun and prepared to open fire.


    Since he had Francesca''s arm pinned with his foot, there was nothing she could do to defend herself.


    Right as she was about to get shot, someone called out to the man, ¡°Charlie, wait!¡±


    The man paused and turned around in response.


    ¡°We need to spare her life!¡± Berthold continued as he got off the car and came rushing over.


    ¡°She''s just an ordinary woman, though. Why can''t we kill her? Honestly, I should''ve killed her when I


    had the chance back then! That would''ve saved us all a lot of trouble!¡± Charlie eximed in annoyance.


    ¡°His Majesty has ordered us to spare her. Apparently, Mr. Lindberg gave His Majesty a call earlier,¡±


    Berthold exined.


    Charlie froze and nced at Francesca as he asked, ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°I believe she really is Mr. Lindberg''s fianc¨¦e,¡± Berthold replied.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg sure has a strange taste in women! What could he possibly like about a skinny and short


    woman like her?¡± Charlie asked with a sneer.


    ¡°That''s not important right now. His Majesty has sent some men over, so killing her now will only get


    you in trouble with His Majesty and Danrique! Things could get really messy, so I suggest you refrain


    from doing so!¡±


    ¡°That''s not important right now. His Majesty has sent some men over, so killing her now will only get


    you in trouble with His Majesty and Danrique! Things could get really messy, so I suggest you refrain


    from doing so!¡±


    ¡°F*ck! Get them in the car!¡± Charlie yelled angrily while holstering his gun.


    ¡°Right!¡±


    Just like that, they dragged Francesca and Monica into the car and sped off.


    Dominic, who had just returned from buying some medicine, panicked when he saw that in the


    distance.


    He was about to chase after them in his car when his phone rang all of a sudden. Dominic frowned


    when he checked the caller ID and saw that it was an unknown number. ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Dominic? It''s me, Danrique!¡± said a man in a deep voice.


    ¡°What? M-Mr. Lindberg?¡±


    After a while, a man approached Danrique.


    ¡°The private jet is ready, sir.¡±


    ¡°Take us to the airport.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    Danrique had just boarded his private jet when he got a call from Federico. ¡°We have brought her back


    to the pce, so you need not worry about her safety, Mr. Lindberg. However...¡±


    ¡°I have just boarded my private jet and will arrive in Danontand in about thirteen hours from now. I know


    my woman can be a little young and immature, so I will apologize to you in person if she has done or


    said anything to offend you, Your Majesty. However, keep in mind that she is my woman, so I will be the


    one to punish her for her wrongdoings. Those who darey a finger on her shall suffer my wrath!¡±


    Federico froze in shock when he heard that.


    Wow, I wasn''t expecting Danrique to behave so insolently toward me! Even so, he did respect me


    enough to apologize to me, so I should probably just let it slide. Wouldn''t want to make an enemy of


    this terrifying monster!


    With that in mind, Federico chuckled heartily as he replied, ¡°Haha! You''re exaggerating, Mr. Lindberg!


    She was just a little mischievous, that''s all! As an elder, I won''t take her behavior too seriously, so you


    need not worry about her offending me. Had I known she was your woman, I would''ve warned Charlie


    against going after her! Fortunately, all she suffered were minor injuries, so all is good. I''ll have Charlie


    apologize to you when you get here.¡±


    ¡°See you tomorrow,¡± Danrique said with an icy-cold look in his eyes and hung up the phone.


    Sean let out a sigh as he eximed, ¡°That king sure is a cunning one! You already put the word out


    that Ms. Felch was your woman when they started hunting her down, and yet, he pretended to be


    unaware of that and sent Charlie after her. He even had the audacity to act like he just found out about


    it when you called him. I bet he just wants you to beg him and head over in person so he can use Ms.


    Felch as a bargaining chip!¡±

 Chapter 2182

    Chapter 2182


    q¡°He''s heartless enough to betray his grandson, so he probably has no moral values. I wasn''t nning


    on getting involved in their family affairs, but he leaves me no choice now that he has crossed the line,¡±


    Danrique said coldly.


    This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I wonder if Ms. Felch''s injuries are serious. She''s smart, has incredible driving skills, and is always on


    high alert. So how did she get caught so easily anyway?¡± Sean asked with a worried look on his face.


    Danrique frowned. ¡°Even the strongest of fighters get tired eventually. That woman overestimated


    herself and thought she could handle anything. That''s why she tried to save him!¡±


    ¡°Ms. Felch was used,¡± Sean replied, only to pause when he realized he had said something he


    shouldn''t. ¡°Mr. Lindberg, do you think we might be walking right into Prince William''s trap by heading


    over to Danontand?¡±


    Danrique simply kept quiet and lowered his icy-cold gaze.


    ¡°Exposing a scandal among the royal family could get them a lot of attention from the public and save


    those in his castle, but it would also put Ms. Felch in a dangerous situation. He knew that full well, and


    yet, he did it anyway. He''s willing to put her safety at risk just so he can save his own people. What a


    heartless b*stard!¡± Sean eximed.


    Danrique''s lips curled into a smile. ¡°That''s because he knows I would take action if anything were to


    happen to Francesca.¡±


    Danrique''s lips curled into a smile. ¡°That''s because he knows I would take action if anything were to


    happen to Francesca.¡±


    ¡°How would he know for sure? What if you got so mad at Ms. Felch that you decided to leave her be?


    What if you''re too busy to do something about it? He''s clearly wagering Ms. Felch''s life!¡±


    ¡°Sometimes, you just have to take a gamble in life. I believe he already thought everything through


    when he sent Francesca back to Xendale,¡± Danrique responded as he had seen right through William''s


    ns.


    ¡°Then we truly have underestimated him! We should''ve stopped Ms. Felch from going to Danontand if


    we knew this was going to happen! That way, his n would have fallen apart!¡± Sean fumed.


    Danrique let out a wry chuckle. ¡°If we did that, my rtionship with Francesca would have fallen apart


    along with his n. There''s no use in telling her how evil the world is because she won''t believe us.


    Only through experiencing it herself can she truly grow and mature.¡±


    That was when Sean finally understood what was going on. ¡°So, you knew about this all along? You


    knew it was all part of Prince William''s scheme, and yet, you walked right into it to teach Ms. Felch a


    lesson?¡±


    ¡°She needs to get hurt in order to learn how evil the world can be. All we can do is let her get herself in


    trouble, then clean the mess up for her,¡± Danrique replied with a bitter smile.


    He then paused and nced out the window, adding, ¡°That''s how Aunt Isabe taught me,


    remember?¡±


    ¡°Are you educating Ms. Felch like you would a child?¡± Sean asked with a chuckle. ¡°Oh, this reminds


    me... You mentioned a long time ago that Prince William is no simple man. You said he was driving a


    wedge between you and Ms. Felch. Did you already know he was using her back then?¡±


    ¡°It''s not all ck and white in this world. Objectively speaking, William''s feelings toward Francesca are


    genuine. I''m guessing he really did care for her at first. Maybe he didn''t n on using her like this


    before. Maybe he was forced to. Bully a person long enough, and they will only desire revenge instead


    of love. People like that are capable of being terrifyingly cruel and heartless.¡±


    Sean nodded. ¡°Understood... I hope Ms. Felch will learn her lesson after this incident.¡±


    ¡°I hope so too, but I feel like she still has a long way to go...¡±

 Chapter 2183

    Chapter 2183


    qAs Francesca slowly regained consciousness, memories of what happened before she passed out


    flooded her mind. That shocked her so much that she sat bolt-upright immediately.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    An intense pain tore through her body all of a sudden, and she slumped back against the bed.


    All the rm bells in her head went off instantly and snapped her out of her groggy state. As she


    opened her eyes, she froze when she saw her surroundings.


    Instead of a dark dungeon or abandoned warehouse, she found herself lying on a huge bed inside a


    luxurious room.


    Even the nket covering her body was of a high-end luxury brand.


    No, this can''t be right... Shouldn''t that evil prince be torturing the heck out of me after taking me


    captive? Where am I? What is this ce?


    Francesca was still trying to figure out what was going on when the room door opened. A few maids


    came in with a female doctor and several medical staff.


    ¡°Oh, you''re awake!¡±


    The doctor quickly came over to examine her when she saw that Francesca had woken up.


    ¡°What is this ce?¡± Francesca asked softly in Ustranasion.


    ¡°This is the pce of Danontand,¡± replied the doctor as she treated the wounds on Francesca''s head.


    ¡°Pce? Whose pce?¡± Francesca asked in confusion.


    ¡°His Majesty''s, of course!¡± the doctor replied with a chuckle.


    ¡°Um...¡± Francesca''s head was filled with questions. Didn''t I get captured by that evil prince? How did I


    end up in this pce? I remember that prince capturing Monica and me after we escaped the


    explosion. He was even going to shoot me, but another prince came over and stopped him.


    ¡°We need to spare her life!¡±


    ¡°We need to spare her life!¡±


    ¡°She''s just an ordinary woman, though. Why can''t we kill her? Honestly, I should''ve killed her when I


    had the chance back then! That would''ve saved us all a lot of trouble!¡±


    ¡°His Majesty has ordered us to spare her. Apparently, Mr. Lindberg gave His Majesty a call earlier.¡±


    It wasn''t until Francesca recalled that conversation that she understood what was going on.


    I was on the phone with Danrique before the explosion. He must''ve known I was in trouble after


    hearing the gunshots and called the king of Danontand! He saved my life again, so I owe him yet


    another favor...


    ¡°How are you feeling? Does your head still hurt?¡± the doctor asked in a caring manner.


    ¡°It hurts,¡± Francesca mumbled while rubbing her head, which was wrapped in thickyers of bandages.


    The pain was so intense that it felt like her head would burst open at any moment.


    I remember being shot in the leg, so why is my head also injured? This must be that evil prince''s doing!


    Had it not been for me helping William out, he would''ve been done for long ago. That''s probably why


    these princes hate me so much right now. That guy was so eager to kill me that he didn''t even bother


    to torture me or anything. He was actually prepared to off me in a single shot, but the king stopped him


    at the veryst second. That must''ve frustrated them to death, huh?


    ¡°Here, take this medicine and get some rest,¡± the doctor said as she motioned at her assistant to feed


    Francesca the medicine.


    Francesca nced at the medicine before swallowing it.


    ¡°I hear you''re a doctor too. Don''t worry; I wouldn''t dare pull any tricks on a fellow doctor! Besides, His


    Majesty has ordered us to take good care of you, so that is exactly what we''ll do!¡± the doctor reassured


    her with a smile.


    Feeling relieved, Francescay down on the bed. ¡°Thanks. By the way, where''s Monica?¡±


    ¡°Are you referring to the FBI agent who got suspended? I''m afraid she isn''t so lucky. They''re keeping


    her locked up in the dungeon while waiting for the FBI toe to interrogate her,¡± the doctor


    responded.


    ¡°May I see her?¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry; I don''t think that''s possible.¡±


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    ¡°When will the king see me, then?¡±


    I won''t be able to get Monica out of here unless I plunge this ce into chaos. I''m not sure if the king


    wants to meet me to confirm my rtionship with Danrique or if there is some other reason behind it.


    Either way, I''m definitely going to meet him.

 Chapter 2184

    Chapter 2184


    q¡°About that...¡±


    The doctor was about to say something when an elderly woman came into the room. The woman


    bowed politely at Francesca and said, ¡°Greetings, Ms. Felch. His Majesty will be having a banquet at


    eight tonight, and your presence is expected. I have brought you your clothes.¡±


    The woman then motioned at the maids, prompting them to bring in a fancy dress, beautiful


    essories, an elegant pair of shoes, and a clean set of underwear. The clothes were all neatlyid


    out on the sofa.


    ¡°What''s with this grand event? Is Danriqueing?¡± Francesca asked.


    The woman simply lowered her head and kept quiet.


    ¡°I''ll take that as a yes, then.¡±


    Francesca''s eyes lit up with hope the moment she realized Danrique was on his way to save her.


    Ha! I have nothing to fear now that my savior ising for me!


    ¡°Ms. Felch, it is now two in the afternoon, so there is still a lot of time before the banquet. We will serve


    you lunch, and then you can rest throughout the afternoon. We wille back at six in the evening to


    help you shower and get changed. Would this arrangement be okay with you?¡±


    ¡°I want my friend Monica to attend the banquet with me,¡± Francesca said with an arrogant look.


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°If you can''t make that decision, then go ask your king for permission. Tell him I won''t be attending the


    banquet without Monica,¡± Francesca added coldly.


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°If you can''t make that decision, then go ask your king for permission. Tell him I won''t be attending the


    banquet without Monica,¡± Francesca added coldly.


    ¡°All right, I''ll ry your message right away.¡± The woman then told the maids on her way out, ¡°Make


    sure to take good care of Ms. Felch!¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Francesca thenyfortably on the bed as the servants propped up her pillows, wiped her body


    clean, gave her a facial, and fed her lunch.


    Man, I have to admit, these maids sure are good at what they do! I have an injury on my head and calf,


    yet I''m enjoying this service a lot! Of course, the best part is being able to see Danrique soon! I was so


    busy running for my life that I hadn''t had time to worry about a lot of things, but I''ve always been


    thinking about him. Everything I see reminds me of him. I think about him before I sleep and


    immediately after I wake up. The past few days have been filled with danger, but I was able to pull


    through it all because of my desire to make it back alive and reunite with Danrique. Who would''ve


    thought we''d be able to see each other so soon, eh? He says he''s mad at me and won''t help me, and


    yet, he''s always rushing to my aid whenever I''m in danger. He''s truly my armor, my shield, and my


    guardian. I have no need to fear anyone with him around!


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    Francesca couldn''t help but feel a little gleeful and smug at the thought of that.


    However, she soon thought of another issue.


    As powerful as Danrique may be, we''re in enemy territory now. We had nothing to do with this internal


    conflict within the royal family, to begin with, so it wouldn''t be appropriate for us to get involved. Even


    Danrique would be at a disadvantage here! What if this banquet is just a trap? Would Danrique get


    bullied by that old king? Given how cunning and cruel Federico is, I have a feeling it won''t be easy to


    deal with him.


    Francesca began to get anxious the more she thought about it. Eventually, she decided to take


    responsibility for her own actions.


    I''m the one who got myself into this mess, so I can''t be getting Danrique involved no matter what. If that


    old king dares hurt my man, I''ll fight him myself!

 Chapter 2185

    Chapter 2185


    qThe woman from earlier soon brought Monica over to the room Francesca was in.


    She had been beaten up so badly that she had injuries all over her body. Despite being severely


    injured, Monica''s eyes still lit up with excitement when she saw Francesca.


    Francesca immediately had the maids tend to Monica''s wounds, give her a bath, and get her a change


    of clothes.


    After catering to all of her requests, the woman led Francesca and Monica over to the banquet hall ten


    minutes before the clock struck eight.


    The two of them recognized the six princes the moment they arrived. Charlie looked especially arrogant


    as he stared at them.


    N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    The other princes, too, shot them provocative and warning res.


    Berthold was the only one who smiled and nodded politely at them.


    Francesca recognized Berthold as the one who stopped Charlie from killing her. ¡°Who is he?¡±


    ¡°That''s Berthold, the youngest prince of Danontand. They say he''s only neen years old, which


    makes him a few years younger than William,¡± Monica whispered.


    ¡°Was he involved when they bullied William?¡± Francesca asked.


    ¡°I heard he wasn''t, but nobody knows this stuff for sure,¡± Monica answered.


    Francesca kept quiet and stared at the clock on the wall.


    We have five minutes left until eight o''clock, and yet, neither Danrique nor the old king has arrived.


    What''s going on here?


    Her train of thought was interrupted when the woman walked up to Francesca and said with a bow,


    ¡°Please enter the inner pce, Ms. Felch.¡±


    Her train of thought was interrupted when the woman walked up to Francesca and said with a bow,


    ¡°Please enter the inner pce, Ms. Felch.¡±


    Francesca felt a little confused, but she stood up without saying a word anyway.


    The maids then helped her onto the wheelchair and brought her over to the inner pce.


    The old king was calmly sipping on some tea as he sat there all by himself. Upon hearing the doors


    open, he looked up at Francesca and asked, ¡°How are your injuries? Not too severe, I presume?¡±


    ¡°Not enough to kill me,¡± Francesca replied coolly.


    ¡°William tells me you''re a very loyal and brave woman. I didn''t think much of it before, but I see what he


    means now.¡± Federico shed her a smile as he continued, ¡°For a young woman like yourself, you are


    indeed very courageous. I''ve heard about the things you''ve done for William.¡±


    Francesca simply stared at him in silence as she waited for him to stop beating around the bush.


    Federico continued, ¡°I''m not sure if William has told you anything that may have led to some


    misunderstandings, but I have always loved him deeply. However, it''s really hard to show it in a family


    this huge. You may not understand it now, but you will when you marry into the Lindberg family in the


    future. It''s not easy managing a huge family¡ª¡±


    Having lost her patience, Francesca cut him off, ¡°What are you trying to say, Your Majesty? Please get


    straight to the point.¡±


    He can keep his pretentious words for the media. I don''t buy that stuff at all.


    ¡°Haha! Very well, then! Mr. Lindberg loves you very much. As his fianc¨¦e, you should be devoting all of


    your time and energy to him instead. Therefore, you no longer need to concern yourself with William''s


    affairs,¡± Federico said with a chuckle.


    There it is! We''re finally getting to the main point of this conversation!


    ¡°I don''t understand. Why would you treat William like that? He''s your grandson too!¡± Francesca asked


    frigidly.


    ¡°We could all live peacefully together if he''d just behave himself, but he chose not to. Look, William isn''t


    the simple man that you make him out to be. Someday, you''ll understand what I mean by that...¡±


    Federico replied mysteriously.


    Francesca couldn''t help but shudder in fear when she heard that. I can''t believe he''d frame his own


    grandson!


    Suddenly, a subordinate came over and said, ¡°Your Majesty, Mr. Lindberg''s car has just arrived at the


    pce. He will be here in about fifteen minutes. As per Your Majesty''s instructions, Mr. Faulkner is


    waiting for him at the entrance.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Federico nodded and turned to look at Francesca as he went on, ¡°Mr. Lindberg is a very


    busy man, and yet, he came all the way here just for you. Do you have any idea how many business


    opportunities this trip could cost him?¡±

 Chapter 2186

    Chapter 2186


    q¡°I don''t know, and I''m not interested in knowing.¡± Francesca did not go along with him at all. ¡°What


    else would you like to say, Your Majesty?¡±


    ¡°People have limited patience,¡± Federico reminded. ¡°If you use up all of his patience, and he stops


    caring about you, you''ll be in danger.¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, are you threatening me?¡± Francesca frowned.


    ¡°It''s a reminder,¡± Federico said with a smile. ¡°Be a good Mrs. Lindberg and stop sticking your nose into


    someone else''s family affairs.¡±


    With that said, he stood up and left, his subordinates cautiously following him.


    Francesca watched the old king leave withplicated feelings. Evidently, Federico hade in to tell


    her this before Danrique entered so that she would not intervene in William''s matter anymore.


    However, things were already at this point. Was it truly possible for her to turn a blind eye to it?


    ¡°Ms. Felch, let me bring you out.¡±


    With that, the woman wheeled Francesca to the banquet hall.


    Monica was worriedly looking in her direction. The moment she saw Francesca, she hastily stood up


    and walked over to her, having forgotten that she still had an injured leg.


    If not for the maid''s support, Monica would have fallen to the ground.


    Just as Francesca sat down on the chair, Monica anxiously asked, ¡°What did the king say to you? Did


    he tell you not to intervene in His Highness'' matters anymore? What did you answer him?¡±


    Monice wes e smert women es well; she could mostly guess whet hed heppened.


    ¡°I didn''t sey enything,¡± Frencesce enswered. ¡°It''s not es if I heve the choice to sey enything now.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Felch, pleese don''t give up on His Highness!¡± Monice held her hend end pleeded. ¡°You''re the only


    one who cen seve him now. If you give up on him too, then he''s es good es deed!¡±


    While she spoke, the few princes stood up. Monice wes frightened by thet, thinking thet they were


    ebout to fight.


    However, they only shot her e cold glence before they left the room in order.


    The prince who welked lest, Berthold, even whispered to Frencesce, ¡°We''re heeding out to wee


    Mr. Lindberg. Pleese weit here for e moment.¡±


    After seying thet, he hestily ceught up with his brothers.


    Only efter he wes gone did Frencescee beck to her senses. As she turned to Monice, she esked,


    ¡°Is he trying to curry fevor with me?¡±


    ¡°Most likely,¡± Monice replied with e sneer. ¡°He knows you''re Mr. Lindberg''s girlfriend. Even if he doesn''t


    went to butter you up in broed deylight, he won''t went to cross you.¡±


    Frencesce then surveyed her surroundings. Everyone else wes gone, leeving only e few meids


    stending et the side.


    Hence, she esked Monice in e low voice, ¡°By the wey, didn''t you contect Robin yesterdey? How ere


    they? Heve they reelly gotten out of denger?¡±


    Monica was a smart woman as well; she could mostly guess what had happened.


    ¡°I didn''t say anything,¡± Francesca answered. ¡°It''s not as if I have the choice to say anything now.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Felch, please don''t give up on His Highness!¡± Monica held her hand and pleaded. ¡°You''re the only


    one who can save him now. If you give up on him too, then he''s as good as dead!¡±


    While she spoke, the few princes stood up. Monica was frightened by that, thinking that they were


    about to fight.


    However, they only shot her a cold nce before they left the room in order.


    The prince who walkedst, Berthold, even whispered to Francesca, ¡°We''re heading out to wee


    Mr. Lindberg. Please wait here for a moment.¡±


    After saying that, he hastily caught up with his brothers.


    Only after he was gone did Francescae back to her senses. As she turned to Monica, she asked,


    ¡°Is he trying to curry favor with me?¡±


    ¡°Most likely,¡± Monica replied with a sneer. ¡°He knows you''re Mr. Lindberg''s girlfriend. Even if he doesn''t


    want to butter you up in broad daylight, he won''t want to cross you.¡±


    Francesca then surveyed her surroundings. Everyone else was gone, leaving only a few maids


    standing at the side.


    Hence, she asked Monica in a low voice, ¡°By the way, didn''t you contact Robin yesterday? How are


    they? Have they really gotten out of danger?¡±


    ¡°I wonted to tell you this yesterdoy, but I ended up folling osleep in the motel. After thot, something


    hoppened so...¡± Monico whispered into Froncesco''s eor. ¡°Robin soid thot they''ve resolved the issue of


    doily necessities, but the regoined freedom is foke. It looks like they con interoct with the outside world,


    but people hove been keeping o close eye on them the whole time. He hosn''t even seen His Highness


    until now, ond even if he enters ond leoves the ploce, he con only do it if he''s shopping for medicotions


    ond food. He con''t even contoct ony medio or onyone in the outside world. He colled the people in His


    Highness''pony, but the colls were oll topped, so he could only tolk obout work.¡±


    ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    ¡°I knew it.¡±


    Froncesco frowned.


    ¡°Ms. Felch...¡± Monico tightened her hold on Froncesco''s hond ond urged, ¡°Let''s toke the opportunity


    while Mr. Lindberg''s here to get the king to let His Highness go.¡±


    ¡°Um...¡± Froncesco wos dumbfounded. ¡°How con we possibly do thot? Williom''s o member of the


    Donontond royol fomily, not one of Donrique''s men.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± Monico blurted out. ¡°Even the king''s ofroid of him. The moment he found out thot you''re Mr.


    Lindberg''s girlfriend, he instructed his people to serve you well. Now, he''s even leoding his princes out


    to wee Mr. Lindberg. Who else hos ever received such speciol treotment but the two of you?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to tell you this yesterday, but I ended up falling asleep in the motel. After that, something


    happened so...¡± Monica whispered into Francesca''s ear. ¡°Robin said that they''ve resolved the issue of


    daily necessities, but the regained freedom is fake. It looks like they can interact with the outside world,


    but people have been keeping a close eye on them the whole time. He hasn''t even seen His Highness


    until now, and even if he enters and leaves the ce, he can only do it if he''s shopping for medications


    and food. He can''t even contact any media or anyone in the outside world. He called the people in His


    Highness''pany, but the calls were all tapped, so he could only talk about work.¡±


    ¡°I knew it.¡±


    Francesca frowned.


    ¡°Ms. Felch...¡± Monica tightened her hold on Francesca''s hand and urged, ¡°Let''s take the opportunity


    while Mr. Lindberg''s here to get the king to let His Highness go.¡±


    ¡°Um...¡± Francesca was dumbfounded. ¡°How can we possibly do that? William''s a member of the


    Danontand royal family, not one of Danrique''s men.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± Monica blurted out. ¡°Even the king''s afraid of him. The moment he found out that you''re Mr.


    Lindberg''s girlfriend, he instructed his people to serve you well. Now, he''s even leading his princes out


    to wee Mr. Lindberg. Who else has ever received such special treatment but the two of you?¡±


    ¡°I wantad to tall you this yastarday, but I andad up falling aap in tha motal. Aftar that, somathing


    happanad so...¡± Monica whisparad into Francasca''s aar. ¡°Robin said that thay''va rasolvad tha issua of


    daily nacassitias, but tha ragainad fraadom is faka. It looks lika thay can intaract with tha outsida world,


    but pao hava baan kaaping a closa aya on tham tha wh tima. Ha hasn''t avan saan His Highnass


    until now, and avan if ha antars andavas tha ca, ha can only do it if ha''s shopping for madications


    and food. Ha can''t avan contact any madia or anyona in tha outsida world. Ha cad tha pao in His


    Highnass''pany, but tha calls wara all tappad, so ha could only talk about work.¡±


    ¡°I knaw it.¡±


    Francasca frownad.


    ¡°Ms. Falch...¡± Monica tightanad har hold on Francasca''s hand and urgad, ¡°Lat''s taka tha opportunity


    wh Mr. Lindbarg''s hara to gat tha king tot His Highnass go.¡±


    ¡°Um...¡± Francasca was dumbfoundad. ¡°How can wa possibly do that? William''s a mambar of tha


    Danontand royal family, not ona of Danriqua''s man.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± Monica blurtad out. ¡°Evan tha king''s afraid of him. Tha momant ha found out that you''ra Mr.


    Lindbarg''s girlfriand, ha instructad his pao to sarva you wall. Now, ha''s avanading his princas out


    to waa Mr. Lindbarg. Who alsa has avar racaivad such spacial traatmant but tha two of you?¡±

 Chapter 2187

    Chapter 2187


    q¡°These ces are having financial issues right now. They''re all hoping for a major corporate group


    like Lindberg Corporation to invest in their businesses, and they''re hoping to establish a long-term


    coboration. The king clearly wants to be in Mr. Lindberg''s good books, so Mr. Lindberg will have the


    power to persuade him,¡± Monica rambled on desperately as she held Francesca''s hands tighter and


    tighter. ¡°Mr. Lindberg adores you. When he found out that something happened to you, he came right


    away. Talk to himter and ask him to save His Highness first. He''ll surely say yes to you. Please!¡±


    ¡°The power to persuade.¡± It was then Francesca finally understood what Monica meant. ¡°No wonder


    King Federico was suddenly so nice to me and respectful toward Danrique¡ªhe wants Danrique to


    invest here... In other words, Danrique is rescuing me at a high price again this time.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Monica replied. ¡°Why would a king be nice to you for no good reason? Still, it means


    nothing to Mr. Lindberg, right? His money has to be invested somewhere anyway.¡±


    ¡°He''s not your boyfriend. Of course you won''t feel much about it.¡± Francesca huffed. ¡°It''s not as if his


    money falls from the sky right on his doorstep. It''s partially mine too. I can''t just be fine with Federico


    taking my money like this!¡±


    ¡°Uh...¡± For a moment, Monica found herself at a loss for words.


    The more Francesca thought about it, the angrier she became. She was worried that the king would


    take advantage of Danrique, so she quickly stood up to look for him.


    ¡°Ms. Felch!¡± A few meids quickly ceme over to support her. ¡°Where ere you heeding to?¡±


    ¡°Let me go. I''m going to look for my boyfriend!¡±


    Frencesce tried to breek free from their gresp, but the meids'' hold wes tight es they refused to let her


    go.


    During the tugging, Frencesce lost her belence end fell beckwerd.


    ¡°Ms. Felch!¡± Monice shrieked end jumped to her feet, ebout to greb her.


    However, enother figure deshed over like e bolt of lightning end held Frencesce from the beck.


    In the meentime, when Frencesce felt something powerful cetching her from the beck, she instinctively


    reised her heed. The moment she registered the fece, her heert skipped e beet.


    Denrique''s towering figure wes like e tree thet protectively supported her. His hendsome fece wes en


    inch ewey from her eyes, end his ember eyes were filled with enger end frustretion.


    ¡°Oh, Denrique...¡±


    Frencesce''s herdened heert softened, end the corners of her lips tilted downwerd. In the next second,


    she leunched herself into his erms end wrepped her erms eround his weist before bewling.


    ¡°Why didn''t you listen to me?¡±


    Denrique felt the urge to smeck her buttocks, but they were in e public spece with people eround.


    Hence, he temped his fury down, gripped her chin, end reised her heed to study her insteed.


    ¡°Let me teke e look et you. How did you hurt your heed? And your leg, too.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Felch!¡± A few maids quickly came over to support her. ¡°Where are you heading to?¡±


    This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Let me go. I''m going to look for my boyfriend!¡±


    Francesca tried to break free from their grasp, but the maids'' hold was tight as they refused to let her


    go.


    During the tugging, Francesca lost her bnce and fell backward.


    ¡°Ms. Felch!¡± Monica shrieked and jumped to her feet, about to grab her.


    However, another figure dashed over like a bolt of lightning and held Francesca from the back.


    In the meantime, when Francesca felt something powerful catching her from the back, she instinctively


    raised her head. The moment she registered the face, her heart skipped a beat.


    Danrique''s towering figure was like a tree that protectively supported her. His handsome face was an


    inch away from her eyes, and his amber eyes were filled with anger and frustration.


    ¡°Oh, Danrique...¡±


    Francesca''s hardened heart softened, and the corners of her lips tilted downward. In the next second,


    sheunched herself into his arms and wrapped her arms around his waist before bawling.


    ¡°Why didn''t you listen to me?¡±


    Danrique felt the urge to smack her buttocks, but they were in a public space with people around.


    Hence, he tamped his fury down, gripped her chin, and raised her head to study her instead.


    ¡°Let me take a look at you. How did you hurt your head? And your leg, too.¡±


    Brovery surged into Froncesco now thot she hod someone to bock her up. As she jobbed o finger ot


    Chorlie, she uttered, ¡°Him! He hit me!¡±


    Chorlie froze before turning to Donrique in confoundment.


    Donrique gove him on icy look tinged with murderous intent. ¡°You hit her?¡±


    ¡°I...¡±


    Chorlie poled os he took steps bock in o ponicked monner.


    ¡°It''s o misunderstonding. It''s oll o misunderstonding!¡± Federico quickly chimed in to eose the tension.


    ¡°Chorlie didn''t know who Froncesco wos ot thot time¡ª¡±


    ¡°Which hond wos it?¡± Donrique interrupted os he orched o brow ot Chorlie.


    Chorlie did not dore to look ot Donrique os he hung his heod, hoving no couroge to even breothe ony


    louder.


    ¡°Gordon!¡± Donrique summoned.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg¡ª¡±


    ¡°Arghhh!¡±


    In merely o few seconds'' time, severol voices sounded out.


    Everyone wos stunned os the screoms of ogony echoed in the room.


    Seon closed his eyes ond sighed under his breoth. He hod wonted to persuode Donrique otherwise,


    but before he could even finish his sentence, the dense Gordon hod olreody struck.


    No wonder Mr. Lindberg colled for Gordon first this time even though he usuolly gives me the orders.


    He knows thot Gordon will never second-guess his decision ond will olwoys heed his order.


    Bravery surged into Francesca now that she had someone to back her up. As she jabbed a finger at


    Charlie, she uttered, ¡°Him! He hit me!¡±


    Charlie froze before turning to Danrique in confoundment.


    Danrique gave him an icy look tinged with murderous intent. ¡°You hit her?¡±


    ¡°I...¡±


    Charlie paled as he took steps back in a panicked manner.


    ¡°It''s a misunderstanding. It''s all a misunderstanding!¡± Federico quickly chimed in to ease the tension.


    ¡°Charlie didn''t know who Francesca was at that time¡ª¡±


    ¡°Which hand was it?¡± Danrique interrupted as he arched a brow at Charlie.


    Charlie did not dare to look at Danrique as he hung his head, having no courage to even breathe any


    louder.


    ¡°Gordon!¡± Danrique summoned.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg¡ª¡±


    ¡°Arghhh!¡±


    In merely a few seconds'' time, several voices sounded out.


    Everyone was stunned as the screams of agony echoed in the room.


    Sean closed his eyes and sighed under his breath. He had wanted to persuade Danrique otherwise,


    but before he could even finish his sentence, the dense Gordon had already struck.


    No wonder Mr. Lindberg called for Gordon first this time even though he usually gives me the orders.


    He knows that Gordon will never second-guess his decision and will always heed his order.


    Bravary surgad into Francasca now that sha had somaona to back har up. As sha jabbad a fingar at


    Charlia, sha uttarad, ¡°Him! Ha hit ma!¡±


    Charlia froza bafora turning to Danriqua in confoundmant.


    Danriqua gava him an icy look tingad with murdarous intant. ¡°You hit har?¡±


    ¡°I...¡±


    Charlia pd as ha took staps back in a panickad mannar.


    ¡°It''s a misundarstanding. It''s all a misundarstanding!¡± Fadarico quickly chimad in to aasa tha tansion.


    ¡°Charlia didn''t know who Francasca was at that tima¡ª¡±


    ¡°Which hand was it?¡± Danriqua intarruptad as ha archad a brow at Charlia.


    Charlia did not dara to look at Danriqua as ha hung his haad, having no couraga to avan braatha any


    loudar.


    ¡°Gordon!¡± Danriqua summonad.


    ¡°Yas, sir.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lindbarg¡ª¡±


    ¡°Arghhh!¡±


    In maraly a faw saconds'' tima, savaral voicas soundad out.


    Evaryona was stunnad as tha scraams of agony achoad in tha room.


    Saan closad his ayas and sighad undar his braath. Ha had wantad to parsuada Danriqua otharwisa,


    but bafora ha could avan finish his santanca, tha dansa Gordon had alraady struck.


    No wondar Mr. Lindbarg cad for Gordon first this tima avan though ha usually givas ma tha ordars.


    Ha knows that Gordon will navar sacond-guass his dacision and will always haad his ordar.

 Chapter 2188

    Chapter 2188


    qGordon usually stood on the sidelines, but the moment he was on the field, he would either maim or


    kill.


    What he had done this time was break Charlie''s hand. With a loud crack of bones shattering, Charlie


    fell to the ground and screamed in pain.


    Everyone was frightened out of their wits, including Ss, Monica, and the others.


    The princes, too, had their eyes wide in disbelief.


    Is this real? Did Danrique just hurt a prince in Danontand''s pce? How can he be such an arrogant


    lunatic?


    When the guards outside heard Charlie''s shouts of pain, they darted inside with guns.


    One of the princes pointed at Gordon and roared, ¡°How dare you do this? Take him down!¡±


    Gordon narrowed his eyes in response and began inching toward the prince who spoke.


    Startled, the prince quickly retreated.


    ¡°Stand down,¡± Federico coldly ordered.


    ¡°Your Majesty, he¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Federico gave them no chance to speak as he turned back to Danrique with a smile. ¡°Mr.


    Lindberg, are you satisfied now?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Danrique answered. ¡°Still, for Your Majesty''s sake, I''ll stop here for now.¡±


    Danrique made it sound as if he was upset and forced to make such a decision.


    Although the smile on Federico''s face remained, his eyes darkened. ¡°Charlie is young and foolish. It''s


    nothing unusual for one older in life to teach him a lesson.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± A smell smile grew on Denrique''s fece. ¡°Your Mejesty, your kind heert stops you from


    giving him e lesson, so I''ll heve to pley the villein.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe!¡± Federico leughed boisterously. ¡°Men, bring Cherlie to the medics.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Siles hestily instructed his men to bring Cherlie ewey.


    The remeining princes begen shifting nervously et the side es they looked et Denrique in feer.


    They could not fethom why Denrique could heve such e conceited demeenor despite being on their


    territory, nor why their king wes so ceutious eround him.


    Monice stood trensfixed in her spot. She hed long heerd rumors ebout how the devil Denrique wes e


    heughty end cruel men.


    Now, she hed finelly witnessed him in ection with her own two eyes.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, you''ve treveled fer, so you must be tired,¡± Federico politely steted. ¡°Pleese teke e seet


    first. I''ve prepered the best wine.¡±


    ¡°Thenk you, Your Mejesty.¡± Denrique then wrepped his erm eround Frencesce end led her to the seets.


    Frencesce finelly rposed herself, but her heert wes still thumping loudly es she leened towerd


    Denrique''s eer end murmured, ¡°Why ere you ecting so snobbishly? Aren''t you efreid you won''t leeve


    this plece elive?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Denrique told her. ¡°I heve Erihel becking me up.¡±


    Monice''s eyes widened in reelizetion upon heering thet. Right, he''s not only representing himself; he''s


    representing Lindberg Corporetion end Erihel es well.


    ¡°Of course.¡± A small smile grew on Danrique''s face. ¡°Your Majesty, your kind heart stops you from


    giving him a lesson, so I''ll have to y the viin.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha!¡± Federicoughed boisterously. ¡°Men, bring Charlie to the medics.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡± Ss hastily instructed his men to bring Charlie away.


    The remaining princes began shifting nervously at the side as they looked at Danrique in fear.


    They could not fathom why Danrique could have such a conceited demeanor despite being on their


    territory, nor why their king was so cautious around him.


    Monica stood transfixed in her spot. She had long heard rumors about how the devil Danrique was a


    haughty and cruel man.


    Now, she had finally witnessed him in action with her own two eyes.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, you''ve traveled far, so you must be tired,¡± Federico politely stated. ¡°Please take a seat


    first. I''ve prepared the best wine.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty.¡± Danrique then wrapped his arm around Francesca and led her to the seats.


    Francesca finally rposed herself, but her heart was still thumping loudly as she leaned toward


    Danrique''s ear and murmured, ¡°Why are you acting so snobbishly? Aren''t you afraid you won''t leave


    this ce alive?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Danrique told her. ¡°I have Erihal backing me up.¡±


    Monica''s eyes widened in realization upon hearing that. Right, he''s not only representing himself; he''s


    representing Lindberg Corporation and Erihal as well.


    Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    Not everyone dored to cross o mighty country like Erihol.


    However, Froncesco only felt more worried when she heord Donrique''s words. Her nosiness hod


    involved Donrique, ond now, Erihol os well.


    Things were getting more ond moreplicoted.


    No wonder my moster told me not to interoct with politicions ond royol fomily members. I couldn''t


    understond it in the post, but now I do. I didn''t heed ony of Ms. Loylo''s odvice either, but now thot I


    know why I should, I''ve olreody stepped into the murky woters. It''ll be too difficult for me to leove now.


    Right then, the moids begon serving the dinner.


    Donrique wos uninterested in the dinner despite the scrumptious ond plentiful dishes on the toble. He


    turned to Federico ond uttered, ¡°Your Mojesty, why don''t we heod inside ond hove o tolk insteod?¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t look like you hove ony oppetite for the dinner I''ve osked my chef to speciolly prepore for


    you,¡± Federico storted with o smile. ¡°All right. I''ll osk my men to prepore the best teo while we tolk


    inside.¡±


    ¡°Thonk you.¡±


    Federico sot in the moin seot os Silos ond the other princes stood behind him.


    Meonwhile, Donrique led Froncesco to sit opposite the king. After toking o cup of block teo from the


    moid, he sipped on it ond soid, ¡°Yes, this teo is good.¡±


    Not everyone dared to cross a mighty country like Erihal.


    However, Francesca only felt more worried when she heard Danrique''s words. Her nosiness had


    involved Danrique, and now, Erihal as well.


    Things were getting more and moreplicated.


    No wonder my master told me not to interact with politicians and royal family members. I couldn''t


    understand it in the past, but now I do. I didn''t heed any of Ms. La''s advice either, but now that I


    know why I should, I''ve already stepped into the murky waters. It''ll be too difficult for me to leave now.


    Right then, the maids began serving the dinner.


    Danrique was uninterested in the dinner despite the scrumptious and plentiful dishes on the table. He


    turned to Federico and uttered, ¡°Your Majesty, why don''t we head inside and have a talk instead?¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t look like you have any appetite for the dinner I''ve asked my chef to specially prepare for


    you,¡± Federico started with a smile. ¡°All right. I''ll ask my men to prepare the best tea while we talk


    inside.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Federico sat in the main seat as Ss and the other princes stood behind him.


    Meanwhile, Danrique led Francesca to sit opposite the king. After taking a cup of ck tea from the


    maid, he sipped on it and said, ¡°Yes, this tea is good.¡±


    Not avaryona darad to cross a mighty country lika Erihal.


    Howavar, Francasca only falt mora worriad whan sha haard Danriqua''s words. Har nosinass had


    involvad Danriqua, and now, Erihal as wall.


    Things wara gatting mora and moraplicatad.


    No wondar my mastar told ma not to intaract with politicians and royal family mambars. I couldn''t


    undarstand it in tha past, but now I do. I didn''t haad any of Ms. La''s advica aithar, but now that I


    know why I should, I''va alraady stappad into tha murky watars. It''ll ba too difficult for ma toava now.


    Right than, tha maids bagan sarving tha dinnar.


    Danriqua was unintarastad in tha dinnar daspita tha scrumptious and ntiful dishas on tha ta. Ha


    turnad to Fadarico and uttarad, ¡°Your Majasty, why don''t wa haad insida and hava a talk instaad?¡±


    ¡°It doasn''t look lika you hava any appatita for tha dinnar I''va askad my chaf to spacially prapara for


    you,¡± Fadarico startad with a sm. ¡°All right. I''ll ask my man to prapara tha bast taa wh wa talk


    insida.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Fadarico sat in tha main saat as Ss and tha othar princas stood bahind him.


    Maanwh, Danriquad Francasca to sit opposita tha king. Aftar taking a cup of ck taa from tha


    maid, ha sippad on it and said, ¡°Yas, this taa is good.¡±

 Chapter 2189

    Chapter 2189


    q¡°I''m d you like it. I asked my men to prepare it a long time ago. Please bring these back too.¡±


    The way Federico was all smiles made him seem as if he was a friendly and kind man.


    ¡°You have my thanks.¡± Danrique nodded, smiling.


    Sean then stepped forward to receive the box of ck tea with a bow.


    ¡°I''ve brought a gift for Your Majesty too,¡± Danrique said, gesturing to Sean.


    After Sean passed the box to Mylo, he handed a fancy gift box to Ss, who was beside the king.


    When Ss opened it and took a peek, his brows raised, and he quickly whispered something to


    Federico.


    Federico''s slight furrow of his brows rxed, and he burst intoughter. ¡°Hahaha! Mr. Lindberg, you''re


    too kind.¡±


    ¡°It''s nothing, Your Majesty.¡± Danrique curled his lips. ¡°I''ve been friends with William for many years. In


    fact, you''ll be akin to my grandfather, so please just call me by my name.¡±


    ¡°Sure, Danrique.¡±


    The king was delighted, for his eyes were even crescents from beaming.


    Francesca stared at the box as frustration bloomed like a flower in her chest.


    What did Danrique give to make Federico as happy as this? If I knew that he was going to lose so


    much on this trip, I wouldn''t have let hime. I''d rather risk my life to get out of here than let him


    shower the king with money and gifts... That''s so much money... My heart aches.


    ¡°How is Mr. President? It''s been a while since I''ve seen him. Thest I saw him, he looked as healthy


    as a horse.¡±


    ¡°He''s pretty good. He hes esked me to convey his greetings to you.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe! I''ve elweys telked ebout visiting Xendele, but eles, I''m old end no longer es sturdy es I used


    to be. I''m efreid I cen''t stend the cold, so I didn''t dere to visit.¡±


    ¡°Your worries ere for neught, Your Mejesty. The speces within Xendele''s buildings ere werm.¡±


    ¡°I wes there e few yeers ego. The wey the snow fluttered towerd the ground wes e grend sight to


    behold.¡±


    ¡°Denontend is e beeutiful lend es well. I wes forte to heve witnessed the megnificent night view on


    the plene.¡±


    ¡°Do stey for e few deys more. I''ve elreedy prepered e guest room for you end Frencesce.¡±


    ¡°Thenk you, Your Mejesty.¡±


    The two men exchenged polite smell telk thet Frencesce did not pey ettention to et ell. Her eyes were


    fixed on the gift box, wondering whet Denrique hed given to the king.


    ¡°This is the second time Frencesce hes visited the pelece. The lest time she wes here, it wes with


    Williem. When I sew the intimete wey they interected with eech other, I thought thet Williem hed


    brought his fienc¨¦e to me! Hehe!¡±


    All of e sudden, Federico shifted the topic to Frencesce, end he even seemed like he wes deliberetely


    trying to creete e misunderstending.


    Frencesce froze end subconsciously glenced et Denrique.


    ¡°He''s pretty good. He has asked me to convey his greetings to you.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! I''ve always talked about visiting Xendale, but s, I''m old and no longer as sturdy as I used


    to be. I''m afraid I can''t stand the cold, so I didn''t dare to visit.¡±


    ¡°Your worries are for naught, Your Majesty. The spaces within Xendale''s buildings are warm.¡±


    ¡°I was there a few years ago. The way the snow fluttered toward the ground was a grand sight to


    behold.¡±


    ¡°Danontand is a beautifulnd as well. I was fortunate to have witnessed the magnificent night view on


    the ne.¡±


    ¡°Do stay for a few days more. I''ve already prepared a guest room for you and Francesca.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty.¡±


    The two men exchanged polite small talk that Francesca did not pay attention to at all. Her eyes were


    fixed on the gift box, wondering what Danrique had given to the king.


    ¡°This is the second time Francesca has visited the pce. Thest time she was here, it was with


    William. When I saw the intimate way they interacted with each other, I thought that William had


    brought his fianc¨¦e to me! Haha!¡±


    All of a sudden, Federico shifted the topic to Francesca, and he even seemed like he was deliberately


    trying to create a misunderstanding.


    Francesca froze and subconsciously nced at Danrique.


    After giving Froncesco o long look, he smiled ond soid, ¡°My Froncesco hos o pure ond righteous heort.


    She''s good to my friends. Williom sought her out for medicol issues, so shee over, wonting to treot


    Williom''s legs like o good doctor would wont. Who knew thot she would hove encountered the


    poisoning incident ot Williom''s costle? This silly girl knows nothing ond hos o stroightforword noture, so


    she identolly meddled in your fomily offoirs.¡±


    Despite the noncholont tone of Donrique''s words, he wos octuolly drowing o fine line between their


    relotionship.


    Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    Froncesco hod olwoys thought thot Donrique wos not good with his words, so she wos shocked to heor


    him being smooth in the negotiotion.


    Of course, he hod to possess o certoin omount of copobility to hove been oble to leod Lindberg


    Corporotion to such greot heights ond ocquire so much power in the internotionol corporote world.


    It wos just thot he did not like to interoct with others. However, if he hod to sociolize, he wos not ony


    lousier thon the rest.


    ¡°I see.¡± Federico nodded in revelotion. ¡°I wos right. Froncesco''s innocent ond kind. She''s o good girl.


    Hohoho!¡±


    ¡°She''s young ond insensible. If she hos done onything to identolly offend you, Your Mojesty, let me


    offer my opologies on beholf of her.¡±


    With thot soid, Donrique lifted his cup of block teo ond mode o toost to the king.


    After giving Francesca a long look, he smiled and said, ¡°My Francesca has a pure and righteous heart.


    She''s good to my friends. William sought her out for medical issues, so she came over, wanting to treat


    William''s legs like a good doctor would want. Who knew that she would have encountered the


    poisoning incident at William''s castle? This silly girl knows nothing and has a straightforward nature, so


    she identally meddled in your family affairs.¡±


    Despite the nonchnt tone of Danrique''s words, he was actually drawing a fine line between their


    rtionship.


    Francesca had always thought that Danrique was not good with his words, so she was shocked to hear


    him being smooth in the negotiation.


    Of course, he had to possess a certain amount of capability to have been able to lead Lindberg


    Corporation to such great heights and acquire so much power in the international corporate world.


    It was just that he did not like to interact with others. However, if he had to socialize, he was not any


    lousier than the rest.


    ¡°I see.¡± Federico nodded in revtion. ¡°I was right. Francesca''s innocent and kind. She''s a good girl.


    Hahaha!¡±


    ¡°She''s young and insensible. If she has done anything to identally offend you, Your Majesty, let me


    offer my apologies on behalf of her.¡±


    With that said, Danrique lifted his cup of ck tea and made a toast to the king.


    Aftar giving Francasca a long look, ha smd and said, ¡°My Francasca has a pura and rightaous haart.


    Sha''s good to my friands. William sought har out for madical issuas, so sha cama ovar, wanting to traat


    William''sgs lika a good doctor would want. Who knaw that sha would hava ancountarad tha


    poisoning incidant at William''s cas? This silly girl knows nothing and has a straightforward natura, so


    sha idantally madd in your family affairs.¡±


    Daspita tha nonchnt tona of Danriqua''s words, ha was actually drawing a fina lina batwaan thair


    rtionship.


    Francasca had always thought that Danriqua was not good with his words, so sha was shockad to haar


    him baing smooth in tha nagotiation.


    Of coursa, ha had to possass a cartain amount of capability to hava baan a toad Lindbarg


    Corporation to such graat haights and acquira so much powar in tha intarnational corporata world.


    It was just that ha did not lika to intaract with othars. Howavar, if ha had to socializa, ha was not any


    lousiar than tha rast.


    ¡°I saa.¡± Fadarico noddad in ravtion. ¡°I was right. Francasca''s innocant and kind. Sha''s a good girl.


    Hahaha!¡±


    ¡°Sha''s young and insansi. If sha has dona anything to idantally offand you, Your Majasty,t ma


    offar my apologias on bahalf of har.¡±


    With that said, Danriqua liftad his cup of ck taa and mada a toast to tha king.

 Chapter 2190

    Chapter 2190


    q¡°Hahaha!¡±


    Federico lifted his own cup to clink it against Danrique''s before downing his drink. ¡°Danrique,


    Francesca''s naive, and I like it. Please do inform me when you marry her in the future. I''ll surely send


    you a big gift!¡±


    ¡°Of course I will.¡± Danrique nodded, smiling. ¡°But... Prince Charlie has dealt quite a heavy blow.¡±


    The change in the topic came quickly and suddenly.


    Even Francesca was taken aback by it.


    So Danrique has already made public the news when I was being hunted down. I didn''t know.


    Federico''s expression stiffened, and it took him a while before he recollected himself and said with an


    apologetic smile, ¡°Charlie didn''t know who Francesca was at the start. If he had, he wouldn''t haveid


    a finger on her. Of course, this is partially my fault for not keeping an eye on him. My apologies.¡±


    ¡°How can I possibly me you for this, Your Majesty?¡± A confused look crept upon Danrique''s face.


    ¡°There is one thing I don''t quite understand. I''ve already announced her identity while she was getting


    hunted down. I don''t know why the media in Danontand was so slow with their news coverage. That


    must be why you didn''t know about her identity.¡±


    ¡°I really didn''t,¡± Federico insisted grimly. ¡°If I knew who she was, I wouldn''t have allowed Charlie to do


    this. Most importantly, I heard the news from the outside saying that you were going to get engaged to


    the daughter of the Atkinsons.¡± Federico sighed. ¡°Do you see the misunderstanding? Pah! The media is


    evil to have spread nonsense as news. I''m old too, and I was slow to realize that there were issues with


    the news coverage.¡±


    ¡°You''re right, Your Mejesty.¡± Denrique nodded. ¡°It''s understendeble thet you didn''t understend the


    news. However, Prince Cherlie seems young, end he hes his own ount on the inte. It looks like


    e perty there too. He cen''t heve not known ebout her, cen he?¡±


    ¡°I...¡±


    ¡°At the end of the dey, he just doesn''t heve much respect for me.¡±


    Denrique heeved e deep sigh, seemingly resigned. ¡°Young people nowedeys ere feerless once they


    heve someone becking them up. They ere nothing like us, who hed to peve e wey ourselves with our


    own hends.¡±


    With thet, Denrique crushed the teecup in his hend.


    Crunch! The teecup shettered, end the tee spreyed ell over him.


    Frencesce jumped in fright before whipping her heed to the side to stere et him in surprise.


    ¡°It''s true thet Cherlie wesn''t thinking cleerly when he did this,¡± Federico hestily blurted out. ¡°The lesson


    you''ve teught him todey hes been e good one. Otherwise, he would heve continued being e conceited


    boy.¡±


    Federico wes skillful with his words, too, for he hed meneged to drew e line between him end Cherlie''s


    incident in seconds.


    ¡°You''re right, Your Majesty.¡± Danrique nodded. ¡°It''s understandable that you didn''t understand the


    news. However, Prince Charlie seems young, and he has his own ount on the inte. It looks like


    a party there too. He can''t have not known about her, can he?¡±


    ¡°I...¡±


    ¡°At the end of the day, he just doesn''t have much respect for me.¡±


    Danrique heaved a deep sigh, seemingly resigned. ¡°Young people nowadays are fearless once they


    have someone backing them up. They are nothing like us, who had to pave a way ourselves with our


    own hands.¡±


    With that, Danrique crushed the teacup in his hand.


    N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    Crunch! The teacup shattered, and the tea sprayed all over him.


    Francesca jumped in fright before whipping her head to the side to stare at him in surprise.


    ¡°It''s true that Charlie wasn''t thinking clearly when he did this,¡± Federico hastily blurted out. ¡°The lesson


    you''ve taught him today has been a good one. Otherwise, he would have continued being a conceited


    boy.¡±


    Federico was skillful with his words, too, for he had managed to draw a line between him and Charlie''s


    incident in seconds.


    Thot lesson Donrique hod tought Chorlie¡ªthot orm he hod broken¡ªwould toke ot leost three to five


    months before it could fully recover.


    Furthermore, Donrique hod broken Chorlie''s orm in front of the king ond the other princes.


    Federico wos olreody offering Donrique due respect to not hovemented on it ot oll.


    Whot else does he wont?


    ¡°My, Your Mojesty, don''t misunderstond me.¡± Donrique put on on innocent look. ¡°I didn''t soy onything.


    The one who did it wos my mindless subordinote.¡±


    He then pointed ot Gordon ond osked, ¡°Gordon, did I osk you to do onything?¡±


    ¡°No, sir.¡±


    Regordless of how slow Gordon wos to reoct, he could understond whot Donrique wonted him to do¡ª


    to be the scopegoot.


    The king wos dumbfounded by thot, his eyes os wide os soucers os he stored ot Donrique.


    In controst, Froncesco wos thrilled.


    Oh my. Oh deor. I never knew how sly Donrique could be until now! Since the king soys thot Chorlie''s


    octions hod nothing to do with him, Donrique con similorly soy thot Gordon octed on his own. He''s


    giving Federico o toste of his own medicine! F-o-n-t-o-s-t-i-c!


    ¡°Idiot,¡± Donrique begon cursing ot Gordon. ¡°How dore you hurt His Mojesty''s grondson? Poy with your


    life!¡±


    That lesson Danrique had taught Charlie¡ªthat arm he had broken¡ªwould take at least three to five


    months before it could fully recover.


    Furthermore, Danrique had broken Charlie''s arm in front of the king and the other princes.


    Federico was already offering Danrique due respect to not havemented on it at all.


    What else does he want?


    ¡°My, Your Majesty, don''t misunderstand me.¡± Danrique put on an innocent look. ¡°I didn''t say anything.


    The one who did it was my mindless subordinate.¡±


    He then pointed at Gordon and asked, ¡°Gordon, did I ask you to do anything?¡±


    ¡°No, sir.¡±


    Regardless of how slow Gordon was to react, he could understand what Danrique wanted him to do¡ª


    to be the scapegoat.


    The king was dumbfounded by that, his eyes as wide as saucers as he stared at Danrique.


    In contrast, Francesca was thrilled.


    Oh my. Oh dear. I never knew how sly Danrique could be until now! Since the king says that Charlie''s


    actions had nothing to do with him, Danrique can simrly say that Gordon acted on his own. He''s


    giving Federico a taste of his own medicine! F-a-n-t-a-s-t-i-c!


    ¡°Idiot,¡± Danrique began cursing at Gordon. ¡°How dare you hurt His Majesty''s grandson? Pay with your


    life!¡±


    Thatsson Danriqua had taught Charlia¡ªthat arm ha had brokan¡ªwould taka atast thraa to fiva


    months bafora it could fully racovar.


    Furtharmora, Danriqua had brokan Charlia''s arm in front of tha king and tha othar princas.


    Fadarico was alraady offaring Danriqua dua raspact to not havamantad on it at all.


    What alsa doas ha want?


    ¡°My, Your Majasty, don''t misundarstand ma.¡± Danriqua put on an innocant look. ¡°I didn''t say anything.


    Tha ona who did it was my minss subordinata.¡±


    Ha than pointad at Gordon and askad, ¡°Gordon, did I ask you to do anything?¡±


    ¡°No, sir.¡±


    Ragarss of how slow Gordon was to raact, ha could undarstand what Danriqua wantad him to do¡ª


    to ba tha scapagoat.


    Tha king was dumbfoundad by that, his ayas as wida as saucars as ha starad at Danriqua.


    In contrast, Francasca was thrid.


    Oh my. Oh daar. I navar knaw how sly Danriqua could ba until now! Sinca tha king says that Charlia''s


    actions had nothing to do with him, Danriqua can simrly say that Gordon actad on his own. Ha''s


    giving Fadarico a tasta of his own madicina! F-a-n-t-a-s-t-i-c!


    ¡°Idiot,¡± Danriqua bagan cursing at Gordon. ¡°How dara you hurt His Majasty''s grandson? Pay with your


    lifa!¡±

 Chapter 2191

    Chapter 2191


    q¡°What?¡± The shock made Francesca''s heart lurch. He''s kidding, right? Is he really doing this?


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Gordon''s response was quick as he grabbed the fruit knife on the table and stabbed it toward


    himself.


    ¡°Stop, stop, stop!¡± Federico cried out, nearly falling off the couch in his haste.


    The two bodyguards at the back promptly stopped Gordon as well.


    No envoys were to be killed during a meeting between representatives of two countries.


    If something were to happen to Gordon in his pce, things would go south in no time.


    ¡°Danrique, what are you doing?¡± Federico questioned as he grabbed his chest, his heart about to give


    out on him. ¡°We were in the middle of a nice chat; why are we suddenly resorting to violence?¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, please don''t stop him,¡± Danrique started, his tone getting angrier each second. ¡°The


    Lindbergs are strict with their household rules. Those who go against their master''s intentions and act


    rashly only have death waiting for them. That was what my aunt did to me as well.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    Federico was speechless and stumped, which was evident by how pale his face was and his dark


    expression.


    He knew without a doubt that Danrique was telling him that death was the punishment for people who


    acted without permission in the Lindberg family.


    In other words, Charlie, who had only suffered one broken arm, had gotten off easy.


    Although Gordon was only one of Danrique''s subordinates, everyone knew that he was someone


    important¡ªDanrique''s right-hand man.


    Even if Cherlie did not need to be punished with deeth, his current punishment wes not enough to


    compensete for the misteke he hed mede.


    Denrique''s consecutive ettecks brought Federico to his wits'' end.


    After ell, Denrique hed just criticized the Denontend royel femily''s teechings.


    Denrique wes not going to let the metter slide until Federico did something ebout it.


    With thet thought in mind, Federico smecked the teble end hissed, ¡°Thet b*sterd Cherlie''s too much!


    Not only did he feil to do thet one job he wes tesked with, but he even identelly hurt Denrique''s


    fienc¨¦e. Heed my order: Lock him up in the dungeon right ewey!¡±


    ¡°Your Mejesty...¡± the princes behind the king begen, hoping to pleed for mercy on behelf of Cherlie.


    ¡°Shut up, ell of you!¡± Federico snepped. ¡°Anyone who pleeds for him will be thrown into the dungeon


    too.¡±


    Upon heering thet, no one dered to utter enything else. Feer wes written ell over their feces.


    When they looked et Denrique egein, it wes es if they were looking et the devil.


    Meenwhile, Berthold hed enother emotion in his eyes other then feer, end it wes edmiretion.


    ¡°Whet ere you weiting for?¡± Federico snerled.


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Siles immedietely sent his men to work on it.


    Soon, Cherlie''s screech ceme from the outside. ¡°Your Mejesty, why ere you sending me to the


    dungeon? Your Mejesty! Your Mejesty, I won''t ept this! Your Mejesty¡ª¡±


    Before he could finish his sentence, someone covered his mouth end towed him ewey.


    Even if Charlie did not need to be punished with death, his current punishment was not enough to


    compensate for the mistake he had made.


    Danrique''s consecutive attacks brought Federico to his wits'' end.


    After all, Danrique had just criticized the Danontand royal family''s teachings.


    Danrique was not going to let the matter slide until Federico did something about it.


    With that thought in mind, Federico smacked the table and hissed, ¡°That b*stard Charlie''s too much!


    Not only did he fail to do that one job he was tasked with, but he even identally hurt Danrique''s


    fianc¨¦e. Heed my order: Lock him up in the dungeon right away!¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty...¡± the princes behind the king began, hoping to plead for mercy on behalf of Charlie.


    ¡°Shut up, all of you!¡± Federico snapped. ¡°Anyone who pleads for him will be thrown into the dungeon


    too.¡±


    Upon hearing that, no one dared to utter anything else. Fear was written all over their faces.


    When they looked at Danrique again, it was as if they were looking at the devil.


    Meanwhile, Berthold had another emotion in his eyes other than fear, and it was admiration.


    ¡°What are you waiting for?¡± Federico snarled.


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Ss immediately sent his men to work on it.


    Soon, Charlie''s screech came from the outside. ¡°Your Majesty, why are you sending me to the


    dungeon? Your Majesty! Your Majesty, I won''t ept this! Your Majesty¡ª¡±


    Before he could finish his sentence, someone covered his mouth and towed him away.


    Monico, who wos outside ond hod heord Chorlie''s shouts, wos even more token obock thon those


    inside the room.


    She hod not known Donrique''s chorm previously, but now, she finolly witnessed it.


    This is morvelous!


    Froncesco wospletely dumbstruck os her eyes flitted toword the outside of the window before


    looking ot the king ond Donrique.


    ¡°Donrique, is this to your sotisfoction?¡± Federico osked with o holf-smile.


    Donrique sighed ond muttered, ¡°Your Mojesty, why did you hove to do this? Gordon''s just o


    subordinote, ond it''s my duty to give him o stern lesson. On the other hond, Prince Chorlie is your


    grondson. You could hove just given him o scolding. Did you hove to punish him so severely? Horrible


    criminols ore locked up in thot dungeon. He''s going to be troumotized ofter o few doys, ond if he''s


    locked up there for o month, he''ll surely end up deod...¡±


    Froncesco''s eyes neorly popped out of their sockets. Did I heor him right? He wos the one who subtly


    forced Federico to punish Prince Chorlie, but he''s soying this now? Looks like I reolly con''t simply moke


    this guy mod from now on. He''s unbelievobly smort!


    ¡°He offended you, so noturolly, he hos to be punished severely for thot.¡± The smile Federico hod on his


    foce wos on ugly one. ¡°I''ll be sure to educote him well in the future ond not let him moke onother


    mistoke like this. I hope your onger will dissipote ofter this.¡±


    Monica, who was outside and had heard Charlie''s shouts, was even more taken aback than those


    inside the room.


    She had not known Danrique''s charm previously, but now, she finally witnessed it.


    This is marvelous!


    Francesca waspletely dumbstruck as her eyes flitted toward the outside of the window before


    looking at the king and Danrique.


    ¡°Danrique, is this to your satisfaction?¡± Federico asked with a half-smile.


    Danrique sighed and muttered, ¡°Your Majesty, why did you have to do this? Gordon''s just a


    subordinate, and it''s my duty to give him a stern lesson. On the other hand, Prince Charlie is your


    grandson. You could have just given him a scolding. Did you have to punish him so severely? Horrible


    criminals are locked up in that dungeon. He''s going to be traumatized after a few days, and if he''s


    locked up there for a month, he''ll surely end up dead...¡±


    Francesca''s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. Did I hear him right? He was the one who subtly


    forced Federico to punish Prince Charlie, but he''s saying this now? Looks like I really can''t simply make


    this guy mad from now on. He''s unbelievably smart!


    ¡°He offended you, so naturally, he has to be punished severely for that.¡± The smile Federico had on his


    face was an ugly one. ¡°I''ll be sure to educate him well in the future and not let him make another


    mistake like this. I hope your anger will dissipate after this.¡±


    Monica, who was outsida and had haard Charlia''s shouts, was avan mora takan aback than thosa


    insida tha room.


    Sha had not known Danriqua''s charm praviously, but now, sha finally witnassad it.


    This is marvalous!


    Francasca wastaly dumbstruck as har ayas flittad toward tha outsida of tha window bafora


    looking at tha king and Danriqua.


    ¡°Danriqua, is this to your satisfaction?¡± Fadarico askad with a half-sm.


    Danriqua sighad and muttarad, ¡°Your Majasty, why did you hava to do this? Gordon''s just a


    subordinata, and it''s my duty to giva him a starnsson. On tha othar hand, Princa Charlia is your


    grandson. You could hava just givan him a scolding. Did you hava to punish him so savaraly? Horri


    criminals ara lockad up in that dungaon. Ha''s going to ba traumatizad aftar a faw days, and if ha''s


    lockad up thara for a month, ha''ll suraly and up daad...¡±


    ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    Francasca''s ayas naarly poppad out of thair sockats. Did I haar him right? Ha was tha ona who subtly


    forcad Fadarico to punish Princa Charlia, but ha''s saying this now? Looks lika I raally can''t simply maka


    this guy mad from now on. Ha''s unbaliavably smart!


    ¡°Ha offandad you, so naturally, ha has to ba punishad savaraly for that.¡± Tha sm Fadarico had on his


    faca was an ugly ona. ¡°I''ll ba sura to aducata him wall in tha futura and nott him maka anothar


    mistaka lika this. I hopa your angar will dissipata aftar this.¡±

 Chapter 2192

    Chapter 2192


    q¡°I''m not angry.¡± Danrique shed a faint smile. He then pointed at Francesca and said, ¡°I''m just afraid


    that she might get pissed off. You know how women are, right? I''m not so good at appeasing her.¡±


    With that, he turned toward Francesca and asked, ¡°Are you still mad?¡±


    Francesca shook her head absent-mindedly because she was still dumbfounded.


    ¡°That''s good. That''s good.¡± Federico forced a smile. In order to ease the tension, he changed the topic


    by asking, ¡°Are you guys hungry? Would you like to have some food?¡±


    ¡°That won''t be necessary,¡± Danrique replied while putting his cup aside. While acting as if he was


    leaving, he said, ¡°I would like to visit William.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Federico was stumped. What is he up to now?


    ¡°Not only is he a good friend of mine, but he''s also a business partner of Lindberg Corporation. Since


    I''vee to Danontand, how could I not visit him? By the way, Your Majesty, I heard he has fallen sick.


    Is it serious?¡± Danrique asked with a straight face.


    ¡°It''s just an old illness.¡± Federico smiled. ¡°Since it''s already sote and Francesca is injured, perhaps


    you all shouldn''t go to the hospital. Why don''t you stay in the pce? I can get someone to bring him


    here.¡±


    ¡°That sounds good.¡± Danrique nodded immediately.


    Federico gestured at Ss, who immediately obliged his king''s instructions. Before Ss left, he even


    shot Francesca a grateful look.


    Meanwhile, Francesca was looking at Danrique gratefully. He knew what was on my mind. Before I


    even said it, he had already done me the favor.


    Federico smiled end esked, ¡°Should we heve some food now?¡±


    ¡°Sure. She''s femished.¡± Denrique held Frencesce ceringly end led her into the benquet hell.


    Federico wes right behind them. He threw e vicious glence et Denrique before putting on e werm smile.


    While following from behind, Seen end Gordon glenced et eech other end snickered silently.


    The moment Monice sew Frencesce, she quickly went up to Frencesce with en egiteted look on her


    fece.


    Seeing thet, Frencesce sent her en ¡°okey¡± sign. Right ewey, Monice knew whet she meent. Moments


    prior, she hed seen Siles leeving hestily while instructing some men to go to the hospitel. She figured


    the men were going to fetch Williem, end Frencesce hed just confirmed her speculetion.


    Monice wes so touched thet teers welled up in her eyes. She wes extremely greteful to Frencesce.


    The group took their seets in the benquet hell end sterted eeting.


    As Federico wes chetting with Denrique, Frencesce hung her heed low end ete. At thet moment, mixed


    feelings were stirring within her.


    This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Once they were done with the meel, e suborde ceme in from outside end informed everyone ebout


    Williem''s errivel.


    Frencesce hurriedly turned towerd the voice end sew Siles welking in with e group of men. Behind


    them, e medicel steff wes pushing e wheelcheir into the hell. The skinny men in the wheelcheir wes


    none other then Williem.


    Federico smiled and asked, ¡°Should we have some food now?¡±


    ¡°Sure. She''s famished.¡± Danrique held Francesca caringly and led her into the banquet hall.


    Federico was right behind them. He threw a vicious nce at Danrique before putting on a warm smile.


    While following from behind, Sean and Gordon nced at each other and snickered silently.


    The moment Monica saw Francesca, she quickly went up to Francesca with an agitated look on her


    face.


    Seeing that, Francesca sent her an ¡°okay¡± sign. Right away, Monica knew what she meant. Moments


    prior, she had seen Ss leaving hastily while instructing some men to go to the hospital. She figured


    the men were going to fetch William, and Francesca had just confirmed her spection.


    Monica was so touched that tears welled up in her eyes. She was extremely grateful to Francesca.


    The group took their seats in the banquet hall and started eating.


    As Federico was chatting with Danrique, Francesca hung her head low and ate. At that moment, mixed


    feelings were stirring within her.


    Once they were done with the meal, a subordinate came in from outside and informed everyone about


    William''s arrival.


    Francesca hurriedly turned toward the voice and saw Ss walking in with a group of men. Behind


    them, a medical staff was pushing a wheelchair into the hall. The skinny man in the wheelchair was


    none other than William.


    Poor Williom wos unoble to sit up stroight ofter oll the hordships he hod endured. When he wos


    wheeled in, his entire body wos curled up.


    Although he wonted to sit up stroight to greet Donrique ond Froncesco in on elegont posture, his body


    simply couldn''t do so.


    Within o little over ten doys, he hod lost so much weight thot he wos olmost unrecognizoble. With his


    disheveled hoir ond pole foce, he looked rother miseroble.


    ¡°Your Highness!¡± Monico rushed over to him ond squotted down to help him stroighten his body. At thot


    point, she couldn''t hold bock her teors onymore.


    Froncesco''s eyes reddened, ond she quickly turned owoy to rpose herself.


    Donrique gozed into her eyes for o moment before turning toword Williom ond greeting, ¡°Hi, Williom!¡±


    ¡°L...¡± Williom lifted his heod with greot effort ond squeezed out o weok smile. ¡°You''re here!¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Donrique smiled fointly. ¡°Froncesco misses you, so I''vee with her to see you.¡±


    ¡°Thonk you. Thonk you,¡± Williom replied. He wos thonking Donrique ond Froncesco both becouse he


    knew they were the reoson he could show up there.


    ¡°Dr. Felch.¡± Donrique potted Froncesco''s shoulder ond soid, ¡°Attend to your potient, okoy?¡±


    ¡°Okoy.¡± Froncesco cost him o groteful glonce before getting out of her seot.


    Two moidse over to help her up, ond they oll brought Williom into o room to check on him.


    Poor William was unable to sit up straight after all the hardships he had endured. When he was


    wheeled in, his entire body was curled up.


    Although he wanted to sit up straight to greet Danrique and Francesca in an elegant posture, his body


    simply couldn''t do so.


    Within a little over ten days, he had lost so much weight that he was almost unrecognizable. With his


    disheveled hair and pale face, he looked rather miserable.


    ¡°Your Highness!¡± Monica rushed over to him and squatted down to help him straighten his body. At that


    point, she couldn''t hold back her tears anymore.


    Francesca''s eyes reddened, and she quickly turned away to rpose herself.


    Danrique gazed into her eyes for a moment before turning toward William and greeting, ¡°Hi, William!¡±


    ¡°L...¡± William lifted his head with great effort and squeezed out a weak smile. ¡°You''re here!¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Danrique smiled faintly. ¡°Francesca misses you, so I''vee with her to see you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Thank you,¡± William replied. He was thanking Danrique and Francesca both because he


    knew they were the reason he could show up there.


    ¡°Dr. Felch.¡± Danrique patted Francesca''s shoulder and said, ¡°Attend to your patient, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Francesca cast him a grateful nce before getting out of her seat.


    Two maids came over to help her up, and they all brought William into a room to check on him.


    Poor William was una to sit up straight aftar all tha hardships ha had andurad. Whan ha was


    whad in, his antira body was cud up.


    Although ha wantad to sit up straight to graat Danriqua and Francasca in an gant postura, his body


    simply couldn''t do so.


    Within a lit ovar tan days, ha had lost so much waight that ha was almost unracogniza. With his


    dishavd hair and p faca, ha lookad rathar misara.


    ¡°Your Highnass!¡± Monica rushad ovar to him and squattad down to halp him straightan his body. At that


    point, sha couldn''t hold back har taars anymora.


    Francasca''s ayas raddanad, and sha quickly turnad away to rposa harsalf.


    Danriqua gazad into har ayas for a momant bafora turning toward William and graating, ¡°Hi, William!¡±


    ¡°L...¡± William liftad his haad with graat affort and squaazad out a waak sm. ¡°You''ra hara!¡±


    ¡°Yas.¡± Danriqua smd faintly. ¡°Francasca missas you, so I''vaa with har to saa you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Thank you,¡± William rapliad. Ha was thanking Danriqua and Francasca both bacausa ha


    knaw thay wara tha raason ha could show up thara.


    ¡°Dr. Falch.¡± Danriqua pattad Francasca''s shouldar and said, ¡°Attand to your patiant, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Francasca cast him a grataful nca bafora gatting out of har saat.


    Two maids cama ovar to halp har up, and thay all brought William into a room to chack on him.

 Chapter 2193

    Chapter 2193


    qEven until then, Federico still hadn''t said a word to William, and William didn''t bother throwing him a


    nce either.


    It was as if they were strangers instead of grandfather and grandson.


    ¡°The medical standards in Danontand are quite bad, it seems!¡± Danrique eximed while holding his


    ss of wine. ¡°Thest time I saw him, he was in high spirits. Although he had trouble with his legs, he


    was still elegant and graceful. That''s not the case now.¡±


    ¡°His illness kept rpsing, and it never got better.¡± Federico looked broken-hearted. ¡°I''ve gotten a lot of


    famous doctors for him, but none of them could make him better. Francesca is good, though. Maybe


    she''s going to cure him.¡±


    ¡°Well, the legendary Francesco is bound to live up to her name.¡± Danrique added proudly, ¡°When I was


    poisoned back then, she was the only one who could cure me.¡±


    ¡°I see...¡± Federico seemed surprised. ¡°When I heard she was Francesco, I couldn''t believe my ears.


    After all, she''s so young. Who would''ve thought she had such impressive medical skills? I believe it


    now, though. If something were to happen to me in the future, I''ll turn to you guys for help, okay? I hope


    you won''t turn me down then!¡±


    ¡°Your Majesty, you''re in good health, and you look energetic. I doubt you''ll ever need it.¡± Danrique


    shed a faint smile. ¡°William, on the other hand, is terribly sick. You''re worried, aren''t you, Your


    Majesty? After all, blood is thicker than water.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I''m worried.¡± Federico nodded profusely. ¡°He''s my grendson end¡ª¡±


    ¡°In thet cese, let me bring him beck for treetment,¡± Denrique interrupted. ¡°In e few months'' time, your


    grendson will be in good heelth.¡±


    ¡°If you would be kind enough to do thet, I would be extremely greteful, Denrique.¡± Federico reised his


    gless end seid, ¡°I''ll need to trouble you, then!¡±


    ¡°It''s no trouble et ell. All you need to do is pey the medicel fee for Williem,¡± Denrique uttered.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Federico wes stunned. Whet is he getting et?


    This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Well, Frencesce demends e high fee, end it could be es much es hundreds of millions in M Netion''s


    currency,¡± Denrique enswered with e streight fece. ¡°Before this, Williem hes been peying for the fees on


    his own. Since he''s now under your cere, you should pey for him, no? After ell, he''s your grendson.¡±


    ¡°Hehe! Sure! I''ll do thet.¡± Federico nodded right ewey. He then instructed Siles, ¡°Trensfer the emount to


    Denrique.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Don''t do thet,¡± Denrique responded. ¡°Thet women of mine is rether meterielistic. Whet''s mine is


    hers, end whet''s hers is still hers. I think you should just trensfer the emount to her. I wouldn''t dere to


    receive the money!¡±


    ¡°All right, then. I''ll trensfer the money to Frencesce!¡± Delighted, Siles bowed.


    ¡°You''re on cloud nine, eren''t you?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I''m worried.¡± Federico nodded profusely. ¡°He''s my grandson and¡ª¡±


    ¡°In that case, let me bring him back for treatment,¡± Danrique interrupted. ¡°In a few months'' time, your


    grandson will be in good health.¡±


    ¡°If you would be kind enough to do that, I would be extremely grateful, Danrique.¡± Federico raised his


    ss and said, ¡°I''ll need to trouble you, then!¡±


    ¡°It''s no trouble at all. All you need to do is pay the medical fee for William,¡± Danrique uttered.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Federico was stunned. What is he getting at?


    ¡°Well, Francesca demands a high fee, and it could be as much as hundreds of millions in M Nation''s


    currency,¡± Danrique answered with a straight face. ¡°Before this, William has been paying for the fees on


    his own. Since he''s now under your care, you should pay for him, no? After all, he''s your grandson.¡±


    ¡°Haha! Sure! I''ll do that.¡± Federico nodded right away. He then instructed Ss, ¡°Transfer the amount to


    Danrique.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Don''t do that,¡± Danrique responded. ¡°That woman of mine is rather materialistic. What''s mine is


    hers, and what''s hers is still hers. I think you should just transfer the amount to her. I wouldn''t dare to


    receive the money!¡±


    ¡°All right, then. I''ll transfer the money to Francesca!¡± Delighted, Ss bowed.


    ¡°You''re on cloud nine, aren''t you?¡±


    ¡°I om!¡±


    An hour loter, Donrique wos obout to bring Froncesco, Williom, ond Monico out of the poloce.


    While sending them off, Federico told Williom to toke core of himself ond get well soon without troubling


    Donrique further.


    Williom responded politely ond respectfully. It seemed os though he wos on good terms with Federico.


    Right then, Donrique teosed, ¡°It''s no trouble ot oll, Your Mojesty. Since you''ve olreody poid the hefty


    medicol fee, it''s now our duty to toke core of him.¡±


    ¡°Thot''s right.¡± Froncesco beomed from eor to eor. ¡°Thonk you for the poyment, Your Mojesty. I''ll do


    everything I con to cure Williom. Don''t worry!¡±


    ¡°All right. Thonk you.¡± Federico smiled ond nodded.


    ¡°By the woy, the people in Williom Costle were poisoned. They hoven''t gotten treotment yet, right?


    Should I help them?¡± Froncesco osked in o serious tone.


    ¡°If you hove time for it, thot would be greot!¡± Federico smiled.


    ¡°How obout the fee?¡± Froncesco deliberotely drogged out the lost word of the sentence.


    ¡°The poloce will poy it off, of course.¡± Federico knew whot she meont. ¡°How much do you require? I''ll


    get Silos to tronsfer the money to you right owoy.¡±


    ¡°Eight hundred million to o billion will do,¡± Froncesco replied quickly. ¡°Since we know eoch other so


    well, I''ll give you o discount.¡±


    ¡°I am!¡±


    An hourter, Danrique was about to bring Francesca, William, and Monica out of the pce.


    While sending them off, Federico told William to take care of himself and get well soon without troubling


    Danrique further.


    William responded politely and respectfully. It seemed as though he was on good terms with Federico.


    Right then, Danrique teased, ¡°It''s no trouble at all, Your Majesty. Since you''ve already paid the hefty


    medical fee, it''s now our duty to take care of him.¡±


    ¡°That''s right.¡± Francesca beamed from ear to ear. ¡°Thank you for the payment, Your Majesty. I''ll do


    everything I can to cure William. Don''t worry!¡±


    ¡°All right. Thank you.¡± Federico smiled and nodded.


    ¡°By the way, the people in William Castle were poisoned. They haven''t gotten treatment yet, right?


    Should I help them?¡± Francesca asked in a serious tone.


    ¡°If you have time for it, that would be great!¡± Federico smiled.


    ¡°How about the fee?¡± Francesca deliberately dragged out thest word of the sentence.


    ¡°The pce will pay it off, of course.¡± Federico knew what she meant. ¡°How much do you require? I''ll


    get Ss to transfer the money to you right away.¡±


    ¡°Eight hundred million to a billion will do,¡± Francesca replied quickly. ¡°Since we know each other so


    well, I''ll give you a discount.¡±


    ¡°I am!¡±


    An hourtar, Danriqua was about to bring Francasca, William, and Monica out of tha pca.


    Wh sanding tham off, Fadarico told William to taka cara of himsalf and gat wall soon without troubling


    Danriqua furthar.


    William raspondad politaly and raspactfully. It saamad as though ha was on good tarms with Fadarico.


    Right than, Danriqua taasad, ¡°It''s no trou at all, Your Majasty. Sinca you''va alraady paid tha hafty


    madical faa, it''s now our duty to taka cara of him.¡±


    ¡°That''s right.¡± Francasca baamad from aar to aar. ¡°Thank you for tha paymant, Your Majasty. I''ll do


    avarything I can to cura William. Don''t worry!¡±


    ¡°All right. Thank you.¡± Fadarico smd and noddad.


    ¡°By tha way, tha pao in William Cas wara poisonad. Thay havan''t gottan traatmant yat, right?


    Should I halp tham?¡± Francasca askad in a sarious tona.


    ¡°If you hava tima for it, that would ba graat!¡± Fadarico smd.


    ¡°How about tha faa?¡± Francasca dalibarataly draggad out thast word of tha santanca.


    ¡°Tha pca will pay it off, of coursa.¡± Fadarico knaw what sha maant. ¡°How much do you raquira? I''ll


    gat Ss to transfar tha monay to you right away.¡±


    ¡°Eight hundrad million to a billion will do,¡± Francasca rapliad quickly. ¡°Sinca wa know aach othar so


    wall, I''ll giva you a discount.¡±

 Chapter 2194

    Chapter 2194


    qFederico went silent for a while. I''m being extorted again.


    Despite his thought, Federico forced a smile and said, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Francesca replied, ¡°You''re wee.¡±


    Before she could say anything further, Federico quickly uttered, ¡°It''s gettingte. Go home and rest


    early, okay?¡±


    He couldn''t wait to get rid of the sly couple. One is even more terrifying than the other!


    ¡°All right. I wanted to tell you it seems like your organs aren''t doing well, so I wanted to give you some


    medicines for¡ª¡±


    Before Francesca could finish her sentence, Danrique pushed her into the car.


    ¡°Your Majesty, she''s still too young to understand certain things. Please forgive her. It''s not even that


    hard to detoxify the poison. She can''t possibly demand such fees,¡± Danrique uttered.


    ¡°Oh! That''s true.¡± Federico was ted to hear that. Just as he thought he could save some money,


    Danrique suddenly said, ¡°You don''t have to pay her so much. Inclusive of William''s medical fees, a


    billion will do.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Federico had no idea how to react to that.


    ¡°Do you have her bank ount details?¡± Danrique asked while pointing at Ss.


    ¡°I do...¡± Ss nodded immediately.


    ¡°Remember to transfer the money to her by tonight. Otherwise, she''s going to kick up a fuss.¡± Danrique


    deliberately put on an exasperated expression as he sighed and grumbled, ¡°She''s so hard to please!¡±


    ¡°All right. Got it,¡± Ss replied.


    ¡°I''ll go now.¡± Danrique got into the car.


    Federico was struggling to keep the smile on his face. Right when the smile was about to fade,


    Danrique rolled down the car window and stuck his head out. ¡°Also, Your Majesty, no matter what,


    Prince Charlie is still your grandson. Don''t be too harsh on him, all right? Release him in two weeks''


    time before something bad happens to him.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I know what to do.¡± Federico''s smile was turning ugly. Gritting his teeth, he said, ¡°Have a safe


    trip!¡±


    ¡°Goodbye!¡± Danrique rolled up the window.


    After that, the car slowly departed. As the vehicle was driving away, Francesca''s delightedughter


    could be heard emanating from inside.


    Hearing that, Federico became outraged. He clenched his fists so tightly that they creaked.


    Ss quicklyforted him by saying, ¡°Calm down, Your Majesty. After all, we''ve received a


    tremendous gift from Mr. Lindberg.¡±


    ¡°You''re right...¡±


    After getting into the car, Francesca smiled from ear to ear while looking at those checks. The pain in


    her head and legs went away in an instant. In fact, all her aches and pains had disappeared.


    In other words, she was overjoyed.


    Danrique couldn''t help but smile when he saw how silly she looked.


    ¡°Wait a minute...¡± Francesca suddenly remembered something. She pulled Danrique closer and asked,


    ¡°What gift did you give Federico? Why is he so happy?¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry about that.¡± Danrique ruffled her hair and added, ¡°What matters is your happiness!¡±


    ¡°Tell me, will you?¡± Francesca was growing anxious. ¡°Answer me this. Is the gift worth more than what I


    got in return?¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡± Danrique chuckled. ¡°What you got in return is nothingpared to what I''ve given him. I merely


    wanted you to be happy, so I had himpensate you a little.¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡± Francesca widened her eyes in shock. ¡°One billion is nothing? Are you saying that


    you''ve given him¡ª¡±


    She ced a hand over her chest and tried to calm her breathing. ¡°Did you give him ten billion?¡±


    ¡°Let''s not talk about money.¡± Danrique smiled. ¡°Moreover, a person of his status can''t be satisfied with


    mary gifts.¡±


    ¡°What did you give him, then?¡± Francesca shook his arm and said, ¡°Tell me!¡±


    This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Stop asking me that. All you need to know is that your hubby would never be taken advantage of.¡±


    ¡°All right, then.¡± Francesca breathed a sigh of relief. However, she regained her senses and asked,


    ¡°What? Hubby?¡±


    ¡°After everything that I''ve done for you, are you still not going to marry me?¡± Danrique pretended as if


    he was going to snatch those checks away. ¡°If you don''t marry me, you ought topensate me!¡±


    ¡°I will! I will!¡± Francesca hurriedly kept the checks inside her pocket. ¡°Since you''ve already done so


    much for me, I''ll definitely marry you. My conscience wouldn''t allow me to do otherwise.¡±

 Chapter 2195

    Chapter 2195


    q¡°Conscience?¡± Danrique was angry. ¡°You abandoned me for another man. You don''t have a


    conscience!¡±


    ¡°Regarding that, I need to correct you. I left because of my responsibilities and obligations. I didn''t


    leave for another man.¡±


    ¡°When it came down to it, you abandoned me to save William.¡± Danrique moved away from her


    pridefully.


    ¡°I didn''t abandon you. Since when have I done that?¡± Francesca leaned over and added, ¡°I came here


    to work and provide treatment. I said I would go back to you after my work here is done, didn''t I?¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡± Danrique acted as if he was angry.


    ¡°Don''t be angry anymore, okay? It''s all my fault.¡± Francesca held his arm and coaxed him by saying,


    ¡°I''ve learned my mistake. Fortunately, you''re impressive enough to turn things around. Otherwise, I


    would''ve burdened you tremendously.¡±


    She meant every word she said. If Danrique weren''t as impressive as he was, he would have to


    apologize and present extravagant gifts in order to bring her out of there.


    Besides, he wouldn''t have been able to rescue William and Monica as well.


    Fortunately for her, Danrique was capable enough to give Federico enough benefits to rescue


    everyone.


    Otherwise, she would be in deep trouble.


    Seeing that she had realized how serious things were, Danrique decided to let her off the hook. ¡°Since


    you know it was your mistake, how are you nning on making it up to me?¡±


    ¡°I''ll kiss you.¡±


    As Francesca leaned over, he turned to cradle her face and kissed her passionately.


    Meanwhile, in the medical vehicle behind them, William was lying on the bed with two nurses by his


    side.


    Monica held his hand and whispered, ¡°Your Highness, don''t worry. The castle is no longer under


    lockdown. Not only are the utilities restored, but Robin and the others are also now free to leave.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± William replied in a deep voice.


    ¡°I heard Mr. Lindberg saying they were going to bring you to Erihal for treatment. That sounds good. No


    one is going to disturb you, so you''ll be able to recuperate peacefully. Once you''re cured, everything


    will go smoothly.¡±


    William simply shut his eyes in response.


    ¡°You''re tired, aren''t you? Okay. I won''t pester you anymore.¡± Monica tucked him in and kept him


    company in silence.


    She then lifted her head to look outside the window. Upon seeing the familiar route, she asked the


    driver, ¡°Hey. Where are we going?¡±


    ¡°William Castle!¡±


    Upon hearing that, William abruptly opened his eyes and uttered emotionally, ¡°Help me up!¡±


    ¡°Your Highness, you mustn''t move around.¡±


    ¡°Help me up,¡± William ordered.


    Monica couldn''t convince him otherwise, so she did as told.


    He tried everything he could to practice sitting straight, even ordering Monica to ce him in the


    wheelchairter.


    Monica knew he wanted to present himself to the people in the castle in a proper manner. Although it


    wasn''t easy, she was determined to help him aplish that. Hence, she ced a cushion on the


    wheelchair for him to sit on.


    When the convoy arrived at the entrance of William Castle, Danrique said, ¡°I''m not going down. I''ll wait


    for you in the car. You have one hour to apany William in bidding farewell.¡±


    ¡°Farewell?¡± Francesca was stumped. ¡°Are we leaving for Xendale tonight?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Danrique nodded. ¡°I think the poison the people in the castle got isn''t that serious. Once you''ve


    prepared the antidote, I''ll get someone to send it over to them.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    Francesca wanted to reason with Danrique, but she changed her mind when she saw the serious look


    on his face. ¡°All right. Are we bringing William back to Xendale with us?¡±


    This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Danrique arched a brow. ¡°Could it be that you want to continue staying here to treat him?¡±


    Danrique didn''t want to be apart from Francesca again. Thus, the only reason he was bringing William


    back with him was to keep her by his side.

 Chapter 2196

    Chapter 2196


    qFrancesca was dumbfounded when she got out of the car.


    She saw a group of subordinates and bodyguards looking at their cars anxiously. They were both


    scared and nervous, and none of them dared toe over.


    Even those bodyguards looked utterly dejected.


    The moment they saw Francesca getting out of the car, their faces filled with excitement and joy. ¡°Ms.


    Felch!¡±


    Just as a few people were about to approach her, the door of the car behind hers opened, and a


    subordinate wheeled William out of the vehicle.


    Everyone at the scene was stunned. They stood still and stared at William in disbelief.


    Monica, with her injured leg, was pushing William toward them.


    Seeing that, Francesca went over to help.


    Robin''s voice was trembling when he shouted, ¡°Your Highness!¡±


    After that, the group of people¡ªheaded by Robin¡ªsurrounded William.


    ¡°Your Highness, is that really you? You''re still alive!¡±


    ¡°You''re back, Your Highness! Thank goodness!¡±


    ¡°Your Highness, I thought I wasn''t going to see you again.¡±


    William looked at the crowd with reddened eyes and wanted to say something. However, the words


    were stuck in his throat.


    ¡°Let''s go inside and talk,¡± Monica suggested in a quavering voice. ¡°It''s windy outside. We ought to


    avoid His Highness catching a cold.¡±


    ¡°That''s right. Let''s get inside!¡±


    ¡°I''m going to inform everyone that His Highness is back!¡±


    As soon as William, Francesca, and the rest entered the castle, everyone gathered around. They were


    thrilled to see William back.


    William took a deep breath before saying, ¡°Francesca saved us. She''s our savior!¡±


    ¡°Yes. Thank you, Ms. Felch!¡±


    Everyone at the scene bowed and thanked Francesca.


    They were extremely grateful to Francesca because she had stood by their side and protected them in


    a battle of life and death.


    ¡°It''s not just me. Monica helped, too.¡± Francesca pulled Monica over and added, ¡°Her partner, Dominic,


    also contributed a lot.¡±


    Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Thank you so much!¡±


    The crowd bowed again.


    ¡°Francesca, Monica, if I ever turn everything around in the future, I will definitely repay your kindness.¡±


    Although William was frail, he meant every word he said.


    In tears, Monica squatted down next to him and said, ¡°Your Highness, my life belongs to you. It was my


    obligation to do whatever I did.¡±


    Francesca, on the other hand, kept mum because she had never been good at dealing with emotional


    moments. I don''t know what I should say.


    ¡°Thanks to you guys, too.¡± William nced at the crowd and said emotionally, ¡°Thank you for staying by


    my side and not abandoning me!¡±


    ¡°Your Highness...¡± The maids at the scene couldn''t hold back their tears any longer and ended up


    crying.


    In the meantime, there wasn''t a single wavering of emotion in Danrique when he heard those words


    from the outside. Instead, he looked up at the sky with aplicated expression on his face, as if


    something was on his mind.


    ¡°What''s on your mind, Mr. Lindberg?¡± Sean asked softly.


    ¡°I''m just wondering...¡± Danrique smiled and continued, ¡°I wonder if William would still remember this


    night in the years toe.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Sean didn''t understand what he was trying to say.


    ¡°Ha!¡± Danriqueughed bitterly to himself and said, ¡°Sometimes, being too smart isn''t a good thing at


    all. It''s as if I can see the future.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying that in the future, he would...¡± Sean finally had a rough idea of what he meant. ¡°That


    won''t happen, right? Prince William seemed quite sincere when he expressed his gratitude.¡±


    ¡°At that precise moment, he was sincere.¡± Danrique turned to look at the pce and added, ¡°That


    might not be the case in the future.¡±


    ¡°Why did you save him, then?¡± Sean queried.


    ¡°What else was I supposed to do?¡± Danrique sounded annoyed. ¡°Judging by how things turned out, I


    can''t let that old fox gain the upper hand, can I?¡±


    ¡°That''s true.¡± Sean nodded. ¡°Furthermore, you might have trouble with Ms. Felch if you don''t save him.¡±


    As soon as those words fell, he felt Danrique''s terrifying gaze falling upon him. In response, he quickly


    lowered his head and said, ¡°Sorry. I shouldn''t have said that.¡±


    Indeed, whatever Danrique had done, it was all for Francesca.

 Chapter 2197

    Chapter 2197


    qWilliam said goodbye to everyone and ordered Robin to take good care of the castle. He also told


    them he would return to them once his legs were cured.


    Surprised, Robin asked, ¡°Are you not bringing me along, Your Highness?¡±


    ¡°I need someone to hold the fort,¡± William replied in a deep tone. ¡°These people have been poisoned.


    For as long as they''re not healed, I''m going to worry about them. You should stay here and recuperate.


    At the same time, protect the others. Francesca and Monica will take care of me in Erihal. It''s safe


    there.¡±


    In response, Robin nodded and replied, ¡°Okay. Rest assured, Your Highness. I''ll protect the castle.¡±


    ¡°The moment I return, I''ll prepare the antidote and send it here. By then, you guys just have to take the


    medicine ording to the right dosage. William will be in safe hands. Don''t worry,¡± Francesca uttered.


    ¡°Yes. I''ll take good care of His Highness,¡± Monica chimed in.


    ¡°Ms. Felch, Ms. Monica, thank you.¡±


    Everyone thanked them once again.


    ¡°Don''t mention it. We''re all friends here.¡± Francesca nced at her watch and said, ¡°I''ll leave first. Say


    your goodbyes ande out soon. Remember to bring William''s travel documents, okay?¡±


    ¡°All right.¡±


    Francesca entered the car and noticed how troubled Danrique seemed. ¡°What''s the matter with you?


    What''s on your mind?¡±


    ¡°It''s nothing.¡± While looking at his phone, Danrique said, ¡°I''ve just received a call. We need to get back


    as soon as possible.¡±


    Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Francesca asked anxiously.


    Without giving her an answer, Danrique merely gestured at Sean.


    Seeing that, Sean went to rush William and the rest.


    Momentster, Monica and William came out. Robin and the rest brought William''s luggage and sent


    them off.


    Upon bidding them farewell, William got into the car.


    As the vehicle gradually drove away, William looked back at Robin, the others, and the castle through


    the rearview mirror. Right then, he made a vow in his heart. One day, I''m going to stand on my feet


    once again and seek justice from the people who bullied me. At the same time, I''ll take back everything


    that''s supposed to be mine!


    On the way to the airport, Danrique was talking on the phone non-stop and going through all his


    documents.


    Francesca didn''t dare to disturb him, so she just kept staring at her checks.


    When Danrique was done with his work, he wrapped his arm around her. Only then did she dare to


    ask, ¡°Will I be able to cash these checks in Erihal?¡±


    ¡°Haha!¡± Danriqueughed. ¡°You just can''t keep your mind off of your money, can you?¡±


    ¡°This is a lot of money, you know?¡± Francesca pouted and continued, ¡°You''ve already lost so much.


    Shouldn''t I at least get something back in return?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You''re right.¡± Danrique pinched her cheek gently and said, ¡°Sean will deal with your checks. Once


    the conversion is done, the money will be transferred to your ount. Don''t worry.¡±


    Upon hearing that, Francesca giggled gleefully. ¡°That''s great! By the way, what exactly happened to


    you? You seemed so troubled just now.¡±


    ¡°There''s a problem I need to fix when I get back.¡± Danrique didn''t give her a direct answer. ¡°Enough of


    that. Rest, okay? I need to go through some documents.¡±


    He rubbed his temples, put on his sses, and continued working.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, you haven''t slept in a few days. Perhaps you should take a break,¡± Sean uttered


    caringly.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Danrique growled softly.


    Sean quickly lowered his head and kept mum.


    Francesca felt embarrassed when she saw how busy Danrique was. He''s so busy that he doesn''t even


    have the time to sleep, yet he had to take the time to fix my mess. Besides, he gave up so much to


    help me rescue the others. It wasn''t his business in the first ce, and he never wanted to meddle in it.


    However, he had to risk hispany and Erihal just to help me. He even came all the way to


    Danontand to negotiate with Federico. Every single thing he has done was for me. Come to think of it, it


    seems like I''ve been constantly troubling him since the beginning. I should really do something for him.


    I can''t let him tire himself out like this again in the future.

 Chapter 2198

    Chapter 2198


    qThey boarded the ne heading back to Xendale.


    After hopping onto the aircraft, William wanted to speak to Danrique but ultimately fell silent as the


    latter kept his eyes on the documents in his hands the whole time.


    Monica greeted Francesca before wheeling William into his room to rest.


    Soon after, Sean arrived with Francesca''s backpack. The woman was overjoyed for she had not


    expected to be able to find it again.


    Sean is always so thoughtful.


    After thanking him, the woman headed into her room with the backpack and wanted to change into a


    more casual outfit, only to realize that she didn''t have her own luggage.


    Hence, she grabbed a white shirt from Danrique''s suitcase, took a quick shower, and put the shirt on


    before sitting on the bed to inspect her backpack.


    Danrique just so happened to walk in with hisptop at that moment, and he was instantly shocked to


    see the way she was dressed.


    The woman only had two buttons done, with the loose outfit revealing her well-endowed chest and


    slender legs.


    The only thing that seemed a little out of ce was her right leg, which was now wrapped in some


    gauze due to her injury.


    Yet, her looking like that was more than enough to captivate Danrique.


    He put down hisptop, dashed into the bathroom for a shower, and then pinned Francesca onto the


    bed.


    The woman yelped before instinctively covering her mouth and ncing at the wall next to them. ¡°Stop


    it!¡± she hissed. ¡°We''re on a ne now, and you know how bad the soundproofing is! They''re going to


    hear us.¡±


    ¡°So what if they do? We''re all adults, anyway.¡± Danrique began to nibble on her neck while slowly


    making his way down. ¡°Did you miss me? Hmm?¡±


    ¡°Danrique...¡± Francesca tried to shove him away. ¡°Knock it off! We can do it when we get ba¡ª Mmph!¡±


    The man pressed his lips against hers before she could finish.


    He kissed her so passionately that she couldn''t turn him away. The moment she tried to resist, he


    ced his weight on top of her while reaching underneath her shirt with one hand.


    The sudden movement made Francesca arch her back and close her eyes subconsciously, and it


    wasn''t long until she started to give in.


    Yet, the woman continued to bite her hand, not daring to make a sound.


    What if William and Monica hear us?


    Seemingly unhappy with her holding back, Danrique began to take things to the next level and touch


    her more aggressively.


    The woman was on the verge of caving, but she still kept biting on her hand.


    Finally, the man pulled her hand away and bit her neck forcefully.


    ¡°Ahh!¡±


    Francesca immediately let out a moan before covering her mouth once again.


    Right next door, Monica''s face turned beet red as she knelt on the floor, carefully wiping William''s body.


    William merely kept his eyes shut and pretended not to hear anything, but his hands gripped his sheets


    so tightly as though he could rip the cloth into shreds at any moment.


    The soundsing from next door finally died down after a long while.


    With beads of sweat on her forehead, Monica turned William over carefully to wipe his back, only to


    notice a gravely festered wound on his waist.


    ¡°Your Highness! Why didn''t you say anything about this?¡± she eximed while jumping in fright. ¡°I''ll go


    get Ms. Felch right now.¡±


    The moment she got up, William grabbed her hand. ¡°Don''t bother them,¡± he said softly.


    ¡°But your wound...¡± Tears began to form in Monica''s eyes.


    ¡°I''m not going to die from waiting a day longer. Go get some rest. You''ve worked hard all day.¡±


    ¡°I''ll stay right here and look after you, Your Highness,¡± Monica dered between sobs as she knelt next


    to him.


    This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± William''s lips curved into a faint smile. ¡°Honestly, you don''t have to treat me so kindly.


    Don''t ruin your future because of me.¡±


    ¡°I don''t need that job. I only want to care for you,¡± the woman choked out. ¡°Please let me remain by


    your side.¡±

 Chapter 2199

    Chapter 2199


    q¡°Thank you.¡±


    William was extremely grateful. He only had Monica now.


    ¡°Your Highness.¡± She held his hand tightly and brought it to her cheek.


    At this very moment, she felt like the luckiest girl in the world. I could never approach him back then,


    but now, I can finally be next to him.


    William stared at the wall next to them. Just thinking about Francesca and Danrique being intimate with


    each other filled his eyes with pain, sorrow, and a ratherplex feeling¡ªperhaps hatred.


    Meanwhile, Danrique was so weary that he fell asleep while hugging Francesca right after they were


    done.


    Francesca remained trapped in his arms but couldn''t seem to fall asleep.


    Maybe it was because she had slept too much earlier during the day, or because she was still too


    excited about finally meeting this man again.


    An anxious feeling surfaced in her heart, although she couldn''t figure out why.


    Even so, Danrique''s gentle breathing lulled her, and she slowly drifted off.


    They slept soundly in each other''s arms for what felt like a long time.


    When Francesca next woke up, she noticed Danrique missing. She couldn''t find him even after


    scanning the room.


    Thus, she put on a coat and walked out of the room.


    She then spotted him going through some documents up ahead while giving Sean some instructions in


    a low voice.


    Thetter stood next to him, bent over slightly as he listened intently.


    Deciding not to bother them, Francesca headed back into the room to wash up.


    Suddenly, the door to the next room opened, and Monica exited before calling out softly, ¡°Ms. Felch,


    are you busy right now?¡±


    ¡°Not at all. Why?¡± asked Francesca.


    ¡°There''s a festering wound on the back of His Highness'' waist. It''s really serious,¡± Monica exined,


    suppressing the lump in her throat. ¡°Could you please take a look at him?¡±


    ¡°Let me get my medical kit.¡±


    Francesca hastily grabbed the medical kit from her room and went next door to examine William.


    In truth, she had already wanted to do so back when she was at the pce, but the man came up with


    an excuse to say no and only talked to her instead.


    At present, he was in a deep sleep. Monica said he was feverish too.


    Francesca''s expression turned grim as soon as she reached for his forehead. ¡°He''s got a high fever!¡±


    ¡°What should we do? Do you have any medicine?¡± Monica asked frantically.


    ¡°I do.¡± The former fed him some medication at once and turned him over carefully to treat his wound.


    Monica lent a hand, her eyes now brimming with tears at the sight of William''s injury.


    ¡°Take his pants off.¡±


    Worried that his lower body would have festering wounds too, Francesca decided to examine him


    further.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Monica''s eyes widened as her cheeks flushed. ¡°I-I...¡±


    Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Hurry,¡± Francesca urged, but upon seeing the other woman remain still, she eventually removed


    William''s pants on her own.


    ¡°Ahh!¡± The man finally stirred and panicked upon noticing that he was being stripped. ¡°Francesca! What


    are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Be quiet,¡± Francesca ordered while tugging his pants further to uncover his rear.


    As expected, there were many festering wounds.


    ¡°Francesca, don''t...¡± William stammered as a blush crept across his cheeks. ¡°You don''t have to do it.


    Just get a nurse when we arrive in Xendale.¡±


    Yet, the woman ignored him and began to treat him.


    ¡°Argh!¡± he cried out in pain.


    ¡°Please be more gentle, Ms. Felch,¡± Monica urged. She wanted to help, but there was nothing she


    could do.


    Francesca continued to clean the wounds and apply medication on them.


    She was so immersed in her work that she didn''t notice Danrique standing at the door watching her the


    whole time.


    Despite being aware of her profession as a doctor, he had never considered the smaller details that


    came along with saving lives. It was only now that he realized how close she had to be with her male


    patients at times.


    It looks like there''s so much more I haven''t seen.

 Chapter 2200

    Chapter 2200


    q¡°Okay. Use this on the wounds.¡±


    After cleaning William''s injuries, Francesca handed some medication over to Monica. ¡°Apply this


    powder on every wound he has. I''lle back to bandage them soon.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Thetter quickly took the bottle and got started.


    Francesca removed her gloves so she could wash her hands. Then, she froze upon noticing Danrique


    standing at the door. ¡°When did you get here?¡±


    ¡°I just did,¡± the man replied frostily. ¡°Are you done? Do you need my help?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she answered, failing to notice his odd behavior. ¡°I''m going to wash my hands and bandage


    William''s injuries. You can go ahead with your own work. I''ll see youter.¡±


    The woman then headed to the private room to wash her hands, not realizing that she was still only


    d in Danrique''s shirt.


    Although she had buttoned herself up this time and the shirt was long enough, Danrique couldn''t help


    but frown at the sight of her thighs showing.


    ¡°Leave the bandaging to me,¡± Monica hurriedly offered, noticing the displeasure in the man''s eyes. ¡°Go


    get some rest, Ms. Felch. I can handle this.¡±


    ¡°Certainly not,¡± Francesca insisted as she walked out of the bathroom and put her gloves back on.


    ¡°You''re not even a nurse. How would you know how to bandage a wound?¡±


    ¡°I can do it¡ª¡±


    Yet, before Monica could finish, Francesca gave William''s pants another tug and began to inspect the


    wounds on his thighs.


    ¡°F-Francesca!¡± William called out in a panic. ¡°Let Monica do it.¡±


    ¡°He''s right, Ms. Felch,¡± Monica chimed in before lowering her voice. ¡°Look, Mr. Lindberg is upset. You


    should go back now.¡±


    Realization finally dawned on Francesca, but by the time she turned around, Danrique had already


    walked away.


    ¡°Seriously! What is a grown man like him being so petty for?¡± she muttered.


    Then, she left after teaching Monica how to inspect and apply medication on William''s injuries.


    Monica shut the door and heaved a long sigh. She then bit her lip and plucked up the courage to


    examine the man''s wounds.


    Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    ¡°You should learn to take care of all this,¡± William instructed softly. ¡°Don''t let Francesca do it.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I''ll do my best.¡± Monica nodded. ¡°But Your Highness, I-I''m afraid...¡±


    Her face had turned crimson by now. Francesca had told her to inspect every part of his body¡ª


    including that area¡ªbut she dared not even look there.


    ¡°It''s okay,¡± assured William. ¡°You''re the one closest to me now. There''s nothing to be ashamed of. It''s


    better than getting Francesca to do it.¡±


    ¡°Y-You''re right.¡±


    With that, Monica suppressed her nerves and began to inspect him, albeit her cheeks remained


    flushed.


    Meanwhile, Francesca returned to her room. Seeing that Danrique was in the middle of a shower, she


    thought nothing much of it and began to organize her medical kit.


    It didn''t take long for the man to re-emerge, but he merely shot her a nce before sitting on the


    bedside to dry his hair.


    ¡°I''ll be taking my shower now.¡±


    The woman grabbed a T-shirt from his luggage and headed to the bathroom.


    Given the injuries on her head and leg, she only spent a short while cleaning herself. However, the floor


    was wet, and coupled with the fact that she couldn''t walk normally, she suddenly slipped and fell.


    This time, Danrique didn''t help her up.


    ¡°Ahhh!¡± Francesca screamed in pain. ¡°It hurts!¡±


    ¡°Where does it hurt?¡± The man leaned against the bed and gazed at her coldly.


    ¡°My butt,¡± she grumbled while crawling back up on her own and limping her way over to the bed. ¡°And


    you don''t even care.¡±


    Yet, Danrique shot back in an aloof tone, ¡°Why do I need to? Aren''t you as tough as steel?¡±


    The woman''s blood boiled as she saw how sarcastic he was toward her, but she controlled her anger.


    ¡°I can''t believe you''re getting upset at me when all I did was treat a patient.¡±


    Yet, the man merely responded by switching off the lights and going to sleep.


    ¡°You!¡± Francesca hurled a pillow at him in rage. What the hell is with this guy? He''s so petty and


    grumpy! To think that I have to be the one pacifying him? He''s horrible!

 Chapter 2201

    Chapter 2201


    qDanrique remained asleep until they arrived in Xendale, and he woke up only when the ne was


    about tond.


    Seeing the woman next to him curled up into a ball, he covered her with a nket before getting up to


    dress.


    ¡°We''re preparing tond, Mr. Lindberg,¡± Sean announced from outside the door.


    ¡°Okay.¡± After putting on his clothes, Danrique wrapped Francesca with a coat, carried her to her seat,


    and fastened her seatbelt.


    She remained in a slumber the whole time.


    He then kissed her cheek before walking out of the room. ¡°Take me to the office once wend and get


    Gordon to send the rest of them home.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Lindberg.¡±


    Awakened by the turbulence, Francesca opened her eyes to see that the aircraft was alreadynding,


    and she was now seated on her chair with her seatbelt buckled.


    There was also arge, warm coat with Danrique''s scent draped over her.


    A warm, fuzzy sensation swirled within her heart at the thought of the man carrying her in his arms and


    tending to her.


    After the ne hadnded, Francesca put on her clothes and shoes before heading out. There, she


    saw Danrique on the phone, Sean handling some errands, and two subordinates helping William alight


    with Monica by his side.


    ¡°Ms. Felch, I''ll be taking you and Prince William home. Mr. Lindberg has to drop by the office,¡± Gordon


    remarked while walking over. ¡°It''s cold outside, so please wear a hat.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Francesca returned to the room to put on a down jacket and hat. She then came back out with


    her medical kit.


    Danrique, who had just hung up the phone, waved at her.


    She limped her way over to him, but before she could say anything, the man suddenly lifted her into his


    arms. ¡°What are you doing?¡± she eximed in surprise while looping her arms around his neck


    instantly.


    ¡°The stairs are slippery.¡±


    He carried her outside, and under the snow-filled sky were dozens of subordinates lined up in two rows


    gazing straight at them.


    Standing among them were Harrier and Hazel, along with several other high-level executives of


    Lindberg Corporation.


    Feeling unsettled, Francesca buried herself in Danrique''s embrace like a meek kitten.


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    The man walked down the stairs with her in his arms, not forgetting to ensure that her hat shielded her


    from the cold.


    Among all the people watching them, Hazel appeared incredibly envious.


    How she wished it were her in Danrique''s arms instead!


    Francesca only noticed all the people waiting outside after arriving at the bottom of the stairs, but


    Danrique seemedpletely unbothered by everyone''s gazes and kissed her on the forehead. ¡°Wait


    for me back home,¡± he reminded gently.


    ¡°Okay.¡± The woman nodded obediently.


    He then ced her inside the car, gestured at Gordon, and watched them leave.


    Francesca continued to stare at him through the rearview mirror. The man kept his eyes on the car all


    the while until Hazel approached him with some documents in hand. ¡°Nacht Group sure has some


    nerve to try and gain their share of the Epean market,¡± hemented icily.


    ¡°I heard the one behind this is Old Mr. Nacht''s daughter, Zara. She''s known to be ruthless and full of


    schemes. ording to sources, she''s already joined hands with Frank and Pastor to go against us.¡±


    Hazel''s expression was grim as she reported the news to Danrique. ¡°Will we be making a trip to


    Summerbank?¡±


    ¡°We''re heading back to the office first.¡± While holding onto the documents, Danrique turned around and


    hopped into his car.


    Hazel and Harrier followed suit. ¡°I couldn''t make it to thest inspection because I was sick, but I''m


    good to go this time,¡± thetter volunteered as soon as he took his seat.


    Danrique merely cast him a nce and continued going through the documents.


    ¡°I can go too,¡± Hazel chimed in softly. ¡°My dad and Mr. Yarrow are old now, so we can''t depend on them


    anymore. Harrier and I will do whatever you ask.¡±


    ¡°Harrier, you''ll go to H City on my behalf,¡± Danrique decided. ¡°Sean will tell you what to do.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡± Harrier smiled and nodded.


    Then, Danrique turned to Hazel and returned the documents. ¡°You''ll head to M Nation tonight. I''ll meet


    you there tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±

 Chapter 2202

    Chapter 2202


    qWilliam was brought to a different castle with a built-in clinic.


    There was quite a fair number of maids and subordinates, although he and Monica were the only two


    people residing there.


    Francesca was puzzled to learn of such an arrangement. ¡°But there are so many extra rooms in


    Danrique Castle. Why did he choose to have William stay here instead? I''d have to make my way over


    by car every time.¡±


    ¡°This was Mr. Lindberg''s decision, Ms. Felch,¡± Gordon reported, lowering his head.


    That response alone was enough to shut Francesca up. If it were before, she would have kicked up a


    fuss and insisted they did things her way.


    But now, the woman felt that she owed Danrique too much to trouble him any further.


    ¡°Fine,¡± she eventually answered with a frustrated nod.


    ¡°I don''t think this is a bad idea, Ms. Felch. His Highness and I would feel much more at ease staying


    here.¡± Monica seemed rather pleased with Danrique''s arrangements. ¡°If we were to stay at Danrique


    Castle, we''d have to face Mr. Lindberg every day. It gets a little awkward, to be honest.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± William grinned. ¡°L has his own life, so we won''t end up bothering him by staying here.¡±


    ¡°Well, I suppose so,¡± Francesca relented. ¡°You''re not that far away either, so it wouldn''t be too much of


    a hassle for me toe over. I''m out of medication, so I''ll have to get someone to bring us more. I''ll


    come back and see you guys tonight.¡±


    ¡°There''s no need to rush,¡± William assured. ¡°I already took the medicine on the ne, so you can just


    come back tomorrow. Go on home. You must have a lot to do since we justnded.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± After giving Monica some instructions along with anti-inmmatory drugs and painkillers,


    Francesca left with Gordon.


    On the way back, she wrote a checklist of medication and handed it to Gordon so he could have


    someone prepare every item needed.


    This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.


    The man immediately did as required and even let her go through the list of medical equipment


    avable at the clinic, asking her if there was anything else to add.


    Francesca noted how well-equipped the ce was. There was not much else she needed apart from a


    few small apparatus.


    The two continued chatting until they arrived home, where Norah and a group of maids awaited them.


    Francesca was overjoyed to see them and began to strike up a conversation with them.


    Norah had prepared an extravagant spread for dinner, and a hungry Francesca quickly washed her


    hands before darting toward the dining room.


    ¡°Slow down! You wouldn''t want to choke on your food!¡±


    Norah gazed at her, smiling affectionately.


    ¡°It''s delicious!¡± Francesca eximed as she chowed down on the food.


    The woman hadn''t had a proper meal ever since she was on the run, nor did she have the appetite


    while staying at the pce. Now, she could finally let loose and dig in.


    ¡°If you like the food so much, we''d be more than happy to cook for you every day from now on.¡± Norah


    poured her a ss of wine. ¡°This is from Arkfield. Give it a taste.¡±


    Francesca took a sip and sighed in satisfaction. ¡°It''s good!¡±


    She was so full that she couldn''t help but burp. ¡°I can''t eat anymore. I''m stuffed! I have to go prepare


    some medication.¡±


    Her mind was still upied by the desire to treat her patients. It wasn''t just William; Monica, Robin,


    and all those people at the castle were waiting for her to save them.


    ¡°Ms. Felch, Mr. Lindberg had us prepare you a workshop. Shall I take you there to have a look at it?¡±


    Gordon had remained next to her the whole time.


    ¡°There''s a workshop? When did you set it up?¡±


    Francesca was visibly stunned.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg had it made thest time you came back,¡± Gordon exined. ¡°It''s just that both Sean and


    I weren''t around most of the time and could only get Sloan to watch over the construction, so we''re not


    sure if you''d be pleased with the workshop. Pleasee and take a look, and if there''s anything about


    it that you''re not happy with, I''ll get them to make the changes.¡±


    ¡°Why would I be so picky? I''m already impressed that there''s even a workshop!¡±


    The woman grew extremely eager.


    ¡°Ms. Felch! You''re back,¡± Sloan greeted while walking over from afar. ¡°Your workshop is ready for your


    inspection!¡±


    ¡°Where is it?¡± Francesca extended her neck and nced around. ¡°Which room is it?¡±


    ¡°It''s right here.¡±


    Sloan pointed ahead, and standing tall right before them was a building that had a signboard containing


    the word ¡°Fran¡± engraved in gold.

 Chapter 2203

    Chapter 2203


    qFrancesca gazed up at the building in front of her. ¡°This building is all mine?¡± she asked,


    dumbfounded.


    ¡°The whole ce is your workshop,¡± Sloan replied with a grin. ¡°There are seven floors. We had it made


    exactly like how buildings that host traditional medicine would look like. Go on in and take a look.¡±


    Feeling touched, the woman strode into the building. Every part of it was made with the finest quality


    wood, and walking inside here made one feel as though they were actually inside a traditional medicine


    hall.


    ¡°It''s perfect!¡± Francesca gushed. ¡°This is everything I wanted in a dream workshop!¡±


    She had long yearned for a workshop like this¡ªone that contained an array of materials to create


    herbal concoctions, not to mention all those precious medicinal books.


    Although she did have a workshop back in S Nation too, it was a room so tiny that she could only keep


    somemon herbs. Moreover, all the shelves had been filled to the brim, and they looked messy all


    the time as she never bothered tidying them.


    But this ce... Every part of it belongs to me? I can now keep all the herbs and materials I want, and I


    can even run experiments on the other floors. Oh, God!


    Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    The woman was moved to tears. How did Danrique know I''ve always wanted a workshop? I never told


    him about this.


    ¡°Do you like it, Ms. Felch?¡± Sloan asked in anticipation. ¡°Is there anything you want us to fix?¡±


    ¡°I do. I love it so much,¡± Francesca answered while feeling a lump in her throat. ¡°You don''t have to


    change a thing. Now, there''s just one more thing left that we need.¡±


    ¡°The herbs?¡± Gordon asked, smiling. ¡°We''ve taken care of that. The goods should arrive from Zarain


    within the next two days. You''ll receive a portion of everything that''s avable on the market, and if


    there are other herbs you want that we can''t buy, give us a checklist. I''ll get someone to find them.¡±


    ¡°You guys are so thoughtful.¡±


    Francesca reached for the shelves before running her fingers across a desk, her eyes brimming with


    tears.


    ¡°It''s Mr. Lindberg who''s thoughtful,¡± Gordon said. ¡°He told Sean to find a well-known architect to design


    this building, and construction began right after all the materials from Zarain had arrived. Look,


    everything is almostplete. We''re just waiting for the herbs now.¡±


    ¡°I can''t believe it.¡± Emotions surged within Francesca. ¡°He never told me anything.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg has always been the type who works in the shadows.¡± Just as Gordon spoke, a


    subordinate came over to report, ¡°Mr. Lindberg has returned.¡±


    ¡°That was fast.¡± Gordon was visibly surprised. ¡°I thought he''d bete, considering all the issues at


    work.¡±


    ¡°What issues?¡± asked Francesca.


    ¡°Uh... Well...¡± The man dared not answer.


    ¡°It''s okay. I''ll go ask him.¡±


    With that, Francesca hurried over to where Danrique was and leaped into his arms like an ted child


    as soon as he stepped out of his vehicle.


    ¡°Be careful with your leg!¡± the man eximed while gazing at her lovingly.


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Standing on her toes, Francesca began to peck him on the chin. ¡°I just had a look at the


    workshop. It''s beautiful!¡±


    Danrique clicked his tongue in displeasure. ¡°So you only came running into my arms because I built


    you that workshop?¡±


    The woman giggled. ¡°But I love it so much. Let me kiss you!¡±


    She jumped and tried to reach for his lips.


    Yet, the man deliberately kept his head high. ¡°I won''t let you kiss me, shorty.¡±


    ¡°You''re so annoying!¡±


    Francesca then climbed onto him like a monkey and bit him.


    Laughter ensued among the two.


    Danrique held her by the waist and carried her back into the house.


    It was a sweet and blissful sight.


    Everyone at the scene felt happy for them.


    Norah, in particr, couldn''t stop beaming.


    Meanwhile, in the castle not far away, William sat in his wheelchair while observing the spectacle from


    a distance. He couldn''t hear what they were saying, but he could certainly see how affectionate


    Danrique and Francesca were with each other.


    How lucky.


    Curling his lips slightly, he looked down with a frosty gaze.

 Chapter 2204

    Chapter 2204


    qDanrique carried Francesca all the way back into their room, where more passion followed.


    There was a saying that men who were new to carnal pleasures were akin to wild beasts.


    Danrique was no exception.


    In fact, he couldn''t seem to get enough of it. He would keep asking Francesca for more until he was


    completely exhausted.


    Despite the long hours Francesca had slept on the ne, she was now out cold once again thanks to


    the lovemaking whichsted through the night.


    Shey in his embrace like a docile animal.


    Leaning on one side, Danrique held onto her with one hand and caressed her hair with the other as he


    gazed at her tenderly.


    She was always so upfront with her emotions. Never did she hide her happiness or anger.


    She''s probably going to be upset if she finds out that I''m going to M Nation with Hazel first thing in the


    morning, huh?


    He smiled at the thought of this woman ring at him in fury.


    He loved everything about her, including the way she looked when picking fights with him.


    The man kissed her forehead and held her tightly, but he couldn''t fall asleep at all.


    As dawn approached, subtle rays of light could be seen seeping in through the floor-to-ceiling windows


    and shining onto Francesca''s body.


    Danrique nced at the clock on the wall. It was already half past five in the morning.


    He withdrew his arm silently, put on a bathrobe, and treaded toward the door lightly. He then turned


    around to nce at the woman one more time, his eyes showing how reluctant he was to part with her.


    Ultimately, he could only shut the door and leave in a hurry.


    ¡°The car''s ready, Mr. Lindberg.¡±


    ¡°I''m going to take a shower in the study room before we leave. Wait for me downstairs, and be sure not


    to wake her up.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Lindberg.¡±


    Danrique hurried downstairs after taking a shower and changing into his clothes. He couldn''t help but


    give his room a quick nce as he walked past it.


    It''s still quiet in there, so she''s probably still asleep.


    He could only leave while she was sleeping so as to avoid getting into an argument.


    Then, he hopped into the car.


    Gordon rushed over at that moment. ¡°Are you sure you don''t need me to apany you, Mr.


    Lindberg? It''s quite dangerous in M Nation. I think you''d be safer if I were toe along.¡±


    ¡°Stay here and watch the house. I''ll talk to you if I need you,¡± Danrique instructed. ¡°Take care of her,


    and don''t let her leave no matter how much of a fight she puts up.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Gordon nodded solemnly.


    ¡°If she wants to go outside for some fresh air, make sure there''s always someone following her closely.


    Nothing had better happen to her.¡±


    ¡°Certainly, Mr. Lindberg. Don''t worry,¡± assured Gordon. ¡°Everything will be fine with me around.¡±


    Danrique shot a nce at the master bedroom. The room remained lit, and gentleness filled his eyes


    as he recalled the night they had just spent together. Please don''t be mad at me when you wake up.


    The sound of the car engine roused Francesca briefly, but she was so tired that she simply turned to


    the other side, hugged a pillow, and continued sleeping.


    The pillow contained traces of his scent, so she felt as if she was hugging him.


    Then, she began to dream about her and Danrique getting married.


    The wedding was held inside a forest, where many wild animals were in attendance.


    Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    Donning a beautiful bridal gown and floral wreath, she ran freely across a meadow as the man stood


    on top of a hill, extending an arm toward her and waiting for her arrival.


    Everything looked like a romantic fairy tale.


    It was a perfect dream, and she couldn''t stop beaming. But just as she neared him, a bolt of lightning


    struck down from the clouds and the ground beneath her began to split.


    The earth shook violently, causing an enormous rift between the two of them.


    As Francesca called out Danrique''s name, he told her not to be afraid and to keep making her way


    over in spite of the growing fissure on the ground. Then, he jumped toward her, only to fall into the


    cracks as though he had been swallowed by a humongous beast.


    ¡°Ahhh!¡±


    Francesca finally jolted awake, her body covered in sweat. She reached for her pillow only to find no


    trace of Danrique.


    She nced around the room and called out to him, even searching for him in the bathroom. Yet, he


    was nowhere to be seen.

 Chapter 2205

    Chapter 2205


    qWondering if he had gone to the study room, Francesca put on her coat and headed out to look for


    him.


    A maid greeted her as soon as she opened the door. ¡°Good morning, Ms. Felch.¡±


    ¡°Is Danrique inside the study room?¡± Francesca asked softly.


    ¡°Well...¡± The maid kept her head low, not daring to speak.


    Without another word, Francesca made her way to the study room. She pushed the door open and


    found the roompletely dark, and there was no one inside when she switched on the lights.


    Something felt amiss to her at that very moment. ¡°Is anybody there?¡± she shouted.


    ¡°Yes, Ms. Felch!¡± Sloan came running upstairs.


    ¡°Where''s Danrique?¡± Francesca asked anxiously.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg is...¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg is on his way to M Nation.¡± Gordon walked in. ¡°He just boarded the ne.¡±


    ¡°Danrique''s flying to M Nation?¡± Francesca''s eyes widened in shock. ¡°When did he leave?¡±


    She paused briefly before muttering to herself, ¡°If he''s just about to board, that means he''s been gone


    for over an hour...¡±


    Rage overtook her instantly. ¡°That jerk! He actually left while I was asleep? What is he doing, running


    off to M Nation right aftering back home?¡±


    ¡°Please don''t be upset, Ms. Felch,¡± Sloan consoled immediately. ¡°Mr. Lindberg has some matters to


    take care of.¡±


    ¡°That''s right. Mr. Lindberg has work to do,¡± Gordon chimed in.


    They have a point. He''s no ordinary guy, so it''s not like he can keep mepany all day. Now that I


    think about it, he was constantly on the phone during our flight back home. Something must''ve


    happened.


    ¡°Well, if he has work to do, he could''ve just told me. Why did he have to sneak out like that?¡± she


    commented in exasperation and indignance. ¡°Couldn''t he have just said his proper goodbyes?¡±


    ¡°He was worried you''d be mad at him,¡± Gordon answered meekly.


    ¡°Then when will he be back?¡± Francesca asked, sounding worried. ¡°Did he tell you?¡±


    ¡°No. We''re really not sure how long he''ll be away, but he''ll definitelye back once he''s done taking


    care of everything there.¡±


    Francesca was speechless. There was no point questioning them any further. It would only trouble


    them.


    Hence, she returned to the bedroom and plopped herself onto the couch in a sullen manner.


    Gordon reminded the maid to keep watch outside before leaving to run his own errands.


    Francesca tried to dial Danrique''s number, thinking that perhaps the private jet had not taken off yet.


    Unfortunately, she couldn''t reach him. I guess he''s taken off.


    Francesca: Text me once you see this!Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    After leaving him a text message, the woman sprawled on the bed. The more she thought about his


    departure, the more infuriated she became.


    We were just together in this bed a few hours ago, and now he''s gone. He left without even saying


    anything.


    She felt extremely aggrieved.


    Meanwhile, Danrique was reviewing some documents on his private jet when Sean poured him a hot


    cup of tea. ¡°You''ve been working really hard, Mr. Lindberg. You didn''t even get to have a proper meal


    when you got home.¡±


    ¡°You''re as long-winded as a woman,¡± Danriquemented with a nce.


    Hearing that, Sean stopped talking immediately.


    ¡°By the way,¡± Danrique suddenly added, ¡°how is La doing?¡±


    ¡°Gordon just asked the guys in H City about her today. It seems she''s woken up and is still resting in


    bed.¡±


    ¡°Well, there''s shouldn''t be any more problems now that she''s awake, so get someone to take her to


    Xendale. Francesca tends to overthink when she''s alone. She''d feel better if La were with her.¡±


    ¡°Very well. I''ll give Gordon a call.¡±


    Sean whipped out his phone and connected it to the Wi-Fi on the ne right away.


    Danrique continued to gaze at his documents, but the only thing on his mind was Francesca. ¡°Tell that


    blockhead Gordon not to let Francesca know that I''m going to M Nation with Hazel. I don''t want her to


    throw a fit.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Sean immediately ryed the message to Gordon.


    ¡°Got it. Don''t worry about it. Also, I''m not a blockhead.¡±

 Chapter 2206

    Chapter 2206


    q¡°If Mr. Lindberg says you''re one, then you''re one!¡± Sean retaliated.


    ¡°You...¡± Gordon scoffed in frustration. ¡°You''ll get it from me when youe back.¡±


    With a smugugh, Sean hung up.


    ¡°He gets to stay by Mr. Lindberg''s side just because he''s sly enough to earn his trust. I''m clearly more


    capable,¡± Gordon grumbled.


    ¡°I think I''m better than Mylo too, but Mr. Lindberg prefers taking him along while keeping me here,¡±


    Sloan chimed in despondently.


    Gordon couldn''t help but sigh. ¡°Only shallow guys would fall for a person''s smooth-talking.¡±


    ¡°I''d say the same for women,¡± Sloan added. ¡°But Ms. Felch is an exception!¡±


    Back inside her room, a sleepless Francesca tossed and turned in bed. She had been waiting to hear


    from Danrique all this while, but he hadn''t called her ever since he left.


    She knew there was reception on the private jet. He would''ve called her if he wanted to, but he didn''t.


    Maybe I just don''t matter to him.


    Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    Francesca was utterly disappointed.


    Well, there''s no point mulling over this. I should get to work.


    The woman got out of bed and began prescribing some medicine for William and the rest of the people


    at his castle.


    It was a rather busy day.


    The medicinal herbs arrived by noon, and together with Sloan, Francesca headed over to where


    William was to treat him. Monica was also now learning some basic medical knowledge from her so


    she could care for William better.


    Francesca remained there until about three in the afternoon beforeing back to prepare more


    medication for those at William Castle. Then, she had Gordon personally send the medication over.


    The day flew by quickly, and it was now eight at night.


    Francesca stared at her phone while having her dinner, waiting for Danrique to call.


    Yet, he didn''t.


    She was on the verge of exploding now.


    Just as she prepared to phone him instead, the sound of a car arriving came from outside, piquing her


    curiosity. Who could it be at this hour?


    ¡°Francesca!¡± A familiar voice rang out.


    Francesca stilled briefly and turned her head to look outside.


    It didn''t take long for Gordon to lead a noble-looking woman into the house, and Francesca was


    astonished to see that it was the firstdy. ¡°Mrs. President! What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Sorry for dropping by so abruptly,¡± the firstdy responded with a smile. ¡°I heard you''vee back, so


    I thought I''d pay you a visit. I hope I''m not bothering you.¡±


    ¡°Not at all! Come on in. Norah, prepare some tea.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ms. Felch.¡±


    Francesca looked very much like ady of a house at this moment.


    After beckoning the firstdy to take a seat and asking for tea to be served, she began to strike up a


    warm conversation with her.


    The firstdy handed some gifts over before getting to the point. ¡°Francesca, I heard from Danrique


    that you''ve returned, but he''s gone to M Nation to take care of some matters. I thought you might be


    bored on your own, so I decided to stop by and see you. I''m holding an art exhibition tomorrow. I''m not


    sure if you''d be interested, but would you like toe? If you''re feeling lonely because Danrique isn''t


    around, how about I keep youpany?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I...¡±


    ¡°I know you''re not fond of socializing, so I''ve made sure there wouldn''t be too many people tomorrow. I


    was thinking of taking you out to dinner. Then we''ll head to the exhibition together, and I''ll send you


    home right after that.¡± The firstdy smiled sheepishly. ¡°I didn''t give you a proper greeting at thest


    banquet, and I even gave you a fright. My husband''s been ming me ever since. That''s also why I


    want to make it up to you now. Hopefully, he''ll stop using that incident against me. Haha...¡±


    Upon hearing that, Francesca couldn''t bear to say no, so she nodded. ¡°Okay. I''ll see you tomorrow,


    then. I wasn''t that frightened back then, though. It really wasn''t so big of a deal.¡±


    ¡°But it was still my negligence that led to the incident.¡± The firstdy beamed. ¡°Shall Ie and pick


    you up tomorrow?¡±

 Chapter 2207

    Chapter 2207


    q¡°There''s no need for that. Give me the address, and I''ll make my way over on my own,¡± Francesca


    replied hurriedly.


    ¡°All right. It looks like Danrique''s left Gordon here, so there shouldn''t be a problem for you to travel


    about,¡± the firstdy remarked with a chuckle. ¡°I''ll have someone give Gordon the address, then. See


    you tomorrow at six!¡±


    ¡°Okay. See you!¡±


    Francesca began to regret her decision as soon as she saw the firstdy off. She truly didn''t enjoy


    going to such ces, nor was she interested in art exhibitions.


    I don''t even understand art! But from how she dropped by personally and the way she talked, how


    could I have said no? Well, I''ll have to make connections sooner orter anyway. I may as well get this


    over with.


    ¡°Don''t worry, Ms. Felch. I''ll take you there personally. You''ll bepletely safe.¡±


    Gordon thought she was concerned about her safety.


    ¡°I''m not worried about that. I just don''t really feel like going.¡±


    The woman nced at her phone. There was not a single call or text message from Danrique.


    Despite feeling unhappy, she decided not to phone him.


    So what if he doesn''t call? It''s not like I care. Hmph!


    Yet, Francesca would spend the night waking up several times just to reach for her phone underneath


    her pillow and check for any notification from Danrique.


    Sadly, there was still nothing.


    Although she felt incredibly dejected, the woman was so tired from her day''s work that she continued


    sleeping.


    She wasn''t feeling the best when she woke up the next morning, but she forced herself out of bed


    anyway. Then, she washed up, had some breakfast, and visited William again.


    William did his best to cooperate, putting up with all the pain and consuming his medication regardless


    of how bitter it was.


    Francesca sincerely wanted to treat him, given all his effort.


    The one thing that seemed off was that he now spoke to her less and appeared to be deliberately


    maintaining a distance from her. He also no longer called her name as affectionately as he used to.


    Maybe it''s because he''s feeling guilty over what happened in the past, or that he''s changed after going


    through so much.


    Monica, on the other hand, was thrilled to see Francesca every time. The former always looked forward


    to learning more about medicine and understanding William''s illness. She would even report his


    condition to her meticulously.


    Hearing that William was recovering well made Monica the happiest person in the world.


    Moreover, Francesca noticed that the two seemed to be growing closer by the day. Monica was no


    longer afraid to remove his clothes, wipe his body, or treat his wounds¡ªeven in his most intimate areas


    ¡ªalthough she would still blush.


    Still, Francesca believed this was a good thing. William''s always been alone, so it''s nice to see


    someone by his side. Besides, Monica likes him so much.


    After tending to William, she prescribed more medication for Monica, who had been so busy caring for


    William that her own injuries were healing at a much slower rate.


    Francesca gave her a different kind of medicine.


    It was past four by the time she returned to Danrique Castle.


    Norah immediately assisted her with her shower before leading her to the make-up artist, who had


    been waiting to style her.


    When Francesca was ready, she hopped into the car to meet up with the firstdy.


    Having busied herself all day, she dozed off inside the vehicle.


    Even so, she would wake up and check her phone every now and then just to see if Danrique had


    contacted her.


    Again, he never did.


    This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.


    She was furious.


    The firstdy weed her in front of the restaurant at exactly six o''clock.


    The former had booked the entire restaurant for themselves along with a few other female guests.


    Francesca recognized one of them as Kevin Yarrow''s wife. She had also met the other women at the


    last banquet.


    Everyone treated her with the utmost respect and spoke with her ardently.


    Yet, Francesca could only maintain a smile; exchanging pleasantries wasn''t her forte.


    ¡°Francesca is a very quiet girl and doesn''t socialize much, so there''s no need to stand on ceremony


    with her,¡± the firstdy chimed in, having noticed the young woman''s unease.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    At that, thedies quieted down in an instant.

 Chapter 2208

    Chapter 2208


    qAfter dinner, thedies departed to the art gallery in a car.


    The firstdy had prepared a limousine and invited Francesca and the otherdies to join her in the


    vehicle.


    After getting into the limousine, thedies could not contain their urge to gossip about recent events


    rted to the prominent families.


    Francesca listened to them in silence. She did not show any reaction until someone mentioned that


    Hazel had gone to M Nation. Only then did Francesca reveal an astonished expression as she hastily


    asked, ¡°When did Hazel depart?¡±


    ¡°The night before yesterday.¡± Kevin''s wife immediately shuffled closer to Francesca, as thetter had


    rarely initiated a conversation with her. ¡°I visited Hazel''s residence that night and saw her leaving the


    house to go to the airport.¡±


    Francesca looked down. Complex emotions churned within her.


    Hazel departed the night before yesterday, while Danrique left the subsequent morning. So, Danrique


    did not go to M Nation alone. He went there with Hazel, which means he''s been hanging out with her


    for the past few days. Is that why he didn''t answer my calls?


    ¡°Francesca, Francesca!¡± The firstdy''s voice pulled Francesca back to reality.


    ¡°Yes?¡± Francesca regained her senses.


    ¡°Are you all right? You look pale,¡± the firstdy asked concernedly. ¡°Are you feeling under the weather?¡±


    ¡°No. I''m fine,¡± Francesca responded with a faint smile.


    Subsequently, while visiting the art exhibition, Francesca appeared slightly distracted. The firstdy


    suggested sending Francesca home when she sensed herck of interest.


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    Francesca seized that opportunity to excuse herself from the art gallery.


    While the firstdy sent Francesca off, she expressed her concern. ¡°Did the otherdies mention


    anything inappropriate to upset you?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Francesca replied.


    ¡°Since Danrique went to M Nation, and there''s no one else at home, you can visit me anytime if you''re


    bored. I can keep youpany. If you don''t fancy going to the art gallery, we can go hunting or skiing


    next¡ª¡±


    ¡°Mrs. President,¡± Francesca interrupted, ¡°I''m actually quite upied every day. I have two patients to


    attend to and plenty of medications to pack. Besides, I''m also recuperating from my injuries, so I don''t


    feel bored at all.¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡± The firstdy''s facial expression stiffened slightly, and she shed an awkward smile. ¡°Okay.


    You should focus on your work, then. At the same time, you must also take care of your health. Feel


    free to contact me if you need anything.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Francesca nodded. ¡°Thank you. I shall take my leave now.¡±


    ¡°Goodbye!¡±


    The firstdy watched Francesca leave and waited until the car disappeared from her sight before


    turning around and reentering the art gallery.


    On the way back, Francesca could not stop herself from asking Sloan, ¡°With whom did Danrique go to


    M Nation?¡±


    ¡°Sean,¡± Sloan answered.


    ¡°I''m aware Sean tagged along, but who else is there?¡± Francesca grew impatient. ¡°Is Hazel there as


    well?¡±


    ¡°Um...¡± Sloan fell into a momentary daze. ¡°I don''t think so.¡±


    ¡°You don''t think so?¡± Francesca flew into a fit of rage. ¡°That means I''m right.¡±


    She immediately picked up her phone and dialed Danrique''s number.


    However, no one answered the call even after the phone rang for a long while.


    Her anger intensified. Francesca: Danrique Lindbergh, if you don''t call back tonight, you don''t have to


    call me anymore in the future!


    She attempted to convey her burning rage via the message to him.


    She even had the urge to fly to M Nation at once, close her fists around Danrique''s neck, and question


    him why he hadn''t been answering her calls. She wanted him to exin to her the reason behind his


    unannounced departure and why he kept her in the dark regarding his trip to M Nation with Hazel. She


    wished to understand his intention.


    Sloan uttered weakly, ¡°Ms. Felch, please don''t be mad. Mr. Lindberg went to M Nation to handle work-


    rted matters. Even if he''s there with Ms. Atkinson, they are merely there on business.¡±


    His speechpletely infuriated Francesca. ¡°It seems that this is true. That means Danrique really


    went there with Hazel?¡±


    ¡°No. I really don''t know.¡± Sloan grew anxious. ¡°Please calm down, Ms. Felch. Mr. Lindberg is genuinely


    there on a business trip because¡ª¡±


    Just as Sloan was about to speak further, Francesca''s phone rang. She immediately answered the call.


    ¡°Hello!¡±

 Chapter 2209

    Chapter 2209


    qDanrique''s voice sounded from the phone''s speaker. ¡°I just saw your message. What''s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Did you go to M Nation with Hazel?¡± Francesca questioned him.


    He fell silent for a few moments before answering in a deep voice, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Enraged, she snapped at him frantically, ¡°Danrique, first, you left without informing me, then you went


    to M Nation with Hazel. What is this all about?¡±


    He exined patiently, ¡°I''m here to handle some work-rted matters. It doesn''t matter who''s with me


    on this business trip.¡±


    ¡°Then why did you hide this from me if it doesn''t matter? If it doesn''t matter, why did you leave without


    telling me?¡± Francesca grew more agitated as she spoke.


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    She could not fathom his behavior. He could''ve told me if he was really there because of work. Why did


    he feel the need to hide this matter from me?


    ¡°I have things to do at the moment. I''ll talk to youter.¡±


    Danrique did not provide her with a straightforward answer.


    ¡°Danrique, if you dare to hang up on me¡ª¡±


    He hung up the phone before she could finish her sentence.


    Francesca almost thought her ears were ying tricks on her. She lowered her phone and stared at the


    screen nkly. When she regained her senses and realized that he had hung up on her, she nearly


    exploded with rage.


    Sloan stared at her timidly via the rearview mirror. He wanted tofort her but didn''t know what to


    say.


    Francesca remained utterly depressed when she arrived home. Just as she was about to go upstairs,


    Monica called out to her, ¡°Ms. Felch!¡±


    ¡°Monica, why are you here? Did something happen to William?¡±


    Monica shook her head. ¡°No, that''s not it. His Highness is very well. I came here to give you this.¡±


    She took out an exquisite lunchbox and opened it, revealing the angel food cakes inside. ¡°His Highness


    taught me how to make these. He told me you like to eat these, so I brought some for you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Francesca was touched as she looked at the angel food cakes neatly arranged in the


    lunchbox. ¡°Come upstairs and take a seat.¡±


    ¡°Okay, sure.¡±


    Monica followed Francesca upstairs. Norah served them refreshments and swiftly left the room.


    Upon returning to the room, Monica updated Francesa on William''s condition, telling Francesca that


    William was doing very well that day and that he even attempted to sit upright. Although he felt


    ufortable after sitting for a short while, he was undoubtedly in better shape than the past few


    days.


    Francesca informed Monica that William''s illness needed to be treated slowly, so he required more time


    to heal.


    ¡°Ms. Felch, you seem troubled. Is there something bothering you?¡± Monica gazed at Francesca.


    ¡°It''s nothing...¡± Francesca did not want to talk to Monica about her problem with Danrique.


    ¡°It seems that Mr. Lindberg isn''t home. Did he go on a business trip?¡± Monica wasted no time in


    identifying the issue.


    ¡°He went to M Nation.¡± Francesca''s temper rose at that thought.


    ¡°Are you feeling angry because of that?¡± Monica asked.


    ¡°He didn''t even inform me before he left, and he also hid the fact that he went on the business trip with


    Hazel,¡± Francesca blurted out the load weighing on her mind.


    Monica consoled her, ¡°Maybe he didn''t want you to misunderstand him. Actually, most men have this


    mentality of wanting to avoid unnecessary trouble by choosing to lie rather than speaking the truth if the


    truth will lead to an argument. But that doesn''t mean something is going on between him and Hazel.¡±


    ¡°To be honest, I was never like this.¡± Francesca felt exasperated. ¡°I''ve never been so insecure and


    paranoid. I had always been calm and collected, but I don''t know what has happened to me recently


    because I''m always mad and in a bad mood.¡±


    Monica chirped, ¡°That signifies how much you care about him. These reactions are normal. When you


    truly love someone, you will behave like this around them. I think you should have faith in Mr. Lindberg.


    Look, Mr. Lindberg has never attempted to cover up your rtionship with him. He even carried you in


    his arms when getting off the ne, allowing everyone to witness the scene, including Hazel. Why


    would he do something like that if he''s going out with her? Any career man will not be able to tolerate


    others gaining control over them. If he was really in a rtionship with Hazel, he wouldn''t even bother


    hiding the fact. He knows nothing is going on between Hazel and him, so he chooses to keep you in


    the dark, probably because he''s afraid you will get mad and throw a fit. That''s why he decided not to


    tell you anything.¡±

 Chapter 2210

    Chapter 2210


    qFrancesca fell into deep thought after listening to Monica. She''s right. Despite all the shorings he


    may have, Danrique has one good quality. He''s uninterested in ying tricks and doesn''t bother


    himself with covering up his actions. If he''s really interested in Hazel, he could''ve been frank with me


    and gotten together with her. There isn''t a need for him to go through these troubles.


    ¡°There''s one other thing I wish to know.¡± Monica nced outside before asking in an undertone, ¡°Who


    told you Mr. Lindberg went to M Nation with Hazel?¡±


    Momentarily dazed, Francesca replied, ¡°Kevin''s wife mentioned this in a casual conversation.¡±


    ¡°You''ve never been someone who enjoys socializing with others, so how did you meet with Mrs.


    Yarrow?¡± Monica was baffled. ¡°I think I saw a car stopped by herest night. Who came looking for


    you?¡±


    ¡°It was the firstdy. She invited me to an art exhibition, then...¡± Francesca recounted the trip to the art


    gallery earlier in the day to Monica.


    Monica''s expression turned solemn. ¡°I''m not sure why, but I cannot shake off the feeling that something


    isn''t right...¡±


    ¡°What''s wrong?¡± Francesca asked.


    ¡°I don''t really know how to describe this feeling.¡± Monica could not connect the dots in her mind at that


    instant. ¡°Let me consult His Highness when I get backter.¡±


    ¡°There''s no need to bother him with this girly stuff.¡± Francesca did not overthink the situation. ¡°But I


    think what you''ve just said makes a lot of sense. Perhaps I''m being too paranoid. I should trust


    Danrique and keep my temper in check.¡±


    ¡°That''s right. You two should treasure your rtionship after everything you''ve been through to finally


    be together. Have faith in one another. Don''t nitpick on the small details and allow others to drive a


    wedge between you two,¡± Monica said earnestly.


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    ¡°Drive a wedge between us?¡± Francesca was stunned upon hearing that. ¡°Do you mean Kevin''s wife


    deliberately disclosed this information to sow discord between Danrique and me?¡±


    ¡°I can''t be sure about that, but there may be a possibility of something fishy going on. You''re too


    innocent and kind, so you need to be careful not to get set up by others.¡±


    ¡°I understand. Thank you.¡±


    Francesca suddenly felt as if her mind was finally working properly again.


    ¡°I should go back now. Rest early.¡± Monica got up to leave.


    ¡°I''ll be there tomorrow morning.¡± Francesca escorted Monica to the door. ¡°Remember to apply the


    medication on your leg.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    After taking a shower, Francescay on the bed and stared at her phone. She felt a little disappointed


    as Danrique did not contact her. However, at the thought of Monica''s advice, Francesca decided to


    ce her trust in him.


    Right then, Danrique called. She hastily picked up the phone. ¡°Hello.¡±


    ¡°Are you feeling better now?¡± Danrique asked.


    For some reason, sorrow filled Francesca''s chest when she heard his question, causing her to sound


    gentler as she spoke. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Francesca pretended to be furious. ¡°Hurry up and apologize!¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Danrique sighed. ¡°I''m sorry. I shouldn''t have left without telling you.¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°Actually, I didn''t intend to hide this matter from you. I just didn''t want you to be mad. Besides, I wanted


    to settle the work here as soon as possible and return to the country to keep youpany.¡±


    Francesca''s heart softened instantaneously. Even her voice wasced with a hint of tenderness. ¡°Fine.


    I shall forgive you this time.¡±


    Danrique started to lecture her, ¡°You''re not allowed to throw a tantrum for no reason in the future. Be


    good, all right?¡±


    Francesca replied obediently, ¡°All right. Come back soon after you''re done with your work there. Give


    me a call whenever you''re free and don''t disregard me.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Danrique curled his lips into a bewitching smile. ¡°So who told you I came to M Nation with


    Hazel?¡±


    ¡°I inadvertently heard one of thedies mention this in a chat.¡± Francesca did not wish to invite


    unnecessary trouble, so she was mindful of her words. ¡°This is not important. I just think you should''ve


    informed me of your whereabouts instead of keeping me in the dark.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Danrique did not probe further. After talking to her for a short while, he hung up the call.

 Chapter 2211

    Chapter 2211


    qAfter hanging up the phone, Danrique turned toward Sean and said, ¡°Contact Gordon immediately.


    Ask him where Francesca has been and who she has met up with throughout the past few days.¡±


    This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Understood,¡± Sean replied as he pulled out his phone and gave Gordon a call.


    ¡°Someone is following us, Mr. Lindberg,¡± said the driver while ncing in the rear-view mirror.


    Danrique nced at the rear-view mirror and replied calmly, ¡°Find a way to stop them and capture


    them alive.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    The driver then sped up a little to increase the distance between them and the car behind.


    After getting off the phone, Sean told Danrique, ¡°The firstdy personally invited Francesca to an art


    exhibition. Kevin''s wife was the one who leaked that information. She must''ve casually mentioned it


    while chatting with those other women. I believe this is hardly a cause for a conspiracy.¡±


    Not wanting to distract himself with that, Danrique ordered, ¡°We''ll forget about that for the time being.


    Contact Hazel and find out what the situation is like on her end.¡±


    ¡°I''m on it!¡±


    Francesca was able to have a good night''s sleep after making up with Danrique.


    After waking up the next morning, she had breakfast and went off to treat William, who was recovering


    very quickly.


    Without the poison getting in the way, Francesca''s treatment was very effective and produced great


    results each day.


    William received a video call from Robin right after the treatment for the day was over.


    ¡°We''ve received the medicine that Francesca sent us! Dominic and Lindberg Corporation''s men


    handed them over to us in person. They told us to start taking it today!¡± Robin eximed excitedly.


    Feeling pleased with what he had just heard, William turned his phone toward Francesca so that Robin


    and those in the castle could thank her in person.


    Francesca then gave them a detailed exnation of the dosage and things to take note of. She also


    asked them to monitor their progress daily and report it to William.


    Robin wrote it all down before ending the video call.


    William thanked Francesca once again for her help. Although he wasn''t exactly very expressive about


    it, the look of genuine gratitude in his eyes said it all.


    ¡°Don''t mention it!¡± Francesca said casually and went back to formting the medication.


    Monica, who was helping William apply his medication, felt disappointed when she saw how his gaze


    never left Francesca.


    Francesca came over to treat William throughout the next few days. Although his wound was healing


    very quickly with the aid of her treatment, his legs were still disabled.


    After conducting some experiments, Francesca found out that the poisoning had affected his legs,


    making the treatment of his disability even more difficult.


    On top of spending lots of time researching new treatment methods every day, Francesca also


    contacted Anthony and had him mail her some ancient books on medicine.


    A week soon went by. Although Danrique had yet to return, he did text Francesca from time to time.


    Francesca was a little disappointed but decided to continue waiting patiently anyway.


    After receiving the books from Anthony, Francesca spent hours reading through them at home every


    day. Eventually, she found a treatment method that could work and resumed William''s treatment.


    One afternoon, Francesca had justpleted William''s acupuncture treatment and was packing up


    when Sloan came running over. ¡°Ms. Felch! The firstdy is here!¡±


    ¡°What? Why is she here again?¡± Francesca asked with a frown.


    ¡°Ms. Avery is severely ill, and no doctors have been sessful at treating her, so the firstdy wants


    you to take a look at her. She seems to be very anxious about Ms. Avery''s condition. Gordon told me to


    inform you about this.¡±


    ¡°Let''s go!¡±


    Francesca grabbed her medical kit and got ready to leave.


    ¡°Francesca!¡± William called out to her all of a sudden.


    Francesca paused in her tracks and turned around. ¡°What is it?¡±


    William nced at Monica and said, ¡°Take Monica with you. She has acquired some basic medical


    knowledge, so she might be able to assist you with the treatment.¡±


    ¡°Who will look after you, then?¡± Francesca asked.


    ¡°There are plenty of maids here who can look after His Highness. Besides, His Highness will be going


    to bed after taking the medication, so there''s not much for me to do here anyway.¡± Monica said.


    ¡°All right, then. I''ll go first to check on Ms. Avery and assess the situation. You cane over in a bit,¡±


    Francesca replied and left in a hurry.

 Chapter 2212

    Chapter 2212


    Monica then had the other maids step outside and closed the room door before tucking William in.


    ¡°Keep a close eye on them and see if they''re up to any funny business, but be careful not to expose


    yourself,¡± William whispered.


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡± Monica nodded. ¡°What if they are up to something? Do I take action?¡±


    William narrowed his eyes as he replied, ¡°Even if they are up to something, I doubt they''ll harm


    Francesca in the pce. Either way, keep a close eye on them and act ordingly.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Monica was about to help clean his body with a wet towel, but William stopped her and said, ¡°The maid


    can take care of this. I want you to go meet up with Francesca right away.¡±


    ¡°All right. Rest well, Your Highness. The maids are outside if you need them.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    After getting changed, Monica hurried over to Danrique Castle to meet up with Francesca.


    Francesca had just gotten out of the car when the firstdy grabbed her arm and sobbed, ¡°Come quick,


    Francesca! Avery is having a rpse and is at her limits!¡±


    ¡°Huh? A rpse? What''s her condition?¡± Francesca asked.


    ¡°It''s a congenital heart disease. She had surgery before and has been doing well. However, she


    recently started showing signs of a rpse. I''m guessing it has something to do with her mental health


    issues. Her condition stabilized after the doctor''s treatment, but... Last night, she suddenly...¡± The first


    lady couldn''t bring herself to continue that sentence. ¡°All the other doctors have been unable to help


    her, so you''re my only hope at the moment.¡±


    ¡°I''ll have a look at her right away!¡±


    Francesca had always been one to save those in need. Since the president''s family was very closely


    rted to Danrique, she couldn''t possibly say no to that.


    ¡°Sloan, bring me my other medical kit and needle pouch.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡±


    Monica arrived right as Sloan came over with the requested items.


    Francesca and Monica then got into the firstdy''s car.


    ¡°Ms. Felch, Gordon is busy with something, so he won''t be able to make it in time,¡± Sloan said.


    ¡°That''s fine. Just bring a couple of guys with you ande with us,¡± Francesca replied.


    ¡°Got it.¡± Sloan then piled into a car with a few of his subordinates and followed behind the firstdy''s


    car.


    Along the way, Francesca asked the firstdy for more details regarding Avery''s medical history to


    better understand her condition. She was a little shocked when she found out that Avery once had a


    heart transnt when she was young.


    ¡°Such diseases are usually hereditary. Do you have it yourself, Mrs. President?¡± Francesca asked.


    This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I don''t, but my mother does. It runs in our family, but not every single one of us gets it,¡± the firstdy


    replied with tears running down her cheeks.


    ¡°Does Ms. Avery have any children?¡± Francesca asked.


    The firstdy sniffled as she answered, ¡°No, she doesn''t.¡±


    ¡°Hereditary diseases can be a bit tricky to deal with. Do you have Ms. Avery''s medical record? If yes,


    please send it to me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I have it.¡±


    It wasn''t long before they arrived at the pce. The butler, who had been waiting for them outside the


    door, yelled anxiously, ¡°Please,e quickly! Ms. Avery is in critical condition!¡±


    The firstdy was so shocked that her legs instantly gave out beneath her.


    Fortunately, her subordinate was able to catch her in time and hold her steady.


    Francesca rushed over to the treatment room and saw a few doctors standing there with anxious looks


    on their faces. They all breathed sighs of relief when they saw that Francesca was there to take over


    for them.


    Francesca had already read Avery''s medical history on her way over, so she had a rough idea of her


    condition. She immediately got to work by performing a thorough examination and started the treatment


    while the firstdy waited anxiously outside the door.


    A few hourster, Francesca came out and took her surgical mask off as she said, ¡°Her condition is


    stable for now.¡±


    The firstdy nearly broke down in tears when she heard that. ¡°Oh, thank goodness! My poor


    daughter...¡±


    The doctors were all shocked. ¡°You sure are skilled in medicine for someone of your age! What was


    that treatment method that you used, though? We''ve never seen anything like it! Could you share it


    with us¡ª¡±


    ¡°Maybe some other time,¡± Francesca replied. She then turned toward the firstdy and whispered,


    ¡°Mrs. President, may I have a word with you in private?¡±


    ¡°Sure thing. Come with me,¡± the firstdy replied as she led Francesca to an adjacent room.


    After thanking her profusely for saving Avery''s life, the firstdy asked, ¡°So, how is my daughter


    doing?¡±

 Chapter 2213

    Chapter 2213


    ¡°A thorough examination suggests that Ms. Avery''s heart transnt was a sess. Theoretically, her


    condition should be very stable. However, her emotional state has been fluctuating a lottely. Also, I


    believe she is suffering from severe depression. All that repeated self-harm and medication has ced


    a huge amount of stress on her heart, which caused her to go into cardiogenic shock. It''s incredibly


    difficult to treat such a condition with modern medicine, so I had to rely on traditional medicine to


    stabilize her. We''ll still need to treat her with modern medicine, though. Given the severity of her


    condition, traditional medicine will only get us so far. I can use it toplement her previous treatment


    methods, but she really needs to stop hurting herself like this. Her body cannot take any more abuse.


    You need to first keep her emotions under control so that she will be willing to ept the treatment. We


    can then counsel her and teach her to value her life,¡± Francesca exined.


    The firstdy nodded with tears in her eyes. ¡°Understood. Thank you for the suggestion. You''ve been


    most helpful.¡±


    ¡°You''re wee. I''ll be taking my leave now,¡± Francesca said as she packed her things and got ready


    to leave.


    The firstdy quickly grabbed her by the arm and pleaded, ¡°Could you please stay with us for the


    night? I''m worried that Avery might have another episode in the middle of the night. None of the doctors


    are able to do anything at the moment.¡±


    Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Honestly, it wouldn''t make a huge difference even if I stayed. Having a few doctors around is good


    enough¡ª¡±


    The firstdy cut her off anxiously, ¡°But Avery''s emotional state is highly unstable. What if she has a


    panic attack or something? Those doctors won''t administer any medication for fear of it affecting her


    heart. If you stay, you could use those acupuncture needles on her, which is a lot safer since they don''t


    have any unwanted effects on her heart.¡±


    ¡°That is true...¡± Francesca gave it some thought and nodded. ¡°All right, I''ll stay for the night. We''ll


    monitor her condition throughout the night and decide the next course of action after that.¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± The firstdy was overjoyed. ¡°I''ll have someone bring you to the guest room.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°I''ll stay with you, Ms. Felch. I could watch over Ms. Avery and wake you up if anything happens. That


    way, you''ll be able to get a good night''s sleep,¡± Monica suggested.


    ¡°All right.¡± Francesca didn''t turn her offer down as she needed sufficient rest to perform well during


    treatment.


    The firstdy simply shot Monica a nce before having someone escort Francesca over to the guest


    room.


    She even prepared rooms for Sloan and his subordinates.


    After taking a shower, Francesca sat on the bed and read through all of Avery''s medical records.


    ¡°Is Ms. Avery''s illness real?¡± Monica asked curiously while leaning over to have a look at the reports.


    Francesca rolled her eyes at her in response. ¡°Of course it is! Why would anyone fake this stuff?¡±


    ¡°Fair enough.¡±


    Ms. Felch would surely be able to tell if Ms. Avery was faking it. Maybe the firstdy isn''t up to


    anything, after all. His Highness is probably just overthinking it.


    ¡°Still, I can''t help but feel that something is off about all this. For some reason, Ms. Avery seems rather


    familiar. I feel like I''ve seen her before...¡± Francesca murmured while going through Avery''s files.


    ¡°You''ve seen her before? Was there some kind of conflict between you two?¡± Monica asked nervously.


    Francesca shook her head. ¡°No, but I do find her looking somewhat familiar. Maybe I haven''t actually


    seen her in person... I don''t know. I can''t be bothered to think about it right now. I''m going to bed.¡±


    ¡°You go ahead and get some rest. I''ll wake you up if anything happens.¡±


    While tidying up the table, Monica secretly took pictures of Avery''s medical reports before putting them


    away.


    Having performed two treatments in a day, Francesca was very tired and fell asleep within minutes.


    Right as Monica turned off the lights and was about to get some sleep, she received a text message


    from William that read: Is Francesca okay?

 Chapter 2214

    Chapter 2214


    Monica replied: She''s fine. We''re staying the night in the presidential pce.


    William texted: Make sure to keep her safe. Do everything you can to protect her.


    Monica replied: Don''t worry; I will. You should get some sleep, Your Highness. It''s almost two in the


    morning now.


    William texted: I couldn''t sleep. Let me know when Francescaes back tomorrow.


    Monica replied: Got it.


    After sending that text, Monica nced at Francesca with a look of envy in her eyes.


    His Highness still cares so much about Ms. Felch even though she belongs to Danrique... Perhaps this


    is what true love looks like...


    Monica was just starting to fall asleep when someone knocked on the door and yelled, ¡°It''s Ms. Avery!


    She woke up and is having a fit!¡±


    ¡°Wake up, Ms. Felch!¡± Monica called out while tapping Francesca on the shoulder.


    Francesca quickly put on her clothes and rushed over with her medical kit in hand.


    Although physically weak, Avery was screaming angrily in anguage that Francesca didn''t


    understand.


    She looked like a dying person chanting some sort of curse.


    ¡°Calm down, Avery!¡±


    The firstdy covered Avery''s mouth with a handkerchief to stop her from screaming.


    As neither of the doctors dared inject her with sedatives, all they could do was stand there and wait for


    Francesca to begin the treatment.


    Francesca quickly whipped out her bag of needles and performed acupuncture treatment on Avery.


    Avery red viciously at her like a snake staring down its prey before passing out again.


    ¡°This won''t do. You need to get a psychiatrist as soon as possible,¡± Francesca suggested with a frown.


    ¡°I already have. Thanks, Francesca. You can go back to sleep now...¡± the firstdy mumbled weakly.


    Francesca nced at her watch and said, ¡°I''m going to head back now and prepare some medication


    for Ms. Avery. I''ll send it over to you tomorrow, Mrs. President. Make sure to have her take them on


    time every day. It''ll help keep her calm, which will make the psychiatrist''s job a lot easier.¡±


    ¡°Thank you so much, Francesca. Here, I''ll walk you out.¡±


    ¡°That won''t be necessary...¡±


    Francesca was about to turn her offer down but felt bad when she saw how weary the firstdy looked.


    ¡°Mrs. President, you shouldn''t worry too much about Ms. Avery''s condition. She can be cured if she


    receives proper treatment.¡±


    ¡°I sure hope so.¡± The firstdy let out a sigh as she continued, ¡°I wish I could do more to help my


    daughter.¡±


    ¡°Is the president not home right now?¡± Francesca asked as she realized she hadn''t seen the president


    this entire time.


    ¡°He''s busy with work and hasn''t been around much recently. In fact, I usually have to take care of


    things at home since he''s always swamped with work,¡± the firstdy replied with a wry smile.


    Francesca nodded. ¡°Oh, I see. You should try to get some rest too. Don''t push yourself too hard. I''ll be


    on my way now.¡±


    ¡°Again, thanks for your help today. Bye!¡±


    ¡°Bye!¡±


    Francesca and Monica then entered their car and left.


    ¡°A woman who wields such great power should have the world at her fingertips. How did her daughter


    end up like this?¡± Monica eximed with a sigh when she nced at the firstdy''s weary appearance


    in the rear-view mirror.


    ¡°Yeah. I wonder what Ms. Avery went through...¡± Francesca said.


    ¡°Sloan, do you know what happened to her?¡± Monica asked.


    ¡°From what I''ve heard, her life has been terrible after she married her ex-husband in Dartan. They say


    he was a violent man and often abused her. The president got really mad when he found out. He sent


    some of his men over to teach that guy a lesson, but...¡±


    Curious beyond measure, Monica urged, ¡°What happened next?¡±


    ¡°I think Ms. Avery was having an affair or something. Her ex-husband managed to get evidence of her


    affair, which made things a lot more difficult for her and the president. They tried really hard to divorce


    him, but he stubbornly refused to. Eventually, Mr. Lindberg stepped in and forced the man to release


    Ms. Avery.¡±Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    ¡°What an *sshole!¡± Monica eximed angrily. ¡°I hate men who abuse their families! That man sure had


    some guts abusing the president''s daughter! Wait, was it true that Ms. Avery was having an affair?¡±


    Sloan shook his head. ¡°I''m not too sure about that. I heard those from Mr. Harrington''s men. They were


    the ones the president sent to punish that ex-husband.¡±

 Chapter 2215

    Chapter 2215


    ¡°And who''s the ex-husband?¡± Monica continued asking.


    ¡°Beats me.¡± Sloan dared not say more. He cautiously looked at Francesca and said, ¡°Mr. Lindberg


    doesn''t like us talking behind people''s backs.¡±


    Francesca nced at Monica for a moment.


    ¡°All right, I''ll stop asking.¡± Monica immediately exined, ¡°I''m just a little curious. Who on earth would


    dare to abuse the president''s daughter? Ugh, evil men lurk everywhere.¡±


    Before shutting his mouth, Sloan added, ¡°The culprit is quite a big shot.¡±


    ¡°I guess so. There are always people better than us out there...¡± Monica muttered. ¡°But this Ms. Avery


    must have suffered quite a bit. Otherwise, she wouldn''t end up in such a miserable state.¡±


    ¡°Let''s not dive into her personal matters anymore,¡± Francesca expressed her dismay. ¡°And stop


    behaving like an FBI agent. You''re no longer with that organization anymore.¡±


    Monica started chuckling. ¡°All right, all right. Forgive me. I shall not ask any further.¡±


    Though she had stopped asking questions, she kept all the information in mind.


    It was already daybreak by the time they arrived at the castle. Francesca could not sleep, so she went


    directly to theb to work on the medicine and ordered her subordinates to deliver it to the presidential


    pce.


    Afterpleting her work, she returned to her room to take a nap.


    Meanwhile, Monica went to William''s room.


    William, who had a sleepless night, asked Monica when he saw her, ¡°Is Francesca all right?¡±


    ¡°Ms. Felch is fine, don''t worry. She just got home a while ago.¡± Monica felt disappointed but still put on


    a smile. ¡°Oh, yes, I have some updates for you, Your Highness...¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Apparently, Ms. Avery...¡±


    Monica reported everything she had heard to William. She even told him how Francesca felt Avery


    looked familiar.


    Upon hearing that, William went through all of Avery''s information again. He then ordered, ¡°Go and find


    out more about Avery''s ex-husband and who she cheated on him with. Lay low, and make sure you


    stay under the radar.¡±


    ¡°I''ll see to it, Your Highness.¡± Monica immediately called Dominic and told him to begin the


    investigation.


    She could not participate in the investigation directly since she had been relieved of her duties, but


    Dominic could still get the job done. However, due to Avery''s unique identity, the president had done a


    good job keeping things under wrap. Thus, they needed more time to find out more information.


    After ending the call, Monica helped William clean up and change clothes. Coincidentally, Francesca


    had arrived to treat Wiliam.


    Despite not having enough sleepst night, she was determined toplete all her tasks today.


    ¡°You should go home and take a good rest. I can skip the treatment for a day,¡± William expressed his


    concern when he noticed how ashen-faced she looked.


    Yet, Francesca insisted onpleting the treatment before leaving. ¡°At least I managed to catch a two-


    hour nap. Monica didn''t even sleep at all.¡±


    Instead of turning his attention to Monica, William still fixed his eyes on Francesca.


    Monica could not help but feel dejected.


    After leaving Wiliam''s ce, Francesca decided to go home and hit the sack.


    All of a sudden, the car from the presidential pce arrived again. A representative told her that Avery


    had experienced a rpse again. All the psychiatrists and the other specialists had no idea what to do,


    so the firstdy came to seek Francesca''s help.


    Francesca could not turn down the request as the firstdy had begged her to treat Avery.


    Left with no choice, she picked up her medical kit and departed to the presidential pce with a few


    subordinates.


    Avery''s illness seemed to rpse from time to time. Her doctors were either incapable of treating her or


    merely wanted to wash their hands of the case, so they advised the firstdy to get Francesca''s help.


    At this point, Francesca had to take over the task as she could no longer distance herself from the


    people in the presidential pce.


    After spending the rest of the day treating Avery, Francesca felt dizzy and nearly fainted after stepping


    out of the emergency room. Fortunately, Avery''s condition had be stable.


    The firstdy immediately got up and held her arms. She then instructed her subordinates to bring


    Francesca to the guest room.


    Francesca, who had not eaten or drunk anything the whole day, was so exhausted that she did not feel


    like eating anything. After washing her face and gulping a ss of milk, she instantly fell into a deep


    slumber.

 Chapter 2216

    Chapter 2216


    Francesca slept so well that she did not realize someone had opened the door and entered the room


    quietly.


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    ¡°Did she finish the milk?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mam. She finished it.¡±


    ¡°You can leave now.¡±


    ¡°All right, Mam.¡±


    After ncing at the empty ss on the table and the sleeping Francesca, a cold glint shed across


    the firstdy''s eyes.


    She gestured for her two female bodyguards to enter the room and approach Francesca.


    All of a sudden, Francesca''s phone rang. She shivered for a second before sitting up and answering


    the call. ¡°Danrique?¡±


    Her eyes were at half-mast as she talked over the phone. Raising her head, Francesca then noticed


    the firstdy and her two bodyguards standing by the bed. Stunned by their presence in the guest


    room, she asked, ¡°W-What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°I...¡± The firstdy hesitated but responded quickly, ¡°I came to check on you because I noticed you were


    completely worn out.¡±


    ¡°I''m fine. I feel tired and just want to sleep.¡± Francesca yawned while rubbing her eyes.


    ¡°Oh, okay. I''m sorry. I''ll leave you alone now.¡± The firstdy and her two bodyguards immediately


    retreated. They also took the empty ss with them when leaving the room.


    Francesca then fell t on the bed while hugging a bolster. She continued talking to Danrique over the


    phone, ¡°Hey, I''m dead tired. I''ll call youter, okay? I''m at the presidential pce. Avery is very ill, so


    they invited me to treat her...¡±


    After leaving the room, the firstdy called the maid over and confronted her. ¡°You said she finished the


    milk, but howe she''s still awake? Did she drink it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, she did, Mam. I saw her drinking it with my own eyes,¡± the maid uttered in a trembling voice. ¡°I


    swear I''m telling the truth!¡±


    ¡°Could it be the milk''s problem?¡± the firstdy questioned the bodyguards beside her. ¡°Did you drug the


    drink?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I did,¡± the bodyguard assured her. ¡°It''s a powerful drug that would make her sleep like a log. She


    wouldn''t even wake up had we cut her with a knife...¡±


    ¡°We drugged the milk, and she drank it. But how is it nothing happened to her?¡± The firstdy was


    fuming. ¡°All of you owe me an exnation!¡±


    ¡°I really have no idea...¡± the maid answered anxiously. ¡°I did watch her finish the milk...¡±


    ¡°There''s still some left here. I''ll drink it.¡± The bodyguard gulped the remaining milk in the ss. In mere


    seconds, she wrapped her arms around her head, copsed to the ground, and fell asleep.


    The people around her were dumbfounded upon seeing that. She did not even move when the first


    lady kicked her.


    Another bodyguard deduced, ¡°Obviously, the milk has been drugged. I supposed she didn''t drink the


    milk.¡±


    Once again, everyone turned their attention to the maid. The panicked maid burst into tears. ¡°I swear I


    saw her gulping the milk. I''m telling the truth...¡±


    ¡°Guards,¡± the firstdy eximed in anger, ¡°drag her out of here!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mam!¡± The bodyguard pulled the maid away.


    Just when the maid was about to defend herself, the bodyguard immediately covered her mouth with


    her hand.


    A vortex of anger swirled inside the firstdy. She roared, ¡°I had a chance, yet it slipped right through


    my fingertips! It''s all over now...¡±


    ¡°Stay calm, Mam. We can do it again since she''s here all alone,¡± the bodyguard consoled her.


    ¡°Are you out of your mind?¡± the firstdy bellowed. ¡°Didn''t you hear she was on the phone with


    Danrique? Danrique now knows she''s at our ce. Should anything bad happen to her, he''lle and


    settle scores with me.¡±


    ¡°But before this, she¡ª¡±


    The firstdy cut in. ¡°Before this, no one knew when she was leaving, and I could have shirked the


    responsibility by faking a car crash. But I can''t do anything to her now. We have no choice but to wait.¡±

 Chapter 2217

    Chapter 2217


    The more the firstdy thought about it, the angrier she became. ¡°Avery was on the road to recovery.


    All the other doctors had to do was follow the treatment method Francesca prescribed. We should have


    taken this chance to whisk her to the middle of nowhere and take care of her and her subordinates by


    creating a freak ident. We could have blown up their bodies to get rid of all the evidence, and


    Danrique would never find out. But we blew it all up.¡±


    ¡°Calm down, Mrs. President. Our chance wille...¡± her bodyguard assured.


    ¡°Darn it. That b*tch must have been cking off! I''m certain that woman hasn''t drunk the milk,¡± the first


    lady said. ¡°Do you think she''s aware that something''s off? Do you think we''ve given ourselves away?¡±


    ¡°I don''t think so.¡± The bodyguard felt uneasy. ¡°Do you want me to check it out?¡±


    ¡°Go stand by her door and keep an eye on her. Report to me immediately if anything happens,¡± the first


    lady instructed.


    ¡°Yes, Mam.¡± The bodyguard got to it right away.


    The firstdy entered Avery''s ward. Her heart ached as she stared at her daughter, who was fast


    asleep on the hospital bed. She reached out and caressed Avery''s face. ¡°Don''t worry, Avery, I''ll avenge


    you,¡± she choked out.


    Late that night, Monica and Gordon arrived at the presidential pce to pick Francesca up.


    Gordon kept hisposure, whereas Monica was frantically asking about Francesca''s whereabouts.


    ¡°Francesca is treating Avery. She''s fast asleep in the guest room after working all day. What''s with the


    attitude? Why are you acting as if I''m going to harm her?¡± The firstdy was displeased.


    ¡°I...¡± Monica paused as she recalled William''s warning. She quickly put on a smile. ¡°Ms. Felch hasn''t


    been feeling well the past few days, plus she hasn''t slept sincest night, and her phone has been


    switched off. I''m just worried about her health. Please don''t mind me, Mrs. President.¡±


    ¡°Francesca has worked hard. Let her sleep here tonight. I''ll get someone to send her home tomorrow,¡±


    said the firstdy. ¡°You guys should leave.¡±


    ¡°Uh...¡±


    ¡°Mrs. President.¡± Right then, Gordon spoke up. ¡°Mr. Lindberg instructed me to take good care of Ms.


    Felch before he left. I haven''t been home for the past two days because I''ve been busy attending to


    other matters. I''ll have some exining to do if he asks about Ms. Felch since her cell has been turned


    off. So please, can you get Ms. Felch? We''ll be waiting here. Sorry for the trouble.¡±


    ¡°You guys are acting like I''m going to hurt Francesca.¡± The firstdy was getting annoyed. ¡°Francesca


    is Avery''s savior and Danrique''s fianc¨¦e. How could I do something so stupid?¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry.¡± Gordon bowed his head in apology.


    ¡°Forget it. I''ll go get her.¡±


    The firstdy went upstairs to get Francesca. Upon seeing her, the bodyguard reported lowly, ¡°Ms.


    Felch has been asleep all this while.¡±


    The firstdyughed in disdain. ¡°Looks like I''ve been overthinking things. She didn''t notice a thing.


    Otherwise, how could she be sleeping so soundly?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The bodyguard nodded.


    ¡°Knock on the door and wake her up.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    Francesca was annoyed as she was woken up by the knock on the door. ¡°Who is it?¡±


    ¡°Apologies, Francesca, for waking you up,¡± said the firstdy. ¡°Gordon and your assistant, Monica, are


    here to pick you up. They''re downstairs waiting for you.¡±


    It wasn''t till then that Francesca remembered she was sleeping at the presidential pce. She sat up


    quickly. ¡°One moment, please. I''ll be right out once I wash up.¡±


    ¡°Okay. No rush.¡±


    The firstdy waited outside the door.


    Soon, Francesca opened the door after she had washed up and changed into a fresh set of clothes.


    While yawning, she said, ¡°I was sleeping so soundly.¡±


    ¡°I told them to let you retire here for the night ande for you tomorrow, but they refused.¡± The first


    lady smiled. ¡°You''ve worked hard. Are you feeling okay?¡±

 Chapter 2218

    Chapter 2218


    ¡°Yes, but my stomach is a little upset.¡± Francesca rubbed her belly. ¡°It feels like I ate something wrong,


    but I haven''t eaten anything today except for a ss of milk.¡±


    The firstdy paled upon her words. ¡°It must be the hunger. You''ve been working so hard today that


    you didn''t even have time to grab a bite, thus causing an upset stomach...¡±


    ¡°I''ll be fine. I just need to drink more water when I get home,¡± said Francesca. ¡°I''ll be fine even if I ate


    something wrong. I''m immune to poison.¡±


    The firstdy was stunned. Is she serious?


    ¡°Ms. Felch!¡± Monica shouted.


    ¡°Coming.¡± Francesca quickly went down the stairs. ¡°Why did youe sote at night?¡±


    Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    ¡°To pick you up.¡± Monica gave Francesca a once-over and asked in a low voice, ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°I''m fine.¡± Francesca yawned. ¡°Why wouldn''t I be?¡±


    ¡°All right, that''s good to hear. I was worried that you might tire yourself out.¡± Monica heaved a sigh of


    relief. ¡°I''ll go get your medical kit.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right.¡± Francesca had forgotten all about her medical kit. ¡°It''s in the guest room. Please help to get


    it for me.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Monica headed toward the guest room and ran into the firstdy at the stairs. She quickly


    bowed her head to greet her. The firstdy kept quiet as she walked over to Francesca. ¡°Francesca, let


    me send you off.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Felch has been staying in this room.¡± The bodyguard, who was standing by the door, showed


    Monica the way.


    Monica had wanted to snoop around the room for clues but disregarded the thought as she could feel


    the bodyguard watching her. She left the room as soon as she got the medical kit.


    Monica even smiled and nodded at the bodyguard on her way out.


    On the way back, Francesca''s stomach was a little upset. ¡°That''s weird. I haven''t eaten anything all


    day. Why do I have an upset stomach?¡± she said after carefully examining herself.


    ¡°Did you drink anything?¡± asked Monica.


    ¡°A ss of milk. That''s it.¡±


    Francesca found herself a pill and downed it with some mineral water.


    ¡°Is it the milk?¡± Monica asked without missing a beat. ¡°Did anything happen to you after you drank the


    milk?¡±


    ¡°No. I fell asleep right after.¡± Francesca shrugged. ¡°I''d be able to tell immediately if something is wrong


    with the food. But I couldn''t tell if the milk was poisoned since I was so tired. Sleep was the only thing


    on my mind.¡±


    ¡°You''re too careless.¡± Monica was a little panicky. ¡°When did you fall asleep? Did anything happen after


    you fell asleep?¡±


    ¡°What could happen?¡± Francescaughed. ¡°I''m immune to poison. They wouldn''t be able to do


    anything to me even if the milk was poisoned. Moreover, it''s the presidential pce we''re talking about.


    Who would dare poison me?¡±


    ¡°Um...¡± Monica was stunned. ¡°You''re immune to poison?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I''ve been bathing in herbal concoctions ever since I was young. Small doses of poison wouldn''t


    affect me. I''ll have an upset stomach at most.¡±


    Francesca paused as her words settled in. ¡°Oh, right. Why would I have an upset stomach if there''s


    nothing wrong with the milk?¡±


    ¡°Could it be that the milk was poisoned?¡±


    Just then, Gordon spoke up.


    ¡°Not necessarily.¡± Francesca analyzed, ¡°I have stomach issues. Sometimes it''s because I haven''t eaten


    in a long while or I''ve overeaten. We can''t be entirely sure that it''s the milk.¡±


    ¡°But there were no empty sses when I went in to get your medical kit.¡± Monica realized a critical


    point. ¡°They wouldn''t have time to clean the room since you just woke up. The empty ss should still


    be there. Why is it gone?¡±


    ¡°That is very suspicious,¡± said Gordon. ¡°They must have gotten rid of it for fear that we might notice that


    something is off.¡±

 Chapter 2219

    Chapter 2219


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Francesca still found it unbelievable. ¡°Who would dare to do anything like that at the


    presidential pce? What''s their motive?¡±


    ¡°That''s what we want to find out too,¡± said Monica. ¡°Ms. Felch, although we have no evidence right


    now, the circumstance is still very suspicious. We need to be more vignt and not let our guard down.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it''s better to be careful,¡± agreed Gordon as he nodded. ¡°However, there''s no need to be overly


    cautious. Just make sure someone is with you at all times. Everyone knows who you are. I doubt they


    will dare to try to do anything.¡±


    Francesca did not spare the matter much thought. Monica, on the other hand, was ruminating.


    By the time Francesca arrived home, Norah had breakfast ready.


    Francesca had a bite before taking a shower and going to bed.


    When Monica got back, she went straight to William''s room. He had not slept the entire night and was


    waiting for her to update him on the situation.


    Monica gave him a detailed report.


    At the end, William drew his conclusion. ¡°There must be something wrong with the firstdy. In the


    future, you should watch over Francesca more carefully. Don''t let anything happen to her.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I understand,¡± Monica responded with a nod. ¡°But, there''s something I don''t get. Why would the


    firstdy want to do that? Is she trying to get rid of Ms. Felch so that Ms. Avery can be with Mr.


    Lindberg? Surely, someone in her esteemed position should understand that there is no way Mr.


    Lindberg will marry her mentally unwell daughter. So, why would she still do such a thing?¡±


    ¡°Sometimes, things are more than meets the eye. There can be other reasons as well...¡± William looked


    down and pondered before continuing, ¡°That''s why I want you to check out the identities of Ms. Avery''s


    ex-husband and lover. We may be able to find something.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Monica nodded. ¡°Do you think the president is aware of this matter? If he is, I don''t think he


    would allow it to happen, right?¡±


    ¡°I can''t be sure,¡± replied William. ¡°I don''t know them well enough to make any urate assumptions.


    Let''s just take it one thing at a time and act ordingly.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    Meanwhile, at the presidential pce, the firstdy was throwing a fit. ¡°It''s preposterous! We actually


    missed such a good opportunity! Furthermore, Monica has brought Gordon along too. That must mean


    that we have alerted them. It will be difficult to make our move the next time.¡±


    ¡°That Monica woman is annoying,¡± said the personal bodyguard of the firstdy. ¡°She doesn''t work for


    the Lindberg family, so I don''t know why she''s involved.¡±


    ¡°Does she work for Prince William?¡± asked the firstdy.


    Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    ¡°Yes,¡± answered her bodyguard. ¡°ording to my investigation, she used to be an FBI agent. In order


    to save Prince William, she was discharged from her job. She is extremely loyal to Prince William. But,


    since she works for him, why does she bother with Francesca?¡±


    ¡°Don''t be stupid.¡± The firstdy sneered, ¡°Danrique is the reason why William was able to make a


    comeback, and Francesca is the reason why Danrique hase forward to help him. Right now,


    Francesca is the only one who has William''s back. If anything untoward happens to her, not only will he


    not be cured, but Danrique also won''t give a d*mn about his survival. If that happens, William''s cousins


    will exact their revenge on him. Given his handicapped condition, there is no way he can fight back.¡±


    ¡°I got it.¡± The bodyguard quickly nodded. ¡°He''s protecting Francesca to safeguard himself!¡±


    ¡°That''s right.¡± The firstdy sighed before continuing, ¡°Initially, I thought that once Danrique left, we


    would get the chance to deal with Francesca. I didn''t expect Prince William to also be on her side.


    Although he doesn''t have much authority, he''s quite scheming nheless. With his protection, there''s


    no way we can touch Francesca.¡±


    ¡°So, what should we do now?¡± asked her bodyguard.


    ¡°Let me think about it.¡± The firstdy looked wistful. ¡°If we want to finish Francesca off, we must do it


    before Danriquees back. Once he returns, I will never get another chance.¡±


    ¡°Will she being to provide treatment for Ms. Avery tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Even if she does, we can''t do anything to her again.¡±

 Chapter 2220

    Chapter 2220


    The next few days passed by without any incident.


    Every morning, Francesca set out to the presidential pce to treat Avery. She would be back by


    afternoon to give treatment to William.


    During each and every visit to the pce, both Gordon and Monica would escort her.


    Gordon was Danrique''s right-hand man and held an esteemed position. Even the firstdy was polite to


    him and took him seriously.


    As for Monica, she was like an assistant to Francesca. At the same time, she was also constantly


    observing their surroundings.


    Four days had passed.


    Avery''s condition had stabilizedpletely.


    Francesca knew exactly how to treat patients like her. Every time Avery woke up and was about to


    be hysterical, Francesca would insert a needle in her and put her to sleep once more.


    The firstdy was concerned and asked if that would affect Avery''s health.


    Francesca answered, ¡°It will affect her to a certain extent. After all, if she keeps sleeping, she won''t be


    able to consume any food. As such, her body will be quite weak. We can only sustain her using the IV


    drip. Then again, it''s better than having her act up, isn''t it?¡±


    ¡°Uh...¡±


    The firstdy did not know how to respond.


    ¡°Mrs. President, let''s go outside for a while.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡±


    Both Francesca and the firstdy went to the study room.


    Francesca went straight to the point. ¡°Ms. Avery''s treatment has entered a stable phase. All you have


    to do now is to engage a professional doctor to take over.¡±


    ¡°You don''t wish to continue treating Avery anymore?¡± asked the firstdy. ¡°Is it too taxing for you? By


    the way, I have never discussed the remuneration with you. Please let me know how much you need.


    I''ll issue a check right away.¡±


    ¡°Money''s not the issue,¡± said Francesca. ¡°I don''t think it''s right for me to create a hassle every time I


    enter the presidential pce. On top of that, Ms. Avery seems to get very agitated every time she sees


    me. This will affect her condition.¡±


    ¡°Avery is very emotionally unstable right now. She reacts the same way to all the doctors, not just you,¡±


    exined the firstdy. ¡°But, it must be tiring for you to travel here every day. I will try my best to


    engage a professional doctor for Avery. In the meantime, can I trouble you to look after her for another


    couple of days?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Francesca agreed to her request without hesitation. ¡°If there''s nothing else, I will make a move


    first.¡±


    ¡°Let me walk you out.¡±


    Gordon was waiting by the door when the women came out. Monica was walking behind them with a


    medical kit. For the past few days, Monica could not find anything suspicious about the firstdy. It


    seemed that their suspicions had been based on pure spection.


    Did we really get it wrong?


    Once Francesca got into the car, she waved goodbye to the firstdy.


    Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    Monica was seated next to Francesca as she studied the firstdy. Thetter had a warm smile on her


    face and did not look like an evil person. Was I mistaken?


    As the car drove away slowly, Gordon asked, ¡°Ms. Felch, do you intend to carry on with the treatment?¡±


    ¡°No. I have already spoken to the firstdy and told her to engage a professional doctor to take over,¡±


    replied Francesca. ¡°She''s making arrangements for it now. But, before the new doctor gets here, I''ll still


    have to take care of her.¡±


    ¡°How difficult can it be for the presidential pce to find a doctor? Why can''t they just summon the best


    doctor from the national hospital?¡± said Monica.


    ¡°I''m sure she knows what to do.¡± Francesca did not seem to mind too much. ¡°Gordon, when is


    Danriqueing back? He has been away for quite a while now, hasn''t he?¡±


    ¡°He should be back soon,¡± answered Gordon. ¡°There''s an important conference tomorrow afternoon,


    so he should be back by then. The president will be back tomorrow as well to host the conference.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see,¡± Francesca acknowledged briefly before leaning back in her seat as she checked her


    phone.


    ¡°There''s something else,¡± Gordon continued. ¡°We are expecting a guest today.¡±


    ¡°A guest? Who''s that?¡± Francesca was curious. ¡°Do I know the person?¡±


    ¡°Of course, you know this person. You''ll find out very soon.¡± Gordon was being very secretive.


    ¡°I can''t believe you are keeping me in suspense.¡± His response made Francesca even more curious.


    Very soon, they arrived at the manor, and Francesca could see another vehicle from afar. Just as she


    was wondering who the person was, two medical staff carried someone out of the car.

 Chapter 2221

    Chapter 2221


    Overwhelming joy filled Francesca''s heart as she saw the face of the figure. Without hesitation, she


    pushed the car door open to jump out.


    ¡°Hey, Ms. Felch. The car hasn''t stopped yet¡ª¡±


    The subordinate quickly pulled the car to a stop as he spoke.


    Unbothered, Francesca got out of the car in a sh. ¡°Ms. La!¡± she cried out.


    La heard the familiar voice the moment she was out of the car. As she turned around, she


    immediately caught sight of Francesca running toward her. In the next second, Francesca flung herself


    into La''s embrace.


    ¡°There, there!¡±


    La wrapped Francesca tightly in her arms.


    ¡°Oh gosh!¡± Francesca was on the brink of tears. ¡°We finally meet again! I was so worried!¡±


    Having been caught between life and death, the two of them were immensely emotional to be able to


    see each other again.


    ¡°You''re right. It''s good to be able to see you again.¡± La stroked Francesca''s hair affectionately with a


    motherly love in her eyes. ¡°Your hair''s gotten longer. You look like a girl now.¡±


    ¡°Pfft!¡± Francescaughed sheepishly. ¡°I''ve always been a girl.¡±


    ¡°Looks like your fake persona is gone, haha!¡± Laughed as she caressed Francesca''s cheeks. ¡°You


    seem to have grown a little chubby.¡±


    ¡°You''re joking, right? I''ve been hustling day and nighttely, yet I''ve somehow gained weight?¡±


    Francesca quickly checked her reflection.


    ¡°Ms. Felch, let''s enter the house first.¡± Just then, Gordon walked over and greeted them. ¡°It''s quite


    windy out, and Ms. La''s wounds are notpletely healed yet. She needs to rest.¡±


    ¡°Wounds?¡± Francesca immediately began to inspect La''s body. ¡°Ms. La, how are you feeling?


    Where have you gotten injured?¡±


    ¡°I''m feeling much better.¡± La grabbed Francesca''s hands, stopping thetter from continuing the


    physical examination. ¡°Let''s head inside first.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Francesca nodded and helped La into the building.


    Just then, Monica came forward to greet La. Smiling, La nodded at the former in response.


    Francesca talked to Monica for a while and urged thetter to return to William to take care of him.


    With that, Monica hurried away.


    La turned to look at Monica as they parted ways. ¡°Is that Monica the FBI agent that saved you in S


    Nation the other time?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yep. That''s her.¡± Francesca nodded. ¡°You remember?¡±


    ¡°She works for Prince William, I suppose?¡± La asked again.


    ¡°Mm-hmm...¡± Francesca began to exin briefly the rtionship between William and Monica as well


    as the recent happenings. ¡°William has been staying here to recuperate. I go over every day to give


    him treatment,¡± she concluded.


    Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    ¡°Who would have thought...¡± La trailed off, deep in thought.


    ¡°Who would have thought what?¡± Francesca asked.


    ¡°Who would have thought that Danrique would have such high principles?¡± Lamented wistfully.


    ¡°His feelings for you have far exceeded my expectations.¡±


    Francesca could not help but let out a gentleugh. ¡°I was talking to you about William. How did you


    come up with that conclusion?¡±


    ¡°You can tell from this incident,¡± La began to exin. ¡°If Danrique didn''t love you this much, he


    would have never gotten himself involved with the royal family of Danontand, and he would definitely


    not spend so much effort saving Prince William. Do you know how big of a price he has to pay?¡±


    When Francesca heard that, her smile faded as anxiety rose in her chest. ¡°Price?¡±


    ¡°He''s just a businessman. Why should a king show him that much respect?¡± La threw a question


    back at Francesca. ¡°If it weren''t for money?¡±


    ¡°Are you saying that Danrique has given a lot of money to Federico?¡± Francesca pressed on. ¡°But he


    said he didn''t give any money. Could it be a form of investment instead?¡±


    ¡°Money is a small issue, and investment is not a fixed amount.¡± La smiled. ¡°If I guessed correctly, he


    must have given the king shares of Lindberg Corporation.¡±


    ¡°What? Shares?¡± The shock made Francesca''s heart lurch. ¡°You''re kidding me, right?¡±


    As clueless as she was, even Francesca knew what holding the shares of apany implied. The


    three great families had been fighting for those shares to the point where blood was spilled.


    Having Lindberg Corporation shares equaled sitting at home and waiting for money to flow passively


    into one''s pocket.


    And it would be a tremendous amount.


    That truly was a hefty price to pay.

 Chapter 2222

    Chapter 2222


    ¡°He never told me this...¡± Francesca uttered anxiously. ¡°Ms. La, how much of the shares do you think


    he gave Federico?¡±


    ¡°Not enough to threaten his position in thepany, but not too little either. He wouldn''t get any say in


    the matter if it were too little.¡± La made some calctions in her head. ¡°My guess is five percent.¡±


    ¡°Uh...¡± Francesca had no concept of how much that was. ¡°I don''t understand. Is that a lot?¡±


    ¡°Duh.¡± Ms. La rolled her eyes at Francesca. ¡°The three great families each have ten percent at most.


    You tell me. Is that a lot?¡±


    When Francesca heard that, she was rendered speechless as her eyes widened in disbelief. That is a


    huge portion!


    ¡°Danontand''s five percent hold of the share could easily be half of the country''s ie.¡± Ms. La


    frowned as she continued. ¡°That''s such a huge benefit. It''s no wonder the king treated you with the


    utmost respect!¡±


    When she heard that, Francesca felt her heart starting to bleed.


    ¡°You''re a sharp one, Ms. La!¡± Gordon could not help but praise La when he heard her analysis.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg truly has paid a huge price, but it''s all right. He once told us that as long as Ms. Felch


    returns home safely, nothing else matters.¡±


    It was only then Francesca realized the sacrifices Danrique had made for her. She had been


    completely oblivious before that.


    ¡°Danrique has outdone himself,¡± La told Gordon. ¡°And yet this child has beenpletely clueless.


    Oh right. Thank you for saving me this time.¡±


    ¡°We''re all family. Ites without saying,¡± replied Gordon respectfully. ¡°As for Mr. Lincoln, we''re still


    trying toe up with a n. We''ll notify you the second we receive any news.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± La thanked him profusely.


    ¡°Good evening, Ms. La, your room is ready.¡± Norah nodded at La politely. ¡°Ms. Felch, dinner is


    ready as well. Would you like to dine in the dining room or in your room?¡±


    ¡°Bring it to my room half an hour from now. I''ll apany Ms. La to her room first.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡±


    Francesca helped La to her room and began inspecting thetter''s wounds. She discovered that


    La had been shot and was suffering from multiple external injuries. After receiving treatment, her


    wounds were beginning to recover, but they hadn''t fully healed.


    Francesca wanted to prescribe La medication as soon as she saw the injuries, but La stopped


    her. ¡°Francesca, don''t go off to work yet. Sit down and have a chat with me.¡±


    Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Francesca poured La a cup of water before asking, ¡°Ms. La, what happened? Why would


    Mr. Lincoln be taken away by the people of Riz Corporation?¡±


    ¡°It''s a long story.¡± La sighed lightly as she attempted to make the conversation as light-hearted as


    possible. ¡°Whatever it is, we owe Danrique a huge favor this time!¡±


    ¡°If anyone is indebted to him, it''s me.¡± Francescaforted the woman. ¡°He''s doing all of this for me.


    You don''t have to feel responsible for any of this.¡±


    ¡°Well, that''s not wrong, but...¡± La furrowed her brows as her expression turned grim. ¡°You might not


    be familiar with the business world, but you have to know this. Riz Corporation is immensely powerful.


    Everyone would tread cautiously when ites to them. Danrique''s position in the business world has


    only just stabilized. At a time like this, he really should not have made Riz Corporation his rival. He


    must have known this, and yet for you, he still crossed Riz Corporation. His subordinate, Gordon, has


    been trying everything to make a deal with Riz Corporation to save Mr. Lincoln. I know how difficult that


    is...¡±


    After a brief pause, she continued, ¡°Money or shares might have worked for Federico, but Riz


    Corporation will not ept those as an exchange. Danrique truly is putting in a lot of effort to help us.¡±


    When she said that, La let out a small sigh. ¡°I shouldn''t be telling you all this, Francesca. You dating


    him should be a simple process. You shouldn''t have involved so many troubles in your rtionship,


    causing so much strain on yourself and each other. I''m really worried that it''ll affect you¡ª¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about, Ms. La?¡± Francesca interrupted. ¡°You and Mr. Lincoln are my families.


    Your problems are my problems too. What do you mean by affecting our rtionship?¡±

 Chapter 2223

    Chapter 2223


    La shook her head in exasperation. ¡°You''re still too young. Do you not understand that it''s best not


    to have anyone else involved when ites to romantic rtionships? A lot of married couples today


    live a happy life at first, but the moment the inws get involved and the husband has to sacrifice a lot,


    problems start creeping in sooner orter.¡±


    ¡°That won''t happen.¡± Francesca broke into a smile. ¡°Danrique is not so petty. Besides, all that he''s


    doing now is well within his power.¡±


    ¡°You are still too na?ve...¡± La smiled bitterly. ¡°A lot of things might look like it''s within his power, but it


    could potentially be life-threatening to him in the future. For example, let''s say one day the properties of


    Lindberg Corporation are split, causing all the shareholders to gang up against Danrique. At that


    moment, five percent of the share will be the key to tip the scale.¡±


    ¡°So you''re saying that the five percent of shares that he gave Federico might be his demise in the


    future?¡± Francesca gaped.


    ¡°Exactly.¡± La nodded solemnly. ¡°Also, now that he''s trying to save Mr. Lincoln and has offended Riz


    Corporation, they might add fuel to the fire if he ever gets into trouble.¡±


    Francesca was bing increasingly unsettled by each word spoken by La. ¡°So you''re saying that


    all of these could have seriousplications...¡±


    ¡°Too manyplications.¡± The frown on La''s forehead grew tighter. ¡°Danrique must care for you a


    lot. Otherwise, he wouldn''t get himself into so much trouble, considering the fact that he''s well aware of


    the consequences. What he''s doing now is no different from installing multiple ticking-time bombs that


    could go off at any second!¡±Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    ¡°Now that you''ve told me all of this, I¡ª¡±


    Guilt overwhelmed Francesca like never before. She had never known that the things Danrique had


    done for her would lead to so many discreet issues.


    Consumed by worry, she quickly asked another question, ¡°Ms. La, the chances of those


    complications happening are not high, right?¡±


    ¡°I can''t say.¡± La shook her head slightly. ¡°The stakes are like a predisposing factor to a disease. Can


    you tell, as a doctor, when the disease will present itself?¡±


    That single question left Francesca without a retort.


    ¡°If the consequences blow up in his face, they will have a negative impact on your rtionship.¡± La


    gave Francesca a kind warning. ¡°Only when the lives of two people are going smoothly can they date in


    peace. If life is not going well and they spend most of their time worrying about staying afloat, how


    could they go on dates at all? Moreover, the two of you are carrying so much on your shoulders. When


    trouble reallyes, you''ll have to take care of your own responsibilities. Love would have to be set


    aside by then.¡±


    When Francesca heard that, she fell silent. She had been too na?ve in the past to think that love was


    enough to maintain a rtionship. She finally realized how much moreplicated marriage would be.


    ¡°If it weren''t for us and for the problems we''re facing, things would have been so much simpler for you.¡±


    A hint of guilt pinched La''s heart. ¡°It would be easier for a person to leave a rtionship if there''s no


    feeling of guilt, but now, you''re bing more and more indebted to him.¡±


    ¡°That''s fine,¡± Francesca replied immediately. ¡°Even if I didn''t owe him anything, I still won''t leave his


    side if he gets into trouble. I will still face the problem with him! It''s just that, I''ve never imagined that he


    would bring so much trouble upon himself for my sake...¡±


    La sighed heavily. ¡°And that''s why I''ve always taught you to mind your own business. You never


    seem to heed this advice.¡±


    ¡°You''re right...¡± Francesca mumbled as guilt and shame continued to weigh on her heart. ¡°I owe


    Danrique too much this time for helping William.¡±


    ¡°I''ll still give the same advice. Stay far away from politicians and members of the royal families,¡± La


    reminded once again. ¡°Think about it carefully. Prince William has brought you nothing but trouble after


    trouble since the very beginning. Was Chrono not enough of a lesson for you? You have Danrique


    behind you right now, which was the sole reason you could escape danger again and again. If not for


    Danrique, you wouldn''t even have made it out of Danontand alive.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know.¡± Francesca bobbed her head up and down. ¡°I''ll remember the lesson. I promise not to do


    it again.¡±

 Chapter 2224

    Chapter 2224


    After a pause, Francesca thought of something else. ¡°But I was not the one who initiated the treatment


    n for the president''s daughter. The president and Danrique have a close rtionship. I couldn''t say


    no to that.¡±


    ¡°Things have already gotten this far. Let''s take it one step at a time. We''ll cross the bridge when we get


    to it.¡± La patted the back of Francesca''s hand as she advised, ¡°Remember, always, always, always,


    be careful when doing anything!¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Francesca nodded fervently.


    Just then, Norah led the maid into the room to bring them their dinner. Francesca and La ate


    together as they gave Anthony a video call.


    This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Anthony was ted and relieved to find out that La had gone over to Francesca''s, believing that it


    would bring guaranteed safety.


    Anthony also asked about Lincoln. At the mention of Lincoln''s name, the light behind La''s eyes grew


    dim.


    They were all worried about Lincoln, but the Lindberg family was already doing everything they could to


    help. They could not bring themselves to press the Lindberg family for more information.


    After dinner, Francesca brought La to visit her office and also prescribed medication for thetter.


    Seeing the office Danrique had constructed for Francesca and how respectfully the subordinates


    treated her, La was both touched and grateful to know that Francesca was well taken care of.


    No matter what would happen in the future, at least Danrique truly loved Francesca in the present.


    Francesca treated La''s injuries and watched her finish the herbal concoction before going to give


    William his treatment. By the time she returned to her room to rest, it was alreadyte at night.


    After showering, shey in her bed. La''s words continued to upy her mind, causing her to feel


    more and more guilty. She sent Danrique a text: When are youing back?


    There was no reply from Danrique.


    Thinking that he was busy, Francesca did not continue to press on the matter.


    Ever since Monica had given her the advice the other time, she was beginning to learn to trust him.


    After the conversation with La, she was a lot more mature as well.


    When Danriquees back, I''ll have a talk with him so that we can start nning. If anything were to


    happen in the future, I''ll face it with him.


    As the thoughts raced inside her head, Francesca drifted into a deep sleep.


    Francesca was unaware of how long she had slept. All of a sudden, security rms started ring


    from outside the room, jolting her awake. She immediately got to her feet and went outside. ¡°What


    happened? What''s going on?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, Ms. Felch. Someone identally activated the rms,¡± exined Sloan. ¡°Continue resting.


    Don''t worry about it.¡±


    Francesca turned to look outside. All of the infrared automated lights were lit up. She recalled Gordon


    mentioning that the security systems of the castle were top-notch. The police would automatically be


    notified if the rms went off.


    But, why would all the rms be activated when nothing has happened? This has never happened


    before...


    ¡°Francesca!¡± Just then, La ran out of the guest room. ¡°Come here!¡±


    Francesca hurried over without hesitation. La pulled Francesca to a side and lowered her voice into


    a whisper. ¡°Quick! Call Danrique!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Francesca was taken aback slightly. ¡°Are you implying that he''s in trouble?¡±


    ¡°Call him first,¡± La urged.


    Francesca immediately went back into her room and got her phone to call Danrique. To her dismay, the


    call could not go through.


    She immediately dialed Sean''s number, but there was no response either.


    Francesca''s expression changed drastically. Just as she was about to look for Gordon, La pulled her


    into the room. ¡°Don''t panic yet. The bodyguard told you that only the rms have been activated,


    right?¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Francesca nodded. ¡°But we''ve lost contact with Danrique right now¡ª¡±


    ¡°Looks like I''ve guessed correctly.¡± La''s expression was serious. ¡°Danrique must have a device with


    him that''s connected to the rm system in the house. Once he''s in trouble, he can alert everybody by


    activating the systems, allowing all of his subordinates to gather and prepare for rescue!¡±


    ¡°What could have happened to him? He''s still in M Nation, and there''s no way for us to contact him...¡±


    Francesca was getting restless. ¡°I''ll go ask Gordon.¡±


    ¡°It''s no use asking him. He won''t tell you. Besides, they should bemencing the rescue mission


    right now. You should not get in their way.¡±

 Chapter 2225

    Chapter 2225


    La urged, ¡°Listen to me. You have to remain calm and wait for the search team to try and rescue him


    first. If they are unable to do so or cannot find him, we''ll think of another n!¡±


    ¡°All right...¡±


    Francesca walked to the windows and peered down. As expected, Gordon had gathered all the


    bodyguards and was currently delegating duties to them.


    She longed to go down and inquire about the situation. At that moment, someone knocked on the door.


    ¡°Pleasee in,¡± La called out.


    Sloan pushed open the door and walked in. He bowed to La before addressing Francesca. ¡°Ms.


    Felch, we require manpower to deal with Mr. Lindberg''s situation. Gordon is going to rush over with


    some men while I remain here to protect you. You don''t have to worry. Gordon is merely going over to


    help settle some matters. Please rest well, Ms. Felch and Ms. La.¡±


    ¡°Okay, we got it.¡± La smiled and nodded. ¡°Thank you. Please go ahead and do what you need to.¡±


    Sloan bowed and left.


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    ¡°Ms. La...¡± Francesca was very anxious and worried, so Laforted her. ¡°If there''s nothing


    wrong with him, you would have worried for nothing. If there''s something wrong, you have to be strong


    and protect the Lindberg family. You can''t panic and lose your cool.¡±


    ¡°You''re right.¡± Francesca nodded her head.


    ¡°Listen to me. Go and rest. You still have a lot of things to do tomorrow,¡± La said.


    ¡°Yes, I got it.¡±


    Francesca returned to the room in an absent-minded daze. She tried to call Danrique and Sean again,


    but no one picked up.


    Something bad must have happened.


    Danrique had brought twelve subordinates along with him this time. Including Sean, that number was


    thirteen. They would have been able to resolve the problem if it was not serious.


    Danrique and his men were in M Nation, but they alerted the emergency rm system at home, which


    meant that the situation was very serious. Hence, Francesa was afraid that Danrique was in deep


    trouble.


    The more she thought about it, the more unsettled and anxious she got. After thinking about it, she


    decided to call Gordon.


    However, the line was busy, and she could not reach him.


    An hourter, Gordon called her. ¡°Ms. Felch!¡±


    ¡°Gordon! Has something happened to Danrique? What''s going on now?¡± Francesca asked hurriedly.


    ¡°Well...¡± Gordon hesitated for a moment before asking, ¡°Ms. Felch, do you want to hear the truth?¡±


    ¡°Hurry up and tell me,¡± Francesca urged.


    ¡°We''ve lost contact with Mr. Lindberg, Sean, and the twelve men he brought there. Even Ms. Atkinson


    and her subordinates remain uncontactable.¡± Gordon lowered his voice and continued speaking grimly.


    ¡°The emergency rm has been activated at home, so it indicates that the situation is very dire. Mr.


    Lindberg''s smartwatch is linked to the rm system in the Lindberg residence. Since the watch


    measures his heartbeat, the rms in the Lindberg residence will automatically go off if his heart stops


    beating.¡±


    ¡°If his heart stops beating?¡± Francesca almost jumped up in fear. ¡°It can''t be... Don''t scare me!¡±


    ¡°We are praying for the best. Perhaps there are other circumstances...¡± Gordon''s tone was somber.


    ¡°Ms. Felch, I''ve already gotten some men to rush to M Nation. We are on the private jet that is about to


    take off. I have to go. I''ve left Sloan and the rest at home to take care of you. Please be careful when


    you are out and about.¡±


    ¡°I''ll go with you!¡± Francesca was panicking. ¡°Or... You can set off first and send the address to me. I''ll


    reach soon!¡±


    ¡°It''s best if you don''t. This matter is veryplicated. Even if you go, you can''t do anything to help


    either. Furthermore, there are some injured people here who need your help. Please be at ease and


    wait for my update, Ms. Felch. The ne is going to take off soon. I''ll hang up now.¡±


    With that, Gordon hung up.


    Francesca''s heart palpitated crazily in her chest. However, she reminded herself to stay calm. As La


    said, once news of Danrique''s situation spread, there would be internal chaos.


    She had to remain calm and steadfast.


    Steadfast...


    Francesca was lost in her thoughts when, all of a sudden, her phone started ringing. It was William.


    ¡°Hello?¡± she said into the phone.


    ¡°Francesca, are you free? Let''s meet.¡±


    ¡°Now?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±

 Chapter 2226

    Chapter 2226


    Francesca arrived at William''s ce fifteen minutester.


    The condition of William''s injuries had improved tremendously after the recent bout of treatment. He


    was able to sit up now, and color had returned to his cheeks.


    ¡°William, why did you call me over?¡±


    Francesca had thought that William was feeling unwell and brought her medical kit along. However, he


    did not appear unwell.


    ¡°I heard the rm and roughly guessed what was going on.¡± William anxiously leaned forward. ¡°What''s


    the situation like now? Have you lost contact with him, or have you ascertained that something bad has


    happened to him?¡±


    ¡°We have lost contact with him.¡± Francesca realized that William was extremely intelligent. Most of the


    time, she did not even need to say anything, yet he could already tell what was going on at a nce.


    ¡°Well, that''s not as serious as the other scenario.¡± William rxed slightly before asking, ¡°Has Gordon


    rushed over with his men?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Francesca nodded. ¡°I wanted to go with them, but they did not allow me to.¡±


    ¡°It''s best if you stay behind at a time like this.¡± William kept his cool. ¡°Frannie, listen to me. Something


    big might happen tomorrow. Many people will probably go to the Lindberg residence and inquire about


    the situation. You have to remainposed...¡±


    ¡°Is that so? What kind of people wille?¡± Francesca asked anxiously.


    ¡°Donald, people from the three great families, and even the firstdy,¡± William listed them out one by


    one. ¡°No matter what they ask you, you should just say that you are not clear on the details, but you


    believe that L should be fine. If they mention thepany, tell them that you''ll wait for L toe back


    before making any decisions. Apart from you, no one else can make decisions on his behalf now, or he


    will find out who''s responsible for it when he returns and hold them ountable. If they say that there''s


    something urgent that needs immediate decisions, you''ll make the decisions. Don''t let anybody else


    take control. If they are not willing to listen, we''ll get the president toe over to support you. You


    have to remember that you are L''s fianc¨¦e. He has announced this fact to the public. No matter what


    others say, you are the only one who can make important decisions concerning the Lindberg family and


    company now.¡±


    William did not hold back as he taught Francesca what to do in great detail. He reminded her again, ¡°At


    times like this, you have to remain steadfast and imposing. You don''t have to be too reasonable. If


    someone says that you are not married to L yet and therefore cannot make the decisions, you should


    ask him if he wants to overstep your authority. No matter what, you have to make them listen to you,


    even if you have to be unreasonable. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Francesca nodded. ¡°However, will such things really happen?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they will.¡± William chuckled coldly. ¡°I''ve seen this happen for myself. There have been many


    instances when something happens to arge organization, and many peoplee over to try and


    usurp the position of authority. Thankfully, L revealed you to the public before this happened, and


    you''ve been staying here all along. The Lindberg family''s subordinates recognize you as their only


    master apart from Danrique. If this was not the case, the Lindberg family would have descended into


    chaos the moment something bad happened to him.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Francesca nodded again. ¡°I will help him to protect this family and Lindberg


    Corporation.¡±


    ¡°If there are any unforeseen circumstances, you can contact me anytime. Although I don''t have many


    abilities, I have seen and experienced power y often enough to know how to deal with it!¡± William


    stated.


    ¡°I got it,¡± Francesca said with a nod.


    ¡°Also, when the firstdy asks you to treat Ms. Avery tomorrow, you should not go. Tell her that there


    are many things you have to deal with at the moment and you can''t leave. Besides, Ms. Avery''s


    condition is stable enough now that a professional doctor should be able to deal with her.¡±


    ¡°I intended to do so too.¡±


    With what was happening now, Francesca had no energy to deal with that matter. It was not a life-


    threatening situation, and other doctors could take over Avery''s treatment easily enough.


    ¡°Don''t worry. He''ll be fine,¡± Williamforted her gently. ¡°Go back and have a good rest. You''ll have to


    handle many things tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Francesca nodded. ¡°Thank you, William.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    Just as she was about to leave, William called out to her. ¡°You don''t have toe and treat me


    tomorrow. My condition is also stable. You should prioritize dealing with the Lindberg family matters for


    the next three days.¡±

 Chapter 2227

    Chapter 2227


    ¡°Okay. I understand.¡±


    Francesca nodded and left hurriedly.


    William gazed at her retreating figure and only tore his eyes away after a long time.


    Monica saw Francesca out and immediately noticed theplicated look in William''s eyes upon her


    return. She couldn''t help but ask, ¡°Your Highness, do you think that something has happened to Mr.


    Lindberg?¡±


    William frowned deeply as he replied, ¡°It''s hard to say. He''s very arrogant and thinks that no one can do


    any harm to him, which was why he only brought a few people with him to M Nation. To be honest, the


    situation there is extremely disadvantageous to him. Frank and Pastor are working together, and the


    Nacht family just entered the picture. Any one of them is a formidable enemy on their own. By only


    bringing about a dozen of his subordinates to fight against them, he''s practically entering a lion''s den!


    It''s too dangerous!¡±


    ¡°It''s probably because he hasn''t faced many obstacles before.¡± Monica sighed before continuing, ¡°What


    if something happens to him? What will Ms. Felch do? W-What will we do?¡±


    Although Monica was not familiar with tactical strategies, she knew that Danrique was someone who


    could protect them.


    If something happened to him, Francesca and William would be finished.


    William sighed. ¡°Sometimes, life is just a gamble. I knew there were risks when I betted on L back then.


    However, I believe in my judgment. He won''t copse just like this. This is just the beginning!¡±


    ¡°So, is there anything we can do now?¡± Monica asked.


    ¡°Two things. One, continue investigating the firstdy''s secret. Two, protect Francesca and help her to


    stabilize the Lindberg family,¡± William ordered.


    Monica nodded in response. ¡°Understood. I just asked Dominic for an update today. He''s still looking


    into it, but there have been a few leads.¡±


    ¡°It shouldn''t be difficult to find out who Avery''s ex-husband is. However, her lover may pose some


    problems unless he''s just an ordinary person. Tomorrow, you will go to where Francesca is and protect


    her. Notify me immediately if anything happens,¡± William surmised.


    ¡°No problem, but Ms. La is here as well. I get the feeling that she isn''t really fond of us and always


    has her guard up around us,¡± Monica said.


    William chuckled bitterly. ¡°That''s to be expected. I''ve brought nothing but trouble to Francesca ever


    since I met her. I''ve also repeatedly used her, so it''s normal for the people around her to be wary of me.


    Just ignore it. You must treat Ms. La with respect and decorum. She knows we are there to help, so


    she won''t make things difficult for you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I understand.¡±


    Everyone had told Francesca to get some rest, but she waspletely unable to fall asleep.


    As soon as she closed her eyes, scenes of Danrique being in trouble would flood her mind, and her


    heart would start aching terribly.


    She wanted to fly to M Nation to be by his side so much.


    Running around looking for him was a lot better than staying at home.


    Although everyone told her she needed to stay and protect the family, Francesca knew that this was


    not her forte.


    She would rather be like Gordon, fighting to the death on the frontlines with the enemy to save


    Danrique. That was what she was like.


    Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    Her imagination ran wild, and before she knew it, dawn had already broken.


    Francesca was awake the entire night, staring at the phone and hoping to get some good news.


    However, the good news never came...


    She got out of bed, washed up, and changed out of her pajamas. La was already having breakfast in


    the dining room while idly chatting with Norah.


    The atmosphere in the house had been tense and gloomy, but La''s witty humor managed to tickle


    Norah and a few other maids.


    Even Francesca couldn''t help but smile at that. She felt a lot calmer with La by her side.


    She went downstairs and was about to dig into her breakfast when a subordinate came rushing in. ¡°Ms.


    Felch, Mr. Donald is here!¡±


    ¡°Let him in.¡± As she spoke, Monica entered through the side entrance with a bunch of freshly-made


    desserts in her hand. ¡°Ms. Felch, I''m here on His Highness'' orders to help you.¡±

 Chapter 2228

    Chapter 2228


    ¡°Mm. Come over here and have breakfast,¡± Francesca said to Monica.


    Monica greeted La respectfully and took a seat next to Francesca.


    La noticed that Monica was wearing an earpiece.


    ¡°Don''t lie to me. The security system in the house was going crazy, yet you''re telling me nothing is


    wrong? I don''t believe you!¡± Donald burst into the dining room, clearly frustrated. ¡°Um, Ms. Cece, you


    know about Danrique''s situation, right? Quick! Tell us how he is doing now.¡±


    ¡°Have you eaten breakfast yet, Uncle Donald? If you haven''t, please join us,¡± Francesca said


    nonchntly.


    Donald''s face and neck were red from how agitated he was. ¡°I''m not in the mood for breakfast at a time


    like this! Are you even aware of how dire the situation is?¡±


    ¡°Sir.¡± La interrupted him and growled in irritation, ¡°It''s still early in the morning, and the first thing you


    did once you came in here was to yell at Francesca. Where are your manners?¡±


    ¡°And who are you?¡± Donald red at her angrily.


    ¡°This is Ms. La,¡± Norah answered in a small voice.


    Donald yelled furiously, ¡°You''re not even married yet, but you''re already bringing your people to stay


    with you in this house! Do you take this ce to be a refugee camp?¡±


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°Someone get him out of here,¡± Francesca instantly called out.


    ¡°Uh...¡± Sloan hesitated for a moment, then immediately replied, ¡°Understood!¡±


    With that, he gestured to his subordinates, and they promptly dragged Donald out of the house.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Donald didn''t expect Francesca to be that bold. Even Danrique had never treated him this way. ¡°How


    dare you do this to me? Have all of you lost your minds? This is the Lindbergs'' property, not the


    Felches''!¡± he hollered lividly.


    Unfortunately for him, his cries fell on deaf ears. Without Danrique around, everyone present was loyal


    to only Francesca.


    After getting thrown out, Donald tried to rush in again but was stopped by the bodyguards.


    Flying into a rage, he began screaming about telling Danrique about this. He went on a rant about how


    Francesca was asserting authority she didn''t have and behaving as thedy of the house even though


    she wasn''t married yet.


    As soon as Sloan saw the frown on Francesca''s face, he knew that she was annoyed. Hence, he went


    outside and did everything he could to chase Donald away.


    ¡°Don''t mind them, Ms. La.¡± Francesca poured La a cup of milk.


    ¡°Who was he? He''s so arrogant,¡± La asked.


    ¡°He is Danrique''s uncle. He''s the only rtive left in the Lindberg family, and he''s quite annoying,¡±


    Francesca answered casually.


    La nearly spat a mouthful of milk out. ¡°He''s a rtive of the Lindberg family? And you chased him


    out just like that?¡±


    ¡°My sentiments exactly, Ms. Felch.¡± Monica was on the verge of tears. ¡°His Highness spent a long time


    talking to you yesterday in hopes that you would fight people with words and win them over with


    kindness. If they bully you, you could always use another method then¡ª¡±


    Francesca interrupted, ¡°He was being difficult. I don''t have the patience to reason with him. It''d just be


    a waste of my energy.¡±


    ¡°Um...¡± Monica couldn''t refute that. I get it now. Everything His Highness said to her yesterday was all


    for naught.


    Francesca simply did not possess the patience to reason with others because she was ustomed to


    using violent methods. If they did not listen to her, she would have them thrown out.


    La, on the other hand, remained silent. She knew that Francesca''s methods were not ideal, but she


    was very aware that Francesca would not change her personality.


    Who cares what method she uses? All that matters is that it gets the job done.


    ¡°Ms. Felch, what if more of theme...¡±


    Monica wanted to talk some sense into Francesca, but at that moment, Kevin and Gerard arrived. They


    must have run into Donald on the way in because they were behaving properly and not making a fuss.


    ¡°Ms. Felch, I heard something happened to Mr. Lindberg. Do you have any news about him?¡± Kevin


    asked politely.


    Francesca replied evasively, ¡°We''re still not sure. Gordon took some people with him to look for


    Danriquest night. He''ll inform me once he has any leads.¡±This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 2229

    Chapter 2229


    ¡°This means something must have happened.¡±


    The colors drained from Kevin''s face as he exchanged a nce with Gerard, asking again, ¡°What''s the


    situation now? Is Mr. Lindberg hurt, or did something happen to him?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know,¡± Francesca said, shaking her head.


    ¡°Could you reach him?¡± Gerard asked immediately.


    ¡°I couldn''t.¡± Francesca shook her head again.


    ¡°But you at least know if he''s dead or not, right?¡± Kevin was on tenterhooks.


    ¡°I have no idea.¡± Francesca was putting on the perfect definition of obliviousness.


    ¡°You...¡± Hearing the answer, Kevin was so angry his face flushed red.


    The frown on Gerard''s face showed he was equally displeased when he demanded, ¡°Do you even


    know anything? Even if you can''t contact Danrique, you should at least be able to get in touch with his


    subordinates. Don''t tell me you can''t even do that!¡±


    ¡°They will inform me if there is any news,¡± Francesca replied calmly. ¡°Have both of you taken


    breakfast? Would you like to eat together?¡±


    Infuriated, Gerard and Kevin stormed out, but Francesca suddenly remembered something and called


    out after them, ¡°Hold on, Mr. Atkinson.¡±


    Gerard stopped and turned to look at her.


    ¡°Did Ms. Atkinson reach out to you?¡± she asked directly.


    ¡°She didn''t,¡± Gerard replied with a frown. ¡°She''s with Danrique. We lost touch with both of them.¡±


    ¡°I see. Could you let me know if she contacts you? Thanks,¡± Francesca requested.


    Gerard nced at her coldly and left.


    Behind him, Francesca heaved a sigh of relief, saying to herself, ¡°I thought those two would be tough to


    deal with, but it turned out easier than I thought.¡±


    ¡°Well, the trouble hasn''t even begun,¡± Lamented as if she had seen through everything. ¡°They


    came here just to pump you for information today. They don''t dare to do anything now because they


    don''t know what happened to Danrique, but they might start getting pushy if we still have no news


    about Danrique after a few more days.¡±


    ¡°You''re right. That''s what His Highness said, too,¡± Monica agreed, nodding. ¡°Ms. Felch, you should rest


    well while you can. You''ll need to deal with much more in the next few days.¡±


    Francesca was not in the headspace to consider anything they said, for all she could think of doing was


    flying to M Nation as soon as possible to look for Danrique.


    The following three days psed uneventfully with no visitors bothering her, and Francesca stayed at


    the quiet house, waiting in agony.


    She phoned Danrique every day, but all her calls went unanswered. The only exception was the one


    she made to Gordon, who called her back and told her she had nothing to worry about since he was


    looking for Danrique with his men.


    Francesca could neither sleep nor eat peacefully due to her worry and helplessness as the day passed


    one after another till the fifth day.


    On that day, Kevin, Gerard, Donald, and the rest came to the house again, bringing with them a few


    senior shareholders and members of the upper management from Lindberg Corporation.


    When they arrived at the Lindberg residence, the lot made a grand entrance before grilling Francesca


    for information about Danrique''s whereabouts.


    If one were to consider Kevin and Gerard polite toward Francesca during theirst visit, they would be


    aggressive during the second, for they interrogated her right away to get information on Danrique.


    When Francesca replied that she had no news about him, they ordered Norah to bring Danrique''s seal


    from the study immediately with the excuse of needing it for urgent matters at thepany.


    Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    Frightened, the housekeeper stared at Francesca, not knowing what to do.


    ¡°Who gave you all the right to snatch the seal here in our house?¡± Francesca fumed. ¡°Do you think you


    all have free rein to do anything you like in Danrique''s absence?¡±


    ¡°We''re not snatching it. Thepany needs it. Don''t tell me thepany has to stop all operations just


    because Danrique is not around,¡± Kevin retaliated confidently.


    ¡°Exactly. You''re just a woman. What do you know? Just get out of our way,¡± Gerard scoffed.


    With that said, he instructed Norah again, ¡°Go to Danrique''s study and bring us the seal, or we will go


    up ourselves.¡±

 Chapter 2230

    Chapter 2230


    ¡°He''s right. We will go up ourselves if you keep dragging this out,¡± Kevin threatened.


    ¡°Please don''t do this...¡± Norah pleaded, shaking in fear.


    ¡°Don''t you guys dare touch anything in this house as long as I''m here!¡± Francesca eximed, stepping


    in front of Norah.


    ¡°You''re ridiculous! You know nothing about how business works, and neither do you know the


    consequences of your behavior. I don''t have time for people like you. Stop us again, and you''ll get


    hurt,¡± Kevin warned.


    ¡°I''d like to see you try.¡±


    With an order from Francesca, Sloan rushed in with his bodyguards.


    Kevin and Gerard were not afraid of Sloan and his men at all as they roared, ¡°Get this straight: this is


    the Lindbergs'' property, not the Felches''! This is absurd!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Yarrow, Mr. Atkinson, and Mr. Lindberg ordered us to protect Ms. Felch before he left. He also told


    us that she is thedy of the house, and we should listen to her, so we won''t back down if any of you


    challenge Ms. Felch.¡±


    Sloan''s words carried weight in that situation, enraging Kevin, whose face turned red with anger.


    ¡°You!¡±


    On the other hand, Gerard bent over and whispered in Kevin''s ear, ¡°Don''t get on their nerves now.


    They might not have that many people here, but everyone is specially trained. That useless bunch of


    people we brought is not their match.¡±


    Hearing that, Kevin decided to try another way of persuasion. ¡°Since you won''t allow us to take the


    seal, will you take responsibility for thepany''s losses?¡±


    ¡°He''s right. What will you do with all the urgent projects? We are all Lindberg Corporation''s


    shareholders, so we can''t just sit and watch thepany go bankrupt,¡± Gerard added.


    ¡°Who are you guys trying to bluff? Lindberg Corporation is not a smallpany that can go bankrupt


    within days. Other operations can continue while we wait for Danrique toe back before resuming


    the urgent ones!¡±


    ¡°Pfft!¡± Gerard scowled furiously. ¡°You make it sound like it''s easy. Do you even know how to run a


    business? You have no idea how much loss we will incur if we postpone these projects. Danrique might


    not be around, but we can still manage thepany in his stead, so just get us the seal and stop


    getting in the way of our work.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Give us the seal!¡±


    ¡°Give it to us!¡±


    The whole group started shouting vehemently, making all the maids at home panic.


    Despite not being business-savvy, La knew enough to understand that they should, by no means,


    hand the seal to these people, so she kept shooting looks at Francesca, whose brows were stitched in


    a frown. Annoyance was written all over the younger woman''s face.


    Meanwhile, Monica was squeezing through the crowd, trying to hand Francesca the phone since


    William wanted to talk to Francesca after Monica had told him about thetest development of the


    situation.


    ¡°Stap yammering and get out!¡± Francesca bellowed in vexation, wanting to chase all the people out.


    Everyone froze for a moment but soon flew into a fit of rage as theymbasted her.


    ¡°Who do you think you are to shout orders at us? You''re the one who should get out!¡±


    ¡°Yeah! You''re just a woman Danrique yed with. You two are not even married, so you have no right


    to decide on anything!¡±


    ¡°Exactly! Let''s get her out of the way!¡±


    ¡°Kick her out!¡±


    In an instant, everyone started swarming over to force Francesca out of the house, but they could not


    go near her because Sloan and his men were blocking them off.


    This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Still, the angry crowd continued moring in the living room, causing a distressing scene.


    Just when Francesca was about to let fly her fury, the sound of cars came from outside, and a shout


    followed, ¡°The firstdy is here!¡±


    Kevin, Gerard, and the others quieted immediately and turned, only to see the firstdying from


    the outside with her men.


    Taking in the situation, the firstdy frowned and reprimanded, ¡°Kevin Yarrow and Gerard Atkinson!


    What are you two doing? Danrique has only been away for a few days, but you''re already causing a stir


    at his house and bullying Francesca!¡±

 Chapter 2231

    Chapter 2231


    ¡°No, Mrs. President. This is a misunderstanding,¡± Kevin quickly exined. ¡°There are a few urgent


    projects at thepany that can''t proceed without Danrique''s seal, so we were just thinking about


    getting it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Since Danrique is not around, the two of us have to step up and take charge. We can''t just let


    things turn into a mess. We can''t move on with these projects without the seal, so we just wanted to


    retrieve it, but Ms. Felch¡ª¡±


    ¡°I don''t know what''s going on in yourpany,¡± the firstdy interrupted coldly, ¡°but Danrique told the


    president and me before he left that Francesca is his fianc¨¦e, and she shall be in fullmand over


    the house when he is away. Since she refuses to hand over the seal, you all should discuss the issue


    calmly instead of causing a scene here. This is preposterous!¡±


    ¡°We''re so sorry, Mrs. President. We were too hasty that we let our emotions get the best of us.¡±


    Kevin immediately changed his tone, but Gerard was still disgruntled about the turn of events.


    ¡°Why don''t you all go home first and talk about thister? For all we know, we might get news about


    Danrique in the next two days,¡± the firstdy added before anyone could say another word.


    ¡°We...¡±


    Kevin and Gerard exchanged nces and left with their men.


    Everyone in the house breathed a sigh of relief, and Norah quickly got the servants to prepare drinks


    for the firstdy while Francesca expressed her gratitude.


    ¡°Thank you, Mrs. President.¡±


    ¡°There''s no need for that. We''re in the same boat,¡± the firstdy said gently as she held Francesca''s


    hand. ¡°You look pale, Francesca. It has only been a few days since Ist saw you.¡±


    ¡°I haven''t been sleeping well. Have a seat,¡± Francesca answered, smiling.


    When the firstdy was seated, she chatted with Francesca for a bit and presented to her the gifts she


    had brought. ¡°Anyway, Francesca, do you know what the situation is like for Danrique now? Did he


    contact you?¡±


    ¡°He''s been unreachable for a while. I couldn''t get to him,¡± Francesca replied lowly.


    ¡°What about Gordon?¡± the firstdy asked.


    ¡°He called, but he''s still looking for Danrique. I will inform you if I find out anything,¡± Francesca assured,


    feeling tired.


    ¡°All right. I did not want to disturb you initially because I knew you would be exhausted, but the


    president asked me toe over to inquire about the matter, so here I am.¡±


    Speaking, she patted Francesca''s hand and added, ¡°Don''t worry, Francesca. Danrique will be all right.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Francesca nodded at her.


    ¡°I will make a move first, then. You must be tired. You have my number, so just call if those people


    bother you again. I wille over if anything happens,¡± the firstdy assured, feeling sorry for


    Francesca.


    ¡°Thank you so much!¡± Words could not express how grateful Francesca felt.


    ¡°You take care. I''ll make a move first.¡±


    Without further ado, the firstdy got up and said goodbye, but she had barely taken a few steps when


    she suddenly remembered something and turned back to Francesca. ¡°By the way, I heard there was


    news from Hazel, so I''m nning to ask Gerard out alone to find out more about it. We might be able to


    find some clues from there.¡±


    ¡°Did you say there was an update from Hazel?¡± Francesca asked anxiously.


    ¡°I''m not sure how true that is, but that''s what I heard,¡± the firstdy replied, frowning. ¡°That''s why I want


    to confirm it with Gerard. Since Hazel went to M Nation with Danrique, and we lost contact with both of


    them simultaneously, any news from her means we are not far from knowing more about Danrique''s


    disappearance.¡±


    ¡°That''s true,¡± Francesca noted, nodding. ¡°May I go with you tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Of course! After arranging a meeting with him, I will let you know the time and venue.¡±


    ¡°Sure. Thank you!¡± Francesca was extremely grateful.


    ¡°Don''t mention it.¡±


    The firstdy smiled at her and left.


    Seeing that there was finally hope, Francesca could not help but feel emotional.


    When La went to ask her what happened, Francesca roughly told her what the firstdy said, but


    La frowned,menting, ¡°This doesn''t feel right. It makes more sense to bring this matter up right


    at the beginning since it''s so important. Why did the firstdy suddenly mention it right when she was


    leaving and when you were alone at that?¡±N?velDrama.Org content.

 Chapter 2232

    Chapter 2232


    ¡°Maybe she didn''t want the crowd in the hall to overhear her talking earlier,¡± Francesca postted.


    ¡°Especially when Monica was around. It seems that the firstdy doesn''t quite like Monica.¡±


    La weighed up Francesca''s reasoning and instantly acknowledged it, for the former, too, wasn''t that


    fond of Monica herself. From her perspective, Monica had always been acting shady, seemingly


    shrewd and cunning to the core.


    Yet, she knew very well that Monica was merely working for William. Even if William had been


    harboring any sort of ulterior motive, he would still have to take Francesca''s side for the time being.


    Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    After all, both Francesca and Danrique could offer him the protection that he needed.


    ¡°Danrique has already been missing for so long. I''m really worried,¡± uttered Francesca with concern.


    ¡°I''m not going to give up any chance, so even if it were a trap, I''d still go check it out.¡±


    ¡°All right, then. I''ll go with you,¡± said La as she held Francesca''s hand.


    Thetter shook her head. ¡°No. I can handle it alone. You guard the house. Considering that we don''t


    have as many bodyguards with us, I''m afraid those two sc*mbags might send someone to steal the


    seal.¡±


    ¡°True enough.¡± La bobbed her head upon hearing that. ¡°Sloan and the rest won''t be able to manage


    on their own. And if those two were to reallye after the seal, it''d be a disaster...¡±


    ¡°But with you around, there''s nothing more for me to worry about.¡±


    Just when Francesca was speaking, a call came through. It was William, requesting her presence. She


    then ordered someone to fetch her the medical kit and went on her way.


    For the past few days, Francesca had been busy dealing with the horde of her enemies while having all


    her thoughts fixated on Danrique. She was understandably moody and preupied with troubles, thus


    failing to treat William wholeheartedly.


    During the visit on that very night, she gave William a check-up right away. Given that William had been


    on his medication, his injuries weren''t affected, but at the same time, there weren''t any improvements


    either.


    Thus, Francesca performed the treatment and even prescribed him a new course of medicine.


    Looking at Francesca''s haggard appearance, William knew he had to offer some kind offort. ¡°Don''t


    worry, Francesca. L will be fine...¡±


    ¡°Everyone keeps telling me that, but how can I not worry when he has gonepletely radio silent, to


    the point where not even Gordon can locate him?¡± The worried look on Francesca''s face didn''t abate.


    ¡°Actually, have you ever thought about¡ª¡±


    William''s voice trailed off just when words began to leap out of his mouth.


    ¡°Thought about what?¡± questioned Francesca curiously.


    ¡°O-Oh, it''s nothing,¡± William blurted out, abruptly changing the topic. ¡°Anyway, you shouldn''t act alone


    while L isn''t by your side. If you really have to go out there, take Monica with you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that''s right! I can tag along any time,¡± Monica hastily chimed in. ¡°By the way, what did the first


    lady talk to you about a minute ago? I only realized that she was still speaking to you after I left.¡±


    ¡°Nothing much.¡±


    Truth be told, Francesca detested the way Monica had been behaving toward her. It felt like thetter


    was spying on her round the clock.


    Furthermore, since the firstdy found Monica distasteful, Francesca would never disclose to Monica


    her n of meeting Gerard together with the firstdy.


    Needless to say, Monica noticed how Francesca was growing wary of her and immediately tried to


    exin herself, ¡°Ms. Felch, have I¡ª¡±


    Unfortunately, she had to swallow her words when she saw William shooting her a meaningful nce.


    With that, Francesca gave William a few pointers before spinning on her heels and heading home.


    ¡°I''m sure something''s up with the firstdy,¡± Monica grumbled. ¡°She didn''t say much when I was


    around, but when I stepped away to the car, I saw her chatting up a storm with Ms. Felch. And after


    seeing how Ms. Felch dodged my question earlier¡ª¡±


    ¡°You''re right to think that Francesca doesn''t want to tell you more, but have you ever wondered why


    that''s the case?¡± retorted William with a frown. ¡°You ought to act more naturally instead of making her


    feel like you''re spying on her, don''t you think?¡±


    Monica straightaway hung her head low in shame. ¡°I suppose.¡±


    ¡°Now that Francesca''s obviously keeping you at arm''s length, you should take this time to reflect on


    yourself. If this continues, she''s not going to bring you anywhere she goes,¡± fumed William.


    ¡°Please forgive me, Your Highness...¡±


    ¡°The situation isn''t looking good right now. The Lindberg family is short-staffed, and if Francesca does


    meet up with the firstdy tomorrow, there''s a possibility that she might end up falling into the other


    party''s trap...¡±


    William''s heart was filled with uneasiness as those words escaped from his lips.

 Chapter 2233

    Chapter 2233


    ¡°Then, what should I do now?¡± asked Monica in a meek voice. ¡°Should I just persuade Ms. Felch to


    take me with her?¡±


    ¡°Are you out of your mind?¡± William was bereft of speech. He couldn''t even be bothered to continue the


    meaningless conversation with Monica. ¡°Let me think of something. You may leave.¡±


    ¡°Your Highness...¡±


    Monica still had something else to say, yet a peek at William''s irritated countenance was sufficient to


    compel her into lowering her gaze and backing away.


    She felt aggrieved, for she was a senior Interpol detective, after all. All she knew was carrying out


    investigations and apprehending criminals. She never had a knack for putting on a pretense.


    Even so, she had given her all inpleting every task that had been assigned to her.


    Meanwhile, Francesca was having nightmares the entire night. In her dreams, she could see that


    Danrique was in danger as he was pinned underneath a vehicle with his legs bathing in a pool of his


    own blood, seemingly on the verge of death.


    Anxious and concerned, she wanted to rush over and rescue him, but it was as though her feet were


    stuck in the ground, and they wouldn''t budge no matter how hard she struggled.


    Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    Right at that juncture, the vehicle exploded all of a sudden with a loud boom.


    With her eyes widened in disbelief, Francesca gaped at the scene as Danrique was engulfed in the


    roaring mes.


    ¡°No!¡±


    Francesca let out a frantic scream before sitting up in bed, sweating ever so profusely.


    Only after seeing the familiar room that she was in did she realize that she had been dreaming. Be that


    as it may, the sensation was so palpable that she had thought that it was real.


    She touched the pillow at the side, reminiscing the time they spent together before Danrique left as a


    throbbing pain assailed her.


    Subsequently, she checked her phone and was greeted by nothing but a text from Gordon that read:


    We haven''t found him yet, Ms. Felch.


    Cradling her forehead, Francesca was utterly disappointed.


    Nevertheless, there was nothing she could do at the moment. With her mind abuzz with messy


    thoughts, she slept through several hours more until she was ultimately awakened by the chimes of her


    phone.


    ¡°Francesca, I''ve made the appointment. We''ll meet at North Hotel at one o''clock in the afternoon.¡±


    It turned out to be a call from the firstdy.


    ¡°Noted. I''ll be there on the dot.¡±


    A glimmer of hope rose within Francesca as she nced at the time. There were still another few hours


    to go. She couldn''t wait for the time to arrive sooner so that she could finally gain more information


    regarding Danrique''s whereabouts.


    Knowing that Francesca was going to meet the firstdy, La reminded, ¡°You have been researching


    poison and drugs, haven''t you? How about hidden weapons and booby traps? Bring some with you for


    self-defense.¡±


    ¡°Those things are too conspicuous.¡± Francesca refused to heed La''s advice as she added, ¡°I can''t


    simply put on a casual attire with a backpack to see the firstdy, now, can I?¡±


    ¡°Then, you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Rest assured, Ms. La. I''m well-prepared.¡±


    As they spoke, Francesca asked Sloan to bring her to Danrique''sboratory. While she was there, she


    summoned Sam.


    Sam still recognized Francesca. It bolted toward her the second it heard her whistling. Coiling itself


    around her wrist, it resembled a mesmerizing, shiny jade bracelet.


    ¡°Look, Ms. La! This is my very own little bodyguard!¡± Holding Sam high up, Francesca went on, ¡°It''s


    the one that had bitten Chrono thest time!¡±


    ¡°This little one must be extremely poisonous.¡± Seeing Sam up close like that, La felt a shiver run


    down her spine.


    Then came Sloan''s words of caution, ¡°Sam has been soaking in poison substance for a couple of


    months already, so it''s pretty deadly now, I must say. Ms. Felch, please be careful.¡±


    ¡°Don''t you worry about a thing.¡± Francesca then checked the time and announced, ¡°I must go now.¡±


    Sloan hurriedly trailed behind her. ¡°I''d like to escort you there, Ms. Felch, if I may.¡±


    However, Francesca turned him down. ¡°You guys stay here and be on guard. Don''t let anyonee


    and cause trouble. I won''t be long.¡±


    ¡°But your safety is also our priority.¡± Sloan became a nervous wreck on that note. ¡°What if something


    bad happened to you? How am I going to exin it to Mr. Lindberg?¡±


    ¡°If something were to really crop up, you people wouldn''t be able to fend it off anyway.¡± Wearing a


    confident demeanor, Francesca stated, ¡°Besides, I can deal with it myself.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    Just when Sloan was about to speak further, Francesca hopped into the car and floored the


    elerator, vanishing quickly beyond the horizon.


    ¡°Ms. Felch, Ms. Felch...¡±


    Sloan continued to call out to her as he tried to chase after her. Sadly, his voice was drowned by the


    howling wind.

 Chapter 2234

    Chapter 2234


    Despite being extremely worried about Francesca as well, Laforted Sloan upon noticing how


    distraught he was. She said, ¡°There''s no need to worry. The average person won''t be able to harm


    her.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°I noticed there was an animal-training facility behind here. Why don''t you bring me there to take a


    look?¡±


    La suddenly changed the subject.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Francesca drove to North Hotel, the ce where she agreed to meet the firstdy at.


    The firstdy''s car was already parked outside, and the hotel manager and her bodyguards were


    standing at the entrance. They walked up and greeted Francesca respectfully as soon as they saw her.


    Francesca got out of the car and strode into the hotel in a hurry. ¡°Has Mrs. President arrived?¡±


    ¡°She arrived a while ago.¡±


    The bodyguards brought her in, whereas the hotel manager stood at the entrance, waiting for the


    Atkinson family members to arrive.


    When Francesca entered the hotel, she noticed there was no one in the hotel. It was apparent that the


    firstdy had booked the entire ce.


    The firstdy was sipping on her tea when Francesca entered the private room, and when she saw the


    latter, she beckoned her over. ¡°Oh, you''re here. Come and have a taste of this tea.¡±


    Francesca was not in the mood to enjoy tea, but she still sat down and waited patiently.


    The firstdy patted Francesca''s hand and reminded her, ¡°Francesca, I''ll ask the questions when they


    arriveter. Don''t worry. They will not dare to hide anything from me.¡±


    As soon as the firstdy finished speaking, the hotel manager brought in the representatives from the


    Atkinson family.


    Francesca was dumbfounded when she turned around and saw who it was.


    Hazel, who was severely injured, was wheeled into the room by Gerard.


    The firstdy was shell-shocked. ¡°Hazel? When did you return?¡±


    That was also the question Francesca wanted to ask.


    ¡°I reached home around three in the morning.¡±


    Hazel''s voice was hoarse and deep as she spoke, and there were bandages wrapped around her


    head, a cast on her leg, and abrasions on her arms. To make matters worse, she was shot in the chest.


    It seemedborious for her to even sit up straight.


    ¡°How did you end up like this? What happened? Where''s Danrique?¡± Francesca asked anxiously.


    Hazel was still too weak to exin the situation at length, so she remained silent.


    The firstdy queried as well, ¡°Yeah. What happened?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg and I were attacked. He covered me so I could retreat first. While escaping, I got hurt and


    lost consciousness. When I woke up, I was already in the hospital and had lost contact with Mr.


    Lindberg and his subordinates. I have already sent people to look for him, but there hasn''t been any


    news. I have no choice but to return to Erihal when I was attacked again yesterday...¡± Hazel exined


    with difficulty.


    Upon hearing that, Francesca grew even more uneasy. Hazel was still severely injured even though


    Danrique and his men were covering her. It was evident that the firepower from the attack was highly


    intensive.


    ¡°How is this possible? Who attacked you guys?¡± the firstdy asked anxiously.


    Hazel furrowed her brows. ¡°It should be Pastor and Frank. Previously, Pastor''s business was affected


    when Mr. Lindberg expanded his business into the Epean market, so Pastor has been holding a grudge


    against him. Moreover, the people backing Pastor wanted to rope in Mr. Lindberg, but he did not agree.


    Therefore, those people let Pastor do whatever he liked. Also, their power had grown exponentially with


    Frank''s and the Nacht family''s assistance, coupled with the fact that we were in a disadvantageous


    position as Mr. Lindberg did not bring enough men along this time...¡±


    Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    Gerard sighed before replying, ¡°Danrique was careless this time. He usually brings a lot of men with


    him whenever he goes out to work. Why did he only take a dozen people this time?¡±


    Hazel red at Francesca hatefully upon hearing his remarks. ¡°Apparently, he has to leave some men


    behind to protect certain people at home. Mr. Lindberg was in a rush this time and did not make proper


    preparations, allowing them to take advantage of the situation.¡±


    ¡°Enough with the nonsense. Where were you when you guys were attacked? Tell me the precise


    location and situation clearly.¡± Francesca was unfazed by what Hazel said.


    ¡°I already exined to Gordon. I care more about Mr. Lindberg''s safety than you do!¡± Hazel replied


    coldly.

 Chapter 2235

    Chapter 2235


    Her words were obviously provocotive.


    Froncesco furrowed her brows ond wos obout to soy something when the first lody spoke up to smooth


    things over. ¡°Okoy, thot''s enough. Our moin priority is to find Donrique.¡±


    Hozel responded, ¡°I hope we could find him os soon os possible, too. My subordinotes ond I hove


    olreody informed Gordon obout the situotion. He hos gotten oll the informotion he needs ond is


    investigoting the situotion now.¡±


    The first lody sighed sorrowfully. ¡°Thot''s good to know. I hope Donrique will be oble to return sofely.¡±


    At thot moment, Gerord soid sorcosticolly, ¡°We oll hope for thot. With the obsence of Donrique, some


    urgent projects connot be initioted, while some importont projects hove to be postponed os they require


    opprovols. As o result, thepony hos suffered significont losses. If this continues, the problem will


    only worsen.¡±


    ¡°The president hos olreody sent people over. At the some time, we contocted the government there.


    We will bring Donrique bock sofely.¡± The first lody chonged the subject.


    ¡°It''s greot thot we hove the president''s help. Donrique would surely return soon,¡± Gerord quickly replied.


    The first lody nodded. ¡°Yes. Let''s eot first. We con tolk while we eot.¡±


    Hozel soid feebly, ¡°Mrs. President, I''m not feeling well, so I con''t stoy outside for long. I won''t be oble to


    eot dinner with you.¡±


    Gerord chimed in hostily, ¡°Thot''s right. Hozel is bodly injured ond wos corried bock home on o hospitol


    bed in the morning. We wouldn''t even be here if you didn''t summon us.¡±


    Her words were obviously provocative.


    Francesca furrowed her brows and was about to say something when the firstdy spoke up to smooth


    things over. ¡°Okay, that''s enough. Our main priority is to find Danrique.¡±


    Hazel responded, ¡°I hope we could find him as soon as possible, too. My subordinates and I have


    already informed Gordon about the situation. He has gotten all the information he needs and is


    investigating the situation now.¡±


    The firstdy sighed sorrowfully. ¡°That''s good to know. I hope Danrique will be able to return safely.¡±


    At that moment, Gerard said sarcastically, ¡°We all hope for that. With the absence of Danrique, some


    urgent projects cannot be initiated, while some important projects have to be postponed as they require


    approvals. As a result, thepany has suffered significant losses. If this continues, the problem will


    only worsen.¡±


    ¡°The president has already sent people over. At the same time, we contacted the government there.


    We will bring Danrique back safely.¡± The firstdy changed the subject.


    Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    ¡°It''s great that we have the president''s help. Danrique would surely return soon,¡± Gerard quickly replied.


    The firstdy nodded. ¡°Yes. Let''s eat first. We can talk while we eat.¡±


    Hazel said feebly, ¡°Mrs. President, I''m not feeling well, so I can''t stay outside for long. I won''t be able to


    eat dinner with you.¡±


    Gerard chimed in hastily, ¡°That''s right. Hazel is badly injured and was carried back home on a hospital


    bed in the morning. We wouldn''t even be here if you didn''t summon us.¡±


    ¡°Come to think of it, Francesca is a doctor. Why don''t you let her have a look at Hazel''s injuries?¡± the


    firstdy suggested enthusiastically.


    ¡°There''s no need for that. I can''t trouble the almighty Dr. Felch with my minor injuries!¡± Hazel gazed at


    Francesca coldly.


    While Francesca was fuming, the firstdy stepped in to defuse the situation yet again. ¡°Francesca has


    exceptional medical skills. Previously, when Avery had a rpse, the other doctors could not do


    anything to save her. Francesca was the one who saved Avery.¡±


    ¡°Is Avery okay?¡± Hazel asked concerned.


    ¡°Her situation has already stabilized.¡±


    In the midst of their conversation, the firstdy''s phone suddenly rang. She took a look at the caller ID


    and said hastily, ¡°The president is calling. I need to take this. You guys can sit here and wait for me to


    return.¡±


    ¡°All right. Go ahead.¡± Gerard and Hazel nodded in response.


    After the firstdy left to take the call, Gerard, Hazel, Francesca, and a few maids were the only ones


    left in the private room.


    Gerard said with a cynical tone, ¡°Don''t think of yourself as thedy of the Lindberg family simply


    because you''re dating Danrique. You need to understand that you guys are still not married, so you''re


    not part of the family yet.¡±


    ¡°Come to think of it, Frencesce is e doctor. Why don''t you let her heve e look et Hezel''s injuries?¡± the


    first ledy suggested enthusiesticelly.


    ¡°There''s no need for thet. I cen''t trouble the elmighty Dr. Felch with my minor injuries!¡± Hezel gezed et


    Frencesce coldly.


    While Frencesce wes fuming, the first ledy stepped in to defuse the situetion yet egein. ¡°Frencesce hes


    exceptionel medicel skills. Previously, when Avery hed e relepse, the other doctors could not do


    enything to seve her. Frencesce wes the one who seved Avery.¡±


    ¡°Is Avery okey?¡± Hezel esked concerned.


    ¡°Her situetion hes elreedy stebilized.¡±


    In the midst of their conversetion, the first ledy''s phone suddenly reng. She took e look et the celler ID


    end seid hestily, ¡°The president is celling. I need to teke this. You guys cen sit here end weit for me to


    return.¡±


    ¡°All right. Go eheed.¡± Gererd end Hezel nodded in response.


    After the first ledy left to teke the cell, Gererd, Hezel, Frencesce, end e few meids were the only ones


    left in the privete room.


    Gererd seid with e cynicel tone, ¡°Don''t think of yourself es the ledy of the Lindberg femily simply


    beceuse you''re deting Denrique. You need to understend thet you guys ere still not merried, so you''re


    not pert of the femily yet.¡±


    ¡°Come to think of it, Francesca is a doctor. Why don''t you let her have a look at Hazel''s injuries?¡± the


    firstdy suggested enthusiastically.


    ¡°Daddy¡ª¡± Hazel furrowed her brows and tried to stop him.


    ¡°Hazel, you''re too much of a pushover,¡± said Gerard to Hazel before glowering at Francesca with


    hatred. ¡°I don''t understand what Danrique sees in you. You don''t have any good qualities, yet you act


    high and mighty. Let me tell you. You have to give up the seal sooner orter. With Danrique absent,


    the other directors would still need to ensure that thepany continues running. It''s not something an


    outsider like you can have a say in.¡±


    Francesca bellowed in annoyance, ¡°Are you done? How dare you make yourself sound so righteous


    when you guys are attempting to usurp Danrique''s authority while he''s away? How hypocritical!¡±


    ¡°You¡ª¡±


    Francesca interrupted him angrily, ¡°What? Don''t think I''m a pushover! With me here, no one will be able


    to take anything from the Lindberg family.¡±


    Livid, Gerard gritted his teeth. ¡°How dare you! Who do you think you are? Do you really think you''re a


    big shot? Aren''t you just one of Danrique''s women? You''re going to get kicked out soon...¡±


    ¡°Daddy...¡±


    ¡°The audacity!¡±


    Enraged, Francesca picked up an ashtray and threw it in his direction.


    Gerard hastily ducked to avoid it, and itnded on Hazel instead. The woman yelped in pain as the


    color drained from her face.

 Chapter 2236

    Chapter 2236


    When Gerard saw her daughter getting hit, he raised his fist to punch Francesca in his rage.


    At that moment, the green snake that was hiding in Francesca''s sleeve shot out and wrapped itself


    around Gerard''s neck, opening its mouth to attack.


    Just as it was about to sink its teeth into Gerard''s skin, Francesca yelled, ¡°Sam,e back!¡±


    Sam''s tongue had alreadye in contact with Gerard''s skin, but it held back just in time and jumped


    back to Francesca''s wrist before coiling and turning into a jade bangle-like shape.


    ¡°You... You...¡± As Gerard touched his neck and looked at Francesca''s wrist, his face turned pale. ¡°You


    evil woman! I''m going to kill you!¡±


    Next, he lunged at Francesca.


    ¡°Stop it right there!¡±


    The firstdy appeared at that juncture and stopped Gerard.


    Thetter lowered his fist, while Francesca, who was ready to retaliate, retracted her raised leg as well.


    If the firstdy hadn''t appeared, Gerard would have been sent flying by Francesca''s kick before he


    could evennd a punch.


    ¡°Gerard, what are you doing?¡± the firstdy scolded. ¡°I just went out for a call, and Ie back to see


    you attempting to hit Francesca! You''re a man and an elder to her. How could you be so


    unreasonable?¡±


    ¡°Mrs. President, this is a misunderstanding!¡± Gerard pointed at Francesca in agitation and continued,


    ¡°This brat attacked me with an ashtray earlier and missed, but Hazel got hit instead!¡±


    The firstdy turned to look at Hazel and found out that the girl''s wound was indeed bleeding, and an


    ashtrayy beside her feet. At that sight, the firstdy questioned, ¡°Francesca, what''s going on?¡±


    ¡°Gerard offended me with his words first,¡± said Francesca coldly. ¡°I did hurl an ashtray at him, but he


    dodged. That''s why I identally hurt Hazel.¡±


    Feeling somewhat guilty about Hazel''s bleeding wound, Francesca approached the other woman to


    check her injury. However, Hazel rejected her outright. ¡°I don''t need you to check on me!¡±


    Francesca rolled her eyes and produced a small bottle from her pocket. She tossed it to Hazel, saying,


    ¡°I made this medicinal powder. It''s very effective in treating external wounds. Use it if you want.


    Otherwise, just throw it away.¡±


    Hazel was about to discard it when Gerard stopped her. In a low voice, he told her, ¡°Just keep it first.


    Although she''s problematic, she is actually very skilled in medicine.¡±


    ¡°Daddy, are you okay? Were you bitten by that snake?¡± Hazel asked in concern while examining


    Gerard''s neck.


    ¡°I''m not sure.¡± Gerard put his hand over his neck and said to the firstdy, ¡°Mrs. President, Hazel isn''t


    feeling well. I''ll bring her home first.¡±


    ¡°All right. I asked you toe today because I wanted to ask about Danrique, but I didn''t expect a


    conflict like this to take ce. It''s all because of my negligence. Mr. President already scolded me


    earlier,¡± the firstdy mentioned with her brows scrunched.


    ¡°It''s not your fault, Mrs. President¡ª¡±


    ¡°Anyway, you should go,¡± interrupted the firstdy. ¡°Take good care of Hazel.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Without saying anything more, Gerard wheeled Hazel toward the exit.


    Before leaving, Hazel bowed at the firstdy, but she did not even spare a nce at Francesca. Upon


    turning around, she asked Gerard again, ¡°Daddy, were you bitten by that snake?¡±


    ¡°I don''t think so. My neck doesn''t hurt, but it feels a bit numb and chilly,¡± Gerard answered softly.


    ¡°You should go and see a doctor. The snakes reared by Mr. Lindberg are highly venomous,¡± Hazel said


    with worry.


    ¡°That snake was raised by Mr. Lindberg?¡± Gerard''s face fell. Just as he was about to turn around to


    lash out at Francesca, Hazel pulled him back. ¡°That''s enough. We shouldn''t make a scene in front of


    Mrs. President. Let''s go home first.¡±


    Although Francesca couldn''t hear the father-daughter duo''s conversation clearly, she could guess what


    was going on. She couldn''t help but roll her eyes out of annoyance.


    This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.


    I may despise the two of them, but I wouldn''t go so far as to murder them! Considering how venomous


    Sam is, Gerard would be dead with just one bite.

 Chapter 2237

    Chapter 2237


    After Gerard and Hazel left, Francesca did not stay long. She exchanged a few pleasantries with the


    firstdy and took her to leave.


    When she walked out of the hotel, she saw Sloan and the others waiting by the road. ¡°Why are you


    here?¡± she asked in confusion.


    ¡°We''re worried about your safety, so we came to fetch you,¡± said Sloan respectfully.


    ¡°Let''s get in the car first.¡± Francesca opened the car door and got in, and Sloan followed suit. ¡°Ms.


    Felch, are you okay¡ª Ah!¡±


    Before he could even finish his words, the car sped forward, startling him.


    Everything happened so fast that the car escorting them could barely keep up.


    ¡°Who will guard the house if you''re out?¡± Francesca demanded unhappily. ¡°Didn''t I tell you to stay


    there? What if those scums send someone to steal the seal?¡±


    Sloan hurriedly exined, ¡°That won''t happen. I only brought two men with me. The others stayed


    behind.¡±


    ¡°That''s good to hear.¡±


    The next second, Sloan''s phone rang. He picked up the call, and soon, his eyes widened in panic.


    ¡°What? Did they seed? D*mn it. I''ll be back soon.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Francesca questioned immediately.


    ¡°You were right,¡± Sloan groaned in exasperation. ¡°Someone attempted to steal from the house, but Ms.


    La noticed him.¡±


    ¡°Did they catch him?¡±


    ¡°He ran away. There aren''t enough people at home; the thief is probably an expert.¡± Sloan peeked at


    Francesca guiltily.


    ¡°Now you know. Remember, your task is to guard the house,¡± Francesca reiterated.


    ¡°Yes, I got it,¡± Sloan replied, not daring to make any more excuses.


    By the time they rushed home, the bodyguards were waiting at the door. Upon seeing Francesca and


    Sloan, they gave a detailed report on the incident. In the end, one of them said, ¡°Good thing Ms. La


    was quick to notice. Otherwise...¡±


    La walked out the next moment. ¡°I can''t take all the credit. There''s a security system in the study


    room that triggers an rm when someone enters. I only noticed after seeing the rm.¡±


    ¡°Let me take a look.¡±


    Francesca entered the house hastily and went to the study room.


    The infrared light inside the room was still shing, so no one dared to approach it since they would be


    electrocuted.


    Francesca reached out to push the door open, but Sloan stopped her. ¡°Ms. Felch, the rm has been


    triggered because of the thief. You''ll be electrocuted if you go in now.¡±


    ¡°Then when can I enter?¡±


    Sloan looked troubled. ¡°We''ve never encountered this situation before, so I really don''t know. If Mr.


    Lindberg is here, we could use his fingerprint to turn off the rm.¡±


    Without giving it a thought, Francesca ced her finger on the sensor to try and see if it would work.


    Ding!


    Surprisingly, the rm turned off.


    Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    Everyone, including Francesca herself, was shocked.


    She had no idea when her biometrics was registered in the rm system of the study room.


    ¡°Francesca, take a look inside first,¡± La suggested.


    Francesca went in immediately and checked the safe. Fortunately, it was untouched. The study room


    looked just the same as it was when Danrique left.


    Only the window was opened. Although the window was not burr-proof, the rm system would be


    triggered once an outsider sneaked in. Electricity would then flow through the entire study room and


    electrocute the invader.


    After closing the window and double-checking everything, Francesca shut the door and instructed, ¡°In


    theing days, I want you all to guard the house properly. Do not go anywhere else. No matter what


    happens, do not hand over the seal. Is this understood?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ms. Felch!¡± the men answered in unison.


    ¡°You may leave now.¡±


    Then, Francesca sent them away and pulled La into her room. ¡°Ms. La, did you see the person''s


    face? Who is it?¡±


    ¡°He was in ck, and he wore a cap and a mask. I couldn''t see his face.¡±

 Chapter 2238

    Chapter 2238


    ¡°But he''s obviously someone we know. The Lindberg residence is enormous¡ªthis spot is three


    kilometers away from the sentry post, and there are seven pces in total. The fact that he could find


    his way here and even find the study room means that he had visited before on his own or with other


    people,¡± La pointed out.


    Francesca knitted her brows. ¡°If that''s the case, he must be from the three great families. They just


    couldn''t wait to get their hands on the seal, huh?¡±


    Following a short pause, she added, ¡°Could he be from the Atkinson family? They probably knew


    earlier on that I was going to meet Mrs. President, so they sent someone to sneak in while I was out.


    Or could the three great families be in this together?¡±


    La nodded. ¡°You''re right. The three great families are in solidarity at this time. As long as they pull


    Danrique down, they will be able to split the valuable Lindberg Corporation among themselves.¡±


    Just then, the maid knocked on the door. ¡°Ms. Felch, Mr. Donald is requesting to see you.¡±


    ¡°Tell him to get lost¡ª¡±


    Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    ¡°Wait,¡± La cut in. ¡°She said he''s requesting to see you.¡±


    Francesca understood what La meant right away and opened the door. ¡°What did he say?¡± she


    asked the maid.


    ¡°He didn''te in. He''s waiting outside, and he asked the guard to pass the message that he is


    requesting to see you. He has something important to discuss with you,¡± the maid recounted.


    Hearing that, Francesca exchanged nces with La. She then consented, ¡°Let him in.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± The maid went off to ry the message.


    ¡°If my guess is correct, he must havee to ask for a reconciliation,¡± La remarked in a low voice.


    ¡°If the three great families take the seal, he will be the first one to get kicked out. Therefore, he has to


    reconcile with you and join your side. Only then will he have a chance to survive. Besides, I noticed that


    Donald stayed at the back without a word when Kevin and Gerard came to cause troublest time. He


    did not join in their ruckus, and he seemed anxious. This means he''s well aware of Lindberg


    Corporation''s fate once the three great families get their hands on the seal. By then...¡±


    ¡°You''re right,¡± Francesca agreed. ¡°He doesn''t have a powerful status nor many shares in Lindberg


    Corporation. Hisst name is the only reason he has a spot in there. If Danrique gets dragged down


    from his position, Donald will be doomed.¡±


    ¡°That''s right.¡± La then advised, ¡°If he''s here for a reconciliation, you can give him a chance. After all,


    he''s more familiar with the three great families and thepany, so he should know how to deal with


    them.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Francesca nodded before heading downstairs.


    When Donald entered the house, he looked nothing like his arrogant selfst time. Instead, he was


    tense and cautious. At the sight of Francesca, he got even more nervous.


    ¡°Uncle Donald, what brings you here?¡± Francesca asked straightforwardly.


    ¡°I...¡± Donald pondered for a while before continuing, ¡°I want to talk to you.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Francesca motioned at Norah, who then served some coffee and snacks before leaving with


    the other maids.


    ¡°What do you need to talk about?¡±


    ¡°I...¡± Donald hesitated again. Soon, he mustered his courage and began, ¡°I want to apologize for my


    behaviorst time.¡±


    With that, he lowered his head and apologized sincerely. ¡°I acted rashlyst time, and I also spoke


    rudely. I hope you will forgive me in consideration of the fact that I''m also a Lindberg.¡±


    Francesca nced at La and promptly responded, ¡°Please don''t say that, Uncle Donald. We''re


    family. You don''t have to be like this.¡±


    Donald breathed a sigh of relief at her words. ¡°That''s great to hear. I came here this time to tell you that


    you should never give them the seal. Otherwise, Lindberg Corporation will fall into their hands.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Francesca bobbed her head. ¡°They even sent someone today to steal the seal. Thankfully,


    La noticed it in time, so they did not get what they want.¡±


    Donald''s face turned pale when he heard about the attempted theft. Nevertheless, he managed,


    ¡°Thank goodness they didn''t seed. Do you have any news on Danrique now?¡±

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    Chapter 2239


    ¡°Not yet.¡± Francesca shook her head and said firmly, ¡°But I''m certain he''s all right. He wille home


    safely.¡±


    ¡°I believe so, too. I''m counting on it.¡±


    In truth, Donald was saying those words to encourage himself. He was also taking a risk. If Danrique


    could return unscathed, that would be for the best.


    Otherwise, Donald would be digging his own grave by joining Francesca''s side now.


    Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    However, he had analyzed the situation. If something really happened to Danrique, the three great


    families would not tolerate his existence even if he did not switch to Francesca''s side.


    He might as well try his luck.


    ¡°Is there anything else you want to talk about?¡± Francesca asked.


    ¡°Let me tell you about thepany''s current state. The impact of Danrique''s issue is quite severe.


    Without his signature, a few major projects are postponed. Some of the bigger business partners have


    been calling every day for an update on Danrique''s whereabouts. Even the president has been asking


    about him every day. In short, Danrique''s safety will affect the entire corporation, the fate of many


    business partners, and even the economy of Erihal. This is a very important matter. The thing is, the


    three great families won''t be able to represent Lindberg Corporation even if they have the seal. The


    business partners will not keep working with Lindberg Corporation just because of the seal. Simrly,


    Erihal''s economy will still be unstable. Lindberg Corporation did not reach its position today solely with


    that one seal, so the three great families could not possibly handle thepany''s problems on their


    own. Those business partners only acknowledge Danrique, and he''s the only one who can get the


    situation under control.¡±


    ¡°I understand now. So they''re making such a big fuss over the seal to obtain power, not for the


    company,¡± Francesca concluded.


    Donald nodded. ¡°That''s right. They will not be able to manage thepany properly. And if they get the


    seal, thepany will only meet its downfall quicker. The business partners aren''t taking any action


    now because they believe Danrique will return. Once the three great familiesy their hands on the


    seal, it will be a clear sign that something has happened to Danrique. In that case, the partners will


    withdraw their investments and cancel the coborations. Lindberg Corporation will be doomed if that


    happens.¡±


    As Donald finished his sentence, he couldn''t help sighing.


    He went on, ¡°To be honest, I used to feel that Danrique was too cold-blooded. He never went easy on


    other people, so I even wished that someone could go against him and tame his terrible temper. But


    now, I realized that it''s impossible to run such a big corporation properly without an iron fist like his.


    Moreover, no one else can manage to do that aside from him.¡±


    Upon hearing those words, Francesca felt somewhat emotional. She never knew that Danrique carried


    so much responsibility and burden on his shoulders.


    Donald continued to say, ¡°That''s how things are at the moment. By the way, Harrier went to H City and


    hasn''t returned yet. Kevin and Gerard are the ones running around right now. Harrier is the youngest


    among them, but he''s the most cunning one. He always hides at the back and waits for the other two to


    get things done, then he reaps the benefits. You have to be careful of him.¡±


    ¡°I got it.¡± Francesca glimpsed at La before looking at Donald. ¡°Now, I have a few questions for you.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡± Donald straightened his back.


    ¡°Aside from you, is there any other elder in the Lindberg family who is powerful enough to overpower


    the three great families?¡±


    ¡°No. If there was, he or she would havee to you long ago.¡± Once again, Donald sighed. ¡°I''m the


    only one with some power left in the entire Lindberg family now. The other rtives don''t even have a


    say.¡±


    ¡°Then aside from the Lindberg family, who else has enough influence to keep the three great families in


    check?¡± Francesca asked again.


    ¡°The president,¡± answered Donald. ¡°He''s the only one who can control them now.¡±

 Chapter 2240

    Chapter 2240


    Francesca pondered for a moment after hearing those words. She seldom came in contact with the


    president, but she surmised that the firstdy''s actions were probably at the president''s behest.


    In other words, it meant that the president supported her.


    However, he had yet to offer his support officially. Is it because the three great families have yet to force


    me to the edge of the cliff? Or is it because he thinks it''s not time yet?


    Just then, Donald added, ¡°Don''t expect too much from the president.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Francesca was puzzled.


    ¡°Influential people like him often look at the big picture. They don''t do things out of sentiment,¡± Donald


    said grimly. ¡°If Danrique is still alive, the president will do his utmost to hold onto him. But if he''s not, the


    president will likely consider Erihal''s economic situation and help a new president ascend to the


    position.¡±


    ¡°I get it.¡± Francesca understood what Donald was trying to say. ¡°So, what you mean is, if Danrique is


    truly no longer with us, no one will help me.¡±


    Donald sighed. ¡°Yes. At the moment, the candidate will likely be someone from the three great families.


    I reckon the person with the highest chance of obtaining the position is Harrier. Compared to Kevin and


    Gerard, Harrier is more strategic andposed. Moreover,pared to Danrique, he is easier to


    control.¡±


    Donald''s words held a deeper meaning behind them, and Francesca immediately understood what the


    former was trying to say. ¡°What you''re saying is, Harrier is willing to submit to the president and adhere


    to his arrangements.¡±


    Impressed, Donald eximed, ¡°Yes, you nailed it. The situation does not favor us at the moment.


    What''s important right now is to find Danrique. If he is able to return safely, everything will be fine.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry. I''m sure he''s alive!¡± Francesca dered resolutely.


    ¡°I believe that he''s alive, too. He''s a strong man who won''t be defeated easily, but...¡± Donald trailed off


    for a while before continuing, ¡°What I''m afraid of is that someone wants him dead.¡±


    Francesca froze when she heard the words, and something in her mind clicked.


    Prior to Donald''s reminder, she had not considered this issue at all. Even if Danrique was currently


    alive, there was no guarantee he was going to make it back safely.


    This means that the people who seem to be concerned about his whereabouts are potentially the ones


    that want him dead. So, it''s a race to see who finds Danrique first...


    If Gordon found Danrique first, thetter would be saved. However, if someone else were to beat


    Gordon to it, the consequences would be unimaginable.


    ¡°Truth be told, I don''t have better advice for you.¡± Donald heaved a long sigh. ¡°I can only inform you of


    the situation as it is, in hopes that you mentally prepare yourself. Since you have two experts who can


    give you advice, you''re in a much better position than I am.¡±


    Donald turned to La after speaking. ¡°That''s all I came to say. I''ll be taking my leave. I hope you find


    Danrique as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°I''ll figure something out.¡±


    Monica arrived as soon as Francesca saw Donald out. ¡°Ms. Felch, His Highness wishes to meet you.¡±


    ¡°All right, give me a moment.¡±


    Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    When Francesca was about to head inside to change, Monica hurriedly called out to her and said, ¡°His


    Highness is in the car. He says that it''s inconvenient for you to travel back and forth all the time, hence


    he came over.¡±


    Francesca turned around and stared at the car that was parked nearby.


    A subordinate opened the car door and carried a wheelchair out of the car before wheeling William


    over.


    Francesca ushered them all into the study, and they were joined by La as well.


    William greeted La politely before cutting to the chase. ¡°Francesca, I heard that you went to visit the


    firstdy today. Did anything happen?


    ¡°I saw Hazel, who had just returned this morning. She was hurt.¡± Francesca began to describe the


    meeting in detail.

 Chapter 2241

    Chapter 2241


    When they heard about Gerard''s rude behavior and that Sam nearly bit him, La and William


    eximed in unison, ¡°Was he bitten?¡±


    Francesca was determined. ¡°No. I managed to stop Sam just before Gerard was bitten.¡±


    La patted her chest anxiously. ¡°Are you sure he wasn''t bitten? How did Gerard react?¡±


    Francesca frowned and replied, ¡°He muttered something to his daughter, but I couldn''t hear what he


    said. I''m certain Sam did not bite him. Otherwise, Gerard would have copsed on the spot. There was


    no way he could have left alive.¡±


    ¡°That''s true.¡± La let out a sigh of relief.


    William knitted his brows. ¡°We can''t be sure. Is it possible for L''s refined poison to cause a gic


    change in Sam, resulting in a slower-acting poison?¡±


    ¡°Hmm...¡± Francesca considered the possibility. Before she left, Sloan had reminded her about Sam''s


    increased toxicity after it was soaked in poison. Thus, the period it took for the poison to react might


    have been prolonged.


    Moreover, Sam was a tiny snake, so its fang marks weren''t easy to spot. Since Gerard had been


    covering his neck when the attack took ce, she could not be a hundred percent certain that he had


    not been bitten.


    At that thought, Francesca immediately ryed an order to one of the maids. ¡°Please get Sloan to


    come here.¡±


    ¡°Right away!¡± Just as the maid was about to go and fetch Sloan, a subordinate came rushing in,


    reporting, ¡°Ms. Felch, there are many policemen outside. They are asking for you to aid their


    investigation.¡±


    Bewildered, Francesca asked, ¡°What investigation?¡±


    ¡°Ms. Felch!¡±


    At that juncture, Sloan also came rushing over, eximing anxiously, ¡°I''ve just heard the news. Gerard


    is dead!¡±


    Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    ¡°What?¡± Francesca was so shocked that her eyes almost popped out of their sockets.


    La also stood rooted to the spot, stupefied.


    William, too, was stunned for a moment before his face darkened and his expression became


    unfathomable.


    Sloan was beside himself with anxiety as he queried, ¡°What on earth happened today? The police said


    that Hazel filed a report against you, using you of killing Gerard. The higher-ups of the police


    department are directly involved in the investigation.¡±


    ¡°I killed Gerard?¡± Francesca was bbergasted. Suddenly, an uneasy feeling rose within her heart. All


    this seems to be premeditated...


    At that moment, William began solemnly, ¡°Sloan, I need you to remember something. L had once


    mentioned that Sam is extremely poisonous. Once it sinks its fangs into someone, the poison will


    immediately react. There is no way the victim can survive for more than half an hour.¡±


    ¡°Huh? But he''s never said that...¡± Sloan stared at him, puzzled.


    La interrupted impatiently, ¡°Just listen to him. It doesn''t matter if Mr. Lindberg has mentioned it


    before or not. This is what you will tell the authorities.¡±


    Realization dawned on Sloan, and he nodded fervently. ¡°Okay!¡±


    William ordered, ¡°Just leave the rest to us and go out to stop those people from entering. Tell them no


    one is allowed inside the castle and that everything is to be discussed when L returns.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Sloan immediately left to carry out the order.


    ¡°Everyone else, please leave,¡± La instructed.


    Inclining their heads, the maids bowed and exited the study.


    Impatiently, Monica said, ¡°Your Highness, it''s as you expected. The meeting today was a trap.¡±


    ¡°Who''s trying to harm Francesca?¡± La asked worriedly.


    ¡°If I''m not mistaken, it''s the person who invited her... The firstdy.¡± William fixed his gaze on


    Francesca.


    Francesca shuddered upon hearing William''s words. She asked in stupefaction, ¡°Why would she do


    that? We have no grudge against each other.¡±


    William frowned and exined calmly, ¡°It probably has something to do with her daughter. We''re still


    investigating the precise reason. She had tried to harm you many times, but you''ve managed to get


    away each time. This time, however...¡±

 Chapter 2242

    Chapter 2242


    Wim heaved a sigh. Apparently, he did not feel optimistic about how things looked.


    ¡°Is the firstdy doing this to bring the three great families to power?¡± La asked, puzzled. ¡°It''s not


    necessary if she''s doing it for the sake of her daughter''s love life.¡±


    Francesca had once told La about the current state of Avery, the president''s daughter, as well as the


    fact that Avery had feelings for Danrique.


    However, La thought that as the president''s wife, the firstdy didn''t need to seek vengeance


    against Francesca for something so trivial.


    Danrique''s fate was currently unknown, but he would not forgive the firstdy if he managed to survive


    and learn the truth.


    William''s countenance grew solemn. ¡°Perhaps for a variety of reasons. But from how things currently


    look, I''m almost certain she''s the mastermind. She deliberately summoned Francesca over to meet the


    Atkinsons and left them alone on purpose. Knowing Francesca''s hot temper, she expected a conflict to


    arise and believed Francesca would surely retaliate. Once Francesca retaliates, Gerard will die, and


    Francesca will be the main suspect.¡±


    Monica eximed, ¡°How devious! Will they send Ms. Felch to prison? I don''t think they would dare to,


    as the Lindberg family holds power here even in Mr. Lindberg''s absence. They wouldn''t dare act so


    boldly, right?¡±


    La agreed with Monica, which was a rare urrence. ¡°She''s right. What''s more, Danrique is still


    alive. He might even be back in a few days.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps they don''t want him toe back,¡± William suggested suddenly. The atmosphere in the room


    grew tense at once.


    The three women gaped at him.


    ¡°If L does not return, the president can instate an obedient puppet who will take over Lindberg


    Corporation.¡±


    William''s lips curled into a sneer as if he had already gotten used to such devious methods.


    ¡°If L is dead, then getting rid of Francesca bes a matter of urgency. If L is still alive, however,


    making a move against Francesca now would force him to show himself. And once he does, countless


    crises await him.¡±


    Francesca gasped involuntarily. ¡°So that is their n. I was wondering why would the firstdy attack


    me with such vicious measures. Turns out it isn''t because of a personal vendetta, after all. There are


    huge benefits in it for her.¡±


    ¡°Doesn''t the president care that his wife is doing these things?¡± Monica asked.


    La had seen through everything. ¡°What a redundant question. All he has to do is sit back and do


    nothing, and his wife will grant him the power he desires. If anything happens, the firstdy would be


    his scapegoat, shouldering everything for him. For all we know, he doesn''t know anything. If their n


    seeds in the end, he would be the greatest beneficiary.¡±


    Monica shuddered. ¡°It''s frightening how evil people can be.¡±


    Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    Williamughed derisively. ¡°Everything had been nned ahead of time. Preparations had already


    been made back when the president first invited L and the three great families to the banquet. If


    Danrique had not brought Francesca along that night and instead epted Avery as his wife, they


    would have be a family. A family sharesmon interests, after all. However, they never


    expected Danrique to bring Francesca along and publicly reveal her identity, rejecting the president''s


    ''kindness'' in the process...¡±


    Francesca said irritably, ¡°How is this different from Frank? They''re all like ''death to all who oppose me!''¡±


    ¡°Well, that''s how it is in a dog-eat-dog world. Even blood-rted siblings wouldsh out and kill each


    other, so what''s to stop them from doing the same to L, who is nobody to them?¡± William sighed with a


    bitter smile.


    ¡°The problem in M Nation has long since existed, right? Why did it only blow up at this juncture? Could


    it be rted to the president, too?¡± La asked.


    William, on the other hand, was objective. ¡°They must have been in wait for the right opportunity.


    Perhaps they had begun making preparations in advance when they noticed that a problem would arise


    around this time. Then, they would seize this opportunity to uproot Lindberg Corporation and im it for


    themselves.¡±

 Chapter 2243

    Chapter 2243


    Francesca suddenly remembered something. ¡°If you put it that way, does that mean Hazel was only a


    pawn of theirs?¡±


    William nodded solemnly. ¡°She must have been innocent. If it was only for love, she didn''t need to


    sacrifice her father''s life. If I''m not mistaken, she had always been a pawn, and the previous scandals


    might not have been her intention at all. The firstdy instigated Gerard to help further her cause. Her


    purpose was to use Hazel as a diversion and have everybody think that Hazel created all the chaos


    just to marry into the Lindberg family, to mask the fact that the actual mastermind had been the first


    lady. In any case, judging by how things turned out, it''s obvious that the one who was behind all this


    benefited the most.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    So that''s what happened.


    Francesca suddenly recalled something Hazel had once said to her.


    ¡°Actually, it''s good to be a doctor who''s free and easy. There''s really no need to get involved in such a


    complicated political battle...¡± Those were her exact words.


    Perhaps Hazel had known from the start how deep the waters were. She had warned me often to


    distance myself, yet I didn''t heed her advice.


    ¡°Hazel is clever. Danrique wouldn''t have valued her highly otherwise.¡± William seemed to have seen


    through Francesca''s thoughts. ¡°However, even if she had seen through many things beforehand,


    there''s no avoiding the fact that she''s hostile toward you. Her father is dead, after all. Her hatred for


    you will only deepen. Even if she finds out that someone else was behind it, she still wouldn''t forgive


    you.¡±


    Francesca fell silent at those words.


    La frowned. ¡°It looks like we''re caught between a rock and a hard ce. Our only hope is that


    Danrique returns unharmed before they capture Francesca.¡±


    William was pessimistic. ¡°I don''t think things are that simple. As the firstdy is behind this, it wouldn''t


    be long before somebodyes after Francesca. They would have nothing to fear since the Lindberg


    family doesn''t have anyone at the helm right now.¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡± La''s eyes widened with terror. She was about to say something when Sloan hurried in


    to report, ¡°Ms. Felch, news about Gerard being poisoned to death is all over the headlines now.


    Everyone all around the world knows about this. The police have issued an ultimatum: If you don''t turn


    yourself in, they''ll barge in here.¡±


    ¡°This is unbelievable! They only dare to do this because someone has their backs!¡± La yelled,


    incensed.


    Francesca, on the contrary, was unusually calm. ¡°It''s on the news? What news?¡±


    Sloan handed Francesca the tablet. ¡°Every major media outlet around the world has been spreading


    the word. Your name is censored, but they identified the offender as Mr. Lindberg''s fianc¨¦e.¡±


    Francesca took a look. Sure enough, the news did not mention her alter-ego, Francesco. They only


    reported Danrique''splete disappearance and that his fianc¨¦e, someone given the alias Ms. F, had


    poisoned Gerald Atkinson, a member of one of the three great families.


    Danrique rarely appeared in public, much less in the press. Despite that, due to the prestige of his


    identity, news pertaining to him tended to spread like wildfire.


    This time, especially, it spread across the globe in the blink of an eye.


    Danrique''s legendary fianc¨¦e, Ms. F, had be known as a mysterious and vicious woman whose


    true identity the media all over the globe was trying to deduce.


    Some inferred that she had poisoned Hazel''s father because she was engaged in a fight of jealousy


    with Hazel. Others believed that her motive was linked to Danrique''s disappearance.


    In any event, public opinion on the matter was influential.


    Many emphasized that nobody was above thew and that murder was the most heinous crime of all.


    They called for the truth to be unearthed at all costs so the murderer could be severely punished.


    Some had even created polls online. Hundreds of millions ofizens voted in favor of punishing


    Francesca severely.


    La was livid. ¡°Everything has clearly been premeditated. It had only been six hours since the


    meeting. His death couldn''t have made the news that quickly, nor would it have caused arge public


    outrage in such a short time!¡±

 Chapter 2244

    Chapter 2244


    Comprehension dawned on Francesca. ¡°Everything has been nned in advance. But why would they


    want to conceal my identity?¡±


    ¡°They probably did that because they considered the fact that you have saved many lives, including


    some big shots who would probably take action if they found out that you are detained in Erihal. Thus,


    they censored your identity to avoid attracting trouble for themselves.¡±


    ¡°It is indeed premeditated, given that everything is so carefully arranged,¡± William surmised.


    ¡°What do we do now? Will they storm in to arrest her?¡± Monica asked anxiously.


    As soon as she spoke, a subordinate came in to report, ¡°The military is here, Ms. Felch, Sloan.¡±


    Sloan panicked. ¡°What? Even the military has gotten involved? Things are looking serious.¡±


    ¡°Pack your things, Francesca. Let''s get out of here,¡± La urged Francesca.


    ¡°You''re right. I''ll go pack as well.¡± Monica stood up at once.


    Francesca remained calm. ¡°That won''t work. The military is already here to arrest me. How are we


    going to escape? Even if we managed to make it out of this castle, we wouldn''t be able to leave


    Xendale.¡±


    William nodded. ¡°That''s right. She''s innocent, but if she escapes now, they would think she''s


    absconding because she''s guilty. That way, Erihal could issue an arrest warrant for her.¡±


    ¡°Then what should we do? Let them take her away?¡± La asked in a panic.


    William did not reply to that. Instead, he gazed at Francesca with aplicated expression.


    The woman announced cidly, ¡°Since the military and higher-ups of the police department are


    involved, I''m not in a position to say no. Besides, I don''t think they would dare harm me. The most they


    could do is lock me up for a couple of days.¡±


    William nodded. ¡°She would be even safer in their hands.¡±


    La was beside herself with anxiety. ¡°Have you ever thought about why they''re making such a big


    fuss? They''re trying to lure Danrique out. For all we know, he might be hurt right now and is currently


    hiding. He could''veid low and reappear to turn the situation around after he gets better, but do you


    think he can stay calm and do nothing if he finds out you''re arrested?¡±


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    Francesca was conflicted. ¡°But if I''m arrested, my sentence is as good as confirmed. What if they


    announce to the public that Danrique was the one who instructed me to poison Gerard? Won''t that


    cause him more trouble?¡±


    La''s frown grew deeper. ¡°That''s possible. Perhaps this is a trap. The moment you escape, they will


    convict Danrique of various offenses, preventing him from even returning to Erihal.¡±


    Monica panicked. ¡°We can''t escape, nor can we stay. What should we do, then?¡±


    Francesca quickly made up her mind. ¡°I can''t run. I would have to go through a trial and an


    investigation since they''re doing things ording to the procedure. At least they wouldn''t do anything


    to me during that phase, but...¡±


    She peered out the window, feeling uneasy. ¡°Would those scoundrelse to steal the seal in my


    absence? I will need a few bodyguards.¡±


    Sloan felt distressed for Francesca. ¡°Don''t worry about us right now, Ms. Felch. Take care of yourself


    instead. I''d already had somebody contact Gordon, and he''ll think of something when he gets back.¡±


    ¡°He''s out there searching for Danrique. Don''t bother him,¡± replied Francesca before leaving in a hurry.


    ¡°Where are you going, Ms. Felch? Ms. Felch!¡± Sloan immediately followed her while La did the


    same.


    Monica asked in a low voice, ¡°Your Highness, should we leave? This doesn''t concern us, and I think


    the military and the police wouldn''t give us a hard time...¡±


    William scowled at her. ¡°It would be indecent if we were to leave at this crucial moment! Francesca had


    rescued me so many times. How could I stay out of this when she needs me the most?¡±


    Monica was distressed. ¡°There''s nothing you can do now, and we''ll be implicated if we stay. What


    would be of Robin and everybody in the castle if something happened to you?¡±

 Chapter 2245

    Chapter 2245


    William''s expression turned grim. ¡°Shut up. I don''t want to hear you say such nonsense a second time.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡± Monica inclined her head at once, not daring to speak further.


    ¡°Give me my phone.¡±


    Monica handed William''s phone to him, and he called Robin. ¡°Find me a legal team that is familiar with


    Erihal''sws. Also,e as soon as you can.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡±


    Robin had seen the news and learned that something had happened to Francesca. Knowing that his


    master would contact him, he had already made preparations.


    After hanging up, William ordered Monica, ¡°Arrange a meeting with Hazel for me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡± Though Monica disagreed about William getting involved, she gave him her full


    support since he had already made up his mind.


    ¡°One more thing.¡±


    William was about ry another order when eagle cries suddenly sounded outside.


    Instinctively, he turned to look and saw several eagles gliding past the window. Following that, a herd of


    wild beasts raced toward the front hall.


    Monica was dumbfounded for she had never seen such a spectacle before. ¡°Did the animals escape


    because they were frightened?¡± she asked, panicking.


    ¡°Wheel me out.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡±


    Monica wheeled William out of the pce, and the pair soon became stunned upon witnessing the


    scene before them.


    Francesca was standing at the entrance of the hall with her arms spread open as she summoned every


    animal inhabiting the animal-training facility.


    The eagles gliding in the sky and the beasts galloping across the ce heeded hermand.


    In the near distance, the convoy of vehicles that had just arrived skidded to jerky halts.


    Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    Among them were police cars containing the force''s highest-ranking officers, military jeeps of the army,


    and private vehicles belonging to the three great families.


    The high-ranking police officers and military officials in their cars were awestruck by the scene before


    them.


    Seated in one of the MPVs, Hazel, Harrier, and Kevin were simrly stunned.


    ¡°W-What is going on here? Don''t tell me that brat had been in the circus before!¡±


    Kevin was so worked up he was babbling incoherently.


    ¡°Though I''d heard of her ability to summon beasts, I thought it far-fetched. I can''t believe it''s true.¡±


    Harrier narrowed his eyes and peered out the window with aplicated expression.


    ¡°I don''t care how good she is. She is going to pay for killing my father.¡±


    Hazel red at Francesca with hatred as her hands clenched into fists.


    She was merely hostile toward Francesca before that, but at present, she also felt immense hatred


    toward her.


    Kevin was thoroughly rattled. ¡°Beast summoning? I''ve only seen it in movies. I can''t believe it exists in


    the real world as well!¡±


    Harrier appeared calm. ¡°The world is never short on curiosities. Why would Danrique be so deeply in


    love with her if she isn''t remarkable?¡±


    Kevin became disconcerted. ¡°This girl seems formidable. Will we be able to defeat her?¡±


    ¡°She won''t be able to run with the military and the police here. She owes a blood debt, so it''s only


    natural that she pay it with her own life,¡± Hazel snarled. She then exited the vehicle and proceeded to


    beckon the cars behind them to move forward.


    At that moment, Francesca waved her arms and ordered the beasts, ¡°In my absence, defend the castle


    and prevent any breaches!¡±


    The beasts nodded as if they were a unique task force.


    Francesca waved her hands again, and the animals retreated to the side at once to make way for the


    convoy''s arrival.


    The upants exited their vehicles tentatively. Armed with guns, members of the military and police


    force regarded Francesca with wariness and fear.


    Francesca stood at the entrance. A convocation of eagles circled above her head, and a pack


    consisting of tigers, lions, and leopards nked her. Every one of those beasts glowered at the people


    before them with murderous intent, as if saying, ¡°I will tear apart whoever daresy a finger on my


    goddess.¡±


    The entourage of predators terrified all of them. Some police officers were so frightened that they were


    trembling. Kevin, on the other hand, didn''t even dare to emerge from the vehicle.

 Chapter 2246

    Chapter 2246


    Hazel might hate Francesca, but she was terrified by how the situation had escted. She couldn''t


    even utter a word.


    Harrier stood behind the crowd and watched silently.


    The team stood dozens of meters away as they dared note any closer. Each of them pointed a


    gun at the beasts warily, not daring to let their guards down.


    Despite that, they were still extremely uneasy, afraid that the beasts would rush over to rip them into


    shreds.


    In the end, someone from the military spoke. ¡°Ms. Felch, you are under suspicion of being involved in a


    murder case. Pleasee with us to assist in the investigation.¡±


    ¡°Be clear. What murder case do you suspect I''m involved in?¡± Francesca demanded haughtily.


    ¡°Gerard Atkinson died from poison after seeing you. ording to our investigation, you used a


    venomous snake to attack him, so¡ª¡±


    ¡°Please mind your words,¡± Francesca interjected icily. ¡°The venomous snake had indeed flown from my


    hands to his neck, but I summoned it back before it could bite him. Gerard''s death has nothing to do


    with me.¡±


    ¡°How can we know if you''re telling the truth?¡± Hazel roared angrily. ¡°My father kept holding his neck


    back then. He also said his neck felt cold and numb. It must be your venomous snake that bit him!


    Nothing happened on our way back, and the poison acted up when we got home, killing him in the


    process. Who else could it be? It must be you!¡±


    ¡°Even though we''ve met up, that doesn''t mean I killed him. If you dieter, is it my fault, too?¡±


    Francesca retorted.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Hazel''s face paled in fury.


    Right then, William gave Monica a silent gesture. The woman immediately shoved Sloan, hinting at him


    to speak up.


    Regaining his senses, Sloan promptly exined, ¡°Ms. Atkinson, I think you''ve gotten it wrong. The


    green snake belongs to Mr. Lindberg. It has been bathed in poison since its birth, so its venom is


    extremely fatal. If it had bitten Mr. Atkinson, he would''ve died on the spot. There was no way he''d die at


    home.¡±


    ¡°Hear that?¡± Hazel grew increasingly emotional. ¡°Francesca knew that snake was venomous but


    allowed it to bite my father! She wanted to kill my father!¡±


    ¡°No, I mean¡ª¡±


    ¡°Francesca, I must avenge my father! How could you do that to him?¡±


    Hazel grabbed a gun and aimed it at Francesca.


    Suddenly, one of the tigers let out a guttural roar at her. Frightened, Hazel nearly copsed to the


    ground.


    ¡°Let me repeat myself. I didn''t kill your father.¡± Francesca shot her a frosty look before turning to the


    police. ¡°You must''ve examined the body, right? What did the forensic pathologist say?¡±


    ¡°ording to the forensic pathologist, Mr. Atkinson died from snake venom. Ms. Felch, all evidence


    points to you, so please follow us back to assist in the investigation,¡± the highest-ranking police officer


    replied.


    ¡°Snake venom, huh?¡± Francesca sneered. ¡°So it''s indeed a pre-arranged trap.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Hazel demanded instinctively.


    ¡°You''re only needed to assist in the investigation. Please cooperate.¡± The police officer gestured for


    Francesca to leave with them.


    ¡°Before Mr. Lindberg returns, no one is allowed to take Ms. Felch away,¡± Sloan dered as he led his


    men to stand before Francesca.


    ¡°No one dares to harm Ms. Felch, but if you stop us from carrying out our job, we have no choice but to


    arrest her with force,¡± one military officer said sternly. ¡°After all, we''ve received Mr. President''s orders to


    carry out this mission.¡±


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    Sloan and the rest were stunned to hear that. The president gave them the orders? No wonder they are


    this insistent.


    Francesca''s lips curled. It looks like La and William''s prediction was right.


    She said calmly, ¡°Assist in the investigation, right? No problem. But my subordinates won''t allow


    anyone to barge into the Lindberg residence when I''m not around.¡±


    With that said, she waved her hands, and the beasts roared out loud in unison.


    The beasts'' roars were so deafening that the rest took a step back as their faces turned pale in horror.

 Chapter 2247

    Chapter 2247


    Francesca walked toward them, but none of them had the to arrest her. Instead, they kept retreating in


    fear.


    They backed up until they found themselves pressed up against their cars and had no other way out.


    Left with no choice, they were forced to face Francesca.


    The beasts followed Francesca closely, so the police officers didn''t even dare toy a hand on her.


    Finally, Francesca gave a wave to dismiss the beasts.


    Only then did the highest-ranking police officer take a deep breath as he opened the car door carefully.


    ¡°This way, please,¡± he said.


    ¡°Ms. Felch...¡± Sloan took a step forward to stop her.


    Francesca made a gesture and ordered, ¡°Stay at home and protect Ms. La.¡±


    Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Got it, Ms. Felch,¡± Sloan answered with a sad nod.


    ¡°I''ll wait for you here,¡± La said, her eyes reddening.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Francesca bobbed her head and turned to William. ¡°William, your condition is stable, so you


    can leave anytime. This has nothing to do with you, and they won''t make things difficult for you.¡±


    She whipped her head around to look at the military and police officers. ¡°Am I right, guys?¡±


    The leaders of both teams nodded. ¡°Of course. Prince William has nothing to do with the matter. No


    one will find fault with him.¡±


    ¡°I''m d to hear that.¡±


    William spoke suddenly. ¡°The castle is huge. I don''t feel like living. Francesca, I''ll wait for your and L''s


    return here!¡±


    ¡°All right.¡± Francesca didn''t think too much about his words as she assumed he had nowhere to go.


    After all, people in Danontand were watching him like a hawk and might attempt to hurt him if he were


    to leave.


    It would be safer for him to stay under the Lindberg family''s protection.


    ¡°Ms. Felch,e on,¡± the police officer urged.


    Francesca got into the car. The beasts wanted to follow her, but she chided, ¡°Leave.¡±


    The beasts hurriedly retreated, heeding her order.


    The police officers quickly got into the car and drove away.


    A few eagles soared in the sky above the car to escort Francesca.


    When the driver sped up, the eagles increased their speed, too. They were impossible to shake off.


    Seeing that, the police officers in the car broke out into a cold sweat.


    Francesca told them calmly, ¡°Don''t worry. They won''t hurt anyone if I''m not in danger.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Felch, please don''t say that. We wouldn''t dare to hurt you!¡± The police officer hurriedly exined,


    ¡°You only have to assist in the investigation. We''re doing this under orders.¡±


    ¡°Under whose orders?¡± Francesca asked with her brow arched.


    ¡°Well...¡± The police officer seemed hesitant to answer her question.


    She said nothing else for she had gotten the answer she wanted from his silence.


    Clearly, La and William were right. It was the president''s doing. Without his orders, no one will have


    the guts to harm someone who''s part of the Lindberg family!


    Nevertheless, the police officers weren''t lying when they said they dared not touch Francesca for now.


    They still had to use her to force Danrique to show himself.


    The car drove out of the castle. La watched the convoy for a while before looking away.


    She had expected this day toe ever since Francesca ended up with Danrique. s, their efforts to


    protect her were in vain.


    I thought I was able to help Francesca, but now I realize that I am helpless in the face of absolute


    power. Perhaps someone else can be of help at a time like this...


    La went over to William. ¡°Prince William, do you have a n in mind?¡±


    That was the first time La took the initiative to talk to William politely.


    ¡°I''ve asked Robin toe to the castle with a professional legal team,¡± William revealed with a smile.


    ¡°Don''t worry. I''ll help Francesca.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that''s good to know. Thank you.¡± La sighed in relief.


    He''s my only hope for now.

 Chapter 2248

    Chapter 2248


    After Francesca was taken away, a somber atmosphere took over the Lindberg residence.


    Norah would sob quietly and wipe her tears from time to time.


    Sloan was anxious and kept trying to contact Gordon.


    Previously, Gordon would call every day to get an update about the situation in the castle, but after


    what happened recently, he suddenly cut off contact.


    Despite feeling something was amiss, Sloan didn''t know what else to do. He could only text Gordon to


    inform thetter about Francesca''s situation.


    Robin arrived the next day. Sloan sent someone to pick him up and bring him over to the castle.


    William talked to Robin behind closed doors for the entire afternoon before Robin got to work.


    No one knew what he was busy with.


    After learning they found a legal team, Sloan told William that Danrique had a legal team of his own


    that was trustable.


    However, William said they couldn''t use their own legal team without exining the reason.


    Sloan felt unsettled, but La told him to trust William.


    Seven days went by in the blink of an eye.


    There was no activity on William''s side, but the news about Francesca poisoning Gerard had blown up


    everywhere.


    An anonymousizen provided evidence that an attendant in the hotel saw Francesca releasing her


    venomous snake to bite Gerard. There was also a blurry video showing their backs.


    The video didn''t show Francesca''s face, but it was a scene showing Francesca releasing her snake to


    bite Gerard. It wasn''t edited or faked; it was real.


    Clearly, there was a camera in the private room that had recorded the entire scene. The person who


    posted this must''ve cut out one part of the video to post this online.


    Seeing that, Sloan and the rest were furious. It was pretty obvious by now that the firstdy was behind


    this. After all, she was the one who picked the ce and would''ve examined the ce thoroughly


    before entering it. There was no way an attendant could''ve recorded that secretly.


    Hence, she must''ve deliberately ordered her men to set up the camera so that Francesca would get


    med.


    As Sloan rambled about how despicable the firstdy was, he got increasingly furious. However,


    William chuckled.


    La frowned. ¡°Why are youughing?¡±


    ¡°Hazel will be contacting me soon,¡± William replied confidently.


    ¡°Why?¡± Monica was curious. ¡°For the past few days, I tried all means to ask her out but got rejected


    every time. She even threatened me. Why would she change her mind suddenly?¡±


    ¡°She should''ve read the news,¡± came William''s calm answer. ¡°It''s pretty easy to understand what


    happened. Even Sloan realized what happened, let alone her.¡±


    Monica and Sloan were stunned, but La promptly understood what he meant. ¡°Are you saying that


    Hazel has realized it was a trap set by Mrs. President?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± William nodded. ¡°She''s a smart woman.¡±


    La was still worried. ¡°But Francesca is her love rival. Will she help Francesca? Or will she take the


    chance to get rid of Francesca?¡±


    ¡°She won''t help us.¡± William was pretty sure of that. ¡°However, she wants to know the truth. We can


    use that to our advantage. Besides, she won''t want L to be in trouble.¡±


    ¡°All right. We''ll rely on you, then. This is giving me a headache.¡±


    Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    Right after La finished her sentence, Monica''s phone rang. She took a look at the screen and grew


    excited. ¡°It''s from Hazel.¡±


    William gave her a look, and she went aside to answer it. A whileter, she returned and reported,


    ¡°Your Highness, Ms. Atkinson wants to meet you tonight.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± William nodded. ¡°Sloan, please make the arrangements.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Sloan made the arrangements ording to William''s wishes and drove him to the meeting spot.


    As William had difficulty moving around, Hazel got into his car after he arrived at the meeting spot. She


    went straight to the topic and asked, ¡°Your Highness, do you have something to tell me?¡±


    ¡°I think you have a question for me, Ms. Atkinson.¡± William gave her a pleasant smile.


    ¡°You''re indeed smart, Your Highness.¡± Hazel gave him an intense look. ¡°I''d like to know your opinion


    about the video that appeared in the news today.¡±

 Chapter 2249

    Chapter 2249


    ¡°I have the same opinion as you, Ms. Atkinson,¡± William answered. ¡°Mrs. President is a careful person.


    Why would she allow an attendant to record a video in secret?¡±


    ¡°Ha! I knew it!¡± Hazel sneered. ¡°She manipted my father, created a scandal between me and Mr.


    Lindberg, and med her daughter''s illness on me. I endured how she made me a scapegoat for her


    deeds over the years. I knew she had been using me, but I didn''t want to offend her and invite trouble.


    Nevertheless, my endurance only caused her to push her limits.¡±


    ¡°That''s how the world works.¡± William could understand her feelings. ¡°The weaker you are, the more


    they will take advantage of you.¡±


    ¡°I endured her actions in the past, but my father lost his life this time.¡± Hazel grew emotional. ¡°Despite


    his evil deeds, he was still my father. Besides, he loved me. He was the only family I had...¡±


    Her voice choked.


    William handed her a tissue andforted her, ¡°My condolences.¡±


    After a pause, he got down to business. ¡°Now that we know Mrs. President is behind this, then¡ª¡±


    Hazel interrupted him by saying hatefully, ¡°You don''t have to persuade me to change my mind. Even if


    it was Mrs. President''s n, the real murderer was still Francesca. She knew the snake was venomous


    but told it to bite my father! That was murder!¡±


    William asked, ¡°Are you sure the snake bit your father? Could it be someone else who poisoned him?¡±


    ¡°After leaving the hotel, we got into the car. Nothing happened after that. Less than two hours after my


    father got home, he started feeling unwell. When the doctor arrived, he was already...¡±


    She trailed off as her eyes turned red. ¡°The forensic pathologist examined him and said he died from


    snake venom. Who else could it be? It must be Francesca''s doing!¡±


    ¡°We can only be sure after examining him personally.¡± William wound down the window and called out,


    ¡°Sloan!¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    Sloan gestured for his subordinate to drive a truck over to them.


    He then opened the door to reveal a pig inside.


    ¡°Huh? This is...¡± Hazel was baffled as she didn''t know what they were getting at.


    When Sloan released Sam into the truck, Hazel finally understood what was going on. She immediately


    got out of the car and went nearer for a better look.


    Initially, Sam didn''t want to attack the pig. The subordinates started hitting the truck to create noise.


    Growing irritated by the noise, Sam flew in the pig''s direction and sank its fangs into the pig''s neck.


    The pig immediately let out a horrible shriek and copsed. It began frothing at the mouth and twitching


    uncontrobly as blood trickled out of its mouth and ears.


    Less than ten minutester, the pig stopped moving. Its blood was ck, and its skin slowly turned


    green.


    It was a horrible sight.


    Hazel gaped in disbelief when she saw the pig''s death.


    Beside her, Sloan exined, ¡°Sam is Mr. Lindberg''s snake. Besides Mr. Lindberg, it only listens to Ms.


    Felch''s orders. If Ms. Felch ordered it to stop, it would definitely stop. I wasn''t sure what would happen


    when Sam was to bite someone, but Gordon reminded me before he left that Sam''s venom was lethal.


    Anyone it bites would die immediately. After seeing the experiment, I''m sure you know Mr. Atkinson


    wouldn''t wait until two hourster to die if Sam had bitten him. Just like the pig, he would''ve...¡±


    When he realized the inappropriateness of his words, he quickly apologized, ¡°I''m sorry. I mean, he''ll die


    from the venom on the spot.¡±


    He didn''t need to exin anything, for it was pretty obvious what the experiment meant. Hazel had


    been with Danrique long enough to know what his snakes were like.


    Back when she left the hotel with Gerard, he seemed fine. Hence, she assumed Sam didn''t bite him


    and that he was merely imagining things when he imed his neck felt cold and numb.

 Chapter 2250

    Chapter 2250


    After her father died, the forensic pathologist insisted his cause of death was snake venom. During her


    moment of shock and grief, she promptly lost all reason and focused on seeking revenge for her loved


    one.


    It''s obvious that I''ve been used. Someone else must be behind my dad''s death!


    ¡°Someone must''ve arranged for the forensic pathologist to say that,¡± William reminded her. ¡°If you don''t


    trust him, you can hire a trusted forensic pathologist to examine your father''s body again, but...¡±


    ¡°But what?¡± Hazel demanded anxiously after regaining herposure.


    ¡°I''m afraid it''s toote,¡± William revealed with a frown.


    Hazel turned pale in shock. She pulled her phone out to call her assistant hastily. ¡°Go to the police


    station and get my father''s body back now! Hurry!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Her assistant got to work immediately.


    ¡°Your Highness, please excuse me.¡±


    Hazel took onest look at William before leaving in a hurry.


    William watched her back as she left. He knew his n had seeded.


    Sloan came over to him. ¡°Your Highness, are you saying that they would deal with Mr. Atkinson''s body


    earlier than expected to avoid Ms. Atkinson examining his body again?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± William nodded. ¡°I''m afraid it''s toote even if she rushes back now.¡±


    ¡°What should we do?¡± Sloan panicked. ¡°Will she still trust us?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± William''s lips curled into a smirk. ¡°The more they try to cover things up, the more it proves


    that something is wrong.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Realization dawned upon Sloan.


    ¡°All right, then. Let''s go.¡±


    William knew the first part of his n had seeded. As long as Hazel trusts me, Francesca will be


    safe.


    Sloan drove him back to the castle.


    In the car, while Monica put a nket over William''sp, he sighed. ¡°I wonder how Francesca is doing


    inside. Did they torture her?¡±


    ¡°I don''t think they dare to do that,¡± Monica assured him. ¡°Mr. Lindberg hasn''t shown up, after all. What if


    he shows up and settles the scores with them? Besides, Ms. Felch isn''t someone who will suffer


    silently.¡±


    ¡°You''re right.¡± William broke into a smile.


    Right then, William''s phone rang. Monica handed his phone to him hastily. He answered the call and


    put it on speaker mode. ¡°Ms. Atkinson.¡±


    ¡°I just received a call. They had already cremated my father''s body,¡± Hazel told him in a low voice.


    ¡°I''m sorry. I should''ve reminded you earlier,¡± William apologized softly.Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°It looks like the culprit behind my father''s death was Mrs. President.¡± Hazel finally realized the truth.


    ¡°She used my father''s death to convict Francesca. She also wants to use Francesca to draw Mr.


    Lindberg out so she can kill him!¡±


    William sounded pleased. ¡°You finally realized what is going on. Don''t be someone else''s pawn


    anymore.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I finally realized the truth.¡± There was a hint of sadness and fury in Hazel''s voice. ¡°She used me


    so many times, and I endured her actions patiently. I can''t believe this is what I get in the end.¡±


    William advised, ¡°That''s why you have to fight back. Helping Francesca is akin to helping L now.¡±


    Hazel chuckled bitterly. ¡°I know. Your Highness, Francesca is blessed to have a good friend like you!¡±


    William said meaningfully, ¡°L is also blessed to have a great assistant like you. I think he selected you


    to follow him to M Nation not only because he trusted you; he also wanted to protect you.¡±


    Hazel was stunned to hear that.


    Yes, Danrique should''ve brought Harrier to M Nation, but he brought me there instead. Harrier was sent


    to H City. I assumed it was because Danrique didn''t trust Harrier enough, but he must''ve known that


    someone wanted to go against him. The person who followed him to M Nation will get to escape


    danger. If my father hadn''t fallen into a trap and gotten used by someone else, my family could''ve


    escaped unscathed.

 Chapter 2251

    Chapter 2251


    However, my father was a fool. Before I left, I reminded him not to create trouble, but he didn''t listen to


    my advice. He kept falling for Kevin and Harrier''s instigation and did what Mrs. President told him to do.


    No matter what, Danrique protected me and my family. He will spare my family as my father is dead.


    Hazel btedly realized what Danrique had done for her. He was a loyal and caring man despite his


    indifference.


    That was precisely why many people were willing to work for him at all costs.


    He would never ignore his subordinates even in the most critical moment. As his assistant, she was


    also under his protection.


    So...


    Something urred to Francesca as she asked hastily, ¡°Does Mr. Lindberg have another way to


    protect Francesca?¡±


    ¡°That isn''t your concern.¡± William had expected that, too. ¡°What we need to do now is to help Danrique


    turn the tables.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I''ll do as you say.¡±


    Hazel trusted Williampletely. She knew he wanted nothing more than to save Francesca and


    Danrique as they were the ones who would protect him.


    William smiled. ¡°Good. Now, listen carefully.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡±


    Throughout the journey, William didn''t hold back in teaching Hazel what to do next. After hearing his


    n, Hazel said in admiration, ¡°Aside from Mr. Lindberg, you''re the most astute person I''ve ever seen!¡±


    ¡°You tter me, Ms. Atkinson,¡± came William''s calm answer. ¡°Let''s work together to help L and


    Francesca weather the crisis together.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    Back at home, Sloan told his subordinate to settle everything else and went to La, informing her


    about everything that happened.


    La remained at home to stay guard there, but she reminded Sloan to update her if anything


    important had happened.


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    She knew William was doing his best to help Francesca and Danrique, but that didn''t stop her from


    keeping an eye on him. After all, lives were at stake.


    Sloan revealed every single detail to her, including William''s conversation with Hazel in the car.


    Those who received special training like him had a good memory.


    After hearing that, La praised, ¡°Oh, how clever of William. He knew I had my guard up and put Hazel


    on speaker mode so you could listen to their conversation. It looks like he genuinely wants to save


    Francesca and Danrique. At the same time, it also shows how astute he can be. I think he is as good


    as Danrique. Never mind if they remain friends. If he bes Danrique''s enemy one day, the


    consequences will be horrible.¡±


    ¡°They won''t be enemies, will they?¡± Sloan asked meekly. ¡°After all, there isn''t any conflict of


    interest between them.¡±


    ¡°You''re right.¡± La nodded. ¡°Competition in business is nothing to them. I''m just afraid that...¡±


    ¡°Afraid of what?¡± Sloan probed.


    ¡°I''m afraid someone will get jealous of Danrique for having such a strong helper and sow discord


    between them,¡± La muttered.


    ¡°They are capable men, so I don''t think they will fall for that easily.¡± Sloan didn''t think much about it.


    ¡°Besides, Mr. Lindberg and Ms. Felch saved him many times. He should be grateful for their help.¡±


    ¡°Forget it. You won''t understand, anyway.¡± La stopped talking about them. ¡°Just put your guard up at


    all times. Remember to tell me everything that happened when I''m not around, okay?¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Sloan nodded fervently. ¡°I might be stupid, but I know you''re Ms. Felch''s closest rtive. When


    she isn''t around, you''re in charge!¡±


    La burst outughing. ¡°You''re not a fool after all!¡±

 Chapter 2252

    Chapter 2252


    Moving forward, everything went ording to William''s n.


    The next day, Hazel held a press conference at Lindberg Corporation.


    She intended to update the media on her father''s poisoning and had even invited Kevin and Harrier to


    attend the event.


    Everyone assumed that she was going to openly disclose Francesca''s offense.


    After all, to that very day, none of the media reporters had reported the incident in detail, and none of


    the people involved had spoken about it publicly. As such, it was natural for Hazel''s press conference


    to cause a great stir. After all, she was the daughter of the victim, and she was about to share her side


    of the story.


    One hour before the press conference, Hazel shared the event on her social media and urged


    everyone to watch the live broadcast.


    The firstdy even shared Hazel''s post on purpose because she was the one who hinted at the woman


    to hold the press conference.


    Verily, various media outlets werepeting to report news about the firstdy sharing Hazel''s post.


    Currently, all fingers were pointed at Francesca, and everyone was waiting to see how she would be


    punished.


    Word had also gotten to Francesca, who was detained at the detention center.


    As judgment had not been confirmed yet, the woman was not yet imprisoned but was held at the


    detention center instead. She had a room to herself. Although it was rather shabby, it was at least clean


    and convenient.


    The female officer who was on duty at the detention center that day had specially given Francesca a


    laptop so that she could catch the live broadcast.


    Francesca was inundated with disdain when she found out that Hazel had called for a press


    conference, for she too, assumed that the purpose of the conference was to disclose her offenses.


    However, at the same time, she was worried that Danrique would see the news and find out that she


    had been caught.


    If he ended up rushing back impulsively, he would fall into those people''s trap.


    Meanwhile, in the Lindberg family''s castle, La, William, and the others were also waiting for the live


    broadcast to begin.


    The press conference started punctually at two o''clock in the afternoon.


    After Hazel walked on stage, she bowed and thanked the reporters for their attendance before making


    a speech tomemorate her father. Then, she started to narrate that day''s events.


    At the same time, the firstdy and Avery were also watching the live broadcast at the presidential


    pce.


    Avery stared at the screen with a frosty expression and asked, ¡°Mommy, would that dumb woman,


    Hazel, tell everyone that you were the one who had asked them out?¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± the firstdy replied confidently. ¡°I''ve already reminded her long ago that she should never


    mention my name. I told her to tell everyone that it was Francesca who had initiated the meeting with


    her and her father.¡±


    Avery sneered and said, ¡°That''s good to know. Being obedient is the only thing Hazel''s good at.¡±


    ¡°That''s right. She had never dared to retaliate no matter what we did to her.¡± The firstdy snickered


    icily before continuing, ¡°Yesterday, I told her that I had cremated her father, and she merely epted it


    without asking any questions.¡±


    ¡°Haha. We have to teach that sl*t more lessons so that she would learn to obey us,¡± Avery said with a


    smug smile on her face. ¡°But, Mommy, since Francesca had already been captured, why is there a


    need toplicate things further? Can''t we just sentence her to death straight away? After she dies,


    I''m sure Danrique will marry me.¡±


    The firstdy''s gaze flickered slightly before the woman quickly made up an excuse to cate her


    daughter. ¡°You know how smart Danrique is. As such, we need to find a scapegoat. He would definitely


    investigate the matter to find out the truth when hees back, and if he knows that I was the one


    behind it, he would definitely resent me.¡±


    ¡°That''s true.¡± Avery nodded before saying, ¡°Well, we shall let Hazel be the scapegoat then. She seems


    to be the perfect candidate for that.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡± The firstdy patted her daughter''s head and said, ¡°Avery, just have a little more patience.


    Francesca is going to die very soon. Don''t worry.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    ¡°OK...¡± Avery fixed her gaze on the screen as an infatuated smile appeared on her face. ¡°Danrique is


    going to marry me after she dies. I''m going to marry him and give him lots of babies... Babies?¡±


    At the mention of that word, Avery''s expression suddenly changed.

 Chapter 2253

    Chapter 2253


    She seemed to have recalled something and had a look of terror on her face. ¡°Where''s my baby?


    Where did my baby go? My baby...¡±


    ¡°Avery...¡± The firstdy hugged her daughter immediately and tried tofort her. ¡°You''re overthinking.


    You don''t have a baby. You''re still young.¡±


    ¡°That''s not true...¡± Avery cradled her own head and said in agony, ¡°I have a baby. She''s really adorable,


    but someone killed her...¡±


    ¡°No. That''s not true...¡±


    The firstdy quickly consoled her daughter while shouting for help. ¡°Someone, get the doctor here at


    once. Quick, get the doctor here!¡±


    The maids summoned the doctor at once. Soon, the doctor arrived and gave Avery an injection,


    making her fall asleep within seconds.


    The firstdy could feel her heart aching as she stroked her daughter''s cheek and said, ¡°My poor girl,


    don''t be scared. I will definitely avenge my grandchild.¡±


    ¡°Mrs. President, look! Hazel is...¡± the firstdy''s assistant pointed at the screen and eximed


    suddenly.


    The firstdy turned to look at the screen at once.


    Hazel was narrating the events of that day with tears streaming down her face.


    ¡°That day, it was the firstdy who had asked my father and me to meet Ms. Felch. Mrs. President left


    halfway through the meeting, and after that, my father and Ms. Felch had an argument. Ms. Felch''s


    snake had almost bitten my father, but she had summoned her snake back in time. My father did not


    feel any pain at that time. When we left, he was still all right. However, two hours after we reached


    home, the poison in his body started acting up... I called our family doctor at once, but the doctor took a


    long time to arrive. When he finally arrived, my father had already passed away. I called the police right


    away. After examining my father''s body, the forensic pathologist concluded that my father had died


    from snake venom. When I heard that, Ms. Felch came to my mind at once. However, I have just found


    out that the doctor was under someone''s control, and that''s why he waste for half an hour. Moreover,


    the forensic pathologist was also working for the firstdy. Last night, I sensed something amiss and


    wanted to reexamine my father''s body. However, I was informed that my father had already been


    cremated! The circumstances of my father''s death are just too suspicious. I don''t know who I can seek


    justice from, but I hope to find out the truth and make sure that the real culprit gets their deserved


    punishment so that my father can rest in peace.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Atkinson, are you trying to say that it wasn''t the future Mrs. Lindberg who caused your father''s


    death?¡± a reporter asked at once. ¡°Are you suspecting that someone else was behind it?¡±


    Hazel replied tearfully, ¡°I shall leave that to the police to investigate. I just wanted to share what


    happened that day. As for who the real culprit is, I really have no idea.¡±


    ¡°Hazel, what are you talking about?¡± Kevin stopped Hazel from speaking further. ¡°You''re insinuating


    that it''s Mrs.¡ª¡±


    Before the man couldplete his sentence, he was interrupted by Harrier.


    Harrier nced at Hazel thoughtfully before standing up and announcing, ¡°Everyone, Ms. Atkinson


    probably doesn''t know what she''s talking about as she''s still grieving over her father''s death. Please


    forgive her and ignore everything she said just now.¡±


    While speaking, the man gestured to his subordinates to stop the live broadcast immediately to prevent


    the news from spreading.


    However, that made it more obvious that he was trying to hide something. At once, the reporters


    swarmed forward to take pictures of him while asking him some difficult questions.


    ¡°Mr. Harrington, given that Ms. Atkinson was personally involved in the incident, she would surely know


    what happened. Why did you im that she didn''t know what she was talking about? Are you trying to


    cover up something for someone?¡±


    ¡°Exactly. Are you trying to cover up the truth for Mrs. President?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Harrington, it doesn''t seem like Ms. Atkinson wants to end the press conference. Why would you


    want to end it? Are you scared of offending someone?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Harrington, it was rumored that you''re very close to the firstdy. Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Harrington, since Mr. Lindberg is no longer around, are you taking over his position? Are you


    hoping that he will never return?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Harrington...¡±


    Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    ¡°Shut up, everyone. Just shut the f*ck up!¡±


    Harrier, who was usually calm andposed, flew into a rage under the reporters'' relentless


    questioning. It was only then that he noticed that the reporters who were present that day were all


    unfamiliar faces. It seemed to him that someone had deliberately


    it was someone''s intentional doing.

 Chapter 2254

    Chapter 2254


    The press conference and livestream were quickly put to an end while the news channel was


    immediately switched to another entertainment-based channel. It was as if they were trying to conceal


    something.


    Even though someone was trying to stop the news from spreading, the news was live. Hence,


    whatever Hazel had said earlier was broadcast directly to everyone through the cameras.


    The firstdy was enraged. She called Hazel, but Hazel''s phone was switched off.


    Thus, she immediately called Harrier and demanded to know what was happening. ¡°What''s going on?


    Is Hazel crazy? How dare she spout nonsense in the live stream?¡±


    ¡°Mrs. President, I have already terminated the press conference. We''re trying to prevent the situation


    from escting. Please rest assured. I will take care of this matter,¡± said Harrier in a low, consoling


    voice.


    ¡°This crazy woman!¡± The firstdy was livid. ¡°Has she lost her mind? Make her pick up the phone!¡±


    ¡°Please wait.¡± Harrier walked to the office next door and handed the phone to Hazel while informing


    her, ¡°It''s a call from the firstdy.¡±


    Hazel took the phone and said ¡°hello,¡± but before she could continue speaking, the firstdy''s agitated


    yells traveled from the other end of the line.


    ¡°Hazel Atkinson! Have you lost your mind? How dare you utter nonsense on the live news broadcast?


    Don''t you know how serious the consequences are?¡±


    ¡°The consequences? I''m only rting the events that have happened. What consequences are you


    talking about?¡± said Hazel coldly, interrupting the firstdy coldly.


    The firstdy froze upon hearing that. She did not expect Hazel, who had always been timid and


    subservient around her, to speak to her with such a rude tone.


    She''s behaving strangely!


    All of a sudden, the firstdy softened her tone. ¡°Hazel, has anyone told you anything? They are trying


    to drive a wedge between us. You can''t fall for their tricks¡ª¡±


    Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    Hazel retorted, ¡°Fall for their tricks? What tricks? Whose tricks? Why is someone controlling our


    doctor? Who is controlling him? Why did the forensic pathologist in charge of examining Daddy''s


    corpse disappear suddenly? Why can''t we find him? Why was Daddy''s corpse cremated so suddenly


    yesterday night? Who gave the order to do so?¡±


    She fired a string of questions in one breath. Even Kevin, who was beside her, was dumbfounded.


    Harrier''s expression changed drastically as well. He then ordered all subordinates to leave the room


    and personally closed the door to the office.


    The firstdy was utterly befuddled, for she did not expect Hazel to ask those questions at that


    juncture.


    She knew that the truth could not be hidden forever, but she was caught by surprise, for her lies were


    exposed far too soon.


    ¡°Mrs. President...¡± Hazel narrowed her eyes and asked gloomily, ¡°Was my dad really poisoned by


    Francesca''s snake? Or was he poisoned by you?¡±


    When Kevin heard those words, he jumped in fright and almost fell off the chair.


    The firstdy berated, ¡°Hazel Atkinson! Are you crazy? How dare you suspect me? I don''t know who


    nted this idea in your mind, but I had only arranged for Francesca to meet you and your father out of


    goodwill. What happened next has nothing to do with me!¡±


    ¡°Since it has nothing to do with you, why did you instigate me to hold a press conference? Why did you


    personally arrange for a forensic pathologist to conduct an autopsy on my father? Why must you give


    the order for my father''s body to be cremated in advance?¡± Hazel demanded agitatedly.


    ¡°I don''t know what you''re talking about.¡± The firstdy refused to admit anything. ¡°What evidence do


    you have to prove that I did all that? I''m just someone who has spare time on my hands, and taking


    care of my daughter is the only thing I do every day. I expressed my concern when I found out that your


    father had passed away, but you framed me with a groundless usation...¡±


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°If you have any evidence to prove that I did anything illegal, you can go to the Ministry of Law to lodge


    an usation against me. Otherwise, shut your mouth. How dare you nder the firstdy? You must


    be tired of living!¡±


    Upon admonishing Hazel harshly, the firstdy hung up right away.


    Gripping the phone, Hazel trembled with anger. She had long since known that the firstdy would not


    easily admit to the crime, but judging from thetter''s antsy attitude, Hazel could tell that her father''s


    death was definitely rted to the firstdy.

 Chapter 2255

    Chapter 2255


    Harrier questioned Hazel, ¡°Hazel, are you crazy? The fact that Francesca released her snake to poison


    your father to death was clear as day! What does it have to do with Mrs. President? Who brainwashed


    you to act like a lunatic?¡±


    Hazel lifted her head to look at Harrier. ¡°Harrier Harrington. ¡°You weren''t present when the incident


    urred, and you didn''t examine my father''s body or investigate the case after the incident urred.


    Do you even understand what''s going on? Why do you insist that this has nothing to do with Mrs.


    President?¡±


    ¡°What reason does she have to do this?¡± Harrier threw the question back at her.


    Kevin chimed in, ¡°He''s right. Why would Mrs. President want to kill your father? She has no reason to


    do so.¡±


    ¡°There''s no need for me to exin her motive for murdering my father because both of you know it


    better than I do. We''re all clear on the situation, so let''s not pretend to be dumb.¡± Hazel stared at them


    with annoyance.


    ¡°You¡ª¡±


    Hazel uttered furiously, ¡°You guys assume that by cornering Mr. Lindberg and cing the Lindberg


    family in the president''s control, you''ll reap more benefits. I think that''s just a foolish fantasy. Since the


    president used such unscrupulous methods to deal with Mr. Lindberg, he can use simr methods to


    deal with us in the future. Once the Lindberg family ispletely under their control, we would have


    served our purpose, and we would meet our doom!¡±


    Upon hearing those words, Kevin''s expression changed greatly as his eyes darted around amidst his


    state of panic.


    ¡°I think that there''s something wrong with your brain.¡± Harrier paid no heed to Hazel''s words. ¡°Why are


    you spouting nonsense? Everything happened because the two of you arepeting over jealousy!


    Why must you drag the president and his wife into your sordid affairs?¡±


    ¡°Why are you still putting on an act? What''s the point?¡± Hazel couldn''t be bothered to reason with them


    anymore. ¡°It''s only natural that you think you''re the greatest beneficiary. After all, someone will have to


    take charge of Lindberg Corporation in the future. The Atkinson family has fallen, Mr. Lindberg is no


    longer here. and Mr. Yarrow isn''t presentable. Hence, you''ll be the one at the helm. However, do you


    really wield any substantial power? You''ll be a puppet at most.¡±


    ¡°You¡ª¡±


    Harrier wanted to retort her, but Hazel could not care less and had already walked away.


    As Harrier stared at her retreating finger, his face turned red with rage. He then gestured at his


    subordinate to follow Hazel.


    His personal subordinate immediately brought his men along and trailed after Hazel.


    When Kevin saw that, he was flustered, and his expression grew all the moreplicated.


    Harrier patted Kevin on the shoulder and consoled him. ¡°Mr. Yarrow, don''t listen to that brat''s words.


    She is trying to frighten you.¡±


    s, Kevin was terrified and uneasy. ¡°No, her words make sense. Think about it! Danrique is such a


    mighty person but has been destroyed by the president and his wife so easily. If the president wants to


    target us in the future, wouldn''t it be as easy as crushing an ant? We tried so hard to cooperate with


    them and target Danrique. However, when the president has control of Lindberg Corporation, will he


    kick us to the curb?¡±


    Harrier chuckled. ¡°You''re overthinking. Lindberg Corporation is argepany. Someone needs to


    take charge of it. We are the most familiar with thepany''s operations, so how can it operate without


    us? That aside, even if the president wants to gain control of Lindberg Corporation, he would have to


    do so behind the scenes. We will still be in charge of it superficially. Otherwise, what will the public say


    about them?¡±


    Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    ¡°That''s true.¡± Kevin heaved a sigh of relief.


    Harrier patted the other man''s shoulder again. ¡°Don''t overthink. I need to tie up some loose ends. You


    should find some time to go to the Lindberg residence to get their legal seal.¡±


    ¡°How am I going to pull that off?¡± Kevin''s face turned pale with fright. ¡°That Francesca girl has got a


    bunch of flying and prowling beasts to look after the ce. My men will be devoured by the animals


    before they can even step foot into the castle.¡±


    Harrier did not hesitate to pressure Kevin. ¡°Come up with a n! I''ll leave this matter to you. I still have


    to meet Mrs. President. All the best!¡±


    Thereafter, Harrier hurried away.

 Chapter 2256

    Chapter 2256


    ¡°Harrier... Harrier...¡± Kevin called out a few times.


    ¡°Harrier... Harrier...¡± Kevin called out a few times.


    Harrier ignored him and walked out without hesitation. He even said to some of the people from the


    upper management outside, ¡°Please find Mr. Yarrow for the matters regarding the seal. I''ll take care of


    the public opinion.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Harrington!¡±


    The senior executives all came to Kevin with documents in their hands, saying that they were urgent


    and needed approval from him tomence the project. Otherwise, they would lose over a hundred


    million every day.


    Kevin was ced in a difficult situation because of Harrier, and he could only bite the bullet and say


    that he would try everything to get the seal.


    However, after regaining hisposure, Kevin felt something was off. Harrier had let him deal with the


    hot potato while he went to please the president and the firstdy himself. In the end, all the benefits


    would go to Harrier while he would get nothing at all.


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    As he was pondering about it, his phone suddenly rang. It was a call from Hazel. He quickly answered


    the call. ¡°Hello, Hazel...¡±


    ¡°Mr. Yarrow, help me,¡± Hazel shouted in panic.


    ¡°What? Hazel, what''s going on? Hazel¡ª¡± Before Kevin could even finish his sentence, there was the


    sound of an explosion on the other end of the phone, and the call was disconnected.


    Kevin was utterly stunned and only regained his senses after a while. He immediately called Hazel, but


    he couldn''t reach her anymore. He tried to call Hazel''s bodyguard, but to no avail as well.


    He then called Harrier, whose phone was on hold the whole time.


    After that, he had someone go to the Atkinson residence to check the situation.


    Half an hourter, his subordinate called and said, ¡°Mr. Yarrow, Ms. Atkinson''s car exploded on the


    flyover just now...¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Kevin was shocked. ¡°Where is she?¡±


    ¡°The car fell into the river after the explosion. The police are recovering the body...¡±


    ¡°The body?¡± Kevin was so frightened that he slumped down on the sofa.


    In just seven days, the father and the daughter of the Atkinson family were gone.


    If Danrique''s high position had threatened the president from taking the reins, what about the Atkinson


    family? What had they done wrong?


    Gerard had always followed orders and had been unopinionated. He had always been under the thumb


    of the president and his wife, who had poisoned him to death in the end to convict Francesca.


    Now, Hazel ended up in such a situation because she had discovered the truth, told the media


    everything that had happened, and confronted the firstdy.


    Kevin was worried that if he did not do as the president and his wife said in the future, he would die too.


    Now that Danrique''s survival was still hanging in the bnce and Gerard and Hazel were dead, Kevin


    doubted if he could remain unharmed.


    The more Kevin thought about it, the more afraid he was.


    Soon, the news of Hazel''s ident spread like wildfire.


    Various major media outlets reported the news of the explosion with clear photos and videos.


    The conclusion was that her life and death remained unknown, and her body was not found.


    These words left rooms for the imagination of the people.


    How could her life and death be judged when her body was not even found?


    This soon caused an uproar on the inte, and public opinions erupted like a volcano.


    After all, Hazel had just recounted the entire incident at the press conference. They believed that the


    firstdy had something to do with this matter.


    However, Harrier had interrupted her before she could even finish her words. After that, the press


    conference had been forced to stop and what followed in less than one hour was the news of her


    ident.


    The entire thing seemed to be interrted. It was not surprising that people would associate this matter


    with the firstdy.


    After all, the other suspect, Francesca, had already been arrested. It was impossible for her to make a


    move against Hazel, so all fingers were now pointed toward the firstdy.


    The enormous waves of public opinion could not be suppressed at all.


    Kevin was terrified. He hid in his home, not daring to see anyone.


    Meanwhile, Harrier, who had heard the news, immediately went to the presidential pce. Upon


    learning about the entire situation, the firstdy was shocked. ¡°How could this be? I haven''t even done


    anything yet.¡±

 Chapter 2257

    Chapter 2257


    ¡°Well, that makes sense.¡± Harrier frowned. ¡°She was involved in an ident immediately after giving


    her speech at the press conference. No wonder people would think it has something to do with you.¡±


    ¡°Well, that makes sense.¡± Harrier frowned. ¡°She was involved in an ident immediately after giving


    her speech at the press conference. No wonder people would think it has something to do with you.¡±


    ¡°What on earth is going on now?¡± The firstdy was distraught. ¡°Have you found out who did this?¡±


    ¡°I sent someone to follow Hazel when she left thepany, but they lost her very quickly...¡± Harrier


    furrowed his brows. ¡°Soon after that, I heard something happened to her.¡±


    ¡°The news is spreading fast, and the public opinions are now against me.¡± The firstdy started to


    panic. ¡°Who is behind this? Could it be Danrique?¡±


    ¡°I don''t think so.¡± Harrier''s expression changed drastically. ¡°His life and death are uncertain, and he


    can''t even take care of himself now. He can''t possibly get so many things done.¡±


    ¡°Then who could it be? Who else could it be...¡±


    ¡°Could it be him?¡± Harrier thought of someone.


    ¡°Who?¡± the firstdy hurriedly asked.


    ¡°Prince William.¡± Harrier frowned. ¡°Although I know very little about him, I always feel that he is not a


    simple man. Something happened to Danrique, Francesca went to jail, and Sean is not in Xendale.


    Sloan and the boys are incapable of doing such a thing. Only one person from the Lindberg family is


    capable of plotting this whole thing behind our backs...¡±


    ¡°How is that possible?¡± The firstdy did not see William as a threat at all. ¡°He''s just a wastrel who was


    kicked out by the royal family of Danontand. He''s not capable of making any remarks in Erihal at all. If


    he was truly that capable, he wouldn''t have been bullied by his cousins.¡±


    ¡°This...¡± Harrier could not respond for a moment. She''s right. William has always been bullied by his


    cousins. Everyone in the upper echelon of society knows that. Besides, Hazel''s ident requires not


    only nning but also asking for a favor from the media and arranging the explosion... Even if William


    is crafty and shrewd, he doesn''t have the connection and ability to buy off the media to fight against the


    firstdy.


    ¡°Check it out and report to me as soon as there''s any information,¡± the firstdy instructed.


    ¡°Got it.¡± Harrier immediately left to investigate this matter. As soon as he got into the car, he said to his


    subordinate, ¡°Check with the prison if Francesca has escaped and if she has contacted anyone


    outside.¡±


    ¡°I''ve checked with them, and I was told that they''ve been monitoring her closely in the prison. Besides


    the basic living facilities, there are nomunication channels in her room. She couldn''t possibly


    contact anyone outside. Although they have let her watch the news today, theputer is ced


    outside. She could only watch it through the bars of the prison...¡± the subordinate carefully recounted


    the results of the investigation.


    Harrier was very confused. If it is neither William nor Francesca, who could it be?


    Meanwhile, in the prison, Francesca was lying leisurely on the bed, crossing her legs and eating an


    apple.


    It was true that she could not contact anyone outside. However, the female prison guard had


    deliberately shown her Hazel''s news today to make her angry, but who would have thought that there


    was an unexpected turn of events?


    At that time, Francesca was shocked too. She could still vividly remember that Hazel hated her on the


    day she was arrested. Why did she change her mind all of a sudden?


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    After that, Francesca thought about it carefully. Perhaps William had found a way to reveal the truth to


    Hazel. She knew that her father''s death had nothing to do with Francesca and that it might have


    something to do with the firstdy, so she changed her mind.


    As long as the tables had turned, that meant that things were looking up.


    Francesca was in a bright mood now. She was waiting for good news and hoping they would release


    her straight away.


    Meanwhile, in the Lindberg residence, Sloan was leading a woman who was wearing a ck cloak to


    the study. La turned around, and the woman took off the hood of the cloak. La was stunned. ¡°It''s


    you.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Atkinson.¡± Monica was also surprised. ¡°So you...¡±

 Chapter 2258

    Chapter 2258


    ¡°What a great move!¡± La eximed as she smacked her thigh. ¡°First, you had Hazel hold a press


    conference to exin what happened so that the people would know the truth and where to put their


    doubts. Then, you created an ident before Mrs. President can counterattack. After that, you directed


    the people''s attention to the matter and made them turn on her. Then Hazel came back to the Lindberg


    residence to hide. That way, she''d be safe.¡±


    ¡°What a great move!¡± La eximed as she smacked her thigh. ¡°First, you had Hazel hold a press


    conference to exin what happened so that the people would know the truth and where to put their


    doubts. Then, you created an ident before Mrs. President can counterattack. After that, you directed


    the people''s attention to the matter and made them turn on her. Then Hazel came back to the Lindberg


    residence to hide. That way, she''d be safe.¡±


    ¡°We''re simply giving them a taste of their own medicine.¡± William curled his lips. ¡°We''ll counterattack in


    the same way they''ve attacked us.¡±


    ¡°Brilliant thinking, Your Highness.¡± Hazel was thoroughly impressed by William. ¡°Harrier and Mrs.


    President would never expect me to be in the Lindberg residence.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± William affirmed with a smile. ¡°Be at ease and just stay here. It''s safe here.¡±


    ¡°That''s right.¡± Monica nodded fervently. ¡°Even if they know that you''re here, they won''t dare to do


    anything to you.¡±


    ¡°But...¡± La seemed to be worried.


    ¡°Let Ms. Atkinson stay at my ce,¡± William said, instantly figuring out what was on La''s mind. ¡°It''ll


    be more convenient for me to discuss with her the next steps of the n.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Hazel agreed, realizing what La was worried about as well. ¡°Besides, this is Mr. Lindberg''s


    residence. It won''t be right for me to move in without his permission.¡±


    ¡°Good, good.¡± La nodded. ¡°I''ll have Norah make arrangements for a few maids to take care of you


    there.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± William replied, smiling. ¡°Ms. La, we''ll go over now, then. Please summon us anytime


    you need anything.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    After watching them leave, La went into the house. Sloan asked, ¡°Ms. La, are you worried that


    Ms. Atkinson would steal the seal?¡±


    Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°You''ve gotten smarter,¡± Lamented, chuckling. ¡°Although I know it''s unlikely for her to do that,


    it''s better to be safe than sorry. Francesca entrusted this house to me before she left. I have to keep it


    safe for her.¡±


    Sloan nodded. ¡°But it looks like Prince William and Ms. Atkinson truly want to help us out. Now,


    everyone is pointing fingers at Mrs. President. It''s an advantageous situation for Ms. Felch.¡±


    ¡°Precisely,¡± La said wistfully. ¡°We have to thank William for this, but somehow, something tells me


    that he''s not a simple man. Perhaps you can think of me as someone petty, but regardless of


    everything, I have to keep my guard up around him.¡±


    ¡°Anything you say,¡± Sloan said obediently.


    ¡°By the way, have you contacted Gordon and the others?¡± La asked.


    ¡°Not yet. I don''t know why, but I can''t reach him at all,¡± Sloan muttered despondently. ¡°I''ve lost contact


    with the others too. Did something really happen to Mr. Lindberg?¡±


    ¡°Shush! Don''t say such unlucky things.¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± Sloan smacked his mouth in penance. ¡°I wonder how Ms. Felch is now. I was thinking of


    getting someone familiar to take care of her there, but I found out that the ones who are watching over


    her are all Mrs. President''s men. None of our people could get in there.¡±


    ¡°Looks like they''re guarding the ce rather strictly.¡± A pauseter, La said smugly, ¡°But there will


    always be loopholes. I''m not good at strategizing, but I''m one of the best in prison breaking.¡±


    ¡°Uh, are you thinking of helping Ms. Felch escape?¡± Sloan''s eyes lit up. ¡°I''ll prep for that right away!¡±


    ¡°Wait.¡± La stopped him. ¡°She can''t run now. This isn''t a good time. She can''t leave yet, or else they''ll


    assume that she''s making a run for it because she''s guilty.¡±


    ¡°Then...¡±


    ¡°I''m worried about her being bullied,¡± La said. ¡°What about this? Find out where she''s being held,


    and I''ll send something to her.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Will that work?¡±


    ¡°Of course it will.¡± La grinned. ¡°We''ll send Sam in to protect her.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I''ll summon Sam immediately.¡±

 Chapter 2259

    Chapter 2259


    William brought Hazel back to the castle he was staying in. When he heard her talk about the explosion


    and how the driver and two other bodyguards had escaped safe and sound, he drew his brows


    together.


    Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    William brought Hazel back to the castle he was staying in. When he heard her talk about the explosion


    and how the driver and two other bodyguards had escaped safe and sound, he drew his brows


    together.


    ¡°What''s the matter?¡± Hazel queried. ¡°Did we do something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly,¡± William responded in a solemn tone. ¡°I just think that you should have been meticulous in


    the act. Others would assume that your body was destroyed in the explosion if they couldn''t find your


    body. However, if the driver''s and the subordinates'' bodies couldn''t be found as well, it would be


    obvious to anyone that this was a trick.¡±


    ¡°So what?¡± Hazel countered. ¡°I can''t possibly let my men die, right? They''ve been working for me for


    years, and I can''t bring myself to be that ruthless. Besides, I''ve already had a falling out with Mrs.


    President. What could she do even if she found out that I was tricking her? It''s not as if they can find


    me.¡±


    ¡°Theck of bodies means they can persuade the media to think that this was a trick meant to set Mrs.


    President up,¡± William pointed out with a frown. ¡°It''s a lousy trick, and one that anyone can see through


    it.¡±


    ¡°I...¡± Hazel froze. She had not given it much thought.


    ¡°Does that mean our efforts have been for naught?¡± Monica quickly asked.


    ¡°Notpletely,¡± William reassured. ¡°They''re already starting to talk about Mrs. President. We could


    have defeated her with just one strike, but Ms. Atkinson''s mercy meant that this thing will have tost


    longer. It''s just a battle of manipting public opinion now to see who will be the victor.¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry,¡± Hazel said guiltily. ¡°It could have been a perfect n, but I ruined it. Still, I can''t bring myself


    to let my men die.¡±


    ¡°You''re kind, Ms. Atkinson.¡± William looked at her in approval. ¡°It''s a good thing.¡±


    His gaze made Hazel nervous, and she hastily lowered her head.


    At that, Monica''s heart lurched.


    ¡°Get some rest and don''t think about it anymore. Prioritize your recovery,¡± William consoled. ¡°You can


    leave the rest to me.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Thank you.¡± Hazel rose to her feet, still not daring to look at William.


    ¡°Send Ms. Atkinson to the guest room,¡± Monica quickly instructed the maid.


    ¡°Yes, Ma''am.¡±


    Once Hazel was gone, the gentle look on William''s face disappeared, and he snapped his brows


    together again.


    ¡°Your Highness, you''ve spent so much money to bribe Gold Group to let us manipte the people, but


    Ms. Atkinson messed it up,¡± Monica said, understanding what William was thinking about. ¡°What a pity.¡±


    ¡°I thought someone like her who has been working for Danrique for so long would be someone


    merciless. But as it turns out, she''s indecisive,¡± Williammented. ¡°She can''t even bear to part with a


    few of her subordinates. How will she pull off grand ns like this?¡±


    Hearing that, Monica froze. Although shemented the loss of a wless n, she could understand


    why Hazel did not wish to hurt innocent people. Those people were Hazel''s long-term subordinates. No


    matter what, she would still have feelings for them.


    A hint of terror crept onto Monica''s face after she heard William''s words.


    If my sacrifice is necessary for one of his future ns, does that mean he''ll...


    ¡°We''ll have to keep spending money on this, then,¡± William uttered, changing the topic. ¡°Lucky for us,


    Jesse''s the money-grubbing kind. As long as money is on the table, he''ll be willing to assist us.¡±


    ¡°Mm, Gold Group is the best in Koandria for manipting public opinion,¡± Monica said. ¡°But you''ve


    already used thirty percent of your assets in exchange for his assistance. If you keep spending money


    on this¡ª¡±


    ¡°I have to keep doing this even if it means spending everything I have,¡± William interrupted. ¡°I have to


    make sure Francesca is safe.¡±


    Monica lowered her head and fell silent. She had been worried that William and Hazel would be


    interested in each other, but it looked like she had thought too much about the matter. The only person


    he had in his heart was still Francesca.


    ¡°How goes the investigation on the president''s daughter?¡± William asked. ¡°Why isn''t there any news


    about it yet? It''s been a long time since I''ve assigned this task to you.¡±


    ¡°Dominic is looking into this for¡ª¡±


    ¡°He''s useless,¡± William responded in frustration. ¡°Go to Ms. La right now and ask for her help in this


    investigation. I need to know the answer as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±

 Chapter 2260

    Chapter 2260


    When Monica went to look for La, she saw that Sloan was about to take La out.


    When Monica went to look for La, she saw that Sloan was about to take La out.


    La was throwing arge ck backpack into the car, wearing a strange outfit. When she saw


    Monica, she asked warily, ¡°What are you doing here at this hour?¡±


    ¡°His Highness asked me to look for you.¡± Monica hurried over to pass her Avery''s documents. After


    telling her a brief summary of the situation, she added, ¡°I''ve asked my ex-partner to look into this, but


    he hasn''t been able to yield any results after a long time. His Highness is anxious about it, so he has


    sent me here to ask for your help.¡±


    ¡°You''re doing this to save Francesca, so this is no trouble. It''s my duty, really,¡± La replied, her tone


    softening. ¡°You should have told me about this earlier. I''ll look into this now.¡±


    ¡°I thought my partner could find some lead on this...¡± Monica muttered. ¡°You''re heading out, right? I


    shall take my leave, then.¡±


    ¡°I''ll look for you all when I have results. I''ll be off now.¡±


    With that, La got into the car with the documents.


    After watching them leave, Monica drove back.


    La read Avery''s documents and mumbled under her breath, ¡°That''s strange. Why does this girl look


    familiar to me?¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about the president''s daughter?¡± Sloan asked. ¡°I heard from Gordon that she has been


    sickly since young, so she has never appeared in public. Have you seen her before?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± La shook her head. ¡°I doubt I''ve seen her before, but there''s something familiar about her.¡±


    Once she finished reading all the pages, she stiffened. ¡°Ms. Avery has congenital heart disease?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Sloan nodded. ¡°Ms. Felch even treated her a while back.¡±


    ¡°Not only does she have heart disease, but she also suffers from mental illness...¡± La continued


    skimming through the pages. ¡°This is strange. Where have I seen her before?¡±


    ¡°Ms. La, let''s think about thister on and look for Ms. Felch first,¡± Sloan reminded. ¡°Are you sure


    Sam will be able to find Ms. Felch? What if it doesn''t find her and even bites innocent people on its way


    there? Won''t that make things¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry. I have a telepathic connection with Francesca. If she knows that I''m here, she''ll summon


    Sam.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Not only is Sam going there to protect Francesca, but it''s also scouting the path for us. If


    anything urgent pops upter, we can use this path to rescue Francesca.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Soon, the two of them came to a hill near the prison.


    Sloan stopped the car in the forest before pointing at the stone tower a short distance away. ¡°Ms. Felch


    is imprisoned there, but I''m not sure which cell she''s in.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure she''s there?¡± La asked.


    ¡°Of course. Although Mr. Lindberg is currently missing, he is still a well-known, powerful man. It was


    easy to retrieve information from others.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    La looked up and let out a wolf''s howl.


    Sloan was stunned to his core, for La''s imitation was almost perfect.


    The guards on duty were alerted, and they began ncing around warily, thinking that there were


    wolves.


    Meanwhile, Francesca, who had just fallen asleep, woke with a start. She mbered out of the bed to


    look out the window. She knew La was there.


    That was because La''s wolf''s howl was not actually an imitation of a real wolf''s howl. There was a


    hidden message in it.


    La continued to howl a few more times before asking Sloan to release Sam.


    Quickly, Sam slithered in the direction of the prison.


    Francesca, who had received La''s message, knew that Sam was on its way, so she made a low


    whistle to summon Sam to her side.


    After watching Sam go, La asked Sloan, ¡°Did you put the tracker on Sam?¡±


    ¡°I did,¡± Sloan answered timidly. ¡°But Sam swallowed the tracker. Will it poop it out?¡±


    ¡°You had one job!¡± La huffed and red at him.


    ¡°There was nothing I could do about that. Sam didn''t want to listen to me, and I didn''t dare to hurt it,¡±


    Sloan muttered aggrievedly.


    ¡°Forget it. It''s good enough that it swallowed it.¡±

 Chapter 2261

    Chapter 2261


    After sitting on the bed for a while, Francesca finally saw Sam.


    After sitting on the bed for a while, Francesca finally saw Sam.


    It slithered in through the window and skillfully burrowed into her sleeve.


    Francesca was delighted. Although she did not suffer much there, it was a boring stay. She was d to


    have Sam''spany.


    She let out a howl to tell La that Sam had arrived.


    La smiled in satisfaction and left with Sloan.


    Startled awake by Francesca''s howl, the prison guard yelled, ¡°Why are you howling in the middle of the


    night?¡±


    Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    Francesca shot him a vicious re.


    The prison guard shuddered and said hastily, ¡°I-I''m sorry.¡±


    Immediately after saying that, he scurried away.


    The guards had all heard about how the petite Chanaean young woman had all kinds of capabilities, so


    they would do anything to avoid crossing her, for even the slightest misstep might spell death for them.


    Once the prison guard was gone, Francesca was the only one left in the cell. As she caressed Sam''s


    head, she mumbled, ¡°Ms. La knows me best to have sent you here...¡± As she spoke, a wave of


    nausea hit her, and she nearly vomited. ¡°The food in prison is horrible. I''ve been wanting to vomit for


    the few days I''ve been in here.¡±


    The little green snake meekly rubbed its head against her cheek to console her.


    In the car, La said, ¡°Francesca''s alone. She must be bored in there. I''m d she has Sam to keep


    herpany now.¡±


    ¡°You''re right.¡± Sloan''s heart ached. ¡°I wonder how Ms. Felch is now. A prison is an appalling ce. I


    wonder if she can stand it in there. She loves to eat, but I''m sure there isn''t anything good in there for


    her.¡±


    ¡°I just hope Danrique will be back soon.¡± La sighed. ¡°Please let this episode end as quickly as


    possible.¡±


    Another person who was sighing was Sean, who was abroad. ¡°I hope this ends soon...¡±


    ¡°How is Mr. Lindberg?¡± Gordon asked in a low voice.


    ¡°He''s doing much better. He was awake for a while today, and he was calling for Ms. Felch,¡± Sean said


    with a frown. ¡°If he knew about Ms. Felch''s current situation, I''m sure he would want to get back


    immediately.¡±


    ¡°Are you nning to hide this from him?¡± Gordon asked. ¡°What if something happens midway?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg has a trump card that will allow him to protect Ms. Felch in an emergency,¡± Sean said.


    ¡°He''s so grievously injured right now. What do you think he can do even if he rushes back to her? He''ll


    only end up stepping right into their trap.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but if anything happens to Ms. Felch, I''m afraid Mr. Lindberg will be tormented by guilt for the rest


    of his life,¡± Gordon said, his expression grim.


    ¡°Don''t worry. The situation is stable now,¡± Sean reassured. ¡°I would''ve sent you back first otherwise.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I heard about it too. Prince William was the one who assisted them,¡± Gordon said. ¡°I was wary


    about him in the past, but who knew he could lend us a helping hand at a crucial time?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg and Ms. Felch are like his shield. If he wants to save himself, he will have to make a


    move,¡± Sean answered, sneering. ¡°I''ve underestimated him. I''m surprised he managed to get Gold


    Group to manipte public opinions. Impressive.¡±


    ¡°He must have spent quite a sum on this. After all, Gold Group is a money-grubbing being,¡± Gordon


    remarked. ¡°Does Prince William have that much money?¡±


    ¡°You''re underestimating him. He has earned quite an amount over the years from his business. In fact,


    a part of it was from working with Mr. Lindberg,¡± Sean said. ¡°All right, I''ll be watching over Mr. Lindberg


    here. You should find out more about what''s on the other side. Also, station the new wave of people Mr.


    Lindberg trained in Xendale first.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Gordon headed off to work on that.


    As Sean wiped the weak Danrique''s face with a wet towel, he sighed again. ¡°You wouldn''t have gotten


    injured if not to protect us. No one in this world can hurt you if you can be a little more ruthless.¡±

 Chapter 2262

    Chapter 2262


    Upon returning to the castle, La started investigating what had happened to Avery. Right then, she


    knew why William had been looking into her all this time¡ªthere was a connection between Avery and


    Francesca.


    Upon returning to the castle, La started investigating what had happened to Avery. Right then, she


    knew why William had been looking into her all this time¡ªthere was a connection between Avery and


    Francesca.


    If she uncovered the truth behind it all, she would be able to turn the tables.


    In the middle of the night, William suddenly shot up, rushed outside, and yelled, ¡°Monica! Monica!¡±


    Monica immediately came running in. ¡°What is it, Your Highness?¡±


    ¡°Get me theptop. Quick!¡±


    William got up, grabbed theptop anxiously, and search through the news while holding his phone.


    Just before he dialed a number, he ordered, ¡°Get Ms. La in here. Hazel, too.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Monica immediately did as told.


    La was still awake. When Norah told her that William had summoned her, she knew that something


    was up. Hurriedly, she put on a coat and dragged Sloan with her as they drove over.


    Meanwhile, Hazel did not get much sleep either. After the maid came to knock on the door, she quickly


    showered before changing and going to the study room.


    At that moment, William was already sitting on the sofa with his phone in his hands. Theptop was


    bnced on his thighs, and there was a grim look on his face. When he saw them, he asked, ¡°Is there


    any way for us to save Francesca first?¡±


    ¡°What''s wrong?¡± Hazel asked in shock. ¡°Why are you asking all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°Could it be that...¡± La''s face turned pale. ¡°Are they going to make a move on Francesca?¡±


    ¡°Mrs. President''s hands are tied right now. That''s the only choice they have.¡± William frowned. ¡°They''ll


    make a move on Francesca and use her wounds as leverage to force Danrique to show himself. They''ll


    also try to throw us into chaos.¡±


    ¡°Damn it.¡± La was fuming. ¡°We should have gotten her out of there sooner.¡±


    ¡°Just calm down for now,¡± Hazel said in a rational manner. ¡°This is all just spection on your part.


    Maybe you''re just overthinking it. We haven''t gotten any news, right? Why don''t we ask first, then make


    a decision?¡±


    ¡°Go ask around about it,¡± William told Sloan.


    ¡°All right.¡± Sloan quickly went to inquire about the situation.


    ¡°Get ready. We''re going to save Francesca,¡± William dered. He looked surprisingly serious and


    anxious. ¡°We can''t let anything happen to her.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± La instantly went to get ready.


    ¡°Calm down,¡± Hazel hurriedly said. ¡°If we break in to rescue her at a time like this, then all our previous


    efforts will be in vain. Think about it. What are we going to do after we save her? Will she be able to


    escape from Xendale, or even from Erihal? Besides¡ª¡±Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°We don''t have the luxury to think about that right now,¡± William cut her off frantically. ¡°If they find out


    that Francesca has special abilities, they''ll do horrible things to her.¡±


    ¡°That''s right!¡± La was all the more flustered. ¡°Luckily, I sent Sam in to protect herst night. I also put


    a tracking device on it. We can use that to find Francesca.¡±


    ¡°Good job. Gather everyone and tell them to get their weapons. We''re going to save her.¡±


    ¡°Your Highness...¡± Monica wanted to advise against it, but when she saw his gloomy gaze, she held her


    tongue.


    ¡°You guys are crazy.¡± Hazel was at a loss for words. ¡°We haven''t gotten any news yet. This is all just


    spection. It''s just a gut feeling, but you''re already sure that something''s happened to her. You''re


    even nning to break in and get her out. You guys are being too impulsive.¡±


    She had just finished speaking when Sloan burst in. ¡°Ms. La, Your Highness... Your guess was right,


    Your Highness. Mrs. President and Mr. Harrington have just made their way to jail. There''s even a


    doctor with them...¡±


    ¡°What is she trying to do?¡± La sprung to her feet. ¡°If that old hag dares toy a finger on Francesca,


    I''m going to make her pay!¡± As she spoke, she charged outside furiously. ¡°Get everyone. We''re going


    to save Francesca!¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡± Sloan immediately went to gather the people.


    William had calmed down right then. He reminded Sloan, ¡°Try calling Gordon first.¡±

 Chapter 2263

    Chapter 2263


    Sloan instantly gave Gordon a call. This time, it went through.


    Sloan instantly gave Gordon a call. This time, it went through.


    He told him about the current situation and also mentioned William''s guess that the firstdy had gone


    to jail with a doctor. They feared she was nning to poison Francesca.


    Upon hearing that, Gordon was enraged. ¡°How preposterous. Do they really think that Mr. Lindberg is


    dead?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? Is Mr. Lindberg still alive?¡± Sloan asked emotionally.


    ¡°Obviously,¡± Gordon thundered. ¡°Go and stop them first. I''ll discuss this with Sean to see what we can


    do. Don''t let word get out that Mr. Lindberg is still alive. Don''t tell anyone that you contacted me, either.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± Sloan replied. ¡°But Ms. La, Prince William, and Ms. Atkinson have probably known...¡±


    He then proceeded to recount William''s n and told him about why Hazel was in hiding at the


    Lindberg residence.


    Gordon didn''t say much. He only warned him to keep it a secret, then hung up to go look for Sean so


    that they could discuss saving Francesca.


    Sloan gave William and La a simple boration on the situation. William asked, ¡°So, you managed


    to contact Gordon? That''s good, then.¡±


    It was then that La realized that he was not as anxious as before. She btedly realized that he


    might have done all that with the intent of finding out whether Danrique was alive or not.


    If that were the case, William would invest everything into saving Francesca. If not, he might have


    some reservations.


    At the thought of that, La couldn''t help but sigh to herself. He''s such a crafty man.


    ¡°What do we do now? Are we going to save her or not?¡± Sloan asked.


    La simply looked at William without saying a word.


    ¡°Get things ready first. We''ll make a move when we hear from Gordon.¡± William pondered for a


    moment. ¡°Why did Mrs. President go to prison with a doctor at a time like this?¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡± La found it odd as well. ¡°If she wanted to make a move on Francesca, she could have just


    used one of the prison guards or brought a subordinate of hers. Why did it have to be a doctor?¡±


    ¡°Ms. Felch can''t be sick, right?¡± Sloan asked anxiously.


    ¡°If that''s the case, then they can just get the medical staff in prison to deal with it,¡± La argued.


    ¡°There''s no way that vicious woman would be so kind to bring a doctor to see Francesca. Did she bring


    a doctor there to threaten Danrique by cutting Francesca''s limbs off?¡±


    ¡°Don''t scare me like that, Ms. La.¡± Sloan was so terrified that the blood had drained out of his face.


    ¡°If that''s how it is, then we should hurry up and do something. Let''s save her.¡±


    William remained silent. He seemed to be contemting something.


    ¡°Everything has been prepared, Your Highness. Shall we leave now?¡± Monica asked, observing


    William''s expression.


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    Everyone looked at him, awaiting his reply.


    Hazel didn''t get it. He had been so anxious earlier, but right then, he was totally calm.


    After a long while, William finally spoke. ¡°I don''t think we need to do so. I believe we''re about to receive


    some shocking news soon...¡±


    ¡°Shocking news?¡±


    In the prison, the firstdy was leaning against the bars as she stared at Francesca icily.


    Francesca was sound asleep. She did not know that there were people surrounding her.


    For the past few days, she had been throwing up everything that she ate. She didn''t have an appetite


    at all, but she was incredibly fatigued. Even in an environment like that, she could fall asleep in no time


    and she could sleep very soundly.


    ¡°Are you sure she''s pregnant?¡± the firstdy murmured to the female prison guard beside her.


    ¡°I''ve been observing her for a few days. Ever since she came here, she''s been vomiting every morning.


    Whatever she eats, she vomits. On top of that, she''s always tired,¡± the guard whispered. ¡°The female


    prisoners who exhibited the same symptoms were always pregnant.¡±


    ¡°Give her a checkup,¡± the firstdy ordered the doctor next to her.


    ¡°Okay.¡± The doctor brought his assistants in to draw some of Francesca''s blood.

 Chapter 2264

    Chapter 2264


    Abruptly, Francesca''s eyes shot open. She flipped over and sat up in a hurry. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Abruptly, Francesca''s eyes shot open. She flipped over and sat up in a hurry. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    The assistants were startled. The doctor exined, ¡°Don''t worry. We''re not going to hurt you. We just


    want to do a blood test.¡±


    ¡°A blood test? For what?¡± Before Francesca could go on, a few prison guards came in to hold her


    down.


    Sam, who was coiled around Francesca''s arm, was about to bite them. However, Francesca stopped it.


    It wasn''t the right time for Sam to show itself.


    ¡°We''re doing a test to see if you''re pregnant,¡± the firstdy stated coldly.


    ¡°Pregnant?¡± Francesca was dazed. ¡°Are you kidding me?¡±


    ¡°You throw up every day, and you''re constantly tired. Those are symptoms of pregnancy,¡± the guard


    said feebly. ¡°Mrs. President brought a doctor to give you a check-up. You should be thanking her.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡± The firstdy sneered. ¡°If you''re pregnant with Danrique''s child, I have to tell him the good


    news.¡±


    Mixed feelings surged in Francesca''s heart. When the firstdy said that, she suddenly remembered


    that her period had beente by a month. Besides that, her behavior had been abnormal as ofte.


    Could I really be...


    Francesca hurriedly took her pulse, and her expression changed drastically.


    As a traditional medicine practitioner, she was well aware of what her pulse meant. Even then, she


    could not believe that she was pregnant at a time like that.


    The doctor had alreadye with medical staff to hold her down and draw her blood.


    ¡°I''m making you get a check-up for your own good,¡± the firstdy said haughtily. ¡°Just stay still and


    cooperate with us. It''ll be bad if we have to use force and end up hurting you.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Francesca decided there was no point in resisting. She turned to the doctor and said, ¡°You


    want to draw my blood, right? I''ll do it myself.¡±


    Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    The doctor nced at the firstdy, who nodded in response.


    He handed the equipment over to Francesca, who then drew a vial of her own blood. ¡°Go ahead and


    do the test. Let me know when the results are out.¡±


    ¡°I''ll wait here for the results with you,¡± the firstdy uttered as she took a seat on the chair outside.


    The doctor and his assistants left with the blood sample.


    The prison guard served the firstdy some tea. The firstdy made a gesture, then the guard made a


    pot of tea for Francesca as well and even gave her some exquisite snacks.


    ¡°The food here is absolutely horrible. It should have been changed a long time ago.¡±


    Francesca didn''t hold back. She drank the piping hot tea and began eating the snacks.


    ¡°Aren''t you afraid that they''re poisonous?¡± the firstdy asked while staring at her icily.


    ¡°What is there to be afraid of?¡± Francesca was totally unbothered. ¡°If you poison me, you won''t have


    any leverage over Danrique.¡±


    ¡°You''re smart.¡± The firstdy didn''t deny it. ¡°Since you''re that smart, why don''t you take a guess why I


    captured you?¡±


    ¡°To deal with Danrique, is it not?¡±


    ¡°That is one of the reasons.¡± The firstdy shot her an eerie look. ¡°Everything you''re going through right


    now is to repay your past sins.¡±


    Francesca was stunned. ¡°I don''t remember having done anything bad. What sins could I have


    committed?¡±


    ¡°So, you''ve forgotten.¡± There was a hint of hatred in the firstdy''s voice.


    Francesca was totally confused. What did I forget? She tried to remember. Indeed, she had done


    nothing unforgivable before, nor had she made any enemies.


    The only exceptions would be Hazel and¡ª


    It was then that a figure shed across Francesca''s mind. Chrono!


    ¡°Are you talking about Chrono?¡± She stared at the firstdy in shock.


    The firstdy''s gaze flickered.


    ¡°Is Chrono your illegitimate child?¡± Francesca made a bold guess.


    ¡°As if!¡± The firstdy was so full of rage that her face went purple. ¡°What nonsense are you spouting,


    you brat?¡±

 Chapter 2265

    Chapter 2265


    Seeing how angry the firstdy was, Francesca immediately dropped the issue. ¡°Looks like I made a


    wrong guess. If you''re not talking about Chrono, then I honestly have no idea who else there could be.¡±


    Seeing how angry the firstdy was, Francesca immediately dropped the issue. ¡°Looks like I made a


    wrong guess. If you''re not talking about Chrono, then I honestly have no idea who else there could be.¡±


    ¡°Speak any more nonsense, and I''ll rip off your mouth,¡± the firstdy threatened. She was livid, feeling


    as if she had suffered the humiliation of a lifetime.


    ¡°Go ahead and try. Let''s see who''ll be the one ripping someone''s mouth off.¡± Francesca wasn''t


    intimidated at all.


    ¡°You...¡± The firstdy trembled with rage.


    ¡°Calm down, Mrs. President,¡± the female bodyguard murmured, holding a phone. ¡°We received a call


    from home saying that Ms. Avery is awake. She''s throwing a tantrum right now...¡±


    ¡°Get them to hurry with the test results,¡± the firstdy ordered.


    ¡°Understood.¡± The bodyguard hurriedly went to urge them.


    ¡°How unfortunate.¡± The firstdy was frustrated. ¡°If not because Danrique''s whereabouts were


    unknown, I would have gotten rid of you.¡±


    Francesca didn''t pay her any mind and continued eating.


    ¡°How can you be eating at a time like this? Aren''t you worried about what you''re going to do if you''re


    pregnant?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Francesca responded nonchntly. ¡°If I''m pregnant, I''ll have to go out


    and take care of the baby.¡±


    ¡°Can you go out?¡± The firstdy smirked. ¡°You''ll just end up dying here.¡±


    ¡°I look forward to it.¡± Francesca wasn''t scared at all.


    ¡°You''re so full of yourself.¡± The firstdy found it ridiculous. ¡°This ce is imprable. Nobody can


    save you, and you won''t be able to escape, either.¡±


    ¡°The air quality here is pretty bad. I think you should cut the crap.¡± Francesca couldn''t be bothered.


    ¡°You...¡± It was impossible for the firstdy to win against her in an argument. All she could do was


    suppress her fury and continue to wait.


    A whileter, the doctor finally came in with the results. ¡°The results are out, Mrs. President.¡±


    ¡°Let me have a look.¡± She took the report, and her expression changed drastically. ¡°Indeed...¡±


    ¡°She''s four weeks pregnant,¡± the doctor announced.


    ¡°Seriously?¡± Francesca quickly asked. ¡°Am I really pregnant? Don''t lie to me.¡±


    ¡°Have a look yourself.¡± The doctor handed the report over to her.


    Upon seeing the report, Francesca was dumbstruck.


    She had never imagined that she would get pregnant at a time like that.


    ¡°Is it Danrique''s child?¡± the firstdy questioned.


    Francesca came back to her senses. ¡°Isn''t it obvious?¡±


    ¡°Good, then.¡± The firstdy sneered. ¡°You alone aren''t enough to make him show himself. But now that


    you''re carrying a baby in your womb¡ª¡±


    ¡°Obviously, the baby is not his,¡± Francesca added.


    The firstdy was dumbfounded. ¡°What did you just say?¡±


    ¡°I said the child isn''t Danrique''s. Don''t bother thinking about trying to threaten him with it.¡±


    Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    ¡°How could that be? If it''s not his, then whose could it be?¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry about that.¡± Francesca didn''t want Danrique to know that she was pregnant. If he had yet


    to show up, that meant something serious had happened. She didn''t want to make things harder for


    him right then.


    ¡°Do you really think I''ll believe you? Don''t worry. Danrique wille to save you very soon.¡± Then, the


    firstdy ordered, ¡°Don''t give her anything to eat from now on. All she can have is water.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± The guard lowered her head in obedience.


    ¡°Good luck taking care of your baby.¡± The firstdy gave her a cold stare and turned to leave. ¡°When


    she''s on the verge of death from starvation, take a video and send it to me. I''ll let Mr. Lindberg have a


    look to relieve his pain!¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Francesca watched as the firstdy left and gritted her teeth in anger.


    A few guards came in to take the tea and snacks away without leaving anything for her.


    She leaned against the bed and stroked Sam, wondering when she could get out of there.

 Chapter 2266

    Chapter 2266


    In the castle, Sloan soon received a message: Francesca was pregnant.


    In the castle, Sloan soon received a message: Francesca was pregnant.


    He held the phone in his hand and gasped in shock.


    ¡°What is it? What did they say?¡± La asked anxiously.


    ¡°They said Ms. Felch is pregnant.¡± Sloan''s face was filled with disbelief.


    ¡°What?¡± La was dumbfounded. She did not expect Francesca to be pregnant at such a critical


    moment at all.


    ¡°Uh...¡± Hazel, too, was shocked. She hurriedly unlocked her tablet and checked the news.


    ¡°Forget about it.¡± William appeared rather calm as if he had already expected it. ¡°The news is not


    announced to the public. They purposely inform the Lindbergs so that Sloan will convey it to Mr.


    Lindberg.¡±


    ¡°What do you think they''re doing? Are they trying to force Mr. Lindberg to show himself using this way?¡±


    Monica asked in confusion.


    ¡°There''s indeed no such news online.¡± Hazel stared at the tablet with a grim expression.


    ¡°Then what should we do? Is it true that Ms. Felch is pregnant? Or is it just a lie to deceive Mr.


    Lindberg?¡± asked Sloan, utterly stunned.


    Just then, another text message came in. Upon realizing it was Francesca''s medical report, he


    hurriedly passed the phone to La.


    ¡°Looks like it''s true. Oh, no! Will they do anything to Francesca?¡±


    ¡°Not for the moment, I guess. But they will surely take action,¡± said William.


    ¡°What action?¡± Sloan asked promptly.


    ¡°They''ll cut her food supplies,¡± William predicted. ¡°It''s the easiest way to overwhelm her without having


    to do anything,¡±


    ¡°What should we do now? Ms. Felch is pregnant. I''m afraid she can''t hold much longer,¡± Monica said


    anxiously.


    ¡°I''ll give Gordon a call.¡± Sloan was about to make the call when Gordon''s call came in. Thetter said


    that he had already boarded a private jet back to Xendale.


    Sloan immediately told him that Francesca was pregnant.


    Stunned by the news, Gordon quickly notified Sean.


    On the other end of the line, Sean, holding the phone in his hand, froze after hearing the news. That


    was when Danrique''s voice rang out from the room. ¡°Where''s Sean? Get him here.¡±


    ¡°Right away, Mr. Lindberg.¡±


    The subordinate went to find Sean.


    Sean swiftly hung up the phone and hurried to the room. ¡°Mr. Lindberg, you''re awake.¡±


    Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    ¡°Get a private jet ready. We''re going back to H City.¡±


    Danrique was injured in the explosion and had been in aa for half a month. Once he regained


    consciousness, the first thing he said was that he wanted to return to Xendale.


    He hadn''t been back for a long time. Even though he asked nothing, he knew things in Xendale had


    probably changed.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg...¡± Sean looked at him with a conflicted look. ¡°We can''t go back now.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± Danrique asked.


    Upon contemtion, Sean briefly exined, ¡°The president and his wife are currently in control of the


    situation. Gerard is dead, and both Harrier and Kevin have betrayed us. It''s dangerous to go back


    now.¡±


    ¡°Where''s Francesca?¡±


    Danrique did not care about those matters, or perhaps everything was within his expectation. He was


    only concerned about Francesca''s safety at that moment, knowing that she would be everyone''s


    target after something happened to him.


    ¡°Ms. Felch...¡± Sean dared not hide anything from him, but he wondered how he should deliver the


    news.


    ¡°Speak!¡± Danrique growled.


    ¡°Ms. Felch has been arrested. She is used of murdering Gerard. The police and the military


    department personally came to the castle to arrest her,¡± Sean said softly.


    He did not tell Danrique that Francesca was pregnant.


    ¡°Francesca was probably worried that she would get me involved if she escaped; that was why she


    chose to surrender.¡± Danrique clutched his chest and wheezed, ¡°Otherwise, with her temper and ability,


    she could have fled.¡±


    ¡°Yes. That was what Sloan said too.¡± Sean nodded.

 Chapter 2267

    Chapter 2267


    ¡°Prepare a private jet. We''re going back now.¡± Danrique tried to get up from the bed as he spoke.


    ¡°Prepare a private jet. We''re going back now.¡± Danrique tried to get up from the bed as he spoke.


    Seeing that, Sean hurriedly supported him and advised anxiously, ¡°Mr. Lindberg, you''ll fall into their trap


    if you go back now. The president and his wife are trying to force you to show yourself. You can''t be


    rash. Gordon has already brought some people over with him. He will definitely save Ms. Felch.¡±


    ¡°Even if he does save her, I still need to go back and stabilize the situation. Otherwise, things will only


    get worse.¡±


    ¡°But with your current condition, it will be perilous to go back now. Gordon can control the situation for a


    while. It''s not toote to go back after you''ve recovered from your injury. Aren''t you the one who taught


    me that a little impatience spoils great ns? Ms. Felch is enduring the humiliation for the greater


    good. You must remain calm and steadfast at a time like this.¡±


    Those words managed to convince Danrique to stay.


    Indeed, I''m now seriously injured. I won''t be able to deal with everything in this state. Perhaps I should


    slow down and wait for my wound to get better first. Those people won''t dare to do anything to


    Francesca as long as I don''t show up.


    With that thought in mind, Danrique gradually calmed himself down.


    In Xendale, Francesca had not eaten anything besides drinking water for a whole day.


    She began to miss the awful food back then. Even though it made her stomach churn, at least it could


    still fill her stomach, and she would not need to starve.


    It was only the first day, yet she already couldn''t take it. Looking down at her t belly, she wondered


    how long she would have to suffer.


    It''s so strange yet wonderful. I still can''t feel anything, but Danrique''s baby is already growing inside...


    Francesca was born with a congenital abnormality. Her master had told her that she had a hole in her


    heart, and her life force seemed tenacious but had a short cycle.


    Even if she took good care of herself, she might not live longer than thirty years old.


    Childbirth was even riskier for her, and her pregnancy might end earlier than expected.


    That was why she had never craved to get into a rtionship, not to mention getting married and


    having children, until she met Danrique.


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    She lost all her rationality. She began not to think about the consequences of her actions and only


    cherished the present. Even a few years would be enough to make her life worthwhile.


    However, she never thought that she would be pregnant with his child at that time.


    In other words, she only had little time left to be with Danrique.


    She had never been afraid of death, but now, she suddenly became afraid.


    Every second had be precious to her. Without Danrique by her side, every passing moment was a


    waste.


    At that moment, she only wanted to leave the damnable ce, see him, and spend herst days with


    him.


    However, she knew she couldn''t risk barging out and getting him into trouble.


    She had to wait for the right time.


    At the Lindberg residence, La asked anxiously, ¡°How long do we have to wait? It''s been confirmed


    that Francesca is pregnant. We should go and save her now. What if that old hag hurts her?¡±


    ¡°Gordon told us not to be rash and wait for his return. They''re already on a private jet and will reach


    Xendale in seven hours,¡± Sloan replied grimly.


    ¡°Seven hours? Francesca could''ve died by then.¡± La wished she could just rush out to save


    Francesca when she heard that.


    ¡°Ms. La, calm down. His Highness will eventually figure out a way,¡± Monica tried to assure her.


    ¡°Have you figured it out?¡± La looked at William.


    Since Sloan contacted Gordon, William had been dilly-dallying. He had been sipping his tea quietly,


    seemingly thinking about something.


    Hazel, on the other hand, was delighted after ascertaining that Danrique was safe. She returned to her


    room to rest, not caring about Francesca''s life.


    Perhaps she wished for Francesca''s death.


    Only La and Sloan were concerned about Francesca at present.

 Chapter 2268

    Chapter 2268


    ¡°Your Highness.¡± Monica gently patted William''s arm. Only then did he return to his senses and shift his


    gaze to La. ¡°Don''t worry, Ms. La. Since Francesca is carrying Mr. Lindberg''s child, those people


    are more unlikely to harm her.¡±


    ¡°Your Highness.¡± Monica gently patted William''s arm. Only then did he return to his senses and shift his


    gaze to La. ¡°Don''t worry, Ms. La. Since Francesca is carrying Mr. Lindberg''s child, those people


    are more unlikely to harm her.¡±


    ¡°Didn''t you say that they would cut off Francesca''s food supplies? That''s harming her! She''s pregnant


    and she won''tst long if she doesn''t eat and drink.¡± La sounded somewhat impatient.


    ¡°Everything will be fine until Gordon returns. You don''t have to worry too much. Maybe you should go


    back and get sufficient rest. We''ll discuss the n when Gordon arrives,¡± William assured.


    ¡°What a shrewd person you are, Your Highness.¡± With that, La left in a fit of anger.


    ¡°Um... What does she mean?¡± Monica was at a loss as she watched La leave.


    Saying nothing, William lowered his head and continued to sip his tea.


    Sloan chased after La and asked in a low voice, ¡°Ms. La, what''s wrong with you?¡±


    ¡°Can''t you tell? Once he knew that Danrique was still alive, he just sat aside and did nothing. He''s now


    standing on the sideline, waiting for Gordon toe up with a n. This kind of person is not only


    shrewd but also calcting!¡±


    Sloan was stunned by her words. ¡°Are you sure? I can tell he was quite anxious and had been racking


    his brain to save Ms. Felch. He even called us over.¡±


    ¡°That''s because he was worried that if something happened to Francesca, no one could cure his leg


    anymore. He summoned us to think of a way to save Francesca but stopped taking any move after he


    found out that Danrique was still alive and Gordon was already on his way back here.¡±


    La paused before continuing, ¡°He previously helped Hazel to expose Mrs. President and also


    created an uprising of public opinion. Probably he had spent a hefty sum on that. So once he knows


    that Danrique will save Francesca, he just sits aside and does nothing. This person is shrewd and


    scheming. He does things carefully and always weighs the pros and cons of the matter before getting


    himself involved.¡±


    La shook her head and let out a sigh. ¡°Luckily, the person Francesca falls in love with is not him.


    Otherwise, it would drive me crazy.¡±


    ¡°Don''t be mad, Ms. La,¡± Sloanforted. ¡°He has helped us a lot this time. We can''t me him for


    not giving his best. After all, life has not been easy for him. He has many responsibilities and needs to


    leave himself a backup n. Besides, Ms. Felch is Mr. Lindberg''s woman. Mr. Lindberg is supposed to


    be the person to save her. It''s fine if he holds back after knowing that Mr. Lindberg is still alive and as


    long as Ms. Felch can return safely.¡±


    ¡°You''re so kind. Francesca went all out to save him before, and Danrique had done a lot for him too.


    How can he be so particr, so mean?¡±


    ¡°Well, you can''t put it that way. Mr. Lindberg has indeed spent a lot to help him, but it didn''t affect Mr.


    Lindberg much as he has arge fortune. On the other hand, he, too, didn''t hesitate when saving Ms.


    Felch. I heard from Monica that he had given the Gold family thirty percent of his family fortune.¡±


    ¡°That''s nothing. Francesca risked her life to save him,¡± La said scornfully.


    ¡°That''s true.¡± Sloan''s expression darkened. ¡°Mr. Lindberg might have been forced to help him, but it


    was different for Ms. Felch. She helped him because she valued their friendship. If it were me, I would


    give Ms. Felch my life, not to mention those little possessions.¡±


    ¡°That''s correct.¡± La looked at Sloan approvingly. ¡°Businessmen help each other out of interest, but


    Francesca hopes for nothing in return when helping him. Any person with a conscience will give their


    everything to help, but he''s still thinking so far ahead. This is¡ª¡±


    Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    ¡°Perhaps he''s more confident in Mr. Lindberg than himself. Don''t be mad, Ms. La. Let''s go back first.


    He''s right. You should get sufficient rest and wait for Gordon''s arrival to discuss the n.¡±

 Chapter 2269

    Chapter 2269


    La was about to fall asleep when she heard the roar of the car engine outside. She quickly got out of


    bed and walked to the window to check.


    La was about to fall asleep when she heard the roar of the car engine outside. She quickly got out of


    bed and walked to the window to check.


    Upon realizing it was Gordon''s convoy, she immediately changed her clothes and went downstairs.


    The moment Sloan and the others saw Gordon return, they thought Danrique was back as well and


    went out to greet them excitedly.


    However, they could see only Gordon and a group of men alighted from the car. Seeing no sign of


    Danrique in the vehicle, Sloan and the others promptly asked about the former''s condition. ¡°Don''t


    worry. Mr. Lindberg is still alive,¡± Gordon simply gave a short reply.


    ¡°This is great!¡±


    Everyone immediately heaved a sigh of relief, thinking they would still have hope as long as Danrique


    was still alive.


    ¡°Let''s talk inside.¡±


    Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    With that, Gordon hurriedly went inside and saw La approaching him. After greeting her, he went to


    Sloan and asked about the actual situation.


    Sloan told him everything that had happened during that period of time.


    La, too, added a few things. Only then she asked, ¡°Why didn''t Danriquee back? Is he injured?


    Does he know about Francesca''s pregnancy?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, Mr. Lindberg is seriously injured. He was still unconscious when I left. I''ve already told Sean


    about Ms. Felch''s pregnancy. He will probably inform Mr. Lindberg about it,¡± Gordon said in a low voice.


    ¡°So, he has been unconscious all this while. No wonder...¡± Realization dawned on La. ¡°He would


    have returned long ago if he knew such a serious matter happened.¡±


    ¡°They had been attacked half a month ago. Mr. Lindberg could have escaped safely, but he was


    worried about Sean and the others and went back to save them. That was how he got injured.¡±


    Gordon briefly recounted what had happened back then and said, ¡°Now that Mr. Lindberg is seriously


    injured and can''t be here with us, I''ll think of a way to rescue Ms. Felch.¡±


    La immediately bobbed her head in agreement. ¡°That''s right. We should rescue her first. When will


    you make a move? I''m going with you.¡±


    ¡°No, you should stay at home. Don''t worry. I''ll keep you updated,¡± Gordon said respectfully. Then, he


    gathered some documents and hastily departed with his subordinates.


    Befuddled, La turned to Sloan and asked, ¡°Isn''t he going to save Francesca? Why does he only


    bring a few people with him?¡±


    ¡°Gordon said we can''t do it in a harsh way but to go through the proper procedure. I think he''s meeting


    the people from the Ministry of Law,¡± Sloan replied, frowning.


    ¡°The whole Erihal is in the hands of the president. What''s the point of looking for people from the


    Ministry of Law? I thought he was going to break in to rescue Francesca. Tell me. How much longer do


    we have to wait?¡± La was anxious.


    ¡°Don''t worry, Ms. La. Gordon knows what he is doing. He should have discussed this with Sean.


    Since the two of them are representing Mr. Lindberg and Gordon is handling this matter personally


    now, he should be able to rescue Ms. Felch,¡± Sloan reassured.


    Although La said nothing further after that, the disquiet still lingered in her heart. I''m sure things


    aren''t that simple. Whether Gordon is looking for the Ministry of Law, the police, or even the military


    department, everything will still have to go through the president. No one dares to say a thing if the


    president wants to give Danrique and Francesca a hard time. But Sloan is right. Being Danrique''s right-


    hand man, Gordon should be able to stabilize the situation for the moment. Or perhaps he is preparing


    for Danrique''s return. Who knows? We can only be patient and wait now.


    In the prison, Francesca, feeling lightheaded from starving,y in bed and didn''t feel like moving. When


    she sensed Sam roaming in her sleeve, seemingly frustrated, she uttered weakly, ¡°Sam, go and find


    yourself some food.¡±


    Sam then came out from her sleeve and slithered along the nk bed. Soon, it returned with a tiny


    mouse and ced it next to Francesca.


    Francesca took a nce at it and shut her eyes again. ¡°Thank you. You''d better keep it for yourself.¡±

 Chapter 2270

    Chapter 2270


    Sam tried to console her by rubbing its head against her cheek.


    Sam tried to console her by rubbing its head against her cheek.


    Just then, the sound of footsteps rang out from outside. Francesca slowly opened her eyes and turned


    her head to look outside.


    It was the firstdy nked by a group of henchmen. She red at Francesca coldly and said, ¡°It


    doesn''t seem like a big deal even though we''ve cut off your food supplies for two days.¡±


    Not giving her a hoot, Francesca shut her eyes and continued to sleep.


    ¡°Take a video and send it to Mr. Lindberg. Show him how his fianc¨¦e is suffering now,¡± the firstdy


    ordered.


    ¡°Yes, Mrs. President.¡± One of the subordinates began to record a video of Francesca with his phone.


    Francesca didn''t retaliate and let them do as they pleased.


    Before the firstdy left, she purposely told Francesca. ¡°You know what? Gordon is back, but not


    Danrique. Isn''t that clear that you''re nothing in his heart?¡±


    Francesca did not utter a word. Mrs. President is trying to sow discord between Danrique and me.


    However, Gordon''s return is implying that Danrique is still alive.


    The thought of that made her feel much more relieved.


    Another two days had gone by, and Gordon had not returned.


    La interrogated Sloan about what Gordon had been busy with. Unfortunately, Sloan knew nothing.


    Both of them began to panic. La wished she could break into the prison and rescue Francesca.


    Sloan, on the other hand, couldn''t reach Gordon and told La he would join her in rescuing


    Francesca if there was still no reply from Gordon that night.


    Four days had passed, and Francesca was pregnant. Her life could be in danger if they didn''t rescue


    her as soon as possible.


    In M Nation, Sean was talking to Gordon over the phone.


    His expression turned grim upon learning about the situation in Xendale. ¡°It seems the president had


    long expected this and had everything arranged.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Mr. Lindberg''swork in the country dare not make a move now,¡± said Gordon.


    ¡°It''s understandable. No one dares to make a move rashly without seeing Mr. Lindberg in person.¡±


    Sean frowned as he spoke.


    ¡°What should we do? I heard that Mrs. President has cut off Ms. Felch''s food supplies. She''s pregnant


    and has not eaten for four days. We''re doomed if anything happens to her.¡±


    Not responding, Sean looked toward the room with aplicated look.


    ¡°Hey, say something. If there''s nothing much we can do, I''ll just break in and rescue Ms. Felch.¡±


    Gordon was all worked up.


    ¡°My initial n was to put it off for a few days and return to Xendale when Mr. Lindberg''s condition


    improved. But his fever isn''t going down for the past few days. Even if I have an idea now, I dare not


    make any decisions.¡±


    Sean nced at the room before continuing in a low voice, ¡°The doctor had given him an injection just


    now. He should be awake soon. I''ll ask him about it when he''s awake.¡±


    ¡°What else do you want to ask him? We can''t waste any more time. Mr. Lindberg will be mad if anything


    happens to Ms. Felch. I''ll go and rescue her and leave the rest forter.¡±


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    ¡°Calm down¡ª¡± Sean was about to speak when Gordon hung up the phone.


    When he was about to call Gordon back, an anxious voice rang out behind him. ¡°Sean, Mr. Lindberg is


    awake.¡±


    He quickly rushed into the room. Apparently, Danrique didn''t get any better after a few days of


    treatment. His face was pale, and his body was still weak. He narrowed his eyes at Sean and ordered


    with a raspy voice, ¡°We''re leaving for Xendale!¡±


    ¡°But Mr. Lindberg ¡ª¡±


    ¡°Arrange it now!¡± Although Danrique had been in aa, he seemed to sense Francesca and knew


    something had happened to her.


    He was too weak to say anything else besides requesting to leave for Xendale. As long as I''m back,


    she will be fine.


    Sean couldn''t help but worry when he saw Danrique''s feeble look. However, there was nothing he


    could do to rescue Francesca.


    He knew how important she was to Danrique. If anything were to happen to her, Danrique would


    definitely feel guilty for the rest of his life.


    Thinking of that, he ordered, ¡°Get a private jet ready. We''re going back to Xendale.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±

 Chapter 2271

    Chapter 2271


    Time passed by slowly as everyone anticipated the arrival of Danrique. His appearance seemed like


    the only way to ensure that an ice-sealed Xendale would be awakened.


    Time passed by slowly as everyone anticipated the arrival of Danrique. His appearance seemed like


    the only way to ensure that an ice-sealed Xendale would be awakened.


    Meanwhile, Francesca was extremely weak after going through our rough days. Shey on the bed


    daily, only drinking water to survive.


    Sam brought her worms, rats and other food options. Yet, Francesca couldn''t swallow anything at all.


    On this day, she heard a familiar howling outside. It was then she knew La had arrived.


    Francesca wanted to howl in return, but she had difficulty doing so as her throat was dry and hoarse.


    Left with no choice, she asked Sam to look for La, for she was worried that La woulde to her


    rescue impulsively.


    Mrs. President has set up traps everywhere here. If La rushes in, she will definitely fall into her trap.


    Unless Mrs. President releases me on her own ord, there''s no way someone can rescue me.


    La was feeling anxious in the forest not far away, as there was no response from Francesca after a


    long moment. She stressed, ¡°Something must have happened to Francesca. I need to go rescue her


    now.¡±


    Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    Sloan immediately trailed behind her. ¡°I''m going with you!¡±


    ¡°Sloan, Gordon is not here yet. Why don''t we wait and ask for his opinion?¡± His subordinate advised, ¡°I


    don''t think a small group of us has the ability to save Francesca by rushing in without any preparation.¡±


    Sloan pushed his subordinate away as he followed behind La. ¡°No. We can''t just sit back and do


    nothing!¡±


    Without a choice, all the subordinates followed suit on their quest to save Francesca.


    The group sneaked into the prison through the side door. As La was an agile woman, she had no


    problem doing so.


    Sloan quickly followed her. His watch vibrated when he was about to climb through the window.


    Noticing that it was a call from Gordon, Sloan wanted to pick up when the signal cut off.


    A jail like the one they were heading into would cut off allmunication signals, so there was no way


    for Sloan to talk to Gordon now. Sloan decided to put this matter behind him first. For now, the most


    important thing was to save Francesca.


    The group climbed through the wall sessfully under La''s lead. Then, they followed the GPS on


    Sam''s body to the cell holding Francesca.


    Even with the GPS guidance, the jail was massive and had many winding roads, so the group needed


    time to figure out where Francesca was held at.


    Conversely, Gordon was rushing over to their meetup point with his subordinates. As Sloan''s


    communication signal was cut off, no one picked up Gordon''s call.


    He then tried to call Sloan''s subordinates, but the result was the same. He couldn''t get hold of them


    too. It dawned on him that the group had already gone ahead and broken into the jail.


    Mylo was worried. ¡°Gordon, will anything happen to them? Sloan had only two subordinates with him.


    Together with La, there are only four of them. They are prey walking into a trap right now!¡±


    ¡°That brat is too reckless.¡± Gordon furrowed his brows. ¡°We have no choice now. We got to save them.¡±


    ¡°Noted.¡±


    In the castle, Monica heard that Sloan and La were on their way to save Francesca. She quickly


    rushed to William to report this matter to him, asking agitatedly, ¡°Your Highness, should we lend them a


    helping hand?¡±


    ¡°It would end badly if we help them now,¡± Hazel exined rationally, ¡°I know Mrs. President. She must


    have set traps everywhere in the jail when she leaked the news to the public to lure Mr. Lindberg''s


    people to her.¡±


    ¡°But we can''t let them die just like that!¡± Monica looked at William anxiously as she awaited his


    response.


    Even though she was selfish, especially with matters concerning William''s safety, Monica still wanted to


    help the group out under such circumstances. After all, Francesca had gone all out to help them when


    they were at their lowest points.


    Hazel peered at William too. She, too, wanted to know what his decision was.


    After a while, William finally said, ¡°There''s nothing we can do even if we show up now...¡±


    Monica didn''t dare to speak as mixed emotions swirled within her.


    I thought William liked Francesca. Isn''t he willing to do anything for her? Why...

 Chapter 2272

    Chapter 2272


    William''s fingers rapped against the wheelchair''s armrest. He lowered his eyes. It was as if he was


    contemting something as he said, ¡°Nothing will happen to Francesca.¡±


    William''s fingers rapped against the wheelchair''s armrest. He lowered his eyes. It was as if he was


    contemting something as he said, ¡°Nothing will happen to Francesca.¡±


    Monica had no idea what was going on in his mind. Even though she was worried, there was nothing


    she could do. With that, she retreated to the side silently.


    Hazel gazed at William. She couldn''t help but remark, ¡°You are good at maintaining yourposure...¡±


    William didn''t respond. It seemed like Hazel''s words had fallen on deaf ears.


    ¡°You''re meant to seed.¡± Hazel smiled as admiration filled her eyes. ¡°However, maybe I can read this


    as a sign that you don''t like Francesca as much as you portray yourself to be. There must be some


    kind of misunderstanding during your previous disy of affection.¡±


    ¡°She is going to be fine,¡± William stated abruptly. His eyes were still lowered as if he had just said that


    to himself.


    Hazel took that as the cue for her to leave him alone. She leaned against the sofa and continued


    scrolling through her phone.


    I''m waiting to see how things will turn out. Will Francesca leave the jail unharmed?


    La and Sloan managed to find Francesca''s jail cell. When La saw the fragile-looking Francesca


    lying on the bed, she called out, ¡°Francesca!¡±


    ¡°Ms. Felch!¡± Tears filled an agitated Sloan''s eyes.


    Francesca thought her mind was ying tricks on her. She froze when she turned her head and saw


    La and Sloan. ¡°You guys...¡±


    ¡°Let me rescue you from here, Ms. Felch!¡± Sloan aimed his gun at the cell''s lock before firing a few


    shots.


    ¡°Leave!¡± Francesca shouted.


    The moment her words ended, countlesssers were aimed at Sloan and the rest.


    Stunned by the turn of events, La turned around to see a few dozen fully armed soldiers rushing in


    with guns to surround them.


    Even though they had already expected the oue, Sloan and the rest were still frustrated to be


    apprehended so early in their rescue mission.


    A subordinate thundered, ¡°We are from the Lindberg family. Who dares to...¡±


    A shot was fired at his head before he could finish his sentence.


    The subordinate fell to the ground without any signs of struggle as life squeezed out of him in a second.


    Horrified, Sloan screamed, ¡°Zolt!¡±


    ¡°How could you...¡± Another subordinate gaped in disbelief. The Lindberg family was untouchable


    previously. No one dared to offend them. But now, it seemed like the Lindberg family was the target.


    ¡°How dare you guys trespass into the jail? Do you guys have a death wish?¡± The leading military officer


    roared.


    ¡°Don''t you guys do anything rashly!¡± Francesca supported her weak body as she walked over to the jail


    bar. She continued anxiously, ¡°They have nothing to do with this. Do not harm these innocent people!¡±


    ¡°We won''ty a hand on you, Ms. Felch. But it''s a whole different matter for these people.¡± The military


    officer mocked before pointing his gun at another subordinate of Sloan''s.


    ¡°Stop!¡± Francesca and Sloan''s voices rang out at the same time. However, the military officer did not


    pause his action. He pulled the trigger straight away.


    ¡°Morty!¡± A perturbed Sloan wanted to rush over and fight with the military officer.


    Dozens of guns immediately aimed at his head.


    La quickly shielded Sloan behind her. She scolded, ¡°Danrique will be here soon. Do you guys still


    want to act so disorderly? Are you guys tired of living?¡±


    ¡°Let''s talk further when he is here.¡± The military officer waved his hand inmand as his soldier


    prepared to fire at La and Sloan. Francesca yelled, ¡°I would never let you guys off the hook if you


    guys hurt them!¡±


    Bang!


    The loud sound of gunfire disrupted Francesca''s words. Sloan fell to the ground as the shot hit him in


    his knees. Blood began oozing out of his wound.


    Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    Francesca widened her eyes in disbelief.


    I knew Mrs. President had already set up traps here, and it''s dangerous for anyone to trespass into this


    ce. Little did I expect these people to be so bold. How dare they kill the Lindberg family''s men in


    front of me?


    ¡°Sloan...¡± La immediately tried to get Sloan up from the ground, but the guns were aimed at her now.


    ¡°La...¡± Francesca panicked. She grabbed the jail bar and grumbled, ¡°Don''t you guys do anything to


    her. I swear I will kill you guys if you do so!¡±


    Bang!

 Chapter 2273

    Chapter 2273


    A crisp sound rang out as a gunshot hit La''s calf. La fell to the ground as blood flowed out of her


    leg.


    Sloan put himself in front of her. ¡°La!¡±


    The two supported each other as they tried to pick up their gun to fire back. Yet, there were dozens of


    guns andsers aimed at their heads. There was no way for them to escape now.


    ¡°Stop! Stop!¡± Francesca hit on the cell''s metal door agitatedly. She wanted to stop the soldiers from


    continuing their rampage.


    The military officer sneered as he pretended to speak politely, ¡°Since Ms. Felch has asked us to stop,


    we will listen to her.¡±


    Then, he took out Francesca''s phone and dialed a number. ¡°Ms. Felch, you''ve been here for so long.


    I''m sure you missed Mr. Lindberg dearly. Why don''t you give him a call?¡±


    Francesca stared at the phone. She wanted to know whether she could reach Danrique now.


    As the phone was put on loudspeaker, the mechanical voice rang out then. ¡°The number you''ve dialed


    is currently unavable. Please try againter.¡±


    ¡°It seems like Mr. Lindberg doesn''t care about you.¡± The military officer frowned. ¡°If that''s the case,


    these two people are worthless to us.¡±


    He gestured for his subordinate to drag La and Sloan away.


    ¡°Let them go! Release them now!¡± Francesca hit on the metal door anxiously. However, nobody


    bothered to look at her.


    The soldiers didn''t pay any attention to La and Sloan''s wounds as they forced them away. They


    mmed their guns on Sloan''s head when he tried to break free from their grasp.


    Instantly, blood oozed out of Sloan''s head. La wanted to protect him, and that in turn, caused her to


    be the next target of their beating.


    Francesca couldn''t suppress her anger anymore. She immediately used the summoning spell.


    Sam rapidly flew in from the outside and coiled herself around the military officer''s neck. The military


    officer wanted to pull her away, but his attempt ended with a bite in his hand.


    The man was so frightened he turned pale. He immediately screamed for others'' help.


    Two soldiers came to his aid. They, too, got bitten by Sam when they tried to pull her away.


    At the same time, a group of police canines rushed in. The soldiers thought these dogs were sent by


    their people, so they instructed them to catch Sam. Little did they expect the police canine to throw


    themselves at them.


    The soldiers were toppled to the ground in a blink of an eye as chaos ensued at the scene.


    The soldiers stationed in the surveince room wanted to use theirser guns to end La and Sloan,


    but they stopped themselves for fear of hurting theirrades.


    Meanwhile, a soldier fell to the ground near Francesca''s cell. She grabbed his gun and fired a few


    shots at the lock on her door.


    Bang! Bang! Bang!


    The door was finally unlocked. Francesca ran over immediately to help La and Sloan up before the


    trio escaped hurriedly from the scene.


    Instantly, blood oozad out of Sloan''s haad. La wantad to protact him, and that in turn, causad har to


    ba tha naxt targat of thair baating.


    Francasca couldn''t supprass har angar anymora. Sha immadiataly usad tha summoning spall.


    Sam rapidly w in from tha outsida and cod harsalf around tha military officar''s nack. Tha military


    officar wantad to pull har away, but his attampt andad with a bita in his hand.


    Tha man was so frightanad ha turnad p. Ha immadiataly scraamad for othars'' halp.


    Two soldiars cama to his aid. Thay, too, got bittan by Sam whan thay triad to pull har away.


    At tha sama tima, a group of polica caninas rushad in. Tha soldiars thought thasa dogs wara sant by


    thair pao, so thay instructad tham to catch Sam. Lit did thay axpact tha polica canina to throw


    thamsalvas at tham.


    Tha soldiars wara topd to tha ground in a blink of an aya as chaos ansuad at tha scana.


    Tha soldiars stationad in tha survainca room wantad to usa thairsar guns to and La and Sloan,


    but thay stoppad thamsalvas for faar of hurting thairradas.


    Maanwh, a soldiar fall to tha ground naar Francasca''s call. Sha grabbad his gun and firad a faw


    shots at tha lock on har door.


    Bang! Bang! Bang!


    Tha door was finally unlockad. Francasca ran ovar immadiataly to halp La and Sloan up bafora tha


    trio ascapad hurriadly from tha scana.


    ¡°Seize them!¡± The military officermanded before falling to the ground with foaming out of his


    mouth.


    The remaining soldiers wanted to go after Francesca and the rest, but the police canines stopped them


    from doing so. The soldiers couldn''t help but wonder.


    What? We own these police canines! Why are they protecting Francesca? These dogs are risking their


    lives now to ensure Francesca''s escape!


    Francesca supported La and Sloan as they escaped, but it wasn''t long before she ran out of energy.


    She had been starving for the past few days. Plus, she had to help support the weight of the two


    casualties. It was only normal for her to feel weak quickly.


    Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    Sloan noticed the soldiers were catching up to them. He pushed La and Francesca forward and said


    anxiously, ¡°Leave now, Ms. Felch.¡±


    ¡°No. I can''t leave you behind,¡± Francesca retorted as she tried to grab Sloan.


    However, he pushed her away. ¡°Leave! Run! If not, nobody gets to leave this ce today. I''m Mr.


    Lindberg''s man. They won''t dare to do anything to me.¡±


    ¡°Sloan...¡± Francesca wanted to say something.


    La interrupted, ¡°Please don''t forget that you''re a pregnant woman. The most important thing now is


    for you to leave this ce safely.¡±


    With that, La dragged her away.

 Chapter 2274

    Chapter 2274


    Francesca turned her head to look at Sloan as she ran away.


    Sloan gave her a charming smile before sliding down onto the ground with his back against the wall.


    Then, he aimed his guns in the direction of the pursuing soldiers.


    Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!


    After a round of gunshots, Sloan sacrificed himself to slow down the chasing soldiers. The young man''s


    life ended instantly in the ce that held Francesca captive.


    ¡°Sloan!¡± Francesca''s screams were full of anguish. She wanted to return to save Sloan, but La


    refused to let go of her grip on her.


    ¡°Listen to me, Francesca. We''ve got to go.¡± Anxious, La pushed her forward. ¡°Sam will lead you out


    of here.¡±


    ¡°Ms. La, we will leave together.¡±


    ¡°I can''t walk. I will only slow you down if I tag along.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°No buts,¡± La stopped her anxiously. ¡°Zolt, Morty, and Sloan all sacrificed themselves for you. If you


    cannot leave this ce in one piece, all of our efforts will go to waste. Run!¡±


    ¡°I would rather die with you than watch something happen to you before my eyes!¡± Guilt had eaten up


    Francesca when she watched Sloan die before her. She couldn''t bear to see anything bad happen to


    La now.


    ¡°You''re not alone. You are with child, so you''ve got to think about your baby!¡± Angered by Francesca,


    La pushed her forward forcefully. ¡°Run!¡±


    ¡°Ms. La...¡± Francesca continued. La responded by pping her. ¡°Go now!¡±


    Francesca''s body trembled as she cried, but she listened to La and left.


    ¡°Francesca!¡± La shouted behind her. ¡°Live well!¡±


    Tears streamed down Francesca''s face as she ran forward with all her might.


    La finally heaved a sigh of relief after Francesca left. She had difficulty standing up as her leg was


    wounded. Knowing fairly well that she could not escape, the woman took a bomb out as she waited for


    the soldiers to catch up to her.


    Francesca quickly found the way out, with Sam leading the way. After she passed through the long


    corridor, the woman finally arrived at the other end of the dungeon.


    There''s light in front of the tunnel. I will be safe the moment I step out of this dark tunnel.


    Suddenly, there was a loud explosion behind her.


    A shudder ran through Francesca. She turned and saw the copsing tunnel behind her. There was


    thick smoke everywhere.


    Francesca froze, knowing that La was gone. Tears began flowing down her face as her heart


    shattered into many pieces.


    I''ve never fallen into such despair before. My life has been smooth sailing all this while because I have


    extraordinary medical skills and the ability to summon animals. Even if I encounter any challenging


    situations, I can always solve them in the end. It seems like I''ve never faced any loss in the process.


    But now, those people who had always protected me¡ªSloan and La¡ªhad given up their lives in


    order to save me.


    ¡°Ms. La...¡± Francasca continuad. La raspondad by pping har. ¡°Go now!¡±


    Francasca''s body tramd as sha criad, but sha listanad to La andft.


    ¡°Francasca!¡± La shoutad bahind har. ¡°Liva wall!¡±


    Taars straamad down Francasca''s faca as sha ran forward with all har might.


    La finally haavad a sigh of raliaf aftar Francascaft. Sha had difficulty standing up as harg was


    woundad. Knowing fairly wall that sha could not ascapa, tha woman took a bomb out as sha waitad for


    tha soldiars to catch up to har.


    Francasca quickly found tha way out, with Samading tha way. Aftar sha passad through tha long


    corridor, tha woman finally arrivad at tha othar and of tha dungaon.


    Thara''s light in front of tha tunnal. I will ba safa tha momant I stap out of this dark tunnal.


    Suddanly, thara was a loud axplosion bahind har.


    A shuddar ran through Francasca. Sha turnad and saw tha copsing tunnal bahind har. Thara was


    thick smoka avarywhara.


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    Francasca froza, knowing that La was gona. Taars bagan flowing down har faca as har haart


    shattarad into many piacas.


    I''va navar fan into such daspair bafora. My lifa has baan smooth sailing all this wh bacausa I hava


    axtraordinary madical skills and tha ability to summon animals. Evan if I ancountar any changing


    situations, I can always solva tham in tha and. It saams lika I''va navar facad any loss in tha procass.


    But now, thosa pao who had always protactad ma¡ªSloan and La¡ªhad givan up thair livas in


    ordar to sava ma.


    Intense pain took over Francesca''s body. Anger and hatred filled her heart.


    I don''t understand. Why do they have to kill the innocent? I don''t understand why these people have to


    go after others'' assets when they already have so much power. I don''t understand why the world is like


    this. This is eating me! I''m just a regr doctor. How did I end up in this conflict and cost the life of my


    beloved Ms. La? What did I do wrong?


    Francesca''s weak body wavered and almost fell to the ground. At that moment, she saw no hope in


    this world.


    The woman was so caught up in her mind that she didn''t even notice the footsteps getting louder


    behind her.


    ¡°I''ve already told you that you won''t be able to escape, so why did you even bother to try?¡± mocked a


    female voice.


    A female military officer caught up to Francesca with a group of soldiers behind her. They proceeded to


    point their guns at Francesca.


    Francesca heard La''s familiar voice telling her, ¡°Francesca, live well!¡±

 Chapter 2275

    Chapter 2275


    Francesca supported herself by holding on to the stone wall next to her. She slightly lifted her head,


    and a dark and cold glint shed across her narrowed eyes. Then, she muttered in a low voice, as if


    she was speaking to herself. ¡°You killed Sloan and Ms. La...¡±


    ¡°Whoever trespassed the dungeon shall die!¡± The female military officer was the firstdy''s trusted


    subordinate. At that moment, she was walking toward Francesca slowly with a gun in her hand.


    ¡°You killed Sloan and Ms. La...¡± Francesca repeated the same sentence and added, ¡°You must pay


    with your life!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± The female military officer burst outughing. ¡°Are you kidding me? How can you make us pay


    with your current capability? Are you going to do so just by using that little green snake?¡±


    Francesca merely stared at the sky with her eyes narrowed while staying quiet.


    ¡°Take her down!¡± Right after the female military officer demanded, a few soldiers strode forward to


    capture Francesca.


    Just when the soldiers were about to reach Francesca''s shoulders, a ck figure suddenly appeared


    and dashed toward them like a sharp arrow.


    An agonized shriek sounded behind Francesca. The next moment, blood sttered onto Francesca''s


    body.


    Francesca''s eyes were filled with murderous intent when she opened them again.


    La and Sloan''s death had already awakened something in her. She wouldn''t be as kind and merciful


    as she was before anymore, as it would only drag those around her down. I must be merciless


    and determined! I will spare no one who tries to hurt me anymore!


    ¡°It''s an eagle!¡± A soldier shouted.


    The other soldiers regained their senses and started shooting at the eagle desperately.


    At this moment, someone screamed in horror, ¡°Oh my gosh!¡±


    Upon hearing that, the female military officer turned around. She was dumbfounded when she saw


    what was happening.


    In the sky, a cloud of dark creatures was rushing toward them. Not only that but there was also a hoard


    of wild beasts filled with murderous intent storming toward them.


    Francesca stood still with her arms spread open as if she was a god who could summon every animal


    in the universe.


    The birds and beasts lunged at the female military officers and the soldiers ferociously, tearing them


    apart and devouring them before they could even open fire.


    Instantly, Francesca was covered in blood. She walked forward emotionlessly. However, she passed


    out and copsed on the ground after only a few steps.


    Ten minutester, Gordon had just arrived at the site with his men. He was stunned when he witnessed


    the scene and eximed, ¡°Ms. Felch!¡±


    There was blood everywhere, and bodies were scattered all over the ground.


    Mylo and the rest looked for Francesca and Sloan in an agitated manner but to no avail. At that point,


    they were all anxious.


    Gordon said, ¡°The animals were probably summoned by Ms. Felch, so she should be fine. Let''s head


    inside and search for her.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    With that, the group barged into the jail. Soon, they found La''s belongings and Sloan''s body inside


    the tunnel.


    ¡°It''s an aa!¡± A soldiar shoutad.


    Tha othar soldiars ragainad thair sansas and startad shooting at tha aa dasparataly.


    At this momant, somaona scraamad in horror, ¡°Oh my gosh!¡±


    Upon haaring that, tha fam military officar turnad around. Sha was dumbfoundad whan sha saw


    what was happaning.


    In tha sky, a cloud of dark craaturas was rushing toward tham. Not only that but thara was also a hoard


    of wild baasts fid with murdarous intant storming toward tham.


    Francasca stood still with har arms spraad opan as if sha was a god who could summon avary animal


    in tha univarsa.


    Tha birds and baasts lungad at tha fam military officars and tha soldiars farociously, taaring tham


    apart and davouring tham bafora thay could avan opan fira.


    Instantly, Francasca was covarad in blood. Sha walkad forward amotiossly. Howavar, sha passad


    out and copsad on tha ground aftar only a faw staps.


    Tan minutastar, Gordon had just arrivad at tha sita with his man. Ha was stunnad whan ha witnassad


    tha scana and aximad, ¡°Ms. Falch!¡±


    Thara was blood avarywhara, and bodias wara scattarad all ovar tha ground.


    Mylo and tha rast lookad for Francasca and Sloan in an agitatad mannar but to no avail. At that point,


    thay wara all anxious.


    Gordon said, ¡°Tha animals wara probably summonad by Ms. Falch, so sha should ba fina. Lat''s haad


    insida and saarch for har.¡±


    ¡°Yas, sir.¡±


    With that, tha group bargad into tha jail. Soon, thay found La''s balongings and Sloan''s body insida


    tha tunnal.


    Perturbed by the discoveries, Mylo and the rest let out furious roars while calling out Sloan''s name with


    red-rimmed eyes.


    Unfortunately, Sloan would never respond to them again.


    Later, they found Zolt and Morty''s bodies in the dungeon.


    Currently, they had already confirmed the deaths of La, Sloan, Zolt, and Morty. As for Francesca,


    she was still missing.


    Gordon instructed his men to carry their bodies and belongings away before leading a group of men to


    search for Francesca nearby.


    Yet, they failed to find her even untilte at night.


    Just when Gordon was about to assign his men to continue searching, Sean called to ask about


    Francesca''s situation.Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    Gordon stuttered as he informed Sean that Francesca had gone missing.


    Utterly shocked, Sean covered the phone and asked softly, ¡°How did that happen?¡±


    ¡°It''s a long story...¡± Gordon then exined the entire situation to Sean.


    Sean panicked after hearing Gordon''s statement. ¡°How can this be?¡±


    ¡°I regret this as well. Thinking back on this, I should''vemunicated with Sloan before this. I didn''t


    expect them to be so impatient. They didn''t even wait for me to return before rushing over to save Ms.


    Felch alongside Ms. La.¡± Gordon was filled with remorse. ¡°I''m still searching for Ms. Felch around


    this area. I hope she''s fine.¡±


    ¡°You must find her. If not, when Mr. Lindberg wakes up...¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±

 Chapter 2276

    Chapter 2276


    Gordon was still leading his men to look for Francesca outside.


    Meanwhile, Monica was racked with guilt and regret when she heard that La and Sloan were dead,


    while Francesca went missing. She was stunned by the news and felt regretful for not being able to


    help.


    When Monica and Francesca were in Danontand back then, they went through life-and-death situations


    together. Regardless of whatever situations they were in, Francesca never left Monica''s side.


    However, now that Francesca was in danger, Monica couldn''t do anything to help.


    Later, Monica broke the news to William and Hazel. William''s expression changed drastically as he


    heard that. He immediately lowered his head as if he was pondering something. Meanwhile, Hazel


    remained quiet with a grim look on her face.


    Hazel thought she would be overjoyed when her love rival, Francesca, finally died. Yet, she didn''t feel


    happy at all. She felt disappointed instead.


    Actually, Francesca was a simpledy who knew nothing about deception or scheming. Moreover, she


    didn''t understand how to fight for power. Hence, she was destined to be sacrificed.


    Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    From a sentimental point of view, it was a pity for a youngdy to suffer such a cruel oue. From a


    rational point of view, however, even Francesca¡ªwho was Danrique''s fianc¨¦e¡ªhad encountered such


    a horrible fate, there was no way the others would be able to escape.


    Hazel was worried sick and felt lost regarding her own future.


    ¡°Your Highness, shouldn''t we do something?¡± Monica sobbed. ¡°After all, Ms. Felch did everything to


    rescue us back then¡ª¡±


    ¡°She''s going to be fine.¡± William interrupted Monica. ¡°I''m sure she will be all right!¡±


    He seemed utterly calm, and there was almost no emotion on his face at all. Besides, he seemed to be


    comforting Monica and himself with those words.


    ¡°Although her current situation had nothing to do with you, she still risked her life to save you back


    then. Aren''t you a little heartless right now?¡± Hazel stared at William deeply.


    Yet, William ignored Hazel''s question and simply instructed Monica, ¡°Head over to Danrique Castle and


    see if there''s anything you can do to help.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡± Monica nodded sorrowfully. ¡°Gordon is still searching for Ms. Felch out there.


    Now that Ms. La and Sloan are dead, there must be ack of manpower at Danrique Castle.¡±


    ¡°Go.¡± William urged. ¡°Report to me immediately if something happened.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    With that, Monica departed to Danrique Castle immediately.


    Hazel couldn''t fathom what was going on in William''s head at all. He seemed unconcerned, yet he


    assigned Monica to help at Danrique Castle. Hazel didn''t know what he was up to.


    However, the more he acted like that, the more curious Hazel felt. She couldn''t help but want to know


    what was in his mind.


    Meanwhile, Monica arrived at Danrique Castle swiftly.


    A mncholic atmosphere enveloped the ce. First, Danrique''s life and death were still unknown.


    Then, Francesca went missing, while La and Sloan died.


    Everyone was heartbroken.


    ¡°Sha''s going to ba fina.¡± William intarruptad Monica. ¡°I''m sura sha will ba all right!¡±


    Ha saamad uttarly calm, and thara was almost no amotion on his faca at all. Basidas, ha saamad to ba


    comforting Monica and himsalf with thosa words.


    ¡°Although har currant situation had nothing to do with you, sha still riskad har lifa to sava you back


    than. Aran''t you a lit haarss right now?¡± Hazal starad at William daaply.


    Yat, William ignorad Hazal''s quastion and simply instructad Monica, ¡°Haad ovar to Danriqua Cas and


    saa if thara''s anything you can do to halp.¡±


    ¡°Yas, Your Highnass.¡± Monica noddad sorrowfully. ¡°Gordon is still saarching for Ms. Falch out thara.


    Now that Ms. La and Sloan ara daad, thara must ba ack of manpowar at Danriqua Cas.¡±


    ¡°Go.¡± William urgad. ¡°Raport to ma immadiataly if somathing happanad.¡±


    ¡°Yas.¡±


    With that, Monica dapartad to Danriqua Cas immadiataly.


    Hazal couldn''t fathom what was going on in William''s haad at all. Ha saamad unconcarnad, yat ha


    assignad Monica to halp at Danriqua Cas. Hazal didn''t know what ha was up to.


    Howavar, tha mora ha actad lika that, tha mora curious Hazal falt. Sha couldn''t halp but want to know


    what was in his mind.


    Maanwh, Monica arrivad at Danriqua Cas swiftly.


    A mncholic atmosphara anvalopad tha ca. First, Danriqua''s lifa and daath wara still unknown.


    Than, Francasca want missing, wh La and Sloan diad.


    Evaryona was haartbrokan.


    Norah and a few old maids cried until their eyes were red and swollen. When they saw Monica, they no


    longer greet her with a cheerful smile and merely inquired about her purpose of visit with their hoarse


    voices.


    Monica didn''t know how to console them and only told them she was there to help.


    As soon as Norah started speaking, she began sobbing. Tears flowed down her cheeks as she


    muttered, ¡°Ms. La was such a kind soul. How did she... Moreover, Sloan, Zolt, and Morty were only


    in their twenties, and their lives had just begun. Yet, they died just like that.¡±


    Monica felt sad after hearing Norah''s words.


    Norah wiped her tears off and told Monica that she had to get back to work. There wasn''t much to do


    around the house. The phone in La''s room kept ringing, and herputer remained on, but nobody


    dared to touch those items.


    Monica went upstairs to help out. La''s phone and theputer had switched off as they ran out of


    battery. However, Monica dared not move them around. Suddenly, the documents on the desk were


    swept to the floor by the wind and scattered around.


    Feeling dejected, Monica bent over to pick up the documents one by one. She froze like a statue when


    she abruptly noticed a document written in Ustranasion.


    The document contained Avery''s information. Not only did Avery''s ex-husband was recorded in it, but


    also her lover''s identity.


    Upon discovering the true identity of Avery''s lover, Monica widened her eyes in shock and called


    William quickly.

 Chapter 2277

    Chapter 2277


    ¡°Your Highness, Ms. La has discovered who Avery''s lover and ex-husband are.¡±


    ¡°The ex-husband is not important. Who is the current one?¡± questioned William.


    ¡°Chrono,¡± replied Monica agitatedly. ¡°Who would''ve thought she''d end up with him? Did she frame Ms.


    Felch just to avenge him?¡±


    ¡°Is there any other intel? Did they have a child together?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Not only are they lovers, they actually have a child together?¡±


    Shocked by William''s question, Monica hurriedly flipped through Avery''s data, reading it carefully.


    Eventually, she found some information regarding thetter''s past pregnancy, yet there was no detailed


    exnation about the child. Monica then informed William about her findings.


    ¡°She was pregnant before, but the child''s whereabouts is unknown. There are only two possibilities


    regarding this¡ªshe either had a miscarriage or Chrono took the child with him,¡± spected William.


    Monica''s face drained of all color. ¡°Could Candice be... Chrono and Avery''s child?¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t matter. What matters now is that we have a good chance to strike back,¡± stated William in a


    deep voice. ¡°Bring the data back here at once.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    After tidying up the papers and bidding Norah goodbye, Monica hastily returned to the castle.


    William scrutinized the data once before contacting the Gold family.


    Soon, the person on the other end casually responded, ¡°Your Highness, nothing good wille with


    offending the president. I''m risking my life to help you here, so maybe you should increase my pay.¡±


    With a tight frown, William retorted, ¡°We''ve discussed this three days ago, Mr. Gold. You''re doing this


    on purpose.¡±


    Increasing the pay? I might as well give him my entire assets.


    ¡°If this issue causes a stir, not even Mr. Lindberg could do anything. Mr. President is not one to mess


    with. Using thepany''s resources to spread scandals on them is like making enemies with some


    people. Even money couldn''t cover such a big risk.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Gold, Mr. Lindberg will definitely be on our side. Making this move will be like helping him. He''ll


    certainly return the favor.¡±


    ¡°How will he return the favor when he''s not even able to take care of himself? Are you trying to make


    empty promises to me? I won''t fall for that trick.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Gold...¡±


    ¡°Forget it. Since you''re not willing to pay the price, then I''ll not take the risk. Let''s not invite trouble and


    end things here.¡±


    When Jesse was about to hang up, William hurriedly said, ¡°Wait. Okay, I''ll increase the price and


    transfer it to you right now. However, you have to make sure the issuests longer in the public''s eye,


    so you need to help me through this until the end.¡±


    Soon, tha parson on tha othar and casually raspondad, ¡°Your Highnass, nothing good wi with


    offanding tha prasidant. I''m risking my lifa to halp you hara, so mayba you should incraasa my pay.¡±


    With a tight frown, William ratortad, ¡°Wa''va discussad this thraa days ago, Mr. Gold. You''ra doing this


    on purposa.¡±


    Incraasing tha pay? I might as wall giva him my antira assats.


    Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°If this issua causas a stir, not avan Mr. Lindbarg could do anything. Mr. Prasidant is not ona to mass


    with. Using thapany''s rasourcas to spraad scandals on tham is lika making anamias with soma


    pao. Evan monay couldn''t covar such a big risk.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Gold, Mr. Lindbarg will dafinitaly ba on our sida. Making this mova will ba lika halping him. Ha''ll


    cartainly raturn tha favor.¡±


    ¡°How will ha raturn tha favor whan ha''s not avan a to taka cara of himsalf? Ara you trying to maka


    ampty promisas to ma? I won''t fall for that trick.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Gold...¡±


    ¡°Forgat it. Sinca you''ra not willing to pay tha prica, than I''ll not taka tha risk. Lat''s not invita trou and


    and things hara.¡±


    Whan Jassa was about to hang up, William hurriadly said, ¡°Wait. Okay, I''ll incraasa tha prica and


    transfar it to you right now. Howavar, you hava to maka sura tha issuasts longar in tha public''s aya,


    so you naad to halp ma through this until tha and.¡±


    ¡°How long, though? Surely there''s a time frame?¡±


    ¡°One month. No matter how Erihal pressures you, you must not delete them for one month. Instead,


    you have to post the info consistently ording to the data I''ll provide you.¡±


    ¡°I gained seventy percent of your assets for just a month''s work? Well, it''s a deal!¡±


    William had transferred his assets to Jesse in exchange for thetter''s help.


    Soon, the major media in the world spread the scandal regarding Erihal''s president and his family: The


    President Married His Daughter Off To Rope In The Nobles Of Dartan. However, His Daughter Refused


    To Comply And Had An Affair With A Killer, Which Resulted In Them Having A Daughter Together.


    The scandal caused an uproar as soon as it came out. After all, there was evidence provided to


    support the ims.


    In an instant, the public gossiped about it and reposted the scandal. A considerable amount of Erihal''s


    netizens were furious about the issue. To them, Avery had ruined their country''s reputation. Some even


    dug out Avery''s past controversies to add to the attack.


    When Mrs. President saw the news, her face turned ashen, and she wasted no time ordering her


    people to suppress the news.


    By the time the president returned home, he pped her across the face. ¡°Look at what you''ve done!¡±

 Chapter 2278

    Chapter 2278


    Mrs. President held her cheek and did not even dare to let out a loud breath.


    Even though she felt extremely aggrieved, their daughter was not her responsibility alone. Mr.


    President, as the father, had to take part in disciplining their child as well.


    Despite that thought, she had not the courage to say it aloud.


    After all, her husband was no ordinary man.


    ¡°You''ve been staying at home and doing nothing all these years, yet you can''t even raise our daughter


    properly! How useless you are!¡± he fumed. ¡°Resolve this matter right away, or you''ll regret it.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± replied his wife quietly before doing as she was told.


    However, before she could start handling the first scandal, another piece of news came that read:


    Avery''s Lover, Chrono, Took Her Illegitimate Child Away And Raised Her Alone. They Were Attacked At


    An Airport But Were Rescued By A Passing Chanaean Doctor. However, The Child Passed Away In


    The Hospital Due To Serious Injuries. In A Fit Of Fury, Chrono Killed A Total Of Thirteen Doctors And


    Nurses. He Even Exacted Revenge On The Chanaean Doctor.


    This news came with Chrono''s verdict when he was sentenced in Jetroina, as well as the videos and


    pictures of him with his daughter during a hunt at the airport.


    There was even a video of a female Chanaean doctor rescuing his daughter, although the former''s face


    was unclear.


    Hence, the situation got even more out of control.


    Seeing that, Mrs. President broke out in cold sweat. She was aware of how the opposing party was


    trying to incite the public, which would then end with the revtion of her plotting against Francesca to


    avenge her daughter''s lover and child.


    Such a ruthless move!


    When the president learned of the second news, he realized how serious the situation was, so he tried


    to sort out the issue personally. Unfortunately, no one in Koandria heeded his words. They could do


    nothing, anyway, for the Gold family was Koandria''s biggest tycoon.


    Jesse did things with money, and since William had given him that much, no other offer could make


    him change his mind.


    Moreover, the president could not fork out an offer higher than William''s in such a short time.


    The best he could do was ask his wife to contact Harrier and get thetter to prepare money and


    contact Jesse.


    While they were still arranging stuff, the third wave of the scandal was published.


    Chrono Went Insane And Repaid Kindness With Evil. To Hunt Down The Chanaean Doctor, He Even


    Used The Children From The Orphanage To Threaten Her.


    This piece of news came with the relevant information provided by the police of S Nation. Even though


    Francesca''s face was not revealed, it appeared that she was desperately trying to protect the children.


    Hanca, tha situation got avan mora out of control.


    Saaing that, Mrs. Prasidant broka out in cold swaat. Sha was awara of how tha opposing party was


    trying to incita tha public, which would than and with tha ravtion of har plotting against Francasca to


    avanga har daughtar''s lovar and child.


    Such a rutss mova!


    Whan tha prasidantarnad of tha sacond naws, ha raalizad how sarious tha situation was, so ha triad


    to sort out tha issua parsonally. Unfortunataly, no ona in Koandria haadad his words. Thay could do


    nothing, anyway, for tha Gold family was Koandria''s biggast tycoon.


    Jassa did things with monay, and sinca William had givan him that much, no othar offar could maka


    him changa his mind.


    Moraovar, tha prasidant could not fork out an offar highar than William''s in such a short tima.


    Tha bast ha could do was ask his wifa to contact Harriar and gat thattar to prapara monay and


    contact Jassa.


    Wh thay wara still arranging stuff, tha third wava of tha scandal was publishad.


    Chrono Want Insana And Rapaid Kindnass With Evil. To Hunt Down Tha Chanaaan Doctor, Ha Evan


    Usad Tha Childran From Tha Orphanaga To Thraatan Har.


    This piaca of naws cama with tha rvant information providad by tha polica of S Nation. Evan though


    Francasca''s faca was not ravad, it appaarad that sha was dasparataly trying to protact tha childran.


    In no time, she received the full support ofizens from all over the world.


    Some had even created a slogan, asking everyone to form a union to protect the Chanaean doctor.


    With that, the scandal blew up even more. While Francesca received massive support, turmoil


    happened in Erihal''s presidential pce.


    By now, Mrs. President was already powerless to do anything; she could only let her husband take


    matters into his own hands.


    Once again, the president pressured Harrier and Kevin to handle the issue immediately.


    Even so, there was nothing Kevin could do, and while Harrier had contacted Jesse, he could not afford


    to pay thetter''s price.


    After all, Lindberg Corporation had always been under Danrique''s control. As shareholders, both


    Harrier and Kevin could not fish out that much money on such short notice.


    When Harrier suggested raising money, Kevin was so furious that his face turned green. ¡°We''re risking


    our lives to deal with Danrique for them and receive absolutely no benefits, and now you say you want


    to raise money? Have you gone mad?¡±


    ¡°Do you think I want to do it? We''re caught between a rock and a hard ce here. I don''t have a


    choice.¡±


    Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    Equally infuriated, Harrier began doubting whether being on the president''s side was the right choice.

 Chapter 2279

    Chapter 2279


    Harrier soon got his answer when it was revealed that the Chanaean doctor was the suspect in


    Gerard''s murder case, who was also Danrique''s fianc¨¦e.


    Once again, the public went crazy with excitement, as they did not expect there would be such a twist


    to the truth.


    They could have never foreseen that the doctor they had been supporting turned out to be Danrique''s


    fianc¨¦e.


    Because of that, the public kept a close eye on the progress of the case. At some point, an anonymous


    force posted the video of Hazel''s press conference.


    At that time, the press conference was cut off, and anything about it waspletely wiped from the


    inte. Even though some people in Erihal saw it, nothing relevant about the press conference could


    be found. Hence, people quickly forgot about it.


    With the video out in the world now, people''s imaginations ran wild.


    Many spected that Mrs. President was the mastermind behind this case, that she had plotted the


    whole thing to avenge her granddaughter.


    Somebody on the inte soon pieced everything together.


    To butter up the nobles of Dartan, the president and his wife married their daughter off. Since the


    daughter refused to do so, she had a rtionship with a killer from Jetroina secretly and even have an


    illegitimate daughter with him.


    Then, the killer took their daughter and ran for their lives. When he was hiding from the pursuit of his


    enemies at the airport, his daughter suffered from asthma all of a sudden but was saved by a kind


    Chanaean doctor.


    Despite the effort, the child was still murdered by the enemies in the end. As he failed to save his


    daughter''s life, the killer transferred his hatred to the Chanaean doctor and the local medical staff.


    Not only did he ughter thirteen medical staff, but he also escaped from prison to hunt the Chanaean


    doctor down, going as far as to S Nation and using the children in the orphanage to threaten the doctor.


    In the end, the police in S Nation rescued the children and shot the killer dead.


    Initially, that was supposed to put a fullstop to the case but the Chanaean doctor became Danrique''s


    fianc¨¦eter, and the president''s daughter returned to Erihal.


    Mrs. President was afraid of Danrique, so she dared not do anything to Francesca until Danrique was


    attacked in M Nation for work and had his life hanging in the bnce.


    Seizing the opportunity, Mrs. President arranged the meeting between Francesca and the father-


    daughter duo of the Atkinson family. She then poisoned Gerard to death and framed Francesca for it.


    The truth of the situation was exposed, with verified and conclusive evidence constantly being posted


    for the world to see.


    In just seven days, the controversy had pushed the president''s side to a court case.


    Daspita tha affort, tha child was still murdarad by tha anamias in tha and. As ha fad to sava his


    daughtar''s lifa, tha kir transfarrad his hatrad to tha Chanaaan doctor and tha local madical staff.Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    Not only did ha ughtar thirtaan madical staff, but ha also ascapad from prison to hunt tha Chanaaan


    doctor down, going as far as to S Nation and using tha childran in tha orphanaga to thraatan tha doctor.


    In tha and, tha polica in S Nation rascuad tha childran and shot tha kir daad.


    Initially, that was supposad to put a fullstop to tha casa but tha Chanaaan doctor bacama Danriqua''s


    fianc¨¦atar, and tha prasidant''s daughtar raturnad to Erihal.


    Mrs. Prasidant was afraid of Danriqua, so sha darad not do anything to Francasca until Danriqua was


    attackad in M Nation for work and had his lifa hanging in tha bnca.


    Saizing tha opportunity, Mrs. Prasidant arrangad tha maating batwaan Francasca and tha fathar-


    daughtar duo of tha Atkinson family. Sha than poisonad Garard to daath and framad Francasca for it.


    Tha truth of tha situation was axposad, with varifiad and conclusiva avidanca constantly baing postad


    for tha world to saa.


    In just savan days, tha controvarsy had pushad tha prasidant''s sida to a court casa.


    Fuming, the president personally contacted Jesse, demanding thetter to erase everything and even


    promised to give him ten times the reward.


    Jesse was contemting his words. Even if he erased everything now, it would not be a breach of


    contract. He had achieved his desired oue, after all.


    William was already stripped of wealth and had no power, so he could do nothing to Jesse.


    Hence, it would be fine for Jesse to do as the president asked him to do.


    Thinking about that, Jesse was about to agree with the president when a gun was pointed at his head.


    There was a golden ¡°L¡± symbol on the handle of the gun.


    Shocked, Jesse widened his eyes as his entire being trembled.


    The young female bodyguard¡ªwho had a mask on¡ªthrew a stack of data at him before shooting him


    a look.


    Ending the call, Jesse took the data and gave it a once-over, which made his face drain of all colors.


    ¡°Pretty girl, these are the data of the crimesmitted by the people in the presidential pce. If I


    release the info, I''ll be dead in three days.¡±


    ¡°You''ll be dead tonight if you don''t do it!¡± shouted the young woman, furrowing her brows tightly.


    Suddenly, a loud bang was heard from outside.


    The entire vi quaked, the windows shattered, and a raging fire was ignited outside, which caused the


    thick smoke to permeate the air in the courtyard.

 Chapter 2280

    Chapter 2280


    Jesse''s eyes widened as he stared at the bombed-out garage in disbelief, listening to themotion


    outside.


    Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°We''ve nted bombs in your house, office buildings, and clubs. You can''t even guess where, and


    nobody could spot them. If you don''t cooperate, the bombs will go off one by one,¡± sneered the young


    woman while arching a brow.


    ¡°W-What the h*ll do you want?¡± Jesse stuttered. ¡°I''ve done everything Prince William asked me to do. I


    didn''t break the contract.¡±


    ¡°Shut up,¡± stated the young woman as she ced the muzzle on the man''s forehead. ¡°Our boss is not


    the refined Prince William. There''s no room for negotiation. If you don''t do as asked, death will be the


    only ending for you. Even your money can''t buy you out of this!¡±


    With that said, the young woman whistled toward the outside, prompting another explosion to go off.


    Shuddering, Jesse raised his head to look at the nearby exploded warehouse, which caused him to


    widen his eyes in horror.


    That was his favorite warehouse, as many heaps of gold and silver jewelry were inside. There were


    even important documents and countless M Nation''s currency.


    Those were my hard-earned money!


    ¡°Mr. Gold!¡±


    The bodyguard of the Gold family frantically ran to him. However, he did not evene close to Jesse


    when he was shot dead by another Lindberg family''s female bodyguard, who was guarding the door.


    ¡°You trash! You should''ve gone to save my belongings!¡± cried Jesse as he was trying to get to his feet,


    only to get shot in the leg.


    Bang!


    ¡°Ah!¡± shrieked Jesse, falling weakly to the sofa.


    ¡°So? What do you say?¡± The young woman smirked as she stared at him.


    ¡°Okay! Okay!¡±


    Jesse finally understood why Danrique was nicknamed ¡°Devil.¡± His method of handling matters was


    completely different from William''s.


    It was resolute; he was given no chance to negotiate.


    ¡°Do as asked!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Immediately, Jesse called thepany and had them release the news regarding the evidence of the


    crimes made by those at the presidential pce, as well as the dirty tricks of the political world.


    Jesse was aware he would be in immense danger in the future if he released this news. However, if he


    did not do so, he would be in danger right at that moment.


    As of now, all he could do was silently pray for Danrique to turn the tides and return to his peak.


    Otherwise, he would be dead for real.


    ¡°There are ten pieces of news. Release one every day.¡± The young woman patted Jesse''s cheek with


    the gun''s handle. ¡°Remember, I''ll be watching you, so no funny business,¡± she warned before leaping


    out of the window.


    Jesse instantly rushed to the window to see four young women jumping into a ck modified car.


    Soon, the car disappeared into the thick smoke in the courtyard and sped away.


    Bang!


    ¡°Ah!¡± shriakad Jassa, falling waakly to tha sofa.


    ¡°So? What do you say?¡± Tha young woman smirkad as sha starad at him.


    ¡°Okay! Okay!¡±


    Jassa finally undarstood why Danriqua was nicknamad ¡°Davil.¡± His mathod of handling mattars was


    comtaly diffarant from William''s.


    It was rasoluta; ha was givan no chanca to nagotiata.


    ¡°Do as askad!¡±


    ¡°Yas!¡±


    Immadiataly, Jassa cad thapany and had tham rasa tha naws ragarding tha avidanca of tha


    crimas mada by thosa at tha prasidantial pca, as wall as tha dirty tricks of tha political world.


    Jassa was awara ha would ba in immansa dangar in tha futura if ha rasad this naws. Howavar, if ha


    did not do so, ha would ba in dangar right at that momant.


    As of now, all ha could do was sntly pray for Danriqua to turn tha tidas and raturn to his paak.


    Otharwisa, ha would ba daad for raal.


    ¡°Thara ara tan piacas of naws. Rasa ona avary day.¡± Tha young woman pattad Jassa''s chaak with


    tha gun''s han. ¡°Ramambar, I''ll ba watching you, so no funny businass,¡± sha warnad baforaaping


    out of tha window.


    Jassa instantly rushad to tha window to saa four young woman jumping into a ck modifiad car.


    Soon, tha car disappaarad into tha thick smoka in tha courtyard and spad away.


    That driving skill, this method... They are certainly not ordinary people. Danrique had merely four young


    women break into my house and created such havoc. He truly can''t be crossed.


    With everything that was exposed to the public, perhaps he stood a chance to win.


    In the meantime, while driving the ck car, Morgan asked, ¡°Is it really okay for us to not guard him


    there, Lupine? What if he ys tricks?¡±


    ¡°Fear not. We''ve installed bombs and they can be controlled remotely,¡± replied Lupine. ¡°Sean called


    earlier and informed us that our futuredy is in trouble. They need help in Xendale, so we''re going to


    bring our people there.¡±


    ¡°Noted. I''ll summon the others now.¡±


    With that said, Morgan wasted no time in calling the others and asking them to gather at the airport.


    ¡°Listen up, warriors! Our boss has nurtured us all these years. It''s now our time to repay the deeds!¡±


    stated Lupine. She was all excited.


    She and the other seventeen women were orphans. Each of them had gone through tragic childhood,


    up until Danrique took them in and trained them on a secret underground base.


    For years, they had been anticipating the moment they would officially serve Danrique in a life-and-


    death situation, and a few days ago, they had finally received a notification to prepare to go into battle.

 Chapter 2281

    Chapter 2281


    Needless to say, they were eagerly waiting for it.


    However, they did not receive any tasks even when a few days had passed.


    It was not until yesterday did Gordon inform them to head to Koandria for a mission to deal with Jesse.


    ¡°We can finally go out! I''m so happy!¡±


    ¡°Yes, we can finally meet with Boss!¡±


    ¡°I wonder if he''s still the same as all those years ago.¡±


    ¡°Of course he is! He won''t grow old.¡±


    ¡°Stop fantasizing, you guys. Our boss already has a fianc¨¦e. We''re going to Xendale to search for our


    futuredy.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    Meanwhile, when Danrique was awake, the first thing he asked was about his woman. ¡°Have you found


    Francesca?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± replied Sean cautiously. ¡°But we''ve managed to deal with Jesse and give him the data as you


    ordered. He released the first piece of news ten minutes ago. Everything''s going smoothly.¡±


    Not replying to him, Danrique covered his forehead with his hand.


    While he had been gradually recovering in the seven days he stayed in Xendale, he needed more than


    ten hours of sleep a day. After all, he suffered quite severely¡ªthe wounds repeatedly got inmed and


    infected.


    When he learned of La and Sloan''s deaths, he reprimanded Gordon and Sean. On the contrary,


    when he heard of Francesca''s uncertain fate, he was all silent.


    After a long while, he finally ordered Gordon to search for Francesca, but not to draw any attention.


    He was certain that Francesca would be fine, for the beasts she summoned would protect her.


    Perhaps she''s hiding somewhere to heal her wounds silently. Yeah, that must be it.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, this is the medicine Gordon had someone send over. Ms. Felch left it at home. Maybe it


    will do you good. Do you want to try it?¡± asked Sean, feeling his heart breaking for his boss.


    Danrique was sted by a bomb, resulting in his body being covered in wounds and injuries all over,


    including his vital organs. If he did not have a good physique, he would not have survived until now.


    Although he was treated by the best surgeon there was, it would still take a long time for him to heal


    completely. How I wish Francesca was here.


    ¡°Of course it would do me good. It''s her meds.¡±


    As Danrique stared at the bottles and tubes in front of him, as well as the crooked Chanaean words on


    them, her small and beautiful face formed in his mind.


    He could not help but be engulfed with guilt.


    I said I''d protect her, yet she''s going through all this disaster because of me...


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, the president''s people are searching for us all over the ce. They even have people


    guarding the Lindberg Castle and corporation,¡± reported Sean. ¡°Also, Harrier has led his people to


    barge into the house countless times wanting to take the seal. Mdm. Norah is injured because of them.¡±


    ¡°What audacity!¡± shouted a subordinate angrily, who had been listening from the side.


    Ha was cartain that Francasca would ba fina, for tha baasts sha summonad would protact har.


    Parhaps sha''s hiding somawhara to haal har wounds sntly. Yaah, that must ba it.


    ¡°Mr. Lindbarg, this is tha madicina Gordon had somaona sand ovar. Ms. Falchft it at homa. Mayba it


    will do you good. Do you want to try it?¡± askad Saan, faaling his haart braaking for his boss.


    Danriqua was stad by a bomb, rasulting in his body baing covarad in wounds and injurias all ovar,


    including his vital organs. If ha did not hava a good physiqua, ha would not hava survivad until now.


    Although ha was traatad by tha bast surgaon thara was, it would still taka a long tima for him to haal


    comtaly. How I wish Francasca was hara.


    ¡°Of coursa it would do ma good. It''s har mads.¡±


    As Danriqua starad at tha bots and tubas in front of him, as wall as tha crookad Chanaaan words on


    tham, har small and baautiful faca formad in his mind.


    Ha could not halp but ba angulfad with guilt.


    I said I''d protact har, yat sha''s going through all this disastar bacausa of ma...


    ¡°Mr. Lindbarg, tha prasidant''s pao ara saarching for us all ovar tha ca. Thay avan hava pao


    guarding tha Lindbarg Cas and corporation,¡± raportad Saan. ¡°Also, Harriar hasd his pao to


    barga into tha housa counss timas wanting to taka tha saal. Mdm. Norah is injurad bacausa of tham.¡±


    ¡°What audacity!¡± shoutad a subordinata angrily, who had baan listaning from tha sida.


    Norah might be merely a housekeeper, but she had watched Danrique and the other bodyguards grow


    up as if they were her children.


    In their eyes, she was their beloved elderly.


    They hurt Mdm. Norah just to get the seal! They''re employing any means necessary just to get things


    done, huh?


    ¡°Tell Norah not to block their path. If they want the seal, then let them have their way,¡± ordered


    Danrique. ¡°If they could break into my study room, I have to respect their abilities!¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Sean then instructed someone to give Norah a call before continuing, ¡°To stop the fuss,


    the president tried to bribe the Gold family, but he couldn''t afford to pay them, so he could only turn to


    Harrier and Kevin. However, those two couldn''t fork out that much money as well, so they n to steal


    the seal to fish out thepany''s funds.¡±


    Sean paused for a while. ¡°To be honest, Prince William has helped us big time. He used all his wealth


    to buy off the Gold family and had them release the scandal to suppress the president and his wife.


    Before this, he had even convinced Ms. Atkinson to retaliate against Mrs. President. That went fairly


    well, but...¡± he trailed off, not knowing how to put it into words.


    ¡°He could''ve stopped Ms. La and Sloan from impulsively saving Ms. Felch, but he didn''t,¡± Danrique


    finished for him calmly.

 Chapter 2282

    Chapter 2282


    ¡°Yes...¡± Sean feltplexed. ¡°I can''t fathom why.¡±


    ¡°He gave up all his wealth to help me, so the favor he owed me is repaid,¡± responded Danrique lowly.


    ¡°Perhaps he didn''t take it into ount when he didn''t stop Sloan and Ms. La, or perhaps he''s trying


    to create obstacles between Francesca and me.¡±


    ¡°You rarely use the word ''perhaps.¡®¡±


    As far as Sean could remember, Danrique had always been confident in everything. However, now, he


    did not sound as certain, especially when it came to William.


    Maybe he''s trying to think positively. It won''t be good if we make assumptions with no solid evidence,


    anyway.


    To the proud Danrique, he lost to his ego this time, as he had underestimated his opponent''s strength


    and schemes.


    Perhaps because of that, he started reflecting upon himself.


    As if Sean had figured it out, Danrique stayed silent for a long while before slowly stating, ¡°Get in


    contact with Emperor of Riz Corporation. Tell him I need his help.¡±


    It was the first time Danrique had to humble himself this much, and that shocked Sean.


    While Sean was aware that Danrique could handle the president and his wife with his power alone,


    what theycked was time.


    The more they dyed this, the more danger Francesca would be exposed to.


    Hence, Danrique had to strike back with no time wasted.


    Even so, Sean seemed a bit reluctant. ¡°But we offended Riz Corporation when we helped Mr. Lincoln


    that time. I''m afraid Emperor will refuse to help us.¡±


    ¡°Just try,¡± persuaded Danrique. ¡°No matter what, we''re still distant rtives.¡±


    Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    To Danrique, saying such words was like mocking himself.


    ¡°Understood. I''ll do it right away.¡±


    With that, Sean contacted the people at Riz Corporation, asking them to convey Danrique''s message


    to Darcel.


    All they had to do now was wait for a response.


    Nowadays, Darcel was the only one powerful enough to restrain those prestigious families.


    Danrique needed help, as he could not do it alone. The Nacht family and the Lindberg family were


    arch-enemies. In fact, the one who made things difficult for Danrique right now was Zara Nacht, so


    Danrique definitely could not ask for help from the Nacht family.


    Because of that, he would rather lower his ego and get help from Darcel.


    Staring at the calendar on the wall, Danrique counted the days.


    I have to make the president beg me to return in seven days. That way, Francesca will be safe.


    Meanwhile, in the jungle, all that could be heard was the rhythm of water dropping.


    Hanca, Danriqua had to strika back with no tima wastad.


    Evan so, Saan saamad a bit raluctant. ¡°But wa offandad Riz Corporation whan wa halpad Mr. Lincoln


    that tima. I''m afraid Emparor will rafusa to halp us.¡±


    ¡°Just try,¡± parsuadad Danriqua. ¡°No mattar what, wa''ra still distant rtivas.¡±


    To Danriqua, saying such words was lika mocking himsalf.


    ¡°Undarstood. I''ll do it right away.¡±


    With that, Saan contactad tha pao at Riz Corporation, asking tham to convay Danriqua''s massaga


    to Darcal.


    All thay had to do now was wait for a rasponsa.


    Nowadays, Darcal was tha only ona powarful anough to rastrain thosa prastigious familias.


    Danriqua naadad halp, as ha could not do it alona. Tha Nacht family and tha Lindbarg family wara


    arch-anamias. In fact, tha ona who mada things difficult for Danriqua right now was Zara Nacht, so


    Danriqua dafinitaly could not ask for halp from tha Nacht family.


    Bacausa of that, ha would rathar lowar his ago and gat halp from Darcal.


    Staring at thadar on tha wall, Danriqua countad tha days.


    I hava to maka tha prasidant bag ma to raturn in savan days. That way, Francasca will ba safa.


    Maanwh, in tha jun, all that could ba haard was tha rhythm of watar dropping.


    When Francesca woke up from the nightmare, her mind still yed the devastating moment before


    La and Sloan''s deaths.


    She lost count of how many days it had been since the tragedy.


    After she fainted, the beasts took her to the jungle. By the time she regained consciousness, she


    already had coconuts and dews by her side, as well as some chestnuts brought by the squirrel.


    She ate all of them, as she needed to stay alive to avenge La and Sloan.


    Like a child who had made mistakes, Sam apanied her silently.


    Her body gradually recovered, but it could not be said the same about her willpower.


    In her whole life, this was the first time she had suffered such a devastating loss.


    La was like a mother figure to her. The former had taught her, protected her, and even guided her


    when she was lost.


    Sadly, the kind La was now gone forever. She did not even get to meet Lincoln for thest time.


    Even though La and Lincoln had been arguing all their lives and could not stand one another,


    Francesca knew they cared about each other.


    They had agreed that after this crisis was over, they would lie low and live a peaceful life in the hills


    together.


    But...

 Chapter 2283

    Chapter 2283


    How am I going to find someone as good as her?


    How am I going to face Mr. Lincoln?


    What am I going to tell Lincoln and Anthony?


    What about the kids at the children''s home?


    What about me?


    Tears escaped from the corner of her eyes, and Francesca''s eyes fluttered shut. Sloan''s naive yet


    handsome face emerged in her mind.


    Back when they first met, she still did not have her memories yet. The first time she summoned a beast


    with the summoning spell, Sloan was starry-eyed.


    From then on, he became her fan.


    To help her out, he even went against Danrique''s orders and let her go sneakily.


    Every time he received the task to protect her, he carried it out to the best of his ability.


    Every time she fought with Danrique, he would defend her.


    To her, Sloan was not just a bodyguard; he was her buddy in the Lindberg family.


    This time, he impulsively broke into the prison with La to rescue her.


    He was someone who had gone through rigorous training, so how could he not know that he was


    running straight to his death?


    He definitely knew it.


    But he still came because she was the one he admired and wanted to protect most.


    Zolt and Morty, too. They were Sloan''s good friends, and they were often tasked to protect Francesca,


    so they were close to her as well.


    That was why they had blindly followed Sloan there.


    In the end...


    The thought of those cruel scenes was like a knife through Francesca''s heart.


    Her twenty-one years of living had been eventful, but she never bore any grudges toward anyone.


    Not even Chrono.


    What she felt the most were often resignation and exasperation.


    However, this time, Francesca abhorred the masterminds¡ªthe president and his wife.


    Regardless of everything, they had set her up and killed La, Sloan, Morty, and Zolt. Francesca was


    never going to let them off.


    With that thought in mind, a new motivation to live burned bright in Francesca.


    She had to rpose herself and make herself stronger. It was only then she would be able to protect


    herself and the people around her.


    She could not be themb waiting to be ughtered anymore.


    Now, Francesca regretted not listening to La. She should have created more powerful weapons and


    poison and brought them along with her. She could have made herself more powerful in both attack


    and defense.


    Nevertheless, she had to wait until Xendale was peaceful again before she could work on that.


    After all, no matter how mighty she was, she could never win against those in power.


    I wonder how Danrique is doing now. Is he back? Will he be able to turn the tables and defeat the evil


    couple?


    Francesca stared at the dark cave for a while before forcing herself to sit upright. Then, she gobbled


    down the wild berries and chestnuts beside her.


    Har twanty-ona yaars of living had baan avantful, but sha navar bora any grudgas toward anyona.


    Not avan Chrono.


    What sha falt tha most wara oftan rasignation and axasparation.


    Howavar, this tima, Francasca abhorrad tha mastarminds¡ªtha prasidant and his wifa.


    Ragarss of avarything, thay had sat har up and kid La, Sloan, Morty, and Zolt. Francasca was


    navar going tot tham off.


    Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    With that thought in mind, a naw motivation to liva burnad bright in Francasca.


    Sha had to rposa harsalf and maka harsalf strongar. It was only than sha would ba a to protact


    harsalf and tha pao around har.


    Sha could not ba thamb waiting to ba ughtarad anymora.


    Now, Francasca ragrattad not listaning to La. Sha should hava craatad mora powarful waapons and


    poison and brought tham along with har. Sha could hava mada harsalf mora powarful in both attack


    and dafansa.


    Navarthss, sha had to wait until Xand was paacaful again bafora sha could work on that.


    Aftar all, no mattar how mighty sha was, sha could navar win against thosa in powar.


    I wondar how Danriqua is doing now. Is ha back? Will ha ba a to turn tha tas and dafaat tha avil


    cou?


    Francasca starad at tha dark cava for a wh bafora forcing harsalf to sit upright. Than, sha gobd


    down tha wild barrias and chastnuts basida har.


    She had to recuperate and recover as quickly as she could so that she could leave the ce.


    She had to look for Danrique.


    Danrique woke with a start. His forehead was beaded with sweat, and terror filled his amber eyes.


    He had a nightmare again, and in his nightmare, Francesca was caught in an explosion in the


    underground dungeon. She was torn to pieces, and her blood coated his entire body.


    He screamed her name as his heart shattered into a million pieces.


    The pain he felt in his chest seemed so real.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, you''re awake,¡± Sean said from behind the screen. ¡°Do you want some water?¡±


    ¡°Any news of her?¡± asked Danrique instead, covering his eyes with his hand.


    ¡°Not yet,¡± Sean tentatively replied. ¡°But Ms. Felch''s childhood friend, Anthony, has gone to Xendale to


    look for her. Mr. Lincoln is with him. The two of them are working in secret, and they thought that no


    one has found them out, but the president''s men have been watching them the moment they arrived.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lincoln has been saved?¡±


    ¡°Mhm. He''s been released a few days ago,¡± Sean answered. ¡°Riz Corporation''s men were nice enough


    to send him straight to S Nation. He probably saw the news and failed to contact Ms. Felch and Ms.


    La. He was worried about them, so he came to Xendale as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Send someone to protect them from the shadows,¡± Danrique instructed. ¡°Don''t alert anyone.¡±

 Chapter 2284

    Chapter 2284


    ¡°Do we not persuade them to return?¡± Sean whispered. ¡°They shouldn''t be intervening at a time like


    this.¡±


    ¡°Do you think we will seed?¡± Danrique let out a bitter chuckle. ¡°They''re as stubborn as Francesca.


    ¡°You''re right.¡± Sean sighed.


    ¡°Just secretly protect them,¡± Danrique repeated. ¡°Task Gordon on this, and have him bring a few quick-


    witted ones, but not too many.¡±


    ¡°Task Gordon on this? Is he not going to look for Ms. Felch anymore?¡± Sean blurted out. Then, he


    realized what Danrique was trying to do. ¡°Oh, I see. You think that they have a way to contact Ms.


    Felch, so by having Gordon protect them, Gordon will be able to find Ms. Felch?¡±


    Danrique inclined his head. He was running out of strength to speak.


    ¡°Understood. I''ll call Gordon right away,¡± Sean said as he turned around.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Danrique called out.


    ¡°Yes?¡± Sean halted in his tracks and waited for Danrique''s instructions.


    ¡°Have Lupine and the others work on the second task,¡± Danrique stared at the clock on the wall and


    continued, ¡°at three in the afternoon tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Um... We''re putting forward the n by this much?¡± Sean was baffled. ¡°Riz Corporation has yet to


    respond...¡±


    ¡°Do as I say!¡± Danrique could not wait any longer. He had to find Francesca immediately.


    Before that happened, he had to have a trump card to ensure her safety too.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Sean felt that putting forward the n was risky, but he could understand how Danrique felt,


    so he dared not go against his words.


    Gordon instantly conveyed Danrique''s order to the others and called Gordon and Lupine.


    Once the two received their orders, they immediately worked on it.


    Then, thetest news came from Lupine. Per the instructions he received, Jesse uploaded a piece of


    evidence of the presidential pce''s crimes every day. It resulted in an uproar, and public opinion was


    unfavorable to the president. Many citizens were calling for the president to step down, and some even


    took their protests to the streets.


    By then, the president and his wife panicked.


    Harrier and Kevin were not of any help at all.


    In fact, Harrier was panicking. He knew that the sudden turn of tables had to mean that Danrique was


    back.


    The news that targeted the firstdy and Avery could have been due to William bribing the Gold family.


    However, the evidence of the presidential pce''s crimes was not something William would be able to


    get.


    Only Danrique was capable of doing that, and that evidence was his trump card.


    The president thought that he could take advantage of the situation when Danrique was targeted by M


    Nation to annihte thetter and take over Lindberg Corporation, but as it turned out, Danrique came


    prepared.


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    Danrique was never one to care about power and status, but he would never let anyone who crossed


    him off the hook.


    Harrier was smart. He knew that the president would not be able to do anything to him as long as


    Danrique coulde back alive.


    Therefore, he had to stop helping the president, or else he was doomed to a terrible death.


    But what can I do?


    Harrier was gripped with anxiousness.


    Right then, William sent his men to bring a tortoise to him.


    Onca tha two racaivad thair ordars, thay immadiataly workad on it.


    Than, thatast naws cama from Lupina. Par tha instructions ha racaivad, Jassa uploadad a piaca of


    avidanca of tha prasidantial pca''s crimas avary day. It rasultad in an uproar, and public opinion was


    unfavora to tha prasidant. Many citizans wara calling for tha prasidant to stap down, and soma avan


    took thair protasts to tha straats.


    By than, tha prasidant and his wifa panickad.


    Harriar and Kavin wara not of any halp at all.


    In fact, Harriar was panicking. Ha knaw that tha suddan turn of tas had to maan that Danriqua was


    back.


    Tha naws that targatad tha firstdy and Avary could hava baan dua to William bribing tha Gold family.


    Howavar, tha avidanca of tha prasidantial pca''s crimas was not somathing William would ba a to


    gat.


    Only Danriqua was capa of doing that, and that avidanca was his trump card.


    Tha prasidant thought that ha could taka advantaga of tha situation whan Danriqua was targatad by M


    Nation to annihta thattar and taka ovar Lindbarg Corporation, but as it turnad out, Danriqua cama


    praparad.


    Danriqua was navar ona to cara about powar and status, but ha would navart anyona who crossad


    him off tha hook.


    Harriar was smart. Ha knaw that tha prasidant would not ba a to do anything to him as long as


    Danriqua coulda back aliva.


    Tharafora, ha had to stop halping tha prasidant, or alsa ha was doomad to a tarri daath.


    But what can I do?


    Harriar was grippad with anxiousnass.


    Right than, William sant his man to bring a tortoisa to him.


    The moment Harrier saw it, he immediately understood that it was best for him to act like a tortoise


    hiding in its shell at a time like this.


    Hence, he immediately went into hiding.


    Kevin grew a brain this time, for he did the same thing as Harrier. Therefore, both of them went into


    hiding.


    The two of them abandoned Lindberg Corporation and discreetly fled the country. Even if the president


    and his wife were furious, there was nothing they could do about them.


    The tide had changed. The presidential pce was losing the people''s trust, and the army and the


    Ministry of Law were starting to waver. Even the ones who were sent to keep an eye on the Lindberg


    family were beginning to work half-heartedly. As a matter of fact, they were even letting many things


    slip by them knowingly.


    Everyone was waiting for Danrique to return.


    The perilous state of everything forced the president to hold a press conference, hoping to rify


    certain things to salvage his reputation.


    At three in the afternoon the next day, right as the president was about to head up the stage for his


    speech, he received a piece of shocking news.


    His wife and his daughter had been kidnapped!


    All colors drained from the president''s face when he heard the news, but he soon calmed down and


    announced the kidnapping of his family at the press conference. Then, he started to try to gain


    sympathy from the people.


    However, in the middle of his pitiful act, he received a message. Mr. President, aren''t you afraid of us


    killing your wife and daughter if you continue to y the pity card?

 Chapter 2285

    Chapter 2285


    It was a call from an unknown number.


    The initially calm president was overwhelmed by mixed reactions. The culprit must be a powerful figure.


    Otherwise, he wouldn''t have been able to kidnap my wife and daughter under the watchful eyes of the


    guards.


    The president believed the culprit was aware of his every move. By right, no one else, besides the


    crewmembers and the journalists in the hall, would know what he said since the press conference was


    not live-streamed.


    Even the recorded video would only be released half an hourter once the president''s secretary had


    reviewed the content. Who is the culprit? What does he want from me?


    The journalists began bombarding him with questions. ¡°Mr. President, did someone really kidnap the


    firstdy and Ms. Avery?¡±


    ¡°Mr. President, who do you think kidnapped them?¡±


    ¡°Mr. President, what''s your opinion on thetest news about you? Do you think someone did that to


    sabotage you?¡±


    ¡°Mr. President...¡±


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    The president stared at the phone with anxiousness written all over his face.


    The press conference was a good opportunity to dispel the rumors, but he had to be mindful of his next


    course of action since someone had threatened him by kidnapping the firstdy and his daughter. I


    might put my wife and daughter in danger if I say something that will agitate the kidnapper. However, I


    might lose the chance to clear things up if I don''t say anything. Everyone will think that I''m guilty.


    ¡°Mr. President...¡± the journalists continued shooting questions while the photographers kept snapping


    his photos.


    After pulling himself together, he lifted his head, looked at the crowd with steady eyes, and answered


    furiously, ¡°Yes. Someone kidnapped my wife and my daughter. I believe the mastermind is the person


    who has recently circted the rumors to tarnish my reputation.¡±


    He took out his phone and showed the journalists the text message. ¡°I received this text message as I


    was walking into the hall. The person was trying to stop me from telling the truth...¡±


    ¡°Could you please tell us more, Mr. President?¡±


    The journalists got even more excited as they believed this breaking news would be able to capture


    viewers'' attention.


    ¡°Who''s the mastermind? How did he kidnap the firstdy and Ms. Avery when there were bodyguards


    around?¡± One of the journalists raised his doubt.


    ¡°The mastermind is someone authoritative and influential, isn''t he?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The president was fuming. ¡°Someone who could spread rumors to sabotage me and kidnap my


    family is definitely not an ordinary folk. I just want to be a president who serves the citizens. What have


    I done wrong? What did I do to deserve this?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Prasidant...¡± tha journalists continuad shooting quastions wh tha photographars kapt snapping


    his photos.


    Aftar pulling himsalf togathar, ha liftad his haad, lookad at tha crowd with staady ayas, and answarad


    furiously, ¡°Yas. Somaona kidnappad my wifa and my daughtar. I baliava tha mastarmind is tha parson


    who has racantly circtad tha rumors to tarnish my raputation.¡±


    Ha took out his phona and showad tha journalists tha taxt massaga. ¡°I racaivad this taxt massaga as I


    was walking into tha hall. Tha parson was trying to stop ma from talling tha truth...¡±


    ¡°Could you asa tall us mora, Mr. Prasidant?¡±


    Tha journalists got avan mora axcitad as thay baliavad this braaking naws would ba a to captura


    viawars'' attantion.


    ¡°Who''s tha mastarmind? How did ha kidnap tha firstdy and Ms. Avary whan thara wara bodyguards


    around?¡± Ona of tha journalists raisad his doubt.


    ¡°Tha mastarmind is somaona authoritativa and influantial, isn''t ha?¡±


    ¡°Yas.¡± Tha prasidant was fuming. ¡°Somaona who could spraad rumors to sabotaga ma and kidnap my


    family is dafinitaly not an ordinary folk. I just want to ba a prasidant who sarvas tha citizans. What hava


    I dona wrong? What did I do to dasarva this?¡±


    ¡°I know I''m risking my wife''s and daughter''s lives by exposing this, but as a president, I''m more


    concerned about the fate of Erihal than my reputation. Even if I have to put my family in danger, I still


    need to tell the truth,¡± he added.


    His voice was filled with righteous indignation.


    The mncholy tone in his voice had won him some sympathy.


    It was as if a righteous man was bullied to a point where he had no choice but to cry for help.


    The journalists, who felt sorry for the president and sympathized with him, began to ask more


    questions. Some of them even deduced that Danrique orchestrated this to usurp the presidency.


    Many journalists, too, agreed with the conspiracy theory.


    In the blink of an eye, the tables had turned.


    The president was pleased with the turn of events as he knew things were turning around for him.


    Meanwhile, in a deserted warehouse, the firstdy''s jaw dropped when she heard what the president


    said from theputer''s monitor.


    She was aware of how power-hungry her husband was, but never in a million years had she ever


    imagined that he would leave her and their daughter in the lurch.

 Chapter 2286

    Chapter 2286


    The firstdy could not help but wonder how unimportant they were in the president''s eyes. He can


    rece me with another woman, but how about Avery? She''s his biological daughter! How can he be


    so heartless?


    ¡°I don''t believe this. I don''t!¡± The initially arrogant Avery was overwhelmed with fear. ¡°Daddy cares


    about me. He''lle and rescue me. He will for sure!¡±


    ¡°Mr. President didn''t n to save you at all.¡± Lupine, who had put on a mask, sneered icily, ¡°Your life is


    worth nothing to him.¡±


    She then gestured for two subordinates to drag Avery to arge meat grinder.


    At the same time, another subordinate turned on the machine.


    ¡°Ah... ah...!¡± Avery screeched in fear.


    ¡°No!¡± The agitated firstdy stopped them from leaving. ¡°Take me! You can do anything to me, but don''t


    hurt my daughter!¡±


    ¡°Anything?¡± Lupine tapped her face with a dagger. ¡°You''d better think carefully.¡±


    ¡°I''m willing to do anything as long as you let go of my daughter!¡± the firstdy bellowed as she


    panicked.


    ¡°Very well.¡± Lupine gestured.


    Morgan turned off the meat grinder. At that time, Avery, who was hung upside down, had already


    fainted. if Morgan were to turn on the machine again, she would have fallen into the grinding chamber.


    The firstdy was aware of their intention. She knew her daughter would suffer a miserable death if she


    refused to cooperate. ¡°What do you want from me?¡±


    Her entire body was shivering, but she forced herself to remain calm. Go ahead and kill me, but spare


    my daughter!


    ¡°Look into the lens and confess the crimes you and the president hadmitted!¡± Lupine ordered.


    A subordinate lifted a camera and aimed at the firstdy.


    ¡°I know nothing. The president doesn''t allow me to ask him anything,¡± the firstdy replied in a steady


    tone, ¡°I can''t tell you anything, even if you kill my daughter and me.¡±


    After a short pause, she continued, ¡°But I can confess the crimes Imitted to clear Francesca''s


    name!¡±


    ¡°He doesn''t care about you and your daughter, yet you''re still trying to protect him?¡± Lupine pointed at


    theputer. ¡°Did you not hear what he said? He knew well enough we would kill you after he said


    that, yet he still did it without remorse. He''s clearly a very selfish man!¡±


    ¡°You''re right.¡± The firstdy responded with a sarcasticugh. ¡°All his life, he only cared about himself.


    To him, people around him, including my daughter and I, are merely pawns he could use to his


    advantage.¡±


    ¡°If that''s the case, why are you still defending him?¡± Lupine could not understand why.


    ¡°I''m not defending him. I really have no idea what he did,¡± the firstdy said seriously, ¡°He''s a paranoid


    person who doesn''t even trust his wife.¡±


    Har antira body was shivaring, but sha forcad harsalf to ramain calm. Go ahaad and kill ma, but spara


    my daughtar!


    ¡°Look into thans and confass tha crimas you and tha prasidant hadmittad!¡± Lupina ordarad.


    A subordinata liftad a camara and aimad at tha firstdy.


    ¡°I know nothing. Tha prasidant doasn''t allow ma to ask him anything,¡± tha firstdy rapliad in a staady


    tona, ¡°I can''t tall you anything, avan if you kill my daughtar and ma.¡±


    Aftar a short pausa, sha continuad, ¡°But I can confass tha crimas Imittad to ar Francasca''s


    nama!¡±


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    ¡°Ha doasn''t cara about you and your daughtar, yat you''ra still trying to protact him?¡± Lupina pointad at


    thaputar. ¡°Did you not haar what ha said? Ha knaw wall anough wa would kill you aftar ha said


    that, yat ha still did it without ramorsa. Ha''s arly a vary salfish man!¡±


    ¡°You''ra right.¡± Tha firstdy raspondad with a sarcasticugh. ¡°All his lifa, ha only carad about himsalf.


    To him, pao around him, including my daughtar and I, ara maraly pawns ha could usa to his


    advantaga.¡±


    ¡°If that''s tha casa, why ara you still dafanding him?¡± Lupina could not undarstand why.


    ¡°I''m not dafanding him. I raally hava no idaa what ha did,¡± tha firstdy said sariously, ¡°Ha''s a paranoid


    parson who doasn''t avan trust his wifa.¡±


    ¡°You might not know all the serious crimes he hadmitted, but I bet you know some of the awful


    things he had done,¡± Lupine said with a smirk. ¡°I''ll ask the questions, and you answer.¡±


    The firstdy let out a cold snort and said, ¡°Danrique is indeed a very tactful opponent. When he made


    it out alive, I knew we were doomed.¡±


    She knew these people were Danrique''s subordinates.


    The firstdy might not know everything about the president, but Lupine and the others could stille


    up with questions to solicit some insider information from her.


    The president must have been pleased with how things had turned out. He felt the kidnap had given


    him a chance to y the pity card in front of the citizens. Gaining the people''s sympathy meant he was


    one step closer to making aeback.


    Yet, he did not know his wife was utterly disappointed with his action.


    The firstdy no longer cared about safeguarding their marriage. At that point, she just wanted to


    protect her daughter at all costs.


    After all, forcing them to spill out the truth was Danrique''s ultimate motive.


    ¡°Now, look into the lens and confess the things you''ve done to make Ms. Felch a scapegoat,¡± Lupine


    ordered, ¡°start by telling us about more Avery, the illegitimate child of the family.¡±

 Chapter 2287

    Chapter 2287


    The president was still pretending to be pitiful when another breaking news was reported.


    The firstdy admitted that she attempted to frame Francesca, which was consistent with the


    spection in the previous news¡ªChrono was Avery''s lover, and Candice was her illegitimate child.


    Because of Candice''s death, Avery, who was already unhappy with her life and suffering from severe


    depression, became even more mentally unstable.


    The firstdy med Francesca for everything. As soon as Danrique was in trouble, she began to


    exact her revenge on Francesca by ensuring that the woman met with the Atkinsons. That way, she


    could poison Gerard and me Francesca for it.


    In the video, the firstdy even arranged to buy off the Atkinsons'' family doctor and the forensic


    examiner. The evidence presented was solid and conclusive.


    Immediately, public opinion set off another uproar.


    What sympathy the president had won had just then instantly evaporated as everyone shifted their


    attention to the firstdy and wondered if there would be any more shocking news.


    Meanwhile, William, who was watching the news in a wheelchair, finally rxed his furrowed eyebrows.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg is back. It must be Mr. Lindberg,¡± Hazel said excitedly.


    ¡°Yes.¡± William watched as the dark clouds in the sky slowly dissipated. ¡°Finally, the storm is over...¡±


    In a hidden vi somewhere, Danrique was watching the news on aputer screen with a deadpan


    expression, yet his eyes were filled with a thousand emotions.


    Not long after Sean checked his watch for a countdown, Danrique''s phone, which had just been turned


    on, rang. He looked at the phone screen and smirked. ¡°It''s the president.¡±


    ¡°Don''t answer it,¡± ordered Danrique calmly.


    ¡°Understood.¡± Sean knew Danrique was testing the president''s patience since the president was only


    open to discussion after Danrique had gotten the upper hand.


    Since Danrique was no pushover, he wanted the president to plead with him in person.


    The other reason for that was to prevent the president from pretending to seek peace and taking the


    opportunity to end Danrique once and for all.


    After all, Danrique was severely injured, and the Lindberg family suffered a great loss. Should the


    president decide to exercise his military power and mobilize the army, Danrique would be in grave


    danger.


    Even if Danrique had hundreds of elite bodyguards, he would not be able to withstand such a powerful


    force.


    That was why he had to humbly seek Riz Corporation''s help.


    Only with thepany''s protection could Danrique stand a chance against the president.


    The phone screen kept shing until the call ended, and since the device did not ring again after that,


    Danrique assumed the president was panicking about failing to reach him.


    Not long aftar Saan chackad his watch for a countdown, Danriqua''s phona, which had just baan turnad


    on, rang. Ha lookad at tha phona scraan and smirkad. ¡°It''s tha prasidant.¡±


    ¡°Don''t answar it,¡± ordarad Danriqua calmly.


    ¡°Undarstood.¡± Saan knaw Danriqua was tasting tha prasidant''s patianca sinca tha prasidant was only


    opan to discussion aftar Danriqua had gottan tha uppar hand.


    Sinca Danriqua was no pushovar, ha wantad tha prasidant to ad with him in parson.


    Tha othar raason for that was to pravant tha prasidant from pratanding to saak paaca and taking tha


    opportunity to and Danriqua onca and for all.


    Aftar all, Danriqua was savaraly injurad, and tha Lindbarg family suffarad a graat loss. Should tha


    prasidant dacida to axarcisa his military powar and mobiliza tha army, Danriqua would ba in grava


    dangar.


    Evan if Danriqua had hundrads of alita bodyguards, ha would not ba a to withstand such a powarful


    forca.


    That was why ha had to humbly saak Riz Corporation''s halp.


    Only with thapany''s protaction could Danriqua stand a chanca against tha prasidant.


    Tha phona scraan kapt shing until tha call andad, and sinca tha davica did not ring again aftar that,


    Danriqua assumad tha prasidant was panicking about failing to raach him.


    ncing coldly at the phone, Danrique ordered, ¡°Have Lupine carry on with the interrogation and do


    her best to get more secrets.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Sean quickly ryed the order. He thenmented with a chuckle, ¡°These women are


    pretty capable. Although they''re new, they have no problem aplishing their missions.¡±


    ¡°That''s true. They''re much more capable than you guys,¡± responded Danrique, ring at Sean.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Sean quickly lowered his head.


    After what happened to La, Sloan, and the others, Danrique was more than displeased with Sean


    and Gordon. The only reason the two were exempted from punishment was that he needed them at the


    critical moment.


    ¡°Anything from Gordon?¡± Danrique asked.


    ¡°The news just came in, and I was about to report it,¡± replied Sean. ¡°Gordon followed Mr. Lincoln and


    Anthony up the mountain and saw a male eagle circling the peak. He assumed that was how the two


    knew Ms. Felch was on the mountain. If he follows the trail, I believe he''ll find her soon.¡±


    Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I hope so...¡± Danrique had mixed feelings about the news. He owed Francesca too much. Not only did


    he not know how to face her, but he also did not know if she would forgive him.


    He was the reason behind everything, including La''s death. Francesca must be heartbroken...

 Chapter 2288

    Chapter 2288


    Even though it was cold on the mountain, Francesca could still survive because a brown bear had been


    sleeping beside her to keep her warm while the other animals searched for food for her.


    Her body had recovered a lot after she had a few days to rest.


    Francesca used to vomit every day in the prison, so when that did not happen in the past few days, she


    could not help but wonder if it was because of the fresh air on the mountain.


    As soon as the rain outside stopped and the snow melted, Francesca was ready to leave the mountain.


    However, just when she was about to exit the cave, she noticed a ray of light in the distance.


    Francesca froze like a statue. No regr people would dare climb this mountain since it''s undeveloped


    and always snowing, so the chances of theming here at night is even more unlikely. Does that


    mean they''re here for me?


    Since Francesca was unsure who the other party was, she decided to leave alone to prevent putting


    the beasts in harm''s way again. After all, many of her animal friends had died trying to help her when


    she summoned them from the underground prison.


    Suddenly, Francesca was stunned when she heard a familiar wolf howling from the foot of the


    mountain. That sound...


    The first person toe into Francesca''s mind was La, but then she remembered the woman was


    already dead. That means it''s... ¡±Mr. Lincoln!¡±


    Francesca immediately rushed toward the light, but because of how slippery the path was, her thin


    clothes, and her weak body, she did not get far before falling.


    At that moment, the big brown bear came out of the cave and lowered itself in front of her.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Francesca directed the beast to Lincoln after getting on its back, and before long, she was


    shedding tears of joy in Anthony''s arms.


    ¡°Francesca!¡± cried Anthony with tears welling up in his eyes as he wrapped his arms around the


    woman. ¡°I thought you were already¡ª¡±


    ¡°I''m fine.¡± Francesca''s eyes, too, turned red. ¡°How did you find this ce?¡±


    ¡°Do you still not know me after all these years?¡± asked Lincoln, who also could not stop smiling. ¡°I knew


    you guys would be okay.¡±


    Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    Francesca''s heart immediately sank to her stomach when she realized that Lincoln thought La had


    been hiding on the mountain with her. He has no idea that Ms. La''s already...


    Seeing Francesca''s expression, Lincoln quickly figured something was wrong. ¡°Francesca, w-where is


    Ms. La?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Where is she?¡± asked Anthony too.


    Francesca simply lowered her head in silence as tears began to flow uncontrobly down her cheeks.


    Lincoln''s legs turned weak the second he saw that, and he copsed to the ground.


    Francasca immadiataly rushad toward tha light, but bacausa of how slippary tha path was, har thin


    clothas, and har waak body, sha did not gat far bafora falling.


    At that momant, tha big brown baar cama out of tha cava and lowarad itsalf in front of har.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Francasca diractad tha baast to Lincoln aftar gatting on its back, and bafora long, sha was


    shadding taars of joy in Anthony''s arms.


    ¡°Francasca!¡± criad Anthony with taars walling up in his ayas as ha wrappad his arms around tha


    woman. ¡°I thought you wara alraady¡ª¡±


    ¡°I''m fina.¡± Francasca''s ayas, too, turnad rad. ¡°How did you find this ca?¡±


    ¡°Do you still not know ma aftar all thasa yaars?¡± askad Lincoln, who also could not stop smiling. ¡°I knaw


    you guys would ba okay.¡±


    Francasca''s haart immadiataly sank to har stomach whan sha raalizad that Lincoln thought La had


    baan hiding on tha mountain with har. Ha has no idaa that Ms. La''s alraady...


    Saaing Francasca''s axprassion, Lincoln quickly figurad somathing was wrong. ¡°Francasca, w-whara is


    Ms. La?¡±


    ¡°Yaah. Whara is sha?¡± askad Anthony too.


    Francasca simply lowarad har haad in snca as taars bagan to flow uncontrobly down har chaaks.


    Lincoln''sgs turnad waak tha sacond ha saw that, and ha copsad to tha ground.


    ¡°Mr. Lincoln!¡± eximed Anthony, hurrying over to help the man.


    ¡°I''m sorry... I''m sorry...¡± Francesca cried so hard that she started to shiver. ¡°It was my fault. I got Ms.


    La killed. It was all because she wanted to save me...¡±


    Filled with guilt, Francesca could not even bear to look Lincoln in the eye. If I could turn back time, I''d


    dly trade my life for Ms. La''s and Sloan''s.


    ¡°Who was it? Who exactly was it who killed Ms. La?¡± Anthony clenched his fists as if he was ready


    to avenge La.


    ¡°You don''t have to do anything.¡± After wiping her tears away, Francesca took a deep breath. ¡°I will


    avenge Ms. La, so just go back to S Nation and stay out of this.¡±


    ¡°We''re already here. How do you expect us to stand idly by?¡± Lincoln''s voice was already deep and


    hoarse. ¡°I promised Ms. La that we''d die together. Now that she''s gone, I have to avenge her.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lincoln... I''m sorry,¡± apologized Francesca while crying.


    ¡°It''s not your fault. The blood is on those murderers'' hands.¡± Lincoln patted Francesca on the shoulder


    after getting up. ¡°Ms. La wished for you to keep on living. You can''t let her down.¡±


    When Francesca heard that, she felt even more terrible.


    ¡°Let''s get out of here first. It''s freezing and dangerous here.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±

 Chapter 2289

    Chapter 2289


    The three supported each other as they made their way down the mountain. Francesca briefly


    exined the situation to Anthony when he asked her about it.


    On the other hand, Lincoln kept his head lowered and remained quiet.


    The man did not scold Francesca for what had happened, inquire about the specifics of the situation, or


    even show grief.


    Aside from how he had copsed to the ground before, Lincoln showed no other reaction.


    He simply kept his head down in silence as if he was thinking about something.


    ¡°I can''t believe how despicable the president and the firstdy are! They have a problem with Danrique,


    so why do they have to involve you? They even got Ms. La caught in the storm,¡±ined


    Anthony furiously.


    ¡°It was my fault.¡± Francesca remembered what La had said to her.


    ¡°What happened between you and Danrique was supposed to be just a rtionship problem, but things


    gotplicated after it got political. Have you thought about the consequences? If you stay, you''ll have


    to face problems like this all the time. You''ll be looking over your shoulder every day. Are you okay with


    that?¡±


    La had been able to tell what would happen to Francesca, so she had tried her best to warn the


    latter. Unfortunately, Francesca did not listen to her.


    Even though La had known what she did would be dangerous, she still stuck by Francesca''s side to


    help clean up her mess without hesitation.


    In the end, she even sacrificed herself to protect her.


    ¡°All you have to do is to be the innocent child you are. I''ll protect you!¡±


    Francesca remembered La saying that to her. She was right. I was so innocent... Countless people


    tried to warn me, but I didn''t listen to them. I have no one but myself to me for what happened.


    ¡°What do you n to do next, Francesca?¡± asked Lincoln, finally breaking his silence.


    Francesca was at a loss for words, as she was unsure how to answer the question.


    Back then, Francesca had been angry with Danrique for secretly taking Hazel to M Nation. However,


    after La''s exnation, Francesca realized the man only did that for her sake, so she decided to trust


    him.


    From an emotional point of view, Francesca loved Danrique and hoped to spend the rest of her life with


    him. On top of that, she was pregnant with their child.


    From the rational point of view, though, she never wanted to go back because no matter how much


    they loved each other, the reality remained cruel. Even though Danrique had returned safely, his war


    with the president had just begun.


    Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    Francesca knew she would have to endure many trials and tribtions if she were to stay with him.


    He''s like a time bomb, ready to explode at any moment.


    In tha and, sha avan sacrificad harsalf to protact har.


    ¡°All you hava to do is to ba tha innocant child you ara. I''ll protact you!¡±


    Francasca ramambarad La saying that to har. Sha was right. I was so innocant... Counss pao


    triad to warn ma, but I didn''t listan to tham. I hava no ona but mysalf to ma for what happanad.


    ¡°What do you n to do naxt, Francasca?¡± askad Lincoln, finally braaking his snca.


    Francasca was at a loss for words, as sha was unsura how to answar tha quastion.


    Back than, Francasca had baan angry with Danriqua for sacratly taking Hazal to M Nation. Howavar,


    aftar La''s axnation, Francasca raalizad tha man only did that for har saka, so sha dacidad to trust


    him.


    From an amotional point of viaw, Francasca lovad Danriqua and hopad to spand tha rast of har lifa with


    him. On top of that, sha was pragnant with thair child.


    From tha rational point of viaw, though, sha navar wantad to go back bacausa no mattar how much


    thay lovad aach othar, tha raality ramainad crual. Evan though Danriqua had raturnad safaly, his war


    with tha prasidant had just bagun.


    Francasca knaw sha would hava to andura many trials and tribtions if sha wara to stay with him.


    Ha''s lika a tima bomb, raady to axploda at any momant.


    She did not fear death, but she was worried about the well-being of those around her. I''ve already lost


    Ms. La; I can''t lose Mr. Lincoln, Anthony, the children at the orphanage, or my unborn baby too!


    That''s why...


    ¡°I''ll return to S Nation after I''ve avenged Ms. La.¡± Francesca quickly made up her mind.


    ¡°Good,¡± responded Anthony, bobbing his head. ¡°You should''ve gone back to S Nation long ago. Don''t


    come to this ce ever again.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? If you return to S Nation, that means you''ll be giving up on your rtionship with


    Danrique,¡± said Lincoln in all seriousness.


    ¡°I''m sure,¡± answered Francesca with a confident nod. ¡°I prefer living my life without a care in the world


    and not to be entangled in this nest of intrigue.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Lincoln nodded in relief. ¡°You''re right to think like that. You''re young; you still have a long way


    to go. Danrique may be good to you, but it''s dangerous to stay by his side.¡±


    ¡°That''s right,¡± Anthony chimed in. ¡°We''ll go back to S Nation after avenging Ms. La and nevere


    to this damn ce again. Right, Mr. Lincoln?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Lincoln nodded before looking into the distance. ¡°We''re almost there. The car is just parked


    beside the road ahead.¡±


    Since there was no road suitable for cars to go up the mountain, Lincoln and Anthony had to climb on


    foot.

 Chapter 2290

    Chapter 2290


    The three continued to walk for a while until they finally saw the car.


    After Anthony helped Francesca into the vehicle, Lincoln drove them all down the mountain.


    By then, dawn was about to break as the morning sun slowly rose on the horizon and shone upon their


    path.


    Leaning back in her seat, Francesca stared nkly out the car window and at the beautiful scenery


    outside, thinking about nothing but the death of La and Sloan.


    Francesca had never done anything she turned out to regret before then. But at that moment, she


    realized she had to live the rest of her life with guilt and regret.


    After all, there was nothing she could do to change the fact that her actions had cost the lives of four


    people.


    Anthony took off his jacket and put it on Francesca before wrapping his arms around her. That was his


    way offorting the woman.


    Perhaps she was too tired because she fell asleep in Anthony''s embrace.


    Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    Lincoln stepped on the elerator to speed up the car, and soon they were down the mountain and


    zooming on a wide road.


    ¡°Where are we heading to, Mr. Lincoln?¡± asked Anthony, sensing that something was off. ¡°This seems


    to be the direction to¡ª¡±


    ¡°To the airport,¡± interrupted Lincoln in a deep voice. ¡°You take Francesca back to S Nation.¡±


    ¡°What about you?¡± Anthony asked hastily.


    ¡°I''m staying to avenge Ms. La,¡± replied Lincoln very calmly.


    Anthony panicked. ¡°Huh? How can you do that by yourself? I¡ª¡±


    Woken up by the man''s somewhat loud reaction, Francesca slowly opened her eyes.


    However, just when Francesca was about to speak, Lincoln swiftly struck her neck with the back of his


    hand and caused her to fall unconsciously back into Anthony''s arms.


    Anthony was dumbfounded after witnessing what Lincoln had done. ¡°What are you doing, Mr. Lincoln?


    Why did you knock Francesca out?¡±


    ¡°How else would you leave on a ne with her?¡± asked Lincoln rhetorically before throwing Anthony a


    ck duffel bag. ¡°Get her changed.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right.¡± Anthony quickly did as told after returning to his senses.


    Even though Anthony was simple-minded, he knew he should leave with Francesca then.


    Lincoln drove so fast that they arrived at the airport in a short time.


    After dressing up Francesca to look like a patient, Anthony ced her in a wheelchair and wheeled her


    to a counter to get their tickets.


    Lincoln had already prepared air tickets for them, so he simply watched as Anthony went through all


    the necessary processes before wheeling Francesca through a security checkpoint.


    Usually, the security personnel would have to check on an unconscious passenger, but since Lincoln


    had already bought off the officer on shift then, Anthony went through the checkpoint with Francesca


    with no problem.


    As Anthony continued to wheel Francesca forward, he turned to look at Lincoln, who waved at them


    before leaving with sheer determination in his eyes.


    After getting back into his car, Lincoln made a phone call. ¡°Did you find anything?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The president will be holding a press conference at the International Conference Center at nine


    o''clock tonight!¡±


    Howavar, just whan Francasca was about to spaak, Lincoln swiftly struck har nack with tha back of his


    hand and causad har to fall unconsciously back into Anthony''s arms.


    Anthony was dumbfoundad aftar witnassing what Lincoln had dona. ¡°What ara you doing, Mr. Lincoln?


    Why did you knock Francasca out?¡±


    ¡°How alsa would youava on a na with har?¡± askad Lincoln rhatorically bafora throwing Anthony a


    ck duffal bag. ¡°Gat har changad.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right.¡± Anthony quickly did as told aftar raturning to his sansas.


    Evan though Anthony was sim-mindad, ha knaw ha shouldava with Francasca than.


    Lincoln drova so fast that thay arrivad at tha airport in a short tima.


    Aftar drassing up Francasca to look lika a patiant, Anthony cad har in a whaalchair and whad har


    to a countar to gat thair tickats.


    Lincoln had alraady praparad air tickats for tham, so ha simply watchad as Anthony want through all


    tha nacassary procassas bafora whaaling Francasca through a sacurity chackpoint.


    Usually, tha sacurity parsonnal would hava to chack on an unconscious passangar, but sinca Lincoln


    had alraady bought off tha officar on shift than, Anthony want through tha chackpoint with Francasca


    with no prom.


    As Anthony continuad to whaal Francasca forward, ha turnad to look at Lincoln, who wavad at tham


    baforaaving with shaar datarmination in his ayas.


    Aftar gatting back into his car, Lincoln mada a phona call. ¡°Did you find anything?¡±


    ¡°Yas. Tha prasidant will ba holding a prass confaranca at tha Intarnational Confaranca Cantar at nina


    o''clock tonight!¡±


    ¡°Good. Thank you!¡±


    Lincoln then hung up and drove directly to the International Conference Center.


    ncing at the rearview mirror, Lincoln saw that the cars tailing him had gone. He knew they belonged


    to the Lindbergs. I guess Danrique has a conscience after all since he didn''t stop Francesca from


    leaving. He probably knows it''s best that she leaves Erihal too.


    At the Lindberg residence, Danrique received a phone call from Gordon.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, Anthony has sessfully passed the security checkpoint with Ms. Felch. Our people are


    secretly keeping an eye on them,¡± reported Gordon.


    ¡°Good. Have them follow the two to S Nation,¡± ordered Danrique.


    ¡°Understood. It''ll be done,¡± Gordon promised. ¡°By the way, Mr. Lincoln drove to the International


    Conference Center. He''s probably nning to assassinate the president.¡±


    ¡°T-The president only decided to go out into the public because he wants to set up a trap. Mr. Lincoln


    will be throwing away his life for nothing if he does anything reckless now,¡± stated Sean nervously.


    ¡°Stop him,¡± Danriquemanded, to which Gordon immediately responded, ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±


    ¡°Ms. La''s death has already caused Ms. Felch enough heartache. I can''t imagine how broken she''d


    be if something were to happen to Mr. Lincoln too,¡± said Sean worriedly. ¡°I heard from Riz Corporation


    that Mr. Lincoln is well-trained inbat and reconnaissance, so I''m not sure if Gordon can stop him.¡±

 Chapter 2291

    Chapter 2291


    Francesca was already on a ne when she finally regained consciousness.


    After freezing for a moment, she searched for Lincoln as soon as she came back to her senses.


    ¡°Mr. Lincoln wanted us to return to S Nation first. He''ll be back after avenging Ms. La,¡± said Anthony


    hesitantly.


    Francesca was furious. ¡°Nonsense! How is Mr. Lincoln going to avenge anyone by himself? He''s


    putting himself in danger!¡±


    ¡°But you''ll be endangering yourself too if you go with him,¡± protested Anthony as he looked pitifully at


    Francesca. ¡°You''re too weak to do anything helpful right now.¡±


    ¡°It''s still better than letting him go alone.¡± Francesca got so angry that she could explode.


    ¡°Ms. La traded her life for yours. If anything happened to you, she would have died for nothing.¡± At


    that moment, Anthony was more serious than he had ever been. ¡°Mr. Lincoln is only doing this for your


    own good. You should listen to him.¡±


    Tears began to roll down Francesca''s cheeks when she heard those words. The usually cheerful


    woman suddenly became a crybaby.


    ¡°Even if you don''t care about yourself, you care about the children at the orphanage, don''t you? What


    will they do without you?¡± Anthony wiped Francesca''s tears away. ¡°I sure won''t be able to earn enough


    money to feed them. Do you want to see them out in the streets? Who''s going to protect them if they


    get bullied? You promised to be their angel forever; you gave them your word that you''d protect and


    care for them until they became adults.¡±


    ¡°But I can''t let Mr. Lincoln endanger himself. I just can''t do it.¡± Francesca shook her head while tears


    began to pool in her eyes once again. ¡°Ms. La has already died for me. I won''t be able to forgive


    myself if anything happens to Mr. Lincoln.¡±


    When Anthony heard that, he fell silent. Mr. Lincoln has taken care of us like a father over the years.


    He and Ms. La were like family to me, so I don''t want to see him in any kind of danger either.


    Suddenly, Anthony remembered something. ¡°Right, when we were searching for you, Mr. Lincoln


    received news that Danrique could be back in Xendale and in a highly favorable position.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    Francesca was immediately filled with hope when she heard Anthony. She checked the time and


    realized they were still six hours away from S Nation. Mr. Lincoln would''ve made his move before we


    reached our destination, and I won''t be able to do anything by then. Wait a second...


    Having thought of something, Francesca inquired, ¡°How did you get me through the security checkpoint


    after I was knocked unconscious?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lincoln bought off one of the staff members to let us through,¡± whispered Anthony into Francesca''s


    ear.


    ¡°That''s impossible.¡± Francesca shook her head. ¡°Since the incident with Danrique, the president has


    tightened up security at the customs. The airport is filled with military personnel, so there''s no way Mr.


    Lincoln could have bought off a staff member on such short notice. Unless...¡±


    ¡°Unless what?¡± asked Anthony curiously.


    ¡°Did you notice anyone following you when you go up or down the mountain?¡± Francesca continued


    with her questions.


    ¡°Mr. Lincoln did mention that we were being followed,¡± replied Anthony, recalling the past. ¡°I asked him


    what we should do, but he said our stalkers meant no harm. He told me not to worry and said nothing


    else.¡±


    ¡°They probably work for Danrique.¡± Francesca breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°That means he really has


    gone back. He sent people to follow you, and when he realized you were taking me back to S Nation,


    he secretly kept an eye on us instead of stopping you.¡±


    Sweeping her gaze across the passengers on the ne, Francesca guessed that the Lindbergs''


    people were among them, which meant Danrique agreed she should return to S Nation and that he


    knew Lincoln was nning to assassinate the president. Danrique will probably stop or protect Mr.


    Lincoln.


    ¡°It''s possible that you''re right.¡± Everything started to make sense to Anthony then. ¡°Don''t worry. I don''t


    think Danrique will let anything happen to Mr. Lincoln. We''ll try to contact Mr. Lincoln when we get off


    the ne.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Even though Francesca had mixed feelings about the situation, she had no choice but to hope


    for the best.Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 2292

    Chapter 2292


    Francesca and Anthony counted down every second until six hours finally went by.


    As soon as the nended, Francesca took Anthony''s phone and instinctively dialed Danrique''s


    phone number. However, she froze before she could tap all the numbers.


    She was unsure how to talk to the man, so she decided to call Gordon instead.


    When the call failed to go through, Francesca got anxious. She quickly tried to call Sean, only to


    discover that his phone had been turned off.


    Feeling helpless, Francesca eventually resorted to calling Danrique but was gripped with anxiety when


    his line turned out to be busy.


    ¡°Let''s go home first, Francesca,¡± suggested Anthony as he tried to pull her into a car.


    However, Francesca refused to do so. ¡°I''m not going home. We have to get air tickets now to go back


    to Xendale. We must find Mr. Lincoln.¡±


    With that, she dragged Anthony to the ticket counter.


    ¡°Are you out of your mind?¡± Anthony immediately stopped Francesca. ¡°We finally got out of Xendale,


    and you want to go back? Do you have any idea how many people want to kill you? What makes you


    think you''ll survive if you return to that ce?¡±


    ¡°We can''t just send Mr. Lincoln to his death!¡± eximed Francesca anxiously. ¡°I already have four


    deaths on me. I don''t intend to add another one.¡±


    ¡°Francesca...¡± Just when Anthony was about to say something, his phone rang.Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Francesca hurriedly answered the call. ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°It''s me, Francesca,¡± greeted William from the other end of the line in a surprised tone. ¡°I thought I''d try


    calling Anthony, but I didn''t actually expect you to be with him. Are you safe?¡±


    ¡°I''m very safe,¡± replied Francesca. ¡°William, how''s the situation in Xendale?¡±


    ¡°Well...¡± William hesitated. ¡°The president was shot during a press conference an hour ago. The


    perpetrator was caught¡ªit was Mr. Lincoln!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Francesca''s eyes widened, for she was fully convinced that Danrique would have stopped


    Lincoln. I didn''t think this would happen!


    ¡°So the president''s dead?¡± Anthony directed his question to the device.


    ¡°It was announced that the president had been severely injured and that he was receiving emergency


    treatment. But from what I can see in the video on the news, his injury isn''t lethal,¡± replied William in all


    seriousness. ¡°I think the president and his team are taking the opportunity to get the public to


    sympathize with him. Public opinion has been very unfavorable to the president recently. L was sure it


    wouldn''t be long before he got what he wanted. Unfortunately, after what Mr. Lincoln did today, I''m


    afraid the tide is turning.¡±


    ¡°What about Mr. Lincoln? Will he be in danger?¡± Francesca could not care less about politics because


    she only wanted to know about Lincoln''s situation then.


    ¡°Not for now, at least,¡± answered William. ¡°The first thing the president''s people will do is identify Mr.


    Lincoln. Once they realize he''s your kin, they''ll trade him for L.¡±


    Here, the man sighed before continuing, ¡°I heard L sent Gordon to stop Mr. Lincoln, but Mr. Lincoln was


    skillful enough to lose Gordon. After Mr. Lincoln blended in at the International Conference Center, it


    was toote for Gordon to do anything. Mr. Lincoln was too impulsive. L finally got the upper hand, but


    now it''s all ruined.¡±


    ¡°Who wouldn''t be? Ms. La died,¡± stated Francesca somewhat angrily.


    ¡°Sorry, Francesca. That''s not what I meant,¡± William quickly apologized. ¡°I just thought L would be


    upset about what happened. With his n ruined, it''ll be difficult for him to deal with the president now.¡±


    As William was exining, Sean called. ¡°I''m hanging up now, William. Sean is calling,¡± informed


    Francesca hastily.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    The moment Francesca answered Sean''s call, she questioned, ¡°Sean, how''s Mr. Lincoln?¡±


    ¡°Ms. Felch, Mr. Lincoln has been apprehended for attempting to assassinate the president. Mr.


    Lindberg is figuring out what to do now.¡±

 Chapter 2293

    Chapter 2293


    Sean uttered evasively, ¡°Ms. Felch, don''t worry. We will save Mr. Lincoln. You should take care of


    yourself.¡±


    ¡°Where''s Danrique? Let him answer the phone.¡±


    Francesca was anxious. She had been detained in the dungeon for a long time, so she knew well the


    brutal torment one would suffer in there.


    Back then, the firstdy didn''t dare toy a finger on her, but the same couldn''t be said for Lincoln.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg is talking to the president on the phone.¡± Sean covered the speaker with his hand and


    whispered, ¡°He''s gravely injured and is very weak at the moment. He will return your call after he


    finishes his conversation with the president.¡±


    Hearing that, Francesca couldn''t bring herself to probe further. She had no choice but to say, ¡°Okay. I''ll


    wait for him to contact me.¡±


    After pausing briefly, she added, ¡°Sean, Ms. La is dead. Mr. Lincoln is the only rtive I have left. I


    cannot allow anything bad to befall him.¡±


    ¡°I know, Ms. Felch,¡± Sean replied politely.


    After hanging up the call, he looked inside through the door to the study room that was left ajar. He


    couldn''t help but sigh at the sight of Danrique overexerting his frail body to continue talking on the


    phone with the president.


    Just as William had mentioned, the circumstances had been advantageous to them initially.


    Danrique had managed to turn the tables. Unfortunately, Lincoln was captured by the president. Not


    only did that allow the president to garner sympathy, but the president also gained a trump card.


    Moreover, Gordon had been shot while rescuing Lincoln and was now lying in the hospital.


    The present situation had be unfavorable to them.


    Sean''s subordinate hurried over and uttered in a hushed tone, ¡°Mr. Lindberg''s wound is bleeding.¡±


    Sean hastily returned to the study room.


    ¡°Aren''t you tired of spouting so much nonsense with your indirect manner of speech?¡±


    Danrique leaned against the backseat as he talked on the phone. Despite his enfeebled state, he still


    carried himself in the same authoritative manner.


    Sean noticed blooding out of the wound on Danrique''s shoulder. He reckoned it was because


    Danrique had punched the tabletop when he grew agitated earlier.


    Sean immediately took out the medical kit to stop his bleeding.


    However, he didn''t dare to approach when he saw Danrique furrow his brow.


    ¡°Just be straightforward with your request.¡±


    Danrique had lost his patience to beat about the bush with the president. This cunning man merely took


    a shot below his corbone. The bullet didn''t evene close to his heart, yet he announced to the


    public that he was in critical condition and was undergoing emergency medical treatment.


    The president had stirred the citizens into thinking he was distressed with the news about his wife and


    daughter being kidnapped and his gunshot wound.Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    He had seized that opportunity to dere to the public how Danrique, the greedy and ruthless man,


    had been trying to secure the presidency for himself by causing so much trouble.


    Danrique thought the president couldn''t be more hypocritical and shameless.


    ¡°Danrique, to be honest, there isn''t a second person as talented as you in Erihal. Losing you will not


    only be a loss to the nation but also to me. Why is there a need for us to fight against one another?


    Why don''t we restore the harmony between us? You''ll continue to manage Lindberg Corporation while I


    resume my position as president. Isn''t this a wonderful oue for both of us?¡± the president chirped,


    obviously hoping for a reconciliation.


    He was well aware that holding Lincoln hostage was insufficient to force Danrique to yield, but there


    might be a chance for them to make peace.


    ¡°You brought about so much trouble, yet you''re asking for a settlement now?¡± Danrique sneered. ¡°Why


    should I agree with this?¡±


    ¡°I know you''re feeling resentful, so I''m open to considering all the conditions you have in mind.


    Everything can be discussed as long as we can put this conflict behind us.¡± The president spoke in a


    friendly tone.


    He knew Danrique still had the high ground even though he had seized Lincoln.


    Lincoln''s life wasn''t a bargaining chip worthy of convincing Danrique to give up the battle.


    After all, he and his wife had previously gone overboard with their actions.


    A vengeful person like Danrique would never let them off the hook so easily.


    ¡°I don''t mind a reconciliation, but you''ll need to admit your crimes publicly, issue an apology, and step


    down as the president to face legal punishments. Otherwise, you can forget it!¡± Danrique uttered


    unceremoniously.


    ¡°Danrique, are you not giving me any room for negotiation?¡± The president''s face darkened


    instantaneously. ¡°I''ve investigated Mr. Lincoln''s identity and figured out he''s your fianc¨¦e''s godfather.


    Now that her godmother is dead, do you think your adorable fianc¨¦e will ever forgive you if something


    bad happens to Mr. Lincoln as well?¡±

 Chapter 2294

    Chapter 2294


    ¡°I don''t care about her forgiveness. Killing you is more important to me!¡± Danrique countered


    mercilessly.


    ¡°You¡ª¡± Lincoln was rendered speechless. ¡°It seems that you don''t even care if Mr. Lincoln lives or


    dies.¡±


    ¡°Why should I care if someone unrted to me dies? I can''t believe you think I willpromise for his


    sake. What a joke!¡±


    ¡°You¡ª¡± After being momentarily stumped, the president swiftly continued to provoke him, ¡°Danrique,


    you are indeed cold-blooded!¡±


    Danrique replied disdainfully, ¡°Thank you for thepliment. Still, I am nothingpared to you in


    terms of being hard-hearted. Mr. Lincoln is just someone with no rtion to me. On the other hand, you


    are even capable of disregarding your wife''s and daughter''s lives. You are the true epitome of


    ruthlessness.¡±


    ¡°Capturing them won''t do you any good since they don''t know a thing,¡± the president said indifferently.


    Danrique seized that opportunity to make a suggestion. ¡°Let me give you a chance. I''ll let go of your


    wife and daughter in exchange for Mr. Lincoln. This should be a very worthwhile deal for you.¡±


    Danrique had spoken so much earlier for the sole reason of achieving that goal.


    ¡°It looks like you still care after all.¡± The president smiled. ¡°Two people in exchange for one is indeed a


    good deal. However, I refuse!¡±


    ¡°You¡ª¡±


    ¡°I understand now.¡± The president sounded smug. ¡°You still care about Francesca. You''re willing to give


    up marrying my daughter to be the president''s son-inw and coborating with me through this


    arranged marriage because of her. In that case, you will continue to give up more things for her sake.


    You''re such a loyal young man. This is so touching. Consider my offer well. As long as you''re willing to


    reconcile, I''ll let go of Mr. Lincoln at once!¡±


    With that, the president hung up the call. The corner of his lips curled into a wicked smile. At that


    moment, he understood Lincoln''s value as a trump card.


    ¡°Was the phone conversation earlier recorded?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. President.¡±


    ¡°Trim out the few sentences Danrique said just now, and think of a way to send the modified recording


    to Francesca.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    ¡°The audacity!¡± Danrique hurled the phone in anger.


    Sean quicklyforted him, ¡°Calm down, Mr. Lindberg. Your wound has ruptured. Let me help you


    apply the medication. You need to stop moving.¡±


    ¡°Go away!¡± Danrique was livid. ¡°That fool, Gordon, has repeatedly failed me in carrying out his duty. Tell


    him toe here immediately to receive his punishment!¡±


    ¡°Gordon was shot. He''s at the hospital right now,¡± Sean answered in a low voice.


    Danrique was instantaneously stunned. After the president was shot, the situation spiraled out of


    control. He had ordered Gordon to bring Lincoln back at once, yet thetter had still been taken away


    by the president''s men.


    Overwhelmed by rage, Danrique had bellowed and begun thinking of ways to handle the predicament.


    He didn''t know Gordon had also suffered a gunshot wound while trying to rescue Lincoln.


    Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Is he all right?¡± Danrique asked in a hurry.


    ¡°He''s not in any mortal danger, but his internal organ is damaged.¡± Sean''s voice sounded a little


    hoarse. ¡°We''re short-staffed at that moment, so I''ve asked Lupine to bring two men with her toe


    back and help out.¡±


    Danrique did not respond. No matter how formidable he might be, he still wasn''t a match for the


    president''s armed forces.


    If this impasse drags on, I''ll continue losing my subordinates and end up short-handed. Sooner orter,


    I will be at a disadvantage.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, let me treat your wound first.¡± Sean carefully tended to Danrique''s injury as he consoled,


    ¡°The president is ying mind games with you right now. Even if he disregards his wife and daughter''s


    survival, he''ll need to be wary of his wife divulging his secrets. You did the right thing by pretending not


    to care about Mr. Lincoln just now. If the president fails to hold out against the pressure ultimately, he


    will use Mr. Lincoln to trade for his wife and daughter.¡±


    ¡°Yes. This is a time to test out which of us is more heartless.¡±


    Sean said thoughtfully, ¡°Actually, I can''t shake off the feeling that Mr. Lincoln deliberately let himself get


    caught.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Danrique promptly asked.


    ¡°Gordon''s subordinates who went with him earlier mentioned they could''ve saved Mr. Lincoln initially,


    but he shoved them away. Then, he picked up a gun again and rushed toward the president. That was


    why he got caught.¡±

 Chapter 2295

    Chapter 2295


    A conflicted expression crossed Danrique''s face.


    He had heard Francesca mention that although Lincoln and La liked to fight like cat and dog, they


    had actually gone through life-and-death situations together since they were young. They had shared


    weal and woe and had been very close.


    After La''s passing, Lincoln had no will to live either.


    At the time, he probably already knew that the president didn''t get killed by that gunshot and was


    worried he would not get another chance after he left. Hence, he was willing to rush over and fire


    another shot even though it meant risking his life.


    ¡°Perhaps he had already considered all the possibilities before going and had no intention of making it


    out alive,¡± Sean spected.


    Danrique frowned. ¡°I guess so.¡±


    ¡°Actually, things couldn''t be simpler. I''ve discovered that Mr. Lincoln is locked up in the same dungeon


    where Ms. Felch was previously imprisoned. I can bribe the guard responsible for keeping watch. Then


    we can talk to Mr. Lincoln over the phone and find out just what''s going on,¡± Sean suggested.


    Hearing that, Danrique fell silent.


    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°You think it''s a bad idea?¡± Sean asked softly.


    ¡°There''s no need to ask. Since Mr. Lincoln dared to rush into the International Conference Center to


    assassinate the president, he must''ve prepared himself to meet his end. Perhaps it''s just as you said.


    He had no intention of living...¡±


    Danrique looked grave as he continued, ¡°However, whether or not he wants to live is one matter. As for


    whether I rescue him or not, that''s an entirely different matter.¡±


    ¡°That''s true.¡±


    Realization dawned on Sean. Danrique did not only care about Lincoln''s fate but also Francesca''s


    feelings.


    After all, the whole situation stemmed from Danrique, and he was already overwhelmed with guilt for


    involving La. If something happened to Lincoln, Francesca would probably never forgive him.


    ¡°Oh, I nearly forgot,¡± Sean said, pping his palm against his forehead. ¡°Ms. Felch called just now to


    ask about Mr. Lincoln''s condition. I told her you were on the phone and would get back to herter.¡±


    With that, he had someone go and get a new phone, then inserted Danrique''s SIM card into it.


    Danrique had smashed his phone earlier.


    He stared at the new phone and motioned for the subordinate to take it away.


    At this time, I genuinely have no idea how I should face her.


    Meanwhile, Francesca had been waiting for Danrique''s call after returning home with no luck.


    She was on pins and needles. She took Anthony''s phone and was thinking of calling Danrique when a


    message from Erihal suddenly came in.


    She checked the message curiously, only to find it was an audio recording.


    ¡°Danrique, are you not giving me any room for negotiation? I''ve investigated Mr. Lincoln''s identity and


    figured out he''s your fianc¨¦e''s godfather. Now that her godmother is dead, do you think your adorable


    fianc¨¦e will ever forgive you if something bad happens to Mr. Lincoln as well?¡±


    ¡°I don''t care about her forgiveness. Killing you is more important to me!¡±


    ¡°It seems that you don''t even care if Mr. Lincoln lives or dies.¡±


    ¡°Why should I care if someone unrted to me dies? I can''t believe you think I willpromise for his


    sake. What a joke!¡±


    ¡°Danrique, you are indeed cold-blooded!¡±


    Those words struck Francesca like a bolt of lightning. She had fully expected that Danrique would do


    everything to save Lincoln and was even eagerly waiting for his call.


    I certainly never thought it''d end up like this. What does a person''s life mean to him? And what do I


    mean to him? Does nothing matter to him apart from his power and status?


    Anthony was also enraged after hearing the recording. ¡°How deplorable of Danrique! How could he say


    such things? Is he really not going to rescue Mr. Lincoln?¡±


    Francesca did not respond. She gripped the phone while trying her hardest topose herself.


    Suddenly, Anthony thought of a crucial question. ¡°Wait a minute. Who sent the message? Danrique and


    the president should be the only ones who know about the conversation between them.¡±

 Chapter 2296

    Chapter 2296


    The question jolted Francesca. Then, she muttered under her breath, ¡°There''s no way Danrique


    would''ve sent it. It must be the president''s doing.¡±


    ¡°He actually knows my number and even knows that you''re with me?¡± Anthony was stunned.


    ¡°The second you and Mr. Lincoln stepped into Xendale, you had no way of escaping his radar.¡±


    Suddenly, something seemed to click in Francesca''s mind. ¡°He''s probably also aware I returned to S


    Nation with you. In that case, does that mean he has long known that Mr. Lincoln wanted to find him


    and seek revenge? Could he have deliberately set up that press conference to lure Mr. Lincoln into his


    trap?¡±


    That made Anthony''s hair stand on end. ¡°That''s so scary. Everything about the political world is


    terrifying. It feels as though others are monitoring my every move. There''s a motive behind everything


    those people do and say.¡±


    Francesca cradled her head in her hands. ¡°Indeed. I must remain calm andposed. I have to. I can


    no longer pay heed to anyone''s provocations at this time.¡±


    She was thoroughly racked with guilt. Back then, I was too trusting of the president''s wife, thus allowing


    others to take advantage of it. I was framed and thrown into jail, dragging Ms. La and Sloan into the


    mess and causing their deaths. One should learn from one''s mistakes. I can''t act so rashly again.


    ¡°Yes, you''re absolutely right,¡± Anthony said while nodding emphatically. ¡°Ms. La and Mr. Lincoln


    approved of Danrique''s character, which means he''s not a bad person. It''s just that the situation he''s in


    and his status will attract danger to those around him.¡±


    ¡°I suppose so,¡± Francesca murmured, struggling to gather herself.


    Just as her thoughts were running wild, William called again. Francesca told him about the recording


    and discussed rescuing Lincoln.


    Upon hearing that, William immediately said, ¡°It has to be a plot by the president. You mustn''t fall for it.


    Recordings can be edited, and it''s easy to take things out of context. Besides, even if Danrique did say


    those things, it could be a form of strategy. After all, one can''t falter when negotiating with one''s rival.


    He can''t possibly beg for the president to release him, right?¡±


    ¡°What you say does make sense,¡± Francesca replied, digesting his words. ¡°But what do we do now? Is


    there any other way to rescue Mr. Lincoln?¡±


    ¡°I''m afraid not. The only way is to wait,¡± William responded.


    Francesca grew anxious. ¡°How long do we need to wait? Ms. La is dead because of me. I can''t let


    anything happen to Mr. Lincoln. Forget it. I''lle up with a rescue n on my own.¡±


    ¡°Don''t do anything reckless. Now is not the time to be rash,¡± William quickly advised. ¡°Ms. La and


    Sloan were too impulsive, which led to their tragic end. Had they calmed down and waited for a while,


    Gordon would''ve brought people to rescue you. Since Gordon and the others are familiar with the


    layout and traps of the underground prison, it''s possible to avoid any mishaps. I know you won''t like to


    hear this, but I still have to say it. You may possess many incredible skills, but you''re still no match for


    the military. The current situation is unfavorable for Danrique. The president has gained the upper


    hand. If the president wins this battle and Danrique loses, not only will Mr. Lincoln be in danger, but


    also you, Anthony, and even the orphans. I''m not trying to be a scaremonger. All this isn''t an


    exaggeration. You have to understand that the moment something happens to Danrique, the president


    will wipe out everyone who has anything to do with him. He''ll spare no one, including Mdm. Norah and


    the other servants. If that happens, the Lindbergs'' blood will spill like a river, and neither you nor your


    family and friends will have any chance of surviving.¡±Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    Francesca gulped, shocked by his dark words.


    I did think about what would happen if Danrique lost, but I definitely didn''t anticipate that things would


    be so bad and cruel.


    William''s warning made her realize that she had been too na?ve.


    ¡°On the surface, it appears as though both sides are merely engaging in a tussle over public opinion


    and power. In truth, it''s war!¡±

 Chapter 2297

    Chapter 2297


    William turned serious. ¡°War is brutal and cruel. The ones who lose not only risk their own life but the


    lives of their family and loved ones. Why else do you think Donald made peace with you at the most


    crucial moment? It''s because he was well aware of this principle!¡±


    After a brief pause, he continued, ¡°I know Ms. La''s death is devastating to you, but you have to


    understand that one person''s death is insignificant in the big picture. Otherwise, more people will die...¡±


    ¡°So what you''re saying is¡±¡ªFrancesca finally understood¡ª¡±Danrique should sacrifice Mr. Lincoln for


    the greater good?¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry. I know you must be incredibly upset with what I''ve just said, but that''s how reality works.¡±


    William''s tone became gentle. ¡°At a time like this, you can''t do anything else anymore. The best thing


    that you can do is to stay in S Nation to recuperate and wait for more news.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    Not knowing what else to say, Francesca could only lower her head dejectedly.


    ¡°Francesca, you must listen to me this time. Do not be rash. Otherwise, you could really make things


    worse,¡± William reminded. ¡°I won''t disturb you any longer. Good night and rest well!¡±


    Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    Francesca''s grip tightened around the phone in her hand. She was feeling so lost.


    ¡°Francesca, what Prince William said makes sense,¡± Anthony said softly. ¡°Stop thinking too much about


    it. You should be focusing on resting and recovering.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Without saying another word, Francesca headed into her room with her phone in her hand.


    As she passed by La and Lincoln''s room, the memory of the three of them being a loving family


    flooded back into her mind. She felt a pang of sadness in her heart. If I hadn''t met Danrique, if we


    hadn''t ended up together, maybe all of this wouldn''t have happened. Ms. La and Mr. Lincoln might


    still be here...


    Danrique could feel his ears burning then. He wondered if Francesca was cursing him.


    But as he thought about it, he was willing to be cursed by her if it meant that she would feel better after


    doing so.


    Lounging on the sofa, he turned his gaze toward the snow outside as he yearned for Francesca.


    He had no idea how long the war wouldst or when it would end.


    All he knew was that he missed her deeply and wanted to see her as soon as possible.


    Time passed quickly as the couple continued to yearn for each other.


    Seven days flew by in the blink of an eye.


    Francesca had already recovered. Every day, she would check her phone, waiting for Danrique to call.


    But to her disappointment, he never did.


    On the other hand, William would call her every day,forting her and updating her about the


    situation.


    As of then, Danrique and the president were at a standstill, waiting for the other to break from the


    tension.


    Dirt on the president was still spiraling around, but for the past few days, the discussion and rumors


    seemed to have settled temporarily ever since the president got shot.


    People started to share the stories about all the past charities that the president was involved in on the


    inte, painting him as a good person.


    Coupled with the photos of him getting shot and fighting for his life in the hospital, the president had


    gained a huge surge of sympathy from the public.


    Either way, Lincoln''s shot had be a turning point for the president.


    Moreover, the president''s council members were intelligent. The firstdy had openly admitted her


    wrongdoings. Combined with the fact that Francesca had immense support from the Chanaean


    doctors, the firstdy was deemed guilty. There was no way for her to clear her name.


    The council members had hired ghostwriters to initiate a rumor saying that the firstdy''s actions were


    all her own and that the president had nothing to do with it.


    They even pushed the president''s guilt of bribery onto the firstdy. In other words, the president was


    cleared of any guilt. All of the detestable actions weremitted by the firstdy, and they had nothing


    to do with the president.


    The president had also published a video online saying that he had been so focused on work for the


    past few years as a good president that he had neglected his wife and daughter, causing his wife to go


    astray andmit so many wrongdoings as well as his daughter''s mental illness.


    In the video, he was visibly pained and ridden with regret.


    At the same time, he showed the world that he was a good and selfless president, sacrificing his family


    for the sake of his country and responsibility.

 Chapter 2298

    Chapter 2298


    That strategy had turned his situation around.


    Even though those who knew the truth were aware that it was fake, theizens had unfortunately


    bought the lie.


    More importantly, all the proof and documents of the president''s crimes were signed by the firstdy. It


    was also the firstdy who did most of the negotiation.


    Whether it was from the proof or thew, the president could be deemedpletely innocent.


    The me would be entirely on the firstdy.


    With the shift in the situation, the army and the world would continue to support the president. After all,


    political issues were not to be opposed by the power of a mere businessman.


    Danrique was still young. No matter what, he could not be as wicked and shameless as the president,


    who would betray even his own wife and daughter.


    Meanwhile, Riz Corporation hadpletely pulled away from all coboration with Danrique.


    It was a strict rule in Riz Corporation to not get involved in politics.


    The rule had been established and enforced since the time of Cadel Nacht¡ªDarcel''s adoptive father¡ª


    and Darcel had no intention of breaking it.


    Without help from Riz Corporation, Danrique had been put in a worse situation against the president.


    Within a day, Danrique had found himself at rock bottom.


    More troubles seemed to arise before the old problems were resolved.


    Despite all of that, Danrique refused to admit defeat. He was dissatisfied with that ending.


    Meanwhile, the president rejoiced upon receiving the news that Riz Corporation had rejected Danrique,


    thinking that it was his chance. That time around, he wanted more than just reconciliation.


    He wanted to crush Danrique and take over Lindberg Corporation. That way, no one would be brave


    enough to oppose him ever again.


    William summed everything up, saying, ¡°Basically, everything is against Danrique right now. This


    morning, Gordon''s subordinate came to me and said they''ll send me back to Danontand and asked me


    to bring Hazel and Mdm. Norah...¡± He sighed. ¡°From the looks of it, Danrique is nning to go all out


    and fight to the death with the president.¡±


    Francesca remained silent. There is not even a guarantee that Danrique can save himself, much less


    save Mr. Lincoln. Since he has arranged for William to bring Hazel and Norah away to Danontand, it''s


    not hard to guess that he really is nning to fight to the death.


    ¡°Francesca...¡± William continued cautiously. ¡°I have a few suggestions. Will you be willing to hear them


    out?¡±


    ¡°Is there anything you cannot tell me?¡± Francesca snapped out of her thoughts. ¡°What do you want to


    tell me? Go for it.¡±


    ¡°Well, first, I suggest you transfer the orphanage under someone else''s name. This person has to be of


    an extremely high position with equally high morals. At the same time, they need to be trustworthy.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying that if something were to happen, the president wouldn''t spare the orphanage either?¡±


    Francesca began to panic. ¡°But where am I supposed to find someone like that?¡±


    ¡°You''ve saved a lot of powerful people in the past. Surely you have a list of their names?¡±


    ¡°I do, and they did say that if I ever get into trouble in the future, I can contact them anytime. They say


    they''ll help me as long as I ask... But I haven''t contacted them all these years. I didn''t even tell them my


    real name and contact number. If I suddenly contact them now, do you think it''ll still work?¡±


    Francesca was hesitant.


    ¡°Just give it a try. I don''t think it''ll be a problem,¡± William encouraged her. ¡°If it doesn''t work out, I can


    help you find someone else.¡±


    ¡°All right. I''ll ring them tonight.¡± Francesca decided to give it a try.


    ¡°Second,¡± William continued, ¡°tidy up all of your properties. Sell all of those that can be sold and


    change all of them into money. Then, divide the money and keep them in multiple different ounts


    and get a card that can be used internationally. That way, no matter where you hide, you won''t have to


    worry about finances at least.¡±


    ¡°I''ll have to live my life on the run?¡± Francesca inhaled sharply.


    ¡°Hold up...¡± Anthony, who was listening at the side, could not help but pipe up. ¡°Why can''t you just bring


    Francesca to Danontand? She saved your life.¡±Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 2299

    Chapter 2299


    ¡°I want to keep Francesca by my side too, but if she''s with me, everyone will be in danger,¡± William said


    truthfully.


    ¡°You''re worried that you''ll be in danger, aren''t you?¡± Anthony retorted.


    ¡°I''m disabled. There would be no regrets if I died, but there are over a hundred lives that I have to


    protect. I am responsible for their well-being. Plus, with my ability now, there is absolutely no way I can


    protect Francesca.¡±


    William was honest with his thoughts. There was no use in pretending anymore at a time like that.


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°William''s right,¡± Francesca cut off Anthony''s protest. ¡°Okay, William. I''ve remembered the second


    suggestion. Continue.¡±


    ¡°The third is rted to Anthony''s question,¡± William stated calmly. ¡°Concerning your safety, I can show


    you a solution. Once you''ve done the first two things, head for M Nation immediately.¡±


    ¡°M Nation?¡± Anthony grew restless. ¡°That was where Danrique got hurt, and you''re asking her to go to


    M Nation?¡±


    ¡°Let me finish.¡± William remained calm. ¡°Old Mr. Nacht of the Nacht family is experiencing symptoms of


    his old ailment and has been looking for a good doctor all over the world. Once you''ve gone to M


    Nation, I will get someone to introduce you to Old Mr. Nacht''s butler, Spencer. Tell Spencer your


    identity. Once you''ve gained his approval, you can treat Old Mr. Nacht. Try to stretch the time of


    treatment. At least, that way, no one will dare to touch you for some time. If you can gain the trust of


    Old Mr. Nacht during the time of treatment and be the family doctor of the Nacht family, that''ll be


    even better. That way, your safety can be guaranteed forever.¡±


    ¡°Is the Nacht family so powerful that even the president of Erihal wouldn''t dare to mess with them?¡±


    Francesca was clueless when it came to power in business.


    Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°As powerful as the Lindberg family is in the north, that''s how powerful the Nacht family is in the south.


    Originally, the Nacht family and the Lindberg family were equal. However, Lindberg Corporation has


    been unstable due to a lot of danger while the Nacht family has always been sturdy. Both these families


    are ranked highly globally. No one will dare to mess with them.¡±


    ¡°All right. I got it now.¡± Francesca took into ount all the suggestions.


    ¡°Francesca, I''m sorry that I can''t protect you,¡± said William with great remorse. ¡°But the Nacht family


    will be a better and safer option inparison. If you stay by my side, not just the president of Erihal


    will be after you, but my grandpa will send you to Xendale at any time to escape anyplications.¡±


    ¡°I understand. But would it be safe for Hazel and Mdm. Norah to go with you?¡±


    ¡°After what happenedst time, my grandpa and my cousins were criticized by the public, which has


    negatively impacted their reputation. For the time being, they won''t dare act rashly. Moreover, I''ve


    never intended to steal anything from them. With their own benefit undisturbed, they have no reason to


    cause unnecessary conflicts.¡± William smiled bitterly. ¡°Perhaps I can''t live such a luxurious life as I did


    before, but at least safety and stability won''t be an issue.¡±


    ¡°Okay, then.¡± Francesca felt a tinge of sadness. ¡°Your legs are actually almost cured. Just make sure


    you rest and recuperate. If there''s still a chance for us to see each other in the future, I''ll continue your


    treatment. You can still be curedpletely.¡±


    ¡°No rush. My condition is stable right now. Slow recovery doesn''t sound like a bad idea either.¡± William


    gave another bitter chuckle. ¡°At least they won''t feel threatened when they see me without any


    defense.¡±


    Francesca no longer knew what else to say. She could never understand why life is always unfair to


    good people.


    ¡°All right, Francesca, I have to go now. Think about what I''ve said and make your decision as soon as


    possible.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Thank you, William!¡±


    After hanging up the call, Francesca turned to Anthony. ¡°Anthony, bring out my ledger.¡±


    ¡°Ledger?¡± Anthony blinked for a couple of seconds before regaining his senses. ¡°I''ll go get it right


    away.¡±


    Francesca had a thick ledger recording the details of all the patients she had previously treated. Among


    her many patients were some with very powerful and rich backgrounds.

 Chapter 2300

    Chapter 2300


    Besides their medical conditions, the records included their contact number.


    Those people had all suffered from terrible diseases, and Francesca had poured out her soul to treat


    them, pulling them from the jaws of death. All of them had vowed to help Francesca if she ever needed


    help in the future. All she needed to do was to call them.


    It was finally time to ask them for help.


    Anthony took out a huge ledger from the safe and handed it to Francesca.


    Francesca flipped through the data of over thirty people. In the end, she chose a patient who had left


    the most impression on her and dialed his number.


    The phone rang for quite some time before the call connected. ¡°Hello?¡± a raspy voice answered on the


    other end in fluent Ustranasion.


    ¡°Hello. This is Francesco...¡±


    ¡°Francesco, the miracle doctor?¡±


    The person on the other end of the line instantly perked up. It was as though a tired man had regained


    all of his energy. ¡°Is this really you?¡±


    The man was Justin Jablonski, a well-respected old general. Even though he had retired, he still held a


    high position and had great power in Valmora.


    Unmarried and without children, he had a lot of old wounds on his body from his days of the war when


    he was younger. Because of that, he was in constant agony. During the winter two years ago, he had


    been so tormented by the pain that he had wanted to shoot himself and end his life. It was only


    because his subordinates discovered him on time and prevented him from doing so that he was still


    alive.


    When the president of Valmora found out what had happened, he allocated a high budget to search for


    a good doctor. Through rmendations from people, he found Francesca, who had spent two


    months treating him, saving him from the torture of his pain. Up till then, he was still taking the


    medications Francesca had prescribed him.


    In that two months, Francesca and Justin had be great friends. The old general had given her a


    bullet pendant and said that she coulde to him if she ever needed help in the future. He had


    promised that he would give it his all to help her.


    ¡°It''s me, General Jablonski. I need your help. Are you willing to help me?¡±


    ¡°Of course! What do you want me to do? Feel free to state your request.¡±


    Francesca told Justin about the orphanage. She told him that she wanted to transfer ownership of the


    orphanage under his name so that if anything were to happen to her, Justin could protect the


    orphanage as well as the children there.


    Justin agreed to it without any hesitation. He then followed up with a question. ¡°I''m old, and I don''t


    really like to go online, but there was this one day I saw some news regarding Erihal in the newspaper.


    The silhouette of the person in the photo looked incredibly like you, and she was also a Chanaean


    doctor. I got my men to go online and look up everything rted to the news. Upon close inspection,


    the person still looked like you. I wanted to contact you, but I didn''t have the means to, and I was


    worried that I''d be disturbing you, so I''ve been waiting for you to contact me. You know this. I always


    turn my phone off whenever I sleep in the past.¡±


    Francesca''s heart swelled with emotions when she heard that. ¡°Did you keep your phone on while


    sleeping just because you were waiting for my phone call?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± Justin smiled. ¡°Not only did you save my life, but you are also a great friend of mine. Tell


    me, are you the Chanaean doctor in the news?¡±


    ¡°Yes...¡± Francesca trailed off, unable to exin the entire situation.


    ¡°Can that b*stard! How dare he bullies my savior!¡± Justin was enraged. ¡°I''ll kill him!¡±


    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Uh...¡± Francesca was taken aback. ¡°Are you not even going to ask for the truth?¡±


    ¡°What''s there to ask? No matter what the truth is, they''re still the ones in the wrong. Our Francesco, the


    miracle doctor, is so kind and so good. How could you be wrong? Even if you are at fault, it''s because


    they left you no choice,¡± Justin thundered in full confidence. ¡°Don''t worry about the orphanage. I''ll get


    someone to see to it immediately. You don''t have to be afraid either. Even if the sky falls, you''ll have me


    to protect you. Whichever b*stard dares to bully you, I''ll rip off their heads and use them as ser


    balls!¡±


    Francesca snorted inughter upon hearing Justin''s remark. Grateful tears began pooling in her eyes.


    ¡°Don''tugh. I''m being serious. Don''t think that I''m old. I still have a bit of power in me,¡± Justin said in a


    serious tone. ¡°Where are you now? Are you safe? I''ll send someone to pick you up immediately.¡±

 Chapter 2301

    Chapter 2301


    ¡°I''m in S Nation, General Jablonski, but I''d like to get back to Xendale...¡±


    ¡°That''s not a problem. I''ll apany you to Xendale.¡± Justin sounded ever so righteous. ¡°With me


    around, those b*stards wouldn''t dare toy a finger on you!¡±


    ¡°Thank you so much, General Jablonski!¡± Words could not express how grateful Francesca felt. ¡°But


    that ce is Erihal''s territory. Wouldn''t I be causing you trouble?¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry. That''s not going to happen. By the way, when you gave me treatment thest time, do


    you remember also curing an autoimmune disease of a child of my old acquaintance?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do. It was that six-year-old boy with silver hair.¡±


    ¡°Yes, they were visiting me that day. That boy had a very unusual disease, and because of that, he had


    been traveling all over the world to seek help from numerous doctors, yet no one could treat him. That''s


    why the entire family is thankful to you for healing the boy. My friend called me today to ask about you.


    He''s also watched the news and suspected that the person was you. Both he and his son are really


    concerned about you. I think you can give him a call. He''s the duke of E Nation, so he might be able to


    lend you a hand.¡±


    ¡°But don''t you think I''d only be making a huge scene?¡±


    Deep down, Francesca felt rather uneasy, for she had never asked anyone for a favor before. If it was


    not for the sake of the orphanage, she would rather not implicate the patients.


    ¡°Do you want to save lives?¡± was Justin''s only query.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Francesca candidly responded.


    ¡°Then just do it without hesitation. Also, I have a question for you, but I need you to answer me


    truthfully so that I can make the right call.¡±


    Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Sure. Go on.¡±


    ¡°What''s your rtionship with Danrique Lindberg?¡±


    Francesca took a moment to ponder before stating earnestly, ¡°He''s the man I love!¡±


    ¡°All right, I understand now.¡± Justin bobbed his head. ¡°That means we''ll stand with Danrique to fight


    against the president!¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Francesca said. The second she let that slip out of her mouth, she asked in surprise, ¡°You can


    even do this?¡±


    ¡°I suppose I could be of some help one way or another. Plus, there''s always strength in numbers, but


    only if you can get yourself more backers.¡±


    ¡°Got it. Thank you for pointing it out, General Jablonski!¡± Francesca was overwhelmed by emotion as


    she spoke.


    ¡°Go now. I''ll be right over at S Nation to pick you up.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    After hanging up the phone, Francesca began to contact each and every person on the list in the


    ledger.


    ¡°Hello? Francesco speaking. I need some help!¡±


    ¡°That miracle doctor, Francesco? Is it really you? Oh, my savior, what have you gotten yourself into?


    How much money do you need? Just say the word, and I''ll wire it to you at once.¡±


    ¡°Uh...¡± That left Francesca at a loss for words. How on earth did my public persona end up like this? I


    can''t believe that I''ve be a materialistic money-grabber in everyone''s eyes.


    ¡°No, I don''t need money. What I need are the people''s views and support!¡±


    ¡°Uh... Don''t tell me you''re that Chanaean female physician who''s also the fianc¨¦e of Erihal''s greatest


    warrior, Danrique Lindberg, in the recent rumor?¡±


    ¡°That''s me!¡±


    ¡°Goodness gracious! I knew it! All right. Tell me what you''d like me to do.¡±


    ¡°I need you to go with me to Xendale in Erihal.¡±


    ¡°When?¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°No problem. I''ll make the arrangement straightaway.¡±


    ¡°You have my thanks. I''ll see you there.¡±


    ¡°Okay, but will I be able to reach you at this number?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Let''s keep in touch.¡±


    Once Francesca ended the call, she moved on to dial the next number on the list.


    Just like that, she made thirteen calls in a row. The people she contacted were all international bigwigs


    from around the globe, and the conversations they had were basically the same. All of them agreed to


    join Francesca in Xendale.


    Having been talking over the phone for over an hour, Francesca could not help but feel exhausted. She


    looked up at Anthony and ordered, ¡°Book me an air ticket.¡±


    Anthony had yet to regain hisposure from the astonishing moment a minute ago. He took quite a


    while to fully register what was going on before nodding hastily. ¡°I''ll do that right now.¡±

 Chapter 2302

    Chapter 2302


    Just as Anthony took a few steps, he recalled something. ¡°This can''t be right. Didn''t General Jablonski


    mention that he''ll be fetching us tomorrow to Xendale?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes! Forget the air ticket, then. We''ll travel light.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± With that said, Anthony bolted off to make the necessary preparations.


    Francesca, in turn, jotted down all thirteen sets of contact numbers before closing the ledger and


    cing it into the safe. Following that, she returned to her room to wash up.


    Out of the blue, La''s words rang in her mind. ¡±No matter how capable we are, Francesca, there''s


    always a limit to what we can do by ourselves. You have to pick up more skills to protect yourself.¡±


    Those words had never made sense to Francesca in the past. She had always frowned upon social


    butterflies, for she reckoned that she would never ever have to deign to beg others.


    Yet, right then, she gradually saw the light. She knew that she had to be stronger, by hook or by


    crook, because only then would she be able to protect her loved ones.


    Back when Ms. La was put to death, I couldn''t even do anything to fight back. But now, I know I can''t


    stay like this anymore. I must go all out to save Mr. Lincoln''s life, and I''ll be Danrique''s strongest pir


    of support!


    Meanwhile, Danrique was awakened by a loud rumble. As he opened his eyes, he kept calling out to


    Sean.


    A few minutester, Sean finally rushed in. Instead of turning on the light, he said in a hushed tone,


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, we''ve been spotted by the helicopter from the military.¡±


    Danrique gritted his teeth in fury. ¡°Not bad for a silly old bugger. He even dispatched the military to


    track me down so brazenly.¡±


    ¡°Should we retreat, Mr. Lindberg?¡± asked Sean softly. ¡°I''m worried he might send someone here for an


    assassination.¡±


    As soon as he said that, an explosion rang out from outside.


    Sean''s visage did a one-eighty at that. He dashed toward the window and nced out to check, only to


    find that the courtyard walls had tumbled. Worse still, dozens of military jeeps were forcing their way


    inside.


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    Considering the immense formation, the president must really want Danrique dead.


    During the interim, some of Danrique''s subordinates had already charged forward to hinder the


    enemies while the others stayed behind at the vi as backups.


    ¡°Fall back!¡±


    Rising to his feet, Danrique put on his jacket and grabbed his rifle before spearheading the retreat with


    Sean and the rest under the cover of his subordinates. In actuality, Danrique had nned beforehand


    and nted a time bomb somewhere in the vi. Right when all of them got out of the vi, the bomb


    was detonated.


    A deafening sound reverberated through the air.


    More than half of the president''s henchmen were annihted, and many of them were seriously


    wounded, leaving their remaining unharmed allies vulnerable.


    Stepping away from the fiery mes and smoking ground, Danrique looked nothing less than a devil


    from six feet under.


    At that point in time, it was about five in the morning. The once quiet and serene atmosphere of the vi


    had since been disrupted by explosions and gunshots. Even the birds and other wildlife in the forest


    ran for their lives.


    As the convoy of the Lindberg family slowly set off, the subordinates all kept their guard up, fearing that


    there might be an ambush along the way.


    It was then that Sean summoned Gordon over the phone and requested reinforcements.


    Everyone had their hands full except for Danrique. Only he looked as calm as a millpond, staring out


    the window.


    While they were going down the hill, brilliant rays appeared in the distant sky. It was as though the


    morning sun was cheering for them.


    Just then, Sean gingerly put forward an inquiry. ¡°Where are we going now, Mr. Lindberg?¡±


    ¡°Home,¡± replied Danrique with absolute resolution.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Sean thought his ears were ying tricks on him. The president has alreadye at us in


    broad daylight, and yet, here we are, heading home at a time like this? We''ll only be getting ourselves


    killed!


    ¡°With honor,¡± added Danrique.


    He looked ahead, his gaze reflecting his firm resolve.


    ¡°Understood.¡± Sean dared not probe further. Immediately, he informed the drivers to bring them home.


    Those bodyguards had been wandering outside under Danrique''s lead for more than a month. They


    were all overjoyed to know that they could finally be reunited with their families.


    No matter whaty ahead of their journey, they were willing to follow Danrique to death.


    It did not take long before Gordon arrived with his men to gather with Danrique''s group.


    With that, the entire convoy made a beeline for Lindberg Castle. Danrique made a phone call, and soon


    enough, quite a few drones came flying in their direction, recording the party''s return and broadcasting


    the video.


    The title was simple, reading: Mr. Lindberg''s homing!

 Chapter 2303

    Chapter 2303


    Soon, the video was circted on the inte.


    Initially, it was only circted among tens of mediapanies. Then, the numbers grew to hundreds


    and even thousands of mediapanies. In the end, all the huge media streaming websites around


    the world broadcasted the video.


    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    However, Danrique did not give anyment on it. He also did not respond to the rumors that went


    around recently.


    He only wanted to tell the whole world that he was going to go home boldly. If something were to


    happen to him at home, it would be the president''s doing.


    His car was in bad shape from the impact of the explosion. It was supposed to be a morous convoy,


    but as of now, it was ruined. The people were sad to see it.


    After all, he was an honest entrepreneur who wanted to focus solely on his business. Yet, he had been


    attacked abroad, and now hispany was on the verge of being taken over by other people. His


    fianc¨¦e had been framed and sent to prison, and all the people close to him were either dead or


    injured. He could not go home either.


    Although he did not say anything, everyone knew what was going on.


    After the video went viral, many businessmen in Erihal started to migrate elsewhere. A few foreign


    companies also decided to end their business coboration.


    They would not earn anything if the business were to copse. On the other hand, if they were to earn


    profits, they might end up just like Danrique¡ªthey could be harmed and their assets could be


    confiscated.


    All of a sudden, the rumors that the president was confiscating the assets of Lindberg Corporation and


    attacking Danrique spread once again.


    This time around, Danrique did not provide any information to others. He did not allow Jesse to publish


    any news about it either. The only thing he did was to bring his injured men home.


    Although therge convoy made for a magnificent scene, they were surrounded by a gloomy aura. It


    was as though they had epted their impending doom.


    In an instant, they managed to amass support from the public.


    Indeed, their silent protest was a form of retaliation so that the president would not dare toy a hand


    on Danrique.


    In fact, if the president wanted to arrest Danrique, he would have to charge him with a crime.


    However, Erihal''s economy had been supported by Lindberg Corporation over the years. Danrique fully


    controlled thepany. In other words, it was Danrique who supported Erihal financially.


    Erihal had treated Danrique as if he was a supreme being. It came as no surprise that it would be


    difficult to use him of baseless charges.


    Moreover, Danrique had a clean record. They could never find a fault with him.


    The only thing that could potentially smear his reputation was that he had once poisoned members of


    the Lindberg family when he wanted to be the head of the household. However, it was only


    because they had been the ones who attacked him first. He had merely given them a taste of their own


    medicine.


    What he did was merely pour his poisoned wine into the decanter and give it to his rtives while he


    took another ss of wine that was not poisoned.


    After that, it was rumored that he had killed all his family members in one night. He came out of the


    castle with blood all over him, but only because his family had instructed their men to kill him after they


    were poisoned. He was merely acting in self-defense.


    In addition, thew in Erihal at that time had never restricted prominent families from settling their


    personal feuds on their own. The incident was never mentioned before. It would be useless for the


    authorities to raise the incident again.


    The only chance they had of smearing his reputation had been destroyed as well.


    The president was in a dilemma. Nevertheless, it would always be easy to find excuses to frame


    others. His subordinate was quick enough to find an idea for him¡ªDanrique was to be charged with


    arms smuggling.


    It was a crime that would bring disastrous consequences to the citizens. The public would not be in


    favor of him anymore.


    The president immediately informed his men to start the rumor and utilize their power to spread it


    among the people.


    However, public opinion in Erihal had been changing during that period, and the public was now


    overwhelmed. Their ardor to seek justice had been used up.


    Now, they were not even bothered to watch the drama unfold. In fact, they no longer cared about the


    latest news and public opinions anymore, so the rumor did not garner enough publicity.


    On the other hand, the number of supporters for Francesca and Danrique continued to increase. After


    all, he was a handsome man, and she was a beautiful woman. The love story between a domineering


    CEO and a female doctor could always capture the attention of others.


    The president''s action had destroyed the heart-rending love story that theizens had made up for the


    couple.

 Chapter 2304

    Chapter 2304


    The president did not sleep for the entire night. He sat in front of hisputer, intending to see how far


    the rumor would escte. However, after he looked at the news statistic, he nearly flew into a rage.


    The rumor that he had created did not give any negative impact on Danrique. Theizens and the


    media doubted itpletely. Everyonemented he had to resort to such a despicable and


    shameless way to nder Danrique as he could not find an excuse to fight against him.


    Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    Now, every news about Danrique would always be followed by a piece of news admonishing the


    president.


    The president was furious. He slumped back into his chair and tried to calm himself down.


    All the public opinions were in favor of Danrique. He couldn''t find a way to outsmart Danrique in such a


    short time. He realized that the only way to stop the public discussions was by ending Danrique''s life.


    After all, those who supported Danrique were doing it only because he was still alive, thinking that he


    could achieve great things again.


    As soon as the president thought about it, he instructed his men to assassinate Danrique.


    His subordinate reminded him hastily, ¡°Mr. President, Danrique made such a hugemotion because


    he wanted to inform everyone that he was currently at home. If something were to happen to him at this


    time, everyone would know that it was you who did it.¡±


    The president was anxious to hear it. ¡°I can''t do anything at all. Are you saying that I should sit back


    and do nothing? It wasn''t easy for me to gain the upper hand. I can''t let him win against me.¡±


    ¡°Public opinion is like a roller coaster. It''s hard to control because it changes every time.¡± The


    subordinate sighed. ¡°Thements did not juste from Erihal. They came from all over the world.


    It''s not easy for us to control them.¡±


    ¡°Stop the nonsense. You need toe out with an idea.¡± The president was distressed.


    ¡°I''m afraid there''s nothing else to do other than make peace for the time being. If we continue to fight


    against him, it won''t do us any good. He''s merely a businessman, and you''re the president. Your


    reputation is much more important than his...¡±


    ¡°I can''t ept it. I''ve nearly won. Why should I give up so soon?¡± The president refused to admit


    defeat. ¡°He''s supposed to die in M Nation, but he came back alive. What a stroke of luck!¡±


    ¡°You''re right. Even though the entire chemical nt exploded, he could still escape death. I think it''s


    unbelievable as well. But now that he hase back alive, it means his time is not up. We''ve been


    caught off guard by the continuous retaliation. If we continue to fight, we won''t gain any benefit from it.¡±


    The president was still not willing to back down. ¡°Riz Corporation has already affirmed their stand not to


    coborate with him anymore. It means I still have a huge chance. If we don''t kill him now, I''m afraid we


    won''t have any chance in the future.¡±


    ¡°To be honest, we don''t have any chance now. If you still care about your reputation, you have to be


    careful! Otherwise, you might not be able to be the president anymore.¡±


    After thinking it through, the president said angrily, ¡°Then, let''s wait for him to ask for reconciliation.


    When that timees, he will have to give me thirty percent of the shares of Lindberg Corporation.


    Otherwise, there''s no need to discuss it anymore.¡±


    ¡°I''m afraid that will be difficult.¡±


    Meanwhile, in Lindberg Castle, William persuaded earnestly, ¡°L, listen to me. Now that things have


    come this far, a truce is the best option.¡±


    Sean was not fond of William from the start. However, when he heard William''s words, he admired his


    bravery. He had the same thought as well, but he did not dare to voice it out.


    Danrique did not say anything. He merely yed with the ring that Francesca left.


    He had arrived just in time before William and the others left.


    Norah was very excited to see him. Even the other maids were wiping their tears.


    William had quickly stopped the private jet from leaving for Danontand and gone to find Danrique with


    Hazel.


    Sean only allowed William to enter the study room by himself after a long time.


    Upon seeing that Danrique was alive and unharmed, William heaved a sigh of relief. That was the time


    when he had given Danrique the advice.


    However, Danrique did not give any response for a few minutes. The atmosphere was tense.


    Sean cleared his throat. He tried to ease the tension by saying, ¡°Actually, the president has asked for a


    reconciliation, but Mr. Lindberg didn''t agree to it.¡±

 Chapter 2305

    Chapter 2305


    ¡°The current situation¡ª¡±


    ¡°William, you should return to Danontand first,¡± Danrique interjected coolly.


    Upon hearing that, William knew Danrique had no intention of carrying on the conversation. He nodded


    and said, ¡°All right.¡±


    ¡°I''ll walk you out,¡± Sean said politely.


    As Robin pushed William out, they ran into Danrique''s subordinate, who came in to make a report. ¡°Mr.


    Lindberg, Ms. Atkinson wants to see you.¡±


    Danrique furrowed his brows. Immediately, Sean replied, ¡°Mr. Lindberg has just returned. He needs to


    rest.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± The subordinate quickly went away to inform Hazel, who was waiting outside.


    She was craning her neck and staring impatiently at Danrique''s room, hoping to see him.


    However, much to her disappointment, Danrique''s subordinate returned to tell her that Danrique would


    not be seeing anyone for the time being, as he needed rest.


    I am leaving soon with William, and I don''t know when I can meet Danrique again. Now, only a wall


    stands between us. I just want to see him again, but sadly, he doesn''t want to see me.


    Upon seeing Sean show William out, Hazel instantly went forward and was about to speak when


    William shook his head at her. She stopped herself.


    Right... Since Danrique doesn''t want to meet me, whatever I say will only irritate him. It''s better that I


    leave obediently.


    When Norah and the others saw that Danrique had returned, they refused to leave, dering that they


    would live and die with him.


    Even Robin''s words could not sway them, so Sean decided to let them be.


    William didn''t force anyone, and he left first with Hazel.


    Gordon ordered Squad One to send them to the airport.


    Norah made Danrique''s favorite Chanaean cuisine and personally brought it to the study room. ¡°Mr.


    Lindberg, have something to eat first. You can settle your business after you fill your stomach,¡± she


    said, concerned.


    Raising his head to look at her, Danrique realized that she seemed to have aged a lot in over a month.


    Her hair had turned white, likely out of worry for him.


    He wanted tofort her and ask her not to worry, but he didn''t know what to say.


    In the end, he could only utter, ¡°Thank you!¡±


    ¡°No need to thank me. This is what I should do. Mr. Lindberg, we''re not going anywhere. We will stay


    here with you. Nothing will happen to you. Ms. Lindberg will protect us while she watches from


    heaven.¡±


    Upon hearing Norah mention his aunt, Isabe, Danrique felt a sense of warmth. He remembered that


    Isabe had once said to him, ¡°Danrique, we, the Lindbergs, are born leaders. No matter what issues


    we face, we must have the confidence that we can deal with them. Nothing can bring us down.¡±


    I have never feared anyone or anything, but now, I have a weak spot, someone I worry about. I''m not


    afraid of death, but I can''t let anything happen to Francesca.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg.¡± Sean''s voice rang out.


    Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    Lifting his head, Danrique realized Norah had long left. He gathered his thoughts and ordered, ¡°Tell


    everyone to eat and sleep well tonight. They don''t need to worry about being attacked. That silly old


    bugger won''t dare to make a move for the time being.¡±


    ¡°Understood. I will inform them.¡±


    Sean immediately went to convey Danrique''s orders and told Norah and the others to prepare some


    delicious food to reward the subordinates.


    They had been through life-and-death situations with them and hadn''t had a nice meal or good sleep in


    over a month. Now that they were back, they could finally rest.


    After arranging everything, Sean served Danrique his medicine. ¡°Mr. Lindberg, it''s time for your


    medicine.¡±


    Danrique''s wounds had not healed, so he had been taking modern medicine.


    Seeing the handful of medication reminded Danrique of Francesca. If she''s here, she will force me to


    drink immensely bitter herbal concoctions. Although it''s easier to take modern medicine, I miss the


    scent of herbal concoctions. It will be nice if she''s here.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, why not give Ms. Felch a call? She must be waiting,¡± Sean reminded softly.

 Chapter 2306

    Chapter 2306


    Danrique fell silent upon hearing that. He hadn''t contacted Francesca for a long time, and he missed


    her every day. Sometimes, when he spaced out, he could even vaguely see her before him.


    I really miss her, but I don''t want to contact her, as I don''t know how to face her. I always had


    confidence in myself, but now, I don''t know if I can give her a stable life. I''d rather bear the pain of


    missing her.


    Sean understood Danrique''s concerns, so he stopped persuading him and left quietly.


    Danrique sat alone on the sofa and stared fixedly at Francesca''s phone number on his phone for the


    longest time.


    On the ne, Francesca was also staring at her phone, wondering if she should call Danrique.


    ¡°We''re flying soon,¡± Anthony said quietly.


    Francesca put down her phone and turned to gaze outside the window, feeling lost.


    In a way, I really resent him. If not for him, Ms. La wouldn''t have died, and Mr. Lincoln wouldn''t have


    been captured. I was just an average doctor. He was the one who dragged me into this mess. As I''m


    his fianc¨¦e, I''m not afraid of being implicated or dying, but I don''t want people around me to get


    involved. Ms. La and Mr. Lincoln shouldn''t have been implicated.


    However, Francesca also knew that she shouldn''t me Danrique for everything, as she also yed a


    big role in how things turned out.


    I know Candice was a major reason why the firstdy sought revenge against me. I had long guessed


    that the firstdy was rted to Chrono, but I didn''t expect Candice to be Avery and Chrono''s


    illegitimate daughter. Just because I was a busybody, I caused a string of vengeful acts. First, it was


    Chrono. Then it was the firstdy. I wonder if other people wille to seek revenge in the future. This


    incident has taught me a huge lesson, but I don''t understand what I did wrong. I only wanted to save


    Candice. Why did things turn out this way? I swear I will never meddle in others'' business and save


    everyone I see. Never. Now, I only want to deal with this issue. First, I''ll save Mr. Lincoln, then, if


    possible, help Danrique out of his predicament, but I''m not sure whether General Jablonski and the


    patients can help me and to what extent.


    Time ticked by, and after more than ten hours, they finally arrived in Xendale.


    Francesca met up with the other patients she had gathered at the airport, and upon seeing the huge


    crowd of people, she couldn''t help but be stunned.


    I know they are big shots, but I don''t know they are so influential. I think I unconsciously did something


    impressive.


    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Soon, international news outlets were broadcasting how thirteen big shots, who were a Chanaean


    doctor''s patients, had hurried from all over the world to Xendale to help clear her name.


    The news also added pictures and videos of them, but Francesca only showed her back and side


    profile, so her features weren''t clear.


    However, the thirteen big shots were not camera-shy. They publicly announced their support for


    Francesca and Danrique and that their purpose in apanying Francesca to Xendale was to seek


    justice for her.


    This piece of news spread across the globe like wildfire and sparked hot debate.


    Soon, many supporters of Francesca also decided to fly to Xendale to support her.


    Immediately, this matter became the talk of the town.


    These people were highly influential, putting a lot of pressure on the president in ways that one could


    not fathom.


    Seeing that things were about to go out of hand and the situation was urgent, the president could only


    give in and call Danrique again.

 Chapter 2307

    Chapter 2307


    ¡°It''s really her?¡±


    Danrique stared at the picture shown on the news. Although Francesca''s features were blurry, he could


    instantly recognize her petite figure.


    ¡°It is Ms. Felch. She brought with her thirteen low-profile but powerful people. They are now staying at


    Eden Hotel. Countless news outlets try to interview them every day. The president is swamped,¡± Sean


    said excitedly.


    The instant he finished speaking, the president called.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, he must have called for a truce,¡± Sean said upon seeing the caller ID.


    After ncing calmly at the phone screen, Danrique turned the phone to silent mode. He did not pick


    up or hang up.


    Confused, Sean could not help but ask, ¡°Mr. Lindberg, what are you doing?¡±


    Only when the call automatically ended did Danrique raise his head to reply, ¡°It''ll be hard to bring the


    president down, and I don''t want him to have his way so easily.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Sean said, instantly understanding the meaning of his words.


    We will definitely call for a truce, but Mr. Lindberg wants to leave the president hanging first and make


    him nervous. That way, the president may make furtherpromises.


    Danrique didn''t say anything else and continued reading his documents.


    ¡°Do you not n on meeting Ms. Felch?¡± Sean asked gingerly.


    The two had not seen each other for a long time. Previously, due to the circumstances and the long


    distance between them, it was understandable that they couldn''t meet. However, Francesca was now


    back in Xendale, and the two were in the same city. If Danrique didn''t go to see her, she would be


    angry.


    ¡°Later,¡± Danrique replied.


    Sean didn''t understand, but he didn''t dare ask what Danrique was waiting for. Still, the present situation


    was favorable for them, so a reconciliation would be the best result.


    Although they wouldn''t be content with such a result, it was never toote for them to seek revenge


    again in the future.


    Danrique ignoring his call made the president lose his cool. He immediately called his most trusty


    subordinates over to discuss the matter. ¡°Do you think Danrique will make a big move soon?¡±


    ¡°It''s possible.¡±


    His subordinates also started panicking.


    ¡°I already sensed something was up a few days ago. Under such dangerous circumstances, usually,


    people would go into hiding, yet he openly brought his injured men back. That was too weird.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. I knew he hadn''t revealed his trump card yet. Indeed, the next day, his fianc¨¦e brought


    thirteen big shots to Xendale. It''s obvious that she came to help him.¡±


    ¡°Usually, people would have asked for a reconciliation already, but since he refused to pick up your call,


    Mr. President, it means he has yet to make his ultimate move.¡±


    ¡°What ultimate move?¡± the president immediately asked.


    ¡°Could it be...¡± one of his subordinates trailed off as he didn''t dare to continue.


    ¡°What is it? Tell me!¡±


    ¡°Since Danrique is so calm, I''m afraid...¡± That subordinate wiped his sweat. ¡°I''m afraid he has gotten


    the support of Riz Corporation.¡±


    Upon hearing that, everyone gasped in shock.


    The president''s face instantly turned ghastly pale. I have long heard Danrique seeking help from Riz


    Corporation, but previously, I received news that they rejected him. That''s why I dared to assassinate


    him. I can''t believe this.


    ¡°I heard rumors that the Emperor of Riz Corporation is rted to the Lindberg family and is rtives


    with Danrique. It is quite possible...¡±


    The others became increasingly unsettled as they talked.


    ¡°Mr. President, if Riz Corporation wholly supports Danrique, things don''t bode well for us. I suggest you


    give in and personally ask to reconcile with him.¡±


    ¡°I agree. Things are a mess now, and Erihal has be aughingstock. If this chaos goes on, the


    situation will only get worse.¡±


    ¡°So far, Danrique has not released any evidence against you, so you can push all the me on Mrs.


    President. It''s not toote to turn the situation around. But if we drag this on longer, I''m afraid...¡±Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 2308

    Chapter 2308


    After hearing his subordinates'' analysis and suggestions, the president decided to stop going against


    Danrique and minimize his losses.


    Immediately, he brought his men and went to the Lindberg residence to negotiate with Danrique.


    Danrique had just reapplied his medication and was wearing his clothes when his subordinate rushed


    in. ¡°Mr. Lindberg, the president is here!¡±


    Danrique was not at all surprised as if everything was within his expectations. He did not show any


    reaction and slowly buttoned his shirt.


    Sean walked toward the window and nced outside. ¡°One car. He only brought three men. I guess


    he''s quite sincere.¡±


    Logically, the president would fear death when meeting his arch-enemy, so he should have brought a


    lot of men. However, he didn''t do that as he knew it would be a sign of provocation.


    Only bying alone to call for reconciliation would he seem sincere.


    Danrique made no reply and sat down again to drink his medicine after wearing his clothes.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, you haven''t eaten yet. You shouldn''t eat your medicine on an empty stomach. Eat the


    medicine after having something to eat,¡± Norah hurriedly said.


    ¡°Oh, right.¡± Danrique put down his medicine. ¡°Prepare lunch, then.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I''ll go now.¡±


    As it was rare for Danrique to have an appetite, Norah was exuberant when she heard his words and


    quickly dashed downstairs, ordering the servants in the kitchen to prepare lunch.


    Danrique sat on the sofa, sipping coffee. Sean, standing aside, asked softly, ¡°The president''s car is at


    the door. Should I go and wee him?¡±


    Danrique should have been the one to wee the president out of respect, but as he was still angry,


    he couldn''t possibly face the president with a pleasant attitude.


    However, since they needed to negotiate, he couldn''t just ignore the president.


    Danrique replied, ¡°Go.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± Sean hurriedly prepared to go to wee the president when Danrique suddenly added,


    ¡°Wear a jacket.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Sean asked, pausing for a moment, but he quickly understood Danrique''s words. Mr. Lindberg


    is going to keep the president waiting. I guess he will only meet the president after he finishes lunch, so


    I probably have to wait with the president outside for one or two hours.


    ¡°Thank you, Mr. Lindberg,¡± Sean replied with a wry smile before hurrying out.


    However, he didn''t wear a jacket as it would seem that he had already known Danrique would be giving


    the president a hard time, which would make matters worse.


    He decided not to wear one and would stay in the cold with the president. Thetter would feel better


    about it, and the negotiation might go smoother.


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    Indeed, Danrique spent two hours eating his lunch.


    Snow fell heavily outside, and although the president had been waiting inside the warmth of his car, he


    still shivered from the cold.


    Sean fared worse as he stood outside, waiting by the door without a jacket. Although he had the


    tenacity of a soldier and looked fine, his face was starting to lose its color.


    Two hourster, Mylo came out to inform them that Danrique was inviting them in.


    By then, Sean''s legs were already stiff, and gritting his teeth, he punched them to regain feeling in his


    legs before walking forward with a smile to wee the president.


    The president was purple with rage, but the instant the car door opened, he stered a pleasant look


    on his face and even patted Sean''s face concernedly after getting out of the car.


    As they entered the house, a surge of warmth flowed through their bodies.


    Danrique''s subordinates and maids greeted the president. Then, Sean led the president and his men to


    the study room.


    Danrique wore a white shirt and was sitting on the sofa, drinking coffee elegantly. Although he still had


    a standoffish air about him, he smiled when he raised his head to gaze at the president. ¡°Mr. President,


    good evening!¡±


    The president had arrived a little after three in the afternoon, but it was already evening then.


    ¡°Good evening, Danrique.¡±


    The president sounded as amicable as before. It was as if they had never gotten into a dispute, and


    everything was just like how it was back then.


    Smiling, Danrique gestured for him to sit, and thetter sat down on the sofa opposite.


    Norah served them some desserts before leaving. Only Danrique, the president, and their trusted aides


    remained in the room.

 Chapter 2309

    Chapter 2309


    ¡°Mdm. Norah makes good coffee,¡± Danrique said casually.


    The president felt warm after taking a sip of the hot beverage. After that, he started to beat around the


    bush about what had happened during that period.


    He went on by stating the facts first. Then he started to identify the reasons and analyzed them before


    finally reflecting on himself and apologizing.


    His whole speech sounded so formal that it was as if it was a negotiation conference.


    By stating the facts, the president shifted the responsibilities to the firstdy just as the media reported.


    ording to the news, the firstdy was the one who did it, and the president was totally clueless all


    this while.


    ¡°All of this happened because of my negligence in managing my family,¡± the president choked out,


    tears welling up in his eyes.


    The corners of Danrique''s lips curved upward in disdain when he heard that.


    I get it if he wants to put on a show in front of the media. Why is he acting in front of me? It''s just the


    two of us here.


    Nheless, Danrique did not want to expose him and merely watched him continue with his acting.


    The president finally finished talking after forty minutes. He took a sip of the coffee again and anxiously


    waited for Danrique''s response.


    Saying nothing, Danrique lowered his head and continued to drink his coffee.


    After a few minutes, Danrique still did not utter a single word. The president felt uneasy and asked


    directly, ¡°Danrique, do you want me to send Mr. Lincoln to you or to Francesca?¡±


    It was a smart move, as his words relieved the tension between them. Hearing that, Danrique


    responded eventually, ¡°To me.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I''ll ask my people to make arrangements as soon as possible.¡±


    As the president said that, he gestured to his subordinate to make the necessary phone calls for the


    arrangement.


    Danrique did not respond further and continued to enjoy his coffee.


    The president began to lose his cool as he said, ¡°Danrique, I''m aware of the consequences this


    incident has brought. Let me know if you have anyints or dissatisfaction. I promise I''ll make


    amends and solve it properly.¡±


    ¡°Everything can be settled if no one is killed,¡± Danrique said, looking at him. ¡°But how are you going to


    solve the problem when people are killed? Can you bring the dead back to life?¡±


    His tone was surprisingly calm. Nevertheless, one could sense that his words were as sharp as a


    de.


    ¡°Yes, indeed.¡± The president nodded vigorously. ¡°This is all because of my negligence. I should''ve kept


    an eye on my wife instead of letting her act brazenly behind my back. Because of her, Ms. La and a


    few of your subordinates have been sacrificed. It''s all my fault. How about you provide me with some


    advice to deal with this matter? I''ll do as you say.¡±


    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Do you mean that the firstdy was the only one to be med here? Are you sure that you have


    nothing to do with this?¡± Danrique confronted, atst.


    ¡°Certainly. As I said, I didn''t know about anything. I only found out about this after I watched the news,¡±


    the president answered firmly.


    ¡°If shemitted the crimes alone, she''ll be facing a death sentence. Are you sure about that?¡±


    Danrique drawled.


    ¡°No one is above thew. Even if she''s my wife, she''s still subjected to the samews as amoner.¡±


    ¡°You''re truly a respectable and honorable president!¡± Danrique broke into a smirk.


    The president could sense Danrique''s mocking tone. Just when he was about to say something, he


    saw two familiar figures appearing from the back of the bookshelf and was wholly stunned.


    His wife and daughter had been standing behind the bookshelf, listening to everything clearly.


    As the firstdy gazed at the president, there was an unfamiliar look in her eyes. I''ve been living with


    this man for decades, but now it''s like I don''t know him at all.


    ¡°Daddy, how could you do this to Mommy? How could you do this to us?¡±


    Avery let out an angry roar, wanting to dash forward and have a word with him. But the president''s


    subordinates were quick enough to stop her.

 Chapter 2310

    Chapter 2310


    As Avery was still screaming hysterically, one of the subordinates followed the president''s order by


    knocking her unconscious.


    Throughout it all, the firstdy kept mum, staring at the president with mixed feelings.


    The president was caught off guard. Feeling extremely embarrassed, he dared not look at his wife and


    daughter in their eyes.


    However, being at a disadvantage, he dared not me Danrique for that.


    ¡°Mr. President, since you''ve made your promise to release Mr. Lincoln, I''ll keep my word and send Mrs.


    President and Avery home too.¡±


    Danrique''s tone was t as if he was chatting casually with his friend. Upon saying that, he put down


    his cup and left the ce. ¡°Send the guests out.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± Sean walked in the president''s direction and said, ¡°Mr. President, let me see you and your


    family to the door.¡±


    The whole situation was a checkmate. Realizing that, the president could feel his face flush with rage,


    yet there was nothing he could do. He could only leave the ce with his family dejectedly.


    Sean sent them to the car and watched them leave before returning to look for Danrique in the study


    room on the second floor. ¡°Mr. Lindberg, they just left.¡±


    Danrique merely hummed and said, ¡°I need you to go over there yourself and get him back safely.¡±


    ¡°Are you worried that the president might y tricks? If so, why didn''t we release Mrs. President and


    Avery after ensuring Mr. Lincoln is back safely?¡± Sean questioned in bafflement.


    Danrique responded aloofly, ¡°I''ve asserted my dominance by using the carrot and stick approach, so I


    tried to cut him some ck. The president won''t do anything to Mr. Lincoln, but I''m afraid Mr. Lincoln


    would do something foolish...¡±


    ¡°Okay, I understand. I''ll do it right away.¡±


    With that, Sean hurriedly left with a few others.


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    Danrique was satisfied with the oue of the negotiation that day.


    After all, it was a win-win situation for both parties. Both of them had reached an agreement to


    reconcile by exchanging hostages. Not only that, they managed to solve the issues with public opinion,


    returning their rtionship to its initial friendly state.


    Since we''ve reconciled, there won''t be a problem anymore.


    However, Danrique was perturbed about something else.


    Mr. Lincoln wants to avenge Ms. La. He won''t give up knowing that his enemy is still out there. I fear


    that he might be impulsive when he leavester! It will be troublesome if that happens. Although the


    president exercises forbearance toward me, it doesn''t mean that he''s fine with being the target of


    assassination. Bullets have no eyes. It will be uncontroble if Mr. Lincoln ys with fire. But I suppose


    the president would be smart enough to anticipate that. I think he won''t let Mr. Lincoln see him again.


    Even so, we have to be cautious to avoid it.


    At that thought, he decided to y safe by asking Sean to bring a group of people there to pick up


    Lincoln.


    Danrique took a nce at Francesca''s contact on his phone screen. He did not press the call button,


    nevertheless. Inwardly, he thought of notifying her only after they took Lincoln home to ease her mind.


    ¡°Release him.¡±


    The president gave his order on the way home.


    ¡°Understood,¡± his subordinate replied. ¡°Should I send him back to the Lindberg residence?¡±


    ¡°I think Danrique must have asked someone to pick him up.¡± The president narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°However, we shouldn''t skip the formalities. Send him to the entrance of the presidential pce, and I''ll


    apologize to him there. Otherwise, he won''t let go of his resentment toward me.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± The moment his words fell, shock deluged the subordinate. ¡°He attempted to assassinate you.


    If he sees you there, I''m afraid he will...¡±


    As he nced at the president, the subordinate noticed his gaze. With that, he stopped talking and


    followed his order immediately.


    Later, Francesca was informed that the president would be releasing Lincoln, and she was asked to


    head over there to get Lincoln. Overwhelmed with joy, she rushed to the presidential pce together


    with Justin and his subordinates.


    At the same time, Sean and his people were on their way to the presidential pce as well.


    Modern medicine did not seem to work well on Danrique. His wound failed to recover and got worse


    instead. The doctor changed the dressing of his wound, prescribed some anti-inmmatory pills, and


    advised him to rest earlier.


    However, Danrique could not fall asleep. He was waiting for Sean to bring Lincoln back so that he


    could give Francesca a call.

 Chapter 2311

    Chapter 2311


    Danrique fell asleep groggily on the couch after taking his medicine.


    Worried that he might catch a cold, Norah covered him with a nket before turning off the lights and


    retreating quietly.


    Though she did not know much, she understood that that night was critical. Mr. Lindberg and the


    president hade to an agreement: If Sean could bring Mr. Lincoln back, Ms. Felch would be able to


    come home, and the matter would be resolved.


    Norah watched the clock on the wall and counted the seconds in her heart.


    One minute passed. Ten minutes. Half an hour. Sean would be at the presidential pce by now and


    would be picking them up soon.


    Danrique suddenly jerked awake while she was lost in her reverie and grabbed his phone to make a


    call.


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Lindberg?¡±


    ¡°Have you picked up Mr. Lincoln?¡±


    ¡°Not yet. He should be arriving at the back door of the presidential pce soon.¡±


    Danrique''s expression shifted drastically. ¡°Did they tell you to collect him at the presidential pce?¡±


    ¡°That''s right.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lincoln must be in our hands before the president returns,¡± Danrique urged. ¡°If you catch sight of


    Francesca, stop her immediately.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡ª¡±


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    Bang! Bang! Bang!


    Before Sean couldplete his sentence, a series of gunshots sounded nearby.


    Spinning around, he saw an emaciated figure falling at the entrance not far away amidst a storm of


    bullets. At the same time, another fell to her knees in the pool of blood.


    ¡°No! Mr. Lincoln!¡± Francesca''s scream pierced the night sky.


    As Sean was rooted to the spot, his eyes widened in disbelief. His head rang with the words¡ªIt''s over.


    We''re toote.


    Danrique''s order and his execution had beente, and the president seeded in his scheme.


    Danrique heard the noise on the other end and, in a rage, sent the coffee table over with a kick and


    hung up. Summoning his men, he dashed outside.


    ¡°Be careful with your injury, sir!¡± Norah cried behind him.


    Danrique did not appear to hear her. Without even donning his jacket, he leaped into his car.


    Fresh blood stained the white snow at the back door of the presidential pce. The president''s


    expression remained impassive as the two bodies fell before him.


    Though his wife, who had shared his bed for decades, fell at his feet, he did not appear sad in the


    slightest. He gazed at her quietly and then at Lincoln, who had been shot by a bullet, and his lips curled


    in a victorious arc.


    Even though it looked disadvantageous to trade his wife''s life for Lincoln''s, the president had, in fact,


    benefitted a great deal.


    As Danrique''s maneuver had already incited hatred in the firstdy for her husband, it was not his wife


    that the president had brought back with him but an enemy who constantly wished him dead.


    Furthermore, he needed his wife to bear all the charges on his behalf to free himselfpletely, but


    she may not be inclined to anymore, given her current hatred for him.


    Only by exterminating all evidence can the doubts be silenced.


    However, the president would be branded an ingrate if he ordered his wife''s arrest or found pretexts to


    cause her demise.


    With things turning out the way they did, my wife being assassinated by one of Danrique''s men...


    Not only would he be absolved of any me, but he would also gain legal grounds to ce all the


    me on his wife. The damning evidence would be indefensible.


    Everything would then fall into ce.


    In addition, Lincoln''s death may prompt a wedge to be driven between Francesca and Danrique.


    Without her help, Danrique would lose the support of his powerful backers, and his diminished


    influence would humble him.


    ¡°Mr. President,¡± reported one of his men quietly, ¡°Sean and his men are here, and Danrique is on his


    way over.¡±


    The president gave a grim smile. ¡°Good. We''ll bag them all at once.¡±


    ¡°Will Mr. Lindberg refuse to reconcile out of rage?¡± the man asked uneasily.


    ¡°The pact will not be changed because of a single death,¡± the president said with a coldugh.


    ¡°Besides, Danrique has no other choice.¡±

 Chapter 2312

    Chapter 2312


    The president knew very well that his and Danrique''s feud would only incur a hefty loss for both sides if


    it were to continue much longer.


    Despite Danrique''s dissatisfaction, he would take it lying low for the sake of the bigger picture. What


    goes aroundes around, after all. Having once made a threat to me, it is only fitting that Danrique


    received one in return. Besides, I owe him a proper thank you for releasing my wife at such an


    opportune moment and using Lincoln to kill her. It was a great help to me.


    The smile on his face widened at the sight of Francesca''s anguish. Danrique is going to suffer soon


    and will have his hands too full to deal with me.


    The president maintained that it was more important to stabilize the situation first, so he could find


    other ways to deal with Danriqueter.


    After all, Danrique suffered a massive loss due to the incident. Even if I cannot subdue him now, there


    will be another opportunity.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg is here, Mr. President,¡± his subordinate whispered into his ear.


    The president turned around and saw two vehicles arriving with frantic haste. As soon as the cars


    ground to a halt, Danrique emerged and dashed toward Francesca, who was kneeling beside Lincoln''s


    body, her body heaving with sobs.


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    Anthony was also distressed.


    Danrique went forward to help Francesca up, who came to life when the destion in her eyes was


    suddenly reced by vengeance. She snatched the gun from Danrique''s hip and pointed it at the


    president. ¡°Go to h*ll!¡±


    Though it was the firstdy who had caused La''s death, and everything looked as if she had


    orchestrated it, Francesca knew that the president was the mastermind.


    That includes having me pick up Mr. Lincoln tonight and for me to see him shot dead with my own


    eyes. It has all been a ploy against Danrique.


    ¡°No, Ms. Felch!¡± Sean hastened forward to stop her.


    At the same time, dozens of guns aimed at Francesca''s head, includingsers from sniper rifles in the


    shadows.


    They were at the backdoor of the presidential pce. Aside from the soldiers standing guard, several


    hidden snipers armed with riflesy in wait and oversaw the president''s safety at all times.


    Francesca did not care. She uncocked the gun.


    Danrique grabbed the barrel and whispered, ¡°Calm yourself!¡±


    ¡°Let go!¡± Consumed by rage, all Francesca wanted to do at that moment was to shoot the president,


    and she did not care if it cost her her life.


    ¡°Francesca!¡± Danrique implored through gritted teeth. ¡°Now''s not the time to be stubborn.¡±


    ¡°I''m telling you to let go,¡± Francesca yelled, ¡°or I''ll shoot you too!¡±


    Danrique did not speak. Instead, he only stared at her with a frown.


    Their eyes met. Francesca''s were aze with a vengeance, whereas Danrique''s was filled with guilt


    and a mix ofplicated emotions.


    After our time apart, I can''t believe we''re reunited under such circumstances.


    The president said sadly, ¡°Oh, Danrique. There has been a serious misunderstanding on Francesca''s


    part. You should tell her we have reconciled.¡±


    His pretense was nothing short of nauseating.


    Not just Danrique but even Sean wanted nothing more than to choke the life out of him.


    However, all of them knew now was not the time.


    ¡°Reconciled?¡± Francesca gazed at Danrique in disbelief.


    Danrique averted his gaze. He grabbed her hand and snatched the gun away, quick as lightning.


    ¡°Danrique!¡± Francesca shrieked, demented, but he rapped her sharply on a spot at the back of her


    neck. Her vision went dark, and she fell limply into his arms.


    Anthony rushed forward in a rage. ¡°What are you doing? Let go of her!¡±


    Danrique nced at him with such a cold look that thetter became so frightened that he froze in his


    tracks.


    Danrique lifted Francesca in his arms, then turned to address the president. ¡°We''ll meet again, Mr.


    President.¡±


    We still have much time ahead. Just wait and see. This is war, and it''s only just begun.

 Chapter 2313

    Chapter 2313


    Danrique ced Francesca into the car and said politely to Justin, who hade forward to stop him,


    ¡°Francesca is my woman, General Jablonski. I will not hurt her.¡±


    ¡°As I was the one who had brought her to Xendale, I am responsible for her safety,¡± Justin protested


    firmly.


    Danrique''s gaze was steely. ¡°She will be safe with me. You are wee to visit the Lindberg residence


    if you''re not assured.¡±


    ¡°Uh...¡±


    Justin hesitated. He wanted to protect Francesca, not ruin her marriage; she had once dered that


    Danrique was the man she loved.


    Atst, he relented. ¡°I will hold you ountable if anything happens to her.¡±


    Danrique did not reply but sank into a bow before bringing Francesca away.


    ¡°Francesca...¡±


    Anthony was about to run after her when Sean gestured him toward another car.


    Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    Danrique''s men departed with Lincoln''s remains.


    Francesca felt her head splitting open as if it was about to explode when she finally regained


    consciousness.


    shes of La and Lincoln meeting their end yed over and over again in her mind''s eye. Each one


    felt like a knife piercing her.


    ¡°Ms. Felch. Ms. Felch!¡±


    Regaining herposure at the cries of concern, Francesca opened her eyes in a daze and was


    instinctively disconcerted by Norah''s kind face looming over hers.


    It felt as if time had stood still several months before the tragedies struck.


    Norah wiped the beads of sweat off her forehead and asked tenderly, ¡°You''ve been talking in your


    sleep. Did you have a nightmare? Don''t be scared. Everything is all right now.¡±


    Francesca rubbed her eyes. ¡°How long have I been out for?¡±


    Norah helped her up and propped a pillow behind her lower back. ¡°A whole day and night. Mr. Lindberg


    brought you homest night, and it''s currently the second night.¡±


    ¡°Where is Danrique?¡± Francesca asked instinctively.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg is not home yet,¡± Norah replied softly. ¡°Many things happened today, and Mr. Lindberg


    has been out since this morning dealing with them.¡±


    Francesca clutched her head to recall the events of the night before.


    Mr. Lincoln is dead. He had been shot dead before my eyes. Was it a nightmare, or did that really


    happen?


    As realization dawned upon her, she realized it had all happened for real.


    Mr. Lincoln is really dead. The president had released him and told him that he and Danrique had


    reconciled. Enraged, Mr. Lincoln became consumed by the thought of killing the president and his wife


    to avenge Ms. La. As soon as he was uncuffed, he grabbed the guard''s gun and fired at the


    president''s car without stopping. However, he had only killed the firstdy as the president was in


    another vehicle.


    ¡°Let me in! Francesca!¡± Anthony''s voice sounded outside.


    Francesca quickly had Norah open the door, who ced a jacket on Francesca''s shoulders before


    letting him in.


    ¡°Let''s go, Francesca,¡± Anthony said upon dashing in. ¡°Let''s get out of here.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± Francesca gazed at him, bewildered.


    ¡°Danrique reconciled with the president,¡± Anthony spat. ¡°The two of them held a press conference this


    afternoon to exin to the reporters that everything that had happened was a misunderstanding and


    banned all news regarding the matter. Look, we can''t find anything about it.¡±


    As he spoke, Anthony handed her his phone.


    Francesca received his phone and conducted an online search. True enough, all news regarding the


    firstdy, her, Avery and Chrono, and the firstdy''s scandal had been wiped clean.


    Not a trace of evidence could be found as if it had never happened.


    Francesca gaped at the phone, then gazed up at the clock on the wall. The date and time were correct.


    Ms. La and Mr. Lincoln''s deaths were real, and so were Sloan''s, Morty''s, and Zolt''s. Everything was


    real.

 Chapter 2314

    Chapter 2314


    The cold wind howled as the snow fell incessantly.


    d in thin clothes, Francesca marched forward, barefoot.


    All she wanted to do was to leave this ce as if it was their of the beast, and she would be eaten


    alive if she stayed.


    Anthony followed behind, anxiously making calls to have somebody pick them up.


    We may lose our lives if we march in this icynd with the cold wind billowing for much longer.


    ¡°Ms. Felch!¡± Sean hurried after them in a panic and hastened to exin, ¡°Mr. Lindberg was forced to do


    it! The present situation is¡ª¡±


    Francesca could notprehend. ¡°Forced to do it? So many people have died because of him. Instead


    of avenging them, he has so easily reconciled with the president. Was he being forced into it?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡ª¡±


    ¡°I couldn''t me him for the things that had happened in his absence back then, but now that he''s


    back, his priority was not to rescue Mr. Lincoln but to reconcile with the president instead. Even though


    the president had brutally killed Mr. Lincoln before my eyes, he still chose to reconcile.¡±


    Francesca became incensed the more she spoke. ¡°In his eyes, his prestige is more important than


    anything, including all of our lives.¡±


    ¡°It''s not like this, Ms. Felch¡ª¡±


    ¡°I wanted to kill the president and avenge Mr. Lincolnst night. Why did he stop me?¡± Francesca


    yelled in a rage. ¡°Is it because he would have no one to reconcile with if I killed that b*stard?¡±


    ¡°No, Ms. Felch,¡± Sean asserted at once. ¡°You could not have killed the president in that situation


    because there were guns and infraredsers all pointed at you. If you were to fire, you would have


    been the first one to fall. Mr. Lindberg only did that to protect you.¡±


    Francesca was livid. ¡°I don''t need his protection. Ms. La and Mr. Lincoln are dead. What good am I


    alive for? I only live to avenge them!¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    Francesca had had enough. ¡°Not another word. Tell him that he and I are done from now on. It''s best


    that he never shows his face again, or I may not be able to stop myself from killing him.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Felch...¡±


    Sean was about to say something, but Francesca had already turned around and left.


    Her silhouette looked deste against the wintry scene, yet determined.


    Sean sighed. Being familiar with Francesca''s temper, he knew nothing he said would make a difference


    if she chose not to listen.


    Mr. Lindberg did not exin himself or ask her to stay. He must be giving her time to cool down. She''s


    so angry right now that she may not listen to a word.


    Upon his return to the vi, Sean ordered the men who had served alongside Sloan to give Francesca


    a ride and had Norah bring her some clothes.


    After making the arrangements, he went to the study room to speak with Danrique.


    The study room remained in the darkness as the lights had not been turned on.


    Danrique sat alone on the couch and drank quietly.


    It was gloomy within. He did not often drink and only did when he was in a bad mood.


    Sean began gingerly, ¡°Ms. Felch is gone, Mr. Lindberg. I told Connor and Mdm. Norah to send her off.¡±


    Danrique grunted without saying a word.


    ¡°She''s very angry now and may not listen to reason. Give her a few days, and she might feel better


    then,¡± Sean said gently. ¡°What say we pick her up after a couple of days?¡±


    ¡°I''m afraid it would be more than a few days, knowing her temper,¡± Danrique sighed helplessly. ¡°I would


    have been angry too if I were in her shoes.¡±


    Danrique understood how Francesca felt. It would be impossible not to hold a grudge after watching


    somebody close to her die. Not only had he not avenged them for her, but he had also allied himself


    with the enemy.


    How would she not hate me? Even I hate myself.


    Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    Having never bowed to anything, he found himself finally submitting to reality.


    He hated this version of himself.

 Chapter 2315

    Chapter 2315


    ¡°You''re not to me. Judging by the current situation, there''s nothing else you can do,¡± Sean uttered.


    ¡°Furthermore, we''re onlypromising for the time being. It''s never toote for revenge. We can


    always go after the president when the dust settles.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Danrique nodded. ¡°In order to achieve great things, one must stay calm.¡±


    ¡°However, this is going to let Ms. Felch down...¡± Sean heaved a sigh and added, ¡°She''s going to get


    overwhelmed by stress and guilt.¡±


    ¡°She''s going to be fine after some time.¡±


    Danrique said those words casually as if it wasn''t a big deal. Time is going to wash away the anger and


    hatred she''s feeling. I''ll just look for her again by then. I think our rtionship is stronger than that.


    ¡°But...¡±


    Sean was hesitant to speak. He still hadn''t told Danrique about Francesca''s pregnancy. Prior to that,


    Sean thought the situation they were in was dire. He was worried that Danrique would act recklessly


    after finding out about the pregnancy. If that were to happen, Danrique could put his own life at risk.


    That very day, Sean nned to let Danrique and Francesca talk things out before telling Danrique


    about it. However, before he could do that, Francesca got pissed off and stormed off.


    Danrique had a lot on his mind, so he didn''t notice Sean''s hesitance.


    After a moment of hesitation, Sean decided to wait it out. Now, Mr. Lindberg and the president had just


    agreed. They''re still wary of each other, and everything''s still hung in the bnce. If something big


    were to happen, it''s going to be troublesome. Perhaps I should just wait a while longer. It''s better if I


    were to tell him about it once everything quiets down.


    The waitsted for a month.


    By then, Danrique''s rtionship with the president had finally returned to its initial friendly state.


    As expected, the president med his wife for all the crimes and cleared himself of all the


    wrongdoings. In the end, he only admitted to one charge of negligence. For that, he held a press


    conference and publicly apologized to the public.


    Besides that, he also exined the statements made prior. He announced that the firstdy was the


    person who stirred things up. Hence, he told everyone that he and Danrique had reconciled. Besides,


    they were going to work together to strengthen Erihal.


    After that, the president personally visited Lindberg Corporation and urged Harrier and Kevin to help


    Danrique manage Lindberg Corporation.


    After he had done all that, peace seemed to have finally been restored.


    Soon, the damaging statements died down. The president and Danrique worked together to get rid of


    all statements made before. That included the statements regarding Francesca.


    Ultimately, none of those statements could be found on the inte anymore.


    Indeed, no matter how shocking the news articles were, people were bound to forget about them after


    some time. One monthter, no one was talking about the Chanaean doctor anymore.


    It was as if nothing had ever happened before.


    Meanwhile, in the courtyard of a vi in Valmora, Francesca was lying on an armchair, squinting her


    eyes, andzily basking in the sun.


    One month prior, Francesca brought Lincoln''s and La''s ashes along when she followed Justin to


    Valmora.


    Throughout this period, she seemed peaceful, but she was utterly devastated.


    She wanted to kill the president and avenge Lincoln and La. However, she knew she didn''t have the


    power to do so. Now that everything is back to normal in Erihal, I won''t even have a chance to get


    close to the president.


    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Justin advised her to let go of the hatred and recuperate before taking revenge in the future.


    As a matter of fact, Justin understood Danrique''s point of view. At times, power reallyes with


    responsibility. A lot of people are relying on him. He even needs to be responsible for Lindberg


    Corporation. Since her life was at stake, he couldn''t possibly take the risk.


    Justin told her all about it before, but Francesca wouldn''t listen.


    In the depths of her mind, perhaps she was just disappointed in Danrique instead of feeling hatred


    toward him. At the same time, she just wanted to stay away from him and all the conflicts. Having been


    through so much, I finally understand what Ms. La and Master reminded me about. A lot of people


    and situations may seem harmless, but they might create problems that I can''t solve. Hence, the


    smartest thing to do is to stay away from those people and situations.

 Chapter 2316

    Chapter 2316


    Seeing that everything had changed, Francesca finally calmed herself down and started assessing her


    rtionship with Danrique. She was also assessing their future together. Perhaps staying apart and not


    seeing each other is the best oue for both of us.


    ¡°Francesca...¡±


    Suddenly, Anthony''s voice rang out. Francesca turned toward him and asked, ¡°Is it done?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Anthony nodded. ¡°The orphanage is now General Jablonski''s. Besides, it has nothing to do with


    Lindberg Corporation''s foundation anymore. It''ll be an independent body.¡±


    ¡°Okay. That''s great.¡± Francesca smiled. When I was the legal representative of the orphanage, I had


    too many responsibilities. That was why others were always using it to threaten me.


    She had since taken William''s advice and transferred the orphanage to Justin. From then on, she was


    free from obligations and ties. That way, no one could use anything against her.


    At the same time, Francesca and Anthony had also stopped using their phone numbers and bank


    ounts. They transferred all the money in the ounts to the orphanage, leaving only a small part of


    the money in a new ount provided by Justin.


    Just like that, they cut off all their contacts, and no one could locate Francesca again.


    ¡°I''ve already found a ce,¡± Anthony uttered in a deep voice.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Francesca nodded before turning toward Justin and said, ¡°General Jablonski, we''ve bothered


    you for long enough. We shall leave now.¡±


    ¡°What''s the n for the future?¡± Justin asked worriedly.


    ¡°Ms. La and Mr. Lincoln liked Phoenix City a lot when they were still around. I would like to bring


    them there.¡± Francesca looked at the clouds in the sky and said in a sad tone, ¡°I got Anthony to buy a


    loft there. We n to stay there.¡±


    Not only did she want to bury La and Lincoln there, but she also wanted to take the opportunity to


    compose herself. I was too reckless, willful, arrogant, and foolish. Besides, I''m still not capable enough.


    I need to change.


    ¡°Okay. Feel free to look for me if you ever need anything. I''ll always be here,¡± Justin said.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Francesca and Anthony left Valmora the next day. They went back to H City before catching a flight to


    Phoenix City.


    The location Anthony found was a small town on the mountainside located on the west side of Phoenix


    City. The town wasn''t well-developed, but one could lead afortable life there. As for the loft that


    they were going to stay in, it was built a year prior. The previous owners were academic professors


    who had returned home from the city they worked in.


    The couple was going to emigrate abroad with their children, so they had no choice but to sell off the


    loft.


    The loft had a Chanaean design, and the furniture and decorations also had a retro Chanaean style.


    There were all sorts of nts in the courtyard, and the ce looked elegant and artistic.


    When Francesca stepped into the courtyard, she felt an indescribable sense offort. Anthony really


    knows me well. He has found a ce I like.


    The two then found a cemetery behind the mountain and buried Lincoln and La there. They also


    nted an osmanthus tree next to their graves because that was the scent La liked.


    Once everything was done and dusted, Francesca and Anthony settled down there. They would visit


    Lincoln''s and La''s graves every day to chat with them as if they had never left.


    It was as though they were still living as a happy family.


    Anthony would apany Francesca to the prenatal checkups. They also hired a woman, Kimberley


    Parker, from the town to take care of Francesca and deal with daily tasks.


    When they stayed there, a lot of people thought Francesca and Anthony were a married couple.


    They were living their peaceful and harmonious lives, and a few months passed in the blink of an eye.


    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Francesca''s tummy grewrger by the day. She would take her own pulse every day ande up with


    herbal concoctions for herself to make sure she could safely give birth to her three children.


    Indeed, she was pregnant with triplets.


    Since that was the case, risks had just gone even higher for her because her body wasn''t even suitable


    for pregnancy in the first ce.

 Chapter 2317

    Chapter 2317


    Based on Francesca''s physical condition, it was tough enough for her to be pregnant with a child, let


    alone three. Therefore, the risk had increased by three folds.


    When Francesca went for her prenatal checkup, the doctor advised her to go for a multi-fetal


    pregnancy reduction. In other words, she would have to abort two of the fetuses and only give birth to


    one. Although that was the safer option, she rejected the doctor''s rmendation. These are all my


    babies, so I can''t give up on any of them. I''m also a doctor. I believe I can protect my own children.


    With that in mind, she started improving her medical skill. She would keep her health in check every


    day and make prenatal preparations.


    Anthony was worried, so he registered for a medical card at Kindness Hospital in H City and made


    arrangements for a private jet. He thought if something were to happen to Francesca duringbor, they


    could board the private jet and fly to H City.


    Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    However, he was afraid that she would scold him. Hence, he made those arrangements behind her


    back.


    Meanwhile, Francesca''s mood had been stable. She was reading ancient medical journals and


    preparing herbal concoctions every day. She had even gotten a new set of tools to deliver the children


    on her own.


    Seeing that, Kimberley freaked out. She went home and told her husband that Francesca and Anthony


    could be wanted criminals because Francesca didn''t dare to give birth in a hospital.


    Fortunately, Francesca and Anthony treated Kimberley well, so Kimberley never thought about


    reporting them to the authorities, albeit living in fear every day.


    In the blink of an eye, Francesca was seven months pregnant. Her appetite was great, and she would


    eat two tes of grilled pork, a te of braised pork, and a pot of fish stew every day. Besides, she


    was eating plenty of fruits and vegetables as well.


    Consequently, her initial skinny cheeks gradually turned rosy and plump. In fact, she looked rather


    lovable.


    Anthony felt relieved when he saw how well Francesca was doing. He then told Kimberley to buy more


    groceries so that she could cook more food for Francesca.


    One day, Anthony drove to the city to buy some daily necessities. Suddenly, he noticed there was a


    group of people asking about Francesca. He hid in an obscure spot and sized the group up. Aren''t


    those people from the Lindberg family?


    Frightened, he quickly drove back toward the mountain.


    When he was on his way back, his phone rang. Kimberley was on the phone, and she sounded


    nervous and emotional when she said, ¡°Anthony, something bad happened, and your wife is going into


    labor! Come back!¡±


    ¡°I''m already on my way back. What happened to her?¡± Anthony asked anxiously.


    ¡°At around noon, she said she was thirsty, so she was eating half a watermelon on the armchair. At that


    time, I was doing theundry. Before I finished doing theundry, I heard her screaming. She said she


    was feeling pain in her tummy, and she told me to call you. Oh, no! Her water broke! This is bad!¡±


    As Kimberley was talking, Francesca''s screams could be heard through the phone.


    Anthony freaked out, and he instantly drove faster.


    When he was halfway up the mountain, he saw a few ck cars that were heavily modified tailing him.


    The Lindberg family must''ve sent out those cars.


    Right then, he started to panic. If I go back now, I''ll be bringing all of them back with me. If I don''t go


    back, Francesca will be in trouble!


    As he was thinking about what to do next, Kimberley''s voice rang out from the phone once more. ¡°Oh


    gosh! Fran!¡±


    ¡°What is it? What happened?¡± Anthony asked.


    The call was still ongoing, and Anthony was driving and conversing with them at the same time.


    ¡°Fran fell down!¡± Kimberley was holding Francesca up when she urged, ¡°Anthony,e back! Quick! I


    can''t do this on my own.¡±


    ¡°I want to be home as soon as I can, but there are people following me from behind.¡± Anthony was


    overwhelmed by anxiety.


    ¡°Who?¡± Francesca asked weakly.


    ¡°I think they''re from the Lindberg family,¡± Anthony answered. ¡°What should I do, Francesca? If I go back


    now, I''ll lead them there. If I don''t go back¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don''te back,¡± replied Francesca with absolute resolution. ¡°Lead them away...¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°Just do as I say.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±

 Chapter 2318

    Chapter 2318


    Anthony was aware of Francesca''s temper. Once she has made her decision, no one can convince her


    otherwise. Furthermore, she''s a doctor, so she should be able to take care of herself. In fact, I can''t do


    much even if I were to go back now. If I end up leading the men from the Lindberg family back, I''m


    going to cause her trouble. She''s going to end her own life if the men from the Lindberg family take her


    children away from her.


    Anthony floored the elerator and quickly drove in the opposite direction. True enough, those cars


    chased after him.


    At the same time, in the loft halfway up the mountain, Francesca''s face had gone pale, and she was


    sweating bullets. Still, she endured the pain and performed acupuncture on herself to ease her pain.


    Meanwhile, she told Kimberley, ¡°Bring my medical kit to me.¡±


    ¡°Medical kit? Where?¡± Kimberley panicked.


    ¡°At the side! Inside the cab!¡± Francesca gritted her teeth to endure the pain. ¡°Quick!¡±


    ¡°Okay... Okay...¡± Kimberley anxiously passed her the medical kit.


    ¡°Open the purple bottle... Feed me the medication...¡± Francesca''s voice was getting weaker and


    weaker. At that point, she was trembling all over and having cold sweats.


    Prior to that, she had already prepared all the medications needed and stored them in the medical kit.


    She kept the medical kit in a cab right next to her bed so that she could reach it in case of an


    emergency.


    To be on the safe side, she even used different bottles for different medications. That way, Kimberley


    would be able to help, even if Anthony wasn''t around.


    ¡°Purple... Purple...¡±


    Kimberley found the medication in a purple bottle and fed it to Francesca.


    After drinking the medication, Francesca grabbed the scalpel.


    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Oh my goodness! What are you doing? Are you going to operate on yourself? You''re scaring me!¡±


    Kimberley was so frightened that she had turned pale.


    ¡°Mdm. Parker, please sanitize your hands and put on the surgical gloves. Once I''ve cut myself open, I


    need you to help me carry my children out...¡± Francesca uttered.


    ¡°I... I-I...¡±


    ¡°Don''t be scared. I''ve taught you this before...¡±


    Having drank the medication in the purple bottle, Francesca no longer felt the pain. She lifted the


    scalpel and started performing a c-section on herself.


    Although Kimberley was trembling in fear, she was still following Francesca''s orders.


    ¡°Please put my pillow up so that I can see my own tummy,¡± Francesca said.


    ¡°Oh... Okay...¡±


    Right then, deafening roars of thunder reverberated in the air, and it started raining heavily.


    Kimberley shivered in fear and went to close the windows. By the time she was done, she had turned


    around to see Francesca had already cut her own tummy open.


    Seeing that, she quickly went up to Francesca and took the babies out.


    In the meantime, after Anthony lured those people away, he abandoned the car in the mountains. He


    then ran along the path under the heavy rain.


    The moment he arrived in the courtyard, he heard the sound of babies crying.


    He was stunned, and his mind went ck as he stared at the room. Has Francesca given birth?


    A long whileter, Anthony regained his senses and ran into the loft.


    At that moment, Francesca was already unconscious. Kimberley was carrying three babies in her arms


    and smiling gleefully. When she saw Anthony, she said, ¡°Anthony! Fran has given birth to three


    daughters! They''re so pretty!¡±


    ¡°That''s awesome!¡± Anthony was incredibly excited. ¡°Are the kids healthy? Let me have a look...¡±


    ¡°They are. However, they''re too little, and I don''t know how to take care of them. I think it''s better to


    send them to the hospital. By the way, you should quickly check on Fran. She didn''t stitch herself up. I


    don''t know how to do that,¡± Kimberley urged.


    Anthony immediately went to check on Francesca. Apparently, she lost a lot of blood, and her life was


    in danger. As waves of shock came crashing from within him, Anthony''s expression changed


    dramatically. He then called for an ambnce right away.


    Francesca woke up in a daze when she was on the way to the hospital. When she heard the siren


    ringing in her ears and saw the medical staff, she felt as though angels had saved her. I''ve


    overestimated my tolerance for pain. I thought I would be able to stitch myself back up and take


    medications after performing the c-section.


    Only then did she realize that she was nothing but an ordinary human. I''m made of flesh and blood,


    and death is an inevitable fact of life.

 Chapter 2319

    Chapter 2319


    On the mountain, Mylo and his men ended up locating the abandoned car instead of Anthony.


    Right then, he knew Anthony and Francesca were nearby. When he was about to send his men out for


    a search, he received a call from Sean.


    Mylo reported everything to Sean in detail. A few minutester, Sean answered, ¡°Stop the search.


    Retreat!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Mylo was stunned. ¡°Mr. Lindberg jumped through hoops and loops to locate Francesca, and


    we''re on the verge of finding them. If we give up now, wouldn''t everything be in vain?¡±


    ¡°I told you to retreat!¡± Sean ordered.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Mylo didn''t dare to say anything else. He and his men abandoned the search.


    After hanging up the phone, Sean reported, ¡°Mr. Lindberg, Mylo and his men are retreating.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Danrique nodded.


    ¡°But... Why?¡± Sean asked cautiously. ¡°We''re on the verge of finding Ms. Felch.¡±


    ¡°Would Anthony be smart enough to abandon his car and flee? She must''ve told him to do that. Since


    she''s so determined not to see me, why should I force it to happen?¡± Although Danrique looked calm,


    the sadness in his eyes was unmissable.


    ¡°Perhaps she''s still angry.¡± Sean heaved a sigh and added, ¡°However, the problems are only going to


    get more serious if you guys don''t meet up. No matter what, you need to talk it out.¡±


    Danrique kept silent and stared at a table filled with the things she had left behind.


    ¡°So... Should we let Mylo and his men stay there or¡ª¡±


    ¡°Tell them toe back,¡± Danrique ordered. ¡°Don''t bother her anymore!¡±


    ¡°Noted!¡± Sean then ryed the order to Mylo.


    Danrique continued flipping through his documents. Over the past six months, he had been focusing


    solely on his work. It was as if that was the only way he could keep his frustrations off of his mind.


    Sean knew Danrique wanted to stabilize his own position as soon as possible so that no one could


    threaten him again. Once Danrique had achieved that, he would bring Francesca home.


    In just six months, Lindberg Corporation was back on track.


    Due to what happened thest time around, Danrique eventually got rid of Harrier and Kevin. Those


    two men had shares in thepany, and they would be paid dividends at the end of the year.


    However, they were no longer involved in the operations of thepany.


    Besides, ever since Lindberg Corporation was stabilized, Hazel had returned from Danontand to help


    Danrique manage Lindberg Corporation. Naturally, her position in thepany was very high.


    Moreover, the president had stopped creating trouble over the past six months. Instead, he was


    performing his role as the president very well. Whenever he was to mention Danrique and Lindberg


    Corporation, he had nothing but praise.


    Even though everything seemed peaceful, Danrique knew it was just the calm before the storm.


    Although I miss Francesca, I can''t bring her back by force. Maybe I should wait until things are more


    stable.


    When Mylo and his men were on their way down from the mountaintop, one of Mylo''s subordinates told


    Mylo that a loft nearby had lights on. They thought Francesca was most probably there.


    Upon hearing that, Mylo gave it some thought. We better not betray Mr. Lindberg''s orders. With that in


    mind, he decided not to be bothered by that and brought his men away.


    By the time they arrived at the foot of the mountain, the sky was already dark.


    On their journey to the airport, Mylo noticed tire tracks along the way. Could it be that Ms. Felch had


    already left the mountain so that she could avoid us?


    Meanwhile, Anthony was constantly on his guard the entire time because he was afraid that the people


    from the Lindberg family would catch them. He was always looking out the windows worriedly. He only


    breathed a sigh of reliefte that night. It''s already sote, and we still haven''t seen anyone unusual


    approaching us. We should be in the clear now.


    Francesca''s wound was taken care of, but she was still unconscious. At the same time, the nurses


    were taking care of her kids.


    Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    While Kimberley had gone out to buy food and necessities, Anthony was watching over Francesca in


    the ward.


    At that moment, everything seemed perfect. Like a happy family, they were there to wee the


    newborn babies.


    At around seven the next morning, Francesca woke up in a daze and heard a nurse asking, ¡°Please


    name the children soon. We need to register them and assign wristbands to them so that we won''t


    make any mistakes.¡±

 Chapter 2320

    Chapter 2320


    ¡°Let''s wait till the kids'' mother is awake. She''ll name them.¡± Anthonyughed and said, ¡°I don''t get to


    decide.¡±


    ¡°You''re the babies'' father, no? What do you mean you don''t get to decide? It seems like you''re scared


    of your wife! Haha!¡± one of the nurses teased.


    ¡°I''m not scared. I just love her.¡± Anthony scratched his head sheepishly.


    ¡°How sweet of you! There aren''t a lot of sweet guys left these days.¡± The nurses were having fun


    teasing Anthony. It''s rare to see such a handsome man in our tiny city.


    ¡°Haha!¡± Anthony was happy upon getting praised.


    ¡°Hey! The mother is awake!¡± A nurse noticed Francesca was awake, and she quickly went to


    Francesca to check on her. ¡°How are you feeling? Does your wound still hurt?¡±


    ¡°I feel pain all over the body...¡± Francesca took a deep breath and asked, ¡°Anthony, where''s my medical


    kit?¡±


    Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I have it with me!¡± Anthony passed her the medical kit and said, ¡°I know which one is the painkiller, but


    seeing that you were still unconscious, I didn''t dare to feed you any.¡±


    ¡°I can take some now...¡± Francesca had more faith in her own medication.


    ¡°What medication is that? Are you supposed to take it?¡± A few nurses approached Francesca curiously


    and asked, ¡°Don''t you think you should ask the doctor first?¡±


    ¡°She''s a doctor.¡± Anthony grabbed the painkiller and fed it to Francesca.


    Francesca was slightly more energetic after taking medicine and said she was hungry.


    The nurse told her to wait and that she could only eat in the afternoon.


    Therefore, Francesca had to endure hunger. Anthony''s heart ached, so he fed her some water.


    However, she couldn''t drink too much water either.


    The nurse proceeded to ask Francesca to name the kids. Francesca was still in a daze, and she just


    wanted to sleep. Hence, she merely blurted, ¡°The girls...¡±


    ¡°What?¡± The nurse didn''t know what Francesca was talking about.


    ¡°Alpha, Beta, and Gamma. I''ll give them proper namester...¡± Francesca was dozing off, and her mind


    was flooded with the scene of her being in the ambnce.


    ¡°That''s a good idea! Those names are so easy to remember!¡± At that point, Anthony would be happy


    with whatever names Francesca coulde up with.


    Although the nurses thought the names were ridiculous, they respected the wishes of the parents.


    Kimberley returned with food and necessities, and she was relieved when she saw that Francesca and


    the babies were all fine. She then left the goods there and rushed home to make soup for Francesca.


    Francesca slept throughout the day and woke up energized the next day. She had some food before


    she went to see her babies.


    Those three little ones were all very weak, so they were kept in incubators. The youngest one, Gamma,


    was the frailest, and she was having all sorts of health problems.


    The doctor ran tests on the babies and asked Francesca and Anthony if they wanted to let the hospital


    treat the infants.


    Although Francesca had incredible medical skills, she thought it would be wiser to let the hospital treat


    the babies. After all, they were too young. However, the medical equipment in the small city was


    limited. She wanted the kids to receive treatment as soon as possible, so she immediately discussed


    with Anthony taking the children to H City for medical treatment.


    Fortunately, Anthony had everything prepared beforehand. He immediately arranged a private jet for


    their trip to H City. They were also bringing Kimberley along.


    When the hospital staff saw a luxury caring to pick them up and heard that Anthony was arranging


    a private jet, they assumed that those two were low-key big shots. Inevitably, they were all gossiping


    among themselves.


    Francesca didn''t want to attract any more attention, so she quickly brought the babies out of there.


    For the next two months, they were all staying at Kindness Hospital in H City. The hospital belonged to


    Raina, and it was mainly a women''s and children''s hospital. In fact, it was a famous hospital in the


    country.


    Besides, the security of the hospital was top-notch, and the privacy of patients was also prioritized.


    Anthony used a false identity to register the medical card there so that he could bring Francesca and


    Kimberley into the hospital.


    For two months, Francesca was in confinement, and the babies received treatment. All in all,


    everything went well.


    Two monthster, Francesca made a full recovery, and Gamma''s condition stabilized.

 Chapter 2321

    Chapter 2321


    However, the pediatrician at the hospital said it was already a miracle that the triplets could see the


    light of the world when the mother''s health wascking, and they were born prematurely.


    All three children were exceedingly weak then, especially Gamma. As such, they would possibly have


    to visit the hospital frequently in the future,ing every week for injections to survive.


    After thanking the doctor, Francesca left with the babies without saying anything further.


    She''s right, but I''ve now recovered, and I''ve got the confidence that I can restore my kids to good


    health!


    Francesca and Anthony brought Alpha, Beta, and Gamma back to the loft in the middle of the mountain


    in Phoenix City. Kimberley even tagged along to take care of them.


    At first, Anthony merely nned on finding a domestic helper. But after all the interaction with her


    throughout this time, she had be a part of their family. Verily, she took great care of Francesca


    and the girls.


    When they returned home, Kimberley even asked her husband toe and help buy groceries and the


    like since she was too busy. The atmosphere in the house turned lively and warm, and they were all


    happy.


    Francesca started treating the triplets with peace of mind, focusing all attention on improving her


    medical skills. She also had Anthony build a small cabin at the back of the mountain for her to use as a


    laboratory to research new weapons and drugs.


    ¡°Why do we need to do all this? Our life is already very stable right now,¡± Anthony questioned


    anxiously.


    ¡°Prevention is always better than cure.¡±


    Francesca kept La''s teachings in mind at all times, determined to learn to protect herself and her


    family.


    ¡°All right, then. You''re right. How strange! Those from the Lindberg family had already hiked up the


    mountain previously. Yet, they didn''t scour the area. If they continue searching, we won''t be able to


    escape detection.¡± Unease lingered within Anthony.


    In response, Francesca sneered, ¡°Well, Danrique is probably likewise aware that the Lindberg


    residence is a horrible ce. Besides, so what if he finds me? Is he going to tie me up and drag me


    back?¡±


    ¡°Makes sense. He didn''t even stop you when you left back then.¡± Anthony proceeded to heave a sigh.


    Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    Just the thought of it had Francesca''s temper spiking. ¡°Don''t mention him anymore henceforth.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay, I won''t mention him.¡± Hastily changing the subject, Anthony dered, ¡°I''ll go and look in


    on the triplets. It''s feeding time.¡±


    Francesca had no breast milk, so the children had to drink form milk as soon as they were born.


    They were allergic to cow''s milk, so they could only have goat''s milk.


    Anthony initially wanted to purchase imported goat milk form, but Kimberley argued that it would be


    more nutritious to milk the goats they reared before refining the raw milk.


    In truth, he felt that it wasn''t scientific, but Francesca agreed. She refined the goat''s milk for the triplets


    every day, and they had been fine drinking it.


    Time passed, day after day.


    In the blink of an eye, three months flew past. By then, the triplets were already half a year old. That


    day, Anthony held aptop and showed it to Francesca, divulging, ¡°I received news that the Lindberg


    family is looking for renowned doctors everywhere. They even sent men to Phoenix City, seemingly in


    search of your master.¡±


    At once, Francesca''s expression changed drastically. ¡°What happened? Danrique is hurt?¡±


    A deep frown marred Anthony''s countenance. ¡°I''m not sure about that, but the situation seems urgent,


    so it''s likely a matter of life and death for real.¡±


    Francesca said nothing, but her mind was already a mess.


    Actually, there are many skilled doctors in this world. For the average injury or illness, one can be


    treated by going to other doctors. Once someone goes to my master, it''s, in all probability, a matter of


    life and death. On top of that, the Lindberg family is disregarding the president and the Nacht family''s


    scrutiny to openly search for renowned doctors, so the situation must be really critical, and they can''t


    hold out anymore. Considering the severity of things, it''s definitely Danrique. It''s him, no doubt!


    ¡°Make some inquiries about the identity of the patient and the type of illness,¡± she urged.


    ¡°Sure.¡± Just as Anthony was going to investigate the matter, a call came in from Justin. He quickly


    answered the call. ¡°Hello, General Jablonski. Yes, I''ve heard of that. Francesca has also learned about


    it. Who exactly took ill? You''ve got no idea, either? If so, the Lindberg family is really good at keeping


    things under wrap. Do you know what kind of illness it is, then? Huh? Oh, I see...¡±


    After hanging up the phone, he reported to Francesca, ¡°It''s uncertain who took ill, but the Lindberg


    family is looking for a traditional medicine practitioner this time. They''ve already sent men to Phoenix


    City to seek your master out. It''s rumored that the patient has been poisoned with a deadly poison.¡±

 Chapter 2322

    Chapter 2322


    At Anthony''s remark, Francesca''s face drained of all color. ¡°A deadly poison? Could it be Danrique?¡±


    Meanwhile, Anthony''s expression was solemn. ¡°General Jablonski didn''t say, but it''s likely him.


    Otherwise, why would the Lindberg family search for renowned doctors with such fanfare? Who else is


    so important other than Danrique?¡±


    Francesca''s brows furrowed. ¡±They won''t be able to find my master. He happens to be in seclusion


    these few months.¡±


    Every once in a while, Dr. Felch would go into the mountains and seclude himself to research medicine,


    refusing to meet anyone. In such a situation, no one would be able to find him except his apprentices or


    close friends.


    Hearing that, Anthony regarded her timidly. ¡°What should we do, then? Are you nning to interfere in


    this matter?¡±


    Francesca went silent. Back then, Danrique''s fight with the president resulted in La and Lincoln


    dying a tragic death. From that moment on, she swore that she would never again be involved in any


    political battles or meddle in things that had nothing to do with her.


    Indeed, she kept her word.


    For over a year now, she and Anthony had been living in seclusion in the mountains with the triplets,


    giving no mind to the world''s affairs and keeping out of everyone''s grievances and fight.


    However, something had happened to Danrique once more though it had only been a year.


    Can I really sit back and do nothing?Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    She stared at her three adorable children, feeling conflicted beyond words.


    No matter what, he''s their father. If they were to learn that I did nothing to save him when they''d grown


    up in the future, would they hate me? But if I do go and save him, I''d be embroiled in the mess again.


    Cradling her forehead, she plunged into a dilemma.


    ¡°Don''t be so panicked. Perhaps things aren''t as we think. Maybe it''s someone else who''s sick,¡±


    Anthonyforted softly.


    ¡°About everyone in the Lindberg family is dead, so could else could it be if not him?¡± Francesca


    retorted.


    ¡°Uh...¡± For a moment, Anthony had no words to refute that.


    ¡°Forget it. I''m not going to care about him and his end. What has it got to do with me?¡± Francesca


    huffed in a fit of rage.


    She continued tinkering with her herbs.


    ¡°Yes, yes, you made the right decision. Don''t care about him and just live our lives,¡± Anthony hurriedly


    seconded. ¡°I''ll go and see whether Mdm. Parker is done cooking dinner. She''s making chicken stew


    tonight.¡±


    As he spoke, he scurried off to get busy.


    On the contrary, Francesca wasn''t in the mood to do anything. Eyeballing the information on theptop,


    she imagined Danrique dying from a deathly poison. Her heart hurt as though it was being ripped into


    shreds.


    Despite her hatred and resentment toward him, she was still worried and anxious to learn that


    something had happened to him.


    While she was deep in thought, a car engine sounded outside. Anthony sprinted out to check on the


    situation before dashing back in frenziedly. ¡°Some men from the Lindberg family are here, Francesca!¡±


    Stunned, Francesca froze for a brief second before asking, ¡°Who exactly?¡±


    ¡°I stole a peek through the crack of the door earlier. It''s Sean, Mylo, and the others. What should we do


    now? Should we make a run for it?¡± Anthony inquired anxiously.


    ¡°Watch over the kids.¡±


    Giving that order, Francesca picked up the poison pouch and tied it to her waist before heading out in


    huge strides.


    Upon opening the wooden door to the courtyard, she was wholly stunned by the line-up before her


    eyes.


    Three cars were parked outside, while Sean, Mylo, and the others stood in two rows in an orderly


    manner. They waited quietly, not daring to knock on the door or make any noise.


    At the sight of her, all of them bowed their heads and greeted in unison, ¡°Ms. Felch!¡±


    ¡°It''s been a long time, Ms. Felch.¡±


    Sean walked over and pinned his eyes on Francesca with a smile.


    It''s been a year! Her hair has grown longer, and her skin is even fairer. She''s more steady and mature


    than before, but the sparkle in her eyes is still there.


    ¡°How do you know I''m here?¡±


    No sooner had Francesca asked that question than she found it pointless.


    If the Lindberg family wants to find someone, they can certainly locate that person. What''s more, this


    ce of mine isn''t that isted.


    ¡°Actually, we''ve always known that you''re here. But we were afraid of disrupting you, so we didn''t dare


    come and visit. This time, we only came because we''ve got no choice and have a favor to ask of you.¡±


    Sean wore a somber expression, the look in his eyesplicated.

 Chapter 2323

    Chapter 2323


    ¡°What happened? What''s wrong with Danrique?¡±


    In that instant, Francesca forgot all the grievances and hatred between her and Danrique, anxious to


    know about the man''s condition.


    Lowering his head, Sean answered sadly, ¡°He has been poisoned with a deadly poison by the Nacht


    family. We''ve already hired the most outstanding team of doctors and medical teams who have treated


    him for more than a month, but there hasn''t been any improvement. Gordon hiked up the mountain to


    seek Dr. Felch out, but he wasn''t there. We really don''t have any other recourse, so we came to beg


    you for a favor!¡±


    While saying that, he dropped down to a knee and appealed humbly, ¡°Please save him, Ms. Felch. The


    Lindberg family will definitely be thankful to you and remember your kindness forever!¡±


    ¡°Please save him, Ms. Felch!¡±


    All the subordinates followed suit, falling to their knees and imploring Francesca to help.


    At that scene, Francesca''s heart promptly softened.


    It looks like Danrique is really on the verge of dying. If I don''t act, death will be inevitable for him. But


    once I go back, I might very likely fall into the quagmire again. I''ve only gotten out after much difficulty


    and started a new life. I no longer want to live in fear, worrying that others will sabotage me. That''s


    especially the case now that I''m a mother and have kids. I want security and stability more than ever.


    But... can I truly sit back and do nothing? I don''t think I''m capable of that.


    ¡°Ms. Felch, you once said that saving a life can earn one a lifetime of luck. That aside, you''re a doctor


    and bear the responsibility of healing the sick. You and Mr. Lindberg are also linked by fate, so you


    can''t stand idly by and do nothing when he''s now in trouble!¡±


    Sean seemingly clocked her hesitation, for he swiftly pleaded with her, striking while the iron was hot.


    ¡°I...¡± Once more, Francesca plunged into a dilemma.


    Just then, Anthony, who was in the house, hurried out to check on the situation upon hearing the


    commotion. He wanted to stop Francesca from agreeing to the request. We''ve only managed to leave


    after much difficulty and start afresh. If she goes back, she''ll be embroiled in the mess again!


    But at that precise moment, a baby''s cry split the air without warning. Jumping in fright, Anthony closed


    the door posthaste and gestured at Kimberley to take the triplets in to keep them out of sight.


    If someone from the Lindberg family learns that Francesca gave birth to Danrique''s kids, they''ll


    undoubtedlye and snatch them away!


    Outside, Francesca sensed the movements in the house. Thus, she wanted to have Sean and the


    others leave quickly. Otherwise, things would be troublesome if they were to discover the children''s


    existence.


    Therefore, she hastily dered, ¡°Leave first and let me think about it.¡±


    ¡°If you don''t agree, Ms. Felch, we''ll continue kneeling until you do.¡±


    Sean and the others remained to kneel in front of the door, showing no signs of getting to their feet.


    ¡°Cut it out.¡±


    Francesca was rendered speechless. Gah! They''re really persistent. Unfortunately, I can''t get them to


    leave. If they continue staying, things will get tricky if they catch sight of the kids.


    ¡°Ms. Felch, Mr. Lindberg said that you''ll only be going back this time to treat a patient. When you''ve


    done that, it''ll be good if you''re willing to stay at the Lindberg residence, but if you want to leave, I''ll


    definitely send you back. You won''t be forced to do anything.¡±


    Still, Sean continued begging her desperately.


    ¡°Danrique said that? Isn''t he gravely ill? Yet, he can still talk?¡± Francesca questioned in surprise.


    Sean was taken aback for a moment, and his gaze flickered. But in the next second, he regained his


    composure. ¡°Yes, Mr. Lindberg said that before he fell unconscious.¡±


    That utterance had Francesca''s heart clenching painfully.


    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Danrique has always been stony and never once begged anyone, but he''s actually begging me humbly


    right now... Perhaps his desire to live forced him to relinquish his dignity, or maybe he wants to see me


    one final time before he dies. No matter what, since he has made this promise, I''ll help him this time.


    At that thought, she asserted, ¡°I want toe back right after treating him. There can''t be any dys.


    Can you guarantee that?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. Absolutely! I swear that you can go anywhere you want after treating him. In fact, I''ll drive


    you myself!¡± Sean hurriedly vowed.


    ¡°Okay, then. Go down and wait for me at the foot of the mountain. I''ll be there after packing for a bit,¡±


    Francesca instructed.


    ¡°Understood.¡± Having obtained her promise, Sean promptly went down the mountain with the others.

 Chapter 2324

    Chapter 2324


    Watching as the cars drove away, Francesca finally breathed a sigh of relief. She closed the door to the


    courtyard and went back into the house.


    ¡°They''ve all left?¡± Anthony asked urgently.


    ¡°Yes.¡± As Francesca gazed at the triplets on the bed, her expression dimmed. They''re only three


    months old and not in perfect health at that. Who''s going to care for them now that I''m leaving?


    ¡°Don''t tell me you agreed?¡± Anthony eyed her with a frown.


    ¡°I didn''t want to do so, but I can''t do nothing and let him die either. After all, he''s the kids'' father.¡±


    Francesca heaved a sigh.


    ¡°Well, that''s true.¡± Anthony understood that much. Subsequently, he queried, ¡°But what about the kids


    while you''re gone? Why don''t you have them transport Danrique over for treatment?¡±


    ¡°No, it''ll cause even greater trouble to transport him here. All those enemies of his will be attracted


    here,¡± Francesca declined resolutely.


    ¡°That makes sense.¡± Anthony bobbed his head in agreement.


    Francesca stared at the triplets with reluctance written all over her face. ¡°I''ll go over for a look and try to


    come back as soon as possible. The kids aren''t feeding on breast milk anyway, so you''ll have no


    problems taking care of them.¡±


    ¡°I''ll go with...¡± Anthony wanted to insist on going with her as he did in the past, but he changed his tune


    at the thought of the triplets. ¡°All right, then. I''ve got to stay and take care of the kids.¡±


    Francesca kissed each of the triplets tenderly. ¡°Yeah. Fortunately, they''re already fine now. I''ll leave


    some basic medicine at home. If one of them catches a cold, runs a fever, has a stomachache, or the


    like, just feed her the medicine. Call me if it''s something serious. I''ll return immediately.¡±


    In response, Anthony nodded. ¡°Got it. Since you''ve decided to go, make it fast. I''ll be here, so don''t


    worry.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± After packing her medical kit and needle pouch, Francesca hugged each triplet. ¡°I''m leaving.


    Things here will be on you.¡±


    ¡°Rest easy.¡± Looking at her worriedly, Anthony warned, ¡°Don''t stir up trouble while you''re there, and


    come back quickly after treating the man.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡± Francesca patted him on the shoulder before leaving in a hurry.


    ¡°Wait a moment, Fran!¡± Kimberley hurried out and handed her a lunch box. ¡°You didn''t have dinner, and


    it''ll take two hours down the mountain. Don''t go hungry.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Mdm. Parker!¡±


    Francesca hugged her before leaving quickly, but she spotted Sean by the roadside no sooner had she


    gone a kilometer away from the courtyard. Beside the man was an empty car.


    It was evident that everyone else had gone down the mountain, and Sean was the only one there


    waiting for her.


    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°It isn''t easy to go down the mountain, so I waited here for you. There isn''t anything else to it.¡±


    Swinging open the car door, Sean deferentially ushered her into the car.


    Even after Francesca had gotten into the car, her eyes still drifted to the wooden loft behind her through


    the rearview mirror. Worry lingered within her.


    Seeing through her, Sean admitted, ¡°I''ve arranged for Mylo and the others to protect the ce in


    secret, so don''t worry. While you''re treating Mr. Lindberg, nothing will happen to Mr. Quill and the kids.¡±


    ¡°You know about the kids?¡± Francesca''s eyes went wide in shock.


    ¡°While Mr. Lindberg had no idea about your pregnancy, we all knew about it. Speaking of that, I should


    apologize to you.¡± Sean appeared to be exceedingly guilty.


    ¡°There''s no need to apologize. It''s good to keep him in the dark, lest he fights me for the kids,¡±


    Francesca replied cidly.


    Following that, Sean murmured apologetically, ¡°It must have been difficult for you throughout the past


    year. In truth, I wanted to tell Mr. Lindberg about it countless times, but Lindberg Corporation was shaky


    as long as the president remained in power. If Mr. Lindberg had a weakness, he''d easily fall into traps.


    For that reason, after much consideration, I decided to wait until Lindberg Corporation is in a stable


    condition before doing so. But I never expected this sudden turn...¡±


    At that point, he stopped short and didn''t continue speaking further.


    ¡°You made the right call,¡± Francesca announced in admiration. Then, shemented, ¡°If he''d known I


    was pregnant, he wouldn''t have easily let me leave. I''d have suffered more had I stayed at the Lindberg


    residence, and his days wouldn''t have been easy either.¡±


    ¡°That was also what I thought back then, so I didn''t say anything. I was worried that you''d be mad at


    me.¡± Sean regarded her weakly.

 Chapter 2325

    Chapter 2325


    ¡°Why would I be mad at you? I''m thankful beyond words.¡± Immediately, Francesca urged, ¡°Since you


    didn''t tell him anything previously, don''t do so now. It''s good for the kids to be with me. Our days are


    simple and stable without sabotage or threats at every turn.¡±


    ¡°When Lindberg Corporation has stabilized in the future, and Mr. Lindberg has taken control over


    everything, he''ll still get you and the kids toe back. He still loves you and has never changed,¡±


    Sean asserted.


    However, Francesca rolled her eyes. ¡°Never mind that! My three kids and I are perfectly contented


    living a carefree life.¡±


    Sean was startled for a moment before he inquired emotionally, ¡°Three kids? You had triplets?¡±


    At the thought of the children, Francesca inexorably turned gentle. ¡°Yeah. They''re all girls and are


    incredibly adorable.¡±


    ¡°That''s great! There''s someone to inherit the Lindberg family! Haha...¡±


    Sean was over the moon.


    ¡°Hah! Isn''t the Lindberg family only passed down to males? I previously heard from Mdm. Norah that


    only boys hold session rights to the Lindberg family,¡± Francesca scoffed coldly.


    ¡°That''s because the daughters of the Lindberg family are carefree princesses who don''t need to


    shoulder the burden of the family,¡± Sean exined.


    After pondering for a while, Francesca felt that it made sense. ¡°Well, that''s true. There''s nothing good


    about having session rights to the Lindberg family. Other than money, no benefites from it.


    Worse still, one would have to live under constant threat, putting up with the risk of losing one''s life


    anytime.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Hehe...¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, how did Danrique get poisoned? Who poisoned him, and what kind of poison was it? How''s


    his condition right now?¡±


    ¡°His situation is grave. The person who poisoned him was Zara Nacht from the Nacht family. The


    poison is rumored to have originated from Riz Corporation and prates into the blood, which is very


    much lethal. In short, he''s only hanging on to life by a thread at present. He almost died multiple times,


    but the medical team forcibly dragged him back from the grave.¡±


    The instant Francesca heard that, she panicked. ¡°How did that happen? My daughters haven''t even


    seen their father, yet he''s about to die. Why are you driving so slowly? Speed up!¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course!¡±


    ¡°For the love of God, get out of the way! I''ll drive!¡±


    Shoving Sean aside, Francesca took over the wheel. The ck jeep sped off like lightning.


    A dayter, Francesca arrived back at Xendale.


    Exclusive content from N?velDrama.Org.


    By the time she disembarked the ne, Gordon was already waiting for her there.


    They all got into the car and rushed over to the Lindberg residence.


    When they arrived, Norah and the others were waiting at the door. As soon as they saw Francesca,


    they all swarmed around her, dabbing at their eyes while telling her how much they had missed her.


    Francesca merely greeted them perfunctorily before rushing to the clinic. Gordon had told her that the


    patient was situated at her clinic in the past, so she charged over without even thinking about it.


    When she reached the ward, her heart almost stopped beating. Tears escaped her eyes at the sight of


    the person lying motionless on the hospital bed with needles and tubes all over, an oxygen mask


    covering the hair.


    At Kerrie''s reminder, she changed into an istion gown. Cautiously stepping into the room, she


    wailed, ¡°Danrique! Dan...¡±


    Before she had finished speaking, she was entirely stumped, for the person on the hospital bed wasn''t


    Danrique at all.


    Instead, the thin and fragile figure was obviously a girl.


    Francesca''s eyes went wide in astonishment, and she was wholly stupefied. While she was still in


    shock, a pair of familiar arms hugged her from the back, even as a gentle voice rang out from behind


    her. ¡°So, you''re still concerned about me!¡±


    Jolting, she snapped her head back.


    Although this handsome face has thinned considerably and the eyes sunken, it''s still as familiar as


    ever. Isn''t this the man I both love and hate... Danrique?


    ¡°Danrique? Y-You aren''t sick?¡± Francesca cried out in surprise.


    ¡°I''m sick. I''m suffering from lovesickness.¡± Danrique wore an aggrieved expression that was tinged with


    a hint of sincerity.


    Francesca was so livid that she thumped him on the chest. ¡°How dare you dupe me! Go to h*ll!¡±


    As she said that, she pushed him away furiously and made to leave.

 Chapter 2326

    Chapter 2326


    Danrique hastily grabbed Francesca. Just when she was about to struggle, he pinned her against the


    wall. ¡°Listen to me. I can exin¡ª¡±


    Francesca was both emotional and enraged. ¡°What do you want to say? What is there to exin? You


    went to great lengths to trick me into returning just because you want me to treat another woman? Who


    is she? Your mistress? How daring of you, Danrique Lindberg! Are you not afraid that I''d kill you?¡±


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°We''re in the ward here. If you want to hit or scold me, you can do so as you please back in the


    bedroom. But right now, please listen to me first, okay?¡±


    ¡°I don''t want to listen! I don''t want to hear it! Mmph!¡±


    Before Francesca could go off the deep end, Danrique pped a hand over her mouth and restrained


    her body. Only then could he start speaking quietly.


    ¡°The woman on the hospital bed is known as Charlotte Windt. She''s my aunt''s daughter and my


    biological cousin. The Nacht family poisoned her with a deadly poison, and she''s hanging on by a


    thread. I hired other medical teams, but they all failed to cure her. I only sought you out because there''s


    no other recourse. Right now, you''re the only one who can save her!¡±


    Pausing for a moment, Danrique added, ¡°As you know, I owe Aunt Isabe a debt of gratitude. She''s


    the person who treats me best in this world, and Charlotte is her only daughter. I must save her, even


    at the cost of my life. Therefore... I beg you. Please save her. As long as you do so, I''ll agree to


    anything!¡±


    Subsequently, he moved his hand away and looked at her anxiously.


    Francesca shot daggers at him, but she no longer mored as she did earlier, merely walking over for


    a look at the woman on the hospital bed. She took thetter''s pulse and checked her eyes before


    scrutinizing her countenance.


    In the end, she turned and asked, ¡°What did you say her name was?¡±


    ¡°Charlotte Windt. But she''s going to change her surname to Lindberg very soon. If she pulls through, I


    want to restore her identity as a member of the Lindberg family,¡± Danrique answered.


    ¡°Her father is Richard Windt?¡±


    In all honesty, Francesca had also recognized that fact, but she still needed to confirm it further.


    ¡°How did you know that?¡± Surprise flooded Danrique.


    Francesca''s gaze gentled. ¡°I owe her father a debt of gratitude. How could she be your cousin?¡±


    Danrique then exined, ¡°She was born of my aunt and Richard. I''ll exin the specifics to you in a


    while. Take a look at her first and see whether there''s hope.¡±


    ¡°The chances are low. She''s presently no different from aatose patient. It''ll be exceedingly difficult


    for her to survive. Besides, even if she does pull through, there''ll be seque in the future.¡±


    Francesca''s brows were knitted together tightly.


    ¡°She must live. It''s imperative that she does, for I owe my aunt that much.¡± Danrique remained


    resolved.


    ¡°I''ll try my best.¡±


    Putting on a pair of gloves, Francesca opened her needle pouch and took out a silver needle. She


    jabbed it into Charlotte''s neck, only to see that the blood flowing out was ck.


    ¡°This is a huge undertaking. I need eight quick-witted medical staff to be my assistants. That aside, I''ll


    make a list. Prepare the medicinal herbs and medical equipment for me.¡±


    ¡°I''ll have someone make the arrangements right away.¡±


    Danrique instructed Sean to see to it, and Sean immediately left to execute his orders.


    Francesca read over Charlotte''s medical report and the previous treatment files meticulously. After


    doing that, she started treating thetter right there and then.


    She stayed in the clinic for three whole days beforeing out, during which she only went for toilet


    breaks and wolfed down some food. The amount of time she rested made for a total of three hours,


    and she spent the rest of the time treating Charlotte.


    Three dayster, when she walked out of the clinic, she copsed onto the ground.


    ¡°Francesca!¡±


    Fortunately, Danrique caught her in time and carried her back to the bedroom.


    Verily, he knew that she was dead on her feet.


    He wiped her down before hugging her as she slept.


    Lying beside her, he propped a hand against his chin and studied her quietly.


    After having not seen her for a year, she seemed to have lost weight. Her hair has lengthened, and she


    appears to have be much gentler. Nheless, she''s still as fiery as ever.

 Chapter 2327

    Chapter 2327


    Hugging Francesca in his arms, Danrique tenderly kissed her on the forehead. How I wish I could hold


    her forever and be together for eternity!


    Francesca seemingly sensed his warmth as well. She burrowed into his embrace, rubbing her face


    against his neck. As her skin brushed against him, it left a tingling feeling in its wake.


    That inadvertent teasing was sufficient to ignite the fire within him.


    The urge to take her gripped him, but he forcibly suppressed it.


    He was all too clear that she was exhausted to the core then, so he couldn''t touch her.


    Despite the fervent desire within him to join with her and reestablish their intimacy, he had to endure it.


    That night, Francesca slumbered soundly. She slept from a little over eight o''clock to only wake up the


    next day at o''clock in the afternoon. Opening her eyes groggily, she muttered, ¡°I''m hungry.¡±


    ¡°You''re hungry? I''ll have someone prepare some food at once.¡±


    Danrique instantly notified Norah to prepare some food and deliver it upstairs. Then, he went to the


    bathroom and drew a bath.


    Francesca was dazed for a while before she got out of bed and washed up. Having done that, she


    returned to the mini living room in the bedroom to eat.


    The entire process was ingrained and natural.


    It was as though she had never left and had always been the mistress of that bedroom. Everything


    appeared to be a matter of course.


    Danrique sat on the sofa at the side with a cup of ck coffee in hand, gazing at her tenderly.


    Francesca was entirely focused on eating, making it seem like she was doing something of utmost


    importance.


    She''s still the same, forever having such a big appetite and respect for food. She sleeps and eats well,


    just like a docile child.


    ¡°Have you had your fill staring at me?¡± Francesca questioned out of the blue.


    Danrique was stunned for a second before the corners of his mouth lifted. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡± Rolling her eyes at him, Francesca uttered coldly, ¡°Well? How much are you paying me this


    time?¡±


    ¡°Do you not want half of my assets anymore?¡± Danrique drawled meaningfully.


    ¡°Of course...¡± Francesca blurted. But in the next heartbeat, she changed her tune, adding, ¡°Not!¡±


    ¡°This isn''t like you. When did you change so much?¡± Danrique teased.


    ¡°Money is nice, but half of your assetse at the price of innocent lives, so forget about it.¡±


    As Francesca recalled the deaths of La and Lincoln, guilt and self-condemnation surged within her


    once more.


    It''s enough to make such a fatal mistake once. There can''t be a second time.


    ¡°I''m sorry.¡±


    Danrique hung his head. Truly, he was guilt-stricken about that incident. s, he had never been good


    at words, so he had no idea what else to say other than those three words.


    Lifting her head, Francesca stared right at him. ¡°I don''t want to say that it''s okay. I''m saving Charlotte


    mainly because I owe her father a debt of gratitude. Besides, she''s your aunt''s daughter...¡±


    She didn''t finish her utterance, merely giving voice to the rest of her words in her mind.


    She''s also my kids'' aunt. I''ve got no family since young, so I hope my kids will have many people


    protecting and loving them in this world. Even if I''m no longer here, they''ll still have other family


    members.


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    It would seem that Danrique really didn''t know what else to say other than such brief responses.


    On the heels of that, Francesca made a U-turn again. ¡°But... repaying a debt of gratitude is one thing.


    You''ve still got to pay me.¡±


    ¡°Uh...¡± Danrique was momentarily taken aback. Chuckling, he remarked, ¡°The familiar Francesca is


    back!¡±


    ¡°Forget about half your assets. I''ll never marry you, nor do I want to be involved in the mess that''s the


    Lindberg family. I don''t want shares or fixed assets. I only want cash.¡± Francesca was practical beyond


    words.


    ¡°How much do you want? Just say the word.¡± Danrique was generous and munificent.


    ¡°I want...¡± Pausing, Francesca did some calctions carefully before stating, ¡°A billion in M Nation''s


    currency!¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡± Danrique agreed readily.


    ¡°I''ll give you the bank ountter. Just transfer the money there. Thank you, boss!¡± Francesca raised


    her ss of milk to him.

 Chapter 2328

    Chapter 2328


    ¡°Haha!¡± Danrique burst outughing. ¡°You don''t have to thank me.¡±


    He hoped to make her happy, and if money could do that, he would be willing to shell out any amount.


    Naturally, he hoped that she could stay by his side...


    He wanted so very much to tell her that he would always protect her and never allow her to get hurt in


    any way.


    Regrettably, he could not.


    He was aware that Lindberg Corporation was not stable enough, and the battle was not over yet. In


    fact, it might begin at any moment. That was why he did not want to force her!


    At least for now, he dared not speak his mind.


    At the same time, Francesca did not spare the matter any further thought as well. She only wanted to


    heal Charlotte as soon as possible and return home to her children.


    After having her breakfast, she returned to the guest room to give Anthony a phone call and asked him


    to set up a trustworthy bank ount for Danrique to transfer the payment that was due to her.


    Anthony was preparing the form milk. When he heard that the medical fee was one billion in M


    Nation''s currency, he was so shocked that he nearly dropped the milk bottle on the floor. Thankfully, he


    was agile and caught the bottle in the nick of time.


    ¡°One billion? Isn''t that too much? Who promises you this amount of money? Do they mean it? I don''t


    want them to ask for their money back once the patient is well again.¡±


    ¡°What nonsense! Danrique has agreed to it personally. How can it be fake?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Anthony was stunned. ¡°I thought Danrique was ill. Why¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Charlotte is the one who is unwell. She''s his cousin, so it wasn''t him...¡±


    Francesca went on and shared the details with him. In the end, she added, ¡°Initially, I was also angry


    with him for lying to me. But, I am indebted to Richard. Furthermore, Charlotte is the aunt of my


    children. That''s why I decided to save her.¡±


    ¡°You are doing the right thing,¡± agreed Anthony. ¡°But, there''s a problem. You told me that Charlotte had


    been poisoned by someone from the Nacht family. In other words, the president is no longer the sole


    enemy of the Lindberg family. Now, the Nacht family is also going against them. I heard that the power


    of the Nacht family spans the globe. We can''t afford to offend them. I think it''s best that you conceal


    your identity and not let others know that you''re the one treating her. Otherwise, you may make more


    enemies. Even if you are not worried about yourself, think about the children.¡±


    ¡°You''re right.¡± It was only then that issue crossed Francesca''s mind.


    ¡°Try toe back as soon as you are done with her treatment. The children have been crying every


    night since you went away. We spent the nights trying to coax them and couldn''t get any sleep


    ourselves.¡±


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I understand. I wille back as soon as possible.¡±


    After hanging up the phone, Francesca mulled over her identity issue. Not too long ago, her identity


    was nearly exposed because she was entangled in the fight between Danrique and the president.


    She might have shown up as a Chanaean doctor in that battle, but there were others who knew her


    true identity.


    Fortunately, Danrique covered up any news rted to her afterward. There was no way to find any


    trace of her right now. Those who were in the know had sworn to absolute secrecy.


    However, that was their problem. Anthony''s reminder caused Francesca to rethink her identity


    situation. From now on, she had to protect herself and keep her identity a secret.


    With that in mind, Francesca got Sean to prepare a set of disguises for her.


    She got herself a dark green cloak and covered herself from head to toe, like how it was done in the


    movies. From then on, she would never show up as her true self. There would be no more Francesca


    in the world, only Dr. Francesco!


    Danrique realized that she had finally be mature. In the past, she behaved like a child. After


    experiencing many hardships, she had gradually be more sensible and thorough in her decisions.


    After all, she had the protection of La and Lincoln in the past. Right now, she had to be independent


    and protect her children.


    As a mother, she had to be strong and eradicate any futureplications for her children so as to


    ensure a safe future for them.

 Chapter 2329

    Chapter 2329


    After two months of treatment, Francesca finally saved Charlotte from the brink of death.


    It was a shame Danrique had located her a little toote and missed the best window for treatment. As


    such, Charlotte would suffer some side effects...


    Then again, the side effects could be cured with a second round of treatment. All they needed now was


    the time to research a new treatment n and implement it once Charlotte had regained her bodily


    functions.


    During the two months when Francesca was staying in Xendale, she was not only providing treatment


    for Charlotte but also for another two big shots. That kept her extremely busy.


    However, her recent trip had been very lucrative.


    In the past, she donated all of her wealth to the orphanage and only kept a small portion for herself.


    Yet, at the present moment, she had be a wealthydy again, which was apparent.


    She was even more confident in her speech and appearance.


    Danrique teased her when he noticed the change in her, ¡°Now that you are rich, you sure be more


    confident.¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡±


    Francesca raised her brows with pride and hurried Sean to see to her luggage. It was time for her to go


    back home.


    Danrique wanted her to stay, but she was adamant. ¡°We agreed that I could leave once I have finished


    giving the treatment. Please don''t go back on your word.¡±


    ¡°Lindberg Corporation is quite stable now. I assure you that those things will never happen again...¡±


    Danrique was reluctant to see her go, but he could not find words touching enough to make her stay.


    ¡°Nobody can guarantee what may happen in the future,¡± sneered Francesca. ¡°Even I can''t foresee my


    future. So, how can you? If you can ensure my safety, then those things would have never happened


    back then...¡±


    Danrique was at a loss for words when he heard what she said.


    ¡°Take care of yourself. Goodbye.¡±


    With that, Francesca left without looking back.


    Danrique watched on as she bid farewell to Norah and the rest of them. His eyes did not leave her


    even after she got into the car and left.


    Perhaps, he did not feel confident enough. That was why he did not insist on her staying there.


    However, deep in his heart, he knew that he would send for her once Lindberg Corporation had


    stabilized and that the president had stepped down. When that happened, his family would be reunited


    again.


    Currently, he had many more important things to deal with. He needed to turn his cousin into a strong


    and powerful person so that she could return to the Nacht family to exact revenge!


    How dare the Nacht family bully her! I must have my revenge.


    Once Francesca was back in Phoenix City, she spent all her time concocting medicine for her children''s


    speedy recovery.


    At the same time, she was also creating various types of secret weapons and sleeping drugs for her


    own protection in life-threatening situations.


    Now that she had concocted several powerful sleeping drugs and created many secret weapons, she


    would be able to utilize them whenever the need arose. That knowledge further boosted her


    confidence.


    In fact, she even taught Anthony the usage of her invention. If he encountered any dangerous situation,


    he would be able to protect himself and also the children.


    In addition, Francesca transferred all of her earnings from the recent trip into Anthony''s ount and


    entrusted him with managing the money. As long as he did not squander the money, it should be


    sufficient tost the children and him for their entire lifetimes.


    Anthony felt uneasy when she gave him her instructions. ¡°Francesca, why do I feel as if you are telling


    me yourst wishes? Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°Do you want to hear the truth or a lie?¡± asked Francesca directly.


    Anthony gulped and was taken aback momentarily. ¡°Uh... So, something really did happen? Please


    don''t scare me.¡±


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    ¡°It''s nothing, actually.¡± Francesca pondered for a while before continuing evasively, ¡°Recently, I have


    been having chest pain during the night. Dr. Felch told me before that my heart is deformed, and


    childbirth would hurt my constitution. In the past, I have always thought that the weakness I felt was


    due to childbirth. I assumed it was normal to feel a little unwell. But, the postpartum period is long over.


    Yet, I''m still feeling unwell, so I gave myself a checkup... True enough, my heart is failing slowly.¡±

 Chapter 2330

    Chapter 2330


    ¡°W-What do you mean?¡± Anthony asked as panic seized him.


    ¡°Everyone''s hearts would slowly age as they grow older, but mine is just ten times faster than an


    ordinary person''s...¡± Francesca exined calmly, ¡°It''s not a big deal. Everyone will die eventually. It''s


    only a matter of time...¡±


    ¡°D-Don''t scare me, Francesca. You''re still young. You''re only in your early twenties¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don''t be scared.¡± She patted him on the shoulder with a smile. ¡°I''m taking precautions, that''s all. I


    won''t die so soon. It''s too early for that.¡±


    ¡°T-Then¡ª¡±


    ¡°All right. Enough of that.¡± Francesca reassured him, ¡°Don''t be so anxious. I''m merely telling you these


    things because I believe you would live longer than I do, considering how healthy and carefree you are.


    You need not be overly anxious.¡±


    Anthony didn''t dare to ask any more questions, but he was still anxious.


    Ever since Ms. La and Mr. Lincoln died, she''s be my only family left in this world. I can''t


    imagine what I would do without her...


    Despite his worries, the days that followed were peaceful.


    The family of six kept living in seclusion on Mount Phoenix. Everything seemed to be peaceful.


    Francesca was in good health, and the children gradually grew.


    Anthony almost believed that they would live happily forever, until this day, when a group of strange


    people came to the foot of the mountain, seeminglying for Francesca and the children.


    Fortunately, in the past two years, Francesca had perfected her formidable ability and had made


    sufficient preparations, so they quickly fled with the children and tricked those trackers along the way.


    The family fled Phoenix City with Kimberley and her husband. On the way, Anthony asked in confusion,


    ¡°How strange. Who are those people? Why are they tracking you down? Could something have


    happened to Danrique again?¡±


    Francesca had also been following Danrique''s news for the past two years. Although his cousin


    Charlotte had recently appeared in quite a lot of news, he had kept a low profile during this time.


    Nothing seemingly happened, and there was no negative news about him either.


    But if it''s not rted to Danrique, why would anyone want to track me down? I haven''t offended


    anyone.


    While she was wondering about that, there was an iing call on her phone. The caller was Sean,


    and he sounded very anxious. ¡°Are you all right, Ms. Felch?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I''m fine.¡± Francesca then probed, ¡°Did something happen to Danrique?¡±


    ¡°Something did happen to Mr. Lindberg, but we can handle it. He told me to call you because he was


    afraid that you would be implicated,¡± Sean replied. ¡°I''m d that you''re okay. You should relocate since


    your previous location has been leaked. I''ve already sent someone over to protect you.¡±


    ¡°No need for that,¡± she immediately interrupted him. ¡°It''s better if you don''t send anyone. It''ll be even


    more troublesome¡ª¡±


    ¡°But your whereabouts have been exposed. I''m worried that you and the children will be in danger...¡±


    ¡°I can manage on my own,¡± Francesca said confidently.


    However, it soon became too much for her to handle.


    She could elude even the most effective tracking when she was alone. However, now that she was


    bringing along two elderly people, three children, and two dogs, not even the heavens could help her.


    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    A month in, and Francesca could not take it anymore. The children nearly got injured several times,


    and Anthony was shot in his right leg and injured his shin while protecting them. Kimberley''s husband


    even fell from the car and broke his leg, causing his wife to cry every day.


    Despite all that, those people were still chasing after them.


    Francesca received news that Charlotte had a total falling out with the Nacht family to get revenge and


    was in great danger. Danrique and the president also had another power struggle.


    The former, however, appeared to be more capable of resisting this time, and as a result of being


    overpowered, the president dispatched someone to capture Francesca.


    Francesca thought that she could get away from trouble after leaving Danrique and the Lindberg family


    but never had she expected that she would still be unable to do so...

 Chapter 2331

    Chapter 2331


    The president probably knows that I gave birth to Danrique''s children, so he wants to take them as


    hostages. How persistent...


    After struggling for a few more days, Francesca could not hold out any longer.


    In the end, she made a bold decision to send the three children back to the Lindberg residence!


    Anthony almost freaked out when he heard that. ¡°Are you out of your mind, Francesca? They are your


    flesh and blood. It''s too dangerous to send them back. The Lindberg residence is a treacherous ce


    ¡ª¡±


    ¡°Things have changed. Danrique is currently strong enough to go up against the president. Even if he


    can''t, he''ll still take good care of the children, so sending them back to the Lindberg residence is


    definitely safer than letting them stay with me.¡±


    Francesca was being rational and knew very well that she could not protect the children on her own,


    but Danrique could.


    ¡°But...¡± Anthony still intended to stop her but held his tongue when he heard the frightened cries of the


    children.


    ¡°Book a private jet back to Xendale.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Francesca sent the children to the Lindberg family by mail.


    At that moment, Danrique was working, and when he opened the door of the conference room, he


    found three children crawling around on the long table. They even tore up his documents and scattered


    the scraps of paper everywhere.


    Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    Thepany employees stood aside, staring at the kids in horror, not daring to move.


    After all, the three children somewhat resembled their boss, and there seemed to be a different kind of


    aura in their eyes.


    Danrique stared at the children in shock, and it took a while before he snapped back to his senses.


    ¡°Where did these little monkeyse from?¡± he asked with a frown.


    It was a befitting description, as they were agile and crawling around yfully like monkeys.


    They remind me of Francesca...


    ¡°This is...¡±


    His words carried apprehension and unease, and he did not know how to proceed.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, these three kids were sent by courier, and there were also three DNA test reports and a


    letter inside.¡±


    The assistant brought over the reports and the letter.


    Danrique hurriedly took them over to have a look. He had no idea when Francesca obtained his blood


    sample and took it to get a DNA test done with the children, but it was clearly stated on the document


    that the probability of parentage was a hundred percent.


    As he nced at the report and then at the three kids who had climbed onto a bookshelf, he felt his


    heart clench. He quickly opened the envelope and read the words written on the letter: Danrique, these


    three are your children. The one with the number one on her shirt is Alpha, the eldest. The one with the


    number two on her shirt is Beta, the middle child, and thest one with the number three is the


    youngest, Gamma. Their full names are Adolpha, Bethany, and Gamarra Lindberg. All three have


    protein allergies, so you must be mindful of their diets. Be careful not to let Gamma catch a cold


    because she is very frail. I have left you a medical kit. If they get sick, give them medicine following the


    markings in the kit. The children are very smart and adorable. They are my beloved treasures. Be sure


    to take good care of them. I''lle to pick them up when I''ve taken care of these trackers. Also, you''d


    better settle your cr*p as soon as possible. Don''t drag us down with you. What a pain!


    There was no need for a signature or a note because it was clear who wrote it from the messy


    handwriting and tone.


    ¡°Ah! Be careful!¡± Sean suddenly eximed.


    He dashed over and caught Alpha as she fell off the bookshelf, his heart nearly leaping out of his chest


    as he did so.


    The little girl''s lips quivered, and she burst into tears.


    Just as Sean was about tofort her, Beta also tumbled down from the table, so he hurriedly reached


    out his other hand to catch her while supporting Gamma, who was about to roll off the sofa, with his


    feet at the same time.


    The next moment, all three children started wailing, their cries so loud they could break ss...

 Chapter 2332

    Chapter 2332


    Mylo hastily drew people forward to assist in a panicked yet cautious manner, afraid of upsetting the


    three kids.


    The children looked so cute and delicate that those carrying them treated them like they were made of


    ss.


    Danrique felt an indescribable feeling in his heart as he stared at the three adorable kids.


    He had envisioned having children in the future but never thought the time would arrive so


    unexpectedly and without any prior notice.


    Like a bolt from the blue, the three little ones appeared out of nowhere and entered his life, and just like


    that, he became a father.


    Danrique''s mind was in a daze. He looked at the three children as if he was gazing at something


    precious. Suddenly, he felt that he had gained an additional weakness.


    Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Although familial affection was subtly spreading through his heart, what he felt more was a type of fury!


    Francesca bore me three kids, but I knew nothing about it?


    ¡°Sean!¡± he bellowed.


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Lindberg.¡± Sean hurriedly handed the children to several female employees before running to


    Danrique.


    Thetter stared into his eyes. ¡°Have you long known about this?¡±


    ¡°I...¡± The question caused Sean to feel flustered, and his gaze flitted around.


    ¡°I see.¡± Inferring the answer from Sean''s evasive gaze, Danrique turned to look at Gordon. ¡°What about


    you?¡±


    ¡°I...¡± Gordon hurriedly lowered his head, not even daring to let out a loud breath.


    Danrique''s expression darkened as he uttered through gritted teeth, ¡°You all knew it but chose to hide it


    from me. How dare you!¡±


    ¡°Please calm down, Mr. Lindberg.¡±


    Gordon hastily went down on a knee. He parted his lips but did not know how to exin it, for anything


    he uttered would seem like an excuse at that moment.


    ¡°It''s my fault.¡± Sean stepped forward and admitted his mistake. ¡°I told Gordon to hide it from you


    because¡ª¡±


    A powerful kick from Danrique sent him flying before he could finish, leading him to m into the


    conference table and topple a row of bookcases before crashing to the ground.


    He spewed blood and clutched at his chest, writhing in pain.


    Witnessing the scene, the three children were so frightened that they started wailing. Their little faces


    were flushed red, and their big watery eyes filled with fear.


    Danrique was about to lose his temper again but seeing the children''s reactions, he held back his


    anger and instructed, ¡°Take good care of the children!¡±


    He then turned on his heel and left, angrily calling Francesca as he walked away.


    The call went through, but no one answered.


    Once again, Danrique became furious. He kicked over his desk when he returned to his office, spilling


    the documents on it all over the floor. A recording pen with the words ¡°d*mned woman¡± also fell off with


    them.


    He picked up the recording pen and yed the only recording inside, listening to the familiar voice


    coming from it.


    ¡°I, Francesca Felch, swear to repay Rogue for saving my life. If I can''t repay him, I''ll devote myself to


    him. If I go back on my words, let me die a horrible death!¡±


    Her voice brought back memories of earlier times when they were together. With mixed emotions


    stirring within him, he immediately sent the recording to her.


    From there, memories were hidden away, and time fast-forwarded to six monthster...


    Danrique went through all kinds of hardships within those six months. Once again, Francesca came to


    his aid when he was in danger and helped him get through them. She also inadvertently saved


    Zachary.


    Nevertheless, once everything was settled, Francesca ran away again, for she did not wish to live a life


    filled with fear and deception anymore.


    Fortunately, because of Charlotte and the six children, Danrique and Zachary miraculously went from


    enemies to friends during the dispute.


    The long-running feuding Lindberg and Nacht families began to work hand in hand to dominate the


    corporate world, and from then on, no one dared to provoke them.

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    Chapter 2333


    It was now a week before Zachary and Charlotte''s wedding...


    As a means of forcing Francesca to show up, Danrique locked all her assets and jewelry in his office


    safe and waited for her to walk into the trap.


    Francesca soon stormed into the president''s office with a few eagles.


    He was sitting on his ck leather chair in a cocky manner, twirling the pen in his hand as he stared at


    her coldly through narrowed eyes.


    ¡°Rogue...¡±


    A familiar voice suddenly rang out from the stereo as Francesca was about to speak.


    Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I, Francesca Felch, swear to repay Rogue for saving my life. If I can''t repay him, I''ll devote myself to


    him. If I go back on my words, let me die a horrible death!¡±


    As soon as the recording finished, there was a sudden crack of thunder outside, causing her to


    shudder in fright, and her courage fled her instantly.


    ¡°Do you still remember this, you d*mned woman? You swore on it yourself!¡± Danrique stood up and


    slowly approached her. ¡°If you don''t, then let me remind you...¡±


    Francesca thought back to the day he made her swear on the mountain and the time she sent the


    children to hispany half a year ago before running away from him.


    But none of these matter now. What matters is that I must get my money back now!


    ¡°Cut the cr*p, Danrique. Give me back my money.¡±


    Francesca swept a gaze over the office and quickly fixed her eyes on the safe nearby, which had a


    photo taped to it.


    In the photograph, Danrique had his head tilted with a stoic expression, whereas Francesca was


    wearing a red wig and leaning toward him.


    Although their lips were pressed together, it did not look like they were kissing.


    They had kissed by ident, and the moment was inadvertently photographed, so they looked


    somewhat stunned. However, it was the only intimate photo of them.


    Francesca couldn''t remember when it was secretly taken, but seeing how close they were in that photo


    reminded her of the beautiful times from the past.


    She hesitated for a split second, debating whether or not to stay, but very quickly, her determination


    returned.


    I mustn''t forget the torment I had experienced back then, and I mustn''t forget the deaths of Ms. La


    and Mr. Lincoln. This ce and this life have traumatized me. I don''t want history to repeat itself.


    ¡°Very well. Go get it yourself if you can.¡±


    Danrique sat on the sofa and sipped his coffee elegantly, seemingly unmoved.


    I''d like to see how she''s going to open the safe to take away her money and how she will bring her


    things out of here...


    Francesca shot him a re before striding to the safe. No matter how hard she fiddled with the lock,


    she could not open it. Growing anxious, she picked up the gun and fired a few shots at the lock but to


    no avail.


    She was so angry that she turned her head and yelled at Danrique, ¡°B*stard, open it for me.¡±


    Thetter ignored her and continued sipping his coffee as if he had not heard a thing.


    ¡°Danrique...¡± Francesca pointed the gun at him directly. ¡°I told you to open it. Do you hear me?¡±


    Everything she had experienced over the past two years had made her more impudent and hotheaded.


    As a result, her temper was now more ferocious than it had ever been. Of course, she was also more


    formidable than before.


    ¡°Shoot me if you dare.¡± Danrique remained unfazed and did not even look at her.


    ¡°You...¡± Gritting her teeth, Francesca bellowed, ¡°You think I won''t kill you? I was the one who saved


    your life, so I can also take it from you!¡±


    ¡°Go ahead and shoot!¡± Danrique arched his brow and stared at her. ¡°Let''s see how you will exin this


    to the kids.¡±


    ¡°You...¡±


    Francesca was rendered speechless. That''s true. After half a year of interaction, this b*stard has


    gradually won over the children. Although they weren''t as friendly with him as with Zachary, they would


    still call him Daddy non-stop every day. I really can''t kill him. Otherwise, the children will hate me...

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    Chapter 2334


    Francesca whistled while facing the outside. Soon, a few male eagles flew in aggressively to attack


    Danrique.


    Danrique''s brows snapped together, and his eyes glinted coldly. Surprisingly, those eagles stopped and


    hovered before him, not daring to move closer.


    Francesca was stunned. What''s going on?


    She knew Danrique had been taming animals and could even summon some of them. However, as his


    summoning skill was acquired and developed, it couldn''t bepared to hers.


    Therefore, she couldn''t believe he could stop hermand.


    ¡°Leave!¡±


    The few male eagles flew away in a panic after hearing Danrique''s bellow.


    Francesca regained her senses from her momentary daze and shouted for the eagles to return, but


    they ignored hermand and soared away.


    Livid but at a loss for countermeasures, she could only threaten him forcefully, ¡°Unlock the safe


    immediately. Otherwise, I''ll bomb your building.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead, then. Hurry up and do it.¡± Danrique was unfazed. ¡°This building is your daughters'' asset,


    and it''s worth over ten billion. If you aren''t afraid of upsetting your daughters, you may destroy this


    building as you please.¡±


    She was stumped.


    Francesca was beside herself with rage. Since when has he be so persuasive?


    ¡°That''s enough.¡± He suddenly pulled her into his embrace, held her chin, and leaned closer to her


    seductively. ¡°Aside from the things inside the safe, even all the Lindberg family''s riches can be yours if


    you behave obediently ande home.¡±


    ¡°Get lost!¡± She pushed him angrily, but his strong arms held her in ce. She couldn''t break free no


    matter how hard she struggled.


    ¡°You''re already a mom, so why are you still so hot-tempered? You should consider the children even if


    you don''t care about me. Do you want them to lose either their daddy or mommy?¡±


    He began tackling her soft spots.


    ¡°I gave birth to them, so why would they lose their mommy?¡± Her anger intensified. ¡°I won''t be dead


    even after you''re gone.¡±


    ¡°Everyone will die sooner orter, but just because you know you''ll ultimately expire doesn''t mean you


    shouldn''t enjoy life.¡±


    She was taken aback after listening to his casual response.


    He seems to have a point. That''s right. Perhaps I won''t live for long or die before him. Still, I can''t start


    avoiding the problems now simply because I''ll pass away in the end.


    ¡°I was afraid of bringing you home because Lindberg Corporation was unstable. However, things are


    different now because I have acquired the ability to protect you and the kids.¡±


    Danrique grasped her chin and made her look him in the eyes.


    ¡°I promise an incident like that will never happen again. I''ll not restrict you anymore as well. You can


    continue to work as a doctor if you wish, or I can keep youpany as you travel around the world if


    that''s what you wish, as long as youe home.¡±


    Danrique seldom spoke in such a romantic manner. Francesca wasn''t used to that treatment as he


    wasn''t acting like his usual self.


    She had to admit that his speech resonated with her heart''s sentiments.


    Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    Still, the lesson she learned previously made too huge an impact on her, rendering her unable to move


    past it.


    Amidst her ponderation, the door to the conference room was suddenly pushed open. Sean led the


    three kids into the room. At the sight of the couple''s intimate interaction, he hastily turned around.


    ¡°Mr. Lindberg, I''ve brought the children here.¡±


    ¡°Daddy, Mommy!¡±


    The kids jogged over unsteadily, climbed up the sofa, andy on Danrique and Francesca like three


    little kittens. They wrapped their chubby arms around their parents'' necks and acted coy.


    ¡°Mommy, I missed you so much. Why don''t you follow us home?¡± Alpha said.


    ¡°That''s right, Mommy. Come back with us. Daddy and I missed you very much, too,¡± Beta chimed in.


    Gamma uttered, ¡°I miss you too. All of us do.¡±


    ¡°Alpha, Beta, Gamma, I''m here to bring you home with me.¡± Francesca hugged her children while


    chiding Danrique, ¡°Hurry up and open the safe for me. I want to bring my assets and kids back home


    with me.¡±

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    Chapter 2335


    ¡°Okay. Let''s go home.¡± Danrique stretched out his arms at his children. ¡°Girls,e here.¡±


    ¡°Daddy!¡±


    The girls threw themselves into his arms affectionately.


    Francesca was dumbfounded by the scene. Danrique has never spent time with the girls. He even


    scared them with horror stories at the Nacht residence previously. Their rtionship should be very


    distant, so why have they suddenly be so close now?


    ¡°Good girls. Let''s bring your mommy back with us, okay?¡±


    As he held the kids in his embrace, his tall figure contrasted with their short stature, creating a very


    adorable and heart-warming scene.


    ¡°Okay!¡± the girls answered in unison.


    ¡°Awesome!¡± He lifted them in his arms and strode right out.


    ¡°Hey, what are you doing, Danrique? Give me back my children. Hey!¡± Francesca hastily chased after


    him. ¡°Girls, hurry up ande to me.¡±


    ¡°Mommy, let''s go back together. Mdm. Norah prepared a lot of delicious food and is waiting for us at


    home. Daddy has been yearning for your return every day.¡±


    Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    ¡°That''s right, Mommy. Come home with us. Daddy bought a lot of pretty jewelry for you.¡±


    ¡°Let''s go, Mommy!¡±


    The girls showed no inclination to break free from Danrique. They even waved their little hands at


    Francesca, gesturing for thetter to join them.


    The three pairs of petite arms were like baited hooks, prompting Francesca to trail them.


    ¡°Danrique, give me back my children.¡± She stomped in exasperation but had no choice but to follow the


    kids.


    With that, he sessfully lured her into the car. Sean swiftly closed the car door from the outside.


    Francesca was left with no way to escape as the girls mbered over her.


    Danrique curled his lips into a smirk as he took in the way the kids were keeping their mother upied.


    Zachary''s n is indeed incredible!


    The couple was at an impasse, and Francesca wouldn''t follow Danrique back to Xendale no matter


    what. At that time, he was also at his wits'' end.


    Afterward, Zachary came up with the idea of asking Danrique to bring the kids back to Xendale first


    before creating false rumors to draw Francesca to Xendale.


    Sure enough, when she saw the news about Danrique looking for a girlfriend, she immediately rushed


    over in vexation.


    To put it in Francesca''s own words, she couldn''t care less about Danrique''s search for a female


    companion. Her concern was the type of woman who would be her kids'' stepmother.


    What if her children became victims of domestic abuse?


    Nevertheless, Francesca wasn''t a fool. She realized Danrique might be deliberately provoking her


    using that method, so she didn''t confront him directly. Instead, she seized that opportunity to sneak into


    the Lindberg residence to bring her children away.


    Unfortunately, he had established tight security measures around his residence, so she couldn''t even


    slip inside the house or catch sight of the kids. Not only that, Danrique even kidnapped Anthony,


    extracted all her assets, and locked them inside his safe to tempt her into showing up at his office.


    Subsequently, Danrique nned to lure her back home with their children.


    Of course, that was provided that he had to put forth his best effort to mingle with his kids, winning the


    girls'' trust and affection in advance.


    Not only that, but he also had to tirelessly teach and persuade them to work together to coax


    Francesca into going home with them. The hard work he had poured into this n was greater than


    any project he aplished or any scheme he concocted to target his enemies.


    Finally, his effort was starting to pay off.


    I did it!


    At that moment, Danrique genuinely felt grateful to Zachary, and that was also the first time he was


    impressed by another person in his life.


    The Lindberg and Nacht families had been rivals for a long time. Danrique and Zachary couldn''t see


    eye to eye either, and both even attempted to kill one another at one point. Yet, Danrique became


    Zachary''s family member afterward, so thetter had no choice but to yield and take the initiative to


    make nice with Danrique for Charlotte''s sake. Nevertheless, Danrique never took Zachary seriously.


    That had been the case until Zachary helped him win back his wife.


    Only then did Danrique sincerely feel thankful to and admire Zachary.

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    Chapter 2336


    In Zachary, Danrique saw what it was like to have a high EQ. All along, he thought having a high EQ


    meant pleasing others and being empathetic. Hence, he scorned it, never seeing the need to have a


    high EQ.


    It was then he btedly discovered the advantages of having a high EQ. With it, one could aplish


    things that could not be done with money, power, and status¡ªfor example, having a high EQ could


    improve and maintain one''s rtionship with one''s family.


    In fact, Zachary once mentioned how a person needed to put in the effort to take care of a family.


    Regardless of one''s social status and capability, one''s family should take priority over any other matter.


    Although it was a well-known value in life, Danrique only thoroughly understood it then.


    Only when his family was harmonious and happy would he have the mental capacity to deal with other


    things in life.


    Perhaps that was what a fulfilling life was all about.


    While he was looking forward to reaching home, Francesca was figuring out ways to escape. Truth be


    told, she had the chance to escape. With her capability, escaping on her own was child''s y.


    However, bringing the children with her was a totally different story.


    Making apromise was her only choice unless she could harden her heart to abandon them.


    Being coaxed into going home, Francesca knew she had fallen for Danrique and the triplets'' trick. Yet,


    it was a trap she willingly stepped into.


    No matter what, I can''t deny I was moved by the fact that Danrique had gotten the kids'' approvals in


    such a short period of time. That wasn''t something I expected. Although I''m still feeling uneasy, I ought


    to forget all my concerns now that I see how much the kids like Danrique... Indeed, they need both their


    parents. I don''t have the right to deny them the paternal love they deserve. If I keep being obstinate, I''m


    going to hurt the kids. For their sake, I have no choice but to give in.


    That was what she told herself, at least.


    When Danrique pushed her onto the bed, she warned ferociously, ¡°I''m warning you, Danrique. I only


    came back for the children''s sake. You better not think that I''m still in love with you. What are you


    doing? Why are you taking off my clothes? Hey...¡±


    While the room was filled with passionate intimacy, the three children were wobbling down the stairs.


    Behaving like a grown-up, Alpha eximed, ¡°Daddy and Mommy are like kids! They always make


    others worry about them!¡±


    ¡°I agree! I agree! Especially Mommy...¡±


    ¡°No matter what, at least Mommy is finally home now. From now on, we''ll get to drink the snake soup


    she makes!¡±


    ¡°We haven''t had that in a long while. Even hearing about it makes me hungry!¡±


    ¡°Is dinner ready, Mdm. Norah?¡± the triplets yelled as they were walking down the stairs.


    ¡°Yes! I''ll ask the others to serve the dishes in the dining room. Be good, kids. Don''t run, okay? I''m


    coming to get you all...¡± Norah rushed up the stairs to carry the three children.


    Before she could get to them, however, the kids went back up the stairs, knocked on the door, and


    yelled, ¡°Daddy! Mommy! Let''s have dinner!¡±Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Daddy! Mommy! Dinner is ready!¡±


    ¡°Daddy! Mommy!¡±


    ¡°Hey! Hey! Hey!¡± Norah quickly stopped them and said, ¡°Be a dear and stop it, girls. Your daddy and


    mommy are busy. I''ll bring you down for dinner.¡±


    Alpha tilted her head and asked curiously, ¡°What are they busy with?¡±


    ¡°Well...¡± Norah was at a loss for words.


    ¡°They''re busy making younger siblings for you girls!¡± Sean suddenly piped up. ¡°Would you like that?¡±


    ¡°What? Again?¡± Beta frowned. With frustration written all over her face, she asked, ¡°Don''t we have


    enough kids in our family? Why would they want to have more?¡±


    ¡°Exactly! With Robbie, Jamie, and Ellie around, we already have six children in our household. If they


    were to have more children, we could start a kindergarten!¡±


    ¡°Oh? That sounds good. When the timees, let''s open up a kindergarten here...¡±


    ¡°Yes. I think Uncle Zachary and Aunt Charlotte are going to have babies again soon.¡±


    ¡°Adults are troublesome. We always have to worry about them.¡±


    ¡°That''s right!¡±

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    Chapter 2337


    Norah could not help but chuckle when she heard their conversation.


    Sean was amused too. The way kids perceive things is so cute!


    Norah then asked a few maids to bring the triplets to have dinner downstairs. When she was instructing


    one of them to invite Charlotte, someone rushed in from outside and reported, ¡°Ms. Lindberg is on her


    way back to H City. She left for the airport a few moments ago and told me to ry the message.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Norah turned to look at Sean.


    ¡°Got it. I''ll report it to Mr. Lindbergter.¡± He smiled and continued, ¡°She''s been away for a long time, so


    I reckon Mr. Nacht was urging her to go back. In fact, it''s a little rushed for her to head back today when


    their wedding''s tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°What? Ms. Lindberg and Mr. Nacht are getting married tomorrow?¡± she asked curiously, ¡°Ms. Lindberg


    is going, isn''t he?¡±


    ¡°Of course, he''s going. However, we have to wait for the both of them to wake up,¡± Sean answered with


    a smile. ¡°Mdm. Norah, could you please take care of the kids? I need to make some arrangements.


    Once Mr. Lindberg and Ms. Felch wake up, we''ll head straight to the airport.¡±


    ¡°Sure. Don''t worry. Leave the kids to me.¡±


    The moment Norah arrived downstairs, the triplets gathered around her and asked, ¡°Mdm. Norah, did


    Mr. Sean say someone''s having a wedding? Whose wedding is it? Is it Daddy and Mommy''s?¡±


    ¡°It''s your Aunt Charlotte and Uncle Zachary''s wedding,¡± Norah exined.


    ¡°Didn''t Aunt Charlotte and Uncle Zachary have their wedding already?¡± Beta asked in bafflement. ¡°We


    wore nice dresses and even took photos with them.¡±


    ¡°Yeah! Robbie, Jamie, and Ellie were there too. We even sat on Uncle Zachary''s shoulders...¡± Gamma


    uttered while eating her mashed potato.


    ¡°That was a pre-wedding photoshoot, not a wedding,¡± Sean exined with a smile. ¡°However, I think


    they were supposed to have held two marriage ceremonies before this. It''s just that both weddings had


    to be canceled because an ident happened each time. This time around, it''ll surely go on smoothly!¡±


    It was after he spoke that he realized the triplets had directed their attention to their dinner. Children


    their age only knew how to ask questions; they simply did not have the patience to listen to the


    answers.


    With a smile on his face, Sean shook his head and left to make the necessary arrangements.


    Strangely enough, the weather, which had been gloomy and snowy, became sunny on that day.


    Finally, the sun was out, and the snow was melting. Although it was still a bit chilly, it feltfortable to


    feel the sunlight on his body.


    Sean heaved a sigh and eximed, ¡°Finally! After a stormes a calm!¡±


    ¡°That''s right! The calm is going tost this time around.¡± Gordon felt the same way. ¡°After the many


    incidents we''ve gone through, things have finally calmed down. Now that the Lindberg family and the


    Nacht family are living in harmony with each other, no one can shake us, nor would anyone dare to


    provoke us. That includes the new president!¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Sean smiled. ¡°Didn''t you see? Ever since the Lindberg family and the Nacht family


    reconciled, many people came to express their goodwill.¡±


    ¡°Before this, one family alone was able to conquer the world. Now that both families are united, we''re


    invincible!¡± Gordon was thrilled. ¡°Speaking of which, all merits belong to Ms. Lindberg!¡±


    ¡°That''s right. Ms. Lindberg resolved the tension between the families and even brought such a huge


    amount of money to help Ms. Lindberg weather the storm!¡± Sean was making the arrangements on his


    phone and talking at the same time. ¡°Therefore, we need to get ourselves ready to attend their wedding


    at H City!¡±


    ¡°What about Mr. Lindberg and Ms. Felch''s wedding?¡± Gordon inquired curiously. ¡°I thought they would


    have the wedding at the same time.¡±


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°There''s not enough time, and I think Mr. Lindberg should have other ns,¡± Sean answered. ¡°Ms.


    Felch and Mr. Lindberg prefer peace and quiet. Perhaps a simple and low-key wedding would suit them


    better.¡±


    ¡°You have a point...¡± Gordon nodded. ¡°I''ll get the private jet ready.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    While they were busying away, Charlotte had already boarded the private jet bound for H City.


    The moment she sat down, she received a video call from Zachary. ¡°Have you boarded the ne?¡± he


    asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Charlotte turned the camera to the outside and said, ¡°The sun is out in Xendale today!¡±

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    Chapter 2338


    ¡°It''s a good sign.¡± Zachary gazed at Charlotte tenderly and said, ¡°Robbie, Jamie, and Ellie are waiting


    for you. We''ll pick you up at the airport together when you arrive.¡±


    ¡°Okay...¡± Happiness was written all over the woman''s face. ¡°I don''t know if I can still fit in the bridal


    gown as I''ve gained weight from the food I ate over thest few days.¡±


    Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    ¡°You''d still be slim no matter how much you ate.¡± His eyes brimmed with adoration as he continued,


    ¡°I''ve prepared ten bridal gowns for you, and you can pick from them. If the gowns don''t fit you, you can


    wear my suit and let me wear the bridal gown!¡±


    When Charlotte imagined Zachary wearing a bridal gown, she could not help but burst outughing.


    Herughter echoed throughout the cabin, and everyone was imbued with her happiness.


    It was as though Charlotte had brought the great weather from Xendale to H City because she noticed


    the sun was shining brightly outside when the nended, which caused her to be in a good mood.


    ¡°Mommy!¡± Robbie, Jamie, and Ellie dashed over and threw themselves into her arms before wrapping


    their arms around her neck and kissing her nonstop.


    ¡°Mommy, I missed you so much!¡±


    ¡°I missed you too, Mommy!¡±


    ¡°Me too! Me too!¡±


    The three children surrounded Charlotte lovingly, refusing to let her go.


    At that moment, Zachary walked over while pping his hands. ¡°All right. That''s enough of kissing. It''s


    my turn to have Mommy.¡±


    Charlotteughed. ¡°You are not young anymore. How can you be jealous of the kids?¡±


    ¡°I don''t care. You''re my wife!¡± He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulled her into his embrace, and


    then gave her a passionate kiss.


    ¡°Daddy is doing something cringey!¡± Ellie immediately covered her eyes as she dared not look at that


    scene.


    ¡°See no evil!¡± Robbie turned around in mock annoyance.


    ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk! Daddy is good at kissing.¡± Jamie enjoyed it so much that he wanted to imitate Zachary. ¡°I


    know how to kiss my girlfriend next time!¡±


    ¡°Jamie, you''re shameless!¡±


    ¡°I''m almost eight years old, and I already have three girlfriends.¡±


    ¡°You''re unbelievable!¡±


    The children erupted in fits ofughter.


    With much reluctance, Zachary finally let go of Charlotte and turned to look at the kids. The sight of


    them giggling while ying had him brimming with happiness.


    ¡°Let''s go home first.¡± Charlotte pulled him toward the car. ¡°I''m so tired. Perhaps I''ve been on the ne


    for too long that I feel sore all over my body.¡±


    ¡°Let me give you a massage.¡± Zachary kneaded her shoulders for her and exhorted, ¡°When we reach


    home, take a hot bath and have a good rest. You''ll be a beautiful bride tomorrow!¡±


    ¡°Look at me. Have I gotten fatter? I think my waist got bigger. You have no idea how slim Francesca''s


    waist is.¡± It was evident that Charlotte was a bit anxious about her figure.


    ¡°How can youpare hers with yours? She''s skinny.¡± Hugging her gently, he cooed, ¡°You are not fat.


    Stop overthinking things.¡±


    As he spoke, he nibbled at her earlobe, whispering ambiguously, ¡°I''ll give you a spa session when we


    head back, and you won''t feel tired anymore.¡±


    Charlotte understood what he was implying, and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. After letting


    out a giggle, she chided, ¡°You''re such a pervert!¡±


    ¡°I was talking about a proper spa session. What were you thinking?¡± Zachary deliberately teased her,


    ¡°You are the pervert.¡±


    ¡°Jeez. You''re so annoying... Mm...¡±


    Before she could finish her sentence, he kissed her on the lips.


    Ben, who was in the passenger seat, had long gotten used to seeing the couple kiss passionately, so


    he merely shut his eyes to rest. Sadly, Marino could not avoid that scene since he was driving.


    Although Marino was dating Morgan, which rendered him part of the Lindberg family, he was still


    working under Zachary, and the same went for Ben.


    Besides, Bruce seemed to be up to somethingtely, though no one had a clue of what he was doing.


    Zachary was toozy to be bothered by it. Well, I''ve already been married and have had kids for years,


    so I guess it''s time for these bachelors to find themselves a partner. It''s good that they''re pursuing


    female bodyguards from the Lindberg family since that''ll strengthen the bond between both families...


    Therefore, he had a discussion with Danrique, and they both decided they would stop forbidding their


    bodyguards from dating each other.


    Danrique agreed to Lupine''s and Morgan''s marriages as well, allowing them to make their own


    decisions.


    As of then, it was a happy and harmonious situation.

 Chapter 2339

    Chapter 2339


    The wedding took ce as scheduled on the next day.


    Everyone had their hearts in their mouths, worried that something untoward would happen again.


    After all, emergencies happened during the previous two weddings. Thus, the frightened Nacht family


    executed everything carefully, fearful that idents might ur again.


    Zachary did not sleep a wink the entire night and got out of bed at about five in the morning. He then


    personally checked all the processes of the marriage ceremony to avoid any undesirable incidents.


    Ben, Bruce, and the others were no exceptions. Tense with nervousness, they inspected every step


    cautiously.


    At eight in the morning, the make-up artist and stylist arrived and began to get Charlotte dressed and


    do her make-up.


    Meanwhile, the children were having their breakfast. They were going to dress up as well after finishing


    their meals.


    ording to the customs, Zachary should head to the church first, but he changed the rule as he


    wanted to go with Charlotte and the kids. Refusing to let any mishap befall his loved ones, he insisted


    on being by their side at all times.


    The wedding car set off for the church at the top of the mountain at ten o''clock.


    The guests arrived at the venue one after another, except for Danrique, the wedding witness.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    Zachary instructed Ben to call Danrique and inquire about the Lindbergs'' whereabouts, but the


    bodyguard imed that thetter''s phone was switched off. It seemed that they were still on the private


    jet.


    That had Zachary estimating the time needed for Danrique and his family to arrive at the church. Even


    if they were to arrive at the airport at that exact moment, it would take them more than an hour to reach


    the mountaintop. Given that his cousin-inw''s phone was switched off, he reckoned it must mean that


    their ne had notnded yet. As such, it was unlikely for the wedding witness to make it before the


    auspicious time.


    Despite feeling unhappy, Zachary had beposed and thus would no longer get angry because


    of such issues. All he did was instruct Sean to look for Johann and have the old man prepare to be the


    wedding witness should Danrique fail to arrive in time.


    In fact, Johann witnessed the progress of Zachary and Charlotte''s rtionship from the very beginning.


    No matter what happened to the Nacht family, he always supported and protected them. Thus, he was


    also a suitable candidate for the wedding witness.


    As time ticked away, the clock struck half past eleven in the blink of an eye.


    Everything was ready, and the guests had arrived and been seated.


    d in a ck suit, Zachary stood before the altar as he stared at the door nervously.


    At that moment, he recalled that he was in the same nervous state while waiting for Charlotte at that


    spot during their first wedding. Although it seemed to go well, an unexpected situation urred as they


    exchanged rings.


    Henry was incensed when he found out about Charlotte''s real identity and forced Zachary to get rid of


    her but keep the children. Charlotte was poisoned with a deadly poison at that time, and the only


    person in possession of the antidote was Zara.


    To save Charlotte''s life, Zachary had no choice but to agree to Henry''s demands.


    He personally got someone to send her to T Nation. Even though she cried in agitation and questioned


    him in confusion, she could not turn the tide.


    In the end, she was sent away forcefully and even encountered an attack in T Nation. Not only did


    Sharon humiliate her, but it also resulted in the gruesome death of Mrs. Berry.


    That tragedy became the greatest obstacle between Zachary and Charlotte.


    If it were not for Danrique''s timely act of taking Charlotte away, she probably would have died in


    Coldbridge long ago.


    At the recollection of the past, Zachary felt incredibly emotional and remorseful. I will love her for the


    rest of our lives to make it up to her. Moreover, I want to give her every wonderful thing in this world.


    I''ve been waiting for this day for a very long time...


    Time continued to pass, but the door still had not opened.


    Anxiousness washed over Zachary, and he checked the time on his watch, only to find out that it was


    already five minutester than the expected time. ording to the original n, the door should open


    at ten to twelve. Then, Danrique will walk Charlotte up the aisle to where I am... But it''s five to twelve


    now. The door isn''t opened yet, and the bride I''ve been waiting for hasn''t appeared.


    He felt uneasy. Could it be that something went wrong again?


    Instantly, he shot a look at Ben, who exined that Bruce had gone to check on the situation.


    Even so, Zachary believed that Bruce would screw up at the most crucial moment, so he rushed out to


    have a look. Right at that moment, the door was suddenly pushed open.

 Chapter 2340

    Chapter 2340


    Sunlight streamed from outside, shining on Charlotte like a spotlight. The bright light enveloped her


    completely.


    Bathed in sunshine, she resembled an angel descending from heaven as she walked into the church.


    At that time, she was holding the arm of her cousin, who was dressed in white.


    Danrique waste, but he still tried his best to get there on time. On the way to the church, he phoned


    Charlotte. ¡°I''m on my way, Charlotte. Wait for me!¡±


    ¡°Okay. I''ll be waiting!¡±


    In truth, Charlotte looked forward to Danrique''s arrival. After all, other than her children, he was the


    only family she had left.


    She hoped that he could walk her up the aisle and hand her over to Zachary. The media would capture


    that moment and announce to the world that the Lindberg and Nacht families had a close-knit


    rtionship and were inseparable.


    In short, it would be beneficial for the consolidation of the two families'' power in the future.


    Of course, that was entirely off-topic.


    The most important thing was that Charlotte hoped to use such a method to strengthen the rtionship


    between the two families. She wished that the families would live in harmony and grow strong together.


    Zachary let out a sigh of relief as he watched Danrique escort Charlotte inside. The anxiety he had felt


    initially slowly disappeared.


    Upon taking another look, he saw Francesca, in a beautiful white dress, had entered the room with her


    three children from the side door. Then, they proceeded to sit in the VIP seats.


    The three children were dressed in cute gowns, looking as beautiful as elves with small fairy wands in


    their hands. As they waved the wands around happily, they cheered, ¡°Best of luck, Uncle Zachary!¡±


    Francesca quickly ced a finger before pursed lips to hush them, gesturing them not to make any


    sounds lest they disturb Zachary and Charlotte. However, their uncle did not seem to mind it at all. He


    even made a funny face at the three children.


    Under the apaniment of the wedding march, Charlotte walked toward Zachary slowly while gazing


    at him lovingly. Finally, I can marry him. I''ve been waiting for this day for such a long time.


    Meanwhile, Robbie, Jamie, and Ellie, d in formal attire, walked behind her and Danrique. Beaming


    with happiness, they threw flower petals along the aisle. On that day, they were their parents'' page


    boys and flower girl, apanying their mother on the journey to lifelong happiness.


    With a grin on his face, Zachary waved to the three children. Then, he looked at Charlotte anxiously.


    Walk faster, walk faster...


    The woman glimpsed the clock on the wall and noticed that the auspicious time was nearly over. That


    gave her a sense of urgency, and she quickly released her hand from Danrique''s arm before lifting the


    hem of her bridal gown and rushing toward Zachary.


    ¡°Hey, Charlotte...¡±


    Danrique was dumbfounded, but he did not stop her.


    Charlotte did not turn around as she ran to the end of the aisle. However, as the bridal gown was too


    long, she nearly tripped.Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Charlotte!¡±


    ¡°Wifey!¡±


    Cries of surprise were heard simultaneously from Danrique and Zachary. The next moment, thetter


    dashed forward to catch Charlotte, pulling her into his arms.


    ¡°That scared me! I thought I would fall down. That would''ve been too embarrassing,¡± she eximed,


    her heart hammering.


    ¡°I''m here, so you don''t have to be afraid.¡± Zachary carried her to the altar and put her down in front of it.


    Once they were both there, he urged, ¡°Let''s start now!¡±


    The guests burst outughing.


    The pastor, too, smiled on the stage. A beatter, he started to ask, ¡°Do you, Zachary Nacht, take


    Charlotte Lindberg to be yourwfully wedded wife, to¡ª¡±


    ¡°I do, I do. I''m willing to do anything.¡±


    Zachary wanted nothing more than to skip the process and for the pastor to pronounce them man and


    wife.


    Once again, sounds ofughter came from the audience. Danrique smiled as well. Zachary is too


    impatient.


    ¡°Do you, Charlotte Lindberg, take Zachary Nacht to be yourwfully wedded husband, to have and to


    hold from this day forward, for better, for worse...¡±


    ¡°I do!¡± Charlotte answered solemnly.


    ¡°You may exchange the rings,¡± announced the pastor.


    Robbie, Jamie, and Ellie brought the rings for them.


    Zachary slipped the ring into Charlotte''s finger as quickly as he could. Then, he extended his hand and


    urged her to put the ring on his finger.


    His impatience gave others the impression that he was eager to consummate their marriage as soon


    as possible.

 Chapter 2341

    Chapter 2341


    Amid the howls ofughter from the guests before the stage, the couple sessfully exchanged their


    rings and proceeded to kiss each other.


    Rounds of apuse were heard as the pastor announced that the ceremony had beenpleted. The


    two people had officially be man and wife.


    Atst, Zachary was able to heave a sigh of relief. Smiling radiantly, he gave Charlotte a tight embrace.


    Charlotte was so excited that she shed tears while being in his arms.


    They held three weddings in total. The first two ceremonies were interrupted by idents, whereby her


    life was in danger, followed by his. Finally, they managed toplete the ceremony without a hitch on


    the third attempt.


    At longst, they had bewfully wedded husband and wife.


    Even though it was a normal ceremony, they had to go through a great ordeal just to get it done


    perfectly. However, it was also the reason that they appreciated the hard-earned happiness.


    Sitting downstage, Danrique and Francesca looked at the couple before the altar and could not help


    exchanging nces with each other. At that moment, they were overwhelmed with mixed emotions.


    The fact that another couple was determined to be together despite the hardships seemed to have


    made them learn to cherish their loved ones more, as well as understand the meaning of happiness


    better.


    He held her hand tightly and whispered into her ear, ¡°Let''s get married as soon as we go back.¡±


    ¡°We can do that, but let''s not invite so many people.¡± Francesca looked around, and a pucker gradually


    formed between her brows. ¡°I think that marriage is a personal matter. We can just invite our family to


    the wedding.¡±


    ¡°No problem. It''s up to you.¡±


    As Danrique kissed the top of her head, he caught Zachary''s gaze. Thetter seemed gratified to see


    their exchange.


    In response, he expressed his gratitude with a gesture. It''s all thanks to Zachary that my wife is back by


    my side again!


    After the ceremony, Ben and the others invited the guests to dine on thewn. As for Zachary and


    Charlotte, they greeted the other guests before they stayed with Danrique and his family.


    Since it was rare for them to gather together, the six children went to y among themselves happily.


    Zachary and Danrique watched the children, quirking their lips into alluring smiles. Then, they tilted


    their heads to see their wives chatting with each other merrily. It was impossible not to chuckle at the


    joyous atmosphere.


    ¡°Let''s take a seat over there!¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    With a ss of red wine in their hands, the two men looked for a quiet corner to sit on. Then, they


    continued to gaze lovingly at their wives and children, who were not far from them.


    Zachary took a sip of his wine and asked, ¡°How''s it going? When will you be holding the wedding?¡±


    ¡°We will do it as soon as we head back. You must bring Charlotte and the children to attend our


    wedding.¡±


    It was rare to see Danrique behave so amicably.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Zachary clinked his wine ss against Danrique''s and added in a low voice, ¡°I received news


    yesterday afternoon. Federico from Danontand has passed away. If nothing goes wrong, William will


    ascend the throne next week.¡±


    ¡°You''re very well-informed,¡± Danrique remarked with a smirk. ¡°I only knew about it an hour ago.¡±


    ¡°Federico had always wanted to rope me in. Thus, his trusted subordinate kept in touch with Ben,¡±


    Zachary exined nonchntly. Then, he added, ¡°That friend of yours, William, is not an ordinary man.


    Moreover, it seems like he managed to take away your right-hand man.¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about Hazel?¡± Once again, Danrique''s quirked his lips. ¡°They are quite suitable for


    each other. It''s good that she left. Frannie won''t be jealous anymore.¡±


    Zacharyughed. ¡°It''s the same with me. She only wants men to stay around me.¡±


    ¡°Mmh. Even the female bodyguards of my family are dating members of your family. I don''t have any


    females around me anymore...¡± Danriquemented. ¡°Now that I''m left with Norah and the others,


    Frannie can rest easy.¡±


    Zacharyughed once again. ¡°I see that you have potential!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Danrique arched his brow.


    ¡°It''s only been a few months, but you have be more approachable. You are now humorous as


    well.¡± Zachary looked at him approvingly.


    ¡°It''s because I spent a long time with the children...¡± Danrique smiled in resignation. ¡°The three children


    are as difficult as their mother. One was already enough to keep me busy. Now that there are three


    others, I''m so tired that I''m no longer a ruthless man.¡±


    ¡°Haha! It''s a good thing!¡±


    The two menughed merrily. Meanwhile, Francesca and Charlotte turned to look at them. ¡°What are


    they talking about? Why are theyughing happily?¡± the former muttered.


    ¡°I reckon they are talking about us.¡± Charlotte continued with a smile, ¡°Men will either talk about


    business or women when they are together.¡±


    ¡°I can ept it if they are talking about us. If they talk about some other women, I will castrate him!¡±


    Francesca blurted out.


    Charlotte chortled with glee.


    ¡°What are youughing at, Charlotte? Do you think that I''m not gentle enough?¡± Francesca asked in a


    hurry.


    ¡°No, you''re good. That''s the only way you can keep Danrique under control!¡±


    ¡°You''re right,¡± Francesca replied after giggling.


    The two womenughed happily as well. Warmth akin to the sun in the winter filled their gazes as they


    watched the children y with each other.


    Perhaps that was how simple happiness could be.


    Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    They believed that all of them would live happily ever after.


    The End.


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